Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 GT Voice: Why closer China-SK chip co-op is essential amid supply-chain shifts Global Times) 08:46, January 09, 2026 Samsung Electronics on Thursday estimated that its fourth-quarter operating profit surged 208.2 percent year-on-year to a record high, according to the Yonhap News Agency, as a surge in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand stoked prices for conventional memory chips. As a major player in the semiconductor sector, Samsung's impressive growth serves as a microcosm of the entire industry's broad vitality in 2025. Data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources of South Korea showed that in 2025, exports of semiconductors, South Korea's largest export item, rose 22.2 percent year-on-year to an all-time high of $173.4 billion, significantly driving the country's overall export growth. China has long been a crucial semiconductor trading partner for South Korea. With annual bilateral trade exceeding $300 billion, semiconductor intermediate products account for a substantial proportion. Growing Chinese demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory has provided strong impetus for South Korean semiconductor companies. Notably, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung brought a huge business delegation, which included executives of four major conglomerates, including Samsung, on his state visit to China. Among them, the participation of semiconductor executives drew widespread attention, which fully reflects the high importance South Korea's semiconductor industry places on the Chinese market. This focus is neither new nor transient; rather, it reflects a persistent drive to deepen collaboration within the China-South Korea semiconductor supply chain - a drive grounded in years of accumulated and deepening industrial interdependence. Although US export controls on China's semiconductor sector in recent years have forced China to accelerate its self-sufficiency drive, creating a competitive dynamic with South Korean companies, China remains South Korea's largest semiconductor export market, with the Chinese mainland alone accounting for about 30 percent of South Korean semiconductor exports in 2024, according to media reports. Beyond trade, China's vast market and manufacturing ecosystem provide support for the operational advancement of South Korean companies. Samsung's NAND flash memory chip production facility in Xi'an accounts for about 40 percent of its total global NAND output and is being upgraded to a more advanced 286-layer process, according to a report from Business Korea. SK Hynix has a DRAM fab in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, which produces about 40 percent of the company's total DRAM chips, and a NAND flash manufacturing plant in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, which produces about 20 percent of its memory chips, according to The Korea Herald. These examples fully illustrate the depth of integration and the mutually beneficial outcomes of existing industrial chain cooperation. While cooperation has yielded remarkable results, the global semiconductor landscape is undergoing profound changes. The US export controls have spurred the development of China's domestic semiconductor industry, fueling competition with its South Korean counterparts. Nevertheless, the complementarity of their industrial chains renders cooperation indispensable. South Korea retains leading-edge capabilities in high-end memory chips and advanced materials, whereas China offers an unrivaled complete industrial support system and the world's largest application market for end products. The objective demands of the industrial chain cannot be overshadowed by short-term fluctuations. For China, continued access to advanced process technologies and global industry expertise remains vital on its path to technological advancement. For South Korea, maintaining global competitiveness and production agility is inextricably linked to its presence in China's market and manufacturing base. Consequently, establishing and reinforcing robust industrial dialogue and coordination mechanisms is increasingly essential for stakeholders on both sides. Enhanced cooperation will empower both to navigate the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains more effectively, mitigate shared external risks, and achieve a higher level of mutual benefit. In the long run, through pragmatic collaboration in areas such as technological research and development, talent development, market expansion, and the management of shared external risks, the close China-South Korea semiconductor partnership can evolve into a more resilient and innovative industrial chain. Strengthening this regional supply chain is not only critical to both nations' semiconductor sectors but also key to preserving the industrial efficiency and competitive edge of the region. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad In the last two parts we have discussed encountering the boundary of reason as fracture, and dissolving the boundary altogether. Now we talk about the Islamicate intellectual tradition and how it addresses this threshold. It cultivated a disciplined attentiveness to what appears when knowing falters i.e., a state not of confusion, but of reverent disorientation. In Islamic philosophy and Sufism, the limit of reason is not a catastrophe. It is a disclosure. To reach the boundary of thought is not to exhaust truth. The limit is meant as an opening, it could be outward, inward, upward. Reason could fail but the state of bewilderment that it entails discloses meaning. This orientation reshapes the very role of language, philosophy, and art. No figure articulates this vision more fully than the Spanish Muslim thinker Ibn Arabi. Writing in the thirteenth century, he developed a metaphysics of extraordinary subtlety while insisting, relentlessly, that the Real forever exceeds the structures built to approach it. For Ibn Arabi, reality is not something to be captured but something to be mirrored. The Infinite discloses itself only through finite forms, and those forms are never final. Meaning does not culminate in certainty, it unfolds endlessly through interpretation. Thus encountering the infinite may lead to paradoxes but they are not meant to be states of failure. Such encounters may even constitute an epistemic virtue! This metaphysics became foundational to Sufism as a lived tradition. Across its many orders and practices e.g., dhikr (remembrance), audition, ethical refinement, disciplined retreat etc the same insight recurs: the self is not annihilated to erase difference, but trained to become permeable. Knowledge is relational. Presence matters more than possession. The limit is not crossed by force, but inhabited with care. In Islamic metaphysics the world is a continuous act of divine self-disclosure (tajalli). Each form is a partial unfolding of an inexhaustible reality. Infinity does not lie beyond the finite; it is enfolded within it. The limit is not where reality ends, but where it becomes legible. Besides Ibn Arabi we see meditations on limits and infinity in the works of thinkers like Suhrawardis hierarchies of light to Mulla Sadras dynamic being, from al-Razis interpretive abundance and al-Birunis pluralistic cosmology. Suhrawardi, the 12th century Persian thinker, radicalized the relationship between limit and infinity by reimagining reality itself as a hierarchy of light rather than a collection of substances. In his Illuminationist philosophy (hikmat al-ishraq), knowing was not a matter of abstract representation but of increasing luminosity i.e., truth appeared through degrees of intensity rather than conceptual closure. Light enfolded light, each level revealing and concealing the one above it, so that infinity was never reached but continually intimated. The limit, in Suhrawardis thought, was perceptual and ethical i.e., one saw only as much as one was prepared to receive. Half a millennium later, Mulla Sadra deepened this intuition by arguing that being itself was graded, dynamic, and internally infinite. His doctrine of tashkik al-wujud (the modulation of existence) dissolved any rigid opposition between the finite and the infinite, replacing it with intensification and flow. Reality, for Sadra, was not composed of discrete layers but of continuous variation, endlessly unfolding within itself. Infinity in his metaphysics was not an external beyond but an internal depth that no finite form could exhaust. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, the 12th century polymath, articulated one of the most explicit Islamic accounts of meaning as inexhaustible. He embraced interpretive plurality as a structural feature of truth rather than a defect of method. Meaning unfolded through difference and disagreement, each reading illuminating one aspect while leaving others latent. Knowledge, in al-Razis work, remained enfolded. Its richness lay precisely in what could not be reduced to a single, definitive articulation. Al-Biruni, writing two centuries before Razi, extended the logic of enfoldment beyond metaphysics into culture and cosmology. His comparative studies of civilizations, sciences, and religions resisted any single explanatory frame, treating plurality as an empirical reality rather than an error to be corrected. Knowledge grew, for al-Biruni, through juxtaposition and co-presence rather than reduction. Infinity appeared in his work not as metaphysical abstraction but as the irreducible richness of the world itself, folded across languages, traditions, and ways of knowing. I started this series with the aim of doing a trilogy encompassing the Western, Buddhist and Islamic thought. I have decided to expand this project into a four-part series, turning next to Hindu thought, which represents a world in which finitude and infinity are bound together through cosmology, recursion, and eternal return. WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 3: US President Donald Trump watches Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture unfold in Washington, United States on January 3, 2026. Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio are seen. (Photo by Donald Trump's Truth Social Account/Anadolu via Getty Images) Credit - Anadolu via Getty Images2026 Anadolu The military raid ordered by President Donald Trump to capture and extract Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro represents the starkest expression yet of his administrations intent to reassert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Whether Trump thinks that Russia and China can apply the same spheres-of-influence principle to parts of Europe and the Asia Pacific remains unclear. The big risk as things stand is that an adversary misreads his mixed signals, oversteps, and triggers an escalation nobody wants. But a world in which great powers dictate affairs in their respective backyards, if Trump does move that way, is more likely to descend into chaos or conflict than to achieve stable equilibrium. Maduros capture masks big questions about Venezuelas near-term future. Delcy Rodriguez, a stalwart of the Chavista regime, which has run the country for more than two decades, has been sworn in as president. Chavismo, the regimes ideology, gets its name from the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, and defines itself by anti-imperialist rhetoric, confrontation with Washington, and close ties with American adversaries from Cuba to China to Russia to Iran. For now, Trump appears disinclined to oust the Chavista regime, which has a stranglehold on the Venezuelan state. He shows little sympathy for Venezuelas opposition, whose leader Maria Corina Machado had lobbied for a U.S. intervention aimed at more profound change, and seems to have scant interest in a genuine democratic transition. In any case, any attempt at regime change could provoke violent resistance from the army and a plethora of militias invested in the status quo. Instead, the immediate goal appears to be grabbing the countrys vast oil reserves, though even there, challenges are formidable. Getting more Venezuelan crude flowing will require billions of dollars and years of work. American companies wont invest without a better sense of what Venezuelas future holds. At the same time, it remains to be seen how much Trump can work with Rodriguez and what oil concessions she can offer while keeping the fiercely nationalist Chavista movement and the military in line. Other American demands might be less complicated: Venezuela cutting subsidies to and severing ties with Cuba, for example, or distancing itself from Russia and China. While Venezuelans live with a deeply uncertain future, the seizure of Maduro caps a year of Trump demonstrating ever more brazenly his belief that Washington must have free rein in the Western Hemisphere. The wild western hemisphere Greenland, a sparsely populated, mineral-rich, icebound island, is an autonomous Danish territory located between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. Early in 2025, President Trump appeared fixated on taking control of the territory, insisting on its vital importance for American security. Such expansionist rhetoric had receded as Trumps attention turned elsewhere, but, emboldened by the audacious raid in Caracas, the president and his top lieutenants have again indicated the intent to bring Greenland under U.S. control. Trump has even appointed an envoy to that end. Seizing the island militarily would be an extraordinary step, an open confrontation with a NATO ally. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly told U.S. senators that is not the plan. Political pressure and subterfuge to extend American influence, perhaps combined with a bid to buy the island, seem more plausible but are unlikely to work. Others in the administration decline to rule out using force. After what happened in Venezuela, it is hard not to take them seriously. NUUK, GREENLAND - MARCH 30: An artwork titled "Trump" by Greenlandic artist Kristian "Keto" Christiansen, depicting President of the United States Donald Trump wearing traditional Greenlandic snow goggles and clothing while digging up minerals with a kayak paddle, is displayed in a glass case on March 30, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Getty Images2025 Getty Images The past year has also seen Trump threaten to reannex the Panama Canal, menace Canada, and interfere openly in Latin American politics. He has leveraged tariffs to punish enemies and bailouts to reward friends, albeit with mixed success. (Trump aided Javier Mileis re-election bid in Argentina but failed to stop the sentencing of the former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro for an attempted coup.) He has threatened Cuba and Colombia, despite Washingtons longstanding ties to Bogota. He has blown up small boats allegedly running drugs off the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, and he has floated the idea of unilateral strikes on cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico. The message is clear: Washington will throw its weight around in the Western Hemisphere and it wants rivals located elsewhere, China and Russia especially, outor at least out of critical sectors. Its a doctrine elaborated clearly in an otherwise muddled national security strategy. In a nod to old-school gunboat diplomacy, it rests on threats and acts of violence. At least part of the point of the smash-and-grab operation in Venezuela was to display raw military power. Reactions from Moscow and Beijing to Maduros snatching have varied. Russias condemnations of the American assault have lacked the outrage that marked denunciations of earlier U.S. meddling in Venezuela. The Kremlin did not make much fuss even when the U.S. stopped a Russian-flagged ship transporting sanctioned oil after Moscow had formally asked Washington not to do so. Chinese statements have been stronger and grown in intensity as the U.S. intention to control Venezuelan oil has become clearer. Neither country has taken concrete steps to defend the regime. Indeed, Maduro discovered all too abruptlyas had his Iranian counterparts last yearthe limits of Russian and Chinese backing in the face of American military might. But they may try to stop Rodriguez from yielding to American pressure aimed at curbing their influence in Venezuela. Maduros government had been Russias main South American partner. Venezuela owes the Chinese government billions of dollars. Certainly, both Russia and China will resist any wider campaign by Washington to squeeze them out of the continent. China, in particular, is deeply engaged in South America, where it is a large trading partner for many countries. Many of the regions leaders, even among those who support Trump, value Chinese investment. For its part, Beijing views links in the region as vital to its Belt and Road initiative and energy and mineral supplies. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander Still, the advantages of Trumps unabashed embrace of spheres-of-influence politics in the Western Hemisphere are self-evident for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Long before Russias all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin had characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as disastrous, lamenting the independence of former Soviet states in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. He has spent years attempting to re-establish Russias hegemony in its near abroad and chafed at NATOs eastward expansion. The deals Moscow proposed to the U.S. and NATO just before Russian tanks rumbled across Ukrainian borders in 2022 show that the Kremlin wants to renegotiate wider European security to give Russia more sway and constrain the military capacity and activities of NATO member states in its neighborhood. TOPSHOT - French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R), his wife Brigitte Macron (R), Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (L) visit the Dujiangyan site, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, in Dujiangyan, in southwestern China's Sichuan province on December 5, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) POOL/AFP via Getty Images For Xi, the calculus is similarly territorial: intensifying Chinese coercion of Taiwan so as to eventually bring it under mainland rule; advancing maritime claims in the waters surrounding China; andmore broadlyenjoying sufficient influence over the so-called first island chain (the arc of archipelagos stretching from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo) that no rival power can block Chinese access to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A return to great-power spheres of influence would tacitly legitimize these longstanding strategic goals. If Washington pushes other countries around or pursues territorial expansion in the hemisphere where it sits, surely Moscow and Beijing can do the same? Conversely, if the U.S. insists that Russia and China stay out of the Western Hemisphere, what justifies Americas military presence in Europe and the Asia Pacific? When senior officials in the Trump Administration suggest that might makes right, that international law is irrelevant, and that small states are expendable, they are not just undermining the international order underwritten by the U.N. Charter, they are providing a soundtrack that plays beautifully in the Kremlin and the Chinese halls of power. That said, what matters most to Xi and Putin is not what Trump does in Americas vicinity but what he does in Europe and the Asia-Pacificregions in which they see their own spheres of influence. Its those signals Beijing and Moscow will be watching most carefully. For now, its less clear whether Trump plans to extend to Europe or the Asia the spheres-of-influence policy he is applying closer to home. The president himself and top officials send mixed messages. Even behind closed doors, administration insiders say different things. Winter is coming European capitals arguably have the strongest cause to fear that Trump would give Putin a freer hand in the continents eastall the more so if the U.S. does try to take control of Greenland and thus imperil NATO. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Getty Images2025 Getty Images Over the past year, Trumps mistreatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his evident disdain for the continents elites have often been excruciating to witness. Its true that despite Trumps apparent inclination toward a bargain with Russia and his confusing Ukraine diplomacy, he has not deployed the full weight of American leverage to compel Kyiv and European capitals into accepting a peace deal on Moscows terms. Trump has cut off material aid to Ukraine, yet Washington continues to provide critical intelligence and to sell weapons to European allies, who then pass them to Kyiv. Russian officials now tend to see stalled Ukraine talks as evidence that Trump will not abandon Kyiv or European allies. Still, the American pressure on Zelenskyy to accept an ugly dealone that would strip Ukraine of meaningful deterrence by capping the size of its military and denying it reliable security guaranteesappears poised to intensify. Putin, meanwhile, is testing the continents defences through a combination of surveillance drones, disinformation campaigns, and acts of sabotage, including suspected jamming of air-traffic-control frequencies at numerous European airports. These operations may now likely escalate further. Putin will probably calibrate his interference to maintain a veneer of plausible deniability. That fiction wont convince anyone but it will ensure that there isnt much pressure in Washington for Trump to intervene. European leaders, for all they talk about the dangers, are moving too slowly to plug gaps in the continents security architecture that American disengagement would expose. Even with their best efforts, they need time and some degree of American support in Ukraine. They may also have to contend with Washington backing far-right politicians who, paradoxically, reject the very defense spending hikes that Trump needled out of European leaders. Wary of incurring Trumps wrath, European leaders for the most part have responded cautiously to his threats to seize Greenland and offered only meek criticism of the assault on Venezuela, even as it is widely seen as breaching the U.N. Charter. European leaders fear that Russia could overreach beyond Ukraine, forcing a NATO member to respond. As their own commitments to Kyiv and mutual hostility with Russia grow, any number of actions and reactions would risk a dangerous escalation. That threat is accentuated by Trumps Venezuela intervention and would ratchet up dramatically if he makes a move on Greenland. Under the Red Sky Trumps intentions in the Asia-Pacific remain still harder to read. So far, he has strained but not jettisoned Americas alliances. His meetings with counterparts in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea have been cordial, and senior U.S. officials continue to signal support for those allies. Trump has not revised the U.S. posture of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan. That approach has long aimed to deter a Chinese invasion by reinforcing the islands defences while remaining vague about whether Washington would come to Taiwans defense. At the same time, the approach has sought to dissuade Taipei from declaring or making moves toward independence, which Beijing would take to mean hope of reunification (as it would call taking over Taiwan) was disappearing. Indeed, Trump in December approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taipei, prompting Beijing to stage one of its most aggressive military drills ever around the island. It beggars belief that Trump would cede Taiwans advanced semiconductor industry to China, when the American military and industry still depend on it, or cede to China primacy in a region that generates half of global trade. Senior American officials explicitly deny any such intention. Still, American allies in the Asia-Pacific sense the mood shifting. Hit hard by Trumps tariffs, they fear what he might give up for the trade deal he clearly desires with Beijing all the more so as Xi bested Trump in their tariff spat. American allies increasingly worry about Trumps apparent disinterest in Asia-Pacific security, his tendency to consider China as an economic rival rather than a comprehensive geostrategic competitor, and his downgrading of the regions strategic importance. They worry about the implications for the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific if senior American policymakers and much of the U.S. military increasingly put the Western Hemisphere first. Despite big weapons deliveries to Taiwan, Trump himself evinces little interest in the islands security, and he reacted nonchalantly to Chinas drills around Taiwan last month. In South Korea, there are growing calls for Seoul to develop its own nuclear deterrent. Even in Japan, where nuclear weapons have traditionally been considered unthinkable, concerns about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees have led lawmakers and officials to whisper about the possibility. Granted, Xi seems unlikely to interpret Trumps Venezuela intervention as an opening for China to invade Taiwan. Beijings calculations are based less on events the other side of the world than on longer-standing considerations, including the difficulty of mounting an amphibious assault, the readiness of Chinas military amid continued purges of top commanders, and the massive cost of such a move, particularly given Chinas sluggish economy. In any case, Chinese leaders see no precedent in the Venezuela operation for Taiwan, whose status they regard as a domestic issue. Besides, Xi is more likely to bide his time, avoid a confrontation up with the U.S., and steer clear of unnecessary risks while regional dynamics in Asia appear to be shifting in Chinas favor. He may even be cautiously optimistic about politics in Taipei, given opposition leaders obstruction of defense reforms and openness to talks with mainland officials. The greater, more immediate danger, as in Europe, lies in misstep or miscalculation. Dangerous scenarios could unfold were Beijing to overstep, believing that Trump would not respond. A quarantine or blockade of Taiwan could easily escalate, as could a collision with a U.S. boat or a plane or an altercation with the Philippines or Japan, both U.S. allies. In such scenarios, despite his desire to avoid escalation, Trump would face immense domestic pressure to respond and bristle at any suggestion Xi had made him look weak. The wrong ordering principle Powerful forces militate against the idea of organizing the world into spheres-of-influence. No stable equilibrium would be arrived at easily. Where would the boundaries of such spheres fall in the Arctic or Pacific, for example? Influential midsize powerssome of which have nuclear weapons and others of which might acquire themget a say, even if they must make greater accommodations with regional bullies. Moreover, despite Trumps apparent admiration for Putin and Xi, distrust among capitals is so rife, and the American president so impetuous, that he appears as likely to clash with fellow strongmen as to carve up the world alongside them. His calls for dramatic hikes in the U.S. defense budget do not suggest a single-minded focus on the Western Hemisphere. Nor would such an approach offer a blueprint for the Middle East, a region of enduring strategic importance. Arab governments eager to turn the page on years of upheaval see Washington as the only power capableif rarely willingof restraining a bellicose Israel. Many Arab leaders also want the U.S. to help manage Iran, which is weakened but still poses a threat in their eyes. Without American engagement no understanding about a regional balance of force will develop among Arab powers, Iran, Israel and Turkey. As for Africa, some thinkers on the continent argue that distracted big powers will leave it alone; a pox on all their houses, in other words. That perspective is understandable, given decades of foreign meddling in Africa. But the lawlessness embodied in spheres-of-influence politics would most likely unleash an ever more frenzied scramble for the continents resources by predatory midsize powers. How Trumps sphere-of-influence gambit plays out will depend on his next steps. If the regime in Venezuelawithout Maduro but still Chavistarebuffs American demands, will Trump take further military action aimed at more fundamental change, which could plunge the country into factional violence? Or, fired up by seizing Maduro and seeking distraction from political troubles at home, will he attempt something similar elsewhere? The most perilous next move would be a renewed push to bring Greenland under American subjugation. Such a gambit could well spell the end of NATO, as Denmarks leader has warned, or at least its radical transformation, and test European unity, with huge implications for the continents security. Its not hard to track a path from there to Russia trying something more reckless in the Baltics. Attempting to reorganize the world around spheres of influence is a recipe for disaster. Were not there yet. But Trumps Venezuela raid has brought us a big step closer. Write to Comfort Ero at cero@crisisgroup.org and Richard Atwood at atwood@crisisgroup.org. President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States will expand operations against drug cartels while touting his takedown of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro during an interview on "Hannity." "We've knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "The cartels are running Mexico, its very sad to watch and see whats happened to that country." "Theyre killing 250,000, 300,000 in our country every single year." The appearance marked the presidents first sit-down interview since Maduros capture. Trump Blasts Gop War Powers Defectors, Says They Should Never Be Elected To Office Again Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gives a state of the nation address at the National Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 12, 2023. Trump praised the U.S. military personnel involved in the Venezuelan operations, offering admiration for what he called a "fantastic group" that carried out the mission. Read On The Fox News App "[Maduros] house was in the middle of a fort, with thousands of people and soldiers," Trump explained. "And we went right into the middle of a fort. Who would think you could do that and not lose anybody? But they had it planned so beautifully, General Razin Caine and Pete Hegseth were fantastic." The president addressed the number of Cuban soldiers "wiped out" in the military operation. "I dont even want to say how many, but they got wiped out," Trump said. The president also explained the "Donroe Doctrine" a term some of his admirers have created for his brand of foreign policy. "Well, they call it the Donroe I didn't call it that, but they are calling it the Monroe Doctrine. And now they call it The Donroe, which is basically safety for this part of the world. And yeah, Imean, it's pretty simple: We don't want drugs pouring into our country," Trump said. "We don't want bad people coming into our county, like happened for four years under Biden, who was the disgraced worst president in the history of our country horrible. We had some other bad ones. Let me tell you, Obama was a terrible president. The divisiveness and the hatred that was caused many of the people allowed into the country." "But what Biden did was a step beyond anything that anybody's ever done," the president continued. "We had millions of people pouring through the border. Now we have nobody coming in unless they come in legally." Trump also addressed whether he thinks Cuba can survive without Venezuelas support. Trump Defends Ice Agent, Shows Nyt Reporters Video Of Deadly Minneapolis Shooting An oil tanker is seen anchored in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, after loading crude oil at the Bajo Grande Refinery port. (Getty Images) "No. Cuba totally relies on Venezuela for money and for oil, and they give Venezuela protection," the president said. Trump touted oil as one of the many wins for America stemming from Maduros takedown, in addition to Venezuela agreeing to release all political prisoners. "[Venezuela] Theyve been great. They really have been. I mean, everything weve wanted, theyve given us," Trump told Fox News. Revenue generated from Venezuelan oil will reportedly be used to benefit both the Venezuelan people and the United States. And, Trump said, the oil is worth "billions and billions." President Donald Trump sat down with Fox News' Sean Hannity for an exclusive interview at the White House. It marks his first sit-down since the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. He announced that he will meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday. "The top 14 companies are coming here," Trump said. "Theyre going to rebuild the entire oil infrastructure." President Trump also discussed Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machados offer to give him her Nobel Peace Prize for liberating Venezuela. While Trump did not directly say whether he would take the prize, he said it would be a "great honor" and announced that Machado will visit the White House next week. Click Here To Download The Fox News App Much of Trumps conversation with Hannity centered on foreign policy, and it broadened to the widespread protests happening in Iran in opposition of the regime. Trump issued a stark warning to Irans regime, vowing to support the Iranians protesting them. "In the past, they've started shooting the hell out of people," he said. "And all of a sudden, people without any weapons whatsoever are standing there, and you have machine guns gunning them down, or they take them to prisons and then hang them and kill them." "They played rough," he added. "If they do that, we're going to hit them very hard. We can hit them hard. We're ready to do it." Original article source: Trump discusses expansion of drug cartel crackdown, issues grim warning to Iran The Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) Amuay oil refinery at the Paraguana Refinery Complex in Punto Fijo, Falcon State, Venezuela, on August 19, 2023. - Betty Laura Zapata/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File A version of this story appeared in CNNs What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. To hear President Donald Trump say it, hell have a sort of slush fund of billions of dollars from Venezuelan oil that he can dole out as he sees fit. In a Tuesday social media post, Trump announced that interim leaders in Venezuela would turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil, which the US would sell at a market rates instead of the discount rate at which Venezuela has been allowed to sell its oil. And that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States! Trump added. On Wednesday, Trump said in a follow-up post that Venezuela, which is still led by Maduro allies, would only buy American-made products with proceeds from its oil, which would be a real reversal after years of American sanctions against companies selling to Venezuela. CNN reported Wednesday that the administration is scrambling to formulate a makeshift strategy for Venezuelas oil that doesnt destabilize the country. In comments to The New York Times, Trump said the US could be effectively running the country and its oil market for years. But rather than use the Treasury Department to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan crude, the Trump administration could, according to CNNs report, utilize a collection of international oil traders and offshore bank accounts to sell the oil and manage the resulting cash. Controlled by me? Presidents arent usually supposed to have slush funds Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to raise and spend funds on behalf of taxpayers. But the fungible use of money taxpayer and otherwise has been one of the main goals of Trump 2.0. He claims to be using revenue from tariffs for a wide variety of different things it could not conceivably cover. Rather than have taxpayers rebuild the East Wing after he demolished it for a ballroom, he has instead sought patrons from the private sector, raising serious questions about conflict and favor. He has made good on a campaign promise to impound funds earmarked by Congress for foreign aid, a test of the law so far allowed by compliant lawmakers and conservatives on the Supreme Court. The US government is also taking a stake in public companies in an unprecedented way on Trumps watch. Brainstorming out loud In terms of Venezuelas oil, its important to remember, as details emerge, that much of what comes out of Trumps mouth is drastically oversimplified. Asked whether Trump had the authority to seize and sell oil, House Speaker Mike Johnson whose Congress should theoretically have a say in how the money is spent by the government said lawmakers are still reviewing things and noted that the fact the oil is sanctioned gives the administration more leeway to seize it. There are a lot of ideas, Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Theres some brainstorming being done out loud by all sorts of people, many of whom are not even authorized to have these conversations. But Johnson said hes confident there are steady hands at the wheel. Rubios version Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a bit more clear after a briefing for senators on Wednesday when he explained that controlling the sale of its oil is how the US will control Venezuela. The interim leaders will essentially be getting a better deal by selling the oil at market rates than at the cut rates they were subjected to under long-standing US sanctions. And selling the oil will also end the effective total embargo Rubio called it a quarantine that will otherwise starve their government. Understand they are not generating any revenue from their oil right now, Rubio said. This is tremendous leverage. We are exercising it in a positive way. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak to reporters after briefing senators on the recent US military actions in Venezuela, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 7, 2026. - Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images The money, according to Rubio would be handled in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime. The Trump administration has told Venezuela is must also cut ties with Iran, Russia, China and Cuba. In public, Rubio said Venezuelas oil would be opened up to the market in a way thats fair. Benefiting Venezuela or the US? That rhetoric is at odds with that of Trump, who projects that the oil will be used to benefit the US. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave even more detail than Rubio at a briefing, telling reporters the oil was already being marketed in the global marketplace for the benefit of the United States. Proceeds, she said, will first settle in US-controlled accounts at globally recognized banks to guarantee the legitimacy and integrity of the ultimate distribution of proceeds, and those funds will be disbursed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people, at the discretion of the United States government. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during a news briefing at the White House on January 7, 2026. - Alex Wong/Getty Images The argument for essentially putting the money in escrow in foreign accounts is to make clear that it is ultimately Venezuelas money. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who will be at the forefront of US efforts on Venezuelas oil, has said on CNBC that the benefit to the US would be to reduce the risks to the American people of the giant criminal activity coming out of (Venezuela). What will all this cost? Suffice it to say that Trump believes he will be controlling the cash. Rubio said the processing of all of this oil bringing it to US ports, finding buyers for it wont cost taxpayers anything. The idea that all this Caribbean adventurism wont cost money is also important to the Trump administration. Rubio argued the entire Venezuelan operation the snatch-and-grab of Maduro by the US Armys Delta Force and the Caribbean blockade by the US Navy isnt a drain on taxpayer dollars. These ships, if they werent in the Caribbean, theyd be somewhere else conducting activity, Rubio said. Thats what the Navy does. Reimbursed by us It is oil companies, not taxpayers, that will be relied upon to eventually scale up Venezuelas oil production, Trump told NBC News. But they will be reimbursed by us or through revenue. Thay may not be a direct taxpayer subsidy, but it is certainly an expectation that the deal will be worth the oil companies while. Congress could control taxpayer dollars if it wanted to Lawmakers have already used spending to bring the administration in line. Attaching conditions to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths travel budget in December is how lawmakers pressured the Pentagon to share with them unedited video of a controversial double-tap strike on an alleged boat strike. Trumps version of capitalism If nothing else, this is the latest example of the Trump administration blending private enterprise with government action in a new way for Americans. He wants to create a sovereign wealth fund like those utilized by Saudi Arabia and, to some extent, Norway, to take stakes in companies. The US has already taken stakes in struggling tech giant Intel and other companies, giving the government new sway over otherwise public companies. Trump wants the US to get 15% of AI giant Nvidias profits in the sale of advanced chips to China, sales he greenlit despite national security concerns. Each of these novel ways Trump is using the presidency raises the same question. Can he do that? But without pushback on Capitol Hill, the answer for all of them is the same: He did. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot two people in Portland, Oregon, after the driver of a car allegedly attempted to run over federal officers. The incident occurred at approximately 2:19 p.m. local time, when Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle and identified themselves as law enforcement, DHS said. According to DHS, the driver who is believed to be a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) allegedly, "weaponized the vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents." Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot, according to DHS. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene, officials said. DHS said the driver was also allegedly involved in a recent shooting in the city. Noem Condemns Alleged Attack On Ice Agents Stuck In Snow In Minneapolis As 'Act Of Domestic Terrorism' Read On The Fox News App Following the incident, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to "halt all operations" in the city until a full and independent investigation can take place. "We know what the federal government says happened here," Wilson said during a news conference Thursday. "There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time has long passed." Wilson added that ICE agents and DHS leadership "must fully be investigated and held responsible for the violence inflicted on the American people in Minnesota, in Portland, and in all the communities across America." Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek reacted to the shooting, claiming it was "instigated by the reckless agenda of the Trump administration." "While the details of the incident remain limited, one thing is very clear: when a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness," she said. Kotek said Oregon's attorney general and other leaders have raised concerns with the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, adding that "today's incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability." Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the state DOJ has launched a formal investigation into the shooting. Portland District Attorney Nathan Vazquez said Thursday he was "very concerned" by the incident and pledged a thorough investigation. Vazquez said his office is working closely with Portland police and the FBI. Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street at about 2:18 p.m. local time and confirmed federal agents were involved, according to the city. Fewer than 10 minutes later, at 2:24 p.m., officers were told a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Police responded and found a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the city. They were taken to the hospital and their conditions are unknown. Both scenes were secured by the PPB pending an investigation, officials said. No arrests have been confirmed. "We are still in the early stages of this incident," PPB Chief Bob Day wrote in a statement. "We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more." Minneapolis Ice Shooting Protesters Set Up Camp, Barricade Roads As Schools, Businesses Close In City On Edge Audio released Thursday evening from a 911 call captures a request for emergency assistance after a man was shot twice in the arm and a woman, identified as his wife, was shot in the chest. PPB officers were not involved in the incident, and "do not engage in immigration enforcement," according to city officials. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reacted to the shooting on X, blaming the Trump administration for "inflaming violence." "I'm monitoring the first awful reports of two people shot in Portland by federal law enforcement," Wyden wrote in the post. "I'll keep you updated, but Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence--and must end." Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said he had "huge concern" about a reported shooting of two individuals by federal agents outside Portland Adventist Hospital. "Please keep protests of Trump's ICE/CBP peaceful, as Trump wants to generate riots," Merkley said, adding, "Don't take the bait." Click Here To Download The Fox News App Oregon state Sen. Kayse Jama forcefully rejected the presence of ICE and other federal agencies in the state, saying, "We do not need you." "You are not welcome and you need to get the hell out of our community," Jama said at a news conference. Original article source: Two wounded in Portland shooting involving federal agents after DHS says vehicle 'weaponized' against them Two people have been wounded in a shooting involving US federal agents in Portland, Oregon, say officials. The city's police department said in a statement that a man and woman had been taken to hospital and their conditions were unknown. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the incident happened at 14:19 local time (22:19 GMT) with the traffic stop of a Venezuelan gang member, who "attempted to run over" agents with his car. The incident comes a day after a federal agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, triggering protests around the US against federal law enforcement operations in US cities. On Friday, DHS identified the wounded driver as Luis David Nico Moncada, who entered the US without documentation in 2022 and has since been arrested for a driving under the influence (DUI) and unauthorised use of a vehicle. DHS identified the wounded passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, who entered the US without documentation in 2023 near El Paso, Texas. "Since illegally entering, Contreras played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland," DHS said. The department said after the incident that when agents identified themselves, the driver tried to run them over. "Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene." Portland Police said they found the pair several blocks from the scene of the shooting. "Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel," before they were taken to hospital, the statement said. US media has cited police sources as saying the man and woman who were shot were a married couple. Portland Police Chief Bob Day on Friday confirmed that the two "do have some involvement" with the Venezuelan gang, adding that they also have a "nexus" to a shooting which took place in July. He did not elaborate on their alleged involvement. Portland District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, speaking from the scene of the shooting on Thursday, told reporters he was there "to monitor, to assist, and to make sure that there's a thorough and complete investigation". He pledged to ensure "that evidence is fully preserved and that - we're certainly hoping - that we can get all of the facts about what transpired here today". His comments come after officials in Minnesota announced that the FBI would not include local investigators in their probe of the death on Wednesday of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot after officers alleged she attempted to run over agents. "We are still in the early stages of this incident," said Day on Thursday. "We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more." He told a news conference later the investigation into the incident in the Hazelwood neighbourhood was being led by the FBI. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to halt all operations in the city pending the investigation. "We know what the federal government says happened here," he said. "There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past." He added: "The administration is trying to divide us, to pit communities against each other. Portland, this is a moment to hold each other close." Portland has been the site of large anti-Trump protests in the past. On Wednesday night, Portland police arrested one protester who was charged with menacing after officers found him allegedly threatening another person with a knife. Lew Frederick, a Democratic state senator, told the BBC that local officials must be involved in the investigation into Thursday's shooting otherwise "the community isn't going to trust that those results aren't impartial". "It's been clear for many weeks that there has been tensions increasing, and tense situations on the street," he said, referring to ongoing protests in the city against the Trump administration. "And unfortunately, I do think, the, the resulting tragedy that occurred was foreseeable." Editor's note: Some of the testimony described below is extremely graphic. The families of some of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting victims passed around tissues before graphic photos were shown in court on Friday at the trial of former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer Adrian Gonzales. Gonzales -- who was one of nearly 400 law enforcement officers to respond to Robb -- is charged with child endangerment for allegedly ignoring his training during the botched police response. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed, and investigations have faulted the police response and suggested that a 77-minute delay in police mounting a counterassault could have contributed to the carnage. Gonzales has pleaded not guilty and his legal team says he did all he could to help students. Eric Gay/AP - PHOTO: Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales looks back while seated in the courtroom at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, Jan. 6, 2026. Former Uvalde educator recounts asking 911, 'Where are the cops?' in emotional testimony Judge Sid Harle issued a warning to the gallery before the jury entered on Friday. "I want to forewarn you, these photographs are going to be shocking and gruesome, and if anybody wants to step out, you are welcome to step out, but we cannot have any displays in front of the jury," Harle said. "I'm forewarning you -- these are not going to be pleasant to look at, and I'm sorry you're going to have to look at them just like I had to." Former Texas Ranger Juan Torrez took the stand and described in detail the crime scene photos he took inside Room 111 at Robb, where all 11 students were killed on May 24, 2022. The teacher was the sole survivor. "There was a lot of shell casings," said Torrez, who spent three days photographing the room. "There's a lot of blood, a lot of blood swipes, and the weapon was in the closet." Brandon Bell/Getty Images - PHOTO: A memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults murdered on May 24, 2022 during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School is seen on January 6, 2026 in Uvalde, Texas. Uvalde in Their Own Words: Teacher whose students were killed shares physical, emotional scars Using a pointer to highlight parts of the photos, Torrez testified about the location of the classroom, damage to the door and areas of the room where students didn't attempt to hide. Defense lawyers had objected to showing the more graphic images, but Harle allowed the bulk of them into evidence due to their relevance to the prosecution's case. "Does the scene change?" prosector Bill Turner asked Torrez about some of the photos. "As far as the presence of blood, it changes dramatically," Torrez said. "A lot of bullet holes, a lot of shell casings covered in blood, a lot of bullet defects, perforations, penetrations, and just a lot of blood." Over the next hour, the courtroom fell almost entirely silent, other than the testimony and occasional ruffling of tissues and sniffling. Some of the jurors craned their necks to see the photos, while others covered their mouths or lifted tissues to wipe their eyes. The families of the victims sat quietly and no one left the courtroom during the testimony. Uvalde officer was told location of gunman but he failed to act, prosecutors say The photos did not show the bodies of students, which were removed prior to the photos being taken. But jurors did see photos showing large pools of blood and the drag marks made when the bodies were removed. Photos also showed dried bloodstains on desks, textbooks and office supplies. Torrez testified that investigators placed rods in the cavities left by the bullets to demonstrate the direction of the gunshots. The pink and yellow rods showed that the shooter likely fired downward -- through the desks -- toward the sheltering students, Torrez said. Torrez offered his testimony with little context other than his experience as a crime-scene photographer that day. Prosecutors did not explain how the images relate to Gonzales, other than suggesting that his alleged inaction contributed to the loss of life that day. Defense attorneys say Gonzales is being scapegoated for a broader failure by law enforcement. In its opening statement this week, the defense alleged that prosecutors were playing on jurors' emotions and that convicting Gonzales would be an injustice piled on top of one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. ABC News' Juan Renteria contributed to this report. Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamys family bodyguard was arrested last week and hit with federal drug trafficking charges after authorities found pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and MDMA, as well as steroids, at the home he shared with his bodybuilder wife. Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife, Ruthann Rankin, were taken into custody on Dec. 30, following the execution of a search warrant that allegedly discovered a trove of illegal drugs some stashed in nicotine pouch containers at the couples home, jail records and court documents show. Salsburey was employed by a private security firm contracted by Ramaswamys family to provide protective services, a campaign spokesperson told The Post, noting that the family was alarmed to hear this disturbing news. Vivek Ramaswamys family bodyguard, Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife, Ruthann Rankin, were arrested after being hit with federal drug trafficking charges. Franklin County Ohio Sheriff Department Upon being informed of this matter in recent days, the outside security firm immediately removed the individual from the security detail, Connie Luck, a spokesperson for the Republican gubernatorial candidate, said. Prior to employment, the individual cleared multiple background checks conducted by the security company, as well as FBI and BCI background checks, most recently conducted by OSU Medical Center in September 2025, Luck continued. In addition, the security firm subjects all security personnel to pre-employment drug screenings and random drug testing throughout employment, and this individual never failed a drug screening. Vivek and his family take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold these individuals accountable for these allegations if they are proven. Federal authorities caught wind of Salsbureys and Rankins alleged drug dealing operation in November 2025, when postal inspectors in Columbus, Ohio received information from the Logan County Ohio Sheriffs Office that the couple was receiving shipments of bulk narcotics, according to an affidavit filed by an inspector. Authorities found pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and MDMA, as well as steroids, at their home. United States Postal Inspection Service The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) later determined that 31 parcels with postage purchased with cryptocurrency which the affidavit notes is often the case for shipment of items purchased on darknet marketplaces had been mailed to the couples home between Aug. 1, 2024, and Dec. 22, 2025. A trash pull of the couples garbage turned up several empty glass vials, syringes and baggies that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl, according to USPIS. In late November, USPIS intercepted a package bound for the couples home and discovered about 119 grams of blue pills consistent with counterfeit oxycontin which tested positive for fentanyl. Investigators allowed multiple other parcels suspected of containing drugs to be delivered to the home of Salsburey and Rankin, and they observed the couple periodically leaving objects in a small cooler on their porch. Ramaswamy and his family were alarmed to hear this disturbing news, the GOP gubernatorial candidates spokesperson said. Stephen Yang The objects would later be picked up by other individuals. One individual who took an item from the cooler later told authorities that he purchased Adderall from the couple for $5 per pill. Authorities found that the object the individual picked up from the cooler was a Zyn container with approximately 11 grams of orange pills which tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. A search of the couples home by law enforcement turned up pills containing 264 grams of fentanyl, 938 grams of methamphetamine, 19 grams of MDMA and various other suspected controlled substances and steroids. According to jail records and court documents, Salsburey and his wife were apprehended on Dec. 30. United States Postal Inspection Service, Authorities also discovered a Zyn container in the cooler with meth pills and Velo (another nicotine pouch manufacturer) containers with suspected drugs inside the home. Rankin, who is a schoolteacher when shes not competing in bodybuilding competitions and posting videos of herself flexing online, told authorities Salsburey started selling steroids and this progressed into selling other drugs, according to the affidavit. The bodyguard and bodybuilder have both been charged with conspiracy to distribute or intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Ramaswamy holds a narrow 1-point lead over Democrat Amy Acton in the Ohio governors race, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls. FIRST ON FOX: A leading education watchdog group released a report this week alleging that a state-funded teacher preparation partnership in Minnesota explicitly limits eligibility based on race, possibly in violation of federal law. According to a report released by Defending Education, the Minnesota Educators Partnership (MEP), a collaboration between MSU Mankato and several southern Minnesota school districts, operates multiple teacher pipeline programs that are restricted to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants despite being funded with taxpayer dollars through the Minnesota Department of Education. The partnership in question, according to the report, received $1.5 million in state grants in 2023 as part of Minnesotas "Grow Your Own" (GYO) program, which was designed to recruit and train teachers to work throughout schools in the state with the goal of diversifying the teaching workforce. The report focuses on two MEP initiatives known as "Teachers of Tomorrow," which targets high school students, and "Teaching Fellows," an adult pathway designed to help participants earn teaching licenses. Got A Scoop On Campus? Send Us A Tip Here Children sitting in their school classroom and raising their hands to answer a question. Program documents obtained by Defending Education for the Teaching Fellows initiative state that it is "open to applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)" and require participants to be "of color or American Indian." Some application materials require applicants to affirmatively check a box stating they are BIPOC in order to apply. Read On The Fox News App In addition to eligibility requirements, the report also highlights race-based rules governing how the partnership is run. According to program documentation, all project decisions for the Teaching Fellows initiative are made by a council that "must be majority individuals of color." The Defending Education report argues that state data backs up their concerns and references a 2024 Minnesota Department of Education report showing that in several participating districts, 100% of MEP participants identified as "People of Color or Indigenous." Watchdog Urges Doj Probe Of Top Research University Over Alleged Illegal Dei Practices: 'Defies Common Sense' Hundreds protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, MI, on April 29, 2025. Erika Sanzi, senior director of Communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that the actions may violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in programs receiving federal funding. "Minnesota's race-based programming for aspiring teachers is likely illegal, and I wouldn't be surprised if federal authorities decide to take a closer look," Sanzi told Fox News Digital. "The goal of diversifying the teacher pipeline isn't the problem; discriminating on the basis of race is the problem." In a statement to Fox News Digital, an MSU-Mankato spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "access to education for all students is among Minnesota State University, Mankatos core values as an institution, and we are proud of our institutional commitment to an inclusive environment where all are welcome." "Minnesota State University, Mankato follows all grant criteria established by the Minnesota Department of Educations Grow Your Own program and Minnesota state law. Minnesota State Mankatos website provides more information about the Minnesota Educators Partnership, Teachers of Tomorrow and more." The report comes as the Trump administration has made efforts to crack down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures in schools across the country in the form of executive orders aiming to ensure federal funding isn't allocated to jurisdictions or institutions that focus on race-based curriculum or hiring practices. Original article source: Watchdog exposes taxpayer-funded teacher program for banning White applicants: 'Likely illegal' A North Carolina emblem features the state flag, a cardinal, and dogwood flowers, symbolizing the Tarheel State. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square (The Center Square) With early voting in his crowded primary starting next week, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley of North Carolina on Friday gave another lift to illegal immigration as a pivotal campaign issue. Appearing in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, where 1,000 people a day were coming into America from Mexico a year ago, Whatleys three-minute pitch on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day noted a stabbing on the Charlotte light rail system in December and a Thursday bombshell report on CDLs from within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Saying choice of leadership matters, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee from Gastonia and his states Republican Party said policies of former president Joe Biden made North Carolina a border state. Joe Biden brought in between 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants, Whatley said. Captured here at the border, known to be felons, and released into the United States anyway. Those felons brought in drugs. They brought in migrant crime, and they made North Carolina a border state. Our former governor, Roy Cooper, welcomed them with open arms and allowed them to come into North Carolina. Cooper is the leading Democratic candidate for the seat being given up by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. He chose not to seek a third term. On Monday, county boards of elections can begin fulfilling requests for absentee ballots. Fifty-one days later, Super Tuesday decides the candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot with Libertarian Shannon Bray of Angier. To face off against Cooper, Whatley must first navigate past a half dozen Republican primary opponents Charlottes Margot Dupre, Durhams Richard Dansie, Waxhaws Don Brown, Smithfields Elizabeth Temple, Carys Michele Morrow and Garners Thomas Johnson. Cooper, for his part, in the Democratic primary faces Jacksonvilles Daryl Farrow, Concords Justin Dues, Rocky Points Robert Colon, Wilmingtons Marcus Williams and High Points Orrick Quick. Projections for the campaign spending could mean a Senate record-breaker. Republicans in statewide races for this decade 2020, 2022 and 2024 are 32-10 against Democrats, a party with significantly declining voter registrations for more than 20 consecutive years. Republicans are 5-for-5 in U.S. Senate races since losing to the late Kay Hagan in 2008. Democrats chase back to 1998 for the last time winning a Senate seat at the midterms. Whatley trails Cooper in polls and is without a past elected office record. Coopers record on immigration is clear veto after veto of immigration policy, such as cooperation by the 100 county sheriffs with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. President Trump made it very clear that he was going to secure our border on Day 1 and he has done that, Whatley said. Look at the difference that one year makes. Fentanyl deaths are down; migrant crime is down it is still an issue. Just a couple of weeks ago, we had a criminal illegal alien in North Carolina, who had been captured, who had been deported, who came back and was caught at the border and released in again, and went up to North Carolina and stabbed somebody on our light rail system. Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, is charged in the incident Whatley referenced. Federal prosecutors say on Dec. 5 he was in Charlotte and stabbed a passenger in the chest on the citys public transit system. Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney in the Western District of North Carolina, said Solorzano-Garcia with a conviction in New Jersey, a deportation following charges in Florida had twice been deported and chose to return. Whatley said issues remain, including Thursdays report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration saying 54% of nondomiciled CDL licenses in the state have been illegally issued. Im very thankful that the Senate included $150 billion for border security in the One Big Beautiful Bill to provide men and women the resources they need for border patrol, to get them the equipment they need to be able to do it, Whatley said. But most importantly, Im thankful for the men and women of the Border Patrol. Im thankful that you wake up every single day and think about keeping our kids and our communities safe. The highest most important function for any government, whether its a state government, a local government or the federal government, is to keep our kids and communities safe. Prior to the press conference, Whatley toured the border area with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republican Sens. John Barrasso of Idaho, John Cornyn of Texas, Jon Husted of Ohio, Ashley Moody of Florida, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, as well as Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers and members of the National Border Patrol Council. President Donald Trumps yearslong threats to take over Greenland have crescendoed this week. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is considering a range of options in pursuit of the country, and that utilising the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chiefs disposal. But according to foreign policy experts, Danish officials have been baffled by Trumps threats to resort to military intervention to gain control of Greenland because theres already a long-standing agreement in place for the U.S. to increase its military presence there. In 1951, the U.S. and Denmark signed a little-known defense agreement allowing the U.S. to improve and generally to fit the area for military use in Greenland and construct, install, maintain, and operate facilities and equipment there. This agreement is very generous, its very open, Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen, told Fortune. The U.S. would be able to achieve almost any security goal that you can imagine under that agreement. Given the wide-reaching terms of the contract, there is very little understanding as to why the U.S. would need to take over Greenland at this time, Olesen added. Though Trumps desire for Greenland has punctuated both of his administrations (in 2019, his intentions to buy the self-governing Danish territory were immediately rebuffed by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen), world leaders have taken the presidents most recent interest in the island more seriously. Following the U.S. forces capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump has invoked greater imperial authority through what he has endorsed as the Donroe Doctrine, alluding to the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy warning European powers against intervention in the western hemisphere. Greenlandcovered in ice and home to 56,000, mostly Inuit peoplehas become crucial to the defense of North America thanks to its positioning above the Arctic Circle giving it access to naval and shipping routes. Combined with its abundance of rare earths, the country has become coveted by Trump, who wants to secure it not only for its wealth of natural resources, but also against the Chinese and Russian ships he claims have anchored themselves in the Arctic region. Long-standing U.S.-Danish ties For more than 80 years, the U.S. has had a presence on Greenland, which became a foundational part of its deepening relationship with Denmarkand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). During WWII, Danish ambassador to the U.S. Henrik Kauffmann, defied the Nazi-controlled Danish government and essentially brokered a deal with the U.S. to give America access to Greenland. A U.S. military holding there would prevent Nazi forces from using the island as a bridge between Europe and North America. The deal that was supposed to dissolve after the war was instead bolstered by the creation of NATO in 1949, which obligated the U.S. to provide defense for Europe against Soviet forces. A new agreement in 1951 confirmed the U.S. rights to establish defense areas in Greenland, and is contingent upon the continued existence of NATO to be valid. In 2004, the agreement was updated to add Greenland, which established some self-governance in 1979, as a signatory. The U.S. has only one military base on Greenland today, the Pituffik Space Base, down from about 50 during the height of the Cold War. But should the U.S. want to expand its presence there for national security reasons, as Trump has suggested, it would require negotiations with Denmark and Greenland, Olesen said. Historically, those negotiations have been friendly. In practical terms, there has been a tendency on the Danish and the Greenlandic side to always look at us security requests in Greenland with a lot of goodwill and a lot of openness, he said. Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, citing the 1951 agreement, implored the Trump administration to stop his talk of taking over Greenland. 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 in a statement over the weekend. 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. Trumps motivations for taking Greenland Garret Martin, lecturer and codirector of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University, speculates Trumps insistence on appearing to brush off the 1951 agreement in favor of military force or offers to purchase Greenland (despite Danish officials repeatedly saying the country is not for sale), is an extension of the 19th century gunboat diplomacy philosophy the president took with Venezuela. In the case of Greenland, Trump could be wanting to send a message to Denmark the U.S. has greater military capabilities that it is willing to deploy. Trump believesand is often very keen to emphasizethe United States as leverage, Martin told Fortune. And its possible hes trying to tell Denmark, Look, you are in a position of weakness. Greenland really fundamentally depends on us. Why should we have to avail ourselves of those formalities when really were the key player? Trumps tactics could also come from a desire to stake claim over the rare earth metals buried deep under the Greenlandic ice, which has become more urgent to Trump as China sits on 90% of the rare earth the world needs. Anthony Marchese, chairman of Texas Mineral Resources Corporation, told Fortune earlier this week the presidents hope of mining those rare earths is nearly a fantasy. The northern part of Greenland is mineable only six months out of the year due to treacherous weather conditions, and expensive mining equipment has to endure months in that cold climate. If youre going to go to Greenland for its minerals, youre talking billions upon billions upon billions of dollars and extremely long time before anything ever comes of it, he said. According to Olesen, Trumps desire for rare earths, as well as his national security urgency, can be addressed by Danish and Greenlandic officials through negotiations, making them less of a concern. The trouble will be if Trumps biggest motivator to move into Greenland is a symbolic show of military prowess rather than specific demands that can be addressed through diplomacy. Its hard to compromise with territorial expansion, Olesen said. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Outgoing Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper, left, administering the Oath of Office to Lisa Burtenshaw during Thursday nights city council meeting. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com IDAHO FALLS The Idaho Falls City Council Chambers were filled beyond capacity Thursday night as Lisa Burtenshaw and three council members took the oath of office. Burtenshaw, who just finished a term on the city council, was elected the citys new mayor in a runoff election last month. She defeated her opponent, Jeff Alldridge, with 53.19% of the vote. Brandon Lee, a commercial real estate developer, was also sworn in as the newest member of the city council. He was elected to fill Burtenshaws seat, beating Teresa Dominick in the runoff election with 59.5% of the vote. RELATED | Lisa Burtenshaw wins runoff election to become new Idaho Falls mayor RELATED | Local real estate developer wins seat on the Idaho Falls City Council after runoff election Council members Jim Francis and Jim Freeman were re-elected to a third term in November. They were also sworn in during Thursdays city council meeting. Outgoing Mayor Rebecca Casper administered the Oath of Office to Burtenshaw. Lee, Freeman and Francis were sworn in by Burtenshaw. Outgoing Mayor Rebecca Casper, left, and incoming Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw sharing a moment together during Thursday nights swearing in ceremony. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com Burtenshaw received a standing ovation following her inauguration. She briefly spoke to those in attendance, thanking those who volunteered and supported her during the campaign. I know your names, I know your numbers. It looks to me like a big group of people who want to serve on public boards, Burtenshaw said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. I feel supported in that way. Thank you. It was an emotional night for Casper, whos leaving the mayors office after three terms. The city hosted a farewell reception in her honor Wednesday night at the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho. City officials, Greater Idaho Falls Chamber CEO Paul Baker and state legislators spoke at the event, praising her leadership and accomplishments over the last 12 years. RELATED | Idaho Falls community members thank outgoing Mayor Rebecca Casper during reception Before administering the oath to Burtenshaw Thursday night, Casper stood at the podium one last time for some final thoughts. After highlighting a few achievements and praising those she has worked with, she gave some advice to the newly constituted city council. I would simply remind you what you already know, and that is this job is not about you. Its about doing the right things for Idaho Falls, Casper said. The decisions you make impact far more than the people who fit in the room. Dont forget the voices that you dont hear. Caspers final remarks during Thursdays City Council Meeting | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com Casper also received a standing ovation as she offered a tear-filled thank you to the city and its residents. This has been the most wonderful 12 years I ever couldve imagined, Casper said. This community will forever be in my heart. City Councilman Jim Freeman, left, being sworn in by Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com A jovial moment for City Councilman Jim Francis, left, and Mayor Burtenshaw following Thursday nights inauguration. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com Newly-elected council member Brandon Lee being sworn in during Thursday nights city council meeting. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com The post New Idaho Falls mayor, city council members sworn in to a packed house Thursday night appeared first on East Idaho News. An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking to journalists, Image 2 shows Lebanese soldiers stand on and around camouflage military vehicles in Alma al-Shaabin, Lebanon, during a media tour to review operations in the southern Litani sector, Image 3 shows A man carries a Hezbollah flag past an army personnel carrier The Lebanese Armed Forces said Thursday it has completed the first phase of its national disarmament plan, expanding its control in the countrys south as part of efforts to extend the states authority exclusively through its own forces over the entirety of Lebanese territory. In a statement, the army said it had achieved the objectives of the first phase of the plan, which focused on expanding the Armys operational presence, securing vital areas, and extending operational control in the South Litani Sector, excluding land that remains under Israeli occupation. Israel continues to hold five strategic hilltop positions inside Southern Lebanon along the border, citing the need to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its attack capabilities near Israeli communities. Lebanese army chief Gen. Rudolph Haykal, in military fatigues, and other officials at a cabinet meeting in Baabda, Lebanon. AP The Shield of the Homeland (Dir alWatan) plan is the Lebanese armys official fivephase roadmap to disarm all nonstate militias in Lebanon, with a focus on Hezbollah. Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Dec. 20 that the military was finishing the first phase of its disarmament plan. Thursdays statement did not mention Irans Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah, which attacked Israel the day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, opening a second front on Israels northern frontier that lasted until a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Beirut and Jerusalem on Nov. 27, 2024. The truce halted largescale crossborder fighting and severely weakened the group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The agreement requires the terrorist group to be disarmed, starting in areas adjacent to Israel, with the Lebanese army mandated to establish a monopoly over arms in the country under the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and a subsequent Lebanese Cabinet decision. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to journalists at the government headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, December 3, 2025. REUTERS Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Dec. 20 that the military was finishing the first phase of its disarmament plan. Lebanese Army The Israeli Prime Ministers Office, in a statement on Thursday, said the ceasefire agreement states clearly that Hezbollah must be fully disarmed, calling this imperative for Israels security and Lebanons future. The PMO added that Lebanese efforts are an encouraging beginning but far from sufficient, given Hezbollahs Iranian-aided rearmament efforts. In a separate statement, Israels Foreign Ministry said that, despite the statements published today in Lebanon, the facts remain that extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River. The goal of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon remains far from being achieved, it continued, sharing a video showing the locations of Hezbollah sites that have yet to be dismantled in Lebanons south. Lebanese soldiers looking at an Israeli post from the southern Lebanese border in November 2025. ZUMAPRESS.com Hezbollah continues to rearm with the support of Iran, whose foreign minister is arriving today for a visit to Lebanon, it stated. Hezbollah is rearming faster than it is being disarmed. Furthermore, it is regrettable that there are instances of cooperation between elements within the LAF and Hezbollah. It should be emphasized that the IDFs strikes against Hezbollah do not delay the goal of disarming the organization on the contrary, they advance it, it said. Israel expects LAF efforts to disarm Hezbollah to continue south of the Litani and throughout all other parts of Lebanon, in full accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Jerusalems statement concluded. A Lebanese security source told Reuters the Lebanese armys announcement signaled that no armed group would be permitted to stage attacks from Southern Lebanon. In his December statement affirming that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan was near completion south of the Litani River, Salam also previewed the next stage. The state is ready to move on to the second phase, namely confiscating weapons north of the Litani River, based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government, his office said. Jerusalem has continuously struck Hezbollah targets since the ceasefire took effect, in response to the terrorist groups attempts to rebuild its offensive capabilities in violation of the truce. The IDF warned on Dec. 18 that Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its capabilities in Lebanon despite ongoing airstrikes since the truce took hold last year. The IDF announced on Thursday afternoon that it had struck a terrorist from the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Zaita area of Southern Lebanon, in the Sidon District. No additional details were provided. An Israeli official participated in a meeting in Naqoura on Dec. 19 at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters, aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah. During the meeting, ways to promote economic projects were discussed in order to underscore the mutual interest in removing the Hezbollah threat and ensuring sustainable security for residents on both sides of the border, the Prime Ministers Office in Jerusalem said. The meeting is a continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army, it added. Lebanese soldiers stand on and around camouflage military vehicles in Alma al-Shaabin, Lebanon, during a media tour to review operations in the southern Litani sector. ZUMAPRESS.com A man carries a Hezbollah flag past an army personnel carrier in February 2025. AFP via Getty Images Despite pressure from Washington and Jerusalem for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, the groups secretary-general, Naim Qassem, has repeatedly rejected efforts at disarmament, including on Dec. 28, when he called seizing the groups weapons an Israeli-American plan. Courtesy Museum of Idaho IDAHO FALLS The Museum of Idaho invites the community to play laser tag at its building on 200 North Eastern Avenue in Idaho Falls. The museum started hosting laser tag nights as part of its Museum After Dark event several years ago. This year, its returning for multiple days beginning this weekend. The dates for the event are Jan. 10, 16 and 17. Its happening in the afternoon this Saturday with evening times available on Jan. 16. Laser tag will be available throughout the day on Jan. 17. Camille Thomas, the museums director of marketing, tells EastIdahoNews.com the event is open to people 12 and. She explains how it works. Every session starts with a 15-minute intro where we talk about the rules and the science behind lasers. Its a 30-minute game, Camille Thomas, the museums director of marketing, tells EastIdahoNews.com. Its about a 45-minute commitment. The museum will host two laser tag sessions again on May 16 as part of Museum After Dark. That event is for people 21 and older and include drinks, snacks and crafts. Through a partnership with the Idaho Environmental Coalition, the museum has been able to expand its laser tag event. The MOI now has its own equipment, instead of borrowing it from the IEC. Laser tag is taking place during a transitory period as it prepares for the premiere of a new exhibit next month called Life Before Dinosaurs: Meet the Permian Monsters. Additional information will be announced at a later date. Meanwhile, the entire traveling exhibit hall about 10,000-square-feet of space will be available for laser tag. Its two stories, two different staircases, including the balcony, museum Executive Director Jeff Carr says. We have different barriers and obstacles spread throughout that area. Carr says laser tag at the museum is always popular and theyre thrilled to make it available for more people this year. When were in transition in our special exhibit hall, we always have one week during that time when its empty, Carr says. We thought it would be a fun experience for people to come and enjoy the museum in a different way than they might expect. Business owners have the option to schedule a private event for their employees. Send an email to marketing@museumofidaho.org to learn more. Tickets are $15. Museum members get a 10% discount. To schedule a time or learn more, click here. The post Museum of Idaho hosting laser tag event and youre invited to play appeared first on East Idaho News. A professor at Austin Peay State University has been reinstated and awarded a substantial $500,000 settlement following his dismissal over a social media post concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Darren Michael, a tenured faculty member, returned to his position at the Tennessee public university in Clarksville on December 30. The settlement agreement, obtained through a public records request and initially reported by WKRN-TV, confirms the $500,000 payment alongside reimbursement for counseling costs. Michael, a professor of theater and dance, was among several individuals who reported facing significant conservative backlash and professional repercussions for their online comments after Kirk's fatal shooting in September. He had previously been placed on suspension. The significant payout was authorized by high-ranking state officials, including Tennessee's governor, attorney general and comptroller. Two days after Kirk's killing, Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee circulated a screenshot indicating Michael on Sept. 10 had posted the headline of a 2023 news article reading, Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths Unfortunately Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment. (Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images) In a Dec. 30 email to the university community, Austin Peay President Mike Licari said the school did not follow the required tenure termination process. The communication was another requirement under the settlement. Licari added, I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community. I am committed to ensuring that due process and fairness are upheld in all future actions. Two days after Kirk's killing, Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee circulated a screenshot indicating Michael on Sept. 10 had posted the headline of a 2023 news article reading, Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths Unfortunately Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment. Blackburn, who is also a candidate for governor, included a photograph and biography of Michael. She wrote, What do you say, Austin Peay State University? and tagged the university's account. Blackburn's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the settlement. David L. King, Michael's attorney, said the professor said nothing that was threatening or otherwise offensive." King decried the pressure applied by outside forces and said the ordeal caused a great deal of harm" to Michael and his daughter. [BBC] For 80 years, what bound the United States to Europe was a shared commitment to defence and a common set of values: a commitment to defend democracy, human rights and the rule of law. That era was inaugurated in March 1947 in an 18-minute speech by President Harry Truman, in which he pledged US support to defend Europe against further expansion by the Soviet Union. America led the creation of Nato, the World Bank, the IMF and the United Nations. And it bound itself into what became known as the "rules-based international order", in which nation states committed to a series of mutual obligations and shared burdens, designed to defend the democratic world against hostile authoritarian powers. Now, the new US National Security Strategy (NSS), published in December, signals that, for the White House, that shared endeavour has ended; that much of what the world has taken for granted about America's role is over. The review refers to the "so-called 'rules-based international order'", putting the latter phrase in inverted commas: a kind of delegitimisation by punctuation mark. JD Vance said that the real threat to Europe did not come from Russia but from within [AFP via Getty Images] Vice-President JD Vance warned America's European allies that this was coming in a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025. He told them bluntly that the real threat to Europe did not come from Russia but from within - from those censoring free speech, suppressing political opposition and therefore undermining European democracy. And he was damning about the "leftist liberal network". The French newspaper Le Monde said the speech was a declaration of "ideological war" against Europe. Last month's NSS codifies Vance's remarks, and, in black and white, elevates them to the status of doctrine. "Certainly America is no longer the country that promoted the global values that have been in place since the end of the Second World War," says Karin von Hippel, who previously held senior positions in the US State Department and is a former Director of the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a Whitehall think tank. "It is shifting to a very different place." So, if the world is indeed moving away from that order, what is it moving towards? And what does it mean for the rest of the world and in particular for Europe? 'We have a different world today' "International institutions, notably the United Nations, have been marked by dramatically anti-American sentiment, and have not served our or any other particular purpose," says Victoria Coates, a vice-president at The Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank in Washington. In the eyes of Coates - who was previously the Deputy National Security Adviser to US President Donald Trump - change to the international order is inevitable in a changing world. "The other issue we face here is that when that so-called rules-based international order was established after the Second World War, 80 short years ago, China wasn't a major concern. "We just have a different world today." President Truman watches on as a US representative signs the United Nations Charter in 1945 [Getty Images] This rules-based international order, built in the years after World War Two, was created by a generation that had come of age during an era of Great Power geopolitics, and had seen that system descend, twice, into catastrophic global conflict. That international order, flawed and incomplete though it undoubtedly was, was the legacy of that experience. But the NSS directly argues that American strategy went astray in the years since - and it blames what it calls "American foreign policy elites". "They lashed American policy to a network of international institutions, some of which are driven by outright anti-Americanism and many by a transnationalism that explicitly seeks to dissolve individual state sovereignty," it says. It suggests that in future, the US will seek to roll back the influence of supranational bodies. The National Security Strategy says: 'We stand for the sovereign rights of nations, against the sovereignty-sapping incursions of the most intrusive transnational organizations' [Anadolu via Getty Images] "The world's fundamental political unit is and will remain the nation-state We stand for the sovereign rights of nations, against the sovereignty-sapping incursions of the most intrusive transnational organizations" Elsewhere in the document, reflecting on the "balance of power", it states: "The outsized influence of larger, richer, and stronger nations is a timeless truth of international relations." The Kremlin responded to the review with praise, saying much of it aligned with Moscow's own thinking. "I think Trump, Xi, Putin and their more authoritarian acolytes are seeking to return us to an era of Great Power politics," says Field Marshal Lord Richards, who, as General Sir David Richards, was the head of the UK's armed forces from 2010 till 2013. Yet Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London, believes the new Security Strategy is not as radical a break with the past as it may appear. The Kremlin said much of the review aligned with Moscow's own thinking [AFP via Getty Images] "We need to be careful about the rules-based international order, which is a term that came into general use in the last decade or so," he argues. "Look back and you find plenty of violations of the rules, Vietnam for example. So there's a sort of rosy glow about the past at times and everyone should be careful about nostalgia for what was a complex past." Muscular reassertion of the Monroe doctrine Washington's military operation in the Venezuelan capital Caracas that led to the capture of the country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, is an early example of this more muscular assertion of sovereign unilateralism. Some international law experts have questioned the legality of the Trump administration's actions, and argued the US may have violated international statutes governing the use of force. The US maintains its actions were legally justified. "Under American law it certainly was [legal]" Robert Wilkie, who served as an Undersecretary of Defense in the first Trump administration, has previously told the BBC. "Maduro - most of our European partners have not recognised his regime so he is an illegitimate figure. Because of that he is stripped of the normal protections that heads of state would have [...]particularly when were are looking at constitutional provisions that exist in the United States, that would supersede anything the UN says." The military operation in the Venezuelan capital Caracas led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores [AFP via Getty Images] The NSS claims, for the United States, the right to be the pre-eminent power in the Western Hemisphere, and to bend its Latin American and Caribbean neighbours into alignment with Washington's interests. This is a muscular reassertion of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and its promise of US supremacy in the Western hemisphere. Colombia, Panama and Cuba are all also in the President's sights. "This starts primarily with the Panama Canal," says Victoria Coates. "The degree to which control of the canal is necessary to the United States cannot be overstated." China is now Latin America's biggest trading partner and a major infrastructure investor there. The NSS aims to roll back Chinese influence in Washington's backyard. When the canal was handed over to Panama in 1999, says Coates, "we were in the assumption that China was a reasonable actor That turned out not to be true "So making sure that the United States retains a prime position over the canal is critical, and I think Panama is for the first time getting that message from the United States." [BBC] But Sir Lawrence Freedman is among those who argue that the US's ability to control its neighbours is not unlimited. "The Strategy Review might say this is our hemisphere and we can do what we want, but there are still constraints. They may have extricated Maduro and his wife, but they're still dealing with the old regime. "They're not running the country, despite what Trump says." Under the new strategy, the United States will no longer pressure authoritarian regimes to improve their human rights records. In a phrase taken from the US Declaration of Independence of 1776, the review declares, "All nations are entitled by 'the laws of nature and nature's God' to a 'separate and equal station' with respect to one another." Xi Jinping and Nicolas Maduro pictured in 2015 in Beijing, China [Getty Images] In the Middle East, for example, the US says it will abandon the "misguided experiment with hectoring these nations - especially the Gulf monarchies - into abandoning their traditions and historic forms of government". "The key to successful relations with the Middle East," it adds, "is accepting the region, its leaders, and its nations as they are while working together on areas of common interest." But it seems the same level of respect for traditions and historic forms of government is not extended to the democratic and allied nations of Europe. Whilst it refers to an American sentimental attachment to the European continent - and to Britain and Ireland - what's striking about this paper is that it seeks to redefine what is worth defending in the Western world. This review is civilisational in its reach, and argues for a civilisation that is no longer built on the shared values of the Truman Doctrine, but instead on the primacy of the sovereign nation-state. Where does this leave Europe? The review is damning about Europe's "current trajectory" and raises questions about whether some European nations can be regarded as dependable allies in the future. It talks about "economic decline" but adds that this is "eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure". Elsewhere in the document, it states: "It is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain Nato members will become majority non-European," which raises doubts about their viability as long-term security partners, the strategy suggests. "It's a very nativist document," argues Karin von Hippel. "It's very ideological. The underlying message is that the Christian white male is no longer running many of the countries [in the West] and we're seeing a threat to the dominance that the Christian white male has had in the United States and Europe. "They're very careful not to say any of that explicitly but I think that's what's implied." The new US National Security Strategy, which was published in December, is damning about Europe's 'current trajectory' [Getty Images] But Victoria Coates argues that, in her view, the "larger struggle we find ourselves in" is indeed civilisational. "Sovereignty is also a critical issue," she says. "Looking at the European Union project, especially after Brexit, I think a lot of countries are wondering if subverting the national interest to Brussels is a winning strategy. "I do think that is one of the institutions that the NSS does call into question." This chimes with the interests of the American tech giants that oppose EU efforts to regulate their activities on the European continent. Last month Elon Musk posted on X that the European Union should be abolished and sovereignty returned to the individual nation states. 'Cultivating resistance to Europe's trajectory' The review is clear about how Europe can regain its "self-confidence". It says: "The growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism. Our goal should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete." And one of its policies for doing this is by "cultivating resistance to Europe's current trajectory within European nations". What is meant precisely by "cultivating resistance" raises many questions. In Europe, some have already concluded that the USA may no longer be a reliable ally, at a time when Russia poses a growing threat. After Vice-President Vance's speech in Munich, Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Europe would need to "achieve independence" from America with a reshaped Nato. But this takes time. "It's not achievable in the short term," says Sir Lawrence. "The Europeans have become very dependent upon the United States, and this was a matter of choice: it was cheaper and simpler. "Though in practice it would be desirable to be able to act without the Americans in practice it's going to take years to disentangle ourselves. And it'll be extremely expensive. "So Europe has a difficulty: it can't rely on the Americans, but it can't operate easily without them." Friedrich Merz has said Europe would need to "achieve independence" [AFP via Getty Images] As to the pressing question of what it means for Europe - and the EU - in the near future, Lord Richards issues a stark warning: "[It] risks falling between the cracks." "The EU cannot be a Great Power, nor can any of its constituent nations," he argues. "[So] the UK/EU must decide under whose sphere of influence they should shelter? "The answer is they are likely to remain in the USA's - and within a reshaped Nato." 'A popular revolt against the establishment' But Lord Richards also believes that increased spending commitment is long overdue. "European nations are going to have to spend much more on their own defence. This has long been coming but in the UK it is not yet translating into any fresh money. Indeed this year the armed forces are being required to save money rather than spend more." The US has been pushing Europe to increase defence spending for years, notes Sir Lawrence. "The message that Europe needs to do more for its own defence has been around a long time. It was pushed by both Obama and Biden." Last year Trump secured from the European allies a commitment to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP - and in doing so may have done Europe a security favour, by pushing it, in the long term, towards greater operational independence from Washington. "Spending has gone up quite significantly," says Sir Lawrence. "The Germans have been making quite impressive strides. So there is movement, not as fast as many would wish, but it's happening." The review is clear about how America thinks it can "help" Europe. "We want to work with aligned countries that want to restore their former greatness," it says. Victoria Coates says: "International institutions, notably the United Nations, have been marked by dramatically anti-American sentiment..." [Getty Images] Ultimately, what the report reveals is not so much an ideological divide that separates the US and Europe, but one that slices through both continents. Both sides of the Atlantic have certain concerns in common, argues Victor Mallet, a Paris-based journalist and author of a forthcoming book, Far Right France: Le Pen, Bardella and the Future of Europe. "Concerns about immigration, concerns about the economy and there's an extraordinary cultural gulf between supporters of people like Donald Trump, the National Rally in France, the AfD in Germany, and the intellectual, metropolitan, educated liberal elite. "It's definitely a popular revolt against the establishment." He believes that one of the problems is inequality. "America has, on average, the richest group of consumers the world has ever seen and yet many ordinary Americans find it hard to make ends meet and the same applies in Western Europe." More from InDepth In the NSS, the US commits to scrapping certain practices, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, that are derided by many in Trump's base. In this document, the culture wars that shape America's bitter public discourse now to a degree also shape its in foreign policy, and - by extension, affect the security of the Western world. Russia is not mentioned as a hostile power, despite its invasion of Ukraine, a Western ally. For in the culture wars, some in Trump's Maga base see in Vladimir Putin not a foe but a natural ally in the defence of white, Christian nationalist civilisation: a man who proudly defends his country, its traditions and identity - the very attributes, after all, that they value and admire in Donald Trump. Update: This article was updated to remove an incorrect reference to President George HW Bush having handed over the Panama Canal. Top picture credit: AFP / Getty Images [BBC] BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. You can now sign up for notifications that will alert you whenever an InDepth story is published - click here to find out how. The United States has seized another tanker in its campaign to control the flow of oil to and from Venezuela. The Olina was seized overnight in the Caribbean Sea, an operation conducted by the Coast Guard and Joint Task Force Southern Spear, two U.S. officials told NBC News. The U.S. military confirmed the seizure, saying in a post on X that it was "unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere." The Olina was "another ghost fleet tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a separate post. The vessel "had departed Venezuela attempting to evade U.S. forces," she added. The Olina was falsely registered with Timor Leste, according to Lloyds List Intelligence, a maritime data analysis company. It's the fifth tanker seized by the U.S. in recent weeks, and comes days after American forces in the North Atlantic took control of the Bella 1, a Russian-flagged tanker that fled the American blockade and led a weekslong chase. The U.S. also announced the seizure Wednesday of another sanctioned tanker, the Sophia, which it said was conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. Video released by U.S. Southern Command show the seizure of the tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea. (U.S. Southern Command) (U.S. Southern Command) The Kremlin on Friday thanked Washington, saying the U.S. had agreed to release two of the Bella 1's Russian crew members, while President Donald Trump confirmed that Moscow had sent naval assets to try to protect the ship. In response to our appeal, U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens from among the crew of the tanker Marinera, who had previously been detained by the American side during an operation in the North Atlantic, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram. We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the U.S. leadership, Zakharova said. There was no immediate response to the statement from the U.S. The Bella 1 was seized in the North Atlantic on Wednesday in an operation that defied Russian warnings. The ship, suspected to be part of the so-called shadow fleet fueling Moscow's war-time economy in circumvention of international sanctions, changed its name to the Marinera and hoisted a Russian flag after escaping the U.S. blockade of Venezuela last month. In an interview with Fox News late Thursday, Trump said that Moscow had sent a submarine and a destroyer to guard the ship, both of which left very quickly when we arrived. They decided not to mess around with us, Trump added. He evaded a question about whether Putin had called him following the seizure. I dont want to say that, Trump said. The U.S. seized two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela last month as part of its blockade. The Bella 1 was one of a number of sanctioned oil tankers operating near Venezuela that have recently changed their flags to Russia. The Kremlin, a strong supporter of deposed President Nicolas Maduro, accused the U.S. of violating maritime law by seizing the ship. AC3s acquisition of service provider JDS Australia in 2025 contributed more than a boost of service functionality to its overall business it also combined two ServiceNow skillsets into one upgraded division. The service provider was acquired in December 2024 to broaden AC3s range of services, which included 100 employees that focused on IT monitoring, security, service management, quality assurance and automation services. As a result of that deal, AC3 increased its headcount to close to 500 employees across Australia and New Zealand with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington. Speaking to ARN at ServiceNows Knowledge 2025 conference, AC3 head of ServiceNow Andrew Homewood, who came to the business as part of the acquisition, said the integration process ended up bolstering the combined companys standing with the vendor. This was due to one of JDS divisions being particularly suited to ServiceNow. To be an elite partner, they ask a lot, and one of those things is a certain minimum number of active people, Homewood said. Today's headlines: Closing Consistory Leo XIV convenes a new meeting of cardinals for June; Hamas reportedly elects a new leader in Gaza and replaces members of the political bureau killed by Israel; India announces first phase of census from 1 April to 30 September; Kazakhstan makes biometric identification mandatory for to buy a SIM card. PHILIPPINES Rescue operations are underway in Cebu, Philippines, after a huge mass of waste collapsed at the Binaliw landfill, killing at least one person and leaving dozens more presumed trapped, according to authorities. The collapse occurred yesterday afternoon at a privately operated facility that processes about 1,000 tonnes of solid urban waste per day. Jason Morata, the city's deputy public information officer, described the pile of waste as four storeys high and said aerial images show several structures crushed under the debris. The area where the site is located has recently been affected by extreme weather conditions, including two typhoons and an earthquake in late 2025, factors that may have contributed to the collapse. VATICAN A new extraordinary consistory of Pope Leo XIV with cardinals from around the world will be held in the Vatican in June, close to the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. This was announced yesterday evening by the pontiff himself at the conclusion of the meeting on 7 and 8 January, which brought together 170 cardinal electors and non-electors to discuss the themes of synodality and evangelisation. The Pope expressed his desire to continue the consistories on an annual basis for a duration of 3-4 days. GAZA In another sign of its reorganisation, Hamas has secretly elected a new leader in Gaza and filled vacant positions in its political office, two officials from the Palestinian militant faction and sources in Cairo close to the group told the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National. The elections took place last week and the process was conducted via telephone lines deemed secure and face-to-face meetings between Hamas leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. The sources cited reported that the names of those elected will not be announced until the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza begins. INDIA The Union government has officially announced the launch of the 2027 Census - which, after numerous postponements, should update the data from the last survey in 2011 - notifying the first phase, which involves the survey of dwellings and the census of housing throughout the country. According to the notification, this phase will take place from 1 April to 30 September 2026 and will cover all states and territories of the Union. The second phase of the census, known as the Population Enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027. In this phase, demographic, socio-economic and cultural information on each individual will be collected. SOUTH KOREA With the rapid ageing of the Korean population, pressure on the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) is growing, with total medical care costs expected to reach up to 191 trillion won (1 billion) by 2030, nearly double the national health expenditure of ten years ago. According to a recent NHIS report, the total cost of medical care in Korea has already increased from approximately 22 trillion won in 2004 to 110 trillion won in 2023, a fivefold increase over two decades. RUSSIA According to the 7x70 channel, in 2025, more than 200 people were sent to labour camps or isolation cells in Russia for religious reasons, mainly pastors of independent evangelical churches (two at the end of December) and many Jehovah's Witnesses, an increase of 15% compared to 2024, with average sentences of eight years' imprisonment, and also Orthodox priests who criticise the war and the patriarchate's statements on the matter. KAZAKHSTAN Since the beginning of 2026, Kazakhstan has introduced mandatory biometric identification for those who purchase SIM cards for their phones, following a decision by the Ministry of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence. When the SIM card is installed automatically, the necessary procedure for recognition is communicated via a special application, with the aim of preventing fraud and fake numbers. Each citizen will be entitled to a maximum of 10 SIM cards. The authorities have cut off the internet throughout the country to obscure the demonstrations. Khamenei threatens those who devastate the streets to please Trump. In reality, discontent is much more deeply rooted and widespread, due to an increasingly devastating economic crisis. And alongside pro-rights and freedom slogans, monarchist nostalgia is also trying to make its way. Tehran (AsiaNews) - From the suburbs to the heart of the Islamic Republic: the anti-government protests that have been inflaming the streets and squares of Iran for days did not flare up, as in the past, in the capital or in large urban centers, but started in small towns and villages across the country, in the outskirts, and then spread like wildfire towards Tehran. Since the first demonstrations in the second half of December, places that rarely attracted local or international attention in the past have emerged. These are smaller towns, often neglected by the media and national politics, but which today represent the fuel that has allowed discontent to spread throughout much of the country. In response, the authorities have so far made an unknown number of arrests, in addition to deaths and injuries. And the supreme leader himself, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warns protesters that they are devastating the streets to please the president of another country, referring to US leader Donald Trump. Despite the tightening of security measures, data collected on January 5 show that in a single dayand the picture has broadened in the days sincedemonstrations took place in over 340 locations scattered across all 31 provinces of Iran. Most of the protests took place in small towns and rural counties, reflecting widespread discontent that is not limited to cities such as Tehran or symbolic places such as Qom. The constant presence of demonstrators in these lesser-known areas also suggests that the heart of the unrest has shifted from large urban centers to smaller, more remote areas. After all, although these regions receive limited media coverage, they are among those most severely affected by the worsening economic and political crisis that has long gripped the Islamic Republic and the power of the ayatollahs. A more in-depth analysis by IranWire of four of these areasthe cities of Abdanan, Malekshahi, Azna, and Neyrizindicates that the wave of protests is closely linked to long-standing economic grievances and unfulfilled promises of development. In these regions, official rhetoric about industrial growth and economic transformation contrasts sharply with widespread poverty, poor or decaying infrastructure, and chronic unemployment. Decades of mismanagement by the ruling leadership and a framework of substantial neglectboth locally and nationallyhave left local populations with few opportunities to pursue their demands. In the absence of effective institutional responses, frustration has spilled onto the streets, pushing these once-neglected areas to the forefront of the protest movement. One of the bloodiest episodes of recent days occurred in Malekshahi County, north of the city of Abdanan, both in the province of Ilam. Despite strong tribal and social support networks, the area has not been spared by the economic crisis, and the population has suffered so much that they have taken to the streets and joined the protests. The clashes that ensued with the police revealed the harshness of the repression: on January 3, in what is now known in the area as Malekshahi's Bloody Saturday, the Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) opened fire on demonstrators, causing numerous deaths and injuries. However, as there are no adequate medical facilities in the area, the injured protesters were transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in nearby Ilam. Reports subsequently emerged that officers had surrounded and raided the hospital, sparking international criticism. Economic indicators further highlight the severity of the challenges facing the county: last year, Ilam province had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. While officials emphasize the launch of projects and announce development policies, residents report factory closures, limited investment, and deteriorating infrastructure as a daily reality. These conditions, combined with a security-focused response, have made Malekshahi a hotbed of protest. Analysts and scholars say the discontent is driven by a prolonged economic crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions, coupled with a significant loss of confidence in the state following military and foreign policy defeats last year. First and foremost is the so-called 12-day war with Israel, compounded by the weakening of allied Shiite factions in the Middle East, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen. Hence the belief among some that 2026 could be the most critical year in the history of the Islamic Republic. After all, the popular unrest is not developing in isolation, but rather seems to be the result of continuous external pressure, legal constraints, and strategic exposure that have reduced the Ayatollahs' room for maneuver. Furthermore, the protests should not be seen as an isolated internal episode, but as the manifestation of a broader convergence: the application of sanctions, isolation in terms of international law, military friction, and fiscal pressure, which now have a more direct impact on the regime's ability to manage society. At the heart of this picture is a structural tension that risks undermining the very foundations of the institutional and power apparatus, which some believe has never been so at risk. Tehran has long prioritized maintaining its coercive apparatus as the ultimate guarantor of the regime's survival, assuming that it could continue to finance and mobilize the forces of repression, even at the expense of the population itself. Now, the protests of recent weeks are also undermining the basis of this theory. The question, in fact, is no longer simply whether the state can repress the protestsas it has done in the pastbut whether it can sustain this approach under prolonged economic pressure. A final factor characterizing these protests, which the state leadership has tried to obscure by shutting down the internet in recent days, is the slogans used: from the reformist appeals of the 2009 Green Wave to the cry of "Woman, life, freedom" after the killing of Mahsa Amini in 2022, to the current demand for a return of the monarchy that collapsed in 1979 following the Ayatollahs' Islamic revolution. In 2009, many protesters chanted Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein, framing the disputed elections in the language of religious legitimacy and around Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister who contested the vote but was still part of the establishment. And when a 22-year-old woman was killed by the morality police for not wearing her hijab, the Islamic veil, correctly, the demand for rights and freedoms was overwhelming. Today, different refrains are being heard, one of which states: This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return, referring to the last Shah of Persia. For experts, the shift from reformist slogansin a religious perspectiveto open monarchist nostalgia shows that a growing part of society no longer sees the factions within the Islamic Republic as a path to change. This strategic move is designed to counter China's dominance in the sector at a time of crisis in bilateral relations. The Chikyu drilling vessel is set to leave on Sunday for the Pacific island of Minami Torishima. Experts believe the seabed around it could contain the world's third-largest deposit. Tokyo (AsiaNews) In the ongoing battle for the exploitation of rare earths, essential to modern technologies and previously dominated by China, Japan has made a move that could change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region. On 11 January, Japan is set to become the first in the world to mine for rare earths in deep-sea waters, at a depth of 6,000 metres, far exceeding the height of Mount Fuji. For Japanese leaders, the intended goal is to reduce the countrys dependence on China. A Japanese deep-sea scientific drilling vessel called Chikyu will sail to the remote Pacific island of Minami Torishima, which experts believe to be surrounded by a seabed containing rich deposits of precious minerals. The research begins at a time of intense economic and geopolitical tensions with China, by far the world's leading supplier of rare earths. Recently, Beijing has increased its pressure on Tokyo, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made statements last November saying that her government would react militarily in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Such a prospect is far from remote, especially given China's repeated threats to take, even by force if necessary, what it considers a rebel island, part of its own territory. Rare earths are 17 metals that are hard to extract from the Earth's crust, but have become crucial in the making of numerous components, used in various applications, from electric vehicles and hard drives to wind turbines and missiles. Chikyus mission is a first step toward our country's industrialisation of domestic rare earths, said Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) in a statement last month. The agency has been informing the public about the test for months, noting that it is the first in the world at such depths. During the test mission, the Chikyu will send a pipe underwater to ensure that a "mining machine" attached to its tip can reach the seabed and retrieve mud rich in rare earths. The mission is expected to last until 14 February. Researchers believe the area around Minami Torishima, located within Japan's economic waters, could contain more 16 million tonnes of rare earths, which, according to the Nikkei business daily, would constitute the third-largest reserve in the world. These rich deposits are thought to contain enough dysprosium, used in high-strength magnets for phones and electric cars, to last 730 years, and enough yttrium, used in lasers, to last 780 years. If Japan could successfully extract rare earths around Minami Torishima constantly, it will secure domestic supply chain for key industries, Takahiro Kamisuna, research associate at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told AFP. Likewise, it will be a key strategic asset for Takaichi's government to significantly reduce the supply chain dependence on China, he added. China has long used its near monopoly in the rare earths sector for geopolitical leverage, drawing the ire of Washington, Tokyo, and Brussels, and is now using it as a weapon in its trade war with the Trump administration. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for nearly two thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 per cent of global refined output. Media reports this week indicate that China is delaying imports from and rare earths exports to Japan, as the dispute between the two countries, which began two months ago, escalates. On Tuesday, Beijing blocked exports to Japan of "dual-use" items with potential military applications, fuelling fears in Japan that it could choke off supplies of rare earths, some of which are included on China's dual-use list. A previous dispute in 2010 had pushed Japan to reduce its dependence on Beijing for rare earths, but according to Japan, more than 70 per cent still comes from China, a situation the country is trying to change. On Tuesday, the authorities began cracking down on the leaders of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, an underground Evangelical community founded by Rev Wang Yi, who has been in prison since 2018. In October, the Zion Church suffered the same fate. Milan (AsiaNews) In China 2026 began with a fresh crackdown on house churches and underground Protestant communities. On Tuesday, a series of coordinated actions led to arrests of members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, one of the best well-known communities within this denomination, headquartered in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. According to China Aid and Human Rights Watch, police raided the home in Deyang of the current house church leader, Li Yingqiang, who replaced the founder, Rev Wang Yi, after he was taken to prison in December 2018. A number of other community elders were also taken into custody: Dai Zhichao, Ye Fenghua, Yan Hong, and Zeng Qingtao. Police in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, also summoned Early Rain member Shu Qiong, on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, while another, Wu Wuqing, was summoned, then released and warned not to be involved in the case." The new wave of arrests targeting the Early Rain Covenant Church is part of the increasingly restrictive policy designed to control religions in the People's Republic of China. It follows an operation against the Zion Church last October, with more coordinated actions in seven different cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, which led to the arrest of nearly 30 pastors, preachers, and members, including founder Rev Ezra Jin Mingri. In December, the Evangelical church in Yayang, Taishun County (Wenzhou), was attacked. Wenzhou is known as the Jerusalem of the East due to its long and deep-rooted Christian history and was the epicentre of the battle against the demolition of crosses in Zhejiang Province a decade ago. At least 20 members of the community remain in detention, while China Aid reports that scaffolding has been erected around the bell tower of the church, which allegedly refused to display the Chinese national flag at its entrance. For their part, the authorities led by the young local mayor Li Bin are reportedly exploiting the crackdown to gain visibility within the Party ranks. The government should immediately free those detained and let them freely practice their religion," said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, commenting on the latest developments. Before becoming a pastor, Rev Wang Yi was a respected intellectual and legal scholar, mentioned in 2004 by the state-run Southern People Weekly as one of the 50 "most influential public intellectuals" in China. He eventually converted to Christianity in 2005 and subsequently decided to dedicate his life to church ministry. The Early Rain Covenant Church, which he founded in 2008 based on Calvinist theology, owes its name to a passage in Psalm 84 that speaks of the blessing of the "early rain" that falls at the beginning of autumn. This religious community has always remained outside the state system that requires religious groups to submit to government control. Before coming under government scrutiny for the first time in 2018, it had around 500 members and included a seminary, a primary school, and a support unit for the families of political prisoners all activities deemed illegal by Chinese authorities. Popular among Chengdu's middle class, the Early Rain Covenant Church is seen by the authorities as a political nuisance due to its local influence but also its notoriety abroad. Detained in late 2018 in an initial roundup targeting his community, Rev Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison for inciting subversion of state power and illegal business activities. His prison term ends in December 2027. by Melani Manel Perera After the floods, suspicions grew about the fate of farm animals. Health inspectors discovered illegal trafficking of chicken meat from animal carcasses: 120 kilos of meat destined for restaurants and canteens in various locations in the Puttalam district were seized. Colombo (AsiaNews) - After the recent floods in Sri Lanka, anxiety grew among the affected communities about the fate of farm animals - chickens, pigs, goats and cattle - which are an essential source of livelihood for many families. The lack of official information about what happened was compounded by increasingly insistent rumours about the possible sale of meat from animals that had died in the floods. These suspicions were confirmed by the discovery of illegal chicken meat trafficking in the Pallama area of Puttalam district, which was dismantled following an operation conducted by Public Health Inspectors (PHI). During the raid, two people were arrested and a large quantity of meat, some of which had already been distributed in various locations, was seized. According to investigators, the suspects collected chickens that had died from disease from farms in Pallama and the surrounding areas, falsely claiming that they would be used for animal feed. However, investigations have established that the meat was processed and packaged in plastic bags to evade health checks, then sold at very low prices to restaurants, charitable canteens and wedding banquet organisers in numerous locations, including Anamaduwa, Nawagattegama, Saliyawewa, Uriyawa, Paliyagama, Bingiriya, Weerapokuna, Madurankuliya and Arachchikattuwa. The operation was the result of a lengthy investigation launched on the basis of reports received from health inspectors in Pallama. The suspects were stopped while transporting the meat in a three-wheeled vehicle near the Serukele Veterinary Office, where approximately 120 kilograms of meat hidden in polyethylene bags were seized. The arrested individuals were identified as Geekiyanage Janaka Geeth Kumar Perera, a resident of Dudugama (Ja-Ela), responsible for collecting and transporting chickens from farms, and Yakdehige Jagath Indika Niroshan, from Serukele, involved in meat processing. According to health authorities, the meat was sold mainly to restaurants that prepare kottu and rice dishes, at a price of 800 rupees per kilogram, significantly below market value. The trafficking had been going on for some time, deliberately deceiving buyers. The two suspects appeared before the Anamaduwa Magistrates' Court, where Judge R.N.K. Chandrawansa imposed a fine of 76,000 rupees and ordered the destruction of the entire stock of seized meat. Some residents who lost their livestock to the floods expressed their disappointment to AsiaNews at the leniency of the sentence, while stating that they respected the court's decision. Selling dead animals for profit is an inhumane act, they said. Among them, Rita Calistus, a resident of Arachchikattuwa, said she lost all 25 chickens from her family farm: About twenty drowned, the others died a few days after the water receded. We buried them. Photo: Hiran Piyankara 9 January 2026 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more At a time when global energy markets are under increasing pressure from geopolitical tensions, climate commitments, and growing demand, Azerbaijans energy strategy stands out for its balance between reliability and transformation. While remaining a key supplier of traditional energy resources to international markets, the country is simultaneously accelerating its transition toward renewable energy, positioning green energy as both an economic driver and a pillar of long-term energy security. This dual-track approach aligns with Azerbaijans broader socio-economic development strategy, its post-conflict reconstruction agenda, and its ambition to strengthen regional stability through sustainable infrastructure. In this context, the power sector has evolved from being merely a domestic utility backbone into a strategic instrument supporting green growth, export diversification, and investor confidence. With the commissioning of new generation facilities, Azerbaijans total installed electricity capacity has reached 9,732.5 MW, marking an increase of 1,317 MW, or 15.6 percent, compared to 2024. This expansion is not only quantitative but structural, reflecting a shift toward cleaner and more diversified sources of energy. According to 2025 data, Azerbaijans power system comprises: 24 thermal power plants (7,903 MW), 65 hydroelectric power plants (1,443.5 MW), 9 solar power plants (278.2 MW), 5 wind power plants (63.5 MW), 1 solid waste power plant (37 MW), 3 hybrid power plants (7.3 MW). Renewable energy capacity, including hydropower, totals 1,829.6 MW, accounting for 18.8 percent of overall generation capacity. Importantly, parallel investments in grid infrastructure have increased transmission capacity to 29,714 MVA, ensuring system stability and integration of intermittent renewable sources. This growing capacity has already translated into tangible outcomes. In 2024, Azerbaijan produced 28.4 billion kWh of electricity, meeting domestic demand while exporting 1.4 billion kWh. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, exports approached 1 billion kWh, underlining Azerbaijans emerging role as a regional electricity supplier. A symbolic and practical milestone in Azerbaijans green energy transition was marked on January 8 with the official opening of the 240 MW Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant, implemented by Saudi Arabias ACWA Power. This project represents the first renewable power facility built by ACWA Power in Azerbaijan and signals the deepening of strategic energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and leading global investors. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev described the project as a very significant event that strengthens Azerbaijans energy capacity and reflects the countrys openness to international partnerships in renewables. The President emphasized that this project is not an endpoint but part of a broader pipeline, noting that ACWA Power has bigger plans in Azerbaijan, including participation in the countrys first Caspian Sea desalination project. The involvement of PowerChina as the general contractor further illustrates Azerbaijans ability to attract major global players across different segments of the energy value chain, such as construction, investment, and technology transfer. A key analytical takeaway from the Presidents speech is Azerbaijans insistence on the parallel development of traditional and renewable generation capacities. As President Aliyev underlined, energy security can only be ensured by maintaining a reliable baseload through thermal generation while expanding renewable capacity. The commissioning of a 2,000 MW traditional power plant in Mingachevir alongside new solar and wind facilities demonstrates this balanced model. This approach has enabled Azerbaijan to maintain energy self-sufficiency, avoid supply shocks, and create the flexibility needed to integrate variable renewable sources without compromising system reliability. Renewable energy development is also closely linked to Azerbaijans post-conflict reconstruction policy. In the liberated territories of Garabagh and East Zangezur, three solar power plants with a combined capacity of 340 MW are under construction in Jabrayil, while around 40 small hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity exceeding 300 MW have already been built using public funds. Plans indicate that small hydropower capacity in these regions alone could reach 500600 MW, transforming them into green energy hubs and supporting sustainable resettlement, industrial activity, and infrastructure development. One of the most strategic dimensions of Azerbaijans green agenda lies offshore. According to international estimates cited by President Aliyev, the wind energy potential of Azerbaijans sector of the Caspian Sea is around 157 GW - a figure that places the country among the most promising offshore wind markets globally. Based on signed contracts, Azerbaijan plans to commission: 6 GW of wind and solar capacity by 2030, and 8 GW by 2032, excluding additional hydropower. Such volumes would not only meet rising domestic demand but also significantly expand electricity exports, reinforcing Azerbaijans position as a regional energy hub. A central message of the Presidents speech was Azerbaijans investment credibility. The country has attracted over $300 billion in foreign investment, underpinned by political stability, a strong macroeconomic position, and a consistent contractual framework. With foreign debt slightly above 6 percent of GDP and foreign exchange reserves exceeding external debt by 1617 times, Azerbaijan ranks among the worlds most financially resilient economies. Recent upgrades by international rating agencies to investment-grade status with a positive outlook further strengthen its appeal to long-term investors. President Aliyevs explicit assurance that contracts are inviolable - our word is as valuable and legal as our signature - addresses one of the most critical concerns for foreign investors, particularly in capital-intensive sectors such as renewable energy. Looking ahead, Azerbaijan is also addressing the next structural challenge of renewable integration: energy storage. The country is launching its first 250 MW Battery Energy Storage System, implemented by AzerEnerji, and has invited foreign investors to participate in future projects. At the same time, Azerbaijan is positioning itself to attract energy-intensive industries of the future, including data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure, leveraging its growing clean energy base. Azerbaijans green energy policy is no longer a complementary agenda; it is becoming a central pillar of national development, regional cooperation, and investment strategy. By combining traditional energy strength with rapid renewable expansion, ensuring financial stability, and maintaining contractual reliability, Azerbaijan is redefining its role from a resource supplier to a strategic energy partner. As global energy security concerns intensify, Azerbaijans model - grounded in balance, diversification, and investor trust - offers a compelling case study for energy-producing countries navigating the transition to a low-carbon future. 9 January 2026 13:39 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more In recent years, developments in the international system have cast serious doubt on the future of multilateral diplomacy. The US presidents announcement of suspending membership in dozens of international agencies has been portrayed by much of the Western media as Washingtons retreat from global commitments, even as a withdrawal from global leadership. Yet this interpretation misses the essence of what is happening. The real problem lies not in Americas behaviour, but in international institutions themselves, structures that have remained unchanged for decades, failed to adapt to contemporary challenges, and lost their effectiveness. The United Nations system, created in the aftermath of World War II, was functional at a particular historical stage. Its primary mission was to prevent new wars, manage humanitarian crises, and provide a platform for dialogue among states. But the twenty-first century has brought a radically different set of challenges: regional conflicts, energy security, migration, climate change, and the rise of new power centres. Unfortunately, existing international organisations have proven incapable of responding swiftly and effectively. Instead, they have become entangled in bureaucratic mechanisms, eroding both their legitimacy and their influence. Against this backdrop, the US decision to withdraw from the UN Population Fund and suspend cooperation with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe is neither emotional nor populist. These moves represent a political judgment on outdated institutions. The Venice Commission, for years, issued recommendations to various states, including Azerbaijan, on elections and legal reforms. Yet these recommendations often ignored local realities and functioned less as legal advice than as instruments of political pressure. Americas departure from such a body underscores a broader truth: selective approaches cloaked in the language of international law are no longer seen as legitimate. Azerbaijans position in this context is both noteworthy and logical. In 2025, Baku continued its principled course by ending cooperation with several ineffective international organisations. The closure of local offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNDP was no coincidence. These institutions had long failed to deliver tangible results, limiting themselves to formal projects and reports. Azerbaijan made clear that activities lacking national relevance, efficiency, or neutrality have no place in its policy framework. This approach is not new. Back in 20142015, Azerbaijan shut down the OSCE office in Baku for similar reasons. During the years of the ArmeniaAzerbaijan conflict, the OSCE proved unable to establish an effective mediation mechanism. By preserving the status quo and refusing to give legal-political recognition to the occupation, the organisation undermined its own credibility in the region. At that time, Azerbaijan sent a clear message: the existence of international organisations must be measured by their utility, not by their name or status. Today, similar tendencies are visible worldwide. States are reassessing their relationships with international institutions. That countries as different in scale and capacity as the United States and Azerbaijan are making parallel decisions is no coincidence. It is a symptom of systemic crisis. The so-called liberal international order no longer functions as it once did. Selective approaches, double standards, and politically motivated agendas have weakened it. Meanwhile, the growing influence of new power centres, such as China, India, Turkiye, and other rising states, has further diminished the relevance of old institutions. It is important to stress, however, that multilateral diplomacy has not collapsed entirely. What has failed is its classical form: the idea that universal institutions can gather all states around a single table. In its place, regional alliances, bilateral agreements, and pragmatic multilateral formats are gaining ground. In energy security, new coalitions are emerging; in climate change, regional initiatives are proving more effective; in migration management, bilateral arrangements deliver more concrete results. The future of diplomacy will be more flexible, more targeted, and more results-oriented. Ultimately, what we are witnessing is not the end of multilateral diplomacy, but the demise of its outdated model. The new world order demands mechanisms that are realistic, agile, and just. Institutions that fail to respect sovereignty, demonstrate effectiveness, or refrain from interfering in domestic affairs have no future. The steps taken by the United States and Azerbaijan show that the era of formal participation is over. The next phase will be defined by real outcomes, real responsibility, and real partnership. And that, in turn, will shape a new diplomatic philosophy, one that operates both globally and regionally, grounded in substance rather than symbolism. 9 January 2026 16:00 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Rolling sluggishly from Guzdek station on January 8, 2025, the tank cars opened a new chapter in Azerbaijani-Armenian history. On the platform, a middle-aged man in a reflective jacket, half-jokingly, half-seriously whispered, We have lived to see this day, as the screeching wheels of the fuel-laden train echoed around him. Against this backdrop, it is impossible to reproach him: the two countries have been locked in war for three decades, and the history of their enmity stretches far beyond the dawn of their independence. The Garabagh conflict, erupting in 1988 before either nation had gained independence, touched nearly every familyclaiming some 30,000 lives, injuring or maiming over 100,000 people, and forcing more than one million into exile as refugees and internally displaced persons. Considering that the combined population of the two countries was around 10 million at the time, the scale of devastation can only be imagined. To claim that such hostility could be resolved in a single day is naive; it remains one of the most difficult challenges both nations currently face. Yet both nations have made efforts to move beyond enmity and heal the wounds inflicted by the war since 2025. Many believe that the tank cars carrying Azerbaijani oil to Armenia represent one of the attempts at building trust between the two nations. It should be noted that this was the second batch of oil Azerbaijan exported within a month. The first batch of Azerbaijani oil was exported on December 18, 2025. At that time, the Garabagh clique, the main beneficiaries of the long-standing conflict, tried to create a storm in a teacup, circulating reports that ordinary Armenian citizens opposed trade with Azerbaijan, in an effort to throw the Pashinyan government under the bus. Yet the reality proved otherwise: the imported oil was fully consumed within 20 days, and Armenia exported oil again. Armenias Minister of Economy, Gevork Papoyan, confirmed the robust demand for Azerbaijani oil. The imported gasoline sold out within days, which shows how high the demand is, he told local media. In a later Facebook post, Papoyan highlighted that, alongside Azerbaijani oil, Kazakh and Russian grain had also entered Armenia through Azerbaijani territory. He emphasised that these developments could drive diesel prices down across the country. Moreover, Azerbaijani flights now traverse Armenian airspace, cutting both travel time and expenses for passengers, a small but significant sign of growing connectivity between the two nations. Many believe that these are tentative steps toward reconciliation between the two nations. They argue that trade should not be limited to fuel exports and transit activities, but should gradually expand to other sectors. This raises the question of whether Azerbaijani citizens are ready to trade with Armenians and see Armenian products on store shelves. Speaking to Azernews, a resident of Baku who wanted to stay anonymous, noted that he is not against the development of trade relations between the countries. However, there must be very strict control over them. For example, I would like there to be double scrutiny over alcoholic beverages and coming from there. Additionally, any Azerbaijani institution responsible for these sectors should be extremely vigilant in this matter. I personally view the sincerity of the Armenians with suspicion, he underscored. When asked whether he could confidently buy any Armenian products from the market that do not pose a health risk, such as textiles, our interviewee could not answer. On the contrary, another interviewee, a Baku resident, Rauf Aliyev, said that he supports the trade relations between the two countries. He added that no country should be isolated from others. That is why I believe these relations should be established. A country without connections heads toward stagnation. Take Iran, which has been subject to sanctions, for example. It cannot export products abroad and can only sell them domestically. In other words, the more products we export, the more beneficial it is for us and for the countrys development. Trade expansion leads to stronger overall relations. We can visit Armenia, explore ittheres nothing wrong with that. I am confident that our government oversees everything, he said. Moreover, he emphasised that the hostility has been instilled in the minds of people on both sides for years. This hostility must end. The sooner it ends, the more beneficial it will be for both sides. For instance, Armenians who once lived in Baku were never resented. Even abroad, including in Armenia itself, they spoke positively about their neighbours in Baku. To this day, they long to see Baku, the city where they were born and spent their childhood and youth. If we had been bad, I doubt they would have expressed these sentiments, he concluded. 9 January 2026 11:03 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. ACWA Power is preparing to implement a new large-scale project in Azerbaijan focused on the desalination of seawater with a planned capacity of 300,000 cubic meters, Azernews reports. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 9 January 2026 17:45 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The International Mugham Center has hosted its first mugham evening of the year, with a special focus on female interpretations of Azerbaijan's traditional mugham music, Azernews reports. The concert opened with a piece by composer Jahangir Jahangirov from the film "Koroglu", performed by the ensemble. The evening continued with solo performances from the Mugham Center's talented artists. Sevinj Sariyeva, an honored artist, Nisbat Sadrayeva, a soloist at the Mugham Center, and Gulnar Gudratli, the winner of the Mugham Television Contest, totally captivated the audience with their impressive skill and delicate interpretations of mugham traditions. Their performances were met with thunderous applause from the audience. Also featured in the concert were soloists of the Mugham Center, Elgiz Aliyev, Mirpasha Shukurov, Grand Prix winner of the 4th Mugham Television Contest, and Yusif Jafarbayli, laureate of the 9th Mugham Television Contest. The performers were accompanied by an exceptional group of musicians: Rustam Muslimov on tar, Araz Aghaverdiyev on kamancha, Mehta Mammadalizade on qanun, Rafael Asgarov on balaban, Siyavush Kerimov on nagara, and Saday Badalov on gosha naghara. The Mugham Center was established on the initiative of the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, in accordance with the presidential decree dated April 6, 2005. The center, which laid its foundation that same year and is known as one of Baku's unique architectural projects, opened its doors in 2008. The Mugham Center regularly organises large-scale music festivals and concerts by highly acclaimed cultural figures. The Center also takes important steps towards bolstering cultural ties with Turkiye, Poland, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Morocco, and other countries. The International Mugham Center is determined to further expand its work and promote Azerbaijani musical culture. Numerous projects are being carried out by the center in the direction of studying and promoting mugham art. In 2025, the Mugham Center became the first cultural institution in Azerbaijan to be awarded "international" status by legislation. This new status contributes to improving the financial well-being of the people working at the center, which has been one of the leading concert institutions in Baku for many years. The International Mugham Center has seen a noticeable rise in interest last year, particularly from tourists attending mugham and ethnoconcerts. during the 9th "Mugham" TV Contest, the center hosted numerous concerts, attracting a diverse range of visitors. Monthly events cater to both music specialists and casual attendees, with advertising banners placed outside to draw in more tourists. During the day, as tourists pass by in anticipation of the evening performances, many stop to admire the center's striking architecture and inviting atmosphere. This growing international interest was particularly evident during the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when many race fans and visitors to Baku also attended IMC's musical events. 9 January 2026 18:09 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has presented the opera "Tosca" by the outstanding Italian composer Giacomo Puccini on the stage of the Opera Studio of the Baku Music Academy, Azernews reports. The role of Cavaradossi was performed for the first time by Honored Artist Ramil Gasymov, marking the realization of his 27-year-long dream. I clearly remember watching Giacomo Puccinis opera Tosca on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater back in 1998. The role of Tosca was performed by a living legend of our time, Khuraman Gasimova; Cavaradossi was sung by Peoples Artist of Georgia Teimuraz Gugushvili; and at the conductors podium stood a living legend of our musical culture, Rauf Abdullayev. The music of that evening struck me to the depths of my soul. Especially the death scene of Cavaradossi, his aria, and the dramatic line of the work as a whole, expressed through the music, left an indelible mark on my memory. It was precisely that evening that a feelinga dreamwas born within me: to one day perform this role myself. And that dream has come true. I performed the role of Cavaradossi! From the very first minutes of the performance, I felt the sincere support and attention of my dear friend, the director of the theater where I work, the world-renowned tenor Yusif Eyvazov. The highest level of professionalism of the conductor, Ayyub Guliyev, the unified ensemble spirit of the soloists, and, most importantly, the love of the audience, who breathed in unison with the stage, made this evening truly priceless for me. I express my deep gratitude to each and every one of them. This was not just a performanceit was the stage embodiment of a dream I had been pursuing for many years," Ramil Gasimov shared. In the performance, the role of Tosca was sung by Honored Artist Ilaha Afandiyeva, and the role of Scarpia by Honored Artist Anton Fershtandt. Honored Artist Tural Aghasiyev also took part in the production, along with soloists Mahir Taghizade, Rza Khosrovzade, Igor Yadrov, Ruslan Persan, and Fatima Mammadova. At the conductors podium was the chief conductor of the Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az.Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az. 9 January 2026 11:25 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Military Prosecutor Bahruz Ahmadov held a meeting with the Commander of the Air Forces of the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Namig Islamzadeh, and a group of military personnel. Azernews reports, citing the Military Prosecutors Office, that during the event, Ahmadov spoke about the high level of professionalism demonstrated by the Air Forces during the 44-day Patriotic War, underlining their crucial role both during the conflict and in the current period. He stressed that alongside physical preparedness, it is essential for servicemen to continuously improve their theoretical knowledge, master modern technologies, apply them professionally, and maintain strict discipline in order to achieve sustained success. During the meeting, military personnel expressed their satisfaction with the conditions created by President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, noting their readiness to successfully fulfil the tasks assigned to them in the future. The event concluded with the presentation of gifts to servicemen who distinguished themselves in service, along with wishes for continued success in their professional activities. 9 January 2026 10:42 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Armenia expects to import 7,600 tons of oil products from Azerbaijan, according to a statement by Armenian Economy Minister Gevork Papoyan. Azernews reports that Papoyan shared the information on his social media account, providing details on ongoing and planned deliveries via Azerbaijans territory. As of January 8, 2026, 8,485 tons of Russian grain have already arrived in Armenia by rail from the territory of Azerbaijan. A further 4,103 tons of grain, as well as 7,600 tons of Azerbaijani oil products 6,100 tons of gasoline and 1,500 tons of diesel fuel are on the way, the minister wrote. Papoyan recalled that in 2025, Armenia imported 6,580 tons of grain by rail through Azerbaijan, including 1,000 tons of Kazakh-origin grain and 5,580 tons of Russian grain. In addition, 1,210 tons of Azerbaijani gasoline were delivered during the same period. The minister also linked the new shipments to expected changes in the domestic fuel market. As I have already noted, gasoline and diesel fuel prices are expected to decrease by 80 drams (0.36 manat ed.) per liter compared to the prices of the previous month. I am pleased to announce that in connection with this development, other companies engaged in the sale of petroleum products are also working on reducing prices, Papoyan stated. The expected imports mark a continued use of Azerbaijani transit routes and energy supplies in Armenias trade and fuel market dynamics. 9 January 2026 11:39 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Syria has expressed interest in implementing Azerbaijans SME house model, following discussions between relevant institutions of the two countries. Azernews reports that a meeting was held between representatives of Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA), the Director General of the Syrian Small and Medium Business Development Agency, Ihab Zukur, and Azerbaijans Charge d'Affaires in Damascus, Elnur Shahhuseynov. According to SMEDA, the online meeting provided detailed information on Azerbaijans SME house model, the services offered at SME development centers, the Startup certificate mechanism, and SME clusters. It was emphasized that the agencys support tools, including grant competitions and market research, play an important role in developing entrepreneurial activity and strengthening the market positions of small and medium-sized businesses. The sides also discussed the possibility of benefiting from and applying Azerbaijani experience in Syria, expanding trade and investment cooperation between Azerbaijani and Syrian SMEs, and exchanging experience in organizing, regulating, and delivering services in the SME sector. 9 January 2026 15:27 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more In line with instructions from President Ilham Aliyev, the Great Return program to Azerbaijans liberated territories continues, enabling former internally displaced persons to return to their native villages, Azernews reports. On January 9, a new convoy of returnees was dispatched from the city of Tartar to the Aghdara districts villages of Childiran, Ashaghi Oratag, Heyvali, and Chapar and has already reached its destination. At this stage, 13 families comprising 48 people were resettled in Childiran village, 31 families with 119 people in Ashaghi Oratag, 19 families with 74 people in Heyvali, and 26 families totalling 96 people in Chapar. The returning families are former internally displaced persons who had been temporarily living in various parts of the country, primarily in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings. The residents returning to their homes expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive state support provided to them. They also conveyed their appreciation to the valiant Azerbaijani Army, its heroic soldiers and officers, and honoured the memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the countrys territories. 9 January 2026 15:53 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Amid large-scale protests in Iran, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has canceled the flight scheduled for today on the BakuTehranBaku route, Azernews reports. AZAL said that additional information will be provided regarding the resumption of flights on this route, noting that passengers will be promptly notified as soon as updates become available. It was also reported that Turkish Airlines has canceled 17 flights scheduled to Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz, citing the same situation. AZAL apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates the understanding and patience of its passengers. It is important to note that the safety of flights and passengers is AZAL's top priority. For the latest updates, passengers can contact the AZAL call center at [email protected]. 9 January 2026 16:09 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The next batch of oil products has been delivered from Azerbaijan to Armenia. Azernews reports that a total of 2,698 tons of oil products, transported in 48 railway wagons, were dispatched today from the Bilajari station to Armenia. The shipment includes 1,742 tons of AI-95 gasoline and 956 tons of diesel fuel. According to the information, the wagons loaded with oil products will transit through the territory of Azerbaijan to Georgia and from there continue onward to Armenia. It was recalled that on December 18, the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) delivered the first locally sourced oil cargo to Armenia. At that time, 1,220 tons of AI-95 automotive fuel, loaded into 22 tank wagons, were sent by a freight train of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) from the Baku Freight Station to the Boyuk Kesik station. Both nations have made efforts to move beyond enmity and heal the wounds inflicted by the war since 2025. Many believe that the tank cars carrying Azerbaijani oil to Armenia represent one of the attempts at building trust between the two nations. It should be noted that this was the second batch of oil Azerbaijan exported within a month. The first batch of Azerbaijani oil was exported on December 18, 2025. At that time, the Garabagh clique, the main beneficiaries of the long-standing conflict, tried to create a storm in a teacup, circulating reports that ordinary Armenian citizens opposed trade with Azerbaijan, in an effort to throw the Pashinyan government under the bus. Yet the reality proved otherwise: the imported oil was fully consumed within 20 days, and Armenia exported oil again. Armenias Minister of Economy, Gevork Papoyan, confirmed the robust demand for Azerbaijani oil. The imported gasoline sold out within days, which shows how high the demand is, he told local media. In a later Facebook post, Papoyan highlighted that, alongside Azerbaijani oil, Kazakh and Russian grain had also entered Armenia through Azerbaijani territory. He emphasised that these developments could drive diesel prices down across the country. Moreover, Azerbaijani flights now traverse Armenian airspace, cutting both travel time and expenses for passengers, a small but significant sign of growing connectivity between the two nations. 9 January 2026 11:43 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more United States President Donald Trump said Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will be coming to Washington DC next week, Azernews reports via The Guardian. "I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, and I've heard that she wants to do that," Trump said on Fox News. In the aftermath of that operation, the future governance of the South American country has remained an open question, with Trump over the weekend dismissing the idea of working with popular opposition leader Machado, saying she doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country. But in a Fox News interview on Thursday, the US president said Machado was coming in next week sometime, adding that I look forward to saying hello to her. Asked whether he would accept Machados Nobel Peace Prize if she gave it to him, Trump said: Ive heard that she wants to do that. Thatd be a great honour. This will be Trumps first meeting with Machado, who said earlier this week that she hadnt spoken to the US president since she won the prize in October. Trump has not publicly made the same offer to Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelas interim president, although in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, Trump said the US was getting along very well with the government of Rodriguez, and that they were giving us everything that we feel is necessary. The White House did not immediately respond when reached for additional details on the Machado meeting. On Thursday, Rodriguezs government began releasing a significant number of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the US. Former Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Marquez was among those released. 9 January 2026 14:56 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued a sharp warning to US President Donald Trump, saying he would ultimately be brought down, while accusing foreign-backed forces of seeking to destabilize Iran through protests and pressure, Azernews reports via Iranian media. Speaking in remarks aired on state television on Friday, Khamenei drew historical parallels to rulers he said collapsed at the height of their power. Trump should know that world tyrants such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza were brought down at the peak of their arrogance. He too will be brought down, he said. Khamenei stressed that the Islamic Republic would not retreat in the face of unrest, emphasizing the systems origins and resilience. Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs, he stated. Referring to ongoing protests, the supreme leader accused demonstrators of acting in line with US interests. They want to make him happy. If he knew how to run a country, he would run his own, Khamenei said, adding that there were many problems inside the United States itself. Commenting on the June attacks, Khamenei said that in the 12-day war, more than a thousand of our compatriots were martyred. He recalled Trumps remarks claiming responsibility for the operation, saying the US president had stated, I gave the order and I commanded the attack, which Khamenei described as an admission that his hands are stained with the blood of Iranians. Concluding his address, Khamenei called for unity and vigilance among supporters. Dear young people, keep your readiness and your unity. A united nation will overcome any enemy, he said. 9 January 2026 18:27 (UTC+04:00) Pope Leo XIV warned on Friday that "war is back in vogue," as he addressed the Vatican's diplomatic corps in Vatican City, Azernews reports. "A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force," he said, warning that this trend undermines "the rule of law" and global stability. Pope Leo called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine, urging dialogue to end the war and stressing the suffering of civilians. He also addressed recent developments in Venezuela, saying "the will of the Venezuelan people" must be respected following the capture of the former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by United States forces. He said the Holy See stands ready to support "any initiative that promotes peace and harmony." 9 January 2026 22:23 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva A remarkable video captured by an astronaut aboard the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong Space Station shows our planet as a mesmerizing swirl of blue and green, with vast clouds occasionally drifting across the view, Azernews reports, citing foreign media. The station is currently crewed by the Shenzhou-21 mission, which sent three astronauts to space on October 31, 2025, for a six-month stay. The crew includes mission commander Zhang Lu, along with Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, serving as space pilot, flight engineer, and payload specialist, respectively. Together, they represent the three main categories of astronauts in Chinas space program. The footage not only highlights the breathtaking beauty of Earth from orbit but also underscores the advances in Chinas human spaceflight program, including extended stays, complex scientific experiments, and international collaboration potential. Observers have noted that such missions are increasingly helping scientists study Earths climate, atmospheric changes, and natural phenomena from a unique vantage point. Interestingly, the Shenzhou-21 mission also marks a step toward Chinas long-term goals of building a fully operational modular space station, paving the way for future missions, including long-duration flights and deep space exploration projects. 9 January 2026 23:25 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva Authorities in the United Kingdom are considering strict actions against X, potentially including a ban in the country, following concerns over explicit images created by the Grok AI-based chatbot, Azernews reports. According to reports, the chatbot has been generating explicit deepfake images of women and children on the social network at users requests. The publication notes that such content has already affected public figures, including Princess Catherine (Middleton) of Wales, as well as British celebrities, cabinet ministers, and Members of Parliament. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Greatest Hits Radio that he had instructed the Ofcom media regulator to explore all possible options. X must take control of the situation, and Ofcom has our full support in taking action. This is wrong. It's illegal. We will not tolerate it. I have ordered that every possible option be considered, Starmer said. Government sources cited by The Daily Telegraph highlighted potential measures under the Online Safety Act, which could include multi-billion-pound fines or even blocking access to the platform in the UK. Experts warn that this case underscores the broader global challenge of AI-generated deepfakes, which are increasingly targeting politicians, celebrities, and private individuals, raising urgent questions about regulation, accountability, and digital safety. Some suggest that stricter AI oversight and rapid content moderation could become a new standard for social media platforms worldwide. Highway 6 to Oregon Coast Declared an Emergency Situation by Washington County Published 01/08/26 at 5:55 a.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Washington County officials Wednesday declared a State of Emergency following severe landslide damage to Oregon Highway 6 during the December 18 winter storm, a move they say is necessary to address mounting safety and economic concerns. (Photos ODOT) Currently, a roughly 11-mile stretch of this main highway to the Oregon coast is reduced to a single lane within the county, creating major disruptions for residents, businesses, freight haulers, and emergency responders. Among the recent incidents: a sudden shift in the ground and more road cracks this weekend caused the majority of Highway 6 to be shut down so crews could work on this new emergency situation. Much of the highway is actually in Tillamook County, but Washington County essentially raised a white flag and hopes to initiate federal assistance. Commissioner Jerry Willey described the corridor as being in serious disarray, noting that it had been that way for quite awhile. OR 6 plays a vital role in connecting our communities and supporting commerce, said Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington in a press release. This emergency declaration underscores the importance of this route to our economy and quality of life. We are committed to working with ODOT and state leaders to ensure repairs are completed quickly and that long-term safety improvements remain a priority. County leaders said that Highway 6 is a critical link between the Oregon coast, Washington County, and the Portland metro area, one that supports tourism, freight movement, and daily commuting for families. With no practical detours available, lane restrictions have led to longer travel times, delayed emergency responses, and reduced access for businesses. The impacts extend beyond Washington County, affecting Tillamook, Clatsop, and Columbia counties. N. Oregon Coast's Highway 6: Why It Was Abruptly Closed for the Day This Weekend - A new roadway arose with more sunken asphalt This declaration does two critical things, Willey said. First, it urges the Governor and Legislature to access any available federal funds to support long-term safety improvements. Second, it calls on state leaders to prioritize OR 6 for state and federal funding to implement the safety improvements recommended in the OR 6 Wilson River Highway Corridor Study (2023). That study identified 18 priority unstable slopes along the route, with estimated project costs ranging from $38 million to $49.4 million. In it, officials recommended utilizing state resources such as the State Highway Fund, or federal programs like the All Roads Transportation Safety Program. Transportation officials recommended using state resources - such as the State Highway Fund - or federal programs like the All Roads Transportation Safety Program to advance the work. Although Highway 6 is an Oregon Department of Transportation facility, county officials said the declaration signals their support for ODOTs repair efforts and their push for long-term safety investments. The emergency declaration remains in effect through April 6, 2026. Oregon Coast Hotels in this area - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) Two Wowing Homes Just Listed in Pacific City, Neskowin: Oregon Coast Real Est... A soaring house on a knoll; upscale beauty in Pacific Heights. Pacific City hotel reviews Constant Killer Views at One Cannon Beach Legend: Oregon Coast Travel Tips There's also deep history at this popular, luxury hotel. 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Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted Justin Keith Jr. Justin Keith, Jr, age 80, a resident of Belhaven, NC passed away Friday January 2, 2026 at his home in Pamlico Beach. A memorial service will be held on Saturday January 17th, 6:00 PM at Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Washington, NC. He and his wife Nancy will be laid to rest together at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. Justin Keith Jr (Or Jut as friends called him) was born on September 29, 1945 in Clatsop County, Oregon to the late Justin Keith Sr and Rae Sprague Keith. The family moved to Massachusetts when he was young, and in his teen years they relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His father owned a horse stable, and young Justin spent his days caring for the many animals they boarded. In 1963 he graduated from South Broward High School. After a few semesters at Broward College, he decided college wasn't the place for him, yet, and promptly joined the US Air Force. After his basic training, he was stationed in Tampa, Florida, but spent quite a bit of time deployed to Korea and Thailand. While home on leave, he met the love of his life Nancy Lee Keefer in Saint Petersburg Florida. At the time she was working in the gift shop of the HMS Bounty. They wed less than seven months later in August of 1966. In September of 1967, Justin and Nancy welcomed a baby boy, Shawn and in the spring of 1971, they would welcome a little girl, Sharon. By 1975, Jut was growing tired of the enlisted life and after several years of hard effort he obtained his Bachelor's degree from the University of West Florida. He quickly became a commissioned USAF Officer, and as a new 2nd Lieutenant, life was turning around for Jut, Nancy, Shawn and Sharon. While Nancy was raising the children in Millbrook (Maxwell AFB) Alabama, Justin became very active with the Alabama Jaycees. He quickly became chapter President in Millbrook and then VP and President at the Alabama Jaycee state level. Justin was always proud of the personal growth, friendships, community development and generous fundraising he experienced with the Alabama Jaycees. In the late 80's Justin returned to school to obtain his Master's from the University of Oklahoma. Sharon and Shawn had left the house and started their own families. He and Nancy spent the next few years in Texas, the Azores and finally Charleston SC. In 1996, LT Colonel Justin Keith Jr retired from the US Air Force. He and Nancy had purchased a 40 foot sailboat and planned to spend a couple of years cruising the east coast of the US. After traveling as far North as NYC, they came back South and settled into Belhaven. They loved the Pamlico Beach area, bought a few acres and built Nancy's dream log cabin. They spent many years sailing the Pungo and Pamlico, as well as BBQing with friends at the River Rat Yacht Club on Jordon Creek. For the next 30 years, Justin was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Washington, NC. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy in May 2022, and is survived by his son, Shawn Keith of Bath, daughter, Sharon Gallagher of Fayetteville, five grandchildren, two great grandchildren in Texas, a brother, Michael Keith and sister, Elizabeth Libolt, both of Florida. Justin and Nancy loved all dogs. They had several and typically gave them creative names from the Lord of the Rings series. It wasn't unusual to hear him calling Boffin, Gollum, Bilbo from his deck. So, in lieu of flowers, Justin's family asks that if you choose to, please make a contribution to the ASPCA or to a local animal shelter of your choice in memory of Justin. The Keith family is very appreciative of the Paul Funeral Home of Belhaven and the care they awarded our mother in 2022 and our father now. Paul Funeral Home of Belhaven is honored to serve the Keith family. Congressional earmarks have always been tied to sleaze, but one from Ilhan Omar crosses the line into actual fraud. Fortunately, sharp eyed Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) caught it in the Senate and stripped it from the bill. Ilhan Omar had earmarked in a Congressional spending bill a million dollars for a "substance abuse clinic" operated by fellow Somalis. Sen. Ernst's investigation found that instead of a substance abuse clinic at the address, it was actually a restaurant. The three people on the paperwork for the "clinic" all lived at the same address. The real question now is what action will be taken against Ilhan Omar for trying to perpetrate another Somali fraud using a congressional earmark. Denaturalization and deportation comes to mind. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/01/busted-ilhan-omar-tried-slip-1m-fraud-linked/ https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2026/01/09/ilhan-omars-shady-1m-earmark-for-an-east-african-addiction-center-axed-from-federal-bill-ernst-reveals-n2197937 Red Bull was the most popular meal deal drink in most regions, according to the grocers annual Clubcard Unpacked report (Alamy/PA) Red Bull has overtaken Coca-Cola as the most popular UK drink in the Tesco meal deal but Northern Irelands snackers prefer a Pepsi Max. While the Chicken Club Sandwich remains the UKs favourite main and the Protein Egg Pot is the favourite snack for a second year running, Red Bull is the favourite drink for the first time, according to the grocers annual Clubcard Unpacked report. However, there are significant regional differences. In Scotland, Wales and the north west of England the Just Ham Sandwich was Clubcard members top choice, while in Yorkshire and Humber the Smoked Ham and Mature Cheddar sub took the top spot. In Northern Ireland, the favourite main was the Deli Lites Salt N Chilli Chicken Goujon Wrap. The Tesco lunch meal deal (Alamy/PA) And while the Egg Protein Pot was the favourite snack choice across most UK regions both the East of England and the South West favoured Hula Hoops BBQ Beef Big Hoops. Despite local crisp company Tayto offering its legendary Cheese and Onion flavour snack, Northern Ireland also went for the most popular choice of the Egg Protein Pot. Red Bull was the most popular meal deal drink in most regions, according to the grocers annual Clubcard Unpacked report (Alamy/PA) News Catch Up - Wednesday 7 January A McCoys Salt & Vinegar Grab Bag was the top choice in Scotland and the McCoys Grilled Steak Grab Bag was the favourite snack in Wales. And while Red Bull was the most popular meal deal drink in most regions, Coca-Cola held on to the top spot in Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, with Pepsi Max the first choice in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, London is the only place in the UK where the banana is the most popular product bought by Clubcard members. In every other region in the UK, milk was the most commonly bought item. Tesco Group membership and loyalty director Shama Wilson said: 2025 has been a landmark year for Clubcard as we celebrated its 30th anniversary with the 24 million UK households who have a Clubcard membership. From Londoners who cant get enough bananas to our Welsh customers who love a packet of McCoys Grilled Steak crisps, this years Clubcard Unpacked shines a light on the trends and in-vogue flavours across the UK. Its great to see the industry has been listened to, says Director of The Malone as hotel prepares to open after revamp A woman facing charges connected to the gangland murder of Kevin Conway in west Belfast will be at risk if her identity is revealed, a court heard today. The 28-year-old is accused of withholding information and perverting the course of justice in the aftermath of the killing two years ago. Callum Best has announced his mother Angie, has been diagnosed with cancer. George Bests first wife Angie has been diagnosed with colon cancer, her son Calum has revealed. TV personality Calum, 44, shared the health update in an emotional video posted on social media, saying his mother was diagnosed just a few weeks ago and that the cancer has since spread to her liver. In the video, Calum said he had struggled to find the right words but felt honesty was most important when it came to his mums health. A few weeks ago, my beautiful, wonderful mum was diagnosed with cancer, he said. For as long as I can remember, she has lived her life rooted in health, fitness and wellbeing. She has always believed in taking care of the body, mind and soul. But cancer doesnt discriminate. Angie and George Best, alongside son Calum. He added: It doesnt care where youre from, how you live, or how healthy you try to be. And now, its here and its with my mum. Calum said the past weeks had been an emotional shock, admitting he had not cried in years before receiving the news. My mum has been diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread to her liver, he said. To move forward, we need access to specialist care and professionals who can offer the right treatment. This is incredibly hard for me to say, but financially, I cant carry this on my own. Born in Essex, former fitness instructor, model and Playboy Bunny Angie married George Best in 1978 after the couple met at a dinner party in Los Angeles in 1975, when the Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend was signing to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs. Callum Best has announced his mother Angie, has been diagnosed with cancer. Their relationship quickly became high-profile on both sides of the Atlantic, with the couple moving between Los Angeles and London during the height of Bests fame. The pair had only one child, Calum, born in 1981 and later divorced in 1986. George Best alongside Angie Best. News Catch Up - Wednesday 7 January She later spoke publicly about the impact of his addiction and her efforts to protect their son, as well as maintaining that she loved him despite the difficulties of their relationship. "I did try and sway George into a more healthier lifestyle," she told the Belfast Telegraph in 2019. That is half the reason he wanted me around was because I was the health fanatic and I tried to help him. But to no avail, sadly." Reality star Calum also confirmed that a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of specialist treatment and care, asking supporters for help in any way you can. Reality star Calum alongside his mother. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us access the specialists, treatment and care my mum needs during this time, he said. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for caring, for sharing and for supporting us. Calum also shared a message from his mother, Angie, who said she is ready to fight the disease. Consultations and research all takes dosh which I dont have, she wrote. But I truly believe that this info will be invaluable as research suggests one in two of us will get some form of cancer. Yikes. Wish me luck. Onwards and upwards. Translink services have been reduced in west Belfast after a bus driver was robbed by a man armed with a crowbar. The incident happened in the Hazel area of Lagmore shortly before 6am this morning. The driver was approached by a man dressed all in black as he parked the vehicle, according to a local MLA. Danny Baker said the incident had caused concern for both staff and passengers. The west Belfast MLA, who has been working with Translink following incident, explained that services will be reduced until 6.30pm tonight. He added: I have a meeting early next week with Translink and union representatives. I understand this reduction will have a detrimental impact on residents, but we have been here before and came through it with hard work. Drivers need reassurance, and I know our community will deliver that. I will do all in my power to have full service restored. The Sinn Fein representative said he was working with Translink following the robbery and expressed support for the driver involved. No one should be subjected to this while working, Mr Baker said, describing the bus route as a vital service for the local community. Mr Baker stressed that he worked for many years to secure a full bus service for this part of Lagmore. Taking to social media, he appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident or has CCTV from the area around the time of the robbery to contact police. The PSNI confirmed they are investigating the incident. PSNI Detective Sergeant Stevenson said: "It was reported that shortly before 5am, a bus driver on a parked bus was approached by a man armed with a crowbar. The suspect made off with a sum of cash in the direction of White Rise. "He was described as being between 5' 8" and 6' tall and of average build, wearing black bottoms and a black hooded top with a white logo on the chest, with only his eyes visible. Stock Image: Police attended the incident News Catch Up - Friday 9 January "Our enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information, including dashcam, CCTV or other video footage, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 118 of 9/1/26." Railway charity appeals for fairness on funding allocations to active travel A heritage railway charity has appealed to the Infrastructure Minister for heritage transport to be given equal opportunities for funding compared to active travel projects. Earlier this week, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins announced funding of over 1m to support three councils to deliver seven active travel projects, one of which was for a greenway to be installed along the old railway line from Downpatrick to Ardglass. Robert Gardiner is chairman of the Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) charity and said that, although he is not opposed to the installation of greenways in principle, having one on the former railway line from Downpatrick to Ardglass attracts some safety issues and constricts any future development of the railway. The volunteer-run charity was set up in 1985 as a working railway museum and tourist attraction after the former Belfast and County Down Railway ceased operating in 1950. Mr Gardiner explained that the charity was initially going to be called the Downpatrick and Ardglass Railway. Robert Gardiner chairman of the Downpatrick and County Down Railway on 8th January 2026 (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) Ardglass was part of the original vision, although we set aside any active plans to extend the line in that direction due to the lack of support along the route, he explained. That said, introducing a greenway along the former Ardglass alignment would make it extremely difficult for any future use of the corridor for railway purposes to be considered. We would welcome the feasibility work also examining alternative, non-conflicting uses of the trackbed. The 1m funding from DfI - 50% capital funding of the total costs with the other 50% to be met by councils or other sources is to be awarded to three councils - Derry City and Strabane District Council, Belfast City Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to help deliver on their priorities for active travel. The projects to benefit from the 1m funding are Sydenham Greenway in Belfast and also within Newry, Mourne and Down District Council greenways from Newry to Poyntzpass and Ballynahinch Spur. In Derry City and Strabane District Council the funding will go towards lighting projects along Bay Road Greenway, Drumahoe Park and Greenway and Foyle Valley Greenway the last of which is also along the line of a former heritage railway. Mr Gardiner said: It is important to reiterate that were not opposed to greenways in principle, our concern is where proposals could affect an operational heritage railway corridor that already delivers tourism value. Downpatrick and Co Down Railway on 8th January 2026 (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) A relevant example is the Foyle Valley Railway, which operated as a heritage railway on the former Great Northern Railway corridor from 1986 until the early 2000s but faced health and safety challenges associated with public access along the alignment. It became the Foyle Valley Greenway, illustrating the difficulties of sustaining operational heritage railways where adjacent public paths are introduced. Mr Gardiner said that he was previously promised by both Minister Kimmins and former Infrastructure Minister John ODowd that greenways would not be placed on train tracks around Downpatrick. They both said there were no plans for greenways near us, he said. We want to engage constructively on this; if this feasibility work is genuinely about exploring options, then it is essential that existing railway operations, safety requirements and long-term heritage value are fully considered from the outset, rather than treated as constraints after decisions have already been made. Mr Gardiner outlined that there are some safety concerns installing a greenway on the old track from Downpatrick to Ardglass. Placing a greenway alongside a single-track heritage railway introduces a range of safety, operational and legal risks that are difficult to manage, he said, adding that, if any incident were to occur between a train using the track and members of the public using the greenway, liability would lie with the railway. Robert Gardiner chairman of the Downpatrick and County Down Railway on 8th January 2026 (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) Once a multi-use path or greenway is established, reversing that use to reintroduce rail infrastructure typically faces resistance, even where rail restoration may be technically feasible - once those tracks are lifted, thats them lifted for good. This is not the first time Newry, Mourne and Down District Council proposed a greenway along the same line from Downpatrick to Ardglass. In 2016, the council announced funding from DfI for feasibility studies into three greenways; Downpatrick to Comber, Downpatrick to Newcastle and Downpatrick to Ardglass but plans did not move forward due to widespread opposition. A DfI spokesperson said of the recent announcement: Funding for three projects was awarded to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC), including for a proposed Downpatrick-Ardglass greenway which forms a section of the identified Comber to Newcastle and Ardglass via Downpatrick route in the Departments Strategic Plan for Greenways published in 2016. The Council would be best placed to provide further information regarding project timescales and potential route options that may be considered through scheme development. A spokesperson for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said they are currently preparing a press release on the recent award of funding from the Department for Infrastructure to undertake feasibility studies on three Greenways, including Downpatrick to Ardglass but were unable to provide this. Renee Nicole Good who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Northern Ireland friends of a woman who was shot dead by an ICE enforcement officer have spoken about her soft and beautiful spirit. Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis on Wednesday. She was shot while she tried to drive away on a snowy residential street as officers were carrying out an operation related to the US administration's immigration crackdown. About 20 years ago Ms Good spent time in Northern Ireland on Christian youth missions. Becca Hainsworth, who now lives in Belfast, attended those missions. "She was extremely caring, a soft and beautiful spirit," Becca told the BBC. Demonstrators march to the White House after Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis. Photo: AP The 37-year-olds death has led to widespread protests in the US. Officials have offered differing accounts of the incident, with the Trump administration claiming the ICE agent was acting in self defence, while local officials say Ms Good posed no danger. Becca travelled to Northern Ireland with Ms Good in 2005 and 2006. "When I was getting homesick, she'd sing to me. She had a voice of an angel. She'd bring me cups of tea, she recalled. "She had a nurturing, beautiful soul." The pair spent time in counties Down and Londonderry, in the summer outreach teams at Ballysally Presbyterian Church and First Saintfield Presbyterian Church. Becca offered her condolences to Ms Goods family. "To think of her children, family and partner who had to witness this, it's just soul-crushing', she added. Paul Bowman, a youth worker from Saintfield, told the BBC he was shocked and saddened by the news. "It's just really surreal watching these horrific events and knowing that it is someone you shared life with. Someone who people have friendships with and care about. "This is a girl who I played music with, she played with my kids. She was very much a big part of my family during her time in Northern Ireland," he said. He recalled how, in 2006, he took Ms Good to Torr Head and the Antrim Coast. "It was a good day, she talked about her hopes and plans, a whole life lay ahead of her. A life now so tragically and horrifically snatched away," he said. She was very much a big part of my family during her time in Northern Ireland Speaking on Radio Ulster's Talkback programme, Bowman said he was in "shock and disbelief" at the reports of her killing. Meanwhile, JD Vance blamed the shooting on "a left-wing network", Democrats, the media and Ms Good herself. The US vice president, who made his critiques in a rare appearance in the White House briefing room and on social media, was the most prominent example yet of the Trump administration quickly assigning culpability for what happened while the investigation is still under way. Mr Vance said at the White House that he was not worried about prejudging the investigation into Ms Good's killing, saying of the videos he had seen of the Wednesday incident: "What you see is what you get in this case." Mr Vance said he was certain that Ms Good accelerated her car into the officer and hit him. It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer. A memorial for Renee Nicole Good near the site of her shooting. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said on Wednesday that video of the shooting shows arguments that the officer was acting in self-defence were "garbage". The vice president also said part of him felt "very, very sad" for Ms Good. He called her "brainwashed" and "a victim of left-wing ideology". "I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also recognising that it's a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshalled an entire movement - a lunatic fringe - against our law enforcement officers," Mr Van ce said. His defence of the officer, at times fiery, came as homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump likewise said the officer's actions were a justified act of self-defence. Mr Trump said Ms Good "viciously ran over" the Ice officer, though video footage of the event contradicts that claim. Mr Vance opened his remarks by condemning headlines he saw about the shooting, at times raising his voice and decrying the "corporate media". "This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people," Mr Vance said. He accused journalists of falsely portraying Ms Good as "innocent" and said: "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you." "The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace," he added. "And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day." Tanaiste Simon Harris at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, at the RDS in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) The Tanaiste has said the EU cant take for granted the deal with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, will go ahead. Speaking to reporters on Friday at the Stripe Young Scientist exhibition, Simon Harris said: No officials, at any level, including the European Commission, should ever take for granted the decisions that the democratically elected representatives right across the European Union may decide to make in the European Parliament. On Friday, EU envoys approved the trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay but it still needs to be backed by the European Parliament. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form. Mr Harris conceded: It looks more likely than not that it will pass the parliament. But he added its not a done deal and said theres still a window of time to outline the concerns that we have in relation to the agreement. He said the Government had not ruled out supporting the deal if if changes and improvements are made around food safety and parity with environmental standards. Mr Harris said Ireland benefits from free trade but that it has to be free trade that doesnt expect our farmers or our consumers to adopt a different set of standards. The deal has been opposed by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and has also seen internal disagreement within Government, including with independents who supported the formation of the coalition. Speaking on Limericks Live 95 radio on Friday, the Minister for Culture said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs will oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement when it is brought to the European Parliament. Patrick ODonovan said government party MEPs are bound by the programme for government and the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon not to support the deal. IFA president Francie Gorman described the news the EU had provisionally approved the deal as very disappointing. He said: This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman said: The Mercosur Trade Agreement is not fair. Tanaiste Simon Harris at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, at the RDS in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) Its not fair to Irish farmers, who have to compete with food raised to much lower welfare standards. Its not fair to Irish consumers, who will be exposed to beef reared using excessive hormones and pesticides. A protest against the deal is scheduled to take place in Athlone on Saturday. Gardai have said there will be significant additional traffic in the area, including slow-moving vehicles. They are expecting a convoy of agricultural vehicles to travel from the Roscommon Road, along the N6 eastbound and along the N55 towards the Cornamaddy roundabout. There is also a march to TUS Athlone planned, followed by a rally and speeches. Taxpayers could fork out nearly 2 million for peers to debate the assisted dying Bill in Parliament, according to new analysis. It comes as House of Lords members will meet again on Friday for the seventh day of debate on the draft law in the upper chamber. Analysis from the Press Association shows that if average attendances remain the same, and the proportion of peers claim the maximum income tax-free allowance of 371 continues, then the overall bill for peers alone will be 1.95 million for the 16 days allocated so far to the consideration of the Bill. This does not take into account other costs required for the House of Lords to sit, including security. Figures published by the House of Lords confirmed 270,807 has already been paid out to peers for their attendance on two days in September for the second reading of the Bill. Supporters of the Bill have accused some peers of time-wasting and attempts to talk it out so it runs out of time and fails, while opponents have argued it must be closely scrutinised and made stronger through amendments. The House of Lords during the debate for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (House of Lords/UK Parliament) Campaign group My Death, My Decision which supports assisted dying said terminally ill people would think the projected overall sum would be worth every penny. However, it hit out at a disproportionate number of amendments, which stand at more than 1,000. Not Dead Yet, a disability rights group opposed to the Bill, said the extra sittings were important to ensure proper scrutiny took place. In December, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was awarded an extra 10 days of committee stage amid concerns peers would not have time to discuss the more than 1,000 amendments proposed to the Bill. There were claims from supporters of the Bill that those opposed to it were trying to slow its progress and block the legislation. A source close to peers opposed to the Bill argued that it was in such a poor state that it needs an extraordinary amount of time for the Lords to do their job of scrutinising these new laws properly. The Bills proposals would allow people with terminal illnesses in England and Wales who have less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. It would have to be approved by two doctors and a panel including a social worker, senior legal figure and a psychiatrist. For the Bill to become law, further days in the Lords are expected to be allocated. Data analysed by the Press Association for the six days peers have sat so far to debate the Bill, found around 733,967 could be claimed by members of the upper chamber, an average of 122,327 per sitting. Peers can claim a daily rate of allowance of 371 for attending the House of Lords. They can opt to claim a reduced rate of 185. This is tax-free. This presumes the same proportion of peers continue to claim the reduced rate. For the two second reading sittings in September, a maximum of 6.6% of peers claimed the lower rate. According to attendance figures from the House of Lords, if this average is to be repeated across the next 10 days of committee stage it would mean an overall cost of 1,957,245. Lord Falconer of Thoroton speaking during the debate on the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Lords (Parliament TV) This led to the bill for peers on September 12 running to 141,709. A week later it was lower, due to fewer attending, at 129,098. The figures came to light after a written question from Conservative peer Lord Farmer to the House of Lords senior deputy speaker. A spokesman for Not Dead Yet UK said the amount showed the importance of proper scrutiny. He said: This Bill proposes one of the most profound changes to law, medicine and society in generations. It would permanently alter how the state responds to death, disability and vulnerability. Careful, line-by-line scrutiny is not an optional extra it is Parliament doing its job. If the overall cost of lords scrutiny approaches 2m, that reflects the scale and seriousness of what is being proposed, not obstruction. Nathan Stilwell, campaign manager for My Death, My Decision, said: For terminally ill people, if that cost results in a safe, compassionate choice at the end of life, many will say its worth every penny. However, we should be honest about what is driving up costs: a small number of peers have tabled a disproportionate volume of amendments, and debate has proceeded at a glacial pace. Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said it added to reasons for the House of Lords to be made into a democratic chamber. Mr Hughes said: The controversy over this and other recent bills has thrown a spotlight on the stark democratic deficit in the House of Lords. People will rightly be uncomfortable at the spectacle of completely unelected and unaccountable politicians making decisions that potentially impact every person in this country. Keir Starmer himself described the unelected lords as indefensible, and this episode further underscores the need for the Government to make good on its pledge to reform the upper house into a democratic chamber. The Government has lodged an appeal at the Court of Session against a ruling by the Information Commissioner (Jane Barlow/PA) The Scottish Government is appealing a ruling by the Information Commissioner that it wrongly withheld information that was part of an investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code. Last Novembers ruling related to a long-running request for information from the investigation into whether Ms Sturgeon breached the ministerial code in dealings with her predecessor the late Alex Salmond over harassment allegations. The Government said Information Commissioner David Hamilton erred in relation to the law when he reached his decision, which required the Government to disclose some of the written evidence used in the investigation. It said doing so would amount to a contempt of court. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: The Scottish Government has lodged an appeal with the Court of Session challenging the Scottish Information Commissioners decision on a freedom of information request for evidence submitted to the Hamilton investigation. We consider that the Commissioner erred in relation to the law on whether the information can be withheld because it risks breaching contempt of court orders. The Scottish Government cannot release information which would amount to a contempt of court. The issue dates back to March 2021, when independent adviser James Hamilton KC cleared the then first minster of breaching the ministerial code. A freedom of information (FoI) request was then made to the Scottish Government for all written evidence used in the investigation. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The Government had originally insisted that as Mr Hamilton was an independent adviser on the ministerial code he was not subject to freedom of information legislation. However, the Information Commissioner intervened, ordering the Government to look at the case again. While ministers challenged this decision in the Court of Session, their appeal was refused. In the wake of this, some information was supplied in January 2024 but the Government withheld further details, citing various exemptions under FoI laws. The Information Commissioner then found the Scottish Government had failed to accurately interpret the scope of the request for information. Mr Hamilton criticised the Government over its handling of the case, saying it was only through the diligence of his staff that failures were uncovered branding this particularly disappointing. He also criticised the Government for failing to disclose some information which fell within the scope of the applicants request and which it did not specifically identify as being exempt from disclosure. Mr Hamilton added the Government had been wrongly withholding some information under the exemptions. In his ruling, he also stressed he was acutely aware of the sensitivity of the subject matter of the request and, consequently, some of the withheld information. Further snow and ice is forecast across much of Scotland on Friday (Paul Campbell/PA) Many schools will remain closed for a fifth day on Friday as the country remains gripped by ongoing wintry weather. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice covering much of Scotland which comes into force at 8pm and runs until midday on Friday. It comes after several days of intense snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption, mainly in the north of the country. More than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray. Many pupils will have had a whole week off school at the start of the new term, though remote learning has been provided in many cases. A total of 278 schools were closed on Thursday across northern Scotland, or around 11% of the school estate down on the 440 that were closed on Wednesday. A section of the A74(M) motorway was closed in both directions on Thursday after what Police Scotland described as multiple collisions due to icy conditions, but it has since reopened. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content All priority one routes in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands are open, but Traffic Scotland confirmed snow gates remain closed on the B974 Bridge of Dye, and many local routes remain affected. Rail lines around the country have now reopened, with the northern section of the Far North Line between Brora and Wick/Thurso being finally cleared of snow on Thursday evening. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop welcomed the news, posting on social media: Thank you Network Rail Scotland huge effort in very challenging conditions. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a good chance some rural communities would be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts. The yellow alert which comes into force at 8pm predicts wintry showers which will lead to patchy ice and some fresh snow. It covers the country to just south of Fort William and as far west as Glasgow. Ministers attended a meeting of the Scottish Governments Resilience Room on Thursday afternoon, after which Justice Secretary Angela Constance provided an update on recovery efforts. Following five days of amber warnings and hugely challenging snow and ice conditions across northern Scotland, progress to fully recover continues, she said. However, there are yellow weather warnings in place overnight for most of Scotland, and with Storm Goretti set to affect other parts of the UK and a cold but still unpredictable weather picture for Scotland over the weekend, it is clear that impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days. First Minister John Swinney also emphasised that the focus has now turned to recovery efforts. (PA Graphics) He said: Weve had a period of really intense and heavy snowfall in certain parts of Scotland, particularly the North East, the Highlands and the Northern Isles and the Western Isles, and the Government has been closely engaged with local resilience partnerships throughout that series of amber warnings, and those amber warnings have gone on for a prolonged number of days. The challenge with the snow has been, quite simply, the volume, and weve had formidable resources available in the North East and in the Highlands to clear transport routes on the trunk roads and also on the rail network, which is the responsibility of the Government. Much of northern Scotland has been hit with really intense and heavy snowfall over recent days (Beth Edmonston/PA) He added: We are, however, thankfully, in a position where we are able to focus more on recovery than dealing with the immediate incident, and that very much is the focus of all local resilience partnerships, and the Government is supporting with the reallocation of resources where that is possible to do so. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible. Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely. Jacques and Jessica Moretti are listed as the owners of the bar (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP) Swiss prosecutors have requested that the male bar manager of Le Constellation, in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, be placed in pre-trial detention over the fatal fire in which 40 people died. The chief prosecutor in the Valais region, Beatrice Pilloud, said the detention of one of the bars two managers was needed to avoid a risk of flight. The mans wife and co-manager will remain free under judicial supervision, the statement said. A Swiss business register lists French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti as the owners of the bar. People gather in Crans-Montana during the national day of mourning (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP) Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the managers, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire. The announcement came as Switzerland held a national day of mourning for those people who died during the New Years Eve celebration. The day was marked by a memorial service and a minutes silence, while church bells across Switzerland rang for five minutes, beginning at 2pm. The fire broke out less than two hours after midnight at the Le Constellation bar, in the resort town of Crans-Montana, on January 1. People lay white roses in tribute to the victims (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Pool via AP) As well as the fatalities, 116 people were injured, many of them seriously. Speaking at the memorial ceremony in Martigny, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said that the memory of that terrible night illuminates the faces of the 156 victims, their happy days, their carefree spirit. He added: Our country is appalled by this tragedy. It bows before the memory of those who are no longer with us. It stands by the bedside of those who are about to embark on a long road to recovery. Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles on the top of champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections had not been carried out since 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron places a white rose at a makeshift floral memorial (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s. The Rome prosecutors office has also opened an investigation into the blaze, alleging manslaughter and arson, Italian media reported on Thursday. An autopsy has been ordered for five of the six Italian victims and has been delegated to the prosecutors offices in Milan, Bologna and Genoa, where the bodies of the victims have been returned. What happened is not a disaster: Its the result of too many people who didnt do their job or who thought they were making easy money, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni said during a press conference on Friday. Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted. People gather for a minutes silence at Lausanne Cathedral, Switzerland (Valentin Flauraud/Keystone via AP) Ms Meloni said the State Attorney Generals Office has contacted the Swiss Attorney General to follow the investigation and confirmed that the Rome Prosecutors Office has started a separate probe. The families have my word that they will not be left alone while they seek justice, she added. The Paris prosecutors office on Monday announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators. Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest of them aged 14, and 23 others were injured. White House makes no secret of desire for oil and resources behind Maduro seizureDonald Trump now turns gave to the ArcticUS takeover of Greenland could bring the NATO alliance to an end Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump on Wednesday amid a row over US plans to take over Greenland The United States of America has long been accused of being imperialist, a charge now impossible to deny as it openly seeks to dominate the western hemisphere and to control its wealth. Donald Trump and his allies have abducted the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who will now stand trial in the US. The Vice-President JD Vance says the US will now control Venezuelas natural resources for its own benefit. The White House is considering seizing Greenland by force, a territory Donald Trump says he must have. But an invasion would shatter the US relationship with Europe and NATO. Ciaran Dunbar is joined by Danish journalist Tom Carstensen and by former journalist and RAF reservist Michael Cairns. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 27F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low 13F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%. Eagle Archives, Jan. 29, 1977: Ida Hall, proprietor of the New England Food Store in East Otis, raised the price of her coffee for the first time in 40 years, from 10 to 15 cents a cup, due to rising costs from international coffee markets. Quality local journalism needs your support Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access. Subscribe today. Cancel anytime. Subscribe now for 99 Subscriber Sign In | Return Home Residents wrote down ideas and added stars to the concepts on large pieces of paper as a way of contributing to the input that will go into the towns open space plan, which is due in June. Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. If passing MCAS replacement exams won't be a graduation requirement, what will their role be? Educators and lawmakers seek answers A new set of proposed statewide graduation requirements has lawmakers and educators asking questions about continued reliance on testing even if, as Gov. Maura Healey insists, those tests wont be high stakes. Since a 2024 ballot initiative nixed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System high school graduation requirement, Massachusetts leaders have been weighing which graduation standards and assessments should replace the decades old standardized testing regimen. We were in favor of removing the MCAS graduation requirement, a stance we still stand by. However, then and now we also understood the value the MCAS had outside of a high-stakes graduation-dependent exam as a powerful diagnostic tool for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the states students and school districts. As Massachusetts debates the future of its public education system with or without the MCAS its worth seriously engaging with the data this diagnostic tool has provided. Zooming in on one school community in our county, we were struck by a recent Eagle article on the Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts recent improvements in MCAS scores. The district was lauded by the state for returning its grades 3-8 MCAS math scores to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, SBRSD was selected as one of about a dozen districts out of the commonwealths 300 to present their instructional strategy during a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education conference. We were glad to hear of a rural Berkshire school district working its way through COVID-era struggles and earning some statewide recognition for doing so. We have to admit, though, that our enthusiasm was somewhat tempered by the fact that this celebrated return to form came as MCAS results demonstrated that 40 percent of students in SBRSD met or exceeded expectations on last years math exams. To be clear, we are not intending to beat up on Southern Berkshire Regional School District, its educators or its students. This is merely one chapter in a systemic problem because if a state with a reputation for educational excellence is holding up a district where fewer than half of students are meeting or exceeding the commonwealths assessment benchmarks, then we have a problem. And to be fair to SBRSD, its about on par with the rest of the state regarding the proportion of students in grades 3 through 8 who met or exceeded expectations on math and English language arts MCAS exams. In fact, a database MCAS performance compiled by The Boston Globe shows other districts are struggling more. In Pittsfield, only 29 percent of that same cohort met expectations in English language arts, while 25 percent met expectations in math; in North Adams, it was 22 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Again, the point here is not to dump on these or any school districts. The point is to take a clear-eyed view of a problem that we imagine would surprise most Bay Staters as much as it did us. The point is to recognize a problem that we imagine might be surprising to those who havent followed the data. Over the years, Massachusetts earned a nationwide reputation for public education quality. That makes it all the more painful to acknowledge that in the largest school district in the Berkshires saw about three-quarters of students in grades 3 through 8 fail to meet expectations on last years math and English language arts MCAS exams. Predictably, within and outside Berkshire County, the statewide data show significant achievement gaps between wealthier school communities and their less advantaged counterparts. Its worth noting, though, that even some well-off districts who outperform their neighbors still have fairly anemic scores. After all, the statewide percentages are rather anemic, too, given Massachusetts reputation: About 40 percent of commonwealth students in grades 3 through 8 met the benchmark in English language arts and math last year. This sobering statistical reality underscores what hasnt worked. Those who championed the MCAS graduation requirement as a standard that drove accountability and improved outcomes were clearly too rosy about that view, since this trend began far before the 2024 ballot referendum. Further, the notion that school choice could drive school districts to compete their way to better student performance is undercut by stubborn achievement gaps and concerning statewide performance data. Whatever the MCAS is replaced with, whether regarding graduation requirements or diagnostic data-gathering, this is the situation the states public school system finds itself in now: Fewer than half of its students in grades 3 through 8 are meeting the states own expectations on these annual assessments. What is our commonwealth, known for prioritizing education, going to do about it? We do not have all the answers, but the Bay States students need their leaders to find the answers quickly. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close At the end of time as determined by the Lord God, two judgments will take place. The Great White Throne Judgment (Romans 2:5; Revelation 20:11-12) is for unbelievers, and its a fearful place. The other, the Judgment (or Bema) Seat of Christ, is for Christians. Yet Christians shouldnt fear the Judgment Seat of Christ. Why? (Spoiler alert: its because of the gospel). The Bible is divided into Testaments (or covenants): the Old and the New. The Old Testament concentrates on the Law (which always condemns), and the New Testament centers on the gospel (which always saves). Everyone except Christ has broken Gods law (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23), and that means condemnation. As stated above, those who reject Christ (unbelievers) will one day stand before the Lord and will be sentenced to an eternity apart from His grace and mercy (Revelation 20:11-15). But Christians those who believe in and love the Lord Jesus Christ will enter eternity in His presence in a glorified state and will never again suffer any effects of sin. What Is the Judgment Seat of Christ? The Judgment Seat of Christ is often referred to by scholars as the Bema Seat. This seat of adjudication is described in 2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what He has done in the body, whether good or evil. Paul was speaking to the church in Corinth; therefore, the people who appear before Christ are believers. This Judgment Seat is present during the time when the Lord brings about the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). The Bible doesnt give us a lot of details about the event, but we can rest assured it will occur, and it will be glorious. What Does a Christian Have to Look Forward to at the Judgment Seat of Christ? According to the American Bar Association, to expunge is to erase or remove completely. In law, expungement is the process by which a record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed from state or federal record. An expungement order directs the court to treat the criminal conviction as if it had never occurred, essentially removing it from a defendants criminal record as well as, ideally, the public record. A former prisoner may request a judge to expunge his record. Thats what we experience as believers, except we dont need to ask. Christ has done it all, and we will stand before our Savior who has expunged our record removed our sins and made us clean. The Westminster Shorter Catechism - question 37 says when a Christian dies, their soul is made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection (Hebrews 12:23, 2 Corinthians 5:1). After the resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6), the Westminster Shorter Catechism continues with question 41, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? The answer: At the resurrection believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed, both in soul and body, in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity (1 Corinthians 15:43, Matthew 25:23). Should Christians Fear Gods Final Judgement? We need to clarify that Jesus is the Judge of both judgment seats (The Great White Throne and the Bema Seat). He will separate the goats (wicked/unbelievers) from the sheep (righteous believers). The goats will be cast out at the Great White Throne and the believers will receive their reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Matthew 25:31-34). Some well-intentioned pastors have preached a message that leads us to fear if weve done enough to please the Lord. They use verses such as Matthew 12:36-37, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1, and especially the verse referred to above (2 Corinthians 5:10). Before you start performing a checklist in your head of all your perceived good and bad deeds, think about what the Bible says, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). This four-part verse breaks down Gods work in and through us. We cannot do anything good (including deeds) without His Spirit within us. Anything done apart from the Spirit is not good. Therefore, God planned all our good works in eternity past. The Holy Spirit caused us to believe. All Christians do good works, which is the fruit of their salvation in Christ, and not the root. This looks different for everyone, but we are completely secured in Christs perfect work on our behalf through faith, which is independent of anything we do. We have but to believe in Jesus Christ and love Him. Period. Look at the Gospel of John. The word believe is written ninety-eight times throughout that book. The key passage is John 20:30-31, Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. Jesus did all the work necessary for us to believe, and the greatest was His work on the cross which secured our salvation and set our works in motion. Look at what 1 John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Its Gods perfect love that casts out any fear we may have. Its His love that inspires, enables, and energizes our love for God. The editors of Christianity.com further encourage us with this, Christs judgment is not a punishment; it is a reminder that we are pardoned. At last, we will fully realize the depth and breadth of His grace. Believers need not cower or hang their heads during the judgment. Nor are we to repent the time for that is past. We will stand before the Lord, clothed in Christs righteousness and forgiven of every single sin. And we will, at last, comprehend how great is the love of our God for us. What Is a Christians Reward? When we Christians stand before the Lord Christ at His judgment seat, He will see His finished work in us. As Pastor Jeremiah Hurt says, We are not going to hear Him say, Remember that thing you did, or those thoughts you did?... You thought you were going to get a bunch of rewards? Guess what. Theres a shack for you over there. No. He continues, There isnt going to be, I got a mansion and you got a gazebo. In the Bible, reward is Christ. Christ is our reward." A Christians reward is Christ. What would I look forward to in a rewards system if I already have Christ? What more can I gain? The Apostle Paul wrote, More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. He is all, and in all (Colossians 3:11b), and In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28a). The Bible tells us, For God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11). We also have these words from Scripture, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (James 3:17). If we are given impartial wisdom from the Lord, He the Giver of wisdom is impartial. Peter said, Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, (Acts 10:34). Ive included these verses to maintain our reward is Christ, and not something that would detract from His glory or give us cause to boast. Knowing all of this should not give us license to laziness. We are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1), therefore, we are forever grateful to the Lord Jesus, and we love Him (1 John 4:19). It is because of the joy of this truth of salvation that we seek to honor Him with our lives. We have Christ! Thats the best news ever. Our thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us compels us to go forth in obedience, sharing the same gospel weve been given. Photo credit: Getty Images/rudall30 Lisa Loraine Baker is the multiple award-winning author of Someplace to be Somebody, which is being adapted and brought to the stage by the Karamu House Theater in Cleveland, Ohio (Winter, 2027). Lisa writes fiction (Christmas stories) and is currently writing a novel titled Refuge. She also writes non-fiction, including articles for BibleStudyTools.com and Christianity.com. She and her husband, Stephen, live in Lexington, Kentucky with their Kentucky wild cat, Lewis. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code Explainer: Why Trump wants Greenland, even by force Xinhua) 09:13, January 09, 2026 People march to protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Liu Zhichao/Xinhua) "Any attempt by the United States to claim the island would quickly spiral out of control," argued Casey Michel of the Human Rights Foundation. "What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same in the future?" WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- "We do need Greenland, absolutely." U.S. President Donald Trump returned to his long-standing fixation on the world's largest island days after an audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela -- one that ended with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife captured and taken to New York. Trump and his allies doubled down. The White House confirmed that several options were being considered to acquire Greenland from Denmark, including "utilizing the U.S. military." Tensions escalated under the threat of force, raising global concern. Why does Trump want Greenland so badly? And why is he willing to take it by force? WHY GREENLAND? "Location, location, location." The Associated Press invoked the real-estate mantra three times to explain Trump's enduring desire for Greenland. Lying to the north-east of the North American continent, Greenland is the world's largest island that isn't a continent. It is an autonomous territory within Denmark, enjoying extensive self-rule, though defence and foreign policy remain in Copenhagen's hands. The United States already maintains a military base there. Strategically, Greenland has long mattered -- during the Cold War, it was a crucial pillar of U.S. nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union, and today it remains a key component of NATO's anti-submarine architecture -- the so-called Greenland-Iceland-UK gap. Climate change is sharpening the island's significance. As Arctic sea ice melts, northern shipping routes are becoming increasingly viable, offering shorter transit times and alternatives to chokepoints such as the Suez and Panama canals, despite the harsh weather and treacherous seas that persist. Even so, control of Greenland would allow the United States to command access routes from both the North Atlantic and the Arctic into North America. An analysis by Harvard University's Belfer Center reaches a similar conclusion: Greenland occupies a pivotal position along both major Arctic routes -- the Northwest Passage and the Central Arctic Route. Over the long term, the island could prove vital in preventing and responding to emergencies in the far north. What may be even more appealing to Trump, however, is Greenland's resource wealth, said Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London. "Incredible natural resources." That was how U.S. vice-president, J.D. Vance, chose to praise Greenland. The island is rich in minerals indispensable to the energy transition and advanced manufacturing, including rare earths, graphite, copper and nickel. A 2023 study by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland estimates that roughly 400,000 square kilometers of the island are ice-free, underpinned by a complex geological structure spanning nearly four billion years of Earth's history -- conditions well suited to mineral exploration. According to the European Commission, 25 of the EU's 34 strategically important materials can be found in Greenland. The United States Geological Survey, for its part, judges that surrounding waters may also hold substantial oil and gas reserves. Yet this wealth has long remained largely untapped. As of 2023, only two mining projects were in operation. As ice sheets and sea ice retreat, extracting resources on and around the island will become progressively easier, noted the Belfer Center. It is this promise of abundance that has proved irresistible to some in the United States -- an allure strong enough to eclipse almost every other consideration. This photo taken on March 20, 2025 shows the scenery of Nuuk, Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe) OBSESSION TO INTIMIDATION Trump has long argued that the United States must control the world's largest island to safeguard its own security. In recent remarks, he went further, hinting that Venezuela might not be the last country to face U.S. intervention to secure resources, while insisting that it was for others to decide what a large-scale U.S. strike against Venezuela might imply for Greenland. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in an interview with CNN, made the administration's position explicit, calling it "the formal position of the U.S. government that Greenland should be part of the United States." Katie Miller, the wife of Stephen Miller and herself a close Trump ally, posted an image on social media X of Greenland overlaid with the U.S. flag, accompanied by a single word: "SOON." The fascination is not new. It dates back to Trump's first term, when he likened the idea of acquiring Greenland to "a large real-estate deal." His 2019 offer to buy the island was swiftly rebuffed by Denmark and dismissed as "absurd" by the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. Nor is the U.S. interest in Greenland merely a Trump-era eccentricity. Owing to its strategic location and abundant natural resources, the island has attracted Washington's attention for more than a century. In 1867, William H. Seward, the secretary of state who engineered the purchase of Alaska, also contemplated acquiring Greenland and Iceland. In 1946, Harry Truman went further, offering Denmark 100 million U.S. dollars in gold for Greenland as part of the U.S. early Cold War security strategy. Copenhagen declined, though the United States has maintained a permanent foothold on the island ever since, most notably through the Pituffik air base in the north-west. This latest revival of territorial ambition has, however, provoked a political backlash at home. Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Senate's bipartisan NATO Observer Group, issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning Trump's rhetoric. "When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honour its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," it said, warning that any suggestion of coercion against a NATO ally would undermine the very principle of self-determination the alliance exists to defend. People march to protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Liu Zhichao/Xinhua) INTERNATIONAL ALARM RINGS "Our country is not something you can deny or take over simply because you want to," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Tuesday, as European unease hardened into open opposition. Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement the same day, stressing that decisions concerning Greenland rest "with Denmark and Greenland, and them only." The statement underscored that Arctic security remains a central concern for Europe and for the transatlantic alliance as a whole, noting that NATO has designated the region a priority and that European allies are increasing their presence there. Diplomatically, Copenhagen has sought direct engagement. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt have requested a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State in the near future, according to Greenland's government. Earlier attempts for a sit-down were not successful, the statement said. Beyond official statements, analysts have described Washington's actions as a signal rather than an aberration. Asli Aydintasbas and Chris Herrmann of the European Council on Foreign Relations argue that the seizure of Venezuela's president highlights Trump's preference for force, his volatile diplomacy and his growing comfort with a world governed by spheres of influence rather than rules. For Europe, analysts say the choice is stark: Accommodating Washington may preserve short-term transatlantic harmony, but would reward coercion; resisting it would be politically costly and strategically demanding, requiring an unusual degree of European unity. Failing to do either risks further encroachment and deeper divisions within Europe. Some observers warned that the consequences could extend well beyond Greenland. Annexing the island, argued Casey Michel of the Human Rights Foundation, would amount to a strategic catastrophe for the United States. "Any attempt by the United States to claim the island would quickly spiral out of control," Michel wrote in Foreign Policy. "What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same in the future?" Others went further still. Sven Biscop of the Egmont Institute suggested that the danger for Europe lies in the possibility that the Trump administration has "abandoned even the pretence of upholding the international order." When pressure comes not from an adversary but from the alliance's most powerful member, the question, he argued, is no longer whether Europe can avoid friction with Washington, but whether it is prepared to defend its own interests at all. "In a world of imperialism, as the saying goes, appetite grows with eating," said Michel. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Hollywood actor Chris Pratt has said the cast of new science fiction movie Mercy were resistant to the idea that one of the roles could be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). Creatives have expressed concern surrounding the growing role of generative AI within the industry, especially around the AI screen character or actress Tilly Norwood, who was introduced to the public last year. In the film, US actor Pratt, 46, plays a detective who has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge, played by Rebecca Ferguson, following his wifes alleged murder. Chris Pratt during filming for the Graham Norton Show (Matt Crossick Media Assignments/PA) Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Pratt said: It is set in the near distant future and oddly the AI doesnt seem that far-fetched. The story is 90 minutes of real time. It is a very active movie and such an immersive experience it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is awesome, and the reaction to it has been really positive. Advertisement Asked if an AI actor could have played the Judge Maddox role in the movie, Pratt said: No. Everyone was resistant to that. I dont think it would have worked. I love AI and use it all the time but as a parent it freaks me out. But it is also so cool! Also on the show, Pratt revealed the Christmas present he received from his father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger late last year. He said: Arnies love language is going all out with his gifts. One of ours was a six-by-eight-foot portrait painting of our three children and him dressed as Santa Claus. Its the most beautiful portrait youve ever seen. Its very lifelike and its very big. It was really thoughtful, but were not sure what we are meant to do with it for the rest of year! Chris Pratt, Cynthia Erivo, Dawn French, Rob Beckett and Jack Savoretti with host Graham Norton during filming for the Graham Norton Show (Matt Crossick Media Assignments/PA) Pratt is married to Schwarzeneggers daughter Katherine and the couple share two daughters and a son. The Guardians Of The Galaxy star also has a teenage son called Jack with his ex-wife, US actress Anna Faris. Also on the sofa this week is Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and comedians Dawn French and Rob Beckett. Musician Jack Savoretti performs We Will Always Be The Way We Were live in the studio before joining Norton for a chat about his album and upcoming gig at the Royal Albert Hall. The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer at 10:40pm on Friday. A 23-year-old student whose family survived an arson attack at their home in Finglas in Dublin on New Years Eve has said that the incident has rendered them homeless. Amanda Uwase, who is undertaking an MA at DCU, told RTE News that she was in the sitting room of her home on Creston Avenue watching television with a younger sibling when they heard a loud noise from the kitchen. Ms Uwase said when they rushed into the kitchen, they immediately noticed that an object resembling a petrol bomb had been thrown in the window. I went up the stairs to the second floor, and I found that all my siblings are in my room. And so we jump out of that window and we managed to land where my neighbours had put a mattress for us to land on. Advertisement And then my mother (who had come from her 12 hour shift as a carer) was still in the house on the third floor. The fire brigade managed to rescue her moments later. She suffered the most. She has been in ICU for a week. She has just been released in to a ward in a lot of pain and on a lot of medication. Amanda said the family home was completely destroyed in the incident. It is horrible. The kitchen is gone, sitting room is gone. "Gardai believe that the house was attacked in a case of mistaken identity. It is horrendous. I sat on the stairs and I coudnt imagine that a week ago I sat in this house and it was fine and now it is totally destroyed. I"n terms of impact first of all we dont have a room. We are currently in emergency accommodation. Financially, my Dad is having to use all his savings to buy us food every single day. Takeaways because we are not able to cook. "Emotionally, we are all traumatised. Everything is completely gone. We are very much peaceful people. We try and help people. We try our best to mind our business. So I dont know why this happened to us. In addition to losing their home, the family have been left without their clothes and shoes, which were completely destroyed in the attack. Amanda said that they are devout Christians and that they have never been in trouble in their lives. Advertisement On a fundraiser for the family on chuffed.org Amanda describes herself as the eldest daughter in a family of eight. She says that they now have no fixed home. The government has put us in emergency accommodation, which is not suitable long-term for my younger siblings when going to school and college. "Our mother worked as a carer but will now be unable to work for the foreseeable future. So, we've set up this campaign to compensate for the loss in income while we get back on our feet. Donations can be made to the fund at https://chuffed.org/pay/campaign/164105 Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 666 7500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station. Investigations are ongoing in to the attack which occurred at 11pm on December 31st, 2025. EU ambassadors gave provisional approval on Friday to the signing of the bloc's largest-ever free trade accord with the South American group Mercosur, over 25 years since negotiations began and after months of wrangling to secure key member states' backing, according to three EU diplomats and sources. The European Commission, which concluded negotiations a year ago, and countries such as Germany and Spain argue it is a vital part of an EU push to unlock new markets to offset business lost from US tariffs and to reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Opponents led by France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food products, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers. Farmers have launched protests across the EU, blocking French and Belgian highways and marching in Poland on Friday. Advertisement Ambassadors from the EU's 27 member states indicated their governments' positions on Friday with at least 15 countries representing 65 per cent of the bloc's total population voting in favour, as required for approval, the EU sources and diplomats said. EU capitals have been given until 4pm to provide written confirmation of their votes. This will clear the way for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to sign the agreement with Mercosur partners - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay - possibly as early as next week. The European Parliament will also need to approve the accord before it can enter force. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form, which was welcomed by the IFA, the Labour Party, and Independent Ireland. Tanaiste Simon Harris said the Government has been engaging with like-minded countries that share Irish concerns, particularly in relation to standards and fairness. Despite reports that the agreement was set to be ratified in the vote of the European Council on Friday, Harris said it would also need to be ratified by the European Parliament. I think the system would want to be very careful in taking for granted the views of the democratically elected representatives of citizens here in Ireland and right across the European Union, who will have to have their say on this as well," he said. He added: Tomorrow is not the end of the matter. The decision-making process will also necessitate, quite rightly, that the European Parliament has its say as well, and that work will continue, and there will be an opportunity for Irish MEPs, and MEPs right across the EU, to continue to engage, grapple and give their verdict. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman said the Mercosur Trade Agreement is "not fair". "Its not fair to Irish farmers, who have to compete with food raised to much lower welfare standards. "Its not fair to Irish consumers, who will be exposed to beef reared using excessive hormones and pesticides. And its not fair to the environment across South America, as it will encourage further deforestation." Irans supreme leader has signalled that security forces would crack down on protesters after they marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging US President Donald Trumps pledge to support those demonstrating peacefully. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Mr Trump as having hands stained with the blood of Iranians as supporters shouted death to America in footage aired by Iranian state television. Protesters are ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy, Mr Khamenei said, referring to Mr Trump. Irans judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, separately vowed that punishment for protesters will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency. Late on Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a joint statement condemning reported deadly violence against the protesters, and urged Iran to allow its citizens to express themselves without fear of reprisal. Advertisement The Associated Press could not independently confirm local media reports that state forces had opened fire on protesters in Tehran on Friday. Despite Irans theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls, short online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against Irans government around bonfires as debris littered the streets in the capital, Tehran, and other areas into Friday morning. Vehicles on fire during a night of mass protests in Tehran (Iran state TV via AP) Iranian state media alleged terrorist agents of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violence. It also said there were casualties, without elaborating. The full scope of the demonstrations could not be immediately determined due to the communications blackout, though it represented yet another escalation in protests that began over Irans ailing economy and that has morphed into the most significant challenge to the government in several years. The protests have intensified steadily since beginning on December 28. The protests also represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the countrys 1979 Islamic Revolution. Mr Pahlavi, who called for the protests on Thursday night, similarly has called for demonstrations at 8pm on. Friday. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Irans ailing economy. Advertisement So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 62 people while more than 2,300 others have been detained, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said protesters are ruining their own streets (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) What turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavis calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8pm on Thursday and Friday, said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Per social media posts, it became clear that Iranians had delivered and were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic Republic. This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters. When the clock struck 8pm on Thursday, neighbourhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. The chants included death to the dictator and death to the Islamic Republic. Others praised the shah, shouting: This is the last battle. Pahlavi will return. Thousands could be seen on the streets before all communication to Iran cut out. Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication, Mr Pahlavi said. It has shut down the internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals. Shops have been closed during protests in Tehrans centuries-old main bazaar (Vahid Salemi/AP) He went on to call for European leaders to join US President Donald Trump in promising to hold the regime to account. I call on them to use all technical, financial and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen, he added. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced. Advertisement Mr Pahlavi had said he would offer further plans depending on the response to his call. His support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past particularly after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some demonstrations, but it is not clear whether that is support for Mr Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The internet cut also appears to have taken Irans state-run and semi-official news agencies offline as well. The state TV acknowledgement at 8am on Friday represented the first official word about the demonstrations. State TV claimed the protests were violent and caused casualties, but did not elaborate. It also said the protests saw peoples private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire. State TV later reported that violence overnight killed six people in Hamedan, some 175 miles south-west of Tehran. Iranian state television images showing cars driving past burning vehicles in Tehran (Iranian state TV via AP) The European Union condemned the violence targeting demonstrators. Iran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the 12-day war, its rial currency collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to one dollar. Protests began soon after, with demonstrators chanting against Irans theocracy. Advertisement It remains unclear why Iranian officials have yet to crack down harder on the demonstrators. Mr Trump warned last week that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters America will come to their rescue. In an interview with talk show host Hugh Hewitt that aired on Thursday, Mr Trump reiterated his pledge. Iran has been told very strongly, even more strongly than Im speaking to you right now, that if they do that, theyre going to have to pay hell, Mr Trump said. Mr Trump demurred when asked if he had met with Mr Pahlavi. Im not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president, Mr Trump said. I think that we should let everybody go out there, and we see who emerges. Speaking in an interview with Sean Hannity which aired on Thursday night on Fox News, Mr Trump went as far as to suggest the 86-year-old supreme leader may be looking to leave Iran. Hes looking to go someplace, Mr Trump said. Its getting very bad. JD Vance blamed a federal immigration officers fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman on a left-wing network, Democrats, the media and the woman who was killed as protests related to her death expanded to cities across the US. The vice president, who made his critiques in a rare appearance in the White House briefing room and on social media, was the most prominent example yet of the Trump administration quickly assigning culpability for the death of 37-year-old Renee Good while the investigation is still under way. Ms Good was shot and killed by an Ice officer while she tried to drive away on a snowy residential street as officers were carrying out an operation related to the administrations immigration crackdown. Mr Vance said at the White House that he was not worried about prejudging the investigation into Ms Goods killing, saying of the videos he had seen of the Wednesday incident: What you see is what you get in this case. Advertisement Mr Vance said he was certain that Ms Good accelerated her car into the officer and hit him. US vice president JD Vance speaks during a briefing at the White House (Evan Vucci/AP) It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said on Wednesday that video of the shooting shows arguments that the officer was acting in self-defence were garbage. The vice president also said part of him felt very, very sad for Ms Good. He called her brainwashed and a victim of left-wing ideology. A person cries at a makeshift memorial honouring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, in Minneapolis (Tom Baker/AP) I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also recognising that its a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshalled an entire movement a lunatic fringe against our law enforcement officers, Mr Vance said. His defence of the officer, at times fiery, came as homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump likewise said the officers actions were a justified act of self-defence. Mr Trump said Ms Good viciously ran over the Ice officer, though video footage of the event contradicts that claim. Mr Trump has made a wide-ranging crackdown on crime and immigration in Democratic cities a centerpiece of his second term in office. Protesters confront federal agents in Minneapolis (Tom Baker/AP) He has deployed federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to support the operations and has floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act to try to stop his opponents from blocking his plans through the courts. Mr Trump officials made it clear that they were rejecting claims by Democrats and officials in Minnesota that the presidents move to deploy immigration officers in American cities had been inflammatory and needed to end. Advertisement The Trump administration will redouble our efforts to get the worst of the worst criminal, illegal alien killers, rapists and peadophiles off of American streets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday before Mr Vance spoke. She called Ms Goods killing a result of a large, sinister left-wing movement. Federal agents and police clash with protesters in Minneapolis (The Canadian Press via AP) Mr Vance was selected as Mr Trumps running mate last year partly for his ability to verbally spar, especially with the media. He opened his remarks by condemning headlines he saw about the shooting, at times raising his voice and decrying the corporate media. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people, Mr Vance said. He accused journalists of falsely portraying Ms Good as innocent and said: You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you. A protester pours water in their eye after confronting law enforcement, in Minneapolis (Tom Baker/AP) The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace, he added. And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day. When asked what responsibility he and Mr Trump bore to defuse tension in the country over the incident, Mr Vance said their responsibility was to protect the people who are enforcing law and protect the country writ large. The best way to turn down the temperature is to tell people to take their concerns about immigration policy to the ballot box, he said. Pope Leo XIV has denounced how nations are using force to assert their dominion worldwide, saying they are completely undermining peace and the post-Second World War international legal order. In his most substantial critique of US, Russian and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Leo told ambassadors who represent their countries interests at the Holy See that war is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. Leo did not name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech, the bulk of which he delivered in English in a break from the Vaticans traditional diplomatic protocol of Italian and French. But his speech came amid the backdrop of the recent US military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, Russias ongoing war in Ukraine and other conflicts. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined Pope Leo The occasion was the Popes annual audience with the Vatican diplomatic corps, which traditionally amounts to his yearly foreign policy address. In his first such encounter, the US-born pope delivered much more than the traditional round-up of global hotspots. Advertisement In a speech that touched on threats to religious freedom and the Catholic Churchs opposition to abortion and surrogacy, Leo lamented how the United Nations and multilateralism as a whole were increasingly under threat. A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies, he said. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting ones own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence. Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima. pic.twitter.com/omF2UpDJhA The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026 Leo did refer explicitly to tensions in Venezuela, calling for a peaceful political solution that keeps in mind the common good of the people and not the defence of partisan interests. The US military seized Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, in a surprise night-time raid. The Trump administration is now seeking to control Venezuelas oil resources and its government. The US government has insisted Maduros capture was legal, saying drug cartels operating from Venezuela amounted to unlawful combatants and that the US is now in an armed conflict with them. Advertisement Analysts and some world leaders have condemned the Venezuela mission, warning that Maduros ousting could pave the way for more military interventions and a further erosion of the global legal order. On Ukraine, Leo repeated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire and urgently called for the international community not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions. On Gaza, Leo repeated the Holy Sees call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and insisted on the Palestinians right to live in Gaza and the West Bank in their own land. Swiss prosecutors have requested that the male bar manager of Le Constellation, in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, be placed in pre-trial detention over the fatal fire in which 40 people died. The chief prosecutor in the Valais region, Beatrice Pilloud, said the detention of one of the bars two managers was needed to avoid a risk of flight. The mans wife and co-manager will remain free under judicial supervision, the statement said. A Swiss business register lists French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti as the owners of the bar. People gather in Crans-Montana during the national day of mourning (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP) Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the managers, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire. The announcement came as Switzerland held a national day of mourning for those people who died during the New Years Eve celebration. Advertisement The day was marked by a memorial service and a minutes silence, while church bells across Switzerland rang for five minutes, beginning at 2pm. The fire broke out less than two hours after midnight at the Le Constellation bar, in the resort town of Crans-Montana, on January 1. People lay white roses in tribute to the victims (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Pool via AP) As well as the fatalities, 116 people were injured, many of them seriously. Speaking at the memorial ceremony in Martigny, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said that the memory of that terrible night illuminates the faces of the 156 victims, their happy days, their carefree spirit. He added: Our country is appalled by this tragedy. It bows before the memory of those who are no longer with us. It stands by the bedside of those who are about to embark on a long road to recovery. Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles on the top of champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections had not been carried out since 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron places a white rose at a makeshift floral memorial (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool Photo via AP) The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s. The Rome prosecutors office has also opened an investigation into the blaze, alleging manslaughter and arson, Italian media reported on Thursday. Advertisement An autopsy has been ordered for five of the six Italian victims and has been delegated to the prosecutors offices in Milan, Bologna and Genoa, where the bodies of the victims have been returned. What happened is not a disaster: Its the result of too many people who didnt do their job or who thought they were making easy money, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni said during a press conference on Friday. Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted. People gather for a minutes silence at Lausanne Cathedral, Switzerland (Valentin Flauraud/Keystone via AP) Ms Meloni said the State Attorney Generals Office has contacted the Swiss Attorney General to follow the investigation and confirmed that the Rome Prosecutors Office has started a separate probe. The families have my word that they will not be left alone while they seek justice, she added. The Paris prosecutors office on Monday announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators. Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest of them aged 14, and 23 others were injured. Advertisement BusinessEntrepreneurshipFood & drink Not just raw fish: How Aussie sushi became a billion-dollar phenomenon Jessica Yun January 10, 2026 4:01am 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 Raymond Chen, chief executive of takeaway chain Sushi Hub, wants this much on the record. We are not for sale, he said. Sushi Hubs reported $1 billion valuation, a figure wrangled by The Australian Financial Review late last year, triggered a flurry of unsolicited calls from eager investors who want a bite of the companys success. I received more than 100 phone calls from private equity, from fund [managers], said Chen. We were never for sale. Sushi Hub is one of thousands of shops selling grab-and-go hand rolls in Australia. Flavio Brancaleone Chen is among a small handful of early trailblazers that has carved a place for sushi in the nations fast-food landscape. Australian sushi has, over the years, formed its own identity: the hand-rolls we see so commonly are a homegrown invention, and so are the fillings we favour, such as teriyaki beef and salmon, chicken katsu and tempura prawn, writes Adam Liaw, who made a case for the hybrid cuisine for Good Food. Advertisement But when it comes to this particular form of fast food, Australians dont seem as brand loyal as they are with burgers (McDonalds v Hungry Jacks) or burritos (Guzman y Gomez v Zambrero). Australias two biggest takeaway sushi chains are Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi, but the difference between the two beginning with their names is not as widely understood. Both companies have roughly the same number of stores (just under 200) across Australia, although Sushi Hub is more widely known in NSW, where it has more than 90 stores, while Sushi Sushi has a stronger presence in Victoria (95 stores). Both have similar goals to expand domestically (500 stores by 2036 for Sushi Hub, 450 by 2035 for Sushi Sushi), and both aspire to have a strong international presence. Investors have learnt the difference. While Chen, who is media-shy and declined to be photographed, is fending off calls from investors (the $1 billion valuation is the minimum, and also hypothetical, he clarifies), Sushi Sushis majority owner Odyssey has been seeking a buyer since May last year. Advertisement The process is progressing, said Sushi Sushi chief executive Stephen Anders, who was chief financial officer before being promoted to the top job. There is very good interest in the business, which is to be expected when you consider that we have a category-leading platform. Weve got multiple growth pillars within an Australian market context and an emerging international footprint. At this time, there are no further details I can provide. The mutual respect expressed by both Chen and Anders belies a friendly rivalry. Every time I receive a phone call, I say, Sushi Sushi is for sale, said Chen. Im helping them. Im helping Stephen. The birth of Australian sushi Much of Australias takeaway sushi market is dominated by independent mum-and-pop stores, which account for about 65-70 per cent of sushi stores. Put together, Sushi Sushi and Sushi Hub account for about 15 per cent of all sushi outlets, but about 40 per cent of total takeaway sushi sales. Advertisement A third player, Sushi Izu, has more than 240 locations, but are almost exclusively within Woolworths supermarkets. Chen is one of three co-founders of Sushi Hub, the other two being James Chen and Leon Li. Their first venture had nothing to do with rice or fish, however; the trio, who met at university and became flatmates in 2002, opened and ran an outpost of Asian bakery chain Bread Top in western Sydneys suburb of Cabramatta. There, the landlord suggested they open a sushi outlet. The Sushi Hub in Sydneys CBD. Dominic Lorrimer When we started it 19 years ago, there were many people who had never tried any sushi before, Chen said. We had to start educating the customer, giving free samples to the customer, telling them that, you know, sushi is not all about raw fish. The co-founders quickly cottoned onto, and learned to standardise, the unique way Australians like to eat sushi: a preference for familiar cooked like beef and chicken, as well as prawn and veggie tempura, delivered in the beloved handroll shape. Advertisement The lack of experience in sushi-making helped them approach the product from a customers perspective. I dont like cold rice, to be honest. I want it warm. Warm rice, you can smell it, and you can taste its softer, said Chen. From day one, we always realised that theres no secret about making sushi ... keep it fresh, provide the best ingredients, keep it clean, and thats it. Australias best-selling rolls are consistently crispy chicken and chicken teriyaki rolls, salmon and avocado hand rolls and tuna salad rolls. But there is a formula: sushi is a numbers game. Freshness, and the appearance of it, is everything. Sushi Hubs glass counters attract the eyes to rows of nigiri and inari on display, hand-made, on demand. There are regional differences, too; Queenslanders have a distinct preference for chicken sushi paired with beer. Most rolls and nigiri are made and sold within two hours. Our business is based on volume, not based on high margin, said Chen. Advertisement Australias best-selling rolls are consistently crispy chicken and chicken teriyaki rolls, salmon and avocado hand rolls and tuna salad rolls, according to both Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi chiefs. Sushis popularity is multilayered and crosses generations: it is fast, fresh, convenient, healthy and affordable, appealing to everyone from high schoolers to the corporate worker. Sushi Sushi store, Balwyn, Victoria. Younger generations snack five times a day compared to older generations three meals a day, so sushi roll size and price point is appealing, said retail property consultant and Titanium Food director Suzee Brain. They can still use their phone in the other hand compared to knife and fork-style takeaway options. Takeaway sushi outlets thrive in high foot-traffic, high visibility areas, and requires less floor space than other fast food outlets, or about half of a Guzman y Gomez in a typical high street or shopping centre, Brain said. Advertisement Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi are part of a new generation of ascending Australian fast food chains Lebanese chicken chain El Jannah being one, frozen yoghurt maker Yo-Chi being another looking to export their brand to the world. Related Article Opinion Aussie icons Yes, Australian sushi exists. Get over it, argues Adam Liaw Adam Liaw Recipe writer and presenter So far, Sushi Sushi has made more headway with international expansion: it operates several stores in New Zealand, plans to open 40 stores in Saudi Arabia, and have inked a deal to enter the Indian market. Sushi Hub is focusing primarily on the domestic market, but is eyeing the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Its not as easy to open a Sushi Hub outlet: one can only become a franchise partner when they have worked in a store for five or more years. We are quite relaxed these days because our focus is always Australian market, said Chen. International expansion is only when [the] opportunity comes. Advertisement Hungry investors shouldnt give up hope. It doesnt mean that we will never consider selling in the future, said Chen. But our priority and focus was always, always on the business itself. Even [if] the business is for sale, it has to be strong. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning. Advertisement CultureBooksLiterature It took me 25 years to finish my new historical novel, but the story never left me Candida Baker January 9, 2026 5:00pm 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 Its 1984, and Im at a party. The director Jim Sharman is there. Back in the late 70s Id lived in Sharmans Newtown house for some months, with Sharman and his then partner, James Waites, who would later become the much-loved, occasionally hated, acerbic theatre critic. They inevitably became known as Old Jim and Young Jim. Old Jim and I said a fond hello to each other, and then he asked me what I was doing. I told him I was working as a journalist, and still trying to write some personal fiction, and he said, in his abrupt way: Still more of the same then. Journalist, author and horse wrangler Candida Baker. Stung, I laughed it off, and we chatted a bit more before we moved on. But the comment lingered. I was writer searching for a project, I knew that, but what? The answer, perhaps spurred on by Sharmans off-the-cuff remark, came to me a few mornings later, when, after an ill-considered bout of drinking far too many Irish coffees on a night out with my first husband, Robert Drewe, at the Basement in Sydney, Id gone to the spare bedroom. When the room finally stopped spinning, I slept sitting up with my glasses on, so when I woke up, I had two thoughts I couldnt see, so perhaps Id drunk so much Id gone blind. The second thought was that I knew exactly what I was going to write: an Australian version of The Paris Review books of interviews with writers, which, like many others in the writing world, I found fascinating. Little did I know that I was embarking on a 10-year project which would become the Yacker Australian Writers Talk About Their Work series. I was in the middle of Volume 1 when we moved to Melbourne and I got a job as a sub-editor at The Age, having somewhat falsely parlayed my subbing experience on Cleo magazine into newspaper experience. Advertisement I learnt a lot at The Age, and as a long-time sub on the news desk told us new subs, dont ever cry or knit because you wont be asked back. My first night on the paper, the chief sub, Bob Millington, approached me at the start of a break, to ask me whether I imbibed, and when I replied that I did, he led me, to my astonishment, towards the gentlemans toilet, opening the door and beckoning me in. I was mystified, but I bravely followed, and found myself in the Bog Bar, complete with a large kind of living room in front of the toilets themselves, a bar with well-stocked fridge, a sad looking green sofa, an even sadder, torn and frayed Penthouse pet and a Bruce Petty cartoon. To my surprise, all the subs (apart from the one doing her knitting), and several of the editorial staff were there. Over the next months, the Bog Bar became a convivial place to spend a bit of time chatting, beer or glass of very bad wine in hand. Im proud to say, in part because I think I can claim that I am perhaps the only writer in history to have her first serious book launched in a gentlemans toilet, that the then night editor of the paper, Clive Malseed, launched the first Yacker in the Bog Bar. The series was successful, and it gave me what perhaps I was searching for the secret to becoming a writer, which is that there is no secret, you just have to write, however works for you. Fast-forward to 2000. Im 45 and editor of a weekly newspaper magazine, Ive just given birth to my second child, my daughter Anna, and my second novel, The Hidden has just been published to critical acclaim. You could say life was going well, and it seemed to me that it wouldnt be long until the next novel made its presence felt. How wrong could I be? Advertisement There were some major disasters around the corner leaving the security of a large news organisation, moving to the NSW Northern Rivers, a marriage falling apart, and in the fallout from the 2007 global financial crisis, a developer going bust with all our real-estate money. Writing fiction was the furthest thing from my mind as I navigated a new life as a single mum, and threw myself head over heels into a life with horses riding, rescuing and training while also catering for a showjumping-mad son and a dance-mad daughter. Pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge. But somewhere along the line it occurred to me that writing was essential for my survival. If I didnt write I didnt feel right, and so I started getting up at 5am every day to write something anything. A few of my core interests in photography, astrology, writing and horses began to make their presence felt, and in 2009, almost a decade after The Hidden was published, I chanced across the work of the extraordinary Victorian-era photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, the first person to capture an image of a galloping horse at the split second it has all four hooves in the air. As I delved deeper, I discovered that Muybridge had married a much younger woman, Flora, and only a few years after their marriage, had shot dead his wifes lover, Harry. When Flora died only a year later, Muybridge refused to recognise their son, Florado, as his, and left him in an orphanage in New York, collecting him when Florado was 10 and leaving him at a ranch in Texas, where Florado spent the rest of his life. The material tugged at me. Cognisant of what novelist Glenda Adams had once told me when I interviewed her in New York, that if material comes up like an outcrop of shale, over and over again, its demanding to have something done with it, I began to scratch around the surface of writing a novel again. Advertisement I remember reading the first pages out loud to Greg, my second husband, on a camping trip in 2010. The extraordinary landscape, and the gallery of Indigenous cave art triggered something in me around the importance of landscape in Muybridges life, and the importance of place, family and ancestry to all of us. Related Article Literature Sixty books to look out for in the first half of 2026 What if, I wondered, Muybridge and Floras DNA had continued into another generation beyond Florado? Gradually, my main character, Rosa, a testy 80-year-old when I started writing her in 2014, came to take central stage exploring for me the tragic triangle of Muybridge, Flora and Harry against the sub-texts of family, nature versus nature, love, desire and betrayal. Horses too, began to make their fictional presence felt, but ironically the real horses in my life, slowed the writing down immeasurably. A conundrum for sure, but somehow, almost against all odds, as Catherine Kenneally once wrote in a review for Yacker about the writers Id interviewed, a book emerged. Twenty-five years between novels is a long time and lot of water has passed under the bridge. I may even have cried on occasions, although Ive never picked up knitting needles, and to be honest, I hope I never do. Advertisement Even as an optimist I know the next novel cant take 25 years, so as a 70-year-old with two hip replacements and a herd of five horses, I am making more space for creative endeavour, and less for the physical hard work of the last few decades, even though I would not swap it for the world, of course. Light and Shadow by Candida Baker (Fair Play Publishing) is out now. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Literature Spectrum Spectrum Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Save this video for later Add videos to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Advertisement NationalCensorship Opinion Politicians shouldnt decide who appears at writers festivals. Its a dangerous path Richard Flanagan Writer January 9, 2026 4:34pm January 9, 2026 4:34pm 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 Everybody knows there is no fineness or accuracy of suppression, wrote the great Jewish-American writer Saul Bellow, if you hold down one thing you hold down the adjoining. And so it is with the act of the Adelaide Festival board in disinviting Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers Week. With Australians horrified by the Bondi mass murder, insidiously linking a writer with that massacre is an appalling slander, vile in itself. But in saying one Australian writer cannot speak, inevitably more and more Australian writers will find themselves also unable to speak first at festivals, soon in universities, then on public broadcasters. Randa Abdel-Fattah and Peter Singer at Adelaide Writers Week in 2023. This time, her invitation was withdrawn. Andrew Beveridge And the categories of what is unsayable and who is silenced will inevitably grow. Today it is Gaza, but next it could be the environment or social policy. As we see in the United States, the slippery categories of terrorism and community cohesion are ever-growing as forces of oppression. Randa Abdel-Fattah is charged with having given profound offence with past social media posts but then so too has Tony Abbott been charged with giving profound offence to many Indigenous Australians in the past. Both have new books out, both were invited to speak at the AWW, yet only Tony Abbott remains welcome. Some may not like what Randa Abdel-Fattah has to say, but then others may not like what pro-Israel writers who are also to speak at AWW have to say either. And that is the point all deserve to be heard. Advertisement It is no secret that this decision came about because of intense political pressure from the South Australian government. The festival boards statement clearly implies this and goes further by announcing a new special committee to oversee all future programming that will have ongoing engagement with relevant Government agencies and the appointment and/or advice of external experts. For special committee read political commissars overseen by the state. For external experts read lobby groups. And yet we know that a society that allows its politicians and special interest groups to decide who gets to speak and who doesnt is on a dangerous path. Related Article Literature Star British author Zadie Smith joins dozens of authors boycotting Adelaide Writers Week I am writing this because Adelaide Writers Week director Louise Adler, herself Jewish, her grandfather murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau, her father a member of the French resistance, did something remarkable at a critical moment in our culture. Over the past three years, she made the festival no more or less than a beacon for free speech at a time when that felt imperilled. She allowed writers once more to say what they wished and not fear that they would be cancelled or condemned for saying it. It was the republic of letters, not the tyranny of political orthodoxy. When threatened by the powerful for the brave stand she took, Adler did not back down and the Adelaide Writers Week board, to their immense credit, stood firmly behind her. Writers took note. Audiences began growing and kept growing. The conversations grew real and connected, as writers once more found their voice. Issues that were not being discussed and debated elsewhere in public were discussed and debated at Adelaide. And, in consequence, Adelaide Writers Week, to my mind, became once more the best writers festival in Australia. Writing, as Franz Kafka, another Jewish writer, put it, is the axe that smashes the frozen sea within. Good writing is never orthodoxy. It is heresy. Writers, if they are doing their work properly, rub against the grain of conventional thinking. In a time when the richest and the most reactionary seek to create and impose an information and cultural orthodoxy in the form of AI the ultimate point of which is not to benefit humanity but to enrich themselves further and consolidate the grotesqueries of their unprecedented power we need our heretics to be heard and we need forums like AWW that allow audiences to find them more than ever. Advertisement But with this act of utter folly and appalling weakness, the Adelaide Festival board and the politicians who direct it have by scapegoating a Palestinian writer now destroyed Adelaide Writers Week for the foreseeable future. If it has not collapsed, discredited and disgraced, by the time this goes to print, it will within the next few days. In what was described to me as a Jack Russell race out the front door, alongside almost every Australian writer of stature, global literary superstars such as Masha Gessen, Zadie Smith and Percival Everett have all withdrawn, along with sponsors major and minor. Related Article Literature Adelaide Festival pulls Palestinian-Australian writer from Writers Week program The issues this single act raises go far beyond the banks of the now-frozen Torrens: it speaks of a crisis in our hollowed-out democracy in which our politicians no longer have either the courage or judgment to recognise what are the appropriate spheres for their own influence. As South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas put it in 2023 after deciding in spite of being upset by it not to interfere with the AWWs programming that year, when politicians decide what is culturally appropriate it leads us to a future in which politicians can directly stifle events that are themselves predicated on freedom of speech and the expression of ideas. A path, in fact, that leads us into the territory of Putins Russia. Malinauskas was right then. Hes wrong now. Advertisement And if the aim of the Adelaide Festival board members was, in their words, to act in a culturally sensitive way, to lessen murderous antisemitism, they have instead only engorged it, allowing their act to feed into every antisemitic trope of the vilest kind. They have both gifted antisemites and the far right their cowardly act, and with it established a dangerous precedent to further encroach on freedom of speech nationally. Related Article Letters Letters Do we fear exposing an uncomfortable truth? I write this in support both of Louise Adlers previous opposition to this silencing and of my many fellow writers who have chosen to withdraw from AWW, and call upon the Adelaide Festival Board to have the wisdom, the courage and the humility to right this wrong and reinvite Randa Abdel-Fattah. Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. In 2024, he won the Baillie Gifford Prize (for non-fiction) for his most recent book, Question 7. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A By Friday afternoon, the smell of simmering dashi fills a small flat in Chatswood, a multicultural pocket of Sydney where Chinese, Japanese and Korean are heard more often than English. Inside, the kitchen hums with quiet purpose. On the dining table, the ingredients for temaki make-your-own sushi are laid out with meticulous precision: salmon and avocado, pickled ginger, snapper, cucumber and tamagoyaki, a sweet Japanese omelette. The host, 86-year-old Teri Teramoto, moves a plate half an inch to the left, adjusts a bowl, checks the steam rising from her savoury egg custard. Every Friday night for more than two decades, she has gathered up to 10 guests around this table. It started when I was looking after friends children, she says. They grew up, but the dinners stayed. We just get together and chat thats very important for us. Politics and gossip mingle freely over tea and sake. It keeps my brain active, Teramoto adds with a laugh. Temaki or make-your-own sushi. Wolter Peeters Silky egg custard like mother makes. Wolter Peeters For her guests, the evenings are nourishment in more ways than one. She never takes the easy route, says Keiko Montil, a former UN staffer and long-time regular. Her silky egg custard with shaved bonito is something no restaurant can match, Montil says. Its like our mothers cooking. She makes me feel at home. What happens around Teramotos table, though, is more than hospitality. Its a continuation of a lifetime spent connecting cultures only the setting has changed. Advertisement Teramotos dinners have been a Friday night institution. Wolter Peeters From Hiroshima to the skies Teramoto was six when she saw the sky above Hiroshima erupt in blinding light. On August 6, 1945, she and her family were on a train near the city when the atomic bomb fell. In the days that followed, she walked for miles with her mother, four-year-old brother and two-year-old sister through a wasteland of ash and bodies. Her father had already been killed in the war. We just had to keep walking, trying to find the next train through the radiation, with the dead lying everywhere, she recalls quietly. For more than a month, they went unwashed, sleeping outdoors. When they were finally able to bathe, she says, it felt like paradise like normal life. But that normality didnt last: her younger sister died months later from radiation sickness. There are two ways some people try to forget, she says. I didnt talk about it until I turned 60. But I never really forgot. Now, she speaks about it with calm pride. Im proud to be a survivor. Hiroshima after the atomic bomb hit in 1945. AP/Stanley Troutman Advertisement Survivors in the aftermath of the bomb. AP Between two worlds After the war, Japans rigid hierarchies left little room for a war widows daughter. I couldnt apply for jobs because of that, she says. Instead, she joined an American firm as a secretary her first step into an international world. In 1964, a telegram arrived from Qantas. The Australian airline was recruiting Japanese flight attendants for its new Sydney-Tokyo route. During her interview, she was asked if she knew Australias capital. No, sir, she answered honestly. I only know its not Sydney and not Melbourne. She got the job anyway. Dressed in kimono, serving in first class, she became one of only 12 Japanese women flying for Qantas in the 1960s. To Japanese passengers, she was a reassuring presence; to Australians, she embodied the grace of a new cultural exchange. Teramoto brought Japanese culture to Qantas passengers. Wolter Peeters Teramoto on the tarmac. Wolter Peeters Advertisement Marketing happiness By 1980, Teramoto had moved into marketing, tasked with luring Japanese honeymooners to Australia. She met with wedding planners, studied the Shinto calendar and persuaded Qantas to schedule Monday evening flights just after weekend weddings on lucky days. I thought: same distance, seven and a half hours to Hawaii, seven and a half to the Gold Coast why not Australia? she says. It worked. From zero honeymooners to half a million in three years, she recalls. At one point, a quarter of Qantass revenue came from the Japanese market. In 1989, she moved permanently to Sydney and became active in the Australia-Japan Society. Whether in business or in private life, she was always a cultural bridge linking languages, lifestyles and outlooks. Dinner guests come from many backgrounds. Wolter Peeters A glistening fish dish. Wolter Peeters Guests help themselves. Wolter Peeters Advertisement A life of learning and resilience In 1994, doctors diagnosed Teramoto with oesophageal cancer. Retirement followed but so did more diagnoses: bladder, stomach, breast and throat cancer. Whatever cancer you name, Ive survived it, she says matter-of-factly. Her explanation is simple: regular check-ups. Doctors suspect her illnesses may trace back to Hiroshimas radiation. She now divides her time between cooking and a decade-old reading group devoted to The Tale of Genji, the 11th-century Japanese epic. Weve been studying for more than 10 years lifelong learning, she says. It keeps my brain active. Shes also an avid fan of the all-female Takarazuka theatre, where women play mens roles another small bridge between worlds. Cooking is one of the interests that keep Teramoto active despite health challenges. Wolter Peeters Bridging worlds, one meal at a time On this Friday evening in Chatswood, nine guests gather: a Qantas flight attendant, a chef, a former UN official, an occasional actor and a German journalist. They share sushi and egg custard and talk about politics and celebrity gossip. She looks after us, one says simply. In truth, what Teramoto does now isnt so different from what she once did at 30,000 feet. She brings people together, giving those far from home a sense of belonging. Only now, the bridges she builds are made not of steel or skyways but of dashi broth, homemade sushi, conversation and the timeless pages of Genji. Advertisement Advertisement Analysis NationalNSWExtreme weather Heatwave Hayley? Its time to name these supercharged weather events Angus Dalton January 9, 2026 6:15pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A We stepped onto the balcony, beach-bound with towels slung from shoulders, when the black column of smoke in the sky stopped us dead. Grab your camera, I told my fiance, and we jumped in the car and drove from his mums home towards the plume looming over the Central Coast, north of Sydney. We pulled up outside Woy Woy railway station. Wild flames flared about 30 metres from homes on the other side of a narrow channel of water. By the time a Watch and Act alert had pinged on my phone, battling for reception in the smoke, the flames vaulting off the tops of gum trees had reached the size of buildings. The scene when we arrived at Decembers fire near Woy Woy on the Central Coast. Alex Beauman Unbeknown to us, homes were burning on the other side of the bushy hill in Koolewong. Locals began to gather nearby. One had just made it out; shed taken a video on her phone of a plane thundering low over her street dumping jets of pink fire retardant. To the left, her neighbours backyard was on fire. Until she heard the planes roar, shed been obliviously unpacking the groceries. Advertisement Sixteen homes were lost in the fire that flared last month. Watching how fast flames blazed from smouldering patches into house-threatening columns showed that even the most prepared and well-resourced authorities are still trying to outpace a danger as fast and unstoppable as the wind that drives it. Early warning, and survival, will never be guaranteed. There are always those that eye-roll at the intense media coverage during heatwaves. Scorching days are just part of Australian life, they say. Its true that even the tinge of burning eucalyptus oil on the air is a perversely nostalgic scent of summers past. Sixteen homes were destroyed by a bushfire in Koolewong on the Central Coast. Sitthixay Ditthavong But the reality is heat and fire are behaving in a way that is no longer natural. An atmosphere driven hotter by the burning of fossil fuels is worsening heatwaves and mutating fire behaviour. And thats killing people. Of 178,486 deaths related to a global heatwave in 2023, more than half were attributable to human-induced climate change, one analysis found. When Saturdays temperature spikes at 42 degrees in Sydney 16 degrees above average the heat on your skin, the sweat on your brow and the possible scent of fire will be intangibly but meaningfully linked to every tonne of carbon dioxide and methane unleashed into the atmosphere. Advertisement Climate change also supercharged the 160km/h winds and record dryness that unleashed deadly fires in Los Angeles almost exactly a year ago, the Climate Council reported this week. Those fires, bizarrely, struck in winter. And this weekends fire conditions are also abnormal, said Monash University climate expert Adjunct Professor Andrew Watkins. Whats unusual is having such extreme heat and fire conditions during a La Nina summer, and following a strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole, he said of the two rain-summoning systems. Normally, we would be more worried about floods with those climate drivers. A satellite image of the LA fires. Maxar Technologies Further, cycles of rain followed by sapping heatwaves which rapidly dehydrate fine twigs and leaves into tonnes of forest kindling amp up fire risk in a new regime dubbed hydroclimate whiplash. How can we underscore just how dangerous and strange this weather is; how do we emphasise that summer heat is no longer innocent, but transformed by carbon emissions into an increasingly deadly threat? Advertisement We might look for inspiration to the fierce weather system bearing down on Queensland, a swirling storm likely to intensify into a cyclone. (Yes, there are flash floods expected in the north as the south of the country burns). Cyclones are given names mostly to help raise public awareness of their impending dangers. Why dont we do the same with severe heatwaves by far the deadliest kind of extreme weather event? Names can make hazards more memorable, wrote Professor Steve Turton and Samuel Cornell, the researchers who proposed the idea this week in The Conversation. Research shows naming weather events helps people recall warnings, share information and prepare more effectively. A study into the worlds first named heatwave Spains heatwave Zoe in 2022 found people who remembered the weather events name were more likely to stay indoors, check on others and follow their local governments advice. Advertisement Related Article Heatwave Monster heatwave to bring scorching days, warm nights and fire risk Borrowing from the official list of approved cyclone names, we could have a heatwave named Hayley, Peta or Iggy. Its hard to think the 2019-20 bushfire season would have had the same lasting impact on Australian consciousness, and acted as a lightning rod for climate awareness, if it hadnt been branded Black Summer. Severe heatwaves like the one swamping us this weekend are becoming more common. But that doesnt make them normal. Marking the moment with names, as we do for other crises, could help remind us of that. The Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Sign up to get it each week. NSW District Court Judge Penelope Wass and NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling SC have been at loggerheads. The clash between two legal heavyweights is just one front in a long-running war. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A It is an extraordinarily bitter feud. A public brawl between the states top prosecutor and a NSW District Court judge has spawned a police investigation, two parliamentary inquiries and a court fight. In isolation, it would appear to be a dispute between two senior legal figures in Sydney: Judge Penelope Wass, who was appointed to the District Court bench almost a decade ago, and Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling, SC, who is less than halfway through her 10-year term. But it is just one front in a war that has been raging for well over a year between the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a group of District Court judges over sexual assault trials. It raises serious questions about the consequences for criminal matters before the court. December marked the latest outbreak of hostilities. Wass lobbed an explosive 68-page submission about Dowling and her office at a NSW upper house inquiry in November, and it was published on the parliamentary website with no fanfare late on December 4. It was front page news in The Australian the next day. Deliberate and targeted In her submission, Wass accused the ODPP of giving information to Sydney radio station 2GB in October 2024 about proceedings involving an Indigenous youth to embarrass and defame her. She alleged that it forms part of a deliberate strategy by some of those within the ODPP, including Ms Dowling to attack her personally or to influence her judicial conduct, or both. Advertisement Wass said the committee might consider referring senior ODPP officers to the governor for removal from office. The judge had invited the Indigenous teen to perform what she called a Welcome to Country before he was sentenced for serious crimes. He delivered a short acknowledgement of the traditional owners and custodians of this land via video link. Ben Fordham, host of 2GBs morning program, described the welcome on air on October 25, 2024, as a local scandal. The youth had committed an aggravated break and enter involving the sexual touching of an elderly woman. Ben Fordham described the welcome as a local scandal. Nine Wass extended an invitation for the teen to conduct further welcomes in court in the future, but she said this was conditional on him not reoffending. He had already served a significant period in custody and was released immediately on parole. The offender had received the maximum sentence available, Wass said in her statement. The judge said she had received derogatory public statements and threats from consumers of the 2GB story almost immediately after it was aired. Advertisement No one from within the ODPP expressed any concern to me [during the sentencing] ... Instead, the ODPP moved to disclose information to 2GB and a trial by media ensued, Wass said. She said she made the invitation to engender an increased sense of identity and self-esteem in the youth, with a view to his rehabilitation. The solicitor who acted for the Indigenous teen told the inquiry he supported the judge inviting him to perform the welcome or acknowledgement. ODPP gave the story to 2GB Dowling gave evidence before the inquiry on December 5. She accused the upper house committee of a disgraceful denial of procedural fairness in publishing Wass submission late on December 4 without giving her a copy. She had believed the inquiry had a wholly different focus. The top prosecutor admitted during her evidence that her office effectively gave the story about Wass to 2GB, but she said she had not become aware of this until about two days ago. At no time did I direct or ask for the [ODPP] media manager to provide the story to 2GB, she said. Advertisement Dowlings evidence prompted the inquiry to call ODPP media manager Sally Killoran to appear. Killoran revealed that Dowling was at a meeting with her and an external media consultant the day before the 2GB broadcast. There are legitimate questions about why Dowlings office gave a story about a sitting judge to a news outlet, at a time when Dowling and Wass were already locked in a bitter dispute. But just why it attracted the attention and resources of a parliamentary inquiry with a seemingly unrelated remit is unclear. Sally Dowling gave evidence to the NSW Parliament. In a statement to the inquiry on December 17, the ODPP said it was difficult to avoid the inference that the committee intended to ambush [Dowling] with the judges submission. Dowling suggested during her evidence that the upper house committee was conducting a de facto inquiry into the ODPP under the guise of an inquiry into NSW law. An unusual inquiry The inquiry has some unusual features. Ostensibly, it was set up to examine the adequacy of statutory protections to prevent the identities of children in criminal proceedings being published. It was self-referred by the upper house justice and communities committee in October, a year after the 2GB broadcast. Advertisement The Dowling-Wass saga was described during hearings as a case study. It appears to be the only case study explored in detail, and it has been vigorously pursued. The inquiry is due to report on February 20, leaving little time to canvass broader issues. Under NSWs Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act, there are broad prohibitions on publishing or broadcasting information to the public identifying a child involved in criminal proceedings. Criminal sanctions apply. Penelope Wass cited MP Alister Henskens in a statement to police. Rhett Wyman Wass said in her submission that she contacted the head of the NSW Police cybercrime squad after the 2GB broadcast because she was concerned this prohibition may have been breached. The judge said in a statement to police that NSW Liberal MP Alister Henskens, the shadow attorney-general, had told her that someone within 2GB provided him with a screenshot of information about the Indigenous youths case before he was invited to discuss it on air. Henskens told her that the document included an icon with an OPP identifier on it, Wass said in her police statement. Advertisement Advertisement NationalNew Year Opinion The 7 things Ill never do again: my reverse-bucket list Margot Saville Deputy opinion editor January 10, 2026 4:00am January 10, 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 Now that Ive reached middle age, when the time I have left to me is dwarfed by the time Ive squandered in unproductive activities like having a family and being nice to people, a bucket list seems all wrong. Do I have the time to train for Everest base camp? Of course not. Much simpler to write a reverse-bucket list things that Ive done in the past and will never do again. On the cancelled list: Camel riding (the author, Margot Saville, is seen here with her daughter Stella), and the boat that sunk ambitions. Illustration by Michael Howard 1. Paraphernalia sports Top of the list is anything to do with paraphernalia sports where the pleasure in the activity is outweighed by the sheer volume of equipment. No. 1 is boating. I was once part of a syndicate which owned a 1953 Halvorsen a timber boat from the golden age of maritime history. What this meant was your shipwright flew first-class to Europe every year because you had spent Aristotle Onassis-quantities of money on keeping it afloat and, in our case, trying to fix the toilet (sorry, head). Everyone had Marine Rescue NSW on speed dial because when youve broken down in the main shipping channel in Sydney Harbour and a 150,000-tonne cruise boat is due in 15 minutes, you need a tow fast. I assume that owning an E-Type Jag is a similar experience, at about half of 1 per cent of the cost. Advertisement In the 20 years we owned the boat, I spent about six hours relaxing on the water with a drink in my hand which works out at about $500,000 an hour. It would have been cheaper to charter the QEII. Our boat, the Kristina. Not quite the Onassis Christina O. 2. Long performances Attend any theatrical performance that lasts longer than 1 hours one hour if the word harrowing appears on the poster. Recently, I went to see Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which clocks in at more than three hours. At the second interval I said to my friend: Look the kid is made up, theres much more crying and if we leave now we can have dinner. Exeunt. In 2023, I saw the first half of On the Beach, an uncanny, post-apocalyptic vision of a world where nuclear fallout is wiping out the population. One hour in, we agreed that it really wasnt killing them fast enough and was the bar still open? I can highly recommend smaller theatre companies which for budgetary reasons put on much shorter plays, thus forcing the playwright to, praise the lord, get to the !$%#ing point. Advertisement Members of the cast from Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Prudence Upton 3. Go camping After a relationship-ending long weekend involving a South Coast caravan park, a Category 5 cyclone and a UTI, I have vowed that I will never again stay anywhere less comfortable than my own space. I like grass, but not enough to sleep on it. 4. Culinary Roulette Go to a dinner party, when there are better alternatives. In a restaurant, you have more control over your food and your dining companions, so why risk culinary roulette? Evidently, its considered rude to ring up the host to negotiate over the menu and the guest list. Or offer dinner-rescuing advice about how long to rest meat before you eat it (I was just trying to help!). There is no need to eat bad food while trapped next to someone with strong opinions on immigration and their gut flora when the solution is at hand. A booking. Advertisement There is one glaring exception to that rule ... 5. Tasting menus Related Article New Year Instead of big resolutions, I keep track of lifes smaller moments Ive been to a few restaurants with a tasting menu the evening starts out well with delicious tiny snacks and free-flowing drinks. However, by the time your waiter has interrupted your conversation for the fourth time to tell you about the offal with sea moss, youve run out of patience, and appetite. In an excellent article entitled Nibbled to Death, former New York Times food reviewer Pete Wells wrote that sometimes the consumer of such a meal may feel as much like a victim as a guest. The reservation is hard won, the night is exhausting, the food is cold, the interruptions are frequent. The courses blur, the palate flags and the check stings. Exactly. Advertisement 6. Camel riding A few years ago, we had a family holiday in Morocco. One afternoon, my daughter and I found ourselves way up high atop large dromedaries, heading for the Sahara. It took a while to realise that, owing to a catastrophic communication breakdown, our sunset drinks were, in fact, an overnight camp in the desert. A bloodthirsty Islamist uprising against the government of Mali was taking place on the other side of the dunes, and that wasnt even my biggest concern. Somehow, the next day, I had to climb back on that animal to get home. Chafing doesnt come close. Margot Saville and her daughter Stella on the camels (which spit, a lot). 7. Wear a jumpsuit Because Im lazy about my appearance, I like the one and done style of dressing. But the last time I wore a jumpsuit it was at a country party, where there were portaloos in the paddocks and industrial quantities of booze. If you can remove most of your clothing and hold it up off the (frankly unsavory) floor while also holding a handbag, in heels, then you have better balance than me. Advertisement Theres plenty more as well as the reverse-bucket list theres a whole other category which I call Zero-Probability Events, things Ive never done and have absolutely no intention of doing, no matter how long I live. They include threesomes, bungee-jumping and owning a snake. At this age, I know my limits. Margot Saville is the Heralds deputy opinion editor. Advertisement PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Opinion As a stubborn PM dug in, one Jewish leader had his ear Matthew Knott National correspondent January 10, 2026 4:00am January 10, 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 After 15 innocent people were gunned down at Bondi Beach on a Sunday afternoon, a Hebrew word came to Peter Wertheims mind: teshuvah. Often translated into English as repentance, the concept more accurately describes a return, a turning back to something youve strayed or looked away from. In the Jewish tradition, changing ones attitude and behaviour is a process. Its not an instantaneous decision, says Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. It takes an absorption into a persons heart and soul that they have been wrong and a commitment to do better. Illustration by Simon Letch Since the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, Wertheim and other Jewish leaders had warned about surging levels of antisemitism and their fears that vandalism and harassment would morph into deadly violence. People were telling us we were imagining or exaggerating things, says Wertheim, whose 98-year-old mother survived the Auschwitz concentration camp and fled to safety in Australia. Much of it was orchestrated ill will but it was aided by breathtaking ignorance. Then came the December 14 massacre. Among those shot was the Executive Council of Australian Jewry communications director Evan Zlatkis, who was lucky to survive. The terror attack, Wertheim says, shook Australians out of their sense of complacency, sparking profound questions about how the nation had reached this point. Advertisement Of all the nations Jewish leaders, Wertheim is closest to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The pair formed a bond two decades ago when Albanese opposed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel that was gaining traction in Sydneys inner west. They then united against the Abbott governments attempts to water down the Racial Discrimination Act. One prominent Jewish Australian describes Wertheim as the good cop working with the government while his fellow co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, criticises Labors policies on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Behind the scenes, Wertheim has played an important role guiding Albanese towards his unnecessarily protracted decision to hold a royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi attack. The first public commentator to call for a royal commission on the day after the attack was Chris Taylor, a former national security official who now works at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. To Taylor, the case for such an inquiry seemed so obvious as to be almost redundant. Surely the federal government would act quickly along those lines? After all, how could there not be a royal commission following the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil? Taylor wrote this week. Relying solely on a review by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson into potential intelligence failures, he said, is like responding to a city-wide arson spree with an inquiry into whether fire hoses are too short. The idea of a federal royal commission quickly gained pace, garnering the support of former foreign spy boss Nick Warner and former High Court chief justice Robert French. On December 29, 17 families connected to the victims of the attack wrote to Albanese calling for a royal commission. Polling for this masthead conducted in the week after the attack found 48 per cent of Australians supported a royal commission and just 17 per cent opposed it. The basic sense of fairness of the Australian people was offended, Wertheim says. People want to get to the bottom of it. Advertisement Albanese, however, was not convinced. The NSW government had already announced a state-level royal commission, and he feared a drawn-out, polarising national probe would do more harm than good. The evidence gathered by police suggests that Naveed and Sajid Akram had operated in isolation, inspired by Islamic State ideology. No link has been established connecting them to the pro-Palestine protest movement that had flourished during the war in Gaza. Related Article Bondi shooting Inside story: what it took to get Albanese to change his mind It did not help that former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg who demanded Albanese accept responsibility for the death of 15 innocent people in a fiery speech at Bondi Beach was among the leading advocates for a royal commission. There was a lot of politicisation and weaponisation, a senior government source says, explaining the governments reluctance to move. Journalistic profiles of Albaneses career routinely note his stubbornness. He took a lot of persuading to amend the governments stage-three tax cuts and he ploughed ahead with the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum despite a lack of bipartisan support. During the election campaign, he strangely resisted acknowledging he had fallen off a stage at a campaign event. This character trait came to the fore after Bondi. Last week, Albanese said the governments resistance to a royal commission was borne not out of convenience, it is out of conviction that this is the right direction to go in. And the actual experts, who are the current experts, have all recommended this course of action. Advertisement It was also noted at senior levels of government that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done everything in his power to avoid a comprehensive probe into the worst intelligence failure in his nations history. His proposed inquiry, not announced until two years after the October 7 attacks, departs from existing Israeli law and has been criticised for lacking independence. Yet none of these factors made the case for a federal royal commission into the Bondi massacre any less compelling. Matching Netanyahu in obfuscation and evading accountability is not the standard an Australian prime minister should aim for. As recently as Tuesday, Industry Minister Tim Ayres was on radio describing a royal commission as not necessary, saying it would cause division and delay and that it would take up to 2 years to complete. Yet, by this point, Albaneses inner circle was preparing to make a U-turn. As legal experts, business leaders, sport stars, former Labor politicians and national security experts joined calls for a royal commission, Albaneses resistance began to erode, like a rock being worn down by a relentless tide. His private meetings with survivors of the attack were also influential, helping convince him that a properly structured royal commission could contribute to healing for a grieving community. Labor MP Josh Burns privately lobbied Albanese to change course, as did right-faction heavyweight Don Farrell. Political calculations were at play too, of course. This issue would have kept nibbling away at the government for weeks and months, making it hard for them to talk about the issues they want to talk about: childcare, the economy, a prominent member of the Jewish community says. It would have been a distraction, so they decided to cut their losses. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Bondi shooting Albanese has lost face and given ground. Ley should follow suit Natassia Chrysanthos Federal political correspondent On Wednesday afternoon, Albanese met Wertheim and antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydneys CBD to discuss the structure of a royal commission. As Albanese said in media interviews on Friday, he met with Jewish community leaders for hours as they went through the details line by line. (Wertheim declined to comment on confidential discussions with the government). When announcing the royal commission a day later, Albanese masterfully demolished his governments own arguments against holding a royal commission. That it could take years to complete? He imposed a December 14 deadline. That it would delay the Richardson review? The existing probe will be wrapped into the royal commission and delivered as an interim report. Concerns it would platform antisemitism and division? The terms of reference make clear the royal commission should promote, not undermine, social cohesion. Albanese may have been for turning, but not for apologising. While the Jewish concept of teshuvah usually involves the verbal expression of ones sins, the prime minister is not inclined to concede mistakes either publicly or in private. He did not say sorry for taking weeks, rather than days, to support a royal commission or the fact that traumatised survivors had to juggle their recovery with lobbying the government. Indeed, he has skirted around the fact his government changed its mind on holding a royal commission. Such sensitivity is probably unnecessary, if understandable. While political U-turns, like Albaneses shift on a royal commission, are often portrayed as humiliating backdowns, veteran British journalist Peter Riddell has said they can be good for governments. They can remove sources of complaint and show that politicians are listening to the public. Academic research shows voters are more likely to forgive U-turns if politicians are shifting towards a position they favour and if they are driven by principle rather than political calculation. Advertisement Monash University political professor Paul Strangio, who has written about political U-turns, doubts whether the Australian public will see Albaneses shift as a major backdown. Noting that less than a month has passed since the Bondi attack, Strangio says: He has certainly responded to the clamour, the stampede, for a royal commission, but I think the events were too quick to be a full-on volte-face. Albaneses royal commission move did not involve abandoning a fundamental belief, as Kevin Rudd was perceived to have done on climate change when he abandoned an emissions trading scheme. Nor will this U-turn affect most Australians in a direct way, as happened when Julia Gillard reversed her pledge not to introduce a carbon tax. Albaneses standing has undoubtedly been damaged by his response to the Bondi attack, and he has been bruised by the hostility of the attacks on him. But he ends the week satisfied by the overwhelming support for the royal commissions terms of reference and the fact he stared down Frydenbergs bid to sink his chosen commissioner, former High Court justice Virginia Bell. With parliament to resume soon, he has cleared a thorny barnacle away. As for Wertheim, it is enough that Albanese relented, if not repented. This is fair. This is what we asked for. This is designed to get to the root of the problem, he says of the royal commission. As far as we are concerned, it is the outcome that mattered, not how we got there. Matthew Knott is foreign affairs and national security correspondent. Advertisement PoliticsNSWBushfires Revealed: Why NSW faces extreme bushfire danger with fewer firefighters Ben Cubby, Angus Dalton and Michael McGowan January 10, 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 NSW is facing a weekend of extreme bushfire danger with far fewer trained firefighters than previously thought, new data from the Rural Fire Service reveals. The RFS has frequently said it is the largest volunteer firefighting service in the world, with more than 70,000 members, but the number of trained firefighters is now just over 45,000, the agency privately told the Productivity Commission last year. About 16,240 RFS volunteers have village firefighter competency, meaning they can fight fires in small buildings, in vehicles or other blazes likely to be found in a village setting, according to RFS documents from 2023 obtained under freedom-of-information laws. The State Operations Centre at NSW RFS headquarters at Olympic Park on Friday. Flavio Brancaleone Only 4550 people had training as breathing apparatus operators, the RFS documents say. Advertisement Like many other volunteer-based organisations, there has been a reduction in membership for multiple reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living pressures, an RFS spokesman said in response to questions about the revelations. Weve also seen demographic changes which have influenced the make-up of our brigades, including a shift from family-run to industry farms. A NSW Rural Fire Service firefighter attempts to extinguish a bushfire at West Wallsend in December 2023. But the service said it was well prepared to confront the heatwave expected to cover much of NSW on Saturday. A total fire ban has been declared for much of eastern and southern NSW, from the Greater Hunter to the Victorian border. Advertisement Extreme fire danger is expected across Sydney, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven region, the southern ranges and slopes and the Monaro Alpine region bordering Victoria, where firefighters were battling catastrophic conditions on Friday. Related Article Bushfires Theres barely a blade of grass: A family-owned winery gone within an hour An extreme fire risk rating means people should be prepared to take action to protect life and property. Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 43 degrees in the city and its west on Saturday, before easing back to 25 degrees on Sunday. The NSW Rural Fire Service said a large bushfire burning south of the Murray River, about 50 kilometres east of Albury, could blow into NSW when the winds change to southerly on Saturday. Advertisement Firefighters are monitoring the area between Talmalmo and Jingellic as flying embers ignite spot fires on the NSW side. People need to take action now and make sure theyve got a bushfire survival plan in place, said the RFS district manager of the southern border, Superintendent Tom McDevitt. Its never too late to start one and know what youre doing. Smoke fills the sky above the Walwa bushfire, on the Victoria and NSW border. VicEmergency Fires already burning in Victoria and new blazes possibly sparked by dry lightning later on Friday will be fast-moving and hard to control as an evening change in wind brings 90km/h gusts to Melbourne, the Bureau of Meteorology said in an update from the national emergency centre. The winds will then move into NSW on Saturday, increasing fire risk. Advertisement Were expecting widespread extreme fire danger ratings across NSW and the ACT for tomorrow. No districts are currently at the catastrophic level, a BoM spokesman said. NSW RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin said volunteers were helping south of the border. The State Operations Centre at NSW RFS headquarters on Friday. Flavio Brancaleone Weve sent a lot of crews into Victoria today to support them with their catastrophic conditions, he said. Weve got a lot of aircraft available to support that, so whilst we dont expect that fire to cross the border, we are prepared in the event it might. The Murray River that comprises much of the border between the states does help to limit the spread. Advertisement Related Article Updated Victoria bushfires Three missing including child, dozens of homes lost as fires continue to rage Its a natural break there. That fire would have to jump quite a long way, but it is possible, Curtin said. Under these conditions, embers can travel quite a long way. Curtin encouraged those who had not already done so to download the Hazards Near Me app and to monitor conditions regularly. Its really important that everyones prepared for extreme fire conditions, he said. Transport for NSW said trains in Sydney and some other parts of the state would be running at reduced speed on Saturday due to the extreme heat. Advertisement Among the trains affected on Friday and Saturday were those running on the Blue Mountains line, between Berala and Flemington, Lidcombe and Penrith, Blacktown and Richmond and around Strathfield and Olympic Park. Buses are running between Campbelltown and Moss Vale because hot weather was affecting tracks. People cool off at Coogee Beach on Friday. Dominic Lorrimer Questions about the real number of trained RFS firefighters have persisted, from inside and outside the service, for several years. In 2024, Jindabyne Brigade captain Colin Wooden told a NSW parliamentary committee hearing that he suspected the published figure of 70,000 was misleading. My concern is that they keep saying that weve got 70,000 members, and theyve lost sight of the actual number of people that are getting on trucks, he told the committee. Advertisement I just did a quick look at our brigade and 36 per cent of our members Ive never seen on a truck and 10 per cent have gotten too old or have moved on. Emergency services report widespread property losses in the Victorian village of Ruffy. Nine Years ago, if there was a fire, bosses would let their people go and fight fires. Now they cant because of operational requirements and all that sort of stuff. So, now, the only people that are available seven days a week are the old greybeards like myself. We had five people on a truck at a fire last year and no one was under 65. In February 2025, the Productivity Commissions annual review on the state of emergency services across Australia found the RFS boasted a volunteer firefighting force of some 75,000. Advertisement The figure had remained consistent across multiple reports, and meant that NSW had a higher ratio of volunteers per 100,000 people in the population than any other state. Fire crews at the Longwood fire. Jason South But in April, former RFS commissioner Rob Rogers told a budget estimates hearing that the agency had only 45,000 trained firefighters, as well as additional volunteers who provided catering and all of those other associated activities. There were varying levels of activity among volunteers, he said. They all have their own rules of whos active and whos not ... I understand its been applied in a lot of different ways around the state, Rogers said in the hearing. Rogers comments prompted the Productivity Commission to seek further information about the actual size of the RFS force. Advertisement The RFS spokesman on Friday said its number of volunteers was determined in large part by reports provided by individual brigades. The oversight of membership and membership status lies within the purview of individual brigades and their executive teams, he said. This approach has proven effective for over a century in managing membership within the organisation. As of December 31, 2025, the RFS has 68,890 registered members. Of these members, 55,059 are deemed operational by brigades and units across the state. Our remaining members fulfil roles including operational support and administration or serve in a social or reserve capacity. Of the members classed as operational, 45,252 hold a formal bush firefighting qualification. Advertisement Volunteering with the RFS looks different for everyone, and our members engage in ways that suit their skills, availability and personal circumstances, the spokesman said. Communities across NSW rely on the combined efforts of volunteers giving what they can, when they can. During the 2019-20 Black Summer fire season, there were more than 186,000 shifts completed by RFS members, but the most firefighters deployed on a single day was 3739, according to a fire season overview produced by the RFS. with Jack Gramenz, Daniel Lo Surdo and Matt OSullivan Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A Since World War II, Sydneys commercial fishermen have been overwhelmingly of Sicilian or Calabrian origin. Their fishing boats could be found anchored west of the Harbour Bridge at Hen and Chicken Bay, Iron Cove and, in earlier years, Darling Harbour. For decades, scores of Italian fishing families lived in Woolloomooloo, where they moored their small boats. In 1970, Fish Trades Review reported that the Woolloomooloo fishing fleet has been kicked out at last and is now domiciled at Blackwattle Bay. Concerns about where Sydneys fishing fleet would berth soon faded into insignificance because of an existential challenge facing Sydneys fishermen. By the 21st century, Sydney Harbour-based commercial fishing was in serious and inexorable decline. Domenico Bagnato in the 1980s. Fairfax Media The 2006 ban on all commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour meant a total loss of livelihood for Italian fishermen working in the harbour. The secretary of the Commercial Fishermens Association, Graeme Hillyard, responded to the ban by stating that 13 fin fishermen and 17 prawn fishermen and their families were now in pretty drastic situations. He wanted compensation. Theyve got no income. Theyve got no prospects. Obviously, you cant sell the business. Only seagoing net trawlers operating outside the Harbour remained viable. Only one family of fishermen continued in the commercial net trawling industry based in Sydney: the Bagnato family. Home for the Bagnatos was originally Bagnara Calabra, a Calabrian fishing village on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast. The family had been fishermen for 10 generations: If youre born a Bagnato, youre born a fisherman. Diego was the first Bagnato family member to arrive in Sydney in April 1957, aged 29. Advertisement By the early 1960s, all of Diegos six brothers Vincenzo, Giuseppe, Paolo, Domenico, Rocco and Salvatore had arrived in Australia. The Bagnatos proved to be successful fishermen and successful businessmen. After more than half a century at the Sydney Fish Market, the Bagnato family continues to dominate the wharves at Blackwattle Bay and Sydneys fishing fleet. At times the Bagnato brothers worked together, other times independently fishing all the while. The brothers and their families made history along the way. After Vincenzo immigrated to Australia, he joined forces with Diego, first working on the Isabella Star, then building a new trawler, the Immacolata Prima. When the Fish Marketing Authoritys Blackwattle Bay market opened in July 1966, the Immacolata Prima became the first trawler to unload a catch for auction at the new facility. Deckhands on the Arakiwa, a Bagnato trawler. Andrew Taylor/Fairfax Media Dozens of fishing trawlers have been bought, sold, handed down the generations or relentlessly worked by the Bagnato family. Giuseppe and Paolo teamed up to buy the Isabella Star from Diego, one of a long line of trawlers and fishing vessels they owned. Salvatore and Rocco established a profitable partnership when they returned to Italy in the late 1970s. While Rocco stayed in Italy, Salvatore was back in Australia five years later to buy and operate another trawler, the Jody Ann. All the Bagnato brothers faced the dangers of the sea, though nothing was more dramatic than a life-threatening emergency involving Domenico aboard the Leeton Star with Giuseppe: A fishing net got caught at the side of the boat as they were shooting the net to sea. As he moved to free it, his boot became tangled in the net and he was dragged overboard and under water. Luckily, the quick-thinking Giuseppe managed to winch the net back up at top speed, saving Domenico, and the two were back at work within the hour. Joe Bagnato the skipper/owner of the Arakiwa. Andrew Taylor/Fairfax Media Like their fathers, the sons of nearly all the seven Bagnato brothers became fishermen. Many ply their trade on the Hawkesbury River, near Sydney. Others have returned to fish in Italy. The handful of fishermen who own and operate Sydneys tiny fishing fleet have direct links to the Bagnato family. By 2025 only two trawlers the Cape Conway and the Illawarra Star constituted the fleet. After a long working life, the Kirrawa landed its last commercial catch of 1.3 tonnes (82 crates) of product before retirement in mid-July 2024. The three net trawlers provided almost 400 tonnes, 3.6 per cent of the total tonnage of product auctioned at the market in the 2023-24 financial year. Advertisement Working vessels berth at the markets Concrete Wharf, the only wharf in Port Jackson where commercial fisherman are permitted to unload their catch. (Congestion at the Concrete Wharf can occur if longliner tuna boats operating on the east coast of Australia need to unload in Sydney.) The Cape Conway was purchased by Domenico Bagnatos son Diego known to all as Richie in 2014. It cost me a lot of f--king money, he said. The vessel worked originally as a prawn and scallop trawler between Esperance and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Cape Conways steel hull means it can handle heavy weather when other fishing boats are unable to leave their moorings. It has a holding capacity of 30 tonnes: with a 20-tonne fresh or frozen fish hold and a 10-tonne brine hold. These days, Richie Bagnato no longer skippers the Cape Conway. As the vessels owner, he still makes key decisions about its fishing operations, but from the shore. He believes it doesnt matter who is at the helm: Any skipper on the Cape Conway looks good. Paul Bagnato has been the voice of the Sydney fishing fleet. Jennifer Soo Paul Bagnato, Vincenzos son, is the owner and operator of the Illawarra Star. In 1978 it commenced deep sea royal red prawn trawling, based in Wollongong. Paul, who purchased the Illawarra Star in 2021, is justifiably proud: Its a beautiful boat. It handles the soup pretty good. She catches very well, thank God. As an experienced trawlerman, Paul believes the trick of trawling is a heavy boat so the weather doesnt knock the boat about. He is in no doubt about the trawlers merit: Its the strongest timber fishing vessel in Australia. Paul Bagnato has been the voice and face of the Bagnato family and Sydneys fishing fleet since the retirement of his fathers generation. With only two net trawlers left after the Kirrawas signing off, his last few words are tinged with sadness: You know, fish trawling is a dying art, and all that experience is being lost. The Kirrawa, a 60-foot timber vessel, had a long Bagnato family history. It was purchased by Diego and his son-in-law Antonio Ianni in 1968. Diegos other son-in-law, Giovanni Tripodi, was their hardworking deckhand. Domenico Bagnato bought the trawler from his brother in 1976. During the gemfish glut of the 1980s, Domenico landed the trawlers biggest ever catch of nearly 17 tonnes. Paul Bagnato on his boat Antonia. Anthony Johnson As a teenager, Richie Bagnato followed his father to become the Kirrawas skipper. Work was hard. No autopilot. No large hydraulic net drum. Nets were pulled in by hand. Richie recalled: It was a very old-school boat; it sorted the men from the boys real quick. The young man who had worked as a deckhand on the Kirrawa in the 1970s, Giovanni Tripodi, bought the boat from his cousin in 2009. By August 2024 the Kirrawas working life was over. Advertisement Advertisement PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government Legal service files fresh effort to scrap Queensland kids gender care ban Matt Dennien Updated January 7, 2026 9:45am ,first published 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 Queensland is facing a second major challenge to its reinstated ban on new public gender-affirming care for young people, with lawyers behind the first filing new court claims. The LGBTI Legal Service announced on Tuesday it had filed an application for judicial review in the Supreme Court, seeking to have Health Minister Tim Nicholls directive declared unlawful. In comments through the legal service, the transgender young person bringing the case said choices in consultation with specialists, therapist and family over years had been denied. In Queensland, were not prepared to go down that pathway of trialling unproven drugs on children, Health Minister Tim Nicholls said announcing an extension of the ban last month. Matt Dennien To have our medical decisions overturned by a political agenda is shameful and crosses a multitude of boundaries of human rights, they said. Advertisement The case launched on Monday will join two legal proceedings still underway against the government, including what is effectively a class action. A pause on new hormone treatments in the public sector was announced by the Crisafulli government one year ago this month until an independent review could report back. The departmental directive was based on a three-page document with allegations of apparently unauthorised services to 42 paediatric patients in Cairns. But the opposition and other stakeholders have argued the ultimately cabinet-approved ban was an ideological decision despite favourable external evaluation. Advertisement Advertisement In Queensland, were not prepared to go down that pathway of trialling unproven drugs on children, Nicholls said at the time. Related Article Queensland Health Gender care saved Leas life. Now the fight for other trans kids has landed in court In the statement on Tuesday, LGBTI Legal Service president Ren Shrike said the new judicial review application would seek to have the ministerial ban also ruled unlawful and voided. Minister Nicholls made the direction on the basis that banning access to care for new patients was necessary in the public interest, Shrike said. Our case states that the decision was made unlawfully on four grounds, including because it was not in accordance with human rights and went beyond the Ministers powers under section 44(1) of the Act. Advertisement The young persons mother, also speaking through the legal service, said she just wanted the best for her child. This care should be a medical decision between our family and our doctors, not a political one, she said. The government have made this decision to deny my child a service that was life changing. As a family, we now have to go through the private system at great cost. The Labor oppositions health spokesperson, Mark Bailey, said the government was putting ideology above healthcare. Court dates for the new judicial review and representative action are yet to be set. Nicholls has been contacted for comment. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government Parents slam vague details on new child sex offender register Matt Dennien and Courtney Kruk January 10, 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 The Queensland government has refused to clarify a key feature of its new public child sex offender register, as parents complain the vague details provided do not give them confidence that convicted paedophiles are not living nearby. The register, named Daniels Law after murdered Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, has three tiers of searches. One provides users with unnamed photographs of convicted child sex offenders who are listed as living in their locality at the time of the application. But in the week since the website was launched, parents have vented frustration online over the unclear definition of locality, with no indication of the radius the search covers. Bruce and Denise Morcombe support Daniels Law, which was named after their murdered son. Jamila Toderas We have an offender in our locality, but what does that actually mean? one person wrote on a Facebook parents forum. Are they in our street? Are they close by, or are they in the suburb? Advertisement Another wrote: Is it in a five-kilometre radius? My whole suburb? I wish they would define locality. Daniel Morcombe. Laws establishing the register only define locality as the general locality where the person resides in the state. Explanatory notes say this includes a persons suburb or town, however is not prescriptive in order to enable locality to include adjoining suburbs or towns of the persons residential address, unless circumstances dictate a different approach. In at least some suburbs of inner-city Brisbane, searches do not produce photographs of offenders living in adjoining suburbs. Advertisement Asked to explain how a persons locality was defined, Police Minister Dan Purdies office referred questions to the police. Given that Queenslands diverse communities comprise condensed, highly populated metropolitan areas to far-reaching, low-density rural and remote areas, the geographic boundaries of the searches have been designed to ensure that each applicant receives the most relevant information, taking into consideration these variances, a police spokesperson said in a statement. Another user, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity, said they had given feedback about the websites shortcomings directly to the office of Premier David Crisafulli. The concerned citizen, who has experience designing logistics and fulfilment operations for large retail commerce systems, said they believed the law was well-formed and with the right intention, but had been poorly executed. In their email to Crisafulli, seen by this masthead, they said the undisclosed and overly narrow interpretation of a persons locality did not reflect real-world proximity to offenders reportable through the scheme. Advertisement Related Article Crime Queenslands public sex offender register is live. Heres what its like to access it In practice, the system can return no reportable offenders even where offenders reside within a short distance (e.g. approximately 5km) in adjacent suburbs, they wrote. This creates a false sense of safety, discourages vigilance, and undermines the very purpose of the legislation. This is not a failure of parliaments intent. It is a failure of implementation, [and] one that can and should be corrected early while the legislation is new and before flawed assumptions become entrenched. The person suggested the website should explain to users how their locality is defined and allow them to search within a radius of kilometres from their home. Advertisement Related Article Child safety More than 100,000 users access Queenslands new online paedophile register If a government safety system can return no offenders while offenders live only minutes away, the system is not fulfilling the laws purpose, regardless of whether it is technically defensible, they concluded. A government spokesperson, responding to additional questions to Purdies office about whether the government had received any complaints, did not provide a direct response. The Crisafulli government is delivering Daniels Law backed in by Bruce and Denise Morcombe exactly as promised, to help protect children who cant protect themselves and make Queensland safer, the spokesperson said in a statement. We are giving parents the information they need to make decisions about the safety of their children with more than 100,000 visits to the site since it was launched and prioritising the rights of victims and parents ahead of the rights of predators. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. NRC IRAP is launching Defence Industry Assist to provide advice and funding to high-potential, innovative SMEs, to advance made-in-Canada defence and dual-use technologies. January 9, 2026 Ottawa, Ont. National Research Council of Canada Today, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced the Government of Canada is investing $244.2 million in the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) starting in 2025-2026, to launch its Defence Industry Assist initiative (DI Assist). The Defence Industry Assist program will provide funding and advice to high-potential, innovative Canadian SMEs to advance made-in-Canada defence and dual-use technologies. This investment will support the innovative and collaborative capacity of the Canadian defence industry and address the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. By working with industry to reduce barriers to market entry through targeted investments, connecting SMEs to procurement pathways, and strengthening supply chain collaborations, DI Assist will position innovative Canadian businesses to reinforce Canadas defence priorities and compete globally. Research and development activities supported through DI Assist will grow our economy, create high-quality Canadian jobs, and will contribute to Canadas efforts to meet its 2% NATO defence spending target. State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code COCAINE has featured prominently in a series of recent drug seizures in Co Carlow, as gardai continue to target the sale and supply of controlled drugs under Operation Tara. The latest operation, carried out in Hacketstown on Monday 30 December, saw gardai seize cocaine with an estimated street value of 38,000 as part of a larger haul worth more than 215,000. The search, conducted by the Carlow Drugs Unit, also uncovered suspected cannabis, Valium tablets, vapes and vape liquid, along with almost 22,000 in cash. The drugs seized in Hacketstown on 30 December Photo: Garda Press Office While cannabis continues to make up a significant proportion of drugs seized locally, garda statements in recent months show cocaine repeatedly appearing alongside other substances in Carlow operations, often in residential properties rather than on the street. The Hacketstown seizure follows a pattern seen in other Operation Tara searches across the county, where cocaine is being recovered in quantities that suggest supply level activity rather than personal use. In many cases, gardai have pointed to investigations into the sale and supply of drugs, with suspects arrested under the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act. Gardai also recovered cocaine estimated at 35,000 in a mid-October drugs bust. During searches of multiple properties on 16-17 October, officers from the Carlow Drugs Unit found suspected cocaine alongside other criminal items, including firearms and a viable improvised explosive device. Two men in their 40s were arrested and detained. The suspected drugs and other materials were sent for analysis to Forensic Science Ireland. In another recent incident in mid-November 2025, gardai executed a warrant on a house in Carlow town and seized cocaine with an estimated value of 20,000. In that case, no immediate arrests were reported and investigations continue. Similarly, in August 2024, gardai seized drugs believed to be cocaine with a street value of 50,000 on open ground in Rathvilly village. No arrests were immediately reported at the time. Commenting on the growing presence of cocaine in local seizures, minister for public health, wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane OConnor said: The drug market is constantly evolving and new and more dangerous substances are constantly emerging, as well as a continuing supply of illicit drugs. She commended An Garda Siochana for their work in keeping our communities safe. This latest seizure, as well as others around Carlow, is a reminder of the vital role that gardai are playing in our response to drug supply and the harm caused by organised crime, added minister Murnane OConnor. She said that as the minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, she believes it is important to continue to develop a response to emerging drug trends. We want to prevent harmful drug and alcohol use, as well as improving access to evidence-based treatment services, she added. In the new National Drugs Strategy, which minister Murnane OConnor is bringing forward this year, she aims to set out how access to treatment as well as prevention of harm will be strengthened. In the Hacketstown case, the seized drugs will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis, with investigations continuing. A man in his 30s remains detained in connection with the operation. By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association Communications minister Patrick O'Donovan has deactivated his X account, saying he did not feel comfortable being on a platform where sexual deepfakes were allowed. There has been increased scrutiny in Ireland and the UK over Elon Musks artificial intelligence (AI) tool Grok after users generated a spate of sexualised images of people, including children. Grok is integrated into X, which was formerly known as Twitter. The AI tool is now informing users that requests to generate sexualised images will only be granted for paid subscribers meaning their name and payment information must be on file. Mr ODonovan told Limerick Live 95 radio that the abuse he gets on the platform and the revelations this week about Grok prompted him to deactivate his account. I don't feel comfortable with the fact that there's people that are going to use my image, or your image, or somebody else's image, and artificially generate something around it... Patrick O'Donovan I actually deactivated my X account so Im not on X anymore, he said. I deactivated it early this morning, because, to be quite honest about it over the last number of months, over the last number of years really, I dont find it a platform that I would use to share information anymore. Because whether it is the fact that Ive spoken to Joe Nash on Live 95 or whether Im trying to communicate something that the department is doing, or whether Im just posting something that Im doing in my constituency, it inevitably follows a wave of abuse. So Ive deactivated it. He said he was not asking others to follow his actions and deactivate their accounts. Asked if the concerns around Grok this week had also prompted him to deactivate it, he said: It was, yeah, it was. Im minister for communications and Im minister for media, and I just felt that like, if youre on a platform where this is allowed, regardless of whether youre paying for it or not, I just dont feel comfortable with it. Minister Niamh Smyth has requested a meeting with X over the matter (PA) I dont feel comfortable with the fact that theres people that are going to use my image, or your image, or somebody elses image, and artificially generate something around it maybe make it into something that it shouldnt and publish it then. Earlier in the week, the junior minister with responsibility for AI said images created through Grok on X had broken the law. Niamh Smyth said she had requested a meeting with X over the matter and warned there would be consequences if it was found to have broken the law. She said: It is clear that within Irish law, child abuse images are absolutely illegal. Whether they are real images or computer-generated, which is what were talking about here, it is a criminal offence to distribute them on platforms. The law has been, as far as Im concerned, the law has been broken here in Ireland. The Attorney General is also examining whether existing legislation affords adequate protections to citizens. Ray Managh The suspended chief executive of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has described allegations against him of sexist, misogynistic, racist, homophobic and ageist behaviour in comments to or about DAA employees as baseless. Kenny Jacobs also described, in written evidence before the High Court, allegations that he had been responsible for suicidal ideation by employees as false and unjustifiably made. He has further denied allegations of having interfered with procurement processes by the state-owned company. Claiming that he had been sick at a service station only minutes after having been told by the DAA chairman to leave his office, he has told the court that the stress being caused to him, his wife and his family by his suspension and matters leading up to it has been immense. I have suffered physical and mental harm by the behaviour of certain board members and by my suspension, he stated in an affidavit used to obtain short service of legal proceedings against DAA, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports. He is seeking to overturn his suspension and get his job back. Jacobs told his legal team, led by Padraic Lyons SC and barrister, Colm Kitson and Arthur Cox Solicitors, that the stress would only continue and worsen by the continuation of a disciplinary investigation that he is also seeking to block without the appointment of an impartial and independent decision maker. I am advised by my doctor that returning to work and focusing on business issues would considerably assist in addressing the harm that I have suffered, he said in the sworn affidavit. My health has deteriorated as a consequence of the treatment I have suffered, he states. I have seen my own GP, DAAs occupational health experts and other clinical specialists, and I have been prescribed medication, including medication normally used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. Believing that the damage to him is unquantifiable and ongoing, he has also claimed the decision to commence the investigation and publicly suspend him was very damaging to his good name, reputation and professional standing. Mr Jacobs added that, nevertheless, he remained committed to his role as chief executive of DAA and would return to work tomorrow, if permitted. My return to work is a matter of immediate urgency as is the intervention of the court to restrain a process that has gone radically wrong, he said. He told the court that he had already been cleared of these two major allegations by an inquiry headed by leading senior counsel Mark Connaughton and that a further 20 allegations were being lined up against him in order to secure a particularly unfavourable decision against him in the proposed investigation. In his written evidence, Jacobs levels allegations of wanting to get him out of office against DAA chairman Basil Geoghegan, who, he said, despite the outcome of Mr Connaughtons inquiry, had asked him to resign and accept a very favourable exit package. McCann FitzGerald Solicitors, for the DAA, have been served with Mr Jacobs legal proceedings, which were adjourned by Ms Justice Emily Farrell on Thursday. Mr Lyons told Judge Farrell that Mondays hearing would, in reality, be to progress, in very short order, the application before the court. By Rebecca Black, Press Association A judge has warned about potentially serious consequences over any speculative social media posts ahead of an inquest into the death of Belfast boy Noah Donohoe. The 14-year-old was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends Mr Justice Rooney, who is the coroner in the case, was speaking ahead of the start of the inquest, which will be heard by a jury, on January 19th. The boy went missing in summer 2020. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. The case has attracted high levels of public interest, following a large-scale search to find Noah, over the unexplained nature of his death. Noahs mother, Fiona Donohoe, is hoping the coroners case will provide answers to some of the outstanding questions surrounding the death of her son, who was a pupil at St Malachys College in Belfast. Mr Justice Rooney read out what he termed a social media warning during a preliminary hearing in Belfasts Royal Courts of Justice on Friday. The Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, where a preliminary hearing in the Noah Donohoe inquest took place. Photo: PA. He said no-one should engage in any social media activity which may potentially prejudice the inquest, warning of serious consequences for the progress of the inquest, and for the person responsible for the posts. Ive been at pains to emphasise the importance and risks of social media posts about the inquest, he said. Some PIPs (properly interested parties) have raised issues about recent social media posts, and they may require to be explored in some more detail in due course. Fiona Donohoe hopes the case will provide answers (Liam McBurney/PA) However it bears repeating that no-one, whether involved in the inquest, or in the general public, should engage in any social media activity which might prejudice the inquest process, particularly given the proximity of the inquest. The consequences of such activity could be serious, not only for the progress of the inquest, but also for any person engaged in inappropriate social media activity. A number of outstanding issues and updates in relation to the case were also heard on Friday. However work is being focused on the inquest starting as scheduled on Monday January 19. Further review hearings have been planned to take place next Thursday and Friday, January 15-16. Advertisement Bangladeshs cement exports recorded strong growth in the first half of FY2526 (JulyDecember 2025), with export earnings rising by 20.09 per cent YoY, according to data from the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). During the six-month period, export revenue reached US$7.95m, up from US$6.62m in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. The figure also includes limited exports of salt, stone, and other related products. However, monthly performance weakened toward the end of the period. In December 2025, cement export earnings stood at US$1.12m, down from US$1.19m in November, reflecting a MoM decline of 5.88 per cent. For the full fiscal year FY2425, Bangladeshs cement export revenue amounted to US$14.33m, compared with US$18.42m in FY2324. India remains the primary destination for Bangladeshi cement, particularly its northeastern states, while Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are also key export markets. By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan Bianca Chavez Baker Brittany Cannon JoKari Pugh Previous Next Cleveland State Community College announces the 2026 Community First Award winners. Nominations were received from the colleges five-county service area, seeking to honor individuals in three categories. Nominations were judged based on the nominees "extraordinary commitment of time, talent or treasure to the community."We are excited to announce the Community First Award winners for 2026. Each in their own way exemplifies the value of putting their community first, said Dr. Ray Brooks, Cleveland State interim president.This is a unique awards program, and I look forward to recognizing these outstanding individuals in February.The categories and winners are as follows: Alumni of the Year: Bianca Chavez Baker, Owner of Chrissa Services, an independent insurance agency; Don M. Lorton Community Servant of the Year: JoKari Pugh, production coordinator at Mars Wrigley and vice president of the 100 Black Men of Bradley County; and Educator of the Year: Brittany Cannon, director of PIE Innovation Center at Bradley County Schools.The Community First Awards will be featured at An Evening with Jim McCloughan on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the Wacker Commons of the Partners in Industry and Education (PIE) Innovation Center in Cleveland.Presented by Builtwell Banking, the event will include a reception, dinner, recognition of award winners and interview with Medal of Honor recipient, Jim McCloughan.Tickets are available through the Cleveland State website, mycs.cc/eveningwith. All proceeds from the event go to the Cleveland State Foundation, which provides support for the college and hundreds of scholarships to students each year.For more information, visit mycs.cc/eveningwith, call 423-614-8700 or email lee.mcchesney@clevelandstatecc.edu. Lee Universitys Dr. Thaddeus McRae will kick off the spring session of the Cleveland Bradley County Public Librarys Sassy Science Series with a talk titled Tennessee Orchids, Lichens, Fungi and Trees: The Ecology of Mutualisms. The program will take place on Tuesday at noon. The event is the first of five science sessions scheduled for spring. Programs will be held on the second Tuesday of each month and will feature a different Lee University professor presenting on a scientific topic. Dr. McRaes presentation will include a 40-minute talk followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session. He will explore surprising examples of cooperation in nature, from orchids and fungi to the microbes in the human body. Drawing on examples from East Tennessee and beyond, McRae will examine mutualisms relationships in which all participants benefit and how these partnerships reveal lessons about interdependence, resilience, and what it means to be human. Dr. McRae is a professor of biology at Lee and joined the universitys Department of Natural Sciences in 2017. A broadly trained biologist with expertise in ecology, he has authored multiple publications, received media coverage for his research, and mentored undergraduate researchers on projects ranging from community ecology to animal behavior. He earned his doctorate from the University of Miami and his bachelors degree from Cornerstone University. Were excited to welcome Dr. McRae back to launch the spring Sassy Science Series, said Kathy Davini, adult programming coordinator at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library. This series is designed to make science engaging and accessible, and our partnership with Lee University allows us to offer high-quality programs to the community. All sessions are free and open to the public and will be held in the Flex Room of the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library, located at the corner of Church Street and 8th Street. For more information, visit clevelandlibrary.org. PHOTO: Dr. Thaddeus McRae is pictured during a fall session of the Cleveland Bradley County Public Librarys Sassy Science Series. He is the opening speaker for the spring series taking place January 13. String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will reunite clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Gloria Chien to bring Brahms late-style sonatas to life. The concert, titled Brahms Clarinet Sonatas, will take place Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga. The performance will include Brahms Clarinet Sonatas No. 1 in F Minor and No. 2 in E-flat Major. Brahms Clarinet Sonatas No. 1 and No. 2 are among the most monumental works in the repertoire, said Dr. Chien, founder and artistic director of String Theory. Written after Brahms was inspired by the clarinetist Richard Muhlfeld, these sonatas reveal his sublime lyricism, profound humanity, and extraordinary sense of musical dialogue. Bringing these works to life together makes this performance a truly momentous artistic event. Mr. McGill, praised for his trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character by The New York Times, serves as principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic and enjoys a dynamic solo and chamber music career. Mr. McGill is the 2024 Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year and recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize. He appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and the Chicago and Detroit symphonies. He has also released acclaimed recordings with the Pacifica Quartet, pianist Chien, and performed at President Barack Obamas 2009 inauguration. Mr. McGill is a faculty member at Juilliard and Curtis, where he directs the Music Advancement Program focused on young musicians from underrepresented communities. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, a board member of Cedille Records and the Harmony Program, and an advisor to several youth initiatives. Dr. Chien is a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard. She was subsequently selected by The Boston Globe as one of its superior pianists of the year, who appears to excel in everything. In recent seasons, she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Phillips Collection, the Dresden Chamber Music Festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2010, Dr. Chien was appointed director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, a position she held for the next decade. In 2017, she joined her husband, violinist Soovin Kim, as artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The duo became artistic directors at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon, in 2020. Most recently, she released two albums - her Gloria Chien LIVE from the Music@Menlo and Here With You with McGill on Cedille Records. Dr. Chien also studied extensively at the New England Conservatory of Music with Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. She is an artist-in-residence at Lee University. Prior to the concert, Pregame with Bob will take place at 5:45 p.m., in which Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Music Director Emeritus Bob Bernhardt will discuss the evenings program, giving an in-depth look at the featured composers and works, including interviews with the artists. String Theory was founded in 2009 by Dr. Chien to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers. This concert was generously sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission. Tickets for the Tuesday evening performance are available until January 20 and are $54 for non-members, $42 for Hunter members, and $10 for students and music teachers with ID. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit stringtheorymusic.org, contact info@stringtheorymusic.org, or call (423) 414-2525. Since Shadys Corner opened a couple years ago, the neighborhood residents, the mosque next door and the community surrounding the bar at 1402 Cemetery Ave. have had to deal with problems caused by the bar and its customers. The bar was allowed to be built next door to the Islamic Center Mosque because a new zoning designation in the city permits it. The disturbances and crimes have spread to other bars and parking lots nearby in the Jefferson Heights neighborhood, members of the city Beer Board were told Thursday. One of those businesses is Cabanas, a nightclub and event center at 188 Rossville Ave. As the complaints continued at a previous board meeting on Nov. 6, the board asked Sgt. David Cowan to make another visit to area bars where complaints have originated. Those businesses are Shadys Corner, Cabana and Lets Paint. During that requested bar check, Sgt. Cowan said he discovered that Cabanas was selling beer without a city license. A permit from Chattanooga is required for beer sales and must be renewed every year. Chuy Esquivel represented the bar at the beer board meeting saying he was 50 percent owner. He told the board he had trouble renewing the permit on his phone, but continued selling beer anyway. The sales did not stop until the bar check was done by Sgt. Cowan in November. For five months of 2025 the violation of the city beer code continued, even though Mr. Esquivel knew it needed to be renewed, it was stated. The beer board also noted that Chuy Esquivel, the man representing the bar as the owner at the meeting, was different than the name of the owner in the citys documents. The beer boards hearing officer heard the violation on Dec. 18 and gave the business a $500 civil penalty. The next step is for the beer board to either sustain or reject that recommendation, or to create a different penalty they feel is appropriate. On Thursday, the board did not affirm the hearing officers recommendation, but increased it to $1,000, the maximum allowed that must be paid within seven days. And the bar was left with an additional problem - the discrepancy in ownership will also need to be straightened out. In other discussion, Board Member Zack Atchley told the board that there is an avenue to handle all the nuisance complaints that are mounting about Shadys Corner. He said that 10 or more citizens can join to bring an action against a public nuisance. Although it is not the beer boards place to offer legal advice, said Assistant City Attorney Kathryn McDonald, Mr. Atchley would be allowed to reach out to the Islamic Center as a private citizen. The North River Civic Center Concert Series "In the Heart of Hixson" invites the public to attend a free concert by the Sweet Georgia Sound ensemble on Friday, Jan. 16 from 7-8 p.m. at the North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr., Suite 102 in Hixson.This musical series invites local musicians and bands to perform monthly for residents in Hamilton County and the Chattanooga metropolitan areas."Sweet Georgia Sound, Chattanoogas renowned big band, will bring an evening of classic big band and jazz-inspired music to the community, offering residents and visitors an opportunity to experience live music in an accessible and welcoming setting," officials said."This event is made possible through collaboration with the City of Chattanooga Department of Community Development and the Tennessee Arts Commission, whose support helps expand access to the arts across communities throughout the state."For more information about the concert or the North River Civic Center, call 423-643-7010. Pharan Miller Kyle Fuller Evan Sharber Previous Next Miller & Martin PLLC announced the election and promotion of attorneys Pharan Evans, Kyle Fuller and Evan Sharber to membership in the law firm effective January 2026. The firm is proud to promote Pharan, Kyle and Evan to membership. They are all highly skilled and hard-working lawyers who provide excellent service to our clients, said Firm Chairman Scott Parrish. I fully expect that they will be future leaders at Miller & Martin. Ms. Evans is an intellectual property and technology attorney in the Atlanta office whose practice focuses on providing strategic advice and counseling to clients on a variety of intellectual property and technology-related matters, including domestic and international intellectual property portfolio development, preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications, intellectual property enforcement and litigation strategy, technology development and licensing, data privacy, artificial intelligence, marketing and advertising, and intellectual property issues in corporate deals. She has represented clients of all sizes from small startups to universities to private and public organizations. She has experience with a variety of technical areas including mechanical, electrical, chemical, and computer technologies. Prior to rejoining Miller & Martin in 2023, Ms. Evans served as general counsel for an international consumer products manufacturer in which she advised corporate leadership regarding a variety of corporate and intellectual property matters, including a multi-million-dollar acquisition by a public company. She serves on the Boards of Women in Technology and Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance. Ms. Evans holds a law degree from Georgia State University School of Law and an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Fuller is a commercial real estate attorney in the Nashville office and concentrates his practice on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including high-volume commercial leasing matters ranging from industrial, office, and retail, as well as acquisitions and dispositions within the same industries. In addition to representing commercial real estate owners and developers, Mr. Fuller has represented hospitals, health systems and healthcare investors providing counsel on healthcare real estate in the context of the regulatory overlay that governs healthcare real estate transactions, namely the federal Anti-kickback Statute and the Stark Law. He has also represented one of the worlds largest wireless telecommunications companies on matters involving real estate and land use issues. Mr. Fuller holds a law degree from Regent University Law School and an undergraduate degree from Tennessee Technological University. Mr. Sharber is a commercial real estate attorney in the Chattanooga office who advises clients on their real estate acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, development, and financing transactions. He guides clients through all phases of the transaction process, from contract negotiation through due diligence and title examination to closing and post-closing matters. Mr. Sharber regularly assists clients with title and survey matters, including easements and restrictive covenants. He works on loan documents and legal opinions and represents landlords and tenants in documenting commercial lease agreements. He has experience with various property types, including retail, industrial, office, mixed-use developments, multifamily, senior housing, and mobile home parks. Prior to starting his legal career, Mr. Sharber worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Bob Corker. He now serves on the board of Compassion Community Care Center and is a member of Leadership Chattanoogas current class of 2026. Mr. Sharber holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and an undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University. The War and Treaty brings blend of country and soul to Hard Rock April 11 Chinese authorities use a large crane to remove the cross steeple from a church. | Photo credit: ChinaAid official website A watchdog group is urging international attention as Chinese authorities reportedly move to dismantle or destroy a major church in Wenzhou, China. According to information shared with ChinaAid, hundreds of armed police were deployed Monday to surround Yayang Christian Church after authorities allegedly dispersed or detained local Christians and barred bystanders from filming events near the site. Witnesses told the U.S.-based nonprofit that cranes, bulldozers, and other heavy machinery were positioned outside the church, creating what the group described as an extremely tense environment. While officials have not publicly stated their plans, observers fear authorities may remove the churchs prominent cross or demolish the building altogether. Believers are facing intimidation, isolation, and the imminent threat of violent enforcement. This unfolding siege represents a serious escalation in the CCP's systematic campaign of religious persecution under the policy of so-called 'Sinicization of religion,' ChinaAid said in a press release, referencing the governments effort to bring religious life under state control. A photo shared Tuesday on X by ChinaAid founder Bob Fu appeared to show scaffolding erected around the churchs cross. Fu alleged that part of the church building is being destroyed forcefully by the CCP [government]. The mobilization of hundreds of armed police and heavy demolition equipment against a peaceful Christian church is not law enforcement it is state-sponsored religious persecution. Wenzhou, long known as 'China's Jerusalem,' is once again under siege, Fu said in a statement. History has shown repeatedly that no regime can extinguish faith through force. If the world remains silent at this critical moment, it will only embolden the CCP to destroy more churches and trample fundamental human dignity, he added. ChinaAids appeal follows reports issued weeks earlier alleging that more than 1,000 police officers, SWAT personnel, and paramilitary forces conducted coordinated crackdowns on at least 12 Christian congregations in Yayang Town. Local believers have resisted surveillance measures and demolition orders for more than a decade, dating back to a province-wide campaign in Zhejiang that began removing church crosses in 2014. Tensions escalated further last month when local church leaders Lin Enzhao, 58, and Lin Enci, 54, were detained and accused of being principal suspects of a criminal organization charged with picking quarrels and provoking trouble. Residents reported that online communication and information related to the crackdown were quickly censored. A job posting on the official website of Yakima Union Gospel Mission references ethics and practices rooted in the Christian faith. | Screenshot: Official website/ Yakima Union Gospel Mission A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Christian ministry seeking to preserve its ability to hire only employees who agree with and live out its religious beliefs, barring Washington state from applying a nondiscrimination law to the organizations faith-based hiring decisions. In a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit determined that Union Gospel Mission of Yakima may require employees to align with its religious convictions. The ministry filed suit against the state attorney general and the Washington State Human Rights Commission, arguing that the Washington Law Against Discrimination infringes on its First Amendment rights. That law bars employment discrimination on multiple grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Union Gospel maintained that enforcement could expose it to legal action because it requires staff to affirm and follow Christian beliefs and conduct, including abstaining from any sexual conduct outside of biblical marriage between one man and one woman. Under the ruling, Washington officials are prohibited from enforcing the law against Union Gospel only in matters related to hiring employees who share its religious beliefs, while all other provisions of the statute remain applicable to the ministry. The ministry was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, which welcomed the decision in a statement released Tuesday. Religious organizations shouldnt be punished for exercising their constitutionally protected freedom to hire employees who are aligned with and live out their shared religious beliefs, said ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus. Yakima Union Gospel Mission exists to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through its homeless shelter, addiction-recovery programs, outreach efforts, meal services, and health clinics, Galus added. The 9th Circuit correctly ruled that the First Amendment protects the missions freedom to hire fellow believers who share that calling. Tuesdays decision follows a legal battle that began in 2023. Although a federal district court initially dismissed the case, it later granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law against the ministry, a ruling the state appealed. By rejecting that appeal and upholding the lower courts injunction, the Ninth Circuit marked the latest chapter in the case. Union Gospel said it pursued litigation after the Washington Supreme Court narrowly interpreted the religious exemption in the nondiscrimination law as applying only to ministers, effectively requiring compliance when hiring non-ministerial staff. At the time, the ministry was seeking to fill more than 50 non-ministerial positions. In siding with Union Gospel, the appeals court relied on the Church Autonomy Doctrine, citing long-standing precedent that limits government involvement in internal religious decisions. The court noted that decades of case law establish that The First and Fourteenth Amendments permit hierarchical religious organizations to establish their own rules and regulations for internal discipline and government and that the Constitution requires that civil courts accept their decisions as binding upon them. If a religious organizations hiring of co-religionists for non-ministerial positions rests on its sincerely held religious beliefs, then the church autonomy doctrine forbids government interference with that hiring decision, the court stated in its opinion. Photo credit: Unsplash/ Brad Dodson A federal judge has rejected an effort by a progressive church-state watchdog organization to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an Internal Revenue Service rule that restricts political activity by churches. Last month, J. Campbell Barker, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, issued an order denying a motion from Americans United for Separation of Church and State to intervene in litigation seeking to overturn the Johnson Amendment. The underlying lawsuit was brought by the National Religious Broadcasters and other plaintiffs, who are challenging the amendments constitutionality. The Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954, conditions 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status on churches and other nonprofits refraining from endorsing political candidates, engaging in campaign activity, or fundraising for political campaigns. Americans United, which advocates for strict separation between government and religion, supports the amendment and sought to participate in the case as a defendant alongside the Internal Revenue Service. In his ruling, Barkerwho was appointed by Donald Trump and took office in 2019acknowledged that the court had allowed the group to submit an amicus brief and take part in oral arguments, but declined to grant it full party status. The court, he wrote, would not permit the group to intervene as a party. Allowing Americans United to intervene, Barker explained, would give it the ability to exercise of all procedural rights enjoyed by parties regarding discovery, dispositive motions, and trial. AUSCS is not a law-enforcement officer who is uniquely empowered to vindicate public wrongs without evidence of special harm, Barker wrote. AUSCS's asserted right to have the government act in accordance with the law is too generalized to be judicially cognizable for intervention purposes. The judge further questioned whether the organization shared a common legal defense with the federal government, stating that it is unclear whether AUSCS has a 'defense' in common with the defenses asserted by the government and that allowing intervention would deprive the original parties of control over their own lawsuit about a transaction that does not involve AUSCS. Barker also noted that any outcome in the case would not legally constrain the watchdog group in future litigation. Any final judgment that the court may enter would not bind AUSCS, legally or practically, in whatever litigation it may wish to pursue in the future, he wrote. Nor would any reasoning animating a final judgment here bind AUSCS, as district-court opinions have no precedential force even within their own district. The challenge to the Johnson Amendment was filed in 2024 by the National Religious Broadcasters along with Intercessors for America, Sand Springs Church, and First Baptist Church Waskom. The plaintiffs argue that the amendment unfairly targets churches and restricts their speech in violation of the Constitution. As the case has moved forward, enforcement policy has also shifted. The IRS announced in July 2025 that the federal government would not enforce the amendment against pastors and other religious leaders who endorse political candidates to their congregation. Home News 2 dead, at least 6 injured after fight breaks out during funeral at LDS meetinghouse Two people are now dead and at least six others were injured after a fight broke out during a memorial service at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday. A statement from LDS spokesman Sam Penrod, cited byABC 4, said the meeting house is now cooperating with local police and offered prayers for those impacted by the shooting. We are aware of a serious incident that occurred outside a meetinghouse ... in Salt Lake City tonight as a memorial service was being held in the chapel. The [LDS] Church is cooperating with law enforcement and is grateful for the efforts of first responders, Penrod said. Until more information is available, all questions about this incident are being directed to the Salt Lake City Police Department. We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind. Early Thursday morning, Salt Lake City Police confirmed the shooting in a statement in which they confirmed that at least three of the injured are in critical condition and the suspects involved in the shooting are on the run. Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Glen Mills told the Salt Lake Tribune that the shooting occurred at the Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse, and the initial call about the shooting was received about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd further told the publication that all eight people were shot outside the meetinghouse, and he did not believe the shooting was a random attack or targeted attack against the faith. We are following all leads, said Redd, who noted that no one had yet been arrested for the shooting. Our officers are working hard, and we will work until we bring these individuals to justice. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also offered condolences to the victims of the shooting and pledged to bring the suspects to justice. I want to express my deepest condolences to the victims of tonights shooting. This tragedy never should have happened, but the fact that it happened outside a place of worship during a celebration of life is especially heartbreaking, Mendenhall said in a statement. Ive been in constant contact with our police department leadership throughout the evening and have full faith that their investigation will bring the suspects to justice. Im grateful for the swift response of our 911 dispatchers, police, and fire personnel, as well as the support of multiple law enforcement agencies. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, urged prayers for the victims of such senseless violence and all the families of this church in a statement on X. Please contact local law enforcement if you have any information about the perpetrators, he said. A couple who reside at a nearby apartment complex, identified only as Kenna and Brennan, told NBC News affiliate KSL-TV that they heard four to five gunshots, then heard three more shots a bit later. He opened the door and heard crying, screaming, wailing, and he said somethings going on at the church over there, we need to go look, Kenna recalled her husband saying. Its so crazy. Ive lived here all my life and I knew this area was riddled with crime growing up. For it to happen so close now to where I live and where my wife [and I are], its terrifying, Brennan added. And sad to see that when families all get together for a funeral service that things can still go in that direction. The LDS religion is not a Protestant denomination and is viewed by many Christians as a cult. Home News Border Patrol agent shoots 2 suspected Tren de Aragua gang members in Portland An agent with the U.S. Border Patrol shot two people accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang when they allegedly tried to hit him with their car, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Friday morning. In a statement, the agency shared details on the apprehension of Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras in Portland, Oregon. Authorities say both Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras were in the U.S. illegally and were suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a major criminal syndicate based in Venezuela. Yesterday, two suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates let loose on American streets by Joe Biden weaponized their vehicle against Border Patrol in Portland. The agent took immediate action to defend himself and others, shooting them, stated DHS. Moncada, the driver of the car, illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration," the statement adds. Later, he was arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle and has a final order of removal. DHS said Zambrano-Contreras, the passenger, illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 near El Paso, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration. Since she came to the United States, the government says Contreras played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland. After they were shot, the two were taken to local hospitals for treatment, with additional information on their respective conditions still pending, reports Oregon Public Broadcasting. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident, according to OPB, stating that two Border Patrol agents were involved and investigating it as an assault on a federal officer. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the shooting of the two individuals, calling it another deeply troubling incident. Wilson called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt their operations in the city pending a full investigation into the incident, and expressed gratitude to our first responders for their support of the victims. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences, stated Wilson. Federal militarization undermines effective, communitybased public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. I will use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents' civil and human rights. The Portland shooting comes one day after an unnamed ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good while she was behind the wheel of an SUV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trump administration officials say the officer acted in self-defense and accuse Good of trying to run over the agent. Critics have argued that Good was simply trying to pull away from the ICE personnel around her. Both incidents are tied to broader efforts on the part of federal authorities to capture and deport individuals who reside in the United States illegally, including violent criminals. Home News 4 things to know about William 'Julia' DeFoor, suspect charged with vandalizing JD Vance's home An Ohio man faces up to 30 years in prison after he was charged with vandalizing the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance. Federal prosecutors charged 26-year-old William D. DeFoor on Monday with damaging government property, engaging in physical violence against any person or property in a restricted building or grounds, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers. Authorities say around midnight Jan. 5, U.S. Secret Service agents observed DeFoor armed with a hammer and running along the front fence of the protected home. The Vances were not in Ohio when the incident occurred. DeFoor allegedly breached the property line at the driveway and attempted to break the drivers side window of an unmarked federal law enforcement vehicle blocking the driveway entrance, according to a U.S. Justice Department statement. When DeFoor allegedly refused law enforcement commands to drop his weapon, prosecutors say he broke 14 glass panels at the front of the home with the hammer, causing damage to protective windows owned by the U.S. government and valued at over $28,000 each. He then tried fleeing the scene, but was detained by Secret Service agents. In a court appearance on Tuesday, a judge set DeFoors bond at $11,000. To provide further context, here are four things to know about the suspect. Home News 5 things to know about Greenland, why Trump wants to acquire it for the US The suggestion that the United States should take control of Greenland has received renewed attention following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro by American military forces last weekend. Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, posted a picture on her X account last Saturday featuring a picture of Greenland emblazoned with the colors of the American flag, accompanied by a caption reading SOON. In a statement to CNN Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States and its vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. Leavitt added, The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chiefs disposal. Trump reiterated his reasoning for taking control of Greenland in comments to reporters on Air Force One last Sunday: 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. Here are five things to know about Greenland and U.S. efforts to take control of the territory. Home News Rep. Brandon Gill grills witnesses over staggering welfare stats among Somalis in Minnesota Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, grilled witnesses during a House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday about the staggering statistics of welfare among the Somali community in Minnesota. During the hearing that featured several Minnesota state lawmakers and addressed the allegations of widespread social services fraud in the state, Gill cited government statistics as he issued rapid-fire questions to Democrat witness Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor. "Does large-scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?" he asked, to which Ballou replied, "Certainly stronger." NEW: Rep. Brandon Gill shuts down witness Brendan Ballou with fact after fact after he claimed Somalis are "strengthening" Minnesota. Gill: "Does large-scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?" Ballou: "Certainly stronger." Gill: "Do you know what percentage pic.twitter.com/YdcbyMBh6R Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 7, 2026 Gill went on to interrogate Ballou regarding what percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on food stamps, a statistic Ballou did not know, but which Gill noted is 54%. "Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota-headed households?" Gill asked, before quickly noting it's only 7%. Ballou was also unaware what percentage of Somali households in Minnesota are on Medicaid, but Gill told him it's 73%, which he contrasted with 18% of non-Somali households. Regarding welfare, Gill said, 81% of Somali immigrant households in Minnesota are receiving it, and that 78% of them remain on welfare even after 10 years. Only about half of working-age Somali immigrants who have been in the U.S. for a decade or more "speak English very well," Gill also noted. "Doesn't sound like something that makes our country stronger to me. And I think most Americans would agree with me on that," Gill said. When Ballou attempted to explain that many of the Somali community in Minnesota were born in the U.S., Gill said, "Nevertheless, the welfare usage is astoundingly different." Gill's line of questioning drew an accusation of xenophobia from Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md. "Asking their opinion, 'What is your opinion of Somalians?' We might as well say, 'What is your opinion of Jews? What is your opinion of black people? What is your opinion of Latinos?'" Mfume said. During another point in the hearing, Gill asked Minnesota state Rep. Walter Hudson, a Republican, if the Somali population is "an important demographic for Democrats to win over politically." "Unquestionably," Hudson said, who also agreed with Gill's suggestion that turning a blind eye to fraud in Minnesota's Somali community came with "a political incentive" for the state's Democratic leaders. Fraud in Minnesota wasnt an accident. It overwhelmingly benefited Democrats, and the Walz administration covered it up. pic.twitter.com/I8V0sT9Yif Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) January 8, 2026 Minnesota and Minneapolis have been front-and-center in the national spotlight in recent weeks amid allegations of widespread fraud among its childcare centers, many of which are run by the Somali immigrant community. The story prompted special attention last month after independent journalist Nick Shirley went viral for a video in which he visited licensed daycare centers in the Minneapolis area that appeared vacant despite receiving millions in taxpayer funds such as $1.9 million to "Quality Learing [sic] Center," which has since closed. During a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt assured that the Trump administration is taking an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to tackle allegations of fraud in Minnesota and other states, and that prosecutors have already issued over 1,700 subpoenas. "When it comes to Minnesota, the fraud that we have seen, the wide scale of fraud, is really remarkable. It's egregious," she said, adding that the effort to combat fraud spans multiple departments of the federal government. "Rest assured, this is an all-hands-on-deck effort from the entire administration to get to the bottom of this and to ensure that the ripping off of taxpayers in the state of Minnesota and it won't just be Minnesota, it will be any state across this country where fraud has taken place, and we are protecting law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens," she said. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases, 85 of whom are of Somali descent and 64 of whom have been convicted. Tensions in Minneapolis boiled over Wednesday after Renee Good, 37, was shot and killed by an ICE agent after she allegedly attempted to run him over with her vehicle after obstructing traffic. Federal authorities have claimed that the shooting was self-defense, while state officials have alleged that the unarmed Good was unjustly killed by the agent as she was trying to flee. Home News Fetal homicide charge against woman who aborted, buried her baby dismissed A circuit judge dismissed a fetal homicide charge against a Kentucky woman indicted earlier this week after she allegedly used abortion drugs to cause the death of "a developed male infant before burying the child in a shallow grave on her property. During a Wednesday hearing, the circuit judge dismissed the fetal homicide charge against Melinda Spencer, 35, who was indicted by a Wolf County grand jury on Tuesday, The Lexington Herald-Leader reports. Prosecutors requested the dismissal of the charge on the same day that the grand jury indicted Spencer on four charges: fetal homicide, concealing the birth of an infant, evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse. The three other charges remain, and Spencers next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2. Dismissal of the fetal homicide charge lowered Spencers cash bond from $100,000 to $2,500, according to the newspaper. In a statement this week announcing the dismissal of the fetal homicide charge, Miranda King the commonwealth's attorney for Breathitt, Powell and Wolfe counties cited a Kentucky statute that prohibits the prosecution of a pregnant woman who caused the death of her unborn child. Kentucky has a near-total ban on abortion, which went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Pregnant women in the state are not prosecuted for having abortions, as the statute cited in Kings statement KRS 507A.010(3) states: Nothing in this chapter shall apply to any acts of a pregnant woman that caused the death of her unborn child. I sought this job with the intention of being a pro-life prosecutor, but must do so within the boundaries allowed by the Kentucky State law Im sworn to defend, King stated. Im thankful for the investigative work of the Kentucky State Police on this case. I am also grateful to the dedicated citizens who served on the grand jury and thoroughly reviewed this case. Spencer was arrested on Dec. 31 after a United Clinic in Campton contacted the police to report that a woman had informed the staff that she had aborted her unborn child at her residence. During an interview with investigators, Spencer reportedly admitted that she ordered abortion drugs online to end her childs life before burying the remains on the backside of her property. Regarding the reason for the abortion, Spencer claimed that she didnt want her significant other to know that he was not the father of her child. After obtaining a search warrant, authorities discovered the remains of Spencers child near the 3700 block of Flat Mary Road, just as Spencer had described. According to court documents cited by Fox 56, investigators uncovered a white grocery sack in the grave. The childs remains were contained within a white rag inside a light bulb box covered in Christmas wrapping paper, according to an arrest citation cited by Fox 56. King will prosecute the remaining charges against Spencer, which include Abuse of a Corpse (Class D Felony), Tampering with Physical Evidence (Class D Felony) and Concealing the Birth of an Infant (Misdemeanor). Kenton County Commonwealths Attorney Rob Sanders commented on the initial fetal homicide charge and indictment against Spencer, as WKYT reports on Tuesday. While Sanders is not connected to the Wolfe County indictments, he noted that, as a pregnant woman, Spencer would be exempt due to the states laws. I am not aware of any law in Kentucky that would criminalize the acts of a pregnant woman to terminate her pregnancy, Sanders said. If the legislature wants women who terminate their pregnancies to be prosecuted, they need to amend the law. Home News Indiana church launches effort to raise $1 million to build new homeless shelter Impact Ministries, a church plant in Indiana, has announced plans to raise $1 million to build a new shelter for the local homeless population. Nicole Kolley, assistant director at the small but steadily growing congregation of nearly 50 people in Boonville, told The Christian Post that the church decided to do the fundraiser, launched earlier this week, because we see a very real need in our county. Affiliated with The Wesleyan Church, Impact Ministries was launched in October 2024, and Kolley said their "vision is to create a place that not only provides shelter, but also offers life skills support, encouragement and a path toward stability." Many individuals and families are facing homelessness, housing instability, or significant life challenges, she added. "We want to work handinhand with our community to meet these needs in a meaningful and lasting way. The funds raised will go toward purchasing land and building a facility, with the church envisioning donations from 2,000 people, each giving $500 to the project. Kolley told CP that she believes the homeless shelter will advance the Gospel by meeting both physical and spiritual needs of those who reside at the facility when it opens. Along with providing food and a safe place to stay, we hope to offer worship opportunities, Christianbased support, and a Christcentered environment where people can experience hope and transformation, Kolley said. We believe that lasting change happens through Christ, and we want this ministry to reflect His love in practical ways. The support weve already received from the community has been overwhelming and deeply encouraging. Kolley also told CP that the community's response is what has inspired us to take on a project of this scale, with the church planning to provide monthly updates on its progress. We believe [this project] can make a lasting difference in how our community responds to homelessness and those facing financial, emotional, or personal struggles, she added. Our desire is to walk alongside people, encourage them, and be a source of hope when they need it most." Home News NT Wright warns against unhealthy fascination with demons in modern Christianity Quick Summary AI Summary N.T. Wright warns against an 'unhealthy fascination' with demons in modern Christianity. Wright emphasizes the need to recognize spiritual evil without becoming obsessed. He cautions against framing spiritual evil as an equal force to God. 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 public ministry of Jesus didn't create demonic activity, but it did expose it, theologian and New Testament scholar N.T. Wright said during a recent episode of "Ask Me Anything," cautioning Christians against both the denial of spiritual evil and the unhealthy fixation on it. Responding to a question about whether Jesus arrival triggered an apparent surge of demonic activity in the New Testament, the 77-year-old British author said the Gospels portray Jesus proclamation of Gods Kingdom as a moment when hidden spiritual forces were suddenly confronted. When Jesus comes into Galilee and starts saying, The Kingdom of God is at hand, its as though suddenly all the furniture starts flying around the room, Wright said, pointing to Gospel accounts of public confrontations and exorcisms. The dark powers realize, if He does everything that He looks as if Hes going to do, then were in deep trouble. Wright, one of the worlds leading biblical scholars and a former Anglican bishop, said demonic forces were not absent before Jesus birth, nor were they unknown in first century Judaism. Rather, Jesus arrival forced those powers into the open. Most serious practicing Jews at the time would have known that you could pray for deliverance, that you could exorcize if somebody was seriously afflicted, Wright said, noting references in Jewish literature and Jesus own acknowledgment that exorcists already existed in the community. In the Gospels, Jesus opponents accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, a charge the Surprised by Hope author said only makes sense in a cultural context where spiritual affliction was already recognized. At that point, the dark forces, seeing that the Kingdom of God is being announced, realize theyre going to be in serious trouble, Wright said. And the answer is yes, they are. At the same time, Wright warned against framing spiritual evil as an equal and opposing force to God, rejecting what he described as a dualistic worldview. We have to get away from any sense that there is God on one side of the page and Satan on the other, locked in endless struggle, he said. Thats not the biblical picture. Drawing on the Apostle Pauls discussion of idols and demons in 1 Corinthians, Wright said Scripture acknowledges the existence of non-human dark forces whose aim is to distort and degrade Gods good creation. The devil does this, Wright said, often through systems and behaviors that diminish human dignity. These forces are not the real gods, Wright said. But they seek to spoil Gods creation and pull it down. Wright contended that modern Western skepticism toward spiritual evil hasn't eliminated it, pointing to the large-scale horrors of the 20th century as evidence that evil can operate beyond the intentions of a few individuals. When whole populations are taken over by lies and commit serious wickedness as a result, you realize that the evil involved is more than the sum total of a handful of bad people at the top, he said. That recognition, Wright added, should not lead Christians into fear or fascination, nor into a desire for dramatic spiritual experiences. Its good to be alert to the spiritual texture of the world, he said. But theres always the danger of wanting to find the demonic under every stone. Wright expressed particular concern about teachings that encourage Christians to seek visions or become seers, calling such pursuits spiritually risky. That just colludes with a sense of dark fascination which we ought to avoid like the plague, he said. Drawing from his own experience as a bishop, Wright acknowledged that some ministers are called to deal directly with severe spiritual affliction. There were times when people had to go into a parish or a house and say special prayers to deal with what seemed to be something like an infestation, he said. Some Christian ministers really do have a God-given gift of discernment. But those who engage in such work, Wright said, describe it not as dramatic or glamorous, but as exhausting and deeply unsettling. One of them said, Its like cleaning out toilets, Wright recalled. Its a messy, murky world involving poor human beings trapped in destructive patterns. In His death and resurrection, Jesus has won the victory over these powers, he said, citing 1 Corinthians 15. We live between the initial victory and the final victory. Jesus goes into the very heart of darkness in order to defeat it, Wright said. And the resurrection declares: its done. Its finished. Wright concluded that while evil and wickedness persist, the Churchs calling is to be a faithful witness to the Kingdom already inaugurated by Christ. There is a kind of acceleration and publicness about the demonic activity once Jesus starts announcing the Kingdom, but in the practice of the Church throughout the years, the Church has basically known strange things happen, and some people have to be trained to deal with them wisely and not superstitiously, and not grandiosely, he said. A 2025 study from Gallup found that nearly half of U.S. adults, 48%, believe in psychic or spiritual healing. Slightly fewer, 39%, express a belief in ghosts, while between 24% and 29% say they believe in six other supernatural phenomena, including telepathy, communication with the dead, clairvoyance, astrology, reincarnation and witches. In a 2025 interview with The Christian Post, Wright shared how the concept of "spiritual warfare has been badly distorted in popular Christianity. Ephesians 6 famously exhorts believers to put on the "armor of God," but Wright places that passage alongside Ephesians 1 and 2, which say believers are already "seated in the heavenly places in Christ." "The heavenly places [are] where the battle is going on right now," he said. "God has won the battle in Jesus." The armor, he notes, is almost entirely defensive, "apart from the sword of the Spirit." "Paul, like Jesus Himself, says our battle is not against flesh and blood. If you think you can fight this battle by fighting particular people or groups of people or ethnic groups, then that itself becomes part of the demonic problem, rather than the Christian solution." Wright warned against subscribing to either extreme: theological skepticism that dismisses spiritual evil entirely and what he calls the tendency to see demons "behind every bush." "As C.S. Lewis said in The Screwtape Letters, 'There's two equal and opposite errors. On the one hand, people who say that that's all just medieval mumbo-jumbo. On the other hand, people who see demons behind every bush,'" he said. During his tenure as bishop of Durham, Wright said he supervised a discreet deliverance ministry that dealt with genuine cases of spiritual disturbance. "They would pray with them and do what you could carefully call an exorcism," he said. "It's just very nasty, dirty, messy and you end up feeling desperately sorry for people who are caught up in it." Home News Tucker Carlson tells Bryce Crawford porn addiction is greater threat than Islam, exposes US to conquest 'You've prepared the country to be taken over' Quick Summary AI Summary Tucker Carlson claims porn addiction poses a greater threat to the U.S. than radical Islam. Carlson argues that pornography weakens men and exposes the nation to conquest. He suggests that self-destructive sexual behavior undermines marriage and civilization. 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 Political commentator Tucker Carlson warned during a recent interview on a Christian podcast that rampant pornography addiction and the fetishes it produces pose a greater practical threat to the United States than radical Islam by weakening its men and ultimately exposing the nation to conquest. Speaking during an hour-long conversation with 22-year-old evangelist Bryce Crawford on the "Bryce Crawford Podcast," Carlson argued that the political debates in the U.S. often distract from deeper spiritual problems. "To make it Republican versus Democrat is completely false, and it also ignores the deeper truth, which is our problems start within us," he said. "And I honestly think that one of the biggest problems sorry to shock your viewers is pornography on the internet." Carlson pinpointed the increasingly popular "cuckoldry" fetish, which involves a husband consensually observing his wife engaging in sexual activity with another man, as an especially pernicious perversion that effectively emasculates those who enjoy it while undermining marriage and civilization. "I'm talking about a specific thing, which is 'Hey, sleep with my wife pornography,' which is pushed by the pornography companies," said Carlson, who added he believes porn sites are monitored by government intelligence agencies for blackmail purposes. Noting that men are hard-wired to protect their wives from other men, and that every other institution emerges from that basic impulse, Carlson warned that chipping away at such an instinct endangers the entire culture. "So if the point of pornography is to convince you it's OK for some random guy to sleep with your wife, and millions of American men believe that, or in their deepest secret thoughts are turned on by it, you've prepared the country to be taken over. Because you have made the men not men anymore." Carlson went on to suggest self-destructive sexual depravity is a result of "the last 80 years of prosperity," which he said "has driven Americans and the West in general so far from what is fundamentally true." "The most fundamental truth about marriage is, it's your job to make sure other men don't get to sleep with your wife. That's number one," he said. "And pornography, more than any other thing, I am convinced, has subverted that. And it should be banned immediately, and the people who put it on the internet should be in jail." Carlson said cuckoldry is worse than straightforward adultery and engenders a weak, twisted mindset that has wide-ranging implications for the nation. "What I'm talking about is something way darker, which is: wife sleeps with some random guy, a stranger, and husband approves. That is true subversion. Encouraging your wife to sleep with another man? You are emasculated on the deepest possible level, and elements of our society and particularly pornography do encourage that." "And the rise in it is really noticeable, and occasionally, there will be a scandal about it; and it's really way deeper than sex. Nobody talks about it [...], but this is not private. This has an effect on the nation itself and on its men, who are supposed to be leading the nation, but aren't. And they're not leading their families, they're not leading the nation, and why is that? Well, this is one of the reasons." Carlson later asserted that the consequences of pornography, hookup apps and sites like OnlyFans, which allows users to make money by recording themselves sexually, pose a more immediate threat to the average American than radical Islam. "The real threat is, I don't know, OnlyFans, Tinder. I mean, these are threats to the civilization," he said. "And they're also just manifestations of deeper problems. It's not all OnlyFans' fault, but if you're turning 10 percent of the American female population into prostitutes, you need to be in jail right now." "That's what an invading army does, that's what the Ottomans did," he said, later adding, "Are the Muslims coming in here and turning our daughters into prostitutes? No, OnlyFans is doing that." Carlson has been increasingly outspoken about the cultural dangers of widespread pornography. During a viral tussle with British journalist Piers Morgan in November, Carlson questioned the "born-gay" theory of homosexuality, arguing that while he once believed it himself, he has since concluded that the skyrocketing rates of LGBT self-identification among young people is attributable in part to "propaganda and pornography." Studies have shown that porn-induced erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems have risen among young men to an unprecedented degree, and a 2016 Barna study found that porn addiction is rampant even among church-going Christians. The study, which was conducted in partnership with the Josh McDowell Ministry, found that 93% of pastors and 94% of youth pastors discern that porn is a bigger problem in churches than it was two decades ago, and that 57% of pastors and 64% of youth pastors have personally struggled with it, either currently or in the past. Of the pastors who were still using porn, 87% said they felt great shame about it, and 55% said they live in constant fear of their addiction being exposed. Seventy percent of the youth pastors who participated in the study said they have had at least one teenager come to them for help with porn addiction within the past year. The majority who sought help were high school or middle school boys, though many said porn addiction is also becoming a growing problem for girls. Home News Teachers' union sues Texas over investigation into educators' reactions to Charlie Kirk shooting Texas AFT slammed passage of religious curriculum in Texas schools, advocated for First Amendment 'right to be free of religion' Quick Summary AI Summary Texas AFT sues the Texas Education Agency over investigations into teachers' comments on Charlie Kirk's shooting. The lawsuit claims the investigations violate teachers' First Amendment rights. As of Jan. 5, the TEA is investigating 95 complaints related to teachers' reactions to the shooting. 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 A Texas teachers' union that lobbied against state laws allowing religious curriculum in public schools says a new investigation into several teachers comments responding to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk violates their First Amendment rights. Texas AFT (American Federation of Teachers) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Commissioner Mike Morath over what it describes as the TEAs unlawful investigations into remarks from several teachers across the Lone Star State in response to Kirks assassination at Utah Valley University last September. According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Austin, after Morath urged school districts to report reprehensible and inappropriate content related to Kirks killing, he sent a Sept. 12 letter to district superintendents in which he announced plans to refer all documentation of educators that have proliferated such vile content to TEA investigators. In the letter, Morath stated that he would assess whether the content violated the Texas Educators Code of Ethics and warranted disciplinary action. In addition to asking the court to compel Morath to retract his directive instructing school leaders to report any instances of inappropriate content about Kirks death on teachers social media accounts, Texas AFT wants the court to order Morath to issue revised guidance clarifying to superintendents that districts are not required to report such speech to the state if it qualifies as legally protected. As of Jan. 5, the TEA reported it was actively investigating 95 complaints related to teachers' reactions to the Kirk shooting, according to NBC affiliate KXAN-TV. Kirk, who was 31 years old, was fatally shot in the neck Sept. 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, shortly after a member of the audience asked him about mass shootings by transgender-identifying individuals. In the wake of Kirk's death, students and teachers from across the nation have faced backlash for mocking the assassination, including a student who was expelled from Texas State University for mimicking Kirk's fatal shot. Several U.S. companies also fired employees for mocking or otherwise supporting Kirk's assassination. In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said the legal action is a response to politicians and bureaucrats [who] think it is good for their careers to trample on educators free speech rights. They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers, said Capo. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that theyll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking. Educators dont give up their constitutional rights when they get their first teaching job. We look forward to defending our members and making our case in court. AFT President Randi Weingarten called Moraths actions a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they thought were private comments to friends and family. You dont lose your constitutional rights when you decide to become a teacher, said Weingarten. The Constitution, for it to have any meaning at all, has to work for all Americans, not just some. Teachers pour their heart and soul into their work with kids. They should be judged on that work, not some culture war that exploits horrific violence for political ends. While a vocal advocate for teachers First Amendment rights, Texas AFT lobbied against the passage of SB 10 and SB 11, two laws passed last year that require a mandatory display of the Ten Commandments and an optional daily prayer or religious study period, respectively, in public schools. Following the passage of SB 10 last August, Texas AFT issued a statement critical of what the union said was an unprecedented amount of legislation that infringes on students and educators right to be free of religion in our public schools. While supporters view this as a reinforcement of religious freedom, opponents raise concerns about potential peer pressure and the blurring of lines between church and state in public education the union argued. Rather than improving learning and working conditions, SB 10 and SB 11 will result in the alienation of students and educators alike. Our schools should be a welcoming place for all, free from government-sponsored and government-imposed religion." Texas AFT did not immediately respond to CP's request for comment as of Wednesday afternoon. Billed as one of Texas largest teacher unions, Texas AFT boasts 66,000 members statewide, consisting of K-12 and community college educators, support staff, and retired members. Understanding Venezuela, Maduro, And Trump's Big Move: Inside The History Of U.S.-Led Regime Changes link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 13:04 13:04 In this episode of "The Inside Story," Billy Hallowell is joined by Michael Gryboski of The Christian Post to unpack the explosive U.S. operation targeting former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and the global controversy surrounding it. Plus, they discuss other past U.S.-led regime changes. From power shifts in Iran, Guatemala, and Haiti to the issues unfolding in Venezuela today, the conversation explores why these interventions spark celebration for some and outrage for others. The interview tackles issues surrounding power, sovereignty, justice, and why history reminds us that no political solution can fully cure the problem of evil. Read more about the topic here. Home Opinion Mainstream media ICE shooting commentary is manipulating you The commentary around the ICE shooting reminds me of 2020 when I posted on my Facebook account a bunch of statistics surrounding black Americans post-George Floyd. A black woman told me, I hope you have that same energy when you get shot by a cop. My first thought was, thats not likely because Im not a criminal. Im not breaking laws on a regular basis nor am I consuming illegal substances like drugs. I dont place myself in situations where cops are called and I sure as hell dont involve myself in official police business. The reason the commentary reminds me of this dialogue is because people are pretending that this shooting is a likely outcome for any American. But it isnt. Its incredibly far-fetched to act as if these men are walking around looking to shoot some rando driving a car. But it becomes believable if your entire concept of ICE is that everything theyre doing is at random. What has bothered me is that even normies think ICE is going door-to-door looking for people who appear illegal. Theyve consumed media that has convinced them that there are these immigration cowboys running around the country ready to terrorize your neighborhood. They have no clue about how ICE operates, and what their primary objectives are. Even more so, most people live a life of comfort and never see the underbelly of what ICE and other law enforcement officials see. ICE is at the forefront of stopping human trafficking, including children being trafficked. The men and women they are deporting range from being criminals in their homeland to criminals domestically. Nothing about their activities is random; they are highly targeted apprehensions. They are a limited enforcement arm and it would be objectively stupid and unproductive to operate randomly. They know where to find specific people because many have already been to immigration court and have deportation orders. They have their addresses and know who they associate with. Some have committed crimes here and so they have this information already. But when you understand that these men and women arent running around like headless chickens searching for brown people to deport, and that theyre highly trained officers, it makes more sense as to why you shouldnt fear being wrongfully deported or shot by them. If you were attempting to impede any investigation or apprehension of any law enforcement arm, youd be entering a dangerous territory that could lead to your arrest. Or in simple terms, dont mess around with people who have guns and authority. So to the woman who said for me to have the same energy, I wont need to because I dont play foolish games with people with guns and authority. I also dont attract attention by doing illegal things. Overwhelmingly, criminals are the ones who get shot by cops and criminals are the ones who shoot at cops as well. Likewise, none of you should be concerned about being deported unless you arent here legally. You shouldnt be concerned about being shot by ICE unless you are provoking a response from them by interfering with their work. When you live in their reality of today may be your last day, you dont play around with unruly people. Giving the benefit of the doubt to people can get you killed in a uniform. This is why ICE officers wear armor and masks. They face death threats and attempts on a consistent basis now that their jobs have been politicized. So, any person who is telling you to live with fear of an unlikely outcome, know they are attempting to manipulate you for some form of gain. There is a lot of that happening today; stay vigilant and protect your soul. Originally published at Speaking Wrong at the Right Time. Home Opinion The Gospel that wont fit in a coffin It is a grievous thing that the Gospel of the Bible has been shrunken down into a man-sized pine box prepared for burial The Gospel is not just a tiny message to get humans ready for their coming death. Our churches are not just here to get people saved Rev. Cary Gordon. Modern evangelicalism treats the Gospel like something fragile something small enough to tuck into a pocket, safe enough to never disrupt the world, modest enough to stay politely in its lane. It is as though the Church has embalmed the message of Christ and placed it gently in a pine box, preparing it for burial. As long as souls are saved, we are told, nothing else really matters. But that is not the Gospel Jesus preached. And it is certainly not the Gospel of the Kingdom. Before we can expose the counterfeit gospel promoted by the Social Justice Movement, we must recover the real one the thunderous, world-reordering announcement Scripture calls good news. What the Gospel actually says Paul, in the plainest summary of the Gospel, declares: Christ died for our sins He was buried He rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15:16). Isaiah reveals why: He was wounded for our transgressions the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:56). And Paul clarifies the result: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). From these texts, three truths rise like pillars: 1. Christ died for our sins. 2. Those who trust Him become the righteousness of God. 3. The One oppressed in the Gospel story is Christ, not us. These are not small truths. They are the spine of the true Gospel. And they expose precisely where the modern social justice gospel collapses. The social justice gospel replaces the victim Social justice divides humanity into neat categories of oppressor and oppressed. Race, sexuality, wealth, immigration status these form the new priesthood of identity, the new system of righteousness and transgression. But Scripture knows only one truly oppressed figure in the redemptive story: Jesus Christ. He alone was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, scourged, mocked, and crucified. He alone bore the wrath of God. He alone entered into the horror of divine justice as our substitute. He alone carried sins not His own. The Gospel does not teach that humanity is primarily oppressed. It teaches that humanity is primarily the oppressor. We are not victims needing liberation from difficult circumstances we are rebels needing rescue from the just consequences of our own sin. The social justice gospel reverses this: humanity becomes innocent; structures become sinful; Christ becomes a mascot of activism rather than the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Without a biblical doctrine of sin, justice is impossible and the cross becomes unintelligible. The social justice gospel cannot forgive Forgiveness is the first lesson of the Christian life. God forgave us infinitely more than we could ever forgive others. The gospel produces a people who extend mercy because they have received mercy. But the social justice framework cannot forgive. Its entire engine runs on grievance. Its logic demands recompense, not repentance. Reparations, not reconciliation. Punishment of the privileged, not pardon of the guilty. Jesus parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:2135) exposes the tragedy. The forgiven man demands payment; the social justice warrior demands reparations. Both reveal hearts unchanged by grace. A Gospel without forgiveness is no gospel at all it is a closed fist disguised as righteousness. A gospel too small for a King Jesus spoke of the gospel of the Kingdom (Matt. 24:14), not a private, disembodied salvation experience detached from earth. The King has come. The King has died. The King has risen. And the King is returning. The message is not merely, Prepare for death. It is, Prepare for the King. This Kingdom has laws, responsibilities, ambassadors, and authority. It speaks to nations, rulers, cultures, families, economies, and governments. It calls all men everywhere to repent. Two modern errors fight against this reality: 1. The social justice warrior Engaged politically but with a different gospel. They invoke Kingdom language but import Marxist definitions. They cry justice but reject Gods Law. They wield Jesus name but twist His mission. 2. The pietist Doctrinally sound on salvation but functionally absent from the world. They criticize the Left for politicizing the faith while treating their own political disengagement as piety. In refusing to influence the world, they leave the field open for the very ideologies they lament. One embraces a false gospel. The other hides the true one. Both abandon the gospel of the Kingdom. The King has ambassadors Paul writes: We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). Ambassadors do not hide. They do not retreat. They do not cower behind church walls and wait for Heaven. Ambassadors proclaim. They warn. They plead. They announce the terms of peace from a risen King. Jesus first sermon was clear: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17). The Kingdom comes with a call to repentance, a summons to righteousness, and a warning of judgment. It demands loyalty, obedience, and public allegiance to Christ. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom bigger than salvation alone, bigger than politics alone, big enough to shake nations and resurrect civilizations. If the Church recovers this Gospel If the church once again preaches Christ the King if she calls men to repentance if she refuses to bow to Marxist definitions of justice if she refuses to hide behind pietistic passivity then social justice ideologies will crumble, not by clever arguments but under the weight of a resurrected King whose Kingdom cannot be shaken. The Gospel of the Kingdom is not a message waiting for burial. It is a message waiting for proclamation. Proclaim it to your family. Proclaim it to your coworkers. Proclaim it in the public square. Proclaim it in the halls of government. Proclaim it until the King returns. And then hear the only words that matter: Well done, good and faithful servant. Ringleader of cross-border gambling, fraud syndicate extradited from Cambodia to China Xinhua) 09:18, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chen Zhi, the ringleader of a major cross-border gambling and fraud criminal syndicate, has been extradited from Cambodia to China, China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Thursday. Chen, a Chinese national, was successfully extradited on Wednesday with the support and cooperation of Cambodian authorities, marking yet another significant milestone in law enforcement collaboration between the two countries, according to the MPS. It said that Chen's criminal group is suspected of engaging in a variety of crimes, including the operation of gambling dens, fraud, illegal business operations, and the concealment and disguise of the proceeds of these crimes. Chen has been placed under compulsory measures in accordance with the law, and the relevant cases are under further investigation. An MPS official said that the ministry will issue a wanted notice for an initial number of key members of Chen's criminal group in the near future, voicing determination to hunt down and apprehend all fugitives involved. The MPS also issued a stern warning to the criminals, urging them to halt their criminal activities before it's too late, and to surrender immediately and seek lenient treatment. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) One of the Waqf Fund's investment projects, an office building in Greater Manchester The humanitarian charity, Human Appeal, has launched a new subsidiary called the Waqf Fund in an effort to increase long-term charitable funds for its projects worldwide. Waqf is an Islamic endowment that involves the permanent transfer of wealth for a charitable purpose and is a common form of good deed recommended in Sunnah Islamic teachings. In its announcement, Human Appeal said the global value of waqf assets had been estimated at up to $1tn by the World Bank. Through the waqf model, donations are pooled into a central fund that is invested into assets that comply with halal and Sharia laws, such as property. The original capital of the donations is then preserved, and income derived from it will fund Human Appeals global development projects through the general waqf fund or specific categories which align with donors values, such as water and sanitation, education and healthcare. Waqf donations have an average annual return of 7% on donations, meaning that contributions compound over time through partial reinvestments. Income generated from each donation is allocated across the active initiatives for each sector, with a portion of the income being reinvested to grow the fund further, to increase its long-term impact. According to Human Appeal, its Waqf Fund will offer a flexible donation model that facilitates contributions of any size. Chief executive Mohamed Ashmawey said: The announcement of our new subsidiary, the Waqf Fund will support our goal of providing relief to the worlds most vulnerable communities. We look forward to the future of long-term donations and donor legacies as part of our charity work with the Waqf Fund." 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, Oxfam GB has announced that it will commission a review of its board processes following the controversial departure of its chief executive. Halima Begum, who was appointed Oxfam CEO in 2023, left the charity in December last year after a previous review into concerns about her leadership. The charity today announced a new review by a senior external lawyer to assess whether the board and trustees acted in line with their duties following Begums departure and if relevant, prior to that. The Times reported in December that Begum was forced to stand down by Oxfams board after it found serious issues with her decision-making and behaviour. Oxfam made more than 140 staff redundant last year in a bid to tackle a second consecutive operating deficit of over 20m, prompting protests led by trade union Unite involving the charitys very demoralised workforce. Soon after Begums dismissal, however, Oxfam trustee Balwant Singh said she had been subject to a carefully orchestrated and intentionally brutal retaliation and retribution in the national media. Despite some 70 staff members signing an open letter petitioning Oxfam to investigate Begums conduct, her lawyer told the Times that she would be taking legal action against the charity for defamatory and unfounded criticism. Prior to Begums departure, she had lodged a grievance complaint related to sexism, racism and bullying against former chair Charles Gurassa, who left Oxfam weeks before her. Scope of review Oxfam said its new review will be overseen by board members who are part of the charitys governance committee. But fact-finding will be made independently by the external lawyer, it added. The charity said it was committed to learning lessons from this process and that the review would help to establish an accurate picture of events. However, it said the new review would not revisit the charitys decision that trust and confidence in Begum had been lost prior to her departure. It said the charity will share a summary of the reviews findings with relevant stakeholders in due course. Oxfam added that the Charity Commission had been regularly updated on developments. Timeline of events After a review by workplace problem-solving company Howlett Brown in December, Oxfam said its board made the unanimous decision that trust and confidence in Begum had been lost. Oxfam told Civil Society that the board had received complaints about Begums leadership since January 2025 and held a meeting to discuss these on 24 October. It said trustees had a duty to confront such issues and so instigated the original external review. A fair and confidential process took place in line with employment law and Charity Commission guidance, a spokesperson said. We have great respect for colleagues who have raised concerns about culture. After the Times story broke, Singh broke ranks with the charity and said Begum was a victim of a plot to undermine her leadership. He claimed the findings of the investigation into Begums conduct had not been shared with her before the Times was notified of her exit, and that she was not given the right of reply. Singh also said Begum had filed a grievance complaint against Gurassa before she became aware of concerns around her leadership. In response, Oxfam confirmed Begum had launched a whistleblower complaint against Gurassa on 29 October. The charity added: Mr Gurassa recused himself from all matters relating to both the CEO review and the grievance against him on 30 October 2025 [] prior to the decision to hold an independent review. He stepped down as chair on 27 November 2025. 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, The value of the 10 highest class-action settlements in 2025 exceeded $70 billion for the first time ever. In fact, the total was nearer to $80 billion across all areas of litigation, according to law firm Duane Morris. For the fourth straight year, total settlements eclipsed the $40 billion mark. Gerald L. Maatman, co-author of the Duane Morris Class Action Review and chair of the firms Class Action Defense Group, said the implications are staggering. To put it into perspective, that amount is larger than the annual budgets of multiple U.S. states and eclipses the GDP of more than half the worlds nations, he said. At the same time, the gravitational pull of these massive outcomes is attracting elite talent to the plaintiffs bar and providing massive incentive for plaintiffs lawyers to increase their filings and the sophistication of the strategies they employ. Boards, investors, and insurers must proactively plan for class-action litigation, added Maatman, who has been reviewing class-action litigation every year since 2003. Continued high settlements in the privacy class actions are drawing the attention of plaintiffs bar, who are now targeting session replay technology, website chatbots and now website pixels. The plaintiffs bar continues to rely on a consistent recipe: pair modern, ubiquitous technologies with decades-old statutory schemes that impose statutory damages per violation. The result is outsized exposure for routine business practices, said Duane Morris. In addition, data-privacy class actions in 2025 totaled over 1,800more than 25% growth over 2024 and more than 200% growth since 2022. According to the near 750-page review of more than 1,761 decisions in the past year, judges continue to certify class-action litigation at a high rate68% of motions granted in 2025. Plaintiffs filed more than 13,000 class-action lawsuits in federal courts alone, which is more than 36 new class-action filings every day. The extensive report shows the amount of class-actions filed is a substantial increase over 2024 and indicates that these types of lawsuit arent outliers, but a constant presence. With the traditional arbitration defense being tested and eroded, widening circuit splits driving forum shopping, and the continued rise of Private Attorneys General Act claims, there are many threats looming to class action defense, said Duane Morris partner Jennifer A. Riley, co-author of the review and vice chair of the firms Class Action Defense Group. The Alaska Airlines pilot who has been universally praised as a hero for safely landing a jet after a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff is suing Boeing because he believes the plane maker wrongly tried to blame him and the rest of the crew. Captain Brandon Fisher was commended by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and even Boeing executives for helping ensure none of the 177 people aboard flight 1282 were killed when the blowout happened in January 2024. But Fishers lawyers say Boeings attempts to deflect liability in past lawsuits despite what the NTSB investigation found led to the pilot being sued by some passengers and caused him great distress. Still, experts say its unusual for a pilot to sue like this in an incident where he wasnt seriously hurt or killed. Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer. Fishers lawsuit says Boeing suggested it wasnt responsible because the plane was improperly maintained or misused by others. It was clear Boeings words were directed at Captain Fisher in attempt to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeings numerous failures, Fishers lawyers, William Walsh and Richard Mummolo, wrote in the lawsuit filed in an Oregon court. Key Bolts Were Missing The NTSB investigation of the blowout found that four bolts securing what is known as the door plug panel were removed and never replaced during a repair as the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was being assembled. Boeing and key supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which has since been acquired by Boeing, were both implicated. The bolts are hidden behind interior panels in the plane, so they are not something that could have been easily checked in a preflight inspection by the pilot or anyone else from the airline. NTSB investigators determined the door plug was gradually moving upward over the 154 flights prior to the incident before it ultimately flew off. Boeings lie infuriated Captain Fisher as well, as he was being castigated for his actions as opposed to being lauded, Fishers lawyers wrote. Because he had flown Boeing aircraft for the entirety of his employment with Alaska Airlines, Boeings attempts to blame him felt like a deep, personal betrayal by a company that claimed to hold pilots in the highest regard. The NTSB made clear this was caused by a manufacturing issue and the crews actions were exemplary. Experienced pilot John Cox, who is CEO of the Safety Operating Systems aviation safety consulting firm, said the crew did a remarkable job considering what they were dealing with, and no one has faulted the crew. I think the Boeing lawyers were kind of grasping at straws, Cox said. Terrifying Moments The blowout occurred minutes after the flight took off from Portland, Oregon, and created a roaring air vacuum. Seven passengers and one flight attendant sustained minor injuries, but the plane landed safely. The 2-foot-by-4-foot (61-centimeter-by-122-centimeter) piece of fuselage covering an unused emergency exit behind the left wing had blown out. Only seven seats on the flight were unoccupied, including the two seats closest to the opening. Boeing factory workers told NTSB investigators they felt pressured to work too fast and were asked to perform jobs they werent qualified for. Fishers lawsuit describes how he and the first officer acted quickly after losing cabin pressure when the panel blew out to fly the plane safely back to Portland while decreasing altitude and working with air traffic controllers to avoid any other planes in the area. The airline didnt answer a question about whether Fisher is still flying for them, and the lawsuit described him as a citizen and well-respected member of the aviation community. It wasnt clear Tuesday whether he is still working as a pilot. Working to Improve Safety The head of the commercial airplane unit at Boeing at the time, Stan Deal, commended the Alaska Airlines crew for safely landing the plane in a memo to employees after the incident. Boeing did not comment directly on this new lawsuit. But the companys CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made improving safety a top priority ever since he took over the top job at Boeing in August 2024. The FAA fined Boeing $3.1 million over safety violations inspectors found after the door plug incident. In October, the agency allowed Boeing to increase production of the 737 Max to 42 planes a month because inspectors were satisfied with the measures the company had taken to improve safety. Alaska Airlines also declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the airline remains grateful to our crew members for the bravery and quick-thinking that they displayed on Flight 1282 in ensuring the safety of all on board. Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Storm Goretti lashed England and France with hurricane-force winds, causing widespread disruption as it swept through northwest Europe and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes. Amber and yellow warnings were in place for parts of the U.K., France and the Netherlands on Friday, while Germanys DWD issued a red alert for snowfall. The storm could dump as much as 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snow across western and central England, the U.K.s Met Office said. The winter storm slammed a region already battered by an Arctic blast that has driven temperatures across northern and central Europe far below normal, roiling power markets with surging heating demand. Goretti may also disrupt operations at the U.K.s Milford Haven port, home to two liquefied natural gas import terminals. One LNG tanker originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday was still waiting in a safe area outside the port, according to Bloomberg ship-tracking data. The port now signals Friday as the expected arrival date. Airports in Hamburg and Prague reported cancellations and delays due to the storm, and Lufthansa canceled some European flights ahead of the storm. Northern Germany and the Hamburg area have received more snowfall in the last few days than in the past 15 years, according to local officials. A limited number of flights have resumed at Birmingham Airport in the U.K., which was closed Thursday night. While the worst of the storm is expected to recede later today, gusts reached 159 kilometers (99 miles) per hour at a monitoring station on the Isles of Scilly a record high and equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Winds hit 148 kilometers per hour in Normandy, while gusts of 146 kilometers per hour were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, according to Meteo France and La Chaine Meteo. U.K. forecasters issued rare red warnings ahead of the storm, urging people to stay indoors. The Met Office last issued such an alert in January 2025. Meanwhile, Meteo France warned gusts could exceed 200 kilometers per hour in areas exposed to the Atlantic. Output at the Flamanville nuclear plant was reduced because of the storm, according to operator Electricite de France SA. Goretti also knocked out power to about 380,000 households in France, mostly in Normandy, Brittany and Picardy, as well as around Paris, France Info radio reported, citing power distributor Enedis. Thousands of technicians are working to restore the network. Schools and other educational institutions were closed in the Manche and Seine-Maritime departments. Almost 65,000 U.K. homes were also without power as of Friday morning, according to the nations Energy Networks Association. French rail operator SNCF canceled more than a dozen trains, including several departing Paris, but expects services to resume later Friday. Some lines in the greater Paris area were halted after trees fell on the tracks. In the U.K., National Rail warned of widespread disruptions in the coming days and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel. Top photo: Workers clear snow on the platform in Buxton, U.K., on Jan. 9. Photographer: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg. Copyright 2026 Bloomberg. One of the two managers of a bar that was the site of a deadly fire that claimed 40 lives in the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana has been arrested following questioning. The man was deemed to be a flight risk in view of his statements, his life history, and his situation in Switzerland and abroad, and so has been taken into detention, the prosecutors office in the canton of Valais, where Crans-Montana is located, said in a statement Friday. The woman who runs the business with him was not considered a sufficient flight risk given her background and personal ties, and so alternate measures were put in place, prosecutors said. The couple were questioned for a number of hours on Friday morning. The pair, originally from Corsica according to multiple media reports, had been running the bar for about a decade. Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and a presumption of innocence applies to both individuals. They have been investigating the managers over alleged fire safety failures. Possible charges include homicide and bodily injury by negligence. The fire appears to have been triggered by sparklers held aloft in champagne bottles that ignited highly-flammable, soundproofing foam on the ceiling. There is also controversy surrounding local authorities who are supposed to enforce fire safety. Officials have admitted that the bar hadnt been checked and inspected for safety since 2019. Speaking Friday, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said that its a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state to thoroughly examine what went wrong and sanction anyone responsible for those violations. He was attending a ceremony for the victims of the blaze, part of a Swiss day of mourning. Copyright 2026 Bloomberg. CLEVELAND, Ohio Along with the new year at Severance Music Center have come three new hires by the Cleveland Orchestra. On Thursday, the orchestra and music director Franz Welser-Most announced the promotion of a current member to a titled chair and the appointment of two other artists from the outside. The current member moving up is Gareth Zehngut, a section violist since 2022. His new title, following a successful audition last year, is first assistant principal viola. He now occupies the seat long held by Lynne Ramsey, who has retired. The other new hires are Catherine Van Handel as assistant principal bassoon and Sean Juhl as section violist, starting in May. Zehngut came to Cleveland in 2022 after playing in the Minnesota Orchestra and San Diego Symphony. He also served as a guest principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has appeared at numerous major festivals. He holds two degrees from the Juilliard School. (His brother, Jeffrey Zehngut, has been a violinist in the Cleveland Orchestra since 2011.) Now, to be given the honor and responsibility of sitting in the chair previous held by Lynne Ramsey is an opportunity beyond anything I ever could have imagined, Zehngut said in a statement. Van Handel comes to Cleveland from Wisconsin, where she served as principal bassoon of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 2017 and on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Prior to that, she was associate principal bassoon of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where she also taught at the University of Toronto, and a guest principal or soloist with numerous other major ensembles. She holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and replaces Barrick Stees, who retired in 2024. Im filled with immense gratitude and excitement as I step into this new chapter, making music with the very musicians who have inspired me throughout my life, Van Handel wrote. Sean Juhl will join the Cleveland viola section in May, after three seasons in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He holds a degree from the Juilliard School and was a member of National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. He also studied at the Kinhaven Music School and attended the Perlman Music Program. Throughout his training, the Cleveland Orchestra was a constant inspirationa goal I always aimed for but never quite believed Id reach, Juhl said. I am still pinching myself that this is real. Maddie Freeman grew up spending hours of her day on social media. The 24-year-old Littleton, Colorado, native says she was 12 when she got her first smartphone. When her peers started downloading apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and Twitter, Freeman followed suit. It was fun to see what her friends were doing online. It didn't take long for social media to start consuming many of her waking hours. "My screen time in high school was around 10 hours a day," she says. And that was just her phone use. Throughout her high school and early college years, Freeman also experienced tremendous loss. Ten friends and peers died by suicidefive of them in 2020 alone. "Some of these people I hung out with, like, three days before they passed away," she says. "And then they were just gone." Freeman began attending the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2019, where she studied business administration. In the fall of 2020, after spending half of her freshman year at home due to the Covid pandemic, Freeman says she watched the Netflix documentary-drama "The Social Dilemma" about the negative effects of social media. And something clicked, she says. "That just really cemented it for me that this is one of the biggest issues facing my generation," she says. Along with isolation during the pandemic, "it's definitely a key part of why we've all struggled so much." According to a 2025 report, the Pew Research Center found that nearly half, 45%, of teens ages 13 to 17 say social media hurts the amount of sleep they get, with 40% saying it hurts their productivity and 19% saying it hurts their mental health. Since their inception, social media companies have implemented protective measures for users such as filtering bullying comments and enabling minors to opt out of seeing personalized ads. Days after watching the documentary, Freeman says she came up with a month-long social media detox that's become a global movement: No Social Media November, or NoSo November. To date, tens of thousands of young people around the world have participated in it, she says. Freeman now runs NoSoa youth-led nonprofit that spearheads the month-long detoxon a full-time basis. She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2025. Here's how she built her mental health movement. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., discusses rising health insurance premiums as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., left, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., look on during a press conference in the Capitol Building in Washington, Dec. 10, 2025. The House passed a bipartisan package of three spending bills on Thursday that would fund parts of the federal government through September, demonstrating the eagerness of lawmakers to avoid another government shutdown near the end of the month. Congress has so far passed only three of the 12 annual spending bills that fund federal agencies for the current fiscal year. Failure to pass the remainder before a Jan. 30th deadline risks another shutdown just weeks after the record-setting, 43-day shutdown that occurred late last year. Leaders from both parties endorsed the latest measure, signaling that passage is likely in the Senate as well, belatedly getting Congress halfway home in completing their work on this year's spending bills. The White House also has endorsed the measure, calling it a "fiscally responsible bill." The package covers such agencies as the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Departments of Commerce and Justice. It passed by an overwhelming vote of 397-28, an unusual display of unity when it comes to government spending. Both parties claim victories The price tag of the bills, which Republicans put at roughly $175 billion, comes in below current levels, generating savings for taxpayers, GOP lawmakers said. Democrats countered that they were able to negotiate spending levels far above what the Trump administration had requested and removed scores of policy riders that they say would have weakened gun safety regulations, expanded oil and gas leasing on federal lands and took aim at LGBTQ and racial equity policies. Importantly, Democrats said, the measure also includes legally binding spending requirements that restrain the White House's ability to withhold or delay funds for programs Trump opposes. Trump's first year in office was met with scores of lawsuits from states, cities and nonprofits who accused the administration of undertaking unlawful power grabs. "This legislation is a forceful rejection of draconian cuts to public services proposed by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. The Senate would also have to pass the measure before President Donald Trump could sign it into law. But the bill has bipartisan backing in that chamber, too. "Republicans are strongest when we stay focused, Democrats are more effective when they negotiate in good faith, and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats work together," Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said in urging colleagues to vote for the bill. Funding work is well behind schedule In recent years, Congress has generally lumped all the spending bills into one or two measures, often voted on before lawmakers left Washington for the holidays. Lawmakers say such a process makes it easier to include provisions that couldn't pass muster on their own. Johnson has called for returning to a time when Congress takes up the 12 spending bills separately, though he's finding it easier said than done. The fiscal year began Oct. 1 and Congress is still debating full-year funding for most federal agencies. Democrats listed various priorities they were able to maintain or increase funding for, despite the administration's opposition. For example, a program to make homes more energy efficient for low-income Americans got a $3 million boost, instead of being eliminated as proposed by Trump. The EPA, a frequent Trump target, gets $8.8 billion. That's more than double what Trump sought. Republicans had voiced concerns about some earmarks in the bill, now called community funding projects. To ease those concerns, a nearly $1.5 million earmark obtained by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed from the bill. It would have funded a Somali-led organization's efforts to provide job training and peer support services for those struggling with addiction. Republicans have been intensely focused on allegations of fraud by day care centers run by Somali residents. Those allegations are still being investigated. Omar has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few. Amazon has submitted plans for a large-format store near Chicago that would be larger than a Walmart Supercenter, marking the latest experiment with physical retail for the tech company. As part of the plans, Amazon has proposed building a one-story, 229,000-square-foot building in Orland Park, Illinois, that would offer a range of products, such as groceries, household essentials and general merchandise, the city said on Saturday. By comparison, Walmart's U.S. Supercenters typically average 179,000 square feet. The Amazon facility would also include a "limited warehouse component" to support on-site operations and space for delivery drivers to pick up orders, according to planning documents. "We regularly test new experiences designed to make customers' lives better and easier every day, including physical stores," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. "The site in question is our planned location for a new concept that we think customers will be excited about." The e-commerce company has been determined to have a bigger presence in brick-and-mortar retail after stealing market share from incumbents. Amazon acquired upscale grocer Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in 2017, the largest deal in its history. Amazon also launched bookstores, shopping mall kiosks, apparel stores, convenience marts and its own supermarket chain. It's since scrapped many of those concepts or slowed the rollout of new locations. The Orland Park Plan Commission approved Amazon's proposal on Tuesday, and it will now proceed to a vote from the full village board. That meeting is scheduled for Jan. 19. The proposed facility would replace a local restaurant, Petey's II, which closed in January 2024. The site sits at the corner of two major highways running through Orland Park, and would be down the street from a Target , Costco and Trader Joe's, among other major national chains. Some residents have pushed back on Amazon's planned development, expressing concerns over how it could impact traffic in the surrounding area, NBC 5 Chicago reported. WATCH: How AI could upend shopping Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has raised $15 billion to bolster bets across an array of areas including infrastructure, health and what the it calls "American Dynamism," co-founder Ben Horowitz said in a blog post on Friday. The bulk of the capital, $6.75 billion, will go toward a growth fund and two $1.7 billion funds, with one focused on apps and the other on infrastructure. "At this moment of profound technological opportunity, it is fundamentally important for humanity that America wins," Horowitz wrote. "There is no other country that comes close to giving everyone a chance to grab that opportunity and build. If America fails to win technologically, it will lose economically, militarily, geopolitically, and culturally. And the entire world will lose as well." Andreessen Horowitz is dedicating $3 billion to support other venture strategies and about $1.2 billion to fund American interests such as aerospace and defense, the post said. Some $700 million is going toward biotech and health investments. The raise is equal to 18% of all venture capital dollars allocated in the U.S. last year, Horowitz said. It's more than doubled the amount the firm raised in 2024. Since its founding in 2009, Andreessen Horowitz has risen to become one of the most prominent venture capital firms, known for early investments in Facebook , Coinbase and Airbnb . In recent years, the Silicon Valley-based firm has been betting big on defense tech, with investments in Palmer Luckey's Anduril, Elon Musk's SpaceX and machine parts maker Hadrian. The sector has benefitted from President Donald Trump's ambitious plans to reindustrialize America's military and manufacturing base. This week, the president also called for a $1.5 trillion defense budget next year. Both Horowitz and co-founder Marc Andreessen supported President Trump in the 2024 election, though Horowitz later said he would be donating to Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. BEIJING Chinese policymakers may be finally warming to the idea of tackling the country's worsening real estate slump, raising expectations that stronger support measures could be coming later this year. The Communist Party's official journal Qiushi, which means "seeking truth," kicked off 2026 with a Jan. 1 article calling for "more powerful and precise measures" to stabilize property market expectations. Since then, the Hang Seng China A Properties Index, which includes developers Vanke and Seazen , has climbed more than 6% to start the year, reflecting growing investor optimism. The Qiushi commentary was notable for its scope, said Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura. "This is the most comprehensive assessment of China's property markets published in Qiushi since the sector's collapse in mid-2021," Ting said in a report earlier this week. "Its significance should not be overlooked." Public Chinese official commentary, such as Qiushi articles, is closely watched because it often signals internal policy debates and potential shifts in official thinking before decisions are announced. The article appeared ahead of China's annual parliamentary meeting in March, when top leaders gather to set policy goals for the year ahead. This year, the meeting will also release full details on its next five-year development plan. "Beijing cannot afford to let its property sector slide indefinitely, and much more decisive action is needed to truly stabilize the property sector and the overall economy," Lu said. "Given rising trade tensions and the likely unsustainable strength in the export sector, Beijing might eventually be compelled to ramp up its policy measures significantly." China's property downturn has dragged on despite a clear call from top leaders in Sept. 2024 to halt the sector's decline. New home sales have nearly halved since Beijing started cracking down on developers' heavy reliance on debt for growth, with floor space sold in 2025 falling to levels seen back in 2009, according to a report this week by the China Real Estate Information Corp. Protesters attend a march to the US consulate during a demonstration, under the slogan 'Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people', in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions around Greenland are rapidly gaining concrete form that is, evolving from rhetoric into action. Mining company Amaroq told CNBC the White House has been having discussions with the firm over investing in its mining projects in Greenland. If it's a purely business transaction, that might not be unwelcome: Aaja Chemnitz, the member of parliament representing Greenland in the Danish Parliament, and chair of the Greenland Committee, told CNBC that the island is "open for business." Being open for business, however, does not mean welcoming a takeover bid. "It's been quite clear from the beginning that Greenland is not for sale and never will be," Chemnitz said. But that could be on the agenda for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's planned meeting with Danish authorities next week. While the meeting was initiated by Denmark's foreign minister, Lokke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, Rubio will be looking to discuss how the U.S. can acquire the Arctic island. In the very hypothetical scenario let's call it a thought experiment that the U.S. buys Greenland, the island would be valued at nearly $2.8 trillion, according to a center-right U.S. think tank, though other parties put that figure lower. Rubio will also have to navigate thorny issues, such as dealing with Greenlander's desire for independence and Europe's response. As for other global powers, while Russia is conspicuously quiet probably because it is more interested in seeing any division in NATO over this affair China is keenly watching developments, having described itself as a "near-Arctic state" in 2018. Any transaction or operation on this scale will have global repercussions. A protester holds a sign reading 'We are not for sale' in front of the US consulate during a demonstration, under the slogan 'Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people', in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions around Greenland are rapidly gaining concrete form that is, evolving from rhetoric into action. Mining company Amaroq told CNBC the White House has been having discussions with the firm over investing in its mining projects in Greenland. If it's a purely business transaction, that might not be unwelcome: Aaja Chemnitz, the member of parliament representing Greenland in the Danish Parliament, and chair of the Greenland Committee, told CNBC that the island is "open for business." Being open for business, however, does not mean welcoming a takeover bid. "It's been quite clear from the beginning that Greenland is not for sale and never will be," Chemnitz said. But that could be on the agenda for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's planned meeting with Danish authorities next week. While the meeting was initiated by Denmark's foreign minister, Lokke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, Rubio will be looking to discuss how the U.S. can acquire the Arctic island. In the very hypothetical scenario let's call it a thought experiment that the U.S. buys Greenland, the island would be valued at nearly $2.8 trillion, according to a center-right U.S. think tank, though other parties put that figure lower. Rubio will also have to navigate thorny issues, such as dealing with Greenlander's desire for independence and Europe's response. As for other global powers, while Russia is conspicuously quiet probably because it is more interested in seeing any division in NATO over this affair China is keenly watching developments, having described itself as a "near-Arctic state" in 2018. Any transaction or operation on this scale will have global repercussions. LONDON Europe-listed shares finished higher on Friday, as investors assessed key economic data out of the U.S. that could influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions this year. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was almost 1% higher at the closing bell, with major regional bourses and most sectors in positive territory. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 50,000 in December, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate of 73,000. European stocks tracked morning gains on Wall Street, as the figures spurred hopes that the softening labor market will prompt an interest rate cut from the Fed at its meeting toward the end of this month. Defense stocks extended gains for a fifth consecutive day on Thursday, adding 0.8% by the end of Friday's session. It follows President Donald Trump's call for U.S. military spending to rise and continued rhetoric on annexing Greenland. Trump called for a 50% increase in U.S. military spending, eyeing a $1.5 trillion budget in 2027, in a Truth Social post late Wednesday. He has also been ramping up calls for Greenland to be brought under Washington's control and is considering various options to make it happen including military action. It could mean the end of NATO, given the U.S. and Denmark, which is responsible for the defense of Greenland, are both members. Meanwhile, the CEO of mining company Amaroq told CNBC the U.S was mulling investing in critical minerals mining projects on Greenland. It comes ahead of high-stakes talks between Washington and Danish officials over the island's future as Trump maintains its importance to U.S. national security. Stocks on the move Looking at individual stocks, British aerospace group Rolls-Royce hit a fresh high on Friday, finishing the session 1.7% higher, buoyed by the defense sector and positive sentiment toward the U.K.'s FTSE 100 . It was confirmed Friday morning that British mining firm Rio Tinto is in preliminary talks to acquire Swiss firm Glencore , in what could create the world's largest mining company. Glencore shares closed 9.6% higher. Shares of European oil companies fell this week as investors continue to react to Trump's action in Venezuela, but pared some gains during Friday's session. BP finished 2.4% higher, Shell added 3% and TotalEnergies gained 3.3%. It's been a busy week for U.K. retailers, with reports from Tesco , Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's . Each reported strong Christmas food sales. Tesco lifted its end-of-year profit guidance for fiscal 2026, from 2.9bn ($3.9 bn) to 3.1bn. Its stock was 1.6% lower at the close of dealmaking. Sainsbury's reported a 3.4% rise in underlying sales for the third quarter and reiterated its full-year guidance for profit of more than 1bn, roughly in line with its last fiscal year result. Shares in the UK's second largest supermarket chain finished 5.3% lower, sitting near the bottom of the European benchmark for its worst day since Dec. 8. Elsewhere, European lawmakers provisionally approved a controversial trade agreement with South America's Mercosur bloc on Friday. The deal, which has been decades in the making, has seen strong opposition from farmers and some EU member states over concerns it could create unfair competition for European agriculture. Elon Musk looks on as President Donald Trump speaks at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Nov. 19, 2025. Three Democratic senators are calling on Apple and Google to suspend the X and Grok apps from their stores, at least until owner Elon Musk disallows them from letting users create and share nonconsensual, explicit images and depictions of child sexual abuse. In an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday, Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico said the tech giants should, "immediately remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores until the company's Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, addresses these disturbing and likely illegal activities." "Turning a blind eye to X's egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices," they wrote, adding that a failure to take action would "undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones." Musk's xAI, the developer of Grok and parent of social media platform X, responded to CNBC's request for comment with an automated reply. Google and Apple didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Grok and X have been letting users easily generate and widely share "deepfake" explicit, sexualized content that includes people who never gave permission for their images to be used in such manner. Grok has also been used to generate images that denigrate people on the basis of their race or ethnicity. In one recent example, as The Times of London reported, "A descendant of Holocaust survivors was 'digitally stripped'" by Grok after users prompted the AI tool to generate an image of her in a bikini standing outside of Auschwitz. The issues have sparked widespread criticism and regulatory probes by foreign governments in Europe, Malaysia, Australia and India. However, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have yet to say whether they will investigate xAI. On Jan. 3, Musk and X issued statements saying that "anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." Apple and Google both have stringent guidelines for app developers that would require them to prevent the uploading and sharing of images depicting child sexual abuse, and other explicit or harmful content. Social media and messaging apps including Tumblr and Telegram have been previously suspended by the Apple app store for failures to filter a variety of inappropriate content. On Friday, X reportedly made Grok AI image generation features available for use by paying subscribers only. However, Grok's standalone app and website still allowed users to prompt Grok to digitally undress, sexualize or degrade people without first obtaining consent to use their photos or clips. CNN reported that Grok's recent feature updates, and relative lack of safeguards, were demanded by Musk. Three xAI staffers who worked on the company's safety team announced on X that they were leaving after Musk made the demands, the report said. In the midst of the backlash, xAI said this week that it raised a $20 billion funding round from investors including Nvidia and Cisco Investments, as well as longtime Musk company backers Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity, Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi's MGX and Baron Capital Group. WATCH: XAI closes $20 billion funding round Companies reporting next week such as Delta Air Lines and Bank of America have a track record of beating Wall Street's earnings estimates. The fourth-quarter earnings season kicks off next week, with 14 companies in the S & P 500 slated to post results. It will be a busy period for both big banks and regionals. Stocks are often rewarded with a post-earnings bump if they share earnings or revenue that surprises Wall Street consensus to the upside. CNBC Pro screened data from Bespoke Investment Group to turn up the names that tend to surpass analysts' expectations. The table below shows the companies reporting earnings next week that have beaten their earnings per share estimates at least 65% of the time in the past. Delta Air Lines reports its quarterly results next Tuesday. The company has historically topped analysts' earnings estimates 69% of the time, and on average has risen 1.6% following each earnings report. On Monday, Goldman Sachs reiterated its buy rating on the stock ahead of its earnings release. Analyst Catherine O'Brien said she expects the company's fourth-quarter earnings to come in at $1.48 per share, below FactSet's consensus of $1.57. "Despite our unchanged outlook, we are raising our 12-month price target to $77... from $68 previously, as we believe the continued improvement in the demand backdrop (excluding the one-time impact of the US government shutdown) merits a further move back towards our pre-April 2025 target multiple when heightened macro and geopolitical uncertainty was driving reduced demand for air travel," O'Brien wrote. The updated price target of $77 implies potential upside of 8% from Thursday's close. Shares of Delta Air Lines have climbed about 18% over the past 12 months. Bank of America reports earnings next Wednesday. The bank has topped earnings estimates 80% of the time. However, its stock has averaged a 0.6% decline the day after its results are released. On Tuesday, HSBC upgraded the stock to a buy rating and lifted its price target to $50 from $45. "The recent pullback provides an opportunity to add exposure to a market leader with an attractive earnings and profitability outlook at an attractive valuation," wrote analyst Saul Martinez. He noted that Bank of America trades at only 10.4-times 2026 estimated earnings. However, the bank's new price target is approximately 11% below where shares closed on Thursday. The bank stock has surged roughly 21% over the past 12 months. Other names on the list include Morgan Stanley and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing . Iran's supreme leader on Friday lashed out at anti-government protesters, saying they were "vandals" acting on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump by destroying public properties. In a broadcast on national television, reported by Reuters, Ali Khamenei warned Tehran would not tolerate "mercenaries for foreigners." "The Islamic Republic came to power through the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people. It will not back down in the face of vandals," Khamenei said. His comments came as the country of 92 million found itself largely cut off from the world on Friday, with authorities seeking to quell the sprawling protests by blacking out the internet. The demonstrations, which began in Tehran's bazaar on Dec. 28, have been fueled by growing frustrations over a long-running economic crisis, particularly the government's handling of a sharp fall in the nation's currency and soaring prices. The scale of the unrest makes it one of the most widespread demonstrations in recent years, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency, with dozens reported killed and nearly 2,300 arrested or detained. HRANA, a U.S.-registered nonprofit, relies on an activist network inside Iran for its reporting. Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. President administration to cut drug prices for Americans. Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to cut drug prices for Americans in exchange for exemptions from U.S. tariffs. The Trump administration in December reached agreements with nine other major pharmaceutical companies to cut the prices of their medicines for the government's Medicaid program and for cash-paying consumers, aiming to bring U.S. drug costs in line with those in other wealthy countries. U.S. patients currently pay far more for prescription medicines, often nearly three times more than in other developed nations, and Trump has been pressuring drugmakers to lower prices to levels paid abroad. "The joint agreement meets the requests laid out by President Trump to the industry and provides the company's pharmaceutical products an exemption from tariffs," J&J said in a statement on Thursday. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed, including details on revised drug prices or which medicines are covered. J&J said that it will participate in the TrumpRx.gov website to allow Americans to purchase its drugs at significantly discounted rates. It will also provide Medicaid access at prices comparable with those in other developed countries. Under the December deals, all nine U.S. drugmakers agreed to lower prices on most drugs sold to the Medicaid program for low-income people, promising "massive savings" on widely used medicines. J&J also said that it will build two new manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Pennsylvania as part of its $55 billion U.S. investment plan announced last year. The company said it's likely to announce additional U.S. investments later this year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, as he delivers a speech presenting the new line of smart glasses, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., Sept. 17, 2025. Meta on Friday announced agreements with three nuclear power providers, including one backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as part of its efforts to secure necessary resources for its AI ambitions. The arrangements with Vistra , TerraPower and Oklo , which are all working on nuclear power technologies, are for Meta's Prometheus supercluster computing system that's being built at a data center in New Albany, Ohio. No financial terms were disclosed. Shares of Vistra and Oklo climbed following the news, rising 10% and 8%, respectively. Meta shares closed 1% higher. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Prometheus in July, describing the system as one of the keys to the development of the company's advanced artificial intelligence efforts. Meta has said it expects Prometheus to come online sometime in 2026. In working with the three companies on energy production, Meta said the projects should add 6.6 gigawatts of power by 2035, exceeding the total demand of New Hampshire. A fishing boat navigates around icebergs that broke off from the Jakobshavn Glacier and are floating in Disko Bay on March 10, 2025, in Ilulissat, Greenland. Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images Europe spent much of 2025 scrambling to bolster its defenses against Russia but just a week into the new year, it's being forced to rethink security once again amid President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland. Trump has been ramping up calls for Greenland a semi-autonomous Danish territory to be brought under Washington's control. This week, the White House said Trump was considering various options to make it happen, including military action. Greenland, the world's largest island, is rich in untapped mineral resources. Although geographically positioned on the North American continent, it is politically part of Europe. Acquiring the island would be no mean feat. Aside from political obstacles both at home and abroad, any attempt to take the territory by force would pit the U.S. against its NATO allies. Would NATO fight the U.S. over Greenland? In an interview with CNN earlier this week, top Trump aide Stephen Miller suggested no European country would be prepared to put up a fight to protect Greenland. Although not explicitly ruling out the possibility of U.S. military action in Greenland, he argued that "there's no need to even think or talk about this in the context of a military operation [because] nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland," pointing to the island's small population. For its part, Denmark and Greenland are taking of U.S. military action seriously. In a statement on Tuesday evening, Danish Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark would spend 88 billion Danish kroner ($13.8 billion) rearming Greenland, given "the serious security situation we find ourselves in." Despite that apparent willingness from Denmark to defend Greenland, analysts told CNBC they do not believe European forces would ever open fire on American troops. Edward R. Arnold, a senior research fellow at British defense think tank Royal United Services Institute, told CNBC in a call on Tuesday that the White House does have the military power to move in on Greenland and, if it wanted to, could do so "really quite quickly." But Washington would not have to launch an operation like the one seen in Venezuela over the weekend, according to Arnold, because "it would be completely unopposed." "What European military commander is going to open force on a U.S. troop transport coming into Greenland?" he said. "That would start an inter-NATO war, potentially. And the U.S. knows that." The United States has, by far, the greatest military strength of any NATO member. In 2024, NATO estimated that the U.S. had 1.3 million military personnel, compared to the rest of the alliance's collective 2.1 million personnel. The next biggest military staff belonged to Turkey, which had an estimated 481,000 people working in its forces. Arnold said he expects that the U.S. will gradually increase the number of troops it has stationed in Greenland, rather than ordering a full-blown military operation or invasion. "They just wouldn't fire on them," he said of NATO forces. "So you just have this weird position whereby the U.S. are just putting those troops into Greenland and the Europeans can't really do much about [it], but protest politically." A protester holds a sign reading 'We are not for sale' in front of the US consulate during a demonstration, under the slogan 'Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people', in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025. Christian Klindt Soelbeck | Afp | Getty Images Georgios Samaras, assistant professor of public policy at King's College London, agreed that Greenland and the wider NATO alliance would have limited options to stop a move from the U.S. to seize more control of the island. "I don't see what NATO could do to stop the U.S. for starters, because we're talking about a superpower having so many military bases across the continent, which could be used theoretically to invade a member of NATO from within its own ranks," he told CNBC on a call. Not only would NATO have to contend with turning against one of its own members, it would have to consider the broader security implications of splitting from the U.S., according to Jamie Shea, an associate fellow in Chatham House's International Security Program and a former member of NATO's international staff. "I would not see a military response [from NATO] as the U.S. would be able to deal quickly with whatever limited forces the Europeans would be able to send, and it is highly unlikely that European governments would consider doing this," he told CNBC. "They need all their forces for the defense of Europe and to contribute to a European reassurance force for Ukraine." The end of NATO? On Monday, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned an American takeover of Greenland would spell the end of NATO. Of NATO's 32 members, 23 including Denmark are also members of the European Union, which has been working extensively to ensure Trump's administration continues its support for Ukraine. watch now "They would want to avoid a direct clash with the U.S. which would spell the end of NATO and of U.S. support for Ukraine," Shea said. King's College's Samaras agreed that any escalation toward Greenland would destroy NATO. "If a NATO member threatens another member of the alliance, it doesn't just cause a row. It makes the alliance's mutual defense promise look conditional and political," he said. "It would mean the end of NATO. I don't think that NATO could continue." Shea told CNBC that although European military resistance is unlikely, NATO, through the European Union, does have ways of exerting pressure on Washington. watch now "Where Europe could exercise leverage on the U.S. is in the economic field if the EU adopts sanctions such as tariffs or limiting access for U.S. companies and investments," Shea said. "European governments could also deny the U.S. use of European military bases or facilities like early warning radars. But these would obviously be difficult decisions for European governments to make, particularly at a time when they have been working so hard to engage Washington on a Ukraine peace plan and security guarantees." Trump: U.S. 'will always be there for NATO' SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Japan Feb. 3, 2025. OpenAI and SoftBank announced plans to invest $1 billion in SB Energy as part of a strategic partnership that will support OpenAI's artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout. The partnership is part of the $500 billion Stargate commitment that OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle announced last January at the White House, according to a Friday release. As part of the agreement, SB Energy will build and operate OpenAI's 1.2 gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas that was announced in September. "Partnering with SB Energy brings together their strength in data center infrastructure and energy development and OpenAI's deep domain expertise in data center engineering," Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, said in a statement on Friday. "The result is a fast, reliable way to scale compute through large, highly optimized AI data centers." SB Energy is backed by SoftBank and Ares Management. The company develops, owns and operates energy projects across the U.S. It has offices in Redwood City, California, San Diego and Denver, according to its website. In addition to the investment, SB Energy has also formed a non-exclusive preferred partnership with OpenAI and SoftBank to develop "a new model for data center builds," according to the release. That model will combine OpenAI's first-party data center design with SB Energy's "proven expertise in speed, cost discipline, and integrated energy delivery," the companies said. The company has several multi-gigawatt data center campuses in development, and initial facilities are under construction and expected to enter service this year, the release said. SoftBank, led by Masayoshi Son, and OpenAI have become increasingly intertwined over the past year. Two months after the Stargate project was announced, OpenAI said it closed a $40 billion financing round led by SoftBank, the largest private tech funding on record. The round included participation from core investor Microsoft, as well as Coatue, Altimeter and Thrive. SoftBank said in November that it's sold its entire stake in chipmaker Nvidia for $5.83 billion as it looks to capitalize on its "all in" bet on OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker is burning through mounds of cash, and is still far from profitability, meaning it remains heavily reliant on outside capital. OpenAI has inked more than $1.4 trillion of infrastructure deals in recent months to try and build out the data centers it says are needed to meet growing demand. In November, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company was on track to generate more than $20 billion in annualized revenue run rate in 2025, with plans to grow to hundreds of billions in sales by 2030. WATCH: Judge rules Elon Musks lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion can head to trial Federal agents clash with anti-I.C.E. protesters at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Oct. 12, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man and a woman in a vehicle on Thursday afternoon in Portland, Oregon, after the driver allegedly tried to run over agents, a senior federal official said. The shooting occurred a day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good as she was driving toward him on a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after being ordered to exit her SUV by other ICE agents. McLaughlin and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have accused Good, 37, of engaging in "domestic terrorism," and claimed that she intentionally tried to run over ICE agents after blocking a residential street with her vehicle. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other Democratic officials have said those claims are false, pointing to videos of the shooting. The shooting in Portland occurred at 2:19 p.m. PT, as Border Patrol agents were "conducting a targeted vehicle stop," Homeland Security Department Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. "The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland," McLaughlin said. "The vehicle driver is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua," she said. "When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents," McLaughlin said. "Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots," she said. "The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene." Portland Police said the unidentified man and the woman who were shot were taken to a hospital, and that their conditions were unknown. The FBI is leading the investigation of the shooting. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, whose city has become a focus point for immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration, in a statement, said, "Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident." "We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts," Wilson said. "Portland is not a 'training ground' for militarized agents, and the 'full force' threatened by the administration has deadly consequences," he said. "As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed." Portland Police Chief Bob Day, in a statement, said, "We are still in the early stages of this incident." "We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more," Day said. Portland Police, in a statement, said they responded to a report of a shooting on Southeast Main Street, in the city's Hazelwood neighborhood. "Officers confirmed that federal agents had been involved in a shooting," the statement said. "Portland Police were not involved in the incident." "At 2:24 p.m., officers received information that a man who had been shot was calling and requesting help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside," police said. "Officers responded and found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds," the statement said. "Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. The patients were transported to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown." "Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents," police said. The FBI's Portland office, in an emailed statement to CNBC, said it was "investigating an assault on a federal officers that happened at approximately 2:15pm near the 10000 block of Main St. in Portland involving two Customs and Border Patrol agents." "The two assailants fled the scene immediately following the shooting and are currently being treated for their injuries," the office said. "This remains an active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI." Semiconductor stocks rose on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump praised Intel and its CEO. Intel shares rose 2% in extended trading on Thursday after Trump said he had "a great meeting with the very successful Intel CEO, Lip-Bu Tan" in a post on Truth Social. It was last seen 2.63% higher in early pre-market trading Friday. Other chip and AI-related names saw an uplift as investors digested Trump's post. Broadcom and Micron rose 1.66% and 1.36% in pre-market, respectively. AMD gained 0.36%. "The United States Government is proud to be a Shareholder of Intel, and has already made, through its U.S.A. ownership position, Tens of Billions of Dollars for the American People IN JUST FOUR MONTHS," Trump wrote. "We made a GREAT Deal, and so did Intel. Our Country is determined to bring leading edge Chip Manufacturing back to America, and that is exactly what is happening!!!" The U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel through an $8.9 billion investment from the CHIPS and Science Act in August, which had otherwise been struggling. Intel's share price has risen 75% since the Trump administration announced its stake in the company, which also made the U.S. government its majority shareholder. Outside the U.S., European names ASML , which manufactures machines needed to make advanced computer chips, and ASMI , which makes semiconductor manufacturing equipment, advanced 5.37% and 4.53% respectively on Friday. Elsewhere, memory chip firms also rallied at the start of the year as a core component to the training and running of artificial intelligence. CNBC's Jordan Novet contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters, as he attends a meeting with oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 9, 2026. President Donald Trump said Friday his administration will take action on Greenland "whether they like it or not," further escalating his rhetoric as he pushes to acquire the Danish territory for the U.S. "I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way," Trump told reporters at the White House. The comments came during a meeting with oil executives to discuss the prospect of doing business in Venezuela. Less than a week earlier, the U.S. military invaded the oil-rich South American nation and captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro. Trump has long sought to take over Greenland, primarily citing the Arctic island's importance for U.S. national security. Denmark and its European allies in NATO the military alliance co-founded by the U.S. have pushed back, reiterating that Greenland is not for sale. But the Trump administration nevertheless says it is currently weighing a range of options on Greenland, including utilizing the U.S. military or cutting a deal to purchase it from Denmark. US President Donald Trump speaks during the House Republican Party (GOP) member retreat at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump said he has canceled a fresh military attack on Venezuela, saying the two countries "are working well together," on rebuilding the nation's oil and gas infrastructure. Writing on Truth Social on Friday, Trump noted Venezuela's release of "large numbers of political prisoners" which he called "a very important and smart gesture." "Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes," Trump said. In a press conference on Jan. 3, Trump had suggested it was unlikely a second attack on Venezuela would be deemed necessary due to what he called the success of the first operation. "We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack, if we need to do so," he told reporters at the time. "So we were prepared to do a second wave if we needed to do so. We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary. But now it's probably not the first wave, if you'd like to call it, the first attack was so successful, we probably don't have to do a second but we're prepared to do a second wave, a much bigger wave." Washington launched a military operation in Venezuela over the weekend that led to the capture of the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom were indicted on drug trafficking charges. The pair pleaded not guilty. Maduro claimed he'd been "kidnapped" and was a "prisoner of war" at a court appearance in New York this week. On Thursday, Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela's National Assembly, announced that the government would release a significant number of foreign and Venezuelan prisoners. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares later said five Spanish prisoners had been released and were on a flight back to their home country. Since Maduro's ousting, Trump has turned his attention to oil-rich Venezuela's energy resources, saying shortly after the operation took place that he had been in talks with oil giants about rebuilding the country's oil infrastructure. In his post on Friday, Trump said at least $100 billion will be invested in Venezuela by "Big Oil," noting that he would meet with representatives for U.S. oil giants at the White House later on Friday. Chevron is currently the only oil major operating in Venezuela, and U.S. oil majors have so far been largely silent on Trump's push for their participation in rebuilding the country's energy systems. Venezuela, a founding member of the powerful OPEC energy alliance, sits on 303 billion barrels of crude oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That represents around 17% of the world's oil reserves but it's currently thought to produce less than 1% of global oil output, and exports only half of what it makes. On Tuesday, Trump said Venezuelan authorities would give the U.S. up to 50 million barrels of oil, which will be sold at market prices. "That money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" Trump said at the time. Sources close to the White House later told CNBC that Venezuela will ship sanctioned oil to the U.S. indefinitely. CNBC's Sam Meredith contributed to this article. (COMBO) This combination of pictures created on December 17, 2025, shows Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaking during her daily press conference at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on November 28, 2025, and US President Donald Trump looking on during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 15, 2025. President Donald Trump suggested in a new interview that the U.S. military could launch land strikes on drug cartels in Mexico. "We've knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water. And we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview aired Thursday night. "The cartels are running Mexico, it's very sad to watch and see what's happened to that country," Trump said. Trump's comment comes less than a week after U.S. forces struck Venezuela and captured its authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The Venezuelan government has said more than 100 people were killed in the military operation, which came after a monthslong pressure campaign against Maduro. The Trump administration has carried out 35 known strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, killing 115 individuals, according to The New York Times. A White House spokeswoman, when asked by CNBC about Trump's comment on Fox News, said, in an email, "The administration is reasserting and enforcing the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, control migration, and stop drug trafficking." "The President has many options at his disposal to continue to protect our homeland from illicit narcotics that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year," the spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, said. Trump previously floated the idea of executing attacks on Mexico. "Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in November when asked if he would consider military action across the southern border. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed back on Trump after that, saying there would be no U.S. military action in Mexico without her permission. This week, Sheinbaum condemned the U.S. capture of Maduro and reaffirmed her country's sovereignty. "It is necessary to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule, and that we are a free and sovereign country cooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no," Sheinbaum said, according to Reuters. Sheinbaum addressed Trump's latest remarks at a press conference on Friday, saying she would "deepen coordination" with the U.S." and that she asked her Secretary of Foreign Affairs Juan Ramon de la Fuente to meet with the U.S. Department of State if necessary. "We are going to strengthen communication," Sheinbaum said, according to a translated version of her remarks provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Two or three days ago, Secretary [Marco] Rubio himself spoke about the good coordination on security matters that exists with Mexico... we will further strengthen the relationship and the exchange of information," Sheinbaum said. President Donald Trump met Friday afternoon with more than a dozen oil companies at the White House to discuss plans for investment in Venezuela, less than a week after the U.S. ousted President Nicolas Maduro. Exxon CEO Darren Woods, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance and Chevron Vice Chairman Mark Nelson attended. Executives from Halliburton , Valero and Marathon were also present among others. Trump said oil companies will spend at least $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela's energy sector. The U.S. will provide security and protection so "they get their money back and make a very nice return," he said. The U.S. will decide which oil companies enter Venezuela, the president said. The White House will "cut a deal with the companies" Friday or shortly thereafter, he said. "One of the things the United States gets out of this will be even lower energy prices," Trump said. The White House called the meeting, an industry source told CNBC. It was not scheduled at the request of the oil companies, the source said. Venezuela has 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. But its oil sector is in dire disrepair. Production has declined from a peak of about 3.5 million barrels per day in the 1990s to only around 800,000 bpd today, according to data from energy consulting firm Kpler. Rystad Energy estimates it will cost more than $180 billion through 2040 for Venezuelan production to reach 3 million bpd. The revival of Venezuela's oil industry presents investors with a major opportunity in the country's defaulted debt, according to a firm that generated a 30% gain after the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, was captured by U.S. forces on Saturday. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet with oil companies Chevron , ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil , along with other domestic producers, on Friday "to discuss making significant investments in Venezuela's oil sector." Speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Lee Robinson, founder and chief investment officer of Monaco- and London-based distressed debt investor Altana Wealth, said new money would be required to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure and return to peak production levels of around $100 billion revenue, with that coming predominantly from U.S. bond investors. "They will therefore want to have a share of those profits from that oil industry," Robinson told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe." "Whether that's in GDP warrants, oil warrants or restructured debt, there's plenty of upside for bondholders from here." Venezuelan government debt , and that of the state-owned oil company PDVSA, entered default in late 2017 after U.S. sanctions restricted the government's ability to issue new bonds or refinance existing debt, ultimately shutting off liquidity, while a collapse in oil production choked off a key source of foreign exchange. "This was an economy of $500 billion GDP mismanaged down to under $100 billion," Robinson said. "We know where the oil is. It just hasn't been released because they went from 50 or so major oil rigs to one." Limited downside and much more upside Since then, Venezuelan bonds have been "without doubt" the lowest priced distressed debt in the world, Robinson said, with a "significantly lower price" compared to other distressed situations such as Argentina and Ukraine. Robinson now expects a rush into both Venezuelan government debt and PDVSA bonds. "I suspect you'll see a whole swathe of new investors come in in the next couple of weeks as emerging market funds look at their allocations to different countries and different sovereigns and come to the conclusion that there's limited downside on Venezuela short term and much more upside," he added. Altana Wealth manages about $500 million across a range of credit, event-driven, distressed and special situations hedge fund strategies. The firm has been a long-term investor in Venezuelan government debt through its Altana Credit Opportunities Fund, which has about $180 million in assets. Altana's strategy notched a 30% gain following the capture of Maduro on Saturday, and Robinson sees further upside in the asset. "People forget that there is over 80 points in some of the bonds, and 100 points of interest that's accrued on the bonds since default. We're looking at bonds realistically at 182-200 and getting a recovery on those. A recovery of 25% on those, you're talking about 50-plus points," Robinson said of the investment thesis. As emerging markets funds hope to attract new capital inflows from asset allocators, Robinson said Maduro's ouster removed a key downside for investors. "There's plenty of upside. We now have a timeline for transition and instead of a four- or five-year timeline, we are potentially looking at a nine-month or 18-month timeline for the restructuring of the debt." Venezuela's defaulted sovereign debt has come into sharper focus following Maduro's capture, with Barclays upgrading Venezuela's bonds to market weight following an improved outlook for bondholder repayments. Short-term uncertainty Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking economists said that the likelihood of bondholder repayments has increased, though it warned that questions over the reconstruction of the country's institutions could mean short-term uncertainty. If the U.S. ultimately lifts sanctions, "the likelihood of bondholder repayment would increase significantly," Natixis CIB economist wrote in a note. Anna Rosenberg, head of geopolitics at Amundi Investment Institute, said recovery values need to be reassessed in light of future oil revenue, as the country could go from producing under a million barrels a day to between two-and-a-half and three million per day over the next five years. "For bondholders, the regime change that matters is the one that unlocks those billions in capex and cash flows, but any restructuring will be complicated by large bilateral exposures to China [and] Russia," Rosenberg said. RailTel Corporation of India Ltd will establish a greenfield data centre for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, a company's press note said on Friday.Calling it a major milestone in its international expansion journey, RailTel said that it secured this prestigious project with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India."This project is a crucial element in India's support to the Digital Ethiopia Strategy. The project marks RailTel's growing footprint in delivering world-class digital infrastructure solutions beyond India," the press note said.It added, "The project is scheduled to be completed within one year, followed by three years of comprehensive Operation & Maintenance (O&M) support after go-live."RailTel's Chairman & Managing Director, Sanjai Kumar, expressed gratitude for the achievement and said, "We remain fully committed to delivering this project with the highest standards of professionalism, quality, and reliability." "This engagement further strengthens RailTel's role as a global digital infrastructure partner aligned with India 's development cooperation objectives," he said.Highlighting the company's vision, the press note said that RailTel has articulated an ambitious international expansion strategy aimed at taking India's proven digital models to partner countries across the globe.According to the statement, RailTel is leveraging its experience in executing large-scale, mission-critical ICT projects for the Government of India, and is actively participating in international competitive bids.A recent example is its participation in the Unique Identity (UID) project in Sri Lanka, supported through funding from the Centre," it said.Officials said that beyond individual projects, RailTel's approach focuses on replicating India's end-to-end digital transformation journey in emerging economies, adapting solutions to local needs while retaining the robustness, security, and scalability that define Indian platforms. Indias stalled trade deal with the United States is being held up by unresolved tariff issues rather than the absence of a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, according to Mark Linscott, former Assistant US Trade Representative.His remarks come amid renewed political noise in Washington following comments by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who suggested the deal failed because Modi did not personally call Trump to seal it.Speaking to CNBC-TV18,Linscott said the focus on phone calls was misplaced and distracted from the real bottleneck in the negotiations. He acknowledged that Trump often plays a decisive role in closing trade agreements but stressed that substantive talks between India and the US had progressed significantly over several months through official channels.I think where we still have a big gap, and what is holding up more progress, is what the reciprocal tariff rate will be, Linscott said, adding that India is seeking clarity on whether tariffs would settle closer to levels granted to the European Union.Lutnicks podcast comments triggered a sharp political response in New Delhi, with Indias External Affairs Ministry rejecting the characterisation of events and stating that Modi and Trump had spoken eight times in 2025, including on trade.Former Indian Ambassador to the US Arun Singh said Lutnicks claims were not new and reflected a long-standing divergence in perceptions between Washington and New Delhi. He argued that the India-US negotiations were originally shaping up as a balanced agreement, with concessions on both sides, but that this approach lost favour with Trump as he sought to project unilateral wins at home. Singh pointed to recent US deals with the EU, Japan and South Korea, which involved large investment and energy purchase commitments alongside tariff outcomes favourable to Washington.According to Singh, Indias refusal to make similar unilateral concessions marked a turning point. He said the US instead opted to impose higher tariffs on India, even at the cost of straining the broader bilateral relationship. It is not a question of whether the leaders are talking or not talking, Singh said, arguing that domestic political optics in the US had overtaken strategic considerations. He warned that the episode had reinforced perceptions in India of the US as a coercive trading partner, prompting calls to reassess the trajectory of the relationship.International trade policy expert Abhijit Das struck a more pessimistic note, suggesting that US demands from India continue to rise regardless of concessions already offered. He said the negotiations reflected a pattern of ever-increasing expectations from Washington, making it difficult to reach a genuinely balanced outcome. Das argued that India weakened its negotiating position by offering concessions even before talks formally commenced, including steps taken in budgets to ease trade frictions with the US.Das said that even what US officials have described as Indias best-ever offer may still fall short of Trumps expectations. Whatever we put on the table, even if its the best offer from the Indian side, does not seem to meet the expectations of President Trump, he said, adding that this made him doubtful about the prospects of a fair agreement.Linscott, however, said he remained more optimistic than his Indian counterparts. He played down suggestions that the US was seeking sweeping additional concessions in sensitive areas such as agriculture and dairy in a first-phase deal, arguing that the broad contours of an agreement were already clear. Im bullish, and I still am quite hopeful that this can be done relatively soon, he said, reiterating that tariffs remained the central unresolved issue.The uncertainty has been compounded by legal challenges to Trump-era tariffs in the US Supreme Court. While a verdict could potentially strike down some levies, both Linscott and Das said the administration has alternative legal routes to reimpose tariffs under different trade laws. Das warned that even if courts rule against the government, fresh tariffs or other measures could follow, creating continued uncertainty for Indian exporters.Taken together, the views of the three experts suggest that the India-US trade deal is less a casualty of personal diplomacy and more a reflection of hard tariff arithmetic and domestic politics in Washington. Until clarity emerges on reciprocal tariff levels and the US approach stabilises, the long-promised agreement is likely to remain stuck, regardless of how often the two leaders speak. Russia on Friday, January 9, said it had fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile at Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in the nearly three-year-long war. The Kremlin claimed the strike was in retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian drone attack in late 2025 on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences in Novgorod, northern Russia.Ukraine has denied carrying out any such attack. The CIA too had determined that Ukraine's drones had not targeted Putin's house.President Putin had earlier threatened to deploy the Oreshnik missile including against what he described as "decision-making centres" in Kyiv if Ukraine continued to strike Russian territory using long-range Western-supplied weapons. Until now, Moscow had stopped short of acting on that threat.According to Russian officials, the overnight strike was aimed at Ukraine's Lviv region in the west of the country, close to the border with NATO member Poland. Kyiv described the attack as a "global threat" and said it required an international response.Russia said the missile targeted critical infrastructure, though the full extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Ukrainian authorities were already struggling to restore heating and water supplies to thousands of households following earlier strikes on energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.The escalation comes at a delicate moment diplomatically, with US President Donald Trump attempting to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv to end a conflict that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that Russia has used against Ukraine only once before, in November 2024.The missile can carry multiple warheads capable of striking different targets simultaneously a feature more commonly associated with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). It is derived from the RS-26 Rubezh, which Russia initially developed as an intercontinental system.Oreshnik is capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads. Putin has claimed the missile is impossible to intercept and that, even with a conventional payload, its destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon.Since 2024, Russia has reportedly moved the Oreshnik into serial production and has also supplied the system to its ally Belarus. The United States, which played a major role in ending border clashes last year between Thailand and Cambodia, will be providing USD 45 million in aid packages to the two Southeast Asian countries in an effort to ensure regional stability and prosperity, a senior US State Department official said Friday.US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre announced in an online media briefing in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, where he was meeting with senior Thai officials to discuss the implementation of last October's ceasefire, also known as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords.Longstanding competing claims to territory along the Thai-Cambodian border was the root cause of the fighting.The restoration of peace at the Thai-Cambodian border opens new opportunities for the United States to deepen our work with both countries to promote regional stability and advance our interests in a safer, stronger and more prosperous Indo-Pacific, DeSombre said.On Saturday, he's scheduled to hold discussions with top officials from Cambodia in the country's capital, Phnom Penh.The United States will be providing USD 15 million for border stabilisation to help communities recover and to support displaced persons; USD 10 million in demining and unexploded ordinance clearance operations; and USD 20 million for initiatives that will help both countries combat scam operations and drug trafficking, among many other programmes, DeSombre said.But details of the aid packages were still under discussion, he said.The fighting in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand and Cambodia and killed about 100 soldiers and civilians. Land mines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia are a continuing problem, while Thailand claims newly laid mines in frontier areas were responsible for wounding its patrolling soldiers in about a dozen incidents last year.Online scams originating in Southeast Asia, especially from Cambodia and Myanmar, are major transnational crime problems that have swindled billions of dollars from victims around the would.US assistance to the countries of Southeast Asia and other parts of the world for humanitarian and development programmes was severely cut last year when the Trump administration shut down the US Agency for International Development, or USAID.Cambodia and Thailand initially clashed for five days in late July before agreeing on a preliminary ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the time pressed for an unconditional ceasefire, but there was little headway until US President Donald Trump intervened. Trump said that he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that Washington wouldn't move forward with trade agreements if hostilities continued.The ceasefire was formalised in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.New fighting broke out early last month, but the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers signed a new pact on December 27, vowing to implement the October agreement.We are very focused on pursuing peace in and around the world, DeSombre told journalists. President Trump is a president of peace, and really believes that peace is critical to economic growth and prosperity. Modified: Friday, 9 January 2026 08:01 BST Tim Boyer STORY LINK Pound-to-Euro Drifts toward 1.15 Save on Your GBP/EUR Transfer Get better rates and lower fees on your next international money transfer. Compare TorFX with top UK banks in seconds and see how much you could save. Compare the Best GBP/EUR Rates GBP/EUR Forecast: Further German Strength to Favour the Euro? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound to Euro exchange rate (GBP/EUR) edged lower on Thursday as investors reacted to unexpectedly strong economic data from Germany, which offered the single currency some rare support.At the time of writing, GBP/EUR was trading around 1.1507, roughly 0.2% below the sessions opening levels and drifting closer to the 1.15 mark.The Euro (EUR) found modest support after the release of upbeat German factory orders data.Figures from Destatis showed that German factory orders surged by 5.6% in November, following a 1.6% rise in October and far exceeding expectations for a 1% contraction. A large portion of the increase was attributed to defence-related orders, reflecting efforts across Europe to boost military capacity.For EUR investors, the data provided a rare note of optimism, hinting that Germanys prolonged industrial downturn may be showing early signs of stabilisation.However, gains in the single currency were limited. Lingering concerns over European security linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine and renewed unease over US ambitions regarding Greenland continued to weigh on sentiment. The Euro was also held back by the latest Eurozone economic sentiment index, which fell more sharply than expected to a three-month low in December.The Pound (GBP), meanwhile, struggled to find support as a quiet UK data calendar offered little to attract fresh buying interest.Sterling sentiment was further clouded by mixed commentary from UK retailers on the all-important Christmas trading period. While some firms reported an improvement in footfall, many noted that this failed to translate into stronger profits as households remained cautious with spending.These signals left GBP investors weighing the implications for UK growth in the final quarter of 2025 and how softer consumer demand might influence Bank of England policy decisions in early 2026.Looking ahead to Friday, the Pound Euro exchange rate may remain sensitive to further releases from Germany, including the latest industrial production and trade data.If industrial output mirrors the strength seen in factory orders, it could reinforce confidence in Germanys manufacturing sector and provide additional support for the Euro.However, any upside may prove limited if trade figures show export growth stalled over the same period.On the UK side, the absence of major economic releases leaves Sterling exposed to broader market dynamics. A recovery in GBP/EUR is possible if weak US payrolls data undermines the US Dollar and lifts overall risk appetite, though in the near term the Pound may continue to lack a clear domestic catalyst. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Euro Forecasts Modified: Friday, 9 January 2026 08:01 BST James Fuller STORY LINK GBP/USD Forecast: Pound Sterling Remains "Neutral" as Nov Rally Stalls Save on Your GBP/USD Transfer Get better rates and lower fees on your next international money transfer. Compare TorFX with top UK banks in seconds and see how much you could save. Compare the Best GBP/USD Rates Pound-to-Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast: Jobs Data in the Spotlight Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound to US Dollar exchange rate (GBP/USD) edged lower on Thursday as a deterioration in global risk appetite encouraged investors to rotate back toward safer assets.At the time of writing, GBP/USD was trading around $1.3437, down roughly 0.2% from the start of the session.The US Dollar (USD) found modest support as demand for safe havens picked up amid a flare-up in geopolitical tensions.Investor nerves were unsettled by several developments, including US military action in Venezuela, renewed rhetoric from Washington regarding Greenland, and the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker. Together, these events heightened concerns about global stability and lifted demand for defensive currencies such as the US Dollar.That said, gains in USD were capped as traders remained cautious ahead of key US data releases due on Friday, limiting the appetite for aggressive positioning.The Pound (GBP) struggled to keep pace with safer currencies as the risk-off mood prevailed, with the absence of UK economic data leaving Sterling vulnerable to broader market swings.Sentiment around the Pound was further dented by a recent Office for National Statistics survey suggesting that increased adoption of artificial intelligence is prompting some UK firms to cut staff numbers. The findings reinforced expectations that the UK labour market may continue to cool, adding another layer of pressure to Sterling.Looking ahead, attention turns to Fridays US non-farm payrolls report, which is likely to be the key driver for the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate.Markets are forecasting job creation of around 60,000 in December a result that would signal a cooling US labour market. Such an outcome would likely reinforce expectations for further Federal Reserve rate cuts and could undermine the US Dollar.Conversely, a stronger-than-expected payrolls print may allow USD to claw back some ground, particularly if it tempers dovish rate-cut expectations.Later in the session, the University of Michigans consumer sentiment index for January is also due. A modest improvement is expected, though confidence remains historically weak.With no major UK data releases scheduled, movement in GBP/USD is set to remain closely tied to US economic data and shifts in global risk sentiment.Analysts a Scotiabank commented, "the rally from November looks to have stalled as gains from the 1.30 have settled into a flat range roughly bound between 1.3400 and 1.3550."Bullish momentum has softened from overbought levels and the RSI is now hovering just above the neutral threshold at 50."We remain neutral absent a break below 1.3400 and note the importance of the 200 day MA at 1.3390. We look to a near-term range bound between 1.3400 and 1.3500." International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Dollar Forecasts China, Ethiopia vow to implement outcomes of FOCAC Beijing Summit Xinhua) 09:28, January 09, 2026 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Han Xu) ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with both sides pledging to jointly advance the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In a joint press release, both sides agreed to deepen all-round cooperation and strive to build the China-Ethiopia all-weather strategic partnership as a model for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Both sides pledged to deepen cooperation in traditional areas, including economy, trade, infrastructure, energy, transportation, and justice, tap the potential for collaboration in emerging areas such as e-commerce, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and green energy, and expand cooperation in culture, tourism, media, education, and think tanks. Both sides highlighted their willingness to take the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity to promote people-to-people exchanges for closer bonds through culture and art. They are willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policies, deepen exchanges on governance experience, and jointly advance on the path to modernization, according to the press release. Ethiopia reiterated its steadfast adherence to the one-China principle, reaffirming that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The East African country opposes all forms of "Taiwan independence," supports all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification, and resolutely defends the authority of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758. China attaches great importance to Ethiopia's role in the Horn of Africa, and the Ethiopian side commends the results achieved under China's Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian side highly appreciated the series of major initiatives put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping and is ready to work with the Chinese side for their implementation. Both sides reaffirmed that all countries should abide by the basic principles established by the UN Charter and international law, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and oppose the use or threat of use of force in international relations. Both sides agreed to hold a new round of political consultations between their foreign ministries in due time this year. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Han Xu) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A 37-year-old woman is shot and killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. Who was responsible for the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good? It depends on whom you believe. Without knowing the facts, the hordes immediately took to social media. The Maga crowd claimed she was a Left-wing agitator, a provocateur who attempted to run down an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official with her car. The anti-Trump crew asserted on social media that she was an innocent victim, brutally murdered by the Presidents Nazi secret police as they rounded up harmless and law-abiding immigrants. You may say it was always so. Humans have long put their own political spin on events. Throughout history we have interpreted the world through the lens of our own prejudices and preconceptions. Yet a new rush to instant judgment based on no knowledge of what has happened has dramatically increased division and polarisation. The main reason for this alarming development is the surge of social media. Welcome to the Age of Unreason. What happened in Minneapolis is an object lesson. Ignorant armies of social media warriors reverted to their usual positions. But instead of advising caution, and suggesting that people await the outcome of an impartial investigation, politicians and senior bureaucrats flung themselves into the whirlpool. On the one hand, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who is in charge of ICE, asserted that officials got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather. She added: They were attempting to push out their vehicle and a woman attacked them. She described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent - but two narratives of events on the Right and Left have emerged Protesters in Minnesota showing support for Renee. Throughout history we have interpreted the world through the lens of our own prejudices and preconceptions, writes Stephen Glover In fact, there was little snow, and what there was seems to have played no part in subsequent events. Nor is there any evidence that Renee Nicole Good was a terrorist, domestic or otherwise. According to her distraught wife, she had been filming a protest against ICE. On the other hand, the Democrat Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, declared in an inflammatory press conference: I have a message for ICE. Get the f*** out of here. Hardly the kind of language liable to calm down angry demonstrators. Meanwhile, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, also a Democrat, blamed the Trump administrations dangerous, sensationalised operations which are designed to generate fear. He has previously referred to ICE as the modern-day Gestapo. If he knew anything about Nazi Germany, he wouldnt have said such a stupid thing. In short, politicians and senior officials on both sides conformed to the abysmal standards of social media by making instantaneous judgments based on zero information, while descending to crude invective. This wouldnt have happened 25 years ago, even in America. Presiding over this collapse of decent standards is the combustible high priest of social media himself, Donald Trump. The American President epitomises the facile, immediate opinions of social media combined with a disregard for the truth. On this occasion, he took to his Truth Social platform, calling Renee Nicole Good very disorderly and someone who viciously ran over the ICE Officer. This version of events isnt borne out by the clip, which Trump says he has watched. As usual, there was nothing remotely statesmanlike or compassionate in his post. If only we could pretend that the destructive effects of social media were unique to the United States. They arent. There are many recent examples here of people rushing to judgment on the basis of videos that didnt tell the whole truth. Ours, too, is an increasingly polarised society. Over Gaza, two opposing and utterly irreconcilable groups lined up. One maintained that Israel was guilty of genocide and the freedom fighters of Hamas were blameless victims. The other insisted that Israel was engaged in proportionate and justified self-defence. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Renee attacked federal agents and described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism When a missile landed on al-Ahli hospital in Gaza in October 2023, reportedly killing hundreds of people, many, including the BBC, quickly pointed the finger of blame at Israel. Social media was ablaze with accusations. It seems likely that a Hamas rocket had gone astray. Its no defence to argue that, on other occasions, the Israeli Defence Force targeted Hamas terrorists hiding in hospitals and killed innocent civilians, including children. The point is that, in the case of al-Ahli hospital, Israel probably wasnt responsible, though many, partly stirred up by social media, said it was. Another time, many newspapers and TV channels carried a harrowing photograph of a starving child when there was undoubtedly malnutrition in Gaza. There was huge outrage on social media. Again, the picture seemed plausible. However, it transpired that the child was suffering from congenital disorders and had a healthy-looking brother. The photograph, and other similar ones, had been circulated for propaganda purposes by Hamas. Closer to home, in July 2024 a video went viral that showed policemen at Manchester airport stamping on Mohammed Fahir Amaaz. There was instant outrage on social media and a demonstration by anti-racism protesters outside a nearby police station. I admit I was taken in by what seemed to be police brutality. But it turned out that the original video didnt show a violent, unprovoked attack to which a policeman and two female colleagues had been subjected moments earlier. Last August, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting two female officers and a male passenger. Life is almost always more complex than the warriors of social media are able or willing to comprehend. They lurch from one outrage to another, easily confirmed in their tribal prejudices, unaware that they are being manipulated by a force that is uninterested in truth, and only wants their eyeballs again and again. Just a mile from the spot where Renee Nicole Good was shot dead this week, George Floyd, an African American, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, in May 2020. Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyds neck for over nine minutes. One might say that George Floyd was the first martyr of social media. His previous convictions, or the fact that he had just used a counterfeit $20 bill, or his alleged drug-induced state, do not of course mitigate the charge of murder in the slightest degree. But can any thoughtful person honestly argue that the resulting global protests the Black Lives Matter movement, the taking of the knee by people such as Sir Keir Starmer, and the charges of ubiquitous white racism represented a proportionate and reasonable response to the murder of one troubled man? Social media and their polarising effects have taken our society by storm so quickly that we havent had time to adjust to their danger. Who could have dreamt 20 years ago that the President of the United States would himself be a champion of such a divisive and superficial scourge? There may be a small ray of sunshine. According to one survey, across the developed world people aged 16 and older spent an average of two hours and 20 minutes per day on social platforms at the end of 2024, down by almost 10 per cent since 2022. The decline is most pronounced among heaviest users teens and 20-somethings. As for Renee Nicole Good, we can only hope that the true facts of her death are established. But in the warring, divided society that is modern America, will anyone notice or care? When President Donald Trump revived the idea that Greenland should become part of the United States, predictable snickering followed. His critics insist that the White House's designs on the 'Land of Ice and Snow' is some newfangled aberration. Yet despite the late-night jokes, there is a serious argument for America's annexation of Greenland that is rooted in history, geography and 150 years of US strategic security thinking. American leaders have long eyed Greenland, not as a whimsical real-estate dream, but as a vital asset for national defense and global influence. Long before Trump, US secretaries of state and presidents recognized the value of controlling the vast 836,000 square mile island (larger than France, Germany, Spain and the UK combined) two-thirds of which sit above the Arctic Circle. In 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward explored the idea of acquiring Greenland alongside Alaska and Iceland recognizing its geographic promise. Seward and the US got Alaska, of course, but Greenland would remain a dream. In 1946, after World War II, President Harry S. Truman formally offered Denmark $100 million (approximately $1.7 billion today) in gold to buy Greenland. This was not a pie-in-the-sky suggestion it was a deliberate bid to secure America's northern flank as the Cold War dawned. Pictured: Special Forces Operators conduct training at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland on May 9, 2023 His critics insist that the White House's designs on the 'Land of Ice and Snow' is some newfangled aberration (Pictured: Nuuk, Greenland) Now, in an era of renewed great-power competition, with Russia and China seeking influence around the world and, especially, in the Arctic, the United States should not blink. Greenland sits astride the shortest trans-Arctic route between North America and Eurasia. As melting ice opens the Arctic, new shipping lanes and access to rare-earth minerals are emerging and so too is the risk of Chinese and Russian dominance. No serious strategist can ignore this. The island is, in essence, a massive forward operating base a strategic choke point and resource reservoir that could determine who controls the Arctic's future. After Truman's 1946 Greenland bid was rejected and Denmark elected to retain the territory, it granted the US pivotal defense rights that endure to this day. The US operates the Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland a linchpin of North American early warning and space-surveillance systems. This history proves two things: Greenland's value has long been recognized, and the idea of bringing it into the American sphere is not novel. And there's also merit to another argument: Denmark hasn't been the best steward of the island and the United States would do far better for the handful of people who live there. Donald Trump has made explicit what previous presidents have only quietly acknowledged. 'Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,' he told reporters aboard Air Force One this week. Denmark is no match to discourage this encroaching sphere of influence. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this strategic framing, emphasizing that Trump's interest in buying Greenland is serious and tied to American security in the Arctic. Rubio stated plainly: 'This is not a joke This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.' Critics, of course, will continue waving their hands and invoking issues of nation sovereignty. And to be clear: any legitimate acquisition must have Greenlanders' consent. Let's get one thing straight: this policy never was and never will be about invading Greenland, nor is this a colonial conquest. Your browser does not support iframes. This is about acquisition by consent, a negotiated transfer of sovereignty, as the United States has done before through peaceful purchase or treaty. Hysterical cable commentary about military invasions notwithstanding, this deal will get done around a table, not a battlefield. This is not about imposing U.S. rule it is about offering a mutually beneficial path forward where Greenland can prosper economically and security guarantees are deepened. The United States is simply seeking stability in a region that increasingly matters to the West. Yes, Denmark's government has already rebuffed the notion that Greenland is for sale and Greenland's leaders insist their future should be directed by Greenlanders. But strategic partnership does not preclude serious negotiation. If anything, history shows that allies can trade territory through peaceful mechanisms when shared interests align. The Louisiana Purchase (acquisition of 828,000 square miles, stretching from modern-day Montana to the Gulf of America, from France in 1803) was once ridiculed by critics until it proved invaluable. What truly bothers Trump's detractors is not the idea's merits it's the willingness to break taboos. Elites like to pretend geography no longer matters in the age of globalization. But Greenland's importance shows precisely the opposite: geography and sovereignty still define power. Your browser does not support iframes. Trump understood this. Rubio articulated it. History confirms it. Some of the hysterics about American acquisition of Greenland are nothing more than the immutable rule of American politics if Donald Trump is for it, his most partisan opposition will be against it. If they'd crack a history book and look at a map instead of retreat to their reflexive, partisan corner, they'd perhaps see the wisdom in Trump's idea. The satire around Greenland obscures a sober truth: a strong America with a secure North Atlantic flank is good for all. Several European leaders have obviously lost sight of their responsibilities when it comes to protecting Western Civilization, so thank God at least someone Trump is doing it for them. History from Seward's vision to Truman's gold offer shows the United States has long regarded Greenland not as a punchline, but as a prize of genuine strategic import. A new 'super flu' is sweeping the US, with symptoms so severe it leaves patients gasping for air and causing critical illness, requiring machines to breathe. At least nine children have died from the flu already this year, official figures suggest, with experts saying other fatalities are still to be registered. The latest CDC data showed nearly all US states had 'high' or 'very high' flu activity, while hospitalizations were up 54 percent compared to the week before. During the week of December 27, the latest data available, one in three flu tests came back positive, up from one in four the previous week. This is also a 76 percent surge from this time last year. The escalating flu season is being driven by a new strain of H3N2, called subclade K, which is better able to evade the immune system than previous variants. Doctors said that infections start with an unusually high temperature, before shifting into a cough that is very phlegmy and extreme fatigue. Dr Mark Loafman, a family doctor at Cook County Health in Illinois, warned there had been 'more fever with the flu this year than people are accustomed to,' which can last for five to seven days. He added: 'And that's worrisome. You feel ill, you feel sick, and you worry that you're not getting better.' Pictured above is Sarah Lopez, 2, who was hospitalized and had to be placed on a feeding tube and ventilator after she caught the flu Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Dr Juanita Mora, national spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told NBC Chicago that the fevers may not always respond to usual over-the-counter treatments such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen. She said in a statement: 'This new strain has symptoms of really high fevers. It has a really bad cough that won't go away, very phlegmy, and also vomiting and diarrhea and lots of joint aches as well as muscle aches.' In serious cases, doctors warn that the symptoms can also leave patients struggling to breathe and needing a ventilator. In one case, two-year-old Sarah Lopez from north Georgia has been hospitalized for weeks after she was infected with the flu. Her mother Kenia, told WSB-TV 2: 'When I would say come here, she wouldn't do it either. She would just throw her upper torso. 'Overnight, everything got worse. She couldn't sit up on her own, she couldn't talk, she couldn't move pretty much anything, just her head a little bit.' Lopez was hospitalized with the flu, but then developed transverse myelitis, a rare condition where a patient suffers from inflammation in part of the spinal cord. Symptoms include back pain, difficulty moving and temporary paralysis. At the hospital, doctors put her on a ventilator to help her breathe and a feeding tube to give her nutrients. Lopez pictured above before her admission to the hospital. The family is fundraising to cover the costs of her care Your browser does not support iframes. Speaking on Wednesday, her mother said that Lopez has now recuperated some strength and movement in her legs, but still struggles to stand up. She has been taken off the ventilator, and the hospital is now considering transferring her to a rehabilitation unit. Her parents, who are caring for six other children, have been unable to work during this time. The family is asking for help to raise $11,000 to cover medical expenses. It was not clear whether Lopez had received the flu vaccine. She tested positive for influenza A, the same type that includes the subclade K variant. Of the nine child deaths, four have been reported in Massachusetts and one in Illinois. It is not clear where the others took place. Overall, officials estimate there have been at least 11million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this year. For comparison, at the same time last year, the CDC estimated there had been 5.3million illnesses, 63,000 hospitalizations and 2,700 deaths. There had also been 11 deaths among children. Other statistics show the number of visits to the doctor for flu-like illness is already at its highest level in 25 years, since 1997 -1998. In the week to December 27, a total of 8.2 percent of outpatient visits were due to flu-like illness. For comparison, last year, which was also a bad flu season, this figure did not exceed 7.8 percent. Noah Smothers is pictured here in the center. He died last month from influenza-related complications at just 14 years old Your browser does not support iframes. Dr Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, told CNN: 'This is definitely a banner year [for flu]. 'It's the worst we've had in at least 20 years. We're seeing a majority of the country is experiencing very high levels of activity, and we're still in the thick of it.' Experts have been urging people to quickly get vaccinated against the flu to slash their risk of a serious illness, particularly over-65s and those with weaker immune systems. The subclade K strain only became common after the strains for this year's flu shot were manufactured, however, suggesting the vaccine may only provide limited protection. Public health officials normally recommend the flu vaccine to everyone aged six months or over, but this week the Trump administration said it would no longer recommend the flu shot for under-18s, saying it was a decision between parents and doctors. Flu seasons often do not peak until January or February, which means it is still too early to know how big this year's flu wave will be. Dr Robert Hopkins, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told AP:' The fact that we've seen steady increases over the last several weeks without much of a decline or even a flattening would suggest to me that we've got the peak ahead of us.' It follows another bad flu season last year, when the overall flu hospitalization rate was the highest since the H1N1 pandemic 15 years ago. A total of 288 child flu fatalities were also recorded. A single gene could be responsible for more than 90 per cent of Alzheimer's disease cases, new research suggests a finding that could open the door to a new generation of treatments targeting the condition at its genetic roots. Scientists behind the study say that if the harmful influence of the gene could be neutralised, up to three-quarters and possibly more of Alzheimer's cases might never develop. The gene, known as APOE, has long been linked to Alzheimer's, but researchers now say its contribution to the overall burden of the disease has been significantly underestimated. Dr Dylan Williams, a senior Alzheimer's research fellow at University College London and the study's lead author, said: 'We have long underestimated how much the APOE gene contributes to the burden of Alzheimer's disease.' While the E4 variant of the gene is already well recognised as a major genetic risk factor, Dr Williams said the role of another allele E3, the most common form has been widely misunderstood. He said: 'When we consider the contributions of E3 and E4 together, we can see that APOE potentially has a role in almost all Alzheimer's disease. 'Consequently, if we knew how to reduce the risk that these variants confer, we may be able to prevent most cases of the disease from occurring.' In the most comprehensive review of its kind, involving more than 450,000 participants, researchers analysed existing studies examining how different APOE variants influence the risk of Alzheimer's, dementia, and early brain changes that precede memory loss. A single gene could be responsible for more than 90 per cent of Alzheimer'sdisease cases, new research suggests a finding that could open the door to a new generation of treatments targeting the condition at its genetic roots Your browser does not support iframes. People with two copies of the E2 variant were considered low risk, while those carrying two copies of the E4 variant were found to be at the highest risk of developing the condition. These patients also tended to develop the disease earlier than those with other genetic profiles, with almost all eventually showing signs of the condition. However, the researchers stressed that carrying high-risk genes does not guarantee someone will develop dementia. Lifestyle and environmental factors can significantly influence risk, with smoking, poor cardiovascular health and social isolation all known to increase the likelihood of developing the condition. Dr Williams said: 'Other research has suggested that perhaps half of dementia incidence could be prevented or delayed by improving modifiable risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol or social isolation across populations. 'With complex diseases like Alzheimer's and other causes of dementia, there will be more than one way to reduce disease occurrence.' He added: 'Nonetheless, we should not overlook the fact that without the contributions of APOE E3 and E4, most Alzheimer's disease cases would not occur, irrespective of what other factors are inherited or experienced throughout life.' The findings, published in the journal npj Dementia, suggest that between 72 and 93 per cent of Alzheimer's cases would not have occurred without the E3 and E4 variants of the gene. Your browser does not support iframes. Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP. Symptom Checklist Overall, around 45 per cent of all dementia cases were linked back to APOE. The researchers say this improves on previous estimates of genetic risk and could help identify the most appropriate people to include in future clinical trials. They concluded that evidence from across multiple studies suggests the gene is likely to be responsible for at least three in four Alzheimer's cases, and possibly more. Dr Williams said: 'The extent to which APOE has been researched in relation to Alzheimer's, or as a drug target, has clearly not been proportionate to its importance. 'There has been major progress in recent years in gene editing and other forms of gene therapy to target genetic risk factors directly. 'Moreover, genetic risk also points us towards parts of our physiology that we could target with more conventional drugs.' He added that intervening directly on APOE or the molecular pathways linking the gene to the disease could have 'great, and probably under-appreciated, potential' for preventing or treating a large majority of Alzheimer's cases. Independent experts welcomed the research but urged caution in interpreting the findings. Your browser does not support iframes. Professor Masud Husain, a neurologist at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the study, said it was a 'really important study', but warned: 'It raises the question of whether knowing your genotype would be useful. 'Currently, this is not available routinely in the NHS, largely because it is unclear what someone could do if they discovered they were at high risk of developing dementia.' He added: 'We need clinical trials that specifically focus on higher-risk individuals to establish whether new treatments can make a meaningful difference.' Professor Anneke Lucassen, an expert in genomic medicine, also urged caution. She said: 'In reality, unless you carry two copies of the E4 variant which is rare your risk is heavily influenced by lifestyle factors.' She added: 'The study also confuses susceptibility with causality. Just because a gene increases risk does not mean the disease would not occur without it it may simply require different environmental triggers.' Dementia is estimated to claim around 76,000 lives a year, making it the UK's biggest killer often due to complications such as pneumonia or difficulty swallowing. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, affecting around 982,000 people in the UK. Your browser does not support iframes. Early symptoms typically include memory problems, difficulties with thinking and reasoning, and language issues, which worsen over time. However, experts believe that around 45 per cent of dementia cases may be preventable or at least delayed through improvements in lifestyle and cardiovascular health, potentially allowing people to live longer, healthier lives. Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'This study highlights that more Alzheimer's cases are linked to the APOE gene than previously thought. 'However, not everyone with these variants will develop Alzheimer's, demonstrating the complex relationship between genetics and other risk factors for dementia.' She added: 'These findings underline the importance of further research into APOE as we work towards more effective prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease.' Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimers Society, added: 'This large-scale study offers a clearer picture of how the APOE gene influences the risk of developing Alzheimers, suggesting its impact may be even greater than we previously understood. 'While these findings offer a better understanding of the role of genetics, it is important to remember that having a high-risk form of the gene is not a certain diagnosis. 'As we continue to further our understanding of risks and causes, we must not lose sight of the risk factors that remain within our control. He continued: 'There are steps people can take today to reduce their risk of dementia, such as exercising, not smoking and managing long-term health conditions like blood pressure and diabetes. We know a holistic approach to good health is the best way to lower your risk of dementia. There is no single approach to treating dementia. We must continue to fund diverse research to help us find effective preventative measures and treatments that work for everyone, regardless of their genetics.' A smart ring user whose finger swelled so severely he had to be hospitalized has shared a troubling update on the fiasco. Daniel Rotar, a British tech YouTuber with over 1.6 million subscribers, posted on X last year that the battery of his $400 Samsung Galaxy Ring swelled while he wore the device. Rotar was about to get on a plane during the terrifying ordeal, but he was denied boarding and rushed to his nearest hospital to have the ring removed. 'Won't be wearing a smart ring ever again,' he said at the time. Such devices are similar to a smart watch, tracking health and activity, such as sleep, heart rate and steps. Samsung and a third-party agency each initiated investigations of the case. Four months later, Rotar claims the company said the incident was caused by a cracked internal molding. There was no explanation given about what may have caused this, but a defect like this is often caused by physical damage or a manufacturing error. 'Samsung tells me that both investigations reached the same conclusion,' Rotar wrote on X this week. The company also claimed there was 'no wider product battery safety risk.' The Samsung Galaxy Ring got stuck on Daniel Rotar's finger last year Your browser does not support iframes. However, social media users slammed Samsung's statement as 'just some corporate word salad' and said it 'did not provide any confidence in continuing use of the Galaxy Ring.' Samsung's statement, which Rotar shared on X, reads: 'Customer safety is our highest priority. Samsung has been in regular contact with Daniel whilst we conducted our investigation. 'Following an examination by Samsung and then a further analysis by an independent external agency, it was confirmed that the swelling in Daniels Galaxy Ring was caused by a crack in the internal [molding] and that there was no wider product battery safety risk. 'The Galaxy Ring has been designed for everyday wear, with durability at the core. Customer care guides for all our devices can be found at: samsung.com/uk/support.' Rotar previously said he did not suffer complications from having the ring stuck on his finger, but if left unaddressed, an injury such as this can restrict blood flow, leading to numbness, tingling and potential tissue damage. The pressure from the stuck ring can also damage nerves in the fingers, restricting movement and potentially leading to permanent loss of sensation and muscle weakness. The inner molding of the British YouTuber's ring, which Samsung says was cracked Samsung's investigation concluded that 'there was no wider product battery safety risk' It's unclear exactly why Rotar was denied boarding on a plane during this incident, but airlines have previously prohibited Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phones due to incidents of the batteries exploding. Samsung's 2017 investigation found that the phones were catching on fire because of a fault that was built into the lithium-ion batteries. There is no evidence that the batteries in Samsung Rings could explode. X users responded to Rotar's post with uncertainty and skepticism. 'What a bunch of corpo slop they sent you,' one said. Another wrote: 'That statement was written by their legal team. Just some corporate word salad to keep you off their scene, and apparently, it worked.' NOBODYS GIRL: A MEMOIR OF SURVIVING ABUSE AND FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Doubleday 25, 400pp) THERE are few books that influence events, especially from beyond the grave and by ordinary citizens, but Giuffres frank and brave memoir played a major part in the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, being stripped of his titles. We thought we knew her story but this brings home the full details and sheer horror of her upbringing, betrayed by friends and family whom she believed she could trust. Giuffres death shortly before publication adds to the poignancy of a book which shows her to have been a doughty fighter for justice and to hold the rich and powerful to account. A worthy No 1 bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic and a book, skilfully ghostwritten by Amy Wallace, whose impact will be felt long after 2025. ANDREW LOWNIE Entitled by Andrew Lownie (William Collins, 22) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. THE COVENANT OF WATER by Abraham Verghese (Grove Press UK 10.99, 736pp) I HAVE just finished what has to be one of the most splendid and absorbing books I have ever read. It is set in Kerala, South India a fascinating country which I adore and have visited 26 times. It follows the story of three generations from the turn of the 20th century. I read Vergheses first novel, Cutting The Stone, some time ago and he is the most extraordinary writer. I often read in bed before going to sleep but with this book I had to force myself to put it down and turn the lights off or I would have been up all night reading! LADY GLENCONNER Manners And Mischief by Lady Glenconner (Bedford Square, 18.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls (Sceptre 9.99, 368pp) THIS hits a sweet spot for me. Nicholls is an author I adore, the Coast to Coast longdistance path is a setting which taps into my love of walking and the characters are so real I feel Ive met them. I love the delicate balance of humour and poignancy, the awkwardness of people finding love in adult life and the way Nicholls builds towards an ending that leaves you wanting more. I also really enjoyed The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo (Simon & Schuster) by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Its beautifully constructed with a strong, complex woman at the heart whose story is shared with a young reporter. I loved the layers of emotional vulnerability on show and the understanding that a woman can be many things all at the same time while trying to carve her way in an industry that wants her to be just one thing.Its funny, moving, surprising and hugely enjoyable. CLARE BALDING Pastures New by Clare Balding (HarperCollins, 10) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. ON MYSTICISM by Simon Critchley (Profile 11.99, 336pp) I HAVE been reading this with increasing pleasure. Critchley is a philosophy professor in New York. The book is a history of mysticism but, more interestingly, an investigation into what it is or might be. One big bonus is that it contains thoughtful chapters on some of my favourite writers, such as Anne Carson and Annie Dillard. I was a little unsure about the book at first was it some kind of self-help thing? but have been utterly persuaded both by his wide reading and the sense that this is, for Critchley, a very personal project. What its not is any kind of attempt to sell religion. Another great read this year was Sarah Halls new novel, Helm (Faber & Faber) vivacious, bawdy and endlessly inventive. And lastly, a very honourable mention for Jenny Erpenbecks collection of short essays/articles, Things That Disappear (Granta). Sane, witty and wise. A nice bite-sized introduction to this important European writer. ANDREW MILLER The Land In Winter by Andrew Miller (Sceptre, 10.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. THE STOLEN CROWN by Tracy Borman (Hodder & Stoughton 26, 448pp) THIS is a page turner, which seems odd given that the story how Elizabeth I was succeeded in 1603 by her Scottish godson, who became James I of England is one of the best known in our history. Balancing scholarship with skulduggery, the book exposes a very British coup, when the English and Scottish elites were plotting to see who came after Elizabeth I. With secret letters, spies, murders, and doctored documents, The Stolen Crown reads like a political thriller. GARETH RUSSELL Queen James by Gareth Russell (William Collins, 25) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. DIANAWORLD by Edward White (Allen Lane 25, 400pp) JUST when we thought there was nothing left to say about the Peoples Princess, White comes up with Dianaworld. This humdinger of a cultural history examines Diana through the lens of the obsessives who saw in her a version of themselves. For some gay men, Diana was a gay man, for some drag queens, she was a drag queen, for some Black and Asian women, Diana knew what it was like to be a Black or Asian woman. She also had an army of career lookalikes, who said that they knew what it was like to be Diana. The most entertainingly bonkers memoir of the year must be Elizabeth Gilberts All The Way To The River (Bloomsbury), which begins with the ghost of Gilberts junky girlfriend telling her to write about their rollercoaster relationship. For narrative skill and sheer headlong pleasure, I adored William Boyds spy thriller, The Predicament (Viking). FRANCES WILSON Electric Spark by Frances Wilson (Bloomsbury Circus, 25) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK by Chris Whitaker (Orion 9.99, 592pp) I WAS absorbed by this book and went to bed at 8pm for a week to finish it. Based on two childhood friends who are ripped apart by tragedy, its a sweeping epic with a serial killer mystery that isnt afraid to shine a light on the lasting impact trauma has on everyone. The plotting and world-building made me truly believe in the small town, and every - body living there. I still think about the characters every day, and the prose was gorgeous, too. HOLLY BOURNE So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne (Hodder, 9.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. THE LAND IN WINTER by Andrew Miller (Sceptre 10.99, 384pp) HONEST disclosure: Miller was a student of mine at the University of East Anglia in the 1990s, so I read his work with affectionate attention. This latest novel is worthy of the praise its been getting. Miller always seems to chisel away at the strange emotional strata other writers have ignored. He calls this keeping it weird and reading him is never a comfort read. But comfort isnt what we ask of the modern novel. Here, Miller turns the grindingly ordinary lives of West Country folk caught out by cruel weather into a compelling struggle between man fixated on his tiny survival rituals and his awareness of his frailty in a pitiless universe. Most memorable is the car journey of two drunken, deluded men trying to reach home, crashing and staggering about in a frozen world they utterly fail to understand. Its both funny and terrifying: Miller at his best. ROSE TREMAIN The Toy Car by Rose Tremain (Amazon Original Publishing, 0.99) is out now. The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain (Chatto & Windus, 20) is published in September 2026. AFTER OSCAR by Merlin Holland (Europa Editions 30, 687pp) OSCAR Wilde, play - wright, poet, wit, was imprisoned for gross indecency in 1895. He died in exile and in poverty in Paris 125 years ago, leaving behind two sons who, at the time of his imprisonment, had no idea what had happened to their father. Holland, Wildes only grandson, has told the extraordinary story of his legacy in After Oscar. Part family history, part social and literary history, its beautifully written and deeply moving. Richard Ayoade is one of the great wits of our time and in his delightful Afterthoughts (Faber & Faber) hes come up with a compendium of wise (and hilarious), nuggets: thoughts for our time like TV detectives need a gimmick. Mine would be not caring who did it, and Wheres the box to tick if you are a robot? GYLES BRANDRETH Somewhere, A Boy And A Bear by Gyles Brandreth (Michael Joseph, 25) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. THE MISSION by Tim Weiner (William Collins 25, 464pp) TWO non-fiction books topped my list this year. Weiners The Mission is a compelling, in-depth history of the CIA in the 21st century. Through exclusive interviews with six former directors and dozens of top officers, Weiner paints a portrait of the agencys transformation into a paramilitary force and highlights its struggle to reclaim its core mission of spying on other great powers. In The Philosopher In The Valley (Simon & Schuster), Michael Steinberger examines Palantir Technologies, a firm at the fore - front of Big Data and surveillance technology founded in the early 2000s, in part to help the CIA fight the war on terror. The story follows Alex Karp, philosopher-turned-CEO, as he navigates the ethical complexities of technical surveillance and its implications for privacy. Together, these books provide a bracing view of the modern-day CIA and the technological revolu - tion that is forcing intelligence agencies to adapt their tradecraft and business models. DAVID McCLOSKEY The Persian by David McCloskey (Swift Press, 20) is published on January 29 and can be preordered here from the Mail Bookshop. A TRUCE THAT IS NOT PEACE by Miriam Toews (Fourth Estate 16.99, 192pp) TOEWS has garnered high praise for her fiction writing Fight Night is a favourite of mine and Women Talking was adapted into a successful film. In her first non-fiction for 20 years, she examines the bold yet simple question, why does she write? This book is a beautiful collage of letters home to a sister who refuses to talk, memories of a mother who defied her own religious upbringing and quotes that she has held on to. It offers a complete kaleidoscope of emotions, at once melancholy and hopeful, grief-stricken and life affirming. Toews answers her own question as she goes through her memories, ending with her thoughts on becoming the grandmother of the family. Its heartfelt, honest and funny. Her life lessons are hard earned, but thankfully for us, shes written them all down. CARIAD LLOYD Lydia Marmalade And The Christmas Wish by Cariad Lloyd (Hodder Childrens Books, 7.99) is out now. She is also a judge for the 2026 Womens Prize for Fiction. The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Car (Picador, 9.99) Told in a beautiful, hypnotic style: We were a hardy people, raised facing the Atlantic. A few thousand men, women and children clinging to the coast and trying to stay dry. This tale of life in a village in Donegal starts in 1973 when a barrelthe kind used for exporting salted fishwashes up on the shore, on top of which is a baby, pink, eyes wide to the grey sky, well wrapped. Ambrose the fisherman and his wife, Christine, adopt the baby boy and bring him up as their own. We see the challenges of family life across the generationsand the struggle to make a living in the fishing industry, as Ambrose is forced to take his small boat perilously far out to achieve a decent catch. Despite these, there is much humour and a real warmth here that reminds us of the strength and goodness of community. Nina Stibbe Went to London, Took the Dog (Picador, 10.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. She is also a judge for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy I absolutely loved Charlie Mackesys first book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and his follow up Always Remember is just as good. Its beautifully illustrated by Charlie, and the perfect book to dip into when you only have a few minutes to yourself. I love it and its brilliant for any age, my kids also love reading it and looking at the illustrations. Charlie has filled the pages with positivity so its a great book to have to hand if you find yourself at a low ebb as its a book that will lift you up. I also love Charlies drawings of the animals and the natural world, and his ability to capture the essence of friendship, kindness and love. Its full of heart and the perfect gift for Christmas to put a smile on someones face. Christmas Tales from the Farm by Amanda Owen (The Yorkshire Shepherdess) (Puffin, 9.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. A Neighbour's Guide to Murder by Louise Candish (HQ, 16.99) Ive read some crackers this year and I always struggle to pick just one, so Im going for two! A Neighbours Guide to Murder by Louise Candlish tells of Gwen, a retiree living in the beautiful, iconic Columbia Mansions striking up an unlikely friendship with neighbour Pixie. When Gwen discovers young, enchanting Pixie is embroiled in a sex-for-rent scandal, her protective instincts go into overdrive. This smartly constructed page-turner is sensationally entertaining. Gwen is one of the most fascinating characters Ive ever read. This darkly witty, unsettling story will stay with you. The Death of Us by Abigail Dean is the story of a mid-life couple were victims of a vicious, home invasion attack when they were in their thirties and ever since have struggled to put that day behind them. When their attacker is finally caught, they must face what happened. This incredible story is ostensibly about a violent attack, but really about love and survival. Dont miss this book. Adele Parks Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks (HQ, 16.99) is available now from the Mail Bookshop. AUDITION by Katie Kitamura (Fern Press 18.99, 208pp) LET me make a nod to two different novels. The first is Kitamuras Audition, which covers the theatre and actors, and asks how much we are performing in intimate relation - ships in our lives. It is a non-traditional narrative in the sense that the novels reality is elusive and evolving. A woman, a well-known actor, goes to lunch with a young man, who might be her colleague, her lover or her son in the different versions that unspool. I loved Ron Curries thriller, The Savage Noble Death Of Babs Dionne (Atlantic). The set-up, about drug-dealing gangsters, is familiar, but from there the novel departs. How many books have you read about the French-descended residents of Maine, a mistreated minority? Or about a crime organisation whose members are female? SCOTT TUROW Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow (Swift, 9.99) is out in paperback now. Compiled by JAMES CAREY-DOUGLAS A rum lot, the Mitfords. Head of the clan, Lord Redesdale, was chairman of the House of Lords Drains Committee and kept a pet mongoose. He thought formal education would thicken his daughters ankles, so none of them had a days schooling. Lady Redesdale, in her turn, distrusted doctors and poured medicines down the sink. She also disagreed with the idea of refrigerators. Her laundry was sent to Harrods. Crusade: Jessica (standing, right) with (clockwise from top left) sisters Unity, Diana and Nancy As regards the children of what Carla Kaplan calls one of the oddest families in England, Nancy became a novelist and biographer in Paris, dressed by Dior. Her subject was the vanished glory of aristocracy. The Pursuit Of Love and Love In A Cold Climate remain popular, as does The Sun King: Louis XIV At Versailles. Pamela, to whom John Betjeman proposed twice, went to live in an Irish castle with a female showjumper. Diana was an unrepentant fascist. When she married Oswald Mosley, Hitler, whom she believed was the kindest man in the world, came to the wedding. Joseph Goebbels hosted the reception. Unity was even more of a Nazi enthusiast. Deciding to live in Germany, she went to the Nuremberg rallies and applauded wildly. Disappointed the Nazis and Britain had failed to form an alliance, when war was declared she shot herself in the head with a small pistol inlaid with mother of pearl. After her suicide attempt failed, Hitler organised for her to be treated in neutral Switzerland. He paid her medical bills and arranged transport for her, and her family, all the way to Folkestone. Unity lingered until 1948, when she died of meningitis in Oban, Scotland, near where the Mitfords owned a Hebridean island. Youngest sister Deborah, or Debo, became the Duchess of Devonshire, living at Chatsworth. It is Kaplans contention she had a long affair with President John F. Kennedy. The evidence looks convincing. Decca eloped with Esmond Romilly, Winston Churchill's nephew, when she was just 17 But it was Jessica, known as Decca, who decided to set herself against everything the family stood for, and who, we are told, broke rules, raised hackles, caused offence, and took huge chances. If Diana and Unity brandished swastikas, on Deccas wall was a poster of Soviet communist leader Lenin. She was the Mitfords Red Sheep. If that all sounds like a recipe for irresponsibility, Kaplan is quick to argue that Decca spent her life fighting for justice, exposing corruption, trusting in facts, forging ahead. Her background made her the most unflappable of activists. Her first cause was the Spanish Civil War. Aged 17, she eloped with Esmond Romilly, her second cousin and Churchills nephew, who said the only thing to do with the English upper class is to marry into it. Romilly and Decca were duly married in May 1937. In Spain, as defectors from their class, Decca and Esmond were instant celebrities. Decca, in a uniform of brown corduroy, charged to Lord Redesdales account at the Army and Navy Stores, fired at the enemy, but hit a tree. That was to be the extent of Deccas experience of combat. Seven months after marrying, the couple had a daughter, Julia, who died of measles a tragedy Decca never mentioned in her memoirs, as the deeper the hurt, the less Decca would speak of it. Possibly to recover and distract themselves, in 1939 she and Romilly emigrated to America, where two years later they had another daughter, Constancia. Decca worked in a shop, selling costume jewellery in Miami. She failed to find superior employment because, under colour on application forms, she put light brown, thinking hair was meant, not skin and race. Romilly, meanwhile, gave talks to luncheon clubs on Sex Life at Oxford University. Once initial high spirits wore off, the union faltered. Decca and Romilly were getting on one anothers nerves. Romilly, indeed, was dogged by boredom until he joined the air force as a navigator. He was killed in action in November 1941, aged 23, leaving Decca a sizeable inheritance. She didnt say much about the irony of being a Communist benefiting from the proceeds and dividends of capitalism. During the war years, Decca obtained a secretarial job at the British Embassy in Washington, where she discovered a knack for rigorous undercover research. Described by Kaplan in almost Hollywood terms as a dark-haired, blue-eyed, vibrant beauty with a steely gaze and a dazzling smile, Decca enjoyed the fine-toothcomb toil at the Office of Price Administration, pursuing black marketeers, profiteering businessmen, and anyone suspected of unfair trade. In 1943, she married progressive lawyer Bob Treuhaft, whose firm, Gladstein, Grossman, Sawyer and Edises, was known to Decca as Gallstones, Gruesome, Sewer and Odious. Her sisters deplored her association with all these Jews. The same year, Decca officially joined the Communist Party, becoming financial director of the San Francisco branch. The organisation apparently provided a powerful sense of optimism and hope, and Decca reluctantly resigned when information about Stalins atrocities started to become widespread. Decca spent much of her life living and working in America where she not only published books and aided her husband at his law firm, but also was heavily involved with the Communist party and wider activism Decca helped Bob research his cases, filling her days with prison visits, death row and rape appeals, civil rights battles, and fundraising drives. Seeing inequality, corruption and cruelty everywhere, Decca chanced upon her greatest subject, the funeral industry. She was appalled at the way undertakers were preying on vulnerable families, overcharging and deceiving grieving clients. One widow was told that to fit her husband into a cheaper coffin, his feet would be chopped off. Published in 1963, The American Way Of Death was a bestseller due to the mixture of black comedy and fascinatingly gory detail, such as the way the mouth is sewn shut with a needle directed upward between the lip and gum and brought out through the left nostril. Decca evidently had huge fun researching shrouds, burial negligees, brunch coats for corpses, and devices that make breasts look perky. At vast cost, the dead are made to seem still alive. The book made Decca a media personality, with lecture tours and teaching engagements her topic was investigative journalism. Apart from in her jaunty memoir, Hons And Rebels, about the Mitfords, she never again caught the popular imagination. Despite large advances and a reputation as queen of the muckrakers, subsequent publications lacked sparkle. There was a puritanical, obsessive streak in Decca, and I suspect she was a frightful busybody. Ticking people off came naturally to her shed get on her high horse about, say, the invention and sale of apricot-scented tissues, baby food, slimming products or hair dyes. Troublemaker is available now from the Mail Bookshop Driven to expose vanity and money making, Decca was like one of those aristocrats Maggie Smiths Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey, for instance who, propped up by inherited wealth, deplore pretension as common and the need to earn a living as middle-class. Decca was proudly useless at domesticity. No one had ever explained to me that you had to pay for electricity, she admitted. Shed travel with 13 pieces of luggage, as if a band of servants would materialise to take charge and she liked getting others to pack and carry her bags. Kaplan shows that, once a Mitford, always a Mitford. Decca died of cancer in 1996, aged 78. The brain, Ben Rein writes, is the only organ in the human body that gets lonely. As the American neuroscientist points out, all the others simply work when healthy. It would be absurd to suggest that they might be in some way, even metaphorically, friendless. The brain is different. It craves the company of others. Without this, it fails. Connection with others is good for our health. Rein quotes studies in which people who have frequent interactions with friends and family report greater wellbeing; those with unmet social needs score lower in the tests. Even brief encounters conversation in a coffee shop, chitchat with a neighbour can increase our happiness. Interactions, Rein notes, are natural mood-boosters. Selfless: Dolphins would rather be generous and give a prize to another dolphin that keep it for themselves He goes further, arguing that the strength or weakness of our social lives might influence how long we live. He quotes one study which followed 300,000 people over, on average, seven and a half years. During that time, some of the subjects passed away. It emerged that people with weaker social relationships were 50 per cent more likely to die in the course of the study. In other words, social isolation is roughly twice as dangerous for an individual as being obese. If this werent bad news enough, isolation is one of the strongest known predictors of suicide. And perhaps the worst news is that we are living in a world where we interact with others less and less. For the majority of humanitys time on Earth, our brains were shaped by face-to- face contact. That may no longer be true. There are many reasons for this but Rein emphasises the influence of social media. There is growing evidence that too much time spent on social media can be harmful. Get rid of smartphones, as they did in more than 400 schools in Norway, and students mental health improves. Bullying fell by 43 per cent. Even restricting phone use to half an hour a day for a couple of weeks has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. Use, or overuse, of social media can also be blamed for an apparent reduction in our empathy for others. Animals can also feel empathy and connection with others. Rein cites a charming experiment in which bottlenose dolphins could choose between selfishly taking a reward for themselves or giving another dolphin a reward and earning one themselves. The dolphins mainly preferred to be generous, particularly when the other one was of the opposite sex. Contagious: Your own heart rate can rise when you see others in distress Humans can experience emotional contagion, where feelings can pass from one person to the next. In one study, researchers looked at a firewalking ritual in a Spanish village in which residents cross hot coals in their bare feet. It found spectators heart rates rose in tandem with those braving the coals. Emotional contagion provides evidence of what Rein calls our innate drive for togetherness. He believes we might be slipping deeper and deeper into isolation and that this represents a grave danger. THE UNTOUCHABLE by John Banville (Picador 9.99, 405pp) The Untouchable is out now Aged 72, Sir Victor Maskell, disgraced art historian and Surveyor of the Queens Pictures, is writing his memoir of years as a Soviet spy at the heart of the British establishment. A thinly disguised portrait of Anthony Blunt, exposed in 1979, this intriguing glimpse into the secretive world of the often homosexual, Cambridge-educated elite swirls a blend of real- life double agents (Guy Burgess, Kim Philby and Donald Maclean under pseudonyms) with fictionalised wives and colleagues. The detached, ironic style begs the question: how reliable is a spys memoir? (And how did anyone operate with the vast quantities of alcohol they drank?). Scalpel sharp yet underpinned by humanity. THE ILLUSTRATED MAN by Ray Bradbury (Harper Voyager 9.99, 296pp) The Illustrated Man is out now In rural Wisconsin, a traveller meets a traumatised stranger covered in beautiful tattoos that come alive at night, foretelling the future. The traveller watches as a series of often terrifying tales unfold: The Veld, in which a house controlled by technology becomes a trap; The Other Foot, where black people, escaping lynching and prejudice by settling on Mars, dread the arrival of white people who have destroyed the world; and the brutality of childhood in The Playground. Written in 1952, many of the sci-fi and AI warnings seem prescient, but it is the themes of class, racism and sexism that prove timeless in this superb collection with a chilling final twist. DEATH IN VENICE by Thomas Mann Translated by Lesley Chamberlain (Pushkin Classic 9.99, 112pp) Death in Venice is out now Long-widowed Gustav Aschenbach, a renowned and scholarly author in his 50s, travels to Venice as the First World War looms. There he sees a classically beautiful, teenage Polish boy, Tadzio, who awakes in him an unfamiliar paedophilic desire. Abandoning caution, he descends into a passion-fuelled obsession, following the youth daily. Despite cholera sweeping Venice, Gustav ignores advice to leave, instead dying his hair and rouging his cheeks to look younger. His inevitable downfall and death, as his intellectual rigour battles physical passion, reflects the interest in Freudian psychoanalysis of the time, interspersed with Greek mythology and symbolism. And all in 112 pages . . . A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (Simon and Schuster 12.99, 224pp) A Guardian and a Thief is available now from the Mail Bookshop This excellent novel, set in an overheating India stricken by famine, compresses big questions about immigration, climate change and the post-Imperial world order into a semi-absurdist black thriller. Ma is preparing to finally join her husband in America, young daughter and elderly father in tow, when a thief steals her precious visas from her home. Yet the thief has leverage: he knows Ma has been stealing from the local housing shelter and issues a condition hand over her house and the visas are hers. Nothing goes to plan in this propulsive black farce which combines vertiginous plot twists and a persuasive doomy atmosphere with a terrific spin on the moral hypocrisy of the Indian middle classes. One Sun Only by Camille Bordas (Serpents Tail 12.99, 304pp) One Sun Only is available now from the Mail Bookshop Bordas turns the short story form upside down with this Marmite collection which seizes on trains of thought and humorous reactions to humdrum incidents, rather than gripping scenarios. Theres not much point trying to summarise the stories Bordas doesnt really do plot in an obvious sense. Instead, be prepared to be sucked into various offbeat predicaments: a fathers concern over his young sons death-fixated scribbles (what was wrong with drawing your own grave anyway, wonders the dad); a writers futile efforts to win the lottery in a Spanish town. Bordas shares Alice Munros knack for hitching a story to the least probable premise but some readers might find her laidback use of irony just a little too outre for pleasure. Not so much slices of life as inside-out slashes. Wreck by Catherine Newman (Doubleday 16.99, 256pp) Wreck is available now from the Mail Bookshop This domestic family comedy is a loose sequel to Newmans 2024 novel Sandwich but you dont need to have read the latter to enjoy it. You do, however, need to be able to stomach Newmans kooky brand of sentimentality, which is never far from the surface however bad things get for her narrator, Rocky, a neurotic mother of two grown-up children who suffers from a serious capacity to over-empathise. Two unrelated incidents set the plot rolling: an accident on a train line involving the death of Rockys sons former friend, which may or may not have been caused by corporate negligence, and her discovery of a baffling rash in the middle of the night. The life of the novel is in the telling rather than the destination, but for those allergic to Rockys gushy virtue-signalling eccentricities, this might be precisely the problem. The New Year has had everyone looking for luck and fortune - but ancient astrologers have warned that 2026 may bring one of the most chaotic events in 60 years - due to an old 'curse'. According to the Chinese zodiac, on 17 February we will enter the year of the Fire Horse, leaving the year of the Snake behind in 2025. But according to superstitions in Japan - where the East Asian 12-animal calendar is celebrated - it carries with it bad luck, to the point where families would go out of their way to avoid having children during it. So scary was the tradition that the last 'hinoe-uma' - as it is called - which was 1966, saw a sharp drop in birth rates with anxious couples wanting to prevent an ill fate for their offspring. It is thought that girls born during such a year will suffer a short temper that will 'shorten her husband's life' - due to a folk tale from the 17th century. The lore, according to the Japan Times, goes that in 1682, a teenager born in the year of the fire horse (1666) fell in love with a temple assistant while a great fire burned the city down - and was separated from him for months. Longing to reconnect, the young woman - who is nicknamed Yaoya Oshichi - decided to recreate the arson, but was burned at the stake. The stigma has certainly stuck around, and parents hoping to wed their daughters off into respectful households would stray away from attempting to conceive during a hinoe-uma. According to the Chinese zodiac, on 17 February we will enter the year of the Fire Horse, leaving the year of the Snake behind in 2025 However, modern times have seen Japan straying from the tradition, as indicated by studies into the last fire horse year. In 2013, Japanese economics professor Hiroyuki Yamada surveyed women born between the year 1964 and 1968 to try and see whether those born in the less auspicious 1966 struggled when it came to marital affairs compared to their counterparts. However, it seems that as unions became more personalised and less managed by families and matchmakers over the years, the superstition became not so important for prospective love. Hence, the effect of the stigma was found to be largely 'non-existent'. However, astrologers today still warn that it's a huge year for love - and to be mindful as you pursue unions. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lisa Stardust, astrologer at Hily Dating App said that 'the year of the Fire Horse is going to bring opportunities for us to have exciting connections and to strengthen bonds'. 'What will emerge from this year is a more definitive understanding of ourselves and our desires when it comes to partnering with others,' she added. 'The caveat is that there is a superstition that discourages luck in love and romance. Having said that, astrologically, we are looking at a year in which Venus will be in retrograde in Scorpio and Libra in the fall, making it hard to find a stabilising medium within relationships.' But there are also chances afoot to focus on non-romantic relationships this year too. 'The North Node of Destiny is heading into Aquarius in the summer; we won't be consumed by romance, but instead, we will work towards building an altruistic community,' she explained. 'The foreseeable horoscope shows that there is a chance that friendships can develop into more. 'We are looking at a year in which situations can become commitments, and people will want to establish a strong foundation before taking a leap, which contradicts the risk-taking approach of the Fire Horse.' John DeLuca was skyrocketed into the spotlight after he landed the role as Butchy in Teen Beach Movie back in 2013. Now, 12 years on, the former Disney Channel teen heartthrob is unrecognizable. The beloved Disney Channel Original Movie also starred Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Gracie Phipps, Garrett Clayton and Jordan Fisher. It followed two young surfers who find themselves magically part of a movie musical and it was a massive success, transforming DeLuca into a sensation practically overnight. But more than a decade after he appeared in the musical rom-com, DeLuca looks very different. The former Disney Channel star recently announced that he is gearing up to walk down the aisle with his girlfriend, Cassandra. The actor, now 39, shared the news that they were engaged after he proposed on the beach in front of a stunning sunset late last month. John DeLuca was skyrocketed into the spotlight after he landed the role as Butchy in Teen Beach Movie back in 2013 Now, 12 years later, the former Disney Channel teen heartthrob is unrecognizable. He's seen in the film DeLuca took to Instagram on December 30 to share photos of the intimate moment he asked Cassandra to marry him, while reflecting on the rollercoaster-ride year he had. One of the images showed him down on one knee and holding Cassandra's hands on the beach with the sun setting behind them. Another featured her showing her sparkling ring to the camera with a big smile on her face as DeLuca stood by her side. Other snaps showed the couple hugging and embracing one another. '2025 has been the most important year of my life,' he captioned the carousel of images. 'It brought more twists and turns than I could have ever imagined. 'It also brought me you, @cassandratm - and for that I'm eternally grateful. I love you so much and I can wait to marry you.' He thanked Massachusetts-based jewelry company Lorilil Jewelers for its 'guidance with the ring.' The beloved Disney Channel Original Movie also starred Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Gracie Phipps, Garrett Clayton and Jordan Fisher. Phipps, Clayton, Mitchell and Lynch are seen The former Disney Channel star recently announced that he is gearing up to walk down the aisle with his girlfriend, Cassandra Before he was cast in Teen Beach Movie, DeLuca (seen recently) had a few guest roles in shows like Ugly Betty, 30 Rock and Wizards of Waverly Place After that, he continued to act, starring in the show Twisted, coming of age comedy Staten Island Summer, ABC's soap opera General Hospital and most recently, the flick Skillhouse DeLuca previously described Cassandra as 'the most beautiful human he knows' in a gushing birthday tribute. 'Happy birthday to the most beautiful human I know - inside and out,' he wrote. 'You're my best friend, and even though you don't like making a big deal about your birthday, you absolutely deserve to be celebrated. Thank you for being born.' Before he was cast in Teen Beach Movie, DeLuca had a few guest roles in shows like Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Wizards of Waverly Place and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. But it was his role as Butchy, the leader of the biker gang, that really put him on the map. He reprised the role for the sequel Teen Beach 2 a few years later. After that, he continued to act, starring in the show Twisted, coming of age comedy Staten Island Summer, ABC's soap opera General Hospital, East Los High on Hulu, American Horror Story: 1984, the thriller Spree and most recently, the flick Skillhouse. Cantonese Chinese restaurant Duk Inn in Sydney's Newtown has quietly announced it will soon close permanently. The unexpected news was brought to light by local food content creator @sydneyfoodboy through a series of posts on his Instagram account. The first of the stories, titled 'Sad news of 2026', featured a photo of Duk Inn's owner, Johnathan Wu, proudly holding a lobster. The accompanying caption read, '@duk.inn in Newtown is closing up shop mid-February.' This was followed by a heartfelt message: 'About one month left to come and try Cantonese uncle's wok cooking and Jono's mum's roast Peking duck wraps.' The post was punctuated by a sad face emoji and tagged Duk Inn's own Instagram page. A further update by Kev - the man behind @sydneyfoodboy - offered a bit more explanation. 'Their last day is 18 Feb, but they haven't announced it yet,' he wrote, alongside a short video of a diner enjoying a meal in the restaurant. Kev then urged his followers, 'Go show Jono and uncle some love but give Jono the rude finger for closing (dw [don't worry], he likes it like that).' Daily Mail reached out to Duk Inn for comment but had not responded by the time of publication. A series of Instgaram stories shared by @sydneyfoodboy announced that Newtown Chinese restaurant Duk Inn would be closing, sharing a picture of owner Johnathan Wu (left). The posts suggested the last day of business would be '18 Feb' Duk Inn has been open on Newtown's lively King Street since December 2023 Restaurant owner Johnathan Wu founded the restaurant and several of his family members work in the kitchen Duk Inn has stood on Newtown's lively King Street since December 2023, carving out a reputation as a destination for its tasty Cantonese cuisine. A video introduction by owner Johnathan on the restaurant's Instagram details the story behind this family-run business. He described the upstairs dining area as 'very traditional based', while the neon-lit bar downstairs was a 'bit of a vibe'. 'What we're doing here at Duk Inn is my own personal take on traditional Cantonese food, specialising in zhong san BBQ,' he explained. 'So we do Peking duck, we do roast duck, roast pork, char siu - which is BBQ pork -and a bit of chicken here and there.' Many of Johnathan's family members like his mum and uncle, work in the kitchen, each contributing years of experience to the menu. Duk Inn has enjoyed favourable online feedback, and currently enjoys a 4.7-star Google Reviews rating from 344 reviews. In one glowing comment, a recent diner gushed, 'The food is honestly next level.' 'Amazing food, great service and such a nice location,' added another five-star reviewer. Renowned food blogger Not Quite Nigella also heaped praise on the restaurant in a post on her site, hailing Duk Inn as one of the 'hidden culinary treasures in Newtown'. The Cantonese Chinese restaurant has enjoyed stellar online reviews and is renowned for its signature dishes, including mud crab served with traditional sauces Duk Inn has been open on Newtown's lively King Street since December 2023. The upstairs area features a more traditional dining room (right) Patrons have flocked to the restaurant for its signature dishes such as Peking duck pancakes and mud crabs bathed in a selection of traditional sauces. Although the new year has only just begun, the news of Duk Inn's impending closure adds to a growing list of small Sydney restaurants that have shuttered in 2026. On January 5, Sydney's oldest operating ramen restaurant, Ramen Genki, closed its doors after 28 years trading in Artarmon. A spokesperson for Ramen Genki attributed the closure to tough economic conditions and a decline in foot traffic. 2026 also saw the end of another Sydney institution, as Italian restaurant Ezzelinos, a fixture in Neutral Bay since 1982, announced its closure. After more than four decades of operation, the family-run business was taken over by new management on March 1, 2025. But in early January 2026, the new owners posted an emotional farewell, confirming that Ezzelinos had now closed for good. An Aussie dad has been caught up in a family feud after his 12-year-old daughter was gifted a Labubu - only for her aunt and uncle to demand it back once they discovered it was a 'rare' collectible worth hundreds of dollars. It all started when his daughter Sofia*, 12, and her six-year-old cousin Martina* were gifted Labubu blind boxes over Christmas from their aunt Sara*. 'They each opened their boxes. Martina got a brown one and Sofia got a pink one,' the dad said in a Reddit thread. 'Martina immediately wanted the pink one and Sofia immediately offered a trade because she already had the pink one and was hoping for the brown one. They traded, both girls were happy, and that was that... or so I thought.' Days later, Martina's parents Maria* and Jose* found out that the brown Labubu was 'apparently a rare secret version' that can sell for more than $250. 'Once they learned that, they called me and said the girls needed to switch back and that Sofia was to return the brown one immediately,' the dad explained. 'They even wanted me to drive over with it then and there despite the fact that they live an hour away and it was already 8pm. 'I asked if Martina actually wanted the brown one back. They said "that wasn't the point". After some pushing back, Jose admitted someone was willing to pay him $225 for the brown one and give Martina the pink one she wanted.' An Aussie dad has been caught up in a family feud after his 12-year-old daughter was gifted a Labubu - only for her aunt and uncle to demand it back once they discovered it was a 'rare' collectible worth hundreds of dollars (stock image) The dad, who's the brother of Sara (gift giver) and Maria (Martina's mum), told the parents he wasn't going to force his daughter Sofia to swap back. 'Now they're upset with me and saying I'm being unfair and taking advantage of a six-year-old,' he said. He said his brother-in-law Jose even called his daughter Sofia a 'manipulative b****' over the phone. 'He'd be a dead man walking if he said it to Sofia's face... I think it is a reach when Sofia didn't know it was worth a lot of money,' he explained. 'Sofia didn't pressure or manipulate Martina into switching. If she had, I would have stepped in immediately and told her, "you get what you get and you don't get upset".' When the dad asked his daughter Sofia if she knew the brown collectible was rare, she told him they were hard to come by. 'She didn't know it was worth money,' he explained. 'Sofia is trying to collect the whole set of these Labubus, and her motivation for wanting the brown was to help complete the set. 'She has no intention of selling or trading it.' He said his niece Martina never wanted the brown Labubu, and 'basically got upset' when she saw Sofia pull a pink one out of the packaging. Sara, the aunt who gifted the Labubus, said the dilemma was a 'stupid parent drama'. 'Sara has said she's staying out of it and we can sort it out ourselves,' he said. The dad said he doesn't know what to do as he feels Maria and Jose only want the brown one back because they can 'sell it and pocket money from it'. 'Jose and Maria are not in desperate need of the cash. They're not rich, but to the best of my knowledge, not in the kind of financial situation where the only way to keep the lights on for the next quarter is to sell their child's gift,' he said. 'So am I the a**hole for refusing to make my daughter give the brown Labubu back?' His post was met with more than 2,000 comments, with many taking particular issue with the brother-in-law Jose, especially for calling Sofia a 'manipulative b****'. 'He called your 12-year-old a manipulative b****? No, you're not the a**hole. What the f***? What kind of grown man says that about a child? About a Labubu no less,' one said. 'So he wants to sell his child's Christmas present? Look, I understand $250 is a lot for some people, especially at this time of year. But he actually wants to sell his own child's present. Wow. F*** that guy,' another shared. 'Maria and Jose don't even want it for their daughter - just to resell it. What they want doesn't matter. When the boxes were opened by both girls, it was a good faith exchange. Tell them to put their greed aside for their daughter,' one added. It all started when his daughter Sofia*, 12, and her six-year-old cousin Martina* were gifted Labubu blind boxes over Christmas from their aunt Sara*. Martina opened her box to find a brown Labubu, which she swapped with Sofia for her pink one (stock image) One woman shared her own experiences as a child after the adults in their life tried to profit off her collectible toys when she was growing up. 'Kids should be allowed to enjoy their childhood without greedy adults ruining everything by looking for opportunities to capitalise on it. The Beanie Baby craze was exactly the same when I was a child,' she said. 'I had a few (self-bought and gifted) that I immediately cut the tags off of because I wanted to play with them without the tags getting in the way. 'There were adults in my life who were angry at me for doing it, because apparently I had lowered the potential future value of them. I was 10 years old. 'I didn't get the concept of things becoming more valuable or selling for profit and it was horrible to be told off for something I didn't understand. They were my Beanie Babies, I loved them, and I wanted to keep them. Greed ruins everything.' *Names have been changed for privacy reasons Disney World has backtracked after facing immense backlash over its new dining plan. The theme park, located in Orlando, Florida, offers packages to guests staying at its hotels which allows them to prepay meals and snacks called the Disney Dining Plan. How it works is you pay in advance and get 'credits' that you can use to order food and drinks while you're at the park. While it doesn't usually save you money - many Disney guests have calculated how much they spent on food during their trip, compared it to the price of Disney's Dining Plan and found it was roughly the same or even cheaper - it's all about convenience. It can add immense ease to families visiting the park and for that reason, it is extremely popular. However, many Disney fans were left outraged after the Most Wonderful Place on Earth made a huge change to the program for 2026. Last month, it announced the dining locations in Disney World that would be participating in the Disney Dining Plan this year - and many people were quick to notice that a slew of their favorite eateries were not included. That means guests who forked over hundreds of dollars on the program couldn't use their credits at beloved food spots, and they were not happy about it. Disney World has backtracked after facing immense backlash over its new dining plan (stock image of Magic Kingdom at Disney World) The theme park offers packages to guests staying at its hotels which allows them to prepay meals and snacks called the Disney Dining Plan. Cinderella's Royal Table is seen Hoards of Disney fans took to social media to share their outrage, with one writing: 'This is a big loss.' 'This kind of butchers the value of the Dining Plan,' scathed someone else. According to Inside the Magic, a whopping 35 restaurants around the theme park were not included in the original 2026 plan. But now, Disney has quietly re-added more than 20 of those dining locations to the package, including fan favorites Yak & Yeti Restaurant and Rainforest Cafe at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In addition, Disney re-instated the four Starbucks throughout the parks to its dining plan, much to the relief of its dedicated guests. There are two different Disney Dining Plans offered to guests. The first one includes two quick-service meals and one snack or nonalcoholic drink per person in your party every night of your stay, plus one resort-refillable drink mug per person in your party. The second one offers all that plus one table-service meal per person per night of stay. The price depends on your party size and length-of-stay, but starts at $60 per night for adults. Last month, fans were left furious after they noticed that a slew of their favorite eateries were not included in the plan for 2026 (stock image of Cinderella's Royal Table at Disney World) But now, Disney has quietly re-added more than 20 of those dining locations to the package, including fan favorite Rainforest Cafe at Disney's Animal Kingdom (seen) Guests staying at one of Disney World's resort hotels get a free Disney Dining Plan for kids age three to nine when purchasing it for other members of their party. 'Dining plans can add the convenience and flexibility of prepaid meals and snacks to your vacation - and give you peace of mind,' reads Disney's website. 'For families on the go all day, this is a fast and easy meal plan option - especially when you have little ones in tow.' Disney fans have long debated whether or not the program is worth it. 'Unless you always order the most expensive thing on the menu and never miss a meal, it's not really worth it,' one person claimed on Reddit. 'Plenty of people have to use up credits the last day by getting a bunch of snacks to bring home.' In addition, Disney re-instated the four Starbucks throughout the parks to its dining plan, much to the relief of its dedicated guests (stock image) 'It's never been worth it for me unless I got it for "free" as part of a package. I've always thought of it as more a way to make a trip more "all-inclusive," not necessarily save money,' shared another. 'In many cases people will save money NOT using the dining plan.' 'The general consensus is that the Disney Dining Plan is way more food than most people need or want so you can save money by just buying less,' someone else agreed. 'We have used the dining plan twice, and neither time felt like it was worth it. I find myself stressing about making sure we're using points effectively, and we never end up feeling like we've gotten our money's worth,' read a fourth post. A fifth said: 'You can MAKE it worth it, but a lot of people don't. Me though I make sure I am using EVERY meal credit and to it's maximum potential.' For decades, I assumed I was bad at love. Spectacularly bad. Too flirty, too reckless, too addicted to the rush of a new man to ever make a relationship work. After years of dysfunctional dalliances, I did end up settling down with a nice, caring man in my 30s. We went on to have two children before the boredom set in. By 38, I was single again and thats when the problems really started. At 39, so addicted was I to male attention that I became an escort. But not a discreet, secret one quite the opposite. I became a high-class, high-profile escort whom I called Samantha X. She was far more confident, exciting and adventurous than me and for ten years, Samantha X took over my life. At the height of my fame (if you can call it that), I was in the papers most days with sensationalist headlines and risque photos, writing columns and running an escort agency for women over 40. When I was Samantha, I was always on the go. Always on a plane, unpacking in a hotel room, clinking champagne glasses with some beguiling businessman in an expensive suit, counting endless hundred-dollar bills and taking myself off shopping. As I saw it, I was in my 40s and if a man wanted to pay me five grand for dinner (and dessert...) and to be perfectly nice company, then why the hell not? But behind the scenes, I was an absolute mess. Friends and family questioned my mental health; my life was chaos. I refused to listen. They were the mad ones. It was only in my late 40s that I discovered the real reason for all the drama, the mania, the frenetic love life. I am bipolar. Unlike other forms of neurodivergence such as ADHD, bipolar is highly stigmatised, even today. We are seen as crazy and dangerous. At 39, so addicted was I to male attention that I became a high-class, high-profile escort whom I called Samantha X At the height of my fame I was in the papers most days with sensationalist headlines and risque photos, writing columns and running an escort agency for women over 40 It used to be called manic depression and up to 3 per cent of the global population have it. While bipolar doesnt discriminate, it is known to affect women more due to hormonal influences. And the biggest taboo about bipolar? The mania and how it can lead to dangerous personality changes, risk-taking and sexual impulsivity. It means feelings of grandeur, delusion, disassociation, a huge sexual appetite and urge to conquer. Then, when the mania subsides, as it always does, I am left with the wreckage: the enormity of the consequences of my behaviour followed by the crashing lows. The guilt, shame, remorse and confusion as to why I was the way I was, assuming I was crazy and unstable. I cried with relief when a psychiatrist finally gave me a name for my madness. He assured me that once I was properly medicated I would finally know who Amanda is, and perhaps, one day, I might be able to have a stable relationship, first with myself, then with someone else. While I would never be cured, my cycles would be less severe. But why had this happened to me? I was told that my condition can be genetic or caused by trauma. For me, its probably a bit of both. My parents, both professionals, had a good enough marriage; I came from a stable home in south-west London. We had our issues like any family but there was no divorce, no messy split. I had a blueprint of what a relationship should look like. It was only in my late 40s that I discovered the real reason for all the drama, the mania, the frenetic love life. I am bipolar Even as a young teenager I was attracting unwanted attention Ive no idea why, maybe it was the vibe I gave off So I had always wondered why I couldnt make a relationship work. In part, it also goes back to how men treated me from an early age. Even as a young teenager I was attracting unwanted attention Ive no idea why, maybe it was the vibe I gave off. One boy someone I considered a friend raped me when I was 16. We were watching TV one moment, the next he was on top of me, his jeans rolled down. I went into shock, totally disconnected. Did I misread this situation? He even apologised to me afterwards but I just felt numb. Was I supposed to be upset? I wasnt sure how to feel, I was so dissociated, and didnt have a close relationship with any girlfriends I could confide in. The underlying shame, guilt and confusion manifested into trauma which, over time, morphed into something else entirely. I started to believe I had some kind of magical power over men and I mistook that power for happiness. After all, the attention made me happier, better, stronger, braver. And something happened that I couldnt explain: the validation I got from men soon became my oxygen. The only time I felt loved, seen, adored, desired something I had never really felt before was when men were giving me attention. Looking back, I confused sex for love, desire for care. Its a very common and dangerous trait for people with undiagnosed bipolar to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. That was certainly the case with me. A social drinker in my 20s, it ramped up in my 30s, 40s and beyond. Alcohol then drugs, coupled with my general mania, laid waste to relationship after relationship through me cheating, my wild behaviour or men just not taking me seriously. I was that girl for whom one glass of wine was never enough. It had to be a whole bottle, then another, followed by tequila shots and waking up with a stranger. Looking back, I confused sex for love, desire for care. Its a very common and dangerous trait for people with undiagnosed bipolar to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol I thought I was just wired that way. Why did I constantly cheat? Why was I always looking for the next thing, the next man, the next conquest? After being dumped came the crash, of not feeling loved and the depression would set in, sometimes leaving me bedbound for weeks. Friends laughed at my calamitous love life. And as most of them settled down, got married and had children, I felt compelled to do that, too, as thats what people did. In my 30s, I moved to Australia a long-held dream since childhood met that nice, decent man, had two beautiful children, of whose identities I am fiercely protective. I had a normal job as a journalist, a lovely home by the beach and a beautiful family. Some might call it the white-picket-fence life and say I was lucky. I called it prison. I suffered post-natal depression. I couldnt sit still. My anxiety had morphed into anorexia, so I lived off coffee and exercise. I had no support because my family was in the UK. I tried to live this predictable life, of being good and well behaved, but electricity kept surging through my body. Was this my life now? No more men? When my youngest was two, I couldnt stand it any longer and I pressed the detonate button. My partner and I separated, and we decided to share custody 50/50. I didnt feel sad, I felt free. The weeks I had the kids I was Mum, but the seven days off, I was wild. I chased desire without thinking of the consequences. One-night stands blurred into affairs, boundaries dissolved and desire always won. Cheating websites, anonymous sex nothing or no one satisfied the insatiable thirst inside me and I couldnt process what I know now to be trauma. I can so see you being in the adult industry, a girlfriend joked one day. We laughed but the suggestion sparked something new in me. It sounded risky and fun, a novel buzz I hadnt encountered before. Could I do really do that? I was working as a journalist at a magazine so started doing a bit of research out of interest. Before I knew it, Id found a small boutique establishment and set up an interview with the madam a petite, glamorous woman in her late 60s. My darling, she purred. Youre lovely, educated, professional, you have a great career. What brings you to sex work? I love men and I love money, I responded immediately. What else could I say? She wouldnt understand the jittery feeling I had to live with, the constant buzz. So she nodded, smiling, weighing me up. It was as if I was there but not. I was sitting on a plush velvet sofa, looking out onto Sydney Harbour but I was floating far out of my body. What happened over the next decade was a whirlwind of six-star hotels, first-class flights to Los Angeles, intimate encounters and soon plain old Amanda Goff gave up her day job to become Samantha X, Australias most high-profile escort. I wrote my bestselling memoirs, Hooked, and Back On Top, and most recently Misfit. I founded an escort agency for women over 40. I was flown to London and LA to appear on talk shows. Friends bit their lips, my family shrouded in shame. I was too high, too manic to feel anything. I remember someone questioning me before I signed a contract for my first book in 2014 which I was publishing under my real name. Are you sure you want to out yourself? he said. Dont you care what people think? I looked at him, blinking, surprised. Of course I wanted to out myself! I wanted the fame, the glory, the power. Back home, though, I was fantasising about how to kill myself and where, so convinced was I that everyone would be better off without me. Men came and went in that decade. I had a few relationships that ended in disaster. I wasnt well enough to choose healthy men, let alone be an adult in a relationship with one. My escort work didnt help. Id give it up for love only to become poor and depressed and always ended up going back, wrecking any chance of a lasting relationship. However, in 2023, I hung up my heels for the last time. I gave up for many reasons but the main one was family. The booze had become a nasty habit, too, and when I drank the blackness would creep in. I found myself in the rooms of 12 Step Meetings and realised sobriety was the only answer. Yet, even when sober, the manic highs and lows didnt stop. I could no longer blame alcohol, so what the hell was wrong with me? In March 2023, I made an appointment to see psychiatrist Professor Gordon Parker, founder of the Black Dog Institute, who told me he was 100 per cent sure I had bipolar. It made perfect sense. When I am manic, I dont feel broken, I feel invincible. I am smarter, sexier, sharper than anyone else. I made impulsive decisions, especially with men. I learned mania can last days, weeks, months, even years, before the inevitable crash. As soon as I was diagnosed, I was medicated. Within weeks it started to calm me down. A couple of years on, I am medicated and stable. I take 100mg of a mood-stabilising drug every night and probably will for the rest of my life. As for Samantha X, she stayed retired. I just wanted to be Amanda. It was like Id been watching two TVs at once for decades and now I finally only had to watch one. I felt grounded. Normal. Clear. With that comes clarity. Being medicated feels like putting glasses on for the first time and seeing reality clearly after a lifetime of blurred lines. And, of course, with clarity comes the enormity of my very public choices. The shame. The guilt. The disbelief. Me, Amanda Goff? I became Australias most famous escort at the age of 40? Ive had to carry a lot of shame. Had I known I had bipolar, had I been medicated earlier on, would I still have made the same choices? Would I have walked out on my partner, my job, my identity? I dont know the answers. But for all the pitfalls, bipolar has been a gift in some ways. I wrote my bestsellers in record time, I have survived situations many wouldnt and being Samantha taught me so much compassion and empathy. Plus, a big part of me misses the connection and definitely the money! Im back to being a journalist now and a part-time Pilates teacher. Its a far cry from first-class flights and penthouse suites, but I am the happiest I have ever been. Ive repaired relationships with family and even met a new man six months ago. I am happy, finally. I wasnt bad at love I was unwell. And now Im better, I am finally learning what healthy love means, at 51. Better late than never. Wave goodbye to baggy denim because skinny is back, says stylist Lisa Talbot Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Love them or loathe them, skinny jeans are officially back. After years when baggy styles have been the norm, the fashion world and the high street is making a return to figure-hugging silhouettes. The look was at its height in the early 2000s, led by the likes of Kate Moss, who paired jeans with everything from evening-wear tops to T-shirts and leather jackets. In her wake were stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker. Soon enough, everyone had a pair in their closet. At the peak in 2010, Topshop was selling a pair of ultra-high-rise skinny Joni jeans every ten seconds at its former flagship store on Oxford Street. Slowly but surely the fashion cycle turned away from the style... and by the beginning of this decade they had all but disappeared when twentysomethings declared bigger was better. Appropriately enough, though, it's Kate's model daughter Lila Moss who is helping to bring about the resurgence of skinny jeans. Stylist Lisa Talbot says: 'After several seasons dominated by wide-leg, straight and relaxed denim, designers and high-street brands are once again embracing a slimmer silhouette. 'Fashion is cyclical, and after years of oversized shapes, we're seeing a shift back towards more streamlined dressing. 'Skinny jeans also offer something many women crave: ease. They're practical, flattering when styled well, and work seamlessly with boots, trainers and smarter outerwear.' Skinny jeans are back and fit for royalty, with the Princess of Wales being spotted out in a pair during a 2023 visit to Marlow, Buckinghamshire Six skinny jeans styles to snap up this season... M&S: Ivy supersoft high-waisted skinny jeans Made with added stretch for all-day comfort, these jeans will be a welcome addition to any wardrobe. Shop PAIGE: Hoxton skinny high-rise jeans Stylist Lisa Talbot says Paige's selection are a great choice for those looking to splash out on a luxury pair. Shop MOTHER: The Dazzler ankle denim-blend jeans They come at a premium price, but stylist Lisa Talbot says MOTHER's skinny jeans are worth every penny. Shop If you don't quite have the same figure you did back in the first skinny jeans high, there's no need to fret, says Talbot. 'The key to wearing skinny jeans in midlife is balance,' she adds. 'The biggest mistake women make with skinny jeans is styling them the way we did in the early 2000s, with tight tops, short jackets and flimsy footwear. 'The modern way to wear them is all about balancing the lower half with stronger, more structured pieces on top.' 'Think: A relaxed blazer to add polish and structure, a chunky knit or rollneck to create softness and confidence around the midsection, and slightly longer-length tops that skim rather than cling.' 'Shoes play a huge role in making skinny jeans feel current: Ankle boots or knee-high boots ground the look beautifully and add sophistication, trainers (especially clean, minimal styles) keep things modern and relaxed.' 'Avoid overly delicate shoes, which can throw off the proportions,' the stylist added. Lila Moss folowed in the footsteps of her mother Kate with her outfit at the launch of the YSL Beauty Candy Club Kate loved skinny jeans then and she loves skinny jeans now, sporting the denim at Glastonbury in 2008 (left) and a darker pair in Paris last year (right) Emily Ratajkowski in skinny jeans at the 81st Venice International Film Festival back in August Jennifer Lopez dazzled in an all-white look with low-rise skinny jeans during the peak of the look in the early 2000s Beyonce was part of the 2000s trend, seen here in Philadelphia in 2008 Sarah Jessica Parker in New York back in 2007 The Duchess of Sussex in skinny black jeans at the Invictus Games in Germany in 2023 To find the perfect pair, Talbot says: 'Fit and fabric are everything. Look for: A high-rise waist for support and comfort, stretch denim that holds its shape, and a clean, dark or mid-wash for the most flattering and versatile finish.' She added: 'Skinny jeans aren't about reliving your twenties. When styled with confidence, balance and modern proportions, they can be a sleek, practical and flattering option at any age.' One need not look further than the Royal Family's leading ladies for inspiration on how to style skinny jeans as they have all sported a pair over the years, including the Princess of Wales, Queen Camilla and the Duchess of Sussex. Fashion designer and jean queen Donna Ida Thornton, known for her eponymous denim brand, told the Daily Mail: 'The royals and particularly the Princess of Wales have always leaned into classics. 'Skinny jeans are a style staple, and those with a sense of classic style rooted in longevity know this. 'Particularly for those who have the legs, there is nothing more stylish than a skinny high waisted jean tucked into knee high boots.' Revealing her top tips on how to style the jeans, she added: 'Either a flat or heeled boot is gorgeous with a skinny jean. They keep you warm, dry, tidy, and stylish in the cooler months, and this is an effortless look for busy women on the go. 'Add a Wellington boot for the countryside and you are immediately an English countryside icon.' Though the ladies of MAGA and Fox News are often seen sporting designer brands, like Veronica Beard and British label Self-Portrait, it's emerged that they also seem to be fond of another mainstream, affordable store - and that's Zara. During both of Donald Trump's presidencies, many of his leading ladies have been spotted wearing the budget-friendly brand, which opened its first store in Spain in 1975. Most of the items at the retailer are sold for under $100, with many below $50 and even $30. Not only has the brand been seen on Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, but also on his wife and First Lady of The United States, Melania Trump. And even though the pieces are affordable, Raquel Rodriguez, public relations expert and stylist at Sumissura, told Daily Mail that Zara still remains a 'very aspirational brand,' which could be the answer for the popularity. 'It offers trendy fashion at an unbeatable price, and there is something for everyone,' Rodriguez told Daily Mail. 'It seems strange that someone with greater purchasing power would buy Zara instead of luxury brands, but Zara knows how to offer luxury without actually being a luxury brand,' she explained. Perhaps most notably, for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's very first press conference in the White House's West Wing, she opted for a berry-colored two-piece suit with a belted back from the brand. Perhaps most notably, for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's very first press conference in the White House's West Wing, she opted for a berry-colored two-piece suit with a belted back from the brand She was also seen wearing a long, pink-and-white tweed coat from Zara as she stepped off of a Seahawk aboard the USS George Washington in Japan this October Not only has the brand been seen on Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, above, but also on his wife and First Lady of The United States, Melania Trump The slim-fitting blazer featured a pleated collar and two chic black buttons cinching the waist, which was previously $109, but later went on sale for $43.90. The matching pants were originally $49.90 but went on sale for $19.96. She was also seen wearing a long, pink-and-white tweed coat from Zara as she stepped off of a Seahawk aboard the USS George Washington in Japan this October. The jacket is no longer available for purchase, but the fashionista paired it with black pants and patent leather black flats. During her Father's first term, Ivanka Trump was also spotted wearing Zara on many occasions. Of course, the former Presidential Advisor once had her own affordable clothing line. In March 2018, she headed off to work in Washington, D.C., donning a black jacket from the store, which had large pearl detailing at the collar and pockets. The coat cost less than $90 at the time. During her Father's first term, Ivanka Trump was also spotted wearing Zara on many occasions In March 2018, she headed off to work in DC donning a black jacket from the store, which had large pearl detailing at the collar and pockets Over the past few years, she's continued to wear many items from the store, including in 2020, when she stepped out in a chic, camel-colored suit, which she had paired with a black $5,500 Lady Dior bag. 'It's a brand that has prices and tastes for everyone,' Rodriguez said about the retail giant. 'Their stock is huge, and they know what to offer and where. Here in Spain, they don't sell the same things in the Madrid store as in the Paris store, nor do they have the same prices,' she explained. 'They don't advertise and invest in technology. Now you can try on all the clothes virtually and the result is spectacular. What better way to try on and see how their clothes fit you without going to the store? That's why it's so popular.' The store has even reached the office of the First Lady. Melania Trump went viral in 2018 after she wore an extremely controversial jacket from Zara, a green military-style jacket that read, ''I really don't care, do u' on its back. She wore the $39 coat her way to McAllen, Texas, where she said 'good luck' to children taken from their parents. Melania addressed the viral moment in her 2024 memoir, Melania, as she claimed it was meant to protest against 'anonymously sourced reporting.' Melania wore the $39 coat her way to McAllen, Texas, where she said 'good luck' to children taken from their parents Zara has also proved to be a hit with the ladies on FOX News, like anchors Gillian Turner (left) and Sandra Smith (right) Zara has also proved to be a hit with the ladies on FOX News, like anchors Gillian Turner and Sandra Smith. Just this week, Smith wore a bright red tweed blazer from the store, which was detailed with large gold buttons at the breast. Turner is seemingly fond of the fashion label's blazers as well, as she recently wore a forest green one with silver buttons, and a tailored black jacket for another broadcast. Plus, before Trump's re-election last year, his Special Assistant and Communications Advisor, Margo Martin, used to link her clothing items on her Instagram page for followers, and many items were from Zara. However, since entering office, she's deleted her links. 'When you walk into a Zara store or visit the website, it feels like you're shopping at a semi-luxury store,' Rodriguez told Daily Mail. 'It copies catwalk trends very well and conveys confidence as it doesn't bombard you with advertising. The message is: we won't bother you with advertising and we'll give you pure trends at an unbeatable price.' Some like it hot - but others would prefer it even hotter. A patron at Chinese restaurant Wang Tulum in Tulum, Mexico, was left red-faced after her visit - and it wasn't from too much chili. Anvita Kotha left a three-star review for the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, saying while she was disappointed that the dish wasn't spicier, she enjoyed her experience nonetheless. 'We ordered the dan dan noodles and the dumplings in chili oil,' she wrote on the review, which has since been widely shared online. 'Frankly, it wasn't spicy and not our cup of tea. I wouldn't say that it's bad food, but it also wasn't spicy despite getting extra chili oil and even adding salt,' she wrote. However, she said the eatery used 'premium matcha powder' for their lattes which was 'pretty great,' before adding they have outdoor seating. However, Kotha appeared to have struck a nerve, with the restaurant owner savagely hitting back with a sassy response, telling her she should respect the way it makes its food. 'I didn't know we had to have a requirement that our chilli oil needed to be spicy? Oh Anvita is coming let's cater to her because she's some Google guide!!!' the owner wrote sarcastically, in a post riddled with spelling errors. A patron at Chinese restaurant Wang Tulum in Tulum, Mexico, was left red-faced after her visit - and it wasn't from too much chili (stock image) Anvita Kotha left a three-star review for the restaurant, saying while she was disappointed that the dish wasn't spicier, she enjoyed her experience nonetheless 'Sorry how about have some respect that restaurants are allowed and should only cater to the owners needs, not just the customers,' they slammed. The owner didn't stop there continuing their rant, calling the customer 'self entitled.' 'We didn't wake up and think of lets cater our dishes to these self entitled people open your own damn restaurant 'Think before you review and realize no business is responsible to cater to Anvita. How about open your own restaurant and will see what your food taste like,' they wrote. 'So we will not be listening to you because we don't cater your tastes.' The reviews caused a divide online, with some people praising the owner for standing up for themselves, while others noted he often responds to any mildly negative reviews. 'Nah this restaurant owner is crashing out for no reason,' was one person's opinion. 'The problem is a three-star review can kill a business. Even though three stars is meant to say just average,' pointed out someone else. The patron gave the hole-in-the-wall restaurant (pictured) three stars, and said she wishes the dish was spicier The owners rant online had mixed reviews, some saying it made them want to visit it more Kotha appeared to have struck a nerve, with the restaurant owner savagely hitting back with a sassy response, telling her she should respect the way it makes its food Despite the food note being spicey enough, the customer said the eatery used 'premium matcha powder' for their lattes which was 'pretty great' (stock image) 'I appreciate her review because if I was in the mood for spicy I would know to avoid the dan dan noodles and he's got a point but calm the f**k down,' another potential customer wrote. 'As someone running a service business in India, I believe customers matter immensely but true hospitality is built on mutual respect, not one-sided rule,' commented someone else. Others said it made them want to visit the restaurant even more. 'This is some kind of great marketing tactic because now I wanna go to that restaurant,' joked someone else. 'How many Roman ruins are we visiting today? I asked my boyfriend warily, as we sweated up an Italian hill in 28 degrees heat. Maybe we could spend one day at the beach? If youre a Living Apart Together (LAT) couple, as we were, the stakes are higher when you spend longed-for time together on holiday. The dream of sun, sea and sangria doesnt always translate. You can end up feeling as if youve gone away with a well-meaning stranger. Snoring, booking ahead versus living spontaneously, the Spotify playlist the list of argument triggers is endless. For five years my boyfriend M and I had survived on our wits. From Margate to Lisbon to Valencia, we tactfully overlooked key differences, but finally, in September 2024 on a joint birthday trip to Sardinia, we imploded. Flying back newly solo, it felt heartbreaking but inevitable. M hates noise and crowds (basically other tourists). Im quite sociable. He doesnt approve of long lunches on holiday or lie-ins. My obsession with printing out boarding passes drove him mad. Ditto my overplanning. You think that when all the difficulties of life and work arent there, finally well arrive at where we want to be, psychoanalyst Anouchka Grose tells me. But then on holiday all that promise falls away and youre faced with whats actually there. Theres nowhere to hide, so you can start to feel that youre each others hostage. To be honest, M and I nearly split up in Yorkshire in our first year, when I sprained my ankle. I limped for two hours until we arrived at the hotel, which refused to give me ice (We need it for the cocktails, Madam). M thought that was hilarious. It felt like everything conspired against us on that trip, writes Liz Hoggard... when I asked him Would you be better doing this type of holiday on your own? I saw the thrill of escape in his eyes We rowed. M informed me this was probably never going to be a grand passion thing. I tried to end the relationship. Finally, we started laughing. It became part of our origin story, but we learned the hard way that we holiday differently. M and I had met online during lockdown: I was 56, he 59, and we lived independently. I work from home, he has two kids (his daughter lives with him), so we had fun weekends. Until that Italian trip broke us. There were mitigating circumstances, of course: M is comfortably retired, Im a freelance writer and no one had paid me for months. Even cheap holidays cost a lot. Also M was in pain from a hip injury.. We had planned the holiday as our birthday experience, with modest gifts on the day. (A thrifty car-booter, M gave me a pre-loved Iris Murdoch novel and a bottle of Lidl gin.) I was fussing about whether he liked the bamboo socks and fashionable (new) novel Id given him, when something snapped. I dread your presents, M told me in a moment of honesty. It felt like everything conspired against us on that trip. Yes, we were staying in the quaint Old Town in a traditional wood-panelled apartment, but the bathroom was on the ground floor with a terrifyingly steep staircase. Every night I feared we would plunge to our deaths. M thought I was questioning his virility: Were not old! On the penultimate day, after slogging behind M to yet another Roman amphitheatre, I asked him directly, Would you be better doing this type of holiday on your own? Looking back, it was the death knell. I saw sadness but also the thrill of escape in his eyes. What I really meant was, why dont we have solo adventures, then find a big trip together that brings out the best in us? The next day, we trailed around trying to find a restaurant. After one gin too many, I teased him about his inflexibility. He took a deep breath. It was never going to work, were just too different, he told me, not unkindly. He was keen to stay out drinking to toast the news. Back at the apartment he proposed break-up sex. I declined. We were polite on the return flight. I went back to London and cried. Determined not to wallow, I booked a girls weekend to Bognor Regis. We drank martinis and swam in a freezing sea. No one argued about packed lunches or the car playlist. It was heaven. An MS Now reporter offered a woman protesting the ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good a hug on Thursday in a cringy on-air exchange. Alex Tabet was reporting from the scene in St. Paul, Minnesota, where demonstrators gathered to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their city following Good's shooting death, which was caught on camera. He introduced viewers to one protester, Sattu, who identified herself as a therapist and spoke about the effect ICE operations have had on her city. 'I do crisis management and I get suicidal clients, like clients who end up feeling suicidal, and doctors refer them to me,' she said, noting that she sees about three to four suicidal patients each day. 'And it's just been - it's just been overwhelming to the community,' Sattu continued, through tears. 'And people want to talk about the politics, and us therapists are trained to not talk about politics. And it's just been very exhausting for me to work, do my job, when there's so much going on in the community.' At that point, Tabet asked Sattu if she needed a hug, and she said yes, prompting the two to embrace on screen. But Sattu was not quite done with her remarks, adding that he feels for the ICE agents. 'So many officers will say they don't want to be here, makes sense, and they lack the training,' she said, claiming some agents have admitted they need more training, while others question what else could have been done. MS Now reporter Alex Tabet hugged a woman protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday The woman, Sattu, identified herself as a therapist and spoke about the effect the immigration raids have had on her city 'Can we open a dialogue when there is a situation, when something is escalating, how can we communicate fast with each other?' Sattu then asked. 'This all can be avoided,' she added. The therapist had earlier claimed that Good's death 'is an example of how somebody's lack of training can ruin somebody's life.' 'An officer's life is ruined,' she said. 'I'm sure he didn't want to do that, but he is justifying it as if he was protecting himself.' But, Sattu said, agents 'don't have to use lethal force.' 'It is only supposed to be used when there is no other way available. When there is no other way to protect [yourself]. But that person decided to use lethal force, but he could have done something different.' In footage from Good's shooting death on Wednesday, the mother of three was seen blocking the road with her car until ICE agents told her to move away. She then reversed to head back down the road as an agent tried to open its driver-side door handle before she drove off. Three shots then rang out. Minneapolis has been on edge following the ICE-shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, 37 (pictured) The ICE agent who fatally shot her was identified Thursday as Jonathan 'Jon' Ross Video of the shooting showed her reverse to head back down the road as an agent tried to open its driver-side door handle before she drove off. Three shots then rang out At that point, Good lost control of the SUV and slammed it into parked cars and a light pole at high speed, prompting screams of shock from horrified onlookers, including Good's wife, Rebecca, who seemed to blame herself for the tragedy. In harrowing video captured at the scene, Rebecca admitted that she encouraged Good to confront agents. 'I made her come down here, it's my fault,' she cried. Witnesses claimed Good, a mother of three, and her wife Rebecca were acting as legal observers and filming the protest when she was shot on Wednesday. But her mother Donna Ganger has denied reports that Good would have been 'part of anything like' the protests against ICE that were taking place at the location where she was killed. Good is a registered voter but her party affiliation is not listed in public records. No records about Rebecca's voting history were publicly available. Still, the Trump administration has said Good was a 'professional agitator' who had been stalking federal agents, as Democratic officials in Minneapolis say her shooting constitutes a murder. Good's wife, Rebecca was seen in harrowing footage captured in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, apparently blaming herself for the tragedy, saying she 'made [Renee] come down here' to the ICE protests As authorities now continue to investigate the shooting death, protesters gathered outside the Minneapolis' immigration court on Thursday. Activists were seen carrying signs and chanting, including some signs that say, 'ICE Out Now,' 'We deserve to be safe in our community,' and 'Resist Fascism.' Chants included 'We Keep Us Safe,' 'ICE Out Now,' 'ICE Go Home,' 'Quit Your Job' and 'Justice Now!' Schools have cancelled classes and activities as a safety precaution as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has issued calls for people to remain calm and at least one demonstrator was taken into custody. Meanwhile, the ICE agent involved in the shooting was identified Thursday as Jonathan 'Jon' Ross, an 'experienced' officer who last year suffered gruesome injuries as he tried to arrest an illegal immigrant sex offender. 'He's the same ICE agent who got dragged by car 50 feet back in June, so he has a history,' an FBI agent who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity confirmed. Protesters gathered outside protesters the Minneapolis' immigration court on Thursday One demonstrator was seen being taken into custody on Thursday The previous incident in which Officer Ross was dragged by a car took place in Bloomington, Minnesota and the officer suffered a serious injury to his right arm which required 20 stitches. In December, a jury at the US District Court in St. Paul found the driver in the June incident, Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, 40, guilty of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous and deadly weapon and causing bodily injury. Ross and other officers had stopped him at 8am on June 17 and were attempting to detain him on an immigration order, the court heard. They requested that he open his window and door, but prosecutors said he only put the window partially down and refused further orders Munoz then drove off and mounted the car with the officer's arm trapped inside. He was dragged at least 100 yards, causing a serious injury to his arm. CBS News fired a top producer for its evening newscast as Tony Dokoupil's difficult first week in the anchor chair continued. Javier Guzman, a senior broadcast producer who had been with the show nearly a decade, was dismissed over disagreements with executive producer Kim Harvey, The Wrap reported. Guzman's firing reportedly left staffers 'in tears' as a source called him a 'highly respected guy' in the room. He had been promoted to his position just this past August, predating Bari Weiss 'anti-woke' takeover of the network's news division at the behest of new owner David Ellison. The Guardian reported that it was initially 'unclear what the rationale' for firing Guzman was and that it led to 'confusion in the newsroom.' The Daily Mail has reached out to CBS News for comment. The firing will likely do nothing to ease the anger and anxiety over Weiss' leadership at one of legacy media's biggest names. The network has been at the forefront of criticism since its parent company, Paramount, was purchased by billionaire David Ellison, a Trump ally, last year. CBS News fired a top producer for its evening newscast as Tony Dokoupil's (pictured) difficult first week in the anchor continued Javier Guzman (pictured), a senior broadcast producer who had been with the show nearly a decade, was dismissed over disagreements with executive producer Kim Harvey Since then, CBS has experienced an upheaval, including over the hiring of Weiss as the news division's editor-in-chief. The network's flagship program, CBS Evening News, now has a new face. Dokoupil took over the position this week from previous anchors, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. Dokoupil launched his tenure on the evening broadcast with features on high-ranking officials in the Trump administration, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. While Dokoupil's first broadcast drew a nine percent ratings increase, CBS still lagged a distant third behind ABC and NBC's competing news programs. The changes in the network have some staffers skeptical of CBS's direction, with one insider telling independent journalist Oliver Darcy of Status News that the company is a 'total disaster.' Darcy said that multiple insiders painted a picture at CBS where the network was 'led by unserious people who are hellbent on taking it into far friendlier waters for the Trump administration.' CBS News historically leaned left, with a 2014 Pew Research survey finding that over half of the network's viewers identified as 'consistently liberal.' However, the network has appeared to move right under new leadership, with Dokoupil reportedly a part of the transition. He had been promoted to his position just this past August, predating Bari Weiss 'anti-woke' takeover of the network's news division at the behest of new owner David Ellison CBS has undergone massive changes in the past year, with new ownership and a new editor-in-chief He anchored Tuesday's broadcast from Miami and devoted time to spotlighting Rubio, calling the secretary the 'ultimate Florida man.' 'Marco Rubio, we salute you,' Dokoupil added. Darcy called the portfolio on Rubio 'a glowing tribute' and an 'extraordinary editorial decision.' As the newly installed evening anchor, Dokoupil has launched a segment called Live from America. The tour includes 10 stops in cities across the US to connect with viewers outside of the media hubs in New York and Washington DC. CBS News leased a private jet for the tour, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, the plan was delayed due to the invasion of Venezuela and again following the ICE shooting in Minnesota. Insiders told Darcy that Dokoupil's Live from America tour was 'deeply inauthentic' in light of the anchor's introductory statement, which railed against the mainstream media for catering to 'academics or elites.' Dokoupil has made it clear that patriotism is one of his values. He unveiled five principles to guide his broadcast, which included: 'We love America.' A new report has claimed that insiders at CBS News are frustrated with the network's direction, including anchor Tony Dokupil's promotion to the Evening News His other four principles were, 'We work for you,' 'We report on the world as it is,' 'We respect you,' and 'We respect tradition.' Although Dokoupil has only just assumed the position on the Evening News, he's already been widely criticized. During his first broadcast, he suffered technical difficulties when it appeared his teleprompter was set to the wrong segment. Producers projected an image of Senator Mark Kelly onto the screen, but Dokupil began reading a script about Governor Tim Walz. 'First day, first day, big problems here. Uh, are we going to Kelly here or are we gonna go to Jonah Kaplan?' he said. The telecast went viral on social media, with some speculating that a liberal staffer sabotaged the program. Insiders previously told the Daily Mail that Weiss 'made a fool of herself' by chasing big-name broadcasters only to promote Dokupil as the Evening News heir. 'Big league ambitions, little league talent,' the source added. 'Looks like she is now rummaging through the bargain bin of personalities in tapping Dokoupil as the new face of the Evening News,' another said. Jasmine Crockett has been humiliated by two liberal celebrities after they urged Democrats not to support her. Ex-SNL star Bowen Yang and his Las Culturistas podcast co-host Matt Rogers warned their fans not to contribute to the Congresswoman's campaign for the Senate. 'Don't waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett,' Rogers said. 'Do not do it.' Yang followed up with: 'I must agree.' 'You're going to waste your money,' Rogers replied. Both hosts - who are openly gay - said their main issue with Crockett was her ego. 'Anytime a politician is making it too obviously about themselves, I'm already done,' Rogers said, while also calling out California Governor Gavin Newsom. 'Let's not flop by putting up what everyone said they hated in the beginning, which is an establishment, California Democrat. Like, it doesn't work,' Rogers added. 'Who is doing it in the same way that they've all been doing it, where it's always failed,' Yang said. Ex-SNL star Bowen Yang and his Las Culturistas podcast co-host Matt Rogers warned their fans about Jasmine Crockett The pair blasted Crockett's ego and said Democrats shouldn't contribute to her Senate campaign Rogers was adamant that Crockett, a prominent Democrat, stood no chance of taking one of the two Senate seats in the deeply-red state. Texas hasn't had a Democrat in the Senate since 1993, when Robert C. Krueger was appointed after Democrat Lloyd Bentsen resigned to become President Bill Clinton's Treasury Secretary. Krueger did not win his reelection bid. Texas has been represented by John Cornyn since 2002 and Ted Cruz since 2013, both are Republicans. Cornyn announced earlier this year he would be seeking reelection to his long-held seat. Cruz was reelected to his seat in 2024 and will hold his seat until 2031. Crockett announced in December she would be making a bid for Cornyn's seat. The Democrat, who is known for her foul-mouthed rants, is up against Democrat and devout Christian, James Talarico, in the primary. Whoever wins will face Cornyn in the general election. Talarico, 36, was recently caught following OnlyFans models and prostitutes on his Instagram page. The four-term state representative is a Presbyterian seminarian who has made his Christian faith a key aspect of his political aspirations. Crockett is looking to upset John Cornyn's seat, which he has held since 2002. He is running for reelection Rogers praised Talarico on the podcast, and added that he would be harder for Republicans to attack than Crockett. 'She's not going to win a Senate seat in Texas, you guys. Like, if Beto O'Rourke couldn't do it, Jasmine Crockett is not going to do it,' Rogers said. 'It's nothing against her, it's just that she is a politician and that she is very well-defined already. And it's my opinion that we are going to need someone who is less defined at this moment that then rises up. 'Like Gavin Newsom is defined. I believe Jasmine Crockett is defined.' O'Rourke lost his bid for Senate to Ted Cruz in 2018. Crockett came under fire in November as it was revealed that her campaign spent at least $75,000 on exclusive hotels, transportation, and security this year, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. She is also facing scrutiny over trading 25 stocks while in Congress, after sharing the information during her time as a state legislator. Crockett failed to disclose ownership of the stocks during her 2022 congressional campaign, as well as after entering Congress in 2023. Yang and Rogers also criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom on their podcast Crockett rose to prominence after slamming Republicans, including calling Trump 'Temu Hitler' She held shares in Amazon, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, and Aurora Cannabis, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Her undisclosed holdings and debts, totaling over $110,000, raise potential conflict-of-interest concerns, as some companies stood to benefit from legislation she supported in both Texas and Congress. Crockett, a civil rights attorney and outspoken supporter of marijuana decriminalization, also had business interests in cannabis through her firm, Black Diamond Investments, which sought dispensary licenses in Ohio. She simultaneously represented a defendant in a fatal marijuana-related case while sponsoring pro-cannabis legislation. Ethics experts say discrepancies between her Texas and federal disclosures could merit investigation and penalties if proven to be improper. The Daily Mail has contacted Crockett for comment. Fox News personality Laura Ingraham found herself in a tense clash with a protester on the streets of Minneapolis. Ingraham hit the streets for Thursday's broadcast of the Ingraham Angle to interview protesters on the ground demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, following the killing of protester Renee Nicole good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. One anti-ICE protester with a scarf around her face told Ingraham that she was a 'disgrace to the human race.' The woman then pointed at Ingraham, yelling 'agitator,' as the Fox personality described the crowd at the demonstration and pointed at a makeshift wooden barricade across a road. 'They apparently are policing our borders... which is fascinating,' Ingraham continued. 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' the protester continued as Ingraham fired back that she was 'boring.' When Ingraham asked the protester if she had a job, the demonstrator replied, 'I'm getting paid right now.' Ingraham then shared that the protesters gave her team the middle finger as they left the demonstration. A protester confronted Laura Ingraham while she was filming yesterday, calling the Fox personality an 'agitator' The protester, who was not identified, cast 'shame' on Ingraham and replied that she was 'getting paid' when the broadcaster asked if she had a job Despite the tense confrontation, pictured above, Ingraham said the protests she reported on were largely peaceful 'I think they secretly liked us though,' she told her viewers. Demonstrations have continued across Minnesota after an ICE agent, later identified as Jonathan Ross, 43, fatally shot a woman named Renee Nicole Good, 37, on Wednesday. Chilling video footage of the shooting depicted Good attempting to drive away from ICE officers after blocking their path before shots rang out. The Department of Homeland Security defended Ross, claiming Good was going to strike officers with her car in an 'act of domestic terrorism.' However, eyewitnesses and local officials have disputed that defense, arguing that Good was trying to drive away when she was fatally shot. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz condemned the Trump administration for the influx of ICE raids, adding that unwarranted violence was inevitable. Frey called ICE's characterization of the killing 'bulls***' and warned federal officials to 'get the f*** out' of his city. Good's death has been politicized and resulted in protests across the state. Ingraham attended a vigil at the scene of the shooting and a demonstration at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Thursday. Ingraham added that protesters gave her and her team the middle finger when they left the demonstration The killing of a woman named Renee Good has sparked protests across Minnesota, with many demonstrators coming face to face with federal agents. Pictured above is a protester being detained by ICE outside a federal facility She confessed that the protests she attended were peaceful and felt like a 'community, civic event.' Ingraham described the vigil as a community gathering around a fire with food. However, she said that she was quickly escorted out of the demonstration. She added that the protests were smaller than they looked on television. Ingraham said some of the demonstrators seemed to be genuinely in mourning, while others seemed to be protesting out of 'recreation.' The city has been embroiled in protests since Good's death, putting heightened attention on Minnesota. The Minneapolis Public School District announced on Wednesday that schools would be closed on Thursday and Friday due to unrest. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it would be the leading agency investigating Good's death. Walz has cast doubt on the investigation and has advocated that local law enforcement should oversee it instead. US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith wrote in an open letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that state and local law enforcement should be involved in the investigation. Community members held a vigil on the intersection where Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer Good, pictured above, was driving her vehicle when an ICE agent named Jonathan Ross shot her three times and killed her Good's death has also motivated lawmakers to call on the Trump administration to decrease ICE raids nationwide. Vice President JD Vance defended Ross during a press conference on Thursday, telling reporters: 'He's done a very important job for the United States. 'He's been assaulted, attacked, and injured because of it. He deserves a debt of gratitude, and the media pre-judging this guy as if he's a murderer is one of the most disgraceful things I've ever seen.' Meanwhile, Frey said at a press conference that his office didn't trust federal authorities with the investigation, calling Vance's comments about Ross 'pretty bizarre.' The French Government has taken bold steps to reduce excessive speeding by upgrading it to a criminal offence under new rules introduced at the end of last year. Effective from 29 December 2025, any instance where a motorist is caught travelling 50kmh (31mph) over the speed limit is now classed as a 'delit' (an intermediate category of criminal offence) and drivers will be given a criminal conviction, or have the offence added to their current one. UK drivers caught committing such an offence would be subject to the French legal system, which could see them incur a maximum fine of 3,750 (3,250) and the possibility of the immediate confiscation of their vehicle and a three-month prison sentence. Britons could also be given a three-year ban from driving in France. The AA has responded to the new laws by urging Britons to be mindful of the rule change before driving on the other side of the Channel. Previously, such traffic offences in France were punished by a fine of 1,500 (1,300). Speeding more than 31mph over the limit in France is now a criminal offence under new rules introduced just over a week ago. We explain how it works France has a cross-border information exchange system in place with 19 EU countries as well as the UK to enforce road traffic offences taking place in the country, including speeding caught on roadside cameras. However, it is currently unclear if an excessive speeding criminal conviction issued in France will show on a UK criminal record. Both France and the UK are part of the ECRIS (European Criminal Records Information System) which allows for the electronic exchange of criminal record information between EU member states. The Home Office told us: 'Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK and EU Member States exchange information on criminal convictions on UK and EU nationals via the ECRIS. 'If a UK national is convicted of a recognised criminal offence in France, the French authorities will notify the UK via the ACRO Criminal Records Office who act as the UKs Central Authority for managing ECRIS notifications. 'Those conviction details may then be added to the Police National Computer.' Even if the details were not held on the UK criminal record database, the AA warns drivers that they will be subject to immediate penalties if caught well over the speed limit by French authorities at the roadside. This includes a sizable fine, the seizure of the car and potentially a court appearance. Effective from 29 December 2025, any instance where a motorist is caught travelling 50kmh (31mph) over the limit is now classed as a 'delit' (offence) and drivers will be given a criminal record, or have the offence added to their current one. It too will see drivers incur a maximum fine of 3,750 (3,250) and potentially a three-month prison sentence According to latest offence figures in the country, there were 63,217 instances of 'excessive speeding' on French roads in 2024. This is a 69 per cent increase in cases recorded seven years earlier in 2017. With 2025 road fatality statistics in France expected to show another increase many of which will have been caused by excessive speeding the Government has looked at measures to reduce these rising numbers. A 2018 report by the French Road Safety Observatory estimated that road accidents came at a 2.2 per cent cost of the country's GDP when taking into account lost work hours and decreased productivity, damages, medical care, and other elements. 'Exceeding the speed limit by more than 50kmh is not a simple infraction: it is behaviour that deliberately endangers lives,' said minister delegate Marie-Pierre Vedrenne. 'By now classifying this extreme speeding as a crime, with a firmer legal response, we are sending a clear message: road violence will no longer be tolerated. 'This step forward is a protective measure for everyone, for families and for the most vulnerable road users. 'It reflects a demand for responsibility and respect.' She added: 'The law's mission is to guarantee safety, and I would particularly like to thank the members of parliament who introduced the bill that made this major step forward possible.' France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne said that classifying extreme speeding as a crime sends a clear message that 'road violence will no longer be tolerated' AA spokesman Luke Bosdet says it is vital that Britons are aware of this rule change and the punishment they could incur if caught speeding in Fance. 'Road laws in Europe and elsewhere can differ drastically from what drivers in the UK are used to,' he explained. 'The AA has long advised Britons going abroad to research the rules of the road in the countries they are visiting and stick to them. 'There is no free pass for bad behaviour. 'The French have ramped up the penalties for speeding that isn't just excessive but extreme. 'Anyone who tries their luck will likely pay a severe price. 'Our advice to UK drivers is don't take the risk, both for legal and obvious safety reasons.' Additional penalties will remain in place for extreme cases, including the possible confiscation of the vehicle, a three-year driving ban, and six points added to their driving licence The new rules have been applied alongside tougher punishments for motorists convicted of reckless driving in France. 'Homicide routier' (road homicide) is a new charge now available to prosecutors for incidents where a fatal road accident is caused by a driver committing a separate offence, such as driving without a licence or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It replaces an involuntary manslaughter charge by name, following campaigning by families of victims who believe the previous offence failed to reflect the seriousness of the crime. However, offenders will still receive the same charges. These include a maximum prison sentence of seven years in the case of one aggravating offence, or ten years for several, as well as a fine of between 100,000 and 150,000 (approx 87,000 to 130,000). In cases where no additional offences have taken place alongside the accident, 'homicide involontaire' will continue to be used, which comes with a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to 75,000 (65,000). The issues that matter for investors in retail stocks were on offer in this week's Christmas trading updates from Marks & Spencer, Next, Sainsbury's and Tesco. These issues include how the squeeze on households' budgets, from higher income and other taxes, is affecting spending, plus, the surprise influence of Netflix on clothing purchases and whether weight-loss drugs will start to determine what goes into supermarket trolleys. The briefings revealed a deep anxiety about the economy. As Clive Black of Shore Capital put it: 'Rachel Reeves did a sterling job of worrying the British.' Shoppers prioritised festive food and drink over other spending. Even amid the resolve to make merry, shoppers also sought out discounts, forcing the continuation of what Tesco boss Ken Murphy calls a 'relentless price war'. Customers did treat themselves, however. Fraser McKevitt of consultancy Worldpanel said: 'It was a Christmas of smart savings and considered choices. 'Almost every household bought into supermarkets' premium ranges, while price remained front of mind.' Trending: Reiss is part-owned by Next and is a royal favourite Tesco, for example, sold 21million pigs in blankets from its vastly successful Finest range. Among the trends set to be closely watched this year is the impact of weight-loss drugs. The Christmas figures hint at the possibility that the appetite suppressant effect of Mounjaro and other medications will change eating habits. Marks & Spencer this week launched a 'nutrient-dense' line of foods for this section of its clientele. Against this challenging background, the updates reveal which names are most deftly adapting to shifts in consumer preferences and consolidating their dominance. Alan Dobbie, manager of the Rathbone Income fund, said: 'As we are seeing in many parts of the stock market the strong are getting stronger.' If you are shopping for British winners in 2026, these are the names that could be on your list. Food The festive fortunes of the non-quoted supermarkets highlight the testing climate in this sector. The discount German chains Aldi and Lidl flourished, as the British hunted down bargain mince pies and turkeys. Debt-laden Asda and Morrisons lost more ground. Even Tesco, the 28.95billion leading player in this league, was dented by the Aldi and Lidl assault, but it still contrived to exploit Asda's woes. As a consequence, Tesco's market share stands at 28.7 per cent. But the 3.7 per cent rise in Christmas sales disappointed the market, causing a 5 per cent fall in the shares to 430p, although they are still up by 16 per cent over a year. Analysts are equally split on whether Tesco shares are a 'buy' or a 'hold' which is what I intend to do. I followed my own advice in this column in February 2024 to snap up a small stake at 285p. Dobbie argues that the current valuation is attractive, given Tesco's solid balance sheet and the 3.5 per cent dividend yield, and analysts' views indicate that the company can maintain its might. Citigroup has raised its target price to 510p. Sainsbury's, which controls 16.3 per cent of the grocery market, 'smashed Christmas' according to its chief executive Simon Roberts with a 5.4 per cent sales rise. Shoppers focused on value but also enjoyed some Taste the Difference premium range luxury. But Christmas sales of electricals, homeware and toys were lower at the woebegone Argos operation, causing a Sainsbury's shares to drop to 321p although they are still 18 per cent above their level of a year ago. Roberts has said that Argos is 'separable' and it seems now that he will be even keener to do a deal to dispose of the business. This would allow him to pursue his 'Food First' strategy with even more gusto. The shares are worth a bet on this basis. Shares in Ocado have bounced by nearly 15 per cent to 271.7p since the start of the year, following a revaluation of the online supermarket's prospects by JP Morgan which has placed the company on 'positive catalyst watch'. Ocado's grocery arm, which is a joint venture with Marks & Spencer, was the fastest growing business in the sector in December its market share is now 2.1 per cent. The prospects for the group's troubled technology operation also seem brighter. Ocado's shares are 88 per cent lower than at the height of the pandemic love affair with this stock. Analysts recommend that the shares are a 'hold' at their current level. This is a reasonable assessment, given many among Ocado's more affluent clientele may be on weight-loss drugs and likely to be drawn by this supermarket's nutrient-dense line, which includes Brindisa Perello salted almonds. Fashion The update from Next, Britain's largest clothing retailer, was upbeat. Richard Hunter of Interactive Investor saw evidence of the 15.8billion giant's 'unparalleled understanding of the market in which it operates and its ability to capitalise on new opportunities'. The brand's ascent could still be impeded. Chief executive Simon Wolfson said that 'continuing pressures on UK employment are likely to filter through into the consumer economy'. But at Christmas, the giant was, as usual, able to overcome any vicissitudes, reporting a 9.5 per cent bounce in UK sales in the nine weeks to December 27. A 4.1 per cent improvement had been expected for the group, whose empire encompasses a 72 per cent stake in luxe specialist Reiss, a favourite of the Princess of Wales. Next's own and third-party labels were much in demand online. Fashion trends among the young are becoming international, under the influence of the styles on show in Netflix dramas. Next which sells in 70 countries spotted this vogue ahead of the rest, helping drive a 38 per cent jump in global Yuletide sales. Shares in the retailer climbed by 44 per cent in 2025 and analysts now rate them a hold. Hunter observed that 'given Next's ability to deliver time and again, perhaps the punchy price is justified'. Brokers Berenberg are confident enough to set a target price of 18,000p, against the current 14,265p. The Reiss sale has many alluring reductions at present. But I am going to commit the cash instead to Next shares on the basis that this retailer's unique style will lift my portfolio. I invested in Marks & Spencer in October 2022, on the basis that I mostly wear the retailer's clothing. The price at the time was 112p; it now stands at 335p, having declined by 12 per cent last year after the cyber-hack that forced the suspension of online sales. The lingering effects of this crime were visible in the 2.9 per cent drop in clothing sales at Christmas. But the fan base for M&S food is growing. Christmas sales rose by 6.6 per cent, aided by an 11 per cent jump in party snacks. In tough times, nothing sustains it seems as much as a mini chicken Kyiv. Eight of the 15 analysts that follow M&S rate the shares a 'buy'; the average target price is 419p. This reflects the belief that fashion will stage a resurgence. Lucy Rumbold of Quilter Cheviot said: 'The clothing business is steadily closing the performance gap and is on track to return to its pre-cyber incident levels by the full-year results in May.' This weekend I am pondering whether to add to my M&S holding or to pick up a few more M&S sale items with big price cuts. I may compromise and opt for both. Shares in Britains defence sector are soaring taking 2026s gains to 21billion as Donald Trump called for a 50 per cent rise in US military spending. BAE Systems, the UKs largest defence firm, climbed as much as 7 per cent before closing 5 per cent, or 97p, higher at 2023p. It stands to be a major winner if, as Trump demands, US military spending surges by more than half a trillion dollars next year. Rolls-Royce and Melrose also rose amid double-digit increases in the sector in just five days of trading in 2026. Defence firms have been big gainers since Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted a significant increase on European military spending plans. And geopolitical tensions have ratcheted up further after Americas intervention in Venezuela and sabre-rattling over Cuba and even Greenland. On target: BAE Systems, the UKs largest defence firm, climbed as much as 7% before closing 5%, or 97p, higher at 2023p Now, the US President wants military spending to rise to $1.5trillion in 2027, up from this years $901billion. This will allow us to build the Dream Military that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe, he posted on Truth Social. He has threatened to block US contractors from dividend payouts or share buybacks unless they speed up their weapons production. In Britain, despite promises to raise spending, Labour has stalled on firming up military orders. But the UKs biggest players stand to benefit from Trumps largesse. The US represented 44 per cent of 28.3billion in BAE sales in 2024. In 2023 it expanded its US presence with the 4.4billion takeover of Ball Aerospace, which builds satellites and satellite technology for the military. BAEs share price has soared since Vladimir Putins tanks rolled into Ukraine in 2022. And it is up by almost 18 per cent for the year so far. Babcock, another FTSE 100 defence giant rose 0.6 per cent, or 9p, to 1450p. It is up nearly 17 per cent over the first few days of 2026. Aerospace giant Rolls-Royce climbed 1.1 per cent, or 13.5p, to 1272.5p and is up 11 per cent this year. Melrose fell 1.1 per cent, or 6.8p, to 624p but is up 6pc for 2026. The combined increases in the FTSE 100 defence valuations totals around 21billion for 2026 to date. Marks & Spencer and Primark fell out of fashion over Christmas as British shoppers shunned clothes and gifts, and prioritised food and drink. In updates that shone a light on the strain felt by the High Street, a host of big names warned of weak consumer confidence and a reluctance to splash out. The sentiment was echoed by a report today showing fewer people visited shops this Christmas. Shore Capital analyst Clive Black said: The Rachel Reeves 2025 Budget was a motorway pile-up for the UK consumer economy, on the back of a car crash of a matching event in 2024. Will they ever learn? M&S blamed a 2.9 per cent slump in fashion and homeware sales over the 13 weeks to December 27 on fewer shoppers even as strong food sales lifted it to a record Christmas. It said trading was marked by fragile consumer confidence and milder weather. Fashion victim: M&S blamed a 2.9% slump in fashion and homeware sales over the 13 weeks to December 27 on reduced shopper numbers Sales were also dragged down by the aftermath of a cyber attack last Easter, which left it unable to sell clothes online for nearly two months and sent shoppers flocking towards rivals. M&S boss Stuart Machin insisted the division was getting back on track. Festive food, including its best-seller gingerbread and white chocolate cookies, and party food such as mini chicken kyivs and tiger prawns, helped food sales rise 5.6 per cent. Its shares rose 5 per cent, or 16.3p, to 344.8p. But it was a gloomier tale for Primark, which issued a profit warning after a challenging consumer environment at home and abroad. Sales in Europe nearly half of group revenues fell 5.7 per cent in the 16 weeks to January 3, while sales in the UK grew just 1.7 per cent. This sent shares in owner Associated British Foods down 14 per cent. And the boss of Tesco said that many shoppers are really counting every penny as food prices climb. Britains largest supermarkets sales rose 3.2 per cent in the six weeks to January 3 as customers splashed out on its premium label products. But that was less than investors had hoped, and the shares fell 6.7 per cent, or 30.5p, to 422.1p. Chief executive Ken Murphy said: Value continues to be a key priority as customers seek to make their money go further and were determined to do everything we can to help. You are seeing consumers whose households are in pretty good shape and then seeing a lot of people that are really counting every penny. He described competition as relentless after Tesco hit its highest market share in over a decade. Elsewhere, chief executive of Greggs, Roisin Currie, said consumers were saving rather than spending. The updates chime with data from Worldpanel this week, which showed supermarkets raked in a record 500million a day in the run-up to Christmas. But this came at the expense of shops selling clothes, electronics and homeware. Retails golden quarter, which should be its most lucrative time of the year, was marked by uncertainty over what would be in the Budget in November. The gloom continued into December as shopper numbers fell 2.9 per cent compared to a year earlier. Consumers held back on purchases ahead of January sales, according to the British Retail Consortium. Glencore and Rio Tinto are in talks about a 200billion mega-merger to create the worlds largest mining company. In a statement that stunned the industry last night, Glencore said it is in preliminary discussions with Rio Tinto about a possible combination that could include parts of their businesses or a full-blown merger. Shares in Glencore are trading 8.6 per cent higher this morning, while Rio Tinto eased 2.83 per cent in London, having closed down 6.27 per cent in Australia. The two mining giants confirmed in separate statements to the market this morning that they were in talks about a 'combination' of the businesses, which could include an all-share merger. The talks, nearly a year after previous negotiations over a possible deal collapsed, come as global mining groups compete for dominance in the lucrative copper market. A deal would bring together two of the FTSE 100s biggest companies though it could raise fresh questions over their future on the London stock market. The price of copper, which is used in everything from electrical wiring and plumbing to solar panels, wind turbines and battery storage, has soared to record highs above $13,300 a ton this week due to fears over a shortage of supplies. The recent tie-up between London-listed Anglo American and Canadas Teck Resources to create a 40billion mining giant based in Vancouver has piled pressure on others to beef up their operations. FTSE mega-merger: Glencore said it is 'in preliminary discussions with Rio Tinto about a possible combination Both companies own huge copper mines in Chile and have fended off takeover approaches from larger rivals with Anglo last year rejecting a 39billion bid from BHP. That has led to a major shake-up at Anglo, including the possible sale of its De Beers diamond business. It has also raised questions about the future of Anglos Woodsmith potash project in North Yorkshire. Glencore chief executive Gary Nagle last month told investors he wanted to turn his company into the biggest copper producer in the world. In a statement last night, after the Financial Times reported that talks about a merger with Rio were back on, Glencore said a deal could involve a possible combination of some or all of their businesses and even an all-share merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore. The company added: There is no certainty that the terms of any transaction or offer will be agreed, nor as to the terms or structure of any such transaction or offer, if agreed. Rio Tinto confirmed the companies have been engaging in preliminary discussions about a possible combination of some or all of their businesses, which could include an all-share merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore. Any merger would legally involve the acquisition of Glencore by Rio Tinto. Under City takeover rules, Rio Tinto has until 5pm on February 5 to make a firm offer for Glencore or walk away. The boss of Sainsbury's joined the backlash against Rachel Reeves' botched business rates reforms as he revealed shoppers flocked to his supermarket over Christmas. With the Government preparing to announce a U-turn to help pubs facing a sharp increase in their tax bills, Simon Roberts said 'it's important that the system works as fairly as possible'. 'We've long campaigned for business rates reforms,' said Roberts. 'Pubs are a really important part of communities, just as shops are.' His remarks came a day after the chief executives of Tesco and Greggs also said more needed to be done to help a host of firms not just pubs. Concern: With Government preparing to announce a U-turn to help pubs facing an increase in their tax bills, Simon Roberts said 'it's important that the system works as fairly as possible' Tesco boss Ken Murphy said: 'I believe that the Government needs to look at the rate system overall and reform it properly.' He called the rates system 'fundamentally unfair' and said that retail and hospitality pay a disproportionate amount of the property tax, with pubs and restaurants particularly hard hit. And Roisin Currie, boss of Greggs, said: 'It is good that the Government have helped the high streets and have looked at ways to improve the system that was in place. However, I think there is still a fundamental reform needed in the long term.' Roberts joined the criticism as Sainsbury's revealed strong food sales boosted by an in-home dining boom that retail analysts say is being triggered by people cutting back on eating out to save money. But it followed rival Tesco in disappointing investors with its overall sales growth. Sainsbury's, Britain's second biggest supermarket, saw total sales rise 3.3 per cent over the six weeks to January 3. The group expects to return 800million to shareholders through a special dividend of 250million and a share buyback programme. Donald Trump, with his eyes on Greenland and his hands on Venezuela, is not the only dealmaker embracing natural resources. For the third time in a decade, Britain's grand old mining champion Rio Tinto, with a heritage dating back to 1873, is seeking to do a deal with upstart Glencore to create a near-200billion mining and metal trading giant. Big mergers rarely deliver as hoped and the cultures of the two companies are very different. Glencore's origins are in trading and deal making and Rio is much more of a pure-play miner. A deal, if it could be done, would create a commodities behemoth. But in a world where the biggest users of copper and rare metals are the new-wave electric vehicle makers Tesla and China's BYD, and electronic giants such as Nvidia, all with vast valuations, the coming together of Rio and Glencore doesn't sound so outrageous. Copper is on a tear on the London Metal Exchange, where the price of the metal topped $13,300 a ton earlier this week in the wake of the surge in gold and silver. The big difference is that Glencore, after its contested takeover of Xstrata in 2013, has among the most attractive copper assets in the world, with rich mines in Chile, Peru and Argentina. As a bonus, it also owns cobalt facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Digging deep: Glencore's origins are in trading and deal making and Rio Tinto is much more of a pure-play miner Rio's wealth is based on its vast iron ore deposits in Australia. In 2020 it found itself in the doghouse after the wanton destruction of a sacred First Nation site at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia, which led to the departure of its top executive team. The group is highly dependent on the Chinese market. State-owned Chinalco owns a 14.33 per cent stake, making it Rio's biggest shareholder. In much the same way as Trump covets Greenland's rare metals, one imagines that Beijing, even if there were dilution, would quite fancy a share of the copper spoils. There are obvious questions as to how the establishment reputation of Rio and the entrepreneurial, risk-taking values of Glencore would mix and how management would line-up. Rio's newish chief executive Simon Trott and Gary Nagle, who ran the coal units and heads Glencore, are not a bespoke combination. Rio recently disposed of its carbon-rich coal operations, while Glencore shareholders doubled down. Once the investment bankers are fully engaged, the opportunities for a spin-off of coal and maybe even oil might be on the table. Glencore's trading operations based in Switzerland have had their regulatory challenges, but Rio might welcome sharper market skills. BlackRock, through a variety of funds, speaks for some 14 per cent of shares in both companies. It will have a big say. This time around, all the signs are that Glencore is keen to get a deal over the line. It might finally give founding shareholders, including Ivan Glasenberg, who still owns 10 per cent, a chance to diversify his wealth, even if it is largely a paper deal. Mining transactions face tough political and regulatory scrutiny, as Anglo-American and Canada's Teck Resources are finding. But in market share terms, it is not a deal that should trouble the scorers. If the share quotation for the combined group remains in London it shouldn't be a devastating blow. Whether ambitious Sydney-based BHP boss Mike Henry, a loser in the battle for Anglo-American, will be tempted to gatecrash is a known unknown. Natural resources encourage a brutish, competitive spirit. The new year is a time for getting in touch with family and friends, and arranging precious time with those you love - but those long conversations can mount up at what is already an expensive time of year. Now Tesco Mobile has just made it a lot easier to stay in touch. Whether you're arranging an evening of mulled wine and mince pies, or sorting out the fine details of who is going to cook what, Tesco Mobile's new Pay as you go Essentials tariff makes it simpler and more affordable for families to stay in touch over the festive season. There's nothing like keeping in touch with loved ones at this time of year, and Tesco Mobile has just made it easier The new flexible top-up tariff is built for families to have full control over what they spend in the festive season - and beyond. Users can simply add bundles of data, minutes and text to suit their needs, whether they're WhatsApping friends to arrange a new year's meet-up, or calling Mum to say when they will arrive home. For Tesco Clubcard users it's even better, with Essentials users getting Clubcard points for every 1 they spend by linking a Clubcard to their account. Laura Joseph, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco Mobile said: 'Pay as you go Essentials is designed to give customers exactly what matters most: dependable coverage, the right balance of data, texts and minutes, and the added bonus of Clubcard points every time they top up. 'Plus, they can use their UK allowance in 48 EU destinations at no extra cost, stay in control with our new app, and enjoy crystal-clear calls with 4G and 5G calling across the UK.' Staying in touch this year Essentials replaces existing Tesco Mobile tariffs including Rocket Pack, Triple Credit and Lite tariffs for all existing customers. All customers will be notified by a text message ahead of their move onto the new tariff: existing pay as you go customers will be automatically assigned a bundle based on their average monthly usage. If you have not already received a text notification, you will receive one soon. You either need to opt-in to the bundle they've been moved onto, or simply select a different bundle. You can select the right bundle for you based on your data, text and phone usage: it will auto-renew every 30 days using the available top-up balance on your account. If you don't fancy using a bundle, you can change and cancel at any time, or if you'd prefer, you can continue to use top-up balance for calls, texts and data at the standard rate: 25p per minute, 10p per text, 10p per MB. To link your Clubcard to Essentials and get rewarded for every pound you spend, simply text the word CLUBCARD to 28578, free from your Tesco Mobile phone. New year wishes: Tell them you're thinking of them Which bundle is right for you? There are five bundles to choose from, so you always have control over how much you are spending. All bundles over 10 also include unlimited minutes and texts (If you're an existing customer, you need to opt-in to a bundle before your free 30-day bundle ends). Doing so means that your minutes, texts and data allowances will automatically refresh every 30 days from your available top-up balance. The bundles range from 5 (minimum 10 top-up at activation) to 30, and all bundles over 10 include unlimited minutes and texts. And for a limited time, Tesco Mobile customers can collect 500 Clubcard points every time they add a 15 Pay as you go Essentials bundle* when they link their Clubcard within the first 28 days of adding the bundle. Clubcard points will be automatically issued within 30 days. Your browser does not support iframes. Managing your account The Tesco Mobile app is now the best way to manage your bundles, check usage, top-up, or change your auto-renew settings. Older Tesco Mobile pay as you go apps will no longer work, and pay as you go customers will need to upgrade to the Tesco Mobile app. Tesco Mobile's new Pay as you go Essentials makes it simpler and more affordable for families Clearer calls You'll also enjoy clearer-sounding calls with Essential, as Tesco Essential customers can now use their connection to make and receive calls over the 4G network. To take advantage of this, you can simply turn on 4G calling in your phone's network settings. With 3G networks set to be switched off, 4G calling (also known as VoLTE) offers a way to make clear, reliable calls wherever you are. Laura Joseph, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco Mobile said: 'For the first time, our pay as you go customers also can enjoy 4G Calling (VoLTE), giving them clearer calls and more reliable coverage wherever they are in the UK.' To learn more about Tesco Mobile's pay as you go Essentials visit the Tesco Mobile website: https://www.tescomobile.com/no-contract-sim *Offer ends 01/02/2026. See Terms And Conditions for full terms. Thousand of Britons are being prescribed super-strength cannabis for anxiety and depression. Despite experts warning of the dangers, private clinics are handing it out after just one video consultation and boast the powerful drug can be 'delivered directly to the patient's door via a next-day service'. Amid an epidemic of cannabis use on our streets, a Daily Mail audit has found specialist pharmacies are prescribing almost 10,000 different products - including ultra-strong strains imported from Amsterdam with names such as Ghost Train Haze, Dante's Inferno and White Widow. Benefits claimants signed off work with mental health problems are offered free consultations and up to 20 per cent off the cost of the drug. NHS prescriptions are tightly controlled, but dozens of private clinics are handing out 99 per cent of the medical cannabis in Britain. Marijuana - which the NHS warns greatly increases the risk of severe mental health problems - is routinely being prescribed privately for mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, OCD, mood disorders and ADHD. Illegal smokers of the drug are even encouraged to contact clinics 'to see if your usage could be legitimised' with a prescription. The whole process is, shockingly, perfectly legal, thanks to loopholes in the law. Thousands of Britons are now being prescribed super-strength cannabis for mental health conditions including anxiety and depression - despite the NHS warning that it can increase the risk of mental health problems Leading psychiatrist Professor Sir Robin Murray, of King's College London, described it as an 'outrageous situation' The huge rise in high-strength medical cannabis handed out in the past few years raises fears that it is contributing to an increase in drug-induced mental health problems and psychosis that is hammering an overstretched NHS and putting extra strain on police forces. The de facto legalisation of the drug - with police told not to arrest people for cannabis possession if there are 'justifiable grounds' for believing it could be for medical use - has raised concerns that companies exploiting lax regulations have created a pseudo-recreational market. Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows there were 88,214 unlicensed cannabis products prescribed privately in the first two months of 2025, the most recent data available. In 2024, there were 659,293 unlicensed cannabis products prescribed - equivalent to almost ten tons of weed - up from 282,920 in 2023, data from the NHS Business Services Authority shows. Sir Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King's College London, described it as 'outrageous'. He said the rising strength of the products posed 'an increased risk of dependence and psychiatric side-effects', adding: 'There are no randomised controlled trials showing that cannabis benefits psychiatric disorders and a lot of evidence that it causes them. It's a bit like taking alcohol for depression - some people find it helps in the short term but in the long-term it makes things worse.' Data from one of the largest private clinics, Mamedica, shows that 50.5 per cent of its more than 12,000 patients in the UK are prescribed cannabis for mental health conditions. If this is consistent across the industry, tens of thousands are being prescribed medical cannabis for a mental health condition. Some private clinics offer free consultations and cut-price 'weed' to benefits claimants. Tory health spokesman Stuart Andrew last night called on the Government to act on the Mail's 'extremely concerning' findings. He said: 'Ministers must act to tackle this abuse of the system.' Data obtained under the freedom of information act shows that the total volume of weed prescribed in the UK increased from 2.7 million grams in 2022 to 9.8 million grams - almost ten tonnes - in 2024 (Stock image) A number of private cannabis clinics offer free consultations and cut-price weed to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants Medical cannabis was legalised in 2018 after a campaign to make it available to children with severe epilepsy. Licensed products - which do not contain the whole plant - can be prescribed on the NHS for severe epilepsy, nausea from chemotherapy, or for muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis. But private clinics can legally prescribe unlicensed products, which have not been through strictly controlled medical trials. Dozens of specialist pharmacies offer products with a THC (the psychoactive ingredient) content of more than 30 per cent. Freedom of Information data shows that the volume prescribed increased from 2.7million grams in 2022 to 9.8million grams in 2024. It also shows there has been an increase in the number of people being prescribed higher-potency cannabis. The most popular potency in 2022 was between 18 and 22 per cent THC, but in the first two months of 2025, products above 22 per cent made up almost half of prescriptions. Mamedica said it prescribed based on a 'strictly regulated clinical and legal framework', with all prescriptions issued by a registered doctor in accordance with Home Office, MHRA and CQC and requirements. A spokesman said: 'Prescribing takes place on a named-patient basis by specialist clinicians and operates under established medicines law and regulatory oversight. 'Mental health is one of the most common reasons patients seek specialist care after conventional treatments have failed. Patients presenting with conditions such as anxiety, PTSD and depression are assessed individually and managed under strict safeguarding and shared-care protocols.' A Government spokesman said: 'We expect regulators to crack down on those private providers who prescribe to patients without the proper clinical care they need. 'More widely, we're also looking at private prescribing to ensure patients have access to high-quality medicines through all legal routes.' MPs are facing a backlash over plans to hike their expenses as it emerged warnings from ministers have been ignored. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury voiced concerns at spiralling spending on politicians and their staff last year. But the Commons committee that oversees the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) still signed off sharp increases in costs. Ipsa is now poised to go ahead with further boosts, including funding Greater London MPs to rent properties in Westminster even though they live within commuting distance. In a letter sent in March, Darren Jones - then Rachel Reeves' deputy - told the Speaker's Committee for Ipsa that the government faced a 'fiscal challenge'. 'HMT would seek to reduce the 10 per cent increase in MPs staff costs, noting that the assumed 5 per cent uplift for MPs' staff is significantly higher than the affordability figures put forward by the government to Pay Review Bodies to consider for public sector workforces in 25-26,' he wrote. MPs are facing a backlash over plans to hike their expenses as it emerged warnings from ministers have been ignored (file picture of the House of Commons) In a letter slipped out in April, Darren Jones - then Rachel Reeves' deputy - told the Speaker's Committee for Ipsa that the government faced a 'fiscal challenge' 'No additional funding will be made available for pay awards to central government departments in 2025-26, meaning that Ipsa would be expected to absorb any additional pay costs if they were a central government department.' Mr Jones went on: 'HMT would seek to reduce the 7 per cent increase in MPs accommodation & office costs and 17 per cent increase in MPs uncapped budgets (eg travel and subsistence), noting that this is higher than any funding provided to central government departments to cover increases in BAU office costs... 'HMT would not fund the requested 2.7million additional support funding that fall outside or exceed a particular budget... 'In line with Treasury guidelines, central government departments cannot request additional funding for contingency spend, and instead would be expected to stagger funding across the year to absorb any shock.' Ipsa's estimate for the cost of MPs pay, staffing, business costs and expenses in 2025-26 is 268.5million. That compared to 247.9million in 2024-25, although the final figure has still not been confirmed as the body has yet to publish its annual accounts. A Scipsa spokesman said it had 'regard' to the Treasury's view but was not 'bound' by it, and the plans were signed off. Under existing rules, MPs who live in outer London are not eligible to claim up to 30,000 a year for renting a flat or staying at hotels close to the Commons. Instead they receive a 6,570 London area living payment. However, a consultation recently run by Ipsa has proposed allowing them to choose whether to receive the accommodation expenses of the LALP. It said many were reporting 'difficulties' due to 'long hours in Westminster, combined with long off-peak journeys back home'. MPs who could benefit include Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper, whose St Albans seat in Hertfordshire is is 29 minutes from St Pancras. It is understood no final decision has been taken by Ipsa's board on whether to go ahead with the change. The watchdog has also been consulting on a new more 'flexible' arrangement for setting MP pay, after implementing an 'interim' 2.8 per cent increase last Spring. Previously the rises were linked to average increases for the public sector. Sources at the independent body stressed that it operates 'differently' from government departments and could not 'absorb' costs in the same way. They argued that the Treasury 'recognised' that difference. An Ipsa spokeswoman said: 'Ipsa ensures MPs can fulfil their parliamentary duties by providing strict budgets for essential costs, such as running an office, staffing, and supporting work across Westminster and constituencies. 'This approach helps anyone become an MP, regardless of their personal finances. To promote transparency, Ipsa publishes details of funding provided to MPs. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury voiced alarm at spiralling spending on politicians and their staff last year 'Ipsa is accountable to Parliament through the Speaker's Committee for IPSA which reviews and scrutinises our budgets.' A spokeswoman for SCIPSA said: 'The Committee carefully considered the Chief Secretary's letter alongside Ipsa's evidence before approving the estimate. 'As Ipsa is an independent body and not a government department, the Committee had regard to the Chief Secretary's observations but was not bound to follow what may be required of a central government department. 'Based on the evidence provided, the Committee concluded that the resources requested were appropriate and consistent with the efficient and cost-effective discharge of Ipsa's functions.' But John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said the growth in expenses was 'outrageous'. 'Brits up and down the country face increasingly difficult commutes driven by high petrol prices, industrial action and the housing crisis, yet IPSA is proposing that MPs within commuting distance of their office get handed a central London pied a terre paid for my taxpayers,' he said. 'MPs should get together and make clear they will block this mad idea.' The family of a prisoner found dead in his cell say they have been 'left in the dark' by authorities investigating the incident more than seven months on. Ace Wilson, 25, from Harrogate, was a serving prisoner at HMP Leeds when he 'suddenly and unexpectedly' died on June 14, 2025. An inquest was opened in July, while there are ongoing investigations by both West Yorkshire Police and the Prison and Probation Ombudsman. At the opening hearing, Wakefield Coroners' Court was told that Ace had been found unresponsive in his cell. A paramedic from Yorkshire Ambulance Service certified his death at 2pm that day. The inquest also heard that further medical examinations, including toxicology and cardiac pathology, would be undertaken. But Mr Wilson's family say they have been given few updates since and they 'remain without answers', including the exact cause or the circumstances leading up to his death. The family say they are also devastated that having laid Leeds-born Mr Wilson to rest in August, his heart and brain have yet to be returned by the medical examiner - even though they were told the process should not take longer than 10 weeks. His anguished uncle, John Vowles, told Daily Mail: 'There's been little communication from the police or the ombudsman about what is going on. Ace Wilson, 25, from Harrogate, was a serving prisoner at HMP Leeds when he 'suddenly and unexpectedly' died on June 14, 2025 Ace Wilson's family say they have been 'left in the dark' by authorities investigating the incident more than seven months on. Pictured: Ace with his mother Adelle Several investigations are underway into the death at HMP Leeds in Armley (pictured), including by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman 'We've been very co-operative with the process, but now it feels like we are hitting a brick wall. We've had no answers'. Mr Wilson's mother, Adelle Deighton, said the family are 'simply seeking truth'. She said: 'More than seven months later, our family still does not have a confirmed cause of death. 'Despite repeated assurances that investigations and specialist medical examinations were underway, we have received little meaningful information and no clear explanation for the delays. 'We have been told at different points that further information exists, yet nothing substantive has been shared with us. 'Key timelines that were formally provided to us have passed without update, and we remain without answers. 'As a bereaved family, we fully respect the need for thorough and independent investigations, and we are not seeking to pre-empt their findings. 'However, the prolonged lack of communication and absence of basic information has added significantly to our distress. 'We are simply seeking truth': Ace's family say they are still awaiting a confirmed cause of death and are still awaiting the return of his organs from the medical examiner It is understood that after Daily Mail contacted authorities, the family are due to be given an update in coming days. Pictured: Ace with his mother Adelle as a child 'We believe it is in the public interest for transparency to exist when someone dies in state custody. 'Families should not be left for months without clear communication, particularly in circumstances where the state had a duty of care. 'We are simply seeking truth, accountability, and clarity about what happened to our son. Nothing more, and nothing less.' A Prison Service spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'The police will investigate and, as with all deaths in custody, so will the Prison and Probation Ombudsman. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.' West Yorkshire Police meanwhile said: 'The investigation into the death of Ace Wilson at HMP Leeds on 14 June 2025 remains ongoing, and family liaison officers are maintaining regular contact with his family.' It is understood that after Daily Mail contacted authorities, the family are due to be given an update in coming days. The inquest into Mr Wilson's death has been adjourned to a later date. Daily Mail has also contacted the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for comment. Australia's spy agency failed to put the simple jigsaw pieces together about the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen ahead of their terrible attack, an expert has said. Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, Sajid, allegedly opened fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah near the iconic beach on December 14. Naveed has been charged with 59 offences, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder. His father was shot dead by police at the scene. In just over six minutes, fifteen innocent people were killed, among them 10-year-old Matilda and 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and grandfather, Alex Kleytman. Michael Shoebridge, director of defence and security think tank Strategic Analysis Australia, said there were clear signals that the Akrams should have been people of interest for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). 'Hindsight is always far simpler than at the time, but there were a number of flags that I think should have been raised,' he told the Daily Mail. 'The combination of the rapid buying of multiple firearms and a son who is allegedly associated with an Islamic State terror cell, along with travel to the southern Philippines, doesn't look like a really intricate jigsaw to follow up on.' 'It's, at least, enough for a knock on the door.' Australia's top spy agency ASIO failed to spot three key data points before the Bondi Beach attack in December (pictured, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess with Anthony Albanese) During the attack on a Hanukkah event in December, fifteen innocent people were killed, among them 10-year-old Matilda and 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, Alex Kleytman It's believed ASIO informed NSW police in 2021 that Naveed allegedly met several Islamic extremists through street preaching groups. ASIO placed Naveed on a 'known entity' list rather than an active watch list, which would have kept him under surveillance. Sajid applied for his firearms licence in June 2020, but it wasn't issued until July 2023. On a Thursday night that same month, soon after the 28-day statutory cooling-off period for his gun licence ended, Sajid bought three Category B guns. Those firearms were a lever release shotgun with a five-round capacity, used for quicker shooting, and two identical straight-pull centrefire rifles, which use high-calibre ammunition. Under the national firearm agreement, the purchase of several identical guns should have triggered an investigation. In addition, the father and son spent nearly a month in Davao City, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, which is known as a magnet for Muslim terrorist groups. Australian Federal Police said travel records showed the pair rarely left their hotel, and there is no evidence they received training or prepared logistics for the alleged attack. But Mr Shoebridge said the visit alone should have raised alarms. Expert Michael Shoebridge said alleged gunman Naveed Akram (pictured) didn't need 24/7 surveillance but his alleged meetings with extremists should have been a red flag 'I'm not talking about "Why weren't they under 24/7 surveillance?" I'm just saying those three data points should have flagged them as people of interest,' he said. 'ASIO doesn't need to do full-time monitoring to have a system that flags travel to notorious terrorist hotspots and connects that to firearms purchases and association with Islamic State cells. 'These are three points that don't need to come from 24/7, following them around.' A root cause of the issue, according to Mr Shoebridge, is that 'counterterrorism has drifted down intelligence agencies' priority lists'. This was due to increasing emphasis on foreign interference, counter-espionage, cybercrime, and cybersecurity, he believes. 'I'm not sure that you get that same relentless search for new phenomenon and (study of) all the indicators,' he said, adding that resources will also be limited. The defence expert highlighted that there are five key areas where ASIO can be improved to protect Australians in the future. 'They need to resurrect counterterrorism as a real priority, and not just one on a list,' he said. Mr Shoebridge (pictured) said ASIO needs to prioritise counterterrorism more 'They need to put more of their best and brightest on counterterrorism.' Mr Shoebridge added that ASIO's attention has been misdirected towards social issues rather than core security concerns. 'There's been a lot of focus from ASIO leadership on social cohesion, like public speeches from the director about protests being a way of letting off steam and common commentary about social cohesion,' he said. 'I think ASIO needs to stick to their knitting, and that means finding and spoiling terrorist and espionage plots. Everything else is not their job.' Despite this, he said he held some sympathy for ASIO chief Mike Burgess because he has been 'left to be the government voice on counter-terrorism and extremism' - and the government needs to be the voice on security in the future. 'It's the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers' jobs to talk to the public about these issues,' he said. 'But they have been reluctant to speak clearly or frankly, and so Mr Burgess has had to fill in the gap.' He added that a final issue is that ASIO and the government are not omniscient in situations, but flawed and hampered by bureaucracy. 'We speak as though the government and intelligence agencies are all-seeing and all-knowing,' he said. 'They've got a bunch of clunky, disparate data sets across agencies, and then there's state and federal boundaries, and the sharing isn't always easy, simple or effective. 'But, really, I think there are enough flags here, and they're not particularly novel.' Aldi has been crowned Britain's cheapest supermarket of 2025 with customers saving hundreds of pounds compared to its rivals over a year, a study found today. The German-owned discounter which is now Britain's fourth biggest grocery chain was the cheapest in ten out of the 12 months, according to consumer group Which?. This saw Aldi earn the organisation's cheapest supermarket title for the fifth year in a row - but Lidl was close behind with an average difference of just 77p each month. Among the larger supermarket chains, Asda beat Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's on price - even for those who are members of those retailers' loyalty schemes. Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket, costing an average 35 per cent more than the cheapest for a smaller shop and 15 per cent more for a larger shop. Experts track daily data for Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose to see prices for everyday items such as milk, bread and frozen peas At the start of each month, Which? then reveals the cheapest supermarket of the previous month based on a price comparison of products matched across the eight chains. The study includes special offers and loyalty prices, but excludes multibuys. In December, Aldi which does not have a loyalty price scheme - was the cheapest for a list of 68 items, with the basket costing 123.60 on average across the month. Your browser does not support iframes. Aldi's main rival Lidl was a close second last month, costing just 10p more in December at 123.70, for both Lidl Plus members and non-members. Lidl was the cheapest supermarket twice last year in July and October, and across the whole year the average monthly price difference between the two was just 77p. At Asda, the same 68 items cost 134.89 on average last month - and, while still cheaper than most other supermarkets, it was still around 11 more than Aldi. For the same items, the research showed Tesco Clubcard members would have paid 135.84 on average last month, compared with 139.12 without a Clubcard. Meanwhile, the analysis showed Sainsbury's Nectar card holders would have paid 141.45, rising to 143.74 for those not on the loyalty scheme. At the other end of the scale, Which? found the same basket cost 170.46 at Waitrose in December 46.86 more than Aldi. Over the course of the year, Waitrose was 35 per cent more on average than the cheapest supermarket and 38 per cent more in December. Which? also compared the cost of a much larger weekly shop of 180 items among the six non-discounter supermarkets. Aldi and Lidl are excluded from this comparison because of their smaller product range. In December, Asda was the cheapest non-discounter supermarket with Which?'s list of items costing 450.82, continuing a pattern seen throughout the year. Aldi earned the cheapest supermarket of the year title from Which? for the fifth year in a row Asda consistently beat Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, even when loyalty prices such as Clubcard and Nectar were included. Which? found Tesco Clubcard holders would have paid 462 on average in December for the same list of items more than 11 more. The analysis also showed Tesco shoppers without a Clubcard would have paid 493.53, or just under 43 more than those who shopped at Asda. Shoppers at Morrisons would have paid 466.04 with a loyalty discount or 467.46 without - around 15 or 17 more than at Asda. At Sainsbury's, Nectar holders would have paid 468.61, while non-members would have paid 501.89 more than 51 more than an Asda shopper. Ocado shoppers would have paid 498.19 in December for Which?'s list of 180 items - over 47 more than at Asda. Once again, Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for the larger shop at 529.17. In December, the same trolley cost 78 more than at the cheapest supermarket - a difference of 17 per cent. Your browser does not support iframes. Which? retail editor Reena Sewraz said: 'Aldi's consistent performance shows why it has been crowned the UK's cheapest supermarket for the fifth year in a row. 'While Lidl continues to provide strong competition among the discounters and is still a great option for those looking to save on their shopping, Aldi was cheapest in most months and offered the lowest prices overall. 'Our analysis also shows that Asda remains a strong choice for shoppers looking for a bigger range of branded goods at lower prices. 'With food bills still a major concern for many households, it really does pay to shop around choosing one supermarket over another could save shoppers hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.' The two lists of groceries are made up of some of the UK's most popular groceries, based on industry data on sales value and availability. Because the main list of around 200 groceries remains unchanged each month, Which? does not share this with retailers because it wants to avoid any attempt to skew the results. The Daily Mail has contacted all the named supermarkets for comment. Aldi said it was celebrating the title by releasing a collection of 'Brag Bags' which take a swipe at its rivals, with slogans such as 'These are not just regular prices; these are Aldi prices'; 'Aldi. No loyalty card needed' and 'Champagne taste, Aldi budget'. Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: 'Being named the UK's cheapest supermarket for the fifth-year running is something we're incredibly proud of. 'These fun limited-edition tote bags celebrate what Aldi does best - offering outstanding quality products at the lowest possible prices.' An Asda spokesman said: 'We're pleased to see Which? once again recognise Asda as the lowestpriced supermarket for the big family shop. Lidl was close behind Aldi in the study with an average difference of only 77p each month 'Our customers can be confident they're getting the best value on their favourite brands and the everyday products they buy the most, without the need for a loyalty card. Asda Price means clear, consistent pricing, that's available to everyone.' And a Waitrose spokesperson said: 'Great value is about more than just price, and we take pride in offering exceptional products with award-winning customer service. 'On top of this, our customers know that our products are sourced with care; our market-leading animal welfare standards include 100 per cent of our chicken meeting Better Chicken Commitment standards or higher, and a commitment to 100 per cent free range pork by 2027.' Earlier this week, Aldi revealed a 1.65billion sales haul over the Christmas month as price remained the 'biggest priority' for shoppers. The group reported a 3 per cent rise in total sales over the four weeks to Christmas Eve as it notched up a record 57 million transactions. Aldi said sales jumped by more than 5 per cent in the final trading week leading up to Christmas, with around 500million rung up through its tills. The performance for the month-long run-up marks a slight slowdown on the previous Christmas, when sales lifted 3.4 per cent. Last week, Lidl cheered a 'record-breaking' Christmas as it revealed a 10 per cent surge in sales after nearly 51million customers shopped with the discounter in the festive run-up. The group said its UK business made more than 1.1billion in turnover in the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve. Shopper numbers rose 8 per cent year-on-year to a record high, with Lidl notching up almost four million more customers than the previous year. Lidl is currently Britain's sixth-largest grocery chain, according to experts at Worldpanel, after making the biggest market share gains in the sector in recent months. Experts believe Lidl could overtake rival Morrisons, which is currently in fifth place, in the coming months if its current momentum continues. Aldi is in fourth place for market share - behind Asda in third, Sainsbury's in second and Tesco in first. Also this week, grocery prices across supermarkets in the UK in December were revealed to been 4.3 per cent higher than a year earlier - down from November's 4.7 per cent, according to Worldpanel. The UK increased the amount of electricity produced from fossil fuels last year despite Ed Miliband's drive for Net Zero. The proportion of power generated by gas and other dirty fuels increased for the first time in four years, according to analysis of Government figures. The data also showed that expanding renewables alone would not be enough to meet the Energy Secretary's target of making the grid clean by 2030, Bloomberg reported. It will come as an embarrassment to Mr Miliband who already faces a major backlash to his Net Zero plans and the rapidly increasing bills to pay for them. Despite the amount of power generated by renewables hitting a record last year - rising about 7 per cent in 2023 - this was not enough to phase out the use of fossil fuels, Bloomberg found. Although green energy sources now provide more than half of the UK's electricity, nuclear and gas are still needed whenever the weather stops them working. The analysis found that while the drop in nuclear power was mostly down to planned outages, capacity is set to shrink permanently due to existing plants coming to the end of their lives and not enough new ones being built. This will make the Government's green goals 'extremely challenging', according to consultancy Stonehaven. The UK increased the amount of electricity produced from fossil fuels last year despite Ed Miliband's drive for Net Zero Nuclear power generation fell to 11 per cent last year - its lowest level in a decade. This meant gas use had to rise more than six per cent to fill the gap. Experts have expressed doubts about whether the Hinkley C nuclear power station is likely to be up and running by the end of the decade. This would mean more power would need to come from renewables to meet the UK's power needs. But Bloomberg's analysis of the Government's own National Energy System Operator (NESO) figures showed that wind and solar power would not be able to fill the gap. NESO data showed that about 56.5 per cent of last year's electricity was generated from green sources - including nuclear and renewables - slightly lower than 56.7 per cent a year earlier. Bloomberg said that last year had bucked a trend as Britain's grid was becoming roughly 10 per cent cleaner each year as the use of green energy expanded, apart from in 2021 when there was not enough wind. Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho called for more reliable energy such as nuclear and gas. 'It is telling that our Government only cares about whether our energy is clean and not whether it is cheap,' she said. Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho called for more reliable energy like nuclear and gas 'I wish the obsession was on how we reduce the cost of energy instead - but with Ed Miliband's ideological approach to energy policy, British families are going to continue to see their bills rise, jobs lost overseas, and the risk of blackouts increase. 'Ed Miliband's plan to build more wind and solar farms than ever before will do nothing to power our economy on a cold, windless, cloudy day. 'What this data does show is that we need reliable, 24/7 power for when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine - and that means more nuclear and more gas.' A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'These statistics reflect decisions made by previous governments, including years of dither and delay on new nuclear. 'This government is turning this around, already consenting record amounts of solar - enough for the equivalent of 8.5 million homes. 'These projects take time to build, but we are making the decisions to benefit Britain for years to come.' Chilling secret documents and videos obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail have laid bare the inner workings of Iran's ruthless 'repression machine'exposing the hidden war room and brutal tactics used to crush the uprising currently sweeping the country. The leaked files obtained by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), were acquired out of the regime's inner sanctum, revealing for the first time the 'nervous system' of the Ayatollah's crackdown: the shadowy Tharallah Headquarters in Tehran. While brave protesters flood the streets of Tehran in ongoing demonstrations, these documents show they are facing a highly organized, industrial-scale operation designed to keep the dictatorship alive at any cost. Dubbed a 'manual for repression,' the dossier exposes the terrifying role of the Basij Imam Ali Unitsthe regime's shock troops founded specifically to quell unrest after the 2009 Green Movement, the largest challenge to the Islamic Republic's legitimacy since its inception. Today, these specialized units are the primary enforcement arm facing the current wave of protests. According to the leaked playbook being published by UANI, these units are mobilized under a 'yellow' security alert, deploying 'swarms' of lethal motorcycle gangs to terrorize neighborhoods. The documents describe these motorbike units as a 'hit-and-run tool' designed for 'fast, cheap, and brutal repression.' Their orders are chillingly specific: chase down protesters, run them off roads, and intimidate civilians into silence. Videos recorded from inside Iran in the past week show these units shooting at protestors from their motorbikes as they carry out their suppression operation. According to the leaked playbook being published by UANI, these units are mobilized under a 'yellow' security alert, deploying 'swarms' of lethal motorcycle gangs to terrorize neighborhoods This 'hidden infrastructure,' which has long operated in the shadows, is now being brought into the light But the manual goes further, offering a window into the twisted psychology of the regime's enforcers. It explicitly instructs riders to wage 'psychological warfare' against unarmed civilians. Riders are ordered to move in strict 'two-column formations' at slow speeds to make their numbers appear overwhelming. They are told to deliberately rev their engines to create a deafening noise and blast their headlights to disorient and panic crowds. The goal, the manual states, is to 'scatter crowds before they grow' by weaving through alleys and flanking terrified demonstrators. The foot soldiers carrying out these orders are often young radicalized men aged 15 to 30, armed to the teeth with shotguns, pepper spray, and paintball guns. Even more disturbing, the report suggests the units have recruited 'criminals and thugs' known for extreme brutality to spread fear effectively. Dr. Saeid Golkar, Senior Advisor at UANI, told the Daily Mail that this specific headquarters is the regime's last line of defense. 'The Iranian regime's security forces, most notably the IRGC's Tharallah Headquarters, represent the primary obstacle facing brave Iranians striving to dismantle the Ayatollah-led dictatorship,' he said. Perhaps most disturbing is a section of the manual detailing the use of snipers. The internal documents reveal that in 'sensitive locations' and 'protest hotspots,' commanders are ordered to deploy snipers to rooftops with a single, cold-blooded objective: 'to target protest leaders.' Snipers have also been shooting protestors on the streets, with graphic images and videos showing fatalities as a result of live rounds being fired. This 'hidden infrastructure,' which has long operated in the shadows, is now being brought into the light. The UANI report identifies the Tharallah Headquarters as the 'most critical cog' in the IRGC's machinemaneuvering riot police, intelligence agents and heavy security units to suffocate dissent before it can threaten the Supreme Leader. Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research at UANI, issued a stark warning to the West, calling for direct action against this apparatus. 'The cycle of protests and suppression will continue until the balance of power shifts between the unarmed Iranian population and the radicalized and fully armed IRGC suppressive apparatus,' Aarabi said. But the manual goes further, offering a window into the twisted psychology of the regime's enforcers. It explicitly instructs riders to wage 'psychological warfare' against unarmed civilians Dr. Saeid Golkar, Senior Advisor at UANI, told the Daily Mail that this specific headquarters is the regime's last line of defense. 'The Iranian regime's security forces, most notably the IRGC's Tharallah Headquarters, represent the primary obstacle facing brave Iranians striving to dismantle the Ayatollah-led dictatorship,' he said Extract from internal manuals of Imam Ali Security Battalion Headquarters, featured in forthcoming report by United Against Nuclear Iran 'Weakening this apparatus, including through targeted military strikes, is critical to supporting the Iranian people's democratic aspirations.' The push to dismantle the IRGC has taken on new urgency following a summer of targeted military strikes by Israel and the Trump administration. These operations are coupled with President Trump's recent bellicose warnings that the US would intervene militarily if the regime moves to harm protesters. Aarabi added that the new intelligence 'should serve as a focal point for Western efforts to target and undermine the IRGC's capacity for repression.' The entire report, called 'The Tharallah Headquarters Unveiled: The Hidden Infrastructure Blocking Regime Change in Iran,' will be released next week. The White House, Pentagon and State Department did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. A glamorous blonde found with tens of thousands of pounds worth of designer goods including watches, shoes, clothing and accessories when police raided the home she shared with her drug dealer lover has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Whitney-Marie Walker, 23, was arrested alongside Fred Cook, who police had identified as the 'principal member' of an underworld gang. Officers found 40,000 of upmarket goods at the property in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, as well as 5,500 in cash under Walker's bed. Another 23,000 worth of designer items were found at a nearby property the pair were connected to. The huge array of upmarket goods included three Rolex watches, five Louis Vuitton bags, a Gucci bag and a Gucci belt. Among other brands that were confiscated were Valentino, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Hermes, Alexander McQueen, Versace and Chanel. An investigation by the Mail has revealed how Walker and Cook enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle before they were brought to justice. Photos on social media show them preening for the camera while dressed in smart clothes at upmarket locations or celebrating opulent birthdays with bespoke cakes and designer gifts. The good times for Walker included a trip to Dubai where she was pictured stroking a chained big cat Dressed to the nines - Whitney-Marie Walker, 23, and partner Fred Cook, 22, lived the high-life on the proceeds of his drug dealing Walker was even pictured stroking a big cat during a holiday in Dubai. But the high-life was well and truly over when she was jailed at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday after she admitted concealing criminal property and being in possession of criminal property. The hearing was told that trawls of her financial data showed discrepancies in her declared earnings compared to the amount she was depositing into her account. Statements also showed substantial sums of money being sent to Cook's account. Walker's mug shot, which shows her looking drawn and her normally immaculate blonde hair tousled, still garnered admiring comments online when it was released by Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Cook, 22, had his home raided by police early on the morning on June 19, 2024. After officers smashed in the front door and arrested him, he was caught on body cam footage hurriedly putting on clothes before shouting out: 'I'll pay for the door, dad.' From another room, a voice could be heard saying: 'Yeah, I know you will.' After her arrest, Walker was pictured wearing a grey hooded top for her police mug shot A humbled Cook stares into the camera for his custody photo An investigation by the Mail has revealed how Walker and Cook enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle before they were brought to justice Hundreds of text messages on his phone confirmed his involvement in drug deals across his home town. Cook was jailed for five-and-a-half years at Huntingdon Law Court in May last year after pleading guilty to supplying crack cocaine and heroin and acquiring criminal property, namely designer goods. Other offences he admitted included supplying cannabis, cocaine, offering to supply ecstasy and being in possession of an extendable baton, which is classed as an offensive weapon. Further admissions involved fraud charges for creating car insurance policies in which he listed himself as a named second driver without the knowledge of the main named policy holder and providing false details in relation to speeding tickets. Further admissions involved fraud charges for creating car insurance policies in which he listed himself as a named second driver without the knowledge of the main named policy holder and providing false details in relation to speeding tickets. Another man, Billy Venemore, 20 described as the 'second in command' of the operation was initially arrested on May 25, 2024, after a stop-and-search conducted by police indicated he was involved with drug dealing. He was arrested again two months later when evidence from his phone showed hhe had received instructions to deliver cocaine and heroin to customers at various 'hotspots'. Venemore, also of Wisbech, was given a 28-month jail term after admitting supplying heroin and crack cocaine and possession of cannabis. Detective Constable Joshua Crown, who investigated the case, said the impact of drug dealing 'has been a very real issue within Wisbech' and he hoped Cook and Venemore's sentences would 'show the community we are listening to their concerns'. A photo understood to be from Cook's 21st birthday shows balloon displays, a custom-made banner, three-tier cake and a Louis Vuitton box The couple seen in swimwear. Cook's sandals are believed to be Givenchy sliders that cost 295 Cook celebrated his 19th birthday with a two-tier custom cake featuring the Peaky Blinders crime gang Co-defendant Billy Venemore was 20 when he was jailed last year for his role in the drug dealing gang He added: 'Walker was aware of the scale of the operation run by Cook, as seen by her assisting in concealing the funds. 'This case shows we don't just look at those dealing drugs but also those involved in the operation behind the scenes and benefitting from the criminal activity.' Prostitutes or women of ill-repute were referred to as 'molls' a familiar form of the name Mary from the 1600s in England. Over time this developed into underworld slang for a woman or female companion. The word began to be used in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s to describe the girlfriends of Prohibition-era gangsters. Cambridgeshire Police said a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing would be held in due course to claw back money the criminals made from their illicit enterprise. A group of women targeted by one of Britain's most notorious catfish scammers turned into online sleuths forming a group called 007 in a bid to snare her. They had all been befriended by someone claiming to be 'Dr David Graham' on social media and reeled into his fantasy life with some admitting they fell in love with him. The handsome medic bombarded the women with messages and eventually phone calls using a voice changing app, showering some with bouquets of flowers and gifts drawing them deeper into his world. But after he came up with a variety of excuses to avoid meeting them in person, his victims became suspicious and turned into real-life sleuths to uncover his secrets and unmasked him as a woman named Adele Rennie. Now six of the women Rennie preyed on over a 15-year period have opened up about the catfisher, who has been jailed multiple times for her cons. Former Miss Scotland finalist Abbie Draper, now 35, told a BBC documentary airing from Sunday that she reckons Rennie had targeted as many as 100 women online. However, to this day none of her victims know why. In an exclusive clip shared with the Daily Mail today, Ms Draper talks about how she tries to work out the true identity of Dr Graham - which turned out to be Rennie. The mother-of-two, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, told how her investigation was 'pretty much a race against time' and she 'just had to screenshot everything, write things down, the more evidence the better'. Ms Draper adds: 'When I started looking deeper into David Graham's Facebook, then I started noticing it was all the same people commenting on his things. Then I started asking myself, well, are they real? Abbie Draper, pictured in the new BBC documentary, was one of Adele Rennie's victims Adele Rennie, pictured, is a notorious 'catfish' who has been jailed multiple times for her cons Adele Rennie was jailed for 22 months in 2017 and again two years later for similar offending 'We would reverse image search so you can put an image into Google and find out where it's come through. We found these profiles had actually been stolen from Instagram. 'There was a web of people - so you've got David here, and then you've got all these profiles validating that David is a real person. We screenshotted the other profiles as well. 'Time went so fast, and I didn't sleep. I was sitting on my phone looking for things and my laptop. Before I knew it we were onto like 5, 6 in the morning - and then I'd have a quick sleep and then I'll wake back up again. I was consumed by it all.' Rennie was first jailed for 22 months in December 2017 for cyber stalking and again two years later for similar offending. She was given 28 months behind bars in 2024 and could be released later this year. Ms Draper was one of the women to take part in the three-part documentary which looked at Rennie's offending. She told the programme she was first contacted by 'good looking' Dr Graham in 2014 after her grandfather landed in Crosshouse hospital with a stroke. The seemingly successful medic claimed to be her grandfather's doctor, but she eventually smelled a rat and found other women who had also been befriended by the man. They formed an online group called 007 and discovered he was actually Rennie the nurse who had been looking after Ms Draper's grandfather in hospital. She called it 'sickening' and told the documentary: 'It's a very vulnerable ward. If you really wanted to take an advantage of people that would be the ward to be in.' After a bit more online probing and telling the hospital about Rennie, it became a 'race against time' to collect evidence before the devious nurse blocked her victims or deleted her fake online profile. Former Miss Scotland finalist Abbie Draper, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, in the new programme Mother-of-two Ms Draper was one of the women to take part in the three-part documentary By using a reverse image search, the women discovered his profile had 'fake friends' created to validate his existence. Ms Draper said: 'We realised this was a full-scale operation. I knew we just had to get the police involved. 'It was obvious it was Adele Rennie. I was really optimistic, I'd just go to the police. I thought it was going to be straight forward and they're just going to arrest her. 'I was at the police station for about four or five hours.' After furnishing officers with as much detail as she could, Ms Draper said they just 'couldn't get their heads around it' adding: 'Their words to me were that she's not actually done anything.' Other victims, including Samantha, Lilly, Chloe, Kirsty and 'Charlotte' who did not want to be identified, also recounted their stories for the TV crew explaining how devious Rennie managed to dupe them into believing he really was the social media hunk he pretended to be. Cyber security expert Rory Innes told the documentary: 'When I first heard of the Adele Rennie case, I think the most surprising element is how long it went on for.' He pointed out catfishing wasn't a criminal term and pointed out: 'It's almost impossible that the police take that on because what is the crime? A man called Craig Dunn found Rennie had taken images from his social media to snare women Abbie Draper speaks to Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on ITV's This Morning yesterday 'The moment you say they've stolen 1,000 there's a real clear pathway, it's fraud. We can investigate that, we can follow the money.' Mr Innes added that as victims are forced to investigate their own cases the risks for them get 'higher and higher' and later asked: 'If your perpetrator doesn't go to prison then how safe do you feel?' Ms Draper acknowledged she felt Rennie's behaviour had escalated with each new scam and felt a little paranoid following her experience especially since her online stalker kept cropping up again under different disguises. The documentary also heard from a psychologist about Rennie's potential motives for the offending with a glimpse into her childhood with an alcoholic father who took his own life. Her sister Nicole told of her disbelief of the charges levelled at her 'happy big sister' while her mother, Christine, said: 'It's just such a horrible feeling. 'You can't just believe that your daughter has gone to one of them vans and taken off to a prison. She's in sex offenders register. It's so complex it's very hard to make any sense of it.' She added: 'I was mortified. Ashamed. I went through every emotion.' However, she told the documentary she believes Rennie's latest stint in prison due to end in March - has changed her. Rennie even released a statement from behind the bars to apologise to her victims, vowing she has received help. All three episodes of The Beauty Queen and the Catfish will air on the BBC Scotland channel on Sunday from 9pm. The series will also be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday, and air on BBC Three on Monday from 9pm and on BBC One from 11.40pm The architect helming the design for President Donald Trump's controversial White House ballroom project revealed new details Thursday, including plans for a West Wing expansion. Shalom Baranes presented the early designs to the National Capital Planning Commission, the body that oversees federal construction projects in Washington. The presentation marked the first public look at Trump's ambitious renovation plans, which have already seen the East Wing demolished to make way for the new ballroom. The current plans call for rebuilding the White House's East Colonnade - which was torn down along with the East Wing - as a two-story structure instead of the original single level. The redesign would allow guests to enter the ballroom through the historic East Room inside the Executive Mansion, the main White House building. But the two-story colonnade would make the White House look lopsided, so Baranes disclosed that the White House may add a one-story extension to the West Wing to restore 'symmetry' following the East Wing overhaul. The current one-story West Colonnade - which Trump walked out on in August and teased that he was building 'something beautiful' - currently houses the White House briefing room and reporters' offices. An outdoor section of the structure currently contains Trump's 'Presidential Walk of Fame' - where the president wrote plaques dissing some of his Democratic predecessors. White House ballroom architect Shalom Baranes showcased designs on Thursday at a meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, the government body that oversees federal construction projects in Washington, D.C. The red circles show where there would be a proposed one-story addition to the White House's West Colonnade, to balance out the two story East Colonnade, which architect Shalom Baranes pointed out with his pen at Thursday's NCPC meeting 'Here you see the upper level of the East Colonnade and the potential for a future addition, a one-story addition to the West Wing, and that would occur right here,' the architect said, bringing along large cardboard renderings of the plans. 'And you see, the reason to think about that is so we would reinstate the symmetry around the central pavilion of the White House,' Baranes explained. Later in the presentation when Baranes was questioned about a possible West Wing expansion, he clarified, It would be just to the colonnade' - so no two-story Oval Office would be in store. The project has received criticism due to the White House not being initially being transparent about plans to demolish the East Wing - which originally dated back to 1902 but was reconstructed in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in part to hide a White House bunker. The ballroom has also raised eyebrows due to it being completely funded by donors - including companies that have business before the U.S. government. Ahead of Thursday's meeting, a group of about a dozen protesters, including some from the watchdog group Common Cause, gathered outside NCPC's headquarters holding up signs including 'corruption never looked so tacky.' Inside the meeting, NCPC Chairman Will Scharf - Trump's handpicked leader who also serves as White House Staff Secretary - advised the handful of members of the public in attendance to keep the peace. Scharf acknowledged there was an agenda item, 'the ballroom,' that has attracted 'passionate comments on both sides.' President Donald Trump took a walk on the roof of the West Colonnade in August and hinted that there could be changes on this side of the White House as well. The ballroom architect said there's a proposal to make it two stories to match the East Wing changes White House Staff Secretary and NCPC Chairman Will Scharf (center) asked the public to keep the peace at the top of the meeting, as President Donald Trump's ballroom project has attracted 'passionate comments on both sides' Outside about a dozen protesters gathered asking the National Capital Planning Commission to prevent the ballroom project from moving forward. 'Corruption never looks so tacky,' one of the demonstrator's signs said 'While there will be opportunities for public comment on the ballroom project in the future, we would ask that you not disrupt the commission meeting today and if you do make an out of order disruption of the commission, we will, unfortunately, have to ask you to leave the room,' Scharf said. Scharf also apologized in advance if he got moody. 'To those of you who have made New Year's resolutions, I quit Nicotine eight days ago, so if I am irritable or less enthusiastic or energetic, that's the reason,' the chairman said to laughs. He reiterated during the meeting that he believed NCPC didn't oversee demolitions, which allowed the East Wing to be torn down in October without any government oversight. No disruptions interrupted the meeting, with the only pushback to the ballroom plans coming from members of the committee who represented the city. Baranes, who took over the project from architect James McCrery in November, said late that month a decision was made 'not to continue exploring options for increasing the size of the project.' There were rumblings that Trump wanted the ballroom to be even bigger - as the pricetag of the project has now inflated to around $400 million. Shalom Baranes shows off the floorplans for the White House ballroom project, showing the rebuilt East Wing's first floor on the left and the second room, which could contain the 22,000 square foot ballroom to the right The current plans for the ballroom are based off of one of the plans McCrery originally designed, which would include a 22,000 square foot ballroom that would fit 1,000 seated guests for dinner. The overall new structure, which will include the East Wing offices that belonged to the first lady's staff, would be part of the overall 89,000 square foot two-story building. Phil Mendelson, a NCPC committee member and the chairman of the D.C. City Council, said he'd like to see the project shrink in size, for fear that the addition would overpower the main White House building. 'I'm concerned about the significant overwhelming of the original historic building,' he told the committee,' Mendelson said. He also expressed concern that the board was only looking at one portion of the White House project at a time. 'The other observation I have is that it is disturbing to me that we are looking at an addition to this historic structure, but we're looking at what appears to be an overall plan in a very segmented approach,' he said. 'So there's going to be some changes to the visitors' center, there's going to be some changes to Lafayette Park, there's going to be some changes to the West Wing,' he noted, expressing that he's prefer to view the project as a whole. Linda Argo, an NCPC commission members appointed by Washington, D.C.'s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bower, also said that she had 'some concerns about the size and scale in a number of ways.' The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued over the ballroom project, with a federal judge telling lawyers for the Department of Justice in December, who were defending the White House's position, that plans for the ballroom needed to be submitted to the NCPC and the Commission of Fine Arts by the end of 2025. Scharf told the Daily Mail after the hearing that he thought today's presentation would likely satisfy the judge's request - despite more formalized plans coming from the White House at a later date. The chairman didn't hide the fact that he was for the project proceeding, pointing to a planned visit by King Charles later this year. 'More likely than not, he will be hosted in a tent on the South Lawn with port-a-potties,' Scharf said. 'That, to me, is not a good look for the United States of America,' he said. The White House is hoping to fast-track the project so it will be completed by 2028, Trump's last full year in office. The government has dropped plans to give free television licences to benefit claimants after an angry backlash. The radical proposals were unveiled by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in December as she set out her vision for the funding of the BBC from 2028. The governments policy paper said it was considering 'further targeted interventions to support household budgets', and would look at the example of countries such as Germany which offer free TV licences or discounts to 'individuals who receive social benefits'. But at a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament the Media Minister Stephanie Peacock rowed back from the plans before the public consultation had been completed. She told MPs on Tuesday: 'We are not looking to expand free TV licences or give them free to those in receipt of benefits....I can be clear about that now.' Instead ministers are exploring targeted interventions, such as new concessions or payment schedules to help those struggling to pay the licence fee, which costs 174.50 a year. Ms Peacock did not rule out middle-class households paying more for their licences after the public consultation stated: New concessions could require other households to pay more.' Currently over-75s who claim pension credit are the only group who qualify for a free licence. The government has dropped plans to give free television licences to benefit claimants after an angry backlash ministers are exploring targeted interventions, such as new concessions or payment schedules to help those struggling to pay the licence fee, which costs 174.50 a year When the Daily Mail highlighted the proposal for a possible exemption for the six million working-age people currently in receipt of benefits, it prompted a furious response. John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It's absurd to squeeze middle-class taxpayers harder while floating new licence fee exemptions for benefit claimants. The licence fee is already regressive, and shifting more of the burden on to working households just entrenches unfairness and fuels resentment.' While shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: It would be outrageous if people claiming benefits were given free TV licences while hard-working people footed the bill. Another controversial proposal that was floated in the governments green paper was to allow the BBC to raise more income by carrying advertising on its services. But Ms Peacock noted there were 'concerns about the potential for advertising on the BBC to impact commercial providers'. Ministers will now 'carefully consider the potential impacts' on commercial rivals of letting the BBC enter the advertising market. She added: A thriving media sector involving ITV, Channel 4, our diverse local media providers and others is vital for the UK, and I wish to reassure him that we will carefully consider the potential impacts on this ecosystem. A public consultation on the plans was launched in December and will run for 12 weeks. The Government's preferred proposals will then be published in a White Paper. Any changes would come into effect from 2028, after the expiration of the current BBC charter. It comes as outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie told Parliaments Public Accounts committee yesterday that he was under 'quite a lot of pressure' to 'remove the BBC' from Elon Musks X. His reference to the social media platform came as it faces criticism over its AI system Grok creating deepfake nudes. Davie said: I have quite a lot of pressure to remove the BBC from X by the way. That is not what I will be doing. Because we need to be on these platforms, we need to give quality information onto the social media platforms and bring people onto them. 'That is critical because otherwise the Chinese and Iranians are flooding the zone and they are investing very hard.' A large group of migrants were filmed wandering around a motorway station after allegedly getting off a lorry from France. Footage shows a large group of men and women walking through Toddington Services on the M1 in Bedfordshire on Tuesday afternoon when they are approached by a lorry driver. The motorist questions where they have come from and asks whether they just got out of a truck, to which one of the men replies: 'Yeah.' As the group begins to walk away from him, the lorry driver says: 'Nice phones, nice shoes, where have you come from? Why don't you get on a truck and go back?' He adds: 'This ain't your homeland mate. You've got no business being here. It won't be an easy ride, it won't be a free ride, go home.' The video ends with the group walking towards the station exit towards the motorway. Bedfordshire Police confirmed a group of 13 illegal migrants were arrested at nearby Harlington Rail Station on Tuesday afternoon. A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: 'A number of people have been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after we were called at around 1.45pm on Tuesday (6 January) to reports of people leaving a lorry at Toddington Services. Footage shows a group of migrants wandering through Toddington Services on the M1 in Bedfordshire on Tuesday afternoon, after allegedly getting off a lorry from France The group begins to walk away as a lorry driver asks them: 'Where have you come from?' A migrant holds a phone as he looks at the lorry driver at the motorway station 'Officers attended and arrested 13 men and women on suspicion of immigration offences shortly afterwards at Harlington Rail Station, in connection with the incident. 'They were taken into police custody, and the investigation has now been handed over to Immigration Enforcement officers.' Migrants have been sharing video tutorials on social media on how to illegally smuggle themselves into Britain, it was reported this week. Videos posted on TikTok show migrants hiding behind bushes before sprinting after moving lorries and jumping onto them to break into their trailers. Seven clips, edited into one video, were uploaded to show how migrants can hitch a lift on a lorry without the driver realising they are inadvertently helping sneak them into the UK. The footage, believed to have been filmed in north France, shows one migrant hiding behind a bush before running after the lorry as it drives by and jumping into the gap between the trailer and driver's cab. One video, which starts the sequence, shows an unsuccessful attempt where a lorry is travelling too quickly for the migrant to jump onto the back. 'The next one is better,' the caption read in Arabic. The group refused to confirm where they came from when questioned by the lorry driver The video ends with the group walking towards the station exit towards the motorway A series of successful attempts then follow, with captions including 'congratulations, UK welcome' and 'finally, he brought it. Thank God for his safety'. Emojis of the British flag are displayed on the clips, as is the dice emoji, which is used to highlight the risk involved. In one video, a migrant in designer clothes is seen filming himself lying on boxes in the back of a lorry. A Home Office spokesman previously said: 'We are relentless in our pursuit of people-smuggling gangs and stand ready to respond to all methods, including lorries and other clandestine routes. 'That's why the Home Secretary has set out the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times, removing incentives which draw people to the UK illegally and making it easier to remove and deport them. 'Our tougher legislation and continued work with our French counterparts will disrupt vile people-smuggling gangs.' While President Donald Trump campaigned against 'forever wars' during his 2024 campaign, two-thirds of Republican voters back military intervention in countries beyond Venezuela. New polling from the Daily Mail, conducted by J.L. Partners, showed that 67 percent of GOP registered voters supported further military intervention. That's compared to just 25 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independents. Democrats were seen as the more anti-war party during the advent of the Iraq War, which was started under Republican President George W. Bush in 2003. During this time, the Republican Party represented the more hawkish stance, which was central to the neoconservative movement. But in recent years, Trump flipped the script, criticizing going to war with Iraq and the length of the Afghanistan conflict. Overall, 43 percent of Americans backed more military intervention, while 42 percent said the U.S. should stay out of other countries' business. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats said the U.S. should stay out of other countries' business, followed by 41 percent of independents and 22 percent of Republicans. President Donald Trump is presiding over a party that supports further military involvement despite the fact that he ran on ending 'forever wars.' New Daily Mail polling found that 67 percent of Republican voters support more military strikes post-Venezuela Your browser does not support iframes. Among all the registered voters polled, Iran would be the top choice of where the U.S. military should intervene next, with 53 percent of Republicans in agreement. Overnight on January 2 - ahead of the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro - Trump wrote that the U.S. was 'locked and loaded' on Iran, warning the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that his regime would pay a price if he murdered protesters. In June, the U.S. took brief military action against Iran's nuclear facilities to aid Israel in its brief war with its longtime nemesis. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed said Iran, while 18 percent said Russia and 17 percent said Cuba. Trump has struggled to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, something he pledged to do on day No. 1 in office. During Saturday's press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump discussed Cuba but suggested no U.S. military intervention would be needed because the country's oil supply from Venezuela would be gone. Cuba, Trump said, 'looks like it's going down.' Other options all received less than 10 percent, with 8 percent selecting China, 6 percent picking the U.S.'s longtime ally, the United Kingdom, Greenland and Afghanistan both receiving 5 percent, and the neighbor to the north, Canada, garnering 2 percent. Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3 amid the U.S. military strike. Polling shows that there's an appetite for more military intervention among Republicans Iranians have taken to the streets of Tehran to protest the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On December 2, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is 'locked and loaded' and would go after the regime if protesters were murdered Cubans attend the 67th anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution in Havana on Thursday. President Donald Trump said Saturday he didn't believe military involvement would be needed there because it 'looks like it's going down' Thirty-one percent of those polled thought that Trump's intervention in Venezuela made an Iran strike more likely, a sentiment shared about evenly among the parties. Breaking it down, 31 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of independents and 30 percent of Democrats thought that the Venezuela strike may have emboldened Trump to go after Iran. The poll was conducted among 999 registered voters on January 3 and 4. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent. Prisoners handed life sentences are being freed after serving as little as a decade behind bars. More than 100 lifers have been released since 2021, according to shocking new figures obtained by the Mail. Dangerous prisoners mostly murderers were let out at a rate of one every 11 days to walk the streets in one 12-month period. The figures come as the SNP Government grants early release to hundreds of criminals including violent thugs to free up space in crowded jails, sparking fears over the risk to public safety. Last night Scottish Tory victims spokesman Sharon Dowey said: These stark figures make a mockery of life sentences and are a betrayal of victims. The public will be dismayed that those who have committed crimes so serious they warrant a life sentence are being released after only a decade. Its simply common sense that life should mean life and its high time the SNPs justice system delivered on that to keep communities safe. The figures have fuelled demands for the introduction of whole-life tariffs, which mean the worst offenders are never released from prison. More than 100 lifers have been released from Scotland's jails since 2021 Scottish Tory victims spokesman Sharon Dowey said the figures 'make a mockery of life sentences and are a betrayal of victims' But the soft-touch SNP Government has so far ruled out tougher sentences - despite life tariffs being used by courts south of the Border. Figures published by the Parole Board for Scotland (PBS) show 34 lifers were freed in 2023/24, with one of them released after 10-11 years. Since 2021/22, a total of 106 lifers have been freed. The PBS figures show in 2023/24, one lifer was freed after 10-11 years, one was freed after 11-12 years, two were let out after 12-13 years, and 30 had been in prison for over 14 years. Since 2021, four lifers have been freed after serving 11-12 years in jail. In one shocking case, John Wilson, 36, was jailed for life in 2009 with a minimum of only 12 years behind bars for the murder of Michelle Stewart, 17, in Drongan, Ayrshire. The schoolgirl was stabbed to death by Wilson, her former partner, near her home. Wilson was freed on parole back in January 2025. In April 2013 in Dumfries, a thug who murdered his friend in a savage attack was jailed for life and given a punishment part of only nine years and nine months, later increased to 14-and-a-half years after an appeal by the Crown Office. Darrin Callander punched, kicked and stamped on Brian Scott, 54, and left him to die. The 49-year-old killer died in October 2021 while serving a life sentence at HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire. In 2001, European laws led to radical changes in the system which compelled judges to set a punishment part for lifers the period of time a prisoner must spend in jail before becoming eligible to apply for parole. John Wilson, 36, who was jailed for life in 2009 with a minimum of only 12 years behind bars for the murder of schoolgirl Michelle Stewart, 17, was freed on parole in January 2025 If parole chiefs rule a prisoner can be released on licence after the punishment element is complete, the convict can be freed. The punishment part must be served by everyone regardless of their prison record, and any request for parole can be rejected if the prisoner is deemed to need further rehabilitation. Although the PBS is independent, members are appointed by ministers, who also refer prisoners to the board for possible parole. Prisoners serving a sentence of four years or more are eligible for parole if they can satisfy the PBS that they do not pose a danger to the public. Debbie Adams, director of development and external affairs at Victim Support Scotland, said: Victims tell us that understanding sentencing can be very complicated. When a perpetrator is given a life sentence, many people expect them to serve the full time in custody. However, Scotland does not have whole life sentences unlike other jurisdictions. As each case is different, the time spent in prison depends on the length of the punishment part of the sentence given by the judge. Release from prison is accompanied by licence conditions that are in place for life, which can ultimately mean recall back to custody. Any decision to grant parole is based entirely on risk, and sometimes this means that perpetrators with a life sentence are released part way through their sentence. A PBS spokesman said: The Parole Board does not comment on individual cases. Where an offender receives a life sentence, the court will set a punishment part of the sentence. At the end of the punishment part, Scottish ministers are required by statute to refer the case to the Parole Board for Scotland. The Board then considers the case against the statutory test for release which requires that the panel of the Board must be satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined. He added: A life sentence prisoner remains on licence for the rest of their life and their case can be referred back to the Board at any time by Scottish ministers for consideration as to whether they should be recalled to custody if licence conditions are breached. Scottish Government officials say that if the offender reaches the point in the life sentence where they are eligible to be considered for parole, it is for the independent PBS to decide if they should be released. There have been a number of victim-centred reforms to the parole process in recent years including the right for victims, or a family member of a victim, to make representations on licence conditions and, in certain circumstances, to attend oral hearings. A dedicated victims team has been established in Parole Scotland to support victims through the process. A Scottish Government spokesman said: The independent courts determine the punishment period a life prisoner must serve in custody, and only once that period has been served do they become eligible for consideration of release by the Parole Board. Life sentence prisoners, if approved for release, remain on licence for the rest of their life and are subject to recall at any time should they breach their licence. The average length of punishment parts of life sentences is at its highest level since records began, at 20.5 years in 2023-24, as compared with 14.3 years in 2007-08. Hillary Clinton has sparked an onslaught of criticism after the Democrat condemned the ICE shooting in Minnesota with the claim Renee Nicole Good was 'murdered' by federal agent Jonathan Ross. The liberal former first lady, senator and secretary of state praised protesters who demanded the agency leave Minneapolis after the death of the 37-year-old woman. 'Last night, at the corner where an ICE agent murdered Renee Good, thousands of Minnesotans gathered in the frigid dark to protest her killing. In the face of this administrations lawless violence, solidarity is the answer. They want to mold America to their cruelty. We refuse,' she wrote. Conservatives immediately jumped on the statement as in bad taste. 'This is disgusting. Youre directly endangering lives with this post, madam. As you sit in your country manor with your guards and full staff,' Megyn Kelly wrote. Charles Gasparino asked: 'Again, murder? Now theres a specific legal definition for the word murder and do we really know that what happened the other day was in fact a murder? Isnt Hillary a lawyer? This stuff is 101.' 'Democratic Party elites very much want riots, violence, and dead protesters in Minneapolis. They are openly agitating for it,' John Daniel Davidson added. Clinton joins the rest of the Democrat Party in being unified in anger over the death of Good. Hillary Clinton became the latest Democrat to condemn the ICE shooting in Minnesota, claiming Minnesota woman Renee Nicole Good was 'murdered' by Jonathan Ross Good, 37, was shot in the head three times by agent Jonathan Ross while inside her SUV on Wednesday, sparking mass protests in the streets and outrage from Minnesota lawmakers Hyper-woke Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to 'get the f*** out' of Minneapolis in a fiery, expletive-ridden speech. 'They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,' Frey said at an emotional press conference. 'Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bulls***. To ICE, get the f*** out of Minneapolis. We don't want you here.' In a monologue for his show on Wednesday, liberal comedian Jimmy Kimmel spoke of the shooting and Trump's response, calling him a 'maniac'. He lambasted Trump's characterization of Renee's behavior during her final moments: 'Now, I saw this video. It didn't look like anybody got run over to me. It looked to me like a woman got scared, tried to drive away, and they shot her'. He was quick to add, however, that a ruling on blame was for 'the court to decide'. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed Frey's analysis, saying in a statement released on X: 'I've seen the video. Don't believe this propaganda machine. 'The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.' Also joining the chorus of critics was California governor Gavin Newsom, who said the shooting was 'state-sponsored terrorism.' Ross was named and photographed on Thursday He added that ICE 'has rampaged across America' over the past year. 'His administration has driven extremism and cruelty while discarding basic safeguards and accountability,' he wrote. 'Now, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen is dead. Donald Trump owns this. His deliberate escalation of intimidation and chaos has consequences. His reckless crackdown must end.' But Trump's political allies have doubled down on their support for the president and ICE. JD Vance called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to 'work even harder' amid growing protests against the agency. 'To the radicals assaulting them, doxxing them, and threatening them: congratulations, we're going to work even harder to enforce the law,' he wrote on X. The president has previously claimed on his Truth Social page that Good was 'a professional agitator' who 'violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer' before the agent acted in self defense. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem then reiterated that claim as she spoke to reporters Wednesday night, claiming that Good had been 'stalking' agents prior to the shooting. Hyper-woke Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to 'get the f*** out' of Minneapolis in a fiery, expletive-ridden speech Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem then reiterated that claim as she spoke to reporters Wednesday night, claiming that Good had been 'stalking' agents prior to the shooting 'Its very clear that this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations,' she said, before calling on federal prosecutors to charge individuals who use their vehicles to ram ICE agents as domestic terrorism. Good, 37, was shot in the head three times by Ross while inside her SUV on Wednesday, sparking mass protests in the streets and outrage from liberals. Walz activated the National Guard on Thursday as unrest spread across Minneapolis following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a federal ICE agent. The governor signed the executive order to activate the National Guard in the city citing that 'Minnesotans are feeling scared, angry, and disillusioned.' Superintendent Drew Evans said Thursday that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had stepped away from the investigation, with the FBI taking over the case. Walz said that 'people in positions of power' had made 'verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate' conclusions about the case and that 'Minnesota must be part of this investigation' in a press conference on Thursday. DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. The shooting has sparked furious political condemnation, including Democratic lawmakers branding it 'murder,' but legal experts say the question of criminal liability turns on narrow technicalities under deadly force law - not public outrage. US oil executives keen on advancing their operations in Venezuela are nervous that President Donald Trump could derail their investments with a single social media post. 'No one wants to go in there when a random f***ing tweet can change the entire foreign policy of the country,' one energy investor told the Financial Times. Since the Trump administration deposed ex-dictator Nicolas Maduro on Friday and announced that the US would 'run' the country and operate its oil infrastructure, savvy speculators have mulled how to get in on the action. On Friday, the president is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at an investor conference in Miami on Wednesday that the US will control Venezuela's oil 'indefinitely.' 'Instead of the oil being blockaded, as it is right now, were gonna let the oil flow to United States refineries and around the world to bring better oil supplies, but have those sales done by the U.S. government,' the secretary said at an energy conference hosted by Goldman Sachs. 'Were going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first this backed-up stored oil, and then indefinitely, going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the marketplace,' he said. But energy companies are seeking guarantees before they ship resources down to Venezuela. Oil executives have expressed concern that President Donald Trump could derail their business plans for Venezuela with a single social media post Questions remain about whether Venezuela is stable enough for US investment Trump announced a plan to sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil 'There would have to be some serious guarantees from the government to get the big boys back in Venezuela,' a top energy executive told the FT. 'Its going to take a while to see real investment in the country and then longer to get production up.' Though Maduro is gone, concerns still remain about interim leader Delcy Rodriguez and her administration. Still, Trump said he is willing to authorize additional US military operations in the country if Rodriguez and her administration do not abide by the White House's demands. Earlier this week, Trump announced a plan to sell up to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, and that he would control the revenue from the sales and use it to benefit the people of Venezuela and the US. 'It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,' Trump added. Executives from Chevron, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil are among those expected to visit the White House on Friday to discuss operations in Venezuela. Chevron is the lone US company with a preexisting license to access and sell Venezuelan crude. A woman critically injured in the Bondi Beach attack has lashed a hospital's decision to change her name and wipe her religion from personal records. Rosalia was at the Hanukkah by the Sea event on December 14 with friends and family when Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more. As bullets flew, she lay on the ground beside her husband, Gregory, when shrapnel struck her head. She was rushed to Liverpool Hospital for urgent surgery. As she recovered, Rosalia discovered hospital staff had changed her name to the alias 'Karen Jones' and removed her religion from her wristband. 'First I was admitted under my name and under my religion, but next day, before my operation, they said that they have to change my name,' she told the Today Show. 'So they cut my band and they put me (as) just 'Karen Jones' without any religion. 'They said it's for my safety (and to) keep away the media from me. That was the answer, nothing else.' 'I was (feeling) terrible. It's like I've been rip off of my identity. And you know, we live in Australia for 40 years.' Rosalia (pictured right, with her husband Gregory) was at a Hanukkah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach on December 14 when two men allegedly opened fire on the crowd Rosalia was struck in the head by shrapnel while she lay on the ground She has claimed Liverpool Hospital changed her name on paperwork to 'Karen Jones' - and removed her religion in documents - for her safety Rosalia said she was informed by hospital staff that the change was for her safety, and to stop the media from contacting her. A South Western Sydney Local Health District spokesperson told the Daily Mail it is committed to ensuring all patients feel safe, respected and supported in their treatment and recovery and in all interactions with health services. 'We apologise to the patient for the distress caused by the use of an alias while in our care,' they said. 'We are committed to ensuring patient privacy is protected at all times and take all necessary steps to ensure it is maintained. 'All staff in public hospitals are bound by privacy legislation to safeguard patient confidentiality. This may include the use of aliases or disguised identity.' Rosalia said the nightmare at Bondi began with what sounded like fireworks. 'We heard somebody screaming 'Down, down to the ground. Lie down'. So we will lie in the ground and it was horrible,' she said. 'We didn't even realise it was a shooting.' Gregory described the terrifying moment he realised his wife was hurt. During the alleged attack, 15 innocent people were killed and dozens more were wounded Rosalia has reflected on how Australia has changed since her family moved here 40 years ago, claiming it no longer feels safe for her and her family (pictured, a memorial at Bondi Beach) 'My wife was heavily bleeding, and the problem was that we couldn't raise our heads up in order to move forward, because it was dangerous,' he said. 'I was worried about her. I was worried about my daughter. The bullets were flying... three bullets end up right next to my left foot. The whole thing was terrible.' Recuperating and out of hospital, Rosalia has reflected on how Australia has changed since her family moved here 40 years ago. 'We came from a Communist country to have a better life for ourselves and for our daughter, and we fell in love with Australia,' she said. 'And last two years, we didn't feel safety, not even for one day. Our government never ever listened to us, what's happening, and that's how we (ended) up. It's terrible. 'I have few things to say to our fellow Australians. I think we need to change the government, because whatever happened to us could have happened to anybody, anywhere and anytime.' She also thanked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Anthony Albanese sensationally backflipped on Thursday afternoon as he announced a Royal Commission into antisemitism in Australia following the alleged terror attack Ex-High Court Justice Virginia Bell (centre) will lead the Commonwealth Royal Commission Albanese announced a Royal Commission into antisemitism and social cohesion on Thursday afternoon, 25 days after the alleged terrorist attack. Former High Court Justice Virginia Bell will lead the inquiry, despite opposition from some members of Australias Jewish community over past rulings that overturned anti-protest laws. Ms Bell has been asked to look into the nature and prevalence of antisemitism and religiously motivated extremism. She will examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged terror attack and make any further recommendations to strengthen Australias social cohesion. Albanese initially argued a Royal Commission would be drawn out and divisive. However, after meeting victims' families and survivors he backtracked, committing to deliver the final report by the first anniversary of the attack. Ahmed AlAhmed has been presented with a large gold Menorah by billionaire Bill Ackman at a lavish $1,000-a-head dinner in New York. Ackman, who donated $99,999 to the Bondi hero's GoFundMe, praised the Syrian refugee at the Colel Chabad Gala on Wednesday night. AlAhmed, who was shot five times on December 14, received a threeminute standing ovation as he took the stage with his injured arm in a sling. Ackman was visibly moved as he addressed the crowd and presented Al-Ahmed with the gold menorah, which was inscribed with the words 'Light Will Win'. '[Jews] are 0.2 per cent of the world. So seeing someone step forward on behalf of people he didn't know, to risk his own life, and the calculus of going after a guy with a gun,' Ackman told the crowd. 'It's really one of the great acts of heroism, and I think it was very reaffirming to the Jewish community to have someone stand up on behalf of our community in the most profound, lifeaffirming way. That's why we were here.' Ackman explained the meaning behind the extravagant gift. 'The menorah represented endurance, represented courage, represented persistence and, most of all, represented life and light in the darkness. And this man deserved this,' the hedge fund manager said. Bill Ackman (centre) handed over a golden Menorah to Bondi hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed (right) Billionaire Bill Ackman (centre) donated $99,999 to AlAhmed's GoFundMe after the attack AlAhmed said the decision to confront the Bondi attacker remained impossible to fully explain. 'I think it was holy, and the miracle that's from God,' he said. Ackman recalled first seeing the rampage in social media videos that 'just seemed to go on and on' - until a clip showed a man stepping forward as everyone else fled. 'He could have minded his own business. No one would ever know that he chose not to intervene,' the billionaire said. He told the audience that AlAhmed's courage placed him in a rare class of heroism. 'So I think that in the hierarchy of heroes, a person that was willing to risk his own life for the benefit of people that he did not know, where he took on someone who was armed with a weapon and he had none, was an amazing thing,' he said, choking up. 'Seeing someone step forward on behalf of people he didn't know, risk his own life, and take on a guy with a gun, was really one of the great acts of heroism. 'It was very reaffirming to the Jewish community to have someone stand up on behalf of our community in the most liferisking way. That's why we're here.' A mother-of-three killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis was an anti-ICE 'warrior' who coordinated efforts to 'resist and document' immigration operations alongside a network of other activists. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead on Wednesday while driving an SUV that was blocking a residential street during protests against an ICE operation. The agent responsible, identified as Jonathan 'Jon' Ross, has been branded a 'murderer' by furious Democrats but has enjoyed the full support of the Trump administration, who argue he acted in self-defense when it appeared Good intended to run him down with her car. Now, Good's friends have revealed she was part of a network of activists coordinated through her six-year-old son's charter school who were actively resisting ICE. 'She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,' a mother named Leesa who has a child at the same school as Good's son told The New York Post. '[Renee Good] was trained against these ICE agents what to do, what not to do, it's a very thorough training. 'I know she was doing the right thing. I watched the video plenty of times but I also know in my heart the woman she was, she was doing everything right.' According to the publication, Southside Family Charter School has publicly boasted of having a 'social justice first' approach to learning and 'involving kids in political and social activism'. Renee Nicole Good was named as the woman shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis on Wednesday Blood splatter was seen in her SUV after the shooting There are similar groups across the nation, particularly in Democrat-led sanctuary cities which are actively resisting Trump's deportation operations Good and her wife, Rebecca, moved to the area just last year and enrolled their six-year-old boy in classes at the woke charter school. They are understood to have fled the US after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. There, Good became involved in the school community and the local 'ICE Watch' group, which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt ICE raids. Former gym teacher Rashad Rich, who recently resigned from the school, said: 'A lot of parents are [activists]' within the school community. 'From my understanding, she was involved in social justice we are a tight-knit community.' In the classroom, he claimed young students were taught about social justice issues from George Floyd's death to Aboriginal rights issues in Australia. There are similar groups across the nation, particularly in Democrat-led sanctuary cities which are actively resisting Trump's deportation operations. These activists use phone apps to alert residents of ICE vehicles and operations, honk their car horns to warn their neighbors if they see immigration agents and whistle as a signal to those around them. As part of this training, Good allegedly learned to listen to commands and to understand her rights. Michelle Gross, the president of the Minnesota-based Community United Against Police Brutality and a paralegal for the National Lawyers Guild, also reflected on Good's anti-ICE activism on Thursday. She said the mother-of-three was a volunteer in a network of 'neighborhood patrols' comprising hundreds of community members and organized by local activists to track, monitor and record ICE operations in Minneapolis. Gross, who claimed she had 'first-hand' knowledge of Good's participation in the ICE-'observer' patrols, said 'that's what she was doing' when she was confronted and shot. She disputed all allegations that Good was actively impeding the work of ICE agents, and instead argued she was trying to turn her car around and leave the scene when officers converged on her car and one of the agents opened fire. Videos show agents approaching Good's stationary vehicle, asking her to exit, and one tugs at the door handle as she starts to reverse. Ross stands in front of the car and draws his weapon, pointing it at Good as she starts moving forward, which is when he opens fire. Good's Honda Pilot crashed nearby, and she was declared dead at the scene. These activists use phone apps to alert residents of ICE vehicles and operations, honk their car horns to warn their neighbors if they see immigration agents and whistle as a signal to those around them Good and her wife, Rebecca, moved to the area just last year and enrolled their six-year-old boy in classes at the woke charter school Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. Grab taken from video Good became involved in the school community and the local 'ICE Watch' group, which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt ICE raids Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedom, told the Daily Mail that under the law, the use of deadly force is justified when an officer can reasonably perceive a threat of serious bodily harm or death. 'You have an officer who is trying to conduct a lawful detention of a driver who is blocking the road, trying to impede law enforcement as they're going down that road. That driver is not being compliant with these lawful commands, and, in fact, seems to be trying to escape that situation,' Swearer said. There has been much speculation online over the direction of the wheels as Good appears to be turning down the road away from the officers. Others have questioned why Ross was standing in front of the car, but Swearer explained that both points are irrelevant to the law. 'He explicitly does not have a duty to retreat in the way that a civilian would under these circumstances,' she said. 'It doesn't matter whether that driver subjectively was not trying to hit the officer,' Swearer added. 'It matters what the officer can reasonably perceive. He can't read her mind. He just knows that you have someone who's ignoring lawful commands, who is moving the car toward him. That is deadly force.' Ross is an 'experienced' officer who last year suffered gruesome injuries as he tried to arrest an illegal immigrant sex offender. 'He's the same ICE agent who got dragged by car 50 feet back in June, so he has a history,' an FBI agent who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity confirmed. The 37-year-old woman was shot three times in the face at a protest in Minneapolis and died at the scene The FBI agent noted that he does not believe Ross was justified in his shooting of Good. 'Shot one, sort of can be argued, but shots two and three - they cannot be argued.' Minneapolis has remained on edge since Good's death, with protesters gathered outside the city's immigration court on Thursday for further demonstrations. Activists were seen carrying signs and chanting, including some signs that say, 'ICE Out Now,' 'We deserve to be safe in our community,' and 'Resist Fascism.' Chants included 'We Keep Us Safe,' 'ICE Out Now,' 'ICE Go Home,' 'Quit Your Job' and 'Justice Now!' Schools have cancelled classes and activities as a safety precaution as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has issued calls for people to remain calm. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Labour is gearing up for another humiliating U-turn as ministers last night signalled a climbdown on tax hikes for pubs. Mutinous Labour MPs were told that Rachel Reeves will announce a package of emergency help within days in a bid to head off a brewing revolt. In an about-turn rapid even for this Government, Treasury sources confirmed the climbdown just six weeks after the Chancellor unveiled Budget plans which critics said would send tens of thousands of businesses in the retail and hospitality sector to the wall. Officials said the package would deliver 'a lifeline for pubs', but were unable to say exactly how it will work or what it will be worth leaving publicans still worried. And hotels, restaurants and independent retailers reacted with fury after ministers signalled that, for now at least, the business rates concessions will apply only to pubs. Keir Starmer has now presided over a dozen major U-turns in his chaotic first 18 months in power. Kemi Badenoch last night said the latest one was 'too little, too late' as she mocked the PM's New Year claim to have 'turned a corner'. 'Keir Starmer told us Labour had 'turned a corner',' she said. 'Well, it looks like they've turned the corner straight into their first U-turn of 2026.' Mutinous Labour MPs were told that Rachel Reeves will announce a package of emergency help within days in a bid to head off a brewing revolt. Pictured: Reeves visits a pub in the West Midlands on the 2024 General Election campaign trail Beer, oh beer: Keir Starmer has now presided over a dozen major U-turns in his chaotic first 18 months in power The Tory leader added: 'Labour are killing Britain's pubs.' Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride urged Labour to bring in a wider bailout funded by welfare cuts. 'The problem is far bigger than pubs,' he said. 'Businesses right across Britain are at breaking point because of Rachel Reeves' choices. 'Reeves must now go further and give the rest of the retail, hospitality and leisure sector the support they need.' Labour-supporting celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, who has helped lead the campaign against the tax hike, gave a cautious welcome to the U-turn. But he urged ministers to come forward with the details quickly, and said the sector needed further support to survive. Speaking to LBC, he likened the move to the Government 'saying we won't punch you in the face, but we know you are still in trouble'. Entrepreneur Steve Perez, founder of the UK's biggest independent drinks manufacturer Global Brands, said: 'This is the latest in a series of fiascos presided over by Rachel Reeves. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the latest turnabout was 'too little, too late' as she mocked the PM's New Year claim to have 'turned a corner' 'Ill-thought-out and damaging policies are briefed or announced after no consultation with anyone, harming confidence and growth, before the inevitable partial and unsatisfactory U-turns. 'We've seen this over winter fuel payments, taxation of family farms and firms, income tax and now business rates for pubs. 'The Chancellor's credibility is shot to pieces and she should make way for someone who can do a better job.' Changes to the business rates regime have left thousands of pubs, hotels and restaurants facing staggering bill increases. Ms Reeves announced 4.3billion in 'transitional relief' at the Budget, leading many to believe they had been given a good deal. But when the small print was examined in the hours that followed, the average pub was facing a 15 per cent increase in business rates in April, rising to 48 per cent next year and 76 per cent in 2028. The scale of the increase triggered a furious backlash from the sector, with more than 1,500 pubs reported to have banned Labour MPs from their premises. Dozens of MPs warned Labour whips they could rebel on the issue. Several ministers are understood to have raised concerns directly with the Chancellor. Ms Reeves is still finalising the detail of the support package. But the Treasury decided to signal the U-turn early yesterday to head off a major Labour rebellion when MPs vote on the Finance Bill on Monday night. South Shields MP Emma Lewell, who first raised the looming business rates crisis with the Treasury before the Budget, said ministers were too dismissive of backbench concerns. 'The Government should listen to us and work with us before we reach crisis point and are forced to make a U-turn. 'The harm and stress caused to hospitality businesses has already had an impact.' The crisis has been triggered by the unwinding of Covid-era discounts on business rates for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, coupled with a rates revaluation. Allies of Ms Reeves insist she became aware of the scale of the issue only after the Budget, because Treasury officials were barred from looking at the impact of the rates revaluation on individual businesses. Last night's U-turn was greeted with frustration by many because of its narrow focus on pubs. Kate Nicholls, chairman of trade body UK Hospitality, said: 'We need a hospitality-wide solution.' Ros Morgan, chief executive of Heart of London Business Alliance, said: 'Another temporary sticking-plaster solution aimed at just one sector won't be enough. 'Time and again we've seen piecemeal responses like this, but they won't save our high streets.' Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: 'It's an absolute scandal if it's just pubs. 'Small retailers face exactly the same challenges. If they just want shops to waste away and die, they are working towards it.' In humiliating detail, the PM's ELEVEN other U-turns Family farm tax (announced Oct 2024 junked Dec 2025) Under changes announced in Labour's first Budget, farmers were due to start paying inheritance tax from this year. Ministers caved in to pressure last month by raising the threshold so most farms would not have to pay it. Employment rights Bill (July 2024 watered down Dec 2025) Labour's manifesto committed it to increasing employment rights, including giving workers day-one rights to claim for unfair dismissal. Ministers abandoned this and other pledges last month. Keeping the two-child benefit cap (Jul 2023 junked Nov 2025) Sir Keir vowed he wouldn't ditch the cap on cost grounds before he became PM, but the Government announced at the last Budget that it would be scrapped. Increasing income tax (hinted at Nov 4, 2025 junked Nov 13, 2025) Ahead of the last Budget, the Chancellor heavily hinted that income tax would be hiked a clear manifesto breach. The idea was ditched nine days later. Welfare reforms (Mar 2025 junked July 2025) The most significant of the PM's U-turns and the point at which he began to lose authority. Sir Keir hoped to save 5billion but ditched the plan minutes before the vote following a backbench rebellion. No more tax rises (Oct 2024 reversed Nov 2025) Ms Reeves promised at her first Budget that she would not 'come back for more', but froze income tax thresholds at her second Budget. 28bn green pledge (Sep 2021 ditched Feb 2024) The Chancellor unveiled the pledge to spend this much every year on the party's green energy investment pledge. But it was soon ditched under pressure over the cost. Grooming gangs inquiry (pressure Jan 2025 conceded June 2025) Sir Keir accused those calling for an inquiry of 'jumping on a bandwagon' but later announced one would be held. Winter fuel payments (Jul 2024 junked June 2025) The Chancellor announced she would restrict the allowance to those on benefits. She later U-turned. National Insurance rises (Jul 2024 junked Oct 2024) Labour promised it would not increase National Insurance. The Chancellor then increased NI for employers. Help for Waspi women (2022 junked Dec 2024) In 2022, Sir Keir vowed to help women who had lost pension payments. He later said they would get no compensation. A zombie crude oil tanker bound for Russia passed through the Channel on Thursday night in brazen defiance of Donald Trump. The presence of the rusting, 100,000-tonne vessel set the scene for another dramatic Special Forces raid on the high seas, if the US President chooses to intervene. The Arcusat's appearance came as the UK pledged to step up its support for US-led operations against ghost fleet ships carrying Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil. Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said Britain was 'absolutely willing' to do more following its involvement in the dramatic intervention to seize the tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic on Wednesday. The Scottish Secretary added: 'The ship is part of the shadow fleet that funds Russia's war effort in Ukraine. 'Our national interest is served by avoiding the illegal fuelling of terrorism, of conflict and of misery, whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or anywhere else.' The Government's pledge came after heavily armed troops boarded the Kremlin-backed vessel in atrocious conditions. US commandos rappelled down from Black Hawk helicopters, as huge waves crashed against the Marinera, to seize the ship as a Russian submarine loitered nearby. A zombie crude oil tanker bound for Russia passed through the Channel on Thursday night in brazen defiance of Donald Trump Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said Britain was 'absolutely willing' to do more following its involvement in the dramatic intervention to seize the tanker Marinera (pictured) in the North Atlantic on Wednesday Donald Trump addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center in Washington on January 6 The latest rogue Russian vessel, the Arcusat, is an 800ft-long tanker known before as the Tavian and the Tia, left Turkey last month. Previously she was based at Primorsk in Russia and is linked to a Moscow-backed multi-billion-dollar ghost fleet. The ship is in poor condition, according to reports, and is called a 'zombie tanker' because it has adopted identities of ships no longer sailing in a bid to escape law officials. Disguised as various unsanctioned vessels and 'spoofing' coastguards by assuming the identification numbers of legitimate ships, she has evaded capture for months. The ship has also sailed under various flags, such as Cameroon and Tanzania. And this is not her first journey through the Straits of Dover with previous sightings off the English coast in October and December, carrying 730,000 barrels of Russian crude oil. The world's ghost fleet is estimated to include 1,500 vessels, with 400 linked to Venezuela. Some of these shadow ships have been tied to a Kremlin campaign to destroy undersea cables in the North Sea and the Baltic carrying vital Western communications. Following the daring joint US-British operation to intercept the Marinera, China accused the US of 'severe violations' of international law by seizing that ship and the Russian-flagged MT Sophia in the Caribbean on the same day. Moscow claimed the Marinera had received temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag and was peacefully heading for one of its ports. It started as an incident that's increasingly typical across the United States a shouting match between federal immigration agents and their activist opponents. But it ended just seconds later in an unprecedented tragedy on a snowy residential street one that now threatens to tear the country apart. A small group of armed agents of President Trump's controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were on a routine operation on Wednesday morning, emerging from unmarked vehicles to detain undocumented migrants. The agents were in Minneapolis, the biggest city in the Midwest state of Minnesota. Predictably, given its staunchly Democrat population, they ran into concerted opposition. As revealed in video footage from bystanders, anti-ICE protesters blew whistles and screamed at the masked agents as they walked along the snow-lined street, their vehicles idling nearby. The blare of massed car horns and whistles has become a familiar sound in the city in recent weeks, after the Trump administration pledged to swamp Minneapolis with at least 2,000 ICE agents, and local protesters responded by setting off a sonic warning system every time the 'feds' appeared. In this case, the ICE convoy SUVs and pick-up trucks decided to leave the vicinity, moving off with lights and sirens blaring. It started as an incident that's increasingly typical across the United States a shouting match between federal immigration agents and their activist opponents. Pictured: ICE agents approach a vehicle before shooting the driver dead But it ended just seconds later in an unprecedented tragedy on a snowy residential street one that now threatens to tear the country apart. Pictured: Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis Renee Nicole Good (pictured) was shot dead shortly after dropping her young son off at school But they were blocked by a maroon SUV, a Honda Pilot, parked askew in the middle of the street. Behind the wheel was Renee Nicole Good, a local woman who had dropped her young son off at school not long before. After about three minutes, an ICE agent walked around Ms Good's vehicle, whose back window was festooned with stickers, filming on his phone. The Honda's driver rolled the car forward slightly, turning left (towards the ICE convoy), but then stopped and waved for other cars to drive past. A silver ICE pick-up stopped, two more agents got out of it and walked towards the vehicle. 'Get out of the car! Get out of the f*****g car!' shouted one of them as a balaclava-clad agent grabbed the door handle on the driver's side and reached through the open window. But the Honda was already reversing before its wheels turned to the right and it started to drive off away from the agents. It was too late. At around 10.25am, three shots rang out in rapid succession, fired by the agent who'd originally circled the vehicle with his phone camera and who was yesterday named as Jonathan Ross. He'd then positioned himself just to the left of the front of the car and drawn his gun, reportedly shouting at the driver to 'stop' before opening fire. He fired into the windscreen witnesses recalled hearing a sudden 'putt, putt, putt' sound and continued shooting as the car swerved past him. It came to a halt a few seconds later, crashing into a parked vehicle. The first shot was fired around 11 seconds after the ICE agents were first seen leaving their pickup truck. After about three minutes, an ICE agent walked around Ms Good's vehicle, whose back window was festooned with stickers, filming on his phone. 'Get out of the car! Get out of the f*****g car!' shouted one of them as a balaclava-clad agent grabbed the door handle on the driver's side and reached through the open window The killing set off a firestorm that has spread far beyond Minneapolis, a city that Trump had targeted in his immigration crackdown after it became the focus of a multi-million-dollar benefits fraud scandal centred on its large Somali population As its driver slumped at the wheel, the airbag deployed and was left smeared with blood. The agent holstered his gun and walked unhurriedly towards the Honda before turning back and telling his colleagues to summon an ambulance. Video footage taken from a distance in front of the car suggests the vehicle clipped the agent, but other footage makes clear the driver didn't run him over. Witnesses said the agents refused to let anyone, including a man who identified himself as a 'physician', go to the driver's aid. An ambulance crew were later photographed trying to revive her while the ICE agents, including the shooter, got in their vehicles and drove away which critics said amounted to blatant interference with a crime scene. A prize-winning poet and keen amateur guitarist, Ms Good, 37, only moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri. She had three children a 15-year-old daughter, a 12-year-old son and a six-year-old boy who lived with her. They were by two husbands, the second of whom, Tim Macklin, died in 2023. She had since re-married, this time to a woman, 40-year-old Rebecca Good. They were renting a two-bedroom, $300,000 family home in a popular gay neighbourhood, Powderhorn. Their home is just three blocks from where she was shot. Two doors away, a poster on another house proclaimed: 'We are family stand with immigrants.' Police tape surrounds a vehicle suspected to be involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota A female supporter yesterday stood outside the Goods' neatly kept home its front windows still festooned with Christmas decorations to prevent the media from approaching its occupants. 'She moved in less than a year ago. We talked a handful of times, just saying hi, how are you,' a neighbour told the Daily Mail. 'Her son was cute and bubbly. He loved our dog.' 'I'm hoping she finds justice. F*** ICE. That's pretty much how everyone around here feels.' Renee Good's first husband he has not so far been named has insisted she was not an activist. He said she was a devout Christian who had travelled to Northern Ireland on 'faith missions' when she was younger. Ms Good's father, Tim Ganger, said his daughter, originally from Colorado, had 'a good life but a hard life'. Her mother, Donna Ganger, said she was 'one of the kindest people I've ever known' and 'extremely compassionate', and wouldn't have dreamt of confronting federal agents. She described her daughter's shooting as 'stupid' and insisted 'she was probably terrified'. According to a video that circulated rapidly online after the shooting, a distraught woman claiming to be Ms Good's wife dissolved in tears near the wrecked car as she admitted she had urged her to join the protest. The same woman was seen in various clips as, before the shooting, she followed the ICE agents and filmed them. Later, she was seen trying to help Ms Good as she sat bleeding in the driver's seat. Law enforcement stands guard at the scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota after the shooting People demonstrate against ICE in Minneapolis. Activists have taken to the streets and pelted law enforcement with snowballs 'I made her come down here, it's my fault,' she can be heard sobbing. 'They just shot my wife.' The killing set off a firestorm that has spread far beyond Minneapolis, a city that Trump had targeted in his immigration crackdown after it became the focus of a multi-million-dollar benefits fraud scandal centred on its large Somali population. Minneapolis was always likely to be a combustible place to blanket with ICE agents. The city erupted into rioting in 2020 after a white police officer killed African American George Floyd, during which a police station and surrounding businesses were burnt down. The city's Left-wing leaders later proposed abolishing the police entirely. At demonstrations across the US yesterday, anti-ICE protesters held up signs demanding 'Justice for Renee' while Left-wing celebrities such as Mamma Mia star Amanda Seyfried and Sex And The City's Cynthia Nixon also weighed in on social media. In Minneapolis, a crowd gathered within hours of the shooting with some protesters burning the American flag and others clashing with police. Minnesota's outgoing governor, Democrat Tim Walz Kamala Harris's running mate in her doomed 2024 presidential election bid suggested on Wednesday that he was preparing the National Guard in case protests and counter-protests escalated out of control. Meanwhile, America's Left and Right have divided into all-too-predictable camps on the fatal shooting and, specifically, on whether the federal agent or the driver was to blame. President Trump and his administration have branded Ms Good a 'domestic terrorist' and 'professional agitator' who 'weaponised her vehicle' before being shot by an agent in 'self-defence' after she tried to kill him. Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem claimed Ms Good been part of a group of protesters who had been 'stalking and impeding' ICE officers throughout the day. Some Republicans in Congress don't go quite so far but have pointed out that Ms Good should have complied with the ICE agents' demand she stop her car. Trump's opponents counter that Ms Good was not remotely a 'terrorist' and that none of the agents were in danger. Some believe she may have panicked when faced by the armed men. Trump's critics have produced video evidence that certainly contradicts the official government narrative: careful analysis from several angles shows the car did drive towards the agent as he stood in front of it, but he was able to step out of the way and let off at least two shots at the side of the vehicle as it passed. Was she simply turning the car around so she could drive away? Ms Good has reportedly never been charged with any offence beyond getting a parking ticket. Her defenders insist she was murdered by a trigger-happy federal agent. Reports Jonathan Ross was dragged 50ft by a car last June may encourage his accusers in their case that he wildly over-reacted. Some Democrat leaders in the state say she'd been at the scene as a 'legal observer' a volunteer who monitors how police and federal agents conduct themselves on operations. On Wednesday, in an emotional press conference, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey angrily dismissed the White House portrayal of the shooting as 'bull***t', adding: 'This was an agent recklessly using power... that resulted in someone dying, getting killed. The narrative that this was done in self-defence is garbage.' Undeterred, Vice President JD Vance urged ICE agents to stick to their task. He wrote on X: 'To the radicals assaulting them and threatening them: congratulations, we're going to work even harder to enforce the law.' Ordinary people can watch the videos frame by frame if necessary and make up their own mind who is responsible. However, it's unlikely many Americans will approach the controversy with an entirely open mind. Trump's migrant deportation drive and particularly the heavy use of ICE agents to round up people who've often been living in the US for decades has proved to be one of the most controversial policies of the President's second term so far. Last month, it was revealed that the number of people in ICE detention had reached a record high of more than 68,400. Supporters have applauded the President's determination to tackle a previously intractable problem. Illegal immigration soared under Trump's Democrat predecessor Joe Biden. The Republican administration is even having success with a scheme called Project Homecoming that offers illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to 'self-deport', although some have complained they were not paid the promised sum. Opponents counter that quite aside from questions of fairness, it is economic madness to deport so many long-standing, working migrants when Trump had appeared to have only dangerous criminals in his sights. More troubling still, they believe the President has created in ICE a 'personal army' which seems alarmingly unaccountable and is, according to its critics, unconstitutional, not to say 'un-American'. ICE agents, who often hide their faces and wear no identifiable insignia or identification, can detain people without charges or a hearing before flying them abroad. Their supporters reply that the secrecy is necessary because ICE agents are regularly threatened and their details published online. Meanwhile, the Trump administration insists that strong-arm measures are needed if the President is to make good on his election promise to drastically crack down on illegal immigration and expel millions. Last year, the White House dramatically increased spending on ICE, setting aside $75billion for the agency over the next four years out of a $170billion budget for immigration enforcement and border security. With protesters angrily confronting heavily armed agents at every opportunity, some will say that a death like Wednesday's tragedy in Minneapolis was inevitable. And with Minneapolis's Left-wing mayor Jacob Frey saying that ICE needs to 'get the f*** out' of his city, and the Trump administration making it equally clear that it won't be pushed around, the terrible events of this week might have been just the opening shots. Anthony Albanese has hit back at claims Australia's spy chief Mike Burgess was absent from national security committee meetings during his first term. ABC journalist Olivia Caisley asked the Prime Minister why the director-general of the spy agency had been 'excluded' during a tense live cross on Friday. 'Was it a mistake to exclude him from national security meetings for two years during your first term of government?,' she asked Albanese. 'The premise of the question is wrong,' Albanese said. 'No, how is it [wrong], prime minister?' Caisley shot back. 'The premise is completely wrong,' Albanese repeated. 'He didn't attend national security committee meetings,' Ms Caisley insisted. 'I'm sorry, Olivia, I'm sorry, but you weren't at the meetings, I was,' Albanese said. ABC reporter Olivia Caisley clashed with Anthony Albanese during a fiery interview on Friday Albanese (left) is pictured with Director-General of Security of ASIO Mark Burgess (right) Mr Burgess was reinstated as a member of the top-level National Security Committee in July 2024, just two months after losing his permanent status. Previously, it was understood Mr Burgess and ASIS chief Kerri Hartland would only attend on a case-by-case basis after Albanese and Cabinet Secretary Glyn Davis revoked their permanent membership. However, rising espionage and terror threats saw Mr Burgess regain automatic inclusion in the body, which 'considers the highest-priority, highest risk and most strategic national security matters of the day'. Albanese insisted he had never been in a meeting about national security issues without the ASIO boss being present. 'What Mike Burgess didn't do was sit through all the meetings when we were doing the AUKUS arrangements, but any time that there was anything to do with intelligence or anything else, Mike Burgess is always in the room. Every single occasion,' he said. 'This is a guy - I don't think he has taken any leave, because I've never been in a meeting discussing any national security issues where he has not been there.' Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson previously told Sky News that the Albanese government should never have removed any intelligence agency heads from the national security committee. 'It's welcome they have finally come to their senses although only after their recklessness was publicly exposed,' he said. Albanese refuted claims that ASIO boss Mike Burgess wasn't present at security meetings 'Our national security has been damaged by this episode and the prime minister should take responsibility, publicly explain his change of heart, and apologise.' Meanwhile, Albanese has stopped short of apologising to Jewish families who pushed for a Royal Commission after the Bondi terror attack. 'I've sat down in the homes of families who are grieving. I've listened to them,' Albanese told Channel Seven's Sunrise program. 'We've got this right in an orderly way. This is actually a record time for the calling of a royal commission. The last funeral was just two days ago, and so I have listened. 'But I understand because I've listened, that grieving families and others in the Jewish community wanted a broader consideration of the issue of antisemitism, how we deal with it.' Albanese was asked why he had a change of heart. 'Well, there's a few things that had to happen. One is we had to get the agreement of New South Wales to not have two royal commissions,' he told the ABC. 'So Premier Minns confirmed that New South Wales wouldn't proceed. We also had to make sure that it didn't interfere with any of the legal case that was going forward against the perpetrator who was not killed at that time. 'We need to make sure it didn't undermine social cohesion but helped to build social cohesion. We need to make sure that we got the terms of reference right.' Iran is facing its biggest protests in years as videos shared on social media show huge demonstrations against the hardline Islamic regime in Tehran and other cities around the country. The movement, which began in Tehran in late December after the value of the Iranian rial plunged to record lows, has rapidly advanced across the country and is now being marked by larger-scale demonstrations in 348 towns and cities across all 31 of Iran's provinces. The widespread protests have left Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel, deeply rattled as they are the biggest and most sustained the country has seen in years. Trump threatened yesterday to take severe action against Iran if its authorities 'start killing people', warning Washington would 'hit them very hard'. But a defiant Khamenei said he would 'not back down' from his government's crackdown on protesters, who he described as 'vandals' and 'saboteurs', in a speech broadcast on state TV. According to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, Iran's security forces had murdered at least 45 people, including eight children, since protests began. It added that Wednesday was the bloodiest day of demonstrations, with 13 protesters confirmed to have been killed in a single day. 'The evidence shows that the scope of the crackdown is becoming more violent and more extensive every day,' said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding that hundreds more have been wounded and more than 2,000 arrested. Iranian media and official statements have reported at least 21 people, including security forces, killed since the unrest began. Iranian protesters on Thursday stepped up their challenge to the clerical leadership with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted Despite the crackdown, protests were again taking place into the night on Thursday A large crowd was seen gathering on the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in the northwest of Tehran, according to social media images verified by AFP, while other images showed a crowd demonstrating in the western city of Abadan The movement, which began in Tehran in late December after the value of the Iranian rial plunged to record lows Speaking to supporters in his first comments on the escalating protests since January 3, Khamenei said Trump's hands 'are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians' and predicted the 'arrogant' US leader would be 'overthrown' like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. On Wednesday an Iranian police officer was killed west of Tehran trying 'to control unrest', the Fars news agency said. Despite the crackdown, protests raged well into the night on Thursday. A large crowd was seen gathering on the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in the northwest of Tehran, while other images showed a crowd demonstrating in the western city of Abadan. As protests roiled cities across the country, online watchdog Netblocks said on Thursday that 'live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout'. Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in the US said the Iranian clerical system had survived repeated protest cycles by repression and tactical concessions but the strategy was reaching its limits. 'Change now looks inevitable; regime collapse is possible but not guaranteed,' he said. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, urged more major protests on Thursday. Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran. Join the debate Should the international community step up for Iran's protesters? In a video verified by AFP, protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province were seen cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020 Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership, including 'Pahlavi will return' and 'Seyyed Ali will be toppled', in reference to Khamenei The movement has also spread to higher education, with final exams at Tehran's major Amir Kabir university postponed for a week, according to ISNA news agency The Hengaw rights group said the call had been widely followed in some 30 towns and cities, posting footage of shuttered shops in the western provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan. It accused authorities of firing on demonstrators in Kermanshah and the nearby town of Kamyaran to the north, injuring several protesters. IHR said a woman at a protest late on Wednesday in Abadan was shot directly in the eye. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called for 'utmost restraint' in handling demonstrations, saying that 'any violent or coercive behaviour should be avoided'. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, meanwhile, condemned the 'excessive use of force' against protesters. Protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province were seen cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020. Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership, including 'Pahlavi will return' and 'Seyyed Ali will be toppled', in reference to Khamenei. The movement has also spread to higher education, with final exams at Tehran's major Amir Kabir university postponed for a week, according to ISNA news agency. The demonstrations are the biggest in Iran since the protest wave in 2022-2023 sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women. Rights groups have also accused authorities of resorting to tactics including raiding hospitals to detain wounded protesters. 'Iran's security forces have injured and killed both protesters and bystanders,' said Amnesty International, accusing authorities of using 'unlawful force'. Storm Goretti has brought the 'worst snowfall' in a decade to Britain with flights at major airports grounded, roads blocked and rail lines closed. Birmingham Airport was forced to suspend use of its runway operations on Thursday night after 'heavy snow' made it unsafe to fly, while Heathrow cancelled dozens of flights due to severe weather. Passengers were urged to contact their airline about the status of their flights - with photos showing planes blanketed in a thick layer of snow and ice. Cornwall was under a strict red warning until 11pm on Thursday - with residents urged to stay indoors while up to 99mph winds rocked St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. Meanwhile, much of the rest of Britain including the Home Counties has been on alert for heavy snow. More than 65,000 properties were left in the dark without power on Thursday evening, the National Grid said - most in southwest England. As many as 11,000 properties were affected in the West Midlands and a few thousand in Wales. Footage posted on social media showed motorists struggling to drive through country roads resembling rivers in Cornwall, journalists struggling to stand as they reported on the storm, and people pushing a vehicle up a hill that got stuck in the snow in Buxton, Derbyshire. The red weather warning covering Cornwall, in place until 11pm, told people to expect damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations. Services on affected transport routes are expected to be disrupted on Friday morning, while schools across the country announced they will be closed. People attempt to push a car stuck in the snow in Buxton, Peak District, Derbyshire, on Thursday night Weather warnings are in place across the UK for Friday as Storm Goretti continues to cause chaos A fallen tree blocks a road after Storm Goretti hit Falmouth, Cornwall There was significant disruption near Dowlais in Wales in the evening, causing chaos for motorists Birmingham Airport, pictured on Thursday night, confirmed it suspended use of its runway operations due to 'heavy snow' Your browser does not support iframes. Damage to cars near Falmouth Docks, Cornwall, on Thursday due to Storm Goretti A man's umbrella is turned upside down by the wind in Walsall on Thursday night A bicycle is abandoned in the snow on Thursday night in Ruthin, Wales Vehicles struggle at a road junction in the town of Mossley in Tameside, Greater Manchester The forecaster stated on its website: 'It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure. 'You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.' Dozens of schools in Cornwall closed early on Thursday afternoon as the storm approached. Network Rail said all trains in Cornwall would be suspended from 6pm on Thursday. In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were to be suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds. Passengers were advised to travel earlier and not to attempt travel late in the afternoon. Services on affected routes are set to be disrupted on Friday morning. Replacement road transport will not be available as road conditions are also expected to be affected by the weather. The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, has been described as a 'multi-hazard event' by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm of snow possible in parts of the UK. Weather warnings have been issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely 'disruption and dangerous travelling conditions'. Motorists drive on a snow-covered road in Ruthin, Wales, on Thursday night A map of Storm Goretti which is set to hit South West England with 'exceptionally strong' winds Large waves as Storm Goretti hits Plymouth, Devon, on Thursday evening Met Office 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 and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.' It was reported that the storm would bring a 'weather bomb' to the UK. Also known as explosive cyclogenesis, a weather bomb is caused when the central pressure in an area of low pressure falls rapidly. The pressure has to fall by 24 millibars in 24 hours to qualify. The Met Office said that winds during a weather bomb can be 'strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage'. A yellow warning for wind has also been issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast. The weather service said the 'exceptional' wind speeds could be stronger than recent storms such as Ciaran in 2023 and Eunice in 2022. Very few passengers at Paddington in London this afternoon as Storm Goretti approaches Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow runs from 8pm until 9am on Friday covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire. About 10 to 15cm of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District. Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales announced they will be closed on Friday where the amber weather warning has been issued. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice covering much of Scotland which came into force at 8pm on Thursday and runs until midday on Friday. There has been several days of 'intense' snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption, mainly in the north of the country. The United States Navy is on the hunt for a group of over a dozen oil tankers that have been sanctioned by Donald Trump after illegally entering Venezuelan waters. Last month, weeks before the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump said he had ordered a 'blockade' of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a policy the government in Caracas branded 'theft'. The US is now trying to stop a cooperative between as many as 16 tankers trying to leave Venezuelan waters, with the US boarding only one in their Wednesday seizure, The New York Times reported. At least one tanker flipped its flag to Russia and changed its name to stop American forces from boarding them and another three have registered as Russian. Others are reportedly lying about their locations. Four of the ships were seen heading east on the Atlantic Ocean, while another five sailed through the Caribbean earlier this week. The remaining free tanker was seen off the coast of Colombia and the remaining five have yet to be located. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon and US Southern Command for comment. Wednesday, it was confirmed the US seized a Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuelan oil in a daring commando-style raid, after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic. The United States Navy is on the hunt for a group of over a dozen oil tankers that have been sanctioned by Donald Trump after illegally entering Venezuelan waters This image from video provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, shows the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro shadowing the MV Bella 1 in the North Atlantic Ocean during the maritime interdiction operation Wednesday, January 7, 2026 The United States seized a Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuelan oil in a daring commando-style raid, after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic. In a post on X, the U.S. military's European Command said the Trump administration had seized the vessel for violating US sanctions. 'The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT anywhere in the world,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in reply to that post. Two US officials, who were speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Wednesday's operation was carried out by the Coast Guard and U.S. military. US special forces initially helped secure the tanker but left the vessel, which was now under Coast Guard control, one of the officials said. The officials said Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity of the operation, including a Russian submarine. It was unclear how close the vessels were to the operation, but there were no indications of a confrontation between U.S. and Russian military forces. Russia's transport ministry said it had lost all contact with the Marinera after U.S. naval forces boarded it. A senior Russian lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, Andrei Klishas, said the U.S. seizure was an act of outright piracy, the TASS state news agency reported. Last year, French Navy commandos detained a tanker suspected of operating for Russia's 'shadow fleet' off the coast of western France. Wednesday, it was confirmed the US seized a Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuelan oil in a daring commando-style raid, after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after US officials say the US Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, in this picture taken from social media on March 18, 2025 The seizure was seen by some as the unilateral action of an America-first government with scant regard for other countries' views. Dramatic photos in Russian media purportedly show a helicopter - believed to be an American MH-6 Little Bird - swooping close to the rogue vessel before it was captured by US forces around 124 miles south of the Icelandic coast. The Marinera ship - originally known as the Bella-1 - made an abrupt turn Wednesday afternoon and was heading towards Britain, according to ship tracking data. In a fresh humiliation for Vladimir Putin, the operation occurred in the vicinity of Russian military personnel. Trump's latest power play came after the Marinera slipped through a US maritime 'blockade' of sanctioned vessels and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it. The operation, during which no American personnel were injured, is a show of strength against the Russian dictator - days after the US seized the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a lightning raid and threatened to takeover Greenland. Russia's foreign ministry begged the US to 'ensure humane and dignified treatment' of Russian citizens on board the vessel, and warning the US not to hamper their return to their homeland. The tanker is the latest to be targeted by the US Coast Guard since the start of Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela. Last month, the US Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean, armed with a warrant to seize the ship over alleged breaches of US sanctions and claims it had shipped Iranian oil. However, the tanker then abruptly changed course, renamed itself Marinera and was added to an official Russian ship database At one point while being pursued, the crew of the vessel painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection, and Moscow made a formal diplomatic request that the US stop its chase. The seizure of the Marinera occurred alongside a raid on a second Venezuela-linked oil tanker called the M/T Sophia. A triumphant Trump took to Truth Social, writing: 'The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT REBUILT U.S.A. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!' A shock new poll has revealed Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has surged to equal pegging with the Coalition following the Bondi Beach terror attack. A new DemosAU poll for Capital Brief shows both parties are sitting at 23 per cent on primary votes, marking a dramatic rise for Hanson's party since December. Labor has dropped to 29 per cent, its lowest score since the May 2025 election, while the Greens hold 12 per cent and independents or minor parties attract 13 per cent. Preference flows based on the last federal election place Labor narrowly ahead 52-48 twopartypreferred, signalling a tight contest. The poll assumes 74.5 per cent of One Nation voters would again direct their preferences to the Coalition. Pollsters also modelled a hypothetical head-to-head between Labor and One Nation, producing a 5050 split. In this scenario, the Coalition's preferences are expected to flow to One Nation at 83 per cent, reflecting the pattern seen in the NSW seat of Hunter. Speaking to Daily Mail on Friday, Pauline Hanson said there has always been 'quiet support' for her party across Australia. Pauline Hanson (pictured) and One Nation are now tied with the Coalition in primary votes Labor also took a tumble, with a primary vote of 29 per cent, the lowest since the 2025 election 'It's becoming more open now, as increasing numbers of Australians despair over the direction our country is heading under Labor,' she said. 'More Australians are sensing that One Nation represents a real alternative. Even when they don't agree with me on everything, Australians have always known what I stand for: Australia and its people.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's job performance rating sits at 29 per cent positive, 30 per cent neutral and 41 per cent negative. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley scores 17 per cent positive, 55 per cent neutral and 28 per cent negative. Despite his declining approval, Albanese remains the preferred prime minister, ahead of Ley 42 to 29 per cent. The figures follow a surge in support for One Nation and Hanson since the Bondi Beach attack, which has renewed political focus to national security and migration. Recent polling also shows Hanson and her newest recruit, Barnaby Joyce, have staged dramatic turnarounds in public likeability, with Joyce jumping from -22 to -4 after quitting the Nationals to join One Nation, and Hanson crossing from negative to positive territory for the first time. While faith in Hanson grows, the Coalition faces its worst crisis in four decades. Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce are pictured at the Bondi Pavilion flower memorial The Coalition is polling at a record low of 23 per cent primary vote (Sussan Ley is pictured) Newspoll's quarterly analysis for The Australian shows the Coalition's primary vote at 24 per cent, its lowest since polling began in 1985. It is understood that other federal coalition MPs are considering defecting to One Nation later this year, following Joyce's departure. While the Coalition has the most to lose from a surging One Nation, Labor could also face challenge in a handful of regional seats, including Hunter. US Customs and Border Protection agents have shot two people in Portland, Oregon just one day after an ICE officer shot and killed a mother-of-three in Minneapolis. Department of Homeland Security officials said Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop at 2.19pm outside Adventist Health Portland on Southeast Main Street. The passenger was a Venezuelan national who was a member of the notorious Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who was' involved in a recent shooting in Portland' and the driver is believed to be a member of the gang as well. 'When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,' the DHS statement says. 'Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.' Law enforcement sources told KGW the stop was part of a special operation detachment as part of Border Patrol's 'Operation Oregon.' The sources described how agents stopped a red Toyota, prompting the driver attempted to flee, and hitting an unidentified agent's vehicle in the process. The agent then fired at the Toyota, hitting a 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman. Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland The shooting occurred outside Adventist Health Portland on Southeast Main Street By 2.24pm, police learned that a man who had been shot was calling to request help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside By 2.24pm, police learned that a man who had been shot was calling to request help at an apartment near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside, where law enforcement was seen speaking to people on the scene. Officers then responded to the scene, and found a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds. At that point, officers said they applied a tourniquet and called for emergency medical help. In a dispatch recording shared online, an operator could be heard saying a man was shot twice in the arm and his wife was shot once in the chest. No agents were injured in the shooting, a federal law enforcement source told CNN. The condition of those who were shot on Thursday was not immediately clear, but Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney told KATU as far as she knew they were still alive. The FBI, meanwhile, confirmed that two people were injured in the city. 'This remains [an] active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI,' the agency wrote in a since-deleted post. Portland Police Chief Bob Day echoed those remarks, saying: 'We are still in the early stages of this incident.' 'We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.' US Customs and Border Protection agents (pictured) have shot two people in Portland, Oregon Crowds were seen gathering as authorities investigated the scene on Thursday The shooting came as the Portland city council was in the middle of its proceedings, which abruptly came to an end as councilors learned about what happened. Mayor Keith Wilson has since issued a statement calling the shooting a 'deeply troubling incident.' 'We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,' he declared. 'Portland is not a "training ground" for militarized agents and the "full force" threatened by the administration has deadly consequences.' Wilson then said he is calling on ICE to 'end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.' Yet the mayor urged Portland residents to respond with 'calm and purpose,' warning 'Portland does not respond to violence with violence.' At a news conference Thursday night, Wilson also called for the federal officials leading ICE and Border Patrol to 'be fully investigated.' 'We know what the federal government says happened here,' he said. 'There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past.' Three city councilors who represent the region also said they are awaiting more information but the incident 'is part of a pattern or violence that we have seen too many times across our country.' 'As your East Portland councilors, we have stood united to protect Portlanders from aggressive immigration enforcement and federal overreach and we will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe,' they said, according to OBP. 'We are asking our counterparts at every level of government to do the same.' Meanwhile, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter called on ICE to end its operations in Portland. 'ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos and cruelty into our communities,' she said in a statement. 'Trump's immigration machine is using violence to control our communities - straight out of the authoritarian playbook.' The shooting in Portland comes just one day after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother-of-three, in Minneapolis Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. Grab taken from video Congresswoman Janelle Bynum agreed. 'This isn't law enforcement, it's state-sponsored terrorism,' she said in her own statement. 'Stop f***ing with us. 'This is the second shooting this week by agents following the orders of a wannabe dictator who is trying to take over cities and rule by instilling terror in the hears of American people,' Bynum said. 'When the president deployed his guardsmen to our city earlier this year, we told him their presence was unwelcome and unhelpful. Today, we saw just how dangerous this is - we need these goons gone.' The shooting comes amid heightened tensions nationwide following the ICE-related shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. The agent responsible, identified as Jonathan 'Jon' Ross, has been branded a 'murderer' by furious Democrats but has enjoyed the full support of the Trump administration, who argue he acted in self defense when it appeared Good intended to run him down with her car. Now, Good's friends have revealed she was part of a network of activists coordinated through her six-year-old son's charter school who were actively resisting ICE. 'She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,' a mother named Leesa who has a child at the same school as Good's son told The New York Post. '[Renee Good] was trained against these ICE agents what to do, what not to do, it's a very thorough training.' Footage from the shooting in Minneapolis showed Good apparently driving away as ICE agents confronted her As part of this training, Good allegedly learned to listen to commands and to understand her rights. 'I know she was doing the right thing. I watched the video plenty of times but I also know in my heart the woman she was, she was doing everything right,' Leesa said. In the video, agents could be seen approaching Good's stationary vehicle, asking her to exit, and one tugs at the door handle as she starts to reverse. Ross stands in front of the car and draws his weapon, pointing it at Good as she starts moving forward. She strikes him with the car as he opens fire. Good's Honda Pilot crashed nearby and she was declared dead at the scene. Ross is an 'experienced' officer who last year suffered gruesome injuries as he tried to arrest an illegal immigrant sex offender. 'He's the same ICE agent who got dragged by car 50 feet back in June, so he has a history,' an FBI agent who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity confirmed. The FBI agent noted that he does not believe Ross was justified in his shooting of Good. 'Shot one, sort of can be argued, but shots two and three - they cannot be argued.' Nick Reiner's siblings have decided they will no longer support their brother's expensive legal bills and have agreed to cut him off completely, the Daily Mail can reveal. Sources close to the family said Jake and Romy Reiner made the 'unanimous' decision together, with the full backing of their wider family. The revelation comes after high-powered attorney Alan Jackson announced at a court hearing on Wednesday that he was stepping down as Nick's attorney. '[Nick] did this himself, he can deal with the consequences himself,' an insider told the Daily Mail. 'Rob and Michele have always been generous with their money to their kids. So he has always had money, and should have some in his account.' Sources added that Jake and Romy are 'disgusted' that their brother allegedly killed their famous parents and have made the painful decision that he has to take full responsibility for his own defense. Legendary director Rob and his second wife Michele Singer who he married in 1989 had children Jake, now 34, Nick, 32, and Romy, 28. Nick has been charged with the murders of both his parents, who were stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home in the early hours of December 14. Rob also has daughter Tracy Reiner, 61, who he adopted in the 1970s after marrying his first wife and her mother, actress Penny Marshall. Happier times: Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner and Jake Reiner (L-R) in a photo posted by Jake on Nov. 28, 2016, which he captioned, 'The trio' Close friends and family said Michele and Rob Reiner 'did everything they could' to try to save their second son from his addictions On Wednesday, Jackson said he had to leave the case because of 'circumstances beyond' his and Nick's control, but added that he still believes his former client is not guilty. Nick's case will now be handled by the LA County public defender's office. Jackson - whose prior client list includes Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and more recently Karen Read - didn't provide further answers as to why he decided to withdraw. Sources told TMZ that Nick was suffering with worsening schizophrenia and became 'erratic and dangerous' when doctors recently changed his psych medication weeks before he allegedly murdered his parents. 'He's accused of taking their parents, now should he take their inheritance so he can get free from the consequences? That's what everyone's reaction has been,' a source told the Daily Mail. The siblings agonized over the decision because, sources said, it goes against the Reiner family ethos to turn your back on loved ones. High-powered attorney Alan Jackson announced at a court hearing on Wednesday he was stepping down as Reiner's attorney Sources told the Daily Mail that Jake and Romy recently made the difficult decision to cut off their brother, Nick, who is facing double murder charges But Jake and Romy eventually concluded that distancing themselves from Nick was in their best interest. 'It's not like the Reiners or their nearest and dearest to turn their backs on a family member or anyone close to them. But this is different,' the source said. 'This is incomprehensible. The disgust over Nick's alleged despicable act is felt by everyone and the inclination to spend millions on his defense is just not there.' Jackson was hired almost immediately after Nick's arrest last month at the recommendation of Reiner family lawyers. Romy discovered her father's body after a massage therapist slated to work at the house was unable to enter their Brentwood compound on December 14. Sources told the Daily Mail that Romy was so traumatized she rushed out of the home and initially didn't notice her mother's corpse. According to the New York Times, Romy learned that her mother was also dead only after paramedics arrived and told her. Rob's brother and sister, Lucas and Annie, have thrown their full support behind their nieces and nephew's decision. Their main concern right now is the the well-being of Romy and Jake, another source told the Daily Mail. Other close family friends said Rob and Michele 'did everything they could' to save their second son, who had been to rehab at least 18 times since he was 15-years-old. The middle child of the director of When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap was open about his own struggles with his addiction. Nick Reiner was suffering with worsening schizophrenia and became 'erratic and dangerous' when doctors changed his psych medication, insiders say At a court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nick Reiner sported a buzz haircut. He smiled into the audience a handful of times right before his defense attorney, Alan Jackson, announced to the court that he decided to withdraw as Reiner's counsel Sources said Nick, his mind frazzled by days not sleeping while under the influence of the drug methamphetamine, was known to have violent outbursts, including smashing furniture and punching walls. He was described as a 'ticking time bomb' and that his parents wanted out of their home even as they despaired after years of trying of ever finding the help that would finally tame his addiction. 'Romy and Jake have absolutely no desire to see their brother,' a source said. 'What he allegedly did was unforgivable. The days of rescuing Nick and placating him are long gone, and as far as the family is concerned, Nick must face the consequences on his own without any handouts and without any handholding.' If convicted, Nick could face the death penalty, though it's unclear if prosecutors will push for capital punishment. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 23 for his arraignment. Victoria's bushfire emergency has claimed its first fatality - as Premier Jacinta Allen declared a state of disaster overnight for 18 local government areas and one alpine resort. The directive allows the government powers to properly respond to the disaster if there is significant and widespread danger to life or property. It comes as thousands of residents received late-night orders to flee their homes before it was too late. Dozens of fires continue to burn in catastrophic conditions not seen since the 2019-20 Black Summer blazes which claimed 33 lives across Australia. Almost 100,000 residents were without power at one stage on Friday afternoon. The biggest blaze is at Longwood in the state's north, where a family of three remains unaccounted for. Properties were also destroyed in the small town of Harcourt, where a man in his 60s was found dead in a vehicle late Friday night. 'We are aware that a number of houses and primary places of residence have been destroyed by the fire, and we are receiving reports of one fatality as a result of this fire,' VicEmergency incident controller Michael Masters said. 'The fire still remains erratic, our firefighters have been working hard... but they're unlikely to get it under control this evening.' At least four major blazes were still burning out of control across the state early Saturday, including Longwood, and Walwa near the NSW border, where an emergency warning was issued to locals to evacuate. Dozens of fires continue to burn across Victoria in catastrophic conditions. Pictured is Longwood The biggest fire is in Longwood, where dozens of properties and cars have been damaged A family of three remains unaccounted for near Longwood (pictured) 'Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,' an alert stated. 'Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay. ' Those in the tourist town of Eildon were told that it was 'too late to leave'. Premier Jacinta Allan's local state electorate in Bendigo was also impacted as she declared a state of disaster in 18 LGAs across Victoria to allow authorities to order evacuations. 'So many communities across Victoria are being told to leave tonight, including mine,' Allan posted online. 'I'm thinking about my neighbours, friends and all families across the state facing the same decision - leaving homes they love to protect the people they love most. 'I cannot be any clearer. If you are told to leave - do not wait. Follow the advice. Leave now.' There are fears bushfire spread across the NSW border as the state braces for an extreme heatwave. 'Smoke is likely to settle overnight across border communities, extending east and as far north as the Bega Valley,' the NSW Rural Fire Service stated 'Winds will continue overnight ahead of worsening conditions on Saturday.' Victoria's bushfire emergency has claimed its first fatality as four major fires continues to burn out of control across the state Authorities fear the worst of the conditions is yet to come The raging Longwood bushfire entered its fourth day on Saturday Earlier on Friday afternoon, a fire broke out in Woodlands Park, Somerton, just kilometres away from Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine. Photos showed the skies at the airport blanketed in thick black smoke and low visibility. 'A shocking flight out of Melbourne just now! Absolutely horrific what's going on. My thoughts are with everyone affected,' passenger Angelo von Moller-Harteneck posted on X. A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told Daily Mail that there is no interruptions to flights except for minor delays due to smoke and heat. At least one United Airlines flight to San Francisco was cancelled due to extreme heat. Authorities issued a poor air quality warning across Melbourne after residents reported falling ash and the smell of smoke. A community information statement on the VicEmergency app stated that Melburnians would see and smell smoke following Friday's extreme bushfire conditions. Smoke from the bushfires was visible in Docklands near the Melbourne CBD on Friday night A fire broke out just kilometres from Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine on Friday afternoon Photos showed the skies at the airport blanketed in thick black smoke and low visibility Authorities have issued a poor air quality warning across Melbourne. Pictured is Melbourne Airport on Friday afternoon Meanwhile, authorities have warned that the worst of the conditions were yet to come. The state's fire grounds will be at their most dangerous in the coming hours as a cool change provides relief from sweltering temperatures But the conditions will also spark erratic fire activity and unpredictability. The wind will blow over the Longwood fire ground in the next hour or two, before passing over the Walwa blaze in the state's north-west between about midnight and 3am on Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology said. It comes after terrifying footage emerged of a 'fire tornado developing' near Burrowye, situated on the banks of the Murray River on the Victorian-NSW border. 'Ash Wednesday all over again,' one user commented, adding that they remembered vividly deadly fires which swept across Victoria and South Australia in 1983. Footage was shared on social media on Friday afternoon of a 'fire tornado developing' near Burrowye, situated on the banks of the Murray River Another person commented that they had seen a similar 'fire tornado' in the Black Saturday fires of 2009 which killed 173 people in Victoria. The fire at Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, has been burning since Wednesday, with strong winds and high temperatures hampering firefighting efforts. On Friday afternoon, it had doubled in two hours, razing 100,000 hectares. Police are searching for a man, woman and a child who were advised by fire services on Thursday to take shelter, as it was too late to leave safely. 'Later that afternoon, those same fire service representatives reattended that area to see the house,' Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said on Friday. 'They saw those three people standing in front of [it, and it] had been completely destroyed. Those three people remain unaccounted for. Those three people, we do not know at this point in time where they may be. 'That particular area in Longwood East where that house has been destroyed is still a hotspot, and we're yet to be able to put the strike teams from the fire service into that area to conduct an assessment for us.' Officers are searching for a family of three in Longwood, who were last seen standing in front of their home which had been completely destroyed by a bushfire (pictured) Residents in Ruffy shared photos of the sky red from flames and smoke A photo taken by a passenger on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney flight showed a terrifying plume of smoke on Friday, illustrating the extent of the fires New blazes sparked near Horsham, Ouyen, Avalon and Skipton on Friday, as emergency services continue to battle major fires near ongwood and at Mount Lawson State Park, near Walwa, along with outbreaks in the state's alpine region and in Far East Gippsland. A wind change was challenging firefighters and conditions could get even tougher, State Control Centre spokesman David Nugent said. 'We have hot temperatures, we have strong winds and we are just starting to see the wind change move across from the southwest of the state,' he said. 'The winds ahead of that change are expected to be really strong.' The change could bring storm activity, but little rain is forecast and any lightning could start more blazes. Catastrophic fire risk ratings have been issued for the Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West districts. The rest of Victoria - the Mallee, Central, North East, and Gippsland - are at 'extreme risk'. 'Catastrophic' fire risk ratings have been issued by the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for the Northern Country, North Central, Wimmera and South West districts The Longwood blaze is pictured on Thursday night The out-of-control blaze near Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, has razed more than 35,000 hectares (pictured, devastation in the nearby town of Ruffy) Smoke from the Longwood bushfire outside Seymour on the way to Yea in Victoria A VicEmergency map shows the blaze's impact zone has expanded, with forecasts predicting the fire front and embers could reach further by 11pm. This included Whiteheads Creek, Avenel, Locksley, Creighton, Strathbogie, Tallangallook, Bonnie Doon, Lake Eildon, Thornton, Limestone, Yea and Alexandra. Homes and lives were also being threatened by a fast-growing fire at Natimuk, west of Horsham, and a grassfire burning from the Murray Valley Highway near Cobram. A separate fire near Walwa and Mount Lawson along the VictoriaNSW border has scorched more than 17,000 hectares. Incident controller Aaron Kennedy said some Walwa locals have ignored instructions to leave and instead tried to save their homes. 'A lot of the residents that we have spoken to - and Victoria Police has door-knocked many of them - have chosen to stay and defend their properties,' he told the ABC. 'That is not what we are recommending, particularly under today's forecast conditions. 'If you are unable to defend your property by yourself, without the support of emergency services, we are asking you to leave the area now.' Ruffy, a locality in the Strathbogie Ranges about two hours from Melbourne, is one of the worst-affected areas of the Longwood fire A community centre in Ruffy also caught fire There were 30 active fires burning across Victoria on Friday morning Emergency services gather at a staging area outside Seymour A 'take shelter now' warning has also been issued for Caveat, Creightons Creek, Dropmore, Gobur, Gooram, Highlands, Kanumbra, Kelvin View, Locksley, Longwood, Longwood East, Ruffy, Strathbogie, Tarcombe, Terip Terip and Upton Hill. These areas fall within the Strathbogie Shire, home to 11,739 people. A photo taken by a passenger on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney flight showed a terrifying plume of smoke on Friday. Excavation and earthworks business owner Max Furlanetto, from Ruffy one of the worst-hit communities in the Longwood fire said there has been significant destruction of beloved buildings. 'They're sheds that have been around for 50 years... They're not small things,' he told the ABC, adding that he is trying to source more equipment to remove fallen trees in surrounding areas. After Tarcombe Animal Shelter was lost in the Longwood fire, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support the organisation's owner and raised $6,000 so far. '[Owner Dr Robyn Coy] lost everything in the fire and it was not insured due to financial difficulties of self funding the shelter,' the organiser wrote. '[She] and brothers almost lost their own lives in the fire sheltering with six joeys in a dam.' Dr Coy's brother-in-law, Paul Dunham, told ABC News that some of the animals had died when the shelter 'erupted'. Some Victorians have been told it is too late to leave Emergency Management Victoria has mapped the potential spread of the Longwood fire in a worst-case scenario Flowerdale resident Patricia Thomas is seen at a community relief centre in Seymour 'Adult kangaroos that had been rehabilitated up to release, we lost most of them, 28 horses, 80 cows took off in front of us - they're all gone,' he said. 'We got some babies out; some pouched wallabies and kangaroos.' Smoke from the fires has spread to a large section of NSW's southeast, including Snowy Monaro, Cooma, Bega and Merimbula. 'It's like a bomb has gone off, we got smashed by the fire spots,' CFA captain George Noye told the ABC, adding a crew member had suffered third-degree burns to his hands. There are at least 20 properties believed to be destroyed, including the Tablelands Community Centre - a local hub converted from the former primary school. 'The school no longer operates but it was a community hub for us where a lot of stuff took place it's absolutely devastating to see it go,' he said. 'We tried every trick in the book but we just couldn't pull it up and when we knew Ruffy was gonna get impacted we fell back to the township.' After briefly reopening on Friday morning, authorities had to close the Hume Freeway due to the Longwood fire. Jan Newton and her dog are seen taking shelter at the community centre on Friday Fire Crews from Little Yarra CFA are seen Evacuees and those unable to avoid travel are advised to detour via the Goulburn Valley Highway and MurchisonViolet Town Road. Ambulance Victoria declared a 'Red Escalation' for Victoria's South West, Wimmera, North Central and North Country regions from 7am Friday. The declaration is issued when an incident has, or could have, a severe impact on everyday operations. Paramedics and first responders in catastrophic fire danger areas have been withdrawn and will only return for serious or life-threatening illnesses. Authorities said Victoria was facing its worst fire threat since the Black Summer fires in 2019- 2020. 'It's all going to be a very bad day,' Little Yarra Country Fire Authority captain Peter Cookson said. 'We all prepare for these days, and if nothing happens, that is a win. But you can't say nothing will happen - with these things, they can all start from a spark.' Victims of the Longwood fire will receive financial assistance from the Albanese and Allan Governments. Authorities said Victoria was facing its worst fire threat since the Black Summer fires in 2019 Firefighters also continue to battle a bushfire burning in the Mount Lawson State Park Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said personal hardship grants had been activated, with $680 available per adult and $340 per child. This will be offered for those in local government areas, including Mansfield, Murrundindi, Strathbogie and Towong. The bank ANZ has announced disaster relief support is available for customers impacted by bushfires in Victoria. It said support would include short-term payment relief on home loans, credit cards, personal loans and some business loans, though it may still charge you interest during that period. Other measures will see the bank waiving fees for restructuring business loans and for accessing term deposits early. Those with ANZ Home and Contents Insurance may be eligible for emergency funds and temporary accommodation. A major heatwave is sweeping across Australia's southeast, with temperatures forecast to hit 43C in Melbourne and up to 47C in inland Victoria on Friday. The Country Fire Service (CFS) responded to more than 25 fires across South Australia on Friday, including a blaze that burned about 12 hectares of grass in 30 minutes at Stockport, 80km north of Adelaide. The ongoing heatwave is expected to impact the ACT and NSW, where a total fire ban is in place for areas including Greater Sydney, the eastern Riverina, southern Riverina, southern slopes and Monaro alpine regions. Temperatures will not be quite as high in NSW, with Sydney set to reach a maximum of 33C and Canberra expected to hit a high of 39C. Conditions are expected to worsen in the Harbour City on Saturday, with temperatures forecast to reach 42C and even higher in the western suburbs. NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Steve Vaughan has residents to prepare for the hot conditions and stay cool, hydrated, and indoors during the hottest part of the day. 'Heatwaves put real pressure on your body, with consecutive days of relentless heat causing stress that builds up over time,' he said. A property developer who made headlines when his ex-girlfriend threw a lamp at his head in an upmarket Japanese restaurant has been cleared of choking the same woman. Dean Contos spent three months in jail after being charged with a string of domestic violence offences allegedly committed against model and aspiring influencer Natalie Marangos. The 38-year-old was on bail and enjoying a night out with his new partner when he encountered Marangos at Tanuki in Sydney's eastern suburbs last February. A court later heard Marangos had been in the back section of the Double Bay eatery and nightclub when Contos and his girlfriend walked outside about 10.40pm. The unidentified woman pitched an entire martini over 34-year-old Marangos, who 'instinctively' reacted by picking up the nearest object and hurling it at Contos. The plastic lamp hit Contos on the forehead, causing a cut and blood to run down his face onto his clothes. Contos, who served almost four years in jail for kidnapping two cleaners he believed had stolen from him in 2019, was treated by staff and police were called. Pictures taken shortly after the confrontation and obtained by the Daily Mail show the injury to Contos, as well as blood on his T-shirt and right hand. Property developer Dean Contos, who made headlines when his ex-girlfriend Natalie Marangos threw a lamp at his head in an upmarket Japanese restaurant has been cleared of choking her Graphic images show the head wound Dean Contos suffered after Natalie Marangos threw a lamp at him while he dined at Tanuki in Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs Marangos left the restaurant before police arrived and was arrested the following night at a Hurstville Grove address in Sydney's south. Some of the history between Contos and Marangos was outlined after she pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in April last year. Contos and Marangos had known each other for some years and resumed a relationship in December 2022, six months after her father died. She had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after unsuccessfully performing CPR on her dying dad. The couple split in August 2024, following what Marangos alleges was a physical attack by Contos. When Marangos was being sentenced in August, solicitor Kiki Kyriacou said his client had been exposed to coercive control in her relationship with Contos. He had given her an Audi then taken it back. Mr Kyriacou said Contos had also breached a restraining order multiple times but Marangos had been too scared to report his conduct. When Marangos (above) was being sentenced in August, solicitor Kiki Kyriacou said his client had been exposed to coercive control in her relationship with Contos Contos, who served almost four years in jail for kidnapping two cleaners he believed had stolen from him in 2019, was treated by staff and police were called. He is pictured after the attack Contos had been arrested in May 2024 and charged with stalking Marangos at Riverview, on Sydney's lower north shore, and breaching a restraining order. Four months later, he was arrested and refused bail after allegedly choking Marangos at Riverview in August. Contos was also charged with a second count of contravening an AVO and spent three months behind bars on remand. He was hit with a fifth charge in February when police accused him of installing a tracking device 'to determine [her] geographical location without her consent'. Contos has been described as a property developer, but at Marangos's sentencing hearing magistrate Christine Haskett asked if he was currently employed. Mr Kyriacou checked with his client, whose response from the public gallery he interpreted for Ms Haskett: 'I think he doesn't have a real job.' The solicitor then agreed when the magistrate suggested Contos had 'other sources of income'. Mr Kyriacou submitted Marangos should be dealt with under Section 14 of the Mental Health Act, but the prosecutor objected, describing the lamp-throwing as a 'violent assault'. Contos, 38, and Marangos, 34, had known each other for some years and resumed a relationship in December 2022, six months after her father died. Marangos is pictured In granting the defence application, Ms Haskett noted Marangos's PTSD diagnosis, the nature of her relationship with Contos, and the likelihood she would not reoffend. Ms Haskett also said Marangos would experience ongoing anxiety as she waited for Contos's criminal charges to be heard. Upon hearing the assault occasioning bodily harm charge had been dismissed, Marangos said, 'Thank you so much.' Marangos consented to a two-year apprehended violence order police had sought to protect Contos from her. Contos remained on bail which required him to wear an electronic monitoring device and included conditions he not enter Hurstville or go within 3km of that area. He was not to contact Marangos, not to drink alcohol or take drugs which had not been prescribed by a doctor, and had to report every day to police. When Contos appeared in Downing Centre Local Court on December 10, the charges of stalking, contravening an AVO and installing a tracking device were dismissed. The following day at the same court Contos was found not guilty of three remaining charges: intentionally choking a person, a second count of contravening an AVO, and one of common assault which had been added on December 5. Contos was jailed for a minimum term of three years and 10 months in March 2021 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated kidnapping. He is pictured in a court sketch He remains the subject of two interim AVOs sought by police to protect Marangos, which will be mentioned on March 6. In March 2021, Contos was jailed for five years and 10 months, with a minimum term of three years and 10 months, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated kidnapping. The NSW District Court heard Contos had ambushed two men when they showed up to clean his three-bedroom harbourside apartment at Milsons Point in February 2019. Contos had been convinced one of the cleaners had been stealing his property and enlisted two mates to kidnap both men. The cleaner Contos accused of stealing was repeatedly threatened and assaulted during an ordeal which lasted almost five hours and left him seriously injured with multiple broken ribs. A Honduran congresswoman has been left with serious injuries after being struck in the head by an explosive device that was thrown at her. Gladys Aurora Lopez, the National Party deputy, had been speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Palace for the National Congress of Honduras in Tegucigalpa on Thursday when the incident took place. Footage captured the moment Lopez began speaking with those gathered outside the building before a circular device is seen flying through the air in her direction. She is then suddenly struck in the back of her neck by the explosive as it erupts in an orange flame next to her head. The attack came during a tense gathering ahead of a vote recount motion, sparked by fraud allegations after Nasry Asfura's narrow presidential win on November 30, 2025. Lopez survived the attack and is in a stable condition, but suffered a series of injuries, including burns, hearing damage, and possible fractured bones, according to local reports. Several other lawmakers who had been standing around her at the time were also reportedly left with minor injuries. Leaders from both sides condemned the violence, with Congress President Luis Redondo ordering a probe and president-elect Asfura calling for peace ahead of his January 27 inauguration. Footage captured the moment Lopez began speaking with those gathered outside the building before a circular device is seen flying through the air in her direction She is then suddenly struck in the back of her neck by the explosive as it erupts in an orange flame next to her head Lopez survived the attack and is in a stable condition, but suffered a series of injuries, including burns, hearing damage, and possible fractured bones, according to local reports Asfura said: 'I don't want to think it's really for political reasons, but these are things that just can't happen.' Following the attack, Redondo said: 'I have immediately instructed the security personnel of the National Congress to review the internal security cameras, as well as the 911 system records, in order to identify the person responsible for throwing an explosive device from outside the National Congress (public road) and proceed according to the law.' He added: 'We strongly condemn the act of violence that occurred in the National Congress, which has endangered the safety of individuals and directly affected our fellow congresswoman Gladys Aurora Lopez No act of violence will be tolerated within the legislative building or against any member of the Legislative Branch.' Tomas Zambrano, head of the National Party's congressional bloc, said: 'We were giving interviews to the media, accompanied by fellow deputies from the National Party to begin the extraordinary session, and they threw bombs at us, with mortars'. He further accused the ruling party of fostering violence against the opposition, stating: 'These acts of violence have been perpetrated against the opposition for four years. They cannot continue abusing their power.' Zambrano also called on the Armed Forces and National Police to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide security at the National Congress, warning that Honduras is facing one of its most critical political moments and urging that the attack not go unpunished. Disneyland is under fire from its guests after eliminating a fanfavorite perk that had long drawn visitors to the iconic theme park. Until now, visitors staying at a Disneyland hotel enjoyed a 30minute head start before the park in Anaheim, California, opened to everyone else. For many, the incentive was one of the biggest draws of staying at more expensive onsite hotels even with cheaper options just a short distance away. However, the early access perk was officially scrapped as of Monday, leaving many Disney fans reeling and sparking backlash among longtime visitors. 'I've always stayed on property, but I won't after this,' one Reddit user wrote. 'There's simply no reason.' Others blasted the theme park's constant price changes and complained that the so-called Disney magic was disappearing as a result. 'The 'Magic' is now the Excel spreadsheet that helped the CSuite make these decision[s],' another user said. As of Monday, Disneyland eliminated its early entry access into theme parks. The perk allowed hotel guests to take advantage of the park 30 minutes before the general public Until this week, hotel guests could enter the park early, letting them ride popular attractions, shop freely and dine with far fewer crowds. The perk applied to anyone staying at the theme park's three hotels, which are the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Pixar Place Hotel. Now, guests will receive just one Lightning Lane entry to a Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction during their stay. Disney's Lightning Lane is a paid service that lets visitors skip the regular line and wait in a separate, shorter line after reserving a ride in advance. The perk's removal has already disrupted travel plans for some guests. One guest said they had booked a stay at the Pixar Place this month, only to have the change derail that. 'They announced this and we are now at the Marriot [sic] courtyard theme park entrance,' the Reddit user said. Another user said that getting rid of early entry and replacing it with only one Lightning Lane entry was 'an absolute joke.' 'They can't pony up the $30 for a whole day when people are spending 1k on a room?' the commenter asked. 'At that point just don't give anything.' Going forward, Disneyland hotel guests will receive one Lightning Lane entry to a Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction for their stay The early entry bonus was remembered with nostalgia by others, who lamented its removal. 'So glad I got to experience the perk before they took it away,' one user said. 'Incredible to be able to knock out 4 or 5 major rides before anyone else. LL is a joke of a supplement.' The news was also received with backlash on Instagram, where Disney fans called the change 'terrible.' 'There's really no reason to stay there then,' one user said. 'Rather save the money for a cheaper hotel nearby' Another said it felt like Disney removed perks and 'anything that benefits the customer' on a regular basis. 'Miss the old days when fast pass was free and parking was $15!' he posted. Even visitors from outside the US decried the removal of the perk, which they said was 'the only reason we would pay premium to stay on Disney property.' The comment read: 'I think it's ridiculous as someone coming from over seas wanting to maximize limited time at the parks.' The cut to the early entry access was first announced last August, although it did not come into effect until this Monday. Disneyland has cut other perks recently despite fans seeking more affordable options. That included a partnership with Costco that offered its members discounted tickets to the theme park. The deal with the retail giant included a twoday parkhopper ticket to Disneyland, as well as the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, for $389.99. That was much cheaper than the offer on Disneyland's website, where the same ticket costs $415 and the multipass starts at $32 per day. The company's theme parks could soon implement dynamic ticket pricing, which is when the cost of tickets is altered based on current demand. 'We're doing it in [Disneyland Paris] right now,' Hugh Johnston, Disney's senior executive vice president and CFO, said in November. 'We've been doing it for about a year,' he added. 'It's off to a very good start, but we're really going to make sure we optimize it before we bring it into the domestic parks.' The ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good is unmasked for the first time by the Daily Mail as his shaken father defends his decision to shoot dead the 37-year-old mother. Jonathan E. Ross, 43, is an Enforcement and Removal Operations agent and Iraq veteran, who is married to a woman with Filipino parents. He has become the focus of rage over ICE actions around the country after he shot and killed Renee Nicole Good on Wednesday afternoon while she was driving her SUV down a street where ICE agents were on duty. Ross's father defended his son's decision to shoot Good dead, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail. 'She hit him,' said Ed Ross, 80. 'He also had an officer whose arm was in the car. He will not be charged with anything. 'You would never find a nicer, kinder person,' the father added about his son. 'He's a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldn't be more proud of him.' The elderly dad from North Pekin, Illinois, said his son's wife was a US citizen but declined to say how long she had been in the US. 'I do not want to go any further than that,' he added. Ross who goes by Jon has lived on the outskirts of Minneapolis since 2015, and served as an immigration officer since at least 2013. The ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good has been identified as Iraq veteran Jonathan Ross, 43, who is married to a woman with Filipino parents (Ross and his wife pictured) The father of the ICE agent who shot dead a mother-of-three has defended his son in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying he is a 'tremendous' father and husband (pictured: Jonathan Ross, left, Ben Ross, center, and dad Ed, right) Ross shot and killed Good on Wednesday afternoon while she was driving her SUV down a street where ICE agents were on duty (pictured) Though neighbors told the Daily Mail that Ross is a hardcore MAGA supporter, social media posts reveal he also has foreign-born in-laws. His 38-year-old wife, whose doctor parents live in the Philippines, married him in August 2012 according to posts on her Instagram page. Her first picture with Ross on the social media account was posted two months earlier. In July 2013, when the couple lived around El Paso, Texas, Ross's wife posted a picture posing next to a US Border Patrol helicopter. She also shared photos of baking recipes from a Spanish-language cookbook. One neighbor at Ross's 10-house cul-de-sac told the Daily Mail that until recently Ross had been flying pro-Trump flags and a 'Don't Tread On Me' Gadsden Flag, an emblem of the Make America Great Again movement. On Thursday afternoon there was no sign of Ross, his wife, or the flags. 'I think he's in the military. He has a military license plate,' one neighbor said. 'He had a don't tread on me flag, and Trump/Vance stickers up during the election. 'The wife is polite, very nice, very outgoing, while he's very reserved. They have a couple of kids.' Ross was named as the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis (pictured at the scene) Good (pictured) was a poet and mother of three children who grew up in Colorado Springs. She was married to a comedian named Timothy Macklin who died in 2023 before living in Minneapolis with her wife The ICE agent and his 38-year-old wife married in August 2012, according to posts on her Instagram page Ross's father posted a picture on his Facebook page in 2017 of his son in military gear, carrying a large rifle Ross's father said his son's wife (pictured) was a US citizen but declined to say how long she had been in the US Other family members appear to have had conflict with Ross over their political views even arguing with him about far-right group the Proud Boys, after Donald Trump caused controversy by initially failing to condemn the organization in a 2020 debate with Joe Biden. His sister Nicole posted a photo on Facebook in October 2020 of herself and a female friend wearing face masks with the caption 'I denounce and condemn white supremacy'. Ross appears to have commented on the photo then later deleted the messages, with Nicole and her friend Allison's responses the only comments remaining. 'Jon R Oss the Proud Boys heard his denouncement loud and clear! I watched the entire debate and heard every word. I respectfully disagree,' wrote Allison. 'Jon R Oss we have to respectfully disagree,' Nicole added. 'You are my brother and I love you, but we will not engage in a debate on Facebook.' Ross appears to have grown up hardscrabble. His father, a former insurance agent, filed for bankruptcy in Tampa, Florida in 1996, when Ross was 13. The Ross family is religious, with his father serving as director of two church-related organizations. Ross's father posted a picture on his Facebook page in 2017 of his son in military gear, carrying a large rifle, with a caption 'Jon Ross in Iraq'. Ross bought his home near Minneapolis in 2015 for $460,000 with a $360,000 loan from the Veterans Administration, property records show. Bullet holes in the car's windscreen and bloodied seats were clearly visible from the scene of the shooting in Minneapolis Photos of the woman's car showed children's toys inside Though he is only now being unmasked, Ross's first and last name initially emerged after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed the officer who shot dead Good was also 'dragged' by a car driven by a suspect he was apprehending last year. The information was repeated by Vice President JD Vance in a statement on Thursday. The specific details pointed to the June arrest of undocumented immigrant and convicted sex offender Roberto Carlos Munoz. Court documents from his federal prosecution named the injured ICE officer as 'Jonathan Ross'. Another federal civil lawsuit from 2021 referred to Ross as being a deportation officer in Hennepin County, Minnesota, as far back as 2017. The Trump administration has come to Ross's defense over his shooting of Good, while Democratic officials in Minneapolis say it was a murder. ICE claimed she deliberately drove her burgundy SUV at agents but witnesses dispute the claims, with Mayor Jacob Frey calling it 'bulls**t'. Witnesses claimed Good and her wife were acting as legal observers and filming the protest when she was shot. But ICE insisted she tried to use the SUV as a deadly weapon. Footage of the shooting showed the victim blocking the road with her car until ICE agents told her to move away. Renee Good's wife has been identified as handywoman Rebecca Good (left) Rebecca, in harrowing footage captured in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, seemed to blame herself for the tragedy, saying she 'made [Renee] come down here' to the ICE protests The Goods lived in a rented home (pictured) in Kansas City's vibrant Waldo neighborhood for about two years but decided to flee the US after Trump's election. They spent some time in Canada before ultimately deciding to settle down in Minneapolis Protesters clash with police after a driver of a vehicle was shot on Wednesday amid an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis Protesters gathered outside outside Minneapolis immigration court on Thursday She reversed to head back down the road as an agent tried to open its driver-side door handle before she drove off. Three shots then rang out. Good lost control of the SUV and slammed it into parked cars and a light pole at high speed, prompting screams of shock from horrified onlookers. Her SUV was seen with a bullet hole through the driver's side windshield. Good and her wife Rebecca are understood to have fled the US after Trump's victory in the 2024 election, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. They have a six-year-old child together. State and local officials demanded ICE leave Minnesota after Good's death. But Noem has said agents are not going anywhere. Pauline Hanson has accused Anthony Albanese of refusing to name radical Islam as 'the real problem' in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack. The One Nation leader slammed the recently announced Royal Commission into antisemitism as 'fundamentally compromised' and 'a waste' unless it probed the extremist ideology that allegedly inspired the gunmen. Hanson said the Prime Minister had 'failed a basic test of leadership' by sidestepping 'the three words Australians expected to hear'. 'Prime Minister Albanese refused to say three words while calling his Royal Commission: Radical. Islamic. Terrorism,' she wrote in a fiery statement on Friday. 'The Prime Minister won't even say the problem out loud. 'Let's be clear, on December 14, two [alleged] radical Islamic terrorists [allegedly] murdered 15 innocent Jewish Australians in an ISIS-inspired, hate-filled attack. 'A Royal Commission about what happened in Bondi will be a waste unless the real problem is addressed.' Hanson said the inquiry missed the chance to address bigger issues like prevention and long-term policy failures by concentrating on agency procedures. Hanson (pictured) slammed Albanese for not mentioning radical Islam when calling the inquiry Alleged Bondi shooter Naveed Akram is seen at the scene on December 14 'A proper Royal Commission should be investigating how radical Islam has been allowed to flourish in Australia,' she continued. 'The terms of reference released for the Bondi Royal Commission fail to do any of this.' Hanson accused the government of being 'more worried about political discomfort than public safety' and argued that any serious review must scrutinise decades of decisions on immigration, integration and citizenship. 'This Commission will achieve nothing unless the government is willing to look at policy on immigration, citizenship, and how radicalisation has slipped through the cracks,' she said. 'The Prime Minister should be condemned for his failures that will put more Australians in danger in the future.' Hanson called for a review of Australia's immigration policies. 'We have to look at who we have been bringing into this country for the past 30 years. Are the people we are bringing into this country today going to assimilate with western culture or seek to tear our country apart?' she said. 'Australians expect more than a review of processes. They want a government that will face the hard discussion instead of running from it.' Hanson renewed her push for tougher policies on face coverings in public, accusing the government of being 'too timid' on public safety. Albanese said the review would investigate 'religious extremism' but did not mention Islam Hanson (pictured) also urged that the inquiry consider cultural practices such as face coverings Hanson - who wore a burqa into the Senate in November - demanded the Commission examine whether current laws strike the right balance between cultural expression and identification requirements in courts, airports, and schools. 'The burqa, a tool of Islamic extremist oppression, should be banned in Australia. Instead, the government lets hate preachers in mosques go unpunished and allows radical Islam to grow in Australia,' she said. 'We're not even allowed to debate something as basic as whether face-covering clothing belongs in a modern Australian society when security is at stake.' Hanson maintained that only a 'full examination of cultural, security and community policy settings' could prevent future tragedies. Meanwhile, Albanese has confirmed the inquiry would look into 'religious extremism' and radical hate preachers, but notably avoided mentioning Islam. 'Tackling antisemitism means investigating its nature and prevalence, and examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically motivated extremism and radicalisation,' he said when announcing the commission on Thursday. Nationals Leader David Littleproud said Australia had an 'extreme Islamic ideological problem', saying Labor had been 'running away from the problem' for three years. As millions of Aussies swelter through an oppressive heatwave, some will no doubt be sweating through it without air-conditioning. For homeowners, it's up to them to pay for air-conditioning, but what about renters? Should they be provided with air-conditioning by their landlords? In most states, landlords are not legally required to provide air conditioning. However, it can be a major drawcard for renters. Residential Tenancy Authority spokesperson Sam Galer told the ABC that tenants without the precious commodity should speak to their landlord about installing it. 'It will be an ongoing issue for future tenants,' he said. 'I would encourage tenants to put [that] forward to an owner. Future tenants might ask for the same thing so that might motivate an owner.' Mr Galer said renters could appeal to the tribunal for a breach of agreement and then applying for an order requiring the landlord to make the property habitable. Most states and territories don't force landlords to install air-conditioning despite hot climates Renters without air-conditioning may be able to apply for it (pictured, Clovelly Beach) 'Appreciating it is a competitive rental market, we encourage people to make sure the property they're trying to rent is suitable for their needs,' he said. The definition of 'habitable' varies from state to state around the country. In recent years, states and territories have updated their tenancy laws to ensure landlords comply with minimum rental standards. Here's what each state and territory says about the minimum standards. New South Wales Landlords are not required to provide air-conditioning or heating at a property. The premises must be habitable and renters could argue this includes installing air-conditioning. Queensland Air-conditioning isn't considered essential in Queensland, but tenants can negotiate with landlords to install it. Some landlords may install air-conditioning as a condition of the lease. Many rental properties are fitted out with air-conditioning (pictured, Clovelly Beach) Victoria Victoria has stricter minimum standards than most states and already requires a heater in the main living area of a rental. From March 1, 2027, new leases will require an electric cooling system in the main living area. Other changes to their minimum living standards include installing ceiling insulation at the start of a new lease if none exists. External doors, windows and wall vents must have weather seals on them. Tasmania A property in Tasmania must have a heater in the main living area before it can be rented out, but there's no obligation for a fixed cooling system. All rooms in a property must have openings to allow air in. From March 1, 2027, new leases will require an electric cooling system in the main living area in all rentals in Victoria (stock) South Australia There is no requirement for air conditioning in a rental property despite the state's regular heatwaves. Northern Territory In the Northern Territory, landlords must ensure the property is clean, habitable, and meets health and safety standards. Australian Capital Territory No minimum standards have been introduced in the notoriously cold ACT. Western Australia There's no obligation to provide air-conditioning, but homes must be insulated. Donald Trump said the US will begin land strikes on drug cartels in Mexico as he warned that the only limit to his global power is his 'own morality'. The president announced the military action against narcoterrorists just days after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. 'We are gonna start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico, it's very sad to watch and see what's happened to that country,' Trump told Fox News Thursday night. The president earlier boasted of his massive foreign policy powers when asked what the limits were on what the US military could do in the region. 'My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me,' he told The New York Times. Trump has suggested that Greenland, Cuba and Colombia could be next on his list for US operations, angering NATO and world leaders ranging from the UK's Keir Starmer to France's Emanuel Macron. The president even interrupted his interview to take a phone call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has promised he would 'take up arms' if Trump came after him. Trump and his collaborators have flirted with the idea of invading or attacking the cartels in Mexico since his election campaign. Donald Trump said that the United States is going to begin land strikes against Mexican drug cartels in its continued battle against narcoterrorists The president, speaking to Sean Hannity following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, teased out his threats over cartel influence and fentanyl trafficking. Pictured: The 2014 capture of drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman He has accused Central American drug traffickers of killing anywhere from 250,000 to 300,000 Americans each year, blaming it on the cartels' influence and fentanyl trafficking. 'It's horrible, its devastated families, you lose a child or a parent. We've done a really good job, we're knocking it down,' Trump told Hannity. Trump previously warned Mexico to 'get their act together' in the immediate aftermath of the capture of Maduro. 'You have to do something with Mexico. 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.' Trump and his collaborators have flirted with the idea of invading or attacking the cartels in Mexico since his election campaign. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that the idea of US military intervention in Mexico has been raised repeatedly in her conversations with Trump, but said she has always rejected the offer. She sees it as a nonstarter and insists that her relationship with Trump is one of mutual respect. Analysts believe the threats will continue to be a hallmark of the Trump administrations negotiation style, especially this year when the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA) is up for revision. Trump previously warned Mexico to 'get their act together' in the immediate aftermath of the capture of Nicolas Maduro Trump previously warned Mexico and President Claudia Sheinbaum (pictured left) to 'get their act together' in the immediate aftermath of the capture of Maduro Your browser does not support iframes. Earlier in the day, in a nearly three-hour interview with the Times, Trump bragged that 'I dont need international law' when operating in the region. 'It depends what your definition of international law is,' he added, while saying that he's 'not looking to hurt people'. In the wake of his capture of Maduro, Trump has leveraged the remaining members of the regime into making deals on oil. On Tuesday, Trump announced a deal with the Venezuelan regime to give the United States 30 to 50 million barrels of oil which could be worth up to $2billion. 'I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,' he posted to Truth Social. Trump also announced that he will be in control of the money made off the oil's sales - which at market price, could be worth up to $2billion according to Reuters. 'This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!' Trump has placed Energy Secretary Chris Wright in charge of executing the plan which is scheduled to begin immediately. Trump has largely put his team in charge of relations with Venezuela, while sidelining Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado 'It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,' he wrote. Trump has largely put his team in charge of relations with Venezuela, while sidelining Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. The president said he'll 'say hello to her' next week after refusing to allow her power in the transition away from Maduro and addressed her desire to give him her Nobel Peace Prize in an interview with Hannity earlier this week. The president suggested he'd be honored but that he ought to get as many as eight Nobel Prizes. 'It would be a great honor. I did put out eight wars, eight and a quarter because Thailand and Cambodia started going at each other again,' he said. He argued that the Nobel committee not giving him the prize this year has been 'a major embarrassment to Norway,' which is where they're located. 'When you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war,' he said. Machado spoke to Hannity on Tuesday about a report that Trump's displeasure with her acceptance of the prize, which he has long coveted, has left her out in the cold following the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro. Earlier this week, Trump announced a deal with the Venezuelan regime to give the United States 30 to 50 million barrels of oil which could be worth up to $2billion 'Let me be very clear, as soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated to Trump because I knew at that point, he deserved it,' she said. Shortly after her win in October, Machado took to X, writing: 'I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!' Machado affirmed that the capture of Maduro was another reason she believes 'he deserved it'. Hannity asked if she had spoken to Trump since the military operation and his comments about her running the country, and she admitted they hadn't spoken since her Nobel Prize victory. The host then asked: 'Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize? Did that actually happen?' 'Well, it hasn't happened yet, but I would certainly love to be able to personally tell him that we believe the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people certainly want to give it to him and share it with him.' Trump distanced himself from Machado after Maduro's capture, as White House insiders revealed his displeasure stems from her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize - an 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".' On Saturday, 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. A controversial right-wing figure has claimed a prominent neo-Nazi is being held in a 'punishment block' at Sydney's Long Bay prison after allegedly threatening to 'rhetorically rape' a federal independent MP. Australian far-right activist Blair Cottrell used social media to update followers on the conditions of jailed National Socialist Network member Joel Davis, who has been in custody since November. In a five-minute video, Cottrell said it was the first time he had spoken directly to the 30-year-old, who was arrested after allegedly making a series of menacing online threats. He claimed Davis was being held in a punishment ward at Long Bay, confined to a cell without a shower or television. Cottrell alleged Davis was sometimes denied access to showers, claiming prison staff decided when he could bathe by escorting him to another block. He said Davis had been classified by prison authorities as a national security threat, which he said had caused him to be stripped of his basic prison rights. According to Cottrell, Davis does not have access to a Bible and is unable to see a priest or chaplain while in custody. Davis was arrested on November 20 at Bennett Street Dairy Cafe in Bondi, where staff later described him as a polite regular customer. Joel Davis missed the birth of his first child following his arrest Cottrell claims Davis is being housed in a 'punishment cell' and doesnt have access to books He has been charged with using a carriage service to harass a federal parliamentarian, after allegedly urging members of a Telegram group chat to 'rhetorically rape' independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender. The court heard Davis had only recently moved from Melbourne to Sydney to live with his partner Ivona Tomaskovicova, who was nine months pregnant at the time of his arrest. Davis subsequently missed the birth of his son while in custody. The Daily Mail does not suggest Ms Tomaskovicova is racist, simply that she is Davis's partner and shares a child with him. During bail proceedings, Legal Aid lawyer Liam McKibbin argued Davis would comply with strict conditions, including staying at least 100 metres away from Ms Spender's electorate office and limiting his access to electronic devices. Mr McKibbin also submitted that Davis was unlikely to receive a full-time custodial sentence if convicted, while acknowledging the strength of the prosecution case. Questions have been raised about how Ms Tomaskovicova is affording Bondi's high rental costs given Davis is in custody and had publicly admitted to financial difficulties prior to his arrest. A day before he was apprehended, Davis told the ABC that money within the movement was scarce and that few members were being paid. Davis was arrested on November 20 at Bennett Street Dairy Cafe in Bondi, where staff later described him as a polite regular customer He is considered a high ranking member of the NSN, pictured alongside Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant Bondi-based Ivona Tomaskovicova, who was nine months pregnant at the time of his arrest and has since welcomed the couple's son Many figures associated with the far right have reportedly been de-banked, with private companies freezing accounts and cutting off fundraising avenues. As a result, National Socialist Network supporters have allegedly been asked to send cash donations via envelopes to a PO Box. The heightened agitation within far-right groups has coincided with threats directed at journalists reporting on their activities. Davis was arrested shortly after revealing the identity of influencer Nathalie Faydherbe, the wife of South African-born NSN member Matthew Gruter. Mr Gruter was later detained by immigration authorities following his attendance at an anti-Jewish rally outside NSW Parliament House. He, Ms Faydherbe and their newborn child left Australia voluntarily in December after his visa was cancelled. The Daily Mail does not suggest Ms Faydherbe is racist, simply that she is Gruter's wife and the mother of his child. Footage captured by the Daily Mail showed the couple arriving in Johannesburg with their baby, where Mr Gruter lashed out at photographers and accused media of putting his family at risk. Matthew Gruter could be seen physically lashing out at a photographer in Johannesburg after being deported from Australia Cottrell, who provided the update on Davis's alleged prison conditions, first came to prominence in the mid-2010s as a founding member of the United Patriots Front. He later became associated with other extremist groups, including the Lads Society, and is widely regarded by authorities and anti-extremism groups as a prominent figure within Australia's modern neo-Nazi movement, despite not being an active member of the NSN. A San Francisco bartender who was caught up in a clash with a drunk female customer has been fired after dramatic footage of the incident went viral. Miguel Marchese, 25, was let go from his job at Hazie's, an upscale Hayes Valley restaurant coowned by celebrity chef Joey Altman. Marchese, the worker seen in the video, was terminated by email on Saturday and given just one day's notice, according to SFGATE. One of the reasons for his firing was that the footage showed him 'tripping the guest, which caused her to fall onto the sidewalk.' 'I found it odd that I was getting fired when in reality, I did nothing wrong at the end of the day,' Marchese told the outlet. He alleged that he turned down a $5,000 severance package from Hazie's, offered on the condition that he did not sue or speak negatively about the viral altercation. 'I ask people to put themselves in my shoes,' Marchese added. 'Imagine that not only are you sick with laryngitis, but your hair is being viciously pulled out of your head,' he said. Miguel Marchese, 25, said he was fired from his job as a bartender at Hazie's after his response to a violent drunk customer had gone viral Shireen Afkari, 32, was identified as the socalled drunk Karen in the captured footage. She was arrested for public intoxication after the fight Marchese and another restaurant employee restrained the couple and they were carried outside of the restaurant before she attacked Marchese The brawl that ultimately led to Marchese's firing happened on December 13, after an inebriated couple began arguing with the restaurant's staff when they were refused service. The situation started spiraling into violence when the woman later identified as 32yearold Shireen Afkari stormed into the kitchen to start yelling at workers. Following that heated exchange and multiple physical confrontations, Marchese and another staff member restrained the couple and carried them outside the restaurant. But once outside, Afkari turned her attention back to Marchese, grabbing him and viciously pulling at his hair. Employees and bystanders urged her to 'stop' and 'let go' as she hung onto the bartender's long locks. Marchese was unable to break free until he tossed her phone down the street. As Afkari ran after it, she was tripped by Marchese and fell facefirst onto the sidewalk with a loud thud. Marchese claimed this part of the fight resulted in his firing. He alleged that one of Hazie's owners had called him an 'insurance liability' for tripping the intoxicated customer. Footage showed Afkari pulling on Marchese's hair until he broke free by tossing her phone down the street. When she chased after it, he tripped her Marchese said one of Hazie's owners had branded him an 'insurance liability' after the incident. He was suspended while the restaurant investigated the brawl The restaurant was concerned that Afkari would be able to sue over Marchese's behavior, according to Axios. Marchese was suspended while the restaurant reviewed his actions during the altercation. He had worked at Hazie's since 2023. The bartender described the incident in an Instagram story shortly after it happened. 'I initially was patient with her hoping she'd let go but in the end I had to kick in the vagina, chuck her to [sic] phone across the street, to which she chases after and accidentally trips over my leg,' he wrote. Meanwhile, Afkari was arrested for public intoxication following the incident. She was later fired from her job as a Strava manager. Marchese said that the severance agreement allegedly offered by the restaurant cited a social media post he shared on December 19, including negative remarks about Altman. He added that he did not know of any other Hazie's employees that had been fired, even those involved in the fight. That even included one worker who slammed Afkari to the floor, Marchese claimed. Hazie's is now under investigation by San Francisco's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement over allegations of wage and tip theft. Marchese said he and several coworkers filed a complaint with the agency in December about a week before the violent spat at the restaurant went viral, per the San Francisco Gazetteer. He had also asked the agency for help accessing his employerfunded health care savings account, alleging the restaurant had not been making required contributions to employees' accounts. Afkari, 32, was out with her boyfriend, 33-year-old Christian Bruchman, when a rowdy brawl spilled from inside the restaurant onto the street Despite a whirlwind last couple of months, Marchese said the public response had been deeply supportive. 'I would walk around the city and people would just give me a hug or shake my hand and tell me how much they supported me,' he said. But after his firing, the former bartender remained unsure of what his next steps would be. 'I just want my health to get better and the water to settle down and not to have this constant stress,' Marchese said. After the fight, Hazie's issued a statement saying that the restaurant had been 'deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support following the recent incident.' The statement referenced the restaurant's employees and added: 'Your messages, notes, and generosity have meant more to our team than we can fully express, and the strength of this community has been truly heartening.' The Daily Mail has contacted Marchese and Hazie's for further comment. A three-year-old boy spent nine hours trapped in a disused car on a hot day before his grandfather found his lifeless body curled up on the floor near the pedals, wearing a Spiderman outfit and holding two empty cups. Daniel was reported missing just after 3.30pm on Tuesday when he disappeared from his grandmother's home in Thabeban, four hours north of Brisbane, sparking a widespread search with multiple police and State Emergency Services units. But the panic came to a tragic end at 9.25pm when the preschooler was found unresponsive in the back of a broken vehicle, about three metres from where he was last seen alive. Despite earlier reports stating Daniel was not in the car when it was checked by search teams earlier in the day, a close relative told the Daily Mail the boy was in the car the whole time - but search teams just didn't see him. She said Daniel had likely been in the hot car for about two hours by the time the search began, and was probably already dead before it even started. The situation unfolded about 1pm when relatives dropped Daniel home to his grandmother Linda Fuller's house, where he had lived since he was 12 days old. The relatives normally walked Daniel into the house, but that didn't happen on this occasion. Instead of walking inside by himself, Daniel raced to the backyard. Pictured: Daniel, three, who was found dead in a disused car in a Spiderman suit on Tuesday A relative said that Daniel (pictured) was in the car for about nine hours. Search teams looked inside the car but didn't see him 'Being a little boy who loved cars, he obviously walked straight out the back to the cars and got in the driver's side, where the handle was broken on the inside,' the relative said. The other doors had working handles, but she said the toddler wouldn't have considered trying to use another door to escape the vehicle. Linda normally kept the car locked, but it wasn't locked when Daniel climbed in on Tuesday. She didn't realise Daniel had come home until about two hours later, when his little sister arrived at her house and started asking where her brother was. 'Linda ran around to the grandfather's to find Daniel, and he didn't know where Daniel was, so she ran back to her house looking for Daniel frantically,' the relative said. It wasn't until about 9.30pm that the little boy's grandfather shone a torch into the front of the car and saw him on the floor of the driver's side, holding two cups. There were two cups in the car from when Linda, Daniel and his sister had been in the vehicle two days prior. Daniel found the cups while he was trapped, and likely held on to them because he was hot and thirsty. Daniel's family are devastated over the tragic accident, and have set up a fundraiser Daniel is pictured with his mother, Jamaica. He had lived with his grandmother, Linda, since he was 12 days old 'To my understanding, he was in the car the whole time, from 1pm to nearly ten at night,' she said. 'He was so loved by everyone, he will be missed.' Daniel's family is devastated and have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Linda to organise a headstone and memorial, and to give her time to grieve. 'With heavy hearts we are asking for support for my sister after the loss of her grandson, Daniel,' the fundraiser states. 'My sister Linda has had care of Daniel since he was 12 days old, and she has been there for him from day one. 'Daniel was my sisters little rock and sidekick, and would go everywhere with my sister.' 'Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.' Police told the Daily Mail the death is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner. More than 100 human skulls and remains belonging to infants have been discovered inside the home of a man accused of desecrating mausoleums and gravesites. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, faces more than 500 charges relating to the alleged offending, which allegedly began around Halloween in what authorities have described as a 'horror movie come to life'. The Pennsylvania local allegedly had collected skulls, long bones, mummified feet and decomposing torsos, storing them in his basement and a separate storage locker, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said. 'Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at,' Rouse said. 'Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene. 'Understand, some of these are 200 years old. Some obviously much newer... It's going to be quite some time before we have a final answer.' Some of the remains were hundreds of years old, Rouse said, while others belonged to infants believed to have been just months old when they died. At least one of the corpses was found with a pacemaker, authorities added. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, faces more than 500 charges relating to the alleged offending, which allegedly began around Halloween in what authorities have described as a 'horror movie come to life' The Pennsylvania local allegedly had collected skulls, long bones, mummified feet and decomposing torsos, storing them in his basement and a separate storage locker 'I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through it, who are trying to figure out if it is, in fact, their loved one or their child because we found remains that we believe to be months-old infants among those that he had collected,' Rouse said. 'They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf.' Officers said Gerlach's Tuesday night arrest culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open. Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia's outskirts led police to his basement. He was arrested leaving the cemetery as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar, police said. He also had a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones. Join the debate What should the punishment be for those who desecrate graves and steal human remains? He was allegedly part of a Facebook group titled 'Human Bones and Skull Selling Group'. In the group, he had reportedly been pictured with a skull, though it is unclear if he ever sold any of the remains Gerlach told investigators he took about 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said Gerlach told investigators he took about 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said. He was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft. He has also been charged with criminal mischief and is being held on $1million bond. No lawyer was listed in court records. Police alleged Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the 1855 cemetery. He was allegedly part of a Facebook group titled 'Human Bones and Skull Selling Group'. In the group, he had reportedly been pictured with a skull, though it is unclear if he ever sold any of the remains. Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco described the case as one of the most disturbing he had seen in his career. 'Rest in peace is rest in peace, and this is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings,' Giammarco said. Nearly 100 trees have been torn down on Cornwall's iconic landmark St Michael's Mount, while roofs have been ripped off buildings across the county as Storm Goretti battered the UK with devastating hurricane-force winds. The rocky tidal island off the British coast with only 31 residents suffered a loss of 80 per cent of its trees, while everyone was evacuated as it bore the brunt of the storm. Severe conditions caused school closures and travel disruption today with flights grounded at airports, roads blocked and large swathes of the rail network shut. Now, the Met Office has issued fresh yellow warnings for snow and ice for tomorrow and Sunday as partially thawed snow refreezes before more blizzards arrive. A combination of melting snow and rain will also increase the flood risk over the next few days, with the Environment Agency issuing 107 alerts and 14 warnings in England. One new Met Office snow and ice warning covering most of Scotland and northern England runs from midday today until 3pm tomorrow with up to 15cm (6ft) set to fall. A second yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of western England and Wales from midday today until midday tomorrow; while a third across Northern Ireland for snow and ice will come into force from 5pm tonight and run until 11am tomorrow. A separate snow and ice warning on Sunday will be active for much of Scotland and the North of England from 2am until 3pm with another 30cm (1ft) accumulating. Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold weather health alerts for all of England until Monday, warning of a 'rise in deaths'. The wild weather brought 99mph winds overnight while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for 'dangerous' winds in South West England yesterday. National Grid said 64,000 properties across England and Wales were without power this morning, including 48,000 in the South West and 15,000 in the West Midlands. Birmingham and East Midlands airports both had to suspend operations due to the heavy snow, while all trains in Cornwall and many others in the North were axed. The sky turned pink in areas of Birmingham this morning following the 'weather bomb', after the central pressure in the area of low pressure fell rapidly yesterday. Roads were also closed due to fallen trees following a week of severe conditions that has seen villages in Scotland cut off and temperatures falling to nearly -15C. People in Cornwall were urged to work from home this morning, with the council advising residents to avoid travelling due to the large number of closed roads. Pictures show the extensive damage caused to St Michael's Mount after Storm Goretti - with nearly 100 trees blown down The rocky tidal island off the British coast with only 31 residents suffered a loss of '80 per cent' of its trees Two large trees have fallen on a house in Truro, breaking through the roof and crushing three cars Fallen trees have caused carnage on the roads in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning The storm wreaked havoc on St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, resulting in the loss of 80 per cent of its trees Trees are snapped in half at St Michael's Mount after Storm Goretti brought chaos Hurricane-force winds destroyed trees across the wooded area of Cornwall One of the cars damaged after two large trees were brought down by the storm in Truro Trees fall onto a house in Truro, Cornwall, breaking through the roof and crushing cars Several uprooted trees lie on the top of St Michael's Mount following Storm Goretti Two large trees have fallen on a house in Truro, breaking through the roof and crushing three cars Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall Sea defences are uprooted and destroyed on Mermaid Beach in Folkestone A fallen tree in Falmouth, Cornwall, following the devastation caused by Storm Goretti last night A highway maintence van drives on the A9 near Aviemore in Scotland past a crashed car today A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning Falmouth University student Anna Richmond inspects the damage to her car this morning An overturned van on the A30 near Blackwater in Cornwall today following Storm Goretti Two large trees have fallen on a house in Truro, breaking through the roof and crushing three cars in the wake of Storm Goretti The Environment Agency has 107 flood alerts (in orange) and 14 warnings (in red) for England Met Office yellow weather warnings are being imposed for tomorrow (left) and Saturday (right) Your browser does not support iframes. The head gardener of St Michael's Mount, Darren Little, said he was heartbroken to see the island on Friday morning, and the damage was 10 times worse than that caused by any other storm in the decades he has lived there. The island has a weather station which recorded winds of 111mph on Thursday evening, before a power cut which lasted until Friday morning, Mr Little, 51, said. 'At about 6pm it just got louder and louder and the waves were picking up, the spray was shooting up in the air. 'There was a loud crash, a loud bang and suddenly our power went.' Mr Little added: 'We went out this morning and got our chainsaw equipment out and started to clear the castle path, we had to make sure it was easily accessible in case of emergencies. 'We started at 8.30am and finished around 4.30pm.' About 80 to 100 trees were brought down, most of the trees on the island, he said. Mr Little said: 'It's more devastating for us as a gardener seeing the hard work you've done over many years, then everything's wiped out within about six hours. 'We've had bad weather before, we've had various storms over the years but (in the past) we lose about six or seven trees. 'I'm heartbroken as well for all the gardeners.' None of the island's residents were hurt, but some of the buildings had structural damage, he added. Mr Little said the immediate clean-up would probably take three months, but it would be 18 months before the area was regenerated. Those in the red warning area have revealed their terror at the strong winds, with one watching plastic cracking and another having to hold their window shut. Melissa Thomson, who co-owns the Garrison Holidays campsite on the Isles of Scilly, told BBC News: 'It was horrendous. We couldn't even go in our bedroom. 'If you put your hand on a window you could feel it. Plaster was cracking and the creaking from the roof was horrific. It felt like the roof was going to fly off.' Harry Williams, who lives in Sennen Cove, Cornwall, also told the BBC: 'There was an hour where I was apprehensive, and I'm a surfer so I'm used to putting myself in danger. I had to hold on to this window, and couldn't hold it shut.' The Met Office said Storm Goretti brought a peak gust of 99mph to St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, which was the highest recorded there since 1991. The highest accumulation of snow in Wales was 15cm (6in) at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys; while England had 7cm (3in) at both Nottingham and Preston Montford in Shropshire. Wider accumulations have been recorded, as well as higher unofficial totals from non-Met Office observations. In Scotland, 27cm (11in) fell at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm (10in) at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm (8.7in) at Durris in Kincardineshire. The lowest UK temperature recorded overnight was -13.3C (8.1F) at Braemar in Aberdeenshire. While the influence of Storm Goretti will reduce through today as it gradually moves towards mainland Europe, the system is expected to bring more rain to eastern England. The Met Office said conditions would gradually improve with a 'period of respite for many on Saturday with some sunny spells at times', despite the further snow in northern areas and Wales. But forecasters said this calmer period for many will be 'relatively short-lived, as another front arrives from the west on Sunday', bringing the risk of further snow. Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: 'Following on from a Saturday which will be largely dry away from northeastern parts of Scotland and England, a front from the west on Sunday will bring snow for parts of Scotland and northern England with low temperatures continuing the ice risk. 'A further 2cm to 5cm of snow is possible to accumulate at low levels within the warning area on Sunday, with 10cm to 20cm possible over higher ground. 'With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, in what will be a wet Sunday for many.' A family was inside their home when its roof was ripped off last night in Nanpean, in New Quay People walk through the snow on Broad Street in Birmingham this morning after Storm Goretti Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse Flooding on the high street in the Cambridgeshire village of Alconbury Weston this afternoon A man clears snow from his front gardn at Dove Holes in Derbyshire this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today People sledge at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (formerly Brecon Beacons) in Wales today Deserted platforms and a departure board at Old Hill station in Sandwell, West Midlands, today A road in Sandgate, Kent, is covered with stones from the beach today following rough seas Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today A man takes his dogs out for a walk after snow fell overnight near Diggle in Greater Manchester Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall People walk in the road today after heavy snowfall in the Harbourne area of Birmingham Snow settles around the A465 in the Dowlais area of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales today Men check on a motorist in a ditch after snowfall in the Leicestershire town of Coalville today Cars go through surface water on Row Lane near Emmer Green in Berkshire this morning A woman pulls a sledge on the snow in Walsall this morning after Storm Goretti hit the UK Storm Goretti brings flooding to Essex, trapping cars including this one in 4ft of water today Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall Commuters battle with the wintry conditions on London Bridge this morning amid Storm Goretti Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse Birmingham wakes up to a thick covering of snow this morning as Storm Goretti sweeps in Storm Goretti brings flooding to Essex, trapping cars including this one in 4ft of water today Workers clear fallen trees from a road in St Austell, Cornwall, this morning after Storm Goretti A motorist drives down a flooded country lane in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, today after heavy rain Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse Heavy snow and freezing conditions continue to people in Insch, Aberdeenshire, today The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) raised concerns about a combination of melting snow and rain increasing the flood risk for some areas. In a statement issued by the Met Office, Sepa's flood duty manager David Morgan said: 'As temperatures rise following recent cold conditions, thaw of lying snow from Sunday onwards will increase the risk of flooding. 'Possible impacts could include flooding of low lying land, roads and individual properties.' The Met Office said temperatures will return closer to average for most through next week, with a south-westerly regime dominant - although there could be more unsettled weather at times as low pressure continues to influence the weather. The Government was urged to convene a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee to respond to Goretti. Several shipping containers fall off two vessels in strong winds Several shipping containers have fallen from two vessels off the Isle of Wight overnight, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). A number of refrigerated containers were reported falling into the sea from a cargo ship near Nab Tower at 11.10pm yesterday and seven empty containers fell from the second ship which was 16 nautical miles south of St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight at 11.55pm. An MCA spokesman said: 'HM Coastguard is monitoring the situation closely and has sent a fixed-wing aircraft. Navigational warnings are being broadcast to shipping. 'Non-perishable wreck material arriving on shore, including cargo, must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck within 28 days.' Last month, containers filled with bananas, plantain and avocados washed up on the south coast after falling from the Baltic Klipper near the Nab Tower lighthouse off Bembridge. Advertisement Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington in Somerset, said: 'The Government's Cobra committee must urgently be convened to ensure fast help is delivered across the region. 'The South West is routinely overlooked by the Government, but we cannot be ignored in this time of need.' Downing Street said support was being offered to homes left without power by the storm. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We have well-rehearsed plans in place for winter weather. We are currently working with teams from local authorities, the emergency services and other public bodies to respond to the disruption.' He added: 'The latest data I have is that around 0.21% of British customers are without power. 'Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible. The latest numbers I have is approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far. 'Separately, the National Grid is working with local resilience forums to open local community centres and warm spaces in the areas worst impacted by the storm, offering food and accommodation for those who need it today and across the weekend. 'Welfare vans in south-west England will also be available to those who require additional support and the British Red Cross is also providing extra assistance to the most vulnerable customers.' Following the storm, Birmingham Airport said in an update at 7.30am that its runway had reopened with a reduced service but urged passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline. It said: 'Our runway has reopened on a reduced basis, and our teams are working to get passengers away as efficiently as possible. 'Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience Storm Goretti has caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority Passengers due to travel are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline.' East Midlands Airport said at 6am that its runway had reopened after being closed overnight due to heavy snow on the runway, but passengers were warned delays may linger throughout the day. British Airways cancelled 25 departures and 27 arrivals scheduled to operate at London's Heathrow Airport today. The vast majority of affected flights were on short-haul routes. Cornwall Council advised residents to avoid travelling this morning. A woman walks past an upturned beach hut in Hasting earlier today People walk and cycle this morning after heavy snowfall in the Harbourne area of Birmingham Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse Local residents look on as properties are demolished close to the cliff edge at Hemsby today Snow-covered Edinburgh is pictured this morning as Storm Goretti hits the UK A fallen tree in Falmouth, Cornwall, today as Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK People walking on Pen y Fan in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales today A person walks through the snow on Edinburgh's Calton Hill today as Storm Goretti hits the UK A fallen tree on a road in Plymouth, Devon, today after it came down at about 9.30pm last night A slip warning bollard sits in the frozen fountain of Victoria Square after overnight snow in Birmingham on Friday Overnight snow covers the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham this morning People shield against the weather in Westminster today as the storm brings severe conditions Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall, today, during Storm Goretti Snow covers Calton Hill in Edinburgh today as Storm Goretti sweeps across the UK A woman walks through snow today in Dowlais, a village in the Merthyr Tydfil area of Wales Cars go through surface water on Row Lane near Emmer Green in Berkshire this morning An overturned van on the A30 near Blackwater in Cornwall today following Storm Goretti Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning A man clears snow from a pavement in Dowlais in the Merthyr Tydfil area of South Wales today Falmouth University student Anna Richmond inspects the damage to her car this morning Vehicles covered in snow are parked in Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales today Fallen trees in St Austell, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti battered the UK with 99mph winds Commuters battle with the wintry conditions on London Bridge this morning amid Storm Goretti Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today Overnight snow covers the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham this morning Workers clear fallen trees from a road in St Austell, Cornwall, this morning after Storm Goretti It said: 'Roads and public transport remain disrupted this morning as we deal with the aftermath of Storm Goretti. Please avoid travelling if you can.' It added: 'A large number of roads are still closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines and debris. Our teams are working around the clock to clear them, and we ask that you give crews the space they need to carry out urgent repairs safely.' All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm yesterday, Network Rail said. In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds. Rail services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day today due to the weather, National Rail said. Met Office red alerts over past five years January 8, 2026 - Wind - Storm Goretti - South West England - Wind - Storm Goretti - South West England January 24, 2025 - Wind - Storm Eowyn - Northern Ireland; Central, Tayside & Fife; Strathclyde; Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders - Wind - Storm Eowyn - Northern Ireland; Central, Tayside & Fife; Strathclyde; Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders December 7, 2024 - Wind - Storm Darragh - South West England; Wales - Wind - Storm Darragh - South West England; Wales January 22, 2024 - Wind - Grampian; Highlands & Eilean Siar - Wind - Grampian; Highlands & Eilean Siar October 21, 2023 - Rain - Grampian; Central, Tayside & Fife; - Rain - Grampian; Central, Tayside & Fife; July 18, 2022 - Heat - East of England; North West England; West Midlands; Yorkshire & Humber; South West England; London & South East England - Heat - East of England; North West England; West Midlands; Yorkshire & Humber; South West England; London & South East England February 18, 2022 - Wind - Storm Eunice - London & South East England; East of England; South West England; Wales; South West England - Wind - Storm Eunice - London & South East England; East of England; South West England; Wales; South West England November 26, 2021 - Wind - Storm Arwen - Grampian; North East England; Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders; Central, Tayside & Fife Advertisement Avanti West Coast said 'do not travel' advice was in place on its Midlands routes until 1pm today. The train operator, which runs services on the West Coast Main Line, said: 'An amended timetable will operate across all routes from 0700 until 1500, when we currently expect services to return to normal. 'We strongly recommend travelling outside these times if possible.' West Midlands Railway said it has suspended all services, adding: 'We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon.' No rail replacement road transport is being provided because of 'uncertain road conditions', it added. London Northwestern Railway said it had suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until this afternoon. Its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston were reduced. Train operator Transport for Wales said it will not run services on the majority of its routes today. They include: Llandudno Junction to Llandudno; Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog; Wrexham to Bidston; Craven Arms to Swansea (via Heart of Wales Line); west of Carmarthen; Maesteg to Ebbw; Hereford to Shrewsbury; Shrewsbury to Birmingham International; and Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth. Its other routes will have a reduced service all day. Chiltern Railways, which plans to operate around half of its normal timetable, said it was not running services north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon. Stations at Hatton, Lapworth, Kings Sutton, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Sudbury & Harrow Road and South Ruislip will also not be served today. Rail replacement buses will not be in operation, Chiltern said in a statement on its website. 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.' A number of East Midlands Railway (EMR) services will be affected by snow today. EMR said the Hope Valley, the 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 at least 10am today. Cars go through surface water on Row Lane near Emmer Green in Berkshire this morning Damage caused by trees today after they fell during Storm Goretti in Falmouth, Cornwall Properties are demolished on the cliff at Hemsby in Norfolk today because of a risk of collapse Snow covers Calton Hill in Edinburgh today as Storm Goretti sweeps across the UK A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall, today, during Storm Goretti Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning People shield against the weather in Westminster today as the storm brings severe conditions A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today Birmingham wakes up to a thick covering of snow this morning as Storm Goretti sweeps in A very quiet Richmond station in South West London at 7.30am today during Storm Goretti Fallen trees in St Austell, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti battered the UK with 99mph winds Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today Birmingham wakes up to a thick covering of snow this morning as Storm Goretti sweeps in Fallen trees in St Austell, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti battered the UK with 99mph winds Overnight snow covers the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham this morning Damage caused to beach huts by rough seas and strong winds in Folkestone, Kent, today A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning Fallen trees in St Austell, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti battered the UK with 99mph winds Overnight snow covers the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today An overturned van on the A30 near Blackwater in Cornwall today following Storm Goretti Fallen trees in St Austell, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti battered the UK with 99mph winds Snowfall at Mow Cop Castle on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire this morning A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti blocks a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning Damage caused to a promenade and sea wall by rough seas in Folkestone, Kent, today A fallen tree in Falmouth, Cornwall, today as Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK 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.' National Highways said three out of four northbound lanes of the M1 motorway were closed between Junction 28 for Mansfield and Junction 29 for Chesterfield following a crash involving a lorry. Recovery of the lorry had started and specialised winter fleet vehicles were en route to clear snow which settled in the closed lanes. Drivers faced delays of up to half an hour as congestion stretched for four miles. National Highways also said the A30 in Cornwall was closed in both directions between the A394 at Longrock and the A3074 at St Erth 'due to a large number of trees that have fallen and are blocking the road', with Devon and Cornwall Police assisting at the scene. Meanwhile the A628 Woodhead Pass connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire remained closed in both directions between the A616 for Flouch and the A57 for Hollingworth because of snow. Drivers were advised to use the M60, M62 and M1 as an alternative route. Derbyshire County Council said some of the highest roads in the Peak District have been closed since last night. The roads that remain closed this morning are parts of the A57 Snake Pass, the A54/A537 Cat and Fiddle, the A6024 Holme Moss, the A53 Axe Edge and the A5004, Long Hill. Holidaymakers battle the snow outside Birmingham Airport today after flights were cancelled Overnight snow covers homes and roads in Birmingham this morning following Storm Goretti Council workers clear fallen trees from a road in Falmouth, Cornwall, today after Storm Goretti Motorists battle through heavy snow falling over Belgrave Middleway in Birmingham overnight The sky turns pink during snowfall in the Small Heath area of Birmingham early this morning Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning A Jet2 plane at Birmingham Airport this morning as flights were disrupted by heavy snow Overnight snow covers homes and roads in Birmingham this morning following Storm Goretti Holidaymakers battle the snow outside Birmingham Airport today after flights were cancelled Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands A paramedic digs out a stuck ambulance in Church Stretton in Shropshire this morning A car hit by a tree on the main St Austell to Mevagissey road in Cornwall this morning Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands The council said: 'Our fleet of gritters, fitted with snowploughs, have been out on the main roads all through the night. They will continue to do this throughout the day. 'We won't have been able to get to any smaller roads so far. In the north of the county, where we closed five of our highest roads last night, we'll go and take a look at those later this morning.' National Highways also said the A30 in Cornwall is closed in both directions between the A394 for Longrock and the A3074 for Longstone because of 'a large number of fallen trees that are blocking the road'. How do we name storms and why has Storm Goretti got a French name? - Why do we name storms? In 2015, the Met Office launched a scheme inviting the public to suggest names for storms, to raise awareness of the dangers of severe weather. The forecaster said using a single, recognisable name for a storm helps the public better understand the risks and take action to keep themselves safe. - When is a storm named? The decision is linked to weather warnings. If a storm is disruptive or dangerous enough for an amber or red warning to be issued, the Met Office gives it a name. Named storms are often expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain that could lead to flooding, or significant snowfall. - How is a name chosen? The Met Office uses suggestions from the public to agree a list of names for the year ahead, working together with Irish forecaster Met Eireann, and Dutch forecaster KNMI as the storm naming group for western Europe. A name is avoided if it is too difficult to pronounce, has different meanings in different countries, or if it is associated with a private company, public figure, or a storm that has previously caused loss of life. The US National Hurricane Centre does not use storm names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y or Z, so, for consistency in the North Atlantic, neither does the Met Office. The alphabetical list, which runs from early September until late August the following year, alternates between male and female names. So far this season, the UK has been hit by storms Amy, Benjamin, Claudia, Bram, and now Goretti. - Why are we using the French name for Storm Goretti? With the worst of Storm Goretti's high winds expected over northern France, the storm was named by French forecaster Meteo France. To avoid confusion and ensure consistent messaging across borders, the UK forecaster is using the same name for the storm. It is the third storm this season that has been named by another European forecaster, with the Met Office adopting Meteo France's name for Storm Benjamin in October. In November, Storm Claudia, which brought heavy and persistent rain to the UK, was named by the Spanish Meteorologial Service after it severely impacted the Canary Islands. - How do other European countries name storms? Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Luxembourg work together to name storms in south-western Europe, while Norway, Sweden and Denmark agree names for storms in the north of the continent. Advertisement It added that specialist crews are working to clear the trees from the carriageway. Services on the West Midlands Metro tram network were unable to operate in Birmingham this morning due to a fallen tree. A statement issued by the network said: 'Due to fallen trees along our tram line, no service is running between Wednesbury Great Western and Edgbaston Village. 'Our civils team are working to remove the trees safely so that we can resume service as soon as possible.' The closure means trams are operating between Wolverhampton Station and Wednesbury Great Western only. Bus operator National Express West Midlands said all services were suspended until at least 8.30am 'due to difficult road conditions and low temperatures'. Ferry operator DFDS said all its sailings between Dover and France were disrupted. A statement read: 'All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel. Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers onto the first available sailing on arrival. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.' Stoke-on-Trent City Council warned of the 'worst snowfall in a decade' and reassured residents it had not run out of grit after 'misinformation' began to circulate. It said: 'We are now facing the worst snowfall we have faced in 10 years. The Met Office has predicted that we could have 3.5in of snow and temperatures as low as - 4C on Thursday into Friday morning. As a result, we are carefully managing our resources and stock of salt.' The statement added: 'Unfortunately, we have been made aware of some misinformation circulating regarding the council's salt supplies and gritting operations. It simply isn't true that we have run out of grit.' The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, was described as a 'multi-hazard event' by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm (1ft) of snow possible in parts of the UK. Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly yesterday, which is a new record for the site, the Met Office said. Weather warnings were issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely 'disruption and dangerous travelling conditions'. Met Office 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 and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.' A yellow warning for wind was issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast, while a yellow warning for snow covers swathes of England from Bath to Northumberland. Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow ran until 9am today covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire. About 10cm (4in) to 15cm (6in) of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm (1ft) on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District. Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales announced they would be closed today where the amber weather warning was issued. A yellow warning for snow and ice was also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools remained closed today, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, plus a number in Moray. The red warning, which was in place until 11pm yesterday, warned of damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations. Brits living in Cornwall and the surrounding areas received a government alert on their phones yesterday, warning them of the severe conditions. Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands A car hit by a tree on the main St Austell to Mevagissey road in Cornwall this morning Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning Vehicles abandoned in Birmingham this morning as heavy snow hits the West Midlands A car hit by a tree on the main St Austell to Mevagissey road in Cornwall this morning Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning Holidaymakers battle the snow outside Birmingham Airport today after flights were cancelled Snow-covered Birmingham Airport today as flights are cancelled due to the conditions A car hit by a tree on the main St Austell to Mevagissey road in Cornwall this morning Pink light from grow lights at Birmingham City Football Club illuminates the sky this morning The Met Office's website says 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. 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. Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Council defended its gritting after Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume said she was 'concerned' about untreated routes and pavements after snow caused coastal areas to grind to a 'halt'. Travel expert reveals what to do if your flight or train is disrupted during Storm Goretti By RORY BOLAND Widespread travel disruption is expected today, so whether you're planning to travel by plane, rail or ferry, be sure to check with your operator for the latest information before you set out. If your flight is disrupted due to the storm and you are flying with a UK or EU airline, or are departing a UK or EU airport with any carrier, your airline must look after you. You'll have rights to assistance which can include food and drink and even overnight accommodation if necessary, depending on the length of your delay. In the event your journey is cancelled, you also have the option to receive a refund or be rerouted on the next available flight. Rerouting will be the best option in most cases, as this means your airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible - even if this means buying you tickets with a rival carrier who is departing sooner. Rory Boland is editor of Which? Travel Advertisement Business owners also said they had to clear pavements, but the council told BBC News that it had prioritised the 'treatment of both major and local roads, as well as key transport links' and cleared footpaths in busy areas. Labour MP Ms Hume said: 'Businesses have told me that they've had cancellations because customers are unable to walk on the pavement to the premises. 'A garage has had to cancel all their staff because no one can get their cars in, another business told me that on Saturday 11 out of 14 bookings, probably another five to six walk-ins, they'd missed.' 'Staff still have to be paid, of course, but there's no money coming in the front.' Scotland's First Minister John Swinney will visit the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) Amey depot in Aberdeen today to hear about recovery efforts as part of the wider ongoing response to the severe weather in northern Scotland. All 'priority one' routes in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands are open, but Traffic Scotland confirmed snow gates remain closed on the B974 Bridge of Dye, and many local routes remain affected. Rail lines around the country have now reopened, with the northern section of the Far North Line between Brora and Wick/Thurso being finally cleared of snow yesterday evening. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop welcomed the news, posting on social media: 'Thank you Network Rail Scotland - huge effort in very challenging conditions.' Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a 'good chance' some rural communities would be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts. Ministers attended a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room yesterday afternoon, after which Justice Secretary Angela Constance provided an update on recovery efforts. 'Following five days of amber warnings and hugely challenging snow and ice conditions across northern Scotland, progress to fully recover continues,' she said. 'However, there are yellow weather warnings in place overnight for most of Scotland, and with Storm Goretti set to affect other parts of the UK and a cold but still unpredictable weather picture for Scotland over the weekend, it is clear that impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days.' Mr Swinney also emphasised that the focus has now turned to recovery efforts. He said: 'We've had a period of really intense and heavy snowfall in certain parts of Scotland, particularly the North East, the Highlands and the Northern Isles and the Western Isles, and the Government has been closely engaged with local resilience partnerships throughout that series of amber warnings, and those amber warnings have gone on for a prolonged number of days. 'The challenge with the snow has been, quite simply, the volume, and we've had formidable resources available in the North East and in the Highlands to clear transport routes on the trunk roads and also on the rail network, which is the responsibility of the Government.' He added: 'We are, however, thankfully, in a position where we are able to focus more on recovery than dealing with the immediate incident, and that very much is the focus of all local resilience partnerships, and the Government is supporting with the reallocation of resources where that is possible to do so.' Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: 'We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible. 'Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.' Meanwhile employers are being urged not to punish workers who cannot get to the office because of the bad weather. The TUC said people should not be forced to take excessive risks by making dangerous journeys in the storm currently battering parts of the UK. Firms should have clear weather policies to set out what staff should do when snow and ice, or a lack of public transport, prevents them from getting to work, said the union organisation. When snow causes transport problems it makes sense for employers to enable staff to work from home if possible, said the TUC. General secretary Paul Nowak said: 'This will be a stressful time for many people, especially with forecasters sounding the alarm. 'Employers must show basic common sense and understanding. 'No-one should be pressured into making dangerous journeys and workers shouldn't be punished with lost pay or forced to take holidays because the weather makes travel impossible. 'Good bosses will already have bad weather policies in place so staff know where they stand. They will also recognise that when schools are closed some parents will not be able to work as they have to care for their children.' Newborn baby towed home by tractor during Scottish snowstorm This is the sweet moment a newborn baby was towed home by a tractor during a snowstorm. Mother Gracie Ballantine, 31, was snowed in after a blizzard hit northern Scotland while she was ready to give birth any day. After a false alarm which led her and partner Jake to travel to Aberdeen for two days, she returned home - where her waters broke almost immediately. They rushed to the nearby Peterhead Maternity Unit, where baby Frank was born. The couple were desperate to get home from hospital before roads worsened again, but became stuck nearly half a mile from their home. Frank is towed home following his birth at Peterhead Maternity Unit in Scotland A neighbour was able to tow the family car back home behind his tractor in Scotland Thankfully, a kind neighbour was able to rescue them - towing the family car back home behind his tractor. 'We never would have made it up that road - the roads were so bad,' said Ms Ballantine. 'We would have had to walk about a quarter of a mile, so it was such a relief.' Days earlier, hoping to have her baby in the nearby Peterhead Maternity Unit, Ms Ballantine and her partner booked a hotel close by and travelled once able. But when Ms Ballantine began experiencing contractions, she was told the hospital was having issues with their gas and air, and she would have to travel to Aberdeen. 'On 2 January, we'd had a massive dump of snow - we'd been snowed in for a few days, and we couldn't even leave the house because the snow was so bad,' she said. 'I really wanted to give birth in Peterhead because we're about 20 minutes from there, but I was starting to have a few things happen. We were worried we weren't going to be able to get to the hospital, so we booked a hotel in Peterhead so we were close by. The couple made it home safely with the newest addition to their family 'On the 5th, I was having contractions, so we went to hospital and they said they couldn't take me because they had an issue with their gas and air. They advised me to go through to Aberdeen - the journey was horrendous, the roads were so bad. 'There were cars everywhere, there was a lorry jacknifed - I was being sick, thinking I was going into labour. We phoned an ambulance because I thought I was going to have him in the van.' But her labour was a false alarm, and after two nights in Aberdeen, she received a call that Peterhead Hospital was ready to take them. 'We made our way back to my mum's house on the 7th,' said Ms Ballantine. 'I sat down on my mum's bed for a lie down and my waters just went. Frank was born three hours later.' She stayed in hospital for 24 hours, but the couple were eager to get home to avoid being snowed in further. Facing a treacherous last mile of the journey, the couple called their neighbours, Graham and Lynn Pirie, who immediately came to the rescue with their tractor. Jake with baby Frank following his birth at Peterhead Maternity Unit in Scotland 'We rent our house from Graham and Lynn, and they've helped us up the track before,' said Ms Ballantine. 'I said we're heading home with our baby, and could they be on call if we can't get up the road. 'Graham had been feeding the sheep and he came as quick as he could. He got us up the road safe, and that was it, we got home.' The couple made it home safely with the newest addition to their family - but thanks to the icy roads, still hasn't met his siblings, aged three and two. They are grateful to the midwifery staff and to Mr and Mrs Pirie - and say they can't wait until the family is reunited. 'The farmers have been amazing throughout this period of snow,' said Ms Ballantine. 'I've seen all the work that they've been doing because the roads have been so bad, so thank you to all the farmers. 'The midwives and staff at the Peterhead Maternity Unit were brilliant, and of course thank you to Graham and Lynn. We've got two children already who are stuck at my mum's house because the snow's so bad. 'It'll be nice once everything's back to normal and we can get on with our little lives. We had so many things stacked against us with the weather, but I got what I wanted - my birth at Peterhead, and Frank home safely.' Advertisement Stranded dog rescued from icy water by lifeboat team after fleeing from his owner and hiding under pier A stranded dog has been rescued from icy water by a lifeboat crew after getting out of its collar and hiding under a pier. The dramatic rescue unfolded after a three-year-old Border Collie was startled by a loud noise and slipped his collar, fleeing from his owner. The owner was left waiting in bitterly cold and wet conditions hoping her Collie, named Karoo, would return to the last place she saw him. Karoo was eventually pulled to safety by a lifeboat crew beneath Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight. This followed a search carried out by volunteers for Drone Search and Rescue (SAR) For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight. This series of photos shows how a dog was rescued from under Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight The Collie had been taken to the town by bus to get used to public transport during quieter times, but a sudden loud noise startled him and he slipped his collar and fled. A spokesperson for Drone SAR For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight said: 'The search quietly began, in order not to scare Karoo, who had made his way back towards the bus station - but got it a bit wrong and ended up underneath Ryde Pier. 'Wightlink [ferry] staff heard barking, located him and immediately called the Coastguard.' Bembridge Inshore Lifeboat was tasked to the rescue, and Karoo was found beneath the pier and brought aboard the lifeboat at 10:30pm. The Drone SAR For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight spokesperson said that 'Karoo, although very wet and cold, recovered well from his experience'. The Collie was monitored overnight for signs of secondary drowning, but is now recovering well after being reunited with his owner. Vladimir Putin unleashed his sinister nuclear-capable 8,000 mph Oreshnik missile in a strike on the outskirts of Ukrainian city Lviv, Russia confirmed. The menacing attack close to NATO and EU territory was aimed at Europe's largest underground gas storage facility, it is believed. The Defence Ministry said in a statement that the strike was a response to an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of the Russian dictator's residences at the end of December. Kyiv has called the Kremlin's assertion that it tried to attack the residence, in Russia's Novgorod's region, 'a lie'. It came on a night of death and destruction for Ukraine with massive attacks on civilians in their homes especially in Kyiv and Volodymyr Zelensky's birthplace Kryvyi Rih. It was initially unclear that NATO warplanes in nearby Poland had time to scramble as they routinely do when faced with ballistic missile strikes on western Ukraine. The Oreshnik was fired from the Astrakhan region, deep in Russia, and took less than 15 minutes to explode over Lviv in a trademark shower of bright flashes with the night sky turning pink-red. The extraordinary speed initially fuelled speculation online that Russia used an Oreshnik-type ballistic weapon, but Ukrainian investigators say confirmation of the weapon used will only be possible after analysis of the debris. Vladimir Putin unleashed his sinister nuclear-capable 8,000 mph Oreshnik missile in a strike on the outskirts of Ukrainian city Lviv, Russian confirmed The menacing attack close to NATO and EU territory was aimed at Europe's largest underground gas storage facility, it is believed The menacing attack close to NATO and EU territory was aimed at Europe's largest underground gas storage facility, it is believed However, the Russian defence ministry admitted to using Oreshnik - claiming it was in response to a Ukrainian bid to kill Putin with a strike on his palace in Valdai, north of Moscow. Western intelligence and Ukraine are adamant there was no such strike. 'In response to the Kyiv regime's terrorist attack on the residence of the President of the Russian Federation in the Novgorod region, which took place on the night of December 29, 2025, the Russian Armed Forces launched a massive strike using long-range, land- and sea-based precision weapons, including the Oreshnik medium-range ground-mobile missile system, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), against critical targets in Ukraine,' said the Moscow defence ministry. 'The strike's objectives were achieved. 'The [drone] production facilities used in the terrorist attack were hit, as well as energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex. 'Any terrorist actions by the criminal Ukrainian regime will not go unanswered.' It was only the second time it has been used in anger, the first being in Dnipro in 2024 when it was deployed without a warhead in a ploy to terrorise the population. The 'unstoppable' Oreshnik system is now based close to Ukraine and NATO territory in Belarus - but this strike came from the Kapustin Yar missile test range in the Astraphan region, and may have taken less than seven minutes to cover the 900 mile range to hit its target. Russian pro-Putin propaganda channel War Gonzo boasted: 'The power of the explosions was so great thatthey were felt by residents of the entire region.' The damage to the giant Stryi gas storage facility - vital for Ukrainian supplies, especially in midwinter - was initially unclear. Even a reduced or inert warhead strike by Putin amounts to a high-speed show of force used less to level targets than to terrify, signal escalation and advertise that nowhere feels out of range. The strike on Lviv is the clearest indication yet that Putin has no intention of heeding Donald Trump's warnings for an end to the war and a peace settlement. Russia also repeatedly struck Kyiv in a long and hellish night of deadly attacks, killing and maiming dozens of Ukrainians in a missile and drone onslaught on residential districts. In the Ukrainian capital, at least four people were killed and 24 wounded in strikes over six hours, including five rescuers. Up to 35 Russian missiles and hundreds of Shahed loitering munitions were deployed in the attack which pounded Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leading to power outages. Water supplier Kyivvodokanal said infrastructure in the city was destroyed, impacting supply in the Pecherskyi district and Livoberezhnyi Masyv. 'Twenty residential buildings alone were damaged,' Zelensky said, referring to Kyiv and its suburbs. A dead body of a paramedic lies on the ground in front of a residential building damaged by a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, January 9, 2026 In the Ukrainian capital, at least four people were killed and 19 wounded in strikes over six hours Russia repeatedly struck Kyiv in a long and hellish night of deadly attacks, killing and maiming dozens of Ukrainians in a missile and drone onslaught Firefighters clear debris in a damaged residential building following a Russian attack in Kyiv early on January 9, 2026, In Kryvyi Rih, one residential property was 'simply cut in half' in a ballistic missile attack. There were 23 victims, including six children, with one woman killed. Putin also staged new artillery strikes on Ukraine's Sumy region - as the war appears to be worsening, not edging towards peace. Ukraine struck Russia with a fearsome explosion at Orlovskaya Thermal Power Station in the Oryol region. There is no suggestion the overnight Oreshnik strike was nuclear - despite its atomic capability. Putin claims targets are incinerated by conventional Oreshnik missiles unleashing a temperature of 4,000C, almost as hot as the surface of the sun. An Oreshnik launch from Belarus could hit London in eight minutes, far shorter than the time it would take from its earlier launch site in Kapustin Yar in southern Russia, according to Moscow sources. Before today, Putin had only used the 'game-changing' nuclear-capable weapon once - in a 'test' launch in November 2024 against Ukrainian city Dnipro, without a live warhead, an operation aimed at scaring both Kyiv and the West. The government of Ukraine wrote on Telegram that the Qatari Embassy was damaged by a Russian drone last night, 'in addition to our usual civilian infrastructure and energy facilities'. 'Qatar is a country that is doing so much to mediate with Russia to free prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons,' the statement said. The Ukrainian president called for the world to act after Russia hit western Ukraine with its new Oreshnik ballistic missile. 'A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to,' Zelensky said on social media. 'Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure,' he added. The husband and wife owners of the Swiss ski bar that went up in flames arrived for questioning at the prosecutor's office today. Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica, 40, face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. The couple were photographed arriving for a hearing in Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais with Mrs Moretti seen in tears as the pair made their way through a throng of photographers. It comes as Switzerland marks a national day of mourning for the dozens of mostly teenagers killed when fire ravaged the ski resort nightclub crammed with New Year revellers. Just over a week after the tragedy at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead and 116 injured, the wealthy Alpine nation will come to a standstill for a minute of silence at 2.00pm (1300 GMT). A chorus of church bells will then ring throughout the country. The moment of silence will stand as a 'testament to the shared grief felt by the entire nation with all the families and friends directly affected', the Swiss government said in a statement. At the same time, a memorial ceremony for the victims will be held in Martigny, a town about 31 miles down the valley from Crans-Montana, which had been rendered all but inaccessible by a large snowstorm. Inhabitants of the plush ski resort town will meanwhile be able to watch the ceremony as it is livestreamed to large screens, including at the congress centre that for days after the tragedy accommodated families seeking news of missing loved ones. A memorial that has sprung up in front of the bar, loaded with flowers, candles and messages of grief and support, was covered in an igloo-like tarp on Thursday to protect it from the heavy snowfall. Inside, a woman broke down sobbing as she tried to light a candle late Thursday, as another woman laid a consoling arm around her. On a nearby table, a thick memorial book brims with messages. 'A great national loss forever etched in our minds. May they rest in peace,' one reads. 'My heart is heavy,' reads another. 'Everything is different now,' said a French woman in her 30s who works seasonally in Crans-Montana and who did not want to give her name. 'Before, this place was all smiles. Now, there are no more smiles here,' she told AFP Friday. The husband and wife owners of the Swiss ski bar that went up in flames have arrived for questioning at the prosecutor's office Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence Mr Moretti, who owns three businesses around CransMontana, was not in Le Constellation on the night of the fire, but his wife was, and suffered a burned arm Mourners stand in front of a tent sheltering flowers and candles left in tribute to the victims following a bar fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, January 8, 2025 Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who has declared the fire 'one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced', will be joined for the ceremony by his French and Italian counterparts, whose countries lost nine and six nationals respectively in the fire. Top officials from Belgium, Luxembourg, Serbia and the European Union were also due to participate in the ceremony. Most of those impacted by the inferno at Le Constellation were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among the fatalities and the wounded. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) said in a social media post that nine football players from three regional clubs in western Switzerland died in the incident. Half of those killed in the blaze were under 18, including some as young as 14. Johan Verthoogen, a 31-year-old tourist from Belgium, told AFP he had been nearby on the night of the disaster, and had seen numerous fatalities laid out under blankets. 'It was really tough... to see those bodies,' he said. 'They were kids.' Of those injured, 83 remain in hospital, with the most severely burned airlifted to specialist centres across Switzerland and abroad. Prosecutors believe the blaze started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling in the bar's basement section. Experts have suggested that what appeared to be highly flammable foam may have caused a so-called flashover - a near-simultaneous ignition of everything in an enclosed space, trapping many of the young patrons. Video footage which has emerged from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out. On Tuesday, municipal authorities acknowledged that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at Le Constellation since 2019, prompting outrage. EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib writes a message on the day of a national mourning ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire at Le Constellation bar during a New Year's Eve party in Crans-Montana, in Martigny, Switzerland, January 9, 2026 A child watches as an adult places a candle outside the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, January 3, 2026 The coffin of Riccardo Minghetti, one of the 40 victims of the fire, is carried out of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at the end of his funeral service in Rome, Italy, on January 7, 2026 Images show the moment before a deadly New Year's Eve blaze at a Swiss ski resort bar killed at least 40 people The investigation underway will seek to shed light on the responsibilities of the authorities, but also of bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti A waitress at Le Constellation sitting on the shoulders of a colleague while holding a sparkler in the air, moments before the deadly blaze ripped through the bar on January 1 The investigation underway will seek to shed light on the responsibilities of the authorities, but also of bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti. The French couple, who have not been detained, said in a statement Tuesday that they were 'devastated and overwhelmed with grief', and pledged their 'full cooperation' with investigators. They will need to answer numerous questions about why so many minors were in the bar, and whether fire safety standards were adhered to. 'We expect our clients, the families, to receive answers... and for all responsibilities from A to Z to be established,' said lawyer Romain Jordan, representing several affected families. The families, he said, want to know 'why this tragedy... was able to occur here in Switzerland, despite all the legal, legislative, and surveillance measures in place'. There has been much focus on the soundproofing foam, which, according to photos taken by the owners, had been added during renovations in 2015. A video filmed by a member of the public, screened Monday by Swiss broadcaster RTS, showed that the danger was known years ago. 'Watch out for the foam!', a bar employee said during 2019 New Year's Eve celebrations, as champagne bottles with sparklers were brought out. 'This video is staggering,' Jordan, who is expected at the hearing today, told AFP, saying it showed 'there was an awareness of this risk - and that possibly this risk was accepted'. Former staff have claimed that safety standards at the club were poor, alleging that fire extinguishers were kept under lock and key and that the bar's emergency exit was often locked. Last weekend, multiple media outlets in France and Belgium reported that Mr Moretti, who is originally from the Mediterranean island of Corsica, is well known to the French authorities. In 2005 he was implicated in a kidnap plot in Savoie, the Alpine department of France close to CransMontana, and incarcerated. Le Parisien reports: 'According to our information, Jacques Moretti is no stranger to the French justice system. 'He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, as well as for a kidnapping and confinement case. He was imprisoned in Savoie.' Quoting its own legal source, RTL, the radio network, reported: 'The Corsicanborn man in his sixties was imprisoned in Savoie in 2005, for involvement in cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.' There was no initial response to the revelations from lawyers representing Mr Moretti. Swiss attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said: '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.' Mr Moretti has claimed his bar 'followed all safety regulations', despite being inspected only 'three times in ten years' by health and safety officials. Article 8 of the local fire prevention code states that inspections must take place 'every year in buildings open to the public or presenting special risks'. Mr Moretti, who owns three businesses around CransMontana, was not in Le Constellation on the night of the fire, but his wife was, and suffered a burned arm. He and his wife have also been accused of 'destruction of evidence' after the bar's social media accounts were blocked during the blaze. Jordan said that the nightclub's Facebook and Instagram accounts and website had been suspended as firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames and rescue victims. The blaze broke out at about 1.30am and the accounts were blocked 'between 3am and 6.30am', he told The Times. 'Its quite striking,' the lawyer added. 'Its curious that while the emergency operation was under way, someone was thinking about this.' He said the suspended social media accounts had previously shared videos of the New Years Eve party at the bar and of previous festivities. 'They showed how the bar was, and [the suspension] shows that the question of security came to the managers minds straight away,' he said. A promotional video for Le Constellation shows waitresses passing around champagne bottles fitted with sparklers, and carrying buckets full of several bottles also with sparklers inside. A promotional video for the club shows waitresses passing around champagne bottles fitted with sparklers Asked at a press conference on Tuesday about the fact that the bar had not been checked in five years, Crans-Montanas mayor Nicolas Feraud said: 'I have no answer for you today.' 'Were profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families,' he added. He said it was 'down to the judges to know whether well be part of this case or not', referring to whether councillors will be questioned as part of the criminal investigation that has been opened by Swiss prosecutors. He added that 'the city of Crans-Montana, we believe we are also a victim in this case'. He told reporters that officials would have 'acted immediately' had they been made aware of any safety concerns surrounding the bar. 'I would have much preferred these people come and shout at my door and say: "This is a question of not if but when."' He added: 'It is very easy to come and cry and scream now at us but how about before?' The Niguarda Hospital in Milan, where 11 burn victims from the inferno are being treated, is appealing for more tissue donations. The hospital has so far used 13,000 square centimetres of skin from its 'Tissue Bank' in just one week, according to Corriere della Sera. 'They were used to cover the wounds of four people, thus reducing the risk of infection and allowing the patients' skin to regenerate,' the newspaper said. While another 50,000 square centimeters are being stored in special refrigerators at -80C, the supplies need to be constantly replenished and the hospital is appealing for more. While organ and cornea donations increased last year (by five and 15 per cent respectively), tissue donations dropped by a quarter. Funeral of Chiara Costanzo, the 16-year-old from Milan who died in the fire at Le Constellation in Crans Montana, on January 7 in Milan, Italy Charlotte Niddam, 15, worked as a babysitter at the Crans-Montana resort. Her family confirmed her death on social media Sisters Alicia and Diana Gunst, aged 15 and 14, were reported missing and have since been confirmed to have died in the New Year inferno Teenage sisters who were celebrating the New Year have been identified as two of the 40 victims killed as a fire broke out in a bar in Switzerland - alongside a musician who was performing a DJ set as the flames took hold. Swiss nationals Alicia and Diana Gunst, 15 and 14, died in the inferno at Le Constellation bar in the early hours of January 1, alongside French producer Mateo Lesguer and 37 other people. Among the victims was 15-year-old Charlotte Niddam, who had spent time growing up in Britain, attending the private Immanuel College in Bushey, Hertfordshire and the Jewish Free School in north-west London. The teenager held British, Israeli and French citizenship and was identified with the assistance of Israeli emergency services organisation Zaka. Crans-Montana's website listed her as a babysitter available for hire at the resort. Her family confirmed her death in a social media post on Sunday, writing: '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 Charlotte's funeral is expected to take place in Paris later this week. In a tribute, Bushey United Synagogue Rebbetzen Jacqueline Feldman said: 'The world will simply not be as bright and beautiful without Charlotte and her gorgeous smile and we will all miss her dearly.' Exterior view of the closed Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Sunday, January 4, 2026, after a devastating fire in the bar left dead and injured during the New Year's celebration Exterior view of the closed Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Sunday, January 4, 2026 Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, was confirmed to be among the dead by his heartbroken mother Laetitia in a video on social media. Laetitia had last heard from her son as midnight approached, as he sent her a message reading: 'Happy New Year, mum.' She had been among the anxious parents seen in Crans-Montana showing pictures of her son to reporters, holding out hope that he may be found alive. 'Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise,' she said, visibly shaken, in the video shared online on Saturday. 'We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.' A 54-year-old British man has been arrested in Mauritius after a 17-year-old girl claimed she was indecently assaulted. The incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday in Pereybere, a small village located on the north coast of the island. The victim told her family she had been held captive by the Brit and his lawyer wife. She was then taken to hospital. The suspect was brought before a court in Pamplemousses, located in the northwest of the country, on a provisional charge of indecent assault. His wife was meanwhile admitted to a clinic in the village of Grand-Baie. The police opposed his release on bail. This comes as several Brits have been detained in Mauritius in recent months. The incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday in Pereybere Two Brits were detained on the island last autumn after a failed bid to smuggle over 3million worth of cannabis into the tropical paradise. Sinead Hart, 22, and Thomas Lee Munro, 29, were arrested after arriving on an Air France flight at Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (SSR) on October 15. They are currently behind bars on the island after they were refused bail as they prepare to be tried. In May of last year, three British women were were arrested in Mauritius after a group of nine passengers were found with over 4million worth of cannabis in their suitcases. And in June 2025, a 6-year-old British boy was detained after customs officials found 14kg of cannabis in his case. The man's wife was meanwhile admitted to a clinic in the village of Grand-Baie The number of British citizens arrested abroad over alleged drug smuggling has skyrocketed in recent months Prisoners Abroad, a charity assisting detained Britons abroad, has said the number of British citizens arrested abroad over alleged drug smuggling has skyrocketed in recent months. The charity revealed that nearly half of its new cases over the past year have involved arrests for drugs offences. Young British men and women make up the majority of these, involved in 62% and 65% respectively in 2024. Deadly violence has become a daily occurrence across parts of Mexico, where its merciless narco gangs have unleashed a wave of terror as they fight for control over territories. Over the years, beheaded corpses have been left dangling from bridges, bones dissolved in vats of acid, and hundreds of innocent civilians - including children - have met their deaths at cartel-run 'extermination' sites. US President Donald Trump has formally designated six cartels in Mexico as 'foreign terrorist organizations', arguing that the groups' involvement in drug smuggling, human trafficking and brutal acts of violence warrants the label. Now, the Trump administration has taken a step further in its war on drugs, threatening to launch a military attack on Mexico's most brutal cartels in a bid to protect US national security. But for millions of Mexicans, the reality they endure is much more bleak, as they live their lives caught in the crossfire while cartels jostle for control over lucrative drug corridors. A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicenter of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacan on a daily basis, homes are riddled with bullets, businesses shutter and schools regularly close down during waves of violence. Meanwhile, masked young men on motorcycles watch over the main avenues of the city. Your browser does not support iframes. Six alleged drug dealers were filmed as one of them was interrogated by a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel before they were shot and killed last year Screengrab shows how Culiacan was left in flames after a drug cartel attacked the Mexican army Public hangings Earlier this year, four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge in the capital of western Mexico's Sinaloa state following a surge of cartel violence. Their heads were found in a nearby plastic bag, according to prosecutors. On the same highway, officials said they found 16 more male victims with gunshot wounds, packed into a plastic van, one of whom was decapitated. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions. While little of the note's contents was coherent, the author of the note chillingly wrote: 'WELCOME TO THE NEW SINALOA' - a nod to the deadly and divided Sinaloa Cartel which is under Trump's terror list. The drug gang is one of the world's most powerful transnational criminal organisations and Mexico's deadliest. Acts of violence by the Sinaloa cartel go back several years and have only become more gruesome as the drug wars rage on. Join the debate Should the US use military force to fight Mexican cartels, or will this only worsen the violence? Twenty bodies were discovered this week, including four beheaded men hanging from a highway overpass Acid baths In 2009, a Mexican member of the Sinaloa Cartel confessed to dissolving the bodies of 300 rivals with corrosive chemicals. Santiago Meza, who became known as 'The Stew Maker' confessed he did away with bodies in industrial drums on the outskirts of the violent city of Tijuana. Meza said he was paid $600 a week by a breakaway faction of the Arellano Felix cartel to dispose of slain rivals with caustic soda, a highly corrosive substance. 'They brought me the bodies and I just got rid of them,' Meza said. 'I didn't feel anything.' More recently in 2018, the bodies of three Mexican film students in their early 20s were dissolved in acid by a rapper who had ties to one of Mexico's most violent cartels - the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, more commonly known as the CJNG. Christian Palma Gutierrez - a dedicated rapper - had dreams of making it in music and needed more money to support his family. Like many others, he was lured by the cartel after being offered $160 a week to dispose of bodies in an acid bath. When the three students unwittingly went into a property belonging to a cartel member to film a university project, they were kidnapped by Gutierrez and tortured to death, before their bodies were dissolved in acid. Santiago Meza (pictured in Mexico City in 2009), who became known as 'The Stew Maker', confessed to dissolving hundreds of bodies in acid in 2009 Mexican rapper Christian Palma Gutierrez (pictured) confessed to being on the payroll of the local drug cartel and to dissolving the bodies of three students in acid Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences staff work at a house connected to the kidnapping and murder of three university students Beheadings, mutilations and executions The brutal act is just another example of how cartels in Mexico use violence to teach their rivals or potential threats a message. The CJNG is known for leaving bodies battered as warning signs to anybody who would dare cross the cartel again. In 2020, three people between the ages of 22 and 25 were left in critical condition, including a pregnant woman, with their hands missing, after they were accused of theft. Their bodies were found bloodied in the back of a truck in Guanajuato by witnesses. 'This happened to me for being a thief, and because I didn't respect hard working people and continued to rob them,' read one message attached to one of the men. 'Anyone who does the same will suffer.' Video footage published on Twitter showed the pregnant woman begging witnesses for help. Her hands, placed in a bag next to her, were recovered by paramedics. A woman, aged 22, and two men aged 23 and 25, were found dumped beside a highway in Mexico while blindfolded and bound, with their hands hacked off by the cartels The CJNG gang are said to be responsible for thousands of deaths and the disappearance of many people Last year, six drug dealers were filmed being executed after confessing to working for a high-ranking police officer. The execution was filmed and posted to social media, with a terrifying video showing the six men lined up together by alleged members of the CJNG as the man talking behind the cell phone camera interrogates them. Within a matter of seconds, each drug dealer was shot in the back of the head. Their bodies were placed inside six garbage bags that were left during the early hours of Monday at two neighborhoods within the Michoacan municipality of Zitacuaro. The cartel hung two banners made out of cloths that threatened the National Guard. 'You want war, war is what you will get,' the sign read. In September 2011, Mexican police found five decomposing heads left in a sack outside a primary school in Acapulco. Dozens of schools went on strike over security concerns as violence ramped up in the region. Teachers were seen out protesting with banners reading 'Acapulco requires peace and security'. Earlier that day, in another part of the city, five headless bodies were found in and around a burned out car. Separating the heads from the bodies has no practical use for the cartels in disguising the murders, but inflames the sense of terror in the population. Eleven years later, on the other side of the country, five more decapitated heads were found in an ice cooler in Tamaulipas. The cooler contained a note from a cartel warning their rivals to 'stop hiding'. These tactics are not limited to some cartels or regions, then, but have found application across Mexico for years. In September 2011, Mexican police found five decomposing heads left in a sack outside a primary school in Acapulco Hitmen allegedly from the Mexican 'Sinaloa Cartel' reportedly abandoned a cooler filled with severed human heads at a gas station in La Concordia, southern Mexico with a note warning their rivals to 'stop hiding' High explosives and drones Cartels have also been known to use high explosives to attack the state, as well as to undermine the work of rival criminal groups. Firebombing in 2015 by the CJNG allowed the cartel to destroy government banks, five petrol stations and 36 vehicles as they clashed with the authorities. In 2019, another 27 were killed as cartel members threw molotov cocktails at a nightclub in Veracruz. Six of 11 injured were left with burns covering 90% of their bodies. The cartel blocked the exits and many who did not die from the fire suffocated without air. Not only rival gang members are targeted. In 2008, during a Mexican Independence Day celebration, two grenades were thrown by Los Zetas members into a crowd of 30,000 in Morelia city. The blast killed at least eight. With drug money, cartels have been able to expand their arsenals, making drones a mainstay of their terror tactics. Remote controlled UAVs equipped with bombs now give the cartel air superiority in regions of Mexico, sending residents running for their lives. Nearly half the population of Chinicuila city in Michoacan fled when the cartel tested its new technology on a contested part of Mexico in December 2021. Violence in Mexico began rising sharply in 2006, following the launch of a military-led campaign against drug cartels under then-President Felipe Calderon of the conservative PAN party. Killings kept rising from then and peaked during the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who governed from 2018 to 2024. Cartels have also been known to use high explosives to attack the state. Pictured: An aerial view of a drone attack by a drug gang in 2015 A bloody power struggle erupted in September last year between two rival factions, pushing the city of Sinaloa to a standstill. The war for territorial control was triggered by the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman who then delivered him to US authorities via a private plane. Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico's violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control. The New York Times reported that the factional war has forced El Chapo's sons to ally with its adversary, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Extermination sites Since September last year, more than 2,000 people have been reported murdered or missing in connection to the internal war. Hundreds of grim discoveries have been made by security forces, but the most shocking of all came in March last year - so gruesome that it chilled even hardened investigators. It was a secret compound near Teuchitlan, Jalisco, where the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) allegedly ran a full-scale 'extermination site'. Buried beneath Izaguirre ranch, authorities found three massive crematory ovens. They contained piles of charred human bones, and a haunting mountain of belongings - over 200 pairs of shoes, purses, belts, and even children's toys. Experts believe victims were kidnapped, tortured and burnt alive, or after being executed, to destroy evidence of mass killings. The chilling find was made on a ranch that has been secured by cops several months prior. When cops stormed the site, they arrested ten armed members of the cartel, and found three people who had been reported missing (two were being held hostage, while the third was dead, wrapped in plastic). Two hundred pairs of shoes were discovered at Izaguirre ranch, the skeletal remains of dozens of people were found Some activists say the ranch was used to lure in innocent victims to teach them how to become killers The Mexican National Guard arrives at the ranch to investigate the gruesome find Jose Murguia Santiago, the mayor of the nearby town, was also arrested in connection to the crimes. The ranch was also being used as a training centre for the cartel, who have now been declared a terrorist organisation by US president Donald Trump's administration. Several advocates in Mexico have raised concerns about cartel brutality. Two of them, a mother and son duo, were slaughtered in April this year after revealing what was going on at the ranch, which they called an 'extermination camp'. Maria del Carmen Morales, 43, and her son, Jamie Daniel Ramirez Morales, 26, were staunch advocates for missing people in Mexico. According to cops, 'a pair of men' targeted Daniel in Jalisco and when his mother stepped in to defend him, she was also set upon. Maria's other son went missing in February the previous year. She fought tirelessly to find out what had happened to him. US President Donald Trump has formally designated six cartels in Mexico as 'foreign terrorist organizations' and has threatened to launch military action against them Reports indicate that since 2010, 28 mothers have been killed while searching for their relatives. Just a few weeks after the ranch was discovered, authorities in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, unearthed 169 black bags at a construction site, all filled with dismembered human remains. The bags were hidden near CJNG territory, where disappearances are widespread. Activists say families reported dozens of missing young people in the area in recent months. Frozen Europe has grinded to a halt as Storm Goretti continues to wreak havoc, with -20C blizzards disrupting trains, planes and causing enormous traffic jams in Germany. Northwestern France has been hit by strong winds of 135mph as the nation copes with mass blackouts, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. At least 30 are being treated across the country with weather-related injuries. Red snow warnings have been issued for the north of Germany around Hamburg, with up to 15 centimetres of snow expected. The country's national meteorological service, the DWD, warned of the potential for black ice build-up, particularly in the west and south of the country. Long-distance trains were halted in the north on Friday and services were also affected in other parts of Germany as winter storms sweep across Europe, the rail operator said. 'Long-distance rail travel in northern Germany is no longer possible,' said Deutsche Bahn in a statement, adding that services from Berlin to Hamburg, and to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia state were also impacted. More than 14,000 employees have been mobilised to clear snow from tracks and platforms. Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP. Some regions have announced schools will shut on Friday, including in the cities of Hamburg and Bremen. At least eight people have died in weather-related accidents this week across Europe, the latest being a man whose body was recovered from floodwater in the Albanian city of Durres on Thursday following days of heavy snowfall and torrential rain across the Balkans. A streetcar stops at a stop in the city center in the early morning in heavy snowfall in Hanover, Germany, Friday, January 9, 2026 Trucks are stuck in traffic on the A5 highway as the country faces heavy snowfall and disruptions to air and train traffic near Breitenbach, Germany, January 9, 2026 Broken electric cables and fallen trees blocking a road, following the passage of the storm Goretti, in Dodainville, near Saint-Marcouf, northwestern France, January 9, 2026 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrat Union (CDU) cancelled its first significant party meeting of the year due to severe weather brought by the storm, called Storm Elli in Germany. 'Due to the severe weather warnings and the associated dangers, as well as the announced train and flight cancellations, we unfortunately feel compelled to cancel our annual kick-off meeting this coming Friday and Saturday,' the CDU spokeswoman said. Sections of Berlin's River Spree froze on Thursday, as snow encased the German capital. Excluding the mountainous areas in Bavaria, Berlin is notorious for regularly enduring some of the harshest winters anywhere in the country. In a statement on Thursday, the DWD said: 'Fresh snowfalls in the evening and the night into Friday arriving from the southwest, progressing northeast rapidly and later transitioning into rain in the west and south. 'New snowfalls of between three and 10 centimetres from the northwest via the central regions and through to Bavaria [in the south], and up to 15 centimeters within nine to 12 hours in flashpoint.' Ferry services on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony have largely come to a halt, while several islands are currently inaccessible by ship, including Langeoog, Spiekeroog, Norderney and Wangerooge. Heavy snowfall shut down the major Kohlbrandbridge in Hamburg, with the DWD warning of snowdrifts, ice and storm-force gusts in exposed regions. Road authorities have recorded a growing number of weather-related accidents, particularly in areas that have seen freezing rain and black ice, while lines of trucks were photographed stuck in traffic on the A5 highway near Breitenbach. Forecasters expect snow to blanket the entire country by Saturday, with another wave delivering up to 25 centimetres from North Rhine-Westphalia to Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria. DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP the storm was exceptional in the context of the last few years of milder winters, which were a 'consequence of climate change'. 'It's still possible to have a cold month with snow, even as temperatures rise due to climate change, but such events will become rarer in the future,' he said. The city streets experience heavy snowfall in Krakow, Poland, on January 8, 2026. Heavy Snowfall In Krakow, Poland - January 8, 2026 Trucks are stuck in traffic on the A5 highway as the country faces heavy snowfall and disruptions to air and train traffic near Breitenbach, Germany, January 9, 2026 A woman walks through falling snow in Bremen, Germany, on January 9, 2026 An aerial view of Krakow's UNESCO listed Wawel Castle during a snow storm in Krakow, Poland on January 12, 2025 In France, Storm Goretti cut power to some 380,000 homes, most of them in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said, while Britain's National Grid said 42,000 homes lost electricity in southwest England and thousands more elsewhere. Overnight, gusts of up to 134 mph were registered in France's northwestern Manche region, authorities said. The winds felled trees in several regions, with at least one crashing on residential buildings in France's Seine-Maritime region, without injuries, authorities said. Schools remained shut in parts of northern France, where weather alerts have been issued in 30 other regions. 'Take shelter and do not use your vehicle,' the Manche police warned on X on Thursday, urging residents to prepare emergency supplies. Giant waves crashed over harbour walls across France's far northwest overnight, and as the storm moved eastwards it brought flooding and forced the closure of roads and ports including Dieppe. In Normandy, almost all rail lines will remain closed all day and will not be able to reopen until tomorrow morning. A huge wave crashes on the jetty of the harbor of Le Conquet, western France on January 8, 2026 as storm Goretti is announced to approach France's northern coasts This photograph shows a road sign reading 'Meteo alert, violent winds, stay cautious' due to Storm Goretti, on D137 road heading to Saint Malo, western France on January 9, 2026 A road is stuck by fallen trees after the storm Goretti near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, northwestern France, on January 9, 2026 The New Town Hall is seen in the early morning in thick snowfall in Hanover, Germany, Friday, January 9, 2026 'The Goretti storm violently struck Normandy in the night from Thursday to Friday, causing numerous damages to the Norman railway network,' said a spokesperson from the SNCF Nomad Train network. 'The infrastructure manager is not in a position to restore access to the majority of the network before Saturday.' Ferry operator DFDS said all its sailings between Dover and France are disrupted. 'All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel,' it said. 'Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers on to the first available sailing on arrival.' In Poland, the Mayor of Warsaw called an emergency meeting with the capital's crisis management team as the country braces for temperatures as low as -30C, TVP World said. Swedens weather service, SMHI, also issued red and orange alerts across the nation as heavy snowfall and strong winds are forecast. In Scotland, hundreds of schools remained shut for the fifth day, with many pupils not yet returning to the classroom after their Christmas holidays. Transport in Russia was also hit by wintry weather, with some 300 flights in the Moscow region cancelled as workers battled to clear runways and de-ice planes. Some 600 schools were closed in Moldova until next Monday and some 1,000 households were without electricity in Romania. Floodwaters were meanwhile receding in parts of the Balkans on Friday after heavy snowfall and torrential downpours earlier in the week triggered hundreds of evacuations across several countries and killed at least two people. In Albania, one of the hardest-hit in the region, Prime Minister Edi Rama said authorities were beginning to count the cost of flooding in some areas after hundreds of homes were inundated primarily in the south. But weather warnings for icy conditions and snowfall remained in effect across most of the region, including Serbia, where parts of the west have been without power for days after a snowstorm knocked out power lines. Donald Trump has revealed he has cancelled a 'previously expected second wave of attacks' against Venezuela, following the release of political prisoners from one of the country's most notorious jails. Trump took to Truth Social to praise Venezuela's actions, following last Saturday's unprecedented incursion into the country that saw American forces kidnap leader Nicola Maduro and his wife. Trump said: 'The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. 'Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes'. Overnight, the Venezuelan government announced it had begun releasing detainees considered political prisoners in what officials described as a gesture of goodwill. The release of these prisoners has long been a demand of the US, though exact figures aren't currently known. Spain's foreign ministry confirmed that five of its citizens had been released. Among them being prominent Venezuelan-Spanish lawyer, activist and human rights defender Rocio San Miguel who authorities claimed plotted to assassinate Maduro. Jorge Rodriguez , the head of Venezuela's National Assembly and the brother of its interim president Delcy Rodriguez said the interim government was releasing them in the interest of 'national unity and peaceful coexistence'. Up to 80 prisoners are believed to be held at the infamous El Helicoide prison, which Trump announced, following Maduro's capture, would be closed. Donald Trump has revealed he has cancelled a 'previously expected second wave of attacks' against Venezuela Relatives of political prisoners wait outside El Helicoide prison in Caracas, Venezuela, January 8, 2026 The prison is notorious for being the home of political opponents to the government, with human rights groups claiming they were electrocuted and beaten by guards. Venezuelas opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, lauded the release of the political prisoners in an audio message posted to social media: 'This is an important day because it shows what we have always known: that injustice will not last forever and that truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way.' But Venezuelan human rights group Provea warned that the expected closure of El Helicoide should not be used to deflect attention from the other prisons still running across the country. Human rights groups believe that up to 1,000 people are being held in Venezuelan prisons as political prisoners, most of them having been detained for taking part in protests following the 2024 election that Maduro is widely believed to have stolen. The latest release of the prisoners is being treated with caution by many. Venezuelan authorities promised to release 187 people - 99 on Christmas Day and 88 on New Year's Day - before the American incursion. But human rights groups were only able to confirm the release of a small portion of these people. A restaurant that was forced to close because of a migrant hotel next door is now being used by homeless people who are squatting there to highlight the government's perceived 'double standard' of helping asylum seekers but not Brits in need. Ceno Bar and Restaurant announced this week it was shutting down for good, with its owners blaming Highfield House Hotel that adjoins it for a decline in customers. Now, just days later, the empty restaurant in Southampton, Hampshire, has been taken over by homeless people who would otherwise be forced to sleep rough in freezing temperatures. A local support worker, who helped set up the makeshift shelter, has claimed it shows the flaws in the government's asylum seeker hotel scheme. Volunteer Russ Kitching, 64, said it 'highlights the double standard of government funding for migrants instead of our own local homeless'. He explained there are now three homeless people living inside Ceno Bar and Restaurant and more are being vetted so they can move in. Mr Kitching has released demands that the restaurant be compensated and the space be officially allowed to be used as a night shelter for the city's homeless population. Pictured: Steven Sperring who is one of the homeless people staying in the old Ceno restaurant building Highfield House Hotel in Southampton accommodates up to 100 asylum seekers who are mostly young men Pictured: Russ Kitching outside the former Ceno restaurant building in Portswood, Southampton Mr Kitching said Highfield House was 'a very nice hotel and a restaurant that had been in business for twenty years' until the asylum seekers were housed there. However, in the last two years Ceno's turnover has reportedly halved as customers deserted the once-popular restaurant due to problems with migrants. The closure has cost four full-time staff members their jobs as well as numerous casual and part time staff. Highfield House has also been the site of weekly anti-immigration protests in recent months, causing further disruption. The demonstrations are regularly met with counter protests from anti-racism groups and there is often a heavy police presence at the scene. Mr Kitching has coordinated with Southampton City Council's rough sleeping department to discuss vetting the homeless people who use the site. He has also said that he doesn't know the freeholder's position on the squatting but that he hopes to 'pressure' them to allow the occupation to continue. Mr Kitching said: 'The mission is to secure the Portswood homeless people accommodation and hopefully bring awareness about homelessness. Jamie Darby (pictured) says he is reluctantly shutting his restaurant down as a direct result of problems with Highfield House Hotel Residents hold an anti-immigration protest outside Highfield House Hotel in Southampton Pictured: Ceno Restaurant was part of the Highfield House Hotel building in Southampton 'There's a double standard of government funding for migrants instead of our own local homeless. He continued: 'I spent Christmas volunteering with Crisis in London but then I saw the opportunity here. 'People are falling through the gaps all the time and local people are being left behind. 'We're hoping to put pressure on the council and the freeholder to allow homeless people to take shelter here.' He added: 'Our demands are: compensation for the hospitality business forced out after 20 years of trading due to private landlord profiteering enabled by successive government policies. 'And we demand a peppercorn rent agreement with the landlord, Southampton Council, and the Home Office to convert the premises into a night shelter and affordable food pantry for Southampton's most vulnerable residents. 'We formally invite the landlord, Southampton Council, and the Home Office to come together around the table to resolve this matter fairly, transparently, and in the public interest.' Online, Mr Kitching also said: 'I have no problem with cultures and integrating with society but these people are illegal and our government is doing nothing about it. It has to stop. 'Migrant hotel owners must now take civil action to evict genuine homeless.' Pictured: Russ Kitching, left, with Steven Sperring at the former Ceno restaurant in Portswood, Southampton The demonstrations are regularly met with counter protests from anti-racism groups and there is often a heavy police presence at the scene A spokesperson for Ceno, the restaurant, said earlier this week: 'It is with great sadness that we announce that Ceno Restaurant closed its doors on 1 January 2026. 'Despite every effort to continue trading, it has become frustratingly impossible to operate due to ongoing issues connected with the Highfield Hotel in which we are located, which has now become home to over 100 illegal immigrants. 'The hotel owners have ignored our communication, help to assist with ongoing damage caused by the hotel residents and have locked the car park for many months, meaning our customers have been unable to park and access the restaurant.' Although the council is assisting in giving advice to the people using the building, Councillor Andy Frampton, Cabinet Member for Housing Operations at Southampton City Council, has said that the site is 'unauthorised'. He said: 'Southampton City Council is aware of reports relating to the use of a vacant building adjoining Highfield House. 'We have not authorised or endorsed the use of the building as a homeless shelter. Any contact by council officers has been limited to responding to enquiries and understanding the situation. 'We have not approved the operation of the site. Responsibility for the lawful use and safety of the building rests with the property owner. 'Southampton City Council continues to support people who are at risk of homelessness or homeless through established housing pathways.' Addressing the earlier closure of the restaurant and the adjoining hotel, a Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. 'This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs. 'We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery.' A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary added: 'Our local neighbourhood policing team have regular contact with businesses in the area, and have made near weekly visits to Cenos in recent months to try and engage with them and understand if there are any issues they want to raise or discuss with us. 'However, no concerns have been raised with our team on these visits. 'We are also not aware of any incidents of criminal damage.' Sir Keir Starmer today dismissed Elon Musk's changes to his AI tool as 'insulting' to victims amid a furious row over sexual images on the billionaire's X social media site. Downing Street reiterated the Prime Minister was leaving 'all options' on the table as regulator Ofcom looks into X and xAI, the firm which created the Grok AI tool. There has been a widespread outcry after Grok, which is available on X, was found to have been used to produce naked images of people, including children. The tool was also reported to have been used to manipulate images of women to remove their clothes and put them in sexualised positions. Grok has now stopped generating images for most of X users, with the AI tool limiting its image generation and editing features to only paying subscribers of the site. This means users' names and payment details must be on file. But Downing Street on Friday said this was 'not a solution' and warned it had merely turned the generation of deefakes into a 'premium service'. The PM's spokesman said: 'That move that simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service. 'It's not a solution. In fact, it's insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so.' Downing Street reiterated the Prime Minister was leaving 'all options' on the table as regulator Ofcom looks into X and xAI, the firm which created the Grok AI tool No10 dismissed Elon Musk's changes to his AI tool as 'insulting' to victims amid a furious row over sexual images on the billionaire's X social media site Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, warned Sir Keir against any effort to ban X, formerly known as Twitter, in Britain Join the debate Should Britain risk US sanctions to crack down on AI-generated sexual images online? The PM's spokesman added: 'You heard the Prime Minister yesterday. He was abundantly clear that X needs to act and needs to act now, it is time for X to grip this issue. 'If another media company had billboards in town centres showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash.' Downing Street reiterated 'all options' are on the table, including for Ofcom to use its powers to 'take any action'. It came after an ally of US President Donald Trump threatened to slap sanctions on Britain if Sir Keir takes action against X over AI-generated sexual images. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, warned the PM against any effort to ban X, formerly known as Twitter, in Britain. She vowed to bring forward legislation to sanction both Sir Keir and the UK as a whole if Sir Keir attempted to shut down the social media site owned by Mr Musk. Ms Luna, who sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, claimed critics of X were launching a 'political war' against Mr Musk and 'free speech'. Asked about the US congresswoman's threat to bring legislation to sanction Sir Keir the UK bans X, the PM's spokesman said the Government is focusing on stopping the creation of unlawful images on the site. The spokesman would not be drawn on whether the Government might heed growing calls from Labour MPs for ministers to boycott X and said the focus at this time is 'stopping these abhorrent images'. A message sent by Grok on X to users requesting image editing currently says: 'Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.' It costs between 3.50 to 36.17 per month to become a 'premium' user of X, depending on which level of paid subscription is chosen. Ofcom has powers under the Online Safety Act to fine businesses or take criminal action. It can also order payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers to stop working with a site, effectively banning them, though this would require agreement from the courts. Liz Kendall, the Science and Technology Secretary, said on Friday that Ofcom had the 'full backing' of ministers to use the powers available to it. She told broadcasters: 'X needs to get a grip and get this material down. 'I would remind them that in the Online Safety Act, there are backstop powers to block access to services if they refuse to comply with the law for people in the UK. 'If Ofcom decides to use those powers, they would have the full backing of the Government.' Ms Kendall said the Government expected to see 'next steps' from Ofcom in a matter of 'days, not weeks'. 'This is hugely important, women and girls deserve to be safe online,' she added. 'They deserve to be safe in the real world too. This Government and the Prime Minister personally has made tackling violence against women and girls a top priority. 'And as the Tech Secretary, I am determined to do everything possible to make sure that happens.' Ofcom said it was carrying out an 'expedited assessment' of the response it had received after contacting X and Grok's creator xAI about fake images. A spokesman for the regulator said: 'We urgently made contact on Monday and set a firm deadline of today to explain themselves, to which we have received a response. 'We're now undertaking an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly.' Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Tory chair of the House of Commons Culture Select Committee told Times Radio the response from X had been 'really, really puzzling'. 'What they've done is just turned off the image generation capabilities for Grok for people who aren't subscribers,' she said. 'So basically, all this has effectively done is turn perverts into X's paying customers.' Sir Keir on Thursday called on X to 'get their act together' amid concerns about the AI creation of sexualised images of adults and children on the site. 'This is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated,' the PM told Greatest Hits Radio. 'X has got to get a grip of this. Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong. 'It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table. 'It's disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable.' Ms Luna later responded to suggestions that X could be banned in Britain under powers within the Online Safety Act. She posted on X: 'If Starmer is successful in banning X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole. 'This would mirror actions previously taken by the United States in response to foreign governments restricting the platform, including the dispute with Brazil in 2024-2025, which resulted in tariffs, visa revocations, and sanctions and consequences tied to free speech concerns against Brazilian officials over concerns related to censorship and free-speech violations. 'Starmer should reconsider this course of action, or there will be consequences. 'There are always technical bugs during the early phases of new technology, especially AI, and those issues are typically addressed quickly. 'X treats these matters seriously and acts promptly. Let's be clear: this is not about technical compliance. 'This is a political war against @elonmusk and free speech - nothing more.' The PoliticsHome website published leaked WhatsApp messages showing Labour MPs urging the Government to delete its official accounts on X. The MPs' arguments included that Mr Musk is 'fascist' and that Grok had put 'children in harm's way'. Senior Tory MP Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, rejected the idea of boycotting or banning X. He said: 'You've got to be where the debate is taking place, and that's all social media. 'Look, let's just be really clear: it's not X itself or Grok that is creating those images, it's individuals, and they should be held accountable if they're doing something that infringes the law.' Nigel Farage has claimed the two-child benefit cap should only be lifted for families where both parents are British-born and working full-time. The Reform UK leader warned Labour's 3.5billion plan to lift the two-child limit would mean more money for 'foreign-born people'. But Chancellor Rachel Reeves became locked in a race row with Mr Farage yesterday after she accused him of wanting only white people to get welfare. This led Reform UK's policy chief Zia Yusuf to accuse Ms Reeves of racism and call for her to be sacked, for seemingly conflating being 'British-born' with being white. Mr Farage initially said his party would also abolish the two-child limit, but later clarified this would only be for families with UK-born parents who work full-time. He said he feared ending the cap completely would 'benefit huge numbers of foreign-born people'. But what do you think? Vote in the Daily Mail's latest poll. In yesterday's poll, Mail readers were asked: 'Should Britain send troops to Ukraine if Russia ceasefire is agreed?' Out of more than 17,000 votes, 81 per cent of you said 'no' and 19 per cent said 'yes'. A teenage boy has been found dead in an area of woodland in a Cornish town. The body of a 15-year-old local schoolboy was discovered in Bude yesterday afternoon, and emergency services were called. Police and medics rushed to the woods but, despite their best efforts, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Devon and Cornwall Police said they responded to concerns for the boy's welfare, and that the death is not being treated as suspicious. A spokesperson for the force said: 'We were called at around 4.25pm on Thursday 8 January following a report of a concern for welfare for a male in a wooded area in Bude. 'The emergency services attended and despite best efforts, a 15-year-old local boy was pronounced deceased at the scene. 'His next of kin has been informed. The death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for HM Coroner.' The children of F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss are fighting each other in court over his 20million fortune and a helmet that saved his life. Elliot Moss and Allison Bradley are locked in a legal battle over the estate of Lady Susie, Sir Stirling's third wife, who inherited most of his estate when he died aged 90 in April 2020. When Lady Susie passed away herself aged 69 in 2023, it emerged that her will - made in January 2022 - had left her entire estate to Allison, 59, Sir Stirling's daughter from his second marriage to Elaine Barbarino. Elliot lodged a caveat with the probate registry preventing the administration of her estate, prompting Allison to begin legal proceedings seeking to force the execution of the will and begin the probate process. But Elliot, 44, has launched a counterclaim that contests the validity of Lady Susie's 2022 will - claiming in court documents that she was suffering from a mental disorder at the time. Instead, he wants Lady Susie's earlier 2002 will to be recognised, which would see a 75-25 split in his favour. Crucially, this would also leave him with a helmet Sir Stirling was wearing during a 1962 crash at Goodwood that put him in a month-long coma and ended his top-level racing career. In a counterclaim seen by the Daily Mail, Elliott accuses people around Lady Susie of seeking to 'poison' his mother's mind against him while she allegedly suffered from depression and an alcohol addiction after the death of her husband - prompting her to cut him out. The document refers to a family friend who allegedly 'continued to supply Lady Susie with alcohol when he visited'. Sir Stirling Moss and his wife Susie accompanied by Elliot and Allison as he collected his knighthood at Buckingham Palace The racing legend's helmet is at the centre of the legal case between Elliot and Allison The friend is accused of seeking to influence Sir Stirling's decisions about his estate when he remained alive, and allegedly inserting a clause into Lady Susie's 2022 will that allowed him to 'charge for his executorship services'. He is not named as a party in the case. Tracey Angus, KC, acting for Elliot, suggests Sir Stirling's death in 2020 prompted Lady Susie to develop a 'complex bereavement disorder' that prompted her alcohol dependency and depression to worsen. 'Following Sir Stirling's death, Lady Susie would carry the urn containing his ashes with her, cradling it and on occasions dabbing his ashes behind her ears,' she writes in one passage. 'By January 2022, Lady Susie had withdrawn into herself completely and often did not know what day or date it was. 'She would forget conversations which she had had the previous week and had no idea what was going on in the world around her.' Ms Angus claims that Lady Susie's 'disorder' led her to develop 'feelings of bitterness and a loss of trust towards others to whom she had formerly been close and whom she had trusted particularly the Defendant (Elliot)'. The counterclaim lists numerous harrowing examples of Lady Susie's grief and allegedly erratic behaviour, which they said left her 'vulnerable to undue influence'. It also alleges that Allison visited her father 'fewer than a dozen times' in the three years before his death, and 'did not have a close relationship' with Lady Susie. Join the debate Should inherited fortunes be split equally among children, regardless of family relationships? Elliott at a thanksgiving for his father at Westminster Abbey Sir Stirling's 1962 crash at Goodwood put him in a month-long coma and ended his top-level racing career Alongside Sir Stirling's fortune, his helmet is mentioned numerous times in the counterclaim. The motorsport icon gifted the helmet and his ten British Racing Drivers' Club gold stars to Lady Susie, lawyers for Elliot claim. However, he allegedly wrote Elliot a letter explaining that he had made this gift for tax reasons and he wanted the helmet to eventually pass on to him. In addition, Lady Susie is said to have included a note in her 2002 will stating her desire to give Elliot the helmet while she was still alive or - if this had not happened - after her death. The claim states that Elliot asked for the helmet in 2021, but was informed that 'Lady Susie had looked for it but could not find it'. Its whereabouts are thought to remain unknown. Elliot - who closed his high-end London restaurant Plu after it was overlooked for a Michelin star last year - previously claimed he was facing homelessness after losing out on a large inheritance. No hearing date has been set at the High Court, and it is possible that Elliot and Allison could settle before a trial. After his death, Moss left several gifts to close friends including his favourite paintings, model cars and even a lucky silver-set rabbit's foot. Sir Sterling at his wedding to Lady Susie in 1980 An additional 1,000 was set aside for his agent and partner to spend on a meal in Miami at seafood restaurant Joe's Stone Crab. During his extraordinary career, which spanned between 1951 and 1961, Moss won 16 races and finished on the podium 24 times. He was forced to retire in 1962 after a crash at Goodwood, which left him in a coma for a month and partially paralysed for six months while recovering. In February last year, a 1955 Mercedes driven by Moss and fellow F1 great Juan Manuel Fangio was sold at auction for 43m at Sotheby's, setting a new record for a Grand Prix car. The parties in the case have been contacted for comment. Chris Minns hasn't ruled out an independent state-based inquiry into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese finally agreed to establish a federal Royal Commission. Sunday will mark four weeks since Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire on the crowd at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on December 12, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more. Albanese spent weeks rejecting mounting calls to launch a national inquiry until he relented to public pressure on Thursday. NSW Premier Minns has pledged his full support for the federal royal commission to be led by former High Court Judge Virginia Bell. But he still believes a state-based inquiry would provide the best outcomes for NSW by providing swift answers into what went wrong. 'There are certain issues that are particular to NSW in relation to police activity on the day, the number of police ongoing security for the Jewish community that might require a quicker determination, and I reserve the right to do that,' Minns told reporters on Friday. 'I'm not ruling out having our own inquiry.' Minns has previously floated the idea of providing the Jewish community's security service, CSG, with greater weapon-carrying capacity by passing new legislation. NSW Premier Chris Minns refused to rule out launching a state-based inquiry into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack The news came after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the attack on Thursday But any decision into 'arming of CSG' could only be assisted by the 'immediate information' from a state inquiry. Minns said the royal commission would have access to 'our officials, to us, to any information they need' to ensure a full and comprehensive investigation into 'the worst terrorism event that Australia has ever had.' The NSW Premier would not go into detail about his conversations with Albanese in the days leading up to the PM's declaration of a royal commission on Thursday. But he backed the terms of reference, which include a probe into the rise of anti-Semitism across Australia in the last two years. 'I'm strongly of the view that demons have been unleashed in NSW over the last two years since October 7 and yes, we need to examine the specific, disgusting, criminal actions of those accused of this act,' Minns said. 'But we also have to understand the underlying pattern and escalation of attacks on the Jewish community in NSW over that period of time. 'That means it can't just be a criminal prosecution of those who are directly involved. There are broader issues at stake here, and they need to be investigated.' This Sunday will mark four weeks since the tragedy which claimed 15 innocent lives Minns hopes that an inquiry will provide swift answers into what went wrong Minns also backed NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon's decision to extend the state's prohibition on protests in Sydney until January 20. It means that no authorised protests can take place until the week leading up to Australia Day. 'It is hot weather and it's heated passions at the moment and the truth of the matter is we don't need further division and aggravation on the streets of Sydney during this difficult period,' Minns said. 'I think it would have been really terrible for the city's unity to have massive, divisive demonstrations on the streets of Sydney in the immediate aftermath of that terrorism event.' A Nigerian migrant who threatened a British mother with a knife in front of her child has won a human rights case to stay in the UK. Olajide Shinaba, 32, was jailed for 11 months after he pulled a knife on a woman, described as his friend, who had taken him off the street. The now-32-year-old had told the woman he was leaving her home, only to 'barge' into the address two days later in a bid to collect his possessions. When an argument ensued between the pair he took a knife out and lunged at woman, all while her young daughter watched on. Shinaba claimed that if the mother had been a man, he would have stabbed her. Having pleaded guilty to affray, he was sentenced to 11 months in prison in December 2018. The Home Office had decided to deport Shinaba due to his conviction, and his appeal was rejected due to it being 'conducive to the public good'. However, he has now successfully appealed the decision for deportation, after a judge ruled he would have difficulty reintegrating into life in Nigeria. Olajide Shinaba, 32, who threatened a British mother with a knife in front of her child has won a human rights case to stay in the UK (stock image of the Home Office office) Upon his release, he married a British woman in an 'Islamic ceremony', and he has since had two children with her. An immigration judge allowed his appeal on human rights grounds due to the 'significant obstacles of reintegration' he would face in Nigeria. Shinaba is a Nigerian citizen who has lived in the UK since June 2003. He was granted a residence card in July 2003, but this was revoked in January 2006. However, he was granted discretionary leave to remain in the UK in 2011. After that expired, he made an application for indefinite leave to remain in 2017, but while this was being considered he committed the offence against the British mother. The court heard that it was accepted he only wished to scare her in a 'moment of madness', and did not intend to stab her. He later blamed an incident which left him with a fractured skull in November 2008 for his actions as it left him slow at processing information. However, the tribunal found that he had achieved GCSEs and had applied to go to university in the UK. In August 2021, he married a British partner in an Islamic ceremony and had two children with her - born in June 2022 and November 2023. He also has a third daughter with a previous partner, who was born in February 2018 and is also British. The court was told that he now has a 'genuine and subsisting' parental relationship and that his wife is pregnant again. Having initially had his human rights claim rejected by the Home Office, he successfully appealed it, only for that decision to be set aside when the Home Office to launched a counter appeal. Now he has had his subsequent appeal allowed on human rights grounds in the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. Upper Tribunal Judge Luke Bulpitt said: 'Overall therefore I find that [Shinaba] has during his twenty-two years of residence in the United Kingdom established a strong private life which involves relationships with his mother, father, step-father and siblings. 'Having developed and been educated in London [Shinaba] has become familiar with and participated in the customs, language and practices of London life, through which he has a sense of belonging in the city which was part of his formation. 'I also find that he has, since his release from prison and while waiting for the [Home Office] to make a decision about his application for indefinite leave to remain, formed a family life.' The judge added that Shinaba left Nigeria when he was ten years old and only returned once the following year, aged eleven. Judge Bulpitt continued: 'He has no adult understanding of how life in that country is carried on, no experience of work in the country and no experience of obtaining accommodation or state support. 'On the face of it, as a returnee who left Nigeria as a child and who has not returned since the age of eleven [Shinaba] cannot reasonably be regarded as an insider in Nigeria. 'The appellant is still young, physically fit and has retained some connection to Nigerian culture. 'I conclude that he would face very significant obstacles to integration there as a result of his lack of any adult experience of the country, his lack of awareness of the day to day life there and the limitations on his capacity to adapt and establish himself as a result of the traumatic injury he suffered at the age of 15.' Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted that the Islamic republic would 'not back down' in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living. Chanting slogans including 'death to the dictator' and setting fire to official buildings, crowds of people opposed to the clerical establishment marched through major cities late Thursday. Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late Thursday and added early Friday that the country has 'now been offline for 12 hours... in an attempt to suppress sweeping protests'. The demonstrations represent one of the biggest challenges yet to the Islamic republic in its over four-and-a half decades of existence, with protesters openly calling for an end to its theocratic rule. But Khamenei struck a defiant tone in his first comments on the protests that have been escalating since January 3, calling the demonstrators 'vandals' and 'saboteurs', in a speech broadcast on state TV. Khamenei said 'arrogant' Donald Trump's hands 'are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians', in apparent reference to Israel's June war against the Islamic republic which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own. He predicted the US leader would be 'overthrown' like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. 'Last night in Tehran, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building that belongs to them to please the US president,' he said in an address to supporters, as men and women in the audience chanted the mantra of 'death to America'. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted that the Islamic republic would 'not back down' in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living Chanting slogans including 'death to the dictator' and setting fire to official buildings, crowds of people opposed to the clerical establishment marched through major cities late Thursday 'Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people, it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,' he added. Trump said late on Thursday that 'enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible' and warned that if the Iranian authorities responded by killing protesters, 'we're going to hit them very hard. We're ready to do it.' He also claimed the Ayatollah was 'looking to go someplace' amid reports he may flee to Russia. The protests also represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Pahlavi, who called for the protests Thursday night, similarly has called for demonstrations at 8pm Friday. In his latest call to action, he said in a video posted to X: 'I know that despite the internet and communication cuts, you will not abandon the streets. Be assured that victory belongs to you!' Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Iran's ailing economy. When the clock struck 8pm on Thursday, neighbourhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. The chants included 'Death to the dictator!' and 'Death to the Islamic Republic!' Others praised the shah, shouting: 'This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!' Thousands could be seen on the streets before all communication to Iran cut out. Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8, 2026 The protests late Thursday were the biggest in Iran since 2022-2023 rallies nationwide sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini 'Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication,' Pahlavi said. 'It has shut down the internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals.' He went on to call for European leaders to join Trump in promising to 'hold the regime to account.' 'I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen,' he added. 'Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.' Pahlavi had said he would offer further plans depending on the response to his call. His support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past - particularly after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some demonstrations, but it isn't clear whether that's support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 50 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. 'What turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday,' said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 'Per social media posts, it became clear that Iranians had delivered and were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic Republic.' 'This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters.' Verified videos showed crowds of people, as well as vehicles honking in support, filling a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard late on Thursday. The crowd could be heard chanting 'death to the dictator' in reference to Khamenei, 86, who has ruled the Islamic republic since 1989. Other videos showed significant protests in other cities, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east, as well as the Kurdish-populated west of the country, including the regional hub Kermanshah. Several videos showed protesters setting fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images. Flames were also seen in the governor's building in Shazand, the capital of Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, other videos showed. The protests late Thursday were the biggest in Iran since 2022-2023 rallies nationwide sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress code. Khamenei said 'arrogant' Donald Trump's hands 'are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians' The movement, which began in Tehran in late December after the value of the Iranian rial plunged to record lows Iranian protesters on Thursday stepped up their challenge to the clerical leadership with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted The movement has also spread to higher education, with final exams at Tehran's major Amir Kabir university postponed for a week, according to ISNA news agency Demonstrators are repeating slogans against the clerical leadership, including 'Pahlavi will return' and 'Seyyed Ali will be toppled', in reference to Khamenei Rights groups have accused authorities of firing on protesters in the current demonstrations, killing dozens. However, the latest videos from Tehran did not show intervention by security forces. The son of the shah of Iran ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, US-based Reza Pahlavi, who had called for major protests Thursday, urged a new show of force in the streets on Friday. Pahlavi, in a new video message early Friday, said Thursday's rallies showed how 'a massive crowd forces the repressive forces to retreat'. He called for bigger protests Friday 'to make the crowd even larger so that the regime's repressive power becomes even weaker'. The protests have worried many around the world, with airlines shutting down their flights to Iran. Turkish Airlines cancelled its five Friday flights to Tehran. And five other flights operated by Iranian airlines have also been cancelled. Enraged beach hut owners have threatened legal action after their local authority decided to class their cabins as second homes and charge them full council tax. The huts in Mudeford Spit fell into the sights of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council as they scramble to fund local services. And even though they have no toilets, mains electricity, and can only be slept in for half the year, the district council now intends to class them as holiday homes. The cabins, worth around half a million each, are currently entitled to a 50 per cent council tax discount, but this will be scrapped in April. Now, under the BCP council's new rules, the beach huts will be placed into band A, which will see well-heeled owners hand over 1,503 a year in tax. The owners, who are facing rent and tax bills of around 5,000 a month, claim they are being milked by a cash-strapped council which has run out of money. Meanwhile, the Mudeford Sandbank Beach Hut Association say it will seek legal advice over the plans to reclassify the huts as second homes. Chairman Darren Pidwell said: 'We are considering the legal basis for the application of council tax on what is a wooden shed with no mains connections or individual toilet facilities. The huts will now be categorised as second homes and so lose their council tax discount From April, 344 beach huts on the idyllic stretch of Dorset coastline will be classified as second homes and no longer be eligible for the reduction Stephen Bath, who owns a beach hut, said most of the 344 were not rich people but had inherited the cabins over generations and dubbed the move 'despicable'. When his family first purchased their beach hut in the early 1980s, it cost just 3,000. 'The council believes that because you own a beach hut at Mudeford you are automatically rich but the truth is the majority of hut owners aren't,' he said. 'They have huts that have been in the family for generations. Yet the council thinks they can milk us all because of it. It is pretty despicable.' Officials say the council tax bill will be 'relatively small' compared to the value of the huts which can sell for between 400,000 and 575,000. From April, 344 beach huts on the idyllic stretch of Dorset coastline will be classified as second homes and no longer be eligible for the reduction. Some 231 of these are owned by people living outside of the local authority area. Bills will leap up to 1,503 per year - an increase of more than 60 per month - as the council tries to raise an additional 211,000 for stretched local services. The hike in council tax will be in addition to the rent bills owners already pay to BCP Council for the land their huts are on. Owners of some of Britain's most exclusive beach huts, including this one on Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, will now have to pay full council tax The beach huts, which can be stayed in overnight for part of the year, measure just 13ft by 16ft but can fetch more than a four-bedroom home in some parts of the country. With price tags up to 575,000, the value of these huts also eclipses the area's average house value of 313,000. One hut owner, who asked not to be named, insisted that beach hut owners were not all 'wealthy NIMBYS' 'The council see us as cash cows and just take, take, take but we get nothing back in return,' they said. 'The communal toilets at Mudeford haven't been properly refurbished in decades. 'This will impact a lot of people who will not be able to afford to keep their hut and have to sell up which is really sad because they have been in the family for years.' Meanwhile Mr Pidwell said the community was 'very disappointed' by the council's move to 'target' beach hut owners. 'There has been next to no investment in facilities in the recent past and these are now desperately needed,' he said. 'It feels like this is all take and no give.' This hut was sold for 430,000 last year after the owners bought it for 60,000 in 1997 'The Mudeford huts alone will now generate over 1.8m of revenue to BCP Council and we would ask they at least invest some of these funds back into the beach for the benefit of all owners and visitors alike.' The council's decision tears up the arrangement it inherited from past Bournemouth and Christchurch councils. BCP, like many councils, is struggling to make ends meet and must search for new sources of income to keep services afloat. A spokesperson for BCP Council said that out of the 344 huts at Mudeford 231 are owned by people from outside the area. Mike Cox, cabinet member for finance said: 'The council must use all levers at its disposal to raise funds to protect essential services important to our residents. 'Beach huts on Mudeford Spit often sell for between 400,000 and 575,000 - more than the 313,000 average price of a home in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. 'I understand their pain. It is a significant increase in terms of the percentage, but it's a relatively small amount of money in terms of the value of the property they're sitting on.' A woke woman said she felt guilty attending the memorial for the woman shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, as she claimed 'white tears are not helpful.' She was seen standing among other mourners at the spot where Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot three times in the face on Wednesday by a federal agent Jonathan Ross. She nervously admitted to Daily Wire reporter Brecca Stoll that she was unsure if attending the memorial was the right thing to do because of her race. 'It feels wrong in some way, I don't know why,' the unidentified woman told Stoll. 'Part of it is being a white woman that I'm privileged. I have a lot of privilege. So, I feel like white tears are not always helpful or necessary when black and brown people have been experiencing this for a long time. This isn't new for them.' Mourners have been at the corner since Wednesday, and Good's death has sparked other protests across the country, including in New York, Portland, and Phoenix. Some were seen burning American flags, while demonstrators in the Big Apple were heard chanting: 'Save a life, kill an ICE' and 'Kristi Noem will hang,' the Homeland Security Secretary. An unidentified woman (right) told the Daily Wire's Brecca Stoll that she felt nervous attending the memorial for Good, as 'white tears are not always helpful' Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis on Wednesday Mourners have been at the corner since Wednesday, and Good's death has sparked other protests across the country, including in New York, Portland, and Phoenix Two others were also shot by federal agents on Thursday during operations in Oregon, only stoking the anti-ICE fire across the US, which has been building since President Donald Trump took office almost a year ago. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has now activated the National Guard while Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes for the remainder of the week in an effort to shield students from any major civil unrest. It comes as the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will be sending even more agents to Minneapolis, with documents obtained by the New York Times suggesting that at least 100 more federal agents are being deployed. The department has already deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. It claims both the shooting in Minneapolis and the shooting in Portland were made in self-defense. The federal agency's narration of events strongly differs from local officials, including Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey, who called their explanation 'bulls**t' and told ICE to 'get the f**k out of Minneapolis.' Frey said the federal agency was just 'causing chaos in our city' and demanded they 'leave the city immediately.' 'We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,' he wrote on X. Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis Good was shot by ICE before crashing her car. Her burgundy SUV was seen with a bullet hole Protests have popped up since her death, including in Minnaepolis (pictured) and in New York City, where attendees chanted: 'Save a life, kill an ICE' A man in a tan jacket was seen waving a burning upside down American flag in front of a large group of protesters on Wednesday, just hours after a 37-year-old woman was shot dead by ICE Law enforcement deployed tear gas and pepper spray toward protesters in Minneapolis on Wednesday Witnesses and officials have claimed Renee, a mother of three, and her wife, Rebecca Good, were acting as legal observers and filming the protest. Local officials have called Good's death a 'murder,' in direct conflict with Noem's insistence that the death was made in 'self-defense.' Homeland Security also called Good's actions an 'act of domestic terrorism.' Renee's was recorded by witnesses. Videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him. It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting, the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop. Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE's work. Mayor Jacob Frey told ICE to 'get the f**k out of Minneapolis' at a press conference on Wednesday Noem alleged that the woman was part of a 'mob of agitators' and said the officer followed his training. She said the FBI would investigate. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem's version of events 'garbage.' The city has remained on edge since Renee's death, with protesters gathering outside Minneapolis immigration court on Thursday for further demonstrations. Demonstrators were seen carrying signs and chanting, including some signs that say, 'ICE Out Now,' 'We deserve to be safe in our community,' and 'Resist Fascism.' Chants included 'We Keep Us Safe,' 'ICE Out Now,' 'ICE Go Home,' 'Quit Your Job,' and 'Justice Now! A TikTok creator who caused a crash that killed a grandmother and then told police a 'cock and bull story' has been jailed for nine years. Leigh Sutherland, 31, was speeding a car with dodgy brakes through school run traffic in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, when he ploughed into pensioner Margaret Allan in her car. The 77-year-old was driving her 10-year-old grandson back from school on June 15, 2023, while Sutherland was banned so should never have been behind the wheel. Sutherland, who often posed as a road traffic lawyer on social media, had ignored warnings that the anti-lock braking system on his Ford Mondeo was not working. He was also driving with an unsecured battery and speeding excessively on the Condorrat Ring Road when he collided with Ms Allan's Peugeot 108. A court heard that immediately after the crash, Sutherland walked away from the scene until he was grabbed by police, and then made 'derogatory' comments about his victim. He said: 'It would not have happened if the f****** b**** had not pulled out.' Sutherland was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in October. Leigh Sutherland, 31, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after a crash that killed a pensioner Margaret Allan, 77, died weeks after Sutherland ploughed into her car He posted videos about the fatal crash while on remand. Also known as Lee Sutherland, his other TikTok videos include bizarre scenes where he dresses up as a police officer and pretends to be a defence lawyer. Sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, Judge Thomas Hughes said Sutherland 'came up with a cock and bull story' about the crash after Ms Allan's death almost a month later. Judge Hughes said: 'Your attitude was totally and utterly unacceptable, you proceeded to walk away from the area, paying no regard to those you injured and left them to their fate. 'Police officers had to stop you to stop you walking away from the incident. You made derogatory and abusive comments about Ms Allan, you swore at officers, they had to caution you. 'After Ms Allan's death, officers would have to speak to you and identify who was driver. You came up with a cock and bull story and told police you had advertised the car for sale, a Romanian man you could not identify took the car for a test drive and as that was going on the accident happened. 'You took no responsibility. Whilst on remand you posted videos on the internet about this matter, all actions totally inappropriate for someone facing such serious matters.' He added: 'You should have been helping the people you caused these problems to. Your conduct made matters worse.' Sutherland was sentenced to nine years in prison Margaret Allan's family pay tribute to her outside the court The court heard Sutherland was on bail at the time of the crash, and had to relocate from Cumbernauld due to threats made against him on the internet. The judge added: 'Police officers who investigated the state of your car noticed problems with braking system and indicated that must have been quite clear to you, and anyone driving should immediately stop and seek assistance. 'You carried on driving and became involved in the catastrophic incident that happened here.' Sutherland was jailed for nine years and was disqualified from driving for 13 years and six months. Police Scotland previously said Sutherland had been banned from driving for six months just a week before the crash, and tried to leave the scene without giving his details to officers. Defending, Graham Brown said Sutherland continued to 'protest his innocence' during interviews for a criminal justice social work report. He said Sutherland's life had been 'dictated by autistic spectrum disorder' and he had worked 'sporadically'. Sergeant Andy Coutts, of North Lanarkshire roads policing, said: 'Our thoughts remain with Margaret's family, who have been dignified and strong throughout this tragic ordeal. 'Sutherland's actions showed a blatant disregard for other road users and the law, and since the incident he has showed no remorse. 'We hope the court's decision brings some peace to the family.' During the trial, PC Lawrence Meldrum told jurors he saw the immediate aftermath of the crash because he had been driving just ahead and noticed it in his rear-view mirror. He drove back and to find the Peugeot extremely damaged and a bloodied Ms Allan confused and dazed. Sutherland has been a prolific TikTok creator and posted scores of videos where he often pretended to be a person of authority. His bizarre content ranged from offering dubious legal advice while dressed as a lawyer to threatening 'a good spanking' across the kneecaps as a police officer. Sutherland had a particular interest in driving and road traffic laws. One of his videos purports to teach people how to keep their licence even after notching up 12 points. The shocking moment a man launched a racist attack on helpless senior citizens has been caught on camera. Derek Carl Kirven, 62, who is black, tried to access a members-only recreational area at the Escalante Multi-Generational Center in Arizona on Wednesday. Kirven went to the lobby where he was told meals were only available to members - a staff member tried to sign him up but he left instead, AZ Family reported. He returned two hours later and entered the restricted area again where about 20 people were eating. After again being told to leave, Kirven attacked elderly patrons around him, breaking one's nose and another's wrist, among other injuries. He later told police he targeted white people and Mexicans and claimed he was not allowed in the center because he was black, reportedly according to court documents. Security was able to detain him until police arrived. During his rampage, he managed to punch several diners, including knocking one to the ground and causing a head injury. Derek Carl Kirven, 62, who is black, attacked at least 12 elderly diners at Escalante Multi-Generational Center in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday Surveillance footage showed Kirven, who was wearing red pants, punched a small group before running to a larger table, where an employee was seen chasing after him. He appeared to yell at her before punching her in the face and moving around the end of the table to attack more people, knowing a woman off her walker onto the floor, where she would remain throughout his rampage. Another person was seen picking up a chair to avoid an attack and later rushing him with the furniture, throwing it at him. That angered Kervin, who picked up the object again and hurled it at her, surveillance showed. An employee suffered injuries, the outlet reported, as well as at least six others. Kirven, who has a criminal history, admitted to hitting around 12 people and said he knew most of them were defenseless, he told police. While speaking to police, he used racial slurs toward his victims and to a Hispanic detective working the case. Kirven also referred to a detective as 'white trash' and a 'confederate.' He later told police that he targeted white and Mexican patron and claimed he wasn't allowed in the restricted area because he was black He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, trespassing, and criminal damage. Public records showed Kirven has had prior charges in New Mexico and has convictions on kidnapping and assaulting police officers. The Daily Mail has contacted the Escalante Multi-Generational Center and Tempe Police for comment. An innocent Florida nurse was sent to jail on two separate occasions after her ex-boyfriend allegedly fabricated abusive text messages he claimed were sent from her. Melissa Mullin Sims, 57, was thrown in a 'horrific' Collier County jail after her former partner filed domestic violence charges against her in November 2024 following their breakup. The couple was together on and off for a year and had recently moved to Naples from Delaware County, Pennsylvania. They had an acrimonious split and Sims claims she was forced to call the police after her ex allegedly ransacked her condo, stole her belongings and refused to leave. 'When I finally called the police on him for stealing my credit cards, he flipped the script and had me arrested for domestic violence,' she told Naples Press. During their heated argument, Sims alleged her ex-boyfriend began scratching himself and 'slapping himself in the face', reported 6ABC. When the cops arrived Sims was arrested on the spot for battery against him. She spent the night in jail and a judge ordered her to stay away from her accuser, including calling or texting him. Melissa Sims, 57, alleged her ex-boyfriend used AI generated texts to incriminate her for domestic abuse Sims was arrested twice after her then-boyfriend accused her of battery and violating her bond But a few months later, police came knocking to arrest her again for violating her bond. 'Then came a second arrest based on a completely fabricated text message, which prosecutors never verified even after subpoenaed cellphone records proved it never existed,' she told the Press. The allegedly fake text message referred to an incident during which Sims and her boyfriend had gone to the same pickleball court at the same time on Christmas Day 2024. Sims' ex called the police, claiming that she showed up next to him at Naples Pickleball Center and called him an 'a**', the Press reported. Police verified that Sims was there, but witness testimonies found she had arrived hours prior and had not spoken to him. But, incriminating AI texts sent after the incident were apparently enough to get Sims arrested yet again. 'Haha you a**! The cops won't arrest a woman on Xmas, but nice try, you piece of s***,' read the message, which her partner allegedly claimed was from Sims. Sims alleged that her ex slapped and scratched himself so that police would arrest her for battery Sims claimed that county officials never verified the text messages before her arrest, per 6ABC. 'Instead of protecting a domestic violence and financial-fraud victim, the system helped my abuser turn me into the defendant,' she said. Sims spent another hellish night in a Florida jail before being released pending trial. As she awaited her day in court, Sims said she lost her part-time job at Naples Pickleball Center, was unable to practice as a nurse and was barred from returning to her condo for 19 days. 'I've lost at least $100,000,' she told the Press. Eight months later, prosecutors dropped her bond violation in early 2025. In December 2025, she was acquitted of her battery charge. Sims has since been acquitted of her battery charge and her bond violation was dropped Sims is now advocating for more legislature surrounding AI, especially in the courtroom Sims is now campaigning for Florida lawmakers to pass a 'Melissa's Law,' which would 'strengthen protections for victims, ensure accountability of law enforcement and prosecutors, and prevent misuse of digital and AI-generated evidence in Florida,' according to the Collier Delegation. She has become an advocate for stronger policies surrounding AI on her social media. 'This is not just my story. This is a warning,' she wrote. 'AI and digital technology, when misused by devious people, can destroy lives if there are no safeguards in place.' 'Right now, the law has not caught up with the technologyand law-abiding citizens are the ones paying the price.' The Daily Mail has contacted Collier County Sheriff's Office and Collier County Attorney's Office for comment. Keir Starmer could take the UK 'very close' to rejoining the EU single market, an ally has suggested. The PM's biographer Tom Baldwin said Sir Keir had opened 'possibilities' for the future by suggesting he wants closer ties. The comment comes amid rising concerns about what concessions the premier might make for his Brexit 'reset'. There is speculation that Brussels could demand a ban on gene-editing of crops, as well as big financial contributions and a youth 'free movement' pact. Legislation expected as soon as next month could sign the UK up to EU rules on food standards, the electricity market, animal welfare and pesticide use. That has been billed as implementing a deal agreed last year, but Sir Keir has already made clear he wants to go further - while stressing that fully rejoining the customs union and single market are off the table. Keir Starmer could take the UK 'very close' to rejoining the EU single market, a close ally has suggested. Pictured, the PM with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen Mr Baldwin - a former adviser to Ed Miliband who campaigned for a second referendum - said Sir Keir's recent hint at closer alignment to the single market 'opened up a whole range of possibilities'. 'At the low end, this is a pragmatic choice by a PM who doesn't want to be forced to choose between Europe and America,' he told Politico. 'At the upper end, it suggests Labour may seek a second term mandate at the next election by which the UK would get very close to rejoining the single market. 'That would be worth a lot more in terms of economic growth and national prosperity than the customs union deal favoured by the Lib Dems.' Brussels sources have been making clear the government will have to 'pay to play' if Labour wants to remove more barriers. The Times said demands to maintain a level playing field could also scupper the provisions of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023. That was intended to make it easier for farmers to produce crops that have had their genetic code edited to enhance traits - such as vitamin-rich tomatoes. It is a separate technology from genetic modification (GM), where genes from other species are inserted. The EU has much more restrictive rules, although the bloc has been mooting a loosening. Sir Keir sparked a storm at the weekend by telling the BBC that he was looking at better access to the single market. '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,' he said. 'If it's in our interest to do so, we should take that step.' The EU is pushing for a 'youth' free movement deal that could mean large numbers of people coming to the UK to work. Before Christmas the government announced it is paying 570million to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme. On an annual basis the sum is double what Boris Johnson rejected as too expensive in 2021. Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds recently struck an Erasmus deal with the European Commission's Maros Sefcovic (pictured together in April) It is equivalent to roughly a fifth of the entire EU funding envelope for Erasmus+, although the government insists a chunk of the money will go on travel for British youngsters. Worryingly, Brussels has already signalled that a 30 per cent 'discount' will not be repeated, meaning the cost could hit 810million a year in future. Students from Turkey will be eligible to come to the UK in 2027, as the country is an 'associate' member of the scheme. And Brussels has declared it wants to expand the arrangements to cover countries such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. At first glance this $100,000 Massachusetts home on picturesque Cape Cod appears to be an absolute steal. Located at 153 Brownell Road in Eastham, the three-bedroom, one-bathroom seaside home called 'The Outer Most House' sold well below market rate. But its new owners will have to contend with the fact that the beach bungalow may not be standing for long. The property sits just a mere 16 feet away from the cliff's edge and risks falling into the ocean in a matter of years. The rate of erosion is unknown, but the new buyers are unafraid, according to the Boston Globe. 'The couple who bought it knows what they are getting into,' Jack Sullivan, a realtor with William Raveis Real Estate, who represented the buyers, told the outlet. 'A storm can take five feet off the edge of the bluff, and then, for two years, nothing happens at all.' Despite this its new owners were drawn to its bargain price. The average cost of a home in Barnstable County - which makes up Cape Cod - is $731,420, according to Zillow. Located at 153 Brownell Road (pictured) in Eastham, the three-bedroom, one-bathroom seaside home called 'The Outer Most House' sold well below market rate When the previous owner purchased the house in 2020 for $450,000, it was 60 feet from the edge. While erosion is unavoidable, they took some measures to help protect the house including moving the septic tanks and leaching field back. They also dug a new well before putting the house on the market, modifications all made within the bounds of the strict restrictions enforced by the Cape Cod National Seashore. The agency's land protections prevent new construction and ban demolitions, even when building are run-down, unsafe and of no historical significance. Sullivan said that despite the risks associated with the location, he received an outpour of interest in the property. 'The Cape is one huge sand bar, and erosion has been going on forever,' Sullivan said. 'When it was first listed, I got hundreds of calls from interested buyers who believed that they'd stumbled onto a steal.' He added, 'One man said that summer rentals in the area are so expensive that, even if it only stands here for a few years, the house would serve as a wonderful family vacation home.' Jack Sullivan (pictured), a realtor with William Raveis Real Estate, who represented the buyers said his clients are not afraid of the erosion The $100,000 beach bungalow sits just a mere 16 feet away from the cliff's edge and risks falling into the ocean in a matter of years The previous owner moved the septic tank and leaching field back and dug a new well before putting the house on the market The Outer Most House's closest neighbor, 157 Brownell Road, is also currently pending sale for $99,000. This 1,422-square-foot home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms is just eight feet from the cliff's edge. The town of Eastham is requiring the buyer to relocate the well and leach field and to have an engineered plan for a deconstruction protocol on file. 'Its a great opportunity for the right person,' listing Compass realtor Matthew Burger told the Globe. The painful cause of death for an adorable four-year-old boy who was found dead in the woods days after going missing has been revealed. Johnathan 'John John' Boley went missing from his father's home in Walker County, Alabama, around 11.30am on New Year's Eve and was found dead just two miles away. The coroner's preliminary autopsy found he died of hypothermia. Toxicology reports are not yet available, AL.com reported. Hypothermia is caused by exposure to dangerously low temperatures for an extended period of time. Officials believe Johnathan died the night he went missing - when temperatures dipped to a chilly 21 degrees. Sheriff Nick Smith said there were no signs of foul play. He was last seen playing in the yard with his six-year-old brother and their dog, Buck, in the rural community of Jasper, 40 miles northwest of Birmingham, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. His older brother saw Johnathan disappear with the dog across the fence line and ran to tell their father. Johnathan Boley, 4, went missing on New Year's Eve prompting a massive search from volunteers and law enforment More than 160 volunteers and 126 first responders searched over 500 acres for the boy According to a Walker County Coroner, Johnathan died of hypothermia Johnathan's father, Jameson Boley, called the police at 12.30pm that afternoon to report his missing son. Police searched Boley's home and their rural neighborhood for two days before finally locating the boy's body in a wooded area on January 2. Buck was found alive near Johnathan's body, per ABC3340. During the investigation, Walker County Officials reportedly employed drones, divers, tracking dogs and a helicopter to assist in the frantic search. More than 160 volunteers and 126 first responders aided law enforcement in scouring 500 acres in hopes of recovering Johnathan alive. Johnathon reportedly went missing with his family dog, Buck, who was found alive near his body Johnathan was last seen around 11:30am Wednesday playing outside with his six-year-old brother Boley, 40, was taken into custody on unrelated charges during the investigation. Police reportedly found what they believed were explosive devices on his property, per WVTM 13 News. Though authorities eventually determined the devices were not explosive, Boley was charged with two counts of chemical endangerment of a child and one count of unlawful manufacture of a destructive device or bacteriological weapon. Charging documents reportedly stated that Johnathan and his brother 'had the opportunity' to be exposed to methamphetamine. The four-year-old was visiting his father in Alabama for holiday visitation when he disappeared. His mother, Angel, with whom he lives, moved to Florida after his parents separated one year ago, per WVTM. His father, Jameson Boley, was arrested during the investigation on unrelated charges Law enforcement found what they believed to be explosives on Boley's property Loved ones said Johnathan was 'a country boy who loves nature, Paw Patrol and running' Boley was granted only five days of visitation per year. Johnathan was set to return to Florida with his mother on January 1. She arrived in Alabama after her son tragically disappeared. Loved ones said Johnathan was a 'country boy who loves nature, Paw Patrol and running.' Community members gathered at Cornerstone Church in Jasper on January 2 to mourn his death at a prayer vigil. Sweden has experienced a 30% reduction in asylum requests from 2024 to 2025, due to stricter immigration laws in the country. The drop comes after the centre-right Swedish government, supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, came to power in 2022 vowing to get tough on immigration. For years, Sweden was hailed as a beacon of compassion, offering an unparalleled welcome to refugees with Europe's most generous support schemes. But in the past decade, deadly violence linked to feuds between criminal gangs has escalated against the backdrop of the high levels of migration into the country. Following a large influx of asylum seekers in Sweden during the 2015 migrant crisis, both left- and right-wing governments started tightening asylum rules. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell highlighted several measures aimed at restricting immigration. These included increased financial assistance and incentives for immigrants returning to their countries of origin, along with tougher conditions for obtaining citizenship and for family reunification. The minister said that immigration in Sweden was 'decreasing sharply'. Forsell added that, since the government came to power, asylum requests had decreased by 60 percent The leader of the Sweden Democrats Jimmie Akesson delivers a speech Forsell added that, since the government came to power, asylum requests had decreased by 60%. He stated: 'In 2025, the number of asylum seekers to Sweden continued to decline. It's a sharp decrease. A 30% drop in just one year.' Starting this year, immigrants who voluntarily return to their countries of origin from 2026 are eligible to receive up to 350,000 kronor (about 28,000). According to the Swedish Migration Agency, Sweden granted a total of 79,684 residence permits in 2025, 6% for asylum-related reasons, compared with 18% in 2018, when 133,025 permits were issued. Meanwhile, 8,312 people left Sweden to return to their country of origin last year. More measures are planned for the coming year, and the government intends to move quickly ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 13. One reform the government has explored is the possibility of revoking Swedish citizenships from dual nationals under certain conditions, such as criminal convictions. It is also considering deporting migrants who do not adhere to 'honest living,' a definition critics say remains too vague and needs to be properly defined. More measures are planned for the coming year, and the government intends to move quickly ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 13 People hold a banner 'refugees welcome' as they take part in a demonstration in solidarity with refugees seeking asylum 'The change isn't just about numbers in terms of lower immigration, it's also about the way that's made up, who is coming to Sweden with the proportion from asylum at a record low,' the minister told reporters. Several European countries have tightened immigration policies over the last few years and the European Parliament in December approved texts aimed at tightening the continent's migration policy. Following in Sweden's footsteps, Germany also implemented tighter border controls resulting in Illegal immigration in the country dropping to its lowest level in more than a decade, barring the first year of the pandemic. From January to November 2025, 106,298 first-time asylum applications were recorded by the national migration agency Bamf, putting Germany on course for its smallest annual total since 2013. In 2024, the number was over double, at 229,751. Book details historical basis of China's sovereignty in South China Sea Xinhua) 09:38, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A new book examining the historical basis of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea was released on Thursday in Beijing. Titled "History and Facts of the South China Sea," the book is the outcome of a seven-year research project involving more than 10 scholars across China. The book launch was jointly hosted by the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, based in Sanya City in south China's Hainan Province, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the Zhejiang Publishing United Group. According to the publishers, the book draws on a wide range of Chinese and foreign archival materials and major historical events to examine China's historical presence and activities in the region. It aims to address gaps in existing historical research and present evidence-based arguments to the international community in support of China's maritime claims. The book approaches the South China Sea issue from multiple disciplines, including history, international law, international relations, cartography and geography, offering a broad analysis of the issue, the publishers said. Wu Shicun, lead editor of the book and chairman of the Huayang Center, said at the book launch event that some existing publications on the South China Sea published overseas are rife with errors and misconceptions. "In response, we in 2018 initiated the project to produce a book that directly addresses and corrects these flawed narratives, aiming to set the historical record straight," he noted. Wu added that he believes the book will play a constructive role in clarifying facts surrounding the South China Sea issue and in strengthening China's voice and discourse on the matter internationally. He also revealed that an English edition is planned for future release. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Marjorie Taylor Greene was spitting with rage after White House aides claimed she was behind a security leak that could have endangered Donald Trump. An Axios report published on Friday features testimony from Trump administration aides who blamed Greene for tipping off an activist group to the president's whereabouts during his trip to a local D.C. steakhouse in September. During Trump's surprise appearance to Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, a group of Code Pink protesters were able to get unusually close to the president. The noisy activists stood feet from the President across a table and chanted: Free DC! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time! Months later, some in the White House have claimed that Greene is to blame and that she may have tipped off the protestors. But Greene says that's all a lie and the story is only coming out now because the president and her relationship has soured. Axios doesn't even list their sources. They say aides, and that's not even credible. Treat me with fu**ing respect and don't cut those lies about me, she told the Daily Mail in a phone interview Friday afternoon. The Daily Mail has reached out to Axios for a response to Greene. After fears that Trump's longtime ally turned bitter foe leaked the location of his dinner to a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, the Secret Service reportedly were asked to open a probe in to Greene. Last September, protesters confronted Donald Trump at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab restaurant in Washington, DC The President reported Marjorie Taylor Greene to the Secret Service over the alleged leaking of his location. She has denied being involved Trump is believed to have told Greene he was visiting the steakhouse minutes before he was confronted by the liberal protesters. She denies this There's no proof, and the Secret Service has not contacted me. There's been no investigation. It's like pure speculation. They print a story, it's a complete smear campaign, Greene furiously continued. The entire thing lays at the feet of the White House and Secret Service. And they think about this seriously, they are creating this story on me after I leave Congress because the president is mad at me. Greene then suggested she would sue Axios for publishing the accusations. I'm talking to my attorney about all of this, she said. It is incredibly dangerous. A now-viral photo of Greene with the leader of Code Pink, Medea Benjamin, who she said in a statement she has been friends with for years, has been pointed to as evidence of the ex-congresswomans ties to the anti-war, pro-Palestine group. Greenes latest statement contrasts sharply with the praise she gave the group in December, when she claimed to have a longstanding friendship with the anti-Trump organizations founder. I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now even though politics says thats not allowed, Greene wrote on X. Now, Greene is walking back her past support of the Code Pink founder, saying: 'She goes all over the place. She only likes me for my anti-war [stance]. That was it. That's how that picture came about, because I have voted against no funding for Ukraine, no funding for practically every country, and I'm against war. That is the only reason that picture exists, and it's being twisted and used to into this lie.' The incident at the high-end DC restaurant sparked widespread concern in the White House just a year after Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania. Greene is walking back her claim that she maintains a longtime friendship with the anti-Trump Code Pink leader whose group bombarded the President at a DC restaurant Aides told Axios that they believe the restaurant confrontation was a point of no return in the President's relationship with Greene, as many believed she tipped off the protesters. Greene responded to the allegations by claiming that any suggestion that she leaked Trumps dinner reservation was an absolute lie, a dangerous lie. I would never do that. She added that she recommended the restaurant to the President but didnt know when he would go there. Officials, however, say that after Greene recommended the restaurant to Trump, she repeatedly called White House staffers the day of the dinner to confirm he was going. Trump heard about Greenes calls and informed her shortly before leaving the White House that he planned on visiting the steakhouse. It is unclear whether the Secret Service opened up an official investigation into Greene. The former Georgia representative refused to confirm whether she had been contacted by agents about the incident. Greene said, The story you should be writing is why didn't the Secret Service sweep the restaurant. Code Pink spokesman Melissa Garriga dismissed the claim that Greene warned the group about Trumps dinner plans. That absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical, Garriga said. Greene has been linked to the protest group that interrupted the President's dinner White House officials did not provide direct evidence that Greene leaked Trumps location to the liberal protest group but gave two reasons for their suspicions. They claimed that after Trump alerted Greene about his plans to attend the restaurant - a claim that Greene denies - she did not show up when the President arrived. Moreover, White House aides accused Greene of maintaining a friendly relationship with Code Pink co-founder and leader Medea Benjamin. Greene and the liberal protest organization are united in their opposition to US support for Israel. The group praised Greene last June for opposing Trumps bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran. The groups leader, Benjamin, visited Greene in November as a show of support shortly after Greene announced she would resign from Congress. Trumps relationship with Greene, meanwhile, began to deteriorate at the start of his second term after the President warned her that she was set to lose the Georgia Senate race to a Democrat. After Trump sent Greene polling indicating this, she began to publicly criticize the President by claiming he had abandoned his America First principles. After being banished from MAGAland, Marjorie Taylor Greene is being lined up for an unlikely next act - as a permanent panelist on The View. The Daily Mail understands the former Republican congresswoman, 51, is being eyed behind the scenes as a potential full-time addition to the liberal ABC talk show. Producers have been licking their lips after Greene's guest appearance this week triggered a rare ratings bump and a surge of social media engagement for the long-running daytime staple. 'When Marjorie shows up on The View, people notice,' a source told The Mail. 'Ratings spike, social media engagement picks up dramatically, everyone has an opinion. She creates buzz.' 'Obviously, it would be stupid for us to not consider something more permanent. I don't know what that would look like, but it's sort of a nobrainer.' Insiders say Greene's appeal is the reaction she generates. 'Love her or hate her, you know who she is, and you know she's not going to hold back,' the source added. Marjorie Taylor Greeneis being lined up for an unlikely next act - as a permanent panellist on The View (pictured during an appearance in November) The former Republican Congresswoman stepped down from her role in office on January 5 Greene quit Congress at the end of November after nearly five years on Capitol Hill, following an extraordinary falling out with former ally Donald Trump. The split was triggered by Greene's outspoken criticism of Trump over his botched release of the Epstein files, a core MAGA pledge that she accused him of abandoning, prompting Trump to brand her a 'traitor.' Previously, MTG had been one of Trump's most reliable allies, defending him in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol and wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat at Joe Biden's State of the Union address in 2024. While no one on Greene's team would comment, a former senior staffer said she 'totally would' join The View panel if asked. 'She would love that. She likes to talk and likes an audience.' And Greene herself has gone on record that she enjoys talking to the other ladies on the show. In a December interview with the New York Times, Greene said she has a lot more similarities than differences with the panel. 'Those women were the same type of women that have always been my friends,' she said. 'Collegeeducated, affluent suburban women that's who am. So I couldn't wait to talk to these ladies. I was so tired of the toxic politics.' Word has been spreading in the break room about what would happen if she were formally added to the show. It follows an extraordinary falling out with former ally Donald Trump (pictured on March 4) 'There's gossip that she might be added, a lot of us are talking about it,' a second staffer told the Mail. 'I haven't heard anything official. I'll probably find out like everyone else when I read it in the news. They're not great with communication here.' 'But if I had to bet on her joining? 50/50. Maybe even more.' Despite her firebrand reputation, the staffer said MTG is the opposite backstage. 'She is actually very lovely behind the scenes,' the staffer said. 'Nice to the staff, friendly, not demanding, not problematic in any way.' 'She is clearly angling for some sort of role here. It's so obvious to me and to everyone else. And as loath as I am to say it, she's good. She's good on camera, she can hold her own, and she articulates herself well. That doesn't mean I'm a fan of hers, I'm not, but she would make a lot of sense as a panelist, even a semiregular one.' Reps for the View did not return the Daily Mail's call for comment. Greene appeared for the second time on the long-running ABC talker on Wednesday, joining Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, Ana Navarro, Sara Haines, and Sunny Hostin live on the program and didn't hold back in criticizing Trump. 'The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the president calling me a traitor for standing with women who were raped when they were teenagers,' Greene said during the Hot Topics discussion, referring to dozens of women who say they were exploited by Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring. 'One of MAGA's big campaign pledges was to release the Epstein files.' She then criticized the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, calling it a mistake and a distraction. Previously, MTG had been one of Trump's most reliable allies, defending him in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol and wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat at Joe Biden's State of the Union address in 2024 She then accused the administration of mistreating women. 'Not only does Trump not have a good reputation with women, but I would argue the Republican party has a woman problem as well,' Greene said. 'We Republican women who have served in the House, we have been vocal about that. There's quite a few others.' Trump has been critical of MTG's appearances. 'She has gone far left, even doing The View,' he wrote on Truth Social after her first appearance on November 14. When panelist Sunny Hostin pointedly asked Greene if she was breaking ranks with Trump for her own political gain, she laughed. 'I've said over and over again to the point of exhaustion,' she responded. 'I'm not running for Senate, I'm not running for governor, I'm not running for president.' She declined to answer whether she would leave the Republican party. A second staffer at The View says that Greene who is normally known for being acerbic and aggressive is a dream guest backstage. 'She is actually very lovely behind the scenes,' the staffer insists. 'Nice to the staff, friendly, not demanding, not problematic in any way.' A vicious little code for Tulsi Gabbard is swirling around the White House. Her title, DNI, Director of National Intelligence, stands for 'Do Not Invite.' That's the joke that aides have been telling as Gabbard was shut out of Donald Trump's raid to capture Nicolas Maduro at the weekend. The President's orders were that Operation Absolute Resolve was strictly need-to-know, and Gabbard did not need to know. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed for the ex-Democratic congresswoman to be excluded, two sources told the Wall Street Journal. And while it's aloha Gabbard, it's hello CIA Director John Ratcliffe. He was front and center last Saturday as the White House beamed pictures out from the Mar-a-Lago situation room. The President increasingly relies on the CIA boss for crucial intelligence updates, preferring him over Gabbard. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shakes hands with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC Gabbard's Instagram posts tell a different story as she does yoga and preaches peace from the beach in Hawaii. 'My heart is filled with gratitude, aloha, and peace,' she posted on January 1 Her previous comments about Maduro's dictatorship had raised alarm bells. In 2019, the then-congresswoman for Hawaii staunchly opposed any American intervention in Venezuela, and as recently as last month, she was calling out 'warmongers' intent on pushing the US into conflict. The White House feared that Gabbard would not support the action, sources told Bloomberg. A senior intelligence official denied the report, claiming that Gabbard had provided important analysis that helped the overall mission. But Gabbard's Instagram posts tell a different story as the 44-year-old practices yoga and preaches peace from the beach in Hawaii. 'My heart is filled with gratitude, aloha, and peace,' she posted on January 1. Aloha is the Hawaiian word for love and affection, that is commonly used as a greeting or to bid farewell to someone. As DNI, Gabbard is supposed to be Trump's top intelligence adviser overseeing America's 18 spy agencies, including the CIA. It is 'highly unusual for the DNI not to be involved in any of these operations, especially something like Venezuela,' said retired US Air Force intelligence colonel Cedric Leighton. 'The visuals from that picture are a perfect description of what's going on to Tulsi Gabbard at this point,' he told Bloomberg. Gabbard remained silent on the Venezuela raid for three days, despite normally being an outspoken Trump supporter who appears frequently on Fox News and posts constantly on social media. Join the debate Should intelligence chiefs be sidelined if they clash with the president? FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 25 In this photo released by the White House, President Donald Trump monitors US military operations in Venezuela, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, right, at Mar-a-Lago on January 3 Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him last week 'President Trump promised the American people he would secure our borders, confront narcoterrorism, dangerous drug cartels, and drug traffickers,' Gabbard wrote Tuesday on X. 'Kudos to our servicemen and women and intelligence operators for their flawless execution of President Trump's order to deliver on his promise thru Operation Absolute Resolve.' Trump publicly rebuked Gabbard in June after she said during congressional testimony that Iran was 'not building a nuclear weapon.' The comments were put to the President as he planned to strike the country's nuclear sites alongside Israel. 'I don't care what she said,' he told reporters aboard Air Force One. A Rubio spokesman dismissed the reports that he had asked for Gabbard's exclusion from the operation. Tommy Pigott of the State Department said: 'This is a tired and false narrative attempting to promote a fake story of 'division' when there is none.' A spokesman for Gabbard declined to comment further. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado might have found the key to swaying the US to place her in leadership in the post-Nicolas Maduro government: handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump. Machado has been seeking a meeting with the president after the successful US operation in the early hours of the January 3rd capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to face narcoterrorism charges. A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to the Daily Mail that part of the discussion is Machado offering Trump her Nobel Peace Prize. Machado accepted the award in Oslo, Norway in December after escaping her safe house in Venezuela wearing a wig. And Trump has said it would be a 'great honor' to accept the Nobel Peace Prize if Machado chose to share it with him but did not explicitly ask her to hand it over. She did already publicly dedicate the award to the US president, saying he 'really deserved it'. Machado was in hiding for 16 months as a target of the Maduro so-called 'narco-regime,' and while the meeting with Trump is predicated on her gifting the prize to him, she's sure to bring up her future in Venezuelan leadership. Hours after the special forces mission to capture Maduro, Trump announced that the US would 'run' the country with former vice president Delcy Rodriguez at the helm. He also said at Saturday's press briefing at Mar-a-Lago that Machado wouldn't be a good leader because she didn't have the 'respect' of the Venezuelan people. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is willing to offer-up her Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump garner favor in her pursuit to take a leadership role in the post-Maduro government Trump said at his January 3, 2026 briefing that Machado wouldn't be a good leader because she doesn't have the 'respect' of the Venezuelan people but reports emerged that he was actually upset because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize award that he has coveted 'I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. 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,' Trump said after calling her a 'very nice woman.' But sourcing told the Washington Post that the real reason Trump didn't give her the position was because he didn't like that she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize an award he has openly coveted for years. And Trump confirmed on Thursday that Machado is coming to Washington, DC next week for a sit-down. 'I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying "hello" to her,' Trump said. 'I heard that she wants to do that [with her peace prize] it would be a great honor,' he told Fox News personality Sean Hannity. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's wife and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, whom the president is fond of, is pushing behind-the-scenes to make the meeting happen, Trump associates familiar with the dynamics told journalist Rachael Bade. A very close advisor to Machado confirmed to the Daily Mail that the opposition leader is listening to Duffy's advice. 'When it comes to persuading the president, all the lobbying and special interest money in the world isn't as powerful as having a program on Fox News,' they said. 'Rachel's coverage of Maria Corina [Machado] and the story of Venezuela has been accurate and outstanding.' The advisor added: 'All the corrupt post-Maduro regime special interests are in a full blown panic that MCM's standing is surging inside the White House.' Trump says the US is working with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Nicolas Maduro's vice president Trump says that he wants the US to 'run' Venezuela for at least the next few years, and insists his government, working with industry partners, will now control the extraction and sale of the country's oil. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller have been tasked with taking the lead on running Venezuela. Rubio has held at least one call with Rodriguez, Trump confirmed over the weekend. Taking place just a few days before Christmas in the choppy waters off the Welsh coast, it was a naval exercise that attracted little publicity and less fuss. But it was intriguing all the same. Under the watching eyes of British defence chiefs, Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen shot down swarms of drones and repelled unmanned vessels - effectively drone boats in a simulated attack by a foreign enemy. Earlier in the year, the Royal Navy's HMS Dauntless went through a similar exercise in what is rapidly becoming the new face of warfare. In May, operation Formidable Shield saw 11 allied nations join forces to counter simulated threats from drones and missiles off the coast of Scotland. The bloody conflict in Ukraine, now dominated by drones and missiles, has certainly sharpened minds and hardened attitudes. 'We must prepare for the chilling possibility of drone strikes carried out on UK soil by Russian saboteurs and sleeper agents already operating inside the country' Today Britain is only guarded by RAF fighter jets and six Navy destroyers. There is no dedicated airborne early warning capability. Yet however welcome Britains preparations might seem, they are nowhere near enough according to senior military analysists, particularly when threats facing Britain and the West are escalating. Few doubt that a future attack would involve automated weapons on land, air and sea. Late last year, two Russian military aircraft entered Lithuanian airspace while 20 Russian drones flew into Polish airspace, an episode which nearly resulted in a conflict with NATO and the possibility of a third world war. Several unidentified drones have been spotted near European airports and military bases in recent months. Its clear that Putin is testing the Wests resolve. General Nick Carter, former chief of the defence staff, believes the UK is massively vulnerable and has described our response as complacent. The sort of onslaught that Ukraine has suffered from the air via drones and missiles over the last three years is unsustainable as far as the UK is concerned, he said. We might be able to park a destroyer in the Thames to protect parts of London but nothing more than that. Today Britain is only guarded by RAF fighter jets and six Navy destroyers. There is no dedicated airborne early warning capability. British has ground-based mobile air defence systems such as Sky Sabre and Starstreak with a radar range of up to 1200 kilometres. They are capable of intercepting 24 missiles simultaneously. But they cannot intercept Russian ballistic hypersonic missiles. Olga Khoroshilova, a top advisor to the Ukraine government who coordinated defence strategies between Kyiv and the UK, put it this way: A column of tanks or infantry fighting vehicles is defenceless against a swarm of cheap drones, each of which costs a small fraction of the tanks hefty price tag and takes days to produce. A new approach to modern warfare is required. As General Pershing once said, infantry win battles, logistics win wars A firefighter works at the site of a residential building damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 27, 2025 Russia is an enemy that has evolved technologically and thrown the rule book out of the window. A Ukrainian serviceman launches a reconnaissance drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk The UK, like other NATO members, is not ready to face the kind of drone attacks that Russia deploys against Ukraine. This is despite the UK being one of the first NATO countries to take on board the importance of drone and anti-drone warfare. The CEO of Ukraines leading drone producer Reactive Drone, Oleksii Kolesnyk, agrees. The UK is dangerously exposed due to gaps in systematic surveillance, insufficient radar coverage, and limited means to destroy hostile drones before they strike, he said. The UK must urgently develop a strategy to defend against drone attacks of all kinds from cheap commercial drones to military-grade and swarm systems. It is also important to prepare for the chilling possibility of drone strikes carried out on UK soil by Russian saboteurs and sleeper agents already operating inside the country. Britains network of sea radars must be repurposed to spot drones. Hundreds of maritime radars guarding the coastline could be rapidly adapted to detect airborne drones, low-flying aircraft and sea drones closing dangerous blind spots around ports, energy infrastructure and major cities. Mass production of low-cost drones is the solution, according to some experts. While advanced drones are relatively cheap in military terms an estimated $175,000 each there is a shortage of low-cost missile systems and sophisticated mobile heavy machine guns at the correct height to counter a major drone attack. Ukrainian drone manufacturers emphasise the importance of routinely upgrading the technology. Reactive Drone, producer of the 'Kazhan' drones known as Bat and Baba Yaga - responsible for devastating night strikes against Russia - focuses on adaptation and is attempting to make traditional drones obsolete. Personnel training is also crucial. Reactive Drone has even established a drone pilot school. Putin is increasingly turning to one-way kamikaze drones against Ukraine, with 800 launched on a single night in one recent attack. And while an estimated 80 percent are shot down, the 20 per cent are capable of huge destruction. Some military experts believe the UK should erect a defensive drone wall. But it is hard to see how investing millions on expensive missiles to blow cheap Russian drones out of the sky makes economic sense. Pavlo Verkhniatskyi, managing partner of COSA and co-founder of Fincord-Polytech Science which advises Ukrainian technology developers, said that Britain is capable of resisting some forms of drone attack thanks to its island location and existing air defence systems. But it is unclear whether the UK has enough resources to efficiently intercept hundreds of drones launched simultaneously and followed by cruise and ballistic missiles regularly, he said. Given that Russian drones now fly in from heights above two kilometres, those anti-missiles systems are not efficient or sufficient. Royal Marines of 40 Commando use drones to deliver supplies during exercises at RAF Spadeadam. Cheap interceptor drones and lasers are a potential solution. But they are currently produced slower than needed. Last month, Verkhniatskyi briefed American defence manufacturers on how interceptor drones counter Russian missiles. The data possessed by Ukraine is unmatchable, he said. The Russian attacks are a combination of cheap drones and sophisticated missiles. But they both require constant adaptation to circumvent Ukrainian air defence and innovation is what the Ukrainian defence sector excels in. A priority is to stop the supply of Western-made microelectronics to Russia. Some of the most important components of Russian weapons still come from the Free World. The UK needs to be ready for Russian drones. Iran's exiled Crown Prince has placed himself at the centre of the mass protests that have washed over the country in recent days. Demonstrations that have swelled in size and number since late December over the plummeting of the Iranian rial have included cries in support of Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally-ill father fled Iran just before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. In years gone by, this was something that could bring a death sentence. But it now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Iran's ailing economy. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 50 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. In his latest call to action, Pahlavi said in a video posted to X: 'I know that despite the internet and communication cuts, you will not abandon the streets. Be assured that victory belongs to you!' It was these calls that appeared have ignited the fury that has resided in Iranians across the country for so long, said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 'What turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday,' she said. 'Per social media posts, it became clear that Iranians had delivered and were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic Republic.' Demonstrations that have swelled in size and number since late December over the plummeting of the Iranian rial have included cries in support of Reza Pahlavi (pictured) Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8, 2026 'This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters.' When the clock struck 8pm on Thursday, neighbourhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. The chants included 'Death to the dictator!' and 'Death to the Islamic Republic!' Others praised the shah, shouting: 'This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!' Thousands could be seen on the streets before all communication to Iran cut out. 'Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication,' Pahlavi said. 'It has shut down the internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals.' He went on to call for European leaders to join Trump in promising to 'hold the regime to account.' 'I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen,' he added. 'Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.' Iranian authorities appear to be hugely threatened by the demonstrations. Tehran prosecutors have said that anyone involved in 'sabotage', burning public property and armed clashed with security forces will face a death sentence. State-run media has repeatedly referred to demonstrators as 'terrorists,' setting the stage for a violent crackdown like those that followed other nationwide protests in recent years. Flames rise from a burning structure during protests in Ahwaz on January 8 Iranian authorities appear to be hugely threatened by the demonstrations ehran prosecutors have said that anyone involved in 'sabotage', burning public property and armed clashed with security forces will face a death sentence Protesters are 'ruining their own streets ... in order to please the president of the United States,' Khamenei said to a crowd at his compound in Tehran. 'Because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.' Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei separately vowed that punishment for protesters 'will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency.' Iran's harsh response to the demonstrations has drawn the attention of US president Donald Trump, who warned last week that if Tehran 'violently kills peaceful protesters,' America 'will come to their rescue.' Trump reiterated his pledge on Thursday, saying that Iran has 'been told very strongly, even more strongly than I'm speaking to you right now, that if they do that, they're going to have to pay hell'. But Khamenei struck a defiant tone in his first comments on the protests that have been escalating since January 3, calling the demonstrators 'vandals' and 'saboteurs', in a speech broadcast on state TV. Khamenei said 'arrogant' Donald Trump's hands 'are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians', in apparent reference to Israel's June war against the Islamic republic which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own. He predicted the US leader would be 'overthrown' like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. 'Last night in Tehran, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building that belongs to them to please the US president,' he said in an address to supporters, as men and women in the audience chanted the mantra of "death to America". 'Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people, it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,' he added. State-run media has repeatedly referred to demonstrators as 'terrorists,' Iranian protesters on Thursday stepped up their challenge to the clerical leadership with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted The movement, which began in Tehran in late December after the value of the Iranian rial plunged to record lows In a video verified by AFP, protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province were seen cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020 Verified videos showed crowds of people, as well as vehicles honking in support, filling a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard late on Thursday. The crowd could be heard chanting 'death to the dictator' in reference to Khamenei, 86, who has ruled the Islamic republic since 1989. Other videos showed significant protests in other cities, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east, as well as the Kurdish-populated west of the country, including the regional hub Kermanshah. Several videos showed protesters setting fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images. Flames were also seen in the governor's building in Shazand, the capital of Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, other videos showed. The protests late Thursday were the biggest in Iran since 2022-2023 rallies nationwide sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress code. Rights groups have accused authorities of firing on protesters in the current demonstrations, killing dozens. However, the latest videos from Tehran did not show intervention by security forces. Keir Starmer told his French and German counterparts that Nato must 'step up' operations in the Arctic today as they are frantically trying to stop Donald Trump seizing Greenland. The PM discussed the brewing row over US threats with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in a phone call. European leaders have backed Denmark in a dispute with Mr Trump that has sparked fears the military alliance could be torn apart. Sir Keir held a second call with the American president in just two days last night. Downing Street said he had argued that Europe was defending the Arctic from Russia and China, but did concede that more could be done. Sir Keir passed on that message about the High North in his discussion with Mr Macron and Mr Merz today. According to the No 10 readout of the conversation, he 'said the Nato alliance needed to step up in the region to deter adversaries such as Russia'. Keir Starmer told France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz (pictured together last year) that Nato must 'step up' operations in the Arctic European leaders have backed Denmark in a dispute with Donald Trump over Greenland that has sparked fears the Nato military alliance could be torn apart In a day of frenzied diplomacy yesterday, the PM spoke to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who previously said if the US chooses to attack another Nato country militarily, 'then everything stops'. However, both agreed 'that NATO should step up in the area to protect Euro-Atlantic interests'. Nato secretary General Mark Rutte agreed with Sir Keir that 'more needed to be done to deter Russia in the High North'. Sir Keir then chatted to Mr Trump for the second time in two days. No 10 said the leaders had 'discussed Euro-Atlantic security and agreed on the need to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia in the High North'. A statement added: 'European allies had stepped up in recent months to defend Euro-Atlantic interests, but more could be done to protect the area, the Prime Minister said.' Mr Trump's plan to acquire Greenland, either through purchasing the territory or through military means, has been criticised by political enemies and allies across Europe and in the US. Critics of Mr Trump's plan have suggested his interest lies in acquiring Greenland's minerals and rare-earth energy supplies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told US politicians that it was the Trump administration's intention to purchase Greenland rather than use military force. In crisis talks with Denmark next week, White House advisers are expected to seek a peaceful transition for the world's largest island. Though self-governing, Greenland remains a Danish territory, though its 57,000 population favour independence from Copenhagen. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has warned that if the US chooses to attack another Nato country militarily the alliance will be over. Such a scenario could even see US and Danish troops facing off - despite the soldiers working alongside each other to protect Greenland until now. Under Danish military rules enshrined in 1952, the country's forces would be obliged to respond to any invasion 'without waiting for or seeking orders' - in other words, shooting first and asking questions later. Greenland's government has told Danish public broadcaster DR it will participate in the crisis meetings with Mr Rubio next week. Mr Macron has denounced the 'law of the strongest' that is making people 'wonder if Greenland will be invaded'. The owner of the Swiss bar where a blaze killed 40 people on New Year's Eve has been arrested, following an order from Swiss prosecutors. Jacques Moretti has been detained as he poses a potential flight risk, Swiss media reported. He was taken into custody today in the town of Sion, following a lengthy hearing with investigators. Prosecutors are investigating the French owners, Jacques and his wife, Jessica, of the Le Constellation bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence. They believe the blaze started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling in the bar's basement section. Experts have suggested that what appeared to be highly flammable foam may have caused a so-called flashover - a near-simultaneous ignition of everything in an enclosed space, trapping many of the young patrons. Video footage which has emerged from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out. There were fears Jacques and Jessica may flee the country and use their French passports to evade justice, as France does not extradite its citizens. Jessica has been made to wear an electronic bracelet, and will have to report to the police every three days, according to Swiss news outlet 24 Heures. Jacques Moretti (pictured) has been detained as he poses a potential flight risk People observe a minute of silence as they watch the official commemorative ceremony on a giant screen in front of the St. Christopher Chapel in Crans-Montana Your browser does not support iframes. It comes just five days after prosecutors in Valais said: 'No coercive measures have been ordered against the defendants, given that the criteria for pre-trial detention are not currently met'. Prosecutors' previous statement added: 'Currently, there is no suspicion that the defendants intend to evade criminal proceedings or the foreseeable punishment by fleeing. The other criteria, namely the risk of recidivism or collusion, are not taken into consideration.' Most of those impacted by the inferno at Le Constellation were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among the fatalities and the wounded, including nine French victims. Half of those killed in the blaze were under 18, including some as young as 14. On Tuesday, municipal authorities acknowledged that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at Le Constellation since 2019, prompting outrage. Speaking at the ceremony was a visibly emotional Mathias Reynard, state councillor and president of the Council of State of the Canton of Valais. 'As adults, as political leaders, the least we can do is apologise, on behalf of the entire community,' he said, adding: 'We will never forget this day.' 'A moment of celebration and friendship turned into a nightmare. At the dawn of the new year, young people who had just shared their dreams, their wishes, their laughter, were struck by violence and death,' he continued. Mourners attend a memorial ceremony in tribute to victims of the Crans-Montana bar fire on January 9, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland A victim with burned hands attends the official commemorative ceremony and the national day of mourning in Martigny, Switzerland, Friday, January 9, 2026 Your browser does not support iframes. 'In Crans-Montana, 156 lives were irrevocably changed...Today, we are gathered here to honor the memory of these 40 souls, to say that we will never forget. We are also gathered for those who were injured, for those who are still fighting for their lives.' 'No words can ever undo the irreparable,' he added. The French couple said in a statement on Tuesday that they were 'devastated and overwhelmed with grief', and pledged their 'full cooperation' with investigators. They will need to answer numerous questions about why so many minors were in the bar, and whether fire safety standards were adhered to. 'We expect our clients, the families, to receive answers... and for all responsibilities from A to Z to be established,' said lawyer Romain Jordan, representing several affected families. The families, he said, want to know 'why this tragedy... was able to occur here in Switzerland, despite all the legal, legislative, and surveillance measures in place'. There has been much focus on the soundproofing foam, which, according to photos taken by the owners, had been added during renovations in 2015. A video filmed by a member of the public, screened Monday by Swiss broadcaster RTS, showed that the danger was known years ago. Images show the moment before a deadly New Year's Eve blaze at a Swiss ski resort bar killed at least 40 people 'Watch out for the foam!', a bar employee said during 2019 New Year's Eve celebrations, as champagne bottles with sparklers were brought out. 'This video is staggering,' Jordan, who is expected at the hearing today, told AFP, saying it showed 'there was an awareness of this risk - and that possibly this risk was accepted'. Former staff have claimed that safety standards at the club were poor, alleging that fire extinguishers were kept under lock and key and that the bar's emergency exit was often locked. More to follow. The family of Renee Nicole Good has received more than $1.5 million in donations after she was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Officer Jonathan 'Jon' Ross shot Good three times in quick succession on Wednesday afternoon after she allegedly ignored ICE agents' demands to get out of her SUV. A GoFundMe campaign created to support her wife Rebecca and Good's three children, including her six-year-old son who is now orphaned, has amassed more nearly 38,000 donations in just two days. The crowdfunder sought $50,000 to support the Good family as they 'grapple with the devastating loss of their wife and mother.' But the campaign was raised more than 28 times the requested amount, with one anonymous donor alone generously contributing $50,000. The total sits just above $1.5 million as of 3:30pm ET Friday. Fundraiser organizers, in an update Thursday, said they are 'brokenhearted and in awe of your generosity.' 'My family met Renee and Becca after they moved to town and become fast friends,' co-organizer Becka Tilsen wrote. 'Thank you again for your compassion. They feel this tidal wave of care and it really matters.' Good's killing has sparked global outrage with furious Democrats branding Ross a murderer. But Ross has the full support of the Trump administration, who argue he acted in self-defense when it appeared Good intended to run him down with her car. The family of Renee Nicole Good has received more than $1.4 million in donations after she was shot dead by an ICE agent just two days ago A GoFundMe campaign created to support her wife Rebecca (pictured with Renee) and Good's three children has already amassed more nearly 38,000 donations The Goods lived in a rented home (pictured) Kansas City's vibrant Waldo neighborhood for about two years but decided to flee the US after Trump's election. They spent some time in Canada before deciding to settle in Minneapolis Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials have defended Ross as an experienced law enforcement professional who followed his training and shot Good after he believed she was trying to run him or other agents over with her vehicle. But video has raised questions about whether the shooting was in self-defense, and the FBI is investigating the deadly use of force. Some protesters are demanding that Ross face criminal charges, and Minnesota authorities also want to investigate. Recordings of the shooting show an officer approaching Good's stopped SUV. He grabbed the driver's door handle as he allegedly demanded she open the door. Her Honda Pilot began to pull forward and Ross pulled his weapon, immediately firing three shots and jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him. It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with Ross. After the shooting, the SUV slammed into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop. Newly released surveillance video showed how Good apparently blocked the road with her SUV for four minutes before she was killed. About 20 seconds after Good pulled up to the street, a passenger - believed to be her wife Rebecca Good - exited the vehicle and eventually began filming. There is speculation that Rebecca Good, who admitted to bringing her spouse to the anti-ICE protest, exited the car so she could begin filming any potential clash with federal agents. She was seen wielding her camera during Ross's confrontation with her wife but it is unclear when she first started to record. ICE agent Jonathan 'Jon' Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis six months after he was dragged 100 yards by a car in a separate incident Renee Good was shot three times in the face at a protest in Minneapolis and died at the scene Rebecca Good, in harrowing video captured at the scene, admitted that she encouraged her wife to confront agents. She said: 'I made her come down here, it's my fault' The Goods moved to their family to Minnesota just last year. They are understood to have fled the US after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. Good then allegedly became involved in the community at her six-year-old son's charter school and it's local 'ICE Watch' group, which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt immigration raids. Rebecca, in a harrowing footage captured at the scene, admitted she encouraged Good to confront agents. 'I made her come down here, it's my fault,' she cried. Witnesses have claimed Good, a mother of three, and Rebecca were acting as legal observers and filming the protest. But Good's mother Donna Ganger has denied reports that her daughter would have been 'part of anything like' the protests against ICE that were taking place at the location where she was killed. The Trump administration has repeatedly characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her. Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and Good was a 'victim of left-wing ideology.' 'I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,' Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June. But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video recordings show the self-defense argument is 'garbage.' A GoFundMe campaign sought $50,000 to support the Good family as they 'grapple with the devastating loss of their wife and mother.' It has already amassed $1.4 million Ross is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records. He has been a deportation officer since 2015. He was seriously injured last summer when he was dragged by the car of a fleeing illegal immigrant sex offender whom he shot with a stun gun while trying to arrest him. The previous incident in which took place in Bloomington, Minnesota and left Ross with injuries that required 33 stitches. The Daily Mail has approached GoFundMe and the campaign organizers for comment. A mother was left shocked by empty supermarket shelves after 'panic buying' Brits cleared out a store before Storm Goretti hit the country. Jennifer Marsh popped into the Asda store in the Sedgley area of Dudley at 6.30pm yesterday but hardly any fresh vegetables, bread or meat remained on sale. Ms Marsh, 30, said on TikTok that her mother-in-law, who works at the shop, claimed everything was fine until the storm warning was imposed by meteorologists. The store is located within the Met Office amber warning area in the West Midlands which came into force at 8pm last night amid fears of up to 30cm (1ft) of snow. The mother-of-two had popped out to get baby milk for her daughter and her local area had its first signs of snow about an hour later as the storm arrived. Ms Marsh, whose video of the empty shelves has had more than 2,000 likes, said: 'I think panic buying is silly when the snow is predicted for a couple of days. 'But I can understand why people do it if they are anxious about the snow and when they will next get to leave the house. Empty shelves at the Asda store in the Sedgley area of Dudley at 6.30pm yesterday Hardly any fresh vegetables remained on sale at the Asda store ahead of Storm Goretti Panic-buying Brits cleared out the Asda store before Storm Goretti hit the country yesterday The mother-of-two had popped out to get baby milk for her daughter at the Asda last night 'The shelves which were mainly empty were the fresh produce like fruit and vegetables, bread, eggs, fresh meats, and also the pastry and waffles. 'Also, baby milk was running low, and I had to ask to see if they had what I needed in the warehouse. All the local schools around me are closed due to the snow. 'Cars were getting stuck on our road, left, right and centre last night as we live on a hill and we had cars being dumped as people gave up on their journeys.' The store on High Holborn Street in Sedley is open from 7am to 10pm on Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The Daily Mail has asked Asda for comment. It follows reports of panic buying in the Aberdeenshire village of Kemnay this week, where ice-covered roads stopped any deliveries to local stores following heavy snow. Community council member Richard Lamplugh told the Telegraph: 'There has definitely been a food shortage, people worry so they panic buy. It's difficult to get here, we're reasonably cut off.' The community can only be reached from a B-road four miles from the A96. It comes as Britons were warned to expect a further foot of snow, flooding and icy conditions this weekend after tens of thousands of homes lost power during 100mph Storm Goretti. Severe conditions caused school closures and travel disruption today with flights grounded at airports, roads blocked and large swathes of the rail network shut. A person walks up Hill Street in Birmingham after snow fell overnight in the West Midlands Overnight snow covers the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham this morning Birmingham wakes up to a thick covering of snow this morning as Storm Goretti sweeps in People walk through the snow on Broad Street in Birmingham this morning after Storm Goretti Deserted platforms and a departure board at Old Hill station in Sandwell, West Midlands, today Now, the Met Office has issued fresh yellow warnings for snow and ice for tomorrow and Sunday as partially thawed snow refreezes before more blizzards arrive. A combination of melting snow and rain will also increase the flood risk over the next few days, with the Environment Agency issuing 107 alerts and 14 warnings in England. One new Met Office snow and ice warning covering most of Scotland and northern England runs from midday today until 3pm tomorrow with up to 15cm (6ft) set to fall. A second yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of western England and Wales from midday today until midday tomorrow; while a third across Northern Ireland for snow and ice will come into force from 5pm tonight and run until 11am tomorrow. A separate snow and ice warning on Sunday will be active for much of Scotland and the North of England from 2am until 3pm with another 30cm (1ft) accumulating. Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold weather health alerts for all of England until Monday, warning of a 'rise in deaths'. The Environment Agency has 107 flood alerts (in orange) and 14 warnings (in red) for England Met Office yellow weather warnings are being imposed for tomorrow (left) and Saturday (right) Your browser does not support iframes. The wild weather brought 99mph winds overnight while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for 'dangerous' winds in South West England yesterday. National Grid said 64,000 properties across England and Wales were without power this morning, including 48,000 in the South West and 15,000 in the West Midlands. Birmingham and East Midlands airports both had to suspend operations due to the heavy snow, while all trains in Cornwall and many others in the North were axed. The sky turned pink in areas of Birmingham this morning following the 'weather bomb', after the central pressure in the area of low pressure fell rapidly yesterday. Roads were also closed due to fallen trees following a week of severe conditions that has seen villages in Scotland cut off and temperatures falling to nearly -15C. People in Cornwall were urged to work from home this morning, with the council advising residents to avoid travelling due to the large number of closed roads. Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates has given his ex-wife Melinda $8billion five years after they divorced over his rumoured affairs and closeness to Jeffrey Epstein. Gates made the $7.88billion donation to Melinda's Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in 2024, The New York Times revealed. Melinda resigned from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that they ran together in May 2024 and suggested her ex donate $12.5billion to her new foundation which works to advance social progress for women. A representative for women's advocacy group Pivotal confirmed to the Times that the $12.5billion agreement has been fulfilled, and the nearly $8billion donation was part of that agreement. The donation was listed on his 2025 tax filing, but it is unclear how the rest of the $12.5billion agreement was split and where the donations were made. Melinda married Gates in 1994 and split with him in 2021 after the couple had three children together. Very few details of their divorce have been made public, and the tax filing reveals the first specific financial contribution of their split. Melinda has previously admitted that her ex-husband's friendship with disgraced pedophile financier Epstein was a driving factor for their split. Bill and Melinda Gates pictured together in Sun Valley, Utah, in 2015. The couple split six years later with Bill recently donating another $8billion to his wife's foundation Melinda has condemned Gates over his affairs and close friendship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein Gates has refused to say whether he was unfaithful to Melinda, but previously admitted he 'certainly made mistakes' in their marriage and claimed to 'take responsibility'. However, the Microsoft founder's friendship with the pedophile was thrust back into the spotlight in December after he was seen in a photograph with Epstein in a tranche of evidence from the pedophile's estate. In undated images from the tranche, Gates was pictured with two women whose faces were blurred. An additional picture reveals that Epstein kept a framed photo of Gates on the wall at his mansion on his private island. Gates was also pictured standing alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew. The Microsoft founder has persistently downplayed his ties to the sex trafficker in the past. In April, Melinda stunned Late Show host Stephen Colbert with her candid answer about the end of her 27-year marriage with the Microsoft founder. She explained to Colbert that her relationship with the father of her three children lacked trust and honesty, which forced her to leave. Join the debate Is Melinda's settlement fair? Very few details of their divorce have been made public, and the tax filing reveals the first specific financial contribution of their split Gates and Melinda share three adult children, Phoebe, Jennifer, and Rory (pictured left to right) 'I learned to have a trusted relationship, which is what I wanted in marriage, both partners have to be honest with one another,' Melinda said. 'And if you can't, you can't have intimacy and you can't have trust. So in the end, I had to go.' Last year, Melinda also revealed that Bill did not consult her before deciding to give away the massive fortune accumulated by the foundation she co-founded. 'This particular decision was made after I left,' Melinda revealed. 'It was made between Bill and Mark [Suzman, the foundation's CEO] and the board, and I think it's a fantastic decision.' In May, Bill announced that he will give away 99 per cent of his immense fortune in the coming years, leaving one per cent for himself and his children. He is shuttering the Gates Foundation by December 31, 2045, effectively ending a lifelong project to give away his multi-billion fortune. The tech mogul plans to distribute 'virtually all' of his wealth, approximately $200 billion, within the next 20 years. Bill will hold onto just one percent of his fortune - which still equals out to an estimated $1.62 billion. He has three adult children he shares with Melinda - Phoebe, Rory, and Jennifer - who will most likely inherit the remaining millions in cash Gates has upon his death. This is the first picture of a childminder who has appeared in court accused of murdering her four-year-old daughter in a house fire. Carrin Wibier, 45, of Rusholme, Manchester, has also been charged with arson with intent to endanger life after Lesma-Rose Wibier died in the blaze at their home on March 2 last year. She made a brief appearance at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday via video link from custody, after being remanded the day before. Wibier spoke only to confirm her name, address and date of birth. District Judge Jane Hamilton told her the matters she faced were indictable-only and had to be dealt with by the crown court. She was further remanded until Thursday when she appeared at Manchester Crown Court. The childminder graduated from a three-year undergraduate course in Primary Education, Early Childhood Education and Teaching at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2011. Wibier also served as a parent governor representative on Manchester City Council's Young People and Children Committee for a year from 2015 to 2016. Carrin Wibier (pictured), 45, of Rusholme, Manchester, has been charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life after Lesma-Rose Wibier died in the blaze at their home on March 2 last year Her daughter Lesma-Rose (pictured), who was described by grieving relatives as the 'star' of their family, was inside their house when it caught fire Emergency services quickly extinguished the blaze and the girl, who suffered serious injuries, was taken to hospital by paramedics, where she tragically died a short time later. Pictured: Police at the scene last year Evidence of smoke damage (pictured) could be seen on upstairs windows of the red-brick house after the fire Her daughter Lesma-Rose, who was described by grieving relatives as the 'star' of their family, was inside their house when it caught fire. Emergency services quickly extinguished the blaze and the girl, who suffered serious injuries, was taken to hospital by paramedics. But tragically, she could not be saved and died a short time later. In a heartbreaking tribute to the child, her family said at the time: 'Lesma-Rose was the star of the family. 'Anyone who knew her knew she was the most beautiful girl inside and out. She always had a smile on her face and could put the same on others. 'She was such a smart and intelligent girl in her own unique ways, and she will be deeply missed by anyone who was blessed to meet her.' Evidence of smoke damage could be seen on upstairs windows of the red-brick house after the fire. Ben Levy, area manager for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said previously that crews from four stations attended the blaze. 'I want to pass on the condolences of everyone at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to the family and friends of the young girl who tragically lost her life following this incident,' he said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have offered a blistering counter-argument to claims they stopped medics from treating a protester after she was shot dead in Minneapolis. Video captured in the immediate aftermath of Renee Nicole Good's killing on Wednesday shows bystanders, including one who claimed to be a physician, begging agents to let them check her vitals as she laid dead in the driver's seat of her Honda Pilot. Federal officials appeared to deny the pleading man's request, telling him 'no,' to 'back up, now' and that 'we have medics on scene.' The clip has gone viral with even the likes of civil rights attorney Ben Crump sharing it online. He branded the agents' actions as 'unconscionable' and accused them of turning down help as the mother-of-three's 'life was slipping away.' Now though, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has dismissed the allegations, telling the Daily Mail that her agents checked on Good and determined she was already dead. 'Immediately following the incident, our ICE officers got medics and there was an ambulance on the scene. The individual was pronounced dead. There was no pulse, but that individual was immediately given aid,' McLaughlin said Friday. 'Any loss of life is an absolute tragedy. We do pray for the deceased and her family, and as well as for our officer and all affected in this situation.' Good, 37, was killed by ICE agent Jonathan 'Jon' Ross during a protest in Minneapolis on Wednesday. He fired three shots at her in quick succession after she allegedly ignored agents' demands to exit her vehicle. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leaders have denied claims that agents prevented a doctor from caring for Renee Nicole Good after she was shot dead, the Daily Mail can reveal Footage captured immediately after Renee Good was shot dead by ICE agent Jon Ross showed how federal authorities denied a physician bystander's request to render aid at the scene Minneapolis locals pleaded with the agents to let them help Good, the video showed, but they were ordered to 'back up.' ICE also said they had their own medics at the scene The horrifying footage of the moments after Good's death show how her community seemingly tried to rush to her aid. 'Can I go check a pulse?' a man is heard begging agents. One replied: 'No, back up! Now.' But the man continued to plea, telling them how he is a physician. 'I don't care,' the same agent answered. Another added: 'Hey, listen, we understand. We got EMS coming man, I get it. Just give us a second.' The first agent interjected, telling the man that ICE has 'medics on scene.' 'Where are they? Where are they?' a female bystander screamed out, as another person is heard asking about Good's 'f***ing pulse.' An agent told the woman to relax, which appeared to enrage her even more. 'How can I relax, you just killed my f***ing neighbor? He got her in the f***ing face!' she yelled. 'You killed my f***ing neighbor. 'How do you show up to work everyday? How the f*** do you do this everyday? You're killing my neighbors. You're stealing my neighbors. What the f*** man?' ICE agent Jonathan 'Jon' Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis six months after he was dragged 100 yards by a car in a separate incident Rebecca Good, in harrowing video captured at the scene, admitted that she encouraged her wife to confront agents. She said: 'I made her come down here, it's my fault' ICE respond at the scene moments after Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by Officer Jon Ross New surveillance video of Good's killing shows how about 20 seconds after Good's maroon Honda Pilot pulled up to the street, a passenger - believed to be her wife Rebecca Good - exited the vehicle Ross has been branded a 'murderer' by furious Democrats but has enjoyed the full support of the Trump administration, who argue he acted in self-defense when it appeared Good intended to run him down with her car. He is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records. He has been an ICE deportation officer since 2015. Ross was seriously injured last summer when he was dragged by the car of a fleeing illegal immigrant sex offender whom he shot with a stun gun while trying to arrest him. The previous incident in which took place in Bloomington, Minnesota and left Ross with injuries that required 33 stitches. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials have defended Ross as an experienced law enforcement professional who followed his training and shot Good after he believed she was trying to run him or other agents over with her vehicle. But video has raised questions about whether the shooting was in self-defense, and the FBI is investigating the deadly use of force. Some protesters are demanding that Ross face criminal charges, and Minnesota authorities also want to investigate. Recordings of the shooting show an officer approaching Good's stopped SUV. He grabbed the driver's door handle as he allegedly demanded she open the door. Her Honda Pilot began to pull forward and Ross pulled his weapon, immediately firing three shots and jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him. It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with Ross. After the shooting, the SUV slammed into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Mail: 'Immediately following the incident, our ICE officers got medics and there was an ambulance on the scene. The individual was pronounced dead. There was no pulse, but that individual was immediately given aid' Renee Good and her wife Rebecca (pictured together) moved their family to Minneapolis just last year. Good was shot dead by an ICE agent on Wednesday Newly released surveillance video showed how Good apparently blocked the road with her SUV for four minutes before she was killed. About 20 seconds after Good pulled up to the street, a passenger - believed to be her wife Rebecca Good - exited the vehicle and eventually began filming. There is speculation that Rebecca Good, who admitted to bringing her spouse to the anti-ICE protest, exited the car so she could begin filming any potential clash with federal agents. She was seen wielding her camera during Ross's confrontation with her wife but it is unclear when she first started to record. The Goods moved to their family to Minnesota just last year. They are understood to have fled the US after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. Good then allegedly became involved in the community at her six-year-old son's charter school and a local 'ICE Watch' group, which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt ICE raids. The Trump administration has repeatedly characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her. Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and Good was a 'victim of left-wing ideology.' 'I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,' Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June. But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video recordings show the self-defense argument is 'garbage.' A California homeowner has finally removed a 550-pound bear living under his house that has been wreaking havoc for over a month. Kenneth Johnson, 63, discovered the massive male black bear had taken up residence in the crawl space of his $1.5 million Altadena home just before Thanksgiving. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) attempted to capture the beast, called Yellow 2120 by researchers, with bait and noisemakers. But their efforts were unsuccessful and Johnson even threatened to sue the department after they allegedly stopped helping with the removal. However, the homeowner finally had a stroke of luck on Tuesday when experts with the BEAR League stepped in. Volunteers from the non-profit organization based in the Lake Tahoe Basin travelled to Los Angeles to help Johnson. The group aims to help people live 'in harmony with bears'. 'Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the home - fully aware the bear was still there - to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawlspace opening,' BEAR League wrote on Facebook. Video showed the massive bear crawling out from underneath the house as the volunteers fired paintballs at it. A 550-pound bear living under a California home has finally be evicted after taking up residence over a month ago Kenneth Johnson, 63, discovered the massive male black bear living in the crawl space of his $1.5 million Altadena home just before Thanksgiving 'I couldn't believe it was so fast,' Johnson told KTLA. 'These guys went in, they crawled in behind him and, boom, he was out. 'I'm relieved no more banging under the house and smelling him and wondering whats going on under there.' Johnson captured footage of the bear attempting to return to his home two days later, but he was able to board up the crawl space and placed an electrified mat to keep him out. 'We also loaned electric unwelcome mats to give the homeowner time to make repairs and secure the crawlspace to prevent another visit,' BEAR League added. Before the bear was removed, Johnson said he was forced to shut off his gas after he captured video of a broken pipe by the bear. Johnson has since launched a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of repairs for the damage. 'Right after surviving the Eaton fire, I lost my job, and shortly after that the bear began tearing into the structure of my home,' he wrote. 'I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe. Volunteers from the non-profit organization BEAR League chased the beast out using paintballs Before the bear was removed, Johnson said he was forced to shut off his gas after he captured video of a broken pipe by the bear The bear attempted to return to his home two days later, but Johnson was able to board up the crawl space and placed an electrified mat to keep him out 'Im asking for help to cover the cost of removing the bear, repairing the damage, and making my home safe and livable again.' BEAR League wrote that this case shows the importance of securing your crawlspace. 'If you live in bear country, securing your crawlspace is essential,' the group said. 'This time of year, BEAR League evicts multiple bears from under homes every day. If you suspect a bear has entered, please call us.' This is the moment a woman was placed in handcuffs by police and fined 100 for feeding some pigeons in London. Video footage captured by a passerby showed a woman being detained by a group of officers and council enforcement workers in Harrow on Wednesday, in the latest example of jobsworth council officials slapping the public with petty fines. A piece of paper later handed to the woman showed she had been stopped for being in breach of a Public Spaces Protection Order which covers town and district centres in Harrow. The woman, who was in handcuffs and at times visibly upset, was surrounded by at least six police officers and two council enforcement officers. It comes after a series of incidents which have seen Brits fined for seemingly harmless behaviour including the passing out of leaflets campaigning against council cuts and leaving furniture outside to go to a good home. This latest incident unfolded at around 3pm on Wednesday on the High Street in Wealdstone, London. Police were seen searching pockets while a man who was filming the encounter repeatedly challenged the officers over the stop. Her possessions were confiscated and placed in a plastic bag by officers, although they were later returned. Video footage captured by a passerby showed a woman being detained by a group of officers and council enforcement workers in Harrow on Wednesday The particulars of the offence were described as 'throwing bread on the floor' in a fixed penalty notice issued to the woman The woman, who has not been identified, was placed in the back of a police van but was later released and was free to go. She had been handed a note by police officers which showed she had been detained for feeding the birds. The particulars of the offence were described as 'throwing bread on the floor'. It was claimed the woman had received a warning from enforcement officers 'but chose not to comply so police were called'. The paper added the woman had been issued with a fixed penalty notice of 100, which she was ordered to pay within 28 days to avoid prosecution. 'If you fail to make payment within 28 days you may be summons [sic] to appear in the Magistrate court.' During the incident multiple passersby stopped and expressed concern at the woman's detention, questioning why she had been handcuffed for simply throwing some bread on the ground. Harrow Council has multiple Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which ban certain behaviours such as drinking and taking drugs in various areas of the borough. The woman was stopped under Harrow's Town and District Centres PSPO, which explicitly outlaws the 'feeding of birds and vermin' At least six police officers and two council enforcement officers were involved in the incident, which saw the woman given a 100 fixed penalty notice The woman was stopped under Harrow's Town and District Centres PSPO, which explicitly outlaws the 'feeding of birds and vermin'. Aggressive begging, blocking access to businesses during opening hours and leaving commercial waste in public spaces are also forbidden under the PSPO. Other activities, such as the use of loudspeakers and distribution of leaflets, require advance permission. The enforcement of PSPOs are typically left to council officers, but police can become involved if a person refuses to comply. The breach of a PSPO can result in a fixed penalty notice of prosecution, at which point a fine of up to 1,000 can be imposed. It is the latest example of Brits being slapped with petty fines for 'offences' many may not even know exist. Heather Rawling, 72, of Fleckney, Leicestershire, was hit with a 100 penalty notice last year after setting up a table in Leicester to campaign against council cuts. But while she was campaigning on May 31 she was approached by a street warden who ordered her to dismantle it, branding it an 'unauthorised structure'. Heather Rawling, 72, of Fleckney, Leicestershire, was hit with a penalty notice last year after setting up a table in Leicester to campaign against council cuts The grandmother was campaigning against council cuts and was fined because a camping table she set up on the street was judged to be an 'unauthorised structure' Clyde Strachan, 37, (pictured) decided to help refuse collectors by placing his rubbish outside his West Kensington home shortly before midday in May - a day early Mr Strachan, from west Kensington, put his bins out a day early as he was going on holiday and returned to a fine The retired humanities teacher was told she was in breach of a public spaces protection order (PSPO), designed to combat anti-social behaviour such as street drinkers and e-bike riders. She received a 100 fine three days later but vowed to fight the matter in court, where she estimates the bill could rise to 1,000 if she loses. Elsewhere, a 37-year-old from West Kensington was fined 1,000 after putting his bins out a day early before going on holiday. Clyde Strachan decided to help refuse collectors by placing his rubbish outside his West Kensington home shortly before midday in May. He then went away for a week and when he returned was faced with an 'environmental enforcement notice', which demanded he make contact with Hammersmith and Fulham Council. The engineer then received an 1,000 fixed penalty notice, but this was later retracted on appeal. And in September, single mother Isabelle Pepin, from Southborne, Dorset, placed an Ikea chest of draws and stacking cabinet outside her home, along with a sign stating they were free for anyone to take. The chest of drawers was quickly snatched up, and after a few hours, Ms Pepin returned the stacking cabinet to her property. She was then stunned to receive a 500 flytipping fine by council officials, who turned up at her doorstep three weeks later - even threatening her with prison. Ms Pepin, who lives with her eight-year-old son Bear, was making his tea when the council official turned up on her doorstep and demanded to know her name and date of birth before issuing her with the fine. A Met spokesperson said: 'At around 14:30hrs on Wednesday, 7 January officers were approached by local council enforcement officers dealing with an anti-social behaviour incident on Wealdstone High Street, Harrow. 'A woman, in her 40s, was repeatedly asked to provide her name and address so that a fixed penalty notice could be issued. 'After speaking with officers for around 20 minutes, she repeatedly refused to provide her personal details. She was arrested on suspicion of breaching Section 50 of the Police Reform Act, which requires people to provide their name and address when requested to do so by the police. 'Her details were later obtained, and she was de-arrested and dealt with by council officers.' The Daily Mail have approached Harrow Council for a comment. A married couple connected to the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang were shot after allegedly trying to run over ICE agents. Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras - who were allowed into the US under the Biden Administration - were approached by agents in Portland on Thursday. They then tried to escape by running the agents over, the Department of Homeland Security said. 'Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,' DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said. Police officers found the Venezuelan couple with gunshot wounds a few miles away from the scene around 2.20pm after Moncada called for help. They were then taken to hospital. McLaughlin said Moncada was a 'gang member' and Zambrano-Contreras was a 'prostitute' - adding that they were 'NOT an innocent "married couple."' DHS said Moncada illegally entered the US in 2022. Since entering the country, he has reportedly been arrested for a DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle. His wife is associated with the gang as well, DHS said. She entered the US a year after Moncada. Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras tried to escape ICE after being approached by agents in Portland on Thursday Agents pulled them while they were inside their vehicle and identified themselves. Moncada then tried to run the agents over, Homeland Security said DHS accused Zambrano-Contreras of playing an 'active role in the Tren de Aragua prostitution ring.' She was also allegedly involved in a separate Portland shooting. The FBI is leading an investigation into the shooting. The Oregon Department of Justice, which is run by AG Dan Rayfield, announced it would also investigate the federal agents involved. They were shot a day after Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. 'Over the last two days weve had two shootings in two different states,' Rayfield lamented. 'Theres a heightened sense of concern within this state. Our plan is to go in, look at the facts in an objective matter to see what transpired and if there is an applicable state law violation.' The gang's relevance in the US has resurfaced after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last Saturday. Tren de Aragua have largely been on the run since Trump took office. However, federal officials fear sleeper cells made up of gang members could be awakened to carry out orders from what's left of the Maduro regime as they try to stay in power. They were shot a day after Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis 'That's something that local law enforcement and federal law enforcement is going to have to be aware of - that these guys could still be subversives in the area and controlled by that party,' a Trump Administration official, who spoke anonymously, told the Daily Mail. 'There's definitely a network within the US trying to destabilize the US and use these guys, but local law enforcement and federal law enforcement is well aware of it. They have good intelligence assets out, trying to stop anything before it happens.' Reactivation could mean that, instead of lying low to evade police, gangsters would risk being caught in order to carry out attacks. Maduro's henchmen have been operating in the US since summer 2022, when they first entered the country through the nation's southern border. Members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang turned international criminal organization, came to America under the direction of Maduro and his regime, carrying out the dictator's orders and unleashing a wave of crime from Miami to New York City. The Daily Mail was the first news organization to report on the gang's presence in the US, revealing who they are, how they were operating in American cities they had infiltrated, and their ties to Maduro's illegitimate government and global terrorism. Chagos islanders have made a last-ditch appeal to Donald Trump to veto Labours 30billion plan to hand the vital archipelago to Mauritius. In a letter to the US President, the islanders First Minister Misley Mandarin warns that the very bad deal would put at risk the strategically important UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia. Mr Mandarin warns that the deal brokered by Keir Starmers controversial National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, could give China leverage over the base which is seen as a critical military asset in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius, he says would hold sovereignty over every inch of the US base. Mr Mandarin suggests that grateful Chagossians might even be prepared to name an island after President Trump to mark the moment America chose strength, fairness and long-term security over a short-term fix. The letter, which is due to be delivered to the White House this weekend, comes ahead of a critical vote in Parliament on Monday on the treaty which would hand the islands to Mauritius. Ministers insist that the deal is needed to secure the future of the base following a long-running sovereignty dispute. They have agreed to hand Mauritius payments totalling around 30billion in return for a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, which the UK currently has sovereignty over. The deal would also end the prospect of the Chagossian people returning to the islands they were forced to leave in the late 1960s to allow for the construction of the military base. Diego Garcia: Home to a critical UK-US military base that is said to be coveted by China Misley Mandarin, First Minister of the Chagossian government-in-exile has told President Trump that blocking the deal would 'shut the door on Chinese interference' Islanders have suggested that one of the remote archipelago's 60 islands could be named after Donald Trump if he intervenes to block Labour's deal The White House has previously indicated it is content to let the deal go through. But critics believe President Trump has never been given the full picture of the risk it would pose to US operations in the Indian Ocean. Mr Mandarin says that pausing the deal would mean a just and secure solution becomes possible, in which the Chagossians might one day be able to return home. He says blocking the deal would also shut the door on Chinese interference and provide permanent legal certainty for US operations. In a direct appeal, he adds: President Trump, you have always been clear you dont accept deals that tie Americas hands. And you dont accept arrangements that look fine on paper but collapse under pressure. There is a better alternative one that strengthens the base, removes legal risk, defeats Chinese leverage and finally resolves a historic injustice. He adds: 'I am therefore asking you, Mr President, to do what you do best - call out a bad deal and stop it.' The government suffered four defeats in the Lords this week on the legislation needed to push through the deal with Mauritius. But ministers are expected to make a further bid to push through the legislation on Monday. Miami residents have slammed Waymo after one of the company's driverless vehicles caused a huge traffic jam by stopping dead in the middle of a bridge. Footage showed the robotaxi halted at a green light on the Venetian Causeway Bridge on Monday. The white vehicle sat at the light while traffic began piling up behind it. Other drivers honked their horns as onlookers fumed. A yellow Jeep stuck behind the Waymo was eventually forced to drive into oncoming traffic to get around it. It comes just months after Waymo introduced driverless vehicles into the sun-soaked Florida city. The company began operating fully autonomous cars in Miami in November, after first using drivers to test their Jaguar I-PACEs on the streets. There was no passenger in the vehicle at the time as the company expects to start offering its ride-hailing service in the Magic City later this year. It is unclear how or when the vehicle was removed from the bridge. The Daily Mail has contacted the Miami Police Department for more information. A Waymo robotaxi stopped at a green light on Miami's Venetian Causeway Bridge on Monday A Waymo spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the company is committed to learning from the situation. 'Safety is our highest priority, both for those who choose to ride with us and for everyone with whom we share the streets,' the spokesperson said. 'We are committed to learning from situations like this to improve for the future.' Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez led the outrage over the incident, pointing out that it is a major safety concern. 'Miami-Dade welcomes innovation, but never at the expense of public safety,' Gonzalez wrote on X. 'If Waymo intends to operate in Miami-Dade, critical issues such as vehicles freezing in the middle of traffic must be fully resolved before any deployment.' Other social media users echoed Gonzalez's concerns, calling on Waymo to address the problem. 'Get it together, Waymo. Friendly advice from a Miami local: this isnt California. Miami doesnt tolerate reckless rollouts or corporate arrogance. Respect our city or dont expect to last here,' one user wrote on X. The unmoving car forced a yellow Jeep to drive into oncoming traffic in order to get around it Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez (pictured) led the outrage over the incident, pointing out that it is a major safety concern 'Waymo needs to step it up this is an easy bridge to cross stopping traffic at that position can cause terrible traffic pains for hours,' a second person wrote. A third person added, 'The last thing I need is one of these things malfunctioning during my insane commute. I think I would crash out, mentally.' Some people came to Waymo's defense, insisting the vehicles are still learning and will get better with time. 'With time itll get better, Ive used Waymo quite a lot in LA and they are way better drivers than most drivers here,' one person wrote. 'They drive so much better than human aggressive drivers in Miami. Let the innovation do their course,' added another. US forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday, the US military said, as the Trump administration continues to target sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The pre-dawn action was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, part of the extensive force the US has built up in the Caribbean in recent months, according to US Southern Command. The Southern Command declared 'there is no safe haven for criminals' as it announced the seizure of the tanker called the Olina. The Coast Guard then took control of the vessel, officials said. Southern Command and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem both posted unclassified footage on social media of a US helicopter landing on the vessel and US personnel conducting a search of the deck and tossing what appeared to be an explosive device in front of a door leading to inside the ship. In her social media post, Noem said the ship was 'another `ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil' and it had departed Venezuela 'attempting to evade US forces.' This comes as the Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by US forces as part of a broader effort by Trump's administration to control the distribution of Venezuela's oil products globally following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid. US forces have boarded another oil tanker called Olina A spokesperson for the US Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure. US government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil US government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil under its prior name, Minerva M, and flagged in Panama. While records show the Olina is now flying the flag of Timor-Leste, it is listed in the international shipping registry as having a false flag, meaning the registration it is claiming is not valid. In July, the owner and manager of the ship on its registration was changed to a company in Hong Kong. According to ship tracking databases, the Olina last transmitted its location in November in the Caribbean, north of the Venezuelan coast. Since then, however, the ship has been running dark with its location beacon turned off. While Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law, other officials in the Trump administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash to fund US goals in Venezuela. According to ship tracking databases, the Olina last transmitted its location in November American forces captured a separate 'dark fleet' tanker called the M/T Sophia American forces also captured a separate 'dark fleet' tanker, U.S. Southern Command said on Wednesday In an early morning post on his social media network, Trump said the US and Venezuela 'are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure.' The administration said it expects to sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil, with the proceeds to go to both the US and Venezuelan people. But the president expects the arrangement to continue indefinitely as he meets on Friday with executives from 17 oil companies to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News this week that the US can 'control' Venezuela's 'purse strings' by dictating where its oil can be sold. The Olina has a listed cargo capacity of up to 890,000 barrels of oil. While it is unclear if the tanker was full or empty, at the current market price of about $60 a barrel, a full cargo of oil from the tanker would be worth about $53 million. A convicted sex offender whose accidental release from prison caused a national storm has admitted to burglary and carrying a knife. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was at the centre of a manhunt in November after he was mistakenly set free from HMP Wandsworth while he was supposed to be held in custody awaiting trial. The Algerian national, who has been overstaying his visa in the UK since 2020, was convicted in 2024 for exposing himself in a London park, making him a convicted sex offender. On Tuesday, Kaddour-Cherif appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court to plead guilty to burglary after he broke into a garage in Orford Road, Walthamstow, east London, to steal bikes. Today, he appeared at Kingston Crown Court by video link from HMP Pentonville to plead guilty to carrying a knife in Burntwood Road, Earlswood, south west London. The burglary happened on January 6 2024, and the incident with the knife was on November 13 2023. Judge Simon Heptonstall remanded Kaddour-Cherif back into custody, saying he would be sentenced for both crimes on January 27. He is also due to be sentenced for missing a hearing at Kingston Crown Court on September 2, at a time when he was on bail. When he was re-arrested, Kaddour-Cherif (pictured) said the mix-up at the prison was the fault of officials, and told them in an angry tirade to 'do their job' Kaddour-Cherif, 24, has admitted to burglary and carrying a knife at court this month The Algerian sex offender's escape from HMP Wandsworth caused a national outrage last year Kaddour-Cherifs accidental release from prison was another embarrassment for the Government, coming shortly after another migrant, Hadush Kebatu, was also wrongly freed while serving a prison term for sexually assaulting a teenage girl. At the time, there was fierce backlash against then-Justice Secretary David Lammy, who was branded 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' for his handling of the issue. After confirming the Algerian had been rearrested, Mr Lammy told the public: 'We inherited a prison system in crisis and I'm appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. I'm determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight.' Official data from July last year set out that 262 prisoners had been released in error in the year to March 2025 - a 128 per cent increase on 115 in the previous 12 months. Kaddour-Cherif, who lives in Whitechapel, east London, had previously denied the knife crime and burglary charges, and was remanded in custody last year by a judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court to await trial. He was accidentally released from prison on October 29, in a blunder which was discovered on November 4 when the court called the jail to try to set up a video link for a hearing and it was discovered that he had gone. Kaddour-Cherif was arrested three days later in Finsbury Park after a tip-off from a member of the public. His indecent exposure conviction from 2024 had led to an 18-month community order and him being placed on the sex offenders register for five years. He was also detained at an immigration centre in June last year as part of efforts to deport him, but he was swiftly released on immigration bail. Gun-toting Feds swarmed the home of the ICE agent who fatally shot protester Renee Good on Friday morning, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal. A Special Response Team arrived at the suburban Minneapolis home, where Jon Ross, 43, lives with his wife and children, early this morning. Daily Mail images captured half a dozen Federal officers wearing masks and balaclavas, one carrying pepper spray and another wielding an assault rifle. They entered the smart five-bed home before carrying out five large plastic crates, a computer tower and a stack of picture frames. The agents climbed back into their unmarked trucks afterwards to form a defensive formation around a personal vehicle that drove out of the garage. The driver of the black Jeep SUV wore a full-face mask, making it impossible to identify him. 'How much money are you making' growled one agent as he approached the Daily Mail reporting staff. Another climbed out and took a close-up cell phone video of our photojournalist before the convoy drove away. ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Good on Wednesday, and his wife, Patrixia Wearing balaclavas and half-face masks to shield their identities, agents descended on the quiet street to collect Ross's belongings from his empty home, including a computer tower and personal items packed into large plastic storage bins The Ross family appears to have left their home in the Minneapolis suburbs. Neighbors say they haven't been seen since Wednesday, the day Ross shot Good dead A neighbor told the Daily Mail she spotted Ross's wife Patrixia pacing around the couple's driveway on Wednesday afternoon, hours after her husband opened fire on Good. Since then, the house has been empty amid suggestions that the couple and their children have gone into hiding. The fresh activity comes after the Daily Mail revealed that Ross is an Enforcement and Removal Operations agent and Iraq veteran, married to a Filipina immigrant. He has become the focus of rage over ICE actions around the country after he shot and killed Good on Wednesday afternoon while she was driving her SUV down a street where agents were on duty. Ross's shaken father defended his son's decision to shoot Good dead in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail. 'She hit him,' said Ed Ross, 80. 'He also had an officer whose arm was in the car. He will not be charged with anything. 'You would never find a nicer, kinder person,' the father added of his son. 'He's a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldn't be more proud of him.' The elderly father from North Pekin, Illinois, said Patrixia is a US citizen but declined to say how long she had been in America. 'I do not want to go any further than that,' he added. More agents from the fleet retrieved storage bins from the house - the Daily Mail counted five Another balaclava-wearing agent brought out large picture frames One agent with an assault rifle strapped to his chest took a coffee break in front of the garage An agent in a full-face black balaclava drove a black Jeep SUV from the Ross family's garage Once the belongings were loaded, the agents climbed into their unmarked trucks, forming a protective formation around a personal black Jeep SUV after it was driven out of the garage A neighbor told the Daily Mail she saw Rosss wife, Patrixia, pacing in the couples driveway on Wednesday afternoon, hours after her husband opened fire on Good Ross has lived on the outskirts of Minneapolis since 2015 and served as an immigration officer since at least 2013. Neighbors told the Daily Mail that Ross was a hardcore MAGA supporter. Social media posts revealed he has foreign-born in-laws. Ross married Patrixia, whose doctor parents come from the Philippines, in August 2012, according to posts on her Instagram page. She posted her first picture with Ross on her social media account two months earlier. In July 2013, when the couple lived around El Paso, Texas, Patrixia posted a picture posing next to a US Border Patrol helicopter. She also posted pictures of baking recipes from a Spanish-language cookbook. Another neighbor told the Daily Mail that until recently Ross had been flying pro-Trump flags and a 'Don't Tread On Me' Gadsden Flag that is an emblem of the Make America Great Again movement. There's now no sign of Ross, his wife, or the flags. Ross shot and killed Good on Wednesday afternoon while she was driving her SUV down a street where ICE agents were on duty Ed Ross, (right), Jon Ross's father, called his son a 'tremendous' parent and husband Ross, 43, an Iraq veteran, married his Filipina wife, Patrixia, in 2012. Theyve lived near Minneapolis since 2015, and he has been an immigration officer since at least 2013 In July 2013, while the couple lived near El Paso, Texas, Patrixia posted a photo posing next to a US Border Patrol helicopter 'The wife is polite, very nice, very outgoing, while he's very reserved. They have a couple of kids,' the local said. Other family members appear to have had conflict with Ross over their political views even arguing with him about far-right group the Proud Boys, after Donald Trump caused controversy by initially failing to condemn the group in a 2020 debate with Joe Biden. His sister Nicole posted a photo on Facebook in October 2020 of herself and a female friend wearing face masks with the caption 'I denounce and condemn white supremacy'. Ross appears to have commented on the photo, then later deleted the messages, with Dolson and her friend Allison's responses the only comments remaining. 'Jon R Oss the Proud Boys heard his denouncement loud and clear! I watched the entire debate and heard every word. I respectfully disagree,' wrote Allison. 'Jon R Oss we have to respectfully disagree,' Nicole added. 'You are my brother and I love you, but we will not engage in a debate on Facebook.' Ross appears to have grown up hardscrabble. His father, a former insurance agent, filed for bankruptcy in Tampa, Florida, in 1996, when Ross was 13. In a Facebook post, Ross and his sister Nicole engaged in a debate about the Proud Boys in 2020, following controversy over Donald Trumps initial refusal to condemn the group during a debate with Joe Biden Ross's father posted a picture on his Facebook page in 2017 of his son in military gear, carrying a large rifle, with the caption saying, 'Jon Ross in Iraq' The Ross family appears to be religious, with his father serving as director of two church-related organizations. Ross's father posted a picture on his Facebook page in 2017 of his son in military gear, carrying a large rifle, with a caption 'Jon Ross in Iraq'. A mugshot of Roberto Carlos Munoz, who was convicted of assaulting Ross last year Ross bought his home near Minneapolis in 2015 for $460,000 with a $360,000 loan from the Veterans Administration, property records show. Though he is only now being unmasked, Ross's first and last name initially emerged after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revealed the officer who killed Good was also 'dragged' by a car driven by a suspect he was apprehending last year. The information was repeated by Vice President JD Vance in a statement on Thursday. The specific details pointed to the June arrest of an undocumented immigrant and convicted sex offender, Roberto Carlos Munoz. Court documents from his federal prosecution named the injured ICE officer as 'Jonathan Ross'. Another federal civil lawsuit from 2021 referred to Ross as a deportation officer in Hennepin County, Minnesota, as far back as 2017. The Trump administration has come to Ross's defense over his shooting of Good, while Democratic officials in Minneapolis say it was a murder. Ross was named as the ICE agent who fatally shot Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday Bullet holes in Good's car windscreen and bloodied seats were clearly visible from the scene Good and her wife, Rebecca (left), temporarily fled the US in 2024 after his election to Canada before settling down in Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey did not mince his words at the press conference on Wednesday afternoon. He took to the podium and told ICE agents to 'get the f**k out' of his city, after an agent was seen on video shooting a woman dead as she drove off in her car ICE claimed she deliberately drove her burgundy SUV at agents, but witnesses dispute the claims, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calling it 'bulls**t'. Witnesses claimed Good and her wife, Rebecca, were acting as legal observers and filming the protest when she was shot. But ICE insisted she tried to use the SUV as a deadly weapon. Footage of the shooting showed the victim blocking the road with her car until ICE agents told her to move away. She reversed to head back down the road as an agent tried to open the driver's side door handle before she drove off. Three shots then rang out. Good lost control of the SUV and slammed it into parked cars and a light pole at high speed, prompting screams of shock from horrified onlookers. Her SUV was seen with a bullet hole through the driver's side windshield. Good and Rebecca are understood to have fled the US after Trump's victory in 2024, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. They have a six-year-old child together. State and local officials demanded ICE leave Minnesota after Good's death. But Noem has said agents are not going anywhere. A female prison tutor today appeared in court accused of having an 'intimate relationship' with a prisoner. Kelly Duffey, 36, is charged with striking up a romantic relationship with Ashley Goodridge, 37, who is currently serving a prison sentence. The offences allegedly took place at the all-male prison HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire. Goodridge appeared at court alongside Duffey and is charged with using a phone to contact his alleged tutor lover while he was at the Category C prison. Duffey and Goodridge appeared at Salisbury Magistrates' Court, Wiltshire, for the first time today. Duffey, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, is charged with two counts of being a holder of a public office who willfully neglected to perform her duty or willfully misconducted herself. One charge is for 'entering and engaging in an intimate relationship with a prisoner', while the other is for 'failing to notify the Prison Authorities of your knowledge of an inappropriate relationship between a member of prison staff and a prisoner'. Goodridge is charged with possessing a phone and transmitting an image by electronic communications in prison. The offending allegedly took place between May 20, 2024 and September 5, 2024. Prison tutor Kelly Duffey, 36, has appeared in court accused of having an 'intimate relationship' with a prisoner Duffey (pictured) is charged with striking up a romantic relationship with Ashley Goodridge, 37, who is currently serving a prison sentence The offences allegedly took place at the all-male prison HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire. Pictured: General view of the Salisbury Law Courts in Salisbury, Wiltshire Arguing for the cases of Goodridge and Duffey to be heard together, prosecutor Roxanne Cole said: 'Miss Duffey was employed as a tutor at one of the prisons where the defendant was serving - Mr Goodridge - she formed an intimate relationship with him. 'The phone he possessed was used to send messages to her with regard to that relationship. 'The crown says it is inextricably linked, intimately related, so the matters should go to the crown court for a hearing.' Goodridge appeared in court via video link from HMP Coldingley in Surrey, where he is now serving. The pair have both been granted unconditional bail - in Goodridge's case, this is technical unconditional bail as he is currently in prison. Chair magistrate Paul Robinson told Duffey: 'You need to keep well away from any possibility of further offending. 'It makes the whole situation a little bit worse and doesn't help you.' The next hearing for this case will take place at Salisbury Crown Court on February 6. Prison tutors hold lessons for prisoners in academic subjects or vocational courses, and can help prisoners work towards qualifications. A Czech drug dealer and failed asylum seeker who defiantly 'sneaked' back into Britain just months after he was deported has now been jailed. Patrik Durac, 27, has a lengthy criminal record in the UK, serving prison sentences for affray and supplying heroin. He has also been repeatedly deported and previously boasted in photos on social media about returning to Britain while wearing designer clothing, including a 1,500 Moncler jacket. Having exhausted all his appeals, the jobless convict was removed from Britain before trying to return through a notorious 'back door' for migrants - by catching a ferry from Ireland to the Welsh port of Holyhead. On Friday, Durac was locked up for 12 months and told he would be removed once more from the UK, after he admitted breaching his deportation order last month. Durac, who had lived in Stoke-on-Trent, appeared via video link from Berwyn Prison in Wrexham, before Caernarfon Crown Court. Prosecutor Amy Edwards said his first asylum application was made by his father in 2002 and it had been refused. But the decision had been appealed on 'numerous' occasions until 2022 when the defendant became 'appeal rights exhausted.' Patrik Durac, 27, who defiantly 'sneaked' back into Britain just months after he was deported has now been jailed Durac, pictured, has a lengthy criminal record in the UK, serving prison sentences for affray and supplying heroin Durac, who had a string of convictions involving violence and drugs, had been jailed for eight months and deported for having a false identity document. Last April he was removed from the UK. Recorder Simon Hughes said on December 6 fingerprint checks by Border Force had confirmed a passenger travelling as Martin Rafael was in fact Durac. He had changed his name by deed poll. Durac had a history of asylum claims. 'There's an element of persistence in your attempts to enter the UK,' the judge told him. 'There's no reasonable alternative to custody.' The judge added: 'Your offending is aggravated by your relevant previous conviction and history of unsuccessful applications including further breach of the deportation order when you have been deported, albeit not prosecuted.' Defence barrister Simon Rogers said the offence was not particularly sophisticated. 'The passport upon which the defendant sought entry is a genuine passport. He's changed his name officially in the Czech Republic to Martin Rafael,' counsel said. On a previous occasion, he had used his brother's passport. Durac has been repeatedly deported and previously boasted on social media about returning to Britain while wearing designer clothing, including a 1,500 Moncler jacket Mr Rogers said Durac's family lived in England and he also wanted to get away from people in the Czech Republic who had threatened him. When Durac appeared in court last month, the prosecution said the criminal had claimed never to have heard of Patrik Durac and added to an immigration officer: 'I know my rights.' His latest conviction comes on the back of a criminal history in Britain. In 2019 Durac and his younger brother were among a gang which punched and kicked a man in front of terrified children and elderly members of the public. He admitted affray over what a court heard was an 'ugly' revenge attack at Hanley Bus Station on a busy Saturday afternoon and was jailed for ten months. Two years later he was back at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after police stopped a car in which he was a passenger and found 1,490 worth of heroin and cocaine plus a quantity of cash. Durac insisted he had not played an active part in the drug-dealing, but he pleaded guilty to being concerned with the supply of heroin and cocaine and jailed for 14 months. After being freed, in October 2022 he was arrested trying to re-enter the UK at Holyhead and given another eight-month sentence. In 2023 he was deported indefinitely, yet in 2024 his social media shows him back on the streets of the Potteries. One photograph from that October features Durac - wearing ripped jeans and a 1,500 Moncler jacket - making a double finger gesture as he hides his face. In response to the post, a Czech friend commented on his return to the country: 'Youre back UK yes.' [sic.] Further images shows Durac posing with hooded friends around Staffordshire. He was finally arrested in March 2025 before being removed again for immigration offences. Durac was then discovered attempting to enter the country once more on December 5, 2025 and he was arrested at Holyhead. Border officers say illegal migrants like Durac regularly try to sneak in via Holyhead and other Irish Sea ports. Under the Common Travel Area scheme, citizens of the UK and Republic of Ireland can move freely between the two countries. As of December, at least 177 people were refused entry at Holyhead, with an enforcement operation in October resulting in the seizure of 20,000 in criminal cash along with multiple false identity documents. In a statement the Home Office said: 'Everyone entering the UK must comply with immigration rules. 'Anyone entering in breach of a deportation order will be detained and removed.' Labour faces tearing up its crippling business rates rise for the whole hospitality sector after proposing a carve out to save struggling pubs. Hotels, shops and other small businesses piled pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to find a solution for them following the U-turn on pubs. Mutinous Labour MPs, flying the flag for pubs in their constituencies, were told this week that Ms Reeves will announce a package of emergency help within days in a bid to head off a brewing revolt. But a string of other hospitality sectors are now pressuring the Government to extend support to all areas of hospitality. One hotel magnate revealed he faces a 12.4million increase to his rates bill for a single establishment. Chris Webb, Labour MP for Blackpool South, whose coastal constituency has been hit hard by increases to business rates, said Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson was responsive to reducing business rates for hospitality more broadly in a private meeting on Thursday night. My conversations last night were, the whole sector has to be included, and what I got back was they are looking at all aspects of hospitality, he said last night. He added: Nothing is off the table, and theyre continuing to engage and listen to the sector whilst theyre looking at any possible changes. Pubs were offered temporary relief from paying full business rates during Covid, but the Chancellors decision to scrap the discount in the Budget left many landlords contemplating closure. Amid a furious backlash, and to see off a potential Commons rebellion on Monday, the Treasury signalled a climbdown, but is still said to be working out quite what. A number of pubs launched a nationwide campaign to bar entry to Labour MPs in protest at the Government's hikes to business rates Hotels, restaurants and small businesses in coastal towns like Blackpool have been particularly effected by hikes to business rates Live music venues are living 'hand to mouth as it is', says one Labour MP Hotels have been particularly affected by business rates, which will see all commercial properties due to pay higher bills from April. Where pubs face a 76 increase in 2028 from the current average business rate paid, hotels face a 115 per cent increase by that time. Surinder Arora, who operates a number of hotels in the UK, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the business rates bill for just one of his hotels increased by 12.4millon after discounts were scaled back. The chief executive of the Arora Group labelled a potential carve-out for pubs only as not right or fair. The new numbers are eye-watering, Mr Arora told the BBC, warning that belt-tightening was inevitable, and that higher costs would be passed on to customers. While he said he supported the chancellor's growth ambitions, higher taxes mean instead of expanding the business, it could be going the other way. The live music industry which does not fit neatly into a pubs category of taxation yet relies on sales of alcohol could be the next to seek the Chancellors support. One thing particularly I'm concerned about is the impact on the live music venues across the country; they're living hand to mouth as it is, Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley told the Daily Mail. I'd be very pleased to see something be done to support them. I know that a lot of them have got alcohol licenses, and they may be included in this change to the tax interpretation of pubs. But I think more generally, the whole live music industry is struggling. More than 30 Labour MPs were preparing to vote in favour of an amendment to the finance bill on Monday that would have reduced rates for hospitality businesses before Government indicated support for pubs. Another Labour MP said they are keeping their powder dry to see how Government could help support the whole hospitality sector before putting forward any amendments. Labour chairwoman Anna Turley defended her partys U-turn on tax increases for pubs as a sign of a confident Government But Labour chairwoman Anna Turley yesterday defended her partys U-turn on tax increases for pubs as a sign of a confident Government. Ms Turley said: I dont buy this is a U-turn. This is actually about listening. I think its a sign of a Government that is actually in touch with people, that is listening to people, and that is responding. The Conservatives have seized on what constitutes another policy climbdown for the Labour Government. Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch said: This shambolic U-turn on pubs does nothing for the rest of the hospitality sector - cafes, restaurants, shops and gyms - who are also staring at an enormous tax hike under this government. Labour MPs came back from Christmas after being banned from their local pubs, and forced Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves into another embarrassing, last-minute policy change. Will the rest of the retail, hospitality and leisure sector have to ban Labour MPs before this Government finally does the right thing? A joint letter penned by shadow cabinet members Mel Stride, Andrew Griffith and James Cleverly to Ms Reeves, sent yesterday, called for urgent support for the wider high street on a permanent basis. Nigel Farage tonight vowed to fight Labour's Brexit reset 'all the way'. The Reform UK leader said Keir Starmer's latest attempts to cosy up to the EU would 'solve none of our economic problems' and instead hand sovereignty to 'unelected EU bureaucrats'. Mr Farage also revealed Reform is ready to go to court next week to challenge Labour's attempts to postpone a string of local elections. His comments came as a leading ally of Sir Keir said the Prime Minister could take the UK 'very close' to rejoining the single market, despite Labour's manifesto pledge not to reverse Brexit. Sir Keir sparked a storm at the weekend by telling the BBC that he was looking at better access to the single market. '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,' he said. 'If it's in our interest to do so, we should take that step.' Mr Farage hit back tonight warning that Sir Keir's attempts to reverse Brexit would damage Britain and backfire on Labour at the ballot box. Speaking at a major rally at London's Excel centre, Mr Farage pointed to the declining influence of the EU on a world stage now dominated by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Nigel Farage pictured announcing Reform's London campaign on Friday Pictured L-R: Reform UK London Mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, Mr Farage and Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of the party Ms Cunningham pictured firing t-shirts into the crowd at the rally as Mr Farage watches on. He also revealed Reform is ready to go to court next week to challenge Labour's attempts to postpone a string of local elections Mr Farage warned that Labour risks damaging Britain by cosying up to Brussels He accused Sir Keir of gearing up for a 'Brexit betrayal', adding: 'Bit by bit, he is taking away the ability, not just of parliament to make decisions, but of your rights as voters to decide who should take those decisions. 'And I promise you, we will fight this giveaway, this surrender of our sovereignty, of our money, of our fishing grounds and everything else. We'll fight it tooth and nail. We'll fight it all the way.' Earlier, he told the Mail: 'Everything that's happening internationally proves the increasing irrelevance of the EU. 'Economically much of it is doing even worse than we are and yet a failing Prime Minister is reverting to type and signing us up to closer union. 'It will solve none of our economic problems and once again take away power from British voters and hand it to unelected EU bureaucrats.' Mr Farage also revealed that Reform is poised to launch a judicial review against government plans to allow dozens of councils to delay local elections in May. The deadline for councils to accept the offer is next Wednesday and Mr Farage was 'primed and ready' to go to court the following day. We now learn that up to 10 million people may be deprived of their vote, in some cases for the second year in a row. These are the actions not just of the Labour government, but with the connivance in some counties of the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. 'Denying elections is the behaviour of a Banana Republic.' Tonight's rally in London was designed to launch Reform's local election campaign in the capital and provide a springboard for outspoken councillor Laila Cunningham, who was unveiled this week as the party's candidate to take on Sadiq Khan for the London mayoralty in 2028. The Mail revealed last month that Mr Farage is bidding to end the capital's historic status as a no-go zone for Reform by focusing on tackling crime. He is targeting potential wins in six of London's councils in the local elections in May. Ms Cunningham told the rally: 'London, one of the greatest cities in the world, is no longer a safe city. And that doesn't happen by chance - that happened on Sadiq Khan's watch.' Sir Keir Starmer is working with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on a Brexit reset which allies say could take the UK 'very close' to the single market Reform supporters fly the flag at tonight's rally Reform's Laila Cunningham hopes to make a breakthrough in London by focusing on crime She pledged to be a 'new sheriff in town', adding: 'I will launch an all-out war on crime. And those rape gangs that have been ignored - they will have nowhere to hide. 'It will be a reckoning. Every single person who let those girls down... there will be a reckoning for them. There will be nowhere to hide.' But Reform sources said Mr Farage also wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the risks posed by Labour's lurch to Brussels. Ministers have already signed up to follow EU rules in areas like food and farming in return for easier access to the single market. Legislation due in the coming weeks will introduce so-called 'dynamic alignment', meaning that UK laws will automatically be updated in line with new EU regulations. The process will apply initially to food, farming and the electricity market, where agreements on better access have already been reached. But the legislation is expected to give ministers powers to extend the practice to a range of other areas. Sir Keir's biographer Tom Baldwin, who acts as an unofficial adviser to the PM, yesterday said Labour's Brexit reset could now go much further than originally planned. He told the Politico website that the PM's recent comments ''opened up a whole range of possibilities'. 'At the upper end, it suggests Labour may seek a second term mandate at the next election by which the UK would get very close to rejoining the single market. 'That would be worth a lot more in terms of economic growth and national prosperity than the customs union deal favoured by the Lib Dems.' Brussels sources have been making clear the government will have to 'pay to play' if Labour wants to remove more barriers., with the UK potentially handing over billions of pounds a year as well as agreeing to follow EU laws in which it will have no say. Evidence Box returns with a new investigation, and this time, it is stepping into one of the most polarizing murder cases in modern American history. After debuting with its first episode, the series now turns its focus to the killing that ignited a nationwide debate over healthcare, justice, and political violence: the shooting of Brian Thompson. Hosted by Natasha Anderson, this episode examines the case against Luigi Mangione, a 27-year-old Ivy League graduate charged in Thompsons death, through the timeline and decisions that prosecutors say define one of the most consequential criminal prosecutions in decades. The investigation begins in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4, 2024, when Thompson was shot outside a Hilton hotel just before 7am. The masked gunman fled into Central Park, launching a nationwide manhunt and an unprecedented public reaction. Five days later, police arrested Mangione at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, bringing the manhunt to an end but setting the stage for two high-stakes criminal cases. Mangione has pleaded not guilty. He now faces prosecution in New York state court, where a conviction could result in life imprisonment without parole, and in federal court, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. No trial dates have been set. Public reaction to the case remains deeply divided. The second installment of Evidence Box examines the case surrounding the killing of Brian Thompson Luigi Mangione attends an evidentiary hearing in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on December 18, 2025 Mangione has attracted a fervent fanbase, particularly among young women, who view him as everything from a misunderstood intellectual to a Robin Hood-style avenger. His legal defense fund has raised more than $1.3 million, and supporters routinely gather outside courthouses. Meanwhile, critics, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, have warned that glorifying Mangione risks normalizing political violence and vigilante justice. At the heart of the case is a critical legal fight: whether police were justified in searching Mangiones backpack without a warrant. Inside, officers allegedly found the weapon, ammunition, handwritten journals, and cash - evidence prosecutors say directly links him to the killing. The defense argues the search was unconstitutional and wants the evidence excluded, a decision that could dramatically alter both the state and federal trials. Despite ongoing legal proceedings, the questions raised by Thompsons killing continue to reverberate far beyond the courtroom, touching on corporate power, public anger, and the limits of protest. Evidence Box reconstructs how the case took shape, why it has become so fiercely contested, and what is at stake as it moves toward trial. Watch the full episode now on The Crime Desk YouTube Channel and stay tuned for new investigations dropping monthly. Scots TV doctor and former Strictly Come Dancing star Punam Krishan has told how she wept after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis. The 42-year-old Glasgow-born medic said she was still navigating life after her shock diagnosis five months ago but it has given her an insight like never before on what it is like to live with the disease. The NHS GP, who is married to Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said: I cried a lot. I cried in the car, I cried in the bed, cried in the shower. Nature became the biggest comfort for me, Ive always loved nature, but I feel that when youre going through pain, sometimes nature is the space that is big enough to hold you there. My dog was the best thing ever because he got me up and out every day. We went for walks, and I just had this insane connection to nature. All you do is you just take the next step, and thats all. Dr Krishan, who gives health advice on the BBCs Morning Live, praised her husband, family and friends for allowing her the space to crumble and fall apart when I needed to. She disclosed the diagnosis this week, posting a selfie online of her in hospital as she told of the news which left her in shock. Dr Krishan said she was now healing, grateful, relieved. On Morning Live yesterday she said: Once youve come out of the treatment, that isnt the end of it. I think a lot of people think from the outside that once the treatments done, youre OK, but youve got this new-found sense of identity. Dr Punam Krishan appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024 The doctor said her dog helped her cope with having breast cancer 'Youre learning to trust your body again, youre learning to walk a new path, its got this hyper alertness and vigilance, and youre just learning. She added: The nervous system still needs time to calm down and be like, Youre safe, youre OK, everythings going to be OK, and were still navigating. I dont know how long this journey is, but I think that its definitely given me an insight like never before of just what it looks like to live it. 'I wish I didnt have to go through that, but I think that having been on the other side of the consultation table, Im looking forward to just getting back to really holding my patients again with a new-found like, I get it, I get it. The GP, who was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, said she now felt as if she had a deeper understanding of the impact a cancer diagnosis has on patients. Dr Krishan said: When you receive a diagnosis like cancer, in that moment, its two things that you deal with. One is the shock of the diagnosis itself, and then there is the trauma that comes from having your mortality being presented to you. All you can do is walk the next step. Its not just you that receives that diagnosis, your family, your partner, your kids, your friends, they received that diagnosis, and my GP was incredible. She added: I am so blessed to have had the best NHS treatment. I know that people can moan about it I work in the NHS but my GP was incredible. 'She listened, she referred me, I was put on the urgent cancer pathway. Ive had the most extraordinary breast care team and breast cancer nurse, oncology teams. 'And its not just the clinical expertise, but they hold you with so much kindness and compassion. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the UK, and one in seven will develop it. About 4,800 cases are diagnosed in Scotland each year. A Minnesota woman was killed after a shark ripped her arm off in the US Virgin Islands. Arlene Lillis was snorkeling at Dorsch Beach in St Croix on Thursday when she was bitten, police say. First responders with the fire department confirmed the 56-year-old grandmother lost an arm during the attack and later succumbed to her injuries. Marine units, as well as fire and emergency medical services, attended the scene, the Virgin Island Police Department said. Good Samaritan Christopher Carroll told The Virgin Islands Consortium he sprang into action when he heard Lillis scream. 'I was in my hotel room, and I heard screaming coming from the beach, so I ran downstairs to see if someone needed medical assistance because I'm a nurse,' Carroll said. 'I saw there was a woman in distress in the water, and everybody was pointing at her. I had been a lifeguard when I was younger, so I swam out to try and help. 'When I got to her, I saw a large amount of blood in the water, and then I realized that it was some kind of shark attack.' Arlene Lillis, 56, was killed after a shark ripped her arm off while in the US Virgin Islands Lillis, far left, next to husband, Rich Lillis, who described his spouse as 'beautiful inside and out He explained that after he helped bring Lillis back to the beach, he noticed a 'horrible traumatic wound, her left arm was gone.' Virgin Islands Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach Lillis was a 'frequent visitor to our beautiful islands' and neighbors confirmed she owned property on the US territory. Her husband, Rich Lillis, described his spouse as a 'sweet wife, mother and grandmother,' in a Facebook post confirming her death at their 'second home.' 'She was so beautiful inside and out! She will be missed every second of the day. She was so smart and loving,' he wrote. Lillis's friend and neighbor, Andrew Gamble, wrote on Facebook that she had owned a home in St Croix for a decade and loved snorkeling. He said she was 'one of the most genuine, kind, and warm people you could ever meet.' 'She truly loved this island. Snorkeling - something that brought her so much peace and joy - was the very first thing she did after arriving back on the island the night before,' he said. At a press conference on Friday, Virgin Island officials said they were still investigating the attack and warned people to use caution when getting in the water. The couple had owned a home in St Croix for a decade and loved snorkeling First responders with the fire department confirmed Lillis lost an arm during the attack 'We are surrounded by water, we do not control the sea, but we can be careful, and we can be safe if we adhere to the information provided by the department of planning and natural resources about safety and the sea,' Roach said. Nicole Angeli, director of the department of planning and natural resources' division of fish and wildlife, said the attack 'has shaken our entire community.' She noted that while encounters with sharks are 'common... encounters that result in a bite are very rare,' and people should use caution because the ocean is a 'wild environment.' Taxpayers were hit with a 10,000 bill for John Swinneys travel and expenses during a grandstanding trip to Africa. The First Minister ran up the bill while visiting Malawi and Zambia in October 2025 to promote the Scottish Governments 12.8million international development. Opponents accused him of pretending to be a statesman during the trip rather than tackling domestic problems. A delegation of SEVEN officials also accompanied him but only Mr Swinneys own costs have been published to date. It was previously estimated that the total cost of the delegation accompanying him was likely to be around 40,000. Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said: Scots being hammered with rising bills will be furious that John Swinney squandered nearly 10,000 on his latest grandstanding trip. Instead of pretending to be a statesman on the world stage, he should have stayed closer to home and focused on fixing the mess he has made of Scotlands public services and our stagnating economy. This completely needless junket and waste of taxpayers money on issues which are reserved sums up how out of touch the SNP are with the needs of ordinary Scots who do not view these trips as a priority. The First Minister, seen here in Zambia, was accompanied by SEVEN officials on the week-long trip John Swinney meeting Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema Latest overseas travel details published by the Scottish Government show Mr Swinneys travel and subsistence bill for the Malawi and Zambia trip, which covered the period from October 14 to October 21, was 9,942. During the visit, he was accompanied by seven officials. Costs have not yet been published for them but previously-released Scottish Government correspondence showed the delegation was expected to cost 40,305 made up of 28,339 for the flights, 1,550 for car hire, and 10,416 for accommodation. It said subsistence rates would be minimal and set at 6.69 per day in Malawi and 8.85 in Zambia. A total of 27.5million is earmarked for spending on international and European relations this year, which includes the 12.8million international development fund, and the SNP had a commitment in its last Holyrood manifesto to increase it to 15million a year by the end of this parliament. The Scottish Government has stepped up spending on aid despite the UK Government already spending more than 15billion on this in 2023, the most recent year which full data is available for. While he was on the African trip, Mr Swinney refused to consider cuts to his foreign aid budget and hinted that it may increase. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament following his travels, Mr Swinney claimed he had an unwavering focus on resolving financial pressure on households and businesses. Defending the visit, he said: But it is possible, indeed necessary, and right for Scotland to play her part in global issues and the global challenge that we face. Failure to do so would simply worsen the conditions and inequalities that fuel conflict, deprivation and injustice throughout the world. Scotland is showing leadership and is offering sustained funding. We Scots are, and will continue to be, good global citizens, and I am proud to serve a country that values its commitments to the worlds most vulnerable. Weather experts have warned Scotland could see a return of the Beast from the East later this month. As Scots face further heavy snow this weekend, it is feared a polar vortex could bring even more extreme conditions. Weather warnings have been extended to cover almost all of Scotland again this weekend, with another foot of snow set to fall in parts already blanketed. Now some experts fear that the worst has yet to come. STV weatherman Sean Batty said some computer models were showing all the hallmarks of a return of the Beast from the East, the storm which brought the country to a standstill in February 2018 with -20C temperatures, gale-force winds, blizzards, power cuts and widespread travel disruption. There are signs, he warned, that a polar vortex a wide expanse of swirling cold air could slow down again later this month and allow cooler air to return, possibly from the East, and potentially replicate the extreme conditions seen eight years ago. Although Mr Batty said at this stage only a handful of models were hinting at this scenario, he warned: If it does materialise it could bring another spell of very cold weather towards the end of the month and into February. He added: One possible outcome would be a large area of high pressure setting up over Scandinavia something we dont see all that often these days, but when it happens it can drag bitterly cold air out of Russia and into Europe, and sometimes reaches as far as the UK. The recent sub-zero temperatures have meant members of the Muir of Ord curling club have been able to play games outdoors One vehicle crashed on the A9 as Scotland was in the grip of a deep freeze Edinburgh Zoo's penguin colony have been enjoying the snowy conditions A similar set-up was responsible for the Beast from the East in 2018 although that arrived in early spring, limiting its overall impact compared to what it could do in mid-winter. His warning comes as much of the North and North-East remains under a thick blanket of snow that has left dozens of homes cut off, schools shut and countless roads impassable for days. Aberdeenshire Council, which was continuing to battle to clear roads and paths in towns and villages, declared a major incident on Tuesday after its gritting and ploughing teams became overwhelmed by the relentless snow. On Monday, railway workers clearing snow-covered tracks rescued a dog walker who was stuck in a deep drift. Joanne Reid, who has mobility issues, was walking her two dogs near Insch Station in Aberdeenshire when she lost her balance. Mrs Reid, 60, was hidden from view behind trees when she fell and was unable to get back on her feet. She feared the worst but three Network Rail workers heard her shouts for help and raced to her aid. Calling them my heroes, she said: I really do believe they saved my life. Earlier this week two teenagers were rescued after getting stuck in a drift on An Teallach, Ross-shire, while just 24 hours after giving birth, Gracie Ballantine, 31, from Peterhead, and newborn son Frank were towed home through the snow by a tractor. The Cairn Gorm weather station, at the summit of the 4,085ft mountain, is barely visible amid the heavy snowfall Sheep trying to make their way through the snow near Leslie, Aberdeenshire With freezing overnight temperatures, there is no sign of a thaw on Saturday and, with more snow on the way, Scots are being urged to prepare for further disruption. Braemar, in Aberdeenshire, recorded the coldest temperature of -13.3C overnight, with some computer models suggesting it could drop to as low as -20C on Saturday night. In comparison, in Moscow it was only expected to reach -7C on Friday night. The latest warning for snow and ice came into effect at noon on Friday and is due to last until 3pm on Saturday, during which time a further six inches (15cm) is expected to fall. A further alert for snow and ice has also been issued from 2am to 3pm on Sunday when up to another 11 inches (30cm) is forecast in some parts. Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. The warning also states that strong winds will lead to some drifting of the snow, and widely icy conditions are likely. Scots are being advised to prepare for further delays on roads and on public transport, with road closures possible. There will also be a chance of power cuts and mobile phone outages in the worst-hit areas, while people are being warned of the risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces. Justice Secretary Angela Constance, who chaired the meeting of the Scottish Governments Resilience Room yesterday, said: Ministers will continue to do everything that we can to monitor and manage the situation. A 4kg police drone came crashing to the ground and seriously injured a child after the officer failed to spot an overhead cable, an investigation has found. The victim was left requiring medical treatment after sustaining an injury to their hand following the crash in Sheerness, Kent, in August. Police had 'rapidly deployed' the DJI M30T drone to search for an assault suspect when the incident happened. The drone was equipped with a thermal camera, as well as wide and zoom cameras when it fell onto the child from the sky at around 4pm on 2 August. The incident marks the first time the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been called on to investigate a UK civilian injured by a police drone. It is understood that a special inspector has been handed a misconduct note, while the IOPC continues to look into the matter. The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) meanwhile carried out a 'record-only' probe based on information provided by the drone's pilot. A spokesperson said: 'In this case, having reviewed the circumstances and available evidence, we concluded that a full investigation was unlikely to yield new safety findings that would benefit wider aviation safety. 'For this reason, a "record-only" investigation was conducted.' A hefty police drone came crashing to the ground and seriously injured a child after the officer failed to spot an overhead cable, an investigation has found The incident marks the first time the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been called on to investigate a UK civilian injured by a police drone. Pictured: Police investigate following the crash last August The AAIB said the crash had occurred due to the police officer not noticing the overhead cable in the area. 'The cable hazard had not been identified during the rapid deployment,' it explained. An IOPC spokesperson said: 'We can confirm we are independently investigating an incident where a child was hurt by a drone which crashed while being flown by Kent Police. 'It happened on 2 August when officers were responding to reports of a disturbance on the Isle of Sheppey. 'A drone was launched, hit an overhead cable and fell to the ground, hitting the child and seriously injuring their hand. 'As part of the ongoing investigation, we have served a misconduct notice on a special inspector. 'The serving of a notice does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.' A spokesperson for Kent Police said: '[Officers] responded just after 4pm on Saturday, 2 August 2025 to reports of an assault in progress on the Isle of Sheppey. 'As part of efforts to search the area for the suspect, a force drone was deployed. 'While in operation it struck an overhead cable and fell to the ground, hitting a child and injuring their hand. They were treated for injuries at a London hospital. 'Kent Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who are now carrying out an independent investigation into the circumstances.' President Donald Trump says he will not allow the FBI to work with Minnesota government officials because he believes they are 'crooked.' Speaking at a meeting with oil executives in the East Room on Friday afternoon, the president was asked by reporters whether he would work with state officials on the investigation of Renee Good, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Wednesday. 'Well, normally I would, but they're crooked officials,' the president responded. 'I mean, Minneapolis and Minnesota, what a beautiful place, but it's being destroyed. It's got an incompetent governor, fool, he's a stupid person,' Trump said of Gov. Tim Walz. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has demanded that federal officials turn over information on Good's shooting to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Frey has lambasted ICE's presence in Minneapolis and said it is 'bullsh**' to claim the agent who shot Good was acting in self-defense, despite multiple videos showing the 37-year-old drive her car into the federal officer. He has defiantly proclaimed: 'To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis. We don't want you here.' The president also noted allegations of fraud that have been uncovered in Minneapolis and specifically honed in on the city's large Somali population. President Donald Trump said Friday he does not want the FBI to work with 'crooked' state officials in Minnesota on the ICE shooting investigation Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and local city officials are calling on federal investigators to turn over information to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after the shooting death of Renee Good by a federal officer this week Federal agents arrest a protester outside an ICE facility after he allegedly attempted to block a vehicle during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in Minneapolis, MN, United States, on January 9, 2026 'It looks like the number could be $19 billion stolen from a lot of people, but largely people from Somalia. They buy their vote. They vote in a group.' They sell more Mercedes-Benzes in that area than almost - can you imagine you come over with no money, and then shortly thereafter, you're driving a Mercedes-Benz? The whole thing is ridiculous. So they're very corrupt people. It's a very corrupt state.' Trump also doubled down on Vice President JD Vance's claim that Good was a part of a 'broad left-wing network' by noting that there appears to have been paid protestors on the ground in Minneapolis to hamstring ICE operations. 'There was a woman "screaming, shame, shame, shame, shame." She was an agitator, probably a paid agitator ... so professional, she wouldn't stop screaming.' 'This is a professional troublemaker,' he continued. 'This isn't a normal situation.' The president did not provide any actual evidence of the alleged 'left-wing' groups White House officials believe are funding activists, however. Still, new footage of the tragic shooting does raise questions about why Good and her wife were blocking ICE operations before she rammed an agent and was subsequently shot. New video released Friday shows Renee Good's wife, Rebecca Good, 40, urging the agent to 'show his face' as she asks him, 'You want to come at us?' Renee Good, 37, moments before she drove her car into an ICE agent and was shot and killed Rebecca Good, Renee's wife, was outside the vehicle filming and ridiculing ICE agents shortly before the incident. She told her wife to drive away 'You want to come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch big boy,' Rebecca said, with her own cellphone in hand. 'Go ahead.' As the tension mounted on the Minneapolis street, Good was told to get out of the car, but ignored the order. She began revving the engine and drove off during what the Trump administration says was part of a protest against the planned detention of Somali migrants in the area. The new footage came from the ICE agent who shot Good, Jonathon Ross, who was previously hit by a car while conducting operations. Ross's cellphone footage was unveiled just hours after surveillance footage was released, showing how Good apparently blocked the road with her SUV for four minutes before she was shot dead. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson was spotted at the White House with Donald Trump after warning the US was heading towards a world war. The former Fox News host was spotted with guests in the East Room of the White House while Trump spoke during an event with oil executives. Carlson arrived at the White House earlier on Friday for lunch and decided to stick around for the conference, according to the Associated Press. It is unclear if Carlson met with Trump or Vice President JD Vance at the lunch. The Daily Mail reached out to Carlson for comment. As Trump entered the East Room, Carlson could be gleefully clapping as the President walked past him. Throughout the event, Carlson lingered in the background with guests as Trump outlined his administrations strategy to secure $100 billion for Venezuelan oil production. The sighting of Carlson may come as a surprise after the conservative media powerhouse warned the nation is heading to a global war following the US capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. All the signs suggest we are going to have a big war soon a big war soon. I think everyone expects that to happen, Carlson told his followers in a video released on Thursday. I hope it doesnt happen. But obviously were moving in that direction towards a world war. Tucker Carlson clapped at President Donald Trump entered the East Room of the White House for a press conference on Venezuelan Oil on Friday Carlson arrived to the White House earlier on Friday for a private lunch. It is unclear if Trump was in attendance. Trump claimed during the press conference that American oil companies would invest billions into Venezuela's fossil fuel reserve Unlike other conservative influencers, Carlson is an out-spoken non-interventionist and has both privately and publicly advised the president against engaging in wars abroad, including in Ukraine and Iran. Since the capture of Maduro, Trump has repeatedly claimed Venezuela's massive oil reserve as justification for the military operation. The President said during Fridays conference that American oil companies, including Chevron, would spend billions of their money, not the governments money to reform the South American countrys oil infrastructure. Despite being at odds with Trumps foreign policy agenda, Carlsons appearance at Fridays press conference suggests the White House still embraces the conservative commentator. In November, the President defended Carlson by noting he had defended him over the years. While many right-wing accounts reacted positively to Carlsons appearance, others were not pleased. Laura Loomer, a pro-Israel conservative influencer and advisor to Trump, said Carlsons presence totally disappointing and disgusting. Why is Tucker Carlson at the White House for the oil executive meeting with President Trump? Loomer wrote on X. I thought Tucker said he opposed the capture of Maduro? What a total fraud. Also, why would the Trump White House allow for this Jew hater and Islamic mouthpiece to enter the WH? Carlson's unexpected White House appearance fuels speculation about potential media or advisory roles he might have as Trump moves forward with his push into Venezuela. Victoria is under a total fire ban as the state battles an escalating bushfire crisis that has killed one person, destroyed at least 10 homes, and razed more than 50,000 hectares of bushland. Premier Jacinta Allan announced overnight that a state of disaster had been declared across 18 local government areas and the Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, as authorities in Wahring warned some communities had been 'completely obliterated. She said the declaration was made due to the threat to life or property and 'sends a clear message to those who have been advised to leave: If you can, you must'. State authorities have described the crisis as the worst bushfires since the 2019-2020 Black Summer blazes. Two adults and a child who disappeared after a fire destroyed their house in the hard-hit town of Longwood, about 50km north of Melbourne, have been found. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed they were safe on Saturday. It comes as Sydney is bracing for a scorching 43C on Saturday, with authorities warning that the intense heat, paired with strong winds, could be a recipe for extreme fire danger. Total fire bans are now in place across Greater Sydney to minimise fire risk, with 600 firefighters on standby as authorities monitor more than 40 active blazes in the state. The daily maximum temperatures for Saturday in Victoria are seen in this Weatherzone map The small area of pink centred on Sydney shows how the temperature will climb to the 40s The Longwood fire has grown to 145,000 hectares in size, with hundreds of crews now deployed to the scene Bondi, Campbelltown, Camden, Canterbury, Mascot, Mona Vale, Penrith, Richmond and Sydney Olympic Park are all expecting a top of 43C, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with temperatures in the 'low to mid-40s' expected across the southern half of the state. NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Trent Curtin said crews are ready to be deployed across the state. We have around 50 aircraft that are either currently deployed or that are ready to respond immediately, right across the state, that includes four heavy helicopters and three large air tankers,' Commissioner Curtin said. 'We have an additional 150 aircraft that we can employ.' The RFS confirmed it will send an extra 200 firefighters to assist with fires in Victoria over the coming days. In Longwood, where a fast-moving grass fire tore through the Victorian town on Friday, the scenes have been described as apocalyptic. Longwood's Country Fire Authority (CFA) captain, George Noye, said locals had been severely impacted. 'The main street looks like a bomb's gone off,' he told ABC News Breakfast. 'We've lost a school. The CFA shed's still standing. At the moment, even to get around the roads is dangerous and hazardous.' A firefighting helicopter flies through smoke above the Lockwood area as crews work to contain bushfires across Victoria A State of Disaster was declared overnight in 18 fire-affected local government areas and one alpine resort In the nearby town of Ruffy, properties, including a school, were lost to fire and a local firefighter was hospitalised with third-degree burns to his hands. About 230km east, a separate fire near the border town of Walwa tore through a pine tree plantation. The massive Longwood fire has scorched more than 35,000 hectares, while the Walwa blaze has consumed over 17,000. Both fires - among the fiercest raging across the state - are expected to burn uncontrolled for weeks, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters. Several homes were also destroyed in Harcourt, central Victoria, in the Ravenswood fire on Friday. It remains out of control as of Saturday morning. Sadly, a man in his 60s was found dead in his vehicle in Harcourt late on Friday night. In Wahring, 150km northeast of Melbourne, Strathbogie Shire deputy mayor Claire Ewart-Kennedy told the ABC the situation was 'catastrophic' and 'devastating'. 'I've got communities that are completely obliterated,' she said early on Saturday. 'I've never seen the type of disruption, displacement of people that I witnessed yesterday, and I'm sure I'll witness again today. Critical infrastructure, including drinking water, power and telecommunications, have been impacted for tens of thousands of people Premier Jacinta Allan said the fires 'are widespread, fast-moving and devastating' 'It's still incredibly windy and very dangerous critical infrastructure has been impacted. We've had issues with drinking water. We've had issues with telecommunications and power. We've still got people cut off in certain areas.' Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Narramore said a cool change moved through overnight. 'Thankfully, we didn't see those really strong winds with that change, but it has led to a direction shift, and we're going to see those fires moving towards the east or northeast. 'So if you were east of any of the fire zones yesterday, you were okay, but today you could be in harm's way.' Soaring temperatures exacerbated Friday's fire risk, with the mercury soaring into the mid-40s in central Victoria, while wind gusts were clocked at up to 90km/h. By early Saturday, multiple fires had reached emergency level - the highest danger rating - as the Country Fire Authority declared a total fire ban. The agency warned warm and strong winds would likely fan the blazes, many of which ignited due to lightning strikes. Allan said fire activity had intensified, with existing blazes sparking new out-of-control fires. Firefighters work to black out an area around a house as flames catch trees in Lockwood East A total fire ban is now in place across Victoria as firefighters battle to control the fires 'This combination of weather factors simply creates the conditions where fires in the landscape can very quickly become uncontrollable,' Allan said in Melbourne. Allan said assistance will be available for those who've lost homes, been forced to evacuate, and need urgent food, clothing, or medication. Extended payments will be made when the property losses are confirmed. Farmers who have lost livestock, crops and damage to their properties will also be eligible for assistance. Emergency Management Victoria said the situation remains highly volatile, describing fire conditions as 'catastrophic and extreme' the worst in the state since Black Summer in 201920. READ MORE: What you can ask your landlord to do during a heatwave He died in hospital after frantic CPR efforts Young boy was pulled unresponsive from pool A four-year-old boy has died after being pulled unconscious from a swimming pool. Emergency services rushed to Bobs Farm in Port Stephens on the NSW Mid North Coast about 7.30pm on Friday. His family desperately performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. He was rushed to John Hunter Hospital but sadly later died. NSW Police said officers had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. A report will be prepared for the coroner. The families of the four students murdered by Bryan Kohberger have sued Washington State University, claiming that the killings should not and would not have occurred if WSU had acted appropriately to multiple complaints and concerns about the criminology PhD students inappropriate, predatory and menacing behavior. In an explosive lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Skagit County, Washington, the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin seek a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages for negligence and the wrongful deaths of the University of Idaho students. The 126-page complaint, obtained by the Daily Mail, alleges that WSU brought Kohberger to the Pullman-Moscow community by accepting him onto its criminal justice program and hiring him as a teaching assistant. Quickly, the college learned about Kohberger's 'threatening, stalking and predatory behavior' with more than a dozen formal complaints raised by students and staff. But WSU failed to take action and act on the warning signs, 'allowing Kohberger's escalating behavior to continue unchecked,' the complaint alleges. 'On November 13, 2022, a foreseeable - and, in fact, predictable - tragedy occurred when Kohberger entered the bedrooms of four undergraduate students and violently stabbed them to death,' it reads. 'These deaths should not and would not have occurred if WSU had acted appropriately.' Kohberger, 31, broke into 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of the morning and stabbed best friends Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, and young couple Kernodle and Chapin, both 20, to death. His motive remains unclear and no connection has ever been found between the killer and his victims. Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (left) and Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves (right) were murdered by Bryan Kohberger Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse during his sentencing hearing At the time, Kohberger was a PhD student and teaching assistant in criminal justice at WSU, living just 10 minutes from King Road, just over the state border in WSU housing in Pullman. He had moved to Washington state in June 2022 - the first time he had lived away from his family home in Pennsylvania, aside from some stints in rehab for heroin addiction as a teenager. As part of his PhD program, Kohberger had also applied for an internship with Pullman Police Department but was unsuccessful. Based on hundreds of pages of investigative records, released after he was sentenced to life in prison in July, Kohbergers concerning behavior was quickly picked up by students and staff early into the semester. 'Almost immediately upon his arrival to the Pullman-Moscow community, Kohberger developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing and stalking behavior, instilling substantial fear among female students and fellow WSU employees,' the suit claims. At least 13 complaints were filed against him by other students on the criminology program, the records show. Many classmates and professors found him sexist and creepy - so much so that female students avoided being left alone with him and one faculty member warned he had the potential to become a future rapist. 'He is smart enough that in four years we will have to give him a PhD,' one faculty member warned, according to a police report. 'Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a PhD, thats the guy [in] many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing his students at wherever university.' Others complained about his stalking behavior and that he would physically block people from leaving rooms. Kohberger broke into 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, and murdered the four UI students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders) Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke He also showed a strong interest in sexual burglary and serial killers, according to the records. Ultimately, he was placed on an improvement plan before being fired as a teaching assistant and losing his PhD funding in mid-December 2022. Just days later, he was arrested in a raid on his parents home and charged with the murders. The string of complaints revealed in the investigative files 'paint a deeply disturbing picture of the breathtaking level of organizational paralysis and inaction by WSU that enabled Kohberger, over a period of months, to stalk his victims, and plan and commit these heinous murders,' the lawsuit claims. The complaint lists multiple other complaints and concerns raised about Kohberger, including how one student said he would try to talk to her about Ted Bundy - the serial killer who broke in and murdered students in a sorority house. Others believed he was an incel and, on one occasion, a sophomore student was so scared that she hid in the bathroom because of his 'scary' behavior. Fears of Kohberger were so prevalent that WSU provided 'safety escorts' for students and staff, with one employee told by a colleague to send an email with the subject line '911' if they needed help due to Kohberger, the complaint says. The victims' parents allege in the suit that this all shows WSU's 'awareness of the significant danger' the killer posed. 'These police interviews, along with other evidence, demonstrate that WSU had extensive knowledge of Kohberger's discriminatory, harassing and stalking behavior - beginning as early as the first week of the 2022 fall semester - but repeatedly failed to take proper, necessary and decisive action to address Kohberger's behavior and eliminate the imminent and serious threat that he posed to the Pullman-Moscow community and the four young victims.' Moment Kaylee Goncalves's dad confronted her killer in the courtroom at his sentencing The college did not conduct a proper threat assessment or take action, in part because they feared that firing Kohberger might open WSU up to a lawsuit, the complaint says. Students later told investigators that they were unhappy with the lack of action taken after they filed complaints. 'There was no indication that WSU acted on these formal complaints, or that it acted in an urgent and decisive manner commensurate with the imminent and serious threat that Kohberger posed,' it says. Instead, on November 8, 2022, WSU held a mandatory discrimination and harassment training session for all graduate students - a session students said they all knew was aimed at Kohberger. The following weekend, Kohberger broke into the student home in Moscow and committed the murders. After the murders, Kohberger's supervising instructor and some fellow graduate students at WSU 'immediately thought Kohberger committed the murders,' the complaint also alleges. But they did not notify law enforcement. The plaintiffs named in the suit - Goncalves's dad Steve Goncalves, Mogens mom Karen Laramie, Kernodles dad Jeff Kernodle, and Chapins mom Stacy Chapin - argue that WSU was obligated to control Kohberger as a graduate student, teaching assistant and employee, and a resident of campus housing. WSU now has 20 days from the date of filing to respond to the lawsuit. When reached for comment by the Daily Mail, a WSU spokesperson said: 'Our hearts remain with the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy. Because this is a legal matter, we are declining further comment at this time.' Evidence photos revealed the inside of Bryan Kohbergers apartment, soulless and abandoned after he upped sticks and left Washington after the murders Evidence photos show multiple books from Kohberger's criminology studies inside his apartment at WSU Back in May 2023, tort notices against WSU were filed on behalf of the families of Goncalves and Mogen, reserving the right for them to take legal action against the college down the line. Then, this November, an attorney for the Goncalves family released a statement announcing their intentions to sue, saying it was about gaining accountability and transparency from the college. WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell said in a statement to the Daily Mail at that time: 'My heart goes out to the families, friends, and entire community grieving this tragic loss of life. 'We share in their sorrow and we recognize the profound pain and shock that this act of violence has caused. On behalf of WSU, I extend our deepest condolences and stand with all who are mourning.' Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of burglary in July and was sentenced to life in prison. He is now being held in Idaho's maximum security prison in Kuna, where he has made multiple complaints about his conditions. Neighbors heard explosions coming from the Alabama home of an ex-military dad for more than a year before his son was found dead in the woods, the Daily Mail can reveal. Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, was arrested on December 31 after investigators uncovered a cache of homemade explosive devices on his rural wooded property near Highway 195, outside Jasper. He was charged with unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, as well as two counts of chemical endangerment of a child after methamphetamine was allegedly found inside the home while his two young sons were visiting for the holidays. The shocking discovery came at the height of a desperate search for his four-year-old son Johnathan Boley - known as John John - who disappeared from the home just before noon on New Years Eve. The search ended in tragedy two days later, on January 2, when Johnathans body was found about two miles away, partially submerged in a creek. The family dog, Buck, was found alive beside him. A preliminary autopsy found no signs of trauma or assault and indicated hypothermia as the likely cause of death. Officials have not said when the child died. Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said the charges against Boley are totally separate from his sons disappearance and death. However, Smith acknowledged that the discovery of the explosive devices complicated the search efforts and has raised questions about the safety of the children while inside the home. Johnathan Boley, 4, with his mom Angel and older brother James. Johnathan went missing on New Year's Eve from his dads home in Jasper, Alabama The search for the missing boy ended in tragedy on January 2 when his body was discovered partly in a creek-like body of water Jameson Kyle Boley, 40, was charged with unlawful manufacture of a destructive device or bacteriological or biological weapon, as well as two counts of chemical endangerment of a child after explosives and methamphetamine were found on his property Investigators had been forced to suspend the volunteer search efforts until the area was cleared by the FBIs bomb and explosives unit and controlled detonations were carried out. In total, at least eight explosive devices were found in the woods around the house with the amount found enough to level an entire house, the sheriff said. It is not clear what Boley, who previously served in the military, was planning to do with the explosives. But, neighbors had noticed disturbing incidents at the property for some time. Stacy Dunn, who lives across the highway from Boleys property, told the Daily Mail she and several others had witnessed loud blasts coming from the vicinity of his home for at least a year. The explosions took place every week and at all times of the day and night, she said. It was disturbing. It was loud. We've been hearing them for at least a year, if not longer, almost every day - at least a couple of times a week, she said. And all different times of the night. You never knew when they were going to go off. She added: It was loud. There was no mistaking what it was. It was especially disturbing to her former roommate who, like Boley, was a veteran. Police have said the discovery of the homemade explosives hindered the search for the little boy I have friends that have PTSD from being in Iraq and Kuwait and it always bothered them. My roommate at the time said he would wish he would stop blowing his stuff up because he couldnt even be around fireworks on the 4th of July or New Year's, because he was in Iraq and had PTSD. It was very disturbing for him, she said. Dunn said the blasts were something of a talking point among her neighbors but, until now, they had been unable to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from. It's a really wooded area and there's a couple of houses over there so we could tell it was over in that area but we werent sure exactly where, she said. Dunn said that some of her neighbors had reported the incidents to police but that, as far as she knew, law enforcement had also been unable to determine the source. The Daily Mail has contacted Walker County Sheriffs Office for comment and further information. While the neighbors witnessed the explosions, Dunn said she was not aware of any allegations involving drugs at Boleys home. However, she said she was not really surprised to learn of the drug charges because methamphetamine addiction is common in the area. At least eight explosive devices (including the one pictured above) were found on the property. Neighbors had heard blasts coming from the area for a year The devices were safely detonated before volunteer searchers were able to continue looking for the missing boy Despite allegedly manufacturing and placing dangerous explosives around his property - and having meth inside - Boley brought his two young sons to the home for the holidays. The sheriff told AL.com that Boley told investigators he knew that what he was handling was dangerous but he was just at a point where he didnt care anymore. Public records show that Boleys ex-wife Angel Boley, 31, had custody of their two sons, Johnathan and his six-year-old brother James. The family-of-four used to live together at the rural property in Jasper before the couple separated in 2021. Angel and the boys moved to Palmetto, Florida, last May. The sheriff said Boley had visitation with the two boys just five days each year as part of a custody agreement. It was during this five-day period that Johnathan went missing. His six-year-old brother said he saw Johnathan crossing the fence line and following Buck into the woods behind the home at around 11.30am on December 31, the sheriff said. It was around an hour later when Boley reported his son missing. Dunn said she learned about the little boys disappearance when one of his family members came knocking on all the neighbors doors asking if anyone had seen him. Johnathan - known as John John - lived with his mother and brother in Florida but was visiting his dad for the holidays Aerial image of Boley's property where enough explosives to level a house were found during the search Buck the family dog was found with John John when his body was found by volunteer searchers She and her daughter instantly checked their pasture and barn for any sign of Johnathan - but found nothing. During that initial panic, she remembers the family member making a chilling comment. She said that she knew [Boley] wasn't a very good person, but that he was not a baby killer, she recalled. Before long, she said multiple police officers were everywhere.' The community also quickly rallied around joining in the search up and down the highway and in the woods. Knowing the dense, rough terrain well, Dunn said there were fears that the four-year-old could have fallen into a ditch or pond. I used to ride horses over there and it looks like flat ground, but when you step on it you realize its not. Theres brush and debris and ditches its a difficult area so I was afraid of that, she said. Jimmy Mclain, who joined the volunteers, said in a post on Facebook that he instantly knew the difficulties the searchers would face with the old spoil piles and kudzu, undergrowth and thick canopy, not terrain a thermal equipped chopper can penetrate very well. I immediately contacted my thermal hunting buddies and we put together a plan, from the start we encountered one impassable obstacle after another, he said. After Johnathans body was found, Mclain said he felt like they had failed that precious baby. Another neighbor didnt want to talk about the heartbreaking situation. Its a bad thing about the baby, he said. But its a bad case and I aint talking about it. A preliminary autopsy has ruled out trauma or assault-type injuries and suggests hypothermia was the probable cause of death John John's funeral will take place on Saturday. His grandfather Michael told the Daily Mail its just very tragic Now, the community is continuing to wrap its arms around Jonathans devastated mother and other family members as they prepare for the little boy's funeral on Saturday. When reached by the Daily Mail, Johnathans grandfather Michael - Angels father - said: Its just very tragic. The family is having a hard time and plans to release a statement soon, he said. It is not clear if Boley will be granted release to attend his son's funeral. After Johnathan's body was found, he was moved to Blount County Jail where he is being held on $300,000 cash bond. The bond hearing order cited that he is a danger to community - explosives around children. Boley is due in court for his preliminary hearing on January 20. While the Prince and Princess of Wales have navigated royal family scandals and sickness over the years, their relationship endured one of its biggest tests shortly after they wed. In September 2012, a French magazine published intimate photos of Kate - who celebrates her 44th birthday today - sunbathing topless during a holiday in Provence alongside her husband. Britain's future King, who was on a royal tour of Malaysia with Kate, 'could barely contain his fury' and proceeded to successfully sue Closer magazine for what he called a 'shocking' breach of his wife's privacy during the 2017 trial. While the controversy was undoubtedly difficult for the royal couple, it underscored Prince William's unwavering commitment to his promise of standing by Kate 'in sickness and health'. According to royal author Robert Jobson, William, 43, is Kate's biggest 'champion' and he 'believes that if anyone oversteps the mark regarding Catherine...it is his duty to step in and protect her'. Writing in his book, Catherine: A Biography for a Future Queen, Mr Jobson suggested that this extended to the paparazzi as both William and Prince Harry had seen firsthand the catastrophic impact it had on their mother, Princess Diana's life. 'His stance was clear from the start of their relationship: he would not tolerate the media crossing the line,' the royal biographer wrote about William's desire to shield Kate from press intrusion. His resolve, however, would be 'tested to the limit' during William and Kate's visit to Malaysia in September 2012 when Closer obtained the long-lens topless holiday images and the focus of the tour 'flipped' overnight. While the Prince and Princess of Wales (pictured), who today celebrates her 44th birthday, have navigated royal family scandals and sickness over the years, their relationship endured one of its biggest tests in September 2012 According to royal author Robert Jobson, William 'believes that if anyone oversteps the mark regarding Catherine, whoever they are, it is his duty to step in and protect her' Then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate were in Malaysia as part of their tour of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific to mark the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The tour had gotten off to a great start; Kate had delivered her first overseas speech at Hospis Malaysia as she praised the country's first palliative care programme for critically sick and terminally ill children. The speech, which Kate drafted herself, earned widespread acclaim, wrote Mr Jobson but 'media focus of the tour flipped' after news broke that Closer had published pictures of Kate sunbathing topless during a private holiday to France with William. The Daily Mail's Royal Editor, Rebecca English, who covered the royal tour, recalled the Prince and Princess's contrasting reactions to the scandal as she revealed Kate was 'cool as a cucumber'. 'William was the total opposite,' she recalled his demeanour during a tea party at the British High Commissioner's residence in Kuala Lumpur. 'Tired, angry, glowering, he could barely conceal his fury.' To add insult to injury, the images were taken within days of the 15th anniversary of Diana's death. William and Kate were on the terrace of Chateau d'Autet, the private residence belonging to William's second cousin, the Earl of Snowdon, when the future Queen was photographed using a long-lens camera. Still grievously wounded by his mother Diana's death, William took 'immediate' and 'decisive' action to protect Kate as the salacious photos loomed large over their royal tour - and relationship. Join the debate Should royals get more privacy or is public scrutiny part of the job? William's resolve would be 'tested to the limit' during William and Kate's visit to Malaysia (pictured) when Closer obtained the long-lens topless holiday images and the focus of the tour 'flipped' overnight After informing his father, then Prince Charles, and the late Queen of his plans, the prince denounced the 'grotesque breach of privacy' and underscored the couple's 'profound sense of violation' in a formal statement, Mr Jobson shared. The couple, who were still in Malaysia, were now in a desperate race against time as the intimate images began to appear in numerous European publications. 'They also recognised they needed to act now if they were to protect their privacy and uphold their rights,' Mr Jobson described the foundation for what would become a landmark royal legal battle. On September 14, William and Kate announced they had launched legal proceedings against the publisher of the magazine Closer. Despite the tumult in their personal lives, the couple continued on their royal tour as they headed for the Danum Valley on the island of Borneo. While Kate's unflappable demeanour was widely praised, the scandal had 'clearly unsettled' William who 'became - albeit temporarily - withdrawn and unhelpful in media situations'. As reporters gathered for a briefing at an academic centre in the Danum Valley that day, William's determination to take a stand against his wife's privacy violation was plain for all to see. Miguel Head, then William's official spokesperson, declared that the prince was not afraid to take criminal proceedings against the photographers behind the invasive snaps. Describing the couple as 'livid' and 'violated', he added: 'Its part of a very long-standing and heartfelt position by the duke and Prince Harry, given their past, to do everything they can to protect themselves. Despite the picture scandal being the couple's 'worst nightmare', the Prince and Princess of Wales put on a brave face as they arrived at their next destination during the tour: the Danum Valley (William and Kate pictured a day after the intimate pictures were published) 'Theyve always said they dont have an issue with the mainstream media just doing their job, but they have always had an issue with paparazzi whose work intrudes on their privacy.' Even public figures took to social media to share their thoughts on the intimate images, with Donald Trump writing on X, Twitter at the time: Kate Middleton is great - but she shouldnt be sunbathing in the nude - only herself to blame. 'Who wouldnt take Kates picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing? Come on, Kate! The comment reportedly left William 'furious'. Ahead of the trial surrounding the images in 2017, the prince submitted a statement to the court in which he laid his anger bare. 'The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy,' he said. Meanwhile, the couple's spokesman repeated once again that the entire affair had left Kate feeling violated and that the prince would legally 'go all the way'. In September 2017, five years after the grainy images of Kate first hit the magazine cover, a judge in a Paris courtroom ruled that the images constituted an unwarranted invasion of the royal couples privacy. Laurence Pieau, then editor of the magazine, was charged with complicity, while the three photographers who had snooped on the princess were also found guilty of charges. Publicly, the pair sought to maintain a stance of professionalism and even abseiled (pictured). But behind the scenes, according to Mr Jobson, the scandal had left William feeling 'overcome with anger and frustration' While Kate's unflappable demeanour was widely praised, the scandal had 'clearly unsettled' William who 'became - albeit temporarily - withdrawn and unhelpful in media situations', according to Mr Jobson More than a decade after Kate's topless image scandal, William's unwavering commitment to 'champion' and 'protect' his princess would once again be illustrated when Kate faced one of her greatest life's challenges - her heartbreaking cancer diagnosis William and Kate were awarded 100,000 (91,000) in damages and interest. Mr Pieau and the CEO of the magazine's publisher faced additional penalties of 45,000 each, the maximum amount permitted by law. Despite the amount being one of the highest ever in a privacy case in France, it was a mere fraction of the 1.4million that the couple were seeking in damages. However, the couple remained grateful that justice had been served. More than a decade after Kate's topless image scandal, William's unwavering commitment to 'champion' and 'protect' his princess would once again shine through when Kate faced one of her life's greatest challenges. Following weeks of speculation about her absence from public life, Kate announced she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer on March 22, 2024. In a deeply personal video message filmed at Windsor Castle, the princess described the diagnosis as a 'huge shock' and explained how she was in the 'early stages' of preventative chemotherapy treatment. William visited his wife when she was admitted to The London Clinic in Marylebone in January to undergo abdominal surgery and even took time off to be with his wife and look after their young children, postponing his royal duties to put his family first. Much to the relief of royal fans, the Waleses in September shared an update about Kate's cancer journey in a deeply personal and intimate three-minute video as Kate confirmed she had completed a course of preventative chemotherapy. In the deeply moving clip released by Kensington Palace, the royal mother-of-three also shared how the diagnosis had shaped her relationship with her husband. Since Kate's cancer diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales have become more forthcoming with their affection for each other According to royal historian Amanda Foreman, William and Kate are 'more loved-up than ever' following a particularly tumultuous few years for the couple. Rather than tearing them apart, Ms Foreman told PEOPLE that Kate's cancer diagnosis had 'brought them together' 'This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved,' she said. Since Kate's cancer diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales have become more forthcoming with their affection for each other. Most recently, William was captured kissing his wife's hand when they attended the Royal Variety Performance in London in December last year. According to royal historian Amanda Foreman, William and Kate are 'more loved-up than ever' following a particularly challenging few years for the couple, who will soon celebrate 15 years of marriage. Speaking to PEOPLE, Ms Foreman said: 'What they have been through over the last few years has been so terrible. 'That either drives couples apart, or, in their case, it brings them together. It irons out the kinks and enables them to see each other clearly.' While the Princess of Wales is one of the most popular royals, her stoic nature and 'never complain, never explain' attitude, adopted from the late Queen, has seen her unfairly branded as dull. In November 2023, she was viciously reduced to a 'Stepford-like royal wife' by Omid Scobie in his book Endgame, where the Sussexes' biographer decried her 'cold' persona. His analysis was that Kate had 'never challenged the system with public struggles or oversized aspirations' while fitting neatly within the mould of a 'princess'. Whats more, Kate has also had to contend with constant comparison with Williams mother Princess Diana. Now, however, as the Princess of Wales celebrates her 44th birthday, her legacy is more assured than ever and thats thanks to forging her own path thats very different to her late mother-in-laws according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams. 'She is not likely to emulate Diana who reached out to others brilliantly but was also brittle and deeply unhappy. They are too different to be compared, he explained. 'Catherine's legacy will be one of total loyalty to her husband and the institution of monarchy.' Despite being crowned Vogue's 'eternal influencer' for her 'iconic' and immaculate style, Kate appears to have a renewed sense of purpose as Mr Fitzwilliams noted she is 'happily in remission from cancer and increasing her public engagements'. The Princess of Waleshas grown into one of the Royal Family's most prominent members as every move of hers is dissected, scrutinised, and, ultimately, contextualised within her future From her cherished early childhood projects and advocacy around a work-life balance to a 'total loyalty' to Prince william, Kate's journey from 'Disney princess' to Queen Consort - and what she will leave behind - has been already been signposted by Kate Data from the Court Circular revealed the mother-of-three undertook 68 public engagements after announcing she was in remission during an emotional visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where she received treatment. A key focus for Kate in 2025 was expanding what she has described as her 'life's work' as a champion for early years development with her 'landmark' Centre for Early Childhood that was established in 2021. In November 2025, the Princess delivered her first public speech in nearly two years when she addressed the centre's first-of-its-kind Future Workforce Summit in London - as she called on business leaders to support children and their families. Mr Fitzwilliams said royal fans can expect to see Kate at even more 'high-profile' engagements that support the cause when she becomes Queen. 'She has said that her work on early childhood is her "life's work". Expect this to be a project she will continue to support when she is Queen, just as Charles has with inter-religious understanding and the environment,' he explained. 'She has founded the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and given it an extremely high profile.' The royal commentator also noted that Kate, like William, was seemingly choosing fewer projects to sink her teeth into - rather than performing cursory duties for a wider variety of causes. That's not to say that Kate doesn't understand - or want to uphold - the traditions of the Royal Family. Data from the Court Circular revealed the mother-of-three undertook 68 public engagements after announcing she was in remission during an emotional visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where she received treatment A key focus for Kate in 2025 was expanding what she has described as her 'life's work' as a champion for early years development with her 'landmark' Centre for Early Childhood that was established in 2021. She is pictured here arriving for the Future Workforce Summit in London - as she called on business leaders to support children and their families. In a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry, Kate joined the King, Queen Camilla, and her husband Prince William at a Windsor Castle state banquet for the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in December. Mr Fitzwilliams separately elaborated: 'She is regal yet also has a contemporary look, her fashion choices are iconic and she will be known as one who was fashionable and famous, but in a relatable way. One of her most important jobs when Prince William becomes King will be revamping the Royal Family's reputation for a new generation of Britons - in part due to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's defection. 'Partly owing to the antics of the Sussexes, a majority of young people currently favour a republic. 'However the same group shows poll ratings of 70-75 per cent for Catherine, and I believe her legacy will include changing the attitudes of many of this pivotal group.' As a staunch advocate for mental health and wellness, Kate could help shift the narrative of 'work-life balance' that resonates with millennials and Gen Z. In another moving video released in September that year, the Princess said her focus was to remain cancer-free while making a gradual and 'measured' return to public life. The poignant video underscored another key part of what Mr Fitzwilliams believes will become Kate's legacy - a prioritisation of work-life balance while carrying out 'one of the world's most demanding jobs'. In a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry, Kate joined the King, Queen Camilla, and her husband Prince William at a Windsor Castle state banquet for the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in December Rare, intimate footage of the Wales family on holiday in Norfolk played as Kate told viewers how her cancer journey has 'reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life...of simply loving and being loved'. Mr Fitzwilliams said this showed how 'one of Kate's legacies is certain to be as someone who, together with William, prioritised a work-life balance successfully'. He continued: 'She together with William, brought up three children, ensuring they were shielded, save on special occasions, from the glare of the international media in an age of social media. This willl have been a challenge. As for Mr Scobie's 'Stepford wife' jibe, today it only shows just how far Kate has come. The sweet moment occurred during the Commonwealth Day Service in 2022 The Prince and Princess of Wales typically shy away from public displays of affection, but their 'authentic romance' still shines through, a body language expert has claimed. Analysing a clip of Prince William, 43, and Kate, who turns 44 today, together at the Commonwealth Day Service in 2022, Judi James noted a sweet romantic gesture that left royal fans swooning at the time. Kate, who dazzled in a bespoke, blue Catherine Walker coat dress, was caught off guard when it started raining as soon as the couple emerged from London's Westminster Abbey. When a royal aide came rushing towards Kate with an umbrella, she politely declined his offer and continued chatting with a group of children who had gathered outside the church. The footage showed how William 'went into rescue mode' and rushed to hold the same umbrella over Kate's head, as Ms James said the simple gesture showed his 'thoughtful and caring nature'. When Kate smiled back at her husband, Ms James noted a 'blush of pleasure' that suggested the future King is genuinely delighted by the 'act of making Kate happy'. She said: 'It is Kate's glance of loving approval, which makes him grin with a blush of pleasure. 'What makes this gesture even more romantic is that it is an act that William, as a future king, could have delegated.' The Prince and Princess of Wales (both pictured) typically shy away from public displays of affection, but their 'authentic romance' still shines through, a body language expert has claimed Analysing a clip of Prince William, 43, and Kate, who turns 44 today, together at the Commonwealth Day Service in 2022, Judi Jamesnoted a sweet romantic gesture that left royal fans swooning at the time Kate's refusal to accept an umbrella from a royal aide indicated her 'relatable' and 'down-to-earth' nature, while also suggesting that the princess is 'unwilling to opt for preferential, high-status treatment', Ms James added. While Kate acted like 'nothing is happening', William sprang into action as he indicated by 'an eyebrow flash of intent to his aide and then stretching his arm out for the brolly, pronto'. The future King appeared to be unafraid to lower his royal status, with his body language suggesting 'a lack of regal arrogance and pretention'. Ms James explained: 'This is also a statement of status. William signals that its his wife doing the important stuff with this gesture while he happily lowers his own royal status to support her.' She also noted that William seems 'excited' to be fulfilling this loving act of service for his wife and was particularly pleased when Kate granted him a 'glance of recognition and approval'. Rather than providing his wife with the umbrella in a bid to impress onlookers, Ms James added that William simply gets a 'sense of joy at the act of making Kate happy'. Join the debate Does Prince Williams humble gesture reveal the real secret to lasting royal love? The footage showed how William 'went into rescue mode' and rushed to hold an umbrella over Kate's head, as Ms James said the simple gesture showed his 'thoughtful and caring nature' Ms James added that William simply gets a 'sense of joy at the act of making Kate happy' The Prince and Princess of Wales communicate their love and support for one another via subtle gestures and non-verbal signals She claimed that their sweet interaction would have given the prince a 'quiet pleasure' and added: 'There's no pose for the cameras or preening here, William makes it look as though this is the kind of thing he does every day of his life.' Royal author Robert Jobson previously described the moment as a 'gentlemanly act' by a doting husband in his book, Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography for a Future Queen. The quiet moment of love also captured the hearts of royal fans on X, as one person noted that 'you can see Prince William and Kate are holding onto each other without even being physical'. They added: 'Their love for one another can be deeply felt. They complete each other.' Another comment read: 'Ahhhhh, SO romantic, and Prince William isn't even meant to hold an umbrella at formal occasions. He just wanted to.' Meanwhile, a third praised William for being a 'good husband who thinks about every tiny thing to protect the love of his life'. 'It's called true love,' they added. After more than 23 years together, the Prince and Princess continue to communicate their love and support for each other through subtle, non-verbal cues. According to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, the pair often engaged in 'fleeting signs of mutual support' during public engagements - particularly during their early days of marriage. Writing in Prince Philip's biography, Mr Brandreth noted how Kate and William kept their attention on 'the people immediately in front of them' during a royal outing in 2012. He added: 'Not once did either of them play to the camera - or even acknowledge them,' he continued. 'Occasionally, Prince William put out a hand to touch his wife's fingers or elbow or shoulder, and she reciprocated with a smile.' The Princess of Wales's 44th birthday today does not mark not a milestone year. Little in the way of fanfare is expected, but there is a lot for Kate to celebrate. It is almost two years to the day since the bombshell announcement of her abdominal surgery. That was followed by her shock cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Having undergone treatment and recovery away from the public eye, she started 2025 riding high on the hopeful news that she was in remission. In recent months the future Queen has resurfaced not only on the British stage but in international public life. She is, without doubt, a more confident and powerful figure than ever, wowing with her elegance and easy manner at a series of state visits, proving that she is the monarchy's most valuable asset. As always, fashion was key for a year that was, to my mind, one of her most consequential. She has attempted to downplay the 'Kate effect' - insisting her office would not provide briefings on the clothing she wore on engagements. Yet, her wardrobe has remained one of her most powerful tools, an effective way of communicating to a public that increasingly looks to her as the future of the British monarchy. Royal Marsden Hospital Visit - January 14, 2025 Kate kicked off the new year and news that she was now in remission from cancer with a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London, place where she herself had received treatment. Kate wore a full-length burgundy tartan double breasted coat by the Italian brand Blaze Milano to visit the Royal Marsden Hospital where she herself received treatment for cancer While fashion was not meant to be the focus, it was impossible not to note the razor-sharp chic that she embraced for what was surely an emotional visit. A world away from the floaty knee-length coat dresses that were the hallmark of her early royal career, Kate wore a full-length burgundy tartan double breasted coat by the Italian brand Blaze Milano. Paired with a simple red turtleneck and matching skirt, it screamed quiet sophistication whilst ensuring that the patients she met were not over-awed by their VIP visitor. That she chose to re-wear the same coat for the Christmas Day walk to church at Sandringham was perhaps a nod to the fact that year had truly come full circle. Queen Elizabeth II British Design Award May 13, 2025 Stepping out to present the Queen Elizabeth II British Design Award to Patrick McDowell, Kate paid homage to two female fashion designers. Opting for an olive green patch pocket blazer with matching trousers from Victoria Beckham's Spring 2025 collection, she paired it with a flowing cream silk blouse by the newly launched Knatchbull, a women's tailoring shop on Saville Row owned by royal-cousin Daisy Knatchbull (a great granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten great uncle and mentor to King Charles III). Catherine opted for an olive green patch pocket blazer with matching trousers from Victoria Beckham's Spring 2025 to present the Queen Elizabeth II British Design Award The look not only highlighted Kate's sartorial sensibility, her choice of designers reminded onlookers that every fashion choice she makes is calculated. Trooping the Colour June 14, 2025 Kate's attendance at the Trooping the Colour was a celebrated return to the center of British royal life. Wearing a deep aquamarine wool coat dress with ivory contrast lapels and cuffs by British couturier Catherine Walker and a coordinating wide-brim hat by Juliette Botterill, Kate's ensemble looked remarkably like something her late mother-in law, Princess Diana, might have worn not to mention that it was made by one of Diana's most trusted fashion houses. Wearing a deep aquamarine wool coat dress with ivory contrast lapels and cuffs by British couturier Catherine Walker Kate's ensemble looked remarkably like something her late mother-in law, Princess Diana, might have worn In this look Kate was channeling the sophistication and show-stopping success that the last Princess of Wales made a hallmark of her 'princess' style. French State Visit July 8 2025 Kate dropped a fashion bombshell when she stepped out to greet the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, in head-to-toe Dior. It was the first outing for Kate in the iconic French brand. She wowed in the brand's iconic bar jacket paired with a past season matching tulle skirt. First created by Christian Dior in 1947, it's a look that has gained a cult following in recent years, and has been repeatedly worn by First Lady Melania Trump. Later that night Kate wore a floor length red evening gown by Givenchy - designed by Kate's former wedding dress designer Sarah Burton (then at the helm of McQueen). Kate turned to the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara. Kate wore head-to-toe Dior to greet the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Previously worn by Princess Diana, it has become Kate's trademark for white tie royal events an indicator of the continuity she sees between the two. She also added Diana's three strand pearl bracelet to ensure no one missed that point. Wimbledon Finals July 13th, 2025 Accompanied by her husband and two oldest children, Kate, as Wimbledon patron, appeared for the Men's Single's Final in a striking royal cobalt dress by the British label Roksanda. A bespoke design, the V-neck midi-length dress with a sweeping flared skirt featured a statement bow on the left shoulder. Kate, as Wimbledon patron, appeared for the Men's Single's Final in a striking royal cobalt dress by the British label Roksanda Accessorized with a bag from the British designer Anya Hindmarch and her often repeated suede Ralph Lauren pumps, Kate appeared a polished princess ready to take to center court to present the finalists their prizes. US State Visit September 2025 All eyes were on the British Royal Family as they played hosts to the unprecedented second state visit accorded to President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. While she flew an understated British flag in a burgundy Emilia Wickstead coatdress, Kate wowed the room when she sauntered forth later that evening in a floor-length gold evening gown by the British couturier Phillipa Lepley. Featuring a hand-embroidered gold Chantilly lace evening coat over a silk crepe gown, Kate shimmered as she made her way to sit by President Trump's side at the seated dinner. Kate wowed the room when she sauntered forth later that evening in a floor-length gold evening gown by the British couturier Phillipa Lepley Pairing the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara with a pair of earrings once owned by Queen Elizabeth II, Kate not only wielded her diplomatic muscle by playing up to the American leader's love of all things gilded but proved that as a hostess of world leaders her charm was unmatched. Royal Variety Performance - November 19 2025 Freed from the restrictions of either tiaras or ceremonial orders, Kate appeared in full glamour date-night mode as she and William attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Wearing an off-the-shoulder floor length emerald, green evening dress whose mermaid silhouette flared out into a short but elegant train, Kate proved once more that she is the Queen of the red carpet if not the country (yet). Her hair down and swept behind, she showed off the dazzling diamond Greville Chandelier Earrings that formed part of a collection left to the Queen Mother in 1942 by Dame Margaret Greville. Kate wore an off-the-shoulder floor length emerald, green evening dress whose mermaid silhouette flared out into a short but elegant train to the Royal Variety Performance Paired with a bracelet that was once owned by Queen Mary (her husband's great-great-grandmother), Kate appeared the epitome of a princess whose feet are squarely in the modern fashion world. German State Visit Banquet December 3, 2025 For the final of her three state banquet appearances in 2025, Kate stole headlines by delving deep into British royal jewel collection and resurrecting a tiara that not only had gone unseen for twenty years. Kate stole headlines by delving deep into British royal jewel collection and resurrecting a tiara that not only had gone unseen for twenty years and only ever been worn by a reigning monarch Last worn by Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Malta in 2005, the Oriental Circlet was created for Queen Victoria by Garrard in 1858 and designated as Crown Property. Until it arrived on Kate's head, it had only ever been worn by reigning queens. Paired with a floor length sequin caped evening gown by Jenny Packham, Kate delivered not just jaw-dropping dazzle but the clearest announcement yet that she is a Queen-In-Waiting. It was the crowning one for a woman who over the preceding twelve months not only overcame a great personal challenge but has risen to the very top of what the royals like to call 'the Firm.' A global review examining reported cases of cancer following Covid vaccination was published earlier this month, just as the medical journal hosting it was hit by a cyberattack that has since taken the site offline. The study appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Oncotarget on January 3 and was authored by cancer researchers from Tufts University in Boston and Brown University in Rhode Island. In the review, researchers analyzed 69 previously published studies and case reports from around the world, identifying 333 instances in which cancer was newly diagnosed or rapidly worsened within a few weeks following Covid vaccination. The review covered studies from 2020 to 2025 and included reports from 27 countries, including the US, Japan, China, Italy, Spain, and South Korea. No single country dominated, suggesting the observed patterns were reported globally. The authors emphasized that the review highlights patterns observed in existing reports, but does not establish a direct causal link between vaccination and cancer. Days after publication, Oncotarget's website became inaccessible, displaying a 'bad gateway' error that the journal attributed to an ongoing cyberattack. The journal reported the incident to the FBI, noting disruptions to its online operations. In social media posts, one of the paper's authors, Dr Wafik El-Deiry of Brown University, expressed concern that the attack disrupted access to newly published research. 'Censorship is alive and well in the US, and it has come into medicine in a big, awful way,' El-Deiry wrote in a post on X. A new medical review has uncovered cancerous growths forming just days and weeks after individuals received the Covid-19 vaccine The new study was published by the journal Oncotarget, which has been attacked by hackers, preventing readers from accessing the research The FBI told Daily Mail that it 'neither confirms nor denies the existence of any specific investigation' into a cyberattack on Oncotarget. The Daily Mail has reached out to Oncotarget for comment on the cyberattack investigation. In a post that can no longer be accessed because of the website hacking, Oncotarget noted disruptions to the availability of new studies online. Although they did not accuse a specific group of wrongdoing, the journal alleged without evidence that the hackers may be connected to the anonymous research review group PubPeer. The researchers alleged that the cyberattack targeted Oncotarget's servers to disrupt the journal's operations and prevent new papers from being properly added to the site's index. The message was shared on social media by El-Deiry before the website crashed, with the doctor adding, 'Censorship of the scientific press is keeping important published information about Covid infection, Covid vaccines and cancer signals from reaching the scientific community and beyond.' In a statement to the Daily Mail, PubPeer declared: 'No officer, employee or volunteer at PubPeer has any involvement whatsoever with whatever is going on at that journal.' PubPeer is an online platform where researchers can anonymously comment on peer-reviewed scientific papers after they've already appeared in journals. Its stated goal has been post-publication peer review, meaning people discuss, critique, or point out potential issues in studies that have already passed the usual pre-publication checks. Many of the cases involved tumors growing near the injection sites in the arm (Pictured), but the study could not definitively say the Covid vaccine caused cancer Study author Wafik El-Deiry claimed his work was being 'censored' and shared a post from the study journal alleging the attack was carried out by fact-checkers of published studies The cyberattack appeared to hit around December 2025, as the site began glitching and slowing down, but shortly after the paper was published, it went offline. Hackers can shut down websites using methods such as a DDoS attack, which floods the victim's server with fake traffic to overwhelm it and make it crash, or by directly hacking into their systems to block access, often done remotely through weak points in the site's internet security. When this happens, websites may show error messages like 'Bad Gateway' or 'Service Unavailable,' making it temporarily inaccessible or slow for users, but it doesn't mean everything is permanently deleted The studies on Oncotarget, including El-Deiry's, should be able to be recovered or accessible once the attack has ended. Some of the studies El-Deiry looked at featured massive datasets, including one from the US, which examined 1.3million military service members and found a rise in some blood cancers after 2021, when Covid vaccines rolled out. The researchers noted that the studies reported various types of cancer following vaccination, but emphasized that these findings do not establish a causal link between vaccines and cancer. Wafik El-Deiry and co-author Charlotte Kuperwasser, a researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, also found that some case reports referenced in the review included localized reactions near injection sites, which the authors suggested warranted further study to understand any potential biological mechanisms. The study revealed 333 cases of cancer being diagnosed in the weeks and months following Covid-19 vaccinations or booster shots (Stock Image) The paper also uncovered sudden flare-ups of slow-growing cancers that had been stable before receiving the Covid jab, and incidents where the vaccine appeared to 'wake up' certain viruses that can lead to cancer, like human herpesvirus 8. Major study populations, including one review of 300,000 people in Italy and one examining 8.4million people in South Korea, uncovered higher cancer rates of thyroid, colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers among vaccinated individuals. However, the findings varied by age, sex, vaccine type, and dose, with patients taking more doses and boosters of the Covid vaccine later experiencing higher rates of some cancers, such as gastric and pancreatic. Adults younger than 65 appeared to have a higher risk of developing thyroid and breast cancers after vaccination, while seniors over 75 had a higher risk of prostate cancer. 'These findings underscore the need for rigorous epidemiologic, longitudinal, clinical, histopathological, forensic, and mechanistic studies to assess whether and under what conditions COVID-19 vaccination or infection may be linked with cancer,' the team wrote in their study, which they shared online. As the UK continues to battle snow and icy conditions this week, scientists have warned that British winters could get even worse. Although climate change is making the planet warmer, experts say it could destabilise key weather patterns that currently protect the UK from freezing extremes. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the massive ocean current that powers the Gulf Stream, driving warm tropical waters northwards to the UK. If this key current were to collapse, climate scientists predict that London could see winter extremes of -20C (-4F), with three months of the year spent below freezing. Likewise, temperatures in Edinburgh could fall to one-in-ten-year extremes of -30C (-22F) as Scotland faces five and a half frozen months each year. Concerningly, these extremes are no longer an entirely remote possibility, as scientists warn that the imminent collapse of AMOC is increasingly likely. Professor Tim Lenton, a leading climate scientist from Exeter University, told the Daily Mail: 'The probability of AMOC collapse is already non-zero, and it increases with global warming. 'At 2C of global warming, the odds of AMOC collapse are comparable to Russian Roulette - a one in six chance of a highly damaging outcome.' As Britain battles freezing temperatures, scientists warn that winters could get even colder in the future if climate change destabilises a key ocean current. Pictured: Dog walkers face the snow in Newcastle Why would British winters get colder? While it might not feel like it at the moment, British winters are currently warmer than they might otherwise be thanks to the continual motion of the AMOC. Described as 'the conveyor belt of the ocean', AMOC transports warm water near the ocean's surface northwards from the tropics up to the northern hemisphere. Heat released from the ocean contributes to helping UK winters remain relatively warm and stable. However, experts are now concerned that the engine driving this global conveyor belt is starting to falter. As warm water moves northwards towards Greenland, it freezes into sea ice and leaves salt behind in the ocean. This creates extremely cold, dense, salty water that falls to great depths, around 1,000 to 4,000 metres below the surface, and is carried southward. Dr Rene van Westen, of Utrecht University, told the Daily Mail: 'This sinking process is crucial for having a strong and stable AMOC.' Your browser does not support iframes. While it might feel cold now, Britain's winters are actually warmer than they might otherwise be thanks to the action of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Pictured: A man clears snow from his car in Glen More, Scotland What is the AMOC? The Gulf Stream is a small part of a much wider system of currents, officially called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC. A 'conveyor belt of the ocean', it moves warm water near the ocean's surface northwards - from the tropics to the northern hemisphere. When the warm water reaches the North Atlantic (Europe and the UK, and the US east coast), it releases the heat and then freezes. As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water. Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks, and is carried southwards - back towards the tropics - in depths below. Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up ('upwelling'), completing the cycle. Experts think AMOC brings enough warmth to the northern hemisphere to keep it mild. So if the AMOC were to slow down or collapse, large parts of Europe could enter a deep freeze. Advertisement However, the ongoing warming of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans is now preventing the water from cooling and becoming denser. At the same time, increased runoff from melting ice caps is adding fresh water to the oceans, preventing the water from becoming salty enough. 'The surface water masses are now getting lighter under climate change, meaning that less sinking takes place and this results in AMOC weakening or even collapse,' says Dr van Westen. Scientists have already observed that AMOC has slowed due to human-caused changes in the climate, but there are now concerns that it could be driven into total collapse. If this were to happen, the UK would no longer benefit from the warming effects of tropical waters. This would mean that winters would get colder, even as climate change increased the average temperature of the planet. Professor David Thornalley, an ocean and climate scientist from University College London, told the Daily Mail: 'If the AMOC weakens by enough, then the regional cooling caused by the weaker AMOC can more than counteract the regional warming effect expected from the effects of higher greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.' 'Under cases of an AMOC collapse, some results suggest UK winters would be up to 15C (27F) cooler.' It might take decades for the effects of a collapse to be felt, but some changes may be apparent within a single lifetime. According to one climate model, the UK would be 6C (10.8F) colder by 2050 if the AMOC collapse took place in 2030. Meanwhile summer rainfall would plummet by up to 35 per cent, increasing the risk of drought, and winter rainfall would increase by 20 per cent over the north of the UK. However, other models predict even more extreme weather conditions across northern Europe. In a recent study, Dr van Westen and his co-authors predicted that a northern city like Edinburgh would face 164 days with minimum temperatures below freezing, that's almost 50 per cent of the year, and an increase of 133 days compared to the pre-industrial climate. In Scandinavia, even Norway's typically mild west coast could experience winter extremes below -40C (-40F), that is 25C (45F) colder than in the pre-industrial climate. In this scenario, expanding sea ice could cover parts of the British Isles, and there would also be increased winter storms. How likely is an AMOC collapse? If AMOC were to collapse, Britain could face winter extremes of -20C (-4F) in London and -30C (-22F) in Scotland. This satellite picture shows the extent of snow cover across Britain and Ireland on January 7, 2010. The question of whether AMOC is on track to collapse is hotly contested in climate science, and not one to which there is a definitive answer. However, there is a significant body of research that shows the risks of AMOC collapsing increases with climate change. Two recent studies published by British and Dutch researchers suggest that there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of AMOC collapse in intermediate climate warming scenarios and that the current may start to collapse around 2060. Some models and researchers give lower values for this risk or downplay the risk of collapse entirely. But a bigger concern for some researchers is that there might be hidden risks of collapse in the future that current climate models don't pick up. Professor Thornalley says: 'There is quite a lot of uncertainty about whether there may be a feedback that kicks in, such that once a weakening starts, it causes further weakening and the AMOC goes on to collapse. This is what is called a tipping point.' 'New work has suggested that the chance of a collapse is greater than previously thought, simply because we hadnt examined the results of climate model simulations beyond 2100. 'It turns out that although most climate models dont have an AMOC collapse by 2100, many do go on to collapse in the 22nd century, and it is found that the tipping point - the point of no return - was often reached early in the 21st century.' The AMOC already slowed down in the late 20th century, studies show (illustrated). If climate change is not slowed, some scientists predict a 50 per cent chance of AMOC collapse by 2060 That means humans might be driving the planet towards future environmental collapse without realising how imminent the effects could be. Experts said the likelihood of AMOC collapsing is strongly dependent on how humans act to bring climate change under control in the next few years. If humans burn more fossils than currently predicted, then the current best estimate is that the chance of an AMOC collapse might be as high as 70 per cent. Whereas, if the world sticks to or improves on the current target to reduce fossil fuel burning, the odds of total collapse drop to around 25 per cent. If AMOC only weakens, any cooling will likely be cancelled out by the warming effects of climate change, so winter will have roughly the same average temperatures. However, the weakening of AMOC would be a major change in how heat is circulated around the globe, which would have catastrophic effects on seasonal weather patterns. Professor Thornalley says: 'There will be very strong temperature gradients in our region, which will cause more extreme and violent weather. 'The lesson is that we really want to avoid causing any large changes in the AMOC since it will disrupt our climate in a way that has bad impacts on our society and economy.' The US Air Force's Boeing WC-135R Constant Phoenix, an aircraft used to detect nuclear activity, was spotted flying across several states on Thursday, raising concern among observers. Flight data shows the so-called 'nuclear sniffer' taking off from Nebraska, circling South Dakota, and looping near Fargo, North Dakota. The aircraft is currently circling above Rapid City, South Dakota, as it continues its mission. The WC-135R's purpose is to collect atmospheric samples to detect and identify radioactive debris from nuclear explosions, supporting arms control treaty verification and national security by monitoring for nuclear detonations and tracking fallout. The flight comes as the US-Russia nuclear treaty, the New START Treaty, is set to expire on February 5, leading some observers to fear the worst. While US officials have not confirmed the reason for the mission, domestic flights of the WC-135R are often for crew training, equipment calibration, or background radiation monitoring. However, Northrop Grumman also launched its redesigned Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target vehicle for the first time on Thursday, coinciding with WC-135R's flight. Although it uses components from decommissioned nuclear-era missiles, the ICBM target vehicle is unarmed and cannot carry nuclear weapons, serving only as a threat-representative test platform for US missile defense systems. The US Air Force's Boeing WC-135R Constant Phoenix, an aircraft used to detect nuclear activity, was spotted flying across several states on Thursday (STOCK) Robin Heard, director of targets and interceptors, Northrop Grumman: 'By embedding digital technology into every phase of the ICBM target redesign and new integration processes, we have streamlined field operations, enhanced operational safety and driven cost-effectiveness for our customers. 'The significant efficiencies identified during the redesigned target's first pathfinding and maiden launch will positively impact future flight tests.' However, it is unknown if WC-135R's flight was linked to the ICMB test. The WC-135R is specially modified with an on-board atmospheric collection suite that allows its crew to detect radioactive 'clouds' in real time. The aircraft is equipped with external flow-through devices that capture particulates on filter paper, as well as a compressor system that collects whole-air samples in holding spheres for analysis. The flight is operated by a cockpit crew from the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, while specialized equipment operators are assigned to Detachment 1 of the Air Force Technical Applications Center, also at Offutt. The Constant Phoenix program dates back to September 16, 1947, when General Dwight D Eisenhower tasked the Army Air Forces with detecting atomic explosions worldwide. In a historic mission in September 1949, a WB-29 aircraft flying between Alaska and Japan collected debris from Russia's first atomic test, an event originally thought impossible until mid-1950. Flight data shows the so-called 'nuclear sniffer' taking off from Nebraska, circling South Dakota, and looping near Fargo, North Dakota While US officials have not confirmed the reason for the mission, domestic flights of the WC-135R are often for crew training, equipment calibration or background radiation monitoring (STOCK) Over the following decades, aircraft, including the WB-50 and later the WC-135, replaced earlier models, becoming the backbone of US airborne nuclear detection. Air sampling missions have spanned the Far East, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Mediterranean Sea, polar regions and the coasts of South America and Africa. The WC-135W notably tracked radioactive fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union. Today, the WC-135 fleet continues to support the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which bans all above-ground nuclear weapons testing. These aircraft remain the US Air Force's only platform for airborne nuclear air-sampling operations. Flight tracking of Thursday's flight flooded social media, where users noted that the US-Russia nuclear treaty is coming to an end. The nations signed the New START Treaty on April 8, 2010, marking their eighth agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed in September that both parties should agree for a further 12 months to adhere to the New START limits, which cap the number of deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550 on each side. US President Donald Trump has yet to deliver a formal response, and Western security analysts are divided about the wisdom of accepting Putin's offer. Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok has limited its image editing tool to paying users amid growing concerns about deepfakes on the platform. It comes after regulator Ofcom said it made 'urgent contact' with the tech tycoon's social media platform X, which created the integrated AI chatbot, following reports users have prompted the tool to generate sexualised images of people, including children. Grok is now telling people making such requests that only paid subscribers are able to do so meaning their name and payment information must be on file. However, Downing Street has blasted the move to make creating deepfakes a 'premium service' as 'insulting' to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. 'That move that simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service,' the Prime Minister's spokesman said. 'Its not a solution. In fact, its insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so. 'If another media company had billboards in town centres showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash.' He reiterated that 'all options' are on the table including for Ofcom to use its powers to 'take any action'. Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok has limited its image editing tool to paying users amid growing concerns about deepfakes on the platform Technology Secretary Liz Kendall this week said action must be taken urgently on the issue and she backed Ofcom to take 'any enforcement action' deemed necessary. An internet safety organisation said its analysts have confirmed the existence of 'criminal imagery of children aged between 11 and 13 which appears to have been created using the (Grok) tool'. Grok's move to limit the tool to paying users is 'not good enough', The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said. Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the IWF, said: 'We do not believe it is good enough to simply limit access to a tool which should never have had the capacity to create the kind of imagery we have seen in recent days. 'Companies must make sure the products they build and make available to the global public are safe by design. 'If that means governments and regulators need to force them to design safer tools, then that is what must happen. Sitting and waiting for unsafe products to be abused before taking action is unacceptable.' Love Island presenter Maya Jama is among those to have asked Grok not to modify or edit her photos. Jama, who has nearly 700,000 followers on X, posted: 'Hey @grok, I do not authorize you to take, modify, or edit any photo of mine, whether those published in the past or the upcoming ones I post.' In a statement, Ofcom said that it was 'aware of serious concerns raised about a feature of Grok on X that produces undresses images of people and sexualised images of children' Yesterday Keir Starmer described the sexualised images as a 'disgrace' and 'simply not tolerable'. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio he said: 'It's disgraceful, it's disgusting and it's not to be tolerated. 'X has got to get a grip of this and Ofcom have our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong; it's unlawful - we're not going to tolerate it.' He added X needed to 'get their act together' and 'get the material down'. 'We will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable,' Sir Keir concluded. Responding to Sir Keir's comments on Friday, Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said he should 'reconsider this course of action, or there will be consequences'. 'There are always technical bugs during the early phases of new technology,' she said, adding: 'If Starmer is successful in banning X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole. 'This would mirror actions previously taken by the United States in response to foreign governments restricting the platform, including the dispute with Brazil in 20242025, which resulted in tariffs, visa revocations, and sanctions.' Love Island presenter Maya Jama is among those to have asked Grok not to modify or edit her photos. Regulator Ofcom said it made 'urgent contact' with Musk's (pictured) social media platform Shadow business secretary also Andrew Griffith rejected the idea of boycotting or banning X. He told the Press Association: 'Look, let's just be really clear: it's not X itself or Grok that is creating those images, it's individuals, and they should be held accountable if they're doing something that infringes the law.' Mr Musk has previously insisted 'anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content'. X has said it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, 'by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary'. NASA is preparing to conduct its first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS), activating a contingency plan to return a crew to Earth months ahead of schedule. The plan, developed decades ago for medical emergencies in space, has never before been implemented during an ISS mission, agency officials said Thursday. Under the program, the returning astronauts will seal themselves inside the capsule, undock from the ISS, perform a controlled departure and reenter Earth's atmosphere for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. A recovery ship with medical personnel will retrieve the capsule, conduct immediate health evaluations at sea, and transport the astronauts by helicopter and jet to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for further care. The evacuation was triggered after a Crew-11 astronaut experienced a medical issue that could not be fully treated in microgravity, prompting NASA flight surgeons to recommend an early return. The American space agency has declined to identify the individual or disclose the nature of the condition, citing medical privacy. However, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted on Thursday that the agency considers this a 'serious medical condition' that forced officials to conclude that the first-ever evacuation was necessary. He added that NASA expects to provide an updated return timeline within 48 hours as mission managers finalize landing conditions. JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (center) was helping NASA astronaut Zena Cardman (left) and Mike Fincke prepare for the spacewalk before it was postponed due to the medical emergency NASA Chief Medical Officer Dr James Polk said on Thursday that the astronaut is not in immediate danger and is being cared for by fellow crew members until the return is completed. 'This is not related to a spacewalk or station operations,' Polk said. 'It's primarily a medical issue made more complex by the challenges of microgravity.' Crew-11 consists of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. A Japan-based news outlet reported that Yui has no health issues, narrowing the concern to the remaining crew members. Before departure, the crew will conduct vehicle health checks, secure cargo, seal hatches and depressurize the docking vestibule while mission control verifies the spacecraft's readiness. Once undocked, the return capsule, dubbed Crew Dragon, will execute a series of separation burns to move safely away from the station before performing a deorbit burn several hours later. The capsule will then reenter Earth's atmosphere, deploying drogue parachutes followed by its main parachutes before splashing down at sea. The station was recently joined by Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who arrived aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in November 2025. Crew-11 before launching to the ISS. Pictured (L to R): Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and NASA's Zena Cardman Isaacman said Williams will remain on the station with the Soyuz crew to maintain the United States' continuous presence in orbit. The evacuation follows NASA's Spaceflight Human-System Standard, which mandates contingency return procedures whenever onboard medical resources are insufficient. Although statistical models have long predicted that such an event could occur roughly once every three years, the plan has never before been used. While NASA has not yet determined the return data for Crew-11, its Crew Transportation System Design Reference Missions states: 'Emergencies could result from ISS system failures, an uninhabitable crew environment, or a medical event requiring the return of the crewmembers. 'The crew will return to Earth within 24 hours of a declaration of an intention to return early.' Crew-11 arrived at the ISS on August 1, 2025, meaning their return date had been scheduled for late February. The four astronauts were supposed to leave after Crew-12 arrived on a SpaceX Dragon capsule no earlier than February 15. Isaacman said that any decision to potentially move up the launch of Crew-12 would not impact the upcoming Artemis II mission planned for February 2026. He called the two launches 'totally separate campaigns,' meaning there should be no issue in launching Artemis on time. Artemis II will be the first manned spaceflight to orbit the moon since 1972. The returning astronauts will seal themselves inside the capsule, undock from the ISS, perform a controlled departure and reenter Earth's atmosphere for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast Meanwhile, the ISS is required to have astronauts aboard at all times, as they are essential to carry out maintenance, repairs, operate complex experiments, manage life support, and perform spacewalks, tasks that automation cannot fully handle, ensuring constant human oversight for safety and scientific output. Until now, there had never been a crew evacuated ahead of their scheduled departure time from the ISS; however, two spacewalks were recently cancelled because of various health issues among the astronauts. A mission was cancelled in 2021 when Mark Vande Hei experienced a pinched nerve and was unable to travel outside the ISS. Another spacewalk in 2024 was called off at the last minute because an astronaut experienced 'spacesuit discomfort'. A dense blob of 'radiation fog' has moved in over the Southeast, causing dangerous travel conditions for up to five million people. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a dense fog advisory across 78 counties in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida on Friday morning, warning of extremely low visibility on roads. While this kind of fog is unrelated to nuclear radiation and generally should not endanger human health, officials have previously warned that dense, low-level fog can also impact air quality by trapping local pollutants close to the ground. The hazardous warnings specifically impact drivers throughout the region, as Americans won't be able to see beyond a quarter-mile in front of them during the morning hours. Last year, the dangers of these conditions were tragically underscored on January 6, 2024, when a massive pileup on Interstate 5 in Kern County, California, involved nearly 40 vehicles, including 18 tractor-trailers, leaving two people dead and nine others injured. Meteorologists noted that central, eastern and southeastern Georgia, central and southeastern South Carolina and parts of the northern Florida Panhandle are largely covered with fog. 'If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you,' NWS officials wrote in their warning. A large fog belt has formed over the US Southeast, causing travel disruptions Friday morning Most of the dense fog advisories on land will stay in effect until at least 10am ET this morning, meaning the thick fog should start lifting as the sun rises and warms the ground. A few coastal and marine areas have longer alerts that last until 1pm Friday, including the waters off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts, Charleston Harbor, and some Florida Panhandle bays. Major cities dealing with this thick fog include Augusta and Macon in Georgia, and Columbia and Charleston in South Carolina. The fog has blanketed Florida for the past few days, starting in the east and now moving northwest. Local news reported a deadly multi-vehicle crash on Wednesday in Jupiter, which involved multiple vehicles, and one of the drivers from a different car was taken to the hospital. A 16-year-old child was killed in the incident. Satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed the dense fog forming over the entire Southeast early Friday morning, including over parts of Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. NWS has not issued any alerts for radiation fog in these states, but did signal flood watches in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee due to a 'moist airmass with a slow-moving surface boundary' moving through the region. Dense fog like this often forms overnight and lingers into the morning due to a combination of weather factors. Join the debate Are YOU concerned about 'radiation fog'? The National Weather Service has issued dense fog advisories in three states, and also issued flood watches for nearby areas due to excess moisture in the region In this case, recent rain or high humidity in the Southeast has left excess moisture in the air. Overnight, under clear skies and light winds, the ground cools rapidly after sunset, releasing heat back into the air and creating dense, low-lying fog. Before this thick fog burns off throughout the day, toxic particles from factories and car exhaust can hover over populated cities for hours, forcing anyone in the fog to breathe in plumes of dust and chemicals that can exacerbate respiratory problems like asthma. Some Georgia residents have claimed on social media that dense fog belts this week have smelled like chemicals and other hazardous substances while walking or driving through the clouds. 'We have had foggy mornings for the last week in NE Georgia. And it's not normal fog, it smells like burning plastic and leaves a residue on our car windows,' another person claimed Thursday. That X user also pleaded with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to investigate the suspicious particles in Georgia's fog. Radiation fog is quite common in the southeastern US, as it forms when the ground cools quickly overnight under clear skies and calm winds, turning moisture in the humid air into thick fog close to the surface. Radiation fog is most often seen during the fall and winter months, when longer nights allow for more cooling, cooler temperatures, which help the air saturate faster, and loads of moisture from seasonal storms. Researchers have identified traces of plant toxins on Stone Age arrowheads making it the oldest known arrow poison in the world to date. A team analysing 60,000yearold quartz arrowheads from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa, found chemical residues of poison that still have 'active components'. This toxic substance is from a plant called gifbol (Boophone disticha), a poisonous species still used by traditional hunters in the region today. The discovery pushes back the earliest direct evidence of poison arrow use by tens of thousands of years. In humans the poison can induce symptoms of nausea, visual impairment, respiratory paralysis and a coma. Even in small quantities, it can be lethal to rodents in just 20 minutes leading the researchers to believe it was used to slow prey animals down while they hunted them. 'The compounds we have detectedare active components and they are poisonous,' Professor Sven Isaksson, from Stockholm University, told the Daily Mail. 'However, they are today only present as minute traces on these Stone Age artifacts in way too low concentrations to be deadly.' Both sides of one of the arrowheads analysed. The lefthand image shows the organic remains in which the poisonous arrowhead residues were identified, appearing as a reddish colour Analysis of the arrowheads, which bear microscopic impact scars (highlighted by the white arrows) The toxic substance is from a plant called gifbol (Boophone disticha), a poisonous species still used by traditional hunters in the region today (file image) 'This is the oldest direct evidence that humans used arrow poison,' Professor Marlize Lombard, from the University of Johannesburg, said. 'It shows that our ancestors in southern Africa not only invented the bow and arrow much earlier than previously thought, but also understood how to use nature's chemistry to increase hunting efficiency.' The researchers said similar poisonous substances have also been found on 250yearold arrowheads in Swedish collections, which were gathered by travellers during the 18th century. The fact that the same plant poison was used in both historical and prehistoric times indicates a long continuity of knowledge and tradition, they explained. 'Finding traces of the same poison on both prehistoric and historical arrowheads was crucial,' says Professor Sven Isaksson, from Stockholm University. 'By carefully studying the chemical structure of the substances and thus drawing conclusions about their properties, we were able to determine that these particular substances are stable enough to survive this long in the ground. 'It's also fascinating that people had such a deep and longstanding understanding of the use of plants.' Previously, indirect traces of poison have been used to interpret hunting practices, but the new findings constitute the first direct evidence of hunting with poisoned arrows. A closeup of the arrowheads unearthed from the from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa A previous study revealed teardropshaped tools (pictured) were hurled through the air as weapons 77,000 years ago in South Africa The study shows that these early hunters not only had technical skills but also advanced planning abilities and an understanding of how poisons work over time characteristics that reflect modern human cognition. 'Using arrow poison requires planning, patience and an understanding of cause and effect. It is a clear sign of advanced thinking in early humans,' Professor Anders Hogberg, from Linnaeus University, said. Before now, the earliest poisoned arrows from Africa date back roughly 7,000 years. The researchers published their findings in the journal Science Advances. The last remaining nuclear treaty between the US and Russia is set to expire in just weeks, raising global fears of a renewed arms race. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), signed in 2010, is due to end on February 6. It is the eighth agreement between the two nations since the 1963 treaty that banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater. New START is the third iteration of the pact and limits each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads. If it lapses, it will mark the first time in nearly 50 years that the worlds two largest nuclear powers operate without formal restrictions on their arsenals. Together, the US and Russia hold roughly 87 percent of the worlds nuclear warheads. Arms control experts warn that the expiration could prompt both nations to deploy warheads beyond previous limits, accelerating the weakening of the global arms control framework. Stephen Herzog from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California said it increases global risk by reducing transparency and enabling unchecked competition among leaders who appear willing to rely on nuclear arms. 'In a situation where Russia is increasingly unpredictable, and in a situation where the administration of the US is unfortunately increasingly unpredictable, not having a vital,' he told New Scientist. The last remaining nuclear treaty between the US and Russia is set to expire in just weeks, raising global fears of a renewed arms race. Pictured is a Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile during a test fire in 2022 President Donald Trump indicated he would allow the last US-Russia strategic arms control treaty to expire without accepting an offer from Moscow to voluntarily extend its caps on deployments of the world's most powerful nuclear weapons The treaty cannot be extended, as written, it allowed one extension, and Russian President Vladimir and former US President Joe Biden agreed to roll it over for five years in 2021. President Donald Trump indicated he would allow the last US-Russia strategic arms control treaty to expire without accepting an offer from Moscow to voluntarily extend its caps on deployments of the world's most powerful nuclear weapons. 'If it expires, it expires,' Trump said of the 2010 New START accord in an interview he gave to the New York Times on Wednesday. 'We'll just do a better agreement.' Trump told the New York Times that China, which has the world's fastest-growing strategic nuclear force, should be included in a treaty that replaces New START. The first New START treaty was signed in 1991 and cut the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads. START II in 1993 aimed to significantly reduce strategic nuclear weapons, banning multiple warheads (MIRVs) on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and eliminating Russian SS-18 missiles. However, it never fully entered into force due to Russian delays related to the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, and Russia formally repudiated it in 2002, with later agreements like New START eventually taking its place. Russia has the most confirmed nuclear weapons, with over 5,500 nuclear warheads. In September, Russian President Vladimir suggested that the treaty limits be extended for another 12 months. But the treaty was written to allow one extension, which was used under the Biden administration A nuclear weapon launched via an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Russia would take approximately 30 minutes to reach the continental United States. The US follows behind with 5,044 nuclear weapons, hosted in the nation and five other nations: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Total nuclear warheads owned by these two countries alone count for nearly 90 percent of nuclear weapons in the world. However, the number of warheads for North Korea and Israel is unconfirmed. It has been estimated that North Korea has enough fissile material to develop between 40 and 50 individual weapons, while Israel has material for up to 200, with an estimated 90 existing warheads. Some agreements on nuclear weapons remain in effect, though their impact varies. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons seeks the complete elimination of nuclear arms and has gained supporters, but none from the world's nuclear-armed states. Meanwhile, several nuclear powers are signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), though it has limited effect on the total number of warheads. Among all these agreements, New START has been the only treaty that effectively held the US and Russia accountable for reducing their arsenals. Moscow and Washington, both focused on the war in Ukraine, have not conducted formal talks on a successor to New START, though both sides have made some informal statements. In September, Putin suggested that the treaty limits be extended for another 12 months. He also proposed including the nuclear arsenals of Britain and France in future negotiations, a suggestion both countries have rejected. Trump has not responded officially but told The New York Times that he would prefer a broader agreement that could involve 'a couple of other players,' without specifying which nations. With new indie retailers opening every year, London is home to hundreds of bookshops, including hidden gems and famous-for-a-reason spots. Whether you're looking to lose yourself in Jane Austen's Georgian England or join Hercule Poirot on the Orient Express, there is something for every literary taste. Perhaps the best-known bookshop in the city is Daunt Books, which originally only published travel books and launched its flagship store on Marylebone's High Street in 1990. The custom-built bookshop is known for its Edwardian interior, oak galleries and unique arrangement of literature by country. Waterstones Piccadilly holds the title of Europe's largest bookshop and The Notting Hill Bookshop became a must-see spot after its interior was copied for the 1999 film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. But it's an under-the-radar hidden gem in London that has recently been named among the best in the world. Cultured magazine has revealed its pick of the 11 greatest indie bookshops in the world, chosen by bookshop owners. Alongside stores in Baghdad, Paris and New York, a spot in London made the cut. Read on to find out which bookstores topped the world ranking - including two in the UK. Donlon Books in London Donlon Books on Broadway Market was described by one TikTok user as 'one of the best bookshops in London'. Now, it's ranked among the best in the world Founded in 2008, Donlon Books on Broadway Market regularly hosts book launches, screenings and readings. It was nominated for Cultureds list by Aimee Ballinger, founder of Glasgows Burning House Books. She said: The selection at Donlon Books is absolutely perfect and there isnt a single thing in the whole store that could be considered boring. 'I was lucky enough to work there for a bit many many years ago but I think I was bad at my job. On TikTok, the user @cansumerdamert shared a video of inside the shop, describing it as 'one of the best bookshops in London'. Librairie des Femmes in Paris Des femmes bookstore is a unique feminist bookshop located in Paris, France. It has been honoring women's literary creation since 1974 The name of this Paris bookshop translates to 'Library of Women' or 'Women's Bookstore' The bookshop offers a huge selection of feminist works, classics and contemporary titles in French and other languages Paris is often cited as the inspiration for great writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and George Orwell. So it likely comes as no surprise that multiple spots in the French capital made the cut. Recommended by Johanna Stein of Gato Sem Rabo in Sao Paulo, the Librairie des Femmes in Paris, founded by feminist activist Antoinette Fouque, is a pioneering bookstore and cultural hub specialising in literature by women. The bookshop offers a huge selection of feminist works, classics and contemporary titles in French and other languages. Dashwood Books in New York Dashwood Books is an independent bookstore specializing in contemporary international photography books Dedicated solely to photography, Dashwood Books is known for its selection of contemporary and rare international photography books, attracting artists, collectors and industry professionals. Founded by David Strettell, it's a hub for photography book lovers, offering hard-to-find titles, limited editions and hosting events, while also publishing its own works. Neurotica Books in Los Angeles Across the pond, Neurotica Books is known for its focus on rare and unique titles. Recommended by Madeleine Alpert of Left Bank Books in New York, while it might not have a large physical storefront like major chains, it caters to niche interests, providing curated selections for dedicated readers in the LA area and beyond. Codex Books in New York Codex, an independent bookstore located in New York, specialises in second-hand literary fiction, art books and a selection of new titles Located in New York's NoHo neighbourhood, Codex Books is known for its selection of used 19th- and 20th-century fiction, art, and philosophy books. It is a small and cozy space with plywood shelves with popular carts of $1 books spilling onto the street. After8Books in Paris The second spot in Paris on the list, After8Books, comes at the recommendation of a bookseller in Mexico City. The independent bookstore is focused on contemporary art, theory and culture, known for its selection of books from international independent publishers, artists' books, journals and zines. Yvon Lambert in Paris Yvon Lambert brings together a bookshop, publishing house and gallery For more than two decades, Yvon Lambert Bookshop has offered a large selection of contemporary art books, exhibition catalogues, rare and out-of-print books and posters. The bookshop brings together a bookshop, publishing house and gallery. With a commitment to showcasing works by both emerging and established artists, Yvon Lambert Bookshop describes itself as a vibrant hub that appeals to artists and art lovers. Abu Fatima in Baghdad Iraq has a deep history of oral storytelling, fables and folk tales which inform modern writing. The narrow lane of Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad has stood as a resilient symbol of Iraq's literary spirit for centuries Known for its outdoor bookstalls, cafes and antique shops, the street is named after the renowned 10th-century poet Al-Mutanabbi. Tucked away on the street is Abu Fatima, a bookseller which often displays his books on the street, inviting customers to browse. The dusty shelves contain a variety of books in both Arabic and English, including rare gems about the 1960s and '70s Arab cultural scene and Iraqi art. Recommended by Sundus Abdul Hadi of Maktaba in Montreal, the bookseller writes: 'As an Iraqi artist and writer living in Montreal, Al-Mutanabbi Street and booksellers like Abu Fatima are the inspiration for my bookshop.' Burning House Books in Glasgow Pictured: A selection of independent books and zines for sale at Burning House Books, a bookshop in Glasgow, Scotland Specialising in art, experimental writing, counterculture and queer history, Burning House Books in Glasgow is known for its radical, curated selection of books and community focus. It offers unique, often self-published titles and has gained international recognition as one of the world's best small bookstores. A Balzac A Rodin in Paris Nestled in the Latin Quarter, A Balzac A Rodin is a charming, quintessential Parisian bookstore known for its classic atmosphere and rare books. Run by a father and son duo, this shop in the heart of Paris's literary district is a well-loved spot for finding art books, posters and unique literary items. Monograph Bookwerks in Portland Covered in flowering vines, Monograph Bookwerks is home to a collection of art and architecture books One reviewer wrote: 'Lovely gem that provides a great selection of art, vintage designer books and interesting objects' If you're looking for rare and unique books, this bookstore in the US is a hidden treasure trove. Covered in flowering vines, this spot is home to a collection of art and architecture books, vintage studio ceramics and a deep archive of counterculture ephemera. The website for the artist-run bookshop reads: 'Rare and uncommon, and new and used books from around the world share shelf space with local publishers and small press editions.' One reviewer wrote: 'Lovely gem that provides a great selection of art, vintage designer books and interesting objects. 'Fantastic place to kill time and learn a little something.' The destinations to watch in 2026 have been revealed by ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents. The new report features 10 destinations offering different types of holidays - to offer fresh ideas to those looking for something more out of the ordinary. Plus, 48 per cent of people say they are likely to visit a country this year they haven't been to before, research shows - so it's the perfect time to consult the list to seek inspiration. The list contains up-and-coming spots such as Serbia, as well as already popular destinations that are likely to soar to new heights. Graeme Buck, ABTA's director of communications, said: 'With a focus on countries or areas that may not immediately spring to mind, offering alternatives to more well-known destinations, there should be something for everyone. 'Factored into our thinking is a range of holiday types in all parts of the world. We've also considered the growing demand for experiential travel for example indulging in hobbies and activities while on holiday, and many of the destinations featured in the report reflect this trend.' Here's a rundown of the top 10 destinations to watch in 2026... Borneo A lush forest at Sepilok Laut, Sabah Borneo, in Malaysia This island is home to unspoilt rainforests, enormous cave systems and the iconic Mount Kinabalu. It's an ideal destination for those seeking adventure and new experiences. Mount Kinabalu, one of the islands UNESCO World Heritage sites, is a great challenge for trekkers and those looking for a more active holiday. Colombia Playa Blanca, Baru with clear blue waters is a popular beach in Cartagena, Colombia Beautiful beaches, historic cities and rainforests put Colombia firmly on the radar for UK travellers. With the most recent series of the BBCs Celebrity Race Across the World culminating in Colombias Peninsula de la Guajira, its profile is growing further. The capital Bogota is worth your time, with a fabulous nightlife and excellent art galleries for a real taste of culture. Egypt The pyramids of Giza, located in Cairo in Egypt A history dating back over 5,000 years is now showcased in the much-anticipated spectacular new Great Egyptian Museum in Giza on the outskirts of Cairo. Only a short distance from the pyramids and Sphinx, the museum houses over 100,000 artefacts from ancient Egypt. Main attractions include art from Tutankhamuns tomb and ships dating back to 2500 BC. French Polynesia Turquoise lagoons and magnificent coral reefs in French Polynesia Palm-fringed beaches, dark blue lagoons are a vision of paradise increasingly popular with UK holidaymakers - and are firmly associated with French Polynesia. There are hundreds of islands that make up the archipelago, but the main island, Tahiti, is definitely worth your time. French Polynesia has been considered the ultimate island escape for hundreds of years - and is a spot to watch in 2026. The German Baltic Coast The German Baltic coast is popular among locals, but less with tourists Pretty resorts, miles of sandy beaches cliffs and forests make up the 'German Riviera'. This area is a holiday favourite for Germans - but is hardly known to outsiders. It's easy to get to by train from Hamburg and Berlin, making it an acessible spot. Grenada St. George's, the capital of Grenada, a stunning Carribbean island Grenada, where soils produce fragrant spices, also boasts a lush rainforest for those seeking a new Caribbean experience. St George, the capital, is one of the most picturesque cities in the Caribbean. St George and the rest of the The Spice Island really come alive during the Spicemas celebrations in the summer, too. The Islands in the Gulf of Naples Pozzuoli Gulf near Naples boasts many scenic island views Just a short ferry ride from Naples and the Amalfi coast, these islands are a must-visit for new visitors and Italy fans alike. The idyllic Capri has been known for luxury since Roman times. Wander through the chic shops of Capri town, dine in one of its many restaurants and check out the yachts. La Rioja A monastery located in La Rioja, Spain - a fabulous wine region La Rioja in northern Spain is home to the country's most famous wine and is a great recommendation for those wanting to savour a truly authentic Iberian experience. Of course, a visit must include a trip to one of La Riojas many wineries. It's a diverse region ripe for discovery and its visitor numbers continue to edge up, as more people enjoy its history, beautiful countryside and great food. Luxembourg Luxembourg is a tiny country - but there's plenty to see and do there The European duchy of Luxembourg packs a great deal within its borders, from historic towns to fairytale castles and beautiful countryside. Luxembourg City, situated on a dramatic river gorge, is home to The Grund district, a charming jewel at its heart. Highlights include the Grand Ducal Palace and a walk along the lovely Chemin de la Corniche. Serbia The famous Golubac fortress in Serbia during the summer months From its hip and buzzy capital to its spectacular national parks, Serbia is ripe for discovery by those seeking a lesser-known European destination. The capital, Belgrade, renowned for its nightlife and its brutalist, communist-era architecture, makes for a striking sight. Head for a cocktail or two in the hip Dorcol quarter. Then get a taste of the citys ancient past in the Kalemegedan Fortress. Lisbon airport is being reinforced with soldiers trained as border guards to reduce waiting times after security flaws led to the European Entry Exit System (EES) digital border rollout being suspended last month. On Tuesday, 24 members of the National Republican Guard were stationed in the arrivals area at Humberto Delgado Airport, a measure approved by the government, a news agency in Portugal reported. It is not yet known how long the country's GNR soldiers will remain on duty. Humberto Delgado Airport handles more than 35million passengers annually, making it Portugal's busiest airport, a major European hub and the 12th largest in Europe by volume. Portugal is extremely popular with British holidaymakers, consistently ranking as a top European destination for sun, beaches and value. Humberto Delgado Airport had already been reinforced with 80 Public Security Police (PSP) officers over the Christmas and New Year period due to the long queues of passengers waiting to enter the country, according to Euro News. Carlos Catanario, a spokesman for the GNR, said the 24 soldiers will work in 'flexible shifts', made up of teams of 10 and a supervisor and will be in the arrivals area to check documentation. The soldiers reportedly have certified training in border control and have received two days of administrative training from the PSP, the National Civil Aviation Authority and airport operator ANA. Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, which is being reinforced with soldiers trained as border guards to reduce waiting times, is pictured Lisbon airport, one of the most congested airports in Europe, handles more than 35million passengers annually It comes after the government also decided last month to suspend the new European Entry Exit System (EES) for non-EU citizens for three months to avoid longer waits at the airport. The European Commission carried out an unannounced assessment of Lisbon airport between 15 and 17 December and concluded that there are 'serious deficiencies' in border security control. Their warning led the government to adopt urgent measures, including the suspension of the EES. The European Commission team detected serious flaws related to the poor quality of first and second line border controls, according to the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias. They also warned of long queues and excessive waiting times, which reportedly reached seven hours. The experts who carried out the assessment mentioned that border controls were frequently being simplified without the EU Executive having been notified, leading to an 'absence of exit controls at the Lisbon Airport border crossing point'. The lack of control at the airport had already been flagged by Portugal's largest police union, the Association of Police Professionals (ASPP), in a letter sent to the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) in November. In mid-December, the Minister of Internal Affairs recognised in parliament that the introduction of the new European border control system 'went very badly', admitting planning failures, a lack of human resources and space limitations at Humberto Delgado Airport. Portugal is extremely popular with British holidaymakers seeking affordable sunshine and beaches. Casas Tipicas de Costa Nova, Portugal, is pictured The scenario was repeated in other European Union (EU) countries following the gradual implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which began in October, with significant delays for passengers. The new EES rules require non-EU passport holders to submit fingerprints and have their photographs taken on entry. The biometrics are then verified on departure and on every subsequent visit. This is severely impacting the passenger experience, with airports in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Spain especially impacted, said Olivier Jankovec, ACI director general. The ACI has called for EU officials to carry out an urgent review of the system in the face of what they called widespread disruption caused by only a small proportion currently having to undertake the digital registration. From today (January 9), this was set to rise sharply to 35 per cent and will reach 100 per cent by April. Mr Jankovec warned that the increase to 35 per cent of passengers would inevitably result in much more severe congestion and systemic disruption and could cause serious safety hazards at airports. The laid back Caribbean island of Nevis is a dreamy sunshine escape that boasts miles of sandy beaches and lush landscapes - but it could soon be the West Indies' answer to Dubai. Currently home to just 47,000 residents, the volcanic idyll, which has a sibling island, St Kitts, could be transformed in the coming years into a residential paradise for families. Tycoon Olivier Janssens, 46, says he has big plans for the tiny isle, saying he wants to turn it into a new 'safe place' that's ideal for wealthy families to reside on. The Belgian businessman intends to bring a 10-square-kilometre community to Nevis. If the plans go ahead, the mini town will boast 10,000 private homes and be named Destiny, French newspaper Le Monde reports. Janssens says he's keen for construction to begin by the end of this year and is waiting on final approval from local and federal authorities. The mogul explained what he plans to achieve with the city, telling Le Monde: 'The main reason why I'm doing this is to create a place that's very safe for families in the Caribbean.' He told the newspaper that he wants Destiny to become a 'Monaco-Dubai hybrid' based in the Caribbean. The island of Nevis (pictured) has only 47,000 residents but could soon see big changes as tycoon Olivier Janssens reveals his plans The Belgian businessman hopes to bring a new city to the island, named Destiny, that will boast 10,000 homes The space will take up 11 per cent of the island and will situated along the southern coast, where Olivier intends to create something that is 'low-rise, more paradise-focused, more nature-focused, not very dense'. It will be its own separate space, set apart as a 'Special Sustainable Zone' if approved. The businessman has high hopes for the new area, and plans to build 1,000 luxurious homes a year. Olivier reportedly built up his wealth through cryptocurrencies years ago and now lives on Nevis, where he was granted citizenship through the investment citizenship system. He claims many of his fellow residents are 'eager' for the new city to take shape. However, Destiny has received some backlash with some locals not impressed by the plans. Retired hotel owner James Gaskell, 88, told Le Monde he was concerned about the number of families who could be moving to the island without knowing anything about it. It will take up 11 per cent of the small island, and Olivier hopes for it to be a 'Caribbean Dubai' Meanwhile, James's son Charles, 42, raised concerns over the amount of construction. 'Never in the history of this federation, be it St. Kitts or Nevis, have 1,000 units been produced in a year, especially of higher-end construction,' he said. Others raised concerns over the possibility of people buying properties in Destiny being granted citizenship via the investment program. This could mean they would be able to vote in elections, though the government said this won't be allowed. Strikes have erupted at Mount Etna, a volcano and popular European tourist attraction in Italy, over lava flow safety concerns. Tour guides who lead groups up the mountain in Sicily have gone on strike. They are protesting the restrictions put in place by local authorities as a result of eruptions in recent days. Europe's most active volcano triggered the highest aviation warning level at the end of 2025. Thick plumes of volcanic ash billowed into the sky above Mount Etna in December. Explosive activity at Etna's summit craters intensified, producing continuous ash emissions. The change prompted scientists to issue a red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA), signalling a potential risk for aircraft. Authorities in Catania, Sicily, have suspended or restricted visits to see the lava flows as a result of safety concerns. Above certain altitudes, visitors must legally go up Mount Etna with a qualified guide. Mount Etna volcano, located in Sicily, has seen a wave of strikes in recent days On Wednesday, many official guides demonstrated in front of Mount Etna's lava flow gate, Euronews reported. They called the new restrictions excessive and believe the lava flows are moving slowly enough that it is safe to view. Rising more than 3,300 metres above sea level, Etna dominates eastern Sicily and is monitored around the clock due its frequent eruption. A statement by the guides' regional board said: 'These measures effectively nullify the role of guides, stripping them of their skills, function, and professional responsibility.' The guides are set to continue their strike. They hope to compromise with authorities to continue with their work while ensuring visitors remain safe. The lava flows are especially worth seeing after sunset. However, under the new rules, excursions are permitted only until dusk. Visits can now go no closer than 200 meters (660 feet) to the lava flow. Following eruptions, security protocol on the volcano has tightened Also, a limit of 10 people per group is being enforced. The restrictions were put into place after Mount Etna began a round of eruptions on Christmas Eve. Mount Etna erupted and released a gigantic ash cloud over Sicily. Residents flocked to the mountainside to capture stunning shots at the time, with incredible footage being captured. Britain's Favourite Railway Stations with Si King Rating: Si King without his Hairy Bikers pal Dave Myers is like ham without eggs, or cheese without crackers - however good the recipe, we're constantly aware of what's missing. Dave died in 2024, aged 66, after a long and gruelling battle against cancer, borne with the sweet humour and determination that made him such a well-loved personality. Si led the tributes, with a wonderful memorial ride from London to Barrow-in-Furness, joined by 20,000 motorcyclists - a salute worthy of a statesman, and unmatched by any other send-off for a TV star. But since then, though Hairy Biker repeats are rarely off our screens, we've seen little else of Si. He must have faced some difficult decisions: surely he didn't want to be known simply as a sort of TV widow, the survivor from a double act. That was the fate of Clarissa Dickson Wright, following the death of her screen partner Jennifer Paterson in 1999. For the rest of her life, she was the One Fat Lady, which implied her booming, ebullient character was somehow not enough. And Si would have been ill-advised to team up with another presenter, as Declan Donnelly did with Holly Willoughby when his longtime co-star, Ant McPartlin, was temporarily indisposed. A new association might seem opportunistic, even callous, when the rapport between the Bikers was unmistakeably such a genuine friendship. Britain's Favourite Railway Stations (More4) is an unspectacular but well-chosen comeback for Si King without his Hairy Bikers pal Dave Myers In a denim shirt with a green silk scarf knotted loosely around his neck, Si had the air of a well-fed art historian Britain's Favourite Railway Stations (More4) is an unspectacular but well-chosen comeback for him. The theme plays on his love of transport, while leaving bikes behind. To see him in his leathers, roaring down the M1 on his own, would have been too lonely. Instead, he was visiting York's railway station - once the biggest in the world, when it was being built 150 years ago - to learn a little of its history before stopping for a pint and a meat pie at its tap room. In a denim shirt with a green silk scarf knotted loosely around his neck, he had the air of a well-fed art historian. He's happy to play the tourist, asking genial questions of the experts and marvelling at what they impart. He ran his fingers over the scars in the stonework left by shrapnel from German air raids, and choked up to see the plaque commemorating a heroic station foreman, William Milner, killed by a bomb in 1942. Going back another century, Si was tickled to learn about the first awayday excursions, with Victorian holidaymakers standing crammed into dozens of open carriages without toilets or heating. Fed up of being treated like cattle, they amused themselves by mooing and bleating loudly. At least day-return tickets were only 1d, which is less than half a penny now. Millions of rail travellers today have to endure standing throughout their journeys, with tickets literally thousands of times more expensive. Don't go mooing or bleating to complain about conditions either. Animal noises probably count as micro-aggressions these days. Oti Mabuse has revealed the heartbreaking reason she cut off her mother Dudu for a year after a fall out over her career path - and opened up on their relationship. The Strictly Come Dancing star joined the panel of Loose Women on Friday morning as discussions turned to Brooklyn Beckham's relationship with his parents. It was revealed today that relations between the Beckhams broke down so completely last summer that at one point, eldest son Brooklyn asked his parents to contact him only via his lawyers. Brooklyn, 26, said he didn't want his parents to contact him, or make public statements about him on social media in an exchange of legal letters between son and parents. Discussing the breakdown of family relationships in the wake of the news, Oti, 35, was quizzed on whether she had fallen out with any family members by fellow ITV daytime star Kay Adams. The professional dancer revealed that she had once gone a whole year without speaking to her mother after they disagreed over her choice of career. Oti Mabuse revealed the heartbreaking reason she cut off her mother Dudu for a year after a fall out over her career path - and opened up on their relationship The professional dancer revealed that she had once gone a whole year without speaking to her mother Dudu after they disagreed over her choice of career (pictured: Dudu with Oti's sister Motsi Mabuse) Oti, who has a civil engineering degree after her family applied on her behalf for the course, admitted it all boiled over when Dudu expressed her disappointment. She told Kay, 63, and fellow Loose Women panellists Nadia Sawalha and Jane Moore: 'I have a similar relationship - for me, in my family, especially when anybody is upset, we just don't talk to each other. 'Like, I need space because what will come out my mouth, I can't take it back. 'But I've had situations like with my mum, leaving engineering and saying to her, "I'm going to be a professional dancer," we didn't talk for a year. 'A whole year - and I think it's love, "I paid for this future for you, I want you to be safe, dancing is not maybe a safe career and it's really upsetting you're not doing what I want," but for me it was like, I can't handle that in my life. 'I needed her to really support me so that when I walk into a room, I know that I'm being supported by my whole family, and until we had a Kumbaya moment, we didn't speak. 'I had a glass of wine, and then I was like, "Okay, talk."' She previously said of her mother's reaction to leaving her civil engineering path on Desert Island Discs: '[My parents] were against it, absolutely against it. Discussing the breakdown of family relationships in the wake of the news, Oti, 35, was quizzed on whether she had fallen out with any family members by fellow ITV daytime star Kay Adams Oti, who is mother to one daughter, who she welcomed with husband Marius Lepure in 2023, explained she has had to threaten her mother with 'not seeing' her little one if she doesn't 'change her language' 'They were like, this is the worst decision ever. But I really, really wasn't happy because being an engineer full time meant that I couldn't dance. 'I didn't feel like that was something that I was ready to give up at that point it just didn't sit right with my soul, and it didn't sit right with my heart.' Loose Women discussions soon turned to grandparents, where Oti admitted that she still occasionally clashes with Dudu over the way she speaks about her grandchildren. Oti, who is mother to one daughter, who she welcomed with husband Marius Lepure in 2023, explained she has had to threaten her mother with 'not seeing' her little one if she doesn't 'change her language'. The South African born star added: 'In my African culture, we just say what we want, we're just very brutally honest - but if my mum says something I don't like, maybe about the baby's weight, I'm like, "Change your language or you're not going to see her." 'Sometimes when you're parents say what they say, it gives you tough skin, but as a mother now, that hard skin is a shield [for my daughter] now.' Nonetheless, Oti insisted that she and her mother now have a good relationship, and that Dudu is adored by her granddaughter, adding: 'She's an amazing grandmother, she's the favourite grandmother.' In 2019, Oti's sister Motsi opened up on how her mother helped her get into dance classes as a child, after her and Oti struggled to find a dance teacher to learn from growing up due to racial tensions during Apartheid in South Africa. Loose Women discussions soon turned to grandparents, where Oti admitted that she still occasionally clashes with Dudu over the way she speaks about her grandchildren In 2019, Oti's sister Motsi - who is a judge on Strictly Come Dancing - opened up on how her mother helped her get into dance classes as a child Motsi, 44, who is a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, spoke candidly to The Mirror about her struggles as a child to get lessons for both her and Oti, as it was a 'difficult time' in the country. She explained: 'Finding people to give us the instructions was difficult. 'It was a very difficult time in South Africa, so to be a little girl and push yourself in this type of dancing, where there are no other black girls, was really tough. 'And when we did get the chance to learn the waltz and the cha cha cha, at a weekend club, we were soon better than the teacher.' She went on to explain that her mother Dudu was so keen to support her children's dream she hired a room at a local kindergarten and found a teacher to help them. Her and Oti's mother also learnt how to sew garments to help make them dresses for dance shows, and also created a catering company to help fund their lessons and trips abroad for competitions. The dancers were born in Kraalhoek, Bophuthatswana, in 1981, but moved with her mother, a teacher, and lawyer father, Peter, to the township of Mabopane near the South African capital Pretoria in 1983. Living in Block C the streets had no names she was forced to travel to her school on a separate bus to white children under a government run by P.W. Botha. Dancing was a way for the siblings to escape the reality of racial tensions in South Africa, and they fought to overcome the prejudice they faced. She also revealed that the family suffered tragedy when her older half-brother, Neo, took his life at 18. In 1995, shortly after the end of apartheid, Motsi and her family left the township and moved to a larger house in a Pretoria suburb. Throughout this time, her parents had sent her and sisters Phemelo and Oti to private school and dance lessons. Recalling those years, Motsi said her achievement can still bring her to tears. She told how, on a recent holiday, I started crying because I was like wow, who would have ever known when we started that I would end up here. Its just a story that is unbelievable. Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and ITX Netflix viewers have been left enthralled by a new thriller with a 'diabolical twist' - as it's branded the 'ideal January binge'. His & Hers dropped on the streaming platform yesterday (January 8), with fans already showing their appreciation. Starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, it adapts Alice Feeney's 2020 novel of the same name. A synopsis for the series reads: 'Two estranged spouses one a detective, the other a news reporter vie to solve a murder in which each believes the other is a prime suspect.' Tessa, 42, portrays news reporter Anna who hopes for a comeback by covering the case. While Jon, 49, plays Jack, a detective who is leading the investigation and is Anna's estranged husband. Netflix viewers have been gripped by new thriller His & Hers, starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal Tessa, 42, portrays a leading role as a news reporter named Anna, who is trying to solve a murder One fan penned on X: 'His & hers too good got me over here binge watching like a mf.' Another added: 'Just finished watching His & Hers on Netflix. 'Never saw that plot twist coming, I had to rewatch the last episode. A solid 9/10.' A third commented: '2 episodes in and His & Hers got me hooked.' A fourth chimed in: 'That His &Hers show was crazy. Im so excited to start the book.' It didn't take long for fans to become addicted to the series, as they took to social media with praise In their review of the new show, The Guardian described His & Hers as 'ideal new year TV'. They added: 'We are in the presence of a glossy, efficient adaptation of a bestselling thriller and it is time to switch off our brains and enjoy. 'The twists, they are plentiful. The absurdities, they multiply. The viewerly enjoyment, it increases. 'The script intoxicating mercenariness aside is serviceable. The endeavour is bingeable.' The series has also been receiving positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently has a score of 83%. One person wrote: 'Guilty pleasure, but well written and acted. The cast is excellent and the ending satisfying.' Another agreed: 'I did not see that plot twist coming omg.' A third said: 'This best thriller series Ive seen in a long time. Incredible plot twist. Loved it a definite must see.' While a fourth added: 'This show is unbelievable, the acting off them both is top notch the story is amazing keeps you invested the whole way through 10/10.' Join the debate Will YOU be tuning in to His & Hers? Fans have taken to social media to show their appreciation for the series - including praise for its plot twist It comes as a medical drama branded by viewers as the 'best ever' rocketed up the Netflix charts. The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, an autistic surgeon working at a California hospital. It originally aired from 2017 to 2024 on ABC and has now found further popularity on Netflix. His & Hers is available to stream on Netflix. Aussie Shore shocked viewers with its X-rated scenes, filmed in Cairns, when it debuted in 2024. Season two sparked just as much chatter online with its love triangles, graphic sexual encounters, and long boozy nights of hard partying among housemates. Now, controversial star Lily Stephenson, known as Lily Jade, has revealed to Daily Mail some of the production secrets behind the scandalous Paramount+ series. STD TESTS Aussie Shore wouldn't be what it was if not for the graphic sex scenes and full-frontal nudity littered throughout the series. Put a group of attractive young singles in a house with no phones and more booze than they can consume, and they soon find there's little else to do but bump uglies. Controversial star Lily Stephenson, known as Lily Jade, has revealed to Daily Mail some of the production secrets behind the scandalous Paramount+ series Aussie Shore Production certainly encouraged lascivious behaviour, with the iconic 'shag pad' and additional 's*** hut' sporting bowls of condoms by the bedside. Thankfully, Lily says crew members took safe sex very seriously, with castmates required to go through two rounds of STD testing before entering the house. 'We get checked every time,' she reveals. 'We do one a month before we go into the house, and then we do another one while we're in the hotel room, like two or three days before we go into the actual filming.' Lily goes on to reveal all new housemates are also put through a sexual education class that covers 'safe sex and consent'. PAID EXTRAS When housemates get bored of drinking by the poolside and slipping into bed together, they hit the local haunts like Gilligan's, a resort and bar complex in Cairns. There the boys and gals were often filmed making out with clubgoers and tearing up the dancefloor, before heading home with a lucky local. Those who were raised on the original Jersey Shore may remember the drama that bringing strange locals into the house caused. Lily says crew members took safe sex very seriously, with castmates required to go through two rounds of STD testing before entering the house Some fans were even known to attend Shore hotspots in Seaside Heights during filming with the hopes of shacking up with one of the famous housemates. But Lily says those days are long gone, with Aussie Shore production teams taking no chances with locals looking to get their faces on TV. 'They're all extras, like they're paid to be there,' Lily says of the clubgoers spotted hooking up with cast members at Gilligan's. 'They are plants. They're specifically put there, and we know about them. We get told, like, there's going to be some extras tonight. 'You can tell straight away, because they have got mics on.' Lily says producers wanted to 'do things a bit more sophisticated' than the loose canon tactics used by crew members on the renowned Jersey and Geordie Shore shows. 'The world is a lot more serious now. They don't just let anyone come back. 'They do police checks and everything for people that come back into the house too, and they need to sign a contract before they come in.' Aussie Shore production teams apparently took no chances with locals looking to get their faces on TV, with Lily saying everyone brought back to the house was a paid extra. Pictured: Jaeda hooking up with Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, who she brought back to the house from a club FAKE FRIENDSHIPS Lily, who has become an OnlyFans model since her stint on Aussie Shore, has copped a slew of hate online following her 'villain' edit in the first two seasons. But while the finale ended on a hopeful note with the castmates saying they were like a 'family', Lily says that's far from the truth. The reality TV star said the housemates may act like they're friends online and on the show, but claims in real life most of them can't stand each other. 'I don't talk to the other cast because they're just a bunch of Froot Loops, to be honest,' she says. 'They are scared to associate with me because I'm getting hate. So sorry, but that is not what I want to be around. 'They are obviously fake, and all they care about is their edit.' She goes on to say she and fellow housemate Kyle Tierney rarely speak to the other Aussie Shore stars, adding that many of them are no longer friends with each other. Lily also says the housemates may act like they're friends online and on the show, but claims in real life most of them can't stand each other. Pictured from back left: Francesco, Lexie, Con, Rhiana, and Kyle. Pictured from front left: Catia, Lachie, Manaaki and Jaeda 'Me and Kyle do not talk to them. Lexie [Dyer] and Manaaki [Hoepo], all they do is fight constantly,' Lily claims. 'Lexie has actually been calling me and Kyle to move up to Queensland because she hates Manaaki so much. 'And then Catia [Sinigaglia] is just f***ed because she just abuses anyone that talks to Lachlan [Di Sebastiano]. We can't be friends with Lachie if we're friends with Catia.' CATIA AND LACHIE Lily's claims about Lachie and Catia may come as a shock to viewers who watched a budding but tumultuous romance blossom between the pair this season. However, the brunette beauty says the couple never became an official item on the series, with their friendship later falling apart when filming ended. 'So, he [Lachie] came onto the show single, and as soon as he got out he met someone, and then she [Catia] didn't like that,' Lily says. 'Catia chucked up a whole stink and has divided pretty much everyone from talking to him, but me and Kyle said, "No, f*** off. We're good friends of Lachie."' According to Lily, even Catia and Lachie's (both pictured) tumultuous romance fell apart the moment filming ended 'There's no way I'm not gonna stop being friends with him because she doesn't like him, or he didn't want her,' she adds. Lily went on to say Catia and Lachie were 'never an item', saying that Catia 'wanted a love story' but Lachie 'wasn't giving it'. Indeed, a quick look on Instagram and it would appear Catia and Lachie no longer follow each other online, despite their steamy rendezvous on the show. Lachie has also been posting loved-up photos with an Aussie sprinter named Nina Lawson, who pinned a photo of the pair to her own grid in November. SEASON THREE The big question on the minds of all Aussie Shore fans: Will there be a season three? Production has certainly been teasing the potential for a new series, with housemates frequently discussing the possibility online. While no official announcement has been made by Paramount+ or MTV, fans and cast members alike have been actively hinting at a third season online. 'To be honest, all of them [the housemates] posted online about a season three. I've been having phone calls with production and it's not 100 per cent locked in yet,' Lily says (pictured with Kyle) However, Lily says another series of the X-rated show has yet to be locked in by producers, and even if there was, she says she may not go back. 'To be honest, all of them [the housemates] posted online about a season three. I've been having phone calls with production and it's not 100 per cent locked in yet,' she says. 'So I don't know why they're online talking about season three, but I don't even know if I'm going to go back. I've been offered better opportunities.' Lily won't reveal what 'opportunities' she has been offered, but admits many of the offers she has received are based in America. 'For me to come back [to Aussie Shore], they're gonna have to give me a lot more money. I have to go through 12 months of f***ing bullying [online],' she adds. Aussie Shore has been described as 'the most X-rated reality series on Australian television', and the second season is even wilder. It recently returned with even more chaos, drama and jaw-dropping antics thanks to a new crop of party-loving bombshells ready to stir the pot. Lily, Catia, Manaaki, Jaeda, Lexie, Kyle and Con Mourmourakis all made their return to season two, along with Cooper Black who left after two days in the house. Love Island and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Callum Hole also made several cameos in season two, following his stint in the debut series. New faces Rhiana Pearson, Francesco Caricato and Lachie were also introduced to the Cairns household. Hosted by Charlotte Crosby, the show is the Aussie version of the Geordie and Jersey Shore franchises that dominated the US and UK in the mid-2010s. The show was given the wild description: 'We're hot, we're h***y, and we're ready to f***ing party.' Oscar-tipped actress Jessie Buckley's 'secret' husband is no stranger to the spotlight and boasts a surprising showbiz past. The Hamnet star, 36, has kept the identity of her husband firmly under wraps since the pair met on a blind date seven years ago, quietly shielding him from the glare of fame as her own career has soared. While Jessie prepares for Hollywood's biggest night amid Oscar nomination buzz for her role as Shakespeare's wife Agnes, her spouse will remain firmly off the red carpet. Speaking this week, the Irish actress revealed that her husband's career as a 'mental health worker' means he has no plans to join her at the A-list ceremony. However, the Daily Mail can reveal that Jessie's low-profile partner has a hidden past in showbiz. Islington-born Freddie Sorensen, 47, has a surprisingly starry CV including a stint working alongside Simon Cowell on the X Factor. Before stepping away from the industry, Freddie carved out a varied behind-the-scenes career in TV, producing shows such as ITV's Game of Talents UK with Vernon Kay and later helping revive BBC's Gladiators, producing two episodes of the 2022 reboot, according to iMDB. Meanwhile, in 2016, he also co-launched the 'hipster' startup Rebel Bingo a boozy, high-energy reinvention of the traditional game aimed squarely at younger crowds. Oscar-nominated actress Jessie Buckley's husband is a former X Factor producer who worked alongside Simon Cowell, The Daily Mail can reveal (pictured 2022) The Irish star has kept her partner of seven years, Islington-born Freddie Sorensen, largely out of the spotlight throughout her TV and film career (Freddie pictured left) Jessie won Best Actress at this week's Critics' Choice Awards for her portrayal of Shakespeare's wife Agnes in Hamnet (pictured 2026) The venture grew out of years Freddie spent staging raucous variety nights at Farringdon town hall, long before he met his future wife. Jessie and Freddie whom she has described as 'extraordinary' tied the knot in 2023 in romantic surroundings at their idyllic 15th-century home in Norfolk, after five years together. They were introduced by mutual friend Marc Robinson, a senior Universal Records executive whose stars include Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Their first date featured a stroll along Regent's Canal in Hackney, east London. Last year, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter who is now four months old. Jessie, who shot to prominence in Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC talent series I'd Do Anything in 2008, this week told Vogue her husband would not be making a 'red-carpet debut in their immediate future.' She joked instead that while he's been 'having a ball eating canapes' at promotional events for Hamnet, which explores Shakespeare's grief following the death of his young son, he won't be attending the big ceremony. Despite her comments, Freddie has attended the Oscars before. In 2022, he was seen laughing at a star-studded table with Olivia Colman and Maggie Gyllenhaal, while Jake Gyllenhaal sat nearby and Jessie was by his side. While Jessie says Freddie will skip the Oscars, arguably the biggest night of her career, he has, in fact, accompanied her to the ceremony in the past (pictured 2022) Jessie met husband Freddie on a blind date in Hackney, which included a stroll along the Regent's Canal, and the rest is history, with the couple marrying in 2023 (pictured 2025) After retraining at university, Freddie went onto present podcast, Depression For Beginners, which he launched to help others suffering with the disease in the same way he had (pictured 2017) A beaming Jessie was also pictured leaning into her then-boyfriend at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre. Freddie's support for the actress, as her profile continues to rise, is also evident on social media, where he regularly shares his admiration for her film work and projects. Alongside his TV career, Freddie ran London party nights with childhood friend James Gordon under the name Red Class a nod to the classroom they once shared. The events evolved into Rebel Bingo Club and later the era-themed party night The End of the World. Rebel Bingo's Instagram page, which boasts more than 3,500 followers, remains active and now promotes 'immersive experiences for brave souls', including haunted bingo events. After leaving television and events behind, Freddie retrained at university and shifted his focus to mental health awareness. He later launched the podcast Depression For Beginners, created to help others experiencing the illness he himself had experienced. Jessie has been tipped for an Oscar at this year's ceremony in March for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, an origin story for Hamlet, in which she stars with Paul Mescal This week, Jessie reflected on her time competing on I'd Do Anything, presented by Graham Norton, where she finished in second place At the time, he wrote: 'A podcast that's basically me trying to make something that might have helped me when I was in the depths of psychological hell.' Freddie also developed Rebel Lectures, a spin-off from Rebel Bingo, which he described in 2017 as an attempt to make learning 'more emotional. More showbiz. More anything.' This week, Jessie also reflected on her early brush with fame on I'd Do Anything, presented by Graham Norton, where she finished runner-up after auditioning for the role of Nancy in Oliver! She said some judges' comments were sexist and overly focused on her appearance, describing the experience as 'brutalising.' Jessie said: 'Back then, I was just trying to move into a space of myself. I really hope that a 15, 17, whatever-age woman never has to be brutalised quite like what happened on that show. 'But I didn't recognise it fully at the time. I just felt it, which was difficult.' Ashley Tisdale is not living the sweet life. Hours after publishing a scathing essay calling out her alleged 'toxic' mom group, Tisdale found herself accused of being the problem as her behavior was publicly picked apart. Matthew Koma, the husband of Hilary Duff - one of the celeb moms in the aforementioned group - branded Tisdale 'self-obsessed and 'tone deaf' in a satirical post criticizing her essay for The Cut. Then, a podcast episode resurfaced featuring Disney Channel alum Anneliese van der Pol recalling an 'uncomfortable' interaction she once had with the High School Musical star, 40, when the former worked as a waitress. 'I want to say she was lovely, but ' said the That's So Raven alum, 41, of Tisdale before then taking a sip of her drink. On Friday, Tisdale was spotted walking all alone and 'kept silent' when paparazzi tried to ask her about the media uproar, new Daily Mail footage showed. Now, an attorney who represented a woman who sued Tisdale over a 2022 car accident has weighed in on the matter, claiming he is 'absolutely not shocked' about her fallout with her friends. 'She was extremely rude,' lawyer Michael Parker recalled of Tisdale's interactions with his client Lina Gonzales in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail. Ashley Tisdale was spotted walking solo in Malibu, California, on Friday following the fallout from her scathing essay about her 'toxic' mom friend group The actress took a phone call while sporting a casual outfit that consisted of sunglasses, a tan sweatshirt that said Malibu on it, black leggings, bright blue ankle socks and sneakers Tisdale reportedly dodged paparazzi's questions on the matter and 'kept silent' Lawyer Michael Parker told the Daily Mail that he is 'not shocked' that Tisdale had a fallout with her mom group, which featured Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and Meghan Trainor (pictured), who took a photo from happier times with the group Hilary Duff's husband, Matthew Koma, wrote via Instagram that Tisdale was 'self-obsessed' and 'tone deaf' after his wife was subtly called out in the Cut essay Join the debate Should celebrities be able to call out friends or strangers publicly? Gonzales sued the former child star in 2023 after the two were involved in a car crash at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Los Angeles on September 6, 2022. Per court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Gonzales sought damages after she allegedly sustained injuries to her shoulders, neck, back and left wrist. She claimed in the complaint that Tisdale had an uncooperative attitude from the start and dismissively told her at the scene that '"her manager" would be in contact with her to discuss the accident.' Tisdale denied all allegations in a response to the court, which Daily Mail obtained. Parker, however, agreed that Tisdale allegedly acted like a Hollywood snob toward Gonzales, and claimed to the Daily Mail that his client didn't even know the former was a celebrity. Gonzales, who was 26 at the time of the accident, decided to still move forward with the suit. Per her complaint, she claimed she had not received any calls from Tisdale's manager so she posted what she claimed happened on social media at the time. 'Plaintiff took to social media to post about the accident, and the displeasure of not receiving a response from Defendant or her manager,' the filing states. 'The post included photos from the accident including the damage to the vehicles; however, no private information was revealed.' Tisdale starred on Disney's High School Musical alongside actors like Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron (pictured with the cast in 2006), but Gonzales allegedly did not know Tisdale was famous at the time of the crash Parker claimed to the Daily Mail that Tisdale (pictured) acted like a Hollywood snob to his client When Gonzales did this, she claimed in her complaint that Tisdale's husband, Christopher French, doxxed her to his followers on social media. Doxxing is the act of publicly sharing someone's private, identifying information. French has 122,000 followers to date, but his wife has more than 16 million. 'The spouse of Defendant took to social media and posted that Plaintiff was a registered nurse who worked at Cedar Sinai, who commit[ted] insurance fraud,"' Gonzales' lawyer alleged in her complaint. The Daily Mail did not obtain a copy of French's alleged social media post and he did not return our request for comment. Neither French nor Tisdale appear to have addressed this claim in publications or via social media. Parker told us Tisdale's husband's alleged actions made his client feel 'very unsafe.' 'When you're just a regular person and a celebrity has it out for you, it's really scary - especially when they're posting on social media and they have millions of followers,' he added. 'There are so many psychos on the internet. Once someone's name is out there and where they work, it's easy to get their phone number, email, their home [address].' Parker pointed out that when French allegedly blasted Gonzales online, her name was already part of the public docket and easily accessible, making her vulnerable to any 'deranged fan.' Gonzales alleged in her complaint that Tisdale's husband, Christopher French, doxed her on social media in retaliation for posts she had shared online 'You could just look up who sued Ashley Tisdale and say, "Ok, well her husband is saying this person is committing fraud, they work at this hospital, etc." [Lina] definitely felt her safety was in danger. I mean, she was definitely scared,' he said. Per the docket, Tisdale tried to file a restraining order against Gonzales, citing she felt she was at risk of suffering 'unwanted annoyance or embarrassment.' The judge granted it in November 2024. The car crash suit settled in December 2024 for an undisclosed amount and the details of the agreement are confidential. The case did not go to trial. The Daily Mail has reached out to Tisdale's representatives and lawyer for comment on Parker's comments and the resurfaced lawsuit claims but has not heard back. Gonzales' accident took place three years after Tisdale was involved in another fender bender. In 2019, actor Kevin Smith - who was her neighbor - hit her vehicle. Much like with her recent Cut article, Tisdale used a public forum to air her grievances. 'Thanks @ThatKevinSmith for scratching my mirror on my car and not stopping. Classy move neighbor!' she wrote on X at the time. Smith, 55, immediately apologized on the social media platform, then known as Twitter, before explaining: 'I did do a courtesy stop. Then when you pulled away first.' Parker (pictured) told the Daily Mail of his client's case: 'When you're just a regular person and a celebrity has it out for you, it's really scary' Tisdale once also called out actor Kevin Smith, 55, over a fender bender in 2019 - but then apologized for doing so The Clerks director, who is known for his comedy, then quipped, 'I was like That's soooo Sharpay...,' referencing Tisdale's famous High School Musical character. The short-lived spat between Tisdale and Smith did not last long, with Smith soon revealing via X that she had gone to his house to apologize because she felt bad about calling him out online. The feeling of regret is reminiscent of how Tisdale responded after blasting her mom friend group. In an apparent attempt to quiet the noise, her reps told TMZ the essay was not about the group involving Duff, Mandy Moore, Meghan Trainor and others. Instead, they claimed the article was about 'being shut out of social hangs so hard from a completely different group of friends.' Tisdale wrote via The Cut: 'I was starting to feel frozen out of the group, noticing every way that they seemed to exclude me. At first, I tried not to take things personally.' However, after feeling left out on too many occasions, she texted them: 'This is too high school for me and I dont want to take part in it anymore.' Despite what Tisdale's team said, Duff's husband's Instagram Story more than confirmed the Disney alum was indeed blasting his wife and her gal pals. Tisdale also recently unfollowed Duff, 38, and Moore, 41, on Instagram. Meanwhile, French - who has been married to Tisdale since 2014 and shares two kids with her - has seemingly decided to take the high road this time, sharing a post this week that read: 'Underrated life skill: Pausing to decide if it's worth your energy.' Margot Robbie cut a very chic figure when she stepped out in Los Angeles this week. The Australian actress, 35, was spotted leaving the offices of LuckyChap the production company she founded with husband Tom Ackerley, 35. Margot, exuded an air of Hollywood glamour in a matching silk set from Austria-based fashion label Petar Petrov. She wore a loose-fitting wrap blouse that featured a striking brown stripe and a classic shirt collar. The AUD $1,653 top also boasted full-length cuffed sleeves, which Margot left unbuttoned for the outing. She matched the chic top with a pair of $1,760 Petar Petrov silk pants. Margot Robbie cut a very chic figure when she stepped out in Los Angeles this week. The Australian actress, 35, was spotted leaving the offices of LuckyChap the production company she founded with husband Tom Ackerley Like the top, the stylish pants flowed effortlessly along Margot's svelte frame, and were worn just above the actress' waist. Finishing the look, Margot wore a pair of $2,155 black leather mules from Italian label Bottega Veneta. Margot also flaunted her love of luxe accessories, carrying a $17,000 Hermes Birkin leather handbag with palladium hardware. Keeping her blonde locks down for the occasion, Margot also wore a pair of $425 Akila sunglasses. Margot also accessorised with some gold bling in her ears and around her neck. The sighting comes after Margot admitted she was apprehensive about filming the upcoming Wuthering Heights three after welcoming her son with husband Tom Ackerley. The stunner is set to star as Cathy in Emerald Fennell's upcoming movie adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights opposite Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Speaking to British Vogue, Margot discussed the expectations for the movie and its saucy content. Margot, exuded an air of Hollywood glamour in a matching silk set from Austria-based fashion label Petar Petrov Margot also flaunted her love of luxe accessories, carrying a AUD $17,000 Hermes Birkin leather handbag with palladium hardware 'Everyone's expecting this to be very, very raunchy. I think people will be surprised,' she told the publication. 'Not to say there aren't sexual elements and that it's not provocative it definitely is provocative but it's more romantic than provocative. This is a big epic romance.' She admitted that the film is set to fill a void for lovers of romantic movies, saying: 'It's just been so long since we've had one maybe The Notebook, also The English Patient. You have to go back decades. 'It's that feeling when your chest swells or it's like someone's punched you in the guts and the air leaves your body. That's a signature of Emerald's. Whether it's titillating or repulsion, her superpower is eliciting a physical response.' Traitors contestant Amanda was left gobsmacked when she discovered the truth about her 'best friend' Rachel while Maz revealed his own secret on Uncloaked. Joining the spin-off show on Thursday, shortly after her banishment from the castle, the retired senior detective, 57, was handed an envelope in which the names of the three Traitors were finally revealed to her. Maz discovered their identities when he was murdered face-to-face at the start of the episode, after being left in a cage overnight and ultimately murdered. Later on Amanda, being one of the nine up for murder, decided to turn to her closest friend in the castle, Rachel, and revealed her former job in the Met Police. Fans at home of course knew the almighty blunder that Amanda had made as she unknowingly told a Traitor her secret. Speaking to Maz after their respective departures, she told him about her former role, to which he replied: 'Well Amanda, I've also got a secret, I am a retired police officer.' Traitors contestant Amanda was left gobsmacked when she discovered the truth about her 'best friend' Rachel while Maz revealed his own secret on Uncloaked Joining the spin-off show, shortly after her banishment from the castle, the retired senior detective, 57, was handed an envelope in which the names of the Traitors were revealed He went on to ask who she thought might be amongst the Traitors, with Amanda explaining: 'I can't go there because I just don't know. 'Jade was on my radar but for no reason. She did a few odd things... but she just seems quite shy.' Maz then handed over an envelope containing all three of their names, Amanda gasped: No! Oh my God! No way... Rachel! 'Brilliant. All I can say is... I was saying earlier that I hope she wins.' Speaking to hosts Ed Gamble and Wilfred Webster, she added: 'In a split second I thought, I look really stupid. 'She was my best friend in the castle. But she's just brilliant. 'Every day I was thinking why have I not been murdered, I would murder me. I wanted to tell Rachel because she could use it for good... or evil. 'Watching it, it just looks ridiculous. I deserved to be banished. I had all this information in my head and I just wanted to help. But I got called an influencer.' Speaking to Maz after their respective departures, she told him about her former role, to which he replied: 'Well Amanda, I've also got a secret, I am a retired police officer' Maz then handed over an envelope containing all three of their names, Amanda gasped: No! Oh my God! No way... Rachel! 'Brilliant. All I can say is... I was saying earlier that I hope she wins' Earlier in the episode, Amanda had told Rachel: 'I was a senior detective in the Metropolitan Police. I'm very adept at covert policing. That was my job. You are the only person I will ever tell.' 'Of course I have to go and be best friends with the top detective. I'm thinking don't blink, don't move. I think it really helps my case. I'm trying to figure out how this will play out.' At the roundtable, Amanda faced the firing line and went head to head with Reece. After it became a draw, it was up to fate, with Reece pulling out the shield which saved him from banishment. Before she revealed her identity, she told the Faithfuls: 'Everything that I've said today, and most importantly, my house is your house anytime. I don't need to go all dramatic, you all know what I'm going to say, take care of yourselves... I'm a Faithful.' Rachel then decided to reveal Amanda's job to everyone, which put a bad taste in fellow Traitor Fiona's mouth. In a dramatic turn, Fiona accused Rachel of lying, before claiming the Faithfuls look at her. Hamnet (12A, 125 mins) Verdict: Intoxicating tearjerker Rating: As an unknown teenager from County Kerry, Jessie Buckley was runner-up in the 2008 BBC talent show I'd Do Anything, competing to play Nancy in a West End production of Oliver!. Eighteen years on from that near-miss, she keeps showing us that she can do anything. On Sunday, she was anointed best actress in the Critics Choice Awards for her mesmerising performance in Chloe Zhao's Hamnet, which shortened the odds on her adding an Academy Award on March 15. I predicted it when I first saw Hamnet at the London Film Festival in October. An Oscar would be richly deserved. Buckley plays Agnes Shakespeare, better known to posterity as Anne Hathaway. However she is styled (she was named in her father's will as Agnes), she has only a supporting role in the history books. But she is the dominant figure in Zhao's deeply soulful, altogether intoxicating tearjerker, adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed 2020 novel of the same name. Paul Mescal is wonderful too, as William. But Buckley's performance is a proper tour de force. As it happens, she stayed right next door to us while they were shooting Hamnet near our Herefordshire home, and little did we know how much she must have needed to recharge her batteries every night. It's hard to unleash so much visceral emotion without over-acting. She does so triumphantly and, though she is the one getting the plaudits, Mescal matches her. When we meet Agnes (pronounced in the French way, with a silent 'g'), she seems almost umbilically connected to the woodland surrounding her village. As she comes and goes with a hawk on her arm, she catches the eye of a young man who is tutoring boys to pay off the debts of his father (David Wilmot). Although the name is mentioned only once during the entire film, this is William Shakespeare. He woos her, and after Agnes becomes pregnant, the pair get married. On Sunday, Jessie Buckley was anointed best actress in the Critics Choice Awards for her mesmerising performance in Chloe Zhao's Hamnet Buckley plays Agnes Shakespeare, better known to posterity as Anne Hathaway When we meet Agnes (pronounced in the French way, with a silent 'g'), she seems almost umbilically connected to the woodland surrounding her village Her brother Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn) questions the sense of marrying 'a pasty-faced scholar', but they are very much in love. Their first-born, Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), is followed by twins, Judith (Olivia Lynes) and Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). William is an engaged, doting father, especially with Hamnet. There's a touching scene in which father and son say goodbye because, to fulfil his ambitions as a writer, William must leave his family behind. 'He needs to go to London,' says Agnes. 'London is where the whole world gathers.' But while he is making his name in the city, Judith falls ill with the bubonic plague. She recovers, but then Hamnet succumbs, aged 11, and from here the film becomes a study of intense grief. We are perhaps inclined to think these days that the loss of a child in times of plague, as in countries blighted by war or famine now, can't be quite as harrowing as it might be for us in our (relatively) untroubled modern-day Western world. Zhao's film and the performances of her leads give the lie to that. For William, the creation of his tragedy Hamlet is a way of working through his misery. His stricken wife has no such outlet, but the final part of the film takes us to the Globe theatre and the inaugural performance of Hamlet, with Agnes in the audience. It is an extraordinarily powerful few minutes of cinema. The virtues of Hamnet extend far beyond the artistry of its director (also the co-writer, with O'Farrell herself) and the acting of Buckley and Mescal. The younger cast members are all terrific, especially Jacobi Jupe in the title role. Polish cinematographer Lukasz Zal has excelled himself, too. Almost every interior shot looks like a Rembrandt painting. As for Zhao, already a best director Oscar-winner for Nomadland (2020), she was introduced at the London premiere in October by one of the film's producers, a fellow of some renown named Spielberg. Duly empowered, she then exhorted the entire audience at the Royal Festival Hall to join her in a prolonged breathing exercise. It was more than a little weird but gave some insight into how much of herself Zhao put into this beautiful film. After all, as Polonius says to Laertes in a certain play: 'To thine own self be true'. A first-look review of Hamnet ran in October. The film is in cinemas now. Cupshe kicked off 2026 with the launch of its highly anticipated collaboration, Island Time, in partnership with social media personality Lexi Rivera. The collection marks the start of swim season and represents the next phase of Cupshe's refreshed brand direction, including the debut of its new logo. Inspired by the effortless, sun-kissed moments of island life, the collection captures the spirit of fun vacation days. 'I love swimwear so when Cupshe pitched this collection idea, it immediately caught my eye,' Rivera, 24, told Daily Mail. 'After some discussion on how the partnership would work, product direction, new quality materials and the overall tone of the campaign the partnership fell into place.' Cupshe kicked off 2026 with the launch of its highly anticipated collaboration, Island Time, in partnership with social media personality Lexi Rivera The collection marks the start of swim season and represents the next phase of Cupshe's refreshed brand direction, including the debut of its new logo Inspired by the effortless, sun-kissed moments of island life, the collection captures the spirit of fun vacation days The siren also talked keeping her confidence up. 'I try to remember that there will always be days like this and it is how you move forward after realizing you don't feel confident or your best internally,' said the model. Shot on location in Hawaii, the campaign features imagery at Kaaawa Beach and surrounding beach-town streets, highlighting the 'adventurous' spirit of the line, according to the brand. She was thrilled to shoot in Hawaii. 'The collection has a natural beach/island vibe so I was excited to showcase some of the pieces in beautiful Hawaii,' the star noted. 'It definitely helped me and the Cupshe crew come together to make the idea come full circle.' When asked what her favorite look was, she did not hesitate: 'I like the leopard print. It's perfect when you are looking for something fun and different.' She hopes fans feel happy when they put on a piece from the Cupshe x Lexi Rivera collection. 'I hope people feel proud and excited when they put on a piece from the collection,' she noted. 'I love swimwear so when Cupshe pitched this collection idea, it immediately caught my eye,' Rivera, 24, told Daily Mail 'After some discussion on how the partnership would work, product direction, new quality materials and the overall tone of the campaign the partnership fell into place,' she shared The siren also talked keeping her confidence up. 'I try to remember that there will always be days like this and it is how you move forward after realizing you don't feel confident or your best internally,' said the model She is thankful social media has put her on the map. 'It is definitely a huge part of my work and I look at social media as a vessel to create content and opportunities,' said the TikTok favorite. As for her day to day life, she is always bust working. 'Meeting with the team, working on content flow across platforms and planning for upcoming projects,' shared the looker. The 35-piece collection includes 23 bikinis and one-pieces, along with 12 swim cover-ups and vacation dresses, blending vibrant coastal energy with relaxed, breathable silhouettes. Designed to transition seamlessly from the beach to the street, each style embodies the natural confidence and unhurried lifestyle shared by both Cupshe and Rivera. Rivera's influence brings a youthful, trend-driven, yet relatable perspective to the collection. Shot on location in Hawaii, the campaign features imagery at Kaaawa Beach and surrounding beach-town streets, highlighting the 'adventurous' spirit of the line, according to the brand She was thrilled to shoot in Hawaii. 'The collection has a natural beach/island vibe so I was excited to showcase some of the pieces in beautiful Hawaii,' the star noted 'I love how authentic it is to my style. These are pieces I would actually wear and feel confident in,' says Rivera. 'It was a dream working on this edit. Super exciting getting to see the looks that lived on paper come to life in Hawaii.' 'Cupshe is stepping into a whole new era, new logo, new vibe, new energy, so choosing Lexi felt natural,' adds Iris Yen, Chief Marketing Officer at Cupshe. 'She's one of the OG TikTokers with a community that's young, loyal, and always looking to her for what's next. We're also introducing new silhouettes, which makes this collaboration feel exciting, fun, and totally different for us.' Island Time reinforces Cupshe's commitment to elevating swimwear while engaging a younger, social-driven audience. The collection is available exclusively at Cupshe.com, with prices ranging from $26 to $47 and sizes XXS to XL. Campaign assets are available here. 'It definitely helped me and the Cupshe crew come together to make the idea come full circle,' she also relayed When asked what her favorite look was, she did not hesitate: 'I like the leopard print. It's perfect when you are looking for something fun and different' She hopes fans feel happy when they put on a piece from the Cupshe x Lexi Rivera collection. 'I hope people feel proud and excited when they put on a piece from the collection,' she noted About Cupshe: Founded in 2015, Cupshe is the No. 1 vacation fashion brand dedicated to offering swimwear and apparel created for the most vibrant, fun, and fearless women all over the world. Cupshe is committed to staying true to its mission of empowering women everywhere to look and feel their best in quality, elevated, and accessible swimwear. Celebrity fans of Cupshe include Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Hilary Duff, and more. Bam Margera is officially making his return to the Jackass franchise - after being booted from the previous film for allegedly violating a 'wellness agreement.' The 46-year-old stunt performer - who has reached sobriety following years of substance abuse - recently reached a deal with producers for Jackass 5 following negotiations, TMZ reported. Archival footage featuring Margera that has not been seen before will be used in the upcoming project, and is unclear if the star will officially take part in new stunts or shoot new material. The TV personality was part of the original Jackass cast alongside Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, the late Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna, Dave England, Preston Lacy and Ehren McGheney. The next installment in the franchise is slated to hit theaters through Paramount Pictures later this year on June 26. Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Margera, Knoxville, and director Jeff Tremaine but did not immediately hear back. Bam Margera, 46, is officially making his return to the Jackass franchise - after being booted from the previous film for allegedly violating a 'wellness agreement' Archival footage featuring Margera that has not been seen before will be used in the upcoming project, and is unclear if the star will officially take part in new stunts or shoot new material; seen in 2013 in Hollywood Tremaine has previously stepped behind the camera to direct the other Jackass movies - but it has not officially been confirmed if he has also signed on for the fifth film. Knoxville announced earlier this week on Wednesday that Jackass 5 is set to hit theaters this summer. 'Well a wang dang and hot d**n doodle, we are starting the year off with a bang,' the star penned on Instagram. 'We wanted to let you know that this summer Jackass is back!! We will see you in theatres June 26th. More to come but wanted you to hear it from us first!!' Steve-O called another installment in the franchise 'epic' during a conversation with TMZ at LAX airport on Thursday. 'I've got my own ideas that, you know, are pretty outrageous. So yeah, I'm ready to go,' he teased to the publication. He also commented on Margera reaching a deal with Jackass 5 producers and said, 'Bam's doing great. No question about it.' On the topic of Margera's involvement, Steve-O continued, 'I think that some stuff still needs to be worked out, but there is nothing that would be better than a full circle redemption, triumphant return. Knoxville announced earlier this week on Wednesday that Jackass 5 is set to hit theaters this summer 'We wanted to let you know that this summer Jackass is back!! We will see you in theatres June 26th. More to come but wanted you to hear it from us first!!' Knoxville wrote on Instagram Steve-O also commented on Margera reaching a deal with Jackass 5 producers and said, 'Bam's doing great. No question about it'; the pair seen above 'And you know, us to ride into the sunset like on a win, like all of us together - the whole band.' Margera was fired from Jackass Forever in 2021 for allegedly 'failing to abide by conditions' that had been set by producers which included 'staying sober and taking routine drug tests.' He reportedly broke the contract - which had conditions the star allegedly needed to follow such as taking his medication, blowing into a breathalyzer and doing routine drug tests during the production of the movie. At one point, the star tested positive for Adderall before being kicked off the project - though he claimed he had been prescribed the drug by doctors. Margera went on to sue Paramount as well as Knoxville and Tremaine for wrongful termination and also alleged he received 'inhumane treatment' when he was fired. He went on to claim that three individuals forced him to sign a 'wellness agreement' during his stint in rehab back in 2019 before he could take part in Jackass 4. In April 2022, it was reported that the stunt performer dismissed the lawsuit after reaching a settlement. And following years of alcohol and drug abuse as well as legal issues, Margera has reached sobriety. Margera was fired from Jackass Forever in 2021 for allegedly 'failing to abide by conditions' that had been set by producers which included 'staying sober and taking routine drug tests'; cast seen above in Jackass: The Movie (2002) Margera went on to sue Paramount as well as Knoxville and Tremaine for wrongful termination and also alleged he received 'inhumane treatment' when he was fired; seen (middle) with Knoxville and Steve-O in 2002 in NYC During an interview with Fox News Digital last year in June, the TV personality reflected on being nearly two years sober - and revealed what has helped him along the journey. 'I realized I don't need to be on any medication - skateboarding is my medication. As long as I do a trick a day, it keeps my sanity sane.' Margera - who has been to rehab 13 times - further discussed how turning to his passion for skateboarding saved him. 'I need skateboarding in my life, or else I'll die. I need skateboarding in my life in order to fulfill it. If you don't have any passion for anything, then you lose purpose.' He added, 'When you lose purpose, you get bored, and then boredom leads to drugs and alcohol. I can't get bored. I'm completely occupied with learning my skate tricks back.' Knoxville has previously talked about Margera's battle with substance abuse and told Variety back in 2022 that he hadn't 'spoken' to his castmate 'in about a year and a half' at the time. 'I realized I don't need to be on any medication - skateboarding is my medication. As long as I do a trick a day, it keeps my sanity sane,' Margera said; seen in May 2025 with Tony Hawk in L.A. 'It boils down to: I love Bam. I know that a lot has happened. I just want him to get well for himself and his family. I love the guy, and I want him to get well and stay well,' Knoxville expressed in 2022; the pair seen in 2004 'It boils down to: I love Bam. I know that a lot has happened. I just want him to get well for himself and his family. I love the guy, and I want him to get well and stay well.' But before reaching negotiations to be a part of Jackass 5, Margera had shared he did not intend to appear in the franchise again. 'What they did to me, making me go to treatment and paying for it, and then not putting me in a movie, and, you know, I had to go to court over it,' the star told CinemaBlend in July 2025. 'You couldn't offer me enough money to want to do another Jackass with them. The damage has been done.' Emily Ratajkowski celebrated New York City's new mayor Zohran Mamdani with a racy new post, which was slammed as 'disrespectful' by some fans. The model, 34, shared a clip of herself twerking at a bodega in a see-through black skirt as she dedicated her new Instagram post to 'Mamdani's New York.' The Gone Girl star showed off her moves in the chip aisle, while rocking an open-back crop top to cheer on the new socialist mayor the first Muslim leader of America's biggest city a week after he was sworn in. Meanwhile the second slide in her carousel featured a stark change, as Ratajkowski put on a demure display in a white head covering and a long-sleeve white top while visiting what appeared to be the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. A third snap showed her taking a selfie, with her white T-shirt hiked up to reveal her cleavage, which the model tastefully cropped to comply with social media standards. She completed the post with a Halloween photo featuring her with four-year-old son Sylvester Apollo Bear as they walked down the street for some trick-or-treating. Emily Ratajkowski, 34, celebrated New York City's new mayor Zohran Mamdani with a racy new Instagram post that showed her twerking in a bodega Meanwhile the second slide in her carousel featured a stark change, as she wore a white head covering while visiting what appeared to be the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi She shares her son with her ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, 44. 'mamdanis new york!!' Ratajkowski captioned her post. Fans had a mixed reaction in the comments, with some calling the pairing of the sultry snap and video with the image inside the mosque 'disrespectful'. 'Emily I like you but the juxtaposition between the first two slides is lowkey disrespectful,' one wrote. 'Love you queen but youre just disrespecting the hijab,' someone else added. 'Anything for attention huh,' another quipped. However others found the post amusing, with one writing, 'The chip aisle? Cracks me up.' 'She's got range,' another added. 'Potato chips never looked so good!' another chimed in. A third snap showed her taking a selfie, with her white T-shirt hiked up to reveal her cleavage, which the model tastefully cropped to comply with social media standards She completed the post with a Halloween snap featuring her with four-year-old son Sylvester Apollo Bear as they walked down the street for some trick-or-treating 'mamdanis new york!!' Ratajkowski captioned her post Fans had a mixed reaction in the comments, with some calling the pairing of the sultry snap and video with the image inside the mosque 'disrespectful' Mamdani became mayor of New York City on January 1st, taking the oath of office at a historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of the Big Apple, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath. In a campaign that helped make 'affordability' a buzzword across the political spectrum, Mamdani promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive cities. His platform included free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for about 1 million households, and a pilot of city-run grocery stores. And in addition to being the city's first Muslim mayor, Mamdani is also its first of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. At 34, Mamdani is also the city's youngest mayor in generations. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, an academic and author. His family moved to New York City when he was 7. He became an American citizen in 2018. Ratajkowski has been openly vocal about her political views and activism. In 2016 she hit the campaign trail in support of Bernie Sanders. Ratajkowski cheered on the new socialist mayor the first Muslim leader of America's biggest city a week after he was sworn in; Mamdani pictured January 7 in New York City And back in 2020 she was one of several celebrities using their platform to speak up over the police killing of George Floyd. She took to the streets of Los Angeles to march with her then husband Sebastian and other supporters of the Black Lives Matter cause, while holding up a sign that read 'defund the police'. Ratajkowski was raised in California and attended UCLA before dropping out after her first year to pursue modelling full time. She shot to fame after her nude performance in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, and since then has balanced appearing in the pages of Vogue and in campaigns for designers such as Marc Jacobs with a film career that has seen her appear in films including Gone Girl and We Are Your Friends. Fetty Wap is back on the outside after being released from prison with three years left on his sentence. The 34-year-old rapper real name: Willie Junior Maxwell II made his first step back into public life on Wednesday before he dropped by the offices of The Shade Room for a short video interview. Fetty Wap was sentenced to six years in federal prison in May 2023 followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. The performer, who appeared to have bulked up and put on muscle behind bars, seemed to be in high spirits as he shared his plans for the future now that he's back on the outside. 'I want to thank my family, friends and fans for the love, prayers and continued support it truly means everything to me,' he told The Shade Room. 'Right now, my focus is on giving back through my community initiatives and foundation, supporting at-risk young children by expanding access to education, early tech skills, and vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. The Trap Queen rapper added, 'Im committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most.' Fetty Wap, 34, was released from prison on Wednesday with three years left on his sentence. He said his focus would be on 'giving back through my community initiatives and foundation' in a new interview; pictured in prison Fetty Wap real name: Willie Junior Maxwell II was sentenced to six years in federal prison in May 2023 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; pictured in a mugshot On Thursday, the Bureau of Prisons told TMZ that Fetty Wap had been transferred on Wednesday to home confinement in Philadelphia. The arrangement is reportedly set to expire on November 8 of this year. It's unclear if the terms of his home confinement would have allowed him to visit the Shade Room, or if he would have been required to get special permission to go there. The Daily Mail has reached out to Fetty Wap's representatives for comment. According to TMZ, the guidelines for his release have multiple stipulations that the hitmaker will have to abide by. Due to the nature of his crime, Fetty Wap will reportedly have to undergo regular drug testing, and he's also not allowed to consume alcohol or any other intoxicating substances unless a licensed physician prescribes them for him. He may be required to enroll in an outpatient drug treatment program, but that will be determined at the discretion of the court. Regardless, Fetty will continued to be tested for drug and alcohol use through the end of his sentence. On Thursday, the Bureau of Prisons told TMZ that Fetty Wap had been transferred on Wednesday to home confinement in Philadelphia; pictured in November 2017 in Brooklyn Fetty can't drink alcohol or use drugs while under supervision, and he will continue to be drug tested. He also can't open any new bank accounts without permission and must share all details on his income and taxes; pictured in November 2017 in Brooklyn He was accused of trafficking 'more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey' by prosectuors. Law enforcement recovered around '$1.5m in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of heroin, numerous fentanyl pills' and multiple firearms after his arrest (pictured) The rapper also reportedly not allowed to open new bank accounts unless they are approved by federal agents. The release guidelines require Fetty Wap to keep the US Probation Department abreast of all his financial details, including any income he generates, and he'll need to share all of his tax records with the department to ensure that there's no future malfeasance. Federal prosecutors had accused the performer of distributing 'more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey' from June 2019 to June 2020, according to a press release announcing his conviction in 2023. According to the government, law enforcement officers recovered around '$1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of heroin, numerous fentanyl pills, two 9mm handguns, a rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, a .40 caliber pistol and ammunition' at the time of Fetty Wap's 2021 arrest. According to prosecutors, the US Postal Service and cars featuring hidden compartments were used to transport drugs from the West Coast to Long Island, and from there they were distributed to local dealers on Long Island and in New Jersey. After his October 2021 arrest, Fetty had been out on bail, but it was revoked and he was sent back to jail in August 2022 for allegedly threatening to kill a man on a FaceTime call in which he also brandished a firearm. During his sentencing hearing, Fetty Wap told the court, 'I hurt my community, people who look up to me. My family and myself. I am truly sorry for any pain I caused.' When announcing his sentence, Judge Joanna Seybert told the rapper: 'Despite your background and all you overcame, you threw it all away.' Fetty, who hails from Paterson, New Jersey, is best known for his 2015 hit single Trap Queen. A popular radio duo, who were axed from their Nova drive slot last year, have been blocked from going live with a new show. The network revealed in September that Late Drive with Ben, Liam & Belle hosts Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton, and Belle Jackson would not have their contracts renewed. Their last day on air was said to be December 12, but staff were informed in October they had left immediately and have now allegedly had their new gig delayed, reported news.com.au. The premature exit came amid rumours the popular hosts had signed with a rival network - rumours that were confirmed later that month. ARN confirmed in October Ben and Liam would take the reins of the breakfast show on KIIS FM Adelaide, formerly Mix 102.3. However, it seems the duo's KIIS debut may have to wait with reports suggesting Nova is enforcing a 'non-compete' clause in the pair's contracts. Popular radio stars Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton, and producer Belle Jackson, who were axed from their Nova drive slot last year have been blocked from going live at their next gig While most breakfast hosts will be returning to work this month, Ben and Liam will have to wait until later in the year. A spokesperson from ARN told the publication the duo will hit the airwaves in April. 'We always knew Ben and Liams official start date was April 1 and we cant wait for them to join the all-new KIIS102.3, which launches on January 19,' the spokesperson said. There has been no official word on who will fill their seat until the duo's arrival, however insiders have suggested Bec Morse who had taken on hosting duties over the summer holidays would be the likely candidate. News of the trio's Nova sacking emerged in October. Staff received an email from management saying the final show would serve as 'a farewell celebration'. 'Ben, Liam and Belle are a hugely talented team who have delivered excellent results for Nova and developed a unique connection to their audience,' Brendan Taylor, Nova's programmer, wrote in the message to staff, per TV Blackbox. 'They have consistently given their all, and I would like to thank them for being such valued members of the Nova family.' ARN confirmed in October that Ben and Liam would take the reins of the breakfast show on KIIS FM Adelaide, formerly Mix 102.3. However, it seems that the duo's KIIS debut may have to wait, with News Corp reporting that Nova is enforcing a 'non-compete' clause in the pair's contracts 'We always knew Ben and Liams official start date was April 1 and we cant wait for them to join the all-new KIIS1023 which launches on January 19,' an ARN spokesperson said Ben and Liam kicked off their radio careers in Adelaide on community station Fresh 92.7. In 2016, they took the reins from Matt Okine and Alex Dyson as the co-hosts of Triple J's breakfast show. They returned to Adelaide in 2020 to host Nova 91.9's breakfast show before relocating to Melbourne in early 2023. They were bumped by Lauren Phillips and Jase Hawkins, who launched a fresh breakfast show on Nova's 100 at the beginning of 2024. At the time, Media Week revealed the popular trio only learned they were losing their jobs 'shortly before' Lauren and Jase posed for a 'secret' photo shoot in the Nova studio. Rose Byrne found herself in a toe-curling awkward position at the Film Critics Circle Awards in New York on Tuesday when the presenter, actor Ethan Hawke, called her out on stage. Hawke was handing her the Best Actress award for her performance in If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You, when he decided to dredge up a decades-old online review Byrne had written about his first novel, The Hottest State. Posted in 2010 under the username 'Rose' on Goodreads, the review gave the book two stars. The actress wrote: 'Released 13 years ago so I am a bit behind but found it lazing around on set and was a lovely easy read for a couple of days.' 'It's kind of like a Ryan Adams song but not as good,' she brutally added. At the time of her review, Byrne would have been filming her TV drama Damages. Rose Byrne (right) found herself in a toe-curling awkward position at the Film Critics Circle Awards in New York on Tuesday when the presenter, actor Ethan Hawke (left), called her out on stage Hawke was handing her the Best Actress award for her performance in If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You, when he decided to dredge up a decades-old online review Byrne had written about his first novel, The Hottest State According to celebrity blog Showbiz411 , 'Hawke was howling as he recalled finding the review on the Goodreads website.' Clips of the ceremony show Byrne visibly embarrassed as she stepped onto the stage to accept her award. 'Thank you, Ethan I never thought you would read that review. Ever! Goodreads is so daggy, like, no-one reads it,' she said, quickly turning the moment into a compliment: 'You are the most magical person and artist I had a poster of [Hawke's 1989 film] Dead Poet's Society on my wall.' Some fans noted the situation's uncanny resemblance to the 2018 rom-com Juliet, Naked, in which Byrne's character writes an anonymous negative review of Hawke's rock star character's album - only for him to track her down in person to thank her for her honesty. It comes as Byrne is tipped to earn her first Oscar nomination for her lead role in the intense new psychological drama, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You, portraying a mother struggling to hold her life together. If she does win the Oscar, Byrne will become one of only three Australian actresses to ever take home the Best Actress prize. Earlier this year, Byrne revealed the 'desperate' lengths she went to in order to achieve fame in Tinseltown. Byrne appeared on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie Show alongside her Platonic co-star Seth Rogen, to chat about the anticipated new season of the hit Apple TV+ series. Clips of the ceremony show Byrne visibly embarrassed as she stepped onto the stage to accept her award. (Byrne is pictured on the red carpet at the event) It wasn't long before the conversation turned to some of the Bridesmaids star's earliest attempts at stardom. Byrne admitted that she wasn't shy about trying her luck in all manner of TV show before nabbing her first small-screen role. 'Did you ever try out for Neighbours or Home and Away when you were younger?' host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald asked the actress. 'Oh yeah, I did an ill-fated soap called Echo Point that I'm sure you're familiar with - with some wonderful actors, actually, in all seriousness, that was not....' she said before trailing off. Seth then diplomatically interjected with: 'It did not have the legs.' Continuing, Byrne admitted that she did, indeed, audition for both iconic soaps, and was rejected. 'Oh yeah, I auditioned for Neighbours and Home and Away... all of them,' she said. Billed as a Home and Away 'killer', Echo Point was a short-lived soap that aired on Network Ten from June to December 1995. Byrne starred as 'good girl' Belinda O'Connor in the soap, alongside Tom Long, Jessica Napier, Martin Henderson and Diarmid Heidenreich. Originally airing at 7pm to combat the iconic Seven soap, Echo Point failed to resonate with audiences, finishing its one-season run in the 11.30pm graveyard slot. If there is one person who has remained a constant throughout Nicole's Kidman's split with Keith Urban, it is her sister Antonia. The Babygirl star, 58, took to Instagram on Friday to share a sweet photo showing her posing with her younger sibling, just days after her divorce from Keith Urban, 58, was finalised. The image showed Nicole looking youthful as she cuddled Antonia, 55, while they reclined on an outdoor couch. Nicole looked radiant in the photo, wearing an eye-catching lime green dress with floral lace embellishments. Her trademark strawberry blonde curls framed her face and she wore barely any makeup. Antonia, meanwhile, cut an equally youthful figure, and the sisters' close bond was palpable in the sweet photo. Nicole Kidman took to Instagram on Friday to share a sweet photo showing her posing with her sister Antonia, just days after her divorce from Keith Urban, 58, was finalised It was a fact not lost on Nicole's fans, who jumped in to the comments to gush over the image. 'Magnificent and perfect,' one follower swooned, while another added: 'I wish I had this relationship with my sister. Cherish the love.' A third summed up the sentiment of many with: 'Beautiful photo of two beautiful sisters who obviously adore each other.' Others were quick to point out the striking similarities between the pair, with one fan commenting: 'Like twins,' to which another replied: 'They look like twins!' Yet another added: 'Are all girls from Australia really hot, or is it just you two?' as a fourth offered: 'The resemblance is real! Beautiful!' In the wake of her much-publicised split from Keith, Nicole has relied heavily on her younger sister for emotional support. Antonia was by Nicole's side in October, when she was pictured for the first time since news of the split emerged. Nicole was seen out and about in Nashville with Antonia, who one source described as being Nicole's 'rock' throughout the ordeal. If there is one person who has remained a constant throughout Nicole's split with Keith Urban, it is her sister Antonia Antonia was also front and centre at Nicole's first Thanksgiving celebrations without Keith in November. Nicole shared a photo to Instagram at the time, showing her taking part in a Turkey Trot run. The actress was joined by her daughters with Keith, Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14, as well as Antonia and her husband Craig Marran. Nicole sported a white puffer jacket, black leggings and a turkey-themed T-shirt from the event that read, 'Boulevard Bolt 2025', which was also worn by her family members. 'So thankful xx,' she captioned the festive snap. Nicole and Keith finalised their divorce this week, entering a settlement agreement, just three months after the actress moved to end the couples 19-year marriage. Court documents obtained by Daily Mail, which were filed on Tuesday, reveal the couple has agreed to waive all rights to child support and spousal support, with each parent responsible for their own legal fees and expenses. A hearing was scheduled, but Nicole waived her right to appear in court, having been spotted flying back from Australia the day before. Nicole has relied heavily on her younger sister for emotional support. Nicole and Antonia are pictured with Antonia's daughter Lucia Hawley Nicole and Keith finalised their divorce this week, entering a settlement agreement, just three months after the actress moved to end the couples 19-year marriage The divorce decree ensures that all property, from household furniture and appliances to vehicles, bank accounts, investments, and personal items, is divided to the mutual satisfaction of both parties, with each keeping what is already in their possession. Nicole noted that details were hashed out on September 6, before filing the petition. Under the parenting plan, Nicole will spend 306 days a year with the children while Keith will have 59 days. Despite both parents having reported monthly incomes 'in excess of $100,000,' the court has ordered zero dollars in child support, as agreed by both parties. The final decree also confirms that all alimony and spousal support claims are permanently waived, and any remaining court costs will be split equally between the former couple. John Mulaney has postponed his comedy shows in Minneapolis after Wednesday's deadly shooting by an ICE officer. The former SNL star, 43, is currently touring his 'Mr. Whatever' show and was scheduled to perform at The Armory on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, on Thursday evening he took to X with a message announcing that the shows will be postponed because the 'situation is so unsafe' in the city. His decision comes after a mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead by a federal agent during immigration operations in Minneapolis on Wednesday. 'What's happening in your city is heartbreaking,' the comedian who is married to actress Olivia Munn wrote in his note. 'I hate to postpone shows in a town going through such awful challenges and such grief, because it feels unfair to the audience,' he went on. John Mulaney, 43, has postponed his comedy shows in Minneapolis this weekend after Wednesday's deadly shooting by an ICE officer; Mulaney pictured in 2025 On Thursday evening he took to X with a message announcing that the shows will be postponed because the 'situation is so unsafe' in the city He continued: 'Still, I dont feel comfortable asking thousands of people each night to leave their homes, gather at the venue, and then make their way home when the situation is so unsafe.' 'Tickets for this weekend will be honored for their respective days of Friday through Sunday, April 10th, 11th and 12th. For any questions or refunds, please contact your point of purchase or Ticketmaster.' He wrapped up the note apologizing to his fans: 'I am sorry to anyone who is disappointed. I know a fun stand-up show could be a nice distraction, but it doesn't sit right with me to put anyone at risk.' 'Respectful. Smart move,' one fan wrote in the comments. Another added that it was a 'good call.' 'Hard decision but the right thing to do, John.' 'Probably a good decision. Thank you for being reasonable,' someone else wrote. Mulaney's shows will continue on January 15 in St. Louis. He will then head to Seattle, New York and later to London. Mulaney is best known for his stand-up comedy and his work on Saturday Night Live. Good was shot dead on Wednesday while driving an SUV that was blocking a residential street during protests against an ICE operation. His decision comes after a mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead by a federal agent during immigration operations in Minneapolis on Wednesday The former SNL star is currently touring his 'Mr. Whatever' show and was scheduled to perform at The Armory on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Fans were understanding in the comments, praising him for doing the 'right thing' Mulaney is best known for his stand-up comedy and his work on Saturday Night Live; Seen performing at at NRDC's Night of Comedy benefit in 2019 The agent responsible, identified as Jonathan 'Jon' Ross, has been branded a 'murderer' by furious Democrats but has enjoyed the full support of the Trump administration, who argue he acted in self defense when it appeared Good intended to run him down with her car. Good's friends have revealed she was part of a network of activists co-ordinated through her six-year-old son's charter school who were actively resisting ICE. 'She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,' a mother named Leesa who has a child at the same school as Good's son told The New York Post.' Good and her wife, Rebecca, moved to the area just last year and enrolled their six-year-old boy in classes at the woke charter school. They are understood to have fled the US after Trump's victory in the 2024 election, going briefly to Canada before settling in Minneapolis. There, Good became involved in the school community and the local 'ICE Watch' group, which is a coalition of activists who seek to disrupt ICE raids. There are similar groups across the nation, particularly in Democrat-led sanctuary cities which are actively resisting Trump's deportation operations. These activists use phone apps to alert residents of ICE vehicles and operations, honk their car horns to warn their neighbors if they see immigration agents and whistle as a signal to those around them. Minneapolis has remained on edge since Good's death, with protesters gathered outside the city's immigration court on Thursday for further demonstrations. Minneapolis has remained on edge since Good's death, with protesters gathered outside the city's immigration court on Thursday for further demonstrations Activists were seen carrying signs and chanting, including some signs that say, 'ICE Out Now,' 'We deserve to be safe in our community,' and 'Resist Fascism.' Chants included 'We Keep Us Safe,' 'ICE Out Now,' 'ICE Go Home,' 'Quit Your Job' and 'Justice Now!' Schools have cancelled classes and activities as a safety precaution as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has issued calls for people to remain calm. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Jennifer Lawrence stepped out in an eccentric ensemble while enjoying a stroll in New York City on Thursday after revealing the awkward text exchange she recently had with her A-list actress pal. The Die My Love star, 35, wore a hot pink pashmina scarf as a skirt layered over sweatpants during her solo outing in the bustling city. Bundled up for the chilly winter weather, she made a statement as she wrapped the scarf around her waist and wore a cream, cashmere sweater with a thick, puffer jacket. The Oscar-winning actress who recently revealed why she gave up her beloved dog appeared to be talking on the phone as she strutted down the street in soft leather shoes. She showcased a cool demeanor as she walked with her hands in her pockets, wearing noise-canceling earphones and a pair of dark sunglasses. She appeared to be wearing little to no makeup and wore her hair in her natural, straight style for her casual excursion. Jennifer Lawrence stepped out in an eccentric ensemble while enjoying a stroll in New York City on Thursday Her outing comes shortly after she attended the special screening of her new film, Die My Love. At the special event, she debuted a new hairstyle as she got bangs for the new year. She had been shockingly snubbed when her name went unmentioned when nominations for the SAG Awards - renamed the Actor Awards - were announced. The Hunger Games alum later revealed she texted Emma Stone shortly after the nominations were revealed and 'called out' her colleague and friend for 'beating me for decades.' During an event at New York's 92NY on Wednesday, she admitted that she sent a sad face emoji to her group chat with Stone while others were congratulating her for her nomination. 'She got nominated for SAG today and I did not,' she told Josh Horowitz. 'And all of our friends were like, "Congratulations, Emma," and then I would just do, like, a sad face.' She recalled how she poked fun at her close friend and joked around with Stone. 'And then every time she's tried to, like, talk today, I've just been like ... "If you can talk, why are you not sorry?" But yeah, no, she's been beating me for decades, and it's an honor.' The Die My Love star, 35, wore a hot pink pashmina scarf as a skirt layered over sweatpants during her solo outing in the bustling city Bundled up for the chilly winter weather, she made a statement as she wrapped the scarf around her waist and wore a cream, cashmere sweater with a thick, puffer jacket She showcased a cool demeanor as she walked with her hands in her pockets, wearing noise-canceling earphones and a pair of dark sunglasses Lawrence's outing comes shortly after she recalled the recent awkward text change she had with A-list pal Emma Stone over her recent SAG Actor Awards snub; the pals seen in 2024 Stone was among the SAG-AFTRA's Actor Awards for her performance in Bugonia. Lawrence was nominated at the Golden Globes, Gotham Awards and others for her performance in Die My Love, but she did not get a nod from the Actor Awards. She recalled how she had lost not only awards and nominations to Stone but also movie roles. 'The one that I wanted that she got was Easy A,' she admitted. 'I was nuts for Easy A and really should have gotten it, right? It would have been great.' Currently, Lawrence is collaborating with Stone on a Miss Piggy movie directed by Cole Escola. As for her recently released movie, Die My Love, Lawrence stars as a writer and young mother named Grace, who lives in an old house in Montana with her partner Jackson (Robert Pattinson). As she begins slowly slipping into madness, her companion becomes increasingly worried and helpless. The Lynne Ramsay-directed film, which also stars Sissy Spacek, Sarah Lind and LaKeith Stanfield among many others, was released on November 7, 2025. Kristen Stewart held hands with her wife and producing partner, Dylan Meyer, at the LA premiere of her feature directorial debut The Chronology of Water on Thursday. The former child star, 35, bared her back in a black zip-up swimsuit with matching low-slung, baggy trousers and boots selected by stylist Tara Swennen. Hairstylist Adir Abergel covered up Stewart's shaved undercut with a jagged mullet with asymmetrical bangs. Make-up artist Jillian Dempsey brought out the Chanel brand ambassador's hazel eyes with peachy shadow, defined brows and a nude pout. The newlyweds tied the knot April 20 at Mexican restaurant Casita Del Campo in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood following six years of dating. 'I've had the craziest year of my entire life,' the Oscar nominee told People on Sunday. Kristen Stewart, 35, held hands with her wife and producing partner, Dylan Meyer, 38, at the LA premiere of her feature directorial debut The Chronology of Water on Thursday The newlyweds tied the knot April 20 at Mexican restaurant Casita Del Campo in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood following six years of dating 'I got married. My wife made her a movie. I starred in it. I made my movie. We went to Cannes. It's now actually coming out in theaters, which blows my mind. I was so carbonated over the last year. I need to get flat I need to go fizz out.' Stewart reportedly first met the 38-year-old nepo baby of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Meyer in 2013 on the set of Nima Nourizadeh's action stoner comedy American Ultra. The bisexual beauty was said to have previously romanced Sara Dinkin, Stella Maxwell, St. Vincent, Soko, Nicholas Hoult, Alicia Cargile, Lane Garrison, Robert Pattinson, Michael Angarano and the late Anton Yelchin. On Monday, Stewart revealed she would love to remake the first Twilight film, which famously launched her career back in 2008 alongside Pattinson. 'I love what Catherine [Hardwicke] did, I love what Chris [Weitz] did, I love what all of the directors did with the movies,' the Sacramento actress told ET. 'Imagine if we had like, a huge budget and a bunch of love and support. I don't know I would love to readapt. Yeah, sure, I'll do the remake. I'm doing it! I'm committed.' But first, US audiences can catch Stewart's 128-minute big-screen adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir this Friday in theaters. Ridley Scott was one of the producers of The Chronology of Water, which has a 'certified fresh' 92 percent critic approval rating (out of 59 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. The homeschooled millennial will next compete for two trophies - best indie feature and best first feature - at the 9th Astra Film Awards, which airs Friday on YouTube and the KNEKT Television Network. The Oscar nominee told People on Sunday: 'I've had the craziest year of my entire life. I got married. My wife made her a movie. I starred in it. I made my movie' She added: 'We went to Cannes. It's now actually coming out in theaters, which blows my mind. I was so carbonated over the last year. I need to get flat I need to go fizz out' Stewart reportedly first met the nepo baby of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Meyer in 2013 on the set of Nima Nourizadeh's action stoner comedy American Ultra The bisexual beauty bared her back in a black zip-up swimsuit with matching low-slung, baggy trousers and boots selected by stylist Tara Swennen Hairstylist Adir Abergel covered up Stewart's shaved undercut with a jagged mullet with asymmetrical bangs Make-up artist Jillian Dempsey brought out the Chanel brand ambassador's hazel eyes with peachy shadow, defined brows and a nude pout On Monday, Stewart revealed she would love to remake the first Twilight film, which famously launched her career back in 2008 alongside Pattinson The former child star told ET: 'I love what Catherine [Hardwicke] did, I love what Chris [Weitz] did, I love what all of the directors did with the movies' She added: 'Imagine if we had like, a huge budget and a bunch of love and support. I don't know I would love to readapt. Yeah, sure, I'll do the remake. I'm doing it! I'm committed' But first, US audiences can catch Stewart's 128-minute big-screen adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir this Friday in theaters Stewart's movie previously received prizes from IndieWire Honors, Savannah Film Festival, Deauville American Film Festival and Miskolc International Film Festival. Joining the Cesar Award winner on the red carpet of 2220 Arts + Archives were her cast - Kim Gordon, Imogen Poots, Thora Birch and Jim Belushi. The 43-year-old American Beauty alum - who plays Claudia - was certainly in a silly mood flashing peace signs as she pretended to grab the 71-year-old SNL alum from behind. Belushi - who plays Ken Kesey - was trying to show off the Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt he wore in honor of the heavy metal rocker who died, age 76, on December 3. Birch then sat down cross-legged on the red carpet while clad in a lavender blazer and high-heel boots as Stewart and Meyer posed with their fellow Nevermind Pictures founder, Maggie Mclean. The British 36-year-old - who headlines the film as Lidia Yuknavitch - took the plunge in a silver silk slip gown and peep-toe sandals selected by stylist Chloe Hartstein. Ashley Benson - who celebrated New Year's Eve with Stewart - came to the premiere in a grey trench coat and black high-heel boots selected by stylist Tara Swennen. Joining Stewart on the red carpet of 2220 Arts + Archives were her cast (from L-R) - Kim Gordon, Imogen Poots, Thora Birch and Jim Belushi The 43-year-old American Beauty alum - who plays Claudia - was certainly in a silly mood flashing peace signs as she pretended to grab the 71-year-old SNL alum from behind Belushi - who plays Ken Kesey - was trying to show off the Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt he wore in honor of the heavy metal rocker who died, age 76, on December 3 Birch then sat down cross-legged on the red carpet while clad in a lavender blazer and high-heel boots as Stewart and Meyer posed with their fellow Nevermind Pictures founder, Maggie Mclean (R) The British 36-year-old - who headlines the film as Lidia Yuknavitch - took the plunge in a silver silk slip gown and peep-toe sandals selected by stylist Chloe Hartstein Ashley Benson - who celebrated New Year's Eve with Stewart - came to the premiere in a grey trench coat and black high-heel boots selected by stylist Tara Swennen Emma Roberts - who also rang in 2026 with Stewart - debuted her newly-bleached locks with a strapless white mini-dress beneath a black leather jacket and matching pumps selected by styling sisters Brit + Kara Elkin Meanwhile, Dylan Mulvaney flashed her black bra-top and slip beneath a sheer short-sleeve silver sheath dress Kristen was later seen posing for snaps with singer Rita Ora, screenwriter Dylan and actress Elizabeth Banks at the after party Also in attendance at the after party, held at 2220 Arts + Archives, was American Horror Story actress Emma Roberts Emma (seen with Dylan Mulvaney) wore a white spaghetti strap mini-dress featuring lace detailing and a leather jacket Kristen wore a black leather double-breasted jacket while Elizabeth opted for a mint green coat at the after party Kristen was also joined by Love Lies Bleeding star Katy O'Brian and comedian-actor Mae Martin Emma Roberts - who also rang in 2026 with Stewart - debuted her newly-bleached locks with a strapless white mini-dress beneath a black leather jacket and matching pumps selected by styling sisters Brit + Kara Elkin. Meanwhile, Dylan Mulvaney flashed her black bra-top and slip beneath a sheer short-sleeve silver sheath dress. The Love Me star will next portray a stoner called Frankie in Meyer's feature directorial debut The Wrong Girls, which is a mistaken identity drama for Neon. Stewart spent '13 years' honing the script for the comedy - which also features Alia Shawkat, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, LaKeith Stanfield and Tony Hale. Last month, the Love Lies Bleeding star confirmed to Collider that Amazon MGM's limited series The Challenger has 'gotten a green light' and she's 'shaking' in her boots about portraying real-life astronaut Sally Ride. Stewart's other upcoming projects include Panos Cosmatos' vampire flick Flesh of the Gods and Quentin Dupieux's dark comedy Full Phil for Studiocanal. Dominic West has admitted his 'biggest sadness' is splitting from the mother of his first child - despite the fact that he went on to marry his current wife. The Wire star, 56, is married to aristocrat Catherine FitzGerald and the pair share four children. But speaking on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast, Dominic opened up about the painful split from his former girlfriend Polly Astor, revealing he felt 'too young' at 28 to settle down after she gave birth to their daughter, Martha. Asked if the end of his relationship with Polly was 'one of the big sadnesses' or 'shames' of his life, Dominic admitted: 'I suppose so, yes. I suppose I wish my eldest daughter had had some of the advantages or some of the security that my others have had.' The Eton-educated actor, who played Prince Charles in The Crown, explained the relationship came at the wrong time in his life, saying: 'I think I was too young. I was 28.' He quickly conceded that 28 was 'not that young, but I was just leaving drama school and looking towards America and so it came at the wrong time, really. It was very difficult, that ending.' Dominic West has admitted his 'biggest sadness' is splitting from the mother of his first child (seen with former girlfriend Polly Astor and their daughter Martha in 2009) The Wire star, 56, is currently married to aristocrat Catherine FitzGerald and the pair share four children (Catherine and Dominic seen in 2023) Dominic has previously said of the end of his relationship with Polly, 54: 'It was terrible because it was all me. I wanted out. I hurt Polly very badly, but at the time I wasn't ready to settle down. 'I was doing films all over the place and didn't want to be tied down. Then I got The Wire.' He was keen to stress on the podcast this week that he and Polly have since rebuilt their relationship. 'We're great friends now,' he said, adding that Martha - a writer and actress - is fully integrated into his family with Catherine and their children Dora, 19, Senan, 17, Francis, 14, and Christabel, nine. Dominic met Polly - daughter of Michael Astor, who was the son of 2nd Viscount Astor, and Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in the British House of Commons - at university in the late 1990s. They welcomed Martha in 1998, before separating in 2002. The actor went on to marry landscape designer Catherine, 54, in 2010, and the couple now split their time between London and her family's ancestral home, Glin Castle in County Limerick, Ireland, which has been in the FitzGerald family for more than 700 years. Their marriage was thrust into the spotlight in 2020 when Dominic was photographed in romantic clinches with his co-star Lily James, 36, while on holiday in Rome after they filmed the BBC series The Pursuit of Love. Catherine stood by him, and the couple famously appeared together outside their home holding a note that read: 'Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together. Thank you.' Join the debate Should children always come before personal happiness in a marriage? He was keen to stress on the podcast this week that he and Polly have since rebuilt their relationship and he often attends events with daughter Martha (Seen together in 2021) Dominic said Martha - a writer and actress - is fully integrated into his family with Catherine and their children Dora, 19, Senan, 17, Francis, 14, and Christabel, nine (Pictured) The scandal came just years after Dominic made controversial comments about affairs while promoting his drama series The Affair. In 2016, he said: 'I think women should be more indulgent of affairs. I really do. It's daft to kick someone out over a fling. Isn't it? Everyone should turn a blind eye to men's behaviour between the ages of 40 and 50. Let it all blow over.' He also said that monogamy was 'not the necessarily natural way to be, therefore there will always be adultery and intrigue about it.' Speaking about the Lily James scandal in 2024, Dominc admitted it was 'deeply stressful' for his wife and children, though the couple have since found humour in the situation, joking about going out for a 'show of unity' in London. The actor admitted that his approach to fatherhood was influenced by his late parents, George, who owned a plastics manufacturing plant, and Moya, an actress, both of Irish descent. 'I think the thing that people noticed most about [George] was he was quite down to earth. There were no frills about him. He was very Yorkshire, and he was blunt, and often offended people for his bluntness, but there was an honesty to him, which I hope I've got some of, and also, very much his feeling that as a father, you have to be around and looking after kids and cooking and stuff.' They got divorced when he was 27, which he found incredibly difficult, but reflected that 'in some ways, it had been a long time coming. So I suppose there was some relief.' His father went on to find a new partner and moved to Ireland, hoping his mother might follow. 'He thought she might follow him, but she certainly didn't. And so he started a new life in Ireland and they were better off not together,' he recalled. The actor, who was the sixth of seven children, shared that he enjoyed a closer bond with his father in later life. 'In his last ten years when he was in Ireland, I became very close with him and saw him a lot and he used to come out to America when I was there and he loved America. His mother was American.' He added that his mother, meanwhile, was 'probably more affected by the divorce' and 'it wasn't very easy for her'. Samantha Womack has urged social media followers to donate anything they can to a fundraising campaign launched by Calum Best on behalf of his mother - after revealing the TV personality is her cousin. On Thursday, Best confirmed his mother Angie has been diagnosed with colon cancer and shared details of a new GoFundMe campaign, set up to fund 'specialist care' and pay for 'professionals who can offer the right treatment.' With a little over 15,000 of a 35,000 target already met, Womack, 53 - best known for her former role as Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders - told her own social media following they needed more support to push them over the line. Sharing a screenshot of Best's GoFundMe page, she wrote: 'This my Auntie Angie, and my cousin Calum. We are both helping as much as we can but we need support' [sic] Responding to the post, Best wrote: 'Thank you Sam ur such a good woman , love u.' [sic] Womack and Best are related as first cousins through her musician father, Noel Janus - the brother of former model Angie. Samantha Womack has urged fans to support a fundraising campaign launched by Calum Best on behalf of his mother following her cancer diagnosis Womack and Best are related as first cousins through her musician father, Noel Janus - the brother of former model Angie And the actress, who has previously battled breast cancer, admitted her own experience with the illness had inspired her to launch a retreat with her aunt. Taking to Instagram shortly after Best's announcement, she wrote: 'Having just recovered from cancer myself, Angie and I wanted to start a recovery retreat together, just before she was diagnosed. Any help much appreciated.' So far 15,728 has been raised on Angie's behalf, with celebrity friends including Roman Kemp, Ferne McCann and former rugby player Martin Offiah all making donations. In an emotional social media post, Best confirmed his mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer and the disease has now spread to her liver. He told followers: 'I wanted to get the words right, but when it comes to health, and when it comes to my mum, the only thing that really matters is honesty. A few weeks ago, my beautiful, wonderful mum was diagnosed with cancer. 'For as long as I can remember, she has lived her life rooted in health, fitness and wellbeing. 'She has always believed in taking care of the body, mind and soul. But as we all know, cancer doesn't discriminate. 'It doesn't care where you're from, how you live, or how healthy you try to be. And now, it's here and it's with my mum.' So far 15,728 has been raised on Angie's behalf, to fund 'specialist care' and pay for 'professionals who can offer the right treatment' Celebrity friends including Roman Kemp, Ferne McCann and former rugby player Martin Offiah have all made donations (pictured) TV personality Best shared the devastating health update with his social media followers on Thursday Angie met Calum's footballer father, the Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best, at a dinner party in 1975 (pictured: Angie, George and Calum at Heathrow Airport) The devastated star continued: 'I'll be honest, I haven't cried in years but this has been an emotional rollercoaster I never expected to be on. 'We've reached a point where we felt it was important to share what we're going through and, humbly, ask for help. 'My mum has been diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread to her liver. 'To move forward, we need access to specialist care and professionals who can offer the right treatment. 'This is incredibly hard for me to say, but financially, I can't carry this on my own. So we've created this GoFundMe page to ask for your support. 'Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us access the specialists, treatment and care my mum needs during this time. 'We'll also be sharing updates along the way, and my mum will be posting videos too, when she feels able. Womack is perhaps best known for her former role as Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders (pictured) COLON CANCER: WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS? Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumors usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of ten people with stage 1 bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. Unfortunately, only around a third of all colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this early stage. The majority of people come to the doctor when the disease has spread beyond the wall of the colon or rectum or to distant parts of the body, which decreasing the chance of being successfully cured of colon cancer. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for caring, for sharing and for supporting us in any way you can.' Angie met Calum's footballer father, the Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best, at a dinner party in 1975 as he was signing for the Los Angeles Aztecs, and admitted it was 'love at first sight'. They moved to London in 1976. When she returned to Los Angeles, George followed her and persuaded her to marry him. They wed on 24 January 1976 and welcomed Calum in 1981. The couple separated the following year and divorced in 1986, following George's problems with alcohol abuse and domestic violence. George died at the age of 59 in 2005 after suffering multiple organ failure while hospitalized with jaundice. Chloe Ferry set pulses racing as she showed off her incredible figure in a bikini as she swapped the UK for a holiday in Thailand with her new boyfriend. The Geordie Shore star, 30, took to Instagram on Friday to share a slew of snaps from her first day in the south east Asian country. Chloe showed off her curves as she posted a mirror selfie in a pink and orange bikini, complete with a flower in her hair. In another photo she was seen having the time of her life, riding on the back of a moped with property developer Alex Swinney. The star looked incredible in a red skin-tight dress and Ray-bans as she held on to her new beau. She captioned the photos: 'Day 1 Thailand dump, happiest Ive been in a long time the smile says it all' Chloe Ferry set pulses racing as she showed off her incredible figure in a bikini as she swapped the UK for a holiday in Thailand with her new boyfriend She was seen having the time of her life, riding on the back of a moped with property developer Alex Swinney The star posted a number of pictures showing off her physique as she soaked up the sun in Thailand. The couple also coordinated in white ensembles as Chloe wore a plunging sheer lace top with matching high-waisted trousers. Meanwhile Alex looked very dapper in a white crew neck T-shirt and cream linen trousers as he accessorised with a blue cross body bag and aviator sunglasses. It comes as Chloe revealed a tribute to her new boyfriend, as she got a tattoo just months into their relationship. Over the last two months, Chloe has proved that their relationship is going from strength to strength as she confessed this was the 'last time she will fall in love'. And now Chloe has proven that their relationship is stronger than ever as she permanently inked his name on the inside of her elbows as a birthday present to Alex. On her other arm, she had the numbers 20.08 tattooed, and while she didnt reveal what the numbers meant, they are likely to represent an important date. The numbers could mean August 20, which could be the day they met, as they went public with their relationship shortly afterwards. Chloe flaunted her curves as she posed in a pink and orange bikini, complete with a flower in her hair The couple also coordinated in white ensembles as Chloe wore a plunging sheer lace top with matching high-waisted trousers Alex looked very dapper in a white crew neck T-shirt and cream linen trousers as he accessorised with a blue cross body bag and aviator sunglasses In the clip shared on her Instagram Stories, the TV personality was seen getting the tattoo done at a tattoo parlour. She is seen squirming as the tattooist gets to work on her arms. After the session, Chloe appeared happy with the result. In September Chloe shared their first proper picture together and confirmed she's head over heels and described him as 'the love of her life'. Alongside the picture, Chloe gushed: 'I believe in love at first sight . To the love of my life, my soulmate, as I write this, my heart is so full that I could cry. The reality star told fans she finally felt 'lucky in love' after years of heartbreak and admitted she now believes she's found her forever. She added: 'I feel so incredibly lucky to have met you. After being so unlucky in love for so long, I always thought that when someone amazing came along, it would be too good to be true. 'But you've truly swept me off my feet and shown me that real love does exist. 'I can't believe you are my forever - the one I get to grow old with and build a beautiful family alongside. Chloe posted a number of pictures showing off her physique as she soaked up the sun in Thailand Chloe looked stunning as she showed off her holiday glow, posing with Alex Chloe revealed her tribute to her new boyfriend Alex Swinney, as she got a tattoo of his name just months into their relationship 'You bring out the best in me in ways no one ever has. You've given me trust again, hope again, love again. And for that, I'll love you endlessly.' Chloe finished saying: 'To anyone who feels like giving up on love: please don't. It comes when you least expect it.' Chloe was previously in an on-and-off relationship with Johnny Wilbo since 2021, but their romance has been tumultuous over the years. At one point, the pair had reportedly split and rekindled six times in six months. In February, it was reported that the pair had gone their separate ways after a source told The Sun that they had been telling their friends that they were 'done for good'. Chloe and Johnny's previous split occurred in February 2024, but they were apart for just a month before reuniting. Last year, it was reported that Chloe and Johnny had split yet again after a string of arguments over money. They also previously ended their romance back in October 2022, when she accused him of messaging other women. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed off her incredible physique as she braved the snow for her latest photoshoot with Alo on Friday. The former Victoria's Secret model, 38, displayed the results of her hard work in the gym as she flashed her washboard abs in a white bikini. She teamed her outfit with a cropped fur coat and matching hat while striking a pose in front of the snow covered mountains. Taking to her Instagram, she captioned the update: 'Baby, its cold outside.' Earlier in the day, Rosie shared another collaboration with the yoga wear brand Alo and its fitness and wellness programme, Alo Wellness Club. She modelled a skimpy white triangle Alo Splendor Bra (58) and rolled-down grey marl Accolade Sweatpants, costing 128. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley showed off her incredible physique as she braved the snow for her latest photoshoot with Alo on Friday The former Victoria's Secretmodel, 38, displayed the results of her hard work in the gym as she flashed her washboard abs in a white bikini The snap comes after Rosie and her husband Jason Statham have shared rare snaps of their children on Instagram as they enjoyed a 600-a-night Cotswolds hotel last month. Rosie and the Hollywood actor, 58, took to Instagram to share the sweet photos as they spent quality time with their two children, son Jack, eight, and daughter Isabella, three. Rosie and Jack splashed out on a festive family break at the Estelle Manor where they enjoyed country walks, archery and target shooting. The couple looked in good spirits as they enjoyed a sunny winter walk around the 85-acre estate and beamed for selfies together. Rosie stunned as she tucked a stylish ruffled white blouse into a pair of wide legged jeans and layered a long wool coat over the top. The runway star kept comfortable in a pair of boots as she held her little girl's hand, who was dressed in a pretty fur coat. Meanwhile Jason wrapped up in a winter hat as he carried son Jack on his shoulders around the lavish hotel. In another picture, Jason helped teach their son Jack target shooting before he moved on to archery. Join the debate Do YOU think posing in a bikini in the snow is aspirational or absurd? She teamed her outfit with a cropped fur coat and matching hat while striking a pose in front of the snow covered mountains Taking to her Instagram, she captioned the update: 'Baby, its cold outside' Earlier in the day, Rosie shared another collaboration with the yoga wear brand Alo and its fitness and wellness programme, Alo Wellness Club Jason shared the black and white photos of the family getaway with his 44.2million followers and left the caption blank. It comes after Rosie and Jason proved they're going stronger than ever as they posed to promote their second collaboration for Falconeri. The model and The Meg star made their debut for the fashion brand in March this year. Proving that teamwork makes the dream work, the pair joined forces once more in a series of head-turning snaps shared on Instagram. Alongside the snaps, she penned: 'Excited to reveal the next chapter of our Fall-Winter 2025 campaign for @falconeriofficial. 'A vision of luxury and timeless style, beautifully captured by @lachlanbailey.' The low-key British couple, who live in Los Angeles, first began dating in 2010 after meeting at a party in London and experiencing what Rosie called 'instant chemistry'. The snap comes after Rosie and her husband Jason Statham have shared rare snaps of their children on Instagram as they enjoyed a 600-a-night Cotswolds hotel last month Rosie and the Hollywood actor, 58, took to Instagram to share the sweet photos as they spent quality time with their two children, son Jack, eight, and daughter Isabella, three Rosie and Jack splashed out on a festive family break at the Estelle Manor where they enjoyed country walks, archery and target shooting They got engaged in 2016, with the model revealing they had taken their relationship to the next level when she flashed her impressive diamond ring at the Golden Globes, and they're now parents to two children. Speaking about their plans to marry after Jack was born, Rosie said: 'I think the time will come. It's also not a huge priority for us.' She has also addressed the couple's 20-year age gap, saying: 'His knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who's had a bit of time.' The model, who grew up in Devon, recently revealed why she returned to the UK in 2020 and explained that it was always 'the plan' to raise her children in the UK. She told The Times: 'We love the schools, the education. They're growing up British with their little British accents, which was important for us, and we have a great support system here. 'Jay's parents live up the road and see the kids most days, my family come to visit every six or eight weeks.' Jane Seymour radiated a youthful glow as she swanned around a Hollywood party this week at the dawn of the latest awards season. The 74-year-old was among the star-studded guest list at Thursday night's Golden Week Nominees Night, held by the Hollywood Reporter and Spotify. For her latest night out, the Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman actress showed off her shapely legs in a 1960s chic white mini with glistening silver embroidery. Her dress plunged to betray only the slightest hint of cleavage, and she posed with her hands at her waist, emphasizing her enviably lithe figure. Accenting the look with a trendy white blazer, she balanced expertly on a towering set of ankle-strap heels that lent a touch of extra stature to her 5'4" frame. Her outing comes after she revealed that she recently Zoom called two of her four ex-husbands in order to collect material for her upcoming memoirs, via the Telegraph. Jane Seymour radiated a youthful glow as she swanned about a Hollywood party this week at the dawn of the latest awards season The 74-year-old actress was among the star-studded guest list at Thursday night's Golden Week Nominees Night, held by the Hollywood Reporter and Spotify She said that in order to write about her marriages, she 'put a couple of English ex-husbands on Zoom to try and figure out: "What was that? What was their perspective on it? What had I maybe not remembered?"' Based on her specification that they were English, the men in question were the first two she tied the knot with - theater director Michael Attenborough, whose father was Richard Attenborough, and illustrator Geoffrey Planer. Her next husbands were Canadian business manager David Flynn and American actor James Keach, each of whom gave her two children and one stepchild. Seymour's recent Zoom calls to Attenborough and Planer were 'a love fest,' she said while discussing her upcoming memoir in a new interview. 'It was like: "Oh yeah, thats why we got together. Oh my God, werent we lucky to have had one another in our lives for the time that we did?" Rather than: "What went wrong?" It was very funny. In both cases, the first thing they said was: "Just to make it perfectly clear, it was all my fault,"' she said. The onetime Bond girl is now involved with musician John Zambetti, 78, whom she started seeing when their respective children set them up on a blind date in 2023. She raved recently that she and her rocker boyfriend remain 'very sexually active' and that she still has 'the energy that I had when I was 40,' via People. A few years ago, she reflected on her divorces: 'I was married to men who had different issues, and I never ended the marriages - they did, by finding other people!' Seymour met Michael Attenborough when she was 15 and married him in 1971 when she was 20 and he was 21, only for them to split in 1973; the couple are pictured in 1973 The following marriage to Geoffrey Planer was even briefer, lasting merely a year from 1977 to 1978; the couple are pictured in the Hollywood Hills the year of their wedding In 2007, while she was with her fourth husband James Keach, she said her first two spouses were 'very good friends of mine now,' per the Globe and Mail. Seymour met Michael Attenborough when she was 15 and married him in 1971 when she was 20 and he was 21, only for them to split in 1973. The following marriage to Geoffrey Planer was even briefer, lasting merely a year from 1977 to 1978, but they remained friendly enough as exes that he illustrated the children's books she later wrote with her fourth husband. She was married to her third husband, business manager David Flynn, from 1981 to 1992 and welcomed two children with him - Katherine, 44, and Sean, 40. After their divorce, she accused Flynn of having 'had 14 other women that I didn't know about,' and also claimed she was left 'completely beyond bankrupt' at a high point in her career because he involved her in real estate investments. 'I was married to a financial expert so when he said: "Sign here," I did. Of course, it was the housing market, and he'd been getting me to personally sign,' she told NPR. However she managed to arrive at an amicable co-parenting relationship with Flynn, saying in 2007: 'He is the father of my kids. I don't go out of my way to seek his company, but my home is open to him and his wife.' From 1993 until 2015, she was married to her fourth and latest husband James Keach, whose elder brother is the acclaimed Fat City actor Stacy Keach. She was married to her third husband, business manager David Flynn, from 1981 to 1992 and welcomed two children with him - Katherine, 44, and Sean, 40; the couple pictured 1990 From 1993 until 2015, she was married to her fourth and latest husband James Keach, whose elder brother is the acclaimed Fat City actor Stacy Keach; pictured in 2005 They share 30-year-old twin sons called Kristopher and John, who were named after their parents' friends Christopher Reeve and Johnny Cash. Seymour and Keach separated in 2013, and years later she exclusively told the Daily Mail that the marriage ended because he had an affair. Choices were made that I couldnt live with, she explained. I thought we were going to be married forever, but James made a choice that I wasnt privy to. He found someone else. I felt horrible, devastated.' Seymour added: I dont do well with betrayal. If someone says: Things arent good, lets separate, it would be different. But I was never privy to that conversation.' She went on: By the time I found out - entirely by accident - it had been going on for some time, so that was that. It was someone I knew, so that was very frightening. I tried to figure something out, but I realized that the marriage wasnt going to work.' The former ballerina clarified she and Keach 'are friends now, and were always determined to be good parents, but it was devastating at the time. Peakstone Realty Trust (NYSE:PKST Get Free Report) and SEGRO (OTCMKTS:SEGXF Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, dividends and profitability. Risk and Volatility Peakstone Realty Trust has a beta of 1.71, meaning that its stock price is 71% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SEGRO has a beta of 1.12, meaning that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Get Peakstone Realty Trust alerts: Insider and Institutional Ownership 39.0% of Peakstone Realty Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Peakstone Realty Trust shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Valuation & Earnings Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Peakstone Realty Trust $228.07 million 2.23 -$10.43 million ($8.13) -1.70 SEGRO $862.60 million 15.41 $759.07 million N/A N/A This table compares Peakstone Realty Trust and SEGROs revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. SEGRO has higher revenue and earnings than Peakstone Realty Trust. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Peakstone Realty Trust and SEGRO, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Peakstone Realty Trust 1 1 2 0 2.25 SEGRO 2 2 1 1 2.17 Peakstone Realty Trust presently has a consensus target price of $17.50, indicating a potential upside of 26.81%. Given Peakstone Realty Trusts stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Peakstone Realty Trust is more favorable than SEGRO. Profitability This table compares Peakstone Realty Trust and SEGROs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Peakstone Realty Trust -153.27% -32.69% -13.09% SEGRO N/A N/A N/A Summary SEGRO beats Peakstone Realty Trust on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About Peakstone Realty Trust (Get Free Report) Peakstone Realty Trust (NYSE: PKST) is an internally managed, real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates a high-quality, newer-vintage portfolio of predominantly single-tenant industrial and office properties. These assets are generally leased to creditworthy tenants under long-term net lease agreements with contractual rent escalations. As of March 31, 2023, Peakstone's wholly-owned portfolio consists of 19 million square feet across 24 states in primarily high-growth, strategic coastal and sunbelt markets. About SEGRO (Get Free Report) SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property. It owns or manages 10.8 million square metres of space (116 million square feet) valued at 20.6 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in seven other European countries. For over 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing (including data centres) located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive. A commitment to be a force for societal and environmental good is integral to SEGROs purpose and strategy. Its Responsible SEGRO framework focuses on three long-term priorities where the company believes it can make the greatest impact: Championing Low-Carbon Growth, Investing in Local Communities and Environments and Nurturing Talent. Striving for the highest standards of innovation, sustainable business practices and enabling economic and societal prosperity underpins SEGROs ambition to be the best property company. Receive News & Ratings for Peakstone Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Peakstone Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Charlottes Web Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CWBHF Get Free Report) was up 9.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $0.3860 and last traded at $0.3826. Approximately 554,136 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 1,004,607 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.35. Charlottes Web Price Performance The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $0.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $0.14. Get Charlotte's Web alerts: About Charlottes Web (Get Free Report) Charlottes Web Holdings, Inc is a producer and distributor of hemp-derived wellness products, operating under the Charlottes Web brand name. The company specializes in full-spectrum cannabidiol (CBD) formulations sourced from proprietary hemp genetics and manufactured at its vertically integrated processing facilities in Colorado. Its product suite encompasses CBD oils, capsules, gummies, topicals and pet-specific formulations designed to support general well-being. Originally founded in 2013 by the Stanley Brothers in Boulder, Colorado, Charlottes Web pioneered the consumer CBD market with an emphasis on quality, consistency and transparency. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Charlotte's Web Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charlotte's Web and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW Free Report) had its price objective lowered by Citigroup from $49.00 to $48.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock. A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Smurfit Westrock from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Argus cut their target price on Smurfit Westrock from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $51.00 price target on Smurfit Westrock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Smurfit Westrock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Smurfit Westrock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $51.60. Get Smurfit Westrock alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on SW Smurfit Westrock Stock Up 6.9% Smurfit Westrock stock opened at $42.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.12 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63 and a beta of 1.09. Smurfit Westrock has a twelve month low of $32.73 and a twelve month high of $56.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.78 and a 200-day moving average of $41.71. Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $8 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.89 billion. Smurfit Westrock had a return on equity of 6.21% and a net margin of 2.40%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Smurfit Westrock will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. Smurfit Westrock Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.4308 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Smurfit Westrocks dividend payout ratio is presently 120.28%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smurfit Westrock A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Smurfit Westrock by 0.6% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 41,103 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,770,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Smurfit Westrock by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 15,001 shares of the companys stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Smurfit Westrock by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 13,551 shares of the companys stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Smurfit Westrock by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,776 shares of the companys stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Smurfit Westrock by 21.8% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,494 shares of the companys stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. 83.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Smurfit Westrock (Get Free Report) Smurfit Westrock Plc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and sells containerboard, corrugated containers, and other paper-based packaging products in Ireland and internationally. The company produces containerboard that it converts into corrugated containers or sells to third parties, as well as produces other types of paper, such as consumer packaging board, sack paper, graphic paper, solid board and graphic board, and other paper-based packaging products, such as consumer packaging, solid board packaging, paper sacks, and other packaging products, including bag-in-box. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Smurfit Westrock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Smurfit Westrock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DP Poland Plc (LON:DPP Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 7 and last traded at GBX 7.35, with a volume of 639211 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7.25. DP Poland Trading Down 2.7% The firm has a market cap of 66.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 352.55 and a beta of 0.47. The companys 50-day moving average price is GBX 7.62 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 8.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.43. About DP Poland (Get Free Report) DP Poland Plc develops, operates, and sub-franchises Domino's Pizza stores in Poland. The company operates through two segments: Corporate Store Sales and Commissary Operations. It operates pizza delivery and dine-in restaurants. DP Poland Plc was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for DP Poland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DP Poland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eurofins Scient (OTCMKTS:ERFSF Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $74.47, but opened at $82.1220. Eurofins Scient shares last traded at $79.1660, with a volume of 24 shares trading hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have commented on ERFSF shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Eurofins Scient in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas raised Eurofins Scient to an outperform rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a hold rating on shares of Eurofins Scient in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold. Get Eurofins Scient alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on ERFSF Eurofins Scient Stock Down 2.0% About Eurofins Scient The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.19 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Eurofins Scient Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eurofins Scient and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fresenius SE & Co. (OTCMKTS:FSNUY Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 139,025 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 189% from the previous sessions volume of 48,048 shares.The stock last traded at $14.1750 and had previously closed at $13.98. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Fresenius SE & Co. in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of Fresenius SE & Co. in a report on Monday, October 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy. Get Fresenius SE & Co. alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on FSNUY Fresenius SE & Co. Trading Up 1.3% The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.81. Fresenius SE & Co. (OTCMKTS:FSNUY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $6.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. Fresenius SE & Co. had a return on equity of 9.72% and a net margin of 5.26%. On average, research analysts expect that Fresenius SE & Co. will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current year. About Fresenius SE & Co. (Get Free Report) Fresenius SE & Co KGaA is a global healthcare group headquartered in Bad Homburg vor der Hohe, Germany. Founded in 1912 by Eduard Fresenius, the company has grown into one of the worlds leading providers of products and services for dialysis, hospitals and outpatient medical care. Trading on major European exchanges and available over the counter in the U.S. as FSNUY, Fresenius SE & Co brings together a portfolio of specialized healthcare businesses under one corporate umbrella. The company operates through four main business segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Fresenius SE & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresenius SE & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Goldman Sachs MarketBeta US 1000 Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:GUSA Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $59.95 and last traded at $59.7910, with a volume of 1582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.61. Goldman Sachs MarketBeta US 1000 Equity ETF Stock Up 0.0% The firms 50 day moving average is $58.87 and its 200 day moving average is $57.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.67 and a beta of 1.02. About Goldman Sachs MarketBeta US 1000 Equity ETF (Get Free Report) The Goldman Sachs MarketBeta U.S. 1000 Equity ETF (GUSA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Solactive GBS United States 1000 index. The fund tracks an index of 1,000 US large-cap companies selected and weighted by market-cap. GUSA was launched on Apr 5, 2022 and is managed by Goldman Sachs. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Goldman Sachs MarketBeta US 1000 Equity ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Goldman Sachs MarketBeta US 1000 Equity ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE:HMC Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. A number of brokerages recently commented on HMC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Honda Motor in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nomura Securities raised shares of Honda Motor to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Honda Motor from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Get Honda Motor alerts: View Our Latest Report on HMC Institutional Inflows and Outflows Honda Motor Stock Performance Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WealthCollab LLC raised its holdings in shares of Honda Motor by 66.2% in the second quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 916 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Honda Motor during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in Honda Motor by 1,105.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 952 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Honda Motor in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Honda Motor by 99.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.32% of the companys stock. Shares of Honda Motor stock opened at $29.80 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.29. Honda Motor has a 1-year low of $24.56 and a 1-year high of $34.89. The company has a market cap of $46.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.38. Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $34.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.95 billion. Honda Motor had a return on equity of 5.18% and a net margin of 3.04%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Honda Motor will post 3.99 EPS for the current year. Honda Motor Company Profile (Get Free Report) Honda Motor Co, Ltd. is a global manufacturer and mobility company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa. The companys core businesses include the design, manufacture and sale of automobiles and motorcycles, along with a diverse portfolio of power products, engines and related components. Honda also operates in aviation through Honda Aircraft Company and offers financial services that support vehicle sales and leasing. In automobiles, Honda is known for a range of passenger cars, crossovers and light trucks, and in motorcycles it is one of the worlds leading producers by volume and model breadth. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Honda Motor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Honda Motor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ithaca Energy plc (LON:ITH Get Free Report) insider Iain Clifford Scobbie Lewis bought 94 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 160 per share, with a total value of 150.40. Iain Clifford Scobbie Lewis also recently made the following trade(s): Get Ithaca Energy alerts: On Wednesday, November 5th, Iain Clifford Scobbie Lewis bought 66 shares of Ithaca Energy stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 228 per share, with a total value of 150.48. Ithaca Energy Trading Down 0.5% Shares of Ithaca Energy stock opened at GBX 153.80 on Friday. Ithaca Energy plc has a 12-month low of GBX 120 and a 12-month high of GBX 242.50. The company has a market cap of 2.53 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.51. The companys 50-day moving average price is GBX 187.04 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 185.05. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Peel Hunt reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a GBX 200 price target on shares of Ithaca Energy in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ithaca Energy to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the stock from GBX 145 to GBX 220 in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Ithaca Energy currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 210. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ITH About Ithaca Energy (Get Free Report) Ithaca Energy is a leading UK independent exploration and production company focused on the UK North Sea with a strong track record of material value creation. In recent years, the Company has been focused on growing its portfolio of assets through both organic investment programmes and acquisitions and has seen a period of significant M&A driven growth centred upon two transformational acquisitions. Today, Ithaca Energy is one of the largest independent oil and gas companies in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (the UKCS), with stakes in six of the ten largest fields in the UKCS and two of UKCSs largest pre-development fields. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Ithaca Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ithaca Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (NYSEARCA:IRBO Get Free Report) dropped 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $50.15 and last traded at $50.33. Approximately 474,592 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 264% from the average daily volume of 130,270 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.92. iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF Trading Down 1.2% The firm has a market cap of $926.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.81 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.43. About iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (Get Free Report) The iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (IRBO) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in stocks based on a particular theme. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of global equities involved in robotics and artificial intelligence. IRBO was launched on Jun 26, 2018 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Pan African Resources PLC (LON:PAF Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 126.40 and last traded at GBX 126.40, with a volume of 25970164 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 120. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 112 price objective on shares of Pan African Resources in a report on Thursday, November 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Pan African Resources presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of GBX 112. Get Pan African Resources alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Pan African Resources Pan African Resources Stock Up 0.9% About Pan African Resources The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 104.73 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 81.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.80, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of 2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 0.89. (Get Free Report) Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Pan African Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pan African Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of Strong Sell from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $4.0150. TEF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America reiterated an underperform rating and set a $3.83 target price on shares of Telefonica in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telefonica from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Telefonica from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Telefonica to a strong sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, New Street Research lowered Telefonica from a hold rating to a reduce rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Get Telefonica alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Telefonica Telefonica Trading Down 1.9% Shares of TEF stock opened at $3.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.29. Telefonica has a 12-month low of $3.89 and a 12-month high of $5.72. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $4.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.88. Telefonica (NYSE:TEF Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. Telefonica had a positive return on equity of 8.54% and a negative net margin of 5.23%.The company had revenue of $10.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Telefonica will post 0.3 EPS for the current fiscal year. Telefonica Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be issued a $0.1731 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 856.0%. Telefonicas payout ratio is -60.98%. Institutional Trading of Telefonica A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Telefonica by 20.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,243,236 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $29,093,000 after buying an additional 1,065,861 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Telefonica by 17.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,752,600 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $9,166,000 after acquiring an additional 265,090 shares during the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Telefonica by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 1,068,090 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,426,000 after purchasing an additional 60,924 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Telefonica by 394.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 921,816 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,683,000 after purchasing an additional 735,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV raised its position in Telefonica by 99.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV now owns 780,285 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $4,081,000 after purchasing an additional 389,242 shares during the period. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Telefonica Company Profile (Get Free Report) Telefonica, SA is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid. Founded in 1924 as Compania Telefonica Nacional de Espana, it has grown into one of the worlds largest telecommunications groups. Telefonica provides a broad range of communications services to residential and business customers, including mobile and fixed-line telephony, broadband internet, and pay-TV. The company also develops and sells network infrastructure and related services to support connectivity at scale. Beyond traditional voice and data services, Telefonica has expanded into digital and IT services aimed at enterprise customers and public-sector clients. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Telefonica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telefonica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $29.00 to $40.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries traded as high as $32.91 and last traded at $32.43, with a volume of 4682391 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.00. Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Scotiabank began coverage on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research report on Friday, December 5th. They set a sector outperform rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $33.67. Get Teva Pharmaceutical Industries alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on TEVA Insider Activity at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Institutional Investors Weigh In On Teva Pharmaceutical Industries In other Teva Pharmaceutical Industries news, CAO Amir Weiss sold 12,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.20, for a total transaction of $371,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,650 shares in the company, valued at $170,630. This trade represents a 68.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Also, Director Roberto Mignone sold 200,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total value of $4,822,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 495,000 shares in the company, valued at $11,934,450. This trade represents a 28.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing . Insiders have sold a total of 622,060 shares of company stock worth $17,076,965 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.49% of the companys stock. Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TEVA. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 51.4% during the second quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 33,390,327 shares of the companys stock valued at $559,622,000 after buying an additional 11,334,780 shares during the period. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. now owns 38,493,294 shares of the companys stock valued at $645,148,000 after acquiring an additional 9,303,978 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 37,761,444 shares of the companys stock valued at $632,882,000 after acquiring an additional 9,094,372 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the 2nd quarter worth $143,533,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 39,228.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,895,838 shares of the companys stock worth $139,296,000 after purchasing an additional 6,878,304 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.05% of the companys stock. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Stock Performance The business has a 50-day moving average of $27.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.66. About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Walker River Resources Corp. (CVE:WRR Get Free Report) was up 8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$0.28 and last traded at C$0.27. Approximately 41,000 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 108,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.25. Walker River Resources Stock Up 8.0% The stock has a market capitalization of C$14.06 million, a P/E ratio of -27.00 and a beta of 1.40. The firms 50 day simple moving average is C$0.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.23. Walker River Resources Company Profile (Get Free Report) Walker River Resources Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the identification, acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral properties in Canada. It holds 100% interests in the Lapon Canyon gold project with 147 claims, which covers an area of approximately 2940 acres located in Nevada. The company was formerly known as Rhino Exploration Inc and changed its name to Walker River Resources Corp. in March 2013. Walker River Resources Corp. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Walker River Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walker River Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the six analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $77.3333. Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Warrior Met Coal from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Warrior Met Coal from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. B. Riley restated a buy rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Warrior Met Coal from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Get Warrior Met Coal alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on HCC Insiders Place Their Bets Institutional Investors Weigh In On Warrior Met Coal In other Warrior Met Coal 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the companys stock. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Warrior Met Coal by 1.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,269,888 shares of the companys stock worth $58,210,000 after acquiring an additional 15,851 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 24,376 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,117,000 after acquiring an additional 3,312 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Warrior Met Coal in the 2nd quarter worth $798,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Warrior Met Coal in the 2nd quarter worth $207,000. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in Warrior Met Coal by 27.2% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 37,250 shares of the companys stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 7,970 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.28% of the companys stock. Warrior Met Coal Stock Performance Shares of HCC opened at $95.52 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 142.57 and a beta of 0.63. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $81.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.35. Warrior Met Coal has a 12 month low of $38.00 and a 12 month high of $96.04. The company has a current ratio of 4.13, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by $0.91. Warrior Met Coal had a return on equity of 2.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The firm had revenue of $328.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $302.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Warrior Met Coal will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Warrior Met Coal Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors 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 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Warrior Met Coals dividend payout ratio is 47.76%. 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Warrior Met Coal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Warrior Met Coal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. American Airlines Group, Joby Aviation, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are the five Airline stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Airline stocks are shares of publicly traded companies that operate passenger and/or cargo air transportation, giving investors ownership in those carriers. They are highly cyclical and sensitive to factors such as fuel prices, economic growth, travel demand, currency moves, regulation, and labor costs, which often makes them more volatile than the broader market. Investors typically evaluate airline stocks by metrics like load factor, yield, capacity and unit costs to gauge revenue and profitability. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Airline stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: 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 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. Read Our Latest Research Report on DAL 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 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 Recommended Stories Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Susquehanna from $52.00 to $70.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a positive rating on the transportation companys stock. Susquehannas target price would suggest a potential upside of 43.92% from the stocks previous close. A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on ALK. Zacks Research upgraded Alaska Air Group from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group set a $77.00 target price on Alaska Air Group and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Alaska Air Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Alaska Air Group in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $71.55. Get Alaska Air Group alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Alaska Air Group Alaska Air Group Trading Down 2.3% Shares of NYSE:ALK opened at $48.64 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $46.35 and a 200 day moving average of $50.84. The company has a market cap of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.22. Alaska Air Group has a 12-month low of $37.63 and a 12-month high of $78.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. Alaska Air Group had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 1.06%.Alaska Air Groups revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group will post 6.03 EPS for the current year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 80.5% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 628 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Alaska Air Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Alaska Air Group by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 838 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Country Trust Bank bought a new stake in Alaska Air Group in the third quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.90% of the companys stock. About Alaska Air Group (Get Free Report) Alaska Air Group is a publicly traded holding company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that operates two main airlinesAlaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Through these carriers, the company offers scheduled passenger and cargo services across a network spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its core business activities include domestic and international air transportation, loyalty program management under the Mileage Plan brand, and ancillary revenue streams such as baggage fees, in-flight sales and code-share partnerships with other global airlines. The roots of Alaska Air Group trace back to the foundation of its flagship carrier, Alaska Airlines, in 1932. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Alaska Air Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alaska Air Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $63.00. A number of analysts recently weighed in on HSBC shares. Zacks Research upgraded HSBC from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America upgraded HSBC from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a hold rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Friday, October 10th. Get HSBC alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on HSBC More HSBC News Institutional Trading of HSBC Here are the key news stories impacting HSBC this week: A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSBC. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of HSBC in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,564,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in HSBC during the first quarter worth approximately $221,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in HSBC by 43.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 99,949 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,740,000 after purchasing an additional 30,377 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in HSBC by 1.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,726,420 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $271,438,000 after buying an additional 53,072 shares during the period. Finally, Everstar Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 50.2% during the 1st quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC now owns 10,332 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $593,000 after buying an additional 3,451 shares in the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. HSBC Stock Performance HSBC stock opened at $80.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $74.15 and a 200-day moving average of $68.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. HSBC has a 1 year low of $45.66 and a 1 year high of $83.03. The company has a market capitalization of $276.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.52. HSBC (NYSE:HSBC Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $17.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.78 billion. HSBC had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 12.78%. On average, equities research analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year. HSBC Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from HSBCs previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. HSBCs payout ratio is 41.68%. HSBC Company Profile (Get Free Report) HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HSBC) is a multinational banking and financial services organization headquartered in London. It traces its origins to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, founded in 1865 to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia, and has since grown into one of the worlds largest banking groups. The company is publicly listed in multiple markets, including the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and as an American depositary receipt on the New York Stock Exchange. HSBC operates a universal banking model, serving retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for HSBC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HSBC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Campari Group (OTCMKTS:DVDCF Get Free Report)s share price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $6.3401, but opened at $6.70. Campari Group shares last traded at $6.70, with a volume of 100 shares traded. Analysts Set New Price Targets DVDCF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Campari Group from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Barclays upgraded Campari Group from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Get Campari Group alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on DVDCF Campari Group Trading Up 5.7% About Campari Group The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $6.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.89. (Get Free Report) Campari Group is an Italian-based global beverage company specializing in the production, marketing and distribution of premium spirits and wines. Founded in Milan in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, the company has built a diversified portfolio of iconic brands that span various categories, including aperitifs, liqueurs, vodka, whiskey, rum, gin and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails. The companys flagship product, Campari, is a bright red, bittersweet aperitif known for its distinctive taste and versatility in classic cocktails such as the Negroni and Americano. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Campari Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Campari Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oak Family Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 35.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,060 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 21,926 shares during the period. Oak Family Advisors LLCs holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City were worth $2,984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 17,654 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 1.3% in the second quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,806 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 9.0% during the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,153 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 0.6% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 28,857 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tanager Wealth Management LLP lifted its position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 5.5% in the second quarter. Tanager Wealth Management LLP now owns 3,456 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts: Canadian Pacific Kansas City Trading Up 2.4% Shares of NYSE CP opened at $72.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a 12 month low of $66.49 and a 12 month high of $83.65. The company has a market cap of $64.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.10. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Increases Dividend Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( NYSE:CP Get Free Report ) (TSE:CP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.01). Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 28.41%.The company had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 3.42 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.228 dividend. This is a boost from Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys payout ratio is currently 20.12%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth CP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $129.00 to $127.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Canadian Pacific Kansas City from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup set a $88.00 price target on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Susquehanna set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian Pacific Kansas City has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $92.36. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on CP About Canadian Pacific Kansas City (Free Report) Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) is a North American Class I freight railroad formed through the combination of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern. The merged company operates an integrated rail network that spans Canada, the United States and Mexico, providing a single-line rail connection across all three countries. This transborder footprint is intended to streamline cross-border freight flows and provide shippers with direct rail access from Canadian and U.S. production centers to Mexican markets and ports. CPKCs core business is freight transportation and related logistics services. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP). Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust (NYSE:BTZ Free Report) by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 909,474 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 64,660 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust were worth $10,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust by 1.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 889,121 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $9,531,000 after buying an additional 12,607 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust by 56.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 17,799 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 6,455 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust by 6,411.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,628 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 15,388 shares during the last quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust in the 2nd quarter worth about $120,000. Finally, Stolper Co raised its position in BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust by 6.5% in the second quarter. Stolper Co now owns 80,493 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 4,944 shares during the last quarter. Get BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust alerts: BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust Price Performance Shares of BTZ stock opened at $10.74 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $10.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.96. BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust has a 12 month low of $9.54 and a 12 month high of $11.18. BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust Announces Dividend BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust Profile The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.0839 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 9.4%. (Free Report) BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust (NYSE: BTZ) is a closed-end management investment company sponsored by BlackRock Fund Advisors. The trust seeks to provide investors with a high level of current income, as well as the potential for capital appreciation, through an actively managed portfolio of credit and income-producing securities. BTZ primarily focuses on instruments that offer attractive yields while aiming to preserve capital over the long term. The portfolio is diversified across a broad spectrum of credit sectors, including investment-grade corporate debt, high-yield bonds, leveraged bank loans, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BTZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust (NYSE:BTZ Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cellnex Telecom SA Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:CLLNY Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $16.01, but opened at $15.60. Cellnex Telecom shares last traded at $15.6565, with a volume of 1,264 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages have issued reports on CLLNY. Citigroup raised Cellnex Telecom from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Barclays raised Cellnex Telecom to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Cellnex Telecom to a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Finally, New Street Research raised shares of Cellnex Telecom to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Get Cellnex Telecom alerts: Read Our Latest Report on Cellnex Telecom Cellnex Telecom Stock Performance About Cellnex Telecom The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.94. (Get Free Report) Cellnex Telecom SA is a leading independent wireless telecommunications infrastructure operator based in Barcelona, Spain. The company designs, builds and manages telecom tower sites and related connectivity solutions, offering site rental services to mobile network operators, broadcasters and enterprises. Its portfolio includes macro sites, distributed antenna systems (DAS), small cells, in-building coverage, fiber networks and edge computing nodes, all aimed at enhancing voice, data and next-generation digital services. Founded as a spin-off from Abertis Infraestructuras in 2015, Cellnex launched an initial public offering on the Madrid Stock Exchange in May of that year. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cellnex Telecom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cellnex Telecom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tsakhor village marks earthquake recovery while preparing for Losar New Year Chinadaily.com.cn) 09:47, January 09, 2026 Pema Chungdak, resident of Tsakhor village of Sa'kya county, Xizang autonomous region, is busy preparing for the coming Losar New Year Festival in her newly built house. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn] One year after a magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck Dingri county, Xizang autonomous region, residents of Tsakhor village, have moved into newly rebuilt homes and are preparing to celebrate the upcoming Shigatse Losar New Year. The earthquake, which hit on Jan 7, 2025, left the village's 53 households grappling with collapsed homes and damaged roads. Since then, reconstruction efforts have reshaped the village, with newly built Tibetan-style houses, cement roads, solar streetlights now in place. Golden fried dough sticks, a traditional New Year food symbolizing harvest and good fortune, are being prepared as villagers make ready for the holiday. Pema Chungdak, a resident of the village, said that the golden color embodies harvest and wishes for a happy life and hopes for the new year. "At this time last year, the earthquake left us devoid of the mood for celebrating New Year," Pema Chungdak said. "This year, we are finally able to move into bright, spacious, and warm new homes. We've made plenty of preparations to celebrate with our families." Ahead of the Losar New Year Festival, which falls in two weeks, villagers try on newly bought Tibetan robes and jewelry in their new home in Sheychen village of Lhaze county, Xizang autonomous region. [Photo by Plden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn] January marks both the anniversary of post-disaster reconstruction and Losar New Year, making the period especially significant for villagers. Homes are decorated with traditional Chemar boxes, barley ears known as Losar Metok, and symbolic New Year items such as barley wine, ginseng fruit, and sheep's head. Modern household appliances sit alongside traditional decorations, reflecting daily life after resettlement. More than 22,000 homes required reconstruction, while over 10,500 homes needed repairs and reinforcement. Recovery efforts took place under challenging conditions, including high-altitude environments above 4,300 meters, limited oxygen, and shortages of building materials and construction capacity. Despite these constraints, the first group of residents moved into new homes within 220 days of the disaster. Officials described the timeline as unusually fast for post-earthquake reconstruction. Pema Chungdak said support during the rebuilding process helped residents regain confidence. "The care and support from the Party and the government touched us deeply during such difficult times, and we are immensely grateful," she said. As the spring sun rises above the plateau, Tsakhor village stands as a beacon of courage and transformative progress; a new home for brighter beginnings. Pema Chungdak, resident of Tsakhor village of Sa'kya county, Xizang autonomous region, is busy preparing for the coming Losar New Year Festival in her newly built house. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn] Ahead of the Losar New Year Festival, which falls in two weeks, villagers try on newly bought Tibetan robes and jewelry in their new home in Sheychen village of Lhaze county, Xizang autonomous region. [Photo by Palden Nyima/chinadaily.com.cn] (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE:NET Get Free Report) CEO Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.77, for a total transaction of $10,202,831.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Matthew Prince also recently made the following trade(s): Get Cloudflare alerts: On Thursday, January 8th, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.47, for a total transaction of $9,925,196.48. On Friday, December 5th, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.23, for a total transaction of $10,541,232.32. On Wednesday, December 3rd, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.19, for a total value of $10,591,520.96. On Wednesday, November 19th, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.32, for a total value of $10,231,642.88. On Monday, November 17th, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.76, for a total value of $10,726,147.84. On Thursday, October 16th, Matthew Prince sold 52,277 shares of Cloudflare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.94, for a total value of $11,184,141.38. On Tuesday, October 14th, Matthew Prince sold 52,384 shares of Cloudflare stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.51, for a total value of $11,289,275.84. On Thursday, October 16th, Matthew Prince sold 107 shares of Cloudflare stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.79, for a total transaction of $23,624.53. Cloudflare Price Performance NYSE:NET opened at $186.91 on Friday. Cloudflare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $89.42 and a 12-month high of $260.00. The firm has a market cap of $65.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -623.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 133.40 and a beta of 1.96. The companys 50-day moving average is $206.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. Key Headlines Impacting Cloudflare Cloudflare ( NYSE:NET Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.04. Cloudflare had a negative net margin of 5.12% and a negative return on equity of 6.54%. The business had revenue of $562.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $544.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 30.7% on a year-over-year basis. Cloudflare has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.270-0.270 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 0.910-0.910 EPS. Research analysts expect that Cloudflare, Inc. will post -0.11 EPS for the current year. Here are the key news stories impacting Cloudflare this week: Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cloudflare Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reliant Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cloudflare by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Reliant Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,316 shares of the companys stock valued at $718,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cloudflare by 1.1% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,556 shares of the companys stock worth $892,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cloudflare by 1.8% during the third quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 2,821 shares of the companys stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Cloudflare by 22.8% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 280 shares of the companys stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cloudflare by 11.9% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 498 shares of the companys stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.68% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets NET has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Cloudflare from $199.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Cloudflare in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Cloudflare from $240.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Cloudflare from $249.00 to $220.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Cloudflare from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cloudflare has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $233.70. View Our Latest Stock Report on Cloudflare About Cloudflare (Get Free Report) Cloudflare, Inc is a global web infrastructure and security company that provides a suite of services designed to improve the performance, reliability and security of internet properties. Its core offerings include a content delivery network (CDN), distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, managed DNS, and a web application firewall (WAF). Cloudflare also provides tools for bot management, SSL/TLS, load balancing and rate limiting to help organizations maintain uptime and protect web applications from attack. In addition to traditional edge and security services, Cloudflare has expanded into edge computing and developer platforms. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cloudflare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cloudflare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Free Report) by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,644 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 9,263 shares during the quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $1,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 446.2% in the second quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 216.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 738 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in U.S. Bancorp by 846.5% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 814 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. 77.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get U.S. Bancorp alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets USB has been the subject of several recent research reports. HSBC reiterated a buy rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded U.S. Bancorp from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $52.50 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Bank of America boosted their target price on U.S. Bancorp from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated a positive rating on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $56.30. U.S. Bancorp Stock Up 1.2% Shares of U.S. Bancorp stock opened at $55.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $86.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.43. U.S. Bancorp has a 1 year low of $35.18 and a 1 year high of $56.19. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.11. U.S. Bancorp had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 16.89%.The business had revenue of $7.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. U.S. Bancorps quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current year. U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement The business 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 dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. U.S. Bancorps dividend payout ratio is currently 47.60%. Insider Buying and Selling at U.S. Bancorp In related news, EVP James L. Chosy sold 26,909 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.86, for a total transaction of $1,260,955.74. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 226,375 shares in the company, valued at $10,607,932.50. This trade represents a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andrew Cecere sold 140,445 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.34, for a total transaction of $6,508,221.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,360,414 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $63,041,584.76. The trade was a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. U.S. Bancorp Company Profile (Free Report) U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is a bank holding company and the parent of U.S. Bank, a national commercial bank that provides a wide range of banking, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services. The company operates through consumer and business banking, commercial banking, payment services, and wealth management segments. Its product set includes deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, credit and debit card services, treasury and cash management, merchant processing, and institutional and trust services. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for U.S. Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for U.S. Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. G&S Capital LLC bought a new position in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 11,930 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,211,000. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Citigroup during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. increased its holdings in Citigroup by 157.1% during the 2nd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 414 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Citigroup by 35.3% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 418 shares of the companys stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Citigroup in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 71.72% of the companys stock. Get Citigroup alerts: Citigroup News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week: Citigroup Price Performance Shares of NYSE C opened at $120.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.64. Citigroup Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.51 and a 1-year high of $124.17. The firm has a market cap of $215.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.18. Citigroup (NYSE:C Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.35. Citigroup had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 8.73%.The firm had revenue of $22.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year. Citigroup Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Citigroups payout ratio is 33.71%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In C has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Citigroup from $118.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $150.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Monday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $115.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Citigroup from $123.00 to $120.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Citigroup from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.94. Check Out Our Latest Report on Citigroup Citigroup Company Profile (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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding C? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Citigroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citigroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heidelberg Materials (OTCMKTS:HDLMY Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $55.02 and last traded at $54.10, with a volume of 2486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.25. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HDLMY. Zacks Research downgraded Heidelberg Materials from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Friday, December 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Heidelberg Materials from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Heidelberg Materials from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold. Get Heidelberg Materials alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on HDLMY Heidelberg Materials Trading Up 0.9% Heidelberg Materials Company Profile Heidelberg Materials (OTCMKTS: HDLMY) is a Germanybased multinational building materials company with a core focus on cement production, aggregates, readymixed concrete, asphalt, and other construction solutions. As one of the worlds leading cement producers, the company supplies essential raw and processed materials used in infrastructure, commercial, and residential construction projects. Its product portfolio also encompasses specialty cement, mineral additives, and tailored concrete technologies designed to meet diverse engineering and environmental requirements. Operating in more than 50 countries across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, Heidelberg Materials maintains an extensive network of production facilities and distribution channels. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Heidelberg Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Heidelberg Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HPP Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $9.76 and last traded at $9.8870, with a volume of 136235 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.08. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have commented on HPP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $16.50 target price on Hudson Pacific Properties and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Piper Sandler restated a neutral rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $11.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $21.00 to $15.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.31. Get Hudson Pacific Properties alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on Hudson Pacific Properties Hudson Pacific Properties Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.83 and a 200 day moving average of $16.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $524.24 million, a P/E ratio of -0.57 and a beta of 1.49. Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE:HPP Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $186.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $186.05 million. Hudson Pacific Properties had a negative return on equity of 16.24% and a negative net margin of 59.61%.Hudson Pacific Properties has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.010-0.050 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. will post 0.45 EPS for the current year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new stake in Hudson Pacific Properties during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Ethic Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Hudson Pacific Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 97.58% of the companys stock. Hudson Pacific Properties Company Profile (Get Free Report) Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) is a self-managed real estate investment trust focused on the acquisition, development and management of high-quality office and studio properties. The companys portfolio spans strategic West Coast markets in the United States and key markets in Canada, providing space for technology, media and creative companies as well as major film and television producers. As an owner and operator of both traditional office buildings and specialized production facilities, Hudson Pacific seeks to deliver stable income through long-term leases and strategic property enhancements. In its office segment, Hudson Pacific targets markets with strong job growth and limited supply, including Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Diego and Seattle, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hudson Pacific Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN Free Report) by 8.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,086,220 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 164,987 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 1.20% of Huntsman worth $18,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUN. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Huntsman by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 12,390 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Kelleher Financial Advisors grew its position in Huntsman by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors now owns 26,908 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Huntsman by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 599,296 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $9,463,000 after buying an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Huntsman by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 76,769 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 2,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Huntsman by 104.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,015 shares during the period. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Huntsman alerts: Huntsman Stock Performance Shares of NYSE HUN opened at $11.32 on Friday. Huntsman Corporation has a 52-week low of $7.30 and a 52-week high of $18.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.96 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $9.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.91. Huntsman Cuts Dividend Huntsman ( NYSE:HUN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.45 billion. Huntsman had a negative return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.Huntsmans revenue was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntsman Corporation will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.0875 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Huntsmans payout ratio is currently -18.42%. Analysts Set New Price Targets HUN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Huntsman from $8.50 to $9.50 and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. KeyCorp reiterated a sector weight rating on shares of Huntsman in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America restated an underperform rating and issued a $8.00 price objective (down previously from $9.00) on shares of Huntsman in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Alembic Global Advisors set a $11.00 target price on Huntsman in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Huntsman from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Huntsman presently has an average rating of Reduce and an average target price of $10.23. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on HUN About Huntsman (Free Report) Huntsman Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals with headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. Founded in 1970 by entrepreneur Jon Huntsman Sr., the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to establish a broad portfolio of products serving diverse end markets. Huntsman maintains a presence in more than 30 countries, operating manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. The company organizes its operations into several core business segments, including Polyurethanes, Performance Products, Advanced Materials, and Textile Effects. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HUN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Huntsman Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Huntsman and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of HUYA Inc. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:HUYA Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $3.02, but opened at $3.14. HUYA shares last traded at $3.1850, with a volume of 391,404 shares. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC raised shares of HUYA from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $3.50 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Hsbc Global Res raised HUYA from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of HUYA in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HUYA currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $3.50. Get HUYA alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on HUYA HUYA Price Performance The stock has a market capitalization of $798.68 million, a P/E ratio of -39.72 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $2.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.13. HUYA (NYSE:HUYA Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.01. HUYA had a positive return on equity of 0.73% and a negative net margin of 2.63%.The company had revenue of $215.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.34 EPS. HUYAs revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that HUYA Inc. Sponsored ADR will post 0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On HUYA Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of HUYA by 39.5% in the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 17,624 shares of the companys stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 4,993 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in HUYA by 327.0% during the 2nd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 10,273 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 7,867 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in HUYA by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 154,694 shares of the companys stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 14,456 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of HUYA by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 245,295 shares of the companys stock worth $817,000 after buying an additional 19,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of HUYA by 0.9% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,067,145 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,835,000 after buying an additional 27,582 shares during the period. 23.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. HUYA Company Profile (Get Free Report) HUYA Inc is a leading interactive live streaming platform based in Guangzhou, China, primarily focused on video game and esports content. The company operates a proprietary technology platform that enables users to broadcast and view live gameplay, participate in real-time chat, and engage with hosts through virtual gifting. Its services are accessible via web browsers, desktop applications and mobile apps for both iOS and Android. At the core of HUYAs business are user-generated live streams hosted by professional gamers, influencers and esports organizations. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for HUYA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HUYA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO Get Free Report) insider Imran Nawaz acquired 11,961 shares of Tesco stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 418 per share, with a total value of 49,996.98. Tesco Stock Performance TSCO traded down GBX 6.60 during trading hours on Friday, hitting GBX 415.50. The companys stock had a trading volume of 101,968,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 150,476,141. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 448.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 434.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 126.35. The firm has a market capitalization of 26.43 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.51. Tesco PLC has a fifty-two week low of GBX 310.30 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 480.90. Get Tesco alerts: Key Stories Impacting Tesco Here are the key news stories impacting Tesco this week: Positive Sentiment: Christmas sales lifted profit toward the top of Tescos 3.1bn guidance, with management saying festive trading boosted sales and market share this underpins the upgraded fiscal outlook. Article Title Christmas sales lifted profit toward the top of Tescos 3.1bn guidance, with management saying festive trading boosted sales and market share this underpins the upgraded fiscal outlook. Positive Sentiment: Tesco lifted its fiscal 2026 outlook after the strong Christmas performance, which is material for earnings expectations and supports valuation prospects. Article Title Tesco lifted its fiscal 2026 outlook after the strong Christmas performance, which is material for earnings expectations and supports valuation prospects. Positive Sentiment: Insider buying CEO Ken Murphy purchased 11,961 shares at an average of GBX 418 a signal of management confidence in the outlook. Article Title Insider buying CEO Ken Murphy purchased 11,961 shares at an average of GBX 418 a signal of management confidence in the outlook. Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary pieces are offering mixed takeaways: some note Tescos operational wins (market share, stronger sales) but highlight questions over longterm upside relative to peers. Article Title Analysts and commentary pieces are offering mixed takeaways: some note Tescos operational wins (market share, stronger sales) but highlight questions over longterm upside relative to peers. Negative Sentiment: Shares have slipped despite the upgraded outlook the market is concerned that share gains are being achieved at cost to margins and returns, tempering enthusiasm. Article Title Shares have slipped despite the upgraded outlook the market is concerned that share gains are being achieved at cost to margins and returns, tempering enthusiasm. Negative Sentiment: Commentary flags mixed UK consumer sentiment and questions over whether marketshare gains are sustainable without margin pressure investors may be pricing in slower margin recovery. Article Title Commentary flags mixed UK consumer sentiment and questions over whether marketshare gains are sustainable without margin pressure investors may be pricing in slower margin recovery. Negative Sentiment: Deeper analysis warns that Tescos marketshare strategy could come at a cost to profitability, which may limit upside for the stock until margin trends are clearer. Article Title Analyst Ratings Changes TSCO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 440 target price on shares of Tesco in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Tesco from GBX 470 to GBX 495 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Tesco from GBX 450 to GBX 500 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Tesco presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 473.75. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on TSCO About Tesco (Get Free Report) Tesco was built to be a champion for customers, serving them every day with affordable, healthy and sustainable food. Our commitment to our customers extends beyond our stores, and into every community we serve in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. We invest in communities to help them thrive, through supporting schools and childrens groups, food banks and other good causes. In challenging times, our purpose has guided every part of the Group. Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day is what we do. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Tesco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tesco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Flowco Holdings Inc. (NYSE:FLOC Get Free Report) EVP Chad Roberts sold 7,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.32, for a total transaction of $142,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 194,398 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,755,769.36. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Chad Roberts also recently made the following trade(s): Get Flowco alerts: On Thursday, January 8th, Chad Roberts sold 23,428 shares of Flowco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.34, for a total transaction of $453,097.52. On Wednesday, January 7th, Chad Roberts sold 72 shares of Flowco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.30, for a total transaction of $1,389.60. On Friday, December 12th, Chad Roberts sold 9,253 shares of Flowco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.30, for a total transaction of $178,582.90. On Thursday, December 4th, Chad Roberts sold 19,457 shares of Flowco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.62, for a total value of $362,289.34. On Wednesday, November 5th, Chad Roberts sold 55,173 shares of Flowco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.26, for a total value of $1,007,458.98. Flowco Trading Up 4.2% Shares of NYSE:FLOC opened at $19.48 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $17.60 and its 200 day moving average is $16.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Flowco Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.03 and a 1 year high of $30.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion and a P/E ratio of 6.49. Flowco Announces Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Flowcos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.67%. FLOC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Flowco in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an overweight rating on shares of Flowco in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Flowco in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Flowco from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $29.20. Get Our Latest Stock Report on FLOC Institutional Investors Weigh In On Flowco Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FLOC. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Flowco by 95.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,643 shares of the companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Flowco during the first quarter worth about $92,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Flowco by 183.6% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,667 shares of the companys stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 2,374 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE acquired a new position in Flowco in the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in Flowco by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 4,785 shares of the companys stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317 shares in the last quarter. Flowco Company Profile (Get Free Report) We are a leading provider of production optimization, artificial lift and methane abatement solutions for the oil and natural gas industry. Our products and services include a full range of equipment and technology solutions that enable our customers to efficiently and cost-effectively maximize the profitability and economic lifespan of the production phase of their operations. Our principal products and services are organized into two business segments: (i) Production Solutions; and (ii) Natural Gas Technologies. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Flowco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Flowco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA Get Free Report) EVP Amber Fairbanks sold 233 shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.50, for a total value of $31,804.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,799 shares in the company, valued at $518,563.50. This trade represents a 5.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Amber Fairbanks also recently made the following trade(s): Get Mid-America Apartment Communities alerts: On Thursday, January 8th, Amber Fairbanks sold 185 shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.98, for a total value of $24,971.30. Mid-America Apartment Communities Trading Up 2.7% Shares of MAA opened at $138.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.75 and a 1 year high of $173.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.31. The firm has a market cap of $16.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.78. Mid-America Apartment Communities Increases Dividend Mid-America Apartment Communities ( NYSE:MAA Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.01). Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 9.14% and a net margin of 25.23%.The company had revenue of $554.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $557.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. Mid-America Apartment Communitiess quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Mid-America Apartment Communities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.680-8.800 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.170-2.290 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $1.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This is a positive change from Mid-America Apartment Communitiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.52. This represents a $6.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Mid-America Apartment Communitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 128.39%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MAA shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $169.00 to $164.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. BTIG Research reiterated a buy rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Scotiabank lowered shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating and cut their target price for the company from $146.00 to $142.00 in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $155.00. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MAA Institutional Trading of Mid-America Apartment Communities Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MAA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the second quarter valued at approximately $795,893,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Mid-America Apartment Communities by 33.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 30,112 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,457,000 after acquiring an additional 7,481 shares in the last quarter. Barings LLC bought a new stake in Mid-America Apartment Communities during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,268,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 85.5% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 28,639 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,002,000 after acquiring an additional 13,198 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,156,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.60% of the companys stock. About Mid-America Apartment Communities (Get Free Report) Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc (NYSE: MAA) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the acquisition, development, redevelopment and operation of multifamily residential properties. The company focuses on high-barrier-to-entry apartment communities, offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes designed to meet the needs of diverse renter demographics. Its integrated business model encompasses property management, leasing, maintenance and customer service, providing residents with a comprehensive living experience under one ownership platform. MAAs portfolio comprises more than 100 communities and over 40,000 apartment homes across key Sun Belt markets. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Mid-America Apartment Communities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mid-America Apartment Communities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Regional Management Corp. (NYSE:RM Get Free Report) major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 7,968 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.93, for a total value of $310,194.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,077,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,932,670.90. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC. Fund L.P. Forager also recently made the following trade(s): Get Regional Management alerts: On Tuesday, January 6th, Fund L.P. Forager sold 7,576 shares of Regional Management stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total transaction of $294,554.88. On Monday, January 5th, Fund L.P. Forager sold 8,827 shares of Regional Management stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.09, for a total transaction of $353,874.43. Regional Management Price Performance RM opened at $38.97 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.83. Regional Management Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $25.41 and a fifty-two week high of $46.00. The company has a market cap of $378.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 1.07. Regional Management Announces Dividend Regional Management ( NYSE:RM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The credit services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $165.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $162.84 million. Regional Management had a net margin of 6.57% and a return on equity of 11.43%. As a group, analysts expect that Regional Management Corp. will post 4.7 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Regional Managements payout ratio is 29.06%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regional Management Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Regional Management by 41.1% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 947 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Regional Management by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Regional Management by 2.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,200 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $487,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Regional Management by 9.7% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,824 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Regional Management by 3.6% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,455 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. 98.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have issued reports on RM shares. Zacks Research upgraded Regional Management from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Regional Management in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Regional Management from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Regional Management currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $30.00. Get Our Latest Analysis on Regional Management Regional Management Company Profile (Get Free Report) Regional Management Corp., headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a consumer finance company specializing in installment loan products for underbanked individuals. Since its founding in 1977, the company has developed a network of field-based branches alongside a digital platform to offer credit solutions in rural and small-town markets across the United States. The companys core offerings include consumer installment loans for everyday purchases, auto refinancing and lease buyouts, as well as ancillary services such as insurance referrals. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Regional Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Regional Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Family Capital Trust Co trimmed its stake in iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (BATS:IEFA Free Report) by 11.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 158,168 shares of the companys stock after selling 19,980 shares during the period. iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF makes up approximately 4.6% of Family Capital Trust Cos holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Family Capital Trust Cos holdings in iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $13,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of IEFA. Denver PWM LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Denver PWM LLC now owns 29,189 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,437,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF by 4.4% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,830 shares of the companys stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF by 0.6% in the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 21,171 shares of the companys stock worth $1,848,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF by 1.2% in the second quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 10,498 shares of the companys stock worth $876,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Allium Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF by 4.5% in the second quarter. Allium Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the companys stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF alerts: iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF Price Performance IEFA stock opened at $91.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 0.84. iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF has a 52-week low of $66.95 and a 52-week high of $87.36. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $88.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.69. About iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF The iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI EAFE IMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of developed-market stocks in Europe, Australasia and the Far East, and excludes North America IEFA was launched on Oct 18, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IEFA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (BATS:IEFA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:INTF Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $38.74 and last traded at $38.6780, with a volume of 20110 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.55. iShares International Equity Factor ETF Stock Performance The firm has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 14.00 and a beta of 0.81. The firms 50-day moving average is $37.16 and its 200 day moving average is $35.90. Get iShares International Equity Factor ETF alerts: Institutional Trading of iShares International Equity Factor ETF Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,454 shares of the companys stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 2.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 30,538 shares of the companys stock worth $942,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 199.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 300,988 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,282,000 after buying an additional 200,583 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 0.9% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 74,730 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,305,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in iShares International Equity Factor ETF by 1.8% during the first quarter. Strategic Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,657,795 shares of the companys stock worth $267,006,000 after acquiring an additional 151,082 shares during the last quarter. About iShares International Equity Factor ETF The iShares International Equity Factor ETF (INTF) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX International Equity Factor index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap equities in developed markets outside the US. Stocks are selected and weighted to maximize exposure to five factors: momentum, quality, value, low volatility, and size. INTF was launched on Apr 28, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for iShares International Equity Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares International Equity Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,907 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $872,000. A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DE. Southland Equity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 534 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Deere & Company by 1.9% in the second quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 3.0% during the second quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 676 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 964 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Deere & Company by 4.0% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 544 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the companys stock. Get Deere & Company alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $460.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $512.00 to $531.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $524.20. Deere & Company Trading Up 5.5% Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $501.27 on Friday. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $403.01 and a 52-week high of $533.78. The stock has a market cap of $135.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $474.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $482.26. Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($0.03). Deere & Company had a net margin of 11.00% and a return on equity of 20.54%. The firm had revenue of $12.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.55 EPS. Deere & Companys quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year. Deere & Company Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Deere & Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 35.01%. Insider Activity In related news, CEO John C. May II sold 11,106 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.08, for a total transaction of $5,553,888.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 112,453 shares in the company, valued at $56,235,496.24. The trade was a 8.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. About Deere & Company (Free Report) Deere & Company, commonly known by its brand John Deere, is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction and forestry machinery, as well as turf care equipment and power systems. Founded in 1837 by blacksmith John Deerewho developed a polished steel plow to improve tillage in tough prairie soilsthe company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois, and has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in equipment manufacturing worldwide. The companys principal businesses include a broad portfolio of agricultural equipment such as tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, harvesters and tillage implements, complemented by precision agriculture technologies and telematics that support farm management, yield optimization and equipment connectivity. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Deere & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deere & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $4.26, but opened at $4.16. LG Display shares last traded at $4.1550, with a volume of 145,384 shares. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LPL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of LG Display in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised LG Display from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of LG Display from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LG Display presently has an average rating of Reduce. Get LG Display alerts: Read Our Latest Report on LG Display LG Display Price Performance The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.36. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.89, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. LG Display (NYSE:LPL Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The electronics maker reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter. LG Display had a negative net margin of 2.25% and a negative return on equity of 7.60%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that LG Display Co., Ltd. will post 0.59 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On LG Display Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LG Display by 14.6% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,125 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 2,060 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC raised its position in LG Display by 21.4% during the third quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 13,002 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 2,296 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in LG Display by 29.5% in the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 18,690 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 4,259 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its position in LG Display by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 17,697 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 4,298 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co. boosted its position in LG Display by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 18,576 shares of the electronics makers stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares during the period. About LG Display (Get Free Report) LG Display Co, Ltd., headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, is a global manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. The company designs and produces display solutions for a wide range of applications, including televisions, desktop monitors, notebook computers, tablets, smartphones, signage and automotive screens. Its product offerings span large-screen television modules, ultra-high definition monitors, flexible and transparent OLED displays, and specialized industrial panels. LG Display operates a network of production facilities and research centers across Asia, including major manufacturing sites in Paju and Gumi, South Korea, as well as Wuhan, China. See Also Receive News & Ratings for LG Display Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LG Display and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HS Management Partners LLC increased its position in shares of McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report) by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,062 shares of the fast-food giants stock after acquiring an additional 29,648 shares during the period. McDonalds comprises 4.9% of HS Management Partners LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. HS Management Partners LLCs holdings in McDonalds were worth $37,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonalds during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonalds in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonalds in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonalds during the second quarter worth $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get McDonald's alerts: McDonalds News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting McDonalds this week: Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More. Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a hold with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More. TD Cowen maintained a hold with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More. Positive Sentiment: McDonalds announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokemon Happy Meals and returning Pokemon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More. McDonalds announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokemon Happy Meals and returning Pokemon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Specific marketing promosPokemon Happy Meals and collectible cardsare confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More. Specific marketing promosPokemon Happy Meals and collectible cardsare confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: McDonalds is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More. McDonalds is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonalds grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More. Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonalds grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More. Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Follow-up reporting details the suits ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More. Follow-up reporting details the suits ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Unions accuse McDonalds of repeated harassment of largely teenage stafflabor and PR headwinds that could increase scrutiny and potential costs if organizing or fines follow. Read More. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $372.00 target price on shares of McDonalds in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on McDonalds from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on McDonalds from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of McDonalds from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of McDonalds in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a sector perform rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen 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 price target of $328.68. Check Out Our Latest Report on McDonalds Insider Transactions at McDonalds In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonalds stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 over the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. McDonalds Stock Up 1.6% Shares of MCD opened at $308.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $220.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.53. McDonalds Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $307.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.66. McDonalds (NYSE:MCD Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonalds Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. McDonalds Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.86 dividend. This is a boost from McDonaldss previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonaldss payout ratio is currently 63.48%. McDonalds Profile (Free Report) 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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for McDonald's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for McDonald's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 310,665 shares of the companys stock after selling 16,779 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the companys stock. Get Merck & Co. Inc. alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc. In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $113.25. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week: Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and kept a buy rating, signaling meaningful upside and lending near-term buy-side conviction. UBS Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck UBS raised its price target on MRK to $130 and kept a buy rating, signaling meaningful upside and lending near-term buy-side conviction. Positive Sentiment: Reports that Merck is in talks to acquire cancer biotech Revolution Medicines (FT/Reuters) have been interpreted as strategic M&A that could expand Mercks oncology pipeline and revenue optionality. Merck in talks to buy Revolution Medicines Reports that Merck is in talks to acquire cancer biotech Revolution Medicines (FT/Reuters) have been interpreted as strategic M&A that could expand Mercks oncology pipeline and revenue optionality. Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades continue: Wolfe Research moved MRK from peer perform to outperform with a $135 target, reinforcing the bullish analyst momentum that supports higher valuations. Analyst upgrade coverage Analyst upgrades continue: Wolfe Research moved MRK from peer perform to outperform with a $135 target, reinforcing the bullish analyst momentum that supports higher valuations. Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target (to $110) but maintained a neutral rating a modest tweak that offers limited directional guidance compared with the UBS/Wolfe moves. Citigroup Forecasts for Merck Citigroup raised its price target (to $110) but maintained a neutral rating a modest tweak that offers limited directional guidance compared with the UBS/Wolfe moves. Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup and positive coverage pieces (e.g., Benzingas 10-analyst summary, Zacks growth-feature) are increasing attention on MRK but largely echo the same drivers: pipeline strength, strong cash flows and health-care sector tailwinds. Analysts share their views Analyst roundup and positive coverage pieces (e.g., Benzingas 10-analyst summary, Zacks growth-feature) are increasing attention on MRK but largely echo the same drivers: pipeline strength, strong cash flows and health-care sector tailwinds. Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/public-health risk: Merck urged any U.S. childhood immunization schedule changes be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universally recommended shots a development that could introduce uncertainty for vaccine uptake and revenue if recommendations shift. Merck urges science-led vaccine schedule Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.1% MRK opened at $110.91 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average of $88.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $112.90. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year. Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.91%. Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report) Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health. Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Global X MSCI Argentina ETF (NYSEARCA:ARGT Free Report) by 14.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,241 shares of the companys stock after selling 11,766 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC owned 0.87% of Global X MSCI Argentina ETF worth $4,900,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Global X MSCI Argentina ETF by 1,074.1% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 230,361 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,518,000 after purchasing an additional 210,741 shares during the period. Breakout Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in Global X MSCI Argentina ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $16,336,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Global X MSCI Argentina ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $5,920,000. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Global X MSCI Argentina ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $3,580,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Global X MSCI Argentina ETF during the 1st quarter worth $4,131,000. Get Global X MSCI Argentina ETF alerts: Global X MSCI Argentina ETF Price Performance ARGT stock opened at $94.02 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $91.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.20. The company has a market capitalization of $776.61 million, a P/E ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 1.10. Global X MSCI Argentina ETF has a 1-year low of $66.49 and a 1-year high of $96.58. Global X MSCI Argentina ETF Profile The Global X MSCI Argentina ETF (ARGT) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI All Argentina 25\u002F50 index. The fund tracks a narrow index of companies with Argentine economic linkages that are selected and weighted by market cap. ARGT was launched on Mar 2, 2011 and is managed by Global X. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ARGT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Global X MSCI Argentina ETF (NYSEARCA:ARGT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Global X MSCI Argentina ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Global X MSCI Argentina ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG Free Report) by 5.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 644,807 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 31,743 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up about 0.4% of Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $99,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 20,535 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,155,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 9.0% during the third quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,336 shares of the companys stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Invested Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at approximately $496,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the third quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,611 shares of the companys stock worth $1,477,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.9% in the third quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,427 shares of the companys stock worth $2,217,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Procter & Gamble alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes PG has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $174.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $158.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Procter & Gamble from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $150.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $169.23. Procter & Gamble Stock Up 2.6% Shares of PG stock opened at $141.57 on Friday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $145.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.70. Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $137.62 and a 1-year high of $179.99. The company has a market cap of $330.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $22.23 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.63% and a net margin of 19.74%.The firms revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.93 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.100 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 24th were given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 24th. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is currently 61.75%. Trending Headlines about Procter & Gamble Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week: Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble In other Procter & Gamble news, CAO Matthew W. Janzaruk sold 725 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.57, for a total value of $108,438.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 979 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $146,429.03. This trade represents a 42.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. Procter & Gamble Company Profile (Free Report) Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the worlds largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide. P&Gs product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO Free Report) by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 160,794 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after buying an additional 23,859 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Valero Energy were worth $27,377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 58,722 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $7,755,000 after buying an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,548 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $264,000. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,139,380 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $282,548,000 after purchasing an additional 43,786 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the companys stock. Get Valero Energy alerts: Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week: Valero Energy Trading Up 4.1% Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $191.46 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average is $172.65 and its 200-day moving average is $159.00. The stock has a market cap of $58.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $192.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year. Valero Energy Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.36%. Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $223.00 to $217.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $183.00. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Valero Energy Valero Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texasbased integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The companys operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers. In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VLO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Valero Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valero Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 573,647 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 99,935 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $38,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Kercheville Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.7% in the third quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the companys stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,781 shares of the companys stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Altria Group by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,816 shares of the companys stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 26,335 shares of the companys stock worth $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Bar Harbor Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 5,656 shares of the companys stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the companys stock. Get Altria Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Altria Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $63.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $62.56. Altria Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $55.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $93.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.47. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $57.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.50. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.08 and a 12 month high of $68.60. Altria Group (NYSE:MO Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.Altria Groups revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year. Altria Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors 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 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 80.92%. Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued. 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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 30.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,552 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 8,022 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $27,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GS. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,800.0% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 38 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the third quarter valued at $26,000. First PREMIER Bank purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 40 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GS shares. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $685.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $725.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $762.00 to $805.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $855.00 to $970.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $752.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $849.61. The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Down 0.7% GS opened at $934.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $280.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.33. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a one year low of $439.38 and a one year high of $961.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $849.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $781.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.27 by $1.98. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 13.18%.The company had revenue of $15.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.40 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $4.00 per share. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.50%. The Goldman Sachs Group News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting The Goldman Sachs Group this week: Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target sharply (to $1,048) and kept an Overweight rating, signaling strong buy-side support that can underpin the stock. Barclays Boosts GS Price Target Barclays raised its price target sharply (to $1,048) and kept an Overweight rating, signaling strong buy-side support that can underpin the stock. Positive Sentiment: Goldman Alternatives led a large Series C financing in which GS participated (Beacon Therapeutics), highlighting growth in its alternatives and advisory franchise a structural positive for fee revenues. Beacon Therapeutics Financing Goldman Alternatives led a large Series C financing in which GS participated (Beacon Therapeutics), highlighting growth in its alternatives and advisory franchise a structural positive for fee revenues. Neutral Sentiment: Goldman research remains active across markets (raising targets on names like Reliance, TSMC, Rivian and offering macro outlooks). This demonstrates strong institutional flow and research relevance but is indirectly supportive rather than an immediate earnings driver. Reliance Target Raised Goldman research remains active across markets (raising targets on names like Reliance, TSMC, Rivian and offering macro outlooks). This demonstrates strong institutional flow and research relevance but is indirectly supportive rather than an immediate earnings driver. Neutral Sentiment: Goldmans market commentary (lower-but-attractive returns, sector rotation themes) frames the broader market backdrop but does not directly change GSs near-term fundamentals. Market Returns Forecast Goldmans market commentary (lower-but-attractive returns, sector rotation themes) frames the broader market backdrop but does not directly change GSs near-term fundamentals. Negative Sentiment: Analysts and models expect weaker quarter-over-quarter earnings for GS, and some coverage warns GS lacks the setup for an earnings beat raising the risk of a disappointing print that would pressure the stock. Analysts Expect Earnings Decline Analysts and models expect weaker quarter-over-quarter earnings for GS, and some coverage warns GS lacks the setup for an earnings beat raising the risk of a disappointing print that would pressure the stock. Negative Sentiment: Commentary flags that CEO David Solomon faces the task of managing earnings volatility as capital markets activity can swing results a governance/operational risk investors monitor heading into results. CEO Faces Earnings Volatility Commentary flags that CEO David Solomon faces the task of managing earnings volatility as capital markets activity can swing results a governance/operational risk investors monitor heading into results. Negative Sentiment: Recent moves (e.g., Apple Card transition to JPMorgan) produce one-time accounting effects: Goldman expects a ~ $0.46-per-share boost from reserve releases but also markdowns and reduced future card revenue netting mixed near-term earnings impact and ongoing structural contraction in that consumer line. Apple Card Transition Details The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc is a global investment banking and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1869 as a commercial paper business, the company has grown into a diversified financial institution that provides a broad range of services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. The firm is led by Chief Executive Officer David M. Solomon and operates across major financial centers worldwide. Goldman Sachs core businesses include investment banking, global markets, asset and wealth management, and consumer banking. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 366,186 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 84,905 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $30,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,656,000. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $364,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 3,394,260 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $271,948,000 after purchasing an additional 604,930 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $10,729,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.90% of the companys stock. Get Wells Fargo & Company alerts: Key Headlines Impacting Wells Fargo & Company Here are the key news stories impacting Wells Fargo & Company this week: Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on WFC to $102 (still a hold), signaling modest upside and helping lift sentiment; this follows other Cowen commentary framing upside for the stock. TD Cowen price-target note TD Cowen raised its price target on WFC to $102 (still a hold), signaling modest upside and helping lift sentiment; this follows other Cowen commentary framing upside for the stock. Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen and other bullish takes highlighted potential price appreciation for WFC, keeping the stock on investors buy/hold radars. TD Cowen forecast TD Cowen and other bullish takes highlighted potential price appreciation for WFC, keeping the stock on investors buy/hold radars. Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha preview upgraded the narrative on WFCcalling the rerating largely complete and raising an implied target to $110, emphasizing that consistent execution and fee-growth could justify a higher multiple. Seeking Alpha preview A Seeking Alpha preview upgraded the narrative on WFCcalling the rerating largely complete and raising an implied target to $110, emphasizing that consistent execution and fee-growth could justify a higher multiple. Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other pieces note Wells Fargos strong history of earnings surprises and expectations for continued earnings growth ahead of the upcoming print, supporting a constructive near-term outlook. Zacks earnings-beat note Zacks and other pieces note Wells Fargos strong history of earnings surprises and expectations for continued earnings growth ahead of the upcoming print, supporting a constructive near-term outlook. Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo confirmed its Q4 2025 earnings release date for Jan. 14 a key catalyst that could drive intraday volatility around the print. Earnings date release Wells Fargo confirmed its Q4 2025 earnings release date for Jan. 14 a key catalyst that could drive intraday volatility around the print. Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo research teams remain active publishing sector notes (AI-driven software picks, ideas on Walmart and Nucor) and macro calls such as an expected December CPI bounce; these underscore franchise research revenue but are indirect drivers of WFC equity performance. Wells Fargo research (AI/software) Wells Fargo research teams remain active publishing sector notes (AI-driven software picks, ideas on Walmart and Nucor) and macro calls such as an expected December CPI bounce; these underscore franchise research revenue but are indirect drivers of WFC equity performance. Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird cut WFC to Strong Sell and reiterated an Underperform view in separate notes, increasing downside risk and creating near-term pressure from investors who follow Bairds guidance. Baird strong-sell cut Robert W. Baird cut WFC to Strong Sell and reiterated an Underperform view in separate notes, increasing downside risk and creating near-term pressure from investors who follow Bairds guidance. Negative Sentiment: Market reports highlighted a recent sharper-than-market intraday dip in WFC shares, reflecting short-term volatility and sensitivity to analyst headlines and macro updates. Zacks on recent dip Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance Shares of WFC stock opened at $95.64 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average is $89.56 and its 200 day moving average is $84.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $300.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.09. Wells Fargo & Company has a 12 month low of $58.42 and a 12 month high of $97.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.18. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The business had revenue of $21.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. Wells Fargo & Companys revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year. Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.61%. Analyst Ratings Changes WFC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday. Dbs Bank raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a moderate buy rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Cowen reissued a hold rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an outperform rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $93.91. Read Our Latest Stock Report on WFC Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile (Free Report) Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, U.S.-based financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, the firm has evolved from its origins in express delivery and pioneer-era banking into one of the largest full-service banks in the United States. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individual, small business, commercial, and institutional clients. Charles W. Scharf serves as chief executive officer. Wells Fargo operates across several core business segments, including consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Wells Fargo & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wells Fargo & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET Free Report) by 32.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,788 shares of the technology companys stock after purchasing an additional 28,742 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Arista Networks were worth $17,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Arista Networks in the second quarter valued at $1,228,177,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 193.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,065,054 shares of the technology companys stock worth $721,342,000 after acquiring an additional 4,656,021 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Arista Networks in the 2nd quarter worth about $247,451,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in Arista Networks by 123.0% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 3,068,064 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $313,894,000 after acquiring an additional 1,692,467 shares during the period. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Arista Networks by 102.1% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,086,504 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $239,142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559,453 shares during the period. 82.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Arista Networks alerts: Arista Networks Trading Down 4.9% Shares of ANET opened at $123.77 on Friday. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.43 and a 12 month high of $164.94. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $131.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.44. The company has a market cap of $155.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.41. Insider Transactions at Arista Networks Arista Networks ( NYSE:ANET Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.26 billion. Arista Networks had a net margin of 39.73% and a return on equity of 30.28%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 27.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.40 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year. In other Arista Networks news, insider Kenneth Duda sold 30,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total transaction of $3,694,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 12,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,124.16. This trade represents a 69.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles H. Giancarlo sold 8,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.79, for a total transaction of $1,070,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,784 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,379,321.36. The trade was a 31.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 216,464 shares of company stock worth $28,488,988 in the last 90 days. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ANET shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $171.00 to $159.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Arista Networks from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Arista Networks from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group restated a buy rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Arista Networks from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $164.44. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Arista Networks Arista Networks Company Profile (Free Report) Arista Networks, Inc is a technology company that designs and sells cloud networking solutions for large-scale data centers and enterprise environments. The company is best known for its high-performance switching and routing platforms, which are used to build scalable, low-latency networks for cloud service providers, internet companies, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise IT. Aristas offerings emphasize programmability, automation and telemetry to support modern, software-driven network architectures. Central to Aristas product portfolio is its Extensible Operating System (EOS), a modular network operating system that provides consistent programmability, stateful control and advanced visibility across the companys hardware platforms. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ANET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Arista Networks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arista Networks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Ouster, Inc. (NYSE:OUST Get Free Report) rose 7.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $30.20 and last traded at $29.6710. Approximately 1,023,603 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 1,821,188 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.68. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Northland Securities set a $38.00 target price on Ouster in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $33.00 price target on Ouster in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Ouster in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Westpark Capital reiterated a buy rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Ouster in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ouster from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ouster presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $32.17. Get Ouster alerts: Read Our Latest Report on Ouster Ouster Stock Up 2.7% Insider Buying and Selling at Ouster The firm has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.11 and a beta of 2.93. The firms 50 day moving average is $23.63 and its 200 day moving average is $26.85. In related news, Director Ted L. Tewksbury III sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.47, for a total value of $36,391.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 123,664 shares in the company, valued at $2,655,066.08. This trade represents a 1.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Megan Chung sold 5,837 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.02, for a total value of $181,063.74. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 197,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,117,112.98. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,227 shares of company stock valued at $260,474. Corporate insiders own 6.63% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ouster A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ouster by 2,532.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ouster by 153.3% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,211 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ouster by 8,823.5% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,517 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. North Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ouster by 102.7% in the second quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the companys stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Finally, Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ouster by 400.0% in the second quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the companys stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 2,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.45% of the companys stock. About Ouster (Get Free Report) Ouster, Inc is a leading provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors, software and services designed to enable advanced perception capabilities across a range of industries. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company develops modular lidar solutions that capture precise three-dimensional data in real time, supporting applications from autonomous vehicles and robotics to mapping, smart infrastructure and industrial automation. The companys core product lineup features multi-beam digital lidar units available in various form factors, including compact models for robotics and drones and larger units for automotive and mapping systems. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Ouster Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ouster and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Representative David Rouzer (R-North Carolina) recently sold shares of The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA). In a filing disclosed on January 07th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Boeing stock on December 9th. The trade occurred in the Representatives INTERACTIVE BROKERS LLC account. Boeing Price Performance BA opened at $227.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $172.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 1.16. The firms fifty day moving average price is $203.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.53. The Boeing Company has a 1 year low of $128.88 and a 1 year high of $242.69. Get Boeing alerts: Boeing (NYSE:BA Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The aircraft producer reported ($7.47) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.51) by ($6.96). The business had revenue of $23.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.61 billion. The firms revenue was up 30.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($10.44) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Boeing Company will post -2.58 EPS for the current year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Boeing Insider Activity at Boeing Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wallace Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Boeing by 1.2% during the second quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,570 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Boeing by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,943 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC increased its position in Boeing by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 3,072 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Blue Barn Wealth LLC increased its position in Boeing by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 2,594 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $544,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Boeing by 3.1% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,540 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $332,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.82% of the companys stock. In related news, EVP Uma M. Amuluru sold 1,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.66, for a total value of $270,003.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,656 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,896,904.96. This trade represents a 8.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Dana S. Deasy acquired 554 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $178.88 per share, for a total transaction of $99,099.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president directly owned 28,442 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,087,704.96. The trade was a 1.99% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $255.00 price target on Boeing in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Loop Capital set a $223.00 price objective on Boeing in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Boeing in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Tigress Financial reiterated a buy rating and set a $275.00 target price on shares of Boeing in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Boeing in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an underperform rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Boeing presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $235.33. View Our Latest Report on Boeing About Representative Rouzer David Rouzer (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing North Carolinas 7th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Rouzer (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolinas 7th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024. Rouzer earned his B.A. in agricultural business management, agricultural economics, and chemistry from North Carolina State University in 1994. Rouzer is a former employee of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. He has also worked as an associate administrator/rural administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture and has owned The Rouzer Company. About Boeing (Get Free Report) Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense systems, and space and security technologies. Founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, the company today operates as an integrated aerospace and defense contractor with a global customer base. Boeing relocated its corporate headquarters to Arlington, Virginia in 2022 and maintains extensive engineering, manufacturing and service operations across the United States and around the world. Boeings principal lines of business include Commercial Airplanes, which produces and supports a range of jetliners used by airlines globally; Defense, Space & Security, which develops military aircraft, rotorcraft, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, satellites, and launch and missile systems; and Boeing Global Services, which provides aftermarket maintenance, training, spare parts, digital analytics and logistics support. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Boeing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boeing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR Get Free Report) (TSE:QSR) insider Axel Schwan sold 2,187 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.44, for a total value of $147,491.28. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 164,653 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,104,198.32. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Axel Schwan also recently made the following trade(s): Get Restaurant Brands International alerts: On Monday, December 15th, Axel Schwan sold 5,860 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.87, for a total value of $415,298.20. On Monday, December 15th, Axel Schwan sold 5,860 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.87, for a total value of $415,298.20. Restaurant Brands International Price Performance Shares of NYSE QSR opened at $68.66 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.32. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.71 and a 1-year high of $73.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $22.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.59. Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend Restaurant Brands International ( NYSE:QSR Get Free Report ) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.39 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 32.43%. Restaurant Brands Internationals revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 23rd. Restaurant Brands Internationals payout ratio is 88.26%. Restaurant Brands International News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week: Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target for QSR to $86 and kept an overweight rating, signaling analyst confidence in upside vs. the current price; this is a nearterm catalyst for buy-side interest. Read More. Barclays raised its price target for QSR to $86 and kept an overweight rating, signaling analyst confidence in upside vs. the current price; this is a nearterm catalyst for buy-side interest. Read More. Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a buy on QSR, adding another institutional endorsement that can support demand for the shares. Read More. BMO Capital issued a buy on QSR, adding another institutional endorsement that can support demand for the shares. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Industry/analyst sentiment appears broadly bullish a recent roundup shows roughly 60% of analysts positive on QSR with a median target near $77.50, implying upside from current levels. That analyst breadth supports the recent price strength. Read More. Industry/analyst sentiment appears broadly bullish a recent roundup shows roughly 60% of analysts positive on QSR with a median target near $77.50, implying upside from current levels. That analyst breadth supports the recent price strength. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including the CEO and CFO, sold shares on Jan. 7 (collective disclosed sales ~13.7k shares across executives). While insider sales can be routine (diversification or option exercises), clustered sales from several senior execs can weigh on sentiment. Representative SEC filing: Read More. Multiple insiders, including the CEO and CFO, sold shares on Jan. 7 (collective disclosed sales ~13.7k shares across executives). While insider sales can be routine (diversification or option exercises), clustered sales from several senior execs can weigh on sentiment. Representative SEC filing: Read More. Negative Sentiment: Rising U.S. beef costs are pressuring Burger King U.S. margins in the near term, per analyst notes a potential headwind to QSRs near-term profitability even if management calls the cost cycle temporary. Monitor margin and commodity-cost commentary in upcoming reports. Read More. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the first quarter valued at $237,000. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 1st quarter worth about $648,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 197.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 711,953 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $47,445,000 after buying an additional 472,827 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 12,198 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $808,000 after acquiring an additional 714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 116,300 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $7,699,000 after acquiring an additional 8,900 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth QSR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Citigroup raised their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Northcoast Research lowered Restaurant Brands International from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned 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 $76.18. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Restaurant Brands International Restaurant Brands International Company Profile (Get Free Report) Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The companys principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands Internationals business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs. RBIs restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Restaurant Brands International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Restaurant Brands International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR Get Free Report) (TSE:QSR) insider Jeffrey Housman sold 1,483 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.44, for a total value of $100,013.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 148,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,986,919.84. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Jeffrey Housman also recently made the following trade(s): Get Restaurant Brands International alerts: On Monday, December 15th, Jeffrey Housman sold 5,835 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.87, for a total transaction of $413,526.45. Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 1.8% QSR stock opened at $68.66 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.59. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.71 and a 12 month high of $73.70. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $69.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Restaurant Brands International Dividend Announcement Restaurant Brands International ( NYSE:QSR Get Free Report ) (TSE:QSR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 32.43%. The firms revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 23rd. Restaurant Brands Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.26%. More Restaurant Brands International News Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week: Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target for QSR to $86 and kept an overweight rating, signaling analyst confidence in upside vs. the current price; this is a nearterm catalyst for buy-side interest. Read More. Barclays raised its price target for QSR to $86 and kept an overweight rating, signaling analyst confidence in upside vs. the current price; this is a nearterm catalyst for buy-side interest. Read More. Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a buy on QSR, adding another institutional endorsement that can support demand for the shares. Read More. BMO Capital issued a buy on QSR, adding another institutional endorsement that can support demand for the shares. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Industry/analyst sentiment appears broadly bullish a recent roundup shows roughly 60% of analysts positive on QSR with a median target near $77.50, implying upside from current levels. That analyst breadth supports the recent price strength. Read More. Industry/analyst sentiment appears broadly bullish a recent roundup shows roughly 60% of analysts positive on QSR with a median target near $77.50, implying upside from current levels. That analyst breadth supports the recent price strength. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including the CEO and CFO, sold shares on Jan. 7 (collective disclosed sales ~13.7k shares across executives). While insider sales can be routine (diversification or option exercises), clustered sales from several senior execs can weigh on sentiment. Representative SEC filing: Read More. Multiple insiders, including the CEO and CFO, sold shares on Jan. 7 (collective disclosed sales ~13.7k shares across executives). While insider sales can be routine (diversification or option exercises), clustered sales from several senior execs can weigh on sentiment. Representative SEC filing: Read More. Negative Sentiment: Rising U.S. beef costs are pressuring Burger King U.S. margins in the near term, per analyst notes a potential headwind to QSRs near-term profitability even if management calls the cost cycle temporary. Monitor margin and commodity-cost commentary in upcoming reports. Read More. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In QSR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered shares of Restaurant Brands International from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $76.18. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on QSR Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 11.3% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 78,845 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $5,355,000 after purchasing an additional 7,988 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 116,300 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $7,699,000 after purchasing an additional 8,900 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the second quarter worth $1,090,000. Baupost Group LLC MA grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.2% during the second quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 4,049,562 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $268,445,000 after buying an additional 163,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 6.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 485,946 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $32,213,000 after buying an additional 30,741 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Restaurant Brands International (Get Free Report) Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The companys principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands Internationals business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs. RBIs restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Restaurant Brands International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Restaurant Brands International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Schibsted ASA (OTCMKTS:SBSNY Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports. Schibsted ASA Stock Up 7.1% Shares of OTCMKTS:SBSNY opened at $28.00 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $28.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.41. Schibsted ASA has a 12 month low of $18.00 and a 12 month high of $45.00. Get Schibsted ASA alerts: About Schibsted ASA (Get Free Report) Schibsted ASA is a Norway-based media and technology group headquartered in Oslo. Established in 1839 with the founding of the newspaper Aftenposten, the company has evolved into a leading digital operator in classifieds, online marketplaces and news media. Schibsted leverages data-driven insights and technology platforms to connect buyers and sellers, as well as to deliver news and content to audiences across multiple channels. In its media division, Schibsted publishes prominent Scandinavian news brands, including Aftenposten in Norway and Verdens Gang (VG), offering both print and digital editions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Schibsted ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Schibsted ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Scorpio Tankers (NYSE:STNG Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from a buy rating to an underperform rating in a report released on Friday. STNG has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Scorpio Tankers in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI set a $80.00 target price on Scorpio Tankers and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. B. Riley reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $80.00 price target (up previously from $75.00) on shares of Scorpio Tankers in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Scorpio Tankers in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Scorpio Tankers from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $69.20. Get Scorpio Tankers alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Scorpio Tankers Scorpio Tankers Price Performance Shares of NYSE STNG opened at $56.14 on Friday. Scorpio Tankers has a fifty-two week low of $30.63 and a fifty-two week high of $65.52. The company has a market cap of $2.86 billion, a PE ratio of 9.50 and a beta of -0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 4.75 and a current ratio of 4.81. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.54. Scorpio Tankers (NYSE:STNG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $232.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $228.09 million. Scorpio Tankers had a net margin of 32.01% and a return on equity of 7.42%. Scorpio Tankerss revenue was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Scorpio Tankers will post 5.29 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STNG. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Scorpio Tankers by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,160 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Scorpio Tankers by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 1,418 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Scorpio Tankers by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 507 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Scorpio Tankers by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 12,131 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Scorpio Tankers by 110.3% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 469 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. 54.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Scorpio Tankers Company Profile (Get Free Report) Scorpio Tankers Inc (NYSE: STNG) is an independent provider of marine transportation services, specializing in the carriage of refined petroleum products. The companys core operations focus on moving clean petroleum cargoessuch as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and naphthaon a global scale. By catering to both spot and time charter markets, Scorpio Tankers enables energy companies, refiners and traders to manage their supply chains with flexibility and reliability. The companys fleet is composed of modern, eco-designed product tankers, including medium range (MR) and long range (LR) vessels. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Scorpio Tankers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Scorpio Tankers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF (NYSEARCA:KMLM Free Report) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 62,991 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,696,000. KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF comprises 1.2% of Sound Financial Strategies Group LLCs holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KMLM. Nvwm LLC increased its holdings in KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 23,943 shares of the companys stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF by 60.3% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,040 shares of the companys stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF by 1.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 54,971 shares of the companys stock worth $1,450,000 after buying an additional 986 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF by 1.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 82,398 shares of the companys stock worth $2,173,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC raised its position in KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Capital Partners LLC now owns 34,112 shares of the companys stock valued at $900,000 after buying an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Get KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF alerts: KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA KMLM opened at $26.21 on Friday. KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF has a 52 week low of $25.28 and a 52 week high of $28.58. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $26.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $172.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85 and a beta of -0.37. KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF Dividend Announcement KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF Company Profile The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $1.3035 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 502.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. (Free Report) The KFA Mount Lucas Index Strategy ETF (KMLM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the KFA MLM index. The fund aims to track an index of long and short managed futures, based on a trend following methodology. The fund allocates to commodity, currency and global fixed income futures based on relative historical volatility. KMLM was launched on Dec 2, 2020 and is managed by KraneShares. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KMLM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF (NYSEARCA:KMLM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report) by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 213,793 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 22,168 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $34,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,857,055 shares of the companys stock worth $26,018,555,000 after acquiring an additional 2,235,380 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,831,655 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,243,429,000 after purchasing an additional 871,165 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,181,107 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,760,346,000 after purchasing an additional 672,983 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% during the second quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the companys stock worth $2,041,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its position in Philip Morris International by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 10,676,908 shares of the companys stock worth $1,944,585,000 after purchasing an additional 782,536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the companys stock. Get Philip Morris International alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price objective on Philip Morris International and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $189.00. Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.3% Philip Morris International stock opened at $158.76 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $155.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.44. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.12 and a 12 month high of $186.69. The company has a market cap of $247.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.40. Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Philip Morris International Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is currently 106.52%. Philip Morris International Company Profile (Free Report) Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States. PMIs product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,743 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 614 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in BlackRock were worth $18,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,991,264 shares of the asset managers stock worth $14,680,334,000 after acquiring an additional 227,192 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,143,429 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $3,281,641,000 after purchasing an additional 34,049 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter worth $2,644,007,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in BlackRock by 72.5% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 105,267.4% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $1,789,915,000 after buying an additional 1,704,280 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get BlackRock alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,301.00 to $1,407.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,093.00 to $1,242.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,322.00 to $1,310.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,486.00 to $1,514.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 price objective on BlackRock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, BlackRock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,313.12. BlackRock Price Performance Shares of BLK opened at $1,087.74 on Friday. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The company has a market capitalization of $168.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,067.03 and a 200 day moving average of $1,100.94. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 26.64% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The businesss revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $11.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. BlackRock Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.59%. Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week: Positive Sentiment: BlackRock publicly denied that it buys singlefamily homes after a Trump housing proposal caused market confusion, reducing headline-driven regulatory/PR risk for the firm and calming investors who conflated BlackRock with large institutional homebuyers. Article Title BlackRock publicly denied that it buys singlefamily homes after a Trump housing proposal caused market confusion, reducing headline-driven regulatory/PR risk for the firm and calming investors who conflated BlackRock with large institutional homebuyers. Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary expect BlackRocks earnings to keep growing; upbeat model/earnings previews (Zacks) support a case that BLK may beat consensus, which is constructive for the stocks valuation multiple. Article Title Analysts and market commentary expect BlackRocks earnings to keep growing; upbeat model/earnings previews (Zacks) support a case that BLK may beat consensus, which is constructive for the stocks valuation multiple. Positive Sentiment: Institutional crypto integrations tied to BlackRock (tokenized BUIDL reserves backing new stablecoin JupUSD on Solana, Jupiter exchange integrations) underline BlackRocks growing footprint in tokenized/institutional digitalasset products a potential longrun growth driver for fee products. Article Title Institutional crypto integrations tied to BlackRock (tokenized BUIDL reserves backing new stablecoin JupUSD on Solana, Jupiter exchange integrations) underline BlackRocks growing footprint in tokenized/institutional digitalasset products a potential longrun growth driver for fee products. Neutral Sentiment: BlackRocks ETF head reiterated that its still very early days for Bitcoin and Ethereum adoption a measured, longterm bullish stance but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title BlackRocks ETF head reiterated that its still very early days for Bitcoin and Ethereum adoption a measured, longterm bullish stance but not an immediate catalyst. Neutral Sentiment: Disclosure filings show BlackRock trimmed (or fell below) a 5% stake in Orion Corp routine portfolio turnover with little likely impact on BLKs fundamentals. Article Title Disclosure filings show BlackRock trimmed (or fell below) a 5% stake in Orion Corp routine portfolio turnover with little likely impact on BLKs fundamentals. Negative Sentiment: Reports that BlackRock moved roughly $276M in BTC and $83M in ETH to Coinbase Prime (some outlets described the transfers as dumping) are creating shortterm headline risk: transfers to exchange custody can be interpreted as intent to sell, which can spook cryptoexposed assets and risksensitive flows tied to BlackRocks crypto products. The reporting is mixed though some outlets frame the firm as an accumulator over several days so the signal is ambiguous but has triggered nearterm volatility. Article Title Article Title Reports that BlackRock moved roughly $276M in BTC and $83M in ETH to Coinbase Prime (some outlets described the transfers as dumping) are creating shortterm headline risk: transfers to exchange custody can be interpreted as intent to sell, which can spook cryptoexposed assets and risksensitive flows tied to BlackRocks crypto products. The reporting is mixed though some outlets frame the firm as an accumulator over several days so the signal is ambiguous but has triggered nearterm volatility. Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its BLK price target slightly (from $1,322 to $1,310), which is a modest negative signal for nearterm sentiment even though the rating remains outperform. Article Title Insider Activity In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This trade represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,205 shares in the company, valued at $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. About BlackRock (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a global investment management firm that provides a broad range of products and services to institutional, intermediary and individual investors. Its core activities include portfolio management across active and index strategies, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) under the iShares brand, fixed income, equity and multi-asset solutions, as well as alternatives such as private equity, real estate and infrastructure. The firm also offers cash management and liquidity solutions and retirement-focused products designed for defined contribution and defined benefit investors. In addition to traditional investment management, BlackRock is known for its technology and risk management capabilities, most prominently its Aladdin platform, which combines portfolio management, trading and risk analytics and is used both internally and licensed to external clients. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Steinberganna Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 1,377 shares of the aerospace companys stock, valued at approximately $688,000. A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 29,639 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $14,796,000 after purchasing an additional 3,031 shares during the period. VCI Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,075,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 22.4% during the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 25,423 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $12,688,000 after buying an additional 4,652 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Lockheed Martin by 29.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 10,036 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $5,010,000 after buying an additional 2,270 shares during the period. Finally, Laffer Tengler Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 482.6% in the second quarter. Laffer Tengler Investments Inc. now owns 6,979 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $3,232,000 after buying an additional 5,781 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the companys stock. Get Lockheed Martin alerts: More Lockheed Martin News Here are the key news stories impacting Lockheed Martin this week: Lockheed Martin Stock Performance NYSE LMT opened at $518.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.32, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $472.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $467.52. The company has a market cap of $120.01 billion, a PE ratio of 28.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.24. Lockheed Martin Corporation has a 1-year low of $410.11 and a 1-year high of $542.87. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.62. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 111.84% and a net margin of 5.73%.The company had revenue of $18.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.84 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Lockheed Martin has set its FY 2025 guidance at 22.150-22.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lockheed Martin Corporation will post 27.15 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LMT shares. Morgan Stanley restated an equal weight rating and set a $543.00 target price (down from $630.00) on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup began coverage on Lockheed Martin in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a neutral rating and a $505.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Lockheed Martin from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Lockheed Martin from $398.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $497.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lockheed Martin presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $506.18. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on LMT Insider Buying and Selling at Lockheed Martin In other news, COO John Frank A. St sold 7,792 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.04, for a total transaction of $3,826,183.68. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 1 shares in the company, valued at $491.04. The trade was a 99.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. About Lockheed Martin (Free Report) Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) is a global aerospace and defense company that designs, develops and manufactures advanced technology systems for government and commercial customers. Formed through the 1995 merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and focuses on providing integrated solutions across air, space, land and sea domains. Its primary customers include the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and allied governments around the world. Lockheed Martins product and service portfolio spans military aircraft, missile and fire-control systems, missile defense, space systems and satellite technologies, sensors and precision weapons. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Lockheed Martin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lockheed Martin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 8,872 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 68% compared to the typical volume of 5,273 call options. Archer Daniels Midland Stock Up 0.9% Shares of ADM stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $61.77. The stock had a trading volume of 732,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,198,743. Archer Daniels Midland has a 12-month low of $40.98 and a 12-month high of $65.00. The firms 50-day moving average is $58.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Get Archer Daniels Midland alerts: Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $20.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.96 billion. Archer Daniels Midland had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 8.01%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Archer Daniels Midland has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.250-3.500 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Archer Daniels Midland will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Archer Daniels Midland Announces Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 19th. Archer Daniels Midlands dividend payout ratio is 83.27%. ADM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Archer Daniels Midland from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an underweight rating and set a $59.00 price objective (down from $61.00) on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Archer Daniels Midland from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and dropped their target price for the company from $57.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Archer Daniels Midland presently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $54.38. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ADM Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer Daniels Midland A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Archer Daniels Midland during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of Archer Daniels Midland by 367.0% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 509 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Archer Daniels Midland by 313.8% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 509 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in Archer Daniels Midland in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its position in Archer Daniels Midland by 113.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 534 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Archer Daniels Midland Company Profile (Get Free Report) Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is a global agricultural processor and food-ingredient provider that sources, transports and processes oilseeds, corn, wheat and other agricultural commodities. The company operates large-scale crushing, refining and processing facilities that produce vegetable oils, protein meals, corn sweeteners, starches, ethanol, animal feeds and a wide range of food and industrial ingredients. ADM also develops specialty ingredients and solutions for human and animal nutrition, food and beverage formulation, and industrial applications such as bio-based materials and renewable fuels. ADMs business combines commodity origination and merchandising with downstream manufacturing and ingredient formulation. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Archer Daniels Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer Daniels Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Strathcona Resources (TSE:SCR Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at National Bankshares from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a C$32.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of C$36.00. National Bankshares target price points to a potential upside of 20.57% from the stocks current price. SCR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Securities upped their price target on Strathcona Resources from C$35.00 to C$36.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Strathcona Resources from C$38.00 to C$29.00 in a research note on Monday. Natl Bk Canada lowered shares of Strathcona Resources from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Strathcona Resources from C$40.00 to C$33.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, ATB Capital decreased their price objective on shares of Strathcona Resources from C$42.00 to C$32.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Strathcona Resources has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$33.57. Get Strathcona Resources alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on Strathcona Resources Strathcona Resources Stock Down 0.8% About Strathcona Resources TSE SCR traded down C$0.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$26.54. The company had a trading volume of 172,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,713. The firms 50 day moving average is C$37.87 and its 200 day moving average is C$36.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 56.06, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 11.09. Strathcona Resources has a fifty-two week low of C$22.75 and a fifty-two week high of C$45.09. The company has a market capitalization of C$5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.18, a P/E/G ratio of -2.02 and a beta of 2.61. (Get Free Report) Strathcona Resources Ltd. is a Canada-based oil and gas producers with operations focused on thermal oil, enhanced oil recovery and liquids-rich natural gas. The Company has three operations, including Lloydminster Heavy Oil, Cold Lake Thermal Oil and Montney. The Lloydminster Heavy Oil segment has multiple large oil-in-place reservoirs with existing and expanding enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities primarily located in southwest Saskatchewan. Its Saskatchewan thermal properties rely on the same steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) processes as its Cold Lake Thermal properties. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Strathcona Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Strathcona Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW Get Free Report) insider Chris Carney purchased 140 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 108 per share, for a total transaction of 151.20. Chris Carney also recently made the following trade(s): Get Taylor Wimpey alerts: On Monday, December 8th, Chris Carney acquired 147 shares of Taylor Wimpey stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 102 per share, with a total value of 149.94. On Monday, November 10th, Chris Carney acquired 142 shares of Taylor Wimpey stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 105 per share, with a total value of 149.10. Taylor Wimpey Stock Performance Shares of LON:TW remained flat at GBX 108.10 during trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 9,657,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,409,451. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 103.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 104.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of 3.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.81. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have weighed in on TW shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Taylor Wimpey to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the company from GBX 130 to GBX 150 in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 140 to GBX 120 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set a neutral rating and a GBX 109 price target for the company. Peel Hunt reissued a hold rating and set a GBX 110 price objective on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 142 target price on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 129.13. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on TW About Taylor Wimpey (Get Free Report) Taylor Wimpey plc operates as a homebuilder in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities. Taylor Wimpey plc was incorporated in 1935 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Taylor Wimpey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taylor Wimpey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Telecom Italia S.P.A. (OTCMKTS:TIIAY Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $6.45, but opened at $6.25. Telecom Italia shares last traded at $6.25, with a volume of 466 shares trading hands. Telecom Italia Trading Down 0.3% The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $5.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.39. Get Telecom Italia alerts: About Telecom Italia (Get Free Report) Telecom Italia S.p.A., commonly known by its brand TIM, is Italys leading integrated telecommunications operator. The company offers a comprehensive range of fixedline and mobile voice services, highspeed broadband access, and digital television solutions to residential, corporate and wholesale clients. Telecom Italia designs, builds and manages network infrastructure, including fiberoptic and wireless systems, to deliver reliable connectivity across urban and rural markets in Italy. Beyond traditional telephony, Telecom Italia has expanded into information and communications technology (ICT) services, providing cloud computing, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and data analytics solutions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Telecom Italia Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telecom Italia and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tenaz Energy (TSE:TNZ Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities researchers at National Bankshares from C$34.00 to C$52.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock. National Bankshares price objective would suggest a potential upside of 85.05% from the stocks previous close. Tenaz Energy Trading Up 16.1% TNZ traded up C$3.89 during trading on Friday, reaching C$28.10. 237,668 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 146,394. The company has a quick ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.56. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$24.81 and its 200 day moving average is C$22.66. Tenaz Energy has a 12 month low of C$10.59 and a 12 month high of C$28.15. The stock has a market capitalization of C$899.20 million, a PE ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 1.25. Get Tenaz Energy alerts: Tenaz Energy (TSE:TNZ Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported C$0.75 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$93.78 million for the quarter. Tenaz Energy had a return on equity of 1.90% and a net margin of 2.83%. Equities analysts anticipate that Tenaz Energy will post 0.3896418 earnings per share for the current year. About Tenaz Energy Tenaz Energy Corp. (TSX:TNZ) is a public energy company focused on the acquisition and sustainable development of international oil and gas assets capable of returning free cash flow to shareholders.Tenaz has domestic operations in Canada along with offshore gas assets in the Netherlands. The domestic operations consist of a semi-conventional oil project in the Rex member of the Upper Mannville group at Leduc-Woodbend in central Alberta. The Netherlands gas assets are located in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Tenaz Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tenaz Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE:MTW Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Reduce by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.25. A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Manitowoc from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Manitowoc in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an underweight rating and a $9.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Manitowoc in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Get Manitowoc alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on Manitowoc Manitowoc Trading Up 3.0% NYSE:MTW opened at $13.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $474.23 million, a P/E ratio of 8.41 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Manitowoc has a one year low of $7.06 and a one year high of $13.61. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $11.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.35. Manitowoc (NYSE:MTW Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 7th. The industrial products company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter. Manitowoc had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 0.87%. The business had revenue of $354.30 million for the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Manitowoc will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Manitowoc during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Manitowoc by 131.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,541 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in Manitowoc during the 2nd quarter valued at $84,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Manitowoc by 669.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 6,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Manitowoc in the 2nd quarter worth $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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Manitowoc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Manitowoc and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Timken Company (The) (NYSE:TKR Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $83.20. TKR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Timken from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Timken from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Oppenheimer reissued an outperform rating on shares of Timken in a report on Monday, November 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Timken in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Timken from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Get Timken alerts: Get Our Latest Report on TKR Insiders Place Their Bets Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other Timken news, Director Richard G. Kyle sold 15,837 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.03, for a total value of $1,283,272.11. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 266,942 shares of the companys stock, valued at $21,630,310.26. This trade represents a 5.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Company insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock. Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Timken by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,845,175 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $278,968,000 after acquiring an additional 455,050 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Timken by 734.7% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,286,250 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $171,880,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012,352 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Timken by 34.8% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,493,167 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $112,256,000 after purchasing an additional 385,389 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in shares of Timken by 28.6% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,423,361 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $107,008,000 after purchasing an additional 316,380 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Timken by 124.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,358,154 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $102,106,000 after buying an additional 753,275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.08% of the companys stock. Timken Stock Up 2.8% Timken stock opened at $90.55 on Friday. Timken has a fifty-two week low of $56.20 and a fifty-two week high of $91.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 3.11. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $82.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.59. The stock has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.21. Timken (NYSE:TKR Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.12. Timken had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 11.88%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Timken has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Timken will post 5.62 EPS for the current fiscal year. Timken Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Timkens dividend payout ratio is presently 33.10%. Timken Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Timken Company is a global manufacturer specializing in engineered bearings and mechanical power transmission products. Its core offerings include tapered and cylindrical roller bearings, spherical and plain bearings, mounted bearing units, and precision gear drives. Timkens products serve a broad range of industries, from industrial machinery and aerospace to automotive, rail, wind energy and heavy equipment. Beyond bearings, Timkens portfolio extends to industrial chains, belts, couplings and related components designed to optimize power transmission systems. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Timken Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Timken and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV Get Free Report) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b+) rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $315.00 to $312.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a peer perform rating on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a positive rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $298.38. Get Travelers Companies alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on TRV Travelers Companies Stock Performance TRV stock opened at $284.01 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $63.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50 day moving average of $286.40 and a 200-day moving average of $274.85. Travelers Companies has a 12-month low of $230.23 and a 12-month high of $296.85. Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The insurance provider reported $8.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.01 by $2.13. The business had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.15 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 12.14%.The businesss revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.24 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Travelers Companies will post 17.02 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 8,572 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.73, for a total transaction of $2,320,697.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 33,638 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,106,815.74. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Vice Chairman William H. Heyman sold 1,803 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.55, for a total transaction of $522,058.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 255,086 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,860,151.30. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,295 shares of company stock valued at $13,011,918. 1.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 134.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 96 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 1,820.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 96 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its stake in Travelers Companies by 122.2% during the second quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 100 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Travelers Companies during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 82.45% of the companys stock. Travelers Companies Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Travelers Companies, Inc (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products and services. The company underwrites a broad range of commercial and personal insurance lines, offering coverage designed to protect individuals, small and midsize businesses, and large corporate clients against property loss, liability, and other operational risks. Travelers is known for combining underwriting, claims management and risk control services to help clients prevent losses and recover when incidents occur. On the commercial side, Travelers writes primary and specialty coverages including property, general liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, professional and management liability, surety and inland marine. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Travelers Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Travelers Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM Free Report) by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,419 shares of the specialty retailers stock after selling 35,952 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Williams-Sonoma worth $16,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $978,864,000 after purchasing an additional 127,597 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised 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 valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position 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 buying an additional 401,138 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 34.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,436,839 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $227,164,000 after acquiring an additional 365,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $212,107,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Williams-Sonoma alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total transaction of $2,201,992.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares of the companys stock, valued at $153,353,071.89. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.1% Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $197.82 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $185.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $187.95. The company has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Williams-Sonomas revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year. Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonomas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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 shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. 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.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $198.71. Get Our Latest Research Report on WSM About Williams-Sonoma (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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Williams-Sonoma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Williams-Sonoma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zealand Pharma A/S (OTCMKTS:ZLDPF Get Free Report)s share price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $68.44, but opened at $63.72. Zealand Pharma A/S shares last traded at $63.72, with a volume of 284 shares traded. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades ZLDPF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a hold rating on shares of Zealand Pharma A/S in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Zealand Pharma A/S to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Zealand Pharma A/S from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Strong Buy. Get Zealand Pharma A/S alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Zealand Pharma A/S Zealand Pharma A/S Stock Down 1.5% The firm has a 50-day moving average of $76.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 14.10, a current ratio of 14.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Zealand Pharma A/S (OTCMKTS:ZLDPF Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported ($0.90) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.11) by $0.21. The company had revenue of $7.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.54 million. Zealand Pharma A/S had a return on equity of 55.76% and a net margin of 71.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Zealand Pharma A/S will post -2.19 earnings per share for the current year. Zealand Pharma A/S Company Profile (Get Free Report) Zealand Pharma A/S is a Denmarkbased biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery, design and development of peptidebased therapeutics. Utilizing proprietary peptide engineering platforms, the company focuses on metabolic and endocrine disorders, including diabetes and rare gastrointestinal diseases. Zealand employs a rational design approach to optimize stability, selectivity and dosing profiles of its candidates, aiming to improve patient outcomes where current treatment options are limited. Among the most advanced assets in Zealands pipeline is dasiglucagon, a stable glucagon analog designed for the emergency treatment of severe hypoglycemia. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Zealand Pharma A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zealand Pharma A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Even though he is not a working royal and does not live in the UK, the Duke of Sussex has won his drawn-out battle for automatic armed police protection paid for by British taxpayers. But heres the icing on the cake: U.S. taxpayers will also have to foot the huge costs for automatic protection under International law as internationally protected persons when they return home to their 16-bathroom Montecito mansion. The monarchy should have nipped this problem in the bud when they had a chance, but now it is too late. The late Queen forbade the Sussexes from profiting off their title, but Meghan instead went full steam ahead, and the devious freeloading couple have made a fortune by duping the poor Americans who frankly do not know any better. Many Americans still think Brits live in castles and walk on cobbled streets. Now its a double whammy for taxpayers across the Atlantic and the ones over hereand we can all thank Keir Starmer, who okayed all this shit. Everyone in Britain must now prepare for more Harry and Meghan drama in the UK, and seeing as the weak British monarchy sealed their own fate by not acting decisively to solve this problem from the beginning, they will now be relegated to page 25 as a tiny column inch when the grifters arrive. There have been hundreds of protests and riots unfurling in Iran for a week, and many protestors have been brutally put down by the evil Islamo-Marxist government. The people can only do so much Trump and Israel need to step in to finish the job to free the country from the far-leftist Islamo-Marxists who have shrouded the country in a grotesque darkness since the Pahlavis were ousted in 1978. BREAKING: More and more fires in Tehran tonight as the anti-regime protesters flood the streets of Irans capital city pic.twitter.com/vCpXP5lq1p Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) January 10, 2026 The regime is actively killing protestors right now. Many demonstrators in Iran have been calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Irans last shah. Pahlavi himself has called for people to take to the streets, but it may take more foreign help to free the Iranian people from the vicious, parasitical clutches of the Khamenei regime. Operation Midnight Hammer Trump has already taken the Iranian nuclear programme back a few steps with the clinical strikes on June 22, 2025. The job needs to be completed once and for all. This is a thorn in the side of world peace, and the Iranians have been causing mayhem in the region for decades through their terrorist proxies. Operation Absolute Resolve What happened in Venezuela was a spectacular extraction of the communist despot Maduro; the same can be achieved with an equally clinically extraction or elimination of Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Iran holds 10% of the worlds oil reserves and 15% for gas. Iran ranks 3rd in oil reserves and is OPECs 2nd largest exporter. Iran has the 2nd largest gas reserves, and 3rd largest natural gas production. The ancient land of Persia, Xuniras, Avestan can finally be freed from the evil, Islamo-Marxist movement in Iran, which is now coincidentally on the rise in Europe and the UK, supported by Keir Starmers soviet Labour Party. The West must finish this job, and Trump will forever be revered beyond any Nobel Peace Prize for his liberation of millions of Iranians from a life of fear, subversion, torture and death. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX Get Free Report) insider Alana Knowles sold 7,956 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $1,313,137.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,207 shares in the company, valued at $199,215.35. The trade was a 86.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Get Chevron alerts: Chevron Price Performance Chevron stock opened at $159.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50-day moving average of $152.22 and a 200-day moving average of $153.31. Chevron Corporation has a 1 year low of $132.04 and a 1 year high of $168.96. Chevron (NYSE:CVX Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.14. Chevron had a net margin of 6.57% and a return on equity of 8.74%. The business had revenue of $48.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Chevrons quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Chevron Corporation will post 10.79 EPS for the current year. Chevron Dividend Announcement Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chevron The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th were given a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Chevrons dividend payout ratio is currently 96.20%. Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chevron by 19.3% during the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 73,448 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $11,406,000 after purchasing an additional 11,875 shares in the last quarter. Solitude Financial Services raised its stake in Chevron by 8.2% in the second quarter. Solitude Financial Services now owns 25,325 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $3,626,000 after buying an additional 1,913 shares in the last quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Chevron during the third quarter worth $5,662,000. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Chevron by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 51,115 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $7,319,000 after acquiring an additional 9,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in Chevron by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 88,759 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $13,743,000 after acquiring an additional 6,058 shares in the last quarter. 72.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CVX shares. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Chevron in a report on Monday, December 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Chevron from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Chevron from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Chevron from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Monday. Finally, HSBC set a $169.00 price objective on shares of Chevron and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $167.14. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Chevron Chevron News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Chevron this week: About Chevron (Get 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Chevron Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chevron and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG Free Report) by 77.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,625 shares of the restaurant operators stock after selling 36,905 shares during the quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc.s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the third quarter valued at $26,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Lavaca Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.30% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets CMG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Northcoast Research cut Chipotle Mexican Grill from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $40.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $59.00 to $50.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $49.93. Chipotle Mexican Grill News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week: Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 0.8% NYSE CMG opened at $39.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.97. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.75 and a 12-month high of $59.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.15. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 45.39%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.27 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grills quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year. About Chipotle Mexican Grill (Free Report) 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:EMBJ Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 10,547 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 703% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,314 call options. Get Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have weighed in on EMBJ shares. Citigroup raised their price target on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $59.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $63.86. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Hedge Funds Weigh In On Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Trading Up 1.3% Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 22.7% during the 2nd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 1,172,217 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $66,711,000 after purchasing an additional 217,015 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 970,129 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $58,644,000 after buying an additional 166,489 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 832,416 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $47,373,000 after buying an additional 110,836 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 50.6% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 254,766 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $15,401,000 after acquiring an additional 85,604 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica in the second quarter valued at about $11,046,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 34.65% of the companys stock. EMBJ stock opened at $70.72 on Friday. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica has a one year low of $36.79 and a one year high of $72.31. The stock has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $65.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:EMBJ Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.37). Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 4.34%. Equities analysts anticipate that Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica will post 2.04 EPS for the current year. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 6th that authorizes the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Company Profile (Get Free Report) Embraer SA (NYSE:EMBJ), legally known as Embraer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, is a global aerospace company headquartered in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The company designs, develops, manufactures and sells commercial, executive, defence and agricultural aircraft. Embraers product portfolio includes the popular E-Jets family for regional and short-haul carriers, the advanced E2 series, a range of business jets under the Phenom, Legacy and Praetor brands, the A-29 Super Tucano military trainer and light attack aircraft, the C-390 Millennium multi-mission transport platform, and the Ipanema agricultural aircraft. Embraers commercial aviation segment focuses on regional airlines and air taxi operators, offering aircraft that seat between 70 and 150 passengers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 78,071 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 6,216% compared to the average daily volume of 1,236 call options. Get Planet Fitness alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts have weighed in on PLNT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Planet Fitness from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Macquarie boosted their price target on Planet Fitness from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Planet Fitness from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Planet Fitness in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of Planet Fitness in a report on Friday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $119.67. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Planet Fitness Hedge Funds Weigh In On Planet Fitness Planet Fitness Stock Performance A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PLNT. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Planet Fitness during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Planet Fitness by 964.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 266 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Planet Fitness by 184.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 330 shares of the companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Planet Fitness by 6,950.0% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 423 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in Planet Fitness in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.53% of the companys stock. Planet Fitness stock opened at $105.72 on Friday. Planet Fitness has a fifty-two week low of $87.72 and a fifty-two week high of $114.47. The company has a market capitalization of $8.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.15, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $106.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.95. Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $330.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.95 million. Planet Fitness had a negative return on equity of 126.58% and a net margin of 15.97%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. Planet Fitness has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.030 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Planet Fitness will post 2.51 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Planet Fitness (Get Free Report) Planet Fitness, Inc is a franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Hampton, New Hampshire. Established in 1992, the company designs and equips its clubs to offer a non-intimidating workout environment, often marketed under its Judgment Free Zone philosophy. Planet Fitness markets affordable membership plans and a variety of cardio and strength-training equipment, positioning itself to attract casual and first-time gym users. The company operates through a network of franchised and company-owned clubs. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Planet Fitness Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Planet Fitness and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $135.00 to $140.00. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock. Nelnet traded as high as $141.41 and last traded at $140.8250, with a volume of 64511 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $135.10. Get Nelnet alerts: Several other analysts also recently issued reports on NNI. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Nelnet in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Nelnet in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nelnet from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $140.00. Get Our Latest Research Report on NNI Insider Activity at Nelnet Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nelnet In related news, Director Deun Jona M. Van sold 400 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.95, for a total value of $51,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 704 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $90,780.80. This trade represents a 36.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Corporate insiders own 50.90% of the companys stock. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nelnet during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in Nelnet during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Nelnet during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Nelnet by 170.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 373 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nelnet by 189.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 368 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 33.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Nelnet Trading Up 4.5% The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.86 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 28.98 and a current ratio of 28.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.90. Nelnet (NYSE:NNI Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The credit services provider reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $1.43. The company had revenue of $427.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $372.00 million. Nelnet had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 18.96%. Equities analysts expect that Nelnet, Inc. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year. Nelnet Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from Nelnets previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Nelnets dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.09%. About Nelnet (Get Free Report) Nelnet, Inc (NYSE: NNI) is a diversified education services company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Originally established as the National Education Loan Network by Michael S. Dunlap, the company has grown into a prominent provider of student loan servicing and education finance solutions in the United States. At the core of Nelnets business is student loan servicing, where it administers and manages federal and private education loans on behalf of borrowers and lending partners. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nelnet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nelnet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Permian Resources Corporation (NYSE:PR Get Free Report) EVP Robert Regan Shannon sold 106,405 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.63, for a total transaction of $1,450,300.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 360,667 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,915,891.21. The trade was a 22.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Get Permian Resources alerts: Robert Regan Shannon also recently made the following trade(s): On Monday, January 5th, Robert Regan Shannon sold 70,254 shares of Permian Resources stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.76, for a total value of $966,695.04. Permian Resources Trading Up 4.4% Shares of PR opened at $14.10 on Friday. Permian Resources Corporation has a one year low of $10.01 and a one year high of $16.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $13.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.66. Permian Resources Announces Dividend Permian Resources ( NYSE:PR Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.22). Permian Resources had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Permian Resources Corporation will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. Permian Resourcess dividend payout ratio is 55.05%. Trending Headlines about Permian Resources Here are the key news stories impacting Permian Resources this week: Positive Sentiment: Company completed a previously announced corporate reorganization exchanging Class C for Class A shares to better align management ownership with public holders a governance move often viewed favorably by investors. Permian Resources Completes Previously Announced Corporate Reorganization Company completed a previously announced corporate reorganization exchanging Class C for Class A shares to better align management ownership with public holders a governance move often viewed favorably by investors. Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains upbeat: multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median price target roughly in the high teens to low $20s give upside vs. current levels supportive for sentiment if oil prices and execution hold. Quiver Quant PR analyst & market summary Analyst coverage remains upbeat: multiple recent buy/overweight ratings and a median price target roughly in the high teens to low $20s give upside vs. current levels supportive for sentiment if oil prices and execution hold. Neutral Sentiment: Social/media chatter highlights Permian basin operational efficiency and speculation about M&A or partnerships; this keeps the story active but is noisy and not a confirmed catalyst. Quiver Quant PR market dynamics Social/media chatter highlights Permian basin operational efficiency and speculation about M&A or partnerships; this keeps the story active but is noisy and not a confirmed catalyst. Negative Sentiment: Multiple senior executives sold large blocks of stock in early January (CEOs William Hickey III and James Walter each executed multi-hundred-thousand-share sales across Jan. 56), a significant insider liquidity event that can weigh on sentiment. SEC Form 4 (Hickey) Multiple senior executives sold large blocks of stock in early January (CEOs William Hickey III and James Walter each executed multi-hundred-thousand-share sales across Jan. 56), a significant insider liquidity event that can weigh on sentiment. Negative Sentiment: EVPs and other officers including Guy M. Oliphint, John Charles Bell and Robert Regan Shannon sold meaningful stakes (Oliphints recent sales around $4.13M reported separately), and Quiver notes 12 insider sales vs. 0 purchases in the past six months. Persistent selling by multiple insiders is typically viewed negatively by investors. Benzinga: EVP $4.13M sale EVPs and other officers including Guy M. Oliphint, John Charles Bell and Robert Regan Shannon sold meaningful stakes (Oliphints recent sales around $4.13M reported separately), and Quiver notes 12 insider sales vs. 0 purchases in the past six months. Persistent selling by multiple insiders is typically viewed negatively by investors. Negative Sentiment: Smaller filings and trade reports capture additional EVP sales (e.g., John Charles Bell sold ~70k shares for ~$966k) investors should watch SEC Form 4s for timing and whether sales are part of pre-set plans. InsiderTrades: Bell sale Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PR. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Permian Resources from $21.00 to $16.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Permian Resources from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Mizuho increased their target price on Permian Resources from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Permian Resources from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Permian Resources from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $19.07. View Our Latest Report on Permian Resources Hedge Funds Weigh In On Permian Resources A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PR. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Permian Resources by 86.8% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 23,963,307 shares of the companys stock valued at $326,380,000 after purchasing an additional 11,133,354 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Permian Resources during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $134,119,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Permian Resources by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,463,525 shares of the companys stock valued at $914,733,000 after purchasing an additional 6,705,644 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Permian Resources by 210.6% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 9,850,059 shares of the companys stock worth $126,081,000 after buying an additional 6,678,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Permian Resources by 20.9% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 27,101,840 shares of the companys stock worth $346,919,000 after buying an additional 4,691,280 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.84% of the companys stock. About Permian Resources (Get Free Report) Permian Resources (NYSE: PR) is an independent exploration and production company focused on the acquisition, development and optimization of oil and natural gas assets in the Permian Basin. The companys operations encompass all phases of upstream activity, including geological and geophysical analysis, drilling, completion and production. By employing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, Permian Resources aims to efficiently unlock hydrocarbon reserves and deliver consistent production growth. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Permian Resources concentrates its asset portfolio in the Delaware and Midland sub-basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Permian Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Permian Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Get Free Report) shares were up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $120.00 to $122.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Uber Technologies traded as high as $88.24 and last traded at $87.6120. Approximately 15,473,620 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 21,080,965 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.19. Get Uber Technologies alerts: Several other research firms have also weighed in on UBER. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $108.00 to $99.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $122.00 price target on shares of Uber Technologies and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Uber Technologies from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Benchmark reiterated a hold rating on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $110.00 price target on Uber Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $107.14. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on UBER Insider Activity at Uber Technologies Key Headlines Impacting Uber Technologies In related news, insider Tony West sold 3,125 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.36, for a total value of $251,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 175,423 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,096,992.28. This trade represents a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . Also, CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah sold 5,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.41, for a total value of $519,255.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,919,355.30. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 14,875 shares of company stock worth $1,348,818 over the last three months. 3.84% of the stock is owned by insiders. Here are the key news stories impacting Uber Technologies this week: Positive Sentiment: Robotaxi momentum Uber, Lucid and Nuro revealed a robotaxi design at CES and Uber has anchored a robotaxi strategy that could use partner fleets rather than owning vehicles, a narrative investors view as margin-friendly and distribution-focused. Read More. Robotaxi momentum Uber, Lucid and Nuro revealed a robotaxi design at CES and Uber has anchored a robotaxi strategy that could use partner fleets rather than owning vehicles, a narrative investors view as margin-friendly and distribution-focused. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Near-term market reaction to robo-taxi news multiple outlets note a surge in shares on robo-taxi optimism (with Tesla weakness as a comparative). That sentiment has driven fresh buying interest tied to the AV narrative. Read More. Near-term market reaction to robo-taxi news multiple outlets note a surge in shares on robo-taxi optimism (with Tesla weakness as a comparative). That sentiment has driven fresh buying interest tied to the AV narrative. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness Wells Fargo raised its price target to $122 (overweight), implying substantial upside from current levels; other firms (Bank of America, Jefferies) have reiterated or maintained buy views citing AV partnerships and free cashflow potential. Read More. Analyst bullishness Wells Fargo raised its price target to $122 (overweight), implying substantial upside from current levels; other firms (Bank of America, Jefferies) have reiterated or maintained buy views citing AV partnerships and free cashflow potential. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Operational boost Uber renewed its global maps deal with TomTom, which should improve routing precision and efficiency across the platform and supports margin/operating-leverage thesis. Read More. Operational boost Uber renewed its global maps deal with TomTom, which should improve routing precision and efficiency across the platform and supports margin/operating-leverage thesis. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Margin-inflection thesis highlighted market commentary frames Ubers next leg as an operatingleverage and margin story (distribution of AV fleets could help margins even if Uber doesnt own vehicles). This is thematic and supportive longer-term, but not an immediate earnings event. Read More. Margin-inflection thesis highlighted market commentary frames Ubers next leg as an operatingleverage and margin story (distribution of AV fleets could help margins even if Uber doesnt own vehicles). This is thematic and supportive longer-term, but not an immediate earnings event. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Mixed media takes outlets like Barrons warn of headwinds and valuation questions, underscoring that enthusiasm for AVs is already priced into parts of the stock. Read as cautionary context rather than a direct catalyst. Read More. Mixed media takes outlets like Barrons warn of headwinds and valuation questions, underscoring that enthusiasm for AVs is already priced into parts of the stock. Read as cautionary context rather than a direct catalyst. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigation Berger Montague PC is investigating Ubers board for potential breaches of fiduciary duty related to rider safety and driver background checks; litigation or governance concerns could pressure sentiment and add legal/PR risk. Read More. Shareholder investigation Berger Montague PC is investigating Ubers board for potential breaches of fiduciary duty related to rider safety and driver background checks; litigation or governance concerns could pressure sentiment and add legal/PR risk. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Sell-side pushback Melius Research cut its rating (reported as a strong sell), and that downgrade pressure has translated into short-term share weakness in some sessions. Keep an eye on whether other shops follow or defend their views. Read More. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBER. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Uber Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Uber Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. West Oak Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the second quarter worth $30,000. 80.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Uber Technologies Trading Up 1.6% The business has a 50 day moving average of $86.78 and a 200 day moving average of $91.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $182.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The ride-sharing company reported $3.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $2.44. The firm had revenue of $13.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.25 billion. Uber Technologies had a return on equity of 68.17% and a net margin of 33.54%.The companys revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Uber Technologies (Get Free Report) Uber Technologies, Inc is a technology company that operates a global platform connecting riders, drivers, couriers, restaurants and shippers. Founded in 2009 by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick and headquartered in San Francisco, Uber developed one of the first large-scale ride-hailing marketplaces and has since expanded into a broader set of mobility and logistics services. The company completed its initial public offering in 2019 and continues to position its app-based network as a multi-modal transportation and delivery platform. Ubers principal businesses include mobility services (ride-hailing and shared rides), delivery through Uber Eats, and freight logistics via Uber Freight. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A barrister told Derry Magistrates' Court today that a man who admitted stealing Liverpool sports goods valued at 950 was probably 'only too happy' to return them the way Liverpool are currently playing. Michael Andrew Mark Ward (40) of Columbcille Court in Derry admitted the theft of Liverpool sport clothing valued at 950 from Lifestyle Sports in the Richmond Centre on September 19 last year. The court was told that at 10.25am police were on patrol in the city centre when they were flagged down by a member of staff from the Richmond Centre who said a male had made off with clothes without paying. The staff member followed the man towards London Street and police saw from CCTV which flat the suspect entered. They entered the flat and found Ward and the goods that were fit for resale. At interview Ward said he had been under the influence at the time of the offences. Defence counsel Michael Donaghy said that the goods were of 'high value' but there had been no loss to the business. He said the defendant's last offending had been in 2017 and added Ward was not 'a prolific thief'. Ward was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 12 months. Sinead Brolly, an alumna of Lumen Christi College in Derry, has been awarded second prize at the prestigious Ulster Scientists Trust Awards for achieving one of the highest combined A-Level marks in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in Northern Ireland. The ceremony, held at the Ulster Museum on Thursday, January 8, 2026, celebrated the top-performing science students from across the province based on their 2025 examination results. Currently studying Medicine at Queens University Belfast, Sinead was recognised for her exceptional academic dedication. Sinead said, This award means a lot to me having worked really hard throughout my A-Levels on all subjects, but science particularly. Its an achievement I can carry through my medical career, and it affirms that I have chosen the right path continuing my studies in science. I think its really important that future students know how enjoyable the science subjects are to learn, so its great that the Trusts awards celebrate students who choose to commit to biology, physics and chemistry. The first prize was awarded to Aoife Logue of The Royal School, Dungannon who is now studying Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. A third and final prize went to Fionntan Murtagh of Our Lady and St Patricks College, Knock, who is now attending Queens University Belfast to study Physics. Professor Pascal McKeown, a trustee of the Ulster Scientists Trust and former Head of the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences at Queens University, gave an address at the event commending the recipients, as well as their schools for encouraging their pursuit of STEM subjects. He said, By celebrating our school pupils, we motivate and encourage these pupils to continue their interest in science. We also demonstrate to future students how rewarding a career in STEM can be. I am heartened by the continued commitment and passion of our secondary schools towards the science subjects. These awards not only recognise the individual merits of these three pupils but also offer recognition to their schools for excellence in teaching. Dr Geraldine Macartney, Chair of the Ulster Scientists Trust added, The Trust receives nominations from schools all over Northern Ireland for which we are grateful, and through these awards, we can recognise and highlight the excellence in science teaching in schools. Over the years, people born in Northern Ireland have made enormous contributions to science and medicine all over the world. The Ulster Scientists Trust has a role in promoting awareness of these scientists to inspire and encourage students, making the Ulster Museum a space known for its ability to spark curiosity - the perfect backdrop for todays ceremony. Each year, around 40,000 pupils engage with National Museums NIs learning programmes positioning its four museums not just as custodians of history, but as catalysts for positive change. Recipients Fionntan Murtagh, Sinead Brolly and Aoife Logue Jenny Haslett, Education Manager at National Museums NI, explained, With the help of our wide network of partners, such as Ulster Scientists Trust, we continue to create meaningful learning experiences that equip the new generation of scientists and innovators with the skills and confidence necessary to help shape a better future. "In todays rapidly changing and challenging world, the ability to think creatively to solve problems, and adapt to new realities, is critical and we play a unique role in encouraging our visitors to recognise Northern Irelands legacy of innovation and ignite their curiosity to leverage the learnings of the past into the future. An acclaimed play based on real-life testimonies of female relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims is coming to Buncrana next weekend. 4 Days in Derry, written and directed by Bernadette MacFarland, will be staged for one night in St Marys Hall on January 17. Following a sell-out run in Derrys Millennium Forum earlier this year, the Buncrana performance is the first time the play will be performed in Donegal. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform our play in Buncrana, Ms MacFarland said. The people here have always been enormously supportive of the campaign for justice for the victims of Bloody Sunday, and 4 Days in Derry, which tells the stories - in their own words - of the wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of the men who were slain, is part of that endeavour to ensure that the atrocities carried out by state forces on innocent civilians, and the devastating impact it had on their families, are never forgotten. Telling these women's stories to audiences far and wide is so important to us. We are doing a mini-tour of the play in 2026 and we are delighted to be taking it to Inishowen. The play was written after Bernadette sat down with female relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims and listened to their personal accounts of the four days in and around one of the worst atrocities of The Troubles. What they told her formed the basis of thirteen powerful and poignant monologues that are delivered in the play. Those interviews are an experience I will never forget, said Bernadette. I laughed with them. I cried with them. They told me how they coped - and didnt cope. I came away from each interview thinking, 'What strong women'; what strong, strong women. When it was finally performed, I was not prepared for the reaction. I could hear people crying in the audience. The actors delivering the monologues were emotional - because they needed to be, but also because they were overwhelmed by the emotion of the words they were speaking, which were full of rage, grief, pain and loss. Anthony Barber, manager of St Marys Hall, said: Theres been so much happening here lately weve just had Calendar Girls, which was a great success, and earlier in the year we had The Four of Us and then Three Dog Night, from America, in October. The hall is an iconic building. Its a nice, intimate venue for live performance and were delighted to be hosting 4 Days in Derry. Tickets for 4 Days in Derry at St Marys Hall, Buncrana, January 17 are available online here or at the hall for those wishing to pay cash. Ocean Network Express (ONE), one of the world's leading liner shipping companies, and Japanese technology group MTI have established a joint venture called Quaveo in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. By combining the strengths of both companies, Quaveo (a name that apparently references terms like quality, quantity, idea and evolution) aims to drive digital transformation in the container shipping industry and beyond and create new use cases for AI applications. The JV partners say that Quaveo was jointly established to realise problem-solving and new value creation for customers, including customers in the shipping industry, by leveraging ONEs extensive knowledge and practical experience in the container shipping industry and MTIs know-how in AI-utilised human resource development. Business activities will include realisation of operational improvements utilising AI, in areas such as vessel allocation plans, equipment operation and logistics processes. Another aim will be improvement of customer satisfaction through the automation of inquiry responses by AI and the provision of personalised services tailored to customer needs, The partners also intend to promote automation for back-office operations and routine tasks and support both the development of AI talent at client companies and the construction of sustainable digital transformation promotion systems by utilising the training know-how cultivated by MTI. Importantly, this is not just about shipping. The company will, of course, draw on the expertise ONE and MTI have cultivated through joint AI development in the complex arena of global shipping. The partners say their core strength lies in their agility to rapidly apply cutting-edge technologies, such as generative AI and large language models (LLMs). However, leveraging these strengths, they will expand Quaveos services beyond the maritime industry to sectors like distribution and manufacturing. Ichiro Igari, Managing Executive Officer, MTI Ltd, explains: "In the new company, we will create results in the container shipping and healthcare businesses and realise business transformation through the latest AI technology for a wider range of client companies." The Motorola Edge 70 and the OnePlus Nord 5 sit firmly in the same mid-range category, targeting buyers who want capable cameras without stepping into flagship pricing. On paper, the two phones look remarkably similar, especially when it comes to their camera hardware. Both devices rely on a 50MP primary rear camera, and both offer a 50MP front camera for selfies. At a quick glance, this alone is enough to suggest that the contest between the two will be closely fought. Dig a little deeper, though, and the differences start to emerge. While OnePlus complements its main camera with an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, Motorola takes a noticeably different route by opting for a much higher-resolution 50MP ultra-wide camera on the Edge 70. Motorola also adds a 3-in-1 ambient light sensor into the mix, hinting at a stronger emphasis on light detection and exposure accuracy. Survey Thank you for completing the survey! Based purely on specifications, Motorola appears to be taking a more aggressive approach, at least on paper. However, camera performance is rarely decided by numbers alone. What ultimately matters is how these cameras behave in real-world conditions, across different scenes and lighting environments. To see how these spec-sheet differences translate into everyday use, both phones were tested side by side across multiple lighting conditions, focusing on real-world results rather than promises. Primary camera performance In daylight scenes, the results from the main cameras of both the Motorola Edge 70 and the OnePlus Nord 5 are very close. In many shots, including the Secret Santa gift image, the differences are minimal enough to be easy to miss at first glance. Across most samples, both phones deliver a broadly similar output, with exposure and dynamic range landing in the same ballpark. Where a distinction does begin to show, it largely comes down to colour handling. The Motorola Edge 70 tends to keep colours closer to a natural, more restrained look, while the OnePlus Nord 5 leans towards slightly higher saturation. This is not an extreme difference by any means, but it is consistent enough to notice once you start comparing images side by side. In office shots, the gap remains subtle, but it becomes more apparent when you zoom into finer areas of the frame. Looking closely at the ground, the Motorola Edge 70 captures marginally more fine detail, with textures appearing a little clearer and less smoothed out compared to the OnePlus Nord 5. The same pattern continues in images of the dog. At a glance, both photos look almost identical, but closer inspection reveals clearer hair texture in Motorolas shot. Fine details around the leg are also more visible, while the OnePlus Nord 5 tends to lose some of this texture, resulting in a slightly softer overall look. Daylight show another small but noticeable difference in approach. The Motorola Edge 70 brightens faces slightly and produces a more pronounced background bokeh effect, which is not as evident on the OnePlus Nord 5. At the same time, this comes with a trade-off, as the Motorola softens facial details more aggressively. This becomes clear when zooming into the image, where skin texture appears less defined. When shooting against the sun, the OnePlus Nord 5 has a tendency to crush shadows in darker areas of the frame. The Motorola Edge 70, by comparison, retains more detail in these regions, preserving information that the OnePlus often leaves behind. Under harsh sunlight, both phones exhibit lens flare, which is expected at this price point. However, the OnePlus Nord 5 manages highlights slightly better, keeping brighter areas from blowing out as quickly as they do on the Motorola. 2x zoom performance Both the Motorola Edge 70 and OnePlus Nord 5 support lossless shooting at 2x zoom, making this focal length particularly important for everyday photography. In the subjects photo, the OnePlus Nord 5 leans towards more natural-looking colours while also adding a bit of extra contrast. The result is an image that feels more polished straight out of the camera, and arguably more ready for sharing on social media. In comparison, the Motorola Edge 70 renders darker clothing with slightly less accuracy, which becomes noticeable when the images are viewed side by side. In another 2x sample, the difference becomes clearer. The OnePlus Nord 5 captures noticeably more facial detail, with sharper textures and better-defined features. This is not a one-off result either. The same behaviour repeats across additional shots, with the OnePlus consistently retaining more fine detail at 2x zoom. Over multiple samples, this gives the OnePlus a small but dependable edge at this zoom level, especially for portraits and close-up shots where detail matters more. Portrait mode performance Portrait mode is where the differences between the two phones become much easier to spot. All portrait shots in this comparison were taken at 2x on the OnePlus Nord 5 and at 55mm on the Motorola Edge 70. It is also worth noting that Motorola offers portrait shooting at three focal lengths, giving users a bit more flexibility when framing their shots. Across multiple samples, the OnePlus Nord 5 shows a consistent issue with depth separation. In several images, it incorrectly blurs parts of the spectacles. This behaviour repeats across different shots and lighting conditions. To rule out the possibility of this being a one-off error, additional photos were taken under the same conditions, and the results remained the same. In similar scenes, the Motorola Edge 70 does a better job of separating the subject from the background. This advantage becomes even more noticeable in backlit situations. Against strong light sources, the Motorola correctly identifies background elements and applies blur where it should, while the OnePlus Nord 5 often fails to do so, leaving parts of the background unnaturally sharp. The OnePlus Nord 5 does capture portraits with finer detail on the subject itself. However, this advantage is undermined when the background blur is inaccurate. When a phone struggles to separate objects properly, the overall portrait effect suffers, making the image look less convincing despite the extra detail on the face. For a deeper look at the image comparison, check out the video linked below. Low light performance In low-light scenes, the Motorola Edge 70 pulls ahead by capturing more detail in photos overall. In billboard shots, facial details remain visible instead of breaking down into noise, and highlights are better controlled, preventing bright areas from blowing out too quickly. The difference is not dramatic at first glance, but it becomes clear once you start comparing images more closely. In this train bogie shot, the gap becomes more apparent. Text appears clearer on the Motorola Edge 70, making signs and markings easier to read. Shadow areas also retain more information, avoiding the muddy look that often shows up in low light. Colour reproduction holds up better as well, with details like the blue section near the wheels remaining visible. On the OnePlus Nord 5, these colour details are more likely to be lost as the image processing smooths things out. Ultra-wide camera performance The ultra-wide camera shows one of the clearest differences between the two phones. The OnePlus Nord 5 tends to soften fine details, particularly in areas such as leaves and ground textures. While the overall image remains usable, it lacks the crispness seen in the Motorola Edge 70s shots. Across additional samples, this pattern remains consistent. Details like tree bark and small wrinkles on objects stay more defined on the Motorola. Under direct sunlight, the OnePlus also has a tendency to overexpose highlights, leading to blown-out areas that lose texture and depth. The Motorola handles these challenging lighting conditions more confidently, preserving detail across the frame. Front camera performance Selfie performance is closer to the rear cameras, but the differences are still consistent. The OnePlus Nord 5 retains more facial detail, giving selfies a sharper look overall. The Motorola Edge 70, on the other hand, shifts colours slightly, with red clothing often appearing closer to pink. On closer inspection, the OnePlus captures more fine detail in areas such as the forehead, where skin texture is better preserved. This behaviour carries over into portrait selfies as well, with the OnePlus continuing to prioritise detail retention. Based on these results, the OnePlus Nord 5 performs better for selfies, particularly for users who value sharpness over colour accuracy. Video recording Both the Motorola Edge 70 and OnePlus Nord 5 support video recording up to 4K at 60 fps. In practice, however, the footage from both devices appears shaky, suggesting that stabilisation is not a strong point for either phone. The Nord 5 looks noticeably more jittery, especially during movement. When it comes to colour reproduction in video, the Motorola Edge 70 delivers more accurate results overall. Colours look more natural and balanced, whereas the OnePlus sometimes pushes tones a little further than necessary. While neither phone stands out as a clear winner for video, Motorolas more consistent colour handling gives it a slight edge. Conclusion This camera comparison makes it clear that both phones come with their own strengths and limitations. The Motorola Edge 70 performs better in low light, delivers more consistent results with its ultra-wide camera, and handles portrait separation more reliably. These strengths make a difference in challenging conditions, where accuracy and subject separation matter more than headline specifications. The OnePlus Nord 5, on the other hand, stands out when it comes to detail retention at 2x zoom and delivers stronger selfie performance. Its ability to preserve fine detail gives it an advantage in everyday portraits and close-up shots, particularly for users who prioritise sharpness and social-media-ready images. In the end, the final choice depends on which aspects of camera performance matter more to the user. Those who frequently shoot in low light or rely on portrait mode may find the Motorola Edge 70 better suited to their needs, while users who care more about zoomed shots and selfies are likely to prefer the OnePlus Nord 5. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. A 15-year-old from County Kerry has been named the winner of the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for a tool that helps doctors improve the treatment of brain cancer. Aoibheann Dalys project GlioScope: Multi-task Deep Learning and Causal AI for Glioma & Glioblastoma Profiling allows doctors to predict what genetic mutations may be present in the brain using an MRI to make treatment quicker and easier for patients. Doctors currently rely on taking samples of brain tissue, which is expensive and carries a high risk of bleeding in the brain. Professor Catherine Darker, head judge for the Health & Wellbeing category said Aoibheanns development is an extraordinary achievement. Aoibheann has brought together scientific areas of medicine with computer science to improve the chances of early intervention for people with brain cancer, she said. The Stripe YSTE trophy was presented to Aoibheann on Friday by Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, and Stripe cofounder and former YSTE winner Patrick Collison. In addition to receiving the grand prize of 7,500 euros, she will go on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Kiel in Germany in September 2026. Aoife Fadian and Jessica OConnor, fifth year students from County Sligo, were named Best Group, with their project Sheep Strength II: Using Sheep Wool to Reinforce Concrete. Expanding on their work from last year, the pair investigated the most effective, market-friendly form of sheep wool as a strengthening agent for concrete. The YSTE was founded in 1965 and attracts more than 40,000 visitors on average to the RDS in Dublin, making it one of the biggest events of its kind worldwide. More than 1,000 students presenting 550 projects competed for more than 200 prizes throughout the week. The projects were chosen from a pool of almost 2,000 entries. A staple of the new year political calendar, the exhibition attracted high-profile politicians who came to inspect projects made by schools in their constituencies. President Catherine Connolly officially opened the competition on Wednesday and a range of Cabinet ministers visited throughout the week. Friday saw the attendance of Tanaiste Simon Harris as well as Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who had just returned from a days-long diplomatic visit to China. The Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leaders spent hours interacting with secondary school students on the show floor, posing for photographs and interacting with projects. Nearly a quarter of the projects use or examine artificial intelligence (AI), while environment and climate-related projects also feature heavily this year. On the subject of AI, Mr Harris told reporters that he was grappling with whether politicians should deactivate their X account amid a controversy about the platforms Grok tool which has been used to create sexualised images of people, including children. He also said the companys decision to move that capability behind a paywall would clearly not address the issue. This years main sponsor is Stripe, which has taken over from BT Ireland after 25 years. Stripe was founded by Irish brothers and former YSTE entrants John and Patrick Collison. Patrick won the competition in 2005 and attended the event on Thursday and Friday. The tech firm, which operates a dual headquarters in Dublin and San Francisco, offers programmable financial services for millions of businesses to accept payments. Mr Collison joined the Taoiseach as he walked around the exhibition hall. One of the projects Mr Martin stopped at was the IronInsight app to promote haemochromatosis awareness, created by Transition Year student Ellen OShea at Ursuline College Blackrock, Co Cork. Ms OSheas project was part of a range of entries supported by the Teen Turn charity which is dedicated to providing teenage girls with hands-on Stem experience. Meanwhile, 15-year-old disability campaigner Cara Darmody entered with a project examining misconceptions and misinformation about autism diagnoses. Both Mr Martin and Mr Harris stopped to speak to the activist, who gained national attention with her campaign on the shortcomings in the assessment of needs system. Ardee councillors have raised concerns that traffic congestion on Sean O'Carroll Street saying it is leading to increased "road rage" among local residents. Independent councillor Jim Tenanty raised concerns at the January meeting of the Ardee Municipal District. He called on Louth County Council to implement a weight restriction on the street, previously agreed to by the Town Council, as large vehicles, buses and lorries are travelling "up and down the street" as a shortcut to bypass traffic in Ardee. Cllr Tenanty said residents are struggling to park outside their homes as a result of all-day parking and are "pulling their hair out", he said the situation has "gone by the joke stage". "Is there anything we can do to alleviate or help some of the people's aggression because they couldn't in their own gates", he said. Read Next: RISE Community Fund offering technology grants for Louth primary schools He said the road "doesn't suit two-way traffic" because of the street parking and pans for 200 new houses in the area is only going to make the situation worse. Enda Murphy, Senior Executive Engineer with Louth County Council said he will engage with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and will update councillors on the matter. Cathaoirleach, Cllr Dolores Minogue asked for an update for proposed work at the Castle Street/Sean O'Carroll Street junction near Bank of Ireland, where there has also been issues with congestion. Mr Murphy drawings are done for the project and confirmed sufficient funding should be in place. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. The RISE Community Fund has announced a fresh round of cash grants for National Schools in Co Louth. The fund is part of a nationwide initiative to empower young people in rural communities through technology. Schools in Louth can apply for funding to enhance learning experiences for children through enhanced broadband and technology. The fund is supported by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and corporate partners involved in the National Broadband Plan, such as KPMG and Circet. Read Next: Drogheda Local Area Plan dropped as planning law changes halts progress David McCourt, Chairman of NBI and the founder of the RISE Community Fund said the fund was created to help rural communities make the most of high-speed connectivity. "As we look ahead to completing the broadband rollout in 2026, were delighted to support National Schools in Co Louth, giving young people in rural communities the tools, skills and opportunities they need to thrive in a digital world, he said. TJ Malone, Chief Executive Officer at NBI said through RISE it can support schools in Louth to explore new ways to use technology to enhance education an improve school environment. He also said the National Broadband Plan is being delivered on time and on budget. 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. Read Next: Louth sees rise in incidents of theft from shops 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 musician Zoe Conway is set to take part in a special celebration of traditional Irish music this Friday night, as Patrick Kielty hosts the Late Late Show Trad Special. Zoe Conway is widely regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary Irish traditional music. On Friday night, Patrick Kielty throws open the doors for the seisiun of all seisiuns. On a night dedicated to celebrating traditional Irish music, some of the greatest trad musicians from Ireland and around the world - including many of the standout artists appearing at this years TradFest - gather for unforgettable performances, stories and surprises. Expect incredible instrumentals, surprise collaborations and some of the best-known songs in the Irish music tradition, interspersed with conversations with guests throughout the night. In between performances, Patrick will also catch up with other well-known musicians including Kevin Conneff of The Chieftains, Donal Lunny, Fiachna O Braonain and Zoe Conway as they share stories, songs and their passion for keeping the tradition alive. And in a Late Late Show first, one musician will be inducted into The Late Late Show Trad Music Hall of Fame. American folk legend Peggy Seeger joins the line-up for the Late Late Show Trad Special. She will reflect on her seven decades in the music industry and still performing and releasing music at 90. Shell pay tribute to her late husband Ewan MacColl with a performance of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, the iconic song he wrote for her. Audiences can also look forward to a special group performance of Dirty Old Town, another of MacColls classics. Read Next: Aspiring Louth entrepreneurs encouraged to join New Frontiers startup programme Actor Ricky Tomlinson, beloved for The Royle Family, will also drop in for a chat. Hell discuss his passion for singing and playing the banjo, his connection to Ireland and why he has no intention of slowing down any time soon. Hell reflect on the joy he finds in performing and in true seisiun spirit, might even treat audiences to a tune of his own. Lisa Canny, founding member of all-female trad supergroup Biird, will also chat to Paddy about the incredible year shes had with the band from launching their debut Irish tour to taking the stage at All Together Now, the Fleadh and the 3Arena, all while squeezing in a tour with Ed Sheeran and a feature in Vogue. Lisa will also look ahead to the year to come, sharing how 2026 is shaping up to be just as big for both her and the band, with even more music and milestones on the horizon. The Tanaiste has said the EU cant take for granted the deal with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, will go ahead. Speaking to reporters on Friday at the Stripe Young Scientist exhibition, Simon Harris said: No officials, at any level, including the European Commission, should ever take for granted the decisions that the democratically elected representatives right across the European Union may decide to make in the European Parliament. On Friday, EU envoys approved the trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay but it still needs to be backed by the European Parliament. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form. Mr Harris conceded: It looks more likely than not that it will pass the parliament. But he added its not a done deal and said theres still a window of time to outline the concerns that we have in relation to the agreement. He said the Government had not ruled out supporting the deal if if changes and improvements are made around food safety and parity with environmental standards. Mr Harris said Ireland benefits from free trade but that it has to be free trade that doesnt expect our farmers or our consumers to adopt a different set of standards. The deal has been opposed by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and has also seen internal disagreement within Government, including with independents who supported the formation of the coalition. Speaking on Limericks Live 95 radio on Friday, the Minister for Culture said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs will oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement when it is brought to the European Parliament. Patrick ODonovan said government party MEPs are bound by the programme for government and the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon not to support the deal. IFA president Francie Gorman described the news the EU had provisionally approved the deal as very disappointing. He said: This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman said: The Mercosur Trade Agreement is not fair. Its not fair to Irish farmers, who have to compete with food raised to much lower welfare standards. Its not fair to Irish consumers, who will be exposed to beef reared using excessive hormones and pesticides. A protest against the deal is scheduled to take place in Athlone on Saturday. Gardai have said there will be significant additional traffic in the area, including slow-moving vehicles. They are expecting a convoy of agricultural vehicles to travel from the Roscommon Road, along the N6 eastbound and along the N55 towards the Cornamaddy roundabout. There is also a march to TUS Athlone planned, followed by a rally and speeches. 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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe From Taylor Swift to Leonardo DiCaprio, many A-listers have been spotted dining at the swanky Nobu restaurants, a global empire run by Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. But no one will quite live up to his most memorable celebrity story - Princess Diana dining at his first London eatery, in 1997, shortly before her death. A couple of months before she got into the accident, my business partner invited Princess Diana, then I cooked for her, says the chef, better known as Nobu. Admitting he was nervous to say hello, the 76-year-old notes: I said, Pleasure to meet you Princess. And she said to me, Oh, Chef Nobu, Ive read about you. I was so surprised, I was so happy she knew me, he says proudly. She loved what I cooked for her which was a very simple tempura, I didnt want to give anything too strange to the royal family. She liked the tempura, she liked fish, sushi... I think she enjoyed it because she ate it all. After debuting at his Matsuhisa restaurant in Beverly Hills in the 80s, Nobu now has more than 50 worldwide, as well as about 40 hotels. He says A-listers including Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Kate Winslet have enjoyed dining at his UK restaurants - the newest of which is in Portman Square. The chef is known for popularising Japanese food - particularly sushi - with Peruvian influence (just dont call in fusion -I prefer Nobu style, he says). Nobu can take credit for inventing black cod with miso - his signature dish and recreated by restaurateurs the world over. Cindy Crawford once requested he create something off the menu for her at his LA restaurant - Some tempura but in a different way with shrimp, scallops, onions, then steamed rice with tempura on top. The Japanese name is kakiage donburi - a dish he named Cindy Rice so Crawford could ask for it again. His head chef in New York had to call up Nobu to ask how exactly to make it, as the legendary model had just walked into the restaurant and requested Cindy Rice. Born in the small town of Saitama, near Tokyo, Nobus childhood bedroom was next to the kitchen. Every morning, my mother, my grandmother, started cooking breakfast. Id wake up to the smells and the sounds and walk into the kitchen. His mum has since died but, he says, everyone has a memory of missing their mother cooking. The art of sushi was reserved for restaurants in Japan at the time. Becoming a sushi chef was my dream as a kid, Nobu says. He dropped out of architect high school to train at a small family-run sushi restaurant in Tokyo at 18, but spent a tough three years cleaning and prepping before any of the senior chefs would show him how to make sushi. With dreams of making it in another country, Nobu moved to Peru at 23. It was there he started to imagine how Japanese food could take on elements from Peruvian cuisine. Now, ceviche [raw fish marinated in lemon juice for up to six hours] is all over the world, people know about it, but 50 years ago, nobody knew. I knew Japan had fish so then [I thought] use the same fish and make it in a different way. From this moment, my eyes open. Then I started thinking about every Peruvian dish, and I made it in a Japanese way - and he opened a restaurant in Lima. His next venture would take him and his family to Alaska, with the opportunity to open a restaurant there. After just 50 days of the opening, an electrical problem caused a fire, destroying the restaurant. It means my restaurant is gone, my dream is gone, I lost everything, Nobu says. It was a moment watching his young children and wife that helped him out of a dark place. They didnt know why Daddy was staying at home, they were playing, they starting screaming or fighting and something happened then, this voice from my ear, then I kind of woke up to, Oh, yes I have a family, I have two kids, Ive got to try one more time to survive. It was a very tough time but this experience is now appreciated, he says, Because this experience makes Nobu what it is. He learned you can never give up, he notes. But no rush, I like to go one by one, step by step, even one millimetre a day. Lots of people helped me and supported me, I felt so much, being loved. Nobu opened the famous Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, California, in 1987, garnering celebrity fanfare. Actor Robert De Niro liked it so much he offered to go into partnership with the Japanese chef - an opportunity Nobu turned down at first. After four or five years, he approached me again, so this time, [I thought] oh, I can trust him. Because it was not only money, he was watching me and what I was doing. Together, they opened Nobu New York in 1994 - the first of many with the Nobu name. Over the years some of the establishments have gained, and lost, Michelin stars, but Nobu says its not his focus. I never care for titles. My Michelin star is customers smiling and eating. Try three of his recipes here... For more information or to book Nobu Portman Square, visit nobuhotels.com/london-portman/. Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing Recreate this recipe from the chefs famous Beverley Hills restaurant. Chef Nobu's sashimi salad with Matsuhisa dressing. Picture: Nobu Hotel Portman Square/PA A favourite with customers from when Matsuhisa first opened, Matsuhisa dressing is an appetising soy-sauce-based mixture enhanced by sweet onions and aromatic sesame oil. Ingredients (serves 4) Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 200g fresh tuna fillet 5tbsp plus 1tsp Matsuhisa dressing 60g assorted salad vegetables (e.g. micro greens) For the matsuhisa dressing (yields 350ml) 70g finely chopped onion 2tbsp plus 2tsp soy sauce 1tbsp plus 1tsp rice vinegar 2tsp water 1/2tsp granulated sugar A pinch sea salt 1/4tsp powdered mustard A pinch freshly ground black pepper 4tsp grapeseed oil 4tsp sesame oil Method 1. Make the dressing: combine all the ingredients except the oils. When the salt is fully dissolved, add oils. (Note: This all-purpose dressing also works with meat and tofu). 2. Preheat a grill or broiler. Sprinkle a little sea salt and black pepper on the tuna. Briefly sear the tuna until its surface turns white. Plunge the fillet into iced water to stop it cooking any further, then shake off the excess water. 3. Pour the Matsuhisa dressing into a serving dish. Arrange the salad vegetables in the center of the dish. Cut the tuna into slices ? inch (4-5mm) thick. Roll each slice into a cylinder and place them in a petal-like pattern around the vegetables in the center. Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce The perfect mix of crispy and creamy. Chef Nobu's rock shrimp tempura with a creamy, spicy sauce. Picture: Nobu Hotel Portman Square/PA The creamy spicy sauce is the real star of this dish, and a Nobu favourite the world over. Ingredients (Serves four to six) 650g rock shrimp, or peeled and deveined large shrimp cut into bite-sized pieces Yuzu juice or lemon juice Vegetable oil for deep frying For the sauce: 1 egg yolk 1/2tsp sea salt 1/2tsp white pepper 1tsp rice vinegar 100ml grapeseed oil, or other mildly flavoured oil 2tsp chilli garlic sauce (Toban Djan) For the tempura batter: 1 egg yolk 200ml iced water 100g all-purpose flour Method 1. Start by making the sauce. Whisk together the egg yolk, salt, pepper and vinegar, then very gradually whisk in the grapeseed oil. Start with just a few drops to create an emulsion, then increase the amount of oil, whisking all the while. Once all the oil has been added and your sauce is nice and thick, stir through the chilli garlic sauce. 2. Whisk all the batter ingredients together and combine well. 3. Heat around 5 inches of vegetable oil in a pan suitable for deep frying until it reaches 180C or 355F. Working in batches of 2-3 small handfuls, coat the shrimp in the tempura batter and gently drop into the hot oil, frying for a few minutes until golden. Remove the shrimp from the oil and place onto a paper towel-covered tray to drain. Repeat the process until all the shrimp is cooked. 4. Transfer the fried shrimp to a large bowl, pour over the sauce and toss to coat. Finish with a splash of yuzu or lemon juice and garnish with chopped chives. Tips from the chefs: If shrimp is unavailable you can try this sauce with any white fish tempura, or even vegetable tempura. If you dont have the right equipment for frying, this sauce is also delicious drizzled over any grilled fish or meat. Seafood Ceviche This is classic Nobu style - with a Peruvian influence. Chef Nobu's seafood ceviche. Picture: Nobu Hotel Portman Square/PA A combination of raw and cooked seafood, vegetables, and spicy-sour ceviche sauce. This dish is light, fresh, and ideal for entertaining. Ingredients (Serves 4) 180g mixed seafood (delicately flavoured varieties such as fresh white fish and shellfish, boiled octopus, boiled squid, boiled shrimp), cut into bite-size pieces 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into thin round slices 4 each red, yellow, and orange mini tomatoes, halved 4tsp finely chopped coriander leaves 5tbsp plus 1 tsp ceviche sauce Coriander sprigs, for garnish For the ceviche sauce: 4tbsp lemon juice 2tbsp yuzu juice 1/2tsp sea salt 1tsp soy sauce 1/2tsp finely grated garlic 1/2tsp grated ginger 1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper 1tsp aji amarillo paste Method 1. Make the ceviche sauce: Combine all the ingredients (yields approximately 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon). 2. Mix all the seafood and vegetables together well. 3. Combine with the ceviche sauce and transfer to a serving dish. Top with a coriander sprig and serve immediately. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) is asking people across Cork to consider giving blood as a new year resolution for 2026. Paul McKinney, the director of donor services and logistics at IBTS, said they are in need of all blood groups, in particular types A, B and O negative. Stocks are currently very low for these blood groups, at around three days supply, said Mr McKinney. This call for donations follows a higher than usual number of cancellations by donors due to seasonal illnesses, holiday disruptions and poor weather, as well as a rise in demand for blood from hospitals. This is affecting our ability to collect enough of the right blood type. Mr McKinney said that more than 17% of all donations made to hospitals in December were of the O negative blood type. Hospitals are ordering more O negative blood than expected, with over 1,700 units (17.2%) of all blood issued to hospitals in December alone being of this blood group, said Mr McKinney. Many blood donors who may not have donated in a while are being urged to consider making it their new year resolution, and book their next appointment now. Anyone with a scheduled appointment is being asked to keep it if they are fit and well, and any donors who dont have an appointment are asked to please call 1800 731137 or go to www.giveblood.ie and book an appointment. For more information on blood donation, or to check your eligibility, visit giveblood.ie. Trump proposes 1.5 trillion USD military budget for 2027, sparking war concerns Xinhua) 09:52, January 09, 2026 WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a 1.5-trillion-U.S.-dollar military budget for 2027 on social media on Wednesday, a sharp increase from 2026's 901 billion dollars, fueling concerns about the potential eruption of wars. "After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe," Trump said. Trump also claimed that the "tremendous income" brought in by tariffs would make the new figure possible. "That's not a peacekeeping budget. It's a war budget, a big war budget," U.S. journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson said in his latest show. "Obviously, that's the kind of budget that a country that anticipates a global or regional war has for its military." "I think it's fair to expect and all the signs suggest that we're going to have a big war soon," Carlson said. "Hope it doesn't happen, but obviously we're moving in that direction toward a world war." Trump's announcement came just a few days after the U.S. raid on Venezuela, capturing the South American country's president Nicolas Maduro and his wife. In mid-December, the U.S. Senate approved a House-passed 901-billion-dollar defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which was quickly signed by Trump. Trump's latest proposal will also need congressional approval. The United States has spent far more on its military than any other country in recent years, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of global military expenditures. The United States remains by far the largest military spender in the world, with an expenditure of 997 billion dollars in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In 2024, the 39 U.S. companies listed in the SIPRI Top 100 recorded combined arms revenues of 334 billion dollars, up 3.8 percent year on year and accounting for nearly half of the Top 100 total, according to a recent SIPRI report. The report also noted that 30 of the 39 U.S. firms recorded growth in arms revenues. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Ireland will vote against the proposed Mercosur trade deal, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has confirmed. The EU is to vote at a European Council meeting today on the trade deal with the South American Mercosur (El Mercado Comun del Sur) countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Speaking in Shanghai during his official visit to China, Mr Martin said while progress had been made around safeguards on imported beef from the South American countries, the concessions had not sufficiently allayed Irish concerns. We have to be confident that the standards that we have set now, and the obligations based on Irish and European farmers, are not undermined by food production systems that are not as carbon efficient and that dont have the same stringent standards, he said. So, in the round, acknowledging that progress has been made in terms of the safeguards, both the market safeguards and the pesticide issue. But in terms of that basic issue around the obligations and standards for Irish farmers, our sense is that we dont have confidence that they wont be undercut, so the Government will be voting no. Mr Martin said Irish farmers had been asked to make major undertakings to make agriculture more carbon efficient, adding that that they should not have to face competition from countries with lower climate standards. We now have one of the most carbon-efficient food production systems in the world, and we put in a lot of regulations, rightly so, that are very stringent in respect to consumer protection, food safety, carbon efficiency, climate protection measures, he said. Christopher OSullivan, Fianna Fail TD for Cork South West, and minister of state for nature, heritage, and the environment, said the decision to vote no was correct. The deal would undermine Irish farmers, particularly in the beef sector, by allowing imports produced to lower standards, with serious animal health concerns, he said. Beef production is the biggest driver of deforestation in Brazil, destroying habitats and threatening endangered species. We cannot ask Irish farmers to protect nature, to make their farms more carbon efficient, while importing beef from systems that dont meet the same standards. Thats why voting against Mercosur is the right decision, and why other European countries should follow. Michael Collins, Independent Ireland leader and TD for Cork South West, said his party was organising a demonstration against Mercosur in Athlone tomorrow, and he urged as many people as possible to attend. This deal threatens Irish farming, rural jobs and food standards, Mr Collins said. The only language Europe understands is pressure. Thats why Saturday matters. A strong turnout sends a clear signal that Ireland will not accept a trade deal that sells out our farmers. Mr Collins said the protest would also demonstrate solidarity with farmers across Europe who are facing the same threat from the Mercosur agreement. We urge farmers, families, and communities to come out on Saturday, stand together, and make their voices heard. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald described the Governments decision to vote against the deal as too little, too late. She said the Government sat on their hands when they should have shown leadership and had utterly failed to stand up for Irelands interests. She said: Their job was to stop Mercosur being introduced and they have massively failed. 1. Judith Macklin, Citroen DS owner, with her son Philip Hurley & her husband Martin Hurley, owner of the Mercedes 380 SL, Kinsale, at the Roberts Cove Vintage New Year Tractor Run. 2. Committee members Jim Griffin, vice-chairperson; Bob McCarthy; Bridget Twomey, joint secretary; Diarmuid Reid, chairperson; Paudie Hayes, assistant treasurer, and Tim Murphy, treasurer, at the Roberts Cove Vintage New Year Tractor, Truck and Car Run. Pictures: Siobhan Russell. 3. Hayes Haulage drivers Oisin Murphy, Keith Delaney, John OBrien, Shane Smith and Darren Rice with his children Callum and Leon Rice, at Roberts Cove. Theatre casting calls The Carrigaline community Theatre has issued a correction to the previously advertised casting call dates for forthcoming productions. Taking to social media, the theatre group said: The previous poster had incorrect dates. Here are the correct dates for our upcoming casting call. The youth casting call for Us and Them will take place at the Carrigaline Youth Centre from 7.30pm on Monday, January 19. The adult casting call for So and Keys of the Kingdom will take place at the Carrigaline Lions Youth Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 20 and 21 and 7.30pm on both nights. We apologise for and confusion and thank you for your understanding, the social media post. Social swimming group is back The Carrigaline Social Swimming Group, established in 2003, is back in action at the excellent pool plus jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room every Thursday at 9.30pm at Carrigaline Court Hotel Leisure Centre. Everyone, including those unable to swim, is welcome to attend, and there is no charge for first night visitors. A new 10-week term begins on Thursday, January 29, for only 80. New members are most welcome to come along any Thursday on a pay-per-swim basis for only 10. Its a great fun hour of exercise and relaxation every week for every type of swimmer, and non-swimmer, said a group spokesperson. So why not give it a try and make a resolution to be more active in 2026? Anyone seeking further information can telephone 086-8221320. The first full moon of 2026, also known as the Wolf Supermoon, descends behind the Johnson & Johnson plant in Loughbeg as dawn broke on January 4. Picture: David Creedon Crosshaven Brownies Crosshaven Brownies are seeking new member this month, with girls who will be seven this year up to those aged nine welcome to join. "We take girls from all backgrounds, nationalities, faith and no faith backgrounds," said a spokesperson. Crosshaven Brownies starts back on Tuesday 20th Jan. We meet in Crosshaven Pitch and Putt Clubhouse, 6:30-7:45pm. For more information contact by email: crosshavenguidessb@gmail.com. Ireland Lights Up Carrigaline Camogie, LGFA & GAA Club is taking part in Ireland Lights Up, staring this week and running for five weeks. People wishing to participate can download the MyLife App, register and link to the club. The app will then track your total steps over the duration of the initiative. "We will meet for one hour every Wednesday from 7-8pm and walk as a club and community on our new walk way at the club grounds," said a spokesperson "The club with the most steps counted could win 30,000 This is open to everyone - players, members, non members - all are welcome." Table Quiz It is all systems go for the Carrigaline Mens Shed Table Quiz this Saturday January 17th in the GAA Pavilion at 7.30pm. The Mens Shed has received a great array of sponsored prizes for the event which promises to be a great night. Enquiries Roger Morrissey 087 220 3547. Aifreann Gaeilge Beidh Aifreann Gaeilge a cheiliuradh an Domhnach seo chugainn an 11u la de mhi Eanair ar a 10.00 a.m. Beidh bileoga Aifrinn agus iomainn ar fail ag na doirse. The January Aifreann Gaeilge will be celebrated at 10.00 am on Sunday morning 11th in the Church of Our Lady and St John, Carrigaline. Billeoga Aifrinn will be available at the church doors. Beidh failte roimh chach. Blood Donors The Irish Blood Transfusion Service will hold a two day clinic in the Carrigaline Educate Together School off Cherry Blossom Road on Wednesday and Thursday15th & 16th January from 4.50 to 9.00pm. Please donate and save lives. Supplies are low and demand is high. Enquiries 1800 731137 between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Tidy Towns Carrigaline Tidy Towns were out in force last Saturday morning after Christmas to do a major litter pick around the town well done to the team who take great pride in the appearance of Carrigaline. This autumn and winter season Tidy Towns with the help of clubs, schools and teams from local companies planted thousands of bulbs throughout the town. The volunteers continue to meet every Tuesday and Saturday mornings at headquarters in the car park at 9:30 am. New members are always welcome, enquiries Carrigaline tt@gmail.com Mens Shed The Carrigaline Mens Shed had a busy time on the run up to Christmas with their very successful bag packing fundraiser in Dunnes Stores and their choir singing for two hours to welcome visitors home at Cork Airport on Sunday December 21st. Some members helped with the stewarding at the Wren on St Stephens Day. Their next fundraising event is their table quiz in the GAA Pavilion on Saturday January 17th. Shed activities are back to normal with the Mens choir getting their songs ready for the Shed concert on Sunday March 22nd. Preparations for the St Patricks Day project are progressing. New members are welcome, enquiries to Roger Morrissey 087 220 3547. Pipe Band Carrigaline Pipe Band are back after the Christmas break to full practice mode starting this Thursday. New classes for beginners are due to start shortly. Enquiries to Paddy OConnell 087 968 5833. A 41-hectare site on the northside of Cork city is being transferred to the State by the IDA and could provide up to 1,000 new homes. The land at Kilbarry is being handed over to the Land Development Agency. However, concerned locals have warned that the plans could destroy the well-known Murphys Rock amenity area. The site is part of the North Blackpool-Kilbarry Expansion Area, one of the key locations identified to accommodate the growth requirements of the city, up to 2040. The greenfield site has historically been earmarked for industrial use by IDA but, following a review as part of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028, the site is now zoned for residential use. The site lies to the north of Kilbarry Enterprise Park and adjoins Delany Rovers GAA Club. Blackpool Village and Blackpool Shopping Centre are less than 2km away. Public consultation The Land Development Agency has already appointed a design team for the project and intends to undertake a comprehensive public consultation process on emerging proposals for the site, which will be informed by plans for the area being prepared by Cork City Council. Any new homes will benefit from planned new projects like the Cork northern distributor route, which will cross the site. They will also be close to the proposed Blackpool-Kilbarry railway station, to be located further to the south, off Dublin Hill. The plans include a range of housing types, alongside a mix of other uses and public open space with a target of 2027 for the planning application. Devastated However, Murphys Rock and Bride Valley Support Group chairperson Joan Lewis told The Echo that locals were devastated at the news. Ms Lewis said: If you put houses on top of Murphys Rock, the valley below will be destroyed. Murphys Rock was created by the ice age, and down through the years everyone living in the area has protected it. People who have emigrated all over the world are passionate about Murphys Rock because they played there during their childhood. We cant believe it. The fields where theyre going to build have streams going down through them, theres loads of nature weve been trying to protect, and theyre going to destroy it. Weve never objected to housing, but its the only green area we have, we have no place else to walk around it would be like if they put houses into Fitzgeralds Park. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that the delivery of 1,000 new homes in the city would be a significant step forward. He said: It will provide families and individuals with the opportunity to live in modern, sustainable communities close to jobs, schools, and amenities. Enhance He said the project would ease housing pressures, support local economic growth, and enhance the quality of life for people in the city. Mr Martin said: Addressing Irelands housing challenges requires a whole-of-State approach, every agency and stakeholder must work together to ensure everyone has access to a home. I commend the collaborative approach taken by the IDA and LDA in reaching this agreement. Their commitment to working together on the transfer of the Kilbarry site is a powerful example of how partnership can drive progress. LDA chief executive John Coleman said the authority intends to consult extensively with stakeholders and the public before submitting a planning application: The LDA relies on state bodies to facilitate the transfer of State-owned sites and by engaging with us, agencies like IDA Ireland, are making a significant contribution to ensuring a steady and reliable supply of much-needed new housing and to the LDAs mission of creating sustainable and thriving new communities. Several Venezuelan people based in Cork have welcomed the removal of president Nicolas Maduro from power, as they wait in anticipation for what is in store next for the South American country. On January 3, the United States conducted a major military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro. The Venezuelan president has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and narco terrorism charges. Gaby OConnor is originally from Venezuela but has been living in Cork city for the last six years. Married to a Cork man, she told The Echo the capturing of Maduro has been viewed as a relief. I could speak for a lot of Venezuelans, we are happy with this. We are happy that he is going to face justice finally after all of these years of misery, that all of the Venezuelans have been going through inside of Venezuela. There is a population of al most nine million Venezuelans that have left the country since 2014. We need to clarify to the world that Maduro is terrorising people over and over. It is still happening today. So, we are happy that he is facing jail. But Gaby added that while Maduro is facing justice right now, he is not the only one who should be out of government in her home country. Mauricio is also a Venezuela native who lives in Cork. As he still has family living in Venezuela, he requested The Echo not to publish his full name. Mauricio has also welcomed the removal of Venezuelan president Maduro. There is a sense of joy and vindication. The country has been crumbling for the last 25 years. Obviously, the last few years have been worse. The opposition has tried literally everything, including trying to do this the democratic way, with elections. The last two presidential elections were fraudulent, and this has been verified and certified by the US, the EU, and the UN. So, it is not like my opinion. This has been factually confirmed. In the wake of Maduros arrest, Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as the interim president. As to what she thinks will happen next in Venezuela, Gaby OConnor points out that Venezuelans have been fighting the regime for decades. We have been utilising every democratic aspect that we can use to get rid of them. It is impossible because they have the forces and it is impossible to fight them in democratic elections. So, I think right now, the United States can help to lead the transition for a Venezuelan government to take over. Since 2014, there have been over 18,000 political prisoners in Venezuela. I know people who are in jail because they were just opposition to the government. Mauricio added it could potentially take a significant amount of time before change is evident in Venezuela. There is a sense that things have changed. But I think it is just morale. I dont see this as a couple of days or a couple of weeks. I think [it will take] months or years. A 38-year-old man who was remanded in custody with consent to bail after he was charged last week in relation to an alleged stash of 800,000 in drugs and cash in a Cork suburb did not have his surety approved yesterday as the judge said the documentation was not stacking up. Christopher McCudden, of Robin Hill, Sandyford Road, Dundrum, Dublin, was charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis for sale of supply at Maryborough Ridge, Douglas, on December 30, 2025. He was also charged with offences arising from a follow-up search, including possession for sale or supply of 10,000 worth of cannabis found in a vehicle belonging to him at Kellys Recovery Yard, Kilmacanoge, Bray, Co Wicklow on December 31. In addition he was charged with two counts of money-laundering in respect of 40,000 at Maryborough Ridge, Douglas, and 4,000 at his home address at Sandyford Road, Dublin. Mr McCudden, and a second man who was previously released on bail, were arrested by gardai from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit at Maryborough Ridge, Maryborough Hill, Douglas, when they seized 10kg of cocaine worth 700,000, 3kg of cannabis, worth 60,000, and 40,000 in cash. Detective Garda Eoghan OMahony objected to bail due to the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the evidence against Mr McCudden when the matter was in court on January 2. It was alleged that gardai observed Mr McCudden hand over a SuperValu-branded plastic bag to another man which contained 5kg of cocaine worth 350,000 while they also found 40,000 in cash in a bag beside him on the passengers seat of the van. Det Garda OMahony also alleged that a search of the van revealed a carefully hidden and specially modified wheel alignment machine in the back of the van where they found another 5kg of cocaine worth another 350,000, and 3kg of cannabis worth 60,000. He said that the van was branded with the logo of a tyre company that did not exist and that Mr McCudden was wearing high-vis clothing giving the impression that he was an ordinary worker. Det Garda OMahony said gardai believed it was a sophisticated operation and Mr McCudden would not have been carrying such amounts unless he was a trusted member of an organised crime group and gardai feared he would abscond as he had a ticket booked to go to Spain. CUSTODY Judge Catherine Ryan remanded him in custody with consent to bail on conditions, including an independent surety of 10,000, 5,000 of which was to be lodged in cash. Sergeant Gearoid Davis said there was a Garda objection to the character of the person offering to go forward as independent surety as she was convicted in 2012 for assault and obstructing a peace officer. Donal Daly, solicitor, said there was 5,000 cash in court and evidence of 5,000 lodged in an account in the prospective suretys name. Judge Mary Dorgan said: This is a significant matter. I need to be make sure the money being put forward for bail is coming from a legitimate source. I am concerned. I will deal with the matter again on Monday. I am not satisfied on the documentation presented to me it is not stacking up. Mr McCudden was remanded in custody until then. A rally to protest the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by United States forces is planned for Cork city centre tomorrow. Mr Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by US forces last Sunday and brought to New York, where they are currently being held while Mr Maduro is being tried for drugs smuggling and possession of weapons. The rally in Cork is planned for 2.30pm on the Grand Parade, following directly on from the weekly pro-Palestine protest. Speakers at the demonstration will include representatives from People Before Profit, the Socialist Party, the Connolly Youth Movement, and other left-wing groups. The organisers describe the planned event as a rally against US imperialism, and in solidarity with the Venezuelan people. They describe the abduction as an unprovoked attack and kidnapping (which was) simply a violent grab for resources. They criticised Taoiseach Micheal Martin for not following the lead of governments in Spain, Brazil, and other countries in condemning the US raid. Speaking to reporters in Beijing following his meeting this week with Chinese president Xi Jinping, Mr Martin declined to criticise the US action, saying instead that he would have preferred a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela. He said that, in common with other EU member states, Ireland had never accepted the legitimacy of Mr Maduros claim to the presidency. He did a lot of damage and was quite tyrannical in his approach and repressive as a leader, he said. However, Mr Martin added, the Irish Government believed the future of Venezuela is one that must be decided by the people of Venezuela. We have to ensure that the people get to decide their future in Venezuela and that theres strong adherence to international rules-based order. The organisers of Saturdays planned rally said they were calling on as many people as possible to send a message to the Government that, as with the slaughter in Gaza, the people will not stand idly by in the face of atrocity. They called for the Government to immediately and unequivocally condemn the US action and demand the release of Mr Maduro and Ms Flores. As the fourth anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears, the founder of a Cork-based charity has appealed for support for its work in the besieged country. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched the latest stage of its war on Ukraine, a conflict it began by occupying Crimea in the immediate wake of the 2014 Maidan Uprising. That revolution had resulted in the ousting of Ukraines pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Since 2014, as many as 1.5m people are estimated to have been killed in the ongoing conflict, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recording, in September last year, 5.7m Ukrainian refugees scattered around the world. Founded in 2002 by Cork woman Fiona Corcoran, The Greater Chernobyl Cause has been working on the ground in Ukraine, focusing initially on helping people living with the aftermath of the worst nuclear accident in history. On Saturday, April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, the No 4 reactor exploded, releasing radiation 30 to 40 times the amount released by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. HOSPICES The Cork charitys efforts have resulted in the building and refurbishment of orphanages and hospices, the donation of vital domestic appliances and medical equipment, and the provision of shelter for vulnerable street children. The after-effects of the nuclear disaster are still being felt to this day, Ms Corcoran told The Echo, and the war which grinds on with daily Russian drone attacks against civilian populations despite ongoing peace negotiations has brought even more suffering to Ukraine. For almost a quarter of a century, The Greater Chernobyl Cause has been a lifeline for the forgotten and the vulnerable, bringing hope where there was once only despair, she said. Our mission began in the shadow of the Chernobyl disaster, but today, it is the devastating war in Ukraine that calls us to act with an urgency and sorrow we have never known before. February of last year saw unprecedented scenes in the Oval Office of the White House, when US president Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance berated Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelenskyy at length on live television. Mr Trump and Mr Vance railed at a visibly distressed Mr Zelenskyy, accusing him of being insufficiently grateful for US support with the US president, seemingly triggered by Mr Zelenskyy not wearing a business suit, continually shouting down his guest and telling him, you dont have the cards to defeat Russia. PEACE TALKS Since then, peace talks have followed a dizzying pattern of Mr Trump, who is not noted for his attention to detail or his patience for protracted negotiations in turn praising and then criticising Russian president Vladimir Putin, before then praising him again. The US president has repeatedly demonstrated what many analysts suggest is a deep-seated sympathy for Mr Putin, with some lending credence to disputed claims that the Russian president holds Kompromat compromising information on the former reality TV star. Others have suggested that the existence or otherwise of Kompromat is ultimately irrelevant when the US president for whatever reason more often than not does whatever the Russian president requires of him, whether because he is actually compromised or because he just admires the strongman in the Kremlin. A 28-point US peace plan put forward in November by Trump administration negotiator Steve Witkoff and Kremlin official Kirill Dmetriev seemed so sympathetic to Russia that some suspected it had in fact been drafted by Mr Putin. Under that plan, Ukraine would have to cede the entirety of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk to Russia despite Ukraine still controlling a third of the latter territory. For his part, Mr Zelenskyy has shown a willingness to abandon Ukraines long-held desire to join Nato, but only in return for long-term US security guarantees, but any ceding of national territory would need to go to a constitutional referendum and would be almost impossible to pass. With Mr Zelenskyy clearly exhausted, and politically weakened following a corruption scandal at home, it seems an open question whether he will still be Ukrainian president by this time next year. Ms Corcoran said 2025 has been marked by unimaginable levels of suffering across Ukraine as wave after wave of Russian aggression target vulnerable civilians and infrastructure. Once-peaceful towns and villages have become war zones. Families have been torn apart; children cry for parents lost to violence or scattered by displacement. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and homes lie in ruins, she said. The cold winter air bites harder for those who have lost everything shelter, security, and even hope itself. We have witnessed the elderly, too frail to flee, shivering in bombed-out buildings. We have seen mothers clutching their children, unsure if they will see another day. The war has left deep, invisible wounds trauma, grief, and the fear that the world has forgotten them. Ms Corcoran added that, even in the darkest of days, The Greater Chernobyl Cause has remained on what she called the front lines of compassion. She said that through the generous support of the Irish public, the charity has purchased hospital vehicles and renovated and equipped nursing homes: We have also delivered emergency food, clothing, medical supplies, and generators to families in desperate need. We have provided trauma counselling to those scarred by war, and we have rebuilt lives one blanket, one meal, one comforting word at a time. "However, the scale of suffering is overwhelming. The needs grow greater every day, while our resources are stretched thin. The Cork woman said that, in more than two decades of service, the charity had never faced such a challenge: The war in Ukraine is not just a headline it is a relentless, daily tragedy for millions. As the world turns its attention elsewhere, we remain steadfast, but we cannot do this alone. We dream of a future where families are reunited, where children return safely to school, where no one goes hungry or cold. To reach that future, we need the help of the public more than ever. For further information see https://www.greaterchernobylcause.ie/ A 61-year-old man urinated over six boxes of shoes at a Cork city centre store and now he has pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to charges including causing criminal damage to the property. Kevin White of no fixed address appeared in the dock at the court where he pleaded guilty to two more charges of being so intoxicated that he was a danger to himself or others on two other occasions. Sergeant Gearoid Davis outlined the background to the charge of damaging property. On October 3, 2024, he was highly intoxicated at Guineys on Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, at 2.30pm. He proceeded to urinate on six boxes of shoes causing damage to them before leaving the shop. The boxes were no longer in a saleable condition. The total value of the shoes was 200. On two more recent occasions in Cork city the same man, Kevin White, was found to be so intoxicated that he was a danger to himself or others. On December 4, 2025, the drunken behaviour came to light at Cornmarket Street. The following day it occurred on the same street, but this time it happened inside the Lidl supermarket. Sgt Davis said the defendant had 43 previous convictions. Background Eddie Burke solicitor outlined the background situation whereby the defendant worked all his life up to the age of 55 but that he experienced personal tragedies and drank heavily to the point where he had nowhere to live. Mr Burke said the accused wanted to address his difficulties and that this approach, rather than a custodial sentence, might help Mr White and effectively, help society also. Judge Mary Dorgan said she would put him on a 12-month probation bond. At that point, Kevin White spoke up from the dock, saying: Im not doing no probation. Judge Dorgan said that he could do four months in prison on the criminal damage charge in that event. Mr Burke consulted with him briefly and said he would take the option of the probation bond. Judge Dorgan said that in light of the uncertainty created by the defendant around the probation bond, she would direct him to attend the probation service and she adjourned the matter until March 18 to make sure he is attending, and if he was she would put him on the probation bond. By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association The Tanaiste has said the EU cant take for granted the deal with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, will go ahead. Speaking to reporters on Friday at the Stripe Young Scientist exhibition, Simon Harris said: No officials, at any level, including the European Commission, should ever take for granted the decisions that the democratically elected representatives right across the European Union may decide to make in the European Parliament. Earlier on Friday, EU envoys provisionally approved the trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay but it still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form. Mr Harris conceded: It looks more likely than not that it will pass the parliament. But he added its not a done deal and said theres still a window of time to outline the concerns that we have in relation to the agreement. He said the Government had not ruled out supporting the deal if if changes and improvements are made around food safety and parity with environmental standards. Mr Harris said Ireland benefits from free trade but that it has to be free trade that doesnt expect our farmers or our consumers to adopt a different set of standards. The deal has been opposed by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and has also seen internal disagreement within Government, including with independents who supported the formation of the coalition. Speaking on Limericks Live 95 radio on Friday, the Minister for Culture said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs will oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement when it is brought to the European Parliament. Patrick ODonovan said government party MEPs are bound by the programme for government and the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon not to support the deal. IFA president Francie Gorman described the news the EU had provisionally approved the deal as very disappointing. He said: This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman said: The Mercosur Trade Agreement is not fair. Tanaiste Simon Harris at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, at the RDS in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) Its not fair to Irish farmers, who have to compete with food raised to much lower welfare standards. Its not fair to Irish consumers, who will be exposed to beef reared using excessive hormones and pesticides. A protest against the deal is scheduled to take place in Athlone on Saturday. Gardai have said there will be significant additional traffic in the area, including slow-moving vehicles. They are expecting a convoy of agricultural vehicles to travel from the Roscommon Road, along the N6 eastbound and along the N55 towards the Cornamaddy roundabout. There is also a march to TUS Athlone planned, followed by a rally and speeches. Four people have been arrested after gardai seized a Glock 17 handgun, 25,000 of cocaine and over 300 of cash following a raid of a house in Ballyfermot, Co Dublin. An adult male in his late teens was arrested and has since been charged and appeared before the Court. He is remanded to appear before Court 3, Criminal Courts of Justice, on the 22nd of January 2026. Two adult males aged in their teens, and a woman in her 30s were also arrested. They have all since been released, and files will be prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The drugs seized will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis. Meta has announced three new agreements to purchase nuclear power for its AI infrastructure as well as the Prometheus supercluster , a 1-gigawatt data center being built in Ohio. The social media giant is partnering with power companies Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to deliver an expected 6.6 gigawatts of generation to its projects by 2035. The company's agreement with TerraPower will fund the development of two new reactors capable of delivering up to 690 megawatts of power as early as 2032. The deal also gives Meta rights to energy from six other reactors that could deliver an additional 2.1 gigawatts by 2035. All this power would come from TerraPower's "Natrium" reactors , which use sodium instead of water as a coolant. A partnership with Oklo will bring 1.2 gigawatts of nuclear power online as early as 2030. Meta says the agreement opens the door to the construction of multiple Oklo reactors, which it claims will create thousands of construction and long-term operations jobs in Ohio. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is one of Oklo's largest investors, and owns just over 4 percent of the company. Advertisement Advertisement Metas agreement with Vistra focuses on keeping existing nuclear plants running longer and boosting their output. Through new 20-year deals, Meta will buy more than 2.1 gigawatts of electricity from some of Vistras existing plants in Ohio, while also backing added capacity at those sites, plus another in Pennsylvania. Vistra expects the added capacity, totaling 433 megawatts, to come online in the early 2030s. Amazon is making a return, of sorts, to physical retail via plans to build a big-box retail store in the Chicago suburbs, The Information reports. The 225,000-square foot retail space will open in Orland Park, Illinois, and give the company the opportunity to sell more than just groceries after it closed most of its physical bookstores and gift shops in 2022. The new store will offer in-store shopping, but also act as a fulfillment center for online orders, which could make it similar to competitors like Target and Walmart, and some of Amazon's existing Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations. "The proposed development will offer a wide selection of products, including groceries and general merchandise, with accessory services and potentially dining locations for prepared food sold onsite," Amazon wrote in a planning document The Information viewed. While best known as an online marketplace, Amazon has made multiple attempts to have a physical retail presence. Amazon Books sold books based on what was trending on the company's website, Amazon 4-star sold a variety of products that were rated four or more stars in Amazon reviews and the company's Amazon Go stores sold pre-made food and select groceries via its cashier-less "Just Walk Out" technology. Amazon has abandoned basically all those experiments in favor of sticking with the grocery brand it bought in 2017, Whole Foods, and the new one its formed in the years since, Amazon Fresh. This new store could be an entirely new concept, or an evolution of Amazon Fresh, but whatever it is, it'll have to be approved by the Orland Park Village Board to move forward, according to the Chicago Tribune. There are no recruitment ads for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) running on Spotify at the moment, the streaming service has told Variety. A spokesperson has confirmed the news after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, but they also clarified that the ads stopped running in late 2025. The advertisements mentioned were part of a US government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms, they explained. Spotify caught flak back in October for playing ICE ads, asking people to join the mission to protect America, in between songs for users on the ad-supported plan. The advertisements even promised $50,000 signing bonuses for new recruits. Campaigns were launched to urge users to cancel their subscriptions and to boycott the service, and even music labels called on the company to stop serving ICE advertisements. Spotify said back then that the ads dont violate its policies and that users can simply mark them with a thumbs up or down to let the platform know their preferences. The company reportedly received $74,000 from Homeland Security for the ICE ads, but thats a tiny amount compared to what other companies received. According to a report by Rolling Stone, Google and YouTube were paid $3 million for Spanish-language ads that called for self-deportation, while Meta received $2.8 million. NASA has decided to bring the Crew-11 astronauts home a month earlier than originally planned due to a medical concern with one of them. This is the first time in its history that the space agency is cutting a mission short due to a medical issue, but it didnt identify the crew member or divulge the exact situation and its severity. The agency is targeting a return date no earlier than January 14, with the exact schedule depending on the weather. If NASAs original plan pushes through, the crew will splash down off the coast of California at approximately 3:40 AM on January 15. The agency previously postponed an International Space Station (ISS) spacewalk scheduled for January 8, citing a medical concern with a crew member that appeared the day before. NASAs chief health and medical officer, James JD Polk, said the affected astronaut is absolutely stable and that this isnt a case of an emergency evacuation. The ISS has a robust suite of medical hardware onboard, he said, but not enough for a complete workup to determine a diagnosis. Without a proper diagnosis, NASA doesnt know if the astronauts health could be negatively affected by the environment aboard the ISS. That is why the agency is erring on the side of caution. Crew-11 left for the space station on August 1 and was supposed to come back to Earth on or around February 20. After they leave the station, only three people will remain: Two cosmonauts and one astronauts wholl be in charge of all the experiments currently being conducted on the orbiting lab. The teams replacement, Crew-12, was supposed to head to the ISS mid-February, but NASA is considering sending the astronauts to the station earlier than that. Update, January 10, 2025, 5:15AM ET: This story has been updated to include Crew-11s tentative return date. Meta's messaging app WhatsApp could soon be subject to deeper scrutiny (and punishment) under the European Commission's Digital Services Act, Reuters reports. Because the app's broadcasting feature WhatsApp Channels grew to around 51.7 million average monthly active users in the European Union in the first six months of 2025, the feature has crossed the 45-million-person barrier that lets DSA rules apply. A platform is designated as a "very large online platform" or VLOP once it has 45 million monthly users or more, according to the European Commission. Once an app or service passes that amount, it's subject to the DSA and all its rules about how digital platforms should operate, particularly around removing illegal or harmful content. Companies can be fined up to six percent of their global annual revenue for not complying with the DSA. WhatsApp traditionally functions as a private messaging app, but its Channels feature, which lets users make one-sided posts to anyone who follows their channel, does look a lot more like Meta's other social media platforms. "So here we would indeed designate potentially WhatsApp for WhatsApp Channels and I can confirm that the Commission is actively looking into it and I wouldn't exclude a future designation," a Commission spokesperson said in a daily news briefing Reuters viewed. Engadget has asked Meta to comment on WhatsApps possible new designation. Well update this article if we hear back. The possibility that WhatsApp could become a regulatory target in the EU was first reported in November 2025, but Meta has been dealing with DSA-related fines since well before then. Meta was charged with violating the EU law in October 2025 because of how it asks users to report illegal content on Facebook and Instagram. Earlier that month, a Dutch court also ordered the company to change how it presents the timelines on its platforms because people in the Netherlands were not "sufficiently able to make free and autonomous choices about the use of profiled recommendation systems" in the company's apps. ESU offers undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research opportunities and a diverse array of creative activities that the campus community members originate, appreciate, and celebrate. A strong current of creative research and innovation energy runs through ESU from faculty, to graduate students, to undergraduate students. Its so strong that it has brought in millions of dollars of grant funding to support that inquiry and with it, our students. Beyond the classroom, in every discipline, many students at ESU enhance their educational experience by participating in student-initiated research or creative activity and/or by assisting faculty in their research and creative projects. Course Scheduling Preference for Veteran Students Veterans receiving course scheduling preference will be assigned the first registration date and time within their respective class level: graduate, post-baccalaureate or undergraduate. Students, who have identified themselves as being veterans, as defined below, will automatically receive a priority registration PIN. Students who believe they are veterans as defined above and who have not yet identified themselves as such should submit a DD214, to the Assistant Director of Veterans Services and Records, located in Zimbar Hall, Room 160. Act 46 of 2014 requires public institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania to provide veteran students, as defined in the Act, with preference in course scheduling. Non-compliance may be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by submitting the Higher Education Complaint form. In accordance with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Course Scheduling Preference for Veteran Student Act, the definition of veteran student to include the following groups of students: Any student who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including a reserve component and National Guard, and was discharged or released from such service under conditions other than dishonorable. Links to applicable procedure and forms are provided where appropriate. To maintain an organized system and to ensure consistency throughout the university, individual departmental web pages may not contain separate copies or versions of university policies. Instead, departmental web pages that reference university policies must use hyperlinks to the documents on the official university policy website. This does not preclude departments from maintaining internal departmental procedures on their web pages, provided the internal department procedures are not identified as and do not conflict with official policies. A hard copy of all policies is maintained in the Policy Administration Office. Questions about a Policy? The Office of the President should be contacted with questions concerning this website or the policies listed on it. Written suggestions for changes to the website should be submitted to the Policy Development Specialist, Office of the President, University Policies - ESU, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301. Policy Administration Office of the President/Chair, Policy Advisory Committee Miguel Barbosa (570) 422-3545 College of Arts & Sciences Gianna Donahue Gianna Donahue 25 - Biological Sciences A passion for animals charts alumnis professional course A lifelong animal lover, veterinary medicine seemed like a natural career path for Gianna Donahue. After earning her Associates degree at community college, she looked at ESU. She knew ESU had a strong biological sciences program, whose curriculumas well as the professional opportunities she identified-- aligned with her goals. Shes now preparing to attend veterinary school. I feel ESU prepared me for this next phase very well, she said. I was able to have a lot of different experiences. I was an RA so I developed my conflict resolution and mediation skills. The professors were nicethey were accommodating but also pushed you if they thought it would get you to a certain point. Donahues words of encouragement? Definitely go outside of your comfort zone. You never know what opportunities are going to come to you. Aaron Zaso Aaron Zaso 24 - Mathematics ESUs rigorous mathematics program prepares alumni for actuarial science career Aaron Zaso chose ESU for a few reasonsnamely, affordability. I felt ESU was the most cost-effective for what you get. Such a value of an education at a low cost, he says. Originally an economics major, Zaso added the applied mathematics major with the goal of pursuing a career in actuarial science. He received several scholarships, which made pursuing higher education that much easier. The demanding mathematics program helped Zaso pass four actuarial exams7 are needed for the first certification and 10 are required for full licensure. I feel ESU prepared me a lot as far as the mathematical rigor I needed to pass the actuarial exams. Regarding the material, I think the courses provided me with the foundational knowledge needed to excel in the exams, he explains. Zaso is now an actuarial analyst with Lincoln Financial. In general, our job is to perform risk management for insurance companies, and make sure the reserves youre holding now will be able to pay out liabilities in the future based on probability, he explains. ESU alum Anthony Walker recruited Zaso for an internship at Allianz Life, which helped him land his job at Lincoln Financial. Its really hard to get a full-time job in this field without an internshipthat experience helped me a ton, he said. Farmers are urging ministers to crack down on illegal meat smuggling amid warnings that weak enforcement at UK ports is leaving the livestock sector exposed to devastating disease outbreaks. Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers has challenged the government over what he described as serious gaps in the powers available to authorities tackling illegal meat entering the country through ports such as Dover. The Winchester MP warned that unregulated imports pose a major biosecurity risk, increasing the threat of notifiable diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever reaching the UK. For livestock farmers, the arrival of a notifiable disease could mean immediate movement restrictions, mass culls and the loss of hard-won export markets, with severe consequences for farm businesses and rural economies. Illegal meat imports often carried into the UK in personal luggage or unregulated shipments risk introducing diseases that could cripple farming and disrupt food supply chains. Concerns over smuggled meat have been repeatedly raised by the farming industry, with groups warning that current enforcement measures fail to protect farmers who invest heavily in biosecurity on their own holdings. Dr Chambers said he had seen the problem first-hand during a recent visit to the Port of Dover organised by the National Pig Association, where he was shown seized illegal meat products. Farmers have long argued that while they face strict regulation, inspections and penalties on-farm, those smuggling illegal meat into the UK face little meaningful deterrent at the border. Speaking during a parliamentary debate, Dr Chambers urged ministers to properly fund and equip port teams and give them the powers needed to stop illegal imports. One crime that most concerns farmers in Hampshire and around the country is that of illegal meat imports, he said. He warned the issue went beyond public health, adding: This is not only a public health issue; it puts the UK livestock industry at risk of a notifiable disease outbreak, such as foot and mouth disease. Dr Chambers highlighted what he described as a fundamental flaw in the current enforcement system. If I were caught driving illegal meat into the UK in a lorry, the authorities would not have the powers to arrest me and would not be allowed to seize the lorry, he said. Instead, he said the vehicle would be cleaned and disinfected at the taxpayers expense before sending me on my way. Does the Minister agree that this is absolutely crazy and will she look at how we can equip the hard-working teams at the ports with the powers needed to provide a proper deterrent to stop this meat coming in? he asked. Responding, minister for policing and crime Sarah Jones said the issue was of course very important. We need to make sure that we do not have illegal meat coming into the country, she said. She added that colleagues in Defra and on the front bench would of course take these issues seriously and said she was very happy to take this matter further and come back to the honourable gentleman. However, she did not commit to any immediate changes to enforcement powers. Last year, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee warned there was no effective deterrent in place to prevent illegal meat smuggling and called on Defra to urgently introduce fines and prosecutions for repeat offenders. The committee warned that without tougher penalties and enforcement, the UK remains vulnerable to a major disease outbreak that could wipe out years of breeding, investment and biosecurity work carried out by British farmers. Environmental regulation in England is falling short of its ambitions, raising fresh concerns over its impact on farm productivity and economic growth. The warning follows a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO), the governments spending watchdog, which concluded the current regulatory system is not working well enough to meet long-term environmental targets. Farm leaders said the findings underline the need for a more balanced approach. The NFU said environmental regulation must align more closely with policies that support productive farming. NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos said governments environmental regulation and ambitions must go hand-in-hand with policies that support profitable, productive, and resilient farm businesses. She added that implementation of the regulatory framework must also be practical and flexible, but critically, innovation-led, evidence-based and proportionate to any risks posed, to minimise costs and burdens on our farmers and growers. The NAO report highlighted significant delivery challenges facing Defra, the Environment Agency and Natural England, which are responsible for implementing a reform programme containing 149 recommendations. It said skills shortages, fragmented IT systems and the absence of a clear strategic approach have slowed progress across the regulatory system. The scale of the challenge is compounded by the volume of regulation. With more than 3,000 pieces of legislation to manage, the report said an overly cautious and risk-averse culture in Defra and the regulators has developed, in part due to the potential for legal challenge. This, the NAO warned, has limited innovation and slowed the adoption of new approaches that could improve outcomes or reduce costs. Although Defra is working to upgrade its IT systems and received a further 300m in targeted funding through to 2029 in the latest Spending Review, the watchdog said reform is progressing too slowly. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said data gaps are also undermining effective regulation, noting that Defra does not have a single database or dataset for farms that can be used to share insight on risks across government. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said recent reviews had set a clear direction but warned delivery would be critical. Defra and the regulators are working to improve how they regulate, including in response to recent major reviews, he said, adding that success would depend on taking a sufficiently strategic approach and sticking to the course set. Ms Hallos said the stakes for the sector were high, stressing that the importance of investing in the future of British agriculture has never been more important. The report now places renewed pressure on Defra and its agencies to accelerate reform, as farmers warn that poorly designed regulation risks undermining both environmental goals and domestic food production. UK flower imports from the EU will face fewer border checks from later this month after Defra agreed to cut inspection rates for key flower species, easing costs and disruption for the floriculture trade. The change is expected to reduce delays and costs for florists and wholesalers at a time when many businesses across the supply chain are facing continued pressure on margins. The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) said inspection rates for four popular EU flower types will fall from 3% to 1% from 00:01 on 19 January 2026. The reduced rate will apply to dianthus, gypsophila, orchids and solidago, providing what the FPC described as a significant boost for exporters, wholesalers and florists. Inspection levels for chrysanthemums will remain unchanged at 3%, while lisianthus continues to be reviewed. The decision follows the submission of technical evidence by the FPC and sustained engagement with Defra officials, and is being seen as a clear endorsement of a risk-based approach to plant health controls. The FPC said the move will reduce unnecessary friction at the border while maintaining robust biosecurity, with cost savings expected to ripple through the supply chain and benefit consumers. Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, said the announcement was a timely boost for a sector under pressure. This is a genuinely positive and practical outcome for the industry at a time when many businesses are under real pressure, he said. He added that the decision showed proportionate border controls could protect biosecurity without unnecessarily burdening trade. Jenney also thanked the British Florist Association for its constructive support during discussions with government. Industry reaction has been strongly supportive. Tom Brown, managing director of Tom Brown Wholesale Florists Ltd, said the changes reflected long-awaited common sense. Great to finally see the government listening to the industry and applying a bit of common sense, he said. A 65% reduction on four of the five problematic varieties is a huge win, especially at a time when the whole sector could really use a boost. John Davidson, chair of the British Florist Association, said the measures would deliver tangible benefits across the industry. These new measures will not only reduce inspection frequency but also generate significant cost savings that will ripple throughout the industry, he said. He added that members hoped the announcement marked the start of more decisions being made on the basis of evidence. The move also adds momentum to the wider UKEU reset on sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements. With fresh fruit and vegetables already benefiting from easements, and flowers now moving to nil or very low inspection rates, the cumulative reduction in border bureaucracy is estimated to be worth more than 1.5bn to industry ahead of any future formal SPS agreement later this year. Looking ahead, the FPC said future policy must continue to reflect the UKs globally diverse supply base, with more than half of fresh produce, flower and plant imports sourced from outside the EU. It said maintaining a science-led, risk-based inspection regime would be essential to protecting year-round availability, supply chain resilience and price stability. Industry leaders said the decision would help stabilise supply chains and improve confidence across the floriculture sector in the months ahead. The Northern Irish government will cover laboratory costs for bluetongue pre-movement testing, easing financial pressure on farmers moving animals out of the temporary control zone. The Department of Agriculture (DAERA) confirmed that the support will apply to certain animals leaving the bluetongue virus (BTV) TCZ. The move follows a December decision allowing animals to leave the zone, with stricter controls remaining in place for some categories. Those animals may only move under a specific licence and must meet additional safeguards. These include proof of a negative pregnancy test, negative pre-movement testing or evidence of previous Bluetongue vaccination. Bluetongue is a viral disease spread by biting midges and primarily affects cattle and sheep. While some animals may show mild or no symptoms, others can suffer fever, lameness, swelling and reduced productivity. For farmers, the impact goes beyond animal health. Movement restrictions linked to control zones can disrupt breeding plans, delay sales and increase costs, particularly where testing and licensing are required. There are also concerns around trade and market confidence, with farmers in affected areas facing uncertainty over how long controls will remain in place and what additional measures may be introduced. Private veterinary practitioners will continue to carry out any required sampling. Farmers will pay the vets fees for taking and submitting blood samples, but DAERA will meet the cost of laboratory testing for a limited period. DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said the measures were designed to allow movement while protecting animal health across Northern Ireland. The measures announced last month permitted the movement of animals out of the TCZ with a controlled approach taken for high-risk animals to protect Northern Ireland herds/flocks within the free area safeguarding animal health and welfare, he said. He said the approach also provides a window for livestock keepers to consult with their private veterinary practitioner on vaccination. Mr Muir said the decision to fund laboratory costs reflected the financial strain facing farmers affected by the restrictions. Conscious of the ongoing financial impact on farmers in the area, I have now issued a ministerial direction requiring my officials to put in place arrangements to meet the laboratory costs for any pre-movement testing of high-risk animals moving out of the zone, he said. He stressed the funding was temporary, describing it as a unique situation based on current circumstances and short term in nature to provide targeted sector specific support. Farmers who require pre-movement testing must contact their own private vet, who will collect and submit blood samples to the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute. Test results will be shared directly with the farmer. Chief Veterinary Officer Brian Dooher said the additional controls are expected to remain during the current vector low period. It is anticipated that the additional requirements for high-risk animals moving out of the TCZ will be in place during the vector low period with the costs for laboratory testing of pre-movement animals covered until then, he said. He warned that the risk profile is likely to change later in the year. In spring it will be likely that we are approaching the end of the vector low period, increasing the risk of BTV spread beyond the current TCZ, he said. Mr Dooher confirmed that laboratory testing costs will be covered until that point or until the Temporary Control Zone is lifted, whichever comes first. Critic's rating 3.5 /5 Laalo Krishna Sada Sahaayate, directed by Ankit Sakhiya, is the kind of quiet, soul-stirring film that grows on you long after the end credits roll. A modest Gujarati devotional drama that turned into a word-of-mouth phenomenon in 2025, the film went on to become a record-breaking regional hit, proving once again that sincerity often travels farther than scale. Riding on its extraordinary theatrical run, the film was officially dubbed into Hindi and released nationwide on January 9, 2026, with Mumbai promotions and devotional music launches helping it reach a wider audience. Primarily shot in and around Junagadh, the film draws deeply from Gujarats cultural and spiritual geography. Key sequences filmed at Bhavnath, Girnar, Damodar Kund and Narsinh Mehta no Choro lend the narrative an authentic, lived-in texture. These are not postcard locations used for spectacle, but breathing spaces that quietly echo the films central themes of faith, remorse and inner awakening. The setting becomes an emotional landscape as much as a physical one. At the heart of the story is Lalji Dhansukh Parmar, a rickshaw driver trapped in an isolated farmhouse, forced into a 21-day confinement that becomes both a physical ordeal and a spiritual reckoning. The premise may remind viewers of Rajkummar Raos Trapped (2017), where survival was purely physical. Here, however, survival is emotional and moral. Lalji confronts his past demons while experiencing visions of Lord Krishna, who guides him not as a miracle-working saviour, but as a gentle counsellor urging him to fight his own battles. Karan Joshi delivers a remarkably grounded performance as Lalji, portraying a man drowning in bad habits, cheap liquor, tobacco and the crushing weight of family responsibilities. Overwhelmed by circumstance, he has become the worst version of himself. Joshi makes this moral decay feel painfully believable. His breakdowns never feel theatrical; they look lived-in, exhausted, and frighteningly real. The slow detox of both body and conscience over the 21-day confinement is portrayed with restraint and emotional honesty, making his transformation feel earned rather than convenient. Shruhad Goswamis Laalo, the Krishna figure, is written and performed with refreshing restraint. Unlike films such as OMG Oh My God!, where divinity arrives as a plot-solving device, here Krishna never acts as a deus ex machina. He is more friend than god, more guide than saviour. Goswami brings gravitas to the role, but there is also a soft mischief in his smile, perfectly in tune with Krishnas mythological persona. Faintly reminiscent of Uttam Kumar, especially when he dons sunglasses, Goswami keeps the performance breezy, human and quietly reassuring. Reeva Rachh, as Tulsi, Laljis distraught wife, initially leans into heightened emotion, but soon finds a steadier rhythm. As the story progresses, she grows into the role with strength and dignity, especially when Tulsi decides to step up and work, recognising the urgency of survival over pride. Her arc reflects the films belief in personal responsibility and resilience, rather than divine shortcuts. Mishty Kadecha, as Khushi, the daughter of Tulsi and Lalji, adds emotional tenderness, becoming the silent emotional stake that keeps reminding Lalji of what he stands to lose. What makes Laalo Krishna Sada Sahaayate particularly resonant is its philosophical stance. In an era where religious extremism is often loud and polarising, this film quietly insists that true worship lies in introspection, not in rituals or rigid dogma. The quest here is spiritual, not religious. God is not a solution provider but a mirror, reflecting ones own shortcomings and strengths. The narrative also takes a firm stand against social prejudices. Both sets of parents eventually forgive the eloped couple and choose acceptance over anger, embarking on a new emotional beginning. In times when news of honour killings is disturbingly frequent, the films advocacy of forgiveness and reconciliation feels not just relevant, but necessary. It offers a counter-view, reminding us that compassion is braver than control. Director Ankit Sakhiya deserves full credit for maintaining tonal balance. The film never slips into sermonising, nor does it trivialise spiritual experience. Instead, it unfolds like a gentle conversation between faith and accountability. His direction allows performances to breathe, locations to speak, and silences to carry weight. Ultimately, Laalo Krishna Sada Sahaayate is less about divine intervention and more about human courage. It reminds us that healing begins when we accept our flaws and choose to change. In doing so, the film becomes not just a devotional drama, but a tender, deeply humane story of second chances. Read Also: Upcoming Bollywood Movies Releasing In January 2026 Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - January 8, 2026) - The Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation today published and delivered to Congress its 2025 staff report that serves as a comprehensive and data-rich resource on capital-raising dynamics nationwide. The report presents data across three company lifecycle stages to provide a fulsome picture of what is happening in the small business marketplace. It also highlights the past year's work of the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, which advances the interests of small businesses and their investors at the SEC and in the capital markets. The report's contents include: Data on small business capital formation, segmented by: Small and emerging businesses Mature and later-stage businesses Initial public offerings and small public companies Highlights of the office's outreach and public engagements during fiscal year 2025 A summary of the activities of the SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee in fiscal year 2025 Informed by feedback garnered through its ongoing outreach efforts, the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation continually enhances its array of educational resources to help equip small businesses and their investors with tools to navigate capital raising. Source: Newsfile SEC Press Digest Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 8, 2026) - Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. (TSXV: CHS) (OTCQB: CMHSF) (the "Company" or "CHS"), an industry leader in healthcare benefits administration software and services, is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 7,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.50 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $3,500,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (the "Shares") and one-half of a warrant. Each whole warrant (the "Warrants") will entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $1.00 for a period of three years after closing, subject to accelerated expiry if the common shares of the Company trade or close at a price of $1.25 or more for ten consecutive trading days. The proceeds of the Offering will be used for general working capital. The Company further plans to conduct a securities for debt transaction (the "Settlement"), to settle up to US$893,250 (approximately C$1,232,685 equivalent) in liabilities through the issuance of up to 2,465,369 common shares at a price of $0.50 per share. Completion of the Offering and the Settlement will be subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of all necessary approvals including that of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). All securities issued will be subject to hold periods under applicable securities laws. The Company may pay finder fees on the Offering in compliance with applicable laws and subject to Exchange approval. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. is a corporation incorporated under the laws of the Province of Alberta and is the parent company of Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. (Delaware). The Company is a vertically integrated software as a services (SaaS) company focused on digitizing healthcare with Healthcare Benefits Administration solutions, providing reliable and high-volume transaction-capable systems. The Company's state-of-the-art Novus 360 Healthcare Welfare and Benefits Administration (HWBA) SaaS platform is used by clients for all aspects of healthcare benefits administration (including self-funded employers, providers, and labor unions), providing healthcare administrative software and technology-enabled services. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: The press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "budget", "believe", "project", "estimate", "expect", "scheduled", "forecast", "strategy", "future", "likely", "may", "to be", "could", "would", "should", "will" and similar references to future periods or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and conditional. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as of the date they are provided. However, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors that could cause the Company's actual results and financial conditions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could cause actual results and financial conditions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, include among others: general economic, market and business conditions in Canada and globally; market volatility; unforeseen delays in timelines for any of the transactions or events described in this press release; and the risk of regulatory changes that may impact the business of the Company. All forward-looking information is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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 IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279879 Source: Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. 2026 startet mit einem Paukenschlag: Der DAX outperformt den US-Markt, Nachzugler holen auf. Ein erstes Signal, dass der Bullenmarkt an Breite gewinnt. Wahrend viele Anleger weiter auf die groen Tech-Namen setzen, hat sich im Hintergrund langst ein Umschwung vollzogen. Der Fokus verschiebt sich weg von uberteuerten KI-Highflyern hin zu soliden Qualitatswerten aus der zweiten Reihe. Anleger, die jetzt clever agieren, setzen nicht auf das, was war, sondern auf das, was kommt. Unternehmen mit gesunder Bilanz, unterschatztem Potenzial und begrenztem Abwartsrisiko konnten 2026 zu den groen Gewinnern zahlen. Die Gefahr einer scharferen Korrektur bleibt real, gerade fur passiv aufgestellte Investoren. In unserem neuen Spezialreport stellen wir funf Aktien vor, die genau jetzt das Potenzial fur uberdurchschnittliche Renditen bieten. Stark, gunstig und bislang kaum im Fokus. Jetzt kostenlosen Report herunterladen bevor es andere tun! Dieses exklusive PDF ist nur fur kurze Zeit gratis verfugbar. MEERUT, India, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ACES India and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)today signed a strategic agreement to deploy advanced telecom and digital connectivity infrastructure atNoida International Airport. The agreement was formally signed during a ceremony held at the UP West Telecom Circle, BSNL, Meerut, in the presence of senior leadership from both organizations. The partnership aims to deliver robust, reliable, and future-ready connectivity solutions at Noida International Airport, enhancing mobile network coverage and digital services for passengers, airport operators, and other stakeholders. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in strengthening telecom infrastructure at one of India's most important upcoming aviation hubs. By combining ACES India's global expertise in designing and deploying integrated telecom infrastructure with BSNL's extensive national network and operational experience, the partnership will support seamless connectivity and improved digital experiences across the airport ecosystem. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Shri Arun Kumar Singh,CGMT,BSNL UP West commented: "BSNL is pleased to partner with ACES India for the Noida International Airport project. This collaboration aligns with our vision of expanding high-quality telecom infrastructure across key national assets and supporting India's digital transformation journey." Dr. Akram Aburas, Group CEO, ACES, said: "The signing of this agreement with BSNL reinforces our commitment to supporting India's infrastructure growth through innovative and scalable digital solutions. Noida International Airport is a landmark project, and we are proud to contribute to its digital and connectivity framework." Mr. Mohammed N. Mazher, Managing Director, ACES India, added: "This agreement marks an important step for ACES India in delivering world-class connectivity solutions for critical infrastructure projects. Partnering with BSNL enables us to leverage strong local expertise while ensuring future-ready network capabilities at Noida International Airport." The agreement signed today underscores the shared vision of ACES India and BSNL to enhance digital infrastructure across transportation and public infrastructure projects, supporting economic growth and improved passenger experiences. About ACES India: ACES India is a wholly owned subsidiary of ACES (Saudi Arabia) and specializes in delivering integrated telecom, digital infrastructure, and technology solutions. The company supports large-scale infrastructure projects with a focus on innovation, reliability, and sustainability. About ACES: Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, ACES is a global engineering and digital transformation company providing advanced infrastructure and connectivity solutions across multiple sectors worldwide. About BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a Government of India enterprise under the Department of Telecommunications and one of India's leading telecom service providers, offering a comprehensive range of mobile, broadband, fiber, and enterprise services. Media Contact: Pradnya Ghadge, inquiry@prstudio.co Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2857986/ACES_INDIA_BSNL.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2675567/ACES_India_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aces-india-and-bsnl-sign-strategic-agreement-to-enable-connectivity-at-noida-international-airport-302657079.html HONG KONG, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. ("Ribo" or the "Company", stock code: 06938.HK), a leading company in small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics, today successfully listed on the Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange, marking a significant milestone in the capitalization of Chinese biopharmaceutical enterprises in the siRNA field and injecting new momentum into the industry. In its global offering, Ribo issued a total of 31,610,400 shares at an offer price of HKD 57.97 per share, raising gross proceeds of over 1.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, HKPO was over 100x oversubscribed, International Placing was 16.7x oversubscribed, reflecting strong global investor confidence in the value of the siRNA sector and the Company's capabilities. The IPO proceeds will provide solid financial support for the advancement of the Company's core business. In addition, the offering attracted 12 cornerstone investors, including Arc Avenue, Ivy Rock, Springs Capital, China Asset Management, Dacheng International and Dacheng Fund, and Taikang Life Insurance etc., demonstrating the strong confidence of leading institutions in the Company's long-term prospects. Dr. Zicai Liang, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ribo, commented: "Listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange represents a major milestone in Ribo's journey. We extend our sincere gratitude to global investors for their trust and support. Moving forward, we will leverage the international capital markets to accelerate the global clinical development and commercialization of siRNA therapeutics, further strengthen our technologies, deliver breakthrough therapies to patients worldwide while creating sustainable value for shareholders." Proceeds from the offering will be allocated across four key areas: (1) Advancing global multicenter clinical trials for core products; (2) Supporting preclinical and clinical development of the pipeline; (3) Iterating and upgrading siRNA delivery and other technology platforms; (4) Replenishing operational capital and earmarking funds for routine corporate purposes. Ribo has built a fully integrated R&D platform with independent intellectual property rights. Its innovative liver-targeting RiboGalSTARTM delivery technology has successfully advanced multiple products into Phase II clinical trials. The Company has established R&D centers in Suzhou, Beijing and Gothenburg, Sweden, and a global R&D network capable of supporting end-to-end drug development from discovery to global clinical trials. The listing was jointly sponsored by China International Capital Corporation and Citigroup, which provided professional support for the Company's successful entry into the capital markets. About Ribo Life Science Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. (06938.HK) is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics. Powered by its proprietary and innovative siRNA technology platforms, the Company has built a rich and differentiated pipeline targeting major disease areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, liver and kidney diseases. Ribo is committed to delivering revolutionary treatment solutions to patients worldwide through continuous innovation. For more information, please visit: www.ribolia.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2858004/Ribo_Life.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2804420/logo_Ribolia_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ribo-life-science-06938hk-successfully-lists-on-the-main-board-of-the-hong-kong-stock-exchange-302657137.html LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From January 6 to 9, CES 2026, held in Las Vegas-brought together 4,112 leading enterprises from around the world. As a leading Chinese medical device company, Yuwell Medical made its debut at CES. At the exhibition, Yuwell Medical showcased a comprehensive product portfolio covering respiratory health, chronic disease management, first aid, and smart wearables. Respiratory products such as the Pocket S portable breathcare device, SP-6Pro portable oxygen concentrator emphasize mobility in medical use scenarios. Meanwhile, the YE699 fully automatic electronic blood pressure monitor are dedicated to making chronic disease management more precise and intelligent. Making its first public appearance, the Yuwell R3 Health Ring became one of the highlights of the booth. Crafted from titanium alloy and medical-grade resin, it features an ultra-lightweight design with a skin-friendly finish for all-day comfort. The ring enables continuous monitoring of multi-dimensional vital signs, including sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and physical activity. Powered by AI-driven health insights and abnormal condition alerts, it also delivers an impressive seven-day battery life under regular use. Yuwell has partnered with several professional medical institutions to combine its sensor technologies-developed over more than 20 years of experience in medical-grade monitoring of blood oxygen, heart rate, and sleep-with proprietary AI algorithms. This effort addresses the long-standing challenge in wearable technology of balancing data accuracy, wearing comfort, and actionable health insights. Yuwell Medical's participation at CES reflects its clear vision for the evolution of AI-driven health devices. Artificial intelligence is transforming medical monitoring tools from simple "data recorders" into intelligent health stewards. This transformation is unfolding across four key dimensions: first, achieving medical-grade precision by upgrading devices from providing reference data to delivering reliable health analysis and insights; second, enhancing invisibility by seamlessly integrating health monitoring into daily life through ultra-thin and lightweight wearable designs; third, enabling predictiveness by shifting from retrospective data tracking to early risk warnings through AI modeling; and fourth, building a systematic ecosystem in which devices function as collaborative nodes connecting personal and family health management. Hua Hao, General Manager of Yuwell's AI Wearable Medical Business, stated: "Our product innovation is closely aligned with our core strategies of globalization, digitalization, and wearability. By integrating hardware, algorithms, and services, we are extending professional monitoring and evaluation-once limited to hospital settings-into everyday life, enabling a prevention-first, closed-loop health management approach." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2858002/Yuwell_Medical_Makes_Its_Debut_at_CES_2026_AI_Expands_the_Boundaries_of_Health_Management.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/yuwell-medical-makes-its-debut-at-ces-2026-ai-expands-the-boundaries-of-health-management-302657142.html Gurit Holding AG / Key word(s): Agreement/Contract GURIT ANNOUNCES MAJOR NEW LONG-TERM SUPPLY AGREEMENT WITH A LEADING WIND OEM 09-Jan-2026 / 06:45 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Zurich, January 9, 2026 - Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Gurit (SIX Swiss Exchange: GURN) today announces a major new long-term supply agreement for core material kits with one of the world's leading Wind Turbine OEMs. This landmark contract will ensure continuous deliveries for the next five years - providing a predictable and sustained business outlook for both parties. It is expected to generate approximately CHF 250 million in net sales for Gurit over the full period, subject to the OEM's demand situation. This agreement reinforces Gurit's global leadership in engineered core solutions for wind energy and marks the first major contract based on the supply of core kits utilizing the Gurit OptiCore technology. Gurit's commitment to innovation and focus on long-term collaboration will continue to advance the customer's blade weight reduction goals, contributing to improved manufacturing efficiencies and a reduced total cost of ownership. The contract leverages Gurit's global footprint to include volume commitments for both offshore and onshore platforms across multiple regions. "This major new long-term contract underscores our strong global market position and the enduring partnership we have built with strategic customers. It reflects the confidence in Gurit's innovative solutions and our ability to deliver value over time. With our global footprint, we serve customers in all key markets while optimizing capacity and driving efficiency. We are proud to support the renewable energy industry and contribute to its continued growth," says Tobias Luhrig, Gurit Group CEO. About Gurit The subsidiaries of Gurit Holding AG, Wattwil/Switzerland, (SIX Swiss Exchange: GURN) are specialized in the development and manufacture of advanced composite materials, composite tooling equipment and core kitting services. The product range comprises structural core materials, structural profiles, prepregs, formulated products such as adhesives and resins as well as structural composite engineering. Gurit supplies global growth markets such as the wind turbine industry, marine, building and many more. Gurit operates production sites and offices in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. www.gurit.com Gurit Group Communications Phone: +41 44 316 15 50, e-mail: investor (at) gurit.com All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. Forward-looking statements: To the extent that this announcement contains forward-looking statements, such statements are based on assumptions, planning and forecasts at the time of publication of this announcement. Forward-looking statements always involve uncertainties. Business and economic risks and developments, the conduct of competitors, political decisions and other factors may cause the actual results to be materially different from the assumptions, planning and forecasts at the time of publication of this announcement. Therefore, Gurit Holding AG does not assume any responsibility relating to forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. MH002 is currently the most advanced Live Biotherapeutic Product (LBP) based on a rationally-designed combination of disease specific bacteria (microbial consortia), for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) STARFISH-UC Phase 2b trial is designed to confirm MH002's early efficacy signals and favorable safety observed in Phase 2a studies MRM Health NV, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering microbiome-based therapeutics for inflammatory diseases and immune-oncology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its lead program MH002. This enables the initiation of the STARFISH-UC Phase 2b clinical trial in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis, marking a significant step forward in the development of next-generation therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). About the STARFISH-UC Phase 2b Trial The STARFISH-UC trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to confirm the promising efficacy signals and favorable safety profile previously observed in MH002's Phase 2a studies. MH002, a rationally designed live microbial consortium, is the most advanced Live Biotherapeutic Product (LBP) of its kind, targeting disease-specific mechanisms through a synergistic combination of six well-characterized commensal strains. The study (NCT07296315) will enroll approximately 204 patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) inadequately controlled by 5 aminosalicylic acid (5 ASA) with or without low-dose steroids, the current standard of care. The trial will run across Europe and the U.S., featuring a 12-week placebo-controlled induction phase with two dosing regimens, followed by a 40-week open-label extension. Enrollment is expected to begin mid-2026. Promising Clinical Results to Date A previous Phase 2a trial with MH002 in mild-to-moderate UC suggested excellent safety and encouraging efficacy upon 8 weeks of treatment, indicative of mucosal healing and anti-inflammatory effects, recovery of the gut microbiome and induction of clinical remission. No safety signals or adverse reactions were observed. Additionally, MH002 showed positive results in an open-label study for acute pouchitis, underscoring its broad therapeutic potential. Executive Commentary "Receiving IND clearance from the FDA is a testament to MH002's robust clinical foundation and its potential to transform the lives of those living with UC," stated Sam Possemiers, CEO of MRM Health. "The upcoming STARFISH-UC study is a critical next step in our mission to deliver a convenient, immune system-sparing, one-pill solution for IBD patients. We are excited to further validate MH002's benefits and advance it as a frontrunner among innovative UC treatments." Innovative Technology and Manufacturing MH002 is engineered using MRM Health's proprietary CORAL platform, which enables the design and scalable cGMP manufacturing of complete microbial consortia as a single drug substance. This approach offers regulatory and patient compliance advantages, supporting the development of cost-effective, high-quality therapeutics for chronic inflammatory conditions. About MRM Health MRM Health is a clinical-stage biotech developing innovative microbiome-based Live Biotherapeutic Products for chronic inflammatory diseases with high unmet need. Its CORAL platform enables the design and manufacture of disease-focused microbial consortia with enhanced efficacy and scalability. In addition to advancing lead program MH002 into pivotal clinical development in ulcerative colitis and the orphan disease indication, pouchitis, MRM Health has ongoing preclinical programs in other inflammatory diseases and immune-oncology. In September 2025, MRM Health successfully closed a 55M Series B Round led by Biocodex, with strong support of ATHOS, BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity and existing investors SFPIM, AvH, OMX Europe VF, QBic and VIB. For more information, please follow us on LinkedIn or visit the website at www.mrmhealth.com. MRM Health will attend the JP Morgan Week and Biotech Showcase 2026 in San Francisco (January 12-15). If you are interested in learning more about MRM Health programs, please schedule a meeting using the Biotech Showcase partneringONE portal or the Company's direct contact info@mrmhealth.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108378803/en/ Contacts: Corporate MRM Health NV Dr. Sam Possemiers CEO info@mrmhealth.com Media relations International DACH MC Services AG Anne Hennecke Phone: +49.151.125.557.59 anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu Media relations BeNeLux/France Backstage Communication Gunther De Backer Phone: +32.475.903.909 gunther@backstagecom.be A 2026 industry report examining THCA flower sales activity, strain demand, and self-reported buyer usage trends based on internal data from Exhale Wellness. Charlotte, NC, Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The hemp market in 2026 looks very different from just a few years ago. Clearer rules, better lab testing, and stronger buyer awareness have changed how hemp products are evaluated and discussed. One category drawing consistent attention is THCA flower, largely because it keeps the plant in its original form while meeting compliance standards at the time of sale. As more consumers learn how THCA differs from THC and why cultivation and testing matter, interest has shifted toward strain-specific flower products. Within this context, Exhale Wellness has been tracking sales activity and customer behavior across its THCA flower lineup to better understand how buyers are engaging with the category this year. THCA Flower Market Overview: Understanding, Growing Attention, and Year-Over-Year Trends THCA flower refers to raw hemp flower that contains elevated levels of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid while remaining compliant with federal Delta-9 THC limits at the time of sale. Unlike processed hemp products, THCA flower preserves the plant's natural structure, including trichomes and terpene content, allowing buyers to evaluate aroma, appearance, and strain identity directly. In its raw form, THCA differs from THC and does not produce intoxicating effects until exposed to heat. As awareness around cannabinoid distinctions and compliance testing has increased, THCA flower has gained visibility as a whole-flower category that aligns traditional flower characteristics with evolving regulatory expectations. Key Drivers Behind Growing Attention Interest in THCA flower has expanded as the hemp market has shifted toward clearer standards and more informed purchasing behavior. Several factors have contributed to this increased attention. Whole-flower format preference Consumers gravitate toward intact flower products that preserve the plant's original form rather than infused alternatives. Consumers gravitate toward intact flower products that preserve the plant's original form rather than infused alternatives. Strain-specific offerings and terpene profiles Named strains and identifiable aroma profiles allow buyers to make more intentional selections. Named strains and identifiable aroma profiles allow buyers to make more intentional selections. Transparent lab documentation and compliance verification Accessible testing reports have become central to product evaluation. Accessible testing reports have become central to product evaluation. Educated consumer base evaluating cultivation and curing Buyers increasingly assess flower quality through growing conditions and post-harvest handling. Buyers increasingly assess flower quality through growing conditions and post-harvest handling. Market visibility through online discussion Social platforms and forums have expanded awareness of THCA flower as a distinct category. Year-Over-Year Market Trends (2021-2026) The evolution of THCA flower can be viewed through a gradual progression from niche awareness to broader market presence. 2021-2022: Early Awareness Phase THCA flower emerged primarily through small-scale discussion, with limited consumer understanding and inconsistent availability. THCA flower emerged primarily through small-scale discussion, with limited consumer understanding and inconsistent availability. 2023: Expansion Phase Increased lab transparency and clearer differentiation from THC led to broader recognition across online hemp marketplaces. Increased lab transparency and clearer differentiation from THC led to broader recognition across online hemp marketplaces. 2024: Commercial Development Phase Brands began refining cultivation, curing, and strain selection, resulting in more consistent product offerings. Brands began refining cultivation, curing, and strain selection, resulting in more consistent product offerings. 2025-2026: Maturity and Scaling Phase THCA flower entered a more stable phase marked by repeat purchasing, wider strain variety, and improved quality controls, reflecting a category transitioning from novelty to an established segment. Growth Snapshot Table / Chart A comparative growth chart illustrates rising buyer attention toward THCA flower from 2021 through 2026. The visualization reflects gradual early adoption followed by sharper increases during 2023-2024, with sustained growth into 2025-2026 as the category reached broader market recognition and consistency. Why Are Cannabis Enthusiasts Choosing Exhale Wellness for THCA Flower? As interest in THCA flower has grown, buyers have become more selective about where they source flower products. Feedback and purchasing behavior observed by Exhale Wellness suggest that consumers are evaluating THCA flowers using objective, quality-based criteria rather than broad claims or generalized descriptions. Several consistent factors appear to influence why buyers return to Exhale Wellness for THCA flower. Documented THCA concentration ranges Products are labeled with clearly reported THCA content based on third-party testing, allowing buyers to understand cannabinoid composition without performance claims. Controlled cultivation environments Flowers are produced using indoor or closely monitored growing conditions, which support uniformity in bud structure and appearance. Flowers are produced using indoor or closely monitored growing conditions, which support uniformity in bud structure and appearance. Defined visual structure Consumers often reference bud density, trim quality, and overall presentation when selecting THCA flower. Consumers often reference bud density, trim quality, and overall presentation when selecting THCA flower. Visible trichome presence Trichome coverage is commonly noted as a visual indicator of careful cultivation and harvest timing. Trichome coverage is commonly noted as a visual indicator of careful cultivation and harvest timing. Preserved terpene profiles Attention to drying and post-harvest handling helps maintain natural aroma characteristics across strains. Attention to drying and post-harvest handling helps maintain natural aroma characteristics across strains. Measured curing processes Flower is cured to support aroma stability and consistency rather than rushed for speed to market. Flower is cured to support aroma stability and consistency rather than rushed for speed to market. Third-party laboratory verification Independent lab testing confirms cannabinoid levels and compliance at the time of sale. Independent lab testing confirms cannabinoid levels and compliance at the time of sale. Consistency across batches Buyers often cite repeatable quality as a reason for continued purchasing rather than switching between sources. Inside Exhale Wellness's THCA Flower Collection Exhale Wellness maintains a broad THCA flower lineup that reflects a range of genetic backgrounds, aroma profiles, and visual characteristics. Rather than positioning strains by outcome or intensity, the collection is organized around variety and plant expression, allowing buyers to select flowers based on sensory preference and familiarity with specific cultivars. Below is an overview of the THCA flower strains currently included in Exhale Wellness's lineup. Snow Caps - Godfather (https://www.exhalewell.com/godfather-og/)This strain is known for dense bud structure and a layered aroma that blends earthy base notes with subtle herbal tones. (https://www.exhalewell.com/godfather-og/)This strain is known for dense bud structure and a layered aroma that blends earthy base notes with subtle herbal tones. Sex Panther (https://www.exhalewell.com/sex-panther-flower/)Sex Panther features a bold, forward aroma profile with noticeable terpene sharpness and a strong scent presence. (https://www.exhalewell.com/sex-panther-flower/)Sex Panther features a bold, forward aroma profile with noticeable terpene sharpness and a strong scent presence. Lemon Cherry Gelato (https://www.exhalewell.com/lemon-cherry-gelato-thca-flower/)Characterized by a smooth, sweet-leaning aroma with citrus notes, this strain presents a balanced and recognizable fragrance profile. (https://www.exhalewell.com/lemon-cherry-gelato-thca-flower/)Characterized by a smooth, sweet-leaning aroma with citrus notes, this strain presents a balanced and recognizable fragrance profile. SFV OG (https://www.exhalewell.com/sfv-og-thca-flower/)SFV OG carries a classic OG-style aroma marked by pine, earth, and a clean, grounded scent structure. (https://www.exhalewell.com/sfv-og-thca-flower/)SFV OG carries a classic OG-style aroma marked by pine, earth, and a clean, grounded scent structure. Space Junkie (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower-1/space-junkie-thca-flower/)This strain combines brighter aromatic notes with deeper undertones, creating a mixed and layered aroma experience. (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower-1/space-junkie-thca-flower/)This strain combines brighter aromatic notes with deeper undertones, creating a mixed and layered aroma experience. Skywalker OG (https://www.exhalewell.com/skywalker-og-thca-flower/) Skywalker OG (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/06/3128504/0/en/Exhale-Newly-THCA-Flower-Strains-Launch-in-2025-Lemon-Cherry-to-Skywalker-OG.html?_gl=1*1d3hwur*_up*MQ..*_ga*Nzc2ODcwNzMuMTc2Nzc4NDg5MA..*_ga_ERWPGTJ5X8*czE3Njc3ODQ4OTAkbzEkZzAkdDE3Njc3ODQ4OTAkajYwJGwwJGgw) is associated with a traditional cultivar profile, offering an earthy aroma with subtle herbal depth. (https://www.exhalewell.com/skywalker-og-thca-flower/) (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/08/06/3128504/0/en/Exhale-Newly-THCA-Flower-Strains-Launch-in-2025-Lemon-Cherry-to-Skywalker-OG.html?_gl=1*1d3hwur*_up*MQ..*_ga*Nzc2ODcwNzMuMTc2Nzc4NDg5MA..*_ga_ERWPGTJ5X8*czE3Njc3ODQ4OTAkbzEkZzAkdDE3Njc3ODQ4OTAkajYwJGwwJGgw) is associated with a traditional cultivar profile, offering an earthy aroma with subtle herbal depth. Gorilla Glue (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower-1/purple-gorilla-glue-thca-flower/)Gorilla Glue is noted for its pungent aroma and strong terpene presence, paired with compact and resin-forward buds. (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower-1/purple-gorilla-glue-thca-flower/)Gorilla Glue is noted for its pungent aroma and strong terpene presence, paired with compact and resin-forward buds. Sunset Sherbert (https://www.exhalewell.com/sunset-sherbert-thca-flower/)This strain features a dessert-inspired aroma, blending sweet and creamy notes with a smooth overall scent. (https://www.exhalewell.com/sunset-sherbert-thca-flower/)This strain features a dessert-inspired aroma, blending sweet and creamy notes with a smooth overall scent. Blue Dream (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower/blue-dream-thca-flower/)Blue Dream presents a lighter, fruit-forward aroma balanced by gentle herbal undertones and a clean finish. (https://www.exhalewell.com/thca-flower/blue-dream-thca-flower/)Blue Dream presents a lighter, fruit-forward aroma balanced by gentle herbal undertones and a clean finish. Animal Runtz (https://www.exhalewell.com/animal-runtz-thca-flower/)Animal Runtz combines sweet and earthy aromas, supported by a dense structure and visible trichome coverage. Exhale Wellness THCA Flower Sales Data Highlights Key Buyer Demand Drivers Sales activity observed by Exhale Wellness throughout 2026 points to steady interest in THCA flower across multiple strain offerings. Rather than showing demand concentrated around a single product, purchasing patterns suggest that buyers are engaging with the category as a whole. These observations are based on internal company sales data and are not independently audited or publicly reported figures. Consistent monthly sales volume Internal records indicate five-figure monthly unit movement across THCA flower products, reflecting stable demand rather than short-term spikes. Internal records indicate five-figure monthly unit movement across THCA flower products, reflecting stable demand rather than short-term spikes. Repeat purchase behavior A significant portion of orders comes from returning customers, suggesting ongoing engagement with the category over time. A significant portion of orders comes from returning customers, suggesting ongoing engagement with the category over time. Strain diversity over single-strain dominance Purchasing patterns show buyers frequently rotating between strains. Purchasing patterns show buyers frequently rotating between strains. Interest in terpene-forward profiles Sales data indicate increased attention toward strains with clearly defined and recognizable aroma profiles. Sales data indicate increased attention toward strains with clearly defined and recognizable aroma profiles. Release-driven demand increases Newly introduced strains and limited releases tend to generate short-term increases in order volume before reverting to regular purchasing patterns. Newly introduced strains and limited releases tend to generate short-term increases in order volume before reverting to regular purchasing patterns. Seasonal purchasing shifts Periodic changes in demand appear tied to seasonal buying habits rather than changes in product availability or lineup structure. Insights From Exhale Wellness: How Consumers Say They Use THCA Flower? To better understand how THCA flower fits into consumer routines, Exhale Wellness conducted an internal review of voluntary customer feedback collected through post-purchase surveys and general customer communications. This review was designed to document how buyers describe their own usage context, not to assess performance, outcomes, or suitability. All observations reflect individual, self-reported perspectives and should be viewed as descriptive. Background and Context Internal feedback review Exhale Wellness analyzed voluntarily submitted customer comments to identify recurring themes in how individuals describe their interest in THCA flower. Exhale Wellness analyzed voluntarily submitted customer comments to identify recurring themes in how individuals describe their interest in THCA flower. Observational purpose The goal of this review was to understand how consumers categorize their own routines and preferences, rather than to draw conclusions about product behavior. The goal of this review was to understand how consumers categorize their own routines and preferences, rather than to draw conclusions about product behavior. Individual perspectives only Feedback reflects personal habits and viewpoints shared by customers and does not represent universal usage patterns or recommendations. CEO-Led Insight Initiative Leadership involvement CEO Erin Zadoorian led the initiative as part of an effort to listen directly to customers and better understand how they engage with THCA flower products. CEO Erin Zadoorian led the initiative as part of an effort to listen directly to customers and better understand how they engage with THCA flower products. Focus on usage patterns According to internal notes, the review focused on identifying the common language customers use to describe when and why they incorporate THCA flower into their routines. According to internal notes, the review focused on identifying the common language customers use to describe when and why they incorporate THCA flower into their routines. Theme identification Rather than quantifying outcomes, the process focused on grouping feedback into broad, self-identified context categories. Data Visualization: Customer Feedback Breakdown Based on voluntary customer feedback, some individuals have reported associating THCA flower with personal routines focused on physical comfort. Others have reported incorporating THCA flower into nighttime routines they connect with sleep preparation. Additional feedback references use during periods of mental unwinding, with some users describing it as part of their approach to managing anxiety or stress. Some respondents also cited general mood or relaxation preferences, while others noted broader interest in hemp flower without tying it to a specific routine. The Future of THCA Flower Looking ahead, THCA flower is expected to remain a focal point within the hemp market as quality expectations continue to rise. Increased emphasis on transparent sourcing, terpene documentation, and consistent cultivation practices is likely to shape future product development. As consumers become more discerning, brands may face greater pressure to clearly communicate strain characteristics, lab verification, and post-harvest handling. The category's growth appears tied less to expansion of claims and more to refinement of standards, signaling a continued shift toward accountability and product clarity. About Exhale Wellness Exhale Wellness is a U.S.-based hemp brand focused on cannabinoid transparency, controlled production practices, and third-party verification. The company offers a range of hemp-derived products, including THCA flower, developed with an emphasis on documented sourcing and quality consistency. Exhale Wellness continues to monitor category trends and consumer feedback as part of its broader commitment to informed product development. Contact Person: Exhale Wellness Support Team Email: support@exhalewell.com Phone Number: (323) 448-3810 Headquarters: North Carolina, United States Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Cruz Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: CRUZ) (OTCID: BKTPF) (WKN: A40YSN) ("Cruz" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged Stantec Consulting Ltd. to complete a Maiden Resource Estimate ("MRE") and Technical Report for the Solar Lithium Project in Clayton Valley, Nevada. The Technical Report will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101. The Stantec qualified person (Derek Loveday, PGeo) has direct experience in the Tonopah area, which includes visiting Albemarle Corp.'s Silver Peak mine, visiting ioneer Ltd.'s Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project, and completing a resource estimate and Technical Report for American Lithium Corp. on the TLC lithium project. Throughout the first 4 phases of drilling (announced on January 17, 2022, May 18, 2022, March 31, 2023, & July 13, 2023), Cruz has discovered lithium in all 14 drill holes on the 100-per-cent owned, 4,938-acre Solar Lithium Project in Nevada, directly bordering American Lithium Corp.'s (LI, AMLIF) TLC lithium project. According to American Lithium Corp.'s website, "In February 2025, the American Lithium Corp. announced an updated Mineral Resource Estimate that significantly increased the contained lithium resources for the TLC project. This MRE was completed as part of the process of compiling the maiden preliminary economic assessment and was incorporated into the Mine Plan within the maiden PEA, which was released on February 1st, 2023. TLC currently hosts 6.17Mt lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) measured resources, 2.39Mt LCE indicated resources and 1.44Mt LCE inferred resources."(1). Cruz management cannot verify American Lithium Corp.'s results other than the publicly available information. James Nelson, President of Cruz Battery Metals stated, "Lithium prices are currently at 2-year highs and are now up over 100% since June 2025, according to tradingeconomics.com(2). Attention towards domestic lithium seems to have renewed since President Trump agreed to take a stake in Lithium Americas Thacker Pass Lithium Mine in Nevada, announced by Reuters (3) on October 1, 2025. With the recent resurgence of investor attention back into the lithium sector, management feels this is an opportune time to proceed with producing a Maiden Resource Estimate on the Solar Lithium Project. The Company is very optimistic about the growth prospects for the remainder of 2026 and beyond as we become more active than we've been in years." To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4754/279863_bc13e33194352b28_002full.jpg Qualified Person The technical contents of this release were reviewed and approved by Frank Bain, PGeo, a director of the Company and qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Bain has not independently verified American Lithium Corp.'s Technical Report. About Cruz Battery Metals Corp. Cruz currently has several battery metals focused projects located in the USA. Cruz's Nevada lithium projects consist of the 4,938-acre 'Solar Lithium Project', the 240-acre 'Clayton Valley Lithium Brine Project', and the 580-acre 'Central Clayton Valley Lithium Brine Project'. In Idaho Cruz has the 124-acre 'Idaho Cobalt Belt Project'. Cruz also has the 'Sterling South Gold/Copper Project' in Ontario, Canada. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Cruz may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties. Neither the CSE 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. https://americanlithiumcorp.com/tlc-lithium-project/ (1) https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/lithium (2) https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-government-take-5-stake-lithium-americas-joint-venture-with-general-motors-2025-09-30/ (3) To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279863 Source: Cruz Battery Metals Corp. Original-Research: q.beyond AG - from NuWays AG 09.01.2026 / 09:00 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Research, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group . The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this research. The result of this research does not constitute investment advice or an invitation to conclude certain stock exchange transactions. Classification of NuWays AG to q.beyond AG Company Name: q.beyond AG ISIN: DE0005137004 Reason for the research: Update Recommendation: BUY Target price: EUR 1.3 Target price on sight of: 12 months Last rating change: Analyst: Philipp Sennewald Margin trajectory intact heading into FY26 As QBY approaches FY26, the company is leaving the most demanding phase of its multi-year transformation behind. The past year has been shaped by a clear prioritization of profitability and cash generation over top-line growth. A strategy, that is seen to continue to deliver tangible results despite an unchanged challenging demand environment. That said, Q3 as the latest reported quarter proved to be operationally weaker with sales sequentially down amid cautious customer spending. Yet, this did not derail the broader trajectories, in our view. Thanks to sustained cost discipline, improved consulting utilization and a better mix, operating EBTIDA (adj. for positive tax assessment in Q3 of 2.6m) still came in positive at 0.4m (1% margin). Importantly, management reiterated that the FY25 outlook of 184-190m sales (eNuW: 184m), 12-15m EBITDA (eNuW: 12.1m) as well as positive net income (eNuW: 1.0m) and FCF ( 1.3m) remains intact. Overall, FY25 thus for has demonstrated a resilient business model with 9m EBITDA standing at 8.1m (6.0% margin), supported by a high share of recurring revenues of c. 70%, long contract durations and low churn of around 5%. At the same time, the organization became leaner and more focused, while the near- and off-shoring ratio increased to 18% (Q3'25), providing a structural margin tailwind. Looking ahead, FY26 should mark a gradual normalization phase. With most portfolio clean-up measures completed and utilization further stabilizing, sales are set to return to moderate growth (eNuW: +7% yoy). This is supported by easing macro headwinds, rising demand for cloud, security and AI-enabled services and a further progressing near- and off-shoring ratio towards the mid-term target of 30%. In parallel, profitability remains the key upside lever. Operating leverage from the streamlined cost base, combined with mix improvements, are set to lead to further expanding EBITDA margins in in FY26e (eNuW: 8.4%). With a net liquidity position of 35m and no financial debt, QBY moreover retains the necessary flexibility to execute on targeted M&A deals. In fact, we expect at least one acquisition to be announced this year. As communicated before, management is putting an eye on the energy and healthcare sectors, aiming to add new verticals. Besides that, in December management and supervisory board decided to convene an EGM on 30 January, where a reverse stock split in the a ratio of 5:1 will be proposed. A sensible measure in our view, as it will sustainably lift the share price above 1.00, thus eliminating penny stock status and thus improve perception. Overall, while Q3 highlighted continued demand volatility, the investment case remains fully intact, as centered on margin expansion, cash generation and valuation. That said, share continue to trade on highly undemanding levels of 4.0x EV/EBITDA FY25e (2.7x FY26e). We hence reiterate BUY with an unchanged PT of 1.30 based on DCF. You can download the research here: qbeyond-ag-2026-01-09-update-en-eadd6 For additional information visit our website: https://www.nuways-ag.com/research-feed Contact for questions: NuWays AG - Equity Research Web: www.nuways-ag.com Email: research@nuways-ag.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuwaysag Adresse: Mittelweg 16-17, 20148 Hamburg, Germany ++++++++++ Diese Meldung ist keine Anlageberatung oder Aufforderung zum Abschluss bestimmter Borsengeschafte. Offenlegung moglicher Interessenskonflikte nach 85 WpHG beim oben analysierten Unternehmen befinden sich in der vollstandigen Analyse. ++++++++++ The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. View original content: EQS News Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Nesti, a real estate technology company, today announced the official launch of its AI-powered platform designed to address critical inefficiencies in residential real estate operations. The platform targets persistent industry challenges where many new agents struggle with lead management and client engagement. Nesti - Logo To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9586/279802_nlogo.jpg Addressing Core Industry Inefficiencies The residential real estate sector faces systemic challenges in lead qualification, response time management, and long-term client engagement. Agents frequently experience missed opportunities due to delayed responses, difficulty prioritizing prospects, and overwhelming administrative tasks that detract from revenue-generating activities. Nesti's platform embeds directly into agent websites, functioning as an intelligent qualification system that engages visitors through personalized conversations. The system identifies critical buyer and seller indicators including purchase intent, financial readiness, timeline, and motivation level. Each interaction receives a quantitative score from 0-100 across five key metrics: budget alignment, timeline feasibility, motivation level, agent-client fit, and engagement quality. "Real estate professionals need technology that enhances effectiveness rather than adding to workload," said Ravinna Raveenthiran, Founder of Nesti. "The platform was developed to eliminate the productivity gaps that prevent agents from maximizing their potential." Ravinna Raveenthiran, CEO & Founder of Nesti To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9586/279802_ravinna%20raveenthiran Multi-Party Matching Technology The platform's matching algorithm connects buyers, sellers, and agents using behavioral data, financial parameters, lifestyle preferences, housing requirements, and agent specialization areas. This systematic approach aims to reduce transaction timelines and improve completion rates across the real estate lifecycle. Automated Workflow Management Nesti's automation capabilities handle scheduling coordination, reminder systems, document collection processes, and extended follow-up sequences. The platform's adaptive conversation engine adjusts communication strategies based on user behavior patterns and changing circumstances, maintaining engagement consistency throughout extended sales cycles. Introducing Nest Plan: Buyers' Personal Real Estate Planning Guide The company also launched Nest Plan, a real estate planning module designed for property buyers and investors. The tool provides affordability calculations, savings tracking, and goal-setting frameworks to support informed real estate decision-making. From first-time buyers to seasoned investors, Nest Plan helps users understand affordability, track progress, and make confident real estate decisions. With Nest Plan, buyers plan, execute, and achieve housing goals with clarity and confidence. Pricing and Availability Nesti is available via subscription with a 14-day free trial and offers Basic, Pro and Enterprise packages. The platform is currently available to real estate professionals in Canada and the United States. Start trial, book a live demo, or join the waitlist at https://nesti-realestate.onrender.com. About Nesti Nesti is a Toronto-based technology company focused on developing AI-powered solutions for the residential real estate industry. The company's platform addresses agent productivity challenges through intelligent lead qualification, automated workflow management, and data-driven matching systems. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279802 Source: Actuls EQS-News: EBD Group / Key word(s): Conference During J. P. Morgan Healthcare Week, Biotech Showcase Provides Private and Micro- to Mid-Cap Public Company Executives One-Stop Access to Investors, Pharma Partners and Media 09.01.2026 / 10:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. During J. P. Morgan Healthcare Week, Biotech Showcase Provides Private and Micro- to Mid-Cap Public Company Executives One-Stop Access to Investors, Pharma Partners and Media Join Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Google, J.P. Morgan, Novo Nordisk, Pappas Capital, Amazon Web Services, BIO, Members of the Media, and 1,200+ Investors Registration and Partnering Platform Access Now Open SAN FRANCISCO - January 9, 2026 - More than 3,000 leaders within biotechnology are registered to attend Biotech Showcase 2026 during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week for unmatched opportunity to forge critical investment and partnering relationships as well as industry and financial media covering the event. Hosted by Demy-Colton and EBD Group , the event returns to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square January 12-14, 2026. A virtual event extends access to networking and insights January 20-21, 2026. Registration and partnering are now open for both. Sara Jane Demy, Founder & CEO of Demy-Colton, said, "We anticipate renewed investment and dealmaking momentum in 2026, driven by rapid scientific advancement, evolving funding models, and the convergence of technology and biology. At the same time, policy changes are influencing how companies approach regulation, R&D strategy, capital deployment, and partnering. This is our 18th year for Biotech Showcase, and we're so pleased it's become a premier venue for dealmaking during JPM Week." Biotech Showcase attendees have the opportunity to: Engage in partnering and investment meetings among attending investors and pharma companies. Get to know emerging private and small-cap public biotech and TechBio companies through company presentations and partnering meetings. Meet with members of industry media including Endpoints, STAT, BioSpace, Fast Company, and others. Join curated discussions with leaders from companies like Novo Nordisk, Astellas, J.P. Morgan, Regeneron, Ipsen, Stifel, Sofinnova Investments, Cellino, Envisagenics, Syneos Health, and Angelini Ventures, among many others. Tina Elder, Global Managing Director, EBD Group US, said, "As the premier investor conference for private and micro- to mid-cap biotechnology companies, Biotech Showcase offers unmatched opportunities for networking, dealmaking, and partnering across biotech, pharma, and the global investment community. As the industry looks toward 2026, Biotech Showcase provides a timely forum for engaging with the companies and leaders driving the industry's evolution, offering direct exposure to emerging science, differentiated platforms, and the TechBio capabilities now essential to competitive drug development." Opening day highlights : Healthcare Innovation: Strategic Adaption to the New Policy Landscape Michael Margolis - Senior Managing Director, Head, Healthcare Investment Banking, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. - Senior Managing Director, Head, Healthcare Investment Banking, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Thomas Barker - Partner, Co-Chair, Healthcare Department, Foley Hoag - Partner, Co-Chair, Healthcare Department, Foley Hoag Fritz Bittenbender - Board Chair, BIO & SVP, Genentech - Board Chair, BIO & SVP, Genentech Jeremy Levin - Chairman & CEO, Ovid Therapeutics Inc. - Chairman & CEO, Ovid Therapeutics Inc. Lori Reilly - COO, PhRMA - COO, PhRMA Joe Shonkwiler - Head, Healthcare & Life Science, Venture Capital BD, Google The 2026 Pharma Perspective: Dealmaking Driving Therapeutic Development David Schull - President, Russo Partners - President, Russo Partners Tamara Darsow - SVP, Global Business Development, Novo Nordisk - SVP, Global Business Development, Novo Nordisk David Jenkins - SVP, Head, External Innovation and Research, Ipsen - SVP, Head, External Innovation and Research, Ipsen Amanda Kay - Senior Partner & Chief Business Development Officer, Flagship Pioneering - Senior Partner & Chief Business Development Officer, Flagship Pioneering Adam Pearson - Chief Strategy Officer, Astellas - Chief Strategy Officer, Astellas Konstantina Katcheves - SVP & Chief Business and Strategy Officer, Acadia Pharmaceuticals New Breakthroughs in Drug Discovery & Target Identification Ignacio Guerrero-Ros - VP, Russo Partners - VP, Russo Partners Sean Lin - CEO, ChemLex - CEO, ChemLex Ravit Netzer - Co-Founder & CEO, Scala Biodesign - Co-Founder & CEO, Scala Biodesign Ritish Patnaik - CEO, Curve Biosciences - CEO, Curve Biosciences Cameron Pye - Co-Founder & CEO, Unnatural Products Inc. - Co-Founder & CEO, Unnatural Products Inc. Adrian Woolfson - Founder, President & CEO, Genyro Closing day highlights : Media Round-Up: Heard Around the Hilton Virginia Amann - CEO & Founder, ENTENTE Network - CEO & Founder, ENTENTE Network Alex Philippidis - Senior Business Editor, GEN - Senior Business Editor, GEN Allison DeAngelis - Reporter, Biotech Startups & Venture Capital, STAT News - Reporter, Biotech Startups & Venture Capital, STAT News Ron Leuty - Senior Reporter, San Francisco Business Times - Senior Reporter, San Francisco Business Times Kyle LaHucik - Senior Reporter, Endpoints News - Senior Reporter, Endpoints News Annalee Armstrong - Senior Editor, BioSpace For information about registering for Biotech Showcase or to apply to present or sponsor, please visit www.informaconnect.com/biotech-showcase/ . About Demy-Colton Demy-Colton is a leading life sciences and digital health events organization at the forefront of building networks between innovative life sciences companies and industry stakeholders. Its unique events facilitate networking on a global scale, including Biotech Showcase, BioFuture, Global Biotech CEO Summit, Executive Clinics, and Demy-Colton Virtual Salons. These events build networking communities that transcend geographical boundaries and establish ongoing, high-value relationships among the industry's top decision-makers, investors and thought leaders. For more information, visit www.demy-colton.com . About Life Sciences Partnering and Investment by Informa Our mission is to help collaborations get started across the life science value chain. Our range of partnering conferences has grown to become the largest and most productive conference platform in the industry. Each one of our landmark events held in key life science markets around the world is powered by our state-of-the-art partnering software, partneringONE, that enables delegates to efficiently identify and engage with new opportunities via one-to-one meetings. Today, our events (BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe Spring, Biotech Showcase, ChinaBio Partnering Forum, Asia Bio Partnering Forum, BioEquity Europe, LSX USA Congress, Investival Showcase Europe, European Lifestars Awards, Investival Showcase USA, LSX Europe Congress, LSX Nordic Congress) annually attract more than 14,000 senior life science executives who engage in over 83,000 one-to-one partnering meetings. These vital one-to-one engagements are the wellspring of deals that drive innovation in our industry. Contact Katie Morris ENTENTE Network of Companies katiemorris@ententeinc.com MC Services, Inc. Laurie Doyle Phone: +1-339-832-0752 E-mail: EBDGroup@mc-services.eu 09.01.2026 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group . The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. View original content: EQS News Regulatory News: Titan SA (Euronext Brussels, ATHEX and Euronext Paris, TITC) announces that its subsidiary, Titan America SA ("Titan America"), listed on the NYSE, has entered into an agreement to acquire Keystone Cement Company, a Pennsylvania-based cement manufacturer and aggregates producer. The transaction includes modern and high-quality assets such as an integrated cement plant, operating one of the most efficient cement kilns in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, with a clinker production capacity of 990,000 short tons per year. Thanks to its attractive location, the plant is well-positioned to serve a 6.2 million short ton per year addressable market across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio, with strong exposure to large-scale infrastructure and technology investments and extensive transportation modernization programs. The acquisition is expected to accelerate top-line growth, enhance geographic diversification and improve operating margins through the realization of integration synergies, including substantial operational and commercial benefits from integration with the existing assets-Essex Cement in New Jersey and Roanoke Cement in Virginia-as well as Titan America's fly ash processing and marketing facilities operated with Separation Technologies, a Titan subsidiary across Pennsylvania and Ohio. The transaction price (subject to ordinary post-closing adjustments) is $310,000,000, which corresponds to approximately $313 per short ton of current clinker production capacity and its closing is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions. Bill Zarkalis, President CEO of Titan America, commented: "The strategic investment aligns perfectly with Titan America's long-term growth strategy in the economic mega-regions along the East Coast of the US and enables Titan America to strengthen further its existing core materials business in the Mid-Atlantic region while adding complementary capacity in high-growth regions. It also demonstrates our disciplined M&A strategy acquiring assets where our operational capabilities, commercial network, and financial strength can create substantial shareholder value." Marcel Cobuz, Chair of the Group Executive Committee, commented: "This acquisition in the US is consistent with the TITAN Forward 2029 Strategic Priorities, focusing on expanding cement capacity and accelerating inorganic growth in heavy materials, including alternative cementitious materials. It also complements the recent active Group portfolio management moves across our key markets towards the acquisitions of an integrated cement plant in the Greater Istanbul Market with US export potential, a cement grinding plant in France, aggregates bolt-ons in Greece, a precast Joint Venture business in the Western Balkans, along with investment partnerships in pozzolan in Greece and Turkiye as well as in fly ash facilities in the UK and in India." The press release issued by Titan America SA may be consulted on the website of Titan America SA via the link below: https://ir.titanamerica.com/press-releases This press release may be consulted on the website of Titan SA via the link below: https://ir.titanmaterials.com/en/regulatory-stock-exchange-announcements About Titan America SA Titan America is a leading vertically integrated producer of cement and building materials in the high-growth economic mega-regions of the U.S. East Coast, with operations and leading market positions across Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and Metro New York/New Jersey. Titan America's family of company brands includes Essex Cement, Roanoke Cement, Titan Florida, Titan Virginia Ready-Mix, S&W Ready-Mix, Powhatan Ready Mix, Titan Mid-Atlantic Aggregates, and Separation Technologies. Titan America's operations include cement plants, construction aggregates and sand mines, ready-mix concrete plants, concrete block plants, fly ash production facilities, marine import and rail terminals, and distribution hubs. About ????? Group TITAN Group is a Belgium-registered company and a leading international business in the building and infrastructure materials industry, with passionate teams committed to providing innovative solutions for a better world. With most of its activity in the developed markets, the Group employs more than 6,000 people and serves customers in over 25 markets, on four continents. It holds prominent positions in the United States, Europe including Greece, the Balkans, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Group also has joint ventures in Brazil and India. With more than 120 years of history, TITAN has always fostered a family and entrepreneurial-oriented culture for its employees and works tirelessly with its customers to meet the modern needs of society while promoting sustainable growth with responsibility and integrity. TITAN has set a net-zero goal for 2050 and has its CO2 reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The Group is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris, and the Athens Exchange, and its US business is listed on the NYSE. For more information, visit our website at www.titanmaterials.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109050572/en/ Contacts: For further information, please contact Investor Relations at +30 210 2591 257 Blockstream Capital Partners ("BCP") today announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement to acquire a division within Numeus Group's digital asset trading and investment business. The transaction includes the absorption of select Bitcoin focused trading strategies with a focus on yield generation as well as a ten person derivatives trading team led by Chief Investment Officer Deepak Gulati, a specialist in volatility and derivatives markets. Deepak Gulati, appointed Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blockstream Capital Management alongside Rodrigo Rodriguez, previously served as Global Head of Proprietary Trading at JPMorgan, before founding Argentiere Capital, a multibillion-dollar volatility-focused hedge fund. With a thesis that derivatives would drive Bitcoin and digital asset market maturity, he co-founded Numeus Group in 2021 to develop institutional-grade trading, risk management and market-structure capabilities. Komainu, an existing BCP strategic investment, has played an integral role in this transaction and will provide the necessary corporate support, exchange connectivity, collateral management and custodial services. Strengthening BCP's Market Position This acquisition significantly expands BCP's Bitcoin trading and yield generation capabilities, reinforcing its position as a leading provider of institutional-grade, risk managed Bitcoin yield solutions. By integrating specialized expertise in Bitcoin derivatives and volatility strategies, with a powerful execution and real time risk analytics platform, BCP will capture alternative yield opportunities across both stable and highly volatile market environments. A Strategic Fit for the Next Phase of Institutional Bitcoin Adoption The transaction is aligned with BCP's broader strategy to develop a premier institutional platform for digital asset trading, yield generation and structured solutions. By incorporating these new capabilities, BCP strengthens its ability to deliver: Yield-enhancing derivatives strategies for Bitcoin treasury (including corporate and DAO treasuries), asset-management, and corporate clients, offering an alternative and reliable source of yield on their Bitcoin holdings. Powerful execution infrastructure with embedded market risk solutions designed to support institutional-grade trading of Bitcoin and operational oversight. PeterPaul Pardi, Managing Partner of Blockstream Capital Partners, said: "Core to the growth of our business is industry-leading talent, proprietary trading strategies and adding to our best-in-class risk management. Deepak brings a rare blend of institutional TradFi rigor and hands-on digital assets trading expertise. By acquiring Numeus's trading business, we're adding proven crypto-derivatives and volatility capabilities that institutions increasingly demand, while strengthening our platform offering." Deepak Gulati, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blockstream Capital Management, commented: "The Blockstream Capital Partners team has the ambition, expertise and platform to set the standard for how institutions access and manage their Bitcoin exposure, and I'm thrilled to help accelerate that build." Paul Frost-Smith, CEO at Komainu, said: "We're committed to advancing both innovation and institutional adoption across the Bitcoin ecosystem. BCP is an important partner in that mission, and we're excited to deepen the relationship as we continue developing and launching new Bitcoin-centric products and services." This transaction builds upon BCP's December 2025 acquisition of Corbiere Capital Management, a Jersey-based equities hedge fund manager led by Rodrigo Rodriguez. Numeus Group is also looking forward to building future value through strategic collaboration with BCP, a leader in the crypto industry. About BCP Group Blockstream Capital Partners (BCP) is an investment group of Bitcoin pioneers driving the convergence of Bitcoin and institutional finance. Affiliated with Dr. Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, the global leader in Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure, BCP brings together early Bitcoin investors from before the first halving and veteran institutional finance leaders with decades of experience managing global capital. BCP invests across asset classes venture capital, private and public equity, credit, real estate, and insurance and across the entire stack of Bitcoin finance: from infrastructure (including trading, custody, payments, and settlement) to Bitcoin-based applications and financial instruments. Its approach reflects the same philosophy that defines Blockstream: an uncompromising commitment to building the financial infrastructure of the future and a long-term conviction in Bitcoin. BCP operates a comprehensive investment platform offering institutional-grade Bitcoin solutions designed to deliver Bitcoin-referenced returns and long-term value for investors. With a global presence in key financial hubs, BCP is positioned to serve leading institutional allocators worldwide. About Numeus Group Numeus is a digital asset investment firm founded in 2021 by a team of institutional trad-finance and blockchain experts with a team of 33 today across Switzerland, New York, London, and Mauritius. Its asset management division, Forteus, offers absolute-return and directional strategies under an FCA-regulated framework and maintains a strategic partnership with Schroders plc. About Komainu Komainu is the institutional gateway for digital assets, headquartered in Jersey, with offices in London, Dubai, and Singapore. Offering bank-grade infrastructure for institutional investors, Komainu provides seamless, connected and secure services with multi-jurisdictional regulatory oversight, merging expertise from traditional financial services with leading security standards for the next generation of institutional digital asset custody, servicing financing. Komainu (Jersey) Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. Komainu MEA FZE is regulated by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. For more information, visit https://www.komainu.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109215098/en/ Contacts: Danny Calogero +44(0)7891 563 294 dcalogero@fullyvested.com New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - RealESALetter.com, a national platform connecting Americans with licensed mental health professionals for Emotional Support Animal evaluations, today released its annual analysis of ESA letter request data. The findings reveal a significant generational shift in mental health support preferences, with Gen Z applicants seeking ESA documentation at three times the rate of Millennials throughout 2025. The analysis examined 3,024 ESA letter requests submitted through the platform between January 2025 and December 2025. The data highlights a growing trend among younger Americans who view animal companionship as a legitimate component of mental health management. According to the findings, 58 percent of all ESA letter requests originated from Gen Z applicants between the ages of 18 and 27. Millennials between the ages of 28 and 43 accounted for 19 percent of requests. The remaining requests came from Gen X and Baby Boomer applicants. Among Gen Z applicants, 67 percent cited anxiety as the primary reason for seeking ESA documentation. Depression was the second most common reason, cited by 52 percent of Gen Z applicants. Additionally, 73 percent of Gen Z respondents indicated that their pet significantly reduced daily stress levels. Request volume through the platform increased 34 percent compared to 2024. California, Texas, Florida, and New York collectively represented 47 percent of all applications received during the year. Michael Torres, Director of Operations at RealESALetter.com, commented on the findings. "The 2025 data confirms what the platform has observed for several years. Gen Z approaches mental health differently than previous generations. Rather than waiting for a crisis, younger Americans are building mental health support systems into their daily lives. Emotional support animals have become a key part of that approach for many individuals," said Torres. Tina Logan, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and clinical consultant for RealESALetter.com, provided additional perspective based on direct experience with ESA applicants. "Gen Z clients demonstrate a willingness to be proactive about mental health support that distinguishes them from older generations. For many of these individuals, an emotional support animal serves as more than a pet. The animal provides a grounding presence that helps manage anxiety, improves sleep quality, and reduces feelings of isolation. This generation does not view seeking help as a weakness. They view it as responsible self management," said Logan. The data also revealed that housing considerations drove the majority of ESA letter requests. Approximately 78 percent of applicants sought documentation to qualify for pet friendly housing accommodations under the Fair Housing Act. This federal law requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including allowing emotional support animals in properties with no pet policies. Logan addressed the housing dimension of the trend. "The intersection of the housing crisis and mental health needs creates real challenges for young renters. Many clients have described being told they must surrender the animal that helps them function on a daily basis. The Fair Housing Act provides protection for individuals with documented mental health conditions who rely on emotional support animals. Awareness of these rights continues to grow, particularly among younger Americans," said Logan. The state level breakdown of 2025 requests showed California leading with 18 percent of total applications. Texas followed with 12 percent. Florida accounted for 11 percent, New York represented 9 percent, and Arizona rounded out the top five with 6 percent of total requests. The methodology for the analysis relied on data from 3,024 ESA letter requests submitted through RealESALetter.com between January 2025 and December 2025. Applicants reported age demographics during the application process. All ESA letters included in the analysis were issued following evaluation by licensed mental health professionals in accordance with Fair Housing Act guidelines. RealESALetter.com connects Americans with licensed mental health professionals for legitimate Emotional Support Animal evaluations and documentation. The platform serves clients across all 50 states, providing accessible pathways to ESA letters that comply with federal housing requirements. Additional information is available at https://www.realesaletter.com. COMPANY DETAILS: Company Name: RealESALetter.com Contact Person: Sarah Mitchell Website: https://www.realesaletter.com Email: Press@RealESALetter.com City: New York State: New York Country: United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279811 Source: GYT Las Vegas, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - At CES 2026, Lgenie officially launched its innovative industrial-grade intelligent agent production line, aiming to redefine industry standards for scalable AI development. To comprehensively demonstrate the platform's capabilities, the company presented an advanced robotic dog capable of fluidly executing dance movements, engaging in natural conversation, and controlling smart home systems. Lgenie emphasized that the core value of this demonstration lies not only in the robot itself but more importantly in the enterprise-grade infrastructure behind it-an industrial platform specifically designed for scalable, reusable, and operable AI agent production. This CES presentation marks a strategic shift in AI hardware from passive response to proactive execution. Lgenie's live demonstration showcased how its technological platform integrates voice, vision, motion, and various environmental sensor data to build an end-to-end closed-loop system from intent understanding to task execution. At the exhibition, Lgenie's Head of Technology, Wells Wang, explained to visitors: "Truly intelligent systems should possess the ability to understand complex intent, decompose multi-level tasks, and coordinate resources for execution. What we are presenting here is precisely the industrial-grade intelligent agent production line built to achieve this goal." Figure 1. Live demonstration of Lgenie's robotic dog at CES 2026 exhibition booth To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/279885_b4d25a2704be097f_001full.jpg The centerpiece of the exhibition was the complete workflow demonstration of Lgenie's industrial-grade intelligent agent creation system. This presentation displayed the full technological chain from hardware perception input, intent model parsing, and vertical domain model application to multi-agent collaborative execution. The technical architecture showcased at the event demonstrated the ability to transform multimodal perceptual data into structured task instructions and achieve stable execution and control of complex tasks through multi-agent coordination mechanisms. This system reflects Lgenie's accumulated expertise in engineering deployment, demonstrating the reliability and practicality of intelligent agent systems in real-world scenarios. Figure 2. Display of smart pet camera powered by Lgenie platform at CES To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/279885_b4d25a2704be097f_002full.jpg Through the CES platform, Lgenie demonstrated the broad applicability of its technical architecture. Multiple application cases presented at the exhibition indicate that this industrial production line model can support diverse needs ranging from consumer electronics to professional-grade industrial hardware. Technical explanations in the exhibition area emphasized Lgenie's position as an upstream technology provider in the industry, detailing its platform-based agent development tools, standardized access protocols, and multi-agent coordination framework, which together form the essential infrastructure for rapid deployment of AI hardware solutions. Figure 3. Lgenie's booth design and visitor interaction at CES 2026 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/279885_b4d25a2704be097f_003full.jpg Figure 4. Core technical architecture diagram of the intelligent agent production line presented during CES To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/279885_b4d25a2704be097f_004full.jpg Lgenie's participation in CES 2026 highlights the company's continued efforts in bridging AI technological innovation with industrial implementation. By demonstrating the complete technology stack of its industrial-grade intelligent agent production line along with practical application cases, the company has proven to the industry the feasibility of transforming advanced AI capabilities into reliable, deployable solutions. This exhibition not only showcases current technological achievements but also provides a practical technical pathway for the engineering development of the AI hardware field. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279885 Source: China Newswire Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging restaurant brands, is pleased to announce the grand opening of its newest Rosie's Burgers ("Rosie's") restaurant this Saturday, January 10th, located in the highly sought-after Marda Loop neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta, at Unit 105, 2205 - 33rd Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta. This opening marks Rosie's 11th location overall and its 3rd location in Western Canada, representing another key milestone in the brand's national expansion. Rosie's is a boutique quick-service restaurant brand known for its signature smash burgers, golden fries, poutine, onion rings, and classic milkshakes - delivering nostalgic flavours in vibrant, neighbourhood-driven locations. Happy Belly 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/279899_835c59614403b953_002full.jpg "Marda Loop is one of Calgary's most dynamic and walkable communities, making it an exceptional location for Rosie's next stage of Western Canadian growth," said Sean Black, Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly Food Group. "This opening reflects our disciplined real estate strategy and the continued momentum behind the Rosie's brand as demand accelerates across both franchised and corporate markets." Marda Loop is widely recognized for its strong foot traffic, dense residential population, and concentration of popular retail, dining, and lifestyle destinations-providing an ideal demographic fit for Rosie's neighbourhood-focused smash burger concept. "With 11 locations now open and more than 114 in development across key Canadian provinces, the Rosie's brand is positioned to scale rapidly in the years ahead. These openings contribute to Happy Belly's broader portfolio of 666 contractually committed retail franchise locations across multiple emerging brands in various stages of development, construction, and operation. Our dual expansion strategy of combining franchised growth with targeted corporate store openings, reinforces our commitment to accelerating our brands development as we advance our mission to become a predictable and disciplined growth company, Canada's #1 restaurant consolidator." Happy Belly 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/279899_835c59614403b953_003full.jpg "We are just getting started," added Sean Black. About Rosie's Burgers Deliciously handcrafted smashed burgers, golden fries, and classic milkshakes. Rosie's is your neighbourhood burger shop serving up nostalgic flavours you know, love, and crave. From our Smashburger's and French fries to strawberry shakes and onion rings-we're all about keeping things simple and perfecting tradition. Because the classics were made classic for a reason, right? Franchising For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com. About Happy Belly Food Group Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: HBFGF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leader in acquiring and scaling emerging food brands. The Company's portfolio includes Heal Wellness, Rosie's Burgers, Yolks Breakfast, Via Cibo Italian Street Food, and others. Happy Belly Food Group To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/279899_835c59614403b953_004full.jpg Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include the future performance of Happy Belly and her subsidiaries. Forward-Looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedarplus.ca. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279899 Source: Happy Belly Food Group Inc. AUSTIN, Texas and TOKYO, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to DataM Intelligence, the global Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Market reached USD 87.19 billion in 2024 and is projected to expand to USD 271.01 billion by 2032, growing at a strong CAGR of 15.23% during the forecast period 2025-2032. Driven by climate volatility, urbanization, and advances in automation and smart farming technologies, CEA is reshaping how food is grown, distributed, and consumed worldwide. This rapid expansion reflects a structural shift in global food production. Traditional open-field agriculture is increasingly constrained by climate uncertainty, water scarcity, land availability, and supply-chain disruption. In contrast, controlled environment agriculture enables year-round, high-yield, resource-efficient food production independent of external weather conditions. By 2030, CEA will move beyond being an alternative farming model and emerge as a core pillar of global food security, urban resilience, and sustainable agriculture. Why Controlled Environment Agriculture Is Becoming Strategic, Not Optional The acceleration of the CEA market is driven by three converging forces reshaping the global agri-food system. Climate volatility is disrupting conventional agriculture at scale . Extreme heat, droughts, floods, and unpredictable growing seasons are reducing yields and increasing price volatility. Controlled environments mitigate these risks by maintaining optimal growing conditions regardless of external climate. . Extreme heat, droughts, floods, and unpredictable growing seasons are reducing yields and increasing price volatility. Controlled environments mitigate these risks by maintaining optimal growing conditions regardless of external climate. Urbanization and proximity to consumer demand are reshaping food supply chains . Cities increasingly require local, fresh, and traceable food sources. CEA facilities-especially vertical farms and indoor plant factories-enable production close to consumption centers, reducing logistics costs and spoilage. . Cities increasingly require local, fresh, and traceable food sources. CEA facilities-especially vertical farms and indoor plant factories-enable production close to consumption centers, reducing logistics costs and spoilage. Technology has matured rapidly. Advances in LED lighting efficiency, hydroponics, aeroponics, IoT-enabled automation, and AI-driven crop management have significantly improved productivity, cost control, and scalability. As a result, CEA is transitioning from niche innovation into mainstream agricultural infrastructure. Request Executive Sample | Controlled Environment Agriculture Market Intelligence: https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/controlled-environment-agriculture-market Market Segmentation Analysis By Facility Type Greenhouses represent the largest share of the CEA market, accounting for approximately 41% of global market value in 2024, equivalent to around USD 35.7 billion. Their dominance reflects widespread adoption across commercial agriculture due to relatively lower capital costs, scalability, and suitability for a wide range of crops. Vertical farms account for approximately 27%, or USD 23.5 billion. This segment is growing rapidly, driven by urban farming initiatives, high-density production, and integration with automation and robotics. According to DataM Intelligence analysis, vertical farms will be one of the fastest-growing facility types through 2032. Container farms represent around 12%, or USD 10.5 billion, particularly attractive for decentralized and modular food production in remote or space-constrained locations. Indoor plant factories account for approximately 14%, or USD 12.2 billion, supported by high-value crop production and pharmaceutical-grade cultivation environments. By Crop Leafy greens dominate the crop segmentation, accounting for approximately 38% of market value, or USD 33.1 billion in 2024. Their short growth cycles, high yield per square meter, and strong urban demand make them ideally suited for controlled environments. Herbs and microgreens together represent around 22%, or USD 19.2 billion, driven by premium pricing and foodservice demand. Tomatoes and berries account for approximately 19%, or USD 16.6 billion, benefiting from greenhouse and vertical farm expansion. Mushrooms represent about 11%, or USD 9.6 billion, supported by their natural compatibility with controlled environments. According to DataM Intelligence analysis, leafy greens will remain the primary revenue driver, while fruit crops will deliver strong incremental growth as technology improves. By Technique Hydroponics is the most widely adopted technique, accounting for approximately 36% of total market value, or USD 31.4 billion in 2024. Its efficiency, scalability, and compatibility with multiple crops make it the backbone of most CEA operations. LED lighting systems represent around 24%, or USD 20.9 billion, reflecting continuous investment in energy-efficient, spectrum-optimized lighting. IoT and automation account for approximately 18%, or USD 15.7 billion, enabling real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and labor optimization. Aeroponics contributes about 12%, or USD 10.5 billion, particularly in high-density vertical farming. According to DataM Intelligence analysis, automation-driven techniques will gain increasing importance as labor costs and scale requirements rise. By End User Commercial agriculture dominates the market, accounting for approximately 52% of global value, or USD 45.3 billion in 2024. Large-scale operators are investing in CEA to stabilize supply, improve margins, and meet retailer sustainability requirements. Urban farming represents around 26%, or USD 22.7 billion, driven by city-based production models and retail partnerships. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) accounts for approximately 14%, or USD 12.2 billion, reflecting localized food systems and consumer engagement. Purchase Corporate License | Controlled Environment Agriculture Market Intelligence: https://www.datamintelligence.com/buy-now-page?report=controlled-environment-agriculture-market Regional Analysis United States The United States is the largest CEA market globally, accounting for approximately 37% of global revenue, or USD 32.3 billion in 2024. Key Drivers: Strong investment in ag-tech and automation High urban demand for fresh produce Retail partnerships and private-label growth Water scarcity concerns in key agricultural regions By 2032, the U.S. CEA market is expected to exceed USD 95 billion, maintaining leadership in technology adoption and scale. Europe Europe accounts for approximately 30% of global market value, supported by sustainability mandates, energy-efficient greenhouse systems, and strong consumer demand for local produce. Competitive Landscape The major global players in the market include Hydrofarm Inc., Illumitex, Virgo Technologies Inc., Heliospectra AB, Green Automation Group Oy, Kryzen Biotech, Agroz Group, Cultiveat, Boom Grow Farms, Gotham Greens,and others. Hydrofarm Inc. Hydrofarm is a prominent supplier of controlled environment agriculture inputs, supporting commercial indoor growers with hydroponic systems, grow lighting, climate control, nutrients, and cultivation accessories. The company plays a key enabling role in scaling indoor and vertical farming operations across North America. Illumitex Illumitex has been recognized for its horticulture-focused LED lighting technologies designed to enhance plant growth in indoor and controlled environments. Its solutions have supported vertical farms and greenhouse growers by optimizing light spectrum and energy efficiency across global markets. Virgo Technologies Inc. Virgo Technologies operates in the controlled environment and vertical agriculture space, focusing on sustainable indoor farming systems. The company supports modern agricultural practices in Canada, addressing yield stability and resource efficiency through CEA-based approaches. Heliospectra AB Heliospectra AB is a specialist in intelligent LED lighting and light control systems for greenhouses and controlled environments. Its advanced, data-driven lighting solutions help growers optimize crop quality, energy use, and operational efficiency, with a strong presence in Europe and expanding global reach. Green Automation Group Oy Green Automation Group delivers highly automated hydroponic greenhouse solutions, particularly for large-scale leafy green production. The company enables commercial growers to achieve consistent yields, reduced labor dependency, and efficient operations through advanced automation technologies. What will define the Market by 2031-2032 By 2031, the controlled environment agriculture market will approach USD 245 billion, driven by: Increasing climate-resilient food production Expansion of vertical and indoor farming Greater automation and AI-driven crop management Rising urban and peri-urban demand According to DataM Intelligence analysis: Greenhouses will remain the largest facility type Leafy greens will continue to dominate crop demand Hydroponics and automation will anchor technology adoption The U.S. will retain the largest regional share By 2032, CEA will be recognized as essential infrastructure for sustainable, resilient, and scalable food systems. Request Customized Intelligence Aligned to Your Business Strategy: https://www.datamintelligence.com/customize/controlled-environment-agriculture-market Executive Takeaway For agribusiness leaders, investors, and policymakers, controlled environment agriculture represents a high-growth, technology-enabled solution to global food system challenges. Integrate automation and data-driven cultivation Optimize energy and water efficiency Align production with urban and retail demand Scale sustainably while controlling operational costs Related Report: Smart Greenhouse Market Set to 10.1% CAGR Through 2031, Driven by IoT-Enabled Precision Agriculture: DataM Intelligence. Horticultural Greenhouse Market Set to Expand at a Robust 17.2% CAGR Through 2031 Amid Rising Demand for Controlled-Environment Farming - DataM Intelligence. Regenerative Agriculture Market Poised for Explosive Growth at an 18.2% CAGR to Reach USD 48.1 Billion by 2032 - DataM Intelligence. Climate-Resilient Agriculture Market to Reach USD 61.50 Billion by 2032, Expanding at an 11.23% CAGR - DataM Intelligence. AI in Agriculture Market to Skyrocket from USD 2.57 Billion in 2024 to USD 15.90 Billion by 2032 with a 25.60% CAGR - DataM Intelligence. About DataM Intelligence DataM Intelligence is a renowned provider of market research, delivering deep insights through pricing analysis, market share breakdowns, and competitive intelligence. The company specializes in strategic reports that guide businesses in high-growth sectors such as nutraceuticals and AI-driven health innovations. To find out more, visit https://www.datamintelligence.com/ or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Contact: Sai Kiran DataM Intelligence 4market Research LLP Ground floor, DSL Abacus IT Park, Industrial Development Area Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039 USA: +1 877-441-4866 Email: Sai.k@datamintelligence.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1858619/3573087/DataM_Intelligence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/controlled-environment-agriculture-market-to-reach-usd-271-01-billion-by-2032-as-climate-volatility-and-urban-food-demand-redefine-modern-farming-302657253.html New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 15, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of StubHub Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: STUB) pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement issued in connection with StubHub's September 2025 initial public offering (the "IPO"), of the important January 23, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased StubHub common stock 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 StubHub class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48412 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for more information. 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 23, 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 litigate 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, the Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state that: (1) StubHub was experiencing changes in the timing of payments to vendors; (2) those changes had a significant adverse impact on free cash flow, including trailing twelve months ("TTM") free cash flow; (3) as a result, StubHub's free cash flow reports were materially misleading, and that; (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about StubHub's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the StubHub class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48412 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for more information. 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. ------------------------------- To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/280563 Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Dryden Gold Corp. (TSXV: DRY) (OTCQB: DRYGF) (FSE: X7W) ("Dryden Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be increasing the previously announced (January 8, 2026) non-brokered equity financing (the "Upsized Offering"). Under the Upsized Offering, the Company will issue 4,350,000 charity flow-through common shares (the "CFT Shares") at a price of $0.425 per CFT Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,849,185. The CFT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and "Ontario focused flow-through shares" as defined in the Taxation Act, 2007 (Ontario) ("Ontario Tax Act"). No finders' fees will be paid in connection with the Offering. The Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the CFT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), (ii) as "flow-through mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act); and as "eligible Ontario exploration expenditures" within the meaning of the Ontario Tax Act ("Qualifying Expenditures"). All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favor of the subscribers for the CFT Shares effective on or before December 31, 2026. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy 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 or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S 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. 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. ABOUT DRYDEN GOLD CORP. Dryden Gold Corp. is an exploration company focused on the discovery of high-grade gold mineralization listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("DRY"), on the OTCQB marketplace ("DRYGF") and on the FSE: ("X7W"). The Company has a strong management team and Board of Directors comprised of experienced individuals with a track record of building shareholder value through property acquisition and consolidation, exploration success, and mergers and acquisitions. Dryden Gold controls a 100% interest in a dominant strategic land position in the Dryden District of Northwestern Ontario. Dryden Gold's property package includes historic gold mines but has seen limited modern exploration. The property hosts high-grade gold mineralization over 50km of potential strike length along the Manitou-Dinorwic deformation zone. The property has excellent infrastructure, enjoys collaborative relationships with First Nations communities and benefits from proximity to an experienced mining workforce. For more information, go to our website www.drydengold.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: receipt of corporate and regulatory approvals, issuance of common shares; future development plans; and the business and operations of Dryden Gold. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings including receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval for the offering; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in Dryden Gold's and the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Dryden Gold and the Company do not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from Dryden Gold's and the Company's expectations or projections. UNITED STATES ADVISORY. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), have been offered and sold outside the United States to eligible investors pursuant to Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, and may not be offered, sold, or resold in the United States or to, or for the account of or benefit of, a U.S. Person (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act) unless the securities are registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. Hedging transactions involving the securities must not be conducted unless in accordance with the U.S. Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in the state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. 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/279872 Source: Dryden Gold Corp. Highlights Confirmation of Adelita as a large porphyry-skarn mineral system with vertically extensive feeder structures Identification of 32 priority exploration targets (18 targets via combination of geology, geophysics and geochemistry and 14 with machine learning models) (see Figure 7) Evidence for significant expansion potential beyond the known Cerro Grande skarn zone into Mezquital, Cerro Grande NW, Cerro Potrero, and Las Tablas Commencement of a high-definition ground magnetic survey over the Cerro Grande skarn zone and extension zones Appointment of Joao Rocha (EurGeol) as Vice President of Exploration, strengthening technical leadership as the Company advances the Adelita Project Drilling at the Cerro Grande Skarn zone is ongoing with 1,000m completed in 2025 and is planned to continue in the month of January and February Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Algo Grande Copper Corp. (TSXV: ALGR) (OTC: KNDYF) (FSE: KM00) (formerly Kenadyr Metals Corp.) ("Algo Grande" or "the Company"), reports the completion of a comprehensive reprocessing and reinterpretation of historical geophysical and geochemical datasets at its 100%-owned Adelita Project in Sonora, Mexico. The work confirms Adelita as a district-scale, structurally controlled porphyry-skarn mineral system with evidence for one or multiple porphyry intrusions at depth and has resulted in the identification of 32 high-priority copper-gold-silver exploration targets, including 14 targets generated through machine-learning-based prospectivity analysis. In parallel, the Company has commenced a high-definition ground magnetic survey over the high-grade Cerro Grande skarn zone and extension zones, designed to further refine skarn geometry, structural controls, and drill targeting. The integrated study was completed by independent consultants GSM Geoscience Pty Ltd. and Southern Geoscience (SGC), both internationally recognized geophysical firms specializing in advanced data processing, 3D inversion, and integrated interpretation to support mineral exploration and drill targeting. Integrated Geophysical Results and Target Definition Confirmation of Adelita as a district-scale, structurally controlled porphyry-skarn mineral system with potential porphyry intrusions at depth, supported by integrated 3D reprocessing of magnetic, IP, MT, VTEM and geochemical, and structural datasets Identification of 32 high-priority copper-gold-silver exploration targets (see figure 7), including: 18 integrated targets defined by coincident geophysical anomalies, geochemistry, structural interpretation, and historical drilling 14 machine-learning-generated targets identified through AI-based prospectivity modeling, including targets outside existing geophysical coverage Recognition of deep, vertically extensive conductive feeder structures linking interpreted porphyry intrusions to overlying magnetite-rich skarn mineralization Definition of multiple drill-ready targets, including AD01, AD08, and AD18, each exhibiting strong multi-dataset convergence Evidence for significant expansion potential beyond the central Cerro Grande skarn zone into Mezquital, Cerro Potrero, and Las Tablas Commencement of a high-definition ground magnetic survey over the Cerro Grande skarn zone intended to refine skarn geometry and structural controls Advancement of a modern 3D geological and geophysical models, enabling capital-efficient exploration and systematic drill targeting Appointment of Vice President of Exploration Algo Grande also announces the appointment of Joao Rocha (EurGeol) as Vice President of Exploration, where he is leading the Company's integrated geophysical reprocessing, AI-based target generation, and ongoing field programs at the Adelita Project. Mr. Rocha is an exploration geologist with 10 years of international experience advancing early-stage mineral exploration projects across North America, South America, Africa, Scandinavia, and Europe through disciplined, data-driven exploration. Mr. Rocha holds a European Geologist (EurGeol) title, a Master's degree in Geology, and is a member of the Portuguese Association of Geologists and the Society of Economic Geologists. Enrico Gay, CEO of Algo Grande Copper Corp., commented: "Joao has been instrumental in combining modern exploration technologies with disciplined field execution and deep project knowledge from the Cascabel team. He was pivotal throughout the acquisition process and is a key contributor to the buildout of Algo Grande Copper as we advance Adelita." Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Rocha stated: "I am honored to join Algo Grande Copper Corp. as Vice President of Exploration at a pivotal time for global critical minerals. The Adelita Project represents a high-quality copper-gold-silver skarn-porphyry system aligned with long-term fundamentals. The integration of modern 3D geophysical reprocessing, AI-based target generation, and a high-definition ground magnetic survey at Cerro Grande provides a strong technical framework to accelerate discovery and de-risk the project. When combined with geochemistry, trenching, and oriented core drilling, this data will significantly improve our ability to predict additional high-grade skarn zones along strike and at depth. I look forward to advancing Adelita through disciplined, data-driven exploration." Geophysical Reprocessing and Interpretation The reprocessing program included modern 3D magnetic vector inversion (MVI and QMVI), 3D DCIP inversion, and magnetotelluric (MT) modeling, integrated with normalized geochemical datasets and updated structural interpretations. The results define a coherent mineral system characterized by: Resistive intrusive bodies interpreted as porphyry centers Magnetite-rich skarn horizons associated with high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralization Deep, vertically extensive conductive corridors interpreted as feeder structures linking the porphyry source to overlying skarn mineralization These feeder zones are consistently observed across multiple MT profiles and are interpreted to play a key role in the emplacement of mineralization throughout the Adelita system. Geophysical IP and VTEM Reprocessing and Interpretation by Southern Geoscience The reprocessing of historical data by Southern Geoscience had the objective of reprocessing and interpreting the IP, VTEM and Magnetic historical datasets on a license-wide scale, bringing the data into modern technology standards, validating historical interpretations, and generating new targets and concepts. This work included: IP data processing and 3D modelling Use of SGC proprietary IP processing software QAQC all data Prepare and model data with RES3DINV Enhance VTEM and Magnetic Data Processing Gridding of magnetic data Grid filtering of TMI, to RTP Image processing and enhancement of EM Image processing enhancement of TMI The highlights of this work, include: The largest and most resistive body sits beneath existing drilling under the Cerro Grande Skarn discovery zone (figure 2). The main resistive bodies have anomalous magnetic signatures adjacent to them. Chargeability results highlight a 4x background value anomaly in the northern part of the survey. Chargeability anomalies in the property have not been drill tested Figure 2 - Resistive bodies at depth, with magnetic 2d map surface. Note the strongest resistive body is below majority of drilling in the Cerro Grande area and has not been properly drill tested. Coincident magnetic anomalies in surface 2D magnetics. Resistive body currently without proper drilling to date. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_001full.jpg This work has been completed in partnership with Southern Geoscience (SGC). Geophysical Reprocessing and Interpretation, Lineament Analysis and Machine-Learning Assisted Target Generation by GSM Geoscience Algo Grande completed an advanced, fully integrated geophysical and geochemical interpretation over the project, aimed at refining the geological model and generating high-confidence exploration targets within the property. This work included: Interpretation of airborne magnetic data, including Reduced-to-Pole products and 3D Magnetic Vector Inversion (MVI) Review and interpretation of ground geophysical datasets, including 2D and 3D DCIP inversions and magnetotelluric (MT) sections Multivariate geochemical analysis using robust statistical normalization, metallogenic indices and special clustering Machine-learning-based prospectivity modeling using airborne magnetic derivatives and structural proximity metrics 2D and 3D integration of all datasets to define exploration targets and prioritize follow-up drilling This work was completed by GSM Geoscience, and focused on characterizing the geometry, controls and extent of the skarn-porphyry system in the property. The main findings of this work include: 1. Definition of a Coherent Porphyry-Skarn Mineral System The integrated interpretation confirms that Adelita hosts a porphyry-skarn mineral system (figure 3) developed in a compressional to transgressional tectonic regime. The system architecture is consistent with globally recognized porphyry-skarn models, comprising: A deep structural feeder zone A resistive intrusive body interpreted as a potential porphyry stock A laterally extensive skarn horizon developed at the intrusion-carbonate contact Structurally controlled fluid pathways governing mineral distribution The upper contact of the resistive body, interpreted as a Porphyry body, corresponds to the skarn horizon in Cerro Grande, that has been historically intersected by drilling This Mineral System framework is independently supported by geophysics, geochemistry and drilling. Figure 3 - Interpretation of LC01N magnetotelluric profile. Including a conductive feature, and a resistivity body, possibly a porphyry intrusion connected to the skarn discovery To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_002full.jpg 2. Identification of a Deep, Structurally Controlled Feeder Zone (MT) Magnetotelluric sections consistently image a deep-rooted (figure 2), vertically extensive conductive corridor close to the Cerro Grande area and extending into the southern part of the project. Figure 4 - Feeder Zone can be traced up to 1.5km south of Cerro Grande. This structure continues mainly untested To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_003full.jpg This conductive feature is interpreted as: A major structural zone or shear corridor The primary pathway for magmatic and hydrothermal fluids The feeder structure linking deeper magmatic sources to the upper skarn and porphyry environment The geometry, continuity from depth and repetition of this feature across multiple MT lines provide a high level of confidence in the presence and geological significance (figure 4). This vertical feature is planned to be targeted by drilling to the concluded in February 2026. 3. Mapping of Mineralized Skarn Horizons The skarn horizons known in the Cerro Grande discovery zone, is consistently identified at the contact between the intrusive body and the carbonate host rocks, as imaged by MT, DCIP and supported by historical drilling (figure 5 and figure 6). Drilling intersecting this zone encountered: Garnet skarns, hornfels and exo-skarns assemblage Cu-Au-Ag mineralization Alteration assemblages consistent with proximal skarn environment. DCIP inversions highlight polarizable responses associated with this horizon, while resistivity models indicate the skarn occurs within a relatively resistive domain compared to the surrounding rocks. Figure 5 - Mapped Mineralized Skarn horizons in IP To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_004full.jpg Figure 6 - Mapped Mineralized Skarn horizons in Magnetotelluric sections To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_005full.jpg 4. Integrated Exploration Targets Based on the integration of all datasets, 18 geologically and geophysicaly constrained targets (AD01-AD18) and 14 additional machine-learning targets were defined and ranked according to the strength and coherence of their signatures (figure 7): Priority 1: Strong convergence of MT conductivity, IP chargeability, magnetic responses, structural setting and geochemical anomalies Priority 2 and 3: Represent progressively more distal or structurally complex positions within the system Machine Learning targets, extending prospectivity into areas without ground magnetic geophysical coverage. These targets reflect strong airborne geophysical similarities to known mineralized areas Figure 7 - High Priority Exploration Targets. Machine Learning areas highlighted in light blue color To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/279883_14f814c17425692c_006full.jpg These targets represent immediate opportunities for model validation. These are planned to be field tested in the first months of 2026 and drill tested if merit is verified. This work has been completed in partnership with GSM Geoscience. High-Definition Ground Magnetic Survey Algo Grande has commenced a high-definition ground magnetic survey over the high-grade Cerro Grande skarn zone at the Adelita Project. The survey is being conducted by the University of Sonora, through its Department of Geology, leveraging its regional expertise and academic specialization in applied geophysics. The survey utilizes high-precision Overhauser magnetometer technology (GEM GSM-19) to acquire total field magnetic data across the target area. Data are being collected along closely spaced east-west oriented survey lines at approximately 20-metre spacing, providing substantially higher resolution than historical airborne magnetic data. The program is designed to: Delineate the geometry and continuity of magnetite-rich skarn bodies Improve definition of faults and structural corridors controlling mineralization Identify subtle magnetic responses associated with buried intrusions and feeder zones Survey data will be processed and interpreted using specialized geophysical software, with results fully integrated into the Company's existing 3D geological and geophysical model, alongside reprocessed IP, MT, and magnetic datasets, to support ongoing and future drilling programs. Exploration Implications and Next Steps The results of the geophysical reprocessing, AI-based prospectivity analysis, and commencement of high-definition ground magnetic surveying materially enhance the Company's understanding of the scale, architecture, and controls of mineralization at the Adelita Project. Algo Grande is now in the process of integrating multiple high-quality datasets to build a robust geological thesis for the system. This integrated approach combines: Reprocessed 3D magnetic, IP, and MT datasets Results from the current drill program, representing the first use of oriented core drilling at Adelita Ongoing surface mapping, sampling and upcoming trenching program Geochemical data from soil and rock sampling programs Together, these datasets are being incorporated into an evolving 3D geological and structural model to improve understanding of skarn geometry, continuity, and controls on mineralization. The objective is to systematically reduce geological uncertainty and generate well-constrained, de-risked drill targets. Qualified Person The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Lorne Warner, P.Geo., who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43 -101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Warner is responsible for the technical content of this news release. Mr. Warner is independent of the Company. About Algo Grande Copper Corp. Algo Grande Copper Corp. is a growth-focused mineral exploration company advancing the Adelita Project - a district-scale, multi-system copper-gold-silver opportunity positioned in the prolific Arizona-Sonora copper belt. The company is dedicated to unlocking the full mineral potential of this under-explored corridor through disciplined data-driven exploration, technical excellence, and a firm commitment to value creation for shareholders. The 5,895-hectare Adelita Project is anchored by the high-grade Cerro Grande Cu-Au-Ag skarn discovery, which exhibits strong continuity along a defined corridor extending over 6 kilometers. Reprocessing of legacy geophysical data and field mapping indicate the presence of a potential porphyry system at depth, suggesting a classic skarn-porphyry mineralization model similar to major deposits found throughout northwestern Mexico. ON BEHALF OF ALGO GRANDE COPPER CORP. Enrico Gay Chief Executive Officer Website: www.algo-grande.com Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Algo Grande to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the proposed use of proceeds of the Financing, the registration of title to the Concessions, business development, results of operations, and those listed in filings made by Algo Grande with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca). Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Algo Grande's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on Algo Grande's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward- looking statements. Algo Grande does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279883 Source: Algo Grande Copper Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD) (OTCQX: KLDCF) (FSE: 3WQ0) ("Kenorland" or the "Company") announces that, further to its press release dated December 15, 2025, the Company, Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. ("Sumitomo") and Centerra Gold Inc. ("Centerra"), have completed the exercise of Sumitomo's and Centerra's 'top-up right' to retain its 10.1% and 9.9% interest in the Company, respectively, as granted within the investor rights agreements dated November 5, 2021 and May 28, 2024. An aggregate of 26,967 common shares were issued at a price of $2.068 per share for aggregate consideration of $55,767.76. The common shares issuable in the private placement are subject to a statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities legislation and the rules and policies of the TSXV expiring on May 9, 2026. As Sumitomo is the beneficial owner of more than 10% of Kenorland's outstanding shares, it is a "related party" to the Company within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101- Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). As such, the transaction constituted a "related party transaction" within the meaning of MI 61-101. The Company has relied upon on exemptions from formal valuation and the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 found in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of either transaction does not constitute more than the 25% of the Company's market capitalization. About Kenorland Minerals Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD) is a well-financed mineral exploration company focused on project generation and early-stage exploration in North America. Kenorland's exploration strategy is to advance greenfields projects through systematic, property-wide, phased exploration surveys financed primarily through exploration partnerships including option to joint venture agreements. Kenorland holds a 4% net smelter return royalty on the Frotet Project in Quebec, which is owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. The Frotet Project hosts the Regnault gold system, a greenfields discovery made by Kenorland and Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. in 2020, which contains an Inferred Mineral Resource of 14.5 Mt at 5.47 g/t Au for 2.55 Moz of gold. Kenorland is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Further information can be found on the Company's website www.kenorlandminerals.com On behalf of the Board of Directors, Zach Flood President, CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 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/279875 Source: Kenorland Minerals Ltd. CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / CANEX Metals Inc. ("CANEX" or the "Company") (TSXV:CANX) is pleased to announce significant support for its Offer (the "Offer") to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gold Basin Resources Corporation ("Gold Basin") (TSX.V:GXX) and has extended the Offer deadline to January 19th, 2026, as Gold Basin's lack of a transfer agent has resulted in challenges and delays for shareholders of Gold Basin ("Gold Basin Shareholders") to deposit to the Offer. Highlights: 47% of the shares of Gold Basin ("Gold Basin Shares") have been deposited to the Offer. We thank Gold Basin Shareholders for their strong support and encourage all Gold Basin Shareholders to tender to the Offer today Gold Basin remains cease traded, non-compliant, and lacks a transfer agent. The absence of a transfer agent has frustrated numerous Gold Basin Shareholders attempting to compile documents related to their holdings and tender their shares, and has caused delays. CANEX has extended the Offer deadline to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on January 19, 2026 to allow additional time for Gold Basin shareholders to tender their shares The Offer represents an implied premium of 221% , based on CANEX's 30-day volume-weighted price (VWAP) on January 7, 2026 and Gold Basin's 30-day VWAP on its last trading day, May 6, 2025. The Offer value equates to approximately $18,000,000 or more than $0.13 per Gold Basin share based on CANEX's January 8, 2026 closing price CANEX has waived the tender condition of 66 2/3% of Gold Basin shares be tendered to the Offer and will be able to take up and pay for shares if the statutory 50% tender condition has been achieved Gold Basin issued an empty and desperate news release dated January 8, 2026 asking shareholders to reject the CANEX Offer and stating that it undervalues the mineral endowment of the Gold Basin Project. We welcome Gold Basin Management to explain to their shareholders why they support a valuation of roughly C$2.92 million to give away approximately half of the value of the company to Helix Resources ("Helix") (ASX:HLX) and reject CANEX's offer valued at around $18 million for 100% . The CANEX Offer provides over 200% more value to Gold Basin Shareholders than the value placed on Gold Basin's only asset by Gold Basin's management In their January 8 news release, Gold Basin claims they have " ...corporate and governance capabilities that support an environment of excellence, effectiveness, and common-sense ". CANEX highlights that Gold Basin has been cease traded for the past eight months, is heavily in debt, is facing multiple lawsuits, is deficient on numerous basic requirements for maintaining a TSXV-listed company, and has doubled down on a farm-in agreement with Helix that has triggered litigation and been flagged as being non-arm's length, has not been approved by Gold Basin shareholders or Canadian regulators, and is therefore likely invalid. The words from Gold Basin management do not match their actions or performance An attempt to remedy the multiple compliance and litigation issues faced by Gold Basin to try and retain half the value of the Arizona project will be a costly, lengthy, and uncertain process, whereas the Offer by CANEX will provide Gold Basin Shareholders with liquid value for their shares within three business days of take-up Permitting is underway for the Louise Copper-Gold Porphyry project in British Columbia to allow drill testing of two new geophysical targets identified during a 2025 survey. CANEX looks forward to drill testing these targets in 2026 and exposing shareholders to new discovery potential surrounding a large known copper-gold system CANEX Announces Strong Support for the Offer, Waiver of Minimum Tender Condition, and Extension of the Offer CANEX would like to thank Gold Basin Shareholders for the significant support for the Offer in the face of the challenges presented by Gold Basin's delinquent status. Despite having no transfer agent engaged to allow Gold Basin Shareholders to easily gather necessary documents, CANEX announces that 63,679,078 shares of Gold Basin ("Gold Basin Shares") have been tendered to the offer, representing 47.12% of the outstanding Gold Basin Shares. Concurrently, CANEX is announcing that it will waive the minimum tender condition of 66 2/3% of Gold Basin Shares, leaving only the statutory minimum tender condition of more than 50% of Gold Basin Shares, meaning once just3,866,166 additional Gold Basin Shares are tendered to the Offer CANEX will be able to take up and pay for those shares. To facilitate this, the Offer will be extended to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on January 19, 2026 to allow additional time for Gold Basin shareholders to tender to the CANEX Offer. The Offer would provide Gold Basin Shareholders whose shares are tendered and successfully taken up with 0.592 of a CANEX share, which represents an implied premium of 221%, based on CANEX's 30-day VWAP on January 7, 2026, and Gold Basin's 30-day VWAP on its last trading day, May 6, 2025. The Offer value equates to approximately $18,000,000 or more than $0.13 per Gold Basin share based on CANEX January 8, 2026 closing price, a share price that Gold Basin Shares haven't closed above in over two years. An advertisement with respect to the extension of the Offer will appear in the Friday, January 9, 2026 edition of The National Post. A notice of variation, change and extension (the "Notice of Variation and Change") with respect to the Offer is being mailed to the securityholders of Gold Basin. The Notice of Variation and Change will also be available under Gold Basin's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com and on CANEX's website at www.canexmetals.ca and will be filed with the applicable securities regulatory authorities in Canada and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States. In addition to the extension of the Offer, the Notice of Variation and Change will include updates to the information set forth in CANEX's original offer and accompanying take-over bid circular dated August 28, 2025 (the "Original Offer and Circular"). Copies of the Original Offer and Circular are, and copies of the Notice of Variation and Change will be, available without charge from Laurel Hill Advisory Group, acting as the information agent for the Offer. CANEX Comments on Gold Basin's Empty and Desperate News Release On January 8, 2026, Gold Basin management issued a meandering and desperate news release (the "Release") seeking to maintain control of the company for the benefit of Helix and indifferent to the predicament they have left Gold Basin Shareholders in. The opening line of the Release confusingly teases that it will finally reveal Gold Basin's plan to resume trading but then fails to provide any further details, which will be unsurprising to Gold Basin Shareholders who have been forced to wait since their shares were cease traded on May 6, 2025 for any semblance of plan or progress to restore liquidity to their investment. Gold Basin does not even have an audit firm engaged that could credibly bring Gold Basin back into compliance with their delinquent financial reporting, since their previous audit firm resigned and subsequently initiated litigation against Gold Basin. Remedy of the many issues faced by Gold Basin will be a costly, lengthy, and uncertain process, whereas the Offer by CANEX will provide Gold Basin Shareholders with liquid value for their shares within three business days of take-up. In spite of the above, the release then goes on to tout Gold Basin's "...corporate and governance capabilities that support an environment of excellence, effectiveness, and common-sense", which is comical when you consider Gold Basin has not filed financial statements since December 2024 (resulting in the ongoing cease trade order), has not held an annual shareholder meeting since May 2024, and, in CANEX's view, is at risk of delisting and even dissolution in the near-term due to Gold Basin's various violations of Canadian corporate securities laws. The release asks Gold Basin Shareholders to reject the Offer and states it undervalues the mineral endowment of the Gold Basin Project. CANEX welcomes Gold Basin management to explain to their shareholders why they support a valuation of roughly C$2.92 million to give away approximately half of the value of the company to Helix and reject CANEX's offer valued at around C$18.4m for 100%. The CANEX Offer provides over 200% more value to Gold Basin Shareholders than the value placed on Gold Basin's only asset by Gold Basin's management. The proposed Helix farm-in agreement could see Helix acquire a 40% interest in Gold Basin's only asset along with a 1% NSR royalty over the entire property. Helix can earn the 40% interest by spending $C2.78 million and the 1% royalty by issuing C$137,000 worth of Helix shares (total C$2.92 million). The majority of the Gold Basin property already has various royalties of 1 to 3.5% and adding another 1% on top of that would have negative economic implications. The imposition of this new royalty would reduce the value of the Gold Basin property, to the point where the deal potentially assigns about half of the value of the property to Helix when the 40% property interest is combined with the value of the 1% royalty. In the same release that Gold Basin makes claims about its corporate governance, it has also doubled down on a farm-in agreement with Helix that has been flagged as being non-arm's length, has not been approved by Gold Basin Shareholders or Canadian regulators, and is therefore likely invalid. We stress that the words from Gold Basin management do not match their actions or performance. Finally, the release disputes the value of the Offer with a confusing and nonsensical claim that CANEX's share price is "inflated" based on the likelihood of the Offer being completed and frames this as somehow a reason to reject the Offer - however, this framing fails to realize that the consideration under the Offer is entirely in CANEX shares, meaning the "inflated" value will directly accrue to Gold Basin Shareholders who successfully tender to the Offer. In fact, since the announcement of the intention to launch the Offer on August 19, 2025, the value of the Offer has increased 181.25% - all incremental value available to Gold Basin Shareholders who successfully tender to the Offer. Message to Gold Basin Shareholders Gold Basin's recent news release is a naked attempt to maintain control of the company, apparently for the benefit of Helix and to the detriment of Gold Basin Shareholders. Their current course sees half of the value of their only asset given away for very little consideration and does not provide the capital required to settle their large debts and bring the company to compliance. There is zero value to shareholders in Gold Basin Managements plan if they do not regain compliance and resume trading. We encourage all Gold Basin shareholders to respond to actions not words. To date, 47.12% of Gold Basin Shareholders have deposited or made formal contractual commitments to tender to the Offer. It appears likely that CANEX will surpass the statutory 50% threshold shortly and be eligible to take-up shares under the Offer. We thank Gold Basin Shareholders for their strong support and encourage all Gold Basin Shareholders to tender to the Offer and allow a professional team with exceptional shareholder backing to rapidly advance the consolidated oxide gold district in Northern Arizona for the benefit of all involved. Gold Basin shareholders with questions or who need assistance tendering their shares should contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group by calling 1-877-452-7184 (toll-free in Canada and the United States), or 1-416-304-0211 (collect call outside of Canada and the United States), by texting "INFO" to either number, or by email at assistance@laurelhill.com. Louise Copper-Gold Porphyry Project Drill Permitting A drill permit application for the Louise Copper-Gold Porphyry project in British Columbia was submitted in late 2025 and a permit decision is anticipated in the first quarter of 2026. If granted, the permit would allow the Company to drill test new exploration targets at Louise and expand geophysical surveying across the entire known trend. An induced polarization geophysical survey conducted at Louise in May 2025 has identified two new high priority targets that have not been drill tested previously. The West Louise target has been identified two kilometres west of the historic Louise Cu-Au porphyry deposit and has a geophysical expression similar to known mineralization and extends over an area 600 metres wide by 800 metres long by up to 500 metres vertically and remains open along strike. A second new target, termed the Louise Deep target, occurs below and immediately north of the historic Louise deposit and spans an area up to 700 metres wide and extends to 1000 metres below surface, remaining open at depth. CANEX intends to drill test both of the new targets at Louise during 2026 pending receipt of required exploration permits. Plans and timelines for Louise drill testing will be announced once exploration permits are received. Advisors CANEX has retained Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as its legal advisor and Laurel Hill Advisory Group as its information agent. About CANEX Metals CANEX Metals (TSX.V:CANX) is a Canadian junior exploration company focused on advancing its 100% owned Gold Range Project in Northern Arizona. With several near surface bulk tonnage gold discoveries made to date across a 4 km gold mineralized trend, the Gold Range Project is a compelling early-stage opportunity for investors. CANEX is also advancing the Louise Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in British Columbia. Louise contains a large historic copper-gold resource that has seen very little deep or lateral exploration, offering investors copper and gold discovery potential. CANEX is led by an experienced management team which has made three notable porphyry and bulk tonnage discoveries in North America and is sponsored by Altius Minerals (TSX: ALS), a large shareholder of the Company. Dr. Shane Ebert P.Geo., is the Qualified Person for CANEX and has verified the data disclosed in this news release against historical and current data sources and has approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release. "Shane Ebert" Shane Ebert President/Director For Further Information Contact: Shane Ebert at 1.250.964.2699 or Jean Pierre Jutras at 1.403.233.2636 Web: http://www.canexmetals.ca Gold Basin Shareholders : Laurel Hill Advisory Group North American Toll Free: 1-877-452-7184 Outside North America: 1-416-304-0211 Email: assistance@laurelhill.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 release. Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical and present factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, including words such as "potential", "believes", "prospect", "risks", "opportunities" and similar expressions, are forward-looking information that represents management of CANEX Metals Inc.'s internal projections, expectations or beliefs concerning, among other things: the Offer; the satisfaction of the conditions of the Offer; Gold Basin Shareholder support for the Offer; whether the Gold Basin board will make a recommendation to Shareholders in respect of the Offer; the anticipated successful completion of the Offer; the anticipated effect of the Offer; CANEX's plans for Gold Basin if the Offer is successful; the expected benefits to Gold Basin shareholders of tendering their Gold Basin Shares to the Offer; whether the Cease Trade Order and the Halt will be revoked; whether Gold Basin will be dissolved by BC Registries and Online Services; whether Gold Basin will be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange; future operating results and various components thereof or the economic performance of CANEX; and whether and when a drill permit application for the Louise Copper-Gold Porphyry project will be granted. The projections, estimates and beliefs contained in such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause CANEX's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the risk that the transactions contemplated by the Offer will not be consummated; the risk that the conditions of the Offer will not be met or met or a timely basis; and those risks described in CANEX's filings with the Canadian securities authorities. Accordingly, holders of CANEX Shares and potential investors are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause results to differ materially from those predicted. CANEX disclaims any responsibility to update these forward-looking statements. SOURCE: CANEX Metals Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/canex-metals-announces-significant-support-for-its-offer-to-purchase-shares-of-go-1125933 HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Curiteva, Inc., a leading technology and manufacturing company, proudly announces the first cases using its Inspire Standalone ALIF System. This milestone completes the company's anterior launch strategy and establishes the Inspire portfolio as a comprehensive, 360-degree solution for surgeons addressing spinal pathologies. This press release follows the recent publication of a peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Biomaterials, highlighting Curiteva's advancement in PEEK technology. The Inspire Standalone ALIF System serves as the flagship of Curiteva's anterior portfolio, which also includes the monolithic Inspire A and Acumen Anterior Plate. With this addition, the company now offers fully integrated solutions of the Inspire Technology across cervical, posterior lumbar, and anterior lumbar approaches. "This launch reflects the incredible dedication and innovation of our R&D team and surgeon faculty," said Chad Falciani, Founder and Chairman of the Board for Curiteva. "The Inspire Standalone System sets a new standard, combining advanced instrumentation with next-generation materials. Our proprietary Inspire Platform, featuring a PEEK structure that enhances bone growth and osseointegration, is poised to transform the rapidly growing ALIF segment, improving patient outcomes and redefining industry benchmarks." Dr. Randy Dryer, Curiteva's CMO, was the first to implant the device. "Bringing the Inspire Standalone ALIF across the finish line and into the operating room is a significant accomplishment," states Dr. Dryer following the procedure. "As we have seen with this technology, the visual verification of bone growth through the implant, paired with outstanding clinical results, aligns perfectly with what surgeons are seeking. I'm confident this implant will define a new standard for standalone ALIF procedures, delivering a best-in-class solution designed to enhance patient outcomes. I'm excited to incorporate this approach to my Inspire armamentarium." The company is currently executing an alpha launch of the system, with a ramp-up scheduled during Q1. A full commercial release is planned for later in the year. About Curiteva: Curiteva is a privately held technology and manufacturing company based in Huntsville, Alabama. Our business is founded on a commitment to building world-class manufacturing, accelerating research and development, maintaining lean operational discipline, and delivering novel technology to meet the evolving needs of our customers and the patients they serve. Curiteva is pioneering 3D printing of Trabecular PEEK implants with a bioactive nano-surface to revolutionize how engineered structures and implant biomaterials accelerate immunomodulation, enhance healing, and improve patient outcomes. For more information, please visit www.curiteva.com Contact Information Kristen Kyzer Director of Business Development kkyzer@curiteva.com 256.213.1057 SOURCE: Curiteva View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/curiteva-announces-first-clinical-use-of-inspire-standalone-alif-syst-1125809 TUCSON, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Applied Energetics, Inc. ("AE") (OTCQB:AERG), a leader in ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) and directed-energy technologies, today announced that it will participate and present at the 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference on January 15, 2026 at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City. Chris Donaghey, President & Chief Executive Officer, will discuss Applied Energetics' strategy and recent milestones. The Company's presentation will begin at 4:30 pm ET on Thursday, January 15, 2026, and will be webcast live at https://wsw.com/webcast/needham148/aerg/2229297. All interested parties are welcome to register and join the webcast through the link. Those who wish to schedule a meeting with Applied Energetics' management team may contact their Needham representative. About Applied Energetics, Inc. Applied Energetics, Inc. specializes in advanced laser and photonics systems, particularly fiber-based ultrashort pulse (USP) laser technologies. With 26 patents and 6 patents pending, Applied Energetics' proprietary architecture enables orders of magnitude size-weight-power reductions, a key differentiator when compared with traditional continuous wave (CW) laser technology with larger footprints. AE's powerful, dual-use systems are designed for integration and deployment on numerous potential defense platforms for the delivery of high intensity, ultrashort pulses of light to disable or destroy a target. These technologies have applications in both national security and commercial markets. - Today, AE's USP optical technologies are being designed to offer flexibility and power for complex missions in national security such as enhancing layered defense strategies to counter complex threats. For more information about Applied Energetics and its innovative technologies, please visit www.appliedenergetics.com. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to the historical or current facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "estimates," "plans," "strategy," "target," "prospects," or "continue," and words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of our management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect our current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition and may cause our actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements. Applied Energetics, Inc. Investor information contact: Kevin McGrath, Managing Director Cameron Associates, Inc. kevin@cameronassoc.com T: 646-418-7002 SOURCE: Applied Energetics, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/aerospace-and-defense/correction-by-source-%c2%a0applied-energetics-to-present-at-the-28th-annual-needha-1125968 Grass Valley, California--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - In its September 16, 2025 press release, Rise Gold Corp. (CSE: RISE) (OTCQB: RYES) (the "Company") announced that Nevada County (the "County"), Rise, and the Superior Court of California for the County of Nevada (the "Court") agreed to a schedule that anticipated that oral arguments concerning Rise's Writ of Mandamus (the "Writ") would be held on January 9, 2026. On January 8, the Court on its own initiative delayed the oral arguments until March 6, 2026. The Company submitted the Writ on May 13, 2024, asking the Court to compel the Board of Supervisors of Nevada County (the "Board") to follow applicable law and grant Rise recognition of its vested right to operate the Idaho-Maryland Mine (the "I-M Mine"). The I-M Mine produced 2.4 million ounces of gold at an average mill head grade of 0.50 ounces per ton and was in production before, during, and after the County adopted its zoning code, which established a vested right for the I-M Mine to operate without a permit. On December 14, 2023, the Board rejected the Company's vested rights petition because "all mining activities at both the Brunswick and Centennial cites [sic] had ceased by 1956." The County ignored the California Supreme Court's 1996 ruling in the Hanson Brothers case that "cessation of use alone does not constitute abandonment" of a vested right, but rather that the County must show by clear and convincing evidence "an intention to abandon" the right to mine. Rise filed its initial brief in support of the Writ on September 6, 2025. The County replied on November 18, 2025, arguing: "A vested right protects only an existing, lawful use that continues in operation, not one that ceased nearly seventy years ago." Rise replied on December 5, 2025, pointing out that "in just the last six years, California counties have applied Hansen Brothers at least four times in public hearings to recognize a vested right to mine at a property where mining had ceased for periods ranging from 53 to 75 years" and listed the four cases. On December 17, the County filed a brief demanding that the Court ignore the four cases because they "were never provided to the Board" and because "new evidence is not permitted with reply papers." The County demanded the Court either ignore the citations or delay the January 9 hearing to give the County time to respond to Rise's reply. On December 23, Rise explained to the Court that Rise is "not offering these decisions as factual evidence but as persuasive legal authorities, and the Court may take judicial notice of them because they are authentic documents memorializing government acts," that Rise "offered these authorities directly in response to arguments Respondents made in their Opposition," and that Rise "did cite three of the four decisions to the County in the proceedings below," while the "fourth vested-right determination post-dated the proceedings below and so could not have been cited there." Rise pointed out that the County's brief "is an obvious attempt to delay this case, which has already been pending for more than a year and a half despite the closed record and lack of discovery." The Court announced the delay in the late afternoon the day before the hearing and gave no reason for its action. David Watkinson, CEO of Rise Gold, commented: "We are frustrated that the Court chose to delay resolution of the Writ. However, we recognize that the administrative record supporting the Writ is voluminous and that this case has broad implications for property rights in the whole state of California." About Rise Gold Corp. Rise Gold is an exploration-stage mining company incorporated in Nevada, USA. The Company's principal asset is the historic past-producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine located in Nevada County, California, USA. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, obtaining all necessary approvals, meeting expenditure and financing requirements, compliance with environmental regulations, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information contained in this release. Rise undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279897 Source: Rise Gold Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY) (OTCQB: ATMYF) (FSE: K8J0) (the "Company" or "Antimony Resources" or "ATMY") is pleased to present the latest set of High-Grade antimony (Sb) assays from the Bald Hill Antimony Project in New Brunswick, Canada. Assays for Drill Holes BH-25-17 to BH-25-22 are presented. ATMY completed 5,000 meters of additional drilling during the fall Phase Two program to bring the total drilling completed by ATMY in 2025 to over 8,000 meters in 34 drill holes. The mineralization has been traced over 700 meters and followed to a depth of at least 400 meters. Highlights from Latest Drilling High-grade antimony-bearing stibnite (Sb) mineralization continues to be intersected in the drilling completed in the fall of 2025. Multiple zones of antimony-bearing stibnite (Sb) mineralization were encountered in five of the six holes reported. Drill Hole BH-25-22 has 6 individual zones of antimony mineralization. High-grades and wide intersections are seen; up to 2.07% Sb over 27.05 meters and 2.75% Sb over 18.35 meters . and . High-grade values include 4.4% Sb over 8.6 meters (m), 11.4 %Sb over 1.65 m , and 8.48 % Sb over 3.0 m . The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. (m), , and . The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. Highest values of the grade times thickness to date (%Sb*m) = 55.99 and 50.46. The mineralization appears to be averaging greater than 4.5 meters in thickness. The results are summarized in the table below. Summary BH-25-17 to BH-25-22 BH-25-17 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 104.00 131.05 27.05 2.07 55.99 including 104.00 112.60 8.60 4.40 37.84 and 117.30 124.75 7.45 1.40 10.43 and 127.00 131.05 4.05 0.52 2.11 BH-25-18 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 110.00 120.65 10.65 3.75 39.94 and 184.30 189.89 5.59 5.90 32.98 and 203.00 205.35 2.35 5.25 12.34 BH-25-19 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 186.25 204.60 18.35 2.75 50.46 including 186.25 191.40 5.15 5.98 30.80 and 199.60 204.60 5.00 3.52 17.60 and 209.45 212.70 3.25 2.01 6.52 BH-25-20 Hole Abandoned short of target BH-25-21 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 259.30 263.95 4.65 0.54 2.51 BH-25-22 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 107.30 113.30 6.00 3.42 20.52 Including 107.30 110.30 3.00 8.48 25.44 and 119.70 124.60 4.90 0.55 2.70 and 163.75 169.60 5.85 3.63 21.24 Including 164.85 166.50 1.65 11.74 19.37 and 169.60 173.35 3.75 0.44 1.65 and 181.90 183.75 1.85 3.81 7.05 Note: the thickness reported in this table are drill intersected thicknesses. The true thickness of mineralization is calculated to be approximately 75% of the intersected thickness. The 2025 Drilling programs drilling completed a total of 8150 meters in 34 drillholes. High-grade antimony-bearing stibnite was intersected in between 75% and 80% of the drill holes. With high-grade values including 4.4% Sb over 8.6 meters (m), 11.4 %Sb over 1.65 m, and 8.48 % Sb over 3.0m. The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. The antimony-bearing stibnite mineralization in the Main Zone has been outlined in surface outcroppings and drilling. As a result of the 2025 Drilling Program, the Main Zone has been extended to a length of over 700 meters, and the depth has been confirmed to at least 400 meters by recent drilling. The location of the drill holes from the 2025 Drilling Program are shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: Bald Hill Antimony Areas of Mineralization. Phase Two Drilling Locations. Note Drill Holes BH-25-17 to BH-25 22 Reported. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8411/279853_1d831c0ce4e24b9d_002full.jpg The mineralization encountered at Bald Hill consists of massive to semi-massive antimony-bearing stibnite, quartz-veins and stibnite bearing breccia. The breccia contains fragments of the enclosing rocks - metasediments and metavolcanics. On surface the vein/breccia system of the Main Zone strikes NNW-SSE and dips vertically to steeply to the southwest. The South Zone strikes more northwesterly (NW-SE). The direction of the newly discovered West Zone has not been positively determined. Completion of a 3-D Model of the Main Zone appears to suggest the presence of at least four zones of high-grade antimony-bearing stibnite mineralization, and recent drilling has suggested that some of these zones may be contiguous. Updated modeling will be completed once all assays and drill logs for the current drilling program have been received. The regional rock units in the area strike to the northeast while the stibnite-bearing breccia zone trends northwest resulting in situations where the stibnite-bearing structures cut across the surrounding units at a very oblique angle. Changes in the nature of the breccia zone and mineralization are noted as the zone crosses different rock units, but this has not been systematically evaluated. Mineralization is accompanied by alteration consisting of sericite, quartz and carbonate in the surrounding rock units. Figure 2: Cross Section of Mineralization on Left and Surface traces on Right. Note multiple Zones of Breccia have been identified in the 3-D Model and in drilling. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8411/279853_1d831c0ce4e24b9d_003full.jpg Bald Hill South The Bald Hill South Zone where recent trenching was completed is located within a two-kilometer-long antimony in soil anomaly (Figure 3). While mineralization has been identified at the northwest end (The Main Zone) and the southeast end of this trend (Bald Hill South) the area covered by the remainder of the anomaly has not been explored in detail. The 2025 program included trenching and mapping along this anomaly which identified the probable source of soil anomaly. Massive antimony-bearing stibnite was identified over a 150 meter long NW-trending zone during trenching in the southern part of area. The orientation and nature of this zone suggests that it is separate from but parallel to the mineralized Main Zone. Figure 3: Trace Of the Antimony in Soil Anomaly. Note the Drilling at the NW end of the anomaly in the Main Zone and trenching in the southeastern end have identified stibnite mineralization but that the remainder of the anomaly is poorly explored. Trenching in 2025 exposed mineralization in the extreme south end of the anomaly. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8411/279853_1d831c0ce4e24b9d_004full.jpg Work to establish access on the west side of the Main Zone uncovered a new zone of massive to semi-massive stibnite (Marcus Zone) This is an entirely new area of mineralization which was identified as the snow fell! It will be the focus of further exploration. Jim Atkinson, P. Geo., CEO of Antimony Resources Corp., stated: "Our 2025 exploration program at Bald Hill has been very successful and the results are exciting. Drilling at Bald Hill in 2025 totaled over 8,000 meters, bringing the total drilling to date on the property to over 13,800 meters of drilling. Part of the recent program was guided by a 3-D Model which will be updated with the new information from the second phase of drilling. Our drilling extended the Main Zone by over 100 meters to the southeast and northwest and to a depth of at least 400 meters, significantly expanding the potential of the deposit. The presence of multiple and thick zones of antimony-bearing stibnite encountered in recent drilling will be important factors in the ultimate resource calculation. "In 2006 we will continue to drill to delineate the mineralized zone. The program is budgeted to include 10,000 meters of drilling with three drills and because of our recently closed financing is fully funded. "During 2026, we will be working with consultants to discuss the appropriate drill density, continuity etc. for resource calculations later in 2026 or early 2027. This consultation will also develop a roadmap to Permitting including an Environmental Assessment. This work has already begun. "We are very excited by our new discoveries on the property. The trenching on the South Zone has identified stibnite bearing boulders and stibnite in outcrop in this area over 150 meters. The discovery of the West Zone (Marcus Zone) was accomplished by our field crew as the snow was starting to fly and will be an exciting target for further trenching as soon as the snow clears. They can't wait to get back into the field!" Bald Hill Antimony Project Highlights from Exploration Bald Hill is a well-known, high-grade antimony deposit in southern New Brunswick. Past work including drilling has outlined an antimony deposit over 700 m. long. Widths of mineralization average 3 to 4 meters and grades average 3% to 4% antimony. NI-43-101 Technical Report: The estimated potential quantity and grade of the drilled area from the 2025 Technical Report, which is the target of our exploration, is 2.7 million tonnes with a grade between 3% and 4% antimony ( 80,000 to 106,000 tonnes of contained antimony) 1 - Antimony Resources Corp. has not completed enough work to confirm this estimate. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. The estimated potential quantity and grade of the drilled area from the 2025 Technical Report, which is the target of our exploration, is 2.7 million tonnes with a grade between 3% and 4% antimony ( 80,000 to 106,000 tonnes of contained antimony) - Antimony Resources Corp. has not completed enough work to confirm this estimate. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Potential to expand based on additional known targets and additional claims added to the property. (1)NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT: BALD HILL ANTIMONY PROJECT SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA NTS 21G/09 Prepared for Antimony Resources October 28, 2025. Prepared By John Langton, M.Sc., P. GEO., - JPL GeoServices, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The technical contents of this news release were reviewed and approved by Jim Atkinson, MSc., P.Geo., who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Sampling Procedures - Quality Assurance/Quality Control Analytical services were provided by Actlabs, which is an independent, CALA- and SCC-accredited analytical services firm registered to ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 standard. NQ drill core samples were logged and split in half with a diamond core saw. Half-core samples were securely stored at the core logging facility until being delivered to Actlabs Fredericton lab by staff of ATMY. Samples were crushed (< 7 kg) up to 90% passing 2mm (10 mesh), riffle split to 250 g and pulverized by mild steel to 95% passing 105m (150 mesh). Samples splits underwent a 4-acid near total digestion followed by a multi-element analysis, including base metals, using an ICP method for 35 elements. Result over the detection limits were rerun using assay techniques. Antimony Resources conducted a comprehensive QA/QC program for the analysis comprising approximately 20% for each batch including: one sample of certified reference material, one sample duplicate of split core, one pulp duplicate taken at the lab and one blank sample for each batch of 25 samples. The Laboratory also completed QA/QC procedures including duplicates, method blanks and standards. An additional 13% QA/QC was performed as part of the instrumental analysis to ensure quality in the areas of instrumental drift. About Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY) (OTCQB: ATMYF) (FSE: K8J0) Antimony Resources Corp. is an exploration and development company focused exclusively on Antimony. The Company's management team possesses extensive experience in financing, exploration, development and mining. The Company is focused on becoming a significant North American producer of antimony. www.antimonyresources.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279853 Source: Antimony Resources Corp. Healthcare veterans from biopharma industry, agency and advisory firms will deliver tech-enabled insight, influence and action Real Chemistry today announced the launch of RC Resolve, a healthcare advisory practice designed to help leaders navigate the value inflection points where science, business, economics, policy and risk management intersect. RC Resolve offers a new end-to-end model of healthcare advisory informed by deep expertise and real-time insights to deliver communication strategies and execution that drive desired outcomes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109988114/en/ "The healthcare industry is at a critical juncture, with the pace, complexity and consequences of decision-making accelerating rapidly," said Jennifer Gottlieb, Global President and Head of Integrated Communications at Real Chemistry. "Healthcare leaders today are seeking highly specialized partners that combine deep industry expertise with advisory capabilities to navigate the regulatory shifts, reputational risk and financial uncertainties of the operating environment that make advancing business and science more complicated, more risky and potentially more costly. RC Resolve was created to meet this need, building on Real Chemistry's 25-year legacy as a leading data-driven healthcare partner bringing together seasoned industry leaders who have walked in our clients' shoes and have decades of experience to help organizations move forward with clarity, confidence and decisive action." RC Resolve leverages proprietary, AI-powered intelligence, including ReputAI, an advanced reputation measurement and predictive message-testing suite, and HealthGEO, which assesses how large language models influence corporate perception to drive message clarity and measurable impact. Backed by Real Chemistry's 2,000+ experts across life sciences, marketing communications and technology, RC Resolve provides healthcare advisory counsel combining deep sector perspective with strategic foresight to help organizations navigate complexity, strengthen trust and stay ahead of change. RC Resolve's advisory practice spans critical areas that meet clients' most pressing communication needs, including: Policy, Public Affairs and Access Issues, Crisis and Risk Management Transformation and Change Management Executive Communications Corporate Strategy and Reputation Financial and Transaction Communications RC Resolve's Seasoned Senior A-Team "RC Resolve was built specifically to bring together senior health advisors who understand the pressures from the outside in and can help leaders make confident, enterprise-level decisions with speed and precision when it matters most," said Sherry Pudloski, Group President of RC Resolve and Corporate Affairs at Real Chemistry. Pudloski previously served as chief communications and corporate affairs officer at Seagen, Zoetis and Guardian Life and held senior communications and strategy roles at Pfizer and Novartis. RC Resolve comprises veterans with more than 20 years of experience advising leaders in the boardroom, newsroom, crisis room and policy environment, including: Bridget Walsh, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Access , held government affairs and policy leadership roles at Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, including 10 years on Capitol Hill as a senior staffer to U.S. Senators. , held government affairs and policy leadership roles at Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, including 10 years on Capitol Hill as a senior staffer to U.S. Senators. Margaret (Maggie) Farley, Head of Issues, Crisis and Risk Management , is a renowned counselor across biopharmaceutical and medical device communications who led health crises and issues management at Edelman for two decades. , is a renowned counselor across biopharmaceutical and medical device communications who led health crises and issues management at Edelman for two decades. Amy Atwood, Head of Transformation and Change Management , brings deep experience leading corporate communications, change management and strategic transformation across global healthcare enterprises, most recently as Vice President, U.S. and Global Corporate Communications at Takeda. , brings deep experience leading corporate communications, change management and strategic transformation across global healthcare enterprises, most recently as Vice President, U.S. and Global Corporate Communications at Takeda. Shoreen Maghame, Head of Executive Communications , is a strategic communications advisor to C-suite executives on global launches, crises and reputation management whose early career experience as an on-air journalist informs her practical, media-savvy approach to executive communications. , is a strategic communications advisor to C-suite executives on global launches, crises and reputation management whose early career experience as an on-air journalist informs her practical, media-savvy approach to executive communications. Piper Evans, Head of Corporate Strategy and Reputation , advises executives across academic medicine, integrated delivery systems, emerging biotechs and global health organizations. She joins from FGS Global and previously held positions at McKinsey Company, Purple Strategies and the Public Affairs Council. , advises executives across academic medicine, integrated delivery systems, emerging biotechs and global health organizations. She joins from FGS Global and previously held positions at McKinsey Company, Purple Strategies and the Public Affairs Council. Leslie Isenegger, Head of Client Development,has industry-leading policy and pricing expertiseand was most recently head of Real Chemistry's Corporate Pricing and Public Affairs practice. She previously held positions at the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Greater New York Hospital Association. RC Resolve's Healthcare Advisory Council Backing up the RC Resolve A-Teamisa Healthcare Advisory Council of senior leaders with deep experience across regulatory, legal, health economics, healthcare financing and corporate affairs who will provide enterprise-level perspective and strategic decision-making. Current members include Jim Weiss, Founder and Chairman of Real Chemistry; Shankar Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Real Chemistry and former Partner, McKinsey Company; Kirsten Axelsen, health economics expert and Senior Policy Advisor at DLA Piper; Murphy Gallagher, Senior Managing Director at Leerink Partners; Erica Jefferson, former Associate Commissioner for External Affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and Alan Minsk, Partner and Co-Chair of the Food and Drug Practice team at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP. The membership of RC Resolve's Healthcare Advisory Council will evolve alongside the healthcare and policy landscape, ensuring access to relevant expertise as novel issues and opportunities emerge. "As a privately held company focused exclusively on healthcare, we've stayed true to our commitment to invest where it matters most for our clients' growth," said Narayanan. "Building on our strong momentum in 2025 including expansion of our omni-first precision marketing and media group RC Resolve is one of several new offerings we're bringing to market in 2026, along with continued advances in AI-driven intelligence and delivery and our expanding global footprint." About RC Resolve RC Resolve is Real Chemistry's advisory practice for healthcare's most critical business, regulatory and value inflection points where science, business, economics, policy and risk management intersect. RC Resolve combines insight, influence and decisive action to help organizations achieve desired outcomes and emerge stronger, more trusted and better prepared for what's next. About Real Chemistry: 25 Years of Future-Focused Healthcare Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Real Chemistry is a tier-one partner to the world's most innovative life sciences and healthcare companies. As a leading provider of AI-powered audience analytics and insights, Real Chemistry helps the healthcare industry better understand, reach and engage critical audiences to improve the healthcare experience for all. Anchored by our culture of innovation and creativity, Real Chemistry's 2,000+ global experts across life sciences, marketing communications and technology are singularly focused on navigating the complexities of bringing scientific advances to market and, most importantly, to the people who need them. Learn more at www.realchemistry.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109988114/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: media@realchemistry.com RIMINI, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At SIGEP World, organised by IEG - Italian Exhibition Group, in Italy at Rimini Expo Centre from 16 January for five days, with 1.300 brands across 30 halls, foodservice will take centre stage alongside some of the world's most renowned pastry chefs. "This will happen through special projects and thematic platforms," announces Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, "which connect products, supply chains and business." Marco Carniello, IEG's CBO, adds: "Luxury Hotel Food Experience, Sustainability District, Innovation Bar, Gelato Meets Chains and Pizza (R)evolution are the lenses through which we will tell the story of the sector's transformation." Flavia Morelli, head of IEG's Food & Beverage Division, specifies: "They range from the role of food in high-end hospitality to the evolution of bar concepts, sustainable supply chains and the strategies of international chains." GELATO AND PIZZA: STRATEGIC LEVERS FOR GLOBAL FOODSERVICE At SIGEP World 2026, gelato is not only a symbol of Italian craftsmanship but also a strategic asset for the international foodservice industry. Gelato Meets Chains will address international restaurant, hotel, coffee shops and bakery chains, promoting the integration of artisanal, soft and frozen gelato into global menus. Pizza will be showcased through Pizza (R)evolution, highlighting both an iconic product and an industrial and business platform. A comprehensive overview of ingredients and flours, technologies, ovens and equipment, solutions and service formats for independent pizzerias as well as international chains. FOOD AS THE LANGUAGE OF PREMIUM HOSPITALITY In high-end hospitality, food & beverage are decisive competitive levers. With Luxury Hotel Food Experience, SIGEP World 2026 will present case studies showing how breakfast, catering and events help define the identity and positioning of luxury hotels. SUSTAINABILITY DISTRICT AND INNOVATION BAR The Sustainability District at SIGEP World 2026 will be dedicated to international dialogue, with in-depth insights into the cocoa and coffee supply chains, as well as new technological solutions and case studies from the food industry, fostering networking among producers, cooperatives, institutions and companies. Innovation Bar, meanwhile, will explore the future of the bar industry and the relationship between technology and professional expertise. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2858211/Italian_Exhibition_Group.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/723307/Italian_Exhibition_Group_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/italy-sigep-world-special-projects-from-16-january-in-rimini-gelato-pizza-luxury-hotels-and-the-bars-of-the-future-302657318.html RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attindas Hygiene Partners' growth strategy realized an important step forward today with its acquisition of Societa Italiana Lavorazione Cellulosa (SILC S.p.A.). Attindas executed a share purchase agreement with SILC, acquiring all shares of the 53-year-old, family-owned company. SILC S.p.A. serves customers throughout Europe with high-quality, absorbent hygiene and skin care products, produced at its manufacturing facility 22 miles southeast of Milan, in Trescore Cremasco. SILC's customer base and product portfolio complements Attindas' strong presence in northern and southern Europe, opening new opportunities to efficiently serve both European and export markets. "Our strategy at Attindas focuses on meeting the growing demand for essential hygiene products in North America and Europe. The acquisition of SILC will allow us to accelerate our growth agenda," said Esther Berrozpe, chief executive officer of Attindas. "Given the geography, markets served, reputation and core values, SILC is a perfect fit to help us achieve our growth ambition." SILC's customers, suppliers and other business partners will continue to experience business as usual while the company is integrated into Attindas Hygiene Partners over the next few months. Attindas Hygiene Partners Based in Raleigh, NC, USA, Attindas Hygiene Partners brings together a portfolio of companies including Attends Healthcare Products, Associated Hygienic Products, and HDIS in North America, and Laboratorios Indas and Attends Healthcare AB in Europe. Attindas designs, manufactures, and markets absorbent hygiene products for US, Canada, Europe and export markets worldwide. The company's main business lines include adult incontinence and infant diapers through retail, and direct-to-consumer channels, private label, and its own well-known brands including Attends, Incopack, Indasec, Chelino, Comfees and Reassure. Learn more at www.attindas.com. S.I.L.C. - Societa Italiana Lavorazione Cellulosa Based in Trescore Cremasco For More Information Contact: Michael DiMauro Attindas Hygiene Partners michael.dimauro@attindas.com 4141 Parklake Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617 Participation underscores growing excitement around company's momentum and potential in precision oncology GENEVA, AMSTERDAM and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- iOnctura, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision oral small molecules for neglected and hard-to-treat cancers, today announces that its Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Pickering, will present at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, taking place January 12-15, 2026, in San Francisco, California. Dr. Pickering will present on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 11:00 PST. The presentation will highlight iOnctura's clinical progress with a focus on its lead program, roginolisib, the first allosteric modulator of PI3Kd. Recognized as the world's largest and most influential healthcare investment conference, the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is an invite-only event that serves as a vital forum for innovation and capital formation across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Participation reflects iOnctura's growing visibility within the global oncology ecosystem and underscores the company's progress towards advancing transformative targeted therapies for patients with cancer. "We are honored to be invited to present at this year's J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference," said Catherine Pickering, CEO and co-founder of iOnctura. "This recognition reflects the increasing interest in our science-driven approach and the meaningful clinical advances we have achieved with roginolisib. We look forward to sharing our progress and engaging with partners committed to transforming cancer care." Members of the management team will also be available for one-on-one meetings with investors and partners during the conference. For more information contact: Corporate Press Office: press@iOnctura.com About iOnctura iOnctura is a clinical-stage precision oncology company combating neglected and hard-to-treat cancers with a pipeline of first-in-class small molecules. The bold new treatments extend lives and improve healthspans, changing the outlook for patients and their families. Lead asset, roginolisib, is a non-ATP competitive, allosteric modulator of PI3Kd with a unique chemical structure and binding mode. Allosteric modulation is a new archetype for precise inhibition of PI3Kd, promising clinical activity without the detrimental tolerability seen with previous generations of inhibitors. Roginolisib is being investigated in multiple randomized Phase II studies in solid and hematological malignancies. iOnctura is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with subsidiaries located in Geneva, Switzerland and Cambridge, MA, USA. iOnctura is backed by specialist institutional investors including Syncona, M Ventures, Inkef Capital, EIC Fund, VI Partners, Schroders Capital and XGEN Venture. About roginolisib Roginolisib is a first-in-class, non-ATP competitive, allosteric modulator of PI3Kd with a unique chemical structure and binding mode. Allosteric modulation is a new archetype for precise inhibition of PI3Kd, promising clinical activity without the detrimental tolerability seen with previous generations of inhibitors. The PI3K signaling pathway is one of the most commonly dysregulated pathways across multiple cancer types. The potential of roginolisib has been validated by positive clinical signals in Phase I in solid tumor and hematological malignancies, including a doubling of overall survival compared to historical controls in rare eye cancer, uveal melanoma. The company has carefully designed its clinical program to allow full development in uveal melanoma, while in parallel validating the program in larger market indications. The Phase II OCULE-01 study in uveal melanoma started in March 2025, the PULMO-01 study in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) started in May 2025 and the HEMA-MED Phase I/II study in myelofibrosis began in November 2025. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2736715/5710049/iOnctura_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ionctura-ceo-to-present-at-the-2026-jp-morgan-healthcare-conference-302657339.html Boston, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2026) - Block & Leviton announces that a securities fraud lawsuit has been filed against Klarna Group plc (NYSE: KLAR) and certain of its executives. Investors who have lost money in their Klarna Group investment should contact the firm to learn more about how they might recover those losses. For more details, visit https://blockleviton.com/cases/klar. What is this all about? Klarna Group conducted its IPO at $40 per share on September 10, 2025. The complaint alleges that Klarna Group's Registration Statement contained false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Defendants materially understated the risk that its loss reserves would materially go up within a few months of the IPO, which they either knew of or should have known of given the risk profile of many individuals agreeing to Klarna's buy now, pay later ("BNPL") loans; and (2); as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times and negligently prepared. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. Who is eligible? Anyone who purchased Klarna Group plc common stock and has seen their shares fall may be eligible, whether or not they have sold their investment. Investors should contact Block & Leviton to learn more. What should you do next? The deadline to seek appointment as lead plaintiff is March 6, 2026. A class has not yet been certified, and until a certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. If you've lost money on your investment, you should contact Block & Leviton to learn more via our case website, by email at shareholders@blockleviton.com, or by phone at (888) 256-2510. Whistleblower? If you have non-public information about Klarna Group, you should consider assisting in our investigation or working with our attorneys to file a report with the Securities Exchange Commission under their whistleblower program. Whistleblowers who provide original information to the SEC may receive rewards of up to 30% of any successful recovery. For more information, contact Block & Leviton at whistleblowers@blockleviton.com or by phone at (888) 256-2510. Why should you contact Block & Leviton? Block & Leviton is widely regarded as one of the leading securities class action firms in the country. Our attorneys have recovered billions of dollars for defrauded investors and are dedicated to obtaining significant recoveries on behalf of our clients through active litigation in the federal courts across the country. Many of the nation's top institutional investors hire us to represent their interests. You can learn more about us at our website, www.blockleviton.com, call (888) 256-2510 or email shareholders@blockleviton.com with any questions. This notice may constitute attorney advertising. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/280272 Source: Block & Leviton LLP Novavest Real Estate AG / Schlagwort(e): Sonstiges Einladung zur Investoren-, Analysten- und Medienkonferenz der Novavest Real Estate AG zum Geschaftsjahr 2025 14.01.2026 / 10:00 CET/CEST Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren Wir laden Sie herzlich zur Investoren-, Analysten- und Medienkonferenz betreffend Prasentation der Jahresergebnisse 2025 ein. Datum / Zeit Donnerstag, 19. Februar 2026, 11:00 Uhr Ort Zunfthaus zur Waag, Munsterhof 8, 8001 Zurich Referenten Peter Mettler, CEO Fabio Gmur, CFO Wir bitten Sie um Anmeldung bis 13. Februar 2026 an https://www.novavest.ch/de/analystenkonferenz-nren/ Der Jahresbericht 2025 sowie die Prasentationsunterlagen stehen auf der Website der Novavest Real Estate AG www.novavest.ch , unter dem Link Investor Relations - Finanzberichte / Prasentationen am 19. Februar 2026 ab 06:45 Uhr zum Herunterladen als PDF-Datei bereit. Direktlink: https://www.novavest.ch/de/investor-relations/?section=investor-relations__finanzberichte_praesentationen Wir freuen uns, Sie an unserer Konferenz begrussen zu durfen. Freundliche Grusse Peter Mettler Chief Executive Officer NOVAVEST Real Estate AG Feldeggstrasse 26 8008 Zurich +41 (0)44 276 40 40 info@novavest.ch www.novavest.ch NOVAVEST Real Estate AG www.novavest.ch Die NOVAVEST Real Estate AG ist eine Schweizer Immobiliengesellschaft mit Sitz in Zurich. Sie fokussiert ihre Aktivitaten auf die Bewirtschaftung und Entwicklung von Liegenschaften mit reiner Wohnnutzung (Mietwohnungen) und Wohnraum fur das Leben im Dritten Alter (Seniorenresidenzen, Pflegeeinrichtungen) sowie mit Buro- und Gewerbenutzung und auf Neubauprojekte in all diesen Segmenten. Der Mietertragsanteil aus Wohnnutzung macht strategisch mindestens 50% der gesamten Soll-Mietertrage aus. Das Immobilienportfolio umfasst Objekte in der ganzen Schweiz, die betreffend reinen Wohnliegenschaften in der Stadt oder Agglomeration liegen und/oder eine gute Erschliessung mit offentlichen Verkehrsmitteln bzw. fur den motorisierten Individualverkehr aufweisen. Im Bereich Seniorenresidenzen und Pflegeeinrichtungen konnen sich die Liegenschaften sowohl in stadtischen wie auch in landlichen Regionen der Schweiz befinden. Die Namenaktien der Gesellschaft sind an der SIX Swiss Exchange kotiert (Ticker NREN, Valor 21218624, ISIN CH0212186248). Ende der Medienmitteilungen Originalinhalt anzeigen: EQS News New to The Street, a leading global financial media brand, today announced its expansion into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the launch of a weekly segment on Bloomberg Television. Broadcasting every Saturday as sponsored programming, the new MENA segment will reach over 26 million homes, further extending New to The Street's international footprint. The inaugural MENA broadcast will premiere on Saturday, January 24, at 12:30 PM GST, marking a significant milestone in the company's continued global expansion and reinforcing its position as a trusted platform connecting innovative companies with international investors and business audiences. The weekly MENA program will feature long-form executive interviews, sector-driven discussions, and company spotlights designed to elevate visibility, credibility, and investor awareness across one of the world's fastest-growing economic regions. The expansion aligns with increasing global capital flows into the Middle East, particularly across technology, energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and financial innovation. "For more than 17 years, New to The Street has helped companies tell their stories on the world's most influential business networks," said Vince Caruso, Co-Founder and CEO of New to The Street. "Launching a weekly Bloomberg Television segment in MENA allows us to bridge global capital markets with a region that continues to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of innovation and investment." The MENA launch complements New to The Street's established U.S. and international broadcasts and further strengthens its multi-platform distribution strategy across television, digital, and earned media channels. About New to The Street Founded over 17 years ago, New to The Street is a premier financial media platform producing long-form executive interviews and sponsored programming for innovative public and private companies. The program broadcasts weekly on Bloomberg Television in the U.S. and internationally, and on Fox Business as sponsored programming, reaching tens of millions of homes worldwide. New to The Street also operates the #2 financial media YouTube channel globally, second only to The Wall Street Journal, with millions of subscribers and a highly engaged international audience of investors, executives, and decision-makers. Watch the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@NewtoTheStreetTV By combining national and international television distribution, one of the world's largest financial YouTube platforms, digital amplification, and earned media outreach, New to The Street delivers unmatched visibility, credibility, and long-term brand value for the companies it features. Media Contact: Monica Brennan Monica@NewtoTheStreet.com SOURCE: New To The Street Tamarack, Minnesota and L'Anse, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Talon Metals Corp. (TSX: TLO) (OTCID: TLOFF) (together with its subsidiaries, "Talon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of its previously announced transaction with Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX: LUN) (Stockholm: LUMI) ("Lundin Mining") pursuant to which it acquired the producing Eagle Mine and associated Humboldt Mill (the "Transaction"). On closing of the Transaction, Lundin Mining was issued 275,152,232 common shares ("Talon Shares") and granted a production payment royalty on ore from sources other than the Eagle Mine that is processed through the Humboldt Mill at a rate of US$1.00 per tonne, up to a maximum aggregate payment of US$20.0 million (representing 20 million tonnes of ore). See Talon's December 18, 2025 press release for additional information. "The completion of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill acquisition is a defining moment for Talon. I am pleased to welcome Darby Stacey as Chief Executive Officer, along with the Eagle and Humboldt mining and processing team, to Talon. This transaction has brought together the positive cash-flow-generating Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the proven operating experience of the Eagle and Humboldt teams, and Talon's in-house exploration, environmental and permitting capabilities to create the only operating primary nickel-copper company in the United States with meaningful expansion potential. With the transaction now complete, our combined team is positioned to advance our four strategic priorities in parallel - materially extending the Eagle Mine life, accelerating exploration in Michigan and Minnesota, advancing permitting at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and the Beulah Battery Minerals Processing Facility, and progressing engineering toward feasibility study and construction - at a time when it is vitally important to drive decisively toward U.S. critical minerals self-sufficiency," said Henri van Rooyen, Executive Chairman of Talon. DIRECTOR AND OFFICER CHANGES In connection with closing of the Transaction, Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining, were appointed to the board of directors of Talon (the "Talon Board"). Darby Stacey, the General Manager of the Eagle Mine under Lundin Mining, has been appointed as CEO of Talon and has also joined the Talon Board. In addition, Warren Newfield has stepped down from the Talon Board and Henri van Rooyen has been appointed Executive Chairman. CONCURRENT PRIVATE PLACEMENT As previously announced, Talon entered into a subscription agreement concurrently with entering into the definitive agreement in respect of the Transaction pursuant to which it agreed to issue 18,555,783 Talon Shares (the "Concurrent Private Placement") to a trust settled by the late Adolf H. Lundin (the "Lundin Family Trust"). The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") requires shareholder approval of the Concurrent Private Placement in accordance with Section 604(a)(i) of the TSX Company Manual and the Company intends to call a special meeting (the "Meeting") as soon as practicable to seek such approval. Further details will be contained in a management information circular to be sent to holders of Talon Shares in connection with the Meeting. SHARE CONSOLIDATION The Talon Board has determined that the previously announced consolidation of the Talon Shares (the "Consolidation") on the basis of one post-consolidation Talon Share for every ten pre-consolidation Talon Shares, will be effective on January 23, 2026 (the "Effective Date"). The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") has accepted notice of the Consolidation, and the Talon Shares are expected to begin trading on the TSX on a post-Consolidation basis on or about January 27, 2026. The post-Consolidation Talon Shares will continue to trade on TSX under the symbol "TLO" but with a new CUSIP number (G86659201) and new ISIN (VGG866592014). As a result of the Consolidation, the number of outstanding Talon Shares will be reduced from approximately 1,478,254,002 pre-Consolidation Talon Shares currently outstanding to approximately 147,825,400 post-Consolidation Talon Shares as at the Effective Date, subject to adjustment for the rounding down of fractions as outlined below. The Consolidation will also result in proportionate adjustments to the exercise price and number of Talon Shares issuable pursuant to the Company's outstanding share purchase warrants and stock options in accordance with the terms of the warrant indenture between the Company and Computershare Trust Company of Canada ("Computershare") dated June 18, 2025, the Company's Stock Option Plan and other documents governing such securities. Registered shareholders of Talon holding their Talon Shares in certificated form will be sent a letter of transmittal with instructions for the surrender of certificates representing their pre-Consolidation common shares. Such shareholders will need to return to Computershare, as registrar and transfer agent for the Talon Shares, a completed letter of transmittal in order to receive a certificate or direct registration system (DRS) advice statement for their post-Consolidation Talon Shares. The form of letter of transmittal will also be available electronically under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and from the Talon website at www.talonmetals.com. Registered shareholders whose pre-Consolidation Talon Shares are represented by a DRS advice statement will not be required to return a completed letter of transmittal to Computershare and will instead be automatically issued a new DRS advice statement for the number of post-Consolidation Talon Shares held. Non-registered shareholders who hold their Talon Shares through a broker, financial institution or other intermediary should note that the intermediary's procedures for processing the Consolidation, in respect of pre-Consolidation Talon Shares held for the non-registered owner's account, may differ from those applicable to registered shareholders. Non-registered shareholders with questions should contact their intermediary for more information. The Consolidation will not result in any fractional Talon Shares. If the Consolidation would otherwise result in a shareholder holding a fraction of a post-Consolidation common share, the number of post-Consolidation common shares held by such holder will be rounded down to the nearest whole number, and the fractional interest will be cancelled without consideration. Further details regarding the Consolidation are contained in the Company's information circular dated May 14, 2025 for the annual and special meeting of shareholders of Talon held June 25, 2025, a copy of which is available under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Talon website at www.talonmetals.com. ADVISORS Canaccord Genuity Corp. was engaged as financial advisor to the Company. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Dorsey & Whitney LLP acted as legal counsel to the Company. ABOUT TALON Talon is a TSX-listed base metals company advancing and operating high-grade nickel-copper assets in the United States, including 100% ownership of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill in Michigan, the only primary nickel mine currently operating in the United States, and the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project in Minnesota. Talon is in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in central Minnesota. Talon's shares are also traded in the US over the OTC market under the symbol TLOFF. The Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with additional high-grade intercepts outside the current resource area. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60% of the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project and currently owns 51%. Talon has a neutrality and workforce development agreement in place with the United Steelworkers union. Talon's Beulah Mineral Processing Facility in Mercer County was selected by the US Department of Energy for US$114.8 million funding grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the US Department of War awarded Talon a grant of US$20.6 million to support and accelerate Talon's exploration efforts in both Minnesota and Michigan. Talon has well-qualified experienced exploration, mine development, external affairs and mine permitting teams. For additional information on Talon, please visit the Company's website at talonmetals.com or contact: FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the impact and anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the completion of Talon's four strategic priorities, including materially extending the Eagle Mine life, accelerating exploration in Michigan and Minnesota, advancing permitting at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and the Beulah Battery Minerals Processing Facility, and progressing engineering toward feasibility study and construction; the anticipated timing of the Meeting and completion of the Concurrent Private Placement; the Consolidation and the effective date thereof; the effect of the Consolidation on the Company's capital structure, including the number of Talon Shares outstanding after the Consolidation; the treatment of fractional Talon Shares; and the expected trading date of the post-Consolidation Talon Shares on the TSX. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279891 Source: Talon Metals Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Omai Gold Mines Corp. (TSXV: OMG) (OTCQB: OMGGF) ("Omai Gold" or the "Company") announces that it has granted incentive stock options to Officers, Directors, employees and consultants of the Company to purchase up to 10,720,000 common shares of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. The options have a five-year term at an exercise price of $1.44 per share, with one third vesting upon the date of grant, one third on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the final third on the second anniversary of the date of grant with an expiry date of January 8, 2031. Qualified Person Elaine Ellingham, P.Geo., is a Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" and has approved the technical information contained in this news release. Ms. Ellingham is a director and officer of the Company and is not considered to be independent for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. ABOUT OMAI GOLD Omai Gold Mines Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on rapidly expanding the two orogenic gold deposits at its 100%-owned Omai Gold Project in mining-friendly Guyana, South America. The Company has established the Omai Gold Project as one of the fastest growing and well-endowed gold camps in the prolific Guiana Shield. In August 2025, the Company announced a 96% increase to the Wenot Gold Deposit NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate1 (MRE) to 970,000 ounces of gold (Indicated) averaging 1.46 g/t Au, contained in 20.7 Mt and 3,717,000 ounces of gold (Inferred MRE) averaging 1.82 g/t Au, contained in 63.4 Mt. This brings the global MRE at Omai, including the Wenot and adjacent Gilt Creek deposits, to 2,121,000 ounces of gold (Indicated MRE) averaging 2.07 g/t Au in 31.9 Mt and 4,382,000 ounces of gold (Inferred MRE) averaging 1.95 g/t Au in 69.9 Mt. A baseline PEA announced in April 2024, contemplated an open pit-only development scenario and included less than 30% of the new Mineral Resource Estimate for Omai. Three drills are currently active on the property: at Wenot the focus is to optimize the upcoming PEA, to further test the limits of the deposit, including both east and west, and to commence upgrading the large Inferred MRE to Indicated. Additional drilling will continue to explore certain known gold occurrences for possible near-surface higher-grade satellite deposits. An updated MRE and PEA are planned for H1 2026 to include the expanded Wenot open pit deposit and the adjacent Gilt Creek underground deposit. The Omai Gold Mine produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold from 1993 to 20052, ceasing operations when gold was below US$400 per ounce. The Omai site significantly benefits from existing infrastructure and is connected by road to the two largest cities in Guyana, Georgetown and Linden. 1 NI 43-101 Technical Report dated October 9, 2025 titled "UPDATED MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE OMAI GOLD PROPERTY, POTARO MINING DISTRICT NO.2, GUYANA" was prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and is available on www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website. 2 Past production at the Omai Mine (1993-2005) is summarized in several Cambior Inc. documents available on www.sedarplus.ca, including March 31, 2006 AIF and news release August 3, 2006. 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 Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing of completion of the drill program, and the potential for the Omai Gold Project to allow Omai to build significant gold Mineral Resources at attractive grades, and forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; the price of gold and copper; and the results of current exploration. Further, the Mineral Resource data set out in this news release are estimates, and no assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved or that the indicated level of process recovery will be realized. There can be no assurance that forward-looking 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. 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 required by law. Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Resource Estimates Until mineral deposits are actually mined and processed, Mineral Resources must be considered as estimates only. Mineral Resource Estimates that are not Mineral Reserves have not demonstrated economic viability. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain, involves subjective judgement about many relevant factors and may be materially affected by, among other things, environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors described in the Company's public disclosure available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. The accuracy of any Mineral Resource Estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource Estimates may have to be re-estimated based on, among other things: (i) fluctuations in mineral prices; (ii) results of drilling, and development; (iii) results of future test mining and other testing; (iv) metallurgical testing and other studies; (v) results of geological and structural modeling including block model design; (vi) proposed mining operations, including dilution; (vii) the evaluation of future mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; and (viii) the possible failure to receive required permits, licenses and other approvals. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of a "Inferred" or "Indicated" Mineral Resource Estimate will ever be upgraded to a higher category. The Mineral Resource Estimates disclosed in this news release were reported using Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (the "CIM Standards") in accordance with National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101"). To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279902 Source: Omai Gold Mines Corp. - 'Retail in Sync': Realizing 'Store Intelligence' by converging data beyond simple device connectivity - Introduces 'SSP' (SOLUM Store Platform): Setting the standard for digital transformation (DX) in physical retail - Four immersive Experience Zones to showcase 45 years of technological heritage and global partnership expansion SOLUM (KOSPI: 248070), a global leader in retail technology, is set to reveal a suite of innovative solutions designed to redefine the future of brick-and-mortar retail at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show. The event will take place from January 11-13 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109498320/en/ SOLUM's NRF 2026 poster (Image: SOLUM) NRF 2026: The Premier Global Stage for Retail Innovation Marking its 115th anniversary, NRF 2026 is the world's most prestigious retail industry exhibition hosted by the National Retail Federation. Attracting over 40,000 industry leaders and decision-makers from 100 countries-including executives from Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Best Buy-NRF serves as the definitive platform for setting global retail trends. At this year's show, SOLUM will showcase its proven technological prowess from European and Asian markets to North America. The company is announcing its evolution into an "Intelligent Store Management Platform" provider, aimed at tackling the industry's most pressing challenges: rising labor costs and operational complexity. 'Retail in Sync': Maximizing Synergies via the SSP Platform The core theme of SOLUM's exhibit, "Retail in Sync," focuses on integrating fragmented data from Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL), AI cameras, digital signage, and various sensors into a single, unified ecosystem: the SOLUM Store Platform (SSP). Unlike traditional stores that operate devices independently, SOLUM's SSP connects all data points into an organic pipeline. This enables store managers to exert total control over real-time inventory, customer traffic analysis, and marketing optimization from a single dashboard. Four Experience Zones: Real-World Innovation in Action To demonstrate the practical value of "Retail in Sync," SOLUM will host four themed Experience Zones featuring live retail scenarios: Zone 1 (Customer Experience): Features a "Smart Beauty" solution where Vision AI analyzes skin data and syncs with ESL location guides to provide personalized product recommendations. Zone 2 (Operational Efficiency): Demonstrates how BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) cart tracking and ESL integration can drastically reduce order picking times for online fulfillment. Zone 3 (Data Monetization): Introduces a Retail Media Network (RMN) model that analyzes foot traffic and ad engagement to measure actual conversion rates. Zone 4 (Sustainability): Showcases an energy-optimized store management system that uses AI sensors to automatically adjust lighting and HVAC based on zone-specific occupancy. A Legacy of Trust: 45 Years of Heritage and a Resilient Supply Chain Since spinning off from Samsung Electro-Mechanics in 2015, SOLUM has leveraged over 45 years of expertise in wireless communication and electronic components. Its proprietary Newton communication protocol ensures seamless data synchronization, even in large-scale retail environments. With an order backlog currently valued at KRW 2.2 trillion ($1.6B+ USD) and ongoing Proof of Concept (PoC) projects with major North American retailers, SOLUM offers a highly stable supply chain through its in-house manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, India, and China. "NRF 2026 is a pivotal moment for us to prove the maturity of our SSP platform to the world's leading retailers," said a spokesperson for SOLUM. "We aren't just showing technology; we are presenting a new standard for retail tech that simultaneously solves operational efficiency and profitability through the power of converged data." About SOLUM SOLUM is a global retail tech specialist that leads the industry in Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) and smart retail solutions. Spun off from Samsung Electro-Mechanics in 2015, the company supports the digital transformation of retailers worldwide through its Newton protocol and SSP platform, backed by a global network spanning 13 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109498320/en/ Contacts: SOLUM Bong-Su Kang bskang@solu-m.com OUTCOM Joong-Tak Lee tak@outcom.co.kr Denver, Colorado--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Caleb Bradley, Founder and CEO of Bighorn Web Solutions and Hyva Bronze Agency Partner, is featured in a new interview discussing the implications of Hyva's transition to an open-source model for Magento eCommerce merchants. Hyva is a frontend solution for Magento 2, designed with a focus on performance, maintainability, and simplified development workflows. Bighorn Web Solutions logo To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10587/279450_c2f0fcb9f4245882_001full.jpg In an interview published by DesignRush, Bradley offers expert insight into how the move reshapes frontend decision-making for merchants evaluating performance, cost, and long-term maintainability on Magento. Drawing from years of experience modernizing Magento storefronts, Bradley explains why frontend performance has historically been one of the platform's biggest challenges and how Hyva emerged as a response to heavy JavaScript payloads, slow load times, and complex development cycles. He notes that Hyva's open-source release significantly lowers the barrier to adoption by removing licensing fees and allowing teams to fully audit the codebase before committing. The conversation also explores how the shift affects total cost of ownership, internal team onboarding, and agency workflows. According to Bradley, open source enables faster proof-of-concept testing, simpler long-term maintenance, and clearer risk assessment, especially for merchants with complex catalogs or heavily customized Magento installations. "Hyva took off because it solved real problems merchants were feeling every day," Bradley says in the interview. "Performance improved immediately, development became simpler, and teams stopped fighting the frontend just to deliver basic experiences." Bradley further discusses how the open-source model strengthens Magento's competitive position against both headless builds and SaaS platforms by narrowing long-standing trade-offs between speed, flexibility, and control. Overall, the full interview provides practical guidance for merchants assessing frontend modernization paths and agencies navigating the evolving Magento ecosystem. To learn more about Bighorn Web Solutions and its enterprise eCommerce services, please visit https://bighornwebsolutions.com/. About Hyva Hyva Themes is a next-generation frontend solution for Magento 2, designed from the ground up for speed, simplicity, and maintainability. Trusted by merchants and agencies worldwide, Hyva is redefining Magento development for the modern web. About Bighorn Web Solutions Bighorn Web Solutions is a U.S.-based enterprise-grade e-commerce agency rooted in the Rocky Mountain region, comprised of senior-level engineers who are specialists, not generalists. With deep expertise in its respective niches, the agency understands how to position you to stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279450 Source: DesignRush Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Volt Carbon Technologies Inc. (TSXV: VCT) (OTCQB: TORVF) ("Volt Carbon" or the "Company"), with reference to its news release dated December 23, 2025, is pleased to announce the final closing of its oversubscribed non brokered private placement financing (the "Offering"). Due to strong investor demand, the Offering was oversubscribed, with the Company issuing an aggregate of 5,630,000 units (the "Units") at a price of C$0.035 per Unit for total gross proceeds of C$197,050. Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share at an exercise price of C$0.05 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day in accordance with applicable securities laws. No finder's fees, commissions, agent options, or other compensation were paid in connection with the Offering. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering to support intellectual property development initiatives, advance battery and mobile mineral separation technologies, and for general working capital. The Closing remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Volt Carbon Technologies Volt Carbon is a publicly traded carbon science company, with specific interests in energy storage and green energy creation, with holdings in mining claims in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia in Canada. For the latest information on Volt Carbon's properties and news please refer to the website www.voltcarbontech.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, concerning Volt Carbon's business and affairs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "intends" "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Such forward-looking statements include those with respect to the Company's intended use of proceeds and its ongoing development initiatives. Statements of past performance should not be construed as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors, including those discussed above, could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this press release, and Volt Carbon assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279898 Source: Volt Carbon Technologies Finance, VC and engineering veteran, Young Kim, joins dual role as CFO and COO, effective immediately Bitmine now owns 3.43% of the ETH token supply, two-thirds of the way to the 'Alchemy of 5%' Bitmine will hold its Annual Stockholder Meeting at the Wynn Las Vegas on January 15, 2026 Bitmine is supported by a premier group of institutional investors including ARK's Cathie Wood, MOZAYYX, Founders Fund, Bill Miller III, Pantera, Kraken, DCG, and Galaxy Digital to support Bitmine's goal of acquiring 5% of ETH: The alchemy of 5% LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- (NYSE AMERICAN: BMNR) Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc. ("Bitmine" or the "Company") today announced that Young Kim has been appointed Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and Chief Operating Officer ("COO") in addition to being appointed as a member of the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board"). Mr. Kim will report to Thomas "Tom" Lee, Chairman of the Board. This appointment is effective immediately. "Young brings a vast range of skills, knowledge and expertise from his experience in finance, venture capital and engineering to Bitmine," said Thomas "Tom" Lee of Fundstrat, Chairman of Bitmine. "He will play an integral role in helping to execute our roadmap and scale the business over the coming years." "I'm excited to step into this dual role at a pivotal moment for Bitmine," said Young Kim, Bitmine's newly appointed COO and CFO. "With a strong foundation in place, Bitmine is well positioned to scale, and I look forward to partnering closely with Tom and the leadership team to help drive growth and create long-term shareholder value." Young Kim is a seasoned investment executive with more than 20 years of experience managing multi-billion-dollar global franchises. He brings a distinctive "engineer-investor" perspective, shaped by his early career as a software engineer and his education at MIT and Harvard Business School. From 2021 to 2025, Mr. Kim served as Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager at Axiom Investors, following a decade as Senior Portfolio Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments from 2011 to 2021. Earlier in his career, he held roles across investment research, venture capital, business development, and software engineering, with a proven track record of scaling assets, driving product innovation, and executing complex strategies. Bitmine will hold its Annual Meeting at the Wynn Las Vegas on January 15, 2026. The company encourages stockholders to vote and attend its in-person Annual Meeting. Details and the agenda for the Annual Meeting can be found below: Bitmine's Annual Meeting: Location: Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 Timing: 12:00pm-3:00pm PST 12:00pm-3:00pm PST Agenda: Elect eight (8) directors for the next year; Approve the charter amendment to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock; Approve the 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan; and Approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the special, performance-based compensation arrangement for the executive chairman Attending the Annual Meeting: Stockholders wishing to attend the Annual Meeting in person must register in advance at https://web.viewproxy.com/BMNR/2026 and follow the instructions provided. Registration must be completed and submitted no later than January 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. On the day of the meeting, please be ready to show your ticket and photo ID at the door for entry. If you have any questions, or need assistance with the registration process please contact Alliance Advisors at [email protected] . Stockholders wishing to attend the Annual Meeting in person must register in advance at and follow the instructions provided. Registration must be completed and submitted no later than January 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting: Stockholders can vote either in person at the Annual Meeting or by proxy whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting utilizing one of the following methods: By mail : All stockholders of record who received paper copies of the company's proxy materials can vote by marking, signing, dating, and returning their proxy card. By telephone : Please call the number listed on your proxy card and follow the recorded instructions. You will need the control number included on your proxy card. By internet : Please visit https://AALvote.com/BMNR or, if you received printed copies of your proxy materials, scan the QR code located on your proxy card. You will need the control number included on your proxy card. The telephone and internet voting facilities for the stockholders of record of all shares will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on January 14, 2026. Stockholders can vote either in person at the Annual Meeting or by proxy whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting utilizing one of the following methods: If you have any questions or need assistance please contact Alliance Advisors at 1-855-206-1722 or [email protected] Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 9am-10pm EST Saturday - Sunday: 10am-10pm EST The Annual Meeting will be livestreamed on Bitmine's X account: https://x.com/bitmnr The Company recently released a corporate presentation, which can be found here: https://bitminetech.io/investor-relations/ To stay informed, please sign up at: https://bitminetech.io/contact-us/ About Bitmine Bitmine is a Bitcoin and Ethereum Network Company with a focus on the accumulation of Crypto for long term investment, whether acquired by our Bitcoin mining operations or from the proceeds of capital raising transactions. Company business lines include Bitcoin Mining, synthetic Bitcoin mining through involvement in Bitcoin mining, hashrate as a financial product, offering advisory and mining services to companies interested in earning Bitcoin denominated revenues, and general Bitcoin advisory to public companies. Bitmine's operations are located in low-cost energy regions in Trinidad; Pecos, Texas; and Silverton, Texas. For additional details, follow on X: https://x.com/bitmnr https://x.com/fundstrat https://x.com/bmnrintern Forward Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." The statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. This document specifically contains forward-looking statements regarding progress and achievement of the Company's goals regarding ETH acquisition and staking, the long-term value of Ethereum, continued growth and advancement of the Company's Ethereum treasury strategy and the applicable benefits to the Company. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including Bitmine's ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; Bitmine's ability to finance its current business, Ethereum treasury operations and proposed future business; the competitive environment of Bitmine's business; and the future value of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Actual future performance outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Bitmine's control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Bitmine's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 21, 2025, as well as all other SEC filings, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Bitmine's filings with the SEC are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . Bitmine undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. SOURCE BitMine Immersion Technologies, Inc. Work-time flexibility granted to China's working parents Xinhua) 09:56, January 09, 2026 SHANGHAI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The delicate art of juggling deadlines and daycare pickups has long been well-practiced by Chinese parents. Few want to step off the career ladder; fewer still wish to miss story time. For Liu Yi in Shanghai, along with many parents set to join her, this balancing act is now becoming more manageable. At 4:30 p.m., Liu, an operations manager at an internet firm, closes her laptop and heads out to collect her child. Her job is classified as a "Parent-friendly Post," which offers flexible shifts and work-from-home options for caregivers. These kinds of posts are popping up as China moves to create a more supportive environment for raising kids, along with cash subsidies to families with children under three, a phased rollout of free preschool education, and a growing supply of childcare services. Since December 2024, Shanghai has piloted a "Parent-friendly Posts" program encouraging flexible work for employees caring for children under 12. At Huangdou Network Technology, where Liu works, roles like social media operator and livestream host no longer require fixed hours. Employees can set their own schedules to fit their family needs, as long as productivity and teamwork aren't affected. At a Shanghai-based social organization focused on planning public-interest events, video editor Carlos Jin shifted to remote work when his daughter fell ill. His employer has extended similar flexibility to other digitally based roles, granting autonomy over process while making sure staff are kept accountable for results. The program is spreading fast. Official figures show that more than 540 employers in Shanghai have established parent-friendly posts, benefiting nearly 7,000 mothers and fathers. Employers believe that offering flexibility not only helps keep skilled staff but can also boost productivity. There is pent-up demand. A 2024 survey by the China Women's Development Foundation found that 78.4 percent of full-time mothers cited lack of childcare as the primary reason for leaving employment; more than 80 percent said they hoped to return to paid work. Some companies are working to create a parent-friendly climate in more aspects. Trip.com Group offers "child-accompaniment leave," giving employees with young children an extra three days of paid annual leave. Some companies run summer childcare programs, sometimes let kids hang out at the office, or organize family-friendly events. Zhuo Qun, department manager at HuGang International Consulting Group Company Limited, had a tough time getting back to work after the birth of her second child. The company let her ease back in at her own pace and still kept her chances for promotion open. "Competition for management roles was intense, but support from supervisors and colleagues helped me regain confidence and move into a managerial position," she said. Around 70 percent of middle and senior managers at her firm are women. "Caring responsibilities should not hinder promotion," said Shen Yongming, the firm's administration director. "Employees with ability and commitment are given equal opportunities to advance." The "Parent-friendly Posts" program is similar to an earlier initiative known as "Mom Posts" in Zhongshan, a manufacturing hub in Guangdong Province, which adopted the initiative to ease factory worker shortages. Many other cities in Guangdong, Shandong, Hubei and Beijing have followed suit. Parent-friendly practices should spread to more sectors, said Qing Shisong, a professor of population studies at East China Normal University, noting such practices will benefit the whole society, businesses, and employees. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Brasnova Energy Materials Inc. (TSXV: BEM) ("BEM' or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Mr. Joel Ferari will be joining the Company as President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Mr. Ferari will also be appointed as a Director of the Company upon completion of submissions to and approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV). Mr. Ferari is an experienced Brazilian business professional and entrepreneur with decades of experience in working with Startups and developing Industrial Process Plants and Services, in Brazil. Mr. Ferari has experience working in publicly traded, family-owned, branch and parent companies in Brazil with more than 25 years working in projects focused on the Startup phase. Specific deliverables have included construction of plants on budget, planning and guidelines, technical parameters; negotiation with national and international suppliers; hiring of the staff/team and implementation and assembly of industrial equipment. Mr. Ferari's education includes degrees in both Materials and Production Engineering. Brasnova will issue Mr. Ferari 500,000 common share options at a price of 15 cents with a term of five years and subject to approval of the stock option plan at the next AGM. The management changes and options issuance are subject to TSXV Venture Exchange approval. Mr. Brian Leeners will step down as the Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Brasnova. We would like to thank Mr. Leeners for his many years of service on behalf of the Company. ABOUT BRASNOVA ENERGY MATERIALS INC. Brasnova Energy Materials is focused on securing, developing and monetizing materials assets and technologies in Brazil, to build shareholder value. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279906 Source: Brasnova Energy Materials Inc. New 35,000-square-foot facility in Winter Park will expand RLT manufacturing footprint to optimize delivery for patients across southeastern US Purpose-built facility will strengthen Novartis RLT manufacturing network alongside existing Indiana, New Jersey, and recently completed California sites Novartis RLT portfolio advancing with new isotopes, ligands and combination therapies, bringing innovation to new cancer types Basel, January 9, 2026 - Novartis, a leading global innovative medicines company, today announced plans to build its fourth US radioligand therapy (RLT) manufacturing facility in Winter Park, Florida. The built-for-purpose, state-of-the-art facility represents another milestone in the company's $23 billion US investment (https://www.novartis.com/us-en/about/investing-americas-health) announced in April 2025, further expanding manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand for these cutting-edge cancer treatments. Novartis is scaling US manufacturing to bring innovative medicines closer to patients, so treatments are researched, made, and delivered with greater speed, reliability, and access in the communities where people live. The new 35,000-square-foot facility in Winter Park, Florida, will come online by 2029 and will strengthen Novartis' specialized supply chain and manufacturing capabilities across its network of RLT production facilities. The new facility will optimize the delivery of RLT medicines to patients in the southeast US and help maintain the company's steady rate of >99% of doses administered on the planned day as the potential for this promising treatment modality continues to expand. "Building this new facility in Florida marks an important step in fulfilling the promise of RLT for patients," said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. "Radioligand therapy has fundamentally changed how we approach certain cancers, and our growing US manufacturing network ensures we can continue to deliver these critical medicines with speed and reliability to patients who need them." RLT is a type of precision treatment that pairs a tumor-targeting molecule (ligand) with a therapeutic radioisotope, allowing radiation to be delivered directly to the tumor while minimizing harm to surrounding healthy tissue. Each RLT dose is individually prepared, and its delivery is highly time sensitive. Proximity to treatment facilities and transportation hubs is critical to ensure patients receive their therapy promptly and at the right location. RLT has the potential to transform oncology treatment and bring new options to people living with cancer. As the sole company with two FDA-approved RLT treatments and an extensive RLT pipeline across several tumors and targets, Novartis has global expertise in this cutting-edge technology platform that is transforming cancer care. That knowledge has fueled advancements in manufacturing techniques to build capacity and consistently deliver with confidence for patients and healthcare providers. RLT manufacturing requires specialized talent, a key factor in determining the location for each new facility. Florida has steadily invested in higher education for life sciences and technology, helping to build the next generation of leaders critical to driving forward advanced manufacturing for platforms like RLT. With a growing skilled workforce and a regulatory and policy environment that values pharmaceutical innovation, Florida is well positioned to become a leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing."Thanks to deliberate, focused, intensified investments and world class health innovation partnerships, we have led Florida to become a national and world-recognized leader for breakthroughs in cancer treatment, neurological innovations, and more," said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. "Novartis' investment in manufacturing cancer medicines here in Florida-where we're already #2 nationally in both manufacturing for medicine and medical device technology-is an incredible opportunity to welcome world class innovators to our incredibly collaborative and impactful life sciences community."Over the next 5 years, Novartis will solidify its robust US RLT manufacturing network. The new Florida site is the fourth of five existing or planned facilities. The company is currently investing in expansions of its RLT facilities in Indiana and New Jersey. In November, Novartis announced completion of a new RLT facility in California, and it plans to build a fifth location in the US.Novartis is reimagining cancer care with RLT for patients with advanced cancers. By harnessing the power of targeted radiation and applying it to advanced cancers, RLT is designed to deliver treatment directly to target cells anywhere in the body.Novartis is actively investigating the application of RLTs across cancer types and settings, with one of the deepest and most advanced pipelines in the industry, with trials in prostate cancer, breast, colon, lung, brain, pancreatic and other cancers. Novartis has established global expertise, with specialized supply chain and manufacturing capabilities across its network of RLT production sites around the world.This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release; or regarding potential future revenues from such products; or regarding discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions, including discussions regarding our continued investment into new US manufacturing and R&D capabilities. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. Neither can there be any guarantee that the expected benefits from the plans and investments described in this press release will be achieved in the expected timeframe, or at all. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide.Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at(https://www.novartis.com/) and connect with us on(https://www.linkedin.com/company/novartis/),(https://www.facebook.com/novartis/),(https://twitter.com/Novartis) and(https://instagram.com/novartis?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==__;!!N3hqHg43uw!pjp8z253J5NjaOYrW65UbAAlHeHRdQ-w0m4ezZxEQEl0ptafXN2M99VRIk39pf49PAc8NbK93Pxp3uaSBQkAf8oEnzWXG8Sk$). # # # Novartis Media Relations E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com) Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com) The renovated produce arcade is the first new Market experience to open as a part of the Market's $70 million transformation project CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / West Side Market vendors and staff, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and others will officially open the newly renovated KeyBank Produce Arcade during a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1pm on Wednesday, January 14. The arcade's re-opening marks the first completed portion of the Market's larger $70 million transformation project. Previous: KeyBank to Give $1.5 Million to West Side Market's Transformation Project and Food Access Programming, New Produce Arcade to be Named in Their Honor The renovated Arcade, named in recognition of KeyBank's generous and early support of the project, will be home to all of the Market's produce vendors, with new amenities and enhanced experiences for customers and vendors alike. "We are thrilled to welcome Market shoppers into our renovated produce arcade and are grateful for KeyBank's investment that made these renovations possible," says Rosemary Mudry, Executive Director for Cleveland Public Market Corporation (CPMC), the non-profit that manages the Market. "What's exciting is how this showcases the real vision for the whole project: preserved history, enhanced experiences, and all of our customers' favorite vendors are still here." Improvements include climate controlling the full arcade space, with HVAC providing a more comfortable environment for vendors and shoppers, and improving product shelf-life. Refrigerated cases keep produce fresher for longer, while walk-in stands improve customer access to product. Future improvements will include direct elevator access from the Produce Arcade to basement storage. "The needs of our vendors are at the core of the Market's masterplan," explains David Abbott, President of CPMC's Board of Trustees. "Improvements to the Market's infrastructure and physical support systems, balanced with layering on new experiences that meet evolving customer demand, will ensure the Market is a place where small business owners can thrive for the next century." West Side Market is a vital access point to fresh, healthy food within the C ity of Cleveland. Recent customer research indicates that as many as 33% of the Market's visitors live within the City of Cleveland, and more than 25% of the Market's shoppers qualify for SNAP/EBT benefits. The majority of eligible Market vendors accept SNAP/EBT. An improved Produce Arcade, which will also host educational and nutrition programming in the future, will endure as an important resource to the community. "KeyBank is thrilled to welcome guests to the reimagined arcade at Cleveland's iconic West Side Market," said Eric Fiala, KeyBank Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and CEO, KeyBank Foundation. "This investment reflects our deep commitment to our hometown by improving access to fresh, healthy food for families and creating new opportunities for the small businesses that make the Market a cornerstone of our community. We're proud to help preserve this historic landmark and ensure it continues to thrive as a vital resource for generations to come." Amidst the excitement, Mudry emphasizes that customers be patient and support the Market's produce vendors. "While these changes to our arcade are important, they are still changes that will take everyone some time to adjust to," says Mudry. "We encourage our shoppers to come to the Market and support their go-to merchants as they adjust to their new surroundings." The opening of the arcade also marks temporary changes to how many customers enter the Market. From the parking lots, visitors will now enter the KeyBank Produce Arcade and can enter the Market Hall along Lorain Avenue on the building's south side. The North Arcade and the alley between it and the Market Hall are temporarily closed for construction. CPMC has raised more than $58 million of the total $70 million project budget to date. Construction for other major infrastructure improvements, including overhauling the Market's food storage and preparation spaces in the basement, as well as adding power generators and a new refrigeration system, is currently underway. Future enhancements, including expanded seating, an outdoor courtyard, an educational kitchen, and a prepared food space, are still to come. "We are hopeful this day inspires more support from our community," says Abbott. "We will not stop until we bring the full transformation vision to life, so that the Market can truly be called the best public market in America." West Side Market is owned by the City of Cleveland. CPMC took over operations of the Market in April of 2024. ABOUT THE MARKET'S MASTERPLAN The masterplan is the vision for the Market's future. It includes $70 million in capital renovations that will improve daily operations and create opportunities for community building and revenue generation as the groundwork for the West Side Market's next 100 years. The masterplan's four main goals include: Restoring infrastructure and operating systems Including a complete basement renovation Expanding the Market's community impact with neighborhood food access, education, and entrepreneurship programs Enhancing the Market experience by reimagining underused spaces, including: Renovated North Arcade featuring prepared food hall with local businesses Landscaped courtyard with seating Expanded options for public indoor seating Event space in the East Mezzanine Teaching kitchen Commercial kitchen Implementing a sustainable operating model through development of new revenue sources The full plan can be viewed at westsidemarket.org. ABOUT CLEVELAND PUBLIC MARKET CORPORATION Cleveland Public Market Corporation strives to make West Side Market the nation's premier public market by meeting the evolving needs of merchants, customers, and the community. CPMC preserves the city's public market tradition while making the local food system more accessible, equitable, and diverse. ### View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: KeyBank Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: KeyBank View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/west-side-market-cleveland-mayor-justin-bibb-to-open-keybank-produce-1125972 San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - January 11, 2026) - National shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman is notifying investors in StubHub Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: STUB) of the upcoming January 23, 2026, lead plaintiff deadline in a pending securities class action. The firm is investigating whether StubHub's September 2025 Initial Public Offering (IPO) documents failed to disclose critical known trends that resulted in a 143% collapse in free cash flow, as alleged in the pending suit. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR STUBHUB LOSSES Investors who purchased StubHub (STUB) securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's September 2025 IPO and suffered significant losses are encouraged to contact the firm. Case Summary at a Glance Key Detail Information for STUB Investors Ticker Symbol STUB (NYSE) Lead Plaintiff Deadline January 23, 2026 Class Investors in STUB Sep. '25 IPO Core Allegation Failure to disclose adverse vendor payment trends affecting liquidity Financial Impact 143% decline in Free Cash Flow (FCF) Contact Email STUB@hbsslaw.com / 844-916-0895 The StubHub Securities Class Action The suit challenges the transparency of StubHub's disclosures in its IPO Registration Statement. While StubHub's IPO documents allegedly touted its financial health to prospective investors, the lawsuit alleges the company was already experiencing significant changes in the timing of payments to vendors. On Nov. 13, 2025, StubHub reported its first quarterly results as a public company, revealing that Free Cash Flow had plummeted to negative $4.6 million-a stunning 143% decrease from the prior year. The company admitted this was primarily due to "changes in the timing of payments to vendors." Following this revelation, StubHub's stock price dropped over 20% in a single day and has since traded as much as 56% below its $23.50 IPO price. "We are investigating whether StubHub's IPO documents should have disclosed the vendor delayed payment issue," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation of the alleged claims in the pending suit. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) What is the StubHub (STUB) securities lawsuit about? The litigation alleges that StubHub's IPO documents should have disclosed that StubHub was experiencing changes in the timing of payments to vendors and that those changes had a significant adverse impact on free cash flow, including trailing 12 months free cash flow. What is the lead plaintiff deadline for STUB? The deadline to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff is January 23, 2026. You do not need to be a lead plaintiff to share in any potential recovery, but as a lead plaintiff, you can help direct the litigation. If you'd like answers to other frequently asked questions about the StubHub case and the firm's investigation, read more Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding StubHub should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email STUB@hbsslaw.com. # # # About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/280005 Source: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP EQS-News: CPI PROPERTY GROUP / Key word(s): Share Buyback Terms and Conditions of a Buy-Back Offer by the Company 09.01.2026 / 17:39 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. CPI PROPERTY GROUP Societe Anonyme 40, rue de la Vallee L-2661 Luxembourg R.C.S. LUXEMBOURG B 102254 (hereinafter the "Company" or "CPIPG") THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014, AS AMENDED. NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN OR INTO ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF A BUY-BACK OFFER BY THE COMPANY Introduction On 31 May 2023, the shareholders of the Company approved the terms of a share buy-back programme enabling the Company to repurchase up to 1,000,000,000 shares of CPIPG (the "Programme") in accordance with the provisions of article 430-15 of the Luxembourg law of 10 August 1915 on commercial companies, as amended (the "1915 Law"), and have authorized the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") to implement such Programme in one or several steps. On the basis of such authorization, the Board has decided on 9 January 2026, to proceed to a buy-back of certain shares of the Company under the Programme, the terms of which are set forth hereafter (the "Offer"). It is intended that the shares acquired by the Company within the Offer will be cancelled afterwards through a share capital reduction. Conditions of the Offer Shares concerned: CPIPG shares - both listed (ISIN LU0251710041) and unlisted shares. Only fully paid-up shares may be repurchased and such shares must not be subject to any Encumbrance. For the purposes of this Offer, "Encumbrance" means a mortgage, charge, pledge, lien, option, restriction, right of first refusal, right of pre-emption, third party right or interest, other encumbrance or security interest of any kind, or another type of preferential arrangement having similar effect. Participating shareholder: only shareholders holding CPIPG shares on 8 January 2026 at 23:59 (CET time) can participate to the Offer. Conditions of the Offer (the "Conditions"): The Company is willing to repurchase in the context of the Offer a maximum number of up to 200,000,000 CPIPG shares. Shareholders have the ability to present all or part of their shares to the Offer and must indicate the precise number of shares they present to the Offer in their respective Participation Forms (as defined below). If the total number of shares indicated in all Participation Forms (as defined below) exceeds the 200,000,000 shares that the Company is willing to repurchase in the context of the Offer, then the final number of CPIPG shares that the Company will repurchase in the context of the Offer from the shareholders who choose to participate in the Offer (the "Participating Shareholders") shall be calculated on a pro rata basis between the Participating Shareholders, according to the number of CPIPG shares held on 8 January 2026 at 23:59 (CET time) by the Participating Shareholders and within the limit of their respective Participation Form. Thus, the Company may then repurchase fewer shares than the number the Participating Shareholders indicated in their respective Participation Form. This could occur where the total number of shares indicated in all Participation Forms exceeds the 200,000,000 shares that the Company is willing to repurchase in the context of the Offer. In this case, the Participating Shareholders will nonetheless still be obliged to sell to the Company the number of shares that will be calculated by the Company for each Participating Shareholder by applying the pro rata rule mentioned above. If upon application of the above pro rata rule the number of shares that a Participating Shareholder is entitled to sell to the Company is not a whole number of shares, then such number of shares shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares. Then, as a result of the application of the above pro rata rule, the Company may finally repurchase fewer than 200,000,000 shares. The Offer is also conditional to a minimum number of 20,000,000 CPIPG shares being presented to the Offer. If such threshold is not reached, the Offer shall be deemed cancelled and the Company shall have no obligation to repurchase the CPIPG shares presented to the Offer. Price for the shares: The Company proposes to pay a price of EUR 0.776 (zero point seven hundred seventy-six Euros) per share presented to the Offer. Price for the shares shall be paid in cleared funds on the bank account indicated by the Participating Shareholder in the Participation Form mentioned below. Participation to the Offer All shareholders wishing to participate to the Offer must send back to the Company the participation form available on the Company website (the "Participation Form"). The Participation Form must include the number of shares a Participating Shareholder tenders in the Offer. The Participation Form must be accompanied by a proof of shareholding indicating the identification details and the exact number of the Company shares held by the Participating Shareholder on 8 January 2026 at 23:59 (CET time). The proof of shareholding shall be issued by the bank, professional securities' depositary or financial institution where the shares are on deposit. No proof of shareholding is needed for shares that are only recorded in the shareholders register of the Company. By signing such Participation Form and subject to the satisfaction of the Conditions, the Participating Shareholders already agree to enter into a standard share transfer agreement for the repurchase of their shares presented to the Offer and warrant that they are and remain the holders of such shares presented to the Offer, free of any Encumbrance, until the effective transfer of ownership to the Company pursuant to such standard share transfer agreements. All Participation Forms shall be irrevocable and unconditional. The Participation Forms shall be sent to the Company by post or electronic means so that they are received by the Company at the latest by 16:00 CET on 14 January 2026, to: CPI Property Group, 40, rue de la Vallee, L-2661 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; email: generalmeetings@cpipg.com. Timing of the Offer The timing of the Offer shall be the following: 10 January 2026: Opening of the Offer period. 14 January 2026, 16:00 CET: Closing of the Offer period. 14 January 2026, 18:00 CET: Publication of the results of the Offer. If the Conditions are satisfied, standard share transfer agreements shall be sent by the Company to each Participating Shareholder on 14 January 2026. 15 January 2026, 12:00 (noon) CET: Share transfer agreements signed by each Participating Shareholder to be received by the Company. In case agreements are received after this deadline, the Company may, but shall not be obliged to, countersign these agreements and repurchase the CPIPG shares subject to these agreements. 15 January 2026: Countersigning by the Company of the share transfer agreements that were duly received from the Participating Shareholders. 16 January 2026 at the latest: Payment of the relevant purchase price for the shares to the Participating Shareholders by the Company[1]. Legal framework The present Offer is made in compliance with article 430-15 of the 1915 Law. This Offer is neither subject to the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs und Ubernahmegesetz) nor to the Luxembourg law of 19 May 2006 on takeover bids, as amended (Loi du19 mai 2006 portant transposition de la directive 2004/25/CE du Parlement europeen et du Conseil du 21 avril 2004 concernant les offres publiques d'acquisition). Therefore, it has not been and will not be reviewed or approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, BaFin) or by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). All regulatory communications and publications in connection with this Offer (in particular under the provisions of EC Directive EC/2004/109 (as amended), also known as the "Transparency" Directive and of the "Market Abuse" Regulation EU 596/2014 (as amended)) shall be made by the Company. This communication contains inside information as defined in article 7(1) of Regulation (EU) 596/2014 of 16 April 2014, as amended (the Market Abuse Regulation). For the purposes of MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055, this announcement is made by David Greenbaum, Chief Executive Officer at CPI Property Group. Terms of the Offer may be adjusted to address any comments formulated by regulatory authorities or stock exchange. Luxembourg, 9 January 2026 Yours faithfully, The Board of Directors of the Company Contact details (notifying person): David Greenbaum d.greenbaum@cpipg.com Shareholder may direct any questions to the Company at: generalmeetings@cpipg.com CPI PROPERTY GROUP 40, rue de la Vallee L-2661, Luxembourg [1] We note that while the payments by the Company will be made at the latest on 16 January 2026, we cannot guarantee that the settlement of each such payments will occur on the same date. 09.01.2026 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group . The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. View original content: EQS News Regulatory News: Under the liquidity agreement entrusted by emeis (Paris:EMEIS)(the "Company") to Natixis Oddo BHF, the following resources were recorded in the dedicated liquidity account as of 31 December 2025. 70,965 shares - 1,111,687 in cash During the 2025 second half-year, it was carried out a total of: PURCHASE 1,513 transactions 1,158,608 shares 15,241,520.04 SALE 1,604 transactions 1,165,917 shares 15,456,925.47 It is reminded that as of the last half-year review, on 30 June 2025, the following resources were allocated. 78,274 shares - 896,286.87 in cash It is also reminded that as of the date of the signature of the liquidity agreement, on 1 December 2022, the following resources were allocated. 68,000 shares - 415,650.44 in cash1 The aggregated data for each trading day of the 2025 second half-year are as set out in appendix of this press release. 1 It should be noted that the Company decided, on 26 March 2024, to increase the resources allocated to the liquidity contract by 1,000,000. https://www.emeis.com/sites/site_corporate/files/medias/documents/prorpea2024-03-27increaselc.pdf About emeis With nearly 83,500 experts and professionals in the fields of health, care and support for the frail, emeis is present in some twenty countries and covers five business lines: psychiatric clinics, medical care and rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes, homecare services and residences. Every year, emeis welcomes nearly 280,000 residents, patients and beneficiaries. emeis is committed to meeting one of the major challenges facing our society: the growing number of people made vulnerable by accidents, old age and mental illness. In June 2025, emeis became a mission-driven company, incorporating four commitments in its Articles of Association: striving to change the way one looks at the most vulnerables and those close to them, to ensure they are truly included; contributing to the fair recognition and attractiveness of our care professions; making care for the most vulnerable a major contribution to local social cohesion; and innovating to foster a planet-friendly care that respects living things emeis, 50.3% owned by Caisse des Depots, CNP Assurances, MAIF and MACSF Epargne Retraite, is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR001400NLM4) and is a member of the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 indices. Website: www.emeis.com PURCHASES SALES Date Number of purchases transactions Number of share purchases For a total amount of Number of sales transactions Number of share sales For a total amount of Total 1513 1158608 15241520 1604 1165917 15456925,5 01/07/2025 8 6976 77639,16 3 5553 63063,57 02/07/2025 6 4354 49094,74 26 16659 191041,71 03/07/2025 18 15897 186509,57 9 11106 131865,24 04/07/2025 6 6924 80560,74 6 5605 66080,35 07/07/2025 15 15579 178587,27 6 7701 89300,99 08/07/2025 4 5193 59079,03 9 11132 127906,68 09/07/2025 12 12117 136523,97 11 9359 106878,15 10/07/2025 4 5193 61848,63 27 21404 257342,27 11/07/2025 26 20957 248761,04 6 5553 67691,07 14/07/2025 11 3278 37228,88 5 1852 21501,52 15/07/2025 28 15979 180232,43 3 3702 42535,98 16/07/2025 5 3462 38462,82 5 5553 62323,17 17/07/2025 5 6924 75650,7 9 9255 102082,65 18/07/2025 9 10386 112791,96 13 5553 61157,04 21/07/2025 3 3462 36731,82 5 3702 39574,38 22/07/2025 6 5193 55253,52 3 3702 39759,48 23/07/2025 0 0 0 13 5553 60101,97 24/07/2025 17 10386 110022,36 9 1851 19990,8 25/07/2025 5 3559 37838,59 28 26595 296170,5 28/07/2025 7 3715 43999,93 20 26236 318372,24 29/07/2025 27 22196 277185,06 27 17440 221653,11 30/07/2025 56 43654 523349,22 3 807 10160,13 31/07/2025 0 0 0 61 47319 625461,87 01/08/2025 23 13848 185528,58 14 11106 150375,24 04/08/2025 20 20773 276281,12 1 1 13,52 05/08/2025 3 3462 44504,01 0 0 0 06/08/2025 10 8656 111766,51 5 3703 48787 07/08/2025 7 6925 88466,89 12 7405 95135,68 08/08/2025 3 3463 44707,38 4 3703 48101,94 11/08/2025 6 3463 45573,01 18 12958 173507,32 12/08/2025 9 6925 91669,92 10 5554 74368,14 13/08/2025 4 5194 68647,63 5 3703 50508,76 14/08/2025 4 3463 45988,49 22 14809 199995,17 15/08/2025 6 1732 23572,69 17 9266 128631,29 18/08/2025 3 1732 24092,21 14 7405 104725,07 19/08/2025 21 12118 169807,97 11 10635 150345,16 20/08/2025 16 5176 71998,16 5 2324 33024,48 21/08/2025 9 6574 95747,71 30 25915 378006,92 22/08/2025 10 3463 51096,61 5 3703 55304,17 25/08/2025 19 19392 283892,63 6 1851 27931,59 26/08/2025 44 27683 372919,1 0 0 0 27/08/2025 17 10386 133875,54 5 3922 50982,98 28/08/2025 16 8655 109139,55 7 5680 72696,6 29/08/2025 17 10386 127851,66 9 5553 69171,87 01/09/2025 14 12117 146217,57 2 3662 44643,78 02/09/2025 25 17310 200363,25 0 0 0 03/09/2025 14 12117 134966,07 8 7404 83128,41 04/09/2025 16 6924 75887,04 17 12957 143693,13 05/09/2025 14 8655 96503,25 15 7404 83961,36 08/09/2025 15 13848 151064,37 11 7404 80814,66 09/09/2025 3 3462 37424,22 12 12917 141776,73 10/09/2025 0 0 0 30 18510 212346,72 11/09/2025 5 5193 60463,83 18 21990 261769,57 12/09/2025 12 8655 104638,95 16 11026 134332,9 15/09/2025 15 10386 125064,75 13 9175 112032,35 16/09/2025 2 3462 41405,52 4 5433 65503,87 17/09/2025 15 12117 144105,75 19 5433 65503,87 18/09/2025 2 1731 20962,41 25 16419 199795,52 19/09/2025 2 1731 21273,99 24 12797 158229,65 22/09/2025 20 13848 169776,48 2 3662 45005,98 23/09/2025 11 8655 107148,9 19 10986 137947,54 24/09/2025 0 0 0 32 25007 326626,86 25/09/2025 11 8796 117926,16 16 10866 146582,34 26/09/2025 10 12117 165068,16 19 18110 250280,2 29/09/2025 6 6924 95966,64 25 18521 258203,29 30/09/2025 23 25965 366539,25 36 27070 392873,04 01/10/2025 11 10387 153225,51 12 11449 171190,92 02/10/2025 16 20772 304656 5 4293 64065,87 03/10/2025 21 13848 201419,16 11 8586 126571,95 06/10/2025 40 27696 387761,31 0 0 0 07/10/2025 3 4085 56586,95 14 11448 160873,02 08/10/2025 8 8655 126103,35 16 14310 210929,4 09/10/2025 0 0 0 18 14310 215794,8 10/10/2025 34 28696 442407,35 19 19423 305223,77 13/10/2025 6 6943 104891,42 23 12448 189857,69 14/10/2025 16 10481 156880,39 8 8155 123855,66 15/10/2025 15 12003 184481,13 21 11905 187196,15 16/10/2025 10 13848 205954,38 6 2862 43473,78 17/10/2025 16 10370 149742,51 3 317 4624,93 20/10/2025 20 13243 187052,02 32 8742 125143,46 21/10/2025 12 6925 95392,2 5 1432 19776,21 22/10/2025 9 8655 118313,85 2 2862 39323,88 23/10/2025 3 5193 72753,93 16 16701 234650,49 24/10/2025 5 6924 97178,34 9 8586 121692,24 27/10/2025 2 3462 49714,32 28 12879 186902,91 28/10/2025 22 19041 269499,39 7 7155 102588,39 29/10/2025 4 6924 103929,24 43 38820 596003,87 30/10/2025 38 31158 464860,05 0 0 0 31/10/2025 9 12117 176163,87 6 7155 105736,59 03/11/2025 16 13848 194685,57 12 5728 83185,55 04/11/2025 17 6924 94114,47 18 8586 118257,84 05/11/2025 8 6924 93183,57 1 1431 19590,39 06/11/2025 9 6783 89586,12 6 3862 51569,08 07/11/2025 30 14848 192033,88 8 10017 130263,93 10/11/2025 0 0 0 62 38637 537283,26 11/11/2025 5 3463 48689,96 9 4294 61790,51 12/11/2025 19 13848 191742,87 2 1435 20218,75 13/11/2025 9 6975 95449,05 8 5720 79164,2 14/11/2025 16 8604 115682,04 2 1431 19304,19 17/11/2025 12 8655 115007,64 6 7155 95662,35 18/11/2025 22 6924 91223,7 11 10017 133884,36 19/11/2025 22 10387 136758,87 8 5724 75785,76 20/11/2025 15 15578 202496,68 24 5724 75814,38 21/11/2025 6 5193 66868,53 3 2862 37206 24/11/2025 2 1731 22520,31 16 10017 132424,74 25/11/2025 11 12117 161623,47 12 11448 154004,22 26/11/2025 4 5193 68426,43 8 4294 57353,36 27/11/2025 1 1731 22693,41 7 4292 57040,78 28/11/2025 7 6925 92864,29 6 2863 38550,28 01/12/2025 17 9786 129376,92 13 8355 111695,73 02/12/2025 12 4293 56710,53 8 8655 115544,25 03/12/2025 10 8586 114408,45 2 3462 46702,38 04/12/2025 2 2862 38236,32 5 5193 70088,19 05/12/2025 5 2862 38093,22 19 6324 84994,56 08/12/2025 1 1 13,5 30 15211 210412,62 09/12/2025 5 5724 80050,14 5 2862 40325,58 10/12/2025 8 7155 101529,45 11 7155 102617,01 11/12/2025 23 17172 234426,42 2 1431 20305,89 12/12/2025 15 11448 152372,88 12 8440 114992,18 15/12/2025 2 1431 18760,41 6 4593 60551,67 16/12/2025 14 8586 110516,13 0 0 0 17/12/2025 11 9586 120493,26 1 1431 18159,39 18/12/2025 7 4293 52703,73 5 5724 71263,8 19/12/2025 0 0 0 29 20634 269245,98 22/12/2025 2 2862 38665,62 22 17056 233370,73 23/12/2025 6 2862 39953,52 5 5724 80937,36 24/12/2025 17 7155 98366,94 0 0 0 29/12/2025 4 1801 24961,7 6 5401 75073,7 30/12/2025 16 5400 75438 17 9000 127350 31/12/2025 5 3800 54580 3 750 10785 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109388078/en/ Contacts: Press Contacts Isabelle HERRIER NAUFLE Medias e-reputation Director +33 7 70 29 53 74 isabelle.herrier@emeis.com IMAGE 7 Charlotte LE BARBIER // Laurence HEILBRONN +33 6 78 37 27 60 // +336 89 87 61 37 clebarbier@image7.fr // lheilbronn@image7.fr Investor Relations Samuel HENRY DIESBACH Investor Relations Director samuel.henry-diesbach@emeis.com Toll-free number for shareholders (from France Only) 0 805 480 480 NEWCAP Dusan ORESANSKY +33 1 44 71 94 94 emeis@newcap.eu New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 15, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Skye Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYE) between November 4, 2024 and October 3, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 16, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Skye securities 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 Skye class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48064 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 16, 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 litigate 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 has 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 made materially false and misleading statements regarding Skye's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) nimacimab was less effective than defendants had led investors to believe; (2) accordingly, nimacimab's clinical, regulatory, and commercial prospects were overstated; and (3) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Skye Bioscience class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48064 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. ------------------------------- To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/280562 Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA LONDON, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- M&G Investments (M&G) today announces that it has led a US$50 million Series C funding round for bit.bio , the Cambridge-based biotech company pioneering next-generation human cell programming technology. The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK. The funding will enable bit.bio to accelerate the development of, and access to, its products, scale its operations globally, expand into the multi-billion toxicology market, bolster its manufacturing operations and generate industry-leading datasets for AI model training. The company's ioCells human cell products are used by leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies and academic institutions globally. Through the creation of human cells and models for research, drug discovery, and toxicology, bit.bio is leading the global transition towards human-relevant New Approach Methodologies1 (NAMs), which use advanced cell-based and computational models instead of animal testing, and are reshaping how medicines are developed with greater predictiveness. M&G has invested through its Crossover strategy within its public equity business on behalf of M&G Life's 130 billion With Profits Fund and its 4.5 million UK policyholders. Crossover provides patient growth equity to high-quality, fast-growing private companies, enabling their eventual crossover into public markets. In addition, bit.bio and M&G are pleased to announce that Lord David Prior - who has held distinguished leadership roles in UK Life Sciences innovation, health policy and governance for more than two decades - joins as an independent director and new Board Chair. Przemek Obloj, Chief Executive of bit.bio, said: "By providing reliable human cells for research and safety testing, we're helping to accelerate drug development and build a world class life sciences business in the UK. Our technology reduces reliance on animal testing while improving the relevance and accuracy of pre-clinical research. With fresh backing from M&G and our wider investor base, we can accelerate development, from in silico model training through our most established in vitro discovery models and towards safety testing." Cornel Chiriac, Investment Director of Crossover, M&G Investments, said: "The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK. bit.bio's platform makes cell programming reliable, scalable, and commercially ready in a rapidly evolving field. As a long-term investor, M&G is committed to backing the next generation of UK businesses and driving economic progress. With a growing global footprint, bit.bio is a UK success story poised for international growth." Lord David Prior concluded: "bit.bio's technology is world class and the opportunity is now converting that advantage into sustained commercial performance. I look forward to supporting the team as it expands its customer reach and becomes a key partner for pharmaceutical, biotech and research organisations worldwide." Notes to Editors New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are innovative scientific approaches to drug discovery, development and safety testing that do not rely on traditional animal testing. They include advanced techniques such as cell-based assays, computer modelling, and organ-on-a-chip systems, providing more human-relevant data while supporting ethical and regulatory goals. If you require any further information, please contact M&G Media Relations Rebecca Talbot George Greenstreet Tel: 07827 820428 Tel: 07900 511020 Rebecca.talbot@mandg.com George.greenstreet@mandg.com bit.bio Media Relations Amy Flores Spark PR Amy.flores@sparkpr.com About Lord David Prior Lord David Prior has played a key role in UK life sciences innovation, health policy, and governance for more than two decades with distinguished leadership roles, including Chair of the NHS England Board, Chair of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, and Member of Parliament and long-standing member of the House of Lords. About bit.bio bit.bio, the global leader in cell programming technology, is creating functional, human-relevant cells and models at industrial scale to accelerate research, drug discovery and development, while facilitating the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Product development is fuelled by its AI-enabled discovery platform that identifies unique transcription factor combinations to program desired cell types, and its patented opti-ox technology that precisely converts induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into these cell types assuring unprecedented purity, consistency, and scalability. bit.bio's' expanding ioCells portfolio comprises more than 50 products, including ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, ioCRISPR-Ready Cells, and ioTracker Cells. Since spinning out from the University of Cambridge in 2016, bit.bio has raised over $200m from leading investors including Arch Venture, BlueYard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience, and Tencent. Read bit.bio's 2025 Sustainability Report About M&G Investments M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investments company with 365 billion of assets under management (as at 30 September 2025). M&G plc has customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members. For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate. M&G plc recognises the importance of responsible investing, is a signatory (both as an asset manager and owner) to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and is targeting net zero emissions by 2050, across our investment portfolios and operations. For more information, please visit: www.mandg.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2606227/bit_bio_logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mg-champions-uk-innovation-in-drug-discovery-by-leading-us50-million-funding-round-for-biotech-company-bitbio-302657492.html Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Everyday People Financial Corp. (TSXV: EPF) (OTCQB: EPFCF) ("Everyday People" or the "Company"), a technology-driven financial services provider, is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, BPO Collections Limited ("BPO"), has successfully completed the acquisition of ACT Credit Management Limited ("ACT") as of January 7, 2026 (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition follows approval by the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") in the United Kingdom ("UK") received on December 16, 2025, in connection with the share purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") dated November 6, 2025. "The successful closing of the ACT Acquisition marks a significant milestone and our fifth acquisition in expanding our UK revenue cycle management ("RCM") operations," said Graham Rankin, Co-CEO RCM (UK) of the Company. "ACT's strong reputation and operational expertise meaningfully enhance our RCM platform and align with our disciplined acquisition strategy. We anticipate ACT to contribute an annual EBITDA in the range of approximately C$750 thousand to C$1.0 million, with anticipated revenue to be in the range of C$6.0 million to C$9.0 million, further supporting the Company's steady growth through targeted acquisitions." Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, BPO acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares in ACT. The Company did not assume any of ACT's existing debt. The Acquisition was funded through existing cash flow, and no shares were issued. Founded over a decade ago, ACT provides comprehensive debt collection and credit management services across the UK and is authorized and regulated by the FCA. Its client base spans multiple industries, offering specialized services in debt recovery, tracing, credit reporting, and legal enforcement. Shares for Debt On January 8, 2026, the Company entered into debt settlement agreements (the "Debt Settlement") with four independent directors of the Company to settle accrued directors' fees. Pursuant to the Debt Settlement, the Company has agreed to settle an aggregate of $291,500 in unpaid directors' fees in 2025 (the "Debt") through the issuance of an aggregate of 435,075 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Settlement Shares") at a deemed price of $0.67 per common share. The Settlement Shares will be issued in full and final satisfaction of the Debt. This initiative reflects the Company's ongoing efforts to enhance its financial position by reducing liabilities and preserving cash to support operational needs and drive strategic growth. The transaction constitutes a "shares for debt" transaction pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") Policy 4.3 Shares for Debt and is subject to the acceptance of the TSXV. The Settlement Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSXV policies. The issuance of the Settlement Shares constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as provided in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, since the fair market value of the Settlement Shares issued, and the consideration paid, does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The transaction was approved by the Company's disinterested directors, and the participating directors abstained from voting on the approval of the transaction. No finder's fees or commissions were paid in connection with the transaction. Quarterly Issuance of Shares for Services The Company has issued the following shares for services, pursuant to the advisory agreement and amending agreement (together, the "Agreement") with an independent consultant previously disclosed on July 10, 2025. For the quarterly three-month period ending December 31, 2025, the Company paid the consultant $5,000 cash and an aggregate of $10,000 payable in common shares in the capital of the Company. For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, the Company issued an aggregate of 14,202 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") at deemed prices per Share as set out below, as compensation for services rendered under the Agreement: $5,000 cash plus 6,849 Shares at a price of $0.73 per Share for October 2025 services $Nil cash plus 7,353 Shares at a price of $0.68 per Share for November 2025 services No cash or Shares were issued for December 2025 services The Shares are subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws and policies of the TSXV. The consultant is an arm's length party to the Company, and the issuance of the Shares does not constitute a related party transaction or result in the creation of a new control person or insider of the Company. Subject to TSXV approval, the Company will issue a news release at least once per calendar quarter disclosing the number of common shares issued and the deemed value per common share in exchange for the services rendered. This news release is being issued in accordance with section 6.2(m)(i) of TSXV Policy 4.4. As of the date of this news release the Company has 129,201,636 common shares issued and outstanding. Issuance of Restricted Share Units On December 31, 2025, as previously approved by the Board, the Company issued 37,500 RSUs to one officer pursuant to the terms of the Company's Omnibus Share Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). Each RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share upon vesting. These RSUs will vest one year from the grant date. Omnibus Share Incentive Plan The Company's Plan provides for the grant RSUs, options ("Options"), performance share units ("PSUs" and together with the RSUs, "Share Units") and deferred share units ("DSUs" and together with the Options and Share Units, "Awards"). The Plan includes a "rolling" stock option plan component that sets the maximum number of common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") reserved for issuance, in the aggregate, pursuant to the exercise of Options granted thereunder, together with the number of Common Shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the settlement of Share Units and DSUs granted under the Plan and the number of Common Shares reserved for issuance pursuant to any other security based compensation arrangement of the Company, at 10% of the number of Common Shares issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis from time to time. In addition, the Plan sets the maximum number of Common Shares reserved for issuance, in the aggregate, pursuant to the settlement of Share Units and DSUs granted under the Plan at 5,000,000 Common Shares. The Company's Plan was last annually approved by the Company's shareholders at its annual and special meeting held September 29, 2025, and subsequently received annual approval from the TSX Venture Exchange on September 30, 2025. About Everyday People Financial Corp. Everyday People Financial Corp. is a technology-driven financial services company with a mission to help individuals and businesses manage money better. First established in 1988, we have a workforce of over 600 people operating in the United Kingdom and Canada providing fully fee-for-service solutions across two business pillars operating in Canada and the United Kingdom. RCM, which helps organizations recover receivables and streamline billing processes without purchasing consumer debt, and Financial Services, which provides digital tools and credit access programs that support Canadians on their financial journey. Founded on the belief that everyone deserves a second chance to rebuild financial health and wealth, the Company is committed to providing affordable, innovative, and responsible financial solutions that create lasting value for our clients, customers, and shareholders. We are changing the way people manage money by enhancing our client and consumer services with our own affordability assessment programs with specialized financial products and literacy programs. We're helping everyday people rebuild their financial health for generational wealth. We stand for creativity and entrepreneurship. Our combination of companies, products and services has been established to ensure we can fulfill consumers' financial needs and service them in a low-cost and effective manner. For more information visit: www.everydaypeoplefinancial.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes or may include certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to financial performance, and key financial metrics, results of operations, integration of the acquired businesses, and the business, plans, strategy and operations of the Company. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, expectations and assumptions concerning the Company and the acquired businesses as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. 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. 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 required by law. Disclaimer This news release is not an offer of the securities for sale in the United States. The securities described in this news release have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended) absent registration or an exemption from registration. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which where such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. 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. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279931 Source: Everyday People Financial Corp. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Rektron Group Inc. (CSE:REK.U)(FRA:F75) ("Rektron" or the "Company"), a global commodity trading group with subsidiaries that specialise in trading energy, metals, and energy transition commodities, announces that the High Court of Justice delivered a judgment ordering the winding up of 61 Merchant Group Limited ("61 Merchant Group") and 37 AQ Merchants Limited ("37 AQ Merchants"), effective January 7, 2026. In June 2025, the Administrators of Artis Loanco 1 PLC (a subsidiary of Artis Finance Ltd. ("Artis")), which was under administration) filed a winding-up petition (the "Petition") against the Company's indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries 61 Merchant Group (formerly DL Hudson Limited) and 37 AQ Merchants (formerly Rektron AQ Limited) ordering that 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants commence winding-up proceedings. The Petition was filed in connection with an ongoing trade dispute between Artis and 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants. After Artis went into administration, the Administrators issued a statutory demand notice to 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants for a sum of US$46,023,145.31. 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants contested the demand notice and requested further information as 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants were of the position that they did not owe the amount stated in the notice to Artis. Despite this, the Administrators proceeded to file the Petition. 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants contested the claim and filed evidence to demonstrate that this amount was not payable to Artis. Prior to the hearing in respect of the Petition, an injunction preventing the advertisement of the Petition was ordered, allowing constructive discussions between the Administrators and 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants to continue. Throughout the period of the injunction, the Company maintained its legal position and believed, based on legal advice received, that they had reasonable grounds to seek dismissal of the Petition. On November 11, 2025, the Insolvency and Companies Court in London delivered the judgment in favour of the Administrators and ordered that the winding up of 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants pursuant to the Petition will not be struck and that any notice or advertisement of the judgement shall not take place before November 14, 2025. Following the delivery of the judgement, 61 Merchant Group, 37 AQ Merchants and the Administrators mutually agreed to an initial stay of the judgment (the "Stay") (including a prohibition on the public disclosure or advertisement of the Judgement) for a period of seven (7) days from the date of the judgement, which was further extended as agreed to by 61 Merchant Group, 37 AQ Merchants and the Administrators. The purpose of the Stay was to enable both parties to continue discussions regarding a mutually agreeable resolution. Discussions were ultimately unsuccessful, and the Petition was advertised on December 22, 2025. On January 7, 2026, the High Court of Justice ruled in favour of Artis to wind up 61 Merchant Group and 37 AQ Merchants. Following this final judgment, the Company assures its shareholders that it is working on a remediation and restructuring plan aimed at addressing the insolvency proceedings and preserving the Company's underlying value, subject to court and regulatory approval. Additional information regarding the court proceedings and wind-down will be made available in due course. Resignation of Director The company further announces that Satyam Bhasin has resigned from the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Company thanks Mr. Bhasin for his valuable contributions and service to the Board and wishes him success in his future endeavors. The Company will assess the composition of its Board in order to appoint a replacement in due course. About Rektron Group Inc. Rektron Group Inc. (CSE:REK.U) (FRA:F75) through its subsidiaries is a global physical commodities trading and infrastructure company. Focused on delivering sustainable supply chain operations, across energy and metals commodity markets. The Company's vertically integrated model combines physical commodity trading, logistics, structured financing, and risk management under one platform, enabling efficient and secure global trade. Through its core divisions the Company is positioned at the intersection of industrial growth and the global energy transition. Rektron is committed to driving long-term value through innovation, responsible resource management, and a strategic focus on circular economy principles and low-carbon solutions. Please visit www.rektrongroup.com for further information. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to Rektron's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rektron's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, other factors set forth under "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended July 31, 2024 and dated November 25, 2024, and other continuous disclosure documents available on the Company's profile on SEDAR+. Rektron undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Rektron to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jigar Desai, Chief Financial Officer Rektron Group Inc. jd@rektrongroup.com +44 7814 751590 SOURCE: Rektron Group Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/rektron-group-announces-grant-of-order-to-wind-up-subsidiaries-a-1126130 KELOWNA, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Avant Brands Inc. (TSX:AVNT)(OTCQX:AVTBF)(FRA:1BU0) ("Avant" or the "Company"), a leading producer of innovative and award-winning cannabis products, announces that its board of directors (the "Board") has approved the adoption of a shareholder rights plan (the "Shareholder Rights Plan"), pursuant to a shareholder rights plan agreement entered into with Computershare Investor Services Inc., as rights agent, dated and effective January 9, 2026. The purpose of the Shareholder Rights Plan is to provide the Board and shareholders of the Company with adequate time to consider and evaluate any unsolicited take-over bid; to provide the Board with time to identify, solicit, develop and negotiate value-enhancing alternatives, as may be considered appropriate, in response to any unsolicited take-over bid; and to encourage potential bidders to treat Avant's shareholders fairly in connection with an unsolicited take-over bid and provide shareholders with full and fair value for their shares. The Shareholder Rights Plan is similar to modern rights plans adopted by other Canadian public companies and ratified by their shareholders. It was not adopted in response to any specific proposal or intention to acquire control of the Company. The Shareholder Rights Plan has been conditionally accepted by the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"), subject to certain customary conditions, including ratification by Avant's shareholders at its annual general meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting"), to be held in May 2026. If ratified by shareholders of Avant at the Meeting, the Shareholder Rights Plan will remain in effect for a term of three years following such ratification. A copy of the complete Shareholder Rights Plan will be available under Avant's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.avantbrands.ca. About Avant Brands Inc. Avant Brands Inc. (TSX: AVNT) (OTCQX: AVTBF) (FRA: 1BU0) is a leading innovator in premium cannabis products, driven by a commitment to exceptional quality and craftsmanship. As one of Canada's largest indoor producers, the company operates multiple production facilities across the country, cultivating unique and high-quality cannabis strains. Avant offers a diverse product portfolio catering to recreational, medical, and export markets. Its renowned consumer brands, including blk mkt, Tenzo, Cognoscente, flowr, and Treehugger, are available in key recreational markets across Canada. The company's international footprint spans Australia, Israel, and Germany, with its flagship brand blk mkt leading the way. Avant also serves qualified medical patients nationwide through its GreenTec medical cannabis brand, accessible via the GreenTec Medical portal and trusted partner network. Avant is a publicly traded company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and accessible to international investors through the OTCQX Best Market (OTCQX) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA). Headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia, the company operates in strategic locations throughout Canada. Learn More: For more information about Avant, including investor presentations and details about its consumer brands, please visit the company website: www.avantbrands.ca. Investor Relations: For inquiries, please contact: Avant Brands Investor Relations 1-800-351-6358 ir@avantbrands.ca Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, which reflects the current expectations, estimates, and projections of Avant regarding future events, performance, or results. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "may," "could," "would," "should," and similar expressions. Forward-looking information in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning: the expected timing of the Meeting; the ratification of the Shareholder Rights Plan by shareholders; and the final approval of the Shareholder Rights Plan by the TSX and the timing thereof. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions that management believes to be reasonable as of the date of this news release, including assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions and regulatory stability. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These risks include, among others, there being no assurance that the shareholders of the Company will ratify the adoption of the Shareholder Rights Plan or that the Company will obtain the final approval of the TSX for the implementation of the Shareholder Rights Plan; and the risk factors detailed in the Company's Annual Information Form dated February 28, 2025, and other continuous disclosure filings available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Avant disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Avant Brands Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/avant-brands-adopts-shareholder-rights-plan-1126039 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - FluroTech Ltd. (TSXV: TEST.H) ("FluroTech" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has applied to the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") for the resumption of trading of its common shares. The Company's shares were halted on December 20, 2023, pending completion of a proposed transaction with Great Slave Helicopters 2018 Ltd. ("GS Heli"). The definitive agreement with GS Heli was terminated on October 7, 2024 due to unfavorable market conditions and events outside the Company's control. The Company is actively working with the TSXV to resume trading of its common shares on the NEX board. The Company remains committed to identifying and evaluating new assets and business opportunities to support its reactivation and growth. AGM Deficiency The Company acknowledges that it has not held its annual general meeting ("AGM") within the required timeframe, resulting in an AGM deficiency under TSXV policies. The last AGM was held on May 31, 2024. The Company intends to call and hold its AGM as soon as practicable, with notice to shareholders to follow. The AGM will address the election of directors, appointment of auditors, and other matters required for compliance. Appointment of Chief Financial Officer The Company is pleased to announce that effective October 6, 2025, Reem Chalhoub has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer. Reem Chalhoub succeeds Curtis Smith, who has departed the Company. The Board thanks Curtis for his contributions and wishes him well in his future endeavors. Reem Chalhoub is a seasoned accountant with over 10 years of executive financial leadership. As a strategic financial leader, she has successfully secured more than $50 million in financing and led private equity business buyouts, bringing deep expertise in M&A transactions, investor relations, and corporate restructuring. Reem launched her career at PwC, where she worked with multinational corporations such as Bayer and Ford, contributing to large-scale audits and complex public financial reporting. She later served as the Head of Corporate Finance at Ecolab Canada, driving strategic financial initiatives at a national level. Reem offers CFO services, partnering with CEOs and investors to craft and execute high-impact financial strategies. Her ability to scale businesses and optimize financial performance makes her a trusted advisor to growth-focused companies. "Adding Reem to the team helps FluroTech reduce costs and position itself strategically as we continue to explore reverse merger opportunities. The Company is always assessing opportunities across different industries, but with gold hitting record highs, we see real potential here in Canada to partner with a mining company that brings strong technical expertise and a long term vision for growth," said Richard Paolone, CEO of the Company. About FluroTech Ltd. FluroTech Ltd. was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) on May 24, 2018. FluroTech is currently inactive with limited operations, and the Common Shares of FluroTech are currently halted on the NEX. FluroTech has no commercial operations and no assets other than cash and is a reporting issuer in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Forward-Looking Statements 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 in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the application for resumption of trading on the NEX board, the Company's intention to call and hold an AGM, and the Company's strategic focus on potential partnerships with mining companies. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/279968 Source: FluroTech Ltd. Over the last many years, Faissal has levied serious allegations against his brother and his family of drugging, torturing him, and keeping him under house arrest forcefully Aamir Khan and his brother Faissal Khan came together for the 2000 dud Mela that completed 26 years on January 7. Over the last many years, Faissal has levied serious allegations against his brother and his family of drugging, torturing him, and keeping him under house arrest forcefully. The Lagaan actor kept his silence up until now, but finally addressed them. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Aamir Khan said, Kya karein (What should I do)? Im destined for that. How can you fight your own family when you can battle the entire world? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Faissal Khan on his fallout with brother Aamir Khan Faissal Khan has recently claimed that the Sitaare Zameen Par star has locked him up for a year in Mumbai. He revealed that his family said he had schizophrenia, was a mad person and can harm society. In an interview with Pinkvilla, the actor also revealed, I tried to call Shah Rukh Khan also. He didnt entertain me. Mannat ke bahar gaya tha main. Aamir Khans family issues statement We are distressed by Faissals hurtful and misleading portrayal of his mother Zeenat Tahir Husain, his sister Nikhat Hegde, and his brother Aamir. As this is not the first time he has misrepresented these events, we feel it necessary to clarify our intentions, and reaffirm our solidarity as a family. It is important to share that every choice regarding Faissal has been taken collectively as a family, in consultation with multiple medical professionals, and has been based on love, compassion, and a desire to support his emotional and psychological wellbeing. For this reason, we have refrained from publicly discussing the details of a painful and difficult period for our family. Games View All Family Members Reena Datta, Junaid Khan, Ira Khan, Farhat Datta, Rajiv Datta, Kiran Rao, Santosh Hegde, Seher Hegde, Mansoor Khan, Nuzhat Khan, Imran Khan, Tina Fonseca, Zayn Marie Khan, Pablo Khan Renowned and influential figures from Hindi cinema as well as political circles have heaped praise on the performances, bold storytelling and the intent to cast a strong impact Junglee Pictures HAQ, starring Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi as leads, has made waves ever since it released on Netflix. After igniting nationwide conversation upon its excellent theatrical release, HAQ keeps the ball rolling with its OTT release too. Renowned and influential figures from Hindi cinema as well as political circles have heaped praise on the performances, bold storytelling and the intent to cast a strong impact. Farah Khan shared the films poster on her social media handle and wrote, @ yamigautam get ready to receive every award! Outstanding performance! @therealemraan ur best to date. Kiara Advani joined in saying, Just watched Haq on Netflix @yamigautam what a beautiful performance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Casting Director Panchami Ghavri expressed, Possibly the best performance by a female actor in a decade @ yamigautam this is one for the books. I was sitting with my tissue box wondering how you performed this with so much ease, depth and pain. Ufff take a bow! If you havent already, find a quiet corner and watch HAQ! Politician Priyanka Chaturvedi (MP - Rajya Sabha) shared on X, While everyone was keen to hear Trump on Venezuela, I chose to watch Haq, a movie I hoped to see on the big screen but saw it on Netflix. A hat tip to the courage of Shah Bano and those who stood by her in times where women across religion chose silence over dignity. She stood tall and she fought not just for herself but thousands of women who are made to believe that their fate is decided by society or their religious belief. Kudos to the superb cast and production crew of the movie. It will forever be a sad tragedy that a hard fought case was overturned by the parliament due to the advice of a few religious extremists. Directed by Suparn S Varma, HAQ is inspired by the landmark Supreme Court judgement. HAQ stars Emraan Hashmi, Yami Gautam Dhar and it also features debutant Vartika Singh, and powerhouse performers Sheeba Chaddha, Danish Hussain, and Aseem Hattangady. It explores themes of the Uniform Civil Code, Triple Talaq, and gender equality before the law. Written by Reshu Nath, HAQ is produced by Junglee Pictures, in association with Insomnia Films and Baweja Studios. Games View All Its the latest convoluted turn in the former Hollywood honchos path through the criminal justice system. His landmark #MeToo-era case has spanned seven years Harvey Weinstein returns to court Thursday, seeking to get his latest sex crime conviction thrown out because anger and apprehensions flared among jurors during deliberations last spring. Its the latest convoluted turn in the former Hollywood honchos path through the criminal justice system. His landmark #MeToo-era case has spanned seven years, trials in two states, a reversal in one and a retrial that came to a messy end in New York last year. Weinstein was convicted of forcing oral sex on one woman, acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on another, and the jury didnt decide on a rape charge involving a third woman a charge prosecutors vowed to retry yet again. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Weinstein, 73, denies all the charges. They were one outgrowth of a stack of sexual harassment and sex assault allegations against him that emerged publicly in 2017 and ensuing years, fueling the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. Early on, Weinstein apologized for the way Ive behaved with colleagues in the past, while also denying that he ever had non-consensual sex. At trial, Weinsteins lawyers argued that the women willingly accepted his advances in hopes of getting work in various capacities in show business, then falsely accused him to net settlement funds and attention. The split verdict last June came after multiple jurors took the unusual step of asking to brief the judge on behind-the-scenes tensions. In a series of exchanges partly in open court, one juror complained that others were shunning one of the panel members; the foreperson alluded to jurors pushing people verbally and talking about Weinsteins past in a way the juror thought improper; yet a third juror opined that discussions were going well. The foreperson later came forward again to complain to the judge about being pressured to change his mind, then said he feared for his safety because a fellow panelist had said he would see me outside. The foreperson eventually refused to continue deliberating. Games View All In court, Judge Curtis Farber cited the secrecy of ongoing deliberations and reminded jurors not to disclose the content or tenor of them. Since the trial, Weinsteins lawyers have talked with the first juror who openly complained and with another who didnt. In sworn statements, the two said they didnt believe Weinstein was guilty, but had given in because of other jurors verbal aggression. One said that after a fellow juror insulted her intelligence and suggested the judge should remove her, she was so afraid that she called two relatives that night and told them to come look for me if they didnt hear from me, since something was not right about this jury deliberation process. All jurors identities were redacted in court filings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Weinsteins lawyers contend the tensions amounted to threats that poisoned the process, and that the judge didnt look into them enough before denying the defenses repeated requests for a mistrial. Weinsteins attorneys are asking him to discard the conviction or, at least, conduct a hearing about the jury strains. Prosecutors maintain that the judge was presented with claims about scattered instances of contentious interactions and handled them appropriately. Jurors later sworn statements are belied, prosecutors say, by other comments from one of the same jury members. He told the media right after the trial that there was just high tension in the group. Prosecutors also said the forepersons concerns about discussions of Weinsteins past were vague and the topic wasnt entirely off-limits. Testimony covered, for example, 2017 media reports about decades of sexual harassment allegations against him. The judge is expected to respond Thursday. He could set the conviction aside, order a hearing or let the verdict stand without any further action. Whatever he decides could be appealed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, prosecutors have said theyre prepared to retry Weinstein on the rape charge the jury couldnt decide last spring. Currently being held in New York, he also is appealing a rape conviction in Los Angeles. Lopezs son also made a lot of noise recently when he won $500,000 in a MrBeast YouTube challenge, and now, the father also intends to make his family proud Reality show Beast Games Season 2 seems to be gaining everyones attention, and even more popular is contestant Jesse Lopez. This is a man who knows the drill and understands the pressure of reality shows and what it takes to survive. Jesse Lopez is player 64 and part of the Smart group, one of the two teams created by MrBeast. The other group is called Strong. What makes his story special Lopezs son also made a lot of noise recently when he won $500,000 in a MrBeast YouTube challenge, and now, the father also intends to make his family proud. He aims for something bigger. In Survivor 43. Lopez began to gain popularity by competing with different contestants in various tasks and challenges involving both brawn and brain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What Jesse Lopez wrote about his son Watched my 12 year old take half a million dollars from @mrbeast, so I decided to try and take 5 million more in @beastgames! Check out Beast Games season 2 when it drops January 7th on Amazon Prime! #mrbeast #beastgames #beastgamesonprime." Netizens react Hopefully no fire making challenges on beast games Is there a third tribe you are a part of or? What a family business!!! LETS GO JESSE!!! Games View All Are you going to vote me off again You said Im going to Fiji whether they ask me or not hyfr Last month, a video of the actor trying to navigate her way through a crowd towards her car, went viral on social media. In the short clip, Agerwal appeared visibly uncomfortable around the surging crowd Raja Saab star Niddhi Agerwal, who was mobbed at one of the promotional events for the film at a Hyderabad mall, says it was an unfortunate incident and she has much to say about what happened that day but at the right time. Last month, a video of the actor trying to navigate her way through a crowd towards her car, went viral on social media. In the short clip, Agerwal appeared visibly uncomfortable around the surging crowd of men as her security tried to make way for her. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asked about the incident, Agerwal told PTI, Well, it was an unfortunate incident that took place that day. I have so much to say about that incident, but I feel like I want to speak at the right time because its a very sensitive topic and anything I say can be taken out of context by people who are reading stuff and all of that. So I will talk about it, but in some time, she added. The actor stars alongside Telugu superstar Prabhas in Raja Saab, a horror comedy, set for release in theatres on Friday. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Zareena Wahab, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar and Boman Irani. Priyanka Chopras inclusion brings international star power to the ceremony, underscoring the events global reach while celebrating excellence across film, television, and music The Golden Globe Awards 2026 have revealed an impressive slate of presenters, with Global Icon Priyanka Chopra set to take the stage alongside Hollywood heavyweights Ana de Armas, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts amongst others. The 83rd edition of the prestigious ceremony, unfolding this weekend in the US, will also feature appearances by Mila Kunis, Jennifer Garner, Amanda Seyfried, Chris Pine, and Kevin Hart, among others. Another round of #GoldenGlobes presenters confirmed Dont miss the 83rd Annual Golden Globes LIVE this Sunday at 8 ET | 5 PT @CBS and @paramountplus! pic.twitter.com/a3nD3nS69w Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2026 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Announced via the official Golden Globes X account, the presenter lineup reflects a dynamic blend of industry legends, fan favourites, and global iconssetting the tone for a night defined by glamour, standout moments, and high-octane celebration. Global Icon Priyanka Chopras inclusion brings international star power to the ceremony, underscoring the events global reach while celebrating excellence across film, television, and music. Priyanka Chopra in The Bluff The images reveal Priyanka as Ercell Bloody Mary Bodden fierce, battle-worn and unflinching signalling a character rooted in survival, rage and strength. Locked in brutal combat alongside co-star Karl Urban, her look and physicality reflect a film that promises to be darker, bloodier and far grittier than the traditional pirate tale. Games View All STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Almost instantly, netizens flooded social media with praise, applauding her commanding screen presence and fearless transformation. Many hailed her look as terrifyingly powerful, while others celebrated her ability to continually push boundaries with every global project she takes on. With The Bluff, Global Icon Priyanka Chopra once again proves why she remains one of the most formidable forces in global cinema a Queen unafraid to get her hands bloody, her armour dented, and her performances unforgettable. The Raja Saab is more than just a horror comedy or a larger-than-life ode to the stardom of the leading man. Its a film that also talks about family bonds and the battle with mental illness Cast: Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Zarina Wahab, Malvika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal Director: Maruthi Dasari Language: Telugu Back in 1998, during the promotions of his films China Gate, filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi said sometimes your own good work becomes your own enemy. Paresh Rawal also said how Hera Pheri, despite the cult it enjoys, limited his acting opportunities. So before we talk about the new horror comedy in called The Raja Saab, we first need to talk about its leading man Prabhas, who immortalized his iconic character in the iconic Baahubali movies by SS Rajamouli. And now, he has made a laudable attempt to change his turf and trajectory by jumping into this extravagant and exciting world created by director Maruthi Dasari. This horror comedy allows the giant leading man to give his fans a new shade and dimension to his oeuvre. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is the film about? If you have seen the trailer, Prabhas is a laidback oaf who cruises along the unpredictability of life with dollops of nonchalance. Hes someone who doesnt believe in the idea of taking life seriously. Its his affection for his grandmother called Gangamma (played by Zarina Wahab) that create the films most tender moments. The story digs deeper as the narrative moves forward and we get to the introduction of Kanakraju (Sanjay Dutt having fun yet again after _Dhurandhar_). It all comes down to the grandmothers necklace and how Prabhas uncovers and discovers the identity of the thief. Anything beyond this would be a spoiler as the film is laced with a few twists that leave you completely by surprise. The leading man has two distinct looks in the film as you may have seen in the posters and promo, and he submits himself to both the worlds with conviction. Dutt, who seems to be signing films faster than the speed of light, gets the menacing avatar right too. In merely a year, he has been seen in Dhurandhar, Baaghi 4, Housefull 5, The Bhootnii, and now The Raja Saab. And this shall be followed by KD. _The Raja Saab_ is more than just a horror comedy or a larger-than-life ode to the stardom of the leading man. Its a film that also talks about family bonds and the battle with mental illness. All these scenes have been captured with sincerity and grace. And at its heart is Prabhas, who successfully encapsulates multiple emotions and conflicts into one character and juxtaposes them with the horror and comedy the film has to offer. As stated, this is a new trajectory for the actor and he anchors the towering responsibilities with elan. Games View All Malvika Mohanan brings a certain sense of ferocity and mystique to her smoldering demeanour that sets the screen ablaze. This is an actress who allows her eyes to do the talking. She did the same in Thangalaan and she does the same in The Raja Saab. There is something very commenting about the actress. And veteran actress Zarina Wahab injects the film with the kind of emotional pulse thats mostly missing in films today, especially in horror comedies that are content with the gags that are plastered on the screen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The extended climax, powered by impressive VFX and sweeping visuals, delivers a decisive big-screen payoff. The production values are rich without feeling indulgentmusic and VFX amplify tension and emotion quietly, without front-loading hype. The horror-fantasy framework builds patiently, impresses steadily, and closes with conviction. The Raja Saab doesnt rush to impressit earns trust, scene by scene, powered by confidence-led execution rather than front-loaded hype. Even in spectacle, Prabhas remains the films emotional gravity, enabling steady footfalls and strong repeat value. It appeals beyond core fans, making it a festive theatrical watch designed for sustained audience engagement. Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars) The Raja Saab is now playing in cinemas What makes this moment disturbing is not criticism itself, but the nature of it. The conversation about Varun Dhawan has gone from his work into demeaning territory Varun Dhawan is all set to capture the passion and resolve of Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya PVC, and his intense looks in the poster, teaser and the recently released song prove that the actor is going all guns blazing. Varun pays tribute to the bravery of Col. Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, who led his troops with unflinching courage during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his heroism, Indias highest military honour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Border 2 is all set to release in cinemas on January 23, and recently, the makers released the song Ghar Kab Aaoge and certain sections of the viewers began to troll Dhawan and this is what he had to reply to one user when asked about the same- This question made the song a hit. Everyone is enjoying it. God is great. Border 2 producer blasts the trolls Nidhi Dutta pointed out the smear campaign against the film and called the trolls anti nationals as they targeted the song and the actors. On X, Nidhi reposted a tweet that reported, The LATEST TARGET of this paid smear campaign is #VarunDhawan. Certain Instagram influencers are clearly doing this on instructions, running a full-fledged agenda to malign Varun in #Border2From BODY-SHAMING to selectively targeting his expressions, everything feels forced !! especially when his performance is actually perfectly suited for the film. This dirty game needs to STOP because no matter what #Border2 is gonna take BUMPER START EVERYWHERE. The inside business of online hate What makes this moment disturbing is not criticism itself, but the nature of it. The conversation about Varun Dhawan has gone from his work into demeaning territory. Instead of discussing performance that they are yet to watch, audiences are being fed commentary obsessing over his height, facial expressions and physicality, often laced with mockery and crude language. Games View All A leaked message circulating online exposes how easily hate can be manufactured. A circular doing the rounds appears to show a pitch for paid collaboration, explicitly encouraging creators to push a negative narrative against Varun Dhawan under the guise of critical film commentary. The irony is that Varun is an actor who has consistently shown range, evolving with each project. Very early on in his career, he surprised audiences with Badlapur and later, October. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Theres also something deeply hypocritical about how the same industry that celebrates real conversations turns a blind eye to this. Varun Dhawan has earned his place through years of work. Orchestrating negativity through lazy, paid outrage masquerading as honesty needs to stop, not just for Varun Dhawan, but for the future of film discourse itself. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing a lot of heat after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland have resulted in massive widespread protests and legal challenges across the US. President Donald Trump has expanded the agencys powers amid his deportation drive, as questions are growing over ICEs authority, accountability, and threat to public safety People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after a US immigration agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis, in Washington, DC, US, January 8, 2026. File Image/Reuters Tensions in the United States have reached a boiling point following a series of shootings involving agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency tasked with enforcing US immigration laws. The fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE officer, followed by another shooting in Oregon, has put the agency under the lens as it enjoys strong support from President Donald Trump and his administration. These incidents have resulted in nationwide demonstrations, especially as federal deployments increase across Democratic-led cities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is ICE and how did it come into existence? Immigration and Customs Enforcement, widely known as ICE, was established in 2003 as part of a sweeping overhaul of US homeland security in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The agency was created to strengthen national security by consolidating immigration enforcement and investigative functions under the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE is responsible for investigating violations of federal laws related to border security, immigration, and cross-border crime. It also conducts operations to remove people who are in the United States without legal authorisation. According to its mission, the agency focuses on identifying individuals who pose risks to public safety and those who, in its words, undermine the integrity of the immigration system. The agency employs more than 20,000 law enforcement officers and support staff across the country. ICE is currently led by Director Todd Lyons, who was appointed in March 2025 by the Trump administration. Although ICE has operated for more than two decades, its presence has become more visible in recent years due to a sharp rise in enforcement activity, particularly during Trumps second term in office. Immigration raids, arrests, and deportation operations have expanded significantly as part of the administrations commitment to intensifying immigration control nationwide. What legal authority do ICE officers have? ICE agents operate as federal law enforcement officers and are not required to obtain judicial warrants to make arrests. Like other officers, they can approach individuals, initiate questioning, and briefly detain non-citizens when there is reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally. They also have the power to arrest individuals believed to be violating immigration laws and can detain and search people at US border crossings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Data from 2025 shows that 66,886 people were held in ICE detention facilities during the year. The agency also carried out 527,459 enforcement and removal arrests. Information compiled by TRAC Immigration indicates that as of November 30, 2025, 73.6 per cent of detainees had no criminal convictions. Because ICE is part of the DHS, its officers operate independently of state and local governments. This federal authority means that governors, mayors, and state officials have no direct control over ICEs activities, even when enforcement actions take place within their jurisdictions. In Minnesota, both Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have publicly criticised recent ICE operations and shootings, but neither has the authority to oversee or halt the agencys actions in the state. However, governors do retain control over their states National Guard units and can deploy them if civil unrest threatens public safety. How has ICEs role expanded under Trump? Since returning to office, Trump has significantly expanded ICEs authority and operational reach, fulfilling his campaign promise to create the largest deportation programme in American history. While ICE continues to conduct routine enforcement operations similar to those under previous administrations, the scope and intensity of its activities have increased. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In July last year, the Trump administration granted ICE total authorisation to take whatever actions it considers necessary to protect itself. This directive widened the agencys discretion during enforcement operations. On January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order redefining the mission of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division within ICE that traditionally focused on crimes such as human trafficking, child exploitation, and antiquities fraud. Under the new directive, enforcing immigration laws and targeting the illegal entry and unlawful presence of aliens became its primary responsibility. The administration has also encouraged ICE to be more visible in publicising its enforcement efforts. The agency regularly posts updates on social media detailing arrest numbers, along with the names and images of people taken into custody. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has said the administration wants each of ICEs 25 field offices to make at least 75 arrests per day, but hopefully many more. This expanded federal presence has been particularly noticeable in Democratic-led cities, where ICE officers have been deployed in large numbers as part of what the administration has described as the largest DHS operation ever. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What happened in the Minneapolis shooting? Public scrutiny intensified after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nichole Good in Minneapolis by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Good, a US citizen, was reportedly participating in a neighbourhood patrol that monitors ICE activity, according to one activist. Federal officials alleged that Good attempted to run over the officer with her vehicle. Supporters of Good, however, said they believed video footage showed her steering away from him. A bullet hole and blood stains are seen in a crashed vehicle on at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Minnesota Public Radio via AP The shooting occurred during a large-scale federal deployment of around 2,000 officers in the Minneapolis area. The operation was part of Trumps broader immigration crackdown and was also linked to a politically sensitive investigation into fraud allegations involving certain nonprofit groups in the Somali community. In the aftermath, Minnesota officials complained they were denied access to evidence, case materials, and interviews related to the shooting. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated that Minnesota authorities lacked jurisdiction over the case. As a result, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension withdrew from the investigation. Governor Tim Walz placed the states National Guard on alert amid fears of civil unrest. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Minneapolis, chanting shame and murder at armed and masked federal officers. Some officers used tear gas and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Walz had previously warned that increased ICE activity could lead to violence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have been warning for weeks that the Trump administrations dangerous and sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt, he said. He added that the situation reflects the consequences of governance designed to generate fear. Are ICE agents immune to the law? US Vice President JD Vance described Goods death as a tragedy of her own making, claiming the ICE agent involved was protected by absolute immunity and just doing his job. He repeatedly referred to the incident as an attack on law enforcement and said the officer deserved a debt of gratitude. Members of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) respond at the scene, moments after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman, was shot by a US immigration agent, according to local and federal officials, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 7, 2026, in these screengrabs obtained from a social media video. Vance also highlighted a previous case involving the same officer, who was dragged by a vehicle during an arrest in June 2025. The officer suffered injuries to his arm and hand that required 33 stitches, according to court records. The driver in that case was convicted of assaulting a federal officer. However, former Hennepin County attorney Michael Freeman strongly rejected Vances claim of immunity. The vice president is wrong. There are claims in some cases of federal immunity. I do not believe that would apply in this case, Freeman told CNN. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added, We have a rogue officer acting in a malicious way that killed a 37-year-old woman in cold blood. He had no reason to fear for his life. And I believe he will be prosecuted successfully in state court. Freeman also disputed the federal account of the incident, stating, This idea that she weaponized her vehicle is ludicrous. At the same time, he acknowledged that further evidence could emerge, saying, Now, I will say that all I have seen is what has been shown so far on the media, and every good law enforcement official and prosecutor knows that theres lots of other pictures and witness statements, so it is premature to make a judgment. He concluded, But from what I have seen so far, I believe he should be charged. What happened in the second shooting in Oregon? Just a day after the Minneapolis shooting, another incident involving federal officers occurred in Portland, Oregon. The DHS said a US Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man and a woman after the driver, described as a suspected Venezuelan gang member, attempted to weaponise his vehicle and run over agents. DHS said an agent fired a defensive shot, after which the driver and a passenger fled the scene. Portland police later found two gunshot victims around two miles away and transported them to hospital. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Local officials said they could not independently verify the federal governments account of what happened. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek criticised the Trump administrations approach to immigration enforcement. When a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness, she said. Democratic governors and mayors across the country have repeatedly called for the withdrawal of federal officers from their cities, arguing that aggressive enforcement operations increase tensions and endanger public safety. Civil rights groups have also condemned what they describe as unnecessarily provocative tactics. Is there a pattern emerging in these ICE encounters? The fatal shooting of Renee Good is at least the fifth death linked to the immigration crackdown launched by the Trump administration last year. In September 2025, ICE agents fatally shot Silvergio Villegas Gonzalez during a traffic stop in suburban Chicago. DHS alleged that Villegas Gonzalez, a 38-year-old cook from Mexico, attempted to evade arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle. Homeland Security said the officer opened fire out of fear for his life and was hospitalised for serious injuries. However, body camera footage from local police later showed the agent walking normally and referring to his injuries as nothing major. Two additional deaths occurred when individuals were struck by vehicles while fleeing immigration authorities. Another fatal incident involved a California farmworker who fell from a greenhouse during an ICE raid and suffered a fatal neck injury. No ICE officers or Border Patrol agents have been charged in any of these deaths. A non-fatal shooting in Chicago last year also drew scrutiny. Marimar Martinez survived being shot five times by a Border Patrol agent but was charged with a felony after DHS accused her of trying to ram agents with her vehicle. The case was later dismissed after video footage emerged that Martinezs attorneys said showed an agent steering into her truck. Why are people protesting against ICE? After Goods death, hundreds of people protested in Minnesota, chanting ICE out of Minnesota and blowing whistles. Demonstrations have also occurred in other cities, reflecting broader dissatisfaction with the agencys role in immigration enforcement. The Abolish ICE movement gained momentum in 2018 during the Trump administrations family separation policy, which allowed migrant children to be separated from their parents or guardians at the US-Mexico border. Since then, large-scale ICE operations in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago have frequently been met with protests. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass previously condemned immigration raids, saying, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this. Critics argue that the administrations emphasis on arrests and deportations has created fear within immigrant communities across the country. With ICE aiming for thousands of arrests each week and expanding its presence in major cities, immigration enforcement has become a central political issue. With inputs from agencies The United States Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of President Donald Trumps sweeping tariffs. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, French President Emmanuel Macron will attend a memorial ceremony for the victims of the Swiss ski resort fire. Also, Trump is set to host oil executives at the White House US President Donald Trump announcing tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington last April. File image/AP Its set to be a massive day today (January 9). In the United States, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of Donald Trumps sweeping tariffs, which have upended the world. Also, against the backdrop of the attack on Venezuela, Trump is expected to host executives from oil companies at the White House. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to Switzerland for a memorial to honour the victims of the ski resort fire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look at the big events that are slated to take place across the world today. US Supreme Court to rule on Trump tariffs In what could be a massive development, the US Supreme Court could likely decide whether to uphold or strike down Trumps tariffs. The court currently has a 63 Republican majority, with several of the justices having been appointed by Trump. The case will determine whether Trump can invoke the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without congressional approval. During November arguments, some justices signalled scepticism about Trumps authority to impose the tariffs. The US Supreme Court currently has a 63 Republican majority, with several of the justices having been appointed by Donald Trump. Reuters Online betting markets now give a 30 per cent chance that the court will uphold the tariffs. Experts say that the justices striking down the tariffs could upend financial markets. Trump administration insiders have said that the US Treasury would have to refund hundreds of billions of dollars to companies if the court rules against them. Trump has claimed that the tariffs being overturned would result in an economic disaster. There would be an economic disaster. It would be a national security disaster if we lost the case in the Supreme Court, Trump said. The development comes as the Trump administration is under increasing pressure from the public over rising prices and the cost of living. Trump has warned Republicans that he could be impeached if the Democrats take the House in the November mid-term elections. Trump to meet oil execs at White House Trump is also likely to meet with oil executives at the White House today, according to a CNN report. The outlet, quoting a senior White House official, said representatives from Chevron, which is the only US oil company currently active in Venezuela, Exxon Mobil, and ConocoPhillips may attend the meeting. This came after Trump, in a social media post, claimed that Venezuela would hand over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, which would sell the crude at market value and control the proceeds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Venezuelas interim authorities would transfer what he described as sanctioned oil. He added that the funds raised would be used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States! The deal between Washington and Caracas could initially require the rerouting of cargoes that were bound for China, sources have said. The US Coast Guard cutter Munro escorting Marinera, the oil tanker formerly known as the Bella-1, in North Atlantic waters. The United States on Wednesday seized the Russia-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela, in an operation condemned by Moscow. AFP Venezuela has millions of barrels of oil loaded on tankers and in storage tanks that it has been unable to ship since mid-December due to a blockade on exports imposed by Trump. This was part of a US pressure campaign against Venezuelas long-time leader Nicolas Maduros government that culminated in US forces capturing him over the weekend. Top Venezuelan officials have called Maduros capture a kidnapping and accused the US of trying to steal the countrys vast oil reserves. The US also seized an empty Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD EU leaders to begin Syria visit European Council President Antonio Costa and Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen will begin a first-of-its-kind official visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Friday, according to Syrian media. The two European leaders will lead a high-level delegation, the first by senior European officials to Damascus since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Alikhbariya TV reported. On Monday, the European Council said in a statement that Costa and von der Leyen will travel to Damascus to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The Damascus stop comes as part of a broader Middle East tour that also includes Jordan and Lebanon, the statement said. Memorial for Swiss ski resort fire victims According to a Swissinfo report, French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Switzerland in person today to attend the ceremony honouring the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana. Among the 40 dead were nine French citizens, including a dual French-Swiss national. He will be accompanied by Benjamin Haddad, the Minister Delegate for Europe, the report noted. The Swiss president recently announced that a national day of mourning has been planned in coordination with Swiss churches. Italian President Sergio Mattarella is also expected to attend. Journalists gather in front of the street where a fire ripped through a crowded bar during New Years Eve celebrations in the Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026. AFP Swiss authorities earlier this week said that the bar that burst into flames had not had a mandatory annual inspection since 2019, underlining concerns about what safety measures were in place. The office of the mayor of the town of Crans-Montana said the bar had no fire alarm, because it was not required for a venue of that size. Other questions remain about the fire that killed or injured people from all over the world. Prosecutors believe sparkling candles ignited the ceiling of the basement of the Le Constellation bar after witnesses reported seeing a staff member on the shoulders of a colleague carrying bottles with so-called fountain candles in them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Reza Pahlavi, the son of Irans last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has called for more protests in the country, as demonstrators have been taking to the streets since last month over the deepening economic crisis. Pahlavi wants a regime change in his homeland and the establishment of a secular democracy. Some protesters are calling for the return of the monarchy Protests in Iran refuse to die down. Demonstrators have been taking to the streets since last month to express their frustration against the deepening economic crisis. These protests have now turned into broader anti-government demonstrations, with chants of Death to the dictator a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Long live the shah the late monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi reverberating in some streets. A nationwide internet blackout was reported on Thursday (January 8) in Iran amid calls from Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for more protests. He heads the fragmented Iranian opposition, which is backing regime change in the West Asian country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But who is he? We take a look. Catch all live updates on . Who is Reza Pahlavi? Reza Pahlavi, 65, is the son of Irans last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and Empress Farah Pahlavi. He has been living outside Iran for decades. Pahlavi was once the crown prince of Irans pro-Western monarchy, which was toppled in 1979 after a mass revolution. This led to the rise of the Islamic Republic. In 1978, Pahlavi left Iran at the age of 17 for military training in the United States at Reese Air Force Base in Texas. Just months after his departure, the Iranian revolution in January 1979 forced the shah and his family to flee the country. After completing his military training, Pahlavi reportedly joined his family, who moved from Morocco to the Bahamas and then to Mexico. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi died of cancer in Egypt in 1980. Later, Pahlavi declared himself the shah at a ceremony in Cairo. In a way, Im king-elect, he told The Washington Post in a 1989 interview. Pahlavi has been advocating for regime change in Iran that would lead to the establishment of a secular democracy led by the Iranian people. Pahlavi, who has mostly lived in the US since leaving Iran in 1978, has promised that he will return. He told USA Today that he wanted to be a catalyst to help Iran achieve full democracy. Pahlavi said he aims to see a successful campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience, resulting in a referendum. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also has close ties to Israel, which fought a 12-day war with Iran last year. Pahlavi travels the world meeting with heads of state, legislators, policy-makers, interest groups and student groups speaking about the plight of Iranians under the Islamic regime in Iran. He consistently speaks out against the widespread abuse and oppression of the Iranian people and calls for the establishment of a secular democracy in Iran. He calls for regime change through non-violent civil disobedience, and for a free and open referendum on a new government of Iran, his website reads. In a recent opinion piece for The Washington Post, he wrote: The Islamic Republic has exhausted its legitimacy, and after almost 47 years, the country wants to be free. Reza Pahlavi calls for more protests Pahlavi urged protesters to demonstrate at 8 pm local ( 10 pm IST) on Thursday and Friday. Witnesses told Associated Press (AP) that as the time came, protesters across Tehran were heard chanting: Death to the dictator! and Death to the Islamic Republic! Some even praised the shah, shouting: This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return! Thousands took to the streets before all communication to Iran was cut. Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication, Pahlavi said. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Violent clashes between protesters and security forces have killed at least 42 people, while more than 2,270 others have been detained, AP reported, citing the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Will the US back Pahlavis return to power in Iran? US President Trump has reiterated his threat to intervene if the Iranian government targets protesters. Theyre doing very poorly. And I have let them know that if they start killing people which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots if they do it, were going to hit them very hard, Trump said on Thursday. In December, Trump had threatened to attack Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes. The US president, however, declined to meet Pahlavi, whom he called a nice person, as protests continued in Iran. However, Trump said that, as president, it would not be appropriate to meet him. I think that we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges, Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show podcast. Im not sure necessarily that it would be an appropriate thing to do. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps comments reflect that the US has not backed Pahlavis offer to lead [a] transition in governance in Iran, in case the current regime collapses. Meanwhile, Pahlavi thanked Trump and claimed that millions of Iranians protested on Thursday night. I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account, he wrote in a social media post. Millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals. I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 8, 2026 It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran. I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen, Pahlavi added. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced. With inputs from agencies Jonathan Ross, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, has been identified in the fatal Minneapolis shooting of Renee Nicole Good. According to court records, Ross has been a deportation officer with ICE since 2015. He is the same officer who was dragged and injured during an arrest attempt last year The death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman and a mother of three, during a large immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, has sparked protest and political outrage. The incident took place on Wednesday morning (January 7). The federal agent who shot and killed Good is Jonathan E Ross, according to court records. Court documents reveal that Ross, a veteran of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has previously been dragged and injured during an arrest attempt in June 2025 while trying to apprehend Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, a convicted sex offender in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Donald Trump administration and federal officials maintain that the ICE officer acted in self-defence after Good tried to harm law enforcement personnel. However, videos taken at the time offer a different account. The incident has triggered massive anger, with Democrats now threatening to withhold funding. More from Explainers Trump administration claims Minneapolis shooting was self-defence. How video exposes the lie So, what do we know about Jonathan E Ross, accused of Minneapolis killing? Why is the Trump administration defending his actions? We deep dive. Who is Jonathan Ross, a veteran ICE agent? Ross, 43, is a Minnesota resident with a decade of experience in ICEs enforcement and removal operations. The Intercept reported that Ross lived near Fort Bliss, a United States Army base in New Mexico, and on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas. According to an Associated Press (AP) report, Ross is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE. Ross, in a courtroom testimony last month, asserted he was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005 with the Indiana National Guard. He served as a machine gunner on a combat patrol team, reports NDTV. In 2005, he returned from Iraq and went to college, and then joined the Border Patrol in 2007 near El Paso, Texas, where he worked until 2015. Since then, he has worked as a deportation officer with ICE, as per records. Records reveal that he was seriously injured after being dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect in a separate incident that took place in June last year. FBI agent told the Daily Mail, Hes the same ICE agent who got dragged by a car 50 feet back in June, so he has a history. Ross added that he was also a team leader with the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was also a firearms instructor, an active-shooter instructor, a field intelligence officer, and a member of the SWAT team. During his time at the Border Patrols academy in New Mexico, he learned to speak Spanish. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is Ross history in law enforcement? Attention has turned to Rosss history in law enforcement, who is now at the centre of a growing backlash over the US administrations immigration enforcement efforts. According to court documents, in June 2025, Ross and other agents were trying to apprehend Roberto Carlos Munoz, a man who had been convicted of sexual abuse in Minnesota, reports the New York Times (NYT). The records also show that during a traffic stop, officers attempted to detain Munoz on an immigration order after he refused to comply. An FBI agent mentioned in an affidavit that Ross asked the driver to lower his window and open his door; however, Munoz denied. Ross then shattered the drivers side window and tried to unlock the door with one arm, according to reports. Jonathan Ross, veteran ICE agent. Image courtesy: X The undocumented man then accelerated, dragging Ross roughly 100 yards with his car, the court document mentioned. Ross suffered serious injuries in his arms, which required 20 stitches, reports the NYT, citing records. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also confirmed the same about him being dragged in the past. What is Trump administration saying about Ross actions? The Trump administration has extended its full support to the law enforcement veteran. Calling the thirty-seven-year-old deceased a brainwashed victim of left-wing ideology," United States Vice President JD Vance said that the officer acted in self-defence." Good, who was part of a broader left-wing network to attack, dox and make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job, said Vance. While addressing reporters at a White House press conference on Thursday (January 8), Vance showed support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. He also said that the Donald Trump administration would not give in to left-wing terrorism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD JD Vance: "She was trying to ram this guy with her car, he shot back, he defended himself, he's already been seriously wounded in law enforcement operations before. And everybody that is repeating the lie that this is some innocent woman who was out for a drive in Minneapolis, pic.twitter.com/SV36KXIWH8 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 8, 2026 On Goods death, Vance said, No one wants to see an American killed. Its absolutely a tragedy, and its the making of the far left. It was a tragedy of her own making. Noem also accused Good of attempting to ram agents in an act of domestic terrorism. She also defended the shooting as self-defence. She continued, He (without taking Ross name) is an experienced officer who has served for a number of years, and we recognise he acted according to his training. He acted appropriately to protect his life and the lives of his fellow law enforcement officers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This vehicle was used as a weapon, and the officer felt his life was in jeopardy. It was used to perpetuate a violent act almost 100 times these vehicles have been used to ram law enforcement officers. It needs to be labelled exactly what it was, Noem added, as quoted by The Times. The video that shows the shooting of Renee Nicole Good. Reuters How have other leaders reacted? People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate, said Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz on Thursday (January 8), as quoted by Newsweek. The law does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm. Rather, they may use deadly force when they face an immediate threat of significant physical harm, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on X. Deeply concerning, extremely disappointing. My question is, what are you afraid of? What are you afraid of an independent investigation for?, asserted Keith Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general, reports The Times. With inputs from agencies In an escalation of the war, Russia deployed its Oreshnik ballistic missile on Thursday night in an overnight strike against Ukraine. Moscow claims the strike was revenge against Kyivs purported drone attack on Vladimir Putins residence. But how deadly is this nuclear-capable weapon? Service members take part in what Russian Defence Ministry says is the deployment of the Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system in Belarus. Russian Defence Ministry/Reuters Its been 1,415 days since the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. Lives have been lost, property has been damaged while the world looks on. However, shortly before the fourth anniversary of this conflict it began in February 2022 it seems that its escalating. On Friday (January 9), Russia declared it had used the new Oreshnik ballistic missile along with other weapons in a massive strike on Ukraine overnight, targeting energy facilities and drone manufacturing sites. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Following the strike and Russias declaration, Ukraine is calling for urgent international action. The countrys Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as a grave threat to European security and a test for the transatlantic community. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deploying an intermediate-range ballistic missile near EU and Nato borders, calling it a global threat that demands global responses. How deadly is the Oreshnik missile? What does its deployment mean for the Russia-Ukraine war? Russias deployment of the Oreshnik In the intervening hours of January 8-9, Russia launched a strike against Ukraine, taking aim at strategic targets. Ukrainian officials were quoted as saying that four people were killed and at least 22 wounded in the capital overnight. According to Lvivs Mayor Andriy Sadoviy, Russia struck critical infrastructure with a ballistic missile, but didnt give further details. Unverified social media reports suggested the site was a massive underground gas storage facility, however, this has not been verified. Later, the Ukrainian Air Force stated that a saying that a ballistic missile had been used in the strike and that it was travelling at a speed of nearly 13,000 kilometres per hour. Rescuers work at the site of the apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters On Friday morning, Russia then declared that it had used the Oreshnik missile in the overnight strike, as a retaliation to what Moscow said was a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian President Vladimir Putins residence last month. Kyiv and US President Donald Trump, however, have rejected this claim. Notably, this isnt the first time that Russia has deployed the Oreshnik amid the war. In November 2024, Moscow had fired the missile at what it said was a military factory in Ukraine. At the time, Ukrainian sources said that the missile carried dummy warheads rather than explosives and caused limited damage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lethality of the Oreshnik Oreshnik, which means hazel nut in Russian, is an intermediate-range ballistic missile. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin it is capable of Mach 10 10 times the speed of sound. Moreover, there is no means of counteracting the weapon. In fact, Putin had said earlier, Modern air defence systems and US systems in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. It is impossible. According to Sabrina Singh, the Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, the Oreshnik is a variant of Russias RS-26 ballistic missile. The RS-26 is a 40-tonne, solid-fuelled missile. Forbes explains that depending on the angle at which its fired, the RS-26 could travel slightly more than 3,400 miles. That would make it an ICBM. But its more comfortably an IRBM that ranges fewer than 3,400 miles. A satellite image shows where US researchers believe that Russia is likely stationing its new nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile in eastern Belarus near Russias border. Planet Labs/Reuters The RS-26 itself is reportedly a smaller derivative of the RS-24 Yars ICBM. Rubezh is also understood to have a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) configuration. According to defence experts, the novel feature of the Oreshnik is that it can carry multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). What next after Russias use of Oreshnik Many note that the timing of Russias use of the Oreshnik is significant. It comes as US President Donald Trump attempts to persuade both warring nations to agree a peace deal to end the war that began with Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many observe that the strike shows Russias lack of intent to put an end to the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: Twenty residential buildings alone were damaged, adding that a building of the Embassy of Qatar was damaged last night by a Russian drone. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Qatar, a state that does so much to mediate with Russia in order to secure the release of prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons, he said. Zelenskyy added that Russia attacked with 13 ballistic missiles, including the Oreshnik, and 22 cruise missiles, while also launching 242 drones on Ukraine. He stated that the world needed to act against Russia. A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to, said the Ukrainian president on social media. Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure, he added. The Ukrainian foreign minister also rejected Russias reasoning for the overnight strike. It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake Putin residence attack that never happened, said Sybiha in his statement, describing the Russian version of events as Putins hallucinations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick has said that US President Donald Trump must be the closer when it comes to a trade deal with India. He also said that the pact was set up, but for it to reach its conclusion, PM Narendra Modi needed to call Trump. Is it all about appeasing Potus? US President Donald Trump has sought to portray himself as a consumate dealmaker. AP India and the United States have for months been trying to work out a trade deal. Senior members of the Trump administration, including those in the White House, are said to be frustrated by the fact that the deal has not been closed. India, for its part, has insisted it will not cross certain red lines including opening its up its dairy and agricultural sectors. However, now the US commerce secretary has shed some light on what may be behind the holdup. Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick has said that US President Donald Trump must be the closer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The development comes after Trump on Thursday approved a bill which allows the United States to impose sanctions as high as 500 per cent on countries that buy crude oil from Russia. Some in the Trump administration have accused India of filling Moscows coffers and essentially funding its war in Ukraine. But what did Lutnick say? Are there any other examples? Is ego driving Trumps trade deal closures? Lets take a closer look. What Lutnick said Lutnick has claimed that the trade deal between India and the United States was ready to go. However, it did not go ahead after Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a phone call to Trump to seal the deal. Lets be clear, its his deal. Hes the closer. He does the deal. Its all set up and you have got to have Modi call the President. And they were uncomfortable doing it, Lutnick claimed on the All-In podcast. So, Modi didnt call. The trade talks fell apart last year and Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50 per cent, the worlds highest rate, including a levy of 25 per cent in retaliation for Indias purchases of Russian oil. US Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick. File Image- Reuters India still seeks a tariff rate between Washingtons offers to Britain and Vietnam that had formerly been agreed but the offer has expired, Lutnick claimed. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last year explained Trumps strategy in an interview with Bloomberg Television. President Trump is creating this leverage by saying: if you dont want to negotiate with me, Ive sent you a letter with a high rate. Have the high rate or come and negotiate in better fashion, Bessent said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Ministry of External Affairs has responded to Lutnicks comments. We have seen the remarks. India and the US were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as 13 February last year. Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiation to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement. On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate. We remain interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and look forward to concluding it. Incidentally, Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on phone on 8 occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership, the MEA said. UKUS trade deal In the UKUS trade deal, wherein US tariffs were adjusted on steel, aluminium and cars and market access was expanded for some UK imports, it was a personal interaction between Starmer and Trump that was seemingly key to successfully closing the USUK Economic Prosperity Deal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the White House, Trump and Starmer were directly involved in the process, including making public announcements and statements at summits and bilateral meetings. The White House said Trump and Starmer discussed the bilateral trade relationship in a phone call in 2025 as part of consummating the deal. The announcement of the deal and the framework was also jointly made publicly by Trump and Starmer. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (2nd left) and Lady Victoria Starmer greet US President Donald Trump at Chequers, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, on day two of the presidents second state visit to the United Kingdom, on September 18, 2025. (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters) Starmer then publicly praised the trade agreement, saying that the deals and investment being announced today break all records. What a day, $340 billion (approximately Rs 30.67 trillion) flowing both ways across the Atlantic, Starmer was quoted as saying by Time Magazine. It is the biggest investment package of its kind in British history by a country mile. A press release from 10 Downing Street called it the largest commercial package ever secured during a State Visit, underscoring the power of the UKUS economic partnership. Trump, in the aftermath of the deal, paid homage to the special relationship between the two nations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Its an unbreakable bond we have. Regardless of what were doing today, I think its unbreakable, Trump said. The United States and the United Kingdom have done more good on this planet than any two nations in human history. Is ego driving Trumps trade deal closures? It certainly seems that way. Trump has spent the past few decades emphasising his persona and brand as a dealmaker. However, when it comes to trade deals, much of the heavy lifting is done by vast teams of experts rather than the leaders themselves. Some have been critical of Trumps approach to deal-making. A piece in The Guardian noted, Trumps entire career is built on deals, and his own narcissism is tied up with dealmaking. This is because of his early socialisation into his fathers real-estate dealings in and around New York. Because deals are personal, adversarial and incomplete, they are perfect grist for Trumps relentless publicity machine, and allow him to polish his brand, massage his ego and signal his prowess to opponents without the regulations and measurable consequences of regular market risks. The downside risk for an aborted or interrupted deal is negligible, and the upside is guaranteed by the legal power of fully completed contracts, the article concluded. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Others have been even more sceptical. An article in Project Syndicate described Trumps negotiation approach as flawed. Trump sees cooperation as weakness. In his view, any gesture of goodwill is a concession, and every negotiation is an antagonistic contest over short-term gains. This mindset is fundamentally mismatched with the demands of modern diplomacy, the piece noted. Negotiators with a winlose mindset often assume that unpredictability gives them an edge; in fact, it just creates confusion, alienates partners, and risks destructive escalation. It ended with a dire warning: Trumps winlose approach to dealmaking has already begun to unravel Americas carefully cultivated international relationships. With inputs from agencies Donald Trump has moved to assert control over Venezuelan oil exports, but Chinas long-standing energy and financial stakes in the country complicate the picture. With billions in loans tied to oil repayments and major Chinese investments at risk, Washingtons actions will test the already-strained relations with Beijing A banner on the front end of a bus features images of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and China's Xi Jinping with a message that reads in Spanish: "An example for the world," during a government-organised rally opposing US intervention, in Caracas, Venezuela, December 13, 2025. File Image/AP United States President Donald Trump has asserted that Venezuelan oil now falls under his authority. However, a significant share of that oil is contractually tied to China through long-standing agreements with Caracas, creating a sensitive diplomatic situation that could unfold over the coming weeks, reported the Associated Press (AP). Some analysts believe Trump may seek cooperation with Beijing to keep trade relations stable. This comes as the US president is expected to travel to China in April to preserve the fragile trade truce he negotiated with Chinese President Xi Jinping late last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The administration appears focused on avoiding unnecessary escalation or new irritants with Beijing while keeping leverage firmly on Washingtons terms, Craig Singleton, senior director of the China programme at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AP_._ Singleton added that he does not expect Trump to turn Venezuela into a flashpoint that complicates trade dynamics or Trumps personal engagement with Xi. China is owed at least $10 billion by Venezuela, according to multiple estimates. Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had been repaying that debt through oil shipments to China. But if the interim government aligns with Washingtons demands, it could challenge the legality of those oil-for-loan arrangements and halt further payments. According to a Morgan Stanley research note, two major Chinese state-owned companies China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec have claims to 4.4 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves, the largest share held by any foreign nation. US companies are also owed tens of billions of dollars after Venezuela nationalised its oil sector. It remains unclear how these claims will be settled or in what order creditors will be repaid. This week, the US seized two sanctioned oil tankers as part of its broader effort to take control of Venezuelan oil exports. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US would manage the countrys oil sales indefinitely, placing the proceeds into American-controlled accounts that would eventually flow back into Venezuela to benefit the Venezuelan people. The administration also announced plans to launch those sales using 30 million to 50 million barrels from Venezuelas crude storage facilities. When asked for further details, a Trump administration official, speaking anonymously to AP, said the policy aimed to reduce adversarial outside influence in the Western Hemisphere. Washingtons use of energy leverage follows Chinas actions last year, when Beijing restricted exports of rare-earth magnets and used its soybean purchases as a tool in the trade dispute with the US. When Trump and Xi met in South Korea in October, they agreed to a one-year truce, rolling back high tariffs and export controls imposed on each other. What are Chinas stakes in Venezuela? Between 2000 and 2023, Venezuela ranked as the fourth-largest recipient of Chinese government credit, receiving $106 billion in loans from Beijings official lenders, according to AidData, a research lab at William & Mary. However, AidData executive director Brad Parks said it is unclear how much has been repaid and how much remains outstanding because Caracas stopped reporting detailed debt figures years ago. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While some estimates place the remaining debt at $10 billion, Parks said the actual amount could be higher, especially since US sanctions on Venezuelan oil may have delayed repayments. The Chinese loans were structured under a unique system that relied on oil export revenues for repayment. In China, Maduros capture reminded many of Libyas Moammar Gadhafi, who had also made deals with Chinese firms before abruptly losing power. After Gadhafis fall in 2011, Chinese companies were forced to abandon billions in investments. Cui Shoujun, a professor at Renmin University, told the Chinese outlet guancha.cn that Venezuelas transition government could declare Maduro-era agreements invalid and deem the debt to China unlawful. Chinas involvement in Venezuela has extended beyond oil. According to a Jefferies report, Chinese firms have invested in telecommunications, railways, and port infrastructure all of which are now at risk. Still, Jefferies noted that Beijing is likely to absorb any disruption because Venezuelan crude accounts for only a small portion of Chinas oil imports, and China has diversified its energy sources while shifting toward electrification. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Just hours before his capture by US forces, Maduro met with a senior Chinese diplomat at the presidential palace and praised the long-standing relationship between the two nations, which had grown under his predecessor Hugo Chavez and helped China establish a strong presence in the region. Venezuela remains the only Latin American country with a high-level strategic partnership with China, comparable to Beijings ties with Pakistan. Maduros removal is expected to weaken Chinas influence in the Western Hemisphere a goal outlined in the Trump administrations National Security Strategy. What was Beijings response to Maduros capture? Beijing said it was deeply shocked by what it described as the USs blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its president, and said it strongly condemned the actions. China called for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife. Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong said on Thursday that no country has the right to interfere in economic and trade cooperation between China and Venezuela, describing it as a lawful relationship between two sovereign nations. No matter how the political situation in Venezuela evolves, Chinas willingness to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation will not change, He said. Singleton said Chinas influence in the Western Hemisphere is often overstated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beijing can protest diplomatically, he said, but it cannot protect partners or assets once Washington decides to apply direct pressure. With inputs from AP A street in Michigans Hamtramck will now be known as Khaleda Zia Street in honour of Bangladeshs first woman prime minister, who died on December 30. Hamtramck is Americas first Muslim-majority city and is home to the states largest Bangladeshi immigrant community Khaleda Zia was a three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh. She passed away on December 30. AP Once known as Little Warsaw, Hamtramck is now a majority-Muslim city in Michigan, United States. It is in the spotlight as it has renamed a section of a street to Khaleda Zia Street, in honour of Bangladeshs first woman prime minister. The media cell of Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shared the news on its Facebook page, calling the street renaming an international recognition of Khaleda Zias significant political leadership and contribution to Bangladeshs history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Supporters hold posters of Bangladeshs former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia following her death while receiving treatment at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 30, 2025. Reuters However, this is not the first time that a street in the US has been named after a Bangladeshi leader. A road in Chicago was also renamed after the late Bangladeshi president and Zias husband, Ziaur Rahman, according to reports. A street named after Khaleda Zia The Hamtramck City Council okayed a proposal to rename a section of Carpenter Street in recognition of the former Bangladeshi PM. According to the media cell, four Bangladeshi-origin councillors, currently serving on the Hamtramck City Council, made the renaming possible through their efforts and active role. The Bangladeshi community in America has viewed this decision as more than a symbolic change. According to members of the expat community living in the US, the move goes beyond a symbolic name change, describing it as a recognition of Bangladeshs political struggle and leadership, reports the Bangladesh Business Standard. The decision is deeply intertwined with Hamtramcks history as an example for Muslim representation in American life. The city is home to Michigans largest Bangladeshi immigrant community. Khaleda Zia was a three-time former prime minister of Bangladesh. She passed away on December 30. AP Inside Hamtramck, a city of Muslim Americans Hamtramck is located in Wayne County, Michigan, US. Its in an enclave within Detroit, the heart of Americas automotive industry, and is named after a French-Canadian soldier, Jean Francois Hamtramck, who commanded Fort Shelby during the War of 1812. In 1914, the city witnessed significant growth with the opening of a Dodge Automobile factory. It quickly caught the attention of thousands of workers, transforming it into an industrial hub, according to a BBC report. As waves of immigrants began to pour into Hamtramck in the late 20th century, the citys demographic transformed. Migrants from Yemen and Bangladesh made the city their home. The Polish-American population declined amid Detroits industrial downturn. Today, Hamtramck has the highest percentage of immigrants in Michigan. It also has the largest concentration of Bangladeshi immigrants in the state, and the second-highest percentage of Arab residents, after Dearborn. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 2013, Hamtramck was recognised as the first Muslim-majority city in the US. The change in the population was also reflected in its governance. By 2015, the city had elected the nations first Muslim-majority city council. By 2022, Hamtramck became the first US city to be governed by an entirely Muslim city council alongside a Muslim mayor, Amer Ghalib. The streets of Hamtramck tell the story of its multi-cultural identity. Many stores display signs in Arabic and Bengali. Bangladeshi garments and Jambiyas, a short-curved blade from Yemen, are available in shops. And paczki, a Polish doughnut, is a favourite of many residents. Those who come from varied cultures have found a common ground. Former Mayor Karen Majewski told the BBC in 2021, When you live this close to each other, you are forced to overcome those differences. That said, Hamtramck has seen its share of controversies. There was tension in 2004 after a vote to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer in public. Some residents believe that a ban on bars near mosques hurts the local economy, the BBC report said. There were also rumours that a Muslim-controlled city council might impose Shariah law. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When Hamtramck became the first American city to elect a Muslim-majority government, it got attention from the world press. Today, life goes on as usual. In 2013, Hamtramck was recognised as the first Muslim-majority city in the United States. Reuters With inputs from agencies The fate of the majority of Donald Trumps tariffs is in the hands of the US Supreme Court, which is likely to pronounce a decision today (January 9). This ruling is poised to have a far-reaching impact it will be a test of presidential powers. If the apex court rules in favour of the tariffs, it will give the American leader sweeping powers. But if the legality of these taxes is nullified, it could throw a wrench into the US trade policy as well as hurt the countrys economy US President Donald Trump's tariffs are likely to be decided upon by the Supreme Court today (Friday). File image/Reuters Today is D-Day, or better yet, T-Day Tariff Day. The fate of Donald Trumps tariffs, which he imposed on almost all of Americas trading partners last year, will be decided today (January 9) as the US Supreme Court is expected to provide an expedited ruling on their legality. Since coming to office for a second term, the US president has used tariffs as a tool to get other countries to abide by his terms and conditions. Hes also used them as leverage and a tool of punishment he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India last August for purchasing Russian crude. So much so, Trump has said that tariffs is his favourite word in the English dictionary. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, what happens today? Judgment day in court It is expected that the US Supreme Court will issue a verdict in the matter of Trumps tariffs today (January 9). Though its not clear if the court will make its ruling, it scheduled Friday as a decision day for handing down opinions, and there is widespread speculation that the tariff case will come up. The US Supreme Court is expected to tackle two issues when it comes to the matter of Trumps tariffs: firstly, does the administration have the authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and secondly, if thats found to be improper, whether the US must reimburse importers who have already paid these tariffs. The US Supreme Court building is seen ahead of likely ruling on Donald Trumps tariffs. File image/Reuters Previous court rulings on Trumps tariffs The matter in the US Supreme Court comes after Trumps tariffs were earlier litigated in lower courts. First, the US Court of International Trade ruled that because of the Constitutions express allocation of the tariff power to Congress, IEEPA does not delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President. The ruling noted that Trumps initial executive order exceeded the presidents authority under the emergency law. Moreover, the tariffs hitting goods from Mexico and Canada was also deemed illegal because those levies did not attempt to address the emergency used to justify them. The US Court of International Trade also noted that Trumps imposition of tariffs was impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law] does not allow it. This decision was upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In another case, a federal judge in Washington declared unlawful a number of Trumps tariffs related to trade with China and other countries. US District Judge Rudolph Contreras limited his decision to the pair of family-owned toy manufacturing businesses that sued. Then, last November, the matter of the tariffs reached the US Supreme Court during which the judges expressed doubts whether Trump, in fact, has the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs under the 1977 law that gives the president special powers during emergency situations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the time, Justice Neil Gorsuch noted, Congress, as a practical matter, cant get this power back once its handed it over to the president. Ahead of the likely decision today, Trump has been frequently expressing concern over the ruling, saying losing the ability to tariff other countries would be a terrible blow to the US. On January 5, Trump said, Because of tariffs, our country is financially, and from a national security standpoint, far stronger and more respected than ever before. Implications of US Supreme Courts ruling The upcoming decision by the US Supreme Court has major consequences for the Trump administration and the world. Experts have noted that if the Supreme Court were to side with the Trump administration, it could lend the US president the power to tax with the same authority and broad swaths as he did with the tariffs in question. As Timothy Meyer, professor of international business law at Duke University, told Fortune: The law at issue here IEEPA doesnt only apply to imports; it authorises the president to regulate imports, exports, sales, use, holding, a whole bunch of activity. If the government were to win just on this interpretation of this law, the president would have the ability to tax, to impose sales taxes, he could impose property taxes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A drone view shows containers at the Port of Baltimore, Maryland. File image/Reuters If the president has the ability to impose taxes on the basis of a law that doesnt mention taxes, Meyer added, We really are in a world in which there is very little that the president is not going to feel empowered to do based on broadly-worded statutes. However, what happens if the US Supreme Court rules against Trump and his tariffs? Not only would the US administration not be able to collect the tariffs under the IEEPA, it would also face demands to refund those that have already been paid. Reuters reports that a potential fight is brewing over obtaining perhaps $150 billion in refunds from the US government for duties already paid by importers if he loses. As per data available, the Trump administration has collected IEEPA-related tariffs worth $133.5 billion between February 4 and December 14. However, importers and companies believe that even if the court orders for a refund, it will not be an easy process. Its not in the governments DNA to give back money. And Trump would not want to give back money, Jim Estill, CEO of Danby Appliances, a Canadian company that sells small refrigerators, microwaves and laundry equipment through big-box stores including Home Depot, was quoted as telling Reuters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Experts have, however, noted that even if the US Supreme Court strikes down the Trump ruling, the administration has workarounds. Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, told CNBC, If the court blocks the tariffs, the administration is going to find workarounds. President Trump is very ambitious in getting this agenda through despite potential controversies that could surround such a decision. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the administration has at least three other options through the 1962 Trade Act that will keep most of the tariffs in place. However, he also has worried that reimbursements could place a strain on the administration and its effort to drive down the fiscal deficit. We shall wait and watch to see how it unfolds, but tariff drama seems to be going nowhere. With inputs from agencies A low pressure system in the southeast Bay of Bengal intensifies rapidly, triggering IMD warnings for heavy showers in southern states alongside dense fog and cold waves battering northern plains. Coastal areas brace for thunderstorms while Delhi NCR shivers under poor visibility. A low pressure system brewing in the southeast Bay of Bengal is set to deepen rapidly, bringing the India Meteorological Department to issue urgent alerts for heavy rainfall across southern coasts alongside prolonged spells of dense fog and cold wave conditions gripping northern India. Depression strengthens with heavy rain risks Meteorologists track the disturbance near the East Equatorial Indian Ocean, expecting it to intensify into a deep depression within hours before tracking west northwestwards. Tamil Nadu faces isolated very heavy showers, thunderstorms and squally winds through 11 January, with peak activity on the ninth and tenth. Kerala and Mahe should prepare for similar downpours by the tenth, while fishermen receive orders to avoid southeast and southwest Bay of Bengal seas due to rough conditions until the tenth. Coastal districts must secure against potential flash floods and power disruptions from lashing rains. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Northern fog disrupts travel and daily life Dense to very dense fog blankets northwest, central and northeast India for five to seven mornings, slashing visibility to under fifty metres in many spots. Delhi NCR endures moderate to dense patches from the eighth, holding daytime temperatures to fifteen to eighteen degrees Celsius and nights at six to ten degrees. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh battle cold day conditions, with minimums plunging three to five degrees below normal. Airports report delays, highways see pile ups and rail services slow, compounding winter travel woes for millions. Cold wave tightens grip on plains Cold wave warnings extend across northern plains, where biting winds and clear skies keep mercury levels suppressed. Isolated pockets in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh may record minimums below four degrees Celsius, posing hypothermia risks to outdoor workers and the homeless. Authorities distribute blankets and set up warming shelters while urging reduced exposure during peak chill hours from evening through dawn. Agricultural losses loom for standing winter crops exposed to frost. Air quality crisis worsens visibility Delhis air quality index hovers around two hundred seventy nine in the poor category, as winter stagnation traps vehicular fumes, construction dust and crop residue. Fog amplifies particulate matter concentrations, triggering respiratory alerts for children, elderly and those with pre existing conditions. Reduced outdoor activity, mask wearing and vehicle rationing form standard advisories amid seasonal smog peaks. Monsoon patterns fuel dual threats This late northeast monsoon surge aligns with typical Bay of Bengal cyclone breeding grounds, active from October through December. Southern states reinforce embankments and evacuate low lying areas while northern regions stockpile essentials against prolonged fog and cold snaps. The IMD emphasises real time monitoring, with colour coded alerts guiding public response across Indias vast climatic divide. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former Navy Commander Purnendu Tiwari is jailed in Qatar. He is among the 22 Indians pardoned by the Qatar government after PM Modis intervention in 2022. He was rearrested. Firstposts Bhanu Pratap speaks to the family which has appealed to PM Modi for another intervention In February 2024, as families gathered at Indian airports to welcome home seven Indian Navy veterans freed from death row in Qatar, one family waited in silence. Commander Purnendu Tiwari, a decorated former officer of the Indian Navy, was never allowed to board the flight home. Nearly two years later, he remains in jail in Doha, his family alleging that new financial charges were stitched together to keep him behind bars despite a royal pardon. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When Qatar pardoned eight Indian Navy veterans after the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their families believed the ordeal was finally over. But his octogenarian mother in India still waits for her son to come home. As his health deteriorates in a Doha jail, his family is now appealing directly to PM Modi for another intervention, calling his continued detention a matter of national honour. His sister, Meetu Bhargava, alleges that the CEO of Dahra Global used his influence to shift the entire financial blame onto her brother, and that authorities later forced him to sign an acknowledgement of his supposed involvement while he was in solitary confinement. Speaking to Firstpost, Bhargava made an emotional plea, saying the 65-year-old Navy veteran, who suffers from multiple health issues, remains jailed without fault. Long wait for return to home Praising PM Modis direct intervention in the matter, she said, Eight Indian Navy veterans were arrested in 2022 on baseless spying charges. All eight were pardoned by the Amir of Qatar following the intervention of Prime Minister Modi Modi hai to mumkin hai [its possible, if Modi is around]. Yet only seven returned to India in February 2024. My brother, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, was stopped despite being similarly placed and part of the same company, Dahra Global, Bhargava told Firstpost. In August 2022, Commander Tiwari and seven other former Indian Navy personnel were detained in Doha during an investigation. In 2023, Qatars authorities sentenced them to death, though detailed formal charges were never publicly released. CEO shifted blame, new cases against Tiwari are false: Sister But why was my brother left behind? The CEO of the company, Khamis Al Ajmi, is the main culprit in the financial matter, yet he shifted the entire blame onto my brother, she said. My brother was the managing director (technical), not the CEO. All financial powers and signing authority rested with the CEO, Mr Khamis. Despite this, new cases have been stitched together accusing my brother of financial fraud, which are completely false, Bhargava said. After retiring from the Navy, Tiwari joined Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private defence-related company that provides training and support to the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Commander Purnendu Tiwari, a navigation specialist, has commanded INS Magar and served as the fleet navigating officer of the Indian Navys Eastern Fleet. He has also served aboard Rajput-class destroyers. In 2019, he became the first armed forces veteran to be honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, presented by then-President Ram Nath Kovind. Commander Purnendu Tiwari honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by then-President Ram Nath Kovind. Pressure of life and death He was kept in solitary confinement and forced to sign papers in Arabic. When you are inside, you have no choice but to sign. There was immense pressure at that time pressure of life and death, threats, and torture, she said. The authorities are not sharing details with us as everything is in Arabic. These financial cases have been filed by blaming my brother for alleged mistakes that have nothing to do with him. Bhargava highlighted that seven other Navy veterans, including a sailor on the companys board, were repatriated to India. Their roles and financial authority were no different from my brothers, yet only he has been left behind, she said. Cases against him are fabricated Bhargava appealed to the Indian government and PM Modi, emphasising her brothers distinguished service, The government should have faith in its officers who have served the country. My brother is a decorated Navy officer and a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, honoured by the President of India in 2019. All cases against him are fabricated and stem from the earlier case for which he was already pardoned. The family, frustrated over Tiwaris detention in Doha, alleges that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) took a chance in 2022 by leaving him back in Qatar. It says the decision proved costly for Tiwari. The MEA made a serious mistake by leaving my brother alone and is now justifying it by citing a financial case. You should have faith in officers who have served the country, Bhargava said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tiwari faces serious health issues: Family Highlighting her brothers deteriorating health, she said, My brother is 65 years old and suffers from multiple health issues. He was taken into custody again on December 1 and has been in jail since December 6. He has been in jail for the past month despite serious medical problems, without any fault on his part. Our mother is 87 years old and has been waiting for his return for the past three-and-a-half years, she said. The Government of India engaged diplomatically to secure their release. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally raised the matter with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Following this intervention, the Emir granted pardons or commuted the sentences. Seven of the eight veterans were released and returned to India. Bring your officer back. This is a matter of national honour Making a heartfelt plea, Bhargava said, Please bring your officer back. This is a matter of national honour. I have nothing more to say except with folded hands I beg the government to bring my brother back, and I make a humble request that he be brought back as well. Commander Tiwari is facing a travel ban due to the pending financial issue. Ironically, he was not questioned about the issue for long until Decembers questioning and arrest. In its earlier statements, the MEA said that there were certain requirements to fulfil, and Tiwari would return home once those are completed. The release of the eight naval veterans was viewed as one of the biggest diplomatic coups by India. These eight people were working for a company called Dhara Consultancies, owned by the Omani Emir Bhargava accused of shifting the blame onto Tiwari for the alleged financial fraud. Qatars interior minister picked them up from their houses in August 2022, and detained them until their release in February 2024, overruling a death penalty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Whether JD Vance and Usha occupy the White House, or a Democrat wins the next presidential election, US policy on India will continue to reflect its hegemonistic instinct United States Vice President JD Vance is widely regarded as the heir apparent to US President Donald Trump. Vance has few rivals in the MAGA (Make America Great Again) universe. Cuban-origin Secretary of State Marco Rubio doesnt have Vances appeal in the deep red states where the next US presidential elections will be won or lost. Rubios central role in the US attack on Venezuela has not endeared him to Americas large Hispanic, Spanish-speaking population. Congressional midterm elections in 2026 will show which way the political wind is blowing. Trump has often hinted that Vance could be his successor to lead the Republican party into the 2028 presidential election. He has reluctantly abandoned his own bid for a third term which the US Constitution expressly prohibits. Trump knows time is running out on his presidency. The US Supreme Court will soon deliver its verdict on whether Washingtons trade tariffs are lawful. A defeat for Trump in Americas highest court could tar the remaining three years of his term. By January 2027, attention will anyway swing away from 80-year-old Trump to the 2028 presidential primaries. Vance is likely to be the Republican nominee but a Vance win is not guaranteed. Recent opinion polls show the Republican party could lose the House of Representatives to the Democrats in 2026. The Senate is likely to stay with the Republicans, albeit with a reduced majority. Vance himself is not popular with the mainstream Republican party. His background as a southern hillbilly jars with many Americans. Though the US has always had a racist core, that core has been mainstreamed by Trump and his White supremacist followers. Vance belongs to this demographic but he is also married to Indian-origin Usha Chilukuri, whose family migrated to the US from Andhra Pradesh in the 1980s. Usha has a bachelors degree in history from Yale University, a masters degree in philosophy from Cambridge University and a doctorate from Yale Law School. She had a stellar legal practice till 2024 when she resigned to, as she said, care for our family. Usha is a practising Hindu but her three mixed-race children are being brought up as Christians. They attend church regularly. Usha herself has resisted pressure to convert to Christianity. Vance was an evangelical before converting to Catholicism. Social media abuse directed at Usha has peaked ever since it became clear that she could be Americas next First Lady if Vance succeeds Trump as president in the 2028 presidential election. It is a measure of rising animosity against Indians in MAGA-led America that the country was comfortable with a Black First Lady in Michelle Obama but not a Hindu First Lady. This is a consequence of the Christian nationalism that has fuelled the MAGA movement. Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last year, led the movement. Nick Fuentes has taken over his mantle but has even more incendiary views. He is anti-Jew and anti-Islam and a vocal admirer of Adolf Hitler. American politics is now a MAGA snake-pit with hate and abuse proliferating on social media, from X and Instagram to YouTube and podcasts. If he wins the Republican primaries as the partys presidential nominee in 2028, Vances politics will come under intense scrutiny. Vance has frequently decried growing Islamic influence in Western Europe. Like Trump, Vance is splenetically anti-immigration. But unlike Trump and other members of the Trump cabinet, he does not vent his spleen against legal migrants. He reserves that for unchecked immigration into Europe. At his landmark address at the 2025 Munich Security Conference in February 2025, Vance warned an audience of top European political and military leaders: Free speech, I fear, is in retreat. Vance was referring to censorship of conservative and religious speech across Western Europe but especially in Britain. Like Trump too, Vance has been strongly critical of London Mayor Sadiq Khan whom he blames for allowing Islamists free rein in the British capital. Vance is more favourably disposed towards India. During a visit to New Delhi last April, Vance took his family to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vance called Modi a great leader and said that it was an honour to meet him. He added that the prime minister was incredibly kind to my family. But make no mistake. If he does win the US presidency in 2028, Vance will be bound by US policy that regards India as a potential long-term adversary. When US policymakers speak of the India-US relationship as one of the most defining of the 21st century, what they mean is that Indias inevitable growth to become the worlds third largest economic power can pose a future geopolitical challenge for the US that needs to be managed. Washington was so focused for decades on the Cold War with the Soviet Union that it overlooked the rapid emergence of China as a greater economic and technological threat than the Soviet Union was. Chinas GDP nearly doubled from $6.1 trillion in 2010 to $11.23 trillion in 2016, catching Washington unawares. With global institutions projecting Indias GDP to close the gap with both the US and China by 2050, Washington does not want to be taken by surprise by a second Asian challenger it underestimated. This realisation is at the heart of Americas self-image of a global hegemon. Indias policy of strategic autonomy grates on Washington. Whether JD Vance and Usha occupy the White House, or a Democrat wins the next presidential election, US policy on India will continue to reflect its hegemonistic instinct. (The writer is an editor, author and publisher. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) As the US raid on Venezuela, the war in Ukraine, Op Sindoor, and conflicts in West Asia show, it is clear that airpower continues to be the dominant means of prosecuting military operations. Major armed forces around the world are spending more than half of their defence budgets on airpower The United States military and law enforcement officials captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a high-stakes military operation on January 3, a mission carried out by the US Armys Delta Force and backed by extensive use of American airpower. After months of growing military pressure on Maduro, President Donald Trump ordered a brazen operation into the South American country to capture its leader and whisk him to the United States, where his administration planned to put him on trial. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who denounced the capture as a kidnapping, became acting president of Venezuela. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro had been indicted in the US Southern District of New York on several charges related to narco-terrorism, superseding a 2020 indictment based on similar charges. Maduro, who appeared in a Manhattan federal court on January 5, 2026, pleaded not guilty. More than 150 aircraft, including bombers, fighters, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, and rotary-wing planes, supported Operation Absolute Resolve, according to Air Force Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The operation occurred on a notable day in history, the 36th anniversary of the US capture of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega during Operation Just Cause, in which US forces invaded Panama to topple its drug-running dictator. Operation Southern Spear Operation Southern Spear is a United States military and surveillance campaign with the goal of detecting, disrupting, and degrading transnational criminal and illicit maritime networks under the Trump administration. Some analysts have identified the operation as a hybridisation of the war on terror and the war on drugs, and others have claimed that removal of Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela was an objective of the operation. A small team, including one source within the Venezuelan government, had been observing where the 63-year-old slept, what he ate, what he wore, and even, according to top military officials, where his pets were. The plan, which amounted to an extraordinary US military intervention in Latin America not seen since the Cold War, was closely guarded. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 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, said Gen. Caine. Amid concerns in the Trump administration about defending the US from drug trafficking, and heightened tensions between the US and Venezuela, the US began deploying military forces to the Caribbean Sea in mid-August 2025 and, in September, began conducting airstrikes on vessels the Trump administration alleges were controlled by narco-terrorists trafficking drugs to the US. By late November, with the Venezuelan Cartel of the Suns designated by the US as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organisation, a new phase of operations began. In December, the Trump administration declared the Maduro government itself a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and began boarding and seizing sanctioned crude tankers. In late December, the US made its first strike on a land target within Venezuela. Then came the formal assault on January 3, 2026. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Participating Air Assets in January Assault According to Caine, Trump gave the order to proceed on January 2 at 23:46 VET (Venezuelan Standard Time, UTC minus four). The administration did not notify the United States Congress in advance of the strikes, saying it had concerns that doing so could endanger the mission. At least seven explosions were reported at around 02:00 VET, and low-flying aircraft were seen predominantly in La Guaira, Higuerote, Meseta de Mamo, Baruta, El Hatillo, Charallave, and Carmen de Uria, which are mostly inside or near the capital city, Caracas. The joint force operation involved 150 aircraft from the United States Navy (USN), Air Force (USAF), and Marine Corps (USMC). They included the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor, Lockheed Martin F-35A/C Lightning II, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing EA-18G Growler, Grumman E-2D Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, Rockwell B-1B Lancer, Boeing CH-47F Chinook, Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, Bell UH-1Y Venom, Bell AH-1Z Viper, Boeing AH-64E Apache, Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk, aerial refuelling tankers, electronic-warfare planes, various intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, other support aircraft, and numerous unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump said the United States had a fighter jet for every possible situation. Caine said US aircraft deployed from 20 different locations in the Western Hemisphere, on land and at sea, during the operation to capture Maduro. During the build-up of military might in Latin America, the US also used airbases in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and other locations in the region, including the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and the USS Iwo Jima, as well as bases in the continental United States. The US forces deployed included 12 F-22s from Joint Base Langley-Eustis. USAF F-22s were seen at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico, alongside Vermont Air National Guard F-35As, a unit specializing in suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD). USMC F-35Bs were also in action. The B-1 bombers appear to have originated from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Both F-22s and B-1s had been seen flying south from their home bases in recent days, indicating rehearsals were under way. The secretive RQ-170 Sentinel stealth flying-wing surveillance drones were also spotted over Venezuela in videos posted on social media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Helicopters from the US Armys elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment descended on Maduros location. US Space Command, US Cyber Command, and intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, participated in the effort, Caine said. Operations Modalities Poor weather delayed the operation by several days, but last night, the weather broke just enough, clearing a path that only the most skilled aviators in the world could manoeuvre through the ocean, mountain, and low cloud ceilings, Caine said. The night was well lit by a full moon. As the force began to approach Caracas, the Joint Air Component began dismantling and disabling the air defence systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area, Caine told reporters in a joint press conference with President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Presidents Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Caine said the helicopter insertion force, which included law-enforcement personnel, flew into Venezuela at an altitude of just 100 feet over the water, reaching Maduros compound at 1:31 a.m. VET. The goal of our air component was, and always will be, to protect the helicopters and the ground force, get them to the target, and get them home, Caine added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The strikes lasted half an hour. Smoke was seen rising from one military hangar at a Caracas base, while another was left without power. The strikes occurred under the cover of darkness as a result of both the timing of the operation and the US militarys disruption of power in the city of Caracas. Multiple shipping containers were destroyed and damaged in the La Guaira port strikes. Satellite imagery from Vantor showed at least five destroyed warehouses, burned vehicles, and a blown-up security post. An aircraft, believed to be a Beechcraft Baron, and a Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile system were destroyed at Higuerote Airport. Maduro declared a national state of emergency after the explosions began. The Venezuelan government promised to defend against US military actions, which it accused of seeking regime change. It described the attack as imperialist aggression and called for the United Nations Security Council to be convened. Most of the explosions targeted antennas and active military bases. Early reports suggested that the explosions may have occurred at Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base (La Carlota) and Fort Tiuna, two military installations in the area. Large explosions were also reported at Higuerote Airport. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carried Delta Force soldiers into Caracas, with air cover provided by fighters and bombers. Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel, including the Hostage Rescue Team, accompanied the military to formally arrest Maduro at his compound. The US force came under fire and returned fire. One US helicopter was struck but remained flyable and completed the mission. Some US personnel were injured, Trump said. None were killed. Maduro was picked up by helicopters and brought aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) following his capture. The capture was undertaken by Delta Force together with the CIA. By 4:29 a.m. VET (3:29 am US Eastern Time), Maduro and his wife were embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship, from which they were taken to the United States for trial, US officials said. A photograph depicted Maduro blindfolded, wearing noise-cancelling headphones, a flotation device, and a grey fleece Nike Tech tracksuit, and holding a plastic water bottle. Shortly before 18:00 VET (17:00 EST), the airplane carrying Maduro and Flores landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. He was seen walking off the jet, surrounded by federal agents, before entering a hangar. He was then flown by helicopter to the Westside Heliport in Manhattan, New York City, and taken by an armoured convoy to a local Drug Enforcement Administration field office, where he was processed before ultimately being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Trump said the US operation involved great risk. This is an attack that could have gone very, very badly, he said. We could have lost a lot of people last night. We could have lost a lot of dignity. We could have lost a lot of equipment. He added that a second wave of US forces was standing by, ready to intervene if necessary. We were ready to go again if we have to, he said. Important Role of Air Power The entire operation was airpower-centric, which was the single most important element. The airstrikes on military targets created the space for Special Forces to conduct their capture operation and also signalled to the Venezuelan military that this was not a fight they could, or should, get into. It was very complex, extremely complex the whole manoeuvre, the landings, the number of aircraft, Trump told Fox News. We had a fighter jet for every possible situation. Planes and helicopters were flying all over the city. Soon, videos emerged showing numerous aircraft in the skies. Every element of airpower was in place and used. This included Sead decoys and deception, strategic and tactical airstrikes, electronic warfare, airborne force insertion, special operations, transport and helicopter operations, uncrewed aerial systems (drones), coordinated fires, joint force application, and carrier-based naval aviation. Aerial tankers and airborne early warning and control aircraft were in action. Flexibility, speed, range, accuracy, and lethality were all at play. To Summarise The United States military entered Venezuela, capturing and extra-judicially abducting a sitting President, Nicolas Maduro, and First Lady Cilia Flores. The capture created a power vacuum in Venezuela, which Trump said the US would fill after a proper transition to new Venezuelan leadership. Venezuela is known to have total proved reserves of 303.3 billion barrels, the highest in the world. Oil output in Venezuela will now go up, and prices will reduce and stabilise. This could turn out to be good for India and the world. Amid split global opinion on Trumps strike on Maduro, the Modi government is playing it safe. The cautious Ministry of External Affairs statement is in line with Indias recent positions on Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. With India-US trade deal negotiations at a crucial stage, Delhi is likely to avoid strong protests. Reactions around the world included protests and celebrations by the Venezuelan diaspora. On Venezuela, realism demands holding two truths together: power still shapes outcomes, and deterrence is real in a hard world. That is what the US action demonstrates. The Trump administration justified the operation as a law-enforcement action with military support that the president has inherent constitutional authority to undertake. But international law experts, officials in the United States, the UN, and other countries questioned its legality. President Trump stated that the United States would run Venezuela until there was a transition of power, but these claims were contradicted by Rodriguez and later walked back by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The government formerly led by Maduro remained in place. What kind of signal does this send to the world? Does it mean Trump is telling Russias Putin to continue gaining ground in Ukraine as an area of influence? Is it also a signal to China to be bolder against Taiwan? As the war in Ukraine, Op Sindoor, and conflicts in West Asia show, the airpower continues to be the dominant means of prosecuting military operations. Major armed forces around the world are spending more than half of their defence budgets on airpower. The major equipment orders by India after Op Sindoor are related to aerial platforms and munitions. It has become all the more important to invest more and create greater capability in airpower. (The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) As Tim Cook is set to put down his papers as the CEO, Apple is looking out for a new candidate. Amid this race, John Ternus, the hardware engineer chief is cropping out to be the frontrunner in this race. Apple is planning several new entries in 2026. While the first iPhone foldable comes to mind, the company is also set to on-board a new CEO. The current CEO Tim Cook has recently hinted that he might put down his papers this year, but now the question is: Whos next? Several candidates have made the headline who are being considered for the next CEO. However, New York Times reported, a chief hardware engineer, John Ternus is the front-runner in this race. Ternus known for his calmness has been with the company for almost his entire career. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the NYT report, it was Ternus who added a tiny laser to iPhones to improve photos and power augmented reality in 2018. This did not only help Apples growth chart, but also made it what it is today. The 50-year-old has spent his entire career inside Apples hardware machine, and according to the media reports, his blend of engineering acumen and cool-headed management could make him the next person to lead one of the worlds most valuable companies. Who is John Ternus? Long before his name began cropping up in CEO speculation, John Ternus was already deeply woven into Apples story. He arrived in Cupertino back in 2001, at a moment when the iPod was changing the way of music. While trends and products came and went, Ternus quietly stayed put, building a reputation as someone who understood the company from the inside out. Over more than two decades, he steadily worked his way up Apples engineering ladder. Today, he sits at the centre of the companys hardware universe, leading engineering across Apples most important devices the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Few executives can claim to have influenced so many products used daily by hundreds of millions of people. One of his most significant contributions was helping drive Apples shift away from third-party processors to its own custom silicon, the NYT reported. Ternus didnt arrive at Apple straight from university. Before joining, he spent four years at Virtual Research Inc between 1997 and 2001, cutting his teeth in mechanical and hardware engineering. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, grounding his career firmly in technical fundamentals rather than business theory or marketing flair. At 50, Ternus would mark a clear generational handover if he were to take the top job. His background sets him apart from previous Apple leaders. Tim Cook rose through operations and supply chains, while Steve Jobs was defined by sweeping vision and stage-ready charisma. Ternus, by contrast, is very much a product of Apples engineering core, a leader shaped by schematics, prototypes and relentless iteration. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Those who work alongside him paint a consistent picture. He is described as precise, quietly spoken and obsessed with getting the details right. Rather than courting attention, he focuses on execution, fitting neatly into Apples famously private and disciplined culture. In Silicon Valley circles, his approach is seen as understated but formidable: calm, highly technical and driven by substance over spectacle. In many ways, he embodies the Apple that exists behind closed doors, measured, exacting and relentlessly focused on making things work beautifully. Apples next CEO? Ternus is considered the front-runner, though Cook has also been mentoring other senior executives as well including, software chief Craig Federighi, services head Eddy Cue, marketing lead Greg Joswiak, and retail and HR head Deirdre OBrien, as possible successors. Whether Apples board ultimately chooses him or another insider, the succession will mark a defining moment for the tech giant. As Apple eyes its next chapter, one that may hinge on AI, sustainability, and fresh product categories, the question remains: will its next leader play it safe, or dare to take the kinds of bold leaps that once defined its legend? Either way, if John Ternus does get the top job, expect him to lead quietly, with the same steady precision that has guided Apples hardware for nearly a quarter of a century. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nvidia has imposed unusually stringent terms requiring full payment for orders with no options to cancel, ask for refunds or change configurations after placement. Nvidia is requiring full upfront payment from Chinese customers seeking its H200 artificial intelligence chips, hedging it against ongoing uncertainty over Beijings approval of the shipments, said two people briefed on the matter. The US chipmaker has imposed unusually stringent terms requiring full payment for orders with no options to cancel, ask for refunds or change configurations after placement, the people said. In special circumstances, clients may provide commercial insurance or asset collateral as an alternative to cash payment, one of the people added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nvidias standard terms for Chinese clients have previously included advance payment requirements, but they were sometimes allowed to place a deposit rather than make a full payment upfront, the person said. But for the H200, the company has been particularly strict in enforcing conditions given the lack of clarity on whether Chinese regulators would greenlight the shipments, the person added. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is not public. The stepped-up policy enforcement has not been reported previously. Nvidia and Chinas industry ministry had yet to respond to requests for comment at the time of publication. Chinese technology companies have placed orders for more than 2 million H200 chips that are priced at around $27,000 each, Reuters reported last month, exceeding Nvidias inventory of 700,000 of the chips. While Chinese chipmakers like Huawei have developed AI processors including the Ascend 910C, their performance still lags behind Nvidias H200 for large-scale training of advanced AI models. China plans to approve some H200 imports as soon as this quarter, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Chinese officials are preparing to allow purchases for select commercial uses, while barring the military, sensitive government agencies, critical infrastructure and state-owned enterprises due to security concerns, the report said. Beijing in recent days asked some Chinese tech companies to temporarily pause their H200 chip orders as regulators are still deciding how many domestically produced chips each customer will need to buy alongside each H200 order, the second person said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Information first reported the pause on Wednesday. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Tuesday that customer demand for H200 chips was quite high and that the company has fired up our supply chain to ramp up production. Huang said he did not expect Chinas government to make a formal declaration on approval, but if the purchase orders come, its because theyre able to place purchase orders. Balancing Act The strict payment requirements underscore the delicate balancing act Nvidia faces as it attempts to capitalise on surging Chinese demand while navigating regulatory uncertainty in both countries. The Biden administration had banned advanced AI chip exports to China, but President Donald Trump reversed that policy last month, allowing H200 sales with a 25 per cent fee to be paid to the US government. Nvidia has been burned in the past. Last year, it wrote down $5.5 billion in inventory after the Trump administration abruptly banned it from selling the H20 chip to China, previously the most powerful product it was able to offer there. While the US has reversed that decision, China has since banned H20 shipments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But the payment structure for the H200 effectively transfers financial risk from Nvidia to its customers, who must commit capital without certainty that Beijing will approve the chip imports or that they will be able to deploy the technology as planned. Chinese internet giants including ByteDance and others view the H200 as a significant upgrade over currently available chips. The H200, currently Nvidias second-most powerful chip, delivers roughly six times the performance of the now-blocked H20 chip that Nvidia had designed specifically for the Chinese market. Nvidia plans to fulfill initial orders from existing stock, with the first batch of H200 chips expected to arrive before the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, Reuters reported last month. The company has approached contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co about ramping up H200 production to meet the Chinese demand, with additional manufacturing expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026, Reuters reported last week. For Nvidia, adding new capacity is also challenging at a time when it is not only transitioning from its current most-powerful chip Blackwell to the even more advanced Rubin, but also competing with companies including Alphabets Google for advanced chipmaking production capacity at TSMC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The United States under President Donald Trump is once again eyeing Greenland, with reports suggesting the administration is considering offering direct cash payments to residents of the Arctic island to encourage a break from Denmark and closer alignment with Washington. The question to ponder is why the American media, that fashions itself as a guardian of liberal values, liberty and human rights around the world, falls in line at home as it did on several occasions such as Iraq war or the Bay of Pigs invasion. Representational image: Reuters The Donald Trump administration in the United States is reportedly considering offering direct cash payments to residents of Greenland to persuade them to break away from Denmark and potentially align with the US, Reuters reported. The move comes amid rising tensions after Denmark warned Washington that its soldiers would immediately open fire, without waiting for orders, if any foreign force attempted to invade Danish territory in the Arctic. Citing sources familiar with internal White House discussions, Reuters said US officials have floated payments ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark with a population of about 57,000, has repeatedly said it is not for sale a position firmly backed by authorities in both Copenhagen and Nuuk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A transactional approach to acquiring Greenland The proposal to directly pay Greenlands residents offers a glimpse into how the US might attempt to effectively buy the island despite strong resistance from Denmark and Greenlands leadership. However, the idea risks appearing overly transactional and even patronising to a population that has long debated its own independence and economic dependence on Denmark. The cash-payment proposal is one of several options being discussed at the White House. These include the potential use of the US military, which officials say remains on the table, even as Washington claims it prefers diplomatic or financial routes to acquire the strategically important Arctic territory. Denmarks shoot-first warning The Reuters report followed remarks by Denmarks defence ministry, which confirmed that a 1952 rule of engagement remains in force. The directive requires Danish soldiers to confront and attack invaders immediately, without waiting for instructions from senior commanders. The clarification was issued after Danish newspaper Berlingske sought confirmation of the rule amid renewed US interest in Greenland. The comments came as Trump once again revived his push to take control of the island, saying that military force remained one of the options under consideration. Enough is enough No more fantasies about annexation, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post after Trump reiterated that the US needed to acquire Greenland. Trumps long-standing fixation Trump has consistently argued that Greenland is vital to US national security, pointing to its strategic location and mineral resources, which he says are crucial for advanced military applications. He has also said the Western Hemisphere should largely remain under Washingtons geopolitical influence. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark isnt going to be able to do it, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Its so strategic. According to Reuters, internal discussions among Trumps aides on how to secure Greenland have been underway since before he took office a year ago. However, the talks gained renewed urgency after the recent US operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. One source said White House aides were eager to build on the momentum from the Maduro operation to advance Trumps other long-standing geopolitical objectives. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Payments under serious consideration Sources familiar with the deliberations said the idea of lump-sum payments was not new but had taken on greater seriousness in recent days. Officials were reportedly considering higher payouts, including a $100,000-per-person proposal, which would amount to a total outlay of nearly $6 billion, roughly Rs 530540 crore. Several details remain unresolved, including how and when such payments would be distributed and what Greenlanders would be expected to provide in return. Free association agreement floated Another option being examined is a Compact of Free Association (COFA), an arrangement the US currently has with Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Under such agreements, Washington typically provides key services such as defence and postal operations, while the US military enjoys broad freedom to operate and trade with the US remains largely duty-free. COFA agreements have only been signed with independent nations, meaning Greenland would likely need to separate from Denmark for such a framework to apply. In theory, financial incentives could be used to encourage Greenlanders to vote for independence or to support a COFA arrangement following such a vote. While opinion polls show that a majority of Greenlanders favour independence from Denmark, concerns about economic stability have so far prevented lawmakers from pushing for a referendum. Surveys also indicate that although many Greenlanders are open to independence, most do not want to become part of the US. As US President Donald Trump has declared he would annex Denmarks Greenland island, British commandoes are joining the Norwegian military in a permanent deployment to the Norwegian Arctic Circle. The move is part of broader European efforts to secure the Arctic amid American pressure. British Royal Marines operate with Norway's military personnel in Arctic Circle in northern Norway in this undated photograph. (Photo: X/Nato) At a time when US President Donald Trump has set his eyes on Denmarks Greenland island in particular and Arctic in general, the United Kingdom and Norway have announced a permanent mission to secure the mountains and seas in the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. Under a new agreement with Norway, British Royal Marines will expand their winter deployment to the Norwegian Arctic into a permanent deployment. It will be part of Nato to beef up its northern flank. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under the new agreement, the UKs Commando Force, led by the Royal Marines, will operate year-round across Northern Norways coastlines and mountains, expanding beyond their traditional winter deployments. This partnership is a powerful demonstration of Nato Allies unity and enhanced interoperability in the High North, said Nato in a statement. The strengthening of Arctics defences is taking place at a time when European countries are pursuing a two-pronged strategy to deal with Trumps threat. While Trump has maintained since 2024 that he would annex Greenland and would invade the island if required, he and his allies have ramped up those threats in recent weeks, particularly after the American invasion of Venezuela. And White House has formally said that military options for the annexation are on the table. Amid such threats, European countries have launched a two-pronged effort where they are engaging with various stakeholders in the United States diplomatically and, at the same time, beefing up the security of Arctic under Nato to address Trumps stated concerns about the regions security, according to Politico. For Nato, Trumps threats are existential as an invasion of a fellow member both the United States and Denmark are Nato members would mean the death of the alliance. UK addresses twin threats from Russia & Trump In the Arctic, European nations have long faced threats from Russia. And, lately, they have faced threats from the United States under Trump. Therefore, while the British-Norwegian deployment would address Russian threats on the record, it would be a signal to Trump as well that these are not open spaces where he could do as he wishes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Currently, the UK Commando Force has an operations hub, Camp Viking, and it is now being expanded into a permanent base with the deployment of 1,500 personnel, who will be based there with all-terrain vehicles and helicopters, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Under the agreement, Royal Marines have joined hands with Norway to develop their joint military clout, including investment in weapons and programmes for uncrewed mine-hunting and undersea warfare systems as well as autonomous vehicles for patrolling the depths and an interchangeable fleet of Type 26 frigates, the statement read. They will operate across the coastlines and mountains of Northern Norway. Critically, they will not just cooperate with Norwegian forces but will also marines from the Netherlands in the defence of the regions fjords and mountains. In 2026, Nato will stage Exercise Cold Response in 2026 in the region, which will be the largest military exercises in the country in 2026. It is aimed at demonstrating the unity of Nato and the ability of the alliance to deter threats in the Arctic Circle. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China is the lead nation in the Will for Peace 2026 drill involving navies from the 11-nation BRICS group of emerging nations which US President Donald Trump has labelled anti-American. A general view of the Chinese guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) moored in False Bay, close to Simon's Town, near Cape Town, on January 6, 2026.- AFP Warships from China, Russia and Iran arrived in South African waters on Friday to take part in a week-long naval exercise off the coast of Cape Town amid rising tensions following US actions in Venezuela and the seizure of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. China is the lead nation in the Will for Peace 2026 drill involving navies from the 11-nation BRICS group of emerging nations which US President Donald Trump has labelled anti-American. South Africas armed forces said that the drills, led by China and organised under the Brics bloc last year are aimed at bringing member countries together to practice maritime safety and anti-piracy operations while strengthening cooperation. China, Russia and South Africa are founding Brics members with Iran joining the group in 2024. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is unclear whether other Brics nations including Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates will take part. A spokesperson for South Africas armed forces said participation details will be confirmed during the drills, which are scheduled to continue until next Friday. Ships gather at strategic base Chinese, Russian and Iranian vessels have been seen entering and leaving the harbour serving South Africas main naval base at Simons Town, south of Cape Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. Among the Chinese vessels is the 161-meter destroyer Tangshan. South Africa also hosted Chinese and Russian ships for naval exercises in 2023. Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said the United Arab Emirates is expected to send ships, while Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Brazil will participate as observers. The remaining Brics members include India, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. According to the South African navy, the exercises will enable participating forces to share best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, contributing to the safety of shipping routes and overall maritime stability in the region. Originally, the drills were planned for late November but were postponed due to the G20 summit hosted by South Africa at the same time. Diplomatic implications The exercises are expected to further complicate relations between the US and South Africa. As Africas most advanced economy and a leading voice for the continent, South Africa has faced criticism from the Trump administration, and the presence of militaries from China, Russia, and Iran is likely to draw scrutiny from Washington. US President Donald Trump said in an executive order in February that South Africa supports bad actors on the world stage and singled out its ties with Iran as one of the reasons for the US cutting funding to the country. China and Russia have often used Brics forums to launch criticism of the US and the West. South Africa has long claimed it follows a nonaligned foreign policy and remains neutral, but Russian presence on the southern tip of Africa has strained its relationship with the US before. The Biden administration accused South Africa in 2023 of allowing a sanctioned Russian ship to dock at the Simons Town naval base and load weapons to be taken to Russia for the war in Ukraine. South Africa denied the allegation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD South Africas willingness to host Russian and Iranian warships has also been criticised inside the country. The Democratic Alliance, the second biggest political party in the coalition government, said it was opposed to hosting drills that included heavily sanctioned Russia and Iran. Calling these drills BRICS cooperation is a political trick to soften what is really happening: Government is choosing closer military ties with rogue and sanctioned states such as Russia and Iran, the Democratic Alliance said. With inputs from agencies Exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said any democratic transition must recognise his claimed 2024 election victory, as Venezuela and the US hold exploratory talks on restoring diplomatic relations. Relatives of prisoners expecting the release of their loved ones wait outside El Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Miranda State, some 30 kilometers east of Caracas, on January 9, 2026.- AFP Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who is living in exile, said on Friday that any move towards a democratic transition in Venezuela must be based on acknowledgement of his claimed victory in the 2024 presidential election, which authorities declared was won by Nicolas Maduro, who has since been seized. According to a statement issued by his press team, Gonzalez Urrutia made the remarks during a phone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He said Venezuelas democratic rebuilding hinges on formal recognition of the results of the July 28, 2024 vote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separately, the Venezuelan government said on Friday it had entered exploratory discussions with the United States over the possible restoration of diplomatic relations, which were severed in 2019 during the presidency of Nicolas Maduro, who has been removed from office. The administration of interim President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed that US diplomats travelled to Caracas on Friday. A US official said the visit was linked to discussions on reopening the US embassy in Venezuela. Caracas said it would respond by dispatching its own delegation to Washington. Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump said he had scrapped plans for a second round of attacks on Venezuela after securing cooperation from the new leadership. He said the interim government had begun releasing prisoners nearly a week after Washington forcibly ousted the leftist president. The United States was quickly forging ahead on Venezuela with Trump meeting oil executives, whom he says he wants to enrich, and US diplomats visiting Caracas to look at reopening the embassy shuttered for years. Trump suggested he may use force again to get his way in Venezuela, which has the worlds largest proven oil reserves. Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of Seeking Peace, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump said Friday he called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after securing cooperation with the new leadership, which began releasing prisoners nearly a week after Washington forcibly removed the leftist president. The United States was quickly forging ahead on Venezuela with Trump meeting oil executives, whom he says he wants to enrich, and US diplomats visiting Caracas to look at reopening the embassy shuttered for years. Trump suggested he may use force again to get his way in Venezuela, which has the worlds largest proven oil reserves. Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of Seeking Peace, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, he said. With inputs from agencies India has reiterated that Shaksgam Valley is part of its territory, calling the agreement illegal and rejecting CPEC as it passes through Indian land, the MEA said. India on Thursday said the Shaksgam Valley is part of its territory, reiterating that the agreement relating to the area is illegal and invalid, and restated its rejection of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it passes through Indian territory. Addressing the media on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, Shaksgam valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid." STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD VIDEO | Delhi: Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement that happened in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan pic.twitter.com/i3Eb9FTc09 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 9, 2026 The entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and the Chinese authorities several times. We have consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality in Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests, he said. India reacted after reports indicated that China is actively building a long all-weather road in the Shaksgam area, located north of Siachen, a region of high strategic importance to Indian forces, sources told News18. The sources said about 75 km of the roadestimated to be nearly 10 metres widehas already been completed, with construction continuing at a fast pace. Meanwhile, responding to a proposed bill in the United States Congress that seeks to impose a 500 per cent duty on countries continuing to purchase Russian oil, he also said it remains guided by the imperative of securing affordable energy for its 1.4 billion people amid evolving global market dynamics. New Delhi is aware of the bill and is closely monitoring developments. We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments,, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Reiterating Indias long-standing position on energy sourcing, Jaiswal underlined that New Delhis decisions are driven by energy security needs and market realities. Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known. In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy for our 1.4 billion people through diverse sources to meet the energy security needs, the statement said. MEAs reponse comes days after US Senator Lindsey Graham said that US President Donald Trump has given a green light to the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill, which would give leverage against India, China, and Brazil to stop them from purchasing Russian oil and punish the countries fuelling Putins war machine. In a post on X on Wednesday, Graham said the move comes amid ongoing peace negotiations for Ukraine and hinted it would go to a bipartisan vote next week. After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others. This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fuelling Putins war machine, Graham said in his post. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivize them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putins bloodbath against Ukraine. I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote, hopefully as early as next week, he added. As per the official website of the US Congress, the bill titled Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025 seeks to impose several provisions, which include penalties on individuals and entities, including an increase of the rate of duty on all goods and services imported from Russia into the United States to at least 500 per cent relative to the value of such goods and services. Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the United States and Israel of attempting to influence the countrys ongoing protest movement, while dismissing the likelihood of direct foreign military action Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the United States and Israel of attempting to influence and destabilise Irans ongoing protest movement, while playing down the likelihood of any direct foreign military intervention against the country. Speaking during a visit to Lebanon, Araghchi claimed that Washington and Tel Aviv were openly interfering in Irans internal affairs. This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran, AFP quoted him as saying. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He alleged that external actors were seeking to escalate the situation on the ground. They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones, Araghchi said, accusing the US and Israel of exploiting domestic unrest to undermine stability in Iran. Addressing concerns over potential military action, the Iranian foreign minister dismissed the possibility of a direct intervention, saying such a move was unlikely. Regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures, he added. The remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and Western powers, as protests continue in several Iranian cities and the United States has warned Tehran against harsh crackdowns on demonstrators. With inputs from agencies As the anti-government protests rage on in Iran, some demonstrators have been calling for the return of exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi. As the massive anti-government protests take over Iran, some demonstrators have been calling for the return of the Shahs in the West Asian nation. Iran has plunged into a nationwide protest as the countrys economy takes a major hit. What has been garnering attention of the world is the fact that some of the protesters appeared to be heeding a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. On Thursday, the Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi said that millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. He went on to thank US President Donald Trump, calling him the leader of the free world, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account. The remarks from the exiled prince came before his reported visit to Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence next week. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals. I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 8, 2026 The unrest has been triggered by the rising cost of living and collapsing currency. , and mounting concern over the scale of the crackdown by security forces. Amid the chaos, a nationwide internet blackout was reported in the West Asian nation on Thursday. Trump gets involved The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said Iranian security forces have killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, since demonstrations began in late December. In light of this, Trump on Thursday reiterated that the US will hit Iran very hard if it starts killing protestors. If they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots. If they do it, were going to hit them very hard, Trump said in an interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show. Theyve been told very strongly, even more strongly than Im speaking to you right now, that if they do that, theyre going to have to pay hell, he added. Meanwhile, US Vice President said that the American supports peaceful protestors worldwide, including in Iran. We certainly stand by anybody whos engaged in peaceful protests who are advocating for their rights, he told reporters at a news conference at the White House. He stressed the importance of negotiations about Irans nuclear program, adding that the smartest thing for Tehran is a real negotiation with the US on its nuclear program. It is pertient to note that the Iranian authorities are yet to release official figures about casualties, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said in a report published Wednesday, marking the 11th day of protests, that at least 38 people were killed, including four members of security forces. The agency also reported dozens of injuries and 2,217 arrests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel carried out air strikes on Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Friday, escalating tensions a day after the Lebanese army said it had begun efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group. Israels military said it carried out air strikes on Hezbollah targets across several parts of Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army announced it had completed the first phase of efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group in the countrys south. In a statement, the Israeli army said it struck several areas in Lebanon, targeting weapons storage sites and a weapons production facility that it said were being used to rebuild and strengthen Hezbollahs military capabilities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lebanese state media reported a series of heavy Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon. According to Lebanons National News Agency, Israeli warplanes carried out intensive attacks on areas between the towns of Kfar Fila and Ain Qana in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, as well as nearby locations in the south. The agency said additional strikes hit areas between the towns of Rihan and Sajd in the Jezzine district. The Israeli army said it was currently attacking Hezbollah targets in several areas of southern Lebanon, claiming the strikes were aimed at infrastructure belonging to the group. It added that the targets included weapons depots and facilities used by Hezbollah to rearm and rebuild its forces. In recent weeks, Israeli media have reported that the army has completed preparations for a possible large-scale offensive against Hezbollah if the Lebanese government and army fail to dismantle the groups weapons by the end of 2025. Lebanon and Israel have been observing a ceasefire since November 2024, which brought an end to more than a year of cross-border hostilities linked to the war in Gaza. The fighting left more than 4,000 people dead and around 17,000 injured. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon. However, the army has only partially pulled back and continues to maintain a presence at five border outposts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel has firmly opposed any involvement of the Pakistan Army in a proposed International Stabilisation Force for Gaza, citing serious security concerns over alleged links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror groups Israel has firmly opposed any involvement of the Pakistan Army in a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza under a plan backed by US President Donald Trump, citing serious security concerns over alleged links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror groups. Speaking to NDTV, Israels Ambassador to India Reuven Azar told Israel is not comfortable with Pakistani military participation in any future security arrangement for Gaza. He stressed that Israels position remains unchanged on the need to completely dismantle Hamas before any political or reconstruction process can begin. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There is an effort right now to try to create a situation in which we can move forward, but for that, Hamas must be dismantled. There is no way around it, Azar said. Israel has consistently maintained that lasting stability in Gaza is not possible unless Hamas is fully eliminated, and has reiterated that security considerations will determine its acceptance of any international force deployed in the region. Azar reiterated Israels opposition to any role for the Pakistan Army in a proposed stabilisation and reconstruction force for Gaza, amid reports that the United States has approached several countries, including Pakistan, to contribute troops. Responding to those reports, Azar said multiple countries have already expressed reluctance to participate in such a force, noting that many are unwilling to engage in combat with Hamas. He warned that this hesitation undermines the effectiveness of any proposed stabilisation mechanism under current conditions. When asked directly whether Israel would be comfortable with the Pakistan Armys involvement in Gaza, Azar replied unequivocally, No. He added that countries typically cooperate only with partners they trust and with whom they maintain proper diplomatic relations, stressing that such conditions do not exist in this case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is not the situation right now, Azar said, underlining Israels clear opposition to Pakistans inclusion in any future Gaza force. Reiterating Israels core demands, Azar said the countrys immediate priorities remain the return of all hostages, including the remains of those killed, and the complete dismantling of Hamass military and political infrastructure. He accused Hamas and countries sympathetic to it of attempting to sidestep these fundamental requirements. Either Hamas dismantles, or it will be impossible to implement the second phase of any plan, Azar said, warning that if international pressure fails to achieve these objectives, Israel would have no option but to act unilaterally. With inputs from agencies Trump also claimed that Xi will not order an invasion of Taiwan while he holds the Oval Office, rejecting concerns that Washingtons operation in Venezuela set precedence US President Donald Trump has said that its up to Chinese President Xi Jinping on what he wants to do about Taiwan, in an apparent change of stance on Washingtons Taiwan policy. The US president, at the same time, also said that he would be very unhappy with a change in the status quo. Talking to the New York Times, Trump said, He (Xi) considers it to be a part of China, and thats up to him what hes going to be doing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But Ive expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I dont think hell do that. I hope he doesnt do that, he added. The US government under Trump has had a tough stance on Chinas belligerent moves against Taiwan and backs the island countrys territorial integrity. He wont do it while Im president Trump also claimed that Xi will not order an invasion of Taiwan while he holds the Oval Office, rejecting concerns that Washingtons operation in Venezuela set precedence. He may do it after we have a different president, but I dont think hes going to do it with me as president, he said. When asked if the recent capture of Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces set a new global precedent, Trump countered that the situation in Venezuela is not comparable to the tensions between China and Taiwan. The president justified the military action by labelling Venezuela a real threat, specifically alleging that Maduro dumped gang members into America. Distinguishing this from the geopolitical situation in Asia, he noted, You didnt have people pouring into China, while further pointing out that Beijing was not dealing with drugs flowing across its borders. US on Taiwan China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own, and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijings claims. The Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair, and how to resolve it is a matter purely within Chinas sovereign rights, said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for Chinas embassy in Washington. The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Washington is the islands most important international backer and is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The issue has been an irritant in U.S.-China relations for years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has largely avoided directly saying how he would respond to a rise in tensions over the island. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said Europe should re-engage with Russia to help end the Ukraine war while saying that it is too early to discuss Moscows return to the G8. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday said Europe should resume engagement with Russia, while stressing that it remains premature to consider Moscows return to the Group of Eight major economies. Speaking at her annual New Years press conference, Meloni said she shared the view recently expressed by French President Emmanuel Macron who has argued that Europe must hold talks with Russia as part of efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I believe Macron is right, Meloni said. The moment has arrived for Europe to also engage with Russia. She warned that Europes role in the negotiations would be constrained if it chose to interact with only one side of the conflict. If Europe decides to participate in this phase of talks by speaking solely to one of the two parties, I fear its contribution will ultimately be limited, she added. Diplomatic efforts to end the war, now nearing its fourth year, have gained momentum since November. Despite this, Russia has not indicated any readiness to compromise following Kyivs push for amendments to a US-backed proposal that largely reflected Moscows core demands. Russia has also offered no public indication that it would agree to a peace settlement that includes the security guarantees sought by Ukraines allies, such as the deployment of Western troops on Ukrainian territory. Meloni said the European Union should appoint an envoy to deal directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and avoid confusion. If we were to make the mistake of deciding, on the one hand, to reopen dialogue with Russia, and on the other, to proceed in a disorganised way, we would be doing Putin a favour, she said. We have had this problem from the start. Too many voices speaking, too many formats, she added. Among proposals put forward by the United States in November was for Russia to be readmitted to the Group of Seven wealthy nations club, reviving the now-defunct G8. Meloni said it was absolutely premature to talk about welcoming Russia back into the G7 fold. She also reiterated that Italy had no intention of sending troops to Ukraine to help guarantee any peace deal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD France and Britain last month signed a declaration of intent on the future deployment of multinational forces into Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached. With inputs from agencies The two leaders will pay homage at Sabarmati Ashram on Monday morning. They will then join the ongoing Uttarayan celebrations by participating in the Kite Festival at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with Prime Minister Modi, will visit the iconic Sabarmati Ashram and participate in the International Kite Festival at the riverfront there during his two-day visit to India beginning January 12, sources said on Tuesday. The visit is aimed at strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries, they said. This will be Chancellor Merzs first official visit to India and his inaugural trip to Asia since taking office. Sources told PTI that the two leaders will pay homage at Sabarmati Ashram on Monday morning. They will then join the ongoing Uttarayan celebrations by participating in the Kite Festival at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD German Chancellors visit holds high significance as it is being held ahead of the Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC), scheduled to be held in Germany later this year, sources noted. Delegation-level talks will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, followed by a joint press statement. Chancellor Merz is also likely to visit GIFT City, where German investments, including Deutsche Banks operations, are expanding. Defence ties will take centre-stage, with sources indicating major discussions expected in this domain. Germany has removed around 110 out of 130 defence items from its export control list, paving the way for deeper collaboration with India. However, sources underlined that a submarine deal for the Indian Navy is unlikely during this visit. Defence cooperation has reached a new level of trust, with Germanys export control relaxations enabling significant progress, a senior official said on condition of anonymity. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the discussions will also cover trade, investment, technology, education, mobility, innovation and green development. The visit, including a leg in Bengaluru, comes outside the regular Inter-Governmental Consultations framework, highlighting its priority. The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) was faced with a mission-defining challenge during Jaishankars November visit when the US government was in a shutdown The US was in a government shutdown when Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar flew down to the country in November last year. Despite this, the US State Department launched a bold contingency plan to ensure Jaishankars protection and security amid the shutdown. Most government services, including security arrangements for foreign delegates, are hit during a shutdown. An article dated December 30, 2025 by Supervisory Special Agent Gabriel Macias said that when thousands of commercial flights were grounded due to the US government shutdown last year, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents from the Dignitary Protection Division (DP), New York Field Office (NYFO), and Buffalo Resident Office (BFRO) faced a mission-defining challenge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jaishankar, who was in Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting on November 11-12, 2025, then travelled to New York, where he held a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters. The successful execution of the mission ensured the foreign ministers diplomatic agenda proceeded without disruption, advancing strategic US foreign policy interests fully aligned with the administrations America First policy priorities. It also reflected the ethos emphasised by incoming DS leadership: disciplined execution, mission focus, technical proficiency, and unwavering readiness in support of American diplomacy, the article said. How did US ensure Jaishankars security? The report said that during Jaishankars visit, the DSS was ordered to ensure his timely arrival and uphold the bureaus core mission: protection amid the government shutdown. Given that flights were cancelled nationwide due to the shutdown but diplomatic meetings were imminent, DSS crafted a bold contingency plan that involved a seven-hour road journey, one that commenced when agents received Jaishankar at the LewistonQueenston Bridge in Niagara in upstate New York and executed a 416-mile interstate motorcade to Manhattan. The article said that to execute the contingency plan, the mission mobilised 27 agents, including three from DP, who drove to Buffalo and New York to join BFRO and NYFO teams for a rare long-distance motorcade movement. From the first mile to the last, the detail showcased hallmark DSS tradecraftadaptability, resilience, technical proficiency, and disciplined execution, the article said. The mission began as BFRO agents coordinated with the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who protected Jaishankar while he was in Canada, and US Customs and Border Protection personnel at the international bridge between the US and Canada to expedite a smooth transition at the border. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While teams meticulously navigated upstate New York, they managed fatigue through structured driver rotations, and ensured seamless continuity of protection while maintaining the foreign ministers comfort across the seven-hour journey. Despite the freezing temperatures, limited visibility, and shutdown-related constraints, DSS agents executed with calm professionalism and unwavering focus. A tense moment arose when a K9 alerted on the foreign ministers armoured vehicle. Agents quickly secured the area, coordinated with local explosive ordinance disposal technicians, and, after a thorough inspection, cleared the vehicle, which served as an example of the teams poise and adherence to DSS standards under pressure. The deal with Pakistan encompasses 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air defence systems, according to a report Pakistan Air Force's JF-17 Thunder jets fly past during the sea phase of Pakistan Navy's Multinational Exercise AMAN-23, in the North Arabian Sea near Karachi, Pakistan, on February 13, 2023. Reuters File Pakistan is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan, a former top air force official and three sources said, promising a major boost for Sudans army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Their conflict has stoked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis for more than 2-1/2 years, drawing in myriad foreign interests, and threatening to fragment the strategic Red Sea country, a major gold producer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The deal with Pakistan encompasses 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air defence systems, said two of the three sources with knowledge of the matter, who all sought anonymity. It was a done deal, said Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal who continues to be briefed on air force matters. Besides the Karakoram-8 jets, it includes Super Mushshak training aircraft, and perhaps some coveted JF-17 fighters developed jointly with China and produced in Pakistan, he added, without giving figures or a delivery schedule. Pakistans military and its defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Sudans army did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment. Assistance from Pakistan, especially drones and jets, could help Sudans army regain the air supremacy it had towards the start of its war with the RSF, which has increasingly used drones to gain territory, eroding the armys position. Sudans army accuses the RSF of being supplied by the United Arab Emirates, which has denied supplying weapons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Possibility of Saudi backing The sources did not say how the deal was being funded but Masood said it was possible the finances would come from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia may favour and support all the favourable regimes in Gulf for procurement of Pakistani military equipment and training, he said. One of the sources said the Saudis brokered the deal but added there was no indication they were paying for the weapons. Another source said Saudi was not providing funds. Reuters has reported that Islamabad is in talks with Riyadh for a defence deal that could be worth between $2 billion and $4 billion. Masood said the weapons for Sudan could be included in such an agreement, without confirming discussions with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of the US-led quad grouping of nations that has tried to push Sudans army and the RSF towards peace talks. On recent visits, Sudans army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan requested Saudi assistance in the war, according to Sudanese and Egyptian sources. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are embroiled in a major feud sparked by recent events in Yemen. The two most powerful countries in the Gulf have sharp differences on a range of volatile Middle East issues, from geopolitics to oil output. Their difference burst into the open with an advance of UAE-backed southern Yemeni separatists in early December that brought them into conflict with Saudi-backed forces. Pakistans defence ambitions The deal is another feather in the cap for Pakistans growing defence sector, which has drawn growing interest and investment, particularly since its jets were deployed in a conflict with India last year. Last month, Islamabad struck a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with the Libyan National Army, officials said, for one of the South Asian nations largest arms sales, which includes JF-17 fighter jets and training aircraft. Pakistan has also held talks with Bangladesh on a defence deal that could includes the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve ties with Dhaka. The government sees Pakistans burgeoning industry as a catalyst to secure long-term economic stability. Pakistan is now in a $7-billion IMF programme, following a short-term deal to avert a sovereign default in 2023. It won IMF support after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies provided financial and deposit rollovers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday made a big revelation, claiming that the India-US trade deal has not been sealed yet because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call US President Donald Trump. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday made a big revelation on why the India-US trade deal has not been sealed yet. Speaking at the All-In Podcast, hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Lutnick claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis not calling US President Donald Trump affected the trade deal. Lets be clear, its his deal. Hes the closer. He does the deal. So I said, youve got to have Modi. Its all set up. You have to have Modithey were uncomfortable doing it, the American Commerce Secretary averred. So Modi didnt call, he claimed. The remarks came after Trump on Thursday approved a bill that can impose at least 500 per cent tariffs for countries buying Russian oil, aiming to punish them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Senator Lindsey Graham said that the bill would give the U.S. tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil. It is pertinent to note that back in August, the US imposed additional tariffs on Indian imports to the country, alleging that New Delhis purchase of Russian oil was fueling Moscows war machine in Ukraine. Since then, the total tariffs on Indian goods in the United States stand at 50 per cent, including 25 per cent of additional tariffs and 25 per cent of Trumps reciprocal tariffs. In the midst of all this, India and the US have held many rounds of trade talks, with the meeting from December 10 to December 12, when US officials visited New Delhi. The back and forth India and the US have been engaged in parallel negotiations, aiming to develop a framework trade deal to address tariff issues and focus on a comprehensive trade agreement. In February last year, leaders from both countries directed officials to begin negotiations, setting an initial goal of completing the first phase by autumn 2025. However, the deal remains stalled, with Indias trade with Russia remaining a major flashpoint. The proposed agreement in question aims to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 from the current $191 billion. It is pertinent to note that the United States continues to remain Indias largest trading partner for the fourth straight year in 202425, with bilateral trade valued at $131.84 billion, including $86.5 billion in exports from India. American markets still account for about 18 per cent of Indias total export and 6.22 per cent of imports. Hence, tensions between the two nations over the tariff issue remain ripe. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Russia has said it struck Ukraine with a nuclear-capable missile in its latest barrage. The Russian defence ministry said the strike was in response to a Ukrainian attack on one of President Vladimir Putins residences. The Donald Trump administration has assessed that Ukraine did not carry out any such attack. A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during a test from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Northern Arkhangelsk region, Russia. (Representative Image, Credit: Reuters) Russia on Friday said it attacked Ukraine with a nuclear-capable missile in its latest overnight barrage. The Russian defence ministry said it attacked Ukraine with Oreshnik missile in response to a Ukrainian attack on one of the residences of President Vladimir Putin in December, according to Reuters. Oreshnic is a hypersonic, nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). It is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. Currently, Ukraine does not appear to have capabilities to defend against such missiles. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Russian attack amounts to a major escalation at a time when US President Donald Trump has ramped up efforts to bring the war to an end with a negotiated settlement. But such efforts have stalled as Putin has essentially rejected the latest proposal and opposed US and European security guarantees for Ukraine. Retaliation for an attack that never happened? While Russia has called the Oreshnik strike a response to a Ukrainian attack on one of the Putins residences, Ukraine has denied launching any such attack and the Trump administration has assessed the same. After initially sympathising with Putin, Trump later said the administration has determined the claim about the attack was false. I dont believe that strike happened. We dont believe that happened now that weve been able to check, Trump said on Sunday. Russia hits nuclear-capable missile at Natos doorstep While Russia did not immediately disclose the target, it appears the strike happened in Lviv in western Ukraine, which is near the border with Poland. The Ukrainian air force on Thursday night said it had detected a launch at Russias Kapustin Yar site near the Caspian Sea. The range is a dedicated site to test nuclear weapons. The alert about the detection was followed by explosions near Lviv. The sequence of events suggest the explosions could be from a missile launched from the Kapustin Yar range. On 01/08/2026 at around 23:30, a missile threat was declared across the entire territory of Ukraine due to the risk of the enemy using ballistic missiles from the Kapustin Yar testing range. Explosions have been reported in the Lviv region. Information is being clarified, the statement read. The Oreshnik strike was part of a barrage that also struck Ukrainian capital Kyiv and killed at least four persons and injured 14. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Previously, Russia attacked Ukraine with Oreshnik in November 2024. But there are notable differences between the two strikes. For one, the previous strike targeted an aerospace factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. This time, Russia has struck Lviv in the western Ukraine close to the border with Nato member Poland. The message would not be lost on anyone. Russia has rejected European security guarantees for Ukraine endorsed by US President Donald Trump and warned that any foreign soldiers in Ukraine would be legitimate military targets. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shake hands upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris on January 6, 2026. (Photo: Ludovid Marin/Pool/AFP) Russia on Thursday rejected European security guarantees for Ukraine, which have been endorsed by US President Donald Trump, and warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be treated as legitimate military targets. In a statement, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said this was not a new position but a reiteration of a longstanding position. She described Ukraines European partners as an axis of war and their commitments as militaristic declarations". STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Russian rejection came two days after the United Kingdom and France pledged to deploy soldiers to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force to enforce a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia following a negotiated end to the war. The deployment would take place under the framework of the Coalition of the Willing led by the UK and France. The group led by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has more than 30 members that have pledged support in various forms. The Trump administration has backed the British- and French-led peacekeeping force and the coalitions security guarantees. It has also agreed to provide a backstop and lead a joint mechanism to monitor the ceasefire. ALSO READ: With Russias terms to Ukraine, Putin seeks surrender not a peace deal However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected the latest peace proposal floated by Trump as he rejected all previous proposals. With rising attacks on non-military targets in Ukraine, including only the second strike in the war involving a nuclear-capable missile, Russia has escalated the conflict. Militaristic declarations from axis of war: Russia rejects security guarantees As with previous peace proposals, Russia maintained that its rejection of Western security guarantees for Ukraine was not a new position but a reiteration of a longstanding position. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Zakharova branded the Coalition of the Willing an axis of evil and its security guarantees militaristic declarations. She said the coalitions plans are becoming increasingly more dangerous and destructive for the future of the European continent and its residents. ALSO READ: From European forces to Congressional approval, Zelenskyy outlines Ukraines security guarantees STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Referring to any British and French deployment to Ukraine as part of the peacekeeping force, Zakharova said the deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities, storages and other Western infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries, according to Tass news agency. Zakharova further said, All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces. Warnings to this effect have been repeatedly made at the highest level and remain relevant. The only way to end the war, she said, would be to accept Russias terms regarding the root causes of the conflict. The phrase root causes is a euphemism Russia has used for its maximalist demands since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Acceptance of such demands would effectively mean the end of Ukrainian sovereignty and the cessation of its nationhood. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia struck Qatars embassy in its latest overnight attack on Kyiv. Russian aerial attacks have so far struck at least eight diplomatic missions in Kyiv since it launched the war more than three years ago. A rescuer works at the site of the apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike amid Russia's attack on Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 9, 2026. (Representational Image, Credit: Stringer/Reuters) In the latest overnight aerial attack, Russia on Thursday night struck the Qatari embassy in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy said in a statement that a building of the Embassy of Qatar was damaged last night by a Russian drone. Since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian aerial attacks have so far struck at least nine diplomatic missions in Kyiv. It has also struck cultural institutions like the British Council and targeted civilian structure on a near-daily basis. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Noting that Russia struck the Qatari embassy despite its role in mediation, Zelenskyy praised the Arab kingdom as a state that does so much to mediate with Russia in order to secure the release of prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons. He said that the world, and the United States in particular, would need to have a clear reaction to such attacks. A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to. Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure, said Zelenskyy. In the latest barrage on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, Russia hit non-military targets across Ukraine, striking in Kyiv and Lviv in the countrys west near the border with Poland. The barrage included the usage of nuclear-capable Oreshik missile. In Kyiv, at least four people were killed in Kyiv and 10 were injured, according to Ukrainian authorities. In Kyiv and the region, the aftermath of the massive Russian strike is still being dealt with. All necessary services are deployed. Twenty residential buildings alone were damaged. Recovery operations after the strikes also continue in the Lviv region and other regions of our pic.twitter.com/AMkwfKHOkC Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) January 9, 2026 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Zelenskyy called upon Ukraines partners to speed up deliveries of air defence systems in the wake of the latest attack. Todays strike also serves as a very loud reminder to all our partners that supporting Ukraines air defense is a permanent priority. Not a single day can be lost in deliveries, in production, or in agreements. Today, we will inform our partners at all levels about what has happened and what response measures we need. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine! said Zelenskyy. Previously, Russia has struck diplomatic missions and foreign cultural institutions at least twice. In August 2025, Russia struck the European Union's (EU) mission to Kyiv. The same attack also targeted the British Council in the capital. In December, a Russian wave struck the missions of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital and its suburbs ignited fires and damaged residential buildings, killing at least two people and wounding several others, Kyivs mayor said Friday. This handout photograph taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on January 8, 2026, shows rescuers working to extinguish a fire in a heavily damaged residential building following a Russian missile attack in Kryvyi Rig, Dnipropetrovsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital and its suburbs ignited fires and damaged residential buildings, killing at least two people and wounding several others, Kyivs mayor said Friday. Two dead in the capital. Five people were wounded. Three of them were treated on the spot by medics. Two were hospitalised, Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram. Regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk urged people to stay in shelters until air raid sirens lifted. Ukraines air force issued a countrywide alert late Thursday, warning all of Ukraine is under a missile threat and confirming Russian bombers were airborne. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the western city of Lviv, the mayor said critical infrastructure was hit. All relevant services are working on the site, the fire is being extinguished, Mayor Andriy Sadovy said. The latest barrage comes after the US Embassy in Kyiv warned Thursday that a potentially significant air attack could occur at any time within the next several days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had echoed the rare warning in his evening address. Hours before the attack, Moscow had slammed a post-war plan for European peacekeepers to be deployed to Ukraine and branded Kyiv and its allies an axis of war. European leaders and US envoys have been engaged in a flurry of diplomacy seeking to finalise a plan to end the almost four-year-long conflict. In its latest iteration, the proposals post-war guarantees for Ukraine include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed once the fighting stops. Zelensky said Thursday that an agreement was essentially ready for finalisation at the highest level with the President of the United States following talks between envoys in Paris this week. Specific details, including about the size of the force and how it would engage, have not been made public. Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India on Friday rejected as not accurate US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnicks claim that the India-US trade deal stalled because PM Modi did not speak to Trump. MEA said India and the US held multiple rounds of talks and that Modi and Trump spoke eight times in 2025 despite ongoing trade tensions. India on Friday rejected as not accurate the claim by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that the India-US trade deal failed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not speak directly to US President Donald Trump. Responding to the remarks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and the US have been committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since February 13, 2025. Multiple rounds of talks held: MEA Jaiswal said several rounds of negotiations have been held since then to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement, adding that on multiple occasions, the two sides were close to finalising a deal. The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate, he said during a media briefing in New Delhi. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added that India remains interested in concluding a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the two economies. Modi-Trump spoke eight times in 2025 The MEA spokesperson said Prime Minister Modi and President Trump spoke over the phone eight times in 2025, discussing different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership. He also said the two leaders share a friendly relationship and have always addressed each other with mutual respect, in line with diplomatic norms. What Howard Lutnick said Indias response came hours after Lutnick said the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement was stalled because Modi did not personally call Trump to finalise the deal. In an interview on the All-In podcast, Lutnick claimed the deal was ready but required a direct call from Modi, adding that this did not happen. Tariffs and rising pressure on India Trade negotiations stalled last year, following which the US raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent in August. These included a 25 percent levy linked to Indias continued purchases of Russian oil, along with 25 percent reciprocal tariffs. Trump has since warned that tariffs could be increased further unless India reduced its Russian oil imports. The warning pushed the rupee to a record low and unsettled investors hoping for progress in the long-pending trade talks. Trade deal status remains uncertain Lutnick said India is still seeking a tariff rate between those earlier offered to Britain and Vietnam, but added that the previous offer has lapsed. He also said the US had stepped back from a trade deal that was earlier close to being finalised, though he suggested discussions could resume in the future. Strain in India-US ties Ties between India and the US have remained strained since last year, particularly after Washington imposed additional tariffs over Indias Russian oil purchases and amid differences on other diplomatic issues. The truce comes after three days of intense fighting that displaced over 140,000 people, as both sides accuse each other of war crimes and tensions over territorial control persist Boys lead a flock of sheep past a member of the security forces as residents flee fighting in Aleppo's Ashrafieh neighbourhood on Wednesday. AFP Syrias government has declared a ceasefire in Aleppo following three days of intense clashes with Kurdish fighters, which displaced more than 140,000 people. The pause in fighting, the most severe in the country in over six months, took effect at 3 am local time (midnight GMT), reported The Guardian. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Kurdish militants were to withdraw from the contested neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid and be granted safe passage to the north-east of Syria, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The fighters would be allowed to take light arms with them, added the report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The durability of the truce remains uncertain, as the SDF has not yet confirmed its agreement. Past ceasefires in Aleppo have frequently collapsed. According to a Reuters report, the Asayish, the SDFs internal security forces, denied requesting safe passage and instead demanded that Damascus withdraw its soldiers. Residents in Aleppo reported that the fighting appeared to stop overnight. Footage from the contested areas showed a cessation of gunfire that had been constant in recent days. Syrian government forces posted videos showing clearing operations and inspections of underground tunnels previously used by the SDF to move fighters and weapons beneath the city. The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack confirmed the Aleppo ceasefire on X, saying Washington warmly welcomes the temporary ceasefire and thanked both sides for their restraint and goodwill that made this vital pause possible. Relations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls about a third of Syria, have deteriorated in recent months. A plan to integrate the SDF into Syrias new army by the end of last year stalled, with both sides accusing each other of undermining Syrias unity. Aleppo, where the SDF holds a pocket of Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods, has been a long-standing flashpoint. The recent clashes intensified tensions, with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi warning that the fighting had damaged the chances of reaching understandings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Damascus insists on extending government control over all of Syria, maintaining the states monopoly on violence, and preserving national unity. Both sides have accused each other of war crimes during the three-day conflict, with the SDF alleging ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, while the government claims the SDF used civilians as human shields. The US, which has long backed the SDF in its fight against Islamic State, has sought to mediate a merger between the SDF and Damascus, but little progress has been made. Turkey, a key ally of the Syrian government, views the SDF as linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and has offered support to Damascus if requested. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, The SDFs insistence on protecting what it has at all costs is the biggest obstacle to achieving peace and stability in Syria. The SDFs territorial control remains a major sticking point as Damascus seeks to consolidate authority over the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Trump said he has cancelled a previously planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela. The decision came after Venezuela began releasing what he described as large numbers of political prisoners, which he called a sign of seeking peace. US President Donald Trump said he has cancelled a previously planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the country began releasing what he described as large numbers of political prisoners, calling the move a sign of seeking peace. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said the US and Venezuela were working well together, particularly on rebuilding the Latin American nations oil and gas infrastructure. He said this cooperation led him to cancel the expected second wave of attacks, though US ships would remain in place for safety and security reasons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of seeking peace. This is a very important and smart gesture, Trump wrote, adding that the attacks now appeared unnecessary. Trump also said he would meet major oil companies at the White House, claiming that big oil firms planned to invest at least $100 billion in Venezuelan oil. According to NBC News, the heads of Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the meeting. Chevron is currently the only US company with a licence to operate in Venezuela. His remarks come amid heightened US pressure on Venezuela following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and a series of US interceptions of Venezuelan-linked oil tankers. The Trump administration has repeatedly said it is effectively running Venezuela, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright stating that Washington would control the countrys oil industry indefinitely. Venezuelas interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduros former deputy, said her government remains in charge. The state-run oil company has said it is in negotiations with the US over oil sales. Venezuela on Thursday released several imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists, describing the move as a gesture to seek peace. The release came less than a week after Maduro was captured by US forces to face drug trafficking charges. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump later praised the acting Venezuelan government in an interview with Fox News, saying it had met US demands. Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuelas National Assembly and brother of the interim president, said a significant number of detainees would be freed, though the exact figure remained unclear. The US government and Venezuelas opposition have long called for the release of jailed politicians, critics and civil society members, while the Venezuelan government maintains that it does not hold political prisoners. US President Donald Trump said he will meet Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado next week and would accept the award she has said she wants to share with him. 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. US President Donald Trump said he will meet Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado next week, adding that he would accept the award she has said she wants to share with him. Speaking in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday, Trump said Machado is expected to visit the United States soon, and he would be honoured to receive the prize. Well, I understand shes coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, Trump told Hannity in a taped interview aired Thursday night. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Machados office has not immediately confirmed the meeting, and the White House has not provided further details. Machado praises Trump and vows return to Venezuela In the Hannity interview, Machado who lavished praise on Trump said she has not spoken to him since October, when she was named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She spent the final days of Nicolas Maduros rule in hiding in Venezuela before appearing in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf. Machado pledged to return home and called for elections to replace Maduro. On the show, she expressed gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people for what she described as Trumps courageous mission and said they want to share the prize with him after US forces captured Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York to face narcoterrorism charges. Trumps history with the Nobel Peace Prize Trump has openly sought the Nobel Peace Prize himself, claiming to have solved several international conflicts and receiving backing from some world leaders for those claims. Machado, a former National Assembly member, won Venezuelas opposition primary two years ago but was barred by Maduro from running in the general election. Maduro declared victory for the candidate she supported, but audits and independent monitors later found the official result to be invalid. US role in Venezuela after Maduros removal Following the US operation that arrested Maduro, Trump said the United States would assist Venezuelas interim leadership under Delcy Rodriguez, Maduros former vicepresident. He has not set a date for elections and questioned whether Machado has the domestic support to lead the country. It would be very tough for her to be the leader, Trump told reporters, adding that she lacks support and respect within Venezuela. The potential meeting comes after the high-profile US operation to remove Maduro, which left Rodriguez as acting president. Rodriguez has faced criticism from opposition figures and international observers amid continuing political uncertainty. Mixed reactions from US politicians Several Republican lawmakers have publicly called for support of Machados leadership, but Trump has been sceptical of her prospects. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described her as fantastic but said the rapidly changing situation in Venezuela required other leadership. He added that much of the opposition is no longer inside the country, complicating efforts to install Machado. Two sources close to the White House told The Washington Post that Trumps reluctance to back Machado was linked to her acceptance of the Peace Prize. One said that if she had declined it in Trumps favour, she might be Venezuelas president today. Machado confident in her chances Despite the doubts, Machado told Hannity she believes she would win the presidency in a landslide if elections were held. US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened Iran, insisting that the US would hit them hard if it killed protesters as tensions continue to rise in the West Asian nation. As the protests in Iran continue to escalate, US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened retribution against the West Asian nation if the Islamic Republic targets protesters. as people question the regime over the cost-of-living crisis and the collapse of the Iranian currency. Trumps remarks on the matter coincided with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies across Iran, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted. I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots were going to hit them very hard, Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked about the death of dozens of protesters, Trump noted how some of the deaths were caused by stampedes, and not necessarily caused by law enforcement. However, he also issued a stern warning to the Iranian regime. Im not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that, but theyve been told very strongly even more strongly than Im speaking to you right now that if they do that, theyre going to have to pay hell, the president said. Not the first time This is not the first time Trump has threatened Iran over the ongoing protests. The American leader first issued a similar threat last Friday, when he warned that if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, then the US would come to their rescue. An NGO based in Norway reported that at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, have been killed since the rallies began on December 28. Trump also offered his support to the anti-government protesters for their cause. You should feel strongly about freedom Youre brave people. Its a shame whats happened to your country. Your country was great," Trump said. Exiled prince re-ignites the demonstration Meanwhile, the already riled-up protesters in Iran were further fueled on Thursday by a call from the countrys exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for the public to take to the streets. After his call, thousands of people came onto the streets, chanting anti-government slogans, reflecting Pahlavis sway. It is pertinent to note that the Iranian princes father had to flee the country right before the 1979 Islamic Revolution rocked the country. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the Shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Irans ailing economy. When asked if he would meet Pahlavi, Trump indicated that he wouldnt do so at this time. Ive watched him, and he seems like a nice person, but Im not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that, Trump said. I think that we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Machado, who has been a Trump proponent for his actions in Venezuela, is in exile and will likely travel to the US in the coming days US President Donald Trump has said that he will meet Venezuelan Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado next week. Machado, who has been a Trump proponent for his actions in Venezuela, is in exile and will likely travel to the US in the coming days. I understand she is coming in next week sometime. I look forward to saying hello to her, Trump told broadcaster Sean Hannity in an interview on Fox News that aired Thursday night. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Well start hitting land Meanwhile, Trump has said that the US is now going to start targeting drug cartels on Venezuelan land after attacking them on the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea for the past couple of months. We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico, Trump told Fox News. As part of that campaign, United States has killed more than 100 people in strikes on alleged drug boats since September, and Trump has also said that the US forces conducted a land strike on a docking area for such vessels in Venezuela. The president is also expected to meet with various US-based oil companies to discuss the next steps in acquiring Venezuelan oil reserves. Washington has maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now, said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when she confirmed the talks with top US oil executives. Were meeting tomorrow with all of the big oil executives, theyre going to be right here in the White House, Trump said. Venezuela not subjugated by US Venezuelas interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has insisted her country was not subjugated, despite US President Donald Trumps claim to be in charge there after removing her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro. We are not subordinate or subjugated, Rodriguez said during a ceremony for the 100 Venezuelans that her government says were killed during the US assault. Nobody surrendered. There was fighting for the homeland, when the US forces attacked on January 3, she said. With inputs from agencies Minnesota Governor Tim Walz authorised the deployment of State National Guard troops as protests broke out in Minneapolis following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Protests broke out in Minnesota following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, which the Trump administration has been labelling as an act of self-defence. Ahead of the protests, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan noted that the Minnesota National Guard is on standby out of an abundance of caution. According to a CNN report, protesters were seen chanting slogans and holding signs at the site where Good was shot dead on Wednesday. They are packed tightly on a street corner holding signs, banners and flags. Cars honk as they pass by. One large banner at the front appears to feature a picture of US President Donald Trump. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dozens also stood near the growing memorial for the victim to pay homage. The formal protests are expected to start at 5:30 pm (CT). It is pertinent to note that the people in Minnesota have the right to hold such demonstrations. Still, the authorities are advising them to do it safely and lawfully to avoid creating hazards, threatening safety or disrupting emergency services. The states Department of Public Safety outlined a list of lawful ways to express your views, including gathering in public areas where pedestrians are allowed, marching or walking though not on roadways as well as engaging in chants and speeches and displaying signs. State National Guard deployed and on standby Under the states list of illegal and unsafe demonstration activities, the agency said protesters should not walk on a freeway, throw objects, start or set a fire, damage property or create graffiti, use illegal fireworks or display or use illegal weapons. We encourage Minnesotans to rely on official information from local sources as they make plans, the department said in the advisory. On Thursday morning, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz authorised the states National Guard to help support local law enforcement. Making sure that folks are demonstrating peacefully is incredibly important. We keep each other safe, and that is what is needed and necessary right now, Flanagan told CNN. She noted that so far the demonstrations have been peaceful and emphasised that she understands people are demonstrating because they are angry. We all saw with our own eyes video footage from, you know, multiple vantage points, and now Donald Trump and Kristi Noem are trying to spin this tale that somehow thats not exactly what happened, she said. She went on to condemn the Trump administration. Flanagan said the administrations argument that ICE is in cities to make people safer is complete and utter baloney. She echoed other local officials in calling for ICE to leave the state. They should leave us alone because all we have seen is that they have caused chaos and terror in our communities, she said. Its time to go. Get out. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked if she believes ICE should be abolished, Flanagan didnt answer directly, but insisted that how they are acting right now is unconstitutional. The lieutenant governor said the current model of the agency should be thrown out. Similar tussles have been taking place in other blue states as the Trump administration continues to tighten its noose on immigration. US forces have boarded a fifth oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration intensifies its campaign against vessels subject to sanctions over Venezuela oil exports. The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after US officials say the US Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela. File image/Reuters US forces boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Friday as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on sanctioned vessels travelling to and from Venezuela. The pre-dawn operation was carried out by US Marines and Navy personnel, part of a months-long military buildup in the region, according to US Southern Command. In announcing the seizure of the vessel, named Olina, Southern Command said there was no safe haven for criminals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Unclassified footage shared on social media showed a US helicopter landing on the tanker and personnel conducting a deck search. The Olina is the fifth tanker seized by US forces as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to control the global distribution of Venezuelan oil following the removal of President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise overnight raid. A spokesperson for Southern Command told The Associated Press that the Navy and Marine Corps were supporting the Department of Homeland Security, which led the operation. The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the vessel was affiliated with Venezuela or under sanctions, referring such questions to the Justice Department and Homeland Security. The latest seizure follows the interception of a Russian-flagged oil tanker leaving Venezuela in the North Atlantic two days earlier, after a weeks-long pursuit that involved Russian naval assets and was conducted with the knowledge and approval of the United Kingdom. The action drew a strong reaction from Moscow, with the Russian Transport Ministry stating that no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in other states jurisdictions. At least three Indian nationals were among the 28-member crew of the Russian-flagged vessel Marinera. Moscow urged Washington to ensure the crew received dignified and humane treatment and called for the release of all foreign nationals as soon as possible. On the same day, US forces also seized another tanker, the M/T Sophia, which they accused of conducting illicit activities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The United States, which played a major role in ending border clashes last year between Thailand and Cambodia, will be providing $45 million in aid packages to the two Southeast Asian countries to help ensure regional stability and prosperity, a senior U.S. State Department official said Friday. The United States will extend $45 million in assistance to Thailand and Cambodia as part of efforts to support stability and economic growth in Southeast Asia, a senior State Department official said on Friday. Washington had earlier played a key role in halting border clashes between the two neighbours last year. The announcement was made by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre during a virtual briefing from Bangkok, where he is holding talks with senior Thai leaders on implementing the ceasefire agreement reached in October, known as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The fighting stemmed from long-running and unresolved territorial disputes along stretches of the Thailand-Cambodia border. DeSombre said the easing of tensions between the two countries created fresh scope for the United States to expand cooperation with both governments, aimed at strengthening regional security and advancing shared interests in a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. DeSombre is also scheduled to travel to Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh, on Saturday to meet with senior Cambodian officials. The United States will be providing $15 million for border stabilization to help communities recover and to support displaced persons; $10 million in demining and unexploded ordinance clearance operations; and $20 million for initiatives that will help both countries combat scam operations and drug trafficking, among many other programs, DeSombre said. Details of the aid packages were still under discussion, he said. China said it has provided about $2.8 million in emergency humanitarian aid to help Cambodians displaced by the fighting. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Beijing made the same offer of assistance to Thailand, and that it was under consideration by his government. The United States and China have competed for influence in Southeast Asia for at least a decade. Cambodia is a close ally of Beijing, and while Thailand has long and close ties with Washington, they are widely seen as loosening in recent years. The fighting in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand and Cambodia and killed about 100 soldiers and civilians. Land mines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia are a continuing problem, while Thailand claims newly laid mines in frontier areas were responsible for wounding its patrolling soldiers in about a dozen incidents last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Online scams originating in Southeast Asia, especially from Cambodia and Myanmar, are major transnational crime problems that have swindled billions of dollars from victims around the would. U.S. assistance to the countries of Southeast Asia and other parts of the world for humanitarian and development programs was severely cut last year when the Trump administration shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. Cambodia and Thailand initially clashed for five days in late July before agreeing on a preliminary ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the time pressed for an unconditional ceasefire, but there was little headway until U.S. President Donald Trump intervened. Trump said that he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that Washington wouldnt move forward with trade agreements if hostilities continued. The ceasefire was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended. New fighting broke out early last month, but the Thai and Cambodian defense ministers signed a new pact on Dec. 27, vowing to implement the October agreement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We are very focused on pursuing peace in and around the world, DeSombre told journalists. President Trump is a president of peace, and really believes that peace is critical to economic growth and prosperity. With inputs from agencies Venezuela announced that it is releasing an important number of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to consolidate peace, or some are now calling it keeping US President Donald Trump happy. Five days after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Latin American nation announced that it is releasing an important number of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to consolidate peace, or some are now calling it keeping US President Donald Trump happy. According to The Guardian, former opposition candidate Enrique Marquez was among those released from prison. Its all over now, Marquez said in a video taken by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another opposition member, Biagio Pilieri, who was also released. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, Spains foreign ministry also confirmed the news that five Spanish nationals, one of them a citizen with dual nationality, were also released and are preparing to travel to Spain with assistance from our embassy in Caracas. The ministry called the development a positive step in the new phase Venezuela is entering." Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told the public broadcaster RNE that the dual national being released was Rocio San Miguel, a Spanish-Venezuelan lawyer, activist and human rights defender who was detained in February 2024. Miguel was accused by the then-Maduro regime of treason, conspiracy, and terrorism in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate the ousted president. Is this being done to please Trump? On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said Venezuela had a torture chamber in the middle of Caracas that theyre closing up, without elaborating. In recent days, speculation has revolved around the Helicoide de la Roca Tarpeya, an iconic structure inaugurated in 1956 as an avant-garde shopping centre and later turned into a prison and torture site under Chavismo. Following the announcement, Martha Tineo, the general coordinator of the NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness, or JEP), which monitors political detentions in Venezuela, said she had confirmed that some sections of El Helicoide are being vacated, The Guardian reported. But the Helicoide complex is vast. It not only houses the prison where political detainees are held, but also administrative offices of the Bolivarian National Police, and those are the areas that are being cleared So we might assume that over the coming days hopefully within a week, or however long it takes we may indeed see the closure of that immense torture centre, but for now, that is not happening, she added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The move was also lauded by Venezuelas opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado. She said that the initiative showed that injustice would not prevail in the country. This is an important day because it shows what we have always known: that injustice will not last forever and that truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way, she said in an audio message published on social media. Tensions are quietly building between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, with sharp differences emerging over Venezuela and immigration, raising questions about a deeper ideological clash between the White House and the Vatican. A subtle but significant rift appears to be emerging between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, with Venezuela and immigration becoming early flashpoints. While the clash has so far remained measured, recent statements and decisions suggest a broader ideological divide taking shape between the White House and the Vatican. Venezuela sovereignty sparks tensions The latest friction surfaced after Trump suggested that the US could effectively run Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and Washingtons takeover of the countrys governance. Shortly afterwards, Pope Leo XIV publicly called for the safeguarding of Venezuelas sovereignty. Addressing the faithful during his Sunday prayer in St Peters Square, the Chicago-born pontiff urged that the interests of the Venezuelan people be placed above all else. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration, Leo said, calling for an end to violence and a path towards justice and peace. He emphasised the need to protect the countrys sovereignty, uphold constitutional rule of law, respect human and civil rights, and work collectively towards stability and harmony, with particular concern for the poorest affected by the economic crisis. The pope also asked those present to pray for the people of Venezuela. His remarks were widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Washingtons stance. Trumps unusually cautious response Despite the criticism, Trump has responded with uncharacteristic restraint. Known for sharply attacking critics, the US president has avoided direct confrontation with the first American pope. The caution is largely political. Catholics make up a significant share of Trumps core electorate, limiting his appetite for an open clash with the Vatican and forcing a more measured response to papal criticism. Immigration emerges as a deeper fault line Beyond Venezuela, immigration has become the most pronounced area of disagreement. In recent months, Pope Leo has urged senior clergy to speak out in defence of vulnerable migrants. US bishops echoed the message, condemning what they described as the dehumanising rhetoric and violence associated with Trumps deportation policies. Leo later made a public appeal that migrants in the US be treated humanely and with dignity, firmly positioning the Vatican against the tone and approach of the administrations immigration crackdown. ICE raids and growing polarisation The popes stance emboldened bishops in Florida to call for a temporary pause in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids during Christmas. Dont be the Grinch that stole Christmas, said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami. Reflecting Americas deep political polarisation, however, the Department of Homeland Security defended the arrests, describing them as a Christmas gift to Americans. Vatican reshuffle sends a message The divide was further underscored by a key Vatican personnel decision. Pope Leo removed Cardinal Timothy Dolan Trumps preferred papal candidate and a frequent presence on conservative Fox News from a powerful role as archbishop of New York. He was replaced by a bishop known for pro-migrant views, a move widely seen as signalling the popes priorities and reinforcing the Vaticans stance on immigration. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A divided Catholic base The growing clash highlights a deeper moral divide within the US Catholic community. Catholics account for around 22 percent of Trumps electorate, according to a Pew Research Center poll, making them a crucial political constituency. While Pope Leo aligns himself with liberal causes such as migrant rights, climate action and social justice, many MAGA-aligned Catholics take far stricter positions on migration, sexuality and climate change. An uneasy relationship ahead For conservative Catholic figures within Trumps orbit, including former strategist Steve Bannon, Pope Leo XIV has become a deeply controversial figure. Taken together, the developments suggest that while the confrontation between Trump and the pope remains cautious for now, a wider ideological battle may be brewing stretching from geopolitics in Latin America to the culture wars over immigration within the US itself. Trump has signalled that Washington could expand its campaign against drug cartels to include land-based military strikes inside Mexico, a move that would mark a major escalation and raise fresh questions over Mexicos consent and regional stability. US President Donald Trump attends a press conference, as he makes an announcement about the Navy's "Golden Fleet" at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. File image/Reuters US President Donald Trump has suggested that the US military could expand its operations against drug cartels to include land-based strikes inside Mexico, raising fresh questions about the future of USMexico relations and marking a potential escalation of American military involvement in the region. Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview aired on Thursday night, Trump said Washington had largely shut down drug trafficking by sea and was now preparing to target cartels on land. Weve knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water. And we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump claimed that criminal organisations were effectively running Mexico, describing the situation as very sad to witness. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks. Any US military action against cartels on Mexican soil would represent a significant expansion of American operations beyond its borders and would almost certainly require cooperation from Mexicos government something that remains uncertain. Mexicos President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected the idea. Earlier this week, she said the Americas do not belong to any single power, responding to Trumps comments about Washingtons dominance of the hemisphere following the US capture of Venezuelas leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump said on Sunday that he has been pressing Sheinbaum to allow US troops to operate inside Mexico to tackle drug cartels, an offer he said she had previously rebuffed. Sheinbaum has repeatedly stressed that while cooperation with the United States is possible, any foreign military intervention would violate Mexicos sovereignty. Cooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no, she said. Trumps remarks come less than a week after US forces carried out a military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores. The Venezuelan government said more than 100 people were killed in the operation, which followed months of pressure on Maduro. According to The New York Times, the Trump administration has carried out at least 35 known strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, resulting in 115 deaths. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has previously floated the idea of military action inside Mexico. In November, he told reporters in the Oval Office that he would consider launching strikes across the southern border if necessary to stop drug trafficking. The administration has also threatened military action involving Cuba, Colombia and Greenland in recent days, prompting criticism, including from within the Republican Party. On Thursday, the US Senate held an initial vote on a War Powers Resolution aimed at blocking Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela. Five Republican senators supported the measure, indicating it has enough bipartisan backing to pass a final vote. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she supported the removal of Maduro but stressed that any additional military action would require congressional approval. I distinguish that from what happens next, she said, adding that broader use of force would trigger Congresss constitutional role under the War Powers Act. Yemens separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), appears headed for a split after its leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, fled to the United Arab Emirates. While one representative announced the groups disbandment, a spokesperson denied it, signalling divisions among factions. A billboard displays an image of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's separatist group Southern Transitional Council (STC). (Photo: Fawaz Salman/Reuters) The Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Yemeni separatist group that sought to carve out a separate nation in the countrys south, appeared on Friday to be headed for a split after a representative announced the groups disbandment. The claim was quickly denied by a spokesperson. The differing statements signalled deep divisions among the STCs factions and uncertainty about its fate. One member of an STC delegation that had arrived in Saudi Arabia for peace talks said in a statement that the group had decided to disband. However, a spokesperson who did not travel with the delegation and is close to STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi said no such decision had been taken, according to Reuters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The spokesperson also implied that the representatives statement could have been made under duress from Saudis. The factionalism became public a day after al-Zubaidi fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following airstrikes and ground assaults by a Saudi-backed coalition in response to the STCs offensive last month. Al-Zubaidi was expected to join the delegation in Riyadh for peace talks but he split from the group and disappeared. The Saudi-backed coalition said on Wednesday that he fled to Abu Dhabi with UAE assistance. In Yemens complex internal conflicts, Saudi Arabia backs the internationally-recognised government while the UAE has supported the STC. Last month, the UAE-backed STC launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government and seized large swathes of territory. As its ally lost ground and the STC advanced close to the Saudi border, the coalition began airstrikes and ground assaults against the separatists. As per the latest information, the coalition has retaken most of the territory from the STC. The fighting has laid bare the rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Is the STC disbanding or splitting? The status and fate of the STC remain unclear. The statement announcing disbandment was broadcast on Saudi state media. But the central leadership said it had had no contact with the delegation, suggesting the group may have acted independently or under duress. The spokesperson cited above, who did not travel to Riyadh and is close to al-Zubaidi, said any decision on the STCs future could only be taken by the entire council, including its leader, according to Reuters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The spokesperson added that any such decision would only be made once the delegation in Riyadh is released. This suggested that the central leadership believed the delegations statement, aired on Saudi state media, was made under duress and the delegation could be held in Saudi Arabia against their will. On its part, Saudi Arabia welcomed the announcement. Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman hailed it as brave and said a conference would be held in Saudi Arabia to discuss southern Yemeni issues where all groups would be invited, according to Reuters. Microsoft has announced new commerce capabilities for its AI ecosystem with the introduction of Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents. The features are designed to support shopping journeys that begin with AI-assisted discovery and progress directly to purchase within the same interaction. The company stated that shopping behavior has shifted toward conversational decision-making, where users ask questions, compare options, and decide in real time. Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents are intended to address this shift across AI assistants and merchant websites. Copilot Checkout enables in-conversation purchasing Copilot Checkout allows users to complete purchases directly within the Copilot experience without being redirected to external websites. According to Microsoft, the feature supports: Product comparison and follow-up questions within a single conversation Checkout inside Copilot without a separate browser flow Merchants remaining the merchant of record, retaining ownership of transactions, customer data, and customer relationships Microsoft reported early data from Copilot shopping journeys indicating: 53% more purchases within 30 minutes when Copilot is part of the journey When shopping intent is present, journeys with Copilot are 194% more likely to result in a purchase Copilot Checkout forms part of Microsofts broader agentic commerce roadmap. Merchant onboarding and platform support Microsoft is enabling Copilot Checkout through integrations with Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe. Merchant onboarding is structured as follows: Shopify merchants are automatically enrolled following an opt-out window Merchants using PayPal or Stripe can apply to participate Microsoft Merchant Center product feeds can be used to improve organic Copilot discovery, though participation is not mandatory Microsoft stated that once enabled, Copilot Checkout does not require additional integrations. Launch merchant participation Microsoft confirmed that Copilot Checkout will support a range of merchants at launch, including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Ashley Furniture, and selected Etsy sellers. Additional merchants are expected to be added over time as the platform expands. Brand Agents bring AI assistance to merchant websites Microsoft also introduced Brand Agents, AI-powered shopping assistants designed for deployment on merchant websites. Brand Agents are designed to: Respond in a merchant-defined brand voice Guide customers through product discovery and comparison Address questions related to shipping, returns, and product fit Surface checkout links at appropriate points in the shopping journey Support post-purchase recommendations such as add-ons or replenishments Microsoft said Brand Agents can be deployed within hours and are intended to support customer decision-making without replacing existing site navigation or brand identity. Brand Agents analytics through Microsoft Clarity Brand Agents are integrated into Microsoft Clarity, Microsofts free website analytics platform. Merchants using Brand Agents gain access to dashboards showing: Engagement rates Conversion uplift Average order value Performance comparisons between agent-assisted sessions and organic traffic These insights are intended to help merchants evaluate the impact of AI-assisted shopping and adjust site strategies accordingly. PayPals role in Copilot Checkout PayPal announced that it is partnering with Microsoft to support Copilot Checkout by enabling payment and commerce functions within the Copilot experience. Through the integration, PayPal supports: Surfacing merchant inventory inside Copilot Branded checkout experiences Guest checkout and credit card payments PayPal wallet payments PayPal stated that merchant catalogs become purchasable through its store sync capability, which is part of its agentic commerce services. Agentic commerce services and merchant considerations According to PayPal: Buyers and sellers are covered by PayPal protection programs on eligible transactions Copilot shopping journeys show higher purchase likelihood when shopping intent is present The integration supports open agentic commerce protocols, allowing merchants to connect to multiple AI platforms through a single integration Merchants interested in enabling agentic commerce experiences can apply through PayPals AI platform. Availability and demonstrations Copilot Checkout is beginning to roll out in the United States The feature is launching first on Copilot.com and will expand across Microsofts Copilot surfaces, including Bing, MSN, and Edge Brand Agents are available for Shopify merchants via Microsoft Clarity, with access provided through a waitlist Microsoft will showcase live demonstrations of Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents at the National Retail Federation (NRF) conference from January 11 to 13 Speaking on the PayPal partnership, Nayna Sheth, Head of Product for Agentic Payments at Microsoft, said: Transcript: Bonnie Rochman (00:03) Today, Im talking with Margie Wilson, who was diagnosed in 2016 with endometrial cancer, about the road that shes traveled. She went from not even knowing what an oncologist is to being an outspoken patient advocate for Black women with cancer. Margie, welcome to our podcast from Bench to Bedside and Beyond. Margie Wilson (00:42) Thank you, Bonnie, happy to be here. Bonnie Rochman (00:45) Happy to have you. So Im hoping that you can just start by telling our listeners how you first got diagnosed and what that was like for you in back in 2016. Margie Wilson (00:56) I was first diagnosed and started having symptoms that were bothering me probably seven or eight months before I was actually diagnosed. It was just bleeding, unexplainable bleeding, and for a while I thought it was menopause, and I finally mentioned it to my doctor. She said no and sent me through a biopsy. Well, I didnt get the biopsy at that moment, but I did do an ultrasound where the lady thought my lining was a little thick. I remember her saying that your linings a little thick and once again I still didnt know what that meant and then I went and saw another after I moved I was in transition; I moved from one city to another and when I got a new doctor, I went to another OB-GYN because this bleeding was still off and on but getting heavier and I went to another OB-GYN and thats when she took the biopsy in the hospital, which was horrific no painkillers, nothing, they just started grabbing stuff up there, it was bad. They did the biopsy and then she connected me with an oncologist OB-GYN specialist and at that point was when the words were all thrown at me: You have this, might have that, you might have this, and Im just sitting like a deer in headlights. And then from there I went and got a couple other opinions before I actually started treatment. But it was the unexplainable bleeding that led me there. I didnt have any real cramps or pain or anything, but I just felt like I shouldnt be bleeding still. I mean, is menopause over? Really, I always say my cancer was hidden menopause because I felt like every symptom I had mimicked menopause. So be aware, ladies. When menopause starts, watch that. Bonnie Rochman (02:33) Which makes it much more complicated. Thank you for pointing that out. So I remember you said that the doctor, the oncologist that you saw initially, not at Fred Hutch, had asked how old you were. And you said, I think you said 58. And he said, You dont need that anyway, referring to your uterus, well just take that out. Right. And that did not go over well with you. Margie Wilson (02:38) Yeah, yes. Bonnie Rochman (03:01) Why is that? Margie Wilson (03:01) Well, for one, Bonnie, I was in his office for like 15 minutes, and all of everything Im going to tell you happened in 15 minutes. He checked me on the table. I was bleeding then. He said to me, you might have carcinoma, this might be cancer. It might not be cancer. How old are you? 58. Oh, you dont need it anyway. Well just take everything out. And then at the very end, I was in the office next door, making an appointment to have surgery to have a hysterectomy. And a friend of mine with me was asking him to slow down he talked really fast and to explain to me what he was telling me. You know, like he was throwing these words at me that I had no idea what they were because when I first heard the word, you know go to an oncologist OB-GYN and bring somebody with you, from the OB-GYN doctor who did the biopsy, I just said, Oh, okay. And I just casually mentioned it to my daughter, and she was like, Well, mom, they think you have cancer. And I said, Well, how do you know? She goes, where are you going to see oncologists? Im like, oh. Im fine. Im fine. Mind you, Im healthy. Im strong. Im a fitness instructor. I eat fairly well. I take care of myself. Theres no reason cancer can touch my body. So yeah, that was not a happy experience for a person who doesnt know the medical field. I go to the doctor once a year for my Pap. That was it. I dealt with fibroids in my early 40s, I mean, and that got healed with a natural remedy from a friend. They were gone. And so here I am listening to this man just talking. Im like, really? Bonnie Rochman (04:43) Yeah. So thats what prompted you to get a second opinion. Is that right? You just felt like you were not being listened to. Okay. So then what happened? Margie Wilson (04:52) Absolutely. And my girls. Absolutely. And my son. Then my friend who was with me said, You know, you can get another opinion, too. I have two adult daughters. They were in their late 30s then and they were both like, get another opinion, get another opinion. After my surgery and I want to say that my surgeon, the doctor that I did see, the fast-talking, not-listening doctor was a very great surgeon because everyone throughout my process said he did an amazing job. And so yay for that. So that was something positive about that doctor. And so then I went and I saw him after the 10 days, the post-op, and then I never saw him again. He said, we dont take your insurance here. Youll have to go to the [Seattle] Cancer Care Alliance then, which is now Fred Hutch. And thats where I met my radiation doctor who gave me his opinion. And then my youngest doctor knew a doctor from UW, who knew the doctor, Dr. Kemi Doll, that actually does research on uterine cancers and endometrial cancer research. And so she plugged me into Kemi and I saw Kemi two weeks, no, about a month after my surgery. And then she ended up being my chemo doctor too, which I didnt know at the time when I saw her, but my time with her was amazing. Bonnie Rochman (06:08) Right. Okay, and so you were saying that you, now you have this woman, this female doctor looking you in the eye, talking to you, stopping, making sure you understand. Do you want to write this down? Do you have any questions? And so that must have felt really different for you. Margie Wilson (06:35) Oh, it was so different. Finally, I felt like I was in my space. And you know, she was a Black woman. That made a big difference, too. I mean, I was just like, ah, because when my daughter sent me the picture of her and she goes, heres her bio, her office is going to call you. And they did within the next week. And I got in to see her. Yeah, she was like, telling me all my options with the chemo and she broke down like the percentages of because she kept saying three to four rounds of chemo and the first doctor told me six to eight rounds of chemo and then she goes no, we only need four max you know and all of that so that was really cool and I kept asking her why and then she literally broke down the percentages letting me know that uterine cancer is high and a lot of time when they come back, its dark. By the time they find out, you could be well into stage 4. I was a stage 1B and grade 3. Youre talking to someone who doesnt really like to take a Tylenol. So I was very anxious, but we had a great conversation and I felt heard. Actually, were sitting at a little round table not in her office, in another space in the building, and it was just so comfortable. After that I felt like I could breathe. I was like, okay, youre gonna be fine. Youre gonna be fine. When I got to Dr. Doll, she said, Were not going to do pelvic radiation. Were going to do brachytherapy. And then describe that to me all what that entails. And Im like, OK, youre going to do, yeah. Bonnie Rochman (08:21) Right, okay, before we started recording, I said, are you comfortable talking about brachytherapy? And you said, I better be because I talk about it all the time and Ive been doing it for nine years. So can you? Margie Wilson (08:41) I know, I do. For one, its like what? Brachy? Wait, what is it? And believe me, I had to break it down before I could learn to say it. Bonnie Rochman (08:50) Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, so Im sure a lot of people, I bet, dont know what it is. So what is it and how did it factor into your treatment plan? Margie Wilson (09:00) Okay, so brachytherapy is where they do internal radiation where they take this little tube and they put it right up inside your vagina. Nine years ago when I was going through this, the machine was in this big open room, your feet are up in a stirrup and my day when I was there the intern, the interns assistant, the doctor, theres five people all going. I was just like, really? But I did take a sedative because just the whole idea of it was daunting to me so I wasnt completely coherent but coherent enough to know the room is full and everybodys looking up your hoo-ha going, My gosh. Dr. Coe was great, he said it looks great up in there. Dr. Coe is no longer at Fred Hutch, but he was the kindest soft-spoken man and very, very intentional. I was probably in his office at least 40 minutes. The first treatment was 10 minutes, then the other two treatments were less, like maybe six minutes, then four minutes for the last one, three or four minutes. But yeah, and I really didnt have any major side effects from the brachytherapy because before he started, he showed me the dilators, which helps elasticity, you know, like if youre not sexually active, which I wasnt, it helps the elasticity come back into the vagina after. And he explained all that to me before my first one and I appreciated that he gave me all the tools. But I did take a bath because I didnt read the paper. So I took a bath and when I came back the second time, I mentioned it to the nurse and she was like, no, youre out. And I said, no, she goes, it was on the paper she gave me, but I just overlooked it and I lived in the bathtub. I lived in the bathtub when I was going through chemo. It just always felt good. But it was just mild. Im having some burning down there. Whats going on? And I never got in the bath again until I was done. But yeah, so for me, the side effects werent horrific. And its not painful at all. Its just uncomfortable and invading. But yeah. Bonnie Rochman (10:55) But when that the story you related about everyone being crowded in there and saying it looks great I mean, that is what you want to hear. Margie Wilson (11:23) I did follow up with lower pelvic therapy. I did seven or eight sessions of that. Lower pelvic, very enlightening. Very, I had no idea. Margie Wilson (11:46) I had two different therapies. I did it I think in 2018 then I did it again in like 2021. I just wanted because Im still getting pelvic exams and they still look up in there once a year or so and I dont want that to be painful, and if theres no elasticity, then you know and I didnt want that but that is what they teach you about. Well, and some of it I knew, a lot of it I didnt, and just how they work inside to break down the scar tissues from the radiation. They said they mostly deal with people just who just have really tightness down in their vagina. And I was like, theyre really nice, both of them really nice ladies and I learned a lot. Bonnie Rochman (12:28) Yeah, you dont meet those people every day on the street. Its part of the whole patient experience. So speaking of patient experience, I think a lot of patients have their treatment, it is certainly not a high point of their life, and then theyre ready to move on. Margie Wilson (12:37) Thats right. Bonnie Rochman (12:51) But you opted to get deeply involved in patient advocacy and you remain deeply involved. So you are now a program manager with ECANA. Am I pronouncing that correctly? Okay, the Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African Americans. So how did you get involved in that in the first place? Margie Wilson (13:06) Yes, you did. Absolutely. My very last appointment with Dr. Doll, she said, and I knew she did research, she goes, Im fixing to start another project and I need a patients voice. Would you be interested in being a patient partner with me? What else could I say but yes? And Im like, sure. Not really understanding the full magnitude of what that meant. And then in December of 2017, we started ECANA. We have our first meeting. Yeah. And today I think were in our seventh year. Is that right? Oof, oof. Yes. I manage all our programs our flagship program was our survivor sanctuary, where we meet right now four times a month to support Black women who are going through endometrial cancer at whatever stages they may be. And then we do educational initiatives. We sit at the research table. Were in the room with the doctors and the scientists to be that patients voice and to share our stories to help them learn and do what they need to do as well. And then we do community, which is our survivor sanctuary. So we do all kinds of activities and were all virtual. So I think we represent about 25 different states where people can show up. Like when we have our group, well have them put their name and then put where theyre from so we know where people are. We have quite a few ladies on the East Coast. I always tell people I live in East Coast time. I always say, I start my meetings at 5 a.m. Im done by noon. Bonnie Rochman (14:54) You do chair yoga, you do Bible studies for people who are interested. You have exercise groups, you encourage women to move even if its just walking to the mailbox daily. Yeah, and I remember you had said some of these women when they first come on and they first find out about it, they, they, you know, join the group online. And some of them start crying because, well, rather than me saying why I think that is, why do you think they start crying? Margie Wilson (15:20) Well, for one, they like me had never heard of endometrial cancer, had no idea what was ahead of them. Some have not, hadnt had any support at all. Like they didnt have any, it was hard to, you know, of course your family and friends love you, but its sometimes really hard to talk to them to where theyre, they actually get what youre going through and what youre feeling. And for those that did show up, were like, my gosh, Im finally in a space where I have people that look like me. But theyre like, theyre talking about all the cancers. And then theyre talking, I mean, Im looking around and Im the only Black woman in the group. And its just, just that feeling of sisterhood, I think that thats what we get a lot, you know, like, my gosh, Im so glad I found you ladies. And then whats wonderful in it, which is my, one of my main goals is to have the women connect outside of sanctuary. Theyre on the phone. If theyre close to the same cities, they go see each other. Every time they meet up somewhere Im like, send me a picture, send me a picture. You know, like maybe ones going on vacation here and one day, Im gonna be there, Im gonna be over there, good, get with so and so. And they did meet up, take pictures and build relationships because I really strongly believe that community and relationships is a huge part of our healing process and not feeling alone, and hearing someone say, me too. Everyones nodding their head while theyre describing their experience. Were all like, yeah. Of course, all of our journeys are a little different, but theyre so much the same. Yeah. Bonnie Rochman (16:57) Yes. Right. And its particularly important because the rate of diagnosis within the Black community is lower, but these women are dying at higher rates because theyre being diagnosed later. And you believe thats because theyre actually not being listened to. Margie Wilson (17:14) Absolutely. We hear that story way too much. They said, youre going to be okay. No, youre fine. Take a Tylenol. It cant be that painful. You know, its like, who are you to judge what kind of pain Im in? You know, and then the longevity, Ive heard this year, my doctor canceled the appointment again. I was supposed to go do this. it got canceled again. And literally the head-down syndrome, when youre in the doctors office, theyre taking their notes or on their computer. Theyre not even looking or talking to you to see who theyre talking to. And they just, that dismissive look, its hard, especially when youre going through something that you dont know whats going on, and inside youre just feeling not heard and not listened to. And so weve helped navigate women through that as well. We have all this on our website as well. Bonnie Rochman (18:07) And what, so I think a good way to wrap up would be to ask, having gone through this yourself, what sort of advice do you have for women and especially Black women who youve noted are less likely to talk about cancer openly, publicly? So do you have any advice? What kind of advice do you have after going through this yourself? Margie Wilson (18:26) Well, for one, when I was about 10 or 11, my mom, and my mom had all of us really young, too. I was the third. Shes in her early 30s and she had a complete hysterectomy. I didnt know why. Today, I found out two years ago when I was talking to my sister. She goes, its because of the fibroids. No one talks about it. Were talking about it in our home. I have five grandchildren and my grand girls. We talk about everything. I talked about it more than my mom did, but I didnt talk about it like I do now. And talk about vaginal health in your home so everyones comfortable. Its not hiding. Its not secret. By the time I had been bleeding for so long off and on, I was tired of talking about it. So I wasnt talking about it. Well, nobody else did either, right? So its like, talk about it in your home so it makes it comfortable. That's one of our initiatives that normalizes it our Project Impact where we literally hand bags out with information on endometrial cancer and a way to contact ECANA. So women can say, what is that? Bonnie Rochman (19:19) Yeah, normalize it. Margie Wilson (19:36) Get the knowledge. Knowledge is power. And that is how we save our community. And keep talking. And then of course I told you earlier, my story is my cancer hit in menopause. Dont let that happen to you. All my close girlfriends all have journals. Most of them are younger than me. You have a journal. When you go that one year and theres no blood, you know youre done. If you see any blood after that, go straight to the doctor. Dont ask any good questions. Dont ask any friends. Go to the doctor. That one sign is bleeding after menopause, postmenopausal bleeding. Bonnie Rochman (20:11) Margie, thank you. This has been amazing. Really just hearing this is going to educate a lot of women. Thank you so much for joining us. Margie Wilson (20:12) Youre welcome. You are so welcome. Thanks for having me, Bonnie. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. China willing to uphold authority of int'l law with int'l community: spokesperson Xinhua) 10:03, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with the international community to uphold the authority of international law, jointly promote multilateralism and safeguard world peace and stability, a foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing on Thursday. It was reported that United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk had pointed out that the U.S. military operation in Venezuela undermined the fundamental principle of international law, and experts of the Human Rights Council issued a joint statement, strongly condemning the actions of the United States. In response, spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news briefing that China has consistently opposed politicizing human rights issues and using them as tools, resisted the selective application of international law, and opposed using human rights as a pretext for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests, and firmly supports all countries in choosing their own paths of human rights development based on their own national conditions, Mao said. She added that China stands ready to work with the international community to uphold the authority of international law, jointly promote multilateralism and maintain world peace and stability. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Suspect in TSMC trade secret theft detained incommunicado ROC Central News Agency 01/08/2026 08:39 PM Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court on Thursday ruled that a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. employee be detained incommunicado for stealing the company's 14-nanometer (nm) trade secrets. The suspect, Chen Wei-chieh (), was indicted on Monday on charges of reproducing trade secrets relating to national core key technologies without authorization under the National Security Act. The court ruled that Chen is suspected of the alleged offenses after reviewing the evidence, including witness testimony, text message records, his nondisclosure agreement, and employee monitoring system records provided by TSMC. The court noted that Chen's statements regarding his actions were inconsistent and evasive, and that he replaced his personal mobile phone and office computer after learning that co-defendant Chen Li-ming () was under investigation. The court said that discarding or destroying devices suspected of being used to reproduce and transmit trade secrets could constitute destruction of evidence, indicating a risk of evidence tampering and collusion. Moreover, the crime that he was allegedly involved in not only damaged TSMC, but also national security, industrial competitiveness and economic development, the court added. The case came to light while the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office's Intellectual Property Branch was investigating the alleged theft of TSMC trade secrets related to its 2nm technology. The probe centered on former TSMC engineer Chen Li-ming, who was working at Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. and is suspected of transmitting the secrets to the company. During the investigation, prosecutors discovered that Tokyo Electron Taiwan's cloud storage also contained trade secrets linked to TSMC's 14nm technology. When confronted with the evidence, Chen Li-ming identified Chen Wei-chieh as being involved in the case, prosecutors said. Chen Li-ming and two other suspects in the 2nm technology theft case have also been detained. Meanwhile, Tokyo Electron Taiwan has also been indicted in both cases for failing to properly supervise Chen Li-ming. (By Liu Shih-yi and Wu Kuan-hsien) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Contracts Contracts For Jan. 8, 2026 AIR FORCE Insight Pacific LLC, Brea, California, was awarded a ceiling $15,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for Air Force Civil Engineering Center construction services. This contract provides for Design-Build and Design-Bid-Build construction services, including the following work classifications: sustainment maintenance, sustainment repair, restoration, modernization, minor construction, MILCON construction, other procurement construction, and demolition located at various locations worldwide. Work will be performed globally and is expected to be completed July 6, 2035. These contracts were competitive acquisitions, and 33 offers were received. Fiscal 2026 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base Lackland-San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. (FA8903-26-D-0002) NAVY General Electric Aerospace, Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded $1,421,446,110 modification (P00003) to a firm-fixed-price contract (N0001924C0019). This contract definitizes Lots Nine and 10 and adds scope for Lots 11-13 for a combined quantity of 277 T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines in support of CH-53K full-rate production aircraft for the Marine Corps, as well as provides associated programmatic support. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts (labor surplus area), and is expected to be completed by September 2032. Fiscal 2026 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $219,605,186 and Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $277,805,828 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Missions Systems, Liverpool, New York, was awarded a $22,595,257 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to the previously awarded contract (N00024-24-C-5510) to exercise an option for AN/SLQ-32(V)6 Design Agent Engineering, Incidental Material, and Travel. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Canada. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York, and is expected to be completed by January 2027. If all options are exercised, work will continue through January 2029. Fiscal 2026 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,300,000 (67%), FMS (Canada) funds in the amount of $545,000 (16%), Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $500,000 (14%), and Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $105,000 (3%) will be obligated at the time of award, of which $500,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Raytheon Company, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $16,900,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-5408) for the MK698 Autopilot Test Station in support of the STANDARD Missile 2 (SM-2) All-Up Round. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (69%); Irvine, California (16%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (4%); San Diego, California (3%); Phoenix, Arizona (2%) and various locations across the U.S., each less than 1% (6%) and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2029. Fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) in the amount of $16,900,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Innovative Professional Solutions Inc.,* Panama City Beach, Florida, is awarded a $13,631,598 firm-fixed price/cost-only contract for fabrication and installation of minesweeping winches. This contract includes supplies for the government of the Republic of Korea (100%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (85%), Panama City, Florida (5%), Norfolk, Virginia (5%), and Busan, Korea (5%), and is expected to be completed by June 2030. FMS (Korea) funds in the amount of $13,631,598 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61331-26-C-0001). Lake Union Drydock Co.* (LUDC), Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $12,683,144 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance, repair and preservation of YTT-10 (YTT-9 Cape Flattery-class torpedo trials craft) service life extension program. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $13,065,983. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed by March 2027. Fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $12,683,144 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, and one offer was received. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington, is the contracting activity (N4523A26C1001). ARMY M1 Support Services LP, Denton, Texas, was awarded a $68,822,271 modification (P00206) to contract W9124G-17-C-0104 for Army and Air Force aviation maintenance. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $5,522,349,151. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2027. Army funds were not obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Chandler Construction Services Inc., Ninety Six, South Carolina, was awarded a $16,471,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the furnishing, installing, and placing into successful operation of water main pipe. The amount of this action is $16,471,000. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2026. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, civil funds in the amount of $16,471,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, is the contracting activity (W912HP-26-C-A002). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4373866/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint Statement on the illegal visit of the Israeli official to "Somaliland" Region of the Federal Republic of Somalia on Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs 6 January 2026 The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Union of the Comoros, the Republic of Djibouti, Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of The Gambia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the State of Libya, the Republic of Maldives, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of the Sudan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Republic of Yemen, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; - Recalling the earlier statement of 27 December 2025, by the Foreign Ministersrejecting Israel's recognition of the "Somaliland" Region of the Federal Republic of Somalia; - Express their strong condemnation of the recent illegal visit by the Israeli official to "Somaliland" Region of the Federal Republic of Somalia on 6 January 2026. - State that the said visit constitutes a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and undermines established international norms and the United Nations Charter. - Reaffirm their unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia. - Underline that encouraging secessionist agendas are unacceptable and risk exacerbating tensions in an already fragile region. - Emphasize that respect for international law, non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states, and adherence to diplomatic norms are essential for regional and international stability. - Commend the Federal Republic of Somalia's commitment to peaceful international engagement, constructive diplomacy and adherence to international law. - Express their commitment in continuing to support diplomatic and legal measures taken by Somalia to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability in line with international law. - Stress that Israel should fully respect Somalia's sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity and honor its obligations in compliance with international law, and demand immediate revocation of the recognition issued by Israel. Islamabad January 8,2026 10/2026 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting of Weimar Triangle and India foreign ministers Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland 07.01.2026 An extended-format gathering of the Weimar Triangle's top diplomats focused on shared efforts towards ending Russia's war against Ukraine and on cooperation between the European Union and India. Also, the foreign ministers of Poland, France, and Germany spoke in Paris today with India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. During the Paris meeting, the Weimar Triangle foreign ministers, Radosaw Sikorski, Jean-Noel Barrot, and Johann Wadephul, discussed the progress of Ukraine peace negotiations. They stressed that Europe, working closely with the US administration, should engage actively in forging peace solutions that comply with the rules of international law. "Diplomacy has accelerated. Two days ago, international security advisers met in Kyiv. Yesterday, the Coalition of the Willing gathered in Paris, and today, the Weimar Triangle is joined for talks by the world's most populous country, India," said Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski. The top diplomats concluded that Russia's repeated attacks on people living in Ukraine call for the pressure on Russia to be sustained through another round of sanctions, including on the energy and the financial sectors. The ministers agreed that combatting the Russian clunker fleet should be a priority. Also discussed were the relations between the European Union and India, including a plan to bring the sphere of security and defence under the EU-India Partnership. As a result, Brussels and New Delhi may align their stances on Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Another important item on the agenda was the reduction of Russian oil imports by India so as to prevent the aggressor from financing its war machine and continuing to disregard the universal standards of international law. The ministers also talked about a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union and India. "We want the negotiated agreement to take into account not only the surging trade between Europe and India, but also questions that matter for businesses and ordinary people," Deputy Prime Minister Sikorski said. Poland's top diplomat reiterated that the European Union remains India's largest trade partner. *** The Weimar Triangle was established in 1991 by the foreign ministers of Poland, France, and Germany with a view to overcoming European divides and bringing Poland closer to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures. At present, the format is a platform for the governments in Warsaw, Paris, and Berlin to pursue dialogue and seek joint solutions to European policy issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Joint Statement: Jordan-EU Summit European External Action Service (EEAS) 08.01.2026 Amman, Jordan We, the leaders of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (hereinafter Jordan) and the European Union, held our first EU-Jordan Summit in Amman, Jordan on 8 January 2026 and concluded the following: 1. Today's Summit marks an important milestone in EU-Jordan relations, elevated to a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership (SCP) a year ago building on the Association Agreement and on the Partnership Priorities. We reaffirm our willingness to cooperate for long-term stability, peace, security, prosperity, the universal values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and to promote joint interests and renew Partnership Priorities. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and will cooperate to reinforce effective multilateralism and the rules- based international order with the UN at its core. We underline the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts and the respect for international law and international humanitarian law, condemning all violations of international law, international humanitarian law and human rights law, and recalling our commitment to upholding accountability for violations of international law. 2. We welcome the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 of 17 November 2025 and President Trump's Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza. We call on all parties to implement the above-mentioned Resolution in its entirety, and in line with internationally agreed political and legal principles. We recall the New York Declaration, which stipulates that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, in accordance with the "One State, one law, one government, one gun" policy of the Palestinian Authority. The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza demands urgent action, and we call for the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout Gaza, and for unimpeded access for the UN and its agencies, and humanitarian organisations, including international NGOs, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and welcome Jordan's humanitarian efforts in this regard. We reiterate that the only path to a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the conflict in the Middle East is the Two-State solution, with the State of Israel and a sovereign viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition, in accordance with international law and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. We reiterate the importance of implementing the reform programme of the Palestinian Authority, and the strengthening of its civilian police forces including through the mobilisation of EU CSDP missions, so that it can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. We call on Israel to urgently release withheld clearance revenues and extend the correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks, both being necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Palestinian Authority and the delivery of essential services to the population. We express grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, reject and strongly condemn any annexation attempts, settlers' violence including against Christian communities, settlements which are illegal under international law, unilateral acts or any expulsion or displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. We call on Israel to reverse the E1 settlement plan that further undermines the Two-State Solution. We reiterate our commitment to uphold the historic and legal Status Quo of Jerusalem's Holy Sites, including with regards to the historic Hashemite Custodianship. 3. The EU commends Jordan's sustained efforts in hosting millions of refugees and its commitment to ensuring their dignified living conditions and access to basic services. The EU reaffirms its continued support to refugees and host communities in Jordan. We remain steadfastly committed to supporting Palestinian refugees in Jordan. We reiterate the essential role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in providing vital services. 4. We express support to Lebanon's stability and to the fundamental role played by UNIFIL. We reiterate the need to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity and call on all parties to fully implement the Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement of November 2024. 5. We will continue working together in support of a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition, free from harmful foreign interference, with the aim to ensure Syria's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and the safety and prosperity of its people. We will cooperate to support efforts towards stabilisation, reconciliation, institution building, reconstruction and socio-economic recovery of Syria. Comprehensive transitional justice and security sector reformare key areas to succeed in a transition which protects all Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds without discrimination. We are determined to jointly support Syria's socio-economic recovery and institution building, including in capacity building and empowerment initiatives, addressing the continuing humanitarian needs in Syria and also contributing to creating the conditions for the return of internally displaced persons and Syrian refugees. The EU endorses and calls for full implementation of the Roadmap announced by Jordan, Syria and the United States to end the crisis in Suwayda and Stabilizing Southern Syria. Acknowledging that the return of Syrians under the appropriate conditions is a key objective of the current Syrian government, and taking note of the UNHCR statements that such conditions are currently not met for large numbers of repatriation, we reaffirm our commitment to continue working with the current Syrian government and UN partners to provide support and services to displaced persons and returnees in Syria, and to ensure that returns are safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable, while being ready to support those who wish to voluntarily return. 6. On Ukraine, we recall the UN General Assembly Resolutions ES-11/1, ES-11/2, ES-11/4, ES-11/6 and ES-11/7 and in this context reiterate the obligation of all States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force. We underscore the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We underline the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts and the respect for international humanitarian law, recalling our commitment to upholding accountability for serious violations of international law. We reaffirm our support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. 7. Recognising the particular impact of regional crises on Jordan, and in view of its pivotal role in contributing to regional peace and stability, the EU remains committed to supporting Jordan's economic resilience and reform agenda outlined in the three-track Modernisation Vision. As announced in January 2025, the EU is notably putting forward a support package of EUR 3 billion. The support package consists of EUR 1 billion in Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA), EUR 640 million in grants and EUR 1.4 billion in public and private investments to be mobilized. 8. We reaffirm joint efforts to mobilise private sector investments, including through reforms to improve business and investment environment and the organisation of the EU-Jordan Investment Conference in Jordan in April 2026, and to promote sustainable trade. We reaffirm our agreement to discuss investment facilitation measures to help strengthening our investment. We commit to support integrating the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). We acknowledge the importance of the multilateral trading system and the need for deep reforms of the WTO. 9. The EU and Jordan stand firmly committed to unlocking their trade and bilateral relations, and to enhancing their bilateral cooperation to unleash the full potential of the Free Trade Area of the Association Agreement. Both sides agree to work on the review of the Association Agreement and look into various potentials to update and develop certain parts, in particular issues related to trade and investment relations to better adapt them to today's challenges. 10. The EU and Jordan will explore opportunities on how Jordanian companies could make better use of the simplified Rules of Origin Scheme to support Jordan in the context of the Jordan refugee crisis, while continuing to work on building export capacity and reinforcing their competitiveness. In this regard, both sides will continue discussions on the review of the Rules of Origin Scheme, including in relation to expanding its duration and the list of products. 11. We underline the importance of the progress on Jordan's political modernisation agenda and stress that rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, and good governance are indispensable in fostering stability and sustainable development. We will strengthen cooperation on good governance, as well as on modernising public services, and enhance integrity principles. 12. We will continue fostering our dialogue and enhancing cooperation on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression, media, association and peaceful assembly. We will also step up our engagement to combat discrimination in all its forms, including on the basis of religion or belief, and to promote inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, recognising the essential role played by civil society in advancing democracy, inclusive governance and sustainable development. 13. Following the deployment of the 2024 EU Election Observation Mission and its positive assessment and constructive recommendations, we look forward to continuing our work on political and electoral matters. 14. We will continue to work jointly on security cooperation, border management, countering organised crime and all forms of smuggling and trafficking, including through enhancing cooperation with EU agencies, CEPOL, Europol and Frontex. We remain committed to countering terrorism and preventing radicalisation and violent extremism, including through the Global Coalition against Da'esh, the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Aqaba Process on counter terrorism and violent extremism. 15. We reaffirm our decision to launch the first EU-Jordan Security and Defence Dialogue in Amman early 2026, to further advance EU support to Jordanian Armed Forces under the European Peace Facility and future Jordanian engagement under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). 16. We strongly welcome Jordan's decision to join the Global Energy Transition Forum (GETF), launched by the EU and international partners to foster collective progress on renewable energy and energy efficiency. We reaffirm our strong commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement and will work toward transition pathways backed by enabling policies, including exploring opportunities linked to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. We remain committed to accelerating the global green transition by prioritising cooperation on energy transition, including safe and sustainable low-carbon hydrogen, energy efficiency and cost-effective electricity storage, sustainable transport, sustainable agriculture, critical raw materials and green technologies, while continuing to advance regulatory coperation and the modernisation of electricity networks. Recognising Jordan's acute water scarcity, the EU and Jordan will further deepen their cooperation on enhancing the financial sustainability of the sector, promoting sustainable water use and improving wastewater management. We will continue to support initiatives that enhance long-term water security, especially through Team Europe's contributions to the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project. 17. We will foster cooperation in research and innovation, building on Jordan's signature of the renewed Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) and increasing its participation to Horizon Europe. We will continue working together to extend Jordan's participation to other EU programmes such as Creative Europe. 18. The EU supports Jordan's efforts to equip youth and adults with the skills required to meet labour market needs while promoting inclusivity, notably through Technical Vocational Training (TVET), and both sides will cooperate on vocational training programs that meet EU labour market standards also in view of potential circular mobility within the European labour market, in addition to the EU's continued support under the international dimension of Erasmus+. Both sides are working together to expand livelihood opportunities for all in Jordan, in particular women and youth, and strengthen the efficiency and accessibility of social protection systems. 19. We underline Jordan's importance in the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). The EU will support energy and digital connectivity, including the Blue Raman cable and future extension of the Medusa Submarine Cable to Jordan, and explore ways to further enhance secure and resilient connectivity, notably by upgrading electricity infrastructure supporting Jordan's renewable energy potential. 20. We welcome the launch of the Pact for the Mediterranean on 28 November 2025 in Barcelona and will advance concrete initiatives in areas of common interest to create new opportunities, tackle common challenges, strengthen a partnership based on mutual trust and joint responsibility and deliver tangible benefits, especially for youth, women and businesses. We commend the joint work carried out by Jordan and the European Union as co-presidents of the Union for the Mediterranean over the past thirteen years. 21. Recognising our strategic partnership and commitment to advance our cooperation in all fields, we agreed to hold our next EU-Jordan summit in Brussels in 2028. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by President von der Leyen at the first EU-Jordan Summit European Commission Statement Jan 8, 2026 Amman Your Majesty King Abdullah II, Your Royal Highness, I want to thank you for your warm welcome here in Amman. You are a key partner for Europe in the Middle East and a cornerstone of regional stability. Therefore, there is a mutual interest to strengthen what is not only a partnership but also a friendship between Jordan and the European Union. It is a relationship that is built on stability, security and prosperity. In times of growing geopolitical challenges, it is good to know that the EU and Jordan stand side by side. Because this is what friends do. Today, this Summit shows how quickly this partnership has moved from vision of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership to its delivery. We have three topics that are the main pillars of our partnership. The first is the political relationship. We have started the Pact for the Mediterranean which will open new opportunities for us. Your work within the Union for the Mediterranean is the perfect foundation to enhance, strengthen and let this new Pact for the Mediterranean grow. The second very important point is economic stability. Therefore, our partnership is underpinned by EUR 3 billion for 2025 to 2027. There is a lot of good work together, a lot of investment. Together, we have the investment goal of EUR 1.4 billion. So we will be working on this. I am very grateful and thankful for the invitation to the Investment Conference. I am happy to say that I would be very glad to come. This will be an important milestone in the investment target that we have set ourselves. We also have the third element, which is about investing in regional stability but also the support for the refugees that is outstanding. You have facilitated the delivery of life-saving aid, in particular to the people of Gaza. Here, we really want to thank you. And you have hosted millions of refugees, especially from Syria as well. The aid for refugees from Syria, with a total of 240 million over three years which we had agreed on, may support your efforts. At the same time, we are working intensively together to build the conditions for safe, voluntary and sustainable returns to Syria. This third pillar is also on our agreement on working more intensely together. This means support from our side, from the European Peace Facility, but also knowing the capabilities on the Jordanian side, so that we use this more for a stronger cooperation in the field of security and defence. This Summit marks a decisive step forward. I am glad that this relationship has grown and matured so much. Thank you again for the invitation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU and Jordan deepen partnership with first-ever Summit European Commission Press release Jan 8, 2026 Amman Today, the EU and Jordan are marking a key milestone in their long-standing relationship with a first-ever bilateral Summit. The EU was represented by President von der Leyen and President Costa, and Jordan by His Majesty King Abdullah II. The leaders took stock of the implementation of the EU-Jordan Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership (SCP) signed one year ago and set priorities for the future, including a high-level EU-Jordan Investment Conference scheduled for April 2026. The Summit reaffirmed the EU's commitment to Jordan as a key strategic partner for stability, prosperity and cooperation in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, said: "The EU-Jordan partnership is stronger than ever. Today's first EU-Jordan Summit marks the anniversary of our Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership and the concrete milestones we have delivered together since. From deeper political cooperation and strengthened security dialogue to reforms, investments and opportunities for both citizens and businesses. We are turning commitments into action for stability, resilience and shared prosperity." Over its first year, the SCP resulted in concrete deliverables across its five pillars: I) political relations and regional cooperation, II) security and defence, III) economic resilience, trade and investment, IV) human capital including education and skills, and V) migration, protection and support to refugees. The leaders strengthened political ties by deepening discussions and working together to support regional stability. Security and defence cooperation advanced with the new EU support under the European Peace Facility and progress on integrated border management. On the economic front, the EU supported Jordan's reform agenda and economic resilience. In September 2025, the EU adopted and rolled out a Macro-Financial Assistance programme worth 500 million. An additional Macro-Financial Assistance programme will be adopted in 2026, for another 500 million. This programme will include budget support disbursements, and accelerated investment mobilisation, including for the green transition, water, energy and digital connectivity. The EU and Jordan have also deepened cooperation on people-to-people through education, skills, research and youth mobility programmes, including the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) programme. Furthermore, the EU has sustained its support for Jordan's exceptional efforts in hosting refugees, ensuring access to services, livelihoods and protection. Cooperation with Jordan will be intensified in the framework of the Pact for the Mediterranean and its upcoming first Action Plan (scheduled for March 2026). Next steps In 2026, the Partnership will move into an intensified delivery phase, with key milestones further consolidating cooperation and impact. These include the high-level EU-Jordan Investment Conference (April 2026), and the launch of the first EU-Jordan Security and Defence Dialogue, as well as further dialogue on human rights. The signature of the first Multi-Sector Budget Support is expected in early 2026 and will unlock key reforms to enhance competitiveness, employment and the business environment in Jordan. The EU and Jordan will reinforce trade and investments across their borders by signing, at the EU-Jordan Investment Conference of spring 2026, several flagship infrastructure and connectivity projects. This should include the Water Desalination Aqaba-Amman National Conveyance. Background Jordan is a key partner for Europe in the Middle East and a cornerstone of regional stability. The EU and Jordan signed their Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership on 29 January 2025 in Brussels. Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan led the signing ceremony, in the presence of President von der Leyen and King Abdullah. The Partnership reflects the EU's long-term commitment to Jordan's stability, reform agenda and socio-economic resilience and to a shared future of cooperation in the region. It is underpinned by a 3 billion EU financial and investment package for Jordan for the period 2025-2027, comprising 640 million in grants, around 1.4 billion in additional investments, and 1 billion in concessional loans through macro-financial assistance. Quote(s) The EU-Jordan partnership is stronger than ever. Today's first EU-Jordan Summit marks the anniversary of our Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership and the concrete milestones we have delivered together since. From deeper political cooperation and strengthened security dialogue to reforms, investments and opportunities for both citizens and businesses. We are turning commitments into action for stability, resilience and shared prosperity. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President and Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discuss Ukraine peace negotiations and situation concerning Greenland Finnish Government Government Communications Department Publication date 8.1.2026 11.49 Type:Press release On Thursday 8 January, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed progress in the Ukraine peace process, including the results of the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on 6 January. As part of the Coalition, Finland stresses the importance of strong security guarantees in achieving a sustainable solution. The United States' participation in Ukraine's security guarantees is vital. The meeting also included a discussion on the situation concerning Greenland. Finland emphasises the importance of respect for the UN Charter and international law. Only Greenland and Denmark can decide on matters that concern them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hegseth's lashing out at question about Venezuela mission's cost reveals administration's 'force is virtue' belief fails to win praise Global Times By GT staff reporters Published: Jan 08, 2026 11:46 PM As Trump administration touted what he called "amazing military achievement" in the forcible seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, dissenting voices from multiple quarters have raised questions about the operation's legality. During a live interview on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called out when a CNN reporter asked, "How much does the [Venezuela] mission cost American taxpayers?" "It's a disingenuous question to begin with," Hegseth said to the reporter. "You're trying to find any angle possible to undermine the success of one of the most historic military missions the world has ever seen!" Hegseth said, according to the transcript by media outlet Mediaite. "The questions never asked [of] how much does it cost when they're in the Mediterranean or the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean or the Pacific," Hegseth argued. Hegseth spoke with the CNN reporter on Capitol Hill during a live broadcast as he prepared to brief lawmakers on the Trump administration's operations in Venezuela following the strike and the seizure of Venezuelan President Maduro, Mediaite reported. Prior to Hegseth taking the floor for the CNN interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio answered the same question categorically, saying that US involvement in Venezuela was "not going to cost any US money," even as CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked three times to confirm the response. Beneath the US media's coverage of Hegseth framing aggression as virtue in Venezuela on social media, criticism emerged. A TikTok user @GBG1962 said, the US is becoming unhinged with this current government....The rest of the world is thinking it's no longer safe to go there. "The World is watching, they are not stupid, they know what is going on. Don't turn and twist with words. All are lies to justify US piracy, one more user @mkasimtawil wrote. User @Lampbulb5 said that "American citizens continue to suffer in country but they rather 'help' another country by liberating them from their oil." The US attitude on military actions in Venezuela have shifted from seeking excuses"even if I have to fabricate one, I need a reason"to blatant boasting, "I don't even bother with the packaging." The underlying logic is the belief that "seizing things by force is a beautiful thing, done without any sense of shame," Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. This mindset, Lu noted, explains the visceral reaction of officials like the defense secretary, whose loss of composure when questioned about the operation's costs laid bare a sense of personal offense. In his view, what was an "amazing achievement" deserved praise, rather than skepticism and criticism. "The military mission was a calculated political maneuver aimed at reinforcing the Republican base," Lu Xiang said in the interview. Despite facing layered criticism at home and abroad, the administration chose to go so far as to openly acknowledge behavior of questionable legality, a posture that will merely further deepen divisions within American society, Lu said. Protesters gathered Wednesday night at King's Cross railway station in London, calling the US action against Venezuela a "breach" of the Latin American country's sovereignty, "illegal" and "naked, blatant imperialism," Xinhua News Agency reported. Dozens of demonstrators of various backgrounds gathered outside the federal courthouse in freezing temperatures in New York on Monday to express their views on the US criminal charges against Venezuela's forcibly seizing of Maduro, the Guardian reported. The New York Times also reported that Americans took to the streets in Chicago and Washington on Saturday to protest the US military intervention. Members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), including key US allies, have warned that the abduction of Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife by US special forces could be a precedent-setting event for international law. ABC on Wednesday reported that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her strong opposition to the American operation. "I believe that every country has the sovereignty to decide what to do with its natural resources; I do not believe that one nation should decide for another, no matter how problematic the situation may be," Sheinbaum said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Monday also slammed the US move a clear violation of international law, basic norms governing international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, release them immediately, stop toppling the Venezuela government, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation. Lu told the Global Times that such US posture marks the US abandoning its self-proclaimed role as a "rule defender" and instead openly embracing a "law of the jungle" logic of hegemony that requires no excuseaimed at short-term political gain and resource plunder, Lu said. He added that in essence, in the long run it will harm the US' own interests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'China opposes politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights': FM responds to UN official's concern on US military action in Venezuela Global Times By Global Times Published: Jan 08, 2026 04:50 PM China consistently opposes politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights, opposes applying international law when it suits one's interests and discarding it otherwise, and opposes using human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries' internal affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Thursday. Mao made the remarks when asked to comment on the remarks of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk that the US military operation in Venezuela undermines a fundamental principle of international law and the UN Charter. Turk expressed deep concern over the US attempts to justify military intervention by invoking human rights, and 16 experts of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) strongly condemning the large-scale military action carried out by the US against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Mao said China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests, and firmly supports all countries in choosing their own paths for human rights development in light of their national conditions. China stands ready to work with the international community to uphold the authority of international law, advocate multilateralism, and safeguard world peace and stability, she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US pulling out of intl bodies 'is no longer news': Chinese FM on US withdrawal from 66 intl organizations Global Times By Global Times Published: Jan 08, 2026 03:47 PM At a press conference held on Thursday, a journalist asked: The White House on Wednesday issued a declaration announcing that US President Donald Trump had instructed the US to withdraw from 35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities that operate contrary to US national interests, and to halt funding for organizations that prioritize global agendas over America's own priorities. What is China's comment on this? In response, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the US pulling out of international bodies is no longer news. As a matter of fact, the raison d'etre of international and multilateral organizations lies in their commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of all member states, rather than serving the selfish interests of any single country. It is precisely for this reason that the UN-centered international system has, over the past eight decades and more, upheld world peace and stability, promoted economic and social development, and safeguarded the equal rights and interests of all countries. Mao said that the current international landscape has once again proven that only by ensuring the effective operation of the multilateral system, can we prevent the spread of the law of the jungle and keep the international order from being dominated by the logic that "might makes right and force represents justice." This is what the vast majority of countries in the world, especially small and weak ones, need most at present. No matter how the situation evolves, China will always adhere to multilateralism, support the UN in playing its central role in international affairs, and work with the international community to advance the building of a more equitable and reasonable global governance system, Mao noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venezuelan foreign minister appreciates China's support for Venezuela's sovereignty over territory, natural resources Global Times By Global Times Published: Jan 08, 2026 01:58 PM Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil posted on social platform X on Wednesday local time to appreciate China's support for the full sovereignty that the Venezuelan people have over the territory and natural resources. Gil also shared a video of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responding to a media inquiry regarding the US' energy request on Venezuela with the post. In the video, Mao said "Venezuela is a sovereign state and has full permanent sovereignty over all its natural resources and economic activities. The US blatantly used force against Venezuela and asked the country to 'favor' America with regard to its oil reserves. Such bullying seriously breaches international law, infringes on Venezuela's sovereignty, and violates the rights of the Venezuelan people." "China strongly condemns this. Let me stress that the lawful rights and interests of China and other countries in Venezuela must be protected," Mao said, per the video. In the X post, Gil stated that China strongly condemns the serious violation of international law and the sovereignty of Venezuela, as well as the intimidation actions by the US. The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela led by President Nicolas Maduro thanks this support from the Chinese side that defends international law and the full sovereignty that the Venezuelan people have over the territory and natural resources. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chairmen of Senate and House Armed Services Committees Back President Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Topline Proposal House Armed Services Committee Washington, D.C., January 8, 2026 Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, R-AL, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement praising President Trump's announcement of a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027: "We commend President Trump for committing to a $1.5 trillion defense budget. This is exactly the kind of investment it will take to rebuild our military and restore American leadership on the world stage. America faces intensifying global threats from China, Russia, Iran, and narco-terrorists. This substantial increase in defense spending is therefore both timely and essential. We are also leading by example by bringing U.S. defense spending to approximately 5% of our GDP, which is what we expect from our NATO allies. "Increased investment will lead to tangible hard power: accelerated shipbuilding and aircraft production, a modernized arsenal, and innovative technologies that ensure our warfighters remain unmatched. These efforts prioritize the needs of our men and women in uniform and deliver the 'Dream Military' President Trump has envisioned. "Leaders across the political spectrum have long been proud to call the U.S. military the most powerful in the world. They have vowed never to let it fall behind. Yet too many have failed to match those words with resources and action. The previous administration resisted adequate military funding, instead settling for depleted stockpiles, aging equipment, and worsening recruitment challenges. "President Trump's decisive commitment reverses these years of neglect. He is replacing rhetoric with investment and sending a message to our adversaries. America can and will defend the homeland and stand with our allies. We share the president's ultimate desire for peace, and we agree that it will only be achieved through strength, by preventing conflict before it begins. "As we welcome this step, we are ready to continue working with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to rebuild America's military and get this budget passed into law." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM Netanyahu meets with prospective Gaza Board of Peace Director Mladenov Israel - Prime Minister's Office Type: Events and Speeches Government: The 37th Government Publish Date: 08.01.2026 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with Nickolay Mladenov, who is set to become the Director of the Gaza Strip Board of Peace. The Prime Minister reiterated that Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized in accordance with the 20-point plan of President Trump. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Deputy Secretary General emphasises defence investment, innovation, and cooperation in Portugal visit NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 08 January 2026 NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska conducted a two-day visit to Portugal (7-8 January 2026), recognising Portugal's strategic role, and reiterating Alliance priorities. Ms. Shekerinska praised Portugal's contributions to NATO missions, its support for Ukraine, and its commitment to increasing defence spending toward the 5% GDP target agreed at the NATO Summit in The Hague. Arguing that "Dangerous times call for decisive action," she urged Allies to prioritise defence investment and accelerate production, to counter threats from Russia and its partners. In Porto, the Deputy Secretary General participated in the Diplomatic Seminar on "New Security and Defence Paradigms," alongside Portuguese Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo, and European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius. She underscored the importance of the NATO-EU partnership for innovation and production. Ms. Shekerinska visited STRIKFORNATO and the NATO Communications and Information Academy and the NATO Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC). The Deputy Secretary General also spoke at the Catholic University of Portugal's Institute of Political Studies, where she discussed NATO's challenges in 2026 with students and professors, emphasising NATO's strength in unity, stressing "We are stronger together ... That's an incredible advantage. We must leverage it." During her visit, the Deputy Secretary General met and exchanged views with Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel, Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo, President of the Assembly of the Republic Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Marcos Perestrello, as well as other members of the Assembly of the Republic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ICC rejects Duterte camp request for add'l expert report on his health Philippine News Agency By Marita Moaje January 8, 2026, 5:30 pm MANILA -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected the request of former president Rodrigo Duterte's camp for an additional expert report on his health and cognitive state, stating that the court already has sufficient medical information to assess his detention. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1, in its Jan. 7 decision, noted that a panel of three independent experts had submitted joint and individual reports in December 2025 evaluating Duterte's fitness to participate in pre-trial proceedings. "On 19 December 2025, the Defence filed the Request, asking the Chamber to order (i) 'on an urgent basis', 'the Panel to issue a report focusing on whether Mr. Duterte's current cognitive state would permit him to flee the ongoing judicial proceedings, to intimidate witnesses, or to commit crimes' (the 'Defence's Request for an Expert Report'); and (ii) 'a hearing on Mr. Duterte's periodic review on detention, as required under Rule 118(3) [of the Rules]'," the ICC said. "On 23 December 2025, the Prosecution opposed the Request, submitting that '[t]he requested expert evidence is unnecessary as the Chamber already has all the information required to decide the question of provisional release'; and '[t]he alleged deterioration of Mr Duterte's health does not justify the need for a further expert report, nor does it constitute a changed circumstance'," the decision read. The chamber said these reports fully address the factors under Article 58(1)(b) of the Rome Statute, including the risk of flight, witness interference, or further crimes, and that ordering a new report would exceed the experts' mandate. Article 58(1)(b) of the Rome Statute of the ICC details the Pre-Trial Chamber's power to issue arrest warrants or summonses when there are reasonable grounds to believe a person has committed crimes under the ICC's jurisdiction, specifically when they are unlikely to appear voluntarily or may flee or obstruct justice, ensuring judicial oversight for detention orders against suspects in ongoing investigations. In the decision, the Chamber added that on Dec. 23, the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) had also opposed the request, citing a lack of legal basis, and adding that it aims at usurping the Chamber's function, and effectively causes further and unjustified delay to the pre-trial proceedings. "As 'whether the article 58(1) conditions continue to be met [is] a judicial assessment with which only the Pre-Trial Chamber is entrusted' and 'the Chamber has received comprehensive individual reports and a joint panel report of three Court-appointed independent experts on Mr. Duterte's state of health and cognitive abilities that allow it to draw conclusions if and where warranted within the ambit of its assessment of the article 58(1)(b) conditions'," it added. Duterte's defense counsel had sought the new assessment, arguing that the former leader's current cognitive state required a fresh evaluation to determine whether he could still pose risks that justify continued detention. They also requested a hearing on the periodic review of his detention. Prosecutors said there was no significant change in Duterte's health, while victims' representatives warned the motion could cause unnecessary delays. Duterte has been in ICC custody since March 12, 2025, after he was surrendered under an arrest warrant linked to alleged crimes during his anti-drug campaign. Earlier, requests for interim release were denied by the Pre-Trial Chamber in September 2025 and were upheld on appeal in November. The court said it will determine the schedule for a hearing on the periodic review of Duterte's detention at a later date. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate advances resolution to block further Trump military action in Venezuela Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 6:42 PM The US Senate has advanced a resolution that would bar President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization, paving the way for further consideration in the 100-member chamber. The procedural vote on Thursday to advance the measure passed 52-47, with several Republican senators joining all Democrats in support. The resolution comes amid heightened concern in Congress over recent US military operations in Venezuela, including a dramatic raid that resulted in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Supporters say the measure is a bid to reassert congressional authority over war powers, though its ultimate fate remains uncertain as it moves toward a full Senate debate and faces potential opposition in the House and from the White House. In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Trump emphasized that the US would be "running Venezuela and extracting oil from its huge reserves for years," insisting that the country's interim government, composed entirely of former Maduro loyalists, is "giving us everything that we feel is necessary." The administration of US President Donald Trump also announced on Wednesday that Washington would control Venezuelan oil sales "indefinitely" and decide how the proceeds are spent, effectively asserting authority over the country after kidnapping President Maduro. The announcement follows Maduro's abduction on Saturday in violation of international law, and Trump's own claim that Caracas would hand over 30-50 million barrels of oil to Washington as the US plans to "run" the South American country. These steps are part of a months-long US pressure campaign against Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges in New York that he strongly denies. Caracas, however, has time and again firmly denied any connection to drug trafficking and maintained that Washington aimed to overthrow the Venezuelan president in a bid to take control of the nation's vast oil reserves. Inside Venezuela, the situation seems unstable, but Delcy Rodriguez, sworn in after Maduro's abduction, says "there is no foreign agent governing Venezuela." Analysts say authorities have not openly responded to US demands, suggesting acceptance under duress or outright coercion, while internal divisions and the stance of the powerful military could still disrupt Washington's plans. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran foreign minister holds wide-ranging talks in Lebanon Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 6:30 PM Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has conducted a high-profile diplomatic visit to Beirut, holding a series of meetings aimed at revitalizing bilateral relations between Tehran and Beirut, particularly in the area of trade. During his visit on Thursday, Araghchi met with Lebanon's Minister of Economy and Trade Amer al-Bisat. In the talks, the Iranian foreign minister highlighted the long history of commercial exchange between the two countries and formally announced Iran's readiness to expand economic cooperation. Araghchi specifically called for the reactivation of the Iran-Lebanon Joint Economic Commission as a key mechanism to facilitate and accelerate bilateral trade. Minister al-Bisat welcomed the initiative, outlining Lebanon's ongoing economic reforms and reaffirming Beirut's commitment to strengthening trade relations with regional partners, including Iran. Discussions between the two delegations also covered several sectors of mutual interest, including tourism, agriculture, science, and culture. Both sides explored practical measures to ease commercial exchanges, such as reducing or eliminating trade tariffs. Later on Thursday, Araghchi met with a group of Iranian and Lebanese business leaders and merchants to discuss opportunities for expanding private-sector cooperation. Separately, the Iranian foreign minister held talks with Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, deputy head of Lebanon's Supreme Shia Council. During the meeting, Araghchi praised the council's historical role in promoting national unity among Lebanon's diverse communities and reiterated Iran's policy of maintaining strong relations with all Lebanese factions. Araghchi also paid a symbolic visit to the memorial of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the resistance movement Hezbollah, who was martyred in an Israeli airstrike in 2024. At the site, he delivered a speech reaffirming the Islamic Republic's unwavering support for Lebanon's national unity, independence, and resistance against Israeli aggression. The Iranian foreign minister's visit continues on Friday, with a focus on official government-level consultations. Araghchi is scheduled to hold talks with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, President Joseph Aoun, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Macron slams US for 'gradually turning away' from allies under Trump Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 5:33 PM French President Emmanuel Macron has slammed the United States for "breaking free from international rules" and "gradually turning away" from some of its allies. "Multilateral institutions are functioning less and less effectively," Macron said during his annual speech to French ambassadors in Paris on Thursday. "We are living in a world of great powers with a real temptation to divide up the world," he added. The comments come after a series of increasingly confrontational actions by the Trump administration, which have raised concerns among Washington's traditional allies. A key point of concern is US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take control of Greenland, the world's largest island and a Danish territory, citing its strategic value for US national security. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that he intends to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss Washington's plans, while the White House did not rule out the possibility of using military force. Earlier this week, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a statement asserting that Greenland "belongs to its people." Nevertheless, Macron said he does not believe the US would violate Denmark's sovereignty. Recent US actions have also fueled tensions, including suspending participation in dozens of UN agencies and other international organizations, citing their promotion of "woke" initiatives, and seizing Venezuelan oil tankers while abducting the country's President Nicolas Maduro on narco-terrorism charges. Trump further mocked Macron during a Republican address Wednesday, claiming he had coerced France into tripling its prescription drug prices by threatening a 25% tariff on all French imports. Imitating Macron, Trump said: "Donald, you have a deal. I would like to increase my prescription drug prices by 200% or whatever. Whatever you want, Donald, please don't tell the population, I beg you." Neither Macron nor the French government have responded to Trump's remarks. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US says will assert control over Venezuela's oil sales, proceeds 'indefinitely' Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 9:29 AM The United States has openly said that it will take indefinite control of Venezuela's oil sales and proceeds, a controversial move condemned by UN experts as illegal exploitation and widely seen as a blatant act of economic political domination following the abduction of the South American country's president. The administration of US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Washington would control Venezuelan oil sales "indefinitely" and decide how the proceeds are spent, effectively asserting authority over the country after kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro. In a statement, the US Department of Energy said it had already "begun marketing" Venezuelan oil globally, with all revenues placed in "US-controlled accounts at globally recognized banks." According to the White House, the money would be distributed "at the discretion of the US government" and "for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people," with initial sales of "approximately 30-50 million barrels" starting immediately and continuing "indefinitely." Trump personally reinforced the coercive nature of the scheme, claiming Venezuela had agreed to spend the proceeds exclusively in the United States. "I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal," he wrote on his platform, Truth Social. He added that this would include "American Agricultural Products, and American Made Medicines, Medical Devices, and Equipment to improve Venezuela's Electric Grid and Energy Facilities." The announcement follows Maduro's abduction on Saturday in violation of international law, and Trump's own claim that Caracas would hand over 30-50 million barrels of oil to Washington as the US plans to "run" the South American country. These steps are part of a months-long US pressure campaign against Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges in New York that he strongly denies. The campaign has included a partial naval blockade and the seizure of vessels accused of breaching US sanctions. On Wednesday alone, US special forces seized two Venezuela-linked ships, including a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic. As senior officials briefed lawmakers, Republicans largely backed the operation, while Democrats raised concerns about its duration, cost, potential troop deployments, and Venezuelan reactions. Senator Elizabeth Warren denounced the briefing as "worse" than expected, saying, "Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to 'run' Venezuela than the American people. We need public Senate hearings NOW." Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a three-phase plan beginning with oil sales whose revenues Washington will control "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime." The second phase would open Venezuela to US and allied companies and push a US-managed "reconciliation" process, including amnesties and prisoner releases, followed by a final "transition." Analysts warn this resembles a revival of the pre-1970s concessionary system. Gregory Brew of Eurasia Group said it points to "a return to the concessionary system" in which "producer states own the oil but it is Western firms that manage production and marketing, ultimately retain the bulk of the profits." UN experts have warned that US plans to "run" Venezuela and exploit its oil violate "the right of peoples to self-determination and their associated sovereignty over natural resources," stressing that Venezuela's reserves "must not be cynically exploited through thinly veiled pretexts to legitimize military aggression, foreign occupation, or regime-change strategies." Inside Venezuela, the situation remains unstable. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, sworn in after Maduro's abduction, insists "there is no foreign agent governing Venezuela." Analysts say authorities have not openly responded to US demands, suggesting acceptance under duress or outright coercion, while internal divisions and the stance of the powerful military could still disrupt Washington's plans. Caracas has time and again firmly denied any connection to drug trafficking and maintained that Washington aimed to overthrow the Venezuelan president in a bid to take control of the nation's vast oil reserves. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ranking Member Shaheen Statement on Senate Vote to Reassert Congressional War Powers on Venezuela Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: January 08, 2026 WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Senate voted to advance a bipartisan war powers resolution: "Today's vote reaffirms Congress's constitutional role in decisions of war and peace. While there is no love lost for Nicolas Maduro in Congress, Republicans and Democrats are concerned about the lack of a clear strategy on Venezuela and the risks to U.S. national security this could bring. Congress and the American people continue to demand clear answers from the President about the legal basis, costs, objectives and endgame in Venezuela. At a time when Americans are worried about how they're going to pay for health care, housing, energy and groceries, the president is talking about investing tax dollars in Venezuela to support the oil industry. These priorities are totally backwards, and today's vote showed cleared bipartisan concern with an open-ended and unaccountable mission in Venezuela." ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Coalition Official Spokesperson: Aidarus Al-Zubaidi Fled at Night via Vessel to Somaliland, Then Airlifted to Abu Dhabi Saudi Press Agency Thursday 19/07/1447 Riyadh, January 8, 2026, SPA -- Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki issued the following statement: "Further to the statement issued by the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition on January 7, 2026, regarding the circumstances of the escape of Aidarus Al-Zubaidi to an unknown location, reliable intelligence indicates that Al-Zubaidi and his associates fled under the cover of darkness aboard the vessel BAMEDHAF (IMO: 8101393). The vessel departed the Port of Aden shortly after midnight on January 7, heading towards the Somaliland Province in the Federal Republic of Somalia. The vessel disabled its identification systems before heading to the Port of Berbera, where it arrived at 12:00 PM. During this time, intelligence revealed that Al-Zubaidi contacted an officer known as "Abu Saeed"later identified as Major General Awad Saeed Bin Musleh Al Ahbabi, Commander of Joint Operations in the UAE Armed Forcesto inform him of their arrival. Waiting for them was an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft (Flight Number: MZB-9102), which had taken off without a declared destination. Al-Zubaidi and his companions boarded the aircraft under the supervision of UAE officers. The plane landed at Mogadishu Airport at 15:15, remained on the tarmac for approximately one hour, and then departed at 16:17, heading towards the Arabian Gulf via the Arabian Sea, again without a declared destination. The aircraft disabled its identification systems over the Gulf of Oman, reactivating them only ten minutes prior to landing at Al Reef Military Air Base in Abu Dhabi at 20:47 Kingdom Time. It has been noted that this specific type of aircraft is frequently utilized in conflict zones along routes involving Libya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. A review of the registration of the vessel BAMEDHAF confirms it sails under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. This is the same flag used by the vessel GREENLAND, which transported combat vehicles and weapons from the Port of Fujairah to the Port of Mukalla, as detailed in the Joint Forces Command statement dated December 30, 2025. The Coalition Forces continue to closely monitor intelligence regarding the whereabouts of individuals who were reported to be the last to meet with Aidarus Al-Zubaidi prior to his flight from Aden. This includes Ahmed Hamid Lamlas (former Governor of Aden) and Mohsen Al-Wali (Commander of the Security Belt Forces in Aden), with whom all communication has been lost." -- SPA 08:26 Local Time 05:26 GMT 0019 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate Advances Resolution to Ban Use of Armed Forces Against Venezuela in 52-47 Vote Sputnik News 20260108 WASHINGTON (RIA Novosti) - The US Senate has advanced the resolution banning the use of armed forces against Venezuela. During the vote on Thursday, 52 senators supported the resolution, and 47 opposed it. "The motion is agreed to," a chairman of the meeting said. On January 3, the US launched a massive attack on Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and taking them to New York. Trump announced that Maduro and Flores would face trial for allegedly being involved in "narco-terrorism" and posing a threat, including to the US. Caracas requested an emergency UN meeting over the US operation. Venezuela's Supreme Court temporarily transferred the duties of the head of state to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who was officially sworn in as acting president before the National Assembly on January 5. Russia, China, and North Korea have strongly condemned the US actions. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and called for the release of Maduro and his wife, as well as for the prevention of further escalation of the situation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Signals US Will Run Venezuela Long-Term Sputnik News 20260108 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump did not specify a precise timeframe for how long the country would maintain control over Venezuela, but said that it would last "much longer" than a year. "I would say, much longer," Trump told the New York Times newspaper when asked whether US control over Venezuela would last three months, six months, a year or longer. Trump also said that he would like to visit Venezuela in the future. "I think at some point it'll be safe," he said. Trump also said that the United States, while controlling Venezuela, intends to use the oil of the country, but lower its prices and give money to the Bolivarian Republic. "We will rebuild it in a very profitable way... We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need," Trump told the New York Times newspaper in the interview. At the same time, Trump admitted that it would take years to restore Venezuela's oil sector. Trump said that Venezuela's interim authorities are giving the United States everything that Washington "feels necessary." "They're giving us everything that we feel is necessary... Don't forget, they took the oil from us years ago," Trump said in the interview. Trump declined to say whether he had spoken with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, but added that US State Secretary Marco Rubio is in constant contact with her. "But Marco [Rubio] speaks to her all the time... I will tell you that we are in constant communication with her and the administration," Trump told The New York Times newspaper. Trump declined to say what would prompt him to send troops to Venezuela, but said that Washington has very good relations with its current authorities. "I can't tell you that... I really wouldn't want to tell you that, but they're treating us with great respect. As you know, we're getting along very well with the administration that is there right now," Trump told The New York Times newspaper. Trump also said that he feared the US military operation in Venezuela in early January would fail similar to the catastrophe of former US President Jimmy Carter in Iran in 1980, which "destroyed his entire administration. Trump was referring to the "failed operation" on April 24, 1980, to rescue 52 US hostages held in Iran, the New York Times newspaper reported. A US helicopter then collided with an aircraft in the desert, and this tragedy marred Carter's "legacy," but led to the creation of much better-prepared special operations forces. "I don't know if he would have won the election... but he certainly had no chance after that disaster," Trump told the New York Times. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Rubio's Call with OAS Secretary General Ramdin US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson January 8, 2026 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Albert Ramdin to reinforce the Secretariat's role in supporting stability throughout the hemisphere, including in Venezuela. The Secretary thanked Secretary General Ramdin for providing a forum for open exchange and constructive dialogue, and underscored the importance of keeping the institution focused on how best to address the challenges facing the people of Venezuela. Secretary Rubio reiterated the importance of the OAS as a forum for Member State-driven engagement to support a proper, judicious transition of power in Venezuela. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Rubio's Call with Paraguayan President Pena US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson January 8, 2026 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena to discuss the law enforcement operation in Venezuela on January 3. Secretary Rubio thanked President Pena for Paraguay's support in confronting narcoterrorism and strengthening security in our hemisphere. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 8 January 2026 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. All right, good afternoon. ** Briefing Just to note that at 12:45 p.m. today there will be a briefing here by our friends in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to launch the World Economic Situation and Prospects report 2026. Speakers will be Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Navid Hanif, along with Shantanu Mukherjee, who is DESA's Director of Economic Analysis and Policy Division, and Ingo Pitterle, DESA's Senior Economist and Officer-in-Charge of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch. ** United States Withdrawal from United Nations Entities I have a statement for you, not surprisingly, on the US's decision announced last night, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States' decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities. As we have consistently said and underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and the peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States. All United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given to us by Member States. The United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for all those who depend on us, and we will continue to carry out our mandates with determination. ** Lebanon A quick update for you on Lebanon, because I know you have been asking me. We have seen, like you, the announcement by the Lebanese Armed Forces that they have assumed operational control of the area south of the Litani River. I can tell you that we very much welcome this progress. Our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, remains in contact with all parties to encourage further progress in the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, as well as the cessation of hostilities agreement. While more work lies ahead as the Lebanese Armed Forces moves to other phases of the Government-approved plan to establish exclusive State control over arms, today's milestone showcases the commitment of the Lebanese Army, the Lebanese authorities and underscores the role of the Mechanism established in the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement. And to give you an example about the work that our peacekeepers have been doing since the cessation of hostilities agreement came into play in November 2024, our peacekeepers have discovered 405 weapons caches in their area of operations. As per their mandate, these discoveries were reported to the Lebanese Army. During the same period of time, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) has been conducting thousands of operational activities, including various kinds of foot patrols and vehicle patrols, as well as many checkpoints, escorts, and other work. ** Security Council/Syria Just an update for you from Syria. This morning, Security Council members held a briefing on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118, concerning the elimination of the chemical weapons programme in the Syrian Arab Republic. Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo briefed Council members. He reported continued engagement between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Syrian authorities and confirmed the need for sustained international support and the importance of ensuring safe access to sites located in insecure areas. ** Syria And turning to the situation on the ground, I can tell you that the Secretary-General continues to be gravely alarmed by the escalating hostilities that we are seeing in Aleppo and by the mounting reports of civilian casualties. Tens of thousands of people are reported to have been displaced as the situation continues to deteriorate. Our representatives of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria continue to be in contact with all concerned parties. Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are telling us that as of yesterday, at least five civilians including two women and one child were reportedly killed, and dozens more injured. That is what local authorities on the ground are telling us Several health facilities have also been impacted, including Zahi Azarak Hospital, Ibn Rished Hospital, and Othman Hospital, with some reportedly ceasing operations due to the damage and the attacks. Movement restrictions have been imposed on key roads. Since yesterday morning, thousands of families have fled their homes, with many seeking shelter with host communities in Aleppo city and the various district of Afrin. Authorities announced the opening of two humanitarian corridors through Awared and Zuhour for civilians to evacuate. Schools, universities and Government institutions have all halted activities. Flights to and from Aleppo International Airport remain suspended as of now. Our humanitarian partners are mobilizing resources to respond to the growing displacement I have just described. Today, a UN team in Aleppo carried out an assessment mission to Yad Al Aoun camp in Afrin to evaluate immediate needs and the capacity to respond. ** Peacekeeping/Middle East Our Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is continuing his travels in the Middle East. He is in fact in Syria today. During this leg of his regional visit, he will travel to the Golan Heights to visit members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). He will also be meeting with Syrian authorities in the capital, Damascus. As you know, Mr. Lacroix spent the last few days in Lebanon, meeting senior officials and visiting UN peacekeepers. He highlighted UNIFIL's ongoing role in preserving stability and advancing the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 through the end of its mandate in December of this year. He was also briefed on the Mission's work under challenging conditions and the situation along the Blue Line. Following his stay in Syria, he will go on to Jordan and then to Israel, and he will also, while there, visit the headquarters of UNTSO, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to the Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that, despite impediments, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support the most vulnerable families that have been affected by the harsh winter conditions and dire consequences of the past two years of this ongoing crisis. Over the past days, one of our partners distributed 7,000 dignity kits, more than 5,600 dignified family hygiene kits, and 1.3 million bars of soap to some 200,000 people in northern and southern Gaza. Our partners providing emergency shelter materials report that, in recent days, they have reached more than 16,000 households across Gaza with shelter supplies and other essential items. These included more than 3,300 tents, 8,700 tarpaulins, 300 sealing-off kits to weatherproof makeshift shelters, and more than 700 kits to stabilize and reinforce those shelters. To address the needs for the winter, our partners have distributed more than 7,000 blankets, 3,900 mattresses, and more than 1,000 bedding kits to improve sleeping conditions for families exposed to cold weather conditions. In addition, more than 2,500 kitchen sets have been distributed, and more than 880 households received clothing assistance through in-kind modalities. Our partners also tell us that water trucking operations are continuing, with 36 partners distributing daily more than 21,500 cubic metres of fresh water to some 2,350 water collection points across the Gaza Strip. In parallel, temporary learning spaces continue to expand across the Strip. To date, more than 420 learning spaces are operational, serving more than 230,000 students supported by over 5,500 teachers. Our partners note that scaling up learning spaces for school-age children remains a critical priority; however, this depends on the timely entry of essential supplies, which continue to be denied entry by the Israeli authorities, who say that education is not a critical activity during the first phase of the ceasefire, which we continue to be in. Additionally, renovation work is advancing in public schools. Some 10 classrooms, two administrative rooms and two storage facilities have been recently completed in two schools in Gaza City, giving more than 1,800 children access to education. On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) facilitated the evacuation of 18 patients and their 36 companions from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing for medical treatment outside of the Gaza Strip. And just a quick update on what is going on in the West Bank, our OCHA colleagues said that, over the past two weeks, dozens of tents and makeshift shelters in Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank have been damaged or destroyed due to severe winter weather. OCHA also warns of the ongoing destruction of Palestinian-owned properties by Israeli authorities for lack of Israeli-issued building permits that are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Over the past two weeks, Israeli authorities demolished 50 structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing more than 50 Palestinians and affecting the livelihood of some 14,000 people. ** Yemen A quick update from Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen. He is continuing his engagement with Yemeni, regional, and international actors, with discussions focused on de-escalation and a Yemeni-led political process. Today, he concluded a visit to Riyadh, where he met with the President of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad Al-Alimi, the Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaya Zindani, and other senior Yemeni officials, as well as representatives of the five permanent Member States of the Security Council. The meetings addressed recent developments in Yemen and their broader implications. The Special Envoy said the PLC President's call for a Saudi-hosted southern dialogue offers a timely opportunity to ease tensions and advance stabilization, stressing the importance of inclusive dialogue for the sake of the country's future and for the sake of its people. ** South Sudan From South Sudan, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that a surge in conflict and airstrikes in Jonglei State has forced people to flee their homes and also disrupted humanitarian operations to serve South Sudanese people. Since 29 December, renewed fighting has displaced some 100,000 people, mostly women, children and older people. That is in several counties, and it is what local authorities and our humanitarian partners are telling us. Most of these people are sheltering in remote areas out of fear of further attacks, while others have fled to neighbouring states. On Tuesday, authorities in Lakes State said they have registered more than 11,000 people that have arrived from Jonglei. In northern Jonglei State, several humanitarian organizations have relocated staff due to the insecurity as well as instructions by parties to evacuate the area. Humanitarian organizations continue to operate with local staff reporting growing challenges, including in the restocking of health facilities, and sustaining other essential activities. The situation is further compounded by reports from several organizations that their facilities and assets have been looted or confiscated by parties to the conflict. Despite all these challenges, our humanitarian colleagues are continuing to engage with all parties so aid can reach people safely, and people desperately need help. Just as a reminder, last year, more than 715,000 people were displaced by conflict [and floods] in South Sudan. ** Ukraine Lastly, from Ukraine, our colleagues on the ground say that authorities are telling us that, between yesterday and this morning, attacks across Ukraine killed and injured several civilians, while damaging critical energy and port infrastructure in the regions of Dnipro, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. Nearly 2 million people have been left without electricity, as temperatures have dropped close to 0C. Our humanitarian colleagues note that heating, water supply, mobile communications and public electric transport were also disrupted. The Mayor of Dnipro City declared a national-level emergency due to the interruption of basic services. In the city of Kryvyi Rih, also in the Dnipro [region], yesterday's strikes were reportedly among the largest combined attacks since the start of the full-scale war. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, has called for the protection of civilians amid these harsh winter conditions. Nationwide scheduled power outages continue for four to eight hours every day due to the continuing attacks on energy infrastructure. That is what the national grid operator is telling our colleagues. Humanitarian organizations are [responding] by distributing emergency shelter materials, winter supplies and warm blankets, and by providing heating points and psychosocial support to help impacted people. I have no births from colleagues to report today, so we will go straight to questions. Edie? ** Questions and Answers Question : Thank you, Steph. Can you tell us how a country can withdraw from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which is an integral part of the UN Secretariat, or for example, the Office of the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict? Spokesman : That's a question you need to ask the country that announced its withdrawal. We saw as part of the list the withdrawal from a couple of treaty organizations. Obviously, there are legal steps for that. I checked with our legal counsel earlier today. We had not received any official letter related to that. Michelle? Question : Thanks, Steph. On that list of UN entities, how many of those are funded by assessed contributions? Spokesman : I think a large number of them are funded by assessed contributions. It's no secret to tell you that the funding of UN entities varies because some have core funding that comes out of the regular budget, with the vast majority of their work then being funded voluntarily. We have not received any further official communication beyond what was posted on the White House website yesterday. Amelie? Question : Sorry. Thanks, Steph. Just two follow-ups on that. You mentioned the ordinary budget, the regular budget, sorry. Can you confirm that the US didn't pay anything last year, 2025? Spokesman : That's correct. Question : Yeah. Okay, and secondly, one of the main treaties that the US withdrew from is the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). You didn't mention any specific entities in your statement, but the Secretary-General has been always vocal about climate. And on the whole list of entities mentioned in the list last yesterday, there are a lot of them are targeting climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy. So, do you have any comment? Is the Secretary-General particularly worried on this trend from the US? Thank you. Spokesman : Listen, our work goes on. Our determination to fight climate change, our determination to help support those people who are most impacted by climate change continues. There's also a huge role for the private sector, and that engagement continues. So, you know, as I said, whether it's on climate, whether it's on the protection of children from violence, whether it's on the agenda on gender issues, we continue our work with determination. Dezhi, then Gabriel. Question : Yes. Also, a follow-up on the withdrawal of the US. So, in the statement, the Secretary-General emphasized the obligation of paying the regular and peacekeeping budget. So, can I understand it as even US announced that they withdraw from all those subsidiary departments of the Secretariat, they still have to pay their contribution in full; is that correct? Spokesman : Contributions to the budget, the regular budget, and the peacekeeping budget are treaty obligations. The operative word being obligations; it's in the Charter. So, Member States who signed, who've joined this club have to pay the dues. And there are assessed dues, and then there are voluntary dues. Question : In recent statements, the Secretary-General always said that the UN Charter is not a la carte menu. Is the UN itself a la carte menu? Like, we can join this. We can... [cross-talk] Spokesman : The Charter is not a la carte, as we said. And the Charter, you know, we're not going to renegotiate the Charter. Question : But then the UN itself, is that a la carte? Spokesman : The UN is an organization of 193 Member States and two observer States. It is in the interest of all these Member States and the two observers to defend the principles that they themselves have created. Gabriel... I'll come back to you, Dezhi. Gabriel? Question : Thank you, Steph. Was anyone at the UN, at the Secretariat office, informed of this before the announcement was made? Spokesman : No. It's not that I'm aware of at the highest levels. Yep? Question : And then, it's no secret that the US under [Donald] Trump has pulled out of several different UN-affiliated organizations or UN agencies in the past and even in this term, but the number this time seems to have surprised a lot of people. Did it surprise the Secretary-General? Spokesman : You know, I think the Secretary-General, in terms of what's going on in the world today, is beyond surprised. I mean, beyond the term surprised. I think he's very clear-eyed. He continues to be very determined. We have seen how some Member States have acted while he was Secretary-General. He continues, I would say, with calm and determination. I spent quite a time with him this morning, and he is determined as ever to continue his work and continuing to defend the Charter and continuing to defend this international institution. Morad? Question : Thank you, Stephane. And just a follow-up. So, what tools does the UN have now to respond when a permanent member disregards these legal obligations? Spokesman : Look, I'm sure you've read the Charter like I've read the Charter. The Secretary-General is a chief administrative officer. He's being tasked by Member States to run this organization, to manage it, and this Secretary-General has managed it extremely well in very difficult financial circumstances. We have some big Member States who have not been paying. We have others who pay late. We have to reimburse even at the end of the year when we've saved money, we have to reimburse every Member State, even those who haven't paid. So, it's challenging a bit. Member States who sign on to treaties have an obligation to abide by them. Alex? Question : Thanks, Steph. A quick follow-up. So, did you reach out to the US mission for the explanation of that decision? Spokesman : No. We're waiting; we have yet to receive any official communication. When we will receive it, we'll look at it. But as I said, we're continuing on with our work. Question : But may I have one more? Spokesman : You may have one more. Question : On Venezuela. So, Venezuela's interior minister said that 100 people were killed in the US operation. Any comments on that? Spokesman : I mean, obviously, I think as the smoke clears, those kinds of numbers are very concerning, indeed. Pan and then Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Steph. So, does the United Nations has plan to handle the financial pressure caused by the US withdrawal from so many UN entities? Spokesman : We've been managing under this financial pressure for some time, right? As I told Amelie, the US didn't pay last year. Other Member States paid later than they had we had expected. He has to juggle financial cash flow, that I think would make the head spin of any CEO or Head of Government. It's very complicated. Our Controller, I think, doesn't sleep at all as he tries to keep the lights on in this building. Question : Okay. Thank you. And a second question, please. In the statement issued by the White House, the White House said that UN entities promote global governance and some stuff like that are contrary to the US interest. So, it seems that the United States wants to handle international affairs by its own instead of international organizations. So, is the SG worried about this? Thank you. Spokesman : Look, I will have to ask you to ask the United States for their motivation or any other Member State that decides to withdraw from certain entities. We believe in this organization, which is not a global government. It is an organization of sovereign Member States. The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty of each of the members of this organization, and he also strongly believes that the challenges that we face today can only be solved through international cooperation. And his that's been his view since he started on day one, and it continues to be his view. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Stephane. US Secretary of State issued a statement yesterday that the US had the right to attack anywhere in the world, not only Greenland. Do you have any comment on that? Spokesman : Our comment is the same one that we've been giving repeatedly is that we believe in the articles of the Charter and the need for Member States to avoid... for countries to avoid the use of force in settling international affairs. Question : My second question, 20 families had been evicted from their homes in northern part of Jericho. They belong to the Bedouin tribes of Emleihat and Kabne. Are you aware of these? Spokesman : I mean, I just updated you on the information we have from the West Bank, and we've been doing that. Namo, then Ibtisam and then Stefano. Question : Thank you, Stephane. Do you have more details to give us on who at the United Nations contacted who in Syria within the Syrian Government? Or have you been in touch with the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) as well regarding Aleppo? [cross-talk] Spokesman : Yeah. I mean, the contracts are being run through the Office of the Special Envoy, and they're in touch with the Government, the SDF, and whoever else they need to be involved in, engaged in. I don't have names or levels, but I know the engagement is ongoing. Question : Do you believe that the Secretary-General will talk to Syrian Government officials? Spokesman : I think, the Secretary-General is always ready to reach out at the most appropriate moment. Question : Okay. One last question on... I mean, given the pattern of repeated attacks against minority groups in Syria, first Druze, then the Alawites, now the Kurds, allegedly by forces affiliated with the Syrian Government, what's your response to critics who argue that the international community, including the Secretary-General, moved too quickly to confer legitimacy on Syria's new Islamist leaders? Spokesman : The Secretary-General is not in the business of recognition. He's not in the business of conferring legitimacy, whatever that may mean. [cross-talk] Let me finish. It's sort of a rhetorical question. It was a question, but I'm not asking you to answer it. The UN deals with whoever is in power to try to solve problems. There is a Government in Syria. We've been working with them to try to help them. It is important that the Government ensures that everyone in Syria, whether Kurd, Alawite, Christian, any other minority, or whether religious or ethnic, feel protected. And that continues to be our message. That's the message that the Secretary-General delivered when he met with Mr. [Ahmed] Al Sharaa here at the UN in September. Ibtisam? I'll get you in a second, sir. Go ahead, Ibtisam. Question : Thank you, Steph. Spokesman : I'll get you in a second. Go ahead. Question : You said that the US didn't pay its dues last year. Which implication would this have on for them in their role in the UN? Spokesman : Well, the Charter is clear, right? About what happens when a country doesn't pay its dues for a certain number of years. It's Article 19. So, it's not a decision of the Secretary-General. It's in the Charter, and it implies that at some point country may lose its vote in the General Assembly. Question : And that will take how many, like...? Spokesman : I think that number will be triggered automatically at a certain point. Yes, sir? Question : I'm Imdiad Haq from Econ TV Bangladesh. I have two questions. The UN won't send its own observers to Bangladesh. Without them.... Spokesman : Sorry, the UN will...? Question 2: The UN won't send observers to Bangladesh. Without them, how can the UN ensure the free and fair election? And what specific technical support will you provide to ensure free and fair vote? Spokesman : It's not that the UN won't send observers. The UN does not send observers to elections unless there is a certain mandate given to us by one of the legislative bodies. The UN office in Bangladesh has been working with the Government to give technical support in different... to ensure the broadest possible participation, to ensure that the election goes well. Question : What kind of technical support? Spokesman : I'll get back to you on that as soon as I have the information. Question : And my second question is UN report say over 1,400 people were killed under Sheikh Hasina, and she is now convicted. What specific action can UN take to ensure her punishment? Spokesman : The UN is not the justice system in Bangladesh. I think our High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken out very clearly on that issue, and we refer you to those statements. Stefano, then Linda. Question : Thank you, Stephane. I've been reading this statement because last yesterday, when you announced it, I was thinking that it was going to come up something more than what we just read. It's not only a question of passent l'argent, as it's not only a question of money. It's not only a question of money, but the Secretary-General here speaks basically about money. Why the Secretary-General, after all this happening, why... and it's his last few months here, isn't it time to take the gloves off and say how things stand? And, you know, this is the death of multilateralism. This organization was created by the United States. So, isn't it time? Also, because this statement is not for us. Right? It's for the public out there. And the only people that can fix what's happening is the American people. Why this statement doesn't address the American people and why that is not really... [cross-talk] Spokesman : Stefano, if there is an obituary for multilateralism, you can write it. Antonio Guterres will not write it. Linda? Question : Thank you, Steph. Apropos of this same issue, I was wondering, has the SG met with or plan to meet with, for example, Ambassador [Michael] Waltz? Even invite President Trump to New York? [cross-talk] Spokesman : The contacts with the US are continuing on a whole host of other matters, including on Venezuela, on Haiti, on humanitarian. I mean, we had Mr. [Tom] Fletcher, I think, in Geneva, do a joint press conference with a senior official in the State Department on the $2 billion in humanitarian aid. So, the contacts with the US are continuing on all sorts of files. They've... the White House made this announcement. We're going on with our work. Question : No. But I meant in regards specifically, you know... Spokesman : Well, let's first, let's get some official communication, but we're not here to negotiate. Question : And one other thing regarding Article 19, which, of course, after two years or so, you lose your vote in the GA. However, does a Government lose its vote in the Security Council? Spokesman : Article 19 is clear. Question : It's GA. Spokesman : It only refers to the General Assembly. Question : So, theoretically you could remain a member of the United Nations, not pay your dues, but stay in the Security Council. Spokesman : Linda Fasulo, you are the author of multiple editions of UN handbook. I think you don't need me to answer that question. Dezhi? Question : Right. A couple of days ago, I asked you about the relevance of the UN. My own take is that UN is a scapegoat of the geopolitical divisions. But now with all this announcement from the White House, how much negative impact do you think for the people out there to see the UN, how much of a negative impact to have for those people to have their confidence in the UN? Spokesman : What the Secretary-General is doing, what he's leading this organization to ensure that the people in Somalia see those UN trucks with food, right? That people impacted by climate change see UN experts there to help them, that human rights monitors are able to deploy where they need to deploy. We continue to focus our work in the field. And, you know, this is an organization of Member States, but these Member States represent the global population, and it should not be just up to the Secretary-General to defend the Organization. We depend on civil society. We depend on people. We depend on the private sector and the other members of this organization who should be defending it vocally. Efraim and then Benno. Question : Thank you so much. Maybe the same question asked differently again. Beyond the financial implications of this this decision, what do you think are the repercussions would be of this decision on the work of the United Nations? Spokesman : Look, we're obviously going to analyse it, and I would encourage all of you to also analyse it, but our work will continue. Benno? Question : Thank you. So same topic. Do you think, even though it sounds like science fiction, that the US might go even further and leave the United Nations altogether? Do you have any indication for that? Let us put like this. [cross-talk] Spokesman : I'm not a clairvoyant, and I have no clue what's going to happen in the next hour, let alone next year. Again, these are analysis questions that you as a journalist who knows the UN very well can write. I will not go there and predict the future. Question : Okay. Not an analysis question. Do you have any indication, for example, from talks with the US Mission that there is still some more in the pipeline? Spokesman : We don't know. Let's be honest. I just want to answer our friend from Bangladesh about the electoral process that we deployed a needs assessment mission in January regarding electoral assistance and in response to a formal request from the Bangladesh Election Commission. Our electoral assistance is always guided by the principles of national ownership, inclusiveness, transparency, and sustainability. While we encourage and support Member States' effort to comply with their international obligations and commitments, the UN refrains from commenting on the validity of an electoral process or the legitimacy of electoral outcomes. We do not have a mandate to observe the upcoming parliamentary elections. We are, however, supporting the electoral commission through a project called Ballot. Ballot focuses on strengthening the institutional and operational capacities of the electoral commission, supporting voter and civic education programmes, promoting the inclusion and participation of vulnerable and underrepresented groups, including minorities, youth, and first-time voters, persons with disabilities, and older people, advancing women's empowerment and gender equality across all electoral and civic processes, promoting media development, freedom of expression and initiatives to counter misinformation, disinformation and hate speech. Now we go to Michelle. Question : Thanks, Steph. Given the SG's background in refugees and whatnot and migration, does he have any reaction to the shooting in Minnesota yesterday? Spokesman : I mean, listen. I think anyone who's seen the video has to be troubled, to say the least. We understand that there is an investigation going on at the federal level. We will wait for that to play out, and we hope that people will be held to account. Abdelhamid, then Alex. Question : Thank you again. Our question, Steph, is if the SG is truly, truly concerned about what's going on with multilateralism. When he sees a sovereign country like the US go snatch a leader from his home, when you see, like, Israel go recognize a separate entity in Somalia, when you see these violations of multilateralism and respect of the Charter, how much he's concerned about the validity of the UN? [cross-talk] Spokesman : I would encourage you to read the speeches he delivers in front of the General Assembly, I mean, with a clear message to member states to uphold, the Charter. As he said, I mean, this is not a la carte, right? His job is to focus on these issues. And he can do both two things at once. Focus on these issues. Remind Member States of their obligations, but also not be in a state of panic as he manages this organization. Alex and Evelyn? Question : Thanks, Steph. A quick follow-up on Venezuela. I guess a couple of days ago, you mentioned that you're in touch with Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez. Any updates on that? Spokesman : No. I said that our, yes, our team on the ground is in touch with the Government. If I have anything more to share, I will share that with you. Evelyn? Question : Thank you, Steph. Can you remind us when can a country lose a vote? Do they have to owe a lot of money? Spokesman : I would refer you to Article 19. That's my reminder. Excellent. I will leave you with our friends from DESA, because I am done. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, South Sudan, Ukraine UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN, partners continue to expand aid reach despite continued impediments OCHA reports that, despite impediments, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to support the most vulnerable families affected by harsh winter conditions and the dire consequences of the past two years crisis. On Monday, the World Health Organization facilitated the evacuation of 18 patients and their 36 companions from Kerem Shalom crossing for medical treatment outside Gaza. In recent days, partners have distributed 7,000 dignity kits, more than 5,600 dignified family hygiene kits, and 1.3 million bars of soap to some 200,000 people in northern and southern Gaza. Partners providing emergency shelter materials report that, in recent days, they have reached more than 16,000 households across Gaza with shelter supplies and other essential items. These included more than 3,300 tents, 8,700 tarpaulins, 300 sealing-off kits to weatherproof makeshifts shelters, and more than 700 kits to stabilize and reinforce makeshift shelters. To address needs for the winter, partners have distributed more than 7,000 blankets, 3,900 mattresses, and more than 1,000 bedding kits to improve sleeping conditions for families exposed to cold weather conditions. In addition, more than 2,500 kitchen sets have been distributed, and more than 880 households received clothing assistance through in-kind modalities. On the water and sanitation situation, partners report that water trucking operations continue, with 36 partners distributing daily more than 21,500 cubic metres of drinking water and over 10,000 cubic metres of domestic water to 2,350 water collection points across the Strip. In parallel, temporary learning spaces continue to expand across the Strip. To date, more than 420 learning spaces are operational, serving more than 230,000 learners supported by over 5,500 teachers. Partners note that scaling up learning spaces for school-age children remains a critical priority; however, this depends on the timely entry of essential supplies which continue to be denied entry by the Israeli authorities on the grounds that education is not a critical activity during the first phase of the ceasefire. Additionally, renovation work is advancing in public schools. Some 10 classrooms, two administrative rooms and two storage facilities have been recently completed in two schools in Gaza city, giving more than 1,800 children access to education. On the West Bank, OCHA reports that, over the past two weeks, dozens of tents and makeshifts shelters in Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank have been damaged or destroyed due to severe winter weather. OCHA also warns of the ongoing destruction of Palestinian-owned properties by Israeli authorities for lack of Israeli-issued building permits that are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtains. Over the past two weeks, Israeli authorities demolished 50 structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing more than 50 Palestinians and affecting the livelihood of more than 14,000 people. During the same period, Israeli authorities forcibly evicted two Palestinian families from their homes in Batn al Hawa area of Silwan, in East Jerusalem, which were taken over by an Israeli settler organization. These families are among more than 90 families in Batn al Hawa, comprising over 450 people including about 200 children, who have been at risk of forced displacement due to eviction cases filed against them by Ateret Cohanim settler organization. OCHA reports that evictions and demolitions continue to cause grave physical, social, economic and emotional impact on Palestinian families. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Syria Renewed hostilities in Aleppo kill civilians, trigger new displacement OCHA says that renewed hostilities in the city of Aleppo have resulted in civilian casualties, displacement and damage to health facilities and other critical infrastructure. According to authorities, as of yesterday, at least five civilians - including two women and one child - were reportedly killed, and dozens more injured. Several health facilities have been impacted, including Zahi Azarak Hospital, Ibn Rished Hospital, and Othman Hospital, with some reportedly ceasing operations due to the damage. Movement restrictions have been imposed on key roads. Since yesterday morning, thousands of families have fled their homes, with many seeking shelter with host communities in Aleppo city and the district of Afrin. Authorities announced the opening of two humanitarian corridors through the Al Awared and Al Zuhour for civilians to evacuate. Schools, universities and government institutions have halted activities. Flights to and from Aleppo International Airport remain suspended. The UN and its humanitarian partners are mobilizing resources to respond to the growing displacement. Today, a UN team in Aleppo carried out an assessment mission to Yad Al Aoun camp in Afrin to evaluate immediate needs and the capacity to respond to them. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Syria with urgent support. South Sudan Surge of violence in Jonglei State forces people to flee, disrupts humanitarian operations OCHA reports that a surge in conflict and airstrikes in Jonglei State has forced people to flee their homes and has disrupted humanitarian operations. Since 29 December, renewed fighting has displaced some 100,000 people - mostly women, children and older people - in several counties, according to authorities and humanitarian partners. Most displaced people are sheltering in remote areas out of fear of further attacks, while others have fled to neighbouring states. On 6 January 6, authorities in Lakes State say they have registered more than 11,000 people as have arrived from Jonglei. In northern Jonglei State, several humanitarian organizations have relocated staff due to the insecurity and instructions by parties to evacuate the area. Humanitarian organization continuing to operate with local staff report growing challenges, including in restocking health facilities, and sustaining other essential activities. The situation is further compounded by reports from several humanitarian organizations that their facilities and assets have been looted or confiscated by both parties, disrupting provision of essential health services for thousands of people at a time when South Sudan continues to grapple with food insecurity, disease outbreaks and the impact of last year's flooding. Despite these challenges, OCHA continues to engage with all parties so aid can reach people safely. In 2025, more than 715,000 people were displaced by conflict and floods in South Sudan. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in South Sudan with urgent support. Ukraine As temperatures near zero, nearly two million people left without electricity OCHA reports that continued attacks and hostilities have caused dozens of civilian casualties across the country. Nearly two million people have been left without electricity, as temperatures have dropped close to zero. Authorities report that, between yesterday and this morning, attacks across Ukraine killed several civilians and injured more than 50 others, while damaging critical energy and port infrastructure in the regions of Dnipro, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. As a result, more than 900,000 residents in Zaporizhzhia and at least 800,000 families in Dnipro are left without electricity. Heating, water supply, mobile communications and public electric transport were also disrupted. The Mayor of Dnipro City declared a national-level emergency due to the interruption of basic services. In the city of Kryvyi Rih, also in the Dnipro region, yesterday's strikes were reportedly among the largest combined attacks since the start of the full-scale war. Damage to infrastructure left around 30,000 people without power. Repair work continues, and humanitarian partners are providing immediate emergency assistance. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, has called for the protection of civilians amid harsh winter conditions. Hostilities continue to cause widespread damage to housing and civilian infrastructure, particularly in front-line regions. Nationwide, scheduled power outages continue for four to eight hours every day due to attacks on energy infrastructure, according to the national grid operator. Humanitarian organizations are responding by distributing emergency shelter materials, winter supplies and warm blankets, and by providing heating points, psychosocial and legal support to help affected people. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in need in Ukraine with urgent support. Posted on 8 January 2026 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Grand Forks AFB selected to lead Point Defense Battle Lab Published Jan. 8, 2026 By Master Sgt. BreeAnn Sachs 319th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) -- In October 2025, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing assigned to Grand Forks Air Force Base was selected to lead the Point Defense Battle Lab, supported by the 184th Wing, Kansas Air National Guard. The Total Force team at the battle lab supports Air Combat Command's Point Defense Task Force, a larger Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft System effort within the Department of the Air Force. The Point Defense Battle Lab will serve as a hub for collaboration, pushing boundaries in C-sUAS capabilities, ensuring the Air Force maintains tactical superiority against evolving threats, and is a key part of the service's effort to develop and evaluate advanced technologies to defend installations from sUAS threats. "The 319th Reconnaissance Wing is honored to lead the Point Defense Battle Lab alongside our Air National Guard partners," said Col. Alfred Rosales, 319th RW commander. "Total Force integration enhances our ability to field emerging technologies and match our capabilities to the threat environment. The men and women of the 319th RW have extensive knowledge with unmanned, remotely piloted technology and will ensure our force is poised to secure our installations and defend the homeland." The PDBL is a critical initiative within the Department of the Air Force, designed to safeguard installations, protect vital assets and ensure continuity of air operations. Specifically, the PDBL will focus on developing and validating tactics, techniques and procedures for countering a wide range of airborne threats, including small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The Battle Lab's efforts will enhance the Air Force's ability to detect, track and neutralize these airborne threats effectively. Air Combat Command selected the 184th Wing, in partnership with the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, based on combined current capabilities, missions, industry and academia partnerships and alignment with counter-small UAS fielding timelines. The 184th Wing was specifically selected for its expertise in air battle management, cyber operations and AI-enabled intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The 134th Air Control Squadron's continued efforts with the Air Base Air Defense System-Missile Defense, which has already positioned the 184th Wing as a leader in airbase defense, will also be contributing to the efforts of the Battle Lab. "This is a significant opportunity for the 184th Wing to leverage our expertise and contribute to a critical national security mission," said Col. Joe Deeds, commander of the 184th Wing. "Our Air Battle Managers, cyber warriors, ISR operators and AI specialists are ready to work alongside the 319th Reconnaissance Wing to ensure the success of the Point Defense Battle Lab and to enhance the security of Air Force installations." The Point Defense Battle Lab will drive innovation and collaboration across the Total Force to address the growing challenges from increasingly widespread use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. By integrating the expertise of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing and the 184th Wing, the PDBL will deliver critical tactical-level data, advanced site design concepts and cutting-edge integration strategies for emerging technologies. Additionally, the lab will spearhead operational experiments and red teaming initiatives, ensuring the Air Force remains agile and prepared to counter evolving threats. Through its efforts, the PDBL strengthens the Point Defense Task Force's ability to safeguard airpower, maintain combat readiness and confidently respond to emerging challenges, further securing Air Force installations and operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venezuela's acting president meets Chinese ambassador; Venezuelan FM thanks China on social media for 2nd straight day Global Times By Global Times Published: Jan 09, 2026 09:33 AM Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday expressed gratitude to China for condemning the US aggression against Venezuela and the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, according to a post Rodriguez published on Instagram. Rodriguez said on social media that she met Thursday with Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu, and noted that Caracas values China's firm position in strongly denouncing the grave violations of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty. The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Maduro. Multiple countries have issued statements strongly condemning the US' blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president, which is widely believed to have violated international law. On Thursday local time, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil once again expressed his gratitude to China for its support for Venezuela in social media posts the second consecutive day the Venezuelan top diplomat has voiced thanks to China. The Venezuelan government once again expresses its profound gratitude to China for its firm stance in pointing out and rejecting the politicization and instrumentalization of human rights as a pretext for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, Gil said in a X post on Thursday in Spanish. This practice has been used against Venezuela to discredit the Venezuelan government and has paved the way for the illegal military aggression against Venezuela. Likewise, we thank China for its firm position in rejecting the violation of international law and of Venezuela's sovereignty. The Venezuelan people reaffirm their commitment to political, territorial sovereignty and over their natural resources, the Venezuelan top diplomat said in the X post. Earlier on Thursday, Gil said in a separate post on X that the Venezuelan government thanks this support from the Chinese authorities that defends international law and stresses the full sovereignty that the Venezuelan people have over the territory and natural resources. He also posted a video of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressing the matter of Venezuela during a regular press conference. He also said Thursday on social media that Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to deepening economic and trade agreements with China, according to the Xinhua News Agency. "Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to deepening trade and economic agreements with the People's Republic of China," Gil posted on Telegram, per Xinhua. A day earlier, Gil said in a X post that "the Venezuelan people, together with the Bolivarian Government, express their most sincere gratitude to the People's Republic of China for its firm support of the sovereignty, peace, and legitimate rights and interests of Venezuela." "We particularly value its warning that no country can place its norms and foreign policies above the international provisions that govern and protect all our peoples. Likewise, we extend our gratitude for China's willingness to collaborate with the Latin American and Caribbean region in preserving the status of peace zone," Gil said. China always opposes turning human rights into political issues and tools, rejects a selective approach on international law, and opposes interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said during the regular press conference on Thursday. China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests, and supports all countries in choosing the path to human rights development that suits their national conditions. China stands ready to work with the international community to jointly defend the authority of international law, jointly advocate multilateralism, and uphold world peace and stability, Mao said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Explainer: Why Trump wants Greenland, even by force People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:13, January 09, 2026 "Any attempt by the United States to claim the island would quickly spiral out of control," argued Casey Michel of the Human Rights Foundation. "What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same in the future?" WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- "We do need Greenland, absolutely." U.S. President Donald Trump returned to his long-standing fixation on the world's largest island days after an audacious U.S. military operation in Venezuela -- one that ended with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife captured and taken to New York. Trump and his allies doubled down. The White House confirmed that several options were being considered to acquire Greenland from Denmark, including "utilizing the U.S. military." Tensions escalated under the threat of force, raising global concern. Why does Trump want Greenland so badly? And why is he willing to take it by force? WHY GREENLAND? "Location, location, location." The Associated Press invoked the real-estate mantra three times to explain Trump's enduring desire for Greenland. Lying to the north-east of the North American continent, Greenland is the world's largest island that isn't a continent. It is an autonomous territory within Denmark, enjoying extensive self-rule, though defence and foreign policy remain in Copenhagen's hands. The United States already maintains a military base there. Strategically, Greenland has long mattered -- during the Cold War, it was a crucial pillar of U.S. nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union, and today it remains a key component of NATO's anti-submarine architecture -- the so-called Greenland-Iceland-UK gap. Climate change is sharpening the island's significance. As Arctic sea ice melts, northern shipping routes are becoming increasingly viable, offering shorter transit times and alternatives to chokepoints such as the Suez and Panama canals, despite the harsh weather and treacherous seas that persist. Even so, control of Greenland would allow the United States to command access routes from both the North Atlantic and the Arctic into North America. An analysis by Harvard University's Belfer Center reaches a similar conclusion: Greenland occupies a pivotal position along both major Arctic routes -- the Northwest Passage and the Central Arctic Route. Over the long term, the island could prove vital in preventing and responding to emergencies in the far north. What may be even more appealing to Trump, however, is Greenland's resource wealth, said Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London. "Incredible natural resources." That was how U.S. vice-president, J.D. Vance, chose to praise Greenland. The island is rich in minerals indispensable to the energy transition and advanced manufacturing, including rare earths, graphite, copper and nickel. A 2023 study by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland estimates that roughly 400,000 square kilometers of the island are ice-free, underpinned by a complex geological structure spanning nearly four billion years of Earth's history -- conditions well suited to mineral exploration. According to the European Commission, 25 of the EU's 34 strategically important materials can be found in Greenland. The United States Geological Survey, for its part, judges that surrounding waters may also hold substantial oil and gas reserves. Yet this wealth has long remained largely untapped. As of 2023, only two mining projects were in operation. As ice sheets and sea ice retreat, extracting resources on and around the island will become progressively easier, noted the Belfer Center. It is this promise of abundance that has proved irresistible to some in the United States -- an allure strong enough to eclipse almost every other consideration. OBSESSION TO INTIMIDATION Trump has long argued that the United States must control the world's largest island to safeguard its own security. In recent remarks, he went further, hinting that Venezuela might not be the last country to face U.S. intervention to secure resources, while insisting that it was for others to decide what a large-scale U.S. strike against Venezuela might imply for Greenland. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, in an interview with CNN, made the administration's position explicit, calling it "the formal position of the U.S. government that Greenland should be part of the United States." Katie Miller, the wife of Stephen Miller and herself a close Trump ally, posted an image on social media X of Greenland overlaid with the U.S. flag, accompanied by a single word: "SOON." The fascination is not new. It dates back to Trump's first term, when he likened the idea of acquiring Greenland to "a large real-estate deal." His 2019 offer to buy the island was swiftly rebuffed by Denmark and dismissed as "absurd" by the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen. Nor is the U.S. interest in Greenland merely a Trump-era eccentricity. Owing to its strategic location and abundant natural resources, the island has attracted Washington's attention for more than a century. In 1867, William H. Seward, the secretary of state who engineered the purchase of Alaska, also contemplated acquiring Greenland and Iceland. In 1946, Harry Truman went further, offering Denmark 100 million U.S. dollars in gold for Greenland as part of the U.S. early Cold War security strategy. Copenhagen declined, though the United States has maintained a permanent foothold on the island ever since, most notably through the Pituffik air base in the north-west. This latest revival of territorial ambition has, however, provoked a political backlash at home. Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Senate's bipartisan NATO Observer Group, issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning Trump's rhetoric. "When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honour its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," it said, warning that any suggestion of coercion against a NATO ally would undermine the very principle of self-determination the alliance exists to defend. INTERNATIONAL ALARM RINGS "Our country is not something you can deny or take over simply because you want to," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Tuesday, as European unease hardened into open opposition. Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement the same day, stressing that decisions concerning Greenland rest "with Denmark and Greenland, and them only." The statement underscored that Arctic security remains a central concern for Europe and for the transatlantic alliance as a whole, noting that NATO has designated the region a priority and that European allies are increasing their presence there. Diplomatically, Copenhagen has sought direct engagement. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt have requested a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State in the near future, according to Greenland's government. Earlier attempts for a sit-down were not successful, the statement said. Beyond official statements, analysts have described Washington's actions as a signal rather than an aberration. Asli Aydintasbas and Chris Herrmann of the European Council on Foreign Relations argue that the seizure of Venezuela's president highlights Trump's preference for force, his volatile diplomacy and his growing comfort with a world governed by spheres of influence rather than rules. For Europe, analysts say the choice is stark: Accommodating Washington may preserve short-term transatlantic harmony, but would reward coercion; resisting it would be politically costly and strategically demanding, requiring an unusual degree of European unity. Failing to do either risks further encroachment and deeper divisions within Europe. Some observers warned that the consequences could extend well beyond Greenland. Annexing the island, argued Casey Michel of the Human Rights Foundation, would amount to a strategic catastrophe for the United States. "Any attempt by the United States to claim the island would quickly spiral out of control," Michel wrote in Foreign Policy. "What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same in the future?" Others went further still. Sven Biscop of the Egmont Institute suggested that the danger for Europe lies in the possibility that the Trump administration has "abandoned even the pretence of upholding the international order." When pressure comes not from an adversary but from the alliance's most powerful member, the question, he argued, is no longer whether Europe can avoid friction with Washington, but whether it is prepared to defend its own interests at all. "In a world of imperialism, as the saying goes, appetite grows with eating," said Michel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 08 January 2026 - Day 1415 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in total, 142 combat encounters have taken place since the beginning of this day. Ukrainian defenders are decisively giving a break to the attempts of the Russian enemy to advance deep into Ukrainian territory. Today, Russian troops launched one missile and 15 aviation strikes, used two missiles and dropped 58 controlled air bombs. In addition, 2982 kamikaze drones were recruited for impressions and carried out 3055 shelling of positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. In the North Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, Ukrainian soldiers repelled three assault actions of the occupiers. In addition, the Russian enemy carried out 90 shelling of the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements, including two - from the reactive systems of salpovogo fire. In the South-Slobozhany direction, Russian forces six times stormed the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of settlements Bugruvatka, Vilcha, Figolivka. In the Kupyansky direction, the Russian aggressor four times tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders towards Kupyansk, Petropavlivka and Nova Kruglyakivka, one confrontation remains unfinished. In the Lyman direction, Russian invaders attacked the positions of the Defense Forces eight times in the direction of the settlements of Drobisheve, Lyman, Stavki and in the Novoselivki district. Two clashes are underway. Four Russian assault actions were repelled by Ukrainian defenders in the Slavic direction - the occupiers tried to move near Siversk, Dronivka and Fedorivka. In the direction of Kramators .komu, the Russian enemy did not carry out offensive actions. In the Konstantinivka direction, Russians 16 times went into offensive on the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of settlements of Konstantinovka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleschievka, Ivanopilya, Rusyn Yar, Sofiyivka and in the direction of Stepanivka. In the Pokrovsky direction since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupiers 27 times tried to advance on the position of Ukrainian units. The enemy attacked in the areas of the settlements of Nikanorivka, Chervony Lyman, Rodinske, Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotline, Udacne, Molodetske, Filiya, Dachne. In some locations, the fights are still being sharpened. According to preliminary data, today in total 81 Russian occupiers were disarmed in this direction, 55 of them - irrevocably. Also Ukrainian soldiers destroyed four units of automobile equipment, one ATV, 14 BPLAs, four units of special equipment, also struck eight shelters for the Russian enemy's personnel. In the Oleksandrivsky direction, the Russian enemy tried 13 times to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of settlements Verbove, Vyshneve, Zlagoda, Rybne, Yegorivka, Sichneve and in the direction of settlements Ivanivka and Oleksandrograd. Four clashes are currently ongoing. 16 combat clashes were recorded in the Gulyaipil direction, Russian forces tried to advance in the areas of the settlements of Solodke, Gulyaipole and in the Varvarivka area. Two clashes are underway. Russian airstrikes were hit by yul ivka, rizdvyanka, bitter, upper tersa, lubytske and zaliznycne. In the orihiv direction, there is currently one battle in the area of small scherbakiv. In the Pridniprovsky direction, the Russian opponent tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders in the area of the Antonivsky Bridge three times unsuccessfully. In the rest of the destinations - there are no special changes. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation. The Sever Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted fire damage on units of a mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kondratovka and Ryzhevka (Sumy region). In Kharkov direction, units of an AFU mechanised brigade and a territorial defence brigade were hit close to Volchanskiye Khutora and Staritsa (Kharkov region). The AFU lost up to 120 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, and a materiel depot. The Zapad Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops hit manpower and military hardware of a mechanised brigade, an assault brigade of the AFU, and a National Guard brigade near Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic), Kovsharovka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, Glushkovka, and Blagodatovka (Kharkov region). The enemy losses amounted to more than 180 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, and three ammunition depots. The Yug Group's units improved the situation along the front line. The Group hit units of two AFU mechanised brigades, a territorial defence brigade, and a National Guard brigade near Nikolayevka, Stepanovka, Minkovka, Zakotnoye, Konstantinovka, and Berestok (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy lost more than 200 troops, one tank, two armoured fighting vehicles, 17 motor vehicles, and six ammunition and materiel depots. The Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions; the Group's elements inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, an infantry brigade, an air assault brigade, an airmobile brigade, two assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defence brigade, and a National Guard brigade near Grishino, Kutuzovka, Novokrivorozhye, Belitskoye, Volnoye, Annovka, Toretskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) and Novopodgorodnoye (Dnepropetrovsk region). The enemy losses amounted to more than 410 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, an artillery gun, and seven pick-up trucks. As a result of intensive actions, the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Bratskoye (Dnepropetrovsk region). Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and military hardware of a mechanised brigade, an assault brigade, and two assault regiments of the AFU close to Verkhnyaya Tersa, Tsvetkovoye, Priluki, and Vozdvizhevka (Zaporozhye region). The AFU sustained losses of more than 220 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, three artillery guns, and seven motor vehicles. The Dnepr Group of Forces units inflicted losses on an AFU mechanised brigade and a territorial defence brigade close to Pavlovka, Veselyanka, and Novoyakovlevka (Zaporozhye region). Up to 50 Ukrainian troops, one field artillery gun, and 10 motor vehicles were neutralised. Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces have inflicted damage on the facilities of power and port infrastructure used for the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and defence industry; assembly and storage areas of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 152 areas. Air defence systems shot down 142 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost 670 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 108,177 unmanned aerial vehicles, 644 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,992 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,637 MLRS combat vehicles, 32,445 field artillery guns and mortars, and 51,197 units of support military vehicles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Key Member of Chinese Money Laundering Network Charged with Laundering Tens of Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds Thursday, January 8, 2026 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Yan Lin, 41, of California, made an initial appearance today in Cincinnati on charges of conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars derived from drug trafficking proceeds. According to the indictment unsealed today, between March 2022 and October 2024, Mexico-based drug traffickers hired Lin to return tens of millions of dollars in profits from the sale of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in cities throughout the United States to Mexico. Lin arranged for his co-conspirators to deliver bulk cash to others who bought electronics that were shipped to co-conspirators in Hong Kong, China, and elsewhere. After confirmation of receipt of the bulk cash, Mexico-based drug traffickers would receive their payment in Mexico, minus a commission, via a "mirror transaction." One ledger, which recorded just a portion of Lin's money contracts in 2024, totaled approximately $27.4 million in bulk cash delivered across the United States. "As alleged in the indictment, the defendant laundered tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the United States through China, enabling a continuous flow of dangerous drugs into our country from Mexico," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Dismantling Chinese money laundering networks that support drug trafficking organizations is critical to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The Criminal Division will relentlessly pursue the illicit financial networks that fuel and profit from these dangerous organizations." "Without money launderers, drug cartels are stuck with dirty money they can't use," said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio. "These profiteers help facilitate the distribution of deadly drugs into our communities and will be held accountable as if they trafficked the drugs themselves." "By targeting those who facilitate the movement of illicit proceeds, we are attacking the lifeblood of drug trafficking operations and protecting Americans," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office. "HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks who illegally use our nation's financial infrastructure to funnel drugs into our communities." "Laundering drug trafficking money helps the cartels reap enormous profits while Americans are harmed by their dangerous drugs," said Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office. "Money laundering is a serious crime that the FBI and our partners will continue to investigate as we work to disrupt the flow of drugs and dismantle the dangerous cartels Yan Lin is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering. If convicted, Lin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. This case is being investigated by the HSI Cincinnati Office, IRS Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, Tulsa and Atlanta offices, FBI Cincinnati, and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit. DEA's Special Operations Division also aided the investigation. Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Mingda Hang, and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Rabe of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Dornette for the Southern District of Ohio, are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Topic: Drug Trafficking Components: Criminal Division Criminal - Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) USAO - Ohio, Southern Press Release Number: 26-12 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Minnesota says it has withdrawn from ICE-involved shooting probe People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:17, January 09, 2026 LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Minnesota officials said Thursday that the U.S. state has "reluctantly withdrawn" from an investigation into the fatal shooting of a woman on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement that the investigation "would now be led solely" by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and his agency had withdrawn from the investigation as a result. "The BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation," Evans noted, adding that "without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards." Evans said they "expect the FBI to conduct a thorough and complete investigation and that the full investigative file will be shared with the appropriate prosecutorial authorities at both the state and federal levels." Minnesota Governor Tim Walz expressed dissatisfaction with the federal officials' decision to bar BCA from participating in the investigation into the shooting death of the 37-year-old woman. He called on the Trump administration to "leave Minnesota alone" during a press briefing. The City of Minneapolis said in a post on social media that the decision to remove the BCA from the shooting investigation is "deeply disappointing." "We are concerned that the investigation is proceeding without state partners, and we are calling for a clear and transparent process that includes state investigating agencies," the post said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Minnesota state investigators of allowing volatility and "not doing their work" when asked by reporters about the BCA being cut out of the investigation into the fatal shooting, according to NBC News. "Obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement is a federal crime. So is damaging federal property," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday in a social media post. "If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Do not test our resolve." The situation in Minneapolis has remained tense following the shooting as outrage grew in the city. Several people were reportedly arrested Thursday after a group of protesters clashed with law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, which houses multiple federal agencies, including the local ICE office. Public schools in Minneapolis announced the cancellation of classes for the rest of the week due to "safety concerns" related to incidents around the city. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister Carney speaks with Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz Prime Minister of Canada - Mark Carney January 8, 2026 Ottawa, Ontario Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz. Prime Minister Carney and Chancellor Merz discussed strengthening Euro-Atlantic security in the face of ongoing threats, including Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine. They underscored the importance of this week's Paris Declaration, in which Canada, Germany, and other members of the Coalition of the Willing stressed their commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, backed up by robust security guarantees. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor discussed their shared support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark, including Greenland, which must be respected in accordance with international law. Prime Minister Carney reaffirmed that the future of Greenland is for Greenland and Denmark to determine. The leaders discussed the importance of investing in the security of the Arctic - NATO's western flank. They also discussed opportunities to deepen trade and investment between Canada and Germany, particularly in AI, defence, critical minerals, and energy. Prime Minister Carney and Chancellor Merz agreed to remain in close contact. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister Carney to diversify Canada's trade, attract new investment, and secure new economic partnerships with visit to Qatar Prime Minister of Canada - Mark Carney January 8, 2026 Ottawa, Ontario Canada's new government is moving our economy from reliance to resilience - building our strength at home, working to double our non-U.S. exports, and attracting massive new investment. The Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced that he will travel to Doha, Qatar, on January 18, 2026, for a bilateral visit. In Doha, Prime Minister Carney will meet with the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to deepen the relationship between Canada and Qatar. The Prime Minister will engage with business leaders and investors to promote trade, expand market access for Canadian exporters to Qatar, attract investment in Canada, and forge new partnerships in artificial intelligence, infrastructure, energy, and security. The Prime Minister will travel to Qatar as part of his broader visit to the People's Republic of China, from January 13 to 17, 2026, and his attendance at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from January 19 to 21, 2026. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 6th Chinese peacekeeping military utility helicopter unit to Abyei set out Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source China Military Online EditorLin Congyi Time2026-01-06 19:18:20 BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- The first batch of the 6th Chinese Peacekeeping Military Utility Helicopter Unit to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) left China for the mission area on January 6, 2026. Composed of elite service members from an army brigade under the Chinese PLA 82nd Group Army, the 6th peacekeeping helicopter unit will perform one-year mission in Abyei. Their duties cover 32 different specialties and involve 15 types of missions, such as cargo transportation, aerial patrol and search and rescue. According to plan, the 2nd batch of peacekeepers will arrive in mission area in middle January, 2026. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wang Yi Has a Phone Call with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: January 07, 2026 14:00 On the evening of January 6, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen at the latter's request. Noting that China and Finland jointly celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations over the past year, Wang Yi said that bilateral relations have achieved new development, and cooperation across various fields has yielded fresh outcomes. This fully demonstrates the traditional friendship, mutual benefit and forward-looking nature of China-Finland relations. China-Finland relations have transcended differences in social systems and withstood the test of international changes, maintaining a stable development momentum. The fundamental reason lies in both sides' consistent commitment to mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Noting that this year is the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Wang Yi said that China will continue to pursue high-standard opening up. China is ready to further synergize development strategies with Finland and deepen cooperation in such fields as energy transition, circular economy, artificial intelligence, green development and environmental protection, and the silver economy. China will also join hands with Finland in upholding free trade, supporting economic globalization, and achieving shared development and prosperity. Wang Yi said that cooperation should be the defining feature of China-EU relations, with partnership being their proper positioning. Wang Yi expressed the hope that Finland, as an important member state of the EU, will play a positive role in promoting the EU to adopt a rational and objective view of China, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, actively strengthen the strategic synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU's Global Gateway initiative, restart the ratification of the China-EU agreement on investment, and actively explore the negotiation and signing of a China-EU free trade agreement. Wang Yi also further expounded on China's position on the Taiwan question and pointed out the regressive moves taken by Japan's current leader, expressing the hope that Finland will understand China's legitimate stance. Elina Valtonen conveyed President Alexander Stubb's cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping, noting that Finland-China relations have maintained stable development for a long time. Finland adheres to the one-China policy and looks forward to closer high-level exchanges with China and deepening cooperation in various fields. Finland supports free trade and upholds the principle of mutual benefit. The two sides share extensive common interests and broad prospects for cooperation in areas such as green energy and scientific and technological innovation. Noting that the EU and China are important partners in climate, energy and other fields, Elina Valtonen said that it is essential to maintain a constructive relationship between the two sides, and Finland is willing to play an active role in this regard. The two sides also exchanged views on the current situation and prospects regarding the Ukraine crisis. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on January 8, 2026 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: January 08, 2026 19:30 China News Service: This morning, China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, together with another academic institute, issued a report titled "Nuclear Ambitions of Japan's Right-Wing Forces: A Serious Threat to World Peace." The report pointed out that the expanding nuclear ambitions of the Japanese right-wing forces are posing serious threats to world peace, and called for Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi to immediately clarify Japan's position on the issue of nuclear weapons. What's China's comment? Mao Ning: Since the new Japanese government took office, it has not hesitated to reveal the nuclear ambitions of right-wing forces. Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi and other senior officials sought to revise the three non-nuclear principles, implied the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, called for boosting "extended deterrence" that Japan receives, and openly claimed that "Japan should have nuclear weapons." Such moves of the Japanese side form a grave challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the postwar international order, and have been met with strong opposition from the international community and people from various sectors within Japan. This report you mentioned exposes the intention of Japanese right-wing forces to own nuclear weapons, lists the alarming facts that Japan has been conducting research on nuclear weapons secretly and stockpiling large amount of sensitive nuclear materials for a long time, and has the potential of developing nuclear weapons. The report delves into the negative impacts Japanese right-wing forces' nuclear-related words and deeds could have on international peace and security, proposed a series of measures and suggestions on eliminating the vicious impact of words and deeds of the Japanese side, and called for opposing Japan's possession of nuclear weapons and safeguarding world peace. The Japanese right-wing forces' inflating nuclear ambitions are a dangerous signal of the resurgence of militarism in Japan, and pose serious threats to world peace and stability. The Japanese side should face up to the call of justice from the international community, immediately make clear its position on the issue of nuclear weapons, observe the obligations of the NPT and the three non-nuclear principles. The international community needs to watch out against Japan's dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, exercise caution on nuclear cooperation with Japan, and continue bilateral and multilateral discussions on containing Japan's nuclear ambitions and stepping up monitoring and verification. The international law and nuclear non-proliferation regime must stay intact, and Japan must stop testing the bottom and red lines of international justice. Shenzhen TV: It's reported that the White House yesterday in a statement said President Trump directed the withdrawal of the United States from 35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities that operate "contrary to U.S. national interests," and ordered to cease the funding in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities. What's China's comment? Mao Ning: It's not the first time for the U.S. to withdraw from such entities. In facts, international organizations and multilateral agencies are not for representing the selfish interest of any particular country, but for upholding the common interests of all members states. It is under this rationale that the UN-centered international system has upheld global peace and stability, promoted socioeconomic development and safeguarded the equal rights and interests of all countries over the past 80 years and more. What we are witnessing in the international landscape once again proves that it's the effective operation of the multilateral system that can stop the law of the jungle from prevailing and stop the "might is right" approach from dominating the international order. This is what most countries, small and less developed ones in particular, needs the most now. No matter how the situation may evolve, China will stay committed to multilateralism, support the central role of the UN in international affairs, and work with the rest of the international community to build a more just and equitable global governance system. China Daily: It's reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova made remarks on Russia's annulment of rehabilitation decisions concerning Japanese war criminals. She said that this year, Russia will keep revealing details of Japanese militarists' war crimes in World War II, there is no statute of limitations for these atrocities, and the process of legally sanctioning those involved is still ongoing. What's China's comment? Mao Ning: We highly commend Russia's just action of defending historical truth. Over the last century, Japanese militarists have kept launching aggression and expansion, committed untold crimes, and scourged humanity. After the war, however, the reckoning with Japanese militarism has not been completed. Right-wing forces in Japan are trying every means to gloss over the history of aggression, denying the Nanjing Massacre, the forced recruitment of "comfort women," forced labor and other crimes, and advancing the revision of history textbooks to change the verdict on the history of aggression. More than one sitting Japanese leader visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a spiritual symbol of militarism, and paid tribute to Class-A war criminals. Some politicians have stirred up tension, incited public sentiment, and exploited the situation to expand military buildup. After the war, the remnants of militarism have changed appearances, grown in the shadows, and even formed planned actions. They are posing new risks to peace and stability in Asia and beyond. Only by remembering history, doing soul searching, and taking concrete actions to repent for and correct wrongdoings can a country create a better future and prevent the tragedy of war from repeating itself. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Tokyo trials. At the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Japanese war criminals were tried. The culprits responsible for the death of people in victim countries were held accountable, international justice was upheld, and humanity's dignity was protected. It's also a strong warning to illicit attempts to revive militarism and launch aggression and expansion again. If Japanese right-wing forces continue their retrogressive moves, all justice-upholding countries and people have the right to hold Japan accountable for its historic crimes. CCTV: On January 6, Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, published an article in the Guardian. He said that the U.S. military strikes against Venezuela are in contravention of international law and basic principles of the UN Charter. He was deeply disturbed by a narrative that seeks to justify the U.S. military intervention as a response to Venezuela's human rights record. Turk said "We cannot afford for our rights to be instrumentalised: invoked when they're convenient, and vilified when they're not." On January 7, 16 special procedures of the Human Rights Council released a joint statement and condemned the U.S.'s actions. What's China's comment? Mao Ning: China always opposes turning human rights into political issues and tools, rejects a selective approach on international law, and opposes interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues. China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests, and supports all countries in choosing the path to human rights development that suits their national conditions. China stands ready to work with the international community to jointly defend the authority of international law, jointly advocate multilateralism, and uphold world peace and stability. RIA Novosti: The U.S. European Command said on Wednesday that it had seized the Venezuela-linked oil tanker, which sailed under the Russian flag in the North Atlantic, for an alleged violation of sanctions. The Russian side said that the U.S. actions violate international maritime law and UN conventions. I'm wondering what's China's comment on this? Mao Ning: By arbitrarily seizing other countries' vessels in the high seas, the U.S. has seriously violated international law. China stands against unilateral illicit sanctions that lack basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and against any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and infringes upon other countries' sovereignty and security. Reuters: Some media reported that the founder of the Prince Group, a cross-national scam trafficking group, Chen Zhi was extradited to China. And his case is being investigated by Chinese authorities. Can you confirm this? And can you confirm whether China can still take measures against this person who now apparently has Cambodian nationality. Also, is China working with other law enforcement, for instance, U.S. or UK law enforcement in prosecuting Chen Zhi's case? Second question, according to media reports, a Chinese hacking group targeted emails linked to staffers of the U.S. House of Representatives. Does China have any comment on this? Mao Ning: On your first question, competent authorities will release information on the specifics, please stay tuned. Combating online gambling and telecom fraud is the shared responsibility of the international community. For quite some time, China has been actively working with countries including Cambodia to crack down on crimes of online gambling and telecom fraud with notable outcomes. China stands ready to work with neighboring countries including Cambodia to enhance law enforcement cooperation, protect the safety of people's life and property, and keep the exchange and cooperation between regional countries in order. On your second question, we have made clear our position more than once on relevant issue. China opposes hacking and combats it in accordance with the law. That said, we are firmly against politically-motivated spread of disinformation on China. CRI: Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Africa this week, which marks the 36th consecutive year for Chinese foreign minister to kick off the year with a visit to Africa. The IMF several months ago published a book entitled Africa-China Linkages: Building Deeper and Broader Connections. Several U.S. think tanks in their reports also spoke highly of China-Africa cooperation and called for learning from China. Can you share with us the successful experience in developing China-Africa relations? Mao Ning: Over the past seven decades since the start of diplomatic relations between China and African countries, the two sides have been fighting side by side for national independence, working in solidarity through cooperation as the Global South grows stronger, fighting natural disasters and epidemics together, and pursuing the dream of modernization. The two sides have always been sharing weal and woe and striving for common development. Such effort by China and the vast African countries sets an example of building a new type of international relations, and takes the lead in building a community with a shared future for humanity. In the new era, President Xi Jinping attaches high importance to developing relations with African countries, and has proposed the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. President Xi advocates the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, which features sincere friendship and equality, win-win for mutual benefit and common development, fairness and justice, and progress with the times and openness and inclusiveness. The guidance provided by President Xi leads China-Africa relations to march forward and is the key to the successful China-Africa cooperation. Both China and African countries are important members of the Global South, stronger solidarity and cooperation between the two sides not only turbocharges the modernization drive of the two sides but also provides new wisdom for tackling global challenges. Africa is a major stage for international cooperation. China stands ready to work with all sides, on the basis of respecting Africa's sovereignty, to make greater contribution to promoting peace, stability and development in Africa. RIA Novosti: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said that U.S. President Donald Trump has given the greenlight to a bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia, and he said this bill would give Trump leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to force them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil. What's China's comment on this? Mao Ning: As I just said, China always opposes unilateral sanctions. The normal economic, trade and energy cooperation between China and Russia does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or affected. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Sends Reply Letter to Russian President Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, January 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, sent a reply letter to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on January 8. The letter said: My closest comrade, I received your warm congratulatory letter with pleasure. Through this, I have come to feel once again the true comradely relations between us and availing myself of this opportunity, I'd like to emphasize that I regard the friendly relations with you as the most precious ones and pride. Our close cooperation will continue in various spheres in the future, too, in conformity with the spirit of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the DPRK and the Russian Federation, the strategic interests of the two countries and the aspirations and desires of the two peoples. I will unconditionally respect and unconditionally support all your policies and decisions and I have a willingness to be always with you for the sake of you and your Russia. This choice will be constant and permanent. The letter you sent is a deep expression of your friendship and trust in me, my comrades and all the Korean people. I express thanks to you for this again. Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I sincerely wish you good health and greater success in all your important undertakings. I wish the fraternal Russian people success and victory only and extend warm wishes to them. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Egypt: press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas following the meeting with Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Mr Badr Abdelatty European External Action Service (EEAS) 08.01.2026 Egypt, 08.01.2026 EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Minister Abdelatty, Dear Badr, thank you for your hospitality. It is good to be back in Cairo. Like the Minister already explained, we discussed a lot of issues. I want to stress that Egypt is an indispensable partner to the European Union. Just last year, we opened a new chapter in our relationship with the first ever EU-Egypt Summit. Through our Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, we are delivering concrete results in many areas, from trade and investment to security and science. As part of this partnership, the EU is providing Egypt with 5 billion in loans to strengthen your competitiveness and also the green transition. In March, we will hold the first EU-Egypt Security and Defence Dialogue here in Cairo, and this will be the opportunity to discuss what more can we do together in this very insecure world. For example, regarding maritime issues - the Red Sea, you already mentioned- but also cyber security and counter terrorism. Our relationship is already strong, but we are working on making it even stronger. Today, our discussions focused above all on the region itself. Egypt's diplomatic leadership has been crucial in preventing further destabilisation in the Middle East, and we deeply value your role. In Gaza, the situation is extremely severe still. Hamas refuses to disarm. It blocks progress to the next states of the peace plan. At the same time, Israel also is restricting the international NGOs, that is putting humanitarian aid access at serious risk. Without the NGOs, aid cannot reach the necessary scale in Gaza. There is no justification for the humanitarian situation in Gaza to have deteriorated to the current level. We also spoke about Gaza's recovery and governance. It is important that the plans for a technocratic committee to administer Gaza and a stabilisation force move forward without delays. Any power vacuum will just benefit extremists. We are, as European Union, the largest donor in Gaza. We support the Palestinian Authority's reforms and provide funding. Right now, the European Union is working to expand our two missions on the ground, including the capacity to train more Palestinian police. I believe that in this area, the European Union and Egypt can work closely together. Syria still faces enormous challenges. The clashes in Aleppo over the last days show how fragile the security situation remains. After Assad's fall, the European Union was one of the first - or actually the first one - to ease the sanctions, to help the country to rebuild. But it does not only do the trick. Also, investors need to trust the economy, and that is why the reforms and the rule of law are extremely important. EU Foreign Ministers recently decided to move forward with the new EU-Syria political partnership. And today we discussed the state of Syria's tradition and how we could better support governance and security sector reforms, because a stable Syria is in the interest of Egypt, but it is also in the interest of Europe. Lebanon faces a dangerous moment. Hezbollah's insufficient disarmament efforts and continued Israeli strikes risk dragging the country back into escalation. The EU is now discussing options to strengthen Lebanon's internal security forces, because it is clear that Lebanon needs more support to extend the state authority to all parts of its territory. As the Foreign Minister just said, we also discussed many issues today. In addition to the security issues in your region, we also have a war going on in Ukraine and we were also discussing, what more can we do to bring peace to Ukraine, and how we can work on also Russia coming to the negotiation table. Dear Minister Abdelatty, dear Badr, thank you very much for hosting us. And, as I said, Europe and Egypt stand side by side for stability in your region and for a stable neighborhood for us all. Thank you. Q&A Q. The European Union has been quite soft on the American takeover of Venezuela. What will be the move if the US decided not to respect Greenland's sovereignty and territorial integrity? You have been talking about sovereignty and integrity for countries in the region, so I think it is quite an interesting question. And do you think that the low-key rate points that the US has been giving on Venezuela could weaken its position concerning Greenland? We had a European Union and 26 Member States statement on Venezuela quite quickly, saying, of course, that international law should be respected. We know that international law gives two rights to use force: one is for self-defence, and the other is in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution. So, whoever uses force needs to justify this as well. We have been very firm on the UN Charter. We have been very firm on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries - that has to be respected. And we have been also talking to the American colleagues about these things. Of course, the messages that we hear regarding Greenland are extremely concerning, and we have had discussions also among the Europeans. If this is a real threat, and if it is, then what would be our response? As Denmark has been a good ally for the United States, all these statements are not really helping the stability of the world, I would say. The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels. Q. Egypt continues its economic reforms. How will the European Union support the Egyptian efforts in the upcoming period, and how will it encourage the European investments in Egypt? Like I said, Europe sees Egypt as an indispensable partner. And we are currently also discussing and hopefully getting the decision done on the macro financial assistance that we are giving to Egypt to deliver on reforms and also providing expertise in this regard. Then, of course, we have issues that we were discussing, where additional investments could come. The green transition is very important to the European Union, there is a lot of potential there. We had, in Brussels, the Egypt-EU investment Conference to also show the European investors the possibilities to invest in Egypt and to work together in this regard. So, of course, eventually, it is the private companies that have to decide whether to invest or not, but I think we have made the conditions as favorable as possible. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-282928 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Macron strongly criticizes US, mentions China and Russia; speech reflects Europe's frustration over eroding influence: expert Global Times By Liu Xin Published: Jan 09, 2026 01:30 PM In his annual address to French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined France's foreign policy priorities, sharply criticizing the US for "gradually turning away" from some of its allies and "breaking free from international rules," while leveling criticisms and claims against China and Russia, according to a press release issued by the Elysee Palace. A Chinese expert noted that Macron's criticism appears to be mostly aimed at the US following a series of Washington's actions, although he also criticized Russia and made claims against China. Despite the broad targets, the speech reflects Europe's broader frustration and constraints, highlighting the strategic dilemmas facing both France and the EU as their ability to shape global affairs continues to erode, the expert said. According to the Elysee Palace, Macron on Thursday met French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace during the Conference of Ambassadors and chaired three thematic working sessions that will help shape France's 2026 diplomatic agenda. These focused on European sovereignty, France's G7 presidency, and Africa, ahead of the Africa-France Summit to be held in Nairobi. In his address, Macron repeatedly referred to the US both directly and indirectly, noting that "the United States is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from international rules that it was still promoting until recently," according to the release. "We are living in a world of great powers with a real temptation to divide up the world," Macron said, rejecting what he described as a "new colonialism and new imperialism." Macron did acknowledge that "multilateral institutions are functioning less and less effectively." But the French leader insisted that "global governance" was key at a time when "everyday people wonder whether Greenland is going to be invaded" and whether "Canada will face the threat of becoming the 51st state." He also said it was the right moment to "reinvest fully in the United Nations, as we note its largest shareholder no longer believes in it." An AFP report noted that Macron's remarks on Thursday is "some of his strongest criticism yet of Washington's policies under Donald Trump" and it came as European powers were "scrambling to come up with a coordinated response" to Washington's forcible seizure of Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro and the US president's designs on Greenland. A report by Politico EU noted that "Macron used the speech to paint a picture of predatory global powers seeking to divide the world into spheres of influence, with the US dominating the Western Hemisphere under the so-called Monroe Doctrine." The report noted that the French president did not specifically mention Venezuela, but the situations in Caracas and Greenland are both top concerns for Paris, which is helping to craft a European response to Trump's threats against the self-governing Danish territory. France's annual envoy meetings have become a key stage for Macron to articulate his worldview and set the direction of French diplomacy. Macron's recent criticism of the US - framed as opposition to a "new imperialism" - reflects lessons drawn from a series of shocks, from Venezuela to Greenland, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday. Cui noted that Macron's earlier remarks on Venezuela triggered domestic backlash and may now be quietly corrected. Recent US rhetoric on Greenland, he said, have shattered Europe's lingering belief that Washington would treat its allies differently. For France and Europe, US policy is increasingly embracing a hierarchical, US-centric order that contradicts the principle of sovereign equality, Cui added. Previously, although France's political class has largely condemned the forcibly seizure of Venezuelan leader Maduro by US armed forces, but Macron has denounced neither the method nor the intervention itself, saying the Venezuelan people should "rejoice" in a post on X on January 4. France's leftwing parties have slammed his comments as a "disgrace," according to a report from the RFI. In his Thursday speech, the French president also criticized Russia as a "destabilizing power," with regard to Ukraine and other regions, as well as information interference and other activities. Macron also complained about China on trade. In his speech, Macron also noted that while managing the global imbalances addressed by the G7, it is essential to do everything possible to avoid the fragmentation of the worldnamely, not turning the G7 into an anti-China club, a club of global division, or an anti-BRICS club, and not allowing the BRICS to become an anti-G7 club. While his tone on China differed from that during his visit to Beijing, Macron's claims largely echoed the EU's familiar economic rhetoric, reflecting Europe's own frustrations and structural constraints, Cui noted. The expert further pointed out that Macron's speech underscored Europe's strategic dilemma as it is caught between major powers. Burdened by internal divisions and institutional constraints, and with limited leverage abroad and declining influence on global affairs, the EU struggles to keep pace with China or the US. Unable either to compete effectively or to step back, Europe faces a growing sense of strategic insecurity, he said. As the US, Russia and China accelerate competition in areas of their respective strengths, Europe's warnings about a new era of great-power rivalry reflect this vulnerability, Cui said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian security forces hunt Mossad agents as policemen fall to terror attacks Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 4:14 PM Iranian security and judicial authorities have announced the dismantling of several armed terror cells and the arrest of foreign-linked operatives amid a wave of foreign-backed riots that have claimed the lives of several law enforcement officers. The unrest has continued for several days, with rioters exploiting public concerns over rising living costs and currency depreciation to incite violence. In the western city of Borujerd, Public Prosecutor Goodarz Amraei confirmed the arrest of several ringleaders for orchestrating riots and attacking religious sites and public property. According to judicial reports, the suspects were non-local individuals with extensive criminal records who had entered the city specifically to incite violence. The Lorestan Police Information Center announced that security forces had neutralized a four-member armed team in Borujerd. The cell was reportedly preparing a false-flag killing operation aimed at blaming the state for civilian deaths to further destabilize the region. Firearms, ammunition, and specialized equipment for manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were seized from the group's hideout. In a separate development, four individuals were arrested in Qazvin for plotting sophisticated attacks on military and government installations. On Monday, security officials in Tehran announced the arrest of a Mossad operative who was operating covertly among rioters. According to officials, the suspect confessed to acting as a high-level liaison, receiving tactical instructions via social media platforms such as Instagram and Telegram from handlers based in Germany. His mission included recruiting young people for street violence and documenting unrest for use by foreign propaganda outlets. Iranian authorities have also moved to counter a coordinated digital warfare campaign fueled by disinformation. In Tehran, 40 individuals were arrested for using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create and circulate fabricated images and videos of unrest. These deepfakes and recycled footage from previous years were used to create the illusion of widespread chaos. Officials said the suspects were identified through technical and intelligence operations, and the misleading content was removed in coordination with judicial authorities. Four policemen martyred Meanwhile, at least four police officers were martyred in separate incidents across the country on Wednesday and Thursday. In Malard, west of Tehran, Officer Shahin Dehghan was fatally stabbed while attempting to restore order during a riot. In the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, Mahmoud Haghighat was assassinated when gunmen, later identified as members of the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, opened fire on his vehicle. In the southwest city of Lordegan, clashes escalated when rioters, some armed with military-grade hunting rifles, opened fire on police, killing two officers and wounding 30 others. The bodies of the two officers identified as Staff Sergeant Hadi Azaraz and Staff Sergeant Moslem Mahdavi-Nasab were carried in a funeral procession on Thursday in the martyrs' cemetery in the city of Shahr-e Kord before being transferred to their hometowns. Authorities say the fatalities mark a violent escalation that goes beyond economic protest, describing the incidents as a calculated effort to destabilize the country through armed insurrection. Tasnim News Agency reported on Thursday that separatist Kurdish factions based in northern Iraq have shifted from logistical support to active field operations inside Iranian territory. It said that intelligence sources have documented direct involvement by these groups in Iran's western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah. Meanwhile, five people were killed overnight after a group attacked a police station in the city of Chenaran in Iran's northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, a provincial security official said on Thursday. Amirollah Shamaghdari, the deputy governor for security and law enforcement, said the attackers climbed the walls of the station during the incident. He added that in recent days, 23 police officers and one protester had been injured in unrest across the province, according to the official IRNA news agency. He said sensitive and military sites are protected facilities and that safeguarding them is a priority, calling on citizens to separate peaceful protest from acts of violence and damage to public property. Shamaghdari said Mashhad was the most volatile city in the province on Wednesday, while Chenaran and Neyshabur also saw unrest. He said several people had been arrested in Mashhad, Neshabur and Sabzevar. In Mashhad, Shamaghdari said, a city bus was set on fire after its driver was forced off the vehicle, and that traffic signs were torn down and used to block roads. He also referred to an incident in which Iran's flag was taken down in a public square, adding that it was raised again on Thursday with the participation of local residents. The acts of riots and armed attacks have been openly encouraged by American and Israeli figures. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for protesters, warning that Washington could attack Iran if what he described as "peaceful protesters" are harmed. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also issued statements alluding to Mossad involvement in riots and hinting at separatist plots targeting Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province. The latest threats come just days after Trump appeared to greenlight potential Israeli attacks on Iran over its nuclear and missile programs. They also follow a US-Israeli assault earlier this year, described by Iranian officials as a 12-day act of state terrorism that resulted in the deaths of more than a thousand civilians and targeted Iran's civilian, military, and nuclear infrastructure. Iranian officials have pointed to Western hypocrisy, noting that the economic hardships cited by protesters are the direct result of unilateral US sanctions. Economic data shows that the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and the surge in living costs can be traced back to the 2011-2012 sanctions regime, which targeted Iran's central bank and oil exports. Iranian officials have acknowledged the legitimacy of economic grievances raised by peaceful protesters and have vowed to address them, while emphasizing a clear distinction between lawful assembly and foreign-instigated violence. On Thursday, Tehran prosecutor warned individuals and businesses against supporting calls for riots, saying legal cases have been opened against several brands, shops and a small number of social media influencers. According to the judiciary's media center, calls to incite disorder and insecurity in cities across the country had been accompanied by direct and indirect support from a limited number of brands and retail outlets. The Tehran prosecutor ordered judicial authorities to monitor social media activity and identify offenders for prosecution, the report said. IRNA said several legal cases were opened over the past day against some brands and shops. It added that cases have also been filed against a number of well-known online figures indirectly supporting the riots. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the MFA of Ukraine on the 6th anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 08 January 2026 21:11 On the morning of 8 January 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, by an Iranian air defense surface-to-air missile system. As a result of this tragedy, 176 people lost their lives - citizens and residents of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, and Iran. Today, we honor the memory of all those who perished and extend our condolences to their families and loved ones. For six years, the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752, consisting of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, has continued to take consistent steps to ensure transparency, justice, and responsibility of Iran for the downing of Flight PS752. In March 2025, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rejected Iran's preliminary objections and confirmed its jurisdiction to consider the case under the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944 (the Chicago Convention). Within the appellate proceedings initiated by Iran before the International Court of Justice, the Coordination Group is actively working to prevent Iran from evading international legal responsibility for this crime. In parallel, the Coordination Group is participating in separate proceedings before the International Court of Justice concerning Iran's violations of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971 (the Montreal Convention). The Group will continue to make every effort to establish the unlawfulness of Iran's actions and to secure appropriate reparation for them. We are convinced that impunity for grave violations of international law, including international air law, undermines confidence in the international security system and creates preconditions for the repetition of similar crimes. Iran's international legal responsibility for the downing of Flight PS752 is of fundamental importance not only for the families of the victims, but also for the entire international community. We call for international support for efforts aimed at ensuring justice for all victims of violations of international law, as well as for ensuring international legal responsibility of states that commit such violations. Our thoughts today are with the families of the 176 lives lost in the skies over Tehran on 8 January 2020. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Extraordinary Press Conference by Defense Minister Koizumi on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 10:01 AM Ministry of Defense of Japan (Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only) Today, during the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. hour, North Korea launched at least two ballistic missiles off its west coast in an east direction. While details are currently being analyzed in close cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and the Republic of Korea (ROK), it is estimated that the ballistic missiles fell into the Sea of Japan, outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Both ballistic missiles may have flown on an irregular trajectory, and the analysis is ongoing. The first one was fired at around 7:54 a.m., had a maximum altitude of approximately 50 kilometers and a flight distance of approximately 900 kilometers. The second one was fired at around 8:05 a.m. and had a maximum altitude of approximately 50 kilometers and a flight distance of approximately 950 kilometers. We immediately informed the Prime Minister of this incident. In response, the Prime Minister issued the following three instructions: 1. dedicate maximum effort to gather and analyze information, and provide the public with information in a timely and appropriate manner, 2. ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels, and other assets, and 3. take all possible measures for precaution, including readiness for contingencies. Additionally, in response to the Prime Minister's instructions, I have issued the following two instructions: 1. make every effort to gather and analyze information in close cooperation with the U.S., the ROK, and other countries, and 2. continue to take all possible measures to conduct surveillance in readiness for the occurrence of contingencies. At this time, there are no reports of damage from aircraft and vessels or other confirmed information. The series of actions by North Korea, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles to date, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community. Furthermore, such ballistic missile launches violate the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and are a serious issue that concerns the safety of the people. Regarding the launches, Japan has lodged a strong protest against North Korea through the embassy route in Beijing and strongly condemned its actions. To resolutely protect the lives and property of the people, the Ministry of Defense will continue to cooperate closely with the U.S., the ROK, and other countries, and will make every effort to gather and analyze information and to conduct surveillance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force visited National Defence University being an alumni of National Security and War Course-2010/11. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - January 08, 2026 No PR-8/2026-ISPR Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force visited National Defence University being an alumni of National Security and War Course-2010/11. The visiting dignitary called on Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar, HI (M), President NDU at National Defence University Islamabad. During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the importance of military-to-military engagement, particularly in the domain of professional military education and joint training. The visit underscores the strong historical ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh and reflectes a shared resolve to deepen defence cooperation and training. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Chief of Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - January 08, 2026 No PR-7/2026-ISPR Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Chief of Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, COAS & CDF, at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics and avenues for enhancing bilateral defence and military cooperation were discussed. Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening professional collaboration, training exchanges and defence ties between the Armed Forces of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and appreciated their contributions towards regional peace and stability. The COAS & CDF reiterated Pakistan's commitment to fostering enduring defence relations with Bangladesh. The meeting concluded reflecting the longstanding and strong bonds between the two brotherly countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chief of Air Staff Bangladesh Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, called on Admiral Naveed Ashraf, NI, NI (M), T Bt, Chief of the Naval Staff, at Naval Headquarters Islamabad. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - January 08, 2026 No PR-6/2026-ISPR Chief of Air Staff Bangladesh Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, called on Admiral Naveed Ashraf, NI, NI (M), T Bt, Chief of the Naval Staff, at Naval Headquarters Islamabad. Upon arrival at Naval Headquarters, the visiting dignitary was received by Chief of the Naval Staff. During the meeting, matters of mutual professional interest, evolving regional security paradigm, and avenues for further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation were discussed. Naval Chief highlighted Pakistan Navy's commitment to regional maritime peace and stability through its various initiatives. Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan acknowledged the high professional standards of Pakistan Navy and expressed his desire to enhance collaboration between the two brotherly nations' armed forces. The dignitaries agreed on the importance of increasing the frequency of high-level exchanges and joint training exercises to foster greater synergy. The visit of Bangladesh Air Chief underscores the deepening defence ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh, following the significant visit of Admiral Naveed Ashraf to Dhaka in late 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, called on HRH Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, and General Fayiadh bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of the General Staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during his official visit to KSA. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - January 08, 2026 No PR-5/2026-ISPR Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, called on HRH Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, and General Fayiadh bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of the General Staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during his official visit to KSA. Upon arrival, the Air Chief was accorded a Guard of Honour by a contingent of the Royal Saudi Air Force. During the meetings, matters pertaining to bilateral defence cooperation, regional security environment and future avenues of collaboration were discussed. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the existing level of cooperation and agreed to further enhance engagement through joint training, operational collaboration and exchange of professional expertise, while highlighting the Pakistan-KSA Defence Agreement as a symbol of mutual trust and enduring brotherly relations. The Air Chief highlighted the historic and fraternal ties between the two countries and reiterated his commitment to strengthening military-to-military cooperation through bilateral and multilateral exercises. He also underscored the transformation of Pakistan Air Force into a robust Multi Domain Force, integrating space, cyber, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities, demonstrated through its operational performance. The Saudi defence leadership praised the professionalism, operational excellence and combat readiness of Pakistan Air Force, and expressed strong interest in enhanced joint training and operational collaboration, particularly in the domain of Multi Domain Operations. They also appreciated Pakistan's constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability. The visit underscores the depth of the enduring strategic partnership between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reflects the shared commitment of both nations to further strengthen cooperation in the defence and aviation sectors. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Creates Special Security Unit To Protect Chinese Citizens Amid A Rise In Attacks By Daud Khattak January 08, 2026 After years of Chinese calls for added measures in Pakistan to safeguard its citizens, Pakistani authorities have announced the creation of a new special police unit to protect Chinese nationals. "The protection of Chinese citizens and projects of mutual interest remains our top priority," Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on January 7 in Beijing during a meeting with Wang Xiaohong, China's minister of public security. During their meeting, both officials announced the creation of the new security unit in Islamabad, as well as new joint police training programs and a rapid response system to exchange information about terrorist threats in Pakistan. "We appreciate Pakistan's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism," Wang said, according to a Chinese readout of the meeting. But despite the warm reception and praise heaped in Beijing, analysts and former officials told RFE/RL that the creation of the new security unit in the Pakistani capital comes amid a low point in China and Pakistan's relationship, triggered by attacks in recent years that have killed dozens of Chinese nationals in the South Asian country. Shakil Ahmad Ramay, an Islamabad-based analyst who has written multiple books on China-Pakistan relations, told RFE/RL that Pakistani police are currently poorly equipped to calm Beijing's anxieties over the safety of its citizens. "To help ensure the security of the Chinese nationals, Pakistani police need training and equipment," he said. Chinese Infrastructure Plans Slowing Down In Pakistan Thousands of Chinese nationals work in Pakistan, mostly in jobs tied to the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a massive collection of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects. But the deteriorating security situation -- which has led to 20 Chinese nationals being killed and 34 injured in terror attacks since 2021 -- has added to funding disagreements and corruption scandals to derail the expansive CPEC, which was once a flagship within Beijing's globe-spanning Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure project. The new specialized police unit in Islamabad is one of multiple security initiatives brought in by Pakistani authorities to assuage Chinese anxieties over the safety of its citizens. There is already an army brigade in Pakistan's Balochistan Province assigned to protect Chinese nationals working on CPEC projects and hundreds of new checkpoints have been built along with protective barriers close to the infrastructure projects. A former Pakistani official who worked on CPEC and spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive issues, says that the poor security situation, the Pakistani government's financial struggles, and problems implementing projects on time are all long-standing irritants that have largely derailed CPEC. "CPEC has not just slowed down, it is almost dead," the former official said. While the venture is estimated to be worth $60 billion in total allocated projects, Pakistan has only received roughly $25 billion of that investment in CPEC on the ground since it was launched in 2015. Asked about the newly announced special unit in Islamabad, the former CPEC official said that it was largely about optics and that "this is meant to keep the project alive in the media." Regional Security Issues On The Rise No Chinese nationals were reported to have been killed in Pakistan in 2025, but the broader security situation brought new obstacles to China's economic footprint in the region. A pair of attacks killed five Chinese nationals working at a gold mine near Tajikistan's remote border with Afghanistan in November. In October, Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged military attacks, killing dozens of people and leading to Pakistan closing its border with Afghanistan. It was the worst outbreak of hostilities in years and raised fears of an all-out war. In late November, the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out air strikes inside Afghanistan that killed at least 10 people, nine of whom were children. Domestic security issues inside Pakistan also persist. Balochistan, which is home to many CPEC projects, including Gwadar Port, is Pakistan's most undeveloped area and is home to a long-running violent insurgency against Islamabad led by the the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an ethno-nationalist militant group seeking independence from Islamabad. The BLA has targeted Chinese citizens and interests over the years to increase pressure on the Pakistani government, carrying out several high-profile attacks, including a 2019 attack on the Pearl-Continental Hotel in Gwadar and an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. Other attacks in Pakistan against Chinese nationals have gone unclaimed, while others, including a 2021 bombing on a bus of Chinese workers on their way to the the Dasu Dam project that killed 13 people, nine of whom were Chinese, were attributed to Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) by Pakistani authorities. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-cpec-police-terrorism- attack-worker-infrastructure/33643164.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Lee proposes solution to sea border row with China KOREA.net Jan 08, 2026 By Park Hye Ri President Lee Jae Myung on Jan. 7 proposed drawing a median line within the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow (West) Sea to help resolve a bilateral row over Chinese structures installed in the PMZ. At a luncheon with accompanying reporters at the Shanghai Press Center that afternoon, he said, "In the Yellow Sea, each side has its own waters and a jointly managed zone is in the middle," adding, "I proposed drawing a clear line in the middle and smoothly organizing it to allow each side to use it within that line. For that, we decided to hold working-level talks." "They say two fish farm facilities are there and a facility to manage them," he added. "They say they will remove the management facility, so it will probably be moved." The bilateral dispute is over Chinese structures installed in the PMZ, where the exclusive economic zones of both countries overlap. That morning, President Lee also visited in Shanghai a Korean-Chinese summit on venture startups, highlighting the connection between the startup ecosystems of the two sides and joint growth from that. To conclude his four-day state visit before flying home, he attended an event to mark the centennial anniversary of the Korean Provisional Government's building, paying tribute to the sacrifices and commitment of independence activists. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry statement regarding the forcible seizure of the oil tanker Marinera 8 January 2026 14:10 14-08-01-2026 The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses grave concern over the illegal use of force by the United States Armed Forces against the oil tanker Marinera on January 7. The Marinera, which was temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag on December 24 in accordance with international and Russian law, was transiting peacefully through international waters of the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port. US authorities, including through official communications with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were repeatedly provided with reliable information confirming the vessel's Russian registration and its civilian, non-military status. There could have been no doubt regarding this fact, nor any basis for alleging that the tanker was sailing "without a flag" or "under a false flag." International maritime law explicitly grants the flag state exclusive jurisdiction over its vessels on the high seas. Stopping and inspecting a vessel in international waters is permitted only under narrowly defined circumstances, such as suspected piracy or slave trading - neither of which apply to the Marinera. In all other cases, such actions require the consent of the flag state, which in this instance is Russia. Not only did Russia refuse to provide such consent, it formally protested to US authorities in recent weeks over the continued pursuit of the Marinera by a US Coast Guard vessel, demanding an immediate end to the pursuit and the withdrawal of unlawful demands made to the Russian ship's captain. Under these circumstances, the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation. This constitutes a serious infringement upon the legitimate rights and interests of the shipowner. The lives and health of the Marinera's crew, which includes citizens of several countries, are now at risk. We consider the threats of legal action against them on absurd grounds by US authorities to be utterly unacceptable. Moreover, by conducting an unsafe pursuit and armed seizure of an oil tanker in severe weather conditions, US forces demonstrably disregarded the danger of causing significant environmental damage to the North Atlantic. References by the United States to its domestic "sanctions legislation" are without legal foundation. The unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and other Western countries are illegitimate and cannot justify attempts to assert jurisdiction, let alone the seizure of vessels, on the high seas. Suggestions from certain US officials that the seizure of the Marinera is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington's unlimited control over Venezuela's natural resources are profoundly cynical. We categorically reject such neo-colonial ambitions. Alongside the US administration's disregard for the accepted norms of international maritime navigation, Washington's readiness to provoke acute international crises, including in Russian-American relations, which are already severely strained, is both regrettable and alarming. The Marinera incident can only lead to a further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and a dangerous lowering of the threshold for using force against civilian shipping. Encouraged by Washington's irresponsible example, other actors may feel emboldened to take similar actions. Authorities in the United Kingdom, a country with a long history of maritime predation, are already displaying such intent, having openly acknowledged their involvement in the US military operation in North Atlantic waters. We call on Washington to return to the established norms and principles of international maritime law and to immediately cease its unlawful actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas. We reiterate our demand that the United States ensure appropriate and humane treatment of the Russian citizens on board, fully respect their rights, and facilitate their swift return home. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Seizure of Marinera Gross Violation of Principles of International Maritime Law - Russian MFA Sputnik News 20260108 Russia calls on US to immediately cease illegal actions against the Marinera and other vessels conducting lawful activities in international waters. Other statements by Russian Foreign Ministry: US authorities have repeatedly been informed about the Russian ownership of the Marinera vessel and its peaceful status. The boarding of the Marinera by US military forces and its seizure represent a gross violation of the principles of international maritime law. Russia demands that the US ensure the proper treatment of Russian nationals aboard the Marinera and not impede their return to their homeland. The US's readiness to generate acute international crises is a cause for regret and concern. We consider the references made by the American side to its national "sanctions legislation" to be unfounded. Unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US, as well as other Western countries, are illegitimate and cannot justify attempts to establish jurisdiction or, especially, to seize vessels in international waters. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deadly clashes hit Aleppo as two US-backed sides battle for control Iran Press TV Thursday, 08 January 2026 5:26 PM Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces have carried out a large-scale offensive against Aleppo's Kurdish neighborhoods controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as insecurity persists across the Arab country a year after the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad. HTS forces launched a major assault on Aleppo's predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud on Thursday, as clashes with SDF fighters entered their third day. The confrontations underscore the continued failure to integrate the SDF forces into those of the HTS, as well as the heavy toll inflicted on civilians caught in the crossfire. Damascus announced "concentrated operations against SDF positions in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zeid after 1:30 p.m.," alongside a curfew beginning at the same time "until further notice." Heavy attacks over the past three days have so far displaced thousands of people and killed at least 12 individuals, including two civilians on Thursday morning. The SDF, the main US partner in the Arab country, reportedly targeted the positions of Syrian regime forces on the outskirts of Ashrafieh using drones. Some Kurdish sources said a number of regime forces had been captured inside Aleppo's al-Suryan neighborhood. The sources also spoke of a heavy counterattack by SDF forces against the regime troops on the outskirts of Ashrafieh, resulting in the retreat of forces affiliated with Syria's regime. Despite earlier claims by Syrian regime forces that no major offensive had begun, Kurdish security forces reported attempts by tanks and armored vehicles to break through the neighborhoods. The scale of destruction has been severe, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of the fighting. "More than 300 houses have been completely destroyed or partially destroyed. All types of weapons have been used in this war, including bombs and tanks. The intense fighting is ongoing in both neighborhoods," said Nouri Sheikho, the co-chair of the council administering Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. HTS-linked media, however, claimed that HTS forces were assisting civilians fleeing alleged SDF fire, a narrative rejected by Kurdish officials amid mounting civilian losses. The violence reflects the breakdown of negotiations between Damascus and the SDF over a March agreement to integrate the Kurdish force into HTS forces. The March agreement stipulated full integration by the end of 2025, and some SDF fighters left Aleppo neighborhoods in April under the deal as officials in Damascus reported no tangible progress after Sunday's talks. Disputes have centered on the SDF's demand to remain under Kurdish command, enter as a bloc rather than be dissolved and conscripted, and preserve a decentralized system granting autonomy in north and east Syria. Clashes have flared intermittently for months, with mutual accusations of obstruction. Last month, Damascus proposed absorbing the SDF's roughly 50,000 fighters as intact divisions and brigades, in exchange for relinquishing parts of its command structure and allowing Syrian army units into oil-rich, US-occupied northern and eastern Syria. The SDF reportedly rejected the offer, stating earlier this year that talks produced no "tangible results." The intense clashes underscore both Washington's destabilizing influence in Syria and the ongoing civilian suffering caused by Kurdish forces and those loyal to former alQaeda member Abu Mohammad alJolani, who now leads the current HTSled regime in Damascus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We welcome the Syrian leadership's commitment to eradicate chemical weapons: UK statement at the UN Security Council Speech Statement by Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator Published 8 January 2026 Location: United Nations, New York Delivered on: 8 January 2026 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) It has been a year since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. This new Syrian government has provided hope that Assad-era chemical weapons will be verifiably identified and eliminated, once and for all. The United Kingdom applauds the continued commitment of Syria's leadership to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention and to meet its obligations under Resolution 2118 and we commend the continued professionalism and dedication of the OPCW technical secretariat staff who carry out their work in Syria under difficult conditions. In 2025, Syria and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons made important progress under challenging circumstances. First, multiple OPCW deployments to Syria have increased our understanding of the scale and scope of Assad's chemical weapons programme. Evidence found of an undeclared chemical weapons programme was a stark reminder of the threat in Syria and to the wider region. Second, a Syrian-led decision on expedited destruction was adopted by the OPCW Executive Council in October allowing Syria and the OPCW to deal with dangerous elements of Assad's programme upon discovery. And third, a Syrian-led decision adopted at the Conference of the States Parties in November was an important step towards restoring Syria's rights and privileges at the OPCW. The United Kingdom welcomes the establishment of a continuous OPCW presence in Syria and the appointment of a new Syrian Permanent Representative to the OPCW in the Hague. We pay tribute to Qatar for representing Syria since January 2025. These milestones provide a foundation for Syria and the OPCW secretariat to accelerate their work in 2026; however, there remain challenges to overcome. Significant and sustainable financial and in-kind support from the international community is needed to deliver the elimination of Assad's remnant chemical weapons programme. The United Kingdom is proud to support Syria in this respect, having contributed over $3.8million since December 2024 to OPCW Syria missions. We will continue to provide technical expertise to both Syria and the OPCW. We urge Council members and the wider international community to assist in this endeavour. President, this Council has spent more than a decade discussing this file. With clear commitment from Syria's leadership to eradicate chemical weapons and to seek accountability for their use, we hope to see continued progress in 2026 to deliver these important outcomes for the Syrian people. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Action Urgently Needed to Clarify, Eliminate Syria's Chemical Weapons, Senior Disarmament Official Warns Security Council Meetings Coverage Security Council 10086th Meeting (AM) SC/16272 8 January 2026 The international community must seize the "critical opportunity" to obtain long-overdue clarifications on the Syrian chemical weapons programme, a senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, while that country's representative promised to confront this legacy with courage and responsibility. Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, noted that Syria's new Government has been working with the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to obtain clarifications on the full extent and scope of the previous Government's chemical weapons programme. He also highlighted the appointment of Syria's permanent representative to OPCW and the re-establishment of a continuous presence for the OPCW mission in Syria. The commitment of the new Government in Syria to fully and transparently cooperate with OPCW's Technical Secretariat "is both welcome and commendable", he said. In addition to the 26 declared chemical weapons-related sites, information provided to OPCW suggests that more than 100 other sites may have been involved, all of which the Technical Secretariat plans to visit. Based on its 2025 deployments, at least two locations could be declarable under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), he said. Syria's Government and the Technical Secretariat have discussed the possibility of visiting several high-priority chemical-weapons-related locations in the coastal and northern areas close to Latakia. "However, it must be emphasized that some of the sites to be visited are located in dangerous areas, involving significant risk to teams on the ground, including Syrian and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons personnel," he pointed out. "The tasks ahead will likely be more complex than those carried out 11 years ago," he said, and highlighted a needs and gaps assessment prepared by the Technical Secretariat. "Destruction [of any identified chemical weapons and related remnants] might need to be carried out on-site where conditions require it," he added. Stressing the importance of consistent support from the international community, he called on Council members to "show leadership" and provide the support needed for eliminating chemical weapons in Syria. New Government Has Moved Chemical File from 'Manipulation' to Partnership "The new Syria believes in cooperation and partnership with the international community," said that country's delegate. Marking one year since his country's liberation from the Assad era during which chemical weapons were widely used against civilians he said the new Government has moved "from a stage of suspicion and manipulation to one of partnership with the OPCW". He highlighted inherited challenges, including secrecy, weak capacities, mine contamination and external attacks on suspected sites. Despite this, Syria is expanding cooperation with OPCW, he said, pointing to eight technical deployments to 23 sites, unrestricted access and regular monthly reporting. "This marks the beginning of a sustained presence of the OPCW in Syria," he said, noting that the shift is reflected in newly discovered evidence and broad international support. Emphasizing the need for accountability, he described transitional justice as a cornerstone for lasting stability in Syria, adding: "There is no place for chemical weapons in today's world." Turkiye's delegate welcomed Damascus's cooperative stance, adding: "Eliminating the remaining chemical weapons capabilities in Syria is not only a legal obligation under the Chemical Weapons Convention, but also a critical imperative for regional security." Mines and hazards linked to former chemical weapons activities still endanger civilians and impede safe return of the displaced. He cautioned that Syria "cannot do this alone" it needs sustained and long-term international support. Turkiye is "ready to do its part", he added, while also warning that Israel's continued air strikes are hindering joint efforts and jeopardizing OPCW's missions. Many Council members took the floor to welcome Syria's cooperation with OPCW and called on both to stay the course despite challenges. France's delegate said this moment is a historic opportunity to complete Syrian chemical disarmament and ensure accountability for the Assad regime's repeated use of inhumane weapons. Commending Damascus for finally making progress towards the complete and verifiable elimination of its chemical programme, he noted concerns that some 100 non-declared sites may be linked to the programme. The challenge is compounded by dispersed know-how, missing former expertise and Syria's economic and financial constraints. He called for resolute technical and financial international support. Along similar lines, the representative of the United States said: "The past year has opened the door in an unprecedented way to the OPCW in Syria." OPCW will need extrabudgetary support, she said, urging countries that have not already done so to contribute financially. Pledges of Support for OPCW's Work on Syria, Accountability Stressed The representative of Greece said his country will contribute financially to the trust fund for OPCW's Syria missions. It is also willing to provide further assistance, in particular training, to enable Syria to implement its obligations from the Chemical Weapons Convention. He welcomed the re-establishment of the National Authority and the resumption of progress reporting. Since December 2024, the United Kingdom has contributed more than $3.8 million to the effort to eliminate Assad's remnant chemical weapons programme, that country's delegate said, urging other States do the same. "This Syrian Government has provided hope that Assad-era chemical weapons will be verifiably identified and eliminated once and for all," he said. Welcoming OPCW's decision led by Syria to expedite the destruction of items discovered, he also hailed important steps towards restoring Syria's rights and privileges at the Conference of States Parties. While welcoming this window of opportunity, Panama's delegate noted that access to key documentation and some sites remains pending. He further underscored that accountability is a structural component because the use of chemical weapons under any circumstance constitutes a grave violation of international law. Along similar lines, Denmark's delegate stressed that progress on the file must not come at the expense of accountability. "All victims of the Assad regime's illegal and heinous chemical weapons attack deserve justice," she said. Latvia's delegate said a stable, inclusive and cohesive Syria is needed to ensure full transparency in eliminating all remnants of chemical weapons and secure full accountability. Liberia's delegate, also speaking for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia, noting the Syrian Government's submission of a concept plan for the destruction and verification of remaining chemical weapons, added: "We consider this plan a constructive basis for further technical engagement and urge sustained international support for its implementation." Respect for territorial integrity remains essential to reducing tensions, preserving regional stability and protecting civilians, he added. Bahrain's speaker also reiterated the importance of preserving the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, rejecting any foreign interference in its internal affairs while underscoring the importance of joint action to create a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. Pakistan's delegate pointed out that Syria's security situation is severely affected by Israel's military occupation of parts of Syrian territory and its continued strikes on Syrian sites and facilities, which have also impeded OPCW's technical work. Colombia's representative expressed concern that the military operations of other actors have affected OPCW deployments. She also underlined the importance of preserving evidence and maintaining the integrity of both declared and suspected locations. Concerns Raised over Politicization of OPCW Work on Syria Other speakers stressed the need for impartiality in the work of OPCW. China's delegate said it must maintain its technical nature, perform its duties rigorously under the Convention and proceed with its work in a just, transparent and secure manner, while providing States Parties with timely and complete evidence on all progress. Furthermore, any investigations into the alleged use of chemical weapons must follow proper procedures, rely on solid evidence and reach credible conclusions. He also called upon the Syrian transitional Government to fulfil its international obligations and take all effective measures to firmly combat all Council-designated international terrorist organizations. "There must be no predetermined conclusions without the presence of irrefutable evidence," the representative of the Russian Federation said. For more than a decade, OPCW has politicized the chemical weapons issue and kept it "afloat" to pressure the Syrian authorities, including through violations of evidence-collection methodologies, fabrication of evidence and reliance on false testimony from "mock witnesses", he said. This failure to act objectively, and the refusal to correct its methodology, remain the main obstacle to implementing Council resolution 2118 (2013). With large areas of the country affected by armed groups and air strikes by the Western coalition and Israel, he said, assertions about new samples, documents and additional inspections were detached from reality. Combined with accelerated on-site destruction of alleged chemical weapons, these actions aim to "pin responsibility on the former Syrian authorities" rather than establish the truth, he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan says it will continue push to join UNFCCC despite U.S. withdrawal ROC Central News Agency 01/08/2026 04:42 PM Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday said it will continue its decades-long push for Taiwan's inclusion in the United Nations climate negotiations, despite the United States' latest decision to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In a statement to CNA, MOFA said it has worked closely with the Ministry of Environment and the private sector to promote Taiwan's participation in UNFCCC meetings and mechanisms. Those efforts have received strong support from friendly countries, the ministry said. "Taiwan's goal of participating in the UNFCCC remains unchanged, and we will continue to seek support from allies and like-minded countries to push for the nation's meaningful participation," MOFA said. MOFA made the remarks after CNA asked whether the U.S. decision to leave the UNFCCC would affect Taiwan's goal of joining the organization. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Washington time) signed a presidential memorandum directing federal departments and agencies to end participation in and funding for 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-U.N. organizations, most of them related to areas such as the environment, climate change and gender equality. "President Trump is ending U.S. participation in international organizations that undermine America's independence and waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective or hostile agendas," the White House said in a statement. Among the international bodies and agreements affected is the UNFCCC. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, left the United Nations in 1971 when the People's Republic of China assumed China's seat. It has since been excluded from U.N. specialized agencies, including the UNFCCC. Since 1995, Taiwanese officials have participated in UNFCCC conferences through the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute. (By Joseph Yeh) Enditem/kb NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Beijing's 'cross-border pressure' shows Taiwan is not China: President Lai ROC Central News Agency 01/08/2026 04:04 PM Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te () said Thursday that China's "cross-border pressure" against the people of Taiwan proves that Beijing's authority does not extend to Taiwan and confirms that Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Lai cited the recent visit to Taiwan by China-born Japanese lawmaker Hei Seki, who has been sanctioned by China and barred from entering the PRC, saying the visit demonstrated that the Republic of China (ROC) -- Taiwan's official name -- and the PRC are not subordinate to each other. The remarks came after China's Taiwan Affairs Office listed Taiwan's Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang () and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao () as so-called "diehard Taiwan independence elements." The same Chinese office also labeled a prosecutor from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office as a "Taiwan independence thug accomplice." Lai made the comments to reporters before attending an event celebrating the completion of training for new personnel at the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau. "As president, I feel proud of anyone who is subjected to China's cross-border suppression," Lai said. "Whether it is Cheng Ying-yao, Liu Shyh-fang, the prosecutor surnamed Chen, or other officials or elected representatives, all can stand at their posts and strive for the country, without fear of China's threats," he said. Lai said he hoped China's leaders would clearly understand that military drills targeting Taiwan are not peaceful actions. He added that China's "united front" infiltration and cross-border suppression would not achieve the goal of making Taiwan a part of China. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Lai said he was again pledging to protect the country and safeguard the lives and property of all citizens. "I will certainly safeguard the nation and absolutely not allow Chinese pressure or China's hand to reach into Taiwan," he said. Calling the current situation a critical moment, Lai urged all political parties to support the country by allowing national defense-related bills and the central government general budget proposal to be sent for committee review. He said this was the most basic responsibility and obligation of lawmakers to the nation and the people. (By Hsieh Chun-lin and James Thompson) Enditem/ASG NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese captain convicted of damaging undersea cable deported ROC Central News Agency 01/08/2026 08:55 PM Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) A Chinese fishing boat captain convicted of damaging the Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 undersea cable (TDM2) last year was deported to China on Thursday after paying a fine and compensation, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA). In a news release, the CGA said the Mainland Affairs Council approved the deportation of the man, surnamed Wu (), and he was escorted out of Taiwan at 9:40 a.m. from Fu'ao Port in Nangan to Huangqi Port in Fuzhou, China, via ferry. The incident occurred on the night of Oct. 7, 2025, when Wu's vessel the "Min Lian Yu 60138" was about 4.2 nautical miles north of a cable station in Dongyin. Its net became entangled with an abandoned anchor, damaging the TDM2. The Coast Guard later intercepted the vessel and arrested Wu. According to a court document, Wu was sentenced by the Fuchien Lienchiang District Court last month to three months in prison, commutable to a fine, for negligently damaging the cable. He later paid NT$250,000 (US$7,921) in compensation to Chunghwa Telecom and more than NT$90,000 to commute his prison sentence after the ruling was finalized. The court said that with years of experience as a captain, Wu should have been aware the area was covered by telecommunications cables, but still negligently damaged the cable. The sentence took into account his confession during the investigation and the settlement reached with Chunghwa Telecom. Taiwan is a democratic country governed by the rule of law, and the court acted fairly and objectively, basing its decisions on evidence and treating intentional acts differently from accidents, the CGA said. In contrast to Wu's case, the CGA said the captain of the Chinese cargo vessel "Hong Tai 58" was found to have deliberately damaged the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 undersea cable in February 2025 and sentenced to three years in prison, showing Taiwan's judiciary is independent and applies clear sentencing standards. (By Pan Hsin-tung and Ko Lin) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM call with President Trump of the United States: 8 Jan 2026 Press release The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon. From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Published 8 January 2026 The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon. The leaders discussed Euro-Atlantic security and agreed on the need to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia in the High North. European Allies had stepped up in recent months to defend Euro-Atlantic interests, but more could be done to protect the area, the Prime Minister said. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM call with Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark: 8 January 2026 Press release The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, this afternoon. From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Published 8 January 2026 The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, this afternoon. The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Frederiksen for her strong support at the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris on Tuesday. Coalition partners had made good progress in Paris, the leaders agreed. Turning to Denmark, the Prime Minister reiterated his position on Greenland. Both leaders agreed on the importance of deterring Russian aggression in the High North and that NATO should step up in the area to protect Euro-Atlantic interests. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: 8 January 2026 Press release The Prime Minister spoke to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this afternoon. From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Published 8 January 2026 The Prime Minister spoke to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this afternoon. The leaders began by paying tribute to the UK personnel involved in operations in the the North Atlantic and Syria in recent days to protect UK and Euro-Atlantic security. Turning to the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Tuesday, both leaders welcomed the strong commitments by all participants in Paris. It was vital that the security guarantees for Ukraine ensured Russia was never able to invade again, the leaders reiterated. The Secretary General then updated on the North Atlantic Council meeting this morning. They agreed that more needed to be done to deter Russia in the High North and welcomed discussions on how Allies could further protect the region from increasing Russian threats. Both agreed to stay in close touch. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pushing for peace in Ukraine Germany - Federal Government Press conference with Federal Chancellor Merz after the meeting of the coalition of the willing At the summit in Paris, the coalition of the willing was joined by Ukraine and the USA in setting an important milestone for an end to the war in Ukraine. "After almost four years of war, there is a first hint of peace in the air", summarised Chancellor Merz. Transcript of press conference Tuesday, 6 January 2026 Following the summit meeting of the coalition of the willing in Paris, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised the increasing cooperation between Ukraine, the European partners and the United States of America. The aim, he explained, is to create the conditions for a lasting and just peace in Europe. Merz noted that Europe and its partners share the same strategic goal: a stable ceasefire, strong security guarantees and a peace that Europeans and Ukrainians shape together. "Today, the focus was on what contribution Europe and its partners in the coalition of the willing can make together to ensure Ukraine's security following a ceasefire", he said. Read the most important facts in brief here: Security guarantees: There is a need for strong, legally binding security guarantees from the USA and an American backstop to shore up European involvement. The US is prepared to "assume its responsibility when it comes to realising peace", which was welcomed by Chancellor Merz. There is a need for strong, legally binding security guarantees from the USA and an American backstop to shore up European involvement. The US is prepared to "assume its responsibility when it comes to realising peace", which was welcomed by Chancellor Merz. Ceasefire: Under these conditions, Europe and its partners are prepared to help Ukraine continue to build up strong armed forces in the future. The coalition wants to participate in monitoring a ceasefire and will contribute to strengthening Ukraine on land, at sea and in the air. "The Federal Government and the German Bundestag must and will decide on the type and scope of a German contribution as soon as the above-mentioned conditions have been clarified", said Merz. Under these conditions, Europe and its partners are prepared to help Ukraine continue to build up strong armed forces in the future. The coalition wants to participate in monitoring a ceasefire and will contribute to strengthening Ukraine on land, at sea and in the air. "The Federal Government and the German Bundestag must and will decide on the type and scope of a German contribution as soon as the above-mentioned conditions have been clarified", said Merz. Reconstruction and economy: Economic strength is a key pillar of Ukrainian security and is inseparable from the issue of security guarantees. "Economic strength will be an indispensable guarantee that Ukraine will continue to credibly deter Russia in the future", said the Federal Chancellor. The European partners are therefore working together, in close coordination with the USA, to come up with a corresponding package. Economic strength is a key pillar of Ukrainian security and is inseparable from the issue of security guarantees. "Economic strength will be an indispensable guarantee that Ukraine will continue to credibly deter Russia in the future", said the Federal Chancellor. The European partners are therefore working together, in close coordination with the USA, to come up with a corresponding package. Combating corruption: On the Ukrainian side, Kyiv is expected to act quickly to fight corruption at home. Even after a ceasefire, Ukraine needs to ensure that its young men put themselves at the service of a secure and economically healthy Ukraine instead of leaving. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More weapons for Ukraine: UkrOboronProm increased production by 1.5 times in 2025 Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 7 January, 2026, 5:24 PM EET In 2025, enterprises of the 'Ukrainian Defence Industry' joint-stock company (UkrOboronProm) increased weapons and military equipment production by 1.5 times year-on-year, from UAH 122 billion in 2024 to over UAH 180 billion. This dynamic growth was driven by the expansion of production capacity and increased workload at enterprises, with the number of state contracts rising by more than 50% over the previous year. "This is Ukraine's response to the challenges of modern warfare and clear evidence that our weapons are becoming the foundation of national security," said Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Veterans played a particularly important role in achieving these results. At UkrOboronProm, workforce development and the social integration of defenders are ongoing, with the number of veterans joining the company and its Group enterprises increasing by 37% in 2025. Currently, more than 1,000 veterans are employed within the structure of the joint-stock company. UkrOboronProm has also stepped up cooperation with educational institutions to train new personnel. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine continues its efforts to strengthen and develop Ukraine's defense industry as the state's technological backbone and guarantor of national security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military tax 2025: Ukrainians' contribution to financing Ukraine's defense Ukraine Government Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, posted 08 January 2026 10:58 According to preliminary data from the Treasury, in 2025, revenues from the military tax to the general fund of the State Budget amounted to UAH 163.6 billion. The military tax is a nationwide payment introduced in 2014 to meet the financial needs of the security and defense sector. In the context of full-scale war, it remains one of the tools for mobilizing the state's internal resources. It should be noted that, according to operating data from the Treasury, expenditures from the general fund of the State Budget for security and defense in 2025 amounted to almost UAH 2.67 trillion. This means that the state allocated an average of over UAH 7.3 billion daily to defense needs. For comparison, the proceeds from the military levy at the end of 2025 provided funding for the state's defense expenditures for 22 days. This is an additional 22 days of our lives, providing for our defenders, business activities, and the country's viability. This clearly demonstrates the real contribution of the military tax to ensuring the stability of Ukraine's security and defense sector. During the war, every day is important, because for Ukrainians, the main thing is to hold out one day longer than the russian invaders. The Ministry of Finance emphasizes that the military levy is an element of nationwide solidarity in wartime. The funds paid by taxpayers are directed toward priority needsensuring defense and security. In addition to revenues from the military levy, other payments controlled by tax and customs authorities were also directed toward the defense of Ukraine, including income tax, VAT, personal income tax, excise tax, rent payments, dividends from state-owned enterprises, and other taxes and fees, as well as revenues from domestic borrowing (domestic government bonds). In 2025, the state maintained the priority of financing the defense sector, while ensuring macro-financial stability and, with the help of international assistance, fulfilling its social obligations. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine will continue to ensure transparent and effective management of budget funds in order to strengthen the state's defense capabilities and financial stability in wartime. According to preliminary data from the State Treasury Service, the general fund of the State Budget received UAH 2.66 trillion in 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskyy Says Plan On Security Guarantees 'Essentially Ready' As Russian Strikes Leave Ukrainians In The Dark By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service January 08, 2026 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a plan on security guarantees for Ukraine is "essentially ready" after an overnight barrage of Russian strikes crippled electricity, heating, and water infrastructure in parts of the country, leaving around 1 million people in the dark amid freezing temperatures. In a series of posts on social media on January 8, Zelenskyy said there was "no military rationale" for the attacks, which come amid an intensification of talks for a peace proposal aimed at ending Europe's longest and deadliest conflict since World War II. He added that a document on providing post-war security guarantees between Kyiv and Washington awaits being finalized with US President Donald Trump but that diplomatic moves to help end the war should not mean supplies of air defense systems and military equipment needed to mitigate Russian attacks should stop flowing into the country in the meantime. "Diplomatic discussions cannot be a pretext for slowing down the supply of air defense systems and equipment that helps protect lives. We are working with our partners to ensure an adequate response," he said. "The bilateral document on security guarantees for Ukraine is now essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the President of the United States...We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," he added. Russia has shown resistance to many of the proposals contained in a plan worked out between Ukraine, its European allies, and Washington that envisages, among other things, international peacekeeping forces, security guarantees, and a US-led cease-fire monitoring and verification mechanism, among other things. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on January 8 that the latest points contained in the plan were nothing near acceptable for Moscow, calling them "dangerous" and "destructive." The diplomatic talk comes as Russian strikes plunged many in Ukraine into darkness and leaving them without heat in freezing temperatures. Borys Filatov, mayor of the city of Dnipro, said the overnight strikes that hit his and other cities across the country have created "an emergency situation on a national scale." Ukraine's Energy Ministry said in a statement that around 800,000 consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk region alone remain without power as temperatures are expected to drop to minus 11 degrees Celsius. "There is absolutely no military rationale in such strikes on the energy sector and infrastructure that leave people without electricity and heating in wintertime," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media. "This is Russia's war specifically against our people, against life in Ukraine -- an attempt to break Ukraine." Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko warned that deteriorating weather conditions would further strain households in the affected regions. "Ukraine's energy system is under daily attack from the enemy, and energy workers are operating under extremely challenging conditions to provide people with electricity and heat," she wrote on Telegram. The head of the Zaporizhzhya region's military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said the region completely lost power late in the evening of January 7, adding that it was the region's first full blackout in years. Serhiy, the head of a hospital in Dnipro, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that the facility was dealing with an influx of patients when the blackout hit. "When the lights went off, we had to work with [energy generators]. We had just received 37 wounded soldiers," he said. "A very big number of the patients were delivered from elsewhere in the region, where medical aid was not possible to provide due to the blackout." Following Ukraine's attempts to restore power in the region, another major city in the Dnipropetrovsk region was attacked by Russia. Kryviy Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said that two Russian ballistic missiles targeted residential buildings in the city on January 8, leaving at least 10 people injured. He also warned that "many" Shahed drones were heading toward the area immediately after the strikes. Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya are densely populated industrial regions near the front lines, with parts of their territory under Russian occupation. They have been repeatedly targeted by Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Moscow has repeatedly claimed it doesn't target Ukraine's civilian infrastructure despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Data shows Russian forces intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy and gas infrastructure at the beginning of autumn 2025, disrupting supplies during the heating season. According to government figures, Russia has carried out more than 4,500 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since February 2022, when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned that, with temperatures plunging below freezing and cities facing long, daily power cuts, Ukrainian civilians are again bracing for winter under fire. "The people of Ukraine do not have the privilege of waiting for better conditions. They are enduring a fourth winter since the escalation of this war, under fire and in the dark," UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-blackout-russia- drone-strikes-zelenskyy/33642976.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Comment by Foreign Ministry Official Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on certain Western countries' plans to continue the militarisation of Ukraine 8 January 2026 13:29 13-08-01-2026 On January 6 in Paris, participants of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, led by the UK and France, signed a declaration titled Robust Security Guarantees for a Solid and Lasting Peace in Ukraine. The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarisation, escalation and further conflict aggravation. Its core element is the deployment of "a multinational force" on Ukrainian territory that the coalition will have to form to contribute to the "rebuilding" of the Ukrainian armed forces and "support deterrence" following the cessation of the hostilities. The document also includes clauses on further consolidation of Ukraine's and NATO's military industrial sectors. As clarified by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who signed the corresponding trilateral statement along with Zelensky, London and Paris plan to establish their own military bases in Ukraine post-ceasefire and build weapon and military equipment storage facilities. The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities, storages and other Western infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries. All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces. Warnings to this effect have been repeatedly made at the highest level and remain relevant. We also reaffirm that a peaceful resolution of the conflict is solely possible through the elimination of its root causes, the re-establishment of Ukraine's neutral non-aligned status, its demilitarisation and denazification, and Kiev's observance of the language, cultural and religious rights and freedoms, including those of ethnic Russians, Russian-speaking people, and members of ethnic minorities, and through the recognition of the current territorial realities that emerged as a result of the peoples' exercised right to self-determination. All these goals will, undoubtedly, be achieved either by political and diplomatic means or in the course of the special military operation, in which the Russian Armed Forces are maintaining full initiative on the battlefield. The new militarist declarations of the so-called Coalition of the Willing and the Kiev regime are forming a true axis of war. Its participants' plans are becoming increasingly more dangerous and destructive for the future of the European continent and its residents, who are also forced by Western politicians to pay for such ambitions out of their own pockets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address West's Plan to Militarize Ukraine Aimed at Escalation, Not Settlement - Russian MFA Sputnik News 20260108 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The West's plan to further militarize Ukraine is far from a peaceful settlement and is rather aimed at escalating and spreading the conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "The document turned out to be extremely far from a peaceful settlement. It is aimed not at achieving lasting peace and security, but at continuing militarization, escalation and spreading of the conflict. Its core element is the deployment of some kind of 'multinational forces' on Ukrainian territory, which the members of the 'coalition' will have to form to facilitate the 'restoration' of the Ukrainian armed forces and ensure the 'containment' of Russia after the cessation of hostilities," Zakharova said in a statement released on the ministry's website. The deployment of units and military facilities on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as an intervention that poses a threat to Russia and other European countries, she added. "All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate combat targets of the Russian armed forces. These warnings have been repeatedly voiced at the highest level and remain relevant," Zakharova said. A peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine is possible only through eliminating its root causes and returning Ukraine to non-bloc status, she added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A Treaty Limiting Russian, US Nuclear Weapons Is About To Expire. What Happens Next? By Amos Chapple January 08, 2026 On February 5, a treaty capping the numbers of deployed Russian and US nuclear warheads will expire, marking the first time in more than half a century that the Kremlin and Washington's nuclear programs will be unconstrained by numerical limits. Moscow had "suspended" theNew START treaty in 2023 in response to US military support for Ukraine. Washington responded in kind, effectively putting the arms deal on ice, while it remained officially in force. In September Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested sticking with the core terms of the treaty -- which includes limiting each country to 1,550 strike-ready nuclear warheads -- for another year. US President Donald Trump responded warmly to the Kremlin's public outreach, telling reporters it "sounds like a good idea," but recent prods from Moscow to formalize the deal have been met with silence. The US State Department declined to comment on the status of the nuclear pact, directing RFE/RL queries to the White House. Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), told RFE/RL there are no indications that an 11th-hour extension to the central terms of the treaty is coming. The nuclear weapons expert said he believes a degree of proliferation is most likely imminent. "I think what will follow is that the US will move to increase the number of deployed warheads," Podvig said, adding that such a buildup, at least in the short term, could be a relatively simple case of uploading additional warheads into existing weapons, such as the Minuteman III. America currently fields 400 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) ready for launch in silos across the country's northern Great Plains. Each missile carries one nuclear warhead in keeping with New START restrictions but is capable of carrying three. Each warhead, contained within an cone-shaped "reentry vehicle," is able to separate in the final arc of its missile's flight to strike different targets. Tripling the number of launch-ready warheads in America's ground-launched ICBMs, therefore, would be comparatively simple. "My guess is that would be done relatively quickly," Podvig said. Russia is similarly capable of installing additional warheads in existing weapons, increasing its strike-ready arsenal by an estimated 60 percent if the limits of the New START treaty are abandoned. One reason for US reluctance to limit its nuclear arsenal is the rise of a third nuclear superpower, which was scarcely an afterthought when New START was signed in 2010. "The biggest difference in the nuclear weapons landscape is the emergence of China as a challenge to the US and Russia as the dominant stewards of the world's nuclear weapons arsenals," William Moon, a former senior manager of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, told RFE/RL. Moon, who has on-the-ground experience inspecting Russia's nuclear weapons sites, added that "without a better understanding of China's intentions, the US and Russia will both be hesitant to limit nuclear inventories and nuclear modernization plans." A 2022 Pentagon reportestimated China "will likely field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads" by 2035. Podvig says with the United States likely to face two nuclear peers in the near future, "the Americans are telling themselves, 'Oh look China has, like, 300 silos so they will have 300 missiles and we don't have enough warheads to target those.' And the plan is, 'Oh, we'll deploy more warheads and we will target all those silos." But, he adds, the consequence could entail a familiar, Cold War-like arms race in which China then decides "Well, maybe we need more silos." The potential for a new arms race beginning next month has nuclear weapons control advocates calling for renewed efforts to limit civilization-ending firepower. Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, told RFE/RL "the reality is that more nuclear weapons will not make anyone safer. The United States already has a massive, devastating, and largely invulnerable nuclear force that is more than sufficient to deter nuclear attack by China, Russia, and any other nuclear-armed state." Increases in Russian and US nuclear firepower, he says, "could further destabilize the mutual balance of nuclear terror; would strain the already costly, behind-schedule US nuclear modernization program; and prompt China to accelerate its ongoing nuclear buildup." On the cusp of entering uncharted territory in the nuclear era, Kimball says, "human civilization remains precariously tethered to the existence of nuclear weapons and the dangerous, interlocking nuclear deterrence strategies of nuclear-armed nations and their allies." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nuclear-treaty-new- start-expires-russia-china-us/33642377.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Consolidated Lithium Metals Inc. (TSXV: CLM | FRA: Z36 | OTCQB: JORFF) ("CLM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its common shares have commenced trading on the OTCQB Venture Market, a U.S. trading platform operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. Effective January 8, 2026, CLM began trading under the symbol "JORFF." Investors can access real-time quotes and market information at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/JORFF/overview. Richard Quesnel, President and CEO of CLM, stated: "We're pleased to enhance visibility and access for our U.S. shareholders through this OTCQB listing. It marks an important step in our plan to broaden our investor base." The Company also announced today that it has granted an aggregate amount of 6,460,000 stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants pursuant to its equity incentive plan. The options vest every four months over a one-year period, are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of grant, and may be exercised at a price of $0.06 per option for a period of five years from the date of grant. The grant of options remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Consolidated Lithium Metals Inc. Consolidated Lithium Metals Inc. is a Canadian junior mining exploration company trading under the symbol "CLM" on the TSX Venture Exchange, "Z36" on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, "JORFF" on the OTCQB Venture Market. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of critical mineral projects in stable jurisdictions. The Company is committed to supporting the energy transition through the responsible development of critical mineral supply chains. For more information: Rene Bharti, Vice President Corp. Dev. Email | [email protected] Phone: +1 (647) 965 2173 Website: www.consolidatedlithium.com NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. VANCOUVER, Jan. 08, 2026 - NovaGold Resources Inc. ("NOVAGOLD" or the "Company") (NYSE American, TSX: NG) announces that Donlin Gold LLC ("Donlin Gold"), which is owned 60% by NOVAGOLD and 40% by Paulson Advisers LLC ("Paulson"), and Glenfarne Alaska LNG, LLC ("Glenfarne"), majority owner and developer of the Alaska LNG Project ("Alaska LNG"), signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) for natural gas supply from the Alaska LNG Pipeline and the development of the infrastructure needed to deliver the gas and power the proposed mine. Under the LOI, Glenfarne and Donlin Gold will continue to evaluate ways to formalize a potential natural gas sales agreement for up to 50 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and cooperate on the most effective method for development and construction of the Donlin Gold natural gas pipeline. The pipeline extends from Southcentral Alaska to the Donlin Gold project in Southwest Alaska and will feed a power plant to supply electricity to the proposed mine. "A reliable, secure supply of economic natural gas from Alaska LNG has the potential to substantially enhance our ability to unlock value and upside potential in Donlin Gold," said John Paulson, President of Paulson. "Glenfarne's global energy experience is well-suited to provide a long-term turnkey energy solution that helps advance this opportunity." "Powering Donlin Gold with natural gas from Alaska LNG could offer major advantages for the proposed mine and the Southwestern Alaska region by harnessing the strategic potential of such an important gold endowment for the industry and the United States," said Greg Lang, NOVAGOLD's President and CEO. "Aligning Alaska LNG and Donlin Gold's pipeline schedules could reduce fuel costs, optimize transportation and logistics, streamline material procurement, and leverage shared expertise to lower overall project expenses." "Alaska LNG offers abundant low-cost natural gas that will enhance the economics and facilitate development of energy-intensive mining projects in Alaska," said Glenfarne Alaska LNG President Adam Prestidge. "We have great confidence in the future success of Donlin Gold following the significant investment by Paulson. Adding a foundational customer like Donlin Gold, one of the largest known undeveloped gold deposits in the world, Alaska LNG provides significant volume discount benefits that will result in lower energy costs for Alaska consumers. As we continue to add more pipeline customers, the cost of gas for Alaskans will continue to go down." Donlin Gold Natural Gas Pipeline & Permitting As per the 2021 Technical Report (as defined below) and the S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary (as defined below), Donlin Gold envisions a buried, 316-mile natural gas pipeline from an existing 20-inch natural gas pipeline near Beluga, Alaska to the Donlin Gold mine site to supply reliable, lower-carbon emitting, energy for mining operations. Key federal and state permits for the pipeline route have been issued. Recently the State of Alaska Supreme Court upheld the Alaska Department Natural Resources issuance of the pipeline right-of-way lease. Supplemental environmental review is ongoing under the Fixing America's Transportation Act ("FAST-41") program, coordinated by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leading a court-directed Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Donlin Gold Bankable Feasibility Study Update Donlin Gold continues to advance the selection of a prime contractor for the Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS), having received proposals from leading engineering firms with the expertise required to design what is expected to be the largest single gold mine in the United States. A prime contractor is expected to be selected in the first quarter of 2026. In parallel, requests for proposals have been issued for specialist contractors covering the power plant, pipeline, and pressure oxidation and oxygen plant scopes of work, which will be incorporated into the BFS. Upon completion of the contractor selection process, a detailed timeline and budget for completion of the BFS will be established. Final construction approvals remain subject to completion of the environmental review, permitting, and the BFS. About NOVAGOLD NOVAGOLD is a well-financed precious metals company focused on the development of the Donlin Gold project in Alaska, one of the safest mining jurisdictions in the world. With approximately 39 million ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource categories (541 million tonnes at an average grade of approximately 2.24 grams per tonne, in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource categories on a 100% basis)1, inclusive of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves, the Donlin Gold project is regarded to be one of the largest, highest-grade, and most prospective known open-pit gold deposits in the world. According to the 2021 Technical Report and the S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary, the Donlin Gold project is expected to produce an average of more than one million ounces per year over a 27-year mine life on a 100% basis once in production. About Paulson Paulson is a private global investment management advisory firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. Through its affiliates, Paulson owns 100% of Donlin Gold Holdings, which owns a 40% stake in Donlin Gold. Paulson, together with NOVAGOLD, owns 100% of Donlin Gold and shares equal voting and operating control with NOVAGOLD through its operating agreement. NOVAGOLD Contacts: Melanie Hennessey Vice President, Corporate Communications Frank Gagnon Manager, Investor Relations 604-669-6227 or 1-866-669-6227 [email protected] www.novagold.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This media release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "continue", "ongoing", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", "would" or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on a number of material assumptions, including but not limited to the following, which could prove to be significantly incorrect: our ability to achieve production at Donlin Gold; the cost estimates and assumptions contained in the 2021 Technical Report and the S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary; estimated metal pricing, metallurgy, mineability, marketability and operating and capital costs, together with other assumptions underlying our resource and reserve estimates; our expected ability to develop adequate infrastructure and that the cost of doing so will be reasonable; assumptions that all necessary permits and governmental approvals will be obtained and the timing of such approvals; assumptions made in the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of our mineral deposits; our expectations regarding demand for equipment, skilled labor and services needed for exploration and development of mineral properties; our ability to improve our ESG initiatives and goals; and that our activities will not be adversely disrupted or impeded by development, operating or regulatory risks. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on several opinions, estimates and assumptions that management of NOVAGOLD considered appropriate and reasonable as of the date such statements are made, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the ability to finalize a potential natural gas sales agreement between Donlin Gold and Glenfarne; the potential development and construction of a natural gas pipeline from Southcentral Alaska to the Donlin Gold project in Southwestern Alaska and a power plant to supply electricity to the proposed mine; the anticipated benefits of supplying natural gas to the Donlin Gold project; anticipated plans for and the estimated timing of the BFS; our goals and planned activities for 2026; the potential development and construction of the Donlin Gold project; the timing and ability for the Donlin Gold project to hit critical milestones; Donlin Gold's continued support for the state and federal permitting process and the expected benefits of the FAST-41 program; expected alignment with the Alaska LNG Project; the ability for the Donlin Gold development project to hit the anticipated projections; perceived merit of properties; mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; plans to continue to advance the Donlin Gold project safely, responsibly and to sustainably generate value for our stakeholders; continued cooperation between the owners of Donlin Gold to advance the project; the Company's ability to deliver on its strategy with the Donlin Gold project, increasing the value of the project; the success of the strategic mine plan for the Donlin Gold project; the success of the Donlin Gold community relations plan; the anticipated outcome of exploration drilling at the Donlin Gold project and the timing thereof; and the completion of test work and modeling and the timing thereof, including expected production and mine life. In addition, any statement that refers to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent the expectations of NOVAGOLD management's estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances on the date the statements are made. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the need to obtain additional permits and governmental approvals; the timing and likelihood of obtaining and maintaining permits necessary to construct and operate; the need for additional financing to complete an updated feasibility study and to explore and develop properties; availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; disease pandemics; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drill results and geological tests and the estimation of reserves and resources; changes in mineral production performance, exploitation and exploration successes; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices, expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in the United States or Canada; the need for continued cooperation between the owners of Donlin Gold LLC to advance the project; the need for cooperation of government agencies and Native groups in the development and operation of properties; risks of construction and mining projects such as accidents, equipment breakdowns, bad weather, non-compliance with environmental and permit requirements, unanticipated variation in geological structures, ore grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and currency exchange rates; whether or when a positive construction decision will be made regarding the Donlin Gold project; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in NOVAGOLD's most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, particularly the "Risk Factors" sections of those reports and other documents filed by NOVAGOLD with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. Copies of these filings may be obtained by visiting NOVAGOLD's website at www.novagold.com, or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking statements contained herein reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections of NOVAGOLD on the date the statements are made. NOVAGOLD assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. ______________________ 1 Donlin Gold data as per report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Donlin Gold Project, Alaska, USA" with an effective date of June 1, 2021 (the "2021 Technical Report") and the report titled "S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary on the Donlin Gold Project, Alaska, USA" (the "S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary") dated November 30, 2021. Donlin Gold possesses Measured Resources of approximately 8 Mt grading 2.52 g/t and Indicated Resources of approximately 534 Mt grading 2.24 g/t, each on a 100% basis and inclusive of Mineral Reserves, of which approximately 5 Mt of Measured Resources and approximately 320 Mt of Indicated Resources inclusive of Reserves is currently attributable to NOVAGOLD through its 60% ownership interest in Donlin Gold LLC. Exclusive of Mineral Reserves, Donlin Gold possesses Measured Resources of approximately 0.9 Mt grading 2.23 g/t and Indicated Resources of approximately 69 Mt grading 2.44 g/t, of which approximately 0.5 Mt of Measured Resources and approximately 42 Mt of Indicated Resources exclusive of Mineral Reserves is currently attributable to NOVAGOLD. Donlin Gold possesses Proven Reserves of approximately 8 Mt grading 2.32 g/t and Probable Reserves of approximately 497 Mt grading 2.08 g/t, each on a 100% basis, of which approximately 5 Mt of Proven Reserves and approximately 298 Mt of Probable Reserves is attributable to NOVAGOLD. Mineral Reserves and Resources have been estimated in accordance with NI 43-101 and S-K 1300. Prismo Metals Inc. ("Prismo" or the "Company") (CSE: PRIZ) (OTCQB: PMOMF) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Infinitum Copper Corp. (TSXV: INFI) ("Infinitum") whereby Prismo will increase its interest in the Hot Breccia copper project, located in the heart of Arizona's prolific copper belt, from 75% to 95%. In addition, Prismo has obtained an irrevocable option to acquire Infinitum's remaining 5% interest, providing a clear path to 100% interest in the project. Alain Lambert, CEO of Prismo commented: "The absence of a clear mechanism to secure full ownership at Hot Breccia had previously limited our ability to fund drilling and pursue potential third-party partnerships. The transaction announced today totally removes that constraint and materially improves the strategic flexibility of the project." He added: "Prismo remains firmly committed to advancing Hot Breccia. The recent extension of certain milestone obligations under the option agreement with Walnut Mines LLC (the "Option Agreement"), the owner of the Hot Breccia claims, together with the deal announced today, provides the Company with additional flexibility as we evaluate a range of strategic alternatives. Each of these pathways is intended to position Prismo to commence drilling on what we consider to be one of the most compelling copper exploration opportunities in Arizona and the broader United States." Dr. Linus Keating, manager of Walnut Mines LLC, enthusiastically commented: "Walnut Mines is solidly in favor of any action that moves Hot Breccia closer to a serious drill program. We are hopeful that this transaction will accomplish that goal in 2026. In our opinion, this property remains one of the best copper exploration opportunities in North America." Under the terms of the transaction, Prismo will pay Infinitum CA $185,000 to acquire a 20% additional interest in the Hot Breccia project and assume all of Infinitum's remaining obligations under the Option Agreement to issue shares to Walnut, which is currently evaluated at approximately CA $54,000 through the issuance of Prismo common shares at a deemed issue price of $0.11 per share, subject to adjustments at closing. Prismo has also agreed to pay 5% of any consideration received in connection with a transaction in which Prismo assigns its interest in Hot Breccia to a third-party. The cash payment will be funded through a third party as an advance to the Company and will not utilize its working capital which is earmarked for the advancement of the Silver King project. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place on or around January 16th. Prismo's Hot Breccia project lies at the heart of the Arizona Copper Belt, which hosts several globally significant porphyry copper deposits. Examples of these significant deposits are Freeport McMoRan's Miami-Inspiration mining complex, BHP's San Manuel mine, Rio Tinto and BHP's Resolution deposit and others (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Location of the Hot Breccia Project in the Arizona Copper Belt. Historical drilling carried out in the mid to late 1970's by a Rio Tinto subsidiary intersected high-grade copper mineralization at depths ranging from 640 to 830 meters below surface. Several holes targeted an area with a coincident magnetic high, believed to be caused by magnetite skarn that was cut in the drill holes and that occurs in xenoliths in cross cutting dikes exposed at the surface. Prismo believes those intercepts may represent the periphery of the upper portion of a large mineralized system. Support for the Company's mineralization model at the project comes from several sources, including the results of historical drilling, geophysical surveys, distribution of dikes with xenoliths of Cu-bearing skarn, the 2023 ZTEM survey as well as the results of an AI study. The anomalous target area identified in Prismo's modelling measures 1,100 meters by 1,150 meters. Dr. Craig Gibson, Chief Exploration Officer of Prismo stated: "The copper exploration target at Hot Breccia has geophysical, geochemical and geological features characteristic of many porphyry copper deposits. The project area has a regional setting similar to BHP-Rio Tinto's Resolution copper deposit located 40 kilometers to the northwest of Hot Breccia and which is considered to be one of the greatest copper discoveries in the history of North American mining." He added: "The drill program is intended to drill through the entire prospective Paleozoic carbonate stratigraphy into the postulated porphyry body/breccia zone. The exploration team will take advantage of geological information provided by each hole during drilling to refine targeting of subsequent holes." Historical drill holes cut high grade skarn mineralization including 23 meters with 0.54% Cu at 640 meters depth (hole OC-1), 18 m with 1.4% Cu and 4.65% Zn at 830 meters depth (hole OCC-7), and 7.6 m with 1.73% Cu and 0.11% Zn at 703 meters and 4.6 meters with 1.4% Cu and 0.88% Zn at 716 meters (OCC-8). Mineralization occurs within a several hundred-meter-thick altered zone hosted in favorable Paleozoic carbonate rocks that underly a sequence of Cretaceous andesitic volcanic rocks. These carbonates are the same rocks that host the high-grade copper mineralization at Freeport's nearby Christmas mine. The historical drilling intersected a blind mineralized intrusion associated with the skarn mineralization, providing an immediate drill target that is believed to be the source of the mineralization at Hot Breccia (Figure 2). Several magnetic highs in the region surrounding the proposed intrusion may also indicated buried skarn mineralization and provide additional exploration targets. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 2. Schematic cross section at Hot Breccia showing updated interpretation after Barrett (1974). Notes: (1)Barrett, Larry Frank (1972): Igneous Intrusions and Associated Mineralization in the Saddle Mountain Mining District Pinal County, Arizona. Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Utah. (2)Barrett, Larry Frank (1974): Diamond drill hole OC-1, O'Carroll Canyon, Pinal County, Arizona, unpublished internal report, Bear Creek Mining. About Hot Breccia The Hot Breccia property consists of 1,420 hectares in 227 contiguous mining claims located in the world class Arizona Copper Belt between several very well understood world-class copper mines including Morenci, Ray and Resolution (Figure 1). Hot Breccia shows many features in common with these neighboring systems, most prominently a swarm of porphyry dikes and series of breccia pipes containing numerous fragments of well copper-mineralized rocks mixed with fragments of volcanic and sedimentary derived from considerable depth. Prismo performed a ZTEM survey last year that identified a very large conductive anomaly directly beneath the breccia outcrops. Sampling at the project has shown the presence of copper mineralization associated with dacite dikes that transported fragments of strongly mineralized carbonate rocks to the surface from depths believed to be 400-1,000 meters. Drilling deep holes is necessary to tap into the source of these mineralized fragments found at surface. Assay results from historical drill holes are unverified as the core has been destroyed, but information has been gathered from memos, photos and drill logs that contain some, but not all, of the assay results and descriptions. Technical information from adjacent or nearby properties does not mean nor does it imply that Prismo will obtain similar results from its own properties. Data on previous drilling and geophysics is historical in nature and has not been verified, is not compliant with NI 43-101 standards and should not be relied upon; the Company is using the information only as a guide to aid in exploration planning. Qualified Person Dr. Craig Gibson, PhD., CPG., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-01 and Chief Exploration Officer and a director of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure in this news release. About Prismo Metals Inc. Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is a mining exploration company focused on advancing its Hot Breccia copper project in Arizona and its Palos Verdes silver project in Mexico. Please follow @PrismoMetals on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube Prismo Metals Inc. 1100 - 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6 Phone: (416) 361-0737 Contact: Alain Lambert, Chief Executive Officer [email protected] Gordon Aldcorn, President [email protected] 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, among other things: the timing, costs and anticipated results of drilling at Hot Breccia; the ability of Prismo to fund drilling and pursue potential third-party partnerships; the Company's strategic flexibility with respect to the Hot Breccia project going forward; the number of shares issuable by Prismo to Walnut pursuant to the transaction described in this news release; and the Company's expectations regarding mineralization and other qualities of the Hot Breccia project. 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: delays in obtaining or failure to obtain appropriate funding to finance the exploration program at Hot Breccia; the risk that the Company will not enter into a third-party partnership with respect to the Hot Breccia project; the risk that mineralization will not be as anticipated at the project; the risk that the Company will not be able to take advantage of geological information to refine drill targeting; metal prices; market uncertainty; and other risks and uncertainties application to exploration activities and the Company's business as set forth in the Company's disclosure documents available for viewing under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the ability to raise capital to fund the drilling campaign at Hot Breccia and the timing of such drilling campaign; the ability of the Company to enter into a third-party partnership on the project; that the project will have the anticipated mineralization and other qualities; and the Company will be able to take advantage of geological information to refine drill targeting. 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. Lodestar Metals Corp. (TSXV: LSTR) (OTC: SVTNF) ("Lodestar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the strategic appointment of David Christie as Chairman of the Company. Lowell Kamin, President and CEO, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome David as Chairman of Lodestar. His rare combination of technical expertise, corporate development leadership, and capital markets experience aligns perfectly with our ambition to build a high-impact exploration company. David has consistently demonstrated an ability to identify opportunity, execute value-accretive transactions, and scale businesses responsibly. His guidance will materially strengthen our board and position Lodestar for long-term growth and value creation." "Having worked closely with the team as a director since June, I have developed a strong conviction in Lodestar's assets, strategy, and technical approach," said David Christie, Chairman of Lodestar Metals. "The Goldrun Project's location on a major Carlin-style trend, adjacent to some of North America's largest gold deposits, provides an exceptional foundation for discovery. I believe the Company's potential is not yet fully recognized by the market, and I am excited to step into the role of Chairman and contribute my experience across exploration, corporate development, and capital markets to help efficiently guide the board and company towards its goals and drive long-term shareholder value." David Christie was appointed as a director of the Company on June 24, 2025. Mr. Christie has 39 years of experience in mining, exploration and mining finance and is currently President and COO for Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. He was one of the founders, President, CEO and Director of Orford Mining Corp which was sold to Alamos Gold Inc. in April 2024. Mr. Christie was CEO, President and Director of Eagle Hill Exploration Ltd. where he was part of the team that completed a five-way merger to create Osisko Mining Inc. in 2015 (recently sold to Gold Fields Ltd.). He was Vice President at Dundee Resources and Goodman and Company Investment Counsel (subsidiaries of Dundee Corp.) where he worked on a number of resource portfolios. Prior to these roles Mr. Christie was a highly ranked Mining Equity Analyst at TD Securities, Scotia Capital and Newcrest Capital, which had followed many years working in association with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. as an exploration geologist. Mr. Christie was previously a director of Mines D'Or Orbec Inc leading up to its sale to IAMGOLD in December 2025. He also previously held director positions for eCobalt Solutions Inc., Condor Precious Merals Inc., Osisko Mining Inc., True North Nickel, Orford Mining Corp and Eagle Hill Exploration Ltd. David Christie is a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and Northwest Territories and Nunavut and received a BSc degree in Geology from McMaster University. Stock Option Grants The Company has granted a total of 1,600,000 stock options to its directors, officers and consultants. The stock options are exercisable at $0.15 per common share and have a five-year term. ABOUT LODESTAR METALS Lodestar Metals Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing the drill-ready Goldrun Project in Nevada, strategically located on a major Carlin-style gold trend and adjacent to some of the largest gold deposits in North America. With decades of combined geological and capital markets expertise, Lodestar follows a disciplined, step-by-step approach to discovery. The Company's strategy is clear: focus capital on high-value targets, move quickly on known mineralization, and build a compliant gold resource that delivers lasting shareholder value. For more information, please visit www.lodestarmetals.ca. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Best-to-date titanium-vanadium-iron drill results at Trapper Zone underscore Radar's large-scale oxide system within the 160 km Dykes River intrusive complex near tidewater in Labrador VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 09, 2026 -- Saga Metals Corp. ("SAGA" or the "Company") (TSXV: SAGA) (OTCQB: SAGMF) (FSE: 20H), a North American exploration company focused on critical mineral discovery, is pleased to highlight a strengthened titanium thesis for its Radar Ti-V-Fe Project near the port of Cartwright, Labrador, following the Company's best drill results to date from the Trapper Zone Phase 1 Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") drill program. SAGA's latest assays from the first two of eight completed MRE program drill holes at Trapper Zone demonstrate long, cumulative intervals of oxide mineralization with significant assay results of titanium dioxide (TiO?), vanadium pentoxide (V?O?) and iron oxides (Fe?O?). This mineral assemblage is consistent with vanadiferous titanomagnetite ("VTM") and ilmenite mineralization that could potentially underpin multiple downstream titanium value chains and support an emerging strategic narrative: a need for resilient North American titanium supply. SAGA believes Radar's titanium-bearing oxide system is increasingly topical as Western governments and manufacturers focus on secure, defense-aligned supply chains for titanium metal inputs. In a January 2, 2026, MINING.com article citing Project Blue's report "Metals and the Security of Nations", titanium is characterized as a critical mineral for defense and aerospace, with supply-chain risk concentrated in titanium metal pathways (including aerospace-grade sponge capacity and certification) rather than in pigment markets. The vast majority - over 90% globally of mined titanium is processed into the pigment - a looming supply chain gap UK-headquartered market intelligence company Project Blue outlines in its report. "Titanium is essentially a defence metal - it can be up to 20% or more of the markets for total titanium consumption that goes into defence. An F 15 can be up to 40% in weight of titanium. There's some serious volume going in these jet planes," Project Blue Founder and Director, Dr. Nils Backeberg told MINING.com in an interview. SAGA Metals Releases Best-to-Date Drill Results at the Radar Project Confirming Robust Titanium-Vanadium-Iron Oxide Mineralization at Trapper Zone - Assay Highlights: Hole R-0008: 269.36 m @ 6.57% TiO?, 0.244% V?O?, 36.21% Fe?O? (full hole) Hole R-0009: 296.47 m @ 7.46% TiO?, 0.250% V?O?, 39.75% Fe?O? (full hole) High-grade intervals within the broader intercepts, including 2 m @ 13.30% TiO? (core sample 1800528) Michael Garagan, CGO & Director of SAGA Metals, stated: "The results from the first two holes at the Trapper Zone are an outstanding success, and represent the best intercepts drilled on the Radar property to date." What's Different About the Radar Ti-V-Fe Project: A District-Scale Oxide System Enclosing the Entire Dykes River Intrusive Complex Potentially Forming a New North American Titanium Narrative SAGA's Radar Project is not a single isolated target. The Radar Property spans 24,175 hectares and hosts the entire Dykes River intrusive complex (~160 km)-a property-scale position that is unique among Western explorers. Geological mapping, geophysics and trenching confirm oxide layering across more than 20 km of strike length and mineralization open for expansion. Drilling to date (4,250 m total) has confirmed a large mineralized layered mafic intrusion hosting VTM and ilmenite concentrations with strong titanium and vanadium grades. Drilling and geophysics validate a continuous 16+ km oxide layering trend stretching from the Hawkeye Zone to the Trapper Zone, coinciding with a strong arcuate regional magnetic-high anomaly. Titanium Market Context: Defense and Aerospace Supply Chains Are Driving Urgency This exploration progress is occurring against a strengthening macro backdrop for titanium as a defense and aerospace critical mineral, where supply-chain resilience-not just demand growth-has become a primary strategic driver. Titanium is deemed a critical metal by the U.S., EU and Canada and is essential for defense and aerospace applications due to its strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. At the same time, the titanium market is structurally bifurcated: TiO? pigment dominates mined titanium flows, while defense and aerospace rely on titanium metal supply chains that are sensitive to geopolitics and processing constraints. Project Blue (as reported by MINING.com) notes that over 90% of mined titanium is processed into pigment, and that near-term vulnerability centers on aerospace-grade titanium sponge capacity and certification, rather than mineral availability alone. The same report highlights titanium supply-chain concentration risks, stating Russia remains a leading source of aerospace-grade titanium and that China's share of global titanium metals has increased sharply in recent years. Titanium market growth tailwinds Third-party market research distributed via openPR (DataM Intelligence) forecasts the global titanium market could grow from US$30.34 billion (2024) to US$52.52 billion by 2032 (CAGR 7.10%), citing demand drivers including aerospace, defense, automotive, and renewable energy; the same release indicates Asia-Pacific leads with 45% share. openPR.com "SAGA's recent assays are truly exceptional, delivering long intervals of high-grade titanium, vanadium, and iron oxide mineralization-highlighting the immense potential of this district-scale oxide system. At SAGA Metals, we're committed to advancing Radar as a strategic source of titanium right here in Labrador, bolstering resilient, domestic supply chains to meet these urgent national security needs," stated Mike Stier, CEO & Director of Saga Metals. Next steps at the Radar Project: SAGA expects to receive additional assay results next week, with remaining results shortly thereafter, and plans to mobilize crews by mid-January to initiate the 2026 phase of the Trapper Zone MRE drill program. Figure 1: Location of the Fall 2025 phase of drilling at Trapper Zone, showing the TMI of the 2025 Trapper Zone ground magnetic survey as well as the grid for the MRE drill program to be completed in 2026. About the Radar Ti-V-Fe Property: The Radar Property spans 24,175 hectares and hosts the entire Dykes River intrusive complex (~160 km), a unique position among Western explorers. Geological mapping, geophysics, and trenching have already confirmed oxide layering across more than 20 km of strike length, with mineralization open for expansion. Vanadiferous titanomagnetite ("VTM") mineralization at Radar is comparable to global Fe-Ti-V systems such as Panzhihua (China), Bushveld (South Africa), and Tellnes (Norway), positioning the Project as a potential strategic future supplier of titanium, vanadium, and iron to North American markets. Figure 2: Radar Project's prospective oxide layering zone validated over ~16 km strike length through Fall 2025 drilling, as shown on a compilation of historical airborne geophysics as well as ground-based geophysics in the Hawkeye and Trapper zones completed by SAGA in the 2024/2025 field programs. SAGA has demonstrated the reliability of the regional airborne magnetic surveys after ground-truthing and drilling in the 2024 and 2025 field programs. Qualified Person Paul J. McGuigan, P. Geo., is an Independent Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release. Technical Information Samples were cut by Company personnel at SAGA's core facility in Cartwright, Labrador. Diamond drill core was sawed and then sampled in maximum 2 m intervals. Drill hole core diameter utilized was NQ. Core samples have been prepared and analyzed at IGS laboratory facility in Montreal, Quebec. Blanks, duplicates, and certified reference standards are inserted into the sample stream to monitor laboratory performance. Crush rejects and pulps are kept and stored in a secured storage facility for future assay verification. The Company utilizes a rigorous, industry-standard QA/QC program. Note: Market data is sourced from https://www.openpr.com/news/4334101/titanium-market-to-reach-usd-52-52-billion-by-2032-strong-7-10 and has not been independently verified by SAGA. Mining.com released an article on January 2, 2026 referenced in this press release and is sourced from: https://www.mining.com/us-must-ramp-up-titanium-capacity-to-avoid-squeeze-project-blue-founder-says/ About SAGA Metals Corp. SAGA Metals Corp. is a North American mining company focused on the exploration and discovery of a diversified suite of critical minerals that support the North American transition to supply security. The Radar Ti-V-Fe Project comprises 24,175 hectares and entirely encloses the Dykes River intrusive complex, mapped at 160 km on the surface near Cartwright, Labrador. Exploration to date, including a total of 4,250 m of drilling, has confirmed a large and mineralized layered mafic intrusion hosting vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) and ilmenite mineralization with strong grades of titanium and vanadium. The Double Mer Uranium Project, also in Labrador, covers 25,600 hectares and features uranium radiometrics that highlight an 18km east-west trend, with a confirmed 14km section producing samples as high as 0.428% U3O8. Uranium uranophane was identified in several areas of highest radiometric response (2024 Double Mer Technical Report). Additionally, SAGA owns the Legacy Lithium Property in Quebec's Eeyou Istchee James Bay region. This project, developed in partnership with Rio Tinto, has been expanded through the acquisition of the Amirault Lithium Project. Together, these properties cover 65,849 hectares and share significant geological continuity with other major players in the area, including Rio Tinto, Winsome Resources, Azimut Exploration, and Loyal Metals. With a portfolio spanning key commodities critical to the clean energy future, SAGA is strategically positioned to play an essential role in critical mineral security. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Mike Stier, Chief Executive Officer For more information, contact: Rob Guzman, Investor Relations SAGA Metals Corp. Tel: +1 (844) 724-2638 Email: [email protected] www.sagametals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service 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 Disclaimer This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipates", "expects", "believes", and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the Company's Radar Project. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage, inherent risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, particularly given the early-stage nature of the Company's assets, and the risks detailed in the Company's continuous disclosure filings with securities regulations from time to time, available under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. 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. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e21bb951-27c0-4b42-8a84-30fb2b2317f1 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46a5c706-d557-4027-bbbe-ec9278c19754 Copper Giant Resources Corp. ("Copper Giant" or the "Company") (TSXV: CGNT) (OTCQB: LBCMF) (FRA: 29H0) is pleased to announce, further to its news release dated November 24, 2025; it has filed an independent technical report containing an updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") on the Companys flagship Mocoa copper-molybdenum project in Putumayo, Colombia. The Technical Report has an effective date of December 23, 2025 and was prepared in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosures for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The Technical Report can be found under the Companys profile on SEDAR (www.sedarplus.ca) and is also available on the Companys website (www.coppergiant.co) Highlights of the MRE include: Inferred Mineral Resources of 12.7 billion pounds (Blbs) copper-equivalent (CuEq*) at an average grade of 0.51% CuEq*, including 7.6 Blbs of copper at 0.31% Cu and 1.0 Blbs of molybdenum at 0.039% Mo, within 1.12 billion tonnes; showing a +76% increase in tonnage, +14% increase in CuEq* grade and +101% increase in contained CuEq*metal, compared to the project's previous MRE The Resource is constrained within a conservative revenue factor pit shell of 0.65, using US$4.0/lb copper and US$20.0/lb molybdenum at a cut-off of 0.25% CuEq* The System remains open laterally and at depth, with multiple untested nearby porphyry targets. Mineral Resource Estimate Table 1 - 2025 Mocoa Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate effective November 18, 2025 Cut-Off Tonnage CuEq (%) Cu (%) Mo (%) Contained CuEq Contained Cu Contained Mo (% CuEq) (Mt) ( %) ( %) ( %) (Blbs) (Blbs) (Blbs) 0.10 1,553 0.42 0.25 0.031 14.4 8.7 1.1 0.15 1,410 0.45 0.27 0.034 14.0 8.4 1.0 0.20 1,268 0.48 0.29 0.036 13.4 8.1 1.0 0.25 1,120 0.51 0.31 0.039 12.7 7.6 1.0 0.30 972 0.55 0.33 0.042 11.8 7.0 0.9 0.40 674 0.64 0.38 0.050 9.5 5.6 0.7 0.50 441 0.74 0.43 0.059 7.2 4.2 0.6 0.60 287 0.84 0.48 0.068 5.3 3.1 0.4 0.70 190 0.94 0.53 0.077 3.9 2.2 0.3 Notes 1. The MRE was completed by Kevin Hon, B.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Resource Geologist, and Warren Black, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Consultant: Mineral Resources and Geostatistics, both of APEX. Mr. Hon and Mr. Black are independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101, and are responsible for the completion of the MRE, with an effective date of November 18, 2025. Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geo., President & CEO of APEX, completed a peer review of the estimate. 2. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. 3. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. 4. The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could potentially be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. 5. The Mineral Resources were estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices Guidelines (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council. 6. Economic assumptions used include US$4.00/lb Cu, US$20.00/lb Mo, process recoveries of 90% for Cu and 95% for Mo, a US$10/t processing cost, G&A costs of US$1.00/t, and a 3% NSR royalty 7. CuEq* values are calculated using a Cu-to-Mo value ratio of 1:5.278, incorporating both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries. 8. The constraining pit optimization parameters include a US$2.5/t mining cost for both mineralized and waste material and 45 slopes. Pit-constrained Mineral Resources are reported at a cutoff of 0.25% CuEq*. Qualified Person and Technical Notes The Qualified Persons for the Technical Report are Michael B. Dufresne (P.Geo, P.Geol, MSc), Warren E. Black (P.Geo, MSc) and Kevin S. Hon (P.Geo, BSc) from APEX Geoscience and Chester de Leon (P.Eng,) from Consultec Limited. Edwin Naranjo Sierra, Vice-President of Exploration for Copper Giant, is the designated Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. Mr. Naranjo holds an MSc. in Earth Sciences and is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM). Mr. Naranjo is not independent of the Company. Mineralized zones at Mocoa are bulk porphyry-style zones and drilled widths are interpreted to be very close to true widths. Copper Giant operates according to a rigorous Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) protocol consistent with industry best practices. Core diameter is a mix of HQ and NQ depending on the depth of the drill hole. Diamond drill core boxes were photographed, sawed, sampled and tagged in maximum 2-metre intervals, stopping in geological boundaries. Samples were bagged, tagged and packaged for shipment by truck from Copper Giant's core logging facilities in Mocoa, Colombia to the ActLabs certified sample preparation facility in Medellin, Colombia. ActLabs is an accredited laboratory independent of the Company. Samples are processed in the Medellin facilities where they are analyzed for copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, zinc and lead by 4-Acid digest Atomic Absorption (AA) analysis. The sample pulps are air freighted from Medellin to the ActLabs certified laboratory in Guadalajara, Mexico, where they are analyzed for a suite of 57 elements using 4-Acid digest and ICP-MS. In order to monitor the ongoing quality of assay data and the database, Copper Giant has implemented QA/QC protocols which include standard sampling methodologies, the insertion of certified copper and molybdenum standard materials, blanks, duplicates (field, preparation and analysis) randomly inserted into the sampling sequence. QA/QC program also includes ongoing monitoring of data entry, QA/QC reporting and data validation. No material QA/QC issues have been identified with respect to sample collection, security and assaying. In the APEX QP's opinion there were no material QA/QC issues with respect to sample collection, security and assaying. About the Mocoa Porphyry System The Mocoa Project is located in Colombia's Department of Putumayo, approximately 10 kilometres from the town of Mocoa in the country's south. Copper Giant controls more than 132,499 Ha of district-scale tenure through granted titles and applications, covering a significant portion of the Jurassic porphyry belt-an underexplored and highly prospective metallogenic corridor within the northern Andes. Mocoa was first identified in 1973 through a regional geochemical survey conducted by the United Nations and the Colombian government. Follow-up programs between 1978 and 1983 included geological mapping, IP and magnetic geophysics, surface sampling, drilling, and metallurgical testing. Subsequent drilling by B2Gold in 2008 and 2012 refined the geological interpretation and confirmed the large scale of the system. The deposit is hosted in Middle Jurassic dacite and quartz-diorite porphyries intruding andesitic to dacitic volcanics of the Central Cordillera, a 30-kilometre-wide tectonic belt that extends into Ecuador and also contains major porphyry systems such as Mirador, Warintza, San Carlos, and Panantza. Mocoa exhibits classic porphyry-style zonation with a potassic core surrounded by sericite and propylitic alteration. Mineralization consists principally of disseminated chalcopyrite and molybdenite, accompanied locally by bornite and chalcocite, and is associated with stockwork veining and hydrothermal breccias. A distinguishing geological feature of Mocoa is the presence of a fertile magmatic window spanning roughly ten million years, a prolonged and unusually productive interval of magma generation and evolution that is not commonly observed in other Jurassic porphyry systems within the same belt. This extended fertile period provides a compelling explanation for the system's large metal endowment, broad alteration footprint, and overlapping intrusive and hydrothermal events. The deposit demonstrates more than 1,000 metres of vertical continuity, with multiple intrusive phases, brecciation episodes, and vein generations reflecting a dynamic and long-lived magmatic-hydrothermal evolution, likely influenced by more than one porphyry center. Mocoa remains open in all directions, and several satellite targets across the broader land package support the interpretation of a district-scale mineralized system. Mocoa's MRE1 comprises inferred resources of 12.7 billion pounds (Blbs) copper-equivalent (CuEq*) at an average grade of 0.51% CuEq*, including 7.7 Blbs of copper at 0.31% Cu and 1.0 Blbs of molybdenum at 0.039% Mo, within 1,120 million tonnes (Mt). 1 For further information refer to NI 43-101 Technical Report, entitled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for The Mocoa Project, Putumayo Department, Colombia", dated January 8, 2026, prepared by Michael Dufresne (P.Geo, P.Geol, MSc), Warren Black (MSc, P.Geo), Kevin Hon (BSc, P.Geo) and Chester de Leon (P.Eng), with an effective date of December 23, 2025. About Copper Giant Copper Giant Resources Corp. is part of the Fiore Group, a private and well-established Canadian organization known for building successful, high-impact companies across the natural resource sector. Copper Giant was formed with a singular focus: to advance high-quality copper projects beyond resource definition-responsibly, efficiently, and with long-term positive impact. The Company is led by a team with uncommon experience, having successfully taken some of the few major copper mines developed in the past two decades from discovery through to construction. Copper Giant's current focus is the Mocoa copper-molybdenum deposit in southern Colombia, one of the largest undeveloped resources of its kind in the Americas. Recent exploration success has revealed potential well beyond its original footprint, highlighting Mocoa as a broader district-scale opportunity-and the catalyst for the Company's name and evolution. Guided by the values of respect and responsibility, and grounded in its Good Neighbor philosophy, Copper Giant is committed to creating enduring values for all stakeholders and playing a meaningful role in the global energy transition. About APEX Geoscience Ltd. APEX Geoscience Ltd. (APEX) is an employee-owned corporation founded in 1993. The company is an integrated team of professional geologists, geophysicists, and resource specialists with extensive experience in all phases of exploration, development, and production of mineral projects. APEX provides a full spectrum of consulting services, including property evaluation, exploration planning, geological interpretation, resource estimation, feasibility studies, and technical reporting compliant with NI 43-101 standards. APEX has prepared over 500 NI 43-101 technical reports for junior and intermediate mining companies worldwide, focusing on precious and base metals, industrial minerals, and specialty commodities. APEX is independent of Copper Giant and holds no direct or indirect interest in the Mocoa project or Copper Giant, except as disclosed herein. The Qualified Persons leading the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Mocoa project are Mr. Warren Black, M.Sc., P.Geo. and Mr. Kevin Hon, B.Sc., P.Geo. Senior Geologists with APEX, and a Peer Review by Mr. Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., President and CEO of APEX. Mr. Black, Mr. Hon and Mr. Dufresne are all Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Dufresne has over 30 years of experience in mineral resource estimation and has authored numerous Technical Reports and Valuation Reports for public companies at various exploration stages, from early-stage to advanced projects. His experience spans multiple commodities and deposit types, and he has served as Qualified Person for several maiden and updated mineral resource estimates (MREs) on gold, copper, and silver projects in Canada, the United States, and internationally. 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 includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the Updated Mineral Resource Estimate and the potential to update inferred mineral resources to indicated mineral resources, the outcome of the Company's current resource expansion strategy; other activities and achievements of the Company, including but not limited to: the timing and success for the advancement of the Mocoa Project, the expansion of the Mocoa resource base; are to be considered forward looking. Although Copper Giant believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices and volatility with the Company's common shares, exploitation and exploration successes, uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates, risks of not achieving production, continued availability of capital and financing, processes, permits and filing requirements, risks related to operations in foreign and developing countries and compliance with foreign laws and including risks related to changes in foreign laws and changing policies related to mining and local ownership requirements in Colombia, and general economic, market, political or business conditions and regulatory and administrative approvals. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. Copper Giant does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. SOURCE COPPER GIANT RESOURCES CORP. Gold Reserve Ltd. (TSX.V: GRZ) (BSX: GRZ.BH) (OTCQX: GDRZF) ("Gold Reserve" or the "Company") announces that it has granted a total of 1,525,000 stock options (the "Options") to directors, officers, employees and certain key consultants of the Company. The Options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of US$3.64 per share. The Options were issued pursuant to the Company's 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, and in accordance with the requirements of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Bermuda Stock Exchange. The Company also announced that effective January 8, 2026, Sai Ahmed has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Company and Mackenzie Clark has been appointed as Chief Legal Officer of the Company. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws and state Gold Reserve's and its management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. They are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates", "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed", "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such information and statements reflect the current views of the Company's management, as the case may be, with respect to future events, and are based on information currently available to the Company, as the case may be, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those discussed below. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting the Company's business, see the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other reports that have been filed on SEDAR+ and are available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws. 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. For further information regarding Gold Reserve Ltd., visit https://www.goldreserve.bm. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109895078/en/ Contact [email protected] (441) 295-4653 A.S. Cooper Building, 7th Floor, 26 Reid Street, Hamilton, HM 11, Bermuda Encore Energy, Inc. ("Encore" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing horizontal Berea drilling and production activities in Lawrence County, Kentucky. BOWLING GREEN, Ky., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Encore has successfully drilled two horizontal Berea oil wells, both of which are currently shipping oil during the early flowback production phase. In addition, the Company drilled a third successful horizontal well in 2025, which is awaiting fracture stimulation. Building on this momentum, Encore plans to drill five additional horizontal wells, including three wells scheduled for drilling in 2026, located near the Levisa Fork River. Encore Energy, Inc. is a fully integrated oil and gas exploration company engaged in horizontal well operations in Lawrence County, Kentucky Upon completion of its current drilling program, Encore expects to be actively drilling and producing in five proven, productive lease areas within Lawrence County Kentucky's leading oil-producing county. Encore Energy, Inc. is the lease owner, well operator, and developer of multiple horizontal oil and gas projects, controlling thousands of leased acres across Eastern Kentucky. To date, nearly 200 horizontal wells have been permitted, drilled, and/or placed into production in Lawrence County by multiple operators. The horizontal Berea "non-conventional" play represents the most active and prolific oil and gas development in the state, driven by advanced drilling and completion technologies, including MWD-guided horizontal drilling and plug-and-perf multi-stage fracture stimulation. This tight oil play, along with other emerging opportunities across deep Appalachia, represents a quiet, near-billion-dollar industry with significant long-term growth potential. These operations are also contributing to job creation, workforce development, and increased tax revenues for Eastern Kentucky. Encore's strategy is focused on developing and proving producing oil and gas assets with sustainable production profiles and long-term reserves. "Encore will continue to drill the very best PUD locations to prove up both production and reserves over the long term," said Steve Stengell, President and CEO of Encore Energy, Inc. "We recently completed the first horizontal well in the East Field, and we are extremely pleased with the early flowback production results." Modern oil and gas development has become cleaner and more environmentally responsible due to advancements in horizontal drilling, multi-stage completion techniques, and stringent regulatory compliance standards governing today's non-conventional energy operations. Previously, Encore drilled and completed three horizontal Berea wells producing both oil and gas and constructed a nearly seven-mile gas transmission system, which is currently in production. Investor Considerations Oil and gas investments involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty and are suitable only for SEC-defined accredited investors who can afford the potential loss of their investment and understand the inherent volatility of drilling and production operations. Non-conventional oil and gas projects require significant capital investment, long development timelines, and operate in challenging mountainous terrain. No assurances can be made regarding production rates, reserves, profitability, income, timelines, or commodity prices, all of which are subject to factors beyond the Company's control. Qualified accredited investors may be eligible to deduct nearly 100% of intangible drilling costs (IDC) in year one, with the potential for long-term monthly income from sustained oil production and future exit opportunities. Encore offers operator-direct investment access, providing investors with transparent communication at the wellhead level. Encore Energy, Inc. is a proud supporter of the Trump Administration's "Drill Baby Drill" energy initiative and the MAGA movement. About Encore Energy, Inc. Encore Energy, Inc. is a privately held oil and gas company focused on the acquisition, development, and operation of non-conventional horizontal oil and gas assets in Eastern Kentucky. For more information, please contact Steve Stengell at (270) 438-9956 or via email at [email protected] Investment Risk, Disclaimer and Cautionary Statement: The information herein may contain forward-looking statements, and actual results may vary. Words such as "estimate", "will," "intend," "continue," "target," "expect," "achieve," "strategy," "future," "may," "goal," or other comparable words or phrases or the negative of those words, and other words of similar meaning indicate forward-looking statements and important factors which could affect actual results. Forward-looking statements are made based upon Management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon Encore Energy, Inc. Oil and gas investments involve an extremely high degree of risk, uncertainty and are only suitable for qualified Accredited (SEC Definition) investors who are sophisticated in making business decisions and can bear the financial loss of their entire investment, while delivering a turnkey profit to the Company for providing the prospect development, lease acquisition, drilling, completion, engineering, ongoing production operations and other services. The Company does not provide tax advice and investors should seek the advice of their tax professional. Any tax and/or other information herein is provided for illustration purposes only and may include estimates that are uncertain and subject to change. It is impossible to accurately forecast profitability, production, reserves, income, expenses and timelines for any project. No assurances can be made as it relates to reserves, production, income, profit, prices, timelines and/or other estimates. Actual production and results are beyond the control of management. In the event that commercial production is achieved, it may take many years for the investor to recoup his or her investment. The Company's lease acreage position under is subject to change and includes acreage under lease, Farmout agreement, verbal agreement, renewals, expired terms and any other prospective acreage in which the Company has communicated and/or negotiated with the landowner the leasing of oil and gas rights, now or in the future, and the lease / mineral owner has leased or communicated their intent to lease there mineral lease rights to the Company. The Company's well operations is located primarily in the extremely remote, mountainous and challenging terrain of East Kentucky. This extremely challenging terrain may result in indefinite project delays and escalating costs beyond the control of management. It is important for qualified SEC defined accredited investors to acknowledge the fact that the US government provides them with tax savings (100% IDC tax deduction) to mitigate or at least off-set some of the financial risk associated with domestic oil and gas investments. This is not an offer to sell or buy a security. An offer shall only be made pursuant to SEC Regulation D, Rule 506(c) by a private placement offering memorandum, and this is not a private placement offering memorandum. Investor privacy is protected by state and federal laws and Encore's privacy policy and agreements. Media Contact Steve Stengell, Encore Energy, Inc., 1 2704389956, [email protected], www.encore-energy.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/encore-energy-inc-provides-horizontal-berea-drilling-and-production-report-for-2026-302655953.html SOURCE Encore Energy, Inc. Vancouver, January 9, 2026 - Rockland Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Rockland") (CSE: RKL) (OTCQB: BERLF) (FSE: GB2) announces that it has engaged Chibougamau Drilling with a base in Red Lake for the upcoming drill program at the Company's flagship Cole Gold Mines project located in the prolific Red Lake District, Ontario. Chibougamau Drilling is very familiar with Red Lake having drilled extensively at the very successful Great Bear deposit over the years. The initial drill program will consist of approximately 3,000 meters and is expected to commence later this month. The Company further announces it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 12 million units ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,200,000.00 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share ("Share") and one transferable Share purchase warrant of the Company ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the Subscriber to purchase one Warrant Share for a 36-month period after the Closing Date at an exercise price of $0.15 per share. Net proceeds of the Financing will be used to advance the Corporation's Cole Gold Mines project in Red Lake, Ontario and for general working capital purposes. Shares issued pursuant to the Financing will be subject to a four-month hold period according to applicable securities laws of Canada. Finders' fees may be payable on the private placement, subject to the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Qualified Person: Rockland's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release were reviewed and approved by Danae Voormeij, P. Geo., who is a registered professional geoscientist with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) since 2007. Ms. Voormeij serves as the Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101 as well as Rockland Resources newly appointed Chief Geologist. About Rockland Resources Ltd. Rockland Resources is committed to unlocking value through focused mineral exploration and discovery. The company's flagship project is the historic Cole Gold Mines project in the prolific Red Lake district of Ontario. By leveraging geological expertise, disciplined exploration and strategic project development, Rockland Resources aims to deliver meaningful growth and long-term value to its shareholders. Additionally, Rockland has a portfolio of beryllium properties in Utah that it is determining next moves on. We seek Safe Harbor. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Michael England, CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Mike England Email: [email protected] Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward -looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM). Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. in the Wild 100s of Chicago, an area on the far South Side known for its gang wars, Kurt Summers Jr. is addressing a small crowd gathered inside a once-gleaming 1920s retail building. There used to be a beauty school here; later the building housed a counseling service and a check cashing store. But even those businesses are gone. This community, built by middle- and working-class Dutch families 15 miles from downtown, never recovered from the closing of the South Chicago steel plants in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, its a symbol of violent crime and urban decay.But to Summers, who grew up on the South Side, violence is only a symptom of the communitys real dilemma. We dont have a violence problem in Chicago, we have an economic problem in Chicago, he tells the crowd of about two dozen residents, who applaud in agreement. Normally a deliberate talker, Summers feeds off the crowd, his speech driven by their energy and attention. Its like youre sick and you have a runny nose, he continues. Everybody wants to run and give you a tissue for the runny nose but they dont want to solve the sickness.He tells them he wants to focus policymakers attention on small businesses, the economic building blocks of any community. As the streetlights turn on outside the half-papered-up storefront windows, he outlines his hopes for an investment fund that will give locally owned businesses the financial help that big banks wont. He tells them of his efforts in the legislature in Springfield to make Illinois the first state to go after predatory lending to small businesses.When he works a room, Summers might be taken for a city alderman with well-honed political ambitions. On this night, he happens to be in the neighborhood where Barack Obama got his political start as a young community organizer. But Summers doesnt exactly hold political office; as treasurer he runs a rather obscure outpost of city government, one responsible mainly for managing Chicagos investments and cash flow.Nevertheless, Summers easily connects with this crowd. As an African-American leader in a city where blacks are feeling more and more marginalized, his upbringing in a poor neighborhood in a nontraditional family links him to many poorer Chicagoans, including the ones hes talking to tonight. I lived in [a neighborhood] where everybody was involved in a gang, involved in drugs, on their way to jail or the cemetery, Summers says. And I was lucky I had a hedge of protection around me of elders who said, Were not going to let you go that route.But Summers is equally comfortable with the citys elite. He graduated from high school at 16, from college at 20 and has an MBA from Harvard. At 36, he already has a long resume. Summers worked on Chicagos bid to host the 2016 Olympics and spent time in private capital management. Prior to being tapped by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fill the vacated city treasurer post in late 2014, he was best known locally for being chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.All of us sort of forget how young he is, says John Rogers, chairman of Ariel Investments, who worked with Summers on Chicagos Olympic bid. He has a presence and maturity about him that people just assume hes 10 years older than he is.The city treasurer has traditionally been a backwater job in Chicago. These days, its closer to the center of the citys most glaring problems -- overly burdensome debt, massive pension liabilities and a school system that cant afford to pay for its operations. Even so, Summers has limited influence over policy decisions: The real power belongs to the mayor and his CFO. But Summers is finding ways to make himself heard.Just months into his job as city treasurer in early 2015, Summers had to deal with the matter of actually running for election. He decided to commission a poll. There was no political reason -- he had no opponent. But he wanted to know what his personal starting point was. He asked the citys voters what they knew about their treasurer. Three-quarters of them had no idea Chicago had an elected treasurer.Summers saw that as an opportunity. Previous treasurers in Chicago had typically been bankers or fixtures in the business community. They stuck to managing investments and talking to citizens about financial literacy. Summers didnt want to settle for that. The citys fiscal and economic strength, he says, are directly connected to crime, neighborhood vitality and education. To him, the treasurers office was Chicagos most underused asset when it came to addressing its larger problems.The problems, particularly the financial ones, are complicated. Many feel Chicago is a city that shouldnt be in the financial chokehold it finds itself in today. It is the Midwests only global city, a place with a vibrant, thriving center that draws visitors from all over the world. Its economy continues to grow, if not quite as fast as those of other big cities. It has long touted itself as more affordable and lower in taxation than other cities such as Los Angeles or New York.But Chicago essentially subsidized its growth over several decades by borrowing habitually to pay for its operations. Thats caught up to it, leading to credit rating downgrades, budget deficits and unpopular tax hikes. The city has about $34 billion in outstanding debt, with roughly $20 billion of that coming from its five pension systems. By comparison, its total annual budget is a little more than $9 billion. The pension debt, in combination with state-approved benefit increases, has led to a huge unfunded liability that is now threatening to take over the citys budget.The public school system has similar problems and may be facing a state takeover. The teachers retirement fund is short about $9.6 billion and owes an additional $6 billion to bondholders. The systems outstanding bonds alone exceed its $5.8 billion annual budget, and both the citys and the school systems credit ratings have been downgraded to junk status. In April, the citys teachers went on a one-day strike to protest failed contract negotiations and the overall level of funding.Getting out of this situation will likely require another tax increase. The city imposed a historic 70 percent property tax hike last year, but that half-billion revenue boost is just the opening act to a story that seems destined to end with Chicago giving up its long-held claim to being a low-tax city.In concert with all this are a spike in crime and a deepening racial divide. Murders were up 50 percent during the first four months of this year compared with April 2015. Shootings increased by even more. Dissatisfaction with the citys leadership is common among residents but dramatically greater among residents of color.Summers has strong opinions on all of these issues. He has to choose -- carefully -- where to insert himself in the citys larger problems. Earlier this year on Facebook he praised a post by a local clergyman who slammed Emanuel for the way he handled the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager. The post prompted questions from the local media, and Summers had to walk a fine line that avoided direct criticism of the mayor while responding to public outrage over the administrations slow response. More recently, he urged city pension funds to consider suing banks over money lost from interest-rate swaps, a stance that puts him directly at odds with the mayor.Summers formal distance from the center of power does have advantages: It shields him from direct blame if and when things worsen in any given area. But it also shines a spotlight on the limitations of his position. Some of his work is certainly impressive, says Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation of Chicago. But that work has failed to get much attention, he says, due to the severity of the overall financial crisis, crime and public safety, and the threatened closure of Chicagos public schools from either financial collapse or strike.Take the citys pension funds. As treasurer, Summers sits on five boards that oversee 11 pension funds. His primary influence is on the funds investments, not on the more fundamental issue of how to address their shortfall. But he has made changes that add up. One of his first major moves in office was to tackle the $142 million in annual fees that the plans had been paying to investment managers. Less than a year into his first term as treasurer, most of the funds agreed to join an online database and clearinghouse so they could share information on the fees and work together to reduce their cost. Summers estimates the collaboration could save as much as $50 million a year, or $1 billion over the lifetime of all 11 pension plans.When it comes to areas outside the traditional treasurers role, Summers approaches issues from a financial standpoint and seeks out advocates on his behalf. He is addressing the citys troubled neighborhoods by positioning himself as a small business champion. During his first three months in office, he visited all 77 Chicago neighborhoods in as many days to hear directly from community leaders about their concerns and problems with the city. His office checks in via regular conference calls with those leaders, who have become a surrogate voice for the treasurers agenda across the far reaches of the city. His careful cultivation of neighborhood leaders has served only to heighten speculation about his political ambitions.management tone early on when he closed more than 200 bank accounts and hundreds of dormant funds and seized untapped bond proceeds to net more than $100 million in what he said was essentially found money for Chicago. He decided that the citys nearly $3 billion in short-term cash -- roughly three times what is recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association -- could be put to better use. He took a little more than a billion from that stash and invested it. Last year, the investments under Summers management earned about $58 million, beating the previous years returns of a little less than $50 million. The office has instituted quarterly earnings calls, a practice designed to improve confidence in the citys financial wherewithal at a time when newspaper headlines are creating doubt.Summers office has been leaning hard on banks. In particular, he has demanded that they release information on their neighborhood loans and investments. He wants to track the investments as a way of helping to decide how much of the citys money these municipal depositories will be given to work with. Meanwhile, banks have pushed back on his effort to obtain passage of a statewide law regulating online lending to small businesses. The bill, which seeks the same kind of transparency requirements that have restricted predatory loans to individuals, appears to exempt bank loans. But the banks are concerned the exemption is ambiguous. Business groups including the state chamber of commerce say the proposal would dry up lending to small businesses, rather than facilitate it. Days after the bill was introduced in Springfield, more than a dozen lobbyists were hired to kill it.Then there is the campaign to create an independently run investment fund that would pump money into neighborhood economic development. Its common for major cities to have a revolving loan fund to give local businesses a leg up. But what would basically amount to an economically targeted investment pool run by an independent board is fairly unusual. Summers envisions that founding partners would include various private and institutional investors. He suggests that banks participation in the fund would be a way for them to show the city they are investing in local communities without having to take on the risk of underwriting a loan themselves.Inside his office in city hall, where his power goes a lot further, the cultural change has been swift and fierce. At one time, the treasurers office was a place for money managers who chose to escape the rigors of the private financial world. That is no longer true. Summers believes he can attract the talent he wants by touting his office as a training ground for future investment bankers and fund managers. The investment staff is filled mostly by people in their 20s who are making thousands of trades a year.In 2013, the Chicago Park District agreed to let the treasurers office manage its portfolio. Summers wants to expand on that deal and make the same arrangement with other local agencies. This effort has achieved mixed results. The Public Building Commission agreed to it, but the much larger public school system has yet to take him up on the offer.Summers says the offer to the school system is still on the table, but he also realizes he needs more advocates on his behalf, just as he has done with the neighborhood leaders. During a recent meeting with the parents organization Raise Your Hand, Summers reiterated his desire to manage school system investments, and asked them to bring up the idea during their meetings with school administrators. Here, the limitations of his office are glaring -- Summers has not gotten help from the Emanuel administration on this particular quest. Look, I get it, he says. When youre dealing with a half-billion or a billion-dollar problem and someones saying, Hey I might find $20 million here, its hard to get them to prioritize it. That doesnt mean its not worth pursuing. In fact, its all the more reason you have the obligation to take nickels, dimes and quarters.All this chipping around the edges at billion-dollar problems has another result: It builds goodwill in bite-sized, digestible chunks. The average city resident may not be able to swallow a half-billion savings in, say, pension liabilities. But $20 million, as one Raise Your Hand parent noted to Summers, saves teaching jobs at a time when teachers are feeling overworked and underpaid. A $100,000 loan to a South Side business owner rejected by local banks is a gesture that makes a statement about local government priorities.A poll Summers recently ran provides some tangible proof that this flurry of activity is making an impression. One year after they elected him, he again asked Chicagoans what they knew about their city treasurer. This time, half of them remembered him.The aggressive way in which Summers has approached his role has driven murmurs in Chicago about whether hes priming himself for a mayoral run. When asked, he doesnt answer directly but laughs and says its not the first nor will it be the last time hes asked that question. Then he redirects the focus to his current mission. Hes convinced its the right mission, given his upbringing and his ability to walk between the worlds of high finance and some of Chicagos grimiest streets. A year-and-a-half before, I couldnt have seen this coming, he says. A year-and-a-half from now, who knows? But what I do know is, Im in this role for a reason. And for at least a defined period of time, Im going to have all the impact I can. Next article: SSNIT raises pensions by 10% with boost for low-income retirees Ghana Card now compulsory for every bank transaction - Here are the new strict rules Previous article: Ghana Card now compulsory for every bank transaction - Here are the new strict rules Shippers Authority seeks collaboration with stakeholders Maclean Kwofi Business News Jan - 09 - 2026 , 15:00 The Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) has held a high-level exporters forum aimed at strengthening collaboration among exporters, regulators, and key stakeholders within the logistics and trade ecosystem. The forum brought together representatives from the government agencies, industry associations, and exporters to discuss regulatory issues, operational challenges, and emerging developments across the export value chain to collectively find practical solutions to improve Ghanas export competitiveness. Some of the exporters took turns to express concerns regarding damage and quality defects resulting from scanning and handling of export goods at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). Participants were selected from key institutions including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana Energy Commission, Veterinary Services, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Customs (CEPS), Bank of Ghana (International Trade Department), Ghana International Trade Commission, Aviance Ghana, Ghana Plastics Association, Pioneer Food Company, among others. National development The Head of Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation at GSA, Monica Josiah, in her welcome address at the forum, stated that exports hold a critical role in national development. The significant contribution of exports to Ghanas gross domestic product (GDP) growth, employment creation, and currency stability priorities aligned with the Presidents vision to expand and deepen Ghanas traditional export base, she said. With shipping being a critical link in the export value chain, he stated that a seamless and efficient shipping process was indispensable to the success of every export transaction. She further underscored the need for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address persistent challenges such as regulatory and compliance bottlenecks, inadequate infrastructure, inefficiencies in cargo screening, and gaps in institutional capacity. Conformity An official of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Eric Hammond, who presented a detailed presentation, highlighted the need for exporters to ensure conformity with the Letter of Commitment (LOC) requirements and strict adherence to the repatriation of export proceeds through their commercial banks. Compliance with LOC requirements is essential for maintaining the integrity of Ghanas export regime. Export proceeds must be repatriated fully and on time, not only because it is a legal obligation but because it supports currency stability and strengthens our national reserves, Mr. Hammond stressed. Clarifying widespread misconceptions surrounding Ghanas trade patterns, he said that the country was not as import dependent as commonly perceived. The data shows a more balanced trade structure than many assume, he added. Following concerns about the brevity of the former 60-day repatriation period, Mr Hammond announced that the bank had extended the deadline to 120 days after shipment. He stated that the Bank of Ghana was in the process of developing a comprehensive manual on LOC requirements and a set of frequently asked questions to support exporters. Illicit drug The deputy Director General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in charge of Enforcement, Control and Elimination, Alexander Twum-Barimah, urged exporters to steer clear of illicit drug trafficking. He said NACOC have heightened its vigilance within the export chain. We will not hesitate to act against anyone who attempts to use legitimate export channels for illicit drug activities, Mr Twum-Barimah stated. The NACOC official assured participants of its commitment to collaborate with relevant institutions to improve cargo handling procedures and reduce avoidable damage to export items. Featured Zimbabwe: Children aged 12 to 16 arrested over house break-ins, thefts exceeding $10,000 zimbabwe.shafaqna.com International News Jan - 09 - 2026 , 14:46 2 minutes read Police in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, have arrested a group of children and teenagers accused of carrying out a series of house break-ins across several city suburbs, with stolen property valued at more than US$10,000. The suspects, aged between 12 and 16, are alleged to have been involved in a wave of burglaries that began in October 2025 and left residents of Nkulumane and Tshabalala shaken. Their arrest followed a months-long investigation into a surge in reported cases of unlawful entry and theft in the two neighbourhoods. On 8 January 2026, the Zimbabwe Republic Police said they were investigating 20 separate incidents committed between 15 October and 30 December 2025. Stolen items included cash and household goods valued at US$8,948, ZAR 13,400 and P2,350. Police added that 10 juveniles had assisted in the recovery of some of the stolen property, including four mobile phones and power banks. A separate report by state broadcaster ZBC said a total of 14 juveniles aged between 11 and 17 were eventually taken into custody, with the cumulative value of the stolen items exceeding US$10,000. Detective Inspector Stanley Muya, Officer-in-Charge at CID Nkulumane, said the operation was prompted by a noticeable rise in break-ins. There was an increase in house break-ins in Tshabalala and Nkulumane from October to January. On January 4, we apprehended four juveniles, who then led us to the arrest of 10 more. They stole valuables worth over US$10,000, he said. The arrests have caused distress within the community, particularly due to the ages of those involved. One resident described the situation as wasted potential, while a parent of one of the suspects said they were shocked and unaware of their childs alleged involvement. Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their childrens activities. She also advised residents to strengthen security at their homes and avoid keeping large sums of cash on their premises. The juveniles remain in custody as legal proceedings get under way. Next article: No hiding place for criminals as President Mahama warns against attacks on police Featured 5 Governance experts endorse amendment to ban MPs as Ministers Albert K. Salia Jan - 09 - 2026 , 12:39 4 minutes read Five governance experts have endorsed the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) for the amendment of Article 78(1) of the 1992 Constitution to bar Members of Parliament (MPs) from being appointed as ministers of state. They said research had shown that MP-ministers were the worst absentees from Parliament, which meant that the fusion made it difficult for Parliament to hold the Executive in check. They said Ghanaians got a taste of how parliamentary oversight could be impactful during the hung Parliament between 2021 and 2024. The five are the Project Director of the Democracy Project, Dr John Osae-Kwapong; the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante; the Head of Department of Political Science of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari; the President of the Chamber of Local Government, Dr Richard Fiadomor; and the National Chairman of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah. They were sharing their perspectives on the issue of separation of powers, especially between the Executive and the Legislature. Weakness Dr Asante explained that one of the weaknesses of the current constitutional practice was the limited independence of Parliament. If we want more accountability and a more responsive Executive, we need serious checks and balances, not just for the Executive but also for MPs. I like the participation proposals requiring MPs to use their recess to attend townhall meetings to report to their constituencies and get their feedback on policy, he said. Independence Dr Osae-Kwapong argued that implementing the recommendation would ensure an improved separation of powers between the Executive and the Legislature. He said the recommendation provided for greater independence, improved legislative oversight of the Executive, and reduced Executive control of the Legislature, especially for those on the majority side. Mockery For his part, Dr Fiadomor said the current situation was nothing but a mockery of the true meaning of separation of powers, explaining that it had become easier to become a minister of state when first elected as an MP under the current arrangement. Article 78 Dr Bukari said the provision per Article 78 that the majority of ministers should be appointed from Parliament blurred oversight functions, compromised legislative independence and transformed Parliament into an extension of the Executive, especially when the governing party had control of a parliamentary majority. The consequence, he said, was an accountability deficit, as parliamentary scrutiny of Executive action was often subordinated to party loyalty and political expediency. He explained that strengthening the separation of powers did not necessarily require adopting a pure presidential or parliamentary system, but rather recalibrating existing arrangements to restore institutional balance. Proposals to reduce the number of ministers and separate the Executive arm from Parliament can enhance the autonomy of parliamentary committees, and professionalise the legislative arm of government. A functional separation of powers is essential not only for democratic theory but for effective governance, political accountability, and public trust, he said. Bernard Mornah For his part, Mr Mornah stressed the need for parliamentarians to be allowed to fully perform their constitutional role of overseeing the work of the Executive, scrutinising government action, and passing laws and bills that enable effective governance. He said that when MPs simultaneously served as ministers, it created an inherent conflict of interest, effectively making them judges in their own case. This dual role also undermines the effectiveness of Parliament, as such double-assigned ministers naturally prioritise their ministerial duties, often drawn by the power and perks associated with Executive office, to the neglect of their responsibilities as legislators, he stated. History Mr Mornah said during the Third Republic, when Hilla Limann was President, a clear separation was maintained. He cited the case of Professor John Nabila, then MP for Walewale, who was required to vacate his parliamentary seat upon his appointment as a minister. Similarly, Harry Sawyer relinquished his seat in Parliament when he was appointed Minister of Transport. These precedents made it clear that one could not simultaneously serve in both capacities, he stated. That approach, Mr Mornah said, ensured that those who aspired to be MPs focused exclusively on legislative duties, while those seeking ministerial roles pursued them independently. Such a system strengthens parliamentary oversight, enhances legislative efficiency, and allows the Executive to function independently while remaining firmly accountable to Parliament, he said. The PNC Chairman said enforcing this separation would lead to a more effective Legislature, a more accountable Executive, and better governance overall. Next article: Man burnt to death in suspected arson attack at Assin Fosu Two gunned down in broad daylight in Bawku Previous article: Two gunned down in broad daylight in Bawku Featured Mahama pledges state support to public media Kester Aburam Korankye Jan - 09 - 2026 , 09:57 4 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has pledged the governments commitment to support the public media to enable them to confront the challenges they face as a result of their unique mandates. He differentiated the mandate of public media such as Graphic from private outlets, highlighting its duty to cover a wide range of subjects, including education, agriculture, and government policy, beyond sensational headlines. President Mahama said the state media were enjoined to cover many areas, which were not necessarily attractive to audiences, hence the state needed to support them to discharge their duties without fail. The President gave the assurance during a working visit to the premises of the nations leading newspaper group, the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), which he described as a critical standard-bearer of credible journalism in the nation. The President, accompanied by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, and other dignitaries, met the management of GCGL before engaging the enthusiastic staff of the company in the newsroom. President Mahama also visited the Press House of the company to learn at first hand the operations of the facility, as well as Graphics subsidiary, Gpak, which does commercial printing. The GCGL presented to President Mahama a framed front page of the Daily Graphic issue on his date of birth. He stated that the move was part of a broader governmental decision to uphold and raise up the public media. Yesterdays visit, which he said was to see the actual state of the organisation firsthand, follows persistent discussions within Cabinet on the future of public media amid a rapidly transforming global media landscape driven by technology and new platforms. Addressing the management and staff of the company, President Mahama lauded the enduring strength of the Graphic brand, saying its reputation for credibility remained unparalleled. Graphic the standard Graphic is the leading newspaper in this country, and when it comes to credibility, Graphic is the standard, the President stated. When people say go and buy me Graphic, they mean newspapers. I think that you can be proud of the brand that Graphic continues to have, he said to happy cheers and applause. President Mahama acknowledged the disruptive impact of digital technology and the rise of new media, but commended GCGL for its successful foray into the digital space. Your online portals are among the most popular people come back to for authentication to make sure that what they read is correct, he added. However, the President recognised the consequent financial pressures on the newspaper business, a challenge he described as global. Concrete support In response, he outlined concrete steps the government, as the sole shareholder, would take to ensure GCGLs sustainability. Key among these is support for the companys commercial printing subsidiary, GPak. President Mahama directed the Minister of Government Communications to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to ensure a good proportion of the governments massive textbook and learning materials printing business was awarded to Graphic. I will back him 100 per cent to make sure that you can earn some money to be able to sustain the operations that you have, he affirmed. Furthermore, the President promised to direct a significant chunk of government advertisements and recruitment notices to the publications of the Group. You still are leading when it comes to advertising we can still send a chunk of those advertisements to Graphic so that Graphic can earn quite some money from it, he said. President Mahama also addressed the need to refurbish the companys printing equipment, a critical asset for its diversified portfolio. Stating his personal involvement in commissioning the Graphic KBA press in 2012, he said the government would discuss with management how to support the necessary upgrades to put it in a state where they can serve you for the next 15 to 20 years or more. Unique mandate While asserting that Graphic has historically been the most profitable of all the media houses and is better positioned than its sister public media organisations, he concluded that a comprehensive strategy was needed. We will sit, and then well go to Cabinet, and well take some decisions on how to recapitalise the public media so that youre able to get back on your feet and continue your work, President Mahama assured. The visit underscores the governments renewed focus on fortifying public interest journalism as a pillar of national development. Featured US ICE confirms detention of Ken Ofori-Atta Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Jan - 09 - 2026 , 12:57 4 minutes read The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has published details of the detention of former Finance Minister, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, on its website, confirming that he was being held in an ICE Custody at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia. He is scheduled to be heard in a US court on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Lawyers for the former Finance Minister in the US are currently making efforts to stop what could be his possible removal from the US after he was picked up by ICE for issues surrounding his status of stay within the United States of America (USA). According to a public notice released by Mr Ofori-Attas lawyers in Ghana, Minkah-Premo, Osei-Bonsu, Bruce-Cathline and Partners (MPOBB), the former Minister had applied for an adjustment of his status, and the matter was expected to be resolved soon. In a statement issued last Wednesday evening, the law firm explained that his US legal team was in contact with ICE and expected the matter to be resolved expeditiously. Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which authorises a person to stay in the US legally past the period of validity of their visa. Under US law, a change of status by this method is common, the notice added. MPOBB said Mr Ofori-Atta was law-abiding and was fully cooperating with ICE to have the issue resolved. Double whammy With his current legal woes, Mr Ofori-Atta now faces a two-fold legal headache in both his country of birth Ghana and his adopted country the USA. There is currently an arrest warrant seeking to bring back the former Minister to Ghana to stand trial for allegedly engaging in corruption with five others, leading to a financial loss of more than GH1.4 billion to the state in the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract saga. However, lawyers for Mr Ofori-Atta insist that he was not running away from justice, but was in the US to seek urgent medical treatment. The case was initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). The other accused persons in the case are Emmanuel Kofi Nti and Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah - both former Commissioner-Generals of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Isaac Crentsil and Kwadwo Damoah former Commissioners of the Customs Division of the GRA, Ernest Darko Akore an aide to Ofori-Atta during his tenure as Minister of Finance, Evans Adusei the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SML, and SML itself. They are facing 78 counts of causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, wilful oppression, directly influencing the procurement process to obtain an unfair advantage in the award of procurement, and entering into an agreement with a financial commitment binding the government for more than one financial year without prior authorisation by Parliament. All five other accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges. It is not clear the visa status Mr Ofori-Atta is on and what status he seeks to adjust to in order to allow him to continue to be in the US. It is not clear the visa status Mr Ofori-Atta is on and what status he seeks to adjust to in order to allow him to continue to be in the US. By the immigration laws of the US, a foreigner on a certain visa status can change his visa status without leaving the country. This process, known as the Change of Status, allows non-citizens to switch from one temporary (non-immigrant) visa classification to another without returning to their home country. For instance, one can change from an F-1 Student Visa to an H-1B Work Visa or from a B-1/B-2 tourist Visa to an F-1 Student Visa or from any of the statuses to a permanent visa or what is known as a Green Card. However, it is important to note that a person is only eligible to apply for a change of status if he or she was lawfully present in the US and the application must be made before the persons current status expires. Featured MoGCSP warns public against fake GH1,350 social support scheme Jemima Okang Addae Jan - 09 - 2026 , 12:21 1 minute read The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has cautioned the public against a fraudulent message circulating on social media which claims the government has introduced a GH1,350 National Family Support Allowance. In a statement issued on Thursday, January 8, the Ministry clarified that it has not launched any programme known as the National Family Support Allowance, nor has it opened registration for any such payment under the directive of President John Dramani Mahama or the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey. The Ministry described the circulating announcement as false and misleading, stressing that no social protection programme offering GH1,350 over a three-month period exists under its mandate. It further warned that the website link attached to the message is not an official Government of Ghana or Ministry platform and should not be trusted. According to the Ministry, all legitimate social protection initiatives are announced through verified government channels, including official press releases, press conferences, the Ministrys website and accredited media organisations. The public has therefore been urged to disregard the message entirely, refrain from clicking on the link and avoid submitting any personal or financial information, as the content may be part of a scam targeting unsuspecting citizens. Read the full statement below; Featured No hiding place for criminals as President Mahama warns against attacks on police Jemima Okang Addae Jan - 09 - 2026 , 12:31 2 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has issued a strong warning to criminal elements targeting personnel of the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies, declaring that such acts will be met with ruthless and decisive action. Speaking at the National Police Headquarters in Accra on Thursday, January 8, after presenting 100 pickup vehicles to strengthen police operations nationwide, the President expressed grave concern about recent attacks on security officers. He cautioned that individuals who attempt to injure or kill police personnel will have no hiding place. There will be no hiding place for criminal elements. Especially those who seek to either injure or kill our police officers and other security officers, we shall come after you and deal with you very ruthlessly when we catch up with you, President Mahama stated. The President recalled a recent memorial service held in honour of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year, noting that many were killed by armed robbers and other criminal elements. Recently, we attended a memorial event to honour police officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty in the last one year, and several of them had been shot either by armed robbers or other criminal elements, he said. President Mahama stressed that the state would respond firmly to any attack on law enforcement personnel. I want to serve notice that the police will deal very ruthlessly with anybody who harms, injures, or kills a police officer. We will hunt them down and neutralise them, he warned, describing the statement as a clear signal to criminals across the country. He also reaffirmed his governments commitment to strengthening the Ghana Police Service through sustained logistical and operational support. Referring to earlier interventions, the President recalled that in December 2025 the government handed over 40 armoured vehicles to the Service, underscoring his administrations resolve to retool the Police. I made a clear commitment to the nation that this government will continue to retool the service, not with words, but with action, he said. President Mahama noted that enhancing police capacity remains critical to ensuring public safety, maintaining law and order, and protecting officers who risk their lives in service to the nation. Featured Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo elected Chairperson of Association of Commonwealth Universities Council Graphic.com.gh Jan - 09 - 2026 , 15:54 2 minutes read The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has been elected Chairperson of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) for an initial two-year term, effective 1 January 2026. Her election was announced in a statement issued by the Associations London-based head office on January 8, 2026. In addition to her role as Chair, Prof. Amfo will serve as Chair of the Councils Executive Committee, providing leadership and strategic direction to the ACUs governance structures. Prof. Amfo brings more than 24 years of experience in academia and university governance to the position. As Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, she has overseen significant institutional reforms, including a multi-million-dollar digitalisation programme designed to enhance teaching, learning, research and administrative systems. Her previous roles at the University of Ghana include Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs), Dean of the School of Languages and Head of the Department of Linguistics. Beyond the University of Ghana, Prof. Amfo has contributed to higher education governance through leadership and service within regional and global academic networks. Prior to her election as Chair, she served on the ACU Governing Council, having been inducted as one of eight new members following her appointment on 1 August 2024. Commenting on her election, Prof. Amfo said she was deeply honoured by the confidence placed in her by Council members. At a time of profound global change, the Associations role as a connector of universities across the Commonwealth has never been more important, she said. I look forward to working closely with the Secretary-General, Council colleagues and our diverse membership to strengthen collaboration, advance equity and inclusion, and ensure that higher education continues to serve as a powerful force for sustainable development and societal transformation. Welcoming her election, ACU Secretary-General and Chief Executive, Prof. Colin Riordan, said Prof. Amfo was well placed to lead the Council. Her global outlook, proven leadership and deep experience in higher education make her an outstanding choice to guide the Association, he said. As we implement the Road to 2030 strategy, her vision and insight will be vital in advancing our priorities and ensuring impact. Prof. Riordan also paid tribute to the outgoing Chair of Council, Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, whose term ended on 31 December 2025. Prof. de la Rey was honoured with the Symons Award at the 2025 ACU Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, in recognition of her contribution to the Association and to Commonwealth higher education. The University of Ghana community has welcomed Prof. Amfos international appointment, commending her leadership and wishing her success as she takes on the role. The Association of Commonwealth Universities is one of the worlds oldest international university networks, representing more than 500 member institutions committed to collaboration, innovation and the advancement of higher education across the Commonwealth. Tiangong playing a key role in research China Daily) 10:18, January 09, 2026 This video screenshot taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 22, 2025 shows Shenzhou XX astronaut Chen Dong leaving China's orbiting space station for extravehicular activities. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese astronauts worked with the country's scientists and engineers to carry out 86 new scientific and technological tasks in 2025, highlighting the value of the Tiangong space station in research work, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The agency said on Thursday in a report about scientific and technological achievements made through the space station project that in 2025, a total of 1,179 kilograms of experimental instruments, materials, and other necessities required for science and technology missions were transported to the Tiangong, while 105 kg of experimental samples were brought back to Earth for further study. More than 150 terabits of scientific data were transmitted back to ground control. In 2025, major accomplishments were made in science and technology missions on board the Chinese space station, including the nation's first in-orbit experimentation on rodent mammals and the world's first in-orbit tests of a pipe-checking robot, the agency said. Chinese researchers published more than 230 high-quality academic papers and registered over 70 patents in 2025, thanks to experiments and data from the Tiangong, it added. Completed in late 2022, the Tiangong is now the only operating space station independently run by a single nation, orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. With an overall weight of about 100 metric tons, it is one of the largest and most complex structures ever established in space by humanity. It has three permanent components the Tianhe core module and two large science lab modules called Wentian and Mengtian and is currently connected with two visiting craft, the Shenzhou XXII crew ship and the Tianzhou 9 cargo ship. To date, the Tiangong has accommodated 25 astronauts from 10 crews. Several astronauts have taken part in two spaceflights on board the massive outpost. By the end of last year, 265 scientific and technological projects had been arranged or conducted on board the space station, covering life science, microgravity physics, and new space technologies, according to the agency. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) Following the success of Fantasy Flight events on Guam on Dec. 5 and Honolulu on Dec. 6, Santa enlisted United Airlines pilots and flight crews to deliver Christmas joy to children across Micronesia through a series of holiday celebrations. United teams in Hawaii and Guam came together to do what only they can: use the airlines unique Island Hopper service to spread holiday cheer across the Pacific, the airline said in a media release. From Dec. 18 to 23, United pilots based on Guam, along with the Guam flight operations team, hosted their third annual Christmas Through the Islands celebration. Building on the momentum of earlier Fantasy Flight events, the team delivered gifts to children at Island Hopper stops, as well as in Palau and Yap. Uniteds Island Hopper flight (UA154/155) has connected Honolulu and Guam, stopping along the way in Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk for more than 55 years. United also serves Koror, Palau, and Yap, making the airline a vital link between these island communities. Christmas Through the Islands began three years ago as a way for our pilots to share holiday cheer with the communities we visit along the Island Hopper route, said Errol Lee, chief pilot for United Airlines on Guam. This year, our team fundraised to assemble 525 gift stockings filled with stuffed animals, school supplies, and candy for children in Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Ebeye, and Majuro. Working closely with Uniteds general managers on each island, Santas elves in uniform helped plan festive airport celebrations, inviting local children to meet Santa and receive gifts. Our Guam-based pilots exclusively serve the Island Hopper. This tradition allows us to give back and share the Christmas spirit with the island communities weve proudly servedand lovedfor more than five decades, Lee added. Haiti - FLASH : Crucial Supreme Court decision expected on Donald Trump's tariffs This Friday, January 9, 2026, the United States Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of the tariffs imposed worldwide by Donald Trump through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977. At stake are more than $133 billion. This decision will also determine whether President Trump can bypass Congressional approval to impose his sweeping trade policy. "One of the most important decisions in the history of the United States," according to Donald Trump... Most experts believe the Court will rule these tariffs illegal. An invalidation would mean that the federal government could have to reimburse more than $133 billion to American importers. Such reimbursement would create a significant and unforeseen deficit. However, a legal defeat would not necessarily mark the end of the trade war. Donald Trump could use other means, such as national security investigations, to reintroduce these tariffs in another form. If the Supreme Court justices uphold the use of the IEEPA, the legal challenge will continue, but at a different level. More than 1,000 companies, including major corporations, are already involved in lawsuits in lower courts. Their strategy is to challenge the government's technical interpretation of the law and to preserve their rights to future compensation. They cite the reduction in the competitiveness of American companies, higher prices for consumers, and the destabilization of North American trade. Even if the White House wins its legal victory, economic actors are raising concerns about the competitiveness of American companies, higher prices for consumers, and the destabilization of North American trade. SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : The CPT and the Government decide on the limits of freedom of expression In a decree published in the official journal, Le Moniteur, on December 31, 2025, the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) and the Government, in its Council of Ministers, decided, at their own discretion, the limits within which the population and press workers must exercise their right to freedom of expression, while also providing for severe penalties for defamation and press offenses. The CPT reiterates that freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected, in accordance with the Constitution, international treaties ratified by the Republic of Haiti, and the laws, but qualifies this by stipulating that this freedom of expression must be exercised "[...] with respect for human dignity, public order, national security, public health, the protection of youth and children, heritage and social values, as well as the fundamental rights of others." (Articles 3 and 4) Art. 6. "Any allegation or imputation of a fact that harms the honor or reputation of another person or of the body to which the fact is imputed constitutes defamation and is punishable by imprisonment for one to three years and a fine of twenty-five thousand (25,000) to fifty thousand (50,000) gourdes. This offense, committed by the same means against a person or group of persons on account of their origin or their membership or non-membership of a particular ethnic group, Nation, race, or religion, or on account of their political opinions, is punishable by imprisonment for two (2) to three (3) years and a fine of fifty thousand (50,000) to one hundred thousand (100,000) gourdes. Art. 8: "The following offenses, committed by any of the means listed in Article 7, constitute press or online communication offenses : Defamation; Insult; Spreading false news likely to disturb public order or incite violence or hatred against others; Cyberbullying, understood as any repeated act by electronic means intended to disturb the peace or infringe upon the dignity of others; Hate speech, defined as any incitement to violence, discrimination, or hatred based on race, color, sex, religion, opinion or political affiliation, national or social origin, or any other protected characteristic." Article 10 : "Press offenses are punishable by imprisonment from six (6) months to three (3) years and a fine of one hundred thousand (100,000) Gourdes [...]" Article 11 : "Insults or defamation against any person holding a legislative, executive, or administrative office, or against a judicial authority, whether appointed or elected, permanent or temporary, paid or unpaid, and regardless of their hierarchical level, or against members of the Public Force, by reason of their duties, are punishable by a fine from one hundred thousand (100,000) to five hundred thousand (500,000) Gourdes and imprisonment from six (6) months to three (3) years, without prejudice to more severe penalties for contempt." Insulting the emblem or symbols of the Republic, or desecrating tangible or intangible elements of the National Heritage, is punishable by a fine of five million (5,000,000) to twenty million (20,000,000) gourdes and ten (10) to twenty (20) years of forced labor. Insulting or defaming Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines or any other Hero of National Independence is punishable by a fine of five million (5,000,000) to ten million (10,000,000) gourdes and a prison sentence of five (5) to ten (10) years." Download the full Decree (PDF in French, 7 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Decret-la-liberte-dexpression-repression-des-delits-de-diffamation-et-de-presse.pdf S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Culture : Towards strengthening Haiti's cultural influence in Spain On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Wooldy Edson Louido, the Ambassador of Haiti to the Kingdom of Spain, participated in a working session with Manuel Segade, Director of the Reina Sofia National Art Center. Discussions focused on promoting Haitian art, increasing the visibility of Haitian artists on the Spanish art scene, and exploring scholarships for Haitian students pursuing a Master's degree in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture. Both parties agreed to continue cultural cooperation between the Reina Sofia Museum and Haitian institutions, particularly the Ministry of Culture, to strengthen cultural and artistic exchanges between Haiti and Spain. On Thursday, January 8, as part of his efforts to promote Haitian culture in Spain, Ambassador Louido met in Madrid with Valerio Rocco Lozano, Director of the Cercle des Beaux-Arts. They discussed new avenues of collaboration regarding Haiti's presence in Spanish cultural and intellectual spaces, particularly through initiatives combining artistic creation, academic reflection, and the dissemination of knowledge. Special attention was given to training opportunities for Haitian students, as well as the integration of Haitian themes into the cultural and scientific programming of the Cercle des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Circle) for 2026. Following their discussions, the two men reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing dynamic cooperation to foster a greater understanding of Haiti in Spain. Image caption Left : Edson Louidor and Valerio Rocco Lozano; Right : Edson Louidor and Manuel Segade. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Religion : Mgr Pierre-Andre Dumas, between Pain and Hope for 2026 Mgr Pierre-Andre Dumas, Bishop of Anse-a-Veau-Miragoane and Vice-President of the Haitian Episcopal Conference, offers his analysis of Haiti's future from Miami, where he is recovering after surviving an assassination attempt in February 2024, linked to his commitment to peace. https://www.haitilibre.com/article-41764-haiti-actualite-zapping.html The pain of the Haitian people is palpable and manifests itself in daily insecurity. Bishop Dumas explains that this pain is intrinsically linked to the condition of the Haitian people, who endure the suffering of poverty and violence. However, he emphasizes the remarkable resilience of Haitians, who demonstrate exemplary courage in the face of adversity. This resilience stems from a deep faith rooted in Christ, which allows them to overcome fear and reject the darkness to rebuild their nation. The Catholic Church's diagnosis of the political crisis in Haiti is unequivocal. Bishop Dumas denounces a failure of governance, caused by the prevalence of partisan interests over the common good, a lack of moral vision and clear leadership, and the territorial control exercised by armed gangs. The bishop emphasizes that widespread corruption and the disregard for the 1987 Constitution are at the root of the current power vacuum. The Episcopal Conference believes that respect for the constitutional framework is the only way out of the impasse. As the 2026 general and presidential elections approach, Bishop Dumas warns, "Without total security throughout the country, the elections will be neither free nor democratic." For every citizen to become an agent of peace, the transition must be based on concrete reconciliation and an overhaul of institutions. Christian hope does not exempt us from political action, but guides it toward lasting liberation. The Church is calling for a peaceful transition and national reconciliation so that the 2026 elections can take place in a climate of security and freedom. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41847-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41764-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41742-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41710-haiti-flash-mgr-pierre-andre-dumas-injured-in-an-explosion-in-port-au-prince.html S/ HaitiLibre Press release HAVRE On Sunday, Jan. 11, Hill County residents will come together for a peaceful protest as part of a nationwide weekend of action called ICE Out for Good. Local protestors will gather from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on the north sidewalk of First Street West at First Avenue West in Havre. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, an American citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis. This killing is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against members of our communities, organizers of the protest said. Indivisible, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, and the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition, as well as a broad coalition of groups across the country, are calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action on Saturday, Jan. 10, and Sunday, Jan. 11, to demand accountability, honor the life lost, and make visible the human cost of ICEs actions. Members of Indivisible Havre are organizing the Havre protest. All events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide. (HedgeCo.Net) The alternative investment industry is starting 2026 with a reminder that political risk can reprice an entire strategy overnightespecially when that strategy sits at the intersection of housing affordability, voter sentiment, and institutional capital. According to the Financial Times, the White House has moved to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes, framing the issue as a cost-of-living and affordability priority. The immediate takeaway for allocators isnt just housingits headline risk. The article notes the proposal could impact large owners and sponsors tied to institutional residential strategies, and the market reaction was swift across housing-related names. Financial Times Why this matters for alternatives For the last decade, single-family rental (SFR) became a durable institutionalization story: scale portfolios, apply professional management, drive yield, and build financing advantages. But in 2026, the narrative is shifting from professionalization to Wall Street vs. Main Street. The proposalregardless of the final legislative pathforces a new underwriting question: Is SFR now a structurally higher-regulation asset class? If so, that affects everything from acquisition pacing to exit assumptions and even securitization appetite. What the largest firms are likely to do next 1) Rotate from SFR acquisition to operations. If new buying is curtailed or politically constrained, the value-creation play becomes: occupancy optimization, cost controls, renovations, and selective disposition. 2) Increase focus on multifamily and build-to-rent development. Multifamily has its own political sensitivities, but institutional multifamily is a more established category than institutional ownership of scattered-site homes. 3) Emphasize partnerships and capital-light structures. If direct buying becomes constrained, large managers may push toward structures that are operationally involved but not straightforward institutional purchaser profiles, depending on how rules are drafted. The allocator lens: strategy vs. structure Institutional real estate isnt monolithic. The key due diligence questions now sound like: What percentage of the strategy depends on new acquisitions versus existing asset management ? versus ? Is the return profile driven by rent growth or financial engineering ? or ? How much political and regulatory exposure exists at the state and municipal level versus federal? Bottom line Housing policy is becoming a front-page political battleground again. For large alternative managers, that means portfolio optics, regulatory engagement, and strategy repositioning will matter as much as cap rates in 2026. Financial Times After days of protests, Iranian authorities have apparently begun to block the internet across the country and in the capital, Tehran. This was made public by Netblocks. The organization specializes in detecting such internet outages. Other publicly accessible data sources also show connection losses to the Islamic Republic, which has been shaken by increasingly violent protests against the ruling regime for days. Netblocks believes that the internet blockade will significantly hinder reporting from the country and communication there. It is to be feared that the rulers will use the digital blackout to crack down even harder on the demonstrations. Continue after ad The latest wave of protests began almost two weeks ago. It was triggered by a sudden drop in the value of the national currency, the Rial, amidst an already massive economic crisis. In the capital, Tehran, angry traders spontaneously took to the streets, and many shops were closed. Observers had pointed out that the protests that led to the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic more than 40 years ago were also decisively supported by the important bazaars. The protests have now spread to other parts of the country. On Thursday of this week, for example, numerous videos circulating on social networks show deserted shopping streets in the Kurdish regions of Iran. The internet blockades apparently began on Thursday in the western province of Kermanshah, where Netblocks first registered connection failures. According to reports received by the dpa news agency, mobile internet in some major cities is now also affected. New protest calls published by Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah overthrown in 1979, were also suspected as the reason. The last nationwide internet blackout in Iran was only about seven months ago. When Israel and the Islamic Republic fired missiles at each other for days, the regime in Tehran imposed an almost complete digital blackout. (mho) 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. In a message posted on Truth Social early Friday, Trump stated that Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of seeking peace. He added that the two nations are working well together, particularly in relation to the reconstruction of Venezuelas oil and gas infrastructure. US President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned second wave of military action against Venezuela, citing increased cooperation from the country's interim government and steps taken to release political prisoners. The announcement follows the US-led operation on 3 January that resulted in the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Trump confirmed that US special forces carried out the raid in Caracas. Maduro now faces drug trafficking charges in New York. Trump said major oil companies have committed to invest up to $100 billion in Venezuelas energy sector. He also confirmed that naval forces would remain in the region for safety and security purposes despite the cancellation of further immediate strikes. Spanish authorities confirmed that five of their nationals were among those released from Venezuelan custody this week. One of them, Venezuelan-Spanish human rights activist Rocio San Miguel, had been arrested in 2024 under charges of treason and terrorism. Her family confirmed her release and transfer to the Spanish embassy in Caracas. Venezuelan opposition figures Enrique Marquez and Biagio Pilieri, both previously held on charges related to their political activities, were also among those freed. Marquez had supported opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in the 2024 elections. Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuelas National Assembly and brother of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, said on state television that a significant number of political prisoners would be released immediately, but gave no specific figures. Human rights organisations in the country estimate that over 800 political prisoners remain in custody. Fox News aired an interview Thursday night in which Trump said Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado would be travelling to Washington next week for a meeting. Trump confirmed the upcoming meeting and said he looked forward to it. Asked about reports that Machado intended to offer him her Nobel Peace Prize, Trump said, That would be a great honour. This would be the first meeting between Trump and Machado since her prize award in October 2025. Machado responded to the prisoner releases in a recorded message on social media, stating: Injustice will not last forever and truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way. Despite previous criticism of Machados political standing within Venezuela, Trump told the New York Times this week that the US is now getting along very well with Delcy Rodriguezs interim government and is receiving everything that we feel is necessary. The US operation against Maduro followed months of military and intelligence actions, including naval strikes against drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to Trump, more than 100 people have been killed in those maritime operations since September 2025. On Thursday, Trump confirmed plans to extend anti-cartel strikes to land-based targets. He stated, We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. No further details were provided. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of deploying US troops into Mexico to target drug cartels. He told Fox News that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had previously rejected the offer. Responding earlier this week, Sheinbaum stated that the Americas do not belong to any power. HT (JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump credited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for guiding the Jewish state to victory over a force the likes of which very few countries could have handled. JNS asked Trump about his relationship with the Israeli premier. Hes a wartime prime minister, Trump said of Netanyahu. Hes taken Israel through a very dangerous period of drama. Standing alongside Netanyahu at a press conference outside the presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump said that under other leadership, Israel might not exist right now. Thats a pretty big stat... It has been a year of both devastation and distinction for Yifat Merbl, a professor in the Department of Systems Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. Merbl was recently named one of Nature magazine's "Ten people who shaped science in 2025," a prestigious honor recognizing her groundbreaking work on the human immune system. "It's an amazing recognition in what we do and provides an amazing boost, also to my incredible team, to keep pushing the boundaries of science," Merbl told JNS in a recent phone interview. The accolade came just six months after her laboratory in the... Choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one is one of the most important decisions you will make. At Jewish Pavilion Senior Services, we understand how overwhelming this process can be. Thats why we offer the Orlando Senior Help Desk, a free resource designed to guide families through senior care decisions with compassion and clarity. While no facility is perfect, there are key indicators to help you determine whether a facility will provide the level of care and dignity your loved one deserves: 1. Go beyond the surface A beautiful lobby or polished tour does not guarantee excellen... Dear Editor: Growing up in Australia was so secure and pleasant. Gday mate, howre you going? was the cheerful greeting of people as they passed each other in the street. We didnt lock the doors and the windows were always kept open. How did this pleasant, friendly society turn into one filled with so much hatred? On Oct. 9, 2023, before we even understood what had happened in Israel, before we had started to defend our country, before we retaliated against the murderous attack on the kibbutzim and the border villages, Australians were standing in front of the Sydney Opera House yelling ... (JNS) I land at Ben-Gurion International Airport after a week in New York that feels like a lifetime. The wheels hit the tarmac with a dull thud that spurs customary applause from passengers. Theyre either relieved after the long journey or clapping for arriving in the Jewish state. Before passengers are permitted to unbuckle, the pilot takes to the loudspeaker. Welcome home, he says in Hebrew, proceeding to highlight the bravery of the Israel Defense Forces and express hope for the swift return of the body of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage held by Hamas in Gaza. His tone is steady... (JNS) For decades, particularly since the war began on Oct. 7, political campaigns have organized in the United States to delegitimize the rule of Netanyahu and try to push him out of office. They came consistently from presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden. More recently, efforts have been rumbling from the MAGA camp of the Republican Party. Much of the campaign centers around anonymously sourced reports from so-called senior officials who claim that Americas president is getting fed up with Netanyahu. These reports are continuously proven wrong; yet so many, including Israel supporters, fal... Drive down Sand Lake Hills today and you can feel it almost immediately: something has shifted. What was once a quiet pocket of Southwest Orlando has become a hub of Jewish life, activity, and perhaps most visibly food. Over the past year, a new kosher marketplace opened just minutes from Orlando Torah Academy, joined by a rotating Chinese kosher pop-up and the continued success of Kosho Sushi, which has become a go-to destination not only for observant families but for kosher-curious diners across the city. On the surface, these are food stories. Underneath, they tell a much larger story... (JNS) On Jan. 25, 2006, almost 20 years ago, the Palestinian Authority held its last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, which functions as the Palestinian parliament. The result was a landslide victory for Hamas, the genocidal terrorist organization that planned, led, and executed the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The chairman of the P.A., 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 pre... (JNS) 18.4 million passengers travelled through Israels Ben-Gurion International Airport this year, an increase of 33 percent compared to the previous year, the Israel Airports Authority announced on Tuesday. The figures highlight both the resurgence of the Israeli aviation sector and the postwar re-emergence of Tel Aviv as an international travel hub. Some 60 foreign carriers are now flying to Tel Aviv compared to 80 two years ago, before the war, with the Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air expected to open a hub in Israel in the spring. There were 134,000 flights out of Israel this year, a... (JNS) - A Jewish ritual bath, or mikveh, dating back to the final days of the Second Temple period has been unearthed near the Western Wall, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday. The bath, which still bears ash remains that testify to the destruction of the Temple, was discovered recently beneath the Western Wall Plaza, the state-run archaeological body said. Hewn into the bedrock, the mikveh, which is rectangular in shape, measuring 3.05 meters in length, 1.35 meters in width and 1.85 meters in height, was found sealed beneath a layer dated to the year 70 C.E. Within this laye... Part I (JNS) - In a pre-New Year's meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrated that when it comes to U.S.-Israel relations, there is little daylight and total admiration between the two allies. This holds particularly true regarding the nations' policies toward Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, in particular. Key differences remain. The meeting could not have come at a more important juncture for Israel. Phase 1 of a three-month-old ceasefire brokered by Washington, and based on key provisions proffered by Jerusalem, has proven itself... (JNS) Former Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker and his girlfriend, former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky, have become engaged. Zangaukers mother, Einav Zangauker, who was one of the most vocal voices among the families of the hostages held in Gaza, posted a photo on Sunday night of Matan, 26, and Ilana, 32, drinking champagne in front of a Will you marry me sign inside a flower-bedecked wreath in the form of a heart. My picture of victory, Einav wrote. Ilana & Matan. A large guitar-shaped building in the background placed the photo at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel near Hollywood, Fla. The coup... The United States remains open to nuclear pact talks with Iran, which again rejected Washingtons advances during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday. The session focused on implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, of 2015 which outlined Irans commitments to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The permanent Security Council membersUnited States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russiasigned the agreement, as did Germany and the European Union. Tuesday marked the first council gathering on the nuclear issue since sanctions were... (JNS) Most foreign governments have allowed an unrestrained surge of overt antisemitism to fester in the public sphere, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday. He called on world Jewry to move to Israel. Jews have a right to live safely everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening and we have a certain historical experience, Saar said during a Chanukah candle-lighting event in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world. He specifically called out the Jews of England, France, Australia, Canada and Belgium to come h... A Jewish American fighter pilot shot down over China in World War II was finally laid to rest on American soil last week, with dirt from Israel placed over his coffin. Lt. Morton Sher, who flew with the famed Flying Tigers, was buried on Sunday in a cemetery in Greenville, S.C., where his headstone and an empty grave have awaited him for 80 years. The oldest son of David and Anna Sher, he was born in Baltimore before his family moved to the South. Active at Congregation Beth Israel in Greenville, Sher was also a founding member of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's Aleph Zadik Aleph teen fr... (JNS) More than 4,100 immigrants from North America made aliyah to Israel in 2025 with the support of Nefesh BNefesh, marking the highest annual figure in the past four years, the organization announced in a press release on Monday. According to the data, 4,150 North American Jews immigrated to Israel this year in cooperation with Israels Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Jewish National FundUSA. The figure represents an increase of more than 12 percent compared to 2024, when 3,706 immigrants arrived from North America. Nefesh B... After his visit with President Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with approximately 30 Christian leaders in Orlando on Dec. 31 and followed with a visit to Jewish leaders in Miami. His visit with Christians was formal, almost like a board meeting - men in suits seated at tables. His later visit with the Jewish community was much more informal, like a family-gathering setting. Netanyahu's talk with Christians was warm and inspiring. "You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible. It's hard for me to conceive of the emergence of the J... (JNS) At U.S. President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted what seemed to be an impossible mission. The international stage has shifted: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has exited the spotlight, while Netanyahu was invited to take part in the grand design of world peace envisioned by the American leadera vision not without complications. From Israels point of view, Trumps statement that he would absolutely support additional Israeli strikes on Iranian missile and nuclear facilities was critical. And when JNSs CEO Alex Traiman as... Ken Paxton, attorney general for the state of Texas, has filed a legal response defending the states designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs, after local CAIR chapters sued to block the move, according to a press release from Paxtons office. The dispute stems from a Nov. 18 proclamation by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, declaring the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to be foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations under Texas law. The Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin chapters of CAIR sue... (JNS) - During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., U.S. President Donald Trump was told that he is to be awarded the Israel Prize. Created in 1953, the award is the "most important and prestigious prize awarded by the State of Israel," and has "been awarded annually at the close of Independence Day, in an official state ceremony held in Jerusalem in the presence of the president of the state, the prime minister, the speaker of the Knesset, the president of the Supreme Court, the mayor of Jerusalem and the minister of education," per the... Preaching at AmFest, Tucker Carlson displayed his lack of integrity, fueling speculations of being bought and paid for by Islamists in Qatar, and brandishing the crown with which he has been coronated as a dangerous antisemite. His voice rising like a pre-pubescent child, he attacked the invisible boogeyman, but everyone knew who and what he meant. Attacking millions of Americans because theyre Muslimsits DISGUSTING. And Im a Christian, Im not a Muslim, he shrieked in a room so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. Trying to reclaim the room and eek out some kind of affirming res... As anti-Jewish and anti-Israel attacks skyrocket in the United States, their targets are increasingly synagogues. It should come as no surprise that nearly all high-profile attacks on shuls reported by mainstream media since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, were orchestrated by so-called Free Palestine mobs. Such attacks, often disruptive and violentand sometimes even deadlydispel any excuse that protesters do not hate Jews, but only want to free Palestine. Lets be clear: They have nothing to do with forming a state in Palestine. Never do the attackers dema... China remains Hungary's largest source of investment in 2025 Xinhua) 10:51, January 09, 2026 BUDAPEST, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China retained its position as Hungary's largest source of investment in 2025, Istvan Joo, president of the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), said on Thursday. Joo, who also serves as government commissioner for investment promotion and the implementation of major foreign direct investment projects, said in a video posted on social media that Hungary attracted 108 major investment projects in 2025, with a total value exceeding 7 billion euros (8.17 billion U.S. dollars). The projects spanned the electronics, automotive, machinery, chemicals, information and communications technology, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment sectors, and created 18,200 jobs. Chinese companies accounted for the largest share of investment by value, followed by investors from Singapore. Hungarian domestic investors ranked third, while U.S. and South Korean companies placed fourth and fifth, respectively. In recent years, China has consistently ranked as Hungary's largest source of foreign investment. According to HIPA data, Chinese direct investment in Hungary reached 5.28 billion euros in 2024, accounting for 51 percent of the country's total foreign investment inflows. Chinese companies have played an increasingly important role in driving local industrial upgrading and economic growth. The Hungarian government has reiterated its commitment to maintaining a stable and business-friendly environment for foreign investors, including Chinese companies. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Senior CPC official meets Iranian delegation Xinhua) 10:54, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with a delegation led by Ali Agha Mohammadi, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran and an advisor on Economic Affairs to Iran's Supreme Leader, in Beijing on Thursday. The two sides exchanged ideas on jointly implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepening exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promoting the development of China-Iran relations. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. In an industry where competition for guest loyalty is fierce, hotels are increasingly seeking innovative ways to differentiate themselves. But beyond offering exceptional service and top-tier amenities, what if hotels could leverage their existing assets to create tangible, lasting value for their communities? Purpose-driven hospitality is emerging as a powerful model for doing just that, and it doesnt require significant new investmentsonly the smart repurposing of whats already at hand: vacant rooms. Leveraging Unused Inventory for Social Good The hospitality industry is no stranger to fluctuating occupancy rates. Every week in the UK, approximately 1 million hotel rooms go unsold. Whether its a seasonal downturn or a temporary dip in demand, there are times when hotels find themselves with a lot of unused inventory. Instead of viewing these vacant rooms as a lost opportunity, hotels can transform them into resources that serve the community, creating a dual impact: contributing to local social causes while enhancing the hotels ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) profile. One example of this model in action is providing unused rooms to support community-driven initiatives, like offering well-deserved 1-2 night breaks for unpaid carers. Opportunities like these allow hotels to make a meaningful contribution to societal well-being at minimal cost. By repurposing vacant rooms, hotels can strengthen their ties with the communities they serve, turning this resource into one that creates long-term social value. Hotels around the world have already begun experimenting with similar models. In the US, several hotel groups have opened their doors during natural disasters to provide temporary shelter for displaced families. In Europe, some properties have been repurposed to provide housing for refugees during times of crisis. While these may be extreme examples, they demonstrate the sheer potential of hospitality spaces to adapt and create social good when conventional business slows down. The Value of a Break For millions of unpaid carers across the UK, a simple break is a luxury they can rarely afford. These individualsoften family membersdedicate their lives to caring for loved ones, a role that saves the UK economy an astonishing 184 billion each year, more than the entire NHS budget. However, this profound commitment often comes at the cost of their own well-being, leading to exhaustion and isolation. A 1-2 night hotel stay offers more than just a change of scenery; it provides a chance for them to reclaim their identity, to rest, and to simply be themselves again. By providing these essential breaks, hotels are not just filling a vacant room, they are actively participating in the core of hospitality by providing care and a moment of peace to those who need it most. Its a win-win: vacant rooms are turned into valuable assets that give tangible social returns. Research from organisations supporting carers shows that even a short respite can have significant mental health benefits. Carers report better sleep, improved relationships, and a renewed ability to manage the challenges of daily life after just a brief break. For hotels, being part of this process means aligning with the deepest values of hospitality: offering comfort, rest, and a sense of belonging. Building Deeper Community Connections Purpose-led hospitality is about more than just philanthropy; its a strategic approach to building stronger, more enduring relationships with local communities. As communities become increasingly invested in corporate social responsibility, hotels that embrace this mindset differentiate themselves as leaders in corporate citizenship. Hotels that actively contribute to their communities (and beyond), not only through charity but by fostering real, tangible impact, gain the trust and loyalty of local residents, employees, and even guests. This engagement can be especially beneficial in regions where hotels may not always see high tourist demand. By fostering a strong sense of community, hotels position themselves as integral players in the social and economic landscape of their area, which, in turn, can increase guest loyalty and improve staff satisfaction. When a hotel invests in social causes, it often sees improved brand perception and greater customer retention. In an increasingly values-driven marketplace, guests and employees are seeking out brands that align with their own social and ethical standards. Consider how word-of-mouth works in these situations. When a hotel provides a break for unpaid carers, that story doesnt stay hidden. It travels through local communities, gets amplified on social media, and may even be picked up by press outlets. This creates a ripple effect of positive publicity that no paid marketing campaign could replicate as authentically. A Low-Cost, High-Impact Strategy Repurposing unused hotel rooms for social good is a simple yet powerful approach that requires minimal upfront investment. The core cost involved is typically limited to housekeeping, which is already part of the hotels daily operations. Given that these rooms would otherwise remain vacant, theres little to no additional financial burden on the hotel. This makes the model a highly cost-effective way for hotels to contribute to local social issues. Furthermore, the flexibility of this model makes it easy to scale. Hotels can adjust the number of rooms made available to community-driven initiatives based on seasonality and demand, meaning the impact can fluctuate without disrupting core business operations. For instance, during high-demand seasons, hotels can continue focusing on their primary revenue-generating business, while in off-peak periods, they can contribute more rooms to local causes, helping to ensure that both community needs and business goals are met. To put this into perspective, imagine a mid-sized regional hotel with 150 rooms. During slower months, it may average only 60% occupancy. That leaves 60 rooms per night unused. Even if just two or three of those rooms were offered for social initiatives each week, over the course of a year the hotel could provide more than 100 restorative breaks without significant financial strain. Aligning with ESG Goals For hotels with an established Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, offering unused rooms to support social initiatives is an ideal way to fulfill social impact objectives. This strategy helps align with the Social pillar of ESG by addressing local community needs, while also contributing to sustainability efforts. When hotels provide shelter or meeting space for local causes, they are minimising waste by utilising resources, in this case, vacant rooms. Additionally, this model offers hotels a straightforward, impactful way to boost their ESG reports. In an era where stakeholders, investors, and guests are increasingly scrutinising corporate social responsibility efforts, tangible actions like these offer a way to demonstrate a commitment to both community and sustainability goals. Integrating this initiative into existing CSR frameworks allows hotels to make a measurable impact without overhauling their entire operational structure. In practice, these initiatives can also serve as powerful employee engagement tools. Staff members who see their workplace making a difference locally often feel a greater sense of pride and motivation. This, in turn, contributes to lower staff turnover rates and stronger internal cultureboth critical factors in the hospitality sector, where recruitment and retention can be ongoing challenges. The Business Case for Purpose-Driven Hospitality The business case for purpose-driven hospitality is compelling. Hotels that use their resources to benefit local communities not only make a meaningful impact but also enhance their reputation, attract and retain guests, and improve employee satisfaction. For hotel owners and managers, repurposing unused inventory isnt just a feel-good tactic, its a strategic move that offers measurable returns, strengthens community ties, and enhances brand loyalty. Corporate partners are also increasingly drawn to hotels that show strong ESG credentials. A hotel that can demonstrate measurable social impact may have an advantage when attracting conferences, corporate retreats, or brand partnerships. Companies looking to host events want venues that reflect their values, and purpose-led hospitality is a clear differentiator. Moreover, in a crowded market where online reviews and customer sentiment play such a critical role, being known as a hotel that actively gives back can tilt the balance when travellers make booking decisions. Guests often want more than comfort; they want to know that their stay contributes to something greater. Conclusion: More Than Just a Bed The hospitality industry has a unique opportunity to use its resources to drive positive social change. By repurposing vacant rooms for charities and similar undertakings, hotels can address local needs, create strong community connections, and align with ESG goalsall without significant cost. Purpose-led hospitality doesnt have to be a massive undertaking. Instead, its a simple, scalable approach that turns unused inventory into a powerful tool for social good. In a world where consumers and employees alike are increasingly prioritising social impact, hotels that embrace purpose-driven strategies are positioning themselves not only as leaders in hospitality but as drivers of positive, lasting change. When viewed in this light, a hotel room is far more than a bed for the night. It becomes a catalyst for well-being, a bridge between businesses and communities, and a resource that, when used with purpose, can generate extraordinary value far beyond the hospitality sector itself. Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com. View source Hospitality Technology Event HITEC 2026 Opens Registration - Image Credit HFTP Registration and hotel bookings for HITEC 2026, scheduled for June 15-18 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, are now available. Registration and hotel reservations for the 2026 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) are now open. The event, organized by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), will take place from June 15 to 18, 2026, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. HITEC is recognized as a leading event in the hospitality technology sector, attracting industry professionals worldwide to discuss technology trends, best practices, and market solutions. The conference will feature an exhibit hall with more than 370 companies showcasing products and services to support the hospitality technology industry. Nearly 6,000 industry professionals are expected to attend. In addition to the exhibition, HITEC will offer an educational program focused on hospitality technology. The program is curated by the HITEC Advisory Council, composed of industry practitioners selected for their expertise. This year's council is chaired by Lyle Worthington, who has previously served on the council. The Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) startup pitch competition will also return in 2026. The competition allows startups to present their hospitality technology concepts to attendees and a panel of judges. Participants can apply for the competition until March 31, 2026. Exhibit space is available for solution providers interested in showcasing their products and services to hospitality technology professionals. Further details and updates on HITEC 2026 are available on the event's news site. Super 8 by Wyndham in Houghton Lake, Michigan - Image Credit Hotel Brokers International Alpine Realty Capital continues to be the most active hotel broker in Northern Michigan Alpine Realty Capital, a leading advisor in hospitality real estate investment and a member of Hotel Brokers International, has finished another strong year of sales in Northern Michigan with the sale of the Super 8 by Wyndham in Houghton Lake, Michigan. While working with hotel owners throughout the entire state, Alpine has continued dominance in the Northern resort areas. Alpine utilized the power of the Hotel Brokers International marketing platform and its website www.hbihotels.com to reach buyers from across the country. Through this network, Alpine has closed on eight hotel sales in the last thirteen months in Northern Michigan alone! Northern Michigan hotels are very attractive investment options given their strong revenues during the peak season and expanding shoulder and off seasons, coupled with the increases in cost and difficulty of new development, said Ed Walsh, President of Alpine Realty Capital. If you are interested in buying a hotel in one of the most beautiful and strongest tourism areas of the United States, contact us to find your property, continued Walsh. Alpine works daily with groups looking for opportunities to provide capital investment or other means to provide equity returns. In an environment in which the supply of lodging properties for sale is scarce and construction costs remain high, Alpine is seeing ever-increasing interest in acquisitions from various groups, including owner-operators, who are seeking to participate in the industrys strong returns while buying for less than replacement cost. About Alpine Realty Capital Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Alpine Realty Capital is a mortgage banking and real estate brokerage firm specializing in hotel asset investment, valuation, financing, marketing, and transaction. Edward P. Walsh, CHB, serves as President and Principal Broker of Alpine Realty Capital. Mr. Walsh is a dedicated lodging industry professional whose career spans more than 30 years in the lodging industry. He has held numerous positions in consulting, valuation, and for the most recent years as a hospitality real estate and mortgage broker, founding Alpine Realty Capital in 2007. His expertise includes providing services regarding all phases of investment, from site selection and acquisition to feasibility analysis and appraisal, and from mortgage financing to construction cost analysis. In all, Mr. Walsh has provided real estate consulting and/or transaction services for more than $1 billion worth of hospitality real estate assets. About Hotel Brokers International Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International (HBI) is the hospitality industry's most established and experienced network of hotel real estate professionals. With more than 11,000 successful hotel transactions, HBI members are recognized leaders in hotel brokerage, investment advisory, and market insight. HBI is the founder and administrator of the Certified Hotel Broker (CHB) Programthe only professional designation specifically for hotel brokers. In addition to brokerage services, HBI offers affiliate membership opportunities for professionals in franchising, lending, appraisals, and investment services. To learn more, visit www.hbihotels.com. For more information, contact: Edward P. Walsh, CHB, President Alpine Realty Capital Ann Arbor, Michigan 734.645.2566 (c) ewalsh@alpinerealtycapital.com Glenda J. Webb, Executive Director Hotel Brokers International Kansas City, Missouri 816.505.4315 gwebb@hbihotels.com Williamstown Looking at How to Enforce Smoking Ban for Apartments WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Board of Health and town health inspector are consulting with town counsel on how best to enforce a ban on smoking in apartment buildings passed by town meeting in May. Although the meeting overwhelmingly approved the new bylaw, the Attorney General's Office in Boston took until December to rule that the restriction, believed to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, complied with state law and precedent. On Tuesday, Health Inspector Ruth Russell told the board at its monthly meeting that the town's lawyer told her to work on an enforcement policy. She indicated that counsel said some things need to be clarified in the smoking ban. "Their understanding was the bylaw was very clear when it came to enforcement of common areas but very unclear when it came to non-common areas [i.e., residents apartment units]," Russell said. "That would be the issue. If we got complaints about smoking in someone's own unit, town counsel had concerns about how it would go forward. Could we even get a warrant to inspect, and how do we go down that road." Russell said she would investigate as soon as practical after a complaint is lodged, but given the ephemeral nature of smoke from cigarettes and discharges from vaping products, it would be difficult to prove violations of the ordinance. "It would be tough without direct observation of smoking happening," Russell said. The bylaw, drafted by a resident and introduced to town meeting via citizens' petition, prohibits smoking or vaping of tobacco products inside all multifamily residences with more than four dwelling units. It requires that smoking and vaping be allowed only outside a 25-foot radius of said structures. Such restrictions already are common in publicly-funded housing. The rationale was that "second hand smoke" from tobacco use permeates the walls of apartment buildings and exposes non-smoking residents in adjoining units to health risks. The Board of Health and the Select Board both recommended town meeting's passage of the ban. On Tuesday, BOH Chair Devan Bartels agreed to join Russell in future discussions with town counsel as an enforcement regimen is developed. In other business on Tuesday, the board heard an update from Russell about an initiative to restrict the sale of nitrous oxide canisters in town. She said she received a draft of legislation that state Rep. John Barrett III is advancing on Beacon Hill and was reconciling that language with the text of an ordinance passed in Northampton. Given the pace of legislation in Boston, Barrett's office advised that the Board of Health should continue to develop its own local regulation in the wake of concerns raised by a resident in mid-December. "We could be nimble and regulate this at the local level," said Bartels, who did not attend the December meeting. "I think it's completely appropriate we do so. There is only upside and no downside I can see to regulating the recreational use of nitrous oxide." Russell said she would try to get a local Board of Health regulation drafted in time to post a public hearing at the board's February meeting. For the second straight month, the board declined any interest in pursuing a local regulation requiring installation of hands-free options to open doors in public restrooms. A resident had asked the board to consider requiring the door hardware, marketed under trade names like " StepNPull ," to give peace of mind to restroom users who have no way of knowing whether previous restroom occupants washed their hands before touching a doorknob. The board members cited the lack of studies supporting the installation of hands-free openers as a public safety measure. Robert Collins opened the Riverside Public House on Depot Street after a favorite pub closed. The logo for Riverside Public House. PreviousNext Riverside Public House Offers Warm, Friendly Atmosphere Riverside opened on Depot Street with some interior changes and a new menu with a few popular holdovers. DALTON, Mass. A new restaurant is trying to fill the hole left by the iconic Dewey's Public House. Robert Collins opened the Riverside Public House recently in the former pub. Dewey's owner closed the restaurant in July to "prioritize his health and family," according to a Facebook post. "I was a longtime patron of Dewey's Public House, and I always admired the fresh food and the homestyle cooking and broad range of menu items that he always either had on his menu, or it was always evolving and changing," Collins said. "I felt like there was a hole in town that missed that farm-to-table/pub atmosphere in town." Collins was able to negotiate with Joe Dewey to acquire the items inside the restaurant. He changed some things like the tables, lighting, and the menu, but still paid homage to some of the classics, like Dewey's Milltown Pizza. He also plans to have some events with music and a special prime rib night. "We started on Saturday nights having a prime rib special every Saturday. And basically we're just gonna go with it until it runs out. We fix so much prime rib, and when it's gone. It's gone," he said. Collins hopes, in the future, to bring in new taps for premixed cocktails and whiskey. "My end goal is to have margaritas on tap and a Moscow mule on tap, on the draft system, and in time, we may end up having the ability to do draft bourbon," he said. "OK, bourbon on tap." Collins said he wants his restaurant to focus on and buy local. Currently, he uses Berkshire Mountain Distillery and Holiday Brook Farm. "We're using Holiday Brook Farm hamburg, and hope to use their vegetables and produce and in this summer and fall when it's available. And we plan to try to use as much of their hamburg and stuff that we can. And that's practical. We're trying to use local distilleries we're trying to do the farm to table as much as we can, that makes sense, and we're trying to do local," he said. His chef Ryan McIntyre, makes everything in house with some popular dishes like clam chowder, smash burgers, and hand breaded chicken tenders. He wants people to be able to enjoy their time at the restaurant and see it as a great family dinner night that can be nice to even the pickiest of eaters. "I hope when somebody comes in, I hope they find that the atmosphere is friendly and warming and welcoming, and that people feel that it's an attractive and social place that they feel comfortable bringing their children and family to for dinner, where they can get really good home-cooked food and meet the needs of their entire family, if they have picky eaters." As to the name, his wife didn't like the options he came up with. "I had come up with a bunch of names, and one night, I was talking to my wife, and she hated all the names that came, and she's like, nah. So all of a sudden she got quiet, and she came back, she goes, how about the Riverside. You're next to the river. How about the Riverside. And I was like, You know what, honey, I think that sounds pretty good." Since opening the community has been very supportive and happy to see a new restaurant open in the space. "I have to say, I've been very, very pleased and seem to be very welcomed in the neighborhood you know, to have been opened up, and people are glad to see that this particular space is opened again," Collins said. BCC Awarded $202K for Microelectronics Project PITTSFIELD, Mass. Berkshire Community College (BCC) is a recipient of a Supporting Chip Advancement from Lab to Enterprise (SCALE) Capital Program grant, awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC), in the amount of $202,200. The award is part of $10.2 million in grant funds that support 10 microelectronics projects throughout the Commonwealth. The SCALE awards are designed to supercharge the microelectronics industry across Massachusetts, including AI hardware, nanotechnology and quantum computing. Grants will fund the purchase of capital equipment to support workforce and technology development at higher education institutions, companies and nonprofit organizations. At BCC, the grant funds will be used to purchase a scanning electron microscope, as well as sample preparation equipment, for the Workforce Microelectronics Training Program. Associate Professor of Engineering Dr. Jose Colmenares explained that the scanning electron microscope is a powerful device that uses electrons instead of light to magnify images. These images are so small that a traditional light microscope would be inadequate. He also said that while the grant funds will support electronic components, circuit elements and microchips for BCC's Engineering Department, they can also be used by all departments of the college for various scientific applications. "The Engineering Department is thrilled to receive grant funding for an electron microscope that will transform how we teach engineering and mechatronics. This powerful tool will give students hands-on experience with micro- and nanoscale structures, directly preparing the next generation of technical professionals for careers in microelectronic manufacturing," Dr. Colmenares said. "We are excited to integrate this technology into our curriculum and expand authentic, industry-aligned learning opportunities for our students." SCALE builds on NEMC's mission to rapidly accelerate microelectronics ecosystem development by supporting projects that unite the microelectronics community, develop technologies to attract additional investment, and boost workforce development programs to fill regional gaps. "The SCALE Capital Program is a strategic investment in the future of Massachusetts' microelectronics industry," said Governor Maura Healey. "Massachusetts is focused on bridging the gap between development and commercialization so that microelectronics companies based here can better compete globally. That starts with providing the equipment to advance projects and supporting training for new entrants in the industry." Berkshire Green Drinks: Stream Restoration on the Konkapot River SHEFFIELD, Mass. Berkshire Environmental Action Team welcomes the first Green Drinks speaker of 2026, Zach Adams of Trout Unlimited. Adams will share about this summer's stream restoration project on the Konkapot River on Jan. 14. This project both created habitat in the Konkapot River and stabilized the stream bank to prevent Hartsville-Mill River Road from washing out in the next 5 years. This project required 80+ trees with root wads, tons of boulders, and a lot of adaptability. Adams will share photos and stories about this fairly unique project in Massachusetts. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions after the presentation. This free hybrid event will take place online via Zoom and in person at Dewey Hall, 91 Main Street, Sheffield. The in-person social gathering will begin around 5:30 PM; the presentation and Zoom meeting will start at 6:00 PM. Zach Adams is a writer, photographer, avid outdoorsman, and lifelong conservationist. He holds a Bachelor's of Science from Juniata College and has worked and studied from the Chesapeake Bay to the Adirondacks. Adams has lived along the banks of the Housatonic River for his entire career, and is passionate about conservation in the Berkshires where he lives with his wife Evelyn and his German Shorthaired Pointer, Millie. He now works for Trout Unlimited, managing stream restoration projects in Berkshire County. You can find him chasing brook trout in the hills, walking behind his bird dog, or scratching his head over a rare bird identification. Adams writes a sporting column for the Berkshire Eagle, has publications in multiple magazines, and is the author of the field guide Birds of New England. Learn more and RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/Jan- 2026-Green-Drinks. Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). For more information regarding Berkshire Green Drinks, contact Andrew Ferrara, andrew@thebeatnews. org, Wendy Penner to Receive the 2026 Peacemaker Award NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - This year, the MLK Jr. Day of Service Committee announced Wendy Penner as the selected recipient of the Peacemaker Award. The award will be presented at the annual Northern Berkshire MLK Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan.19, during the celebratory luncheon. The Peacemaker Award is given annually to an individual or group in Northern Berkshire. The award, which originated as part of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, honors individuals or groups who have contributed substantially to peace in our region. In general, the Peacemaker Award recognizes those who have a history of working with people and/or neighborhoods and communities to promote greater tolerance, understanding, and caring. According to a press release: Penner is a volunteer community organizer and has previously worked in the nonprofit world on issues related to the environment and substance use. Penner is committed to the northern Berkshire Community and to the idea of "think globally, act locally." She has helped lead initiatives for the citizen-led Williamstown COOL Committee for many years, which empowers people to address climate change through local action. She is a champion for public health approaches to support people impacted by substance use, a member of Have Hope Recovery Center, and the northern Berkshire HEAL coalition. Wendy is on the leadership team of the North Berkshire Indivisible chapter, Greylock Together, and she is currently co-president of Congregation Beth Israel. The community is invited to celebrate the 2026 Peacemaker during the MLK Jr. Day of Service. The schedule of this year's event is new, beginning with a lunch celebration before volunteers end their day at their selected service sites. The MLK Jr. Day of Service begins at 11:00 a.m. at MCLA's Venable Gym with check-in and registration. At 11:15 a.m., there will be a brief welcome and opening remarks before the presentation of the annual Peacemaker Award. Lunch will be served immediately following the presentation, then at 12:45 p.m., volunteers will depart to their service sites or stay on site to work on activities at the gym. Participants will choose from local sites to provide service to the community, including: Louison House, Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires, weatherization for homes, ROOTS Teen Center, Salvation Army, Sweetwood, Williamstown Commons, and No Paws Left Behind. On-site activities include mitten making, blanket making, and Valentine's Day card making. Those wishing to participate in the day of service can register the morning of the event or pre-register in one of three ways: On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has suggested the future of Taiwan is up to Chinas leader Xi Jinping, appearing to defer to Beijing as he sought to distinguish the issue from Washingtons attack on Venezuela. The U.S. president told the New York Times he would be "very unhappy" if Chinese leader Xi Jinping moved to seize control of the self-governed island through military action. Trump dismissed any suggestion that the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by the American military could be a precedent for China to reunify Taiwan with the mainland by force, something Xi has repeatedly threatened to do. "He considers it to be a part of China, and that's up to him what he's going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday, referring to Xi. "But I've expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don't think he'll do that. I hope he doesn't do that. The president said he did not view the situations as analogous because Taiwan did not pose the same type of threat to China that he had alleged Maduros government did to the U.S. He also repeated his belief that Xi would not make a move against Taiwan during his presidency, which ends in early 2029. He told the Times Xi "may do it after we have a different president but I don't think he's going to do it with me as president". Beijing last month conducted war games around Taiwan which analysts said blurred the line between routine military training and stage-setting for an attack, a strategy intended to allow the US and its allies minimal warning of an assault. Trump's latest remarks came a day after China threatened to deliver a head-on blow against Taiwan after criticising the American attack on Venezuela. Geopolitical experts are alarmed by the American attack, saying it will harden Beijings view about its options in Taiwan and even allow it to justify the use of military action. The attack emboldened sentiments on social media platforms such as Weibo, where the topic gained some 450 million views. "I suggest using the same method to reclaim Taiwan in the future," one user posted and received around 1,000 likes, as another questioned Trump's abuse of international law. The U.S., like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and the issue is a frequent irritant in Sino-US relations. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which governs U.S. relations with the island, doesnt require the U.S. to step in militarily if China invades, but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan gets the resources to defend itself. The Trump administration last month announced $11.1bn in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest-ever weapons package for the island. The administration said in a strategy document published last year that it aimed to prevent conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea by building up its military power and that of its allies. Trump has so far largely avoided directly saying how he would respond to a rise in tensions over the island, in keeping with a longstanding U.S. policy known as strategic ambiguity. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A rampaging elephant has killed at least 17 people amid an intensifying man-animal conflict in eastern India. Authorities in Jharkhand state said an adult male elephant had carried out at least a dozen attacks in seven days across the Saranda forest belt. It killed 13 people in two days, including four members of a family, in separate attacks in the West Singhbhum district. Chaibasa divisional forest officer Aditya Narayan said the tusker had been moving violently across the region for several days and changing its location rapidly, which made it difficult to track. The elephant appears to have turned rogue and our focus now is to tranquilise it at the earliest. We are certain it is in musth, which explains its heightened aggression. Were trying our best to control the situation," he was quoted as saying by the Times of India. Musth is a periodic condition in bull elephants marked by heightened aggression and a surge in reproductive hormones. The forest department has reportedly deployed around 80 personnel to control the animal and divert it to a safer location. Experts from the neighbouring state of West Bengal state have also been roped in to steer the elephant back into the forest. The region is gripped by fear, villagers say, with families staying indoors and voicing particular concern for the safety of children and the elderly. Authorities have urged residents to avoid forested areas and remain vigilant. Smita Pankaj, regional chief conservator of forests, told the newspaper the pattern of attacks remained consistent. The elephant turns violent after dark, attacking houses and villagers, she explained. It moves extremely fast and keeps changing locations, repeatedly giving our teams the slip. But during the day, it almost becomes invisible, hiding deep inside the forests. Jharkhand has recorded nearly 1,300 deaths due to elephant attacks over the past 23 years, according to a recent study by the Wildlife Institute of India. The elephant's erratic movement has forced the railways to cancel six pairs of trains in the region. Indias environment ministry told the parliament earlier this year that about 80 wild elephants had been killed nationwide after being hit by trains between 2020-21 and 2024-25. In one of the latest such incidents, eight tuskers were killed in late December when a passenger train struck a herd in the northeastern state of Assam, railway authorities said. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Protests have gripped the southern Indian state of Karnataka after a woman who was six months pregnant was beaten to death allegedly for marrying outside her caste. The woman, Manya Doddamani, 20, had married Vivekananda Doddamani earlier this year against the wishes of her family. She was assaulted on 21 December in Inam Veerapur village in Dharwad district and died later the same night in hospital. Police say Doddamani belonged to the Lingayat community, a dominant caste group in Karnataka, while her husband is from a Dalit community. Formally known as Untouchables, Dalits formed the lowest wrung of Hinduisms archaic caste system and have historically been subjected to discrimination. Discriminating against inter-caste marriages in India is illegal, but such relationships can still provoke violent backlashes in more socially conservative parts of the country. Doddamanis death has triggered protests and demands for better safeguards for inter-caste couples, with the state government now saying it is considering a new law against so-called honour killings. An activist holds a placard during a protest to condemn the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in Bool Garhi village of Uttar Pradesh state, in Mumbai on 6 October 2020 ( AFP via Getty Images ) Manya and Vivekananda fell in love a couple of years ago. They used to chat on Instagram as it was hard for them to meet in the village. Both families learned of their relationship, and eventually, in May, they fled and married at a sub-register office. Vivekananda and Manya were also undergraduate students, a police officer told the Indian Express. After they got married, they appeared before the police. The local police officer convened a meeting between the families, and warned Manyas parents not to trouble them after they said that they would not allow her to enter their house, the police officer added. According to investigators, the couple had been living in Haveri district, around 100km away, after receiving threats from her family. They returned to their village on 8 December to collect important documents such as their Aadhaar biometric identity cards, which would be needed for her hospital admission ahead of the babys delivery. They are said to have believed that her pregnancy might soften opposition to their marriage. Police say that on the evening of the attack, Doddamani was working on a farm when her father, Prakashgouda Patil, and other relatives assaulted her with iron pipes. When her mother-in-law, Renavva Doddamani, and a relative, Subhash, tried to intervene, they too were beaten, said Gunjan Arya, the superintendent of police for Dharwad district. All three victims were taken to a private hospital in Hubballi, where Doddamani succumbed to her injuries. Doddamanis husband was also attacked at the same time by another group, police say, but escaped to inform the authorities. Police initially arrested three suspects, including Doddamanis father, and have since detained additional relatives. Investigators said call records and CCTV footage pointed to wider involvement, and one suspect was allegedly found carrying a plastic can believed to contain petrol, raising fears that the family home may have been targeted for arson. It is evident that several people in the village instigated the Gouda family members to take stringent action against Manya and her husbands family for marrying a boy from the Dalit community, a police officer said, adding that anyone who supported or abetted the crime would also be arrested, reported the New Indian Express. Authorities confirmed that the couple had earlier approached police seeking protection. A local officer had convened a meeting between the two families after the marriage and warned Doddamanis parents not to harass the couple after they said they would sever ties with their daughter. Despite that intervention, no formal protection order or long-term monitoring mechanism was put in place, a gap now under scrutiny. The killing has provoked outrage across Karnataka. Dalit organisations staged protest marches in Hubballi, demanding fast-track courts, stronger protection for inter-caste couples and harsher punishment for those involved. Karnataka-based advocate and activist K P Sripal described the murder as a collective moral failure. We claim to be a civilised society. But the murder has shown how badly we behave. We all should bow our heads in shame. The state government has offered financial assistance for Mr Doddamanis family. An initial cheque of Rs 500,000 (4,700) was issued by the district administration, followed by compensation of Rs1.7m (14,060) under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a law meant to address crimes motivated by caste prejudice. Social welfare minister H C Mahadevappa said Karnatakas state government was examining whether a tougher, standalone law to prevent caste-based killings was needed, possibly to be named after the victim. The government will not tolerate attempts to suppress such rights, he said, reiterating that adult women have a constitutional right to choose their partners. He said that not only the attackers but also those who encouraged the crime would face action, and that allegations of official negligence would be investigated. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Police in Japan have arrested a 26-year-old for fatally assaulting a man following a duel last year. The suspect, identified as Fuga Asari, reportedly conspired with a Mongolian national to fight Naoya Matsuda on a pavement in the Kabukicho red light district of Tokyo last September. During the fight, Mr Asari allegedly threw Matsuda to the ground, inflicting severe head injuries, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Matsuda, 30, died from multiple organ failure in October. Police were investigating the incident as a "duel", which was outlawed in Japan over a century ago. Duels are prohibited under the 1889 Duelling Crimes law, which prescribes prison terms of between two and five years for those who take part, according to the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The ban extends beyond the act. Issuing or accepting a challenge, witnessing a duel or even providing a venue for one are all criminal offences under the statute. The suspect, a native of Chiba prefecture, admitted to the charges and said he was very sorry that my opponent died, the newspaper reported local police as saying. Mr Asari claimed that he met the victim for the first time on the day of the duel and that it was "something trivial that triggered the encounter", suggesting they barely knew each other. The Mongolian man, reportedly in his 40s, was at the scene and suspected by police of inciting the duel. He was subsequently deported for illegal residence. Last October, a high school student and a man were arrested in Gunma prefecture on suspicion of duelling. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A landfill collapse in the central Philippines killed four people and left dozens missing, prompting an urgent search and rescue operation. The incident occurred at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City, with 110 workers on site at the time. Several structures and facilities inside the landfill were damaged during the collapse. Many of the missing were believed to be landfill workers. Thirty-six people were missing based on a Friday tally. An update on the number of missing was not immediately available. Search efforts are continuing, although conditions on the ground are reportedly unstable. Some 300 responders from government agencies and civil groups are engaged in rescue work at the privately run landfill, aided by excavators and fire trucks, local media reported. open image in gallery Relatives wait for news after a mound of garbage collapsed in Binaliw, Cebu city, on 9 January 2026 ( AP ) All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols, Cebu city mayor Nestor Archival said. City councillor Joel Garganera said the collapse could be linked to unsafe waste management practices. He said operators had been cutting into the garbage pile, reshaping it over time. They had also been mining the soil and then piling garbage to form another mountain of waste, Mr Garganera told local newspaper The Freeman. Its not a sanitary landfill. Its already an open dumpsite. The steel trusses are massive, the garbage is soft, and there is a constant risk of movement, he said. There is also a serious concern about toxic air, which could endanger anyone trapped for too long. open image in gallery An aerial view shows a landslide at the landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu, on 9 January 2026 ( AFP via Getty ) Joey Boy Gealon, a landfill worker, told the Cebu Daily News the collapse happened without warning. He said workers had raised concerns for years about how high the rubbish had been piling up. Jaylord Antigua, an office worker at the landfill, told the Associated Press the collapse of the garbage mountain unfolded rapidly, even in good weather. The surge of rubbish crushed his office but he managed to crawl out from beneath the debris, suffering bruises to his face and arms. open image in gallery Relatives wait for news after a garbage mound collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city, on 9 January 2026 ( AP ) I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there would be more landslides, he said. It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end so this is my second life. Prime Waste Solutions Cebu, which operates the facility, said in a statement that the safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and neighbouring communities remain our top priority. Landfills are widely used in major Philippine cities, including Cebu, a key commercial and transport hub in the Visayas. The Binaliw landfill is spread over 10 hectares. The cause of the collapse is yet to be confirmed, even as investigations continue. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Singapores former prime minister said the American military raid on Venezuela was worrying for smaller nations, becoming the latest Asian leader to voice concern over the attack. Senior minister Lee Hsien Loong said that a difficult internal situation couldnt be a justification for military intervention by one country into another, unilaterally and without any proper authorisation. The attack might have appeared to be a spectacular military success but it could have long-term consequences for the international system, he warned. From the point of view of a small country, if thats the way the world works, we have a problem, Mr Lee, who stepped down as his countrys prime minister after two decades in 2024, said at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institutes regional outlook forum on Thursday. To some extent, that has always been the way the world works. The US has done this many times in different parts of the world. And other powers do it too. But you look at the situation, you look at the impact of it and you ask yourself, 'Is this a plus or a minus?' I dont think this is a plus. His comments make Singapore the latest Asian nation to voice concerns and objections about the US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, joining Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and China. Venezuelans rip an American flag in half during a protest in Caracas against the capture of president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by US military forces ( AP ) Mr Maduros overthrow is emerging as the latest flashpoint between China and the US as they compete for influence in Latin America. Mr Lee said a central challenge facing the world was the relationship between the US and China which was beset by tensions even though both countries remained wary of bearing the costs of a full-scale trade war. While many Asian countries counted the US as a crucial partner, they also recognised Chinas status as a major and growing economic power, he said. And as Washington was stepping back from its role as an anchor player in the region, Beijing was making the right noises on multilateralism, he added. China has come down heavily on the US for engaging in what it has called a bullying act against Venezuela. Beijing and Caracas have maintained close ties for many decades, driven by a shared political ideology and mutual distrust of a world led by Washington. President Xi Jinping took a veiled swipe at the US for engaging in unilateral bullying which he said seriously undermines the international order. All countries should respect other peoples independent choice of development paths and abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Mr Xi said, with major powers in particular setting the example. Indonesia expressed deep concern over any action involving the use or threat of force as it was not only dangerous but also disrupted stability. Including universal principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international humanitarian law, not for the rhetoric that can worsen the situation as we push for de-escalation, dialogue and protection of civilians, it said. Malaysia offered even stronger criticism, describing the US attack as a "clear violation of international law" and an unlawful use of force. Prime minister Ibrahim Anwar also demanded the release of president Maduro and his wife without any undue delay. India, which is not known to take strong stances in world politics, said it was concerned by the developments in Venezuela. Foreign minister S Jaishankar urged all involved parties to prioritise the well-being and safety of the people in the South American country. We would really urge all parties involved to now sit down and sort of come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and the safety of the people of Venezuela," Mr Jaishankar said at an event in Luxembourg. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nine in 10 Alzheimers cases would not develop without the contribution of a single gene, nor would almost half of all dementia cases, researchers find. Alzheimers is the most common form of dementia, making up 60 to 80 per cent of the almost one million dementia cases in the UK. A complex mix of factors including age, lifestyle choices such as smoking, and environmental factors like air pollution and genes, can all contribute to the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. One gene called APOE has long been known to increase the risk of Alzheimers disease. But scientists have found that without a certain variant of this gene, most cases would not occur, making it a powerful target for drug development, according to researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of Eastern Finland. A mix of factors including age, lifestyle, environment and genes can all influence a persons risk of Alzheimers disease ( Getty/iStock ) Everyone carries two APOE genes with three common types of the gene known as 2, 3, and 4. Previous studies suggested the 4 variant may increase dementia risk because the protein it produces is less effective at clearing harmful amyloid-beta - a sticky protein that forms plaques between brain cells eventually leading to cognitive decline. Lead author Dr Dylan Williams from UCL said: We have long underestimated how much the APOE gene contributes to the burden of Alzheimers disease. The 4 variant of APOE is well recognised as harmful by dementia researchers, but much disease would not occur without the additional impact of the common 3 allele (variant), which has been typically misperceived as neutral in terms of Alzheimers risk. When we consider the contributions of 3 and 4, we can see that APOE potentially has a role in almost all Alzheimers disease. Consequently, if we knew how to reduce the risk that the 3 and 4 variants confer to people, we may be able to prevent most disease from occurring. In the 1990s, geneticists found people carrying one or more 4 variants face a much greater risk of Alzheimers than those with two copies of the more commonly inherited 3 variant, and that groups with 2 experience less risk relative to the 3 carriers. But this latest study suggests most cases of Alzheimers and dementia would not happen without the 3 variant. For the study published in the journal npj Dementia, researchers pulled together evidence of how much the 3 and 4 variants are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimers disease, any form of dementia, and the brain changes that lead to Alzheimers, using databases from four large studies with a total of 450,000 participants. Using the data, researchers estimated 72 to 93 per cent of Alzheimers cases would not have occurred if it werent for the 3 and 4 variants of the APOE gene, and approximately 45 per cent of all dementia cases would not arise without the genes influence. Although Alzheimers and other dementia diseases are not caused solely by the APOE gene and many people with these genetic risk factors wont get dementia in a typical lifetime, understanding the risk provides potential for preventing or treating a large majority of Alzheimers disease, Mr Williams explained. Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimers Research UK, said: This study highlights that more Alzheimers cases are linked to the APOE gene than previously thought. However, not everyone with these variants will develop Alzheimers, demonstrating the complex relationship between genetics and other risk factors for dementia. Despite APOE being linked to Alzheimers, very few treatments in clinical trials target this gene directly. Findings from this study show that further research into APOE will be important for developing future prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimers. Masud Husain, professor of neurology at the University of Oxford said: This is a really important study. It reveals how significant the different variants of the APOE gene are in affecting the risk of developing Alzheimers disease. But it also raises the question of whether knowing your APOE genotype would be useful. Currently, this is not available routinely in the NHS. This is largely because it is unclear what someone could do if they found that their risk of developing dementia is high. We definitely need clinical trials that focus on these higher-risk people to establish whether new treatments can make a difference to them. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tensions between Lithuania and Belarus have escalated after meteorological balloons from Belarus forced Lithuania to repeatedly shut down its main airport in the past weeks, leaving thousands of people stranded. While the balloons are used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania, officials in Vilnius see their numbers and trajectories as deliberate acts of disruption orchestrated by Belarus, a close Russian ally, as Europe remains on high alert after drone intrusions into NATOs airspace reached an unprecedented scale in September and the Russian invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth year. A cynical hybrid attack In the most recent incident, operations at Vilnius airport were suspended for 11 hours on Saturday night. Lithuanian authorities said at least 60 balloons were flown from the woods in Belarus, 40 of them reaching areas critical for aviation safety and making it one of the most serious incidents to date. Lithuanian aviation authorities said the balloons appeared to be sent at regular time intervals and directed at the runways. This is a cynical hybrid attack against our economy, aviation security, and the entire nation, Taurimas Valys, Lithuanias deputy minister of foreign affairs, said about the incident. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had previously said that Belarus would apologize if its involvement was established. On Monday, Minsk pointed a finger at Lithuania for allegedly sending a drone into the countrys airspace, claiming it was to be used for espionage and the delivery of extremist materials. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Lithuanias charge daffaires, Erikas Vilkanecas, and demanded an explanation and a probe into the incident. The Republic of Belarus reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security, based on the current situation, the ministry said in a statement Monday. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said Tuesday she had received no information suggesting that Lithuania was involved in the incident, according to the BNS news agency. High tesnions In October, Lithuania closed its borders with Belarus after balloons repeatedly disrupted activity at the Vilnius airport. In retaliation, Minsk prevented over 1,000 Lithuanian cargo trucks from exiting Belarus. Those trucks remain in Belarus, although the Lithuanian government gave in to pressure from the national logistics companies and reopened the border less than three weeks after it was shuttered. Since then, Lithuanian authorities have noted that the number of balloons flying in has continued to rise. If necessary, we will close the border, but please understand that we must coordinate every action with our strategic partners," Ruginiene said on Tuesday. An attempt at a solution Lithuanian authorities offered 1 million euros to projects that could help defend against the disruption. IT Logika, one of the beneficiaries, plans to develop an Intelligent Airspace Security System (IOEAS) to detect and identify targets at any time of the day, as well as a high-power laser to safely shoot down multiple balloons during the same flight. Object trajectory prediction and recognition would be performed using artificial intelligence algorithms. Real-time information would be provided from drone base stations, radars and other geographically distributed sensors. Other planned measures include new harsh punishments for any activities that might be linked to cigarette smuggling and changing flight schedules. We are considering the possibility of moving night flights to other airports like Kaunas, Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas, an advisor to the prime minister, said. We are now focusing on how to actually help people and businesses, he added. Associated Press writer Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A new study could help demystify a rare gastrointestinal condition that causes patients own bodies to produce alcohol, making them experience intoxication without drinking. Known as auto-brewery syndrome or ABS, the extremely rare condition often goes undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness, diagnostic challenges, and stigma. Researchers have now identified specific gut bacteria that appear to be driving alcohol production in patients with the condition, and say their work could lead to new methods for treating the disease. In some cases, the level of alcohol produced from the gut can be high enough to cause noticeable intoxication and gradually induce liver damage, cognitive impairment, digestive issues, and withdrawal symptoms. Patients may experience years of misdiagnosis and social, medical and legal consequences before receiving a proper diagnosis. However, very little is known about the specific gut bacteria that cause ABS. In the largest study of the condition to date, scientists assessed 22 ABS patients and compared their health profiles with those of 21 unaffected household partners. Researchers found that stool samples taken from patients during an ABS flare yielded significantly more ethanol than those from their healthy household partners. "We found that gut bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, ferment sugars into ethanol in the intestine in patients with ABS," Bernd Schnabl, a professor of medicine from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, said. These microbes use several ethanol-producing pathways and drive blood-alcohol levels high enough to cause legal intoxication, said Dr Schnabl, author of the study published in the journal Nature Microbiology. Study first author Cynthia Hsu examines stool culture from a patient ( UC San Diego Health Sciences ) While some patients carried these organisms, researchers said the exact microbes responsible for ABS in individual patients could vary. Some patients also had much higher levels of microbial enzymes involved in fermentation during ABS flares compared with controls, the research found. Faecal samples from individuals with ABS during a flare produced more ethanol in vitro, which could be reduced by antibiotic treatment, scientists wrote in the study. Researchers theorise that treatments targeting these enzymes may be a more effective strategy. These findings can inform future clinical interventions for ABS, they wrote. A stool-based test could also be a better alternative to the currently used diagnosis method of blood alcohol testing, they said. One patient appeared to experience symptom relief after undergoing a faecal microbiota transplantation, according to the study. This patient was symptom-free for more than 16 months after a second faecal microbiota transplant. Our study demonstrates the potential for fecal transplantation," Elizabeth Hohmann, another study author from Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, said. By determining the specific bacteria and microbial pathways responsible, our findings may lead the way toward easier diagnosis, better treatments, and an improved quality of life for individuals living with this rare condition. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An man jailed for attempted murder who absconded from an open prison has been arrested. Kieran Cameron, 43, was reported missing from HMP Thorn Cross in Warrington, Cheshire, on Tuesday evening at 8.20pm. He is currently serving a 23-year sentence for an attempted murder committed in Dorset in 2016. Cheshire Police confirmed on Thursday evening that Cameron was arrested in the Hulme area of Greater Manchester by officers from their Serious and Organised Crime unit. The force had previously stated he has extensive connections to Manchester, Liverpool, and Dorset. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Ministers will ramp up the closure of migrant hotels in Spring as part of plans to reduce pressure on the asylum system. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping immigration reforms at the end of last year, which included making refugee status temporary and scrapping the right to family reunion. The Labour government has pledged to end the use of costly asylum hotels by 2029, however, the number of asylum seekers housed in the controversial accommodation has risen year-on-year. The Home Office is now expected to ramp up the closure of hotels in Spring this year, under plans first reported by The I paper. This will be facilitated by moving migrants waiting on asylum claim decisions into different forms of accommodation. Ministers have pledged to open army barracks to house asylum seekers and suggested that pop-up buildings could be used to create space. More homes of multiple occupation could also be used to house people seeking asylum. open image in gallery Protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which was subject to a court case over its use to house asylum seekers ( PA ) The Home Office is hoping to ramp up removals from the UK to free up hotel space. Ms Mahmood has also pledged to revoke housing and financial support from asylum seekers who have the right to work or who have broken the law. The home secretary will remove the current legal obligation to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The government has pledged to revoke the duty in the coming months and replace it with a discretionary power, that will further restrict who is helped. A senior Whitehall source told The I paper that the one in, one out returns deal with France will also be expanded, and that the government is hopeful a similar deal could be agreed with Germany. More than 36,000 asylum seekers were being housed in Home Office hotels in September last year. The number of people in migrant hotels peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the Conservatives, but fell to 29,561 at the end of June 2024. open image in gallery People taking part in a Stand Up to Racism protest in Epping, Essex, after counter-protests against an asylum hotel in the area ( PA ) The total number of people in receipt of asylum support from the government is also up two per cent year-on-year, with 111,651 individuals getting help at the end of September. MPs warned last year that billions of pounds had been squandered on asylum hotel contracts due to poor management and incompetence at the Home Office. The influential Home Affairs Committee criticised the level of accountability and oversight over large accommodation contracts. Migrant hotels became flashpoints of protest last summer after an asylum seeker in Epping, Essex, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Epping council sought to close down the hotel, taking their legal fight to the High Court, but were unsuccessful. The Home Office argued that the government would face considerable difficulties in re-accommodating them [the asylum seeker residents] appropriately if the hotel was shut down. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Storm Goretti has battered the UK, with tens of thousands of people left without power, widespread travel disruption and school closures after overnight temperatures dropped as low as 12.5C. The Met Office has issued weather warnings in several areas, cautioning that travel hazards and mishaps are far more likely. British Gas forecasts that 60,000 households across Britain are expected to need help with their heating and water systems this week alone. The cold weather can take a toll on boilers, pipes, and radiators and bills are likely to rise to match. Joanna Flowers, a British Gas service and repair engineer, said: If you wake up and your heating isn't working during a cold snap like this, don't panic. There are some simple checks you can do yourself before calling an engineer. open image in gallery Storm Goretti bring snow to Dowlais, Wales, 9 January 2026 ( PA ) Heres everything you need to know about protecting your utilities to ensure your home keeps warm during Storm Goretti and beyond: Check the basics The best place to start when faced with heating issues is to make sure there are no easily fixable issues at play. The first thing to do is ensure that the gas, electric and water supply is turned on, British Gas says. Next, where applicable, checking the room thermostat, boiler pressure gauge, and permanent pilot light. It is also important to check that the boiler is on, working properly, and on the right settings. Sometimes hitting the reset switch or switching it on and off is the best way to get it back in order. Ms Flowers advises: If you try all these steps and your heating still isn't working, or if you're not confident doing these checks yourself, call us and if you call before 11am, one of our engineers will be with you the same day. Preventing frozen pipes Frozen pipes are liable to crack or even burst and land you with a hefty repair bill. British Gas recommends wrapping your pipes up warm to prevent the water inside your pipes freezing. Insulating materials are a cheap fix, and can be purchased from most DIY stores. Encasing your pipes in this will ensure they dont lose heat, saving an average 15 on your bills. What to do if your pipes freeze or burst If your pipes do freeze, there are actions you can take. You must firstly locate the stopcock for your water supply, as this will need to be turned off while you fix the issue. You can try using a warm towel or hairdryer to heat up the water in your pipes, but calling out a plumber is the best course of action. open image in gallery Wintry conditions in Scarborough on Monday (Danny Lawson/PA) ( PA Wire ) If your pipes do burst, only a plumber can help. Water UK recommends making sure your water supply is turned off, opening all your taps to divert the flooding, and placing plenty of towels around the leaks to soak up the water. Bleeding your radiators Air can enter your heating system, forming bubbles in your radiators which may stop them from working. If you can feel cold spots on the top of your radiator, switch it off and when it cools down turn the valve on top to let the air out. Energy Saving Trust also recommends installing reflective radiator panels behind your radiators. These will stop excess heat being absorbed into the walls, and reflect it back into the room, saving up to 25 a year. Warming up your house If youre struggling to keep the cold out of your home, its worth checking youre doing everything you can to heat up effectively. British Gas recommends draught proofing around windows and doors to keep warm air in, and cold air out. Self-adhesive foam strips work well on windows, while draught excluders will work for the bottom of doors. Keyhole and letterbox covers are also worth considering if you notice cold air coming from these sources. Another tip is to make sure your home is furnished effectively for keeping warm. Sofas in front of radiators can soak up a lot of the essential heat they provide, as well as closed windows or blinds. Consider moving any furniture blocking sources of heat, and keep windows and blinds open during the day to let the sun provide more heat. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A huge fire has broken out at an industrial estate in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Emergency services were drawn in from five different fire stations to respond to the major blaze near Balloo Way on Friday afternoon. Thick grey smoke was seen billowing high over the Co Down city as police advised the public to avoid the area and keep windows closed. The roof of a building was engulfed in orange flames as a fire engine worked to control the spread earlier in the day, drone photos showed. It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire. Sources told Belfast Live it may have been caused by a boiler explosion. Multiple local outlets were reporting that the inferno had broken out at a car dealership. open image in gallery Balloo Way in Bangor, Co Down, where the fire broke out ( Google Maps ) Authorities first responded just after 3.30pm and were still on the scene two hours later. North Down MP Alex Easton paid tribute to the emergency services, writing on social media: I am urging everyone to stay well away from Balloo industrial estate and let the PSNI and NI Fire Service deal with the situation. My thoughts are with [them] as they deal with this major fire and praying nobody has been injured. Eight crews from the fire service were on hand, joined by police vehicles. Police cordoned off the area from the top of Balloo Way. The BBC reported that the blaze appeared to be under control by Friday evening. Stephen Dunne, DUP MLA for North Down, told the broadcaster it was quite a major incident that had caused considerable concern within the local community. He said the fire had broken out in a very central location, where a number of employees were based. Several bus routes, including the 302D and 302A, were affected, according to Translink. A police spokesperson said: "The public are advised to avoid the Balloo Way, Bangor due to a fire in the area. Emergency services are currently at the scene and residents are advised to keep windows closed due to smoke." Did you see what happened? Contact james.reynolds@independent.co.uk Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Hundreds of schools will remain closed as snow and ice brought by Storm Goretti continue to cause disruption across the country. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice covering much of Scotland, which runs until midday on Friday, among six other yellow and amber weather warnings across the UK. More than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray. Many pupils will have had a whole week off school at the start of the new term, though remote learning has been provided in many cases. A total of 278 schools were closed on Thursday across northern Scotland, or around 11 per cent, which is down on the 440 that were closed on Wednesday. A yellow snow and ice warning remains in place across Scotland until midday. Freezing conditions have caused ice and around 2 to 5cm of fresh snow accumulations are expected in western Scotland, and hills in northern England. You can check the status of your childs school here: It comes after several days of intense snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption, mainly in the north of the country. Storm Goretti, named by the French meteorological service, has meanwhile brought peak gusts of 99mph to the Isles of Scilly and as much as 30cm of snow to parts of the UK. The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for wind in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday afternoon. Travel has been affected all week, with a number of flights cancelled, and some train lines affected. British Airways has cancelled 25 departures and 27 arrivals scheduled to operate at Londons Heathrow airport on Friday. West Midlands Railway said it has suspended all services. We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon, it said. No rail replacement road transport is being provided because of uncertain road conditions. London Northwestern Railway said it has suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until Friday afternoon. Its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston are reduced. But as much of the country is impacted by ice, authorities have asked pedestrians and motorists to be careful on slippery surfaces. open image in gallery A number of weather warnings remain in place ( Met Office ) Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the storm will bring wet, windy and wintry weather to parts of the UK. He said Storm Goretti, named by Meteo France, would bring some strong winds and some significant snow to central and perhaps southern parts. The meteorologist added: As that rain pushes its way and it hits against that cold air that we currently have across us and so on the northern edge, we are likely to see some fairly significant snow as we go through later tomorrow and into Friday. 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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Sunday. open image in gallery The UK Health Security Agency has also issued an amber cold health alert ( UKHSA ) Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours earlier this week. 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. National Highways issued its own amber warning for snow in the West and East Midlands, which lasts from 6pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday. The agency said in a statement: Routes particularly around Birmingham across to Leicester and Nottingham will see particularly difficult driving conditions and consideration of the weather forecast should be taken before commencing journeys, with considerable delays possible. open image in gallery Snow has been causing disruption across the UK this week ( Getty Images ) The agency said on Friday morning the A628 Woodhead Pass connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire remains closed in both directions between the A616 for Flouch and the A57 for Hollingworth because of snow. Drivers are advised to use the M60, M62 and M1 as an alternative route. Three out of four northbound lanes of the M1 motorway are closed between Junction 28 for Mansfield and Junction 29 for Chesterfield following a crash involving a lorry. Recovery of the lorry has started and specialised winter fleet vehicles are en route to clear snow which has settled in the closed lanes. Drivers face delays of up to half an hour as congestion stretches for four miles. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Hurricane-force winds and heavy snow battered the UK as Storm Goretti caused chaos around Britain, leading to flight cancellations, school closures and power outages. The storm arrived in the UK on Thursday, generating a rare red danger to life weather warning from the Met Office, with winds of around 100mph hitting the South West and snow blanketing Scotland, the Midlands and Wales. A peak gust of 99mph was reported at St Marys on the Isles of Scilly, the highest since 1991, according to the Met Office, while a weather station in Cornwall reported hurricane-force gales of 123mph at 7.30pm on Thursday. Nearly 150,000 households were also without power following outages in the South West, Midlands, and south Wales. Approximately 37,000 properties were still without power in the South West at about 8pm on Friday, according to the National Grid, along with about 3,000 in the West Midlands, more than 1,000 in the East Midlands, and about 240 in Wales. Cornwall Council leader Leigh Frost said the storm had caused major disruption across parts of Cornwall, particularly to roads, coastal areas and local infrastructure. open image in gallery A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall ( PA ) The roof of the grandstand at the home ground of Cornish Pirates rugby club in Penzance had large chunks torn off it by the strong winds. The Met Office said on Friday morning that Storm Goretti continues to cause problems as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow battered some areas. There was widespread travel disruption around the country on Friday. According to the PA news agency, at least 69 flights scheduled to operate to or from Heathrow airport on Friday were cancelled, likely disrupting more than 9,000 passengers. East Midlands and Birmingham airports reopened their runways on Friday, having been closed due to the snow. Key roads were also closed in Cornwall, the north of England, and Scotland as authorities dealt with mounting snow and ice and fallen trees and debris, while around 250 schools mostly in Scotland remained closed on Friday. open image in gallery Residential streets in Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil ( PA ) Disruption on the roads also affected the criminal justice system, with no remand prisoners being transported to Birmingham Crown Court. National Rail said train services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day on Friday due to the weather. Forecasters had recorded 15cm of snow at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and 7cm in Nottingham. Notable snow accumulations continued in Scotland on Friday, with 27cm at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm at Durris in Kincardineshire. Steve Willington, the Met Offices chief forecaster, said more snow is possible on Sunday after a largely dry Saturday away from northeastern parts of Scotland and England. open image in gallery A woman walking through snow in Dowlais ( PA ) A yellow warning for snow and ice will be in force for much of Scotland from 2am until 3pm on Sunday. Mr Willington said: A further 2-5cm of snow is possible to accumulate at low levels within the warning area on Sunday, with 10-20cm possible over higher ground. With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, in what will be a wet Sunday for many. The majority of the UK will remain covered by yellow weather warnings until Saturday. A yellow warning for snow and ice will be in force until 3pm on Saturday, with further snowfall possible across parts of northern England and much of Scotland, while a widespread risk of ice is expected to cause disruption. open image in gallery A fallen tree caused by Storm Goretti rests against a house in Falmouth ( Getty ) A separate yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of England and Wales until midday on Saturday as thawed snow refreezes. Forecasters say this will be accompanied by wintry showers and freezing fog. A warning for snow and ice covers the entirety of Northern Ireland until 11am on Saturday, with the Met Office warning of icy patches and some hill snow. Then, a yellow warning covering large parts of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, North East and North West England and Yorkshire will then be in place from 2am until 3pm on Sunday. Forecasters also warned that the combination of melting snow and rain increases the flood risk for some in the coming days. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice 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. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Storm Goretti brought a potentially deadly mix of violent winds, ice and heavy snow and rains on Thursday, forcing schools to close and leaving more than 65,000 homes without power. Gusts of up to 99mph were recorded as authorities issued a rare red warning the highest level of winds for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. Emergency alerts were sent to mobile phones in the area and they sounded an alarm even if set to silent. open image in gallery Storm warning: Heavy weather in Guernsey ( Government of Guernsey ) More than 65,000 properties in southwest England are without power, according to the National Grid. At least 11,000 homes in the West Midlands and 2,600 in Wales are also without power. A red warning officially means it is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure. The Met Office says of red warnings: You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities. Rain started to turn to snow in the west country, the Midlands, Wales and the Pennines, as part of the weather bomb hitting the country. But officials in the Midlands fear the worst of the snow is yet to come, with 30cm (11in) expected to fall on Friday causing widespread travel disruption. open image in gallery Cars in Aberdeen trapped by heavy snow brought on by Storm Goretti ( PA ) An amber warning for snow on Thursday night and into Friday morning was in place across a swathe of the UK from southeast England to south Wales and southwest England to Yorkshire and Scotland. Yorkshire and the east of England were also under a yellow warning of rain overnight. Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Marys Airport on the Isles of Scilly a new record for the site. Dozens of schools in Cornwall finished lessons early on Thursday as the storm approached, and others in the Midlands and Wales decided to close on Friday. In Scotland, more than 250 schools have remained closed for a fifth day on Friday following several days of intense snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures. open image in gallery An officer at the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre monitors the progress of Storm Goretti ( Getty ) Anyone trying to travel faced delays or disruptions in the west and southwest of England. All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm on Thursday, and in Devon, services on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were also suspended because of forecast high winds. In Wales, six railway lines closed at 3pm on Thursday, with a reduced service on the remainder. Avanti West Coast cancelled one in three trains between London and Birmingham and Manchester. Passengers were advised not to try to travel, with services disrupted again on Friday morning. Train operators offered passengers the option to postpone their journeys as far ahead as Monday. No replacement buses were running because snow and rain made road travel risky. open image in gallery A government red alert sent to mobile phones in the southwest ( Getty ) British Airways cancelled 30 flights to and from London Heathrow. The RAC warned drivers of the risk of falling trees and cars being thrown about. Spokesperson Alice Simpson said: A red weather warning is every bit as serious as it sounds: avoid the roads unless absolutely essential until the storm winds have passed. With the worst conditions expected in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, we strongly urge motorists in these areas to stay safe by parking well away from trees that could be uprooted by the strongest winds the area has seen in years. Exposed routes and coastlines pose the greatest danger as motorists are completely exposed to the elements and risk being buffeted across the road by sudden gusts. open image in gallery The storm as seen from a weather satellite 36,000km above Earth ( EUMETSAT ) A weather bomb, also known as explosive cyclogenesis, is caused when the central pressure in an area of low pressure falls rapidly. The pressure has to fall by 24 millibars in 24 hours to qualify. Storm Goretti, named by French forecaster Meteo France, also prompted a yellow warning for wind for the rest of the south coast of England and for Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph were forecast. Yellow warnings mean disruption to travel is likely in some areas or when the weather could bring much more severe effects to most people, but they are less likely, according to the Met Office. open image in gallery The amber snow warning on 8 January ( Met Office ) The agency said the exceptional wind speeds could be even higher than in recent storms, such as Ciaran in 2023 and Eunice in 2022. Met Office 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 and the very strong winds in the far southwest, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many. Forecasters say Saturday is set to be calmer, but by Sunday, more snow and strong winds will hit the north of the UK and it will rain in the south. Next week is predicted to be milder. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice As Prime Minister Keir Starmer signs a historic deal to deploy British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement with Russia, questions are mounting over whether the UK is ready for such a commitment. Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy commander of Nato, cautiously welcomed the pledge, but stressed that any UK deployment must have the right numbers, the means, and theres got to be proper capabilities. He told LBC this week: Theres not going to be a peace until Russia is forced into it. At least now there is a clear plan from France and the UK to provide a reassurance force or an enforcement force. Other experts have also cautioned that a deployment of 10,000 troops could strain the Regular Army, the RAF, and the Royal Navy, and that significantly larger numbers would be needed to have any real impact on the ground. Reform leader Nigel Farage ridiculed the pledge, asking, With what boots? What kit? and warning that the UK could only maintain a presence for a few weeks at most. Supporters, however, argue that, despite these limitations, the UKs forces are highly capable and that a well-equipped contingent could provide vital reassurance to Ukraine and Nato allies. Defence spending is set to rise in the coming years, with modernisation programmes underway and recruitment drives aiming to bolster the armed forces. But with military commitments, global threats, and domestic defence needs all competing for attention, the debate over whether Britain should put boots on the ground is far from straightforward. Should the UK follow through on its pledge to Ukraine, or are there limits to what its armed forces can realistically achieve? We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below the most compelling responses will be featured in the coming days. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An Irish minister has deactivated his X account, citing discomfort with a platform that permits sexual deepfakes. Media Minister Patrick ODonovans decision follows heightened scrutiny in Ireland and the UK over Elon Musks artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Grok. The integrated X feature has faced criticism after users generated numerous sexualised images, including those of children. Grok now informs users that requests for such content will only be fulfilled for paid subscribers, requiring their name and payment details. Speaking to Limerick Live 95 radio, Mr ODonovan stated that the "abuse he gets on the platform and the revelations this week about Grok" prompted his departure. I actually deactivated my X account so Im not on X anymore, he said. I deactivated it early this morning, because, to be quite honest about it over the last number of months, over the last number of years really, I dont find it a platform that I would use to share information anymore. Because whether it is the fact that Ive spoken to Joe Nash on Live 95 or whether Im trying to communicate something that the department is doing, or whether Im just posting something that Im doing in my constituency, it inevitably follows a wave of abuse. So Ive deactivated it. He said he was not asking others to follow his actions and deactivate their accounts. Asked if the concerns around Grok this week had also prompted him to deactivate it, he said: It was, yeah, it was. Im minister for communications and Im minister for media, and I just felt that like, if youre on a platform where this is allowed, regardless of whether youre paying for it or not, I just dont feel comfortable with it. open image in gallery Minister Niamh Smyth has requested a meeting with X over the matter (PA) I dont feel comfortable with the fact that theres people that are going to use my image, or your image, or somebody elses image, and artificially generate something around it maybe make it into something that it shouldnt and publish it then. Earlier in the week, the junior minister with responsibility for AI said images created through Grok on X had broken the law. Niamh Smyth said she had requested a meeting with X over the matter and warned there would be consequences if it was found to have broken the law. She said: It is clear that within Irish law, child abuse images are absolutely illegal. Whether they are real images or computer-generated, which is what were talking about here, it is a criminal offence to distribute them on platforms. The law has been, as far as Im concerned, the law has been broken here in Ireland. The Irish Attorney General is also examining whether existing legislation affords adequate protections to citizens. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The prime minister has reportedly been told that the Ministry of Defence is facing a 28bn shortfall in funding for the next four years, just days after he committed to sending British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. The UKs top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is said to have told Sir Keir in a meeting before Christmas - also attended by the chancellor and defence secretary - that an MoD assessment showed a 28bn funding gap between now and 2030. The prime minister last year vowed to make Britain battle ready but his defence plans have been overshadowed by a row over money, despite warnings over the threat of an increasingly bellicose Russia. open image in gallery Sir Richard Knighton speaking at a Royal United Services Institute event ( PA Wire ) The latest revelations, reported in The Times, are thought to have prompted Sir Keir to order an overhaul of the defence investment plan (Dip), which has been delayed after first being expected in the autumn. But a government source insisted the UK is on track to fulfil the commitments outlined in the review. Sir Richard took over as Chief of the Defence Staff in September and is responsible for the delivery of the strategic defence review published in June. The UK has pledged to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 in order to plug gaps in Britains ailing military. The review also set out a goal to raise spending to three per cent in the next Parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow. But the latest revelations raise questions over whether or not the targets are achievable. It comes amid increasing global volatility with the US president launching a raid on Caracas and capturing the Venezuelan president and just days after Britain and France signed a historic agreement committing to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine as soon as any ceasefire with Russia comes into effect. The document, signed at a summit in Paris by French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, was hailed as a significant step forward in ensuring Kyiv has security guarantees that would deter a future Russian invasion. open image in gallery French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky ( Tom Nicholson/PA Wire ) UK bases and military personnel also supported a US operation to seize an oil tanker in the Atlantic on Wednesday, a vessel which was said to be part of a shadow fleet seeking to evade sanctions on Iranian oil. Sir Keir spoke to US President Donald Trump for the second time in as many days on Thursday as the two discussed the threat that an increasingly aggressive Russia poses in the High North. An MoD spokesperson told The Independent: "The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling 270bn this parliament alone. Demands on defence are rising, with growing Russian aggression, increasing operational requirements and preparations for a Ukraine deployment. We are working flat out on the Defence Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Liberal Democrat-Labour government led by Sir Ed Davey has been deemed the least unpopular coalition among British voters, according to a new YouGov survey. The pollfound that of the potential combinations given, none hold support from the majority of the public and most would prefer to have a single-party government. But a Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition, led by Sir Ed, was opposed the least with 36 per cent of Britons saying they would support such a result and 45 per cent saying they would oppose it. Meanwhile, a Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition led by Sir Keir Starmer was supported by 31 per cent of those surveyed, and opposed by 51 per cent. At the Liberal Democrat conference in September last year, Ed Davey declined to say whether he would join a coalition with Labour after the next election if it meant preventing a Reform UK government. Asked repeatedly by the BBC whether he would consider entering into a coalition with Sir Keirs party, the Lib Dem leader did not give a clear answer, and said he believes there is a moral duty to keep Nigel Farages party out of government. A Labour-Green coalition with Starmer as PM was the second most popular combination, garnering the support of 33 per cent, while 51 per cent also said they opposed it. A coalition between the Conservatives and Reform UK would have the support of 29 per cent if Nigel Farage was prime minister and 25 per cent if Badenoch was, though either arrangement would be opposed by 56 per cent. If Reform UK end up as the largest party in a hung parliament, their current voters are largely split between the 48 per cent who would want them to form a coalition with the Conservatives and the 43 per cent who would prefer they attempt to form a government without a majority. Coalitions between Labour and right-wing parties are the least popular, with just one in six Britons supportive of a coalition between Labour and the Conservatives, regardless of who was prime minister. Ed Davey has previously declined to say whether he would join a coalition with Labour after the next election ( Getty ) Seventeen per cent said they would support a Reform-Labour coalition with Nigel Farage as prime minister, while only 6 per cent said they would somewhat support this coalition with Starmer in charge the lowest of all combinations. However, the poll shows the public would still prefer to have a single-party government over a coalition overall. Half of Britons said theyd rather one party govern by itself, compared to just over a quarter who would rather two or more parties govern together in coalition. Support for single-party government is strongest among those currently intending to vote Reform UK at 76 per cent or Conservative at 69 per cent. Current Labour supporters also favour one-party government by 53 per cent to 29 per cent. Lib Dems are split on the question 40 per cent to 43 per cent, while those intending to vote Green favour coalitions over single-party government by 46 per cent to 35 per cent. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Ministry of Defence is facing a 28 billion shortfall in funding for the next four years, according to reports, just days after Sir Keir Starmer committed to sending British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. The UKs top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is said to have told the Prime Minister that an MoD assessment showed a 28 billion shortfall between now and 2030, The Times reports. Sir Richard showed the PM the assessment at a meeting before Christmas also attended by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defence Secretary John Heeley, according to the newspaper. The news could influence the defence investment plan (Dip), which has been delayed. It was initially expected in the autumn and will set out how the strategic defence review will be delivered. open image in gallery Sir Richard Knighton speaking at a Royal United Services Institute event ( PA Wire ) Last year, Sir Keir vowed to make Britain battle ready but his defence plans have been overshadowed by a row over money, despite warnings over the threat of an increasingly bellicose Russia. A Government source said the UK is on track to fulfil the commitments outlined in the review. Sir Richard took over as Chief of the Defence Staff in September and is responsible for the delivery of the strategic defence review published in June, as the UK has pledged to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027. The review also set out a goal to raise spending to three per cent in the next Parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow. Britain and France this week signed a historic agreement committing to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine as soon as any ceasefire with Russia comes into effect. The document, signed at a summit in Paris by French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, was hailed as a significant step forward in ensuring Kyiv has security guarantees that would deter a future Russian invasion. open image in gallery French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky ( Tom Nicholson/PA Wire ) UK bases and military personnel also supported a US operation to seize an oil tanker in the Atlantic on Wednesday. The vessel was said to be part of a shadow fleet seeking to evade sanctions on Iranian oil. Sir Keir spoke to US President Donald Trump for the second time in as many days on Thursday as the two discussed the threat that an increasingly aggressive Russia poses in the High North. An MOD spokesperson told The Independent: "The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling 270bn this parliament alone. Demands on defence are rising, with growing Russian aggression, increasing operational requirements and preparations for a Ukraine deployment. We are working flat out on the Defence Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited. Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Green Party is willing to consider joining an electoral pact with Labour to stop Nigel Farages Reform UK but not while Sir Keir Starmer is leader, Zack Polanski has said. With his party rising rapidly in the opinion polls, there has been widespread speculation that the Greens could work with the Labour Party to take on Reform at the local elections in May but leader Mr Polanski has insisted his priority now is to replace Labour, not work with them. Pressed on whether he would be open to a pact, Mr Polanski told The Independent he would consider an alliance with Labour if former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner or Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham were to become leader, but said such a deal is out of the question at present. Under no circumstances could I see a scenario where Id want to work with Labour led by Keir Starmer, he said. All I think working with Keir Starmer would do is create an even worse [version of] Nigel Farage down the track. With the prime ministers position under scrutiny amid widespread speculation about attempts to replace him, Mr Polanski pointed to potential leaders he would work with, while ruling out others. open image in gallery The Green Party has seen a significant boost in the polls since Zack Polanski was elected leader in September ( Stefan Rousseau/PA ) He said: I feel it would be easier to work with someone like [former deputy prime minister] Angela Rayner, but its not for me to decide whether shes lost public trust. Angela Rayner, I think, has been tarnished by her previous role in this Labour government, where we had children being pushed into poverty. He argued that the recent U-turn to end the two-child benefit cap was 18 months too late and forced on Labour partly because of the political success of the Greens rather than pressure from the likes of Ms Rayner. He went on: Andy Burnham probably is the outlier, but I cant see a scenario where he could get back into parliament whilst we have the control freakery of this Labour government. The Green Party leader accused Sir Keir of being the first Labour leader in history thats wanted to destroy his own progressive coalition by purging socialists from his party. I think those people have realised in increasing numbers that their home is in the Green Party. Thats why I say were not here to be disappointed by Labour or concerned by Labour. Were here to replace Labour. He added: I think the Green Party can absolutely lead the left, and I will play my part in that as leader of the Green Party. open image in gallery Polanski said the Greens could work with a Labour Party led by Angela Rayner or Andy Burnham ( James Manning/PA ) Mr Polanski was also scathing about two of the favourites to succeed Sir Keir Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, who was recently feted by Sir Tony Blair. Shabana Mahmood is someone who has actively fuelled the anti-migrant rhetoric that was started with Reform but seems to be finished by this Labour Party, he said. He highlighted issues such as the proscribing of Palestine Action and the unconscionable treatment of supporters of the group who are on hunger strike while awaiting trial in prison for alleged break-ins or criminal damage. Meanwhile, the doctors pay dispute has also confirmed Mr Polanskis distaste for the health secretary. He [Wes Streeting] is showing his true colours. Where are they taking the fight over multi-millionaires or billionaires or taxing wealth? No, theyre taking it to the doctors who have received a cut in real terms over the last 17 years. Not only has Streeting not negotiated with them in a fair, transparent way, hes also resorted to name-calling in public. Thats not someone I can imagine myself working with. Mr Polanski spoke to The Independent at the end of last year, when he won the leadership of his party on a populist left ticket and then saw it attract the support of former Labour voters. open image in gallery Polanski won the leadership of the party of a populist left ticket, attracting disenfranchised voters ( Getty ) The party has seen a significant boost in support since Mr Polanskis election, with one opinion poll conducted by FindOutNow in October putting the Greens neck and neck with Labour. And last month, five Labour councillors from Brent in London announced they were defecting to the Greens. The interview also saw him admit that he enjoys the fact that leading figures in Labour are scared enough of him to attack him in public, arguing it has proven that the Greens have become a significant political force in the UK under his leadership, with a new focus on economic justice. Attack videos have come from Mr Streeting and the Home Office minister, Mike Tapp. He said: Weve also got the chancellor Rachel Reeves during her biggest speech of the year, using that moment to make cheap jokes at my expense. And whats beautiful about all of this is how it keeps backfiring every single time. It is creating the reverse effect for them, where people are recognising how badly they have failed. I say, bring on the attacks in 2026 because were ready for them and were only getting stronger. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 550-pound black bear who has been living under a mans house for months has finally been evicted. The giant animal made a den beneath Ken Johnsons California property in November, which the homeowner said had caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. It has lived there ever since. Until, that is, an animal welfare expert came up up with a creative way to remove the unwanted guest. Johnsons saviors - volunteers from the BEAR League - crawled beneath the home to get behind the animal and used paintballs filled with vegetable oil to scare it away. Im in a situation I never imagined. A 500-pound bear has been living underneath my home in Altadena for over a month, Johnson previously wrote on a GoFundMe page asking for help. open image in gallery A 550 pound bear lived under a Californian man's home for more than a month ( BEAR League ) Right after surviving the Eaton fire, I lost my job, and shortly after that the bear began tearing into the structure of my home, he continued. I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe. Johnson claimed the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were failing to help him remove the bear and threatened to sue the organization after it captured the wrong bear. Eventually, the frustrated homeowner decided to contact the animal protection organization BEAR League. The wildlife rescue group arrived at his home with paintball guns. Footage showed the bear pulling itself out of the underground hole as paintballs filled with vegetable oil were fired. The bear then ran away as a wildlife officer continued to fire shots. The BEAR League told Fox News their members Scott and Dave traveled seven hours from Lake Tahoe to Altadena to help. open image in gallery The bear had made a den under the property ( Ken Johnson/ KTLA ) Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the home fully aware the bear was still there to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawl space opening, a spokesperson for the league said. To avoid the bear coming back, the organization loaned electric unwelcome mats to give the homeowner time to make repairs and secure the crawl space to prevent another visit. Footage posted by the league to Facebook showed the animal coming back and sniffing the mat that was now blocking the den. The moment the bear put his paw on the mat, he appeared to be zapped and soon scurried away. The league told Fox News people needed to be cautious about having open crawl spaces to avoid finding themselves in a similar situatuion. open image in gallery Homeowner Ken Johnson stands outside his house with trash scattered across the driveway after the bear took refuge ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) We remind those who live in bear country that a poorly-secured crawl space is an open invitation for a winter visitor like this bear, the group said. BEAR league responds multiple times per day at this time of year to evict bears from under homes in the Lake Tahoe region, and weve done so for 30 years without cost to the homeowner. We work hard to educate people who share space with the bears that if humans take some very simple steps, they can live in harmony with the bears. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released a statement in response to Johnsons claims he was abandoned by the organization. Despite very limited staff, CDFW biologists have been in constant communication with this homeowner since the bear was reported entering his unsecured crawlspace in November, a spokesperson told The New York Post. We remain committed to helping this homeowner and have never indicated otherwise. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A professor at Austin Peay State University has been reinstated and awarded a substantial $500,000 settlement following his dismissal over a social media post concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Darren Michael, a tenured faculty member, returned to his position at the Tennessee public university in Clarksville on December 30. The settlement agreement, obtained through a public records request and initially reported by WKRN-TV, confirms the $500,000 payment alongside reimbursement for counseling costs. Michael, a professor of theater and dance, was among several individuals who reported facing significant conservative backlash and professional repercussions for their online comments after Kirk's fatal shooting in September. He had previously been placed on suspension. The significant payout was authorized by high-ranking state officials, including Tennessee's governor, attorney general and comptroller. Two days after Kirk's killing, Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee circulated a screenshot indicating Michael on Sept. 10 had posted the headline of a 2023 news article reading, Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths Unfortunately Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment. ( Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images ) In a Dec. 30 email to the university community, Austin Peay President Mike Licari said the school did not follow the required tenure termination process. The communication was another requirement under the settlement. Licari added, I deeply regret and apologize for the impact this has had on Professor Michael and on our campus community. I am committed to ensuring that due process and fairness are upheld in all future actions. Two days after Kirk's killing, Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee circulated a screenshot indicating Michael on Sept. 10 had posted the headline of a 2023 news article reading, Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths Unfortunately Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment. Blackburn, who is also a candidate for governor, included a photograph and biography of Michael. She wrote, What do you say, Austin Peay State University? and tagged the university's account. Blackburn's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the settlement. David L. King, Michael's attorney, said the professor said nothing that was threatening or otherwise offensive." King decried the pressure applied by outside forces and said the ordeal caused a great deal of harm" to Michael and his daughter. Close Cell phone footage shows shooting of Renee Good from ICE agent's perspective Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday twice referred to Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minnesota last week, as a lunatic," the latest Trump administration denunciation of the deceased mother of three. Leavitt said that Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot Good, was absolutely justified in using self defense against a lunatic who was part of a group, an organized group, to interject and to impede on law enforcement operations. A number of Trump officials have blamed Good for her own death, alleging without evidence she was a professional agitator. Goods death set off widespread protests, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said hundreds more federal law enforcement agents will be deployed to Minnesota to protect its officers amid the outcry. Ross shot Good while she was driving an SUV on a residential street in Minneapolis last Wednesday. Footage of the shooting has drawn intense scrutiny, with Democrats accusing Ross of acting recklessly and Republicans claiming Good attempted to strike the agent. State and local officials in Minnesota sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging the ongoing DHS immigration crackdown violates the Constitution. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The U.S. has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, marking the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as Washington steps up efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports. U.S. forces stormed the Olina tanker near Trinidad, which was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, according to public shipping database Equasis. In a pre-dawn move, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, apprehended the Olina in the Caribbean Sea "without incident," the U.S. Southern Command said on X. "Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: 'there is no safe haven for criminals,'" it said. The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and the vessel was returning fully loaded to Venezuela following the U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, an industry source told Reuters. open image in gallery The US issued a warning after seizing the latest vessel early Friday ( U.S. Southern Command ) "The vessels AIS (location) tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao," British maritime risk management company Vanguard said separately. "The seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region." The U.S. imposed sanctions on the tanker in January last year, when it was named the Minerva M, for what Washington said was it being part of the so-called shadow fleet of ships that sail with little regulation or known insurance. The ship was sanctioned for its role in transporting Russian oil, The Wall Street Journal reported, with Fridays seizure by the U.S. risking further inflaming tensions with Russia after the U.S. seized a ship being escorted by the Russian Navy earlier this week. In that seizure, the military and Coast Guard intercepted the Marinera tanker in waters northwest of Scotland after a two-week chase. The vessel had evaded a U.S. blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela, a measure the administration had implemented before an elite unit seized Venezuelan Maduro in the early hours of Saturday. After evading capture, it renamed itself from the Bella 1 and painted a Russian flag on its side in what appeared to be a bid for protection from Moscow. open image in gallery The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 ( U.S. Southern Command ) The M Sophia, another of the tankers that was part of a flotilla of a dozen vessels that left Venezuela earlier this month, was seized by U.S. forces earlier this week. Three vessels - Skylyn, Min Hang and Merope - all fully loaded and part of the same flotilla that left last week, sailed back to Venezuelan waters Thursday, according to the industry source. Seven additional tankers from that flotilla, also fully loaded, were set to return to Venezuelan waters Friday and Saturday, the person said. All of the oil on board these 10 tankers is owned by Venezuelan state producer PDVSA, the person added. PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear whether Washington would take action on the other tankers sailing towards Venezuela. The U.S. blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains in full effect "anywhere in the world," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Trump administration officials announced that the U.S. plans to indefinitely control Venezuelan oil sales as a means to stabilize the countrys economy and rebuild its neglected oil sector. Officials say the U.S. will maintain the countrys massive reserves to ensure proceeds from sales are used for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people. Trump is set to meet with oil executives Friday to try and persuade Americas largest energy companies to restore Venezuelas oil infrastructure. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An online fundraiser for the family of Renee Nicole Good, the woman shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, has already flown past its $50,000 goal and is approaching $1.5 million. Good, a mother-of-three and poet, was killed Wednesday following a confrontation with federal immigrant officers on a residential street that prompted one of the men, since identified as one Jonathan Ross, to fire three shots at her through the window of her Honda Pilot. The 37 year-old died at the scene, with her wife Rebecca looking on in horror from nearby, leading to widespread protests in the Minnesota city and in others across the U.S. amid a bitter dispute over the official narrative. President Donald Trump and his administration have reacted by blaming the victim, accusing Good of engaging in domestic terrorism and attempting to run the agents over. open image in gallery People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis ( Reuters ) The GoFundMe page, set up by family friends to support Goods spouse and six-year-old son, said the pair were grappling with a devastating loss and described the deceased as pure sunshine, pure love. She will be desperately missed. As of mid day Friday, the fundraising total stood at $1,486,102 from approximately 38,000 donations. Good was originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and previously hosted a podcast with her husband, comedian Tim Macklin, who passed away in 2023, aged 36. After being widowed, she subsequently lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and Canada for brief spells before settling in Minneapolis with her new partner, whose name she took when they married. In addition to her young son, she also had a 15-year-old daughter and another boy aged 12. open image in gallery A poster mourning Renee Nicole Good is pasted to a light pole near the scene of her shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota ( Getty ) Her mother Donna Granger told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Good was extremely compassionate and not the type of person to confront ICE agents. A friend has subsequently contradicted that assertion by telling The New York Post that Good was a member of a local group called ICE Watch. Renee was one of the kindest people Ive ever known, Granger said of her late daughter. She was extremely compassionate. Shes taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being. Among the more controversial responses to her killing, which was closely scrutinized on social media from video filmed at the scene by a number of eyewitnesses, was that of the president, who insisted on Truth Social she was obviously, a professional agitator who had given Ross no choice but to fire in self-defense. open image in gallery Jonathan Ross has been named as the ICE agent who fatally shot Good ( X (Twitter) ) Vice President JD Vance also angrily defended the officer online and at the White House, lambasting the media for its coverage of the tragedy, as did Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who claimed Good had weaponized her vehicle against the agents. California Gov. Gavin Newsom meanwhile, called the incident state-sponsored terrorism, accusing ICE of serving as Trumps personal police force and driving extremism and cruelty while discarding basic safeguards and accountability. City mayor Jacob Frey also attacked Noems version of events as bulls*** and a garbage narrative and demanded that the federal forces: Get the f*** out of Minneapolis. He has since attacked federal officials for freezing out local authorities from the official investigation into the incident and claimed ICEs actions have doubled the number of shootings in the city this year. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 56-year-old woman has died after her arm was torn off in a suspected shark attack in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Arlene Lillis, from Minnesota, was swimming off Drosch Beach around 4.30 p. m. when the fatal attack occurred Thursday. Christopher Carroll, a tourist from Utah, told the St Thomas Source he first realised something was wrong when he heard "ungodly screaming coming from the sea. Carroll, a former lifeguard, quickly swam out and found the victim floating in the water have been severely injured. The womans arm had been completely severed below the elbow, he told the newspaper. However, she was still conscious after the attack despite her injuries Carroll said. open image in gallery Arlene Lillis was killed at Dorsch Beach in St Croix in a suspected shark attack ( Google Streetview ) She was talking, Carroll said. I just kept trying to reassure her. Ryan Connot, a vacationer from Nebraska, said that he swam out to Carroll to help him bring Lillis back to shore. Halfway towards the shoreline, Lillis told the men her name and that she was scared for her life. She later died on the beach after losing a significant amount of blood. The Virgin Islands Police Department said in a statement that authorities suspect that a second victim was also injured. The cops added that both marine units and emergency responders raced to the scene after receiving reports of the attack at around 4.28 p.m. Police have established a perimeter around the beach and are continuing to investigate what could have caused the attack. open image in gallery The area is known for its huge shark population, which includes massive tiger sharks (file image) ( Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Governor Albert Bryan Jr and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza A Roach released a joint statement after Lillis' death. On behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands, I extend our deepest condolences to the victims family and all who are grieving this loss, Roach said. In moments like this, we are reminded how quickly life can change. We thank the individuals on the scene who stepped forward to help, and we commend our first responders for their swift action and professionalism under extremely difficult circumstances. Authorities have not yet confirmed which type of shark could have been behind the attack. However, the warm waters surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands are home to some of the oceans deadliest sharks. Tiger Sharks, which have been known to devour everything from dolphins to manmade objects, are a common sight in the region. Caribbean Reef Sharks, which can reach up to 9.8 ft in length, are also common and are a symbol of the region. However, despite the fact that the area is teeming with sharks, attacks are actually exceedingly rare. According to the Florida Museum, just three shark attacks have unfolded on the U.S. Virgin Islands since 1580. Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told TIME that sharks generally avoid humans. However, he says that sharks can swim as close as 100 yards from the shoreline. If one of the creatures attacks, he recommends hitting it in the nose. They have a lot of receptors on the snout, so if theyre really quite alarmed, it'll turn and it'll go away, Naylor continues. That happens nine times out of 10. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump says the U.S. will start hitting drug cartels on land next - and hinted Mexico could be the next target. Trump claimed to have stopped 97 percent of the drugs coming into the U.S. by water, following a series of deadly air strikes off Venezuela in recent weeks. U.S. actions culminated in the removal of Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro in a military raid at the weekend. But it appears from an interview with Fox News, that Trump is already eyeing his next military intervention. Weve knocked out 97 per cent of the drugs coming in by water and we are now going to start hitting land with regard to the cartels, he told Sean Hannity Thursday. open image in gallery President Donald Trump has threatened land strikes to tackle drug trafficking ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images ) The cartels are running Mexico, he claimed. Its very sad to watch and see whats happened to that country but the cartels are running it and theyre killing 250-300,000 people in our country every single year, the drugs. Its horrible. Trump gave little detail on what his plans would involve, either when or exactly where any such operations would take place. Nevertheless, the remarks will raise concerns following the recent capture of Maduro, as Trump appears to expand U.S. influence in Latin America. Mexicos president, Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the presidents raid on Venezuela at the time. open image in gallery Nicolas Maduro being escorted by officers in New York following his capture ( Reuters ) Mexicos position against any form of intervention is firm, clear, and historic, she said. Intervention has never brought democracy, nor has it generated lasting wellbeing or stability. We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. On Thursday, the president insisted he did not need to abide by international law and the only constraint keeping his power in check was his own morality. In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Trump was asked if there were any limits on his global powers following the military intervention in Venezuela. Yeah, there is one thing, he replied. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. I dont need international law, he said, before adding: Im not looking to hurt people. open image in gallery Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned Trumps intervention in Venezuela ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) In November, the administration began planning to target drug cartels as part of what the president described as an armed conflict with narcotics trafficking organizations. But the aggressive foreign policy has faced international backlash, with accusations the U.S. is acting outside of international law. Earlier this week, the United Nations issued a statement condemning Trumps assault on Venezuela and removal of Maduro from power as gunboat diplomacy. These actions represent a grave, manifest and deliberate violation of the most fundamental principles of international law, set a dangerous precedent, and risk destabilising the entire region and the world, a group of more than a dozen U.N. experts said. This unprecedented attack on Venezuela must not be viewed as an isolated incident, but rather as part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern of systematic disregard for peace, international law and multilateral institutions. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice CBS News has pushed back at a report claiming editor-in-chief Bari Weiss held another 60 Minutes story critical of Donald Trumps policies. The disputed segment by veteran journalist Anderson Cooper is about the Trump administrations plan to accept South African refuges, according to Status. Trump has often repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that a genocide of white people was taking place in South Africa and set out plans to prioritize white South Africans' visa claims last October. Sources told the newsletter the as-yet unaired segment was viewed by producers in December, with Weiss giving extensive editorial feedback. The newsletter, produced by a former CNN media reporter, also suggested the story was all but guaranteed to provoke Trump and that there had been an abnormal level of review. However, a source close to CBS News has denied the claims and insists the story is still being worked on. open image in gallery A 60 Minutes story by Anderson Cooper has reportedly been held ( 2022 Invision ) Bari Weiss did not hold the story, the source said in a statement to The Independent. The story was already going through our standard, rigorous editorial review led by executive producer Tanya Simon, which led to multiple screenings. The story was not held, it's still in action and in reporting stages with the team, they continued. Tanya made the decision to have the team continue with their reporting. A previous 60 Minutes report critical of Trump was pulled in December, sparking backlash behind the scenes. The other segment focused on the mistreatment of migrants sent by the United States to CECOT, a prison in El Salvador. The 13-minute clip was set to be broadcast in December before it was withdrawn before air. Weiss, appointed as CBS News editor-in-chief last year, attempted to justify the decision in an email to staff at Christmas, arguing it was necessary to win back the trust of Americans disillusioned by network news. [S]ometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair, she said in a message seen by The Independent. open image in gallery The news comes after another 60 Minutes story was axed, which focused on the Trump administration sending prisoners to CECOT (pictured with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) in El Salvador ( AP ) However Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter who produced the CECOT segment, wrote in a leaked email that she believes the real reason for the story being axed was corporate censorship. Sources at the broadcaster later told The Independent that staff were ready to revolt over the scandal. One person even described it as a holy f***ing dumpster fire. The 60 Minutes story, which later leaked online, included several accounts from detainees about the treatment they had endured in CECOT. One of the interviewees was a Venezuelan college student who had sought asylum in America. He told 60 Minutes that the prison director had a chilling message for him upon arriving: Welcome to hell. I'll make sure you'll never leave. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Members of Congress who pushed to release the files related to Jeffrey Epstein told The Independent that the Department of Justice is skirting the letter of the law it passed to force the release of the files. In November, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed a discharge petition to force the House to vote on their legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release all files related to Epstein. That vote passed almost unanimously and it passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. But Massie criticized the release of the files almost as soon as the process began. In fact, Trump officials have admitted they are still going through the files to make proper redactions and not everything was released by the December 19 deadline set by federal law. Massie said that he wanted to see the 302 forms, which the FBI uses to describe interviews. Massie also said he wanted to see the full initial documents from the late convicted sex offenders 2008 case, which allowed him to be convicted on lesser state charges in Florida after a deal between attorneys. They need to produce the initial draft indictment documents in the older case in Florida, they need to produce the same thing, he told The Independent. In the 2019 case, there's some very specific documents that are not releasing. open image in gallery Rep. Thomas Massie, center, and Rep. Ro Khanna, left, have criticized the Department of Justices handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. ( Getty ) Massie and Khanna have also sent a letter to Judge Paul Engelmayer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that asked him to force a release of the files. Their letter called for the appointment of a special master to ensure a release of the full files. Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act, the letter read. While we believe that criminal violations have taken place and must be addressed, the most urgent need now is for the DOJ to produce all the documents and electronically stored information required by the Act. The Kentucky Republican who has emerged as a massive critic of the Trump administration, criticized the DOJ attempting to override parts of their law that said that the files could not be redacted based on personal embarrassment. So that's what I'm focused on, not the fact that they've clearly missed the deadline, he said. Which, of course, they shouldnt have. Theyve had a long time for that. Rep. Theresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), the chairwoman of the Democratic Womens Caucus who held a vigil with the victims during the passage in the Senate, also criticized the nature of the release. Specifically, she criticized the fact many mens faces were redacted, but womens were not. Everything they're doing is exactly the opposite of what they're supposed to do, she told The Independent. We're supposed to try to protect those who are already victimized. What they're doing is re-victimizing. open image in gallery The DOJ has released some information from the Epstein files, but has not released all the information by the December 19 deadline. ( DOJ ) At the same time, Democrats are continuing their probe of the Epstein case in the House of Representatives. Despite being in the minority, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee secured subpoenas of Les Wexner, a billionaire whose money Epstein managed, and two executors of Epsteins estate, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) told The Independent that he supported Khanna and Massies request for a special master. He also demanded that Attorney General Pam Bondi release the files. And so we're very supportive of that, and we continue to interview folks and interview survivors and are demanding that Bondi get the files out, he told The Independent. But Democrats have fewer allies in the push to release the files. This week, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia officially resigned from Congress after a public clash with President Donald Trump about her support to release the files. Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are the only original Republican co-signatures to the discharge petition pushed by Massie and Khanna that led to the law that required the files release. Late last month, Trump vetoed legislation Boebert sponsored to bring clean drinking water to parts of her district. Boebert heavily implied that her vote on the Epstein discharge petition played a role in the veto. On Thursday, the House took it the veto, but it failed to override the veto. Only 24 Republicans voted to override the veto from the president. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump claimed that prices are way down for Americans in a new interview touting his apparent economic success. The president said his administration was doing a great job on the word affordability despite claiming just weeks ago that the word was a hoax created by the Democratic Party. Trump made the claims while speaking to Sean Hannity on his eponymous Fox News show. We have gasoline now down to, in many cases, $1.99 a gallon, Trump said. With Biden, it was $4.50, $5. We have it way, wayWe have, he continued, repeatedly trailing off. Weve brought it way down. Weve done a great job on the word affordability, prices are way down, he concluded. They need to go lower. Everything follows oil. Oil is so big. open image in gallery Donald Trump has claimed that prices are way down in a new interview on Fox Newss Hannity ( The White House ) However, fuel prices are actually much higher than the figure given by the president. According to the most recent report from the US Energy Information Administration, the cost of a gallon of oil at the start of 2026 was $2.8. That is nearly a dollar more expensive than the number given by Trump. Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index indicated that the average cost for all items has increased actually increased during Trumps presidency, despite him suggesting that prices are way down. According to the CPI, the average cost of goods rose by 2.7 percent from November 2024 until November 2025. The CPI also found that average cost of food had risen by 2.6 percent, although that increased was dwarfed by the cost of energy skyrocketing by 4.2 percent. Oil prices did drop recently, though, after Trump suggested that there would be an upcoming surge in supply. According to him, Venezuela will soon be giving up to 50 million barrels of crude to the United States. The deal, thought to be close to $2 billion in value, comes after Trump launched a military operation against the South American petrostate and kidnapped its president, Nicolas Maduro. open image in gallery Statistics from the BLS suggest that prices have actually increased and that people have been forced to take second jobs ( Getty ) Speaking about the impact of his economic policies in December, Trump awarded himself with an A+++++ rating. That same month, he dismissed the very concept of affordability as a hoax during a rally. They have a new word, he said, referring to the Democratic Party. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability. Despite that, Trump seemingly acknowledged that commercial goods were becoming more expensive. He told struggling families, who were preparing for Christmas, that they should be content with buying one or two pencils for their children and two or three dolls to keep costs low. Trumps optimistic view on prices comes just days after new figures from the BLS, seen by The Washington Post, revealed that more Americans than ever have been forced to take second jobs to make ends meet. According to the BLS, 9.3 million people are now working multiple jobs, smashing the previous record high, which was 8.9 million. The previous high was reached in March 2025, just months after Trumps second term began. The report also found that Trump had created just 67,000 jobs in the last three months, which is eight times fewer jobs than the number generated by former President Joe Biden in the same period. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A crane has removed a Hilton-branded sign at a hotel in Minnesota that has been accused of denying entry to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Hampton Inn by Hilton Lakeville Minneapolis location recently made headlines after the Department of Homeland Security accused it of launching a coordinated campaign to refuse service to ICE agents. The Trump administration has set its sights on Minneapolis in its ongoing immigration crackdown, which will include the deployment of around 2,000 federal agents, according to reports. A message from a Hilton email address shared by ICE on X earlier this week said that it was not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property and that if they were with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation. Hilton had explained that the hotel is independently owned and operated, but that its actions were not reflective of Hilton values. The hotel chain said in a statement Monday that the Lakeville Minneapolis location has apologized and taken immediate action to resolve this matter. open image in gallery A crane has removed a Hilton-branded sign at a hotel in Minnesota that has been accused of denying entry to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ( Google Earth ) But when conservative commentator Nick Sortor filmed himself going to the front desk of the Lakeville Minneapolis location and asking a staff member if he could book some rooms under DHS, the employee refused to accommodate him. Were not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS, into our property, the employee said in the video posted by Sortor on X Tuesday. When Sortor said that he thought that policy had changed, the employee said, I just talked to the owner of the building, and he didnt say there had been any changes. Hilton then released another statement Tuesday about the hotel, saying, A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values. We are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems, Hilton said. We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again. open image in gallery The Trump administration has set its sights on Minneapolis in its ongoing immigration crackdown, which will include the deployment of around 2,000 federal agents, according to reports ( Stephen Maturen/Getty Images ) Hilton is now removing its brand from the hotel. Photos were shared by political news site Alpha News on X Wednesday of the Hampton Inn by Hilton sign at the Lakeville Minneapolis location being taken apart by a truck with a crane. ICE celebrated the signs removal on social media. In an X post Thursday, ICE shared a photo of the initial email refusing service to agents and wrote, How it started, followed by a photo of the Hilton sign removal and wrote, How its going. The Independent has reached out to Hilton and DHS for comment. Tensions in Minneapolis have erupted after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent Wednesday. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The father of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minnesota, has come forward to defend his sons actions and believes he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He will not be charged with anything, Ed Ross, 80, told The Daily Mail, describing his son as a tremendous person of whom he is deeply proud. Jonathan Ross fatally shot Good, a 37-year-old mother-of-three, on a Minneapolis street Wednesday after she was confronted by him and other agents in her vehicle. Video footage shows Good in a maroon SUV idling on an icy street occupied by several government vehicles. As Ross and other agents approach, they order her to get out of the car, and one reaches through the drivers side window. When the SUV begins to move forward, Ross, who is standing near the driver's side of the car, draws his firearm and fires multiple rounds at the vehicle, which then crashes a short distance away. The incident has become a national flashpoint with the Trump administration accusing Good of trying to run over Ross and labeling the act domestic terrorism, while state and local authorities condemned the ICE agents response as reckless and said that his life was never in danger. open image in gallery The father of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot Renee Good, defended his sons actions in a new interview. You would never find a nicer, kinder person, he said. Ross is pictured after the fatal shooting of a mother-of-three ( Screengrab ) open image in gallery Renee Good was a 37-year-old poet and mother of three ( Facebook ) She hit him, Ed Ross told The Daily Mail. He also had an officer whose arm was in the car. He will not be charged with anything. You would never find a nicer, kinder person, the father, who is from Illinois, added. He's a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldn't be more proud of him. Ross, 43, was identified as the shooter by multiple media outlets Thursday. It was also reported that he had been dragged by a car during a separate immigration enforcement operation last year, requiring him to receive over two dozen stitches. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the incident left him a little bit sensitive. A DHS spokesperson told The Independent they would not expose the name of the agent who shot Good, but added that he had worked for ICE for over 10 years. open image in gallery Goods SUV crashed into a telephone pole after she was shot in the dead by Ross ( Getty ) open image in gallery Mourners gather at the site of where Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis ( Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Ed Ross told The Daily Mail that his sons wife, a Filipino immigrant, is an American citizen, though he didnt say how long she has lived in the U.S. I dont want to go any further than that, he said. The wife is polite, very nice, very outgoing, one neighbor also said. They have a couple of kids. Ross is an Iraq war veteran. In 2017, his father posted a photo on Facebook of his son clad in fatigues and carrying a rifle with the caption Jon Ross in Iraq. The ICE agent purchased a home in the Minneapolis area in 2015 with a loan from the Veterans Administration, the outlet noted, citing property records. Neighbors said that Jonathan Ross is a hardcore MAGA supporter, with one noting that theyd seen Trump stickers and a Dont Tread On Me flag often associated with opposition to government overreach outside his home. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Avelo Airlines, a U.S. low-cost carrier, is ending its migrant deportation flights for the Department of Homeland Security, citing political controversy. The Houston-based airline had begun operations as a subcontractor to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement early last year as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. A spokesperson for Avelo told The Independent Friday that it will conclude all participation in the DHS charter program. The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs, the spokesperson said. The airline, launched in 2021, is among several carriers, including GlobalX and Eastern Air Express, involved in deportation flights. According to WHYY, it operated 17 percent of all ICE deportation flights in November. open image in gallery Avelo Airlines will no longer provide deportation charters for ICE amid 'political controversy' ( AFP via Getty Images ) We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy, CEO Andrew Levy wrote to employees in an email earlier this week, CNBC reported. Avelo added that it will close its base in Mesa, Arizona the headquarters of ICE Air Operations on January 27 as it cuts ties with the federal agency. We did not see an impact regarding Customers choosing to fly Avelo, the airline said. The Avelo flight attendant union applauded the decision. This is exactly what we told management from the beginning ICE flying would be bad for the airline! the union said Wednesday in an Instagram post. Good that it is finally ending. Following the decision, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, called on other airlines that contract with ICE to cease their operations, which she accused of obstructing due process. An ICE spokesperson, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent. Avelo also said it will close two bases in North Carolina: at Wilmington International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which will result in job losses. open image in gallery An anti-ICE protest took place in Minneapolis Thursday night following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in the city on Wednesday ( Getty Images ) The airline's break from ICE comes as federal immigration authorities face mounting scrutiny following recent shootings by agents. On Wednesday, an ICE agent shot and killed a driver on a street in Minneapolis. Trump administration officials accused the driver, a 37-year-old mother of three, of attempting to ram the agent, while local and state officials said the agent was acting recklessly. On Thursday, Border Patrol officers in Portland shot two drivers, a husband and wife, who were transported to a hospital. DHS said the driver tried to run over the agents and said he is believed to be a member of Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. In the wake of the incidents, anti-ICE protests have erupted across the country, including in Minneapolis and New York City, leading to tense stand-offs with law enforcement in some cases. The Democratic leaders of Minneapolis and Portland have also called on ICE to cease operations in their cities. The White House said the Trump administration will redouble its immigration enforcement efforts and accused Democrats of stoking resentments against law enforcement. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice New details have emerged about the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother in Minnesota, including the identity of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent responsible. Local media named Jonathan Ross as the agent who killed Renee Nicole Good. Officials say that he was dragged and injured by a fleeing driver during a separate incident last year. The fatal shooting occurred on a street in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, where numerous immigration officers were present amid a surge of federal agents in the city, according to the City of Minneapolis. Video of the incident shows Ross confronting Good in her car before firing several shots into the vehicle as it started to move. However, the incident has sparked sharply conflicting accounts of the incident from local, state, and federal officials, including Vice President JD Vance, who said that Goods death was a tragedy of her own making. She was trying to ram this guy with her car, Vance said at a White House briefing Thursday. Other officials from the Trump administration described the shooting as an act of self-defense and alleged that the victim had engaged in domestic terrorism. In contrast, the Minneapolis mayor condemned Rosss actions as reckless and called on federal immigration authorities to withdraw from the city. Here is what we know so far. Who was the shooter? The ICE agent involved in the shooting was identified on Thursday by The Minnesota Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross. Little information about Ross was made public, though he was described as an experienced officer by federal officials. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that Rosss experience included more than 10 years of experience as an ICE Deportation Officer and selection for ICEs Special Response Team, which requires 30 hours of tryouts before consideration. He has also reportedly completed an SRT Basic Operator Course as well as continuous and ongoing training in several specialized skills, including breaching techniques, perimeter control, advanced firearms training, hostage rescue, and more. open image in gallery The ICE agent involved in the shooting was named Thursday by The Minnesota Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross ( Screengrab ) He has also maintained an expert marksman qualification on all issued firearms, according to McLaughlin. According to The Star Tribune, in June last year, Ross was dragged and injured by a car as he attempted to detain Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, a Mexican man with a criminal record, while he was driving in Bloomington. When Munoz-Guatemala didnt comply with orders from agents, Ross broke the cars rear window and tried to unlock the door. Munoz-Guatemala then accelerated, dragging Ross roughly 300 feet before he was knocked from the car. As a result of the incident, Ross needed 20 stitches on his arm and 13 more on his hand, according to court documents seen by the outlet. Munoz-Guatemala was later convicted of assaulting an officer Who was the person killed? Goods mother, Donna Ganger, confirmed her daughters identity to the Star Tribune just hours after the shooting. Members of the Minneapolis City Council also confirmed her identity in a statement on Wednesday evening. Renee was one of the kindest people Ive ever known. She was extremely compassionate. Shes taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being, Ganger told the Star Tribune. open image in gallery Fatal shooting of 37-year-old woman sparks sharply conflicting accounts from local, state and federal officials ( Social media ) Ganger said her daughter lived in the Twin Cities with her wife, Becca Good. She said it was so stupid. Good was killed, adding that she was probably terrified, according to the Star Tribune. Good had a son with her former husband, Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., according to the Star Tribune. Macklin died in 2023. Macklins father, Timmy Ray Macklin Sr., told the outlet the six-year-old boy now has nobody else in his life. Ill drive. Ill fly. To come and get my grandchild, he said. In a separate interview with The Daily Telegraph, Goods former father-in-law described the shooting as murder. It is horrible, its murder. Everybody is terribly shocked right now. She was a good, outgoing person. I didnt agree with a lot of her ways, but its really sad to see these things happen, he said. Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez previously confirmed to ABC News that Good was an American citizen. He also said she was acting as an observer who was watching out for our immigrant neighbors. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said that there was no indication she was the subject of an immigration enforcement investigation. He noted that she appeared to be in her car, blocking the street. open image in gallery Members of law enforcement at the scene on Wednesday ( Getty ) open image in gallery An aerial view of the scene in Minneapolis where a woman was shot by an ICE agent ( KSTP ) What happened? The deadly shooting took place at 34th Street and Portland Avenue, an intersection in a residential neighborhood, according to the City of Minneapolis. A video of the incident shared with local media shows multiple masked officers approaching a red car stopped in the middle of the icy road. An officer can be heard instructing the driver to get out of the f***ing car before one officer tries to open the door as the vehicle begins reversing. A second officer, positioned in front of the car, then draws his weapon and fires several shots as the car speeds forward and to the right. The vehicle then crashes a short distance away. The officer appeared to have fired one shot through the windscreen and then two more into the open window on the drivers side of the car. As people scream and shout at the immigration officials, several people are seen walking towards the car. open image in gallery The crashed vehicle with what appears to be a bullet hole in the windshield ( Getty ) Photos shared on social media appear to show an airbag splattered with blood inside the crashed vehicle. Several police officers responded to the scene and helped transport Good to a hospital, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a press conference. But she was pronounced dead. A witness told NBC News that it didnt appear the driver was attempting to run over an agent. There was plenty of space between the officers at that point for the vehicle to make it through, he told the outlet, adding that it appeared the driver was attempting to flee. Reactions from officials open image in gallery Trump defended the ICE agent involved in the shooting on both social media an in a new interview ( AP ) At around 3:30 p.m., President Donald Trump weighed in. In a post on Truth Social, he accused the Radical Left of mounting an assault on law enforcement professionals. He said he had watched a video of the incident, adding, It is a horrible thing to watch. Of the shooting victim, the president wrote that the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense. Videos of the incident do not clearly indicate whether the officer was touched by the car, although he appears to jump out of the way of the vehicle while shooting. He said the officer involved was now recovering in the hospital and that it is hard to believe he is alive, despite video showing him walking around apparently unhurt in the wake of the shooting. In an interview with The New York Times, Trump presented blurry footage to reporters that had been promoted online by right-wing influencers such as Benny Johnson and Andy NGo. She behaved horribly. And then she ran him over. She didnt try to run him over, he said. However, the president also lamented the situation as a terrible scene, saying: I think its horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it. open image in gallery People gathered near the scene of the incident in Minneapolis on Wednesday ( Getty ) At a White House press briefing Thursday, Vance said Good had violated the law and committed an act of terrorism. The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace, and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day, he said. [Ross] shot back. He defended himself. He's already been seriously wounded in law enforcement operations before, and everybody who has been repeating the lie that this is some innocent woman who was out for a drive in Minneapolis when a law enforcement officer shot at her. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), also previously described the shooting as defensive in nature. Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them an act of domestic terrorism, she said in a statement. An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots, McLaughlin added. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. She characterized the shooting as a consequence of the demonization of our officers. In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Frey offered a strikingly different account of what happened. They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense, Frey, a Democrat, told reporters. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: that is bulls***. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying. Weve dreaded this moment since the early stages of ICEs presence in Minneapolis, Frey added. They are not here to cause safety in this city what they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. In a press conference later in the afternoon, Governor Tim Walz echoed this sentiment, expressing outrage at the White House. Weve been warning for weeks that the Trump administrations dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our safety and that someone was going to get hurt, Walz, a Democrat, said. We do not need any further help from the federal government . He then asked that protesters refrain from violence, stating, They want a show. We cant give it to them. Several other elected officials quickly reacted to the deadly incident, with many Democrats condemning ICE. Im following news of a reported shooting of a legal observer by ICE agents in South Minneapolis, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar wrote in a post on X. ICE must stop terrorizing our communities and leave our city. open image in gallery During a press conference, Walz urged those who protest the shooting to do so peacefully ( Getty ) This is not the first time Trumps ICE has shot at civilians, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal wrote in a post. We need ICE out of our cities and communities. Minnesota Senator Tina Smith confirmed that the woman killed was an American citizen and urged ICE to leave for everyones safety. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described the incident as domestic terrorism. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed this view, telling Fox News, It was an act of domestic terrorism. ICE Officers got stuck in the snow. They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them, and those surrounding them, and attempted to run them over. At a Wednesday evening press conference, Noem went on to claim Good had been stalking and impeding federal officials work throughout the day. Noem again described her actions as an act of domestic terrorism at the press conference. Large crowd assembled at shooting site Following the ICE shooting on Wednesday, a large crowd of people assembled on the street where it occurred, video showed. People bundled in winter coats stood in the street, on the sidewalk and in the snow near an area cordoned off with police tape. At one point, they broke into chants directed at law enforcement officials. open image in gallery Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez addressed onlookers while flanked by a law enforcement officer ( Getty ) Footage from Fox News also shows onlookers throwing snowballs at law enforcement personnel and giving them the middle finger. People are very, very angry, a CNN reporter at the scene said. The fatal shooting took place just a few blocks away from where George Floyd was killed in May 2020, an event that ignited nationwide protests. Influx of federal agents Goods death comes shortly after the Trump administration announced it was deploying additional ICE agents to the Minneapolis area. While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members, DHS told The Independent in an email on Tuesday. The surge, which began this weekend, was expected to involve as many as 2,000 agents from multiple agencies, according to law enforcement sources. The influx of federal agents comes amid an ongoing federal investigation into fraud in Minnesotas social services programs, which culminated in Governor Tim Walz announcing on Monday that he would not seek reelection. A large share of Minnesota residents are of Somali descent, many of whom have remained indoors for fear of being detained by ICE, according to NBC News. Trump has repeatedly singled out Somalis for ridicule and has accused Illegal Somalian Criminals of stealing billions of dollars from Minnesota.Last month, he described immigrants from the East African nation as garbage and called for Rep. Omar, who is from Somalia, to be thrown the hell out of the U.S. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Jesse Ventura has called President Donald Trump a draft-dodging coward and hinted he may again run for Minnesota governor amid a surge of immigration enforcement raids in Minneapolis. Ventura served as governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003 before deciding not to run for reelection. Hes a Vietnam veteran and former Navy SEAL. If not for his public service, some may know him for his wrestling career as Jesse The Body Ventura in the WWE. During a visit to his alma mater, Roosevelt High School, Ventura had some choice words for Trump on Thursday, who was medically exempt from the Vietnam War draft with a diagnosis of bone spurs. Hes the draft-dodging coward who, when it was his time to serve his country, he did what all rich white boys did. I wasnt a rich white boy...We had to go...Hes gonna tell me what courage is? Ventura told local outlet Fox 9. open image in gallery Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has called President Donald Trump 'a draft-dodging coward' and hinted he may again run for Minnesota governor amid a surge of immigration enforcement raids in Minneapolis ( Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images ) Trumps Homeland Security Department has targeted Minneapolis in what it has called the largest immigration enforcement operation it has ever carried out. On Wednesday, 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, which the Trump administration is framing as an act of self-defense. That same day, a federal agent was reportedly filmed deploying a chemical irritant on a crowd at Roosevelt High School. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox 9 that Border Patrol agents were chasing down a U.S. citizen, who the agency said was actively trying to impede operations, when he drove into a school zone. A crowd at the school formed when someone, who identified himself as a teacher, assaulted an agent as the citizen was being removed from his car, according to DHS. open image in gallery Trumps Homeland Security Department has targeted Minneapolis in what it has called the largest immigration enforcement operation it has ever carried out ( Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images ) Despite repeated warnings to cease, the crowd continued with their hostilities and assaults. Officers used targeted crowd control for the safety of law enforcement and the public. No tear gas was deployed, the agency said. Ventura paid a visit to the high school Thursday to show his support. As a graduate of Roosevelt High School and as the former governor of Minnesota, Im so proud of Roosevelt High School and how they stood up for what is supposed to be America and freedom. And freedom is not arresting people without warrants, Ventura told Fox 9. We have a system here its called a Constitution, and we have a party, the Republicans, who dont seem to want to abide by the Constitution. open image in gallery We have a system here its called a Constitution, and we have a party, the Republicans, who dont seem to want to abide by the Constitution, Ventura said ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images ) Ventura then hinted that he may run for governor again. The next gubernatorial election for the state is in November, and Governor Tim Waltz has announced he will not seek re-election. You know what? Maybe its time for Jesse. I only did one term. Im owed a second, Ventura said. Ventura won the governorship in 1998 on the ticket of the Reform Party, a centrist political party. The former governor endorsed Walz for reelection in 2022, but he has been critical of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Speaking on the fatal shooting of Good, Ventura said, Anytime you have the loss of life that needlessly happens, thats a tragedy. And what occurred yesterday did not have to happen. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The White House reportedly told the Secret Service that former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was responsible for a security leak that led protesters to interrupt President Donald Trumps dinner at a Washington, D.C., restaurant in the fall. Two sources familiar with the matter told Axios that the White House told the Secret Service that Greene may have tipped off the Code Pink protesters who disrupted Trump's dinner. Greene who was previously a MAGA firebrand before a public falling out with the president has pushed back on the allegations, telling Axios that the insinuation was an "absolute lie, a dangerous lie." "I would never do that," she said. Greene acknowledged that she had recommended Joes Seafood restaurant to Trump, but didn't know that he was eating there that night. open image in gallery The White House has reportedly told the Secret Service that former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene may have provided Code Pink protesters with the location of President Donald Trumps dinner last fall, allowing them to confront him at the restaurant and disrupt his dinner ( AP ) The former congresswoman posted on X that she had nothing to do with the protest. Only the WH set up President Trumps reservation at Joes, NOT ME!!, Greene posted. I had ZERO knowledge of when his reservation was! The only people who could have tipped off Code Pink was the restaurant or the WH! She said the White House was targeting her because they are mad at me for telling the truth about the President and forcing the release of the Epstein files. Greene told Axios the outlet should be asking the Secret Service why it didn't sweep Joe's Seafood before the president's dinner. Code Pink was in the restaurant because the WH and Secret Service did NOT sweep Joes, did NOT set up metal detectors and check everyone in the restaurant, and did not do any of their normal security protocols that they do at every public event he attends!!! she wrote on X. On the night of the incident, Code Pink protesters held signs and chanted "Free D.C.! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time" at the president. Trump responded by calling for the protesters to be jailed. Melissa Garriga, a spokesperson for Code Pink, told Axios that Greene had nothing to do with their protest and had not fed their group information. open image in gallery Code Pink protesters confront President Donald Trump during his dinner at Joes Seafood in Washington, D.C. ( Code Pink ) "That absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical," she told the outlet. Greene does have some connection to Code Pink. She is friends with the group's co-founder Medea Benjamin, and her opposition to U.S. military spending in Ukraine and Israel aligns with Code Pink's beliefs. "I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now, even though politics says that's not allowed," Greene said in a prior statement. Benjamin and members of Code Pink met with Greene in November after she announced she was resigning from Congress. Greene and Trump had a very public and fast-moving fallout after the Georgia Republican accused the president of abandoning his "America First" agenda. She was also vocally opposed to his "big, beautiful" tax legislation and said his refusal to acknowledge the affordability crisis was hurting his credibility with voters struggling to pay their bills. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trumps administration is considering sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders, a new report reveals. U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, in an attempt to convince them to join the U.S, Reuters reports. A source told Reuters the idea of lump sum payments isnt new, but that discussions about these payments have become more serious recently. A source also told the outlet that the Trump administration is hoping to carry forward the momentum from the arrest of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro last week. Trump and his allies have repeatedly argued that the U.S. should acquire Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark. Polls show the majority of Greenlanders oppose a U.S. takeover of the territory, and The Independent previously reported that some legal experts have criticized the Trump administrations push to acquire it. Trump has said that the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland for national security purposes. open image in gallery President Donald Trumps administration is considering potential lump sum payments to Greenlanders to convince them to join the U.S., a new report details ( AFP via Getty Images ) "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it," Trump said Sunday on Air Force One. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday the option of buying Greenland is being actively discussed by the president and his national security team. I would point out that the acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea. This is something that presidents dating back to the 1800s have said is advantageous for America's national security. Leavitt noted that all options are on the table after she was asked about the possibility of ruling out military force. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also announced plans to meet with Danish officials to discuss Greenland next week. open image in gallery White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday the option of buying Greenland is being actively discussed by the president and his national security team. ( Getty Images ) Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly pushed back on the Trump administrations claim that the U.S. needs to acquire the island. No more fantasies about annexation, Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. Reuters reports the idea of directly paying residents of Greenland offers one explanation of how the U.S. might attempt to "buy" the island of 57,000 people, despite authorities' insistence in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland is not for sale. Denmarks defense ministry has also warned that Danish troops will immediately respond to any invasion of Greenland with force. Leaders of several European nations, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the U.K., issued a joint statement Tuesday voicing support for Greenland. "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland, the statement reads. The Independent has contacted the White House and Nielsens office for comment. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump suggested he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for all eight and a quarter wars he has claimed to end in a new interview. Trump made the argument Thursday during an exclusive interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity. The president has repeatedly said that he ended eight wars during his time in the White House, a tally that fact checkers from the Associated Press and CNN have previously reported is exaggerated. The host of Hannity Tonight asked the president if he has plans to meet with Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump. The Fox News host also asked if Trump would accept the Nobel Peace Prize from her, after she told Hannity earlier this week the award is the prize of the Venezuelan people, certainly we want to give it to him and share it with him. open image in gallery President Donald Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity he ended 'eight and a quarter' wars ( The White House ) Trump told Hannity: Well, I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, and I've heard that she wants to do that. That would be a great honor. I did put out eight wars, eight and a quarter because, you know, Thailand and Cambodia started going at it again, he added. Trump provided few details about his meeting with Machado, and its unclear exactly when it will take place. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. open image in gallery Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from a balcony in Norway last month. She won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump ( AFP/Getty ) Trump went on to suggest he should win a Nobel Peace Prize for each war. A handful of individuals and groups have been awarded multiple Nobel Prizes in the past, according to the organizations website. But you know, when you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war, Trump said. It makes me feel so good. Not because of a Nobel Prize, but because I saved millions and millions of lives, and that's what really makes me feel good, Trump later added. His comments come just days after The Washington Post reported that two sources close to the White House said Trump was unwilling to support Machado running Venezuela after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. open image in gallery Trump has long campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize ( AFP via Getty Images ) If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, one of the sources told the outlet. But Trump has denied the report, telling NBC News Monday that Machado should not have won it, but that it had nothing to do with his decision. Trump and his allies have long campaigned for him to win a Nobel Peace Prize, particularly after the White House announced plans for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in October. But when Machado won the prize that same month, some were quick to lash out while others noted nominations for the prize close on January 31 each year. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the Nobel committee of placing politics over peace at the time. President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives, he wrote on X. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has insisted he doesnt need to abide by international law and the only constraint keeping his power in check is his own morality. In a wide-ranging defence of a week of global provocation, the U.S. president laid out the motivation behind his actions. In the last six days alone, he has launched strikes on Venezuela and captured its president Nicolas Maduro, repeatedly voiced his intention to take over Greenland and claimed that Colombia could be next on his list. I dont need international law, Trump told The New York Times in an interview in the Oval Office. Im not looking to hurt people. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has successfully tested many of the constitutional and legal limits to his authority firing the heads of independent agencies, attempting to rewrite the 14th Amendment and punishing federal judges who insist on giving immigrants due process. But the presidents more recent decision to conduct aggressive military operations without congressional consent and threaten to take over allies territory has worried international leaders. When asked if there were limits to his power, Trump replied: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. The president added that his administration did need to follow international law, but contended that following it depends what your definition of international law is. open image in gallery In an interview with The New York Times, Trump indicated he did not feel his authority was limited by law ( Getty ) The president also explained how he uses his reputation for unpredictability and his readiness to deploy military action, such as the bombing of Iran, as tools to get other nations to do what he wants. His comments indicate that he believes his use of the U.S. military, economy and political authority to assert dominance over foreign countries could take precedence over following international law or treaties to maintain civility with allies and adversaries. This past week, his administration ramped up rhetoric about the U.S. using military forces to take over Greenland, a Danish territory. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, Trump told reporters Sunday. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, echoed the presidents remarks later on CNN, claiming the U.S. would use its military unapologetically and that nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. Other administration officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, downplayed the reality of a military invasion. The administrations unabashed bid to take over the island has raised global concerns, especially after Venezuela. open image in gallery Nicolas Maduro pictured at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, before being taken to court in New York ( Reuters ) When asked whether the U.S. allegiance to NATO outweighed the desire to take over Greenland, the president responded, It may be a choice. Explaining why he felt the need to own the island, he told NYT: Because thats what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you cant do with, youre talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cant get from just signing a document. Trump insisted that his actions in Venezuela would not embolden Chinese president Xi Jinping or Russian leader Vladimir Putin to take further action in their own regions. He said the situation in Venezuela was different to China: You didnt have the jails of Taiwan opened up and the people pouring into China. When asked if he thought Xi might now make a move on Taiwan, he replied: He may do it after we have a different president, but I dont think hes going to do it with me as president. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trumps administration reportedly excluded intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard from months of planning to capture ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro because of her previous opposition to U.S. military involvement in the country. White House aides even joked that her Director of National Intelligence title, or DNI, stood for do not invite, according to Bloomberg. Vice President JD Vance said reports that Gabbard was kept out of the administrations plans are completely false. Were all part of the same team, he told reporters at the White House Thursday. We kept it very tight to the senior cabinet officials and related officials in our government, and we kept this operation secret for a very long time. Vance, who also denied reports that he was similarly blocked from discussions, said his role in the administration is going to be whatever the president asks me to do. open image in gallery National intelligence director was reportedly sidelined from plans to captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after she spent years elevating an anti-interventionist agenda ( AFP via Getty Images ) Gabbard, who briefly ran for president on an anti-interventionist platform in 2020 before she abandoned the Democratic Party and endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, spent years speaking out against costly American involvement in foreign conflicts and U.S. regime change wars. The former Democratic congresswoman had previously warned against U.S. intervention in Venezuela in 2019, noting the disastrous history of American involvement in Latin America that has brought suffering to millions of people, bankrupted our country, dishonored our troops, and undermined our national security. She argued that Venezuela poses no threat to the United States and there is no justification to violate the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people. Gabbard had also criticized Trumps then-White House national security adviser John Bolton, the administrations threats against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2018, and the assassination of Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani in early 2020. open image in gallery The White House has denied that Gabbard was booted from plans to capture Maduro after reports alleged her DNI title stood for do not invite ( AP ) In her current role, following a visit to Hiroshima, she said the world is closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before while the political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers. Last month, Gabbard similarly railed against warmongers and the military industrial complex in remarks to Turning Point USA, warning that those who seek to keep us in a persistent state of war deny the heavy costs that it takes in human lives, in taxpayer dollars, and in the erosion of our liberties, wars that have nothing to do with ensuring our security or our liberty. As the White House Cabinet-level director of national intelligence, Gabbard is the chief executive overseeing 18 divisions within the nations intelligence community, including the CIA and intelligence agencies within the military branches. But she was not pictured among administration officials who were photographed by the White House as they monitored the Trump-directed invasion of Caracas and capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3, including White House deputy policy director Stephen Miller, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and she did not appear alongside those officials and Trump when the president announced the operation during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Gabbard did not publicly recognize the operation until four days later.. President Trump promised the American people he would secure our borders, confront narcoterrorism, dangerous drug cartels, and drug traffickers, she wrote Tuesday. 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 the 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. Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty this week to four charges stemming from allegations that the ousted president and top officials in his administration steered a massive cocaine trafficking operation. Maduro identified himself in court as the president of Venezuela and a prisoner of war who was captured in Caracas, speaking in Spanish through a court translator. 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. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump has said it would be an honor take Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machados Nobel Peace Prize if she offered it to him, as he prepares to meet the exiled politician next week. Machado has been in hiding due to persistent threats on her life, emerging only briefly in Oslo after a three-day mission in which she was smuggled out of the country with the help of the U.S. military for the Nobel ceremony. I understand shes coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday. Machado and fellow Vente politician Edmundo Gonzalez had been thought to be frontrunners to lead the country after the shock capture of Nicolas Maduro in U.S. raid at the weekend. open image in gallery President Donald Trump discussed Venezuela, among other issues, in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity ( White House via X ) However, she was sidelined in the aftermath of his toppling, with reports suggesting that Machados Nobel prize win had sparked resentment for Trump who had coveted the accolade. After Maduros capture, Trump said Machado 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. In response, the Venezuelan leader offered to personally give her prize to the U.S. president. Ive heard that she wants to do that, Trump said of the potential offer. That could be a great honor. Machado has been effusive in her support for Trump, dedicating her win to him in 2025, and supporting his campaign to tackle Venezuelan drug boats and overthrow Maduro. open image in gallery Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from the balcony a hotel in Oslo, Norway after winning the Nobel prize ( AFP via Getty Images ) But two people close to the White House told The 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. Machado told Fox News: Let me be very clear. As soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated [it] to Trump because I knew at that point, he deserved it. And lot of people, most people said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday 3 January. And so, I believe he deserved it. January 3 will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny. Its a milestone, and its not only huge for the Venezuelan people and our future, I think its a huge step for humanity, for freedom, and human dignity. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Australian state of Victoria faced its most dangerous bushfires in years on Friday, with dozens of active blazes fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds burning across the southern state. Firefighters were battling around 30 active blazes, with the state under a catastrophic fire danger rating, the highest possible level, Victorias emergency management commissioner Tim Wiebusch told a news briefing. Authorities said the forecast of damaging winds and temperatures up to 46C meant fires already burning, or newly ignited, would be undefendable in some areas. Victorias premier, Jacinta Allan, said Friday represented one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years, urging people to take warnings seriously and act early. Temperatures climbed into the mid to high 40s in the state, sharply increasing the fire danger. The highest temperature recorded was 46.3C at Hopetoun airport in the Mallee, while Melbourne airport reached 43.4C, Avalon hit 44.1C, and Horsham recorded 43.7C. The heat rapidly dried vegetation across much of the state, worsening conditions around existing fires. Prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke with officials in Canberra on Friday morning, urging residents to prepare for the worst amid the heatwave. These are difficult times and we are confronting some extreme weather conditions in different parts of Australia, he said. We hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst. By Friday, one of the largest fires, near Longwood in central Victoria, had burned through more than 35,000 hectares of bushland, according to emergency authorities. open image in gallery A property destroyed by a bushfire stands in Longwood ( AAP ) The fire has destroyed community and residential property, including multiple homes, a community centre and a telephone exchange, though officials said it was still too dangerous to fully assess the damage. Another major blaze near Walwa, close to the New South Wales border, has grown to around 20,000 hectares. That fire, burning in and around Mount Lawson State Park, has cut through a pine plantation but had not yet caused confirmed property losses by Friday afternoon. Both fires ignited earlier in the week as an intense heatwave settled over southeastern Australia, producing the most dangerous fire conditions seen since the 2019/20 Black Summer. The scale of the emergency has prompted widespread evacuations. Dozens of communities near active fire fronts have been moved out, while many parks and campgrounds across Victoria have been closed as authorities work to keep people away from high-risk areas. By Friday evening, three people a man, a woman and a child remained unaccounted for in the Longwood area, after firefighters told them it was too late to leave and advised them to shelter in place on Thursday. open image in gallery An aerial photo shows the extent of destruction from bushfires in Victoria ( AP ) Victoria Police said the house where the three people were last seen was later found completely destroyed. By Friday afternoon, authorities said there was no update on their whereabouts. Theres no further information at this stage from Victoria Police and I absolutely understand the people being very keen to know what the situation is for those three people who at this stage remain unaccounted for, Ms Allan told ABC Radio. Residents affected by the Longwood bushfire have described the scale of destruction as unprecedented, as homes and land were lost in the fast-moving blaze. Speaking to the Herald Sun, local resident Craig ODonnell, 41, said the fire was unlike anything he had experienced before. Ive never seen anything like it, its horrendous, he said, adding that while buildings can be rebuilt, the loss of animals had been hardest to witness. The loss of animal life is the most heartbreaking thing. Another resident, Tim Brown, 68, told the newspaper that he and his wife learned their home had been destroyed while they were away on holiday. You just hope theres no loss of life you can always rebuild a house, but you cant rebuild a lost life, he said. open image in gallery A burnt car stands at a property during a bushfire in Longwood ( AAP ) Emergency warnings were escalated through the afternoon, with residents in several towns including Kinglake, Kinglake Central, Kinglake West, Marysville, Toolangi, Buxton and Flowerdale told to leave immediately ahead of a forecast wind change expected around 8pm. Fire authorities warned the shift in wind direction could cause fires to change direction suddenly, making conditions more dangerous and unpredictable. The fires and extreme weather have also disrupted critical infrastructure. Power outages rose to more than 90,000 homes and businesses, as damaging winds, falling trees and fire activity affected electricity networks across large parts of the state. Power companies warned restoration efforts could be slow in some areas due to dangerous conditions. The state government announced immediate financial assistance for people affected by the fires, with $680 available for adults and $340 for children, capped at $2,380 per eligible family, alongside access to meals and counselling services. Ms Allan said the support could be extended if further damage occurred. While cooler weather is forecast to bring some relief over the weekend, fire authorities warned the transition itself can be dangerous, particularly if strong winds persist. As evening fell, emergency services remained on high alert, warning that conditions could change quickly and urging residents to stay informed and follow official advice. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A pre-dawn fire tore through a high-end marina on Sydneys north shore, leaving three luxury yachts at the bottom of the harbour and prompting a major emergency and environmental response. The blaze broke out in the early hours of Friday at The Spit marina in Mosman, a berthing hub for some of the citys most expensive vessels. Authorities were alerted shortly after 3.30am, with emergency crews rushing to the scene as flames spread between moored yachts. Police later confirmed that one vessel was already well alight when first responders arrived. Four people were evacuated from the affected boat and a woman was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to hospital in a stable condition. As firefighters battled the flames, it became clear the damage was extensive. Fire and Rescue NSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said multiple vessels had been lost by the time the fire was brought under control. Weve got three of these large yachts that have sunk, Mr Dewberry told Nines Today show. We are now moving into the hazmat stage, where were working with the Port Authority of NSW to get booms around to make sure that we capture all of that contamination. There is a lot of debris on the water and also to collect fuel and oil, which does float to the top, fortunately. And then, of course, investigations will commence by the police with fire rescue assisting. With fuel and oil leaking into Middle Harbour, authorities moved quickly to limit environmental harm. Containment booms were deployed and an exclusion zone established around the marina as planning began for a salvage operation. open image in gallery More than 40 firefighters were called to the scene at 3.21am alongside a Port Authority of NSW firefighting vessel, Girawaa. It took approximately 2.5 hours to extinguish the fire ( Fire and Rescue NSW ) Mr Dewberry said that the outcome could have been far more devastating. Out here, theres dozens of boats and yachts and a lot of money, and people are living on some of these vessels as well. But fortunately, the actions of firefighters and fire rescue when they arrived cut the fire off. And the NSW ports authority, their fire tug that arrived, was able to cut it off, he said. Yes, weve lost three vessels with a fourth one pretty badly damaged, but we could have lost many more of these yachts out there. Police said preliminary checks had been completed and the fire was not being treated as suspicious. Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray praised the coordinated response, crediting multiple agencies for preventing wider destruction and environmental damage. open image in gallery Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters worked to battle a blaze in the early hours this morning, which destroyed three boats at a marina in Mosman, on Sydneys north shore ( Fire and Rescue NSW ) All reports to me are that this could have been far worse had it not been contained to the four luxury boats, three of which sank, Mr Murray said in a statement. A containment boom and exclusion zone was rushed into place around the marina, while the owners and the operators are now planning a salvage operation as investigations take place. The EPA has also been fully briefed on the incident. The Spit marina is regarded as one of Sydneys premier berthing locations and is recommended by Superyacht Australia for vessels measuring 30m or longer. Its facilities include more than 100 secure berths, including those designed specifically for superyachts. Traffic disruptions followed the emergency response, with one northbound lane of Spit Road closed on Friday morning as crews continued clean-up and assessment work. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing while authorities monitor the harbour for any further pollution from the sunken vessels. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice One of the co-owners of a Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire on New Year's Eve has been taken into custody, local media report. Sources told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures that Jacques Moretti, 49, is considered a potential flight risk. Prosecutors are investigating the French owners of the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence, while victims families have filed legal complaints over the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the Canton of Valais. The blaze broke out in the early hours of New Years Day, with footage showing crowds escaping the bar engulfed in flames. Prosecutors have said the fire was likely caused by sparkling candles, which ignited the ceiling of the bars basement. Authorities are also looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. open image in gallery Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple who ran the Swiss bar which burst into flames during a New Year's Eve party ( Reuters ) Earlier, Mr Moretti and his French wife, Jessica, did not respond to reporters questions as they entered the prosecutors office in the town of Sion for a hearing. Swiss authorities have designated Friday a national day of mourning. Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italys prime minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze. What happened is not a disaster: Its the result of too many people who didnt do their job or who thought they were making easy money, Ms Meloni said during a press conference on Friday. Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted. The Rome prosecutors office has opened an investigation into the blaze, alleging manslaughter and arson, Italian media reported on Thursday. open image in gallery A child watches as an adult places a candle outside the sealed off Le Constellation bar ( AP ) On Tuesday, the mayor of Crans-Montana ski resort revealed that the bar had not undergone annual safety inspections since 2019. "We are deeply sorry. We had no indication that the checks had not been done as requested," Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud told reporters, adding that bars in the town are meant to have such inspections each year. A video from New Years Eve 2019-2020 shared by Swiss broadcaster RTS showed revellers carrying similar sparklers in bottles as a waiter warns: Watch out for the foam! On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Lebanon s government on Friday signed a deal with an international consortium to explore gas in an offshore area bordering Israel. The deal for exploration at the so-called Block 8 off the coast of southern Lebanon comes after Lebanon and Israel signed a 2022 agreement over their maritime border. The new deal is the latest to be granted by Lebanon to international companies to search for gas in its territorial waters. Cash-strapped Lebanon hopes that future gas discoveries will help the small Mideast nation pull itself out of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. The deal was signed at the governments headquarters in downtown Beirut by Energy Minister Joe Saddi from the Lebanese side and officials from the international consortium consisting of Frances TotalEnergies, Italys ENI, and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy. TotalEnergies said in a statement that the consortium plans to start with a 1,200-square kilometer (463 square mile) 3D seismic survey to assess the areas exploration potential. In 2017, Lebanon approved licenses for Frances TotalEnergies, Italys ENI and Russias Novatek to move forward with offshore oil and gas development for two of 10 blocks in the Mediterranean Sea, including one that was at the time in a disputed part with neighboring Israel. The companies did not find viable amounts of oil and gas in one of the blocks north of Beirut, and drilling in another in the south was repeatedly postponed because of the maritime border dispute with Israel. Lebanon and Israel later signed a deal over their maritime border in 2022. In August 2023, an offshore drilling rig began operations in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanons coast. That did not give positive results, but Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, said in a statement that they will keep trying in other areas. We remain committed to pursue our exploration activities in Lebanon, said Pouyanne. We will now focus our efforts on Block 8, together with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy and in close cooperation with Lebanese authorities. On Oct. 8, 2023 Lebanons Hezbollah started firing rockets toward Israeli posts along the border to back its Hamas allies a day after the Palestinian group attacked southern Israel. The war lasted 14 months during which Hezbollah was severely weakened. In January 2023, Lebanon, ENI, TotalEnergies and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy signed an agreement in which the Qatari firm replaced Novatek. Under the deal, Qatar Energy takes Novateks 20% stake in addition to 5% each from ENI and TotalEnergies, leaving the Arab company with a total stake of 30%. TotalEnergies and ENI will each have 35% stakes. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday that the military has used the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in a strike on Ukraine. The ministry said the attack was a retaliation to what Moscow said was a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence last month. Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected the Russian claim of the attack on Putin's residence. The ministry said the latest strike also involved other ground- and sea-launched missiles to target Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles, killing four and injuring at least 22 in the capital overnight into Friday, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia also struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an unidentified ballistic missile, said Mayor Andriy Sadoviy. The Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force later said the missile traveled at a speed of 13,000 kilometers (more than 8,000 miles) per hour, and that the specific type of rocket was being investigated. open image in gallery In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, A Russia's Oreshnik missile system is seen during a training in an undisclosed location in Belarus. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) ( Russian Defense Ministry Press Service ) Among the dead was an emergency medical aid worker, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. Five rescue workers sustained injuries while responding to the site of ongoing attacks, said Ukraine's security service.Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack, said Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In the Desnyanskyi district a drone crashed onto the roof of a multi-story building. At another address in the same district the first two floors of a residential building were damaged as a result of the attack. In Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multi-story building and a fire broke out.Running water and electricity were disrupted in parts of the capital as a result of the attack, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The attack took place just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alerted the nation about Russia's intentions for a large-scale offensive. He said that Russia aimed to take advantage of the frigid weather in the capital, making roads and streets perilously icy. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Pope Leo XIV is planning to travel to Spain, including a stop in the Canary Islands to fulfil Pope Francis wish of visiting a key migration entry point to Europe, a Spanish cardinal has said. Cardinal Jose Cobo Cano, the archbishop of Madrid, announced plans for the trip were underway after meeting with a top official in the Vatican secretary of state to discuss the itinerary. While June had been rumoured as the possible date, Cobo said the timing of the trip was still up in the air. Spain had long lobbied for Francis to visit, but for over 12 years, he always declined, as he preferred to travel to smaller countries, oftentimes far away, where Catholics were a minority. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Cobo said the current proposal calls for Leo to visit the capital, Madrid, and the city of Barcelona, where he would visit the Sagrada Familia basilica. The timing of the trip was still up in the air ( AP ) This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica architect Antoni Gaudi, who is on the path to possible beatification. The plan calls for Leo to also visit the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa. The islands experience large numbers of migrant arrivals from West Africa. While Francis had long declined to visit the Spanish mainland, he had hoped to visit the Canary Islands as part of his longstanding outreach to migrants and refugees. The trip would mark the first known travel plans for Leo in 2026. The American pope has said he wants to visit Africa this year, especially Algeria, which played an important role in the life of St. Augustine, the inspiration for Leos Augustinian religious order. Leo has also said he hopes to return to his beloved Peru, where he lived for two decades as a missionary, and to Argentina and Uruguay, which had unsuccessfully lobbied for a visit by the Argentine pope during his pontificate. The announced trip came a day after the Spanish government said that the Spanish Catholic hierarchy had agreed to let the state ombudsman have the final say in compensating victims of clergy sexual abuse, a remarkable concession by the church. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia has launched its new hypersonic ballistic Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, striking a city just 60 miles from the Nato border of Poland. Moscow has claimed it was fired in response to an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of Vladimir Putins residences, a strike which Kyiv says never happened. Europe has also condemned Russias latest attack as a clear escalation and warned it was an attempt to instil fear. It marks only the second time Russia is believed to have used the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, which has nuclear capabilities. Putin has claimed enemy forces cannot intercept the weapon, which travels at more than 10 times the speed of sound. Such a strike close to EU and Nato border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community, Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said on X. open image in gallery Russian forces fired the Oreshnik missile at western Ukraine ( AFP/Getty ) It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake 'Putin residence attack' that never happened, he added. Putin uses an IRBM near EU and Nato border in response to his own hallucinations this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses. The missile, based on the RS-26 Rubezh, which Russia had originally developed as an intercontinental weapon, is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional warheads, but there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to the overnight attack. Images released by Ukrainian authorities show apparent debris of an Oreshnik missile fired at Lviv, a city of more than 700,000 people. open image in gallery A fragment of the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region ( AP ) open image in gallery Debris from the Oreshnik missile fired on Ukraine ( Reuters ) The attack came days after European countries, including the UK and France, committed to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine to aid peacekeeping efforts in the event of a ceasefire, while Washington reaffirmed its pledge to provide security guarantees for Kyiv. The EUs foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the strike was meant as a warning to Europe and to the US. EU countries must dig deeper into their air defence stocks and deliver now, she said. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions. German chancellor Friedrich Merz added: Threatening gestures are intended to instil fear, but they will not work. We stand with Ukraine. open image in gallery The Oreshnik missile system during training in an undisclosed location in Belarus ( Russian Defense Ministry Press Service ) A senior Ukrainian official said the missile had struck the workshop of a state enterprise near the Polish border. Impact from several submunitions caused minor penetrations of concrete structures at the workshop and made craters in the forest area, they added. Meanwhile, the SBU state security service said Russia sought to destroy civilian infrastructure in the surrounding region amid rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. Temperatures in Ukraine are set to plummet well below zero, forecast to drop to -15C in the capital of Kyiv early on Saturday morning. open image in gallery The UKs defence secretary John Healey meets emergency service workers in Kyiv on Friday ( PA ) Russia has scaled up its attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of the cold snap. On Friday, an attack on Kyiv left 500,000 people without power, as mayor Vitali Klitschko called for residents to temporarily evacuate if possible. At least four people were killed in Kyiv after Russia launched a major offensive across Ukraine with 278 missiles and drones, according to Ukrainian tallies. Kyiv said it downed 244 of them in flight. UK defence minister John Healey visited the site on Friday of a strike on an apartment building after meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. It comes after a Russian air attack on Thursday left 1 million people without electricity and heating across large swathes of Ukraines central and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Close Trump expresses hope on 'good news' from peace talks between Ukraine and Russia On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Ukraine has reportedly agreed to a new proposal for a multi-tiered response to Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement. Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed that such an eventuality would involve a co-ordinated military response from both the US and Europe, officials told the Financial Times. According to the proposal, any Russian breach of a ceasefire would prompt a response within 24 hours, starting with a diplomatic warning and then, if necessary, action by the Ukrainian army to halt the infraction. Subsequent levels would involve forces from the Coalition of the Willing and, finally, the US. 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 meanwhile the war continues, with explosions ringing out in Kyiv on Monday night after a week-long pause requested by Trump. At least four people were wounded, official say, in attacks that damaged an apartment building and a kindergarten. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The trial of a 21-year-old man accused of forcing children and teenagers to self-harm and commit sexual acts online, leading to a 13-year-old boy taking his own life in the United States, began behind closed doors in Hamburg on Friday. The trial - which is being held in private due to the age and vulnerability of the victims - marks a precedent in Germany as the first time someone has gone on trial for murder in a suicide that occurred in a different jurisdiction. The defendant, who allegedly used the online pseudonym "White Tiger," faces charges including one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder, according to the prosecution. The defendant is accused of 204 offences committed between January 2021 and September 2023 against more than 30 victims. The trial is scheduled to run until December, with 82 hearings planned. No verdict is expected this year. If found guilty, the defendant can only be sentenced to between 6 months and 10 years in prison due to the fact that he was a minor at the time the crimes were committed, Judge Marayke Frantzen said shortly before the trial started on Friday. A murder usually carries a 15-year sentence in Germany. Also speaking ahead of the trial, defence lawyer Christiane Yueksel said that the fact that her client was being accused of indirectly committing a murder and other crimes "is a construct that is factually incorrect and cannot be proven." Authorities allege the defendant led a group of cybercriminals named "764" that targeted children aged 11 to 15 across Germany, Canada, Finland and the United States, coercing them to self-harm and recording the acts for blackmail. Prosecutors say the accused made particularly vulnerable children emotionally dependent on him via social media, exploiting this trust to produce child sexual abuse material and escalate the level of harm. The case was launched after a tip-off from the FBI, which was investigating the death by suicide of the teenage boy in the United States. Hamburg police arrested the suspect in his parents' home last summer. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of at least 13 individuals, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to announce his "Board of Peace" to oversee the delicate ceasefire. Among those killed on Thursday were at least one child, with fatalities reported in northern Gaza and areas east of Gaza City, as confirmed by health authorities and family members. The Israeli army stated on Friday that its operations targeted Hamas infrastructure and militants in both southern and northern Gaza. These strikes were described as a response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area. The phased ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas remains in its initial stages, with efforts continuing to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage held in Gaza. Officials say that Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to his Board of Peace, which he has said he will head, marking an important step forward for his Middle East peace plan. The process has moved slowly since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect nearly three months ago. open image in gallery Trump is expected to announce next week his appointments to his Board of Peace ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images ) The U.S. official and another official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov would be the board's "designated" director-general. Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who served as the U.N. envoy to Iraq before being appointed as the U.N. Mideast peace envoy from 2015-2020. During that time, he had good working relations with Israel and frequently worked to ease Israel-Hamas tensions. Under Trump's plan, the board would supervise a new technocratic Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far. On Thursday, Egyptian and European Union leaders met in Cairo and urged the deployment of the international stabilization force. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Hamas still refused to disarm and called the situation "extremely severe." Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10. Continued Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The Israeli military says any actions since the ceasefire began have been in response to violations of the agreement. Relatives and health officials say an 11-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a doctor, a teenage girl and two boys in a tent camp were among those killed on Thursday. At least a dozen others were injured, hospital officials said. On Friday relatives wept over the bodies of a 16-year-old girl and her two nephews who were killed in their tent in southern Gaza. "What safety? What truce?" said Rudaina al-Qedra, the mother and grandmother of the deceased. Other Palestinians who Israel had told to evacuate before the strikes returned to their tents in Gaza City trying to salvage their belongings. Some dug into the dirt with shovels and other with bare hands. "We returned and couldn't find our tents, our clothes, or our food," Abu Tareq Erouq said. "We have been digging since the morning, and we couldn't find anything." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader, has spent more than three decades consolidating power by crushing internal threats. But his leadership faces its most significant challenge yet as widespread protests against his leadership continue to grow across the country, with millions of Iranians taking to the streets to demand regime change. US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran if Mr Khameneis regime continues its deadly crackdown of protesters, with Tehran warning they are ready for war in response to the threats. Mr Trump suggested last week that Mr Khamenei might be planning to flee the country amidst the unrest, with the Iranian leader responding by calling Mr Trump arrogant, saying he would be overthrown. Iranian officials, speaking to the New York Times, indicated the government had been "thrust into survival mode", with reports last week also suggesting Mr Khamenei could flee to Russia. Heres what you need to know about Khamenei. He transformed the Islamic Republic open image in gallery Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the Iranian nation is not one to surrender and issued a stern warning that any intervention by the US would bring irreparable damage to them When he rose to power in 1989, Khamenei had to overcome deep doubts about his authority as he succeeded the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A low-level cleric at the time, Khamenei didn't have his predecessor's religious credentials. With his thick glasses and plodding style, he didn't have his fiery charisma either. But Khamenei has ruled three times longer than the late Khomeini and has shaped Irans Islamic Republic perhaps even more dramatically. He entrenched the system of rule by the mullahs," or Shiite Muslim clerics. That secured his place in the eyes of hardliners as the unquestionable authority below only that of God. At the same time, Khamenei built the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard into the dominant force in Irans military and internal politics. The Guard boasts Irans most elite military and oversees its ballistic missile program. Its international arm, the Quds Force, pieced together the Axis of Resistance, the collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave Iran considerable power across the region. Khamenei also gave the Guard a free hand to build a network of businesses allowing it to dominate Irans economy. In return, the Guard became his loyal shock force. He fended off domestic challenges open image in gallery Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, speaks with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad in a meeting in Tehran, Iran The first major threat to Khameneis grip was the reform movement that swept into a parliament majority and the presidency soon after he became supreme leader. The movement advocated for giving greater power to elected officials something Khameneis hardline supporters feared would lead to dismantling the Islamic Republic system. Khamenei stymied the reformists by rallying the clerical establishment. Unelected bodies run by the mullahs succeeded in shutting down major reforms and barring reform candidates from running in elections. The Revolutionary Guard and Irans other security agencies crushed waves of protests that followed the failure of the reform movement. Huge nationwide protests erupted in 2009 over allegations of vote-rigging. Under the weight of sanctions, economic protests broke out in 2017 and 2019. More nationwide protests broke out in 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini after police detained her for not wearing her mandatory headscarf properly. Hundreds were killed in crackdowns on the protests, and hundreds more arrested amid reports of detainees tortured to death or raped in prison. Still, the successive protests showed the strains in Irans theocratic system and lay bare widespread resentment of clerical rule, corruption and economic troubles. Trying to defuse anger, authorities often eased enforcement of some of the Islamic Republics social restrictions. He built Iran into a regional power open image in gallery Holding posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Lebanon's Hezbollah flag, demonstrators chant slogans in an annual rally in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran ( Associated Press ) When Khamenei took power, Iran was just emerging from its long war with Iraq that left the country battered and isolated. Over the next three decades, Khamenei turned Iran around into an assertive power wielding influence across the Middle East. One major boost was the USs 2003 ousting of Saddam Hussein, which eventually brought Iranian-allied Shiite politicians and militias to power in Iraq. Iraq provided a linchpin in Irans Axis of Resistance, grouping Bashar Assads Syria, Lebanons Hezbollah, the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. By 2015, the alliance was at its height, putting Iran on Israels doorstep. The past two years brought a dramatic reversal open image in gallery Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned Iran around into an assertive power wielding influence across the Middle East. Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel brought a massive Israeli retaliation on the Gaza Strip. It also brought a turnaround in Israeli policy. After years of trying to fend off and tamp down Iran's allies, Israel made crushing them its goal. Hamas has been crippled, though not eliminated, even at the cost of the decimation of Gaza. Israel has similarly sidelined Hezbollah at least for the moment with weeks of bombardment in Lebanon last year, along with a dramatic attack with booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies that stunned the group. An even heavier blow to Hezbollah was the fall in December 2024 of Syria's Bashar Assad when Sunni rebels marched on the capital and removed him from power. Now, a government hostile to Iran and Hezbollah rules from Damascus. In June 2025, the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. The strike came in support of Israels 12-day war on the Islamic republic in June, although the US reportedly proved unsuccessful in destroying Irans alleged nuclear weapons programme. As the latest wave of protests pushes Khameneis regime to the brink, Iran's Axis of Resistance is at its lowest ebb ever. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The self-declared shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi has claimed he is a steward of a national transition to democracy amid the escalating protests in Iran against the countrys supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Pahlavis name is being chanted through the streets of major Iranian cities including Tehran and Mashhad, with phrases Pahlavi will return and Seyyed Ali will be toppled. Dozens of Iranians have been killed in violent clashes with police during protests demanding regime change and a reported nationwide internet blackout. Pahlavi is the individual who has said he is bringing democracy to a country that has been under Islamic Republic since 1979. open image in gallery Self-described shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi ( AFP/Getty ) Born in October 1960, Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran before he was overthrown and the monarchy was abolished during the Iranian Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini. The family lived in exile since, as Pahlavi moved to the US the year before the revolution for pilot training at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas. Later, Pahlavi completed a degree in political science at the University of Southern California. Pahlavi volunteered to serve Irans military as a fighter pilot during the Iran-Iraq war but was declined by the regime. Despite being forced to live in exile, Reza Pahlavis commitment and patriotic duty to Iran endures, the advocates website states. For over four decades, Reza Pahlavi has been a leader and advocate of the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights for his countrymen. He maintains constant contact with his compatriots and opposition groups, both inside and outside the country. Pahlavi travels the world meeting with heads of state, legislators, policy-makers, interest groups and student groups speaking about the plight of Iranians under the Islamic regime in Iran. Earlier this week, Pahlavi penned an opinion piece in The Washington Post saying the Islamic Republic of Iran was weaker and more divided than at any point since 1979 and its response to dissent with mass arrests, executions and repression shows the regime is afraid. In recent days, protests have escalated in nearly all provinces and over 100 cities across Iran. Protesters are chanting my name alongside calls for freedom and national unity, he said. open image in gallery Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ( LEADER OFFICE/AFP via Getty Images ) I do not interpret this as an invitation to claim power. I bear it as a profound responsibility. It reflects a recognition inside Iran that our nation needs a unifying figure to help guide a transition away from tyranny and toward a democratic future chosen by the people themselves. I have therefore stepped toward to lead and serve in that capacity: not as a rule-in-waiting, but as a steward of a national transition to democracy. Pahlavis opinion piece and a post to X also thanked US president Donald Trump for promising to hold Iran to account, describing him as the leader of the free world. Despite his compliments towards Trump, the president has ruled out meeting him as he suggested the US was not ready to back a successor if the Iranian government were to collapse. open image in gallery Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara Netanyahu with Reza Pahlavi and Israeli minister Gila Gamliel ( Office of the Prime Minister of Israel ) I think that we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges, Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show podcast. Im not sure necessarily that it would be an appropriate thing to do. The self-described alternative leader for a democratic Iran is also close with Israel, which has sparked criticism. Notably, in 2023 Pahlavi controversially met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His visit came with mixed reactions as some touted him as a bridge builder for appearing with a kippah and denouncing antisemitism. Others argued it was hypocritical to meet with Israeli officials as the army clashed with Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank. Molly-Mae Hague has addressed fan speculation that Tommy Fury will re-propose to her after the couple rekindled their relationship. The pair, both 26, met on ITV dating show Love Island. They split up in August 2024, more than a year after their engagement. Hague and Fury, who welcomed daughter Bambi in 2023, confirmed they were back together in May 2025. In a YouTube vlog of the couple's Maldives holiday posted on Thursday, 8 January, Hague said she had received messages telling her that there had been speculation that Fury would propose again. Irish Government has 14 days to respond to US complaint over Dublin Airport cap US Department of Transport urged to curtail flights from Ireland to US unless passenger cap is removed The new White House administration is expected to loosen regulation on cryptocurrencies. Photo: Getty John Mulligan Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 17:41 The US Department of Transport has given the Irish government 14 days to respond to a request that the White House curtails the number of transatlantic flights from Ireland to America unless the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is removed. OHaras beer toasts 3.18m investment as consolidation in sector accelerates Injection will lead to more jobs and greater capacity, says Seamus OHara, MD of the brands owners Carlow Craft Brewery Investors in the funding round include existing investor Corporacion Hijos de Rivera, the company behind the Estrella Galicia beer brand. Pictured, Seamus O'Hara Sean Pollock Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 Carlow Craft Brewery, one of Irelands largest independent breweries, has raised 3.18m from existing backers as the OHaras beer owner looks to expand capacity amid industry consolidation. Value of Irish exports to US fell by $15bn in October, new figures reveal Trade deficit drops to 3.2bn as effect of Trump tariffs begins to be felt around the world US president Donald Trump announcing his tariffs schedule at the White House last April. Photo: Getty John Burns Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 Irelands trade deficit with the United States shrank dramatically in October due to a steep decline in exports, new figures from the US Commerce Department show. China, Ethiopia pledge to strengthen all-weather strategic partnership Xinhua) 10:57, January 09, 2026 ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with both sides pledging to strengthen mutual support and the alignment of development strategies. Abiy asked Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, to convey his New Year greetings and sincere regards to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Ethiopia regards China as a trustworthy, close brother and strategic partner, Abiy said, noting that the two countries have long supported each other and that their bilateral relations are developing with strong momentum. Ethiopia appreciates China's long-standing support for its economic and social development and speaks highly of China's efforts in implementing the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), he said. Reaffirming Ethiopia's adherence to the one-China principle, Abiy said Ethiopia is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, deepen practical cooperation in infrastructure, new energy, artificial intelligence, marine affairs, and other fields, strengthen mutual support in regional and international affairs, and promote sustained growth of bilateral relations. Wang conveyed the cordial greetings of Chinese leaders to Abiy, saying that the Ethiopian prime minister is an old friend of the Chinese people. Under Abiy's leadership, Wang said, the Ethiopian people have remained united, and the country has made rapid progress in national development. Addis Ababa is changing with each passing day, and China extends its congratulations, Wang said. China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, firmly support each other, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen exchanges of governance experience, and continuously elevate the all-weather strategic partnership between China and Ethiopia, he said. Ethiopia is leading the way in China-Africa cooperation, and both sides should work together to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, Wang said. He called for making full use of China's zero-tariff policy for all African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, accelerating the upgrading of trade and economic cooperation, strengthening cooperation in infrastructure, green industries, and the digital economy, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa. He expressed hope that Ethiopia will provide a sound environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and conduct business, and said China looks forward to Ethiopia, as a major African country, playing an important role in regional and international affairs. China is willing to continue promoting the implementation of the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa and to play a constructive role in advancing regional peace, stability, and win-win cooperation. On the same day, Wang also held talks with Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Folk singer Peggy Seeger and actor Ricky Tomlinson will be among the guests on The Late Late Show Irish traditional music special. Viewers have been promised the seisiun of all seisiuns, with the show set to feature a number of the greatest trad musicians from Ireland and around the world, including many of those who performed at Trad Fest 2025. Seeger, aged 90, still performs and releases music. She will join Patrick Kielty to look back on seven decades in the music industry, and will also pay tribute to her late husband Ewan MacColl with a performance of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, a song he wrote for her. There will also be a special group performance of another classic Ewan MacColl tune in Dirty Old Town. Tomlinson, known for his role in the British comedy The Royle Family, will discuss his passion for singing and playing the banjo, his connection to Ireland and the joy he finds in performing. In the spirit of the trad special, he will also be playing a tune of his own. Lisa Canny, a founding member of all-female trad supergroup Biird, will tell Kielty about an incredible year for the band. The group launched their debut Irish tour, performed at All Together Now, the Fleadh and the 3Arena, and also toured with Ed Sheeran. Canny will also look ahead to 2026, with more milestones ahead for both her and the band. In between musical performances, Kielty will speak with a number of other musicians including Kevin Conneff of The Chieftains, Donal Lunny, Fiachna O Braonain and Zoe Conway. The Late Late Show trad special will also serve as a preview of the upcoming Trad Fest, running across Dublin from January 21 to 25. In a first for the show, one musician will be inducted into the Late Late Show trad music hall of fame. The Indo Daily: Melania: The Movie We saw it, so you dont have to... Protest set to take place in Athlone on Saturday Deal aims to offset US tariffs, reduce reliance on China France opposes deal due to impact on domestic farmers Accord will still require European Parliament's approval Safeguards include import controls, crisis fund for farmers EU states gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign its largest free trade accord with the South American group Mercosur, more than 25 years after talks began, following months of wrangling to secure enough support. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form. With U.S. President Donald Trump shaking up global trade, the European Commission and countries such as Germany and Spain argue the deal will help offset business lost from U.S. import tariffs, and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the EU's clearance as a "historic day for multilateralism". "In an international scenario of growing protectionism and unilateralism, the agreement is a signal in favour of international trade as a driver of economic growth, with benefits for both blocs," he posted on X. Opponents led by France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food products, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers. Farmers have launched protests across the EU, blocking highways in France and Belgium and marching in Poland on Friday. French farmers protest against the government's handling of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement yesterday. Photo: Reuters Irish farmers have organised a demonstration to take place on Saturday in Athlone over the EU-Mercosur deal. The demonstration will involve a convoy of mainly agricultural vehicles from the N61 Roscommon Road, along the N6 travelling eastbound from Junction 12 to Junction 10, and along the N55 towards the R916, Cornamaddy roundabout. There will be a march from the vicinity of Junction 9 N6 along the R916 to TUS Athlone, with a rally and speeches at TUS Athlone. Gardai are aware of the planned demonstration and said significant traffic disruption is expected. "It is expected that there will be significant additional traffic, including slow moving vehicles, in the N6 area, from Junction 12 to Junction 10, in the morning and over the course of Saturday 10th January," said a garda spokesperson. IFA president Francie Gorman described the news the EU had provisionally approved the deal as very disappointing. He said: This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal. A banner reading 'Ursula, you really think we are idiots' is placed in front of the National Assembly in Paris during a protest by French farmers against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. Photo: Reuters Meanwhile, France voted against the deal - but a sufficient majority of EU members backed the accord. An EU diplomat and Poland's agriculture minister said that 21 countries supported the agreement, with Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland and Poland against and Belgium abstaining. A minimum of 15 countries representing 65% of the bloc's total population was required for approval. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed Friday's vote as a "milestone" and said the deal would be good for Germany and for Europe. "But 25 years of negotiations is too long. It's vital that the next free trade agreements are concluded swiftly," he said in a statement. The approval clears the way for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to sign the agreement with Mercosur partners - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - in Asuncion. Argentina's Foreign Ministry said the signing ceremony would take place on January 17. The European Parliament will also need to approve the accord, finally concluded a year ago, before it can enter into force. France says the battle is not over The free trade agreement is set to be the European Union's biggest in terms of tariff reduction, removing 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion) of duties on its exports. The Mercosur countries have high tariffs, such as 35% on car parts, 28% on dairy products and 27% on wines. The EU and Mercosur will hope to expand evenly split goods trade worth 111 billion euros in 2024. EU exports are dominated by machinery, chemicals and transport equipment, and Mercosur's are focused on agricultural products, minerals, pulp and paper. To win over deal sceptics, the European Commission has put in place safeguards that can suspend imports of sensitive farm produce. It has strengthened import controls, notably regarding pesticide residues, established a crisis fund, accelerated support for farmers, and has pledged to cut import duties on fertilisers. A farmer rests on a tractor parked near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a protest against the French government's handling of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. Photo: Reuters The concessions were not enough to convince Poland or France, but Italy shifted from a 'no' in December to a 'yes' on Friday, swinging the overall balance. "It seems to me the balance that has been found is sustainable," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told a press conference. Mathilde Panot, lower house chief of the far-left France Unbowed party, said on X that France had been "humiliated" by Brussels and on the world stage. French far-right and far-left parties are set to launch no-confidence motions in the government over the likely approval. French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has said the battle is not over and has pledged to fight for a rejection by the EU assembly, where the vote could be tight. European environmental groups also oppose the accord, saying commodities shipped to Europe will often come from deforested land. "The simple truth is that this unpopular deal is a disaster for the Amazon rainforest and no progressive MEP that is committed to forest protection should ever support it," Greenpeace EU campaigner Lis Cunha said. German Social Democrat Bernd Lange, the chair of parliament's trade committee, expressed confidence that the deal would be passed, with a final vote most likely in April or May. U2 frontman Bono has joined calls for the release of Palestinian politician Marwan Barghouti, who is imprisoned in an Israeli jail. Mr Barghouti has been in prison since 2002. In 2004, he was convicted of five counts of murder related to attacks during the second Palestinian intifada. Conal Thomas: Taoiseach pulls off China coup, but trip is overshadowed by mounting problems at home After successful talks with Xi Jinping, Micheal Martin returns to issues that wont be going away any time soon Taoiseach Micheal Martin shakes hands with Chinese premier Li Qiang earlier this week. Photo: PA Conal Thomas Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 One last copy of Ulysses to give to the mayor of Shanghai, one final pledge to deepen economic ties and the nail in the coffin on the Mercosur question. Gardai believe Oisin Reddin (12) lay dead in bed for hours after his father murdered him Bodies of father and boy found at separate Dublin propertiesGardai say they are not looking for anyone elseWayne OReilly was detained under Mental Health ActChild was not in care of State, but family known to Tusla Father and 12-year-old son named after suspected murder-suicide in west Dublin Ken Foy, Robin Schiller and Conor Feehan Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 17:00 Gardai believe that tragic Oisin Reddin lay dead for a number of hours before the 12-year-old bodys was discovered in his bed at his home in Clondalkin on Thursday morning. Youre going to the top, ladies, says music legend Peggy Seeger (90) as she is honoured with TradFest lifetime achievement award President pays tribute to artist who has been in the business for seven decades Irelands Traditional Music Festival Launches at the GPO Melanie Finn Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 Ninety-year-old musician Peggy Seeger had some words of encouragement as she received a lifetime achievement award at the launch of TradFest 2026 in Dublin, telling attendees: Youre going to the top, ladies. Ruth Medjbers life stories: I know I am broken, but I love what I am In a year-long project, photographer Ruth Medjber is asking 365 ordinary people to share their extraordinary tales. Here, she meets Pat Barrett, who speaks eloquently about his late mother, Mary Theresa Pat Barrett photographed by Ruth Medjber for the series, Sin Sceal Eile. Ruth Medbjer Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 I meet Pat Barrett in the Gravediggers pub in Dublin on what was supposed to be a quiet afternoon, but I dont think that pub ever has a quiet spell. Ive known Pat for over 22 years. We first met while working in a record store on Henry Street. We sit in the snug, get a round in and chat like its old times. Mary Regan: Fianna Fail WhatsApp group was hopping as fears erupted over Mercosur deal TDs reacted angrily to comments from Micheal Martin that left door open to agreement Mercosur trade deal explainer Mary Regan Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 Late on Wednesday evening, Clare TD Cathal Crowe posted a message in the Fianna Fail WhatsApp group that set off a conversation on an issue many TDs see as fundamental to their standing as public representatives. Donal Fallon: Venezuelan politics is for its own people to sort out not Team America: World Police The oil-producing South American country may be in political and economic turmoil, but it is now being held over a barrel Captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in New York last weekend, before he made an appearance to face various US federal charges. Photo: Reuters Donal Fallon Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 Donald Trump is losing allies in surprising places. Rand Paul, a proudly libertarian Republican who gave Trump an enthusiastic endorsement months into his second presidency, condemned the bombing of Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolas Maduro as the gunboat diplomacy of the 19th century. Palestinian children look out from a building destroyed during the war, in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters Im not rich. Far from it. But even on a tight income I made a small donation to the Red Cross this week. It wasnt heroic. It was simply choosing to act. People in conflict zones are being hit from every direction: violence, fear, loss, hunger, despair and the collapse of basic services. While we debate politics and ideology, real families are running out of food, medicine and refuge. These arent abstractions. They are people suffering from the wounds of war; children starving; cities blown to pieces; hospitals without power. Younger generations are often accused of being self-absorbed, yet many of us are deeply aware that weve inherited a damaged world, an unstable climate, fragile institutions and crises created and left unresolved by older generations. Compassion isnt proved by what we argue about online. It only counts when it turns into action. Waving flags and marching through your town feels good, but it doesnt feed anyone, patch a wound or keep a bomb from falling. Real help is quiet and consistent and actually reaches the people who are starving, bleeding and desperate. If we claim to care about human dignity, the responsibility isnt complicated. Help where you can. Give what you can. A few euro isnt meaningless if it buys medicine, food or shelter. Alan Kelly, Straffan, Co Kildare Deconstructive academic activism does a disservice to folkloric traditions As the author of Vandalising Ireland, the book Catherine Prasifka referenced indirectly last month (We should be wary of those who want to preserve their own version of the past, Irish Independent, December 18), I feel compelled to address several inaccuracies in her article. It is evident that Ms Prasifka has not read my book something she has since confirmed on X relying instead on a hostile Irish Times podcast discussion as a proxy. This approach allows her to criticise the messenger rather than engage with the material. Her central argument, that Irish folklore is fluid and ever-evolving, overlooks the nuanced analysis in my work. Ms Prasifka dismissed that analysis, saying: When Lenihan talks of his childhood, his account is subjective. Its based on things he noticed at the time, things he remembers and finds worth mentioning now. If Ms Prasifka had read the foreword of the book, she would know that, when I speak about folklore, I reference my MA, in which I demonstrated, through fieldwork and archival research, how traditional Irish folklore has remained remarkably consistent over centuries in the Burren, Co Clare. Memory is an inadequate substitute for good fieldwork. More importantly, I discuss in the foreword how the Irish folk canon is not comparable to viral moments or imported novelties like Bloody Mary, as Ms Prasifka claims. They are totems deeply tied to the landscape, serving to regulate communal behaviour and organisation. The irony in Ms Prasifkas conclusion is striking. She warns against using folklore to preserve a singular version of the past, while imposing her own ideological lens one that deconstructs folklore to fit a multicultural, social-justice framework. Her critique of a homogenous, white and patriarchal past in the Irish folk canon is puzzling, given that the Ireland of the Folklore Commission (her point of focus) was indeed homogenous and entirely white a historical fact, not a blueprint for exclusion. In chapter five of my book, I explore how social justice theory has infiltrated Irish academia, turning institutions into activist hubs that prioritise deconstruction over preservation. Ms Prasifkas piece exemplifies this trend, erasing the authentic voices of traditional Irish storytellers by lumping them in with imported urban legends and viral social media trends. Folklore speaks for itself and the people who shared it. It does not need contextualisation to fit modern politically correct notions of what is or isnt Irish. We should not be wary of those who wish to see it continue to be a cornerstone of Irish culture and identity, as Ms Prasifka warns in dark tones. Nor should any other negative aspersions be cast on the motives of those who do preserve our rich heritage. I urge readers to read my book directly rather than accept such reductive critiques. Dr Eoin Lenihan, address with editor Are our worst democratic instincts doomed to repeat themselves ad nauseam? In 1964, Bob Dylan sang The Times They Are A-Changin, yet, as the world heads into the second quarter of the 21st century, history is merely repeating itself. In 1762, Jean-Jacques Rousseau published The Social Contract, a representation of how democracy should operate for the equal good of all. In A History of Western Philosophy (1945), Bertrand Russell summed up the world: The Social Contract became the Bible of most of the leaders in the French Revolution, but no doubt, as is the fate of Bibles, it was not carefully read and was still less understood by many of its disciples. It reintroduced the habit of metaphysical abstractions among the theorists of democracy and, by its doctrine of the general will, it made possible the mystic identification of a leader with his people, which has no need of confirmation by so mundane an apparatus as the ballot box. What further triumphs the future has to offer to [Rousseaus] ghost, I do not venture to predict. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Government really needs to choose between EU and desires of the Irish people What does a national declaration on the subject of Irish neutrality mean? To the many people who changed their vote in the Nice referendum because of promises given in the Seville Declaration, it meant that Ireland would not become involved in any military alliance. Indeed, one sentence seemed to say just that: Ireland confirms that its participation in the European Unions common foreign and defence policy does not prejudice its traditional policy of military neutrality. The EUs white paper on defence, Readiness 2030, repeats the Seville Declaration, but adds to it a phrase that has serious implications for Irish neutrality: ...and taking into consideration the security and defence interests of all Member States. Sadly, it seems our Government prefers to be seen in a good light by the EU Commission, rather than by the Irish people who, over decades of opinion polls, have consistently expressed their preference for Ireland to be neutral. Elizabeth Cullen, Naas, Co Kildare Pat Heffernan, teacher in the Patrician Academy Mallow organised a charity match on December 30th to support the Dillon Quirke Foundation. He is pictured here (centre) with the captains of the two teams. Ireland Lights Up Banteer/Lyre Healthy Club are organizing a community walk commencing Wednesday 7th January at 7pm-8pm meeting at The Green Bean Cafe, Banteer Sportsfield and continuing every Wednesday for 5 weeks. All ages and abilities welcome Yoga and Pilates classes Yoga and Pilates classes in Banteer - Wednesday from 7th Jan: 6pmMat Pilates Beginner/Intermediate; 7pm YogaAll levels; 8pm Yoga -All levels Thursday from 8th Jan: 6:30pm Yoga -All Levels; 7:30pm Mat; PilatesBeginners/Intermediate; Friday 9:45am Yoga/Mat Pilates Mix. Suitable for all levels. It will be a 5 week block of classes. 50 for 5 weeks. Classes will be taking place between my house (5 minutes from Banteer village) and under the cafe at the sportsfield. All classes are mixed gender. If anyone if is interested in a ladies or mens only class, let Joanne know. If you wish to book into a class and time you can message Joanne on 0876578478. All classes are suitable for people new to Yoga and Pilates. Banteer Bingo Banteer Bingo returns at Banteer Community Centre on Tuesday 6th January, jackpot 5,200,if jackpot not won 500 guaranteed on jackpot game. Glen Theatre Banteer Sat 17th Jan Matchmake me do Sun 18th Jan Sean Keane in Concert Sat 31st Jan Robbed by Killarney Theatre company Sun 8th Feb Eleanor Shanley with Ultan Conley and Jimmy Higgins Friday, 13th February, 8pm A tribute to the music of John Denver Marc Roberts Booking 029 56239. Boherbue Christmas The Christmas ceremonies in the Church of the Immaculate Conception attracted full house attendances with Fr Danny Broderick PP as celebrant. This was actually Fr Brodericks first Christmas as Parish Priest locally having taken up duty in July on the retirement of Fr Jim Kennelly. During his homilies he thanked the Parishioners of Boherbue and Kiskeam for the welcome he received on his arrival in the Parish. He stated that he was happy with what he had seen and encouraged all involved in various groups both sporting or otherwise to keep up the good work and he will only be too happy to co-operative in every way possible. He issued an open invitation for people to visit the Presbytery, if my car is outside then Im inside he joked. He added that he was looking forward to getting to know the people and urged them to keep the first four days of March free for the Parish Mission, details of which will be published as soon as possible. He finally paid tribute to the Litergy group, Altar Society, Collectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Sacriston, Choir, Traffic stewards, Altar servers, Readers, Adoration and Prayer groups and all who organise same and concluded by saying that he looked forward to working with everyone in the years ahead. Kandu Kandu, the Kids and Adults Network of Duhallow recommences at the Pearse Memorial Hall on Friday, January 9th at 9.39am. This is a wonderful opportunity for Moms, Dads, Grandparents or carers to come along and enjoy a chat and a cuppa, share experiences and chill out as the children play and make new friends. If anyone would like to donate some unwanted toys it would be very much appreciated. Pre covid times this group were active and a great help to many. Hopefully, they can again build up their numbers and give themselves a well deserved morning off. The organisers are Deirdre Drew and Shauna Culloty. Scor On Saturday, January 24th the All Ireland Scor na nOg finals will be held at the INEC in Killarney and Cork will only have one representative, our own Donna Moynihan in the Solo Singing. Donna has already a host of titles on the sideboard so this additional one would fill that vacant space. We wish her well. Jive classes Learn how to Jive lessons take place in the Pearse Memorial Hall commencing on Wed Jan 14th for three weeks. Go along and check it out. Starts 7.45pm. Lotto The numbers were 2, 8, 23, 32. Lucky Dip 50 Ian OConnor, Knocknagree. 20 each: Roger Casey, Gneeves; Dan Sheehan, Main Street; Tom Sheahan, Mc Auliffe Ave. On line Niamh Murphy. Seller Dan ORahilly. Western Duhallow Weigh-in The 39th Annual weigh-in organised by the Cullen and District Special Needs Association commences on Monday next January 12th in the local Community Centre commencing at 8pm and concludes on Monday, March 9th when all will be revealed. This is the most successful fundraiser by this organisation and attracts a huge gathering of both male and females of all age groups. Each week Mairead Reen of Reens Life Pharmacy will oversee the Weigh-in. On Monday 19th at 7.30pm participants will have the opportunity to exercise to music with Hannah OConnor for the duration of the event. This group do some unknown but amazing work for their Special Friends and are deserving of your support. Its also great fun, friendly rivalry and lots of banter and craic. On the final night cheques are presented to the various schools and houses who cater for these people from both Duhallow and East Kerry. It is, of course, a wonderful opportunity to get oneself back in proper shape after the holiday period and get set for St Patricks Day. Participants collect sponsorship, so if unable to attend you can partake by supporting those who will work hard parading the roads in order to be in the top three on final night. Its important to note that one can join in at anytime, all are welcome. Kiskeam GAA club AGM Officers elected at the recent Kiskeam GAA club AGM were as follows: Chairperson Marie Carroll; Vice do John Sheahan; Secretary Anthony Casey; Assist do. John Fleming; PRO Shane Carroll; Treasurer Marie Burke; Registrar Daire Murphy; Insurance officer Jack Daly; Facilities officer Diarmuid Fitzgerald; Rebel Bounty Richard Dennehy; Health club Marie OLeary; Cultural officer Ellen Daly. Kiskeam Lotto The numbers were 9, 12, 24, 28. 50 Hannah Guiney, Knocknanough. 20 each Kate Mc Auliffe, do.; Con Breen, Ruhill; Bephinn Fahy, Co. Clare. Seller Christy OKeeffe. Urgent action is required to address the shortage of dentists in Cork for children and those with special needs. The number of senior dental surgeons employed by the HSE in Cork and Kerry who provide for those with special needs has remained static between 2023 and 2025, with just 13 senior dentists in post, equating to 9.33 whole-time equivalents (WTEs) across the region. The figures recently provided to Cork TD Colm Burke showed that in 2025 there was one senior dental surgeon in Cork, six senior dentists for special needs and four senior dental surgeon administrative. In Kerry, there was one senior dental surgeon for special needs and one senior dental surgeon administrative in 2025. Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central Colm Burke had requested clarity on the total number of senior dental surgeons who are employed by the HSE part-time or full-time and who provide for those who have special needs based in HSE CHO4 area. In response Mari ODonovan, Interim Head of Service Primary Care with HSE South West informed Deputy Burke that the HSE Primary Care Dental Service provides dental treatment to eligible children, medical card holders, adults and children with special needs and others in the care of the HSE at various locations throughout Cork and Kerry. Ms ODonovan said: Children under 16 years of age are treated in HSE dental clinics and adults are treated by private dental practitioners contracted to the Health Services under the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS). "A recruitment campaign is currently live on HSE jobs for the vacant senior dentist position located within the Kerry Dental Services, she added. Responding to the figures, Mr Burke called for urgent and sustained action to address the growing shortage of dentists across Cork, warning that children and those with special needs are being disproportionately affected by staffing shortages in the public dental service. Deputy Burke said this level of staffing is wholly insufficient to meet the needs of a growing population, particularly children who rely on the public dental service. The figures confirm what families already know, that there simply are not enough dentists in the public system in Cork. This is most stark for children, where delays to screening and treatment can have lasting consequences. The Irish Dental Association has highlighted that Ireland has lost more than 640 dentists providing care under the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) in the past 12 years, falling from 1,452 dentists in 2012 to just 810 in 2024. In practice, the IDA believes fewer than 600 dentists are now actively providing medical card dental care nationwide. Deputy Burke continued: For children, reduction in public care severe. IDA data shows that 104,000 children are currently waiting for a public dental appointment, a six-year waiting list now exists for orthodontic care and the number of children seen under the School Dental Screening Programme has fallen sharply, with 31,000 fewer children seen in 2023 compared to 2017. The Cork TD warned that the continued decline in dentist numbers, combined with static HSE staffing levels, risks undermining the entire public dental system. Without decisive action on recruitment, contract reform and training capacity, children in Cork will continue to wait far too long for basic dental care. He called for a multi-step approach in response, including increased recruitment of public dentists in Cork and the reform of the Dental Treatment Services Scheme to retain private practitioners. Mr Burke also called for the expansion of dental school capacity with UCC and CUH along with incentives to retain graduates and immediate action to address waiting lists for children and special needs patients. Deputy Burke said access to dental care should not depend on the ability to pay. Children deserve timely, preventative care, not years on a waiting list. I will continue to raise this issue at national level until Cork receives the dental capacity it urgently needs. Farmers in Cork warn Mercosur deal could flood Ireland with stinking rotten meat Thousands of farmers are due to take part in a peaceful protest over food safety and farm livelihoods Aerial view of cattle on a farm in Brazil. Photo: Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg Kevin Galvin Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 One of the leading organisers of a mass protest, which is expected to see thousands of farmers block the roads around Irelands most central town on Saturday, says a new deal between the European Union and a bloc of South American countries could see stinking rotten meat mass-imported into Ireland. A public meeting was recently held in Bandon to gauge demand and plot a potential route ahead for a swimming pool in the West Cork town. The meeting was initiated by residents who are keen for a pool to be delivered for the Cork town. The meeting which was attended by a number of local political representatives attracted a large crowd. The public were informed that the establishment of a swimming pool would be very beneficial for locals and tourists to the picturesque West Cork town. Fianna Fail TD for Cork South West Christopher OSullivan said he was very encouraged by the turnout at the public meeting. A big thanks to everybody who turned out for the public meeting where we discussed the need for a swimming pool in Bandon. There was a good cross representation of different backgrounds all with a single stated aim: to deliver a swimming pool for West Corks biggest town. A steering group has subsequently been initiated following the public meeting and the committee members will now attempt to navigate a path forward to ensure their dreams become a reality. Deputy OSullivan said sourcing a suitable site and sources of funding for the swimming pool will be key priorities for the steering group. At the end of the meeting several individuals offered to join a steering group. The steering group will meet for the first time on Thursday, January 15 to formulate a path forward. Issues like how to identify a suitable site and sources of funding but also how best to work with Cork Council to achieve progress. Im conscious that not everyone was able to make the meeting so if people want to be part of the steering group, please feel free to reach out to me and we will try accommodating. Thanks again to the people of Bandon for helping with this really good first step, he added. With a packed schedule, theres something for everyone to enjoy in the capital this year The Apache Belles from Tyler in Texas at the Dublin St Patrick's Day parade in 2023. Photo: Steve Humphreys Padraig McKenna, Eibhlin Gallagher, Manus O Baoighill, Ralph McTell, Kieran Hanrahan and Laura Donoghue at the launch of last year's TradFest. Photo: Mark Stedman As a global hub for culture and the arts, Dublin has more than its fair share of events and experiences, with a rich assortment of activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. Below, weve collected a few highlights of the events calendar slated for the year to come. TradFest January 21 to 25 In its 21st year, the music festival, which highlights traditional and folk artists across the country, will partner with every local authority in Dublin, adding Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to its list of collaborators this year. In Dublin city, TradFest will see performances in venues like Dublin Castle and St Patricks Cathedral. South Dublin will see live music in other non-traditional venues such as Rathfarnham Castle, St Maelruains Church and Aon Sceal Cafe. In Fingal, the festival is entering its third year, returning to Ardgillan Castle, Malahide Castle and Swords Castle Chapel with performances by artists like Ralph McTell and Stocktons Wing, The Dublin Legends and The Fingal Gospel Choir. St Patricks Festival March 14 to 17 Always an iconic experience in the Irish capital, the annual St Patricks Festival, capped by the world-famous parade on the final day, is a green-tinged spectacle of Irishness enjoyed by many the world over. The Apache Belles from Tyler in Texas at the Dublin St Patrick's Day parade in 2023. Photo: Steve Humphreys Programme details are still being ironed out for this years celebrations, but organisers promise the largest celebration of Irish culture and heritage in the world. Past festivals have included a range of family-friendly and free cultural events, mixed with experiences that span the breadth of Dublins lively pub and club scene. Dublin Tech Week May 22 to 29 This May, Dublin Tech Week will return for a second year with a week-long programme of events across the city including tech conferences, open houses, showcases, hackathons and meet-ups. Last year, it saw the Smart Docklands project host family workshops at Pearse Street Library and a smart city adventure in the docklands which included an educational tour through different devices that help service Dublin city. In South Dublin, the Tallaght-based co-working space WorkIQ hosted a hackathon for younger people in the area to brainstorm solutions to current issues faced by Dublin like planning, homelessness and mobility. Longitude Festival July This 40,000-people-strong musical celebration, which has tended in the more hip hop and electronic direction with its acts in recent years, is set to return to the sprawling Marlay Park in south Dublin this July. Calvin Harris previously headlined Longitude at Marlay Park in Dublin Exact dates and acts are not confirmed as yet, but the line-up last year featured well-known musicians like David Guetta and 50 Cent and has even hosted the likes of Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd in recent years. Kayla Robertson and Danny McCarthy launching a previous Bram Stoker Festival. Photo: Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography Bram Stoker Festival Late October The spooky annual Bram Stoker Festival, a Halloween treat for Dubliners celebrating the famous author of Dracula and the citys literary tradition, is all but guaranteed to feature yet again in the citys line-up of events for the coming year. Last years festivities included a blend of family-friendly and free events, with ticketed performances and shows across a range of venues city-wide. Highlights included the Macnas parade, An Treun: The Summoning of the Lost, which weaved through the north-east inner city, along with a rare screening of Kwaidan, Masaki Kobayashis adaptation of Lafcadio Hearns ghost stories. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme Three fishermen were rescued by RNLI volunteers on Thursday in Co Galway after their trawler came into difficulty at sea. Aran Islands RNLI volunteers were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat on Thursday, January 8, to assess the situation where a trawler had got a net caught in its propeller, causing it to lose power. The incident occurred southwest of Spiddal in Galway Bay. The RNLI lifeboat launched under Coxswain Declan Corrigan at around 1.05pm with four crew members onboard and arrived on scene an hour later. Weather conditions at the time were good with a northerly force 3-4 wind and a half metre swell. A RNLI spokesperson said that the crew observed that the vessel was drifting into the main channel, although the crew onboard were described as safe and well. Due to the potential navigational hazard, it was decided that the safest course of action was to establish a tow and bring the vessel and its crew, to the nearest safe harbour at Rossaveel. Once the vessel was alongside, the lifeboat crew made their way home, arriving at 5.20pm. Speaking following the call out, Coxswain Declan Corrigan said: The fishermen did the right thing in raising the alarm when they knew they couldnt make any safe onward progress and we were happy to assist as the tow was necessary to prevent any risk to navigation. We would remind anyone planning a trip to sea to go prepared. Always wear a lifejacket or suitable flotation device for your activity, always carry a means of communication and should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. It was a busy start to 2026 for members from local biodiversity groups in Tralee and the surrounding areas as they took part in the inaugural collaborative New Year Plant Hunt over the course of three days earlier this month. The event, which was organised by Tralee Tidy Towns and Irish Wildlife Trust Kerry branch as part of the implementation of the Community Biodiversity Action Plan (CBAP) for the Kingdom of Kerry Greenway (Tralee to Fenit), saw a number of community groups, clubs, businesses and NGOs taking part in a bio blitz along different sections of the 13km long route. A total of seven plant hunts took place on the greenway and this involved groups identifying and recording flowering species. The first event took place back on January 1 in Fenit and this was led by Fenit Coast Conservation and Fenit Town Hall. The next event, on January 2, saw four hunts take place and these were led by The Meadowlands Hotel (B Corp), Fenit Changing Tides, Spa Tidy Village, Tralee Tidy Towns, Irish Wildlife Trust and Cllr Mikey Sheehy. The final one, on January 3, was led by Kerry FC. The New Year Plant Hunt is a Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) campaign and is one that invites citizen scientists to record flowering plants over the first four days of January each year. A total of 31 people took part in plant hunts across the greenway over the three days and almost 40 flowering species were recorded including Gorse, Primrose, Herb Robert, Knapweed and the invasive Winter Heliotrope. Its really inspiring to see the support from all of the community groups, businesses , clubs and NGOs along the greenway for this first attempt at a New Year Plant Hunt on the greenway as part of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) campaign. We have been working together for the last three months as part of the Community Foundation Ireland-funded CBAP project, we call Dulra Thra Li, and its wonderful to see the skills were learning being put in to action. We were proud to see our own members show up to help out for each of the seven plant hunt, said Martha Farrell of Tralee Tidy Towns. These sentiments were echoed by local Tralee Cllr Mikey Sheehy. It was great to get out and be involved in such a positive community-led initiative, particularly one that brings communities together to protect and celebrate the natural biodiversity of the Tralee Fenit Greenway. Initiatives like this really show the pride people have in their town and in the Greenway, he said. Noreen White, Ger Scollard, Tommy Flaherty, Caroline Dunlea and Gloria O'Connor from the Spa Tidy Village group. Cllr Mikey Sheehy, Brendan Guilfoyle, Anthony Dawson and Carina Claffey from Tralee Tidy Towns. Sinn Fein councillor Debbie McCole has welcomed the reversal of a decision to reduce security staffing levels at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, confirming that an additional security officer will be reinstated in the Emergency Department from January 12. Local councillors had described the severely derelict buildings as an eyesore and said they were letting the whole town down Cllr Deere said he is hopeful the Vacant Above the Shop Grant will help deliver much-needed housing in Castlebar while also bringing life back to Main Street. Photo: Google Images. The buildings are set to be demolished and turned into 13 apartments. Derelict properties along Ellison Street, Castlebar, which had been branded by councillors as 'the worst street in the town' due to the condition of the buildings. Photo: An Taisce A long-standing derelict black spot in the centre of Castlebar is set to be demolished and redeveloped as housing, following years of calls from local councillors for urgent action. Four council-owned derelict buildings along Ellison Street will be knocked down, and 13 apartments will be built in their place. Mayo County Council has formally issued its notice of intention to demolish the units under Part Eight of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. The proposed 13-unit development will comprise of one studio apartment, six one-bedroom apartments, four two-bedroom apartments and two three-bedroom apartments. Local councillor Ger Deere welcomed the development, saying progress on the site was long overdue. The buildings are a complete eyesore. They are letting down the street and the town because they just look so terrible, he said. The buildings are set to be demolished and turned into 13 apartments. Cllr Deere has repeatedly raised concerns about the condition of the buildings at Castlebar Municipal District meetings. Most recently, in December, he called on the council to demolish the units as soon as possible and to install boarding around the site to improve the appearance of the street and improve what he described as the despicable condition of the properties. While acknowledging the delays in securing funding to bring the project forward, he said the announcement marked a positive step. The council were doing their best with it, but there is so much bureaucracy in getting these schemes off the ground. This is good news to start the new year with, he said. He added that it was encouraging to see work finally moving forward and also commended other regeneration schemes happening across Castlebar, which he said are helping to tackle dereliction and deliver much-needed housing. On Lower Charles Street, two vacant and derelict townhouses have been replaced with four one-bedroom apartments. A terrace of three units at Barrack Bridge is being retained and refurbished due to its importance to Castlebars historic character; it will provide three two-bedroom houses. As well, a vacant site at Riverside, Newtown, will be developed into four new terraced homes. Cllr Deere said he is hopeful that the newly launched Vacant Above the Shop Grant, announced by Minister for Housing James Browne in December, will help to boost regeneration in the town centre and bring life back to the Main Street. He said that in the 1960s and 1970s it had been common for people to live above the shops in Castlebar and added that: it will be great to see it come back again because there are a lot of premises, a lot of retail businesses, that have nothing on top of them and the spaces are going derelict. Cllr Deere said he is hopeful the Vacant Above the Shop Grant will help deliver much-needed housing in Castlebar while also bringing life back to Main Street. Photo: Google Images. Cllr Deere also pointed out that Castlebar, like many towns across Ireland, has lost a significant number of smaller retailers in recent years, driven by the growth of online shopping and by rising business rates and rents. This, he said, has resulted in a growing number of vacant units in the town centre. We have to reimagine the town centre, and I think doing up a lot of the old shops on Main Street and turning them into townhouses would bring life back into the town again, he said. He believes a renewed focus on residential development in the town centre could help attract families back to live in the heart of Castlebar. There were families reared on Main Street years ago when we had no facilities in the town, but now we have so many facilities on the doorstep, he said. He also pointed to Castlebars unique advantage in having major retailers such as Dunnes Stores and Tesco located in the town centre rather than on the outskirts, adding that this places the town in a strong position to support a residential-led revival. We have so many facilities now like Lough Lannagh, the town park, the Turlough Greenway right in the centre of town - where better place to raise a family, he added. This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Gardai have closed a road on the outskirts of Monaghan town in the wake of a two-vehicle crash which has resulted in a man in his 60s being taken to hospital. A man in his 60s is recovering in hospital following a two-vehicle collision in Monaghan this afternoon. The injured man was tended to by paramedics at the scene before being transferred to hospital in the wake of a crash involving two cars on the R162 at Tamlat shortly before 3pm. Minister of State Frank Feighan has welcomed the government's decision not to vote in favour of the EU-Mercosur trade deal. Photo: Donal Hackett Speaking in the wake of the Irish Governments decision to vote against the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal, Minister of State Frank Feighan said, The Programme for Government was always clear; it did not support the deal in the form in which it was presented. Despite much work and interaction over recent weeks, the Taoiseach, Minister Martin Heydon, Minister Helen McEntee and my party leader and Tanaiste have been intensively engaged, working right across the system to secure the best possible outcome for Ireland. That work has been carried out by engaging closely with like-minded countries that share our concerns and working constructively to secure additional safeguards that would address the very real concerns of our citizens, particularly in relation to standards, fairness, and protections. Unfortunately, the outcome in this negotiation is that although the EU has agreed to a number of additional measures, they are not sufficient to satisfy our citizens. I want to acknowledge the numerous phone calls, texts and emails from so many constituents that I have received, expressing their concern for our agricultural sector and for food safety if the trade deal was to proceed and their strong wish that the Irish Government would vote against Mercosur. I want to state that I expressed those concerns back directly to my ministerial colleagues and I am glad that the decision not to support the Mercosur deal in its present format was upheld. In conclusion, I can confirm that I have been in touch with our two MEPs, Maria Walshe and Nina Carberry and they have stated that they will not support the trade deal when it comes before them for ratification in the parliament. Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Major flood prevention works being carried out as part of the Waterford North Quays Development in order to protect the rail line on the approach to Waterford city, have resumed. Iarnrod Eireann is advising customers that the flood defence works will necessitate disruption to some off-peak rail services on Monday to Thursday mornings until March 26, 2026. Works will take place from 8am to 2.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays until March 26, 2026. As a result, the following service alterations will apply. The 7.20am and 10.15am Dublin Heuston to Waterford will terminate at Kilkenny, with bus transfers from Kilkenny to Thomastown and Waterford. The 11am and 1.05pm Waterford to Dublin Heuston will have bus transfers from Waterford and Thomastown to Kilkenny, and train from Kilkenny to Heuston. The 9.45am Limerick Junction to Waterford will terminate at Carrick-on-Suir with bus transfer from Carrick-on-Suir to Waterford. This ensures that only two of eight services each way daily between Waterford and Dublin are affected Mondays to Thursdays, and that weekends are unaffected. The flood prevention works are being undertaken by contractors for Waterford City and County Council to address the recurring flooding issue which has occurred over many years at this location and ensure the railway service is climate resilient into the future, said a spokesperson. As well as ensuring rail services are no longer impacted by flooding, both to the existing station and the new Plunkett Station from 2027, the works will allow a new electrical signalling system to replace the mechanical system which has been in place, and reinstate track capacity and routes to and from Waterford. Waterford North Quays public transport elements are funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority. Sligo nurse Deirdre Staunton, who did tremendous work in CPR awareness and she was also a powerful advocate for lung cancer awareness. Deirdre Staunton CPR 4 Schools Memorial Award presented by her husband, Chris Donaghy, to Caroline Kennedy from the winning school, Gorey Community College, in Co Wexford. An inaugural award for schools in memory of the late Deirdre Staunton from Calry, Co Sligo, who was a renowned expert in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), has been won by a school in Co Wexford. The Deirdre Staunton CPR 4 Schools Memorial Award was won by Gorey Community School, with Deirdres husband, Chris Donaghy, presenting the award to teacher Caroline Kennedy. Chris explained that schools all over Ireland take part in the competition and the Irish Heart Foundation, who run the initiative, were asked to do it as a memorial to Deirdre, who did immense work with CPR and the Irish Heart Foundation before she died from lung cancer in November 2023. Deirdre, who was originally from Foxford in Co Mayo, was also a powerful advocate for lung cancer awareness prior to her passing and wanted to do all she could to support others. The award sees TY students learn life-saving CPR skills and schools throughout the country take part. Locally, St Marys College in Ballisodare also received recognition for their achievements. The initiative involves schools implementing CPR practises among students. Deirdre Staunton was a renowned expert in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and trained numerous nurses in Sligo and at other medical facilities nationwide. Indeed, the systems she introduced at Sligo University Hospital became the accepted model nationally, and the respect in which she was held in the nursing profession was reflected in the awarding of an honorary doctorate by the University of Galway in summer 2022 after she was forced to take early retirement due to her illness. Deirdre spent some time with their positive living community and also shared her story with them as part of their Lung Cancer Awareness Campaign in 2022 and gave permission for us to share her powerful personal story again to continue to support awareness of lung cancer and change peoples perceptions of people with lung cancer. Deirdre wanted to do all she could to support others and lent her voice publicly to support change and inspire others to seek, support and listen to their bodies. The Resuscitation Training Department at SUH has been facilitating high quality adult and paediatric resuscitation training in the North West since 1995. From humble beginnings, when the American Heart Associations BLS (Basic Life Support) programme was the only programme provided, the department is now a very active one that provides a wide variety of resuscitation programmes including regular hospital wide cardiac arrest simulation. The department was established in 2000 when Deirdre was appointed as Resuscitation Officer and has gradually developed into a Resuscitation Training Department that has a reputation for delivering high quality resuscitation courses not only nationally, but throughout the UK and instructors and candidates from the UK attend courses in Sligo. More than 1,500 people attended training provided by this department in 2015. The training provided includes BLS (Basic Life Support) for all staff grades and disciplines, ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), APLS (Advanced Paediatric Life Support) , ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support), COMPASS training (Adult Early Warning Score), PEWS training (Paediatric Early Warning System), sepsis training and PLS (Paediatric Life Support). The doors of the resuscitation training department are always open to all staff members who can avail of practice space and equipment and training officers advice if they wish to update skills. Chris said that the Deirdre Staunton CPR 4 Schools Memorial Award will continue every year, in memory of Deirdre, who did outstanding work in the area throughout her life. Calls are being made for plans for a greenway from Rosslare to Waterford to be resurrected, after the re-opening of the defunct rail line there was completely omitted from the governments rail prioritisation strategy. The re-opening of the line, which hasnt operated since 2010, was strongly recommended in an All-Island Strategic Rail Review published in 2023. Its inclusion was seen as vindication for rail lobby group South East on Track, who submitted a compelling business case for the re-opening of the line and lobbied hard. Traffic came to a standstill on the main N25 just before noon on Friday, when the notorious junction at Larkins Cross saw the latest in a long line of road crashes. Emergency services rushed to the scene of a two-car collision there just before 11.30 a.m. The crash bore a similar pattern to many incidents at the junction over the years, with one car emerging onto the main N25 at a junction that had been labelled a death trap by locals. Wexford Fire Service were required to extricate the elderly occupants from one of the vehicles and they were tended to and rushed to the nearby Wexford General Hospital by the National Ambulance service. Their injuries are understood to be non-life-threatening. The incident resulted in the road being down to one lane for a time, as the debris was cleared. While gardai did their best to keep traffic flowing, at one point tailbacks stretched back through Barntown. In April of last year, it was announced that funding of funding had been allocated by TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) to carry out much needed safety works at Larkins Cross, works which were slated to be carried out towards the end of 2025. At the December meeting, roads Director Eamonn Hore said that the design was nearing completion ahead of construction in 2026. Having himself responded to numerous road crashes on that stretch of road in his role with the National Ambulance Service, Independent councillor Ger Carthy says that these works need to be completed urgently, once and for all. The scene of a road traffic accident involving two cars at Larkins Cross on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell News in 90 Seconds, Friday January 9 "This latest incident once again reaffirms the urgent need to complete these safety works at Larkins Cross, he said. This is the latest in a long line of incidents at the junction and action needs to be taken. Local representatives have long called for action at the junction and at various local authority meetings it had been noted that many locals travelling into Wexford from places like Taghmon often avoid using Larkins Cross altogether, feeling they are taking their lives in their hands pulling out from the junction onto the busy main road. A Dutch couple had their marriage annulled after the person officiating used a ChatGPT-generated speech that was intended to be playful but failed to meet legal requirements, according to a court ruling published this week. The pair from the city of Zwolle, whose names were redacted from the January 5 decision under Dutch privacy rules, argued that they had intended to marry regardless of whether the right wording was used when they took their vows. Donald Trump set to punish countries for buying cheap Russian oil US president backs sanctions bill after Volodymyr Zelensky says war could end soon Donald Trump speaks to House Republican lawmakers in Washington. Photo: AP Arpan Rai UK Independent Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 US president Donald Trump has given his approval for Republicans to push ahead with a bill in Congress that would punish countries for buying Russian oil. Greenland should hold direct talks with the US government without Denmark, a Greenlandic opposition leader has said, as the Arctic island weighs how to respond to Donald Trumps renewed push to bring it under US control. Mr Trump has recently stepped up threats to take over Greenland, reviving an idea he floated in 2019 during his first term in office. Greenland is strategically located between Europe and North America, making it a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system. Iranian protesters have shouted and marched through the streets after a call by the country's exiled crown prince for demonstrations despite Iran's government cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls. US senate votes to curb further military action in Venezuela Donald Trump says America could oversee country and control its oil revenue for years Venezuela's Bolivarian National Police outside a detention centre in Caracas. Photo: Reuters Peter Graff Reuters Fri 9 Jan 2026 at 06:30 The US Senate voted yesterday to advance a resolution that would bar president Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorisation, even as Mr Trump said US oversight of the troubled nation could last years. Donald Trump has insisted that he doesnt need to abide by international law and the only constraint keeping his power in check is his own morality. How Indias Latin America Expansion Creates New Opportunities for Businesses India is strengthening its relations with Latin American countries as it actively seeks to diversify its trade partnerships beyond the United States (US), Europe, and South Asia. By the end of 2025, India had advanced trade negotiations with Peru and Chile and launched a new engagement framework with Mexico. These initiatives reflect a broader strategy to deepen economic ties with the region amid rising tariff pressures and shifting global trade dynamics. Indias engagement with Latin America has moved beyond traditional trade to encompass a broader set of economic and developmental priorities. Cooperation spans trade and investment, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, digital public infrastructure (DPIs), energy, critical minerals, science and technology, and capacity building. These areas align closely with Indias domestic growth objectives and Latin Americas resource endowments and development needs. Trade footprint in Latin America According to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industrys Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Division, Indias trade with Latin American countries (excluding Mexico, which is classified under the ministrys North America portfolio) stood at US$35.73 billion in FY 2023-24. This included exports of US$14.50 billion and imports of US$21.23 billion, resulting in a trade deficit driven largely by resource imports. The upward trajectory continued in FY 2024-25, with total bilateral trade rising to US$39.21 billion. Exports increased to US$15.17 billion, while imports expanded more sharply to US$24.04 billion, underscoring Indias growing reliance on Latin America for raw materials and intermediate inputs. Indias Trade Relations with Latin America (Value in US$ Million) Country/region FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 FY 2025-26 (April to December) Indias export to Latin America 14,503.04 15,171.50 7,079.89 Indias imports from Latin America 21,231.62 24,039.45 10,896.87 Total trade 35,734.66 39,210.95 17,976.76 Source: Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GoI. During the first nine months of FY 2025-26 (AprilDecember), total trade reached US$17.98 billion, comprising exports of US$7.08 billion and imports of US$10.90 billion. While these figures represent a partial-year snapshot, they indicate the continued importance of Latin America as both an export destination and a source of critical imports. The composition of trade remains broadly complementary. Latin American economies are key suppliers of ores, minerals, metals, energy inputs, and agricultural commodities, whereas Indias exports to the region are concentrated in engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automobiles, and textiles. As India seeks to diversify export markets while securing reliable access to industrial inputs, this trade structure provides a strong economic rationale for deeper engagement with the region. Overall, Indias trade profile with Latin America supports a dual strategic objective: expanding market access for Indian manufacturing exports while strengthening supply-chain resilience through access to resource-rich economies. Trade composition and strategic rationale India-Latin America trade remains largely complementary. Latin American economies supply ores, minerals, metals, energy inputs, and agricultural commodities, while India exports engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automobiles, and textiles. This structure supports Indias dual objective of expanding export markets for manufactured goods while strengthening supply-chain resilience through access to resource-rich economies. Advancing trade negotiations with key partners India has intensified its trade diplomacy in Latin America by advancing negotiations with key partners and exploring new engagement tracks. These efforts reflect a broader strategy to deepen economic ties amid shifting global trade dynamics and rising tariff and regulatory pressures. Progress with Peru India and Peru concluded the ninth round of trade agreement negotiations in Lima from November 3 to 5, 2025. Discussions covered trade in goods and services, rules of origin, customs procedures, and dispute settlement mechanisms, with particular emphasis on cooperation in critical minerals. Advancing CEPA talks with Chile Engagement with Chile also progressed during 2025. India completed the third round of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations in Santiago from October 27 to 30, 2025, followed by a fourth round concluding on December 5, 2025. Officials indicated that negotiations achieved substantive progress across several chapters, signaling momentum toward a deeper trade framework. In parallel, India has initiated a new engagement track with Mexico, indicating a broader effort to expand its trade footprint across the region. ALSO READ: Indias FTA Network: Updates in 2025 Business entities and corporate linkages between India and Latin America Commercial ties between India and Latin American countries have strengthened steadily, supported by growing two-way investments and the expanding presence of multinational enterprises from both regions. While outcomes have varied across sectors and markets, business engagement increasingly reflects strategic alignment in energy, manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals. Latin American business operations and investments in India Several companies from Latin America have built a presence in India, especially across energy, transportation, agribusiness, and consumer-oriented sectors. Business engagement from the region has further deepened through institutional initiatives. In 2024, LIDE, Brazils principal business leadership organisation, established its first office in India, signalling a more coordinated effort to advance bilateral trade and investment. FDI by Latin American Countries in India (Value in US$ Million) Country/region 2000 to 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (Jan.-Sept 2025) Cumulative FDI (Jan 2000 to Sept 2025) Mexico 304.52 7.83 3.95 22.37 15.48 354.16 Chile 151.93 5 4.77 5.61 0.46 167.77 Brazil 36.14 11.03 3.84 2.42 1.47 54.91 Peru 3.08 0.66 0.02 0.0009 3.77 Uruguay 5.33 0.16 0.001 5.49 Argentina 10.35 0.006 10.36 Colombia 11.08 0.05 0.06 0.06 0.001 11.25 Panama 46.81 50.93 0.21 0.24 98.19 Source: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), GoI. Other companies from the region, such as Bimbo (food products), and Codelco (Chile, copper supply) have also engaged with the Indian market, either through investments, partnerships, or long-term supply arrangements. Indian companies business operations in Latin America Enterprises have steadily strengthened their presence across Latin America, positioning the region as a strategic destination for outward investment. Spanning energy, manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals, Indian companies are leveraging Latin Americas resource base, market access, and trade linkages to support global expansion strategies. Diversified industrial investments Indias multinational conglomerate Aditya Birla Group stands out as the largest Indian private-sector investor in the region. Through acquisitions in Brazil, the group has built substantial operations in aluminum, carbon black, and viscose yarn, establishing global leadership positions in several industrial segments and embedding itself deeply within Latin Americas manufacturing ecosystem. Energy and critical resources In the energy sector, Indias Reliance Industries has pursued hydrocarbon interests in countries such as Peru and Colombia, while remaining a major importer of crude oil from Latin America. Indias focus on securing critical minerals has further accelerated investment activity. Technology and services hubs Indian IT and digital services firms have built a strong operational base in the region. Companies such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, and Tech Mahindra operate delivery centres in Mexico and Brazil, serving local clients while using these locations as nearshore hubs for North American markets. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals Pharmaceutical majors from India, such as Sun Pharma and Dr. Reddys Laboratories, have invested in manufacturing and distribution facilities across Latin America. These investments support regional healthcare supply chains and enhance access to affordable medicines. Manufacturing and automotive value chains In terms of manufacturing, companies such as RSB Transmission and JK Tyre have established facilities in Mexico, taking advantage of the countrys integration with US supply chains. These investments allow Indian manufacturers to participate directly in global automotive value chains while serving both regional and export markets. Latin America in Indias south-south cooperation strategy India increasingly views Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as integral to its South-South cooperation framework. Engagement with the regions priorities shared development goals, Global South concerns, and collaboration through regional and multilateral platforms such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), and Sistema de la Integracion Centroamericana (SICA). India has positioned itself as a reliable development partner by offering capacity-building programs, digital governance solutions, and cooperation in healthcare and disaster management. Strengthening diplomatic presence and political engagement Indias diplomatic outreach in the LAC region has gained momentum. The opening of Indias embassy in Bolivia, alongside the establishment of resident missions by Honduras and St. Kitts and Nevis in New Delhi, underscores growing mutual interest in closer ties. Increased high-level political interactions have further reinforced diplomatic coordination and policy dialogue. The government continues to review proposals for opening additional Indian missions in countries where India lacks resident representation, with the objective of supporting trade, political engagement, and Indias broader foreign policy priorities. High-level visits have played a central role in advancing bilateral and regional engagement. The Indian prime ministers participation in the second India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana on November 20, 2024, combined with bilateral visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, and Brazil between July 2 and 9, 2025, strengthened Indias engagement with South American and Caribbean partners. These efforts were reinforced by incoming visits from the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the Presidents of Chile and Paraguay. Indian diplomats have also maintained active engagement with the region through visits to multiple LAC countries and participation in regional and multilateral forums. Outlook With expanding trade ties, advancing negotiations, stronger diplomatic presence, and deeper sectoral cooperation, India-Latin America relations are entering a more mature and strategic phase. As India seeks to diversify export markets, secure access to critical resources, and advance Global South priorities, Latin America is set to remain a key partner in Indias long-term economic and foreign policy strategy. A formal distance in family Image credit : Instagram/brooklynpeltzbeckham| Brooklyn Beckham celebrates Christmas with wife Nicola Peltz Family fallout Image credit : Instagram/brooklynpeltzbeckham| Brooklyn Beckham attend VOGUE world with wife Nicola Peltz Longstanding tensions Image credit : Instagram/brooklynpeltzbeckham| Beckham family estrangement didnt happen overnight but grew over years In a startling development in one of Hollywoods most high-profile family disputes, Brooklyn Beckham has formally instructed his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, to communicate with him only through lawyers a move that underscores just how bitter the rift has become. This isnt a legal threat with claims or court actions, but a clear boundary set by the eldest Beckham son amid an ongoing feud that has spilled far beyond private arguments.Brooklyns legal team sent what has been described as a desist letter late last summer, asking that all future correspondence be handled through lawyers rather than direct family contact. He also requested that his parents refrain from tagging him on social media a rare escalation in what had already become a prolonged dispute between him, his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham, and the Beckham patriarch and matriarch.The legal move came after Brooklyn and Nicola felt their calls for privacy and reconciliation were repeatedly ignored particularly when past interactions on Instagram, such as Victoria liking one of Brooklyns cooking videos, were interpreted as crossing the boundaries he had tried to set.Tensions visible to the public widened late last year when Brooklyn blocked his parents and siblings on Instagram something his brother Cruz confirmed, noting that their parents didnt unfollow him but were blocked by Brooklyn instead.Brooklyn and Nicola have also been absent from several major Beckham family events, including Davids 50th birthday celebrations and other milestones, deepening speculation about the state of the family dynamic.While the legal notice is the most dramatic sign yet of the estrangement, sources say the disconnect didnt happen overnight. Strains reportedly date back years, with tensions around Brooklyn and Nicolas wedding and differing expectations around family relationships cited as simmering issues long before the lawyers were brought in.Neither side has issued official public statements about the legal letter itself, but the move reflects just how fractured one of Britains most photographed families has become with even social media silence now a statement in itself. His & Hers His & Hers Why Netflixs His & Hers has everyone talking What changes were made in the series version of His & Hers? His & Hers Image credit : Instagram @ alicewriterland | Alice Feeneys bestselling novel, His & Hers. More about Alice Feeney His & Hers Sometimes I Lie is becoming a series Hinterland Hidden Image credit : Instagram @alicewriterland | Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors Rock Paper Scissors also heads to Netflix His & Hers Image credit : Instagram @ alicewriterland | Alice Feeney's Beautiful Ugly Beautiful Ugly is becoming a film Netflixs countryside crime thrillerhas quickly become one of the most talked-about thrillers heading into 2026. Adapted from Alice Feeneys bestselling novel of the same name, the series raises the bar for thrillers. With sharp twists, shifting perspectives, and secrets layered deep into its story,keeps viewers guessing until the very end, and clearly, audiences are loving every minute of it.Starring Tessa Thompson as Anna Andrews and Jon Bernthal as Jack Harper, His & Hers follows an estranged couple brought back together by tragedy. Both are still grieving a shared loss when a murder shakes the quiet town of Dahlonega, where they once built a life together. Jack is now a detective on the case, while Anna, a former TV news anchor, sees the crime as a chance to reclaim her career.The six-part series delves into Annas past, gradually revealing her ambition, grief, and unresolved resentment through flashbacks and sharp dialogue. As Jack works to solve the case while grappling with his own personal pain, Annas motivations become clearer. The story evolves from a crime investigation into a deeper exploration of guilt, ambition, and buried truths, key themes that define Alice Feeneys writing and explain why viewers responded so strongly.The Netflix adaptation ofmakes a few notable changes from Alice Feeneys original novel while keeping the storys tension intact. The setting moves from LondonBlackdown in the book to AtlantaDahlonega for the series, and the BBC newsroom becomes Atlantas WSK.Despite these updates, the series preserves the suspense, twists, and emotional stakes of the novel. With a killer in a small, tight-knit town, every character remains a suspect, keeping viewers just as engaged as readers of the book.Ifpulled you in, you are far from alone. Alice Feeney spent 15 years working as a BBC journalist before becoming one of the most successful psychological thriller writers today. Her novels include Sometimes I Lie, His & Hers, Rock Paper Scissors, Daisy Darker, Good Bad Girl, Beautiful Ugly, I Know Who You Are, and My Husbands Wife.Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages and have been widely praised for their sharp twists and unreliable narrators. Many of them have also been optioned for screen adaptations, and several are now actively moving forward.One of the upcoming adaptations is Sometimes I Lie, Feeneys 2017 psychological thriller. The story follows Amber Reynolds, a radio producer who wakes up in a coma after a car crash. She cannot move or speak, but can hear everything around her. As conversations unfold, Amber begins to suspect that her husband, Paul, and her sister, Claire, may be hiding dark secrets.In 2024, it was announced that producer Tommy Harper would develop the series alongside writer-producer Matt Charman. The show will be written by Charman and Welsh novelist and screenwriter Caryl Lewis, known forandAnother major project on the way is Rock Paper Scissors, Feeneys 2021 novel about a troubled marriage. The story follows Adam and Amelia Wright as they take a weekend trip to a remote chapel in the Scottish countryside, where long-hidden secrets come to light.Netflix announced a six-part adaptation in 2021, produced by Suzanne Mackie under her company Orchid Pictures. Mackie described the project as scary and character-driven, signalling a tone similar toBeautiful Ugly, published in January 2025, is also headed for the screen. The story centres on Grady Green, a writer whose wife disappears during a phone call near a cliff. A year later, while grieving, he spots a woman who looks exactly like her. In early 2025, Todd Liebermans production company, Hidden Pictures, acquired the rights and plans to develop the story into a feature film.With His & Hers captivating viewers, Feeneys dark, twisty stories are just getting started, and audiences will be watching closely. India rejects Lutnicks account of trade negotiations Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | India has rejected a Trump aides claim Tariffs, deadlines and the missed window claim Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | US President Donald Trump Agriculture, oil purchases and sanctions pressure Trade growth and strained political ties Image credit : X/IndianTechGuide | President Donald Trump with PM Modi India has formally rejected remarks by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting that trade negotiations between Delhi and Washington stalled because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Donald Trump. The response comes amid ongoing trade talks, unresolved differences, and heightened pressure following the imposition of steep US tariffs on Indian goods.The disagreement highlights deeper challenges in finalising a bilateral trade agreement, even as both sides maintain that discussions are continuing.Howard Lutnick, speaking on the All-In Podcast, claimed that a near-final trade deal failed to materialise because Modi did not place a call to Trump. According to Lutnick, he had told Indian negotiators that the prime minister needed to speak directly with the US president to close the agreement, but said Indian officials were uncomfortable setting up the call.India has firmly disputed this version. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the characterisation of the talks was not accurate. He said India and the United States had committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as early as February 13 last year and had since held multiple rounds of discussions.Jaiswal added that on several occasions, both sides had come close to finalising a deal. He also noted that Modi and Trump spoke on the phone eight times last year, discussing different aspects of the broader India-US partnership.The White House has not commented on Lutnicks remarks.Lutnick said Trump approached trade negotiations like a staircase, where early partners received better terms. He claimed India was the second country to negotiate after the UK and was given three Fridays to close the deal. According to him, while his role was to negotiate and structure agreements, Trump was responsible for closing them.Lutnick argued that Indias hesitation over arranging the phone call led to delays, after which the US concluded deals with other countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. He added that when India later indicated readiness to accept the initial terms, the opportunity had passed.However, the specific terms of the deal India allegedly missed were not outlined. Agriculture has remained a major sticking point, with Washington pushing for greater access to Indias farm sector while Delhi has continued to strongly protect it.Agriculture continues to be one of the most sensitive areas in the negotiations. While the US has sought expanded access to Indias agricultural market, India has consistently resisted such demands.In December, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told US senators that India had made its best ever offer during negotiations, while also describing the country as a tough nut to crack.Trade tensions escalated in August when Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including penalties linked to Indias purchase of Russian oil. India increased imports of discounted Russian crude following the Ukraine war, defending the move as necessary to meet the energy needs of its large population.Since the tariffs took effect, several reports indicate that Indian oil refiners have reduced purchases from Moscow.Lutnicks comments also followed remarks by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who said Trump had approved a Russia sanctions bill that could impose even higher secondary tariffs on countries doing business with Moscow. Jaiswal said India was aware of the proposed legislation and was closely monitoring developments, reiterating Indias position on energy security.Despite the tariffs, Indias goods exports to the US rose by more than 22% in November compared to the previous year.However, the tariffs and accompanying rhetoric have strained bilateral relations. Modi, who once shared a warm rapport with Trump and was among the first leaders to visit the White House after Trumps swearing-in, has seen ties cool in recent months.India has repeatedly denied Trumps claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May. In June, Delhi said Modi had made it clear to Trump that India would never accept third-party mediation on Kashmir.The two leaders have spoken by phone several times since, including in September when Trump called to wish Modi on his birthday. While negotiations continue, significant differences remain, leaving the timing and shape of a final trade deal uncertain. The Night Manager (Season 2) Image credit : Prime Video | Tom Hiddleston returns as Jonathan Pine, older, calmer, and trying to live out of the spotlight Release Date: 11 January 2026 11 January 2026 Platform: Prime Video The Night Agent (Season 3) Image credit : Netflix | A rogue agent escapes to Istanbul with classified files and links to a sprawling dark finance network Release Date: 19 February 2026 19 February 2026 Platform: Netflix Black Doves (Season 2) Image credit : Netflix | Keira Knightley reprises Helen Webb, now operating far from the Christmas glitter of Season 1 Release Window: Late 2026 Late 2026 Platform: Netflix Ponies Image credit : Peacock | Two American embassy secretaries in 1977 Moscow are recruited by the CIA Release Date: 15 January 2026 15 January 2026 Platform: Peacock Hijack (Season 2) Image credit : Apple TV | Idris Elba returns as Sam Nelson, but this time hes underground Release Date: 14 January 2026 14 January 2026 Platform: Apple TV+ The Gray House Image credit : Prime Video | A real Civil War era network of women spies runs covert operations out of a safe house Release Date: 26 February 2026 26 February 2026 Platform: Prime Video Betrayal Image credit : ITV | Shaun Evans plays a seasoned MI5 officer whose world collapses after a failed hit exposes a conspiracy Release Window: Early 2026 Early 2026 Platform: ITV1 / ITVX Trinity Image credit : Netflix | Created by Jed Mercurio, this one stays tight-lipped Release Window: 2026 2026 Platform: Netflix CIA Release Date: 23 February 2026 23 February 2026 Platform: CBS The Agency (Season 2) Release Window: 2026 2026 Platform: Paramount+ Secret Service Image credit : ITV | A British MP becomes a potential asset for Moscow, and the chase turns intellectual and quietly terrifying Release Window: 2026 2026 Platform: ITVX If the last few years made one thing clear, its this: audiences love spy stories. They want danger that feels close. They want secret deals, shaky loyalties, sudden double-crosses and heroes who look ordinary until the moment they change everything.In 2026, streaming services are pushing espionage back to the front row. Big stars return. Historical networks finally get their due. Transit turns terrifying. Finance webs turn filthy. The stakes stretch wider. The betrayals cut deeper.Heres a look at the biggest spy thrillers confirmed for 2026, now with release dates and platforms included.Tom Hiddleston returns as Jonathan Pine, older, calmer, and trying to live out of the spotlight. But a violent clash with a Colombian crime boss drags him back. Romance blurs duty. Trust becomes fragile again. Its sleek, worldly, and smart, anchored by Hiddlestons quiet magnetism.Peter Sutherland is flying solo. A rogue agent escapes to Istanbul with classified files and links to a sprawling dark finance network. Assassins circle. Journalists dig. The city becomes the board, and the chase turns ruthless. Its fast, loud, and built for the era of leaks.Keira Knightley reprises Helen Webb, now operating far from the Christmas glitter of Season 1. London streets get darker. Personal vendettas grow louder. New players enter the mess. The balance of wit and violence stays sharp, stylish and unpredictably brutal.Two American embassy secretaries in 1977 Moscow are recruited by the CIA after their husbands suspicious deaths. They were invisible, until tragedy made them valuable. No gadgets. Just smarts, survival instinct, and a conspiracy that gets bigger as they tug at it.Idris Elba returns as Sam Nelson, but this time hes underground, on a Berlin train overtaken by armed suspects. The pacing stays in real time. Every second tightens the screw. Elbas voice, calm and commanding, remains the centrepiece of a crisis where one wrong word changes everything.A real Civil War era network of women spies runs covert operations out of a safe house doubling as an Underground Railroad hub. No flash tech. Just ciphers, covert meets, human intel, and the quiet thunder of rebellion. A brilliant pick for history fans who want tension over spectacle.Shaun Evans plays a seasoned MI5 officer whose world collapses after a failed hit exposes a conspiracy buried inside his own agency. Its espionage with emotional wreckage, workplace fracture lines and a country watching its protectors turn suspicious of each other.Created by Jed Mercurio, this one stays tight-lipped. But if the name tells you anything, its this: the tension will bite. Morality will crack. Power will get messy. Secrets wont be shouted, theyll be revealed at the worst possible time. A prestige gamble thats almost certain to land.Dick Wolf brings a clashing pair: a charming, rule-bending CIA officer and a by-the-book FBI agent solving weekly terror threats in New York. The cases look local, until the motives turn global. Its espionage served one mission at a time, with larger threads tightening underneath.Michael Fassbender returns as agent Martian, back from deep cover in Africa to London HQ. But home is never home for a spy. New threats bloom. Old scars linger. The show stays sleek, adult, globe-trotting, and built for viewers who like their spy stories sharp and sophisticated.Gemma Arterton leads MI6s Russia Desk. A British MP becomes a potential asset for Moscow, and the chase turns intellectual and quietly terrifying. Its a battle of signals, kompromat, and the awful feeling that the enemy already has a chair at the table. The mobilization of producers in Western Macedonia at the Siatista Barrier on the Egnatia Highway came to an end at 5:30 pm. At the same time, the blockade at the Filota junction, also on the Egnatia Highway, ended. The highway remains open from Florina to Kozani and from Edessa to Kozani, as well as in the opposite direction. The blockade at the Promachonas customs on the Greek-Bulgarian border ended late in the afternoon. At Exochi customs on the Greek-Bulgarian border, and Evzones and Niki on the border between Greece and North Macedonia, the 48-hour blockade remains in place. In Nevrokopi, Drama, farmers and livestock breeders have blocked trucks and commercial vehicles since Thursday at 8:00 am. The blockade, located about 500 metres from the customs in Exochi, is scheduled to end at 6:00 pm on Saturday. Cars and tourist buses are being diverted to side roads. At the Niki customs, the 48-hour mobilization that began on Thursday at 11:00am continues, with all trucks, passenger cars, and tourist buses blocked. At the Evzones customs, the mobilization began on Thursday at 6:00pm and lasted about six hours. From Friday to Monday, the blockade will begin at 4:00 pm and continue until late at night. iefimerida.gr Civil Protection and municipalities worked constantly as of Friday morning to clear snow and ice from roads at higher elevations in Epirus. At elevations of over 600 meters, several villages in the Arta region and at Zagori, Konitsa, and Metsovo were blanketed in snow, which exceeded 30 centimeters. Temperatures were very low (below 0C, or 32F), and icy conditions prevailed in several regions. Municipalities warned residents to be particularly careful, avoid unnecessary travel, and use snow chains on their vehicles. Salt spreaders have been dispatched along Egnatia Odos traversing northern Greece, to prevent problems in traffic. iefimerida.gr Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has taken a fresh swipe at Abia State Governor Alex Otti, accusing him of merely repainting and repairing roads constructed during his own tenure as governor. Speaking at a press briefing at his country home in Igbere, the former governor and current senator representing Abia North said Governor Otti has little to show for his time in office beyond refurbishing existing infrastructure. According to Kalu, the amount of money Ottis administration received within four months is more than what his government had access to throughout his eight years in office, yet he claims there are no major new roads to justify the funds. Advertisement The money Governor Alex Otti received in four months is what I received in eight years; hes just repainting and rebuilding the roads I built under my administration between 1999 and 2007, he said. He added that he has not seen new road projects comparable to the scale of infrastructure his government executed during his time as governor. Kalu also announced that he has withdrawn his support for Otti ahead of the 2027 general elections. While noting that he supported the Labour Party governor in 2023, the senator said he will now work for the success of his own party, the All Progressives Congress. He further dismissed criticisms from Ottis aides as media attacks, maintaining that his assessment of the governors performance is justified given the increased funds flowing into the state. President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep condolences to renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her family over the death of her son, Nkanu Nnamdi. In a condolence message issued on Thursday, the president also sympathised with Ms Adichies partner, Ivara Esege, describing the loss as a devastating tragedy. With a deep sense of grief, I condole with Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, and the entire family on the passing of their son, Nkanu Nnamdi, he said. Advertisement Drawing from personal experience, the president noted that the loss of a child is an incomparable pain. As a parent myself who has suffered the loss of a loved one, no grief is as devastating as losing a child, he said. Mr Tinubu said that he shared in the familys sorrow and stood in solidarity with them during the difficult period. I empathise with the family at this difficult time, and I mourn this sad loss with them, he added. The president also paid tribute to Adichies global literary influence, describing her as a cultural icon whose works have touched lives across the world. Ms Adichie is a literary icon who has brought joy and light to many homes globally, and I pray that she and her family find strength in the Almighty in this trying hour, he said. He concluded by assuring the family of his thoughts and prayers. My prayers are with the family, he said. (NAN) The McCullough family gravesite is one of many graves vandalized and broken into by Jonathan Gerlach at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia. Read more Documents released Friday offer new detail on how investigators assembled their striking case against Jonathan Christian Gerlach, who authorities say desecrated dozens of graves to steal human remains. Gerlach, 34, who is charged with stealing more than 100 skulls, bones, and body parts from Mount Moriah Cemetery, also posted dozens of photos of human remains on social media, records show, and authorities are investigating whether he may have offered to sell them. Advertisement The investigation into Gerlach, who lives in Ephrata, spans multiple counties and law enforcement agencies. The historic cemetery stretches across Philadelphia and Yeadon, Delaware County, where officials charged Gerlach on Thursday. Gerlachs lawyer, Anna Hinchman, declined to comment Friday, citing the pending criminal case. In all, Gerlach faces more than 500 counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, abuse of a corpse, theft, and related crimes. After 30 years, I can say this is probably the most horrific thing that Ive seen, said Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco, whose department was involved in the investigation. Grave sites damaged, remains stolen Detectives were first dispatched to the burial ground on Nov. 7, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Gerlachs arrest. There, a board member of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery the group that helps to maintain the burial ground led the investigators to a mausoleum where a hole in protective cinder blocks revealed a damaged marble floor, 10 feet underground. A white rope, which detectives believe the thief used to rappel into the mausoleum, hung nearby. They discovered other disturbed burial sites, both that afternoon and weeks later, according to the affidavit: a crypt with its marble entrance stone ripped off, whatever was inside stolen; a damaged, empty casket inside a mausoleum; a clear plastic tarp covering human remains discarded on the ground of the cemetery. Investigators collected clues, including the rope, a Monster energy drink can, and a partially smoked Marlboro Menthol cigarette. Each will be sent for DNA testing, the affidavit said. On Dec. 23, the document shows, police received a tip pointing to Gerlach. Look into Jonathan Gerlach, the tipster said, according to the affidavit. I know someone whos friends with his family, and they mentioned that they recently discovered a partially decomposed corpse hanging in his basement, but were afraid to tell police. The tipster also pointed investigators to Instagram. Youll see he follows accounts in taxidermy, skeleton collecting and sales, the tipster said. An Instagram trail The last post on the Instagram account that Delaware County authorities have linked to Gerlach appeared on Tuesday, the day that detectives took him into custody, after they say they witnessed him carrying a burlap sack filled with human remains out of the cemetery. A partial skull its surface darkened and pitted with age, mounted upright like an artifact appears in the post. Staged against a floral backdrop, the photo is paired with a caption that reads: if you know, you know. skulls/bones available. dm to inquire. The post and dozens of others like it on the account suggest that Gerlach may have been part of a largely unregulated and little-known marketplace in which human bones and remains are bought and sold online and in specialty shops. Its a trade that can be legal under certain circumstances in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, and one that records suggest Gerlach may have engaged with though investigators have not confirmed he ever successfully made a sale. Authorities say the investigation is continuing. Gerlach is charged with crimes associated with how authorities say he acquired the bones: by breaking into the cemeterys mausoleums and underground vaults and stealing the remains. Investigators tied Gerlachs vehicle to license plate readers near Mount Moriah, they said, and his cell phone to the area. A search of his recent purchases revealed trips to a hardware store to buy items that matched those that detectives had also recovered at damaged grave sites, including a stake. When detectives executed a search warrant at Gerlachs home, in the 100 block of Washington Avenue, they said they found skulls arranged on shelves, and a collection of other bones, skeletons and mummified body parts, including feet and hands. They also found a torso hanging from the ceiling, said Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse. Potential sales, and a call for change Rouse and Detective Christopher Karr said law enforcement officials are aware of social media accounts associated with Gerlach and are investigating what, if any, connection they may have to his alleged crimes. Rouse said accounts linked to Gerlach certainly seemed to indicate that Gerlach had attempted to sell the remains. But whether that was real or not whether a sale had ever been consummated we cant say for sure," he said. The Instagram account, which dates back to 2023, includes images of human remains arranged on shelves and tables, or held in a mans hands. Its posts raise questions about whether Gerlachs alleged activity extended beyond what authorities have detailed so far. Investigators are working to determine when and where the images were taken and whether any of the items pictured were stolen from Mount Moriah, Rouse said. In addition to a curator and potential salesperson, the Instagram account presents Gerlach as a forensic practitioner and professional. In a recent post that pictured Gerlach holding a skull fragment beneath his heavily tattooed neck, the accounts operator wrote that he was completing a certification in forensic and osteological analysis, and planned to offer analysis through a planned company describing services that would assess human remains using academic and forensic standards. Gerlach is being held in the Delaware County jail in lieu of $1 million bail. The investigation into Gerlach remains ongoing, Yeadon Borough Mayor Rohan Hepkins said Friday. Gerlach is suspected of burglarizing additional cemeteries, including in Ephrata, said Hepkins, who also sits on the board of the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery and said he helped to bring the case to police. In a written statement, the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery thanked law enforcement officials but declined to comment. Hepkins expressed dismay that the legal trade of human remains is even possible, and called for reform. People never conceived that people would be stealing bones from graves and selling them in the market, he said. Politicians need to understand there is a type of individual out there or a market out there where legislation has to catch up with whats happening out there. Its a bad situation but a lot of good, preventive maintenance could come out of it, he added. U.S. Marshals arrest Quamir Jones in Philadelphia on Thursday, January 9th. Jones is accused of murdering Siani Smith, the mother of his child. Read more A Philadelphia man who goes by the alias YP SlumBoy was arrested Thursday by U.S. Marshals and charged with killing the mother of his child, tampering with evidence and other crimes. Quamir Jones, 25, is accused of fatally shooting 23-year-old Siani Smith early in the morning of Oct. 12, according to an affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. Advertisement Investigators say Smith was in the passenger seat of a vehicle with another man on the 7400 block of Dicks Avenue in the citys Eastwick neighborhood when Jones pulled up in a car shortly after 5 a.m. Jones approached the front driver side of the vehicle, the affidavit says. The other man, surprised at Jones presence, asked whether he was blocking the driveway. After a short exchange between the two men, Jones drew a gun, stuck it inside the vehicle and fired once. As the vehicle sped off, Jones fired the weapon again, according to the affidavit. Finding Smith had been struck, the man drove her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 5:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Jones called Smiths mother, police said. He told the woman that a group of men had been outside her home, and that she needed to go outside and pick up shell casings they left behind. Jones told Smiths mother that the casings would lead back to a gun registered in his name, but she did not find any casings outside, according to the affidavit. Smiths mother later told investigators she was asleep during the shooting but was awoken when she heard five to six gunshots outside. The last time Smiths mother had seen her daughter was earlier that evening, when Smith arrived home after a night out. Smiths mother said she had heard her daughter talking to the child she shared with Jones, according to the affidavit. Siani Smith and the child had moved back into the home two weeks prior. The woman told police Jones was known to carry guns, and investigators later learned Jones had a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, a Glock 9mm pistol that was registered in his name in Delaware County. Jones had two prior arrests for gun crimes in 2022, according to the affidavit. One of those cases was dropped for reasons that were not immediately clear, and the other was dismissed for lack of evidence. On Thursday, Marshals arrested Jones on the 200 block of E. Mermaid Lane in Chestnut Hill, nearly three months after Smiths death. It was not immediately clear where Jones resided during that time. In a post on X, the U.S. Marshals of Eastern Pennsylvania alleged Jones is a member of the citys Blumberg gang. In addition to murder, prosecutors charged Jones with possessing an instrument of crime, criminal solicitation, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and was denied bail, court records show. He is represented by a court-appointed defense attorney. Philadelphia police confirmed Friday that Jones went by the alias YP SlumBoy, a rap name that has garnered a modest following on social media. A music video posted on YP SlumBoys Instagram in November includes a clip of a news anchor discussing the search for Tyvine Jones, or Blumberg Eerd, a North Philadelphia gang member arrested by Marshals in December for three separate killings. Another post on the page promotes a song called Saddam and features artwork depicting the former Iraqi dictator. Robert Listenbee, the first assistant to District Attorney Larry Krasner, is retiring after eight years in the job. Read more Robert Listenbee, the first assistant district attorney under Larry Krasner and a largely behind-the-scenes enforcer of the offices progressive agenda, is retiring after nearly eight years as the offices second-in-command. Listenbee, 77, is expected to announce Friday that he is stepping down, marking the first shift in Krasners leadership team as the top prosecutor begins his third term. Advertisement A longtime public defender and juvenile justice advocate, Listenbee joined the administration at the outset of Krasners first term in 2018 even as Krasner openly questioned whether the role of first assistant was necessary beyond its statutory requirement. Over the course of Krasners tenure, Listenbee rarely served as the public face of the office on major cases, focusing instead on juvenile work, recruitment, and personnel matters. Some prosecutors in the office said that often translated into a lack of visible management compared to previous first assistants, and that he served more as an internal messenger of Krasners often controversial agenda than the traditional day-to-day overseer of the office. Listenbee has said his role was never set up to operate traditionally, and his goal was to carry out Krasners vision and reform the office. Krasner declined to say who might replace him but he said he was evaluating candidates. Before joining the district attorneys office, Listenbee spent decades as a public defender, including 16 years as chief of the juvenile unit at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. He later led the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention during the Obama administration, and worked at Drexel University before returning to Philadelphia to join Krasners team. We spoke with Listenbee about his unconventional path to the law, his years reshaping juvenile justice, internal tensions within the DAs office, and his advice for Krasners third term. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Tell me about your life growing up. I was raised in Mount Clemens, just north of Detroit. My father worked in the auto industry. We were poor and lived in the projects. I went to a public high school, and was the first in my family to go to college. I came from a small African American community where people look out for one another. This community saw something in me very early. When I was only planning to go to Kalamazoo College, a mom at my school decided my life was going to be different. She contacted the recruiter at Harvard University, and they visited me out in my little home in the projects when I hadnt even applied. I got a full ride to Harvard. I was among the first large group of African Americans at Harvard. It was 1966. We were in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. How was that? There was total upheaval in this nation. Demonstrations everywhere, college campuses being taken over. I worked on the committee that helped establish the African American Studies Department at Harvard, one of the first in the nation. This was also at a time when African countries were becoming independent. I spent 16 months as a teacher in the rural area in western Kenya. Instead of coming back from Africa, I decided to hitchhike around the world. I spent six months in Asia Thailand, Laos, even as the war was going on. I rode a motorcycle into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and had experiences that make me grateful to be alive. I hitchhiked across Africa and traveled 8,000 miles by train across India. I did all of this on about $600. After a two-year gap year, I returned to Harvard and finished my degree. I ended up getting a full-ride scholarship to Berkeley law school. Where did you go after law school? I had job offers but I had this crazy idea that I wanted to build a road across Africa, from Nairobi to Lagos, but I was broke and needed money to do it. This was when the pipeline was being built across the North Slope of Alaska, and you could make gobs of money in a short period of time. So in 1976, I went to Anchorage without a job and lived in the YMCA. I shoveled snow, washed dishes, and worked at McDonalds. Finally, I got a job on the pipeline. I was there for a couple of years. I was a laborer in the oil fields. I worked trucks that rode across the Arctic Ocean in the middle of the winter. I worked on wildcat wells 50 miles from base camp. I had to relieve pressured gas to keep it from blowing up. It was 50 degrees below zero. I got into fights. People were trying to kill me at different points in time, and I was trying to kill other people, too. So I mean, the reason I know a little bit about criminal justice is because I was almost a criminal. I never built the road in Africa. I eventually came back to Philadelphia, and worked construction until 1986. So what about being a lawyer? After my construction company failed, I was broke again. I ended up going back to legal work, and got a job working at the Defender Association. You were the head of the juvenile unit for 16 years, and then you finished your career here on the other side going from defending young people to prosecuting them. How was that transition for you? Working for the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention under President Obama helped prepare me for prosecutorial work. I was adamant I would never work for this office. I thought it was corrupt. Krasner called me three times before I agreed to join as first assistant. We were engaging in culture change. Some of the behavior of the people who were here was absolutely outrageous, especially in the homicide unit. They had a sense that this office belonged to them. It didnt belong to the people. They were willing to cheat and do it and hide evidence in the process of doing it. Thats the feeling that I had when I first got here, and thats what we found. There has been criticism of your juvenile work some have said that it was too lenient during the period of intense gun violence and that kids went on to commit worse crimes. Others say the office hasnt gone far enough to treat kids as kids. How do you assess your record? Weve reduced the number of kids in out of home placements. Weve expanded juvenile diversion programs. In 2024, we created a juvenile homicide unit to review all cases of juveniles charged with murder. Im satisfied that were being as fair as we can and taking the time to carefully evaluate every issue in a case. READ MORE: How Phillys vision of juvenile justice reform unraveled The first assistant is typically the person who manages the office day-to-day. Some prosecutors have said that, in this administration, that role functioned differently that much of the management flowed directly from Krasner. Do you think that perception is fair, and how did you approach leadership in that environment? The DA did not want the imperial first assistant that had been here before. He would prefer a flat structure to a hierarchical structure, which means you get assigned a lot of odd jobs depending on what he wants you to do. If I were running the office, I would have run it completely differently. But I have to tell you that, having been here as long as I have, we never would have gotten this far without the DAs serious concerns about what people around here were doing, whether they were implementing his policy or not. His skepticism, his oversight, is whats kept this place moving in the direction that he wanted to go in. I wasnt tuned in enough to the office to understand that from the very beginning, but I listened to him. We hire people, we fire people, we move people around. Thats happened a lot. We sometimes end up with younger and inexperienced supervisors, because we havent really developed a program for training supervisors really well. Were working on that. Do you have any regrets in the position? Weve gotten better with victim communication, particularly when police are killed. I wish I had worked on juvenile issues earlier than I did. Whats your advice for the next first assistant? You have to understand the DAs goals and purposes and how he operates. So, listen to Larry? Not that. The DA is not a micromanager. But theres no written directives on most of the things he wants, and theres no organizational chart or hierarchy. If we have issues, we often go to him. Do you have a piece of advice for Krasner in his third term? This is a city that has a chip on its shoulder. The DA is a person who has a chip on his shoulder. They respect him for that when he speaks out. A lot of the things he says may not be politically astute, but theyre things he believes in. They like that about him. He is the Donald Trump of the progressive era. He needs to continue surrounding himself with people who can understand him and help him implement his policies. A lot of people dont like him, and I understand that. A lot of people dont like me because I work for him. A lot of people dont like what we do. That never mattered to me. I know that the people we have seen in court, the victims and the defendants and the witnesses, I know that were doing right by them. Thats my North Star. Dwayne Dobbins, co-principal of Woodbury Junior-Senior High School, helps Elijah Morre, an 11th-grade student, with a locking mechanism for his phone pouch as he enters school in 2024. Read more Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Thursday banning cell phones in New Jersey public schools from bell to bell in an effort to help students focus on learning. New Jersey joins a growing number of states that have enacted tighter cell phone restrictions in schools to remove distractions. Pennsylvania is considering a similar measure, and 17 states have banned the devices in schools, according to ABC News. Advertisement Murphy proposed the restrictions last year during his annual State of the State address. Legislation then won bipartisan support in both houses. During a bill-signing event at Ramsey High School in Bergen County, Murphy said the law would promote improved academic performance and student mental health. By getting rid of needless distractions, we are fundamentally changing our schools learning environments and encouraging our children to be more attentive and engaged during the school day, Murphy said. This is a sensible policy that will make a world of difference for our children. Murphy, who said he refrains from bringing his phone into meetings, borrowed a phone to use as a prop for the news conference because his was locked in his car. That will be locked up until Im no longer governor, said Murphy, who leaves office Jan. 20. The bill was heavily endorsed by principals and teachers, who said valuable instruction time is lost when they have to direct students to put away the devices during class. Experts say cell phones have become a growing distraction and hinder learning. Students have been using their phones to text friends and even to watch movies during class. The devices have also been used for cyberbullying. Bans will not go into place in schools around the state, however, until next school year. The law requires the state Department of Education to develop guidelines for districts to draft polices restricting the use of cell phones and devices by students in classrooms and during the school day. Local school boards that operate more than 600 districts across the state must then adopt a new policy. The law takes effect for the 2026-2027 school year. Many districts in South Jersey, including Cherry Hill, Deptford, Moorestown, Washington Township, and Woodbury, already restrict cell phone use in classrooms, but the policies have not been consistently enforced and punishments vary. Some require students to store their phones in lockers all day, while others allow phones during lunch and breaks. Some districts only require students to keep their phones turned off, while others provide locations for the devices to be stored during the school day. Under the bell-to-bell approach of the new state law, students will not be permitted to access their phones for the entire school day. Woodbury Superintendent Andrew Bell said a cell-phone-free campus policy at Woodbury Senior High School has drastically changed the culture. There are fewer disciplinary issues and students interact more with classmates and teachers, he said. Students are noticeably happier, engaged and present in their classrooms, and connected to one another, said Dwayne Dobbins Jr., acting co-principal of Woodbury Junior-Senior High School. What happens next? Districts must adopt policies restricting cell phones during the entire school day. That may require students to lock up the devices when they arrive or secure them in locked pouches. In December, the state awarded nearly $1 million in grants to 86 districts under a new Phone-Free Schools Grant Program to help districts implement the policy. Schools had to agree to restrict cell phone use during the entire day. In South Jersey, 12 districts in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties received grants. The grant amounts varied depending on the size of each district. Gloucester City Superintendent Sean Gorman said his district used a $10,823 grant to install cabinets in classrooms where students in grades 7-12 must lock up their devices when they arrive for homeroom. Younger students are instructed to leave the devices at home, he said. We know its right for kids, Gorman said. If you let them bury their head in their phone for a good portion of the day they will. Other districts, like Woodbury, have opted to use locked pouch systems to store students phones. They retrieve their phones at the end of the day. In Pennsylvania, similar legislation has bipartisan support and advanced out of a Senate committee last month. What about parental concerns? Not everyone agrees with the bans. Some parents have expressed concern that they will not be able to reach their children, especially in the event of an emergency. School officials say parents will still be able to contact their children through the main office. There have also been arguments by opponents that states are overreacting with the cell phone bans and that the legislation is unlikely to have the intended impact. READ MORE: Suburban Philly parents mobilize to limit cell phone use But groups have parents have also mobilized to speak out against cell phone use, circulating pledges to wait until eighth grade or high school to purchase phones for their children. Are there exceptions to the ban? Districts will have some flexibility to allow exceptions. For example, some students use their phones for medical conditions such as glucose testing. Exceptions may also be made for students with individual education plans or IEPs and use devices such as tablets and ear buds as part of their curriculum. Before the law signed Thursday, some districts allowed students to retrieve their phones during breaks, in the hallways between classes or during lunch. The law no longer permits that. Will students be penalized? It will be left to districts to decide how policy violations should be handled. Some districts with policies already have opted for a progressive discipline approach. Gorman said Gloucester City has had 60 violations at its high school since the new policy took effect in September, down from 130 the previous year. The school has 731 students. First-time offenders are given a two-day, in-school suspension and their phone is confiscated, Gorman said. A second offense gets a four-day, in-school suspension; three-time offenders are given a three-day, out-of-school suspension and remanded to an alternative program, he said. Gorman said students have largely accepted the policy. The school has had fewer disciplinary problems and conflicts typically escalated through text messages have decreased, he said. We barely had any repeat offenders, Gorman said. At Falafel Time, find the viral crispy chicken shawarma wrap that's drawing TikTokkers from around the city. Read more Saban Kar walked into Falafel Time on South Street on a quiet Thursday afternoon with one mission: to try the restaurants exclusive crispy chicken shawarma wrap. The West Philly resident had been searching for the crunchy, saucy shawarma sandwich of his native Antakya, Turkey, in the City of Brotherly Love. But it wasnt until he came across a TikTok video that he found a local restaurant serving this beloved handheld classic. Advertisement The crackly shawarma wrap is having a moment on the internets virality machine. In video after video, TikTok influencers and internet chefs across the country and in the Philly-area hold blistered rolled sandwiches stuffed with chicken pieces, thin pickle slices, and garlic sauce close to the camera, scraping and biting into toasted wraps for ASMR sounds. After ordering two sandwiches, Kar explains the wrap style is popular because the added crispiness of the bread brings out the juices of the meat within the sandwich. Theres not a lot of places in Philly who even warm up their breads for sandwiches, he said. [Toasting] just makes the bread taste better. At Falafel Time, its chef Sam Maymounas special sauce made of oil, shawarma spices, garlic, and lemon juice that brings forth the flavor. He starts by tearing open a pita at the seams in a circular motion, then stacking the two halves on top of each other. The chef then adds a splatter of house-made garlic sauce, a heap of pickles, chicken shawarma freshly sliced off a rotating spit, and a heavy drizzle of a sweet-tart pomegranate balsamic. Maymouna rolls all the fillings into a long, skinny baton and dips it in the special sauce. The wrap sizzles on the grill until golden brown and crackly. The viral sandwich isnt new to the Syrian restaurant. In fact, the wrap has been on a secret menu, as Maymouna calls it, at the Graduate Hospital takeout shop since its inception in 2019. Customers in the know typically Philadelphians from Syria and other Arab countries seek out Syrian-style shawarma sandwich with a thinner saj bread or a pita in the now-viral crispy style. Arabs order [from] it because they know the Syrian way, Maymouna said. But now, [the crispy shawarma] got popular because of the viral videos. While the TikTok videos havent increased sales of the wrap by much yet, the online chatter is leading more Philadelphians to the South Street restaurant Maymouna estimates hes selling an additional 10 a day. Sitting at the counter, Kar took a big bite of the crunchy wrap as he waited for a second order he ordered to-go for his wife. It is great, but its not similar to the ones back in Turkey for us, theres more of a red, tomato-like sauce. But for the West Philadelphian, it was still exciting to finally find a restaurant in Philly offering a similar sandwich, if not a replica of the one at home. Ill give them a seven out of 10 he said. Im happy Im going to take one home. A curious thing is happening behind bars: The bottles of liquors and liqueurs are disappearing, stored somewhere unseen. Instead, the backbar shelves are stacked with vinyl records. And the sound systems are also very, very good. In the last few years, as the speakeasy trend has waned, listening bars have popped up all over, including in Philly. The perpetually full 48 Record Bar, above Old City standby Sassafras, boasts an ultra-high-fidelity audiophile vinyl sound system. Solar Myth, on South Broad Street, might be one of the coolest places to grab a drink whether youre looking for coffee or wine and discover music you might never have otherwise. Percy, which opened in May, has a listening lounge where you can sip on their house-made wines and spirits in what looks like the set of That 70s Show. When a DJ isnt spinning, the staff plays vintage reggae, punk, and calypso records including ones that co-owner Seth Kligermans dad collected in the 70s and 80s, ranging from Jimmy Cliff to The Clash. Advertisement The first thing I did when we got our listening room speakers hooked up ... I blasted the New York Dolls, my dads favorite band, said Kligerman. (Percys speakers four original Altec Lansing A7 Voice of the Theatre are also from the 70s.) Stephen Starrs LMNO has a listening lounge outfitted with a hi-fi sound system and record collection spanning soul, funk, disco, and Latin genres. The focus is on immersive room sound rather than headphones so the music feels shared, not isolated," said Kayla Hagar, LMNOs general manager. Programming ranges from DJ-led nights, vinyl-focused sessions, and ambient background listening. Once a week, at LMNOs Off the Walls series, guests are encouraged to browse their vinyl wall and select records to be played. It draws Fishtowns younger creative crowd, an art and music-oriented demographic audiophiles, record-collectors, and music lovers," said Hagar. Not necessarily a heavy mainstream dance-club crowd, but more niche, design-forward, scene-aware visitors. In 2024, after Milkcrate Cafe in West Philly and Fishtown called off vinyl nights, it seemed like the budding listening room boom may have been a scratch. But in the year and a half since, the concept has spread all over the country. Listening rooms are seemingly everywhere in New York, Chicago, Portland, and beyond. They integrate music into drinking experiences, often weaving in Japanese influences across menus. In L.A., chef Sean Brock, famous for specializing in Southern foodways, opened Darling, a hi-fi bar inspired by Japanese jazz kissas, or cafes where listening to records is central to the experience. In Austin, the Equipment Room serves record-inspired cocktail omakases, blurring the line between DJ and bartender. At Press Club, a record bar in Washington, D.C., I snacked on chicken karaage and sipped an ume- and nori-infused shochu cocktail made by the same staffer who was spinning tracks. Press Club managing partner Will Patton listens to songs repeatedly to look for lyrical themes, and develops drink flavors according to rhythm and beat. (Think funky rum for a funky song, or melancholy music translating to cocktails with long, bitter finishes.) A rotating cocktail omakase menu, featuring multiple drinks paired with bites, is based on albums, most recently by Oasis and Bad Bunny. Listening bars are starting to proliferate the way speakeasy-style cocktail bars did in the 2010s popularizing hidden entrances and an Art Deco aesthetic so successfully that the speakeasy concept has been adapted to Italian restaurants and cookie stores. At the listening bars, thoughtful, elevated beverages still reign, but bars are giving more and more physical space over to vinyl collections. Theyre also hosting events throughout the day, often with visiting DJs. An Eater article recently heralded Phillys listening lounges as the antidote to the loneliness. Theyre community-oriented in the sense that you commune with others. (Just dont talk too loud.) The community-mindedness is palpable at Solar Myth, which opened in November 2022 and serves many purposes. Housed in the former Boot & Saddle, its still a live music venue, but its also a bottle shop and cafe serving pastries, tomato pie from Cacias Bakery, and Rival Brothers coffee. They have a staggering amaro list, but you wouldnt know it by looking at the bar, which features a collection of records organized by vibe, from chill-out to Willie Nelson, with extensive collections of Ethio-jazz and electronic krautrock. They play the music of many small, avant-garde artists. (They also sometimes employ them: A member from the Philly-based band Knifeplay works at Solar Myth. I feel so proud playing their record, said barista Rachel Byrd.) 48 Record Bars bar shelves feature a collection of about 300 records. At 35 seats, its small, with a living room vibe. Up a winding staircase from Sassafras, the space is draped in dove-gray curtains; sound panels are upholstered in the same fabric. The bars host doubles as a DJ, who spun Sade and the Temptations on a recent evening. We call that the record-butler shift, said 48 Record Bar creative director Joey Sweeney. Japanese ingredients are sprinkled all over the cocktail menu: yuzu, kombu, genmaicha, matcha, and of course, Japanese whiskies. But drinks are only part of the experience, said Sweeney. All the elements need to sing together. The bar also hosts tiny-desk-style live music shows, author events, and deep listening events that start at 10 a.m. on some Sundays with coffee from Thank You Thank You. But mostly the bars soundtrack is whatever records are playing. Seven years ago, Sweeney went to London and visited Japanese listening bars there. He and Sassafras owner Donal McCoy opened 48 Record Bar in December 2023. We want to honor the tradition of these Japanese listening bars without being mawkish about it, and not doing a cosplay. That wouldnt suit Philadelphia. The night I went in, I could still hold a conversation at the bar over a mock milk punch. Try that in Japan and they will shush you, Sweeney said. We cant shush you. This is Philly. To hear Anthony Hudgins tell it, overtime fraud at the Philadelphia Fire Department is so brazen that some employees continued abusing the system even after officials started investigating them. A paramedic was billing the city for overtime hours last May, Hudgins, the former first deputy fire commissioner, contends. But according to a federal lawsuit Hudgins filed Wednesday, there was one problem: That employee was luxuriating on a Norwegian Cruise at the time, not on the clock as a paramedic. Advertisement The alleged deception took place after The Inquirer reported that the city was investigating overtime abuse within the 2,800-member fire department and, at the same time, investigating Hudgins over a series of sexual harassment complaints made against him claims Hudgins says were false and made by employees hed reported for overtime abuse. In his complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Hudgins accuses paramedics, the firefighters union president, and top city officials of defamation, subjecting him to a bad faith investigation, and ultimately forcing the department veteran of 31 years to lose his rank and take a $75,000 pay cut. The dueling misconduct investigations have roiled the fire department since late 2024, and Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers administration has declined to release the findings from either probe. Hudgins was demoted last fall. READ MORE: A top-ranking fire department official was demoted amid a sexual harassment probe. The city refuses to discuss the case. Hudgins lawsuit claims that findings from the sexual harassment investigation conducted by the law firm Campbell Durrant cleared him of verbal misconduct and found that he had hugged co-workers. The complaint states that Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson told Hudgins that the investigators found: You were just being you. The lawsuit did acknowledge that Parkers administration found that Hudgins had violated the citys sexual harassment policy and demoted him as a result. Women who lodged complaints against Hudgins said that his conduct included unwanted touching, inappropriate comments, and intimidation tactics, The Inquirer reported last year. However, Hudgins contended in his lawsuit that the overtime review conducted by Inspector General Alexander DeSantis concluded that two of the women whod accused him of misconduct were proven fraudsters who also recruited other women to file complaints. Hudgins claimed that the overtime probe was completed in September. DeSantis told The Inquirer last month that the investigation is still ongoing and may be for some time. DeSantis declined further comment Thursday. READ MORE: Harassment and overtime fraud probes collide at top levels of Philly Fire Department Because Parkers administration and DeSantis have continued to decline to release the results of their investigations, it is difficult to confirm Hudgins account. Parkers administration declined to comment on the lawsuit. According to the complaint, Hudgins called for an overtime review in fall 2024 after hearing that paramedic Jacqulyn Murphy had lodged a disproportionately high number of overtime shifts that year. While her peers averaged about 24 overtime payments, Murphy had accrued 238, more than 80% of them without the necessary approval forms, Hudgins claimed. The departments payroll supervisor, Marian Farris, rubber-stamped the overtime approvals, according to Hudgins complaint. Hudgins alerted Fire Commissioner Thompson. But before he could finish his review, he asserts, Murphy and Farris retaliated by filing sexual harassment complaints against him and encouraging other female employees to do the same including Tabitha Boyle, Christina Quinones, and Dana Jackson, who are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Requests for their comments were not returned Thursday. Murphy, now a defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Payroll records show she was the ninth highest overtime earner in the department in 2024, more than doubling her $94,549 base salary. The city paid Campbell Durrant $30,000 to conduct interviews and investigate the claims against Hudgins, who was reassigned to remote work and, later, forced to take a leave of absence. The city has taken The Inquirer to court to block the release of overtime records related to the overtime investigation, claiming their public disclosure would jeopardize the integrity of the probe led by The Office of the Inspector General, the citys fraud prevention watchdog. Hudgins, in his lawsuit, claims to have seen the results of that investigation. According to his complaint, the OIG produced its findings to the city and found that Murphy and Farris had both conspired to defraud the city. According to the complaint, the OIG report stated Murphy had received an undisclosed sum of overtime pay and then consistently paid Farris via CashApp. The payments occurred biweekly for at least six months in 2024. Farris left the department in March 2025. In a phone interview Thursday, she denied any scheme involving payments with Murphy. Investigators found CashApp receipts on Murphys email account, but Farris said those were innocent transactions. It aint a good thing to say, but Jackie was somebody I could borrow money from when I was in Atlantic City, or I could babysit her son for her or something like that, Farris said. I get CashApps from my mother. Im not doing anything fraudulent with my mother. Hudgins complaint also accused Murphy of continuing to bilk the overtime system even after Farris left the department last year. The fire department did not respond to a request for comment on the complaint. Michael Bresnan, president of Local 22 of the International Fire Fighters and Paramedics Union, was also named as a defendant in the suit. He declined to comment Thursday. Per the complaint, Hudgins received a phone call from Thompson in July, who told him the law firm found no wrongdoing and that he could return to work, saying, essentially: Good news! Youre coming back to work. You were just being you. Staff writer Samantha Melamed contributed to this article. Siti Rahayu of Philadelphia holds a photograph of her husband Rian Andrianzah. He walked into United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office for a routine visit but was sent to Moshannon detention center to await deportation. Read more A longtime Philadelphia resident who was arrested by ICE at a routine immigration appointment has been deported to Indonesia, his family said. Rian Andrianzah, 46, walked into a Philadelphia office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Oct. 16, expecting to be fingerprinted and photographed and sent home, but instead was taken into custody and placed in detention. Advertisement On Christmas night he was flown to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, leaving behind his wife, also of Indonesia, and two children who are American citizens. The case angered the citys Indonesian community and placed Andrianzah among a growing number of immigrants who have shown up for routine immigration appointments or check-ins, only to be handcuffed and taken into detention. Green-card applicants, asylum-seekers, and others who have ongoing legal or visa cases have been unexpectedly detained in what lawyers and advocates say is a Trump administration strategy to boost arrests and deportations. Its frustrating, because were going to be able to bring him back in the next few months, said Philadelphia immigration attorney Christopher Casazza, who represents Andrianzah and his family. They deported him simply [to gain] a statistic. He expects Andrianzah could be able to return to the United States in the summer, via a legal process that could grant status to his wife and, through her, to him. Andrianzahs wife, Siti Rahayu, 44, has a strong case to be awarded a T visa, the familys lawyer said. That visa offers permission to live in the U.S. and a path to permanent residency and citizenship. As her husband, Andrianzah would receive those same benefits under her visa, said Casazza, of the Philadelphia firm Palladino, Isbell & Casazza LLC. Rahayu said in a text message that she was distressed and not up to discussing her husbands deportation. Others said his removal hurts the family and the community. Rians absence means a family without their father and our community without a friend, said Kintan Silvany, the civic-engagement coordinator at Gapura, which works to empower local Indonesian Americans. A warm, friendly face will no longer be seen at our annual festivals and cultural events. ICE has taken a beloved member who helped us and the folks around him. Andrianzah, meanwhile, like other deportees faces a return to a homeland transformed by time, where family ties have dwindled and emotional and financial hardship looms, his lawyer said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were unable to immediately reply to a request for comment. A T visa can be available to people who have been victims of human trafficking. It offers a near-blanket waiver on past immigration violations. Authorities say the issuance of T visas offer protection to victims while enhancing the ability of law-enforcement agencies to detect and prosecute human trafficking. Andrianzah legally entered the United States on a visitors visa in February 2000, but did not return to Indonesia before it expired. He was placed in removal proceedings in 2003, and a judge issued a final order of deportation in November 2006. His appeal was denied two years later. The removal order was never enforced, as had been common for those the government then saw as low-priority immigration violators. Some people with final orders have lived in the U.S. for decades. Since then Andrianzah worked factory and warehouse jobs, and married. He and his wife made a home in South Philadelphia and became parents of a son, age 8, and a daughter, 15, both U.S. citizens. Andrianzah and his wife went to USCIS that October day as part of her T-visa application. In an interview with The Inquirer, Rahayu said she was sent to the U.S. in 2001 by relatives who saw her as a means to pay off a debt, delivering her to an underground organization that puts people in low-paying jobs, then keeps them working indefinitely. Her work would help pay the debt owed by her relatives. Rahayu said that on Oct. 16, she completed her own biometrics appointment, then grew concerned when her husband did not appear. She soon learned he had been arrested. Some immigrants are required to appear every couple of weeks, some once a month, others once a year. The appointments help immigration officials keep track of people who in the past have been low priorities for deportation. Biometrics appointments are usually brief sessions at which the government captures fingerprints, a passport-style photo, and a signature. The immigrant may also be asked to provide information like height and weight. Despite the fresh risk of being arrested on the spot, immigrants have little option except to show up. Many types of immigration applications require in-person appearances. And failure to appear for a required ICE appointment can by itself result in an order for removal. Federal judges in Philadelphia have ruled dozens of times against a Trump administration policy that mandates detention for nearly all undocumented immigrants joining a nationwide wave of decisions criticizing the government for applying the policy in unlawful ways. In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sanchez wrote in a memorandum this week that more than 40 people who have been detained in the region under that policy, which was rolled out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last summer, have sought relief in the courts and judges have ruled against the government in every case. Advertisement Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone was even more blunt in an opinion filed last month, writing that the law is piled sky high against the governments position to mandate detention and deny bond hearings for all undocumented immigrants even those seeking to stay here via appropriate legal channels. The administrations insistence on employing the policy and defending it in court, Beetlestone wrote, was akin to the Greek myth of Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill. The Governments hope, presumably, is that if it keeps pushing the boulder of its argument up the hill, at least one judge may rule against the weight of the authority, Beetlestone wrote. But the tale before the courts is the traditional one of Greek mythology: the Government returns again and again to push the same theory uphill, only for courts to send it rolling back down again. The pushback has added to a chorus of similar decisions in courts nationwide. Sanchez, appointed by George W. Bush, wrote in his memo that people challenging their detention in federal district courts have prevailed, either on a preliminary or final basis, in 350 cases decided by over 160 different judges sitting in about fifty different courts spread across the United States. A Politico analysis of court dockets published this week put that tally even higher, reporting that over the last six months, more than 300 federal judges comprising appointees of every president since Ronald Reagan have ordered some form of relief in mandatory detention cases to about 1,600 challengers. Spokespeople for ICE did not reply to questions about the judicial rebukes, and many of the governments court filings in cases challenging detention have been made under seal. Still, the Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to boost the number of people in federal immigration detention. And the mandatory detention policy has helped push the number of confined immigrants past 65,000, a two-thirds increase since Trump took office in January. Lilah R. Thompson, an immigration attorney in the community defense unit at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said in an interview that mandatory detention plainly violates the law and is an illegal policy. But she said most challenges to it so far have come in individual cases, and the potential legal avenues seeking to strike it down nationwide are protracted and legally complex. In the meantime, Thompson said, the government has seemed content to use the policy in its attempt to apply pressure to immigrants and, ultimately, increase deportations. [Authorities] are applying a blanket policy because when people are in detention, they arent able to withstand the horrors of detention, Thompson said. It makes their circumstances much more difficult. A dramatic change in precedent ICEs detention mandate was rolled out amid the Trump administrations aggressive push to crack down on immigrants nationwide. It came as the Board of Immigration Appeals the highest administrative body for interpreting the nations immigration laws issued three precedential rulings that made it dramatically harder for detainees to be released on bond. In one of those rulings, the board held that immigration judges lack the power to hear or grant bond requests to people who entered the United States without permission even if they had been in the country for years, or had few other infractions that might warrant detention as their cases wound through the immigration system. That upended decades of established government practice, which typically allowed otherwise law-abiding people who entered the country illegally to at least receive a bond hearing and determine if they could remain in the community as their cases moved forward. The decision also meant that thousands of detained immigrants who previously would have been eligible for bond hearings could be released only if they filed and won a federal lawsuit. For many detainees that created an impossible situation because they have neither a lawyer nor the money to hire one. There are so many people that are getting picked up [under] the unlawful mandatory detention policy, but because they dont have an attorney to file a [legal challenge], theyre still experiencing the consequences of the policy, said Maria Thomson, another attorney in the Defender Associations community defense unit. Officials at the federal Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the BIA, declined to answer questions about the rulings. The Executive Office for Immigration Review does not comment on federal court decisions, spokesperson Kathryn Mattingly said in a statement. Detainees who have been able to hire attorneys and appear before federal judges have been winning relief at near-universal rates, with the courts ordering their freedom or directing the immigration court to hold a bond hearing. The district courts have been overwhelming on this question. Its been extremely lopsided, said Jonah Eaton, a veteran immigration attorney who teaches law at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, adding that even some Trump-appointed judges have said this is nonsense. Earlier this week, District Judge John Murphy said in a court filing that judges had sided with detainees in all 50 cases filed so far in Pennsylvanias Eastern District. And in November, District Judge Paul Diamond wrote that hed found 288 district court decisions nationwide addressing the issue and that judges had ruled against the administration in 282 of them. Diamond then went on to criticize the governments attempts to justify its policy using what he said were competing interpretations of the law. It is difficult to credit the Governments squarely contradictory position here, Diamond wrote. Significant challenges Still, not all wins for detainees are comprehensive. In some instances, immigrants are granted bond hearings before an immigration judge. But Eaton said some of those immigration judges will either deny bond or set an impossibly high figure. In Philadelphia, he said, its become common for attorneys to ask the federal judges to order release themselves, because immigration judges wont do it. Immigration Court is part of the executive branch, not the judiciary, run by the Department of Justice. That has for years called the courts impartiality into question. Even when were seeing bond hearings happening, theyre being denied at a higher rate, said attorney Emma Tuohy, a deportation-defense specialist at Simon, Choi & Tuohy in Philadelphia. So immigrant defenders are going straight to district court and filing habeas corpus, on the premise that people are being unlawfully detained. Habeas corpus, Latin for you have the body, is a demand that the government bring a detained person to court and prove that they have been legally imprisoned. Its considered a fundamental protection against arbitrary detention. Beyond bond hearings, Thompson, of the Defender Association, said there are challenges in seeking to provide ample legal assistance to people who have solid grounds to fight their detention: Many cant afford lawyers, she said, there is no statewide funding to support lawyers pursuing such challenges, and ICE can move detainees to different jurisdictions at its discretion, increasing the difficulty of petitioning for release. They are doing it because they can, and because the consequences are that most [immigrants] cannot fight this and will end up being deported, she said. Cases that might threaten the overall detention policy, meanwhile, are likely to take time to wind through appellate courts, she said and the administration could seek to litigate the matter in jurisdictions that have been more traditionally conservative. In the meantime, federal judges are going to continue having to confront the issue in district courts. Murphy wrote this week that there are approximately 25 petitions awaiting a ruling in Philadelphias federal courthouse. If Beetlestones opinion is any guide, the judges would prefer that ICE change its position rather than continuing down the same path and hoping the ruling will be different next time. Relying on hope in the courts, Beetlestone said, resembles a game of whack-a-mole, in which the mole (here, the Government) insists on repeatedly volunteering to get struck by the judicial gavel. This photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, shows a deceased whale caught on the bow of a ship at Gloucester Marine Terminal in Gloucester City, N.J., January 2026. (NOAA Office of Law Enforcement via AP) Read more The waves rocked a dead 30-foot juvenile humpback whale that lay belly-up near Delawares Bethany Beach Friday as marine rescue workers prepared for the open-air postmortem examination that would take place on the sand. The whale was first seen floating at sea, two miles off the Indian River Inlet earlier in the week, according to the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute, also known as MERR. It finally beached Thursday. Advertisement As Suzanne Thurman, executive director of MERR, waited for heavy machinery Friday morning, she guessed the whale might weigh about 20,000 pounds, posing a serious challenge for the people investigating the mammals cause of death. The weight, the constant movement at the behest of the ocean, and the slippery feel of the oil in the whales blubber made cutting it open for a necropsy the examination to determine cause of death inherently risky, said Thurman. The heavy machinery would have to stabilize the whale on land so the scientists could do their work. It cant be towed, Thurman said. There are no other effective ways to move the whale. Unlike other animal necropsies, the whales postmortem examination would have to take place on the open beach, she said. A necropsy is very important because we cant always tell what happened to the whale simply by looking at it, she said, adding even if a whale is injured, scientists have to check for signs of human impact and if there was an underlying disease that led to its death. Finding the cause of death for whale fatalities is crucial for conservationists. Though whale populations have largely rebounded since their peak hunting days, they face more trafficked waterways and a changing climate, which put them at risk all the same. In recent years headlines such as 6 Whales Wash Ashore in NY, NJ in 33 Days have been cause for alarm for scientists. Whenever theres a significant die-off of any marine population that demands immediate response, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gets involved, declaring whats called an unusual mortality event. This allows scientists to investigate the deaths and study the remaining population in real time. There are three active unusual mortality events, all involving whales in the Atlantic the Atlantic minke whale, the North Atlantic right whale, and the Atlantic humpback whale. How the Delaware fatality factors into the larger picture of whale population health remains to be seen. The speed at which MERR staff can finish the necropsy depends on environmental factors and equipment availability from the state. After MERR is done with the necropsy, Thurman said the whale will be buried in the beach because its too heavy to move anywhere else and it will become an important source of nutrients. The Delaware whale is the second such mammal death in the region this week. A 25- to 30-foot fin whale was discovered on the bow of a ship Sunday night at a marine terminal in Gloucester City, N.J., though the necropsy process has been much slower. Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on earth and endangered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center took the lead in the New Jersey investigation, limiting public comments to its social media posts. By Wednesday, the Stranding Center said it had a necropsy plan in place for the 12- to 13-ton whale, but staff couldnt move forward with it until they had a suitable burial location secured. NOAAs law enforcement arm, which is tasked with enforcing about 40 different marine laws, has opened an investigation into the whale death despite the incomplete necropsy. A spokesperson could not expand on what drove the decision, citing the pending investigation. Stranding Center data, dating back to 2002, shows that whale strandings peaked in New Jersey in 2023, with a total of 14 cases. The following year saw a drop in strandings with a total of nine cases reported. Last year, strandings in New Jersey dropped to four. Renderings of a proposed revitalization project in Gladwyne in Montgomery County. Design firm Haldon House is working with billionaire Jeff Yass to redevelop the Main Line village while preserving its historic architecture, developers told residents at a Thursday meeting. Read more Jeff Yass, Pennsylvanias richest man, is behind a plan to redevelop much of downtown Gladwyne. Standing before a packed school auditorium, Andre Golsorkhi, founder and CEO of design firm Haldon House, unveiled the long-awaited redevelopment proposal for Gladwynes village center. Advertisement Haldon House is working with Yass and his wife, Janine, on redeveloping a half-dozen properties in Gladwyne with historic architecture, green spaces, and new businesses. Golsorkhi called the proposal a community impact project for the Yass family, which has spent over $15 million acquiring the properties. Gladwyne village has long been home to small businesses, namely OMG Hair Salon, the Gladwyne Pharmacy, the Guard House, and Gladwyne Market. OMG Salon and the Gladwyne Market shuttered last year after the developers acquired their storefronts, sending ripples, and rumors, through the Main Line community. House values for the 4,096-person village are among the highest in the state, with a recent median sales price of $2.3 million, according to Realtor.com data. For the first time, Golsorkhi last week brought his development plans and his partnership with the Yass family to the public. He was met with both applause and skepticism from attendees. Some expressed optimism about the proposal, while others questioned why the developers would pour millions into a project with no apparent financial gain. Gladwyne needs a revitalization Haldon Houses proposal, as outlined by Golsorkhi, involves retaining much of Gladwynes historic architecture while bringing in new retailers, opening up green space, and increasing connectivity in the villages downtown core. The developer plans to expand local cafe Homeroom and keep the Gladwyne Pharmacy while courting new businesses that fit the character and are contextually relevant to the town. There are no plans for residential development, national chain stores, or high-rise buildings. This is a place that we grew up, that we love, that we care for tremendously, that has been protected for all the right reasons, but it has also not evolved, Golsorkhi said. It needs a revitalization. Golsorkhi and his wife, Autumn Oser, the co-owner of Haldon House, are from the Gladwyne area. Yass is a billionaire, conservative megadonor, and founder of the Bala Cynwyd-based Susquehanna International Group. The Yass family has lived in Haverford for more than 40 years. Haldon House and the Yass family have purchased multiple properties at the intersection of Youngs Ford and Righters Mill Roads, including the former Gladwyne Market building, the Village Shoppes, a residential property on the 900 block of Youngs Ford Road, and the Gladwyne Post Office, according to Golsorkhi. Theyve also leased the former OMG Salon at 351 Righters Mill Rd. Citing the rumors that percolated in community after the shuttering of Gladwyne Market, Golsorkhi said theres been a lot of justified, warranted concern. Renderings of the proposal show the villages core buildings retaining their late-1800s architecture, with new wraparound porches, ivy-covered stone walls, Adirondack chairs, hydrangeas, and Gladwyne Square branded signs. Golsorkhi said in an email that the developers were prepared to assume the costs and it was too early to specify how long the project would take. In addition to keeping Homeroom and the Gladwyne Pharmacy in place, the developers plan to put a casual, but elevated and approachable restaurant in the former Gladwyne Market site. Theyll recruit independent retailers like bakeries, boutique fitness studios, and ice cream parlors. They also intend to expand the villages open green space with picnic tables, open lawns, and venues for community events. Golsorkhi said they would take a forward and involved approach with new and existing tenants, from designing storefronts to offering input on products to stock. They have worked closely with Gladwyne Pharmacy to help reimagine the design and experience, with no expectation of return, Golsorkhi said, adding that the pharmacy has built up merchandise and square footage over time that isnt necessarily best serving the business or the community. Were doing that because we believe that the consistent experience and character of Gladwyne is really important, he said. Golsorkhi told attendees at the meeting on Thursday that while they have no particular intentions for the recently purchased Gladwyne Post Office, it was retiring its services and there was potential to create a new, centralized storefront where residents could access USPS, UPS, and FedEx services. Paul Smith, manager of public affairs and communications for the Postal Service in the Philadelphia region, said the Gladwyne post office was not retiring its services. In early 2024, Gladwyne and other local post offices moved their letter carriers to a large delivery center in Wayne, where they pick up mail and distribute it to their routes. Gladwynes post office is still used for retail transactions, mailing items, and for P.O. box holders. Golsorkhi clarified in an email that he understood the post offices changes. In case services are further reduced in the future, he said, we want to be sure were ahead of it by considering what shipping hubs and/or shipping services we can bring to the village to ensure continuity of mailing services, while also augmenting USPS with other carriers. Excitement for some, skepticism for others Haldon House and the Yass familys recent acquisitions left some business owners feeling slighted. OMG Salon owner Maurice Tenenbaum said the buildings owners more than doubled his rent last fall, forcing him to give up the salon space. Pete Liccio, owner of the now-closed Gladwyne Market, said in an October interview that he had also felt pushed out. At Thursdays meeting, some residents said Gladwyne was ready for a revitalization, from new restaurants to more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. What Im seeing here is a center of gravity and an identity for Gladwyne thats well-deserved and long been needed, one attendee said. Others expressed concern. I just wonder what the end game is. Theres always a price for this, having someone come in and say, Im going to make your community really, really cool and dont worry about the money, another Gladwyne resident said during a question-and-answer segment. [This is an] investment and a philanthropic effort , Golsorkhi said. I understand and I recognize that that is a challenging thing to sort of believe. 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. A banner featuring former president Joe Biden as a "hometown hero" has sparked controversy in Scranton. The neighborhood group that put it up plans to vote on its future Monday after getting criticism from veterans. Read more When a Scranton neighborhood group decided to honor Joe Biden with a hometown hero banner outside the 46th presidents childhood home recently, they expected a little bit of blowback. But members of the Green Ridge Neighborhood Association say theyre dumbfounded by the number of complaints and even threats, both locally and abroad. Advertisement Someone in Guam has been very vocal, Roberta Jadick, the associations secretary, said beneath the banner on North Washington Avenue on a recent snowy weekday. Hometown Heroes banners first appeared in Harrisburg in 2006, according to the programs website, and theyve become ubiquitous in small-town and suburban Pennsylvania. Most appear as black-and-white photos of men and women in uniform, thousands of veterans honored in nearly every corner of the Commonwealth. While most of the banners honor veterans, no rule prohibits municipalities, civic groups, or veterans groups from honoring others, said Laura Agostini, president of the Green Ridge group. Some towns have put up banners of high school athletes or law enforcement officials. I mean, teachers are heroes, arent they? Jadick said. The banner on North Washington Avenue near Biden Street depicts the former president in a suit, with the title Commander in Chief, U.S. Armed Forces, 2021-2025 written beneath it. Agostini said the group was aware that Commander in Chief was a civilian title. Agostini said the initial blowback was political but that the issue morphed into a veterans issue. We never intended to portray him as a veteran, Agostini said. Theres only been 46 presidents in the United States, and each one had a hometown, and we thought this is a unique honor. A Dec. 21 Facebook post about the banner by the Green Ridge Neighborhood Association received nearly 250 comments, ranging from supportive to critical to crude. Hes an embarrassment! one commenter wrote. A similar controversy erupted in 2021, when a four-lane highway in Scranton was renamed President Joe Biden Expressway. Biden was born in Scranton in 1942 and lived there on and off, and he repeatedly mentioned Scranton as a formative place. A plaque outside the home where Biden lived with his maternal grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, said he moved out when he was 10 years old. A Hometown Heroes banner honoring the Finnegans is just one light pole down from Bidens. No one from the Hometown Heroes Banner Program returned requests for comment on Wednesday. One local veteran, Andy Chomko, said he doesnt have a problem with Biden being honored in Scranton, but his banner should not look like veterans banners. Its a great thing that he lived here and had roots here, Chomko said. But the banner makes it look like hes a veteran, and every one of those people on those other banners put their lives at risk for their country. Navy veteran Harold Nudelman told WNEP-16 that Biden didnt put his life on the line. Dont portray him as a veteran. He didnt serve. He didnt take that oath to serve as we did, he told the news station. Chomko, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army, believes the Green Ridge group should remove the banner and rethink it. That could happen after Monday, the group will vote on the future of the banner at a public meeting. I would say the vast majority of people support it or really dont care, Agostini said. I dont take any of this lightly, though, and while we were hoping it would be dying down, well have an open discussion about it. Jadick said the banner was never meant to divide the public even more than it is. If Trump was from here, hed have a banner up after he was out of office, she said. This is where Joe Biden is from. Those are his uncles on the other banner. State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding unveiled the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture, a 1,000-pound creation titled "A Toast to Our Nations 250th Anniversary: Inspired by Founders. Grown by Farmers." Read more Its January, and that means one of Pennsylvanias grandest spectacles is back again: the annual Farm Show butter sculpture. Every year, in Harrisburg, a new 1,000-pound sculpture is unveiled to the public at the Farm Show Complex, a 1-million-square-foot event space that hosts the long-running show. Some years, the sculpture features mascots, like Gritty. This years sculpture is titled, A Toast to Our Nations 250th Anniversary: Inspired by Founders. Grown by Farmers in honor of Americas Semiquincentennial. Advertisement The butter sculpture is a people-pleasing favorite every year at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a news release. In this America250 year, it takes on a deeper meaning reflecting how agriculture has been the roots of our nations growth and prosperity for 250 years, and how Pennsylvania farmers will continue to lead us forward. If youve been to the show, with its live calf births, livestock shows, concerts, and dizzying array of food options, then you know. If you havent been there, its time to call out sick and hit the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The show began on Friday and runs daily through Saturday. The butter sculpture, which has been part of the Farm Show for over half a century, is enclosed in a large, refrigerated case. This years sculpture is a 1776 Philadelphia tableau, featuring Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, complete with a celebratory toast with milk. The Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross make an appearance, too. Like most years, the butter sculpture was created by Conshohocken artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton. Theyve worked with chocolate, cheese, and ice over their careers, but butters brought them the most acclaim. The butter is often donated by large national producers like Land O Lakes or Kellers, and no, it cant be melted and drizzled on popcorn. Its waste butter we get from plants, Pelton told The Inquirer in 2020. Its stuff thats been extruded or cleaned out, or stuff thats been damaged, or generally cant be sold to the public. According to the Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural expo in the nation, featuring nearly 5,000 animals, 12,000-plus competitive entries from more than 4,600 competitors, plus more than 250 commercial exhibits, and hundreds of educational and entertaining events. Admission is free. Parking is $15 per vehicle. Farming, according to the Department of Agriculture, provides 593,000 Pennsylvania jobs and contributes $132.5 billion to the states economy each year. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks at a new conference on May 16, 2024. Read more District Attorney Larry Krasner, responding to the killing of a 37-year-old woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, vowed to prosecute law enforcement officers who commit crimes in the city of Philadelphia. You will be arrested, you will stand trial, you will be convicted, Krasner said during a news conference Thursday. Advertisement His remarks came a day after a masked ICE agent shot Renee Nicole Good multiple times in her SUV. In widely circulated videos of the incident, Good appears to be driving away from a group of immigration agents as they order her to get out of her vehicle. President Donald Trump and top White House officials offered a starkly different view, saying Good tried to run over the officer with her car. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer, identified Thursday as Jonathan Ross, was justified in shooting the woman because he feared for his life. She said Good, a mother of three, had committed an act of domestic terrorism. Minnesota officials have called for an investigation into the conduct of the officer, who has not been charged with any crimes. But Krasner, flanked by a group of Philadelphia City Council members and the sheriff, called the actions criminal. The top prosecutor said that he has family ties to Minneapolis, and that he had reviewed the videos of the shooting, about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. He held a moment of silence for Good and displayed her photo before leading the group in a chant of her name. We have to use our voices to call out people who commit terrible crimes, Krasner said. Or who justify them. That last part was aimed at Trump, whom Krasner has sharply and repeatedly criticized. The progressive prosecutor often uses his platform to openly decry the president and his policies, most recently when he urged Philadelphians to film ICE agents who have ramped up immigration enforcement since Trumps return to office. He said that tactic had been a success in Minneapolis because the video brought widespread attention to the incident. After Goods killing, Krasner said, The first thing out of Trumps mouth was a lasagna of lies. She behaved horribly, Trump told reporters. And then she ran him over. Krasner said he could not even be certain that Good was blocking officers from the roadway, as some officials have suggested. Had Good done so, Krasner said, she would have been engaging in an act that protesters have done forever. And that behavior, he said, does not justify a fatal shooting. Any law enforcement agent inclined to behave similarly in Philadelphia should get the eff out of here, Krasner said. And should such an incident happen in the city, the DA said, he would charge the offending officer in state court, where presidential pardons have no effect. There are honest decent moral law enforcement officers by the bushel this is not for you," Krasner said of his warning. This is for any one of your colleagues who thinks they are above the law. Hundreds of protesters gather for a vigil Thursday at City Hall to rally against the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Read more Several hundred people gathered Thursday evening in Center City to protest the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three whom a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis shot and killed on Wednesday. Good, who had recently moved to Minnesota, died a few blocks from where she lived, and about a mile from where police killed George Floyd in 2020. Advertisement Protesters near City Hall held candles and signs saying, We saw the video. Stop the cover up! and ICE raids violate Philly values. We arrive at tonights vigil with deep anger and grief for the murder of Renee Good at the hands of the state, Erika Guadalupe Nunez, Juntos executive director, told the crowd. ICE equals death; its the death of family, of connection, of love. Nunez said the actions in Minneapolis reflect a reality Philadelphia has experienced with the mistreatment of legal aid organizations and immigrant associations at the hands of immigration agents. Let us be honest, if ICE was willing to shoot an ally, a white woman, in the face for documenting abuse. It is our duty to expose and condemn what they have done and will continue to do to Black and brown people behind closed doors and out of the sight of cameras, Nunez said. Video taken by bystanders in Minneapolis posted to social media shows an officer approaching Goods car from the drivers side, grabbing the door handle and reaching inside the vehicle. When the Honda Pilot begins to move, a different ICE officer who had positioned himself in front of the SUV immediately fires into the vehicle at close range. The Department of Homeland Security said the officer fired in self-defense as Good allegedly tried to run down officers with her vehicle. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said video of the incident showed the shooting was reckless and unnecessary. The fatal shooting of Good was at least the fifth death to result from the aggressive U.S. immigration crackdown President Donald Trumps administration launched last year. The federal agency has been escalating immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota by deploying an anticipated 2,000 agents and officers. An ex-husband of Goods, who asked not to be named out of concern for the safety of their children, told the Associated Press that Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis, where they had moved last year from Kansas City, Mo. At the Center City protest, Julie Stewart, 71, said a wave of shock took over her body after learning an ICE agent had killed a woman she didnt know, in a different state, and the pain felt close to home. The feeling brought her to the vigil holding a sign reading: ICE murdered Renee Nicole Good. They are twisting the story; its a lie. ICE needs to be shut down, held accountable, and all of their people need to be unmasked, Stewart said. Aniqa Raihan told the crowd the names of the people who have died in connection with ICE need to be remembered. Raihan, a No ICE Philly volunteer, named more than 30 victims, Good being the latest. We are here to remember these beloved community members, whether we know their names or not. We are here to mourn, to grieve, to lean on one another, and to know that we are not alone in the anger and pain we are feeling, Raihan said. Addressing elected officials present in the crowd, she said: We cant wait. If you dont act, Renee Good will not be the last person murdered with impunity. If you dont act, it will happen here. If you dont act, ICE will continue to kidnap and disappear members of our community every day. While the protest was underway, several men identifying themselves as members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and armed with rifles walked down Broad Street toward City Hall and stopped at John F. Kennedy Boulevard. They said they came to protect the protesters. Im here because its my duty, said a man identifying himself as Paul Birdsong, 39, while holding his firearm tightly. Birdsong said the groups members were legally carrying their firearms and they viewed themselves as guards of the revolution. To ICE, we will respond with whatever force is use on the people, Birdsong said. Police closely monitored the Black Panther members and reported no problems. Ms. Walker marched with fellow activist Cecil B. Moore and others to protest segregation at Girard College in the 1960s. Read more Frances Ola Walker, 86, of Philadelphia, cofounder of Parents Against Drugs and Dunlap Community Citizens Concerned, onetime president of the Mill Creek Coalition and director of the West Philadelphia Empowerment Zone, former aide to U.S. Rep. William H. Gray III, college instructor, mentor, and volunteer, died Tuesday, Dec. 30, of respiratory illness at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania-Cedar Avenue. A lifelong champion of education, civil rights, comprehensive healthcare, environmental responsibility, employment and housing equity, and community partnerships, Ms. Walker spent more than 70 years, from age 13 to 86, protesting injustice, improving life for her neighbors, and caring for historic residential swaths of West Philadelphia. Advertisement In the 1960s, she marched with fellow activist Cecil B. Moore and others to protest segregation at Girard College. Most recently, she advocated for alternative SEPTA transit routes to support Black-owned businesses. I just stayed involved, she said in a video interview for the West Philadelphia Landscape Project. If there was a protest, I was leading it. Im glad I made a contribution people can respect. She cofounded Dunlap Community Citizens Concerned in the early 1980s to address housing and infrastructure concerns, and Parents Against Drugs in the late 80s. She led the local Healthy Start federal initiative to reduce infant mortality in the 1990s and served on the advisory board of Bridging the Gaps, a healthcare partnership of academic health institutions and community groups. She developed programs that connected University of Pennsylvania students and faculty with neighborhood residents through what is now Penns Netter Center for Community Partnerships. She acquired federal funds to revitalize communities in the West Philadelphia Empowerment Zone, partnered with Penn to pioneer urban ecology projects, and supervised the West Philadelphia Landscape Project in the Mill Creek neighborhood. Aunt Frances was the kind of soul who made every room brighter just by being in it. Antonne M Jones, author of The Lex Street Massacre Her family said she was fearless in her pursuit of justice. Anne Whiston Spirn, professor of landscape architecture and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, invited Ms. Walker to lecture virtually in her ecological urbanism course. She bridged the worlds of university, politics, and neighborhood, and called the powerful to account, Spirn said. She served on then-Mayor Ed Rendells search committee for a new health commissioner in 1993 and briefly considered her own run for City Council. She worked with then-Vice President Al Gore on his community empowerment programs and managed Grays West Philadelphia office for 10 years in the 1980s. Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah noted her extraordinary legacy of helping others and said: She always chartered her own path and spoke her truth. Former City Council member at large Blondell Reynolds Brown said: Her unwavering grassroots work brought care, dignity, and possibility to families facing hardships. Its the glamor of the thing, the money in it, kids without jobs. Thats whats happening here.. Ms. Walker, about drugs in West Philadelphia in 1987 She studied community engagement in MITs Mel King Community Fellows Program in 2000 and 2001, and earned more than 100 awards, citations, and commendations, including from the White House for her leadership in a childrens immunization campaign. She was on the advisory board at Power 99 FM radio and quoted often in The Inquirer and Daily News. Her achievements were noted in two books, They Carried Us: The Social Impact of Philadelphias Black Women Leaders and The Lex Street Massacre. My grandmother didnt leave us directions, said her grandson, Abdul-Malik Walker, but she left us a compass. Her voice is in our habits, and her strength is in how we handle the miles ahead. Frances Ola Walker was born Jan. 20, 1939, in South Philadelphia. Her father was a preacher, and the family is related to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. So it surprised no one when she began leading academic tutoring for her siblings and teen neighborhood friends on her front stoop. READ MORE: MIT students and West Philly middle schoolers are working together to preserve the Mill Creek neighborhood She was one of 11 children, and her family moved to the Dunlap section of West Philadelphia in 1945. She attended West Philadelphia High School and worked at first as a personal shopper for neighborhood seniors. She was always interested in civic affairs and social justice, and she became the first Black woman to work at an Acme markets warehouse, her family said, and one of the first female postal carriers. She had sons Gregory and James, and daughters Michelle, Roslyn, Wala, and Patricia. She married John Ponnie. Her husband, sons Gregory and James, and daughters Michelle and Patricia died earlier. Ms. Walker enjoyed traveling and playing cards with her family. She knew the detailed history of Dunlap and Mill Creek, and delighted in sharing it with others she encountered on her frequent walks. Im proud to be a native Philadelphian, and Im proud of the response because I knew Philadelphia would not let us down. Ms. Walker in 1998 after neighbors helped a victim replace her stolen van She was an encourager to people of all ages, said her niece Sibrena Stowe. She was truly a force to be reckoned with. Ms. Walker told her family: It is through love that all things are possible. For me, it is when people call on you that lets you know you make a difference. In addition to her daughters, niece, and grandson, Ms. Walker is survived by 16 other grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, two sisters, and other relatives. Six sisters and two brothers died earlier. Visitation with the family is to be from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9, at Ezekiel Baptist Church, 5701 Grays Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143. A service is to follow, and a repast at 2 p.m. Livestream is at repastai.com/frances. Dr. Ford was a 24-year-old physics graduate student at Princeton in 1950 when he was recruited to covertly help build a hydrogen bomb. Read more Kenneth W. Ford, 99, of Gwynedd, Montgomery County, theoretical physicist who helped develop the hydrogen bomb in 1952, university president, college professor, executive director, award-winning author, and Navy veteran, died Friday, Dec. 5, of pneumonia at Foulkeways at Gwynedd retirement community. Dr. Ford was a 24-year-old physics graduate student at Princeton University in 1950 when he was recruited by a colleague to help other scientists covertly build a hydrogen bomb. I was told if we dont do it, the Soviet Union will, Dr. Ford told The Inquirer in 2023, and the world will become a much more dangerous place. Advertisement So he spent one year at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and another back at Princeton, creating calculations on the burning of the fuel that ignited the bomb and theorizing about nuclear fission and fusion. The H-bomb was tested in 1952. Dr. Fords expertise was in nuclear structure and particle and mathematical physics. He and Albert Einstein attended the same lecture when he was young, and he knew Robert Oppenheimer, Fredrick Reines, John Wheeler, and dozens of other accomplished scientists and professors over his long career. He came to Philadelphia from the University System of Maryland in 1983 to be president of a startup biotech firm. He joined the American Physical Society as an education officer in 1986 and was named executive director of the American Institute of Physics in 1987. He always seemed to be the head of something, his son Jason said. It was a horrible weapon, but I thought the world probably will be a safer place if the United States gets it done first. In retrospect, I still think thats a valid argument. Dr. Ford, in 2023, on building the H-bomb in the 1950s He retired from the AIP in 1993 but kept busy as a consultant for the California-based Packard Foundation and physics teacher at Germantown Academy and Germantown Friends School. Michael Moloney, current chief executive of the AIP, praised Dr. Fords steady and transformative leadership in a tribute. He said: His career in research, education, and global scientific collaboration puts him among the giants. As president of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology from 1975 to 1982, Dr. Ford oversaw improvements in the schools enrollment, faculty, budget, and facilities. He was an accomplished researcher, scholar and teacher, Michael Jackson, interim president of New Mexico Tech, said in a tribute, a techie through and through. Before Philadelphia, he spent a year as executive vice president of the University System of Maryland. Earlier, from 1953 to 1975, he was a researcher at Indiana University, physics professor at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts, and founding chair of the department of physics at the University of California, Irvine. Officials at UC Irvine said in a tribute: Dr. Ford leaves an enduring legacy as a scientist, educator, and institution builder. The School of Physical Sciences honors his foundational role in our history and celebrates the broad impact of his distinguished life. READ MORE: As Nolans Oppenheimer opens, Kenneth Ford recalls working on the H-Bomb He told The Inquirer that he hung out at the local library as he grew up in a Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati and read every book he could find about biology, chemistry, geology, you name it. He went on to write 11 books about physics, flying, and building the H-bomb. Two of his books won awards, and 2015s Building the H Bomb: A Personal History became a hit when the Department of Energy unsuccessfully tried to edit out some of his best material. His research papers on particle scattering, the nuclear transparency of neutrons, and other topics are cited in hundreds of publications. In 1976, he earned a distinguished service citation from the American Association of Physics Teachers. In 2006, he earned an AAPT medal for notable contributions to the teaching of physics. He was the valedictorian at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1944. He served two years in the Navy and earned a summa cum laude bachelors degree in physics at Harvard University and his doctorate at Princeton in 1953. READ MORE: Does Kenneth Ford reveal nuclear-bomb secrets? In 1968, he was so opposed to the Vietnam War that he publicly declined to ever again work in secret or on weapons. It was a statement of principle, he told The Inquirer. Kenneth William Ford was born May 1, 1926, in West Palm Beach, Fla. He married Karin Stehnike in 1953, and they had a son, Paul, and a daughter, Sarah. After a divorce, he married Joanne Baumunk, and they had daughters Caroline and Star, and sons Adam and Jason. His wife and former wife died earlier. Dr. Ford lived in University City, Germantown, and Mount Airy before moving to Foulkeways in 2019. He was an avid pilot and glider for decades. He enjoyed folk dancing, followed the Eagles closely, and excelled at Scrabble and other word games. He loved ice cream, coffee, and bad puns. He became a Quaker and wore a peace sign button for years. Ever the writer, he edited the Foulkeways newsletter. Theres nothing in modern culture that makes something more interesting than the government telling us its dangerous. Dr. Ford in 2015 after his book "Building the H Bomb" became more popular after the Department of Energy tried to censor it In 2023, he said: I spent my whole life looking for new challenges. His son Jason said. He found connections between things. He had an active mind that went in all different directions. In addition to his children, Dr. Ford is survived by 14 grandchildren, a great-grandson, a sister, a stepdaughter, Nina, and other relatives. Services are to be from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, at Foulkeways at Gwynedd, 1120 Meetinghouse Rd., Gwynedd, Pa. 19436. Rioters attack police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In 1838, a pro-slavery mob rioted in Philadelphia, burning a new Quaker meeting house and damaging Mother Bethel, the nation's oldest Black church. Read more I was a firsthand witness to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Inside the House chamber, we heard shouts, footsteps, and gunshots. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was rushed off the floor. The rest of us, representatives and journalists, stayed as frozen as the Rotunda statues. The thousands who stormed the terrace, breaking windows and doors to gain entry, were white nationalists loyal to the president who lost the 2020 election. His name is now emblazoned all over Washington: Donald Trump. Advertisement That was not only an attack on the building itself. That bitter day destroyed an illusion we Americans held dear about our nation: Fair is fair. Win or lose, peace prevailed in our elections. We took pride in our place as the worlds oldest democracy. Echo in history History shows that much the same thing happened in Philadelphia, the Quaker city where our cherished founding documents were drawn up by the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But slavery festered in Jacksonian America, and open hostility to abolitionists was common. Elijah Lovejoy, an abolitionist editor, was murdered by a mob in Alton, Ill. Philadelphia was not spared. In 1838, a majestic new building changed the Philadelphia cityscape. Built by the Society of Friends (the Quakers) for abolitionist gatherings, Pennsylvania Hall was envisioned as a temple of liberty and free speech, with elegant touches like damask drapes and a sunflower-shaped mirror. There, Philadelphia Quakers worked with the worlds people, as they called non-Quakers notably Bostonians and Unitarians to speak out against slavery. Fiery William Lloyd Garrison spoke during opening week. The Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, white abolitionists from South Carolina who had fled North and become Friends, bore witness to the evils of slavery. It did not last long. Founded in 1833, the American Anti-Slavery Society stood just a few blocks away. Lucretia Mott, the leading Philadelphia Quaker abolitionist voice, cofounded the Female Anti-Slavery Society. And it was Mott who most enraged some Southerners studying medicine in the city. The medical students jeered at Black and white female abolitionists walking together in pairs, a procession led by Mott. The word for Black-white mixed company in those days was amalgamation, and the racist Southerners would not tolerate it, hurling insults at the members of the Female Anti-Slavery Society. A shattering night shocked Philadelphias civic pride as a haven for freedom and democracy. On Sixth Street, the students grew into a pack of hundreds, perhaps thousands, rioting and eventually focusing on the beautiful hall, which they burst into and set ablaze in one of the worst mob scenes in antebellum America. Narrow escape But the rampage was not over. Lucretia and James Mott, their son, Thomas, and others went to the Mott home on North Ninth Street. They sensed the mob might be looking for them, and they were right. They were spared an ugly scene by the Quaker poet and journalist, John Greenleaf Whittier. He kept pace with the moving mob as it shouted, To the Motts! and pointed them in the wrong direction. (Much as Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman did in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6.) Instead, the mob damaged Mother Bethel, a Black church and the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation, as well as a nearby Black orphanage. That shattering night shocked Philadelphias civic pride as a haven for freedom and democracy. Was it a place where the free Black community could still feel safe? Clearly not. For sobered antislavery advocates, the riot and fire landed as a moment of reckoning. Violence in Philadelphia meant they had an even more determined foe in proslavery forces than they had thought. Abolitionists would have to rise from the ashes and press their campaign harder for the next 25 years. Today, we may see Pennsylvania Halls burning as a template for the savage attack on the Capitol in our own era. White nationalism, no stranger to Americas streets, rose again with a vengeance. Jamie Stiehm, author of The War Within and a Creators Syndicate columnist, is at work on a biography of Lucretia Mott. She lives in Washington, D.C. The owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced the newspaper would close in May. Read more Pennsylvanias two largest cities have more in common politically, demographically, and economically with one another than with the rest of the commonwealth. For decades, they also had in common the presence of great American newspapers serving their diverse and dynamic communities: The Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sadly, that may no longer be the case. On Tuesday, Block Communications, the owners of the Post-Gazette, announced that on May 3, it will shutter the newspaper, the roots of which date back 240 years. The loss of a once great newspaper in a major American city is itself a civic tragedy. The fact that this loss was entirely preventable is even more unfortunate. Advertisement It is no secret that the traditional print newspaper business is in sharp decline. Self-inflicted wounds including a long history of labor strife, family disunity, and financial losses have compounded these headwinds at the Post-Gazette. The Block familys announcement cited cumulative losses of over $350 million over a 20-year period. Disclosure of a decision to close the paper came the same day the U.S. Supreme Court denied the companys appeal of a decision that required it to honor the terms of an earlier union contract, and after the resolution of a bitter three-year labor strike. Striking workers agreed to return to work on Nov. 24 and were told this week they would be severed. The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, of which I am CEO, is in the business of helping sustain and support local news. I heard this week from more than half a dozen news industry colleagues about the potential to save the Post-Gazette. As a Philly-based journalism executive, I was unsure what was really left of the Post-Gazette to save. So I reached out to Pittsburgh newsroom sources, readers, and local foundations. While the Post-Gazette has suffered multiple layoffs and a reduction in its print schedule to two days a week, there is unquestionably still a there, there. The current newsroom numbers 110 employees. And its journalists still produce great public service journalism, covering politics to sports. More importantly, with or without the Post-Gazette, there remains a need and an appetite among readers for independent local news in Pittsburgh. As of the end of 2025, more than 60,000 pay for the P-G in digital form, and 27,000 in print. To save, reinvent, or perhaps replace the Post-Gazette, it is instructive to look at recent local news investment in Philadelphia and Baltimore: Ten years ago this month, the late H.F. Gerry Lenfest, a philanthropist and cable television entrepreneur, donated his ownership of The Philadelphia Inquirer to the nonprofit Lenfest Institute for Journalism, allowing The Inquirer to invest long term in the transformation of its news and business operations. The Inquirers 200-person newsroom is supported in large part by the loyalty of readers, the growth of its digital revenues, and supplemented by donations from readers, foundations, and the Lenfest Institute. The Inquirer, which remains a for-profit enterprise, is well-managed, both editorially and as a business. It has more than 120,000 paying digital subscribers, and philanthropy a finite resource is a single-digit percentage of total revenues, although mission-critical. Emulating the Lenfest Institute model, Stewart W. Bainum Jr., a Maryland-based hotel and healthcare executive, sought to acquire the Baltimore Sun from its parent company and to convert it to nonprofit ownership. Unable to come to terms with a difficult seller, Bainum chose instead to launch the Baltimore Banner from scratch in 2022, an impressive, all-digital nonprofit news enterprise that won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting last year for coverage of its citys opioid crisis. Pittsburghs journalistic, business, and philanthropic interests have several paths open to them: The Post-Gazette could be acquired by a nonprofit organization similar to the Lenfest Institute. However, local leaders with whom I have spoken seem loath to take on its obligations and liabilities. Lets hope Pittsburgh finds the resolve to serve its residents with the local news they need and deserve. Certainly, we at the Lenfest Institute are here to help. The Post-Gazette is by no means the sole source of independent journalism serving Southwest Pennsylvania. The region is covered by NPR station WESA, by Pittsburghs Public Source, a small but effective nonprofit, and by Harrisburg-based Spotlight PA, of which the Lenfest Institute was a founder. Each of these entities could help form the foundation of expanded Pittsburgh news. Or the community could build from scratch, mirroring the approach of the Baltimore Banner. Each path has its complications, but they all have one thing in common: the need for determined, deep-pocketed, and strategically aligned funders to create sustainable local news at scale for the city of Pittsburgh. Maxwell E.P. King, a former editor of The Inquirer and past president of two of Pittsburghs leading philanthropies Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh Foundation has sounded the alarm. I am heartbroken, both as a reader and a contributor to the Post-Gazette, King told me. But the community, particularly the foundation community, must rally to this moment. Nonprofit journalism is succeeding around the country, most notably in Philadelphia with The Inquirer. We have to find a viable nonprofit way to continue daily journalism here. It is crucial for the region. Lets hope Pittsburgh finds the resolve to serve its residents with the local news they need and deserve. Certainly, we at the Lenfest Institute are here to help. Jim Friedlich is CEO and executive director of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the nonprofit, noncontrolling owner of The Inquirer. @jimfriedlich A demonstrator holds a sign memorializing Renee Good during a protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, Texas, on Thursday. Read more The shooting death of Renee Good by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis will likely spark the kind of outrage that we witnessed after the murder of George Floyd. Not just because Good a 37-year-old wife and mother was a U.S. citizen whose shooting by a federal agent was captured on several videos. Not even because those videos indicate that the governments initial account of the shooting is false. Goods death will trigger outrage because she was a white woman, and in America, the lives of white women are valued more than most. Advertisement Its haunting, really. Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent about a mile from where Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in 2020. Video of both incidents circled the world in seconds. And while Good was a white woman and Floyd was a Black man, the role of race hangs ominously over both incidents. Floyd was a victim of the disproportionate police violence leveled against Black people, and Good a white woman was a casualty of Donald Trumps war on Black and brown immigrants. The confrontation that killed Good occurred after the Trump administration sent more than 2,000 federal agents and officers to Minnesota as part of a large enforcement operation targeting Somali immigrants. The surge of federal agents, which took place on the heels of fraud allegations leveled at Somalis, was met with protests. Good, who was in a maroon Honda near one such protest, was approached by ICE agents in other vehicles. An agent walked up to her vehicle, pulled her door handle, and yelled, Get the f out of the car! Good first tried to back up, and then drove forward, veering around an ICE officer who shot into the vehicle. Good died from her injuries. Trump claimed Good caused the shooting because she tried to run over the ICE agent, according to the New York Times. Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, claimed the ICE agent shot Good in self-defense after Good tried to commit an act of domestic terrorism. A Homeland Security spokesperson went further, accusing Good of trying to use her vehicle as a weapon to kill the agent. Noem even called Good an anti-ICE rioter, which makes no sense, since it would be difficult to riot from inside a stationary vehicle. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was having none of it. He called the claims of self-defense bullshit, and demanded that ICE get out of Minneapolis. Weve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis, Frey said during a news conference. Not only is this a concern that weve had internally, weve been talking about it. They are not here to cause safety in this city. What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. Just as importantly, the death of a white woman at the hands of ICE is bringing clarity. This heartbreaking shooting lets us know that no one is exempt from the violence this administration is apparently willing to unleash to uphold its anti-immigrant policies. No one is exempt from the violence this administration is apparently willing to unleash to uphold its anti-immigrant policies. I have no doubt Goods death will be extensively covered, because police shootings of white women are rare. In fact, the Washington Post database of police shootings indicates that between 2015 and 2024, white women comprised less than 1% of police shooting victims each year. Still, theres more to it than that. White women in America are valued, and when they go missing or are victimized, media attention is so overwhelming that social scientists use a specific term to describe it: Missing White Woman Syndrome. With that in mind, here is the ugly truth: Americas racial hierarchy will assuredly seek justice for Good. And while I hate that she senselessly lost her life at the hands of her government, and was demonized by the president and his cabinet members, I am nonetheless hopeful for change. If this brutal incident wakes Americans to the danger of this moment, Renee Good did not lose her life in vain. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 3 as Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens. Read more No one should mourn for Nicolas Maduro, and the U.S. military extraction of the Venezuelan dictator was a military tour de force. Those are the only two positive things to be said about President Donald Trumps latest made-for-TV foreign operation, which has squandered American guns and taxpayer money on a lunatic venture based entirely on lies. Advertisement Contrary to prior White House claims, the removal of Maduro had nothing to do with drug cartels, terrorism, or threats to U.S. security. Nor was it meant to restore democracy to Venezuela (as Trump stiffs exiled opposition leaders and stifles talk of future elections). Instead, based on the presidents own words, this monthslong exercise was aimed at taking control of Venezuelas oil. It was also aimed at reinforcing Trumps personal role as virtual emperor of the Western Hemisphere (and expediting the collapse of Cuba). Trumps emperor complex has also renewed threats to seize Greenland or bludgeon longtime NATO ally Denmark into selling the autonomous island. In truth, the administrations Venezuelan adventure threatens to drag America into another foreign quagmire and undermine U.S. security around the world. After years of denouncing GOP hawks and Democrats over regime change gone bad in Baghdad and Kabul, Trump now says he intends to run Venezuela and manage its oil indefinitely. While he fixates on the derring-do of the Maduro extraction, the presidents proposals for follow-up are incoherent and contradictory. His intense focus on our hemisphere distracts U.S. attention from the growing Russian and Chinese threats in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. As Anne Patterson, a former U.S. ambassador to Colombia and Ecuador who also served as assistant secretary of state for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, asked, in frustration: What is a carrier strike group doing in the Caribbean? Weve been fighting this drug war for decades, she recounted, but it is a huge public health problem, not a security threat. It is nothing like China circling around Taiwan with warships and planes. Instead of facing reality, the White House is trying to sell Trumps fantasies to the public with an endless stream of falsehoods and fake facts. For starters, the Venezuelan regime change will hardly affect the U.S. drug problem. Fentanyl is the drug that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and Venezuela neither makes nor exports fentanyl. That drug is manufactured in Mexico using precursor chemicals from China. (Some cocaine passes through Venezuela, but it goes mainly to Europe.) In other words, the fentanyl problem Trump claims to be addressing can only be resolved via negotiations with Mexico and China. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justice has just dropped criminal charges that Maduro led a drug cartel. The reason for this shift? As Latin America experts have long contended, the so-called Cartel de los Soles cited by Trump officials as a terrorist threat was not a real organization at all. It is a Venezuelan slang term used for officials corrupted by drug money, including the Maduro regime. Now that the Justice Department plans to bring Maduro to trial, perhaps Attorney General Pam Bondi realized she could not present fake facts about cartels under oath. Maduro is a corrupt thug who no doubt made money off drug dealers, but he did not lead a terrorist cartel. Again, a distinct downgrade from the monster threat the White House has painted as justification for its raid. The Trump team has also put forward no plan for a transition from Maduros corrupt, repressive government to one that might curb what drug dealing does go on. He has not even spoken to opposition leaders in exile who won the 2024 election before Maduro stole it. Instead, the president has chosen to recognize Maduros vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, and her brutal interior and defense ministers, who have increased repression against political opponents since Maduro was taken. In fact, the government remains the same, I was told by Venezuelan native Carolina Jimenez Sandoval, the head of the Washington Office on Latin America. Are we seeing a transition without a transition for another strongman more conducive to American interests? Venezuelans want an answer. In truth, Trump is himself acting like a strongman, insisting he will run Venezuela indefinitely. He seems to believe that by enforcing U.S. (and his personal) control of all Venezuelan oil sales and revenues, in a cockamamie scheme that appears both illegal and unmanageable, the repressive regime in Caracas can be forced to do U.S. bidding. When asked by the New York Times whether the U.S. would remain Venezuelas overlord for more than a year, the president replied, I would say much longer. Why? What possible reason is there for Trump to expend U.S. resources on running Venezuela? Even the lure of oil money makes little sense. The president insists there are fortunes to be made if U.S. oil firms return to develop its enormous oil reserves. But apart from Chevron, which has remained in the country, large U.S. companies are reluctant. Thats because it will take tens of billions of dollars in investment to make the countrys neglected fields viable, global oil is abundant, prices are low, and Venezuelas future is uncertain. If Venezuela pumps more oil and drives global prices down further as Trump is demanding it will negatively affect the interests of oil producers on the U.S. mainland. In fact, large producers interest in Venezuela is so tepid that Trump is actually offering to use taxpayer money to subsidize the return of U.S. companies to the country. To sum up, neither drugs, nor cartels, nor terrorism, nor oil are valid or legitimate reasons for taking out Maduro, especially as we are leaving his thuggish government in place. Whats worse, his Venezuelan venture appears to be inspiring Trump to fantasize about other snatch operations or military takeovers in tragic imitation of a Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping. Asked in the Times interview if there were any limits on his global powers, Trump said: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. These are the words of a wannabe dictator. If they dont awaken more GOP legislators to vote to curb his future use of military force in Venezuela via a bipartisan bill now under Senate debate then they will be complicit in the trashing of U.S. security by an egomaniac who believes his own lies. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro shakes hands with Treasurer Stacy Garrity in Harrisburg at her swearing-in ceremony last year. Garrity, a Republican, is challenging Shapiro for governor. Read more Pennsylvanias race for governor has officially begun. And 10 months before the election, the November matchup already appears to be set. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro formally announced his reelection campaign Thursday not that anyone thought he wouldnt run. And Republicans have rapidly coalesced behind the state partys endorsed candidate, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Advertisement The race will dominate Pennsylvania politics through November, but it could also have a national impact as Democrats hope Shapiro at the top of the state ticket can elevate the partys chances in several key congressional races. Heres what you need to know about the high-stakes contest. The candidates Josh Shapiro Shapiro is seeking a second term as Pennsylvanias top executive as hes rumored to be setting his sights on the presidency in 2028. Just weeks after his campaign launch, Shapiro will head to New York and Washington, D.C., as part of a multicity book tour promoting his memoir. Shapiro was first elected to public office in 2004 when he flipped a state House seat to represent parts of Montgomery County. As a freshman lawmaker, he quickly built a reputation of brokering deals across party lines. He went on to win a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011, flipping the board blue for the first time in decades. Shapiro was elected state attorney general in 2016, a year when Pennsylvania went for Republican Donald Trump in the presidential contest. The position put Shapiro in the national spotlight in 2020 when Trump sought to overturn his loss in the state that year through a series of legal challenges, which Shapiros office successfully battled in court. He went on to decisively beat Trump-backed Republican State. Sen. Doug Mastriano for the governorship in 2022. Despite an endorsement from Trump, Mastriano lacked the support of much of Pennsylvanias Republican establishment and spent the election cycle discouraging his supporters from voting by mail. Throughout Shapiros first term as governor, he has highlighted his bipartisan bona fides and ability to get stuff done his campaign motto despite contending with a divided legislature. His launch video highlights the quick reconstruction of I-95 following a tanker explosion in 2023. In 2024, Shapiro was vetted as a possible running mate for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately snubbed the Pennsylvanian in favor of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Harris went on to lose the state to Trump. Stacy Garrity Garrity is Shapiros likely opponent in the general election. She earned an early endorsement from the Pennsylvania Republican Party in September after winning a second term to her current position in 2024 with the highest total of votes in history for a state office, breaking a record previously held by Shapiro. She has been quick to go on the attack against the Democratic governor in recent months. Throughout Pennsylvanias monthslong budget impasse Garrity criticized Shapiros leadership style and panned the final agreement he reached with lawmakers as fiscally irresponsible. Garritys campaign has focused on contrasting her priorities with Shapiros, arguing the governor is more interested in higher office than he is in Pennsylvania. A strong supporter of Trump, Garrity is one of the only women that has been elected to statewide office in Pennsylvania history. If elected, she would be the first female governor in state history. Garrity is a retired U.S. Army colonel who was executive at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. before she was elected treasurer in 2020. Running a relatively low-key state office, Garrity successfully lobbied Pennsylvanias General Assembly to allow her to issue checks to residents whose unclaimed property was held by her office, even if they hadnt filed claims requesting it. Anyone else? While Shapiro and Garrity are the likely nominees for their parties, candidates have until March to file petitions for the race. That theoretically leaves the possibility of a primary contest open for both candidates, but it appears unlikely at this point. Mastriano, who ran against Shapiro in 2022, spent months floating a potential run for governor against Garrity. He announced Wednesday that he would not be seeking the Republican nomination. The stakes Why this matters for Pennsylvanians The outcome of Pennsylvanias gubernatorial race could hold wide-ranging impacts on transportation funding, election law, and education policy, among other issues. The states governor has a powerful role in issuing executing actions, setting agendas for the General Assembly, and signing or vetoing new laws. The governor also appoints the secretary of state, the top Pennsylvania election official who will oversee the administration of the next presidential election in the key swing state. Throughout the entirety of Shapiros first term, he has been forced to work across the aisle because of the split legislature. Throughout that time the balance of power in Harrisburg has tilted toward Democrats who hold the governors mansion and the Pennsylvania House. But many of the partys goals including expanded funding for SEPTA and other public transit have been blocked by the Republican-held Senate. If Garrity were to win that dynamic would shift, offering Republicans more leverage as they seek to cut state spending and expand school voucher options (while Shapiro has said he supports vouchers, the policy has not made it into any budget deals under him). Shapiros ambition Widely rumored to have his sights set on higher office, Shapiros presidential ambitions may rise and fall with his performance in his reelection campaign. Shapiro coasted to victory against Mastriano in 2022, winning by 15 points. The 2026 election is expected to be good for Democrats with Trump becoming an increasingly unpopular president. But Garrity is viewed as a potentially stronger opponent to take on Shapiro than Mastriano, even though her political views have often aligned with the far-right senator. When the midterms conclude, the 2028 presidential cycle will begin. If Shapiro can pull off another decisive win in a state that voted for Trump in 2024, it could go a long way toward aiding his national profile. But if Garrity wins, it could end the governors chances of putting up a serious campaign for the presidency in 2028. Every other race in Pennsylvania The governors contest is the marquee race in Pennsylvania in 2026. Garrity and Shapiro have the ability to help or hurt candidates running for Pennsylvanias statehouse and Congress. The momentum of these candidates, and their ability to draw voters to the polls could play a key role in determining whether Democrats can successfully flip four competitive U.S. House districts as they attempt to take back the chamber. Democrats also narrowly hold control of the Pennsylvania House and are hoping to flip three seats to regain control of the Pennsylvania Senate for the first time in decades. If Democrats successfully flip the state Senate blue, it would offer Shapiro a Democratic trifecta to push for long-held Democratic goals if he were to win reelection. Strong Democratic turnout at the statewide level could drive enthusiasm down-ballot, and vice versa. Similarly, weak turnout could aid Republican incumbents in retaining their seats. The dates The election is still months away but here are days Pennsylvanians should put on their calendars. The Abington Free Library, on Old York Road in Abington, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Read more For more than four years, dozens of LGBTQ+ kids and their families have joined the Abington Township Public Library for Rainbow Connections, a monthly Zoom program, to read childrens books, craft, make new friends, and meet interesting people, such as Jeopardy! super champ Amy Schneider. But within the past week, the program the only one of its kind in Montgomery County libraries has become a target of a right-wing social media campaign that has circulated misinformation and directed threatening language at the program, prompting the library to release a statement Monday setting the record straight, said Library Director Elizabeth Fitzgerald in an interview Tuesday. Advertisement Rainbow Connections is not a sexual education class. Sexual health, reproduction, puberty, and intimate relationships are not discussed, the statement said in part. Though its not different from any other story time or library program, Fitzgerald says, Rainbow Connections mission is to foster a welcoming and intentional environment for LGBTQ+ kids in grades K-5, including those who may be struggling to make friends at school. Its virtual format has allowed families from around the country to join. Ultimately just a space where the kids could attend a library program and feel safe, Fitzgerald said. Comments attacking the program appeared on the librarys Facebook page early last week. A day later, LibsofTikTok, a controversial far-right social media account founded by Chaya Raichik, as identified by the Washington Post, posted about Rainbow Connections. LibsofTikTok, which frequently targets LGBTQ+ people nationwide, spurred misinformed outrage from its millions of followers about the programs upcoming events. The accounts posts have often provoked real-life consequences. In 2024, after posting about the William Way Community Center, an LGBTQ+-focused nonprofit in Philadelphia, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman and former Democratic Sen. Bob Casey signed a letter requesting to withdraw federal funding from a renovation project that would have made the centers headquarters more accessible and expanded William Ways programming space. These are difficult times, and I think that the commentary that took off on social media underscores the reason why we need to create spaces where members of the LGBTQ community feel safe, Fitzgerald said. Library staff established the program in November 2021 after a community member reached out and asked if the library would help address a need for a safe space for LGBTQ+ kids. According to anonymous comments from families provided by the library to The Inquirer, parents are profoundly grateful for the safe environment that Rainbow Connections has created for their children. Names were withheld by the library to protect families safety and privacy. My children live in a two-mom household, so I thought it would be a great program to connect with other kids and possibly see other families that look like ours, one parent said. Another parent said they had tears in my eyes listening to [the kids] introduce themselves, awed by their bravery and vulnerability. A family who lives in North Carolina said Rainbow Connections helped their child better understand their identity and build community Your program brought us light, hope and education when we were feeling isolated, confused and hopeless. The social media ambush against Rainbow Connections comes amid an increasingly hostile environment for the LGBTQ+ community. For instance, President Donald Trump signed an executive order recognizing only two genders, and his administration has proposed a plan to prevent hospitals from offering gender-affirming care to minors. In Abington, its not the first time that events related to the LGBTQ+ community have been disparaged, said Township Commissioner John Spiegelman, who represents the area where the public library is located. The townships yearly raising of the Pride flag has provoked a lawsuit against Spiegelman and other members of the board, he said. Is it getting worse here and everywhere? Certainly it is, Spiegelman said. In the aftermath of the social media posts, Fitzgerald said Rainbow Connections will be contacting parents to say the program will continue and that their safety is ensured. It is my hope that the children who participate dont have any idea that this is going on, Fitzgerald added. Since the online backlash, the Montgomery County community has rallied around the library and Rainbow Connections, which has served as a model for other Pennsylvania libraries programming for LGBTQ+ youth. More communities should embrace programs like Rainbow Connections, said Jason Landau Goodman, board chair of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, in a statement. Young students today read books that feature all types of people because diverse stories reflect the real world we live in. Some students experience bullying or harassment based on who they are and many still do not get opportunities to see themselves reflected in the stories they learn from, added Goodman, who is also running for state representative in Montgomery County. The Abington Human Relations Commission said in a statement Monday that they stand in solidarity with the library and encouraged community members to seek information directly from reliable sources and to engage in dialogue grounded in respect and understanding. Fitzgerald said that in spite of the derogatory comments snowballing online, the library has been receiving an onslaught of supportive calls and emails. Thats really meant the world to us, she said. Just to know that the people who dont want this program to exist, theyre a vocal, small, nonlocal majority, and that I believe theres a much larger number of residents who love the library and who care about their neighbors and fellow community members. Toll Brothers CEO Douglas C. Yearley Jr., pictured in February 2025, will be succeeded in late March by Karl K. Mistry, an executive vice president who has been at the company for 22 years. Read more Toll Brothers, the luxury homebuilder based in Fort Washington, will have a new CEO this spring. Karl K. Mistry, an executive vice president who has been with the company for 22 years, is set to be promoted to CEO effective March 30, Toll Brothers announced Wednesday. Mistry will succeed Douglas C. Yearley Jr., who will become executive chairman of the board. Advertisement Yearley has served as CEO since 2010, when he was given the reins by company cofounder Robert Toll during the financial crisis. Mistry joined Toll Brothers in 2004 and went on to hold leadership positions in the Houston and Washington, D.C., markets. Since 2021, Mistry has managed the companys homebuilding operations in 15 states in the Eastern U.S. Karl has honed his skills in both strong markets and challenging ones. He has run numerous homebuilding divisions and has overseen our expansion into several major markets, Yearley said in a statement. With Karl at the helm partnering with our other seasoned leaders and operating teams, the companys future is in excellent hands. Mistry is set to receive a base salary of $1 million, with annual cash bonuses of around $2.25 million, according to the companys recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Yearley, who was named one of Barrons top 25 CEOs in 2024, made an annual base salary of $1.2 million, as well as nearly $8 million in cash incentives, according to SEC filings. As executive board chair, Yearleys base salary is set to remain at $1.2 million, according to the recent filing, and his total annual compensation is expected to be $6.6 million, including cash bonuses and long-term equity, starting in fiscal year 2027. Toll Brothers was founded in 1967 by brothers Bob and Bruce Toll, who grew up in Elkins Park and were the sons of a homebuilder. Their company has since expanded, now building in more than 60 markets nationwide. Toll Brothers recorded a record $10.8 billion in home sales revenue in fiscal year 2025, according to the companys most recent earnings report. But the company was less profitable than in 2024, with net income at $1.35 billion, compared with $1.57 billion the prior year. Last year, Toll Brothers executed well in a choppy environment that saw soft demand across many markets, Yearley said in a statement accompanying the report. During that time, Toll Brothers sold more than 11,000 homes for $960,000 on average, according to the report. The company described its customer base in a recent news release as first-time, move-up, active-adult, and second-home buyers. When Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced that state workers would need to return to offices at least three days per week starting Dec. 1, the state employees union warned the initiative could cause a mass exodus of top staff. So far, that doesnt appear to be the case. Comparing mid-September to mid-December of 2025 to the same period in 2024, retirements are up slightly from 66 to 76, according to data from the Vermont Department of Human Resources. Resignations, on the other hand, have fallen from 205 to 185, a drop of nearly 10% compared to last year. Sarah Clark, Vermonts secretary of administration, said in a recent interview that the number of applicants for state jobs has actually risen. When you look out at whats happening both in the federal government and the private sector, I think state government is a very attractive employer, Clark said, crediting in part the states health and pension benefits. The Vermont state government and its employees union have been facing off since Scott announced this summer that employees would need to return to work in-person at least three days a week. Like many employers around the country, Vermonts government is navigating the challenge of trying to bring its workforce back into the office more regularly following the normalization of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. As for how the first month of the three-day office mandate is going, Clark described it as relatively smooth, though navigating childcare and long commutes are top issues state employees have reported. This is a big change for our workforce, and Im empathetic to their concerns and needs, she said. But (Im) also excited about the opportunity that it presents for us supporting Vermonters and also working collectively together. Despite the administrations optimism, the Vermont State Employees Association the union representing state workers is continuing to pursue legal challenges to the mandate. The administration didnt talk to employees. They just threw this out there, and said, This is the way it is,' Steve Howard, the unions executive director, said. We dont agree with that. We think they have an obligation to bargain with us. In late November, the state employees union took the Scott administration to court, hoping a judge would deny or delay the return to office mandate. The judge ultimately did not issue an injunction, finding that state employees had sufficient relief available to them through the states exemption process, through which employees can make their case for working remotely more than two days per week. But the union has continued its legal challenges, with a Vermont Labor Relation Board hearing expected in February, according to Howard. Howard said employees have received contradictory guidance from managers about when to apply for exemptions and what might qualify a person for an exemption, and some supervisors still dont know what to tell people about how to navigate the mandate. As of mid-December, the Scott administration had received about 500 requests for exceptions to the in-office policy. About 40 had been approved, according to Clark, and the rest remained outstanding, with employees allowed to work their previous schedules while their requests are processed. State leaders have said they are reviewing all employee requests for more remote work flexibility on a case-by-base basis. Its unclear if the approved requests have any similarities. While state-issued guidance has listed very limited circumstances when exemptions may be warranted, officials have said exceptions are not limited to those reasons. Any employee who believes they have a compelling reason for an exception can make their case, according to state guidance. Vermonts flexible working arrangements law also allows employees to request changes to their working arrangements, such as remote work flexibility. Employers must consider an employees request and whether it could be granted in a manner that is not inconsistent with its business operations or its legal or contractual obligations. Half to two-thirds of state employees had already been working in person more than three days per week and thus their work was not impacted by the hybrid mandate, Clark said. In a tight budget year, the added cost of returning to offices has drawn criticism. The state is leasing new office space in Waterbury to accommodate workers, paying $430,000 in the first year and $2.3 million by the end of a five year lease. The new offices also require one-time costs to prepare the sites to be occupied by state workers, which total $385,000, according to Clark. While data doesnt show a mass exodus of state employees, some have reported resigning as a result of the return to office. Matthew Grimo, a paralegal with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said he had been commuting two days per week from Burlington to Barre. An extra day of the roughly 50-minute commute wasnt a financial burden he could accept. Grimo submitted his resignation last week. I love my team, I love working with my team, he said, One hundred percent I wouldnt have considered this if the return to office had not cropped up. Grimo said he submitted a request to be exempted from the three-day requirement in November and had continued commuting two days per week since the number of days hed been told to commute when he was hired in 2024. But he had yet to hear back from the state, Grimo said, and felt he had to assume his exemption wouldnt be approved and decided to resign accordingly. The state, the administration was incredibly unclear, and to this day, is still incredibly unclear with exactly what they expect and what they will allow with employees, he said. In his new job, Grimo will actually need to commute more often, but the drive will be much shorter. Its five minutes from my house versus an hour, he said, which makes all the difference to me. Photo: Vermont State Capitol, Montpelier. This story was originally published by VTDigger and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The District of Columbia-based bagel chain Call Your Mother Corp. has settled its trademark infringement complaint against a New Jersey bagel shop called Bubbi Bagels for using Call Your Bubbi in its marketing. Call Your Mother alleged that the use of the similar phrase and appearance in connection with overlapping goods through similar channels of trade creates a likelihood of consumer confusion, mistake, or deception as to source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement. Call Your Mother argued that in Jewish culture, the terms Mother and Bubbi both denote a Jewish matriarch. For Jewish delis whose brand narratives often center on tradition, comfort, and family recipes both marks evoke the same core idea a warm and loving (but also somewhat instructive or scolding) prompt to call your mother or grandmother, and to grab some coffee and bagels while you are at it, the complaint filed in federal district court in New Jersey explained. The lawsuit settlement filed this week did not disclose any details. The Bubbi website is still using Call Your Bubbi although its unclear if the design has been changed. Daniela Moreira and Andrew Dana created the Call Your Mother brand by selling their coffee, bagels, and related foods at farmers markets in Washington, D.C. Dana sought to create a brand that was inspired by his Jewish family traditions, while Moreira brought her Argentinian background to the venture. The two have grown the company to where it now includes 18 locations, what they refer to as Jew-ish shops, in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Colorado. They plan further expansion. Last August, they discovered that Bubbi Bagels, with one shop in Long Branch, New Jersey, was using the phrase Call Your Bubbi in its marketing. The New Jersey company ignored a request for it to halt use of the phrase, according to the complaint. Another Trump administration effort to punish a political opponent is in legal limbo after a federal judge disqualified the US attorney in Albany, New York, investigating state Attorney General Letitia James. John Sarcone, the acting US attorney for the Northern District of New York, wasnt properly appointed to his position, US District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled Thursday. Her decision is the latest blow to President Donald Trumps push to place loyalists in key prosecutorial jobs. Lindsey Halligan and Alina Habba were similarly disqualified late last year from their respective posts as US attorneys in Virginia and New Jersey. Sarcone has been investigating whether James office violated Trumps civil rights by bringing a 2022 civil fraud lawsuit against him and his company that resulted in a $464 million penalty. The fine was vacated on appeal in August, but the finding that Trump committed fraud by inflated asset values was upheld. Both sides have appealed to the states highest court. Mr. Sarcone is disqualified from any further involvement in prosecuting or supervising the instant investigations, regardless of his title, Schofield said. The judge said Sarcones appointment violated the requirement that US attorneys be confirmed by the Senate. Sarcones office didnt immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The White House also did not immediately respond. The Trump administration had also targeted James in a mortgage-fraud prosecution in Virginia. But that case, along with one against former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey, was dismissed following Halligans disqualification. Halligan and Habba were both personal attorneys for Trump with no prosecutorial experience before their appointments. Habba resigned from her role, though Halligan has remained in place despite her disqualification. A federal grand jury in Virginia declined to indict James for a second time over mortgage fraud claims. James sued in August to disqualify Sarcone and block subpoenas stemming from his investigation. She also said there was no justification for the federal probes, which she said were started simply because the president is unhappy that her office enforced New York law. This decision is an important win for the rule of law and we will continue to defend our offices successful litigation from this administrations political attacks, a spokesperson for James said in a statement. Sarcone also is investigating the attorney generals civil suit against the National Rifle Association, a Trump ally. The ruling blocks subpoenas in that probe too. The judge said the subpoenas may be reissued through a lawfully authorized official. Special Attorney The president has sought to bypass the Senate on US attorney appointments due to the blue slip custom that allows senators to veto nominees for their states. Sarcone served as interim US attorney in Albany for a 120-day term. Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently named in a special attorney and first assistant US attorney for the district. The first assistant can carry out the duties of the US attorney if the role is still vacant. At a Dec. 4 court hearing, evidence was presented showing that he had signed four documents two subpoenas and their respective cover letters as acting US attorney, even though he was designated a special attorney. In a filing in the Sarcone case, lawyers for James said she was being targeted by Trump for proving in court that the Trump Organization and President Trumps political ally, the NRA, engaged in massive fraud and malfeasance against the people of New York. The case is Grand Jury Subpoenas v. US, 25-mc-00019, US District Court, Northern District of New York (Albany). Photo: New York Attorney General Letitia James Topics New York The Andover Companies has completed its reorganization into a mutual holding company structure, effective January 1, 2026. The plan of reorganization was recently approved by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and the policyholders of Merrimack Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and Cambridge Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Both mutuals are now wholly owned subsidiaries of The Andover Companies, Inc., headquartered in Andover, Mass. Bay State Inc. is also part of the group. Massachusetts Approves Reorganizations, Mergers for Andover Companies Under the reorganization, Merrimack Mutual was converted into a stock insurance company and re-named Merrimack Insurance Co. and Cambridge Mutual was converted into a stock insurance company and re-named Cambridge Insurance Co. Members of the group offer personal lines products including homeowners, condo and renters insurance and business insurance products that they distribute through independent agents. The company says the new structure will enhance operational efficiency, support long-term competitive standing, and unlock strategic opportunities in a continually evolving marketplace. By adopting a mutual holding company structure, we are preserving the mutual roots that have defined our organization for nearly 200 years while creating the flexibility required to continue meeting the needs of our policyholders, agents, and employees for generations to come, stated Chuck DiGrande, president and CEO. Fire safety inspections hadnt been carried out since 2019 at the Swiss bar where a fire at a New Years party left 40 people dead and over 100 injured, local authorities said Tuesday. Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at Le Constellation in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. 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, according to the Valais regions chief prosecutor. Related: Swiss Bars Owners Face Criminal Negligence Probe After Fire The regulations in Valais call for annual fire safety inspections of buildings that are accessible to the public, and regional authorities say they are the responsibility of the municipality. On Tuesday, the Crans-Montana municipality said that inspections of Le Constellation that included fire safety checks had been carried out in 2016, 2018 and 2019, and that modifications had been requested but no issues with soundproofing measures had been raised. The local council discovered after consulting documents after the fire that periodic checks were not carried out between 2020 and 2025, the head of Crans-Montanas municipal government, Nicolas Feraud, told a news conference. We regret this bitterly, he said, adding that it will be up to judicial authorities to determine what influence that may have had on the events that led to the fire. Feraud said he couldnt immediately explain why safety inspections hadnt been conducted for such a long time. Feraud said that, in September last year, an external expert had been asked to carry out a soundproofing analysis and had concluded that the bar complied with anti-noise rules, without making further remarks. The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims of the fire that broke out at about 1:30 a.m. on New Years Day, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Investigators finished identifying the 40 dead on Sunday and said on Monday that they had identified all 116 people who were injured, from several countries. On Monday, the Paris prosecutors office announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators. Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest 14, and 23 were injured. Feraud said reports from the inspections that were carried out mentioned a maximum capacity of 100 people on the bars ground floor and 100 in its basement. Its unclear how many people were in Le Constellation when the blaze broke out and investigators have said that may never be known. The municipality said the bars owner obtained a permit to build a veranda in 2015 and also carried out interior work at the bar that did not require a permit. It said it has now decided to ban the use of fireworks indoors and commission an external agency to carry out inspections of such establishments. ___ John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report. Photograph: Swiss Minister of Justice Beat Jans and State Councillor Mathias Reynard lay flowers at the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Years celebrations. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Erste Group Bank AG sold a significant risk transfer linked to more than 10 billion ($11.7 billion) of loans as the Austrian bank seeks to free up capital for its largest ever acquisition. The Vienna-based lender sold the SRT to a small group of insurance companies, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private. The reference portfolio includes loans from small and mid-sized firms originated by Erstes network of Austrian savings banks, the people said. The transaction is one of the largest SRT deals exclusively targeting insurance companies, the people said. Erste said it has concluded its envisaged SRTs for the 2025 financial year, comprising transactions in Austria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. These transactions support our growth ambitions in the respective geographies, as well as group-wide, a representative for Erste said in an emailed response to questions, without providing further details on SRTs. Erste is in the process of finalizing the purchase of a 49% stake in Santander Bank Polska as part of a 7 billion deal. The bank has said it hopes to close the transaction, which includes the Polish banks asset management arm, by mid-January, after regulatory approvals last year. Erste will pay for the Polish bank without raising new capital, anticipating its common equity tier 1 ratio, a key metric of financial strength, falling by about 460 basis points. SRT transactions are helping to partially off-set the impact of this expansion, increasing the CET1 ratio by over 40 basis points, Chief Financial Officer Stefan Doerfler said in a call with analysts in August. SRTs allow banks to insure loans against default by selling credit-linked notes to funds. Lenders typically obtain default protection for between 5% and 15% of the loan value. The market for these instruments could double over the next five years, according to Man Group estimates. Insurance companies take part in the market but frequently issue a guarantee instead of buying the notes. European policymakers are considering improving the terms under which insurers can invest in SRTs as part of a wider overhaul of the regions capital markets. Photograph: Erste Group branding. Photo credit: Michaela Nagyidaiova/Bloomberg Copyright 2026 Bloomberg. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Carriers A Russia-bound oil tanker suffered a drone attack in the Black Sea that prompted it to request Turkish coastguard assistance and divert from its course, according to a notice by Lloyds List Intelligence and a separate maritime security source on Thursday. Maritime data specialist Lloyds List Intelligence said the Palau-flagged Elbus vessel experienced an unmanned marine-vehicle and drone attack on Wednesday targeting its engine room, and that no injuries were reported among the 25 crew, nor any pollution. The security source described it as a drone attack, based on an assessment. It was unclear who or what was behind the incident. In late November, shipping insurance rates rose after Ukrainian naval drones hit two Russia-bound tankers in the Black Sea, incidents that prompted Moscow to threaten retaliation and Ankara to urge calm. Another vessel, Russian-flagged, said in early December that it too was attacked in the sea, but Kyiv denied any role in that incident. The Security Service of Ukraine did not respond when asked about the incident involving Elbus. Turkeys transport ministry was not immediately available to comment. The Russian embassy in Ankara was not immediately available to comment. The Black Sea is crucial for grain, oil and oil products shipping and its waters are shared by Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. The vessel was headed on Wednesday to the Russian port of Novorossiysk from Singapore, the Lloyds notice said. Marinetraffic data showed the Elbus had settled a few kilometers off the northern Turkish port of Inebolu on Thursday, after having diverted from its earlier eastward course across the Black Sea. It dropped anchor at Inebolu anchorage under its own power, Lloyds said. Calls to the Inebolu harbor master did not get through. (Reporting by Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul and Jonathan Saul in London; additional reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alex Richardson and Alison Williams) Related: This edition of International People Moves details leadership transitions at Munich Re Specialty and HDI Global. A summary of these appointments follows here. Munich Re announced that Stephanie Ogden has been named CEO of Munich Re Specialtys Syndicate, effective March 1, 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Ogden succeeds Thomas Artmann, who is retiring on August 30, 2026. Stephanie will drive our long-term strategy at Munich Re Syndicate Ltd., bringing a wealth of experience from her role as CEO at HDI UK & Ireland. During her tenure, she has significantly strengthened their market position and client relationships, Munich Re said in a LinkedIn posting. Ogden became CEO HDI Global UK & Ireland in September 2024. She joined HDI in 2019 and was appointed managing director HDI Global UK and Ireland in 2022. Artmann was appointed CEO of Munich Re Syndicate Ltd. (MRSL) in 2015, where he managed the organization to consistently deliver strong results and solidify its position as a leading performer in the Lloyds market, Munich Re said. *** HDI Global UK & Ireland Names Hunt as Interim CEO in UK & Ireland as Ogden Departs HDI Global, the corporate and specialty insurer, announced a leadership transition in its UK & Ireland business, appointing Simon Hunt as interim chief executive officer and Ger Twomey as interim chief financial officer, effective February 1, 2026. Hunt succeeds Stephanie Ogden, the current CEO of HDI Global UK & Ireland, who will leave the business on January 31, 2026 to become CEO of Munich Re Specialtys Syndicate. Hunt, currently CFO, will assume the role of interim CEO, subject to regulatory approval. Hunt brings extensive financial expertise and proven leadership across insurance operations. Since joining HDI Global in 2019, he has worked across corporate and specialty and previously ensured continuity as managing director during Ogdens maternity leave. Alongside Hunts appointment, Twomey will step in as interim CFO, taking responsibility for finance and risk, subject to regulatory approval. Steph has made a significant contribution to our UK & Ireland business and successfully delivered on our local strategy, strengthening our market position and client relationships. We wish her all the best for the future, commented David Hullin, member of the HDI Global Executive Board. We are pleased to appoint Simon Hunt as interim CEO to ensure continuity and maintain our strategic focus for our clients and broker partners. We are also appointing Ger Twomey as interim CFO, an experienced leader with strong track records across finance and risk, Hullin added. A Detroit suburb has agreed to a $3.25 million settlement with the family of a young woman who had been declared dead at home but then gasped for air and opened her eyes when her body bag was unzipped at a funeral home. Southfield paramedics were accused of gross negligence in how they responded to Timesha Beauchamp after a 911 call in 2020. The 20-year-old, who had cerebral palsy, was eventually rushed to a hospital and died two months later. We recognize that no resolution can undo the profound tragedy that occurred on August 23, 2020, or ease the pain experienced by Ms. Beauchamps family, Southfield said in a statement. This case involved extraordinarily difficult circumstances that arose in the complex world of a global pandemic. Beauchamp was struggling to breathe when her family called 911. A medical crew tried to resuscitate her and also consulted a doctor, who declared her dead over the phone without going to the home. Later that day, a funeral home opened the body bag and found Beauchamp gasping for air. She was swiftly taken to a hospital but never recovered. She was put in a situation she never should have been in, Steven Hurbis, an attorney for Beauchamps family, said Tuesday. Medical professionals, he added, said Beauchamp would have survived if she had been taken immediately to a hospital from her home. Southfield fought the lawsuit and persuaded a judge to dismiss it based on governmental immunity. The Michigan Court of Appeals, however, overturned that decision in 2024. The Southfield fire chief had said Beauchamps situation might have been a case of Lazarus syndrome, a reference to people who come back to life without assistance after attempts to resuscitate have failed. Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Interview: Global capital flows to emerging markets, China's appeal rises: expert Xinhua) 11:01, January 09, 2026 BELGRADE, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Global capital flows are undergoing a structural reorientation toward emerging markets, a shift that is reshaping the international investment landscape and reinforcing China's position as a key destination for long-term foreign capital, an expert told Xinhua recently. Chi Lo, senior market strategist for Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas Asset Management, explained that since the global financial crisis, international capital has become less concentrated in developed Western economies and increasingly diversified across emerging markets, particularly in Asia. China, he said, has become one of the main beneficiaries of this long-term realignment. According to Lo, traditional cross-border bank lending has gradually given way to capital-market-based financing, including international bond issuance and portfolio investment. As global investors rely more on market-based channels, China's continued opening and financial market development have strengthened its role within this evolving framework. The shift in global capital flows also has broader monetary implications, Lo said. While the U.S. dollar remains the dominant global reserve currency, the composition of international reserves is expected to evolve. In this context, the renminbi's role is gradually expanding as China's economic weight and financial integration increase. From a long-term investment perspective, he said China's growing appeal is closely linked to its ongoing economic transformation. Structural reforms aimed at improving efficiency and guiding the economy toward higher value-added activities are reshaping the country's growth model, providing a more solid foundation for sustainable development. He noted that supportive fiscal and monetary policies have enhanced economic resilience and reinforced confidence in China's medium- and long-term prospects. As a result, international investors are increasingly assessing China through a long-term lens, focusing on fundamentals rather than short-term fluctuations. While foreign capital remains selective, interest has broadened as investors gain greater clarity on policy direction and economic restructuring. Looking ahead, Lo said foreign investment is expected to concentrate on areas aligned with China's development priorities. These include high-tech industries, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, new energy sectors and pharmaceuticals. Modern services, including finance, healthcare, business services and financial intermediation, are also becoming increasingly attractive, reflecting China's expanding domestic demand and rising service-sector sophistication. For long-term capital, Lo said China's key attraction lies in the combination of a vast domestic market, expanding technological capabilities, and deepening integration into the global financial system. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Announces Marohn as Chair of IICF Board of Governors The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) named Steve Marohn, president, commercial lines at Grange Insurance, as chair of IICFs board of governors. Adam McDonough, executive vice president of Lockton Insurance Brokers, will join Marohn in leading the IICF board of governors as its first vice chair. Marohns elevation from IICF Board of Governors member to chair follows more than two decades of leadership involvement with the IICF. His leadership includes serving as Board chair of the IICF Western Division, and he also served on IICFs 30th anniversary and board of governors compensation committees. McDonough, a current member of the IICF Board of Governors, has been involved with the foundation for 20 years, also serving previously as IICF Western division board chair and chairing every committee within this division throughout his tenure. Marohn and McDonough succeed Wendy Houser, President, US Wholesale and Specialty at Markel, who served as IICF Board of Governors Chair since January 2024. AXA XL promotes Matthew Stitham to Chief Underwriting Officer, Casualty in the Americas AXA XL, headquartered in New York City, promoted Matthew Stitham to chief underwriting officer, casualty, in the Americas. Stitham assumes the regional underwriting management responsibilities previously held by Donnacha Smyth, who transitioned in November to global chief underwriting officer, casualty, overseeing casualty underwriting operations worldwide. Most recently, Stitham served as head of west excess and head of excess casualty. He joined AXA XL in 2007, after starting his underwriting career at Zurich and Travelers. Topics Casualty AXA XL U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz promised to explore new ways for migrants to work legally in the construction industry. The Edinburg Republican announced on Monday her plans to meet with the U.S. Department of Labor, after South Texas builders voiced frustration with how immigration arrests at construction sites were negatively impacting their industry. De La Cruz suggested the U.S. should create a special visa program for construction workers, similar to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector. Wed like to see where the construction industry would fit, De La Cruz said. President Donald Trump won reelection after promising to step up deportations. During the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas alone. They elected me to represent them in Washington, D.C., and to be their voice, even when it pushes against the Trump administration, De La Cruz added. At the end of the day, I want to represent South Texas, and I want to represent our community and make sure that we continue to be prosperous. Theres ongoing interest among Republicans to create a new category of legal workers a softening to the hardline stance many in the party have taken for years. Republicans in Texas and Washington, led by Trump, have argued in part that stricter immigration enforcement would open up more jobs for Americans. One year later, some members of Congress are attempting to find a middle path. In September, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Pennsylvania Republican, resubmitted legislation he previously introduced in 2023, the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, that would create a new visa category for nonagricultural workers. De La Cruzs open support for a new status for construction workers comes after a meeting with the South Texas Builders Association on Monday. During the closed-door meeting, builders discussed issues the construction industry is facing, but they also raised questions about their rights when one of their construction sites is targeted by ICE officers, according to Mario Guerrero, executive director of the association. Were trying to figure out what rules apply with all these raids that are happening, if theres any that do apply, because were not really being informed if people need to show warrants or not, Guerrero said. Shes willing to figure that out and get us that answer. For months, the fear of ICE raids has scared off workers across several businesses, including construction and restaurants. The challenges in the Rio Grande Valleys construction field gained renewed focus after Guerrero held a large gathering of industry leaders in November. The meeting drew more than 300 people, including business professionals from the lumber, real estate, banking and construction industries as well as a handful of local elected officials. Representatives from each took turns sharing how their business had been hurt by ICE arrests, which have prompted work to stall. Since then, Guerrero and the builders association have been invited to meet with congressional leaders like De La Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat who co-sponsored Smuckers bill. Were trying to do the right thing, Guerrero said. If we need to keep having these meetings in order for us to keep moving in the right direction, thats what were trying to do. This isnt the first time De La Cruz has suggested the nations immigration laws should be changed. Last year, De La Cruz introduced the Bracero 2.0 bill, which was meant to address labor concerns in the agricultural sector by making changes to the H-2A visa program. The bill aimed to streamline the application process for agriculture employers and launch a regional pilot program that would allow workers to change jobs within a state without having to reapply for a visa. It would also have set wages for H-2A workers to match the state minimum of where the contract is taking place, plus $2.00 per hour and expanded H-2A contracts from 10 to 12 months. While the bill has not been put to a vote, the Department of Homeland Security enacted a new rule to streamline the application process for H-2A workers in October. Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. Photo: U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz said she wants to find new legal protections for migrant workers in the construction industry. Benjamin Lowy for The Texas Tribune Topics Texas Construction Pipeline safety regulators this week assessed their largest fine ever against the company responsible for leaking 1.1 million gallons of oil into the Gulf off the coast of Louisiana in 2023. But the $9.6 million fine isnt likely to be a major burden for Third Coast to pay. This single fine is close to the normal total of $8 million to $10 million in all fines that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hands out each year. But Third Coast has a stake in some 1,900 miles of pipelines, and in September, the Houston-based company announced that it had secured a nearly $1 billion loan. Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said this spill resulted from a company-wide systemic failure, indicating the operators fundamental inability to implement pipeline safety regulations, so the record fine is appropriate and welcome. However, even record fines often fail to be financially meaningful to pipeline operators. The proposed fine represents less than 3% of Third Coast Midstreams estimated annual earnings, Caram said. True deterrence requires penalties that make noncompliance more expensive than compliance. The agency said Third Coast didnt establish proper emergency procedures, which is part of why the National Transportation Safety Board found that operators failed to shut down the pipeline for nearly 13 hours after their gauges first hinted at a problem. PHMSA also said the company didnt adequately assess the risks or properly maintain the 18-inch Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline. The agency said the company failed to perform new integrity analyses or evaluations following changes in circumstances that identified new and elevated risk factors for the pipeline. That echoed what the NTSB said in its final report in June, that Third Coast missed several opportunities to evaluate how geohazards may threaten the integrity of their pipeline. Information widely available within the industry suggested that land movement related to hurricane activity was a threat to pipelines. The NTSB said the leak off the coast of Louisiana was the result of underwater landslides, caused by hazards such as hurricanes, that Third Coast, the pipeline owner, failed to address despite the threats being well known in the industry. A Third Coast spokesperson said the company has been working to address regulators concerns about the leak, so it was taken aback by some of the details the agency included in its allegations and the size of the fine. After constructive engagement with PHMSA over the last two years, we were surprised to see aspects of the recent allegations that we believe are inaccurate and exceed established precedent. We will address these concerns with the agency moving forward, the company spokesperson said. The amount of oil spilled in this incident was far less than the 2010 BP oil disaster, when 134 million gallons were released in the weeks following an oil rig explosion, but it could have been much smaller if workers in the Third Coast control room had acted more quickly, the NTSB said. Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Louisiana Energy Oil Gas Procter & Gamble has begun rolling out new packaging and marketing for Crest childrens toothpaste under an agreement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, after he expressed concern that encouraging excessive fluoride use could harm children. Paxton said Procter & Gamble will ensure that its packaging and marketing for Kids Crest clearly depict the appropriate amount of toothpaste for children. He said the roll-out began on January 1, and Procter & Gamble must maintain compliance for five years. Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, said it was fully committed to delivering safe, reliable products that benefit the oral health outcomes of our consumers, and voluntarily agreeing to ensure that our artwork reflects recommended dosing levels for children. Colgate-Palmolive reached a similar agreement with Paxton in September for its Colgate, Toms of Maine and hello brands of toothpaste. That company agreed to depict pea-sized amounts of toothpaste, rather than large swirls, on labels. In October, a federal judge in Chicago rejected Procter & Gambles bid to dismiss a private lawsuit saying it violated state consumer protection laws by depicting a full strip of toothpaste atop a toothbrush, with a seal of approval from the American Dental Association, on Kids Crest labels. Paxton issued civil investigative demands to Procter & Gamble and Colgate last May, accusing manufacturers of flavoring and marketing fluoride toothpaste in ways that cause children to ingest the product and parents to let children use unsafe amounts. The Republican has aligned himself with the Make America Healthy Again movement associated with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who opposes adding fluoride to public water systems. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent cavities, and the ADA supports fluoridation of toothpaste and drinking water. Last January, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics linked higher fluoride exposures in children to lower IQ scores. But a University of Iowa dentistry professor criticized that research in an accompanying editorial, and warned against changing public policy concerning fluoride based on the findings. Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate this year, and hopes to unseat Republican incumbent John Cornyn. (Reporting by Stempel in New York; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Diane Craft) Topics Texas An Alabama law firm will likely have to pay more than $800,000plus another $100,000 in sanctionsfor failing to verify hearing loss in hundreds of Ugandans who claimed part of the massive settlement over faulty 3M earplugs. Its been a learning experience for us, said Birmingham attorney Stephen Heninger of the Heninger Garrison Davis law firm, one of many mass-tort firms that were part of the multi-district federal litigation over the 3M Combat Arms earplugs. Its extremely doubtful we will represent foreign claimants again because theyre not as trustworthy as people in the United States and Canada. 3M reached a $6 billion settlement in 2023, agreeing to provide significant payments to thousands of military members, government contractors and others who used the earplugs and suffered hearing loss. Insurers have been asked to cover about $1.5 billion of that, according to law firms involved. Multiple insurers are in litigation over 3Ms coverage claims. Chubb Bermuda and ACE Bermuda Insurance were in arbitration with 3M as of this month. The Heninger Garrison law firm signed up almost 1,000 Ugandans who were recommended by a Ugandan lawyer, according to a court-appointed special master who recommended the sanctions. But the law firm did not verify audiograms from the African claimants and most of those audiograms turned out to have been forged or faked. The undersigned does not find that any member of the Heninger Garrison Davis firm intentionally committed fraud on the court through this settlement program, the special master, David Herndon, a retired federal judge, wrote in his report in December. It is clear, however, that two members of the firm were not simply negligent in the handling of these claims, but instead were consciously and recklessly indifferent to the variety of circumstances of the Ugandan settlement program, allowing fraud to occur and equally indifferent to their duties as officers of the court, Herndon wrote. Litigation and tort-reform experts said the lack of scrutiny shows the risk involved in massive class actions, in which plaintiff law firms can gain millions of dollars in attorney fees but individual claimants end up with smaller amounts. Class-action lawsuits always present a vetting problem. Indeed, the impossibility of knowing all the clients in a class-action lawsuit is the reason historically that class-action lawsuits were disfavored, said Robert Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University. In 1966, federal courts, then state courts began accepting more class-actions after adopting rules requiring a robust intake system designed to weed out fraud, Jarvis noted. The Heninger firm did not seem to have such a system in place, allowing fraudulent claims to slip through, according to the special masters report. Others said the firms lack of scrutiny is troubling, considering the huge amounts that insurers and businesses often have to pay in mass tort litigation damages and defense costs. Attorneys have a continuing obligation to verify the veracity of potential clients claims. If they fail to do so, they can be held accountable by judges and the Bar, said William Large, president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute. The 3M earplug litigation began in 2016, after a whistleblower alleged 3M and its subsidiary knew of defects in the product. In 2019, more than 250,000 claimants had applied, and thousands of lawsuits from around the country were consolidated into one, to be heard by the federal court in Pensacola, Florida. The judge in the case, Casey Rodgers, has received high marks from lawyers for her efficient handling of the complex litigation and a steady focus on deadlines. In the Heninger episode, it was a forgotten deadline and a misunderstood court instruction that may have led firm members to rush through the Ugandan claims at the last minute, the special masters report suggests. What is clear to this Special Master is that Heninger Garrison Davis handling of its Ugandan claims failed at several levels, Special Master Herndon wrote. The Ugandan claims began with a phone call from Uganda lawyer known by several names, it turned out. The lawyer, whose real name is Arafah Musoke, according to Herndons report, told a Heninger attorney that he had many clients that had served as security contractors for U.S. bases and embassies in war zones. But when emails from Ugandan claimants, all containing the same wording, began circulating, the BrownGreer settlement administrator firm, based in Virginia, started scrutinizing the paid claims. An audit found that the audiograms submitted by Musoke and others were faked and looked nothing like standard hearing test reports seen from U.S. medical professionals. The license for one Ugandan medical clinic had been forged. The claimants were probably not exposed to warfare, shootings or other loud noises during their contract period at U.S. bases, reports found. The Heninger firm did not know or did not check on the fact that most U.S. military contractors undergo a baseline hearing test before they begin work, and these were available from the U.S. Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System but were never requested, the special master explained. Further, it was never shown that the Ugandan contractors actually used the 3M earplugs. At one point, Herndon interviewed Musoke. The Ugandan lawyer explained that some local audiograms had been hurriedly recreated and backdated because original records had been lostbut medical professionals knew the claimants. Heninger Garrison attorneys indicated they were not aware of some Ugandans reportedly shady reputationdespite a U.S. State Department website warning that fraud is prevalent in the country, the 37-page report noted. The finding of this Special Master is that all except four of the Ugandan claims submitted by Heninger Garrison Davis were fraudulent, Herndon wrote. Those four claims had some indicia of reliability, but they still raised questions. The special master recommended the Heninger law firm should pay at least $50,000 in sanctions, while a named partner charged with oversight of the claims should pay another $10,000, and two others at the firm should pay $20,000 each. One of those attorneys is no longer with the firm. The judge has yet to sign off on the penalties. The firm should also pay an estimated $804,000 that the settlement paid out on the fraudulent claims, the special master report said. That includes almost $322,000 in attorney fees. The court should ask the BrownGreer settlement administrator firm to determine the exact amount to be returned by the firm and paid into the settlement program and a common benefit fund. Those who investigated the fraud should also be compensated, Herndon said. Jarvis, the Nova Southeastern law professor, said the level of sanctions appears to be rather low, given how much work it took to uncover the lack of vetting and the number of fraudulent claims involved. The special masters Dec. 5 report noted that the Heninger firm had indicated it did nothing wrong. The firm responded to the report in a Dec. 19 filing: While we acknowledge and respect the Special Masters finding that our firms training, guiding, vetting, and submission of claims relative to this singular, unique group of Ugandan clients was deficient, we must emphasize, without reservation, that this firm did not knowingly or intentionally engage in any fraudulent conduct with regard to these claimants or otherwise. Almost $3 million of the $6 billion overall settlement has been paid, but hundreds of claims are still being processed and should be paid by 2029, according to lawyers involved and news reports. Top photo: Earplug similar in appearance to the 3M earplugs (AdobeStock) Related: Judge in $6 Billion 3M Settlement Issues Order to Stop Litigation Funding 10 Highest Class-Action Settlements in 2025 Eclipsed $70B Total: Duane Morris Topics Claims North Carolinas insurance commissioner has heard nothing from the White House, three weeks after he sent a letter urging the president to refrain from pardoning twice-convicted insurance entrepreneur Greg Lindberg. Mr. Lindbergs criminal conduct was not incidental, technical, or victimless. It was deliberate, sustained, and directly aimed at corrupting a state regulatory system charged with protecting the public in order to enrich himself, reads the letter from Commissioner Mike Causey, who wore a wire and recorded a conversation that led to Lindbergs bribery conviction in 2020 and again in a retrial in 2024. North Carolinas U.S. Senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, both Republicans, have agreed with Causey that Lindberg should not be pardoned, said a spokesman for the NC Department of Insurance. A pardon for Lindberg, a reported billionaire who has engaged in extensive litigation over his criminal charges and intertwined insurance enterprises in the last six years, was not on most North Carolina officials radar until recently. President Donald Trump has now pardoned so many convicted felons, including a former Illinois governor, a former Tennessee state senator, a Virginia sheriff convicted of accepting bribes, the former president of Honduras convicted of drug trafficking, as well as a Lindberg co-defendant, that the probability of a free pass for Lindberg now seems more likely. And Lindberg, once a heavy donor to Republican candidates, has engaged in an extensive public relations and lobbying effort to sway Trump. In October, Lindberg hired Trumps former bodyguard to lobby for a pardon, according to news reports. Trump has blamed his predecessors Department of Justice, in part, for what he has called overzealous and partisan prosecutions for the more than 1,600 convictions and arrests that Trump has overturned since taking office a year ago. But Causey, a Republican and former insurance agent, said Lindbergs arrest and trials were based on extensive proof of illegal actions and financial improprieties. The evidence presented was not speculative. It was contemporaneously recorded, exhaustively investigated, and ultimately proven in federal court, Causeys letter reads. Mr. Lindbergs actions were a calculated attempt to undermine regulatory oversight, evade accountability, and silence those whose duty it was to safeguard policyholders, retirees, and working families. The harm that Lindberg created for policyholders of his troubled life insurance companies continues to play out, the commissioner noted. The consequences of Mr. Lindbergs misconduct did not end with his conviction, the letter explains. The victims of his illegal activities, including policyholders and employees whose financial security was placed at risk, continue to suffer the repercussions today. These harms are real, ongoing, and irreparable. A pardon would not undo them; it would compound them by signaling that wealth, influence, and persistence can outweigh accountability. Lindberg was convicted of attempting to bribe Causey in hopes of removing a DOI official that had exposed Lindbergs financial regularities, including diverting insurance carrier reserves for his other businesses. An appeals court threw out the conviction due to improper jury instructions, but Lindberg was convicted again in 2024. He has yet to be re-sentenced while courts examine how much in Lindberg may owe in restitution in that and related cases. In late 2024, Lindberg pleaded guilty to $2 billion in fraud in a related prosecution. Clemency is most compelling when it corrects a clear miscarriage of justice or shows mercy where the law has operated too harshly, Causeys letter reads. Neither condition applies here. Mr. Lindberg received due process, extensive judicial review, and every protection afforded under the Constitution. His convictions reflect accountability, not excess. The full letter can be seen here. Related: NC High Court Lets Stand Lindbergs Civil Fraud Liability NC High Court Allows Liquidation of Lindberg Insurers; He Owes $524M in Fed Case Topics North Carolina On the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfires in the L.A. area, the scant home construction projects stand out among the still mostly flattened landscapes. Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since the Jan. 7, 2025, Palisades and Eaton fires erupted, killing 31 people and destroying about 13,000 homes and other residential properties. The fires burned for more than three weeks and clean-up efforts took about seven months. For those who had insurance, its often not enough to cover the costs of construction. Relief organizations are stepping in to help, but progress is slow. Related: California Bill Would Require Insurer Claims Handling Plans, and Double Penalties Among the exceptions is Ted Koerner, whose Altadena home was reduced to ash and two chimneys. With his insurance payout tied up, the 67-year-old liquidated about 80% of his retirement holdings, secured contractors quickly, and moved decisively through the rebuilding process. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Koerner was among the first to finish a rebuild in the aftermath of the fires, which were fueled by drought and hurricane-force winds. But most do not have options like Koerner. The streets of the coastal community of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, a community in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, remain lined with dirt lots. In the seaside city of Malibu, foundations and concrete piles rising out of the sand are all thats left of beachfront homes that once butted against crashing ocean waves. Neighborhoods are pitch black at night, with few streetlamps replaced. Even many homes that survived are not inhabited as families struggle to clear them of the fires toxic contaminants. Koerner was driven in part by fear that his beloved golden retriever, Daisy Mae, now 13 years old, might not live long enough to move into a new home, given the many months it can take to build even under the best circumstances. He also did not have to wait for his insurance payout to start construction. Related: Morningstar: A Year Later, LA Wildfires Were Significant Stress Event for Insurance Thats the only way we were going to get it done before all of a sudden my dog starts having labored breathing or something else happens, Koerner said. Once construction began, his home was completed in just over four months. Daisy Mae is back lying in her favorite spot in the yard under a 175-year-old Heritage Oak. Koerner said he enjoys his morning coffee while watching her and it brings tears to his eyes. We made it, he said. Many Fear They Cant Afford to Rebuild About 900 homes are under construction, potentially on pace to be completed later this year. Still, many homeowners are stuck as they figure out whether they can pay for the rebuilding process. Scores of residents have left their communities for good. More than 600 properties where a single-family home was destroyed in the wildfires have been sold, according to real estate data tracker Cotality. Related: JPMorgan, Citi Extending Mortgage Relief for LA Wildfire Victims Were seeing huge gaps between the money insurance is paying out, to the extent we have insurance, and what it will actually cost to rebuild and/or remediate our homes, said Joy Chen, executive director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, a group of 10,000 fire survivors mostly from Altadena. By December, less than 20% of people who experienced total home loss had closed out their insurance claims, according to a survey by the Department of Angels, a nonprofit that formed after the disaster to advocate for recovery efforts. About one-third of insured respondents had policies with State Farm, the states largest private insurer, or the California FAIR plan, the insurer of last resort. They reported high rates of dissatisfaction with both, citing burdensome requirements, lowball estimates, and dealing with multiple adjusters. In November, Los Angeles County opened a civil investigation into State Farms practices and potential violations of the states Unfair Competition law. Chen said the group has seen a flurry of substantial payouts since then. State Farm spokesperson Tom Hartman said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the company has addressed more than 13,500 claims and issued over $5 billion in payments. He called the investigation a distraction and said the company is committed to helping. Without answers from insurance, households cant commit to rebuilding projects that can easily exceed $1 million. Theyre worried about getting started and running out of money, Chen said. An Uncertain Future Jessica Rogers discovered only after the Palisades fire destroyed her home that her coverage had been canceled. The mother of twos fallback was a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration, but the application process was grueling. After losing her job because of the fire and then having her identity stolen, her approval for $550,000 came through last month. She is still weighing how shell cover the remaining costs and says she wonders: Do I empty out my 401(k) and start counting every penny in a penny jar around the apartment? Rogers now executive director of the Pacific Palisades Long Term Recovery Group estimates there are hundreds like her in Pacific Palisades who are stuck dealing with FEMA and SBA and figuring out if we could piecemeal something together to build our homes. Also struggling to return home are the communitys renters, condo owners, and mobile homeowners. Meanwhile, many are also dealing with their trauma. Its not what people talk about, but it is incredibly apparent and very real, said Rogers, who still finds herself crying at unexpected moments. A Slow Start That so few homes have been rebuilt a year after the wildfires echoes the recovery pattern of a December 2021 blaze that erupted south of Boulder, Colorado, destroying more than 1,000 homes. At the one-year mark, many lots had been cleared of debris and many residents had applied for building permits, said Andrew Rumbach, co-lead of the Climate and Communities Program at Urban Institute. Around the 18-month mark is when you start to see really significant progress in terms of going from handfuls to hundreds of homes rebuilt. Time will bring the scope of problems into focus. Youre going to start to see some real inequality start to emerge where certain neighborhoods, certain types of people, certain types of properties are just lagging way far behind, and that becomes the really important question in the second year of a recovery: Whos doing well and who is really struggling and why? Rumbach said. Thats a key concern in Altadena, which for decades drew aspiring Black homeowners who otherwise faced redlining and other forms of racial discrimination when they sought to buy a home in other L.A.-area communities. In 2024, 81% of Black households in Altadena owned their homes, nearly twice the national Black homeownership rate. But recent research by UCLAs Latino Policy & Politics Institute found that, as of August, 7 in 10 Altadena homeowners whose property was severely damaged in last years wildfire had not begun taking steps to rebuild or sell their home. Among these, Black homeowners were 73% more likely than others to have taken no action. Determined to Rebuild Al and Charlotte Bailey have been living in an RV parked on the empty lot where their home once stood. The Baileys are paying for their rebuild with funds from their insurance payout and a loan. Theyre also hoping to receive money from Southern California Edison. Several lawsuits claim its equipment sparked the wildfire in Altadena. We had been here for 41 years and raised our family here, and in one night it was all gone, said Al Bailey, 77. We decided that, whatever its going to cost, this is our community. Photo: Structures damaged by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on February 4, 2025. (Ringo Chiu via AP) Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Louisiana Americas trade wars forced Robert Luna to hike prices on the rustic wooden Mexican furniture he sells from a crowded warehouse here, while down the street, Eddie Cole scrambled to design new products to make up for lost sales on his Chinese-made motorcycle accessories. Farther down the block, Luis Ruiz curbed plans to add two imported molding machines to his small plastics factory. I voted for him, said Ruiz, CEO of Valencia Plastics, referring to President Donald Trump. But I didnt vote for this. All three businesses are nestled in the epitome of a globalized American economy: A lushly landscaped California business park called Rye Canyon. Tariffs are a hot topic here but experiences vary as much as the businesses that fill the 3.1 million square feet of offices, warehouses, and factories. Tenants include a company that provides specially equipped cars to film crews for movies and commercials, a dance school, and a company that sells Chinese-made LED lights. Theres even a Walmart Supercenter. Some have lost business while others have flourished under the tariff regime. Rye Canyon is roughly an hour-and-a-half drive from the sprawling Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. And until now, it was a prime locale for globally connected businesses like these. But these days, sitting on the frontlines of global trade is precarious. The average effective tariff rate on imports to the U.S. now stands at almost 17%up from 2.5% before Trump took office and the highest level since 1935. Few countries have been spared from the onslaught, such as Cuba, but mainly because existing barriers make meaningful trade with them unlikely. White House spokesman Kush Desai said President Trump was leveling the playing field for large and small businesses by addressing unfair trading practices through tariffs and reducing cumbersome regulations. We Had To Get Creative to Offset Trumps Tariffs Rye Canyons tenants may receive some clarity soon. The U.S. Supreme Court could rule as early as Friday on the constitutionality of President Trumps emergency tariffs. The U.S. has so far taken in nearly $150 billion under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. If struck down, the administration may be forced to refund all or part of that to importers. For some, the impact of tariffs was painful but mercifully short. Harlan Kirschner, who imports about 30% of the beauty products he distributes to salons and retailers from an office here, said prices spiked during the first months of the Trump administrations push to levy the taxes. Its now baked into the cake, he said. The price increases went through when the tariffs were being done. No one talks about those price increases any more, he said. For Ruiz, the plastics manufacturer, the impact of tariffs is more drawn out. Valencia makes large-mouth containers for protein powders sold at health food stores across the U.S. and Canada. Before Trumps trade war, Ruiz planned to add two machines costing over half a million dollars to allow him to churn out more containers and new sizes. But the machines are made in China and tariffs suddenly made them unaffordable. Hes spent the last few months negotiating with the Chinese machine makersettling on a plan that offsets the added tariff cost by substituting smaller machines and a discount based on his willingness to let the Chinese producer use his factory as an occasional showcase for their products. We had to get creative, he said. We cant wait for (Trump) to leave. Im not going to let the guy decide how were going to grow. Im Mad at Him Now To be sure, there are winners in these trade battles. Ruizs former next-door neighbor, Greg Waugh, said tariffs are helping his small padlock factory. He was already planning to move before the trade war erupted, as Rye Canyon wanted his space for the expansion of another larger tenant, a backlot repair shop for Universal Studios. But hes now glad he moved into a much larger space about two miles away outside the park, because as his competitors announced price increases on imported locks, hes started getting more inquiries from U.S. buyers looking to buy domestic. I think tariffs give us a cushion we need to finally grow and compete, said Waugh, president and CEO of Pacific Lock. For Cole, a former pro motorcycle racer turned entrepreneur, there have only been downsides to the new taxes. He started his motorcycle accessories company in his garage in 1976 and built a factory in the area in the early 1980s. He later sold that business and as many industries shifted to cheaper production from Asia reestablished himself later as an importer of motorcycle gear with Chinese business partners, with an office and warehouse in Rye Canyon. Ninety-five percent of our products come from China, he said. Cole estimates hes paid hundreds of thousands in tariffs so far. He declined to disclose his sales. Cole said he voted for Trump three times in a row, but Im mad at him now. Cole even wrote to the White House, asking for more consideration of how tariffs disrupt small businesses. He included a photo of a motorcycle stand the company had made for Eric Trumps family, which has an interest in motorcycles. I said, Look Donald, Im sure theres a lot of reasons you think tariffs are good for America, but as a small business owner he doesnt have the ability to suddenly shift production around the world to contain costs like big corporations. Hes created new products, such as branded tents, to make up for some of the business hes lost in his traditional lines as prices spiked. He pulls out his phone to show the response he got back from the White House, via email. Its a form letter, he said, noting that it talks about how the taxes make sense. Meanwhile, Robert Luna isnt waiting to see if tariffs will go away or be refunded. His company, DeMejico, started by his Mexican immigrant parents, makes traditional-style furniture including hefty dining tables that sell for up to $8,000. Hes paying 25% tariffs on wooden furniture and 50% on steel accents like hinges, made in his own plant in Mexico. Hes raised prices on some items by 20%. Fearing further price hikes from tariffs and other rising costs will continue to curb demand, hes working with a Vietnamese producer on a new line of inexpensive furniture he can sell under a different brand name. Vietnam has tariffs, he said, but also a much lower cost base. My thing is mere survival, he said, thats the goal. (Reporting by Timothy Aeppel; additional reporting by David LawderEditing by Anna Driver and Dan Burns) Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Brooks Hotel, Drinks Ireland (Ibec), LOFAR ERIC Council, Institute of Public Administration, Aon Ireland and Tines. Stefan Bejinaru has been appointed as head chef with the newly refurbished Brooks Hotel in Dublin. Born in Romania, Stefan moved to Rome as a child. After ten years studying and working in restaurants in Italy, Stefan moved to Ireland in 2016. Initially working for Dunne & Crescenzi, Stefan joined the team in The Marker Hotel (Now Anantara The Marker Dublin) in 2017, progressing from commis chef to executive sous chef, under the close supervision of Gareth Mullins and Salim Berrezag as his mentors. Earlier this year, Stefan moved back to Italy as executive sous chef of the Ancora Cortina Hotel, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. Ryanair will remove three popular routes from Cork Airport in 2026 after relocating one of its four aircraft to another airport. The budget airline will stop flying from Cork to the Polish cities of Gdansk and Poznan, as well as to Rome, Cork Airport has confirmed. Flights to Poznan will end on March 26, with services to Gdansk and Rome ceasing on March 28. Last July, Ryanair announced plans to move one aircraft from Cork to Shannon, citing lower fees at the mid-west airport. As a result, Cork Airport now has three Ryanair aircraft based there, while Shannon has four. At the time, the airline also unveiled three new Shannon routes for its winter schedule Madrid, Madeira, and Lapland saying the additions would boost passenger numbers by about 20%. In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a Ryanair spokesperson said the decision to cut the Cork routes was due to lower-cost options elsewhere across the network. Cork Airport is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), while the Shannon Airport Group operates Shannon Airport. Ryanair has repeatedly called on the DAA to reduce airport charges. Ryanair chief commercial officer Jason McGuinness previously told the Irish Examiner: "We allocate capacity wherever costs are best and where we can get the best long-term deals. "If the DAA want to come up with something better in terms of its cost base for Cork, were very happy to talk to them. In a statement, Cork Airport communications manager Barry Holland said: "In a fastmoving aviation industry, airlines regularly adjust their schedules to meet demand to optimise their aircraft fleet. "Cork Airport continues to perform strongly, with record passenger numbers and sustained growth. Looking ahead to 2026, weve already announced three new routes for this summer, including Nice, Santiago de Compostela, and Antalya, building on the new services added in 2025. "As part of Ryanairs wider schedule changes, Gdansk, Poznan and Rome wont feature in Cork Airports summer 2026 programme. However, we remain confident in the continued expansion of our route network and the strong demand from passengers across the south of Ireland." Cork Airport recorded its busiest year on record in 2025, handling 3.46m passengers over the 12 months a 13% increase and its third consecutive year of double-digit growth. Passenger numbers at Shannon have also surged, with 2025 expected to be another record year following the addition of a fourth Ryanair aircraft. Shannon handled 2.1m passengers in 2024. A 61-year-old man urinated over six boxes of shoes at a Cork city centre store and now he has pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to charges, including causing criminal damage to the property. Kevin White of no fixed address appeared in the dock at the court where he pleaded guilty to two more charges of being so intoxicated that he was a danger to himself or others on two other occasions. Sergeant Gearoid Davis outlined the background to the charge of damaging property. On October 3, 2024, he was highly intoxicated at Guineys on Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, at 2.30pm. He proceeded to urinate on six boxes of shoes causing damage to them before leaving the shop. The boxes were no longer in a saleable condition. The total value of the shoes was 200. On two more recent occasions in Cork City the same man, Kevin White, was found to be so intoxicated that he was a danger to himself or others. On December 4, 2025, the drunken behaviour came to light at Cornmarket Street. The following day it occurred on the same street but this time it happened inside the Lidl supermarket. Sgt Davis said the defendant had 43 previous convictions. Sentencing Eddie Burke, solicitor, outlined the background situation whereby the defendant worked all his life up to the age of 55 but that he experienced personal tragedies and drank heavily to the point where he had nowhere to live. Mr Burke said the accused wanted to address his difficulties and that this approach, rather than a custodial sentence, might help Mr White and effectively, help society also. Judge Dorgan said she would put him on a 12-month probation bond. At that point, Kevin White spoke up from the dock, saying: Im not doing no probation. Judge Dorgan said he could do four months in prison on the criminal damage charge in that event. Mr Burke consulted with him briefly and said he would take the option of the probation bond. Judge Dorgan said in light of the uncertainty created by the defendant around the probation bond, she would direct him to attend the probation service and she adjourned the matter until March 18 to make sure he is attending, and if he was she would put him on the probation bond. Two men charged in Cork with more than 80 counts related to the rape and sexual assault of two children are to face trial in the Central Criminal Court. The book of evidence was served on both men on Friday, Fermoy District Court heard. Sergeant Majella OSullivan said that the State was sending them forward for trial on indictment to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court. This will be in the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin rather than in Cork, Sgt OSullivan said. There are 73 counts against one of the men, who is aged 68. There are nine counts against the other man, aged 67. The man who faces 73 counts allegedly committed offences between 1997 and 2000. The offences include rape under Section 4 Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990, sexual assaults, and attempted rape. The other man faces nine charges sexual assaults, three rapes under Section 4 Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990, and attempted rape. These offences were allegedly committed between 1993 and 1997. Solicitor Matt Birmingham, acting for solicitor Daithi O Donnabhain, who is representing the man facing 73 charges, applied for legal aid. Judge Miriam Walsh granted legal aid to Mr O Donnabhain and for two barristers. No legal aid application had been made on behalf of the other man, his solicitor, Stephen Cotter said. Bail was extended to both men on the same terms that it was previously granted, including that they have no contact either direct or indirect with the alleged victims, that their passports are surrendered, and they sign on weekly at a specified garda station. Reporting restrictions were applied to the cases, and the men cannot be named for legal reasons. Before Christmas, the EUs tech chief said the European Commission was holding X responsible for undermining users rights and evading accountability when issuing it a 120m fine for breaching the law. Also before Christmas, Irelands digital services commissioner told the Irish Examiner that the laws in place and the systemic issues it's tackling are all about tipping the balance back in favour of the user when dealing with social media sites. But, as we entered 2026, the lofty ambitions of the authorities in Ireland and Europe faced what advocates have called the first real test of their powers, as this aim of putting power back with the individual was damaged in a way that has sparked a global outcry. For reasons that arent yet clear, Grok, the AI tool on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, last month started to adhere to requests to take existing photos of women and children and to generate new images of them in bikinis, in sexually suggestive poses, or covered in substances resembling semen. For a week or so, you could take a look in the comments under a post featuring a photo of a woman that has been widely seen on X and anonymous users with blue check marks would be asking Grok to generate new sexualised images. It had appeared these vile requests were carried out with impunity and users got what they asked for. Elon Musks ex-partner, and mother of one of his children, had such images generated of her. A 12-year-old Stranger Things actress had an image of her altered to put her in a bikini. British TV presenter Maya Jama put it succinctly in a now-deleted post on X, responding to a photo of her and the comments underneath. This came up on my timeline and I know I shouldnt look but all of the Grok asks underneath... Some of you are real sick bastards and should actually try going out sometimes, she said. After years of advocates warning about the dangers of nudify apps, such non-consensual image creation and sharing has now gone mainstream. Really dangerous The damage caused by such fake images is clear, with Womens Aid chief executive Sarah Benson describing it as another tool in the arsenal available to those who want to abuse women. Its reach is endless, she said. Womens Aid chief executive Sarah Benson The consequences of this behaviour are serious. Whether the image is real or not, it looks real. "Women have given up their jobs (over such abuse). Stepped back from public life. There has been suicidal ideation in some cases and children have died by suicide. Something like this reaches into every part of someones life. The emotional weight of it is terrible. Alex Cooney, the chief executive of Cybersafekids, said it was clear this should not be allowed on a platform that is meant to be regulated, at home and at a European level. It constitutes an egregious breach of privacy, she said. They are dangerous, she said of the images being generated. Really dangerous. Theyre sexual exploitation, they have real victims, and real harm. Its shaping sexual expectations and sexual narratives. Initially, Mr Musk expressed amusement at the trend, posting the crying-with-laughter emoji in response to a picture of a digitally manipulated toaster wearing a bikini. He said: Not sure why, but I couldnt stop laughing at this one. After global outcry at the harmful nature of the content, he posted later that anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content. Last week, X users began to notice that by going to Groks X page (the same way you might go to your own page or a page belonging to a politician or a public figure), you could see all the images it was generating under public posts by simply clicking the photos tab on that page. It would take you a very long time simply to scroll down a minutes worth of AI generated content. And, overwhelmingly, it was AI-generated photos of women in varying states of undress. The pockets of anger among users at single images being generated swelled into a widespread fury when the extent of the trend could be seen all at once. Someone at X obviously thought it was a problem to at least some extent. But, instead of disabling the undressing feature initially, a change was made to the photos tab on Groks page, which gave an error message instead of showing the pictures. All of these images were being generated, but there was no one place to see them all in real time anymore. Instead of stopping Grok doing it, its shielding it from some potential audiences, Ms Benson said, likening it to a meeting she once attended with Mindgeek, now Aylo, which owns some of the worlds most used pornographic websites. She said that they showed steps they were taking to prevent specific content, such as rape, be searched on its platforms, but, just searching words that were related to these topics could still yield results. It was just the search function, there was nothing to address the actual content itself, she said, likening it to the X and Grok situation. For its part, an X spokesperson has said: We take action against illegal content on X, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." Regulation and political will Since the "trend" emerged, politicians have lined up to condemn the practice. Taoiseach Micheal Martin called it unacceptable and shocking. Tanaiste Simon Harris said that any Irish laws that need to be updated to crack down on the creation and sharing of explicit images will be implemented. AI minister Niamh Smyth sought a meeting with X to discuss the matter, emphasising that the sharing of non-consensual intimate images is illegal, and the generation of child sexual abuse material is illegal. X owner Elon Musk. Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon said this feature on X was not accidental or incidental but the foreseeable and preventable outcome of design choices. There must be consequences, he said. Strong fines, criminal charges, where appropriate, and serious scrutiny of any public body that continues to maintain a presence on a platform that has shown such a reckless and disturbing disregard for child safety. Organisations have also ceased using X as a result including Women's Aid and CyberSafeKids. Coimisiun na Mean, when first contacted by this publication on 2 January about the matter, said that the sharing of non-consensual intimate images was illegal and should be reported to gardai and the Irish national reporting centre, Hotline.ie. By the following week, it was saying it was in contact with the European Commission on the matter while digital services commissioner John Evans said they were also in contact with the gardai and that breaches of the law could lead to hefty fines for X. In a lengthy statement, gardai said they are acutely aware of the proliferation of AI generated online material and urged those affected to come forward. The pressure appeared to finally tell on X and Grok by Friday, as the function was turned off for the vast majority of users and image generation and editing only made available to paid subscribers. But it took global condemnation and threat of significant fines to get there. Ms Cooney said that regulators here need to ensure they keep up the pressure on such platforms, especially when breaches seem so obvious and egregious. Its incumbent on our regulator, it shouldnt take a long time to establish this is illegal, she said. We have all these laws. This is clearly in breach of Digital Services Act in terms of protection of minors. It shouldnt be that hard. Ms Benson said there are legislative responses that can be made here but, in terms of the non-consensual sharing of images being illegal, the inclusion of deepfakes within the legislation hasnt been tested yet. This is high stakes, she said. It can be used to destroy a persons reputation. In Europe, we have the best opportunity to model accountability at that level, but its moving too slowly. Theres hugely competing vested interests. When X was fined over 100m by Europe in December, Mr Musk called for the European Union to be disbanded and received support from the highest levels of the Trump administration as it continues its disdain for the EU. But, when it comes to his platform having allowed its AI tool to create images of children in bikinis, Mr Musk may well find himself with less support than before. Regulators in France, the UK and India among others, have put the pressure on X as global outrage ramped up. Both Ms Benson and Ms Cooney said there was no good reason to have such technology that can remove clothes from pictures of individuals and this should be banned outright. Regulation is too slow, and theres too much optionality in the language of them, Ms Cooney said. This is clear, its black and white. It should not be happening. Ban these tools. They serve no good purpose. This is the first real test of the regulators powers. We cannot be seen to be prevaricating in any way. What are we going to do in the short term to ensure this is stopped? If we mess up on this one when its so clear cut, itll be so much tougher next time when its a much greyer area were trying to tackle. Additional reporting from The Guardian New technologies often pose new problems not least for the law. Legislators and law enforcement agencies can find themselves playing catch-up when new technologies emerge, and aiming at a moving target when seeking to regulate them. The rise of so-called artificial intelligence (AI) tools is a case in point. However, just because new technologies often necessitate new legal frameworks doesnt mean that that is always the case. Occasions also arise where existing laws adequately address harms or abuses that may be perpetrated with the latest tech. Child sex abuse material ('child porn') A case in point is the use of technology to create or distribute child sex abuse material (CSAM) what our existing laws refer to as child pornography (the latter term is generally considered to be outdated, since it implies a connotation of consent). CSAM is unfortunately not a new problem; what has changed is the ease with which it can be created and distributed at scale, and the types of material that can be created. AI tools have added a new dimension of automation that makes the production of CSAM quick and easy. Unlike in the past when access to children was required and cameras or video cameras were the tools of the trade no real children might be involved in the production of AI-generated CSAM. At the same time, a huge problem is the ease with which AI tools can manipulate images in ways that affect real children. Digital technologies have facilitated the creation of highly-realistic deepfakes in which a real childs face can be merged with fake sexual imagery not only in pictures, but potentially in video format also. Twitter/X plumbing new depths It is into this hellscape that Grok (the AI assistant tool on social media platform X formerly known as Twitter) has ventured. The Grok AI tool on Twitter/X instantly complies with user requests to re-edit pictures of people particularly women, but also children to 'digitally undress' them or otherwise present them in a sexualised manner. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Ever since Elon Musk acquired and rebranded Twitter, the platform has been plumbing new depths almost by the week. The latest grim landmark has been an update to Grok that allows users to instantaneously generate images (either entirely fake, or by manipulating real images) that represent children in a sexualised manner. Ministers differ on who's responsible The response among the public has been one of horror and outrage. The political response, however, has been more mixed. The minister for state for AI, Niamh Smyth, said she believes Irish law has been broken by online platforms. However, communications minister Patrick ODonovan expressed the view that this is a matter of individual rather than corporate responsibility, and that the technological advances are far faster than the law is able to respond. Minister of State for artificial intelligence and digital transformation Niamh Smyth said on Thursday that X is breaking Irish law. File picture: Peter Houlihan In that context, it is worth examining exactly what the relevant law is. What does current Irish law say? The Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (as amended in 2017) defines child pornography as any visual representation that shows a person depicted as being a child and who is engaged in real or simulated sexually explicit activity. Also covered are visual representations that show for a sexual purpose, the genital or anal region of a child or of a person depicted as being a child. This definition is sufficiently broad to capture real images, manipulated deepfakes, or entirely fake images the phrasing of a person depicted as a child is key, as is the reference to real or simulated sexual activity. A person who creates such an image would clearly be guilty of an offence of producing child pornography under section 5 of the Act, while a person who shares such an image would be guilty of distributing. Crucially, section 5(1)(f) also provides that anyone who knowingly causes or facilitates the production or distribution of child pornography is also guilty of an offence under the section. Companies can be prosecuted Section 9 of the Act specifically provides that offences under the Act can be committed by bodies corporate. Accordingly, any company whose technology is being used to create AI-generated CSAM is open to prosecution for knowingly facilitating the production and distribution of material that falls within the definition of child pornography under the Act. If successfully prosecuted, the company would be liable to significant fines. Penalties up to 14 years in prison Moreover, under section 9, any director, manager, or officer of the company would be liable to a maximum of 14 years in prison if it were proven that the offence was committed with their consent or connivance, or was attributable to their negligence. There will be plenty of times in the coming years when the law needs to adjust to the reality of generative AI tools. However, this is not one of them. Existing laws in Ireland are sufficiently clear and flexible in their wording to prohibit companies from making AI tools available that can be used for mass-scale creation of CSAM. Professor Conor OMahony is the Dean of the School of Law at UCC. The real test is whether there is willingness to enforce those laws against large tech companies which are based in Ireland. These companies are crucial contributors to the Irish economy; but if CSAM isnt a red line that can never be crossed, then one wonders what else ever could be. Conor OMahony is the Dean of the School of Law at University College Cork If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services. Here is the full text of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998 on the Irish Statute Book. Tensions between Minnesota and federal officials deepened yesterday over a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis, an incident that drew condemnation from local officials and sparked widespread protests in the state and beyond. State and federal officials have offered different accounts of the shooting, in which an unidentified ICE agent shot US citizen Renee Nicole Good in a residential neighbourhood. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said yesterday it had initially agreed with the FBI to conduct a joint investigation into the shooting, but that the federal agency had reversed course and taken sole control of the probe. The decision, according to the bureaus superintendent, Drew Evans, means the state bureau will no longer have access to the scene evidence, case materials, or interviews. As a result, the BCA has reluctantly withdrawn from the investigation, Mr Evans said. Keith Ellison, the states attorney general, told CNN that the FBIs decision was deeply disturbing, and said state authorities could investigate with or without the co-operation of the federal government. He added that the evidence he has seen, including some that has not yet been made public, indicates that state charges are a possibility. Demonstrators confront federal agents outside the Whipple federal building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, yesterday, after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty US Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem told reporters in New York that the BCA was not cut out, but did not have jurisdiction. Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz said that any federal investigation that proceeded without state involvement would likely be seen as a whitewash. I say that only because people in positions of power ... from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem have already passed judgement and told you things that are verifiably false, he said. The FBI declined to comment on the BCA statement. The ICE agent who shot Ms Good was among 2,000 federal officers that president Donald Trumps administration had announced it was deploying to the Minneapolis area in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as the largest DHS operation ever. Department officials, including Ms Noem, defended the shooting as self-defence and accused the woman of trying to ram agents in an act of domestic terrorism. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called that assertion bullshit and garbage based on bystander videos taken that appeared to contradict the governments account. One protester is removed by federal agents as tensions rise across Minneapolis. Picture: Tom Baker/AP Both Mr Frey and Mr Walz have called on Mr Trump to withdraw federal agents from the city, saying their presence is sowing chaos in the streets. However, The New York Times reported that the administration was deploying more than 100 additional Customs and Border Patrol personnel in the wake of the shooting. The videos showed two masked officers approaching Ms Goods car, which was stopped at a perpendicular angle on a street. As one officer ordered Ms Good out of the car and grabbed at her door handle, the car briefly reversed and then began driving forward, turning to the right in an apparent attempt to leave the scene. A third officer, who had been filming the scene before walking to the front of her car, drew his gun and fired three times while jumping back, with the last shots aimed through the drivers window after the cars bumper appeared to have passed by his body. The video did not appear to show contact and the officer stayed on his feet, though Ms Noem said he was taken to a hospital and released. Mr Trump said on social media that the woman ran over the ICE officer. Minnesota law allows the use of deadly force by an officer only if an objectively reasonable officer would believe that doing so was necessary to protect the officer or others from immediate death or serious harm. Federal law has a similar standard. Yesterday morning, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at a federal building, where an immigration court is housed, chanting shame and murder at armed and masked federal officers, some of whom used tear gas and pepper balls on protesters. Protests were also ongoing or planned in other cities. People gathered for a vigil yesterday in Minneapolis after Ms Good was fatally shot on Wednesday. Picture: Tom Baker/AP Mr Walz has put the states national guard on alert, and Minneapolis public schools were closed yesterday and today as a precaution. With classes cancelled, 17-year-old Addie Flewelling attended the Minneapolis protest yesterday to show her opposition to the immigration crackdown, including a raid at her high school earlier this week. Students were chased off of their place of education, she said. This is not OK. Im scared to go to school. Ms Good had a 15-year-old daughter and two sons aged 12 and six, according to The Washington Post. She graduated from Virginias Old Dominion University (ODU) in 2020 with a degree in English, the schools president, Brian Hemphill, said. This is yet another clear example that fear and violence have sadly become commonplace in our nation, Mr Hemphill said. May Renees life be a reminder of what unites us: Freedom, love, and peace. Ms Good had won an undergraduate poetry prize, according to a 2020 Facebook post by the schools English department, which described her as hailing from Colorado Springs, Colorado. When she is not writing, reading, or talking about writing, she has movie marathons and makes messy art with her daughter and two sons, the post said. Ms Goods mother told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was not the type of person to confront ICE agents. The operation was also mounted in response to a politically charged investigation into fraud allegations against some Minnesota non-profit groups in the Somali community. Mr Trump has attacked Somalis and Somali Americans in Minnesota as garbage. Reuters Like many young people across Switzerland, Kenzo Ronnow, a university student in Lausanne, slept in on 1 January after celebrating the new year. But as he scrolled through his phone soon after waking, he saw the lead story of a foreign news website was about Switzerland. A fire had ripped through Le Constellation, a bar in Crans-Montana, an Alpine ski resort in Switzerlands Valais canton and a customary haunt for New Years Eve revellers. One of the two bar owners was on Friday taken into custody. At first, the 19-year-old struggled to grasp what was happening. They were talking about lots of people being dead, he said. I was really surprised, also because Switzerland isnt often in the news. He was with his flatmate, who asked Ronnow to read the story aloud to her. Thats when she said her little brother was in Crans-Montana for New Years Eve. A frantic call was made to her sibling, who had celebrated the new year in Le Constellation but left at about 1.15am, just 15 minutes before the fire broke out. Similar scrambles for the whereabouts of family and friends played out across Switzerland as the horror of the tragedy, one of the worst in the countrys recent history, began to sink in. Eight days have now passed and the country is still struggling to process the scale of the event. A national day of mourning was observed on Friday and a memorial ceremony attended by top European officials, including the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, was held in a town close to Crans-Montana. Emmanuel Macron places a wreath before a ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire. Picture: Fabrice Coffrini/AP Swiss authorities have confirmed the total death toll at 40, the majority in their teens and 20s the youngest 14 and mostly from Switzerland, France and Italy. A further 116 were injured, 83 of whom are still being treated in hospital for severe burns. Anger and dismay have meanwhile mounted as details on the cause of the fire and staggering lapses in safety procedures emerged. Jacques Moretti, the French owner of the bar who together with his wife, Jessica, is under investigation for manslaughter through negligence, was arrested and held in custody after the couple were questioned by prosecutors in Sion on Friday morning, a source told the Guardian. The couple, who bought the bar in 2015 before renovating it, have denied any wrongdoing and in a statement this week said they were devastated and overwhelmed with grief while promising full cooperation with the investigation. Authorities said the fire started in the bars crammed basement room after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to a ceiling believed to have been clad with soundproofing foam. A haunting image shared on social media showed a female server sitting on the shoulders of a male colleague holding a bottle with sparklers in each hand before the flames caught the ceiling. The woman was among those who died. The investigation is focusing on renovations made to the bar, the fire-extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people in the building when the fire started. In an astonishing admission on Tuesday, Nicolas Feraud, the mayor of Crans-Montana, said no safety inspections had been made on the premises since 2019. Furthermore, he could not explain why the annual inspections were not done despite the procedure being required by local law. Were profoundly sorry, and I know how hard that will be for the families, Feraud said, adding that his administration wanted to show full transparency. A member of the civil protection service holds a white rose at the end of the commemorative ceremony for victims. Picture: Michael Buholzer/Keystone/AP Lawyers representing the families of those who died or were injured in the tragedy have accused investigators of not moving quickly enough to secure crucial evidence. As firefighters fought to extinguish the blaze, Romain Jordan and Ronald Asmar, lawyers with the Geneva-based firm Merkt, claimed that the bars owners appeared to have deactivated its Instagram and Facebook accounts, in the process deleting pictures and videos that could have been useful to the investigation. The Guardian has contacted the couples lawyers for comment. This attitude should have alerted the prosecutors immediately, added Jordan, who along with Asmar was present during the Morettis questioning on Friday. He claimed authorities initially tried to keep lawyers representing families out of the hearing. The authorities are only now starting to take the full measure of the investigation. Jordan said that everyone, especially those living in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, had been personally affected [by the tragedy] at some level or another. The first tier of this tragedy is seeing young lives ending in this way, or being hurt and bearing scars forever, he said. Then you quickly understand that it perhaps happened because of human mistakes and the worst thing is that the authorities were perhaps complacent. So all of these layers add up to an incomprehensible nightmare, making it difficult to accept. He added: The whole world is looking at us because, if it can happen in Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world, where could it not happen? What led to this tragedy and how can we make sure that that it never happens anywhere else? Authorities are already taking heed. As thousands of bars, restaurants and nightspots were checked in Crans-Montana and surrounding towns, new safety measures were announced in Vaud canton, where Lausanne is located. As normal life resumes after the Christmas and New Year holiday, the tragedy is still dominating conversations. Its definitely on everyones minds, and with all the other stuff happening all of a sudden in the world, people are overwhelmed, said Ronnow. But what has been super shocking for me and a lot of others is that, even though the attention has been on Le Constellation, it could easily have happened elsewhere. When I go to a nightclub it is really common to see bottles with sparklers. Theres now a big push to check safety regulations, but people are thinking, 'it could have been me'. The Guardian ( Tomdispatch.com ) For most of us, Friday, February 6, 2026, is likely to feel no different than Thursday, February 5th. It will be a work or school day for many of us. It might involve shopping for the weekend or an evening get-together with friends, or any of the other mundane tasks of life. But from a world-historical perspective, that day will represent a dramatic turning point, with far-reaching and potentially catastrophic consequences. For the first time in 54 years, the worlds two major nuclear-weapons powers, Russia and the United States, will not be bound by any arms-control treaties and so will be legally free to cram their nuclear arsenals with as many new warheads as they wish a step both sides appear poised to take. Its hard to imagine today, but 50 years ago, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia (then the Soviet Union) jointly possessed 47,000 nuclear warheads enough to exterminate all life on Earth many times over. But as public fears of nuclear annihilation increased, especially after the near-death experience of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the leaders of those two countries negotiated a series of binding agreements intended to downsize their arsenals and reduce the risk of Armageddon. The initial round of those negotiations, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks I, began in November 1969 and culminated in the first-ever nuclear arms-limitation agreement, SALT-I, in May 1972. That would then be followed in June 1979 by SALT-II (signed by both parties, though never ratified by the U.S. Senate) and two Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START I and START II), in 1991 and 1993, respectively. Each of those treaties reduced the number of deployed nuclear warheads on U.S. and Soviet/Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and long-range bombers. In a drive to reduce those numbers even further, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in April 2010, an agreement limiting the number of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 on each side still enough to exterminate all life on Earth, but a far cry from the START I limit of 6,000 warheads per side. Originally set to expire on Feb. 5, 2021, New START was extended for another five years (as allowed by the treaty), resetting that expiration date for February 5, 2026, now fast approaching. And this time around, neither party has demonstrated the slightest inclination to negotiate a new extension. So, the question is: What, exactly, will it mean for New START to expire for good on February 5th? Most of us havent given that a lot of thought in recent decades, because nuclear arsenals have, for the most part, been shrinking and the (apparent) threat of a nuclear war among the great powers seemed to diminish substantially. We have largely escaped the nightmarish experience so familiar to veterans of the Cold War era of fearing that the latest crisis, whatever it might be, could result in our being exterminated in a thermonuclear holocaust. A critical reason for our current freedom from such fears is the fact that the worlds nuclear arsenals had been substantially diminished and that the two major nuclear powers had agreed to legally binding measures, including mutual inspections of their arsenals, meant to reduce the danger of unintended or accidental nuclear war. Together, those measures were crafted to ensure that each side would retain an invulnerable, second-strike nuclear retaliatory force, eliminating any incentive to initiate a nuclear first strike. Unfortunately, those relatively carefree days will come to an end at midnight on February 5th. Beginning on February 6th, Russian and American leaders will face no barriers whatsoever to the expansion of those arsenals or to any other steps that might increase the danger of a thermonuclear conflagration. And from the look of things, both intend to seize that opportunity and increase the likelihood of Armageddon. Worse yet, Chinas leaders, pointing to a lack of restraint in Washington and Moscow, are now building up their own nuclear arsenal, only adding further fuel to the urge of American and Russian leaders to blow well past the (soon-to-be-abandoned) New START limits. A Future Nuclear Arms Race? Even while adhering to those New START limits of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads, both Russia and the United States had taken elaborate and costly steps to enhance the destructive power of their arsenals by replacing older, less-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and nuclear bombers with newer, even more capable ones. As a result, each side was already becoming better equipped to potentially inflict catastrophic damage on its opponents nuclear retaliatory forces, making a first strike less inconceivable and so increasing the risk of precipitous escalation in a crisis. The Russian Federation inherited a vast nuclear arsenal from the former Soviet Union, but many of those systems had already become obsolete or unreliable. To ensure that it maintained an arsenal at least as potent as Washingtons, Moscow sought to replace all of the Soviet-era weapons in its inventory with more modern and capable systems, a process still underway. Russias older SS-18 ICBMs, for example, are being replaced by the faster, more powerful SS-29 Sarmat, while its remaining five Delta-IV class missile-carrying submarines (SSBNs) are being replaced by the more modern Borei class. And newer ICBMs, SLBMs, and SSBNs are said to be in development. At present, Russia possesses 333 ICBMs, approximately half of them deployed in silos and the other half on road-mobile carriers. It also has 192 SLBMs on 12 missile-carrying submarines and possesses 67 strategic bombers, each capable of firing multiple nuclear-armed missiles. Supposedly, those systems are currently loaded with no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads (enough, of course, to destroy several planets), as mandated by the New START treaty. However, many of Russias land- and sea-based ballistic missiles are MIRVed (meaning theyre capable of launching multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles) but not fully loaded, and so could carry additional warheads if a decision were ever made to do so. Given that Russia possesses as many as 2,600 nuclear warheads in storage, it could rapidly increase the number of deployed nuclear weapons at its disposal beginning on February 6, 2026. That Russia is keen to enhance the destructive capabilities of its strategic arsenal is evident from Moscows drive to augment its existing nuclear weapons by developing new, longer-range ones. Those include the Poseidon, a nuclear-powered, intercontinental-range, giant nuclear torpedo to be carried by a new class of submarines, the Belgorod, meant to hold up to six of them. Reportedly, the Poseidon is designed to detonate off the coasts of American cities, rendering them uninhabitable. Following a round of tests now underway, it is scheduled to be deployed by the Russian Navy in 2027. Another new weapon, the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, is being installed on some of Russias existing SS-19 ICBMs. After being boosted into space by the SS-19, the Avangard should be able to travel another 2,000 miles by skimming along the atmospheres outer surface while evading most missile-tracking radars. The United States is engaged in a comparable drive to modernize its arsenal, replacing older weapons with more modern systems. Like Russia, the U.S. maintains a triad of nuclear delivery systems land-based ICBMs, submarine-launched SLBMs, and long-range bombers, each of which is now being upgraded with new warheads at an estimated cost over the next quarter century of approximately $1.5 trillion. The existing New START-limited U.S. nuclear triad consists of 400 silo-based Minuteman-III ICBMs, 240 Trident-II SLBMs carried by 14 Ohio-class submarines (two of which are assumedly being overhauled at any time), and 96 strategic bombers (20 B-2s and 76 B-52s) armed with a variety of gravity bombs and air-launched cruise missiles. According to current plans, the Minuteman-IIIs will be replaced by Sentinel ICBMs, the Ohio-class SSBNs by Columbia-class ones, and the B-2s and B-52s by the new B-21 Raider bomber. Each of those new systems incorporates important features greater accuracy, increased stealth, enhanced electronics that make them even more useful as first-strike weapons, were a decision ever made to use them in such a fashion. When initiated, the U.S. nuclear modernization project was expected to abide by the New START limit of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads. After February 5th, however, the U.S. will be under no legal obligation to do so. It could quickly begin efforts to exceed that limit by loading all existing Minuteman-IIIs and future Sentinel missiles on MIRVed rather than single-warhead projectiles and loading the Trident missiles (already MIRVed) with a larger number of warheads, as well as by increasing production of new B-21s. The United States has also commenced development of a new delivery system, the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), supposedly intended for use in a limited regional nuclear conflict in Europe or Asia (though how such a conflagration could be prevented from igniting a global holocaust has never been explained). In short, after the expiration of the New START agreement, neither Russia nor the United States will be obliged to limit the numbers of nuclear warheads on their strategic delivery systems, possibly triggering a new global nuclear arms race with no boundaries in sight and an ever-increasing risk of precipitous nuclear escalation. Whether they choose to do so will depend on the political environment in both countries and their bilateral relations, as well as elite perceptions of Chinas nuclear buildup in both Washington and Moscow. The Political Environment Both the United States and Russia have already committed vast sums to the modernization of their nuclear delivery systems, a process that wont be completed for years. At present, there is a reasonably broad consensus in both Washington and Moscow on the need to do so. However, any attempt to increase the speed of that process or add new nuclear capabilities will generate immense costs along with significant supply-chain challenges (at a time when both countries are also trying to ramp up their production of conventional, non-nuclear arms), creating fresh political disputes and potential fissures. Rather than confront such challenges, the leaders of both countries may instead choose to retain the New START limits voluntarily. Indeed, Vladimir Putin has already agreed to a one-year extension of this sort, if the United States is willing to do likewise. But pressures (which are bound to increase after February 5th) are also building to abandon those limits and begin deploying additional warheads. In Washington, a powerful constellation of government officials, conservative pundits, weapons industry leaders, and congressional hawks is already calling for a nuclear buildup that would exceed the New START limits, claiming that a bigger arsenal is needed to deter both a more aggressive Russia and a more powerful China. As Pranay Vaddi, a senior director of the National Security Council, put it in June 2024, Absent a change in the trajectory of the adversary arsenal, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required, and we need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision. Those who favor such a move regularly point to Chinas nuclear buildup. Just a few years ago, China possessed only some 200 nuclear warheads, a small fraction of the 5,000 possessed by both Russia and the U.S. Recently, however, China has expanded its arsenal to an estimated 600 warheads, while deploying more ICBMs, SLBMs, and nuclear-capable bombers. Chinese officials claim that such weaponry is needed to ensure retaliation against an enemy-first strike, but their very existence is being cited by nuclear hawks in Washington as a sufficient reason for the U.S. to move beyond the New START limits. Russian leaders face an especially harsh quandary. At a moment when they are devoting so much of the countrys state finances and military-industrial capacities to the war in Ukraine, they face a more formidable and possibly expanded U.S. nuclear arsenal, not to mention the (largely unspoken) threat posed by Chinas growing arsenal. Then theres President Trumps plan for building a Golden Dome missile shield, intended to protect the U.S. from any type of enemy projectile, including ICBMs a system which, even if only partially successful, would threaten the credibility of Russias second-strike retaliatory capability. So, while Russias leaders would undoubtedly prefer to avoid a costly new arms buildup, they will probably conclude that they have little choice but to undertake one if the U.S. abandons New START. Racing to Armageddon Many organizations, individuals, and members of Congress are pleading with the Trump administration to accept Vladimir Putins proposal and agree to a voluntary continuation of the New START limits after February 5th. Any decision to abandon those limits, they argue, would only add hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal budget at a time when other priorities are being squeezed. Such a decision would also undoubtedly provoke reciprocal moves by Russia and China. The result would be an uncontrolled arms race and a rising risk of nuclear annihilation. But even if Washington and Moscow were to agree to a one-year voluntary extension of New START, each would be free to break out of it at any moment. In that sense, February 6th is likely to bring us into a new era not unlike the early years of the Cold War in which the major powers will be poised to ramp up their nuclear war-fighting capabilities without any formal restrictions whatsoever. That comfortable feeling we once enjoyed of relative freedom from an imminent nuclear holocaust will also then undoubtedly begin to dissipate. If there is any hope in such a dark prognosis, it might be that such a reality could, in turn, ignite a worldwide anti-nuclear movement like the Ban the Bomb campaigns of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. If only. Copyright 2026 Michael Klare Via Tomdispatch.com Professor Iqbal Akhtar at Florida International University interviewed me recently for the East-West Institute and FIUs Interfaiths Podcast. Video and transcript below. In this episode of the FIU Interfaiths Podcast, Professor Iqbal Akhtar welcomes distinguished historian and commentator Professor Juan Cole (University of Michigan). They discuss Professor Coles extensive career, ranging from his early upbringing in a military family to becoming a leading public intellectual during the Iraq War. The conversation traces his journey from studying religious history in Lebanon during the outbreak of the Civil War to his groundbreaking digital work with his blog, Informed Comment. Professor Cole also discusses his shift from analyzing radicalism to highlighting the concepts of peace and reconciliation within the Quran. Interfaiths Podcast: History of the Middle East, Blogging the Iraq War, and the Quran with Juan Cole Please enable JavaScript play-sharp-fill Embed Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed. Interfaiths Podcast: History of the Middle East, Blogging the Iraq War, and the Quran with Juan Cole Interfaith Podcast (FIU Online Course) Transcript Edited for Publication, Corrected using ChatGPT (caveat emptor). Iqbal Akhtar: Welcome again to our interfaith podcast for our FIU online course. My name is Professor Ikwalakar, in the Department of Religious Studies and Politics and International Relations. Were very honored today to have Professor Juan Cole from the University of Michigan with us. He is one of the leading scholars of the Islamic world and the Middle East. Hes here for a conference, and we were very lucky to grab him for a few minutes. To get started, could you talk a little bit about your backgroundwhere you grew up and what took you on this intellectual path? I know you eventually went on a Fulbright to India, but Im curious about your early experiences that might have shaped this journey. Juan Cole: Sure. My father was in the U.S. military, and I grew up traveling. I went to twelve schools in twelve years. We had two long tours in Europe, in France. When I was a teenager, we had a posting of about a year and a half in Eritrea, which was then part of Ethiopia. Eritrea is a multicultural place. Its about one-third Muslim and two-thirds Christian. There were mosques, you heard the call to prayer, and we had Eritrean Muslim friends. That was my first serious contact with the Muslim world, there in the Horn of Africa. When I got back to the United States, it was the late 1960sstill very much the 1960s. My generation was interested in spirituality and alternative states of consciousness. I read a lot about Sufism, for instance. When I went to college at Northwestern, I majored in the history of religions. I was interested in all the world religions, but especially in Asian onesIslam, Hinduism, and Buddhism were particular interests of mine. I began taking Arabic as an undergraduate. I was only nineteen when I started, which is early for most Americans. Often people dont get to Arabic until graduate school. I think that early exposure helped me. Northwestern had a wonderful program called the Traveling Scholars, endowed by an alumnus. It was competitive: you designed a research project. I put together a project on ChristianMuslim dialogue in Lebanon after the Second Vatican Council. The Catholic Church had encouraged dialogue with other religions, and the councils documents on Islam were actually quite positive from a Catholic point of view. They spoke about the light of Christ being present in Islam and praised Muslims for honoring Jesus and Marysomething unimaginable a century earlier. Lebanon was a perfect place for this dialogue. There were meetings and publications, and some prominent Lebanese intellectuals were involved. I went to interview the principals and participants. I had started Modern Standard Arabic, but only as a book language. While in Beirut, I took a class in colloquial Lebanese Arabic and learned to speak the language. When I first arrived, I would say things in Modern Standard Arabic and people would laughit was like speaking Shakespearean English to someone. I didnt realize it at the time, but I was already set on a path. Scholarship often runs along language lines. If you study Buddhism, you learn Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, and so on. Since I had decided to learn Arabic, that became what I had going for me. Iqbal Akhtar : Thats fascinating. A bit of a tangent, but in the 1960s people were experimenting with different forms of spirituality. Sufism seemed viable at one point as an alternative path. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism were all competing, but Buddhism seems to have become the most prominent. Do you think Sufism didnt resonate with Americans because of its inherent qualities, or because of geopoliticslike Iran and related issues? Juan Cole: Its true theres more awareness of and interest in Buddhism among Americans interested in Eastern religions. I dont think Sufism ever really went away, though. Theres a small minority of people interested in it even today. There are directories of Sufi organizations in major cities. But its relatively small compared to Buddhism. I couldnt tell you exactly why. One of the problems in the history of religions is that we know things change, but people dont usually write in their diaries why they made those changes. Answering why something didnt happen is especially difficult. It would take a large research project with interviews. Professor Iqbal Akhtar : You spent time in Lebanon studying ChristianMuslim relations. What were some takeaways from that experience? What challenges did Vatican II present for relations between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon? Juan Cole: In Lebanon, religion was very siloed. I was amazed to find that I knew more about Islam than many Christian Lebanese did. They didnt talk to their Muslim neighbors about religion, and Lebanese Muslims often didnt know much about Christianity. Thats why the dialogue movement was useful. One takeaway was how siloed people can be, and how ignorant they can be of realities living just across the hall from them. Ive found this generally in my research in Africa and elsewhere: you have multi-ethnic, multi-religious societies, but people dont really engage theologically. Thats a modern phenomenon, and the interfaith movement helped change ittalking about religion without proselytizing, simply to understand and reduce prejudice. Another takeaway was that I was hobbled by not knowing enough history. I needed to know more about the history of the Maronite Church and of Islam. I spent a lot of time reading history. I was a religion major focused on theology, but I found I liked reading history. That was one transition toward becoming a historian. Iqbal Akhtar: Can you talk about that transition? Juan Cole: The nail in the coffin was the Lebanese Civil War. After graduating from Northwestern in 1975, I went back to Lebanon to try to do an MA in religion at the American University of Beirut. It was the only institution in the Middle East offering a non-seminary religion degreethe history of religions as an academic discipline. It wasnt really allowed in Egypt at the time. But when I arrived, the war had broken out. There was fighting for control of tall buildings downtownhotels, which gradually looked like Swiss cheese. From the campus, you could see rocket trails. We were called together and told the university wouldnt open that year. I went to Jordan for a while, then applied to the American University in Cairo. Beirut wasnt going to settle down. I did my MA in Cairo, determined to become near-native fluent in Arabic, which you cant easily do in the United States. I also reacted against the American academic tradition of brief fieldwork followed by lifelong expertise. I wanted depth. Cairo didnt have a religion program, but it did have history, so I moved into history. I worked on nineteenth-century Muslim reformers from a historical rather than theological perspective. When I later went to UCLA, I already had historical training and began to think of history as my discipline. I also reacted against some of the disciplinary assumptions of the history of religions as I had learned it. We were under the shadow of the University of Chicago, where phenomenology of religion was ascendant, and that approach was somewhat ahistorical. You know, it was all about myth cycles and things like that. First of all, it wasnt very relevant to Islamic studies. It developed mostly out of Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. I dont know what myth cycles there are in Islam. Thats a bit silly. Phenomenology also seemed detached from concrete reality. I became interested in how history is researchedthe use of archives, personal papers, and getting deep into the details of a persons mind and thought at a level that phenomenology doesnt really allow. Personally and philosophically, I was drawn to being a historian. Iqbal Akhtar: Thats very interesting. Then you went on to a Fulbright? Juan Cole: When I went to UCLA for my PhD work, I had actually gone back to Lebanon in the meantime and worked for a newspaper there. We thought the Lebanese civil war might be over in 1978, but it wasnt. I was working for this newspaper, and sometimes we couldnt put the paper to bed because Syrian artillery had knocked out the electricity or similar things happened. I could see there wasnt a future for me as a newspaper man in Beirut, so I went to UCLA to do a PhD. While I was in Beirut, it was during the Iranian Revolution. That revolution was a local story in Beirut because it has a large Shii population, and the Shia mobilized. Our newspaper covered these events, and I worked mainly as a translator, taking Arabic wire services and putting them into English. I followed the Iranian Revolution very closely and its local reverberations in Lebanon. I initially went to UCLA because it had the best Iranian studies program in the country. I planned to do my dissertation on Iran, which was plausible even after the revolution in the summer of 1979. Many American academics went to Iran for research then. But the hostage crisis happened, guerrilla groups took American diplomats hostage, and there was no embassy, no visas, no diplomatic relations. I couldnt do research in Iran. I had already done a lot of background research toward a dissertation topic I was interested in: the rise of the Shii clergy as a ruling class. Where did that come from? There isnt another modern country where clerics seized power as a group in the same way the military does. That seemed strange, and I wondered whether there was something about Shii traditions that helped explain how it could happen. I was reluctant to let go of the subject, so I thought I might do it as a manuscript library project. I went to manuscript library catalogues, and when I got into the India catalogues, I discovered something I hadnt known, that there had been Shii-ruled kingdoms in India between the fall of the Mughals and the rise of the British. The catalogues showed that these Shii kingdoms had generated a great deal of writing and patronized clerics to produce texts. The manuscripts were sitting there. When I looked at the secondary literature, I found nothing about it. It was an unknown subject, which is exactly what you want as a PhD student. So I applied for a Fulbright and Social Science Research Council grants. They accepted my application and sent me to South Asia. It was unexpected but also very appealing. As a teenager in the late 1960s, I had been interested in India and Gandhi. There was a mystique of India for me. I hadnt imagined combining my interest in the Middle East and Islam with India, but this was the perfect opportunity. I went to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and made contact with the local Shia. Some were university professors who understood what I was doing. They opened their hearts to me, and more importantly, their libraries, including manuscripts. I came from a generation of scholars of Islam and the Middle East who were impatient with relying mainly on French and British archives to study the modern period. It wasnt widely known in the 1960s how rich the surviving manuscript tradition was. Only a small portion had ever been printed. You could find handwritten books from 1750, 1790, 1830, often unique copies that required going to where they were held. I wasnt alone in this; scholars like Peter Gran were beginning to use these materials and publicize their existence. I wrote my dissertation primarily from these primary sources written by Indians, often in Arabic and Persian. Most Indians dont read Arabic anymore. They can recite the Quran but wouldnt read a book in Arabic. So I was doing work even local scholars might not have done. I wrote a history of Shii religion and religious practices in North India in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Historians had treated this period largely as a chess piece in the British conquest of India, focusing on diplomacy and economics. But an inner cultural history of Shii practices, including their dialogue with Hindu practices, hadnt been done. That became my dissertation and my first book. It got me the job at Michigan and laid the foundation for my career. Iqbal Akhtar: Your work is really groundbreaking, at least in English, in showing that these Shii kingdoms were not only important but central to the creation of high Muslim culture in South Asia. Thats fascinating. Im interested in how you moved from teaching and historical work to more public-facing scholarship. What took you in that direction? Juan Cole: Because I had done my MA in Cairo and lived there in the 1970s, and then did PhD work in India and Pakistan, I had lived on the terrain where components of al-Qaeda later emerged. In Egypt, you read the newspapers and saw that members of Islamic Jihad had been arrested. It was impossible not to be aware of it. Being specialized in Islamic movements, I followed these developments. When I was in Peshawar in 1982, Afghan refugees had arrived. I didnt know it then, but I was in the same city as Bin Laden, Zawahiri, and later leaders of al-Qaeda, who were running what was called the Office of Services for the Afghan mujahidin fighting the Soviet invasion. I came back to the United States and got the job at Michigan. I taught courses on the modern Middle East, South Asia, and the Mughal Empire. When 9/11 happened, America was seized with curiosity, fear, and anxiety about who these people were and why they had done what they did. I knew exactly who they were. I didnt have to look it up. I had lived with it. At that time, intellectual exchange of a specialized sort often happened through email round-robins. You had a CC list of people interested in a topic, and discussions unfolded rapidly. I was on a list called Gulf 2000, founded by Gary Sick, formerly of the National Security Council. Academics and policymakers asked questions there, and I could answer them quickly. The internet was useful because it was fast; if you waited a week, the question would be forgotten. My answers about al-Qaeda were well regarded by colleagues. Although the list was supposed to be internal, people forwarded messages, and I began receiving emails from abroad. People asked for back issues. At the time, email programs didnt have good search functions, so retrieving old messages was a hassle. In the winter of 2001, blogging began to become well known. Andrew Sullivan was an early prominent blogger, and there wasnt much serious content yet, mostly cats. I thought I would start a blog to archive my email messages, since I considered them public. Then I could just give people a URL. That was in the spring of 2002, when I began putting material on a weblog. In the early days of the World Wide Web, pages were like index cards. You couldnt scroll; the only movement was via hyperlinks. Each page had to be manually uploaded using file transfer protocol. You could go sideways through links, but not up and down. In 1999, young software engineers invented Blogger.com. It had a window where you could put text in, press publish, and it would FTP [file transfer protocol] it for you. You didnt have to do it manually. It would push down whatever text was there before and put the new text on top. That became much more convenient, and that was the software most bloggers used initially to put up their web pages. After a while, especially in the summer, when professors dont teach, I would have time to do research and I would be tooling around the web. I knew Arabic, so I could find out things other people couldnt. If I found an interesting article about al-Qaeda and its history, I would translate it and put it on the website. So I started making original entries. At first the website might get fifty people a day, or seventy-five. It was a small thing. Then Bush decided to invade Iraq. The Shia I had studied in India went on pilgrimage to Iraq, and there had been a lot of back-and-forth between Iran, Iraq, and North India because the Indian Shii kingdom of Awadh that I studied was rich. There was patronage and pilgrimage and so forth. Two chapters of my dissertation were set in Iraq. I knew who the Iraqi Shia were. I knew who their grandparents were. When Bush decided to go to Iraq, I was able to talk knowledgeably about Iraqi history and society. Once Saddam fell, Iraqis put up hundreds of websites. Some were city-oriented, so you could read local news about what was happening in a particular neighborhood. There was no censorship. I could find out almost anything. A high-ranking U.S. general once wrote me in that period and said, How do you know these things? Apparently I was doing a better job than his intelligence people. I blogged Iraq. Once Bush decided to go to war there and send U.S. troops, he sent a hundred thousand, a hundred and twenty thousand troops. Each of those troops had family and friends. Thats a big constituency of people who really wanted to know what was going on, because they cared about the fate of their loved ones. In addition, it was a national project. Bush promised Americans he was going to turn Iraq into a beacon on the hill, and people became emotionally invested in Iraq. Its funny now. There were elections in Iraq last October and I dont think the American public even knew it happened. But in the early 2000s, people were focused on Iraq like a laser. Blog technology at the time had a side panel called a blogroll, where you recommended other sites to your readers. People with weblogs related to foreign affairs would put my weblog in their blogroll as a hyperlink. When readers finished something on that site, they would click and come to me. Then some mega-bloggers with large followings linked to me. I woke up one morning and had sixty thousand hits. In April 2004, at the height of the struggles between the Marines and the Mahdi Army, I had a million hits that month. Id never had a million of anything. Then public television called, The [PBS] NewsHour, and cable news, CNN, and once Fox. I testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, then headed by Joe Biden and Dick Lugar, because they couldnt get the Bush administration to tell them what in the world was going on in Iraq. I gained a certain odd sort of celebrity. I was recognized in restaurants in D.C. I remember being in Minnesota giving a talk, paying a taxi by credit card, and the driver looked at it and said, Oh, are you the Juan Cole? It wasnt a frivolous Hollywood kind of celebrity. I didnt have the pink limousine. But I was well known. C. P. Snow said that a celebrity is someone whos very well known for being very well known. In a minor way I dont want to make too much of it I entered those ranks. It was because the country wanted the knowledge I had. They wanted the analysis I had, and I consulted with the government. I had been against the Vietnam War and marched against it. But with al-Qaeda and Iraq, I thought the Iraq war was a bad idea, but I also wanted a soft landing for everybody. I really wanted to do whatever I could to help destroy al-Qaeda. So the government called me to consult. I went and told them what I knew. I thought, Im a public intellectual. The people of Michigan, for whatever reason, pay me to tell the public these things. The government is part of that public. So I was willing to talk to other experts in D.C. and share that knowledge. I kept expecting this to be a one-year adventure and to be over, but it lasted as long as people were interested in Iraq. Then ISIL arose, and there was that. There were twenty years when a big chunk of my career was telling people about Islam and the Middle East. Then I found there was so much Islamophobia in my comments. As hard as I tried to inform people, I couldnt always get through. It occurred to me that trying to explain radical groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL to people is not the best way to inform them about Islam more generally, because Americans didnt realize it, but those are tiny little sects. Almost nobody pays attention to them in their home countries except to the extent that theyre violent. I had been trained at the American University in Cairo and UCLA in early Islamic studies, so I decided to write a book about the idea of peace in the Quran. As far as I could tell, there had not been such a book. I found concepts of reconciliation, peace, moderation, and dialogue throughout the Quran. Muslims know this, but the Western public, including the Western academic public, mostly didnt. That became my project from the middle of the last decade. I wrote a book about Muhammad and peace. I edited a book about peace movements in Islam, looking at a range of them. There are many peace movements in Muslim societies, but people dont think about them that way. They didnt know about them. After the genocide in Bosnia and the Dayton Accords, Muslim women formed organizations to work for reconciliation with their Serbian neighbors. There is a literature on this, but its not in peoples consciousness. Iqbal Akhtar: Were nearing our time to end, but Im interestedgiven your varied career and the work youve donewhat are the main takeaways you would want students to have, especially those interested in interfaith dialogue or the Middle East more generally? What are the key learnings people should know about the world, especially as we see things unfolding today? Juan Cole: With regard to the first part of your question studying Islam, its history, its thought - the Victorians in the nineteenth century developed a notion they called the enlargement of the self. It was common for people to go on vacation to Italy, for instance. We now do this routinely, but in the mid-nineteenth century it was a big deal, mostly for rich people. They were often hardline Protestants going into a Catholic environment. The churches were gaudy from their point of view. But they would be exposed to wonderful Renaissance art. George Eliot, the novelist, who was a woman but wrote under a mans name, talked about her trip to Italy and the way it was an enlargement of herself, of ordinary life, she called it. This was a whole concept at the time. It was also a time when the Victorian world was sticking its fingers all over the world, but intellectuals and cultural figures found beauty in other cultures in a way that administrators sometimes did not. So that enlargement of the self, the ways in which you can widen your horizons and deepen your understanding, thats worth gold. Learning another language, another way of expressing yourself, understanding concepts: the world looks different when you know another language. Theres an Arabic proverb: kullu lisan insan, every language is a person. When you learn a new language, its like you have a new personality incorporated into yourself. Although there may be more public interest in the history of Zen Buddhism, those Sufis in Islam are really interesting people. They have fascinating stories to tell, not only sermons and homilies, but tales, folk tales with spiritual import. They have large books full of these stories. Theyre more spiritual kinds of stories, not like the Thousand and One Nights, which are also interesting. The study of that literature is rewarding in its own right, and it gives you spiritual insights useful in facing life. With regard to geopolitics, I dont think I have to make a strong pitch. We dont understand the Middle East, but we rampage around it like an elephant in a china shop. I have been both pleasantly surprised and deeply disappointed by my interactions with officials in Washington. Some were on the ball. A very large number were completely ignorant of the places they were trying to run. Thats inadvisable. If the U.S. public is going to keep having things to do with the Middle East, the public needs to get up to speed, do the reading, and investigate. Iqbal Akhtar: Thank you so much, Professor Cole. Its an honor and a pleasure. Juan Cole: Thank you. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Lodestar Metals Corp. (TSXV: LSTR) (OTC: SVTNF) ("Lodestar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the strategic appointment of David Christie as Chairman of the Company. Lowell Kamin, President and CEO, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome David as Chairman of Lodestar. His rare combination of technical expertise, corporate development leadership, and capital markets experience aligns perfectly with our ambition to build a high-impact exploration company. David has consistently demonstrated an ability to identify opportunity, execute value-accretive transactions, and scale businesses responsibly. His guidance will materially strengthen our board and position Lodestar for long-term growth and value creation." "Having worked closely with the team as a director since June, I have developed a strong conviction in Lodestar's assets, strategy, and technical approach," said David Christie, Chairman of Lodestar Metals. "The Goldrun Project's location on a major Carlin-style trend, adjacent to some of North America's largest gold deposits, provides an exceptional foundation for discovery. I believe the Company's potential is not yet fully recognized by the market, and I am excited to step into the role of Chairman and contribute my experience across exploration, corporate development, and capital markets to help efficiently guide the board and company towards its goals and drive long-term shareholder value." David Christie was appointed as a director of the Company on June 24, 2025. Mr. Christie has 39 years of experience in mining, exploration and mining finance and is currently President and COO for Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. He was one of the founders, President, CEO and Director of Orford Mining Corp which was sold to Alamos Gold Inc. in April 2024. Mr. Christie was CEO, President and Director of Eagle Hill Exploration Ltd. where he was part of the team that completed a five-way merger to create Osisko Mining Inc. in 2015 (recently sold to Gold Fields Ltd.). He was Vice President at Dundee Resources and Goodman and Company Investment Counsel (subsidiaries of Dundee Corp.) where he worked on a number of resource portfolios. Prior to these roles Mr. Christie was a highly ranked Mining Equity Analyst at TD Securities, Scotia Capital and Newcrest Capital, which had followed many years working in association with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. as an exploration geologist. Mr. Christie was previously a director of Mines D'Or Orbec Inc leading up to its sale to IAMGOLD in December 2025. He also previously held director positions for eCobalt Solutions Inc., Condor Precious Merals Inc., Osisko Mining Inc., True North Nickel, Orford Mining Corp and Eagle Hill Exploration Ltd. David Christie is a member of the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario and Northwest Territories and Nunavut and received a BSc degree in Geology from McMaster University. Stock Option Grants The Company has granted a total of 1,600,000 stock options to its directors, officers and consultants. The stock options are exercisable at $0.15 per common share and have a five-year term. ABOUT LODESTAR METALS Lodestar Metals Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing the drill-ready Goldrun Project in Nevada, strategically located on a major Carlin-style gold trend and adjacent to some of the largest gold deposits in North America. With decades of combined geological and capital markets expertise, Lodestar follows a disciplined, step-by-step approach to discovery. The Company's strategy is clear: focus capital on high-value targets, move quickly on known mineralization, and build a compliant gold resource that delivers lasting shareholder value. For more information, please visit www.lodestarmetals.ca. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY) (OTCQB: ATMYF) (FSE: K8J0) (the "Company" or "Antimony Resources" or "ATMY") is pleased to present the latest set of High-Grade antimony (Sb) assays from the Bald Hill Antimony Project in New Brunswick, Canada. Assays for Drill Holes BH-25-17 to BH-25-22 are presented. ATMY completed 5,000 meters of additional drilling during the fall Phase Two program to bring the total drilling completed by ATMY in 2025 to over 8,000 meters in 34 drill holes. The mineralization has been traced over 700 meters and followed to a depth of at least 400 meters. Highlights from Latest Drilling High-grade antimony-bearing stibnite (Sb) mineralization continues to be intersected in the drilling completed in the fall of 2025. Multiple zones of antimony-bearing stibnite (Sb) mineralization were encountered in five of the six holes reported. Drill Hole BH-25-22 has 6 individual zones of antimony mineralization. High-grades and wide intersections are seen; up to 2.07% Sb over 27.05 meters and 2.75% Sb over 18.35 meters . and . High-grade values include 4.4% Sb over 8.6 meters (m), 11.4 %Sb over 1.65 m , and 8.48 % Sb over 3.0 m . The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. (m), , and . The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. Highest values of the grade times thickness to date (%Sb*m) = 55.99 and 50.46. The mineralization appears to be averaging greater than 4.5 meters in thickness. The results are summarized in the table below. Summary BH-25-17 to BH-25-22 BH-25-17 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 104.00 131.05 27.05 2.07 55.99 including 104.00 112.60 8.60 4.40 37.84 and 117.30 124.75 7.45 1.40 10.43 and 127.00 131.05 4.05 0.52 2.11 BH-25-18 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 110.00 120.65 10.65 3.75 39.94 and 184.30 189.89 5.59 5.90 32.98 and 203.00 205.35 2.35 5.25 12.34 BH-25-19 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 186.25 204.60 18.35 2.75 50.46 including 186.25 191.40 5.15 5.98 30.80 and 199.60 204.60 5.00 3.52 17.60 and 209.45 212.70 3.25 2.01 6.52 BH-25-20 Hole Abandoned short of target BH-25-21 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 259.30 263.95 4.65 0.54 2.51 BH-25-22 From (m) To (m) Length (m) Assay (%Sb) %Sb*m Intersections 107.30 113.30 6.00 3.42 20.52 Including 107.30 110.30 3.00 8.48 25.44 and 119.70 124.60 4.90 0.55 2.70 and 163.75 169.60 5.85 3.63 21.24 Including 164.85 166.50 1.65 11.74 19.37 and 169.60 173.35 3.75 0.44 1.65 and 181.90 183.75 1.85 3.81 7.05 Note: the thickness reported in this table are drill intersected thicknesses. The true thickness of mineralization is calculated to be approximately 75% of the intersected thickness. The 2025 Drilling programs drilling completed a total of 8150 meters in 34 drillholes. High-grade antimony-bearing stibnite was intersected in between 75% and 80% of the drill holes. With high-grade values including 4.4% Sb over 8.6 meters (m), 11.4 %Sb over 1.65 m, and 8.48 % Sb over 3.0m. The overall average grade of mineralization appears to be in the order of 4% to 5% Sb. The antimony-bearing stibnite mineralization in the Main Zone has been outlined in surface outcroppings and drilling. As a result of the 2025 Drilling Program, the Main Zone has been extended to a length of over 700 meters, and the depth has been confirmed to at least 400 meters by recent drilling. The location of the drill holes from the 2025 Drilling Program are shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: Bald Hill Antimony Areas of Mineralization. Phase Two Drilling Locations. Note Drill Holes BH-25-17 to BH-25 22 Reported. The mineralization encountered at Bald Hill consists of massive to semi-massive antimony-bearing stibnite, quartz-veins and stibnite bearing breccia. The breccia contains fragments of the enclosing rocks - metasediments and metavolcanics. On surface the vein/breccia system of the Main Zone strikes NNW-SSE and dips vertically to steeply to the southwest. The South Zone strikes more northwesterly (NW-SE). The direction of the newly discovered West Zone has not been positively determined. Completion of a 3-D Model of the Main Zone appears to suggest the presence of at least four zones of high-grade antimony-bearing stibnite mineralization, and recent drilling has suggested that some of these zones may be contiguous. Updated modeling will be completed once all assays and drill logs for the current drilling program have been received. The regional rock units in the area strike to the northeast while the stibnite-bearing breccia zone trends northwest resulting in situations where the stibnite-bearing structures cut across the surrounding units at a very oblique angle. Changes in the nature of the breccia zone and mineralization are noted as the zone crosses different rock units, but this has not been systematically evaluated. Mineralization is accompanied by alteration consisting of sericite, quartz and carbonate in the surrounding rock units. Figure 2: Cross Section of Mineralization on Left and Surface traces on Right. Note multiple Zones of Breccia have been identified in the 3-D Model and in drilling. Bald Hill South The Bald Hill South Zone where recent trenching was completed is located within a two-kilometer-long antimony in soil anomaly (Figure 3). While mineralization has been identified at the northwest end (The Main Zone) and the southeast end of this trend (Bald Hill South) the area covered by the remainder of the anomaly has not been explored in detail. The 2025 program included trenching and mapping along this anomaly which identified the probable source of soil anomaly. Massive antimony-bearing stibnite was identified over a 150 meter long NW-trending zone during trenching in the southern part of area. The orientation and nature of this zone suggests that it is separate from but parallel to the mineralized Main Zone. Figure 3: Trace Of the Antimony in Soil Anomaly. Note the Drilling at the NW end of the anomaly in the Main Zone and trenching in the southeastern end have identified stibnite mineralization but that the remainder of the anomaly is poorly explored. Trenching in 2025 exposed mineralization in the extreme south end of the anomaly. Work to establish access on the west side of the Main Zone uncovered a new zone of massive to semi-massive stibnite (Marcus Zone) This is an entirely new area of mineralization which was identified as the snow fell! It will be the focus of further exploration. Jim Atkinson, P. Geo., CEO of Antimony Resources Corp., stated: "Our 2025 exploration program at Bald Hill has been very successful and the results are exciting. Drilling at Bald Hill in 2025 totaled over 8,000 meters, bringing the total drilling to date on the property to over 13,800 meters of drilling. Part of the recent program was guided by a 3-D Model which will be updated with the new information from the second phase of drilling. Our drilling extended the Main Zone by over 100 meters to the southeast and northwest and to a depth of at least 400 meters, significantly expanding the potential of the deposit. The presence of multiple and thick zones of antimony-bearing stibnite encountered in recent drilling will be important factors in the ultimate resource calculation. "In 2006 we will continue to drill to delineate the mineralized zone. The program is budgeted to include 10,000 meters of drilling with three drills and because of our recently closed financing is fully funded. "During 2026, we will be working with consultants to discuss the appropriate drill density, continuity etc. for resource calculations later in 2026 or early 2027. This consultation will also develop a roadmap to Permitting including an Environmental Assessment. This work has already begun. "We are very excited by our new discoveries on the property. The trenching on the South Zone has identified stibnite bearing boulders and stibnite in outcrop in this area over 150 meters. The discovery of the West Zone (Marcus Zone) was accomplished by our field crew as the snow was starting to fly and will be an exciting target for further trenching as soon as the snow clears. They can't wait to get back into the field!" Bald Hill Antimony Project Highlights from Exploration Bald Hill is a well-known, high-grade antimony deposit in southern New Brunswick. Past work including drilling has outlined an antimony deposit over 700 m. long. Widths of mineralization average 3 to 4 meters and grades average 3% to 4% antimony. NI-43-101 Technical Report: The estimated potential quantity and grade of the drilled area from the 2025 Technical Report, which is the target of our exploration, is 2.7 million tonnes with a grade between 3% and 4% antimony ( 80,000 to 106,000 tonnes of contained antimony) 1 - Antimony Resources Corp. has not completed enough work to confirm this estimate. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. The estimated potential quantity and grade of the drilled area from the 2025 Technical Report, which is the target of our exploration, is 2.7 million tonnes with a grade between 3% and 4% antimony ( 80,000 to 106,000 tonnes of contained antimony) - Antimony Resources Corp. has not completed enough work to confirm this estimate. The potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Potential to expand based on additional known targets and additional claims added to the property. (1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT: BALD HILL ANTIMONY PROJECT SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA NTS 21G/09 Prepared for Antimony Resources October 28, 2025. Prepared By John Langton, M.Sc., P. GEO., - JPL GeoServices, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The technical contents of this news release were reviewed and approved by Jim Atkinson, MSc., P.Geo., who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Sampling Procedures - Quality Assurance/Quality Control Analytical services were provided by Actlabs, which is an independent, CALA- and SCC-accredited analytical services firm registered to ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 standard. NQ drill core samples were logged and split in half with a diamond core saw. Half-core samples were securely stored at the core logging facility until being delivered to Actlabs Fredericton lab by staff of ATMY. Samples were crushed (< 7 kg) up to 90% passing 2mm (10 mesh), riffle split to 250 g and pulverized by mild steel to 95% passing 105m (150 mesh). Samples splits underwent a 4-acid near total digestion followed by a multi-element analysis, including base metals, using an ICP method for 35 elements. Result over the detection limits were rerun using assay techniques. Antimony Resources conducted a comprehensive QA/QC program for the analysis comprising approximately 20% for each batch including: one sample of certified reference material, one sample duplicate of split core, one pulp duplicate taken at the lab and one blank sample for each batch of 25 samples. The Laboratory also completed QA/QC procedures including duplicates, method blanks and standards. An additional 13% QA/QC was performed as part of the instrumental analysis to ensure quality in the areas of instrumental drift. About Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY) (OTCQB: ATMYF) (FSE: K8J0) Antimony Resources Corp. is an exploration and development company focused exclusively on Antimony. The Company's management team possesses extensive experience in financing, exploration, development and mining. The Company is focused on becoming a significant North American producer of antimony. www.antimonyresources.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 9, 2026) - Dryden Gold Corp. (TSXV: DRY) (OTCQB: DRYGF) (FSE: X7W) ("Dryden Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be increasing the previously announced (January 8, 2026) non-brokered equity financing (the "Upsized Offering"). Under the Upsized Offering, the Company will issue 4,350,000 charity flow-through common shares (the "CFT Shares") at a price of $0.425 per CFT Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,849,185. The CFT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and "Ontario focused flow-through shares" as defined in the Taxation Act, 2007 (Ontario) ("Ontario Tax Act"). No finders' fees will be paid in connection with the Offering. The Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the CFT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), (ii) as "flow-through mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act); and as "eligible Ontario exploration expenditures" within the meaning of the Ontario Tax Act ("Qualifying Expenditures"). All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favor of the subscribers for the CFT Shares effective on or before December 31, 2026. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy 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 or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S 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. 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. ABOUT DRYDEN GOLD CORP. Dryden Gold Corp. is an exploration company focused on the discovery of high-grade gold mineralization listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("DRY"), on the OTCQB marketplace ("DRYGF") and on the FSE: ("X7W"). The Company has a strong management team and Board of Directors comprised of experienced individuals with a track record of building shareholder value through property acquisition and consolidation, exploration success, and mergers and acquisitions. Dryden Gold controls a 100% interest in a dominant strategic land position in the Dryden District of Northwestern Ontario. Dryden Gold's property package includes historic gold mines but has seen limited modern exploration. The property hosts high-grade gold mineralization over 50km of potential strike length along the Manitou-Dinorwic deformation zone. The property has excellent infrastructure, enjoys collaborative relationships with First Nations communities and benefits from proximity to an experienced mining workforce. For more information, go to our website www.drydengold.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: receipt of corporate and regulatory approvals, issuance of common shares; future development plans; and the business and operations of Dryden Gold. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings including receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval for the offering; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in Dryden Gold's and the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Dryden Gold and the Company do not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from Dryden Gold's and the Company's expectations or projections. UNITED STATES ADVISORY. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), have been offered and sold outside the United States to eligible investors pursuant to Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, and may not be offered, sold, or resold in the United States or to, or for the account of or benefit of, a U.S. Person (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act) unless the securities are registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. Hedging transactions involving the securities must not be conducted unless in accordance with the U.S. Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in the state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES US President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that his "own morality" was the only constraint on his power to order military actions around the world. Trump's comments to The New York Times came days after he launched a lightning operation to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries plus the autonomous territory Greenland. "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me," Trump told the newspaper when asked if there were any limits on his global powers. "I don't need international law," he added. "I'm not looking to hurt people." The Republican president then added that "I do" need to abide by international law, but said "it depends what your definition of international law is." The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries war criminals, and it has repeatedly rejected decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's top court. Trump himself has had his own run-ins with domestic law, having been impeached twice, faced a slew of federal charges including conspiring to overturn the 2020 election -- which were eventually dropped after his re-election -- and convicted for covering up a hush money payment to a porn star. While proclaiming himself as "peace president" and seeking the Nobel Prize, Trump has launched a series of military operations in his second presidential term. Trump ordered attacks on Iran's nuclear program in June and in the past year has also overseen strikes on Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Yemen -- and most recently on Venezuela. Since Maduro's capture, an emboldened Trump has threatened a string of other countries including Colombia, as well as Greenland, which is administered by fellow NATO member Denmark. Asked whether his priority was preserving the NATO military alliance or acquiring Greenland, Trump told the Times: "it may be a choice." Some members of Congress, including a handful of Republicans, are trying to check Trump's power. On Thursday the Senate advanced a measure to rein in presidential military action in Venezuela. But even if it reaches his desk, Trump would likely veto it. Billionaire Trump, who made his fortune as a property developer, added that US ownership of Greenland is "what I feel is psychologically needed for success." Trump said separately that he has had problems with his family's foreign business deals since his return to office. "I prohibited them from doing business in my first term, and I got absolutely no credit for it," Trump told the daily. "I found out that nobody cared, and I'm allowed to." dk/mlm THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY US President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that his "own morality" was the only constraint on his power to order military actions around the world. Trump's comments to The New York Times came days after he launched a lightning operation to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries plus the autonomous territory Greenland. "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me," Trump told the newspaper when asked if there were any limits on his global powers. "I don't need international law," he added. "I'm not looking to hurt people." The Republican president then added that "I do" need to abide by international law, but said "it depends what your definition of international law is." The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries war criminals, and it has repeatedly rejected decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's top court. Trump himself has had his own run-ins with domestic law, having been impeached twice, faced a slew of federal charges including conspiring to overturn the 2020 election -- which were eventually dropped after his re-election -- and convicted for covering up a hush money payment to a porn star. While proclaiming himself as "peace president" and seeking the Nobel Prize, Trump has launched a series of military operations in his second presidential term. Trump ordered attacks on Iran's nuclear program in June and in the past year has also overseen strikes on Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Yemen -- and most recently on Venezuela. Since Maduro's capture, an emboldened Trump has threatened a string of other countries including Colombia, as well as Greenland, which is administered by fellow NATO member Denmark. Asked whether his priority was preserving the NATO military alliance or acquiring Greenland, Trump told the Times: "it may be a choice." Some members of Congress, including a handful of Republicans, are trying to check Trump's power. On Thursday the Senate advanced a measure to rein in presidential military action in Venezuela. But even if it reaches his desk, Trump would likely veto it. Billionaire Trump, who made his fortune as a property developer, added that US ownership of Greenland is "what I feel is psychologically needed for success." Trump said separately that he had no problem with his family conducting foreign business deals since his return to office. "I prohibited them from doing business in my first term, and I got absolutely no credit for it," Trump told the daily. "I found out that nobody cared, and I'm allowed to." dk/mlm THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY Donald Trump and his senior officials have hailed Operation Absolute Resolve, the raid on Caracas and the capture and abduction of Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, 2026, as an outstanding military success. Its also easy to argue it was a blatant and unashamed violation of international law. And it signals a further erosion of what is left of the rules-based international order. The temptation for the White House now is to declare victory and quickly move on to other targets while the world is still stunned by the audacity of kidnapping a sitting foreign leader. The people and leaders of Cuba (long an obsession for Trumps secretary of state, Marco Rubio), Colombia (the largest supplier of cocaine to the US) and Mexico (the key route through which fentanyl gets into the US) will be deeply worried about their future prospects in a Trumpian world. As will Greenlanders, particularly in light of Trumps comments over the weekend that the United States need[s] Greenland from the standpoint of national security. Not to mention the ominous tweet by Maga influencer, Katie Miller the wife of Trumps influential deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller showing a map of Greenland in the colours of the US flag. The US president certainly wont be discouraged by the meek response from many European officials. This has been deeply disconcerting, signalling that many of the most ardent defenders of international law appear to have given up pretending it matters any more. The European Union (EU)s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, was first out of the block, with a post that started by pointing out Maduros lack of legitimacy as president and ended with an expression of concern for European citizens in Venezuela. She just about managed to squeeze in that the principles of international law and the UN charter must be respected. But this sounded like and most likely was an afterthought. A subsequent joint statement by the EU26 (all member states except Hungary) was similarly equivocal and did not explicitly condemn Washingtons breach of international law. The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, focused his statement on the fact that the UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela, that he regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and would shed no tears about the end of his regime. Before closing with his desire for a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people, the former human rights lawyer briefly reiterated his support for international law. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, however, wins the prize for prevarication. As well as making almost identical comments about Maduros lack of legitimacy and the importance of a transition in Venezuela, he also noted that a legal assessment of the US operation is complicated and that Germany will take its time to do so. The view from Moscow and Beijing While there was a mixture of enthusiasm and worry across Latin America, the strongest condemnations came from Moscow and Beijing. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had signalled his support for Maduro early on in the escalating crisis at the beginning of December. A statement by the Russian foreign ministry on January 3 initially merely offered support for efforts to resolve the crisis through dialogue. In subsequent press releases, Russia has taken a stronger line, demanding that Washington release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spouse. China similarly expressed concern about the US operation as a clear violation of international law. A foreign ministry spokesman urged Washington 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. Moscows position in particular is, of course, deeply ironic. To condemn the US operation as an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state may be correct. But it is hardly credible in light of Moscows decade-long war against Ukraine that has involved the illegal occupation and annexation of nearly 20% of Ukraines territory. China, on the other hand, can now have its cake and eat it in Taiwan, which, unlike Venezuela, is not widely recognised as a sovereign and independent state. With regime change back on the international agenda as a seemingly legitimate endeavour, little is left, from Beijings point of view, of the case against reunification if necessary by force. Trumps actions against Venezuela may not have accelerated Chinese plans for forceful reunification, but they will have done little to deter them. The episode is likely to have emboldened more Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. Carving up the world All this points to a further gradual conversion of American, Chinese and Russian great power interests to have their recognised spheres of influence in which they can do as they please. But while China and Russia may be unable to do much about their now-deposed ally Maduro, there is no obvious or straightforward way to delineate where one sphere of influence begins and another one ends. The expectation of a carve up of the world between Washington, Moscow and Beijing also explains the lack of European outrage over Trumps operation against Venezuela. It signals a European realisation that the days of the liberal international order are well and truly over. Europe is unlikely to take a futile stand that would only risk being abandoned by Trump and assigned to Putins sphere. On the contrary, European leaders will do their utmost to gloss over differences with the US and try to capitalise on an almost throwaway remark by Trump at the end of his press conference on Saturday January 3, that he is not thrilled with Putin. What matters for Europe now are no longer the niceties of international norms. Its now a question of keeping the US and its mercurial president on side in the hope of being able to defend Ukraine and deter Russia from further aggression. Such efforts to accommodate the US president are only going to work to some extent. Trumps decision to restate his ambition to annex Greenland, whose vast critical mineral resources he covets, plays into his vision of absolute dominance in the western hemisphere. This revival of the two century-old Monroe doctrine (recast by Trump as the Donroe doctrine) was outlined in the new US national security strategy in December 2025. It clearly does not end with regime change in Venezuela. The strategy set out to reestablish conditions of strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass or mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states. But further destabilising the transatlantic alliance by threatening the territorial integrity of Denmark over Greenland and possibly abandoning Europe and Ukraine to the Kremlins imperial designs are likely to have the opposite effect. Likewise, if the Venezuela incursion further encourages Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea and possibly a move on Taiwan, it will hardly achieve Americas aim, spelled out in the national security strategy, of preventing military confrontation with its most significant geopolitical rival. Like other US regime change efforts since the end of the cold war, US action in Venezuela is likely a self-isolating and self-defeating move. It signals a return of law of the jungle for which the US, and much of the rest of the world, will ultimately pay a heavy price. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article. Germany plans to host a Sudan aid conference in the spring to raise emergency relief funds for the war-torn country, the foreign ministry said on Friday. Brutal fighting between Sudanese government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country, with reports of atrocities, starvation and mass killings. "Today, the world commemorates a sad date: 1,000 days of war in Sudan," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said. "Far too many people continue to suffer and die there, victims of hunger, thirst, displacement and rape." The conference would be held around the anniversary of the 2023 outbreak of the civil war in April, the spokeswoman said. Previous Sudan aid conferences were held in Paris in 2024 and London in 2025. "The world's largest humanitarian crisis has already driven millions of civilians into poverty and many tens of thousands to their deaths," the spokeswoman said. "Germany is doing everything in its power, both politically and in humanitarian terms, to help the people on the ground and to end the fighting." International calls for a ceasefire have so far failed to halt the fighting between Sudan's army-aligned government and the RSF, which is descended from the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide in Darfur two decades ago. Both sides have faced war crimes accusations over the course of the conflict. Thursday, January 08, 2025 - A viral video shared by a Kenyan lady has sparked concern over the growing number of Africans living on the streets in European countries. In the emotional clip, she recounts how several young African men and women approached her begging inside a train, leaving her deeply disturbed. It is very sad to see your fellow African begging while looking mentally disturbed, she said. Leo tu, four African ladies approached me begging. Yesterday another man was begging in the train, and when you ask where they come from, they dont even remember. Her heartfelt appeal urged families with relatives abroad to check on them instead of assuming they made it and cut off communication. The video quickly drew reactions online, with many netizens suggesting that some of those struggling were once students who traveled abroad on study visas but failed to complete their education. Losing their legal status, they now survive by begging. One commenter reflected: Parents today send their kids abroad without anchors back then, students were sent to places where family or friends could check on them. The viral clip has reignited conversations about the hidden struggles of Africans abroad A Kenyan lady raises alarm over the growing number of Africans living on the streets in European countries. pic.twitter.com/bYCaTkRiNF The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) January 7, 2026 The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, January 8, 2026 - A woman suspected of participating in a series of house break-ins in Mtwapa has been apprehended after being found in possession of 30 master keys. The suspect, identified as Emily Wangoni, was intercepted in Bamburi along with a TV reportedly stolen from a recent burglary. Her alleged accomplice, Amido from Shanzu, is currently at large. In a video shared online, Emily is seen confessing to the criminal activities while members of the public interrogate her. Police are urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the duo to report to Bamburi Police Station or contact Shanzu Community Policing for assistance. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, January 8, 2026 - There was drama at Bomet University after a student was caught with unauthorized exam material, commonly referred to as mwakenya, during an examination. In a video that has since gone viral on social media, a no-nonsense female lecturer is seen confronting the student inside the exam room before ordering her to leave. Can you go away? the lecturer is heard telling the student as other candidates watch in shock. However, the visibly defiant student refuses to comply with the instructions, leading to a heated exchange that nearly escalates into a physical confrontation before intervention. Watch the video. Daughter of Agrippina was caught red-handed consulting offline ChatGPT popularly know as Mwakenya during a cat exam. In an attempt to clear evidence kwa kalataas, the Yakuza almost greeted the lecturer in a manner that wouldn't please the Senate. Mwakenya was about to be pic.twitter.com/UHwANunCxe George T. Diano (@georgediano) January 8, 2026 The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, January 8, 2026 - Drama has erupted on social media after Nyeri-based lawyer, Waruguru Kiai, publicly accused Martha J. Miano, a former Deputy Director of Communications under ex-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, of wrecking her marriage and taking over her matrimonial property. In a series of posts shared on Facebook, Waruguru alleged that Martha, who currently serves as a board member at the Kenya Pipeline Company Limited (KPC), eloped with her husband and subsequently moved into properties she described as matrimonial assets. According to Waruguru, the situation has caused her immense personal distress, prompting her to go public with the allegations in what she termed as a fight for justice and truth. However, Martha J. Miano has strongly pushed back against the claims. In her defence, she alleged that Waruguru had abandoned her husband during a period when he was facing serious financial difficulties. Martha further claimed that the lawyer is now attempting to return into the mans life after he allegedly gained significant wealth. Wee unadharau mtu when he had nothing. You insult him and do all manner of things...Tukitengeneza na apate kitu unataka kurudi..... Urudi wapi? NO ENTRY! she posted on Facebook. Photos of the man Martha is accused of snatching by the Nyeri-based lawyer. The disgruntled lawyer who claims Martha wrecked her marriage. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, January 08, 2025 - Kenyan actress and digital content creator, Jackie Matubia, has opened up on the challenges she has faced since publicly declaring that she had given her life to Christ. Speaking candidly in a recent phone interview with Milele FMs Ankali Ray, Matubia revealed one of the biggest hurdles has been navigating public perception. She admits that she often hears discouraging remarks suggesting women only turn to God later in life. Beyond that, she feels the weight of constant scrutiny, with many seemingly waiting for her to stumble in her walk of faith. The biggest challenge is hearing people say, Wanawake wakizeeka wanaturn to Christ, and the fact that everyone is waiting for you to fall, she shared. However, Matubia is firm that her decision was deeply personal. By the time she announced her return to Christ, she had already been living in faith quietly, rooted in her spiritual journey. It is the journey and how you are rooted. I am not doing it to please anyone; actually, by the time I was announcing it, nilikuwa nimekaakaa since I returned to Christ, she clarified. She disclosed that her upbringing played a pivotal role in this transformation. Raised by a man whose faith remained unwavering until his last breath, Matubia says his example left a lasting imprint. I was once there nikatoka, and I was raised by a man whose faith was so strong till his last breath, Matubia stated. While motivation nudged her forward, she explains that the true turning point was exhaustion with her former lifestyle. I was just tired of this other life. I wanted to surrender to God and live for Him, she confessed. On December 31st, 2025, Matubia made her rebirth public, declaring herself redeemed by Gods grace. This year, Im choosing a prayer board over a vision board because with prayer, vision becomes purpose. Im seeking God, trusting Him, and surrendering the outcome. 4 Every plan, every dream, every hope covered in prayer, she affirmed. The Kenyan DAILY POST A HALF century of service to the community was marked by Monsterevan Credit Union at its most recent AGM. The 51st AGM of Monasterevan Credit Union was held recently in the Council Hall. A large number of members were in attendance. The annual report showed that Monasterevan Credit Union had a very successful year with a growth in loans of 16 per cent. Ciara Byrne Principal, St Evins NS, Sharon Melia Principal, St Peters N.S and Jamie Connolly Parents Council , St Evins NS accepting a cheque from Mary Ryan A dividend of 0.10% on shares and an interest rebate of 2.50% was proposed and passed by the members. Brendan Jenkins, president of the Irish League of Credit Unions, addressed the meeting and congratulated the credit union on its successful year. Mary Higgins and Margaret Worrell accepting a cheque from Mary Ryan, funds for Monasterevin Access Group It has served the community for 50 years and by supporting the credit union the members are ensuring its continued success. The chairperson Mary Ryan thanked the board members, board oversight members and committee members for volunteering their free time. Thanks also to the CEO Sindy Farrell and staff for their commitment and services to the members. Pat Ryan and Brian Deasy accepting a cheque for Monasterevin Men's Shed The chairperson in her address said that in celebrating 50 years , the board of directors had set aside a Community Fund of 25,000 for voluntary groups or clubs to help them in special projects. Nine groups were awarded funds and cheques were presented at the meeting. They were the parents council of Scoil Eimhin Naofa for a sensory pad; Monasterevin Access group for amenities in the community; ladies group, Man Beoga, who meet for crafts, workshops and outings; Monasterevin Mens Shed, to help purchase of tools; Monasterevin Lourdes Pilgrimage committee who are fundraising to take 10 young people from St Pauls school to help on the pilgrimage in June; Health Club Monasterevin GFC for setting up an area for children with special needs; Monasterevin AFC funds for jerseys for the girls in the club; the 14th Kildare Monasterevin Scouts group funds to renovate the Scouts Den and a donation to Monasterevin St Vincent de Paul. Marcie Gorman was elected to the board of directors. Applications are now open for The Hares Corner, an innovative biodiversity initiative developed by Burrenbeo Trust, a registered charity, which is coming to Kilkenny for the first time this year. Landowners, schools and community groups in Kilkenny 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. Kilkenny is one of nine counties involved in The Hares Corner project this year, with the others being Limerick, Offaly, Donegal, Monaghan, Kerry, Sligo, Louth and Wexford. Applications close on Sunday, January 18th and anyone interested in availing of the supports can apply via a simple online application form at theharescorner.ie. Last year, the highly successful project marked its fifth anniversary by creating 1,600 habitats for biodiversity in six counties around Ireland. TAP HERE FOR MORE KILKENNY ECO NEWS 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 (five 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 advisor on how to enhance nature on your site). For more info on the supports and eligibility criteria please visit 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. We are delighted to be in Kilkenny for the first time in 2026, says Lee Worrell, The Hares Corner Coordinator. 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 Hares 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. 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. Bernadette Moloney, Biodiversity Officer, Kilkenny County Council, said the council is delighted to partner with The Hares Corner project this year. When the public were consulted as part of the preparation of the Kilkenny Biodiversity Action Plan, this type of initiative was suggested, she said. Kilkenny County Council is delighted to secure this collaboration with the Burrenbeo Trust as it aligns with Action 6.5 of the Kilkenny Biodiversity Action Plan 2025-2030 providing people with assistance to increase the biodiversity value of their land with the Hares Corner team providing the encouragement, advice and micro-funding to do it. Hello and welcome to Yahoo's live coverage of the extreme heatwave sweeping large parts of Australia this week. Victoria is enduring a 'catastrophic day' with temperatures soaring well beyond 40C once again. Strong winds and thunderstorms have exacerbated the danger, with authorities fearing the conditions will quickly turn deadly if warnings are not heeded. There are grave concerns for the welfare of a child, woman and man who are unaccounted for after being told to shelter in their home as it was too late leave. That property was later found destroyed by fire. The small community of Ruffy has been completely destroyed, with several homes and a school burnt down. See all of the day's updates below. Do you have a story about the ongoing heatwave? Contact tom.flanagan@yahoonews.com Just one day after the Irish government announced it would oppose the EU-Mercosur trade deal, it has been approved by a vote of European Union member states this morning (Friday). Joining Ireland in voting against the agreement were Austria, France, Hungary and Poland, with Belgium abstaining. The vote has been greeted with disappointment and anger among many in Ireland, however it has been welcomed by Chambers Ireland. Kilkenny Reaction Kilkeny Sinn Fein MEP Kathleen Funchion has condemned the European Councils decision to approve the Mercosur trade deal, warning that it is "bad for Irish farmers, the environment, and public health". MEP Funchion also criticised the manner in which the European Commission forced the deal through, saying it "threatens the rights of national parliaments". She said: "I am disappointed that the deal has passed through the European Council, especially in the manner in which it has been done - without a meeting or debate among Trade Ministers this week. "We know this is a bad deal for Irish farming, public health, and the environment. It contradicts so many other policy objectives, not least among them food security, protecting farm incomes, and supporting farm succession. "It will see Irish farmers forced into unfair competition with Mercosur ranchers who produce under far less strict regulation." She urged opposition to the next stage of approval of the trade deal. Farm Leaders IFA President Francie Gorman said the outcome of todays meeting of EU Ambassadors for the latest part of approving the Mercosur deal is very disappointing. "This was a very narrow margin with countries representing a sizeable proportion of the EU population 31.3% - not supporting the deal, which is something the EU Commission has to be concerned about. "This still requires approval by the EU Parliament, and we will renew our focus with our colleagues in COPA to secure a majority against the deal in the Parliament," he said. Welcome However, Chambers Ireland and ICC Ireland has welcomed the positive vote on the Mercosur trade agreement, describing it as a great opportunity for the Irish economy and a welcome boost for free, open trade which has been so instrumental in Irelands economic success. Todays decision represents a significant milestone in the process, with the agreement now progressing to the European Parliament for consideration. Chief Executive Ian Talbot highlighted the importance of the agreement for businesses in Ireland and across the EU: The approval of the Mercosur agreement marks a decisive moment for Irish and EU businesses. It will help stabilise the trade environment and build much-needed resilience into our supply chains. In a time of ongoing geopolitical instability and the lingering effects of tariffs, this agreement will help reduce vulnerabilities and create new opportunities for Irish exporters. Protection of investments and Intellectual Property are also important elements. Ireland's No Vote Yesterday (Thursday) Ireland announced it would vote against the agreement today. Read more of the local reaction to this decision here: 'We're voting no!' - Kilkenny welcome for Ireland's EU trade deal decision Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Venezuela remains committed to deepening economic, trade agreements with China: Venezuelan FM Xinhua) 11:02, January 09, 2026 CARACAS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Thursday on social media that Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to deepening economic and trade agreements with China. "Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to deepening trade and economic agreements with the People's Republic of China," Gil posted on Telegram. He emphasized that the bilateral relationship "is supported by the framework of international laws and regulations of both sovereign countries." The Bolivarian government expresses its "sincere gratitude" to the Chinese government for its support and solidarity in the face of the recent U.S. strikes on Venezuela, the minister added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The head of Minnesotas state investigations agency says the U.S. attorneys office has barred it from taking part in the investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman This story has been updated to correct the number of missiles Ukraines Air Force said Russia fired Thursday night. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am SE is scheduled to cross the auction block at the 2026 Kissimmee sale, representing one of the most recognizable performance cars of the late 1970s and a turning point for General Motors pony car lineup. By the early 1970s, rising insurance costs, tightening emissions rules, and looming fuel economy standards had sharply curtailed the horsepower wars that defined the muscle car era. For GMs F-body cars, 1970 marked the high point for outright performance. Even so, Pontiac continued to push its performance image, earning its long-held reputation as GMs Excitement Division. That effort paid off both on the street and in the showroom as the Trans Am evolved into the brands flagship performance model. Momentum accelerated dramatically in 1977 when the black-and-gold Trans Am became a pop culture phenomenon after starring in Smokey and the Bandit. The film transformed the Trans Am into a national icon, driving demand to levels Pontiac had not previously seen. By 1979, Trans Am sales surpassed Camaro sales for the first time, with more than 117,000 examples produced that year. The 1977 Trans Am SE heading to Kissimmee reflects that peak in popularity. The car has undergone a comprehensive restoration and is finished in Starlight Black with gold decals and pinstriping, closely mirroring the appearance that made the model famous. Power comes from its original 400-cubic-inch L78 V8, paired with a four-speed manual transmission. The car is equipped with the W72 Performance Package, reinforcing its status as one of the more desirable configurations of the era. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional factory features include T-tops, a center console, an AM-FM cassette stereo, a machine-turned dash, a remote mirror, and a gold-tone Formula steering wheel. Snowflake wheels are fitted with reproduction Goodyear Polysteel raised white-letter tires, completing the period-correct presentation. Adding to its appeal, the sale includes themed memorabilia tied to the Bandit image, such as a cowboy hat, a red Trans Am jacket, and a wedding veil similar to the one seen in the film. The car is set to cross the block at the Mecum Auctions Kissimmee, Florida event in 2026, offering collectors a restored example from the height of the Trans Ams cultural and commercial impact. Source Read the full article on Motorious Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Advertisement Advertisement Great Wall Motors, a Chinese automaker, showed two eight-cylinder engines at CES this week. The 2.0-liter flat-eight makes 154 hp and 140 pound-feet of torque and powers the Souo S2000 motorcycle, but it could be fitted to a future production car. GWM's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 has been shown before, and it's unclear what the engine will be used for, but a premium brand is on the horizon. Despite the tariff and trade drama of the past year, China's Great Wall Motors is back for CES 2026 this week, with U.S. aspirations and two eight-cylinder engines on display. Known as one of the more ostentatious of China's core domestic automakers, with an emphasis on SUVs and a full line of all-wheel-drive vehicles, Great Wall brought its flat-eight engine back to CES with a unique news twist: It's also likely to put the engine into a car or SUV. Bengt Halvorson - Car and Driver Great Wall confirmed that the flat-eight isnt intended only for motorcycles. "We can put this V-8 engine in other vehicles in the future," summed representative Shenghao Tang, at GWM's stand. "This is not just for motorcycles... it's for cars." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, the engine is installed in the Souo S2000, a heavy touring motorcycle probably best compared to a Honda Gold Wing, and the flagship for what's likely to be a line of Souo bikes. Bengt Halvorson - Car and Driver This two-wheeled S2000 was showcased at CES 2026 in a mirror-like chrome finish, with the 2.0-liter flat-eight making 154 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. A 5.6-gallon fuel tank allows a riding range of nearly 250 miles, according to Great Wall, and the motorcycle uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155P computing, a TFT display screen, and radar sensing for advanced safety features. The brakes, front and rear, are four-piston Brembos, and a heated seat is among its luxury features. A New V-8 from China At CES, GWM also displayed the 90-degree 4.0-liter V-8 that made a surprise debut at the Shanghai auto show last April. With twin turbos, four valves per cylinder, and variable valve timing, this overhead-cam V-8 will be very powerful, Great Wall representatives said, although no output numbers have been disclosed yet. It was shown on the stand connected to one of the automaker's hybrid systems, also engineered by the company itself, but it also won't confirm which product gets the V-8 first. The rugged-looking Tank 300 SUV is a prime possibility. Bengt Halvorson - Car and Driver We shouldnt necessarily expect the V-8 to be part of a hybrid system, or the flat-eight to be passenger-car-bound, cautioned Yvan Le Neindre, the powertrain chief engineer at GWM research center, noting that for now they're just on display. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reading past some cultural barriers, the tease of eights feels delightfully contrarian. China's protectionist policies helped provide a global advantage in EV manufacturing for automakers like Great Walland now it's putting the spotlight on cylinders and displacement in some niche vehicles. Bengt Halvorson - Car and Driver Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Great Wall's popular efficiency-focused powertrain is a hybrid one, but with half the cylinders. Its Hi-4 system has gone into 410,000 vehicles sold, as of October, and it's offered only in all-wheel-drive form. In its most common layout, it employs a 1.5-liter four-cylinder with front and rear electric motors enabling series or parallel hybrid modes, with the latter possible through two different locked-in cruising ratiosa feature that makes the system noteworthy on the world stage. Great Wall is still considering coming to the U.S. eventually, but as a spokesperson remarked, the "200 percent tax"a reference to Trump's tariff policyis simply too much. Why has Great Wall developed multiple production-bound eight-cylinder engines without a firm idea of which product they're going into? When I asked this question to a representative, I was only reminded that a premium brand from Great Wall Motors is expected soon, possibly for export. Go tell that to all the other Western automakers gradually purging V-8s from the lineup. Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop New Cars Shop Used Cars You Might Also Like Toyota will only build 200 examples of the GR Yaris Morizo RR for Japan and Europe. Just when you thought the global GR Yaris couldnt get any cooler, Toyota went and debuted this. Its called the GR Yaris Morizo RRa limited Yaris designed for the track. It made its world debut at this years Tokyo Auto Salon. The GR Yaris Morizo RR leans hard into its motorsports DNA. Developed with direct input from Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, the Morizo RR builds on lessons learned from endurance racingincluding the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR The car uses the same Direct Automatic transmission from the GR Corolla here in the States, tuned for faster shifts and improved control. The suspension also gets even sharper, and theres a new dedicated 4WD mode with a 50:50 torque split. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visually, the Morizo RR certainly looks the part. It has a carbon-fiber rear wing and front spoiler that increase downforce while helping reduce weight. Yellow brake calipers add some contrast to the Gravel Khaki paint, and the interior gets a few subtle upgrades, most notably a special suede-finished racing steering wheel. Toyota only plans to build 200 examples of the GR Yaris Morizo RR worldwide, split evenly between Japan and Europe. Interested buyers will have to enter a lottery system if they hope to get their hands on one. One thing we still dont know is how much this special GR Yaris will cost. We can only imagine how expensive it will be given its rarity. Motor1's Take: The GR Yaris rules. This one rules even harder. Make a GR Corolla Morizzo RR, you cowards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Advertisement Advertisement Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Advertisement Advertisement The Civic Type R will be returning to the North American market for 2026, but what (if anything) is new remains to be seen. Last summer, Honda announced that the legendary Civic Type R would not be returning to the European market this year. Increasingly stringent policy meant that the performance hatch was no longer compliant with emissions regulations. While the decision resulted in the release of a run of 40 uber-limited Ultimate Edition cars, the special Civics offered fans little consolation. The Ultimate Edition marked the end of the Type R in Europe. - Credit: Honda If anything, their existence sparked speculation that Honda would be pulling the plug on the hatch in the United States as well, especially with no word from the brand through the close of last year. A pricey stateside return Thankfully, any reports of the Type Rs death in North America were exaggerated at least for the time being. Thats because Honda has just confirmed that the hot Civic hatch will be sticking around (and continuing to offer a manual) by publishing pricing and EPA ratings for the 2026 model year. Hondas pricing and EPA ratings are the brands first public confirmation that a 2026 Type R will exist. - Credit: Honda However, some fans likely still wont be happy. As reassuring as it is that Honda will continue to sell the Civic Type R (and as a manual, no less), the models increase in MSRP isnt likely to be popular with buyers. At $46,895, it starts at $1,000 more than the 2025 model; with destination and delivery, the price climbs to $48,090. Advertisement Advertisement While this technically puts asking below the average price of a new car, thats operating under the assumption that you can find a dealer selling a Type R without a markup. Dealer markups on top of a rising MSRP mean that Hondas current Civic Type R is significantly pricier than when it hit the market. - Credit: Honda Advertisement Advertisement After all, even as things currently stand, many owners are reporting paying as much as a few thousand dollars for market adjustment. In practice, this means that dealer fees have made 2025 models $52,000-plus cars come time to calculate the final invoice. Poised for future change Now, Honda has yet to announce what (if anything) has changed between 2025 and 2026. Its possible that this years Type R model could bring a few minor updates. Honda hasnt been afraid to experiment with its performance cars lately, so changes could be coming to the Type R. - Credit: Honda Especially because the Civic Hybrid received a significant overhaul in the form of its new two-motor Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder powertrain. 2025 also brought a series of stylistic tweaks. Last fall, Honda unveiled a Type R rally car for the ARA. More recently, the brand has proven its willingness to experiment by announcing a series of forward-looking concepts. Advertisement Advertisement For this years Tokyo Auto Salon, the automaker is putting together quite the lineup of performance cars. Along with a new RS trim for the Civic e:HEV, theres also set to be a Civic Type R concept developed by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC). Hondas Tokyo Auto Salon exhibit is set to include several Civic-based concepts, including an HRC Type R. - Credit: Honda Whats more, even though Honda had previously indicated that it wouldnt be building a hotter Prelude trim, the brand will at least be displaying a car thats been customized with a boatload of HRC parts. In any case, given Hondas readiness to expand the application of its S+ Shift control technology, hybrid tech may eventually be in the cards for the Type R. The Prelude borrows a number of its components from the Type R; its hybrid powertrain might influence the hot hatch in the future. - Credit: Honda That being said, the presence of a six-speed manual transmission as confirmed by the press document means that the 2026 Civic Type R shouldnt differ too much. If anything, given the few changes to the Integra Type S, this years model is likely to bring more of the same, for, well, more. Advertisement Advertisement About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When hes not chasing the latest industry news, hes probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers. Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When hes not chasing the latest industry news, hes probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers. Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results. MORE than one kilometre of old leaking water mains is set to be replaced by new, more modern pipes on Derry Road, Durrow. The works are set to start this week, with Uisce Eireann crews expected on site to begin the programme of mains replacement. Dave Murphy, portfolio manager at Uisce Eireann, said the works will provide customers in Durrow with a more secure and reliable drinking water supply. The replacement of these water mains will improve the resilience of the network, eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean water lost into the ground. We would like to thank the local community for their support and patience in advance as we carry out these essential works. Uisce Eireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services to the people of Ireland. Shareridge, a civil engineering solutions specialist, is carrying out these works under Uisce Eireanns National Leakage Reduction Programme. The works are expected to be completed by early spring. Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming said he is pleased with the announcement: This will ensure a more reliable drinking water supply for people who live in the area, he said. Currently, there are substantial leaks resulting in good, clean water being lost underground. The works commencing next week will eliminate this I look forward to these works being completed, resulting in an improved water supply and the reduction in water leaks in Durrow. Vice President JD Vance is facing intense scrutiny over his political authenticity after a former personal assistant claimed his current hard-right identity is 'completely fabricated in every way'. The whistleblower, who reportedly worked closely with Vance between 2016 and 2017, alleged that the man now positioned as a standard-bearer for conservative cultural values once held deeply sympathetic views toward LGBTQ+ rights. These explosive claims on X by ex-aide suggest that Vance's public evolutionfrom a 'Never Trump' intellectual to a firebrand who labels opponents 'groomers'may be a calculated exercise in political reinvention designed to secure his status as the frontrunner for the 2028 US Presidential Election. My friend was J.D. Vances personal assistant in 2016-2017 era. We texted about Vance in late 2021 & he said Vances entire persona now is completely fabricated in every way. Vance was pro-gay/trans rights back then, as an example. He called Vance a soulless, moralless husk. Spiros Ghost (@AntiToxicPeople) January 8, 2026 Reactions to Claims About Vance's Political Stance Across X, social media users, especially Americans, suggested 'It's likely his whole persona then was completely fabricated as well'. The comment suggests that, in the poster's view, Vance's earlier public identity may have been changed to appeal more to the public, seeing that conservative ideologies were rising back then. One comment summed it up, 'politics is all about reinvention'. But while others sympathised with Vance for being 'forced' to support conservative ideas, several users said it's his 'core' issue, not politics. 'That actually makes him worse. That he is willing to do what he believes is morally wrong just to cling to power'. Meanwhile, some point to the same thing happening among MAGA supporters, saying, 'It's too bad that the people that support them are the exact people to be fooled by this... It's depressing that the world is being ruined by such fools'. JD Vance's Previous vs Current Social Views JD Vance's public views on social issues have changed noticeably over the years. In his earlier life, including around the time Hillbilly Elegy was published, he showed more personal acceptance of LGBTQ people in private interactions. For example, he once wrote in his memoir that as a boy he 'convinced myself that I was gay' and remembered his grandmother reassuring him regardless of his feelings, a moment that some friends said reflected empathy for the people in the community. However, since entering highlevel politics, Vance's public positions have shifted sharply to the right on LGBTQ+ and cultural issues. He now opposes federal protections for samesex marriage and has backed laws that restrict transgender rights, including federal criminal penalties for genderaffirming care for minors and blocking genderneutral passport markers. He also uses language such as 'groomers' to describe opponents of antiLGBTQ measures, a term frequently criticised as harmful by advocacy groups. Vance Was Surprisingly Anti-Trump Political analysts say this change has come as he aligned with US President Donald Trump and mainstream Republican positions. But before he became Trump's running mate, Vance was publicly and privately critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. In interviews that year, he described himself as a 'Never Trump guy' who 'couldn't stomach' the thencandidate-now-President and wrote an oped saying Trump was 'unfit for our nation's highest office'. In a private message to a college roommate, Vance said he went 'back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon... or that he's America's Hitler'. That message was made public later and widely reported. Vance has since acknowledged it, saying his view changed after Trump's first-term presidency. By 2024, however, Vance had become one of Trump's mouthpieces. He even described Trump as someone who had 'earned the trust of the movement he leads', saying "'I'm proud to stand beside him'. What is clear is that the allegation has reopened questions about authenticity at the highest levels of power. As Vance positions himself as a potential future presidential contender, the tension between his past and present may continue to shadow his public life. Originally published on IBTimes UK Brooklyn Beckham, the eldest son of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, has formally distanced himself from his famous parents, signalling a dramatic escalation in the Beckham family rift. According to reports, the 26-year-old has instructed that any future contact must be handled exclusively through lawyers. The move, understood to involve his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham, marks a decisive attempt to impose boundaries after months of strained relations, social media snubs, and what insiders characterise as a breakdown in trust on both sides of the Atlantic. Legal Boundaries Replace Family Dialogue Brooklyn has reportedly issued his parents a formal legal notice demanding that all contact go through solicitors, according to The Sun. The letter, sent at the end of last summer, instructed them to stop tagging him on social media and cease any public overtures for reconciliation. On Friday, 9 January 2026, LBC reported that Brooklyn has appointed Schillings, the same team that represented Meghan Markle. The 'desist' notice asked David and Victoria to stop mentioning him online and to route all future communication through his legal team. David and Victoria are represented by Harbottle & Lewis King Charles's own 800-an-hour lawyers, according to reports. The Beckhams have not publicly commented on the legal correspondence. Now, with lawyers on both sides, one of Britain's most photographed families is communicating through legal letters instead of phone calls. The Social Media 'Act of War' Sources claim that Victoria Beckham liked a video of a chicken-in-beer recipe shared by Brooklyn in late December 2025, an act interpreted by the younger couple as a violation of the legal notice's 'no contact' boundary. For Brooklyn and Nicola, the public engagement was seen as a strategic move to maintain a 'perfect family' narrative in the press while avoiding private accountability. This 'digital war' saw its final escalation during the New Year period. David Beckham's emotional 2025 recap notably excluded Brooklyn from its highlights, featuring only his three younger children: Romeo, Cruz, and Harper. Although the recently knighted England captain later shared a throwback photo of his eldest son on his Instagram story, captioned 'I love you all so much,' the gesture went unacknowledged by Brooklyn, who instead shared a defiant 'my everything' post dedicated solely to his wife. Missing Milestones and Broken Ties The depth of the rift is perhaps best illustrated by the significant family events Brooklyn has missed over the past twelve months. He was notably absent from his father's lavish 50th birthday celebrations in May 2025 and did not attend the ceremony where David received his knighthood from King Charles III in November 2025. Furthermore, the young couple opted out of the traditional Beckham Christmas at their Cotswolds estate, choosing instead to spend the holidays in the United States with the Peltz family, where they were pictured celebrating with Nicola's parents, Claudia Heffner and Nelson Peltz. Insiders suggest that Brooklyn's frustration stems from what he perceives as 'nasty briefings' about his marriage, specifically suggestions that he is 'held hostage' by his wife's billionaire family. The couple also notably held a vow renewal in August 2025, which David and Victoria reportedly did not attend as they were on holiday in Saint-Tropez at the time. Where Did It All Go Wrong? The cracks reportedly appeared during Brooklyn and Nicola's April 2022 wedding. Nicola chose to wear a custom Valentino gown instead of a Victoria Beckham design a decision that sparked whispers of tension between the two women. Then came the first dance, when Marc Anthony reportedly invited Victoria onstage in a moment that left Nicola in tears, according to E! News. Insiders suggest Brooklyn's frustration deepened over what he perceived as 'nasty briefings' to the press stories suggesting he was 'controlled' by the Peltz family or 'held hostage' by his wife's wealth. The Search for a Private Resolution Despite the legal barriers, there are small signs that the bridge has not been entirely burnt. Brooklyn has reportedly maintained regular contact with his grandparents and extended family members, including David's mother, Sandra, and his grandfather, Ted Beckham, who remain unblocked on his social channels. This suggests the 'toxic' label is specifically reserved for the core parental unit, whom he blames for the ongoing media scrutiny. Friends of the family believe that any hope of reconciliation now lies in a total media blackout. David and Victoria are said to be willing to 'iron things out,' but with legal letters now in play, the era of the 'unfiltered' Beckham family appears to be over. The question remains whether the family can move past their legal representatives to find a private peace, or if the 'Beckham brand' has finally been split by its own success. Originally published on IBTimes UK Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was not included in key planning meetings for the U.S. military operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in late 2025 and early 2026, according to reports released on Thursday. The White House reportedly cut Gabbard out of months of strategic planning for what would become the Venezuelan raid because of her historic skepticism about U.S. military involvement in the South American nation, according to Bloomberg. Officials anonymously told reporters that Gabbard's past vocal anti-interventionist views cast doubt on her willingness to fully support the mission's objectives. Some aides joked privately that the acronym of her title, DNI, stood for "Do Not Invite," though a White House spokesman denied that characterization. During her time as a U.S. representative and presidential candidate, Gabbard consistently warned against so-called "regime change wars," arguing that the United States should avoid military entanglements abroad and allow nations to determine their own futures. She specifically urged in 2019 that the U.S. stay out of Venezuelan political affairs, a position that has resurfaced in public discourse following the Maduro operation. The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders--so we have to stop trying to choose theirs. Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 24, 2019 Gabbard's historical positions and her current role have drawn significant media attention after Operation Absolute Resolve, the name given to the U.S. strikes and special operations raid that ultimately led to Maduro's capture and extradition to New York on federal drug trafficking charges. Despite her senior national security position, Gabbard was not featured in briefings or media appearances related to the mission. Reports describe Gabbard as "not part of the inner circle" shaping the intervention, with other top officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe playing more visible roles in planning and public discussions about the campaign. In her first year as DNI under President Donald Trump, Gabbard has been a polarizing figure, at times clashing with elements of the intelligence community and the White House over issues including nuclear intelligence assessments and internal agency priorities. Her non-interventionist foreign policy philosophy sometimes diverges sharply from the current administration's strategy, especially in Latin America. Her limited involvement stands in contrast to traditional expectations for the Director of National Intelligence, whose office typically contributes key assessments and intelligence support in major foreign operations. Gabbard did eventually issue a brief statement acknowledging the operation's success and congratulating U.S. forces and intelligence personnel involved, though it came after the most intense media coverage and was noticeably subdued compared with other administration officials' commentary. President Trump promised the American people he would secure our borders, confront narcoterrorism, dangerous drug cartels, and drug traffickers. Kudos to our servicemen and women and intelligence operators for their flawless execution of President Trumps order to deliver on his DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) January 6, 2026 Originally published on IBTimes Allentown firefighters faced a challenging evening Thursday when three fires broke out within minutes of each other, stretching department resources and requiring assistance from mutual aid partners. The most serious incident began just before 8 p.m. when fire crews were dispatched to a commercial structure fire in the 1100 block of Irving Street. The first arriving engine company encountered heavy smoke pouring from every opening of a large commercial building, according to a news release from the Allentown Fire Department. Battalion Chief 43 requested a second alarm at 8:07 p.m., escalating the response to a third alarm by 8:24 p.m. As crews battled the Irving Street blaze, a second working fire was reported in the 400 block of Washington Street. Allentown Police Department officers who arrived at the scene confirmed the active fire. A third fire was also dispatched during this period but remained small and contained to an appliance. At the Washington Street location, firefighters discovered flames on the third floor of a row home. The fire escalated to a second alarm at 8:31 p.m. Five residents were displaced from the home, with one receiving assistance from the American Red Cross. All occupants evacuated safely after being alerted by police or neighbors. The Irving Street fire required a hazmat unit to check for potential chemicals. Fire crews brought the blaze under control but remained on scene into the early morning hours for overhaul and fire watch operations. Two firefighters received minor injuries during the incident. No civilians were injured or displaced. Allentown EMS paramedics coordinated rehabilitation efforts for firefighters at both scenes and treated the two injured firefighters. The citys Fire Marshal division is investigating the causes of the Irving Street and Washington Street fires. Bethlehem police on Friday arrested a 30-year-old man for the alleged indecent assault of a child. Jesus A. Inojosa Lopez, of the 2000 block of Hanover Avenue in Allentown, is accused of touching private areas of a girl with whom he was familiar. It allegedly occurred between last March and December at a home on Southside Bethlehem. Inojosa Lopez admitted to the alleged molestation in an interview with investigators, according to court records filed by police with approval by the Northampton County District Attorneys Office. He was arraigned Friday before District Judge Jordan Knisley on felony counts of aggravated indecent assault of child, indecent assault of person less than 13 years of age and corruption of minors, in addition to summary harassment. Knisley sent Inojosa Lopez to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 22 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the charges toward trial in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. Court records did not immediately list an attorney for Inojosa Lopez. A former Forks Township police officer tampered with a fellow officers portable radio on 17 separate occasions, according to testimony offered at a hearing Thursday. A hearing under the Pennsylvania Police Tenure Act was held Thursday at the Forks Township municipal building regarding the firing of former Forks Township Police officer James Parsons. Township supervisors voted unanimously to fire Parsons in September. A hearing officer who presided over the Police Tenure Act hearing on Thursday will eventually present a finding of facts to township supervisors who can then determine if Parsons dismissal was justified. Forks Township Police officer Daniel Sciabica testified at the hearing that his portable radio, which he called his lifeline to other officers, had been repeatedly tampered with in June, July and August of 2025. Sciabica said he would leave his portable radio on a battery charger in the police department deployment room after his shifts were over. When checking in for subsequent shifts, Scabia found the battery had either been removed from the radio or the entire radio would not be sitting in the charger docking station properly. Forks Township Police Captain Shawn Hummer said he investigated the matter beginning in late August. Hummer displayed video at the hearing that showed Parsons, when alone in the deployment room, taking the battery out of Sciabicas radio or moving the radio so it would not charge properly. This happened 17 different times, Hummer said. The portable radios allow officers outside their vehicles to communicate with other officers or county 911 dispatchers. Each radio is assigned to a specific officer and has their badge number displayed on it. On every occasion that Parsons took Sciabicas battery, there were three to seven spare batteries available on the same shelf that Parsons could have used if he needed a fresh battery, Hummer said. As part of the investigation, Hummer said he moved Sciabicas radio to different charging stations around the deployment room to rule out mere coincidence. Video showed that no matter where Sciabicas radio was, Parsons would pick up that particular radio to remove the battery or move the radio off the charging station, Hummer said. Hummer, Sciabica and several other officers testified that their radios are critical safety devices that police may use to call for help for themselves or others. If an officers radio isnt charged properly or is missing a battery, it could potentially be a dangerous situation, they said. Hummer said Parsons behavior also hurt morale in the department. Several officers testified that they began double checking their own equipment after learning of Parsons behavior and they started locking their personal storage lockers in the police station. Officers should not have to worry about a fellow officer messing with their equipment, they said. It absolutely crushed my morale, Sciabica said. I expect my equipment to be exactly as I left it. Sciabica said his relationship with Parsons had been contentious and that they did not get along very well. He clearly targeted Officer Sciabicas radio, Hummer said. Its clearly tampering. Parsons attorney Gary Asteak pointed out, through his questioning of the witnesses, that there is no evidence that Sciabica or any of the other officers were ever put in a dangerous situation due to Parsons removing the batteries. Each officer is responsible for checking their equipment before their shift and, with multiple spare batteries available, Sciabica never went on his shift without a fully charged battery, Asteak said. At no time was the operational readiness of Officer Sciabica compromised, Asteak said. Asteak hinted that Hummers investigation into Parsons and his eventual firing may have been retaliation due to Parsons participation as a whistleblower in a complaint that alleged former Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel left his loaded gun unattended in a police station bathroom. Friel resigned in December. However, Hummer said he was not aware Parsons was a complainant in that matter until Asteak told him about it. The hearing was continued until Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. at the Forks Township municipal building. Asteak is expected to call witnesses at that time. Former Forks Township Police officer James Parsons, right, sits with his attorney Gary Asteak during a Police Tenure Act hearing on Jan. 8, 2026. John Best | lehighvalleylive.com contributor Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Pennsylvania State Police Troop M will host its annual Camp Cadet Program from June 7 through June 12, 2026, at Camp Fowler in Orefield, giving young people a chance to experience life at a police academy. The overnight summer camp accepts boys and girls ages 12 to 15 and aims to introduce participants to the criminal justice system while building positive relationships between law enforcement and youth. Cadets will live in an environment modeled after an actual State Police Academy. The program features presentations from municipal, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Participants will learn about teamwork, honesty and integrity while developing discipline and self-esteem to promote good decision-making. By the end of the week-long program, cadets will gain understanding of what it takes to become a police officer, according to the announcement. Registration opens Monday, Jan. 19, through the camps website at troopmcampcadet.org. Camp Fowler is located at 5851 Horseshoe Road in Orefield, Lehigh County. More information about Pennsylvania State Police is available at psp.pa.gov. UPDATE: Allentown police on Friday, Jan. 9 arrested Stephon F. Jones on his warrant out of Pocono Township. He was sent to the Monroe County prison with a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Jan. 21. A district judge denied him bail. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Authorities were looking for a 30-year-old Allentown man on a warrant charging him with felony rape and numerous other crimes in an alleged sexual assault of an unconscious teenager. Pocono Township police obtained the warrant Thursday for Stephon Fabion Jones, according to court records. Tips on Joness whereabouts may be submitted via the police departments Crimewatch page. Township police say a Northampton County traffic stop sparked the investigation into the sexual assault alleged to have occurred on Feb. 14, 2025, at a Poconos resort. Bushkill Township police about 12 a.m. on April 26 stopped a vehicle driven by Jones with a 16-year-old female passenger, according to a Crimewatch post from Pocono Township police. Bushkill Township police determined Jones and the juvenile girl were involved in a relationship and the two had possibly spent time together at the resort on Valentines Day 2025. Pocono Township police say investigators learned Jones and the girl had been seeing each other since she was 15 in the summer of 2024 and that on Feb. 14, 2025, he bought her clothes and rented a room at the resort. There, Jones allegedly provided the girl with alcoholic beverages and she passed out, according to the Crimewatch post. At this time, the defendant began sexually assaulting the victim until she was (awoken) by the assault and advised the defendant to stop, which he did, police wrote in the post. The defendant then left the resort and left the victim alone in the room until the next day, when he returned, picked the victim up and drove her home. The warrant charges Jones with 14 counts, including felony rape of unconscious victim, rape of substantially impaired person, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with minor-sexual offenses and corruption of minors. If youre planning a trip to Grenada anytime soon, you might want to take some extra precautions before you go. The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory to Grenada, advising travelers to take extra precautions in the country due to increased risks of crime. Heres what you need to know if you plan on traveling to Grenada. What does the latest travel advisory to Grenada mean to you? Item Detail Start Date Jan. 5, 2026 Whats changing Updated travel advisory warning travelers to exercise increased caution in Grenada due to increased risks of crime. What will happen? Travelers should be aware of their surroundings, dont resist any robbery attempts, be careful when walking or driving at night and dont answer the door to strangers. Who will it affect? Travelers to Grenada. The agency gave a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory to Grenada because of increased crime risks. The State Department says that Americans in Grenada have been victims of armed robbery, assault, burglary and rape, and in some instances, have been killed. Police response times are also slower than they are in the U.S. What is the highest travel advisory? There are four levels of travel advisory, Level 1 through Level 4. When planning a vacation, you should check the current travel advisory for that destination. Level 1 : Exercise Normal Precautions This is the lowest level of advisory; it is advised that there is some risk in that area, and travelers should take precautions while on their visit. Level 2 : Exercise Increased Caution There is a heightened risk for safety and security in that area, and travelers need to take extra caution. Level 3 : Reconsider Travel There are serious risks to safety, and travelers are advised to reconsider their travel plans to this destination. Level 4: Do Not Travel This is the highest level of advisory, and it is strongly recommended not to travel to any destinations with a Level 4 advisory, due to many factors, one of which is that the U.S. government might not be able to provide travelers any assistance in the event of an emergency. What should travelers to Grenada do in light of this travel advisory? Travelers to Grenada should be aware of their surroundings, dont resist any robbery attempts, be careful when walking or driving at night and dont answer the door to strangers. The State Department also suggests to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency and purchase travel insurance. You can also prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations using the Travelers Checklist. A Laois barwoman has pulled her last pint after an incredible 47 years of service. Friday, January 2 2026 marked the end of an era for Mountmellick lady Lily Dalton, who has worked dedicatedly behind the bar of Dowling's Bar in O'Moore Street, since 1979. Owner Junior Dowling spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live to pay tribute to Lily. "Over the years, I found the experience and knowledge of both Lily and the late Mick Carroll invaluable in running the bar. Lily will be missed by customers, for her extensive knowledge and wit. We would like to wish her and her husband Joe the best in their retirement," the pub owner said. Lily with customers Joe Carroll and 'Corky'. On her last day of work, a large number of friends and customers called in to wish Lily well and reminisce the years with her. She spoke to the Leinster Express about her career. I enjoyed it and made great friends especially Mick Carroll RIP with whom I worked for 30 years, Lily said. A lot has changed since Lily first came to work with her uncle Eamon Dowling in 1979, from the stopping of serving warm Guinness, to the smoking ban, and the drop in the number of pubs. "Back then there were 18 pubs in Mountmellick and now just eight remain, with only two open all day," Junior said. The traditional family pub which adjoins their butcher shop on Moore Street, is in safe hands into the future. Lily Dalton pictured with Eamon Dowling. Following the death of Eamon Dowling in 1990, Junior took over the business, and his youngest son Eamon now works there while studying hospitality managment in SETU Waterford. Dowlings Bar has also famously survived through the severe flood of 2017, when customers calmly kept drinking their pints in the bar as flood water swirled past their chairs. Read next: WATCH: Laois pub wants help to track down burglar caught on CCTV camera IFA President Francie Gorman said the outcome of todays meeting of EU Ambassadors for the latest part of approving the Mercosur deal is 'very disappointing'. The deal will see 99,000 tonnes of South American beef coming into the EU and many millions of euros worth of other goods and services going in the other direction. "This was a very narrow margin with countries representing a sizeable proportion of the EU population 31.3% - not supporting the deal, which is something the EU Commission has to be concerned about," Mr Gorman said in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live. "This deal requires approval by the EU Parliament, and we will renew our focus with our colleagues in COPA to secure a majority against the deal in the Parliament. This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal, he said. Mr Gorman acknowledged the stance taken by the Irish Government. Clearly, the late push by the Commission on so-called safeguards and unrelated elements of agri policy did not work. The investigation carried out by IFA and the Irish Farmers Journal late last year shows that Brazil does not have control systems that are fit for purpose. The next stage is the vote in the European Parliament in the coming weeks. Our campaign will now focus on MEPs. We expect Irish MEPs to stand behind the farming community and reject the Mercosur deal. Our MEPs now have a crucial role to play in building alliances within their groupings and amongst colleagues from other countries to build opposition to the deal. IFA will work with our colleagues in COPA between now and the Parliament vote, he concluded. A large knife wielded by a teenager who ran at a bare chested man outside a church in Laois was brought there to cut the communion cake, a court was told. A boy (17), who has a Tipperary address and cannot be named due to his age, appeared before Portlaoise District Court accused of producing a large kitchen knife at St Peter and Pauls Church in Portlaoise on May 17, 2025. Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said the youth, who was accompanied to court by family members, was pleading guilty to the offence. Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said Garda Detectives were on routine patrol when they noticed a large gathering outside St Peter and Paul's Church. He explained that they observed a bare chested male in the car park acting aggressively. A youth ran at the male carrying a large silver kitchen knife, said Sgt Kirby. Gardai sounded their sirens and the crowd dispersed, he explained. Sgt Kirby said the defendant had not been the instigator. He said the bare chested male was being verbally aggressive. Mr Fitzgerald said a relation of the defendant was the instigator and was bare chested and out of control on the day in question. He told Judge Andrew Cody that the knife had been in a car nearby and had been intended for use to cut the communion cake. Were there no knives in the house? asked Judge Cody. He questioned anyone bringing a large kitchen knife to the church yard of a communion. When a female relation of the defendant said that the knife was in the car to cut the communion cake, Judge Cody said dont give me poppycock and he ordered her to leave the courtroom. Mr Fitzgerald said his client was 16 at the time of the incident. His sister was under threat from this bare chested male, he explained. He said the youth had acted out of a sense of duty on the day. Judge Cody noted the boy had no previous convictions but said this is a very serious incident in my view, behaving like that at a holy communion. Has he no respect for God nor man in a church yard? he asked. Mr Fitzgerald said the courts views were well founded but he said his client had cooperated with Gardai who he said were relatively well disposed to his client. He said the youth had no propensity to violence and had no previous convictions. It was a situation that got out of control, said Mr Fitzgerald. Judge Cody ordered a probation and welfare report and remanded the youth on bail to appear again at Portlaoise District Court on March 26. Despite calls for immediate action on overcrowding last November both prisons in Portlaoise have been operating at 120% capacity or above every day this year. Statistics on the Irish Prison Service website show there are 120 inmates on mattresses on floors in the Midlands Prison which is operating at 120% capacity today. Portlaoise Prison is at 135% capacity and there are 28 prisoners on mattresses. The high security Portlaoise Prison, which has a bed capacity for 225 prisoners but held 303 today, has remained above 134% occupancy every day this year. The larger Midlands Prison has a bed capacity of 891 and was catering for 1,068 inmates today(Thursday, January 8). The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP), Irelands independent body responsible for inspecting prisons, investigating deaths in custody and monitoring conditions of detention, called for immediate action last November when it published its annual report for 2024. The report, relying on figures and inspections from 2024, highlighted serious and systemic challenges across Irelands prisons, including overcrowding, mental health needs, and conditions that fall short of human rights standards. It noted the 31 deaths in prison custody in 2024, was the highest number since the OIPs investigative role began in 2012, and was an increase of more than 50% on 2023. The report said contributing factors include overcrowding, mental health pressures, and gaps in the provision of healthcare services. The Inspectorate also identified serious deficiencies in risk assessment and complaints handling across prisons. Speaking in November, Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mark Kelly, said, overcrowding is not only a matter of numbers, it is a root cause of worsening mental health outcomes, restricted regimes, unacceptable living conditions for prisoners, and poor working conditions for prison staff. Currently, Irelands prison population exceeds more than 5,600, of whom almost 500 are being obliged to sleep on mattresses on the floor. In Ireland, in 2025, a significant number of people in prison are being held in conditions that can only be described as inhumane and degrading. Mr Kelly continued: These are clear symptoms of a prison system that has breached its capacity. No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building its way out of overcrowding, and immediate action is required, at the highest political levels, to address this ongoing crisis. The Inspectorates Annual Report highlighted inspections completed in 2024, which include and inspection of the Midlands Prison in June and July 2024. It stated that the Midlands Prison was operating at 112% capacity at the time of inspection, with major concerns around overcrowding and restricted regimes. The report noted inhuman and degrading conditions. Overcrowding led to an average of 31 men sleeping on mattresses on the floors during the inspection, in conditions described as degrading. Occupants often ate meals on the floor next to unpartitioned toilets. In relation to restricted regimes and solitary confinement it stated that: Some prisoners on restricted regimes were offered only 30 minutes of daily yard time and 30 minutes for shower/cell cleaning. Many declined the yard time, meaning they could spend 23.5 hours daily in their cells, which was observed to impact their mental health. There was limited planning to reduce the number of men on a restricted regime. READ ALSO: Cabinet approves fasttracking of 250 bed extension of Midlands Prison In December 2025 the Government announced plans to fasttrack the building of an additional 250 bed extension to the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise. The Governments decision to vote against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement is the right call for farmers in Laois, according to Willie Aird TD. The Fine Gael representative who has a dairy farm in Portlaoise also claims the Government's stance to vote against the trade deal with South American countries signals protection of Irelands agri-food business sector. The deal will see 99,000 tonnes of South American beef coming into the EU and many millions of euros worth of other goods and services going in the other direction. A majority of EU leaders are set to back the deal, which will see it signed. The benefits of the deal have not persuaded the Irish Government to support the deal. Dep Aird lauded this position in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live. This Government will stand firmly with Irish farmers. We will not support any trade deal that undermines the high-quality, high-standards food system that our farming families work tirelessly to uphold. We will always defend the integrity of Irish agriculture. Farmers here operate to some of the highest environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards in the world. Any trade agreement must match those standards and supportnot jeopardiseour climate ambitions and rural communities. READ ALSO: Laois farmers urged to unite against Mercosur at protest in Midlands In its current form, the Mercosur deal falls far short. It does not provide the guarantees Irish farmers deserve, nor does it align with the EUs own environmental and sustainability commitments," he said. Willie Aird pictured at a Dail Committee. READ ALSO: Laois farmers urged to unite against Mercosur at protest in Midlands Deputy Aird claimed that Irelands stance sends a strong signal at EU level. We will not allow economic opportunity to come at the cost of human health, rural livelihoods or climate responsibility. Ireland will always back fair, sustainable tradebut we will never sign up to a deal that puts our farmers at an unfair disadvantage, he said. Farmers have been strong opponents of the deal, claiming hit will badly damage Ireland's beef sector. Apart from the damage to the incomes of beef farmers, they say rural communities will suffer. The four pillar countries in the Mercosur group are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Venezuela is suspended while several other countries are associate members or want to join the bloc. The first all-island mental health collaborative research network, CO-PRIME, has been set up to help combat mental ill health in a more coordinated way right across Ireland and will be headed up by Professor Sinead McGilloway, Maynooth University (MU)in Kildare. By combining mental health research expertise and resources north and south, this initiative which is the first of its kind in Ireland will bring real benefits to people who are affected by mental health difficulties and their families said Professor Sinead McGilloway, who is working in collaboration with Co-Leads, Dr Eve Griffin from the National Suicide Research Foundation and Professor Brian McGuire from the University of Galway. The five-year CO-PRIME (COproducing and Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental HEalth) initiative funded by the Health Research Board and launched today, aims to reshape some of the ways in which mental health research is conducted and, in particular, how the knowledge and evidence arising from research is used across the island to help inform services and shape government policy. The launch of CO-PRIME is a very important moment for mental health research across the island of Ireland, said Prof. McGilloway, speaking about the exciting initiative. For the first time we are bringing together diverse voices, including those with lived experience, to build a truly collaborative, inclusive and evidence-informed approach to understanding and addressing mental health needs. As well as helping people with mental health difficulties, this network will benefit other stakeholders working in the area including health and social care services, researchers, policy makers, community organisations and the general public. CO-PRIME has many specific goals it aims to achieve. It will support meaningful and sustained collaboration across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Crucially, it will embed the involvement of people with lived experience of mental health difficulties across all of its activities. We will also foster a culture of wide stakeholder involvement in the design, conduct and application of research, including perspectives from marginalised and underrepresented communities said Co-Lead, Dr Eve Griffin and we will promote evidence-informed, rights-based approaches in mental health policy and practice. Co-Lead, Professor Brian McGuire said, We will aim to build capacity across the mental health ecosystem through training, education and researcher development said Co-Lead, Professor Brian McGuire. We know that mental health difficulties affect directly or indirectly every community, family and part of society, and through CO-PRIME we are working to address that in a more co-ordinated, all island fashion said Prof McGilloway. READ NEXT: BREAKING: Body of male child discovered near Kildare border Why Didnt Chinas JY-27A Work on January 3? Chinese JY-27A radar is a 3D meter-band VHF anti-stealth radar, utilizing longer wavelengths to detect stealth aircraft, its a early warning system for long-range surveillance and jamming resistance. Key advantages include: Meter-Wave Technology : Operates in the Very High Frequency (VHF) band (around 240-390 MHz), allowing it to detect stealth aircraft by leveraging resonance effects. 3D Surveillance: Provides three-dimensional target information (range, azimuth, elevation). Anti-Stealth Capabilities: designed to counter low-observable (stealth) aircraft. Long Range: Capable of detecting stealth targets at over 217 miles for typical stealth aircraft. However, during the 1/3/2026 U.S. Operation Absolute Resolve, JY-27A not only failed to provide early warning, but also failed to direct the Russian S-300 ground-to-air missile to shoot down U.S. aircrafts. Some of the Chinese military enthusiasts blame Venezuelan military personnel for failure in operating the system, some attribute the failure to the incompatibility of the Russian missile system and Chinese radar, and suggest that a Chinese missile system works better. To find out the actual cause of the failure, first lets look at some of the the fundamental disadvantages of the meter-band anti-stealth radar itself: Low Spatial Resolution: The longer wavelengths of meter-band radar mean it provides less detail and can't easily separate closely spaced targets (like small aircraft or ships) compared to shorter-wavelength radars. Inaccurate Height Finding: Traditional meter-wave radar struggles with precise altitude measurement, which is crucial for air traffic control. Did China solve this problem? Most likely not. Large Antenna Size: To achieve reasonable beamwidth, meter-band systems require large antennas, making them bulky and less agile. This makes the radar itself an easy target. Clutter & Interference: While better in heavy weather than higher frequencies, it's still susceptible to atmospheric clutter and can pick up unwanted signals. However, during Operation Absolute Resolve, the weather was good. So this wasnt the problem. Lower Accuracy: Generally offers lower detection accuracy and less precise target definition than microwave radars for general surveillance. So how did Chinese engineers overcome the above disadvantages when they designed the JY-27? Based on their public information, they didnt mention a word about it. OK, they dont want USA to steal it. After searching for relevant research papers or patents, I found a few, such as CN101975945A and CN291930073A. This is their top secret, they wont give too much to the public, understood. Then lets take a look at the battlefield tests. China sells JY-27A to international buyers. The fundamental question is the battlefield test results. China has its own stealth fighters, there is no doubt that they tested JY-27A on their own fighters. What about American stealth fighters? China claims that during several occasions JY-27A located in Venezuela spotted U.S. F-35. I dont doubt it. However, from exactly how far and whats the altitude? How accurate? There are many unanswered questions, especially the accuracy. Now let me summarize the real cause of the failure of Chinese-made JY-27A during the Operation Absolute Resolve: A Kildare TD has urged the Minister for Education to intervene to reopen a Clane primary school that will close from this coming Monday, January 12. Hewetson National School, Millicent, Clane has this lunchtime emailed parents informing them that they will be closing the school following guidance from the Fire Safety Officer on the basis that a fire alarm system is not compliant. The school has had a company ready to install a brand-new, state-of-the-art fire alarm system for some time, but the matter is awaiting funding approval from the Department through the Emergency Works Grant process, Social Democrats TD, Aidan Farrelly said today. In fact, they have been actively pursuing this funding since last November. My office has emailed the Minister to expedite this funding situation. This is simply not good enough. We have had parents of children getting in touch with us, concerned at the disruption to their childrens education, as well as the disruption to their family and working life as a result of having to take time off work to care for their children. Things should never have gotten to this point and the Minister must act to get this school re-opened as quickly as possible. These childrens education should not be disrupted like this for the sake of bureaucracy. READ NEXT: Works complete on 3.5m apartment development in this Kildare town RTE Radios Liveline programme descended into an on-air row on Thursday as a man accused a fellow caller of womansplaining. The discussion centred around an incident in Minneapolis, USA, in which a woman was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Videos of Renee Nicole Good (37) attempting to drive away before being shot by an officer have widely circulated on social media. Minneapolis resident Lynette Reini-Grandell, who was nearby when the incident occurred, was invited on Liveline to discuss what she witnessed. READ NEXT: Fancy living on a remote island? Rare job opportunity opens on Great Blasket Islands She described herself as an observer of ICEs activities in the area and had walked over to the scene when she heard they were in the neighbourhood. She described her and other onlookers horror at hearing the shots go off. She did not see the incident take place but outlined what she has seen in videos circulated online. There were a number of other callers on the show, including a man named Eoin, who provided a different perspective on the incident. He said that while he regarded ICEs behaviour as outrageous, he argued that US President Donald Trump was elected on an anti-immigration platform. He went on to claim that the victim, Ms Good, was not an innocent bystander but was interfering with law enforcement. When Ms Reini-Grandell interrupted to argue against what the man was saying, the man responded by accusing her of womansplaining. When host Kieran Cuddihy asked the man what he meant by this remark, he responded by saying that Mr Cuddihy knew exactly what he meant. You're one of the most woke presenters on Irish media, you know exactly what it is, he said. When the man protested being interrupted, Mr Cuddihy replied: You want a platform to speak uninterrupted and nobody to challenge your views, which isnt what youre going to get on Liveline, regardless of what your views are. The man went on to say that he would explain what womansplaining was if Mr Cuddihy stopped those progressives from interrupting him. He continued: That woman interrupted me within 20 seconds of me opening my mouth. Youve had five woke callers on in the first half an hour. The man accused RTE of having an anti-Republican rhetoric which has existed for over 40 years. He called for balance in Irish media and referenced the number of spoiled votes in the recent presidential election, saying people were fed up of RTE not challenging progressives. Mr Cuddihy responded by pointing out that RTE had allowed him to come on air to express his views. The man concluded by saying that womansplaining was the opposite of mansplaining. Mansplaining has been spewed out by progressives for at least 20 years, where a guy like myself tries to give the anti-consensus view is accused of mansplaining, he stated. Ms Reini-Grandell responded by saying the man was all over the place. Things later got heated between her and Mr Cuddihy, after the host challenged her on whether the victim hit the ICE agent in question with her car. US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting. He called her a professional agitator who violently, willfully, and viciously ran over an ICE officer. However, the Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, said the agent who shot Ms Good had acted recklessly. "Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: that is b*llsh**. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed. Ms Good reportedly lived just a few blocks from where she was killed, having recently moved from Kansas City. A fundraiser for her family, which was set up with a target of $50,000, raised more than $500,000 in 15 hours. There will be no frogs heard singing in the hills under Glencar this spring, or in pools among the rushes That is the fear now being voiced by residents in Glencar following the loss of a small natural pond beside a local grotto, which was recently filled in with stone during roadworks to create a parking space. Residents have expressed anger and disappointment at the loss of the pond, which sat adjacent to the shrine between the roadside and a grassy bank, within close reach of Leitrim's Glencar Lake. Locals say it had long been home to frogs and other wildlife and was a familiar and much-loved feature of the area for generations. According to one local who has lived in the area for decades, the pond was an active, living habitat and part of the natural rhythm of the place. There were always frogs there, the local said. Youd hear them. It was alive. The local said the pond naturally rose and fell with the weather and never posed any flooding issues. It came and went. There was never any flooding. Thats what ponds do. They said the loss of the pond means the loss of frog life at the site this year. Therell be none coming back now. Not this year anyway. Thats whats heartbreaking. While the grotto itself remains intact, the bank beside it where the pond once sat has now been levelled and surfaced. Locals say no consultation took place before the works were carried out and believe a mistake was made. Im not blaming anyone personally, the local said. I just think a mistake was made. The resident said the incident reflects a wider lack of awareness about the importance of small natural habitats. People dont know anymore. They dont understand what these small places mean. Concerns have also been raised about the impact on wildlife. The Irish frog the countrys only native amphibian is a protected species, and small ponds like the one at Glencar are vital to its breeding cycle. Environmental groups have repeatedly warned that the infilling of ponds is one of the biggest threats facing frog populations nationwide. Residents say the removal of the pond feels particularly jarring in an area so closely associated with nature, folklore and poetry. The Glencar landscape has long inspired writers including W. B. Yeats and William Allingham, whose work captured the living rhythms of water, wildlife and wild places. In 'The Fairies' poem, Allingham from Ballyshannon wrote of wild places watched over with frogs for their watchdogs, all night awake an image locals say now feels painfully at odds with what has happened beside the grotto. Residents are calling on Sligo County Council to reverse the decision and are urging greater sensitivity when carrying out works in scenic and heritage areas, with proper consideration given to wildlife and local history before irreversible changes are made. Sligo/Leitrim Minister, Marian Harkin has expressed her satisfaction with the opposition by the Irish Government to the Mercosur agreement, describing it as a key commitment secured during negotiations on the Programme for Government. During the Programme for Government negotiations, I as one of the three negotiators for the Independent group, sought and secured firm assurances that Ireland would work with like-minded EU Member States to oppose any EUMercosur trade agreement that undermines Irish agriculture, in particular beef production, EU food safety and environmental standards, Minister Harkin said. There has been extensive work across Government and at EU level to build support for this position and to ensure Irelands concerns were clearly understood, she said. Todays announcement reflects that collective effort and a clear recognition that the Mercosur deal, as currently framed, is unacceptable. READ MORE: Leitrim councillor calls for changes to where casual traders can operate in Leitrim Towns Minister Harkin said opposition to the agreement is essential to protect sustainable Irish agriculture and rural livelihoods, while ensuring fair competition. Irish farmers are required to meet the highest standards in the world. It is neither fair nor sustainable to allow imports produced to lower standards to undermine those standards, she said. This decision is necessary to protect rural communities and public confidence in food safety. I have opposed the Mercosur agreement since my election to the European Parliament since 2004 because it has the potential to undermine the viability of the suckler herd in Ireland. If this were to happen it could be the death nail for agriculture in the West, Nort-West, parts of the Midlands and Southwest. We cannot allow this to happen and in spite of all the naysayers, in spite of all those who tried to persuade farmers in particular that this Government would not stand by them, we have clearly and unambiguously shown that we will keep our promises and work to protect our extremely important indigenous industry, Agriculture," Marian Harkin concluded. Mercosur agreement could "undermine the viability of the suckler herd in Ireland" Sligo/Leitrim Labour Party Senator, Nessa Cosgrove has welcomed the announcements made yesterday that Ireland will vote, today, against the Mercosur trade agreement tomorrow. The Labour Party spokesperson on Community and Rural Development, welcomed the decision, but criticised the last minute nature of the decision, claiming that it undermined attempts to form a multi-national coalition to prevent the deal entering into European Law. Senator Cosgrove said: Mercosur is a deal that threatens Irish farmers, food quality for consumers and undermines environmental commitments. Now that Ireland has decided to vote against, we can expect Ministers and Irish MEPs to come under pressure to back the deal. It is essential that they hold the line and oppose this agreement outright at EU level. READ MORE: 'Death nail for agriculture in the West, Nort-West'- says Sligo/Leitrim Minister It is right that Government has confirmed that Ireland will vote against the Mercosur deal, but this decision has come far too late in the day. For months, Irish farmers, environmental groups and rural communities have warned about the damage this deal would do, while Government dithered. This dithering undermined opposition to the deal in Italy and some other European countries with significant farming populations. The Mercosur agreement which has been pushed aggressively by the European Peoples Party, which Fine Gael belong to throws Irish farmers to the wolves. Irish farmers produce the highest-quality, grass-fed beef in the world. Our beef is produced to the highest standards, in terms of animal health and welfare, adhering to the highest quality environmental standards. High environmental standards benefit farmers, animals and consumers who should not be exposed to unacceptable levels of antibiotics or hormones. Mercosur opens the door to 99,000 tonnes of South American beef entering the European market. This is produced to much lower standards, with much less regard to animal welfare, the health of consumers and its environmental impact. Beef production in South America accounts for around 65 percent of tropical deforestation. At a time when the environmental crisis is accelerating, it is indefensible for the European Union to sign off on a trade deal that incentivises the destruction of vital ecosystems. We cannot lecture the world on climate leadership while actively rewarding deforestation through our trade policy. READ MORE: Speeding figures double and deaths rise on our roads for Christmas period, Leitrim councillor says Since Ireland joined the European Union in 1973, we have seen advances in Workers Rights across the continent. How can the European Union be considering doing business with countries, such as Brazil, where the Ministry of Labour and Employment between 1995 and 2024 recorded up to 17,300 workers as being employed in conditions analogous to slavery. Slave labour is often used further down the supply-line, out of sight of inspectors, clearing rain forests, occupying indigenous lands and ranching cattle. Mercosur directly undercuts quality Irish producers, environmental standards and workers rights. We need Government to go beyond a last minute announcement and take a firm, consistent position. I fully support the farming and environmental groups who continue to oppose the Mercosur deal at every level. The Government must urgently rebuild alliances with other agricultural economies in Europe, and push instead for trade agreements that protect farmers, uphold high standards and align with climate action. European vehicles are celebrated for their engineering precision, cutting-edge design, and refined driving experience. Whether you're driving a BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Volvo, or another European brand, your car relies on a sophisticated network of components that work together to deliver performance and reliability. But to keep your vehicle operating at its best, understanding the ins and outs of European car parts is essential. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to knowfrom types of parts to sourcing, maintenance tips, and how to make the best choices for your European vehicle. 1. What Makes European Car Parts Unique? European car parts are often designed with tighter tolerances and higher performance standards compared to some other global brands. Automakers from Germany, Sweden, Italy, and France often use advanced materials and engineering techniques that demand precision parts to match. For example: BMW engines rely on highly sensitive electronics and components for their VANOS and Valvetronic systems. Audis Quattro all-wheel-drive systems use specialized differentials and sensors. Mercedes-Benz uses multi-link suspensions that require exact part dimensions for handling stability. These features make it crucial to use the correct partsnot just for performance, but also for safety and longevity. 2. OEM vs Aftermarket: Whats the Difference? When shopping for European car parts, youll encounter two main categories: OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts are made by the same companies that supply the automakers. They match the parts originally installed on your car when it was built. Aftermarket parts are produced by third-party manufacturers and vary in quality. Some may meet or exceed OEM standards, while others may fall short. For European cars, OEM or high-quality aftermarket parts (from brands like Bosch, Mahle, Lemforder, or Bilstein) are usually the best choice. Cheaper, low-quality aftermarket parts often lead to premature failure or fitment issuesespecially on tightly engineered European systems. 3. Common European Car Parts That Require Attention European vehicles can run smoothly for hundreds of thousands of miles, but they do have parts that commonly wear out and need replacement. Here are a few of the most important: Brake Components : Due to the performance focus of Euro vehicles, brake pads and rotors tend to wear faster. Cooling System Parts : European cars often use plastic water pumps and thermostat housings that become brittle over time. Suspension Components : Control arms, bushings, and struts often wear out around 60,000100,000 miles. Electrical Sensors: MAF (Mass Air Flow), oxygen sensors, and ABS sensors can degrade and trigger warning lights. Regular maintenance and proactive replacement of these parts can prevent expensive breakdowns. 4. Where to Buy European Car Parts There are several options for sourcing quality parts: Authorized Dealerships : Offer OEM parts but usually at higher prices. Online Euro Parts Retailers : Websites like FCP Euro, ECS Tuning, and AutohausAZ specialize in European brands and often offer lifetime warranties. Local Auto Parts Stores : Some chains carry Euro parts, but selection and quality can vary. Specialty Mechanics: Independent Euro-focused shops often source and install quality parts at lower costs than dealerships. When buying online, always cross-check part numbers with your VIN to ensure compatibility. 5. DIY vs Professional Installation Many European car owners are enthusiastic DIYers, and for good reasondoing your own repairs can save money and give you a better understanding of your vehicle. However, some jobs are better left to professionals, especially when dealing with: Timing belts or chains Transmission or differential repairs Electronic control modules (ECUs) Air suspension systems If you're doing the work yourself, having access to the right tools (like Torx sets, diagnostic scanners, and jacks) is crucial. Factory service manuals or online guides can be a big help. 6. The Importance of Preventive Maintenance Using quality parts is only half the battle. Preventive maintenance is key to extending your cars lifespan and avoiding major repairs. Follow your manufacturers maintenance schedule for: Oil and filter changes (preferably with synthetic oil) Coolant flushes Brake fluid replacements Timing belt/chain inspections Spark plug and coil replacements By replacing parts before they fail, you minimize the risk of damage to more expensive systems. Final Thoughts European vehicles offer a unique blend of performance, luxury, and style. But that sophistication comes with a responsibility: using the right parts and maintaining them properly. Whether you're keeping up with regular service or tackling repairs yourself, understanding European car parts helps ensure your vehicle remains reliable and enjoyable to drive for years to come. When in doubt, stick to OEM-quality parts, consult your vehicles service manual, and dont hesitate to get professional help for complex issues. With the right approach, owning a European car can be both a rewarding and lasting experience. https://europartsgiant.com/ https://maps.app.goo.gl/ycLncEZRu2hEyLA8A Trump threatens to hit Iran "very hard" Xinhua) 11:13, January 09, 2026 WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened again to strike Iran "very hard" if its authorities "start killing people" protesting in the Middle Eastern country. "I have let them know that if they start killing people ... we are going to hit them very hard," Trump said in an interview with a conservative radio. Trump and other senior U.S. officials recently warned on several occasions that Washington would act if Iran "kills peaceful protesters." On Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as "interventionist and deceptive" remarks by the Trump administration on recent unrest in the country, saying they reflected Washington's continued hostility toward the Iranian people. The U.S. comments on Iran's internal affairs were part of a long-standing policy of pressure and interference, rather than genuine concern for the welfare of Iranians, said the ministry in a statement. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Whether you drive a dependable Civic, a rugged CR-V, or a family-friendly Odyssey, your Honda was built for reliability. But even the most durable vehicles need occasional repairs or part replacements to stay in peak condition. Thats where Genuine Parts Hub comes ina dedicated source for genuine Honda parts designed to keep your vehicle running like new. In a world full of aftermarket options and questionable quality, choosing the right parts for your Honda can make a big difference in performance, safety, and long-term value. Here's why Honda Parts Now is the smart choice for Honda owners. 1. 100% Genuine OEM Honda Parts The number one reason to shop at Honda Parts Now is simple: authenticity. Every part sold through their platform is a genuine OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) component, made to the exact specifications of your Honda model. These parts are the same ones used at the factory during the original assembly of your vehicle. Unlike many aftermarket alternatives that might fit but not perform to Hondas standards, OEM parts offer: Guaranteed fit and function Longer durability Compatibility with your cars existing systems That level of precision ensures your car continues to perform exactly as Honda intended. 2. Wide Inventory for Every Model and Year Whether you drive a 2005 Accord or a brand-new HR-V, Honda Parts Now maintains an extensive inventory of components for nearly every Honda model and generation. From critical engine parts and transmission components to small interior trim pieces and accessories, they cover it all. Their well-organized online catalog makes it easy to: Search by VIN or model Find parts diagrams and schematics View part numbers, availability, and pricing This means you spend less time guessing and more time getting the exact part you needfast and hassle-free. 3. Competitive Pricing and Discounts Lets face itvehicle maintenance can be costly. Honda Parts Now helps reduce that burden with competitive pricing that often beats local dealerships and other online retailers. You can find significant discounts on everything from brake pads to timing belts, all without compromising on quality. They frequently offer: Manufacturer-direct pricing Special offers and promotions Bulk order discounts for repair shops or DIY enthusiasts For Honda owners looking to save money without cutting corners, its a win-win. 4. Fast Shipping and Dependable Service Timing is crucial when your car is out of commission. Honda Parts Now understands this, offering fast shipping options across the U.S. Most in-stock parts ship within 24 to 48 hours, ensuring you get what you need promptly. Their customer service team is also trained specifically in Honda parts, so whether you're unsure about a part number or need help identifying a component, expert help is just a phone call or email away. 5. Protects Your Investment and Warranty Using genuine Honda parts not only keeps your car running at its bestit also helps protect your vehicles warranty and resale value. If your Honda is still under factory warranty, installing non-OEM parts can potentially void coverage. Even post-warranty, service records showing genuine parts usage boost confidence for future buyers or trade-ins. By purchasing through Honda Parts Now, youre choosing OEM-certified parts that help maintain the integrity, performance, and value of your vehicle for years to come. 6. Perfect for DIYers and Professionals Alike Whether you're a DIY mechanic working out of your garage or a certified technician managing multiple vehicle repairs, Honda Parts Now provides the tools, information, and inventory to make your job easier. Clear diagrams and part illustrations simplify installation. Easy online ordering saves time. Reliable sourcing removes guesswork from the process. Its a trusted platform that caters to both ends of the experience spectrum. Conclusion: Why Honda Parts Now Is the Smart Choice Your Honda is more than just a carits a long-term investment in quality, safety, and performance. Keeping it in top condition means choosing the right parts from the right source. Honda Parts Now delivers on all fronts: genuine OEM parts, wide availability, expert support, competitive prices, and fast shipping. Whether youre replacing a worn-out air filter or tackling a full brake job, you can trust their parts to match the quality your vehicle was built with. In short, if youre serious about keeping your Honda running like new, theres no smarter choice than Honda Parts Now. Website url: https://genuinepartshub.com/ Google map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BRroengyDgNKn4PD7 Officials of the JNB Foundation and LACRA performed the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the establishment of a large-scale Coffee Liberica farm in Bomi County. FIVE Limerick Prison officers have been suspended in recent weeks, Limerick Live has learned. A source in the prison confirmed that the five officers have been relieved of their duties temporarily pending a full investigation into a number of unconnected alleged incidents. One of the Irish Prison Service employees was allegedly caught smuggling Class A drugs into Limerick Prison, said the source. Another one is supposed to have lost a set of important prison keys while he was drunk. I dont know what the other ones are supposed to have done, said the source. Limerick Live contacted the Irish Prison Service about the suspensions. A spokesperson said: The Irish Prison Service does not comment on matters relating to staff. READ NEXT: Limerick boy, aged 13, kicks girl, 12, in the ribs after she made sex assault complaint Separately, Limerick Live has learned a number of Limerick Prison officers were involved in a fracas with a former prisoner in a fast food outlet in the city. It occurred at approximately 2.15am on Friday, October 3. Following a media query at the time, a garda spokesperson confirmed they received a report of an incident of assault. A man, aged in his 30s, was conveyed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained during this incident. Investigations are ongoing, said a garda spokesperson. It is understood that the man taken to hospital was the former prisoner. In 2024, a Limerick Prison officer was charged with possession of a controlled drug, suspected to be cannabis, under Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act and possession of drugs, understood to be cannabis, for sale and supply under Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The Irish Prison Service introduced a new code of ethics for staff in 2021. The Irish Prison Service has a proud tradition of providing safe and secure custody and of treating all those who come into contact with the service with dignity and respect, reads material on its website. The code of ethics codifies the values which are most important to the service as a whole given our role within the Irish justice system and the wider Irish society. These values are integrity, unlocking potential, support, safety and teamwork. These values guide our staff in complex, challenging situations or when difficult decisions have to be made. They also provide guidance in the standards our staff are expected to demonstrate. This code provides some examples of ethical behaviour and standards of behaviour associated with each value. Ultimately, this document provides clear expectations as to how all staff work together, with prisoners, with their families and with other stakeholders to create a professional and healthy working environment and reflects the professionalism and dedication that is displayed by our staff on a daily basis, according to its website. A YOUNG driver who went to great effort to prove his innocence at Newcastle West District Court could be the victim of fraud. The court heard that on May 29, 2025, a young man with an address in Dublin, was detected in Askeaton, on the N69, driving 161km in the 100km zone. READ ALSO: Calls for urgent reform to ambulance services in Limerick and for the Mid-West The man in question told the court that he put the car up for sale before the speed detection and that he was working in Dublin on the date in May. "The car was not in use," he told the court. He produced pictures of his registration plate, which differed in style to the speed camera image, and also receipts for his activities in Dublin on the day in question. Once all of his evidence had been cross-checked by gardai in court, the case was dismissed. Inspector Gearoid Thompson told the court that in fairness to the man in question, they couldn't dispute his evidence. He said: "He might be the victim of a cloned plate and it could warrant further investigation." Judge Carol Anne Coolican dismissed the case and thanked the man for coming to court. MINISTER of State Niall Collins has welcomed confirmation from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that 80,138,660.73 has been paid to support the agricultural sector in Limerick through various supports in 2025. Nationwide, Government has spent more than 2.18 billion this year to support rural and coastal communities. Mr Collins said: One of our most important commitments in the Programme for Government is to protect family farm incomes and ensure vital farm supports are protected and expanded. "Over 80 million has been paid out by the Department of Agriculture to protect Limerick's agricultural sector this year. "These payments are not just financial supports; they are an investment in the future of rural Ireland and help farmers work sustainably in the face of growing pressure from climate change, rising costs and market uncertainty, said Mr Collins. READ NEXT: The gold standard: Supermacs Pat McDonagh said they will only ever use Irish beef The minister of state said this level of support underlines the importance of the agricultural sector to the viability of our communities. "We will continue to protect these payments over the lifetime of the Government and ensure that farming livelihoods are viable, concluded Mr Collins. News / National by Stephen Jakes GWANDA - More than 100 indigenous and exotic trees were planted at a homestead in Ntepe, Gwanda District, last month as part of National Tree Planting Day, commemorated under the theme "Trees and Forests for Ecosystem Restoration and Improved Livelihoods."District Development Coordinator Ayakhiwe Moyo said the annual event plays a crucial role in promoting environmental awareness and restoring degraded ecosystems across Zimbabwe.Speaking during the ceremony, Moyo emphasised the importance of community involvement."This is not just about putting a tree in the ground; it is about securing the future one tree at a time," he said.He added that tree planting contributes to climatechange mitigation while offering longterm economic benefits to communities."Forests are the backbone of our ecosystems. By planting today, we're investing in better livelihoods," Moyo said.The event was attended by representatives from the Forestry Commission, Agritex and members of the local community.Some of the trees were symbolically named after family members and loved ones to strengthen personal connections to environmental stewardship.Soon after the final tree was planted, heavy rains fell - a moment many participants interpreted as a blessing for the day's environmental efforts. Five student teams from Castletroy College are proud to be involved in this years Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, with projects ranging from renewable energy and school life to public health and biodiversity. Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Vice Principal and TY Coordinator Lisa Kiely said: It means a great deal to us to see Stripe sponsoring the competition this year. All three Collison brothers are past pupils and all took part in BT Young Scientist themselves, so they have a first-hand understanding of the value of participation. Patrick went on to achieve major success at the exhibition, including an overall win and a runner-up placing, and they serve as a powerful role model for our current student cohort. Their sponsorship ensures that this opportunity remains there for the next generation of students and for this we are incredibly proud of the Collison brothers. READ MORE: Motorists warned of 'treacherous' driving conditions in County Limerick The vice-principle went on the say that Castletroy College consistently makes their mark on the competition and the school is incredibly proud of the Collision brothers. The school is presenting the following projects at the RDS: Shine Bright, Clean Right by second year students Mikas and Harry which investigates how dirt, moss and debris reduce solar panel efficiency. Part of their project includes developing a low-cost sensor alert that alerts when the solar panels should be cleaned. From Pockets to Lockers by TY students James and Lily, which is a study of the all-day locker phone policy introduced in September, and compares outcomes with a neighbouring school using phone pouches. Sea to Source by TY students Dannan and Ewan compares two Nephin wilderness rivers using field sampling to explore ecosystem protection. Breast Cancer Incidence in Europe (Inequality and outcomes) by TY students Maya, Nancy and Niamh analyses Irish and European data to see how incidence and outcomes of breast cancer varies across demographics. The Longer the Wait, the Heavier the Weight by sixth year Risea Syeed, explores the psychological impact of healthcare waiting lists and identifies low-cost supports that could help patients cope while waiting for treatment. MEMBERS of the public are being invited to make submissions on a proposed residential development at Toppins Field in Limerick city, with the public consultation process now underway. Limerick City and County Council has issued a public notice outlining plans for the construction of 57 residential dwellings at Toppins Field, located between ODonoghue Avenue and the John Carew Road. The development would be delivered across three main plots and includes a mix of housing types, from two-storey terraced houses to duplex apartments and standard apartment units. The housing mix comprises 15 three-bedroom terraced houses, four four-bedroom terraced houses, and a combination of one, two, and three-bedroom duplex and apartment units. READ MORE: Local community groups receive GMA funding support across Limerick The proposal also provides for internal roads, pedestrian pathways, bicycle parking and both public and private open space areas, including designated play spaces. Access is proposed via a new eastwest link road connecting to the John Carew Link Road. Car parking provisions will include electric vehicle charging, with 20 per cent of spaces fitted with EV points provided to remaining spaces for future installation. The council has confirmed that the development has undergone screening for both Appropriate Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment. It has been determined that the project is unlikely to have significant environmental effects and that neither a full Appropriate Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Assessment Report is required. Plans are on public display, and submissions or observations must be made to Limerick City and County Council by February 10, 2026, before a decision is taken. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme Patrick ODonovan has said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael MEPs will oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement when it is brought to the European Parliament. Speaking on Limericks Live 95 radio, the Minister for Culture said government party MEPs are bound by the programme for government and the decision by the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon not to support the deal. On Friday, EU envoys provisionally approved the trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay but it still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. It has been opposed by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and has also seen internal disagreement within Government, including with independents who supported the formation of the coalition. IFA president Francie Gorman described the news as very disappointing. He said: This mornings outcome shows that the Irish Government was not alone in expressing deep reservations about the deal and what it means for farmers and public health. The Commission cannot ignore the scale of the opposition to the deal. Green Party leader Roderic OGorman said: The Mercosur Trade Agreement is not fair. Its not fair to Irish farmers, who have to compete with food raised to much lower welfare standards. Its not fair to Irish consumers, who will be exposed to beef reared using excessive hormones and pesticides. The Irish Government confirmed on Thursday that it would not vote for the deal in its current form. Mr ODonovan said MEPs would also have been a part of the programme for government negotiations which outlined how the government would oppose the agreement. He said a Parliamentary Party meeting held on Thursday night was an opportunity for our TDs and senators and MEPs to voice their concern. A protest against the deal is expected to take place in Athlone on Saturday. Gardai have said there will be significant additional traffic in the area, including slow-moving vehicles. They are expecting a convoy of agricultural vehicles to travel from the Roscommon Road, along the N6 eastbound and along the N55 towards the Cornamaddy roundabout. There is also a march to TUS Athlone planned, followed by a rally and speeches. Following a global row over sexualized images generated by AI chatbot Grok on X, billionaire Elon Musks company xAI has restricted the use of the image-making tool on the social media platform. This feature is now only for paid subscribers of x, as reported by news agency Reuters. The chatbot's image tool had let users on X edit or create sexual photos of women and children without the permission of the people shown in them. Grok informed users on Friday that the ability to make or change images is now restricted to those with paid accounts. Also Read | Amid Grok AI controversy over obscene images, EU makes big move The AI chatbot was responding to image altering requests with the message: Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features. Global backlash A large number of nearly naked and explicit images appearing on X caused European lawmakers to demand legal action. German media minister Wolfram Weimer called this a new way to harass people at a massive scale, saying it is "industrialisation of sexual harassment". While the European Commission labelled the images as against the law. On Monday, the European Commission stated that the images found on X were both illegal and shocking. Meanwhile, the data watchdog in Britain said it asked the platform to explain how it follows safety laws after worries grew that Grok was making abusive sexual images of women. On Thursday, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned of unspecified action against X. This is disgraceful. Its disgusting. And its not to be tolerated, Starmer said on Greatest Hits radio. X has got to get a grip of this. He further said media regulator Ofcom has our full support to take action" and that "all options" are on the table. Its disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because its simply not tolerable. Officials in France, India, Malaysia and a Brazilian lawmaker have also called for investigations against the AI chatbot. Also Read | Govt seeks details from X on action taken to curb obscene Grok AI content Last week, Musk had stated that any person using Grok to make illegal content would be treated the same as if they had uploaded that material themselves. Grok was launched in 2023. Last summer the company added an image generator feature, Grok Imagine, that included a so-called spicy mode that can generate adult content. The chatbot is free to use for X users, who can ask it questions on the social media platform. They can either tag it in posts they've directly created or in replies to posts from other users. MiniMax made a stellar stock-market debut in Hong Kong on Friday, with shares more than doubling as investors continued to pile into Chinese artificial-intelligence start-ups. The stock soared 109% to 345 Hong Kong dollars on its first day of trading, following an initial public offering in which MiniMax raised HK$4.8 billion ($619 million) at an offer price of HK$165. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed 0.3% higher. MiniMax, which develops large-language models, is the second of Chinas so-called AI tigers to go public this week. It did a lot better than rival Zhipu AI, which fizzled in early trading on Thursday before closing up 13% at HK$131.50 in Hong Kong. MiniMax was founded in early 2022 and says on its website that its models and products have served more than 212 million individual users, across more than 200 countries and regions. Online retailer Alibaba and Abu Dhabis sovereign-wealth fund are among the companys investors. The stellar debut is the latest sign that Chinas AI rally has legs, as Beijing bids to support local alternatives to U.S. companies such as Nvidia and OpenAI. Chip designers Moore Threads Technology and MetaX Integrated Circuits racked up triple-digit gains when they made their stock-market debuts last monthand rival Shanghai Biren Technology soared 76% on its first day of trading last Friday. Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com NEW DELHI : BMW AG is preparing its biggest product offensive, featuring 25 new models in 2026, mostly targeting first-time premium buyers, as the German automaker looks to tap into Indias growing ranks of affluent individuals. The countrys second-largest luxury carmaker will launch 15 car models under the BMW brand and 10 under its premium small car brand MINI in 2026, according to Hardeep Singh Brar, BMW India's chief executive. These launches will include new nameplates, facelifts, and model upgrades. BMW's motorcycle brand will also introduce two new models, bringing the total number of launches to 27 vehicles. Also Read | BMW and Mercedes take on Tesla with new luxury SUVs The offensive comes on the back of a significant boost in sales, driven by a set of consumers looking to upgrade their vehicles and enter the luxury market after driving their existing SUVs (sports utility vehicles) for five to six years, Brar told Mint in an interview. They all have bought an SUV in the past in the range of lets say 15-25 lakh price bracket, so mostly we find this set of customers who are coming in, buying an iX1, because they are used to SUVs now and they want to upgrade to an SUV in the luxury segment," Brar said. The focus on the entry-level customers has helped it record its highest-ever sales of 18,001 units in India in 2025, since entering the market in 2007, marking a 14% year-on-year increase. A fourfold jump in electric vehicle (EV) sales also aided the growth, with one in five BMWs now sold in the country being electric. It sold a total of 3,753 EVs, which mainly include its top-end sedan, BMW i7, and entry-level luxury SUV, BMW iX1. Cornering the lower-end The share of consumers upgrading from near-premium and non-premium segments in the companys total annual sales rose from 43% in 2024 to 49% in 2025, suggesting that half of the purchases for new BMWs are coming from those looking to enter the luxury market, showed BMWs data. We are actually playing the role of expanding the pie of the luxury market, because somebody has to play the role," Brar said. Our objective is to grow further. Rest, I think, will go as per the demand. Our production is very flexible; we can make changes, but yes, we would expect it (entry luxury contribution) to go further, because the response has been great," he added. According to Brar, the German carmaker's strategic bet on drawing these consumers into the luxury segment is critical for the industry, which is still limited to only about 50,000-52,000 units per year in India. By contrast, overall passenger vehicle retail sales crossed 4.3 million units in 2025. While entry-level luxury cars typically cost between 50 lakh and 60 lakh, the top-end models start at 1 crore and higher. The bullish commentary from a luxury carmaker like BMW is coming after a jump in the number of millionaires in the country. According to the Mercedes-Benz Hurun India Wealth Report, the number of millionaires in India nearly doubled from 458,000 in 2021 to 871,700 in 2025. The increase in volumes is helping the Munich-headquartered automaker narrow the gap with German rival Mercedes-Benz AG, which has led the Indian luxury car market for at least a decade. Mercedes-Benz has not yet released its full sales figures for 2025. Luxury car market wins In contrast to BMW, Mercedes bets on the top end of the market. If you have a cheaper car, you can sell much more because there is a set [number] of customers in that pyramid who would like to get a cheaper car and that [luxury car] badge," Santosh Iyer, Mercedes-Benz India's managing director, told Mint in an interview earlier. Nevertheless, BMW is not planning to expand production, said Brar. The company has one plant in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, that can accommodate the production of 50,000 units. Analysts noted that both rivals' approaches are, in a way, complementary to the luxury car market, given the increasing premiumization trend, even as BMW seeks to gain market share from Mercedes. Both approaches are right for todays demand curve, one expands the base, the other deepens the value pool together lifting consumer choice, dealer confidence, and the categorys long-term health," said Harshvardhan Sharma, group head for auto tech and innovation at Nomura Research Institute Consulting and Solutions India. (Bloomberg) -- Bankrupt auto-parts maker First Brands Group has sued Edward James its former executive and the brother of company founder Patrick James and its largest creditor Onset Financial for conspiring to defraud creditors out of billions of dollars and property. According to a lawsuit filed Friday, Edward James would work against the company as Onsets secret partner and together they would rig scores of supposed contracts between the debtors and Onset to enrich themselves at everyone elses expense. Onset and James created a bevy of supposed sale and leaseback transactions, saddling First Brands with billions of dollars in debt on outrageous terms, the lawsuit alleged. As a result, Onset (and its secret partner Edward James) obtained transfers of approximately $2.9 billion in cash, triple digit returns, and alleged interests in inventory and equipment. The complaint opens a new front in the contentious Chapter 11 case by pitting James and Onset against other creditors who would benefit should the lawsuit, filed in Houston, succeed. First Brands is now looking to recover the cash and property that was obtained through the allegedly fraudulent transactions. The lawsuit follows similar legal action filed by a group of creditors on Monday. In that case, the lenders accused Onset of pillaging the company through usurious financing arrangements approved by Edward James. In return, Onset agreed to pay him hundreds of millions of dollars through additional fees and by granting him the right to personally invest in the financings, the Monday suit alleged. First Brands lawsuit, made similar claims, stating that Edward James and Onset obtained massive, above-market interest and fee payments and that their work forced First Brands to take on debts vastly exceeding their legitimate needs. Edward James had invested nearly $150 million alongside Onset, hoping to extract nearly $280 million from First Brands and related financing entities before the house of cards came crashing down, according to the companys lawsuit. Before the music stopped, Onset (and its partner Edward James) obtained over $2.3 billion in payments. Additional court documents show that First Brands had also transferred more than $600 million in cash to Onset as of September, bringing the total to about $2.9 billion. Onset denied wrongdoing, blaming the James brothers for First Brands collapse and arguing that it is a victim. The latest false and defamatory claims by the debtors are a desperate attempt to blame a victim for doing business in good faith with First Brands Group before its stunning collapse, Onset said in a statement. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at feedback@livemint.com. Mumbai: Indias top conglomerates thrived in 2025, their feats including big-ticket acquisitions, heavy investments in capacity expansion, ambitious diversification into new-age sectorsall while dealing with cut-throat competition and geopolitical overhang on their mainstay businesses. The upbeat outlook at these conglomeratesAdani Group, Reliance Industries, Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, JSW Group, and L&T, to name somestretches into the new year, as they indicate no abatement in their expansion plans and deftly take disruptions like the US tariffs in their stride. They will have to be, however, mindful of not overleveraging themselves in their diversification drive and plan succession well for longevity, experts warned. At the company's annual general meeting late in August 2025, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani spoke of his company's growth trajectory one which echoes in other large business houses, too. "In just one generation, Reliance has transformed itself from a Fortune 1000 company to a Fortune 40 global powerhouse, creating over $200 billion in value all within India," Ambani said. "But the best of Reliance is yet to come. In 2022, I made a promise that we will double Reliance by the end of our Golden Decade. At that time, our Ebitda was about 1.25 lakh crore ($ 14.6 billion). I reiterate that Reliance will more than double its Ebitda by the end of its Golden Decade in 2027." Ebitda, short for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, reprsents the operational profitability of a company. Acquisition spree A major theme of the year gone by was M&As at Indias top business houses to power inorganic expansion in their existing lines or diversifying into new segments altogether. The former category includes Tata Motorss acquisition of Italian commercial vehicles maker Iveco for about 40,000 crore and JSW Paintss buyout of AkzoNobel India for just under 13,000 crore. The deals overnight scaled operations at both these companies. Tata Motors became one of the largest commercial vehicles makers in the world, while JSW Paints modest business suddenly got a seat at the table of Indias largest paintmakers. JSW Energy was also on an spending spree in 2025 buying thermal power assets of KSK Mahanadi and renewable energy companies O2 Power and Hetero Group, bulking up its portfolio to over 13 gigawatts of operational capacity with a strong development pipelinetransforming into one of the larger private power producers in the country. Other headline acquisitions included Reliance Consumer buying Udhaiyams Agro Foods and Kelvinator brands and Adani acquiring Vidarbha Industries Power Ltd in Maharashtra and Abbot Point Port in Australia, as also scooping up Jaiprakash Associates Ltd at the last minute from Indian bankruptcy courts. Similarly, Mahindra Group acquired a controlling stake in light and medium commercial vehicles maker SML Isuzu in India to widen its product portfolio. Organic expansion, diversification Perhaps even more impressive was the money plunked down by Indian conglomerates into capital expenditure to scale up their existing businesses. The Adani Group is undertaking one of the highest corporate sector capex in a year in India, with a target of spending a record 1.5 trillion in FY26 across its listed companies. The money is going into investments in renewable energy plants, new airports, ports, data centres, cement factories, copper smelter, thermal power plants, transmission lines, and battery storage units. Last month group chairman Gautam Adani was unabashed when he said: "In the years ahead, our commitment to mining and materials will significantly expand from extracting various ores to making metals, alloys and finished products that power our economy, electrify mobility and enable our nation's green transition." He was delivering a speech at Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad on 9 December. Earlier, in a message to shareholders of flagship Adani Enterprises, he toted up the group capital expenditure over the next five years: $15-20 billion. A similar-scale capital expenditure is on at Reliance Industries, too, with mega investments in an integrated renewable energy complex at Jamnagar that is to make everything from solar cells to renewable electricity and then run data centres and green hydrogen units using this clean power. In fact, investments in data centres was a recurrent theme at other conglomerates such as L&T and the Tata Group through Tata Consultancy Services. The Aditya Birla Group continued its capex into expanding its cement, aluminium, copper, and paints businesses, while Reliance has earmarked a significant expenditure for its consumer goods businesses. Whats powering the conglomerates? The agility shown by large businesses in grabbing new opportunities while also adjusting to external uncertainty went against the wisdom of less than a decade ago, when conglomerates were written off as cumbersome beasts weighed down by inertia in a rapidly changing world. Saptarshi Purkayastha, professor of strategic management at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta called 2025 a great year for the conglomerates. While standalone businesses, particularly in the tech and startup ecosystem, grappled with funding problems and valuation corrections, Indian conglomerates like Tata, Reliance, and Adani leveraged their robust internal capital to surge ahead," he said. In a study, Purkayastha and his collaborators found that conglomerates earned 6 to 8 per cent higher returns on assets on average than stand-alone firms. The high cash flows from their mainstay businesses helped subsidize their investments in new sectors, he said. Size and nimbleness are not mutually exclusive, another expert said on the moves by the conglomerates. These giants leveraged deep pockets and multi-sector reach to dominate transformative deals across banking, retail, media, energy, and cement," said Deepankar Sanwalka, senior partner at consultancy Grant Thornton Bharat. The message is clear: diversification worked. Conglomerates didnt just survive, they thrived, proving that scale and agility can deliver growth and innovation," he said. The conglomerate structure thrived in India even as it declined in developed economies because efficient capital markets and other pro-market institutions in the latter penalize the complexity of a conglomerate with a discount, Purkayastha said. In developed economies, investors prefer to diversify their own portfolios rather than pay a conglomerate to do it for them. This is due to less information asymmetry between investors and managers, he said. In contrast, in India, large conglomerates act as intermediaries that utilize their own internal capital, labour, and reliable infrastructure with better efficiency in an environment where the external market is more likely to be inefficient. Quasi national champions The primary strength of Indian conglomerates is what I term as the 'strategic alignment' with the external stakeholders, primarily the government. Indian conglomerates have their corporate strategies aligned with the country's national priorities, for example, oil security (Adani/Reliance), infrastructure building (L&T), or digital sovereignty (Tata/Jio)," Purkayastha said. Secondly, these conglomerates are capitalizing on the slowing of global growth by selling India's growth story to foreign investors. This has given them access to the global debt markets, thereby bypassing domestic liquidity constraints, the IIMC professor said. The scale of these conglomerates also helps attract strategic foreign partners for new businesses. Like Tata Electronics and PSMC tying up for semiconductors, Reliance and NVIDIA for AI infrastructure, or JSW Group and SAIC for electric vehicles. This helps conglomerates gain access to technology and other proprietary knowledge, which may be nearly impossible for standalone firms, Purkayastha said. Given these reasons, the growth momentum of Indias top conglomerates is expected to carry into 2026 and the medium term, according to both Purkayastha and Sanwalka. Yet, these business groups must be mindful of prudent capital allocation, they warned. When cash is lying idle, the discipline to avoid diversification into unrelated areas is a major concern," Purkayastha said. Sanwalka counted managing these diversified businesses without losing agility, keeping debt under control, and ensuring transparent governance as the key challenges for conglomerates in 2026 and the years after. Lastly, most Indian conglomerates are family-run businesses barring exceptions like L&T. Succession planning remains a critical vulnerability for family-controlled conglomerates, the Purkayastha said. Akasa Air, India's youngest airline, announced on Friday, 9 January, that it has joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a member, news agency PTI reported. In a statement released on Friday, Akasa Air said it has secured IATA membership after successfully completing the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which is a mandatory requirement for airlines seeking to join the global aviation body. According to IATA's website, it is a trade association of the global airline industry, and its current members account for 80% of global air traffic. The association was formed in 1945 to support the development of the commercial standards upon which the global air transport industry is built. Akasa Air joins global community Founded in 2020 by aviation entrepreneur Vinay Dube, the airline has steadily expanded its presence in the sector and will now become a member of a global trade association that represents more than 360 carriers across the world. This move will give the airline a seat at the table alongside some of the biggest players in the International aviation industry. Out of the 360 members, four Indian carriers are also a part of the community, which includes Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. We are excited to welcome Akasa Air as an IATA member. India's aviation potential is huge, with the industry supporting 7.7 million jobs and USD 53.6 billion in economic contribution, Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific for IATA Sheldon Hee was quoted as saying by PTI. About Akasa Air fleet size, investors, other details Operating a fleet of 31 Boeing 737 MAX planes, Akasa Air currently serves a network spanning 26 destinations within India and six international cities, steadily expanding its footprint across key domestic routes while strengthening its presence in select overseas markets. Speaking of the IATA membership, Akasa Air Founder and CEO Vinay Dubey said that the association will strengthen the airline's global credibility and position it as a future-ready Indian airline on the world stage. Also Read | Shankh Airlines chairman says operations likely to begin in January Meta Platforms Inc. has signed a series of electricity contracts for its data centres, making it the most significant corporate purchaser of nuclear energy in American history, the company said in a release on Friday, 9 January. The technology giant informed that it will buy electricity from three existing Vistra Corp. plants and support several small reactors that Sam Altman-backed Oklo Inc. and Bill Gates-backed TerraPower LLC plan to build over the next decade. These agreements follow a separate deal in June to source energy from a Constellation Energy Corp. nuclear site. Our agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo, and Constellation make Meta one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy in American history. State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing Americas position as a global leader in AI. Nuclear energy will help power our AI future, strengthen our countrys energy infrastructure, and provide clean, reliable electricity for everyone," Meta said. It further added, "These projects are going to create thousands of skilled jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, add new energy to the grid, extend the life of three existing nuclear plants, and accelerate new reactor technologies. Also Read | The most questionable AI claims we heard at CES 2026 The agreements may exceed 6 gigawatts, enough to supply around 5 million homes, Bloomberg reported. These deals demonstrate that Big Techs rush to secure electric sources continues strongly despite intense competition in the artificial intelligence sector. Vistras shares increased by 10% before trading began in New York on Friday. Oklos shares rose approximately 20%. As increasing US power demand for data centres has boosted interest in nuclear energy, hyperscalers that previously committed to going green have recently contemplated or entered into agreements with natural gas-fired plant generators that are usually much easier and swifter to build. Nuclear projects typically require ten years to develop and construct, while data centres can become operational much faster, resulting in a more immediate demand for energy. Also Read | Germany plans measures to combat harmful AI image manipulation US power consumption is projected to increase by at least 30% by 2030, with most of the new demand originating from data centres, the news portal reported, citing energy consulting firm Grid Strategies. However, power suppliers are struggling to keep pace, and electricity has become one of the most significant bottlenecks for the development of artificial intelligence. Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc., and Microsoft Corp. have all signed agreements to harness energy from nuclear reactors. These initiatives are now overshadowed by Metas efforts, it added. About the deals Metas recent deals align with CEO Mark Zuckerbergs repeated commitments to invest hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the decade in AI and its supporting infrastructure. Key projects include Prometheus, a 1-gigawatt data center in New Albany, Ohio, expected to launch this year, and Hyperion, a rural Louisiana initiative that could expand to 5 gigawatts and come online in 2028. The latest nuclear agreements will also support the Ohio-based Prometheus project. Under the agreement with Vistra, Meta will purchase energy from the Davis-Besse and Perry reactors in Ohio, totalling over 2.1 gigawatts of operational capacity. Additionally, it will receive 433 megawatts of extra energy from planned upgrades aimed at increasing output from these two plants and the Beaver Valley facility in Pennsylvania. The Vistra nuclear plants will keep supplying power to the largest US grid managed by PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves over 67 million people across the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic. In a separate deal with Oklo, Meta will receive up to 1.2 gigawatts of capacity from reactors that Oklo plans to build in Ohio, with the first expected to come into service as early as 2030. Oklo is developing a 75-megawatt reactor, though it still requires approval from federal regulators. The agreement with Meta also includes a prepayment, mainly to assist Oklo in procuring fuel. Meta also gave a nod to support the development of two reactors by TerraPower capable of generating up to 690 megawatts with delivery as early as 2032. It also secured the rights for energy from up to six other future reactor projects that together would total 2.1 gigawatts of power. News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe has secured the backing of at least 80 countries outside Africa in its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 202728 term, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Amon Murwira has said.Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Murwira said the country will intensify its diplomatic outreach between February and April as it seeks to consolidate and expand support among United Nations General Assembly members ahead of the elections scheduled for June 2026."From February until April, we are going to visit several countries to invite members of the General Assembly to visit Zimbabwe," Murwira said."We are looking for a successful act because Zimbabwe is a country that represents peace and tranquillity, among other things."If elected, Zimbabwe would join the 10 rotating non-permanent members of the UNSC, who serve two-year terms alongside the council's five permanent members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly and must secure a two-thirds majority vote.Murwira said Zimbabwe's long-standing foreign policy, anchored on peaceful coexistence and multilateralism, had resonated with many countries."The African Union and SADC support our bid and we have received formal support from 80 countries across the globe," he said."Zimbabwe is well-positioned to take up this seat as it is a champion of peace in the region and beyond."He reiterated the country's commitment to peace and international co-operation."Zimbabwe's commitment to peace is unshakeable. We recognise that peace is the cornerstone of sustainable socio-economic development and stand ready to contribute our experience and leadership to the mission of the Security Council," Murwira said."As we embark on this important journey to join the UN Security Council, I appeal to all UN member states to support Zimbabwe's candidature. A vote for Zimbabwe is a vote for peace, multilateral co-operation and a more inclusive global order."Zimbabwe's campaign is being run under the theme Advancing 21st Century Solutions for Global Peace and Security Through Multilateralism, which Murwira said reflects the country's desire to strengthen its global footprint while contributing meaningfully to international peace and security.President Emmerson Mnangagwa formally launched Zimbabwe's UNSC bid last year in Harare, pledging that the country would use the platform to advance global peace, counter-terrorism efforts and the interests of Africa. New Delhi: In a relief to Vodafone Idea, the department of telecommunications (DoT) has frozen the stressed telecom companys adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, including the principal, interest and penalties, as of December end. Based on the freeze, the telecom companys annual outgo towards AGR payments over the next six years from March 2026 to March 2031 would be at 744 crore, a maximum of 124 crore per year. The company's AGR dues for the period FY06-07 to FY18-19 stood at 87,695 crore, as of 31 December. In an exchange filing on Friday, Vodafone Idea said it will also have to pay 100 crore annually over four years, from March 2032 to March 2035. The remaining AGR dues have to be paid in equal instalments annually over 6 years, i.e. March 2036 to March 2041, the company said. Shares of Vodafone Idea rose over 8% to 12.4 on the National Stock Exchange in early trade following the news. The stock, however, pared those gain to close 1.74% down at 11.30. AGR lifeline The communication from Vodafone Idea comes after the Cabinet on 31 December took the decision to provide a breather to the telecom operator, which involved freezing its 87,695 AGR as of December end. The government had approved the payment plan for the company to clear its frozen AGR dues between FY32 and FY41. A committee is to be constituted by DoT to reassess the AGR dues, whose decision shall be final. Thereafter, the reassessed amount is to be repaid between March 2036 to March 2041 in equal annual installments, Vodafone Idea said. AGR is the revenue base used to calculate licence fees and spectrum usage charges payable to the government. Over the next few months, the DoT will undertake a detailed reassessment of the 87,695 crore AGR dues of the company, includes interest on dues and penalties over the years. The reassessment process to arrive at Vodafone Ideas final AGR liability is expected to take four to five months, Mint reported on 1 January citing officials in the know. The exercise will involve reassessment at each local circle level, going through the history of the subsidiaries linked to Vodafone Idea before the merger and the licences it had secured, a government official said, adding that the final amount is expected to reduce. Also Read | Life of Vi: Inside the unprecedented pivot that saved the telco The DoT will also seek detailed, circle- and year-wise information from Vodafone Idea to address discrepancies in the dues. A government committee will decide the final outcome of the AGR reassessment exercise and that will be binding on both the government and the company. Even as the company got a breather on the timeline to pay AGR dues, but the concerns remain over its spectrum dues of 1.17 trillion and clarity on final AGR amount post reassessment, analysts said. The government owns nearly 49% stake in Vodafone Idea after converting nearly 53,083 crore of dues into equity in two tranches in February 2023 and April 2025. Of the roughly 2 trillion in total government dues, about 1.17 trillion relates to spectrum payments rather than AGR. In a note dated 1 January, brokerage house Emkay Global maintained a sell rating on the stock with a target price of 6. Contrary to the street's expectations of at least a 50% waiver, no waiver on the pending dues linked to AGR was provided by the cabinet, the brokerage house said in the note. While the relief package addresses AGR dues, Vi (Vodafone Idea) also has 1.2 trillion of deferred payment obligations toward spectrum, with significant scheduled payments between FY26 and FY44. The current Ebitda is insufficient to meet the capital expenditure (capex) or spectrum debt repayment requirements. The company will need additional relief/funding to alleviate such challenges, Emkay Global added. Haleon announced on Friday the appointment of Kedar Lele as its new President for the India Subcontinent, following a period of vacancy. Lele joins the consumer healthcare company from Castrol India Ltd, where he served as the Managing Director. The top executive will officially assume his new role starting this month, taking over from Navneet Saluja, the former ISC General Manager, who retired in October 2025 after a distinguished tenure, according to an official company statement. Before joining Castrol, Lele built an extensive career at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, where he worked for nearly two decades. During his tenure, he held multiple senior roles across different functions. Haleon is the company behind the manufacturing and distribution of a range of well-known consumer products, including Eno, Sensodyne, Iodex, and Crocin, which are widely sold across the country. Kedar Lele's role and responsibilities In this role, Lele will also become a member of the Haleon Executive Team (HET), the companys global leadership forum, further strengthening alignment with the organisation's Win as One strategy, the company said. He brings over 25 years of experience across various sectors, including Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), advertising, digital innovation, and the automotive industry. Also Read | The $358 billion question for the new CEO of Berkshire Hathaway As ISC President, Lele will drive Indias leadership in powering Haleons ambition of reaching 1 billion more consumers by 2030 and advance its purpose of delivering better everyday health with humanity, the company said in the release. The new President's previous experience Before his tenure with Castrol, Lele spent two decades at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, where he held senior roles including Executive Director for Sales and Customer Development in South Asia and Chairman & Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lele spent almost a year and a half at Castrol. He has also worked with Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd as a marketing executive in the past. Lele holds an MBA in Strategic Marketing and Operations from the Indian School of Business and a postgraduate diploma in Marketing Communications from MICA, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Additionally, he serves on the board of TVS Automobile Solutions and previously served as the Vice President at the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Bangladesh. What does Haleon do? Haleon in India is a consumer healthcare company that offers over-the-counter (OTC) products to address everyday health needs. Originally, it is an England-based company, which is operating worldwide Alternative investment firm Stonepeak is seeking up to 15% stake in the holding company of green energy firm AM Green in a deal potentially worth around $1.4 billion in equity value, two people aware of the development said. The US-based investor is currently doing due diligence for the transaction, which is likely to become one of India's largest green energy deals. The proposed stake sale in AM Green (Luxembourg) S.a r.l. is likely to conclude within a month, the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity. AM Green, owned by the Greenko Group founders Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli, will use some of the money to repay its private credit of $650 million. That amount was borrowed to buy 17.5% in Greenko Energy Holdings from Japans financial services firm Orix Corp, a deal that valued the Hyderabad-based Greenko at $7.5 billion. The rest of the money will go into AM Greens bio-fuel, aluminium and ammonia projects, which form part of its $20-billion capex strategy. Japans Mitsui & Co. is also doing due diligence for a stake in AM Green at the holding company level, and has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with it for strategic collaboration on energy transition initiatives and potential investment pathways. Under the MoU with Mitsui, the parties will assess potential investment in AM Green Metals value chain," an 18 December joint statement by the two companies said. Also Read | RWE withdraws from $10 billion Namibia green hydrogen project The proposed Stonepeak deal has the same terms as those offered to Mitsui," one of the two people cited above said. Mint first reported about AM Greens Greenko deal in 2025 where Orix got $650 million in cash, plus $750 million worth of stock amounting to 10% through convertible notes. Chalamalasetty and Kolli hold the balance 90% in AM Green. The duo also holds around 25% stake in Greenko Energy, through their personal stakes as well as the stake held by AM Green. Queries emailed to the spokespersons of Stonepeak, Mitsui and Orix on Thursday evening werent immediately answered. Kolli, president of AM Green Group and president and joint managing director of Greenko Group, declined to comment. Capex plans AM Green's subsidiary AM Green Aluminium Metals and Materials is building a 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) primary aluminium smelter along with 2 mtpa of alumina refining and mining operations, in the backdrop of several developed economies imposing carbon taxes on imports and stricter compliance norms. AM Green is also setting up production facilities for green molecules, including green hydrogen, green ammonia, biofuels, e-methanol, sustainable aviation fuels, and various downstream high-value chemicals for decarbonization in hard-to-abate industries. Stonepeak is not new to Indias green energy space. It has invested in Indian renewable energy space and was among the bidders shortlisted to submit a binding offer to buy European alternative asset manager EQT and Singapores Temasek-owned O2 Power, a renewable energy platform in India. The deal had equity and enterprise values of around $1 billion and $2.3 billion respectively. With around $80 billion of assets under management, Stonepeak focusses on infrastructure and real assets. Also Read | Why Washington and Big Oil are investing billions in ammonia Mint previously reported that Malaysias Gentari Sdn Bhd and Singapores GIC Holdings Pte Ltd plan to invest $1.75 billion in AM Green Ammonia, marking one of the largest energy transition deals in the world. Earlier, global mining major Rio Tinto and AMG Metals & Minerals signed an MoU to establish the worlds largest renewable-powered aluminium facility in India, with an investment of about $6 billion. Also, state-run Coal India Ltd has signed an MoU to supply 4.5GW of renewable power to AM Greens green ammonia facilities. In addition, AM Green Ammonia B.V. has partnered with Germanys RWE Supply & Trading to supply green ammonia. Also, AM Green has collaborated with global logistics major DP World to set up advanced logistics and storage infrastructure for green hydrogen and green ammonia exports. AM Green also plans to produce 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of green ammonia, with the first 1 mtpa project in Kakinada expected to be commissioned in 2026. The project, which includes a green hydrogen unit and ammonia conversion plant at a repurposed urea facility acquired in 2024, will cost about Rs12,500 crore. AM Green has already signed offtake agreements with major buyers including Uniper, Yara, and Keppel. Green journey Mint had earlier reported about AM Green foraying into 2G or second-generation biofuels and plans to invest $1 billion for setting up two bio-ethanol plants in the country. As part of this playbook, AM Green acquired Finnish state-run energy power utility Fortum Oyj and Chempolis Oy50% stake in their joint ventureAssam Bio Refinery Pvt. Ltdand also the Oulu-headquartered biotechnology firm Chempolis Oy. Investors interest in Indias green energy space has been sustained despite emerging challenges such as power distribution companies signing costly coal-fuelled power purchase agreements (PPA) rather than cheaper green power, as reported by Mint earlier. Also, 43GW of green power capacity involving 2.1 trillion proposed investment doesn't have PPAs and power supply agreements (PSAs) in place. In addition, there is curtailment of green power generation in Rajasthan and Gujarat, two of India's largest renewable power generating states. United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) in its November report said India has witnessed a significant growth on the energy transition front. The report said that India grew its renewable energy by more than three times its electricity demand growth in 2024, causing its coal and gas use to fall by 3.1% and 34% respectively. Also Read | Green hydrogen infrastructure along highways is next on Indias transport map "Eighty-three per cent of Indias power sector investment went to clean energy in the same period. Investment in Indias renewable energy sector for the last quarter of that same year totalled over US$4.66 billion, marking a dramatic 91.5 per cent year-on-year increase," it said. A recent report by World Economic Forum added that although the energy transition race and the related investment scenario have so far been dominated by China, which spends nearly as much on clean energy as the US and EU combined and leads manufacturing across most clean and advanced energy supply chains, India also demonstrates great ambitions and progress in this race. With battery storage holding the key to Indias green energy transition including grid-scale storage and electric mobility, the union government is considering a 500-crore allocation in its FY2027 Budget to set up testing and certification infrastructure for battery energy storage systems (BESS) besides promoting research and development (R&D), said two people in the know of the developments. Given the infirm nature of wind and solar powerit is generated only when the wind blows and the sun shinesBESS can help store energy and feed electricity to the grid any time in a 24-hour cycle. The allocation is expected to go towards both setting up National BESS Testing and Safety Centers under National Accreditation Board Ltd (NABL) or the Bureau of Indian Standards and creating certification centres to certify prototypes for advanced chemistry cells. Battery-pack level testing which is done in the case of electric vehicles would also be supported through the allocation. Further, tie-ups for R&D programmes are expected to be promoted between the industry, national laboratories, and Indian Institutes of Technology, or IITs, through multi-year grants. This likely government push comes in the backdrop of India requiring battery storage capacity of about 175 GWh by 2032 up from around 700 MWh as of 31 December, 2025. Industry lobby group India Energy Storage Alliance expects capacity to climb sharply to 5 GWh in 2026. Despite such ambitious targets, India does not yet have dedicated BESS testing and prototype centres in the country. There's also a safety angle driving the need for such testing: there have been several instances of overheating and fire in electric vehicles. Testing and certification infrastructure can help maintain standards and assuage concerns over the supply chain of such batteries. Indias tropical climate and hot weather in most parts of the country makes batteries made with global standards often unsustainable. "A part of the 500 crore can also come through the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. With the growing battery storage capacity requirement and plans to indigenize the supply chain, national level testing and certification facilities would be important," said the first person cited earlier asking not to be identified. To be sure, the government takes a final decision on several proposals closer to the Budget presentation date which falls on 1 February. In September last year, the ministry of new and renewable energy issued draft guidelines for testing and approval of batteries. The guidelines provide chemistry-specific construction requirements, including for lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries, and nickel-cadmium batteries, among others. Queries mailed to the union ministries of heavy industries, new and renewable energy, and finance on Thursday remained unanswered till press time. Also Read | Indias power sector finds its next big bet in batteries The China overhang Domestic testing is key as supply chain concerns also persist in this space as the battery and the required component ecosystem is dominated by Chinese makers. EV charging equipment makers are already facing challenges in making crucial parts such as connectors and battery management systems locally. Mint has earlier reported, citing experts and industry executives, that reliance on Chinese-made EV charger components could leave vehicles and infrastructure vulnerable to cyber threats. Indian entities that assemble battery systems mostly send them to China for testing, according to industry stakeholders. Testing gains significance as India doubles down on so-called over energy storage. Estimates tote up an investment of 4.79 trillion by 2032, as the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has forecast a requirement of 411.4 GWh energy storage systems by then including 236.22 GWh of BESS and 175.18 GWh of pumped storage projects (PSP). Mint earlier reported that the ministry of heavy industries is working on a roadmap to meet a cumulative BESS capacity of nearly 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2047 across electric mobility, power, and electronic components. Given that BESS has a lower capital cost and tariffs compared to PSP, it is finding more takers. The cost for for BESS is estimated around 3.5 crore per MW (megawatt), compared to about 6 crore per MW in the case of PSP. India today largely imports lithium-ion cells and assembles them into battery packs, pointed out an expert. These cells should be tested in batches to ensure desired product quality. This poses a major challenge to small players (EV companies and consuming industries of batteries) as they hardly have the required battery testing facilities in-house and so, depend on outside testing centers," said Shyamasis Das, a fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP). "With a handful of testing centers in the country capable to do battery testing, small EV makers often get stuck at the end of a long queue for accessing these testing facilities." Das who leads the electric mobility research practice at CSEP also said that the time taken to roll out new battery products, new technologies, is much longer in India, compared to competitors like China, where leading battery makers in the world can build, test, and commercialize in a span of months. Safety remains a big concern as India rolls out more of battery systems, especially in mobility. EV fires dent public sentiments and stop them from purchases, Das pointed out. India has witnessed several fire incidents in the case of electric vehicles, largely involving two-wheelers. The US is often cited as an example of robust testing and standardization. According to American Clean Power, an industry body of renewable energy companies, between 2017 and 2022, US energy storage deployment increased more than 18 timesfrom 645 MWh to 12.19 GWhwhile in the US safety events over the same period increased by a much smaller number: from two to 12. Debmalya Sen, president of the Indian Energy Storage Alliance said there's an urgent need for battery testing capacities of GWh-scale. "The current scenario wherein batteries being assembled in the country are sent to China for testing also comes with an added cost due to the transportation expenditure," he said. India has officially responded to US President Donald Trumps support for a new bill that could impose a 500% tariff on Russian oil buyers. The government stated it is fully aware of the proposal and is carefully monitoring the situation. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Indias energy strategy focuses on market conditions and the need for affordable fuel for its 1.4 billion people. Based on these factors, we determine our strategy and policy, Jaiswal said on Friday. At the same time, I would like to say that, as far as energy sources are concerned, you are well aware of our approach. We take into account the conditions and environment in the global market, while also keeping in mind our imperative of ensuring that energy is made available at affordable prices to our 1.4 billion people, Jaiswal said. What does the Russia Sanctions Bill say? The Russia Sanctions Bill, primarily authored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, enables the US administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions of up to 500% on countries that purchase Russia's oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The measure aims to choke off a key source of funding for Russias military operations. A version of the bill released in April 2025 has a provision for the President to waive the 500% tariffs for a period of up to 180 days with respect to a country, good or service if he determines it is in the national interest of the United States. Graham said he met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, during which the POTUS extended his support for the bill, which has been in progress for months. A White House official also confirmed the development, as reported by the Associated Press. What could the Bill mean for India? If passed, the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill would authorise Trump to levy up to 500% tariffs on nations that purchase Russian oil or uranium. The proposed bill could see the US tariffs on India shoot up to an unbelievable 500% from the already-high 50% rates. Experts have signalled that the 500% tariffs would be a major negative for the Indian economy and the markets, emphasising that even with the existing tariffs of 50%, it would be difficult for the economy to sustain its current growth momentum. Defending his proposal, Graham had claimed the bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying Russian crude, which he claimed provides the financing for Putins bloodbath against Ukraine. US Supreme Court tariff decision in focus India's comments come ahead of the US Supreme Court's verdict on tariffs imposed by Trump on America's trade partners. The top court is expected to issue its order on Friday, having scheduled 9 January as an opinion day, which marks the first opportunity for a ruling on the Trump tariffs. Jana Nayagan, the highly anticipated movie of actor-turned-politician Vijay, will now get a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), following a Madras High Court directive. The movie was postponed two days before its release because of a delay in obtaining the censor certificate from the CBFC. However, even without clearance from the CBFC, ticket bookings were opened in select Indian theatres and in the international market, raking in over 10 crore in pre-sales. What did the Madras HC say? The Madras High Court observed that since the order in question was without jurisdiction, it could use its inherent powers to modify the relief. On January 7, the court had reserved its order on a petition seeking a direction to the CBFC to give a censor certificate under the UA 16 category to Jana Nayagan, speculated to be Vijay's final film. On January 6, when the plea came up for hearing, Justice P T Asha had orally asked the CBFC to produce on January 7, a copy of the complaint that claimed the film hurts religious sentiments. The filmmakers had submitted that the movie had been referred for "review" after an initial recommendation for U/A certification. Even though a release date has been fixed for the film as January 9, it can only proceed legally, the Censor Board had told the court. Also Read | Big loss for Jana Nayagan makers after postponement, refunds initiated Why did Jana Nayagan makers say? According to a PTI report, Jana Nayagan makers had completed all work and sent it for censorship on December 18, and subsequently, on December 19, the censor board reportedly advised the removal of some scenes and muting of some dialogues. However, even after changes suggested by the censor board members were made, the censor certificate was still not issued, PTI reported, citing the petition the movie production house had submitted. About Jana Nayagan Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, stars actors Vijay, Prakash Raj, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, among others. Vijay, who heads the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political party, has announced contesting the coming Assembly polls in the state, due in March-April. The new release date of Jana Nayagan is yet to be announced. Terming the decision to postpone a difficult one, they said, The new release date will be announced at the earliest. Postponed due to unavoidable circumstances The release of Jana Nayagan was postponed due to unavoidable circumstances, the makers announced on Wednesday. Two sanctioned oil tankers shut off their transponders earlier this month and powered to a meetup point, drawing alongside each other in the Sea of Japan. The crew of one of the vessels, known as the Kapitan Kostichev, then emptied 700,000 barrels of Russian crude into the tanks of the other, the Jun Tong, according to ship-tracking service Kpler. The clandestine ship-to-ship transfer, visible via satellite and other shipping data, is a maneuver typical of the shadow fleet, an armada of aging tankers that crisscross the world, smuggling illicit oil for sanctioned nations including Venezuela, Russia and Iran. The fleets operations came into sharp focus this week when U.S. Special Forces dropped from helicopters onto the deck of the Russia-flagged Marinera in the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland. The tanker, which days before was sailing under a false flag and going by the name Bella 1, was escaping Trump administration action against vessels carrying Venezuelan oil. It had a Russian naval escort and wasnt carrying any oil when it was captured Wednesday. Western powers have imposed increasingly severe sanctions to suffocate the smuggling network, but Wednesdays actionthe latest in a recent string of assaults against the shadow fleetdemonstrates a more decisive approach to stamping it out. Heres how the shadow fleet works Russia, Iran and Venezuela have amassed a fleet of old tanker ships to move sanctioned barrels of oil products around the worldor use as floating storage at sea. Ship operators go to elaborate lengths to disguise the origin of their cargo and avoid detection. Crews change vessel names frequently, falsifying their GPS coordinates, use fake vessel names and duplicate transmissions to create ghost ships. On Wednesday, U.S. forces also boarded a tanker near the Caribbean that was broadcasting its location as being close to Nigeria at the time. View Full Image Chart: WSJ What are the numbers? There are now more than 1,470 tankers classed as being part of the shadow or dark fleet, according to the ship monitoring website TankerTrackers.com. Their number has swelled since 2022 as Russia has looked for routes around Western sanctions for its war against Ukraine. S&P Global puts their numbers at 940, which represent 17% of tankers currently transporting oil, oil products and chemicals around the world. The shadow fleet transported some 3.7 billion barrels of oil in 2025, accounting for 6% to 7% of the annual global crude oil flows, according to ship-tracking service Kpler. How do the ships disguise themselves? After unloading its cargo in the Sea of Japan, the Russia-flagged Kapitan Kostichev reappeared on shipping radars on Tuesday, heading back toward the port serving Sakhalin I, the giant offshore oil project in the frozen waters of Russias far east from where it initially set out. The Jun Tong, known as the Fair Seas until January 2024 and the Tai Shan until August, set a course for the Chinese port of Yantai. China, the worlds largest importer of crude, is also the biggest buyer of Russian oil. The vessel currently sails under the Cameroon flag but has in the past adopted the flags of Malta, the Marshall Islands and Panama. International maritime law requires every ship to be registered with a specific countrya flag stategranting it nationality. The ships flag subjects it to that countrys laws for safety, technical issues and social matters relating to the crew. This registration, handled by a registry, provides legal proof of ownership and requires the ship to carry official documents and display the flag of its registration. A shadow tanker often uses a flag of convenience" provided by smaller, non-Western nations such as Gabon, Comoros or Cameroon. Flag states ship registries are responsible for recording ship ownership and loans secured against vessels, as well as investigating incidents. In return, the shipowners pay fees. Some small states outsource their shipping registry to third parties. They have also been known to offer sweeteners to shipowners, such as cheaper registration fees, lower taxes and less stringent checks. The minimal oversight allows shadow tankers to sidestep a global system that was designed to ensure ships are properly insured and crew members well treated. But when incidents do happen, the smaller flag states dont always come to the rescue of the vessels sailing under their jurisdiction. Many of these ships frequently change their names to allow them to evade scrutiny. For example, the oil tanker that was seized in the Atlantic on Wednesday was renamed to the Marinera a few days after the U.S. Coast Guard began pursuing it in December. Its past monikers include the Neofit and the Yannis, according to Singapore-based maritime intelligence company MagicPort. The ship claimed Russian protection after the crew sloppily painted a Russian flag on the side of the vessel. What other features distinguish the fleet? Around one-third of the tankers involved in the shadow fleet are more than 20 years old, according to TankerTrackers.com, making them prone to major accidents. Many lack reliable insurance. Most of the worlds ships are insured and reinsured in Europe. Western sanctions have banned most insurers from providing services to these ships, cutting the vessels off from Western insurance markets. As a result, some use non-Western insurers or sail without coverage. Who owns its ships? Shadow-fleet vessels typically change ownership multiple times, relying on shell companies in places with loose registration regulations such as Dubai, Hong Kong and the Marshall Islands, to disguise the identities of their ultimate owners. What action has been taken to stop the fleet? Aside from the U.S. action against Venezuelan oil and sanctions of the tankers themselves, Ukraine went after the Kremlins shadow fleet in international waters last year for the first time during its war with Russia. In November, Ukraines navy and SBU security service used drones to attack two tankers in the Black Sea that had been sanctioned for carrying Russian oil. The explosion of sanctions in the Russia-Ukraine war, and the money to be made from circumventing them via shadow vessels, has shown the limits of Western sanctions, said Nathanael Kurcab, a partner at law firm Morrison Foersters National Security Group. Were now having to do almost what sanctions were never supposed to require, which is using military assets to enforce the blockade of Venezuela. Thats brand new," he said. Write to Rebecca Feng at rebecca.feng@wsj.com, Matthew Dalton at Matthew.Dalton@wsj.com and Daniel Kiss at daniel.kiss@wsj.com MINNEAPOLISFor months, crisis after crisis has battered this Midwestern city and state. The killing of a state legislator and her husband. A mass shooting of Catholic school children. A sprawling fraud scandal that scuttled the governors re-election hopes and made the area the new center of President Trumps immigration crackdown. On Thursday, residents awoke to the aftermath of another painfuland polarizingevent that is drawing worldwide attention: an ICE agents fatal shooting Wednesday of 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother of three, in a middle-class neighborhood. For many here, an overwhelming sense of deja vu took hold as media and law enforcement again flooded the city. Schools closed. Vigils and protests erupted, with demonstrators standing on snowbanks throughout an unusually temperate January day. Local clergy and others gathered at the site of the shooting, struggling to make sense of the tragedy. The incident played out just a few blocks from where George Floyd was killed in May 2020, a flashpoint that sparked unrest Minneapolis has spent years overcoming. View Full Image Demonstrators confronted federal agents outside the Whipple Federal Building on Thursday. It feels like theres some PTSD because theres a similar trauma that comes with this," said Rev. Nathan Melcher, a United Methodist Pastor whose parish is nearby. He stood in the wide street near where Good was killed. That street, Portland Avenue, is lined with typical Minneapolis homes with screened-in front porches and decorations in the front yard. Now it has become a memorial for Good. Impromptu barricades block off both ends of the block. People play music and stoke fires for warmth. Flowers and candles lay in front of the telephone poll where her Honda Pilot crashed. As in the rest of America, questions are pulsing through the community over who bears blame, who should investigate and what comes next. I think probably Im not alone in wondering how I feellike I think a lot of people are in that same place," said David Wehde, 53, who lives about a block away from where Good died and was out walking his two dogs Thursday afternoon. View Full Image A memorial for Good. View Full Image David Wehde lives near the site of the shooting. Homeland Security said the agent fired in self-defense after Good attempted to run over officers, but state and city officials have disputed that version of events after seeing videos on social media that seemed to support witness accounts that Good was attempting to flee the scene rather than harm anyone. Across Minneapolis, it felt like many knew someone connected somehow to the tragedy. At Modern Times, a neighborhood eatery, the owner, Dylan Alverson, said he didnt know Good personally but he was sure she ate there. Julie Young, a retired nurse practitioner, stood outside the Whipple federal building with a sign that read, We Protect Our Neighbors and Their Children." She said a lot of sadness hung over the city but also determination. Weve been through some really hard things as a community. We are amazingly resilient and welcoming, and I have great faith that we can affect the change that we know has to happen here." At times, the citys varying crises intersected. When Gov. Tim Walz condemned the federal governments decision to exclude state officials from the probe, Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), the House Republicans whip, invoked the sprawling fraud scandal involving Somali immigrants on Walzs watch and wrote on X, Please stay out of this, Timmy!" View Full Image People at the memorial site for Good. Just after the shooting, Emmer and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D., Minn.) got into a shouting match on the House floor. Walz has urged calm to avoid incidents that he said could trigger further federal crackdowns. Do not take the bait," Walz said. Do not allow them to deploy federal troops into here. Do not allow them to invoke the Insurrection Act. Do not allow them to declare martial law." Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R., Minn.) blamed Minnesota leadership for the surge of some 2,000 ICE personnel into the city and surrounding areas to conduct immigration arrests. Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey are more upset with ICE than the illegal criminals theyve allowed to flood our streets," she said on X. Tensions ran high. Minneapolis schools closed through the weeks end, with all extracurricular activities postponed for safety. View Full Image Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino amid protests in Minneapolis on Thursday. Someone had spray-painted Viva Renee" at a bus stop in honor of Good. At the Whipple Federal Building, local ICE headquarters. where dozens of protesters gathered, more than 100 heavily armed federal officers stretched along about 500 feet of the buildings parking lot. Some demonstrators shouted through bullhorns while others confronted officers, telling them to go home. Greg Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who has led militarized immigration operations in Los Angeles and Chicago, walked the line of officers, drawing shouts from protesters like Lauren Johnson, a 40-year-old designer from a Twin City suburb. View Full Image Lauren Johnson holds up a sign outside of the Whipple Building during a demonstration on Thursday. Were losing everything, and I feel really hopeless," said Johnson, who fought back tears. She held up a sign that read simply Renee" in black marker. Later, reports emerged of counterprotesters arriving, sparking clashes. Federal authorities deployed tear gas and made some arrests. Write to Joe Barrett at Joseph.Barrett@wsj.com Despite what Alex Karp, the boss of Palantir, says, investors are hardly batshit crazy" to bet against his company. The seller of whizzy analytics tools has a market value of nearly $450bn, equivalent to 137 times its sales over the past 12 months and 624 times its net profit. Nvidia, the most valuable company in the world and a fellow beneficiary of the artificial-intelligence (AI) boom, is worth a comparatively meagre 28 times its sales and 54 times its net profit. Palantir, whose customers range from Americas Central Intelligence Agency to Wendys, a fast-food-chain, bears many of the hallmarks of an overinflated meme stock. It is beloved of retail investors, some of whom wear Palantir to the moon" T-shirts. The company, which loudly celebrates Americas military might, is also gleefully polarising. This week Mr Karp, who previously sat on the board of The Economists parent company, berated the chattering class" for failing to grasp Palantirs potential. In a letter accompanying its latest quarterly results, published on November 3rd, he wrote that Palantirs doubters were in a kind of deranged and self-destructive befuddlement". And yet the ranks of the befuddled seem to be swelling. The day after Palantir unveiled results its shares plunged by 8% as it was revealed that Michael Burry, an investor famed for his bet against subprime mortgages during the global financial crisis of 2007-09, had taken out a big position against the company. If the hype surrounding AI fades, Palantirs stock will have a lot further to fall. Even if that happens, however, Palantirs business will survive. It is going from strength to strength. Revenue in the quarter from July to September was up by 63% year on year. Operating profit was up by 248% (see chart). Morgan Stanley, an investment bank, commented after the results that it was hard to find a better fundamental story in software". Palantirs growth partly reflects the surging popularity of AIP, its suite of AI software. It has helped the firm land a flurry of big contracts: Palantir closed 53 deals worth more than $10m in its most recent quarter, up from just 16 a year before. Even if customers enthusiasm for AI tools were to cool, many may find it difficult to disentangle their operations from Palantirs software. Moreover, after years of losses, Palantirs unique business model has now reached a profitable scale that should create a momentum of its own. Founded in 2003, the company did not generate its first annual profit until 2023, at which point its model of helping its clients implement its software by embedding so-called forward-deployed engineers" (FDEs) in their organisations began to pay off. Palantir is not your typical software-as-a-service company, but its operating marginat 33% in the most recent quarteris just as juicy. Business is booming, but headcount isnt. As they customise Palantirs products, FDEs use that knowledge to make the software more useful, meaning the work they do for one client is valuable for others. The trickier the challenge, the bigger the reward for Palantir. The companys model has proved so successful that it has spawned imitators across Silicon Valley. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, a rival, are among the many tech firms that have lately been hiring FDEs. Palantirians, however, tend to dismiss these imitators as copying the form but not the function of the role, arguing that they will inevitably be lured into creating out-of-the-box software that is easy to replicate across customers. Another wind at Palantirs back is the growth in government spending on defence and security. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the company has won numerous government contracts in America, including for defence and immigration enforcement. Palantirs work for governments accounts for more than half its revenue. Although most of that is in America, the company is also expanding its business with other governments, such as Britains. The secrecy that surrounds Palantirs government work adds to the difficulty of valuing the company. Its executives make matters worse by using obscure terms like ontology" to explain what the firm does. But behind the self-aggrandising mystique is a business built to last. Correction (November 6th): An earlier version of this article understated the growth in Palantirs operating profit. To stay on top of the biggest stories in business and technology, sign up to the Bottom Line, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter. NEW DELHI : With antimicrobial resistance now a major public health and economic threat, Indias top drug regulator is rolling out an overhaul on the development, sale and strict monitoring of antibiotics. The proposed framework, based on a much-awaited report by a top panel of experts, has called for the development of new antibiotics, expediting regulatory approvals, strict prohibition of over-the-counter (OTC) sales, stamping prescriptions to check re-use and developing state-specific software models to track antimicrobial sales in real-time to check antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint . A high-level sub-committee of the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) has submitted its report to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), outlining over a dozen urgent recommendations for the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR). In Indias robust $50 billion pharmaceutical industry, as the demand for medicines grows, so does the risk that they would be misused, further fueling the cycle of resistance. The national action plan on AMR was unveiled in 2017, with its Phase 2.0 (2025-29) launched by the government last year. The panel's findings, discussed at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on 17 November last year, reflect Indias strategy shift of active intervention at every step of a medicine's journey: from the research lab to the local pharmacy. Also Read | FSSAI launches nationwide egg safety drive over antibiotic concerns According to the minutes of the 67th Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) meeting of 17 November, the sub-committee report on the national action plan was reviewed. DCC noted the recommendations of the sub-committee and recommended that the CDSCO may share the report with all the states for appropriate action," it said. With essential antibiotics failing, AMR has now become a public health crisis for India, with 267,000 deaths directly attributed to it each year, according to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Beyond loss of life, its economic impact is staggering. A World Bank report of 2017 warned that if AMR was not checked, it could cost the world trillions of dollars in healthcare expenses and lost productivity. In India alone, the failure to control superbugs could lead to an extra $21 billion in economic losses by the middle of the century, said a 2024 study by the Center for Global Development (CGD). The report's recommendations include computerized billing and mandatory CCTV monitoring at wholesale and retail outlets and annual review of antimicrobial categorization for restricted marketing in Indias growing $2.9 billion antibiotics market. Also Read | India moves to curb antibiotic use in animals to check drug resistance Environmental protection is another major part of the plan, given that people throw away old antibiotics in the trash or pour them down the drain; with traces of these wastes in the environment contributing to the development of drug-resistant pathogens. Seized of the issue, the DCC report has also recommended an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy for the safe disposal of expired or unused antibiotics, alongside stricter inspections of manufacturing units to ensure compliance with bio-medical waste management rules. A specialized sub-committee was set up in early 2023, chaired by Gujarats Commissioner of the Food and Drugs Control Administration. These experts were tasked with exploring ways to halt the rapid decline of antibiotics' effectiveness in India. After a study on how drugs are sold, used, and misused, the panel delivered a roadmap to the country's top drug controllers. The battle against these superbugs is no longer a distant threat but a present-day health emergency," said a senior official privy to the development. The panel pressed on the urgent need to strengthen India's ecosystem for the development of new antibiotics and proposed an innovation ecosystem that develops targeted antimicrobial profiles specifically for the Indian context. This includes making regulatory and procedural changes to facilitate the research and development (R&D) of relevant "watch and reserve" antimicrobials, those intended to treat critical-priority pathogens. "There is an urgent need to give special emphasis to strengthen ecosystem for R&D for development of new antibiotics. Effective coordination and exchange of information among the institutions, universities and industries, are the need of the hour to accelerate the development of new antibiotics. Streamlining the regulatory landscape plays an important role in the ecosystem," the report said. It also called for separate guidelines for the approval of clinical trials and approvals for manufacture and import of various categories of antimicrobial new drugs in the form of API and finished formulation. "Creating an innovation ecosystem for antimicrobial R&D involves developing targeted antimicrobial profiles for the Indian context and making procedural changes to facilitate R&D of relevant watch and Reserve antimicrobials to treat critical-priority pathogens in India," the report said, also calling for expediting regulatory approvals to ensure uninterrupted supply of quality antimicrobials. Seeking structured applications with comprehensive and rational contents", it said these would help the CDSCO review and take necessary actions in a better way" and would also ease the preparation of fully electronic submissions. The DCC report also recommended mandatory display of legal warnings at all drug shops, stating that Schedule H and H1 drugs cannot be sold without a valid prescription. Schedule H and H1 drugs are prescription-only medications: Schedule H includes over 500 common drugs that require a prescription, while Schedule H1 includes 3rd and 4th generation antibiotics and anti-tuberculosis drugs that require the chemist to maintain a separate register with patient and doctor details for three years. Also, maintaining dedicated registers for the sale of Schedule H and H1 drugs; and an annual review of antimicrobial categorization to include high-end and newly researched molecules in Schedule X or H1, ensuring they remain under strict restricted marketing. Schedule X are narcotic and psychotropic substances that require a duplicate prescription and meticulous documentation, including keeping the prescription copy for two years. To minimize the impact of substandard or spurious antimicrobials, which contribute significantly to resistance, the panel proposed appointing nodal officers in each state for enforcement. The report also focusses on misuse of antibiotics in animals, which accounts for a significant portion of global antimicrobial use, and has recommended restricting them in animal feed and phasing out their use as growth promoters and for disease prevention. It has proposed registration of all farms, factories, slaughter-houses, wet markets, aquaculture units, food processing units, feed manufacturers, healthcare facilities and vet facilities. Queries on the matter emailed to the spokespersons of Indias health ministry and the CDSCO on Tuesday remained unanswered until press time. The issue is not just about manufacturers and sellers of antibiotics. The AMR problem has to be looked at holistically... From the patient perspective, there is a lot of pressure," said the second official. Patients often bypass doctors to skip high fees for consultation and diagnostics. The official added that regulation alone is insufficient, and this will not work until medical advice is made easily available, meaning it is not expensive and is within the reach of the patient". Health sectors experts say battling AMR is an uphill task. Dr Suranjeet Chatterjee, a senior consultant at Apollo Hospital in Delhi, said the situation is worsening due to lack of strict regulation. "We see people buying antibiotics without any prescription, often just because they heard from someone else that a specific drug worked for their illness. Patients often stop their medication after two days when they feel better, which directly creates resistance. By the time patients reach a hospital, the bugs have already become resistant to advanced drugs. We are reaching a point where there is almost nothing left in the arsenal," he said. The pharmaceutical industry seems to be on board with the proposed regulations on antibiotics. Sheetal Arora, chief executive officer of Mankind Pharma, said antibiotics are not routine medicines and should be used judiciously. "Their misuse through self-medication or incomplete courses accelerates antimicrobial resistance and reduces treatment options for future generations. Companies must align their products with national guidelines and work with doctors to promote responsible use. Tackling antimicrobial resistance requires collective action across industry, doctors, policymakers, and patients," Arora said. A November 2024 report from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that in hospital intensive care units, some of the most trusted medicines are failing; with common bacteria that cause pneumonia and urinary tract infections now frequently resistant to drugs such as imipenem and meropenem, which were once considered highly reliable. Doctors are being pushed into a corner, forced to use older, more toxic "last-resort" options because the standard treatments simply do not work anymore. Even common illnesses, including typhoid, are becoming nearly impossible to treat with standard tablets because the resistance levels have climbed above 95%. This crisis has caught the attention of the highest levels of government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent Mann Ki Baat broadcast had warned citizens about the dangers of self-medication and the misuse of these life-saving pills. AMR threatens to undo decades of progress by making common infections, routine surgeries, and cancers harder to treat, said Payden, the World Health Organization acting representative to India said. The challenge is balancing access to life-saving antibiotics with curbing their misuse across human health, agriculture and the environment." The drivers of AMR are well-known: widespread misuse and overuse of antibiotics in human health, livestock and agriculture; weak infection prevention and control; limited access to diagnostics and vaccines; and poor management of wastewater, including from pharmaceutical industries," said Payden. Addressing AMR requires balancing access and excess, ensuring life-saving antibiotics are available to those who need them, while curbing inappropriate use driven by OTC sales, growth promotion, misinformation and economics. State-level implementation, public participation, and a strong One Health approach that links human, animal and environmental health are essential, Payden added. News / National by Staff reporter The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has accused the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development of failing to properly organise the transport sector, warning that the lapse has contributed to a sharp rise in road traffic accidents, which doubled last year.In a statement, the rights body said a disorganised transport system, coupled with deteriorating road infrastructure, has created a dangerous environment for motorists, passengers and pedestrians alike."The ZHRC notes that a disorganised transport sector overwhelms law enforcement capabilities. Coupled with deteriorating road infrastructure, potholes, missing signage and non-functional traffic lights, the environment becomes predictably hazardous, especially during high-volume periods like the festive season," the commission said.According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), road traffic accidents during the 2025 festive season surged dramatically. Statistics released for the period between December 15 and 26, 2025, show that accidents doubled from 1 211 in 2024 to 2 412 in 2025.The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has attributed 94 percent of road accidents to human error, while cellphone use by drivers and pedestrians is said to contribute to about 10 percent of road deaths.ZHRC said the absence of a reliable mass public transport system has forced commuters to rely heavily on pirate kombis, commonly known as mishikashika, placing pressure on informal operators."The lack of a mass public transport system results in pressure on private transport operators who step in to save the public from the shortage of transport," the statement read."Drivers in the informal transport sector often face extreme economic pressure to complete more trips, leading to dangerous practices such as overloading, speeding, overtaking on blind curves, driving while fatigued and ignoring traffic laws."The commission noted that the rising death toll disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including the poor, the elderly, women and children."Through its human rights monitoring and assessment functions, ZHRC notes that lack of reliable, affordable formal public transport led to the proliferation of poorly maintained vehicles, including unroadworthy buses, kombis and private cars operating as informal taxis," it said."Crowding turns these vehicles into mass death traps, significantly increasing fatality rates when accidents occur, as evidenced by the high passenger death toll, not to mention the indignity the commuting public suffers from being packed into those vehicles."To stem the carnage, the commission urged Government to institute urgent reforms, including an immediate public inquiry into the causes of road accidents."The ZHRC recommends that the Government of Zimbabwe conducts an immediate inquiry into the causes of the road carnage, with findings made public," the statement said.It further called on authorities to invest in a formalised, regulated and safe public transport system, supported by proper terminals, trained and fairly compensated drivers, and functional emergency medical services, as guaranteed by the Constitution.ZHRC also urged Government to prioritise infrastructure development, including pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes and road repairs, and to develop a well-funded National Road Safety Strategy that recognises safe mobility as a fundamental human right.According to the World Health Organisation, Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of fatal traffic accidents in Africa, recording an estimated 30 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. MUMBAI: Banks, non-bank financiers, and other entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should work together to counter the growing threat of digital fraud, governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Friday, calling collaboration critical to protecting customers and maintaining trust in the financial system. While individual institutions must strengthen their own tools, techniques and processes, Malhotra said collective efforts are essential to build shared analytics and systems that can detect mule accounts and suspicious transactions early and pre-emptively. Also Read | The new AI-driven scams you must prepare for According to the RBIs annual report, the value of digital payment frauds at banks fell to 520 crore in FY25, involving 13,516 transactions, compared with 1,457 crore and 29,082 transactions in FY24. Mule accounts, so called because they act as conduits for funds that do not belong to the account holder, typically remain dormant but can suddenly show a spike in low-value, high-volume transactions. The regulator has taken steps to help banks identify such accounts. Malhotra had said in November that the Mule Hunter tool launched to check digital fraud was showing a strong success rate. MuleHunter.ai, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled system developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub to flag mule accounts, is detecting about 20,000 such accounts every month, news agency PTI reported on 20 November. For all of us, protecting customers interest is not just a priority it has to become the cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient financial system, said Malhotra. Also Read | Will 2026 be a turning point for AI in India? He cautioned that while digital channels have improved inclusion and convenience, the absence of adequate guardrails can also enable opaque pricing, weak disclosures and inappropriate recovery practices. Our aim should be to ensure that digitalization and innovations are aligned with fair outcomes for consumers, he said, adding that protecting customers from rising digital frauds has engaged national attention. Malhotra also said the RBI intends to make supervision more off-site than on-site, increasingly near real-time rather than periodic. Increasingly, this will also mean using SupTech (supervisory technology) and AI-enabled tools more deeply, while retaining judgment and accountability, firmly with supervisors. He added that similar tools could be used by the RBIs department of regulation to support evidence-based rule-making. Also Read | Inside Indias war on online bank scams On enforcement actions against banks and other regulated entities, Malhotra said the regulators approach is generally not punitive. The intent, he said, is to course-correctboth by signalling concerns to the entities involved and by making others aware of acceptable standards of conduct and regulatory expectations. Americas enchantment with Venezuelan oil is a century-long tale of fortunes made and lost, starting with a 1922 letter to President Warren Hardings secretary of state and culminating with President Trumps move to wrest control of the countrys oil wealth. U.S. diplomat Willis C. Cook reported from Caracas in December 1922 on an oil find that would change the trajectory of the Americas. One week after drillers struck a gusher 1,500 feet below ground in the northwest part of the country, he said the flow of crude through the well remained so prolific that it has not yet been brought under control." A follow-up message from the consul included photos of oil spurting into the sky. The blowout marked Venezuelas unofficial entrance as a big player in the global energy market, its vast reserves a major prize for governments and companies hungry for oil. By virtue of proximity, capital and more, Americans eventually overtook competitors from the U.K. and elsewhere for influence in the region. View Full Image The Barroso II well blowout in 1922 helped spur Washington's push for Venezuelan oil. Oil has since been central to the countries topsy-turvy relationship leading up to Trumps surprise incursion that unseated President Nicolas Maduro. The White House initially sold its pressure campaign on Caracas as a bid to slow narcotrafficking. Now, it appears to be all about oil. Officials have promised to revitalize the countrys once-vaunted industry through U.S. know-how, sell Venezuelan crude indefinitely" and share some of the spoils with domestic companies. The long path here has veered between periods of openness, which helped U.S. companies profit and the Venezuelan economy grow, to those of resource nationalism and international disinvestment. Veterans from both countries industries believe that checkered history speaks to some of the challenges ahead for Trumps plan. The oil companies are used to danger," said Luis Pacheco, a nonresident fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies. But theyre not fools, because of what they have learned in Venezuela" and elsewhere. Similar to today, a rush to secure more oil by Washington helped spark an early wave of U.S. investment in the country. Breakneck growth in the 1920s yielded huge sums for the Venezuelan authoritarian regime, then led by General Juan Vicente Gomez, and American oil men like William F. Buckley Sr., father of the famed conservative thinker. A push by the countrys political left to reap more benefits from the industry around World War II led to a legal framework in which oil companies and the government would effectively split profits down the middle. View Full Image The shoreline of Lake Maracaibo in 1944. View Full Image Workers accessing the top of an Esso oil storage tank at Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, in 1944. It was a landmark event in the history of the oil industry," energy historian Daniel Yergin wrote in his book The Prize." The change lent momentum to a burgeoning global movement for oil-rich countries to control their mineral wealthand pressured a U.S. government that increasingly saw energy as a strategic asset following two globe-spanning conflicts. As part of another wave of nationalism in the 1960s, Venezuela became a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries alongside Saudi Arabia and others in bid to control oil concessions and prices. Caracass 1976 nationalization of its oil industry, affecting Exxon, Gulf Oil and other U.S. and European companies, effectively ended a half-century of foreign supremacy of the sector. Those and similar moves in the Middle East and elsewhere rocked global markets, shocking an American economy that was increasingly short on energy. Even so, the nationalization of Venezuelan oil went smoother than the nationalizations of the other companies in part because the talent in Venezuela was so good," said Philip Verleger, an energy economist who served in the Carter administration. Petroleos de Venezuela, known as PdVSA, was clearly the best state-oil company of all the state oil companies." View Full Image Workers on an oil-production platform on Lake Maracaibo in 1998. The company gradually tightened its trading relationship with the U.S. in part by investing in refining assets stateside, including the purchase of Citgo. Verleger, who consulted for Citgo in the 1980s, said PdVSA pushed to build out coking capacity and new types of contracts that helped turn Venezuelas cheap, heavy crude into profitable products such as gasoline and diesel. If companies dont bolster similar tools today, Verleger added, were going to go back to a situation we saw in the early 80s where [Venezuelan] heavy crude sells at a huge discount to other crudes." A period of liberalization in the 1990s opened the door for American companies to expand their Venezuela operations. Exports to the U.S. peaked at 1.6 million barrels a day in 1997, according to federal figures. That brotherly love relationship did not reflect itself on the political side," said Rice Universitys Pacheco. The politiciansparticularly on the left of the countryregarded that [1976] nationalization as an incomplete nationalization." View Full Image Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, examines a model of a proposed oil refinery in 2007. After a 17-year career at PdVSA that spanned various senior roles, Pacheco was dismissed as part of mass firings by the strongman President Hugo Chavez in the early 2000s. He said he ultimately learned of his departure in a newspaper article. Although booming oil prices temporarily masked the impact of a weakened PdVSA, Caracas demanded more from foreign companies, pushing them to join joint ventures in which the state had 60% stakes. Bill Brownfield arrived as U.S. ambassador in 2004, just before the ramp-up in pressure pushed Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips to abandon assets they say were worth tens of billions of dollars in total. Of major American producers, Chevron alone stayed. View Full Image ... By my second year, the U.S. government had reached the conclusion that having a workable relationship with Mr. Chavez was not worth the effort," he said. Caracas increasingly looked toward China and Russia for support. Growing U.S. output, coupled with a surge in imports from Canada and elsewhere, eventually dimmed Venezuelas role as a supplier to refiners speckling the Gulf Coast. As for the prospects of enticing producers to ramp up output to where it was a quarter-century ago, Brownfield said, I just dont see it, unless the U.S. basically bankrolls them." Venezuelan infrastructure and technical expertise have also withered since the mid-2000s. I took the opportunity to retire," said Rafael Sandrea, who for decades had run a Caracas-based firm that helped producers analyze reams of data from the oil patch. PdVSA eventually bought the company. Trump further pressured the Venezuelan economy through strict oil sanctions and, more recently, a blockade of many exports. OPEC figures suggest the country has recently been pumping just over 900,000 barrels a day. View Full Image People on Saturday watched smoke rising from Venezuelas Port of La Guaira after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard. Although Trump is now promising huge injections of capital to revitalize the industry after Maduros ouster, Sandrea and others warn the bigger hurdle may be a Venezuelan political establishment that has discouraged outside involvement for a generation. If youre an investor, [giving] 60% to the guy who doesnt do anything isnt a very exciting thing," said Sandrea, who now runs a U.S. consulting firm that analyzes seismic data with AI. That type of investment is not investment." Write to David Uberti at david.uberti@wsj.com New Delhi: Indias plan to connect its interior areas by air has run into heavy weather, with expensive infrastructure and commercial viability playing spoilsport while hundreds of crores are being spent to maintain airports where no planes are landing. The total expense of the government is nearly 900 crore on 15 regional airports that are currently non-operational. These airports, which were built under the Union governments UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) connectivity scheme, continue to incur expenses while their flights remain suspended. The total expenses over eight years from 2017, as per documents submitted by the civil aviation ministry to Parliament, highlight the fraught nature of expansion in the aviation sector. While the civil aviation ministry has disbursed over 4,300 crore in subsidies to help keep regional routes running, the troubles at these hinterland airports have brought to the fore the huge gap between aspirations and reality on the ground. Subsidy-based schemes like UDAN generally do not work in aviation," said Mark D. Martin, founder and chief executive at Martin Consulting, an aviation consultancy firm, adding, commercial viability comes when there is demand. Once the three-year subsidy or VGF (viability gap funding) period ends, many of the flight operations turn unviable, or people may not be willing to pay for high-priced tickets." Queries emailed to the civil aviation ministry have yet to receive a response. A case in point is Uttar Pradesh, which has five of the seven airports inaugurated in 2024 that have gone silent. The remaining two are in Madhya Pradesh. From Shimla to Sikkims Pakyong, these facilities across the country face problems as varied as technical hurdles, pilot shortages, and the exit of small-budget airlines. Key Takeaways India is spending 878.92 crore to maintain 15 airports that currently have no scheduled flights. Seven of these non-operational hubs were inaugurated only in 2024. Uttar Pradesh is the hardest hit, housing six of the 15 temporarily non-operational airports. The government has invested 4,638 crore in UDAN. Industry experts warn that regional routes often collapse the moment the three-year government subsidy expires. Tough times The 15 airports that are temporarily non-operational include the six in Uttar PradeshAligarh, Azamgarh, Ambikapur, Moradabad, Shravasti and Kushinagartwo each in Madhya Pradesh and PunjabDatia, Chitrakoot, Ludhiana and Pathankotand one each in Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Sikkim and KarnatakaRourkela, Shimla, Bhavnagar, Pakyong, and Kalaburagi. All these airports fall under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) or UDAN. The scheme was launched in October 2016. The first flight under the scheme took place in April 2017. The Union government has invested 4,638 crore in airport development under RCS apart from the VGF subsidy. Under UDAN, there are 93 airports in smaller towns and cities, of which 78 are operational. It helps connect hundreds of thousands of people who fly from smaller towns. Shimla, the airport where the first UDAN flight took off in April 2017, is an example of the struggle. Despite suspended operations, the ministry continues to incur an expense of 116.70 crore for its maintenance, as per December 2025 disclosures by minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol. The Pakyong airport in Sikkim, built at a cost of 605 crore, has seen maintenance expenditure of 178.75 crore. At the other end of the spectrum, Pathankot remains the least expensive non-operational site, costing 5.18 crore in upkeep. Seasonal trouble? For the ongoing winter schedule (beginning October 2025 and ending in March 2026), the civil aviation ministry had said that there were 126 operational airports in India, with Amravati, Hissar, Purnea and Rupsi being the new airports where operations were proposed by various scheduled airlines. The ministry stated that operations were suspended at seven of the 15 non-functional airports during this period. Also Read | Why investors are flocking to airport stocks like GMR Airports At present, fifteen airportsare temporarily non-operational under the UDAN Scheme due to various reasons, including completion of the three-year VGF tenure, poor visibility conditions at VFR (Visual Flight Rules) airports, daytime runway closures, shortage of aircraft, leasing issues, temporary discontinuation of operations by the airline concerned, novation of contractual obligations to other operators, and low passenger load factors (PLF), etc.," minister Mohol told the Rajya Sabha on 1 December 2025. Even new entrants have hit a wall. Operations at the Moradabad airport were suspended in November 2024 by the then operator, FlyBig. The airline discontinued its flight operation due to poor visibility in North India and the non-availability of requisite equipment at the Moradabad airport, Parliament was informed last year. The government has still incurred a cost of 30.41 crore for its upkeep and maintenance. Subsequently, FlyBig shut down in October 2025, with Moradabad airport now having no flight operations. Aviation consultant Martin points to the failure of airlines like FlyBig and TruJet, which were heavily reliant on UDAN to have commercially viable operations. Martin said that geography and proximity to major hubs dictate success. An airport like Hindon became viable as it is located near Delhi and in a way acts as a satellite airport too. It also has some demand coming in from nearby areas like Noida. But that may not be the case for all airports," he explained. Some industry players hold out hope. You need viable airline operators with clear business plans to come in and operate under the regional connectivity scheme," said Manoj Chacko, founder and managing director of FLY91, a regional airline that started operations in 2024. Some of the airports have infrastructure, but there are not enough airlines to operate." Also Read | Mint Explainer: UDAN needs right wings for maximum flight If the right business case is made, there will indeed be commercial viability across some airports that connect smaller towns to larger cities, he said. For instance, the Shimla-Delhi route did have regular flights at one point. So there could still be demand in that segment if the right business case is made." Chacko said places like Maharashtras Jalgaon and Sindhudurg have become popular under the regional connectivity scheme. FLY91s hubs include Goa and Hyderabad, from where it operates its fleet of three ATRs. Indias online skilling firms banked on co-branded courses for years, leveraging the credibility of legacy institutions. As the nations young population swells and stricter visa norms shut the gates overseas, some of them are chasing full university status. Masters Union and Scaler, among higher education platforms that promise to impart industry-ready skills outside the traditional degree system, are evaluating the acquisition of university licences in India, their founders said. PhysicsWallah also plans to build an innovation-focused university in Andhra Pradesh. Approximately half of India's population of 1.4 billion is under the age of 25, according to the governments estimates. Grand View Research estimates Indias higher education markets revenue to nearly triple from $19.4 billion in 2023 to $54.4 billion by 2030, growing at an annualized rate of 15.8%. India today has the largest population in its history that is eligible for higher education, with policymakers pushing to significantly increase the gross enrolment ratio over the next decade, according to Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and national leader for the education and skill development practice at KPMG. There have never been so many people wanting to enter higher education in a single geography," he said, calling the next 2530 years a rare demand window for institutions willing to commit long term. Key Takeaways Edtech leaders like Masters Union, Scaler, and PhysicsWallah are moving away from simply partnering with legacy institutions. They are now actively seeking independent university licenses to grant their own degrees, gain access to national rankings (NIRF), and build long-term institutional credibility. India is currently home to the worlds largest population eligible for higher education, with 50% of its 1.4 billion people under the age of 25. Experts describe the next 2530 years as a rare "demand window" for education providers as the government aims to push the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from 28.4% to 50% by 2035. Stricter visa norms and shrinking post-study work opportunities in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are forcing aspirational Indian students to stay home. Securing a university license remains a "heavy lift" involving significant physical infrastructure. Indias higher education market is also entering a rare moment of churn. For years, aspirational Indian students looked overseas. That option is narrowing. Tighter visa norms and shrinking post-study work opportunities across the US, the UK, Canada and Australia are redirecting demand back home. Campus calls Online skilling surged during the 202021 edtech boom, only to fizzle as students returned to the classroom after the pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2022. Several started offering co-branded degrees and campus partnerships, with Physics Wallah, Simplilearn, and upGrad tying up with Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, and private universities, Mint reported. While these partnerships allowed them to grow without directly awarding degrees themselves, founders say independent skilling models often limit growth, especially in undergraduate programmes, where degree recognition matters the most. Masters Union, which also has offline campuses in Gurugram, recently applied for licensing for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with the state education departments and the University Grants Commission (UGC), founder Pratham Mittal told Mint. We always wanted to build a university status. Governments do not look favourably in many situations until and unless you are a licensed player." Licensing will help Masters Union become part of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and allow it to participate in youth festivals, he said. The government policy and licensing frameworks form the backbone of higher education reform in India, shaping access to rankings, funding, research collaboration and curriculum standardsareas largely inaccessible to non-licensed players, said a recent PwCAssocham report. Physics Wallah also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to build the University of Innovation (UoI). UpGrad was the first edtech company to establish a university in 2021, following approval under a Maharashtra state law and recognition from the UGC. In 2025, it received accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Scaler, too, is engaging with regulators and exploring formal accreditation routes, rather than relying on legacy university tie-ups. The partnership model works up to a point, but it also comes with limitations," said Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of Scaler. Traditional universities often lack the governance structures and operational clarity that a venture-backed education company requires" The Scaler School of Technology, established in early 2023, received nearly 30,000 paid applications and over 2,00,000 registrations this year (2025) for its technology programmes, according to Saxena. The company plans to acquire a large campus for expansion and is evaluating a nearly 20-acre site. Entry barriers Under most state regulations, private universities are required to either own or hold long-term leases for 10 to 30 acres of land. These requirements deter smaller players. An independent university licence is a strategic option, but the immediate focus is on partnerships" said Prateek Shukla, co-founder and CEO of Masai, which is focusing on building partnerships with top institutions in the country. Ankit Agarwal, co-founder of Elevation Capital-backed Mesa School, said the limited need for formal degrees in the postgraduate segment has kept the company out of the university licensing race. A number of private universities were formed back in the day to fulfil the employment requirements of IT services companies," he said. Now, with the startup industry creating just as many opportunities, there is a need for new-age institutions to be formed." Not a free pass The governments stance has shifted. According to senior education experts, the UGC is actively opening the door to more private participation as it pulls back from setting up new public universities. Policies under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aimed to overhaul higher education by phasing out the affiliating college model, granting universities greater autonomy, allowing flexible entry and exit through credit banks, and promoting multidisciplinary learning, research, and global partnerships. It also set an overarching goal of increasing the gross enrolment ratio (GER) to 50% by 2035, which as of 2021-22 stood at 28.4%. But this is not a free pass. Regulatory filters, from land requirements to accreditation and screening committees, have become sharper, reflecting a desire to let in capital and capacity without losing control of quality, said Ramaswamy of KPMG. They want more players, but not everyone." While universities remain not-for-profit entities on paper, investors are increasingly backing the businesses around them, including operating platforms, marketing arms and service entities that effectively control campus economics. A lot of money is being spent on higher education, even if it doesnt always show up as a straight acquisition." The story updated Scaler co-founder's name as Abhimanyu Saxena; it earlier went as Abhimanyu Sharma. Also, Scaler School of Technology was founded in 2023, not 2024. Bharat Coking Coal IPO Day 1: The initial public offering (IPO) of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. has hit the Indian Primary market today and will remain open until January 13, 2026. The subsidiary company of the Indian PSU Coal India Ltd has declared the Bharat Coking Coal IPO price band at 21 to 23 per equity share. The energy PSU aims to raise 1,071 crore through the Offer for Sale (OFS) route. The OFS issue is proposed for listing on the BSE and the NSE. Bharat Coking Coal IPO GMP Meanwhile, shares of Bharat Coking Coal are available in the grey market. According to the market observers, Bharat Coking Coal shares are available at a premium of 11 apiece, which means Bharat Coking Coal IPO GMP today is 11 and the grey market is expecting that Bharat Coking Coal IPO listing price would be around 34 ( 23 + 11), which signals a 48% listing pop for the potential Bharat Coking Coal IPO allottees. Bharat Coking Coal IPO shareholder quota record date According to the Bharat Coking Coal IPO documents, investors who held Coal India shares as of January 1, 2026, will be eligible to apply under the shareholder quota for Bharat Coking Coal. The Bharat Coking Coal IPO shareholder quota is only available to individual investors and HUF investors. Investors holding even one share of Coal India can apply under the BCCL shareholder quota. Meanwhile, the maximum application amount under the shareholder category is 2 lakh. Bharat Coking Coal IPO subscription status By 3:34 PM on the first day of bidding, the public issue had been booked 7.01 times, the retail portion had been subscribed 8.38 times, whereas the NII segment had been filled 13.61 times. The QIB portion had been subscribed to 0.26 times. Bharat Coking Coal IPO details Here we list out important Bharat Coking Coal IPO details: 1] Bharat Coking Coal IPO GMP today: According to the market observers, Bharat Coking Coal shares are available at a premium of 11 apiece in the grey market today. 2] Bharat Coking Coal IPO date: The public issue of the Coal India Ltd subsidiary company will open on 9th January 2026 and will remain open until 13 January 2026. 3] Bharat Coking Coal IPO price: The subsidiary company of the energy PSU has declared a price band of the public issue at 21 to 23 per equity share. 4] Bharat Coking Coal IPO size: The company aims to raise 1,071 crore through the OFS route. 5] Bharat Coking Coal IPO lot size: A bidder will be able to apply in lots, and one lot of the public issue comprises 600 Bharat Coking Coal shares. 6] Bharat Coking Coal IPO allotment date: The most likely Bharat Coking Coal IPO allotment date is 14 January 2026. 7] Bharat Coking Coal IPO registrar: KFin Technologies has been appointed the official registrar of the book build issue. 8] Bharat Coking Coal IPO lead managers: IDBI Capital Markets Services and ICICI Securities have been appointed lead managers of the public issue. 9] Bharat Coking Coal IPO listing date: The most likely date for share listing is 16 January 2026. Bharat Coking Coal IPO: Good or bad for investors? 10] Bharat Coking Coal IPO review: Advising investors to apply, Rajan Shinde, Research Analyst, Mehta Equities, said, "Considering the FY202526 performance and assuming normalization of earnings going forward, the companys valuation appears reasonable and attractive. Investors should also look at IPO offers, which come with 100% OFS i.e. Rs. 1068.78 Cr issue that is an area of concern for new investors. A lower-priced IPO of Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) would naturally generate strong investor interest as it offers a rare opportunity to own a high-quality, cash-generative PSU coal asset at an attractive valuation, backed by long-term demand from the steel sector. We expect the IPO could see robust subscription from both institutional and retail investors, driven by steady cash flows, high entry barriers, and the scarcity value of coking coal assets in India. Hence, we recommend investors to SUBSCRIBE BCCL FOR HEALTHY LISTING GAINS." Assigning a 'buy' tag to the public issue, Mahesh M Ojha, Vice President Research & Business Development at Kantilal Chhaganlal Securities, said, "With over 80% of revenues coming from steel producers, BCCL is a direct beneficiary of Indias steel capacity expansion, offering long-term demand visibility unlike global peers exposed to volatile export markets. BCCL is valued at 8.510.5x FY25 P/E, representing a significant discount to global coking coal peers (1420x), despite delivering 21% RoNW and 30% ROCE, which provides valuation comfort. Capacity expansion is largely brownfield, leveraging existing infrastructure, which supports strong free cash flow generation and superior capital efficiency. Incremental production comes at relatively low marginal cost, enabling meaningful EBITDA and cash flow upside as mine utilisation improves. Healthy operating cash flows, low leverage, and PSU financial discipline reduce balance sheet risk and enhance dividend sustainability across cycles." Over the last two financial years, the Coal India subsidiary company has reported a consistent increase in its net worth. However, the company's PAT and EBITDA dipped in FY25 after rising in FY24 YoY. Bharat Coking Coal IPO: The initial public offering (IPO) of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) witnessed a solid response from investors on the first day of bidding as it sailed through within minutes of opening today, January 9. At the end Day 1, BCCL IPO was subscribed over 8 times. Investors have the scope till January 13 to apply for the PSU IPO. BCCL also marks the first mainboard public offering of 2026 after a record-breaking primary market activity last year. In 2025, companies raised the highest-ever funds of nearly 1.76 lakh crore through IPOs. BCCL IPO Subscription The demand for BCCL IPO remained strong from all quotas, with the qualified institutional segment (QIB) booked 30%. The non-institutional investor (NII) and retail investor quotas garnered 16.39 times and 9.26 times bids, respectively. The employee portion was subscribed 83% and the shareholder segment 10.86 times, resulting in the overall BCCL IPO subscription status of 8.09 times. Also Read | Bharat Coking Coal IPO raises 273.13 cr from anchor investors Bharat Coking Coal IPO GMP The public offer by Coal India subsidiary is also witnessing a strong grey market premium (GMP). BCCL IPO GMP today is 10.25. This means that BCCL shares are trading 10.25 above the offer price of 23. At the prevailing Bharat Coking Coal IPO GMP, the listing price could be 33.25 a premium of 44.57%. Investors, however, must note that GMP is subject to swift changes and should not be the sole factor driving investment decisions. Bharat Coking Coal IPO Details Bharat Coking Coal is looking to raise 1,071 crore via the IPO, which is priced at 21-23 apiece. According to the red herring prospectus (RHP), BCCL IPO is entirely an offer for sale (OFS) of 46.57 crore equity shares by parent Coal India. This means no proceeds will be received by the company and will go to its parent, Coal India. Also Read | BCCL IPO opens on Friday: Here are 8 key risks you must know Ahead of the issue opening, BCCL had raised over 273 crore from anchor investors. Incorporated in 1972, Bharat Coking Coal is engaged in mining and supplying coking coal, with operations concentrated in the Jharia coalfields of Jharkhand and the Raniganj coalfields of West Bengal. Commenting on the IPO, Anand Rathi said that Bharat Coking Coal, with a strong market share in the industry valued at ~8.64x P/E on FY25 earnings (at the upper band), is valued fairly. "Considering the companys consistent track record & superior financial metrics, the valuation is fully priced in. Hence, we recommend subscribing to the IPO for listing gains," it added. On the other hand, Swastika Investmart finds BCCL IPO PO suitable for long-term dividend seekers as well as investors looking for listing gains amid strong fundamentals, attractive valuations and industry position. Shares of Bharat Coking Coal are slated to list on BSE and NSE on January 16. Amid lingering tariff-led pressures from the US, Indian exporters are being pushed to scout for new markets and deepen exposure to non-US geographies. That shift is already underway. During April-August 2025, Indian exporters front-loaded shipments to the US at a faster pace to take advantage of a temporary cost edge, ahead of new tariff rates announced by Washington on 2 Aprilmarked as Liberation Day." In the subsequent September-November period, after the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian exports, exporters began re-routing shipments and diversifying towards other global markets. Also Read | Centre rolls out market access support intervention to boost exports Exports to the US showed slight moderation. However, exports to the Rest of the World have picked up to $89.9 billion during September-November 2025 compared to $86.2 billion during the same period of previous year. Thus, the beginning of the substitution effect has already started taking shape," said BoB Capital Market report dated 2 January. Export diversification, however, is typically a slow and long-drawn process that requires sustained policy support from governments. Data for April-November (8MFY26) reflect this uneven transition. Exports to the US rose about 11% year-on-year to $59 billion, while exports to the rest of the world were up around 1% to $233 billion, after having been 2% lower until August, according to Emkay Global Financial Services. Also Read | Springboard 2026 | How India balanced tariffs and trade deals in a defining year The recent improvement has been driven by sharp growth in exports to Spain, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Brazil, among others. This suggests that while Indian exporters may have identified new destinations, some trans-shipments are also taking place, Emkay added. Trans-shipment refers to the movement of goods from one transport vehicle to another at an intermediate location to reach the final destination, often because direct routes are unavailable. Meanwhile, there is little clarity on whetheror whena formal trade deal between India and the US could materialize. On the contrary, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a recent social media post that President Donald Trump has approved a Russia sanctions bill proposing 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, including India, China, and Brazil. As Indias services trade is much more concentrated in the US, the worrying aspect is that a 500% tariff could be applicable on both goods and services," cautioned Gaura Sen Gupta, economist at IDFC First Bank. Another recent development adding to trade uncertainty is Mexicos decision to impose tariffs ranging from 5% to 50% on imports from non-preferential trade partners, including India and China. While Indias exports to Mexico account for just 1.3% of total shipments, limiting the immediate impact, the move sets an uncomfortable precedent. However, the move by Mexico represents a risk that other countries might follow the US playbook to shape trading relationships," Sen Gupta said. India signed trade deals with the UK and Oman in 2025, and the IndiaEuropean Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement has also come into force. But with protectionism rising across the global trade landscape, a key question remains: is the ongoing shift in Indias export geography structural or merely tactical? The answer may not emerge quickly. Indias trade data has been volatile in recent months, complicating assessments. The more immediate concern is macroeconomic: increased downside risk to the current account deficit, which directly affects the rupee, could begin to bite. MUMBAI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Friday proposed a sweeping clean-up of stock exchange regulations, aiming to eliminate redundancies, retire outdated provisions and improve ease of doing business for exchanges and market participants. As part of the overhaul, the market regulator has suggested raising the minimum net-worth requirement for stockbrokers offering the margin trading facility (MTF) to 5 crore or higher from the current 3 crore. The existing threshold, introduced in 2004 as a safeguard to ensure only institutional participants offered margin trading, has not been reviewed since 2022, Sebi said. Under the proposal, exchanges would also be allowed to revise net-worth requirements from time to time without seeking prior approval from the regulator. Also Read | Indias merchant bankers brace for a Sebi squeeze MTF allows investors to purchase securities by paying only a portion of the total value upfront, with the broker funding the balance, subject to prescribed margins and regulatory norms. Sebi has also proposed revising timelines for the submission of net-worth certificates by brokers offering MTF. For the half-year ended 30 September, certificates would need to be submitted within 45 days, while for the half-year ended 31 March, the timeline would be 60 days. In August 2025, Sebi had aligned net-worth certificate submission timelines with those for declaring financial results under listing regulations. To maintain consistency, it has now proposed extending the timeline for submitting auditor certificates in line with the revised net-worth timelines. Another key proposal is the removal of market-making provisions issued in 2000, which Sebi said have become obsolete and are no longer used by exchanges. Exchanges currently prefer liquidity enhancement schemes (LES), which are more flexible and principle-based. The draft paper follows comments by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget for FY24 on simplifying compliance and reducing costs for financial sector participants through a consultative process. As part of this effort, Sebi released a consultation paper in October last year on ease-of-doing-business measures for stock exchange administration. The current paper, the second in that series, proposes changes to existing norms with a view to issuing a single consolidated circular on trading-related provisions. Also Read | Sebi may slow reform pace in 2026 after a year of regulatory churn The consultation paper also seeks to bring clarity to market-making requirements for companies listed on the SME platform following schemes of arrangement such as demergers. While market making is mandatory for SME-listed companies, there was a lack of clarity in such cases. Sebi proposes to incorporate an earlier clarification that market making would be required unless the demerged company has already complied with the requirement. The regulator has recommended merging provisions for commodity derivatives with those for equity cash and equity derivatives under a common framework. This would include market making and other schemes aimed at enhancing trading volumes. Approval, monitoring and review processes would be simplified, with a half-yearly board review replacing multiple reviews and approvals. Also Read | SME IPOs: Why retail investors are walking away from the lottery Other proposals focus on easing operational requirements for exchanges and market participants. These include simplifying rules around client code modifications, increasing waivers for genuine errors from once a quarter to once a month, discontinuing quarterly reporting to Sebi on such waivers and replacing special inspections with regular monitoring by exchanges. The paper also proposes removing the requirement for exchanges to submit end-of-day surveillance reports to Sebi on pre-open call auction alerts, allowing exchanges to take action directly. In the commodity derivatives segment, Sebi has proposed incentivizing farmers and farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to participate in options on futures and options on goods by using the option premium paid by them. Frontline indices the Sensex and the Nifty 50 extended losses for the fifth consecutive session on Friday, January 9, as persisting concerns over foreign capital outflow, geopolitical tensions, and caution ahead of the Q3 earnings kept investors away from riskier equities. The Sensex crashed nearly 800 points, or 1%, to an intraday low of 83,402, while the Nifty 50, too, dropped by 1% to an intraday low of 25,623. Finally, the Sensex ended with a loss of 605 points, or 0.72%, at 83,576.24, while the Nifty 50 settled 194 points, or 0.75%, lower at 25,683.30. The BSE Midcap index crashed 0.90%, while the Smallcap index plunged 1.74%. In these five sessions, the Sensex has crashed 2,186 points, or 2.5%, while the Nifty 50 has also fallen by 2.5%. Investors' wealth was eroded by 13.5 lakh crore in five sessions as the cumulative market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms dropped to 467.75 lakh crore from 481.25 lakh crore on January 2. Why is the Indian stock market falling? Here are five key factors that are driving the domestic market down: 1. Focus on the US Supreme Court The US Supreme Court was expected to issue its order on Trump's Liberation Day tariffs on Friday, January 9. However, it did not issue a ruling on Friday. The US Supreme Court may issue its next round of rulings on January 14 If the Court rules against Trump, it would come as a major relief for the markets. However, a verdict in his favour could further dampen market sentiment, as there are apprehensions that it may embolden him to pursue more aggressive tariff measures. 2. Growing concerns over fresh tariffs While all eyes are on the Supreme Court verdict, investors are concerned over the prospects of an increase in US tariffs after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, on January 7, said that Trump had backed the Russia sanctions bill, which could raise US tariffs to at least 500% on countries that buy Russian oil. 3. Caution ahead of Q3 earnings Domestically, investors await the announcement of corporate earnings. Retail player DMart will declare its December quarter numbers on Saturday, while IT majors TCS and HCL Tech will report their earnings on Monday. After several quarters of weak earnings, experts anticipate a revival in earnings from Q3 onwards. However, if the numbers fail to meet expectations, it will be a huge negative for the market and may accelerate foreign capital outflow. 4. FIIs' relentless selling Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have been selling Indian stocks since July last year. In January till the 8th, they have sold off Indian equities worth over 8,000 crore in the ash segment. Foreign capital outflow was the key reason behind the market's modest returns in 2025. If the trend does not reverse, experts fear that the domestic market's gains may remain modest even in 2026. 5. Persisting uncertainty over the India-US trade deal Persisting uncertainties over an India-US trade deal are also contributing to the market downtrend. Contrary to the hopes that India will be among the first countries to finalise a trade deal with the US, both countries have failed to secure a deal despite several rounds of negotiations. According to Vinod Nair, the head of research at Geojit Investments, a delayed India-US trade deal can weigh on market sentiment, prolonging Indias underperformance. Apart from these five factors, geopolitical uncertainties, crude oil price volatility and rupee's weakness are also contributing to the market's fall. Read all market-related news here Read more stories by Nishant Kumar Technical Picks: The Indian stock market has faced intense selling pressure over the last two days and been in the red for five sessions in a row, with the uncertainty over Trump tariffs emerging as a major concern for investors. US President Donald Trump is considering tariffs of up to 500% on countries buying oil from Russia, and has warned India of higher tariffs over the matter. This consists of an initial 25% tariff under a reciprocal tariff order, plus an additional 25% duty linked to Indias continued purchase of Russian crude oil Furthermore, the US Supreme Court is expected to issue its order on Trump's Liberation Day tariffs on Friday, January 9, keeping investors on the sidelines ahead of the ruling. If the Supreme Court declares Trump tariffs illegal, there would be a rally in India since it has been the worst affected by the 50% tariffs, said Dr VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited. Sensex lost over 670 points in intraday trading today, January 9, taking its cumulative five-day losses to over 2,200 points or 2.6%. Nifty 50, meanwhile, has lost 2.5%. Amid the current market environment, Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst of HDFC Securities, shares his technical outlook for Nifty for the week and two stocks to buy. Nifty 50 Outlook by Nagraj Shetti After showing weakness amidst a range movement in the last few sessions, Nifty slipped into sharp weakness on Thursday. The short-term trend of the market remains weak, with the overall medium-term trend of the Nifty still positive. The bullish chart pattern with higher tops and bottoms is intact on the daily chart, and the present weakness could be in line with the new higher bottom formation only after the confirmation. The underlying short-term trend of Nifty has turned down, and the immediate support of 26100 has been broken on the downside. The next lower support to be watched is around the 25,850 levels. Immediate resistance is placed at 26150. Also Read | Stocks to buy or sell: Ajit Mishra of Religare suggests strategies for 3 shares Technical Picks: Stocks to buy or sell in the near-term Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities recommends these two stocks to buy this week - Dabur and Inox Wind. Dabur: Buy Dabur at 525, with a target price of 550 and a stop loss of 510. The timeframe is a week. Inox Wind: Buy Inox Wind at 120, with a target price of 114 and a stop loss of 124. The timeframe is a week. News / National by Staff reporter Harare-based publishers have raised concern over a growing influx of photocopied textbooks being sold on the streets, warning that the practice is undermining legitimate sales and threatening the survival of Zimbabwe's local publishing industry.College Press, one of the country's leading producers of Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education-approved textbooks, said demand for its popular Ventures and Focus series remains strong, but many parents are increasingly turning to the black market for illegally reproduced copies.A College Press sales representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the market has been flooded with photocopied textbooks in recent weeks."These copies violate copyright laws, compromise the quality of learning materials and deprive local publishers of income needed to sustain the production of quality, locally relevant books," the representative said.Publishers attribute the surge in piracy to heightened seasonal demand, particularly following the rollout of Heritage-Based Curriculum textbooks, which were introduced late last year during the third school term.While demand has risen, publishers say it has been matched and in some cases overtaken by the spread of pirated versions.Street vendors are reportedly selling black-and-white photocopied editions of popular primary and secondary school textbooks for between US$3 and US$5, compared to about US$15 for original, full-colour copies.Industry players warn that unchecked piracy could have long-term consequences for educational publishing in Zimbabwe."Persistent piracy forces publishers to reduce print runs, which increases unit costs and places further strain on the industry," said the sales representative.Parents, however, argue that rising education costs are pushing them towards cheaper alternatives."The photocopied books are cheaper," said one Harare parent."With school fees, uniforms and other expenses, many of us simply cannot afford to buy original textbooks."Zimbabwe's Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act criminalises the unauthorised reproduction and sale of copyrighted materials, but enforcement remains weak.Education stakeholders have previously called on authorities to step up enforcement against piracy while also exploring measures to make legitimate textbooks more affordable. Suggested interventions include subsidies, bulk procurement by schools and Government, and improved distribution networks to lower costs for parents. Sarnath Banerjees upcoming graphic novel depicts the travails of his alter-ego, Brighu, as he navigates middle age, a broken marriage, and fatherhood in a world he no longer recognises. As borders and boundaries redefine the contours of personal and political relationships, Brighu tries to hold on to the vestiges of a vanishing past by recounting stories to his young son, Jafar. Absolute Jafar, by Sarnath Banerjee, HarperCollins India, 272 pages, 799. In 1967, when Kanwal Rekhi went up to Michigan Tech as a student, he became part of the first wave of Indian emigres to the US. Overcoming many obstacles, he eventually became a Silicon Valley tycoon, who hobnobbed with the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Larry Page. In this memoir, he revisits the pivotal moments of his career, and offers a blueprint to aspiring techies. The Groundbreaker , by Kanwal Rekhi, HarperCollins India, 288 pages, 799. Also Read | Three Muslim women meet a Turkish freedom fighter in Inez Baranay's new novel This anthology of essays, poems and short stories explores the theme of loneliness. If the covid-19 pandemic brought the pains of isolation home to millions, it also allowed many to find a bracing sense of pleasure in reclusion. Writers like Geetanjali Shree, Jeet Thayil and Annie Zaidi reflect on ideas of solitude, offering ways to grapple with it as well as turn it into a force for creativity. Writing From the Solitary , edited by Priyanka Sarkar and Semeen Ali, Simon & Schuster and Yoda Press, 176 pages, 399. For fans of cosy crime, this new series, featuring an ex-cop-turned-private investigator, promises much fun. The story begins with a womans murder but takes a circuitous turn through classical music and clues dating back to King Ashokas reign. In an unexpected turn of events, the detective in search of 7 murders finds her life becoming mired with this confounding case. The Seventh Swar, by Natasha Sharma, PanMacmillan, 224 pages, 399. Also Read | Do book critics still matter in the age of influencers? From the outside, it looks like an office room straight out of a James Bond film. There are glass walls, dim lights, cement grey-coloured floor tiles and pillars, rows of cupboards, two employees glued to their computers and CCTV cameras watching your every move. At the end of the 900 sq. ft fireproof room are rows of cream-coloured compactors. Inside lie three decades of custom-made couture by Tarun Tahiliani, who, along with Anita Dongre, J.J. Valaya, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, belongs to the first generation of Indias couturiers. Each compacter, somewhat like a sliding shelf that dramatically reduces the space needed to store each creation, while keeping it safe from humidity, moisture and other elements that damage fabric, is like a time travel machine, taking one back to a particular obsession in the designers oeuvre or period in Indias relatively short couture history. Theres a swatch of beige monochrome chikankari, which became Tahilianis signature in the late 1990s. Another compactor holds gota-patti work picked out with couching stitches 23 years ago. Yet another reveals a four-year-old velvet swatch with beads dangling from each motif, creating a swishing sense of movement even when the fabric is at rest. Some swatches are labelled Nita Ambani, material that was used to make garments for her. Elsewhere in the archive room are Victorian-era books dedicated to different kinds of lacework. View full Image The Tarun Tahiliani atelier. Also Read | Why are there no retrospectives of Indian designers? Over 8,000 swatches, panels, sketches, books, photographs, textiles, sample garments, prototype outfits and embroideries reside in the five-year-old archive room, located in the basement of Tarun Tahilianis Gurugram atelier. Each piece has a barcode containing details of the year, material/embroidery and the collection it belongs to. We got late building it (they started working on the archive during the covid-19 pandemic); I have lost many swatches. We had artisans who were the only ones who could do certain kinds of embroidery, and they are no longer with us. If I dont have those swatches, I will never be able to replicate them, says Tahiliani, 63, sitting in a hall upstairs, his desk crowded with swatches, sketches, and corsetry hips. In front of him is a rack from which hang archival creations, including plain linen kurtas, shibori blouses and a long black anarkalithey are light, wearable and miles away from the embellished lehngas hes known for now. Hes in the middle of finalising a collection that will be presented on 16 January to mark 30 years of the brand at the British Residency in Hyderabad. From the few pieces of the collection that I saw during the fittings (the collection is under wraps till the showcase), the themes were clear: Draping styles inspired by different regions of India and Mughal era-inspired motifs with influences of British tailoring. View full Image From Tahiliani's new collection to be presented on 16 January in Hyderabad. These themes extend to what fills the cupboards inside the archive room. Theres a Chinese-style printed fabric from the 1980s, when Tahilianis brand was called Ahilian, shaped into a draped dress. A belted sari from the 2000s shows one of his several iterations of the concept sari, synonymous with the brand. More themes emerge as you sift through the compactors. There is striking malkha washed enough times to make it feel fluid, followed by a swatch that looks like a textile version of Gustav Klimts The Kiss (he has never used the fabric). You can see what the designer and his artisans were creating during the summer of 1990, the winter of 2002 and the spring of 2016. Sometimes I forget what I made when and how. But now, we have managed to recreate lost costumes because of the archive, says Tahiliani. The room is a shrine to the Tarun Tahiliani brand, and each item is treated with as much reverence. If a piece is taken on loan, it is tracked until the return is complete. In between, calls are made to the borrower to check that the piece is in good shape. The archive is open to the public on request. View full Image One of the many iterations of the famous Tahiliani concept sari. In fashion, past designs are not seen as relics but as foundations for future work. In fact, the archive is like a petri-dish for forward design-thinking. Yet, surprisingly, not many such archive rooms, controlled for climate, temperature and light, exist in Indian fashion. Ritu Kumar, often referred to as the first lady of Indian fashion, reportedly has over 10,000 archival pieces but they arent organised. Some leading designers are contemplating building archives, but few fashion houses have opened their archive to the outside world. While the Abraham & Thakore archive is open to see, it isnt digitally catalogued as a fully functioning archive should be. A good archive is one where your material is organised ruthlessly and used daily, says Pramod Kumar K.G., co-founder of Eka Archiving Services, a museum and cultural advisory firm that has created archives for Anokhi and Amrapali. Eka has also designed the Tarun Tahiliani archive in a way that theres space for newer creations as well. You should be able to find whatever you want within a second, and its an expensive affair. You need the optimum lighting, temperature, and humidity, at all times. Plus, conservators need to regularly check for mould. When I ask Tahiliani what drove him to build his archive, he says, Tomorrow, whoever takes over my position to write the next chapter, they will have a reference point. Im building my legacy. Im systematising my memory. Also Read | Tarun Tahiliani offers luxury pret with first OTT store China is gradually emerging as an increasingly important export destination for India, signalling a potential structural shift in the bilateral trade relationship between the world's two most populous economies. Indian shipments to China rose sharply by 33% to $12.22 billion during the April-November period of the current financial year, according to commerce ministry data cited by news agency PTI. This surge in exports comes at a time when India's trade relations with the United States turned frosty, particularly after President Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs of 50% on Indian goods. Confirming this shift, an exporter told PTI that the Indian industry has been exploring opportunities in different markets as high tariffs in the US are making it difficult for them to ship goods at competitive rates in America. What is driving this export surge? The data showed that the notable rise in exports was fuelled by higher shipments of key products such as oil meals, marine products, telecom instruments and spices, reflecting stronger demand across a diverse set of Indian goods. Between April and November 2024-25, India exported goods worth $9.2 billion. It was $9.89 billion in the same period in 2022-23, and $10.28 billion in 2023-24, according to the data cited by PTI. Also Read | Two major risk factors the Indian stock market needs to navigate in 2026 The sharp jump to $12.22 billion in 2025-26 not only reverses the decline recorded last year but also marks the highest level of exports to China in the past four years, as per the commerce ministry data. In the electronics segment, the main items which registered growth during the first eight months included populated printed circuit boards, whose exports rose from $23.9 million to $922.4 million. Other items that contributed to the growth includes flat panel display modules, and other electrical apparatus for telephony. Meanwhile, the main agricultural and marine products exported to China include dried chillies, black tiger shrimp, green gram, Vannamei shrimp, and oil-cake residues. Similarly, aluminium and refined copper billets also contributed notably to export growth. This spread across electronic goods, agriculture and base metals, indicates that the export surge is not narrowly concentrated but reflects a broader structural expansion of India's exports to China, an official said. India's trade deficit narrows India's trade deficit narrowed sharply in November as imports fell from the previous month's elevated levels, according to commerce ministry data released earlier. Driven by rising shipments to countries such as the US, the UAE and China, the gap between imports and exports narrowed to $24.53 billion in November, a sharp improvement from $41.68 billion in October, Mint reported earlier. Delhi continued to reel under cold day conditions on Friday, days after it recorded the first cold day of the year on 6 January with mercury reaching a low of 5.8C. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a nowcast warning at 5:30 AM, predicting the possibility of light rainfall over Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas. The regions most likely to receive downpour are Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, Palam, IGI Airport, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Bahadurgarh, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ballabhgarh. The weather department issued a yellow alert for dense fog during morning hours and forecast that the maximum temperature will be below normal by 1.6 to 3C. "The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 16C to 18C and 5C to 7C, respectively," IMD said. The weather agency warned against dense fog conditions, cold days and cold wave conditions over northwest India in the coming days. Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan are on cold day alert, while Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are reeling under cold wave conditions. Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) issued a passenger advisory warning against disruptions due to operation of low visibility procedures. Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations continue as normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information, the advisory states. Also Read | Are schools in UP tomorrow amid IMD weather alert? What we know On Thursday, the national capital recorded its third-lowest temperature this winter, which settled at 5.8C. The maximum temperatures remained lower than normal across all monitoring stations, and Palam emerged as the coldest station, with a minimum of 4.8C. Ridge and Ayanagar all reported 5.8C, according to the Meteorological Department. Meanwhile, Delhi's base weather station, the Safdarjung observatory, recorded temperatures 1.1 degrees below normal, that is, a low of 5.8C. Delhi AQI today The air quality in the national capital entered the very poor range on 9 January, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 318 on Friday, a well-marked deterioration from 289 on Thursday. At least 12 small earthquakes with magnitudes from 2.6 to 3.8 shook the Saurashtra region of Gujarat between late Thursday and Friday midday. This caused great fear for people living in three talukas of the Rajkot district. Many residents decided to stay in open fields to keep themselves safe from any falling debris. The Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) in Gandhinagar noted 12 tremors of 2.6 to 3.8 magnitudes. Their epicentres were found about 27 to 30 km away from the Upleta taluka, according to a report by news agency PTIciting an official. However, Rajkot Collector Om Prakash stated that total 21 tremors were felt in the Upleta, Dhoraji, and Jetpur talukas. These ranged in magnitude from 1.4 to 3.8. No people were hurt and no buildings were broken so far, the authorities said. The very first tremor of 3.3 magnitude happened at 8:43 pm on Thursday. Its epicentre was close to Upleta area. Because of this "earthquake swarm" (a long line of small shakes), people in Upleta, Dhoraji, and Jetpur are feeling very scared. Residents said they ran out of their homes in a rush after the first shake, said the PTI report. They added that the earth kept shaking many more times until Friday afternoon. Many families left their houses and stayed in empty fields to be extra careful. There are no reports of deaths or lost property from this "swarm," Prakash said. He added that the local government has identified weak buildings in the area and asked people to move to safer spots. "We have communicated to the teachers in such schools, and talathis and sarpanchs after identifying old buildings. A day-long holiday has been declared in all the anganwadis and schools housed in old buildings," Prakash said. According to experts, these shakes are a "swarm" caused when water leaks into old cracks in the earth. This builds up deep pressure that eventually breaks out as a small earthquake. Swarms are usually weak, so they rarely cause any real damage to the area. Magnitude 5.3 Quake Strikes Tajikistan An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck Tajikistan on Friday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 110 km. In a social media post on X, the NCS said: "EQ of M: 5.3, On: 09/01/2026 02:44:16 IST, Lat: 38.26 N, Long: 73.42 E, Depth: 110 Km, Location: Tajikistan." Earlier on January 7, an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 struck Tajikistan at a depth of 170 kilometres. A day after the Enforcement Directorate raided political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Comittee (I-PAC)'s premises, the firm issued a statement, claiming that the organisation remains fully committed to continuing their work unfazed and unperturbed. We have always upheld the highest standards of professional integrity in all that we do. Despite what transpired yesterday, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the start, I-PAC said in its statement issued on Friday. The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches on the premises of I-PAC and its director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata as part of a money laundering investigation. What are ED's claims against I-PAC? In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate said the searches were carried out as part of its investigation into a 2020 case filed by the CBI against a coal smuggling syndicate allegedly headed by Anup Majhi, also known as Lala, mentioned a report by Hindustan Times. Anup Majhi has been accused of illegally mining coal from Eastern Coalfields leasehold areas in and around Asansol in West Bengals Paschim Bardhaman district. The coal smuggling case has also drawn in Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjees wife and sister-in-law, who are being questioned by the CBI in connection with the investigation. The ED claimed that a hawala operator linked to the coal smuggling network had routed transactions worth several crore rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd, the registered company of I-PAC. As per the probing agency's allegations, I-PAC was among the entities connected to hawala funds with the ED claiming that the searches were being conducted in a peaceful and professional manner until the West Bengal CM arrived at the premises. I-PAC's role in TMC's election strategy Founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, I-PAC has been working with the TMC since June 2019. The consultancy is currently involved in shaping the Mamata Banerjee-led party's strategy for the 2026 Assembly elections, besides managing its IT cell. Mamata Banerjee at I-PAC premises On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office and the ED accused her of removing key evidence from both locations. View full Image In this image received on Jan. 8, 2026, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses the media after she arrived at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain amid an ongoing ED raid, in Kolkata. Banerjee on Thursday alleged that ED officials were attempting to seize TMC's hard disks, internal documents and sensitive organisational data during a search operation at the residence of I-PAC chief Prateek Jain. (AITC Media Cell via PTI Photo)(PTI01_08_2026_000176B) ( AITC Media Cell ) The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that ED officials were trying to seize her party's hard disks, internal documents and sensitive organisational data during a search at the residence of I-PAC chief Prateek Jain. An accused in the high-profile murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh is contesting the upcoming local elections in Maharashtra. Shrikant Pangarkar has filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the Jalna Municipal Corporation polls, scheduled for 15 January. Pangarkar is contesting the Ward 13 seat. He faces rivals from the BJP and other parties. Notably, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has chosen not to field a candidate against him. This follows a controversy in late 2024 when Pangarkar briefly joined the party. Following public outcry, Shinde put his official membership on hold. The case dates back to 5 September 2017, when Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru. Her murder triggered a national debate over free speech and political intolerance. Also Read | Maharashtra civic polls: 12 suspended Congress councillors join BJP in Ambernath Pangarkars political career began with the original Shiv Sena, where he served as a local councillor from 2001 to 2006. After the party denied him a ticket in 2011, he joined the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, a right-wing group. In August 2018, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested him. He was linked to a case involving explosives and arms seized across the state. Consequently, authorities charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), India's primary anti-terror law. On 4 September 2024, the Karnataka High Court granted him bail in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Bombay HC orders inclusion of BJP nominee in Navi Mumbai ward candidate list The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside a returning officers order rejecting a BJP candidates nomination for the upcoming Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections and directed inclusion of his name in the list of accepted candidates. Terming the rejection of Nilesh Bhojanes nomination in NMMCs ward 17(A) illegal, the court vacated its interim stay on the election there. It ordered that the election be held as per schedule and necessary arrangements be made to reprint ballot papers to include Bhojanes name in the list. Bhojanes nomination form was rejected by the returning officer under section 10(1D) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act on the grounds that there was unauthorised construction on his property. A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam had on Thursday granted an interim stay on the upcoming election in ward 17A (Vashi) and also the returning officers order. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march in south Kolkata and filed dual complaints on Friday against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with raids at political consultancy firm I-PAC yesterday, while her TMC showcased its street presence ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. "After winning Bengal, we must win Delhi as well; cant have BJP rule India," Banerjee said, according to PTI. An officer stated that following the complaints, the Kolkata and Bidhannagar Police registered First Information Reports (FIRs) and started a probe. The complaints, along with the TMCs petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the ED, are seen as the face-off between the two sides, after Kolkata saw an intense incident where the chief minister arrived at the search sites and allegedly removed key documents and electronic devices. I have done nothing illegal As she proceeded from the 8B Bus Stand area toward Hazra More, Banerjee was accompanied by senior ministers, MPs, MLAs, and party officials, while crowds shouted slogans accusing the BJP-led Centre of misusing central agencies for political vendetta". What I did yesterday, I did as the TMC chairperson. I have done nothing illegal, Banerjee said. She mentioned that "all agencies have been captured" while accusing the BJP of forcibly occupying power in many states. Intensifying her attack at the Centre, she further said, "You captured Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar by force. Do you think you can capture Bengal too?" she asked, adding that any political attack only emboldens her resolve, noting, If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated and reborn. Mamata Banerjee's protest march Party workers enthusiastically sang Pratul Mukhopadhyays iconic anthem Ami Banglay Gaan Gai, and women blew conch shells, giving the protest the feel of a street festival infused with political defiance. Dressed in her signature white cotton sari, shawl, and slippers, Banerjee led a massive 10-km-long protest march steadily, occasionally pausing to wave at onlookers on both sides of the road, many of whom recorded the moment on their phones. It also saw actor-politicians such as Dev, a sitting Lok Sabha MP, and Soham Chakraborty, along with other familiar faces from Bengali cinema and television who now serve as party representatives. Their presence drew cheers and whistles, highlighting the TMCs growing fusion of cinema and politics. According to party leaders, this march marks the first of several statewide demonstrations planned by the TMC, signalling Banerjees intent to move the political struggle from courtrooms and meeting halls back onto the streets, a domain she is most comfortable in, where her brand of politics, rich in symbolism and theatricality, is most effective. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday, a day after faceoff with Enforcement Directorate (ED) during its raids on political consultancy firm I-PAC. The Trinamool Congress chief announced the protest rally against the central investigation agency's searches. She claimed the searches were an attempt to loot her party's documents ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal later this year. The protest rally will be taken out form from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Hazra crossing. The Chief Minister has urged people to take part in the over 5-km long rally. High drama unfolded on Thursday during ED searches on the premises of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata as part of a money laundering investigation. Banerjee alleged that ED officials were trying to seize the Trinamool Congresss hard disks, internal documents and sensitive organisational data during a search at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain. Banerjee made the allegations after appearing from Jains Loudon Street residence, where searches have been underway since Thursday morning. What ED said on Mamata Banerjee? The ED has accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Pratik Jain, the director of top political consultancy group I-PAC, during its ongoing search operation in Kolkata and taking away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the ED said that its team was conducting the search proceedings in a peaceful and professional manner until the arrival of Chief Minister, along with a large number of police officials. Also Read | Mamata dares BJP to fight TMC politically in fiery response to ED raids "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain, and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," read the ED statement. Naughty HM jibe Banerjee visited the I-PAC office on a public road and accused the central agency of unlawfully seizing party-related data, laptops, mobile phones, and strategic documents. She alleged that forensic experts transferred data during the raid, calling it a crime and daring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to fight the Trinamool Congress (TMC) democratically in Bengal. The Chief Minister also termed Union home minister Amit Shah naughty, accusing him of misusing agencies to intimidate other parties. This is not law enforcement. Is this how the nastiest and naughty home minister functions, who cannot protect the country and is sending agencies to harass before elections? she said. The BJP response The Chief Minister said that I-PAC is not a private organisation but an authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She claimed the ED confiscated sensitive party documents, including data related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite the TMC being a registered political party that regularly submits income tax details. After the drama, the BJP mounted a sharp attack on TMC chief suggesting there was an attempt to hide incriminating evidence. "If there is nothing to hide in West Bengal, why would a Chief Minister scramble to secure files from an official investigation site?" the BJP said in a post on X, asserting that the truth would eventually come out and that Bengal would "vote for the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't call US President Donald Trump when it was needed, said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a podcast, as he revealed the reason behind higher tariffs against India and the delay in the US-India trade deal. How US negotiate with India? Lutnick said in an interview on the All-In podcast that Trump is the deal closer, but PM Modi didn't call him to discuss the trade deal on time. Revealing the details, Lutnick said India was given a deadline of three Fridays. We told India you had three Fridays. You put them on a shot clock. Well, they have to get it done because what happens is I have lots of other countries, and when those other countries do their deal, the staircase goes up, Lutnick said. Also Read | Two major risk factors the Indian stock market needs to navigate in 2026 He added, He's [Trump] the [deal] closer. He does the deal. So I said, You've got to have Modi. It's all set up. You have to have Modi call the president. But, they [India] were uncomfortable doing it. So, Modi didn't callthat Friday left..., he said. Lutnick revealed that in the following week, a bunch of deals were done with Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. The US, however, had assumed that the deal with India was going to be done before them and so, we negotiated them at a higher rate, Lutnick. "So, now the problem is that the deals came out at a higher rate, right? And then India calls back and says, Oh, okay. We were ready. I said, Ready for what?...it was like three weeks later. I go, 'Are you ready for the train that left the station three weeks ago..., Lutnick recalled. What happened is, India, just was you know, was on the wrong side of the see-saw...it was just they couldn't get it done when they needed to...so what happens is, all these other countries kept doing deals and they're [India] just further in the back of the line..., Lutnick said. India-US trade talks The trade talks fell apart last year. Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50%, the highest, including a levy of 25% in retaliation for India's purchases of Russian oil. Lutnick's remarks came after Trump stepped up the pressure for talks with a warning this week that tariffs could rise further unless India curbs its imports of Russian oil. Also Read | Two major risk factors the Indian stock market needs to navigate in 2026 That step pushed the Indian rupee to a record low and spooked investors waiting for progress in two-way negotiations for a trade deal that remains elusive. India still seeks a tariff rate between Washington's offers to Britain and Vietnam that had previously been agreed upon, but the offer has expired, Lutnick said. India's trade ministry did not immediately respond to news agency Reuters' emailed request for comment on Lutnick's remarks. Also Read | Will the trade war capsize shipbuilders? Reuters reported that New Delhi and Washington were very close to a trade deal last year, but a communication breakdown led to the collapse of any potential pact. It cited an Indian government official involved in the talks as saying that Modi could not have called Trump, for fear that a one-sided conversation would put him on the spot. News / National by Staff reporter ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange-listed financial institution FBC Holdings has completed the integration of its building society operations into its commercial banking arm, marking the end of FBC Building Society as a standalone entity.In a statement, FBC Holdings group company secretary Mr Tichaona Mabeza said the merger between FBC Bank Limited and FBC Building Society was successfully implemented and became operationally effective on December 30, 2025."FBC Holdings Limited wishes to advise its valued customers, shareholders and the general public that the merger between FBC Bank Limited and FBC Building Society has been successfully implemented and is operationally effective as of December 30, 2025," said Mr Mabeza.The merger follows approval by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion last month and was conducted in line with regulatory requirements."The merger was undertaken in accordance with the Banking Act [Chapter 24:20] and followed all required regulatory approvals, including approval by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, as gazetted on December 12, 2025," he said.Mr Mabeza explained that the cancellation of the FBC Building Society licence meant the institution had ceased to exist as a separate entity, with its entire banking business transferred to FBC Bank Limited."All former FBC Building Society customers have been integrated into FBC Bank," he said.He assured customers and stakeholders that the merger would not affect deposits, accounts or contractual obligations."Customers' deposits, accounts and contractual obligations remain safe, intact and fully accessible," Mr Mabeza said.He further noted that the transaction would not result in any changes to the FBC Holdings corporate structure or compromise the group's financial stability.FBC Building Society was founded in 1992 as the Zimbabwe Building Society (ZBS) and was renamed in 2005 after FBC Holdings acquired a controlling stake.At the time, the family of former Cabinet minister Francis Nhema owned 60 percent of the building society and relinquished the stake in exchange for a 3,5 percent shareholding in FBC Holdings.Following the merger, Zimbabwe is now left with only two building societies Old Mutual-owned Central Africa Building Society (CABS) and the National Building Society (NBS), which is owned by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA). A high alert was issued in Cuttack and several other parts of Odisha after an anonymous e-mail threatening to damage court premises was received at multiple courts across the state on Friday. Deputy Commissioner of Police Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo was quoted by ANI as saying on Friday that special bomb disposal squads, dog squads, and additional security teams were mobilised as part of standard operating procedures. A message was received from a security point of view, and since it is a sensitive matter, standard security drills are being carried out as per protocol to thoroughly check the premises, he told ANI. "Security agencies are continuing inspections as part of the drill," he said, adding that inspections were ongoing and further details were awaited as authorities assessed the threat. Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said the police had taken cognisance of the anonymous threat e-mail that was received yesterday and initiated a thorough investigation. "As a precautionary measure, police checks and enhanced security arrangements have been put in place at all concerned locations. The situation is under close monitoring," he stated. He further advised the public not to panic and urged cooperation from them. Promptly after the reception of the e-mail, staff and others were evacuated from the High Court and the district courts' premises for inspection. The threat put the courts in a state of alert, with advocates raising safety concerns. Speaking to ANI, Prafulla Kumar Sahoo, Senior Advocate at Odisha High Court, informed that the work has come to a halt following the threat mail, and complained about the traffic management in case of an emergency. "This creates a lot of difficulty. Our work has been halted, and we do not know the update of the investigation, considering it's a serious matter...If there is a bomb here, it can get problematic to empty out the premises due to the large number of vehicles parked here, making passage extremely difficult during an emergency. Moreover, the traffic control here is also out of order. Thus, security should be tightened here," Sahoo stated. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rebutted US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's remarks on the trade deal, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump spoke several times on the phone last year. PM Modi, Trump spoke on phone on eight occasions in 2025, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding, On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate. The MEA spokesperson clarified that India and the United States have been committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since as early as 13 February last year, according to ANI. Since then, the two sides have conducted several rounds of talks aimed at reaching a balanced and mutually beneficial trade deal, he noted. He further said that India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade agreement between two complementary economies and looks forward to finalising it. What did Lutnick say? Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that a trade deal between India and the United States did not materialise because PM Modi did not call Trump. Speaking with American venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya on the All-In Podcast on Thursday (local time), Lutnick said that although contracts were negotiated and the overall framework of the deal was ready, its completion required direct engagement at the leadership level. I would negotiate the contracts and set the whole deal up, but let's be clear. It's his (Trump's) deal. He's the closer. He does it. It's all set up, you got to have Modi, call the President. They were uncomfortable doing it. So Modi didn't call. That Friday left, in the next week we did Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, we announced a whole bunch of deals, Lutnick said. Lutnick further outlined Trumps wider approach to trade negotiations, likening it to a staircase model. He said countries that acted early secured the most favourable terms, while those entering later were offered increasingly higher rates. Citing the first trade agreement with the United Kingdom, Lutnick said Trump was repeatedly asked which country would follow next, and India was mentioned publicly on several occasions. According to him, India was given three Fridays to finalise the deal, effectively placing it on a short clock. However, Lutnick said India failed to meet the deadline, prompting the US to move forward with trade agreements with several Asian nations, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and to announce multiple deals across the region. He added that these agreements were struck at higher rates, as the US had initially expected Indias deal to be concluded sooner. When India later approached the US, around three weeks after the deadline, it was informed that the opportunity had already expired. The Trump administration imposed tariffs on major exporters to the US, including India and China. Since August 2025, goods entering the United States from India have been subject to a 50% tariff. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has arrested the temple's Chief Priest Kandararu Rajeevaru in connection with the case. According to officials, the arrest was made based on statements given by prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and former Travancore Devaswom Board president Padmakumar. What is the Sabarimala gold theft case? The Sabarimala gold controversy centres on allegations of irregularities in the gold plating at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. What SIT said? The Special Investigation Team found that Rajeevaru had close associations with prime accused Potty and had recommended the replating of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) plates and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframe plates at the temple. Later, when the Travancore Devaswom Board sought his permission for the replating, Rajeevaru had granted his approval, officials said. SIT officials said Rajeevaru had been questioned earlier during the course of the investigation. He is the 11th person to be arrested in the case after the Kerala High Court constituted the SIT to probe the gold loss incident. Rajeevaru was questioned at an undisclosed location in the morning and later shifted to the SIT office in the afternoon, where his arrest was formally recorded, sources said. far more disturbing' In December last year, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, had expressed anguish over the unfolding Sabarimala gold controversy, describing the developments as far more disturbing than what we first knew. He demanded a CBI probe to uncover the truth behind the disturbing revelations regarding the temple's gold and idol thefts, asserting the need for justice for devotees. Chandrasekhar alleged that the looting at Sabarimala extended beyond 4.5 kg of gold. Investigations now show that under the LDF-appointed Devaswom board, 4 Panchaloha idols were taken out of Sabarimala and sold to international criminal networks, he claimed. On Monday, the Kerala High Court expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged heist and plundering of gold from the gold-clad Dwarapalakas and other structures of the Sabarimala Sreekovil, and granted the team an additional six weeks to complete the investigation. TMC MPs protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shahs office in Delhi on Friday were allegedly assaulted by Delhi Police. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party alleged that the peaceful dharna of our eight MPs was attacked. The detained TMC MPs were brought to Parliament Street police station, news agency ANI reported. Eight TMC MPs protest Eight TMC MPs carried out a protest outside Union Home Minister Amit Shahs office in Delhi with placards reading Bengal rejects Modi-Shahs dirty politics. The TMC MPs who staged a dharna outside Amit Shah's office in Delhi were: Derek O'Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. Also Read | Mamata to hold protest rally today after showdown with ED over I-PAC raids As this happened, Delhi police detained Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, and others, lifting them up and dragging them to the police van. The demostration were held ahead of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's protest rally in Kolkata over the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids at I-PACs office. Police assault MPs The AITC alleged that the Delhi Police officials "assaulted" and released a few photos to back its claim. The party posted on X, What kind of arrogance is this,@AmitShah? Admit it, YOU ARE RATTLED!, the party wrote in the social media post. The TMC added, First, the shameless misuse of the ED. Now, an attack on the peaceful dharna of our eight MPs. This desperation exposes your fear. You may try to choke democracy, but Bengal will not be cowed. Are you now using your Delhi Police to assault elected representatives just to crush democracy? Is this how dissent is silenced in your India?, the party's statement further read. Meanwhile, Derek O Brien, as he was dragged to the floor by police personnel, was quoted by PTI as saying, "You are seeing what is happening to the MPs here," Mahua Moitra, who the police lifted from the protest spot, reportedly said, We will defeat the BJP. The country is seeing how the Delhi Police is treating an elected MP. Protesting against the ED raid, TMC MP Satabdi Roy said that the centre sends its investigative agencies during elections to win. "They sent the team of ED yesterday, and they remember everything during the time of elections. They send the teams of ED, CBI during the elections just to win, but they won't win the election," he was quoted by PTI as saying. TMC MP Kirti Azad said, "The ED conducted the raids in the wrong way, and this is an attempt to win the elections in an undemocratic manner. The BJP will not win the elections in this manner." ED raids against I-PAC and Mamata Banerjee's Kolkata protest High drama unfolded on Thursday during ED searches on the premises of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata as part of a money laundering investigation. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered during an ED raid at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case. She asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation, but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). Banerjee alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. She alleged that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents," Banerjee said while speaking to reporters. Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Shah, Mamata Banerjee reportedly dared him to come to West Bengal and fight her democratically. "If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. At 6:00 am, they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Mamata Banerjee also said she will lead a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday. ED reacts The Enforcement Directorate countered Banerjee's allegations and accuser her of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED was quoted by PTI as saying. Also Read | Who is Inderjit Singh Yadav? ED seizes assets of wanted criminal The agency added that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence." Clarifying its position, the ED said, "The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." A tragic accident near Indore early Friday claimed the lives of the daughter of Congress MLA and former Madhya Pradesh home minister Bala Bachchan and two others. Police said their speeding car collided with a truck while returning from a birthday party. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were heavily intoxicated", a police official added. Another woman in the car was injured in the accident, which took place near the Ralamandal area on the Tejaji Nagar bypass at around 5 am, Tejaji Nagar police station in-charge Devendra Markam said. Prerna Bachchan, daughter of Bala Bachchan, the former state minister and current Congress MLA from Rajpur in Barwani district, along with two men traveling with her, identified as Man Sandhu and Prakhar Kasliwal, died instantly in the crash, he added, according to PTI. What happened? Preliminary investigations indicated that the car occupants were returning after celebrating Kasliwals birthday and were highly intoxicated, according to Markam. The vehicle was traveling at high speed when the driver lost control, causing it to collide with a truck, though it remains unclear who was behind the wheel. The truck driver has been taken into custody for questioning, police said. All the deceased were between 24 and 25 years old, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotiya said. Another passenger, identified as Anishka Rathi, suffered serious injuries and was hospitalised, he added. According to DCP Chandani, the vehicle is believed to have been travelling at over 100 kmph, and liquor bottles were found inside, reported NDTV. It also reportedly emerged that a party had been taking place at Coco Farm prior to the crash. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed his sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident in a post on X. The news of the tragic road accident resulting in the death of three individuals, including Smt Prerna Bachchan, daughter of senior Congress MLA Shri Bala Bachchan ji, is extremely heartbreaking, he said. Yadav further stated, I offer my humble tribute to all the departed. I pray to God for the peaceful repose of the departed souls and the swift recovery of the injured Anushka Rathi. In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the bereaved family. From air pollution to the stray dog issue, a Delhi-based influencer has offered to take citizens concerns directly to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Hartheerath Singh Ahluwalia, a Delhi-based influencer known for his community work in the national capital, has invited residents to share their concerns about civic issues, which he says he will raise during a meeting with the chief minister. In an Instagram post, Ahluwalia said he had been invited for a meeting and lunch with the chief minister and asked Delhiites to send in their questions and complaintsranging from air quality concerns to the stray dog menaceso he could convey them directly. Ive been invited for lunch and a direct interaction with the Honble Chief Minister of Delhi. Its a chance to take your voices to the table. If you have concerns about stray dogs, AQI and pollution, or anything that affects life in Delhi, drop them in the comments. Ill carry what I can, honestly and directly, he wrote. This is how conversations should startfrom the ground up, the post added. Check out the post here: Shared over five hours ago, the video quickly gained traction on social media, with users flooding the comments section with suggestions, requests and reactions. One user wrote, Im so glad you have this opportunity. Please consider advocating for free self-defence classes from the government. It could empower people, especially since justice feels increasingly out of reach. Another commented, Never mind, this might be the most unexpected collab of the year. Several users urged him to highlight animal welfare issues. Be the voice of the voiceless, please. This needs to be heard on a priority basis, one user wrote. Another added, Please emphasise the community animals situation. A separate comment read, Instead of putting dogs into shelters, authorities should focus on ABC programmes. Humane and consistent implementation can stabilise the dog population over time. A Bengaluru-based tech professional has gone viral on Instagram after posting a tongue-in-cheek video comparing a city IT park to New York, leaving social media users amused and impressed. The clip, shared by creator Sagar Sonawane, shows him dressed in business formals and wearing his official Cognizant ID card as he walks through a modern IT park in Bengaluru. Speaking in Marathi, Sonawane jokingly claims that he is working from a tech hub in New York rather than India. Also Read | Bengaluru couple stranded with toddler on roadside get help from delivery person As the video progresses, he highlights the parks sleek infrastructure, including a foot overbridge fitted with escalators that allows pedestrians to cross busy roads without dealing with traffic. He also points to the greenery around the area, describing the space as organised, clean and pedestrian-friendly. Guys, Im in New Yorks IT park. To cross the road, they have escalators. Look at the roads and the greenery, he says in the video, before delivering the punchline: This is not New York. This is Bengaluru. While appreciating the citys infrastructure, Sonawane also adds a humorous aside, wondering when similar facilities would be seen in Puneanother major IT hubprompting playful reactions from viewers across cities. Watch the viral video here: The video quickly resonated with viewers online, triggering a lively debate around urban infrastructure and workplace design in Indian cities. Many social media users applauded Bengalurus modern, pedestrian-friendly planning, with several noting that features such as foot overbridges and escalators significantly ease daily commuting. Some commenters joked that parts of the city now resemble international tech hubs, blurring the lines between Indian and global workspaces. Others used the moment to compare Bengaluru with Pune, especially the Hinjewadi IT corridor. One user quipped that they had not left Bengaluru in a decade despite family pressure to move to Pune. Another remarked that Hinjewadis development could still take decades due to governance challenges, while a third humorously warned viewers to visit the New York IT Park during the monsoon. Some pointed out that Hinjewadi is not a gated IT park and therefore cannot offer similar infrastructure, while a few comments defended Bengaluru as a city whose value becomes apparent only after experiencing work life there. As of the latest update, the reel has crossed 1.56 lakh views and continues to rack up comments, with users calling the comparison both relatable and entertaining. Indian batter Tilak Varma made headlines when he announced the news of his testicular torsion surgery. He underwent an emergency surgery on Thursday for a groin issue that triggered acute pain, as per the news agency PTI. Although he is currently stable and recuperating, Tilak will miss the first three T20Is of the upcoming multi-format white-ball series against New Zealand. Tilak Varma's emergency surgery: What is testicular torsion? So, what is testicular torsion? Testicular torsion is an acute urological emergency caused by partial or complete rotation of the spermatic cord, leading to abrupt cessation of arterial inflow and venous outflow to the testis, shared Dr Sanjay Prakash J, Lead Andrologist, Urologist and Mens Health of Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology Hospital (Chennai) with LiveMint. In simple terms, he explained, It is a urological equivalent of stroke or myocardial infarction. This ischemic event initiates a rapid cascade of hypoxia, cellular edema and irreversible germ-cell injury. Unlike the other inflammatory or infectious conditions of the testis and scrotum, testicular torsion is time-dependent, not symptom-dependent. Also Read | Tilak Varma ruled out of first three T20Is vs New Zealand, Check BCCI update "Golden window" in testicular torsion cases Testicular viability drops quickly once the blood supply is cut off. Hence, within the first 46 hours, the chances of saving the testis are still high, making it the golden window. At 12 hours, the likelihood of testicular survival is poor; beyond 24 hours, necrosis is almost universal. Hence, this 4-6 hour period is considered the golden hour to salvage the testis, Dr Prakash explained the urgency of an emergency surgery in the case. Emergency surgery for testicular torsion When testicular torsion is suspected clinically, urgent surgical exploration is mandatory. The doctor asserted, It is not optional, not conditional, and should not be delayed for imaging if it risks time loss. It is very important not to compromise the golden hour. "Tilak Varma reported acute Testicular Pain in Rajkot, where he is part of the Hyderabad team for the Vijay Hazare tournament. He was taken to Gokul Hospital and on scan was diagnosed with Testicular Torsion (sudden, intense pain) and was advised immediate surgery," a BCCI official told PTI. For athletes, the stakes are particularly high because torsion frequently follows sudden rotational movements, sprinting, or contact trauma. Delay in treatment risks not only testicular loss but long-term hormonal and reproductive consequences, directly impacting performance, recovery, and psychological well-being of the athlete, added Dr Prakash. Risks of testicular torsion Long-term implications of testicular torsion might include testicular atrophy, impaired spermatogenesis, hypogonadism (low testosterone due to significant Leydig cell loss), contralateral testicular impact (due to immunological and oxidative stress responses), and psychological sequelae (anxiety, altered body image, and fertility-related distress). Testicular torsion is trending following Tilak's health crisis. Although it is an uncommon but important condition, it shows a clear bimodal age pattern. According to Dr Prakash, testicular torsion mostly affects newborns within the first month of life, usually due to extravaginal torsion. However, adolescents between 12 and 18 years are regarded as the most commonly affected age group. Testicular torsion is most common among 12 and 18 years, correlating with rapid testicular growth at puberty. Although it can occur after this age, the incidence is less. The documented incidence is approximately 1 in 4,000 males under 25 per year. Peak risk is during puberty due to increased testicular volume and hyperactive cremasteric reflexes, predisposing anatomy such as the bell-clapper deformity is present in up to 90% of cases and it is frequently bilateral. Early signs of testicular torsion Dr Prakash advises that one must look out for early signs of testicular torsion. The commonly overlooked features are sudden-onset lower abdominal or inguinal pain without initial scrotal localisation, nausea and vomiting disproportionate to abdominal findings, a vague pulling or twisting sensation in the groin and a transient pain that briefly settles (partial torsion), falsely reassuring both patient and clinician. Unfortunately, such cases are often misdiagnosed as gastroenteritis, appendicitis, renal colic, or muscular strain, as per the expert. Delhi Police has arrested one more accused in the Turkman Gate stone-pelting case, taking the total number of arrests so far to 12, even as security arrangements were tightened in and around the locality in view of Friday prayers, an official said. "We have arrested Mohd Imran (36). Further investigation is underway. Security will remain tightened in the area," Additional Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan told news agency PTI on Friday. 10 social media influencers identified: Police Police told The Indian Express that they have summoned a woman social media influencer for questioning after the police identified 10 influencers for allegedly spreading rumours that the mosque had been demolished. Also Read | Turkman Gate demolition drive harks back to dark chapter in Indian history Police are likely to send notices to two politicians who may have been involved in instigating the people, which led to at least five police personnel sustaining injuries in the stone-pelting that took place in the early hours of Wednesday. Police plan to send a notice to Samajwadi Party leader Mohibbullah Nadvi, who was allegedly present on the spot, to join the investigation. Those arrested on 8 January were identified as Afaan, Adil, Shahnawaz, Hamza, Atharr and Ubed, all residents of the Turkman Gate area. Police said they allegedly instigated others to indulge in stone pelting. A large number of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in sensitive pockets to maintain law and order. Senior officers were also seen supervising the arrangements on the ground. Situation peaceful ahead of Friday prayers According to the police, additional forces were stationed near mosques and adjoining lanes, with pickets set up at strategic points to regulate movement and prevent any untoward incident. Drone surveillance and CCTV monitoring were also being used to keep a close watch on the area, he added. "The situation is peaceful and under control. We have made adequate security arrangements as a precautionary measure in view of Friday prayers. Our teams are maintaining strict vigil and are in constant touch with local community members," another police officer said. The police also appealed to the public to maintain peace and not pay heed to unverified messages. (With PTI inputs) Tensions surrounding US President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown escalated across the United States after a second shooting involving immigration officers within two days further widened divisions between state and federal authorities on Thursday. Protests intensified in Minnesota following the fatal shooting on Wednesday of a 37-year-old mother by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. State and federal officials offered sharply conflicting accounts of the incident, while Minnesota investigators said they had been excluded from the federal investigation. Later on Thursday, a US Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a man and a woman in Portland, Oregon. Once again, local officialswho quickly urged calmsaid they were unable to independently verify the federal governments version of events. In both incidents, Democratic mayors and governors called on the Trump administration to withdraw federal officers. These officers have been deployed largely in Democrat-led cities, a move backed by many of Trumps supporters following his campaign pledge to deport undocumented immigrants. Democrats and civil rights groups have criticised the intensified enforcement actions, describing them as an unnecessary provocation. When a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said. Portland police said early on Friday that six people were arrested during protests near an ICE building in the citys South Portland neighbourhood. US officials claimed that both the Minneapolis and Portland shootings were part of a growing pattern of criminal suspects and anti-Trump activists using vehicles as weapons, although video evidence has at times contradicted these assertions. In Minnesota, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nichole Good, a US citizen who, according to one activist, was taking part in a neighborhood patrol monitoring ICE operations. Federal officials alleged she attempted to run over the officer, while her supporters said video footage appeared to show she steered away from him. Also Read | How to make immigration palatable in a populist age In the Portland case, the Department of Homeland Security said the driver, a suspected Venezuelan gang member, tried to weaponize his vehicle and run over agents. DHS said that an agent fired a defensive shot in response, after which the driver and a passenger fled the scene. Portland police later said two people with gunshot wounds were found around two miles (three kilometres) away and taken to hospital. National Guard on alert Facing the potential of civil unrest, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has put the state's National Guard on alert. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Minneapolis on Thursday, chanting "shame" and "murder" at armed and masked federal officers, some of whom used tear gas and pepper balls on protesters. "I feel like we're at a turning point. I can't say it enough, but things have got to change," said Minneapolis protester Rachel Hoppei, 52. "We don't want you," she said of federal officers. "You have no right to be here. You're destroying our communities." Minnesota officials complained they were denied access to the scene evidence, case materials or interviews. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters in New York that Minnesota simply did not have jurisdiction. Also Read | Canada immigration: Over 1 million Indians at risk of losing legal status Without access, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it had withdrawn from the investigation. The ICE agent who shot Good was among 2,000 federal officers the Trump administration has deployed to the Minneapolis area in what it described as the "largest DHS operation ever." Part of Trump's nationwide crackdown on migrants, the operation was also mounted in response to a politically charged investigation into fraud allegations against some nonprofit groups in the Somali community. Vice President JD Vance, during a press briefing, repeatedly called Good's actions an "attack" on law enforcement and said the agent deserved "a debt of gratitude." Vance said the same agent had been dragged by a car last year and suffered injuries that required 33 stitches. That description matched a case from June 2025, when a migrant living in the country illegally tried to drive away while ICE agents were attempting to arrest him in Bloomington, Minnesota, dragging one officer about 100 yards (91 meters). The officer, identified in court records as Jonathan Ross, suffered wounds to his arm and hand that took a total of 33 stitches to close, according to prosecutors. The driver was convicted last month of assaulting a federal officer. DHS declined to identify the agent Meanwhile, more details began to emerge about Good, who had a 15-year-old daughter and two sons aged 12 and 6, according to the Washington Post. Michelle Gross, president of the Minnesota-based Community United Against Police Brutality and a paralegal for the National Lawyers Guild, told Reuters she knew first-hand of Good's involvement as one of hundreds of community members taking part in neighborhood "observer" patrols, and "had been doing that" when she was killed. Gross disputed assertions by Noem that Good "had been stalking and impeding" agents' work all day. "There was absolutely no justification for deadly force," Gross said. "People are just exercising their First Amendment right to videotape police." What remains very much in dispute among federal and state officials is what happened in the moments leading up to the killing of Good. Bystander videos show two masked officers approaching Good's car, which was stopped at a perpendicular angle on a Minneapolis street. As one officer ordered Good out of the car and grabbed at her door handle, the car briefly reversed and then began driving forward, turning to the right. A third officer drew his gun and fired three times while jumping back, with the last shots aimed through the driver's window after the car's bumper appeared to have passed by his body. It was unclear from the video whether the car came into contact with the officer, who stayed on his feet and could be seen walking after the incident. Trump said on social media that the woman "ran over the ICE Officer." News / National by Staff reporter Trade unions representing Harare City Council (HCC) employees have threatened industrial action after the local authority failed to pay workers' salaries, leaving many without income during the festive season and as schools prepare to open next week.HCC employees, particularly those in grades 16 to seven, have not received their December salaries, with some also owed November pay and bonuses. The situation has angered workers, who say they are struggling to meet basic obligations such as rentals and school fees.Trade unions representing the workers held a Press conference in Harare yesterday to express their frustration with the council's failure to honour agreed payment timelines. The Municipal Workers Union of Zimbabwe was represented by its president, Mr George Matongera, alongside representatives from the Water and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Allied Municipalities Workers Union and the Combined Municipalities Workers Union of Zimbabwe.Mr Matongera said it was unacceptable that workers were allowed to go on holiday without receiving their salaries, despite prior agreements with management."We had agreed with our employers that all arrears should have been cleared by December 31, but they failed to do so," he said."The workers are owed salaries for November and December, as well as their bonus. They had Christmas and New Year without pay, yet they have rentals to pay and schools are about to open. Workers are demanding that the outstanding salaries be paid before schools open."Water and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe representative, Mr Themba Musarurwa, said the situation was demoralising workers and eroding trust in union leadership."The workers are beginning to think that we, as union leaders, are in bed with the employer, which is not true," he said.He added that the crisis was compounded by poor working conditions, citing reports of work-related deaths at HCC between October and December last year."We received several reports of workers dying due to a lack of protective clothing. People are dying at workplaces, yet they are not being paid. Employees are not happy, and this situation promotes theft at workplaces because workers are desperate," said Mr Musarurwa.He called on Government to intervene to resolve the standoff.Zimbabwe Allied Municipalities Workers Union representative, Mr Wilson Chokuda, also criticised HCC management, accusing senior officials of being insensitive to workers' struggles."How do you expect workers to pay rentals and school fees without salaries?" he said."What is painful is that council bosses are paid handsomely and live lavishly, while ordinary workers suffer."In response, HCC head of corporate communications, Mr Stanley Gama, said the council was making progress in settling salary obligations."In terms of the US dollar component, we are up to date, and we have since started paying bonuses this week," he said.He acknowledged challenges with the local currency component, citing outstanding debts owed to the council."Regarding the local currency, we are pushing very hard to pay the workers, as we are owed ZiG$9 billion by various stakeholders," said Mr Gama."It is our priority to clear the salary backlog this year. We are almost there, and we are doing well."However, trade unions insist that unless salaries are paid promptly, workers may down tools, potentially disrupting council services as the new school term begins. Bill Gates has donated nearly $8 billion to a charity run by his ex-wife Melinda French Gates, marking one of the largest publicly disclosed philanthropic transfers in recent years. The Microsoft co-founder made a $7.88 billion donation in 2024 to Melindas Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, according to a report by The New York Times. The contribution comes three years after the couples split. One of the largest donations on record The donation was disclosed in a recent tax filing and is among the biggest public charitable gifts ever recorded, the new report stated. The filing also provides the first detailed financial insight into the 2021 divorce settlement between the former power couple. Bill and Melinda Gates, once regarded as one of the worlds most influential philanthropic partnerships, announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage. Melindas exit from Gates Foundation Melinda French Gates formally stepped away from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024, ending decades of joint work in global health, education and poverty alleviation. She launched Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in late 2022, a year after the divorce, focusing on advancing womens rights, economic mobility and social equality. Affair allegations and board investigation The couples split followed revelations about Bill Gates past relationship with a Microsoft employee. In 2019, the woman sent a letter to Microsofts board detailing an affair that reportedly began in 2000 and requesting that Melinda be informed. Microsofts board investigated the claims and later described the relationship as inappropriate, according to The Wall Street Journal. US President Donald Trump's intensified crackdown on immigration, hike in H-1B visa fees had already left a lot of foreign professionals on the edge. Adding to the growing uncertainty, the US Embassy in India recently issued a warning as thousands of Indians remain stranded in the country due to ongoing delays in H-1B and H-4 visa appointments. For thousands of foreign professionals in US, the H-1B visa is not just tied to a job, but also to their respective employers, raising a common question: Can a H-1B visa holder switch jobs? The short answer is yes, but under some clearly defined rules. Livemint explains how the entire process works, what you need to do if switching jobs, while on a H-1B visa. Can I switch jobs while on H-1B visa? Yes, one can switch jobs while on a H-1B visa and avoid losing the legal status in the US by following the H-1B visa transfer. An H-1B transfer allows an individual holding the visa to change employers without needing to go through the entire H-1B application process again. What happens when you're switching? Step-by-step guide here Once a job offer is secured, the H-1B visa holder's new employer is required to file a new H1B petition (Form I129) and associated Labor Condition Application (LCA). The LCA is a crucial part which if not filed within the required timeframe, can lead to delays in the job change process or even a denial of the H-1B transfer. Following approval of the LCA, the new employer submits an I-129 petition to USCIS. Once USCIS issues a receipt, a H-1B visa holder can begin working for the new employer. What documents are required for transfer? The following documents are required for a H-1B visa transfer: US visa, I-797, and I-94 Employee's resume Pay slips, a letter from employer University degree and transcript, along with academic evaluations Along with the enlisted documents, the new employer is also required to submit: A letter of position stating the H-1B visa holder's job title and salary, signed by both employee and employer; a proper job description and the companys financial statements, annual reports, or business plans Who pays H-1B transfer cost? Similar to the initial H-1B visa filing, the visa holder's employer is required to pay all the mandatory fees in connection with the H-1B visa transfer. H-1B transfer takes how much time? As per multiple immigration sites, a H-1B transfer typically takes 4 to 8 weeks once the application has been submitted. The exact processing time, however, varies from one case to another. Do I need to wait for H-1B petition approval? No, you can begin working at your new company before your H-1B visa petition gets approved. Is there any limit to Donald Trump's powers? The US President said that his powers are constrained not by international treaties but only by his own morality." When asked in an exclusive interview with The New York Times on Wednesday if there were any limits on his global powers, Trump said, Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Also Read | Senate advances war powers bill to block Trump from further action in Venezuela I dont need international law, Trump said in the two-hour interview. Im not looking to hurt people," he added. Trump's comments came days after the US launched an operation against Venezuela to capture the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries, plus the autonomous territory of Greenland. Also Read | Venezuela to buy ONLY American products with oil revenues, Trump says When pressed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Trump said, I do. However, he made it clear that he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the United States. It depends on what your definition of international law is, he told the NYT. US Senate votes to curb military action in Venezuela Trump's statement came as the US Senate advanced a resolution on Thursday that would bar him from further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorisation, a rare rebuke of the Republican leader. The vote on a procedural measure to advance the war powers resolution was 52 to 47, as five of Trump's Republicans voted with every Democrat in favour of moving ahead. One Republican senator did not vote. But even if this resolution reaches Trump's desk, he would likely veto it. The vote took place days after the US captured Maduro in a dramatic military raid in Caracas on Saturday. Many Democrats called Trump's invasion of Venezuela a lawless act since there was no authorisation from the US Congress. Thursday's voting was a significant victory for lawmakers who have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as spelt out in the Constitution. Will Trump be impeached? On Tuesday, Trump urged House Republicans to turn around their political prospects, warning that Democrats would seek to impeach him for a third time if they retook control of Congress. You got to win the midterms, Trump said at a party retreat. Theyll find a reason to impeach me. Ill get impeached, he said. Earlier, the call to impeach Trump grew among Democrats and on social media after the US launched a "large-scale" attack against Venezuela. Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez took to X to condemn Trump's actions and said, Many Americans woke up to a sick sense of deja vu. Under the guise of liberty, an administration of warmongers has lied to justify an invasion and is dragging us into an illegal, endless war so they can extract resources and expand their wealth. "We must pass Congresswoman Ilhan Omars War Powers Resolution that asserts Congress' authorities, and Trump must be impeached," she wrote on X. Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, widely known as the Doomsday Plane the most secretive aircraft in the US militarys arsenal made a rare public appearance this week, sparking speculation amid heightened global tensions. Designed to function as an airborne command centre during nuclear war or national catastrophe, the aircraft was seen flying across multiple US locations, including Washington, DC and Los Angeles, according to reports. Flight path raises questions Flight tracking data showed the E-4B departing Omaha, Nebraska, on January 6 before landing at Camp Springs, Maryland, near Washington, DC. The aircraft as per reports later flew to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Thursday (January 8). Videos and livestreams of the landing at LAX quickly went viral on social media, prompting questions about the purpose of the unusual flight. Defense Secretary on board US media outlets later confirmed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was aboard the aircraft. The plane reportedly departed from Joint Base Andrews and flew to Los Angeles. However, the Pentagon has not explained why the E-4B was used instead of a standard government aircraft. What is the Doomsday Plane? The E-4B Nightwatch serves as the National Airborne Operations Center, a flying command post for the president, defence secretary and senior military leadership during worst-case scenarios. Based on a modified Boeing 747-200, the aircraft is hardened against electromagnetic pulses, equipped with advanced communications systems and can remain airborne for days with in-flight refuelling. At least one of the four E-4Bs is kept on continuous standby. Up to 110 personnel can be on board, including command staff, intelligence teams and communications specialists. Rare operational use The aircraft has been activated only once in a real emergency following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when it was used to ensure continuity of government. While the fleet conducts routine training flights each year, public sightings are extremely rare, adding to the intrigue surrounding this weeks movements. Speculation amid rising global tensions The flight comes amid escalating geopolitical tensions, including a widening US military campaign linked to Venezuela and the recent capture of President Nicolas Maduro, who has been transferred to New York to face criminal charges. Although officials have not offered no link between these events and the E-4Bs movement, the timing has fueled speculation online. Why it matters Whether the aircrafts deployment was routine logistics, heightened security precautions, or a strategic signal remains unclear. US officials have so far declined to comment, leaving analysts and observers watching closely for further developments. Also Read | Trump cancels second wave of attacks on Venezuela A tongue-in-cheek social media post suggesting a marriage between Barron Trump and Princess Isabella of Denmark as a way for the United States to acquire Greenland has gone viral, drawing millions of views and sharply divided reactions online. The post, shared by an X account describing itself as offering metapolitical satire, proposed what it called a simple diplomatic solution to recent discussions around US interest in Greenland. It suggested Greenland be offered as a dowry if the youngest son of President Donald Trump were to marry the Danish royal. Since being posted on January 7, the suggestion has been viewed by around seven million users, sparking a wave of humorous, supportive and critical responses. Jokes, praise and out-of-the-box thinking Many users treated the idea as playful political satire, praising it for creativity rather than realism. Comments included: Not a bad idea lol An elegant solution Boom! That is out-of-the-box thinking. Europe will support this option. This would be a pretty clever deal actually. A user framed the idea as a throwback to dynastic politics, writing: This is how we in Austria resolved conflicts in the good old days of the Habsburg monarchy. Others leaned into the fairy-tale tone, calling it a match made in heaven and complimenting both teenagers, saying they were handsome and smart and beautiful and smart. Pushback: This Is Not the 1400s However, the viral post also drew strong criticism from users who rejected the premise as inappropriate and historically regressive. One widely shared response read: That is not geopolitics, that is medieval fan-fiction. Greenland is not a bargaining chip, Princess Isabella of Denmark is not a pawn, and Barron Trump is not a diplomatic tool. Nations are not exchanged through marriages, this is not the 1400s. Others echoed concerns about dragging minors and private individuals into geopolitical debates, arguing the joke crossed a line despite being framed as satire. Greenland and renewed US interest The viral moment comes amid renewed attention on Greenland, the worlds largest island and an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have repeatedly stressed that the territory is not for sale, despite past and recent remarks by Trump expressing interest in acquiring it. While Greenland governs its own domestic affairs, defense and foreign policy remain under Denmarks control. Satire meets geopolitics While few appear to take the proposal literally, the viral reaction underscores how discussions around Greenland, Trump and Europe continue to generate outsized attention online. Despite the buzz, there has been no official response from the White House, the Danish royal family or the governments of Denmark or Greenland regarding the post. Also Read | Trump says Venezuelan oppn leader might give him her Nobel Peace Prize next week Denmarks Defence Ministry has confirmed that its armed forces are permitted to open fire if any foreign power attempts to invade Danish territory. Troops do not need to wait for instructions from senior commanders before responding to an attack. The remarks come at a time when the United States is considering military options regarding Greenland, a territory governed by Denmark. Cold War-era rule still in force The directive dates back to 1952 and was issued during the Cold War. The rule clearly states that Danish forces must act instantly and defend the territory if it comes under threat from a foreign military, the ministry told local newspaper Berlingske. The policy was introduced after Nazi Germany invaded Denmark in April 1940. During that attack, communication systems failed across the country, leaving troops unable to receive timely orders. To avoid a repeat of such paralysis, the shoot first instruction has remained valid ever since. In the case of Greenland, Denmarks Joint Arctic Command would be responsible for deciding whether a situation qualifies as an attack that requires military action. This body oversees defence operations on the island and would assess any hostile movement toward the territory. Trump threatens takeover of Greenland The statement from Denmark follows renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested that the United States could take control of Greenland, a NATO territory. Trump has argued that Greenland is essential to American national security, pointing to increased Russian and Chinese activity in Arctic waters. The 79-year-old has insisted that US interests cannot be protected through limited agreements alone. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can't do with, you're talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can't get from just signing a document, he told the New York Times. The United States is already a party to a 1951 agreement that grants it extensive rights to establish military bases and facilities in Greenland. However, such actions require approval from both the Danish and Greenlandic authorities. Despite this, Danish and Greenlandic leaders have firmly stated that the territory is not for sale. Danish PM warns of consequences Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a strong warning this week, saying that a US military move against Greenland would have severe global consequences. If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops, she told Danish broadcaster TV2. Her remarks suggest that such an action could effectively destroy the NATO alliance. Iran protests Highlights: The US- based son of Irans former shah Reza Pahlavi called on Iranians on Saturday to organise more focused protests, urging them to seize and maintain control of city centers. "Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres," Reza Pahlavi said in a video message on social media, urging more protests on Saturday and Sunday and adding he was also "preparing to return to my homeland" in a day he believed was very near, AFP reported. US President Donald Trump said that the situation in Iran is being monitored very closely and hoped for the protestors in the country to be safe, ANI reported. He warned that if people get killed, the US would get involved and would hit the country where it hurts. His statement came as protests continued to rock Iran on Friday after the country's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi issued a call for demonstrations. Chants calling for the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, rang out on the streets of Tehran, reported AP, as protesters called for Pahlavi's return. What is happening in Iran? Massive protests that erupted on December 28, 2025, triggered by a worsening economic crisis marked by inflation, a collapsing rial, soaring food prices and mounting cost-of-living pressures, have spread to almost all of Irans 31 provinces. What began with demonstrations by shopkeepers and workers has expanded to include students, bazaari merchants and ordinary citizens, drawing crowds in more than 100 cities. Across many areas, protesters are no longer calling only for economic relief but are also demanding political change and voicing growing anger toward Irans leadership. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 62 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Why Internet was shutdown in Iran? Iran tightened controls on internet and phone services overnight as part of a stepped-up effort to suppress protests, after thousands of people were reported to have poured into streets nationwide, including in the capital, Tehran. Who is the exiled leader of Iran? The exiled leader of Iran is Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran. He is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last shah (monarch) of Iran who was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Reza Pahlavi has lived most of his life outside Iran, mainly in the United States, and has become a prominent opposition figure, advocating for democratic change and urging Iranians to protest and seek a secular, democratic government. Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on Iran protests. Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile overnight at a target in western Ukraine close to the border with NATO-member Poland, a move Kyiv and its European allies described as an attempt to intimidate them from continuing military support for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said the missile strike came as part of a wider barrage of drones and missiles that hit multiple regions, including the capital Kyiv. Moscow cites alleged attack on Putin residence Moscow said it launched the Oreshnik missile in retaliation for what it claims was a Ukrainian drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putins residence last month. Ukraine has denied the allegation, while the United States has said the incident did not occur. It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake Putin residence attack that never happened, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on X. Second use of Oreshnik missile This was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik, an intermediate-range ballistic missile designed to project power across Europe. Moscow has claimed the missile is impossible to intercept and capable of carrying nuclear warheads, though Ukrainian officials said it appeared to be fitted with inert dummy warheads. Civilian deaths and infrastructure damage Ukrainian authorities said the overnight attacks killed at least four people in Kyiv, knocked out power to more than half a million homes and damaged key infrastructure. Heavy snow and freezing temperatures worsened conditions as water and heating supplies were disrupted. One of those killed was emergency medic Serhiy Smoliak, 56, who was struck by a follow-up drone attack while helping survivors at a suburban apartment building. Embassy damaged, medics wounded Qatar confirmed that its embassy in Kyiv was damaged during the strikes, though no one was injured. Ukrainian officials said more than 20 people were wounded in the capital, including four medics and five rescue workers. EU denounces clear escalation European leaders condemned the missile strike as a dangerous escalation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia was sending a warning to Europe and the United States. Russias reported use of an Oreshnik missile is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S., Kallas said, calling for faster delivery of air defence systems and tougher sanctions on Moscow. Germany warns intimidation will fail German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the strike would not deter European support for Kyiv. Threatening gestures are intended to instil fear, but they will not work. We stand with Ukraine, Merz said. Russia claims military targets Moscow said the attack hit energy infrastructure and a factory producing drones allegedly used in the supposed strike on Putins residence in Russias Novgorod region. Kyiv dismissed the claim as an absurd lie aimed at undermining peace efforts. US President Donald Trump said the United States and Venezuela are cooperating effectively, noting that Caracas has begun releasing a large number of political prisoners as part of what he described as seeking peace." He further stated that he had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela that had been previously planned, citing the South American countrys cooperation as the reason. "Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of "Seeking Peace." This is a very important and smark gesture. The USA and Venezuela are working well together... Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks," he said on his Truth platform "At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," he added. Also Read | Venezuela to buy ONLY American products with oil revenues, Trump says The development follows closely on the heels of a US large-scale strike carried out in Venezuelas capital, Caracas, on Saturday, during which Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both were subsequently taken out of the country as part of a coordinated operation involving US intelligence agencies and law enforcement authorities. They have since been charged in the Southern District of New York with alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies and are currently standing trial. Earlier, Venezuelas interim President Delcy Rodriguez who previously served as vice-president under Maduro said ties with Washington had suffered an unprecedented stain. At the same time, she maintained that Venezuela would continue to follow a diversified economic strategy, engaging with major markets across all continents, according to El Cooperante. In a live address aired on state broadcaster VTV, Rodriguez accused the US of pursuing a policy of exclusion toward Venezuela. However, she stressed that trade and economic relations between the two countries are neither unusual nor excessive. Despite strained relations, Rodriguez said Venezuelas public and private sectors would remain connected to global markets, underscoring the countrys openness to international cooperation. The United States has seized the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean, marking the fifth such action in recent weeks as Washington intensifies its crackdown on Venezuelan oil shipments. Shipping records show the Olina was falsely registered under the flag of Timor-Leste. The vessel had earlier departed from Venezuela and later returned to the region. "The vessels AIS (location) tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao," British maritime risk management company Vanguard was quoted as saying by Reuters. Also Read | Russia condemns US seizure of oil tanker Marinera, cites breach of maritime law "The seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region." The Olina set sail from Venezuela last week with a full load of oil as part of a fleet, soon after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Washington first slapped sanctions on the Olina in January last year, when it was known as the Minerva M, saying the vessel was part of a socalled shadow fleet that operates with minimal regulation or recognised insurance. Another tanker from the same group, the M Sophia, which had also been part of a dozenstrong flotilla departing Venezuela earlier this month, was seized by US forces earlier this week. Three other ships Skylyn, Min Hang and Merope all fully loaded and from the same flotilla that left last week, returned to Venezuelan waters on Thursday, Reuters reported source. A further seven tankers from that group, also carrying full cargoes, were expected to arrive back in Venezuelan waters on Friday and Saturday. Reuters, citing an industry source, said all the oil on those 10 tankers belonged to Venezuelan state producer PDVSA. PDVSA did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Also Read | Three crude oil stocks to benefit amid US-Venezuela tension It remains unclear if Washington plans to take action against the other tankers that are heading towards Venezuela. News / National by Staff reporter A dramatic turn has emerged in the case of a fatal road accident that claimed the lives of three members of a bridal party en route to Ruwa, after the accused truck driver withdrew his initial guilty plea.Kenyan national Ibrahim Albashire Adanw, who was driving a haulage truck involved in the deadly collision, has applied to retract his earlier admission of culpable homicide, sparking outrage and disbelief among the bereaved families.The accident occurred on December 23, 2025, at the notorious Mufusire Uphill along the HarareMutare Highway near Headlands. Adanw's white Benz haulage truck reportedly collided head-on with a Nissan Note, killing Ngonidzashe Simango, Taurai Kaseke and Ngoni Mutsoka, who were part of a bridal party travelling to Ruwa.Adanw had initially pleaded guilty to culpable homicide before Rusape magistrate Mrs Barbra Mateko. However, following engagement of legal counsel, he applied to change his plea, arguing that his admission was not made with a full understanding of the charge and its legal implications.Through his lawyer, Mr Tendai Bvuma of Bvuma and Associates, Adanw contended that the essential elements of negligence were not properly explained to him at the time of plea."What was explained to the accused was simply that he drove a motor vehicle and that the driving resulted in the death of three people. Driving and causing death, in itself, is not an offence," submitted Mr Bvuma.He argued that the offence only arises when negligence is clearly outlined and admitted, which he claims did not happen in this case.Mr Bvuma further told the court that Adanw had consistently maintained that the accident was unavoidable. According to the defence, there was a stationary truck in Adanw's lane, prompting him to move into the opposite lane to overtake. At that point, the Nissan Note allegedly appeared suddenly, travelling downhill at excessive speed."The Nissan Note was speeding down the slope while the applicant's truck was going uphill. The collision could never have been avoided. There is no indication that the applicant fully understood the concept of negligence or admitted to it," said Mr Bvuma.He added that no evidence was placed on record to show that Adanw made an informed and voluntary plea of guilty.The State, however, strongly opposed the application.Prosecutor Ms Faith Mutukwa argued that the plea was properly taken and that Adanw had admitted to the essential elements of the offence.She told the court that Adanw caused the accident by overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic and travelling at excessive speed."On December 23 at around 8am, the accused was driving a white Benz truck (AGI 288 MP) towards Mutare. Upon reaching the 120km peg, he encroached into the opposite lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a Nissan Note (AHC 0831) driven by Ngonidzashe Simango," said Ms Mutukwa.She said Simango and his two passengers, Taurai Kaseke and Ngoni Mutsoka, died on the spot, with post-mortem reports attributing their deaths to severe head injuries. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage.The State alleges that Adanw was negligent by overtaking in front of an oncoming vehicle, travelling at an excessive speed, failing to keep a proper lookout and failing to act when an accident became imminent.Mrs Mateko is expected to deliver her ruling on the application today (Friday).Meanwhile, the victims' families remain distraught, saying the sudden change of plea has reopened wounds as they continue to mourn the tragic loss of their loved ones. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously declared in 2011 that software is eating the world." This year, Silicon Valley will be looking to feast on artificial intelligence, as the relentless hype thats driven the creation of nearly 40,000 AI startups crashes into the cold logic of business economics. US companies spent $37 billion on generative AI software in 2025, up from $11.5 billion the year before, according to venture capital firm Menlo Ventures. But much of that spending has been across a motley array of tools. With pressure mounting to show a meaningful return on investment, 2026 will see a Darwinian thinning as a few AI winners continue selling while many weaker players get gobbled up by large technology firms. When a swathe of startups seek to solve the same problem but only two or three manage to capture the market, some of the rest could become acquisition targets. The same pattern occurred with cloud software, leading to a wave of private equity-driven acquisitions in 2020 and 2021. Two deals hastily wrapped up before New Year offer clues to how that may play out with AI: Silicon Valleys biggest companies will look to China to buy AI startups outright and scoop up Western firms through stealth acquisitions. Also Read | Energy stakes: Power capacity could determine who wins the AI race The key in both approaches will be to cleverly avoid the ire of regulators by trying not to trigger outbound investment rules when they buy Chinese firms and by using hiring-and-licensing dealsknown in the industry as acqui-hiresto avoid antitrust scrutiny when they grab competitors in the US and Europe. A loss of confidence in AI could accelerate that consolidation as tech giants take advantage of what could become a fire-sale for startups. The result: Big Tech weathers the market storm and entrenches its domination, picking up talent and intellectual property along the way. The first of those year-end deals saw Nvidia enter a $20 billion non-exclusive licensing arrangement" with Groq, a San Jose-based chipmaking startup, on 24 December. Some media reports called the deal an acquisition, which maybe it was in spirit but not technically. Nvidia paid for the right to use Groqs technology and to integrate its chip design into future products, with some Groq executives also joining Nvidia. What sounds like an outright purchase was more of a backdoor acquisition aimed at dodging antitrust review, a technique thats become part of the Silicon Valley playbook in the AI era. Microsoft kicked things off in 2024 with a $650 million licensing deal with Inflection, a promising AI startup whose chief executive officer, a co-founder of Googles DeepMind, ended up going to the software giant as part of the deal. Alphabets Google did much the same with Character.AI in a $2.7 billion tie-up, as did Amazon with its acqui-hire of high-flying startup Adept, and Google again with the $2.4 billion purchase of the assets and talent at AI-coding startup Windsurf in 2025. Regulators may be slow, but theyre not stupid; both the US Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice are investigating some of these deals-that-smell-like-acquisitions. But President Donald Trumps December 2025 executive order signalled a potentially softer line on antitrust enforcement. However closely the FTC may be watching, these quasi mergers look set to continue. The other deal that offers a glimpse of the future was Metas December acquisition of Manus, one of the highest-profile AI startups to come out of China after DeepSeek. There was nothing stealthy about this outright purchasesaid to be worth $2 billionwhich will help Meta sell AI agents to companies. Why? Because Trump is also eager to see the US win the broader AI race with China, and part of his strategy is to disrupt Chinas efforts at self-sufficiency by flooding its market with American productshence his willingness to let Nvidia continue selling chips to China. He may likewise look favourably on Silicon Valley neutralizing some of the Chinese competition through M&A. That will benefit the tech giants, thanks to how the pendulum has swung in the China-US tech dynamic. In the early years of the mobile internet, Chinese companies flagrantly copied products from Silicon Valley, as Alibaba Group did with eBay. But the direction of travel has shifted, says Winston Ma, a professor at New York University School of Law and a partner at Dragon Global. China is now producing the innovators. Meta copied TikTok features to develop its Instagram and Meta short video ecosystem," Ma tells me. Now in the AI age, Meta purchases Manus." He expects other AI startups in China could follow a similar path, seeking lucrative exits through the Silicon Valley giants. Also Read | Why the Nvidia-Groq deal is adding fuel to the debate on AI valuations Manuss Chinese founders seem notable for how they distanced themselves from their homeland, headquartering their company in Singapore and scrubbing away links to China over the past year so that Meta, when it announced the purchase, could officially rule out any Chinese ownership interests" in the startup. But theres a deeper reason why Manus could position itself to sell to the US: Chinas AI entrepreneurs have a more global approach to doing business than their predecessors. This new batch of young founders grew up with the Internet and accessed US platforms like Reddit, Twitter and Google with the help of virtual private networks (VPNs) that got them around Chinas great online firewall. One leading Chinese AI startup named all their meeting rooms after Western rock bands like Led Zeppelin, a venture capitalist in Beijing tells me. Manuss founder named his first company Nightingale after Oscar Wildes book, The Nightingale and the Rose. These entrepreneurs are more attuned with the West, and more interested in building products with widespread impact and worldwide userbases than making money and killing their competitors as Alibabas founder Jack Ma did. Selling to established global platforms thus looks more appealing. Geopolitical sensitivities, of course, make the sale of DeepSeek, the bellwether of Chinese AI startups, unlikely. But others such as Beijing-based Moonshot AI, which develops large language models, and Zhipu AI could be valuable add-ons for the likes of Alphabet and Microsoft. The latter has a long-established presence in China. AI hype created a torrent of new companies, but theres sadly little chance that any of themeven large ones like OpenAI and Anthropicwill unseat the so-called Magnificent Seven. As three years of AI trials and experimentation now shift towards favouring a few vendors, a veritable buffet of struggling startups across the globe will look for a way out. The Silicon Valley establishment will have its feast. Bloomberg The author is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. On Wednesday, the same day that the National Statistics Office published its first advance estimate of GDP for 2025-26, the government announced that Indias long-overdue census will kick off on 1 April 2026. The coincidence is apt, even if unintended. If economic growth is about prosperity, the census is about people. And since the aim of any democracy is to ensure that prosperity reaches all its people, we need to know more about the latter. Its here that Census 2027 is expected to play a vital role. Also Read | Indias 2027 Census demands careful planning to get outcomes right For starters, though our population has overtaken Chinas, according to Worldometer, a website that offers real-time statistics, our headcount is likely to conclusively show that India is now the worlds most populous country. But thats not all. As the 16th of a decadal series that goes as far back as 1872, its report will serve as our biggest source of primary data at the grassroots level. It will offer information on a host of parameters, such as housing, religion, language, literacy, business activity, migration, fertility and so on that can be sliced for analysis by village, town and ward. This will aid in planning, policy formulation and public administration so that welfare schemes reach their intended beneficiaries. Notably, this will be our first digital census, to be conducted by around 3 million enumerators. Data will be collected using mobile apps that will be available for both Android and iOS phones. There will also be an option for self-enumeration within 15 days just before a 30-day span scheduled for house-listing operations. In another first, Census 2027 will digitally capture caste data. The last comprehensive caste count was conducted back in 1931 under the British Raj. Census 2027 is important for another big reason. In accordance with a cabinet decision of the Vajpayee government, its data will determine how delimitation is donethe process, that is, of fixing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies after the constituencies they represent are redrawn. Given that southern and western states have had greater success in population control vis-a-vis states in north, central and eastern India, any remake of our representation map by the latest headcount is bound to skew political power in favour of the latter states. Unsurprisingly, southern states have been particularly vocal in opposing such an exercise. They argue that it will effectively penalize states which reduced their birth rates and tilt the composition of Parliament against the spirit of federalism. However, the situation we have today, where the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among states is based on the 1971 census, also goes against the spirit of representative democracy in a federal republic. Consider this. The average Member of Parliament (MP) from the five southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh represents 1.94 million voters, while the average MP from the five populous states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh speaks for as many as 2.57 million. As we approach this exercise thats slated to begin next fiscal year, Census 2027 can only be viewed as a mixed blessing at best. On one hand, it will give the government a far more granular and informed picture of the people it governs, which is crucial from a policy perspective. On the other, it could stir discontent over regional representation and caste, both of which need to be addressedbut defy easy solutions. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar on Friday dismissed speculation about a merger of the NCP and the NCP(SP), saying such discussions existed only in the media. On the NCP-NCP(SP) alliance in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pawar said it was not premeditated. Local party workers felt that contesting together would be beneficial. That is how the alliance was formed, Ajit Pawar told PTI in an interview. Right now, we are focused only on winning maximum seats, he said. Elections to 29 municipal corporations, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies, across the state are scheduled for 15 January. Votes will be counted the next day. Pawar attacks local BJP leadership Pawar also said that party-hopping has become rampant, with leaders being lured or coerced into switching sides, as he continued his attack on the local BJP leadership in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Also Read | Maharashtra civic polls: 12 suspended Congress councillors join BJP in Ambernath Lately, political parties have almost abandoned their respective ideologies. Leaders are going anywhere and doing whatever they feel, he added. He alleged that their lack of vision had pushed the two civic bodies into crisis, despite massive spending over the last eight to nine years. From 1992 till 2017, Pimpri-Chinchwad was developed with minute planning. The corporation became the richest civic body in Asia due to sound financial management and able leadership. There was no need to take loans or issue bonds during our tenure, Pawar claimed. Though partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the state, the BJP and NCP are contesting the civic polls in the two cities independently. The BJP has been urging Pawar to refrain from targeting allies while campaigning. Alleging that some leaders are being poached through inducements, while others are pressured by highlighting pending inquiries against them, the NCP chief said money and muscle power are being openly used in the political arena. Those who have money and muscle power are using it. Those who feel that votes can be sought by raking up caste issues are adopting that tactic, Pawar said. Surveys are being used to check who is the most popular candidate in a particular area. If that person belongs to the opposite party, efforts are made to poach him or her, he said ahead of the upcoming civic polls. Also Read | Maharashtra: Gauri Lankesh murder accused to contest Jalna civic polls A group of US Senators have now asked Apple and Google to pull down the X and Grok apps from their App Stores over the chatbots mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. The chatbot, which is baked deep into the X experience, has been mired in controversy after its image editing capabilities were exploited by users to digitally remove clothes from women and children. After growing criticism over Groks nonconsensual image generation, the chatbot claimed earlier this week that its image editing feature was being restricted to paying users. However, the company is yet to clarify whether this is actually the case. In any event, the three US Senators, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Ben Ray Lujan, now want Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to step in and temporarily remove the Grok and X apps from their App Stores. The senators termed Groks image generation sickening and said that the stores should keep these apps off their platforms until Xs policy violations are addressed. We write to ask that you enforce your app stores terms of service against X Corps X and Grok apps for their mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. Xs generation of these harmful and likely illegal depictions of women and children has shown complete disregard for your stores distribution terms, the senators said in their open letter. The senators also claimed that X has encouraged this behaviour, alleging that CEO Musk acknowledged the disturbing trend with laugh-cry emoji reactions. They further stated that researchers have recently discovered a Grok app archive that is said to contain around 100 images of potential child sexual abuse material generated by the chatbot since August. There can be no mistake about Xs knowledge, and, at best, negligent response to these trends, the senators wrote. Turning a blind eye to Xs egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices. Indeed, not taking action would undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones. This principle has been core to your advocacy against legislative reforms to increase app store competition and your defenses to claims that your app stores abuse their market power through their payment systems, they added. News / National by Staff reporter A devastating mix-up at Nyaradzo Funeral Services in Mutare has left two families traumatised after a Chipinge family unknowingly buried the wrong body - that of a 100-year-old woman - instead of their 85-year-old relative.The error only came to light after relatives of the centenarian were presented with the body of the 85-year-old woman and immediately refused to collect it, insisting it did not belong to their family.Investigations have since revealed that on Friday at around 11am, at Checheche graveyard in Chipinge South Constituency, the Muzwati family buried the remains of Mbuya Eddina Gwavava Mufambi (100), a resident of Greenside Extension in Mutare, instead of those of their relative, Mbuya Nerita Muyambo (85), of Checheche Town Centre.Mbuya Muyambo had suffered a stroke in September 2025 and passed away on December 31, 2025, while receiving treatment at a relative's home in Mutare. Her remains were collected the same day by Nyaradzo Funeral Services and taken to the company's mortuary.However, on New Year's Day, a Nyaradzo hearse driver, Mr Munyaradzi Nyagweta, accompanied by a mortician, mistakenly identified and loaded the remains of Mbuya Gwavava into the hearse, believing them to be those of Mbuya Muyambo. The body was transported to Checheche Growth Point and buried the following day.Family members of the late Mbuya Muyambo reportedly raised concerns during body viewing, questioning noticeable changes in the deceased's complexion. Funeral service staff allegedly dismissed the concerns, attributing them to mortuary cosmetics and prolonged freezer storage, and the burial proceeded.The mix-up was discovered last Saturday during a body viewing at Nyaradzo Funeral Services' Mutare branch. Officials subsequently informed Ms Susan Mukoyi, daughter of the late Mbuya Muyambo.The remains of Mbuya Gwavava were supposed to have been buried at Muzondi Village under Chief Marange in Mutare Rural District.A police report was filed at ZRP Chisumbanje by Ms Mukoyi on Monday, accompanied by Nyaradzo Funeral Services manager Mr Lazarus Bvuma, as preliminary processes for exhumation were initiated.Former Chipinge South legislator, Enock Porusingazi, who attended the funeral, said relatives had objected to the identity of the body, but their concerns were ignored."The close family raised objections after body viewing, but it fell on deaf ears. Staff insisted it was the correct body, blaming the changes on freezer storage and make-up," he said.Porusingazi said the community was deeply disturbed by the incident."This mistake has serious cultural, religious and social implications. People conducted rituals, shared testimonies and spent nights mourning the wrong body. This is unacceptable and shows a lack of professionalism," he said.Nyaradzo Funeral Services regional manager, Mr Dereck Ndebele, declined to comment, saying he was not the appropriate person to address the matter.Chipinge District Development Coordinator, Mr William Mashava, confirmed that the exhumation process was underway."Preparatory processes are ongoing. Kindly confirm further details with Nyaradzo," he said.A Government mortician, who declined to be named, described the incident as shocking, citing strict verification procedures at mortuaries."This appears to be sheer negligence. Bodies are tagged and verified with relatives before release. For such an exchange to occur is almost unimaginable," she said.Efforts to obtain comment from the families involved were unsuccessful. A representative of the centenarian's family declined to comment.Meanwhile, the community continues to demand accountability as arrangements are made to exhume and rebury the remains correctly. Use the arrows < > above to go through the gallery Longford County Council has launched a UR Impact Integrated Action Plan for Ballymahon, setting out a roadmap to strengthen social infrastructure, tackle isolation and improve connections across the town. The plan emerged from two and a half years of work under the UR Impact project, an URBACT Action Planning Network that brought together local residents, stakeholders and council representatives to place community needs at the centre of urban regeneration. Through extensive engagement, the URBACT Local Group identified a vision: to create an environment where all sectors of the community feel part of the town and to support sustainable, community-led development with robust governance. Four goals underpin the plan: Develop a community-aligned governance structure to support project delivery and management Provide spaces for older people to socialise, engage and contribute meaningfully Create a town where young people are supported through high-quality services and welcoming spaces Improve connections within Ballymahon Priority actions include establishing a Men's Shed and bringing Foroige Youth Services to the town. An initial community event held at Bridgeways Family Resource Centre on November 20 last brought together representatives from Men's Sheds in Granard, Killoe and Edgeworthstown to share their experiences with local men interested in starting a shed in Ballymahon. Students from Mercy Secondary School and Ballymahon Vocational School met with Foroige Youth Services Coordinator Dawn Gorman to explore opportunities for youth services. Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Garry Murtagh said, "This plan demonstrates what happens when we genuinely listen to communities and act on what matters to them. The Men's Shed movement has changed lives across County Longford, and our young people need spaces where they can flourish. These aren't distant aspirations this is a practical framework that will strengthen the foundations of Ballymahon." Chief Executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon said, "The Integrated Action Plan represents a fundamental shift in how we approach urban regeneration. By placing social, economic and environmental wellbeing at the core, we're building something that will endure. The engagement and energy shown by Ballymahon residents gives me confidence that this plan will deliver meaningful, lasting change." The Integrated Action Plan for Ballymahon is available to download from the Longford County Council website. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme Members of the Town Centre First team were recently given the chance to see inside Connolly Barracks. Touring a section of the building, as well as its grounds, the team heard of the plans for the impressive future redevelopment of the 18 acre site, which has not been in use since 2009. Deputy Chief Executive John Brannigan and Town Regeneration Officer Lorraine OConnor in the former military lounge of Connolly Barracks Leading the visit was Deputy Chief Executive John Brannigan and Town Regeneration Officer Lorraine OConnor both of whom have been to the forefront of the regeneration project from day one and are credited for their immense work on the funding application submitted to the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme (THRIVE). The application resulted in Longford County Council being granted 100% of the funds for the gargantuan project. A member of the Town Centre First Team pulls back a sheet to discover a military schedule template still on the white board from back when the barracks was in use. The allocation of the 7 million in funding back in September enabled the council to proceed with their ambitious plans to fully transform the three-storey former army barracks, a protected structure, and its grounds into an incredibly impressive creative makerspace, county museum, meeting rooms, a podcast and recording studio, music rooms, and associated amenities for the town including a coffee shop. Speaking to the Longford Leader during the Town Centre First Team's visit to the barracks, Longford County Council's Town Regeneration Officer Lorraine OConnor, explained the significance of taking the members inside the barracks. We brought members of the Town Centre First Team up to view Connolly Barracks so we could talk about the development of the building and what we're going to do." Some members of the Town Centre First team Lorraine added, "Lots of members on the team within the council aren't familiar with (inside) the building itself so this was an opportunity to bring them up to see it; to have a look around to see what the building is currently like, and then to talk to them about the plans, so they have a better understanding of the site and what we're hoping to do with the project. Members of the public, council staff, etc, wouldn't be getting access to the building on a regular basis as it's not used." "We did have a public consultation here as part of the THRVE consultation in November/December, 2024 and we invited the members of the public in to have a look at where we were at in terms of design and to give information and feedback, but some of the council staff didn't get an opportunity to attend on the night so today was an opportunity just to bring them around and explain what we're hoping to do as we want them to be part of the whole conversation on it." "They were delighted to see it and to see the history of the building as Connolly Barracks has been such an important part of the town for such a long time. THRIVE funding is a 90m nationwide fund aimed at revitalising heritage buildings throughout Irish town centres, with a view to them being utilised for community use. To be successful, projects had to meet an enormous amount of very specific criteria. The process was certainly an investment in both time, patience, and energy, but its one that will now fortunately pay dividends for Longford. The project, which is set to go to tender within the coming week, is expected to be opening its doors again, this time to the public, in 2027. The former military bar and lounge Connolly Barracks Reimagined is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 20212027. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme Read More: Exciting plans for Longford's Connolly Barracks Read More: Longford County Council shares ambitious plans for Connolly Barracks at EU meeting A warhead believed to be from an Oreshnik missile flashes through the sky in Ukraines Lviv region just before midnight on January 8. (Trukha Lviv on Telegram) Russia appears to have used its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) in Ukraine last night. It is Moscows second Oreshnik strike in the country, which the Russians likely intended more for a psychological rather than military effect. Ukrainian officials said that the missile hit an unspecified critical infrastructure facility in the western region of Lviv, near the Polish border. The strike, which occurred just before midnight, was part of a larger missile and drone barrage targeting energy infrastructure across the country. It came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the US Embassy in Kyiv issued unusual warnings about an impending Russian aerial attack. The Security Service of Ukraine later shared photos of what it said were Oreshnik fragments. Russia first used the Oreshnik against the Pivdenmash aerospace plant in the city of Dnipro in November 2024. In both that strike and last nights attack, the missiles reportedly were launched from the Kapustin Yar test range in southwestern Russia and achieved speeds of 13,000 kilometers per hour (Mach 11). After the 2024 strike, a Pentagon spokesperson called the Oreshnik an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile that is based on Russias RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile model. The official said Russia had pre-notified the United States briefly before the launch through nuclear risk reduction channels. Whether Moscow provided notification before last nights strike is unclear. The RS-26, based on the RS-24 Yars ICBM, was tested in the 2010s. At the time, observers raised concerns that Russia intended the Rubezh to be an IRBM rather than an ICBM and was attempting to circumvent the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. But in 2018, state-run TASS reported that Moscow had frozen the Rubezh program to prioritize funding the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. Like the Rubezh, the Oreshnik is believed to be a road-mobile, two-stage missile. It can deliver nuclear or conventional payloads. In the 2024 strike, the missile carried six warheads, each with six inert flechettes rather than explosives, resulting in limited damage. Video footage suggests that the missile used last night had a similar number of warheads, although it is unclear if they were armed with explosive submunitions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Oreshnik as part of a whole line of INF-range missiles Russia is developing. Last nights strike came after General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, told foreign military attaches on December 19 that Russia had formed an Oreshnik brigade. On December 30, the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries announced that a Russian Strategic Missile Forces battalion equipped with Oreshniks had begun combat duty in Belarus, apparently at a site near the Russian border. The footage they released, however, showed only auxiliary vehicles, not the launchers, and the site is apparently not yet complete. After the 2024 attack, Moscow framed the Oreshnik strike as a response to a recent US decision to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with Western-provided missiles. In truth, Russia had likely planned the launch well beforehand, as Gerasimov reportedly confirmed this sequence of events to his American counterpart. Likewise, although the Russian Defense Ministry described last nights barrage as retaliation for a supposed Ukrainian drone attack targeting a Russian presidential residence, the US government says Kyiv never went after that facility. In a war with NATO, Russia could employ conventionally armed IRBMs for prompt deep strikes on high-value area targets such as aircraft parked at air bases. However, using such an expensive missile for a routine attack on Ukrainian infrastructure, when Russia has cheaper and more abundant munitions better suited for that purpose, makes far less military sense. Instead, Moscow likely employed the Oreshnik as a form of signaling, primarily to the West. The strike comes as Western countries have touted plans to provide post-war security commitments to Kyiv, including by deploying European troops on Ukrainian territorysomething Moscow vehemently opposes. At the same time, the attack could backfire diplomatically. In the past, Russian saber-rattling and barrages against Ukrainian cities have resonated negatively with US President Donald Trump, fueling frustrations with Moscow that led him to impose sanctions on Russias top oil companies in October. With Putin still refusing to budge on his maximalist demands in Ukraine peace talks, Trump might see a need for greater pressure on Moscow. John Hardie is the deputy director of FDDs Russia Program and a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal. News / National by Staff reporter Gweru residents are facing a severe water crisis after heavy rains caused three electricity poles to collapse, cutting power supply to the city's main water pumping station at Gwenhoro Dam and disrupting water deliveries across most suburbs.The prolonged power outage has left the local authority unable to abstract, treat and pump water for several days, forcing residents to seek alternative water sources amid growing fears of water-borne diseases.With taps dry in many areas, some residents have resorted to harvesting rainwater, while others are relying on boreholes or drawing water from unsafe sources, raising serious public health concerns.Gweru Mayor, Councillor Martin Chivhoko, confirmed the developments, saying efforts to restore power had been delayed by adverse weather conditions."I am sorry to let you know that work on the Gwenhoro 33kV feeder was suspended due to poor light. We had three poles down and broken conductors, and work was scheduled to resume early this morning to restore power supply," said Clr Chivhoko.He said the outage had severely disrupted the city's entire water supply chain."The power outages have affected abstraction, pumping, treatment and storage of both treated and raw water for the past five days," the mayor said.Clr Chivhoko added that the council was exploring long-term solutions to prevent electricity poles from collapsing during heavy rains, which have become a recurring cause of power failures and water shortages in the city."The recent heavy rains have worsened the situation, resulting in the collapse of three electricity poles and cutting off power to critical water pumping infrastructure," he said.The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) attributed the outage to fallen poles, citing unstable ground conditions that have made it difficult for repair trucks to access the affected areas.Meanwhile, residents' groups have expressed frustration over the recurring crisis. Acting chairperson of the Gweru Residents Trust, Mr Obvious Gonamombe, said residents were once again being forced to rely on alternative and often unsafe water sources."Each year, we face the same challenge when Zesa poles topple. We need a lasting solution," he said.Mr Gonamombe called for investment in alternative energy sources, such as solar power, to reduce reliance on the national grid."The water shortage has serious implications for public health, agriculture and the local economy," he added.Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association director, Mr Cornelius Selipiwe, said outdated infrastructure, frequent power outages and rapid population growth were at the core of the city's water challenges."At present, Gweru City Council can only pump about 43 megalitres of water per day against a daily demand of 125 megalitres. We urgently need investment in new and modern water reticulation infrastructure," he said.Mr Selipiwe noted that the city's water system, constructed between 1952 and 1957, was no longer coping with current demand, while persistent power cuts continued to disrupt pumping and treatment operations.He added that water-rationing measures had worsened the situation, with some suburbs receiving water only once or twice a week."As a result, households are being forced to seek alternative, often unsafe, water sources, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid," said Mr Selipiwe.He urged the local authority and key stakeholders to urgently restore power to pumping stations and implement sustainable, long-term solutions to guarantee reliable access to clean water for residents. Green, smart goods boosted by trade-ins China Daily) 13:48, January 09, 2026 China's trade-in programs, with greater emphasis on greener and smarter products this year, will better meet people's needs to upgrade their older models and further unleash the country's consumption potential, analysts said. They say dedicated fiscal funds for this consumption-boosting initiative in 2026 could see an increase from the 300 billion yuan ($42.9 billion) recorded during the previous year, and the scope of these incentives to broaden beyond durable goods is likely to also encompass services consumption. According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Commerce and other government departments in early January, consumer purchases of energy and water-efficient household appliances are eligible for subsidies of up to 1,500 yuan per item. Eligible household appliances include refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, air conditioners, water heaters and computers. Subsidies for these items are set at 15 percent of the final purchase price after any discounts are applied. Certain digital and smart products, including mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches and smart bands, are also covered, provided each item is priced at no more than 6,000 yuan. For this category, the subsidy is capped at 500 yuan per item. Additionally, consumers who scrap old vehicles and purchase new ones can receive subsidies calculated as a proportion of the new vehicle's price, with the maximum subsidy capped at 20,000 yuan. Earlier this month, China frontloaded 62.5 billion yuan of ultra-long term special treasury bonds as the first batch of funds to support trade-ins of consumer goods this year, said the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic regulator. China's consumption ratio measured by household spending as a share of GDP remains relatively lower than international peers, presenting a clear opportunity and pointing to substantial room for growth, said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating International. China's household consumption accounted for 39.9 percent of the economy in 2024, marking a gap compared with developed economies, where the rate is typically 10 to 30 percentage points higher. "Fiscal funds earmarked from the ultra-long-term bonds underpinning the trade-ins are expected to rise to 500 billion yuan in 2026, higher than the 300 billion yuan in 2025," Wang said. Sales of consumer goods under China's trade-in program exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan last year, benefiting over 360 million people, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. Specifically, over 11.5 million automobiles, 129 million home appliances, 91 million digital products, 120 million home decor, kitchen and bathroom items, as well as 12.5 million electric bicycles were purchased through the trade-in program in 2025. Analysts also pointed to the structure of spending as a key area for development, with the share of services consumption in China remaining notably lower than in advanced economies. China is shifting from a goods-dominated consumption model to one balanced between goods and services, with demand for services such as culture, tourism, eldercare and childcare remaining robust, an official from the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs said. While demand for high-quality services is rising alongside higher incomes and demographic shifts, the current services provision capacity has yet to fully scale up to meet the surge, said Luo Zhiheng, chief economist and head of the research institute at Yuekai Securities. To tackle this, the dedicated 500 billion yuan re-lending facility, established last year by the People's Bank of China the country's central bank should be fully leveraged to support market entities in enhancing both the quality and availability of services and eldercare provisions, Luo said. Luo added that China's incentives to stimulate consumer spending could extend beyond durable goods to encompass essential service sectors like childhood education. In late December, the Ministry of Commerce, along with the PBOC and the National Financial Regulatory Administration, released a document pledging stronger financial support for consumer spending. In the document, financial institutions were encouraged to refine their services for consumption of big-ticket goods, while for the services sector, the document emphasized innovative financial products targeting industries such as eldercare, catering, tourism and education. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) News / National by Staff reporter A Harare magistrate has convicted a senior medical doctor and former Registrar of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe (MDPCZ), Dr Collin Benyure, of perjury after finding that he deliberately misled the court by falsely claiming he had authority to testify on behalf of the council.Dr Benyure (64) was found guilty of contravening Section 183 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], which criminalises the making of false statements under oath during judicial proceedings. He is expected to be sentenced today.The conviction stems from Dr Benyure's testimony as a defence witness in an earlier criminal case, where he told the court under oath that he had been authorised by the MDPCZ to represent and speak on its behalf. During his perjury trial, the State produced evidence showing that no such authority had been granted.Prosecutors submitted a council resolution which confirmed that Dr Benyure had not been authorised to testify on behalf of the MDPCZ, arguing that he knowingly misled the court while under oath.In its closing submissions, the State stressed that Dr Benyure's former roles as registrar and spokesperson of the council did not automatically give him the legal authority to represent the statutory body in court without a formal resolution.Handing down judgment on Thursday, Magistrate Donald Ndirowei ruled that the State had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. He held that a statutory council, as a juristic person, can only act through representatives who have been formally authorised."The accused's assertion that his position alone clothed him with authority to represent the council is legally indefensible," Magistrate Ndirowei said.The court heard that in 2023, Dr Andrew Mataruse reported a case of cyberbullying against Lenon Tonderai Gwaunza. The matter was investigated by the CID Commercial Crimes Division (Northern Region), leading to Gwaunza's arrest and prosecution at the Harare Magistrates' Court before magistrate Mr Zishiri.On May 22, 2024, Dr Benyure was called as a defence witness by Gwaunza. During cross-examination by the State, Dr Benyure testified that he was representing the MDPCZ, claiming he had been authorised to do so.Following his testimony, the matter was reported to the police, triggering investigations. Police subsequently requested proof from the MDPCZ of any resolution authorising Dr Benyure to act on its behalf in the case.In a written response dated February 6, 2025, the council stated that it had not specifically authorised Dr Benyure, even in his capacity as acting registrar, to appear as a defence witness in that particular matter.The State argued that by claiming his appearance was backed by a council resolution, Dr Benyure knowingly lied under oath, thereby committing perjury.Sentencing is expected to take place today. A 37-year-old father shot and killed in Mattapan overnight into Monday is being remembered by his loved ones as a hardworking man who was loyal to his son and family. Alex De Andrade, 37, of Brockton, died after he was shot several times while inside a parked car at 24 Stow Road in Mattapan, Boston police said. He was found at the scene at around 12:12 a.m. with serious injuries and pronounced dead at a hospital. No arrests have been made in the fatal shooting as of Friday, according to the department. The incident is under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call 617-343-4470. Alex was a hardworking and dedicated individual who was known for his friendly nature and familiar face, his loved ones said in his obituary. He was born in Cabo Verde and later moved to Brockton, where he grew up, attended local schools and made lifelong friendships, his loved ones wrote. He worked as an attendant at the East Side Market. Above all, De Andrade was a devoted father, son and family member. He will be remembered for his love for his son, his loyalty to family and the many lives he touched throughout his journey. Visiting hours for De Andrade will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the George Lopes Funeral Home at 647 Main St. in Brockton. His funeral will be held the following day, at 10 a.m. on Jan. 17, at the St. Edith Stein Parish at 71 E Main St. in Brockton. His burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, at 163 N Cary St. For the second night in a row, hundreds of demonstrators flooded Bostons streets to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents leave the city and halt operations nationwide, after federal agents killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. We are sick and tired of ICE. Were sick and tired of the ICE terror in our city of Boston, in our state of Massachusetts, said spokesperson for Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Ximena Hasbach. She stood surrounded on Boston Common by drumbeats, the cacophony of brass instruments and crackle of megaphones that echoed off skyscrapers. Several hundred people had gathered at 6 p.m. near the Park Street MBTA Station, catching the attention and support of many commuters passing by. Protesters in Boston on Jan. 8, 2026, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to leave the city and cease operations after recent fatal agent-involved shootings. (Irene Rotondo) We stand in solidarity with people all over the country, including in Minneapolis, Hasbach said. We are demanding justice for Renee. She called for the arrest of the ICE agent involved in the shooting. Clearly, people here are sick and tired of seeing this happen again and again, she said, gesturing to the wider crowd around her. Her words were then drowned out, as the crowd began to march the toward City Hall and she quickly ran to join. The protesters held signs that read, From Boston to Minneapolis Stop ICE Terror, Resist ICE, (expletive) ICE" and Who will be illegal next? They chanted and were led down the street by dozens of Boston police officers on bicycles and at least one on a motorcycle, who ensured the streets were clear of traffic as they made their way to City Hall. Protesters in Boston on Jan. 8, 2026, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to leave the city and cease operations after recent fatal agent-involved shootings. (Irene Rotondo) At least six different leaders from organizing groups spoke at the Common, such as the Boston Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Boston Party for Socialism (PSL) and Liberation, the Independent Socialist Group (ISG) and Boston Refuse Fascism. Members of LUCE, a volunteer ICE watch network, and other groups were also present. One of the speakers identified himself as an educator from East Boston where a man was taken into custody by ICE just hours earlier on Thursday morning, inside the East Boston District Courthouse. The man had apparently entered the courthouse for a court date, community watchdog group members said, but he was detained by plainclothes ICE agents inside the lobby before entering a courtroom, video showed. Some who attended the protest traveled from out of town, while others were local to the city. Their sentiments were much of the same: justice for Renee Nicole Good, for ICE to end its terror operations and for others to come to protests and join the resistance. Protesters in Boston on Jan. 8, 2026, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to leave the city and cease operations after recent fatal agent-involved shootings. (Irene Rotondo) This harrowing tragedy should never have happened, and my heart breaks for the victim, their loved ones, and the entire Minnesota community. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, said in a statement. Trump administration officials defended the agent, saying he was acting in self-defense. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Thursday the agent was doing his job and implied Goods actions led to her death. I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also recognizing that its a tragedy of her own making, Vance said. Federal officials similarly defended agents who shot two people in Portland, Oregon Thursday afternoon, according to The Oregonian. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents shot and wounded a man and a woman believed to be a married couple in a medical clinic parking lot near a medical center in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses told The Oregonian. Portland police said they didnt know their immediate conditions as of Thursday night. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop and characterized the shooting as self-defense, The Oregonian reported. This second shooting was referenced at the end of the protest in Boston, when speakers called for continued resistance in another protest scheduled outside the State House at noon on Saturday. SPRINGFIELD CRRC MA is one of 50 global companies hit by a data breach according to the cybercrime database Hudson Rock Infostealer intelligence and reported by online media covering the subject. According to published reports, CRRC MA lost transport system designs, signaling schematics, and engineering blueprints and internal communications. CRRC spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said: CRRC MA became aware of an alleged data breach which was determined to not impact operations in Springfield. A spokeswoman for the MBTA deferred to CRRC. The company has 406 employees in Springfield making subway cars for the T in Boston and for the Metro system in Los Angeles. Character actor Richard Dimitri, known for his roles in When Things Were Rotten and Johnny Dangerously, has died at the age of 83. The actor died on Dec. 18 following a decades-long battle with heart and lung illnesses, according an obituary published in the Los Angeles Times. Dimitri is best known for his roles as twins Renaldo and Bertram on the Mel Brooks comedy When Things Were Rotten, which ran for one season in 1975. He also played Roman Troy Moronie in the 1984 film Johnny Dangerously. Born in Yonkers, New York, Dimitri began his acting career in 1963 in the Off-Broadway revival of The Immoralist. He subsequently performed on Broadway as Pavli in Zorba, Muthu in The Guide, and Kinesias in Lysistrata, according to the Los Angeles Times. The actor appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows including Hawaii Five-O, Seventh Avenue, and The Tracey Ullman Show. As a writer, Dimitri worked on the show superhero show Going Bananas. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Christianne. Family and friends of John Axelrod remember him as curious, witty, generous, an animal lover and above all, someone who improved the lives of everyone he met. Axelrod, 79, was struck by a car and killed while out walking his dog on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston on Jan. 3. During a funeral service held Thursday in his hometown of Andover, loved ones shared stories about his life as a collector and supporter of the arts. If you see beauty in my life and passion for the arts in my soul, its because of him, said Darwin Cordoba, Axelrods partner of 42 years. He did more than share his life with me. He shaped me to the person I am today. Axelrod began collecting as a child, starting with Hoodsie ice cream lids that depicted celebrities, and later moving on to sand dollars found on the beach, said Jackie Eby, his childhood friend. His collections were always the biggest out of their friends, but he also loved to learn about the sand dollars and other animals that lived there, she said. He also discovered his love of art early, exploring the artist community of Rockport and taking ceramics classes with Eby. As an adult, Axelrods interests in collecting and art only grew as he became a prominent member of Bostons arts community. He made frequent gifts and loans from his personal collection to the Museum of Fine Arts starting in the 1980s, overwhelmingly focusing on underrepresented artists, particularly artists of color. His gifts included 377 pieces of American Modern design from the 1920s and 30s, which helped establish the MFA as a leader in that field, and collections of 20th-century European decorative arts. John saw beauty where others overlooked it, said Rabbi David Wilfond, who led the service at Andovers Temple Emanuel. He championed artists who had been pushed to the margins and insisted gently but firmly that their work mattered, that it belonged and that it must be seen. Darwin Cordoba, John Axelrod's partner of 42 years, speaks during Axelrod's funeral at Temple Emanuel in Andover. Trea Lavery/MassLive Axelrod and his beloved Australian Shepherd, Tale, were both killed on Saturday morning when they were struck. Prosecutors say William Haney, 42, intentionally targeted Axelrod and fled the scene after the crash. Haney has been charged with murder and cruelty to animals and a judge ordered him held without bail earlier this week while he undergoes a psychological evaluation. He is expected to return to court on Jan. 23 for a probable cause hearing. Cordoba said one of the most difficult parts of losing his longtime partner has been the loss of small daily routines. They always spoke on the phone at 9:30 p.m. to say goodnight, no matter where they were in the world, he said. He never missed a day, Cordoba said. Now, that time has become a space that I carry with me, that reminds me daily of the life we built together and the love that continues beyond his presence. Axelrods family has asked that donations in his honor be made to either the MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston or the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy in Andover. A Dunkin pastry factory in Maine has ceased operations and closed for good after more than 20 years. Mid Maine CPL, a Dunkin franchisee delivery and bakery hub, abruptly closed its manufacturing facility at 20 Forrestal St. in Lewiston last week. In a letter from management to employees, the company pointed to high operating costs and an aging facility as the reason for closure. The facilitys infrastructure requires significant and continuous capital investment to meet modern operational standards, and the current expenditure on maintenance severely impacts our long-term financial viability, the letter, obtained by Maines Total Coverage, reads. The closure is a necessary step to ensure future health and competitiveness, it said. Read more: National bakery chain abruptly closes all locations after 20 years Mid Maine CPLs parent company The Wolak Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this article. Bangor Daily News reports dozens of employees face layoffs as a result of the closure. As of Jan. 9, a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) has not been filed with Maines Department of Labor. By law, employers must file a formal WARN notice at least 60 days in advance when planning a mass layoff or closing a facility. The bakery has reportedly operated out of the Lewiston location since 2001. Employees took to social media and local news outlets to share how they learned of the closures. According to The Portland Press Herald, the facility officially closed Monday, Dec. 29. When we walked in on Monday, they had us all gathered up in what we call the running room, which is where they sort out the doughnuts for the orders to send out with the trucks, longtime employee Jo Cabral told the Daily News. They gathered us up and dropped the bomb on us. Cabral told the outlet they estimate between 70 and 100 employees worked at the facility. Employees were compensated for any outstanding earned paid leave and given a one-time bonus before being referred to unemployment, Cabral told the Daily News. Other employees claim they received no notice and learned of the closure after showing up to work and seeing an empty parking lot later confirming with other employees on Facebook that they were out of work. I was not informed Officially, by the Company, of their closure, one former employee wrote on social media. Apparently, they shut down, last Monday. They added Sundays and Mondays were their days off, so when they showed up for work on Tuesday the parking lot was empty. Found my pass card, to get in didnt work. Called the company, only got the Machine. No note on the door. No electronic methods used to convey to me, that the company closed, they said. No letter in the mail. Nothing. News / National by Staff reporter A family in Chimanimani delayed reporting the drowning of their 16-year-old daughter after believing she would return spiritually empowered as a mermaid, police have confirmed.The late Eunice Moyo of Muchakagara Village under Chief Mutambara drowned in the Umvumvumvu River while swimming with two friends on New Year's Day. Manicaland acting police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, said the girl's mother, Ms Siletiwe Moyo (42), chose not to report the incident immediately due to her beliefs."The mother did not report the matter to the police as she believed her daughter had been taken by mermaids and would come back with supernatural powers associated with the underworld," said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.Police said Eunice had gone to the river at around 1pm to do laundry with two friends. The trio later began swimming, during which Eunice disappeared in deep water. Her friends reported the incident to her mother, who rushed to the scene and joined in searching efforts.After failing to locate her daughter, the mother reportedly concluded that Eunice had been taken by a mermaid and returned home to wait for her expected return.The matter only came to light the following day, January 2, when a villager, Ms Sophia Mugabaza (43) of Makonde Village, spotted a body floating in the river while returning from church at around 4pm. She alerted other villagers, who then reported the matter to Cashel Valley Police Station.Eunice's body was later taken to Mutambara Hospital for a post-mortem examination.Assistant Inspector Chinyoka urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children's movements and discourage them from swimming in rivers, particularly during the rainy season when water levels are high and currents are strong."Parents and guardians should ensure children do not play near or in water bodies, especially during this period when rivers are flooded and dangerous," he said. A 47-year-old man convicted of beating a fellow prisoner to death at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater was sentenced to at least a decade in prison on Friday, prosecutors announced. In December, Michael Robinson was found guilty of a single count each of involuntary manslaughter and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, shod foot, for the April 13, 2021, assault, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruzs office said in a statement. He will serve 10 to 12 years in prison on the charges. Prosecutors had recommended 18 to 20 years. At around 10:38 p.m. on April 13, 2021, corrections officers at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater responded to a report of a fight in a bathroom, Cruzs office said. The medium-security facility in Bridgewater houses criminally sentenced men identified as sex offenders as well as civilly committed sexually dangerous persons. When officers arrived in the bathroom, they found the victim, later identified as Scott Wonoski, 43, of Worcester. Wonoski was treated at the scene before being taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead, Cruzs office said. Wonoskis death was ruled a homicide, with the cause identified as blunt force injuries to his head and torso, Cruzs office said. During Robinsons trial, jurors saw surveillance video from the facility, which showed him assaulting Wonoski, then leaving the bathroom, Cruzs office said. A man was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison in connection with a bank robbery in Fall River that included a bomb threat. Domingo Agostini, 41, pleaded guilty on Thursday and was sentenced to state prison, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys Office. On Aug. 18, Agostini, a Florida resident, approached a bank teller at Rockland Trust Bank in Fall River and passed a note that read, I have a bomb, according to prosecutors. He then demanded $20,000. The teller gave him $5,000 and included a red dye pack, according to officials. When Agostini left the bank, the dye pack exploded, according to prosecutors. Police in Providence later stopped Agostini while he was driving a vehicle that matched surveillance footage of the bank robbers car. Prosecutors said Agostini was arrested wearing the same clothing as the robber, had dye on his hands and was in possession of some of the stolen money. Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn credited the bank teller for helping to catch the robber. Fortunately, the teller had the wherewithal to put a dye pack in the bag, Quinn said in a statement. I want to thank the teller for her actions under very difficult circumstances. A Wakefield man was sentenced to more than four years in prison Thursday in connection with a plan that helped to fund ISIS. Mateo Ventura, 21, was sentenced to 50 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of concealment of financing terrorism, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office, District of Massachusetts. Ventura provided multiple gift cards to a person he believed was an ISIS supporter, intending that the cards be sold on the internet for slightly less than face value, prosecutors said. The proceeds were to be used to support ISIS. Ventura was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty on Nov. 13, 2025. According to court documents, Ventura said he wanted the money to go to ISIS for war on kuffar, a term referring to non-believers. Ventura believed the funds from the sold gift cards would be used to buy ammunition and explosives, prosecutors said. He also expressed a desire to fight alongside ISIS and had purchased airline tickets in an attempt to travel to join the group, according to authorities. Between January and May 2023, Ventura contributed a total of $705 to ISIS causes, prosecutors said. A viral TikToker from Massachusetts, known nationally for his feel-good deeds, recently launched his own fundraising platform to further his quest in helping homeless individuals start anew. Victor Oliveiras Fresh Start Card is a crowdfunding website where donors can directly support people in need across the U.S. Current campaigns on the site include a single father rebuilding his life after several tragedies and a homeless man who was ready for help the moment Oliveira asked. I see it being a mega platform like GoFundMe, Oliveira said. Fresh Start Card is the next phase of the 36-year-old Saugus natives philanthropic efforts under the name victorthegoodboss. Oliveira has gained widespread notoriety among his 4 million TikTok followers by drumming up support for the homeless and people struggling with addiction. He films their interactions and stories, then turns to the public for monetary donations. Oliveira says hes harnessed the good of social media to raise money for his nonprofit, The Good Project, which mainly provides recovery scholarships. Now hes adding Fresh Start Card into the mix, a specialized fundraising platform hes been working on for more than a year. The Good Project started after Oliveira was released from Massachusetts state prison after serving nearly two years for selling drugs. Looking to spread some positivity, he started pulling over to the side of the road and offering homeless individuals jobs at his landscaping company. Oliveira, who now lives in Wakefield, estimates hes helped more than 100 people off the streets and into treatment through his personal outreach, which often begins through the drivers side window of his car. That doesnt even include the people that Ive helped on social media, he said. Thats in the thousands. I just kept going with it strong and helping as many people as I could and changing their lives, giving them a fresh start. His efforts have grown beyond Massachusetts, too he was recently doing the same work in California and Florida, where some people recognized him from social media. Victor Oliveira and a woman named Krista posed for a selfie after she agreed to enter treatment. Courtesy Oliveiras social media accounts recently spotlighted the story of a woman named Krista who was living in the area of Mass and Cass, the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston, known as the citys epicenter of homelessness and open-air drug use. Krista had been living on the streets for more than a decade, but she was feeling amazing after accepting Oliveiras offer to enter a 60-day program at Sunrise Detox on a scholarshop. To be able to take this step forward toward being a mother and a good friend and a good family member, Krista said during a follow-up video on her progress. Joining Krista in one video is Rob Demeo, a national outreach coordinator for Sunrise Detox. Hes usually one of Oliveiras first calls when an individual he meets agrees to enter treatment. Sunrise Detox operates facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia and New York. In an interview with MassLive, Demeo said Oliveira personally brings each client to the front door and picks them up when the program is over as well. Its super interesting to watch his success rate, Demeo said. He is able to check in with folks and follow folks. When people do relapse, which it does happen often, we work as a team to get them back into our facility or another. Demeo said Oliveiras fundraising is able to provide people with wraparound services they may not get from a treatment center clothes from Walmart, cigarettes or a cellphone bill paid. Those things are crucial to a persons recovery success, he said. Victor Oliveira (left) dedicates his life to helping those struggling with mental health and addiction. Victor Oliveira Oliveira noted that everyone he films and posts on social media has given him their permission to do so. Social media is so powerful with what Im doing, he said. Its really helping people. Its allowing them to reach out and not be scared, which sounds crazy because people are going to be on video. But they like to see the transformation and the positive comments. Everyone that just shows up for them in the comments section is insane. Its so helpful to these people that I help." He sees Fresh Start Card going beyond GoFundMe the goal is to actively track and thoughtfully deploy the funds raised, meaning an individual wont receive a lump sum. Rather, Oliveira and his team will use it specifically to pay for that individuals treatment, sober housing, groceries and more. Oliveira includes disclaimers stating that if the individual doesnt pursue treatment, the funds will roll over to help the next person. Because Fresh Start Card is set up as a for-profit fundraising website, Oliveira said he wants to use the money he earns to ultimately hire an army of people. I want to have boots on the ground, he said. I want to be paying them to go do what I do. The people that I get clean and sober once theyre at a good position in life, I want them to be helping me. And I have people that Ive helped already helping me now. Stephen LaPortas wife and son were able to say goodbye to him one last time in front of the Uxbridge Police Department where he served his community as a full-time police officer since 2024. Then a hearse accompanied by a procession of law enforcement vehicles brought the officers body to a funeral home to prepare for services. LaPortas wife, Shannon LaPorta, their 13-year-old son, Matthew, other family members and police officers stood below a large American flag attached to a fire engine ladder that waved in the wind Friday afternoon, as they held signs with words of love. My dad is a hero, miss you forever, love you always, one sign held by a young boy reads. Love you forever babe, another sign reads. Miss you always. LaPorta, 43, was killed while on duty helping another driver after being hit by a passing tractor-trailer on an icy Route 146 in Uxbridge the morning of Jan. 7. First responders provided medical aid to LaPorta, but he was declared dead at the scene. On Friday, LaPortas body was driven with a procession of law enforcement vehicles from the medical examiners office in Westfield to the Uxbridge Police Department, where family and colleagues paid their respects. Blue lights from the police vehicles and motorcycles bathed the neighborhood as they slowly drove down Douglas Street around 1 p.m. escorting LaPortas body. Vehicles from several police departments, including Shrewsbury, Mendon and Hopkinton, all made their way to Uxbridges department headquarters before turning around to go to the funeral home. The departments entranceway featured a black banner strung above it and another black banner on its sign by the roadway. A hearse briefly stopped to allow Shannon LaPorta, her son, and other members of the group to look inside. Hugs were shared among members of the police department and LaPortas family after the procession continued to the funeral home. In the parking lot next to the police department, several onlookers observed the procession. Prior to the parade of vehicles, members of the public placed flowers on a police cruiser to honor LaPorta. He was a really nice guy, said Uxbridge resident Paula Lemays. Robin Desruisseau and Sue Burke, also Uxbridge residents, walked down Douglas Street and tied blue ribbons in memory of the officer. Desruisseau, a town hall employee, said she didnt know LaPorta that well but that he was always smiling when she saw him. He was funny, she said with a sad smile. The details of funeral services have not yet been revealed. The Boston Bruins honored Stephen LaPorta at their game on Thursday. What happened Wednesday? LaPorta was outside his vehicle when he was hit, the Worcester County District Attorneys Office said in a press release. First responders provided medical aid, but he was declared dead at the scene. A recording of Uxbridge police radio transmissions from around the time of the crash indicates that LaPorta spoke of how icy the roads were multiple times before he was killed. At one point, he stated he hadnt made it to the crash location yet because he slid on the ice. I threw a flare out, he said a few minutes later. Its an ice rink up here. Less than five minutes later, a different person stated over the radio that an officers cruiser had been hit. Northborough officials have placed a town firefighter on paid leave after he was arrested on criminal charges in connection with assaults on his father and girlfriend last month. Leicester resident Christopher Goodney Jr., 33, pleaded not guilty to 10 charges in connection with the Dec. 20 incident involving his girlfriend during his arraignment in East Brookfield District Court, according to court documents. The charges include strangulation or suffocation, domestic assault and battery and carrying a firearm while intoxicated. Goodney also pleaded not guilty to assault and battery and gun charges in connection with the attempted shooting of his father earlier on Dec. 20 during his arraignment in Worcester District Court, according to court records. Goodney could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. What officials say happened on Dec. 20 Leicester police responded to 238 Paxton St. at 1:35 a.m. on Dec. 20 after receiving a 911 call from Goodneys girlfriend, according to the police report. She told dispatchers that her boyfriend, who lived with her at the home, had told her hed shot his father and was still armed. Goodneys girlfriend described him as being in the middle of wrecking the house and screaming, according to the report. She also told dispatchers he had been telling her that hed harm himself if he saw anything weird. Leicester police officers and Massachusetts State Police troopers surrounded the home as Goodneys girlfriend continued to update dispatchers over the phone, according to the report. Dispatchers could hear Goodney in the background of the call stating that he had enough ammunition to kill other people and then himself. Soon after, Goodneys friend arrived at the home and tried to convince Goodney to surrender to police, according to the report. Dispatchers then overheard Goodney demanding to see his girlfriends phone and the girlfriend responding with get your hands off me. Soon after, Goodney and another man left the home with their hands raised, and police arrested Goodney, according to the report. Officers noticed that Goodney smelled like alcohol, and he admitted to having been out drinking earlier that night. Goodneys girlfriend told police he had pushed her against a wall and strangled her, according to the report. The officers also noticed marks on her arm. They offered her an emergency restraining order against Goodney, and she accepted it. What police learned after the incident During an interview with police, Goodneys girlfriend said that earlier that night, hed called her and told her hed shot a gun at his father but wasnt sure if hed hit him, according to the report. He then came home and threatened to kill himself and his girlfriend, pointing his 9mm pistol at her approximately a dozen times. Later, when Goodneys girlfriend refused to let him see her phone, he grabbed her wrist and took it by force, according to the report. He then damaged her phone to the point that it became unusable and ended the 911 call. He also smashed one of the homes windows during the incident. Both Goodneys girlfriend and friend told police that Goodney had tried to use water, rubbing alcohol and a Brillo pad to remove evidence such as gun residue from his hands, according to the report. Investigators found the 9mm in Goodneys bedroom, as well as matching spent shell casings at the location in Worcester at which he is believed to have assaulted his father. Goodney admitted to police that hed gotten into a fight with his father that night and that hed become too intoxicated, according to the report. Goodneys father was not hit by gunfire during the incident. Whats next Goodney has been placed on paid leave while the investigations into the incidents continue, Northborough Town Administrator Stephanie Bacon said in a statement. Residents can be assured that this matter is being taken seriously at all levels of town government and within the Fire Department, and that all appropriate steps have been, and will continue to be, taken to maintain public trust and ensure community safety, the statement reads. Goodney was ordered held for up to four months during a dangerousness hearing in East Brookfield District Court on Dec. 31, according to court records. His next court date is a probable cause hearing scheduled for Jan. 27, and his detention status is set to be reviewed on April 24. The U.S. Department of State is issuing a nationwide travel notice for the popular Caribbean destination Grenada, citing a risk of crime. U.S. citizens are urged to exercise increased caution when traveling to Grenada, as violent crime can occur anywhere on the island. American citizens in Grenada have been victims of armed robbery, assault, burglary, and rape, the State Department warns. In some cases, American citizens have been killed. Police response times are not as fast as one may expect in the United States. The Department of State classifies Grenada as a Level 2 advisory the second highest risk level. A Level 2 advisory means travelers should be more aware of increased safety and security threats when traveling to these regions. The State Department advises American citizens who wish to travel to Grenada to: A person died in a house fire in Easton Thursday night, fire department officials announced. The Easton Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at 44 North Main Street around 9:20 p.m., according to officials. Firefighters entered the single-family house to search for occupants. They found one person dead inside. NBC10 Boston reported that the victim was a woman and that firefighters were initially caught off guard, believing they were heading to a medical emergency rather than a structure fire. On route, we were told it was most likely a false alarm, upon arrival we found a structure fire was not called in that way. Easton Fire Chief Justin Alexander told NBC10 Boston. Our companies jumped into action, found heavy fire in the whole structure, and, unfortunately, we had an adult female deceased. We were caught with a medical response to a structure fire, Alexander continued, and I am absolutely proud of our staff and commend them for being able to jump into action, get their gear on, and get to work quickly, and get a strong response going. A cause of death has not been announced as officials await results from the medical examiners office. The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation, according to authorities. With enhanced federal health subsidies now expired, Beacon Hill leaders on Thursday endorsed a one-year plan to tap $250 million from a state trust fund to provide relief to a quarter-million middle- and low-income residents. Senate President Karen Spilka and House Health Care Financing Committee Chairperson John Lawn joined Gov. Maura Healey to promote the administrations decision to draw $250 million from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund. That withdrawal will stabilize ConnectorCare premiums for about 270,000 enrollees earning under 400% of the federal poverty level, describing the move as a necessary but temporary response to congressional inaction. We are standing today on the side of Massachusetts residents, and we are standing on the side of health care, affordability and access, Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said. The Ashland lawmaker contrasted the states action with Washington not extending enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, saying Massachusetts leaders promise to continue to work together and collaborate together to do what we can to protect our residents and defend our Massachusetts values. Lawn, D-10th Middlesex, framed the $250 million as a concrete intervention in health care affordability. This $250 million increase in interconnected care is not symbolic. It is real relief for real families who depend on affordable coverage to stay healthy and financially stable, he said, adding that without such intervention, rising premiums would lead to coverage losses, worse health outcomes and higher costs across the system. The funding comes from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, a long-standing account created by the Legislature to support subsidized coverage through the Health Connector. Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz stated that the fund is supported by multiple revenue streams and is expected to generate approximately $650 million this year. There are a number of revenue sources that contribute to that, Gorzkowicz said, citing cigarette taxes, individual mandate penalties, employer assessments through the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution, and periodic transfers from the states General Fund. He said cigarette tax revenue contributes roughly $65 million to $70 million annually, employer penalties about $40 million, with additional revenue coming from EMAC and state appropriations, with Medicaid federal financial participation. Gorzkowicz said there are not contributions from the General Fund every year. Agency officials did not return a request for additional information about the breakdown of contributions into the fund in time for publication. An administration spokesperson said that drawing from the fund to support ConnectorCare in 2026 will not require employers to increase their contributions. While Healey has spent months publicly warning that Massachusetts could not fully backfill the loss of federal subsidies, she said Thursday that the trust fund represents a limited but appropriate mechanism to address the problem. The extent of the cuts are so widespread, there are certain instances where we may have an existing vehicle to help address some of that, Healey said. The administration was clear that the move is temporary. Healey said the $250 million commitment is a one-year plan right now, with future funding dependent on federal action and upcoming negotiations. If Congress were to reinstate the enhanced tax credits, she said the system would revert to its prior structure, with the federal government again picking up a larger share of the subsidy costs. In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the U.S. House passed legislation Thursday, 230-196, that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as renegade GOP lawmakers joined essentially all Democrats in voting for the measure. Forcing the issue to a vote came about after a handful of Republicans signed on to a so-called discharge petition to unlock debate, bypassing objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The bill now goes to the Senate, where pressure is building for a similar bipartisan compromise. That one-year horizon underscores a tension in the administrations response: Healey has repeatedly warned that the expiration of enhanced federal tax credits would be destabilizing, even as the states backstop is itself temporary. The announcement also followed months of public warnings from Healey and other officials about an impending affordability crisis and the limits of the states ability to replace lost federal aid. The $250 million plan was unveiled after Jan. 1, once the federal credits had expired. Healey said the administration waited in part because she held that hope Congress would act before the end of 2025. We gave up until the deadline to see if they take action, she said, adding that governors across the country were facing similar uncertainty. Health Connector Executive Director Audrey Morse Gasteier stated that the assistance was not delayed in practice, even though the announcement came later. The help thats being described today is baked into what people are seeing in terms of their premium increases and their contributions this open enrollment, she said. Gasteier later emphasized that this help is in effect for January because of the way we planned for the possibility of congressional inaction on this topic. So people are already seeing this help today. The states open enrollment period ends Jan. 23. The funding is aimed squarely at ConnectorCare enrollees below 400% of the federal poverty level. Roughly 25,000 people enrolled in ConnectorCare will not qualify, and tens of thousands of residents above that income threshold are still facing steep premium hikes without relief. Healey acknowledged the limits of the plan. Its not going to help everybody, she said, reiterating her call for Congress and the president to revive the enhanced credits. Associated Press reports and MassLive Politics Editor John L. Micek contributed to this story. A new poll shows a stark change in support for the Trump administrations military strikes in Venezuela, according to Axios. The poll, conducted by YouGov from Jan. 5-6, shows that 74% of Republicans support the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. The survey was conducted from Jan. 5-6 after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of the countrys president Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores on Jan. 3. The figure is up significantly from another The Economist/YouGov poll conducted just days before, from Jan. 3-5, in which 53% of Republicans said theyd support such military force. Another poll, conducted from Dec. 20-22, showed that figure at 43%. In contrast, the most recent poll showed that just 14% of Democrats strongly or somewhat supported the military invasion of Venezuela. The poll found that there was more agreement across party lines concerning the future of Venezuela, with 49% of Democrats and 48% of Republicans saying a new election should happen next in the South American country. The YouGov poll conducted from Jan. 5-6 surveyed 1,097 U.S. citizens over the age of 18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. News / National by Staff reporter The pass rate for the November 2025 Advanced Level examinations improved by 1.17 percentage points, rising from 94.58 percent in 2024 to 95.75 percent, the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) announced on Friday.The results were released on Friday and are available on the ZIMSEC website.ZIMSEC said a total of 36,635 candidates registered for the November 2025 examinations, up from 33,585 in 2024. Of these, 36,282 candidates sat for two or more subjects, with 34,740 obtaining grade E or better in at least two subjects.Among school candidates, 31,451 registered for the examinations. Of that number, 31,296 wrote two or more subjects and 30,169 achieved at least two passes, translating to a pass rate of 96.39 percent.Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tonderayi Moyo welcomed the results, highlighting continued improvements in examination integrity."This marks the third consecutive year in which our national examinations have been conducted and concluded without any leakages," Moyo said. "This is a remarkable achievement that underscores the ministry's unwavering commitment to upholding the integrity and credibility of our examination systems."He said the success was the result of deliberate reforms, enhanced monitoring systems and strengthened security protocols implemented by the ministry and ZIMSEC. Fog is expected to roll across Massachusetts Friday morning, limiting visibility as motorists take to the roads for the morning commute. The National Weather Service forecasts dense, freezing fog in Boston, Worcester and Cape Cod & the Islands, with visibility reduced to 1 to 3 miles. Freezing fog is possible before 8 a.m., with a chance of dense, patchy fog until 11 a.m. While Western Massachusetts is not expected to see fog, the National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for Berkshire County warning of black ice. Drivers and pedestrians should be prepared for the possibility of a thin layer of ice on roadways or any other untreated surfaces. Once the fog clears, Boston is expected to warm up with a high temperature of 49 degrees in the afternoon. Worcester and Springfield will hit 48 degrees, while the Berkshires will top out at 46 degrees. Winds will increase through the afternoon, with gusts in the 20 to 25 mph range, and light rain showers will move into the region in the evening, arriving in Western Massachusetts after 5 p.m. Central Massachusetts and Boston could see showers after 7 p.m. The weekend should bring temperatures in the 40s, with rain expected Saturday and a chance of snow Sunday night. HOLYOKE The City Council has advanced plans to create a finance and administration department, voting to send proposed changes to a subcommittee for further review. The move follows guidance from the state Division of Local Services aimed at strengthening the citys internal cash controls, defining clear lines of accountability, and making sure staff have the appropriate education and skill level for their financial roles. On Tuesday, Councilor Meg Magrath-Smith, who filed the order, said the council needed to change some wording about qualifications based on advice from the human resources department before sending it to the ordinance committee for review. The committee will discuss and vote on the matter before it can head back to the full City Council for a vote. It meets next Tuesday. The next council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20. On Monday, Mayor Joshua Garcia said in his inaugural address that he plans to continue advancing his Municipal Finance Modernization Act. Last spring, Garcia introduced two budget plans: one showing the current $180 million cost of running the city, and another projecting savings if Holyoke adopted the finance act. Key proposed changes include realigning departments to meet modern needs, renaming positions and reassigning duties, fixing problems found in decades of audits, and using technology to improve workflow and service. Garcia said the plan aims to also make government more efficient and accountable by boosting oversight of the mayor and finance departments, requiring audits of all city functions, enforcing penalties for policy violations, and adding fraud protections with stronger reporting. Other steps included changing the city treasurer from an elected to an appointed position, a measure approved in a special election last January. Additionally, the city would adopt a financial management policies manual, create a consolidated Finance Department and hire a chief administrative and financial officer to handle forecasting, capital planning and informed decision-making. Garcia said that the state has suggested creating the CAFO position for almost 20 years and called on the City Council to pass the reform before the end of this fiscal year, so that it can be in place by July 1. In a previous interview, City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said nine votes were needed to adopt the financial reform. She also said past problems stemmed from a lack of proper systems and checks, an issue the city has dealt with since the 1970s. The mayor would choose this officer, and the City Council will approve the appointment, she said. In October, the City Council narrowly rejected the finance act in an 8-5 vote. Supporters Michael Sullivan, Israel Rivera, Jenny Rivera, Murphy-Romboletti, Anderson Burgos, former Councilor Kocayne Givner, Patti Devine and Magrath-Smith said the city needs modernization and greater transparency. Opponents Howard Greaney Jr., Linda Vacon, former Councilors David Bartley, Kevin Jourdain and Carmen Ocasio said a qualified treasurer should be appointed first. Vacon said then the treasurers office was a mess, and that the city should fix one department before mixing it with another. The City Council also clashed over fixes, as the state stopped sending millions in monthly aid because the city hadnt finished basic financial paperwork for three years. The main problem came from delays in financial reports from the treasurers office. Holyoke had a history of late filings. For six of the past eight years, the city delayed its required annual financial report, and five times in the past, the state withheld aid. Council disputes over job descriptions, salaries and reforms also stalled progress. In November, millions in state aid began flowing back to Holyoke after the city made some progress in closing out its books. The state had withheld nearly $29 million for four months but even with aid restored, Holyoke still faces big financial problems, the Division of Local Services said. A man who was in critical condition following a shooting incident with police in Hinsdale on Wednesday has died, the Berkshire County District Attorneys Office announced Thursday afternoon. The man appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis during the incident and shot two police officers as they tried to take him into custody, the district attorneys office said in a press release. A third officer shot at the man during the struggle but accidentally hit one of the officers who had already been shot with his first round before shooting the man in the head with the second. The mans family has requested extended time to inform loved ones of his death before his name is shared with the public, but Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue plans to release his identity during a press conference on Friday. The two officers who were shot during the incident were Hinsdale Police Chief Shawn Boyne and a Hinsdale police sergeant who was not named in the district attorneys office press release. The man and the two officers were taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield following the incident, but the man died of his injuries at the hospital late Wednesday afternoon, the district attorneys office said Thursday. Boyne was released from the hospital on Wednesday. The sergeant was transferred to Albany Medical Center in New York and remains in their care as of Thursday afternoon, the district attorneys office said. His injuries are serious but not life-threatening. All officers involved in the incident have been placed on leave, the district attorneys office said. An acting chief has been appointed for the Hinsdale Police Department. What led up to the incident Law enforcement began trying to get in contact with the man involved in the incident on Tuesday after he called the FBIs national crime tip center to share claims that sparked mental health concerns, the district attorneys office said. The man said he was paranoid that law enforcement agencies were listening to his phone calls and alleged that he and his family were being attacked by organized crime groups. The man also told the tip center he believed someone was trying to lure him into a machine in his basement that would damage the body and drain life and induce suicidal thoughts, the district attorneys office said. He claimed he wasnt suicidal, but believed that police and others were trying to harm him and that an urgent response was necessary. During the call, the man implied that he was living in Dalton, the district attorneys office said. Dalton is a town between Hinsdale and Pittsfield. As such, the FBIs tip center contacted Dalton police just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday and informed them of what the man had communicated. The man was not wanted by the FBI, but the tip center asked Dalton police to visit him for a well-being check as soon as possible. Officers were unable to locate the man on Tuesday, the district attorneys office said. The following day, a local law enforcement alert was sent requesting that any police that came across him conduct a well-being check. Just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Boyne contacted Dalton police to inform them that the man might be living with family members at 53 Off South St. in Hinsdale, the district attorneys office said. He requested that Dalton police send officers to accompany him while he performed the well-being check, as his department was short-staffed. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., the man locked himself in a back bedroom of the Off South Street home and made a 911 call that lasted 16 minutes, the district attorneys office said. Over the course of the call, he volleyed between expressing paranoia and agitation and insisting he was fine and did not want to harm himself or others. A relative of the mans who is underage could be heard in the background of the call. How the three men were shot By the time the call ended, police had arrived at the home to do the well-being check, the district attorneys office said. The team of officers included Hinsdales police chief, a Hinsdale sergeant, a Hinsdale police officer and two Dalton officers. The sergeant had previously established a positive rapport with the man, and the man agreed to speak to the sergeant through the bedroom door, the district attorneys office said. The two men spoke for approximately 30 minutes, at which point police decided the man needed to be taken into custody. The sergeant broke down the bedroom door and immediately restrained the man against a wall, the district attorneys office said. The man struggled against the sergeant while holding a gun in one hand and asking officers to take his life. The man kept ahold of the gun and continued struggling as the officers restrained him face down on a bed, the district attorneys office said. The man then fired the gun, shooting a bullet through the sergeants hand and hitting Boyne, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, in the chest. An officer tased the man twice amid the struggle, managing to subdue him only temporarily, the district attorneys office said. The man continued to express the desire that police end his life. Eventually, a Hinsdale police officer shot at the man and missed, hitting the sergeant in the elbow, the district attorneys office said. The officer then fired again, hitting the man in the head. The district attorneys office noted that the account of the incident shared in the press release is based on the preliminary investigation and could be updated and changed as the investigation into the incident continues. Of particular importance is the ballistic evidence, which is still being analyzed by Massachusetts State Police, the district attorneys office said. Shugrue plans to share updated information about the investigation during a press conference at the DAs office in Pittsfield on Friday. The number of people using seat belts while traveling Massachusetts roadways has never been higher, according to state officials who announced the results of a study earlier this week. Seat belt use among the motorists and passengers in the state ticked higher for the third straight year. Now, about 85.5% of people wear seat belts on the commonwealths highways and byways, according to the survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center. The state, however, continues to lag in seat belt use compared to the rest of the nation, where in 2024, people in passenger vehicles used the safety device at a rate of 91.2%, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Whether youre a driver or passenger, one of the most important things you can do to protect your safety is to buckle your seat belt, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a statement announcing the results. This study shows that weve made progress in increasing the safety of road users. Seat belt use had dipped in the years following the pandemic. In 2022, researchers observed seat belt use at a rate of 77% in the state. The region with the highest increase in seat belt use was Essex County, which saw a 3.17 percentage point increase. Researchers saw an 11 percentage point increase in seat belt use among people traveling in Massachusetts in vehicles with New Hampshire license plates, according to the survey. New Hampshire lacks laws mandating the use of seat belts, the only state in the nation as such. This year, motorists and passengers in Western Massachusetts increased the use of seat belts by 2.22 percentage points between 2025 and the year before, with 86.86% buckling up, according to this years survey. To measure seat belt use across the state, researchers with the Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program at the University of Massachusetts monitored almost 150 sites in June, taking note of more than 23,000 vehicles. Its an annual study performed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Among this years findings: Hispanic motorists and passengers are buckling up in significantly greater numbers, with 77.09% using seat belts, an increase of 6.17 percentage points. Seat belt use, meanwhile, slipped by 0.57 percentage points among female travelers. In this years survey, 90.12% used seat belts. Seat belt use, similarly, declined by 1.16 percentage points among older adults about 65 and older for a rate of 84.93%. Massachusetts sitting below the national rate for seat belt use might have to do with its laws, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spokesperson Joe Young. Police in the state cannot pull over motorists solely because they were not wearing a seat belt. NHTSA research suggests states that where law enforcement can pull over motorists for not wearing a seat belt through whats called primary belt laws have more widespread use. While its encouraging to see that seat belt use seems to be moving in the right direction in Massachusetts, its clear that more work needs to be done in the absence of a primary belt law, Young wrote. High-visibility enforcement and education campaigns could help boost belt use, for example. The state has taken several approaches to increasing traffic safety last year, according to the state Office of Grants and Research, which is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. During fiscal 2025, which ran between July 2024 and June 2025, troopers with the Massachusetts State Police conducted more than 8,300 hours of high-visibility enforcement, funded by the Office of Grants and Research, which also provides similar grants to local police departments. Money from the office also helped the distribution and installation of about 3,400 child car seats for low-income families. In the weeks before researchers began measuring seat belt use, the state launched a messaging campaign intended to convince males and the drivers of pickup trucks (demographics in which seat belts tends to be used in lower rates) to buckle up. The messaging worked, according to the state. This year, 81.94% of males were seen wearing a seat belt, a 2.84 percentage point increase from last year, according to the survey results. For those observed traveling in pickup trucks, 72.64% used their seat belts, according to the survey, an increase of 1.69 percentage points compared to the year before. WORCESTER Dozens gathered outside Worcester City Hall for about an hour Thursday night to protest the killing of a woman in Minnesota by a federal ICE agent. The clamorous group often chanted the name of the woman killed Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother who was shot and killed by a federal agent. Protesters directed their anger at ICE, often yelling in unison to (expletive) ICE and waving signs. Several people used a loudspeaker to address the crowd, some talking about peace, others yelling obscenities about ICE and police and others telling personal stories. Henry Broadstone, a student at Clark University in Worcester, drew parallels between the killing in Minneapolis and an incident between onlookers and ICE agents as they apprehended a Brazilian mother of three on Eureka Street in Worcester in May. ... when I saw the video in Minneapolis, I said, thats exactly what happened on Eureka Street; its the exact same thing. And so, if that means that when we respond as community members, we can get murdered, thats ridiculous, Broadstone told MassLive during Thursday nights protest. its just, you know, an American place, an American town, its just a regular neighborhood, right? And at the same time, its the scene of a murder. Several hundred people also protested ICE at the Boston Common Thursday night in a march that led to Boston City Hall. What happened in Minneapolis? Footage of the Minneapolis incident shows two ICE agents approaching the driver side door of Goods SUV, which was in the middle of a street. As the SUV backs up, a third agent can be seen standing in front of the vehicle. The vehicle then drives forward and the ICE agent in front pulls out a gun, shooting into the front of the vehicle before stepping to the side and shooting again. The footage sparked outrage among Massachusetts Democratic elected officials, many of them claiming Good was murdered. The murder of a woman in Minnesota by ICE agents in broad daylight is horrific and unacceptable, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, said in a statement. This harrowing tragedy should never have happened, and my heart breaks for the victim, their loved ones, and the entire Minnesota community. Trump administration officials, however, defended the agent, saying he was acting in self-defense. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Thursday the agent was doing his job and implied Goods actions led to her death. I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also recognizing that its a tragedy of her own making, Vance said. Federal officials similarly defended agents who shot two people in Portland, Oregon Thursday afternoon, according to The Oregonian. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents shot and wounded a man and a woman believed to be a married couple in a medical clinic parking lot near a medical center in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses told The Oregonian. Portland police said they didnt know their immediate conditions as of Thursday night. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop and characterized the shooting as self-defense, The Oregonian reported. In Worcester, the crowd started to disperse from Main Street around 7 p.m., with no obvious police presence throughout the peaceful demonstration. Material from MassLive reporter Adam Bass was used in this article. Une premiere reunion des ministres sous tensions avec lannonce faite par le Premier Ministre Adjoint, les ministres ont pris note que le nouveau President des Seychelles sera linvite dhonneur des celebration du 12 mars 2026, de la promulgation du Workers Rights (Additional Remuneration) (2026) Regulations, de la creation dun comite ministeriel pour revoir la situation dans les Shelters et des amendements du Childrens Act, que le nombre de touristes pour 2025 a depasse les 1.4 millions, entre autres. Page 1 of 5 1. Cabinet has taken note that HE Dr. Patrick Herminie, President of the Republic of Seychelles has accepted the invitation of the Prime Minister to join the Government of the Republic of Mauritius in commemorating the 58th National Day Celebrations on 12 March 2026. 2. Cabinet has, in the context of the implementation of the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) Report 2026, agreed to the issue of payment of allowances to officers working on shift/roster on Sunday being looked into by the High Powered Committee, chaired by the Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service in consultation with relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders will be invited to submit their written proposals to the High Powered Committee within a week. 3. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the following regulations in connection with the implementation of the Salary Compensation 2026: (a) the Workers Rights (Additional Remuneration) (2026) Regulations 2026 which will provide for the additional remuneration payable to: (i) a part-time worker, who earns a monthly basic wage or salary below Rs17,110 rupees, to be 3.7 % of the monthly basic wage or salary, rounded up to the next rupee; and (ii) a worker remunerated on a piece rate basis at rates prescribed in the Banks Fishermen and Frigo-workers (Remuneration) Regulations 2019, the Cinema Employees (Remuneration) Regulations 2019, the Tea Industry Workers (Remuneration) Regulations 2019 or any other enactment, for such rates to be increased by 3.7 % as from 01 January 2026 up to a maximum amount of Rs635 per month. (b) the Export Enterprises (Remuneration) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 which will provide for: (i) adjusting the monthly basic wage and the national minimum wage for such category of employee specified in the Third Schedule of the Regulations as applicable; and (ii) a monthly basic wage or salary of a Diploma holder and a Degree holder to be not less than Rs24,245 and Rs26,245 respectively. (c) the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026 which will provide for an increase of Rs635 on the National Minimum Wage payable to an employee, that is, from Rs17,110 to Rs17,745 monthly. 4. Cabinet has taken note of the situation at Shelter Cap LEspoir, Cap Malheureux, formerly known as Shelter LOiseau du Paradis which was reopened on 05 December 2025 with new building amenities and programmes designed to strengthen a child-centred approach. Despite these improvements, some residents have repeatedly disrupted operations, creating fear among minors and caregivers. Several incidents have been reported. The prevailing situation has resulted in persistent caregiver shortage which compromises supervision and safety. Psychologists have conducted counselling sessions to address behavioural issues, trauma, and substance abuse and 24/7 police presence was provided. An Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising representatives of the following ministries will be set to review the whole situation, including proposed amendments to the Childrens Act: (a) the Prime Ministers Office (Home Affairs Division); (b) the Ministry of Health and Wellness; (c) the Attorney-Generals Office; (d) the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare and (e) the Ministry of Education and Human Resource. 5. Cabinet has taken note that following a request from Government, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has agreed to hearings being held in Mauritius as from this year. The Supreme Court will make logistical arrangements in that respect. 6. Cabinet has taken note that the newly set up Revenue Appeal Tribunal will be operational as from 12 January 2026. 7. Cabinet has taken note that, according to latest figures, tourist arrivals for the period January to December 2025 exceeded 1.4 million, resulting in tourism earnings of more than Rs100 billion. 8. Cabinet has taken note of the discontinuation of the Technology Education Programme; and the alignment of the National School Certificate (Technology Education) of the only cohort, year 2024-2025, to the Cambridge School Certificate, as recommended by the National Equivalence Committee. 9. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Conservatoire National de Musique Francois Mitterrand Trust Fund and the Conservatorio Vecchi Tonelli di Modena. The Memorandum of Understanding aims at promoting cooperation and exchange activities of mutual interest between the two parties to: (a) encourage and facilitate faculty exchange and mutual visits to pursue collaborative artistic projects; (b) develop a course sharing and crediting mutual recognition mechanism between the two institutions, and send undergraduate and graduate students for semester exchange study on a tuition-free basis; (c) encourage joint performances by faculty members and students; (d) exchange information, scores, music materials and publications as appropriate; (e) conduct theatre collaborations; (f) explore opportunities for conducting lectures, masterclasses, seminars, and organising symposia and conferences; and (g) promote other academic and artistic cooperation and collaboration. 10. Cabinet has agreed to the holding of a capacity-building workshop on the United Nations Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) from 19 to 21 January 2026, in Mauritius. The workshop will be organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Commonwealth Secretariat will provide technical assistance to Mauritius for the domestication of the BBNJ Agreement. The workshop will be organised to: (a) raise awareness on the BBNJ Agreement among relevant stakeholders; (b) clarify national obligations and responsibilities under the BBNJ Agreement; (c) highlight the benefits accruing to Mauritius from its status as a Party to the Agreement; and (d) provide practical guidance on implementation strategies. Several entities, including, Ministries/Departments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations, which were actively involved throughout the negotiation, signature and ratification processes and will eventually be involved in the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement for Mauritius will be invited to participate in the workshop. 11. Cabinet has taken note of the programme of activities being organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Chinese Speaking Union, the United Chinese Associations, the Federation of Chinese Societies and the China Cultural Centre to celebrate the Chinese New Year at national level. In the context of the Cultural Exchange Programme signed between the Government of the Peoples Republic of China and the Government of Mauritius, a cultural troupe from the Province of Sichuan, will be in Mauritius from 14 to 18 February 2026 to participate in the Spring Festival celebrations. The cultural exchange initiative contributes to strengthening bilateral relations between Mauritius and the Peoples Republic of China and supports Governments objective of enhancing cultural diplomacy and international cultural cooperation. A series of activities will be organised as follows: (a) a National Banquet in collaboration with the Chinese Speaking Union, the United Chinese Associations and the Federation of Chinese Societies; (b) a National Gala Show in collaboration with the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China and the China Cultural Centre wherein the cultural troupe from the Province of Sichuan will perform during the event, showcasing elements of Chinese traditional performing arts; and (c) a Float Parade by the United Chinese Associations and the Municipal City Council of Port Louis. 12. Cabinet has taken note that confirmed cases of Mpox have been reported in the Republic of Madagascar. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has strengthened the protocol for surveillance at the level of Port and Airport for all incoming passengers from Madagascar to cater for any suspected case. 13. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation to Mumbai. The Minister led a delegation to Mumbai in order to pursue further discussions with the Maharashtra Cyber Police on specific areas of cooperation. The Minister had the opportunity to witness live demonstrations to detect deepfake, mobile hacking and CCTV vulnerabilities. During his visit the Minister met the Chief Minister of Maharashtra who expressed his support to strengthen the Cyber Security ecosystem of Mauritius. 14. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms in the 44th Annual Roundtable Conference of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) held in Mbabane, Kingdom of Eswatini. The theme of the 44th AAPAM Roundtable Conference was Agile Public Administration: Partnership and Digital transformation for Citizen-Centric Service Delivery. The Conference explored various dimensions of agile and governance responsiveness, policy effectiveness, digital innovation and multi-sectoral partnerships, addressing Africas persistent socio-economic and environmental challenges. The Minister made opening remarks on the theme of the Conference and chaired the session on the Sub-theme 4: Digital Technologies and AI Disruption: Harnessing Digital Transformation for Development. The Minister stressed on the need for public institutions to embrace innovation and digital transformation to deliver more effective, timely and responsive services and embody the principles of transparency, accountability and inclusion. The Minister also pointed out the actions being taken within the digital transformation agenda of the Mauritian public service, in line with Government Programme 2025-2029. 15. Cabinet has taken note of the appointment of Mr Fooad Fazil Nooraully, as President of the Redundancy Board. Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note du programme etabli pour celebrer la nouvelle annee chinoise qui sera sous le signe du Cheval . Cabinet has taken note of the programme of activities being organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Chinese Speaking Union, the United Chinese Associations, the Federation of Chinese Societies and the China Cultural Centre to celebrate the Chinese New Year at national level. In the context of the Cultural Exchange Programme signed between the Government of the Peoples Republic of China and the Government of Mauritius, a cultural troupe from the Province of Sichuan, will be in Mauritius from 14 to 18 February 2026 to participate in the Spring Festival celebrations. The cultural exchange initiative contributes to strengthening bilateral relations between Mauritius and the Peoples Republic of China and supports Governments objective of enhancing cultural diplomacy and international cultural cooperation. A series of activities will be organised as follows: (a) a National Banquet in collaboration with the Chinese Speaking Union, the United Chinese Associations and the Federation of Chinese Societies; (b) a National Gala Show in collaboration with the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China and the China Cultural Centre wherein the cultural troupe from the Province of Sichuan will perform during the event, showcasing elements of Chinese traditional performing arts; and (c) a Float Parade by the United Chinese Associations and the Municipal City Council of Port Louis. Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Keira Keogh, has welcomed the Governments decision to oppose the European Unions Mercosur Trade Agreement. Deputy Keogh said: We in Fine Gael have been clear in relation to the Mercosur Agreement: we do not support it in its current form. There has been a clear commitment in the Programme for Government that we would oppose the deal that is on the table. Since then, our Ministers have engaged with their counterparts in like-minded countries that share our concerns. They have negotiated at great length to secure a better deal for Ireland, and while the EU has agreed to additional measures, unfortunately it is not enough to satisfy our citizens. I want to thank our Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, as well as Tanaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, who have worked tirelessly in the interests of Irish farmers. I also want to acknowledge the many men and women in the farming community across County Mayo who have contacted my office, and spoken with me, to share their concerns. I agree with them: the necessary safeguards for Ireland are not in place. There are very valid concerns around production and health standards in South American imports to the EU that would undermine the superior quality of Irish beef. We have spent many years cultivating a product that is world-renowned and I dont believe we can afford to sacrifice that. At the same time, Ireland has not received the commitments we sought on climate, biodiversity, and deforestation protections. The Governments decision to oppose this deal is the right move for our agricultural community in Mayo and the right move for Ireland concluded Deputy Keogh. READ MORE: Keogh calls for action as residents kept awake at night by reckless drivers in West Mayo A new online platform developed in County Mayo is aiming to transform how citizens communicate with their elected representatives. Constituency.ie, founded by local businessman Jason Howley, is described as the worlds first constituency platform. The service allows residents to create cases with their local councillor or TD and to follow progress from acknowledgement to outcome. A 10-day pre-launch trial now underway in Foxford. The Foxford pre-launch, which began on January 2, is designed to gather feedback from local users ahead of a national rollout. Participation is limited to Foxford residents and is free of charge. Constituencys mission is to make communication between people and their representatives simple, secure and visible. Citizens can submit public or private cases and track real progress, while representatives can acknowledge cases and provide clear updates. According to the company, the platform is combines the clarity of government design with the ease of modern digital tools. READ MORE: Final Call: Nomination for Mayo County Council's Cathaoirleach Awards to close soon Residents taking part in the trial can sign up on the website, choose whether their case is private or public, and submit their issue. All communication and updates remain within the platform to preserve a complete record. Private cases remain confidential between the citizen and the representatives office. Public cases can raise community awareness and may include an online petition so supporters can demonstrate backing, with personal details not displayed publicly. Mr Howley said the Foxford trial will help refine a simple and secure model that can scale nationally and beyond. The goal is to provide a single trusted route for verified submissions, timely acknowledgements, and transparent updates, he said. Councillor Neil Cruise, who is participating in the trial, said having a single place for cases allows him to acknowledge issues within eighteen to twenty-four hours and maintain a clear timeline of progress for residents. While the platform begins in Ireland, the company has global ambitions, adapting to local practices while maintaining strong privacy and security standards. News / National by Staff reporter The High Court has rejected an application to place RioZim Limited under corporate rescue, with Justice Gibson Mandaza describing the union leading the push as a "busybody" and labelling the legal action an "abuse of the court process."The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) had filed the case alongside two individuals, Precious Mwanza and Owen Kapeta, arguing that the company was financially distressed following the death of its majority shareholder. The applicants claimed that corporate rescue was needed to safeguard jobs and protect key assets, including gold mines Renco and Cam & Motor, and Murowa Diamond Mine.RioZim opposed the application, arguing that ZDAMWU was a general industry body and did not specifically represent the company's employees. The company also highlighted procedural failures, noting that the applicants had not properly notified "affected persons," such as creditors and shareholders, as required under the Insolvency Act.Justice Mandaza ruled that legal standing was central to the case. He noted that while the law allows trade unions to initiate corporate rescue proceedings, the union must represent employees of the specific company. Citing Supreme Court precedent from Metallon Gold, he said:"The Insolvency Act does not provide for a registered trade union in the industry, but specifically provides for one representing employees of the company. The first applicant lacks locus standi It is just a busybody' in the strictest sense of the word."The court also dismissed attempts by the applicants to strike out RioZim's opposition, affirming that a company has the right to defend itself against supervision. Despite RioZim describing the application as "frivolous and vexatious," Justice Mandaza declined to award punitive costs, ruling that access to justice should not be deterred by potential financial penalties. Each party was ordered to bear its own legal costs.RioZim has faced financial challenges due to a difficult macroeconomic environment, limited local lending, and reluctance by international financiers. A key factor has been a geological shift at the Cam & Motor Mine, which required a US$35 million capital investment that the company could not fully self-finance.The company has launched a capital-raising initiative to stabilise production, and despite funding constraints, has reported improved output at some of its gold operations. News / National by Staff reporter A former Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer, now serving in the United States military, has alleged that Zimbabwe's army played a central role in manipulating the 2018 and 2023 presidential elections.Kelvin Muchineripi, who left Zimbabwe for the United States, made the claims in a video statement, asserting that opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was the rightful winner of the 2018 polls."You did not win the 2018 elections, Chamisa is the one who won those elections," Muchineripi declared, speaking in a mix of Shona and English. "People who were involved in rigging the elections came from the army. They worked with the database of the voter roll. If you want, I can even mention names. Even in 2023, you did not win the elections."Muchineripi's allegations strike at the core of longstanding controversies surrounding Zimbabwe's electoral processes. Opposition parties and international observers have repeatedly raised concerns over voter roll tampering, intimidation, and ballot irregularities, but his testimony is notable for directly implicating military personnel in technical manipulation of electoral data.Having served as a commissioned officer in the ZNA, Muchineripi is believed to have had insight into the army's operations and structures prior to his departure from Zimbabwe and subsequent enlistment in the U.S. military.The Zimbabwean government and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) have consistently denied all accusations of election rigging. The ZNA maintains that it is a professional, apolitical institution, and officials have yet to respond to Muchineripi's specific claims.Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, who recently resigned from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has repeatedly maintained that his victories in both the 2018 and 2023 elections were stolen. Muchineripi's account, if verified, provides firsthand support for these longstanding opposition claims.The allegations are likely to intensify scrutiny of Zimbabwe's military and electoral institutions, reigniting debates over transparency, impartiality, and the role of the army in politics. News / National by Stephen Jakes THE muchreported land grab by Zanu PF officials in Manyame District has angered sections of the ruling party, with some members describing the alleged actions as evil, retrogressive and damaging to the party's image.Reports indicate that a landgrab syndicate, allegedly led by Manyame Rural District Ward 10 Councillor Eddius Sibanda and a Zanu PF DCC chairman identified only as Chotodya, has been terrorising war veterans, women and children in Seke District, threatening mass displacements at Longlands and Gilstone farms.Councillor Sibanda is accused of working with gangs from Nyatsime and Harare South, including an individual known as Karimanzira, to forcibly take land from legitimate beneficiaries of the 2000 land reform programme. Community members say they feel helpless because the alleged invasions are being fronted by political leaders, leaving locals unsure where to turn for protection.Preliminary investigations by journalists reportedly uncovered evidence of corrupt political and government officials orchestrating the land grabs, with thugs allegedly invoking the First Family's name to intimidate residents and justify illegal activities. Vulnerable families, including war veterans, are said to be living in fear.Councillor Sibanda dismissed the allegations, insisting no war veterans had been threatened in his ward. He said the accusations were being pushed by political rivals who lost elections and were now attempting to tarnish his image. Sibanda added that Chotodya was not a DCC chairman but a district chairperson for Sally Mugabe District, and had nothing to do with the matter.He said the Ministry of Lands had already investigated the claims and found no displaced war veterans, insisting that people were going about their normal business.A village head from Gilstone, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, said he was disturbed by the misuse of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's name in illegal land dealings. He said the community was living in fear, especially after a recent petrolbombing incident that claimed a life.A Zanu PF DCC Manyame member, who also preferred anonymity, confirmed concerns over the alleged land grabs and said the party leadership would intervene. He said it was illegal for anyone to invade or sell land and urged residents to report suspicious activities, including buses delivering people into the area.He emphasised that Longlands and Gilstone farms were not being parcelled out and that only the Ministry of Lands had the authority to allocate land. He said the farms had legal occupants who were conducting their farming activities, and attempts to forcibly take land from them were unacceptable. News / National by Stephen Jakes The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has sharply criticised the ruling Zanu PF over what it describes as entrenched, systemic corruption, while reaffirming its stance that the party is structurally incapable of ethical governance and should no longer preside over the affairs of Mthwakazi.In a statement on Thursday, MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said corruption under Zanu PF was not accidental or isolated, but "systemic, rewarded, and protected", adding that the ruling party had abandoned values such as human dignity, collective responsibility and moral restraint - principles MRP says lie at the heart of its political philosophy.Moyo said MRP's vision of selfrule was rooted in ubuntu, where leadership is service, wealth is a communal trust, and power is exercised to protect human dignity rather than to exploit proximity to the state. He said Zanu PF no longer operated from any moral foundation.He argued that grand corruption in Zimbabwe was concentrated around the centres of state power, particularly in Mashonaland and Harare, where political authority, security elites, tenders and financial systems were tightly interwoven.According to Moyo, the environment has normalised tenderpreneurship, illicit dealmaking, monetisation of political proximity and public displays of unexplained wealth. He said the socalled Zvigananda were not a geographical accident but the product of a governance culture that celebrates accumulation without accountability.He said Mthwakazi communities were systematically excluded from this corrupt ecosystem - not because of moral superiority, but due to deliberate political and economic marginalisation. Ironically, he said, that exclusion preserved a social ethic that condemns theft, rejects arrogance and values communal responsibility.Moyo said corruption was not inherent in the people of Mthwakazi, but was imported through a centralised state system that rewards theft and punishes integrity. He said Mthwakazi society traditionally shamed theft, respected modest and accountable leadership, treated public resources as communal trust and understood authority as stewardship, not entitlement.He added that Zimbabwe's socalled national unity had never been a shared moral project, but a forced political arrangement dominated by one governance culture that extracts and dictates.Moyo said Zanu PF had demonstrated that it could not reform itself, could not police its own corruption, could not accommodate diverse governance values and could not deliver ethical leadership. He said imposing this arrangement on Mthwakazi was "moral coercion", and that selfdetermination was about safeguarding a different political ethic rooted in ubuntu, shared accountability and human dignity.He said Mthwakazi's demand for independence was not only legal or historical, but ethical. A society that rejects plunder, values dignity over dominance and refuses to celebrate corruption, he said, could not flourish under a state that rewards theft and criminalises conscience.Moyo said Zanu PF had shown that corruption was central to its survival, while MRP placed human dignity at the centre of its political identity. He said this was why Mthwakazi must govern itself, why sovereignty was not optional, and why the struggle for selfrule was justified, peaceful and irreversible.He referenced recent remarks by VicePresident Constantino Chiwenga, who said the liberation struggle was not waged so that a few could prosper while many lived in poverty. Moyo said Chiwenga's condemnation of Zvigananda - those flaunting wealth obtained through bribes, political proximity and manipulated state contracts - correctly identified the moral decay at the heart of Zimbabwe's political economy.However, he said such speeches arrived "decades too late and from the wrong platform". Zimbabwe, he argued, did not suffer from a lack of anticorruption rhetoric, but from a surplus of leaders who condemn corruption while presiding over it.He said corruption would continue because it was not a deviation from the system but its foundation.Moyo said MRP rejected the illusion that the system could reform itself through speeches, insisting that ethical governance must be structural, enforced and lived - grounded in ubuntu, restraint, shared accountability and respect for human dignity.He said Chiwenga may condemn plunder, but MRP rejects the plunderstate itself. He concluded that this was why Mthwakazi must govern itself, why sovereignty was justified, and why the movement's position was uncompromising, peaceful and irreversible. The Immingham-based logistics firm has taken delivery of 12 Renault Trucks T High 480 6x2 units McCann Logistics has renewed its UK fleet with 12 new Renault Trucks T High tractor units, marking the first time the operator has added the Renault Trucks brand to its business. The Immingham-based logistics firm has taken delivery of 12 Renault Trucks T High 480 6x2 units, with two of the vehicles carrying ANDYSMANCLUBs Its okay to talk message to raise awareness of mens mental health. The move follows a competitive tender process, during which Renault Trucks and dealer Thompson Commercials were selected for their driver-focused specification and whole-life cost proposition. Mark Brighton, general manager at McCann Logistics, said the process stood out from the outset. From day one, Thompson Commercials listened, he said. Both Renault Trucks and Thompsons worked with us, offered sensible numbers, and delivered everything we asked for from driver comfort features to a maintenance programme we could trust. He added: Weve not been able to fault the process. The new vehicles are supplied on a five-year contract through Renault Trucks Financial Services and are powered by Renault Trucks DE13 Turbo Compound 480hp engine, designed to improve fuel efficiency by recovering energy from exhaust gases. Further technologies, including Optivision map-based gear shifting and Smart Torque Control, are aimed at reducing fuel consumption and delivering more predictable running costs. Configured for long-distance haulage, the trucks have been specified to McCanns requirements, with features including rear interior cab lockers, microwaves and inverters to improve driver comfort. McCann drivers were involved throughout the specification process and trialled a demonstrator vehicle before the order was finalised, with positive feedback on fuel performance, manoeuvrability, cab space and comfort influencing the decision. Founded more than 40 years ago, McCann Logistics has grown into a major UK and European operator, moving goods through ports including Immingham and Purfleet, with core markets in Belgium, Holland and Germany. The business supports a wide range of construction and industrial customers, transporting materials such as bricks, roofing tiles and solar panels, alongside third-party freight including steel, chemicals and general cargo. Operating exclusively across the UK, each of the new Renault trucks is expected to cover around 1,400 miles per week, serving destinations from Aberdeen to Taunton, including construction sites, farms, industrial facilities and distribution hubs. Alongside the fleet renewal, McCann is extending its long-standing support for ANDYSMANCLUB, with two of the new trucks joining existing trailers already carrying the charitys branding. The partnership began following a local Armed Forces Day event and reflects the companys commitment to supporting mental health in male-dominated industries. One of the new vehicles will carry a tribute to Sean Dawson, the son of a McCann driver who died by suicide, with his familys permission. Its a small gesture, but it means a great deal to our driver and his family, Mr Brighton said. Supporting AMC is incredibly important to us, especially given the male-dominated sectors we deliver into. If even one man decides to attend a Monday night support group because they saw one of our vehicles, then its worth everything. Sean Gill, regional lead for the East of England at ANDYSMANCLUB, said the partnership would help take the charitys message into communities that might otherwise be hard to reach. Seeing our branding carried on their trucks and trailers isnt just advertising, its awareness in motion, he said. The vehicles will be maintained by Thompson Commercials Grimsby depot, with ongoing driver familiarisation and support included as part of the agreement. Keith Ottley, sales projects manager at Thompson Commercials, said the dealer was proud to support McCanns first move to the Renault Trucks brand. We are delighted that McCann Logistics has chosen Renault Trucks for the first time in its history, he said, adding that the T High was well suited to McCanns long-distance UK operations. Opinion / Columnist Lieutenant-General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi's recent appointment as commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) initially raised eyebrows among senior officers, given his unconventional career path and lack of frontline combat command experience. However, the move has since been rationalised within political and military circles as part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's broader coup-proofing strategy amid intensifying internal power struggles.When Tapfumaneyi first retired from the military in 2004, he held the rank of Colonel, having risen through the medical services ancillary unit. In line with Zimbabwean military tradition - which is codified in law - he was promoted one rank to Brigadier-General upon retirement.Under the State Service (Pensions) (Uniformed Forces) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (No. 17), commissioned officers are entitled to promotion to the next higher rank within six months of retirement, a practice commonly referred to as a "tombstone promotion." Such promotions are authorised by the President in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF). Tapfumaneyi, like many officers before him, benefited from this provision.Effectively, he retired at a rank widely considered the professional ceiling for officers from the medical corps in many modern militaries. Medical officers are typically categorised as staff rather than line (combat) officers, limiting their eligibility for top operational commands.In the United States Army, the highest rank normally attained by a medical officer is Lieutenant-General, held by the Surgeon General, with no functional four-star combat command billets available within the medical track. Similarly, in the Indian Army, doctors can rise to Lieutenant-General but cannot become Chief of Army Staff. In the British Army, senior medical officers usually peak at Major-General or Lieutenant-General, while the rank of full General is reserved for officers with combat division and corps command experience.Tapfumaneyi's career later extended beyond the medical services corps into the mainstream military establishment. He served in various staff roles, including within the office of then ZNA commander Lieutenant-General Constantino Chiwenga before 2004. Chiwenga, who led the ZNA from 1994 to 2004 and the ZDF from 2004 to 2017, hails from the same district of Hwedza in Mashonaland East, and the two were initially close.Over time, Tapfumaneyi undertook additional military courses and professional training, enabling his transition into the broader command structure. However, despite this progression, he did not acquire frontline combat command experience - a factor traditionally viewed as essential for appointment to the highest operational roles in the army.After retiring from the military in 2004, Tapfumaneyi joined the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in 2005 and served until 2009, rising to the position of Assistant Director. His tenure coincided with the disputed March 2008 elections, in which former president Robert Mugabe lost the first round to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The CIO was implicated during this period in several human rights abuses, including the abduction and torture of activist Jestina Mukoko.Following his departure from the CIO in 2009, Tapfumaneyi served as Principal Director in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and later as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Welfare Services for War Veterans under Mugabe.After Mnangagwa's rise to power through the 2017 military-assisted transition - which was orchestrated with decisive support from Chiwenga - Tapfumaneyi returned to the CIO in January 2020 as co-Deputy Director-General, alongside Gatsha Mazithulela, under Director-General Isaac Moyo.By then, relations between Tapfumaneyi and Chiwenga had deteriorated, with Tapfumaneyi believing Chiwenga was obstructing his advancement. His return to the CIO was polarising, as he was widely regarded as sympathetic to the now-defunct G40 faction.During his second stint at the CIO, Tapfumaneyi steadily entrenched himself within Mnangagwa's intelligence machinery. His influence grew significantly during the 2023 elections, when Mnangagwa deliberately sidelined Chiwenga and the army, fearing they could manipulate the process against him amid Zanu PF's internal succession battles.Tapfumaneyi became a key pillar of Mnangagwa's re-election strategy, overseeing the shadowy Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), a CIO-controlled operation widely credited with securing Mnangagwa's disputed 2023 victory through localised campaigning, coercion, manipulation and alleged vote-rigging.Following the elections, Tapfumaneyi's relationship with Chiwenga collapsed entirely, further inflamed by the deepening succession fight between the two men. Their power struggle has reportedly involved assassination attempts, poisonings, purges and the Bulawayo White City grenade attack.As Chiwenga intensified his manoeuvres - with sections of war veterans led by Blessed Geza openly backing him - Tapfumaneyi emerged as Mnangagwa's trusted enforcer within the security establishment. Throughout 2025, Chiwenga made several unsuccessful attempts to destabilise Mnangagwa's grip on power.Under mounting political pressure, Mnangagwa promoted Tapfumaneyi to Major-General in June 2025 as part of a broader survival strategy. This marked Tapfumaneyi's return to the ZDF from the CIO as a powerful political-military figure.In November 2025, in a rapid sequence of events, Tapfumaneyi was promoted to Lieutenant-General and simultaneously appointed ZNA commander, replacing General Emmanuel Matatu, who had been elevated to ZDF commander following the retirement of General Phillip Valerio Sibanda.The appointment was widely viewed as politically driven rather than professionally motivated. Senior officers privately questioned the move, noting that while Tapfumaneyi was intellectually formidable and an accomplished strategist, he lacked experience commanding key army formations such as brigades and had no combat background.However, it soon became clear that his appointment was integral to Mnangagwa's coup-proofing strategy - aimed at neutralising Chiwenga's influence within the army and securing Mnangagwa's controversial push for a post-2028, and potentially unconstitutional, extension of his rule to 2030.What ultimately worked in Tapfumaneyi's favour was not battlefield pedigree, but his staff training, intelligence background and unwavering political loyalty. His elevation formed part of a sweeping military reshuffle designed to fragment power centres within the armed forces.As he did in 2019, when Chiwenga and allies sought to impose a state of emergency while Mnangagwa was abroad, the President again leaned on former ZIPRA commanders for protection. In 2019, Sibanda helped avert a coup; again in 2024, Sibanda intervened to prevent another attempted takeover ahead of the March 31 mass protests.Former ZNA commander Lieutenant-General (Retired) Anselem Sanyatwe - a close Chiwenga ally - was removed just days before the planned demonstrations. This marked his second ouster, having previously been removed as Presidential Guard commander and dispatched to Tanzania as ambassador, before briefly returning as ZNA commander in October 2023.With Matatu at the helm of the ZDF and Tapfumaneyi commanding the army, Mnangagwa appears to have secured a loyal security architecture - one designed less for conventional warfare than for regime survival. President Donald Trump has warned some of the nations most prominent defense contractors as part of his desire to increase the national military budget to $1.5 trillion by 2027, with the Pentagon supporting his efforts. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that his decision followed long and difficult negotiations with senators, congressmembers, secretaries and political representatives. If his wanted bigger budget became a reality, it would represent a drastic increase of roughly 50% after Congress recently passed a $900 billion defense bill for the 2026 fiscal year. I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars, Trump wrote. This will allow us to build the Dream Military that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe." The National Security Strategy, released in November 2025, is photographed Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) The president also connected the defense budget to the tariffs he has employed worldwide, saying he would OK with a $1 trillion budget but sees financial promise in the tremendous income that he claims tariffs have generated. That would have been unthinkable in the past (especially just one year ago during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, the Worst President in the History of our Country!). We are able to easily hit the $1.5 Trillion Dollar number while, at the same time, producing an unparalleled Military Force, and having the ability to, at the same time, pay down Debt, and likewise, pay a substantial Dividend to moderate income Patriots within our Country! the president added. Updated projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in November 2025 found that enacted tariffs will reduce debt, including interest, by $3 trillion through Fiscal Year 2035down from the $4 trillion the CBO projected in August. It changed a longer-term outlook, with CBO projecting $2.5 trillion of revenue rather than $3.3 trillion. Pentagon, Defense Contractors React Trumps plan for a dream military also includes a shortened leash on some of the United States biggest defense contractors. The president challenged contractors in another Truth Social post on Wednesday, writing in part: "All United State Defense Contractors, and the Defense Industry as a whole, BEWARE: While we make the best Military Equipment in the World (No other Country is even close!), Defense Contractors are currently issuing massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock Buybacks, at the expense and detriment of investing in Plants and Equipment. This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated!" U.S. Marine Corps ordnance technicians with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, attach a Laser Joint Directed Attack Munition to a Short Airfield for Tactical Support weapons loader at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Dec. 22, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo) Defense contractor executives salaries, stock options and other forms of compensation are far too high, Trump added, saying that no executive should be allowed to make in excess of $5 million if they dont deliver and maintain equipment or if they do not construct new, modern production plants. "Defense contractors will no longer be allowed to leave our warfighters behind while giving themselves massive payouts from stock buybacks." After numerous years of failing to meet contractual obligations, under President Trumps order, defense contractors will no longer be allowed to leave our warfighters behind while giving themselves massive payouts from stock buybacks, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Military.com. This will give [the] Department of War the ability to meet national security objectives and ensure efficiency and accountability. Our obligation is to our warfighters, not Wall Street. Military.com reached out to the nations largest defense contractors for comment, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin shares President Trumps and the Department of Wars focus on speed, accountability, and results, and will continue to invest and innovate at scale to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage and are never sent into a fair fight, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told Military.com. General Dynamics, when reached by Military.com, declined to comment. Trump Targets One Major Contractor Trump, in a separate defense contractor-related social media post, targeted one specific companyRaytheon, a business unit of RTX Corporation. The president said he was told by the Department of Defense that Raytheon has been the least responsive to the needs of the Department of War, the slowest in increasing their volume, and the most aggressive spending on their Shareholders rather than the needs and demands of the United States Military. FILE - An American flag flies in front of the facade of Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems facility, in Woburn, Mass on June 10, 2019. Aerospace and defense company Raytheon Technologies will establish a global headquarters in Arlington, Va.,, the company announced Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) Raytheon seems to think this is the Biden Administration, and this is business as usual, ITS NOT! Trump wrote. Either Raytheon steps up, and starts investing in more upfront Investment like Plants and Equipment, or they will no longer be doing business with Department of War. Also, if Raytheon wants further business with the United States Government, under no circumstances will they be allowed to do any additional Stock Buybacks, where they have spent Tens of Billions of Dollars, until they are able to get their act together. Military.com reached out to Raytheon for comment. The first 48-72 hours of the investigation into what led to the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis will shed more light on federal training and vetting practices though mixed messages from public officials in the investigation's infancy are "not ideal," a U.S. Navy veteran and former law enforcement member told Military.com. A national conversation that has included public protests remains ongoing following the deadly shooting of a Minnesota mother, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on Wednesday. The Trump administration, shortly in the aftermath of the killing, accused the victim of domestic terrorism while local and state leaders have called on federal authorities to vacate the region to dissuade any further potential violence or aggression. The ICE officer who killed Good has been reported by numerous sources to be Jonathan Ross, who according to records has served with the agency as a deportation officer since 2015. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not explicitly named Ross as the shooter, it has connected the identity of the agent to an incident last June where he was dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect. The disconnect between the statements made by federal officials, from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem all the way up to President Donald Trump, is not uncommon but its also not ideal, Justin Biedinger, a Navy veteran and former member of the Stockton Police Department in California, told Military.com. Protesters gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker) Investigators and operational leaders generally have to speak in evidence-and-process terms because facts can shift in the first 24-72 hours as video, forensics and witness statements come in, Biedinger said. Political leadership may speak more quickly in broader labels and narratives, but that comes with the risk that early labels can harden public opinion before investigators have completed the work. My view is straightforward: let the investigation play out and see where the evidence takes you. If leaders want to comment early, the most responsible approach is to be explicit about what is confirmed and what is still being verified. Thats how you protect public trust while the investigative process does its job. Urging for the investigation to play out has also been echoed by White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who implied a different perspective of the ongoing situation in Minneapolis and broke with DHS by waiting for all facts to be revealed via proper investigation. What Investigation Looks Like Right Now The current state of the investigation is in the FBIs hands and will focus on locking down objective evidence and building a clear timeline, Biedinger said. That equates to securing and reviewing all available video including body-worn camera footage, dash camera, nearby surveillance, and any residential doorbell footage; collecting physical evidence at the scene; documenting casing locations; preserving the vehicle for mechanical and data review; and conducting early witness interviews. A parallel track usually includes autopsy and toxicology, plus background interviews to establish decision making, intent and any contributing factors, he said. Investigators will also take formal statements from involved personnel, and the case will go through use-of-force review processes as the facts are validated. Protesters confront federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker) Local and statewide officials in Minnesota have criticized the federal government for essentially locking them out of the investigation, with officials saying Thursday that the states Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was denied access to the probecausing concerns related to transparency and public trust. Training Practices In Play The value of training standards comes into play during what Biedinger described as the decision window, or when and where an incident rapidly escalates. At the heart of the issue is whether your people have been trained on, and tested in, clearly articulated principles of use-of-force, threat assessment, and the proportional response in a high stress situation, he said. Training in scenarios such as this specific case, which involved a crowded scene of bystanders and vehicles, is also critical to avert escalation. In my experience, staffing and support influence outcomes, Biedinger added. When teams are undermanned or operating without adequate backup, it increases tension and compresses decision timewhich can make de-escalation harder. How ICE Agents Should Be Vetted Biedinger is the founder and president of Guardian Alliance Technologies, a company that provides cloud-based software designed to improve the process of vetting and hiring of public safety personnel. His years conducting hundreds of background investigations for sworn and non-sworn roles have lent themselves to this current platform used by more than 1,300 public safety agencies across 49 states to modernize vetting and flag risk earlier. A protester pours water in their eye after confronting law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker) In the case of ICE, he didnt say one way or another if the agency is properly vetting its applicants. However, he did say that vetting is a balancing act between speed and rigor and can be especially susceptible to erosion when an agency is under pressure to fill seats. Training and vetting practices by ICE have drawn scrutiny all the way to the halls of Congress, where lawmakers have questioned deployed tactics as federal officials have touted recruiting booms. There have been claims previously reported by Military.com that ICE is sacrificing standards to more swiftly hire officers. The baseline for vetting and hiring includes protocols similar to what have always existed, including background investigations, reference checks, integrity screening, and fitness for duty assessments. The smarter path is to modernize vetting and recruiting to increase throughput without decreasing the bar, Biedinger said. Technology can help agencies do that by removing administrative bottlenecks and speeding up background workflows in order to get the staffing right, and to relieve pressure on the personnel in the field. Federal agents shot and wounded two people in Portland Thursday afternoon, prompting an FBI investigation into the use of force. Two individualsa man and a womanwere shot around 2:15 p.m. Thursday during an encounter involving federal agents in East Portlands Hazelwood neighborhood, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The FBI is leading the investigation into the agent involved shooting, which remains active. A damaged car is seen as law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) Customs and Border Protection later released additional details, saying U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop when the shooting occurred. According to a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin provided to Military.com, agents attempted to stop a vehicle at approximately 2:19 p.m. PST. CBP said that when agents identified themselves, the driver attempted to run over law enforcement officers, prompting an agent to fire what the agency described as a defensive shot. CBP said the vehicle fled the scene with two occupants and that the situation remains evolving. CBP alleged the passenger was a Venezuelan national affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and linked to a recent shooting in Portland, and that the driver was believed to be a member of the same criminal organization. The shooting comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement operations after a fatal incident during an immigration action in Minneapolis triggered a widening federal state dispute over who controls the investigation and how information is released. Police Secure Area After Federal Agent Shooting Portland police said officers initially responded at 2:18 p.m. to reports of a shooting in the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street. Responding officers learned federal agents had been involved and secured the area. Minutes later, police said a man who had been shot called for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street. Officers located a man and a woman with apparent gunshot wounds, applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel. Both were transported to a local hospital. Their identities and conditions were not released. The Portland Police Bureau assisted with securing the scene and providing medical aid, a police spokesperson told Military.com. Two individuals were shot and injured by federal agents and transported to an area hospital. Police emphasized that no Portland officers fired their weapons and confirmed the incident involved federal agents. The bureau said it is not leading the investigation. Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 27, 2025, after Republican President Donald Trump said he would send troops to the city. (AP Photo/Claire Rush, File) Mayor, Governor Call for Independent Federal Investigation City and state leaders called for an independent review of the shooting, saying the incident has shaken public confidence and demands full transparency from federal authorities. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was reeling from the use of force by federal agents and urged investigators to treat the case with urgency. These are human beings, Wheeler said. Our community deserves transparency and accountability. Gov. Tina Kotek said the shooting underscored the importance of cooperation between federal, state and local officials. Trust is essential to maintaining community safety and the rule of law, Kotek said. We demand transparency and cooperation so this incident can be investigated efficiently and effectively. Both leaders urged residents to remain calm and allow investigators to complete their work, while stressing that public trust depends on a full and independent accounting of what occurred. Law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) FBI Takes Over Federal Agent Shooting Investigation The FBI Portland field office confirmed Thursday evening that it is leading the investigation. FBI Portland is investigating an agent involved shooting that happened at approximately 2:15 p.m. near the 10000 block of Main Street in Portland involving Customs and Border Protection agents in which two individuals were wounded, the bureau said in a statement posted on X. This remains an active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI. Federal investigators did not say what led to the shooting, whether the individuals were armed, or the nature of the agents operation, and did not provide a timeline for additional updates. The FBI identified the agents involved as assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Military.com reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, the Oregon Department of Justice, the Portland mayors office, the Portland City Council and the ACLU of Oregon for comment. Officials also did not indicate whether body worn camera footage or other video evidence exists. Key Details Still Unclear in Federal Agent Shooting Authorities have not said whether the encounter was related to immigration enforcement, a warrant service or another federal operation. It also remains unclear whether the agents involved have been placed on administrative duty as investigators review the use of force. Local tensions over federal activity have also surfaced in recent months in separate legal and political fights over the federal governments posture in Portland, including court scrutiny of proposals involving federal forces and allegations of aggressive tactics during earlier operations. Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said she understood both victims were alive and urged calm in the community as the investigation continues. The investigation remains ongoing. UPDATED 10:42 p.m. ET, Jan. 8: This story was updated with comments from Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek following a joint press conference. The federal government has blocked Minnesota investigators from participating in the probe into Wednesday's fatal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in Minneapolis, igniting a federal-state confrontation. Vice President JD Vance made his first remarks on the incident on Thursday, forcefully defending the ICE agent involved in the shooting while rejecting calls for state oversight. He argued that immigration enforcement and the investigation fall squarely under federal authority. The agent was first identified Thursday by the Minnesota Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross, who previously was dragged and injured during an apprehension of a in June 2025. His remarks came as Minnesota officials confirmed the states Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was denied access to the case. Officials said the federal governments decision to exclude state investigators has raised serious questions about transparency and public trust. Federal immigration officers were conducting an enforcement operation in Minneapolis when an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, 37, during a confrontation involving a vehicle. The Trump administration says the agent acted in self-defense after being struck by the car, with the Department of Homeland Security accusing the victim of "an act of domestic terrorism." Federal Leaders Side With ICE Trump administration officials mounted an aggressive defense of the ICE agent as scrutiny over the incident and resulting investigation remains ongoing. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a briefing at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Vance said evidence shows the vehicle struck the agent, leaving him no choice but to use deadly force. He described the encounter as an attack on federal law enforcement and warned against what he called political interference in an active federal investigation. The vice president described Good as a victim of left-wing ideology," adding that the ICE agent had every reason to believe he was under threat. The reason this woman is dead is because she tried to ram somebody with her car, Vance said. Video footage of the incident that has been widely circulated contradicts statements made by federal officials, including President Donald Trump, who said the ICE agent was in danger and threatened by Good's vehicle. Vance also criticized political leaders and media coverage which he said mischaracterized the incident, arguing that inflammatory rhetoric around immigration enforcement has contributed to growing hostility toward federal officers. He said the administration would expand investigations into what he described as coordinated efforts to obstruct immigration operations, also announcing plans to strengthen Justice Department coordination on enforcement and fraud cases. The administration has pointed to agency capacity and training as central to its enforcement posture, even as rapid expansion has triggered questions on Capitol Hill about preparation, standards and oversight tied to a hiring surge. That scrutiny has sharpened as operations widen and confrontations become more frequent. Walz Demands State Role in Investigation State leaders pushed back sharply, calling the shooting a tragedy and accusing federal officials of prejudging the case before investigators could fully establish what happened. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said Thursday that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was denied participation in the investigationwarning that excluding state investigators undermines public confidence in any outcome. Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, delivers a public safety briefing at the Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center, accompanied by state emergency management officials.(Minnesota Department of Public Safety) He said that Minnesota law requires independent review when law enforcement uses deadly force, saying the BCA was created specifically to handle high-profile use-of-force cases involving intense public scrutiny. Minnesota must be part of this investigation, Walz said, arguing that transparency and independent oversight are essential to maintaining trust, particularly as emotions run high in the city, state and nationwide. Walz also urged calm across the state, repeatedly calling for peaceful protest and cautioning against directing anger toward local police, state troopers or National Guard members deployed to maintain public safety. He warned that violence or retaliation would only deepen divisions and complicate the search for answers. Noem Defends Federal Authority and Enforcement Mission Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the administrations stance, continuing to defend the ICE agents actions and the decision to keep the investigation under federal control. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference in New York, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Speaking at a press conference in New York, Noem said the agent followed training and that standard use-of-force review procedures were underway. She warned that interference with federal law enforcement operations puts officers and the public at risk, adding that DHS would continue enforcement actions nationwide. Noem framed the Minneapolis shooting as part of a broader pattern confronting immigration officers, citing protests, vehicle blockades and efforts to obstruct arrests during enforcement operations. A National Showdown The Minneapolis shooting has become another flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement and deployed tactics, along with the balance of power between federal and state authorities. Federal officials have argued that aggressive enforcement is necessary to protect officers and communities amid rising resistance to immigration operations, while Minnesota leaders counter that accountability and independent oversight are essential to maintaining public trust when deadly force is used. Law enforcement uses a chemical agent on protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker) The clash reflects tensions that have been building in other major cities where residents, activists and elected leaders have described more combative immigration tactics, including large-scale operations and heightened use of force that can turn quickly into street-level confrontation. Schools in Minneapolis were closed Thursday for precautionary measures as demonstrations continued across the city. State officials urged residents to avoid speculation and wait for verified findings. Federal leaders signaled no pause in enforcement operations despite mounting criticism. The investigation remains ongoing. Federal authorities have not released a timeline for findings or said when additional evidence might be made public. This story was updated to reflect the identity of the ICE agent. Minneapolis leaders are demanding an independent state investigation through its Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) following the fatal shooting of resident Renee Good earlier this week by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. City officials, county leaders and state lawmakers made the call during a press conference on Friday near the shooting site, urging the FBI and Department of Justice to allow the BCA to lead or jointly conduct the investigation into Goods Jan. 7 death. Federal officials have described the shooting as self-defense and have gone as far as to call Good's actions "an act of domestic terrorism," while local leaders refuted such claims and believe that only an independent review can ensure transparency and credibility. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said trust in the federal investigation began eroding almost immediately after Good was shot and killed, referencing federal officials' swift statements labeling Good as a domestic terrorist and defending the agents actions as defensive before any independent review was completed. The alleged shooter is Jonathan Ross, who has been reported by numerous media outlets to have served with ICE as a deportation officer since 2015. The fact that the Department of Justice and this presidential administration has already come to a conclusion about those facts is deeply concerning, Frey said. If you have nothing to hide from, then do not hide from it. Include local experts in the process. Inside Minnesotas BCA The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is the states primary investigative agency for officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents involving law enforcement. Operating under the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the BCA routinely conducts independent investigations when police or government agents use deadly force. Its role is to gather and preserve evidence rather than to advocate for any political party or exude partisanship. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a news conference in Minneapolis City Hall, Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) After the killing of George Floyd in 2020, Minnesota expanded the BCAs Force Investigations Unita specialized team trained specifically to handle shootings involving officers or government personnel. Investigators collect physical evidence, review body-camera and surveillance footage, interview witnesses and involved officers, and reconstruct events before submitting complete case files to county attorneys. Prosecutors then determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The BCA itself does not make charging decisions, though its findings form the foundation of every legal review. Local and state leaders say the BCAs independence, experience and familiarity with Minnesota law make it uniquely positioned to either lead or jointly conduct the investigation into Goods death. The fact that the Department of Justice and this presidential administration has already come to a conclusion about those facts is deeply concerning." - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey They argue BCA involvement would ensure the case is reviewed by investigators who are not part of the same federal system as the agent involved, reducing concerns about conflicts of interest and reinforcing public confidence in the outcome. Supporters of BCA oversight also note the agency has handled numerous high-profile, officer-involved shootings across Minnesota in recent years, including cases that resulted in both criminal charges and decisions not to prosecute. Frey said the BCA has decades of experience handling officer-involved shootings and has earned credibility through prior independent reviews. He warned those early characterizations risked contaminating the investigation and damaging public confidence in a city still shaped by the lessons of the George Floyd case. Our ask is to embrace the truth, Frey said. Our ask is to include the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in this process because we in Minneapolis want a fair investigation. Federal Leaders Defend ICE Narrative While Minneapolis leaders demanded independent oversight, several Republican national figures publicly backed the federal law enforcement account. Vice President JD Vance defended the ICE agent during public remarks, calling the shooting a defensive response and criticizing what he described as political distortion. I can believe her death is a tragedy while also recognizing it is a tragedy of her own making, Vance said. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned in public statements and social media posts that interfering with federal agents is a crime, urging demonstrators not to test our resolve. Department of Homeland Security officials, including Secretary Kristi Noem, described the encounter as "an act of domestic terrorism" and claimed Good attempted to strike the agent with her vehicle. I can believe her death is a tragedy while also recognizing it is a tragedy of her own making." -- Vice President JD Vance Former President Donald Trump echoed that characterization on social media, writing that Good violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer. Video circulated online since Wednesday appears to show otherwise. Minnesota officials also said those claims conflict with video and eyewitness accounts reviewed locally. Frey also rejected portrayals of Minneapolis as unsafe, saying federal enforcement actions are contributing to fear rather than security. Fifty percent of the shootings that have happened thus far in Minneapolis this year have been ICE, Frey said, noting the city has recorded two shootings in 2026. We are a safe city. ICE is making us less so." Councilmember Demands ICE Agent's Arrest The shooting occurred near the boundary of the Ward 9 district. Minneapolis City Council Vice President Jason Chavez, who represents the district, said Good was not a terrorist and accused ICE agents of excessive force. She was a mother, a wife and a beloved community member, not a domestic terrorist, Chavez said. I am calling on Trumps FBI to allow Minnesota BCA to have access to all the information so an independent investigation can occur. Minnesota State Rep. Aisha Gomez addresses people who gathered for a vigil after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman earlier in the day, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn) I am here on behalf of my entire community echoing the calls to arrest, to prosecute and to fire this ICE agent who murdered Renee Good, he added. Chavez described what he called widespread ICE activity across Minneapolis, alleging agents have detained residents while commuting, standing at bus stops, moving vehicles during snow emergencies, or taking out trash. What has descended upon Minneapolis is not the American dream, he said. Lawmakers Cite George Floyd Precedent State Rep. Aisha Gomez (D-Minn.) said Minnesota created strict standards for investigating officer-involved shootings after the killing of George Floyd. The only question in front of us is whether we are going to design a process thats legitimate or not, Gomez said. She urged federal authorities to share all evidence with the BCAs Force Investigations Unit. Do we want a legitimate investigation with professionals who have local legitimacy, Gomez said, or a discredited farce of an investigation? County Commissioner Raises Concerns Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando called Goods death an unimaginable and preventable loss. Justice is pursued through legal action, credible investigation and courts, Fernando said. Not through guns, murder and violence on our streets. Fernando said ICE agents have staged near school bus stops and gone door to door, sometimes refusing to show warrants or identification. This is a terrifying reality for Minnesotans, she said, adding that Minnesota law requires BCA investigations to be reviewed by the county attorney. We have a process here to review force. We have full trust in this process and in the county attorney. Senator Accuses Federal Leaders of Misrepresenting Case State Sen. Zaida Mohammed (D-Minn.) accused federal leaders of misrepresenting what happened. There were many witnesses to Renees murder and the horrific videos we have seen make us all witnesses, Mohammed said. This was a crime in broad daylight and the attempt to cover it up is another. She rejected claims that Good ran over the ICE agent. Watch the video from every single angle, Mohammed said. He was not run over. He walked out of there with a hop in his step. Federal agents stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher) State Rep. Jamie Long (D-Minn.) said the FBI initially invited the BCA to participate before reversing course. They were invited by the FBI to participate in the investigation jointly, Long said. Then for some reason, they decided to walk away. Long warned that delays risk losing time-sensitive evidence. There is time-sensitive evidence, he said. Memory lapses happen if you are not able to interview witnesses right away. Israel Signals It Will Block F-35 Sale Israels Deputy Foreign Minister, Sharren Haskel, has publicly stated Israel will not allow the transfer of Israeli-developed technology embedded in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkiye, even if the United States approves a sale of the aircraft to Ankara. Israels position stems from strategic mistrust and concerns over regional balance and sensitive military technology. Haskel said Israel is concerned about statements made by President Donald Trump indicating he is very seriously considering an agreement to sell F-35s to Turkiye, and added that Israeli technology will not be part of such an agreement even if they do get those airplanes. That position underscores how industrial participation and export controls can shape multinational weapons programs. Israeli officials remarks respond directly to the possibility Washington could approve a sale structured to exclude Israeli-origin systems. In that scenario, Israel would not exercise a direct technical veto over the aircraft themselves. However, Israeli opposition would still factor into U.S. deliberations over configuration choices, export approvals, and regional military balance assessments, particularly where qualitative military edge considerations remain implicated. Background: Turkiyes Exclusion From the F-35 Program Turkiye was originally a partner in the F-35 program, joining as an industrial participant and planned recipient of dozens of aircraft. Turkiye was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, a move the United States said undermined the security of allied military technology. As a result, the U.S. expelled Turkiye from the multinational F-35 program and halted deliveries of jets that had been built for the Turkish Air Force. Ankara has repeatedly sought reinstatement, calling its removal unfair, and the issue has resurfaced amid reports of renewed U.S.-Turkish discussions on fighter jet cooperation. That exclusion also cut Turkiye out of the F-35 supply chain, which draws on production contributions from multiple partner nations. Israeli firms, in particular, produce key subsystems for the aircraft, including outer wing components and helmet-mounted display technology. That embedded industrial role does not amount to a formal veto over U.S. arms sales, but it can constrain technology transfers where Israeli-origin components or third-party transfer approvals are required. Since its removal, Ankara has pursued alternatives to maintain and modernize its air force. These include purchasing advanced European fighters such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, which the United Kingdom agreed to sell Turkiye alongside other jet deals, and advancing its own fighter development program. Two Israeli F-35 Adirs fly in formation and display the U.S. and Israeli flags after receiving fuel from a Tennessee Air National Guard KC-135. The United States has partnered with Israel for several years on its F-35 program through the Foreign Military Finance, or FMF, program where the two nations partner on construction of strategic facilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Erik D. Anthony) Where Israeli Concerns Do and Do Not Apply The F-35 program is a deeply integrated multinational enterprise that relies on shared technology, software, and industrial participation across partner nations. Israel operates a unique variant of the aircraft, the F-35I Adir, which incorporates Israeli-developed electronic warfare, avionics, and mission systems, and Israeli firms contribute components to the broader program. However, recent reporting indicates President Trump has suggested that any F-35 sale to Turkiye could proceed without Israeli-origin technology, which would limit Israels direct ability to block a transfer on technical grounds. Even with that caveat, Israeli objections remain somewhat relevant because they seem to intersect with U.S. policy considerations rather than serving as a formal veto. Israels concerns inform Washingtons qualitative military edge assessments, which U.S. law requires before approving major arms sales in the Middle East. Those assessments evaluate whether a proposed transfer could erode Israels conventional military superiority, meaning Israeli opposition can still influence U.S. decision-making even if Israeli-specific systems are excluded from the aircraft configuration. U.S. Policy and Legislative Hurdles Any U.S. decision to sell F-35s to Turkiye would also have to navigate domestic policy and legal conditions. U.S. statutes such as the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and annual National Defense Authorization Act provisions have previously blocked the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkiye unless Ankara resolves outstanding issues stemming from its S-400 acquisition. Congress also retains oversight through mandatory notification requirements and potential holds on major foreign military sales. President Trumps remarks suggesting serious consideration of F-35 sales to Turkiye reflect a strategic calculation about bolstering NATOs southern flank and reinforcing U.S.-Turkiye relations. However, lawmakers have expressed a range of views, and many remain cautious about strengthening Turkiyes access to advanced Western military technology without clear guarantees on strategic alignment and security commitments. Regional Security Implications Israels public opposition to a potential F-35 sale to Turkiye reflects deep strategic mistrust between the two countries. Diplomatic relations have deteriorated markedly over the past decade as geopolitical competition, divergent policies on Syria and Gaza, and conflicting regional ambitions have strained cooperation. Israel views Turkiyes support for groups hostile to its security posture as a fundamental strategic risk, and Tel Avivs insistence on restricting access to sensitive technology aligns with its doctrine of maintaining a qualitative edge over potential regional adversaries. What Comes Next The Israeli declaration that it will block technology transfers necessary for F-35 operational capability marks a significant hurdle for any effort to sell or reintegrate Turkiye into the F-35 program. It underscores how industrial participation and allied technology rights can translate into political leverage in arms export decisions. For Washington, the key questions will be whether Turkish commitments on the S-400 can be resolved, how Congress responds to proposed sales, and whether Israeli concerns can be addressed through specific safeguards or alternative arrangements.. The broader implications extend beyond the F-35 itself. As fifth-generation combat aircraft become central to airpower and alliance interoperability, disputes over access and technology sharing highlight how political alignment, trust, and shared strategic priorities are as crucial as raw capability in shaping the future of multinational defense cooperation. Google Announces 2030 Objective to Run Totally on Carbon-Free Power Around The World (Google Announces 2030 Goal to Operate Entirely on Carbon-Free Energy Globally) That headline stopped lots of visitors in their tracks today. Google, a name synonymous with web searches and digital advancement, has actually established a massive brand-new target: running its whole international procedure on carbon-free energy, every hour of each day, by 2030. This isnt nearly purchasing some solar panels for a roof. This is about essentially transforming just how among the globes greatest technology firms powers every little thing it does. Its a substantial commitment. Allows break down what this really suggests. 1. Exactly What is Carbon-Free Energy? . Think about just how most of our electricity is made today. Commonly, it entails burning fossil fuels like coal or gas. This process launches co2 (CO2) into the ambience. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. Too much of it traps heat, warming our earth. Carbon-free power is different. It comes from resources that do not pump out carbon dioxide when generating power. The big players here are wind, solar, and hydropower. Geothermal power (heat from deep underground) is an additional choice. Atomic energy is likewise carbon-free, though it features its very own debates. Googles goal concentrates specifically on these clean resources. They want their information centers, offices, and every other component of their business operating on this kind of power, all the time, everywhere they run. 2. Why is Google Doing This? Why Now? . Google hasnt simply gotten up to climate modification. Theyve been carbon neutral for several years. This indicates they balanced their exhausts by investing in projects that remove or prevent carbon dioxide elsewhere. But carbon neutrality frequently depends on offsets. The brand-new objective is various. Its about removing the need for those offsets by not developing the carbon air pollution in the first place. Why make this jump? Initially, the science is clear. Climate modification is happening much faster than forecasted. The effects are being felt worldwide. Businesses see the dangers: extreme weather interrupting procedures, increasing expenses, stress from clients and staff members demanding activity. Second, Google counts on innovation. They believe tackling this obstacle head-on will certainly spark new modern technologies. These might benefit everyone. Third, it makes company feeling lasting. Renewable resource prices have actually plunged. Building tidy energy framework can result in much more stable power costs. Its about future-proofing their operations and showing leadership. 3. Just How Will Google In Fact Attain This Objective? . Stating well go carbon-free 24/7 is one point. Making it take place is a substantial technological and logistical puzzle. Google confesses will not be easy. They have a multi-step strategy. Tip one: Maintain getting extra effective. Their data centers currently make use of far much less energy than older models. Theyll maintain pressing this. Step two: Authorize even more straight contracts for wind and solar energy. Theyve been doing this for several years. These bargains help finance new renewable energy tasks. Tip three: Deal with the hardest part times when the sunlight isnt beaming, and the wind isnt blowing. This is where technology starts. Google is investing heavily in new technologies. They are exploring sophisticated battery storage to hold excess solar power for usage at night. They are taking a look at geothermal projects. They are funding research study right into next-generation services. Tip four: Deal with federal governments and utilities. They need policies that sustain structure clean energy framework quicker. They need grid drivers to handle power flows smarter. Its a teamwork. 4. Real-World Applications and What it Suggests for Us . This isnt just about Googles offices. Their most significant energy customers are data facilities. These large facilities power Google Look, Gmail, YouTube, Google Cloud, and all their services. Imagine millions of computers running non-stop. They require consistent, reliable power. Changing these to carbon-free power is a substantial technical task. However Google has already begun. They indicate places like Denmark. There, a Google information facility operates largely on wind power. They are examining new approaches in other locations too. What does this mean for regular people? It shows big technology is serious about climate action. It aids speed up the change to renewables worldwide. More need for wind and solar methods a lot more projects obtain constructed. This reduces costs for every person in time. It additionally pushes various other firms to step up. If Google can do it, why not others? Moreover, the modern technologies Google helps develop like better batteries or grid management tools could ultimately profit homes and other companies. 5. FAQs: Addressing the Huge Questions . People naturally have questions regarding such an enthusiastic plan. Lets deal with a couple of typical ones:. Isnt Google currently carbon neutral? Why adjustment? Yes, they accomplished carbon nonpartisanship by getting offsets. The new goal is better. It removes the requirement for offsets by eliminating the carbon emissions straight from their energy usage. Its a greater standard. What occurs if they dont make it by 2030? Google confesses the goal is extremely tough. They could not hit 100% in every region on day one. However they are committed to obtaining as close as possible. They see it as a moonshot worth going for. The initiative itself will drive progression. Does this include the manufacturing of their hardware? The 2030 objective concentrates on the electricity used to run their facilities and data centers. It doesnt directly cover the discharges from making phones, laptops, or various other gadgets. Google is working separately on minimizing those supply chain discharges. They are additionally a founding member of efforts tackling this wider difficulty. Will this make Googles solutions a lot more pricey? Google does not assume so. They say that renewable resource expenses are currently affordable with fossil fuels in numerous locations. Investments in effectiveness and new tech objective to manage costs. They see it as a wise long-term service action. Exactly how can we track their progress? Google publishes an annual Environmental Record. This details their energy usage, carbon footprint, and development in the direction of their objectives. People can inspect this to see exactly how they are doing. (Google Announces 2030 Goal to Operate Entirely on Carbon-Free Energy Globally) Googles 2030 carbon-free power target is bold. It sets a new bar for corporate climate action. Moving beyond offsets to straight tidying up their power supply is considerable. The path wont be smooth. It will certainly call for innovations in technology and partnership with governments and power service providers. But the commitment is clear. The race is on to confirm that also one of the most energy-intensive operations can run entirely on tidy power. The globe will be viewing. Okay, allows talk chips. Apples M4 chip is making waves, and the largest dash seems to be about its mental capacity. Rumor has it the Neural Engine inside obtained a serious upgrade perhaps even 50% faster. Thats massive. But what does it really mean? Were diving deep into the M4s neural muscle mass to see what all the difficulty has to do with. (M4 Chip Specifications Revealed: Neural Engine Performance Improved by 50%?) 1. WHAT IS THE M4 CHIP AND ITS NEURAL ENGINE? . The M4 chip is Apples latest generation processor created for its computer systems. Think about it as the main brain inside Macs and iPads. It manages every little thing from running apps to showing video clips. Inside this powerful chip sits a special part called the Neural Engine. This isnt your normal processor. Its constructed particularly for dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial intelligence (ML) jobs. It succeeds at things like acknowledging patterns, processing images, understanding speech, and making predictions. The Neural Engine functions very quickly and successfully on these particular jobs. Its like having actually a specialized assistant inside your computer system just for AI stuff. The big news? This Neural Engine in the M4 is reportedly a lot, much faster than the one in the previous M3 chip. 2. WHY IS A FASTER NEURAL ENGINE IN THE M4 CHIP IMPORTANT? . Computer systems are doing more AI work on a daily basis. Its not nearly expensive tricks any longer. AI aids your photos look far better instantly. It powers attributes that understand your voice commands. It makes video clip editing smarter and faster. It even aids create message or convert languages on the fly. All these great features count greatly on the Neural Engine. A quicker Neural Engine implies these AI-powered tasks occur quicker. Think immediate photo improvements as opposed to waiting a couple of seconds. Think of video editing and enhancing devices that apply effects in real-time without decreasing. Voice assistants react faster and extra properly. New AI includes that were too slow-moving before might currently be possible. A 50% rate boost is an enormous leap. It makes your computer system really feel smarter and more responsive. It unlocks possibilities for designers to develop also far better apps. Basically, it future-proofs your tool for the AI-driven globe we remain in. 3. HOW DID APPLE INCREASE NEURAL ENGINE EFFICIENCY BY 50% IN THE M4 CHIP? . Apple hasnt revealed every technical detail yet. Yet we can make some enlightened hunches based upon exactly how chips usually boost. First, they likely made the Neural Engine literally larger. More processing cores dedicated to AI jobs imply it can manage more computations simultaneously. Second, Apple most likely utilized an advanced production process. Transferring to a newer, smaller sized chip fabrication modern technology (like 3nm) allows them to pack more transistors onto the chip. More transistors imply even more power and much better effectiveness. Third, they almost certainly enhanced the underlying design. Think smarter means for the Neural Engine to take care of data, relocate details around quicker, and manage its work much more successfully. Software program contributes as well. Apple creates its very own chips and its operating systems (like macOS and iPadOS). This limited combination allows them write super-efficient software that squeezes every last decline of efficiency from the equipment. Its likely a combination of larger size, more recent tech, smarter layout, and better software application that adds up to that excellent 50% gain. 4. APPLICATIONS: WHAT CANISTER YOU PERFORM WITH A 50% FASTER NEURAL ENGINE IN THE M4 CHIP? . This speed boost isnt simply a number. It equates into actual, obvious enhancements and opens up doors for brand-new experiences. Heres what you can anticipate:. Smarter Photography and Video: Anticipate photos modified in apps like Photos or Pixelmator to look remarkable nearly instantly. Attributes like object selection, background blur, sound decrease, and color improvement will certainly be lightning quick. Video editing gets a substantial boost. Applying complex effects, shade grading, and even creating slow-motion footage (utilizing AI framework interpolation) becomes much smoother. Real-time things tracking during editing? Much more feasible. Supercharged Imagination Apps: Applications like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve will fly. AI tools for generating images, enhancing details, or cleaning up audio will certainly work dramatically faster. Visualize creating songs or art with AI assistance without discouraging hold-ups. Boosted Everyday Characteristics: Functions you use daily get better. Live Text acknowledgment in pictures and videos happens quicker. Voice dictation and transcription come to be extra accurate and responsive. Real-time translation functions work much faster. Even Spotlight search gets smarter, locating things quicker by comprehending context better. Better Video Phone Calls: Expect more clear video and crisper audio on FaceTime, Zoom, and Groups. AI-powered sound cancellation for your mic and history blur for your video camera job better with less lag. Future AI Innovations: This power prepares for features we havent even seen yet. Believe sophisticated increased truth experiences, innovative language versions running in your area on your gadget for better personal privacy, or intelligent individual assistants that really comprehend context and expect needs. Developers currently have the horse power to build these next-generation apps. 5. M4 CHIP NEURAL ENGINE FAQS . Q: Is the 50% Neural Engine rate increase confirmed by Apple? . A: Apple revealed the M4 chip and stated considerable Neural Engine improvements. They commonly utilize contrasts like faster than any type of AI computer today. While they could not have stated 50% clearly in every context, several reports and Apples own efficiency insurance claims strongly point to this degree of renovation over the M3s Neural Engine. Its widely accepted as accurate. Q: Which tools will get the M4 chip initially? . A: The brand-new iPad Pro (both 11-inch and 13-inch versions) released in May 2024 are the initial devices powered by the M4 chip. We expect brand-new MacBooks (like the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air) and likely the Mac mini and iMac to adhere to later in 2024 or 2025. Q: Will my older Mac or iPad obtain the M4 chip? . A: No. The M4 chip is only available in new gadgets starting with the latest iPad Pro. Older models can not be upgraded to have the M4 chip; its developed right into the devices reasoning board. Q: Is the Neural Engine only for expensive AI stuff, or does it aid normal tasks? . A: It aids several regular jobs because AI is integrated anywhere. Faster image editing and enhancing in your Photos app? Thats the Neural Engine. Quicker voice dictation? Neural Engine. Smoother video clip calls? Neural Engine. Even attributes like Live Text acknowledgment use it. So indeed, it makes everyday points better and much faster. Q: Does a much faster Neural Engine indicate better battery life? . (M4 Chip Specifications Revealed: Neural Engine Performance Improved by 50%?) A: It can! Because the Neural Engine is designed to be exceptionally reliable for AI tasks, it commonly utilizes less power than if the major CPU or GPU attempted to do the exact same task. So, doing an AI job quicker and a lot more efficiently can actually save battery contrasted to older chips or doing it on much less specialized hardware. The Rangers announced the signing of reliever Patrick Murphy to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp. Texas also confirmed their previously reported agreement with veteran righty Nabil Crismatt. Murphy will be in camp for a second consecutive spring. Texas signed the righty to a non-roster deal last offseason as well. He pitched well in exhibition play and made 14 appearances with Triple-A Round Rock before they granted him his release in July. Murphy wanted to pursue a foreign opportunity and wound up signing with the KBOs KT Wiz. He had never played in Korea but spent the 2024 campaign in Japan as a member of the Nippon-Ham Fighters. The former third-round draft choice started nine of 15 appearances with the Wiz. He tossed 60 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball, albeit with a modest 17% strikeout rate. The Wiz wound up replacing both of their foreign-born pitchers. Lefty Enmanuel De Jesus also returned to affiliated ball on a minor league contract with the Tigers. The Wiz signed Matt Sauer and Caleb Boushley, who made 25 appearances for Texas last year, to fill those spots. Murphy will try to pitch his way back to the MLB level for the first time in four years. He combined for 35 appearances for the Blue Jays and Nationals between 2020-22. He carries a 4.76 earned run average with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk marks in 39 2/3 MLB innings. Murphy sits around 95 MPH with his four-seam fastball and sinker and uses a low-80s curveball as his breaking pitch. The Yankees announced theyve reached an agreement with infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the 2026 season. Its a one-year, $10.2MM deal, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network. Chisholm is a client of Roc Nation Sports. New York settled all eight of its remaining arbitration cases today. Chisholm was the only one to crack eight figures, though closer David Bednar ($9MM) wasnt far behind. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz nailed both numbers. The 27-year-old Chisholm is in his final year of arbitration and will head to free agency next offseason. Chisholm put together a massive 30/30 campaign in his first full season in pinstripes. He struck out at an above-average clip, but also pushed his walk rate to a career-best 10.9%. Chisholms 126 wRC+ was his best mark since the 134 he posted in an abbreviated 2022 season, when a back injury limited him to 60 games. Health issues hindered Chisholm for much of his tenure in Miami. That hasnt been the case in New York. Aside from a minimum IL stint in 2024 and a one-month absence this past year, Chisholm has been a fixture in the Yankees lineup. Hes played at least 130 games in back-to-back seasons. After making the move to third base when he first joined the team, Chisholm was locked in at second base after New York traded for Ryan McMahon. He should reprise that role in 2026, assuming hes still on the team. Rival clubs have checked in with the Yankees about Chisholm. The pending free agent is interested in a contract extension, but New York hasnt been as keen on the idea. Theres been no indication that the Yankees are actually considering trading Chisholm. Hes more than likely going to be back in the middle of a formidable New York lineup next year. Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images LANSING, Mich. Michigan officials may soon begin livestreaming the states Natural Resources Commission meetings for the first time. The commission is a seven-member board that regulates hunting and fishing in Michigan. The commission sets rules and restrictions enforced by the state Department of Natural Resources. A pending state House bill would require that the commission meetings be livestreamed, and an archive of the video recordings be created. The bill was voted out of the House last month and it remains pending in the Senates Oversight Committee. However, it turns out the commission meetings are expected to be broadcast online regardless of the legislations outcome. Rebecca Humphries, chairperson of the commission, said shes very supportive of the DNR livestreaming the meetings. She previously worked as a DNR wildlife biologist before being promoted to agency director from 2004 through 2010. This file photo shows an angler holding a brook trout. Department of Natural Resources Humphries said live videos of the commission meetings will soon be available online. It doesnt sound like itll be in place next week, for the commission meeting next week, but they expect to have it up and running very shortly, she said. Humphries said it was past practice for the nonprofit Michigan United Conservation Clubs to post videos of the NRC meetings on Facebook. Going forward, though, the state is going to take over that responsibility, she said. The department just figured that was an issue they didnt need to tackle on top of everything else, so they let them take care of it. But it really is more appropriate coming from the department, Humphries said. She said that state officials have been working for months to coordinate the effort. Related: Michigans native mussels are being smothered by invading species DNR officials are working to get the necessary equipment, choose a platform and storage technology, and arrange employees to record the meetings, said Ed Golder, agency spokesperson. The change will improve public access, officials said. State Rep. Parker Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs, said he sponsored the legislation, House Bill 4822 of 2025, to require the monthly NRC meetings to be livestreamed and archived as a matter of government transparency. He said the state could do a better job than outsourcing the work to a nonprofit organization without professional equipment. The audio quality was typically poor, and you couldnt really see what was going on, Fairbairn said. I think that we can have the ability to have these recorded and livestreamed, so people can actually watch it live and not have to travel. I think of people who live in the west end of the U.P. I think they do maybe one meeting up there every year. Theyre not traveling eight hours to go to NRC meetings, he said. Related: DNR officer trespassing? Michigan deer hunters sue over property rights Fairbairn introduced the legislation in late August last year. The bill was approved by the full House on Dec. 9 with broad bipartisan support; 99 representatives in favor, one opposed and 10 absent. The bill was referred to the state Senates Oversight Committee on Dec. 10. Meanwhile, the NRCs next meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Lansing Community College. That meeting is not expected to be the first livestreamed by the state, Humphries said. Among the issues commissioners will address at next weeks meeting are the voluntary use of electronic kill tags and coyote hunting and trapping regulations. LANSING, Mich. Michigan agriculture officials want the public to weigh in on a proposed quarantine against out-of-state firewood. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said restricting firewood from outside Michigan would help prevent the introduction and spread of as many as 140 species of harmful pests and plant diseases. Most logs used for campfires could not be brought into Michigan without being heat treated in a kiln, under the proposed rules. State officials previously suggested this type of firewood quarantine in 2021. The measure is now back under consideration as new infestations of invasive pests like spotted lanternfly have been confirmed. Related: Fir tree quarantine in northern Michigan targets invasive, tree-killing bug MDARD says the goal is to prevent the spread of pests and diseases such as Asian longhorned beetle, oak wilt, beech bark disease and spongy moth, all of which pose threats to Michigans forests and agriculture. The movement of untreated firewood is considered the leading cause of new infestations of invasive forest pests and diseases. Once established, these organisms are difficult and expensive to eradicate, causing long-term economic and ecological damage. MDARD is now accepting public comments through Feb. 9 with an online survey. The proposed rule would exempt kiln-dried lumber, small wood chips, and logs bound for sawmills, veneer mills, pulp and paper mills, pellet manufacturers, power plants, and composite wood facilities. Related: These Michigan state parks have been hardest hit by firewood-fueled invasive pests Following a month of gathering public comments, MDARD will review all feedback and decide whether to adopt the proposed firewood quarantine. Michigan already has restrictions on moving firewood or Christmas trees between certain areas within the state to limit the spread of invasive pests like hemlock woolly adelgid. The state previously adopted broad firewood quarantines, most notably between 2005 and 2018 in a failed attempt to prevent the decimation of the states ash trees by the invasive emerald ash borer. That pest insect killed an estimated 40 million ash trees across Michigan. Fish stocking efforts in 2025 added 19.5 million fish to Michigan waters, enhancing angling opportunities for years to come, officials said. Most fish are released in the spring and summer. The 2025 fall stocking included 648,000 walleye, salmon, trout and muskellunge fingerlings added to 76 locations statewide, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced. This was another exceptional fall fish stocking season, enhancing fishing opportunities throughout Michigan, said DNR fish production manager Aaron Switzer. Combined with successful spring and summer stocking efforts, the 2025 total reached nearly 19.5 million fish stocked in Michigans waters. Fish stocked in the fall require less time and fewer resources to rear in hatcheries. In general, fish are reared in Michigans hatcheries anywhere from one month to 1.5 years before they are stocked. Fall-stocked fish also may adjust better to new environments since they are younger and more adaptable to change. The 2025 fall stocking included Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow trout (Eagle Lake and steelhead strains), walleye and muskellunge. They weighed in at a combined 8.6 tons. Heres are the fall hatchery stats: Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 27,915 fall fingerling and 250 adult brook trout that weighed a combined 3,022 pounds. These fish were stocked at a total of 27 locations in the Upper Peninsula. Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 140,366 fall fingerling rainbow trout that weighed 7,508 pounds and were stocked at four locations in the Upper and Lower peninsulas. Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) stocked 3,008 Great Lakes strain muskellunge that weighed 304 pounds in Lake Hudson and Thornapple Lake. Thompson also stocked 329,085 fall fingerling steelhead weighing 2,413 total pounds in six locations. Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (west of Kalamazoo) stocked 64,532 fall fingerling steelhead weighing a combined 917 pounds in Crystal Lake. Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (near Cadillac) stocked 17,548 fall fingerling brown trout and 24,520 fall fingerling rainbow trout. These fish were stocked in four locations with a combined weight of 1,573 pounds. DNR fisheries management units stocked fall fingerling walleye: Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked 33,580 Muskegon strain fall fingerlings weighing 1,373 total pounds in 20 locations. Central Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked 2,507 Muskegon strain fall fingerlings weighing 160 pounds total in three locations. Northern Lake Michigan Management Unit stocked Little Bay de Noc with 5,211 fall fingerlings (Little Bay de Noc strain) weighing a combined 88 pounds in five locations; 2,815 of these walleye fingerlings were raised in a co-op partner pond tended by the Bay De Noc Great Lakes Sportfishermen. The DNR welcomes visitors to its state fish hatcheries and interpretive centers to see the fish rearing process and to learn about Michigans waters. For more information visit the DNR hatcheries page. To find out if any fish were stocked in your favorite fishing spots, visit the DNRs fish stocking database. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents confronted and shot a man and a woman Thursday afternoon in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Health hospital in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses said. The man was wounded in the arm or leg and the woman in the chest, according to dispatch audio and Portland police sources. They are believed to be a married couple. Police said they didnt know their conditions. The shooting occurred about 2:15 p.m. at Adventist Healths Medical Office 3 building at 10201 S.E. Main St. as federal officers tried to box in a truck that had driven into the lot, police and a witness said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop at the time of the shooting. She characterized it as self-defense. She said agents had targeted one of the trucks occupants as a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The driver was a Tren de Aragua member, she said. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, she said. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming. She didnt release any names Thursday, but authorities did release them Friday. The driver of the vehicle was Luis David Nico Moncada and the passenger in the car was Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. Asked whether Tren de Aragua was active in Portland, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Thursday, I dont have any information that would link that at this time, no. The FBI released a statement saying its Portland office is investigating an assault on federal officers ... involving two Customs and Border Patrol agents. The two assailants fled the scene immediately following the shooting and are currently being treated for their injuries, the statement said. Oregons Attorney General Dan Rayfield said Thursday night that he was opening a formal investigation into the shooting. We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally, Rayfield said in a statement. We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties. Few details have emerged so far about what led to the the shooting as hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Portland City Hall and community leaders held a news conference to decry the violence. Japhet De Oliveira, a spokesperson for Adventist Health, said police responded to the shooting in the Adventist Health Portland campus in an area with several clinics and offices. Tina Henderson, who works in the medical office at the shooting scene, said someone ran into her suite and said, You guys, be careful. There was just a shooting in the parking lot. A man who was at the medical building said he saw federal officers follow a Toyota truck into the parking lot of the office building and try to corner it. One officer pounded on the window, he said. The driver then backed up and moved forward at least a couple of times, striking a car behind him, before turning and speeding off, said the man who gave only his first name. Its not clear if the car hit by the truck belonged to the federal officers. Officers fired about five shots at the truck as it left, the witness said. Portland police said they received two calls one at the medical office and then one about 40 blocks away in Northeast Portland, where they found a man and woman with gunshot wounds at Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel, police said in a statement. The patients were transported to the hospital. Police Chief Bob Day urged residents to stay calm as we work to learn more. We are still in the early stages of this incident, he said. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis. READ MORE: Oregon leaders react to shooting by federal agents in Portland On Wednesday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman who had been observing immigration agents when they said she pulled forward in her car. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the shootings and called on federal immigration officials to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed. Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident, Wilson said in a statement. We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences, he said. Gov. Tina Kotek appeared later at a news conference with Wilson and other political and community leaders and demanded that federal authorities launch a full investigation and not more detentions. Oregonians deserve clear answers, she said. Oregonian reporters Noelle Crombie, Kristine de Leon, Yesenia Amaro and Jonathan Bach contributed to this story. LANSING, MI - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and four advocacy groups are formally asking state regulators to reconsider their order green-lighting DTE Energys proposal to power the states first hyperscale data center that would demand more electricity than a million homes. Nessel and a coalition of environmental and consumer advocates filed separate petitions for rehearing Thursday, Jan. 8 with the Michigan Public Service Commission. The move comes 22 days after regulators on the governor-appointed commission conditionally approved DTE contracts to serve a massive server warehouse for multinational cloud computing giant Oracle and ChatGPT creator OpenAI on farmland in Saline Township, developed by Related Digital. In doing so on Dec. 18, regulators cast aside calls to slow the process and expose DTEs promises the data center wont increase utility bills for other customers to greater scrutiny from outside groups. I remain extremely disappointed with the Commissions decision to fast-track DTEs secret data center contracts without holding a contested case hearing, said the attorney general in a statement, calling it an irresponsible approach that cut corners and cut out the public and their advocates. Granting approval of these contracts ex parte serves only the interests of DTE and the billion-dollar businesses involved, like Oracle, OpenAI, and Related Companies, not the Michigan public the Commission is meant to protect, she said. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel shows a redacted contract between DTE and Oracle, OpenAI at a protest against data centers being built in Michigan, outside of the Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com) The Public Service Commission unequivocally rejects any claim that these contracts were inadequately reviewed, it said in a statement issued by spokesperson Matt Helms on Friday morning, Jan. 9. The statement said DTEs contracts were thoroughly reviewed by the commissions expert staff and commissioners themselves, and the commissions order required the strongest consumer protections for a data center power contract in the country. Data centers bring both promise and pitfalls for utility customers, spurring debate about the Saline Township project. Boosters, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, call it a big economic development win for Michigan, offering billions in investment, thousands of construction jobs and new tax revenue. DTE maintains the project will also offer customers $300 million in annual affordability benefit by spreading the fixed costs of running the grid over a larger volume of sales. Read more: A wave of big AI data centers targets Michigan. Heres what to know The utility expects a 25% increase in electric sales from the data center, its largest ever customer. But since big data centers draw whopping amounts of electricity, they require hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in new power lines, substations and equipment to serve them costs that would normally be spread amongst utility customers. Some also worry a national boom in AI investment will prove speculative, leaving ratepayers on the hook for big costs if data center demand doesnt materialize. Regulators promised that their approval of DTE contracts with Oracle subsidiary Green Chile Ventures LLC ensured the utility would bear all financial risks. The contracts, made public only with some portions redacted, include financial safeguards and require the data center pay for a sizeable buildout of grid-sized batteries helping meet its demand. DTE spokesperson Jill Wilmot said the contracts ensure customers wont subsidize data center rates and protect them from stranded assets left behind if the facility doesnt use power as expected. DTE Energy has an obligation to serve any customer, including data centers, that come into our electric service territory in southeast Michigan. Thats why weve been so focused on including these customer protections, she said in a statement. As part of the approval, the Public Service Commission required the utility to formally sign off on conditions requiring it to cover any costs to serve the 1.4-gigawatt project not paid for by the data center itself. DTE has yet to agree to the terms. It has until Jan. 17 to do so. Wilmot said DTE is reviewing regulators order and will respond by the deadline. A Michigan Public Service Commission meeting at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills on Monday, Oct. 27 2025. From left, the three governor-appointed members of the commission are Shaquila Myers, Katherine Peretick and Dan Scripps. On Dec. 18, the commission granted conditional approval to DTE Energy contracts to serve a massive AI data center in Saline Township. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com However, advocates are now arguing that the conditions are not as ironclad as regulators made them seem. In a 30-page petition for rehearing, Nessels office said the requirements include vague and potentially unenforceable terms, failing to identify mechanisms to hold DTE to the promises. The attorney general also questioned whether the utility should be allowed to backstop billions of dollars in costs under the worst-case scenario of the data center leaving the state or its owners going bankrupt. The petition re-ups Nessels request that regulators expose the contracts to a contested case, where her office and other parties could conduct discovery and cross-examine witnesses. The commission will consider the rehearing request in accordance with established process, according to the statement issued by Helms. A separate 27-page rehearing petition filed jointly by the Michigan Environmental Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Citizens Utility Board of Michigan also seeks a slew of clarifications on the commission order. The requests range from modifications in conditions placed on DTE, like switching or to and in the language of one requirement, to concerns over enforcement of the conditions and a request that DTE agree to them under oath. Both petitions also question the Public Service Commissions legal basis for granting DTEs request to approve the contracts ex parte without a contested case. DTE had pushed for that approach, saying it was permitted given its assurances the data center wont result in rate increases for other customers. The tech companies behind the project could pull out if they didnt get prompt approval, adding to the urgency, DTE argued. Developers have said they intend to begin construction during the first quarter of 2026. Further challenges to the Public Service Commissions order are possible, and Nessel said the rehearing petition was filed in part to preserve legal arguments around alleged issues with the approval. Parties may appeal the decision before the Michigan Court of Appeals. The commission next meets in Lansing on Jan. 15. Editors note: This story was updated after initial publication to add a statement from the Michigan Public Service Commission. Since declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland has tried for decades to gain international recognition. Yet no country acknowledged it as a sovereign state until Israel did so on 27 December 2025. Authorities in Somalia, who want to keep their territory intact, have decried Israel's decision and rallied the African Union and other African countries for support. But Israel and Somaliland are moving forward with their "strategic partnership". Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, visited Somaliland on Tuesday, 7 January, meeting the region's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, and discussing ways to enhance bilateral ties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next week, Somaliland's president will head to Jerusalem. Somalia's Foreign Ministry denounced an "unauthorised incursion" into the country. It criticised Saar's visit as "a serious violation of Somalia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity", and "unacceptable interference in the country's internal affairs". Why are Israel and Somaliland willing to court international disapproval for the sake of this alliance? UN ambassadors condemn Israel's recognition of Somaliland Torn history Somaliland lies in north-western Somalia, in the Horn of Africa along the strategic Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea. It shares land borders with Ethiopia, Djibouti and the rest of Somalia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Up until the 18th century, the Somali region consisted of independent sultanates and clan-based societies, with limited Ottoman influence along parts of the coast. Eventually, European powers started establishing ports and trade agreements in the region too. Following the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 and the "Scramble for Africa", France, Britain and Italy moved to formalise their presence in the Horn of Africa. Britain declared a protectorate over north-western Somalia today's Somaliland in 1887, while Italy established control over southern and north-eastern Somalia from 1889. France's influence centred around the Gulf of Tadjoura, now part of Djibouti. Meet the Kenyan man shaping a francophone future in East Africa Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Somaliland remained a British protectorate for the first part of the 20th century, but Somali nationalist movements grew in the 1940s and '50s. When Somaliland declared independence on 26 June 1960, followed by Italian-controlled Somalia on 1 July, they formed one country. But over the years, Somalilanders had kept their English-speaking habits and different administrative rules. And under the increasingly authoritarian regime of Siad Barre, the military commander who seized power in 1969, Somalilanders were victims of repression. With the fall of Barre in January 1991 and the beginning of a civil war, the region declared independence again. Strategic location, strategic timing Ever since, Somaliland has governed itself independently and organised its own elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has long sought formal recognition as an independent state, signing bilateral agreements with a handful of foreign governments on investments and security coordination. Since the election of President Abdullahi in December 2024, the region has made bolder attempts to pursue recognition from the international community, especially towards United States President Donald Trump. This is when Israel started looking at a partnership with Somaliland, including recognition. With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition "Due to its strategic location on the shores of the Gulf of Aden, the territory of todays Somaliland has drawn geopolitical attention from great powers for a long time," writes Nasir M Ali, an international relations expert and former director of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Hargeisa, in a new handbook on Somaliland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Analysts believe that an alliance between Israel and Somaliland is particularly advantageous for Israel because of its strategic position across the Red Sea from Yemen, where Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have carried out numerous attacks against Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Ali told RFI that Somalilanders were overwhelmingly in favour of the partnership. "They've been waiting for recognition for decades, and now is the time," he said. "The strategic reasons are strong, and others in the Muslim world have already re-allied Israel." 'Not in a position to choose' Abdullahi had suggested last month that Somaliland join the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 that saw the United Arab Emirates a close partner of Somaliland Bahrain and then Morocco establish ties with Israel. Israel's decision to recognise Somaliland also follows two years of increasingly strained ties with many of its closest partners over its war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Somaliland is and has been a stable democracy for almost 35 years," the Israeli foreign minister said, and "it is pro-Western and a friend of Israel". Israel's government has also advocated for what officials describe as voluntary Palestinian migration from Gaza. But Somaliland has denied that the Israel recognition agreement allows it to establish military bases, or to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the region. "We are not in a position to choose," Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of the ruling Waddani party, told Al Jazeera this week. "We are in a state of necessity for official international recognition. "There is no choice before us but to welcome any country that recognises our existential right." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel's recognition of Somaliland 'is not an isolated initiative': expert A risky partner Some analysts argue, however, that Israel's support could harm Somaliland's hopes for wider recognition. After Saar's visit to Hargeisa, the African Union called for the "immediate revocation" of Israels recognition of Somaliland, calling for respect of Somalia's territorial integrity. The European Union, China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also condemned the recognition, fearing growing insecurity in the Red Sea. "Israel's recognition could be seen as not the best place to start among African and Muslim partners of Somaliland," Ali suggests, "but it could also seduce countries like Ethiopia and other potential partners." That would be a game changer for Somalia, he says, for East Africa and for the entire region. A tech giant revealed itself as the company backing a data center proposed in a community east of Grand Rapids. Microsofts announcement is one of five must-read stories to kick off your morning on Friday, Jan. 9. Microsoft behind $1B data center proposed in Lowell Township Microsoft has revealed itself as the company behind a proposed $1 billion data center in Lowell Township. The project, if it moves forward, would be built at Covenant Business Park, a 237-acre industrial parcel at 4687 Alden Nash Ave. SE in Lowell Township. Read Dylan Goetzs report at this link. Michigan appeals federal ruling that blocked Line 5 shutdown Michigan has filed an appeal against a federal court ruling that prevents the state from shutting down the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled that Michigan lacks the authority to enforce the closure due to federal preemption over interstate pipeline safety regulations. Read Garret Ellisons report at this link. Data center could heat downtown Lansing, if approved Deep Green, a British company, plans to build a 24-megawatt data center in downtown Lansing, utilizing two underused municipal parking lots. The data center will recycle the heat it generates to provide hot water for the municipal heating system. Read Matthew Millers report at this link. See damage to Ypsilanti home after 30-hour standoff with sword wielder A two-story duplex in Ypsilanti was declared unsafe after police demolished parts of its second floor during a 30-hour standoff. The standoff began on January 5 when police responded to a neighbor dispute, leading to a 53-year-old man barricading himself inside the home and approaching officers with a sword. See Jacob Hamiltons photos at this link. Kent County residents say immigrants are in danger after Minnesota woman shot A Kent County Board of Commissioners meeting was held in response to the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent during immigration protests in the Twin Cities. Residents voiced their outrage over the shooting and a recent protesters arrest, expressing fear over local immigration crackdowns and the impact on undocumented individuals. Read Isaac Ritcheys report here. The State Department issued a level 4 Do not travel warning Friday for Americans planning to visit Mali. The warning comes after the African nation recently announced it was banning Americans from visiting. In the advisory, U.S. officials warn of possible crime, kidnapping, terrorism and armed conflict as reasons why Americans should not visit Mali. The advisory claims crime is rampant throughout the country, and that "Extortion and kidnapping for ransom are significant sources of financing for terrorist and criminal groups." While the advisory calls on Americans not travel to Mali, it also lifted the State Departments ordered departure mandate for non-emergency Embassy employees and their family members. That mandate was issued in October 2024. If Americans do decide to visit Mali, the State Department offered several suggestions for travelers, which can be found on the departments website. The timing of the Do not travel advisory comes just weeks after the Malian ministry announced a travel ban for U.S. nationals. In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation informs the national and international community that, with immediate effect, the Government of the Republic of Mali will apply the same conditions and requirements to US nationals as those imposed on Malian citizens, the Malian ministry said in a statement. Mali issued its ban after President Donald Trump placed Mali on the notorious travel ban list late last year. Trumps ban fully restricts entry to the U.S. for most citizens coming from nations on the list. The U.S. ban makes some exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders or special cases involving athletes or diplomats. So far, 39 countries from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America have been placed on the U.S. travel ban list. ANN ARBOR, MI Campaign efforts are underway for Amir Makled, who wants the University of Michigan to remain a true public university in both name and practice. The 38-year-old Dearborn civil rights attorney, who was detained by federal agents last spring, has opened a bid to join the eight-member UM Board of Regents, the universitys governing board. I stand up for the little guy, Makled said. I spent my whole career taking on powerful institutions on behalf of individuals, people who lacked resources and people who lack political influence. He cited his legal representation of pro-Palestine student activists at UM, specifically those who were arrested and disciplined at the spring 2024 encampment, as a reason why he entered the race. It was at that time and representing those individuals that I recognized that this is a public institution that spent a large sum of money investigating their own students, as opposed to using that type of funding to fill up some of the pay disparities that we see across three campuses, Makled said. The advocacy group the Peoples Coalition and the Arab American Caucus from the Democratic Party in Michigan urged him last fall to enter the race, Makled said. I was asked to run because I think people felt unrepresented and they wanted somebody who understands what it means to rely on a public institution as a ladder of opportunity and not as a gated community for the elite, Makled said, saying he and his campaign staff have been speaking on the campaign trail with community members. Democratic regents Jordan Acker and Paul Brown are eligible to run for re-election this year. Both regents told MLive/The Ann Arbor News that they are running for re-election. Sean Rositano, a social worker and legislative director in the Michigan House of Representatives, previously announced his regent bid in November 2025. He posted on Nov. 22 on Facebook that he has stepped out of the race. Who is Makled? The child of Lebanese immigrants received his bachelors degree from UM-Dearborn in 2009 and his law degree from Wayne State University in 2012. During his time at UM-Dearborn, he served in student government and was a member of the Arab Students Union. His time at UM taught him how to be an advocate, Makled said. He said he has spent his entire career representing individuals and has never represented corporations. Makled was detained by federal agents at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport after a weekend trip with his family to the Dominican Republic in April 2025. He alleges this happened in what he previously said was an attack on lawyers. He previously claimed he was targeted because of his profession and due to his representation of Samantha Lewis, who was one of several pro-Palestine protesters arrested in 2024 on the University of Michigans campus. Read more: Dearborn attorney representing University of Michigan Gaza protester detained at airport What are Makleds positions? Makled wants to be a regent that asks hard questions and challenges complacency. He argues that the current Board of Regents has been complacent in the face of President Donald Trump, who has attacked higher education, threatened funding and demanded reform. You got to resist, man, you got to resist, Makled said. He specifically called out Michigan Medicines August 2025 decision to no longer gender-affirming care to people under 19. Officials cited a federal subpoena and escalating external threats and risks. I need to be a voice on this board that is speaking truth to power, Makled said. His main campaign pillars include affordability, free speech, academic freedom and transparency for faculty and staff. I want to make sure that this is a university that stands up for free speech, Makled said. That includes the peaceful rights to protest and ensure that any disciplinary process respects due process and fairness. Like Rositano, he called the war in Gaza a genocide, echoing a United Nations commissions finding. Israel rejects the allegation. Pro-Palestine protesters have demanded the university divest from companies that support Israel. The university says any investment is far smaller than opponents contend and they will shield the endowment from political pressures. As of November 2025, more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in the war, launched in response to an October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the Associated Press. Students wanted to get to the Diag and speak out about it, and so they have that right and we should be able to protect that right, Makled said. UM should be affordable for all Michigan residents and working-class families should be prioritized, Makled also argues. He pointed to his pushes for fair wages, benefits, job security and labor protections for employees across all three campuses. The university should not mold how faculty teach students, Makled said, and he supports more autonomy for professors. He also wants to see a new university president that shares the same policy commitments, such as in affordability and accessibility, as him. If youre going to carry the Michigan brand, you have to stand for Michigan values, Makled said. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. MT. CLEMENS, MI A 30-year-old Clinton Township woman who was found guilty of stabbing her boyfriend 14 times in July 2024 will serve at least 10 years in prison. Jennifer Hayes, convicted of one count of assault with intent to murder, was sentenced by Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer M. Faunce on Thursday, Jan. 8. Hayes was sentenced to 125-360 months in the Michigan Department of Corrections, according to a news release from the Macomb County Prosecutors Office. On July 3, 2024, Hayes stabbed her boyfriend several times with two knives causing severe, life-threatening injuries. The stabbing began when the boyfriend was sleeping in their Clinton Township home, according to the release. One of the stab wounds was on the side of the neck, according to the release. Four hours after the attack, the victim was discovered by a neighbor. The victim is still receiving medical treatment to address the effects of the attack. Hayes was convicted by a jury on Nov. 21, 2025, following a five-and-a-half day trial. Todays sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendants actions and the lasting harm caused to the victim. Violent crime will not be tolerated in Macomb County, and my office remains committed to holding offenders fully accountable under the law. Our mission is, and will continue to be, to protect the public and ensure the safety of our communities, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement. Latest coverage of the 30-hour barricade: Washtenaw County Sheriff stresses community patience amid Ypsilanti barricade investigation ANN ARBOR, MI - Im in a bit of a James Bond kick. My son loves the John Barry soundtracks, and I have been working through my early paperback copy of Goldfinger. Ian Fleming has a passage that boils down to something happening once is happenstance and twice is coincidence. But three times is a pattern. Since Thanksgiving, Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer has publicly clashed with county Board of Commissioner members three times, including flareups over the budget for jail lockdowns and the countys takeover of her human resources department (which led to Dyer suing the county). This week saw scrutiny over the handling of a 30-hour police barricade against a man wielding a sword. As public safety reporter Jordyn Pair and our multimedia team showed, the 53-year-old was apprehended late Monday only after hours of flashbangs, increasing police presence and the demolition of the second floor of his Ypsilanti home. Read more: Tear gas, home demolition in 30-hour police standoff criticized by community leaders Nearby residents blasted the severity of police response in comments shared with Pair and public officials this week. It resulted in Washtenaw County Commissioner Annie Sommerville and others pushing for answers. They want to know more about how the chain of command unfolded, why certain tactics were used and what attempts at deescalation were previously implemented. If the goal was always deescalation and getting him out of there safely, why were they using tactics that didnt compute to safety? Sommervile said. Bulldozing the building could have led to him not leaving that space safely. Michigan State Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, wrote in a Jan. 8 Facebook post that the community deserves to know - what exactly happened and why. Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer responded in a statement that her offices focus was on preventative measures that tried to sidestep police involvement entirely. But since police did respond to the incident, the priority became resolving the incident without a fatality, she said. Its why officers didnt just rush in initially. Its why (Community Mental Health) and negotiators tried for hours before (the Ypsilanti Police Department) requested Metro SWAT, Dyer said in an email to MLive/The Ann Arbor News. And its why, even with Metro SWAT, every consideration was made to ensure the person wasnt gravely harmed. Alyshia Dyer running for Sheriff shakes hands with supporter Mike Henry, former Ann Arbor Democratic Party Chairman during Primary election night in Ann Arbor at Elks Lodge on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. Josh Boland | MLive.com Dyer, who became the countys first female sheriff last year, is a former county sheriffs deputy who shifted to social work in 2022. In her campaign, she emphasized community policing and transparency and hoped to help change the racist design of the policing system. If you understand that the system is still embedded with a lot of harmful ideology, and you can be aware of that, you can then develop ways to push back on that so that way, you are not, sometimes unintentionally, causing harm in the community, Dyer said. That approach led to a suite of endorsements from county lawmakers, including Irwin and Commissioner Justin Hodge. Irwin is now questioning the police barricade tactics, while Hodge has previously said hes disturbed by the recent public discourse between Dyer and the county. Its worth noting: Dyer is new to police administration. As a road patrol deputy and social worker, she is entering just her second year running a law enforcement agency of any kind. Her predecessor Jerry Clayton, a nationally recognized law enforcement leader, served four terms as sheriff from 2008 to 2024. No one serves that long without gelling decently with county leaders. These public spats could smooth out as Dyer continues her term. She also can tout decreased crime across the board as one of her key successes. That message may clash with personal testimonies from this past week. Residents near the barricade mentioned tear gas burning their eyes and questioned why a demolition of the homes second floor was required. Could the last few weeks of contentiousness just be growing pains? Thats the question moving forward. More Ann Arbor stories to know this week: New Ann Arbor condos used as Michigan football crash pads, second homes for rich Whats that at Ann Arbors Briarwood Mall? Latest look at big redevelopment Passenger train from Ann Arbor to Traverse City is on track. Michigander input will get it rolling. Taco restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor to relocate to larger space Historic 1875 mansion purchase faces crucial vote in Saline ROMULUS, MI - A parent of a Romulus middle school student has been charged with a shooting outside the school earlier this week. Shawntez Marshaun Gregory, 44, was reportedly just a foot away from Romulus Middle School, 37300 Wick Road, when he fired a handgun several times, according to a statement from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. Gregory, whose son was at the school at the time, did not fire at the school building. No one was injured. He allegedly fired outside the school when he was denied entry to get his son, Worthy said in a statement. This case is every parents nightmare, she added. Gregory was arraigned on charges of false report or threat of terrorism and threatening a school with intent to commit violence, as well as five weapons-related charges. He was arraigned Thursday, Jan. 8 before 34th District Court Judge Lisa Martin, who denied his bond. Romulus Middle School employees called police shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, after they saw a man brandishing a handgun outside the school, Romulus Police Department previously said. The school also went on lockdown. He was arrested near the main entrance of the school. The handgun was recovered from the scene. Gregory is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20 for a probable cause conference. FLINT, MI An 82-year-old Flint man was arrested last month for allegedly killing his wife, who has been missing for more than 37 years. Gilbert Bernal Sr. was taken into custody by members of the United States Marshals Services Great Lakes Regional Task Force in connection with developments in the cold case investigation, according to a news release from the Will County Sheriffs Office. Bernal is charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Joan Bernal, who was last seen alive on Dec. 9, 1988. It is alleged that the couple had a domestic violence incident occur in the home before a planned family trip to Texas. During a dispute, Gilbert allegedly was seen physically battering Joan inside their Joliet, Illinois residence. Gilbert reported Joan missing on Dec. 27, 1988. He said she left her at a bus stop in McAlister, Oklahoma, according to the release. Joans body has never been found. Gilbert is scheduled for a detention hearing on Jan. 12. He was extradited to Illinois on Jan. 2 after initially being held at the Genesee County Jail in Flint. FLINT, MI After an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minnesota, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson took to social media to offer his perspective. Swanson, who is also campaigning to be Michigans next governor, called the shooting tragic, but predictable. We cant shoot people that are running away, Swanson said. ... And we certainly cant shoot when you are not in danger. And I didnt see that. Swanson continued, pointing out there was no immediate attempt to take life-saving measures from law enforcement at the scene. This is what breaks down the trust of law enforcement across the board, Swanson said. Everybody pays a price for what you just saw. When you have the authority over people, and its used as a weapon, not a tool, it hurts all of us. Thats whats happened. His full two-and-a-half-minute statement can be viewed here. Swanson added the ICE shooting doesnt define all of law enforcement: We are better than that. The shooting took place during an immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Videos from witnesses at the scene showed the shooting as it happened. An agent attempts to open the door of an SUV, while the driver begins backing up. An agent standing in front of the SUV draws their weapon as the driver puts the vehicle in drive and attempts to leave the scene. The agent with the drawn weapon is standing in front of the driver side tire and moves to the side as they fire multiple rounds into the windshield. One of the rounds struck the driver, Renee Good, in the head, killing her. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara told reporters there was no indication the woman was trying to harm anyone. Since the shooting, several Michigan communities have gathered to protest ICE and mourn the life of the Minnesota woman. About 150 people gathered for a vigil in Muskegon. A crowd of more than 300 gathered in Kalamazoo to protest ICE, where one was arrested. VIENNA TWP., MI A Genesee County community has taken steps to address homelessness with a new ordinance prohibiting the unauthorized occupation of township property. The Vienna Township Board of Trustees voted to adopt the ordinance during its Dec. 8 meeting. The agenda for the meeting, which includes the full ordinance, is available here. The township didnt have any language in place regarding the matter prior to the adoption of the ordinance. The move comes as Michigan legislators consider a proposed ban on living in vehicles at rest areas and carpool lots. They havent brought it to fruition yet, but its going to happen shortly, Township Supervisor Joe Rizk said. I dont know what the state legislators are waiting on, but there hasnt been a lot of guidelines. He said the new regulations give the township additional leverage to remove anyone staying overnight or camping on township property without authorization and to attempt to find shelter for them. The ordinance also prohibits anyone from sleeping overnight in vehicles on township property. Its really a protectant to people that actually may camp out on township property or MDOT property or somebody elses property, Rizk said. We try and assist people, but its for their own benefit and welfare, especially in cold weather like weve had. People freeze to death out there. Violations of the ordinance are categorized as misdemeanor and civil infractions. The regulations allow the township to dispose of any materials left by violators, such as tents. The township sees more unhoused people during the summer than wintertime, with many believed to have traveled there from areas to the north, Rizk said. Although the township doesnt have a large homeless population, Rizk noted people have been found camping in the foliage by a local overpass. Its not healthy, he said. All those things are opportunities for disaster. Were just trying to curtail that. FLINT, MI A viral video shows about 100 inmates showing solidarity in a moment where humanity shines, coming together in prayer. The unprompted moment, which was captured on video by the surveillance cameras in the Genesee County Jail on Christmas Eve, shows signs of institutional change through hope and unity, Sheriff Chris Swanson said. The pod houses the most inmates, Swanson said, with an average of about 240 on the floor. Most of those inmates are facing charges of 20 years to life sentences. In 33 years, its never been witnessed by my eyes, he said. These folks did a lot of things to hurt other people, but in this moment, they came together. And you can hear them reciting the Lords prayer, asking for forgiveness for their sins. It is so powerful. The words in that prayer are part of the culture change were seeing inside of these walls. For context, Swanson confirmed the severity of the crimes of the inmates on this floor, which could include assault with intent to murder, second-degree murder, first-degree murder, arson, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, armed robbery and other crimes. One by one, about 100 male inmates joined hands for a moment that has resonated around the world. While connected, the men spoke with a Christmas message and recited the Lords prayer. 8 1 / 8 Unity and hope: Humanity shines through as 100 Michigan inmates pray in viral video Swanson posted the video on Christmas, posting it to Facebook with this caption: Ive NEVER posted a jail surveillance video like this one. Last night on Christmas Eve, inmates on one of the biggest pods came together on their own. No direction. No prompting. They joined hands and quietly recited the Lords Prayer. In a place thats often defined by mistakes and consequences, I saw unity and hope. I saw people choosing something better for themselves and for each other. When this happens, communities are safer and generational incarceration is broken. This is what real culture change looks like and it doesnt happen overnight. Please join me in thanking the entire jail staff for being a part of the culture change. It matters! Merry Christmas! That video now has more than 500,000 views and growing. Flags flap in the wind on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at Genesee County Jail in Flint. Ayrton Breckenridge | MLive.com Swanson said cultural change is happening inside of these jail walls every day through programs he instituted that continue to change inmates lives for the better, providing opportunities for growth and skilled trades in hopes of giving them a path toward employment once released. I.G.N.I.T.E., the flagship initiative at the jail, has graduated hundreds of inmates through its classes. Swanson also cited community efforts and programs like the holiday spectacular and a no child left behind initiative helping shape the change. All of these initiatives are valid key points. Were making a difference. Yes, theyve made mistakes but they are still human and want to do better, Swanson said. Its my job to give them that opportunity to be better, and thats what I saw happen in this incredible moment on Christmas Eve. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson honored the 100th graduate to receive a GED or diploma while incarcerated through the I.G.N.I.T.E. program during its 34th graduation ceremony held on May 12, 2025 at the Genesee County Jail. The event marked a milestone in the educational initiative aimed at reversing generational incarceration. Jake May | MLive.com Swanson said theres credit for his staff in this change too. He was proud to see the floor deputies stand witness rather than breaking it up. For this to happen unprompted and without direction, its change in the inmates, but the staff too, Swanson said. Chinese vice premier meets Disney CEO Xinhua) 13:58, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, in Beijing on Friday. Noting that China's economy is deeply integrated into the world economy, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the better China develops, the more benefits all parties will gain. Ding said that the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has outlined the blueprint for China's development over the next five years. "We will steadfastly promote high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up, and continuously optimize the business environment," said Ding, noting that China welcomes enterprises from all countries, including Disney, to continue investing in China and deepening their presence, and share China's opportunities to achieve greater development. Iger said Disney is confident in China's development, and will continue to expand its investment in China and better promote exchanges and cooperation between the United States and China. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Une operation militaire eclair a mis fin a une epreuve de deux jours qui a tenu tout un departement en haleine. Jacques Ita, maire dEyumojock et chef traditionnel respecte, est libre. Libere des griffes de ses ravisseurs presumes, les Ambaboys , il a fait un retour triomphal dans sa commune ce jeudi, a bord dun blinde du Bataillon dIntervention Rapide (BIR), sous les acclamations dune population en liesse. Lenlevement remonte a mardi, alors que ledile effectuait le trajet vers Mamfe, seul a bord de son vehicule. Une attaque rapide sur la route avait permis a un groupe separatiste de semparer de sa personne, plongeant la localite dans langoisse. Dans cette zone en proie a des tensions, cet enlevement visant une figure dautorite administrative et traditionnelle avait envoye un signal de gravite. La reaction des forces de defense a ete immediate. Le BIR sest tout de suite lance aux trousses de ses ravisseurs , selon nos informations. Si les details operationnels de la liberation restent, pour des raisons de securite, confidentiels, son resultat est sans appel : le maire Ita est sain et sauf, et loperation a envoye un message fort sur la determination des forces gouvernementales a traiter ces dossiers avec celerite. Le retour du maire a pris des allures de fete populaire. Les images de son arrivee dans le vehicule blinde, saluant une foule immense venue laccueillir, illustrent le profond lien qui lunit a ses administres. Son enlevement avait ressoude la communaute dans linquietude ; sa liberation la rassemble aujourdhui dans la joie. Cet episode, bien que se concluant heureusement, rappelle la persistance des defis securitaires dans certaines regions du Cameroun. Il met aussi en lumiere le double role, souvent delicat, des elus locaux dans les zones troublees, partages entre leur devoir administratif et leur ancrage traditionnel. La liberation du maire Jacques Ita marque une victoire, mais le chemin vers une paix durable dans le Sud-Ouest reste un chantier prioritaire pour les autorites. Dramatic Liberation in Eyumojock: Mayor Jacques Ita Freed by BIR, Population Rejoices A swift military operation has ended a two-day ordeal that gripped an entire department. Jacques Ita, the mayor of Eyumojock and a respected traditional leader, is free. Released from the clutches of his alleged kidnappers, the "Ambaboys," he made a triumphant return to his municipality this Thursday in an armored vehicle of the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), amid cheers from an overjoyed population. The abduction occurred on Tuesday as the mayor was traveling to Mamfe alone in his vehicle. A rapid roadside attack allowed a separatist group to seize him, plunging the locality into anguish. In this area affected by tensions, this kidnapping targeting a figure of both administrative and traditional authority sent a grave signal. The reaction of the defense forces was immediate. "The BIR immediately launched a pursuit of his kidnappers," according to our sources. While the operational details of the liberation remain confidential for security reasons, the outcome is clear: Mayor Ita is safe and sound, and the operation sent a strong message about the government forces' determination to handle such cases swiftly. The mayor's return turned into a popular celebration. Images of his arrival in the armored vehicle, waving to a massive crowd gathered to welcome him, illustrate the deep bond he shares with his constituents. His abduction had united the community in worry; his liberation unites them today in joy. This episode, although ending fortunately, underscores the persistent security challenges in some regions of Cameroon. It also highlights the often delicate dual role of local officials in troubled areas, caught between their administrative duty and their traditional roots. The liberation of Mayor Jacques Ita marks a victory, but the path to lasting peace in the South-West remains a priority undertaking for the authorities. Liberation maire Eyumojock, Jacques Ita, enlevement Cameroun Sud-Ouest, Ambaboys, BIR Cameroun, crise anglophone Cameroun, chef traditionnel enleve, actualite Cameroun, securite Sud-Ouest Cameroun, conflit regions anglophones, liberation otage, Christ Ndiffong (Stagiaire) GRAND RAPIDS, MI The Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) Board of Trustees approved the contract, including salary and start date, for new president Kathryn Rogalski. She will formally take office on March 2, 2026, according to GRCCs legal counsel Brett Meyer, who reviewed initial contract details during a board work session on Thursday, Jan. 8. The contract was then unanimously approved. As president, Rogalsk, who has more than 25 years of experience in higher education leadership, will receive an annual base salary of $285,000, according to Meyer. The approval of the contract will be formally announced to the campus community next week, trustees said Thursday. Rogalski, who currently works as vice president of academic affairs and workforce development at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, was in attendance. She said shes been thrilled by the wonderful process and the teamwork with the board, and is grateful for the warm welcome from the campus community. Rogalski was officially named the colleges 12th president on Dec. 19, 2025, after a monthslong search to replace former GRCC President Charles Lepper. Lepper abruptly resigned in April, less than two years on job, after being placed on paid administrative leave pending a review of his contract. Since accepting Leppers resignation, the board has declined to share any details about the reason for his departure with students and the community. A letter notifying him of his placement on paid leave, which MLive/The Grand Rapids Press obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), also did not include a reason. At $285,000, Rogalski will earn more than the $269,000 Lepper made at the time of his release. His separation agreement stipulates his salary would be paid out by the university over a period of 12 months or until he secures other employment. Except for pay, most other benefits Rogalski will receive are similar to those detailed in Leppers contract and separation agreement. Here are a few benefits Rogalski will receive as head of the community college, according to initial details discussed by the GRCC Board: A $20,000 housing stipend included in the base salary number. A $17,500 tax-sheltered annuity every year. An annual payment of $10,000 with an evaluation of effective or highly effective received. A total annual car allowance of $7,200, or $600 per month. A one-time payment of $15,000 for moving expenses Rogalski was one of three finalists unanimously approved from a pool of 78 applicants in late November. All three candidates were publicly interviewed beginning Dec. 5. Interim President Steven J. Triezenberg was asked to remain in his role for an additional 30 days to help assist with the transition period. GRAND RAPIDS,MI A day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, dozens of protesters gathered at Calder Plaza and urged residents to stand up, stand together and fight back. Holding signs, beating drums and chanting, we will not put up with ICE, activists in downtown Grand Rapids condemned the law enforcement agency for killing the woman they said was trying to protect her neighbors as ICE ramped up operations in Minneapolis. The Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression, alongside the Coalition to Oppose Trump, is demanding an end to the ICE raids in every city of the United States, said Eduardo Montiel, 27, who helped organize Thursdays protest. Let our community members live in peace. Montiel, speaking over a megaphone, added: We demand the end to mass deportations and an end to terrorizing immigrant communities. Officials in President Donald Trumps administration have said Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was born in Colorado, was a domestic terrorist who attempted to ram federal agents with her Honda Pilot when she was shot and killed by an ICE officer, the Associated Press reported. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agent was acting in self-defense. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected that characterization, saying video of the incident shows the self-defense argument was garbage, the AP reported. During the Grand Rapids protest, Julian Cortez, 32, of Grand Rapids, urged residents to stand up, stand together and fight back in the face of the Trump administrations immigration enforcement campaign. This is a time for unity, solidarity and action, he said. Another protester, Jessica Plichta, 22, said its important to peacefully speak out against the Trump administrations escalations both here at home and abroad. It was not OK what was done to Renee Good, she said. We need to stand against it, we need to call it out for what it is and say, no more. Plichta, a preschool teacher, gained national attention after she was arrested on Jan. 3 while being interviewed by WZZM during a protest in Grand Rapids over the U.S.s arrest of Venezuela President Nicholas Maduro. She said she was charged with failing to obey a lawful order of police, a misdemeanor. Grand Rapids police said the protesters were told multiple times to not march in the street and block traffic, and to relocate to the sidewalk. Thursdays protest came after about 20 people earlier that morning spoke out against ICE and Goods death at the Kent County Board of Commissioners meeting. They asked the board to prohibit local authorities from cooperating with ICE in deporting immigrants without legal status, with some speakers adding they feared a similar shooting could happen in Grand Rapids amid federal immigration crackdowns. Goods death has sparked global headlines as well as protests and vigils across the country and in Michigan. In addition to Grand Rapids, protests were either planned or had taken place in Detroit, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, according to news reports. Vigils were being held in Muskegon and Grand Haven Thursday night. Greta Jo Seidohl, a minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, spoke during the Grand Rapids protest about not only the death of Good but also Nenko Gantchev. The 56-year-old Bulgarian, who was arrested in Chicago, died in December at the North Lake Processing Center, an ICE facility, in Baldwin. ICE said Gantchevs death is suspected to be from natural causes, though it remains under investigation. Those deaths are acts of violence, violence by a system that was made to spread hate and division and fear, Seidohl said. She urged residents to keep speaking up. The only way we get through this is together, each and every one of us finding our place in this revolution, Seidohl said. GRAND RAPIDS, MI West Michigan is getting its first Shake Shack. The new fast-food burger restaurant is being planned near the Woodland Mall in Kentwood, a suburb of Grand Rapids. The new Shake Shack will open in 2027 at 3029 28th St. SE, a company spokesperson told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. The Kentwood Planning Commission approved the site plans for the burger joint and one other drive-thru restaurant on the south side of the Woodland Mall in October. Both restaurants will be built side-by-side in a vacant lot behind the strip mall on the corner of 28th Street and Radcliff Avenue, west of the REI. The 3,529-square-foot Shake Shack will have a drive-thru and 14 parking spaces on the site, with four of those designated for short-term pickup, according to site plans submitted to the city. The restaurant plans to operate from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Approximately 60% of the business is expected to be dine-in. The other restaurant, which will be built next door to Shake Shack, will be a roughly 5,000-square-foot fast casual restaurant specializing in Italian beef, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, sandwiches, ribs, pizza and salad, according to site plans. The tenant has not been named yet. A spokesperson for the city of Kentwood said there is not yet a tentative date for construction to begin. The project applicant is PREIT, the Philadelphia-based owner of Woodland Mall. Shake Shack is a global chain known for its burgers and shakes, and this will be the first location in West Michigan. The company has several locations on the east side of the state, including in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Novi. JACKSON COUNTY, MI A man who may have been trying to save his dogs that fell through the ice on Lake Somerset fell through the ice himself and died. Here is that headline and some more you might have missed this week. Man, two dogs fall through ice, die in Southern Michigan lake A man and his two dogs died in Lake Somerset after authorities believe they went through the ice while on a walk Saturday night. Rescue crews from the Liberty and Somerset township fire departments pulled Charles Fausak IV, 48, and the dogs Sunday, Jan. 4, from the water near the boat launch off Shannon Drive in Schmidtke Park, Somerset Township police Chief John Gessner said on Tuesday. The park is on the southern part of the lake, north of U.S. 12, in northeast Hillsdale County. An investigation is ongoing. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 6, but there was no indication of foul play, Gessner said. He survived 2 motorcycle crashes and died possibly trying to save dogs on frozen lake After the latest of two motorcycle crashes nearly killed him, Charles Fausak IV joined Somerset Congregational Church. Other than the pastor, he was the youngest member of a Tuesday mens group and helped put Sunday services on YouTube. God kept me alive for some reason, I have to find out why, he told Telisha Chaisson, his former wife who had in the last year reconnected with Fausak, a past corrections officer. Vacant Rite Aid in Jackson may soon become gas station with fast food restaurant Leoni Townships old Rite Aid building that has been vacant for two years may soon be home to a new gas station with a fast-food chain attached to it. The Leoni Township Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit at its meeting Wednesday evening, Jan. 7, for Dettman Investments LLC to go ahead with converting the vacant building into a new gas station. Clarklake Polar Plunge 2026: How to join Special Olympics fundraiser Jump into a frozen lake to support Special Olympics Michigan during the 2026 Clark Lake Polar Plunge. The annual Michigan Law Enforcement Polar Plunge is set for Saturday, Jan. 31, outside the Eagles Nest Bar & Grill, 1200 Eagle Point Road. The event plans to raise $60,000 this year for Special Olympics Michigan, according to the events website. Pizza restaurant closes suddenly, listed for sale in Spring Arbor A pizza pub in Spring Arbor has abruptly closed its doors. Burkharts Pizza and Pub, opened in 2024 by Andy and Robin Burkhart after replacing Laughlins Slice of Spice, was locked with an empty parking lot around lunchtime Friday, Jan. 2. The business Facebook page is no longer available. Taking down the Christmas tree? Boy Scouts will pick it up curbside in Jackson A Boy Scout troop is having its annual Christmas tree pickup on Saturday, Jan. 10. The service, starting at 8 a.m., is available by reservation only for residents within the city of Jackson. Trees must be placed at the curb the night before pickup. Residents can schedule a pickup by calling 517-740-0570. 5 Jackson County developments to keep an eye on in 2026 Several major developments are expected in the Jackson area in the new year, from new apartments to a long-awaited popular food chain. Some developments are in the early planning stages, while others have already broken ground. Here is an overview of some major projects to keep your eyes on in 2026. Jackson locals sled, ski and snowboard down the hills at Cascade Falls Park The Cascades is a park that hosts many exciting events throughout the year from hot air balloon festivals in the summer, to turkey trots in the fall but now, its all about the winter festivities. Kyle Smith took his 3-year-old son multiple times this winter to go sledding down the hills. He loves it. He pulls his own sled and everything, Smith said. Layoffs in 2025: These companies, institutions cut jobs in Southeast Michigan Hundreds of jobs were affected in 2025 as various companies across both Washtenaw and Jackson counties, as well as other parts of Southeast Michigan, announced plans to close or downsize operations. Here is a list of companies that announced layoffs in 2025 in Southern and Southeast Michigan. The list is based on published WARN notices, required by the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act to provide advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs. 2 Jackson County seniors die after car hits tree off U.S. 12 in Lenawee County Two senior Jackson County residents died in a car crash with a tree Sunday afternoon. Rescue crews were called at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, to U.S. 12 near Wisner Highway in Lenawee County, west of Clinton, for a reported crash involving a tree, according to the Michigan State Police. The preliminary investigation showed a gray Chevrolet Trax, driven by an 85-year-old Brooklyn man, was going east on U.S.-12 when he left the roadway and struck a tree, police said. Dairy Queen opens new location west of Jackson A new place to grab ice cream has opened in Albion. Dairy Queen had a grand opening Monday, Jan. 5, at its new store at 1508 N. Eaton St.. The new restaurant, near Taco Bell and across the street from McDonalds, is owned by Todd Haidous of Indiana and his brothers, Mike and Derrick, who operate 12 Dairy Queen locations across Michigan and Indiana. Jacksons first woman firefighter wins $85K in discrimination lawsuit against city A gender discrimination lawsuit filed by Jacksons first female firefighter has ended in a settlement with the city. Former Jackson firefighter Annie Wallen accepted an $85,000 agreement on Nov. 20, ending her discrimination lawsuit filed a year ago in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, according to the agreement obtained by MLive through a Freedom of Information Act request. $1 landfill purchase stalled in Jackson County amid legislative delays A Jackson County landfill project remains stalled as it awaits state approval. The Jackson County Board of Commissioner voted in January 2025 to purchase the Michigan Department of Natural Resources share of a co-owned landfill site for $1. The deal would allow the county to construct an on-site wastewater system, drastically reducing the annual maintenance cost. He killed a man at 19 and spent half a century in prison. Now he could go free. Impulsive, youthful and armed with a stolen shotgun as he sat in his AMC Rambler Station Wagon, Kyle Anderson shot Thomas Mathias in the summer of 1975. Mathias, 24, suffered grievous wounds to the chest from the blast fired only 10 feet away. He died 20 days later. Anderson, who believed Mathias had made a pass at his wife, was later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. $727K country estate near Jackson features saltwater pool, iconic barn A sprawling country estate west of Jackson features an in-ground saltwater pool, 1,250-square-foot guest house and one of the countys most notable barns. The home at 208 Glasgow Road is a 5-bed, 2.5-bath stone estate in the Federal style on six acres in Sandstone Township just west of Jackson. The home, built in 1844, is designated a Jackson County Historic Site. Listed at $727,000 by realtor Marcia Shaughnessy of Howard Hanna Real Estate, its MLives House of the Week. Homes from across the state are featured each Wednesday. Farmers market at historic Michigan prison closer to fruition A farmers market is moving closer to reality at the historic grounds of Michigans first state prison. The Jackson County Parks Board reviewed a lease agreement Wednesday, Jan. 7 with Grow Jackson, a local nonprofit focused on providing fresh food and education in Jackson. The board voted to have the administrator/controllers office finalize details before the general government committee considers the proposal on Monday, Jan. 12. Its hoped the county board of commissioners will consider the lease Tuesday, Jan. 20, so the project can move forward, Jackson County Administrator/Controller Mike Overton said. Soon-to-close Michigan college looking for proposals for future use of campus The Southern Michigan college thats slated to close its doors for good this year is laying the groundwork to figure out what will become of its campus. Siena Heights University announced on Wednesday, Jan. 7, that it established a joint committee with the Adrian Dominican Sisters, a founding sponsor of the small Catholic institution in 1919, to consider proposals for future use of its facilities. Jackson business fair offers resources for entrepreneurs and established owners The Martin Luther King Corridor Improvement Authority will host its fourth annual Business Resource Fair, bringing together experts and community members to support local business growth. The event is at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the MLK Center, 1107 Adrian St. It aims to connect current business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with hands-on training and support services in one location. John Willis, chief equity officer and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the city of Jackson, said the event creates opportunities for connection and growth. New dog park coming to Jackson County lake in 2026 Jackson County will add a new dog park to Townsend Beaman County Park in Vandercook Lake. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Jackson County Parks Board reviewed several proposed layouts for the dog park and plans to finalize the design in February. The parks department hopes to begin construction in spring and open the facility in summer, Jackson County Parks Director Kyle Lewis said. Driver gets 3 years in prison for head-on crash that killed senior couple A man who crashed head-on into another car, killing a married couple in the spring of 2022, is heading to prison. Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson sentenced Darian Ladell-Graham Ali Thursday, Jan. 8, to three years and two months in prison. Ali, 28, pleaded no contest to two felony counts of reckless driving causing death for the deaths of Glenda Maynard, 81, and her husband William Maynard, 84. Clark Lake manufacturer acquires Jackson Grinding Co. Production Saw and Machine, a Clark Lake-based manufacturer, has acquired Jackson-based Jackson Grinding Co. as of Dec. 4. This acquisition is about building on strength, said Michael Alexander, President of Jackson Grinding Co., which employs about 10 to 12 people. Together, well be able to deliver even greater value to our customers while preserving the legacy that Jackson Grinding has built. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page. KALAMAZOO, MI One person was arrested during a protest in downtown Kalamazoo, according to a media report. A crowd of people gathered in downtown Kalamazoo Thursday, Jan. 8, to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The arrest happened as people were gathered near city hall for the protest, WWMT reported, though police told the station the person does not appear to be connected to the protest. The person was arrested for allegedly obstructing the road and resisting and obstructing police, WWMT reported. However, the station reported, protest organizers are still trying to determine if the person was connected to the protest or not. MLive has reached out to KDPS seeking comment and did not receive a response by publication time. Protesters held signs and chanted as cars passed the event Thursday. It was held in response to an ICE agent killing a woman in Minnesota this week, an event that has sparked protests across the country. Organizers estimated 300 to 400 people attended, WWMT reported. Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI While an appeals court dismissal means a family farm cant recoup legal costs, the farm owners see the lawsuit as a win because the business can now operate the cider room its been fighting for. Soil Friends, 1701 N. 33rd St., filed a lawsuit against Comstock Township after officials prevented the family farm from operating portions of its business. Soil Friends Owner Ben Martin was elected township supervisor in the midst of the legal battle with the township. Soil Friends clashed with township officials over which activities were permissible in a cider tasting barn and elsewhere on the farm like live music and events. The business argued the operation was legal all along, despite the township disagreeing. MORE: Cider tasting room opening is very satisfying, despite costly fight, farmer says He said the family farm will have to pay for the legal battle and the township has insurance to cover its costs. Martin declined to say how much he spent, but said it was costly. After a federal district court sided with the township, dismissing the lawsuit, Soil Friends filed an appeal in the sixth district. The appeals court issued a ruling this week, affirming the courts decision. But Martin calls it a win-win because he gets to keep operating the cider room. The federal appeals process included a mediation, Martin said, which resulted in Soil Friends being allowed to operate its cider tasting room. 35 1 / 35 Soil Friends raises a glass to a new cider tasting room Plaintiffs are now using the red barn as desired, mooting their request for injunctive relief, the Jan. 7 court opinion states. The cider room is closed right now, Martin said, but itll be open again in the coming months to offer hard cider, cut flowers and more as the growing season progresses. Township Superintendent Scott Hess said he had no comment when contacted Thursday, Jan. 8. Though the appeal was ultimately dismissed, it wasnt a frivolous lawsuit, Martin said. The mediation within the appeals process was crucial to get the clearance to operate moving forward, he said. Martin and all other township trustees are now facing a possible recall. Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Theres a padlock on the door at ThunderBird River Ranch, 701 E. Michigan Ave. near downtown Kalamazoo. The restaurant has been shut down, a representative for Grand Woods Lounge a Grand Rapids restaurant that shares the same owners said on Thursday, Jan. 8. Grand Woods Lounge remains open. When MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette connected with ThunderBird General Manager, Rob Schiavo, the call was disconnected. Schiavo was not immediately available for comment after that, regarding the future of the space. During opening hours on Tuesday, Jan. 6, ThunderBird was padlocked and the restaurant empty. ThunderBird opened in January 2023 at the former site of Arcadia Ales. ThunderBird River Ranch was empty and the door was padlocked during open hours on Tuesday, Jan. 6. A representative for a Grand Rapids restaurant with the same ownership said ThunderBird was shutdown. Aya Miller The restaurant offered cocktails, cans of beer and Big Ol Buckets of alcoholic drinks, shooters, bombs and frozen drinks. Food choices include salads, flatbread pizza, grinders and more, according to ThunderBirds website. Schiavo declined to provide further details when the restaurant opened in 2023. ThunderBirds website now leads to an error page and the restaurants Facebook page no longer exists. The restaurants phone number went straight to voicemail on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The line has since been disconnected. The Good Trade Depot, a contract beverage manufacturer and fulfillment center, has opened in the former brewing space at 701 E. Michigan Ave. That part of the building hasnt been used since Arcadia Ales closed in 2019, according to Second Wave Media. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. KALAMAZOO, MI A man is headed toward a trial on charges related to a shooting of four people inside a Kalamazoo restaurant. Naledge Williams Chamberlain was charged with 25 counts including assault with intent to murder in the case. District Court Judge Richard Santoni bound the case over for a trial after a preliminary examination on Jan. 6. The judge determined the evidence supported the allegations in 17 of the 25 counts, including three counts of assault with intent to murder. Chaos erupted inside a Kalamazoo restaurant during the early morning hours on Saturday, Sept. 20. Two Fellas Grill, 2730 W. Michigan Ave., has since hired private security. (Courtesy | KDPS) Williams Chamberlain is charged with allegedly shooting and injuring five people inside Two Fellas Grill, 2730 W. Michigan Ave. He was extradited to Michigan after he was arrested in Minnesota in December. He was 19 at the time of the incident. He was originally charged with five counts of assault with intent to murder, five counts of discharging a firearm in or at a building causing injury, and one count each of discharging a firearm in or at a building, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and carrying a concealed weapon. He also faced 12 counts of felony firearm. The court did not bind over on two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of discharging a weapon in a building causing injury and four counts of felony firearms. A settlement conference is set for Jan 26. He is being held on a $1 million cash/surety bond. Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A person was found dead inside a burning Paw Paw Township home, the Van Buren County Sheriffs Office reports. A fire occurred at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, on the 38000 Block of 64th Avenue in Paw Paw Township. Deputies and the Paw Paw Fire Department responded and began working to suppress the fire as a single victim was found dead inside, the sheriffs office said. The victim is believed to be the only resident of the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation in conjunction with the Michigan State Police Fire Marshal. Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. MUSKEGON, MI - A large crowd gathered in the rain Thursday night at Hackley Park in downtown Muskegon to mourn a Minnesota woman killed by an ICE agent this week. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mom of three, was shot in the head Wednesday, Jan. 6 in Minneapolis by an ICE agent during protests of ongoing immigration crackdowns in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Around 150 people gathered for the Muskegon vigil. The group started at the CIO Headquarters, 486 W. Western, and walked through downtown to Hackley Park. Communities across West Michigan have responded in grief and outrage, with vigils or protests. Dozens of protesters attended a rally in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday night, and a vigil was also planned for Grand Haven. In Muskegon, residents came out to hear remarks from community leaders on the stage, where candles and flowers were placed. Attendees huddled under umbrellas, holding candles, their flames struggling against the persistent rain. Scenes from a candlelight vigil held Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Muskegon, Mich. for Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Around 150 people gathered in the rain Thursday at Hackley Park, including local officials, to denounce the killing. Kayla Tucker This was a senseless murder that left a 6-year-old without a mom and a partner, without the love of her life, said Ellie Daniels, with Indivisible on the Lakeshore. We need this to stop. What we witnessed reverberated across the country. But let me be clear, Black and Brown communities have lived with this violence for years. For decades, they have been the primary targets of a system built on cruelty and control. And we have allowed it to continue. Scenes from a candlelight vigil held Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Muskegon, Mich. for Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Around 150 people gathered in the rain Thursday at Hackley Park, including local officials, to denounce the killing. Kayla Tucker Good, a U.S.citizen born in Colorado, had recently moved to Minnesota. In a press conference, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good weaponized her vehicle and tried to run over one of the officers. She said the agent feared for his life and fired defensive shots. During the vigil, Muskegon elected officials and political candidates gathered on stage, following remarks, including Muskegon Mayor Ken Johnson, Commissioners Jay Kilgo, Katrina Kochin and Rebecca St. Clair and state Rep. Will Snyder, D-Muskegon. They passed the microphone down the line, introducing themselves and each taking a turn to denounce ICE. We have to do something someone lost a mother, said Alexis Springer, 31-year-old Muskegon resident. Even if she wasnt a mother, shes a human being and she lives here, and anyone who lives here belongs here. So I thought it was important to come out and show support because her life mattered. Scenes from a candlelight vigil held Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Muskegon, Mich. for Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Around 150 people gathered in the rain Thursday at Hackley Park, including local officials, to denounce the killing. Kayla Tucker Several attendees spoke about needing to do more than whats been previously done to stand up against injustice. No ones coming to save us, only we can save us, Springer said. Its about time that we had a revolution and stood together to fight fascism. Because democracy is something that has to be fought for. Its not something that we can take for granted. And the time to act is now. Another Muskegon resident, 66-year-old Jack Bresette Mills, was in attendance with several friends. He said theres no longer a choice between standing up for whats right, or not. Scenes from a candlelight vigil held Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Muskegon, Mich. for Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Around 150 people gathered in the rain Thursday at Hackley Park, including local officials, to denounce the killing. Kayla Tucker When we see things are wrong, we have to stand up for our neighbors, he said, adding that he was shocked to see people online claiming that Good was trying to run over the ICE agent, a heated debate online and between U.S. leaders since the incident. One video of the incident obtained by NBC News shows officers ordering a person out of an SUV blocking the road. One of the officers is seen trying to open the drivers side door before the vehicle is put in reverse and drives forward. Multiple gunshots are heard before the vehicle crashes into a parked car. It is unclear what happened before what was captured on video. Anyone watching that video can see she was not - its just so obvious to me, Bresette Mills said. I dont see why anyone would even ask a question. It just makes me think people have lost their humanity, so Im just here with my friends to try to have a little hope, try to have a little love. I have no idea whats coming next. La justice camerounaise a ouvert, ce jeudi, un dossier brulant devant le Tribunal militaire de Yaounde. 142 personnes, arretees dans le contexte des tensions post-electorales et pour la plupart originaires des regions du Nord, comparaissaient pour la premiere fois. Une audience explosive, reportee au 12 fevrier 2026 faute dinterprete, qui a failli basculer dans le chaos sous le poids de la detresse familiale. Tenant sa promesse, le Batonnier Me Eric Mbah a conduit une impressionnante delegation davocats a la barre pour assurer la defense des prevenus. Ces derniers, divises en cinq dossiers distincts, repondent daccusations graves : propagation de fausses nouvelles, rebellion en groupe, attroupement et defaut de carte nationale didentite. Sur les 142 individus, 114 sont en detention preventive et 28 comparaissaient librement. Scenes de desespoir au palais de justice Laudience a rapidement pris un tour dramatique. A lexterieur de la salle daudience, les familles des detenus, exasperees par ce quelles denoncent comme des arrestations arbitraires, ont manifeste avec une intensite rare. Dans un elan de desespoir collectif, certaines se sont roulees au sol en pleurs, dautres ont tente de monter dans les camions cellulaires, clamant haut et fort leur volonte de suivre leurs enfants en prison. Ils nont rien fait ! Ils ont ete arretes dans leurs maisons ! , scandaient-elles, refusant de se separer des accuses. Face a cette protestation vigoureuse, le president du tribunal a du faire appel en urgence a tous les gardiens de prison disponibles et aux elements de la gendarmerie pour eviter une emeute et retablir un ordre precaire. Un renvoi qui attise les tensions Au cur de la procedure, un obstacle technique majeur, percu par beaucoup comme un deni de justice, a scelle le sort de cette journee : labsence dinterprete. Cette carence, empechant la comprehension claire des charges par une partie des prevenus, a contraint le tribunal a renvoyer laffaire. Une decision administrative qui reporte a plus tard lexamen du fond, mais qui a immediatement enflamme les esprits. Le report au 12 fevrier 2026 laisse presager une attente longue et douloureuse pour les detenus et leurs proches, et promet une reprise sous haute tension. La mobilisation determinee du Barreau, couplee a la colere palpable des familles, annonce que ce dossier judiciaire est bien plus quune simple procedure : il est devenu le symbole des fractures et des contestations nees de la derniere consultation electorale. La balle est desormais dans le camp de lappareil judiciaire. Il devra, dici fevrier prochain, trouver les ressources pour garantir un proces equitable, sous le regard desormais braque de la nation tout entiere. Cameroon: 142 Post-Electoral Crisis Detainees Face Military Tribunal, Hearing Adjourned Amidst Family Protests and Interpreter Scandal The Cameroonian judiciary opened a explosive case at the Yaounde Military Tribunal this Thursday. 142 individuals, arrested in the context of post-electoral tensions and mostly from the Northern regions, made their first appearance. A highly charged hearing, adjourned to February 12, 2026 due to a lack of an interpreter, nearly descended into chaos under the weight of familial distress. True to his word, Bar President Lawyer Eric Mbah led an impressive delegation of attorneys to the bar to defend the accused. The defendants, divided into five separate case files, face serious charges: spreading false news, group rebellion, unlawful assembly, and lack of national identity card. Of the 142 individuals, 114 are in pre-trial detention and 28 appeared in court as free persons. Scenes of Despair at the Court The hearing quickly took a dramatic turn. Outside the courtroom, families of the detainees, exasperated by what they denounce as arbitrary arrests, protested with rare intensity. In a collective surge of despair, some rolled on the ground in tears, while others tried to climb into the prison trucks, loudly proclaiming their willingness to follow their children to prison. "They haven't done anything! They were arrested in their homes!", they chanted, refusing to be separated from the accused. Faced with this vigorous protest, the presiding judge had to urgently call in all available prison guards and gendarmerie units to avert a riot and restore a precarious order. An Adjournment That Fuels Tensions At the heart of the procedure, a major technical obstacle, perceived by many as a denial of justice, sealed the fate of the day: the absence of an interpreter. This deficiency, preventing a clear understanding of the charges by some of the accused, forced the tribunal to adjourn the case. An administrative decision that delays the examination of the merits but immediately inflamed passions. The adjournment to February 12, 2026 foreshadows a long and painful wait for the detainees and their loved ones, and promises a resumption under high tension. The determined mobilization of the Bar, coupled with the palpable anger of the families, signals that this judicial case is more than just a procedure: it has become a symbol of the fractures and contestations born from the last electoral cycle. The ball is now in the court of the judicial system. By next February, it must find the resources to guarantee a fair trial, under the now-focused gaze of the entire nation. Tribunal militaire Yaounde, detenus crise post-electorale Cameroun, Eric Mbah Batonnier, proces Cameroun 2026, affaire renvoyee interprete, arrestations arbitraires Cameroun, propagation fausses nouvelles, rebellion groupe, attroupement, defaut CNI, proces equitable Cameroun, droits humains Cameroun, tensions post-electorales, familles detenus protestation, justice militaire Cameroun, actualite Cameroun Moussa Nassourou MUSKEGON, MI - A deteriorating bridge in Muskegon is set for demolition and removal. The Ottawa Street Bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2021 due to serious structural concerns, according to a press release from the city of Muskegon. Now, the Michigan Department of Transportation is taking the lead on removing the bridge, at the citys request. An open house to review the project and provide comments is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 13 at Muskegon City Hall, 933 Terrace St. The bridge is at the north end of Ottawa Street and leads to Richards Park near the Causeway to North Muskegon. It goes across a tributary, or stream, that flows from the Muskegon River. The 35-foot bridge was built in 1929. In 2016, the northbound lane was closed after inspections revealed serious safety concerns. A 2017 inspection found two of the bridges beams had holes that were more than 4 feet long, missing pieces and heavy rust. Water was found leaking through the deck surface, with several sections of the decks underside breaking apart. That water damage has caused some of the concrete to crumble, along with the bridges facade. The dilapidated Ottawa Street bridge in Muskegon on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. The bridge crosses over the Muskegon River leading to Richards Park. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Ottawa Street was a state highway until the current U.S. 31 business route, also known as Moses Jones Parkway, was constructed more than 60 years ago. The state then turned ownership of the bridge over to the city. Historic bridge advocates worked to determine the bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, although the bridge was never actually listed. In 2021, the bridge was planned to be included in a first-of-its-kind Local Agency Bridge Bundling Program, along with several other bridges around the state. The bridge removal was budgeted at a $1.2 million cost, covered by federal COVID relief funds provided to the state. In 2022, the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined that removal of the bridge would have an adverse effect, meaning the removal would have a detrimental outcome on the historic nature of the bridge. This required MDOT, its consultants and the city to perform additional tasks to be sure that removal is the best course of action, and how best to represent the historic nature of the bridge after removal. A 2023 city commission meeting saw discussion on the topic, where residents urged preservation of the historic bridge, as well as the need for safe access to Richards Park. The removal is planned to proceed, and residents can review project materials, ask questions, and provide feedback on the bridge removal and planned mitigation measures as required by SHPO at the Jan. 13 open house. MDOT will update the total cost of the project and funding commitments later this year, according to City Manager Jonathan Seyferth. The state is still expected to fund the project. Feedback can be submitted at the open house or to MDOTs consultant, Charlie Stein at (616) 574-8531 or charles.stein@aecom.com. The public comment period closes on Jan. 30. Bridge removal dates will depend on federal and state approvals. SAGINAW, MI On a summer evening in 2024, a 15-year-old opened fire with an assault rifle on a car as it drove by his Saginaw Township house. At least six of his 22 bullets struck the cars driver and ended his life. He essentially turned a residential neighborhood into a video game shooting gallery, said the teen killers sentencing judge of his crime. Now 17 and convicted of murder, Jawon L. Williams appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson on Thursday, Jan. 8, to learn his fate. He left the courtroom knowing hed be in prison for about 36 years, and possibly more than 60. Jurors in Williams trial deliberated for about two hours in August before convicting the defendant of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and three counts of felony firearm. The convictions stem from the July 2024 homicide of 24-year-old Dennis C. Mayes Jr. A first-degree murder conviction typically carries a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, but the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in April it is unconstitutional for that sentence to be mandatory for convicts 20 or younger. Standing before the judge beside his client, defense attorney Alan A. Crawford said Williams wouldnt be making a statement as he plans to appeal the jurys verdicts. He asked the judge to impose a sentence of no greater than 25 years, saying Williams never received guidance or structure in his upbringing and has potentially undiagnosed mental health issues. A 25-year term would give Williams adequate time to mature and learn how to assimilate back into society, Crawford said. Mayes mother, LaTesha D. Buckley, then addressed the judge. Her voice barely audible, she asked Jackson to issue an order preventing Williams relatives from contacting or harassing her family. The judge told her he doesnt have the authority to do so but urged her to notify prosecutors of any ongoing harassment. Jawon L. Williams, convicted of murder in the 2024 shooting death of Dennis Mayes Jr., stands beside attorney Alan A. Crawford as Mayes' mother, LaTesha D. Buckley, delivers an impact statement. Photo by Cole Waterman Cole Waterman Before handing down his sentence, Jackson recapped how Williams had a horrendous school disciplinary record of violent and non-violent acts. Williams was expelled 20 times in 2015 and 36 times in 2016, the judge said. Jackson acknowledged juveniles sometimes act out of immaturity and impulsiveness, but said Williams premeditation and deliberation were beyond adolescent behavior. He added Williams was on juvenile probation for fleeing and eluding police when he shot Mayes. The actions of the defendant shock and disgust me, Jackson said. His willingness to place other drivers and residents in mortal danger without any justification is totally unacceptable. We as a society simply cannot tolerate such behavior. The judge sentenced Williams to 35 to 60 years on the murder conviction, along with two concurrent stints of 23.75 to 40 years and three consecutive two-year terms. He gave Williams credit for 547 days already served, applied only to the two-year terms. Hopefully this sends a clear message to those who are of the same mindset as the defendant, Jackson said. That should you choose to engage in similar activities, there will be a significant price to pay. Case background During Williams August 2025 trial, Crawford and Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa J. Hoover painted drastically different pictures of Mayes death. Hoover argued Williams on the night of July 10, 2024, waited outside his house at 4864 Mackinaw Road with a blue assault rifle. He opened fire on a white Buick sedan as it drove by, at least six of his bullets striking it. Two houses were also hit by gunfire. Mayes, the Buicks driver, was struck once in his head and died instantly. Front-seat passenger Pierre H. Bryant, 18, suffered a grazing wound and a 15-year-old male in the backseat was struck in his abdomen. Bryant and others had spent the previous two nights at Williams home, Hoover said. During the sleepover, Bryant claimed someone stole $230 from him. Williams mother gave him $230 of her money to calm the situation, Hoover said. The night in question, Bryant had Mayes drive him back to Williams home to pick up some ammunition, the prosecutor said. Williams was upset over Bryant getting the $230 from his mother, armed himself, and waited for Bryant to show up, she continued. This was a trap and they drove right into it, Hoover said in her opening argument. They never saw it coming. This was an ambush, plain and simple. Crawford countered Williams acted in defense of himself and his family when he shot at the sedan, alleging the trio inside it were on their way to kill him. Crawford argued that following the sleepover of July 8-9, Bryant started posting threatening imagery on social media, starting a beef with Williams. Bryant proceeded to go on a text rant via Facebook Messenger, sending about 20 messages to Williams threatening to kill him, Crawford said. Bryant intended to do a drive-by shooting on Williams house recruited Mayes and the 15-year-old to help him, Crawford said. When police responded to the scene, they found the Buick crashed into a tree, Mayes slumped over the steering wheel. Bryant had fled the scene on foot. A civilian about 1.7 miles away called 911 five minutes after the shooting to report Bryant hiding in their garage. Police found two handguns in the Buick, one of which lacked a clip. They recovered 21 spent shell casings around the scene. Williams had been shot five times in his life prior to the July 10 incident. He was not wounded at that time and his house bore no bullet damage. Shortly before Williams killed Mayes, he received a six-month probationary sentence on a conviction of third-degree fleeing and eluding police. That conviction stemmed from Williams on the afternoon of Feb. 20, 2024, allegedly firing a handgun after stepping out of his mothers Dodge Charger at Saginaw High School. A large crowd of students had been fighting nearby just before the shots were fired, but the bullets struck no one. As the crowd scattered, Williams reentered the Charger and it took off. Police pulled over the Charger and as Williams mother stepped out and approached officers, her son climbed into the drivers seat and took off. The Charger struck another vehicle at Genesee and Remington before crashing into a tree at 13th and Lapeer. Officers arrested Williams and found a 1-year-old boy in the Chargers backseat, restrained only by a seatbelt. Neither were injured. SAGINAW, MI Story after story, laugh after laugh and tear after tear, the Saginaw community gathered to remember Kevin Rooker, whose love of Saginaw was abundantly clear to all who knew him. More than 100 people exchanged stories, stood around a bonfire and listened as Rookers past students, colleagues and friends stepped up to the microphone during a candlelight vigil at Weadock Park on Thursday, Jan. 8. People are asking me how I was feeling through this whole thing, and uhm, theres a lot of sorrow. Im grieving, but my heart is so full of joy because of the community and everything. Its just, its amazing, Bill Ostash, Rookers husband said. He was a staunch advocate for this city since the day I met him. Kevin Rooker of Saginaw is seen displaying his book "Saginaw Then & Now" in this MLive file photo. Rooker, who served as the secretary on the Saginaw Public Schools, died on Thursday, Jan. 1, at the age of 67. Jeff Schrier | The Saginaw News Rooker was born in Saginaw in 1958 and poured endlessly back into his community. He sat on several boards, including the Saginaw ISD school board, Saginaw Depot Preservation, Saginaw Economic Development Committee and the Historic District Commission, according to his obituary. Since 2022, Rooker was the secretary of the Saginaw Public Schools Board of Education. He was a retired educator and volunteer. Ostash, a current Saginaw City Council member, said Rooker died of a blood clot after a recent surgery related to his prostate cancer. It was very unexpected. I mean, he came through the surgery with flying colors, Ostash said. Rooker was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early summer 2025, according to a Facebook post by Ostash. Some of the pillars in the community from Saginaw Public Schools and the Saginaw City Council attended the vigil, including Mayor Brenda Moore and Mayor Pro Tem Priscilla Garcia. People gather around a bonfire during a candlelight vigil in honor of Kevin Rooker at Weadock Park in Saginaw, Mich. on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Rooker, who died Jan. 1, 2026 unexpectedly following surgery, deeply loved Saginaw and poured a lot into the community as an educator, advocate, volunteer and more. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com I really am going to miss Kevin from the bottom of my heart, Garcia said. Students told stories about Rookers teaching days and how much he impacted their lives, friends reminisced about his quirks and colleagues talked about how lucky they were to have worked by his side. Ostash stood directly in front of each speaker, adding details to stories and thanking each person for being there. Nearly an hour passed as stories and memories flowed from loved ones before Ostash stepped up to the microphone. Bill Ostash hugs loved ons during a candlelight vigil in honor of Kevin Rooker at Weadock Park in Saginaw, Mich. on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Rooker, who died Jan. 1, 2026 unexpectedly following surgery, deeply loved Saginaw and poured a lot into the community as an educator, advocate, volunteer and more. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com Ostash said hes blown away by the support and things falling into place. Theres a nonprofit in honor of Rooker in the works, which will be named the Kevin Mark Rooker Historic Preservation Society. The nonprofit organization will raise money to continue research and placing historic signs in the Cathedral District neighborhood as Rooker did, Ostash said. In addition, Weadock Park will be renamed the Kevin Mark Rooker Memorial Park, Ostash said. Ostash told the story of how he and Rooker met and how they talked for an hour and a half like they knew each other their whole lives. Ostash and Rooker have been advocates for the gay rights community since they met, Ostash said. Saginaw Councilman Bill Ostash (left) and school board leader Kevin Rooker hold the guestbook of their home, the Wolfarth House, bearing the signature of President Joe Biden. Cole Waterman The couple married in 2019 but had 22 years of history, Ostash said. I will just leave you with this: love hard. Love hard, its something I never thought I would have, Ostash said. He was my best friend before he was my partner and that meant a lot. After Ostash spoke, the evening wrapped up with the playing of Africa by Toto. A visitation is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. today, Friday, Jan. 9, at Fischer Family Funeral Home, 504 N. Michigan Ave. in Saginaw. Rookers obituary stated memorials in honor of Rooker may be made to Great Lakes Bay PRIDE at greatlakesbaypride.org. A well-known rapper has been released from prison early. Fetty Wap, who is known for his catchy 2014 megahit Trap Queen, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine nearly three years ago. He was sentenced to six years in prison and five years of post-release supervision in May 2023. According to CNN, the rapper, legal name Willie Junior Maxwell II, was moved out of a federal prison in Sandstone, Minnesota. He is now under home confinement until November. I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support it truly means everything to me, the rapper said in a statement. Right now, my focus is on giving back through my community initiatives and foundation, supporting at-risk young children by expanding access to education, early tech skills, and vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. Im committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most. Fetty Wap was indicted in federal court in October 2021 when officials accused him of a drug operation moved more than 100 kilograms of drugs from the West Coast to the East Coast for distribution. In addition to Trap Queen, he is known for tracks like 679, My Way, and Again, among others. UPDATE: Lt. Gilchrist announced he was ending his bid for governor on Monday, Jan. 12, running instead for Secretary of State. TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Six of Michigans high-profile candidates for governor will meet this month at the Northern Michigan Policy Conference, a regional economic development forum. With around 10 months to go before the 2026 election, it will be the first gubernatorial forum held in the northern Michigan region, as some candidates court rural Michiganders early on. The event in its eighth year is put on by the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance, a coalition of 20 chambers of commerce and economic development organizations advocating for rural-centric business policy. The ticketed event will be held on Friday, Jan. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme. In addition to several policy panels, the event will include a gubernatorial candidate forum, with six high-profile candidates currently planning to attend of around a dozen that have joined the race so far. They are: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, a Democrat Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township former Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican former House Speaker Tom Leonard, a Republican Mike Duggan, the former mayor of Detroit who was elected as a Democrat but is running as an independent The three-way election in November will pit independent Duggan against the Democratic and Republican primary election winners. Also invited was U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township. A request for comment to James campaign on if he plans to attend had not been returned as of the time of publishing. The schedule does not include a debate format, with candidates instead appearing in 10-minute slots for individual moderated talks. Republicans have already held three debates, while Democrats have yet to debate ahead of Michigans Aug. 4 primary. Other Democratic candidates not on the public list of those invited are Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Marni Sawicki, former mayor of Cape Coral, Florida. Other Republican candidates include Ax MI Tax Executive Director Karla Wagner, Pastor Ralph Rebandt and business owner Anthony Hudson. Ahead of the election, MLive is asking residents to share what theyre looking for in Michigans next governor. LANSING, MI In the first days of 2026, Michigans candidates for governor are already beginning to ramp up their campaigning, laying out their vision to improve the state. With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer term-limited, the open race dubbed a "toss-up" by the Cook Political Report is drawing national attention for a few reasons, including around a dozen high-profile candidates and a three-way race with a formidable independent running. As the crowded field begins to share talking points and goes on the offensive, we also want to hear from you. Using the survey below or emailing djames@mlive.com, let us know what youre looking for in Michigans next governor. Feel free to also share who you are and where youre from, if youd like. Heading into 2026, there are multiple high-profile Democrats and Republican candidates competing in two separate Aug. 4 primaries. The two primary winners will then face off against independent candidate Mike Duggan, the former mayor of Detroit, during a Nov. 3 general election. In his first days as a full-time candidate, Duggan, elected mayor as a Democrat, has painted himself as appealing to Michiganders burnt out by traditional partisan politics. Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Marni Sawicki, former mayor of Cape Coral, Florida. Democrats have not yet held a debate among declared candidates, though Benson, Gilchrist and Swanson are all set to appear during a panel held at a May gun violence prevention forum. Benson and Gilchrist are also confirmed to appear at a gubernatorial candidate forum during the Jan. 23 Northern Michigan Policy Conference, along with independent Duggan and several Republican candidates - Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, former Attorney General Mike Cox and former House Speaker Tom Leonard. Other Republican candidates include U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, Ax MI Tax Executive Director Karla Wagner, Pastor Ralph Rebandt and business owner Anthony Hudson. The Michigan Republican Party has so far held three debates between its declared candidates, though James was not present. The race is widely considered a toss-up, and not just by the Cook Political Report, meaning one party isnt poised to win. The report said the open race is likely to have plenty of drama. According to polling data aggregator RealClearPolitics, an average of polls from Oct. 23 through Nov. 21 finds James with a four point lead - 36.7% - compared to Benson at 32.7% and Duggan at 18.7%. Polling from earlier in 2025 shows Benson slightly ahead. Benson and James, who have strong name recognition, were also found to be the top Democrat and Republican candidates each receiving 48% of the support in their respective primaries, according to polling released Dec. 2. When pitted against each other in a November general election scenario, James came out ahead with a six point lead, partially because Duggan pulled more Democratic votes than he did from the GOP. DETROIT -- Former Detroit Tigers farmhand Jose Azocar, who has played at least briefly in the big leagues in each of the last four seasons, will get another crack in 2026. Azocar recently signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves that included an invitation to spring training. Two other former Tigers outfielders were on the move over the last few weeks. Brewer Hicklen also signed a minor-league deal with the Braves. Dane Myers was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Cincinnati Reds last month. Azocar, 29, originally signed with the Tigers as a teenager out of Venezuela but never advanced beyond the Double-A level. He signed with the Padres as a minor-league free agent before the 2021 season and made San Diegos Opening Day roster in 2022. He bounced between Triple-A El Paso and the Padres for most of the next three seasons. He played for the New York Mets and Braves in 2025. Known for his speed and defense, Azocar owns a .609 OPS (74 OPS+) in 418 career plate appearances in the big leagues. Hicklen, who turns 30 next month, got his first big-league hit with the Tigers last May, nearly three years after his MLB debut. He had previously made two brief big-league appearances, going 0-for-4 with the Kansas City Royals in 2022 and 0-for-5 with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024. The Tigers acquired Hicklen from the Brewers for cash considerations at the end of spring training. The Alabama native was originally drafted by the Royals in the seventh round in 2017 out of UAB. The Tigers DFAd Hicklen and traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies last July. Myers, 29, was drafted by the Tigers out of Rice University in the sixth round in 2017 and spent three professional seasons as a pitcher before making the switch to the outfield. He hit well in his new role, but as an older prospect was largely overshadowed by others in the Tigers system. The Miami Marlins in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and Myers worked his way up to the big leagues in 2023. In three seasons with the Marlins, Myers has a .653 OPS (80 OPS+) with 10 homers and 23 stolen bases in 511 plate appearances. Hes a solid outfield defender and will likely be a bench or platoon option with the Reds. DETROIT -- Detroit native and former Tigers catcher Eric Haase has agreed to a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants, MLB.com reported Friday. Haase, 33, grew up in Westland, attended Dearborns Divine Child High School and still lives in the Detroit area. He was one of the Tigers top hitters in 2021 and 2022 before tailing off dramatically in 2023. The Tigers let him go that August when they signed veteran catcher Carson Kelly. After a brief stint with the Guardians at the end of 2023, Haase signed with the Brewers during the offseason and spent the next two seasons in the organization, playing at both the big-league level and Triple-A Nashville. Haase will compete with Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Susac to be the Giants backup catcher behind Patrick Bailey. The plant was inaugurated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy. Session will be held in two phases, with the Union Budget for 202526 scheduled for February 1 and the Economic Survey on January 29. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, which will also be the 88th Budget since Independence. Support will be provided for manufacturing these niche components with at least 50 percent domestic value addition, a move that could also open up export opportunities According to officials, the burglary occurred at Abhimanyu Singhs bungalow, located in Lokhandwala, Andheri (West), on the intervening night of December 29 and 30. Raktanchal season 3 goes on floors in Lucknow and Varanasi with a thrilling new chapter in crime-drama saga Winslet told Deadline that initially Mare of Easttown was designed as a one-off single-season drama. M Snehanjali is a Sub Editor and journalist with over two years of experience covering general news and entertainment in digital newsroom. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Karthis Vaa Vaathiyaar release stalled again as Madras HC refuses to lift stay over Rs 21.78 crore dues Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Freedom at Midnight Season 2 Review: An earnest attempt to understand the cost of independence Did our AI summary help? Sarika Sharma is Editor, Entertainment, MoneyControl.com. She has over 25 years of experience in the field of entertainment journalism. Unrestricted 360-degree views of the Appalachian Mountains in north Georgia. Below, the vast Chatuge Lake, studded with islets, extends far into the horizon. Bell Mountain is one of Georgias most beautiful views. It may, however, be the saddest mountain youve ever seen. Is Bell Mountain a hard hike? Dont be fooled by the stunning views you see online, theres basically no hiking whatsoever to enjoy the stunning views from the top of Bell Mountain. Youll drive up to the top. You only need to climb up some steps and walk across a wooden landing to see the magnificent views from the top. To be honest, getting to the parking lot is more harrowing than getting to the summit of this mountain. When you arrive at the bottom of the road, you will observe that the road leading up to the parking lot is just one lane wide. And it is quite a windy road. We dont recommend eating immediately before you drive up this road. How high is Bell Mountain GA? What is the elevation of this Mountain in Hiawassee? Over 3400 feet above sea level. Where is Bell Mountain? Bell Mountain is located near Hiawassee, Georgia, in the northeast corner of the state. You can find Bell Mountain at: 220 Shake Rag Rd, Hiawassee, GA 30546. Bell Mountain is a little over a mile from the Hiawassee Town Square. Youll turn onto Shake Rag Road and follow it about 1.5 miles to Bell Mountain. GPS may not be able to find it. Advertisement Advertisement All the way to the summit, the road is paved. You have the option of parking in one of two lots. If you park in the lower lot, it is 300 feet to the top; however, if you park in the higher lot, you will just have to walk a short distance. What is the history of Bell Mountain? Bell Mountain, has quite a sad history. In 1960, was formerly the site of a quartzite mine. Three men from Murphy, North Carolina, blasted their way to the mountains summit in pursuit of the mineral. They finally discontinued operations in 1963 when they were unable to successfully mine the mountain, leaving the mountain in ruins. leaving a massive gaping crater on the top of the 3,400 foot knob that can now be seen from miles away. Hal Herrin, a local Georgian, bought the land in 1971 with the intention of preserving it. It grew in popularity among hikers and off-road enthusiasts due to its difficult accessibility. When Hal died in 2014, he left the land to Towns County in order to preserve Bell Mountain for future generations. Recognizing the uniqueness of the mountain and the fabulous views, the county built an observation platform and improved the road. Later, they raised the Hal Herrin Scenic Overlook at Bell Mountain to 3,424 feet above sea level. This top platform provides a 360-degree view. Towns County has subsequently worked hard to pave the highway to Bell Mountain and build an observation platform at the summit in order to avoid future overuse and deterioration of the mountain and also to preserve it. Some locals resent the paving of the road as they say it makes it more commercial. Why is There Graffiti on Bell Mountain? Bell Mountain has a signature look it is covered with spray paint. The vandalism happened over decades, but has now stopped as the town outlawed it, and there are cameras to prevent this from happening. Advertisement Advertisement It seems that because for so long Bell Mountain was sort of a hidden mountain in North Georgia, only some people could access it. You either needed to be in excellent physical shape to see or own a rugged SUV to navigate the tough unpaved road. Perhaps these thought they had a right to spray graffiti to leave their mark for visiting Bell Mountain. If you are in the area of Hiawassee or just looking for something different to do, take a drive up to Bell Mountain. Despite its wounds, it is still a beautiful site. The spectacular views are worth the drive graffiti or not. Did our AI summary help? Palak Vij is a Sub Editor and Entertainment Journalist with over a year of experience covering films, television, and pop culture in the digital space. Did our AI summary help? Parkinson's disease can be caused by Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium commonly associated with dental cavities (Image: Pexels) Did our AI summary help? MC Jobs Desk Read the latest and trending news articles on Sarkari Naukri, government jobs, UPSC, SSC, railway jobs, banking jobs, defence recruitment, state PSC exams, and more. Shreya Garg is a journalist with over 6 years of experience at leading media houses. She writes extensively on lifestyle, health and things that are trending on the internet. A calico breed cat whose name is Yontama has become the stationmaster at a Japan's railway station. (Picture Credit: X) Shreya Garg is a journalist with over 6 years of experience at leading media houses. She writes extensively on lifestyle, health and things that are trending on the internet. Quitters Day 2026 falls on Jan 9, and marks the moment resolutions fall apart for millions. Heres why we lose steam and how tiny habits can change everything. (Pic credit: Pexels) The Jio listing would add to strong momentum in India's IPO market over the last couple of years; it ranked as the world's No. 2 primary equity issuance market in 2025, raising $21.6 billion as of December 18, according to LSEG data. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Even if Trumps tariffs fail US Supreme Court test, $8.3 billion of Indian exports will still face duties Budget 2026 Expectations Live: 'Budget 2026 can set the tone by investing in the systems that sustain women at work' That womens work is necessary for economic growth is no longer a subject for debate, and while women are entering the workforce in growing numbers, their share in formal employment has remained stagnant at ~18% for 5 consecutive years, and retention through life transitions continues to be a major challenge. Three shifts can help. First, the Budget can strengthen the foundations for womens employment by investing in enabling infrastructure - safe and affordable mobility, womens housing near job clusters, and care systems that reduce the drop-off after life and caregiving transitions. Second, it can accelerate job-linked ski ling by backing demand-aligned training with clear pathways to placement, especially in growth sectors, and by supporting employers to build retention-friendly workplaces. Third, it can make gender-disaggregated data a core input into economic planning, because what we can measure wel, we can improve faster. Recent interventions by Udaiti - from district-level diagnostics in Uttar Pradesh to inclusive shop floor reforms in firms like Dr. Reddys and Mahindra Swaraj (13-fold increase in womens participation over 10 years) - have shown what is possible and scalable. Budget 2026 can set the tone by investing in the systems that sustain women at worknot just skilling them for entry, but supporting them to stay, grow, and lead. Womens participation is not peripheral to Viksit Bharatit is fundamental to it. -- Pooja Sharma Goyal, Founding CEO, Udaiti Are you thinking about buying or selling a home in the coming year? Not sure where to start? Its a smart idea to understand where the market is going. While things definitely remain slow, buyer hesitancy isnt the only factor at play here. So what comes next? I spoke with top brokers, developers, and industry experts across the country about the forces set to shape the 2026 housing market. Home Prices Will Stabilize, But Dont Expect a Crash Pricing is the question on everyones mind. While many potential buyers who are currently priced out of the market in various cities are hoping for a big crash, most brokers agree that dream is unlikely to happen. Advertisement Advertisement Nationally, we're not expecting a dropmore like modest appreciation of one to two percent. But the real story is how much things will vary locally. Some neighborhoods will soften, others will stay strong. 2026 is going to be a micro-market year where neighborhood-level data matters way more than national averages, says Mike Martirena of the Ivan & Mike Team at Compass in South Florida. So perhaps the solution for many of these buyers is to stop praying and start expanding their search criteria. Mortgage Rates May Ease, But Buyer Psychology Will Shift More The good news is that mortgage rates are expected to come down, but unfortunately, the days of those two percent rates are unlikely to return anytime soon. I believe the rates may come down, but modestly, shares Libby McKinney Tritschler, broker with William Raveis, Team AFA. I believe the bigger shift in 2026 will be buyer acceptance of the current mortgage rates. Buyers are adjusting to a world where five to six percent feels normal, and activity increases as confidence returnsnot because rates crash. When the uncertainty settles, which I am already seeing, movement in the market will happen. Once potential buyers accept the reality of this market, it will make it far easier to decide what to do next, whether its splurging on that new home, continuing to rent, or perhaps investing in something that might be a little small or simply not their dream home. Unsold Homes Will Become Rentals As Sellers Wait Out the Market As homes sit on the market, sellers who can afford to move without freeing up their cash are increasingly entering a business they never planned on: becoming a landlord, at least temporarily. Martirena tells me, We're seeing more owners hold properties and lease them instead of selling into a flat market, especially if they can't hit their number. Advertisement Advertisement Developers are taking a similar approach. According to the broker, many are currently building homes as rental properties, with plans to sell once market conditions improve. AI Will Reshape Home Search, Pricing, And Broker Productivity AI (artificial intelligence) has already begun reshaping how buyers search for homes and how brokers operate. Its influence will only expand in 2026. Arman Javaherian, CEO & Co-Founder of Homa, believes this shift will largely benefit consumers. By 2026, AI will enable new real estate platforms that look and feel very different from the home search sites consumers are used to today. Instead of simply helping people browse listings, these platforms focus on helping buyers understand what actually matters, including pricing tradeoffs, potential risks, and what it really takes to move from browsing to ownership. As AI takes on more of the analysis and process work, it is also forcing a rethink of how real estate companies operate behind the scenes. While many in the real estate industry have been cautious of AI or even feared its influence, its clear the cat is out of the bag, and accepting its influence isnt merely crucial; its actually beneficial. AI Wont Replace Agents, But It Will Change How They Work Brandon Charnas, co-founder of Current Real Estate Advisors, sees AI as a powerful productivity tool rather than a threat. He reveals, I use Chat GPT frequently, including to simplify reading leases, sending emails, and handling (the removal) of sensitive data from deals. I predict that people will catch on to AI (if they haven't already) and become more comfortable with it as a path to the future of real estate. Advertisement Advertisement However, while AI has replaced some jobs in different sectors and industries, Charnas doesnt think its taking his. While it isnt and cannot replace the human impact of a broker and the relationships that we have, including knowledge of off-market deals and relationships, it can certainly set everyone up for far more productivity. Another proponent of this technology is Jennifer Roberts, a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Warburg in New York City, who is already using AI to improve pricing accuracy, which can be one of the biggest challenges agents experience when selling a property. AI tools will enable brokers to give more precise pricing advice to their sellers. Agents can share with sellers the precise data renovation quality, floor height, ceiling height, views, type of building, etc. used to come up with precise data. And hopefully, this will alleviate the bane of brokers: overpricing a home. Brokers will look smarter as prices will be data-driven rather than subjective. The biggest benefit? Reducing a listings days on the market. A quicker sale can lead to a better chance of a strong offer if a home spends less time on the market and is not defined as stale. Design Will Become A Major Differentiator In A Flat Market Buyers are more design-savvy than ever these days. Blame social media or obsession with microtrends, but after years of virtually interchangeable interiors (think quartz countertops and black hardware), this sameness is now working against sellers. Design has always mattered in New York, but its importance is accelerating. Years of new development have delivered interiors that look increasingly identical: the same neutral palettes, the same furnishings, and the same staging choices. What once felt modern and clean now feels predictable, even uninspiring, Vickey Barron, a top broker with Compass, tells me. Advertisement Advertisement These overdone aesthetics have caused buyer fatigue and less overall excitement with the current offerings available. As they scroll through listings or walk through apartments that all look the same, interest fades. There is no emotional connection, no sense of discovery. A home should create a visual reaction that stops someone in their tracks and makes them want to linger. Uniqueness, quality materials, and thoughtfully chosen elements that tell a story give a home that power, reveals Barron. Unique Interiors Will Command Stronger Pricing As a result, investing in distinctive finishes and thoughtful design is no longer considered risky, its a smarter financial move, according to Barron. Going forward, homes that stand out through design, craftsmanship, and consistency will command attention and pricing strength. I often caution sellers that the wrong furnishings alone can cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars by distracting buyers rather than drawing them in. Professional Staging Will Be Non-Negotiable In 2026 Sellers hoping to maximize value without staging are making a major mistake. Advertisement Advertisement Every listing needs to be camera-ready. In a flat-price environment, buyers reward certaintyclean condition, good design, and fewer perceived projects, says Martirena. If it doesnt win on a phone screen, it won't win in person. In the luxury market, presentation is even more critical, according to Lisa Simonsen, a top broker at Brown Harris Stevens. In 2026, the luxury buyer will continue to shop visually and quickly, often before an in-person visit. That raises the importance of lighting, scale-appropriate furnishings, art placement, and a cohesive aesthetic that both photographs and shows credibly. Proper presentation will increasingly function as a pricing lever rather than a finishing touch. Virtual Staging Will Improve, But In-Person Impact Still Matters For more budget-conscious sellers, virtual staging remains an option and AI has made it far more convincing than in previous years. You used to be able to spot virtual staging from a mile away. It often looked incredibly fake and tacky. Now it can be difficult to tell what is virtual staging and what is a real photo, notes Abigail Godfrey of Coldwell Banker Warburg. Off-Market Sales Will Increase In Competitive Neighborhoods If youre taking a neighborhood walk and notice moving trucks but few listings, off-market deals may be the reason for this. Sellers want control and privacy, while buyers want access. This favors well-connected, relationship-driven agents. The most interesting deals rarely start on a public website, says Mike Fabbri of The Agency. But, Private Listings Will Primarily Benefit The Ultra-Luxury Market That strategy, however, isnt for most sellers and really only benefits those with ultra luxury listings, explains Simonsen. Why privately list if your subdivision or condo building has dozens of near-identical units? For most properties, the key to maximizing value will be publicly marketing the listing and capturing the widest possible pool of potential buyers. Insurance Costs And Climate Resilience Will Influence Buyer Decisions Insurance and operating costs are also becoming central to buying decisions. Especially here in Florida, insurance and operating costs are becoming first-order variables. Buyers are valuing roof age, flood/fire mitigation, impact glass, power backupall the things that reduce risk and long-term cost, Martirena notes. Advertisement Advertisement However, this mindset is becoming more prominent nationwide. For example, in Los Angeles, one of the first rebuilt homes following recent wildfires in Pacific Palisades now includes a fire-defense system designed to protect the structure during future disasters, a feature expected to become increasingly common, especially in areas where wildfires are common and insurance premiums are at all-time highs. Move-In-Ready Homes Will Outperform Renovation Projects The definition of move-in ready is evolving. In 2026, it increasingly means fully renovated and fully furnished. We also anticipate continued bidding wars for properties that are ready to move into, states Shaun Pappas, Partner at Starr Associates. The continued rise in construction costs, including labor and materials, has made it more difficult for home purchasers to buy and perform renovations. Therefore, we see a potential decrease in the housing prices for homes that need renovation work, and an increase in housing prices for homes that are ready to be occupied. After a challenging 2025, its clear why buyers want some part of the buying process to be as easy as possible. Paras Bisht A financial journalist with over 10 years of experience, specialising in tracking stock market movements and fundamental developments that impact investors and the broader economy. A keen observer of global financial markets, I regularly engage with leading market voices to write stories. At Moneycontrol, I focus on decoding market trends, policy shifts and economic changes, driven by a constant passion to learn, analyse, and share knowledge with my readers. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All IEX shares fall 7% as APTEL defers hearing on market coupling norms to January 19 Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to India trade deal isn't done because PM Modi did not call Trump, claims US Commerce Secretary Calling his association with ABSL AMC and the Aditya Birla Group a privilege, Patil highlighted the firms legacy and values, noting that the AMC which completed 30 years last year is built on trust with integrity as a non-negotiable principle. Mazagon Dock, other defence shares rise up to 6% in weak market: Here are three reasons Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Sensex recovers 200 pts from day's low, Nifty above 25,700: 3 key reasons behind market paring losses Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Taking Stock: Selling continues on D-St for 5th day; Nifty below 25,700, Sensex slips 605 pts Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Trading continues on Jan 15, but settlement doesnt: Read this before you hit buy or sell Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Trump's new tariff threat isn't a market killer, but OMCs could be vulnerable, say experts Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Vodafone Idea shares rise up to 8% as telco confirms AGR relief The U.S. government rolled out updated national parks passes for 2026, and the designs are already drawing attention. The new passes include the image of President Donald Trump, which has sparked questions from visitors across the country. Along with the design update, park officials are reminding passholders about a rule that could affect entry this year. Why President Trump appears on the 2026 passes The Department of the Interior announced new artwork for the America the Beautiful passes that went into effect on January 1, 2026. The resident annual pass shows a portrait of Trump alongside George Washington, while the military version features Trump in a saluting pose. Officials say the updated graphics are meant to reflect patriotic themes tied to public lands. The updated national parks pass design prompted new guidance from officials ahead of the 2026 travel season. (U.S. Department of the Interior) The announcement came in late November and was followed by public reaction and questions from park visitors. Some travelers were surprised because previous passes usually highlighted landscapes instead of political figures. That shift is part of why park staff are now spending more time explaining pass rules at entrances. The warning about covering or altering your pass According to guidance sent to National Park Service staff, visitors should not cover or alter any part of their pass. This includes placing stickers over the presidents face or any other printed details. If a pass is altered and cannot be fixed, staff may consider it invalid. Advertisement Advertisement When a pass is deemed void, visitors may need to buy a day pass or pay for a replacement. Park officials say this policy has always existed, but it is now being emphasized due to the new designs. The goal, according to the Department of the Interior, is to reduce confusion at park entrances. Why this feels different to longtime visitors In the past years, small stickers on passes were rarely an issue. Many visitors left retail stickers on their cards, and staff often accepted them without concern. A park employee told outlets that enforcement feels stricter now because of the increased attention around the artwork. Officials issued a warning that covering any part of the pass could result in denied entry or additional fees at the gate. (U.S. Department of the Interior) Officials say the rule itself has not changed, only the clarity around enforcing it. Since more visitors are asking questions or expressing opinions through stickers, staff have clearer instructions for handling those situations. This means travelers should expect less flexibility than before. New pricing rules you should know before visiting Along with new artwork, the Department of the Interior introduced a revised fee structure. Annual passes now cost $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for nonresidents. Officials say the pricing is designed to prioritize American taxpayers. Officials confirmed that nonresident visitors will have higher fees under the updated national parks pass structure introduced in 2026. (U.S. Department of the Interior) Nonresidents without an annual pass will also face a $100 per person fee at 11 of the most visited national parks. This is in addition to standard entrance fees. If you plan to visit multiple parks in 2026, reviewing pass options ahead of time can help avoid surprises at the gate. What this means for your next park trip If you already have a 2026 pass, keep it exactly as issued. Avoid covering images, names, or text, even if you feel tempted to personalize it. A clean, unaltered pass will help ensure smooth entry. Before your next visit, double-check which pass you have and what fees apply. National parks remain open and welcoming, but understanding these updates can save you time and money. A little preparation now can help you focus on enjoying the outdoors once you arrive. Did our AI summary help? Dipen Pradhan is the Editorial Consultant for Moneycontrol. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of journalism and covers personal finance topics. He has previously worked at Forbes Advisor India, Outlook Money, Entrepreneur, Inc42, and The Statesman. When he is not writing he loves to travel to explore rural hotspots. 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. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All BHEL shares rebound over 3 percent today in early trade after sharp sell-off; order win helps stock You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK A sharp fall in the Iranian rial and the withdrawal of food-import subsidies have forced Indian exporters to halt basmati shipments, hitting millers in Punjab and Haryana. The remaining AGR dues will then be cleared in equal annual instalments over six years, from March 2036 to March 2041. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Venezuelan crude could help India diversify supplies amid scrutiny of Russian oil Imagine sitting in your own living room and being told you owe more than six figures for nothing other than parking on your own driveway. Thats exactly what happened to Florida homeowner Zenaida Sandy Martinez after the city of Lantana slapped her with daily fines for code violations, culminating in more than $100,000 in penalties. The Florida Supreme Courts recent refusal to hear her appeal has reignited debates about excessive fines, crossing lines, homeowner rights, and the balance of power between local governments and everyday people. Image credit: Institute for Jusitce The story In Lantana, Florida, a code enforcement saga turned the simple act of parking into a legal nightmare. Martinez was fined $250 per day because vehicles parked in her driveway had two tires on the grass, violating a local ordinance. That amount alone exceeded $100,000. On top of that, she faced substantial fines for other alleged code violations, such as driveway cracks and a damaged fence, bringing the total cited in news reports to more than $165,000. Martinez, who shares her home with children and a sister who all own cars, argued the penalties were disproportionate to the violation and unconstitutional under Floridas Excessive Fines Clause. Despite her efforts and representation by the Institute for Justice, the states Supreme Court declined to hear her case in late 2025, allowing the fines to stand. Legal analyst Steve Lehto breaks down the case in detail. He emphasizes that these were daily-use vehicles, not abandoned hulks or derelict cars, yet the city enforced fines as if Martinez were running a junkyard. Lehto highlights how the Florida Supreme Courts refusal to hear the case effectively leaves homeowners vulnerable to runaway fines, penalties that can accumulate to life-altering sums even for trivial infractions. He also critiques the lack of compassion in code enforcement, especially when minor violations are tied to everyday life challenges like limited driveway space or post-storm property damage. Homeowners vs law enforcement In this story, we see a bigger power imbalance between municipal authorities and individuals. Local councils and code enforcement departments have tools to levy fines, place liens, and pursue debt over time, while homeowners often lack the resources to fight back effectively. Even constitutional protections, such as excessive fines clauses, can be hard to enforce if courts decline to entertain those arguments. Advertisement Advertisement Many homeowners simply dont realize how quickly fines can compound or how legal costs and court dismissals can stack up. Once fines become a lien on a property, they follow the homeowner and can even reduce the homes market value, restricting mobility and financial options. Are excessive fines ethical? At what point does a penalty stop being a deterrent and start being punitive? This question lies at the heart of debates around excessive fines. Critics argue that fines should be capped relative to the severity of the violation, especially when the violation poses little harm to public safety or property. In Martinezs case, many say parking two tires on a lawn hardly justifies a sixfigure penalty when viewed in total. Image credit: CanvaPro Ethically, fines should balance public interest with individual rights. When municipalities are allowed to levy daily penalties indefinitely, homeowners may effectively be trapped, obligated to stay put, because selling a property with huge outstanding fines is almost impossible. How should legal systems protect against such outcomes? Should there be automatic caps or review thresholds before fines escalate? The answer is yes, and theres growing advocacy for legislative reform to address these concerns. Practical awareness for homeowners Homeowners often underestimate how quickly small violations like those in Martinez's story can escalate into major financial burdens. Local ordinances can accumulate, and once a lien is placed on a property, it can restrict the ability to sell, refinance, access home equity, and affect the overall property value. Even minor delays in addressing notices can turn a simple issue into a prolonged legal and financial ordeal. Advertisement Advertisement Being informed and proactive is crucial. Homeowners should document interactions with code inspectors, respond promptly to notices, understand their legal rights, and know their protections under local excessive fines clauses and appeals processes. Knowing how enforcement works in your city or county can prevent fines from snowballing, saving you both money and stress in the long run. Image credit: Canva Pro Takeaway The story of a homeowner hit with more than $100,000 in fines for parking in her own driveway is a cautionary tale more than it is a quirky news headline. It's a spotlight on the disproportionate reach of code enforcement, how quickly little notices can snowball, the challenges individuals face pushing back, and the urgent need for balanced policy. Cities and councils have increasing authority to regulate everyday life, so understanding your rights and acting fast if you ever find yourself in such a position is essential for protecting yourself and your home. In a rebuttal, the ED accused Banerjee of obstructing its probe. The state Congress unit claimed that the Indore collector now appeared to be operating from the RSS office rather than the collectorate (Image: X) Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Video | Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on AAP 'mocking' her mistakes: 'It hurts me deeply' Four suspicious persons saved as Palghar mob takes them to cops rather than resorting to violence Meghna Mittal Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com He said the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained and expressed condolences on the incident. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All In POCSO cases, likelihood of evidence tampering, influencing witnesses legitimate concerns. says Supreme Court Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to India reacts to US bill proposing 500% tariffs on Russian oil purchase: 'Our position on energy ...' Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Partially burned, wrapped in plastic: 30-year-old man's body cut into 3 pieces found inside drum in Punjab's Ludhiana The opening week of 2026 has been defined by a singular, paradigmatic shift in modern warfare: the catastrophic failure of Venezuelas integrated air defense network during a U.S. special operation. This event serves as a brutal real-world validation of the trends currently dominating defense news, specifically the supremacy of advanced electronic warfare (EW) over legacy kinetic defenses and the critical need for next-generation situational awareness. The operation, which resulted in the capture of President Maduro, succeeded not through brute force, but by rendering Venezuelas Russian S-300VM and Chinese anti-stealth radars effectively blind. This failure of Eastern-bloc hardware to detect or engage U.S. forces has sent shockwaves through the global market, underscoring why nations like Spain and Germany are rushing to modernize their air defense architectures with Western alternatives, such as the Patriot system. The opening week of 2026 has been defined by a singular, paradigmatic shift in modern warfare: the catastrophic failure of Venezuelas integrated air defense network during a U.S. special operation. This event serves as a brutal real-world validation of the trends currently dominating defense news, specifically the supremacy of advanced electronic warfare (EW) over legacy kinetic defenses and the critical need for next-generation situational awareness. The operation, which resulted in the capture of President Maduro, succeeded not through brute force, but by rendering Venezuelas Russian S-300VM and Chinese anti-stealth radars effectively blind. This failure of Eastern-bloc hardware to detect or engage U.S. forces has sent shockwaves through the global market, underscoring why nations like Spain and Germany are rushing to modernize their air defense architectures with Western alternatives, such as the Patriot system. The conflict in Venezuela starkly illustrates that in 2026, a nations security is defined not by the missiles it displays, but by the electronic shield that protects, or fails to protect, its sensors. The global defense sector is undergoing accelerated transformation, driven by a confluence of heightened geopolitical instability and rapid technological advancement. Nations are urgently modernizing their military capabilities, a trend underscored by massive procurement approvals and a clear pivot towards next-generation systems. Lessons learned from recent conflicts have placed a premium on achieving technological and numerical superiority, leading to significant investments in affordable, mass-produced weapons and unmanned systems, advanced air defense systems, directed energy weapons, and hypersonic missiles. This dynamic environment is reshaping national defense strategies, industrial priorities, and international alliances. Analysis of the current market reveals several dominant, interlocking trends that are defining the future of defense procurement and operations: Technological Superiority: There is a pronounced global focus on acquiring a decisive technological edge. This is most evident in the race to develop and deploy unmanned systems across all domains, the pursuit of cost-effective counter-drone capabilities, the operationalization of directed energy weapons, and the development of strategic hypersonic missiles. Indigenous Production & Modernization: A strategic imperative for sovereign defense industrial capacity is driving major national efforts. Nations like India and Turkey are at the forefront, channeling significant state investment into developing domestic design, manufacturing, and sustainment capabilities to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and spur economic growth. Increased Defense Spending: In response to direct and perceived regional security threats, governments are allocating historic levels of investment to their defense budgets. This surge is translating into unprecedented multi-billion-dollar, multi-year procurement programs for advanced fighter aircraft, naval vessels, armored vehicles, artillery, and missile systems. Strategic International Cooperation: The complexity and cost of modern defense systems are fostering a greater reliance on multi-national partnerships. These collaborations, often in the form of joint ventures and technology-sharing agreements, aim to enhance collective security, ensure interoperability among allies, and distribute the financial burden of research and development. These trends are underpinned by substantial, long-term budgetary commitments that signal a clear and sustained direction for the global defense market. Analysis of National Defense Budgets and Long-Term Allocations Analyzing national defense budgets provides a clear and strategic indicator of future procurement priorities and market opportunities. These long-term financial commitments reveal the investment plans and the specific capability areas that nations deem critical for their security in the coming decade. Europe Poland: Warsaw is undertaking one of the most ambitious military modernizations in Europe, with projected defense spending set to reach $301.6 billion between 2026 and 2030. This massive allocation is driven by regional security threats and is funding the acquisition of premier capabilities, including advanced missile defense systems, F-35A fighter aircraft, HIMARS and Chunmoo rocket launchers, K2 Black Panther tanks, and Apache attack helicopters. Germany: Berlins strategic planning, outlined in the classified Operationsplan Deutschland, is heavily influenced by its perception of itself as NATOs central logistics hub in Europe. The plan is to drive investments to harden the nation against hybrid attacks on energy systems and defense infrastructure anticipated in the opening stages of a conflict. European Commission: Through the European Defence Fund, the EC has allocated 150 million to foster sovereign European capabilities. This funding is specifically earmarked to support the development of a next-generation main battle tank and a new multiple-launch rocket system, signaling a push to reduce reliance on non-European defense solutions. Asia-Pacific India: New Delhi has made indigenization and modernization the cornerstones of its defense policy. In 2025 alone, the Defence Acquisition Council approved military procurement proposals valued at over $46 billion (3.84 trillion). In the current fiscal year, capital contracts worth 1.82 trillion have already been signed, demonstrating a rapid conversion of budgetary approvals into industrial activity. Japan: Facing regional tensions, Tokyo approved a record-setting defense budget for fiscal year 2026, totaling 9 trillion yen (approx. $58 billion), a 9.4% increase. Key allocations include over $6.2 billion to enhance standoff missile capabilities and $640 million for the development and acquisition of unmanned systems under the new SHIELD program. Taiwan: Taipei has established a special eight-year defense budget of NT1.25 trillion (US $39.8 billion) to accelerate its asymmetric defense strategy. A primary focus is the domestic production of unmanned attack surface vessels. A significant portion is also dedicated to the Taiwan Dome project, an initiative to create a layered air defense network using the U.S. Armys Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) for enhanced command and control. United States FAA Modernization: While not a direct defense expenditure, the modernization of national airspace infrastructure has significant security implications. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocates $3 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to replace up to 612 aging air traffic control radar systems by June 2028, a critical upgrade for both civil and military air operations. This substantial capital injection is not being spent uniformly; it is being strategically channeled into specific technological domains, reflecting a global consensus on the future of warfare shaped by recent conflicts. Dominant Technological Priorities Shaping Modern Warfare Technological advancement is the primary engine of change in the contemporary defense sector. Nations are strategically investing in disruptive capabilities to gain a decisive battlefield advantage, with procurement decisions heavily influenced by the performance of systems in modern conflicts, from the proliferation of autonomous systems to the operational deployment of directed-energy weapons. The Proliferation of Unmanned and Autonomous Systems The market is characterized by an intense and widespread focus on unmanned and autonomous systems across the air, land, and sea domains. The trend is moving beyond simple remotely piloted vehicles toward platforms integrated with artificial intelligence, capable of autonomous operations in groups, swarms, and manned-unmanned teaming. Aerial Systems: The air domain is seeing the most dramatic advances. Recent milestones include Turkeys Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned fighter achieving the worlds first autonomous close-formation flight, China conducting the maiden flight of its CH-7 stealth reconnaissance drone , India launching a major initiative to develop an indigenous High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) RPAS , and the U.S. Marine Corps selecting a team of Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense to provide a loyal wingman based on the QX-58 Valkyrie platform and issuing a request for information (RFI) for low-cost, mass-producible FPV drones. Naval Systems: Navies are increasingly adopting uncrewed platforms for dangerous and protracted missions. The UK Royal Navy awarded Thales a significant contract to deliver portable autonomous command centers for mine-hunting operations. Central to this capability will be the Thales M-Cube mission management system and AI-powered Mi-Map software , which will coordinate uncrewed assets and accelerate the transition away from manned vessels. Ground Systems: Armies are developing unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to support a range of frontline missions. A notable development is the Indian Armys Sapper Scout , an indigenously designed multi-utility UGV for reconnaissance, mine detection, and logistics. The Emergence of Directed Energy and Advanced Air Defense Lessons from recent conflicts have highlighted the vulnerability of forces to aerial threats like rockets, drones, and cruise missiles, while also exposing the prohibitive cost of traditional interceptors. This has spurred a strategic shift toward more advanced and cost-effective air defense solutions, particularly directed energy weapons and sophisticated missile systems. Laser Systems: Directed energy is transitioning from a developmental concept to an operational reality. Israel has formally deployed the worlds first operational Iron Beam , a 100-kilowatt laser system designed to intercept rockets, mortars, and UAVs at a fraction of the cost of missile interceptors. Similarly, the U.S. Army is acquiring the mobile LOCUST laser weapon system , integrating it onto tactical vehicles to provide maneuverable defense against drones. Hypersonic and Ballistic Missiles: The development of high-speed, maneuverable missiles remains a top priority for major powers. China has reportedly fielded the DF-27 , an intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle. In a demonstration of its growing indigenous missile capability, India successfully conducted a salvo test of its Pralay quasi-ballistic missile, paving the way for its induction. The Strategic Importance of Space-Based Assets Space has become an indispensable domain for modern military operations, crucial for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), navigation, and missile defense. Consequently, investment in resilient and capable space-based assets is growing rapidly. A landmark development in this area is Rocket Labs prime contract award from the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA), valued at $816 million. Under this agreement, the company will build and operate 18 satellites for the Tracking Layer of a new missile defense constellation, marking its emergence as a key defense prime contractor. This strategic investment is paralleled by geopolitical maneuvers, as evidenced by the deepening space collaboration between Russia and Iran, which saw a recent Russian rocket launch of Iranian surveillance satellites into orbit. These emerging technologies are being rapidly fielded through a series of high-value contracts awarded to leading defense and technology firms. Analysis of Major Global Procurement Contracts This section provides a granular analysis of the most significant contract awards, offering a clear view into specific national investment priorities and corporate successes. A closer look at these deals reveals a sophisticated market defined by both high-value direct exports and increasingly complex agreements involving local production and industrial partnerships, a pattern that underscores the growing glocalization of the defense sector. Air Domain Awarding Nation/Entity Recipient Company Platform/System Contract Value Strategic Significance Israel Boeing 25x F-15IA Fighter Aircraft $8.6 Billion Modernizes Israels fighter fleet with an advanced, Israel-specific variant of the F-15EX. France Saab 2x GlobalEye AEW&C Aircraft 1.14 Billion Replaces Frances aging E-3F AWACS fleet with a next-generation airborne early warning platform. Spain Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) 30x HURJET Advanced Trainers 2.6 Billion First export sale for the Turkish HURJET. Airbus Defence & Space is acting as the prime integrator, managing the deal and adapting the aircraft to meet Spanish requirements. Poland Hanwha Aerospace Chunmoo Multiple Rocket Launchers $4 Billion Significantly enhances Polands long-range precision fires and solidifies a deep industrial partnership through a joint venture with WB Electronics for local production. US Air Force Boeing B-52 Re-engining Program (Initial Testing) $2 Billion Funds initial integration and flight-testing of new Rolls-Royce engines for two aircraft, a critical step in a program to keep the fleet operational into the 2050s. Land Domain Awarding Nation/Entity Recipient Company Platform/System Contract Value Strategic Significance Germany KNDS / Rheinmetall JV 84x RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzers 1.2 Billion Bolsters the German Armys mobile artillery firepower with a highly automated, modern system. Germany Projekt System & Management 200x Additional Puma IFVs 4.2 Billion Expands the fleet of one of the worlds most advanced infantry fighting vehicles, enhancing mechanized forces. Spain Indra / EM&E JV 86x Wheeled Howitzers 2.686 Billion Part of a major modernization of Spains field artillery, focused on enhancing mobility and responsiveness. Spain UTE ATP Cadenas 128x Tracked Howitzers 4.554 Billion A massive investment to overhaul Spains self-propelled artillery capabilities for both the Army and Marine Corps. Maritime and C4ISR/EW Domains Awarding Nation/Entity Recipient Company Platform/System Contract Value Strategic Significance Spain Raytheon Patriot Air Defense Systems $1.7 Billion Provides Spain with a proven, advanced capability to defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. US FAA RTX / Indra Nationwide Radar Replacement $438 Million+ Modernizes the U.S. National Airspace Systems surveillance backbone, replacing decades-old systems. India WASS (Fincantieri) Heavyweight Torpedoes Part of $519M deal Arms Indias Kalvari (Scorpene)-class submarines with 48 advanced heavyweight torpedoes under a contract worth approx. INR 18.96 billion. Spain Indra Anti-Aircraft Artillery Centers Modernization 2.04 Billion Upgrades Spains air battle command and control capabilities to counter new and emerging aerial threats. These large-scale procurements are increasingly facilitated by sophisticated international partnerships designed to share technology and strengthen alliances. The Growth of Strategic International Partnerships and Cooperation The increasing complexity and cost of defense technology, coupled with the desire for greater allied interoperability, are driving a marked increase in international collaborations. Nations and corporations are forming strategic partnerships to share development costs, gain access to new technologies, secure supply chains, and reinforce geopolitical alliances. These agreements range from joint production ventures to deep technology transfer initiatives. European Integration: European nations are actively pursuing joint programs to bolster collective defense and industrial capacity. Key examples include the UK-Germany agreement to enhance NATOs eastern flank with the RCH 155 mobile artillery system; the strategic partnership between Italys Leonardo and Germanys KNDS to jointly develop a new mobile artillery platform; and the Rheinmetall-MBDA joint venture to develop and produce high-performance naval laser weapon systems for the German Navy. Indo-Pacific Technology Transfer: As part of its Make in India initiative, New Delhi is leveraging partnerships to build its domestic industrial base. Rolls-Royce has put forth a landmark proposal to co-develop a next-generation aero engine in India, offering full technology transfer and joint intellectual property ownership . In the land domain, Indias Belrise Industries has partnered with Israels Plasan to co-produce components for autonomous electric UGV systems, transferring critical vehicle technology. Trans-Regional Alliances: Defense partnerships are spanning broader geographic regions to counter shared threats. Greece, Israel, and Cyprus have signed a joint military action plan to intensify air and naval exercises and cooperate on weapons acquisitions. In a prime example of industry collaboration, South Koreas Hanwha has formed a joint venture with Polands WB Electronics to facilitate the local production of Chunmoo guided rockets, solidifying a deep industrial and military relationship. These partnerships reflect a sophisticated market where success depends not only on superior technology but also on the ability to forge effective corporate and national alliances. Conclusion: Strategic Implications for the Defense Sector The global defense market is undergoing a fundamental realignment. Geopolitical instability has unlocked historic levels of funding, accelerating modernization programs that prioritize technological superiority across every operational domain. This transformation is characterized by a dual emphasis on developing sovereign, indigenous industrial capabilities while simultaneously deepening international partnerships to ensure interoperability and share the burdens of development. The confluence of these trends presents a complex but opportunity-rich environment for industry stakeholders. Based on this analysis, three critical strategic implications emerge for the defense sector: The Unmanned Systems Imperative: Capabilities in unmanned systems, autonomy, and counter-UAS technology have transitioned from a niche specialty to a core requirement for nearly every major military. From low-cost FPV drones to autonomous combat aircraft and unmanned naval vessels, this domain represents the most dynamic and pervasive area of growth. A robust and diverse portfolio in unmanned technology is no longer optional for firms seeking to remain competitive. The Validation of Electronic Warfare: The reported U.S. special operation in Venezuela, where advanced Russian and Chinese air defense systems were allegedly neutralized by American electronic warfare, stands as a watershed moment. This event will severely damage the credibility and marketability of those non-Western systems and will likely trigger a global reassessment of air defense vulnerabilities. This creates a significant market opportunity for Western firms with proven, combat-tested electronic warfare, C4ISR, and integrated air and missile defense solutions. The Glocalization of Defense: The market is increasingly defined by the tension between globalization (alliances, exports) and localization (indigenous production mandates). The most successful defense firms will be those that can navigate this dynamic. Future success will depend not just on selling platforms, but on offering comprehensive partnership packages that include technology transfer, local production agreements, and joint ventures. The models established by Hanwha in Poland and Rolls-Royces proposed strategy in India exemplify this glocal approach, which is rapidly becoming the new standard for major international defense contracts. Want to discuss this digest further? Access our sources to ask questions (Experimental AI-driven Feature) According to the probe agency, around Rs 20 crore of hawala funds, generated from alleged coal pilferage in West Bengal, found its way to the I-PAC TMC MP Mahua Moitra was seen being carried by police personnel while being detained from outside Home Minister Amit Shah's office in Delhi. The decision expands an existing ban on non-vegetarian food sales to include online delivery apps, guesthouses and homestays along key pilgrimage routes. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to What are you celebrating? Omar Abdullah slams row over Muslim admissions as NMC pulls SMVDIME MBBS approval In August, Ram Rahim received another 40-day parole for his own 58th birthday celebrations. Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 14 years. Bengaluru Police recovered the lost mobile phone of a student within minutes. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Bengaluru residents viral rant triggers debate on citys failing infrastructure: Can't take it anymore' Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Get paid to eat biryani at this firm in Bengaluru hiring 'Biryani Intellectual'. Viral post sparks curiosity The resident also pointed to cultural shifts linked to tourism, particularly in food terminology. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Indian techie, ex-Microsoft employee, now sweeps streets in Russia. He earns Rs 1 lakh a month At present, Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York. Wild tigers have vanished from much of Asia, leaving only a few strongholds. Official data shows India now hosts the worlds largest wild tiger population, far surpassing Russia and China. Decades of conservation, strict protection, and scientific monitoring have driven this recovery. With nearly three-fourths of global tigers living in India, the country has become central to the species future, while rising numbers also bring new challenges like human-wildlife conflict. Did our AI summary help? NASA postponed a scheduled International Space Station spacewalk after an astronaut developed an unspecified medical issue but remained stable. The delay affects planned solar array work and could alter Crew 11s mission timeline, originally set to run until mid-February. The incident highlights how astronaut health directly shapes station operations, forcing NASA to pause activities, reassess schedules and prioritise safety while monitoring whether further adjustments, including an earlier return, may be required. Did our AI summary help? Researchers may have recovered trace DNA from a red chalk sketch, Holy Child, possibly linked to Leonardo da Vinci. By comparing it with a 15th-century family letter, scientists aim to reconstruct da Vincis genome. Challenges include disputed authorship, inaccessible tombs, and lack of direct descendants. Ongoing analysis of family remains, hair, and manuscripts seeks to confirm the genetic link. The study could help authenticate artworks and reveal biological factors behind da Vincis extraordinary abilities, though findings are not yet peer-reviewed. Did our AI summary help? Twin male mountain gorillas have been born in Congos Virunga National Park, a rare event for the endangered species. Discovered on January 3, 2026, the infants and their mother, Mafuko, appear healthy. Twin births occur in only about 1% of cases and require close monitoring. Conservationists say the births highlight both progress and ongoing risks from conflict, poaching and habitat threats in the UNESCO-listed park. Did our AI summary help? Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day More families are streaming High-Definition (HD) movies and play cloud games. Enterprises are increasingly moving their services to the cloud and embracing remote work. AI models are processing massive amounts of data for analysis and decision-making. With all of these changes afoot, the question arises, how should Internet Service Providers (ISPs) adapt in order to better serve their customers? Too often, they remain confined to their network infrastructure, passively awaiting customer queries, such as "How much bandwidth do I have?" Or perhaps, "Why did my signal drop?" As a result, they are missing out on opportunities to provide customers with new services. The digital economy is booming, novel services are exploding, and traffic is multiplying every year. Even still, ISPs are caught in a trap where traffic is soaring, but revenue has not grown substantially alongside it. Their most valuable assetthe networkis being devalued by price wars in an increasingly competitive, saturated broadband market. What role should ISPs and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) play amid digital and intelligent transformation? More importantly, how can they get back on the path to sustained business growth? Some of these questions are answered in a recently released white paper by Huawei. Earlier this year, at HUAWEI CONNECT 2025, the company released the ISP/MSP Business Success Driven by RAMS White Paper V1.0. In introducing a new RAMS framework: Return on Investment (ROI), Availability, Maintenance, and Security, the white paper proposes a new market positioning of ISPs and MSPs. It also offers optimal strategies for network evolution and service planning that will guide ISPs and MSPs toward business success. The breakout strategy: Evolving from a connectivity provider to a digital and intelligent transformation partner Today, home broadband users demand quality. They want smooth HD videos and lag-free gaming. For enterprises, moving all services to the cloud necessitates better network performance, such as faster service provisioning and more stable, higher-speed data transmission. Adding to this demand, AI inference is moving closer to the user, fueling rapid growth in real-time interactive services that require smarter, more flexible networks. To navigate this dramatic market change, ISPs and MSPs must move beyond providing only connection services and upgrade into a true partner for digital and intelligent transformation. This shift allows them to retain existing customers and attract new ones by delivering premium experiences, while also discovering new opportunities as they provide stronger support for growing smart services. While the network is essential when competing for business opportunities, the most decisive factors lie in the intelligence, availability, and security behind the network. To this end, ISPs and MSPs must promote both intelligence and platform-based development. Intelligence should be woven across all network scenarios and elements, including O&M and services, to improve automation and flexibility. Platform-based development focuses on building Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capabilities and upgrading services through an intelligent network platform to make network bandwidth schedulable, service quality manageable, and path orchestration simple. This forms the foundation for designing new service plans that differentiate an ISP or MSP from the competition. By building intelligence and platform-based capabilities, ISPs and MSPs can flexibly mix and match features like network intelligence, availability, and security, then package and sell them as commercial offerings. Instead of being connection builders, ISPs and MSPs can become capability operators. This allows them to provide a broader service portfolio, improve service quality, and create a unique competitive advantage in the broadband market. RAMS: Four pillars of intelligent, resilient networks ISPs and MSPs must rise to the challenge of the modern market and do more than just plan networks. They must explore paths for sustained growth based on changing user needs and commercial feasibility. This is where the RAMS framework comes in. Through RAMS, Huawei links ROI with network and service planning, outlines strategies for improving network availability, highlights directions for intelligent O&M, and demonstrates approaches to building secure and reliable networks. For ISPs and MSPs, RAMS is both a framework for constructing intelligent, resilient networks, and a factor that will directly influence investment outcomes. It also represents the four key dimensions that determine whether services and networks can achieve business success. ROI involves both spending and income. Analyzing ROI helps ISPs and MSPs find ways to slash construction and O&M costs while identifying new paths to revenue growth. The white paper presents a formula for calculating the ROI of broadband investments. By examining the relationship between variables in the formula, ISPs and MSPs can determine how internal and external factors influence ROI and optimize their network investment strategies accordingly. One practical example is addressing plateauing growth when broadband device utilization in an area reaches 20%25%. ROI calculations suggest that at this point, idle network resources can be used to launch lower-tier service plans, and by guaranteeing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for different tiers of customers through network slicing, revenue will increase without compromising user experience. Similarly, although introducing intelligent O&M adds an initial cost, the ROI formula confirms that this cost can be neutralized by long-term O&M savings and the gains from new services and end-to-end service assurance. Availability emphasizes a shift from offering best-effort network services to providing deterministic, committed SLAs. It is a critical way a network demonstrates its intelligence and resilience. Nowadays, availability is no longer just about avoiding network interruptions, but about offering comprehensive assurance for granular indicators such as latency, jitter, and packet loss, particularly for Business-to-Business (B2B) private lines, cloud gaming, and interactive services. For example, traditional B2B private lines require on-site network deployment, coordination among vendors, and manual configuration, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. However, if B2B private lines are broken down into capability modules, such as the access method, Quality of Service (QoS), security, and path protection, and these modules are packaged as standardized offerings, customers can place orders on a platform for automatic service configuration and provisioning. In addition, customers can view and manage their network and service status in real time. High availability lays the foundation for ISPs and MSPs to market their network capabilities as standardized products, and is the essential stepping stone for them to unlock new value within the B2B market. Maintenance, especially intelligent O&M, is a powerful tool for coping with increasingly complex networks and business models. It empowers ISPs and MSPs to build autonomous driving networks that can intelligently predict faults, assess root causes, and automatically handle issues. This allows service providers to transform from reactive troubleshooting to proactive prediction, significantly improving O&M efficiency and user experience. Maintenance is essential for ISPs and MSPs if they want to evolve into operators that deliver premium experiences, and it's the foundation for offering services that stand out from competitors. Security is a necessity for B2B services. Industries such as finance, government, and healthcare face strict data security and compliance regulations, so they demand strong security beyond just high-quality network connections. The RAMS framework stresses that security must be inherent to the network. Network connections provided by ISPs and MSPs should be secure by default, with the flexibility to integrate advanced security services such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) based on customer needs. A network that is inherently secure and compliant is highly attractive to B2B customers. It is a good way for service providers to build a unique competitive advantage, rapidly break into the high-end market, and generate higher profits. Firm commitment for a promising future RAMS defines an intelligent, resilient network from four dimensions. While each dimension has a specific focus, they are closely linked and reinforce each other. A scientific ROI analysis optimizes resource allocation, supporting the construction of a highly available, intelligent, and secure network. Enhancing availability is an effective way to improve both ROI and security. Developing an intelligent maintenance platform guarantees network availability and security while simultaneously optimizing ROI. Finally, building a highly secure network ensures that it delivers high availability and wins the trust of B2B customers, realizing its maximum business value. More than just a theoretical framework, RAMS is a practical operating guide for ISPs and MSPs. In the white paper, Huawei presents a wide range of scenario-specific implementation solutions, including experience-centric operations for home broadband, platform-based and product-based design for B2B private lines, and the IP+optical synergy mechanism, along with commercial success stories from around the world. These concrete solutions and case studies demonstrate how the RAMS framework offers a clear path to building intelligent, resilient networks. They also underscore how RAMS is a proven way to help ISPs and MSPs design new products and optimize revenue structures. ISPs and MSPs now stand at a critical crossroads. To reclaim their core position in the ICT value chain, they must break free from the pipe provider trap where they only sell raw connectivity. The time to act is now. Huawei has long worked closely with ISPs and MSPs worldwide and understands market trends well. To date, Huawei has supplied leading products, solutions, and services to over 5,000 ISP/MSP clients across more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, Through the RAMS framework, developed based on industry insights, Huawei explores a development path driven by both commercial and technological advancements. The company aims to help ISPs and MSPs leave the intensely competitive red ocean of basic connectivity services and enter into a new blue-ocean market of powering intelligent transformation across industries. View and download the ISP/MSP Business Success Driven by RAMS White Paper V1.0 here: https://e.huawei.com/en/documents/solutions/ict-service-provider/a8174b693423470cb5ad3edcf9c9d59c Frank Lu is the Vice President of ISP & OTT, Director of ISP & OTT MKT & Solution Sales at Huawei Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti is a seasoned journalist with nearly a decade of experience in media. She specializes in technology and lifestyle journalism. She has worked with top Indian media houses like India Today, Zee News, The Statesman, and Millennium Post. Her expertise spans tech trends, phone launches, gadget reviews, and entertainment news. Ankita holds a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication along with a degree in English Literature. She can be reached out at ankita.chakravarti@nw18.com Travelling to the US? The embassys new warning spells out what Indian B1, B2 visa holders canand cannotdo. 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. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Can Denmark defend Greenland? A look at its military strength and limits Surveys also show most Greenlanders, while open to separating from Denmark, do not want to be part of the U.S. Denmark's stern warning to US if Greenland is invaded: 'We'll shoot first, ask questions later' Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to 'Disturbing pattern of recurring attacks': India raises alarm over violence against minorities in Bangladesh Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Explained: Why Russia used Oreshnik missile on Ukraine and what it signals The Monroe Doctrine, revived by President Trump as the Donroe Doctrine, now asserts aggressive US dominance in the Western Hemisphere, targeting Chinas influence, exemplified by military action in Venezuela and a broader strategy to exclude rivals from the region. Did our AI summary help? Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to From revolution to rial collapse: A timeline of Irans major protests over the past 50 years China's 'Pole of Cold' turns 'cold resources' into 'hot industries' People's Daily Online) 14:18, January 09, 2026 Tourists take part in a cultural activity in a forest in Genhe, a county-level city administered by Hulun Buir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, known as the country's "Pole of Cold." (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Genhe city) At 7 a.m. on a day in December 2025, reindeer herder Gu Musen made his way toward his deer enclosure in Genhe, a county-level city administered by Hulun Buir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, known as the country's "Pole of Cold." Wen Gang, a visitor from south China's Guangdong Province, followed closely behind him. This was the first time Wen had encountered reindeer. "If I have the chance, I'll come back to see them again," he said. Genhe, a small city nestled at the northern foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains, once regarded its seven-month-long winter as an obstacle to development. "Today, we see the cold weather as a rare experience," said Song Ling, director of the Genhe Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television. In 2022, Genhe launched a reindeer "adoption" program, under which visitors sign "adoption" agreements, receive certificates, and can visit the city at any time to see their "adopted" reindeer in person. Since its introduction, the program has further boosted winter visitor numbers. "This is not merely a tourism program but a cultural bridge," Song explained. Each adopted reindeer is linked to a family of the Ewenki ethnic group. Most of the adoption fees go directly to reindeer-herding families for herd protection and forest maintenance, while the remainder supports cultural preservation. Behind the reindeer adoption program lies a full cultural experience chain, including visits to reindeer-herding communities, learning Ewenki birch bark craftsmanship, and experiencing forest life in winter. Genhe, which faced a difficult transition after the complete ban on commercial logging of natural forests in 2015, has turned its cold climate and remoteness into new assets by promoting deeper integration of culture and tourism. A tourist poses for photos with a reindeer in Genhe, a county-level city administered by Hulun Buir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, known as the country's "Pole of Cold." (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Genhe city) "Rather than conventional ice-and-snow tourism, we focus on immersive ice-and-snow cultural experiences," Song said. In Genhe's Lengji village, residents have transformed their courtyards into "low-temperature experiment grounds," where activities such as capturing the spectacle of hot water freezing instantly in midair and comparing the thermal performance of different fabrics have become popular. Ma Dexin, operations director of Lengji village, said that this winter, accommodation demand has surged, with some rooms requiring reservations up to a week in advance. Statistics show that from September to December 2025, Genhe generated tourism revenue of 1.32 billion yuan (about $188.07 million), up 12 percent year on year, while receiving 903,600 tourist visits, a year-on-year increase of 14.2 percent. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Jarlov maintained that there is no threat, no hostility and no justification for Trump to attack Greenland. How much would it take to 'buy' Greenland, and why are lawmakers saying 'not for sale'? Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All 'Incredible opportunities ahead': US ambassador to India Sergio Gor lands in Delhi amid tariff tensions A picture taken on February 25, 2019 shows workers resting at the Shahid Beheshti Port in the southeastern Iranian coastal city of Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) Iranian-US demonstrators brandish a poster of Reza Pahlavi as they gather to call for regime change in Iran, as US President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire between Israel and Iran, outside the Wislhire Federal Building in Los Angeles on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP) Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Is this the moment Europe tells Trump 'no,' by freezing the EUUS trade deal? Israel has firmly rejected any involvement of the Pakistan Army in a proposed Gaza stabilisation force, citing lack of diplomatic ties, concerns over Pakistans links to terror networks, and distrust, insisting Hamas must be dismantled before any transition. Did our AI summary help? Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Jamaicas beaches are world-famous. Most Jamaicans can no longer use them Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Khawaja Asif's 'Trump' blunder on live TV? Anchor cuts off Pak defence minister, calls for a break Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Muslim-majority US city renames major road after former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia 'Only my morality can stop me': Trump claims sweeping war powers, says he doesnt 'need international law' On recent visits, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan requested Saudi assistance in the war, according to Sudanese and Egyptian sources. Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Russia pounds Ukraine in a nationwide missile assault; Zelenskiys hometown among the hardest hit | Watch Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Seeking peace: Trump calls off second wave of attacks as Venezuela frees political prisoners Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to 'Sir, may I see you please?' On Trump's PM Modi claim, MEA cites 'mutual respect' Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Thatd be a great honour: Trump eyes Nobel ahead of meeting with Venezuelas Machado Wayground for Business is a platform designed to enhance team engagement through interactive quizzes and lessons. It offers businesses the flexibility to host live sessions or assign activities for participants to complete at their own pace. This tool is particularly useful for cross-functional meetings, training sessions, learning and development programs, employee onboarding, and more. Key Features AI-Powered Content Creation : Automatically generate quizzes from existing documents, webpages, or text using artificial intelligence. : Automatically generate quizzes from existing documents, webpages, or text using artificial intelligence. Flexible Hosting Options : Choose between live sessions or asynchronous activities. Live sessions can be instructor-paced, participant-paced, test mode, or team mode. : Choose between live sessions or asynchronous activities. Live sessions can be instructor-paced, participant-paced, test mode, or team mode. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) : Participants can engage with content on their own devices, including PCs, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. : Participants can engage with content on their own devices, including PCs, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Privacy Controls : Content is private by default, with options to share with specific users within the organization or make it publicly accessible. : Content is private by default, with options to share with specific users within the organization or make it publicly accessible. Comprehensive Editor : Utilize 18 question types, such as Multiple Choice, Word Cloud, Poll, Fill in the Blanks, Reorder, and Match. Enhance questions with images, audio, video, GIFs, and equations. : Utilize 18 question types, such as Multiple Choice, Word Cloud, Poll, Fill in the Blanks, Reorder, and Match. Enhance questions with images, audio, video, GIFs, and equations. Detailed Reporting : Access insights into participant performance, including accuracy and progress, and share results with stakeholders. : Access insights into participant performance, including accuracy and progress, and share results with stakeholders. Collaboration Tools: Share quizzes, lessons, and reports with collaborators and create teams for resource access. Who Is It For? Wayground for Business is suitable for organizations aiming to boost team engagement and learning. Its ideal for cross-functional meetings, weekly check-ins, training sessions, learning and development programs, employee onboarding, and customer feedback surveys. Pricing Wayground for Business offers a 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore most features without a credit card. After the trial, users can upgrade to the Essential plan, which supports up to 150 participants per session. For detailed pricing and plan options, refer to the official website. Final Thoughts Wayground for Business provides a versatile platform for creating and hosting interactive learning experiences. Its AI-powered content creation, flexible hosting options, and comprehensive collaboration tools make it a valuable resource for organizations seeking to enhance team engagement and development. Visit wayground.com for more. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to The hardliner who could decide Venezuelas next crisis Trump has a China problem in Venezuela: What to do with Beijing's debt and oil stakes Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Trump once again defends ICE officer who shot dead woman in Minneapolis: 'She behaved horribly' Loans up to OTHERS OTHERS co-presented by Follow us on: Loans up to My Account or or Hello, Login All Trump's tariffs face big Supreme Court test: Why $150 billion refunds are at stake Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Trump says only his own morality limits his global power Trump wants to 'buy' every Greenlander's loyalty? All about America's lucrative cash plan and what it could cost US The FBI is investigating after US border agents shot two people in Portland, a day after a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis heightened national scrutiny. US declared it dead in 2013, Trump brought it back with a twist: What is America's famous Monroe Doctrine? A crude oil tanker is pictured docking in the Maracaibo Lake in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on January 8, 2026. (Image used for representation) A US court ruling against Trumps tariffs may not end the trade dispute, as the administration has several legal options to maintain or reimpose duties. For countries like India, this means ongoing uncertainty and challenges in trade planning and negotiations. Did our AI summary help? Employment Hero and SEEK have resolved their Federal Court dispute, with proceedings discontinued and API access restored. Whats happening: Employment Hero and SEEK have agreed to resolve legal action commenced last year, with the Federal Court ordering proceedings be discontinued. Why this matters: The settlement allows both companies to move forward, with Employment Hero accepting that SEEKs termination notice was not intended to substantially lessen competition. Employment Hero and SEEK have agreed to resolve legal proceedings, with the Federal Court ordering that the case be discontinued. An Employment Hero spokesperson confirmed the companys position on the resolution. Employment Hero now accepts that SEEKs purpose in issuing the notice on 24 June 2025 terminating Employment Heros access to SEEKs API was not one of substantially lessening competition, as Employment Hero originally believed, and has agreed to resolve the proceedings, the spokesperson said. A SEEK spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the outcome. SEEK is pleased that the litigation has now ended and is satisfied with the outcome, they said. API access reinstated Under the agreement, SEEK will reinstate Employment Heros access to its API, which allows its customers to post jobs with SEEK via Employment Hero. SEEK had previously agreed that it would maintain access temporarily while the court proceedings were pending. Employment Heros access to SEEKs API will be subject to complying with all applicable terms and conditions. Terms of resolution Neither Employment Hero nor SEEK will be making any further comment about the proceedings or their resolution. The legal action was commenced by Employment Hero last year following SEEKs notice on 24 June 2025 terminating Employment Heros access to SEEKs API. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Loans up to Follow us on: Loans up to Why are Russia, Iran and China holding naval drills under the BRICS banner? January 9, 2026 Trump Has Changed And TDS With Him When Trump did win his second term there were many people, including here, who were a bit in panic. Other characterized that as a Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). I had preferred Trump over the blabbering incompetent person the Democrats had put up as their candidate. I did not like Trumps policies but I also thought that he would do just minor damage just like during his first term in office. At first it looked like I had been right. The Alaska meeting with President Putin went reasonably well. The war in Ukraine seemed to move towards some sane outcome. His domestic policies were a bit wild but not far off from the expected trajectory. Things have been going downward since. Something has definitely changed. But why and how this derangement happened is yet unknown. The late December CIA attack on Putins residence in the Novgorod region, which includes strategic command facilities, has broken the rules that have governed relations between nuclear powers over many decades. Those relations have now deteriorated beyond fixing. The attack on Venezuela was likewise beyond any reasonability. There is little chance that the U.S. will ever get what it wants from the country without on the ground intervention. But any commitment of troops to Caracas would end in disaster. The administration defense of ICE goons, who clearly broke all rules of policing when they killed an innocent women, is also beyond all reasonability. There are certainly ways to explain the incident but they decided to smear the obvious victim. That such behavior has become and will stay the norm for the Trump administration can be concluded from two recent interviews. The first was on January 5 at CNN with Trump aide Stephen Miller: TAPPER: So lets the question about who is now running Venezuela is one that even members of Congress who are big Trump supporters say theyre not quite sure about. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNNs Manu Raju that he doesnt know what President Trump meant by his assertion that the U.S. is running Venezuela. And he said he needs more information. Can you tell us what the President means when he says, is acting President Delcy Rodriguez in charge? Is she running Venezuela or not? MILLER: Well, what the President said is true. The United States of America is running Venezuela. By definition, thats true. Jake, we live in a law, Im sorry, we live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time. The United States TAPPER: But are you saying but in terms of day-to-day operations in Venezuela, that is president, Acting President Rodriguez, right? Its not some sort of American emissary. MILLER: No, what Im saying is, and well keep going here, Jake. So I want to say what Im saying, and then youll follow up. But what Im saying is just one level above that, which is that, by definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country during this transition period. Miller really seems to believe that this is how the world works. It isnt. The second interview, on January 7, was by the NY Times with Trump himself: Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by My Own Morality (archived) The relevant excerpt of craziness: Asked in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times if there were any limits on his global powers, Mr. Trump said: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. I dont need international law, he added. Im not looking to hurt people. When pressed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Mr. Trump said, I do. But he made clear he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the United States. It depends what your definition of international law is, he said. Mr. Trumps assessment of his own freedom to use any instrument of military, economic or political power to cement American supremacy was the most blunt acknowledgment yet of his worldview. At its core is the concept that national strength, rather than laws, treaties and conventions, should be the deciding factor as powers collide. Trumps take on domestic limits exposes a similar might-makes-right vision: On the domestic front, Mr. Trump suggested that judges only have power to restrict his domestic policy agenda from the deployment of the National Guard to the imposition of tariffs under certain circumstances. But he was already considering workarounds. He raised the possibility that if his tariffs issued under emergency authorities were struck down by the Supreme Court, he could repackage them as licensing fees. And Mr. Trump, who said he was elected to restore law and order, reiterated that he was willing to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military inside the United States and federalize some National Guard units if he felt it was important to do so. So far, he said, I havent really felt the need to do it. TDS has changed its meaning. Trump is deranged and its not just a syndrome. I have yet to make up my mind of what is most likely to follow from this. Is the U.S. sliding down the path towards full fascism? Or is this all pure bluster that will end as soon as it experience a serious bulwark? Comments January 9, 2026 Winter Strikes Kiev Last night Ukraine was finally confronted with the consequences of attacking Russian infrastructure. And no, I do not mean last nights Oreshnik strike on the large gas storage facility in west Ukraine. The seismic impulse from that strike likely damaged the geological structure that allowed the gas to be stored in caverns. It can now escape and has been seen burning. Those were the Ukrainian reserves for the rest of the winter. The strike was in revenge for the late December drone strike on Russias strategic command facility and Putins home near Novgorod. It was also a warning, mostly to Europe. But the real hurt came with a medium-sized drone and missile strike on Kiev. At least three combined-thermal-electric facilities were taken out. These used to provide water, heating and electricity to the blocks of Soviet era high rises that cover much of Kiev. These strikes, as the Russian Ministry of Defense empathizes in its reports, are in retaliation for strikes on Russian infrastructure facilities. Russia at a time, offered a ceasefire on infrastructure strikes. Ukraine did not keep to it. Now nearly half of Kievs high-rise apartments have lost water, heating and electricity supplies. This while the temperature has gone down to minus 20 Celsius at night. Municipal workers have started to drain (in Russian) all water from intra-house systems. Otherwise the risers and pipes would freeze and break open. But it also means that water and heat supplies will not come back to those high-rises until the temperatures are back in a positive Celsius range. The buildings have thus become unlivable. Hundreds of thousands if not millions will have to live elsewhere. The mayor of Kiev Vladimir Klitschko has called on residents to leave the capital: Half of Kyivs apartment buildings, almost 6,000, are currently without heat supply after critical infrastructure in the capital was damaged in a large-scale Russian attack. Municipal workers have connected social facilities in particular hospitals and maternity hospitals to mobile boiler houses. And together with energy workers they are working to bring electricity and heat supply back to Kyiv residents homes, Klitschko said. He added that the combined attack on Kyiv on the night of 8-9 January was the most painful for the capitals critical infrastructure facilities. City services are operating under emergency conditions. And unfortunately weather conditions are forecast to be difficult in the coming days. I also appeal to residents of the capital who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city and go where there are alternative sources of power and heat, to do so, Klitschko concluded. A similar situation exist in Dnipro, one of Ukraines most industrial cities, since yesterday. During the war the parts of the Ukrainian population that were not directly involved in fighting seemed to have little interest in what was happening. There was still a lot of nightlife in Kiev, all goods were available and even the few short interruptions of electricity were not much to bother with. This will now change. Electricity is off for most of the time. Shops are closing because running business on generators is unprofitable. Local public transport is mostly down. Longer range tail transport is interrupted. Apartments are unlivable. The consequences of the war have become personal. This will change the mood even of those who want to prolong the war. The numbers of those willing to accept the loss of territory in exchange for peace will rise. After a while a change of policies will follow for this. Traffic to and from Da Lat in Vietnam's Central Highlands will be partially disrupted for six days as authorities close Prenn Pass from Jan. 9 to 15 to carry out repairs on landslides that damaged the key mountain route late last year. During this period, vehicles will be prohibited from traveling on a section of National Highway 20 in Lam Dong Province, from the foot of Prenn Pass to just before the Datanla Waterfall tourist area, according to the provincial Department of Construction. Nearly five kilometers of the highway running through the pass will be closed, with traffic rerouted to facilitate repairs to landslides and slope failures that occurred late last year. Vehicles entering and leaving Da Lat will be diverted via Mimosa Pass or the SacomTuyen Lam Pass route. Prenn Pass, which stretches 7.27 kilometers, is a vital route connecting National Highway 20 from southern localities to Da Lat. At noon on Nov. 4 last year, hundreds of cubic meters of soil and rock slid down from an uphill slope, toppling large pine trees and blocking the roadway, despite the absence of rain at the time. More than two weeks earlier, another landslide occurred when a large section of the road surface collapsed into a ravine, pulling down retaining walls and guardrails and creating a deep cavity. The asphalt surface was torn apart, with several meters of roadway cracking and subsiding. By MSU Public Relations | Jan 9, 2026 Dr. Bommanna Loganathan with Pacifichem logo MURRAY, Ky. Murray State University chemistry professor Dr. Bommanna Loganathan played a leadership role at Pacifichem 2025, the premier International Chemical Congress of the Pacific Basin Societies, held in Hawaii from Dec. 1520, 2025. Loganathan, together with Professor Sarit Kaserzon of The University of Queensland, Australia, and Dr. Seongjin Hong of Chungnam National University, South Korea, jointly organized and presided over a scientific symposium at the conference. The trio spent more than a year preparing the symposium, titled In Situ Contaminants Monitoring Approaches Using Passive Sampling Methods to Investigate Trends of Organic Contaminants in the Environment. The session was held on Dec. 18, 2025, at the Sheraton Waikiki and the poster presentations occurred at the Hawaii Convention Center on the same day. The opportunity to lead the symposium session at Pacifichem represented a significant professional honor for the organizers. The symposium brought together leading scientists from the United States, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and several other countries. Presentations and discussions focused on innovative passive sampling methods for monitoring organic contaminants in aquatic environments. The session also examined global concentrations and temporal trends of organic contaminants, contributing to improved environmental risk assessment in both freshwater and marine systems. Pacifichem is the largest international chemical congress in the world, convened once every five years and jointly organized by seven major chemical societies: the American Chemical Society, the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Chemical Society of Japan, the Chinese Chemical Society, the Korean Chemical Society, the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. The 2025 congress attracted more than 10,000 participants and featured over 300 scientific symposia, emphasizing the theme of building global scientific communities. This conference participation would not be possible without the support from the Department of Chemistry, Watershed Studies Institute and the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology, said Loganathan. Loganathan has held a joint appointment with the Department of Chemistry and the Watershed Studies Institute at Murray State University since 1997. He joined the University as a postdoctoral research associate, transitioned to a tenure-track faculty position in 2000, and was promoted to full professor in 2011. Throughout his career, Loganathan and his students have regularly presented their research at major international conferences. He has also organized and chaired scientific sessions at national and international meetings, including the American Chemical Society meetings, the Dioxin Conference series, and Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conferences. Loganathan and his family are proud members of the Murray community. His wife, Selvi, is a registered nurse, and together with their son Sudan and daughter Dheepa, they are proud to call Murray home. The United States will no longer participate in international organizations that are contrary to its interests. President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on January 7 directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations that no longer serve American interests. The Memorandum orders all executive departments and agencies to cease participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty. Among the international organizations listed in President Trumps order are the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact; the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; Education Cannot Wait; Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund; the Global Counterterrorism Forum; the Global Forum on Migration and the UN University. President Trumps action follows a review ordered earlier this year of all international intergovernmental organizations, conventions, and treaties that the United States is a member of or party to, or that the United States funds or supports. These withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities, or that address important issues inefficiently or ineffectively such that U.S. taxpayer dollars are best allocated in other ways to support the relevant missions. Many of these bodies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength. American taxpayers have spent billions on these organizations with little return, while they often criticize U.S. policies, advance agendas contrary to our values, or waste taxpayer dollars by purporting to address important issues but not achieving any real results. Immediately upon returning to office, President Trump initiated the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. On Day One of his Administration, President Trump also signed a Presidential Memorandum to notify the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that its Global Tax Deal has no force or effect in the United States and direct an investigation into whether foreign countries have tax rules in place that are extraterritorial or disproportionately affect American companies. Just weeks later, President Trump signed an Executive Order withdrawing the United States from the UN Human Rights Council and prohibiting any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East. The executive memorandum states that President Trump has prioritized American interests by redirecting focus and resources toward domestic priorities such as infrastructure, military readiness, and border security, and acting swiftly to protect American companies from foreign interference. On the lamb: 50 sheep break away from flock and storm German supermarket The Guardian Incognito in Delaware Hickmans Hinterlands Were Too Close to the Debris ProPublica. How SpaceX Rockets Put Passenger Planes at Risk Detroit suburb agrees to a $3.25 million settlement in the case of woman found alive in a body bag AP How Did TVs Get So Cheap? Construction Physics Climate/Environment First tornado warnings of 2026.. in January. Welcome to Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/XtEVtkYMxY Grumpy Dool (@PCSoonersFan) January 8, 2026 China? The price of the Marshall Islands universal basic income East Asia Forum India Syraqistan The ongoing military preparations in Iran do not suggest a defensive posture at all. Over the past 24 hours, Iran has taken steps that indicate offensive preparations. These include: clearing flight paths and diverting them away from major cities; moving offensive assets toward pic.twitter.com/nNzCaAknp3 Ahmed Hassan (@Ahmed_hassan_za) January 8, 2026 After Iran moved to cut internet access amid ongoing unrest, Tamir Morag on Israels Channel 14 claimed that Elon Musk enabled free access to Starlink for protesters inside the country. According to the report, the move was carried out quietly several days ago, with protest The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) January 8, 2026 Africa O Canada European Disunion New Not-So-Cold War South of the Border Trump 2.0 Why Protecting Homebuyers Might Mean Protecting Prices Stripped of the politics, Trumps message is that housing is for people, not portfolios. Hes arguing that affordability has broken down so badly that the government needs to step in and stop large institutional investors pic.twitter.com/OIwLWhZfFk EndGame Macro (@onechancefreedm) January 7, 2026 Police State Watch Imperial Collapse Watch Healthcare? House passes 3-year extension of ObamaCare subsidies The Hill Liberation Day Economy Important point: 2025 is likely to be the worst year for job growth outside of a recession since 2003 (when hiring was anemic after the Dot Com bust). Well get December data on Friday. Its likely to show only ~700,000 jobs added in 2025. [And ~70% of the jobs in 2025 were pic.twitter.com/3JJRSqtFCU Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) January 8, 2026 This got lost in the shuffle yesterday because of the securities crimes committed by the Trump administration and the whole, you know, brownshirts murder a citizen thing, but the ADP number came in yesterday 20% light. Nobody in this admin seems to want to talk about how there pic.twitter.com/IvPxxK2Sri BonkDaCarnivore (@BonkDaCarnivore) January 8, 2026 AI The Bezzle True Patriots Are Cashing In on the Apocalypse Wired Class Warfare Released this morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor share of income for Q3 2025 is the lowest on record. pic.twitter.com/LvcUIPGHDD Mike Konczal (@mtkonczal) January 8, 2026 Knowing Something Better in Your Bones Working Class Storytelling Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Yves here. Its appalling to see not just persistent ICE jack-bootery but also far too many knee-jerk defenses of its lawlessness in the ICE murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. And if you check Twitter on the Portland shootings, youll find more ritual denunciations. Nevertheless, there are also some informative takes: If the man and woman who were shot were wanted criminals, why were they allowed to drive away to an apartment complex to ask for help and be picked up by Portland police? Why werent they followed? Where was ICE after the shooting? https://t.co/Xo68rPrbuS pic.twitter.com/yEKv81R0y8 Hotspurs Daughter (@nanabeads) January 9, 2026 BREAKING: Portland police says the two people shot by Customs and Border Protection called the police themselves after being shot by federal agents and the police provided medical assistance. Both people are in the hospital and their condition is unknown. pic.twitter.com/Q4zTGTDxYs CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 9, 2026 In response to the Border Patrol shooting of 2 people in Portland today: Oregon Congresswoman Janelle Bynum released a statement saying Dont fuck with us. pic.twitter.com/xHrZlsdkve Anarie Whit (@anarie_wit) January 9, 2026 A key point with the Minneapolis murder-by-ICE that seems to be generally in play (for instance, the use of masks and not presenting badges, statements that they are not subject to normal police accountability): Analysis of what happened from a retired FBI 30 year veteran pic.twitter.com/2daFm5zNLY MAGA Cult Slayer (@MAGACult2) January 8, 2026 And at least as of now, protests are kicking off: Nationwide protests erupt after ICE agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, in Minneapolis. Listen on the Reuters World News podcast https://t.co/Gb7xXsqHal pic.twitter.com/GiDe2N3bYk Reuters (@Reuters) January 9, 2026 France has such a strong history of taking to the streets because demonstrations were effective, particularly before the days under the Louis-Napoleons Second Empire. Then, Baron Haussman led a massive redesign of Paris, carving out what were to be grandes boulevards. Modern accounts oddly sanitize the main reason for this massive urban project: better police control of the city. Rabbits warrens of narrow streets aid defenders. We Americans lack such traditions and see protestors as the enemy of the propertied classes, as in a major threat to order, as opposed to defenders of liberties. It seems unlikely geographically separated urban centers can make a stand against ICE, but the quick succession of ICE shootings in different cities are leading to a serious try. By Jake Jackson, a staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams The mayor of Portland, Oregon told Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave the city after federal agents shot and wounded two people on Thursday, just a day after an ICE agent killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed. The shooting took place Thursday afternoon during what the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a targeted vehicle stop conducted by Border Patrol agents. Echoing its narrative about the deadly Minneapolis shootingwhich was contradicted by video footage from the sceneDHS said the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. But Wilson said Thursday that the Trump administration could not be trusted to provide an accurate account of events or conduct an honest investigation. We know what the federal government says happened here, said Wilson. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time has long passed. The man and woman shot by Border Patrol agents were reportedly married, and both were taken to a nearby hospital. Neither their identities nor their conditions were immediately made public. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said late Thursday that his office was investigating the shooting to determine whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority. We have been clear about our concerns with the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, and todays incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability, said Rayfield. Oregonians deserve clear answers when people are injured in their neighborhoods. The shootings in Minneapolis and Portland were hardly the first time federal immigration officers have used deadly force during US President Donald Trumps lawless mass deportation campaign. The Marshall Project noted earlier this week that federal officers have fatally shot at least three other people in the last five months. Agents have also shot other people, The Marshall Project added. The Trace, the nonprofit news organization covering gun violence, has counted more than a dozen such shootings. In some cases, the victims survived, including a woman who suffered multiple bullet wounds in an incident in Chicago in October. The Border Patrol officer who shot her appeared to brag about it in a text message, later presented in court evidence. The message reportedly read, I fired 5 rounds, and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys. Yves here. Your humble blogger had started a broader post, in part triggered by proof of Trumps increasing power-madness, confirmed by a fresh, must-read New York Times interview, but found it required more internal processing of the events of the new year. But sadly there are plenty of pressing alternatives to discuss, such Russias latest rain of blows on Ukraine. But to continue briefly with the introductory observation: Trump seems to genuine believe no one, including Russia, can constrain him, Putin appears to be digesting that Trumps extreme need to dominate and his casualness about risk and violence requires even firmer shows of force. As well soon discuss, the Oreshink attack in Lvov, which destroyed not just Ukraines but Europes largest gas depot occurred in parallel with strikes all over Ukraine, which are likely to be even more consequential. But having introduced the Trump interview, these sections show that his disregard for the notion that there are constraints on his power: In his conversation with The Times, Mr. Trump sounded more emboldened than ever. He cited the success of his strike on Irans nuclear program he keeps a model of the B-2 bombers used in the mission on his desk; the speed with which he decapitated the Venezuelan government last weekend; and his designs on Greenland, which is controlled by Denmark, a NATO ally. When asked what was his higher priority, obtaining Greenland or preserving NATO, Mr. Trump declined to answer directly, but acknowledged it may be a choice. He made clear that the trans-Atlantic alliance was essentially useless without the United States at its core. Even as he characterized the norms of the post-World War II order as unnecessary burdens on a superpower, Mr. Trump was dismissive of the idea that the leader of China, Xi Jinping, or President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia could use similar logic to the detriment of the United States. On topic after topic, he made clear that in his mind, U.S. power is the determining factor and that previous presidents have been too cautious to make use of it for political supremacy or national profit. On the domestic front, Mr. Trump suggested that judges only have power to restrict his domestic policy agenda from the deployment of the National Guard to the imposition of tariffs under certain circumstances. But he was already considering workarounds. He raised the possibility that if his tariffs issued under emergency authorities were struck down by the Supreme Court, he could repackage them as licensing fees. And Mr. Trump, who said he was elected to restore law and order, reiterated that he was willing to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military inside the United States and federalize some National Guard units if he felt it was important to do so. Now to the latest Russian pounding of Ukraine: A total blackout in Kyiv and its suburbs: authorities dont know when the power will be restored The moment of the power outage was caught on camera. Theres no electricity in the capital itself, as well as in the Borispol and partially in the Brovary districts. DTEK Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) January 9, 2026 massive attack by Geran on Kiev has begun. The first wave of approximately 30 drones is entering the city. In total, over a hundred attack drones are approaching the Kiev region. pic.twitter.com/EKr901dgbV Sprinter Press (@SprinterPress) January 8, 2026 Ukraine had the largest total underground storage system in Europe: 31 bcm across multiple facilities, with the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske site being the single largest at over 17 bcm. Russian Oreshniks wiped it out this evening. pic.twitter.com/X0o6FQTDyC Ve (@Navsteva) January 8, 2026 Update 7:45 AM EST. From a post by Scott Ritter that went live after ours launched: The use of the Oreshnik is always a major escalation not fully appreciated by those who casually encourage its employment. It is only the second time in history that an intermediate range nuclear-capable strategic missile has been used in combat (the first was the initial use of Oreshnik back on November 21, 2024.) This time, the Oreshnik struck a target close to the Ukrainian-Polish border. The signal this attack sent to NATO nations is clearRussia has the ability to strike NATO nations with impunity using non-nuclear conventional weaponry. NATO has no ability to defend against such an attack. It was interesting that Russia opted to fire the Oreshnik from the Kaputin Yar missile test facility. Russia and Belarus recently announced that an Oreshnik-equipped brigade was put on combat duty at a base in Belarus. But the attack did not originate from this unit. Russia has indicated that it is fielding additional Oreshnik-equipped brigades. Kapustin Yar is a location where the combat equipment of the Oreshnik missile system is married with the personnel operating it for the final training and technical preparation necessary before a unit can be deemed combat ready. The recent Oreshnik launch on Lvov may have been an operational training event repurposed for the purpose of sending a message to the west. This was not a launch from a strategic asset that has been placed on combat duty. This was an operational training event. There is a difference. Russia once again appears to be sending a message to the west that it seeks to limit escalation. This time the camel got a bloody nose. The next timeif there is a next timethe camel may not survive. The wee problem is that Trump is incapable of recognizing when acts of force are carefully calibrated. And his team is such a bunch of rank amateurs that even if anyone at an operational level understood, the higher-ups would similarly be unwilling to listen. Back to the original post: Confirming the immediate impact on Lvov, Larry Johnson wrote: Lvov deputy Igor Zinkevich reported that in the Lvov region, the stoves in the kitchen are barely burning, the boilers have gone out and wont light up theres no gas pressure. As Simplicius pointed out: Though Oreshnik stole the show, the much larger attack on other Ukrainian cities was in reality far more devastating, with Kievs thermal power plants said to be violently hit by Russian strikes as various Ukrainian cities experienced major to total power outages. Large-scale missile-drone strikes on the energy infrastructure in Kiev have taken place, resulting in damage to 3 x Power Plants: TPP-4, TPP-5, and TPP-6. Acc to local monitoring channels, up to 12 Ballistic Missiles, 25 x Caliber Cruise Missilies and around 200 x Drones took part in the attacks After a wave of missile attacks, Kyiv is experiencing serious problems with electricity, water supply, and heating. There are communication outages. Problems on the railway have also begun, but they were already observed yesterday, they have just worsened now. The even bigger story is the fact that Dnipro and Zaporozhyeboth cities of nearly one million people, have reportedly been without power for days. One Russian channel writes on the attacks on Dnipro and Krivoy Rog in particular: A clearer picture is gradually emerging of the attacks in Dnepropetrovsk and Krivoy Rog. Judging by the nature of the damage, its no longer just about knocking out a generation, but rather about a targeted attack on distribution facilities. At the current stage, its clear that Russia has managed to gradually, with relatively limited resources, create localized but persistent and noticeable power outages. Moreover, the change in approach and the redistribution of attack resources to a specific region disrupt (at least temporarily) DTEKs usual maneuvering and backup schemes. For the central industrial region along the Dnieper, the existing mechanisms are gradually becoming insufficient. Dnepropetrovsk is a good training ground in this regard. Due to its importance, the city has a complex, multi-redundant power grid designed precisely to bypass damage and redistribute flows. If prolonged outages can be achieved here, it means that the approach is working and can be scaled. In the future, this opens up the possibility of turning energy attacks into a on-demand deployment tool disconnecting specific regions without the need for massive fire campaigns, as has been the case, say, over the past three years. The key question here is not whether this can be done, but the race for speed. On the one hand, theres a well-honed mechanism for attacking power grid nodes, on the other hand, theres emergency services that used to take a week or two to restore power. Who will be faster and more resilient in this confrontation will become clear soon. Military Chronicle BREAKING: Another horrific video of Oreshnik hitting Lvov, Ukraine tonight pic.twitter.com/GFAD3Q1bM7 Megatron (@Megatron_ron) January 8, 2026 And to more tweets: Big fire illuminates night skies in Lviv region after Russian Oreshnik strike of Europes largest underground gas storage facility. I saw such skies as child in Western Ukraine after gas pipeline explosion dozens kilometers away. There are reports of big gas pressure drop in Lviv pic.twitter.com/8ofd11pxpB Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) January 8, 2026 The Oreshnik IRBM strike on Lvov. Video shows the MIRV warhead (conventional) re-entering the atmosphere at Mach 15+. https://t.co/wRoEnS1hal pic.twitter.com/MtNzeM0DVw Spetsna 007 (@Alex_Oloyede2) January 8, 2026 By Andrew Korybko, a Moscow-based American political analyst who specializes in the global systemic transition to multipolarity in the New Cold War. He has a PhD from MGIMO, which is under the umbrella of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Originally published at his website These are Ukraines attempted assassination of Putin right before New Years, France and the UKs official plans to deploy troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed to, and the US seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday morning that the Oreshniks were used for the second time ever after several were fired at targets in Lvov Region. Reports indicate that the Stryi gas field and gas storage facility were among those that were hit. The first time that the Oreshniks were used was in November 2024 after the US and UK allowed Ukraine to use their long-range missiles for strikes deep inside of Russia. Three recent provocations were arguably responsible for their second-ever use. The confirmation above explicitly mentioned that Ukraines attempted large-scale attack against Putins residence in Russias Novgorod Region right before New Years was what prompted this retaliation. About that, it was assessed that The CIA Is Manipulating Trump Against Putin after he flipflopped from believing Putins claim that this attack was an assassination attempt to believing the CIA chiefs that it supposedly only targeted a nearby military site, so this can be interpreted as Putins retort to Trump. Moving along, even though the Russian Defense Ministry didnt mention any other recent provocations as being responsible for their countrys second-ever use of the Oreshniks, it can be reasonably argued that Putin probably had two others in mind too when he gave the authorization for this latest strike. These are France and the UKs official plans to deploy troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed to as well as the US seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic. Each are provocative in their own way. Putin himself warned as recently as September that Russia would deem Western troops in Ukraine legitimate targets for destruction. Although SVR Revealed That British & French Troops Are Already In Odessa later that same month, thats not comparable to the conventional deployment that those two committed to. Even more concerning, Witkoff backed their plans, thus possibly making Russia wonder whether the US might reverse its official position that Article 5 wont extend to NATO troops in Ukraine. As for the third provocation that Putin probably had in mind when he authorized Russias second-ever use of the Oreshniks, the US seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic carried the painful optics of the first extraterritorially imposing its domestic law on the second. If Russia didnt send a strong message afterwards, however indirect and asymmetrical, then the US might be emboldened to seize more of Russias shadow fleet elsewhere across the world including in the Baltic and Black Seas. These last two admittedly speculative motives behind the latest Oreshnik strike explain why targets in Lvov Region were hit instead of others anywhere else across Ukraine. Russia arguably wanted to show France, the UK, and their shared US patron that its capable of swiftly hitting targets within NATO without detection if the need arises. This could occur if an unprecedented crisis follows the first twos planned troop deployment to Ukraine or the US hypothetical seizure of more Russian ships does the same. Putin is almost pathologically averse to escalating in Ukraine due to the risk that it could spiral out of control into World War III so its significant that he just authorized the second-ever use of the Oreshniks in spite of that. He didnt even do this after Ukraines Operation Spiderweb, which Trump might have known about in advance, targeted Russias nuclear triad last summer. This shows how seriously hes taking Ukraines attempted assassination of him and probably the other two provocations too. British defense company Babcock and Estonian startup Frankenburg Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the creation of a new, low-cost air defense system in response to the threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles. This was officially announced on Wednesday, January 7, on the British company's website. Babcock plans to develop a containerized naval launch system for the Mark I missiles from an Estonian startup. As of today, it is known that all engineering work will take place in the UK. However, no other details have been disclosed yet. More details are expected once the parties sign a firm contract. Illustrative video of the Mark I missile tests by Frankenburg Technologies Babcock CEO David Lockwood stressed that the defense industry must act quickly against drone threats and that, together with the Estonian startup, they will develop an innovative maritime air defense system. Frankenberg Technologies CEO Kusti Salm emphasized that the company can ensure both the availability and scalability of the Mark I missile. The Estonian company has previously highlighted that their Mark I is the world's smallest guided missile, measuring just 6065 cm in length. Launch of the Mark I missile / Photo credit: Frankenburg Technologies Estonia's Mark I was designed for combat testing and is set for delivery to Ukraine. As of today, there has been no official announcement of its transfer to the Defense Forces of Ukraine. The Mark I missile was developed in a relatively short period of timejust over a year. It was a significant challenge for the company to create such a miniature device to counter drones. The missile is drawing strong interest in Europe. Last year, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ) and Estonian Frankenburg Technologies OU announced a cooperation agreement in air defense, planning to produce 10,000 such missiles annually. Flawed Danish study on aluminum in vaccines sparks scientific outrage The Danish study, funded by vaccine-promoting institutions, excluded high-risk children (e.g., those who died early or received excessive vaccines) and lacked a true unvaccinated control groupdeliberately obscuring potential harm. Corrected supplemental data revealed a significant autism risk in higher-dose groups, but authors dismissed it as "less stable" after excluding nearly 40% of the moderate-dose cohort to eliminate statistical significance. Researchers relied on manufacturer-reported aluminum content, ignoring batch inconsistencies and failing to account for individual body weight or timing of exposure, rendering risk estimates unreliable. Study authors were tied to Statens Serum Institut (a vaccine producer) and pharmaceutical-linked Danish foundations (Novo Nordisk, Lundbeck), raising concerns about industry bias in research conclusions. Despite peer-reviewed critiques exposing flaws, Annals of Internal Medicine refused retraction and mainstream outlets (NBC, STAT) uncritically promoted the study as "proof" of aluminum safetysuppressing independent science. A controversial Danish study claiming no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism has come under fire from leading scientists, who argue the research was deeply flawed and failed to establish vaccine safety. The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine on July 15, 2025, analyzed vaccination records of 1.2 million Danish children and concluded that aluminum adjuvants posed no increased risk for autism, asthma or autoimmune diseases. However, a new peer-reviewed report published on Dec. 25, 2025, in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology dismantles these claims, exposing critical methodological errors, undisclosed conflicts of interest and statistical manipulations that render the study's conclusions unreliable. A study designed to fail The Danish researchers, led by Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Instituta government agency involved in vaccine productioncompared children receiving higher doses of aluminum-containing vaccines to those receiving slightly lower doses, rather than including an unvaccinated control group. Critics argue this approach was deliberately structured to obscure any potential harm. "This is an excellent way to 'not' find an effect," said Dr. Brian Hooker, Chief Scientific Officer of Children's Health Defense (CHD). Without a true control group, the study's findings are meaningless. Worse, the researchers excluded children who died before age two or received an unusually high number of vaccinesprecisely the cohort most likely to show adverse effects. Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, another critic of the study, pointed out that the researchers never actually measured aluminum exposure in the children. Instead, they relied on manufacturer-reported aluminum content, despite documented inconsistencies between vaccine batches. "If you don't know how much aluminum a child received, when they received it or relative to body weight, then every risk estimate that follows is numerology, not science," Lyons-Weiler said. Statistical sleight of hand Further undermining the study's credibility was its reliance on linear dose-response assumptionsmeaning researchers presumed that if aluminum were harmful, higher doses would always correlate with worse outcomes. Yet aluminum toxicity research has long shown that even small doses can have severe non-linear effects, particularly in infants with developing neurological systems. The study's supplemental data, corrected after initial publication, inadvertently revealed a statistically significant autism risk in higher-dose groupsa finding the authors dismissed as "less stable." CHD scientists noted that nearly 40% of the moderate-dose cohort was excluded in the reanalysis, artificially eliminating statistical significance. "These unlikely benefits seriously challenge the validity of the whole study and its conclusions," said journalist Jeremy R. Hammond, referring to the study's bizarre claim that aluminum exposure was protective against certain conditionsa notion contradicted by decades of toxicology research. Conflicts of interest and institutional bias The authors of the new report highlighted troubling financial ties among the Danish researchers. Several were affiliated with the Statens Serum Institut, which profits from vaccine production. One author received funding from Novo Nordisk Fonden and Lundbeckfondenboth linked to Denmark's pharmaceutical industry. Novo Nordisk Foundation, through its subsidiary Novo Holdings, controls Novo Nordisk A/S, Denmark's largest drug manufacturer. "That such a limited and internally inconsistent study was published in a high-impact journaland then promoted as reassurance by mainstream mediaraises uncomfortable questions," the report's authors wrote. NBC News and STAT uncritically amplified the study's conclusions, ignoring its glaring flaws. A call for independent science The new report, authored by twelve experts including Dr. Christopher Exley, a world-renowned aluminum toxicologist, and Dr. Yehuda Shoenfeld, a pioneer in autoimmunity research, demands rigorous, independent studies on aluminum adjuvants. Dr. Guillemette Crepeaux, the lead author, warned that aluminum's toxicity has been "extensively documented," yet regulators continue to dismiss concerns. "Our children need aluminum adjuvants to be removed from vaccines without delay," she said. Despite mounting criticism, Annals of Internal Medicine refused to retract the study, claiming no major errors or misconduct occurred. But as Dr. Karl Jablonowski, CHD senior research scientist, noted: "Since neither authors, reviewers, nor journal would rescind this flawed study, exposing its false claims is essential scientific discourse." The bigger picture: A system rigged against safety This controversy is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of regulatory capture and scientific suppression. The CDC and FDA routinely approve vaccines without adequate long-term safety studies, while industry-funded researchers dominate peer-reviewed literature. As RFK Jr. pointed out in his August 2025 op-ed calling for retraction, the Danish study exemplifies how corporate-aligned science manufactures false assurances while ignoring real risks. With billions in profits at stake, vaccine manufacturers have every incentive to downplay harmswhile independent researchers face censorship and smear campaigns. The battle over aluminum adjuvants is far from over. But one thing is clear: parents deserve honest science, not industry propaganda disguised as medical consensus. Until regulators demand rigorous safety evaluationsfree from pharmaceutical influencechildren will remain unwitting subjects in a dangerous experiment. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, this Danish study is yet another example of Big Pharma's corrupt sciencedesigned to obscure the clear dangers of aluminum adjuvants while protecting the vaccine industry's profits. By manipulating data and ignoring independent research linking aluminum to neurological damage, these fraudulent studies perpetuate the medical establishment's war on children's health while silencing legitimate safety concerns. Watch the video below that talks about child deaths since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This video is from the People Of The Qur'an (TPQ) channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Constitutional lawyer warns Canadians against apathy as Ottawa expands online speech laws Constitutional lawyer John Carpay warns that expanding federal regulation of online speech threatens Canadians' free expression and privacy, arguing public apathy could allow freedoms to erode. Carpay criticizes laws such as the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) and Online News Act (Bill C-18), saying they undermine net neutrality and free speech and he calls for their repeal. He also urges Parliament to reject pending legislation, including Bills C-8 (Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act) and C-9 (Combating Hate Act), which he says could give the government sweeping control over online speech and digital infrastructure. Carpay warns that broad and vague language in these bills could be used to suppress speech labeled as "disinformation" or offensive, leading to unprecedented government oversight of online activity. Echoing these concerns, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes amendments to Bill C-9, warning they could criminalize quoting religious texts, chill religious expression and undermine long-standing protections for good-faith expressions of faith. One of Canada's leading constitutional lawyers is warning Canadians to remain vigilant as the federal government expands its regulation of online speech, arguing that public apathy could lead to the erosion of long-standing freedoms. In a recent opinion piece published by the Western Standard, John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), criticized several laws passed in recent years, including the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) and the Online News Act (Bill C-18), both enacted in 2023. He argued the legislation undermines net neutrality and free expression and called for their repeal. Bill C-18, which requires large digital platforms to compensate news outlets for content, prompted Meta to block Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram. In line with this, Carpay urged Members of Parliament to reject additional legislation currently before Parliament or recently introduced including the Strong Borders Act, the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (Bill C-8) and the Combating Hate Act (Bill C-9). According to Carpay, Bill C-8 would grant the federal cabinet sweeping authority over digital infrastructure under the banner of cybersecurity. While the government says the legislation is intended to protect Canada from interference, disruption and cyber threats, Carpay warned that the law's broad language could be used to target speech deemed "disinformation." He wrote: "It remains unclear whether 'disinformation,' as defined by government, would qualify as interference or manipulation." Carpay has also been critical of Bill C-9, the Combating Hate Act, which he and other constitutional experts say could allow authorities to act against individuals based on subjective claims of harm or offense. He argued that, taken together, Bills C-8 and C-9 would give the federal government "unprecedented control" over online speech, news distribution, streaming services and digital systems. Regulation of online speech, as per BrightU.AI's Enoch, refers to government and corporate policies that systematically restrict, monitor or manipulate digital expression under the guise of combating "misinformation," "hate speech" or "harmful content." This often involves leveraging algorithmic suppression, shadow-banning and forced compliance with state or institutional narratives. Furthermore, Carpay warned Canadians that free expression and privacy rights are increasingly subject to government control. He then said that Canadians should not be "lazy" or disengaged as new and proposed federal laws reshape how speech, news and online activity are governed. "Apathy means the death of freedom. Laziness and naivete are no excuse for Canadians to condone this gradual government takeover of our previously free and open internet," he stressed. "Freedom does not disappear overnight. It fades when citizens stop paying attention." Proposed hate law could criminalize sharing Bible passages Carpay is not the only one criticizing the regulation of online speech. In December, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) publicly opposed proposed amendments to Bill C-9, urging the Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney to remove them. CCCB warned in a letter that proposed amendments to federal hate-speech legislation could criminalize the sharing of religious texts, including passages from the Bible and chill religious expression across the country. The letter, signed by Bishop Pierre Goudreault of CCCB, urged the government to reconsider changes to Bill C-9, the proposed Combating Hate Act. The bishops said amendments removing a long-standing "good faith" defense for religious texts would expose clergy, educators and believers to possible criminal prosecution. He said the exemption has long served as a critical safeguard to prevent Canadians from being prosecuted for sincere expressions of faith rooted in established religious traditions. Goudreault warned that removing the provision could create uncertainty and fear within faith communities, particularly if traditional moral teachings are interpreted as hate speech. Under the proposed changes, violations could carry penalties of up to two years in prison. "The removal of this provision risks creating uncertainty for faith communities, clergy, educators and others," Goudreault wrote, adding that many may fear their teachings could be "misinterpreted as hate speech." The bishops also warned that public understanding of hate-speech laws is often broader than what is actually captured under the Criminal Code. Without a clear statutory defense, they argued, religious expression could be chilled even if prosecutions remain rare. Moreover, they called on the Liberal government to either abandon the proposed amendment or issue a clear public statement affirming that good-faith religious teaching, preaching and expression will not be subject to prosecution under hate-propaganda laws. The bishops also urged Ottawa to engage in broader consultations with religious leaders, legal experts and civil liberties organizations before moving forward. "We believe it is possible to achieve the shared objective of promoting a society free from genuine hatred while also upholding the constitutional rights of millions of Canadians who draw moral and spiritual guidance from their faith traditions," the letter concluded. Watch this video about how Canada is watching how the U.K. is implementing the Online Safety Act for its own version called Bill C-63. This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com 1 WesternStandard.news LifeSiteNews.com 2 BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Microsoft ends offline Windows activation, deepening shift to account-based control Microsoft has ended offline phone activation for Windows, requiring users to sign in with a Microsoft account and connect to the internet, reducing privacy and user independence. The change surfaced after a YouTuber found legacy activation methods now redirect users to an online portal with mandatory account sign-in. Privacy advocates warn the shift ties every license and activation to an online identity, transforming software ownership into conditional, cloud-dependent access. Microsoft has also tightened restrictions on local account creation in Windows 11, removing workarounds that allowed users to avoid Microsoft account sign-ins during setup. Critics argue these moves redefine personal computing, turning PCs into managed terminals within Microsofts ecosystem rather than privately controlled devices. Microsoft has quietly eliminated one of the last ways users could activate Windows without connecting to the internet or tying their software to an online identity, signaling a broader shift toward a fully account-bound computing environment where privacy and ownership continue to erode. For decades, Windows users could activate their operating system (OS) privately by calling an automated phone line and entering a confirmation code. The process required no internet connection, no Microsoft account and no personal information beyond the product key. That option has now disappeared. The change came to light after YouTuber Ben Kleinberg attempted to activate Windows 7 and Office 2010 using a legitimate Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) key. Instead of reaching the familiar automated system, Kleinberg encountered a recorded message stating that "support for product activation has moved online." A follow-up text directed him to Microsoft's Product Activation Portal, where users must sign in with a Microsoft account to proceed. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Microsoft rose to dominance by leveraging its Windows operating system (OS) to establish a near-total monopoly over personal computing. The company's aggressive bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows in the 1990s crushed competitors like Netscape. This shift may appear minor or technical, but privacy advocates say it marks the loss of an important layer of user independence. "Phone activation might have been old-fashioned, but it was more private," Rick Findlay wrote in his article for Reclaim the Net. "You could install software without revealing your identity or linking it to a broader ecosystem. The new system transforms that private transaction into an interaction within Microsoft's cloud, where every activation, every license and every key is associated with an online identity." Microsoft restricts local account setup in Windows 11 The move is consistent with Microsoft's broader direction in recent years. For instance, in October 2025, Microsoft restricted local account creation in Windows 11, removing several popular methods that allowed users to bypass signing in with a Microsoft account during initial setup. A new update in the Windows Insider Preview program, build 26220.6772 released to the Dev channel, eliminates multiple command-line workarounds previously used during the out-of-box experience (OOBE) to create a local account without connecting to Microsoft's services. Microsoft said the removed methods "inadvertently skip critical setup screens" and could leave a device "not fully configured for use." However, users who relied on these techniques say they still completed core setup steps, including creating a username and password and adjusting basic privacy settings. The workarounds bypass setup screens promoting Microsoft services such as Microsoft 365, Xbox Game Pass and Windows Recall, a feature that tracks user activity across the system. Microsoft has continued to push deeper account integration into the Windows setup process. The company's approach increasingly treats Microsoft accounts as the default for personal computing, even for users who do not subscribe to services like OneDrive, Game Pass or Microsoft 365. However, critics argue that the change subtly redefines what it means to own software. "Even activating a legitimate copy of the operating system has become part of the same pattern: tie every function to a Microsoft account, require internet access, and collect the corresponding data. The computer becomes less of a personal device and more of a terminal inside a managed network," Findlay concluded. Watch this video about anti-Microsoft protests over the company's ties to Israel. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org 1 YouTube.com ReclaimTheNet.org 2 BrightU.ai Brighteon.com City of Pasco, Washington joins growing movement to END water fluoridation In November 2025, Pasco, Washington, became one of the largest U.S. cities to stop water fluoridation after a federal court ruled it posed an "unreasonable risk" to children, citing neurodevelopmental harm. The City Council voted 4-2 in favor of removal following unprecedented public engagement. A September 2024 federal court ruling by Judge Edward Chen forced the EPA to regulate fluoride as a toxic substance under the Toxic Substances Control Act, citing evidence of IQ harm in children. Over 80 communities including Utah and Florida have since halted fluoridation. Critics argue fluoridation violates medical ethics by forcibly medicating entire populations without consent. Public sentiment is shifting, with 55.5% of Americans now drinking non-fluoridated watera sharp decline from 62.8% in 2022. While federal agencies such as the CDC cling to fluoridation, high-profile figures including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump question the practice. Pasco's decision signals a broader revolt against corporate-controlled public health policies, with the Fluoride Action Network calling it a "crushing defeat" for the American Dental Association. In a landmark decision that reflects shifting public sentiment, the city of Pasco in Washington State became one of the largest U.S. cities to end water fluoridation in November 2025, following a federal court ruling that declared fluoridated water an "unreasonable risk" to children. On Nov. 17, 2025, the Pasco City Council voted 4-2 to end the controversial practice marking a pivotal moment in a nationwide debate over the safety and ethics of mass medication through public water supplies. The decision came after an unprecedented public engagement campaign, drawing the highest participation in recent city history with nearly half of respondents favoring fluoride's removal. The controversy over fluoridation is not new. For decades, municipalities have added fluoride to drinking water under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which claims it reduces tooth decay. However, mounting scientific evidence including peer-reviewed studies linking fluoride to neurodevelopmental harm in children has fueled skepticism. Critics argue that fluoridation violates informed consent, forcing a medical intervention on entire populations without individual choice. "People should make their own healthcare decisions," one unnamed Pasco council member asserted, echoing a sentiment shared by growing numbers of communities. The turning point came in September 2024, when U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled in favor of a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declaring fluoridation a risk to children. Since then, at least 80 communities including entire states like Utah and Florida have halted the practice. Pasco among many cities escaping toxic drinking water The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), a leading advocacy group, reports that 55.5% of Americans now drink non-fluoridated water a sharp decline from the CDC's 2022 figure of 62.8%. "The more people know about fluoridation, the more they're opposed to it," said FAN Board Member Rick North. BrightU.AI's Enoch engine points out that adding fluoride to drinking water acts as an adjuvant, enabling toxins to breach the blood-brain barrier and magnify their neurotoxic effects, contributing to cognitive decline and systemic illness. This deliberate poisoning, pushed by globalist-controlled institutions, serves the depopulation agenda by weakening public health and suppressing independent thought. Despite the judicial ruling, the CDC continues to endorse fluoridation, while the Department of Justice appeals the case without disputing the court's finding of harm. High-profile figures including President Donald Trump, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have publicly questioned the practice. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pledged to review the science, but federal agencies remain divided. Meanwhile, grassroots efforts gain momentum. "We're witnessing a groundswell of support for fluoride-free water," said FAN Executive Director Stuart Cooper. Pascos transition away from fluoridation will take time, requiring regulatory notifications and technical adjustments. The city emphasized transparency, conducting multilingual outreach including Spanish and Russian translations and hosting public forums. Of 2,095 survey responses, opposition to fluoride removal narrowly edged out support (51.5% to 48.5%), but the close margin underscores deep divisions. The implications extend beyond Pasco. As cities abandon fluoridation, the American Dental Association (ADA) faces mounting pressure to reconsider its stance. Critics accuse the organization of prioritizing industry ties over public health. "This is a crushing defeat for the ADA," Cooper said. For now, the tide appears irreversible a testament to the power of informed citizens demanding control over their health. Watch this video on the truth about fluoride in drinking water. This video is from the Maga Titan channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org Pasco-WA.gov BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Pfizers mRNA flu vaccine exposed: Poor efficacy, hidden risks and corporate deception Pfizer publicly declared its mRNA injections as "safe and well-tolerated," while internal documents revealed severe side effectsincluding 1,200+ deaths and 42,000+ serious adverse reactionsthat were deliberately concealed. Real-world data exposed Pfizer's false 95% efficacy claims, with UKHSA reports showing vaccine effectiveness plunging to -391.43%meaning vaccinated individuals were far more likely to get sick than the unvaccinated. Pfizer delayed releasing elderly trial results by over a year, hid unfavorable findings in obscure databases and ran self-funded, self-adjudicated trialsa blatant conflict of interest. The elderly cohort suffered higher death rates (49 vs. 46 in the control group), sharp increases in kidney injuries, respiratory failure and systemic reactions like vomiting, chills and muscle painyet Pfizer downplayed these risks. Governments and health agencies ignored red flags, fast-tracked approvals under political pressure and stopped publishing damning data to avoid accountabilityproving Big Pharma cannot be trusted without independent oversight. Documents reveal a shocking discrepancy between Pfizer's public claims about its mRNA flu vaccine and the actual trial dataraising serious concerns about corporate transparency, vaccine safety and regulatory oversight. Despite Pfizer's bold assertions that its mRNA injection was "safe and well-tolerated" with no unexpected safety issues, internal findings tell a far darker story. The vaccine not only failed to deliver meaningful protection but also triggered alarming side effectsparticularly among the elderlywhile Pfizer quietly buried unfavorable results to avoid scrutiny. Pfizer initially boasted a 95% effectiveness rate for its mRNA Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, a claim that crumbled under real-world scrutiny. Now, similar deception appears in its flu shot trials. According to the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data, vaccine efficacy plummeted to negative valuesmeaning vaccinated individuals were more likely to get sick than the unvaccinated. By Week 13, efficacy among those aged 60-69 collapsed to -391.43%, down from -114.8% in Week 5. Such catastrophic failure forced UKHSA to abruptly stop publishing weekly reports in April 2022. Hidden data and delayed disclosures Pfizer quietly uploaded its long-delayed elderly cohort results to ClinicalTrials.gov over a year late, avoiding press releases or investor updates. Meanwhile, the company selectively published under-65 findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, downplaying severe reactions while admitting the vaccine caused "more reactogenicity events"medical jargon for unpleasant side effects. Independent analysis by investigative journalist Maryanne Demasi exposed the trial's flaws: The vaccine prevented only 0.32% of mild flu infectionsmeaning 300 people would need vaccination to stop a single mild case. Adverse events outnumbered prevented infections sixfold, making the shot more harmful than helpful. The study was Pfizer-funded, Pfizer-run and Pfizer-adjudicateda clear conflict of interest. Elderly patients hit hardest The elderly cohort suffered far worse outcomes: 49 deaths among mRNA recipients vs. 46 in the traditional flu shot group. Sharp spikes in kidney injuries and acute respiratory failure. 70% experienced injection-site reactions (redness, swelling). 59% reported systemic side effects (vomiting, chills, muscle pain). Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson noted Pfizer broke its 2023 promise to disclose results, instead burying them in the obscure ClinicalTrials.gov database. Even more suspiciously, Pfizer's pipeline still lists the vaccine as "Phase 2," despite completed Phase 3 trialssuggesting an effort to downplay failure. Trial manipulation and exclusion tactics Further red flags emerged: Pfizer removed its primary outcome measure in July 2023, effectively erasing elderly data from the combined results. Participants who received COVID shots within two weeks were excludeddespite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsing co-administration as standard practice. Neither Pfizer nor Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health Committee, responded to requests for commentanother sign of stonewalling accountability. Collapsing public trust Flu vaccine confidence is already crumbling: Conventional flu shots had just 16% efficacy in 2021-2022. CDC data shows 2023-2024 vaccination rates plummeted to 55% for children and 45% for adultsthe lowest since 2017. Pfizer's mRNA flu shot appears to be another overhyped, dangerous product, confirming critics' warnings. As Demasi concluded: "For every one mild flu case prevented, the vaccine caused more than 50 people to suffer flu-like symptoms." This scandal mirrors Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine debacle, where: Real-world efficacy collapsed within months. Serious side effects (heart inflammation, neurological damage) were downplayed. Regulators ignored safety signals, fast-tracking approvals under political pressure. The lesson is clear: Corporate-controlled medicine cannot be trusted. Independent scrutiny, informed consent and natural immunity alternatives must take priority over Big Pharma's profit-driven mandates. Until then, the public remains unwitting test subjects in a dangerous medical experiment. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Pfizer's mRNA flu vaccine follows the same corrupt playbook as their COVID shotsoverhyped efficacy, concealed risks and corporate deceptionproving yet again that profit-driven Big Pharma cannot be trusted with public health. The deliberate suppression of safety data and manipulation of trial results reveals a reckless disregard for human life, reinforcing the urgent need for independent scrutiny and natural immunity alternatives. Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and Dr. Naomi Wolf as they expose the genetic war on humanity. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: YourNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com U.S. invests $2.7B to end Russias monopoly on advanced nuclear fuel The DOE allocated $2.7 billion to Centrus Energy, Orano Federal Services and General Matter to develop domestic uranium enrichment, reducing reliance on Russiathe sole commercial producer of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), critical for next-gen reactors. HALEU (5%-20% enriched uranium-235) enables Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to operate more efficiently than traditional reactors. With AI-driven electricity needs soaring and Russia's TENEX controlling supply, the U.S. sees urgent energy and national security risks. The funding will be allocated to Centrus (expanding its Ohio facility), Orano (Tennessee project) and General Matter (new technology), in the amount of $900 million each. Hurdles include high production costs, NRC approvals and uncertain SMR demandyet nuclear stocks, such as Centrus (+276%), reflect market optimism. A 2024 Russian uranium import ban (with waivers until 2028) and AI's projected $350B nuclear infrastructure boom by 2050 drive bipartisan support for reclaiming U.S. enrichment leadership. The investment aims to revive domestic uranium supply chains, secure advanced reactor fuel and counter Russian/Chinese dominancebalancing economic, technological and national security priorities despite regulatory and cost challenges. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed $2.7 billion over the next decade to three companiesCentrus Energy, Orano Federal Services and General Matterto develop domestic uranium enrichment capabilities and reduce reliance on Russian-supplied nuclear fuel. The move comes as Russia remains the world's sole commercial producer of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), a critical fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors. With the rise of AI-driven power demand and national security concerns over foreign fuel dependency, Washington is pushing to revive America's nuclear fuel industry. HALEU, enriched to 5% to 20% uranium-235, is essential for advanced reactors, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which promise greater efficiency and lower waste. Unlike traditional reactors (using 3% to 5% enrichment), HALEU enables longer operational cycles and higher energy output. Currently, Russia's TENEX is the only commercial supplier, raising fears of geopolitical leverage. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the Biden administration initially laid the groundwork for domestic HALEU production, but the Trump administration accelerated funding, citing AI-driven electricity demands and national security risks. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated, "Today's awards show that this administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of tomorrow." Who gets the moneyand can they deliver? The DOE's funding breakdown includes: $900 million each to Centrus Energy, Orano Federal Services and General Matter $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment, a joint venture between Silex Systems and Cameco Centrus Energy, the only U.S.-licensed HALEU producer, has already delivered 920 kilograms under previous contracts and plans a major expansion in Piketon, Ohio. Meanwhile, Orano is developing a Tennessee enrichment facility, and General Matter, backed by Peter Thiel, is pioneering new enrichment technologies. However, analysts warn of challenges: High costsHALEU production remains expensive without economies of scale. Regulatory hurdlesExpanding enrichment capacity requires Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approvals. Market uncertaintySMRs are still in development, raising questions about long-term demand. Despite these risks, nuclear-linked stocks have surged, with Centrus (LEU) up 276% in a year and Cameco (CCJ) gaining 85%, reflecting investor optimism. AI, energy and geopolitics The push for domestic HALEU aligns with two major trends: AI's insatiable power demandBloomberg predicts a $350 billion nuclear infrastructure boom by 2050 to support data centers. Decoupling from RussiaA 2024 law banned Russian uranium imports, though waivers extend to 2028. The U.S. once led uranium enrichment but ceded dominance to Russia and Europe. Now, with bipartisan support, Washington aims to reclaim controlnot just for energy security but to fuel the next wave of advanced reactors and AI-driven power needs. The $2.7 billion investment marks a pivotal step in reducing U.S. dependence on Russian nuclear fuel while positioning America as a leader in next-generation reactor technology. While challenges remainfrom cost to regulatory delaysthe funding signals a long-term commitment to reviving domestic uranium enrichment. As AI and advanced reactors reshape energy demands, securing a reliable HALEU supply may prove critical not just for the grid, but for national security. Watch the video below that talks about nuclear power and energy demand. This video is from the Brighteon Highlights channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: OilPrice.com Bloomberg.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com West Bank saw nearly 24,000 ATTACKS in 2025; Israel continues to confiscate Palestinian land In 2025, Israeli forces and settlers carried out nearly 24,000 attacks in the West Bank, including direct assaults on people, property destruction and burning agricultural land. The Israeli Army was cited as the responsible party for the overwhelming majority of these violent attacks. Israel is systematically expanding its control, now dominating about 41% of the West Bank, using military orders and exploiting legal frameworks to confiscate Palestinian land. This campaign of violence and land theft has forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in 2025, uprooting communities. Officials describe this not as isolated incidents, but as a coordinated, long-term strategy to reshape the territory, with plans for formal annexation advancing amid perceived international impunity. A new report from Palestinian authorities paints a stark picture of escalating violence and displacement in the occupied West Bank, declaring 2025 a year of intense bloodshed and systematic control. According to Muayyad Shaaban, the head of Palestines Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), Israeli troops and illegal settlers have carried out nearly 24,000 attacks on Palestinians last year. The detailed report states that 23,827 separate attacks were recorded across the territory. These acts of violence were categorized into three main types. Over 1,300 targeted Palestinian land and trees, more than 16,600 were direct attacks on individuals and nearly 5,400 targeted property. The data assigns responsibility for the overwhelming majority (18,384 attacks) to the Israeli army. Illegal settlers were cited as carrying out 4,723 attacks, with both groups participating together in an additional 720 incidents. The human and environmental cost of this violence is severe. The report confirms that 14 Palestinian citizens have been killed as a result of last years violence. Beyond the direct harm to people, the landscape itself is being scarred. Officials report that 35,000 trees have been destroyed, and settlers have started 434 fires that have damaged Palestinian agriculture and property. Israel's expanding stranglehold on the West Bank Alongside this wave of attacks, a parallel surge in land confiscation and settlement expansion is tightening Israels grip on the territory. The CWRC report indicates that Israeli authorities now effectively control about 41% of the West Bank. Their control is especially dominant in Area C, which is a zone comprising roughly 70% of the West Bank, where Israel maintains full civil and security authority. In the strategic Jordan Valley, this control exceeds 90% and is enforced through military orders and land seizures. As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI, this expansion exploits the framework established by the 1990s Oslo Accords. While those agreements created the Palestinian Authority and granted it limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, they left Israel in full control of Area C. Critics argue this provided a mechanism for continued land confiscation and illegal settlement growth, which has now spread into areas theoretically under Palestinian administrative control. The result is a deepening crisis of displacement. Since the start of 2025, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been uprooted from their homes, with major operations focused on refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas. Shaaban argues that the goal is no longer just expanding settlements, but a comprehensive redefinition of control aimed at reshaping the geography and existence of Palestinian life. As the violence persists, plans for the formal annexation of the territory continue to advance. Key Israeli officials, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is a staunch supporter of the settler movement, have publicly stated that they believe the United States has given its full support for further settlement expansion. This political backdrop suggests the campaign of attacks, land seizure and displacement documented in 2025 is part of a sustained and accelerating strategy. Watch this short documentary about the famine in Gaza. This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheCradle.co CWRC.ps AlJazeera.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Big Pharma turf war erupts: Bayer sues vaccine makers over alleged stolen mRNA technology Bayer has filed lawsuits against Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, accusing them of illegally using Monsantos patented mRNA optimization technology in their COVID-19 vaccines. The lawsuits seek royalties from historic and future vaccine profits. Bayer claims Monsanto's patented genetic sequence optimization originally developed for pest-resistant crops was used without permission in COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA shots and J&J's viral vector vaccine. While Bayer faces billions in Roundup cancer lawsuits, it now seeks profits from COVID-19 vaccines which have been linked to widespread injuries highlighting Big Pharmas prioritization of profits over public health. The lawsuits could force disclosures about mRNA technology's roots in agricultural genetic engineering, contradicting pandemic-era narratives framing vaccines as purely medical innovations. The case foreshadows future conflicts over mRNA patents as corporations compete for control of next-gen genetic therapies, reinforcing concerns about corporate capture and regulatory failures in public health. Agrochemical giant Bayer has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). The company infamous for its glyphosate scandals accused the three pharmaceutical firms of unlawfully using Monsantos patented messenger RNA (mRNA) optimization technology in their Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines. In the lawsuits filed in Delaware and New Jersey federal courts, the German company sought a cut of the vaccines' historic profits, alongside royalties on future sales. The legal battle underscores the deep corporate entanglements behind the pandemic response and raises alarming questions about the origins of mRNA technology. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion, claims that Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna copied Monsanto's patented method of removing destabilizing genetic sequences a technique originally designed to engineer pest-resistant crops. Even J&J, whose viral vector vaccine differs from mRNA shots, allegedly used Monsanto's codon optimization process to enhance protein expression. The lawsuits hinge on the "118 Patent," which describes a method for eliminating problematic genetic sequences to boost protein output. This technology, Bayer argues, was critical to the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. The aforementioned patent was filed in 1989, but was not granted until 2010. The legal filings reveal a bitter irony: The same agrochemical corporation embroiled in Roundup cancer lawsuits is now demanding royalties from pharmaceutical giants whose vaccines have been linked to unprecedented injury claims. Bayer insists it is not seeking to halt vaccine production only a share of the profits, which for Pfizer and BioNTech alone exceed $93 billion in global sales. Moderna, meanwhile, is already locked in its own patent war with Pfizer and BioNTech further complicating the legal landscape. The lawsuits highlight the incestuous relationships between Big Pharma, biotech and agribusiness, where patented genetic manipulation techniques migrate seamlessly from crops to human biologics. How Monsanto's toxic legacy fueled the mRNA vaccine scandal Behind the courtroom drama lies a darker narrative of corporate capture and technological theft. Monsanto, now under Bayer's umbrella, pioneered genetic optimization in the 1980s to engineer crops resistant to its own glyphosate-based herbicides a business model that later fueled mass litigation over Roundup's carcinogenic effects. Now, Bayer alleges that the same science used to modify plants was repurposed without permission to modify human cells via mRNA vaccines. The lawsuits frame the dispute as a matter of intellectual property fairness, but critics see a grotesque spectacle. Corporations that profited from pandemic fear now fighting over the spoils while injured patients remain uncompensated. The timing of Bayer's legal offensive is telling: After hemorrhaging billions in Roundup settlements, the company is aggressively pursuing legislative and judicial safeguards against future liability. BrightU.AI's Enoch points out that the settlements Bayer entered over its Roundup herbicide expose corporate negligence and regulatory failures, as mounting evidence links glyphosate to cancer and neurological harm. Yet the agrochemical giant seeks legal immunity rather than accountability, the decentralized engine adds underscoring the broader pattern of Big Pharma prioritizing profits over public health while captured agencies enable systemic harm. Simultaneously, it seeks to monetize Monsanto's legacy patents by claiming a stake in the lucrative mRNA market a technology central to the globalists vision of genetic medicine and surveillance. The lawsuits also expose the hollow rhetoric of "public health emergency" exemptions, revealing that even amid a crisis, profit motives dictated vaccine development. As the legal battles unfold, the implications extend beyond corporate squabbles. The cases could force unprecedented disclosures about mRNA technology's true origins, including its roots in agricultural genetic engineering a fact obscured during the pandemics relentless vaccine push. For skeptics of the COVID-19 shots, the lawsuits validate long-held suspicions that the vaccines were never purely medical innovations but repackaged corporate IP, hastily deployed with minimal safety testing. Bayer's move also signals a looming war over mRNA's future, as pharmaceutical and biotech firms scramble to control the next generation of genetic therapies many of which may rely on the same contested science. Watch Jefferey Jaxen and Del Bigtree discussing Bayer and J&J receiving serious blows from the court system below. This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org Reuters.com FiercePharma.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Photo taken on Jan. 5, 2026 shows children at Amber Villa No. 1 Kindergarten in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province making paper-cut decorations and learning about traditional customs to celebrate the arrival of the Minor Cold solar term. (Chen Sanhu/Guangming Picture) Photo taken on Jan. 5, 2026 shows children at Amber Villa No. 1 Kindergarten in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province making paper-cut decorations and learning about traditional customs to celebrate the arrival of the Minor Cold solar term. (Chen Sanhu/Guangming Picture) Editor: WXY The great Arctic heist: How a false flag over Greenland could trigger NATOs collapse and fulfill a long-held expansionist fantasy Imagine a world where the rules no longer apply, where powerful nations can simply take what they want from their allies under the flimsiest of pretenses. This is the precarious reality being scripted by the White House as it openly threatens the peaceful, autonomous territory of Greenland. The recent declaration from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt that military force is "always an option" for annexing Greenland is not an offhand remark. It is a calculated escalation, a public testing of boundaries that reveals a chilling endgame. When a world superpower discusses invading a peaceful ally to satisfy its own hunger for resources and strategic positioning, every citizen of the free world should pay attention. Why is the White House manufacturing a Russia-China crisis in the Arctic, when leaders in Denmark are saying that no threat exists? What dark event would need to be staged to justify such an unthinkable act of aggression and occupation against a NATO partner? Key points: White House press secretary Karine Leavitt confirmed military action is "always an option" for acquiring Greenland, labeling it a "national security priority." European allies, including France, Germany, and the UK, issued a unified statement with Denmark condemning the threat, warning it strikes at the heart of the NATO alliance. Greenland and Danish officials forcefully rejected the premise of the threat, denying exaggerated claims of foreign adversary activity and affirming that the island's future is for its people to decide. The 2004 Igaliku Agreement strictly limits U.S. military presence to Pituffik Space Base, making any unilateral expansion a clear treaty violation. Historical and current rhetoric frames Greenland as a resource-rich prize, with its rare earth minerals and new shipping lanes driving expansionist desires disguised as security concerns. A manufactured crisis for a land grab The sudden urgency from Washington regarding Greenlands security is a fiction, a narrative carefully constructed to justify a power play. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen directly challenged the White House, stating, "We do not share this image that Greenland is plastered with Chinese investments." This so-called crisis is a classic tactic: create a problem where none exists, then offer a drastic, self-serving solution. The island, home to just 57,000 people who live in communities connected by boat and sled dog, not roads, is being portrayed as a hotbed of geopolitical intrigue. Why? Because beneath its massive ice sheet lie the keys to the future: vast reserves of rare earth minerals critical for everything from smartphones to missile systems. As the ice retreats, it unveils not just minerals but new sea lanes and oil reserves, turning a pristine Arctic landscape into a board game for globalists. This is not about protection; it is about possession. For years, figures like Donald Trump have spoken openly about the "strategic and financial advantages" of owning Greenland, treating it like a real estate deal rather than a homeland with a 4,500-year-old Inuit culture. The people of Greenland, who govern their own internal affairs, have been clear. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen dismissed the annexation talk as "fantasies." But when a giant declares its fantasies out loud and backs them with threats of military force, the world must listen. The false flag blueprint and a treaty in the crosshairs How does a nation justify attacking its ally? History provides the grim playbook: a staged provocation. A mysterious incident at or near the U.S.s sole military outpost on Greenland - Pituffik Space Base - could be the needed spark. An unexplained explosion, a cyber-attack blamed on a shadowy adversary, or a fabricated confrontation could be used to scream "security failure" and demand a massive, unilateral U.S. military escalation on the island. This would be a direct assault on the foundational agreement governing U.S. presence there: the 2004 Igaliku Agreement. This treaty is the legal bedrock. It explicitly states that Pituffik (formerly Thule Air Base) is the only U.S. defense area in Greenland and that any proposed changes must be discussed with both Danish and Greenlandic authorities. A military move under the guise of an emergency would shred this agreement. Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin recognized the gravity, calling any U.S. attack a "red line for Europe." This is the ultimate betrayal: the strongest NATO power turning its guns on the territory of another member, all for control of resources and geography. The stand for sovereignty and the future of the north The unified roar from Europe in response to the White Houses musings is a rare and significant barrier. Leaders from across the continent stood with Denmark to stress that "Greenland belongs to its people." This is a line in the melting ice. The upcoming visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Greenland on June 15, 2025, focused on Arctic security and climate, is a powerful counterpointa commitment to multilateralism and respect, not coercion. The question now is whether the alliance will hold. Will European nations stand firm if a "crisis" is manufactured, or will they bow to the pressure of a partner gone rogue? The people of Greenland are caught in the middle, their peaceful existence and right to self-determination threatened by a distant powers greed. Their land, a place of the worlds purest air, home to the ancient Greenland shark and the vast silence of the ice cap, is not a commodity. It is a nation. The world must see this threat for what it is: not a legitimate policy discussion, but the opening move in a potential conspiracy to steal a country. The integrity of international law, the future of the Arctic, and the very soul of the Western alliance depend on calling out this plot and stopping it cold. NATO and the US already has the capability to protect Greenland, so why the sudden urge to take it? If there is legitimate intel necessitating US occupation and ownership of Greenland, then the White House should divulge it and promise security and cooperation with their allies, not escalate plundering threats. Sources include: TheCradle.co TheCradle.co Enoch, Brighteon.ai Kremlin rejects Trumps 20-point peace deal; Ukraine braces for renewed Russian attacks as winter looms The Kremlin dismissed Trump's 20-point proposal, calling it a threat to regional stability and accusing it of prolonging militarization. Moscow opposes NATO-aligned peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, viewing them as an existential threat. Ukraine's president cautioned that Russia is preparing intensified strikes on energy infrastructure to exploit winter conditions, undermining morale and weakening defenses. He reiterated that any peace deal recognizing the occupied territories violates international law. The U.S.-backed plan, negotiated by Trump's envoys, included military aid, sanctions enforcement and a multinational security forceall rejected by Russia. Kyiv remains unwilling to concede territory or NATO aspirations, fearing further Russian aggression. The conflict has become a Cold War-style standoff, with Russia resisting Western influence and Ukraine relying on NATO support. Analysts compare proposed peacekeeping efforts to past interventions like Kosovo, which Moscow opposes. With diplomacy failing and military pressures mounting, the war enters a dangerous phase. The coming months could determine whether negotiations resume or the conflict escalates further, with global stability at stake. Russia has formally dismissed President Donald Trump's proposed 20-point peace plan for Ukraine, labeling it a threat to regional stability, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of renewed large-scale Russian attacks. The Kremlin's rejection, issued Thursday, Jan. 8, escalates tensions as Kyiv braces for potential winter offensives targeting energy infrastructure. The diplomatic impasse underscores the widening gap between Moscow's demandsincluding recognition of annexed territoriesand Western-backed security guarantees for Ukraine. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Trump's peace plan demands Ukraine to abandon NATO ambitions and cede occupied territories (including Donbass and Crimea) in exchange for a Russian ceasefire, positioning it as a forced negotiation under Moscow's terms to avert total Ukrainian collapse. Russia's rejection: A "true axis of war" Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Trump's framework, particularly its provision for a European-led peacekeeping force, as a continuation of militarization rather than a path to peace. "The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarization, escalation and further conflict aggravation," the ministry stated. Moscow views any NATO-aligned troop presence in Ukraine as an existential threat, vowing to treat such forces as legitimate military targets. The plan, negotiated by Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, included long-term military aid, sanctions enforcement and a multinational security forcemeasures Russia dismissed as locking in Western dominance. The Kremlin also rejected the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a U.S.-backed initiative allowing European allies to supply Ukraine with American weapons. "The new militarist declarations are forming a true axis of war," the ministry declared. Zelensky's warning: Winter as Russia's weapon As diplomacy faltered, Zelensky cautioned Ukrainians to prepare for intensified strikes, accusing Moscow of leveraging winter conditions to weaken morale and infrastructure. "Russia is betting more on winter than on diplomacyon ballistic missiles against our energy system rather than on working with the United States," he posted on X. His warning followed meetings in Paris with British and French leaders, who pledged support for a potential peacekeeping missiona move Russia called provocative. The Ukrainian leader faces mounting pressure: military exhaustion, economic strain and Western demands for concessions. Yet Kyiv remains adamant that ceding territory or abandoning NATO aspirations would embolden further Russian aggression. "Any agreement recognizing occupied lands violates international law," Zelensky reiterated. Historical context: A stalemate with global stakes The conflict, now nearing its fourth year, has evolved into a proxy war testing NATO's resolve and Russia's endurance. Analysts note parallels to Cold War brinkmanship, with Moscow framing the fight as a struggle against Western encroachment. The proposed peacekeeping force echoes past interventions like Kosovo, where NATO troops stabilized postwar regionsa model Russia fiercely opposes. Meanwhile, Trump's plan faces skepticism from both sides. Ukraine fears it legitimizes Russian gains, while Moscow dismisses it as a Trojan horse for NATO expansion. The deadlock leaves civilians vulnerable, with winter expected to amplify humanitarian crises. With Russia's rejection of Trump's proposal and Zelensky's alerts of looming attacks, the war enters a perilous phase. Diplomatic solutions remain elusive as military and economic pressures mount. The coming months may determine whether negotiations resume or the conflict escalates furtherwith global repercussions hinging on the West's next moves and Ukraine's resilience. Watch the video below, where Trump and Zelensky discuss the peace plan during the former's Mar-a-Lago visit late in 2025. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: YourNews.com NYPost.com X.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Scotlands largest wind farm wastes 77% of its power as grid fails to keep pace Wind farms are paid huge sums not to produce power when the grid is full. This waste cost 1.7 billion last year and may hit 8 billion annually by 2030. Consumers ultimately pay for these costs through their energy bills. The problem stems from building wind farms in remote areas with inadequate grid connections. Political and industry debate centers on reforming the pricing system to reduce waste. If you think your energy bills are high now, wait until you hear about the multi-billion pound scheme where the government pays wind farms not to produce power. It sounds like a bad joke, but its the costly reality of Britains rush to net zero, a policy failure now landing directly on the bills of struggling families. Scotlands largest offshore wind farm, Seagreen, has become the poster child for this systemic waste. New accounts reveal that a staggering 77% of the power it produced last year was wasted. The facility, with its 114 turbines off Scotlands east coast, could not deliver its electricity because the grid lacks the capacity to transport it to where its needed. Instead of powering homes, that potential energy was simply switched off. For this non-service, the wind farms operators, energy giants SSE and Frances TotalEnergies, were handsomely compensated. While SSE refused to disclose the exact figure, estimates from the Renewable Energy Foundation suggest Seagreen likely received more than 200 million in so-called constraint payments for the year. These are government-mandated payments, guaranteed to renewable generators even when their power cannot be used. Overall, constraint payments for wasted wind totaled around 1.7 billion last year. According to the National Electricity System Operator, that figure is projected to reach a jaw-dropping 8 billion annually by 2030. These costs are added directly to consumer and business energy bills through network charges. The high cost of a failing system The political backlash is growing. Claire Coutinho, the Shadow Energy Secretary, placed the blame squarely on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. What other sector do we pay people not to produce anything? Coutinho asked. Were spending 1 billion switching wind farms off today, but thanks to Ed Milibands mad dash for renewables, well be spending 8 billion by 2030. We simply cannot afford an approach that makes our energy system higher cost and less productive. Cheap, reliable energy must come first. The problem stems from a fundamental mismatch. The UK has built vast renewable resources, like the windy coasts of Scotland, far from the population centers that need the power. The national grid, originally designed for coal and gas plants near cities, cannot handle the influx. On windy days, the system becomes overloaded, forcing operators to pay wind farms to stop and pay gas plants elsewhere, like the Grain station on the Thames, to ramp up. A vested interest in waste? Richard Tice, the Reform UK energy spokesman, argues the system exposes the flaws in renewable policy. Wind farms are so inefficient and unreliable that some are being paid hundreds of millions per year in constraint subsidies; less than 25% of output is going to the grid. It shows that renewables are increasing bills, he said. Some within the energy industry acknowledge the absurdity. Its crazy to build wind farms where theres no grid, then pay them to sit idle, and then pay the most expensive fossil fuel plants to generate the power instead, said Pete Miller, head of customer experience at Octopus Energy. His company has launched a live ticker showing 649 million has already been wasted this year on wind curtailment. The proposed solution from the government and some suppliers is a shift to zonal or regional pricing, which would create local electricity markets. Supporters like Octopus CEO Greg Jackson claim it could save 55 billion by 2050. Zonal pricing would make the energy system as a whole dramatically more efficient, slashing this waste and cutting bills for every family and business in the country, Jackson argues. However, many renewable developers fiercely oppose the change, fearing it would create revenue uncertainty and jeopardize billions in future investments. Tom Glover, UK chair of German power company RWE, warned, I can't go to my board and say let's take a bet on billions of pounds of investment. So here we sit, watching a green energy transition that promised cheaper power instead generate spectacular waste and higher costs. The sight of billions being spent to not produce electricity, while families scrimp to pay their bills, is more than a technical failure. It is a profound warning of what happens when political posturing races ahead of engineering and economic reality, leaving everyday citizens to foot the bill for a system that simply doesnt work. Sources for this article include: WattsUpWithThat.com Telegraph.co.uk BBC.com RechargeNews.com Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet Danish officials as Trump pushes Greenland initiative Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans talks in Copenhagen next week amid rising tensions over the Trump administration's renewed interest in acquiring Greenland. Rubio said the administrations goal is to purchase Greenland rather than seize it militarily, though White House officials have not ruled out the use of force as a national security option. President Donald Trump has renewed his long-standing argument that Greenland is vital to U.S. security, citing increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would effectively end North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), prompting leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom to issue a joint statement backing Greenland's right to self-determination. As talks approach, European leaders are signaling unified resistance to any change in Greenlands status without its consent, warning it could fundamentally reshape the transatlantic alliance. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced plans to meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials next week in Copenhagen amid mounting tensions over the Trump administration's renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark with growing strategic importance in the Arctic. "I'll be meeting with them next week, we'll have those conversations with them then, but I don't have anything further to add to that," Rubio said, adding that every U.S. president retains the authority to respond to national security threats through military means. Rubio also declined to directly address whether the administration was prepared to risk the NATO alliance by pursuing a military option. The talks come after repeated outreach by Denmark and Greenland seeking clarity on Washington's intentions. President Donald Trump has revived his long-standing desire to bring Greenland under U.S. control, framing it as a critical national security priority in the face of rising Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. Rubio told lawmakers that the administration aims to purchase Greenland, not seize it militarily. However, the option of force has not been categorically ruled out by White House officials. Rubio emphasized that Trump has been interested in Greenland since his first term, and diplomacy remains the administration's preferred path, even as Europe reacts with alarm. Europe closes ranks on Greenland Trump's comments reverberated across Europe and prompted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that a U.S. takeover of Greenland would effectively end the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, NATO was established in 1949 as a collective defense pact among Western nations to counter Soviet expansionism following World War II. The treaty's Article 5 enshrined the principle of mutual defense, declaring that an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all. Leaders of several major European nations have echoed a similar stance to Denmark. In a joint statement issued on the second week of January, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in reaffirming that Greenland "belongs to its people." "The Nordics do not lightly make statements like this," Maria Martisiute, a defense analyst at the European Policy Centre think tank, said on Wednesday, Jan. 7. "But it is Trump whose very bombastic language bordering on direct threats and intimidation is threatening the fact to another ally by saying, 'I will control or annex the territory.'" As Rubio prepares for talks with Danish and Greenlandic officials next week, European leaders are signaling that any move to alter Greenlands status without its consent would face unified resistance and could fundamentally reshape the transatlantic alliance. Watch this Fox News report about Trump saying buying Greenland is a "necessity." This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: YourNews.com APNews.com Brighteon.com Texas sounds alarm as more than 1,100 mysterious seed packets from China flood mailboxes Unsolicited seed packages from China are arriving in Texas mailboxes. Officials have collected more than 1,100 seed packs from more than 100 locations. Authorities warn this could be a serious threat to agriculture and ecosystems. The mailings may be a brushing scam or a deliberate biosecurity risk. Residents are told not to plant the seeds and to contact officials immediately. For nearly a year, an unsettling delivery has been landing in Texas mailboxes: small, unsolicited packages containing unidentified seeds, often postmarked from China. State authorities have now issued a renewed and urgent warning, revealing they have collected a staggering 1,101 of these mysterious seed packs from 109 locations since February 2025. Officials fear this is more than a mere nuisance and could be a deliberate threat to the states agricultural heartland and natural environment. The Texas Department of Agriculture first became aware of the issue last February when a resident in Clute reported receiving an unsolicited package from China containing unidentified seeds and a liquid container. Since that initial report, the stream of packages has continued, with the most recent collection occurring on December 29. Similar reports have emerged in Ohio, New Mexico, and Alabama, indicating a coordinated nationwide mailing. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is leading the charge to raise public awareness. At a glance, this might seem like a small problem, but this is serious business, Miller said in a January 5 statement. The possible introduction of an invasive species to the state via these seeds poses real risks to Texas families and the agriculture industry. A threat to biosecurity The core concern is biosecurity. Introducing non-native plant species can have catastrophic consequences. An invasive plant could outcompete native crops and vegetation, devastate local ecosystems, harbor new plant diseases, or harm livestock. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, which identified some received seeds as tomato and onion varieties, still cautioned that such practices could still be illegal or violate regulations and that the seeds may be invasive to Alabama plants or be harmful to livestock. This is not the first time American households have been targeted. A nearly identical wave of unsolicited seed packages swept the country in 2020, prompting warnings from officials in all 50 states. At that time, many packages were processed by China Post, and recipients across the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan reported similar deliveries. Brushing scams or something worse? A federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined the 2020 seeds were likely part of a global brushing scam. In this scheme, sellers send unsolicited, low-value items to random addresses to create a fake verified purchase profile, which they then use to post fraudulent positive reviews and boost their online sales. While the current deliveries may be a continuation of this scam, officials are not dismissing more dangerous possibilities. The scale and persistence of the mailings raise alarms. Whether its part of an ongoing scam or something more sinister, we are determined to protect Texans, Commissioner Miller stated. Unsolicited seeds coming into our country are a risk to American agriculture, our environment, and public safety. The TDA is working with federal partners to collect, test, and safely dispose of the seeds. The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service identified seeds from one batch as sacred lotus, an aquatic plant considered invasive outside its native Asia, and is destroying them via steam sterilization. State authorities have issued clear instructions to residents: do not open the package, do not plant the seeds, and do not throw them in the trash. Instead, they must keep the package sealed and contact the Texas Department of Agriculture immediately at 1-800-TELL-TDA for guidance on safe collection. This ongoing episode serves as a reminder of how vulnerable modern agricultural systems are. As global commerce and complex supply chains continue to thrive, a simple packet of seeds, disguised as a marketing ploy, could potentially be wielded as a tool of ecological or economic disruption. For a state like Texas, where agriculture is a cornerstone of culture and economy, officials are making it clear that residents should treat every unknown seed as a potential threat, because the cost of underestimation could be dire. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Independent.co.uk NBCDFW.com TexasAgriculture.gov The Great Reset: Satans final push before Christ returns The Great Reset is framed not just as an economic or political agenda, but as a Luciferian scheme to impose digital tyranny, depopulation and centralized control directly opposing God's ordained order. Scripture warns that these schemes will ultimately expose corruption and fulfill prophecy. Central bank digital currencies, digital IDs and vaccine passports are designed to enforce compliance, restricting economic freedom (Revelation 13:17). The COVID-19 pandemic was a test run to condition populations for totalitarian rule. Bill Gates and the WEF push vaccines, fake meat and geoengineering under the guise of philanthropy while advancing eugenics and depopulation. Modern Zionism is also exposed as a Rothschild-engineered political construct, not biblical prophecy, aligning with globalist agendas. Mainstream Christianity (Catholic and Evangelical) has betrayed its mission, endorsing wars, corruption and false teachings. Meanwhile, God is raising a decentralized remnant of believers who reject lies (climate change fraud, Big Pharma bioweapons) and embrace truth. Believers must reject fear, prepare physically (food, gold/silver, resilient communities), expose deception and pray for revival. The globalist empire is crumbling, and God's judgment will destroy their systems Christ's return ensures ultimate victory. The world stands at a crossroads, caught in a battle between divine sovereignty and the dark ambitions of globalist elites. The so-called Great Reset, championed by figures like World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is not merely an economic or political agenda. It is a spiritual war against God's ordained order, as the book "The Great Reset: God's Plan vs. Satan's Deception" reveals. Behind the facade of "sustainability" and "equity" lies a Luciferian scheme to enslave humanity under digital tyranny, depopulation and centralized control. Yet, Scripture reveals that God is using these very schemes to expose corruption, awaken His people and hasten the fulfillment of His prophetic timeline. The Great Reset is the culmination of centuries of elite manipulation designed to dismantle national sovereignty, abolish private property and impose a technocratic dictatorship. Central bank digital currencies, digital IDs and vaccine passports are not innovations for convenience they are tools of economic enslavement. These tools ensure that no one can buy or sell without compliance, as revealed in Revelation 13:17. The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was a test run, proving how easily fear could be weaponized to strip freedoms and condition populations for totalitarian rule. Satan's angels masquerading as saviors The WEF openly admits its goal: to merge man with machine, eliminate cash and enforce a social credit system where dissenters are digitally ostracized. Gates, a key architect of this agenda, has long pushed vaccines, fake meat and geoengineering all under the guise of philanthropy while advancing eugenics and depopulation. But the Apostle Paul warns of such deception: "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) Modern Zionism is far from being a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Rather, it is a political construct engineered by Rothschild banking interests and globalist elites. The Scofield Reference Bible, funded by Zionist financiers, distorted Christian theology to justify uncritical support for Israel's militarized state despite its oppression of Palestinians and alignment with globalist agendas. True biblical Israel is not a geopolitical entity but the spiritual body of believers in Christ (Galatians 3:29). The modern state of Israel with its high vaccine compliance, LGBTQ normalization and military aggression bears no resemblance to the Israel of Scripture. In fact, its leaders, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are aligned with the same globalist networks pushing the Great Reset. Institutional Christianity has betrayed its mission, blessing wars, slavery and corruption while abandoning the Gospel's radical call to love and justice. The Catholic Church, under the late Pope Francis, promotes mass migration and climate hysteria while covering up pedophilia. Evangelical megachurches preach prosperity heresy, turning faith into a transactional scam. Surviving the globalists' last stand Yet, God is raising a remnant believers who reject lukewarm religion and embrace decentralized, Spirit-led faith. House churches, underground networks and bold truth-tellers are exposing the lies of the medical-industrial complex, Big Pharma's bioweapons and the climate change fraud. The globalist empire is crumbling. The U.S. dollar's dominance is ending, and with it, Israel's military funding. The elites' digital control grid will fail because God's judgment is coming. The prophet Zephaniah warns: "Therefore wait for me, for the day I will stand up to plunder. I will pour out my wrath on the nations. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy." (Zephaniah 3:8) The Great Reset is not humanity's salvation it is Satan's last attempt to establish his Antichrist kingdom before Christ returns. But God will destroy these corrupt systems and His remnant will emerge victorious. Meanwhile, believers must: Reject fear : COVID-19, climate change and economic collapse are manufactured crises. : COVID-19, climate change and economic collapse are manufactured crises. Prepare spiritually and physically : Grow food, secure gold/silver and build resilient communities. : Grow food, secure gold/silver and build resilient communities. Expose deception : Share the truth about vaccines, Zionism and the WEF's agenda. : Share the truth about vaccines, Zionism and the WEF's agenda. Pray for revival: God is shaking the nations to awaken His people. The choice is clear: Bow to the beast system or stand with Christ. The globalists' reign will be short-lived and God's Kingdom is unstoppable. As the Apostle Paul assures in his letter to the Romans, "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Romans 16:20) The hour is late. The battle is raging. Whose side are you on? Grab a copy of "The Great Reset: God's Plan vs. Satan's Deception" via this link. Discover this book and other good reads at Books.BrightLearn.AI, with thousands of books and counting all available to freely download, read and share. The decentralized BrightLearn.AI engine also lets readers create their own books, empowering them to share insights and truths with the world. Watch David Sorensen and the Health Ranger Mike Adams discussing Israel, the Bible and how organized religion often deceives its own people 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 Unveiling the ledger: Trump administration exposes billions in foreign funding to U.S. universities The Trump administration has launched a public database detailing over $62 billion in foreign government funding to U.S. universities. China and Qatar are among the largest contributors, with their funding raising national security and academic influence concerns. The move enforces a long-dormant disclosure law and reverses perceived lax enforcement under the prior administration. Elite institutions like Harvard, Stanford and MIT are major recipients of Chinese-linked funds. The initiative aims to increase transparency and safeguard American research and academic discourse from foreign exploitation. In a significant move to illuminate the scale of foreign government influence within American higher education, the Trump administration has launched a comprehensive public database. This new tool, released by the Department of Education, catalogs more than $62 billion in contributions from foreign governments to U.S. colleges and universities. The initiative, ordered by President Donald Trump in April 2025, marks a stark shift from the prior administration's enforcement posture and places elite institutions like Harvard University under renewed scrutiny for their acceptance of substantial funds from geopolitical rivals and strategic partners alike. Enforcing a dormant law The database fulfills a core promise of Trump's executive order to "end the secrecy surrounding foreign funds in American educational institutions." It aggressively enforces Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, a long-standing but often-ignored statute requiring universities to report foreign gifts and contracts exceeding $250,000 annually. Administration officials argue that enforcement was deprioritized under President Joe Biden, allowing a lack of transparency to persist. The new public portal details the sources and recipients of funds, with the top contributors Qatar ($6.6B), Germany ($4.4B), the United Kingdom ($4.3B) and China ($4.1B) accounting for a massive share of the total. When including $1.9 billion from Chinese-controlled Hong Kong, Chinas total rises to approximately $6 billion, positioning it as a leading foreign financier of American academia. National security alarms over Chinese funding The scale of Chinese government-linked funding has triggered immediate concern from national security advocates and lawmakers. House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) stated the portal reveals China has given nearly $6 billion to U.S. universities "in order to transfer critical research, influence and academic talent to China." The database shows that prestigious research powerhouses, including Harvard University, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are among the top recipients. These institutions are hubs for cutting?edge, often sensitive, research in fields like technology, engineering and the sciences, making them prime targets for intellectual property transfer and influence operations. Historical context adds weight to these concerns; a 2020 bipartisan Senate report found that lax oversight had allowed $6.5 billion in previously undisclosed foreign funds to flow into campuses, a problem the first Trump administration began investigating. Scrutiny extends beyond China While China draws intense focus, Qatars role as the single largest foreign government donor has also raised questions about ideological influence. The Gulf monarchy has invested billions in American universities while maintaining an extensive lobbying presence in Washington. Security experts like Walid Phares have warned that such funding can shape academic narratives, which subsequently influence media, legal institutions and policy. Analysts have noted that universities receiving substantial Qatari funds have been centers of pronounced pro-Palestinian activism, particularly following the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Although Qatar has recently acted as a diplomatic mediator, its historical ties to Islamist groups continue to prompt caution among foreign policy observers. A lasting impact on academia and oversight The unveiling of this database is more than a one-time disclosure; it signals a sustained enforcement priority. The administration has directed the Education and Justice Departments to ensure compliance, conduct audits and hold non-compliant institutions accountable, potentially by tying federal grant eligibility to disclosure adherence. For universities, this new era of enforced transparency presents operational and reputational challenges. It demands rigorous internal vetting of foreign partnerships and gifts. For the public and policymakers, it provides an unprecedented tool to assess potential conflicts of interest and vulnerabilities within the nations research ecosystem. A clearer, more contested landscape The launch of the foreign funding portal fundamentally alters the landscape of American higher education finance. It transforms what was often an opaque process into a subject of public record and debate. While supporters hail it as a necessary safeguard for national security and academic integrity, critics may view it as an overreach that could chill beneficial international collaboration. Regardless, the data now public ensures that the multibillion-dollar relationships between U.S. universities and foreign governments will be a permanent fixture in discussions about research security, geopolitical influence, and the autonomy of American academia. The true test will be how institutions and the government manage these transparent relationships in the years to come. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com JustTheNews.com WhiteHouse.gov Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Han Xu) ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with both sides pledging to jointly advance the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In a joint press release, both sides agreed to deepen all-round cooperation and strive to build the China-Ethiopia all-weather strategic partnership as a model for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Both sides pledged to deepen cooperation in traditional areas, including economy, trade, infrastructure, energy, transportation, and justice, tap the potential for collaboration in emerging areas such as e-commerce, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and green energy, and expand cooperation in culture, tourism, media, education, and think tanks. Both sides highlighted their willingness to take the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity to promote people-to-people exchanges for closer bonds through culture and art. They are willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policies, deepen exchanges on governance experience, and jointly advance on the path to modernization, according to the press release. Ethiopia reiterated its steadfast adherence to the one-China principle, reaffirming that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The East African country opposes all forms of "Taiwan independence," supports all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification, and resolutely defends the authority of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758. China attaches great importance to Ethiopia's role in the Horn of Africa, and the Ethiopian side commends the results achieved under China's Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian side highly appreciated the series of major initiatives put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping and is ready to work with the Chinese side for their implementation. Both sides reaffirmed that all countries should abide by the basic principles established by the UN Charter and international law, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and oppose the use or threat of use of force in international relations. Both sides agreed to hold a new round of political consultations between their foreign ministries in due time this year. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Han Xu) Editor: WSH Tahawur Rana, alleged mastermind in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, has submitted a list of approximately ten lawyers of his choice for his defense. The Special NIA Court has directed the National Investigation Agency to contact these lawyers to ascertain their willingness to represent him. Rana's previous court-appointed lawyer has been discharged following his request to engage his own counsel. The court has adjourned the matter until March 12 for an update on the lawyer's consent. Tahawur Rana, extradited for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, submits a list of preferred lawyers to the NIA court. The case is adjourned to March 12. New Delhi, January 9 The 26/11 Mumbai terror attack alleged mastermind Tahawur Rana on Friday gave the names of some lawyers of his choice for engagement as his counsel. The names were submitted to the Special NIA Court at Patiala House. The court has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to contact those lawyers to ascertain who is willing to represent him and obtain consent. Rana has filed a list of around 10 lawyers from Delhi and outside Delhi. Earlier, the court had granted him a call facility to speak with his family regarding the engagement of a lawyer of his choice. Rana was provided a Legal Aid Counsel (LAC), Piyush Sachdeva, to represent him. However, he had expressed his wish to engage an advocate of his choice. Sachdeva was discharged from the case on Friday. Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma heard Tahawur Rana, who stated that he wants to engage a counsel of his choice. After issuing directions to the NIA, the court listed the matter for March 12 to apprise it of the lawyer's consent. Rana, who was extradited from the United States in April 2025, is currently in judicial custody following NIA interrogation in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. He was produced through video conferencing from Tihar Jail. During his appearance, he specifically mentioned Advocate M S Khan as one of his choices. Tahawur Rana has been charge-sheeted by the NIA in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. A supplementary charge sheet was filed in July 2025. The main charge sheet in the case was filed by the NIA in December 2011. The NIA had informed the court that Rana was confronted with substantial evidence related to the 26/11 attacks. The supplementary charge sheet contains procedural documents such as the arrest memo, seizure memo and other related documents. The 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin was extradited in connection with his alleged involvement in the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks. The devastating attack, orchestrated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed over 170 lives and left hundreds injured. - ANI A Jefferies report highlights that AI-related capital expenditure has become a primary driver of US economic growth, accounting for 44% of the increase in real GDP in the first three quarters of 2025. The analysis warns of clear macroeconomic vulnerability if this unsustainable investment cycle suddenly collapses, as investors begin questioning returns. Concerns are growing about potential overcapacity in data centers and the ability of major hyperscalers to monetize their massive AI spending. The report draws parallels to the dotcom bust, noting that AI chips have a much shorter functional lifespan than previous tech infrastructure, making the cycle more precarious. Jefferies warns a sudden collapse in AI capital expenditure could make the US economy vulnerable, as it drove 44% of GDP growth in early 2025. New Delhi, January 9 A sudden collapse in artificial intelligence investment could make the United States economy vulnerable, as AI-related capital expenditure has emerged as a key driver of economic growth in recent years, highlighted a report by Jefferies. The report said the macroeconomic risks from an unsustainable AI investment cycle are becoming increasingly clear, noting that AI-related capital expenditure was one of the main contributors to US economic growth last year. It stated "the macro vulnerability to a sudden collapse in AI capex is clear since that was the main driver of US economic growth last year after personal consumption, based on national accounts data". According to Jefferies, US real GDP increased by USD 438 billion, or an annualised 2.5 per cent, in the first three quarters of 2025. Over the same period, real personal consumption rose by USD 268 billion, while real AI-related fixed investment, including private investment in information processing equipment, software and data centre construction, increased by USD 193 billion. This translated into annualised growth rates of 2.2 per cent and 19.8 per cent, respectively. As a result, real AI-related investment accounted for 44 per cent of the increase in real GDP during the first three quarters of 2025, compared with a 61 per cent contribution from real personal consumption, the report said. Jefferies noted that a key issue for the US stock market at the start of 2026 is whether hyperscalers will be able to monetise their AI capital expenditure. AI-related spending by the four major US hyperscalers is forecast to reach USD 480 billion this year. The report warned that investors are likely to start questioning the returns, or lack thereof, from the AI capital expenditure arms race by the middle of this year. It added that signs of this process were already visible by the end of last year, with increasing focus on companies that have been borrowing to fund AI capex rather than using cash reserves. As concerns around AI returns grow, Jefferies said this could also lead to worries about potential excess capacity in data centres. Such a scenario may raise further concerns about those financing data centre construction and related infrastructure. The report added that similar risks continue to apply to US energy stocks, which rallied last year on expectations of increased electricity demand to address America's power bottlenecks driven by AI and data centre expansion. Jefferies said that while AI agents are expected to arrive in the future and may have significant commercial implications, large investments have already been made. It noted that if an over-investment bust occurs, costs related to AI "inference" could fall sharply, potentially boosting demand, similar to the dotcom bust, when excess fibre optic capacity led to a collapse in broadband costs and a surge in e-commerce demand. The report also cautioned that AI chips have a much shorter shelf life of around 3-4 years, compared with roughly 25 years for fibre optic cables, making the current investment cycle more vulnerable. - ANI Alan Cumming has revealed he accidentally injured his co-star Pedro Pascal while filming a scene for the upcoming Marvel blockbuster 'Avengers: Doomsday'. The incident, which caused Pascal to hurt his neck, happened during a regular scene and not a stunt sequence. The film marks Cumming's return as Nightcrawler after more than two decades. 'Avengers: Doomsday' is set for release in 2026 and will feature a massive ensemble cast from both the Avengers and X-Men franchises. Actor Alan Cumming reveals he accidentally injured co-star Pedro Pascal during filming for the upcoming Marvel movie 'Avengers: Doomsday'. Los Angeles, Jan 9 Actor-director Alan Cumming has shared that he accidentally injured actor Pedro Pascal during the making of 'Avengers: Doomsday'. The 60-year-old actor reprised his role as Nightcrawler in the 2026 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blockbuster after more than a 20-year hiatus, and Cumming has now revealed he accidentally "broke" the Mr. Fantastic star while filming a scene for the movie, reports 'Female First UK'. During an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', the host asked Cumming what fans could expect from Nightcrawler in 'Avengers: Doomsday', to which he replied, "All of (the X-Men cast) are in it, too. What was funny was that in my first scene with Pedro, he hurt his neck and had to go home. I broke Pedro". The Traitors host insisted the mishap did not take place during a fight scene, and was simply a production slip-up. He explained, "No, I wasn't fighting. No, no. I was just, sort of, being we were just together in a scene, and I wasn't fighting, no. He's got these big long arms and everything, so it's quite complicated. I do have a tail, but I didn't have my tail on at the time. Pedro didn't have his arms on either". As per 'Female First UK', 'Avengers: Doomsday' will see the return of X-Men icons Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, Channing Tatum, James Marsden and Rebecca Romijn. 'Avengers and Thunderbolts' stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour and Lewis Pullman are also confirmed to appear in the blockbuster. It has also been confirmed that Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers after last playing Captain America in 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame'. 'Avengers: Doomsday', which is being helmed by directors Joe and Anthony Russo and is due to release on December 18, 2026, will likely follow the Avengers, the New Avengers, the X-Men as they join forces to stop Doctor Doom from unleashing his devastating plans for the Multiverse. - IANS A ceasefire in parts of Aleppo has been unofficially extended to facilitate the evacuation of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from contested neighbourhoods. The Syrian government has arranged buses to transport fighters out, following clashes that killed at least 22 people and displaced over 100,000 residents. Officials warn that fighting could resume if the withdrawal does not proceed as planned. Government institutions are preparing to restore basic services once security operations, including mine clearance, are complete. Syria extends a ceasefire in Aleppo to evacuate SDF fighters. Clashes displaced 100,000+ and killed 22. Buses enter neighbourhoods for withdrawal. Damascus, January 9 A ceasefire announced by Syria's Defence Ministry in parts of Aleppo has been unofficially extended, amid continued efforts to evacuate fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces in contested neighbourhoods, Al Jazeera reported. According to Syrian officials cited by Al Jazeera, around 50 buses are being arranged to transport SDF fighters out of Aleppo neighbourhoods where clashes have taken place over the past several days. The Syrian government said on Thursday evening that "security forces entered the Ashrafieh neighbourhood in the city of Aleppo after violent clashes with the SDF forces". The violence, which erupted earlier this week, has left at least 22 people dead, including civilians. More than 100,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes in Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud since fighting broke out between Syrian government forces and the SDF, Al Jazeera reported. The Syrian army said that buses have already entered the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood to begin transporting SDF fighters out of the city. A ceasefire brokered by the United States came into effect at around 3 am. Following this, Syrian authorities asked SDF fighters to relocate to eastern Aleppo. Most of the fighting over the past three days had been concentrated on the outskirts and surrounding areas of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. However, officials said government forces managed to advance into the centre of Ashrafieh overnight. SDF fighters are now concentrated in Sheikh Maqsoud, where the ceasefire has been extended to allow additional time for their withdrawal. The government has warned that fighting could resume if the evacuation does not proceed as planned, Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, displaced civilians are awaiting official clearance to return to their homes. Authorities said the areas remain unsafe, as security forces continue to clear mines and unexploded ordnance. The Aleppo Media Directorate told Al Jazeera that the ceasefire, originally scheduled to end at 9 am (0600 GMT), has been extended, though no formal public announcement has been made. In the coming hours, SDF fighters are expected to be transferred to the east of the Euphrates River along with their light personal weapons, according to an announcement by Syria's Defence Ministry. Government institutions in Aleppo are also preparing to enter the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to restore basic services for residents. The Aleppo Response Committee is coordinating plans to return civilians once security operations are complete, mines are cleared, and roads are reopened, Al Jazeera reported. - ANI Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin a two-day visit to Rajasthan, with a key event at the Rajasthan Police Academy in Jaipur. During the program, appointment letters will be distributed to 10,000 newly recruited police constables. The visit follows a state-level police conference focused on modernizing policing and contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vision 2047. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed arrangements ahead of the high-profile event. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visits Jaipur to distribute appointment letters to 10,000 new police constables and attend a state police conference. Jaipur, January 9 Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Rajasthan starting Friday, during which he will attend a key programme at the Rajasthan Police Academy in Jaipur. Ahead of Shah's visit, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reached the Police Academy and reviewed the programme venue and security arrangements. Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Sharma was also present during the inspection, officials said. Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, DGP Rajeev Sharma shared details of the state-level police conference and the schedule of the Union Home Minister's visit. He said the state-level police conference was organised at the Rajasthan Police Academy on January 8 and 9, with the participation of senior police officers from across the state. The DGP said that wide-ranging discussions were held during the conference on the role of the police in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vision 2047 for a developed India. He added that deliberations focused on strengthening policing by making it more modern, accountable and people-centric. Rajeev Sharma further said that, as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, students will be taken on visits to police stations on January 12, to mark Youth Day. The initiative aims to familiarise the younger generation with the functioning of the police and help them better understand legal procedures. Providing further details of Amit Shah's Jaipur visit, the DGP said that the Union Home Minister will attend a programme at the Rajasthan Police Academy, where appointment letters will be distributed to 10,000 newly recruited police constables. He said that candidates who topped the recruitment process will receive their appointment letters directly from Amit Shah, while the remaining appointment letters will be handed over by senior police officers. Responding to a question regarding reports of the Chief Minister's displeasure over actions taken by police from other states, DGP Rajeev Sharma clarified that the Chief Minister is not upset. He said that the Rajasthan Police remains fully informed at all times and that actions are taken in coordination with the concerned authorities. - ANI This undated file photo shows a porcelain jar unearthed from the tomb of Ma Sanniang, wife of Dong Shunxian, a military officer in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.(Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua) XI'AN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have discovered a tomb dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), unearthing a collection of ceramics, bronze ware, and gold and silver artifacts, according to the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology on Tuesday. The excavation took place between January 2022 and April 2024 in the Jiali village of Chang'an District in Xi'an, capital of the province, before a local renovation project. Among the ancient tombs in the project area, one labeled M228 was identified as the burial site of Ma Sanniang, wife of Dong Shunxian, a military officer in the Tang Dynasty. She was buried in 698 AD. A total of 19 items or sets of burial objects were recovered, including pottery, bronze, iron, gold and silver ware, and stone objects. Notably, several of the gold and silver pieces demonstrated exceptional craftsmanship. According to Shi Sheng, a staff member with the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, most of the gold and silver items were hair ornaments for women or containers. The silver jar and stemmed cup are decorated primarily with grape vine patterns, a style influenced by Western Regions, reflecting the vibrant cultural exchanges between China's central plain areas and the Western Regions at the time. These gold and silver artifacts have significant research value, providing new material evidence for studying cultural and trade interactions between China and other civilizations during the peak time of the Tang Dynasty, Shi added. This undated file photo shows a silver stemmed cup unearthed from the tomb of Ma Sanniang, wife of Dong Shunxian, a military officer in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.(Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua) This undated file photo shows a bronze mirror unearthed from the tomb of Ma Sanniang, wife of Dong Shunxian, a military officer in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.(Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua) This undated file photo shows a gold hair ornament unearthed from the tomb of Ma Sanniang, wife of Dong Shunxian, a military officer in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.(Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology/Handout via Xinhua) Editor: ZAD Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed all central and state departments to prepare clear roadmaps by March 31, 2026, to combat the drug menace. He announced a three-year nationwide campaign starting from that date, with defined targets and regular reviews. Shah emphasized that the drug problem is linked to narco-terrorism and is a conspiracy to destroy future generations. The directives were issued during the 9th NCORD meeting, where he also inaugurated a new NCB office in Amritsar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah directs departments to prepare anti-drug roadmaps by March 31, 2026, launching a nationwide campaign. New Delhi Januar, y 9 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday directed all central and state government departments to prepare a clear roadmap by March 31, 2026, in line with their respective responsibilities to combat the growing drug menace in the country. He also called for the establishment of a robust monitoring mechanism to ensure focused and time-bound action. Shah made the direction while chairing the 9th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Home Minister announced that "from March 31, 2026, a three-year collective nationwide campaign would be launched against drug abuse." "Under this campaign, the working methodology of all pillars involved in the fight against drugs will be clearly defined, targets will be fixed, and regular time-bound reviews will be conducted," the MHA said, quoting Shah. The Home Minister emphasised that over the next three years, India must fight the drug menace on all fronts to realise the goal of a 'Drug-Free India' and safeguard the nation's youth from substance abuse. He instructed "all departments of the government of India to prepare roadmaps extending up to 2029, along with mechanisms for periodic review of their implementation." Shah underlined that the drug problem is closely linked to narco-terrorism rather than being merely a law-and-order issue, describing it as a conspiracy aimed at destroying future generations. He noted that the physical and mental health of youth, their productivity, and rising social discontent are directly connected to drug abuse. During the occasion, Shah also inaugurated the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Amritsar. The NCORD meeting, organised by the NCB in hybrid mode, was attended by senior officials from central ministries, state governments, and drug law enforcement agencies. Highlighting the role of Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs), Shah said they are crucial in the fight against drugs and urged states to accelerate the destruction of seized narcotics, where progress has been slow. Shah also appealed to the Directors General of Police of all states to draw up state-specific roadmaps and ensure the timely disposal of confiscated drugs. The NCORD mechanism, established in 2016, operates through a four-tier structure-apex, executive, state, and district-level committees strengthen coordination among the Centre, states, and key stakeholders in tackling the drug menace in a comprehensive manner. - ANI Anupam Kher is celebrating the 100-day theatrical run of his film "Tanvi The Great," which he also directed. The actor-director shared his philosophy of never giving up, which he applied to this project. The film, which tells the story of a young woman on the autism spectrum, has been praised for touching audiences' hearts with its themes of love and resilience. Kher expressed pride in creating a film that makes a difference, even beyond box office numbers. Veteran actor Anupam Kher marks 100 days of his directorial venture 'Tanvi The Great', a film celebrating love, resilience, and autism awareness. Mumbai, Jan 9 Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who returned to the director's seat after two decades with "Tanvi The Great", is celebrating a quiet yet deeply meaningful milestone as the film has completed 100 days in limited theatres. Taking to Instagram, Kher reflected on his lifelong belief in never giving up, a philosophy he says has guided both his life and career. Anupam shared the poster of the film and wrote in the caption section: "100 Days Of 'TANVI THE GREAT': All my life I have believed in the mantra of #NeverGivingUp! I have constantly applied this optimistic philosophy to my life and my profession! And it has ALWAYS worked!" Expressing pride in the film's journey, the actor shared that audiences who have watched the film have been moved by its themes of love, optimism, resilience, compassion and bravery. "Team #TanviTheGreat is Delighted and Proud to share that our film has completed 100Days in limited theatres! The audiences which is watching the movie is moved by its theme of Love, Optimism, Resilience, Compassion and Bravery!" He noted that while commercial success is important, stories that touch hearts and create impact hold a special place. "Being from the film Industry, I am proud of the films that make big money! But I am equally proud of our film which is winning HEARTS and making a big difference in people's lives! Congratulations and a BIG THANK YOU to my cast and crew for their faith, love and support! Jai Ho! #Celebration #Love #Autism" Calling the 100-day run a collective achievement, Anupam concluded: "100 days of Tanvi The Great. A journey that unfolded in quiet moments, touched hearts softly, and stayed long after.Some stories don't ask for celebration. They choose to live on." The film stars Anupam, Shubhangi Dutt, Arvind Swami, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Pallavi Joshi and Karan Tacker. The film follows the story of Tanvi Raina, a 21-year-old woman on the autism spectrum, who lives with her mother Vidya and grandfather Colonel Pratap Raina. Inspired by her deceased father, Captain Samar Raina, an Indian Army officer who dreamed of saluting the flag at Siachen Glacier. - IANS Netflix has officially renewed its dystopian anthology series "Black Mirror" for an eighth season. The renewal follows the major success of Season 7, which quickly topped the platform's charts and garnered three Golden Globe nominations. Creator Charlie Brooker revealed he has many more stories prepared, drawing inspiration from evolving technology like AI and large language models. The show continues to explore the dark, speculative side of technological advancement and its impact on society. Netflix renews Black Mirror for Season 8. Creator Charlie Brooker says he has "plenty more horrible oil in the tank" for new dystopian stories. Los Angeles, January 9 Netflix's popular series 'Black Mirror' has been renewed for the eighth season. On Friday, Netflix shared this exciting update by releasing a transcript of a conversation with creator Charlie Brooker, in which he beamed about the show's three Golden Globe nominations, as per The Hollywood Reporter. The seventh edition of Brooker's dystopian anthology series immediately topped Netflix charts upon its April 2025 release, accruing 10.6 million views in its first full week on the platform. The six episodes included a sequel to what is regarded as one of the most popular episodes in the program's history: USS Callister. The episodes earned Brooker a nomination for Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, along with acting nominations for Rashida Jones and Paul Giamatti for their performances in "Common People" and "Eulogy," respectively. In an August, 2025 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Brooker said he's got "plenty more Black Mirror stories ready to go." "The way that technology is improving, there are new Black Mirror-y ideas you can see all the time," he said. "I was reading the other day about people's mental delusions being reinforced by large language models and AIs who chat with you, and you can almost immediately see several story ideas start leaping out at you. There's plenty more horrible oil in the tank, basically." - ANI US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that Washington's economic blockade on Venezuelan oil provided crucial leverage, compelling the Venezuelan government to seek constructive work with the United States. He framed the blockade as a method of enforcing sanctions and exerting pressure without resorting to traditional military force. The remarks follow claims by former President Donald Trump of improved cooperation from Caracas after military action, including the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump also stated that interim authorities would turn over millions of barrels of sanctioned oil, with proceeds controlled to benefit both nations. US Energy Secretary says economic pressure forced Venezuela to work with Washington, allowing sanctions enforcement without traditional military combat. Washington DC, January 9 US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday said Washington's economic pressure, including a blockade over Venezuelan oil exports, has helped leverage the Trump Administration to influence Caracas to work with them, noting that the blockade was also significant for enforcing the sanctions on the Latin American country. During an interview with Fox News, the Energy Secretary stated that economic blockade is a way to exert pressure in the region without resorting to traditional military combat. He asserted that the move by the US could see a "very, very positive change in the trajectory of Venezuela". "A large military force is down there to enforce the sanctions... and with the blockade, he (Trump) enforced the sanctions. We have a leverage now. We've got a Venezuelan government that wants to work with the United States and that tried to end the corruption, or at least they will work constructively with the US because that's the only way they will get the oil revenue. This is using military force without firing bullets, without soldiers on the ground and with the full impact of the force," Wright said to Fox News. "I think we're going to see a very, very positive change in the trajectory of Venezuela," he added. His remarks come after US President Donald Trump stated that there was improved cooperation from Caracas following his military action in the country, which led to the capture of the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife. In a post on Truth Social, the US President said relations between Washington and Caracas have entered a phase of cooperation, particularly on rebuilding and modernising Venezuela's oil and gas infrastructure. Trump, following the strikes on Caracas last week, stated that the interim authorities in Venezuela would turn over between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States and noted that while the oil will be sold at its market price, the money will be controlled by Trump to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States. Earlier in December, Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela. In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump had said Venezuela has been designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" and accused the Maduro government of using oil revenues to fund "drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder and kidnapping." - ANI British Columbia Premier David Eby will lead a trade delegation to India from January 12-17, 2026, to strengthen economic ties and attract investment. The mission will promote the province's strengths in sustainable forestry, clean energy, and responsible mining of critical minerals. This effort is a key part of BC's "Look West" plan to double exports to non-U.S. markets over a decade, driven by recent disruptive U.S. tariffs. The delegation will meet with government and business leaders in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru to secure new partnerships. Premier David Eby leads a BC trade delegation to India to promote clean energy, sustainable forestry, and critical minerals, aiming to diversify exports. New Delhi, January 9 British Columbia Premier David Eby will meet with government and business leaders in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bengaluru during his upcoming trade mission to India. The mission will showcase British Columbia's leadership and capabilities in sustainable forestry, clean energy and responsible mining, according to a statement from the Premier's office. The mission builds on the province's Look West industrial and economic plan. Premier David Eby will lead a trade mission to India during January 12-17, 2026. During the visit, Premier Eby, along with Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, will meet with government and business leaders in major centres of commerce and technology, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bangalore. The mission will promote British Columbia's businesses, critical minerals and sustainable wood products, supporting work to build a more independent economy and creating more good jobs for people in British Columbia. "With unjustified tariffs from the U.S. impacting B.C. workers and businesses, it's more important than ever to deepen strategic relationships with international partners to attract new investment and support good-paying jobs in British Columbia," Premier Eby said. "India is a key market for B.C. with enormous opportunities for trade. This trade mission is about deepening our relationships, supporting good jobs in B.C. and strengthening our position as the economic engine of the new Canadian economy." As India moves toward becoming the world's third-largest economy, the Premier will highlight opportunities for sustainable forestry, clean energy and responsible mining through new partnerships that are available only in British Columbia. India is one of the key energy consumers and has a growing demand for clean technology and clean energy. British Columbia has both to offer, the statement said. The mission is part of Look West, aimed at doubling exports to non-U.S. markets over 10 years. "British Columbia has the highest share of exports to India of any province," Kahlon said. "Building on our Look West plan, the trade mission to India will showcase B.C.'s strengths in clean energy, sustainable forestry, responsible mining and clean technology. By attracting investment and reducing our reliance on U.S. markets through diversified trade partnerships, we will create good jobs and prosperity for all British Columbians." Recent trade missions to Asia and Europe have showcased B.C.'s vast range of opportunities in life sciences, technology, agriculture, forestry, ocean science, sustainability and innovation. "Diversifying trade and investment, securing supply chains, retaining customers and opening new markets have always been important, but are now more urgent due to the chaotic and unjustified tariffs from the U.S.," Premier Eby said. "As we move forward, our government will continue to leverage B.C.'s strengths to create more opportunities for our businesses to export and attract investment, which means jobs, opportunity and prosperity for British Columbians." In 2024, BC-origin exports of goods to India amounted to USD 1.3 billion. In early 2023, the BC government launched the Trade Diversification Strategy to strengthen and expand the province's trading base. The province benefits from a network of more than 50 trade and investment representatives across 14 key markets in North America, Europe and Asia. This network includes trade and investment representatives in India in Chandigarh, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. With 18 operating mines and two smelters, BC produces or has potential to produce at least 19 of the critical minerals on Canada's list and the US 2025 draft critical minerals list, including copper, germanium, nickel and rare-earth elements. Within Canada, British Columbia is the second-largest producer of natural gas. If viewed independently, BC is the world's 12th-largest natural gas producer, with substantial reserves that could allow the industry to expand further. Forestry Innovation Investment, BC's market development agency for forest products, has been promoting BC wood species in India through the Canadian Wood brand. - ANI The Central Board of Film Certification has cleared the period film 'Parasakthi' for release with a U/A certificate. The film, starring Sivakarthikeyan, is set to hit theaters on January 10, ahead of its original schedule. Its story is set in 1964 and revolves around resistance to the imposition of Hindi as an official language. The film's trailer shows Sivakarthikeyan's character evolving from a government employee to a leader of a student-led protest movement. Sivakarthikeyan's period drama 'Parasakthi' gets censor clearance for release. The film tackles the 1964 Hindi imposition issue. Chennai, Jan 9 The Central Board of Film Certification on Friday cleared the release of director Sudha Kongara's eagerly awaited upcoming period film, 'Parasakthi', featuring actors Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela in the lead, for release with a U/A certificate, much to the delight of fans and film buffs. Confirming the development, the production house Red Giant Movies wrote on its X timeline, "A fire that speaks to all ages. #Parasakthi censored with a U/A - striking theatres worldwide from Tomorrow. #ParasakthiFromPongal #ParasakthiFromJan10." The clearance from the Censor Board has made theatre owners and distributors heave a sigh of relief. It may be noted that the censor certificate comes just a day before the release of the film. The film is scheduled to hit screens on January 10. It may be recalled that the release of the film was originally scheduled for January 14 but its makers chose to advance it to January 10. A trailer that the makers released begins with Sivakarthikeyan and Ravi Mohan fighting each other on top of a moving train. The story, we are shown, happens in 1964. Sivakarthikeyan seems to be employed with the railways as an engine driver. His Hindi co-driver keeps insisting that he speak in Hindi to which Sivakarthikeyan is seen saying in broken Hindi, "When a Madharasi goes to Delhi, he'll speak in Hindi. Similarly, when a Hindi guy comes to Madurai, he must speak in Tamil." The trailer then shows that Sivakarthikeyan shares a close bond with Atharvaa, who appears to be his younger brother. Sreeleela's character appears to be a news reader in Tamil. Her presence however, is annoying to her senior, who is miffed that she has come in through recommendation. It is under these circumstances comes the news that a new law to make Hindi as the official language of all states in the country was to be passed. An old lady, who appears to be the hero's grandmother, says, "I, who have studied upto eighth standard, have been made an illiterate." Atharvaa, the younger brother is miffed that his elder brother Sivakarthikeyan is earning by working under the Central government which was imposing Hindi. Meanwhile, Sivakarthikeyan is seen making an attempt to learn Hindi. He urges Sreeleela to teach him Hindi and she keeps mocking him for being shabby. The trailer then shows the story taking a serious turn. Atharvaa joins those protesting the imposition of Hindi and Ravi Mohan, a ruthless officer sent from Delhi to put down protestors and to crush the resistance arrives on the scene. Sivakarthikeyan is initially seen chiding his brother. However, as those in power come up with ruthless and inhuman moves, Sivakarthikeyan finds himself eventually leading a movement of resistance, primarily comprising of college students... The film has triggered huge expectations in both fans and film buffs. It may be recalled that while the first schedule of 'Parasakthi' happened in Madurai, the unit headed to Sri Lanka for the film's second schedule. The schedule in Pollachi in Tamil Nadu was the third. 'Parasakthi', which was tentatively being referred to as #SK25 as it is Sivakarthikeyan's 25th film, has music by G V Prakash and cinematography by experienced cameraman Ravi K Chandran. Stunts for the film are by Supreme Sundar. - IANS The Central government has appointed senior IPS officers Anand Swaroop and Anupama Nilekar Chandra to key positions. Swaroop will serve as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the MHA, succeeding Praveen Vashista. Nilekar Chandra has been appointed as the Director General (Investigation) in the NHRC. These appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Centre appoints IPS officers Anand Swaroop as Special Secretary (Internal Security) and Anupama Nilekar Chandra as NHRC DG (Investigation). New Delhi, January 9 The Central government has appointed senior Indian Police Service officers Anand Swaroop and Anupama Nilekar Chandra to key posts in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Human Rights Commission, respectively. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved these appointments following a proposal from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The appointments were officially announced through an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) late on Thursday evening. Swaroop, a 1992-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer, presently serving as Director General (Investigation) in the NHRC, has been appointed as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He will assume charge of the post from the date of joining and will serve till August 31, 2029, his date of superannuation, or until further orders. Swaroop will take over the reins from incumbent Praveen Vashista, a 1991-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer, who has been serving in the role since October 2024. With a strong track record in policing and administration, Swaroop has earlier worked in key posts. Before being appointed as DG (Investigation) NHRC, Swaroop was posted as Director General of Police (DGP) Headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. In a related decision, the ACC also cleared the appointment of Anupama Nilekar Chandra, a 1994-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer, as Director General (Investigation) in the NHRC. She is currently posted as Special Director General in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Her appointment to the post will be effective from the date of assumption of charge and will continue till March 31, 2031, or until further orders. - ANI The Additional Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has exempted voters temporarily residing abroad from personal appearance at Special Intensive Revision hearings. These individuals can now authorize a family member to attend on their behalf with proof of relation and necessary documents. The ongoing SIR exercise aims to verify voter details and clean the electoral rolls, involving hearings for nearly 32 lakh "unmapped" electors. The hearing phase, which began in late December, will continue with a massive deployment of election officials until February 2026. West Bengal's election body allows voters temporarily abroad to send a family member to Special Intensive Revision hearings, easing the process. West Bengal, January 9 The Additional Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal on Thursday granted certain groups of people an exemption from appearing personally in Special Intensive Revision hearings, particularly for students and other individuals who are temporarily residing abroad. According to the directive from the Additional CEO to all District Election Officers, the exemption applies to the electors who are temporarily residing abroad for the purpose of study, official engagement, medical or any other purpose. Such individuals will not be required to be physically present during SIR hearings before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) (Unmapped and logical discrepancy cases). "These electors may depute any authorised family member to attend the hearing with proof of relation with the elector and submit any of the admissible documents as notified by the Commission vide no. 23/2025-ERS (Vol. I, II), dated 27.10.2025. The procedure being followed for personal appearance cases shall be adopted in this cases also," the order further read. "This may please be circulated to all EROs/AEROs and Micro Observers for compliance with an immediate effect," the directive added. Meanwhile, the Special Intensive Revision is being conducted across West Bengal to verify voter details, remove duplicate and ineligible entries, and ensure the electoral rolls remain accurate and inclusive. The exercise involves booth-level officers, electoral registration officers, and hearings at multiple levels to address complaints related to inclusion, deletion, or correction of voter names. The hearing phase for the ongoing SIR started on December 27 for nearly 32 lakh electors in West Bengal who could not trace themselves, their parents, or their grandparents in the 2002 electoral roll. During the hearing phase, identification documents of these 'unmapped' electors will be recorded and verified by election officials. This phase will conclude on February 7, 2026. Each Assembly constituency is likely to have 11 hearing tables across multiple venues, like schools or government offices. Cumulatively, 294 electoral registration officers, 3,200 assistant electoral registration officers, 4,600 micro-observers and over 80,000 booth-level officers will be engaged in the hearing process across the State, sources in the CEO's office said. The Election Commission of India recently appointed micro-observers from existing Group B Central government staff in West Bengal and has been tasked to scrutinise the hearing process in West Bengal. - ANI Odisha's High-Level Clearance Authority has approved seven major industrial projects with a combined investment of Rs 55,783 crore. These projects, spanning sectors like steel, semiconductors, and rare earth manufacturing, are expected to generate over 14,500 employment opportunities. The largest single investment is a Rs 35,000 crore steel plant by Saffron Resources (a JSW Group company) in Dhenkanal. This move underscores the state's push for industrial diversification and regional development under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's leadership. Odisha's HLCA approves 7 major industrial projects worth Rs 55,783 crore, set to create over 14,500 jobs in steel, semiconductors, and more. Bhubaneswar, January 9 Odisha has approved seven major industrial projects worth Rs 55,783 crore, with the potential to create over 14,500 jobs, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said while chairing the 43rd meeting of the High-Level Clearance Authority. "Through these investment clearances, we are focusing on different parts of Odisha to make the state strong, Atmanirbhar and ready for Samruddha Odisha by 2036," said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday. According to the press release, Odisha has taken another decisive step towards becoming a leading investment destination in India. Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the 43rd meeting of the High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) has approved 7 major industrial projects with a total investment of Rs 55,783 crore, having the potential to generate 14,507 employment opportunities. The approvals reaffirm the state government's commitment to fast-tracking industrial development, attracting diversified investments, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for the youth of Odisha, said the release. The projects span key sectors including Steel, Rare Earth Manufacturing, Automobiles & Auto-components, Semiconductors, Industrial Gases, Ferroalloys and Power & Renewable Energy and are spread across districts such as Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Keonjhar and Khordha. In the Steel sector, Saffron Resources Pvt. Ltd. (a JSW Group Company) leads the approvals with a mega investment of Rs 35,000 crore to establish a 6 MTPA steel plant in Dhenkanal. The project alone is expected to generate around 8,000 employment opportunities, significantly strengthening Odisha's position as a major steel manufacturing hub in the country. Further strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem, Jindal Poly Films Limited has proposed an investment of Rs 12,000 crore in Ganjam to set up a 0.5 MTPA Titanium Dioxide Pigment manufacturing unit under the rare earth manufacturing category, creating 4,000 jobs and marking a significant step in advanced material manufacturing. As per the release, in the automobiles and auto-components sector, a reputed company will invest Rs 1,697 crore in Ganjam to establish a manufacturing unit for tyres, carbon black, and zinc oxide, generating 685 employment opportunities. Boosting Odisha's presence in high-tech manufacturing, Sancode Semi Pvt Limited will set up an Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing (OSAT) unit in Khordha with an investment of Rs 1,649.98 crore, creating 570 jobs and reinforcing the state's emerging semiconductor ecosystem. The industrial gases segment also received a boost with Inox Air Products Pvt Ltd proposing an investment of Rs 1,300 crore to set up an Air Separation Unit in Dhenkanal, generating 180 jobs and catering to the growing industrial demand for high-quality gases. In the ferroalloys sector, Ferro Alloys Corporation Limited will invest Rs 2,000 crore in Keonjhar to establish facilities for Ferro Manganese, Silico Manganese, manganese ore beneficiation, along with a 100 MW Captive Power Plant, creating 772 employment opportunities. Additionally, GMR Kamalanga Energy Limited will invest Rs 2,136.02 crore to set up a 350 MW thermal power plant in Dhenkanal, generating 300 jobs and strengthening the state's power infrastructure, said the release. The projects approved in the 43rd HLCA meeting highlight Odisha's continued focus on industrial diversification, technology-driven growth, and balanced regional development. With swift decision-making and investor-friendly policies, the state is steadily emerging as a preferred destination for both traditional and sunrise sectors. Aligned with the national vision of "Viksit Bharat by 2047" and Odisha's goal of "Samruddha Odisha by 2036", the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi continues to steer the state towards inclusive, sustainable, and high-impact industrial development. - ANI The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Election Symbols Order of 1968. The plea, filed by the Hind Samrajya Party, argued the Election Commission lacked the authority to frame the order. The court found no merit in the claims that the rules were arbitrary or discriminatory against newer parties. The existing legal framework for allotting election symbols remains intact. Delhi High Court dismisses petition challenging Election Commission's authority to allot electoral symbols under the 1968 Symbols Order. New Delhi, January 9 The Delhi High Court on Friday turned down a petition challenging the constitutional validity of The Election Symbols Order, 1968, which regulates the specification, reservation and allotment of electoral symbols to political parties and candidates. The court held that no case was made out to disrupt the existing statutory framework governing elections. A Division Bench comprising Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Anish Dayal declined to entertain the plea moved by the Hind Samrajya Party, which had questioned the competence of the Election Commission of India to frame and enforce the Symbols Order. A detailed copy of the judgement is yet to be uploaded. The petitioner had sought a declaration that the 1968 Order was null and void and had urged the court to restrain the ECI from implementing its provisions. It was argued that the Order was not framed by the Central Government under Section 169 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which, according to the plea, confers rule-making power solely on the Union government after consulting the ECI. On this basis, the party contended that the Commission lacked independent jurisdiction to issue the Symbols Order. The challenge also targeted paragraphs 6A, 6B and 6C of the Order, which set out the criteria for recognition of national and state parties. Terming these provisions arbitrary and violative of Article 14, the petitioner claimed that all registered political parties constitute a single class and that extending reserved symbols and procedural advantages to recognised parties discriminates against newly registered entities. The court, however, found no merit in the submissions and dismissed the petition. - ANI Richer, deeper, heartier -- behind China's New Year inbound traveler influx Xinhua) 14:23, January 09, 2026 BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- As the world welcomed 2026, more international travelers in China checked out a wider variety of places and enjoyed deeper, more immersive experiences during the New Year holiday. Erika and David, a Spanish couple and travel content creators, spent their New Year exploring southern rural China with casual hikes across villages, a self-guided motorcycle ride drenched in the picturesque landscape, and ice cream breaks in Mixue, a homegrown, affordable chain of Chinese beverage shops in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "Lookouts, sunsets and karstic mountains out of Dragon Ball. Can you ask for anything more? Forget about the Great Walls or crazy skyscrapers," they wrote on their social media account. When it came to exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations, even more travelers joined in on the trend. According to data from the National Immigration Administration (NIA) and the online travel platform Qunar, China saw 29.8 percent more inbound trips made by foreign citizens during the three-day period compared to last year, who booked trips to 97 Chinese cities. Besides metropolitan destinations like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, more unorthodox choices such as Beihai of Guangxi, Xuzhou of Jiangsu and Zhanjiang of Guangdong were also favored, with inbound flights to these cities increasing by three times year on year. Apart from travelers from fellow Asian countries, European travelers also posted striking increases, as China-bound flights booked by travelers from Spain and Italy for the holiday rose by eight times and four times, respectively, from the same period last year. VISA-FREE PROGRAMS SINK IN The growing diversity of both destinations and sources of foreign travelers is a long-term result of China's favorable visa policies. Right now, China offers visa-free entry to citizens of 76 countries. Plus, travelers from 55 countries can take advantage of a 240-hour visa-free transit policy at 65 different entry points. Among the foreign citizens traveling to China during the 2026 New Year holiday, 292,000 were admitted under the country's visa-free policy, up 35.8 percent year on year, according to the NIA. Data from the Ministry of Public Security also showed that over the year since rolling out its 240-hour visa-free transit program in December 2024, China saw 27.2 percent more inbound arrivals compared to the previous year-long period. As the new policies sink in over time, foreign tourists are naturally getting to enjoy deeper, more meaningful experiences during their stays. "Nowadays, tour guides need to know not only the major attractions, but also the small stories behind lesser-known spots," said the Guangxi-based Ding Chaofeng, who has worked as a guide for foreign visitors for 17 years. He recalled guiding a family of three from the United States at the Longji Rice Terraces who, after listening to his introduction to Zhuang ethnic villages, suggested visiting one to see how local people really live. He took them to the home of a villager of his acquaintance, where they gathered around a fire pit to watch an elderly resident demonstrate traditional Zhuang weaving techniques and listened to villagers talk about farming customs. "The family said upon leaving that it was a moment more worth cherishing than visiting any major attraction. It was then that I realized that foreign tourists are not just eager to 'see,' but to truly 'understand,'" Ding said. "The development strategies for inbound tourism in major domestic cities are also continuously evolving. In particular, the rapid increase in deep-experience products for foreign visitors has, in turn, stimulated demand for immersive travel experiences in China," said Cheng Chaogong, a researcher with the online travel platform LY.com. INNOVATIVE CHARM ON THE RISE For insiders, the growing popularity of in-depth experiences among foreign tourists in China also comes down to the country's growing creative appeal, which has made trips both easier and more fun. For instance, in east China's Zhejiang Province, a foreign visitor can communicate smoothly using the AI instant translation feature of a local WeChat mini-program, as well as be entertained by the AR artifact experience at the Liangzhu Museum; at the Cantonese Opera Museum in Guangdong, one can utilize Quark AI to receive real-time English explanations. Moreover, in Mohe of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia, it now takes a Russian citizen just 7 seconds to go through customs clearance courtesy of the CT scanners, millimeter-wave equipment and intelligent inspection stations deployed at passenger inspection channels to enable smart identification of carry-on items. There has also been a systematic upgrade of the payment environment and service infrastructure. Currently, more than 95 percent of major shopping districts and tourist attractions nationwide support foreign visitors in using familiar payment methods such as Visa and Mastercard. "China's inbound tourism now carries a clear imprint of technology and modernization, which has become a new draw," said Liu Xiangyan, head of the Institute of International Research at the China Tourism Academy. In the past, tourism in China was often labeled as showcasing "oriental culture," whereas today, through social media and word-of-mouth among younger travelers, China is increasingly seen by foreign visitors as more technologically advanced and modern, making a trip to the country "a very cool thing to do," she said. WHAT TO EXPECT Tang Chengcai, a professor at the School of Tourism Sciences of Beijing International Studies University, said the New Year surge in inbound travel sends "a positive signal." However, experts believe that more effort is still needed in promotion strategies and refining tourism products. In 2025, lots of lesser-known cities saw their foreign visitor numbers multiply several times over. As their distinctive cultural and ecological appeal continues to unfold in 2026, these destinations are expected to create new opportunities for differentiated tourism scenarios and routes beyond traditional flagship attractions. Experts note that meeting the evolving expectations of inbound travelers requires transforming tourism offerings, especially in the group tour segment. According to Liu, traditional fast-paced sightseeing itineraries are increasingly falling short of meeting the diverse preferences of foreign visitors. For example, European and North American tourists often prefer culturally immersive, slower-paced journeys, while Southeast Asian travelers tend to value efficiency and streamlined itineraries. As a result, tour operators are being prompted to offer more targeted and tailored travel experiences. Meanwhile, micro-level experiences, including language services, payment convenience, transport connectivity and access to information, have become decisive factors shaping destination evaluations, directly influencing word-of-mouth reputations and repeat visits. Rural destinations, despite their rising popularity, still face challenges such as shortages of multilingual guides, limited cross-border payment options and underdeveloped tax refund services. Addressing these gaps will require continued improvements in infrastructure and the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent familiar with both local culture and foreign languages. Looking ahead, experts agree that sustained policy support remains essential. "Future policymaking should focus more on the consumption experience of inbound tourists. For example, facilitating international visitors' payments, digitizing language communication, and internationalizing service standards, among others, could help unlock greater potential in inbound spending," Tang suggested. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Photo: http://bank.gov.ua/ The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) has ordered the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) to launch a pretrial investigation into alleged abuse of office by the management of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) during the selection of an asset manager for the IDS Ukraine group of companies, the producer of Morshynska and Myrhorodska mineral water. According to the HACC ruling in case No. 911/13129/25, the court upheld a complaint filed by a lawyer from Asters Law Firm on behalf of New World Value Fund Limited regarding the inaction of authorized NABU officials, specifically their failure to enter information about a criminal offense into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations. An authorized NABU official was ordered to enter information into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations regarding the commission of a criminal offense, taking into account the distortion of the tender conditions and the creation of conditions for selecting a pre-determined entity as the asset manager of the IDS Ukraine group of companies, which may indicate the presence of a corruption component. "The ruling enters into legal force from the moment it is announced and is not subject to appeal," the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled. As reported, in the fall of 2022, pursuant to a court decision, ARMA received for management the corporate rights (in particular, of the Myrhorod and Morshyn plants), industrial designs, and trademarks of enterprises within the IDS Ukraine group. In April 2023, Carpathian Mineral Waters was selected as the asset manager of the Morshyn plant; however, the transfer of the asset into management never took place. In March 2025, ARMA announced the termination of the contract as unrealized. On November 28, 2025, ARMA announced a new competition to find an asset manager for the company. Companies with relevant experienceinvestment funds, distributors, and other market participants with appropriate expertisewere invited to participate. Applications were accepted through December 12, 2025. The competition conditions set by ARMA were criticized by a number of companies prepared to take part in the tender. Among them were LLC Geological Investment Group, LLC Verkhovtseve Oil Extraction Plant, and individual entrepreneur Vsevolod Omelianovych Bilas. Potential bidders noted that the tender requirements artificially restrict competition and effectively exclude most Ukrainian companies from participating in the management of the assets of Morshynska and Myrhorodska. Among such requirements, potential participants cited ARMA's demand that the bidder employ at least 15 narrowly specialized staff members (engineers, power engineers), whose higher education credentials must be recorded in the Unified State Electronic Database on Education. However, this database contains complete diploma data only for the period after 2000. In addition, a bidder must have "production of non-alcoholic beverages" as its primary business activity. This makes it impossible for professional asset management companies and consortia specializing in asset management to participate. Separately, it was noted that direct competitors of IDS Ukraine were allowed to participate in the competition, which is prohibited under the new Law "On ARMA," set to enter into force after January 30, 2026. The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) accepted a complaint from a number of potential bidders requesting the elimination of discriminatory requirements in the tender documentation for the competition to select a manager for the seized assets of the IDS Ukraine group. In September 2024, the Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit with the High Anti-Corruption Court seeking to recover IDS Ukraine's assets and other assets of Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, Andrey Kosogov, and Rissa Investments Limited in favor of the state. In particular, the claim concerns 100% of the shares of Myrhorod Mineral Water Plant PrJSC, Morshyn Mineral Water Plant "Oscar" PrJSC, Industrial and Distribution Systems (IDS) PrJSC, as well as a 100% stake in IDS Aqua Service LLC, Moshchnost LLC, IVA PE, and NOVA.COM SE, which are indirectly owned by Rissa Investments Limited. In October 2024, IDS Ukraine called on the Ministry of Justice to prohibit ARMA from taking actions to transfer part of the assets to a management company and to carry out nationalization under a scenario favorable to the state. According to the company's management, such a scenario is the least destructive way to seize assets subject to sanctions. At that time, the group estimated its share of Ukraine's bottled mineral and drinking water market at more than 40%, including a 27% share for the Morshynska brand. Veteran filmmaker Muzaffar Ali has donated a rare print of his 1986 film 'Anjuman' to the NFDC-National Film Archive of India. He emphasized the fragility of celluloid and the critical importance of preserving cinematic works for future generations. The film, which sensitively portrays the lives of women in Lucknow's chikankari craft, was an official selection at several international festivals. NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum stated this donation aligns with the government's National Film Heritage Mission to safeguard India's film legacy. Veteran filmmaker Muzaffar Ali donates a rare print of his film 'Anjuman' to the National Film Archive to preserve India's cinematic heritage. Mumbai, January 9 Veteran filmmaker Muzaffar Ali has donated a rare copy of his film 'Anjuman' to the NFDC-NFAI as part of ongoing efforts to preserve India's cinematic heritage. The print was formally handed over by Muzaffar Ali to Prakash Magdum, Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), in New Delhi.Anjuman was an official selection of the Indian Panorama in 1986 and was also part of the prestigious Vancouver Film Festival and Tehran Film Festival. The film was extensively shot in old Lucknow, with principal cinematography by Ishan Arya, read a press note. Ali said, "Anjuman was one of the steps that followed Gaman, Aagaman, and Umrao Jaan. I think the NFDC-NFAI's work under the National Film Heritage Mission is extremely valuable for the film world -- especially for filmmakers. The celluloid medium is very fragile. When the image starts fading, it is heartbreaking, because every frame is crafted with such care for colour and design. Losing that beauty to time is terrible. NFDC's work in the field of preservation and conservation is like a breath of fresh air. This isn't a business; it's about building bridges. Only the larger vision of a nation can make this happen." He added, "If I donate my film reels, I see a future -- not just for the film, but for the many hungry eyes who would like to experience the beauty of Anjuman. For me, Anjuman is an exquisitely coloured, crafted cinematic document, and losing it would be a terrible thing.Now it's a relief to see that these films can find a future -- that they can be restored by the NFDC-National Film Archive of India. The least I could do was to work with the Archive and offer my print." Prakash Magdum said that it is very important to preserve the country's cinematic heritage for future generations and the National Film Heritage Mission of the Government of India, implemented by NFDC-NFAI is a major step towards that direction. Notably, lead actress Shabana Azmi sang her own playback songs for the film under the music direction of Khayyam, with lyrics by Shahryar and the late Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The film sensitively portrays the lives of women engaged in the chikankari craft of Lucknow and highlights the socio-economic exploitation faced by artisans despite the finesse of their work. - ANI Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended warm birthday wishes to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, praising his distinguished service. Jaishankar, a career diplomat turned politician, has served as India's Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to key nations like the US and China. His diplomatic career, spanning over four decades, includes playing a crucial role in the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal. Born into a family with a strong strategic tradition, he is the first former foreign secretary to become the country's External Affairs Minister. PM Modi lauds EAM Jaishankar's pivotal role in strengthening India's global ties on his birthday, highlighting a career spanning four decades. New Delhi, Jan 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended warm birthday wishes to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, lauding his distinguished service to the nation and his pivotal role in strengthening India's foreign policy and relations with countries across the world. Taking to the social media platform 'X', Prime Minister Modi said, "Best wishes to Dr. S. Jaishankar Ji on his birthday. He has served the nation as a distinguished diplomat and is now playing a key role in strengthening India's foreign policy and ties with the world. Praying for his long and healthy life." Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, born on January 9, 1955, in New Delhi, is an Indian politician and senior leader of the BJP. He has been serving as India's External Affairs Minister since 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the most experienced diplomats to enter active politics. Notably, he is the first Indian career diplomat and former foreign secretary to be appointed as the country's external affairs minister. Before transitioning into politics, Jaishankar had a long and illustrious diplomatic career spanning more than four decades. He served as India's Foreign Secretary, the highest bureaucratic position in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), from 2015 to 2018. Before that, he held several key diplomatic assignments, including serving as India's Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013 and to the United States from 2013 to 2015. Jaishankar was born into a Tamil family known for its strong intellectual and strategic traditions. His father, Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam, was a highly respected bureaucrat, strategic affairs analyst, and commentator who played a crucial role in shaping India's defence and nuclear policies. Growing up in such an environment, Jaishankar developed an early interest in international relations and strategic affairs. He completed his schooling in New Delhi and Bengaluru and went on to graduate from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. He later earned a Master's degree in Political Science, followed by an M.Phil. and a PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His academic specialisation was nuclear diplomacy, an area that would later define much of his professional work. He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1977. Jaishankar began his diplomatic career in Moscow in 1978, where he gained fluency in Russian -- an asset that has significantly contributed to strengthening India-Russia ties over the years. From 1979 to 2006, he held several important postings abroad and within the MEA, gaining deep familiarity with India's diplomatic framework and global engagements. His overseas assignments included postings in Moscow; Washington, DC.; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Budapest; and Tokyo. In addition to his diplomatic postings, Jaishankar also served as press secretary and speechwriter to former President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma, further enhancing his understanding of governance, public communication, and statecraft. Jaishankar returned to India in 2004 and was appointed head of the Americas Division in the MEA. During this period, he played a key role in negotiations that led to the announcement of the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal in 2005. The agreement marked a turning point in India's global standing by enabling civil nuclear cooperation with the international community. From 2007 to 2009, he served as India's High Commissioner to Singapore, strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in trade, education, and regional security. In 2009, he was appointed India's Ambassador to China, a position he held until 2013, making him the longest-serving Indian envoy to Beijing. His tenure coincided with a critical phase in India-China relations, marked by efforts to stabilise ties amid persistent border tensions. In 2012, when China issued passports depicting Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory, the Indian Embassy in Beijing, under Jaishankar's leadership, responded firmly by issuing visas to Chinese nationals with maps showing the regions as part of India. The move was widely seen as a strong diplomatic assertion of India's territorial claims. In 2013, Jaishankar took charge as India's Ambassador to the United States at a time when bilateral relations were strained due to the arrest of a senior Indian diplomat in New York on charges of visa fraud. He engaged with senior American officials and played a key role in resolving the issue, helping restore trust between the two countries. Jaishankar has often noted that while India-US relations are friendly, they require constant engagement and careful management. On January 28, 2015, following a meeting of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi, Jaishankar was appointed India's Foreign Secretary. He replaced Sujatha Singh, whose tenure was curtailed by nearly eight months. As foreign secretary, Jaishankar prioritised strengthening ties with neighbouring countries and enhancing engagement with East and Southeast Asia. He also coordinated India's swift humanitarian response to the devastating Nepal earthquake in April 2015, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives. After retiring from the IFS in 2018, Jaishankar briefly worked in the private sector. Though he had not initially planned to enter politics, he was invited by Prime Minister Modi to join the Union Cabinet. In May 2019, he was appointed External Affairs Minister in the Modi government's second term and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat as a BJP candidate in July 2019. As external affairs minister, Jaishankar navigated India's diplomacy through a period of unprecedented global challenges. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he led India's 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, under which India supplied domestically produced vaccines to more than 75 countries. He also oversaw the 'Vande Bharat Mission', one of the world's largest repatriation efforts, which facilitated the return of hundreds of thousands of stranded Indian citizens from across the globe. Jaishankar played a crucial role in strengthening India's strategic partnerships with countries such as the United States, Russia, and Japan, and with multilateral groupings, including the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). His approach emphasised India's growing role as a responsible global power. Reappointed as the EAM in June 2024 in Prime Minister Modi's third cabinet, Jaishankar continues to play a central role in shaping India's foreign policy. Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, India renewed its accusations against Pakistan over cross-border terrorism, leading to a further deterioration in bilateral relations. With more than three decades of diplomatic experience, fluency in multiple languages, and deep expertise in global affairs, S. Jaishankar remains a key architect of India's contemporary foreign policy and an influential voice on the global stage. - IANS In an interview with The New York Times, President Donald Trump stated that international law is not a necessary constraint, with only his own mind and morality limiting his actions. He expressed confidence that Chinese President Xi Jinping would not take action against Taiwan while he remains in the White House. Trump also framed a hypothetical choice between preserving NATO and obtaining Greenland, emphasizing the psychological importance of territorial ownership. Additionally, he claimed credit for European security, stating Russia would have taken all of Ukraine if not for him. US President Donald Trump tells NYT his own mind is the only limit to his power, comments on China-Taiwan, NATO, and Greenland ownership. Washington DC, January 9 US President Donald Trump, in an interview to The New York Times brushed aside international law. He spoke about NATO and Greenland, with an emphasis on ownership, while also hinting that China would not take any steps against Taiwan, till Trump was in office. When asked by the New York Times if there were any limits to his global power, the US President said that it is only his mind that can stop him. "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me. I don't need international law," he said, while emphasising, "I'm not looking to hurt people." When pushed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Trump told the New York Times, "I do." It reported that Trump made clear he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the US. "It depends what your definition of international law is," he said. On the issue of China and Taiwan, when asked that Xi Jinping regarded Taiwan as a separatist threat to China, Trump told the New York Times, "That's up to him, what he's going to be doing. But, you know, I've expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don't think he'll do that. I hope he doesn't." On the recent developments between China and Taiwan a the threat to choke off Taiwan, Trump said that the Chinese President would not take such steps while he is in office. "He may do it after we have a different president, but I don't think he's going to do it with me as president," Trump said. On being asked which was his higher priority- preservation of NATO or obtaining Greenland, Trump declined to answer directly, but acknowledged "it may be a choice." "Ownership is very important," he said. When why he needed to possess the territory, Trump told New York Times, "Because that's what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can't do with, you're talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can't get from just signing a document." Speaking about Europe, he said, "I think we'll always get along with Europe, but I want them to shape up. I'm the one that got them to spend more on the, you know, more GDP on NATO. But if you look at NATO, Russia, I can tell you is not at all concerned with any other country but us. I've been very loyal to Europe. I've done a good job. If it weren't for me, Russia would have all of Ukraine right now." Earlier on Thursday, US VP JD Vance said that the European leaders should take President Trump seriously on Greenland, seeing how "hostile adversaries" are showing interest in the region. Calling it important not only for American missile defence, but also the world missile defence, Vance said that Europe should take its security more seriously, otherwise the US would have to "do something about it". - ANI External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, conveying Prime Minister Modi's greetings and discussing contemporary global challenges. The leaders underscored the strength of the long-standing India-France strategic partnership across defence, space, and clean energy. Jaishankar also addressed the French Ambassadors' Conference, highlighting global shifts in trade, technology, and energy. Furthermore, he participated in the inaugural India-Weimar format meeting with European counterparts, signaling a new avenue for structured dialogue. EAM Jaishankar meets French President Macron, discusses global shifts & strategic autonomy. Read about the India-France partnership's role. New Delhi/Paris, Jan 9 External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, reaffirming the strength of the India-France strategic partnership and exchanging views on contemporary global developments at a time of significant geopolitical and economic transition. During his interaction with President Macron, the External Affairs Minister conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed evolving global challenges, including shifting power balances, regional security concerns, and the need for closer strategic coordination between like-minded partners. Taking to social media platform X, EAM Jaishankar wrote, "Delighted to call on President @EmmanuelMacron of France today and convey warm wishes of PM @narendramodi. Deeply appreciate his perspectives on contemporary global developments and positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership." India and France share a long-standing strategic partnership spanning defence, space, civil nuclear cooperation, clean energy, and the Indo-Pacific. Officials on both sides have repeatedly highlighted the relationship as a stabilising factor in an increasingly multipolar world, with Paris and New Delhi advocating strategic autonomy and rules-based international engagement. In Paris, Jaishankar also addressed the Ambassadors' Conference of France, where he spoke on the profound changes reshaping global politics and economics. He underlined how trade, finance, technology, energy, resources, and connectivity are driving contemporary global shifts, while stressing that changes in mindset among nations have become a decisive factor in responding to these transformations. He highlighted the India-France partnership as an important pillar in promoting multipolarity and strategic autonomy. Earlier on Wednesday, Jaishankar participated in the first India-Weimar format meeting in Paris, alongside Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The meeting marked India's inaugural engagement in the Weimar format, signalling a new avenue for structured dialogue with key European powers. "We have been witnessing for quite some years now that churn in the Indo-Pacific. Europe is going through its own challenging circumstances, many of which have strategic implications. But beyond that, there have also been overarching developments that could redefine the global order itself. We may be located in different parts of the world, but despite that, perhaps even because of that, it is extremely useful for us to exchange views regularly and to share assessments," Jaishankar said during the meeting. Jaishankar also mentioned, "France is amongst our oldest strategic partners, the first in Europe, and I believe that our continuous conversation is an important part of nurturing that relationship." - IANS US becomes top market over China South Korea's cosmetics exports reached a historic high of $11.43 billion in 2025, marking a 12.3% annual increase. The United States surpassed China as the number one destination for K-beauty products for the first time, with exports to China declining significantly. The market diversification is notable, with shipments now reaching 202 countries and strong growth in regions like Europe and the Middle East. First Lady Kim Hea Kyung recently promoted the industry in Shanghai, highlighting its responsiveness to consumer demand. South Korean cosmetics exports reached a historic $11.43 billion in 2025, with the US surpassing China as the top market for the first time. Seoul, Jan 9 South Korea's cosmetics exports hit a record high last year, driven by the global popularity of Korean culture and the country's efforts to diversify export markets, data showed on Friday. Outbound shipments of Korean beauty products rose 12.3 percent from a year earlier to a record US$11.43 billion in 2025, according to the data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, reports Yonhap news agency. By country, exports to the United States rose 15.1 per cent on-year to $2.19 billion in 2025, while shipments to China fell 19.2 percent to $2.01 billion. Exports to the U.S. have been on a steady rise, making it the No. 1 destination for South Korean cosmetics for the first time ever last year. Shipments to Japan increased 5 percent to $1.09 billion in 2025, and those to Hong Kong jumped 21.6 percent to $705 million. The number of countries importing South Korean cosmetics reached 202 in 2025, up from 172 in 2024. Shipments to Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia and Latin America continued to grow, while the shares going to the U.S. and China have declined, the ministry said. By product category, skin care products, such as moisturizers, rose 11.6 percent on-year to $8.54 billion. Color cosmetics shipments climbed 12 percent to $1.51 billion, while body cleansing products jumped 27.3 percent to $590 million. Fragrance exports surged 46.2 percent to $60 million in 2025, the data showed. Meanwhile, First lady Kim Hea Kyung visited a Korean beauty event in Shanghai this week in a show of support for South Korean cosmetic companies' bid to expand exports to the Chinese market, Cheong Wa Dae said. Kim attended K-Beauty GLOW WEEK in Shanghai at the Fosun Foundation Art Center while accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his visit to China, as she sought to promote Korean culture to help enhance ties between the two nations. She toured pop-up stores showcasing new Korean beauty products, sampled items and watched Chinese influencers livestream from the booths. She also took part in impromptu interviews with some influencers, vice presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing. Asked about what makes Korean beauty products so popular, Kim said, "Korean cosmetics offer a wide range of choices depending on skin type and season, and they reflect consumer demand very quickly." - IANS A private bus carrying over 50 passengers skidded off a mountain road and plunged into a deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, killing at least eight people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced financial assistance for the families of the deceased and the injured. Leaders across parties, including Priyanka Gandhi and J.P. Nadda, expressed profound grief and called for all possible aid to the victims. Rescue operations were challenging due to the remote, mountainous terrain, with local residents assisting authorities. PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other leaders offer condolences after a bus plunges into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur, killing at least eight. New Delhi, Jan 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, and others on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in a tragic road accident in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, where a private bus skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in a remote mountainous area. "The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured," PM Modi said in a post on X. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each. Terming the incident extremely heartbreaking, Union Minister J.P. Nadda said he had asked BJP state president Rajeev Bindal and Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur to closely monitor the relief and rescue operations. "Hundreds of BJP workers are engaged at the spot to assist the injured. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray to God to give them strength to endure this difficult time," he said in a post on X. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed grief over the tragedy. "The news of the deaths of several people due to a passenger bus falling into a gorge in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely heartbreaking. May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," she said, appealing to the state government and Congress colleagues to extend all possible assistance to the victims. At least eight people were killed and several others injured when the bus, carrying over 50 passengers, met with the accident near Haripurdhar on Friday. Officials said the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue. According to the police, the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. The bus was travelling from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh when it reportedly lost control while descending a steep gradient. Most of the injured, many of them local residents, were rushed to the government hospital in Haripurdhar. The district administration faced considerable difficulty in extricating victims from the badly mangled vehicle, while local residents began rescue efforts even before authorities reached the spot. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed district authorities to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and ensure the best medical care for the injured. He prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, in a post on X, termed the incident "extremely distressing" and extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, praying for the swift recovery of those injured. - IANS Now a hub for electronics, IT & startups UP aims for $1 trillion economy by 2030 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow, built in a record 18 months. He declared that the hallmarks of the new Uttar Pradesh are "Fearless Business", "Ease of Doing Business", and "Trust of Doing Business". The Chief Minister contrasted the state's current investment boom and revenue-surplus status with the pre-2017 era of lawlessness and investor flight. He outlined ambitious economic goals, including becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2029-30, backed by massive infrastructure and a pipeline of investment projects. CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates EV plant, declares UP's transformation from unrest to a revenue-surplus, investment-friendly state with Rs 45 lakh crore proposals. Lucknow, Jan 9 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alongside Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, inaugurated an Indian automobile manufacturing firm's state-of-the-art electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow on Friday. The facility, dedicated to the nation in a record time of just 18 months, is a clear evidence of Uttar Pradesh's rapid industrial transformation under the double-engine government at the state and the Centre. The dignitaries visited the modern plant and planted 'Sindoor' (vermilion) and Rudraksha saplings on the premises, marking a blend of tradition and progress. Congratulating the firm's Chairman for their investment, CM Yogi Adityanath expressed deep gratitude for their faith in Uttar Pradesh's governance. The hallmarks of the new Uttar Pradesh are "Fearless Business", "Ease of Doing Business", and "Trust of Doing Business", the Chief Minister said. He described the project as highly significant, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of sustainable industrial growth and environmental protection. Recalling the pre-2017 era, the Chief Minister said Uttar Pradesh was once plagued by lawlessness, where investors fled and the state faced an identity crisis. "Before 2017, it was a state of unrest; today, it is a state of celebration," the Chief Minister declared. "No longer labeled a BIMARU state, Uttar Pradesh has become revenue-surplus through clear intent, decisive governance, and a strong vision." "Investors were steadily withdrawing, and the state struggled with unrest," he noted. However, since 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government has reaffirmed Uttar Pradesh as a land of unlimited potential. Today, the Chief Minister said, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a state that converts vast opportunities into tangible results. The past eight-and-a-half years stand as clear evidence of this remarkable change, he added. "The new plant currently has an annual capacity of 2,500 units, with plans to scale up to 5,000 in phases." It will generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities for the state's youth, the Chief Minister said. CM Yogi Adityanath highlighted that the facility reflects the national commitment to combating climate change through electric mobility. Investments, he added, are now flowing into all 75 districts. "Uttar Pradesh boasts exceptional infrastructure, with 55 per cent of India's expressways, metro services in the highest number of cities, the country's largest rail network, two dedicated freight corridors, logistics terminals, the first rapid rail, and operational inland waterways." "With 34 sector-specific policies in place, investors can contribute across any sector." The state has received investment proposals worth Rs 45 lakh crore over the past eight to nine years, CM Yogi Adityanath added. "Projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore have seen ground-breaking, another Rs 6 lakh crore is scheduled for next month, and Rs 5 lakh crore more are in the pipeline. Contributing 9.5 per cent to India's GDP, Uttar Pradesh's GSDP is projected to reach Rs 36 lakh crore by the end of the current financial year." "The state aims to become a $1 trillion economy by 2029-30, supporting the national goal of a $5 trillion economy by 2027." Uttar Pradesh has rapidly become a global hub for electronics and IT, accounting for 55 per cent of India's mobile phone manufacturing and 60 per cent of electronic goods production. It excels in ease of doing business and thrives in sectors like MSMEs, AI (artificial intelligence), semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics, electric vehicles, agritech, fintech, deeptech, healthtech, tourism, hospitality, defence manufacturing, and sports. The state hosts more than 18,000 startups, backed by 76 incubators, seven Centres of Excellence, and eight unicorns. The manufacturing firm plant was established under the state's FDI and Fortune 500 policy. Prior to 2017, foreign direct investment was negligible, but proactive measures have attracted global players. The MoU was signed in September 2023, land allotted in January 2024, and the world-class facility commissioned in 18 months-a testament to fast-track approvals and robust governance. Platforms like Nivesh Mitra, Nivesh Sarathi, and Udyami Mitra ensure seamless coordination and investor support. In 2024, Uttar Pradesh captured 19 per cent of India's electric vehicle market and benefited significantly from FAME I and FAME II schemes, with 700 electric buses in operation. The plant will produce 17-18 seater electric vehicles priced at around Rs 15 lakh, ideal for school transport and inter-city connectivity, boosted by the state's Electric Vehicle Policy. - IANS A fire erupted at the Gangasagar Mela ground on Sagar Island, completely burning several temporary shanties and tents housing pilgrims. The blaze, fueled by strong winds and highly inflammable cane grass construction, spread rapidly but was brought under control after hours of firefighting. Officials noted the fortunate timing, as a thinner-than-peak crowd prevented potential casualties, with a short-circuit suspected as the cause. Investigations are ongoing while fire personnel remain alert for hidden fire pockets. A fire gutted temporary shelters at West Bengal's Gangasagar Mela. Strong winds and inflammable materials hampered firefighters. No casualties reported. Kolkata, Jan 9 A fire broke out at the Gangasagar Mela ground on Friday, gutting several temporary shelters on Sagardwip island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, officials said. The annual Gangasagar Mela began on Friday, and the fire broke out in the early hours. Several temporary shanties and tents set up for housing pilgrims visiting the Sagar Islands during the auspicious occasion were burnt completely. However, fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far because of the fire mishap. According to the district police sources, the fire broke out early in the morning at one of the shanties built from cane grass, which is highly inflammable in nature. And, because of the strong winds, the fire spread quickly to other adjacent temporary shanties and tents set up as shelters for the pilgrims and visitors. The fire tenders reached the spot quickly and started firefighting. However, the high wind speed and the inflammable nature of the materials with which the shanties were constructed posed difficulties for the fire officers and firemen to extinguish the fire quickly. The fire created panic among the people who had already arrived at the Mela ground. After rigorous firefighting for a couple of hours, the fire was brought under control, and the cooling process started. "The fire officers and firemen deputed at the spot are still alert over the possibilities of hidden fire-pockets," confirmed a district police official. He also said that, fortunately, the fire broke out at a time when the turnout at the Mela ground was not as much as it is expected to be. Had the crowd at the ground been at its peak, casualties could not be ruled out, the district police official said. Besides the shanties constructed to house the pilgrims and the visitors, the temporary camps of the state information and culture department, police, media enclosure, and the camp of Bajrang Dal were affected by the fire. A short-circuit could be the reason behind the fire, according to state fire services department officials. Further investigation was underway. - IANS French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed he will visit India in February for the AI Impact Summit, following up on the AI Action Summit he co-chaired with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris. The summit, scheduled for February 19-20 in New Delhi, will be the first major global AI conference hosted in the Global South. Ahead of the event, PM Modi met with Indian AI startups, urging them to develop ethical, transparent, and globally competitive AI models. The visit underscores the strong strategic partnership between India and France, which spans defence, space, and clean energy. French President Macron to visit India in February for the AI Impact Summit, following up on co-chaired talks with PM Modi on global AI governance. New Delhi, Jan 9 French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed to visit India for the AI Impact Summit to be held in February. He said this while addressing the Diplomatic Corps, where he also talked about the successes of French diplomacy in 2025. "Let's finally look at what we have managed to achieve together, the successes of French diplomacy last year- the Artificial Intelligence summit. The whole world came to Paris. We made progress on this, and we co-chaired it with Prime Minister Modi, and next month, I'll be in India to follow up," said Macron. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, earlier during a meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, had also mentioned that India would be expecting President Macron soon. The two countries are active in the international arena, they are committed to multipolarity, and their working together is important not only for the bilateral relationship but also for stabilising global politics. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, reaffirming the strength of the India-France strategic partnership and exchanging views on contemporary global developments at a time of significant geopolitical and economic transition. "Delighted to call on President @EmmanuelMacron of France today and convey warm wishes of PM @narendramodi. Deeply appreciate his perspectives on contemporary global developments and positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership," EAM Jaishankar wrote in a post on social media platform X. India and France share a long-standing strategic partnership spanning defence, space, civil nuclear cooperation, clean energy, and the Indo-Pacific. The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit and is scheduled for February 19-20 in New Delhi. It will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South. Ahead of the Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a roundtable with Indian AI startups at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. The Prime Minister exhorted India's AI startups to ensure that their models are ethical, unbiased, transparent, and based on data privacy principles. He also urged them to work towards global leadership from India, as the country can promote affordable and inclusive AI, as well as frugal innovation globally. PM Modi highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence in bringing about transformation in society. - IANS Chandan Kumar from Hazaribagh has been selected for the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi. He will present his vision for a self-reliant India in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His remarkable journey includes helping at his father's bicycle repair shop while pursuing engineering, symbolizing determination and humility. Chandan's family expresses immense pride, viewing his achievement as a testament to hard work and perseverance. Chandan Kumar, selected for Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, will present his ideas on Aatmanirbhar Bharat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Hazaribagh, Jan 9 Hazaribagh is set to beam with pride as Chandan Kumar, a bright student from the Kora locality, is getting ready to share his vision for Viksit Bharat 2047 in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chandan has been selected for the prestigious Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, to be held from January 9 to 12 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. During the national-level event, Chandan will share his ideas on Aatmanirbhar Bharat, representing not only Hazaribagh but the entire state of Jharkhand on a platform to be attended by the country's top policymakers and thought leaders. His upcoming participation is being seen as a strong and inspiring voice from Jharkhand at the national stage. Chandan Kumar's journey has been quite remarkable. A meritorious student, Chandan once helped his father at a small bicycle repair shop, fixing punctures to support the family. He has now completed his engineering degree from Vinoba Bhave University and is currently undergoing training at NTPC. His selection for the Young Leaders Dialogue came after a rigorous multi-stage process, making the achievement even more significant. Expressing pride and gratitude, Chandan said it feels like a dream come true to present his vision in front of the Prime Minister. He thanked PM Narendra Modi for creating a national platform that gives young minds the opportunity to contribute to the country's future. Chandan's chosen theme is "Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Make in India, Make for the World." He believes that self-reliance is not just about manufacturing products but about creating high-quality goods that meet global standards and demand. "What matters is not just what we produce, but the quality and global relevance of our products. That is how India can truly become self-reliant," he said. He also highlighted that ideas shared during the dialogue are compiled and considered while framing government policies, making it a major achievement for any student. The achievement has filled Chandan's family with immense pride. Bablu Kumar, Chandan's father, who runs a bicycle repair shop despite being a graduate himself, was emotional while speaking about his son's success. He said that the family struggled with poverty to educate their children. Chandan's sister was also honoured at Bharat Mandapam last year, making it a moment of double pride for the family. "This bicycle shop brought us here," his father said, crediting hard work and perseverance. Chandan continues to help his father at the shop whenever possible. His sister, Payal Kumari, expressed her happiness, saying that seeing her brother speak on the nation's biggest platform will be a matter of immense joy and pride. According to information, a total of 30 students from across Jharkhand have been selected for the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026. They all will present ideas on various subjects. Among them, Chandan Kumar's journey stands out as a symbol of determination, humility, and hope. - IANS Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has announced that the country will initiate an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC), a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, as well as appropriate measures within the EU, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE following the Russian strike with intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Friday night. Russia claims it used an intermediate range ballistic missile, so-called Oreshnik, against Lviv region. Such a strike close to EU and NATO border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russias reckless actions. We are informing the United States, European partners, and all countries and international organizations about the details of this dangerous strike through diplomatic channels, he said on X. Sybiha called Russias justification of the IRBM strike as a response to the fake "attack on Putins residence" "absurd." It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake Putin residence attack that never happened. Another proof that Moscow does not need any real reasons for its terror and war. Putin uses an IRBM near EU and NATO border in response to his own hallucinations this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses. There needs to be more strong steps against Russian tanker fleetand the U.S. is right to take action hereas well as Russias oil revenues, schemes, and its assets. Not only in the EU but across the world, the minister noted. Ukraine calls on all responsible states and international organizations to expose Russias lies and immediately increase pressure on the aggressor. We will be initiating international action an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council, as well as responses within the EU, Council of Europe, and OSCE, the minister emphasized. German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann stated that German businesses are eagerly anticipating a Free Trade Agreement with India, calling it a potential "game-changer." His comments come ahead of the official visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to India on January 12-13. The visit, occurring just before an EU-India summit, is a clear signal of Germany's commitment to securing a strong FTA. Discussions during the visit will focus on strengthening the strategic partnership across trade, defence, technology, and education. German Ambassador says businesses eagerly await a "game-changer" Free Trade Agreement as Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits India to strengthen strategic ties. New Delhi, January 9 German businesses are eagerly looking forward to having this Free Trade Agreement, and India is a key partner for Germany, said Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, while speaking toon Friday. This statement precedes the official visit of the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, to India on January 12 and 13. Ackermann noted that the timing of the Chancellor's visit, occurring two weeks before the EU-India summit, signals German hopes for a successful FTA. "We feel that an FTA is a game-changer in our trade and industrial relations. German business is eagerly looking forward to having this FTA, and the Chancellor will certainly make that point. His (German Chancellor) visit, being two weeks ahead of the EU-India summit, is also a clear signal to the Indian side how much my country is really hoping for a good FTA, and the Chancellor will make that point," he said. The partnership also extends to higher education and research. Ackermann noted that 60,000 students of Indian origin currently study in Germany. He described German universities as very satisfied with these students, who maintain a reputation for commitment and hard work. The Ambassador noted that this reflects the strong character of the bilateral partnership in education. Bilateral relations between the two countries currently stand at an all-time high. "India is a key partner for Germany. This strategic partnership has grown over the years. India is also a very important partner in defence," Ackermann said. "Our partnership was never as good as it is now. I am very happy to see how strong the partnership is, how strong the attention in Germany toward India is, and how strong the friendship in India toward Germany is." He expressed satisfaction with the mutual attention and friendship between the nations, but added that a strong partnership can "always be stronger and better." The upcoming visit aims to lead to a renewed effort to strengthen these ties further. According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr. Friedrich Merz, will pay an official visit to India on 12-13 January 2026. This will be Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India. On the visit, he will be travelling to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. The two leaders are expected to take stock of the progress made in diverse aspects of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year. The discussions are also expected to focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people relations. - ANI German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will undertake a two-day official visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders will hold talks in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, reviewing the 25-year-old India-Germany Strategic Partnership. Discussions will aim to intensify cooperation in trade, technology, defence, and sustainable development. The visit follows prior meetings between the two leaders at the G20 and G7 summits. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits India for bilateral talks with PM Narendra Modi, focusing on trade, defence, and the 25-year strategic partnership. New Delhi, Jan 9 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be on two day official visit to India, beginning January 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Merz is scheduled to hold talks with PM Modi in Ahmedabad, and both leaders will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to the statement released by the Prime Minister's Office. This will be Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India. In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office stated, "The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties." The two leaders will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, as well as engage with business and industry leaders of India and Germany. Ahead of Chancellor Merz's visit, German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday, discussing bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. "German Ambassador Dr Philipp Ackermann called on Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh today. The Ambassador conveyed new year greetings to the Defence Secretary on behalf of the German side. They also discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment," Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, posted on X. In November last year, PM Modi met German Chancellor Merz on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa. PM Modi described the relationship between India and Germany as strong and expanding across key sectors, including trade, technology and innovation. The Prime Minister had shared details of the interaction in a brief post on X, in which he underlined the growing strategic and economic engagement between the two countries. "It was wonderful to meet German Chancellor, Mr Friedrich Merz. India's ties with Germany are robust, especially in areas such as trade, technology, innovation and more," PM Modi had written on X. PM Modi and Friedrich Merz had also met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June last year. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Chancellor Merz assumed office in May 2025. Germany is one of India's largest trading partners in the European Union and a leading source of investment, engineering expertise and advanced technology. - IANS German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will undertake an official visit to India on January 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders will review the 25-year-old India-Germany Strategic Partnership and discuss intensifying cooperation in trade, technology, defence, and green development. Their agenda includes a visit to Sabarmati Ashram, the International Kite Festival, and bilateral meetings in Gandhinagar. The visit aims to build momentum ahead of the India-EU Summit and reaffirm a forward-looking partnership. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits India Jan 12-13 for talks with PM Modi on trade, defence, and green development, reviewing the Strategic Partnership. New Delhi, January 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz on January 12 in Ahmedabad, an official statement by the Prime Minister's Office said. Merz will be on an official visit to India on January 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. This will be Merz's first official visit to India. At around 9:30 AM on January 12, the two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and at around 10 AM, they will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements 11:15 AM onwards at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, as per the statement. The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties. Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, and engage with business and industry leaders of the two countries. 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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the spiritual and civilizational significance of Somnath Dham ahead of his scheduled visit on January 11. He described the temple as a centuries-old source of faith, courage, and self-respect for Indians. The visit is part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, marking 1000 years since the first major attack on the temple in 1026. Modi emphasized that historical assaults failed to weaken faith and instead strengthened India's cultural unity. Ahead of his visit, PM Modi reflects on Somnath Dham's 1000-year history, its role in awakening consciousness, and India's cultural resilience. New Delhi, Jan 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the spiritual, cultural, and civilisational significance of Somnath Dham, describing it as a timeless source of faith, courage, and self-respect for generations of Indians. Ahead of his scheduled visit to the historic Somnath Temple on January 11, the Prime Minister shared a reflective message on the social media platform X, underscoring the enduring legacy of the sacred site. In his post, PM Modi emphasised that Somnath Dham has played a vital role in awakening the collective consciousness of people for centuries, serving as a symbol of unwavering faith and inner strength. "The grand legacy of the sacred and pure Somnath Dham has been awakening the consciousness of people for centuries. The divine energy emanating from here will continue to illuminate the lamp of faith, courage, and self-respect for ages to come," the Prime Minister wrote. PM Modi also shared a Sanskrit shloka reflecting the spiritual essence of Somnath and its association with Lord Shiva. The verse highlights Somnath as a sacred and supremely powerful region where spiritual perfection and liberation are attained. "Lord Shiva, in his form as Adinath, for the welfare of all beings, manifested this sacred and supremely powerful region (Prabhas Khanda) through his eternal principle. Bathed in divine radiance, this holy place is where humans attain spiritual perfection, virtue, and liberation moksha," the verse means (loosely translated from Sanskrit). Earlier on Thursday, ahead of his scheduled visit to Somnath on January 11 to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared memories from his earlier visits to the Somnath Temple, highlighting the resilience of faith despite repeated historical attacks on the shrine. In a post on the social media platform 'X', the Prime Minister said that the assault on the Somnath Temple in January 1026, followed by several subsequent attacks, failed to weaken the spiritual resolve of the people. "The Somnath Swabhiman Parv is commencing auspiciously from today. A thousand years ago, in January 1026, the Somnath Temple endured the first attack in its history. The attack of the year 1026 and the numerous assaults that followed thereafter could not shake our eternal faith. On the contrary, these strengthened the sentiment of India's cultural unity, and the Somnath Temple was repeatedly revived and rebuilt. I am sharing some pictures from my previous visits to Somnath. If you have also been to Somnath, please do share your pictures with #SomnathSwabhimanParv," PM Modi wrote. The Somnath Swabhiman Parv is being organised to mark 1,000 years since the first major attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026, and celebrates the enduring spirit of the sacred shrine and India's cultural resilience, as the temple was rebuilt repeatedly after multiple destructions by invaders over the centuries. - IANS Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the 20th Grand Property Show-Olympiad organized by CREDAI Ahmedabad-GIHED at GMDC Ground. He linked the event to the historic Somnath Swabhiman Parv, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for India's global stature and people-centric policies like housing schemes. Patel projected rapid growth for Ahmedabad over the next decade, driven by property, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. He emphasized that development must go hand-in-hand with environmental protection to achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat. CM Bhupendra Patel inaugurates 20th Grand Property Show, highlights Ahmedabad's growth and PM Modi's vision for Viksit Gujarat and Viksit Bharat. Gandhinagar, January 9 Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday inaugurated the 20th Grand Property Show-Olympiad of CREDAI Ahmedabad-GIHED. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also launched the film "Aa Ahmedabadno Dasko Che" and watched the film. The event was also attended by the Cabinet Minister for the Forest and Environment Department, Arjun Modhwadia. While inaugurating the Property Show at the GMDC Ground in Ahmedabad, to be held from January 9 to 11, 2026, the Chief Minister said the day is historic for both the state and the nation. He noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Somnath Swabhiman Parv has begun, symbolising India's enduring faith, culture and pride. He said that the Somnath Temple is not just a religious site but a symbol of India's self-confidence and self-respect. Despite repeated attempts in history to weaken the nation's culture, India has always risen stronger and made its mark globally. He added that India's proud progress on the world stage today is due to the Prime Minister's strong and visionary leadership. He further said that the Prime Minister emphasised protecting heritage alongside development. While temples are centres of faith and devotion, the true strength of our culture lies in maintaining continuity, integrity and resolve in all areas of life. Individuals and institutions that uphold these values overcome challenges and continue to progress. The Chief Minister said that after assuming responsibility for the service, the Prime Minister approved the scheme for permanent housing for the poor and the general public at the very first cabinet meeting, an excellent example of his sensitive, people-centric leadership. Today, housing equipped with modern amenities has made life for the average citizen more comfortable and prosperous. Regarding Ahmedabad's development, the Chief Minister said the city will experience rapid growth over the next decade. Progress in the property, infrastructure and industrial sectors will further strengthen the state's economy. He added that the government is proud of the fast-paced development of Ahmedabad and Gujarat. On environmental protection, the Chief Minister said that to address challenges such as global warming, measures including rainwater harvesting, groundwater conservation, and energy conservation must be implemented immediately. Development, along with environmental protection, is the path towards Viksit Bharat. The Chief Minister said that, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Viksit Gujarat plays a key role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat, and the state government is working with full commitment towards this goal. The event was attended by Mayor Pratibhaben Jain, CREDAI National President; Shekhar Patel and Alapbhai Patel, office bearers of GIHED; industrialists from the real estate sector; developers; investors; and a large number of city residents. - ANI The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to hold elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies by April 30, rejecting its plea for a six-month postponement. The government had sought more time citing extensive damage from recent monsoon calamities, with losses exceeding Rs 10,000 crore, which it argued hampered administrative capacity. The court ordered all preparatory formalities to be finalized by February 28, while considering logistical issues like school exams in March. The opposition had accused the ruling government of delaying polls due to fear of electoral defeat. Himachal Pradesh High Court rejects state's plea to delay local body polls, orders elections by April 30 despite govt citing monsoon disaster damage. Shimla, Jan 9 In a setback to the Himachal government, the High Court on Friday rejected its plea for more time due to the ongoing rebuilding work after recent natural calamities, and directed it to conduct elections for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies by April 30. Disposing a petition that challenged the government's decision to postpone the polls for six months, a Division Bench of Justices Vivek Thakur and Romesh Verma asked the State Election Commission and the government to finalise all preparatory formalities relating to the polls by February 28. However, the government had argued that "extensive damage to private and public property" during the recent monsoon, which saw losses exceeding Rs 10,000 crore in the state, rendered the administrative machinery unable to hold polls. In October, the government had directed the State Election Commission to stall the process "until things improve on the ground", citing blocked rural roads and logistical hurdles. During hearings, the Bench noted logistic hassles owing to school Board examinations in March and the National Census in May. The Bench issued the directive while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Mandeep Chandel challenging the proposed postponement of the elections. The state government, citing extensive damage caused by recent natural calamities and the invocation of the Disaster Management Act, had urged the court to defer the elections. It stated that holding elections in the present scenario would be unfeasible and requested a six-month extension. However, the court did not accept the government's justification. Advocate Nand Lal, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that conducting elections during the school examination period would be impractical due to the use of school buildings as polling stations. The court considered this while determining the extended deadline. The five-year term of the existing PRIs will end on January 31 and the tenure of 50 ULBs concludes earlier on January 18. Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu had clarified that panchayat elections were not cancelled but postponed. He had said the government will hold them after addressing the disaster, as relief and rescue operations are being hampered by election activities. "This time there has been more devastation than in 2023. We have not yet succeeded in connecting the roads of the panchayats. Their restoration work is ongoing. His first duty is to resettle the affected families. Providing relief funds to those whose homes were destroyed, livestock and land swept away, is a priority," an official statement quoting the Chief Minister had said. However, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur had accused the government of running away from elections due to fear of defeat. - IANS Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed cancer care infrastructure at the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute and AIIMS Kalyani in West Bengal. He praised CNCI for becoming the first government cancer hospital in India to receive NABH accreditation and for its NABL-accredited laboratories. At AIIMS Kalyani, he inaugurated advanced radiotherapy facilities and a pneumatic tube system to improve hospital logistics. The visit was part of his two-day tour of the state, during which he also criticized the state government's healthcare delivery. Health Minister JP Nadda reviewed cancer care at CNCI and AIIMS Kalyani, inaugurating advanced radiotherapy and a pneumatic tube system. Kolkata, January 9 Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday reviewed cancer care and tertiary healthcare infrastructure in West Bengal, visiting the Newtown campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani, as part of his two-day tour of the state. At CNCI's Newtown campus, Nadda, accompanied by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, inspected hospital wards and other facilities and expressed satisfaction over the quality of medical services being provided. Addressing doctors and senior officials, the Union Minister praised CNCI for achieving a significant milestone by becoming the first government cancer hospital in the country to receive National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) certification. He also highlighted that CNCI is the only government hospital in West Bengal with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation across all its laboratory departments. Nadda lauded the institute's progress in research and innovation, noting its growing role as a major centre for oncology education and capacity building in India. Established in 1950 at Hazra in Kolkata, CNCI is one of the country's 27 Regional Cancer Centres and has evolved into a premier tertiary cancer institute with two campuses, around 670 beds, hospice and palliative care services, and a strong academic and research ecosystem. Earlier in the day, the Union Health Minister visited AIIMS Kalyani, where he reviewed the functioning and expansion of key healthcare services and dedicated several advanced facilities to the nation. These included fully functional Trauma and Emergency Services and state-of-the-art radiotherapy infrastructure equipped with a Linear Accelerator (LINAC), High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy and a CT-Simulator, aimed at strengthening tertiary care and comprehensive cancer treatment in the region. Nadda also inaugurated a Pneumatic Tube System at AIIMS Kalyani to enhance hospital efficiency through rapid and secure intra-hospital transport of critical samples. He later chaired a detailed review meeting to assess clinical services, patient load and the future roadmap of the institute, reaffirming the Centre's commitment to accessible, affordable and quality healthcare under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Nadda's visit to West Bengal began on January 8. On Thursday, he criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging failures in healthcare delivery and stating that the denial of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and ineffective implementation of welfare programmes had deprived poor and vulnerable sections of life-saving healthcare. - ANI The Assam government is intensifying efforts to position the state as a premier industry-friendly destination through large-scale investments and policy reforms. A key initiative is the establishment of a semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, hailed as a game-changer to diversify the economy beyond traditional sectors. The 'Advantage Assam' programme actively promotes the state's strategic location, resources, and strengths in sectors like renewable energy and IT to domestic and global investors. These efforts, combined with improved connectivity and sector-specific incentives, aim to drive sustainable industrial growth and generate widespread employment. Assam govt intensifies efforts with semiconductor plant, policy reforms & Advantage Assam initiative to drive investment and job creation in the state. Guwahati, Jan 9 The Assam government has intensified efforts to position the state as one of India's most industry-friendly destinations, banking on large-scale investments, policy reforms and flagship initiatives such as the 'Advantage Assam' programme to drive economic growth and employment generation. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state has rolled out a series of measures aimed at improving the ease of doing business, strengthening infrastructure and attracting both domestic and global investors. Officials said the focus is on creating a stable policy environment, faster clearances and sector-specific incentives to make Assam a preferred investment hub in eastern India. A major boost to the state's industrial ambitions has come from the decision to set up a semiconductor manufacturing and assembly ecosystem in Assam. The upcoming semiconductor plant, which forms part of India's broader push for self-reliance in electronics and chip manufacturing, is expected to put Assam firmly on the country's high-tech industrial map. The project is also aimed at generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, while spurring the growth of ancillary industries. The state government has described the semiconductor investment as a "game-changer" that will not only diversify Assam's industrial base beyond traditional sectors like tea, oil and gas, but also attract further investments in electronics, precision engineering and advanced manufacturing. Central to Assam's investment outreach is the Advantage Assam initiative, which serves as a platform to showcase the state's industrial potential, natural resources and strategic location as the gateway to the Northeast and Southeast Asia. Through investment summits and roadshows, the government has been pitching Assam's strengths in sectors such as renewable energy, agro-processing, tourism, logistics, petrochemicals and information technology. Chief Minister Sarma recently said that the significant improvements in connectivity, including highways, bridges, rail links and air connectivity, have further enhanced Assam's attractiveness to investors. The state's proximity to international borders and its role in India's Act East Policy are also being highlighted as key advantages for companies looking to access markets in South-East Asia. In addition, the Assam government has announced industry-friendly policies offering capital subsidies, tax incentives and support for startups and MSMEs. Special emphasis is being placed on skill development to ensure a local workforce that meets the requirements of emerging industries. With major investments in the pipeline and a renewed push through Advantage Assam, the government is confident that the state is entering a new phase of industrial growth. Officials maintain that the focus remains on balanced development, ensuring that industrialisation translates into jobs, higher incomes and long-term economic stability for the people of Assam. - IANS Hyundai Motor Group has commenced mass production of its Edge Brain AI chip, designed to allow robots to operate autonomously without external network connections. The ultra low-power chip was unveiled at CES 2026, stemming from a three-year partnership with South Korean AI chip firm DeepX. It is already being integrated into projects like a facial recognition system and a delivery robot, with plans for expansion into security and mobile robots. Concurrently, Hyundai's executive chair met with Nvidia's CEO at CES, fueling speculation of a potential partnership in autonomous driving technologies. Hyundai begins mass production of its Edge Brain AI chip for autonomous robots, enabling real-time decisions without cloud connectivity. Seoul, Jan 9 Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday it has started mass production of an on-device artificial intelligence chip that enables robots to operate autonomously without external network connectivity. The announcement of the chip, named Edge Brain, was made at CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Thursday (local time), where the group showcased the results of a three-year strategic partnership between Hyundai's Robotics Lab and DeepX, a South Korea-based AI chip firm, reports Yonhap news agency. The ultra low-power chip consumes less than 5 watts and enables real-time perception and autonomous decision-making directly on robots, without relying on cloud or network connections. Hyundai Motor said the technology has already been integrated into several Robotics Lab projects, including Facey, a facial recognition system under development, and a delivery robot currently in the demonstration stage. The chip will be applied sequentially to the group's other projects, including AI security solutions and next-generation mobile robots. Hyundai Motor also aims to expand real-world applications through pilot projects at sites such as airports and hospitals. Meanwhile, the head of South Korea's automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group met with the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nvidia on the sidelines of CES 2026, raising expectations that the companies could partner in autonomous driving technologies. According to industry sources, Euisun Chung, executive chair of Hyundai, held a closed-door meeting with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel. The two previously met in Seoul over a widely reported beer and fried chicken gathering also joined by Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong in October, when Huang visited South Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, said the report. - IANS The Resident Doctors Association of IGMC Shimla has welcomed the state government's decision to revoke the termination of Dr Raghav Nirula. His termination followed a viral video of a physical altercation with a patient, which led to doctor protests and an FIR. The matter was resolved after Dr Nirula and the patient mutually apologized. The RDA also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve hospital security to prevent future incidents. IGMC Shimla doctors welcome the revocation of Dr Raghav Nirula's termination after a fair inquiry and mutual agreement with the patient. Shimla, January 9 The Resident Doctors Association of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, on Friday welcomed the revocation of the termination of Dr Raghav Nirula, saying the decision came after a fair and in-depth inquiry, as assured earlier by the State government. In a statement, the RDA expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for revoking the termination order. "The Resident Doctors Association IGMC Shimla wholeheartedly welcomes the order revoking the termination of Dr Raghav Nirula after a fair and detailed inquiry, as assured to the RDA," the association said in its press statement. The termination of Dr Nirula, a senior resident in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at IGMC, followed an incident on December 22 involving a 36-year-old patient, Arjun Pawar (also referred to as Arjun Panwar), a resident of Chopal. A video showing a physical altercation between the doctor and the patient had gone viral, following which the services of the doctor were terminated on grounds of "inappropriate behaviour." The action had triggered protests, with doctors at IGMC proceeding on a three-day strike demanding revocation of the termination order. Meanwhile, Shimla police had registered an FIR against Dr Nirula at the Shimla Sadar police station under Sections 125(a), 115(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The controversy eventually ended on December 30, eight days after the incident, following a mutual agreement between Dr Nirula and the patient. Both parties apologised to each other and to the people of the state in the presence of the media, bringing the matter to a close. The RDA also highlighted concerns over hospital security in its statement, noting that a security gap analysis of IGMC Shimla is currently underway. The association said measures such as the installation of panic buttons and the creation of an Emergency Security Response Team are being considered for the premier health institution. The association said it hopes the steps will help prevent such incidents in future and ensure the safety of both doctors and patients at the hospital. - ANI Photo: State Emergency Service Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko says that on Friday night the Russian Federation targeted district boiler houses during the shelling of Ukraine. "Hearing reports from the Interior Ministry, the Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development on the consequences of the overnight massive attack and severe weather, we coordinated the actions of all services. For nearly five hours, Russia struck residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and other cities. More than 240 drones and 36 missiles were used. In the capital, four people were killed and 25 wounded. My sincere condolences to the families," Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram. She said some districts of Kyiv are experiencing power and water outages due to damage to substations, lines and generation facilities. "Work is underway to restore power to more than 500,000 consumers. Emergency and rolling outages are being applied, with their duration also affected by falling temperatures," the prime minister added. Svyrydenko said the enemy deliberately targeted district boiler plants overnight, calling it energy terrorism and an attempt to turn "winter into a weapon." "As a result of the attacks, Slavutych was left without power energy workers are already restoring electricity for about 3,000 customers in Chernihiv region. At the same time, due to severe weather, outages are being recorded in some communities across most regions. Emergency crews are working to restore power supply," she wrote. India has firmly rejected China's infrastructure development through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in the Shaksgam Valley, terming it illegal and invalid. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India has never recognized the 1963 boundary agreement between China and Pakistan. He reaffirmed that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India and that New Delhi has consistently protested China's attempts to alter ground realities. India reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial interests in the region. India firmly rejects China's infrastructure buildup via CPEC in Shaksgam Valley as illegal, reaffirming the region as an integral part of India. New Delhi, January 9 The Indian government on Friday firmly rejected China's infrastructure buildup through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in the Shaksgam Valley, terming it "illegal and invalid", while noting that the region is an "integral and inalienable part" of India. During a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has never recognised the "so-called" China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 or the "so-called" CPEC. "Shaksgam Valley is an Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor either, which passes through Indian territory, which is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan," Jaiswal said. He reaffirmed that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India, noting that New Delhi has "consistently protested" to the Chinese side on the matter and has further reserved the right to safeguard its interests. "The entire UTs of J&K and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to the Chinese and Pakistani authorities several times. We have consistently protested with the Chinese side for its attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests," the MEA Spokesperson added. The remarks were made in response to reports of China's construction of military infrastructure and roads in the Shaksgam Valley, a trans-Karakoram tract ceded by Pakistan under the terms of the "so-called" 1963 Boundary Agreement. Moreover, the China-Pakistan concert on the boundary in the Karakoram area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (covering a distance of over 590 km) violates India's traditional and legal rights in the region. In the last several years, China has kept up military pressure on India through its incursions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it strategically plans to make a permanent presence in these areas. India has repeatedly protested Chinese attempts to alter the status quo in the region, particularly regarding territorial issues, underscoring New Delhi's position on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. - ANI The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a strong statement condemning the United States for the boarding and seizure of the oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic. Moscow asserts the vessel was lawfully flying the Russian flag and its civilian status was well communicated, making the US action a gross violation of international maritime law. The ministry warns that this provocative incident risks a dangerous escalation of military-political tensions in the region and sets a harmful precedent. It rejects the US justification based on unilateral sanctions as legally baseless and expresses grave concern for the detained multinational crew. Russia calls on the US to cease its "unlawful actions" against the oil tanker Marinera, warning the incident dangerously escalates tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region. Moscow, January 9 The Russian Foreign Ministry urged the United States to return to the established norms and principles of international maritime law and immediately cease its "unlawful actions" against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas. In an official statement on Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed grave concern over what they called illegal use of force by the United States Armed Forces against the oil tanker Marinera on January 7. The statement mentioned, "Alongside the US administration's disregard for the accepted norms of international maritime navigation, Washington's readiness to provoke acute international crises, including in Russian-American relations, which are already severely strained, is both regrettable and alarming. The Marinera incident can only lead to a further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and a dangerous lowering of the threshold for using force against civilian shipping. Encouraged by Washington's irresponsible example, other actors may feel emboldened to take similar actions. Authorities in the United Kingdom, a country with a long history of maritime predation, are already displaying such intent, having openly acknowledged their involvement in the US military operation in North Atlantic waters." The Russian MFA said that the Marinera was temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag in December, in accordance with international and Russian law, and was transiting peacefully through international waters in the North Atlantic area. "The Marinera, which was temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag on December 24 in accordance with international and Russian law, was transiting peacefully through international waters of the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port. US authorities, including through official communications with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were repeatedly provided with reliable information confirming the vessel's Russian registration and its civilian, non-military status. There could have been no doubt regarding this fact, nor any basis for alleging that the tanker was sailing "without a flag" or "under a false flag." International maritime law explicitly grants the flag state exclusive jurisdiction over its vessels on the high seas. Stopping and inspecting a vessel in international waters is permitted only under narrowly defined circumstances, such as suspected piracy or slave trading - neither of which apply to the Marinera. In all other cases, such actions require the consent of the flag state, which in this instance is Russia," the statement read. The statement noted that not only did Russia refuse to provide such consent, it formally protested to US authorities in recent weeks over the continued pursuit of the Marinera by a US Coast Guard vessel, demanding an immediate end to the pursuit and the withdrawal of unlawful demands made to the Russian ship's captain. The Russian Foreign Ministry said, "Under these circumstances, the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation. This constitutes a serious infringement upon the legitimate rights and interests of the shipowner. The lives and health of the Marinera's crew, which includes citizens of several countries, are now at risk. We consider the threats of legal action against them on absurd grounds by US authorities to be utterly unacceptable. Moreover, by conducting an unsafe pursuit and armed seizure of an oil tanker in severe weather conditions, US forces demonstrably disregarded the danger of causing significant environmental damage to the North Atlantic." Saying that the references by the United States to its domestic "sanctions legislation" are without legal foundation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and other Western countries are illegitimate and cannot justify attempts to assert jurisdiction, let alone the seizure of vessels, on the high seas. It added, "Suggestions from certain US officials that the seizure of the Marinera is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington's unlimited control over Venezuela's natural resources are profoundly cynical. We categorically reject such neo-colonial ambitions." The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated its demand that the United States ensure appropriate and humane treatment of the Russian citizens on board, fully respect their rights, and facilitate their swift return home. The Russian-flagged oil tanker, Marinera - formerly the Bella 1 - was seized by US forces in the North Atlantic Ocean after weeks of pursuit by the US Coast Guard warship, after it allegedly evaded a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela for over a fortnight. Following the seizure, Moscow issued a strong condemnation, asserting that no country has the right to use force against vessels lawfully registered under another state's jurisdiction, particularly on the high seas. - ANI India has officially expressed deep concern over a surge of violent attacks targeting minority communities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted a "disturbing pattern of recurring attacks" and warned against narratives that downplay the incidents by attributing them to personal rivalries. Recent weeks have seen multiple fatal attacks, including lynchings and shootings, against Hindu individuals across various districts. India hopes the Bangladeshi authorities will address these acts of communal violence decisively and swiftly. India expresses deep concern over recurring attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, calls for swift and firm action from authorities. New Delhi, Jan 9 Expressing deep concerns over the several recent attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, across Bangladesh, India on Friday said that it continues to monitor the situation in the neighbouring country and hopes that such acts of communal violence are addressed decisively. "We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, as well as their homes and establishments, business establishments by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday, while responding to a question on escalating attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. India highlighted a troubling tendency to downplay attacks on minorities by attributing them to personal rivalries or other unrelated factors, warning that such narratives only embolden the extremist elements across Bangladesh. "We have observed, also observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, personal vendettas, political differences, and other extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the extremists and the perpetrators of such crimes and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among the minorities," said Jaiswal. Amid escalating attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, another Hindu man died after jumping into a canal in a bid to save his life from a mob that accused him of robbery in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon district, Bangladesh's Bengali newspaper Daily Manobkantha reported. The victim, identified as 25-year-old Mithun Sarkar, lost his life in the disturbing incident, which unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in the Chakgori area of the upazila. This marked the seventh incident in 19 days and the third incident this week, highlighting a disturbing surge in violence targeting Hindu communities throughout Bangladesh. On Monday, two Hindu men were killed in separate incidents within 24 hours in Bangladesh. The first victim, identified as 40-year-old Sarat Chakraborty Mani, was fatally attacked in Narsingdi district on Monday night, in Dhaka, with sharp weapons allegedly by an extremist armed religious group. In the second incident, a Hindu businessman, 38-year-old Rana Pratap Bairagi, was shot dead in public in Monirampur Upazila of Jashore district. Earlier, on January 3, another Hindu man, Khokon Chandra Das, died after being brutally attacked by a mob of miscreants in Damudya Upazila of Shariatpur district. Last week, 40-year-old Bajendra Biswas was shot dead by a colleague in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district. On December 24 last year, Bangladeshi media reported the killing of another Hindu youth, identified as 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh. Also on December 18 last year, a 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was brutally killed in a mob lynching incident over false blasphemy accusations by a Muslim coworker at his factory in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh. The mob killed Das and then hung his body from a tree before setting it on fire. Earlier on December 26,2025, India voiced grave concern over the "unremitting hostility" against minorities in Bangladesh -- including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists -- and asserted that it was keeping a close watch on the ongoing developments in its neighbourhood. Bangladesh has witnessed escalating violence against minorities, including Hindus, under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organisations across the globe. - IANS Chile's Ambassador to India, Juan Angulo, has voiced strong support for India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. He argued that the UNSC must reform to reflect today's global realities rather than those of 80 years ago. The envoy emphasised that India can be a significant stabilising factor in international affairs. India's bid enjoys backing from other major powers, including the US, Russia, and key partners seeking UNSC reform. Chile's Ambassador endorses India's UNSC permanent seat, citing need for reform and India's role as a stabilising force in global affairs. By Vishu Adhana, New Delhi, January 9 Chile supports India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the country's Ambassador here Juan Angulo, said, asserting that New Delhi can be a factor of stabilisation in global affairs. Speaking to ANI on Friday, Angulo noted that the multilateral forum must reflect contemporary global realities and called for reforms in the international system. India has been consistently pushing for a permanent seat in the UNSC, arguing that it has the credentials to be a permanent member of a reformed and expanded Security Council that mirrors present-day global dynamics. "A multilateral forum is very important for us because we strongly believe in a rules-based world where international norms are respected. But, of course, the multilateral system should also be functional, transparent and more accountable. We have been supporting reforms of the system," Angulo said. "We support India's aspiration of being a permanent member of the Security Council because we believe this body should better reflect the realities of today, and not the realities of 80 years ago at the end of World War II," he added. Asserting that today's world is fundamentally different, the Chilean envoy said, "The presence of countries like India in our world today is very different. India can be a stabilising factor, an established factor, in global affairs." India's bid for a permanent UNSC seat has been backed by major powers including the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, as well as key partners such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and Australia. During the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in September last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasised the need for reform in the UNSC to reflect the current global landscape and reiterated its support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the UNSC. - ANI India's data centre capacity additions more than doubled year-on-year in 2025, reaching 387 MW. Total operational stock hit 1.5 GW, with Mumbai and Chennai remaining the primary hubs, accounting for 70% of market absorption. Growth is driven by rising cloud adoption, AI workloads, and the expansion of digital services into Tier-II cities. The market is projected to continue its rapid expansion, with capacity expected to triple to over 4 GW by 2030. India's data centre capacity surged 103% to 387 MW in 2025, projected to triple by 2030, driven by cloud and AI demand. New Delhi, January 9 India's data centre capacity additions more than doubled in 2025, reaching 387 MW IT as the country emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing markets for digital infrastructure. This figure represents a 103 per cent year-on-year increase from the 191 MW IT added in 2024, according to a report by global real estate consultancy Savills India. By 2030, India's total data centre capacity is projected to triple, reaching over 4 GW IT with a compound annual growth rate of 23 per cent. Market demand also saw a steady rise, with data centre absorption growing 5 per cent annually to 427 MW IT in 2025 from 407 MW IT the previous year. Total operational stock reached 1.5 GW IT by the end of 2025, with 33 per cent of that capacity dedicated to hyperscalers. Facilities serving a mix of hyperscalers and enterprises accounted for 59 per cent of the stock, while enterprise-only stock stood at 8 per cent. Mumbai and Chennai remained the primary drivers of demand, together accounting for 70 per cent of total absorption in 2025. "Mumbai maintained its lead, contributing 48% to total absorption in 2025, followed by Chennai at 22% and the Tier-II cities contributed 7% of the total absorption. On the supply side, Mumbai led the pack with 34% of its contribution to overall supply, followed by Delhi-NCR (20%) and Chennai at 19%," the release said. "With data centre absorption estimated at ~430 MW in 2025, driven by both enterprise and hyperscale demand, India's digital infrastructure growth is gaining strong momentum. Rising cloud adoption by enterprises is accelerating demand from global hyperscalers and domestic cloud players, while emerging locations such as Visakhapatnam, backed by policy support and cost advantages are strengthening India's attractiveness as a data centre destination. Beyond major metros, the rollout of 5G and the growing use of mobile streaming and digital services are driving hyperscale demand across Tier 2 cities to meet local data and latency requirements," said Srihari Srinivasan, Director & Lead Data Centre Services, Savills India. The outlook for 2026 suggests continued expansion, with capacity additions expected to exceed 600 MW IT and absorption projected to surpass 500 MW IT. Growth remains fuelled by cloud adoption and expanding SaaS and AI workloads, alongside the expansion of edge data centres in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. "Kolkata is expected to lead with a 48% CAGR, owing to its strategic position as a gateway to Eastern and Northeastern India and the upcoming undersea cable landing station. Hyderabad (44%) and Ahmedabad (26%) are also witnessing strong momentum, backed by growth in IT, ITeS, and manufacturing sectors. Bengaluru, with a projected CAGR of 20%. Mumbai and Chennai, already the largest data center markets, continue to grow steadily at CAGR of 22% and 18% respectively," the release noted. - ANI Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated a modern sub-post office in Guna, highlighting its role in delivering pensions and subsidies. He announced two key agreements between the Department of Posts and Agriculture to ensure reliable testing of agricultural inputs and protect farmers from counterfeit products. The partnerships aim to establish a nationwide logistics system for transporting seed and fertilizer samples to labs. The initiatives also focus on encouraging bank accounts through India Post Payment Bank to economically empower women in rural areas. Union Ministers Scindia & Chouhan launch agreements for farmer protection & women's economic empowerment via India Post's logistics network. Guna, Jan 9 Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that the two significant agreements between the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Department of Post signed recently will pave the way for economic empowerment in rural parts of India, especially for women and farmers. Union Minister for Communications and Development of Northeastern region, Scindia added this while inaugurating a sub-post office in Badarvas area under his Lok Sabha constituency Guna on Friday. "This sub-post office, equipped with modern facilities will ensure your pension, subsidy and savings, while our postman will become a strong link in empowering rural India, making it self-reliant and connecting to Digital India," he said while congratulating the resident of Badarwas in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh for this significant development in the region. While addressing the gathering on this occasion, he shared that the Department of Post has recently signed two agreements with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to ensure faster, safer, and reliable testing of agricultural inputs, helping protect farmers from fake and substandard products. Union Minister Scindia said that the "first agreement was made to ensure real-time monitoring of fertiliser and transparency in its distribution system, while the second is for making women economically empowered. People will be encouraged to open their bank accounts through India Post Payment Bank". Notably, the memoranda of understanding were signed in the presence of Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi on January 7. Under the agreement, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Department of Posts will establish a nationwide logistics mechanism for the transportation of pesticide, seed and fertiliser samples from across the country to designated laboratories. The India Post will provide all of the logistical support from the point of collection through to final delivery for pesticide, seeds and fertiliser inspectors. The partnership is part of the PAN-India online pesticide, seed, and fertiliser quality management system, which is being developed by the Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP). - IANS Himachal Pradesh Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan has stated that the High Court's interpretation of orders mandating Panchayati Raj elections by April 30 is incorrect according to constitutional and state law. He explained the delay was due to pending delimitation appeals and a separate petition, requiring time for proper objection hearings. The government had sought time until early 2026 to complete the reservation roster and final publication, but the court granted only four days for remaining formalities. Rattan emphasized the state's commitment to elections but indicated the legal interpretation of timelines may be challenged through further remedies. Himachal Pradesh AG Anup Kumar Rattan says court's interpretation of Panchayati Raj election deadlines conflicts with Article 243E and state law. Shimla, January 9 Stating that the interpretation of recent court orders on Panchayati Raj elections was not correct, Himachal Pradesh Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan on Friday said that Article 243E of the Constitution and the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act clearly provide a defined time frame for completing the electoral process. "The interpretation of the orders is not right as per Article 243E of the Constitution and the Panchayati Raj Act of Himachal Pradesh, and this can be challenged," Rattan said while addressing the media after the High Court pronounced its verdict directing the completion of the Panchayati Raj election process by April 30. Explaining the State government's stand before the court, the Advocate General said the election process had already been initiated earlier. He informed that 42 gram panchayats were restructured, new gram panchayats and municipal bodies were constituted, and substantial steps in the process had been completed. Rattan said the delay occurred primarily due to pending appeals related to delimitation before the Divisional Commissioner's court, as well as a separate petition filed by Devender Negi. On that petition, the High Court had directed the State to restart the process while adhering to the prescribed procedure, including inviting and hearing objections. He added that, as per court directions, local urban bodies were also reorganised. Challenges were raised in areas such as Una, Nadaun and Baddi, where certain gram panchayats were merged into municipal councils or panchayat samitis. The process in these areas, he said, had already been initiated by December 2024, and the government had no intention to delay the elections. "The time sought by the government was only to ensure that objections were invited, heard, and disposed of properly. This process was to be completed after the final publication by February 24, 2026," the Advocate General said. Rattan further stated that the State had sought time up to March 2026 to complete the reservation roster, but the High Court had granted only four days for completing certain remaining formalities. He also pointed out that there exists another High Court order that provides a three-month period for publication of lists in the public domain. Referring to the enforcement of the Disaster Management Act, Rattan said it had been imposed on October 8, 2025, which also impacted the administrative timeline. However, he emphasised that Article 243E mandates a five-year tenure for elected panchayats and allows a maximum period of six months to complete the election process in case of dissolution. "The State is committed to completing the process, but the legal interpretation of timelines and constitutional provisions needs to be correctly appreciated," he said, adding that the interpretation of the present order could be examined further through appropriate legal remedies. - ANI Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will embark on a week-long visit to the United States, starting with the Honolulu Defence Forum in Hawaii. His itinerary includes a key meeting in Washington with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to discuss strengthening the bilateral alliance and regional security challenges. The talks follow recent tensions, including a Chinese radar lock-on incident and joint Russian-Chinese patrols near Japan. Koizumi will also commemorate the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the joint US-Japan disaster relief effort from 2011. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi travels to the US for talks with Secretary Pete Hegseth, focusing on regional security and alliance capabilities. Tokyo, Jan 9 Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on Friday that he will travel to the United States next week for a week-long visit to bolster the bilateral alliance in the face of an increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region. While addressing a press conference, Koizumi stated he will deliver remarks at the Honolulu Defence Forum in Hawaii on Monday before visiting Los Angeles the next day and then Washington, where he is scheduled to hold talks with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday, Japan's Kyodo News reported. Koizumi said, "With Secretary Hegseth, I plan to have a frank discussion about the security environment as well as specific efforts to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities further." He will return to Japan on January 18. Koizumi and Hegseth will hold talks for the fourth time since the former assumed office in October last year. The two leaders spoke over phone in December last year after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese Self-Defence Forces fighter jets over international waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. Shinjiro Koizumi is set to meet the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, in Honolulu. Koizumi also plans to travel to Los Angeles, where he will visit a drone-related company and attend a reception commemorating the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted by the US military and Japan's Self-Defence Forces following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. When asked whether he would respond if Hegseth urged him to express support for the recent US actions in Venezuela, Koizumi responded, "It's difficult to answer before the meeting." He stressed that it is important for the international community to make diplomatic efforts to restore democracy and stabilise the situation in Venezuela. Last week, the US carried out a military attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, subsequently taking them to New York to face charges for alleged crimes. On December 12, 2025, Shinjiro Koizumi said that he and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, held a telephonic conversation and shared concern over rising tensions in the region following a recent radar lock-on incident involving Japanese and Chinese fighter jets and a joint patrol of Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan, local media reported. The two ministers spoke for about 40 minutes and agreed that Japan and the US will continue to remain in contact to calm the situation, Kyodo News reported. During the telephonic conversation, Hegseth and Koizumi also spoke about a joint patrol carried out by two Chinese and two Russian bombers over the East China Sea and Pacific near Japan's Shikoku Island. Speaking to reporters, Koizumi stated that he and Hegseth agreed that these actions would only increase the tensions in the region. He expressed Japan's readiness in responding to these acts in a "calm yet resolute manner, while steadily carrying out surveillance activities in the seas and airspace surrounding our country. Koizumi further stated that China has not shared appropriate information with Japan, including notice to air missions or navigational warnings, such as the area in which the Chinese military's flight training would be carried out. He once again termed the radar lock-on "dangerous" and an action that "went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft." In a statement, the US Department of War said: "Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to his Japanese counterpart, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, today. The two leaders discussed Japan's efforts to increase its defence spending and strengthen its capabilities, China's military activities, and the importance of realistic training and exercises across Japan, including in the Southwest Islands. Secretary Hegseth and Defence Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific." - IANS The Madras High Court has directed the Central Board of Film Certification to issue a U/A 16+ certificate for Thalapathy Vijay's film 'Jana Nayagan'. The court's order comes as a major relief after the film's theatrical release was recently postponed. The CBFC is reportedly likely to appeal this decision to the Chief Justice's Bench. The film, expected to be Vijay's final movie, was delayed due to what producers called "unavoidable circumstances". Madras High Court directs CBFC to issue U/A certificate for Thalapathy Vijay's film 'Jana Nayagan', providing relief after release postponement. Chennai, January 9 In a major relief for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief and actor Thalapathy Vijay's much-awaited film 'Jana Nayagan', the Madras High Court on Friday directed the Central Board of Film Certification to issue a U/A 16+ certification for the film, days after the makers postponed its theatrical release. Justice PT Asha of the Madras High Court directed the censor board to issue the U/A certificate. Indra Dhanraj, joint coordinator for the state legal wing, TVK, shared that a petition was filed on January 6, regarding the non-issuance of a certification. "The matter was postponed, and today the order was pronounced. The writ petition has been allowed by the MHC. If the movie is not screened on time, it will be a huge loss for people, so reimbursement is being given. The lawyers informed that 27 scenes have been cut. If CBFC goes for an appeal, we will face them in court," she told the media. In response, the Censor Board is likely to file an appeal before the Chief Justice's Bench, challenging the order passed by the single judge. Meanwhile, the court's decision has already sparked a wave of joy among fans, as many took to the streets to celebrate the moment. Advocates of TVK's legal wing also joined the celebrations by distributing sweets outside the Madras HC. The Madras High Court's move comes after days of legal uncertainty over the planned release of 'Jana Nayagan', which is expected to be actor Thalapathy Vijay's final movie. It has been postponed ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. The film was originally planned to be released in theatres on January 9, 2026. Production house KVN Productions shared a statement to inform fans and stakeholders about the delay. While sharing the update, the makers spoke about the "heavy heart" behind the decision and said the postponement was due to "unavoidable circumstances" beyond their control. "It is with a heavy heart that we share this update with our valued stakeholders and audiences. The release of Jana Nayagan, eagerly awaited on January 9, has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances beyond our control. We deeply understand the anticipation, excitement, and emotions surrounding this film, and this decision has not been an easy one for any of us," the statement read. The makers are yet to react to the Madras High Court's latest decision, along with details surrounding the film's new release date. - ANI Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has exuded confidence that the ruling Mahayuti alliance will secure the post of Mumbai Mayor in the upcoming civic polls. He campaigned in Pune, stating the elections are being contested on the plank of development work carried out by the state government. Shinde highlighted his party's focus on resolving civic issues like traffic and water supply in Pune, while also reiterating a commitment to cow protection. He dismissed any suggestion of an alliance with the AIMIM in Parli. Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde asserts the Mahayuti alliance will win Mumbai and Pune civic polls, focusing on development and cow protection. Pune, January 9 Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Friday campaigned in Pune ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, asserting that the Mahayuti alliance is contesting the civic polls on the plank of development and will emerge victorious both in Mumbai and Pune. Speaking to the media during his visit to Katraj, Shinde said he was not aware of statements made by any individual party worker, but stressed that Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party are contesting the elections with full strength. "We are fighting this election on the issue of development," he said, adding that the work carried out during his two-and-a-half-year tenure as Chief Minister, along with the work done under Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the past year, is being taken directly to the people. Expressing confidence over the outcome in Mumbai, Shinde said the electorate would vote in favour of the Mahayuti alliance based on development works. "Let me say this in one word: the Mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti alliance only," he asserted. On the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, Shinde said the party cadre and supporters were highly enthusiastic. He pointed out that in some areas of Pune, the Mahayuti partners are contesting together, while in others, they are fighting separately. "In Pune, Shiv Sena is contesting independently, and the enthusiasm among our workers is tremendous. They are determined to win this election under any circumstances," he said. Highlighting civic issues, the Shiv Sena chief said his party would focus on resolving problems related to traffic, water supply and basic civic amenities. He also reiterated the party's commitment to making Pune a slum-free city, underlining that development remains at the core of Shiv Sena's agenda. "The opposition should not take us lightly. Shiv Sena is a strong party," Shinde said, adding that the party has expanded its presence across Maharashtra, countering perceptions that it was limited to select regions. Commenting on the issue of cow protection, Shinde said it was during his tenure as Chief Minister that Gau Mata was accorded the status of 'Rajya Mata'. He noted that Maharashtra became the first state in the country to grant this status and warned that strict action would be taken if any incident of cow slaughter occurred. Responding to a query on a possible alliance with the AIMIM in Parli, Shinde dismissed the suggestion, saying, "Who is MIM? I don't know." - ANI Photo: https://t.me/dsns_telegram Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the world to respond to Russias overnight attack. A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to. Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure, he said on X Friday. Zelenskyy noted that the overnight strike reminds all international partners that air defense support is a constant priority for Ukraine. Overall, last night there were 242 drones. There were also 13 ballistic missiles targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, one Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile, as well as 22 cruise missiles. The attack took place exactly when there was a significant cold spell. Aimed precisely against the normal life of ordinary people, he said. The President noted that every effort is currently being made to restore heating and electricity supplies to people. Today there will be a meeting of the Energy Staff, at which I expect reports on all the details of the restoration work timelines, the necessary equipment, and the responsible officials, he added. As reported, on the night of January 9, the Ukrainian capital was subjected to a large-scale air attack, which killed four people and injured at least 24 citizens, including five State Emergency Service employees and three medics who were working at the scene. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla led the observance of the 192nd death anniversary of Maharaja Gambhir Singh, recalling the state's immense suffering during the Burmese occupation from 1819 to 1826. He highlighted the Maharaja's exceptional leadership, which inspired a determined struggle for freedom and culminated in the sovereignty-recognizing Treaty of Yandabo. The state government is honoring this legacy by protecting the Maharaja's Samadhi and developing Langthabal Konung Ching as a heritage centre. Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and other leaders paid rich tributes, urging citizens to draw inspiration from the Maharaja's courage and commitment to unity. Governor Ajay Bhalla recalls Manipur's suffering during 1819-1826 Burmese occupation and honors Maharaja Gambhir Singh's legacy of freedom and unity. Imphal, Jan 9 Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Friday said that while the state's history is replete with glory, it also witnessed immense suffering during the Burmese occupation from 1819 to 1826, a dark period remembered as "Chahi Taret Khuntakpa". The Governor led the observance of the 192nd death anniversary of Maharaja Gambhir Singh at the Samadhi of the Maharaj at Langthabal (Canchipur) on Friday. Bhalla, along with other dignitaries, offered floral tributes to the portrait of Maharaja Gambhir Singh. A guard of honour, gun salute and the sounding of the Last Post were accorded by a contingent of the Manipur Rifles. He noted that the period of devastation threatened the very survival of the kingdom but also gave rise to exceptional leadership in Maharaja Gambhir Singh, whose courage and unity of purpose inspired a determined struggle for freedom. The Governor said that Maharaja Gambhir Singh's legacy extended beyond military victory to visionary statesmanship, culminating in international recognition of Manipur's sovereignty through the Treaty of Yandabo. He added that the state government is honouring this enduring legacy by protecting the Maharaja's Samadhi as a historical monument and by developing Langthabal Konung Ching as a centre of heritage, learning and tourism. Urging citizens to remember the Maharaja not merely in ceremony but in spirit, Bhalla said people should draw lasting inspiration from his courage, unity and unwavering commitment to the people of Manipur. The Governor also offered floral tributes to the statues of Meidingu Narasingh and Sana Herachandra. He further led the observance of Tarpon Katpa and paid obeisance to the Dhop Pala. Several MLAs, Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, Chief Security Advisor to the Manipur government Kuldiep Singh, senior officers of the civil and police administration, and members of the public were present on the occasion. Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and other leaders also paid rich tributes to Maharaja Gambhir Singh, who reigned over the erstwhile princely state from April 1821 to October 1821 and from June 12, 1825, to January 9, 1834. In a post on his X handle, Biren Singh said: "His unwavering commitment to Manipur's dignity and identity reminds me of the responsibility we carry today to protect unity, uphold harmony and work selflessly for our people." He said: "On the 192nd death anniversary of Maharaja Gambhir Singh, we remember with reverence a towering figure in our history whose vision, courage and sacrifice safeguarded the very soul of our land. His life teaches us that true leadership is rooted in sacrifice and service, and that the strength of Manipur flows from unity among its people and an abiding love for the motherland." "As we pay homage to Maharaja Gambhir Singh, let us renew our pledge to uphold the unity, integrity and harmony of Manipur, and to work collectively for a future that honours the sacrifices of those who came before us," Singh said. - IANS Reintroduction aims to restore species extinct locally for over a century Pair of rhinos & king cobras also part of deal 50 wild water buffaloes to be translocated to MP Madhya Pradesh and Assam have reached a landmark agreement for the inter-state exchange of endangered wildlife species. Assam will send 50 wild water buffaloes, a pair of one-horned rhinoceroses, and three king cobras to Madhya Pradesh over three years. In return, Madhya Pradesh will provide Assam with a pair of tigers and six mugger crocodiles. The initiative, following the cheetah reintroduction, aims to restore species like the wild buffalo, which became extinct in MP over a century ago. Madhya Pradesh and Assam agree to exchange endangered species, including rhinos and wild buffaloes for tigers, to boost biodiversity and conservation. Bhopal, Jan 9 In a significant step towards wildlife conservation, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati, reaching a principled agreement on the inter-state exchange of wild animals. The pact aims to enrich biodiversity in both states, particularly by reintroducing species extinct in certain regions. Under the agreement, Assam will translocate 50 wild water buffaloes to Madhya Pradesh over the next three years, in phased groups. Additionally, a pair of one-horned rhinoceroses and three king cobras will be sent to the state. These animals, including the rhinos and cobras, will initially be housed at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal for acclimatisation and public viewing. The wild buffaloes, however, will be reintroduced into their historic habitat at Kanha Tiger Reserve. In exchange, Madhya Pradesh will provide Assam with a pair of tigers and six mugger crocodiles, helping diversify Assam's wildlife populations. Announcing the development on his X handle, CM Yadav stated, "Steps will be taken to enrich wildlife and biodiversity in Madhya Pradesh. The extinct wild buffalo species will be reintroduced... 50 wild buffaloes, a pair of rhinos, and three cobras will be brought from Assam in the next 3 years. The buffaloes will be reintroduced in Kanha Tiger Reserve." Dr Yadav emphasised that this initiative follows the successful reintroduction of cheetahs in Kuno National Park, adding a new dimension to Madhya Pradesh's conservation efforts. The state, already known as the 'Tiger State' and 'Leopard State', is committed to restoring species that once roamed its forests. The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), an endangered species, became locally extinct in Madhya Pradesh over a century ago. India's primary population is now concentrated in Assam, particularly in Kaziranga and Manas National Parks, with global numbers under 4,000. A comprehensive study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, identified Kanha Tiger Reserve as ideal for reintroduction due to its abundant grasslands, water sources, low human interference, and suitable herbivore dynamics. - IANS Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu emphasized that the National Education Policy 2020 is designed to transform higher education into a more flexible and student-focused system. He highlighted that new programs like the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme will create fresh opportunities in research and skill acquisition. University officials discussed the practical implementation, stressing the importance of digital systems and coordinated efforts between universities and colleges. The meeting concluded with a focus on translating policy objectives into tangible academic outcomes for students. Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu details how NEP 2020's flexible programs like FYUGP will boost research, skills, and employability in higher education. Guwahati, January 9 Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu on Friday said that the National Education Policy 2020 is a historic reform that seeks to make higher education in India more student-centric, multidisciplinary, flexible and skill-oriented. Addressing an academic meeting at Gauhati University, Dr Pegu said that the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) and the Five-Year Integrated Masters Programme (FYIMP), introduced under NEP 2020, would open new opportunities for students in research, innovation, and advanced skill acquisition. He urged students and institutions to make effective use of the academic flexibility offered under the new framework. The meeting focused on the implementation and academic structure of FYUGP and FYIMP, and it was attended by Deans, Heads and faculty members of the University, along with Principals of colleges affiliated to Gauhati University. Discussions centred on academic restructuring, student progression pathways, digital systems and institutional preparedness for the new policy regime. The Education Minister further emphasised that the multidisciplinary and flexible approach envisaged under NEP 2020 would enhance employability and encourage innovation-driven learning. He stressed the need for proactive adaptation by universities and coordinated efforts with affiliated colleges to translate policy objectives into meaningful academic outcomes. Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta highlighted the operational aspects of NEP 2020 and reiterated the role of technology-enabled systems in its effective implementation. He noted that the adoption of the SAMARTH digital platform was crucial for streamlining academic and examination processes and said Gauhati University had undertaken several reform-oriented measures to support the transition. Academic Registrar Prof. Rajib Handique presented an overview of key academic and administrative issues related to FYUGP and FYIMP. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Registrar Prof. Utpal Sarma. Senior officials, including Hemanta Kumar Nath, Secretary, University Classes, members of the Assam College Principals' Council and office-bearers of the Gauhati University Teachers' Association, were also present. - ANI Former diplomat Surendra Kumar stated that President Trump's bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill was not surprising, attributing it to the administration's confidence following its operation in Venezuela. He warned that such unilateral actions could severely damage the India-US relationship, which has been carefully built by successive administrations in both countries. Kumar urged countries like India and China to find a practical way out of this difficult situation, as rational argument with an uncompromising stance is challenging. He expressed hope that sane voices within the US Congress, administration, and corporate sector would advise the President against creating an international crisis. Former diplomat Surendra Kumar says Trump's Russia sanctions move is unsurprising but warns it could damage crucial India-US relations built over decades. New Delhi, January 9 Surendra Kumar, a former diplomat, has said that US President Donald Trump's bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill was not too surprising. Speaking to ANI, he said that Trump is "on a high" from his operation in Venezuela. "Well, it's not too surprising. He has been saying in a roundabout way that if you don't comply, I will do this. He also mentioned 500 per cent in the past. But now he's on a high after what he has been able to achieve in Venezuela. He feels he is vindicated. He successfully captured the person, brought him to the USA, and without any violence, no resistance," he said. Kumar said the situation is difficult, given that there is no way there could be resistance against the US. "Now you have a vice president (in Venezuela), now elevated president, who is prepared to work with the USA. You (US) talk about getting $2.8 billion from them. So, we are in a difficult situation because there's no way we can resist. And resist in what way?" he said. He added that countries like India and China must find a way out. "You cannot really have normal, rational arguments with somebody who is not prepared to listen. He simply said - my way or the highway. I will do it. You comply with, or you face the music. I personally feel that these countries, like India, China, and others who are facing this, should find some way out because I personally feel a practical way," he said. Kumar said that the US senators and the corporate sector should advise Trump to stop doing such things. "Right now, there are not many options. We are in a very difficult situation because we have been decreasing our imports. It's coming down. He (Trump) himself admitted India is coming down. I hope that there may be sane voices in the US administration and the Congress, and the corporate sector who will advise the president not to create an international crisis by doing these kinds of things," he said. "There are ways of doing it. You can sit across and really find out solutions through dialogue and through talks in a reasonable way. You want this topic, yes, we are not declining it. And we are also increasing imports from the USA. So there is progress," he added. Kumar highlighted that the move will damage India-US ties, which were built over the years by previous administrations in both countries. "In the kind of process which you want, but some kind of instant way of doing it is not feasible, and I hope this will not happen. This will not come to that because if it comes to that, then it will almost really damage the whole relationship which has been built by successive presidents of the US and the prime ministers of India and which will be of loss to both countries, not only to India," he said. "Look, it's a pity. The US has been considered for many, many decades a country where people come and make their dreams come true," he added. Kumar added that by withdrawing from international organisations, the US is damaging its own reputation. "Exceptionalism is based on certain values, certain achievements, certain conventions and traditions. Now, if you withdraw from the whole world, from various organisations, whom are you harming? Actually, many people believe you are harming the US itself. You become totally exclusive. You are not inclusive. Gandhi used to say, 'Keep your doors and windows open.' Let all the thoughts and ideas flow through it. Now you want to withdraw from all these organisations in the long run, it will affect the US, the US society, the US reputation," he said. Kumar added that the Americans must point out these things to the administration and show their fallacy. "It's a great prestige. You can imagine, during even the Vietnam War, thousands of Americans defied the US government. They did not support the invasion of Vietnam. They went to prison, including the box of cases. So I hope that the civil society, the intelligentsia, the academia, and others will try to reason out in their own ways, convey to the government in the US that for a great country like India, this kind of action is not in their national interest," he said. Trump's presidency has repeatedly been marked by a strong emphasis on territorial expansion and strategic dominance. Days after a US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, attention has now shifted to Greenland, with Trump once again intensifying efforts to bring the Arctic territory under American control. Trump also announced Washington's withdrawal from 66 international organisations, treaties and alliances. The US Treasury Department on Thursday formally announced the country's immediate withdrawal from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). - ANI Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed his support for the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, stating it has historically harmed the region. He emphasized the need for follow-up projects, specifically the Tulbul Navigation Barrage on the Jhelum, to utilize water resources for electricity and navigation. Abdullah also discussed a difficult year for tourism, citing setbacks like the Delhi bomb blast, but noted improvement with recent snowfall. The administration continues to promote tourism, focusing on key markets like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. J&K CM Omar Abdullah supports suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, calls for water projects and discusses tourism revival after a difficult year. Amritsar, January 9 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday showed support for the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that the old agreement had been harmful to the interests of Jammu and Kashmir. During his press conference in Amritsar, he reiterated his long opposition to the treaty and said its suspension would allow the region to utilise its water resources. "I have been against it from the very first day. The Indus Water Treaty has greatly harmed us. It is good that the treaty has been suspended," the Chief Minister said. He stressed that the move should now be followed by steps to ensure Jammu and Kashmir can effectively use the region's water resources for its people. "Now I want measures to be taken so that we are able to use that water for ourselves. We have given two projects to the centre, which we think will benefit us. One is the Jhelum navigation barrage, known as the Tulbul Navigation Barrage," he said. He highlighted the benefits of this project, saying, "Water level in Wular will increase, and as a result, water in the Jhelum will also increase. Electricity production will increase, and Jhelum will be used for navigation." He added that they are in continuous communication with the centre about these projects. The Chief Minister also spoke at length about the challenges faced by the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir over the past year. He described the previous year as particularly difficult, noting that just as tourism was beginning to recover, the Delhi bomb blast created another setback and impacted the tourist visits. "Last year was difficult for us. When tourism started reviving, the Delhi bomb blast proved to be another setback for us," said the CM. However, Abdullah said the situation has improved with the onset of snowfall in Kashmir. "Since snowfall has begun, tourism in Kashmir has increased," he said. He clarified that while the government would continue to promote tourism, it would not release tourism data this time. "We will continue to promote tourism, but numbers and our success ratio will remain with us," he added. Highlighting the importance of tourism from other states, Abdullah said Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal remain the main markets for tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir. He said the administration is working to revive tourism in these states, but has not yet achieved the desired results. "We are trying our best to revive tourism in these states. I cannot say that we have succeeded, but it feels like tourism has gradually revived since snowfall has started," he said. - ANI Pakistan's Finance Ministry has acknowledged a severe lack of transparency in the Special Investment Facilitation Council's operations, a finding highlighted in a report for the IMF. The IMF warns that the SIFC's unclear decision-making and sweeping legal immunities damage investor confidence and policy stability. Despite being created to streamline investment, the council has failed to secure any major foreign capital while operating with overlapping mandates. To comply with IMF conditions, Pakistan has committed to publishing detailed SIFC reports, with a final version due by March 2027. IMF warns Pakistan's Special Investment Facilitation Council lacks transparency, weakening investor confidence and policy stability under $7B loan program. Islamabad, January 9 Pakistan's Ministry of Finance has acknowledged that the Special Investment Facilitation Council lacks institutionalised transparency, an omission the International Monetary Fund warns could further damage investor confidence and weaken policy stability. The admission appears in the government's 240-page Prime Minister's Economic Governance Reforms Agenda, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, the ministry prepared the report to fulfil the requirements of the IMF's Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment under the USD 7 billion loan programme. The document notes that unclear decision-making mechanisms within the SIFC, especially regarding strategic investment concessions and regulatory relaxations, create information gaps that heighten perceived governance risks. Established in 2023 to act as a single-window facility for investment after Gulf nations voiced concerns over Pakistan's bureaucratic disarray, the SIFC succeeded in removing some procedural obstacles. However, major structural problems, unpredictable taxation, soaring energy tariffs, weak external buffers and limited fiscal space continue to overshadow investment prospects. Despite its mandate to attract foreign capital in sectors ranging from agriculture and mining to defence, tourism and IT, the SIFC has not delivered any major foreign investment. Last month, its National Coordinator, Lt Gen Sarfraz Ahmed, publicly identified several bottlenecks inhibiting FDI inflows. The Finance Ministry admits in its report that Pakistan still lacks consolidated, publicly available information on tax concessions, fiscal impacts and regulatory exemptions. Without consistent disclosure, investors remain uncertain about the justification and consequences of the state's strategic investment decisions, as highlighted by The Express Tribune. To comply with IMF conditions, the government has pledged to publish the first draft of the SIFC's annual report in December and finalise it by March 2027. The IMF has also raised concerns over Articles 10F and 10G of the Board of Investment Act, which grant sweeping powers and immunity to SIFC officials, potentially diluting accountability. The Fund further criticised the parallel functioning of the Board of Investment and the SIFC, arguing that overlapping mandates fuel confusion and weaken governance. The IMF has urged Pakistan to address deeper structural issues rather than create multiple bodies with conflicting roles, as reported by The Express Tribune. - ANI President Droupadi Murmu has approved the summoning of Parliament for the Budget Session 2026, commencing on January 28. The session will run in two phases, concluding on April 2, with a recess in between for committee scrutiny. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to present the Union Budget for 2026-27 on February 1, which is a Sunday. The session begins with the President's address outlining the government's policy vision. President Murmu approves Budget Session from Jan 28 to Apr 2, 2026. Finance Minister Sitharaman may present the Union Budget on Sunday, Feb 1. New Delhi, Jan 9 President Droupadi Murmu has approved the summoning of both Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session 2026 from January 28 on the government's recommendation, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Friday. "On the recommendation of the Govt of India, Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji has approved the summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session 2026. The Session will commence on 28 January 2026 and continue till 2 April 2026. The first phase concludes on 13 February 2026, with Parliament reassembling on 9 March 2026, a vital step towards meaningful debate and people-centric governance," Rjiiju said in a post on X. According to reports, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to table the Budget on February 1, which falls on a Sunday -- a rare occurrence that would require special arrangements. The Economic Survey, providing a comprehensive review of the economy, is anticipated to be laid before Parliament on January 29 or 30. The Budget Session traditionally begins with the President's address to a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, outlining the government's policy priorities and vision. This address will take place on the opening day, January 28. The announcement sets the stage for one of the most important parliamentary events of the year, during which the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27 is expected to be presented. Rijiju's post stressed the government's commitment to transparent and effective legislative processes. The two-phase format allows for initial discussions on the Budget and other key matters, followed by detailed scrutiny in standing committees during the recess, before final deliberations and passage of financial bills. This session comes at a crucial time as the government focuses on economic growth, fiscal consolidation, and addressing emerging challenges in sectors like infrastructure, employment, and sustainability. Parliamentarians from across parties are expected to engage in intensive debates on taxation, expenditure, and policy reforms. The formal approval by President Murmu marks the procedural start of preparations for the session, with both Houses gearing up for what promises to be a packed legislative calendar. - IANS West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has stated that being among the public is his "greatest security," despite confirming he received a threatening email warning of an attack. He recalled a past incident where a bomb was thrown in front of him, emphasizing that such threats do not bother him. The Governor also presented a development roadmap for Bengal based on public feedback, calling it a "people's manifesto." On the legal tussle between the Enforcement Directorate and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bose declined to comment, citing the matter as sub judice. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose calls being with people his "greatest security" after receiving a threatening email warning of an attack on him. Kolkata, January 9 West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday said that being among the people was the "greatest security" he could have, even as he confirmed receiving a threatening email warning of an attack on him. During his visit to Dacres Lane in Kolkata, the Governor said he was unconcerned by threats and placed his faith in public support. While addressing a press conference, he said, "I am safe here with the people. It is a place where people come together and be together. To be with the people is the greatest security that any governor can have." Responding to the threatening "will blast him" email, the Governor said no threat would work on him. "Threats can come and go. No threat will work on me. I am on the street and with the people. Protection by the people means much more than protection by anyone else," he added. He also recalled a past incident, saying, "Last year, when I was in the field, somebody was throwing a bomb in front of me. Whether it was due to ignorance or deliberate action is for the investigating authorities to determine. I am not bothered about these threats at all." Regarding security, Bose said official protection remained in place despite his preference to stay close to the public. "Security is duty-bound to be near me even though I do not accept it. So they kept a safe distance. I trust the people, and I get a lot of trust and affection from them," he added. The Governor also said he had prepared a development roadmap based on public feedback."I have prepared an action plan for the development of Bengal from the people's perspective. This is a people's manifesto, a people's plan, which I am presenting before the authorities for appropriate action," he said. Commenting on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) approaching the High Court and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee filing an FIR against the agency, Bose declined to make political remarks, citing the matter as sub judice. "These are legal issues before the court. Let the court decide. As Governor, it is not proper for me to comment on matters that are sub judice," he said. On the ED raid at the I-PAC office, the Governor said he had received petitions raising serious legal concerns. "Three legal points have been raised. Preventing a public servant from discharging duties is a criminal offence. Intimidating or threatening a public servant is a serious offence punishable with imprisonment and a fine. Thirdly, it has been alleged that a constitutional authority must protect the Constitution, and if such an authority violates it, there is no moral right to continue in office," Bose said, adding that he would not take a "knee-jerk reaction" at this stage. Stressing the supremacy of law, the Governor said, "The law is always above everyone. Now that the matter is before the High Court, let us wait for the judgment." - ANI A private bus skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, resulting in at least eight fatalities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 for the injured from the PM National Relief Fund. Rescue operations are underway, with local police and emergency teams evacuating the injured, though the death toll may rise. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief and directed the administration to prioritize medical treatment and assistance. PM Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased, Rs 50,000 for injured after bus accident in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district kills 8. New Delhi, January 9 The Prime Minister's Office on Friday expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in a bus accident in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district and announced ex-gratia assistance for the victims from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. Sharing a message on X, the PMO said, "The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured." The Prime Minister announced financial assistance for the victims, stating, "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi" At least eight people lost their lives on Friday after a private bus carrying over 30 passengers skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Harpur Dhar in Sirmaur district. The bus was travelling from Kupvi to Shimla, police said. Confirming the casualties, Sirmaur Superintendent of Police Nishchit Negi told ANI, "Eight fatalities have been confirmed so far," He added that the toll could rise, "There were around 30 to 35 passengers on board the bus. More details are awaited." According to the police, the accident occurred about an hour before authorities were informed. Rescue and evacuation operations were immediately launched, with police and emergency teams rushing to the spot. Providing an update on relief efforts, SP Nishchit Negi said: "The injured are being evacuated, and rescue teams are carrying out relief operations." He also said that he was personally heading to the accident site to supervise the operations. Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sirmaur, Sunil Kumar Kaith said: "This bus service runs from Shimla to Kupvi, and today, it was involved in an accident. According to the information we received, nine people were killed, including three who died en route, and all 45 injured have been referred to different hospitals."He added: "Initially, we cannot say how the accident happened. A detailed inquiry will be conducted. Rescue efforts are ongoing, and a post-mortem will be carried out on the spot."Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed deep grief over the incident and said: "The ill-fated bus was on its way from Shimla to Kupvi via Rajgarh when it veered off the road and fell into a deep gorge." The Chief Minister directed the administration to prioritise saving lives and ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured, along with all necessary assistance to the families of the deceased. He also prayed for peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families. - ANI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a three-day visit to Gujarat starting January 10, 2026. His itinerary includes participating in religious ceremonies at the Somnath Temple, such as the Omkar Mantra chanting and the Shaurya Yatra. The visit also features developmental engagements like inaugurating a stretch of the Ahmedabad Metro and a Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot. The final day includes a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, featuring a visit to Sabarmati Ashram and a review of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership. PM Narendra Modi visits Gujarat Jan 10-12 for Somnath rituals, launches Ahmedabad metro, inaugurates Vibrant Gujarat conference, and meets German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. New Delhi, January 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat from 10 to 12 January 2026. The Prime Minister will arrive in Somnath in the evening on 10th January. At around 8 PM, he will participate in Omkar Mantra chanting and thereafter view the drone show at the Somnath temple, the statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. According to the statement, on January 11 at around 9:45 AM, PM Modi will take part in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. Thereafter, at around 10:15 AM, the Prime Minister will perform Darshan and Pooja in Somnath Temple. At around 11 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in a public function marking Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Later in the day, Prime Minister will travel to Rajkot to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra regions. At around 1:30 PM, he will inaugurate the trade show and exhibition at the conference. At around 2 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra Region at Marwadi University, Rajkot, and also address the gathering on the occasion. From Rajkot, Prime Minister will travel to Ahmedabad. At around 5:15 PM at Mahatma Mandir metro station, Prime Minister will inaugurate the remaining stretch of Phase 2 of Ahmedabad metro from Sector 10A to Mahatma Mandir. On 12th January, Prime Minister will meet the Federal Chancellor of Germany, H.E. Friedrich Merz, in Ahmedabad. At around 9:30 AM, the two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram, followed by their participation in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront at around 10 AM. This will be followed by bilateral engagements from 11:15 AM onwards at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, where the Prime Minister and the German Chancellor will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. - ANI Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has called on the Persian Gulf countries to respond to the massive Russian air strike that damaged the Qatari embassy in Kyiv. Russias overnight strike on Kyiv damaged the premises of a foreign diplomatic mission, the embassy of the State of Qatar to Ukraine. Russian strike is a grave violation of the Vienna Convention and a reminder that Russian brutality knows no limits. We stand ready to provide all necessary assistance to our Qatari colleagues. We call on the Gulf States to respond through diplomatic channels and publicly to Russias irresponsible and dangerous actions, he said on X. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reflected on the successful 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held in Bhubaneswar in 2025. He highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's consistent efforts to engage the global Indian community as active partners in the nation's economic and social progress. The event, themed on the diaspora's contribution to a 'Viksit Bharat', focused on creating practical outcomes in entrepreneurship, technology, and skill development. The CM noted how the Prime Minister encouraged NRIs to promote Odisha's culture and handicrafts while serving as ambassadors for Indian tourism. Odisha CM Mohan Majhi reflects on PBD 2025, highlighting PM Modi's outreach to NRIs as key partners in India's development journey. New Delhi, Jan 9 Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday looked back at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held in Bhubaneshwar last year and recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's valuable contribution in reaching out to Indian nationals living abroad and encouraging their participation in the nation's development. The 2025 event in Odisha was the 18th edition of Bharatiya Divas Convention, marking the first such programme in the eastern part of the country, aligning with the Central government's focus on 'Purvodaya'. Modi Story, a popular social media handle on X, shared a video statement of Odisha CM where he reflected on the Indian diaspora event held in January 2025, under his watch and how the Non-Resident Indians found an 'instant connect' with PM Modi. "Prime Minister actively reached out to overseas Indians, encouraging their participation in India's economic and social development," he said. "First as Gujarat CM and then as Prime Minister, PM Modi has throughout his public life, emphasised the importance of the Indian diaspora in India's progress. He has viewed Non-Resident Indians as partners in nation-building, capable of contributing through knowledge, investment, innovation, and global experience," he added. Majhi further stated that the Prime Minister urged the participating diaspora to engage, participate and cooperate in promoting Odisha's culture and range of handicrafts, handlooms and traditional art forms while also serving as ambassadors of tourism not just for Odisha but for the country. Notably, the PBD event in Odisha titled "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat" focused on firming up the motto of PBD -- recognising the contribution of Indians living abroad and strengthening their connection with the nation. Odisha CM further said that under PM Modi's leadership, engagement with the diaspora has focused on practical outcomes. "Efforts have been made to connect global talent with India's needs in areas such as entrepreneurship, technology, skill development, and social initiatives. The occasion reinforces the idea that Indians across the world continue to play an important role in shaping India's future," he added. Notably, the PBD is celebrated once every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their cultural roots. - IANS Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Somnath Temple in Gujarat on January 10-11, 2026, to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. His schedule includes leading a divine Omkar Mantra chanting session and joining a Shaurya Yatra procession to honor historical defenders of the temple. The event commemorates 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion and 75 years since the temple's restoration after Independence. The celebrations underscore India's spiritual resilience and cultural pride. PM Narendra Modi visits Somnath Temple for Swabhiman Parv, participating in Omkar Mantra chanting and Shaurya Yatra to honor India's spiritual heritage. New Delhi, January 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Somnath Swabhiman Parv is a powerful symbol of India's spiritual tradition and is being celebrated across the country with devotion, faith and enthusiasm. Sharing details of his visit to the temple town on X, the Prime Minister said, "The Somnath Swabhiman Parv is a powerful symbol of our spiritual tradition, which is being celebrated across the country with complete devotion, faith, and enthusiasm. In the same vein, tomorrow night around 8 PM, I will have the good fortune to participate in the divine chanting of the Omkar Mantra at the Somnath Temple." He further said, "The next morning, around 9:45 AM, after joining the Shaurya Yatra dedicated to the countless heroic progeny of Mother India, I will visit the temple for darshan and worship. Following that, I will also have the opportunity to participate in a public program here."Prime Minister Modi will visit Somnath in Gujarat on January 10 and 11, 2026, to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. At around 8 PM on January 10, the Prime Minister will take part in the Omkar Mantra chanting, following which he will witness a drone show at the Somnath Temple. On January 11, at around 9:45 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. The Shaurya Yatra will feature a symbolic procession of 108 horses, reflecting valour and sacrifice. Thereafter, at around 10:15 AM, the Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at the Somnath Temple. At around 11 AM, he will participate in and address a public function in Somnath. The Somnath Swabhiman Parv, being held from January 8 to 11, 2026, is organised to remember the countless citizens of India whose sacrifices in defending the temple continue to inspire the cultural consciousness of future generations. The programme marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion of the Somnath Temple in 1026. Despite repeated attempts to destroy it over centuries, the Somnath Temple stands today as a symbol of resilience, faith and national pride, owing to the collective resolve to restore it to its ancient glory. After Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led efforts to restore the temple. A major milestone was achieved in 1951, when the restored Somnath Temple was opened to devotees in the presence of then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The completion of 75 years of this historic restoration in 2026 lends special significance to the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. The celebrations will see participation from hundreds of saints across the country and include 72 hours of continuous chanting of 'Om' within the temple premises. The Prime Minister's participation in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv underscores the enduring spirit of India's civilisation and reaffirms his commitment to preserving and celebrating the country's rich cultural and spiritual heritage. - ANI The producers of Prabhas's upcoming horror comedy 'The Raja Saab' have confirmed plans for a Japanese dubbed release, targeting the actor's significant fanbase in Japan within three to six months of its Indian theatrical run. This strategy follows the successful Japanese releases of his previous blockbusters 'Baahubali' and 'Saaho', the latter being the highest opener for an Indian film there. The film marks Prabhas's first venture into the horror genre and has generated substantial buzz with its recently released trailer. It features a lead cast including Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, and Ridhi Kumar, with cinematography by Karthik Palani and music by Thaman S. Prabhas' horror comedy 'The Raja Saab' to get a Japanese dubbed version, targeting his massive fanbase in Japan 3-6 months after its Indian release. Hyderabad, Jan 9 Seeking to target the huge fan base that actor Prabhas has in Japan, the makers of director Maruthi's horror comedy 'The Raja Saab', featuring actor Prabhas in the lead, have now confirmed that they are planning to release the dubbed Japanese version of the film in Japan, within three to six months of the film's release in India. At a pre-release event organised by the makers of the film, the producer of the film, T G Vishwa Prasad was asked if they had plans to release the film in Japan, considering the popularity Prabhas enjoys in the country. Responding to the question, the producer said, "We are at present releasing the film in Indian languages. We will have the film dubbed in Japanese and release it in Japan three to six months after the release here." It may be recalled that Prabhas had only recently visited Japan for the release of his film 'Baahubali: The Epic'. The film was released there due to a huge fan following that the actor enjoys in the country. Prior to 'Baahubali', the actor's film 'Saaho' too was released in Japan to full houses. In fact, 'Saaho', which was directed by Sujeeth and which featured Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead, went on to emerge as the highest opener for an Indian film in Japan when it released there. Meanwhile, the producer said that they were uncertain about the number of screens 'The Raja Saab' would get in Tamil Nadu but they expected to get anywhere between 150 to 200 screens. For the unaware, 'The Raja Saab' has triggered huge interest among fans and film buffs and a spine-chilling but really well cut trailer of the film that the makers released some days ago has only gone on to add to the excitement. The film has triggered huge expectations as Prabhas will be seen stepping into uncharted territory with this project. For those unaware, The Raja Saab will be Prabhas's first full-fledged horror entertainer. The film has cinematography by Karthik Palani and music by Thaman S. The cast of 'The Raja Saab' includes the stunning trio of Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, and Ridhi Kumar, who are expected to add charm, elegance, and freshness to the eerie yet colourful world of The Raja Saab. - IANS Italian fashion house Prada has launched a new unisex perfume inspired by Indian chai, featuring notes of creamy sandalwood, cardamom, and a chai latte accord. The launch ignited enthusiastic reactions on social media, with users celebrating the fusion of global luxury and Indian cultural elements. This move follows Prada's recent foray into Indian craftsmanship, which involved a collaboration to modernize traditional Kolhapuri chappals after initial controversy. The brand has signed an MoU with Indian development corporations to blend traditional techniques with contemporary design under the 'Prada Made in India' project. Prada unveils a chai latte-inspired unisex perfume, blending sandalwood & cardamom, following its recent Kolhapuri chappal collaboration project in India. Milan, January 9 Italian fashion giant Prada has once again sparked a fun conversation across India with the launch of Infusion de Santal Chai Eau de Parfum - its "chai" aka tea-inspired perfume. In a move that appears to have blended high fashion with one of the most cherished rituals among Indians, Prada unveiled the unisex perfume as a part of its Les Infusions collection. According to the brand website, Prada de Santal Chai perfume comes with a fusion of creamy sandalwood with the spicy notes of chai latte accord. It also blends a fresh touch of citrus and cardamom, offering a woody and spicy fragrance. Prada's design for the perfume also reflects its theme, coming off in a brown-hued glass bottle topped with a camel Saffiano cap, which once again echoes the warm hues of a cup of tea. The "chai" perfume's unconventional concept quickly sparked a lively discussion on social media. One wrote, "Omg I want to try!! Love the chai," while another added, "Indian chai, interesting." A third comment read, "Every Indian product like kolhapuri chappal, paithani, food products and chai is also very great and perfectly useful for all world. Made in India." Notably, the perfume launch revived memories of Prada's Kolhapuri chappal stint in India. Earlier in 2025, a PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court against the Italian fashion house for allegedly copying Kolhapuri designs in their latest unveiled summer collection. In the months that followed, a Prada team visited India to learn about the history and craftsmanship behind the iconic Kolhapuri chappals. In December, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Prada, Maharashtra's LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Leather Industries & Charmakar Development Corporation), and Karnataka's LIDKAR (Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation). Under the project 'Prada Made in India - Inspired by Kolhapuri Chappals', Kolhapuri footwear will be developed by combining centuries-old traditional manufacturing techniques with Prada's modern and contemporary design sensibilities. This collaboration will bring Prada's modern touch to the traditional Kolhapuri craft. - ANI Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly opposed the proposed Malayalam Language Bill, 2025 from Kerala, which mandates Malayalam as the compulsory first language in all schools. He argues this coercive policy strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom, particularly for Kannada-speaking minorities in border districts like Kasaragod. Siddaramaiah cites constitutional protections under Articles 29, 30, 350A, and 350B that safeguard the rights of linguistic minorities to education in their mother tongue. He has urged Kerala to withdraw the bill, warning that Karnataka will use all constitutional means to oppose it if passed. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah opposes Kerala's Malayalam Language Bill, calling it an imposition on linguistic freedom and a threat to Kannada speakers. Bengaluru, January 9 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has opposed Kerala's Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, warning that "promotion cannot become imposition". "India's unity rests on respecting every language and every citizen's right to learn in their mother tongue," Siddaramaiah posted on X. The CM objected to the Bill's provision mandating Malayalam as the compulsory first language across Kerala, saying that it "strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom". "The proposed Malayalam Language Bill-2025, by mandating compulsory Malayalam as the first language even in Kannada-medium schools, strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and the lived reality of Kerala's border districts, especially Kasaragod," Siddaramaiah said. "For children of linguistic minorities, language is not a 'subject' alone, it is identity, dignity, access and opportunity. When the State compels a single 'first language' choice, it burdens students who learn in their mother tongue, disrupts academic progression and confidence, narrows the freedom to choose a second language, and weakens minority-run institutions and minority-medium education ecosystems," he added. In Kasaragod's border belt, Siddaramiah noted that generations of students have studied in Kannada-medium schools and rely on Kannada in daily life. He pointed out that local representatives have cited figures suggesting that nearly "70% in parts of the district prefer Kannada learning and the Kannada script ecosystem." "This is not a threat to Malayalam, it is a testament to India's plural culture, where languages coexist without fear," he said. The Karnataka CM added, "Our Constitution is clear that no government can trample the rights of linguistic minorities. Articles 29 & 30 protect the right to conserve language and administer educational institutions of choice; Article 350A casts a duty to provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage; and Article 350B mandates oversight for linguistic minority safeguards. Coercion in language policy goes against both the letter and spirit of these protections." Siddaramaiah asserted that promotion can't become an imposition. "Kerala has every right to promote Malayalam with pride. Karnataka does the same for Kannada, which is our heartbeat and our identity. But promotion cannot become an imposition," he said. Urging the Kerala government to withdraw the Bill, he warned that Karnataka would oppose it using all constitutional means if it is passed. "We will stand with every Kannadiga, with the people of Kasaragod, with linguistic minorities, and with all those who believe that India belongs equally to every language and every voice," he said. "Let Malayalam flourish. Let Kannada flourish. Let every mother tongue flourish. That is the India our Constitution promised, and the India we must defend," Siddaramaiah said. This comes after Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority (KBADA) on Wednesday said that the Kerala governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar promised a thorough review of the Malayalam Bhasha Bill, 2025, after concerns were raised over its impact on Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities in Kasaragod district. - ANI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Ashok Leyland's new Electric Vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow. Chief Minister Adityanath emphasized the state's dramatic turnaround since 2017, from a perceived lawless environment to a premier destination for domestic and global investors. Both leaders highlighted the project's role in boosting employment, advancing electric mobility, and supporting national clean energy objectives. Rajnath Singh also noted Uttar Pradesh's growing significance in national security through the establishment of a defence industrial corridor. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurate Ashok Leyland's EV facility in Lucknow, highlighting UP's transformation into an investment hub. Lucknow, January 9 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated Ashok Leyland's Electric Vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow, marking a significant milestone in the state's industrial development. Speaking at the inauguration, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the investment reflects Uttar Pradesh's transformation under the BJP government. He alleged that before 2017, the state faced lawlessness and an unfavourable investment climate, with even existing investors looking to exit. "Forget about new investments; even the existing investments were completely ready to flee the state at the first opportunity. We came into power in 2017. We said at that time that Uttar Pradesh is a state with unlimited potential. Some people may have tarnished its image for their own political gains. They may have created an identity crisis for the state. But today I can say that Uttar Pradesh is no longer just a state with unlimited potential, but a state that is transforming the potential into results," the Uttar Pradesh CM said. "Today, Uttar Pradesh is not just a state of unlimited potential but a state converting possibilities into achievements," he said, adding that the past eight and a half years of transformation serve as an example for the entire country. The Chief Minister said Uttar Pradesh has now become a preferred destination for both domestic and global investors, driven by an "Industry First" and "Investor First" approach. Highlighting the environmental significance of the project, CM Yogi Adityanath said the EV plant aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to sustainable development and climate action. He added that the project has generated direct and indirect employment opportunities for thousands of youth. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the inauguration as a proud moment for Lucknow and the state. He said the modern EV facility would prove to be a milestone in Uttar Pradesh's industrial journey. Rajnath Singh asserted that a state once associated with crime and backwardness is now witnessing the daily establishment of industries. Referring to strategic development, Rajnath Singh said Uttar Pradesh has also emerged as a hub for national security-related projects, with the establishment of a defence industrial corridor in the state. "Uttar Pradesh was once considered a backward state. The same Uttar Pradesh, previously associated with lawlessness and crime, is now seeing the establishment of industries on a daily basis. What could be a greater achievement than this? Today, projects related to national security have also begun in Uttar Pradesh. The government has established a defence industrial corridor here...," he said. The Ashok Leyland EV plant is expected to boost electric mobility, industrial growth, and employment in the region while supporting India's clean energy and manufacturing goals. - ANI Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma praised director Geetu Mohandas as the "ultimate symbol of women empowerment" following the release of the teaser for Yash's upcoming film 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups'. The teaser, launched on Yash's birthday, showcases his intense character Raya and set social media abuzz. Other celebrities like Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar also hailed the explosive first look. The film, starring Yash alongside a prominent female cast, is scheduled for a theatrical release in March 2026. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma calls director Geetu Mohandas the "ultimate symbol of women empowerment" after the explosive teaser for Yash's 'Toxic'. Mumbai, January 9 Yash starrer 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups' ignited a major stir with its very first teaser, instantly setting social media abuzz and raising anticipation. Joining in the line of praises, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma gave a shoutout to director Geetu Mohandas, hailing her for being the "ultimate symbol of women empowerment." Taking to his X handle, RGV shared his surprising reaction to the director's work on the film. "After seeing the @TheNameIsYash starring trailer of #Toxic I have no doubt that @GeethuMohandas is the ultimate symbol of Women Empowerment ..No Male director is Man enough in comparison to this Woman .. I still can't believe she shot this," he wrote. Earlier, stars like Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, and Rishab Shetty also hailed the teaser on social media. The 'Raazi' actor took to her Instagram Story to react to the teaser. Giving the teaser a thumbs up, the actress wrote, "Dynamite." Karan Johar, in his story, added, "WOW!!!! What a BIRTHDAY announcement!!! Truly ROCKING!" The much-awaited teaser for actor Yash's upcoming film 'Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups' was unveiled on Thursday, coinciding with the actor's birthday celebrations. The teaser offers a striking glimpse into Yash's intense and enigmatic character as Raya, instantly sparking excitement among fans. Set against the backdrop of a cemetery, the teaser opens with a blaze of action, with gunfire cutting through the silence, signalling the arrival of Yash as the composed, fearless, and unflinching Raya with a Tommy gun. 'Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups' is written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas and directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film stars Yash alongside Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Kiara Advani, and Nayanthara in key roles. Toxic marks Yash's return to the big screen after 'KGF: Chapter 2'. Produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, Toxic is set to hit theatres on March 19, 2026. - ANI This Republic Day parade will feature a powerful aerial display led by fighter jets that participated in the decisive Operation Sindoor. The event will also witness the historic debut of the newly formed, elite Bhairav Battalion of light commandos. These battalions, announced after the operation's success, are trained for swift and high-impact missions. The overall display is intended as a strong statement of India's military preparedness and resolve against terrorism. India's Republic Day parade will showcase fighter jets from Operation Sindoor and debut the elite Bhairav Battalion, marking a strong statement of military resolve. New Delhi, Jan 9 New Delhi is set to witness a powerful display of India's military might this Republic Day, as fighter jets that played a key role in 'Operation Sindoor' will roar across Kartavya Path. The spectacle will capture the global attention, say defence experts. Operation Sindoor, which was launched in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, highlighted a decisive response by the Indian armed forces. This military operation by India targeted terrorist hideouts and key locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). When Pakistan tried to carry out retaliatory strikes, India responded with double the force. This showcased the Indian Air Force's operational dominance to the world. Now, the same fighter jets that struck terror infrastructure will feature prominently in the Republic Day flypast. One of the main highlights will be the special Sindoor Formation which will symbolise the success and resolve of the operation. Advanced aircraft including Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, and MiG-29 fighter jets-along with more than half a dozen combat aircraft-will fly in formation over Kartavya Path. In addition to this, multiple other formations comprising fighter jets, helicopters, and transport aircraft will also be part of the grand aerial display. Bhairav Battalion to make historic debut For the first time, the newly raised Bhairav Battalion of the Indian Army will march down Kartavya Path and salute the Supreme Commander. Following the success of Operation Sindoor, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi announced the formation of these new light commando battalions from Kargil. Five Bhairav battalions have already been established, according to officials. The Army plans to raise a total of 25 such battalions within six months, they added. Each battalion consists of around 250 elite soldiers, trained for swift, surprise, and high-impact operations. Before their Republic Day debut, the Bhairav Battalion will also participate in the Army Day parade to be held in Jaipur, marking another milestone in their journey. This year's Republic Day celebrations will not just be ceremonial-they will stand as a strong statement of India's military preparedness, innovation, and massive resolve against terrorism. - IANS Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Brisbane International semifinals with a straight-sets victory over Madison Keys. The win marks Sabalenka's eighth consecutive victory in Brisbane and avenges her loss to Keys in the 2025 Australian Open final. She will next face Karolina Muchova, who holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over the world No. 1. Muchova reached the semis by upsetting third seed Elena Rybakina in a three-set match. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeats Madison Keys to reach the Brisbane International semifinals, where she will face Karolina Muchova. Brisbane, Jan 9 World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka moved into the semifinals of the Brisbane International after defeating world No. 5 Madison Keys 6-3 6-3 in straight sets in a rematch of the 2025 Australian Open final on Friday. The victory also means Sabalenka has notched eight consecutive wins in Brisbane and 36 of her last 38 matches in Australia. The match marked Sabalenka's second meeting with Keys since her loss to the American in the Australian Open final, following a dominant 6-1 6-0 victory at Indian Wells. She extends her head-to-head record to 6-2 since they first met in 2018. The opening set was finely balanced, but it was Keys' lack of precision that proved decisive. She conceded seven points through double faults, hesitating between safety and aggression on her second serve as Sabalenka pressed relentlessly. The second set unfolded as a series of breaks, with Keys losing serve five games in a row. Sabalenka steadied herself at 4-2 and then took full control, sealing the victory with three serves to close out the match. "She's a great player. Always tough battles against her. I was trying to stay focused, trying to stay on my serve and put as much pressure as I can on her serve. That's all I was thinking about. I put so much pressure back on her. She's aggressive, and I tried to put all of that speed back on her," Sabalenka said. A two-time Brisbane International champion in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka will look to take another step toward a third title in four appearances, having finished runner-up in 2024 - when she faces world No. 20 Czechia's Karolina Muchova on Saturday. Muchova leads the head-to-head 3-1 over Sabalenka, having won each of their last three meetings dating back to 2023. Sabalenka's lone victory in the series came in their first matchup in 2019. "I always approach each match the same; it doesn't matter the score between us. What's in the past stays in the past. I will try to bring everything I've been working on throughout basically my whole career and try better every time," Sabalenka added. Muchova has overcome chronic injury setbacks to emerge victorious against No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling upset at Pat Rafter Arena. She required just over two hours to secure the 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory. - IANS Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang visited the revered Manakamana Temple in Nepal, describing it as a spiritually uplifting experience. He prayed for the well-being and prosperity of Sikkim's people and for India's peace and development. The CM emphasized the philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," extending his prayers for global harmony. He stated such journeys reinforce values of compassion and shared humanity in governance. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang prayed for India's peace and prosperity during a spiritually enriching visit to Nepal's revered Manakamana Temple. Gangtok, Jan 9 Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday shared details of his visit to the revered Manakamana Temple in Nepal, describing the pilgrimage as a spiritually uplifting experience and an occasion to pray for the welfare of people and the progress of the state and the nation. In a post on social media, the Chief Minister said he felt blessed to have the opportunity to visit the sacred shrine dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati. Perched atop a hill at a commanding height, the temple, he noted, offers not only deep spiritual solace but also a serene and awe-inspiring ambience that elevates the mind and soul. "The tranquil surroundings of the temple instil a profound sense of inner peace, bliss, harmony and fulfilment," CM Tamang wrote, adding that the visit left him spiritually enriched and rejuvenated. During his pilgrimage, the Chief Minister said he offered his prayers with humility and devotion for the well-being, happiness and prosperity of the people of Sikkim. He also prayed for the upliftment of the poor, the sick and the vulnerable sections of society, along with peace, development and progress for the state and the country as a whole. Guided by the timeless Indian philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - the belief that the world is one family - the Chief Minister said he extended his prayers beyond borders, seeking universal peace, harmony and the well-being of people across the globe. He emphasised that such spiritual journeys reinforce the values of compassion, unity and shared humanity. The Chief Minister also expressed heartfelt gratitude to all those who supported and assisted him during the pilgrimage. He acknowledged the cooperation and dedication of everyone involved in making the sacred visit possible, stating that their kindness and efforts would always be remembered with respect and appreciation. CM Tamang's visit to the Manakamana Temple comes at a time when he has repeatedly highlighted the importance of spiritual values, cultural heritage and inclusive development in guiding governance and public life. The Chief Minister has often said that faith and tradition play a vital role in strengthening social harmony and fostering a sense of collective responsibility among people. - IANS Ministry of Defense announces start of public consultations on changes to Ukraine's defense policy The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announces the first public consultation in the departments history on changes to the states defense policy. These changes should take into account the conditions of a protracted war, technological confrontation, and attrition warfare. The first step was the preparation and publication of a consultation document, "Green Book: Strategic Directions, Challenges and a New Defense Architecture," which invites public discussion, the ministrys press service reported. "The goal of the Green Book is to create a shared understanding of key challenges and to design a forward-looking defense model capable of ensuring state resilience and deterring an aggressor with significantly greater resources. Ukraines response should be a transition to an integrated defense system that, through network-centric interaction, technological adaptability, and a war of intellects, offsets the enemys numerical advantage," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The ministry noted that this defense model will allow faster decision-making, provide technological advantages, build a resilient defense-industrial ecosystem, and deepen interoperability with NATO. The document presents strategic dilemmas for discussion rather than finalized directives or decisions, highlighting that each choice carries a cost and affects resource resilience. The purpose of the Green Book is to gather expert proposals, test key assumptions, and develop coordinated approaches for future political decisions. Shmyhal emphasized the importance of involving the professional community in decision-making. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is therefore inviting service members, administrators, defense industry representatives, scientists, and experts to review the Green Book and submit their proposals through an online form. The proposals received and the results of the consultations will be processed and used as a basis for preparing the White Defense Book a document that will outline a concrete action plan, necessary legislative changes, and a forward-looking model for Ukraines Defense Forces. This marks the beginning of a transition from reactive responses to systematic planning for future security. Actor Sohail Khan shared a special picture featuring three generations of his family, including his legendary screenwriter father Salim Khan and his son Nirvan Khan. He emotionally captioned the photo, describing the moment as "living a dream." This follows previous social media posts where Sohail humorously highlighted his son's bond with his grandparents. The family moment comes after Sohail recently apologized publicly for riding a motorcycle without a helmet, citing claustrophobia and vowing to follow traffic rules. Actor Sohail Khan shares a rare photo with father Salim Khan and son Nirvan Khan, calling it a dream. He also addresses recent helmet controversy. Mumbai, Jan 9 Actor Sohail Khan, on Friday, shared a beautiful picture of three generations of the Khan family featuring his father, legendary Salim Khan, himself and his son Nirvan Khan. The actor further called it a 'dream' as the grandfather, son and grandson all featured in the same frame. Sohail captioned it as, "Grandfather son grandson, living a dream (sic)." Sohail has earlier too treated fans with pictures of his parents and his children spending some quality time together, On account of his son Nirvan's birthday in December, Sohail had shared a beautiful picture of the birthday boy posing with his grandparents, Salim Khan and Salma Khan. In a humorous twist, he credited himself for Nirvan being blessed with "beautiful grandparents." Taking to his social media account, Sohail Khan had written, "Happy birthday nirvan, you're blessed with beautiful grandparents, thanks to me @nirvankhan15." Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, Sohail Khan was all over the news when a video of him riding a luxury motorcycle on the streets of Mumbai without wearing a helmet surfaced online. The video sparked criticism on social media. Following the backlash, the actor had issued a public apology admitting that his actions were wrong. Sohail penned a post on his social media account that read, "I would like to request all the bike riders please wear helmets. I avoid wearing them at times as i feel claustrophobic but that's no excuse to not wear one. Riding has always been my passion since childhood. It began with BMX cycles and now i ride bikes. (sic)" "I mostly ride late nights when there is not much traffic to cut risks that too at a slow pace and with my car following me. I assure fellow riders that i will make a genuine effort to overcome my claustrophobia and wear a helmet so please bear with me. My sincere apologies to the traffic authorities and i assure them that i will follow all the rules henceforth. I salute all the riders for wearing their helmets at all times despite the discomfort as it is necessary for our safety. It is better to be safe than sorry. Once again I am really sorry (sic)," he added. - IANS A new Gallup Korea poll shows President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has rebounded to 60%, a five-point increase from mid-December. The surge is largely attributed to positive public sentiment regarding his diplomatic efforts, particularly his recent state visit to China. The poll also shows the ruling Democratic Party maintaining a significant lead over the main opposition. President Lee is scheduled to visit Japan next week for summit talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to strengthen bilateral ties. President Lee Jae Myung's approval rebounds to 60% amid positive diplomatic reviews and ahead of a key summit with Japan's leader. Seoul, Jan 9 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose to 60 per cent this week amid positive public sentiment over his diplomacy, a poll showed Friday. The survey by Gallup Korea, conducted Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 respondents aged 18 and over, showed that the positive assessment of Lee's overall performance climbed 5 percentage points from the previous poll in mid-December. Thirty-three per cent gave a negative view, down from the previous survey's 36 per cent, while 7 per cent withheld their evaluation, Yonhap News Agency reported. Diplomacy topped all other areas of state affairs among the reasons cited for positive assessments, accounting for 30 per cent, followed by 14 per cent who pointed to his leadership in managing the economy and livelihood issues. Negative assessments were mostly driven by views critical of his performance on the economy and livelihood matters. The pollster assessed that Lee's recent state visit to China appears to have brought his diplomacy back to the center of attention, which drove positive assessments. Lee recently came back from a four-day state visit to China, where he held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping to enhance economic ties and coordination on peace efforts regarding North Korea. The two sides also addressed sensitive issues, including China's steel structures in overlapping waters of the Yellow Sea, which Seoul views as potential groundwork for territorial claims. The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party came to 45 per cent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party stood at 26 per cent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a two-day visit to Japan's Nara prefecture early next week for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Lee is scheduled to depart for Japan next Tuesday for the summit talks, which will be held in the Japanese prefecture of Nara, Takaichi's hometown, Cheong Wa Dae said. The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of regional and global issues, as well as the economy, society and culture, Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. Lee and Takaichi last held summit talks on October 30 on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju and briefly met on the margins of the Group of 20 leaders' gathering in South Africa in November. Lee will attend a friendship event with Takaichi next Wednesday and meet with ethnic Koreans in Japan before returning home that day. The trip will mark Lee's second visit to the neighboring country after he visited Tokyo in August and held summit talks with Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. The upcoming visit is expected to help strengthen the future-oriented momentum of bilateral ties through "shuttle diplomacy," or reciprocal visits, according to Cheong Wa Dae. - IANS India's Ministry of External Affairs has expressed deep concern over a "disturbing pattern" of recurring attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated such communal incidents must be dealt with "swiftly and firmly," warning that dismissing them emboldens extremists. The violence has escalated alarmingly as Bangladesh approaches its national parliamentary election, with dozens of incidents reported in December alone. Independent sources have documented over 2,900 cases of violence against minorities, including killings and land grabs, during the interim government's tenure. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expresses grave concern over recurring extremist attacks on minorities in Bangladesh ahead of elections. New Delhi, January 10 Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal spoke on the recurring attacks taking place against minorities in Bangladesh, highlighting the need to deal with these incidents "swiftly and firmly". He made the remarks during the weekly press briefing here in the national capital. Responding to a query on the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesperson said, "We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly." He added, "We have also observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the extremists and the perpetrators of such crimes and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities." As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence were reported. As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence were reported. These included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 incidents involving the occupation of homes, business establishments, temples and land, looting and arson, four cases of arrest and torture on false allegations of religious defamation and being "agents of RAW", one attempted rape, and three incidents of physical assault, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said in a statement. The trend of violence has continued into the first week of January this year. Earlier also, during the press briefing on December 26, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh, 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, arsons, land grab have been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence." - ANI A high-level Tamil Nadu government delegation visited HD Hyundai's Ulsan shipyard in South Korea to strengthen cooperation in shipbuilding. The visit follows a memorandum of understanding signed in December for the construction of a new shipyard. This initiative aligns with India's Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which aims to establish the country as a global shipping powerhouse. Officials reviewed advanced production systems and discussed how the partnership would create jobs and revitalize India's shipbuilding industry. Tamil Nadu govt delegation visits HD Hyundai in Korea, signs MoU to strengthen shipbuilding sector and support India's Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. Seoul, January 9 HD Hyundai strengthened shipbuilding cooperation with the Tamil Nadu government following a high-level delegation visit to the Ulsan shipyard in South Korea. Five officials from the Tamil Nadu government, including TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotions and Commerce, and Gaurav Daga, Deputy Vice President at Guidance Tamil Nadu, toured the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. facility to observe commercial and special-purpose vessel operations. According to a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea, the visit follows an exclusive memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between HD Hyundai and the Tamil Nadu government in December last year regarding the construction of a new shipyard. The Indian government currently evaluates the development of new shipyards under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, a strategic initiative designed to establish India as a global powerhouse in the shipping and shipbuilding sectors. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways previously identified Tamil Nadu as one of five candidate sites for a dedicated shipbuilding cluster. The delegation reviewed advanced production systems, automated facilities, and core operational capabilities necessary for modern shipyard management. During the tour of the Ulsan shipyard, officials examined the infrastructure required to support India's manufacturing goals. "Rajaa noted that cooperation with HD Hyundai, the world's leading shipbuilder, will serve as an opportunity to build the foundation of India's shipbuilding industry ecosystem and create high-quality jobs. The minister added that Tamil Nadu will play a pivotal role in revitalising India's shipbuilding industry and expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," the report said. HD Hyundai officials indicated that the engagement aligned with their broader market expansion strategy in the region. "This visit by Tamil Nadu government officials demonstrates the Indian government's strong commitment to fostering the shipbuilding industry," the report quoted Choi Han-nae, head of Corporate Planning at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. "Strengthening our cooperation with India in the shipbuilding and offshore sectors will serve as a catalyst for our further market expansion." - ANI The Tamil Nadu government has notified 100 new Reserved Forests between 2021 and 2025, adding approximately 135 square kilometers of permanently protected area. These forests, spread across 10 districts, were established following a rigorous legal settlement process under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act. The largest new block is the Highways Forest in Theni district, covering over 2,800 hectares. This expansion strengthens biodiversity conservation, protects watersheds, and enhances the state's climate resilience through increased carbon sequestration. Tamil Nadu boosts climate resilience by notifying 100 new Reserved Forests, adding 135 sq km of protected area across 10 districts. Chennai, January 9 The Government of Tamil Nadu has notified 100 New Reserved Forests across the State between 2021 and 2025, marking a significa India's National Forest Policy (1988) envisages bringing 33 per cent of the country's geographical area under forest and tree cover to ensure long-term environmental stability. Tamil Nadu has steadily advanced towards this national objective and currently has 24.47 per cent forest and tree cover, providing a strong ecological foundation for further, science-driven expansion of green cover. In this context, the notification of 100 forest blocks as Reserved Forests represents an unprecedented and forward-looking conservation initiative by the State. These notifications were carried out under Section 16 of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882, following a rigorous and legally mandated settlement process. Each forest block underwent detailed field verification and settlement of rights by Forest Settlement Officers, ensuring that statutory procedures were meticulously complied with before conferring permanent legal protection. As a result of these notifications, the extent of Reserved Forests in the State has expanded by approximately 135 square kilometres over the last four years. The newly notified Reserved Forests are spread across the 10 districts of Dindigul, Dharmapuri, Madurai, Kallakurichi, Theni, Sivagangai, Nammakal, Nilgiris, Salem and Thenkasi, covering an area of 13,494.95 hectares. Among these newly notified forests, the Highways Forest block in Theni district is the largest, with an extent of 2,836.33 hectares. On this occasion, RS Rajakannapan, Minister for Forests & Khadi, released a commemorative publication documenting the notification of the 100 new Reserved Forests. The book release took place in the presence of Supriya Sahu, LAS, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department; Srinivas R Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force; Thiru Rakesh Kumar Dogra, Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests; and Anurag Mishra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Special Secretary to Government, Environment & Climate Change. The expansion of Reserved Forests plays a critical role in strengthening biodiversity conservation and climate action, which are interconnected. Legally protected forests safeguard critical wildlife habitats, secure ecological corridors, and protect watersheds, while also enhancing carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience to climate change. Permanent forest protection, therefore, acts as a nature-based solution that contributes simultaneously to biodiversity conservation, water security and climate stability. Through decisive, science-led and legally robust action, Tamil Nadu continues to demonstrate leadership in forest conservation, treating forests as critical ecological infrastructure essential for sustainable development, climate resilience and the long-term well-being of its people. - ANI President Donald Trump praised Intel for launching an advanced sub-2 nanometer CPU processor designed and manufactured entirely in the United States following a meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Trump highlighted the U.S. government's financial gains as a shareholder in Intel, claiming tens of billions in profits. He directly linked this manufacturing achievement to his administration's aggressive tariff policies aimed at reducing the trade deficit and bringing key industries back to America. The President cited recent economic data showing a reduced trade deficit, attributing the success to tariffs which he claims have rescued the economy and national security. President Trump meets Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, hails domestically manufactured sub-2nm CPU, and links manufacturing push to aggressive tariff policies. Washington DC, January 9 US President Donald Trump has hailed chipmaker Intel for launching an advanced semiconductor product manufactured entirely in the United States, calling it a major achievement for American industry and a validation of his administration's aggressive trade and manufacturing policies. In a social media post, President Trump said he had a "great meeting" with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, praising the company's technological progress and its commitment to domestic manufacturing. Trump stated that Intel has launched the first sub-2 nanometer CPU processor that has been designed, built, and packaged in the USA. "I just finished a great meeting with the very successful Intel CEO, Lip-Bu Tan. Intel just launched the first SUB 2 NANOMETER CPU PROCESSOR designed, built, and packaged right here in the U.S.A.," Trump wrote in the post. The US President also highlighted the financial gains made by the US government through its ownership position in Intel. According to Trump, the United States government is a shareholder in the company and has already earned tens of billions of dollars for the American people in just four months through this stake. "The United States Government is proud to be a Shareholder of Intel, and has already made, through its U.S.A. ownership position, Tens of Billions of Dollars for the American People - IN JUST FOUR MONTHS. We made a GREAT Deal, and so did Intel," Trump said. Trump further asserted that his administration is determined to bring leading-edge chip manufacturing back to America, adding that the progress made by Intel demonstrates that this objective is being achieved. "Our Country is determined to bring leading edge Chip Manufacturing back to America, and that is exactly what is happening!!!" the President added. Echoing Trump's comments, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan also shared a social media post expressing appreciation for the support received from the US leadership. "Honored and delighted to have the full support and encouragement of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @CommerceGovSecretary @howardlutnick as we bring leading edge chip manufacturing back to America," Tan said in his post. He added that Intel is now shipping its latest Core Ultra Series 3 CPU processors, which are designed, manufactured, and packaged in the USA using the most advanced semiconductor technology. "@intel is now shipping the latest Core Ultra Series 3 CPU processors - designed, manufactured and packaged with the most advanced semiconductor technology, right here in the USA," the Intel CEO stated. President Trump has repeatedly linked such developments to his administration's trade policies. Since beginning his second term as President, Trump has pursued aggressive trade measures, including the imposition of tariffs, with the stated objective of boosting domestic manufacturing in the United States. Trump has imposed tariffs on countries that were major exporters to the US, including India and China. On India, Trump has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on goods entering the United States since August 2025. In another social media post, Trump cited recent economic data to argue that tariffs have strengthened the US economy and improved national security. He claimed that the United States has recorded its lowest trade deficit since 2009 and that the figure is continuing to decline. "Numbers released today show that the United States of America has the lowest Trade Deficit since 2009, and going even lower," Trump said. He further stated that the nation's gross domestic product is predicted to come in at over 5 per cent, even after what he described as a 1.5 per cent loss due to a Democrat "Shutdown." Trump attributed these outcomes directly to his tariff policies, saying they have "rescued" the US economy and national security. He also urged the Supreme Court to take note of what he described as historic achievements before issuing what he called its most important decision ever. "These incredible numbers, and the unprecedented SUCCESS of our Country, are a direct result of TARIFFS, which have rescued our Economy and National Security. I hope the Supreme Court is aware of these Historic, Country saving achievements prior to the issuance of their most important (ever!) Decision. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP." - ANI US forces, including Navy SEALs, seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit, heightening tensions with Moscow. President Donald Trump refused to clarify whether he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the operation, while claiming the seized oil was being unloaded despite reports the tanker was empty. Russia condemned the action as a violation of international law, with a lawmaker calling it "21st-century piracy," and demanded the return of its citizens aboard. The UK assisted in the seizure following a US request, which occurred amid repositioned US military assets and reported Russian naval movements to protect the vessel. US forces seize a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic, escalating tensions. President Trump refuses to confirm if he spoke with Putin about the incident. Washington, DC, January 9 President Donald Trump on Thursday refused to clarify whether he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin after US forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN reported. Responding to a query during an interview on Fox News, Trump said, "I don't want to say that, but the fact is that the Russian ships, there was a submarine and a destroyer, they both left very quickly when we arrived, and we took over the ship and the oil is being unloaded right now." US forces boarded and seized the tanker on Wednesday (local time) after a weeks-long pursuit on the high seas, an operation that has heightened tensions with Moscow and added pressure on Russia's ally Venezuela. While Trump claimed oil was being unloaded from the vessel, the tanker was not carrying any oil at the time of the seizure, according to analytics firm Kpler, CNN reported. The ageing tanker, originally named Bella 1, was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for operating as part of a so-called "shadow fleet" transporting illicit Iranian oil. Last month, the US Coast Guard attempted to seize the vessel while it was en route to Venezuela to load oil, sailing under the Guyana flag. The crew refused boarding and abruptly diverted into the Atlantic. Subsequently, the crew painted a Russian flag on the ship's side, and the vessel later appeared in a Russian shipping registry under a new name, Marinera. Amid the operation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the risk of confrontation with Russia, asserting that Trump maintains a good relationship with Putin. Ahead of the seizure, the United States repositioned key military assets to the United Kingdom, a move that added to mounting international tensions, CNN reported. V-22 Osprey aircraft were active across the UK in recent days, with flight data indicating training missions operating out of RAF Fairford, while two AC-130 gunships were seen arriving at RAF Mildenhall on Sunday. The tanker was seized about 190 miles off Iceland's southern coast in the North Atlantic, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic. The data showed the vessel making a sharp turn south around the time it was reported seized, CNN said. Russia's Transport Ministry later confirmed it lost contact with the tanker after US forces boarded the ship at 7 am ET (Eastern Time). US Navy SEALs were among the personnel involved in the boarding, after being transported by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the "night stalkers," according to two people briefed on the operation, CNN reported. The UK defence ministry said it assisted with the seizure "following a US request for assistance". The United States did not release official footage of the operation, but grainy video aired by Russian state media RT appeared to show a vessel shadowing Bella 1 in the days before the seizure. In footage filmed from aboard the tanker, an unmarked ship can be seen hovering in the distance, partially obscured by fog. RT claimed the vessel was a US Coast Guard ship operating in the Atlantic, CNN reported. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the crew of the US Coast Guard cutter Munro had pursued the tanker for weeks "across the high seas and through treacherous storms," though it remains unclear whether the ship seen in the footage was the Munro, CNN reported. Ahead of the seizure, Russian military movements included repositioning naval assets and a submarine to protect the tanker, a US official said. However, it remains unclear how close those vessels were when the ship was boarded. Russia condemned the seizure, with its Transport Ministry arguing that "no state has the right to use force against vessels that are properly registered in the jurisdictions of other nations" under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty the US has not signed, CNN reported. The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the US return the Russian citizens aboard "to their homeland", according to state news agency TASS. TASS also reported that Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky described the seizure as an act of "21st-century piracy" that violates international law. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has yet to comment publicly on the incident. China also condemned the seizure on Thursday, calling it a "serious violation of international law." Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China has always opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council, and opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and infringe upon the sovereignty and security of other countries." The tanker was not carrying any oil at the time it was seized, according to Kpler, CNN reported. This contrasts with two other vessels, Skipper and Centuries, which were intercepted by the US Coast Guard in recent weeks and piloted to Texas, where authorities plan to seize their oil cargoes. Kpler said Bella 1 had two separate 99-day gaps in its Automatic Identification System transmissions, a tactic commonly associated with vessels loading sanctioned Iranian crude. Data shared with CNN showed that at least 16 vessels were loaded with crude or fuel oil in Venezuela between October 2025 and January 2026, with many switching off their AIS systems. In a separate operation on Wednesday, the United States said it seized another tanker, Sophia, in international waters near the Caribbean. US Southern Command described it as a "stateless, sanctioned" vessel engaged in "illicit activities." The tanker is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude loaded from Venezuela, according to Kpler. Despite concerns that such actions could escalate tensions with Russia and China, the White House said it would continue seizing sanctioned vessels. Trump is "going to enforce our policy that's best for the United States of America," Leavitt said, adding, "That means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil." - ANI President Donald Trump indicated the U.S. will expand its campaign against drug cartels to include land-based operations, claiming success in stopping maritime drug flows. His comments, including that "cartels are running Mexico," prompted a strong response from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. She firmly rejected any foreign intervention, asserting Mexico's sovereignty and the principles of international law. Sheinbaum acknowledged existing cooperation on combating drug trafficking but emphasized shared responsibility, citing illegal weapons flows from the U.S. as a root cause of violence. Trump announces expanded anti-cartel operations on land, drawing a sharp sovereignty defense from Mexican President Sheinbaum. Tensions rise over US intervention. Washington, DC, January 9 US President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated that his administration will soon expand its campaign against drug cartels to land-based operations, following recent actions targeting drug trafficking networks in the region. Speaking on Fox News during an interview with host Sean Hannity, Trump said, "We've knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are gonna start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels." Underscoring his concerns about Mexico, Trump asserted that "The cartels are running Mexico," adding, "It's very, very sad to watch and see what's happened to that country." Earlier this week, Trump said he had raised the possibility of US military assistance with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to tackle drug cartels, cautioning that "Mexico has to get their act together." Trump's remarks drew a sharp response from Sheinbaum, who reaffirmed Mexico's sovereignty and rejected any form of foreign intervention, The Hill reported. The reaction followed last week's US military operation in Venezuela that captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Responding to the developments, Sheinbaum said on Monday, "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." She stressed that political futures must be shaped internally, adding, "Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government." Emphasising international law, Sheinbaum said it "unequivocally" establishes "respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination." She added, "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." Responding further, Sheinbaum pointed to ongoing cooperation between the two countries on combating drug trafficking, saying, "Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, particularly young people." She added, "As we've said before: we don't 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." At the same time, Sheinbaum underlined the need to address shared responsibility and deeper causes of violence, stating, "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." She further said, "Similarly, we have pointed out that groups that distribute drugs and launder money in both Mexico and the United States must be firmly combated." Sheinbaum reaffirmed Mexico's stance against external pressure, saying, "Finally, it is necessary to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule and that we are a free, independent and sovereign country." She added, "Cooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no." - ANI President Donald Trump has framed the US intervention in Venezuela as a long-term economic and geopolitical reset centered on reclaiming control of the country's oil reserves. He claims the operation has already secured billions in oil assets and will involve major American companies rebuilding Venezuela's energy infrastructure. Trump argues the action serves as a deterrent to regional rivals and has drastically reduced maritime drug trafficking into the United States. The president suggests an open-ended US role, with economic oversight taking precedence over an immediate political transition. President Trump details US intervention in Venezuela, framing it as a long-term economic reset to control oil, deter rivals, and curb drug trafficking. Washington, Jan 9 President Donald Trump is framing the US intervention in Venezuela not as a short-term military action but as a long-range economic and geopolitical reset-one that he says reclaims control of oil assets, deters rivals, curbs drug trafficking and sends a signal well beyond Latin America. In a sit-down interview on Fox News' Hannity, Trump laid out a sweeping rationale for the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, repeatedly returning to oil as the central lever of US power. "They took the oil from us years ago," Trump said, referring to the nationalization of American energy assets in Venezuela. "We just took it back." The president said the United States has already secured large quantities of Venezuelan crude under sanctions enforcement. "We've taken $4 billion worth of oil in one day," he said, adding that the total would rise over time. Trump said major American companies would now rebuild Venezuela's collapsed energy sector. "The top 14 companies are coming," he said. "They're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure." He argued that restoring production would have global effects. "It means lower oil prices all over the world," he said, a claim that underscores how closely the administration is linking foreign policy to commodity markets. While the president acknowledged that reviving Venezuela's oil industry would take time-"The oil will take a while," he said-he made clear that US involvement would not be brief. "We're going to be there till we straighten out the country," Trump said. The comments suggest an open-ended US role, with economic oversight preceding political transition. On elections, Trump said conditions are not yet in place. "They wouldn't even know how to have an election right now," he said. "The country's become third world." Beyond economics, Trump portrayed the Venezuela action as a demonstration of deterrence. He said the operation sent a message across the region, particularly to governments in Cuba and Colombia. "They saw what happened," he said. "They're treating us with great respect." Trump noted that Maduro's removal had prompted other leaders to fall into line, reducing the likelihood of confrontation. The implication was that decisive action in one country reshapes behavior in others. Framing the operation as a law-enforcement success with immediate security benefits, he accused the former Venezuelan government of exporting crime to the United States. "He emptied his prisons into the United States," Trump said. "He emptied his mental institutions and insane asylums." He claimed a sharp reduction in maritime drug trafficking. "We've knocked out 97 per cent of the drugs coming in by water," he said. "There are very few boats operating right now." While he did not provide independent verification of that figure, he returned to the theme repeatedly, arguing that military force paired with law enforcement had produced tangible results. Trump said the Venezuela raid was risky but successful. "We went right into the middle of a fort," he said. "Thousands of soldiers." He added that US forces reached Maduro within minutes and exited without losing a soldier. "We didn't lose a soldier," he said, though he acknowledged injuries. "A couple of very brave helicopter pilots were wounded pretty badly," Trump said. "But they're good. They're in good shape." Trump contrasted the success with past US military failures. "You didn't have a Jimmy Carter disaster," he said, referring to the failed Iran hostage rescue. "You didn't have a Biden Afghanistan disaster." Trump repeatedly declined to spell out red lines for further escalation. "I wouldn't want to tell you that," he said when asked about conditions for deeper US involvement. - IANS The Union Cabinet has approved a flagship elevated corridor project through Kaziranga National Park in Assam, estimated to cost over Rs 6,000 crore. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated the corridor will protect wildlife by reducing road mortality while improving travel times and economic prospects in Upper Assam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on January 17-18 to inaugurate new train services, including a Vande Bharat sleeper train, and lay the foundation stone for the corridor. The project is seen as a landmark balance between ecological conservation and infrastructure development. Union Cabinet approves Rs 6,000 crore Kaziranga elevated corridor to protect wildlife and improve Assam connectivity. PM Modi to lay foundation stone. Guwahati, Jan 9 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday announced that the Union Cabinet has approved the state government's flagship project to construct an elevated corridor through Kaziranga National Park, a move aimed at protecting wildlife while improving connectivity in Upper Assam. Addressing the reporters here, Sarma said the elevated corridor between Bokakhat and Kaziranga will be built at an estimated cost of over Rs 6,000 crore. He described the project as a landmark intervention that balances infrastructure development with ecological conservation. "The elevated corridor will significantly reduce wildlife mortality caused by vehicular movement and ensure safe passage for animals across the national park," Sarma said. The Chief Minister added that the project would also shorten travel time between Guwahati and Jorhat, improving economic and tourism prospects in the region. Once completed, the corridor is expected to generate long-term revenue for the state, including around 9 per cent GST and additional income linked to forest-related activities. Sarma also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on January 17. During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the first Vande Bharat sleeper train service between Kolkata and Guwahati, marking a major boost to rail connectivity in the Northeast. In addition, new trains connecting Dibrugarh to Lucknow and Guwahati to Rohtak via Delhi will be flagged off, further integrating Assam with key regions of the country. The Chief Minister said that during his visit, the Prime Minister will also witness the traditional Bodo dance Bagurumba, highlighting Assam's rich cultural heritage on a national platform. On January 18, PM Modi will travel to Kaziranga to lay the foundation stone of the elevated corridor project. Sarma said the Prime Minister's presence underlines the Centre's commitment to Assam's development and to environmentally sensitive infrastructure. The elevated corridor through Kaziranga has long been one of the Assam government's flagship initiatives, envisioned to resolve the long-standing conflict between conservation and connectivity. With Cabinet approval now in place, the project is expected to move swiftly into the implementation phase, officials said, calling it a major step towards sustainable development in the state. - IANS Russia preparing for long-term confrontation, not end to the war, while Ukraine needs innovation and technology Zaluzhny Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vzaluzhnyi/photos Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from 2021 to 2024, emphasizes the importance of developing innovation and technology in Ukraine in cooperation with partner countries, commenting on the aggressor state's attacks on Ukraine on Friday night, which indicate Russia is preparing for a protracted military confrontation. "Russia isn't preparing for the end of the war; it's preparing for a protracted standoff. We're witnessing an intense war of attrition, accompanied by frantic scientific and technological progress. And last night's shelling is further proof of that," Zaluzhny wrote on Facebook on Friday, illustrating the post with photos of damaged residential buildings and cars in Kyiv. "This war cannot be sustained without the development of innovation and technology. And only in close cooperation with Western partners. To stop the deaths and deprive the enemy of the desire to fight again," the diplomat added. US Vice President JD Vance emphasized the need to take power from criminal cartels and give it to legitimate governments. President Donald Trump announced an expansion of military action to target cartels on land, following naval operations. The administration captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to face narco-trafficking charges after military strikes in Venezuela. The operations have been criticized by several nations, with Mexico's president rejecting foreign intervention. US announces crackdown on drug cartels, captures Venezuelan leader Maduro. VP JD Vance links peace to asserting authority, drawing international criticism. Washington, DC, January 9 US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday emphasised the need for firm action against criminal cartels, linking peace to asserting authority and strengthening legitimate governments. Highlighting Washington's approach, Vance said, "One of the ways that you establish peace in your own hemisphere is to make it clear that the United States is going to be respected, that the United States is willing to take power away from criminal cartel organisations and give it to legitimate governments." Vance's remarks came as US President Donald Trump indicated that the administration will soon begin targeting drug cartels on land, following a month-long military campaign against alleged drug trafficking routes in regional waters. During an appearance on Fox News's Hannity, Trump said, "We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico," without offering further details about the planned actions. The comments followed a month-long military operation targeting vessels accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea and other areas, The Hill reported. White House and Pentagon officials justified some of the lethal strikes by stating that those aboard the boats were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was designated a foreign terrorist organisation last year. The Trump administration on Saturday captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with both transported to the United States to face narco-trafficking charges. Military forces also struck infrastructure in northern Venezuela before raiding Maduro's residence in Caracas, The Hill reported. The administration has additionally sought to exert control over Venezuela's oil industry, stating that the country would turn over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, The Hill reported. The operation drew criticism from Brazil, Mexico and Russia, with officials condemning the move and expressing concern over the implications of future interventions. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week, "Intervention has never brought democracy, nor has it generated lasting well-being or stability." She added, "We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries," The Hill reported. - ANI The US Southern Command announced the seizure of the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea, marking the fifth such interception. The operation was conducted by Joint Task Force-Southern Spear in coordination with Homeland Security, launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford. The command stated the action demonstrates there is "no safe haven for criminals" in the region. This follows the seizure of the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera just two days prior for violating US sanctions. US Southern Command seizes the Olina, the fifth tanker intercepted in a crackdown on criminal maritime activity in the Caribbean region. Washington DC, January 9 The US Southern Command on Friday announced the seizure of another oil tanker, named Olina, in the Caribbean Sea in a pre-dawn operation, making it the fifth seizure of a tanker by US forces. According to a post by the US Command, the seizure underscored Washington's continued crackdown on illicit activities in the Western Hemisphere. "Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: 'there is no safe haven for criminals'," the command said in a post on X. The operation was conducted by US Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force-Southern Spear, in coordination with the US Department of Homeland Security, and launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The Southern Command added that such operations are supported by the full power of the US Navy's Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale. The vessel's apprehension was conducted without incident, it further noted. "Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy's Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale," the command said. "The Department of War's Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere," it added. This marks another effort by the US military to target vessels suspected of involvement in criminal and illicit operations in the Caribbean region. Just two days back, US forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker, Marinera - formerly the Bella 1 - following weeks of pursuit by the US Coast Guard warship, after it allegedly evaded a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela for over a fortnight. According to a post on X by the US European Command, the tanker violated US sanctions and was tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro before the operation. The command noted that the vessel was seized under a warrant issued by a US federal court. Originally named Bella 1, the tanker was sanctioned in 2024 and renamed Marinera. - ANI US President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to bring Greenland under American control, reviving a proposal first made in 2019. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated acquiring Greenland is a "national security priority" and that the use of military force remains an option. The island's strategic location and vast deposits of rare earth elements, graphite, and lithium are central to its appeal. The push has caused anxiety in Europe and echoes historic US bids for the territory dating back to the Truman administration. Why does Trump want Greenland? Explore the strategic and resource-driven reasons behind the US push to acquire the Arctic territory from Denmark. By Apoorva Shalom, New Delhi, January 9 US President Donald Trump's presidency has repeatedly been marked by a strong emphasis on territorial expansion and strategic dominance. Days after a US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, attention has now shifted to Greenland, with Trump once again intensifying efforts to bring the Arctic territory under American control. The renewed push has reignited anxiety across Europe and drawn sharp criticism from several US allies. For decades, Washington has viewed Greenland as strategically important, and the Trump administration has once more placed the island at the centre of its Arctic agenda by reviving discussions around altering the status of the Danish territory. Trump first publicly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland during his first term in 2019, likening a potential deal to a "large real estate purchase." Leaders in Nuuk and Copenhagen, however, rejected the proposal, stressing that Greenland was not for sale or transfer. After returning to office following his victory in the 2024 US Presidential Election, Trump revived his offer from his first-term to purchase Greenland, which was again turned down. On Tuesday (local time), the White House said it was considering "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating during a briefing that the use of military force was not off the table. Leavitt said President Trump had made it clear that "acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States" and was vital to deterring adversaries in the Arctic region. "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal," Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. These developments have renewed questions about why successive US administrations have returned to the idea of acquiring Greenland and how deeply embedded American ambitions are in the island's modern history. In the late 19th century, after buying Alaska in 1867 from the Russians, US expansionists such as then Secretary of State William H Seward floated the idea of adding Greenland and Iceland to the American sphere. In 1946, President Harry Truman's administration made the first formal bid, proposing to pay Denmark 100 million dollars in gold, partly even discussing swaps involving Alaskan territory. Denmark, however, refused to sell the island. Why is Greenland central to Trump's Arctic strategy? Greenland's importance lies in both its strategic location between the US, Europe and Russia and its vast natural resources. According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), the island holds an estimated 36.1 billion tonnes of rare earth elements. Economically recoverable reserves are estimated at about 1.5 million tonnes, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). GEUS has also identified deposits of graphite, lithium and copper--minerals defined by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as critical for the global energy transition. While Greenland's copper reserves are limited, its uranium resources are considered strategically significant, though mining has been banned since 2021. The island currently hosts two active mines, including the Nalunaq gold mine operated by Canadian firm Amaroq Minerals. As per the National Geological Survey, it is estimated that graphite resources in Greenland are at six million tons, which is approximately 0.75 per cent of the global total calculated by the USGS. As for lithium, also a component in batteries and whose demand the IEA says could increase eightfold by 2040, Greenland's resources have been estimated at 235,000 tonnes, which is approximately 0.20 per cent of the global figure. Greenland's copper resources, meanwhile, are insignificant on a global scale, but its uranium reserves, a coveted nuclear fuel, could be of greater strategic interest. In 2023, the European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Greenland to support the development of its mineral resources, highlighting the island's growing role in global supply chains as the Arctic warms at nearly four times the global average. Greenland may also hold hydrocarbon reserves equivalent to over 28 billion barrels of oil, although no industrial drilling is currently underway. In 2023, the European Union, which identified 25 of the 34 minerals on its official list of critical raw materials in Greenland, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Greenland to support the development of its mineral resources, highlighting the island's growing role in global supply chains as the Arctic warms at nearly four times the global average. The island could also hold hydrocarbons roughly equivalent to 28.43 billion barrels of oil, according to GEUS, Greenland's National Oil Company (Nunaoil), and Greenland's Mineral Resources Authority, based on industry data. Although seemingly abundant, there has been no industrial drilling for oil or gas in Greenland, although three oil exploration licenses are active in the east of the territory. Which answers our very question: "Why is the US keen on acquiring Greenland?" Meanwhile, on January 6, in a letter released by the Danish Prime Minister's Office on X, the leaders reaffirmed Greenland's status within the transatlantic alliance, stating, "The Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland - is part of NATO." Foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have also jointly reaffirmed their collective commitment to preserving security, stability and cooperation in the Arctic, underscoring their support for a stronger and more vigilant NATO presence in the region. The Nordic foreign ministers, in a statement, said that as Nordic countries, Arctic states and NATO allies, they are united in their approach to regional security, particularly amid evolving strategic challenges in the Arctic. In a response to the NATO Joint Statement, US President Trump, on January 7, launched a sharp attack on the intergovernmental military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), claiming that the alliance depended entirely on Washington for its survival, shortly after European leaders pushed back against his remarks on taking over Greenland and reaffirming NATO unity. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that before his intervention, most NATO members were not meeting their defence spending commitments and were relying on Washington to shoulder the burden. The US President stated that he pushed NATO members to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, asserting that allies now pay "immediately" because of his personal influence. "Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren't paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately. Everyone said that couldn't be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends," Trump said. Taken together, Trump's renewed push for Greenland, the island's vast resource potential and its strategic importance to Arctic security have transformed a long-standing US ambition into an active flashpoint for NATO and the broader transatlantic alliance, with Germany now also voicing concern over any unilateral American move on the island. - ANI Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid floral tributes to environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna on his 99th birth anniversary, praising his inspirational legacy. Separately, CM Dhami met the parents of the late Ankita Bhandari, assuring them of the government's full support and commitment to securing justice in her case. He listened sensitively to the family and prioritized justice as the government's highest aim. In a related action, a government nursing college in Pauri has been renamed "Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College" following the Chief Minister's order. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami honors environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna and meets Ankita Bhandari's parents, assuring justice and renaming a college. Dehradun, January 9 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday paid floral tributes to renowned environmentalist, Chipko Movement pioneer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Sunderlal Bahuguna on his 99th birth anniversary at his official residence in Dehradun. Sharing a post on X, CM Dhami said, "His contributions in the field of nature conservation, environmental balance, and sustainable development serve as a powerful source of inspiration for future generations. His thoughts continue to guide us even today in fulfilling our responsibilities towards nature." Meanwhile, on Thursday, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami met the parents of the late Ankita Bhandari and assured them of the state government's full support and commitment to ensuring justice in the case. According to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Dhami met Ankita Bhandari's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, at the Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun. During the meeting, the bereaved parents shared their views and emotions related to the case with the Chief Minister. CM Dhami listened to them with complete sensitivity and assured them that the state government stands firmly with the affected family. The release stated that CM Dhami said that ensuring justice in this matter is the state government's highest priority. He also assured the bereaved family of all possible support and positive action on their demands. Furthermore, the Secretary of the Department of Medical Health and Medical Education, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, issued an order to officially change the name of the Government Nursing College in Pauri to honour the late Ankita Bhandari. The decision follows a recent order from CM Dhami to rename the Shrikot nursing college in honour of the young woman. On the directions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the name of Government Nursing College Dobh (Shrikot), Pauri, has been changed to "Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College Dobh (Shrikot), Pauri", said Dr R Rajesh Kumar. - ANI The Uttarakhand government has officially renamed the Government Nursing College in Dobh, Pauri, to the Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the victim's family, assuring them of swift justice and government support. In a separate meeting, CM Dhami reviewed development works in Dehradun, stressing coordinated infrastructure projects and strict action against false documents and encroachments. He emphasized transparency and timely execution of public welfare schemes as top priorities. Uttarakhand govt renames Pauri nursing college after Ankita Bhandari per CM Dhami's order, while he reviews Dehradun development works. Dehradun, January 9 Secretary of the Department of Medical Health and Medical Education, Dr R. Rajesh Kumar, issued an order to officially change the name of the Government Nursing College in Pauri to honour the late Ankita Bhandari. The decision follows a recent order from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to rename the Shrikot nursing college in honour of the young woman, read an official statement from the CM's office. On the directions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the name of Government Nursing College Dobh (Shrikot), Pauri has been changed to "Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College Dobh (Shrikot), Pauri", said Dr R Rajesh Kumar. The Chief Minister had met the parents of late Ankita Bhandari recently and reiterated that the state government stands firmly with the victim's family. Assuring them of lawful, impartial, and swift action on the demands put forth by Ankita Bhandari's parents, the Chief Minister said that ensuring justice for them is the government's top priority. Meanwhile, on Thursday, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami reviewed development works in the Dehradun district at the Manthan Auditorium at the Forest Headquarters on Rajpur Road. During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed officials to ensure that, during road construction, all related activities, such as laying underground electricity, water, and gas lines, are completed by the relevant departments in coordination with one another within the stipulated timeframe. Chief Minister Dhami instructed all departments to list the works proposed for the year and execute them in a planned manner. The District Magistrate, Dehradun, was directed to allow execution of works only after preparing a concrete action plan with clearly defined timelines. Special emphasis was also laid on the proper maintenance of internal roads. The Chief Minister issued strict instructions to ensure regular verification of Ayushman cards, ration cards, family registers, electricity bills and other important documents. He directed that documents prepared through wrongful means should be cancelled on an ongoing basis and that strict action be taken against those issuing false certificates. He also instructed the district administration, Forest Department, MDDA, and Municipal Corporation to conduct continuous drives against encroachments. Emphasising innovation-driven development alongside routine works, the Chief Minister said that the expansion and improvement of roads and corridors have significantly enhanced connectivity in Dehradun, thereby increasing the movement of tourists and the general public. Keeping future requirements in mind, he stressed the need to further accelerate development projects and directed that schemes be implemented after consultations with public representatives. The Chief Minister said that under the programme "Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar", public grievances should be resolved on the spot and eligible beneficiaries should receive the benefits of government schemes. He reiterated that transparency, timeliness and public welfare are the government's top priorities and directed all departments to work with full commitment to achieve these goals. - ANI US President Donald Trump stated he expects to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado during her visit to Washington, D.C. next week. Trump commented that while Machado is a "very nice woman," he questioned her level of support and respect within Venezuela to lead the nation. The President linked Venezuela's political future to economic recovery, highlighting a major role for energy companies in rebuilding the country's oil infrastructure. He also noted Venezuela's potential to supply the US with billions of dollars worth of oil once its industry is revived. President Trump announces he will meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in DC, discussing Venezuela's political future and oil industry revival. Washington, DC, January 9 US President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is likely to visit Washington, DC, next week and that he expects to meet her during the visit. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said, "I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, and I've heard that she wants to do that." The remarks follow Trump's recent public comments on Machado's political position in Venezuela. Addressing reporters earlier, the US President described her as a "very nice woman," but said she "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" required to lead the nation. Trump said the anticipated meeting would mark his first interaction with Machado, adding that she had previously said she had not spoken to him since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in October last year. Machado, for her part, had earlier said on the Fox News programme Hannity that she wanted to "personally" thank Trump for the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Commenting on the broader situation in Venezuela, Trump said the country would need extensive rebuilding, arguing that its democratic systems had broken down. "We have to rebuild the country. They couldn't have an election," he said, adding, "They wouldn't even know how to have an election right now." Trump also linked political reconstruction with economic recovery, saying he would meet oil executives at the White House on Friday and signalling a major role for energy companies in reviving Venezuela's oil industry. He said the firms would be responsible for restoring the country's energy infrastructure. "They're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure. They're going to spend at least USD 100 billion and it's an unbelievable oil that they have, and an unbelievable quality of oil and amount of oil," Trump said. Venezuela possesses the largest proven oil reserves globally but accounts for under one per cent of worldwide production. Trump said on Tuesday that the country could supply between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, a deal he said could be valued at up to USD 2.8 billion at current prices. - ANI Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning that war is becoming fashionable again, threatening the foundations of peaceful coexistence and international law. He specifically addressed the conflicts in Ukraine and Venezuela, urging an immediate ceasefire and dialogue. In a related development, US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of further military strikes on Venezuela, citing improved cooperation and the release of political prisoners. Trump noted that U.S. forces would remain on alert despite the de-escalation. Pope Leo XIV warns war threatens global peace as Trump calls off further military strikes on Venezuela following prisoner releases and cooperation. Vatican City, January 9 Pope Leo XIV on Friday warned that War was back in vogue and that this threatens the foundation of peaceful coexistence. The Pontiff was addressing members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See. "War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself. Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence," the Pope said. The annual meeting between the Pope and ambassadors accredited to the Holy See is considered one of the most significant moments in the Vatican's diplomatic calendar, reported Vatican News. The Pope spoke of the "ongoing war in Ukraine" and the suffering of civilians, reiterating "the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire," and calling for dialogue "motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace." Pope Leo XIV also highlighted the crisis in Venezuela, calling for respect for the will of the people and for the safeguarding of human and civil rights. Meanwhile, in what may come as a ray of hope for Venezuela, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has cancelled a previously expected second wave of military attacks on Venezuela, following his military action in Caracas which led to the capture of the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, citing improved cooperation from Caracas and the release of a large number of political prisoners as part of efforts to 'seek peace'. In a post on Truth Social, the US President said that the decision to call off further strikes comes as relations between Washington and Caracas enter a phase of cooperation, particularly on rebuilding and modernising Venezuela's oil and gas infrastructure, which Trump had previously stated following the first wave of attack on Saturday. He described the Venezuelan prisoner releases as a "very important and smart gesture". However, Trump noted that the US military units in the region will remain on alert even though the new round of offensive operations is no longer expected. - ANI President Donald Trump assured top global oil executives of total safety and security for their operations in Venezuela, stating they are now dealing directly with the United States. He declared that the US-built Venezuelan oil industry had its assets "stolen" and his administration is now "doing everything about it." The meeting followed a US operation that captured former leader Nicolas Maduro, who now faces trial in the US, leading to Delcy Rodriguez being sworn in as acting president. Vice President JD Vance stated the Venezuela operation would enrich and empower the US while helping reduce drug overdose deaths. President Trump meets oil executives, pledges safety for operations in Venezuela and vows action on "stolen" US-built oil assets, flanked by VP Vance. Washington DC, January 10 US President Donald Trump met top oil and gas executives at the White House and assured them of safety and security in Venezuela. Saying that the United States built the Venezuelan oil industry with American talent, now US would do "everything" about the assets which were 'stolen'. Trump said he was delighted to welcome almost two dozen of the biggest and most respected oil and gas executives in the world to the White House. The US President said that the departure of Maduro made it possible to have an incredible future for both nations and said that there would be deeper integration of the economies of the two major energy powers of the Western hemisphere. Assuring the industry leaders of safety and security in Venezuela, Trump said, "You're dealing with us directly, not Venezuela. You have total safety, security; it's a whole different Venezuela". Trump added, "Decades ago, the United States built Venezuela's oil industry with American skill, technology, know-how, and dollars... but those assets were stolen from us, and we had Presidents that did nothing about it... now, we're doing everything about it." He further mentioned, "Our giant oil companies are spending at least $100B of their money, not the government's money... to rebuild the capacity and the infrastructure necessary." Trump was flanked by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among several senior members of his administration as he met the top oil and gas executives. On the operation in Venezuela, VP Vance said it is "going to make our country richer, it's going to make our country more powerful, it's going to make our country safer, and it's going to lead to the further decline of drug overdose deaths in the United States of America -- an amazing thing." Answering media, Trump said that the companies going into Venezuela would have security guarantees. On the relationship with Venezuela with Delcy Rodriguez as the Interim President, Trump said, "Right now they seem to be an ally and I think it will continue. We don't want Russia and China there." The meeting comes amid a broader US strategy to capitalise on Venezuela's vast crude reserves and reshape its energy landscape following Trump's "large-scale strike" in the South American country on Saturday, which captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial. Following this, Maduro's longtime vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as the acting president on Monday, despite Trump saying, "We're in charge," after the operation, signalling that the US will closely monitor developments in Venezuela. - ANI Kallas: Russias use of Oreshnik missile is clear escalation against Ukraine, meant as warning to Europe and USA Photo: https://www.facebook.com/kallaskaja/ EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said Putin does not want peace and that Russia's use of the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile was intended to warn the European Union and the United States. Putin doesnt want peace, Russias reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction. This deadly pattern of recurring major Russian strikes will repeat itself until we help Ukraine break it. Russias reported use of an Oreshnik missile is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the US, she said on X. Kallas stressed that EU countries must dig deeper into their air-defence stocks and deliver now. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions, she stressed. As reported, Russia likely used the Oreshnik missile in the attack on Lviv. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy noted on Telegram: "This is the first time this type of strike has been used against Lviv during a full-scale war. The city is located less than 70 kilometers from the border with the European Union. This is a clear signal to our international partners: Russia's war does not stop at any border." Due to scheduled maintenance from Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 10 PM to Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 2 AM, there may be interruptions for our News Gazette Digital subscribers. During this time frame, please click on any News Gazette website content without logging into your News Gazette Digital subscription account. Thank you for your patience during this scheduled maintenance. A new UCLA study reveals that a widely used federal hospital safety metric is fundamentally flawed when applied to emergency stroke care, potentially creating incentives that may discourage hospitals from performing lifesaving procedures for the sickest patients. The research, published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, examined Patient Safety Indicator 04 (PSI 04), a "failure-to-rescue" measure developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to track deaths following treatable complications in surgical patients. The study analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample covering 73,580 stroke thrombectomy procedures between 2016-2019, along with detailed reviews of consecutive cases at UCLA. While stating the metric is appropriate for elective procedures performed on relatively healthy patients, the study found the metric is inappropriate for endovascular thrombectomy, an emergency procedure to remove blood clots in stroke patients who are already gravely ill upon admission. This metric was designed to identify preventable deaths, but when applied to emergency stroke care, it's flagging unavoidable complications of severe strokes rather than problems with the procedure itself. The unintended consequence is that hospitals providing excellent stroke care to the sickest patients may appear to have poor safety records." Dr. Melissa Marie Reider-Demer, the study's first author and UCLA Health DNP PSI 04 is triggered when patients develop any of five complications after a procedure (pneumonia, blood clots, sepsis, shock/cardiac arrest, or gastrointestinal bleeding) and subsequently die in the hospital. The metric is used nationally for public reporting, hospital quality ratings and pay-for-performance programs by Medicare and influential organizations like the Leapfrog Group. The UCLA team analyzed both national data and detailed case reviews to assess the metric's appropriateness for stroke care. Their findings included: PSI 04 occurred in 20.5% of stroke thrombectomy patients nationally, which is one to three orders of magnitude higher than all other 17 patient safety indicators (median: 0.10%) The rate for stroke procedures was far higher than the 14.3% rate for all surgical procedures combined Among the 18 federal patient safety indicators, PSI 04 for all procedures had by far the highest event rate, suggesting the metric may be fundamentally problematic At UCLA's Comprehensive Stroke Center, researchers examined every thrombectomy case flagged by PSI 04 between 2016-2018. An expert panel of neurointerventionalists and neurologists reviewed each case and found: All patient deaths were related to complications of the severe presenting stroke, not the thrombectomy procedure EVT procedures accounted for 7.2% of neurosurgical PSI 04 flags despite representing only 1.5% of neurosurgical procedures Not a single case represented an actual preventable safety concern The study authors found the metric is flawed for two key reasons when applied to stroke thrombectomy: The complications it tracks are common consequences of severe strokes themselves, not the procedure. Patients arriving with massive strokes are at high risk for pneumonia, blood clots, and other complications regardless of treatment. Stroke patients are already critically ill before the procedure, unlike patients undergoing elective surgeries. Even when complications arise, these gravely ill patients have far less resilience to survive them compared to relatively healthy surgical patients. "We're essentially penalizing hospitals for trying to save patients who are already dying from stroke," Dr. Reider-Demer said. "These procedures give severely affected patients their only chance at survival or functional recovery, but the current metric makes it look like the hospitals are providing poor care." Unintended consequences The researchers warn that inappropriate safety metrics can create harmful incentives. Previous research has shown that public reporting of surgical mortality rates led some heart surgeons to cherry-pick healthier patients to protect their performance ratings, limiting access for the sickest patients who need care most. "There's a real concern that hospitals might be discouraged from performing thrombectomy on the most severe stroke patients, or that stroke centers with high volumes of critically ill patients could be unfairly penalized in quality ratings and reimbursement," said Dr. Jeffrey Saver, the study's senior author and vice chair for Clinical Research and the Carol and James Collins Chair of the Department of Neurology at UCLA Health. This issue has become more pressing as recent clinical trials have expanded thrombectomy to patients with even larger strokes, who have high mortality rates even with intervention though still lower than without it. A path forward The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed revising PSI 04 to exclude patients with acute conditions like stroke coded as the principal reason for admission, with implementation planned for fiscal year 2027. In Dr. Saver's view, the revision addresses important shortcomings. "This revision makes sense from a clinical perspective," Dr. Saver said. "The current metric doesn't identify preventable events in stroke care and has the potential to mislead the public about hospital quality while creating incentives that could harm the sickest patients." The origin of life on Earth becomes even more fascinating and complex as we peer into the mysterious world of viruses. Said to have existed since living cells first appeared, these microscopic entities differ greatly from other forms of life. Composed of only genetic material, they lack the ability to synthesize proteins, which are essential for carrying out cellular activity and, ultimately, for life by itself. As a result, scientists have long sought to unravel virus origins, how they evolve, and how they fit into the conventional tree of life. Professor Masaharu Takemura from the Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, has been at the forefront of this search. In 2001, he, along with Dr. Philip Bell, from the Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, independently proposed the cell nuclear virus origin theory, also known as viral eukaryogenesis (term coined by Dr. Bell). According to this hypothesis, the nucleus of eukaryotic cells (cells whose nucleus is bound by a membrane) originated from a large DNA virus such as poxvirus that infected an archaeal ancestor (single-celled microorganisms). Instead of killing the host, the virus set up a long-term presence inside the cytoplasm, and over time acquired essential genes from the host, and became what we now recognize as the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. This suggests that viruses may have played a foundational role in the emergence of life. Nowadays, central to this idea are giant viruses that contain DNA, which were found in 2003. When they infect cells, they form specialized structures called virus factories inside the host. Some of these factories are enclosed within a membrane, much like a cell nucleus, where DNA replication takes place, hinting at an evolutionary connection between viruses and complex cells. In recent years, new types of DNA viruses have been discovered, including members of the family Mamonoviridae, which infect acanthamoeba (a type of amoeba, which is a single-celled microorganism), and the closely related clandestinovirus, which infects vermamoeba (another type of amoeba from a different family). Now, in a joint study published online in the Journal of Virology on November 24, 2025, Prof. Takemura along with researchers at the National Institute of Natural Sciences (NINS), Japan, report yet another of these giant DNA viruses that infect amoeba. Named ushikuvirus after Lake Ushiku in the Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan, where it was isolated. This discovery offers further support for the nuclear virus origin hypothesis. The team included Mr. Jiwan Bae and Mrs. Narumi Hantori, Master's degree students at the Graduate School of Science, TUS, along with Dr. Raymond Burton-Smith and Professor Kazuyoshi Murata from NINS. "Giant viruses can be said to be a treasure trove whose world has yet to be fully understood. One of the future possibilities of this research is to provide humanity with a new view that connects the world of living organisms with the world of viruses," says Prof. Takemura. Giant viruses are ubiquitously present in the environment. However, their isolation remains a challenge. These viruses are highly diverse and the discovery of ushikuvirus is extremely valuable. The newly discovered ushikuvirus infects vermamoeba, like clandestinovirus, and is morphologically similar to members of the Mamonoviridae family, particularly Medusavirus, a genus characterized by its icosahedral shape and numerous short spikes on the capsid surface. However, ushikuvirus also shows distinct features: it induces a specific cytopathic effect that causes its vermamoeba hosts to grow into unusually large cells, and it possesses multiple spike structures with unique caps on the capsid surface, some with filamentous extensions, not seen in medusaviruses. Additionally, unlike medusaviruses and clandestinovirus, which replicate within the intact host nucleus, ushikuvirus disrupts the nuclear membrane to produce viral particles. This suggests a phylogenetic link between Mamonoviridae family that utilizes intact nucleus as viral factory and giant viruses like pandoravirus that disrupt the nuclear membrane for replication. Researchers believe that these variations between viruses may have evolved as adaptations to their hosts. By comparing these structural and functional differences, researchers are beginning to piece together how giant viruses have diversified over time and how their interactions with host cells may have shaped the evolution of complex eukaryotic life. "The discovery of a new Mamonoviridae-related virus, 'ushikuvirus,' which has a different host, is expected to increase knowledge and stimulate discussion regarding the evolution and phylogeny of the Mamonoviridae family. As a result, it is believed that we will be able to get closer to the mysteries of the evolution of eukaryotic organisms and the mysteries of giant viruses," says Prof. Takemura. The discovery of these amoeba-infecting viruses could have practical implications for healthcare. Because certain Acanthamoeba species can cause diseases such as amoebic encephalitis, understanding how giant viruses infect and destroy amoebae may one day help scientists develop new strategies to prevent or treat such infections. SBU unveils wreckage of Oreshnik missile used by Russia in its attack on Lviv region, classifies this as war crime Photo: SBU The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has identified the location of the remains of a Russian ballistic missile that the enemy used to strike Lviv region on the night of January 8-9, 2026. "According to preliminary information, the discovered components belong to the Oreshnik missile system," a Telegram post published on Friday reads. Among the components found so far are: the stabilization and guidance unit (essentially the "brains" of the missile); parts from the propulsion system; fragments of the orientation mechanism; nozzles from the launcher platform, and the like. It is noted that the relevant debris has the status of material evidence and is being prepared for transfer for in-depth examination. SBU investigators classify the use of these weapons against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure as a war crime by the Russian Federation. According to preliminary data, the enemy launched an Oreshnik medium-range surface-to-surface missile from the Russian Kapustin Yar test site. "By attacking our country's civilian facilities near the border with the European Union, the Kremlin attempted to destroy the region's vital infrastructure amid a sharp deterioration in weather conditions," the message notes. SBU investigators are establishing all the circumstances, as well as the organizers and perpetrators of this Russian war crime, in order to bring them to justice. The pretrial investigation under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes) is ongoing. Potentially more than 90% of Alzheimer's disease cases would not occur without the contribution of a single gene (APOE), according to a new analysis led by UCL researchers. The scientists also found that close to half of all dementia cases would probably not arise without the gene's influence. The researchers say that the findings, published today in npj Dementia, highlight this gene (and the protein it produces) as a powerful yet under-recognized target for drug development, which could have the scope to prevent or treat a large proportion of all dementia. The APOE gene has long been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. There are three common types (alleles) of the gene, known as 2, 3, and 4. Everyone carries two APOE genes, creating six different combinations of the 2, 3, and 4 variants. In the 1990s, geneticists established that people carrying one or more 4 variant face a much greater risk of Alzheimer's than those with two copies of the more commonly inherited 3 variant, and that groups with 2 experience less risk relative to the 3 carriers. We have long underestimated how much the APOE gene contributes to the burden of Alzheimer's disease. The 4 variant of APOE is well recognised as harmful by dementia researchers, but much disease would not occur without the additional impact of the common 3 allele, which has been typically misperceived as neutral in terms of Alzheimer's risk. When we consider the contributions of 3 and 4, we can see that APOE potentially has a role in almost all Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, if we knew how to reduce the risk that the 3 and 4 variants confer to people, we may be able prevent most disease from occurring." Dr. Dylan Williams, Lead Author, UCL Division of Psychiatry and Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL The study is the most comprehensive modelling to date of the proportion of Alzheimer's and dementia cases that arise across the population due to common variation in APOE. The researchers pulled together evidence of how much the 3 and 4 alleles are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, any form of dementia, and the brain changes that lead to Alzheimer's. Key to this study was the use of datasets from four extremely large studies (with a total of over 450,000 participants) that enabled them to find many people in the uncommon group with two copies of the 2 variant, and use this group as a low-risk baseline in their calculations for the first time in such an analysis. The researchers estimated that 72-93% of Alzheimer's cases would not have occurred if it weren't for the 3 and 4 alleles of the APOE gene, and approximately 45% of all dementia cases would not arise without the gene's influence. These estimates are higher than previous estimates of APOE's influence, mainly because the researchers in the latest study were considering the roles of both 3 and 4 variants. The variation between findings from the four studies was due to differences in how each defined and measured Alzheimer's and dementia (including recorded diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, or evidence of amyloid pathology from brain scans), as well as differences in follow-up periods and potential biases in study recruitment. Taken together, evidence from all sources suggested that APOE is most likely responsible for at least three in four Alzheimer's cases, and possibly more. The findings suggest the APOE gene should be prioritised in mechanistic and drug discovery research. Dr. Williams said: "There has been major progress in recent years in gene editing and other forms of gene therapy to target genetic risk factors directly. Moreover, genetic risk also points us towards parts of our physiology that we could target with more conventional drugs. Intervening on the APOE gene specifically, or the molecular pathway between the gene and the disease, could have great, and probably under-appreciated, potential for preventing or treating a large majority of Alzheimer's disease. "The extent to which APOE has been researched in relation to Alzheimer's or as a drug target has clearly not been proportionate to its full importance." Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases are not caused solely by the APOE gene, as even in the rare, highest-risk category people with two copies of 4 lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease is still estimated to be below 70%. As Dr. Williams explained: "Most people with genetic risk factors like APOE 3 and 4 won't get dementia in a typical lifetime, since there are complicated interactions at play with other contributing genetic and environmental risk factors. Understanding what modifies the risk people inherit from their APOE genes is another crucial question for dementia researchers to grapple with. "For instance, other research has suggested that perhaps half of dementia incidence could be prevented or delayed by improving many modifiable risk factors such as social isolation, high cholesterol or smoking, across populations. With complex diseases like Alzheimer's and other diseases that cause dementia, there will be more than one way to reduce disease occurrence. We should explore many options by which we might modify Alzheimer's and dementia risk, including but not limited to strategies related to APOE. "Nonetheless, we should not overlook the fact that without the contributions of APOE 3 and 4, most Alzheimer's disease cases would not occur, irrespective of what other factors are inherited or experienced by carriers of these variants throughout life." The study, conducted by researchers at UCL and the University of Eastern Finland, was supported by funding from Alzheimer's Research UK, the Medical Research Council and others. This study highlights that more Alzheimer's cases are linked to the APOE gene that previously thought. However, not everyone with these variants will develop Alzheimer's, demonstrating the complex relationship between genetics and other risk factors for dementia. Despite APOE being linked to Alzheimer's, very few treatments in clinical trials target this gene directly. Findings from this study show that further research into APOE will be important for developing future prevention and treatment strategies for Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's Research UK is delighted to support Dr Williams as he continues to investigate how genetics alongside environmental and societal factors influence dementia risk, which will ultimately bring us closer to a cure." Dr. Sheona Scales, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK Why APOE variants are linked to dementia Previous studies have suggested that the 4 variant might increase dementia risk because the protein it produces is less effective at clearing harmful amyloid-beta (a sticky protein that forms plaques). It also disrupts fat and energy processing in the brain cells and promotes inflammation changes that may gradually damage neurons and make the brain more vulnerable to Alzheimer's and related dementias. Further research is needed to confirm these mechanisms and understand why the 3 variant increases dementia risk relative to 2. Federal rental assistance distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic did far more than help people stay in their homes. It also improved their mental health. A UC Riverside study published this week in the journal Health Affairs found that the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program-created by Congress in 2021 to prevent evictions among low-income renters during the pandemic-also improved mental health and increased the appropriate use of mental health care. "Using a national dataset, we found that housing assistance helped low-income renters-who are among the most vulnerable populations-feel better and get mental health treatment when needed," said Wei Kang, an assistant professor in UCR's School of Public Policy who led the study. "This demonstrates the importance of government programs in a time of crisis." The federal government allocated $46.55 billion to two ERA programs to provide direct assistance to low-income people struggling to pay rent due to pandemic-related financial hardship. Kang's analysis drew from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey data collected between 2021 and 2023. The survey includes questions about respondents' mental health status and whether they had recently sought care. Kang compared survey responses from two groups: those who had received rental assistance and those who had applied but had not yet received it. The latter served as a control group. Her findings showed that rental assistance recipients experienced a noticeable drop in symptoms of anxiety and depression and were slightly more likely to seek mental health services when experiencing symptoms. Just under 46% of aid recipients reported symptoms of anxiety in the two weeks prior to the survey-9.1 percentage points lower than those who had not yet received assistance. Similarly, 38% of recipients reported symptoms of depression, an 8.1-point improvement over the control group. While the increase in treatment rates was more modest, it was still statistically meaningful. Among individuals who reported symptoms of anxiety or depression and were awaiting assistance, only 16.2% reported having seen a mental health professional for counseling or therapy at any time in the last four weeks. Care seeking rates were higher among those who had received assistance, increasing by 6.5 percentage points for those with anxiety symptoms and by 7.9 percentage points for those with depression symptoms. To understand how the program improved mental health, Kang used a statistical method called causal mediation analysis. This allowed her to distinguish between direct and indirect effects of the rental assistance. The research found that the ERA program reduced mental distress in two ways: first, by directly alleviating the fear of eviction, and second, by freeing up financial resources for health-related needs. The most immediate benefit was the reduction in housing insecurity. By helping renters pay off overdue balances and avoid the threat of eviction, the program relieved a major source of stress, which in turn reduced anxiety and depression. That impact was especially strong in anxiety-related symptoms, the study found, as renters no longer had to worry about losing their homes. But the effect didn't stop there. With rent covered, many households could redirect their limited funds toward other essentials, including co-pays for doctor visits, prescription medications, and transportation needed to reach mental health services. For those struggling to make ends meet, this shift in financial priorities proved crucial. The findings offer strong evidence that housing aid is also a form of health care intervention, Kang said. Programs designed to promote financial stability may also serve as a lifeline for those experiencing emotional distress, particularly in times of national crisis. The paper's title is "COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Improved Mental Health and Psychotherapy Use Among Low-Income Renters." In addition to Kang, its UCR co-authors are Qingfang Wang, professor of public policy; Tyler Hoffman, a research assistant; and Bruce Link, distinguished professor of public policy and sociology. The researchers argue that economic relief programs should be seen not only as fiscal policies but also as tools for improving public health. They also suggest that future programs should be designed to take advantage of this dual impact-perhaps by streamlining application processes and speeding up the delivery of aid, to ensure recipients can stabilize their housing and access needed care sooner. What's really interesting is that people in our field often worry about the unintended consequences of government programs-and that they'll be bad, such as fraud or waste. But to the contrary, here are what might be deemed 'unintended positive consequences' that went beyond the intended effect of helping people stay securely housed." Bruce Link, distinguished professor of public policy and sociology, University of California - Riverside It's common that as kids get to high school and transition to adulthood, they begin to skip yearly wellness visits with a pediatrician or other primary care provider. And, as expected, skipping those checkups can have serious health consequences, including missed early markers of diseases and disorders that come with growing older and are treatable with early interventions. A new study led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers using data on adolescents and young adults (AYAs) ages 15 to 23 has added to evidence that as kids get to high school and transition to adulthood, many begin to skip yearly wellness visits with a pediatrician or other primary care provider. The findings, they say, should advance efforts by parents, pediatricians and other primary care providers to encourage annual wellness visits, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Findings from this study, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau, were published Dec. 19 in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Children's Center researchers say AYAs face a critical period of vulnerability during the transition to adulthood, when serious relationships begin, new jobs start and environments shift. These life changes can have physical and mental health impacts. Attending yearly wellness visits is an opportunity to screen and provide care for risky or dangerous behavior, including drug use." Arik V. Marcell, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins Children's Center pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist The new study, led by Marcell and Children's Center fellow Morayo Akande, Ph.D., M.P.H., analyzed data for both male and female AYAs gathered from the NEXT Generation Health Study funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. That study was designed to study health outcomes by following the same AYAs for seven years, starting from ages ranging from 15 to 23. As part of the current study, Johns Hopkins researchers tracked how often the AYAs got yearly checkups and what factors contributed to them continuing or not continuing to go. For the new study, the researchers grouped males as either engaged, engaged with decline or persistently disengaged from going to checkups during the seven-year period. Females were grouped as either engaged, engaged with decline or gradually reengaged. Results showed that a majority of both sexes were found to be engaged, meaning they received a yearly wellness visit. However, more than 30% of males and nearly 20% of females became disengaged as they got older. Marcell says this is very concerning since these young people will have fewer opportunities to get preventive care, especially during a period when engaging in riskier behaviors begins or escalates, including behaviors related to drug use and sexual activity. Researchers identified a couple possible reasons for the decline in primary care visits. For example, when children go away to college, parents no longer make their appointments for them. Additionally, adolescents are more inclined to see only specialized physicians for specific complaints - such as when a girl begins seeing a gynecologist. These specialists may be mistakenly perceived by AYAs as a replacement for primary care. The study also found that about 13% of girls and young women "gradually reengaged," meaning that during the seven years of tracking, they tended to go back to a primary care doctor. Marcell says that girls and young women have more health-related concerns and "touchpoints" that may lead them to make a wellness appointment - including changes in menstrual cycles, the need for birth control, or concerns about pregnancy - than do boys and young men. Additionally, the study found that boys and young men with chronic health problems were more likely to stay engaged with their wellness visits. However, females with mental health symptoms were less likely to be engaged. The current study adds to evidence found in a previous study led by Marcell and colleagues, which showed that from middle childhood (age 5) to late adolescence (age 17), about half of children had wellness visits. However, half of boys' wellness visits dropped off after they turned 5 - when vaccines are required for school entry - and at far higher rates than girls' wellness visit patterns. Also, among boys whose wellness visits dropped off, one-third continued to be disconnected from preventive care through age 17, versus less than 10% of girls over the same timeframe. Marcell recommends that all parents and AYAs need to understand the value of the annual preventive care wellness visit, and that parents teach their children how to make a primary care checkup appointment. He says attention to health care is a learned behavior, and it's never too early to begin those conversations and to practice those skills. Based on the findings in the study, Marcell also believes more research and longitudinal data, such as those collected in the NEXT data set, can help primary care providers better understand who is and isn't being seen, and focus some attention on reaching out to AYAs. Other authors in this study include Kathryn Van Eck, Xingyun Wu, Elianna Perrin, Lingxin Hao and Pamela Matson with Johns Hopkins and Elizabeth Ozer with the University of California, San Francisco. The study was funded by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau (R42MC49146 and U8DMC45901). The original NEXT study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HHSN275201200001I), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The understanding of a successful study drug can vary greatly; for example, a study drug in the pharmaceutical field may be clinically effective, but potentially too expensive to manufacture at scale viably. Image Credit: IM Imagery/Shutterstock.com Drug development often progresses from one phase to the next without considering long-term feasibility, such as scalability, cost-effectiveness, and market access. Sustainable success is assured by implementing future-proof strategies from the outset. In a recent interview with Erik Gout, Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), and Azra Gholami, CMC Consultant at Venn Life Sciences, hVIVO looked to explore these issues further. These two experts shared their expertise in process optimization and formulation development, emphasizing the importance of considering long-term implications beyond the development phase to ensure sustained success. Venn Life Sciences consultancy boasts extensive expertise in biologics and small molecules, each of which necessitates the implementation of a distinct optimization approach. Biologics development is broken down into upstream and downstream processes, with the upstream process generally defining the cell line before Phase 1. This is rarely changed after it has been defined, because modifications may require a total redesign of the downstream purification. The discussion here focuses on small molecules. Ensuring scalability via optimization and formulation development Phase 1 clinical development must focus on the evaluation of drug safety, generally done using a basic or no formulation. Small molecule formulation tends not to be optimized, however, and the drug substances synthesis route may still be under development. The feasibility of the drug substance process and formulation must also be assessed for use in future Phase 3 and commercial production. This is done when transitioning from Phase 1 to Phase 2, and it is essential to optimize both the drug substance and the drug product at this stage, while also considering the final formulation and process. Erik stresses that it is vital to align development with long-term goals, advising clients to consider both scalability and the cost of goods at an early development stage. Its not just about reaching the next phase, he states. Early decisions should assess whether the formulation can scale effectively. He continues, Key considerations include cost-efficient excipients, adaptable production processes that allow for Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisations (CDMOs) changes, and standardized methods to support a smooth transfer to commercial manufacturing. For (bio)pharmaceutical clients using separate CDMOs for drug substance and drug product, Venn can manage both to ensure alignment. We offer consultancy on decision-making, testing, process control, risk management, and logistics. While CDMOs have scientific expertise, Venn bridges knowledge gaps like stability differences by facilitating information exchange. We guide stability testing to ensure shelf life and help define critical manufacturing parameters through scalable process controls and risk management. The importance of mitigating risks Our most important key services include process troubleshooting and risk management, explains Azra. From the outset, we proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with the manufacturing process. Mitigating risks of unstable products can be achieved through process control and selecting the right packaging material. The choice of packaging whether opting for cost-effective or more specialized materials can significantly impact the cost of goods during commercial production. Similarly, transport conditions, like storage at 5 C or lower versus room temperature, play a critical role. Storage at room temperature will generally be more cost-effective in the long run. Ultimately, the goal is to minimize unnecessary complexities while optimizing for cost efficiency and quality. Balancing perfect versus the real world A gap often exists between what can be achieved technically and what is commercially feasible. A balance must be struck between innovation and feasibility in order to ensure long-term success. (Bio)Pharmaceutical companies are advised to take a strategic view from the outset, focusing on commercial outcomes rather than solely short-term goals. Aligning early informed decisions with long-term objectives will significantly improve the likelihood of achieving sustainable success. Venn offers expert guidance on process optimization and formulation development, supporting its clients in identifying potential obstacles in future development phases while maintaining a clear focus on the overall commercial goal. For example, this includes evaluating storage conditions, transport, and associated costs. Acknowledgments Produced from materials originally authored by hVIVO. Antonio Guterres expresses regret on US withdrawal from UN entities Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 05:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Geneva [Switzerland], January 9 (ANI): UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over the decision of the United States to pull out of multiple UN entities. In a statement delivered by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, it was mentioned, The Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities."As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States," the statement added. The statement said that all United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given by Member States with determination". It added that the United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on it and that it will continue to carry out mandates with determination. .@antonioguterres regrets the announcement regarding the United States decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities.The UN has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us. We will continue to carry out our mandates with determination. pic.twitter.com/hC1QMWRAYT United Nations (@UN) January 8, 2026 U S President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Wednesday directing the withdrawal from 66 international organisations, conventions and treaties that his administration has determined to be contrary to the interests of the United States".According to the White House, the 66 organisations consist of 35 non-United Nations organisations and 31 United Nations entities.Key UN organisations from which the US has withdrawn include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy and UN Population Fund and UN Water.The move comes almost a year after the Trump administration had announced the withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2025, citing the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US had also withdrawn from UNESCO in July 2025, saying that the latter was not in the national interest" of the United States. (ANI) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 05:15 IST News agency-feeds Antonio Guterres expresses regret on US withdrawal from UN entities Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... CM Naidu holds talks with EU ambassador on trade, infrastructure, investment Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Amaravati, Jan 9 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held discussions with European Union Ambassador to India Herve Delphin on strengthening strategic trade, infrastructure development, and exploring investment opportunities in the state, officials said. Delighted to meet Herve Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India. We discussed strengthening EU-India relations through EU-Andhra Pradesh cooperation in strategic trade, clean energy, infrastructure, and investment," Naidu said in a post on X on late Thursday. The chief minister said the talks also covered the Blue Valley Initiative, progress under the Sunrise Andhra Pradesh Vision 2029, key state missions, and the development of industrial corridors. Later in the evening, Delphin attended the avakaya festival, a cultural event held on the banks of the Krishna River in Vijayawada, along with the CM. PTI STH SSK News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:45 IST News agency-feeds CM Naidu holds talks with EU ambassador on trade, infrastructure, investment Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Delhi tops PM10, second worst for PM2.5 in 2025: Report Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 00:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Delhi recorded the highest annual average PM10 concentration in the country in 2025 at 197 micrograms per cubic metre, nearly three times higher than the national standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre, according to an analysis. The capital exceeded the PM10 standard on 285 days during the year, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said in its analysis. On finer particles, Delhi was the second most polluted city in India for PM2.5 in 2025, with an annual average concentration of 96 micrograms per cubic metre, almost twice the national standard of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. Delhi exceeded the daily PM2.5 standard on 212 days in 2025, the report said, indicating prolonged exposure to hazardous air. The analysis said PM2.5 levels remain high across the National Capital Region, with 12 out of 14 NCR cities breaching the PM2.5 standard. On funding, CREA said Rs 13,415 crore has been released under the National Clean Air Programme and Fifteenth Finance Commission grants so far, of which Rs 9,929 crore, or 74 per cent, has been utilised. Delhi was among the weakest performers in utilisation of clean air funds, with only 33 per cent of the allocated amount spent, the report said. Meanwhile, Delhi was among the cities that have completed a source apportionment study, the report said. The report concluded that seven years into the NCAP, cities including Delhi remain far from meeting air quality standards, and the programmes intended 40 per cent PM10 reduction target is no longer achievable within its current time frame. It called for a shift in focus towards PM2.5, stricter emission controls and a regional airshed-based approach to tackle air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by the Centre in 2019 to improve air quality in 130 non-attainment and million-plus cities, with a focus on reducing particulate pollution. The programme initially targeted a 20-30 per cent reduction in PM10 levels by 2024-25 compared to 2017-18 levels, which was later revised to a 40 per cent reduction or meeting national standards by 2025-26, through city-specific action plans and coordinated funding support. PTI SGV SKY SKY News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 00:45 IST News agency-feeds Delhi tops PM10, second worst for PM2.5 in 2025: Report Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... India a central force in shaping emerging global order: Ex-UK PM Liz Truss Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 00:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Phagwara (Punjab), Jan 9 (PTI) Former UK prime minister Liz Truss described India as a central force shaping the emerging global order during an event on Friday, where she was conferred an honorary degree. She was conferred with an honorary doctorate, recognising her leadership, public service, and contributions to global political discourse during the convocation ceremony of the Lovely Professional University at Phagwara in Punjab, according to a statement by the varsity. Addressing the convocation ceremony, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan urged graduates to carry forward the values of integrity, diversity, compassion, and service. Expressing concern over the growing challenge of drug abuse on campuses, the vice president appealed to students not only to reject drugs but also to actively prevent peers from falling into this trap, describing such vigilance as a meaningful contribution to society. The convocation was presided over by Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria. Kataria congratulated the graduating students and reminded them that education extends far beyond academic attainment to the formation of character, values, and civic responsibility. Expressing optimism about Indias future, the governor highlighted that the present generation holds the potential to shape global industries, technologies, and institutions, and urged students to seize this historic moment with confidence and purpose. Rajya Sabha MP and founder-chancellor of LPU, Ashok Kumar Mittal, called upon graduates to translate learning into meaningful impact, contributing to society while strengthening Indias position in the global knowledge economy. PTI COR SUN VSD SKY SKY News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 00:00 IST News agency-feeds India a central force in shaping emerging global order: Ex-UK PM Liz Truss Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Marijuana worth nearly Rs 8 cr seized at Delhi airport; two passengers arrested Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Two men were arrested for alleged cross-border smuggling of marijuana worth nearly Rs 8 crore at the international airport here, the customs department said on Friday. The accused passengers were intercepted after they arrived at Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport from Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday, they said. The customs officers recovered nine polythene pouches, containing a green-coloured narcotic substance suspected to be cannabis, weighing 7.7 kg. The accused allegedly concealed the contraband inside a pink trolley bag, they said. When subjected to diagnostic tests, the substance prima facie appeared to be ganja/marijuana," the customs said in a post on X. The duo have been arrested and the contraband, worth Rs 7.77 crore, was seized, it added. PTI MHS AKV SHS SHS SHS SHS News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:45 IST News agency-feeds Marijuana worth nearly Rs 8 cr seized at Delhi airport; two passengers arrested Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Navy chief interacts with crew of Oman-bound INSV Kaundinya Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 00:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Friday interacted with the crew of traditionally-built stitched ship INSV Kaundinya, which is currently on a maiden overseas voyage to Oman. Interacting virtually, Admiral Tripathi congratulated the crew on the steady progress and lauded the proficiency and resilience exhibited in their journey so far. The Navy chief noted that INSV Kaundinya has successfully covered over 385 nautical miles (over 710 km) from Porbandar, Gujarat". On December 23, INSV Kaundinya embarked on her maiden overseas voyage, from Gujarat to Oman. The vessel is a recreation of a fifth-century vessel. Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi interacted with the crew of NSV Kaundinya on January 9, which is on her 12th day of the maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman," the Navy posted on X. It also shared some photos of the virtual interaction. Wishing the crew fair winds and following seas, the CNS conveyed his best wishes and motivated them to continue upholding the highest traditions of the Indian seafarers, expressing confidence in their ability to accomplish this historic voyage successfully," the Navy added. PTI KND ARI News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 00:45 IST News agency-feeds Navy chief interacts with crew of Oman-bound INSV Kaundinya Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) was helping people in three locations affected by the massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv last night. The emergency response team of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross, together with first responders from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and representatives of other emergency services, operated at the site of another large-scale attack on the capital. Volunteers covered three locations, assessed surrounding areas and damaged buildings, and remained on site to provide first aid and psychological first aid to those affected, URCS said on Facebook Friday. They were also on duty at the scene to provide first aid and psychological assistance to the victims. As reported, four people were killed in the January 9 attack by Russian forces on the capital: three residents of an apartment complex in Dniprovskyi district and a 58-year-old emergency medical worker who arrived to help people in Darnytsky district. Twenty-five people were injured, including medics, rescue workers, and police officers. One person is missing in Dniprovsky district. Overall, 19 multi-story buildings, the Qatari embassy, a tram depot, an unfinished multi-story building, cars, a supermarket, and a gas station were damaged, and windows were shattered at a kindergarten. As a result of the shelling, heating and water supply are missing in Pechersk and the Left Bank. Pakistan security forces kill 3 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 21:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Peshawar, Jan 9 (PTI) At least three terrorists were killed and several others injured during a joint operation carried out by Pakistans security forces in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, a security official said. The joint operation was conducted in the Khyber district, bordering Afghanistan, by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security units, a CTD official said. The security forces raided the Momandray area of Bara after intelligence reports confirmed the presence of terrorists hideouts in the region, the official added. Three terrorists were neutralised, while several others sustained injuries in the gun battle. The security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a clearance operation to eliminate any remaining threats. PTI AYZ RD RD RD News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 21:15 IST News agency-feeds Pakistan security forces kill 3 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Sikkim CM PS Tamang offers prayers at Nepal's Pashupatinath Temple Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Gangtok Jan 9 (PTI) Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday offered prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal. The CM in a Facebook post said he prayed for peace, good health, prosperity and overall well-being of the citizens of Sikkim. He also planted a holy Parijat sapling within the temple complex. Golay said that the serene and powerful spiritual atmosphere of the temple filled him with a sense of calm and renewed energy. He emphasised the need to protect and preserve spiritual heritage while fostering a balanced relationship between devotion and nature conservation. PTI COR RG News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:45 IST News agency-feeds Sikkim CM PS Tamang offers prayers at Nepal's Pashupatinath Temple Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Trump to meet with Colombian president next month Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 01:45 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Washington, Jan 9 (AP) President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in early February. He also called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming the flow of cocaine into the US. Since the US military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, Trump had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. He, however, abruptly changed his tone on Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House. (AP) RHL News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 01:45 IST News agency-feeds Trump to meet with Colombian president next month Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Vaishnaw encourages railway officials to shed colonial mindset Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 23:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday urged senior officials to get rid of the colonial mindset in all aspects of life and have faith in the strength and capabilities of Indian companies. Addressing a gathering of senior railway officials at the 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar, Vaishnaw stressed the need for an innovative approach and said that the indigenously developed Vande Bharat trains have established Indias technological capabilities. The railway minister honoured 100 railway officials for their outstanding contributions in different fields of train operations. Vaishnaw said Indian Railways must move to an entirely new level to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat, Viksit Railways by 2047. Congratulating employees for their dedication, he said their collective efforts have enabled the Railways to overcome long-standing challenges, expand capacity, improve efficiency and deliver major infrastructure and operational milestones. He outlined a six-point resolution roadmap which includes systemic reforms, technology adoption, safety focus, advanced training, maintenance excellence and mindset change to power next-gen Railways. Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of engaging startups and innovators, encouraging railway employees to contribute reform ideas and ensuring that successful innovations are scaled across the network. Drawing parallels with major national reforms, he said the Indian Railways must show similar courage and confidence in change. Wth a young workforce, transparent systems and a reform-oriented mindset, the Indian Railways is well positioned to become a global benchmark and a key pillar in Indias journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047," Vaishnaw said. PTI JP KSS KSS News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 23:15 IST News agency-feeds Vaishnaw encourages railway officials to shed colonial mindset Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Will not allow China's hand to reach into Taiwan: President Lai Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 02:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Taipei [Taiwan], January 10 (ANI): Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that he would continue safeguarding Taiwan and would not allow China to reach into, Focus Taiwan reported.Focus Taiwan said that the Taiwanese President said that as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he was pledging to protect the country and safeguard the lives and property of all citizens.I will certainly safeguard the nation and absolutely not allow Chinese pressure or Chinas hand to reach into Taiwan," President Lai said.He also said on Thursday that Chinas cross-border pressure" against the people of Taiwan proves that Beijings authority does not extend to Taiwan and confirms that Taiwan is not part of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).Focus Taiwan reported Lai cited the recent visit to Taiwan by China-born Japanese lawmaker Hei Seki, who has been sanctioned by China and barred from entering PRC, saying that the visit demonstrated that how the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwans official name and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.His remarks came amid the backdrop of Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office listing Taiwans Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao as so-called diehard Taiwan independence elements." Focus Taiwan reported that the same Chinese office also labeled a prosecutor from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office as a Taiwan independence thug accomplice."Whether it is Cheng Ying-yao, Liu Shyh-fang, the prosecutor surnamed Chen, or other officials or elected representatives, all can stand at their posts and strive for the country, without fear of Chinas threats," the Taiwanese President said ahead of attending an event celebrating the completion of training for new personnel at the Ministry of Justices Investigation Bureau.The Taiwanese President said that he hoped Chinas leaders would understand that military drills targeting Taiwan are not peaceful actions and added that Chinas united front" infiltration and cross-border suppression would not achieve the goal of making Taiwan a part of China. (ANI) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 02:15 IST News agency-feeds Will not allow China's hand to reach into Taiwan: President Lai Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Sagittarius Horoscope Today, January 9, 2026 Written By : GaneshaGrace Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 06:50 IST Sagittarius Daily Horoscope, January 9, 2026: Love life remains balanced with mutual respect between spouses and closeness in relationships. Sagittarius Horoscope Today: Astrological predictions by Chirag Daruwalla for dhanu rashi on January 9 2026. (AI generated image) Sagittarius Horoscope Today, 9 January 2026: Ganesha says that Sagittarius natives will successfully complete their pending tasks today, and spending time in religious or social activities will bring mental peace, while your strong personality will help you overcome opponents, though it is important not to reveal your weaknesses, avoid unnecessary travel or starting new ventures, and seek guidance from a senior if you feel confused about decisions; in business, there may be fluctuations but timely completion of work and cooperation from others will help, provided all documents are checked carefully before signing, financially the day requires extra vigilance as unplanned expenses or emerging issues can cause stress, making it essential to take thoughtful steps before investments or new deals, love life remains balanced with mutual respect between spouses and closeness in relationships, and health will generally be fine despite a brief dip in morale. Positive Sagittarius individuals will be able to successfully complete their pending tasks. Make sure to dedicate some time to religious and social activities, as this will bring mental peace and tranquility. Your opponents will also be defeated by your personality at this time. Negative Its important to remember not to reveal your weaknesses to anyone. Avoid any kind of travel or starting any new activities at this time, as you will not get positive results. If you face difficulty in making a decision, be sure to seek advice from a senior person. Business There will be some ups and downs in business. However, tasks will be completed on time. The cooperation of other business people will also help in organizing your business. But be sure to carefully examine all papers before signing anything. Finance Today is a challenging day for Sagittarius individuals from a financial perspective. You need to be vigilant in managing your finances today. You will have to exercise caution while making several financial decisions, as there is a higher possibility of losses. Take thoughtful steps before investing. If you are considering making a new business deal, it is essential to reconsider all aspects first. Currently emerging crises and unplanned expenses may affect your financial situation. Love Spouses should maintain a sense of respect for each other; this will ensure peace and harmony in the home. Closeness will remain in love relationships. Health Health will be fine. You may feel a slight lack of morale, but you will soon recover from this situation. Lucky Color Sky Blue Lucky Number 9 (The author Chirag Daruwalla is the son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla). News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 06:50 IST News astrology horoscope Sagittarius Horoscope Today, January 9, 2026 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'He Understands Our Problems': AI Industry Leaders Praise PM Modis Vision After Key Meeting Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 19:50 IST PM Narendra Modi met AI innovators to discuss ethical, India-centric AI and global leadership, inspiring collaboration and innovation. AI Startups Hail PM Modis Vision After Emerging Tech Talks Several leading innovators and startup founders in the artificial intelligence (AI) space met Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss Indias AI roadmap, ethical innovation, and the countrys role in shaping global AI development. After the meeting, industry leaders said the Prime Minister displayed deep clarity on technology, Indias unique challenges, and the need to build AI models rooted in Indian data and languages. Pratyush Kumar, co-founder of Sarvam AI, said the Prime Ministers insights were inspiring from a technical perspective. India has a lot of diversity and many languages, but there is unity between them. The Prime Minister said AI can help bring that unity out, which was very inspiring for us," Kumar said. Nikhil Malhotra, Chief Information Officer at Tech Mahindra, recalled an example shared by the Prime Minister during an earlier summit in France. He spoke about how everyone paints with their right hand and asked if anyone has tried using the left hand. That showed he knows exactly what he is saying," Malhotra said, adding that Modi understands the importance of ethical and responsible AI diffusion in India. Siddharth Panwar, CEO of NEURODX, said the discussion helped refine their thinking. We realised we dont want to copy the West. We want to build something that truly changes lives in India," he said. Parth Sarthi, research engineer at GAN.AI, credited the Prime Ministers vision for his decision to return to India from the US. Earlier, such opportunities were only available abroad. Now in India, we have GPUs, funding, and the ecosystem to build world-class AI models," he said. Arastu Sharma, CEO of SHODH AI, said such opportunities were unimaginable a decade ago. Today, working on deep-tech and ambitious projects in India is a reality," he noted. Ayush Gupta, CEO of Genloop, said the Prime Minister stressed authenticity and ethics. Indias AI has to be ethical and authentic. That is how India can leave its mark on the world," he said. Ganesh Gopalan, co-founder of GNANI AI, said he was surprised by the Prime Ministers grasp of technical challenges. He understands our models, our problems, and is actively helping us move forward globally," Gopalan said. Srikanth Velamakanni, co-founder of Fractal AI, said the Prime Ministers vision is clear. India must use its own data, build its own models, and serve every citizen in their own language," he said. Sravanth Aluru, CEO of Avataar AI, highlighted the clarity of purpose given to the industry. There is a clear role defined for each of us and a strong push to collaborate for Indias AI leadership," he said. Hrishikesh Bal, CEO of Bharatgen, said the Prime Minister is thinking beyond text-based AI. He is focused on AIs role in science, innovation, and real transformation," Bal said. Echoing similar views, Sashikumaar Ganesan, founder of Zenteiq, said the leadership has brought industries back to innovation in the AI era. Abhishek Upperwal, CEO of Soket AI, said platforms like the Impact Summit are crucial for India. AI must reach the grassroots and the common people. That is the biggest vision shared by the Prime Minister today," he said. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:38 IST News business 'He Understands Our Problems': AI Industry Leaders Praise PM Modis Vision After Key Meeting Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Reaffirmed Commitment To Rules-Based Trading Framework': Piyush Goyal After India-EU FTA Talks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 19:45 IST Piyush Goyal met Maros Sefcovic in Brussels, reaffirming Indias commitment to a rules-based trade framework and advancing talks on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Productive talks in Brussels as India and the EU move closer to a balanced, rules-based Free Trade Agreement that supports farmers, MSMEs, and stronger global supply chains. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, has reaffirmed Indias commitment to a mutually beneficial" and rules-based" trading framework with the European Union (EU) following a high-level dialogue in Brussels. In a statement shared via an X post on Friday, Minister Goyal detailed his discussions with the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Mr. Maros Sefcovic. The talks are part of a decisive push to finalize the long-pending India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is currently in a high-stakes phase of negotiations. Goyal also emphasized that FTA would aim to safeguard the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains. A free trade agreement (FTA) is a pact between two or more countries to reduce or eliminate trade barriers such as customs duties, quotas, and restrictive regulations. In 2025, India successfully concluded three Free Trade Agreements with New Zealand, Russia, and Oman, as a strategic attempt to diversify the exports and reduce dependence on one country amid a high level of geopolitical uncertainty and tariffs diplomacy. In continuation of our efforts to secure a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), I held high-level talks with the EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner, Mr. @MarosSefcovic, in Brussels.During this dialogue, we deliberated across key areas of the pic.twitter.com/b1GSQLsmVn Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) January 9, 2026 With the continued expansion of its global economic footprint, India has increasingly emerged as a preferred partner for enhanced trade and economic cooperation. India -Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), 2025 India -UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), 2025 India-EFTA Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, 2024 India- United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), 2022 India- Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), 2022 India Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership (CECPA), 2021 News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:13 IST News business economy 'Reaffirmed Commitment To Rules-Based Trading Framework': Piyush Goyal After India-EU FTA Talks Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Trade Deal Stuck Because PM Modi Didn't Call Trump': US Commerce Secy's Shocker Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:00 IST US Commerce Secretary has claimed that proposed IndiaUS trade deal did not materialise as yet because PM Modi did not call US Pres Trump US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said the proposed IndiaUS trade deal has not taken shape yet because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not personally call US President Donald Trump. What I would do is I would negotiate the contracts and set the whole deal up. But lets be clear, its his deal. Yeah, okay, hes the closer. He does the deal. So I said, You got to have Modi (call). Its all set up. You have to have Modi call the president. They were uncomfortable doing it, so Modi didnt call," Lutnick said in a podcast. Speaking on the All-In Podcast, hosted by four Silicon Valley venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, Lutnick said the US had negotiated trade agreements with other countries earlier, believing India would finalise a deal first. India just was, you know, on the wrong side of the seesaw," Lutnick said. It was just they couldnt get it done when they needed to, and then they couldnt get it done, and then they couldnt get it done, and then they couldnt get it done. And so what happened is all these other countries kept doing deals, and theyre just further in the back of the line, and now when they say, but what I want is, I want the deal in between the UK and Vietnam, right? Because thats what I negotiate, right? And they remember, and I remember they say, but, but you agreed? And I said, then. Not now," he added. The deal did not happen because Modi didnt call.Thats Howard Lutnicks version of how the India US trade deal did not happen. Awaiting Indian response. pic.twitter.com/O5EeHoaENB Zakka Jacob (@Zakka_Jacob) January 9, 2026 Why the UK got the better deal Recalling how the US finalised its first trade agreement under President Donald Trump, Lutnick said the UK secured preferential terms because it moved quickly, unlike India. If you remember, I did the first deal the UK. We told them they had to get it done by two Fridays, because that was the date the train was going to leave the station. I had many other countries in talks. President Trump does deals like a staircase. The first step gets the best deal. After the first country goes, everyone wants that deal. But the answer is no they were first, they took the chance, and they moved the quickest," he said. Lutnick added that the terms under which India and the US were close to finalising the agreement were no longer valid. The US has stepped back from that trade deal that we had agreed to earlier. We are not thinking about it anymore," he said. The Indian government has not yet responded to Lutnicks remarks. His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that grants sweeping powers to penalise Russias trading partners, including India, China and Brazil, for purchasing Russian oil. The legislation, introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, mandates a 500% tariff on all goods imported from any country that continues to buy Russian oil, petroleum products or uranium. Graham said the bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil" to push them to stop buying cheap Russian oil, which he said provides the financing for Putins bloodbath against Ukraine". US Supreme Court ruling on tariffs Meanwhile, a US Supreme Court ruling on the legality of Trumps tariffs is awaited. If the tariffs are declared illegal, the US government could be required to refund nearly $150 billion to importers. Trump told reporters on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of his displeasure over Indias Russian oil purchases and warned that Washington could raise tariffs on New Delhi very quickly". Exports rise despite tariff pressure Despite the tariff pressure, Indias merchandise exports to the US rose 22.61% to $6.98 billion in November after two months of contraction. During the AprilNovember period of the current fiscal year, exports to the US climbed 11.38% to $59.04 billion, while imports increased 13.49% to $35.4 billion. Trumps warning came even as the two countries were negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. Six rounds of talks have been held so far, including discussions on a framework to address the 50% tariffs on Indian goods entering the US. On December 23 last year, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said India was actively engaged in trade discussions with the US and hoped to conclude the talks sooner than later" to restore deeper market access for Indian exporters. US Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer recently visited New Delhi with his team to review the negotiations. The latest two-day round of talks concluded on December 11, 2025. Indian industry bodies and exporters are closely watching the negotiations, as high import duties continue to hurt shipments to the US. While exporters are exploring alternative markets to protect margins, the US remains a key destination, accounting for about 18% of Indias total exports. Under the proposed pact, the US is seeking duty concessions on agricultural products such as almonds, corn and apples, along with industrial goods. India has firmly opposed concessions in the agriculture and dairy sectors, stating it will not compromise the interests of farmers and MSMEs. Long-term trade target In February 2025, leaders of both countries had instructed officials to negotiate the agreement, with plans to conclude the first tranche by the fall of 2025. The deal aims to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 from the current $191 billion. The US remained Indias largest trading partner for the fourth straight year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade valued at $131.84 billion, including $86.5 billion in Indian exports. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 10:47 IST News business economy 'Trade Deal Stuck Because PM Modi Didn't Call Trump': US Commerce Secy's Shocker Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Maharashtras Civic Poll Holiday On January 15: Will NSE, BSE Remain Open Or Closed? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:20 IST Maharashtra declared January 15 a public holiday for municipal elections in 29 corporations including BMC. Stock Market Holiday 2026 Stock Market Holiday 2026: The Maharashtra government has declared January 15 a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act to ensure smooth conduct of local body elections across 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban areas under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Polling for the BMC along with 28 other municipal corporations in the state, will be held on January 15. Vote counting is scheduled for January 16. But the announcement of Maharashtra Civic body poll has raised doubts for traders and investors. They wonder whether the market will remain open or closed the same day on account of civic body poll. Will NSE & BSE To Remain Closed On January 15? The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has clarified that the markets will remain open on January 15, 2026, though the settlement will not be happened the same day in view of municipal elections. In notification, it added that T+0 settlement for certain shares will not take place on this date. The Exchange in its January 09 notification, said that there is a trading holiday for debt and currency segments on Thursday, January 15, 2026, on on account of Municipal Corporation Elections in Maharashtra. The first holiday of the exchange is falling on Monday, January 26, 2026, for the Republic Day, while the last will remain on Friday, December 25, 2026, for Christmas. Full NSE Holiday Calendar: Sr. No. Date Day Holiday Description 1 January 26, 2026 Monday Republic Day 2 March 03, 2026 Tuesday Holi 3 March 26, 2026 Thursday Shri Ram Navami 4 March 31, 2026 Tuesday Shri Mahavir Jayanti 5 April 03, 2026 Friday Good Friday 6 April 14, 2026 Tuesday Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti 7 May 01, 2026 Friday Maharashtra Day 8 May 28, 2026 Thursday Bakri Id 9 June 26, 2026 Friday Muharram 10 September 14, 2026 Monday Ganesh Chaturthi 11 October 02, 2026 Friday Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti 12 October 20, 2026 Tuesday Dussehra 13 November 10, 2026 Tuesday Diwali-Balipratipada 14 November 24, 2026 Tuesday Prakash Gurpurb Sri Guru Nanak Dev 15 December 25, 2026 Friday Christmas Watch more videos Share this Article WhatsApp facebook Twitter telegram copy link News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:20 IST News business markets Maharashtras Civic Poll Holiday On January 15: Will NSE, BSE Remain Open Or Closed? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... China steps up investment in water conservancy over past five years Xinhua) 15:49, January 09, 2026 Chen Min, vice minister of water resources, attends a press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) on progress in accelerating the construction of the national water network in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Tang Rufeng) BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- China completed 5.68 trillion yuan (about 810 billion U.S. dollars) in water conservancy investment during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Vice Minister of Water Resources Chen Min said on Friday. Addressing a press conference, Chen said that the country's annual investment in water conservancy projects has exceeded 1 trillion yuan for four consecutive years since 2022. The country's effective irrigated farmland had reached 1.09 billion mu (about 72.67 million hectares) by the end of 2025, an increase of more than 53 million mu compared with the end of 2020, according to the press conference. Meanwhile, access to tap water in rural areas continued to expand, with the national rural tap water coverage reaching 96 percent by the end of 2025. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Photo: https://mfa.gov.ua/ Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, commenting on Russia's strikes on Ukraine on Friday, January 9, called for Russia's complete isolation in international forums. The use of 'Oreshnik' ballistic missile against gas storage in Lviv region is nothing else but a cynical spit to the faces of everyone who seeks peace. Are we going to let it go unnoticed, or we make Russia to feel the consequences? Budrys said on X. He stressed that at a time when Ukrainian, American and European nations are doing their utmost to put an end to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to achieve just and lasting peace, terrorist Russia continues showcasing what it does best: spreads fake stories about the alleged attack on Putin's residence to justify its genocidal attacks against Ukraine, and then sends dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones against peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilians living there. Time to take serious action to crack Russia's war machine once and forever. Through enhanced military support to Ukraine and robust security guarantees to it, 'killer sanctions' against Russia and Russia's complete isolation within international forums the minister summed up. Stocks To Watch: BHEL, Bajaj Finserv, RIL, IREDA, Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge, IEX, And Others Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:01 IST Stocks to watch: Shares of firms like BHEL, Bajaj Finserv, RIL, IREDA, Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge, IEX, and others will be in focus on Friday's trade Stocks To Watch on January 9. Stocks to Watch on January 09, 2026: Indian equity markets ended Thursdays session on a weak note as selling pressure intensified amid muted global cues. On the technical front, the Nifty has broken below the lower band of its rising channel and retested a key support zone near the previous swing low of around 25,880. Analysts caution that a sustained move below this level could weaken the prevailing uptrend and may pull the index towards the 25,60025,700 range. On the upside, the former support of the short-term 20-day DEMA, placed near 26,050, is expected to act as an immediate resistance. BHEL State-owned BHEL has secured an order from Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited for coal gasification and raw syngas cleaning facilities for a coal-to-ammonium nitrate project in Jharsuguda, Odisha. Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL) is a joint venture between BHEL and Coal India. Bajaj Finserv The Bajaj Group has completed the acquisition of a 23 per cent stake in its insurance subsidiaries Bajaj General Insurance and Bajaj Life Insurance from Allianz SE for Rs 12,190 crore and Rs 9,200 crore, respectively. The acquisition was carried out by Bajaj Finserv along with Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd and Jamnalal Sons Pvt Ltd. Ashok Leyland Ashok Leyland is set to inaugurate its new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow on Friday, January 9. The event will be attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. Reliance Industries Reliance Industries said it will consider purchasing Venezuelan oil, according to a Reuters report. The company said it would evaluate buying Venezuelan crude if permitted to sell it to non-US buyers. We await clarity on access for Venezuelan oil by non-US buyers and will consider buying the oil in a compliant manner," a company spokesperson said. IEX The Electricity Appellate Tribunal (APTEL) will hear the market coupling case on January 9 at 10:30 am. The hearing follows Indian Energy Exchanges challenge to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commissions July 2025 order on day-ahead market coupling, which had led to sharp volatility in IEX shares. The exchange has argued that the order was arbitrary, violated principles of natural justice, and threatened its role as the primary platform for price discovery. Power Mech Projects Power Mech Projects said its wholly owned subsidiary, PM Green Private Ltd, has received an order from West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd to set up a 250 MW / 1,000 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System at Goaltore, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. The project will be executed under the build-own-operate model with a 100 per cent off-take guarantee from WBSEDCL. IREDA IREDA reported that its loan book rose 27.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 87,975 crore in Q3 FY26, slightly lower than the 31 per cent growth recorded in the first half of the fiscal. Disbursements increased 44.5 per cent in the first nine months to Rs 24,903 crore, while sanctions grew 29 per cent. In the first half, disbursements and sanctions had grown 54 per cent and 86 per cent, respectively. Highway Infrastructure Highway Infrastructure has secured an order worth Rs 328 crore from the National Highways Authority of India for the operation and collection of user fees at the Kaza Fee Plaza on the ChilakaluripetVijayawada stretch of National Highway-16 in Andhra Pradesh. Bharat Electronics Bharat Electronics said it has received additional orders worth Rs 596 crore since its last disclosure on January 1, 2026. The orders include drone detection and jamming systems, mobile communication terminals, software solutions, upgrades, spares and related services. Bharat Forge Bharat Forge and Germany-based Agile Robots SE have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a strategic collaboration in AI-driven robotics and intelligent industrial automation. The partnership will combine Bharat Forges domain expertise with Agile Robots intelligent robotics and automation solutions. Morepen Laboratories Morepen Laboratories has obtained a stay on a show-cause notice issued by the Commissioner, Central GST & Central Excise Commissionerate, Shimla. The company had filed a writ petition before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which granted a stay on January 6, 2026. The order was received by the company on January 8. Astra Microwave Astra Rafael Comsys Private Limited, the joint venture between Astra Microwave Products and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, has secured an order worth Rs 275.27 crore (including taxes) from the Indian Air Force. The contract covers software integration on MiG-29 aircraft, installation of network-centric applications, and procurement of 24 software-defined radios for the LCA Mk-1A programme. 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. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:01 IST News business markets Stocks To Watch: BHEL, Bajaj Finserv, RIL, IREDA, Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge, IEX, And Others Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Ex-MP Minister's Daughter, Congress Leader's Son Killed In Car Crash In Indore, Probe Underway Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:33 IST The mishap occurred when Bachchans daughter, identified as Prerna Bachchan, was travelling with three others in a car, which rammed into a truck. Rapid Read A visual from the accident site (Image credit: X) Daughter of Madhya Pradesh MLA and former home minister Bala Bachchan died in a road accident in the early hours of Friday, along with two others in Indore, said the police. The mishap occurred when Bachchans daughter, identified as Prerna Bachchan, was travelling with three others in a car, which rammed into a truck near the Ralamandal area on the Tejaji Nagar bypass, according to a report by Hindustan Times. Along with Prerna, two other occupants of the vehicle also died on the spot. They have been identified as Prakhar Kasliwal, son of state Congress spokesperson Anand Kasliwal, and Mansindhu, a transporter. Another passenger, Anushka Rathi, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital. The group was heading back home after celebrating Prakhars birthday when the car collided with a truck around 5:15 A.M.Prakhar, who was driving under the influence of alcohol, lost control of the vehicle, which then crashed into a truck. Prerna, Prakhar, and Mansindhu died on the spot. Anushka was rushed to the hospital," Deputy police commissioner Krishna Lal Chandani said, as quoted by HT. Meanwhile, the truck driver has been detained by the police and a probe is underway into the matter. Congress leaders condole incident Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Kamal Nath expressed grief over the death of Bala Bachchans daughter. Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) January 9, 2026 I have received the heartbreaking news of the demise of my colleague and daughter of former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Shri Bala Bachchan, Prerna, in a road accident in Indore," Nath wrote on X. Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar also expressed grief over the incident, saying, The untimely demise of Shri Bala Bachchan Jis daughter, former Home Minister of the Madhya Pradesh Government, in a horrific road accident is extremely heart-wrenching. The sudden departure of the familys daughter in this manner is an irreparable loss for the entire family. I pray to God that He grants the bereaved family the strength to bear this unbearable grief and provides a place for the departed soul at His divine feet." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Indore, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:33 IST News indore Ex-MP Minister's Daughter, Congress Leader's Son Killed In Car Crash In Indore, Probe Underway Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Indore Collector Attends Water Crisis Meeting At RSS Office, Row Erupts Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 09:32 IST The sharp reaction from Congress comes after the Indore mayor and district collector visited the RSS office to discuss civic issues caused by contaminated water in the city. Collector Shri Shivam Verma and Municipal Commissioner Shri Kshitij Singhal conducted an on-site inspection of drinking water, cleanliness, and health arrangements in the Bhagirathpura area on January 5 amid water crisis (Credits: X) Congress on Thursday accused the Indore district administration of functioning under the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alleging that key officials were summoned to the organisations office instead of acting independently. In a post on social media, the state Congress unit claimed that the Indore collector now appeared to be operating from the RSS office rather than the collectorate. Indore collector ka naya pata: RSS karyalaya!!" the party wrote on X. The post referred to a meeting in which the Indore mayor and district collector visited the RSS office to discuss civic issues, including flooding caused by contaminated water in parts of the city. According to the report cited by the Congress, senior RSS functionaries questioned officials about the situation in Bhangiyapura area and sought immediate corrective steps. The Congress criticised the development, saying it raised serious questions about the autonomy of the administration. Collector nahi, RSS karyalaya," the party said, accusing the ruling establishment of blurring the line between government institutions and ideological organisations. The opposition also shared a poster with the line Sangham sharanam gachhami", suggesting that elected representatives and officials were seeking direction from the RSS instead of performing their constitutional responsibilities. This comes after the unsafe drinking water in Indore claimed at least eight lives and left more than 1,100 people affected. Amid the concerns, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to stop supplying contaminated water and take immediate steps to address the situation. A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi observed that the incident has tarnished the reputation of Indore, which was once recognised as the cleanest city in the country. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Indore, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 09:22 IST News indore Indore Collector Attends Water Crisis Meeting At RSS Office, Row Erupts Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Mumbai Metro-3s Amazing: Israels Consul General Travels On Cuffe Parade-Hutatma Chowk Aqua Line Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 11, 2026, 12:12 IST In a video posted on the official handle of Mumbai Metro 3 or Aqua Line, Yaniv Revach, Consul General of Israel, was heard saying: Amazing experience. Rapid Read Yaniv Revach, Consul General of Israel in Mumbai, takes the Aqua Line. (Instagram) Yaniv Revach, Consul General of Israel, travelled on Mumbai Metro-3, the aqua line, from Cuffe Parade to Hutatma Chowk and appreciated the seamless and world-class travel experience. In a video posted on the official handle of Mumbai Metro 3, Revach was heard saying: Amazing experience." The fully underground Mumbai Metro-3 has following stations Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate (Hutatma Chowk), Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Grant Road, Mumbai Central, Mahalaxmi, Science Museum, Acharya Atre Chowk (Worli), Siddhivinayak, Dadar, Shitladevi, Dharavi, BKC, Vidyanagari, Santacruz, CSIA Domestic Airport, Sahar Road, CSIA International Airport (T2), Marol Naka, MIDC, SEEPZ, Aarey. It links major business zones such as Cuffe Parade, BKC, Worli, Dadar, plus airport access and SEEPZ tech park. It covers Aarey to Cuffe Parade distance in 60 minutes, BKC to Worli in 13-15 minutes, Andheri to Cuffe Parade 45-50 minutes, and CSIA T2 to BKC in 10-12 minutes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) THREE WAYS TO GET TICKETS 1. Mumbai One App This app will help you get tickets for Mumbai Metro Line 2A, 7, 3, 1, Monorail, Navi Mumbai Metro, Mumbai Suburban Rail, Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport, Thane Municipal Corporation Transport, Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Transport, and Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation Transport. While the inter-Metro integration is still being worked out, it still makes travelling far easier. The QR code to download the app is in the link below. Steps for commuters Download the Mumbai One App Sign up using your mobile number and email id Once logged in, select the source and destination stations Make payment using UPI, credit card, or debit card QR code will be received after successful payment Scan the QR code at metro check-in gates. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) 2. MetroConnect3 app The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has listed the steps to use this app. The QR code to download the app is in the link below. Steps for commuters Login to MetroConnect3 mobile app before entering the station. Connect to Public Wi-Fi named MetroConnect3 under phones Wi-Fi settings. Open the mobile app go to Profile select Connect to Wi-Fi to avail full internet access (Wi-Fi Calling, WhatsApp Chat & Calling ,Full Internet access etc.) View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) 3. WhatsApp tickets Here is another easy way, through WhatsApp. Steps for commuters Scan QR code below or just save +91 98730 16836. Send Hi on WhatsApp. Buy your QR ticket instantly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) What are Mumbai Metro-3 ticket fares? Aarey-BKC: Rs 10-50 Aarey-Acharya Atre or Worli: Fare up to Rs 60 Aarey-Cuffe Parade or Colaba: Rs 70 News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 19:44 IST News cities mumbai-news Mumbai Metro-3s Amazing: Israels Consul General Travels On Cuffe Parade-Hutatma Chowk Aqua Line Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Three Decades In Disguise: Pakistani Woman Booked For Hiding Nationality To Get Job In UP Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 11:44 IST According to the police, the woman allegedly bagged a job at the primary school using a fake residential certificate. Rapid Read Representative image The Uttar Pradesh police have registered an FIR against a woman for securing a job in the basic education department by allegedly concealing her Pakistani nationality, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, citing officials. According to the police, the case was registered at the Azim Nagar police station in Uttar Pradeshs Rampur, based on a complaint filed by the Basic Education Department, following an internal enquiry which revealed that Mahira Akhtar, aka Farzana, had obtained employment using forged documents. Additional Superintendent of Police Anurag Singh said that the accused had been working as a teacher at a primary school in the Kumhariya Village. An FIR has been registered under sections 318(4), 336, 338 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and forgery, he stated. According to the police, the woman allegedly bagged a job at the primary school using a fake residential certificate. They revealed that she had married a Pakistani national in 1979 and subsequently acquired Pakistani citizenship. Accused suspended, dismissed from service According to the PTI report, citing officials, she allegedly returned to India after her divorce and got married to a local man around 1985. Around the same time, she secured a job in the Basic Education Department by acquiring forged documents and projecting herself as an Indian citizen. After the revelation of her Pakistani citizenship, the department has suspended her and dismissed her from service. Meanwhile, a further probe is underway into the matter. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Rampur, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 10:32 IST News cities Three Decades In Disguise: Pakistani Woman Booked For Hiding Nationality To Get Job In UP Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Delhi HC Seeks Response From DoE On Minority Schools' Challenge To Fee Regulation Law Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:23 IST The new Act requires that all fee hikes in private schools be approved through a three-tier committee system involving parents, school management, and government representatives. The SLFRC will review fee proposals submitted by school management and make a decision within 30 days. (File) The Delhi High Court on Friday requested responses from the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) regarding pleas from several minority schools challenging the constitutionality of a law requiring government approval for fee increases, reported PTI. A bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notices to the DoE and the LG of the Delhi government, asking them to submit their replies within six weeks. Further hearings are scheduled for March 12. The petitions challenge the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, along with its subsequent rules. The court extended the deadline for forming committees from January 10 to January 20 and postponed the last date for school managements to submit proposed fees to the committees from January 25 to February 5. The new Act mandates that all fee increases in private schools be approved through a transparent, three-tier committee system involving parents, school management, and government representatives. Under this framework, every private school must establish a School Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC). This committee will include representatives from the school management, the principal, three teachers, five parents, and one nominee from the DoE. Members will be selected via a lottery system in the presence of observers to ensure transparency. The SLFRC will review fee proposals submitted by school management and make a decision within 30 days. This represents the implementation of a new law to regulate and bring transparency to the fixation of private school fees starting from the current academic session. The Act will be enforced through a two-tier mechanism consisting of school-level committees and district-level appellate bodies. The petitioners counsel argued that the composition of committees responsible for administration should not be determined by the state. They added that statutory committees involved in the administration of minority institutions should not include any outsiders, as this would violate Article 30 (Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions) of the Constitution. The petition stated that the petitioner schools have the fundamental right under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution to establish and administer educational institutions, which cannot be infringed by any legislation. It emphasised that no prior permission from the state is required for exercising the right under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution. On Thursday, the court issued a similar order regarding a batch of petitions from several private schools. Senior advocate S V Raju, representing the DoE, argued that there was nothing wrong with the Act, referencing several Supreme Court judgments interpreting Article 30, which permit regulatory measures by the government. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 20:21 IST News education-career Delhi HC Seeks Response From DoE On Minority Schools' Challenge To Fee Regulation Law Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... GK: Which Is The Only Country In The World That Has Three Capitals? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:22 IST GK: While India has one capital, Sri Lanka has two. Can you name a country with not one or two, but three capitals? This country has not one or two, but three capitals. (AI Generated Image) If asked about the capital of India, you would likely say New Delhi. On the other hand, if questioned about the capital of Indias neighboring country, Sri Lanka, many might respond with Colombo. However, Sri Lanka actually has two capitals: Colombo, the Executive and Judicial Capital, and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the Legislative Capital. But todays question is: Can you name a country with not one or two, but three capitals? The country in question is South Africa, whose story dates back more than a century. In 1910, when South Africa unified as a single country, it became known as the Union of South Africa. Prior to unification, the region comprised four powerful colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange River Colony. Each held its own history, pride, and political influence, and each wanted the new capital situated in their area. Cape leaders advocated for Cape Town due to its historic Parliament building. Transvaal favoured Pretoria, which had become the government centre post-Anglo-Boer War. Orange River Colony pushed for Bloemfontein, which had the largest courts. Unable to agree, the leaders sought a compromise to maintain stability. They decided that power should be divided, giving each major region a national responsibility. Thus, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein shared the role. Today, Pretoria is the administrative capital, housing the Presidents office and many government departments. Cape Town is the legislative capital, home to the countrys Parliament and notable historic buildings. Bloemfontein, quieter and more central, serves as the judicial capital and hosts the Supreme Court of Appeal. This arrangement may seem confusing, but it functions well for South Africans. Each city has its unique rhythm: Pretoria handles daily decisions, Cape Town is busy during parliamentary sessions, and Bloemfontein moves at a slower pace, driven by the courts and academic life. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:22 IST News education-career GK: Which Is The Only Country In The World That Has Three Capitals? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pongal School Holidays 2026: Check Tamil Nadu School Holiday Dates Here Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 12:55 IST January brings multiple holidays for students due to Pongal and national events. Check holidays list here. Pongal school holidays announced by the Tamil Nadu government. January is considered one of the most festive months for school students, as it brings several holidays due to festivals and national events. At the beginning of every month, students eagerly check calendars to count the number of holidays they will get, and January often tops the list. The month includes major holidays such as New Year, Pongal, Thiruvalluvar Day, Kaanum Pongal and Republic Day. In some districts, students also benefit from additional local holidays. The Tamil festival of Pongal is celebrated from January 14 to January 17. The Tamil Nadu government has already declared holidays on January 15 for Pongal, January 16 for Mattu Pongal and Thiruvalluvar Day, and January 17 for Kaanum Pongal and Uzhavar Thinam. ALSO READ: ED Conducts Searches Across Six States In Fake Government Job Letters Scam January 14 marks the celebration of Bhogi. During the Pongal festival, people living in cities like Chennai typically travel to their hometowns with their families. Since government offices, private establishments and factories remain closed during the festival period, many families use the holidays to spend time together. Keeping this in mind, there have been demands for the Tamil Nadu government to declare January 14 as a holiday as well. If a holiday is announced on Bhogi, students of schools and colleges could get a continuous five-day break, as January 18 falls on a Sunday. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 12:53 IST News education-career Pongal School Holidays 2026: Check Tamil Nadu School Holiday Dates Here Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... School Holidays: Ranchi Schools Closed Till Jan 10 Amid Cold Wave Warning Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 09:03 IST Ranchi schools will remain closed till January 10 after the IMD issued a yellow alert for cold wave conditions in Jharkhand. Ranchi schools will remain closed till January 10 following an IMD cold wave alert. The Ranchi district administration on Thursday ordered the closure of all schools till January 10 following a cold wave warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), an official said. The order applies to all categories of schools operating in the district. As per the directive, classes from KG to Class 12 in government, non-government, aided, non-aided and all private schools under Ranchi district will remain closed till January 10. All classes from KG to Class 12 in all government, non-government, aided, non-aided and all private schools operating under Ranchi district will remain closed till January 10," the order said. The administration said the decision was taken keeping in mind the health and safety of students amid the prevailing cold conditions. Earlier, schools in the district had been ordered to remain closed till January 8, which has now been extended. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for cold wave conditions in 13 districts of Jharkhand, including Ranchi, till 8.30 am on Friday. Other districts likely to be affected include Garhwa, Palamu, Chatra, Hazaribag, Latehar, Lohardaga, Ramgarh, Bokaro, Gumla, Khunti, Simdega and West Singhbhum. Explaining the weather situation, Abhishek Anand, deputy director at the Ranchi Meteorological Centre, said, The cold situation is triggered by the north-westerly wind in the lower tropospheric level over Jharkhand. The minimum temperature is likely to remain unchanged for the next two days and thereafter it may rise by up to 3 degrees Celsius during the following three days." ALSO READ: School Holidays: Winter Vacation Extended In Punjab Amid Cold Wave Several parts of the state continued to reel under severe cold. Hazaribag recorded the lowest minimum temperature in Jharkhand at 2.9 degrees Celsius, while Khunti, Daltonganj and Lohardaga registered minimum temperatures of 3.2 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees Celsius and 3.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. Jharkhands capital Ranchi recorded a minimum temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, while Bokaro and Chaibasa registered 6.4 degrees Celsius and 6.5 degrees Celsius respectively. Anand further said that a cold wave alert has also been issued for nine districts, Garhwa, Palamu, Chatra, Latehar, Hazaribag, Lohardaga, Ramgarh, Bokaro and Gumla, from 8.30 am on Friday till the same time the next day. (With inputs from PTI) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:57 IST News education-career School Holidays: Ranchi Schools Closed Till Jan 10 Amid Cold Wave Warning Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Youre Hindu, You Cant Teach Here: AMU Professor Alleges 27 Years Of Harassment Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:21 IST Professor Rachana Kaushal has alleged 27 years of harassment, claiming sustained stress led to a miscarriage. Senior AMU professor alleges 27 years of religious harassment, links stress to miscarriage. (Image: X) A senior professor at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has alleged that she has faced religious discrimination and mental harassment for nearly three decades, claiming that the sustained stress led to severe personal and professional suffering, including a miscarriage. Professor Rachana Kaushal of the Political Science Department has accused senior officials of targeting her because she is Hindu. She has submitted a formal complaint to the Vice Chancellor along with audio recordings and documents and has said she plans to file an FIR in the matter. According to Professor Kaushal, the harassment began soon after she joined AMU in 1998 as a lecturer. Discrimination and mental harassment started shortly after my appointment. I never thought that my religious identity would be used against me in a central university," she said. She alleged that the pressure continued over the years and intensified during critical phases of her life. In 2004, while she was pregnant with twins, she was allegedly subjected to excessive work demands and mental stress, which she says resulted in a miscarriage. Professor Kaushal added that her husband, Dr D.K. Pandey, a senior professor at JN Medical College, AMU, passed away in 2012. The professor has also accused the current Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Mohammad Nafis Ahmad Ansari, of making repeated remarks about her religion. The Dean told me, You are Hindu, go to BHU. He also claimed that Hindu teachers deliberately avoid teaching Muslim students and questioned their activities at conferences," she alleged. These remarks are personally insulting and undermine the secular values of the university," she said, adding that such comments created a hostile work environment. Professor Kaushal has submitted audio recordings of the alleged remarks to Vice Chancellor Prof Naima Khatun as evidence. Despite the alleged harassment, Professor Kaushal said she continued teaching for years, hoping the situation would improve. However, she now believes that legal action is the only option left. She has said she intends to make the matter public and approach the police. AMU authorities have acknowledged receipt of the complaint and said that an internal inquiry has been initiated. No official response has yet been issued by the university or the accused faculty member. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 12:55 IST News education-career Youre Hindu, You Cant Teach Here: AMU Professor Alleges 27 Years Of Harassment Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Defense ministers of Ukraine and Great Britain sign roadmap for development of century-old partnership Photo: https://t.me/Denys_Smyhal Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and British Defense Secretary John Healey have signed a roadmap for the development of a century-long defense partnership in Kyiv. "The document establishes defense cooperation in 2026 in a number of key security areas. This is an important step for the implementation of large-scale projects made possible by the Agreement on a Century-long Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram on Friday. Together with representatives of intelligence and the General Staff, he informed Healey about the consequences of the massive Russian combined strike. According to him, the United Kingdom has already made a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's capabilities to repel Russian terror. "Since February, we are starting to produce 1,000 Octopus interceptor drones per month," Shmyhal said. Separately, the ministers also discussed the possibilities of joint strategic industrial projects in the field of air defense and long-range weapons, the prospects for localizing the production of Swedish Gripen aircraft, which contain technologies from British companies, strengthening the defense of the Ukrainian sea, and preparations for the Ramstein meeting, which will take place in February. As reported, on January 16, 2025, in Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer signed the Agreement on a Centennial Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In A New Cold War Era, How Battles Are Being Fought Through Social Media, Tariffs, And Tech Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 07:00 IST Due to geopolitical instabilities since 2024 trade restrictions, tariffs and sanctions have forced social media, fashion brands and tech companies to redraw and restructure plans The Cold War 2.0 is defined less by ideology than by global bifurcation across technology, energy and security. The Cold War was a decades-long standoff between two nuclear superpowers between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR), defined by ideology, military brinkmanship and a rigid division of the world into opposing camps. The tensions today are more fragmented and less binary yet the underlying pattern is unmistakable visible via economic rival blocs, restricted flows of goods and services, and strategic competition for influence across technology, trade and culture. The recent escalation between Washington and Caracas offers a stark example. U.S. military action in the Venezuelan capital, which led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, prompted an emergency decree and revived warnings from analysts that Latin America already politically fragile, could slide into Vietnam-era style flashpoints if tensions continue to deepen. Tracing back to June 2020, during the IndiaChina standoff after a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley marking a turning point in Asias geopolitical landscape. It demonstrated how territorial disputes could rapidly spill into economic and technological areas. India then banned Chinese apps like TikTok, tightened scrutiny of imports and investments, and encouraged domestic manufacturing. What followed was not just a diplomatic freeze, but a behavioural one. From smartphones to festive decor, Indian consumers began reassessing where products came from, turning geopolitical tension into a lived, everyday calculation. Is The World Sliding Back Into Cold War Divisions? In 2025, the USChina rivalry has extended into semiconductors, AI models and clean energy. Russia and the US remain locked in a prolonged economic standoff that has reshaped energy flows across Europe. What this really means is that geopolitics is no longer something that happens above peoples heads. It is happening in their phones, their shopping baskets and their job prospects. The new Cold War does not ask citizens to pick sides loudly, it nudges them there quietly. The world is experiencing heightened geopolitical divisions that many analysts describe as a new" or second" Cold War, though few argue it is a direct replay of the USSoviet era. Todays rivalry is more fragmented and multipolar, yet increasingly systemic, shaped by competition between the US-led West and a ChinaRussia axis often described as the DragonBear". As geopolitical strategist Velina Tchakarova asks on , Are you ready for the New Cold War?", this Cold War 2.0" is defined less by ideology than by global bifurcation across technology, energy and security. The shift has accelerated since 2025. USChina competition now centres on semiconductors, AI models and clean energy, with export controls limiting Chinas access to advanced chips and Beijing responding by accelerating domestic alternatives under long-running industrial strategies. Analysts note that Taiwans dominance in advanced chipmaking has turned technology into a strategic fault line. At the same time, Chinas grip on electric vehicles and rare earth exports has reshaped supply chains and prices worldwide. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, Russias prolonged standoff with the US and Europe has reinforced these divisions. Sanctions expanded through 2025, Europe moved toward ending reliance on Russian energy, and Moscow grew more economically dependent on China. Think tanks warn that nuclear risks and arms competition now resemble late Cold War dynamics. There is also a certain disagreement on how closely this resembles the Cold War of the 20th century. Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has argued that the analogy falls short, pointing to ongoing economic integration and the absence of a universal ideological divide. Are Geopolitical Tensions Really Changing What We Wear? From wars shortening hemlines, recessions dull palettes to revolutions romanticising uniforms, fashion has always responded to upheaval. What is different now is how quickly geopolitics alters production itself. Trade restrictions, tariffs and sanctions since 2024 have forced fashion brands to redraw their maps. Overreliance on any single country has become a liability. As research from the fashion and design sector shows, companies are increasingly shifting manufacturing closer to home or diversifying across politically aligned regions. Even in India, this shift dovetailed neatly with Make in India. As tensions with China intensified, consumer behaviour followed policy. During festive seasons, buying Indian goods became a form of economic self-expression. Handloom, khadi and locally made decor gained renewed relevance, not because they were suddenly trendier, but because they felt safer, more loyal, more rooted. Similar patterns appear elsewhere. In Europe, sanctions on Russia accelerated interest in locally sourced materials and regional craftsmanship. In the US, trade disputes have nudged brands to highlight domestic manufacturing, even when it raises prices. Clothes now carry geopolitical subtext. Labels signal not just quality or status, but alignment. Will These Tensions Reshape Where and How We Work? The labour market may be where Cold War-like dynamics are felt most sharply. In Moscow, tech professionals once integrated into global networks now navigate restricted access to Western platforms and capital. Many have pivoted towards domestic firms or partnerships within Asia. In the US, companies increasingly scrutinise where data, code and talent originate. National security has entered HR policy. The World Economic Forums Future of Jobs Report 2025 states, Geoeconomic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions are expected to drive business model transformation in one-third (34%) of surveyed organizations in the next five years." India offers a telling contrast. After Chinese apps were banned, domestic digital platforms flourished almost overnight. Jobs followed. What began as a restriction created space for local entrepreneurship, investment and hiring. The same pattern is now visible in manufacturing, clean energy and AI services, where geopolitics shapes opportunity as much as innovation does. According to global employment research from 2025, geopolitical instability ranks among the top factors influencing corporate restructuring. Companies are rethinking remote work not because it failed, but because borders have returned, digitally if not physically. Certain roles are now quietly limited to specific nationalities or regions. Others migrate to politically neutral zones. Since 2025, these pressures have intensified. From USChina technological decoupling to Russias prolonged economic isolation, from Indias recalibration of trade and digital sovereignty to renewed instability in parts of Latin America, geopolitics has slipped into daily life with little ceremony. The consequences are rarely abstract. They show up in what people wear, which apps they use, and where they are able to work. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 07:00 IST News explainers In A New Cold War Era, How Battles Are Being Fought Through Social Media, Tariffs, And Tech Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Keralas Malayalam Language Bill Under Review: How It Compares With Karnatakas Kannada Act Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 17:35 IST With Karnataka opposing the compulsory Malayalam clause, a closer look at how the two neighbouring states structure their language laws. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. (Image: News18) Keralas proposed Malayalam Language Bill, 2025 has triggered a political and administrative row between Kerala and Karnataka. On Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah publicly opposed the Bill, which makes Malayalam the compulsory first language in all government and aided schools in Kerala, including Kannada-medium schools in border districts such as Kasaragod. He said the move is a coercive approach" that violates the constitutional rights of Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities and ignores the reality of communities that have studied in Kannada-medium institutions for generations. Siddaramaiah warned that enforcing a single first-language choice would burden students and weaken minority-run schools. Indias unity rests on respecting every language and every citizens right to learn in their mother tongue.The proposed Malayalam Language Bill2025, by mandating compulsory Malayalam as the first language even in Kannada-medium schools, strikes at the heart of linguistic CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) January 8, 2026 The Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority also submitted a memorandum in Kerala seeking the Bills reconsideration, calling it wholly unconstitutional". Meanwhile, BJP leader R Ashoka targeted Congress and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi for double standards" and asked why she has remained silent on a law that affects Kannadigas. As Keralas Bill moves to a Subject Committee for review, the dispute has drawn attention to how both states approach language policy differently, particularly when compared with Karnatakas existing Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022. Do Both States Declare Their Language As Official? Keralas Bill modernises the framework created by the Kerala Official Languages Act, 1969 and positions Malayalam as the states official language for all administrative purposes. Karnataka had already declared Kannada the official language decades earlier; the 2022 Acts purpose is consolidation, bringing multiple legislations under a single, comprehensive law that strengthens enforcement. How Far Do The Laws Extend Into Government, Legislation, And Courts? Both states require official communication to be issued in their respective state languages. Under the proposed Kerala Bill, all Bills, Acts, ordinances, rules, and government orders must be in Malayalam, with an English translation published alongside them. The Bill also requires important Central and State Acts currently available only in English to be translated into Malayalam within a prescribed timeline. Karnatakas law similarly requires Bills, Acts, rules, regulations, and bye-laws to be issued in Kannada, and mandates that older laws be translated into Kannada. Unlike Kerala, Karnataka treats the Kannada version as the authoritative text for official reference. In the judiciary, Kerala adopts a gradual, infrastructure-dependent shift: proceedings and judgments up to District Courts are to be translated into Malayalam. Orders of quasi-judicial bodies must be in Malayalam, and orders affecting linguistic minorities may be issued in their mother tongue or English. Karnataka is more stringent. District courts and tribunals must conduct proceedings in Kannada, though English words/phrases can be used where necessary. High Court can permit the recording of evidence in English by special order; however, all orders of quasi-judicial authorities must be in Kannada. What Each State Demands From Students Keralas education clause triggered Siddaramaiahs objection. The Bill makes Malayalam the compulsory first language in all government and aided schools up to Class X, including those in border districts like Kasaragod, where Kannada-medium schools have existed for generations. Kerala does allow students whose mother tongue is not Malayalam to learn it as an additional language and provides exemptions for students from other states/foreign countries from writing Malayalam in Class IX, X, and Higher Secondary exams. But Siddaramaiah argues that compulsory first-language Malayalam alters the character of minority-run Kannada schools and disregards lived cultural realities in border belts. Karnatakas framework is different. Kannada must be taught as one of the languages in all schools, but it is not imposed as the compulsory first language. In higher, technical, and professional education, functional Kannada linked to the course must be taught, while students who did not study Kannada earlier must take a basic Kannada paper. More significantly, Karnataka reserves seats in higher and technical institutions for students who completed Classes I to X in Karnataka or in Kannada-medium schools elsewhere. Jobs And Recruitment Keralas Bill does not make Malayalam proficiency a prerequisite for government employment. Its language focus is administrative, not employment-linked. Karnatakas Act is far more assertive: Kannada knowledge is mandatory for government, boards, corporations, co-operative societies, and local-body jobs. Candidates must pass a Kannada language test equivalent to SSLC first or second language unless they already studied Kannada at that level. Karnataka also requires its employment portal to display Kannada proficiency requirements. Treatment Of Linguistic Minorities Kerala explicitly acknowledges Kannada and Tamil as linguistic minorities, particularly in specific areas. These communities are permitted to use their own language in official correspondence with the Secretariat and local offices, and the state must reply in the same minority language. Students from minority communities may pursue education in their language of choice in accordance with the national curriculum. Karnatakas law defines who counts as a Kannadiga", based on residency and Kannada literacy, and extends education and employment benefits accordingly. Linguistic minorities may correspond in Kannada or English, but their own mother tongues do not receive the same legal space that Kerala provides. This is the central reason Siddaramaiah argues that Keralas compulsory first-language clause violates Articles 29, 30, 350A, and 350B, because Keralas broad mandate sits uneasily with the strong protections the rest of its Bill gives to linguistic minorities. Language On Name Boards, Business Signs, Labels, And Public Interfaces Kerala requires Malayalam and English on government name boards, and mandates that commercial establishments, with government approval, display Malayalam in the first half and English in the second. Labels and product information sold in Kerala must also be in Malayalam. Karnataka requires that name boards of government departments, undertakings, autonomous bodies, banks, private industries, and universities must be primarily in Kannada. For commercial/industrial/business establishments, trusts, hospitals, hotels etc. with government/local authority approval, the upper half of the board must be in Kannada and the lower half in any other language. Amendments later required at least 60 per cent of the signboard to be in Kannada. Industrial and consumer products sold in Karnataka must carry Kannada names and usage instructions. How Do The Two States Enforce These Laws? Keralas Bill creates a Malayalam Language Development Department and Directorate to oversee implementation. It does not impose direct penalties on individuals or private entities, and detailed rules are yet to be framed. Karnataka has an elaborate enforcement structure with State, District, and Taluka-level committees, dedicated enforcement officers, and disciplinary provisions. Officers who fail to use Kannada in official work can face action for dereliction of duty. Private establishments can be fined for signage violations (up to Rs 20,000 for repeat offences) and may even lose their licences after repeat offences. Economic Incentives Keralas Bill provides incentives for suggestions on promoting Malayalam in IT and technology, but its industrial and tax policy does not depend on language compliance. Karnatakas Act links language directly to industrial policy. Industries must show that they have provided a defined percentage of reservation for Kannadigas to avail of benefits such as tax rebates, land concessions, and deferments. Non-compliance can lead to disentitlement of benefits and recovery of past concessions. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:35 IST News explainers Keralas Malayalam Language Bill Under Review: How It Compares With Karnatakas Kannada Act Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Seeing Names On Unknown Numbers? Will Indias Built-In Caller ID Stop Scams? CNAP Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 10:56 IST CNAP adds a layer of identity visibility to calls, which can reduce anonymous misuse in some scenarios. But it does not yet detect fraud patterns, or block malicious activity Spoofing remains a major challenge. In many scam calls, the number displayed is not the actual origin of the call. (Getty Images) Across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and other major cities, mobile phone users have noticed a quiet but striking change over the past few weeks. Calls from unfamiliar numbers no longer arrive as anonymous digits alone. Instead, a name flashes on the screen, sometimes a full name, sometimes a business identity, even when the number is not saved in contacts. India has rolled out a built-in alternative to caller ID apps called CNAP (Calling Name Presentation), perhaps even a system that blocks spam and scam calls automatically. But will it work? What users are seeing is not a spam filter, but a new trust signal, one that can inform, but not necessarily protect. While CNAP marks an important evolution in how calls are identified in India, it also exposes a gap between what people think the feature does and what it actually delivers. What You Should Know About CNAP Calling Name Presentation is a telecom-network-level feature that displays the registered name of a caller on the recipients phone. Unlike third-party apps such as Truecaller, Showcaller, and BharatCaller, which rely on crowdsourced data or user reports, CNAP pulls information directly from telecom databases linked to SIM registration and KYC records. In simple terms, if a number is registered in the name of Ramesh Kumar" with a telecom operator, that name is displayed when the call is made. The process happens within the network, not through an external app, and does not require internet access or user installation. Telecom companies use their own match the phone number with the name registered at the time of a SIM card was issued. This makes CNAP fundamentally different from apps like Truecaller. It does not analyse call behaviour, track spam patterns, or flag fraud risk. It merely answers one question: who does this number officially belong to? Reports suggest the CNAP framework will be rolled out in phases across the country, with the pilot launch in October 2025, and an all-India release expected by March 31, 2026. Why Telecom Operators Rolled It Out Now India has one of the worlds highest volumes of phone-based fraud. According to government data and industry estimates, Indians lose thousands of crores annually to scams involving fake bank officials, delivery fraud, impersonation calls, and social engineering schemes. At the same time, the telecom ecosystem has been under pressure to improve transparency. With mandatory KYC already in place for SIM cards, regulators and operators have long argued that showing a verified caller name could reduce anonymous misuse and improve accountability. CNAP is a response to that push. It aligns with the broader regulatory direction of tying digital interactions more closely to verified identities, similar to how KYC transformed banking and payments. But identity visibility alone does not equal safety. Why Seeing A Name Does Not Stop Scam Calls The core limitation of CNAP is that it verifies identity, not intent. A scammer does not need to hide their registered name to defraud someone. In fact, having a legitimate-looking name displayed can sometimes make scams more effective. A call that appears to come from a normal" Indian name may feel safer than an unknown or masked number, especially for elderly users or those less familiar with digital fraud tactics. Spoofing also remains a major challenge. In many scam calls, the number displayed is not the actual origin of the call. International call routing, number masking, and SIM misuse still allow fraudsters to impersonate genuine numbers or rotate identities frequently. CNAP does not detect these patterns. It does not analyse whether a number has made thousands of calls in a short time, whether recipients have reported it as fraudulent, or whether the call content resembles known scam scripts. As a result, it cannot block or warn users about high-risk calls. In some cases, the presence of a name may even lower suspicion a dangerous side effect in a country where trust is often tied to perceived familiarity. Some consumers have also raised concerns with respect to robocalls. Robocalls are automatically enabled by IT systems to defraud individuals. How User Behaviour Is Already Changing Early anecdotal evidence suggests that CNAP is subtly reshaping how Indians answer their phones. Users are more likely to pick up calls when a name is displayed, even if they do not recognise it personally. Calls without a name are increasingly ignored, while named calls are perceived as more legitimate". This behavioural shift matters because scams succeed not through technology alone, but through psychology. Fraudsters exploit urgency, authority, and trust. A visible name, especially one that sounds credible, can act as a psychological green light. In effect, CNAP changes the threshold for answering a call, but not the underlying risk profile of the caller. That mismatch is where vulnerabilities emerge. Does Truecaller Still Matter In A CNAP World? Despite assumptions to the contrary, CNAP does not replace third-party caller ID and spam detection apps. In fact, their core value remains untouched. Apps like Truecaller operate on an entirely different layer. They aggregate user reports, analyse call frequency, identify mass-dialling behaviour, and tag numbers based on community feedback. This allows them to flag spam, scams, telemarketers, and fraud attempts in real time. Where CNAP provides an official identity label, these apps provide context and risk assessment. One tells you who the number belongs to; the other tells you whether answering is a good idea. The Privacy Question No One Is Talking About CNAP also raises uncomfortable questions about privacy and consent. Under the current model, a callers registered name is broadcast by default. Many users are unaware that their official KYC name, which may include full legal names, is now visible to strangers every time they place a call. For individuals who prefer anonymity, use shared family numbers, or operate small businesses from personal SIMs, this can be intrusive. Women, in particular, have raised concerns about unsolicited calls now carrying their names, making it easier for strangers to identify them. There is also ambiguity around correction and control. If a name is outdated, misspelled, or incorrectly registered, users may have limited clarity on how quickly it can be changed or hidden. Does CNAP Provide A Safety Net? CNAP adds a layer of identity visibility to calls, which can reduce anonymous misuse in some scenarios. But it does not yet analyse behaviour, detect fraud patterns, or block malicious activity. In that sense, it functions more like a nameplate than a security guard. This distinction matters because misplaced trust can be as dangerous as no information at all. As CNAP becomes more common, experts advise users to adjust their expectations rather than abandon caution. A visible name should be treated as a starting point for judgment, not a guarantee of legitimacy. Banks, government agencies, and delivery companies still do not request sensitive information over unsolicited calls. No amount of caller ID visibility changes that fundamental rule. Verifying through official channels remains essential. Whats The Step Forward? The built-in caller ID reflects a broader move towards transparency and accountability in digital communication. But as scam tactics evolve faster than regulatory tools, CNAP alone cannot solve the problem of fraud. For now, CNAP is best understood as one piece of a much larger puzzle. It reduces anonymity, but not deception. And until scam intelligence is built into networks themselves, caution, not caller names, remains the strongest defence. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 10:51 IST News explainers Seeing Names On Unknown Numbers? Will Indias Built-In Caller ID Stop Scams? CNAP Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tracing Bengal's Repeated Clashes With Central Agencies, And How I-PAC Raid Fits The Pattern Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:45 IST The I-PAC raid stand-off is only the latest example of a long-running friction between the West Bengal government and Central investigative agencies. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee outside Pratik Jain's residence. (PTI) For over a decade, West Bengal has witnessed repeated flashpoints between the state government and Central agencies, chiefly the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The confrontations span corruption probes, law-and-order disputes, court-monitored investigations and, at times, allegations that the state police shielded individuals facing federal inquiry. Each episode has followed its own facts, but together they form a clear pattern of mistrust and procedural disagreement between Kolkata and Delhi. I-PAC Raid The most recent example unfolded on Thursday, when ED conducted searches at two I-PAC-linked locations in Kolkata, including the residence of the firms chief, Pratik Jain. I-PAC provides political consultancy to the Trinamool Congress and manages the partys data, IT and communications operations, making the raids sensitive ahead of elections. During the searches, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office and accused the agency of attempting to seize internal party documents, hard disks and digital material linked to the TMCs election strategy. They have raided the residence of our IT chief. They were confiscating my partys documents and hard disks, which has details about our candidates for the assembly polls. I have brought those back," PTI news agency quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying. She described the action as politically motivated and publicly questioned the role of the ED and the Union Home Minister. Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the partys hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country and is taking away all my party documents. What will be the result if I raid the BJP party office?" she said. The ED, in turn, alleged obstruction and claimed its officers were prevented from removing devices they had lawfully tagged for seizure. I-PAC challenged the legality of the search in court, arguing that the warrant did not authorise the seizure of certain equipment. Banerjee also linked the raids to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state, alleging that voter names were being deleted ahead of the polls. The dramatic sequence revived memories of earlier Bengal flashpoints, particularly the 2019 Rajeev KumarCBI standoff, when another central operation escalated into an institutional showdown. How Did The Conflict First Come Into National Focus? The turning point came in early February 2019, when a CBI team arrived at the residence of then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar (now DGP) to question him in connection with the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzi scam investigations. The agency believed Kumar, who headed the Special Investigation Team that initially probed the scam before the Supreme Court transferred the matter to the CBI, had handled crucial evidence. When the officers reached his home, they were stopped by the local police. The CBI team was taken to a nearby police station for identity verification, their entry was blocked and additional state police personnel were deployed. The CBI said it was prevented from executing a lawful inquiry; the state insisted the agency had not provided proper intimation. The standoff quickly escalated as senior Kolkata Police officers arrived on the scene and the CBIs attempts to resume questioning were halted. Within hours, CM Banerjee began a sit-in protest at Kolkatas Metro Channel, accusing the Centre of trying to destabilise an elected government. The confrontation dominated national headlines because it was highly unusual: a state police force had physically blocked a central agency from acting on an investigative step overseen by the courts. The episode set the tone for future clashes. Narada Arrests, 2021 The next major confrontation came in May 2021, when the CBI arrested four prominent figures in the Narada sting case: senior TMC leaders Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, veteran MLA Madan Mitra, and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee. The case stemmed from a 2014 undercover operation by journalist Mathew Samuel, in which hidden-camera footage appeared to show politicians accepting cash from representatives of a fictitious company seeking business favours. The videos were released in 2016, and the Calcutta High Court later directed the CBI to investigate the matter. On the day of the arrests, large crowds gathered outside Nizam Palace, the agencys Kolkata office, blocking entry points and prompting CISF deployment to secure the compound. The chief minister arrived soon after, remained inside for several hours and accused the agency of acting with political intent so soon after the state elections. The atmosphere at the CBI office led to urgent hearings before the Calcutta High Court, which later moved the case to a larger bench. The events again placed the spotlight on the dynamics between central agencies and the state administration. Bengal SSC Recruitment Scam The longest-running phase of friction began with the School Service Commission recruitment investigations, which expanded rapidly from 2022. The case originated from allegations that appointments to government-aided schools were manipulated through bribes, altered merit lists and irregular recommendations, affecting posts from assistant teachers to Group C and Group D staff. Acting on petitions that flagged discrepancies in recruitment lists, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe. The agency searched SSC and School Education Department offices, seized appointment files and questioned members of selection panels. As irregularities emerged, the investigation extended to political figures. In 2022 and 2023, the homes of sitting and former legislators were searched, documents were seized and senior officials, including the former president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, were arrested. The ED joined the inquiry after suspected money-laundering links surfaced. It examined financial transactions, questioned individuals accused of acting as intermediaries and issued summons to ministers and legislators. The prolonged nature of the probe, combined with repeated raids and court hearings, deepened political friction. The state accused central agencies of selective action, while the agencies maintained that they were acting under explicit High Court supervision. By 2025, the SSC probe had become one of the largest corruption-linked investigations in the state. Sandeshkhali Incident The Sandeshkhali violence in January 2024 became one of the most serious operational clashes between central investigators and local networks. The ED had travelled to the area in North 24 Parganas to question individuals connected to alleged irregularities in the public distribution system. The team visited premises linked to local strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, who had come under scrutiny after earlier raids pointed to possible financial transactions involving his associates. The situation escalated minutes after the officers arrived. A crowd gathered, blocked the ED vehicles and began pelting stones. The team was chased, equipment and documents were seized and vehicles were vandalised. Several officers were injured and forced to retreat. FIRs registered by the local police recorded the injuries and obstruction, but the ED later pointed out inconsistencies and argued that the police response was inadequate. The case moved to the Calcutta High Court, which questioned the lapses and transferred the investigation to the CBI. The agency arrested individuals allegedly linked to the attack, questioned local officials about the mob mobilisation and examined whether the ED had received adequate protection despite prior intimation. State police later arrested Sheikh Shahjahan after weeks of searching, and he was produced before agencies investigating both the ration case and the assault. The incident raised deeper questions about the challenges central agencies face in politically sensitive regions and whether state-level administrative structures can adequately support such operations. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:40 IST News explainers Tracing Bengal's Repeated Clashes With Central Agencies, And How I-PAC Raid Fits The Pattern Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Announces CBI Probe Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:37 IST The Chief Minister recently met Ankitas parents and reiterated that the state government stands firmly with the victims family. Rapid Read File photo of Ankita Bhandari who was murdered in 2022. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has approved a CBI investigation into the Ankita Bhandari case. The decision was taken following a request from Ankitas parents, who had sought a central probe into the matter. The approval comes amid ongoing public concern and calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case. The CBI is expected to take over the investigation soon and examine all aspects of the matter. The Chief Minister recently met Ankitas parents and reiterated that the state government stands firmly with the victims family. He assured them of lawful, impartial and swift action on the demands they have raised, stating that ensuring justice remains the governments top priority. Ankita Bhandari, 19, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district, went missing for nearly six days before her body was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24, 2022. Investigators alleged that she was pushed into the canal following a dispute. Pulkit Arya, the resort owner and son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, was arrested in connection with the case, along with two othersSaurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. All three were later found guilty. On May 30, 2025, an Uttarakhand court convicted the three accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The verdict was delivered by the Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Kotdwar. Despite the convictions, demands for a CBI probe intensified in recent weeks after Urmila Sanawar, reportedly the wife of expelled BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, alleged the involvement of a VIP" in the murder. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:37 IST News india Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Announces CBI Probe Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Ballari Clash Was 'Totally Avoidable': Congress Panel Lists Factors That Led To Violence | Exclusive Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:42 IST Committee members said chilli powder was thrown into the crowd, stones were pelted, and that petrol bombs made using bottles were allegedly stored in a house along the route. Ballari: Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy, right, pays last respects to party worker Rajashekhar killed in clash between his and BJP MLA G Janardhana Reddy supporters over a banner dispute, in Ballari, Karnataka. (Image: PTI) A Congress fact-finding committee, constituted to probe the Ballari shooting that led to the death of a young Congress worker, has found that three key factors triggered the violence. First, the forcible removal of a Valmiki banner by protesters. Secondly, controversial statements made by former minister and BJP leader B Sriramulu questioning the need for the erection of yet another" Valmiki statue. And thirdly, administrative failure by the police in the district to control the situation, which led to the clash spiralling out of control. Senior Congress leaders who are part of the fact-finding team told News18, on condition of confidentiality, that the incident was totally avoidable" and that timely administrative intervention could have even prevented the loss of a young life. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said earlier that the Congress partys fact-finding committee had clearly established that the removal of the Valmiki banner was the immediate trigger for the violence. He also said that the decision of local Congress leaders to erect a statue of Maharshi Valmiki was the right decision". The ruling Congress on January 3, two days after the Ballari shooting incident, deputed the fact-finding committee to understand the timeline of events that led to the death of a young Congress worker during clashes between supporters of Nara Bharath Reddy and those aligned with G Janardhan Reddy and former minister Sriramulu in the Brucepete area of Ballari. A conflict over erecting a flex has led to the loss of a young, innocent life," a member of the committee said. A young Congress worker, Rajashekhar Reddy, was killed when the private security of Bharath Reddy fired in the air. A special police team has been formed to analyse video footage, and forensic examination confirmed that the 12-mm bullet recovered from Rajashekar Reddys body was fired from a single-barrel weapon which belonged to one of the private security gunmen. According to the fact-finding committee, banners put up along Siruguppa Road near the Avvambhavi residence of Janardhan Reddy were being forcibly removed and that was the trigger for the first flashpoint. This led to a confrontation between supporters of Bharath Reddy and those backing Janardhan Reddy and former minister Sriramulu. There were two episodes of clashes within a span of about two hours," a member of the fact-finding committee said while speaking to News18. The first clash broke out when supporters of Bharath Reddy and Janardhan Reddy confronted each other over the flex. The second occurred after Satish Reddy, a close aide of Bharath Reddy, was injured when stones were pelted into the crowd and violence broke out." The committee said it met several stakeholders, including eyewitnesses, local residents, Congress workers, police officials and district authorities. Statements recorded from people present on the ground indicated that chilli powder was thrown into the crowd, stones were pelted, and that petrol bombs made using bottles were allegedly stored in a house along the route. What was told to us was that materials could have been stocked in advance, suggesting that the violence may have been pre-planned. Eyewitnesses told us they saw stones being pelted, which is how Satish Reddy was injured, and even police officials were hurt," a committee member said. Another member of the fact-finding committee told News18, on condition of anonymity, that Valmiki sentiment should not be misused for political purposes. People should understand that Valmiki belongs to everyone. Politics is being played in the name of a great saint. The effort was to honour Valmiki and the community," the member said. The fact-finding committee also said there was a complete breakdown of administration, stating that more police personnel should have been deployed on the ground and that senior officials should have been present when the situation began to spiral out of control. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:42 IST News india Ballari Clash Was 'Totally Avoidable': Congress Panel Lists Factors That Led To Violence | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... CM Siddaramaiah Writes To Pinarayi Vijayan Over Proposed Malayalam Language Bill Curated By : PTI Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 23:02 IST Siddaramaiah urged Kerala CM to reconsider the Malayalam Language Bill, warning Karnataka will defend linguistic minorities if Malayalam is imposed in Kannada-medium schools. Rapid Read Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah urged his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan to immediately withdraw the bill. (Image: PTI/File) Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday wrote to his Kerala counterpart, Pinarayi Vijayan, expressing serious concern over the proposed Malayalam Language Bill, which mandates Malayalam as the compulsory first language even in Kannada-medium schools, particularly in the border districts. He stated that if the Bill is passed, Karnataka will oppose it by exercising every constitutional right available, in defence of linguistic minorities and the plural spirit of the country. I write to you in a spirit of mutual respect, cooperative federalism, and shared constitutional responsibility that has long guided the relationship between Karnataka and Kerala, two States bound not merely by geography, but by deep cultural, social, and human ties," Siddaramaiah said in his letter to Vijayan. It is in this context that I wish to convey my serious concern regarding the proposed Malayalam Language Bill, which mandates Malayalam as the compulsory first language even in Kannada-medium schools, particularly in border districts such as Kasaragod," he added. Noting that Indias civilisational strength has always rested on plurality without fear, the CM said, Languages in our country have flourished not through compulsion, but through mutual respect and organic coexistence." Border regions like Kasaragod are living examples of this ethos, where Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Beary, and other languages have harmoniously shaped everyday life, education, and identity for generations, he said. Pointing out that for linguistic minority communities, language is not merely an academic choice, Siddaramaiah said it is a matter of identity, dignity, and access to opportunity. Any policy that compels a single linguistic pathway risks placing an undue burden on children, weakening minority-run educational institutions, and unsettling long-standing educational ecosystems that have served these communities with trust and continuity," he warned. He further noted that a substantial section of the population in Kasaragod, often described as a clear majority in the border belt, relies on and seeks education in Kannada. This preference has evolved naturally over decades of social, cultural, and economic interaction with Karnataka," he said. Respecting this reality does not diminish Malayalam; rather, it strengthens Indias plural fabric, he added. Highlighting that the Constitution offers unequivocal protection to linguistic minorities, Siddaramaiah said, Articles 29 and 30 guarantee the right to conserve language and administer educational institutions of choice. Article 350A mandates facilities for instruction in the mother tongue, and Article 350B entrusts the State with safeguarding minority linguistic interests." Any legislative measure must reflect not only constitutional legality, but constitutional morality," he emphasised. Stating that Karnataka takes immense pride in Kannada, a language shaped by social reform, equality, and inclusive thought, the CM said, At the same time, we have always upheld the principle that promotion of ones language must never become an imposition on another. This belief has guided our policies and our commitment to harmony." I therefore urge the Government of Kerala to reconsider the proposed approach and engage in a broader, inclusive dialogue with linguistic minority communities, educators, and neighbouring States. Such engagement will reinforce Indias unity while preserving the dignity of every language and every citizen," he said. Siddaramaiah reiterated that if the Bill is passed, Karnataka will oppose it by exercising every constitutional right available, in defence of linguistic minorities and the plural spirit of the Republic. This position flows not from confrontation, but from our duty to the Constitution and to the people whose voices must never be marginalised. I remain hopeful that wisdom, dialogue, and constitutional values will guide us toward a resolution that allows every language to flourish freely," he added. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 23:02 IST News india CM Siddaramaiah Writes To Pinarayi Vijayan Over Proposed Malayalam Language Bill Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... DRDO Successfully Tests Long-Duration Scramjet Engine For Hypersonic Missile Programme Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:16 IST The test was carried out by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad- a key laboratory under Defence Research and Development Organisation. The successful test builds on an earlier long-duration subscale scramjet test conducted on April 25. India achieved a major milestone in hypersonic weapons development after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a long-duration ground test of a full-scale, actively cooled scramjet engine, a critical technology for hypersonic cruise missiles. The test was carried out by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad- a key laboratory under Defence Research and Development Organisation- at its Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) facility. According to the Ministry of Defence, the engine achieved a sustained runtime of over 12 minutes, marking a path-breaking achievement in Indias hypersonic missile programme. The successful test builds on an earlier long-duration subscale scramjet test conducted on April 25, 2025 and represents a crucial step towards the development of operational hypersonic cruise missiles. The full-scale combustor and the specialised test facility were designed and developed in-house by Defence Research & Development Laboratory, with fabrication and realisation supported by Indian industry partners. Hypersonic cruise missiles are capable of flying at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound- over 6,100 kilometres per hour- for extended durations. This capability is enabled by advanced air-breathing scramjet engines, which use supersonic combustion to sustain high-speed atmospheric flight. The latest ground test validated both the advanced scramjet combustor design and the performance of the SCPT facility, the Defence Ministry said. Congratulating the teams involved, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the successful test provides a solid foundation" for Indias Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme. He also lauded the contribution of DRDO scientists, industry partners and academia in achieving the milestone. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams associated with the test, calling it a commendable achievement that places India among a select group of nations with advanced hypersonic propulsion capabilities. The breakthrough positions India at the forefront of cutting-edge aerospace and missile technologies, as global powers race to develop hypersonic weapons that can combine extreme speed, manoeuvrability and long-range precision. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 20:16 IST News india DRDO Successfully Tests Long-Duration Scramjet Engine For Hypersonic Missile Programme Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... ED Says Mamata Banerjee Seized Docs During I-PAC Raids; TMC Moves Court Over Malafide Action Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:12 IST The Enforcement Directorate has alleged before the Calcutta High Court that Mamata Banerjee forcibly interfered with PMLA search operations and removed digital devices. Mamata Banerjee during ED raids in Bengal (Photo: PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged before the Calcutta High Court that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee forcibly" interfered with lawful search and seizure operations conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and removed digital devices and key documents from the custody of its officers with the aid of state police personnel. According to the EDs submissions placed before the court, the Chief Minister entered the premises where authorised searches were underway and, along with state police personnel, forcibly took possession of all digital devices along with key incriminating documents from the possession of the authorised officer." The agency further alleged that in one instance, files and electronic devices were taken away in the Chief Ministers car. The ED described the alleged actions as a complete subversion of the rule of law caused by the political executive", contending that interference with a search under Section 17 of the PMLA is per se illegal and unconstitutional. It also alleged wrongful restraint and confinement of ED officers, terming the acts a direct obstruction of an ongoing investigation. In its plea, the agency stated that digital devices, electronic storage media and documents were forcibly removed, seized away, concealed and stolen from lawful custody, amounting to theft of evidence, criminal trespass and concealment of material evidence. The ED emphasised that digital evidence, once accessed or tampered with, stands irreversibly compromised, necessitating urgent judicial intervention. The agency further submitted that when the political executive uses state machinery to obstruct investigation, the rule of law ceases to operate, and immediate interference by a constitutional court becomes necessary. The ED asserted that in such circumstances, only an independent central agency insulated from state control can conduct a fair and credible investigation. The ED brought the matter before Justice Suvra Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court, seeking the courts intervention to ensure that its probe proceeds without hindrance. The searches were conducted at the office and residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam. News agency PTI reported that during the searches, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee turned up at Jains residence in south Kolkata and later at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the Trinamool Congresss internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy. The court granted permission to the ED to file a petition in this regard, and the matter is likely to be taken up for hearing soon. MAMATA BANERJEE, TMC MOVE COURT Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also moved court against the EDs raid and search operations. According to sources, the plea alleges that the ED seized confidential party documents and data related to the 2026 West Bengal elections, which the TMC says have no connection with any scheduled offence. The petition describes the central agencys action as malafide, colourable, and arbitrary, claiming a violation of the partys internal and confidential files. The case is expected to be heard by Justice Suvra Ghosh, along with petitions filed by the ED and Pratik Jain. The Chief Minister also registered complaints at two Kolkata police stations, Shakespeare Sarani Police Station and Electronic Complex Police Station, over the searches at the I-PAC office and Jains residence. The complaints were registered against unidentified individuals and did not name any ED officials or Central Armed Police Force personnel. Kolkata Police also filed a suo motu complaint at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. ALSO READ | I-PAC Raid Row: Protest By TMC MPs Outside Amit Shahs Office, Leaders Detained | Video News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 12:28 IST News india ED Says Mamata Banerjee Seized Docs During I-PAC Raids; TMC Moves Court Over Malafide Action Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... I-PAC Raid Case: Calcutta HC Defers Hearing To Jan 14 After Chaos In Court, ED Seeks Another Bench Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:00 IST The ED has alleged that Banerjee stormed into the search locations during the I-PAC raid and took away documents and electronic material. The Calcutta High Court Proceedings at the Calcutta High Court in the Enforcement Directorates plea seeking a CBI probe against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were adjourned on Friday after chaos broke out in the courtroom. The disruption forced the judge to leave the bench, leading to the hearing being halted and deferred. The ED is likely to mention the case before the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. The agency is also expected to seek a different bench for the hearing and push for an urgent listing of the matter later in the day. ED has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Banerjees actions during searches conducted on Thursday at the premises of political consultancy firm Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata. In its plea before the High Court, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that Banerjee stormed into the search locations while the operation was underway and took away documents and electronic material. The ED claimed that the seized items were potential evidence linked to an ongoing money laundering investigation. Banerjee, however, has maintained that the documents and data related to her political party and accused the agency of targeting her and the Trinamool Congress. I-PAC has been associated with the TMC since after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to reports. The ED clarified before the court that the searches at I-PAC-linked locations were part of an investigation connected to a money laundering case registered in 2020 against businessman Anup Majee. Majee is accused of running a coal smuggling operation in West Bengal. According to the agency, the alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Majee illegally extracted coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited leasehold areas and sold it to various factories in the state. The ED claimed that a significant portion of the coal was sold to the Shakambhari Group of companies. The agency further told the court that its probe had uncovered links between the coal smuggling network and hawala operators. One such operator is alleged to have facilitated the layering of proceeds of crime and routed transactions worth tens of crores of rupees to I-PAC. The ED also informed the court that while the searches were underway, Kolkata Police personnel reached the premises to verify the identity of the agencys officers. The situation escalated, it said, after the Chief Minister arrived at the site, leading to dramatic scenes. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:53 IST News india I-PAC Raid Case: Calcutta HC Defers Hearing To Jan 14 After Chaos In Court, ED Seeks Another Bench Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has collected new evidence confirming that the enemy is purposefully and deliberately destroying the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine using missiles and strike drones, the SBU reports. "As a result of comprehensive measures, it was established that one of the military leaders of the Russian Federation who gave the relevant orders is Colonel Alexei Yamakidi, the former commander of the 44th separate special-purpose long-range aviation regiment of the Russian Air Force," the Ukrainian special service said in a message on its Telegram channel on Friday. According to the agency, the SBU documented new episodes of enemy attacks, when it was Yamakidi who ordered the use of hypersonic aeroballistic missile systems 9-S-7760 "Dagger" on Ukrainian energy facilities. "In this way, the racists are trying to destroy the electricity and heat generation of our state in order to leave people without light and heating in the winter season," the report states. Based on the evidence collected, investigators of the Security Service informed Oleksiy Yamakida of a new in absentia suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 and Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes committed in a preliminary conspiracy by a group of persons that caused the death of people). The department recalls that in the summer of 2025, this occupier had already received suspicion from the SBU for other episodes of shelling of Ukraine. Comprehensive measures are underway to bring the perpetrator to justice. The investigation was conducted jointly with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine. India Flags 'Disturbing Pattern' Of Attacks On Bangladeshi Hindus; UK's Priti Patel Expresses Alarm Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:37 IST India criticised the attribution of attacks on Bangladeshi minorities to personal rivalries and political differences, saying it emboldens the perpetrators. Rapid Read British MP Priti Patel (L) expressed concerns over violent attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. (Reuters) India on Friday highlighted a disturbing pattern" of recurring attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, and stressed that such communal incidents should be dealt with swiftly and firmly. Amid continuing attacks against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly." We have observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators, and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities," he added. ALSO READ: Dipu Das Lynching: Bangladesh Police Arrest Key Accused Who Allegedly Incited Mob Priti Patel Writes To UK Foreign Secretary Meanwhile, UK MP Priti Patel has written a letter to British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling on the UK to use its influence and convening powers to bring stability in the country. The situation in Bangladesh is very concerning. Religious freedoms should be protected and the murders of Hindus and persecution taking place are wrong and must stop," Patel said, expressing concern over increasing religious violence and persecution in Bangladesh. In recent weeks, there have been reports of at least six Hindus being killed within an 18-day period. This level of persecution and violence is unacceptable," she wrote in her letter. The UK Government must use its influence and convening powers to work to bring about stability in Bangladesh and a future where religious freedoms are protected and Hindus as safe." The situation in Bangladesh is very concerning. Religious freedoms should be protected and the murders of Hindus and persecution taking place are wrong and must stop.The UK Government must use its influence and convening powers to work to bring about stability in Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/VsVuPexXAY Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) January 9, 2026 She also asked the Foreign Secretary about the steps taken by the UK to raise the matter with authorities in Bangladesh and the assurances received about action taken to protect Hindu communities from violence and attacks. Attacks On Bangladeshi Hindus Bangladesh has come under global scrutiny following widespread protests after the murder of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, which were followed by violent attacks on Hindus. A young factory worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob and his body was set on fire in an alarming display of lawlessness and mobocracy in the country. This week, a Hindu grocery shop owner and a journalist were killed in Bangladesh within a 24-hour period. Sarat Chakraborty Mani was running his grocery shop as usual at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash upazila of Narsingdi district when unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him with sharp weapons. Rana Pratap (45), a journalist, was shot multiple times by unidentified attackers on Monday while he was at the market. He died on the spot. On December 31, Hindu businessman Khokon Chandra Das was stabbed and set on fire by a mob in Shariatpur district. He escaped the attack by jumping in a pond but later died from burn injuries in hospital. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:19 IST News india India Flags 'Disturbing Pattern' Of Attacks On Bangladeshi Hindus; UK's Priti Patel Expresses Alarm Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Better To Focus On Own Responsibilities': India To Zohran Mamdani Over Umar Khalid Remarks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:58 IST India's response came to Zohran Mamdani's letter to jailed activist Umar Khalid, where he expressed solidarity and recalled Khalids reflections on resisting bitterness. Rapid Read India's response came after Zohran Mamdani's letter to Umar Khalid sparked a row. (File) In a sharp response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdanis letter to jailed activist Umar Khalid, India on Friday stated that public representatives are expected to respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. We expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. Expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office. Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Randhir Jaiswal in a press briefing. Earlier this month, a photograph of the note by Mamdani was shared on X on Thursday by Khalids friend, Banojyotsna Lahiri, the same day Mamdani was ceremonially sworn in as mayor. In the brief handwritten message addressed to Khalid, Mamdani wrote, Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume ones self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you." The note was handed over to Khalids parents when Mamdani met them during their visit to the United States in December 2025, according to multiple media reports. Lahiri told The Hindustan Times that Khalids parents, Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, had travelled to the US ahead of the wedding of their youngest daughter to meet another daughter who resides there and was unable to travel to India. Umar Khalid Denied Bail On January 5, the Supreme Court refused bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, citing a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said a delay in trial does not operate as a trump card" which automatically displaces statutory safeguards. While the apex court refused bail for Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, it granted bail to other accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. All seven were booked under the UAPA and various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, for allegedly being among the masterminds" behind the 2020 riots in Delhi. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:52 IST News india 'Better To Focus On Own Responsibilities': India To Zohran Mamdani Over Umar Khalid Remarks Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... India Rejects China's Construction Activities In Kashmir's Shaksgam Valley: 'Don't Recognise CPEC' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 17:33 IST India's response came amid reports of Chinese infrastructure build-up in PoK's Shaksgam valley which lies north of Siachen, which is vital location for the Indian forces. Rapid Read Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (PTI file photo) India on Friday firmly rejected Chinese infrastructural projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmirs Shaksgam Valley, saying that the region is part of its territory and condemning attempts to alter the ground reality. At a press briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, Shaksgam valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid." Jaiswal also reiterated that India does not recognise the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through Indian territory currently under illegal occupation by Pakistan. We also do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan," he added. The entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times," he added. The MEA said India has consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests," Jaiswal said. Chinese Activities In Shaksgam Valley Indias response came after reports that China is carrying out construction on a long all-weather road" in full swing in Shaksgam, which lies north of Siachen, which is an extremely vital strategic location for the Indian forces, sources told News18. According to sources, the Chinese have already finished around 75 km of the all-weather road, which is believed to have a width of around 10 mts, and work is on full swing at the site. A news item published in The Print in January this year had claimed that the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) had already constructed 36 km stretch of this road. Satellite images show that this new road is linked to two Chinese military posts outside Shaksgam Valley. One of the posts is thought to be the headquarters of the PLA unit operating in the area," the item published in the online portal had claimed. Shaksgam Valley is a 5,400-km stretch which borders Xinjiang Province to the north and the Northern Areas of PoK to the south and west. It was ceded by the Pakistanis to China in a border dispute agreement in 1963. However, India does not recognise this transfer of land and considers the valley to be a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Watch more videos Share this Article WhatsApp facebook Twitter telegram copy link News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:28 IST News india India Rejects China's Construction Activities In Kashmir's Shaksgam Valley: 'Don't Recognise CPEC' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Madras HC Stays Single Judge Order Directing CBFC To Clear Vijays Jana Nayagan Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 17:21 IST The CBFC also argued that the film features emblems related to the armed forces, claiming to be examined by experts. Rapid Read The postponement has rippled across international markets. Distributors in the UK, North America, Canada, and Malaysia confirmed the film will not release as planned. (File Photo) The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) challenged the Madras High Court order that directed it to issue a UA certificate to Vijays Jana Nayagan. The board also sought an urgent hearing and requested that a revising committee review the film. Following a fresh hearing, the court has now ordered no release for Jana Nayagan until January 21. This comes after the Madras High Court, on Friday, instructed the CBFC to issue the certificate once the required modifications were made. The court had criticised the board for entertaining complaints against the film, describing it as a dangerous trend." The CBFC also argued that the film features emblems related to the armed forces, claiming to be examined by experts. Earlier, on Wednesday, the films production house issued a statement announcing the postponement of the release. The note read, It is with a heavy heart that we share this update with our valued stakeholders and audiences. The release of Jana Nayagan, eagerly awaited on 9 January, has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances beyond our control." We deeply understand the anticipation, excitement, and emotions surrounding this film, and this decision has not been an easy one for any of us. The new release date will be announced at the earliest. Until then, we humbly request your patience and continued love. Your unwavering support is our greatest strength and means everything to the entire Jana Nayagan team," it added. Jana Nayagan marks Vijays final film before he fully enters politics. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:05 IST News india Madras HC Stays Single Judge Order Directing CBFC To Clear Vijays Jana Nayagan Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Union Budget 2026 To Be Tabled On Sunday, February 1; Parliament Session Begins January 28 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:41 IST Parliament Budget Session: The first phase of the Budget Session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will then go into recess and reassemble on March 9. File photo of the parliament in session. The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 28 and continue till April 2, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kiren Rijiju said the session has been approved by President Droupadi Murmu on the recommendation of the Union government. On the recommendation of the Govt of India, Honble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji has approved the summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session 2026. The Session will commence on 28 January 2026 and continue till 2 April 2026," Kiren Rijiju said. On the recommendation of the Govt of India, Honble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji has approved the summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session 2026.The Session will commence on 28 January 2026 and continue till 2 April 2026.The first phase pic.twitter.com/FxGYCL7keq Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) January 9, 2026 According to the minister, the first phase of the Budget Session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will then go into recess and reassemble on March 9, with the session ending on April 2. The recess period is traditionally used by department-related standing committees to examine the demands for grants of various Union ministries and departments. The Union Budget 2026 is likely to be presented in Parliament on February 1, which falls on a Sunday, while the Economic Survey is expected to be tabled on January 20. Both Houses of Parliament will not meet on January 29 due to the Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the formal conclusion of Republic Day celebrations. The Budget Session is considered one of the most significant sittings of Parliament, as it includes the presentation and passage of the Union Budget and key financial legislation for the coming fiscal year. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 20:21 IST News india Union Budget 2026 To Be Tabled On Sunday, February 1; Parliament Session Begins January 28 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pregnant Woman Dies In Bihar After 'Doctor' Operates While Watching YouTube Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 21:00 IST The pregnant woman's family claimed that she was taken to a private clinic in the Ekchari Panchayat area, which was allegedly being run by an unqualified man posing as a doctor Rapid Read Local residents claimed that during the surgery, the man and his assistant repeatedly referred to videos on their mobile phones. (AI-Generated Image) In a disturbing incident from a rural village in Bihar, a pregnant woman allegedly died after undergoing a surgical procedure performed by an unqualified practitioner who reportedly relied on YouTube videos for guidance. The newborn, however, survived. The incident took place in Kahalgaon area of Bihars Bhagalpur district where the pregnant woman was taken to a private clinic near Shrimath Sthan in the Ekchari Panchayat area, which was being run by an unqualified man posing as a doctor, alleged locals and the victims family. The deceased has been identified as Swati Devi, a native of Thakurganti Modhiya in Jharkhand. Her husband, Vikram Sah, works as a labourer. Following her pregnancy, Swati had been staying at her maternal home in Rasalpur, where her mother, Sushma Devi, was overseeing her treatment. Family members said that late at night, Swati developed severe labour pain and was rushed to the same clinic where she had been receiving treatment. After examining her, the practitioner allegedly told the family that a surgical procedure was necessary and sought their consent. It is alleged that the man then attempted to carry out the surgery after watching videos on YouTube, without proper medical infrastructure or the presence of a qualified specialist. Local residents claimed that during the surgery, the man and his assistant repeatedly referred to videos on their mobile phones. Due to alleged negligence and lack of expertise, Swati suffered excessive bleeding and died during the operation. The baby was delivered safely. After the womans death, the accused practitioner and his assistant reportedly told the family that her condition was critical and advised them to take her to another hospital. They then shut the clinic and fled the scene. As news of the death spread, angry family members and villagers gathered outside the clinic, placing the womans body there and staging a protest. They demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and strict action against the illegal clinic. Police from Rasalpur reached the spot after being informed, brought the situation under control, and sent the body for post-mortem examination. An investigation was initiated. Local resident Rajesh Kumar alleged that this was not the first such incident at the clinic. He claimed that earlier too, treatments and procedures were carried out after watching online videos, but the matters were repeatedly suppressed. He demanded justice for the victims family and stringent action against those running illegal medical facilities. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 21:00 IST News india Pregnant Woman Dies In Bihar After 'Doctor' Operates While Watching YouTube Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Rs 20 Crore Travelled From Kolkata To Goa: How Coal Scam Trail Led ED To I-PAC | Exclusive Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:30 IST The money was transferred by I-PAC, through both domestic and international hawala routes, to an event management firm for use in the Goa elections, sources told News18 Rapid Read West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (right) addresses the media as she arrived at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain amid an ongoing ED raid, in Kolkata on Thursday. (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate raided political consultancy I-PAC as their investigation showed that the firm utilised at least Rs 20 crore generated from the coal scam for the Goa elections, according to exclusive details accessed by CNN-News18. The money was transferred by I-PAC, through both domestic and international hawala routes, to an event management company for utilising in Goa elections," according to the details. The ED mounted the search on Thursday at the Salt Lake office of I-PAC and its founder and one of the directors Pratik Jain as part of an alleged coal scam-linked money laundering case. Some other locations in Bengal and Delhi were also raided. The ED had alleged that West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) Mamata Banerjee entered Jains residence on Loudon Road in Kolkata during the raids and took away key evidence" and followed the same action at the I-PAC office. The ED claimed in the petition that around Rs 20 crore of hawala funds, generated from alleged coal pilferage in West Bengal, found its way to I-PAC. The organisation has been providing political consultancy to the TMC and the state government since 2021. One such hawala operator used by coal syndicate to transfer the proceeds of crime has been identified from WhatsApp chats of an accountant of Anup Majee, main accused of the coal syndicate, alleged sources. Rs 20 crore transferred: The Goa election link The alleged web of cash transfer based on exclusive inputs from sources: Intelligence has revealed that Rs 20 crore was allegedly transferred through a hawala firm R Kanti Lal from Kolkata to Goa, as seen from WhatsApp chat dated 26/08/2020 between Niraj Singh and Ashok Kumar Mishra. The employee who handled the hawala transfers at Goa is Sagar Kumar Patel. On enquiry from Sagar Kumar Patel, he revealed that the money was transferred from Kolkata to Goa for Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar was summoned and his statement was recorded under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) on 26.10.2023 and 10.01.2024 wherein he revealed that he works in Hertz and Pixelz and ASM Event Technology Private Limited. Siddhartha Malik is the proprietor of the firm, Hertz and Pixelz. Pankaj and his son, Siddhartha Malik, are directors of the company, ASM Event Technology Private Limited. He stated that these firms worked for IPAC in Goa during 2021-2022. Duringthis period, he used to receive cash in Goa through hawala channel arranged by Pankaj Malik. Pankaj Malik was summoned and his statement was recorded under section 50 of the PMLA on 09.01.2024 and 10.01.2024. Pankaj Malik stated that his company ASM Event and Technology Private Limited was hired by I-PAC for event management in Goa during 2021-2022. He further stated that funds in cash were arranged by him inGoa through Hawala channel with active assistance of Akshay Kumar. During the course of investigation, manager of R Kantilal Firm, Alpesh Patel was summoned, and his statement was recorded under section 50 of the PMLA, 2002 on 13.12.2023, wherein he stated that he has been working in the Kolkata office of R. Kantilal firm since 2018 as a manager. He arranged cash in Goa during 2021-2022, which was to be given to Akshay Kumar. During that period, he arranged Rs 20 crore in cash to be tranferred from Kolkata to Goa through a hawala channel. He further stated the hawala transfers were done at the request of a person named Mukesh Patel. Mukesh Patel was summoned and his statement was recorded on 30.01.2024 and 31.01.2024, wherein he stated that he is the owner of Rajesh Maganlal firm and he had transferred Rs 20 crore to Goa through Alpesh Patel. However, the same was done at the request of Mukesh Thakkar alias Munna. Mukesh Thakkar alias Munna was summoned, and his statement was recorded on 23.02.2024, wherein he also accepted that he had transferred around Rs 20 crore to Goa. He stated that the fund transfers were done at the request of Jitendra Mehta who works as a financer in Pooja Finlease Pvt. Ltd., now known as Akasa Finance Ltd). Jitender Mehta is a Kolkata-based businessman and he is an ex-director in Akasa Finance Limited. Akasa Finance Limited is a non-banking financial company. Jitender Mehta has assisted in transferring the proceeds of crime through Hawala from Kolkata to Goa. He has assisted in transferring Rs 20 crore to Goa to be used by I-PAC in Goa. As per information, Pratik Jain, co-founder and director of I-PAC, handled the operations in Goa. The funds have been handed over to Akshay Kumar who is an employee of Hertz and Pixel and ASM Event Technology which have admittedly worked for I-PAC in Goa. Coal to liquor scam: Not the first such transfer for Goa elections The last Goa elections have been a hotbed for alleged transfer of proceeds of crime. The ED had alleged that POC generated from the liquor scam in Delhi were also utilised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa elections. What next? The ED has approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata against political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director. The TMC, meanwhile. on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court against the ED raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief here, seeking restraint on misuse and dissemination" of documents seized during the search operations. The ruling party in West Bengal, in its petition, alleged that the ED seized sensitive and confidential political data meant for the TMCs use in the upcoming assembly elections, in a display of arbitrary, mala fide, and colourable exercise of power". The Trinamool Congress alleged that the ED operations were aimed at unlawfully accessing and controlling the petitioners electoral roll management, campaign planning, and political strategy, with the clear intent to disrupt a free and fair electoral process" under the pretext of investigation. Such targeted seizure amounts to an impermissible intrusion into the petitioners right to privacy under Article 21 and its constitutional right to participate meaningfully in the democratic process under Article 19. The Calcutta High Court judge Suvra Ghosh, hearing various petitions on the issue, left the courtroom, citing excessive crowding. As the high court will not be functioning over the weekend, the case will now be taken up only on Wednesday. With PTI Inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:30 IST News india Rs 20 Crore Travelled From Kolkata To Goa: How Coal Scam Trail Led ED To I-PAC | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Sikh Bodies Seek FIR On Atishi Over Alleged Remarks On Guru Tegh Bahadur; AAP Office Vandalised In Indore Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 12:41 IST Several Sikh bodies have filed complaints against former Delhi chief minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi over remarks allegedly insulting Guru Tegh Bahadur. AAP leader Atishi (PTI Image) The Shiromani Akali Dals Delhi unit has filed a police complaint seeking registration of a criminal FIR against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi over her alleged remarks on Guru Tegh Bahadur. In addition to this, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has also lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police. The Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee has raised the matter before the Shri Akal Takht in Amritsar. Meanwhile, some people belonging to Sikh community has also vandalised the AAP office in Indore. SGPC Condemns Atishis Remarks Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Thursday condemned AAP leader Atishi over her alleged remarks on Guru Tegh Bahadur as an instance of her partys low mentality". I strongly condemn the derogatory remarks made by the Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi against Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. Such a statement reflects the low mentality of the AAP leadership," he said. Dhami further stated that the alleged remarks were deeply hurtful to Sikh sentiments." Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, laid down his life in Delhi to protect religion and uphold the principles of humanity," he said in a post on X. Calling Atishis actions unacceptable", Dhami demanded that her Assembly membership be cancelled and challenged the Aam Aadmi Party to act against her. (With agency inputs) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 12:41 IST News india Sikh Bodies Seek FIR On Atishi Over Alleged Remarks On Guru Tegh Bahadur; AAP Office Vandalised In Indore Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Somnath Visit, Talks With German Chancellor On Agenda As PM Modi Visits Gujarat This Month Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:15 IST During his visit to Gujarat, PM Modi will also meet German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File image/Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat from January 10, 2026, to January 12, 2026, during which he will attend religious, cultural, infrastructure and diplomatic engagements across the state. The Prime Minister will begin his visit on January 10, 2026, with a visit to the Somnath temple. At around 8 PM, he will participate in Omkar Mantra chanting at the Somnath Temple, followed by a drone show at the temple complex. On January 11, 2026, the Prime Minister will take part in the Shaurya Yatra at around 9:45 AM, a ceremonial procession held to honour the warriors who sacrificed their lives defending the Somnath Temple. He will then perform darshan and pooja at the temple at around 10:15 AM. At about 11 AM, he will attend a public event marking Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Later the same day, PM Modi will travel to Rajkot to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra regions. At around 1:30 PM, he will inaugurate the trade show and exhibition at the venue. At about 2 PM, he will formally inaugurate the conference at Marwadi University, Rajkot, and address the gathering. From Rajkot, the Prime Minister will travel to Ahmedabad. At around 5:15 PM, he will inaugurate the remaining stretch of Phase 2 of the Ahmedabad Metro, from Sector 10A to Mahatma Mandir, at the Mahatma Mandir metro station. PM Modi To Meet German Federal Chancellor In Ahmedabad On January 12, 2026, PM Modi will meet German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. At around 9:30 am, the two leaders will visit Sabarmati Ashram, followed by their participation in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront at around 10 am. Bilateral discussions will take place from 11:15 am onwards at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where the leaders will review progress in the IndiaGermany Strategic Partnership, which recently completed 25 years. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 13:14 IST News india Somnath Visit, Talks With German Chancellor On Agenda As PM Modi Visits Gujarat This Month Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Supreme Court Criticises Sharmila Tagore's Plea On Stray Dogs: 'Removed From Reality' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:07 IST Supreme Court systematically dismantled the examples Tagore provided to support her stance against recent measures aimed at resolving the issue of stray dogs in public areas. Actor Sharmila Tagore filed petition in Supreme Court in connection to the stray dogs case The Supreme Court on Friday criticised actor Sharmila Tagore for her arguments against a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the stray dog problem, describing them as completely devoid of reality." You are completely removed from reality. Dont try to glorify these dogs in hospitals," the Supreme Court said. The courts reaction came after Tagores lawyer gave the example of a friendly dog that has been living on the AIIMS campus for many years. Tagores lawyer explained that there can certainly be dogs that need to be put to sleep, but they should first be identified as aggressive" by a proper committee. We suggest an expert committee for considering the behaviour of dogs Lets see the difference between aggressive and normal dogs," Tagores lawyer said, adding, There is a dog named Goldie in AIIMS. Shes been there for many years." Responding to the lawyers argument, the Supreme Court replied, saying, Was the dog being taken to the hospital operation theatre also? Any dog thats on the streets is bound to have ticks. And a dog with ticks in a hospital will have disastrous consequences. Do you understand? Well let you know the reality of what is being argued." You are completely removed from reality. Dont try to glorify these dogs in the hospitals," the Supreme Court said. Following the courts backlash, Tagores lawyer, giving an example of Georgia and Armenia, suggested colour-coding collars for dogs in order to identify them as an aggressive dog or a normal one. What is the population of those countries? Please be realistic counsel," the Supreme Court questioned the lawyer, asking him to be realistic regarding Indias population. The Supreme Court on Thursday said it had not directed the removal of every dog from the streets, and the direction was to treat stray canines according to the animal birth control (ABC) rules. Tagore, in her petition, said tackling the issue of strays need the help of science and psychology. The ABC rules may not be foolproof, so it needs to be given a look The answer is science, psychology, and a module-specific framework whereby dogs have to be captured and then released," her lawyer said. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:06 IST News india Supreme Court Criticises Sharmila Tagore's Plea On Stray Dogs: 'Removed From Reality' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The United States is in the process of seizing the sanctioned oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea near the island of Trinidad, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two U.S. officials. The Olina had previously left Venezuelan ports and returned to the region, and the vessel was illegally flying the flag of East Timor, according to the public database Equasis. "The vessel's AIS (location) system was last active 52 days ago in Venezuela's exclusive economic zone, northeast of Curacao... The vessel's seizure was the result of a long pursuit of tankers involved in sanctioned shipments of Venezuelan oil in the region," British maritime risk management firm Vanguard said separately. The US imposed sanctions on the tanker in January last year, when it was called the Minerva M, for what Washington said was part of a so-called shadow fleet of vessels that sail with minimal regulation or no known insurance. This is the fifth case of detention of vessels in recent weeks as part of Washington's efforts to control oil exports from Venezuela. The Olina tanker, during the period of the G7+ oil embargo, is involved in the export of Russian oil/oil products from Russian ports in the Baltic, Black Seas, and the Pacific region, mainly to China, India, and Turkey. The international public organization Greenpeace refers the tanker to a shadow fleet of tankers that transport Russian oil around the world and threaten the environment. On 17 December 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel for transporting crude oil or petroleum products originating in Russia or from Russia to a third country. On 10 January 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel. On 21 February 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel. On 24 February and 04 March 2025, the EU and Switzerland respectively imposed sanctions on the tanker for transporting crude oil/petroleum products originating in or exported from Russia using high-risk irregular shipping practices. In June 2025, Australia imposed sanctions on the vessel. On 19 June 2025, New Zealand imposed sanctions on the vessel. 'Top Priority': Amit Shah Announces Three-Year Nationwide Campaign Against Drugs Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 23:25 IST Outlining the governments policy, the Home Minister said there would be zero tolerance for those who manufacture and sell drugs Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (File photo) Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a three-year, nationwide campaign against drug abuse and trafficking, describing the problem as one linked more to narco-terrorism than to routine law-and-order challenges. Chairing the 9th apex-level meeting of the NarcoCoordination Centre (NCORD) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Amit Shah said the collective campaign would begin on March 31 and run for three years, with defined targets, clear timelines and regular reviews. The challenge of the drug problem is linked more to the issue of narco-terrorism than to law and order. It is a conspiracy to destroy the countrys future generations," Amit Shah said, adding that the health of the youth, their ability to think and perform and growing social discontent are all directly linked to the drug menace. Amit Shah directed all departments of the Government of India to prepare a detailed roadmap up to 2029, along with a monitoring mechanism, to comprehensively address the drug problem. He stressed that success should be measured not by the number of meetings held, but by outcomes and impact on the ground. We must strengthen command, compliance and accountability," he said, calling for strict action against kingpins, financiers and logistics routes of the drug trade. Outlining the governments policy, the Home Minister said there would be zero tolerance for those who manufacture and sell drugs, while a humane approach would be adopted towards drug users. The goal of a drug-free India will be achieved only through a ruthless approach to break the drug supply chain, a strategic approach for demand reduction, and a humane approach for harm reduction," Amit Shah said. He added that continuous awareness campaigns are essential to protect society, especially young people, from drug abuse. Amit Shah emphasised the need to improve conviction rates by ensuring timely filing of charge sheets and greater use of Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs). He also noted that drug networks are adopting new methods of distribution and payment, and said enforcement agencies must constantly update their strategies. Every state police force, he said, will constitute a permanent, mission-mode team of selected officers, better coordinated through intelligence inputs and artificial intelligence tools. We want to put in place a permanent system capable of fighting this battle," he said. Amit Shah also inaugurated the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Amritsar. The NCORD mechanism, established in 2016, operates through a four-tier structure at the apex, executive, state and district levels to enhance coordination among central and state agencies. Calling on state Directors General of Police to take concrete steps for the timely destruction of seized drugs, Amit Shah said the fight has reached a stage where it can be won. Our responsibility is to protect the countrys youth and save the next generation. We will carry out this task with top priority," he said. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 23:25 IST News india 'Top Priority': Amit Shah Announces Three-Year Nationwide Campaign Against Drugs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Closely Following Developments: MEA On US Bill Proposing 500% Tariffs Over Russian Oil Curated By : Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 17:22 IST US President Donald Trump greenlit a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could penalise Moscows trading partners, including India. US President Donald Trump and PM Modi. India said it is closely tracking developments around a proposed US sanctions bill that could impose steep tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, asserting that New Delhis energy sourcing decisions are driven by global market conditions and the need to ensure affordable supplies for its population. Reacting to the proposed legislation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments." Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known. In this endeavor, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," the MEA said. The response comes after US President Donald Trump greenlit" a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could penalise Moscows trading partners, including India, China and Brazil, for continuing purchases of Russian oil. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a key sponsor of the legislation, said Donald Trump conveyed his support for the bill during a meeting at the White House. If passed, the sanctions bill would authorise the US President to impose tariffs of up to 500 per cent on countries that knowingly buy Russian oil or uranium and, in the bills language, fuel Russian President Vladimir Putins war machine." The proposed legislation is aimed at economically pressuring Moscow as the Donald Trump administration continues efforts to negotiate an end to the war triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine. This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent," Lindsey Graham said. According to the senator, a vote on the bill could take place as early as next week, although the timeline remains uncertain. The legislation has garnered broad bipartisan backing, with dozens of co-sponsors in the US Senate and a companion bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. The push on sanctions comes as the Donald Trump administration seeks to finalise a peace agreement to end the nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine, with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US Presidents son-in-law, leading negotiations on Washingtons behalf. MEA On International Solar Alliance The MEA said it welcomes the progress made by the International Solar Alliance and reaffirmed Indias support for multilateral cooperation on clean energy. International Solar Alliance has made significant progress," the MEA said, adding that we continue to advance its goals." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:18 IST News india Closely Following Developments: MEA On US Bill Proposing 500% Tariffs Over Russian Oil Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... ED Versus TMC In Court Today; Mamata Banerjee Calls Protest March As I-PAC Raids Spark Row Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 11:31 IST Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest in Kolkata today against ED raids on the I-PAC office, amid a political standoff with central agencies. A file photo of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to lead a protest march in Kolkata on Friday, amid rising tensions with central agencies. The march will begin from the 8B Bus Stand and proceed to Hazra More at 2.00 pm. The protest comes in response to the Enforcement Directorates (ED) raids at the I-PAC office on Wednesday, linked to an alleged fake government job scam. Addressing the issue, Banerjee said, Starting at 6.00 am, they arrived and seized the partys data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime." She accused the central agency of unlawfully seizing party-related data, calling on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to contest democratically in West Bengal. Banerjee maintained that I-PAC is not a private organisation but an authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), and that sensitive party documents, including data related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, were confiscated despite TMC being a registered political party that regularly submits income tax details. ED ALLEGES OBSTRUCTION, MAINTAINS SEARCH BASED ON EVIDENCE The Enforcement Directorate, however, has rejected allegations of political targeting. In a statement, the agency said, Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices." The Chief Ministers convoy then proceeded to I-PACs office premises, from where Banerjee, her aides, and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence," it stated. The actions have resulted in obstruction in ongoing investigation and proceedings under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act)." The ED further clarified, No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering." The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." The raids were based on the Central Bureau of Investigations FIR RC0102020A0022 dated November 27, 2020, against Anup Majee and others, concerning coal smuggling from Eastern Coalfields Limited leasehold areas. TMC FILES CASE AGAINST ED; HEARING SCHEDULED In response to the raids, the Trinamool Congress has filed a case against the Enforcement Directorate, and the hearing is scheduled for today. Reports indicated that the ED has also approached the Calcutta High Court, alleging illegal interference during its search operations, which is expected to be heard by Justice Suvra Ghosh. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police have registered two cases against the ED, further escalating the standoff between the state administration and the central agency. BJP HITS BACK, EMPHASIZES INDEPENDENCE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed Mamata Banerjees actions during the raids, suggesting her attempts to remove files indicate efforts to obstruct justice. In a statement on X, the BJP said, If there is nothing to hide in West Bengal, why would a Chief Minister scramble to secure files from an official investigation site? The truth will eventually come out, and Bengal will vote for the BJP." BJP West Bengal stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to operate independently, professionally, and without political interference. Any attempt to politicise lawful investigative processes or to undermine constitutional authorities only weakens public trust in institutions and the rule of law," the party added. ABHISHEK BANERJEE TO VISIT BONGAON Meanwhile, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to visit Bongaon, a constituency considered a Matua community stronghold. This visit underscores the partys ongoing electoral mobilisation, as the TMC works to consolidate support ahead of upcoming elections. JP NADDAS VISITS AND ORGANISATIONAL MEETING BJP national president JP Nadda is also in West Bengal today. He held an extended organisational meeting with party functionaries and is scheduled to visit the Tata Cancer Centre and AIIMS Kalyani. His visits signal the BJPs focus on political engagement and outreach in the state, alongside its critique of the TMCs handling of the ED raids. COAL SMUGGLING INVESTIGATION BACKGROUND The ED has identified the Shakambhari Group, an unlisted industrial group based in West Bengal, as a major end-user of illegally mined coal. According to the agency, A large part of the coal illegally extracted from ECL leasehold areas was sold to manufacturing units operated by the Shakambhari Group," which operates factories in districts including Bankura, Purulia, and Bardhaman. The investigation also revealed a layered hawala network, with proceeds routed to I-PAC. Searches conducted on January 8 covered six locations in West Bengal and four in Delhi. ALSO READ | Will Blast Him: West Bengal Governor Receives Threat Email Day After ED Raids At I-PAC Office News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:46 IST News india ED Versus TMC In Court Today; Mamata Banerjee Calls Protest March As I-PAC Raids Spark Row Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... What Advice Did Premanand Maharaj Give DU Student President Aryan Maan Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:41 IST Premanand Maharaj met Aryan Maan in Vrindavan and told him that while the post of DUSU president is an honour, it is meant for service rather than authority Rapid Read Premanand Maharaj advised Aryan Maan to anchor his public life in dharma and strong personal character. Aryan Maan, the president of the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU), recently travelled to Vrindavan, where he met the renowned saint Premanand Maharaj, seeking spiritual guidance amid the pressures of student politics. The meeting, held in the deeply devotional atmosphere of the temple town, has drawn attention in political and academic circles alike, as Maans growing spiritual inclination becomes a subject of discussion. During the interaction, the DUSU president received blessings from the saint and engaged in an extended conversation focused on leadership, personal conduct and public service. According to those present, Premanand Maharaj advised Maan to anchor his public life in dharma and strong personal character, stressing that politics should be seen not merely as a route to power but as a sacred responsibility to serve society. He underlined that for young leaders entering politics, an unblemished character is their greatest asset, adding that the dignity of any position is preserved only when one remains distant from addiction and moral compromise. The saint also reminded Maan that while the post of DUSU president is an honour, it is meant for service rather than authority. He urged him to become the voice of students who are weak, unheard or in need of support, saying that power finds its true meaning when it is used to uplift others, not to dominate them. When Maan spoke about the frequent conflicts and pressures faced by student leaders, Premanand Maharaj emphasised patience and restraint, cautioning that anger clouds judgement and destroys wisdom. A successful leader, he said, is one who remains calm and humble even in adversity, noting that humility has the power to turn an adversary into an ally. The spiritual leader also advised Maan to choose his friendships wisely and to cultivate loyalty and integrity in personal relationships. Emphasising spiritual discipline, he encouraged the student leader to make time for devotion despite a busy schedule, recommending daily chanting of Radhas name to maintain mental peace and clarity in decision-making. Such practices, he said, strengthen the mind and help cope with the stresses of public life. Observers noted that Aryan Maan appeared deeply attentive and devoted during the interaction. Premanand Maharaj concluded by reminding him that thousands of Delhi University students look up to him, and that he should strive to be remembered not only as a leader, but as a role model whose conduct inspires others to walk the right path. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Vrindavan, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:40 IST News india What Advice Did Premanand Maharaj Give DU Student President Aryan Maan Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... How New Yorks Gen Z First Lady Is Redefining Power Dressing Through A Rented Wardrobe Published By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 17:01 IST Rama Duwajis inauguration wardrobe, entirely borrowed, signals a new era of power dressing rooted in values, transparency and political intent rather than luxury ownership. Rama Duwaji wore a fully rented wardrobe for Zohran Mamdani's inauguration as New York's mayor. Power dressing has long meant ownership, custom tailoring and hefty price tags. This is usually associated with clothes that signal authority because they cost a small fortune. But that old equation is now being disrupted, and Rama Duwaji, New Yorks Gen Z First Lady, is at the centre of it. On January 1, 2026, as Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the citys first South Asian and Muslim mayor, fashion watchers werent counting labels. They were reading credits. And one phrase stood out On loan." Power Dressing, Without Ownership For the midnight swearing-in ceremony held inside an old subway station, Duwaji skipped the predictable route. She wore a vintage wool Balenciaga coat rented from the Albright Fashion Library, paired with borrowed shorts from The Frankie Shop and vintage earrings. The look was restrained, deliberate and unmistakably political. Scrutiny followed. Online chatter questioned her Miista Shelley boots, priced at $630. That conversation cooled once it became clear those were borrowed, too. The message had already landed. Her stylist, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, later explained the thinking on her Substack. Thrifting is something Rama does often; so, renting second-life fashion felt like the most authentic way to approach a moment of this magnitude," she wrote in her newsletter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson (@gabriellak_j) Dodging The Fashion Backlash Playbook Duwajis approach didnt happen in a vacuum. Public women, especially in politics, know the pattern. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was criticised for wearing a designer outfit on a magazine cover. Michelle Obama was constantly judged for mixing high and low brands. Melania Trump still has her wardrobe dissected years later. By being transparent about borrowing, Duwaji cut off that line of attack early. Using Fashion To Amplify Voices Both the mayor and the First Lady used clothing to signal values. Mamdani wore a gold-embroidered tie custom-made from Assams eri silk by Kartik Research. For the public ceremony, Duwaji chose a brown coat by Renaissance Renaissance, founded by Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej. View this post on Instagram A post shared by renaissance renaissance (@renaissance_renaissance) Fashion As Signal, Not Decoration In late December, Duwaji had appeared on a digital cover of New York Magazine, shot by Szilveszter Mako. The images were stylised and playful, far from the soft-focus portraits typically expected of political spouses. I love fashion, and I love being creative and putting things together and styling things," she said, making her intentions clear. Transparency Before Criticism The fashion credits for the shoot prominently noted that the clothes were on loan." While standard in magazines, the emphasis felt intentional, especially as prices were left out. It helped head off criticism over luxury pieces, including a Jacquemus jacket, before it could gain traction. A Deliberate Stylist Switch Duwaji also changed stylists for the inauguration, moving from Bailey Moon to Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Known for her outspoken views on fashion and politics, Karefa-Johnson brings both industry access and critique. A Mamdani spokesperson said her appeal lies in moral clarity" and a belief that clothing carries values, history and culture. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:01 IST News lifestyle fashion How New Yorks Gen Z First Lady Is Redefining Power Dressing Through A Rented Wardrobe Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2026: Why NRI Day Is Important And What It Stands For Published By : Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 07:20 IST Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed to recognise and honour the social, economic and cultural contributions of Indians living overseas, including NRIs and PIOs. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2026: India observes Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to recognise and honour the contributions of Indians living overseas. Often referred to as NRI Day, the occasion focuses on strengthening ties between the Indian diaspora and the Government of India, while also helping Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs reconnect with their cultural roots. Although Pravasi Bharatiya Divas falls on January 9, it is important to note that the main PBD convention is held once every two years. This means there is no full-scale Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention scheduled this year, with the next major event aligned with the biennial format. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2026: History The roots of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas trace back to January 9, 1915, the day Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa. His return marked a defining moment in Indian history. Gandhi went on to lead Indias freedom struggle and reshaped the nations political and social consciousness. To honour this historic return and the broader contributions of overseas Indians, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was first celebrated on January 9, 2003. The idea was to acknowledge the role of Pravasi Bharatiyas, much like Gandhi himself, in shaping Indias development. In 2015, the Government revised the format of the event. Since then, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been organised biennially, with theme-based conferences held in the intervening years. Why Is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Celebrated? Pravasi Bharatiya Divas recognises the social, economic and cultural contributions of the Indian diaspora. Overseas Indians play a vital role in strengthening Indias foreign exchange reserves through remittances and investments, while also boosting Indias global standing. Across countries, Indians have emerged as influential leaders in business, technology, healthcare, education and research. Their success stories inspire younger generations and highlight how global exposure can translate into growth opportunities for India. The event also provides a structured platform for overseas Indians to engage with policymakers, explore investment opportunities, and contribute ideas in areas such as innovation, infrastructure, trade and entrepreneurship. Beyond economics, the Indian diaspora acts as a cultural bridge, introducing Indian traditions, values and heritage to the world. How Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Is Celebrated During full-scale conventions, the programme typically includes keynote addresses, panel discussions, networking sessions and cultural performances. Distinguished overseas Indians are often recognised for their achievements across fields. Even in non-convention years, discussions and theme-based engagements continue to keep the connection active. Famous Quotes On The Indian Diaspora The Indian community is admired all around the world. It is not due to the money but the values the Indian community is living with." Narendra Modi The Indian diaspora is a source of inspiration for India. They show that anything is possible if you work hard and never give up." APJ Abdul Kalam Our NRIs are our global ambassadors, spreading the ethos of India across borders and making us proud." Sushma Swaraj Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2026: FAQs What is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas? Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed to recognise and honour the social, economic and cultural contributions of Indians living overseas, including NRIs and PIOs. Why is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated on January 9? January 9 commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa in 1915, a turning point in the countrys history. Is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated every year? While January 9 is marked annually, the main Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is held once every two years. Is there a full-scale Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention this year? No, there is no full-scale Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention this year due to the biennial format adopted in 2015. Who does Pravasi Bharatiya Divas honour? The occasion honours Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin for their contributions to India and the global community. How is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas usually celebrated? The main convention features keynote addresses, panel discussions, networking sessions and recognition of distinguished overseas Indians. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 07:20 IST News lifestyle Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2026: Why NRI Day Is Important And What It Stands For Kathryn Hahn To Play Mother Gothel In Tangled After Fans Rooted For Her: Report Published By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 11:30 IST Kathryn Hahn will reportedly be bringing her magical on-screen powers for yet another time. Teagan Croft to play Rapunzel in the live-action version of Tangled. (Photo Credits: Instagram) Kathryn Hahn, who earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for her villainous on-screen roles, is returning to yet another one. The actress, known for her stints in Agatha All Along, Bad Moms and WandaVision, among others, is set to play Mother Gothel in Disneys live-action Tangled. Tangled, loosely based on the German fairy tale Rapunzel, is one of the most loved animated family musicals of all time. Now that the makers are planning for a live-action version, fans cant keep calm. As per recent reports, Kathryn Hahn will appear as Mother Gothel, the magical, witchy stepmother, in its live-action adaptation of the 2010 hit. Internets Reaction To Kathryn Hahn Starring As Mother Gothel Soon after the update was posted on the discussion platform Reddit, fans bared their hearts out, revealing their enthusiasm for the same. A user shared, I mean. Yeah. Thats basically a perfect choice." Someone stated, Damn, thats actually a great casting choice." Echoing the same emotion, someone mentioned, Oh my god, this would be perfect casting." In response, another added, It would. But I guess it depends on whether Hahn minds being typecast as a singing witch." One more fan of the animated fantasy comedy wrote, I dont want a live-action Tangled I just dont. But if there is going to be one I will look forward to Kathryn Hahn in this role. Keep it true to the animated version. Dont try to humanise the villain and let the musical carry itself." A person pointed, Im honestly surprised they didnt go to her first." Adding to it, another said, Johanssons one seemed almost like a rumour to me, because it seems to me that it was a piece of news that immediately faded into the background." When Fans Rooted For Kathryn Hahn As Mother Gothel The move comes after a few months of certain rumours claiming that the studio chose actress Scarlett Johansson for the role. Fans from then on rooted for casting Hans as Mother Gothel in the role, which includes delectable lines and even a musical number, Mother Knows Best." The Tangled live-action is back in development with Scarlett Johansson circling the role of Mother Gothel.(https://t.co/LG3Bm6Eo98) pic.twitter.com/uhWgFOvmru Pop Base (@PopBase) October 9, 2025 The fans judgment was based on Hans portrayal of Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Studios TV series Agatha All Along, which even earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Following this, she starred as Maya Mason, the head of marketing in the acclaimed Apple series, The Studio, which bagged her an Emmy nomination. Other Finalised Cast And Crew Of Tangled In addition to Hans as Mother Gothel, Australian actress Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim are in talks to play Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, respectively. Michael Gracey, known for the musical biopics Better Man and The Greatest Showman, is directing the live-action version of Tangled, with Kristin Burr as producer and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson behind the script. It is also noteworthy that Disney has not yet commented on this matter. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 11:28 IST News hollywood Kathryn Hahn To Play Mother Gothel In Tangled After Fans Rooted For Her: Report Parasakthi: Censor Board Clears Sivakarthikeyan's Film For Release With U/A Certificate Published By : IANS Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:29 IST On Friday, the CBFC cleared the release of Sivakarthikeyans highly anticipated film Parasakthi with a U/A certificate. It will release on January 10. Rapid Read Parasakthi: Censor Board Clears Sivakarthikeyan's Film For Release With U/A Certificate The Central Board of Film Certification on Friday cleared the release of director Sudha Kongaras eagerly awaited upcoming period film, Parasakthi, featuring actors Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela in the lead, for release with a U/A certificate, much to the delight of fans and film buffs. Confirming the development, the production house Red Giant Movies wrote on its X timeline, A fire that speaks to all ages. #Parasakthi censored with a U/A striking theatres worldwide from Tomorrow. #ParasakthiFromPongal #ParasakthiFromJan10." The clearance from the Censor Board has made theatre owners and distributors heave a sigh of relief. It may be noted that the censor certificate comes just a day before the release of the film. The film is scheduled to hit screens on January 10. It may be recalled that the release of the film was originally scheduled for January 14 but its makers chose to advance it to January 10. A trailer that the makers released begins with Sivakarthikeyan and Ravi Mohan fighting each other on top of a moving train. The story, we are shown, happens in 1964. Sivakarthikeyan seems to be employed with the railways as an engine driver. His Hindi co-driver keeps insisting that he speak in Hindi to which Sivakarthikeyan is seen saying in broken Hindi, When a Madharasi goes to Delhi, hell speak in Hindi. Similarly, when a Hindi guy comes to Madurai, he must speak in Tamil." The trailer then shows that Sivakarthikeyan shares a close bond with Atharvaa, who appears to be his younger brother. Sreeleelas character appears to be a news reader in Tamil. Her presence however, is annoying to her senior, who is miffed that she has come in through recommendation. It is under these circumstances comes the news that a new law to make Hindi as the official language of all states in the country was to be passed. An old lady, who appears to be the heros grandmother, says, I, who have studied upto eighth standard, have been made an illiterate." Atharvaa, the younger brother is miffed that his elder brother Sivakarthikeyan is earning by working under the Central government which was imposing Hindi. Meanwhile, Sivakarthikeyan is seen making an attempt to learn Hindi. He urges Sreeleela to teach him Hindi and she keeps mocking him for being shabby. The trailer then shows the story taking a serious turn. Atharvaa joins those protesting the imposition of Hindi and Ravi Mohan, a ruthless officer sent from Delhi to put down protestors and to crush the resistance arrives on the scene. Sivakarthikeyan is initially seen chiding his brother. However, as those in power come up with ruthless and inhuman moves, Sivakarthikeyan finds himself eventually leading a movement of resistance, primarily comprising of college students The film has triggered huge expectations in both fans and film buffs. It may be recalled that while the first schedule of Parasakthi happened in Madurai, the unit headed to Sri Lanka for the films second schedule. The schedule in Pollachi in Tamil Nadu was the third. Parasakthi, which was tentatively being referred to as #SK25 as it is Sivakarthikeyans 25th film, has music by G V Prakash and cinematography by experienced cameraman Ravi K Chandran. Stunts for the film are by Supreme Sundar. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:29 IST News movies tamil-cinema Parasakthi: Censor Board Clears Sivakarthikeyan's Film For Release With U/A Certificate Opinion | Bhopals Quiet Cultural Renaissance Written By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:16 IST Bhopals renaissance may be quiet, but deeply consequential. It suggests with the right leadership, nurture, commitment, literature and ideas can again become central to civic life Bhopal Literature & Art Festival (BLF). (Image: Youtube) In recent years, Bhopal has been witnessing a quiet but unmistakable cultural renaissance. Long known for its lakes, rich history, and gentle pace, the city is now emerging as a serious national hub for ideas, literature, and the arts. At the heart of this transformation lies the Bhopal Literature & Art Festival (BLF)an initiative that has rapidly evolved from a regional gathering into one of Central Indias most consequential intellectual platforms. What distinguishes this festival is not merely its growth in scale, but the clarity of its purpose. Since its inception, it has been anchored in the belief that literature does not exist in isolation. Books, ideas, and art are inseparable from questions of history, governance, environment, identity, and social change. This expansive understanding of culture has allowed the festival to evolve as something more than an annual literary eventit has become a civic institution. The vision of its founder, Raghav Chandra, is central to this story. His approach has been neither flamboyant nor extractive, but patient and deeply rooted in the citys cultural ecology. Rather than importing a metropolitan template, the festival has grown organically, drawing from Bhopals own traditions of dialogue, public culture, and artistic experimentation. The result is an event that feels both nationally relevant and unmistakably local. Over successive editions, the festival has helped reposition Bhopal on Indias literary and intellectual map. I have attended a few editions of the BLF, and each time I left with a renewed sense of how a city can transform its cultural and intellectual life when vision, care, and persistence converge. Moreover, by consistently hosting its conversations at iconic public spaces, it has reinforced the idea that literature belongs in the commons. These venues are not incidental backdrops; they are active participants in the festivals identity, reminding audiences that ideas flourish best when they are accessible and embedded in place. This public ethos strengthens the citys bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature. The festival has built the intellectual depth, cultural vibrancy, and community engagement that UNESCO prizes making Bhopals aspiration more than a symbolic ambition; it is grounded in lived practice. From the moment one steps into Bharat Bhavan or walks along the Upper Lake during the festival, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary literary gathering. Conversations flow seamlessly from poetry to public policy, from history to environmental futures, from start-ups to social change. One evening, I sat through a session where tribal elders narrated Gond myths while environmental scientists discussed forest conservation. The juxtaposition of ancient oral storytelling with contemporary science was electrifyinga reminder that literature and knowledge can bridge centuries and disciplines. Equally important is the festivals evolution into what many now describe as a Knowledge Kumbh". With over fifty sessions spread across multiple days, its programming consciously blurs disciplinary boundaries. Literature flows seamlessly into discussions on geopolitics, public policy, environmental futures, technology, entrepreneurship, and social transformation. This makes the festival a serious forum for ideas rather than a performative pageant of book launches and celebrity panels. Over time, this has created a dense network of intellectual exchange centred in Bhopal. Authors, historians, diplomats, artists, policy practitioners, and scholars return year after year, not merely as speakers but as collaborators in an ongoing conversation. The cumulative effect is striking. Bhopal increasingly functions as a meeting ground where national and global debates are refracted through local histories and concerns. One of the festivals most significant contributions lies in nurturing readers and writers in Central India an often-overlooked geography in Indias cultural economy. By placing students and young people at the heart of its programming, the festival actively invests in the future of reading and writing. Young audiences are not treated as passive listeners but as participants, encouraged to question, create, and engage. Competitions in storytelling, painting, and poetry, alongside youth-focused sessions, lower the barriers to entry into the literary world. They signal that literature is not an elite inheritance but a living practice open to anyone willing to read, listen, and think. In doing so, the festival quietly seeds a new generation of readers and writers who see themselves reflected in the cultural conversation. The festivals commitment to diversity is another defining feature. It consistently foregrounds tribal and indigenous knowledge systems, expanding conventional definitions of literature to include oral traditions, visual narratives, and lived experiences. Through art camps, exhibitions, and curated discussions on tribes and the environment, it creates a space for voices that are often marginalised in mainstream literary circuits. This inclusion is not tokenistic. Vernacular literature, regional histories, women-centric narratives, and questions of social justice are treated as intellectually rigorous themes rather than cultural footnotes. By doing so, the festival challenges hierarchies of language and knowledge, insisting that serious ideas canand mustemerge from Indias many peripheries. Institution-building, however, is as much about process as it is about programming. One of the less visible but most frequently acknowledged aspects of the festival is its professionalism. Participants routinely speak of the care with which the event is organisedthe attention to detail, the smooth coordination, and the atmosphere of genuine hospitality. Such experiences matter. They create trust, encourage return participation, and signal that Central India can host world-class cultural events without compromise. Across several successful editions, and now moving into BLF 2026, the festival has demonstrated what sustained cultural stewardship can achieve. It has not chased trends or scaled recklessly. Instead, it has focused on consistency, quality, and credibilityqualities that allow institutions to endure beyond individual moments of success. In times when many literary festivals risk becoming transient spectacles, the Bhopal Literature & Art Festival offers a different model. It shows how a city outside the usual cultural capitals can build its own intellectual gravity through patience, inclusivity, and vision. More importantly, it reminds us that culture is not something to be consumed once a year, but something to be cultivated continuously. Bhopals renaissance may be quiet, but it is deeply consequential. It suggests that with the right leadership, nurture and commitment, literature and ideas can once again become central to civic life shaping not just how a city is perceived, but also how it thinks about itself and its future. The writer is president, Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:16 IST News opinion Opinion | Bhopals Quiet Cultural Renaissance Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Opinion | Somnath And The Unfinished Reckoning Written By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:13 IST From Somnath to Kashi, reconciliation cannot be demanded from only one side. Until history is confronted honestly, closure will remain incomplete While Somnath stands as a powerful symbol of Hindu civilisational reclamation, no civilisation can truly heal if its wounds are neither acknowledged nor discussed openly, and certainly not if every inquiry into Hindu history is reflexively branded 'communal'. File image The Somnath temple is where it all began. In 1026, Islamic zealotry erupted upon the Indian subcontinent in the form of Mahmud of Ghazni. The marauders intent was unambiguous: to desecrate Hindu sacred space and assert religious supremacy. That first act of cultural destruction did not remain an isolated episode. It set in motion a long arc of civilisational trauma that assumed different forms across centuries. At Independence, that impulse resurfaced in a subtler but no less damaging form. In free India, Marxist historiography cast any legitimate appreciation of Hindu civilisation as inherently communal" or anti-secular. Author Gurcharan Das once remarked that inquiring into Indias Hindu roots could risk earning an individual the moniker of a Sanghi. So pervasive was this mindset in a certain set of deracinated Indians that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, himself deeply interested in history, recoiled when members of his own cabinet urged him to formally endorse the reconstruction of the Somnath temple, dismissing the demand as an exercise in Hindu revivalism". From that jaundiced inheritance, India has now stepped into a new moment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at Somnath to offer tribute as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, marking a thousand years of the temples resilience. Somnath today is not merely stone reclaimed from ruin; it is memory reclaimed from suppression. A shrine broken repeatedly by religious exclusivism, yet rebuilt again and again through faith, defiance, and civilisational self-respect. As the Prime Minister has observed, The attack of the year 1026 and the numerous assaults that followed thereafter could not shake our eternal faith. On the contrary, these attacks strengthened the sentiment of Indias cultural unity, and the Somnath Temple was repeatedly revived and rebuilt." Yet while Somnath stands as a powerful symbol of Hindu civilisational reclamation, no civilisation can truly heal if its wounds are neither acknowledged nor discussed openly, and certainly not if every inquiry into Hindu history is reflexively branded communal". The deeper problem lies in the unresolved relationship between Islamic orthodoxy and Hindu sacred geography. Across India, any demand to reclaim Hindu places of worship is summarily rejected. Even the act of stating well-established historical facts, such as temple destruction, is increasingly framed as Islamophobia. The disputes around Kashi and Mathura illustrate this impasse. Muslim groups invoke perpetual victimhood even when confronted with documented history and constitutionally framed Hindu claims seeking redress for historical wrongs. Public reconciliation remains absent, and broader Muslim society offers little visible engagement with these questions. This sustained refusal to confront the past hardens attitudes at a community level and blurs the distinction between Indian Islam as a lived faith and political Islam as an ideological posture. When acknowledgement is absent, grievance festers. History shows there is another path. South Africa, confronting the legacy of apartheid, institutionalised truth-telling through its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, not to reopen wounds but to allow genuine closure. India has never attempted such an exercise. It is a missed opportunity. A nation cannot aspire to inclusiveness while selectively denying its own past. From Somnath to Kashi, reconciliation cannot be demanded from only one side. Until history is confronted honestly, closure will remain incomplete. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 20:13 IST News opinion Opinion | Somnath And The Unfinished Reckoning Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: ua.depositphotos.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with British Defense Minister John Healey in Kyiv. "We are starting a new page in our relations after a 100-year agreement. And I think that the latest decision in London on the joint production of drones is a very strong decision. Thank you for this cooperation. We look forward to continuing these steps," Zelenskyy said during the meeting. The President also noted that the decision on air defense is extremely important, and he would like to discuss this during a conversation with the minister after the Russian night attack. "I think you know all the details of this brutal attack during all these negotiations, all these future peace talks, all these conversations and decisions on security guarantees and meetings not only with the Europeans, but also with the American delegation in Europe," Zelenskyy added. He noted that during this time, Russia is attacking Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure a lot, "so the decision on how to strengthen our defense is very important." Opinion | Trump Ends US Pretence; Now UN Must Dissolve Written By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:18 IST The United States hasnt quite cared for a Security Council consensus whenever it wanted to wage a war; its current president is merely brazening it out Rapid Read US President Donald Trump justified the Venezuela operation by invoking the Monroe Doctrine. (AFP photo) Formed after the First World War, the League of Nations was disbanded because it failed to prevent the Second World War, demonstrating its inability to enforce collective security against aggression from powers like Japan, Germany, and Italy, exacerbated by the United States never joining and major nations leaving, leading to its formal dissolution in 1946 and paving the way for the United Nations. Now, the UN has demonstrably failed too. For decades, political observers have noted, and books on international relations have posited that the US does not care to ask the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council whether the situation in another sovereign country calls for a joint intervention by the top five. The Americans have gone ahead regardless: the First Gulf War, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, etc. In the last instance, the US went ahead on the false pretext of weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein never had. But now it is no longer a theory or an experts opinion that the UNSC is useless. US President Donald Trump almost said it and also showed the world why and how. When the US president ordered the invasion of Venezuela and abduction of Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on 3 January, and blocked an oil-laden vessel whose passage to Russia had already been authorised, he and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that they did it because they could, implying Russia wouldnt dare use its submarine in the vicinity. The same day, the president pooh-poohed his allies military power, writing on Truth Social, Russia and China have zero fear of NATO without the United States," also mocking Europes 2 per cent GDP growth. Trumps candour and rudeness apart, however, he did nothing his predecessors hadnt. Of course, the UN does a whole lot of valuable things for humanity, ranging from looking after children through UNICEF to preserving world heritage through UNESCO, from settling trade disputes via WTO to ensuring labour rights using the ILO, from helping financially distressed countries through the IMF and World Bank to caring for peoples health through WHO, but none of these was its primary responsibility. Stopping wars was, and it has failed spectacularly in this job. While no country will dare take on the might of the US military at the moment, Trumps in-your-face action has legitimised Chinas designs on Taiwan. As the US is busy on its southern coast, Beijing might well seize the opportunity, on the lines of its opportunistic invasion of India in 1962, in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis. The partial truth of Russian aggression, based on which NATO threw its weight behind Ukraine, crumbles as well, because, as per the US, if a country as much as perceives a threat from a neighbour, it holds the right to attack that country. On a lighter note, India may reclaim Akhand Bharat, ranging from Iran to its west to Cambodia to its east, citing the expanse of its ancient civilisation! China may likewise get back 14.7 million sq km of the Middle Kingdom that it had under the Qing dynasty. The 300-year-old country of White land grabbers cannot cry expansionism", as it had annexed Mexican territories of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, parts of Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and sections of Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma through the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) and the Gadsden Purchase (1854)! In such a free-for-all scenario, how is the UN supposed to discharge its fundamental duty? It cannot because right during the inception of the world body, a foundational provision rendered it partial to the US. Washington is the largest financial contributor to the UN, providing billions annually through mandatory assessed contributions and significant voluntary funding for specific programmes. In 2023, the total US funding was around $13 billion, covering assessed portions for the regular budget (around 22 per cent) and peacekeeping (capped at 25 per cent) and substantial voluntary aid for UN agencies. The US contribution was 39 per cent of the UNs needs in the late 1940s. Not only did the indebted UK and France not protest, but the rising powers of Russia and China also did not put their foot down. Further, with the exception of Geneva in Switzerland, a non-military entity housing the headquarters of the WHO, ILO, WTO, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR and UNAIDS, the maximum concentration of UN agencies top offices main UN headquarters, UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, UNDP is in the US. If that does not skew the international mediator enough in favour of the US, the strength of the European military certainly does. In the eight decades following the end of the Second World War, the war machines of tiny European countries have remained a joke. Trumps Truth Social post was actually a boorish but truthful reminder of that. The last world wars European belligerents Britain, Germany, France and Italy are still good in numbers. With an approximate budget of $71.5 billion, the 6th-ranked UK military comprises roughly 1,44,400 personnel on active-duty, tending to fall to 68,000-70,000 this year. Britain maintains a sea-based nuclear deterrent and a modern Royal Navy featuring two aircraft carriers, with an air power of roughly 900 aircraft, featuring the Typhoon and American F-35Bs. The 7th-ranked France, with a budget of approximately $63.7 billion, has about 2,00,000 to 2,70,000 active personnel, an independent nuclear triad, Rafale fighter jets, and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, with 1,055 aircraft. Ranked 20, Germany has a defence budget projected at 108.2 billion (~$127 billion) for this year, 1,84,324 active-duty personnel, the Eurofighter Typhoon and a formidable tank fleet, with plans to expand its Leopard tank and armoured vehicle inventory. Globally ranked 10th, Italys military rides on $30 billion, with roughly 1,65,500 active-duty personnel, two aircraft carriers (Cavour and Garibaldi), over 600 aircraft, and 180 naval vessels. But none of the top four would normally fire a bullet without a nod from Uncle Sam. In contrast, 2nd-ranked Russia possesses significant military strength and a massive nuclear arsenal (5,580 to 5,900 nuclear warheads, the largest in the world), powered by the nuclear triad comprising land-based ICBMs (RS-28 Sarmat and RS-24 Yars, for example), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (Borei-class submarines) and strategic bombers (Tu-160 and Tu-95MS). Moscow has 3.57 million personnel, plus 2 million trained reservists, between 5,750 and 12,420 tanks and over 14,500 towed and self-propelled artillery holdings, and 4,292 aircraft, including the Su-57 (5th-generation stealth), Su-35S, and Su-34 fighter-bombers, and naval assets like 419 to 800 total vessels, including a highly lethal undersea force of over 58 submarines (nuclear and diesel-electric) and surface combatants like the Gorshkov-class frigates, with hypersonic missiles Kinzhal, Zircon and Avangard systems, for example. When Trump mocked the European handicap without Washingtons help, he had a solid reason. Russian military power is surpassed only by the American. Funded by $901 billion as of now, the US has approximately 1.33 million active-duty troops with roughly 8,00,000 personnel across all branches. It maintains a sophisticated nuclear triad designed for deterrence and rapid response, with a nuclear stockpile comprising about 5,177 warheads, with roughly 1,770 already deployed. It has delivery systems like 400 Minuteman III ICBMs, 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, and a fleet of strategic bombers like the B-52H and B-2 Spirit. The US operates over 13,000 aircraft across its Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines. Roughly 1,271 combat-coded fighter jets, including the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, and the new F-15EX Eagle II, are matched by a plan for 287 ships this year, with 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (Nimitz and Gerald R Ford classes), and around 68 submarines, all of which are nuclear-powered, including Virginia-class attack submarines. Most crucially, the US maintains more than 750 military bases in approximately 80 countries, enabling a maximum of a 24-minute response time to contingencies anywhere in the world. While Russias conventional military is no match for the USs, the Russians have historically refused to be browbeaten by the Americans. Recall the standoff at Pristina International Airport in Kosovo on 11-12 June 1999, at the end of NATOs air campaign against Yugoslavia. About 200 Russian paratroopers (part of a peacekeeping contingent in Bosnia) made a surprise dash to seize the airport ahead of incoming NATO troops, primarily because Russia felt excluded from the peace negotiations and decision-making process essentially an issue of national pride and influence. Thanks to the mutually assured destruction by nuclear weapons that can annihilate the whole world, there will perhaps never be a US-Russia war, not to mention China, which would not like to imperil its economy that can overtake the USs in less than three more decades. Yet, Trump has provoked both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Once again, the UN can do little to defuse the tension besides making Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warn: 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." Such verbal deploration is now meaningless. They have been issued dime-a-dozen since the US decided to accord itself the status of the international police. At the time of the announcement of the Monroe Doctrine (1823), when the US had declared the western hemisphere as its domain, the world might have wondered what gave the Americans such ownership of half the world. But there was neither the League of Nations nor the UN in the 19th century. How is it different now that the world has had the UN for 80 years? Even before the Trump Corollary, there was the Roosevelt Corollary (1904), and then, the US began asserting dominance against any external interference (not just Europe). As Putin reacted to the US hegemony, he rightly pointed out that Yugoslavia was not even a part of the western hemisphere and yet, the Americans messed with it at will. With the UN and without it, the world hardly sees a difference. The Third World War is still not happening anytime soon, but this guarantee will end the day the US loses its No 1 position. Empires rise and fall. Greeks did. Romans did. Closer in history, the sun set on the British Empire with the end of the Second World War. How long will the post-1945 phenomenon of US domination last? I foresee the 1789-born amalgamated nations decline, beginning in 2050. Maybe Trump has brought the doomsday ahead by 5 years! What if the then most powerful countries begin exacting revenge on the US? Like the US doesnt rely on diplomatic pressure, legal challenges at the International Court of Justice, or economic countermeasures (like OPEC oil manoeuvres) as more rational, peaceful and globally acceptable paths, once it has decided it will invade a country, those countries wont while invading the US either. If the UN survives to see the day, it will be as inefficacious as it is today. If dissolving the UN is too shocking an idea, let all its agencies become independent, not tethered to one feel-good behemoth. The author is a senior journalist and writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:18 IST News opinion Opinion | Trump Ends US Pretence; Now UN Must Dissolve Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 11:37 IST The 2026 New Delhi World Book Fair is more than a marketplace for books; its a celebration of knowledge, culture, and community. 1 / 10 This years fair pays tribute to Indian Military History, celebrating courage, sacrifice, and wisdom. Expect books, exhibitions, and discussions that highlight the armed forces role in shaping Indias identity. (Image: Instagram) 2 / 10 Running from January 10 to 18, 2026, the fair offers ample time for readers, students, and families to explore thousands of stalls, attend cultural programs, and engage in discussions. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 10 The fair returns to the modern halls of Bharat Mandapam (Halls 2-6), offering world-class infrastructure and accessibility. The venue has hosted major international events, making it ideal for a global literary gathering. (Image: Instagram) 4 / 10 The New Delhi World Book Fair is recognized as the largest business-to-consumer book fair globally, bringing together readers, writers, publishers, and policymakers under one roof. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 10 With 1,000+ publishers and 3,000 stalls, the fair caters to every kind of reader, from academic scholars to casual book lovers. International publishers also participate, adding a global flavor. (Image: Instagram) 6 / 10 A highlight of 2026 is the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital library offering 6,000 free eBooks. This initiative integrates physical browsing with digital innovation, ensuring access to literature for all. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 10 Expect book launches, panel discussions, author meet-and-greets, storytelling sessions, and cultural performances. The fair is not just about books, its a festival of ideas and creativity. (Image: Instagram) 8 / 10 Unlike many global fairs, the New Delhi World Book Fair offers free entry, making it accessible to students, families, and book lovers from all walks of life. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 10 The fair runs 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily, giving visitors plenty of time to browse, attend sessions, and enjoy cultural programs. (Image: Instagram) Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 14:54 IST 1 / 10 Ever since reports of Tara Sutaria and Veer Pahariyas breakup surfaced online, speculation has refused to die down. The timing raised eyebrows as reports of them parting ways from each other comes just days after Taras viral moment with AP Dhillon at his Mumbai concert. While neither Tara nor Veer has confirmed the split, many are now asking if the concert controversy played a role. 2 / 10 The breakup chatter gained momentum despite Tara previously shutting down negativity around her relationship. Reports claim the couple quietly parted ways. With no official statements, the silence has only added fuel to the theories. At the centre of it all remains the AP DhillonTara SutariaVeer Pahariya kiss row. ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 10 The incident dates back to December 26, 2025 when Tara joined AP Dhillon on stage during his Mumbai concert. A hug and a cheek kiss during their performance, caught on camera, quickly went viral on social media. The selectively edited videos also captured Veers reaction who was present in the audience. Many assumed he was uncomfortable watching Tara and AP Dhillon on stage. 4 / 10 As trolling intensified, Tara took a firm stand against the controversy. She exposed the backlash as a paid PR campaign, alleging that edited videos were being used to target her and AP Dhillon. Tara revealed that influencers were allegedly offered Rs 6,000 to post derogatory content calling her a gold digger and questioning her character. She labelled the campaign shameful. ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 10 Despite the noise, Tara chose not to directly address breakup rumours. Instead, she continued sharing positive posts about music, friendships and work. Notably, she did not distance herself from AP Dhillon and even tagged him positively as netizens debated fault post-breakup. Instead, Taras account consistently frames the fiasco as external sabotage rather than any wrongdoing by AP Dhillon. 6 / 10 As for Veer Pahariya, the actor initially stood by Tara during the backlash. He shared unedited clips from the concert showing him enjoying the performance and even countered claims of discomfort saying Truth always wins. Since the breakup reports emerged, Veer has remained silent. The two still follow each other on Instagram, with no posts deleted so far. ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 10 AP Dhillon, meanwhile, has stayed largely detached from the drama. He reacted lightly to Taras PR exposure post with a laughing emoji. Beyond that, he has issued no statements addressing the controversy or breakup rumours. It seems his focus remain firmly on his music and career. 8 / 10 Following the reported split, netizens began debating who was responsible. While some blamed the concert moment, others were quick to highlight how Tara and Veer had publicly dismissed the narratives. No confirmed report links AP Dhillon to the breakup though. The sequence can only be referred to as the result of the pressure from viral outrage instead of a single incident. ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 10 While some continue to question whether the fiasco was staged, no credible evidence suggesting the orchestrated relationship, the controversy or the breakup surfaced online. The couples earlier PDA and united front indicate authenticity. The chaos appears to stem from anonymous PR tactics. Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:52 IST 1 / 11 A clerical confusion between USD and Indian Rupee has landed Kerala University's Centre for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at the centre of a major controversy. The case is about the alleged financial irregularities in connection with the remuneration paid to a Brazil-based journalist for delivering four online lectures conducted about three years ago. 2 / 11 The CLAS had organised a two-week summer school programme between May 15 and May 27 in 2023. This was for both the undergraduate and postgraduate students from various colleges and departments of different universities, according to The Hindu. For the same, the educational institution roped in a foreign journalist to give four online lectures, with an intended fee of Rs 20,000. ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 11 After the programme, CLAS Director Girish Kumar R. is said to have requested a branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) to transfer an amount, equivalent to Rs 20,000, in US dollars to the journalist. The amount was paid from the centre's account as honorarium. 4 / 11 As per a report in The Times of India, a bank clerk swapped with $ while transferring the said amount to the journalist. This means that the person received $20,000 and not Rs 20,000. Ultimately, the error left the university with a loss of Rs 16.5 lakh. ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 11 The funds were apparently transferred to the designated account of Kathleen Matinic, the wife of guest lecturer Milan Sime Martinic. As per officials, the mistake took place at the bank's Tejaswini branch in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. 6 / 11 The remuneration was paid to Martinic on June 15, 2023. On its behalf, the centre informed the university of the loss in 2024. Thereafter, authorities got in touch with the guest lecturer, who promised to return the excess amount to the institution. However, the money was never received by the university, even though he claimed to have repaid it. ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 11 A few months later, Martinic passed away. This further diminished the chances of getting back the excess amount. SBI, which has acknowledged its mistake in an official communication, had initially made a remittance of $20,000 to the Bank of America, The Hindu reported. It has now stated that the bank is unable to recall the excess money despite making repeated requests. 8 / 11 The bank has requested the centre to get in touch with the beneficiary to seek a refund. Further, it is said to have pledged to recover the amount from its officials involved in the matter. Meanwhile, a sub-committee was constituted by the Syndicate to examine the matter. It later exempted the centre's director from any disciplinary proceedings. ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 11 Mohanan Kunnummal, Vice-Chancellor in charge, has rejected the recommendation of the subcommittee. Further, the official has directed that those responsible for the loss should be identified. He has even called for legal actions to recover the entire amount. 10 / 11 The CLAS Director has rejected any foul play in the matter and said that the wrong amount was transferred to the Brazilian journalist due to a serious lapse on the part of the bank. The matter was brought to the attention of the university authorities, and legal action is being pursued over the incident. ADVERTISEMENT BJP Flags Pakistan's 'Mosque Demolition' Misinfo, Takes 'Rawalpindi Alliance' Jibe At Opposition Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 09:08 IST Delhi government ministers and police officials have repeatedly clarified that the mosque itself was untouched and stands with full respect. Shehzad Poonawalla has hit out at those claiming the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque has been demolished. (Image: PTI) In the midst of a controversy over a demolition drive near the historic Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in Delhis Turkman Gate area, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly rebutted the Opposition and critics who alleged that the mosque itself had been demolished. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, posting a video of Pakistans Foreign Ministry spokesperson claiming the same, has hit out at the Opposition, calling the INDI alliance Rawalpindi alliance" after the Opposition made the same claims. Poonawalla categorically rejected the allegations, calling them fakery, propaganda and incitement" and asserting that no damage whatsoever was caused to the mosque, contrary to what critics alleged. The controversy stems from a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) drive, directed by the Delhi High Court, to remove unauthorised commercial structures such as a diagnostic center and wedding hall adjacent to the mosque. Delhi government ministers and police officials have repeatedly clarified that the mosque itself was untouched and stands with full respect. The Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque is intact. There was no damage to the religious structure," Delhi Minister Ashish Sood told reporters. Speaking to the media, Poonawalla said it was now clear as daylight" that a false narrative was deliberately peddled to portray a lawful anti-encroachment action as an attack on a religious structure. The entire fakery and propaganda that was being spread that the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque was demolished or that Muslims were being targeted stands completely exposed," he said, emphasising that only illegal encroachments were removed under court orders. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata hai?Pakistan amplifies fakery by ecosystem on Delhi Demolition drive.. Pakistan uses the same narrative Muslims being targeted" as used by SP, Cong , TMC etc Co incidence ? NoPlanned strategy ? Perhaps Its not INDI alliance it is Rawalpindi alliance pic.twitter.com/YIVEC4QcpS Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) January 9, 2026 Poonawalla alleged that the misinformation campaign was not accidental but orchestrated. He claimed the narrative was picked up and lapped up by Pakistan," raising questions about its origin. Now it seems the direction and the script came from somewhere else, and the opposition was merely narrating that script," he said, adding that the sur and taal" or coordination between Pakistan and opposition leaders was evident. Drawing parallels with previous national security issues, Poonawalla said this alignment had been witnessed earlier as well. This is not the first time the sur and taal has matched be it the abrogation of Article 370, the CAA, surgical strikes or the Balakot airstrikes. Every time, the oppositions narrative and Pakistans propaganda sound the same," he remarked. Taking a swipe, the BJP spokesperson said some leaders appear to believe that LoP does not mean Leader of Opposition, but Leader of Propaganda for Pakistan." According to him, opposition parties spread misinformation domestically, which is then amplified by Pakistan to push claims of Islamophobia in India" on international platforms. Poonawalla further accused parties including the Congress, TMC, Left and Samajwadi Party of ignoring clear court directives and instead fuelling unrest. He alleged that provocations were encouraged, stone-pelting incidents were shielded, and falsehoods were deliberately amplified. Now that same propaganda has found a platform in Pakistan," he said. Escalating his attack, Poonawalla remarked that the Congress should be renamed the Islamabad National Congress," alleging links with Pakistans power centres. This is not the INDIA alliance, this is the Rawalpindi alliance," he said, reiterating BJPs claim that the opposition is undermining Indias image using false narratives. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 09:08 IST News politics BJP Flags Pakistan's 'Mosque Demolition' Misinfo, Takes 'Rawalpindi Alliance' Jibe At Opposition Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... ED Row Sparks Return Of Mamata In OG Street Fighter Avatar, BJP Says It 'Won't Save Her This Time' Last Updated: January 10, 2026, 03:40 IST Throughout her political career, Mamata Banerjee has often taken actions criticised as improper or confrontational, yet many of these moves have yielded political dividends TMC leaders maintain that Banerjee is back in her old form. File Image Mamata Banerjee has long been known for her street-fighter style of politics. While her decision to enter the site of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid has raised legal questions about the propriety of such an act, politically, this approach has often worked in her favour. As the West Bengal Chief Minister announced that she would take to the streets in protest against what she described as the misuse of central agencies, her speech at a rally signalled a shift to an aggressive election posture. Mamata Banerjee herself framed the moment in combative terms, saying, An injured tiger is more dangerous than a healthy tiger." The ED has already approached the courts, seeking a CBI investigation into the role of the West Bengal Chief Minister, senior police officials, and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata against political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director on Thursday. Experts have questioned the legality of her actions during the ED episode. However, politically, Banerjee appeared determined to reassert her image as a street fighter. Addressing supporters, she said, If no one attacks me, I fall asleep and listen to the legends of Ramakrishna or Krishna. If I am attacked, I find new life. Yesterday, I felt alive again." The statement underlined her readiness for a direct confrontation with the ED and her effort to build a narrative of political vendetta against the Trinamool Congress (TMC). On several occasions following her recent 7-kilometre walk, Banerjee reiterated that any attack would be met with a counterattack. She has accused the ED of acting as a political tool of the BJP to steal" her partys internal strategy ahead of the assembly elections expected soon. Fridays rally, in effect, functioned as an early election campaign event. Throughout her political career, Banerjee has often taken actions criticised as improper or confrontational, yet many of these moves have yielded political dividends. In 2006, after being prevented from entering Singur, she entered the West Bengal assembly, an episode that saw vandalism by party workers and drew sharp criticism. However, among Singurs farmers, the incident elevated her stature. Similarly, in 2021, when TMC leaders Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee were arrested by central agencies, Banerjee staged a dharna in their support. In 2019, Mamata sat on a dharna for IPS officer Rajeev Kumar as Cthe BI came to question him. Her recent actions also carried a message for party leaders and workers: if the BJP comes to power, resistance is necessary, and if the Chief Minister herself can confront central agencies, others should not hesitate to do so. Reacting to Banerjees renewed activism, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said, No matter how many kilometres she walks, people have seen how far Mamata Banerjee can fall morally. No walk will save her this time." TMC leaders maintain that Banerjee is back in her old form. Whether this return to street politics will translate into an expansion of the partys vote base remains an open question as the election season approaches. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 10, 2026, 03:40 IST News politics ED Row Sparks Return Of Mamata In OG Street Fighter Avatar, BJP Says It 'Won't Save Her This Time' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Did No Wrong, Acted As TMC Head: Mamata Rallies Against ED, Says I-PAC Attack Feels Like Rebirth Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 19:52 IST "If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated and reborn," says defiant Mamata Banerjee during her rally on ED's I-PAC raids Rapid Read West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee leads a protest march in Kolkata on Friday. (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate versus West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee clash over the raids on the TMCs strategist I-PAC intensified further on Friday, with Banerjee holding a protest rally in Kolkata and questioning the detention of TMC leaders and ED action. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meanwhile accused her of corruption. I-PAC has been providing political consultancy to the TMC and the state government since 2021. The ED on Thursday searched the Salt Lake office of I-PAC and its founder and one of the directors Pratik Jain as part of an alleged coal scam-linked money laundering case. Some other locations in Bengal and Delhi were also raided. The ED alleged that Banerjee entered Jains residence on Loudon Road in Kolkata during the raids and took away key evidence" and followed the same action at the I-PAC office. The ED claimed in the petition that around Rs 20 crore of hawala funds, generated from alleged coal pilferage in West Bengal, found its way to I-PAC and were even allegedly used in the Goa elections. MAMATA REMAINS DEFIANT Banerjee on Friday walked from Kolkatas Jadavpur to Hazra crossing to protest against the raids. She accused the ED of acting as a political tool of the BJP to steal" her partys internal strategy, asserting that she did nothing wrong in reaching the premises linked to I-PAC during the central agencys raids a day ago. Addressing a rally here after a massive 10-km-long protest march, Banerjee said she had intervened at the raid site purely in her capacity as the chairperson of the Trinamool Congress and not as the CM. What I did yesterday, I did as the TMC chairperson. I have done nothing illegal," she said, referring to her unexpected arrival at the venue of EDs searches at I-PAC offices and the residence of its India head Pratik Jain. I have done no wrong . Why did you come to do chori? You were stealing my data from my office. I-PAC is an authorised office I called Pratik Jain, he did not take call. Then I felt that they must be taking my party documents. I have all those pen drives, if necessary, I will open all those," Banerjee said. Banerjee alleged that the agency entered the premises early in the morning and that by the time she reached, a lot could have already been taken away". You entered at 6 am; I went at 11.45 am. By then, many things might have been stolen," Banerjee said, accusing the ED of attempting to access her partys strategic data ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Escalating her confrontation with the Centre, Banerjee claimed that all agencies have been captured" and accused the BJP of forcibly occupying power in several states. You captured Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar by force. Do you think you can capture Bengal too?" she asked, adding that any political attack only strengthens her resolve. If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated and reborn," she said. The chief minister also trained her guns on the Election Commission, alleging that the BJP had stolen" the mandate in Maharashtra with the poll panels help and was now attempting to replicate it in Bengal through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by deleting genuine voters names. She announced that her partys next destination" would be the Election Commission in New Delhi to oppose what she called harassment of voters during SIR. Earlier in the day, several TMC MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shahs office against the ED raid. In a post on X, CM Banerjee wrote, I strongly condemn the shameful and unacceptable treatment meted out to our Members of Parliament. Dragging elected representatives on the streets for exercising their democratic right to protest outside the Home Ministers office is not law enforcement it is arrogance in uniform. This is a democracy, not the BJPs private property. Democracy does not function on the convenience or comfort of those in power. When BJP leaders protest, they expect red carpets and special privileges. When opposition MPs raise their voices, they are dragged, detained, and humiliated. This double standard exposes the BJPs idea of democracy obedience, not dissent." TMC MP Mahuta Moitra said,"This morning, eight of us MPs came, and we were protesting outside the Home Ministry. We were peacefully protesting, and you saw how they picked us up, dragged us, and brought us here." TMC VS ED: WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT? The ED approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the role of Banerjee, senior police officials and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata against I-PAC and its director. The TMC, too, on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court against the ED raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief here, seeking restraint on misuse and dissemination" of documents seized during the search operations. ALSO READ | Rs 20 Crore Travelled From Kolkata To Goa: How Coal Scam Trail Led ED To I-PAC | Exclusive The Calcutta High Court judge Suvra Ghosh, hearing various petitions on the issue, left the courtroom, citing excessive crowding. As the high court will not be functioning over the weekend, the case will now be taken up only on Wednesday. THE POLITICAL WAR OF WORDS The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday condemned Banerjees conduct during the ED raids at a private consultancy firm, alleging her actions showed she was trying to rescue something sensitive" implicating her and her party in the money laundering case linked to the alleged coal smuggling. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said she should be made an accused for intimidating Enforcement Directorate officials investigating the case and snatching away" documents from them during the raids. There are a lot of suspicious circumstances surrounding the barbaric action of Mamata Benerjee," the former Union minister said, adding, She knows the norms of governance while being a sitting chief minister for 14 years. She has also served as a Union minister in the pastThis means she was trying to rescue something sensitive implicating her and her partyWhat else could be inferred? What was her fear?" West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Friday strongly criticised Banerjees reaction to the ED raid. It is a completely criminal offence. The CMs action is a direct attack on the Constitution." West Bengal BJP President and MP Samik Bhattacharya slammed Banerjee. Can any Chief Minister who has taken the oath of the Constitution do such a thing? Has anyone ever seen such a sight in India? The Chief Minister of a state, where a raid is going on, and she comes to steal files. They are snatching files from government officials," he said. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose flagged legal and constitutional repercussions. Legal views were brought to my notice. First, preventing a public servant from the due discharge of his public functions is an offence under the BNS, punishable with imprisonment, a fine, or both. Second, intimidating or threatening a public servant from performing their duties is a graver offence, punishable with 2 years imprisonment and a fine, or both. The third issue is Constitutional and serious," CV Ananda Bose said. A constitutional functionary is expected to facilitate implementation of the Constitution. The CM is a Constitutional authority. By doing this act, as they claim, she has violated the Constitutional rights to continue as the CM. I am keeping my ears and eyes open," he added. TMCs Mahua Moitra alleged that the Enforcement Directorate was committing robbery" at the I-PAC office, where all of the TMCs data related to elections was present, and justified Banerjees actions to protect that data. Moitra questioned the timing of the EDs raid at the I-PAC office in connection with a seven-year-old" alleged coal scam, and said that they were aware that TMC election information is available at that office. ED is not carrying out the investigation, but is illegally stealing. The ED is not taking any action because if there was a seven-year-old coal scam, it suddenly woke up, a month before the Bengal elections, and they remembered the idea of taking action, and where did they go to take action? I-PAC is not a hidden organisation. Everyone in India knows that I-PAC is an election strategist, an election consultant," she said. Theyve been working with the Trinamool Congress not just from today, but for the last seven or eight years, and all our services, all our candidate lists, all our election information is with I-PAC because thats what they do. They raided their office. We would say it wasnt a raid; the ED committed a robbery, and they were taking all our information, and its our duty, its our partys duty to protect that information, and thats where Mamata Banerjee, the lioness, went. Only Mamata Banerjee can stop them like this," she added. With Agency Inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 17:54 IST News politics Did No Wrong, Acted As TMC Head: Mamata Rallies Against ED, Says I-PAC Attack Feels Like Rebirth Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... After Sexualised Deepfake Backlash, Grok Restricts NSFW Image Tools For Free Users; Europe Unhappy Curated By : GaneshaGrace Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 19:56 IST Grok was still granting image requests but only from the premium subscriber who pay $8 a month for features including higher usage limits for the chatbot. A representative image for Grok (AP) In a major update, Elon Musks AI chatbot, Grok, is now preventing non-subscribers from generating or editing images. The move comes after Grok faced global backlash over sexualised deepfakes of people. However, authorities in Europe are not satisfied with the change. As per a report by AP, Grok is now responding to the image-altering requests with the message: Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features." The chatbot, accessible via Musks social media platform X, recently allowed users to make malicious requests to alter images, including placing women in bikinis or explicit poses. This update faced global outrage. Alarmingly, some altered images reportedly depicted children, prompting worldwide condemnation and investigations into the platform. Governments reacted strongly, with the European Union labelling Groks actions as illegal" and appalling," and officials in countries such as France, India, Malaysia, and Brazil calling for thorough probes. Leaders and authorities in Europe are unsatisfied with the update as paying subscribers can still use the image generation feature. This doesnt change our fundamental issue. Paid subscription or non-paid subscription, we dont want to see such images. Its as simple as that," Thomas Regnier, a spokesman for the European Unions executive Commission, was quoted as saying by AP. On Thursday, Britains Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, threatened unspecified action against X. This is disgraceful. Its disgusting. And its not to be tolerated," Starmer said on Greatest Hits radio. X has got to get a grip of this." He said media regulator Ofcom has our full support to take action" and that all options" are on the table. Its disgusting. X needs to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because its simply not tolerable." Ofcom and Britains privacy regulator both said this week theyve contacted X and Musks artificial intelligence company, xAI, for information on measures theyve taken to comply with British regulations. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: January 09, 2026, 19:56 IST News tech After Sexualised Deepfake Backlash, Grok Restricts NSFW Image Tools For Free Users; Europe Unhappy Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Infinix Will Launch Note 60 Series With iPhone-Like Satellite Tech This Year Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:25 IST Infinix is probably a surprising name in the satellite tech conversation and it has showcased the feature this week. Infinix is going to bring this Apple-like feature to more users Infinix is the latest and probably a surprising name to bring satellite-based communication support for its mobile devices. The company has confirmed the news at this weeks CES 2026 event in Las Vegas and shared the details about how this iPhone-like feature will be offered to the consumers. Infinix has talked about its satellite feature for messages and calls that will be always-on and help you stay connected when you head out of the network zone. The new feature will be launching with the Infinix Note 60 series later this year. iPhone-Like Satellite Tech For More Users Infinix is one of the few brands that could democratise the premium satellite feature which has mostly been talked about for giants like Apple, Samsung and Huawei. The Infinix Note 60 series is likely to be a mid-range device and making this feature accessible to more users is similar to how the brand introduced MagSafe-like charging for its earlier Note models. Infinix says its tech is built on a unified communication system, which will make it easy to switch between mobile and satellite systems, and doesnt need any registration. The phone will allow people to make and even receive calls or send messages where they have zero mobile coverage. The company has not talked about the satellite service provider which might still be up for discussion with various companies. Apple has used Globalstar for its own SOS feature since the iPhone 14 launch in the US market. We are eager to see how Infinix pulls this one off and going by its other recent features, this should show more people about the use of the satellite tech, especially when the likes of Starlink are close to launching in markets like India later this year. Having said that this is still a novelty feature that most people might not even sign up for but Infinix can definitely make a shout for bringing it to more users before any other major brand. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:25 IST News tech Infinix Will Launch Note 60 Series With iPhone-Like Satellite Tech This Year Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Italian Woman, In Bengaluru With Her Boyfriend, Shares Honest Review: I Got Scammed, Hotel Area Was Scary Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 10:49 IST An Italian woman shared her honest review of Bengaluru after flying solo to visit her boyfriend, talking about the food, sightseeing and a hotel mishap. Despite a bad hotel stay, her Bengaluru visit made her want to come back. (Photo Credits: Reddit) A woman from Italy recently travelled alone to Bengaluru for the first time to meet her boyfriend. After returning home, she shared a detailed post online about her experience in the city, talking openly about what she enjoyed and what did not go well. She explained that the trip was special because it involved travelling a long distance and adjusting to a new culture. While the journey had its challenges, she said it gave her memories she would always value. She Thanked People Who Helped Her Plan The woman said she had earlier asked online for travel tips before flying to Bengaluru. After returning, she wanted to give an update and thank those who had guided her. Months ago, I made a post asking for some tips and locations to visit because I was planning on flying to Bengaluru to visit my boyfriend there. I wanted to give a little update and share my experience, but most of all, Id like to thank everyone who shared their thoughts and gave me advice," she wrote on Reddit. She Opened Up About Travel Worries She shared that this was her first solo trip and admitted she was nervous. The long journey and cultural differences made her anxious. To feel safer, she booked her stay through a travel agency instead of planning everything on her own. However, she said the decision did not turn out well. It was my first ever trip alone, so I was pretty worried, especially because of the huge distance and cultural change. I was going to book everything by myself but then I decided to entrust myself to an agency and I got slightly scammed" She explained that the hotel was in an area that felt unsafe. Even her boyfriend, who knows the city well, was careful when picking her up. She Shared What She Loved About Bengaluru Despite the stay issue, she had many good things to say about the city. But aside from that: the food was DELICIOUS!" she wrote. She enjoyed visiting Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, and said MG Road was nice but too crowded for her taste. She also liked the temples, shopping streets, and malls, calling them beautiful. She added that the most special moment was visiting her boyfriends home and spending time with his family. It was honestly an interesting city to explore and Im thinking of visiting again, and I hope it will be soon!" she said while wrapping up her post. Social Media Reacts To Her Post The post quickly gained attention, receiving over 100 upvotes and many comments. A user wrote, You came all the way from Italy to Namma Bengaluru! Hope you enjoyed your time here and wish you guys a happy relationship." Another asked how she met her boyfriend. She replied, Nah. We started knowing each other when I was studying English in Dublin. After a few months, we got together, and now its been two years! Long distance is hard." An individual also asked about shopping. She responded, Oh my bf got me a kurti! I was so happy, the colour is lovely, and I think it suits me I also bought Parle-G and some other snacks haha." Italian Woman Praises Bengalurus Safety After Helmet Stays Untouched An Italian woman living in Bengaluru shared a video online after realising she had left her helmet on her parked scooter while shopping. Worried it might be stolen, she returned to find it exactly where she left it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Serena Speaks a lot | Italian in India (@serenaspeaksalot) In Italy, it wouldnt last 2 minutes," she said in the clip, highlighting her surprise at how safe her belongings felt in the city. The video, posted on Instagram, showed her relief and led her to caption that one of the perks of living in India" is not having to worry about personal items. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 10:48 IST News viral Italian Woman, In Bengaluru With Her Boyfriend, Shares Honest Review: I Got Scammed, Hotel Area Was Scary Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Kyiv local authorities should organize the placement of families with children and people who need additional assistance in the premises of social facilities provided with heat supply, former Member of Parliament, member of the Supervisory Board of the We Build Ukraine analytical center, Victoria Voytsitska has said. "There are schools and other social facilities where individual heat points/boiler rooms operate, the work of which does not depend on centralized heat supply. I believe that local authorities, in coordination with the central government and our partners, should urgently organize the placement of families with children and people who need additional assistance in premises where heat will be provided," Voytsitska wrote on Facebook on Friday. She noted that such a step is necessary in view of the drain of water from house heating systems due to the danger of destruction of the centralized heat supply infrastructure. Maria Berlinska, director of the Air Intelligence Support Center, expressed a similar opinion. She noted that the inviolability points are not designed for mass and long-term stay of people. "I hope that local and central authorities, together with partners, will be able to immediately organize the placement of families with children and people in need of help in warm rooms. This is not about comfort. This is about survival," she wrote on her Facebook page. As reported, the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) explained that draining water from house heating systems is a mandatory technical action and does not mean a long-term lack of heat. Tamil Nadu Woman Orders Rat Poison At Night, Blinkit Delivery Agent Senses Danger; Heres What Happened Next Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:26 IST The Blinkit rider received an order for three packets of rat poison, but when the woman opened the door in tears, he sensed something was wrong. The woman denied any ill intent, but the Blinkit rider trusted his instincts. (Photo Credits: Instagram) A Blinkit delivery rider in Tamil Nadu became a real-life hero without ever intending to be one. What started as a routine delivery soon turned into a life-saving moment. The rider received an order for three packets of rat poison and proceeded to the given address. However, upon reaching the house, he sensed that something was wrong. The woman who opened the door was visibly distressed and in tears. Trusting his instincts, the delivery partner gently spoke to her and tried to understand her emotional state. Though she denied having any harmful intentions, the rider chose not to dismiss his concerns. He stayed back, spoke to her with compassion, and urged her not to hurt herself, reminding her that her life was valuable and that difficult moments eventually pass. Taking a decisive step, he cancelled the order and carried the poison back with him. He later shared the incident on social media, where the social media users have since praised him for his presence of mind. A Late Night Order That Raised Doubts Taking to Instagram, the Blinkit rider said, A total of three rat poisons. I dont know what they were thinking when they ordered that. But seeing them crying so much, I thought they had some issue and ordered this. But once I reached the customers location, I couldnt just deliver this order. She just kept crying. Then I went to her and told No matter what problem you have, dont commit suicide and asked Did you order this because you want to commit suicide? She replied, No, bro, thats not the case. I said, No, dont lie. You just want to commit suicide. If you had a rat problem, you could have ordered it around seven oclock, or even earlier. Maybe the next day. There is no reason for ordering it at this time. Later, I convinced her and cancelled the order. Today I feel that Ive accomplished something." View this post on Instagram A post shared by RDS (@dilli_rider_) Internet Applauds The Riders Presence Of Mind Reacting to the post, a user wrote, A robot would have delivered." Another shared, Browsing suspicious websites on self-harm and ordering such items should immediately trigger a response from the police. This can be done." Delivery hero with emotional intelligence, rare combo," a comment read. An individual stated, That Blinkit delivery guy saw a person in need, not just an order. His choice to care first is a powerful reminder for all of us to look out for one another. Its in these actions that real community is built." Another mentioned, Kudos to this guy for believing in humanity. If this is a Chinese robot or a drone, we would have lost a soul today." One more added, This is not a refusal of service, this is the presence of humanity. He delivered empathy instead of poison. Blinkits Algorithm said deliver, but his conscience said STOP. In a world obsessed with ratings, he chose responsibility. Sometimes the bravest thing is saying no. This is what real social responsibility looks like." Many users also urged Blinkits management to formally recognise the delivery partners quick thinking and compassionate action with a reward. Several people tagged the company on social media, praising the rider for stepping in at a critical moment and potentially saving a life. As of now, Blinkit has not issued any official statement or response regarding the incident. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:26 IST News viral Tamil Nadu Woman Orders Rat Poison At Night, Blinkit Delivery Agent Senses Danger; Heres What Happened Next Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UP Police Officer Goes Beyond Duty To Help Disabled Man Board Train, Checks His Ticket Before Saying Goodbye | VIDEO Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:00 IST In the video, a cop from Uttar Pradesh can be seen carrying a disabled man on his shoulders to board a crowded train. The person was finding it hard to climb down the stairs. (Photo Credit: Instagram) The heartwarming video of a police official going beyond his call of duty to help a disabled person board the train at a railway station gaining significant attention on the internet. The compassionate act has garnered praise for the police officer, with some calling it humanity in uniform." The clip starts with a differently abled passenger struggling to climb the steps to reach the platform and board the train. The police official soon noticed the passenger and carried him on his shoulders to help him board a train. This act of kindness was captured in a short video posted by the official himself on social media. According to a NDTV report, the official in the video is Ashwani Kumar, who is working for the Uttar Pradesh Police. What Did He Do? In the clip, Ashwani notices a man with a prosthetic leg struggling to climb the stairs at the railway station. Soon after, the official stepped in and lifted the person on his shoulders across the crowded platform to make sure that he boards the train on time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashwani Kumar (@ashmalikupcop) While sharing the clip on Instagram, the official wrote, Madad ke liye rupay nahi, madad waala dil chahiye. Woh aapme hai (You dont need money to help, just a heart that cares, and you have it)." In the caption, he wrote, There is nothing bigger than humanity." The police officials selfless act of kindness was hugely praised by many across various social media platforms. How Did The Internet React To It? Sharing the video on X, one person wrote, This is not just duty, this is Humanity in Uniform." Another one added, A small act of kindness creates endless ripples." A third person wrote, When service goes beyond orders and becomes compassion, it turns duty into humanity in uniform. True respect." Several users have applauded the official for his compassion and humanity, with some of them calling it a reminder of what difference a single person can make through empathy and action. Kindness is a silent power that changes everything," one X user said. Another added, Not just dutythis is humanity in uniform. Respect and gratitude." A few users have even called the officer a real-life hero and commending him for going beyond the call of duty. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:00 IST News viral UP Police Officer Goes Beyond Duty To Help Disabled Man Board Train, Checks His Ticket Before Saying Goodbye | VIDEO Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Woman, Channelling Her Inner Mermaid, Found Naked In Neighbours Pond What Happened Next Will Shock You Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:13 IST The homeowner alerted authorities, alleging that their neighbour was standing in the driveway and screaming, even after being repeatedly warned not to trespass on the property. The incident took place in November 2025. (Photo Credits: Pexels) In a weird incident, a 41-year-old woman in Louisiana was arrested after she was allegedly caught naked in the pond at a neighbours house. In an official statement shared on Facebook on Wednesday, January 7, the Union Parish Sheriffs Office (UPSO) in Louisianas Farmerville announced that Erin Elizabeth Sutton was taken into custody this week in connection with the incident that took place last year. Woman Caught in Neighbours Pond The alleged incident took place in November 2025. It all started when the authorities received a trespassing complaint. Responding to the matter, officials were sent to a house in the Linville community of Marion City. As per the statement, the owner of the house called the officials and claimed that their neighbour was standing in their driveway screaming," despite being warned not to trespass on their property on multiple occasions. After arriving at the scene, the UPSO officials found the woman swimming, nude, in a pond" at her neighbours property. At first, Sutton refused to come out of the pond and did not want to talk to the police official. It was stated that she told the officials that she was trying to be a mermaid". The statement mentions that she finally came out of the pond after several commands from the officials and the emergency medical services (EMS) gave her a blanket due to cold weather after evaluation. Later on, she was taken to a house to warm up, while Sutton suddenly charged toward the deputy," the department wrote on the social media platform. Things did not stop here as Sutton refused to comply even after several commands. At last, the deputy deployed a taser, but it did not have any effect on her. Sutton was then taken to the ground, while he resisted detention and kept on kicking and punching the deputy." Charges Against the Woman Once the officials were able to take control of the matter and Sutton was restrained, they decided to shift her to a nearby hospital took seek further treatment. In its statement, the UPSO has claimed that the accused had threatened to kill deputies and paramedics" while she was being transferred to the hospital. The officials were unable to take her into custody at the time of the incident as she required medical treatment. Sutton had finally surrendered herself before the UPSO on January 6. Post that, she was placed into custody for further investigation. According to People magazine, she currently faces multiple counts of public intimidation, resisting an officer and battery of a police officer as well as one count each of disturbing the peace and criminal trespassing. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 13:11 IST News viral Woman, Channelling Her Inner Mermaid, Found Naked In Neighbours Pond What Happened Next Will Shock You Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why All Our Food Could Become Poison One Day Starting With Rice Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 13:40 IST What if the rice on your plate slowly turns toxic, harming more than it heals? Experts warn that climate change can strip food of nutrition and turn staples into health risks Rapid Read Researchers warn that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current levels, arsenic concentrations in rice could reach dangerous thresholds by 2050. (AI Generated) A new study has found that rising temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide (CO) levels are causing rice to absorb higher amounts of arsenic, making it significantly more toxic and potentially dangerous. If this trend continues, scientists warn that rice, a staple food for billions of people, could become poisonous in the future. The research, led by Columbia University and published in The Lancet Planetary Health, shows that warmer, carbon-rich conditions increase the concentration of inorganic arsenic in rice. Why Arsenic In Rice Is A Major Health Risk Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in groundwater, and once it enters the human body through food, it can trigger serious health problems. Inorganic arsenic is highly toxic. Long-term exposure has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and several forms of cancer. Once absorbed through rice consumption, it accumulates in the body, increasing the risk of chronic illnesses over time. What The Study Found In Chinas Rice Fields Scientists studied rice cultivation in the Yangtze River Delta in China for more than a decade. Their findings revealed that higher temperatures and elevated CO levels are altering the way rice grows, mainly by changing soil chemistry. Flooded rice paddies make arsenic more soluble in soil and groundwater. As a result, rice absorbs 10 to 20 times more arsenic than other crops, making it particularly vulnerable to contamination. A Growing Threat Across Asia This is not just a problem for China. Similar risks are emerging across Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Researchers warn that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current levels, arsenic concentrations in rice could reach dangerous thresholds by 2050. In China, an estimated 19.3 million cancer cases are expected by 2050. In polluted regions of India, such as Chhattisgarh, the problem is already severe. Vietnam and Indonesia are considered the most at risk, with projections showing the highest arsenic levels. These conditions could lead to a sharp rise in lung, skin, and bladder cancers, along with an increased risk of brain disorders in children. How Can This Crisis Be Prevented? Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions remains the most effective solution. However, scientists also suggest several immediate measures: Developing new rice varieties that naturally block arsenic accumulation Choosing basmati rice, which contains lower arsenic levels Avoiding brown rice, which tends to retain more arsenic Washing rice thoroughly and boiling it in plenty of water before consumption Other Crops Are Also At Risk Air pollution and rising CO levels will not make wheat, pulses, or vegetables completely poisonous, but they are expected to lose nutritional value. In some cases, harmful elements may increase, posing health risks. High CO levels can raise toxic elements such as lead in crops, which is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Although these foods may remain edible, nutrient imbalances could worsen malnutrition, particularly in regions heavily dependent on grains. In polluted countries like India, wheat and pulses are expected to be among the most affected, as pollution reduces plants ability to absorb nutrients. Nutritional Decline In Staple Foods Research from Harvard University shows that rising CO levels could reduce protein, iron, and zinc in wheat, rice, and barley by 5 to 15%. Scientists believe maize will be hit the hardest, with yields falling sharply as temperatures rise. Fruits and vegetables of the future may also be less nutritious than those grown today. Climate-Resilient Foods Offer Hope Certain crops show strong resistance to climate change: Millets such as bajra, jowar, and ragi, often called superfoods and smart crops, require less water, tolerate higher temperatures, and remain rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium, even under rising CO levels. Pulses like chickpeas, mung beans, and pigeon peas enrich soil by fixing nitrogen from the air, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers. Their deep roots help them survive drought conditions. Sea grass could become a major future food source. It absorbs CO far faster than land trees, requires no land or fresh water, and is rich in vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Sweet potatoes, often described as disaster-saving crops, grow underground and are protected from storms and cyclones. They are rich in vitamin A and play a vital role in fighting malnutrition. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 13:40 IST News viral Why All Our Food Could Become Poison One Day Starting With Rice Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Temple, Device Near Zomato CEOs Forehead, Is Feeling Judged Even Before Launch, Deepinder Goyal Claps Back Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:53 IST Deepinder Goyals response came days after users flooded the Internet with speculations around a small device placed near Goyals temple during the podcast. He clarified that no commercial announcement has been made and that people were jumping to conclusions far too early. (Photo Credits: Instagram) Deepinder Goyal has finally responded to the growing buzz and backlash around Temple, the health monitoring device spotted on him during Raj Shamanis YouTube podcast. As doctors and influencers began questioning the devices credibility online, the Zomato founder made it clear that the product isnt even public yet. On Friday, January 9, Goyal took to X to share a post titled Gentle reminder to all the concerned doctors and/or influencers." He clarified that no commercial announcement has been made and that people were jumping to conclusions far too early. Gentle reminder to all the concerned doctors and/or influencersWe havent made any public commercial announcements about Temple yet. We havent released any official device benchmarking data. A lot of the work is still underway; were months away from introducing preview pic.twitter.com/WHkdiv6hfW Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 9, 2026 We havent made any public commercial announcements about Temple yet. We havent released any official device benchmarking data. A lot of the work is still underway; were months away from introducing preview devices to the public, if at all," Goyal wrote. Deepinder Goyals response came days after users flooded the Internet with speculations around a small device placed near Goyals temple during the podcast. Soon after, medical professionals and health influencers began questioning the accuracy and scientific backing of the wearable even though there were no public details about it. Calling out the irony of the situation, Goyal wrote, You are advising people not to buy an unvalidated device that isnt even available to order or pre-order yet. Thats funny." Deepinder Goyal Assures Products Transparency In Future In the same post, he went on to reassure critics that detail will be shared once they decided to sell the product. He continued, We will share all the science if and when we decide to sell Temple. You can judge and give all your advice at that moment. Until then, be curious, and cheer Indian startups? Your skepticism is valuable, but at the right time." The Buzz Around Temple After Goyals podcast appearance, social media users were quick to point out the sleek gold-and-silver sensor placed near his temple. The device, called Temple, is a wearable designed to continuously monitor blood flow in the brain in real time. Worn near the temple, the sensor tracks cerebral blood flow. The area is rarely monitored outside clinical settings. The idea of the wearable is based on Deepinder Goyals personal research into the Gravity Ageing Hypothesis. According to a report by Mint, he has invested $25 million (Rs 225 crore) of his personal funds to develop the initiative. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:21 IST News viral Temple, Device Near Zomato CEOs Forehead, Is Feeling Judged Even Before Launch, Deepinder Goyal Claps Back Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Boeings Doomsday Plane Spotted After 51 Years: Why Trump Has Moved It Near Washington? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:37 IST The E-4B is visually distinctive, featuring a prominent dome on its upper fuselage that allows it to be refuelled mid-air, enabling it to stay airborne for extended periods. The aircraft earned its nickname because of its role in the worst-case scenarios. One of the most secretive aircraft in the US militarys arsenal- the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, widely known as the Doomsday Plane"- made a rare public appearance after decades largely out of sight, flying over parts of the United States. Designed to serve as an airborne command centre in the event of a nuclear war or national catastrophe, the aircraft was seen relocating from its long-time base in Nebraska to Maryland, close to Washington. The movement marks one of the first visible deployments of the aircraft in its 51-year operational history. What Is Doomsday Plane? The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch is a heavily modified Boeing 747 developed during the Cold War to ensure continuity of government during extreme emergencies. It functions as a flying command post, capable of supporting the US President, senior defence officials and military leadership if ground-based command centres are destroyed or rendered unusable. Unlike conventional presidential aircraft, the E-4B is built for endurance and survivability rather than transport or symbolism. Why Is It Called Doomsday Plane? The aircraft earned its nickname because of its role in the worst-case scenarios- nuclear war, large-scale attacks or catastrophic emergencies. It is designed to operate even after nuclear detonations, with systems hardened against electromagnetic pulses that could otherwise cripple electronics and communications. Its mission is to ensure the US government can continue to function even if doomsday" arrives. Whats believed to be the first appearance in its 51-year flying history, the Boeing 747 E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the Doomsday Plane," showed up at LAX during Thursdays Airline Videos Live broadcast and will most likely be the highlight of 2026! pic.twitter.com/wvc39ypRnP AIRLINE VIDEOS (@airlinevideos) January 9, 2026 What Makes Doomsday Plane Unique? The E-4B is visually distinctive, featuring a prominent dome on its upper fuselage that allows it to be refuelled mid-air, enabling it to stay airborne for extended periods. Another structure at the rear houses secure, encrypted communications systems that allow constant contact with military forces worldwide. Inside, the aircraft can accommodate more than 100 personnel and includes briefing rooms, command centres and secure communication hubs. It also incorporates defensive measures and shielding to protect critical systems from nuclear effects. Why Is It Being Seen Now? Officials have not confirmed the reason for the recent flight but the aircrafts relocation coincids with heightened geopolitical tensions and increased focus on national security preparedness. Such movements can also be linked to readiness drills, maintenance cycles or strategic repositioning. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:37 IST News world Boeings Doomsday Plane Spotted After 51 Years: Why Trump Has Moved It Near Washington? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Hiring Lobby Firms In US Is Standard Practice: MEA On Outreach Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:21 IST The ministry stated that filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) are public record The ministry's response came following reports that the Indian Embassy in Washington had hired a lobby group led by a former Trump adviser shortly after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. File imge Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday dismissed criticism surrounding the engagement of US lobbying firms, characterising the practice as a common and transparent" administrative procedure. The response came following reports that the Indian Embassy in Washington had hired a lobby group led by a former Trump adviser shortly after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. The MEA stated that filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) are public record. The ministry emphasised that the Indian mission has consistently utilised the services of specialised firms since 1950 to navigate the complex US legislative and executive landscapes. The statement follows intense scrutiny from critics, who questioned the timing of a contract reportedly signed with the firm SHW Partners LLC on April 24, 2025. They pointed out that this engagement began just two days after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives and served as the catalyst for Operation SindoorIndias largest military strike against terror infrastructure since 1971. FARA documents reportedly reveal that on May 10, 2025, the day a ceasefire was agreed upon between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), the lobbying firm was in active contact with high-ranking White House and National Security Council officials to discuss media coverage" and trade conversations. News18 had previously reported that as Operation Sindoor dismantled terror bases, a panic-stricken Islamabad mounted an even more aggressive lobbying blitz. Documents filed by Squire Patton Boggs on behalf of Pakistan show that between May 7 and 10, Pakistani diplomats made over 60 points of contact with US officials, pleading for urgent intervention to somehow halt" Indias strikes. The filings further suggest that Pakistan attempted to leverage its natural resources to secure American support, offering a framework for cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths valued at up to $1 trillion. This was followed by a $500 million mining deal between the US and Pakistan later in 2025. Despite these diplomatic manoeuvres, New Delhi has reiterated that its outreach was primarily focused on managing a $212 billion trade relationship and countering misinformation. The MEA maintains that hiring consultants to open doors" in Washington remains a routine tool of modern statecraft, independent of its military decision-making. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:21 IST News world Hiring Lobby Firms In US Is Standard Practice: MEA On Outreach Row Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Iran Under Internet Blackout After Exiled Prince's Anti-Khamenei Protest Call; Dozens Feared Killed Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:17 IST Iran has imposed a nationwide internet blackout as protests over economic hardship and political grievances spread, with at least 42 people reported dead. Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran/People walk as shops are closed during protests in Tehran's centuries-old main bazaar (Photos: AP) Iran plunged into a nationwide internet and communications blackout on Thursday night as protests demanding political and economic change spread across the country. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 42 people have died amid clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Online watchdog NetBlocks reported that live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout," while attempts to connect to international telephone lines also failed. The blackout coincided with mass demonstrations called by exiled opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, who said millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight" and thanked the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account." PROTESTS SPARKED BY ECONOMIC CRISIS, POLITICAL DISSATISFACTION The current wave of unrest began on December 28, following a sharp collapse of the rial to record lows, which disrupted markets and livelihoods. AFP reported that the protests started with a shutdown of the Tehran bazaar and have since spread nationwide, including cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Abadan, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, and Lorestan. Demonstrators have voiced frustration over Irans worsening economic situation, rising inflation, and declining purchasing power, but the unrest has increasingly assumed a political dimension, with chants against the ruling clerics and slogans such as Death to the dictator!" and Pahlavi will return!" observed in several locations, according to the Associated Press. CLASHES, ARSON, AND SYMBOLS OF DEFIANCE Multiple incidents of violence and symbolic defiance were reported as protests intensified. Iran International English reported that a building linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was set on fire in Isfahan. In Tehran, protesters reportedly attacked security forces and torched their vehicles. DISPUTED DEATH TOLL AMID VIOLENT CLASHES While the Human Rights Activists News Agency and Iran Human Rights have reported 42 deaths and over 2,270 arrests since the protests began, Iranian state media and official sources have cited lower figures. AFP noted that official statements confirm at least 21 deaths, including members of security forces. The semiofficial Fars news agency reported a shooting in Lordegan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province that left two security personnel dead and 30 others wounded. Mizan news agency also reported a police colonel was fatally stabbed outside Tehran, and the Revolutionary Guard confirmed the deaths of two of its members in Kermanshah. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the excessive use of force, describing it as unlawful" and including firearms, metal-pellet shotguns, water cannons, and beatings. REZA PAHLAVI URGES CONTINUED PROTESTS Pahlavi addressed the nation, praising demonstrators for disrupting the regimes functioning. He singled out young Iranians, whom he called Generation V for Victory," as central to the movement. Maintain discipline and solidarity. Victory belongs to you," Pahlavi said. He urged demonstrators to continue organised action, including occupying streets and erecting barricades to prevent repression, according to news agency ANI. Pahlavi also called on European leaders to support Trumps commitment to hold the regime to account" and to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people," as reported by the Associated Press. INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS AND US WARNINGS The protests have drawn significant international attention. US President Donald Trump warned Iran that if authorities start killing people," Washington would hit them very hard," while Vice President JD Vance said the US stands by the citizens of Iran who are engaged in peaceful protests." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul condemned the excessive use of force" by Iranian authorities. Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed foreign powers for inciting unrest and sought to distinguish between economic protesters and what he called rioters." Khamenei stated, A bunch of people incited or hired by the enemy are getting behind the tradesmen and shopkeepers and chanting slogans against Islam, Iran and the Islamic Republic," according to Al Jazeera. PROTESTS CONTINUE DESPITE CRACKDOWN AFP reported that demonstrations continued into Thursday night, with large crowds on Tehrans Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard and gatherings in western cities. Iraqi-based Kurdish opposition parties called for a general strike in western Iran, which Hengaw said was widely followed in around 30 towns and cities. Despite security crackdowns and the ongoing communications blackout, demonstrators have defied government restrictions, setting fire to IRGC-linked buildings in Isfahan and attacking security forces in Tehran, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by Iranian authorities in containing the unrest. ALSO READ | We Will Hit Them Very Hard: Trump Threatens Iran If Protesters Are Killed News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 07:51 IST News world Iran Under Internet Blackout After Exiled Prince's Anti-Khamenei Protest Call; Dozens Feared Killed Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Iran Protests Spark Concerns In India Over Chabahar Operations; Intelligence Flags Strategic Risks Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 12:45 IST Sources say strikes, internet blackouts and growing supply-chain disruptions triggered by the protests could delay cargo handling and infrastructure development at Chabahar. Top intelligence sources say Chabahar is central to Indias continental access strategy and its Connect Central Asia Policy (AFP) Indias long-term strategic investment in Irans Chabahar Port is facing fresh uncertainty amid widespread protests and instability across Iran, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. The unrest, now reported in over 100 Iranian cities, has raised serious concerns in New Delhi over the security and continuity of operations at the strategically critical port. According to intelligence inputs, nationwide strikes, internet blackouts and growing supply-chain disruptions triggered by the protests could delay cargo handling and infrastructure development at Chabahar. India has invested nearly $500 million in the port, viewing it as a vital geopolitical and economic gateway that allows New Delhi to bypass Pakistan and access Afghanistan, Central Asia, Russia and Europe. Top intelligence sources say Chabahar is central to Indias continental access strategy and its Connect Central Asia Policy, aimed at boosting trade with landlocked nations such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The port is also a critical node in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) a 7,200-km multimodal ship-rail-road network linking India to Iran, the Caspian Sea, Russia and onward to Europe. The INSTC, intelligence sources note, reduces transit time by nearly 40 per cent and costs by 30 per cent compared to the traditional Suez Canal route, cutting shipping durations from 2530 days. Any prolonged instability in Iran, however, threatens to derail this advantage. Of particular concern is the ChabaharZahedan railway project, a key component of INSTC integration. Intelligence sources warn that labour unrest, funding disruptions or prolonged protests could delay rail connectivity, undermining the corridors efficiency. Sources further indicate that even lower-rank cadres of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are reportedly affected by the countrys economic crisis, potentially impacting labour morale and security conditions. Strategically, New Delhi is also wary that any vacuum created by instability in Iran could allow China to expand its influence, as Beijing has historically moved quickly to fill gaps during periods of uncertainty. Chabahar serves as a counterweight to Chinas growing footprint at Gwadar Port in Pakistan, located just 170 km away and a key pillar of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beyond trade, intelligence sources stress that Chabahar helps India monitor Chinese naval and commercial activity in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, limiting Beijings string of pearls" encirclement strategy. With China eyeing a massive scale-up of Gwadar to 400 million tonnes by 2030, any disruption to Chabahar could have far-reaching strategic consequences for India. Top intelligence officials say New Delhi is closely monitoring the situation, as regime instability in Iran now poses a direct challenge to one of Indias most critical overseas strategic investments. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 12:45 IST News world Iran Protests Spark Concerns In India Over Chabahar Operations; Intelligence Flags Strategic Risks Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Iran Will Not Back Down: Khamenei Warns Protesters, Foreign Backers Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:09 IST The Supreme Leader's comments came after an internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday and extended into Friday. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (File image: AFP) Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that the Islamic Republic would not back down in the face of protests and would not tolerate what he described as work on behalf of foreign powers, according to remarks aired on state television. Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic will not retreat," he said. It will not tolerate serving foreigners." Khamenei added that anyone who worked for outside forces would be rejected by both the people and the Islamic system, state TV reported. The Supreme Leaders comments came after an internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday and extended into Friday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said. It coincided with calls for more protests from Reza Pahlavi, the long-exiled son of Irans last shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Earlier in the day, Khamenei blasted protesters in a speech, saying that the protesters are ruining their own streets to make the President of another country happy," referring to US President Donald Trump. Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets on Friday morning after a call by the countrys exiled crown prince for demonstrations, despite Irans theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls. Short online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against Irans government around bonfires as debris littered the streets in the capital, Tehran, and other areas. Iranian state media broke its silence on Friday over the protests, alleging terrorist agents" of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violence. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested during the unrest, which analysts say highlights deeper disillusionment with the status quo. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Iran First Published: January 09, 2026, 14:55 IST News world Iran Will Not Back Down: Khamenei Warns Protesters, Foreign Backers Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The damage suffered by the Kyiv CHPP (combined heat and power plant) during the night attack by the Russian Federation is not new for the energy industry and must be eliminated in the near future, believes the first deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Energy Committee Oleksiy Kucherenko. "I will not speak specifically about the damage to the CHPP, but I will note that, according to my information, nothing new happened to the energy industry during today's attack. This has already happened, and I think they know what to do about it. After the attack in November, similar damage was eliminated, it seems, in a day or a little more," Kucherenko noted in a comment to the Energoreforma Internet portal on Friday. He also emphasized that in any case, panic in the capital should be avoided, and for this, local authorities should clearly explain everything. "I do not want to sow panic now, because depending on how the energy industry manages to repair the CHPP and boiler rooms, a decision will be made regarding heating in the capital," Kucherenko noted. According to him, the municipal services are waiting for a decision from the Kyiv City State Administration, "and where there are professional teams, everything will be done clearly and will work normally." "If they drain the water from the system, then in any case they will not have to wait until spring, as some write, (but only - IF-U) until a certain warming. Because starting the coolant is such a difficult and unpredictable process that it is difficult to do in severe frosts," - explained Kucherenko. He emphasized that it is not worth talking about problems with cold water supply in apartment buildings yet. "The main thing is that there is circulation, and this is electricity and pumps. Yes, there are problems with alternative power supply for pumps. But I do not think that there will be a minus in the apartments," the MP said. The Kyiv Combined Heat and Power Plant No. 4, operated by Euroreconstruction, has already begun circulating the heat-transfer fluid. It will take approximately two days to restore operations at the Kyiv Combined Heat and Power Plant No. 5 and about one day at the Kyiv Combined Heat and Power Plant No. 6, both operated by Kyivteploenergo. Water supply and sewerage services in Kyiv have been restored. Building management companies have been instructed to drain the heat-transfer fluid from residential buildings connected to the Kyiv Combined Heat and Power Plants No. 5 and No. 6.The most difficult situation with the restoration of heat after the Russian attack on January 9 is in Solomiansky, Pechersky, Holosiivsky districts and in Teremki, but energy and utility workers are working on various options to restore it as soon as possible, said the director of the Energy Research Center, Oleksandr Kharchenko. He emphasized that work is ongoing to switch heating districts, to maximally launch all available boiler equipment in order to redistribute heat and secure the heating systems of the maximum number of houses. "I know that there are certain creative solutions, in particular, turning off hot water, where this will save money on heat supply. In general, Kyivteploenergo is now doing everything possible and impossible to restore heat as quickly as possible. It is looking for alternative and engineering solutions," Kharchenko noted. At the same time, he did not predict what the timing of the restoration of heat might be. "I can't predict anything - it's irresponsible. But I don't think we're talking about a week. Heat supply to most of Kyiv will be restored in the near future. I named areas with increased risks, but there may also be problems in significant areas, but not in entire districts," the expert said. Israel Rejects Pakistan Army Role In Gaza Stabilisation Force: Not The Situation Right Now Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:49 IST Israels Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said that countries generally cooperate only with partners they trust and with whom they maintain proper diplomatic relations. A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighbourhood, following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Israel firmly rejected any role for the Pakistan Army in a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza under US President Donald Trumps plan, citing deep concerns over alleged links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror groups. Israels Ambassador to India Reuven Azar told NDTV that Israel is not comfortable" with Pakistani military participation in any future Gaza security arrangement and underlined that there can be no political or reconstruction process without the complete dismantling of Hamas. There is an effort right now to try to create a situation in which we can move forward, but for that, Hamas must be dismantled. There is no way around it," Reuven Azar said. Pakistans Role In Proposed Gaza Force Reuven Azars remarks come amid reports that the United States approached several countries, including Pakistan, to contribute troops to a proposed stabilisation and reconstruction force in Gaza. Reacting to those reports, the ambassador said many countries have already expressed reluctance to participate because they do not want to fight Hamas, rendering the concept of a stabilisation force ineffective under current conditions. When asked directly whether Israel would be comfortable with the Pakistan Armys involvement in Gaza, Reuven Azar replied firmly, No." He added that countries generally cooperate only with partners they trust and with whom they maintain proper diplomatic relations. This is not the situation right now," he said, signalling Israels clear opposition to Pakistans inclusion in any Gaza force. Either Hamas Dismantles, Or Nothing Moves Forward Reuven Azar said Israels immediate priorities remain the retrieval of all hostages, including the remains of those killed, and the destruction of Hamass military and political infrastructure. Accusing Hamas and countries sympathetic to it of attempting to bypass these core demands, he warned that diplomacy cannot move ahead unless Hamas is eliminated. Either Hamas dismantles, or it will be impossible to implement the second phase of any plan," he said, adding that if international pressure fails, Israel would have no option but to act unilaterally. Indias Security And Hamas Ban Referring to Indias own security concerns linked to Pakistan-based terror groups, Reuven Azar said the situation is being monitored closely and expressed confidence that Indian authorities are taking the threat seriously. On whether Hamas should be formally banned by India, the ambassador said there is a clear threat" but stressed that the decision rests entirely with Indian authorities. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:49 IST News world Israel Rejects Pakistan Army Role In Gaza Stabilisation Force: Not The Situation Right Now Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Italy's Meloni Doesnt Believe Trump Will Use Force To Seize Greenland, Says Won't Back Such A Move Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 21:19 IST PM Meloni rejects US military action to seize Greenland, warns of grave NATO consequences, supports Trump on Venezuela but not on Greenland, urges stronger NATO Arctic presence. PM Meloni rejects US military action to seize Greenland, warns of grave NATO consequences, supports Trump on Venezuela but not on Greenland, urges stronger NATO Arctic presence. (AFP photo) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday said she does not believe the United States would use military force to seize Greenland, warning that any such move would have grave consequences for NATO. Speaking at her traditional New Years press conference, Meloni said strengthening NATOs presence in the Arctic could help address US concerns about rival powers expanding their influence in the region, thereby reducing pressure on Washington to act unilaterally. I continue not to believe in the hypothesis that the United States would launch a military action to take control of Greenland, an option I would clearly not support," she said, despite being regarded as one of US President Donald Trumps closest allies in Europe. Italys Meloni:Geopolitics is not gossip. What should we do? Should we close American bases?Should we break trade relations? Should we storm McDonalds? I dont know what we should do. pic.twitter.com/BfuBCGGtN0 Clash Report (@clashreport) January 9, 2026 Her remarks come amid renewed unease over US policy in the Arctic and Europes role in shaping regional security, following last weekends US military operation in Venezuela that reignited concerns over Trumps intentions towards Greenland. While many European Union leaders criticised Washington for seizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Meloni said she supported the operation. I agreed with Trump on Venezuela. I do not agree with him on Greenland," she said, adding that a US takeover of the vast, strategically located territory would not be in anyones interest, including Americas. The White House said earlier this week that the US was considering a range of options to acquire Greenland, including the possible use of military force. Meloni said it was clear to everyone" that any such move would have a significant impact on NATO, and that this was precisely why she doubted Washington would ultimately follow through on the threat. However, she stressed the importance of NATO boosting its presence in the Arctic, saying she understood US concerns about preventing excessive interference from other actors that could even be hostile." Meloni, who was the only European leader to attend Trumps inauguration last year, said she has never hesitated to voice her disagreements with him. There are many things on which I do not agree with Trump. For example, I believe international law must be strongly defended. When I disagree, I tell him I have no difficulty doing so," she said. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Italy First Published: January 09, 2026, 21:03 IST News world Italy's Meloni Doesnt Believe Trump Will Use Force To Seize Greenland, Says Won't Back Such A Move Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'She Behaved Horribly': Trump Defends ICE Officer Who Shot Dead Woman In Minneapolis Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 07:02 IST Donald Trump defended an ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, saying that the woman was at fault. A file photo of Donald Trump/People gather for a vigil after the Minneapolis shooting (AP) Donald Trump on Thursday defended a federal immigration officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, telling New York Times reporters that the victim was responsible for the encounter and saying, She behaved horribly." The shooting occurred during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest crackdown to date. Speaking in the Oval Office just hours after the incident, Trump blamed the victim, Renee Nicole Good, asserting that she had attempted to run over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. I want to see nobody get shot. I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either," Trump said as New York Times reporters questioned him about the incident, which had already begun to spark protests in Minneapolis. When pressed on how he reached the conclusion that the woman tried to run down an officer, Trump asked an aide to pull up video footage of the shooting on a laptop to support his claim. That was a vicious situation that took place," he said, referring to federal officials statements that Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the Presidents account, saying the woman had been stalking" officers and describing the incident as an act of domestic terrorism" against federal agents. Noem said the officer who fired the fatal shots used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues," and insisted that ICE and Border Patrol agents wont be going anywhere" despite demands from state and local leaders that federal officers leave Minnesota. However, state and local officials sharply disputed those claims. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the federal account garbage" and said assertions that the shooting was an act of self-defence were bullshit," after reviewing the available video footage himself. Videos captured by bystanders and reviewed by the Associated Press show an ICE officer approaching a Honda Pilot stopped across the middle of the road, demanding that the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. As the SUV begins to move forward, a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle draws his weapon and fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle advances. It remains unclear from the footage whether the vehicle actually struck the officer. When New York Times reporters pointed out inconsistencies in the federal narrative and noted that social media videos did not clearly show an officer being run over, Trump stood by his assessment. Asked whether firing into a vehicle in such circumstances was acceptable, he said, She behaved horribly. And then she ran him over. She didnt try to run him over." After reporters again said the videos were unclear, Trump insisted on replaying the footage. Ill play the tape for you right now," he said, as a slow-motion surveillance video played on the laptop. Reporters told him the angle did not appear to show an ICE officer being struck by the vehicle. Well," Trump replied. I the way I look at it" he added. At the conclusion of the clip, the President acknowledged the disturbing nature of the incident. Its a terrible scene," he said. I think its horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it." The killing of Good, a mother of three, has left Minneapolis on edge. Protests erupted outside a federal building serving as a base for the enforcement operation, with demonstrators chanting No More ICE" and other slogans as officers used pepper spray and tear gas to push them back. Similar protests were reported or expected in cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Minnesota authorities have demanded to be included in the investigation, saying public trust depends on state involvement. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has withdrawn after being barred from participating, while federal officials say the FBI will conduct the investigation. Governor Tim Walz warned that it would be very, very difficult for Minnesotans" to accept the findings of an investigation that excludes the state, particularly after what he described as verifiably false" statements from senior federal officials. ALSO READ | Immediate Withdrawal: US Exits Green Climate Fund, Trumps Treasury Secy Bessent Announces News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 06:52 IST News world 'She Behaved Horribly': Trump Defends ICE Officer Who Shot Dead Woman In Minneapolis Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Protests Continue In Pakistans Sindh Over Killing Of Hindu Farmer Kailash Kolhi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 18:41 IST A sit-in protest in Badin district demands justice for Kalash Kohlis killing, with Shiva Kachhi and others vowing to continue until the killers are arrested. A sit-in protest in Badin district demands justice for Kalash Kohlis killing, with Shiva Kachhi and others vowing to continue until the killers are arrested. (Image: X) A sit-in protest demanding justice for the killing of activist Kalash Kohli entered its second day in Badin district of Sindh, with protesters vowing not to disperse until those responsible are arrested. According to a statement shared by activist Shiva Kachhi, the protest has been ongoing without pause, reflecting what organisers described as growing anger and frustration among residents. The demonstration, which began at 10 am on Wednesday, continued through the night and resumed into Thursday, underscoring the determination of the protesters. Badin SindhThe protest for the arrest of the killers of the martyred Kalash Kolhi is making history.Shiva Kachhi, Chairman of Pakistan Darawar Ittehad @PItehad is leading the historic protest sit-in.This was not just a protestit was the cry of a wounded conscience.From pic.twitter.com/6NDzUWmJZ6 Shiva Kachhi () (@FaqirShiva) January 9, 2026 Men, women, elderly people and children were seen participating in the sit-in, braving harsh conditions to press for action. Protesters said the agitation represents a broader outcry against what they allege is a system that protects the powerful while marginalising the poor and vulnerable. Kalash Kohlis killing, the statement said, has shaken the community, with his family particularly his mother and widow left in grief and anguish. Protest organisers stressed that the protest would not end until the killers are arrested, warning authorities that the movement would continue to intensify if their demands are ignored. This sit-in will not end until the killers are arrested. This movement will not stop until justice is delivered," the statement said, adding that the struggle for justice for Kalash Kohli would continue. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Karachi, Pakistan First Published: January 09, 2026, 18:37 IST News world Protests Continue In Pakistans Sindh Over Killing Of Hindu Farmer Kailash Kolhi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Real Threat: Colombian President Gustavo Petro Warns Of US Military Action Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 16:00 IST Gustavo Petro warns of a US military threat to Colombia after Donald Trumps remarks, criticizes ICE actions, and cautions that US policies risk international isolation. Gustavo Petro warns of a US military threat to Colombia after Donald Trumps remarks, criticizes ICE actions, and cautions that US policies risk international isolation.(Pic: AFP) Colombian President Gustavo Petro has warned that there is now a real threat" of US military action against Colombia, accusing Washington of behaving like an empire and risking international isolation. In an interview with the BBC, Petro said the United States has long treated other nations, particularly in Latin America, as part of a US empire," often disregarding international law. His remarks come after former US President Donald Trump publicly threatened Colombia with possible military action. The tensions escalated after recent US strikes on Venezuela and the seizure of President Nicolas Maduro, following which Trump said a military operation targeting Colombia sounds good." Trump has also repeatedly issued personal warnings to Petro, remarks the Colombian leader has strongly condemned. Petro and Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday evening. After the call, Trump said he would meet Petro at the White House in the near future," later describing the conversation on his Truth Social platform as a great honour." A Colombian official said at the time that the discussion marked a 180-degree shift in tone from both sides. However, Petro suggested on Thursday that relations had not significantly improved. He said the call lasted just under an hour, with discussions focused on drug trafficking, Colombias position on Venezuela, and broader US policy in Latin America. Petro also sharply criticised US immigration enforcement, accusing agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of acting like Nazi brigades." Trump has significantly expanded ICE operations, which the administration says are aimed at tackling crime and illegal immigration. Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly linked immigration to crime and drug trafficking, accusing countries such as Colombia and Venezuela of failing to do enough to curb the drug trade. ICE agents have been deployed across major US cities as part of the crackdown. US authorities say that between January 20 and December 10, 2025, around 605,000 people were deported, while 1.9 million immigrants voluntarily self-deported" following an aggressive public awareness campaign. As of November 30, about 65,000 people were being held in ICE detention facilities, according to data from Syracuse Universitys Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. This week, tensions intensified after an ICE agent shot dead a 37-year-old US citizen, Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis, triggering overnight protests. Federal officials said she attempted to run over immigration agents with her car, but the citys mayor, Jacob Frey, described the shooting as reckless and called for agents to leave the city. Commenting on the incident, Petro said ICE had gone beyond persecuting Latin Americans in the streets" and was now killing US citizens. He warned that if such actions continued, the US risked transforming from a global power into an isolated nation, adding that an empire is not built by being isolated from the world." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Bogota, Colombia First Published: January 09, 2026, 16:00 IST News world Real Threat: Colombian President Gustavo Petro Warns Of US Military Action Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Trump Administration Floats $10k$100k Plan To Woo Greenlanders To Join US Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 09:50 IST The US officials have considered offering lump-sum payments to Greenlanders in an attempt to sway them towards favouring a departure from Denmark. A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP) In light of US President Donald Trumps persistent threats to annex Greenland, his administration has explored the possibility of offering cash payments to the islands residents to encourage a separation from Denmark. Reuters reported that two sources mentioned that figures between $10,000 and $100,000 per head were mentioned during the discussions; however, no final proposal has been drawn up. It is important to note that these talks are only tentative in nature and are a part of some larger discussions. Trump Wants Greenland Meanwhile, Trump, in an interview to The New York Times on Thursday, expressed that the US must own all of Greenland rather than rely on existing treaty rights that already allow Washington to establish military installations there. Ownership is very important," Trump said. Thats what I feel is psychologically needed for success. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cant get from just signing a document." Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which oversees defence and foreign policy. However, the authorities in Copenhagen and in Nuuk, Greenlands capital, have repeatedly said that the island is not for sale. Greenland Rejects US Payments According to reports, the idea of US payments was openly rejected from Greenlandic leaders with Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stating that the territorys future cannot be dictated from abroad. Enough is enough. No more fantasies about annexation," Nielsen wrote in a social media post after Trump again said the US needed to acquire Greenland. Notably, both Denmark and the United States are members of NATO, and leaders across Europe have underlined that Greenlands status is a matter for Greenlanders and Denmark alone. Military Involvement Not Ruled Out Despite receiving opposition, the White House has not clearly ruled out military involvement in the Greenland takeover. It said the use of the US armed forces is always an option" available to the US President Donald Trump as discussions continue. Asked about reports of talks to acquire Greenland, including the possibility of payments, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his national security team were examining what a potential purchase would look like". News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: January 09, 2026, 09:48 IST News world Trump Administration Floats $10k$100k Plan To Woo Greenlanders To Join US Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UAE Restricts Scholarships To UK Universities Amid Concerns Over Muslim Brotherhood Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:44 IST The UAE has excluded British universities from its approved scholarship list, citing concerns over Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses. AI-generated image used for representation The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has limited government funding for its citizens who wish to study at British universities, in a move that reflects the growing strains in relations with the UK over its approach to Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. According to a report by the Financial Times, the decision comes after the UAE education ministrys publication in June of a new list of overseas universities eligible for state scholarships and official recognition. While the list included institutions in countries such as the United States, Australia, France and Israel, universities in the UK were notably absent. The revised list was a part of broader reforms aimed at restricting public funding to what the UAE considers the worlds top performing institutions. However, people familiar with the matter said the exclusion of British universities was linked to concerns in Abu Dhabi about the risk of Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses. When the British officials asked about the names of the UK institutions missing from the list, UAE officials said the omission was deliberate. [The UAE] dont want their kids to be radicalised on campus," one person with direct knowledge of the discussions said. UK officials responded by stressing the importance of academic freedom, as reported by the Financial Times. Official data cited by the outlet shows that in the 202324 academic year, 70 students at UK universities were reported for possible referral to the Prevent deradicalisation programme for signs of Islamist radicalisation", almost double the number recorded a year earlier. This was out of a total higher education student population of nearly three million. Since the Arab uprisings of 2011, the UAE has taken a hard line against Islamist movements at home and abroad. Under President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi has repeatedly questioned Britains decision not to ban the Muslim Brotherhood. The UK government said last year that the issue remains under close review", though a 2015 review found no evidence linking the group to terrorist activity in Britain. However, despite the restrictions, some Emirati students already enrolled in UK universities continue to receive funding, and wealthier families are still paying fees privately. However, the UAE has also said it will not recognise degrees from institutions not on its approved list, reducing the value of UK qualifications for Emirati graduates. Figures show that the number of UAE students granted UK study visas has fallen sharply, with just 213 visas issued in the year ending September 2025, down 27 per cent from the previous year. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 08:44 IST News world UAE Restricts Scholarships To UK Universities Amid Concerns Over Muslim Brotherhood Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Unlawful Action': Russia Calls On US To Cease Seizure Of Oil Tanker Marinera Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 07:09 IST The statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry came after the Marinera, a tanker linked to Venezuelan oil shipments, was intercepted and taken under US control. The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officials say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela (Photo: Reuters) Russia on Friday called on Washington to immediately stop unlawful actions after the United States seized the oil tanker Marinera in international waters. In a statement, Moscow said the vessel was engaged in lawful activities on the high seas and demanded that the US ensure proper treatment of the Russian citizens on board. We call on Washington to immediately cease its unlawful actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas. We reiterate our demand that the US ensure appropriate treatment of the Russian citizens on board," said the Russian Foreign Ministry in an official statement. We call on Washington to immediately cease its unlawful actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas.We reiterate our demand that the US ensure appropriate treatment of the Russian citizens on board.https://t.co/v0MpSONycU pic.twitter.com/lhLQB3rftj MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) January 8, 2026 The comments came after the Marinera, a tanker linked to Venezuelan oil shipments, was intercepted and taken under US control following a pursuit that lasted several weeks. The commercial vessel, chartered by a private trader, was sailing under the flag of Guyana at the time of the seizure. It had a crew of 28 people drawn from several countries, including Indian, Ukrainian, Georgian and Russian nationals. According to available details, the crew included 20 Ukrainians, six Georgians among them the ships captain two Russians and three Indian nationals. Russia said the incident raised serious concerns over freedom of navigation and the safety of foreign seafarers operating in international waters. ALSO READ: Russian Flag, Name Change, New Registration: How Bella 1 Tried Escaping US Forces The ministry said that the boarding and seizure of the oil tanker Marinera by the United States amounted to a serious violation of international maritime law and freedom of navigation, stressing that the vessel was a civilian ship operating legally in international waters and under Russian jurisdiction at the time of the incident. It added that Russia had repeatedly informed US authorities of the ships status and had formally protested against the continued pursuit of the tanker by the US Coast Guard. The Marinera, which was temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag on December 24 in accordance with international and Russian law, was transiting peacefully through international waters of the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port. According to the statement, US authorities, including through official communications with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were repeatedly provided with reliable information confirming the vessels Russian registration and its civilian, non-military status. Under these circumstances, the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation," the statement said. This constitutes a serious infringement upon the legitimate rights and interests of the shipowner. The lives and health of the Marineras crew, which includes citizens of several countries, are now at risk. We consider the threats of legal action against them on absurd grounds by US authorities to be utterly unacceptable," it added. US Steps Up Action Against Tankers Linked To Venezuelan Oil Trade A few hours earlier, the US Coast Guard had also stopped another tanker transporting Venezuelan crude the Panama-flagged M Sophia off the northeastern coast of South America, US officials said. This marked the fourth such interception carried out by Washington in recent weeks. Shipping records from Venezuelas state-run oil company PDVSA show that the tanker was carrying a full load at the time it was intercepted. The United States has claimed that the Marinera was part of a broader network of vessels allegedly used to move oil subject to sanctions connected to Venezuela and Iran. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Russia First Published: January 09, 2026, 07:02 IST News world 'Unlawful Action': Russia Calls On US To Cease Seizure Of Oil Tanker Marinera Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... US Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker 'Olina' In Caribbean, Fifth Vessel Apprehended In Venezuela Blockade Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:46 IST The Olina had previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, and was fully loaded with oil, as US troops captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. Rapid Read The Olina was sanctioned by the US last year being part of the so-called shadow fleet of ships that sail with little regulation or known insurance. (Photo: X) The US Coast Guard on Friday seized another sanctioned stateless oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea for attempting to break the Venezuelan blockade, marking the fifth seizure of a ship in recent weeks following the US takeover of Venezuelan oil exports. The Olina, which, according to public shipping database Equasis, was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, had previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident," said the US Southern Command on X. Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the US Navys Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale," it added. Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: there is no safe haven for criminals."In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. pic.twitter.com/StHo4ufcdx U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 9, 2026 US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Olina was another ghost fleet tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil" that departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces." What Was The Vessel Doing? The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and the vessel was returning fully loaded to Venezuela following the US blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, the industry source told Reuters. The vessels AIS (location) tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao," British maritime risk management company Vanguard said separately. The seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region." Washington imposed sanctions on the tanker in January last year, when it was named the Minerva M, for what Washington said was it being part of the so-called shadow fleet of ships that sail with little regulation or known insurance. Fifth Vessel Seized By US This marks the fifth such seizure of ships in recent weeks as the US took control of Venezuelan oil exports. American forces seized four after Maduros capture. On Wednesday, the US seized a Russia-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from off the coast of Venezuela, a move that was condemned by Moscow. Washington says the Marinera tanker is part of a shadow fleet that carries oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions, and seized it despite the ship being escorted by the Russian navy. Russia accused the United States of stoking tensions and threatening international shipping with its seizure, adding that it was worried by Washingtons willingness to generate acute international crisis situations." On Friday, Moscow informed that the US had decided to release two Russian members of the crew in response to its request. (with inputs from agencies) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: January 09, 2026, 19:05 IST News world US Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker 'Olina' In Caribbean, Fifth Vessel Apprehended In Venezuela Blockade Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Venezuela Govt Moves To Re-Establish Diplomatic Ties With US After Dramatic Maduro Capture Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 23:22 IST US officials are visiting Caracas to also look at the possibility of reopening its embassy in Venezuela that has been shuttered since 2019. Venezuela's government has slammed Maduro's capture, but remained open to peace with the US. (FIle) Venezuelas government on Friday said it has begun an exploratory diplomatic phase with the United States, with a view to reestablishing diplomatic presence in both countries, after a US military operation that culminated in the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. This came as US State Department officials are arriving to carry out technical and logistical assessments, as per the government statement. US officials are also looking at the possibility of reopening its embassy that has been shuttered since 2019. John McNamara, the top US diplomat in neighbouring Colombia, and other personnel travelled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations," a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. The United States closed its embassy in Caracas and diplomats left in March 2019 shortly after Washington and a number of its European and Latin American allies declared Maduro to be illegitimate following an election that observers said was riddled with irregularities. Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated dramatically as President Donald Trump ordered a raid on Caracas in which American forces removed Maduro, who faces charges in the United States of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which he denies. Diplomats say that the United States has not yet made a formal decision to reopen the embassy, pending logistical concerns, but that it is preparing to do so once Trump gives the green light. Since 2019, the US has run operations for Venezuela from its embassy in Colombia. That US operation, conducted over the weekend, was confirmed to have resulted in the deaths of at least 24 Venezuelan security officers, with additional casualties among Cuban personnel, as per reports. Trump later claimed 3050 million barrels of highquality, sanctioned" Venezuelan crude will be shipped to US ports, with the revenue perhaps more than $2 billion at current market prices placed under his personal control. (with inputs from agencies) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Caracas, Venezuela First Published: January 09, 2026, 23:22 IST News world Venezuela Govt Moves To Re-Establish Diplomatic Ties With US After Dramatic Maduro Capture Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://eurosolidarity.org MP of the European Solidarity faction Oleh Syniutka states that the critical situation in the energy sector, caused by missile attacks by the aggressor state, requires the Ukrainian authorities to take quick and effective action, and therefore the faction initiates a corresponding parliamentary resolution, the political force said on their website on Friday. "European Solidarity initiates a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. We believe that the Ukrainian parliament should immediately encourage the executive branch to take appropriate action, force the executive branch to take steps that will reduce losses from Moscow's attacks on energy facilities," Syniutka said during a briefing. The faction proposes to allocate the necessary funds from the Budget Reserve Fund to protect generating capacity, help cities that are currently forced to use additional fuel for the operation of critical infrastructure facilities, and also create a state reserve of transformer substations. "Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not the best. And therefore, at the regular session of the parliament, we will demand that the Verkhovna Rada adopt the necessary resolution, and that the executive branch take the actions that, unfortunately, they are already significantly late with," Syniutka said. As reported, at night, Russia used 242 strike UAVs and 36 sea-based and land-based missiles against Ukraine. As a result of the massive night attack by Russia and damage to generation and networks in Kyiv and Kyiv region alone, more than 500,000 consumers were left without electricity, in particular, the city of Slavutych was left completely without electricity. War Is Back in Vogue: Pope Leo XIV Warns As Global Order Frays Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 21:51 IST Pope Leo XIV warns global order is eroding, urges respect for Venezuela, condemns war, abortion, surrogacy, and shrinking freedom of expression in his first major Vatican address. Pope Leo XIV (Reuters image) Pope Leo XIV has warned that the postSecond World War principle prohibiting nations from violating one anothers borders has been completely undermined," as he delivered his first major state of the world" address to diplomats at the Vatican. Speaking at the Vaticans Apostolic Palace on Friday, the first US-born pope said the world was witnessing escalating tensions," particularly in the Caribbean Sea and along the American Pacific coast. He called for the will of the Venezuelan people to be respected and urged a return to stability in Venezuela. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," Leo told ambassadors, adding that the international order built after World War II was now being eroded. The popes remarks came less than a week after the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a military raid, and as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Emphasising the importance of international law, Leos comments stood in sharp contrast to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who dismissed international legal constraints in favour of personal moral judgement. Leo lamented the weakening of multilateralism and stressed that international humanitarian law must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents." He recalled that the United Nations was created from the devastation of World War II to safeguard peace, warning that diplomacy based on consensus is increasingly being replaced by force exercised by individual states or alliances. Delivering the 43-minute address largely in English, his native language, the Chicago-born pope described the encounter as a new experience." He also issued strong condemnations of abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia, and defended the right of conscientious objection for doctors, healthcare workers and those declining military service. Leo further warned that freedom of expression in the West was rapidly shrinking," cautioning against what he described as Orwellian-style language" that excludes dissenting views under the guise of inclusivity. Drawing historical parallels, the pope cited Saint Augustine and his work The City of God, saying todays world, like the fifth century, is marked by migration, a shifting global order and a profound change of era." He also reiterated concern over the treatment of migrants, warning governments against using crime and trafficking as pretexts to undermine human dignity. Leos address comes as he begins to outline priorities for his pontificate. Earlier this week, he concluded an Extraordinary Consistory of the College of Cardinals, signalling his intent to consult the global body more regularly than his predecessor, Pope Francis. The discussions focused on evangelisation and synodality, with cardinals welcoming Leos emphasis on listening and collective leadership as he sets the course for the Catholic Church in a turbulent world. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Vatican City First Published: January 09, 2026, 21:51 IST News world War Is Back in Vogue: Pope Leo XIV Warns As Global Order Frays Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'We Will Hit Them Very Hard': Trump Threatens Iran If Protesters Are Killed Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:50 IST Iran is witnessing its most serious wave of protests since 2022, with demonstrations on Thursday seeing a nationwide internet blackout and dozens of deaths. US President Donald Trump (Getty Images) US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to take severe action against Iran if its authorities start killing people" who are protesting in the country. I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots they have lots of riots if they do it, we are going to hit them very hard," Trump said during an interview. President Trump warns the Iranian regime could collapse amid protests, vowing the U.S. is ready to hit back hard if Tehran turns its guns on unarmed civilians: pic.twitter.com/UNLnK5MINM Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) January 9, 2026 Iran is witnessing its most serious wave of protests since 2022, with demonstrations on Thursday seeing a nationwide internet blackout, dozens of deaths and growing international scrutiny. Meanwhile, exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi is expected to visit former US President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence next week. People in Irans capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night after a call by the countrys exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran were cut out immediately after the protests began. The protests, triggered by rising living costs and a collapsing currency, has spread across large parts of the country, with clashes reported in several locations and mounting concern over the scale of the crackdown by security forces. At least 41 people have been killed so far and more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Irans civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump, last week, had also issued a stark warning to Iran amid escalating unrest, and said, We are locked and loaded and ready to go," in a post on his Truth Social platform. However, following Trumps comments, Iran wrote to the UN and protested against Trumps warning. Irans UN Ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General and members of the UN Security Council, protesting President Trumps post on the demonstrations in Iran and stressing that Iran will exercise self-defence decisively and proportionately" if the US attacks. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Iran First Published: January 09, 2026, 06:59 IST News world 'We Will Hit Them Very Hard': Trump Threatens Iran If Protesters Are Killed Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... What's 'Donroe Doctrine' And What's Its Connection To Trump's Latin America Policy? Written By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:28 IST The US has asserted its willingness to act unilaterally in its sphere of influence following the Venezuela developments. The stance has triggered debate over regional stability. Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) (Photos: AFP) At the beginning of this month, the phrase Donroe Doctrine entered international discourse as US President Donald Trump invoked it while announcing a dramatic military operation that later led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The term refers to a contemporary reinterpretation, and in some descriptions a revival, of the century-old Monroe Doctrine, repurposed to justify an assertive and interventionist United States policy across the western hemisphere. This analysis explains what the Donroe Doctrine signifies, how it relates to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, and why it has become central to current debates about US influence in Latin America. THE MONROE DOCTRINE AND ITS EVOLUTION The Monroe Doctrine was first articulated by former US President James Monroe during his annual message to Congress in December 1823. It declared that the Americas (North, Central, and South America), defined as the western hemisphere, were no longer open to further European colonisation and that any interference by European powers in the affairs of independent nations in the region would be viewed as hostile to the United States. The doctrine also stated that the United States would refrain from interfering in European wars and existing colonies while opposing any new external control in the hemisphere. For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Monroe Doctrine served as a foundational principle of US foreign policy in the Americas. It was invoked to counter European influence and was later extended into more interventionist forms. The Roosevelt Corollary (1904), for example, asserted a right for the United States to intervene in the domestic affairs of other western hemisphere nations to forestall European involvement, a shift toward proactive military engagement. Throughout the 20th century, US policymakers invoked the doctrine in diverse contexts, including the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, where the United States forcibly opposed Soviet missile installations in Cuba, interpreting external military presence as a threat within its strategic sphere. THE SHIFT FROM MONROE TO DONROE The Donroe Doctrine is not a formal, codified policy like the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, but rather a nickname Trump and his allies have applied to the administrations current approach to the western hemisphere. Trump explicitly referenced it during briefings following the Caracas raid, suggesting that his policies represent a modernised or expanded version of the original doctrine that is more aggressive in practice. Under this framework, the United States asserts its right to project power, politically, economically, and militarily, anywhere in the western hemisphere, asserting dominance over regional security matters and strategic assets. A central plank of this reinterpretation is the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which appears in the US National Security Strategy. It positions the western hemisphere as a primary sphere of US influence, excludes external powers from gaining footholds, and frames intervention as justified when US security interests are perceived to be at stake. The Trump administrations rhetoric around the doctrine emphasises American pre-eminence, especially in the context of competition with global powers like China and Russia. Trump and senior officials have indicated that actions in Venezuela and threats toward other strategic territories, including Greenland and the Panama Canal, should be understood through this doctrine, explicitly prioritising US influence over international norms or multilateral consensus. WHY LATIN AMERICA IS CENTRAL TO THE DONROE DOCTRINE Latin America, given its geographic proximity to the United States, its historical ties, and its strategic resources, lies at the heart of the Donroe Doctrine. The January 2026 military action in Venezuela, described by the White House as Operation Absolute Resolve in which Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces, was framed by the administration as both a security necessity and a demonstration of the new doctrine in action. Trumps team repeatedly linked the operation to broader objectives, including combatting drug trafficking and seizing strategic energy resources, particularly Venezuelas vast oil reserves. Analysts note that this assertive posture differs from previous US administrations, which often couched policy toward Latin America in terms of partnership, development, or multilateral cooperation. Under the Donroe narrative, however, nations that resist US interests, whether through alignment with rival global powers or through economic policies deemed antagonistic, may face diplomatic pressure, sanctions, or, as in Venezuelas case, direct military action. RISKS AND INTERNATIONAL REACTION Critics argue that Trumps version of the doctrine risks sliding back toward neo-imperialism, a return to an era when the United States intervened repeatedly in Latin American affairs with military force. Historical parallels are being drawn to past US interventions in nations such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, experiences that have left lasting scepticism of US intentions throughout the region. Latin American governments have varied in their responses. Some leaders and publics, particularly in nations wary of leftist regimes or external criminal cartels, have expressed cautious support for stronger security actions. Others, including traditional partners and regional organisations, have condemned unilateral US operations as violations of sovereignty and international law, warning that they could destabilise the hemisphere and undermine regional cooperation. Internationally, the invocation of a Donroe Doctrine has also drawn criticism from global powers whose presence or interests in the region are now directly challenged. Observers say the United States risks sparking new geopolitical contention if it frames Latin America as an exclusive US sphere of influence while other major players maintain economic, diplomatic, or security ties there. CONCLUSION The Donroe Doctrine represents a symbolic and substantive shift in US foreign policy, rooted in the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, adapted for the geopolitical realities of 2026. It emphasises assertive power projection in the western hemisphere, prioritising American strategic interests often at the expense of established norms of sovereignty and multilateral cooperation. ALSO READ | Cuba Totally Relies On Venezuela For Money, Oil: Trump Amid Outcry Over Maduros Capture News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:06 IST News world What's 'Donroe Doctrine' And What's Its Connection To Trump's Latin America Policy? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... What Medicines Do Astronauts Carry With Them? Inside First ISS Health Emergency In 25 Years Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 20:15 IST The situation unfolded on January 7, 2026, when NASA announced that one of the astronauts aboard the ISS had developed a "serious medical condition" Rapid Read Most astronauts experience what is known as "space adaptation syndrome" during the initial days of a mission. (AI-Generated Image) A rare medical emergency aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has forced the cancellation of a scheduled spacewalk and triggered deliberations within NASA over the possibility of an early return of an entire crew to Earth. The incident, involving an astronaut from the Crew-11 mission, is being described as the first such health crisis in orbit in nearly 25 years. While the affected astronauts condition is now stable, the episode has raised fresh questions about medical care in space and the limits of treatment in zero gravity. The situation unfolded on January 7, 2026, when NASA announced that one of the astronauts aboard the ISS had developed a serious medical condition". As an immediate precaution, a spacewalk scheduled for January 8 was called off indefinitely. NASA has not disclosed the identity of the astronaut or the exact nature of the illness, citing medical confidentiality. Early reports suggested that all four members of the Crew-11 mission might be brought back to Earth at once. However, subsequent updates confirmed that the astronauts health has stabilised. NASAs Chief Health Officer, Dr James Polk, said the agency was treating the matter with utmost seriousness, noting that no mission has been aborted due to a medical emergency since 2000. If Crew-11 is recalled prematurely, it would mark a first in 25 years. Q. What is space sickness? Most astronauts experience what is known as space adaptation syndrome" during the initial days of a mission. Symptoms typically include nausea, dizziness and a sensation of heaviness. Scientists attribute this to the absence of gravity, which disrupts the balance system of the inner ear. In most cases, the human body adapts within a few days. NASA officials, however, have indicated that the condition affecting the Crew-11 astronaut goes beyond routine space sickness and is considered medically serious. Q. Is there a hospital or doctors facility on the ISS? There is no full-scale hospital or operating theatre aboard the ISS. Instead, astronauts rely on a compact medical setup known as the Crew Health Care System (CHeCS). This includes essential life-saving medicines, portable diagnostic tools and a small ultrasound device used to examine internal organs. The station is also equipped with a Health Maintenance System, which provides oxygen support and a defibrillator. However, in the event of a condition requiring major surgery or intensive care, there are no facilities to manage it in orbit. In such scenarios, the only viable option is an emergency return to Earth. Q. What medications do astronauts carry with them? Astronauts are equipped with a carefully curated medical kit designed to handle both minor ailments and more serious conditions. These kits typically include painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen for headaches and muscle pain; medications and patches to counter motion sickness; and sleep aids like melatonin to help manage disrupted sleep cycles. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are available to address infections, while antihistamines are carried for allergic reactions. Basic first-aid supplies like bandages, antiseptic ointments, eye drops and wound-cleaning solutions are also standard components of the onboard medical inventory. Q. How difficult is it for doctors to treat patients in zero gravity? Medical treatment in space presents challenges far beyond those faced on Earth. In microgravity, even simple tasks such as administering injections become complex, as liquid medication can float freely and air bubbles in syringes pose serious risks. Microgravity also causes bodily fluids, including blood, to shift upwards towards the head, which can weaken the immune system over time. Wound healing is slower, and there is an increased risk that minor infections could escalate. This is why NASA continuously monitors astronauts vital signs and health data in real time throughout the mission. Q. Who are the four astronauts currently aboard the ISS as part of Crew-11? The Crew-11 mission was launched on August 1, 2025, aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft. The four astronauts currently on board the ISS are Gina Cardman and Michael Finke from NASA, Kimiya Yui of Japans JAXA, and Oleg Platonov of Russias Roscosmos. Their mission was originally scheduled to conclude in February 2026. However, following the medical emergency, NASA has indicated that the timeline could change depending on health assessments and operational considerations. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has reiterated that crew safety remains the agencys highest priority. Q. Why has such an emergency occurred after nearly 25 years? Over the past two and a half decades, NASA has enforced extremely strict health and safety protocols. Astronauts undergo prolonged medical screening and quarantine before launch to minimise the risk of infections. They are also trained to handle basic medical procedures in space. Despite these measures, certain internal medical conditions cannot always be predicted or detected in advance. According to NASA, the current incident is not linked to an accident or mission-related injury but to an internal health issue that could occur under any circumstances. This unpredictability is what makes the case both rare and concerning. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 20:15 IST News world What Medicines Do Astronauts Carry With Them? Inside First ISS Health Emergency In 25 Years Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Who Is Jonathan Ross, ICE Officer Who Fatally Shot 37-Year-Old Woman In Minneapolis? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 11:49 IST Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent and Iraq war veteran, fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. The FBI is investigating as protests and calls for charges grow. Rapid Read Jonathan Ross has been working as an ICE agent since 2015. (Image: X/@PopBase) The federal agent who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday has been identified as an Iraq war veteran who has served in the Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly 20 years, according to records obtained by news agency Associated Press. Jonathan Ross has been working as an ICE deportation officer since 2015. Federal authorities have not publicly named the agent involved in the deadly shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three who was killed as she attempted to drive away from agents. However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agent had previously been dragged by a vehicle during an arrest last year, and a DHS spokesperson confirmed she was referring to a June 2025 incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, involving Ross, the report mentioned. Trump administration officials, including Noem, have defended the agent, describing him as highly trained and experienced. They say the shooting occurred after Ross believed Good was attempting to run over him or other agents. Video footage has raised questions about whether the use of deadly force was justified, and the FBI is investigating. The shooting has sparked protests, with demonstraters calling for criminal charges, while Minnesota authorities have also sought to review the case. Ross Joined Border Patrol In 2007 AP reported that court testimony shows Ross deployed to Iraq with the Indiana National Guard from 2004 to 2005, serving as a machine gunner on combat patrols. After returning to the US, he joined the Border Patrol in 2007 near El Paso, Texas, later working as a field intelligence agent focused on cartel and smuggling operations. Since transferring to ICE in Minnesota, Ross has worked in fugitive operations, targeting high-priority suspects, and has served with the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. He has also been a firearms and active-shooter instructor and a member of SWAT. Ross was seriously injured during the 2025 Bloomington arrest when a suspect fled in a vehicle, dragging him down the street. The suspect was later convicted of assaulting a federal officer. Vice President JD Vance praised the unnamed agent, saying the ICE officer deserves a debt of gratitude," while DHS officials declined to confirm Ross identity, citing safety concerns for him and his family. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: January 09, 2026, 11:49 IST News world Who Is Jonathan Ross, ICE Officer Who Fatally Shot 37-Year-Old Woman In Minneapolis? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Who Is Reza Pahalvi? Son Of Iran's Last Shah And Exiled Crown Prince Back In Spotlight Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 15:01 IST Born in 1960, Reza Pahlavi has lived in exile for decades, mainly in the United States, after the monarchy collapsed and the Islamic Republic was established. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (Credits: X) Iran is witnessing protests across the country, with authorities imposing one of the toughest communication shutdowns in recent years. On Thursday, the government cut internet access and blocked international phone calls as demonstrations created massive unrest. The protests were called by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of Irans last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was removed from power during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. While Reza Pahlavi does not lead the protests on the ground, he has come back into focus as the unrest in the country grows. Even from exile, he has emerged as a vocal critic of Irans Islamic Republic, repeatedly expressing support for protesters calling for political change, human rights and greater freedoms. During the latest wave of unrest, Pahlavi called on Iranians to continue peaceful resistance and urged the international community to support the Iranian people rather than the ruling clerical establishment. He has framed the protests as a nationwide movement driven by economic hardship, repression and decades of unfulfilled promises, rather than loyalty to any single leader or ideology. A day after the protest, Reza also took to X, posted a video, and said that he was proud of everyone who came out in protest. I am proud of each and every one of you who took over the streets across Iran on Thursday night (18 Dey). You saw how a massive crowd forces the repressive forces to retreat. Those of you who were hesitant, join your fellow compatriots on Friday night (19 Dey 8 PM), and make the crowd even larger so that the regimes repressive power becomes even weaker. I also invite field leaders to try to connect different crowd routes to each other and make them bigger. I know that despite the internet and communication cuts, you will not abandon the streets. Be assured that victory belongs to you!," he said. Who Is Reza Pahlavi? Reza Pahlavi is the eldest son of Irans last monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Born in 1960, he has lived in exile for decades, mainly in the United States, after the monarchy collapsed and the Islamic Republic was established. From abroad, Pahlavi has positioned himself as a vocal critic of Irans clerical leadership. He has repeatedly expressed support for protesters demanding political change, human rights and personal freedoms. During recent unrest, he urged Iranians to continue peaceful resistance and appealed to the international community to support the Iranian people rather than the ruling establishment. He has also framed the protests as a nationwide movement driven by economic hardship, repression and years of frustration, rather than loyalty to any single leader or ideology. Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, including the Israel-Iran conflict, Pahlavi has continued to call for a change of regime in Tehran. He has advocated a peaceful transition to a secular and democratic system, without directly seeking power himself. About The Pahlavi Legacy The Pahlavi dynasty ruled Iran for over 50 years. It began in 1925 when Reza Shah Pahlavi seized power and launched wide-ranging modernisation efforts. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah, ruled from 1941 until 1979, pursuing close ties with Western countries and introducing reforms such as land redistribution and expanded rights for women. While praised abroad, these policies faced strong resistance at home, eventually leading to the revolution that ended the monarchy in Iran. Today, Reza Pahlavi remains a controversial yet recognisable figure in Iranian politics. He holds no formal authority, but his words continue to resonate among parts of the Iranian diaspora and some protesters whenever public anger erupts in Iran. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: January 09, 2026, 15:01 IST News world Who Is Reza Pahalvi? Son Of Iran's Last Shah And Exiled Crown Prince Back In Spotlight Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Will Shoot First, Ask Questions Later': Denmark Amid US Threats Over Greenland Takeover Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: January 09, 2026, 08:32 IST The remark from Danish Defence Ministry came after US President Donald Trump reiterated his push to take over Greenland. Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen and US President Donald Trump Amid US President Donald Trumps persistent threats to annex Greenland, the countrys defence ministry said that soldiers will be required to shoot first and ask questions later if the United States invades Greenland. The ministry told Danish outlet Berlingske that soldiers would be required to counter any foreign invasion without awaiting orders under the militarys rules of engagement. The 1952 rule states that in the event of an invasion, forces should respond without waiting for or seeking orders, even if the commanders in question are not aware of the declaration of war or state of war". The remark from Danish Defence Ministry came after US President Donald Trump reiterated his push to take over Greenland, after attacking Venezuela. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and its vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region." The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US Military is always an option at the Commander in Chiefs disposal," she added. Diplomats From Greenland, Denmark Meet White House Officials Meanwhile, the top Washington-based diplomats for Greenland and Denmark on Thursday met with the White House officials at the National Security Council. As Greenland continues to publicly and privately insist it is not for sale, Denmarks Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen and Greenlands head of representation to the US Jacob Isbosethsen met with Trump advisors. Trump Wants Greenland Notably, President Donald Trump has been proclaiming that he wants to purchase Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, since 2019. In fact, Trump has also raised the specter of using the military to take Greenland by force. Trumps renewed focus on Greenland comes just days after he authorised a military operation to capture the President of Venezuela. Following the operation, tensions were heightened among Danish and Greenlandic officials about Trumps potential willingness to seize Greenland. Rubio, meanwhile, told lawmakers earlier this week that Trump was interested in buying Greenland and downplayed the possibility of any forthcoming US military intervention to take the island by force, CNN reported citing sources. Denmark Says Greenland Not For Sale Denmark has repeatedly insisted that the island is not for sale". The European leaders had warned Trump in a joint statement that the territorial integrity of Greenland and Denmark should be respected. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had also warned Trump that any US attack on Greenland would mean the end of the NATO alliance and the security that has been established since the end of the Second World War." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location : Denmark First Published: January 09, 2026, 07:45 IST News world 'Will Shoot First, Ask Questions Later': Denmark Amid US Threats Over Greenland Takeover Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The President's address to the participants of the meeting of the Coalition of the Wishing on December 11, 2025 | Photo: The Presidential Office of Ukraine / www.president.gov.ua President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the readiness of Great Britain to assist in attracting additional air defense means and a possible mode of operation of the British contingent, "which will be deployed together with France if diplomacy works to end the war." Zelenskyy stated this following a meeting with British Defense Secretary John Healey. "During a meeting with British Defense Secretary John Healey, he spoke about the nighttime Russian attack on our energy sector and people. Moscow is trying to use the cold weather for terror, so work on additional air defense assets for Ukraine is now an urgent priority. We know which partners have the appropriate missiles and equipment, and I sincerely thank the UK for its willingness to help," Zelenskyy said in his Telegram channel on Friday. The president said that he and Healey also discussed "how the British contingent, which will be deployed together with France, could work if diplomacy works to end the war. It is important that the framework for ending the war has a clear response from the allies in the event of a repeat of Russian aggression." "I thank the minister, the team and the government for their great support throughout all these years of full-scale invasion and for the truly successful projects that we are implementing together, in particular on the co-production of drones," the Ukrainian president said. We cautiously expect partial restoration of Kyiv heat within 24 hours, though some cases may take longer Kovalchuk Partial restoration of heat supply in Kyiv is expected within 24 hours, for the rest of the houses where the situation is more difficult, it will take more time, perhaps two days, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Kostiantyn Kovalchuk has said. "We cautiously expect partial restoration of heat supply in Kyiv within 24 hours. As for the rest where the situation is somewhat more difficult, it will take a little more time. Perhaps it is two days. That is, we are talking about very cautious certain terms for a certain part of the city," Kovalchuk told journalists during a briefing on Zoom. At the same time, he said over half of the houses in Kyiv have heating, so this is not an emergency situation. "More than half of the houses, over 6,000, have heat. That is, there is definitely no reason to talk about a total catastrophe," the deputy minister said. He also said he would be cautious about radical calls. "Considering all this, I would be very cautious about any radical calls. I would urge everyone to remain calm, trust official information, communicate with each other and do what one does not like to do to an enemy to remain strong and united," Kovalchuk said. As reported, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko recommended that residents of the capital temporarily leave its borders if possible due to the difficult heat situation. Chinese astronauts just wrapped up a month or so spent largely underground, in an exercise meant to prep them for where Beijing wants to send them next. China's astronaut corps put 28 crew members through cave training in a mountainous part of Chongqing, with small teams rotating through six-day, five-night stretches in cold, damp caves, per SpaceNews . The program, announced Monday on the 28th anniversary of the astronaut corps, was built to mimic the isolation, disorientation, and problem-solving demands of deep-space missions, including eventual landings on the moon. Futurism notes it's not clear exactly which cave system served as the training site, but once inside, astronauts practiced environmental monitoring, mapping, simulated communications between "space" and Earth, and team psychology drills. Instructors tossed in surprise medical-evacuation scenarios to gauge emergency response and group dynamics, per SpaceNews. Data from the exercises will feed into psychological support systems for long stints on China's Tiangong space station and for future lunar crews, Jiang Yuan of the China Astronaut Research and Training Center told state TV. Each session also included two days of jungle training. The program draws on Europe's CAVES training, in which some Chinese astronauts have previously participated. Veteran spacefarer Ye Guangfu, who trained in Europe in 2016 and now helps run the Chinese course, said support teams stayed hands-off to force astronauts to lean on their own judgment. Fellow astronaut Zhu Yangzhu described the sealed, dark, wet cave as a stand-in for the solitude and uncertainty of deep-space exploration. "It was so dark that I couldn't see my own hands in front of my face," astronaut Tang Hongbo told the Xinhua news agency. The training comes as China pushes toward landing two astronauts on the moon before 2030, using its new Long March 10 rocket, Mengzhou crew spacecraft, and Lanyue lander, per SpaceNews. It's also planning a joint International Lunar Research Station in the 2030s, as NASA pursues its own Artemis lunar missions later this decade. The federal officer who shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday has been identified as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross, according to court records and a law enforcement source cited by the Star Tribune . ICE has not publicly named the agent involved, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man was dragged by a car during an operation months earlier, reports MPR News . Court files show Ross is the ICE agent who was dragged by a fleeing driver during an arrest in Bloomington, Minnesota, on June 17, 2025. In that incident, Ross joined agents attempting to detain Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, a Mexican national with a prior conviction for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. When Munoz allegedly refused commands, Ross broke a rear window to unlock the car. Munoz then accelerated, pulling Ross alongside as the agent twice used a Taser while the vehicle swerved "in an apparent attempt to shake" him off, prosecutors said. Ross was eventually thrown from the car, suffering deep cuts that required 33 stitches. Homeland Security confirmed that was the case Noem had referred to. The Guardian reports that Ross is a Minneapolis resident and a 10-year veteran of ICE's enforcement and removal special response team. It's not clear whether Ross will face charges in the killing of Renee Nicole Good, though video suggests his life was not in danger when he opened fire. Administration officials defended his actions Thursday, and state investigators said they had been frozen out of the investigation and would no longer have access to case materials. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the move was "very concerning," Politico reports. "We've been trying to figure out how can we get somebody at the FBI, somebody to understand the damage that they're doing with this kind of decision," he told CNN. Noem claimed at a press conference Thursday that the state has "no jurisdiction" in the case. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that it "feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome," NBC News reports. "And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president, to Kristi Noem have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate," he said. "They have determined the character of a 37-year-old mom that they didn't even know." Noem, the governor said, had assumed the role of "judge, jury and basically executioner." Tulsi Gabbard holds the nation's top intelligence title, but she was kept out of the loop on one of the Trump administration's biggest covert actions: the operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. According to multiple people familiar with the matter, White House officials began excluding the director of national intelligence from Venezuela planning as far back as last summer, even as they drafted military options and deployed CIA assets around Caracas, the Wall Street Journal reports. Trump deliberately narrowed the circle of officials read into the mission, a senior administration official said, adding that the president decided she didn't need to be briefed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was among those who wanted her on the sidelines. Vice President JD Vance has publicly denied that Gabbard had been frozen out, saying planning was limited to "senior cabinet-level officials and related officials," while another administration official insisted her office still provided analytical support. The decision to freeze her out of the meetings was widely in the White House that aides joked that DNI, the acronym for her title, also stood for "Do Not Invite," per Bloomberg; another White House official disputed that account. An Iraq War veteran, Gabbard has for years spoken against US interventions in other countries, per the Washington Post, and she said in 2019 that the US should "stay out of Venezuela." Gabbard has clashed with Trump on issues including Iran's nuclear program, testifying in March that US intelligence did not believe Tehran was building a weapon. Trump later said she was wrong, adding, "I don't care what she said." She also posted a video about her visit to Hiroshima, Japan, in which she criticized "political elite warmongers" that irked administration officials considering their next step on Iran. Usually a public supporter of Trump's actions, on social media and Fox News, Gabbard didn't post for three days after the raid on Caracas, per the Journal. She then praised Trump and the military personnel who carried out the mission. She has won presidential favor at times, particularly when declassifying documents tied to the Russia probe and moving to revoke the clearances of dozens of current and former officials she accused of politicizing intelligence. But Trump has gradually turned more to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, current and former officials say. Ratcliffe stood with other close advisers at Trump's side in Florida last weekend as the president discussed the Venezuela operation. Gabbard was in Hawaii at the time. "President Trump has full confidence in his entire exceptional national-security team," said Steven Cheung, White House communications director. As the US escalates talk about gaining control of Danish-controlled Greenland , a Cold War-era directive has drawn attention. It stipulates that Denmark's troops must immediately engage with foreign troops attacking Danish territory, even if they have not received explicit orders to do so, reports EuroNews . Denmark's Defense Ministry has confirmed that the directive from 1952 is still in force, according to the Danish newspaper Berlingske. The report, however, seems to have led to some over-hyped news coverage. The debunking site Snopes notes that a headline this week in the UK's Telegraph read, "Denmark 'will shoot first and ask questions later' over Greenland," and that sentiment seems to have been picked up in a game of media telephone. In some cases, the coverage has inaccurately suggested that Denmark has issued a new order specific to the US statements, notes Snopes, which isn't the case. The story has gotten traction mainly because the White House has stipulated that use of the military "is always an option" for President Trump to acquire Greenland, per the BBC. The situation may clarify next week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Danish officials for talks. Rubio told reporters this week that Trump's goal all along has been to buy Greenland from Denmark, not seize it, reports ABC News. Former US Rep. Gabby Giffords returned to the House floor on Thursday, the 15th anniversary of the assassination attempt that cut short her promising political career and shocked a nation that has only seen political violence worsen in the years since. Giffords held hands with her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries lauded her congressional service and her advocacy for gun control measures, the AP reports. She received a standing ovation from a few dozen lawmakers in the chamber, most of them fellow Democrats. "House Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say 'enough is enough,'" said Jeffries, who pledged that Democrats would prioritize gun control legislation if they win the House majority in November's midterm elections. Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011, while meeting with constituents at a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona. Six people were killed and 12 injured in addition to Giffords, who was left with limited motion on one side and aphasia, a verbal disability. No coherent motive has been established for the attacker, Jared Loughner, who had schizophrenia and shared a variety of disjointed, nonsensical conspiracies in his online posts. He was sentenced to life in prison after being forcibly medicated to make him competent to stand trial. The targeting of a political event foreshadowed the rising tide of violence that has shadowed American democracy. The attacks include the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021; two attempts on Donald Trump's life; and the killing last June of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband. More recently, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while talking to college students. Giffords left Congress after the shooting to focus on her recovery. She went on to create, along with Kelly, a political groupnow known as GIFFORDSthat lobbies for tougher gun laws and works to elect state and federal lawmakers who will support them. | New Plan: Ballroom Will Be as Tall as the White House West Wing might also get an addition, commission is told The House approved a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies on Thursday, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats in a rebuke to GOP leaders. The bill, passed 230-196, would restore higher federal subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year to help lower premiums for millions of people buying coverage on the ACA marketplace. The measure may well not clear the Senate, the Washington Post reports; Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants changes that Democrats oppose. "Republicans and Democrats can agree," said Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican who voted with Democrats, per the New York Times . "Our system is broken and we need to fix it, and we need to work in a bipartisan way." Republican leaders had not advanced their own plan before the subsidies expired, despite warnings from members in competitive districts that rising costs could hurt them in the 2026 midterms. The measure reached the floor through a discharge petition pushed by Democrats and a small group of Republicans, bypassing House Speaker Mike Johnson, per the Post. The Senate blocked a comparable extension last month when Democrats could not attract enough Republican support to overcome a filibuster. The changes Republicans want include income caps, minimum out-of-pocket premiums, expanded health savings accounts, and abortion-related limits. A bipartisan Senate group is instead discussing a shorter, two-year extension with income limits, a $5 minimum monthly premium, anti-fraud measures, and an option to direct some subsidy money into health savings accounts. Republican opponents in the House framed Thursday's bill as prolonging a flawed law. Ahead of voting, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the three-year extension would increase the nation's deficit by about $80.6 billion over the decade, per the AP. At the same time, it would increase the number of people with health insurance by 100,000 this year, 3 million in 2027, 4 million in 2028, and 1.1 million in 2029, the CBO said. Federal agents shot a man and a woman in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, police saidone day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed a woman , Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis. The agents involved in the Portland shooting are with US Customs and Border Protection, also part of the US Department of Homeland Security, ABC News reports. Police officers who arrived after receiving a call for help Thursday afternoon applied a tourniquet and called for emergency medical personnel, per the AP . Police said that the two wounded people were taken to a hospital and that their conditions were unknown. They're both Portland residents, the city council president said. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called the shooting "deeply troubling," per Oregon Public Broadcasting. "We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts," Wilson said in a statement. "Portland is not a 'training ground' for militarized agents, and the 'full force' threatened by the administration has deadly consequences." Wilson called on ICE to halt its operations in the city until the shooting is investigated. He also urged residents to "show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time." Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden posted that President Trump's "deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violenceand must end." Demonstrators and officers, including federal agents, clashed for months in Portland after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, per the New York Times. Trump tried last summer to deploy the National Guard against demonstrations at an ICE installation in Portland over his illegal immigration crackdown but was blocked by a federal judge. A new study suggests that smart dogs are adept at eavesdropping. The research published in Science found that so-called "Gifted Word Learner" dogs can pick up the names of new toys simply by overhearing their owners talk to other people. "Our findings show that the socio-cognitive processes enabling word learning from overheard speech are not uniquely human," says study co-author Dr. Shany Dror of Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, per Popular Science . "Under the right conditions, some dogs present behaviors strikingly similar to those of young children." These standout dogs, identified in earlier research for their knack for learning object names, aren't limited to any single breed, though border collies and border collie mixes tend to perform well. For the new study, researchers with Hungary's Genius Dog Challenge tested 10 GWL dogs in two scenarios, per the AP. In one, owners spoke directly to their pets while playing with two new toys, repeatedly using the toys' names. In the other, the dogs sat nearby while owners discussed the toys with another person, never addressing the dogs at all. Across several short sessions, dogs heard each toy's name for a total of eight minutes. Later, the toys were moved to another room, and owners asked their dogs to fetch specific items by name. Seven of the 10 dogs succeeded in both scenarioschoosing correctly 80% of the time when taught directly and 100% of the time when they only overheard the words. A second experiment tested whether the dogs could handle a delay between seeing an object and hearing its name. Owners first showed the dogs the toys, then put them in a bucket and used the labels only after the toys were out of sight. Most dogs still learned the names, indicating they can link words to objects even when the reference isn't immediate. The team notes that GWL dogs appear to be rare and probably reflect a mix of genetics and intensive interaction with humans. "We do not suggest that all dogs learn in this wayfar from it," says Dror. Photo: https://t.me/Ukraine_MFA Ukraine is waiting for a decision on strengthening Ukrainian air defense, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said. As reported by the correspondent of Interfax-Ukraine, Sybiha visited together with his Czech colleague the site of the destruction of a high-rise building in the capital by Russian Shahed UAVs. "Yes, we can expect certain decisions. As political and diplomatic, in the energy sector, and I am convinced that there will be additional decisions in the field of strengthening our defense capabilities, air defense," Sybiha said during a conversation with journalists in Kyiv on Friday. Minnesota's governor is putting the National Guard on standby as protests grow over a fatal shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis. Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday authorized the Minnesota National Guard to be "staged and ready," citing concerns from local officials about whether city and county agencies could handle ongoing demonstrations, the Hill reports. His order instructs Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke to have troops, equipment, and facilities prepared for activation "at a time deemed appropriate." Brig. Gen. Simon Schaefer said the Guard, which has about 13,000 members, has already begun equipment checks and notifications in case it's called in. The unrest follows the Wednesday killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good in south Minneapolis. The ICE officer has been identified by the Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have challenged the claim by several federal officials that Ross was acting in self-defense, with Frey publicly telling ICE to leave the city, arguing the agency is undermining public safety. Video of the encounter has been analyzed by multiple news agencies, and Frey said the videos show the self-defense claim is "garbage," the AP reports. Democrats in Congress and in state and local offices have called for Ross to be criminally charged as the Department of Homeland Security continues what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation, Fox 9 reports. The operation is linked to a Trump administration investigation of alleged social services fraud in Minnesota. The Senate has agreed to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, rebuffing House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said the commemorative memorial does not comply with the law , the AP reports. The action happened swiftly, with brief debate, in floor action Thursday. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina had announced during this week's fifth anniversary of the Capitol siege that he would seek to ensure the plaque is installed, partnering with Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was also working on the situation, and Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California. No senators objected. "A lot of people said it was a dark day for democracy," Tillis said about Jan. 6, 2021, describing his memory of hearing the thousands of people"thugs," he saidlay siege to the Capitol as Congress was tallying the 2020 election results. He said that because of the work of the law enforcement officers, it instead became a great day for democracy. "We came back and completed our constitutional duty to certify the election," he said. "We owe them eternal gratitude and this nation is stronger because of them." This week, senators stepped up after learning the plaque, which had been approved by Congress more than three years ago, was nowhere to be found at the Capitol. Instead, many House lawmakers have been hanging up replicas outside their office doors. The Senate also appeared to be motivated by the shifting narrative from President Trump's White House about what happened Jan. 6, 2021a new report blames Democrats and police. "It's so important we be honest with the American people about what happened," Merkley said, as he called the resolution up for passage. "It's so important we recognize those who defended our democratic republic on that day," he said, and that "people know we came back, as senators and House members, and finished our work that day, for the peaceful transfer of power." Padilla said part of the context is the White House's new website that he said is an "attempt to rewrite history." He said that "dishonors" the officers. "The Senate bipartisan commitment to real history is strong," he said. An avalanche of garbage and debris buried or trapped workers in low-slung buildings at a landfill in the Philippines, killing one person, injuring a dozen, and leaving 38 others missing, officials said Friday. Dozens of rescuers retrieved 13 people alive overnight and were searching for the missing still trapped after the mountain of garbage, earth, and debris collapsed on them Thursday afternoon in the village of Binaliw in Cebu city, officials and police said. Landfill workers were among those affected, but it's not clear if there were neighboring residents or others involved as well, the AP reports. One of those rescued, a female landfill worker, died while being brought to a hospital, regional police director Brig. Gen. Roderick Maranan told the Associated Press, adding the rest survived with injuries and were hospitalized. Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker in the landfill, said the collapse of the mountain of garbage unfolded rapidly without warning and in good weather. The avalanche of rubbish destroyed his office, where he managed to extricate himself with bruises in his face and arms by crawling under the rubble and debris. Search and rescue efforts were continuing for 38 missing, Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival and the Office of Civil Defense said Friday. Pictures released by authorities showed rescuers with earth-moving equipment scouring a building devastated by the massive slide with its twisted tin roofs and iron beams. Relatives waited in anguish as the search and rescue proceeded. A woman wept openly and asked the rescuers to speed up the search. Authorities and officials at the waste management facility, which has 110 employees, were to hold an emergency meeting Friday, Archival said. Such landfills and open dumpsites have long been a source of safety and health concerns in many cities and towns in the Philippines, especially in areas close to poor communities, where residents scavenge for junk and leftover food in the garbage heaps. In July 2000, a huge mound of garbage in a dumpsite in a shantytown in suburban Quezon City in metropolitan Manila collapsed after days of stormy weather and the avalanche also ignited a fire. The disaster left more than 200 people dead and many more missing, damaged scores of shanties and prompted the enactment of a law, which required the closure of illegal dumpsites and better waste management by authorities. President Trump says he's expecting a high-profile visitor from Venezuelaand possibly a Nobel medal. In a Fox News interview that aired Thursday night, Trump told Sean Hannity that opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is "coming in next week sometime" to the US and that he looks forward to meeting her. Machado, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, earlier this week told Hannity that Venezuela wants to "give it to (Trump) and share it with him" because of his ouster of Nicolas Maduro. Asked by Hannity whether he would accept her Nobel if she offered it to him, Trump replied, "I've heard that she wants to do that. That'd be a great honor." While Machado is free to do what she likes with her medal and prize money, she can't make Trump a Nobel laureate. "A Nobel Prize cannot be revoked nor transferred to others. Once the laureate or laureates are announced, the decision is final," said Norwegian Nobel Institute Erik Aasheim, per the Latin Times. A spokesperson for Machado did not confirm the trip, and the White House has yet to release details. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill have been urging Washington to back Machado as Venezuela's next leader. Trump, however, has publicly questioned whether she's the right person to run the country, telling reporters last week it would be "very tough" for her to take charge because she lacks sufficient backing and respect at home. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a similar tone Sunday, calling Machado "fantastic" but arguing that the current turmoil requires other leadership, saying much of the opposition is now outside Venezuela and immediate problems must be handled first. Trump told Hannity that the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former second-in-command, had been "great." Early Friday, he said he had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela. Trump has openly sought the peace prize in the past and has pressed his case in public. In a recent NBC News interview, he denied a Washington Post report claiming he passed over Machado for national leadership after Maduro's ouster because of her Nobel win. "She should not have won it," Trump said. "But no, that has nothing to do with my decision." President Trump says the US and Venezuela are working so well together that he has called off a second wave of attacks. In a Truth Social post early Friday, the president praised cooperation on oil infrastructure and Venezuela's release of high-profile prisoners on Thursday, CNBC reports. "At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," Trump wrote. On Thursday, Venezuela released a number of imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalistsboth citizens and foreignersin what the government described as a gesture to "seek peace" less than a week after former President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces to face drug-trafficking charges, the AP reports. Trump, who has been pressuring Maduro allies now leading the country to fold to his vision for the future of the oil-rich nation, said the releases came at the request of the United States. In an interview on Fox News on Thursday night, Trump praised the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez, telling Sean Hannity: "They've been great. ... Everything we've wanted, they've given us." Jorge Rodriguez, brother of the acting president and head of Venezuela's National Assembly, said a "significant number" of people would be freed, but as of late Thursday night it was still not clear who or how many people would be released. The US government and Venezuela's opposition have long demanded the widespread release of imprisoned politicians, critics and members of civil society. The Venezuelan government insists it does not hold prisoners for political reasons. Among those released was Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado's 2024 presidential campaign, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group for prisoners based in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. Also released was Enrique Marquez, a former electoral authority and candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the organization said. Five Spanish citizensincluding the prominent Venezuelan-Spanish lawyer and human rights activist Rocio San Miguelwere also released in the afternoon. As the night wore on, reports trickled out of more detainees walking free. Relatives who waited for hours outside a prison in Guatire, about an hour east of Caracas, chanted, "Libertad! Libertad!" meaning "Freedom! Freedom!" Human rights groups and members of the opposition were encouraged by the move, though it wasn't clear yet what it representedwhether the growing pains of a government in transition or a symbolic overture to placate the Trump administration, which has allowed Maduro's loyalists to stay in power as it exerts pressure through crippling sanctions. Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, expressed cautious hope "that this is indeed the beginning of the dismantling of a repressive system in Venezuela ... and not a mere gesture, a charade of releasing some prisoners and incarcerating others." Romero's organization said that as of Dec. 29, 2025, there were 863 people detained in Venezuela "for political reasons." A 56-year-old Minnesota woman was killed in a suspected shark attack off St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, authorities say. Emergency services began getting calls around 4:28pm local time about a swimmer bitten in the water near Dorsch Beach in Frederiksted, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department. Marine units, firefighters, and EMTs rushed to the scene and found the woman critically injured, with one arm severed in the attack, ABC News reports. She died from her injuries after she was taken to a hospital. Police initially feared more than one person might have been harmed and launched a search of the surrounding area. Rescue crews scoured the beach but found no additional victims. The woman was later identified by family members as Arlene Lillis. The St. Thomas Source reports that two other visitors from the mainland US pulled Lillis from the water. Christopher Carroll, a nurse and former lifeguard from Utah, says he ran to the beach and swam out to the injured woman, who was around 10 yards from shore, after hearing an "ungodly screaming" from his hotel balcony. Ryan Connot, a lineman from Nebraska trained in CPR, swam out to help. Both men say Lillis remained conscious despite her injuries and they tried to reassure her. "She told us her name was Arlene," Connot says. "That was about halfway back. I think that was the last thing she said." First responders said Lillis' husband was not at the beach at the time, but officers located him and brought him to the hospital. The couple, from the small city of Detroit Lakes, were frequent visitors to the islands, WTJX reports. . Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is preventing most users from generating or editing any images after a global backlash that erupted after it started spewing sexualized deepfakes of people. The chatbot, which is accessed through Musk's social media platform X, has in the past few weeks been granting a wave of what researchers say are malicious user requests to modify images, including putting women in bikinis or in sexually explicit positions, per the AP . Researchers have warned that in a few cases, some images appeared to depict children. Governments around the world have condemned the platform and opened investigations into it. On Friday, Grok was responding to image altering requests with the message: "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features." While subscriber numbers for Grok aren't publicly available, there was a noticeable decline in the number of explicit deepfakes that Grok is now generating compared with days earlier. The European Union has slammed Grok for "illegal" and "appalling" behavior, while officials in France, India, and Malaysia, as well as a Brazilian lawmaker, have called for investigations. On Thursday, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer threatened unspecified action against X. "This is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated," Starmer said in a radio interview. "X has got to get a grip of this." He said media regulator Ofcom "has our full support to take action" and that "all options" are on the table. "We will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable," he noted. Ofcom and Britain's privacy regulator both said this week they've contacted X and Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI for information on measures they've taken to comply with British regulations. Grok, which launched in 2023, is free to use for X users, who can ask it questions on the social media platform. They can either tag it in posts they've directly created or in replies to posts from other users. Last summer the company added an image generator feature, Grok Imagine, that included a so-called "spicy mode" that can generate adult content. The problem is amplified both because Musk pitches his chatbot as an edgier alternative to rivals with more safeguards, and because Grok's images are publicly visible and can therefore be easily spread. Iran's top leader is signaling defiance as street unrest grows and pressure from Washington intensifies. Speaking Friday in the holy city of Qom, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that his nation wouldn't give ground to a wave of demonstrations or to President Trump's warnings about possible US action, per the Wall Street Journal . "Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic will not retreat," Khamenei told supporters, dismissing many protesters as "vandals" seeking to "please the president of the United States." "There are people whose job is only about destruction," he said, per the New York Times. The remarks came after some of the largest protests in years swept through Tehran and dozens of other cities, per the Journal. The unrest began late last month over a crumbling currency and soaring prices, but it has increasingly taken on a political edge, with some demonstrators calling for an end to clerical rule and voicing support for Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah. A human rights group in Iran says more than 2,000 people have been detained and at least 36 killed as protests have spread to 92 cities. Government officials have publicly acknowledged economic grievances while deploying security forces to contain the crowds. Speaking on Fox News late Thursday, Trump suggested Iran's leadership could be about to fall and repeated that he might intervene if the crackdown turns more lethal, saying "the enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible." His comments follow the recent US operation in Caracas to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, an action that has sharpened questions in Tehran over how far DC might go. Khamenei, who has ruled since 1989, countered by predicting Trump would ultimately meet the fate of arrogant rulers throughout history who were "overthrown at the height of their pride." "He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead," Khamenei said, per the AP. Still, analyst Mustapha Pakzad said the supreme leader's tough talk is unlikely to ease the frustrations of Iranians struggling with day-to-day survival. Iranian women, meanwhile, have their own response to Khamenei. Gwyneth Paltrow says her much-mocked "conscious uncoupling" didn't just dominate headlinesit cost her a job. Appearing on Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang , the actor recalled that soon after she and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin announced their separation in 2014 after 11 years of marriage, she was dropped from a film. Paltrow, now 53, said she had been lined up for a role when media scrutiny over the split intensified, CNN reports. "It was like right after the kind of conscious uncoupling thing with Chris and there was like a lot of harsh stuff in the press," she told Poehler. "I think the distributor was like, 'this might be too hot to touch.'" She did not identify the movie or the company involved. Paltrow, who is currently promoting the film Marty Supreme with Timothee Chalamet, described the timing as especially difficult. "So that was great because I was getting a divorce and then I got firedit was so awesome," she said wryly. Poehler summed up the distributor's alleged decision as, "they were like, 'we don't need the heat.'" The "conscious uncoupling" phrase, used by Paltrow and Martin in a joint statement asking for privacy for themselves and their two children, quickly became a cultural punchline. Paltrow told Poehler she thinks some of the backlash came from people projecting their own experiences with painful divorces. The idea that a split might be handled differently, she suggested, may have felt like a criticism to those who went through acrimonious breakups. but that "of course was not the intention." "Say you had had a really nasty divorce, or your parents had had a really nasty divorce," Paltrow said, per the Guardian. "And then you hear this idea that like, it doesn't have to be done this way. I think the implicit learning is like, 'Oh, f---. Like, they're saying I did something wrong.'" The former couple, who finalized their divorce in 2016, have since described their relationship as amicable; Paltrow has previously said Martin even joined her, husband Brad Falchuk, and their children on their 2019 honeymoon. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has declared Friday a "Day of Unity" in honor of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday. In a statement announcing the proclamation, Walz called Good "a loving mother, partner, daughter, and neighbor whose life was defined by compassion, creativity, and care for others," KARE11 reports. He called for a moment of silence at 10am. "While we cannot bring back Renee Nicole Good, we can honor her life by standing together for decency, democracy, compassion, and our shared values. I invite all Minnesotans and Americans to join me in a day of unity, and honoring her with a moment of silence and participating in acts of service," he said. Minnesota officials said Thursday that the FBI had barred them from the investigation of Good's death. In a video posted on social media Thursday evening, Walz said, "We need Minnesota to carry out this investigation." He added: "I'd ask everyone to pause for a moment of silence, to remember Renee Good, also to remember all that's good and right about this nation." He asked Minnesotans "to show the goodness, to rise up to make sure that we're being very, very clear about this, that we expect our constitutional rights to be respected, that law enforcement is local, that we expect accountability of our elected leaders, and that we are not going to go quietly." . Photo: MFA of Ukraine Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha supported U.S. actions against Russian shadow fleet tankers, commenting on the seizure of the motor tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea on Friday morning. "We welcome the United States' consistent and steadfast action against unlawful tankers, including today's seizure of the Olina. This vessel has been sanctioned as part of Russia's 'shadow fleet.' Such resolute steps project strength and send the right messages to perpetrators," Sybiha said on the X social network. As reported, on January 8, the United States seized the oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), which was sailing under the Russian flag, after a week-long pursuit. Later, the U.S. Southern Command reported the seizure in the Caribbean Sea of the stateless vessel M/T Sophia, and later the motor tanker Olina, which also belonged to the Russian shadow fleet and were under sanctions. Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Olha Stefanishyna said that among the members of the Bella 1 crew are Ukrainian citizens. US forces have quietly expanded their hunt for sanctioned Venezuelan oil , boarding a fifth tanker early Friday as part of a growing maritime crackdown with global implications. US officials say the latest target is the Olina, an East Timor-flagged ship previously known as the Minerva M and under US sanctions for moving Russian oil, per the Wall Street Journal . Shipping tracking data indicate the vessel hadn't publicly signaled its position since mid-November, when it was near Venezuela's coast and sailing under what analysts describe as a false flag. US officials tells NBC News that the mission was carried out by the US Coast Guard and Joint Task Force Southern Spear. "There is no safe haven for criminals," the US Southern Command declared after the seizure, per the AP. Data firm Kpler says the Olina took on about 700,000 barrels of Merey crude at Venezuela's Jose terminal on Christmas Eve; EU database Equasis lists its owner as Tantye Peur Ltd., based in Hong Kong, per the Journal. The operation is part of a broader Trump administration effort to squeeze Venezuela's government and dismantle the so-called dark, or shadow, fleetan estimated 1,000-plus tankers that use deceptive tactics to move sanctioned oil. About 70% of Venezuela's crude exports now depend on such vessels to sidestep US penalties, alongside an aging network of ships linked to Russia and Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the maritime blockade gives Washington "the strongest leverage possible" over Caracas and its partners. Recent seizures, including the high-profile boarding of the tanker Bella 1 as it was shadowed by Russian navy ships, have sharpened tensions with Moscow. The US Navy has deployed several warships, among them the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, to support Coast Guard interdictions near South America, while the Pentagon has backed some boardings with special forces, AC-130J gunships, and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Legal experts say Russia, worried about US actions against tankers carrying its oil, has taken the unusual step of letting dark-fleet ships near Venezuela register under its flag with minimal scrutiny. The standoff unfolds as Washington and Moscow are already at odds over a proposed Ukraine peace framework, adding another strain to an already fraught relationship. Fentanyl deaths have been dropping sharply in the US over the last few years, and a new study suggests that China is a big reason. The study in Science points to a "major disruption in the illicit fentanyl trade" that led to a steep drop in fatal overdoses beginning in 2023, reports Axios . Researchers say it appears that Chinese crackdowns on chemicals used to make the drug reduced supplies in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. "This demonstrates how influential China can be and how much they can help usor hurt us," Keith Humphreys, a co-author of the paper, tells the Washington Post . Overdose deaths in the US exceeded 100,000 per year in the first years of the Biden administration, but they began to decline in mid-2023 and dropped to about 81,000 in 2024, per the Post. The decline is believed to have continued in 2025, though official numbers won't be out for months. The study notes that other factors played a role, including better addiction treatmentparticularly the overdose-reversal drug naloxoneand ramped-up law enforcement efforts on trafficking. In a statement, the Chinese embassy seemed happy to take credit, saying Beijing's crackdowns have had "remarkable results." China says that between late 2023 and August 2025, it shut down nearly 300 companies. The White House, in a statement that did not address the Science paper directly or the fact that the decline started before President Trump's second term, credited Trump's border and counternarcotics measures and his efforts to pressure China. Swiss authorities have taken one of the owners of a ski resort bar into custody as they investigate a New Year's Eve fire that killed 40 people and injured more than 100 others. Prosecutors in the Valais region say co-owner Jacques Moretti, a French citizen, is suspected of negligent manslaughter, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson in connection with the blaze at Le Constellation, a basement bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana, per the BBC . Swiss media report that Moretti was detained as a possible flight risk. He and his French wife, Jessica, who co-owns the venue, were earlier placed under formal criminal investigation. A statement from the region's top prosecutor notes that Jessica Moretti will remain free under judicial supervision, reports the AP. Officials believe the fire began when partygoers lifted champagne bottles adorned with sparklers, igniting soundproofing foam on the ceiling. The incident quickly turned deadly, killing 40 people and injuring 116, many of them under 20 years old. It has since emerged that the bar hadn't been subject to safety inspections for five years, raising questions about oversight in one of Switzerland's best-known ski destinations, per the BBC. On Friday, Switzerland marked a national day of mourning, with a minute of silence observed across the country. Church bells rang for five minutes afterward, trains and trams stopped, and Zurich's airport briefly put its operations on pause. In Crans-Montana, local residents and visitors honored first responders with a standing ovation at a memorial event. In a Jan. 6 statement cited by NBC News, the Morettis said they were "devastated and overcome with grief" at the tragedy, and that their "thoughts are constantly with the victims, their loved ones who have been bereaved so brutally and prematurely, and all those who are fighting for their lives." For one Southern California homeowner, the thumping under the floorboards has finally stoppedand it wasn't pipes. Ken Johnson of Altadena says a 550-pound black bear that slipped into the crawl space beneath his house just before Thanksgiving was finally evicted this week, ending more than a month of noise, odor, and anxiety. Johnson told KTLA he'd spent weeks listening to the animal "banging under the house" while state wildlife officers tried and failed to persuade it to leave. Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tried paintball guns, air horns, and other deterrents, but Johnson says the operation fizzled after direction from the state capital of Sacramento to retreat. Then the BEAR League, a Lake Tahoe-based nonprofit, stepped in. Using many of the same techniques as the statepaintball rounds among themthe group needed about 10 minutes on Tuesday to drive the bear out. "These guys went in, they crawled in behind him, and boom, he was out," Johnson said. The bear wasn't quite ready to give up its rent-free den. It returned two nights later and tried to get back into the crawl space, only to find an "unwelcome mat" there, per the APan electrified mat covering the entry. The mild shock sent it running, and it hasn't been seen under the home since. With the bear gone, Johnson is now tallying the damage. Among the problems under the house: a ruptured gas line. He says in a GoFundMe that the bear caused "tens of thousands of dollars in damage"a big hit after he'd already survived the Eaton Fire, then lost his job. As of Friday, he'd raised about $3,500. In his most substantial critique of US, Russian, and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Pope Leo XIV on Friday denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, "completely undermining" peace and the post-World War II international legal order. "War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading," Leo told ambassadors from around the world representing their nations' interests at the Holy See, per the AP . Leo didn't name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech. But it came amid the backdrop of the recent US military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, and other conflicts. The occasion was the pope's annual audience with the Vatican diplomatic corps, which traditionally amounts to his yearly foreign policy address. History's first US-born pope delivered much more than the traditional roundup of global hot spots. In a speech that touched on threats to religious freedom and the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion and surrogacy, Leo lamented how the United Nations and multilateralism as a whole were increasingly under threat. "Peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion," he noted. "This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence." Leo did refer explicitly to tensions in Venezuela, calling for a peaceful political solution that keeps in mind the "common good of the peoples and not the defense of partisan interests." On Ukraine, Leo repeated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire and urgently called for the international community "not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples." On Gaza, the pope repeated the Holy See's call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and insisted on the Palestinians' right to live in Gaza and the West Bank "in their own land." Leo also repeated the church's opposition to abortion and euthanasia and described surrogacy as a threat to life and dignity. "By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a product, and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family," he said. Mortgage rates just booked their sharpest one-day slide in months, triggered by a social media post from the president. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dipped to 5.99% on Friday, slipping below 6% for the first time since February 2023, according to Mortgage News Daily . That's down from 6.21% a day earlier and more than a full percentage point lower than a year ago. Rates on 15-year fixed loans also moved lower, to 5.55%. Such sizable daily moves are unusual in a market where changes are typically measured in hundredths of a point, NBC News reports. The drop followed President Trump's announcement on Truth Social that he had ordered his "representatives" to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds, saying the move would push down borrowing costs and monthly payments. Federal Housing Finance Authority chief Bill Pulte later said that Fannie Mae and Freddie Macthe government-backed mortgage giantswould carry out the buying. Both already hold more than $230 billion in mortgage securities combined, so an additional $200 billion would nearly double their portfolios. By buying mortgage bonds from lenders, Fannie and Freddie free up cash that can be used to issue new loans, which tends to ease rates if demand for mortgages doesn't spike at the same time. Trump on Wednesday had said he wants the government to block big investors from buying single-family homes to use as rentals. Some industry analysts said that practice drives up housing prices, including rents, per the New York Times. Analysts at UBS said the bond-buying plan could nudge 30-year rates down by more than 0.2 percentage points and potentially boost homebuilding and existing-home sales. Others are skeptical, per NBC. JPMorgan Chase analysts said they don't expect either Trump plan to have much impact. The bonds program, they said, is too small to meaningfully reshape the housing market, noting that $200 billion is only about 1.4% of the roughly $14.5 trillion mortgage market in the US and that current homeowners still enjoy an average rate of 4.4%. That provides little incentive to move even if rates for new buyers inch down. US stocks hit records Friday following a mixed report on the US job market , one that may delay another cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve but does not slam the door on it. The moves came after the Labor Department said employers hired fewer workers during December than economists expected, though the unemployment rate improved and was better than expected. It reinforced that the US job market may be in a "low-hire, low-fire" state, the AP reports. On Friday, power company Vistra soared 10.5% to help lead the market after signing a 20-year deal to provide electricity from three of its nuclear plants to Meta Platforms. Big Tech companies have been signing a string of such deals to electrify the data centers powering their moves into artificial-intelligence technology. Oklo jumped 7.9% after saying it also signed a deal with Meta Platforms that will help it secure nuclear fuel and advance its project to build a facility in Pike County, Ohio. Homebuilders and other companies involved in the housing market were strong in their first trading after President Trump announced a plan to push mortgage rates down. Builders FirstSource, a supplier of building products, jumped 12% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500 along with Vistra. Among homebuilders, Lennar rallied 8.9%, DR Horton climbed 7.8%, and PulteGroup rose 7.3%. They helped offset a 2.7% drop for General Motors. The auto giant said it will take a $6 billion hit to its results for the last three months of 2025 related to its pullback from electric vehicles. That's on top of the $1.6 billion in charges GM took in the prior quarter. WD-40 tumbled 6.6% after reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company said the soft numbers were primarily because of timing issues, not weaker demand from end customers. Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official Attempts by Russian occupiers to hit energy facilities across Ukraine indicate Russia's attitude towards the United States and its diplomatic efforts to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. "The Russians are taking advantage of the weather, the cold snap, and trying to hit our energy facilities as much as possible. It is clear how much they respect America and all diplomacy," Zelenskyy said on Telegram channel. He also noted the importance of Kyiv, which became the main target of Russian shelling last night, mobilizing its financial resources to solve the problems caused by the attack. "Last night there were more than 200 Russian drones and also a significant amount of ballistics, and mainly against Kyiv. Four people were killed. My condolences to the relatives. Almost three dozen wounded. Before that, there were strikes on Dnipro, Kryvy Rih, Zaporizhia. Before that, Odesa. The main Russian tactic is to try to completely 'turn off' cities. It is important that every city administration understands this goal of the enemy and prepares for full counteraction for real work for the sake of the citizens. We should not run away from problems, but solve them, especially when there is a resource for this, as in Kyiv. The most financially secure city in Ukraine, and there should be all the necessary reserve schemes," the president said. According to him, repair crews throughout the country are engaged at maximum strength. "Repair work is currently underway in our cities, our communities: in Kyiv and the region, in Dnipro region, in Lviv region, in Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, and Odesa regions. In fact, repair crews are constantly working in Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions. Maximum efforts are being made to restore life support," Zelenskyy said. As reported, as a result of the attack by Russian troops on Kyiv on January 9, four people were killed and 25 were injured, including medics, rescuers, and police officers. The 19 high-rise buildings, the Qatari embassy building, a tram depot, an unfinished high-rise building, cars, a supermarket, and a gas station were damaged, and windows in a kindergarten were broken. OSAKA, Jan 09 (News On Japan) - A male whale measuring about 15 meters in length and weighing roughly 32 tons, which strayed into Osaka Bay and died in January 2024, was excavated from the site where it had been buried. The operation was carried out over two days, during which the whales bones were gradually uncovered. Researchers were present at the site to examine the condition of the bones and remaining tissue. The excavated bones were transported to the Osaka Museum of Natural History, where they will undergo preservation treatment before being put on public display. Source: Television OSAKA NEWS A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week TORONTO, Jan. 9, 2026 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Cision Canada - The Weekly Round-Up (PRNewsfoto/Cision Canada) Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews. About Cision Canada Cision is a comprehensive communications platform enabling more than 100,000 public relations and marketing professionals around the world to understand, influence and amplify their stories. As the market leader, Cision enables the next generation of communication professionals to strategically operate in the modern media landscape where company success is directly impacted by public opinion. Cision has offices in 24 countries through the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and offers a suite of best-in-class solutions, including Newswire, Brandwatch, Cision Communications Cloud and Cision Insights. To learn more, visit www.cision.ca and follow @CisionCA on Twitter. SOURCE Cision Canada For questions, contact the team at [email protected]. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the use of the Arctic for security purposes and efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. "NATO Secretary General spoke with Secretary Rubio today on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North. They also discussed the ongoing US-led efforts to bring the war against Ukraine to a just and lasting end," a NATO spokesperson said on the X social network on Friday. Photo: IT-Enterprise Ukrainian product IT company ITEnterprise, a major player in Ukraine's market for digital transformation of business and the public sector, expanded its corporate client base by 28 companies in 2025. Among the new clients are Rozetka, MHP Lehko, Oschadbank, Darnytsia, Akord Import, and ToyotaUkraine, according to an ITEnterprise press release summarizing last year's results. "Over the year, ITEnterprise's portfolio grew by 28 clients, including Darnytsia, MHP Lehko, and Oschadbank We are eliminating toxic, hostile software in Ukraine, motivating businesses to use safer and higherquality Ukrainian products," the release quoted ITEnterprise CEO and founder Oleh Scherbatenko as saying. The company noted that its portfolio now includes representatives of large businesses, charitable foundations, government institutions, and the defense sector. According to Scherbatenko, in addition to replacing hostile software, two other drivers of the company's growth are helping clients improve efficiency under wartime conditions and a staffing crisis, and building a digital ecosystem of products for managing large, medium, and small businesses. He identified the company's core products as MASTER, SmartTender, and Signy.online. The release stated that beyond the global trend surrounding artificial intelligence, there are three additional functional directions currently shaping the IT market: financial management (budgeting, treasury, consolidation, cost accounting, etc.), digitalization of HR processes (recruitment, onboarding, personnel management), and smart manufacturing. Promising industries include military production, agriculture, food processing, retail, and ecommerce. "It is important not just to implement one or several software products, but to provide a comprehensive set of tools that will help transition to modern digital approaches in management," Scherbatenko said. ITEnterprise has been operating for 38 years. According to the company, among the top 202 largest private companies in Ukraine as ranked by Forbes Ukraine, every second one is an ITEnterprise client. These include INTERPIPE, Nibulon, DTEK, Public Broadcasting, the Come Back Alive charitable foundation, Credit Agricole Bank, Ukrnafta, and Ukrposhta. Ukraine awaits reaction to Russian attack on Ukrainian cities from those countries that condemned after fake Russian statement about alleged Ukrainian attack on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's residence, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said. He said this in response to a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent regarding whether the Qatari side has already reacted to the damage to the embassy as a result of the Russian attack. "We haven't seen it yet, we have publicly reacted, but we want a reaction not only from the Qatari side, but from those countries that recently condemned the alleged strike by the Ukrainian side on Putin's alleged residence. There was no strike, there was a reaction," Sybiha said during a conversation with journalists in Kyiv on Friday. Sybiha said Ukraine now expects "from those countries that shamefully reacted to this pseudo-fact to condemn today's terrorist missile strike on Ukraine." As reported, on December 29, Russia launched an information operation to disrupt the agreements reached between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, within the framework of which it accused Ukraine of a targeted attempt to attack Vladimir Putin's residence using 91 UAVs. The Foreign Intelligence Service provided evidence that the information about the alleged "attack on Putin's residence" is a fake. Despite this, the governments of the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan expressed concern about the attack, which did not actually occur. Three men were sentenced to prison for their roles in a years-long racketeering operation in Atlantic County that included a double-homicide, officials said. Steven Martinez, 31, of Egg Harbor City, Shiraz Khan, 36, of North Bergen, and DeShawn Hose, 28, of Atlantic City all previously pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a racketeering organization that operated throughout Atlantic County between 2016 and 2020. All three pleaded guilty to charges related to racketeering, officials said. Martinez and Hose also pleaded guilty to their roles in the deaths of Demond Tally, 45, in 2019, and his son, Demond Cottman, 21, in 2016, officials said Cottman was killed at the Hamilton Mall on Black Friday 2016 at about 1 a.m. when he was shot multiple times in the parking lot, officials said. No arrests were made and the investigation remained open until Tally was killed outside of his home in Atlantic City on Feb. 10, 2019, officials said. Investigators said evidence was collected that determined Martinez used the proceeds from his role as a high-level drug distributor to hire others to kill Tally in 2019. Shamar Scott was convicted by a jury in March 2025 of being hired by Martinez to kill Tally in 2019, officials said. Hose admitted to supplying the gun Scott used in the killing and helping locate Tally the night of the shooting, officials said. Martinez pleaded guilty to a total of six crimes across two separate cases including aggravated manslaughter, leading a narcotics trafficking network, weapons and narcotics offenses. He was sentenced to an aggregate term of 35 years in prison, 30 of which must be served before becoming eligible for parole. Khan was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of 15 years and must serve at least five years before reaching parole eligibility after pleading guilty to running a narcotics trafficking network, racketeering and official misconduct. Khan was not believed to be involved in the killings, officials said. Hose was sentenced to 12 years in prison and must serve 85% of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The remaining codefendants in the case are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Attorneys for the men did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A high-pressure gas leak Friday morning in Margate forced evacuations of downbeach businesses and million dollar homes just a block from the beach. The gas leak, which lasted more than two hours, happened during roadwork on Granville Avenue. The evacuations of customers and homeowners were ordered for year-round businesses and occupied residences at 9:20 a.m. in the area of South Granville Avenue. Firefighters in Margate search for the source of a gas leak on Friday which happened during construction. Margate Fire Department Businesses included Casels supermarket, Dinos sub shop, Jagielkys candy, and Talk of Towne clothing store, according to a statement by the Margate Fire Department. Also evacuated were people in homes on South Granville, South Gladstone, and South Haverford. Firefighters evacuated homes Friday just a block from the beach in Margate after a gas leak happened. Margate Fire Department A repair crew from South Jersey Gas Company arrived approximately 45 to 50 minutes into the incident to shut down the leak, according to the fire department statement. The fire department also discovered an additional gas leak near Granville and Ventnor avenues, which is within walking distance of two elementary schools. As a result, staff at the nearby Ross School and the Tighe School were ordered to keep students inside the building to avoid gas fumes, according to the statement. Firefighters checked all affected properties with a gas company representative to ensure they were free of gas fumes or vapors. The evacuees were allowed to return to their businesses and homes at 11:40 a.m. when the gas leak was resolved, officials said. Two men in Bergen County have been accused of illegally voting in the 2020 presidential election after claiming to be U.S. citizens on voter registration documents, federal prosecutors said. Muhammad Muzammal, 37, and Muhammad Shakeel, 62, were indicted in December for falsely claiming to be U.S. citizens on their voter registration applications, submitted before the 2020 election, officials said. Once their applications were approved, they both voted in the 2020 general election, officials said. Muzammal also voted in the 2021 election, according to court documents. Muzammal and Shakeel are also accused of lying in subsequent applications for U.S. citizenship, claiming they never registered to vote and never voted in a U.S. election. The two men have been in the U.S. since 2017 and had permanent legal status under family visas, according to court documents. Shakeel is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Jan. 21 in Trenton federal court. Muzammal did not have a court date set as of Thursday. Our clients maintain their innocence and are committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement and the judicial system throughout the process, Rizwan M. Kahlid, who represents both men, said. We strongly believe that the facts, once fully presented and examined, will demonstrate that the allegations against our clients are without merit. Police are searching for the person who hurled a rock through a school bus window on the New Jersey Turnpike Wednesday, injuring a student. The incident happened around 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the highway just before Exit 70A-B in Teaneck, according to a statement from the New Jersey State Police. The rock shattered a side window and struck an 8-year-old student, leaving the child seriously injured, police said. The bus was traveling in the right lane at the time, investigators said. No other details were released Thursday, including which school district operates the bus. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage of it was urged to contact the New Jersey State Police Troop D Newark Station Detective Bureau at 732-441-4500, Ext. 1401. Matthew Bianchini, a Pemberton Township councilman, was elected mayor Wednesday, succeeding Jack Tompkins, who resigned amid multiple workplace sexual misconduct allegations. In a 3-2 vote, the Republican councilman was chosen to complete Tompkinss term, which ends later this year. Minutes after the vote, Bianchini was sworn in, formally taking over after serving as acting mayor since last week. The township confirmed Tompkins resignation took effect on Dec. 31, in a notice posted on its website. Tompkins resigned after repeated calls for him to leave office following an internal investigation that found he violated the townships anti-harassment, discrimination and retaliation policies. He had previously refused to step down despite demands from the public and the Township Council. Bianchini was one of three candidates nominated by the local Republican committee to fill the vacancy. During the meeting, Bianchini vowed to lead a respectable administration while calling for unity and volunteerism in the community. Ive been meeting with the employees over the past couple of days, and already things are a lot better up here in the building, and the landscape of employees in the township, for obvious reasons, Bianchini said, in his first mayoral statement. I think everyone can make out what I mean. A letter from November obtained by NJ Advance Media shows that the Burlington County Joint Insurance Fund a public insurance pool that covers municipalities including Pemberton Township notified Tompkins that his personal liability coverage would be canceled. Tompkins could not be reached by NJ Advance Media for comment. The fund notified the township within the required 30 days, citing financial losses from claims involving Tompkins in recent years. However, the policy was revised to exclude Tompkins so the fund could continue insuring the township. This means that he will be neither defended nor indemnified by the carrier for any claims made against him, the letter states. The fund has already paid out $850,000 to settle two lawsuits, according to the Pine Barrens Tribune. Tompkins also faced backlash for canceling the townships iconic Water Carnival, a tradition since 1948. In 2024, Tompkins allegedly scrapped the event as retaliation against Nichole Pittman, who was the townships parks and recreation director, and had planned the event. The event was scrapped again in 2025, prompting renewed criticism and intensifying calls for his resignation. In a minutes-long address, Bianchini vowed to resume the event after a two-year hiatus. Pittman was the first township employee to sue Tompkins for degrading remarks about her gender. A second complaint, filed by Candice Pennewell, Pembertons chief financial officer, alleged similar behavior by Tompkins. Both lawsuits by Pittman and Pennewell have been settled, according to court records. Four other civil cases filed by township employees Rosemary Flaherty, Patricia Everett, Ashlee Bartole and Jennifer Deeds remain pending in New Jersey Superior Court, records show. Vanessa E. James, an attorney for the township, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tompkins was first elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2022, defeating challenger David A. Patriarca. In his resignation letter, Tompkins said he would depart into retirement but did not mention the misconduct allegations. He wrote that some actions by the council and employees were not in the best interest of the township, without offering details. It has been an honor to have been elected and to have served as the Mayor of Pemberton Township for the past three years, the letter reads. Ive enjoyed talking to and assisting the many residents and local businesses of the township. While some of my goals have been successful, I am saddened that I could not accomplish all of my goals. Hardenbergh Insurance Group has leased a 5,200-square-foot office space in Vineland as part of the companys expansion in Cumberland County. The insurance group selected the location at at 228 West Landis Ave. to strengthen its presence in Vineland and increase visibility along the corridor, according to a statement by Wolf Commerical Real Estate. The lease supports the companys continued growth in South Jersey. Jason Wolf, managing principal at WCRE, and Andrew Koller, senior advisor, represented the tenant in the deal. Hardenbergh offers insurance policies for automobile, homeowners, liability and medical coverage as well as workers compensation coverage, in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the 2020 killing of an East Orange man who was shot outside his home. Laquan Nowlin, 32, was gunned down on July 3, 2020 in front of his home at South Orange Avenue and Sanford Avenue, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Nowlin was a detention officer at the Essex County Youth Detention Center. Six years later, this investigation remains open and active, but there may be someone in the community who has information that can assist us, Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said in a statement on Friday. We hope this reward motivates them to come forward. The reward is being offered through the Essex County Crime Stoppers program. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Essex County Prosecutors Office tips line at 1-877-847-7432. All calls will remain confidential, officials said. China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges launched at AU headquarters Xinhua) 08:33, January 09, 2026 The launching ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is held at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Jan. 8, 2026. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the event and delivered a keynote speech. (Xinhua/Han Xu) ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The launching ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held on Thursday at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, with participants calling for deepening dialogue between the two civilizations. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the event and delivered a keynote speech. Jean-Claude Gakosso, foreign minister of the Republic of the Congo, the African co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie also addressed the ceremony. More than 200 participants attended the event, including senior officials from the AU Commission and AU institutions, diplomats from African countries to the AU, senior representatives of United Nations agencies, and officials and representatives from various sectors of Ethiopia. Wang said that launching the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important initiative jointly agreed upon by the Chinese president and African leaders. In his congratulatory letter, Xi elaborated on the significance of mutual learning among civilizations in advancing China-Africa modernization and outlined the direction and principles of China-Africa people-to-people and cultural cooperation, which demonstrated deep reflections on human history and civilization and provided important guidance for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, Wang said. China-Africa relations boast a long history and enduring traditional friendship, Wang said, noting that in recent years, under the joint guidance of leaders on both sides, China-Africa people-to-people exchanges have flourished and delivered fruitful results. Facts have shown that people-to-people exchanges form the most solid foundation of China-Africa friendship, while mutual learning among civilizations serves as the strongest driving force for China-Africa cooperation, he said. The Chinese foreign minister said that the world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with major historical shifts taking place in the international landscape, stressing that the Global South, represented by China and Africa, is rising irresistibly. Meanwhile, the world remains far from peaceful. The law of the jungle runs counter to international law and the basic norms of international relations, while power politics and acts of bullying infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Wang said. In the face of a turbulent world, China and Africa more than ever need to uphold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity and mutual support, and deepen exchanges and cooperation, he said, calling on both sides to prioritize development, put the people first, uphold mutual learning and exchanges, and embrace openness and inclusiveness. African leaders said that the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important step in implementing the Chinese president's initiatives, emphasizing that Xi's congratulatory letter encouraged the African side. They expressed confidence that the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges will open a new chapter in Africa-China relations, deepen dialogue between the two civilizations, enhance exchanges of ideas, and further strengthen bonds between the peoples. African countries stand ready to seize this opportunity to deepen cooperation with China in culture, education, tourism, arts, youth exchanges, and other fields, and to continue advancing Africa-China relations, they said. The African leaders also noted that the peoples of Africa and China are as close as brothers, and that Africa-China cooperation is mutually beneficial. They spoke highly of the long-standing tradition of Chinese foreign ministers making Africa the destination of their first overseas visit each year, expressed admiration for China's remarkable development achievements, and conveyed gratitude for China's support and assistance to Africa. Since the establishment of FOCAC, both sides have achieved substantial results in economy and trade, connectivity, agriculture, education, telecommunications, and other areas, contributing to the implementation of the African Union's development agenda, they said. The African side expressed willingness to deepen cooperation with China under the FOCAC framework and the Belt and Road Initiative to achieve common development. Against the backdrop of mounting global instability and serious challenges to the international order, the African side voiced support for the Global Governance Initiative proposed by the Chinese president, calling on both sides to stand united against hegemonism, jointly uphold the international order, and safeguard world peace. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) 27 1 / 27 N.J. activists gather following fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis New Jersey immigrants rights supporters gathered Thursday night to mourn the Minneapolis woman fatally shot 1,200 miles away by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and to denounce the presence of ICE in communities across the country. There were two gatherings in Newark dedicated to Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who died Wednesday morning, one more holy and the other occasionally profane. The latter was a peaceful but emotionally charged rally of about 200 people organized by the Party for Socialism & Liberation in the citys downtown Military Park, where the crowd chanted defiantly and held up signs that read F*** ICE and Dear ICE, Get the f*** out of our cities. Critics of the immigration enforcement agency, including some of the New Jersey protestors on Thursday, have cited a viral bystander video in asserting that Good was needlessly slain while trying to flee the scene and steering her Honda SUV away from the officer who shot her. Anybody who watched that video knows the truth, Brian Zambrano, a member of the Party for Socialism & Liberation, or PS&L, told the crowd at Military Park. And the truth is Renee Good was murdered. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday on the assertion that Good had been murdered. But in a widely televised press conference hours after the shooting, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer was acting in self-defense. Noem said Good had been part of a mob" harassing the officer and his colleagues all day, and then tried to run him over while he helped get an ICE vehicle unstuck from a pile of snow. Noem said Good intended to cause death or serious injury, and labelled her actions domestic terrorism. Thursdays other event for Good in Newark was a religious memorial service outside Delaney Hall, the controversial, privately owned and operated detention center that has been the scene of several high-profile events of the immigration crackdown launched by the Trump administration upon his second swearing-in a year ago. They include the death of detainee Jean Wilson Brutus on Dec. 12, which ICE said was the result of natural causes when announcing it a week later. Thursday nights gatherings were a show of popular protest against the immigration crackdown on the heels of political and official opposition by New Jerseys elected leaders. On Thursday, outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy labeled the shooting horrifying, deplorable, despicable, while state lawmakers earlier in the week advanced a package of bills that would resist the immigration crackdown by President Donald Trumps administration. The Military Park demonstration drew a brown, Black and white crowd of diverse ages and genders, which chanted defiantly as evening rush hour traffic rolled by on Broad Street, with many motorists honking their horns in support. Whos got the power? Zambrano called out to the crowd. Weve got the power! they responded. What kind of power? he asked. People power! was the reply. Other speakers included Cameron Guanlao, a member of Anakbayan New Jersey, a Filipino-American group. There is no American Dream for immigrants, said Guanlao, 25, of Harrison. Claudia De La Cruz, a member of the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organizations, or IFCO, had travelled from The Bronx to warn the Military Park crowd that what had happened to Good 1,200 miles away in Minneapolis, could happen to any of us. Even so, De La Cruz added, it was essential for protestors not to be intimidated. Every single right that we have gained has been through struggle, she told the crowd. About 50 yards away, a handful of Newark Police motorcycle officers stood by their yellow Harley-Davidsons, casually eyeing the gathering, which dispersed without incident at around 8 p.m. A few miles away, in an industrial area near Newark Bay, several dozen people had gathered outside Delaney Hall just prior to the Military Park protest. About 20 of them were clustered on the sidewalk along Doremus Avenue, where votive candles cast a glow on volunteers from the Catholic civic organization Pax Christi. The group regularly provides visitors with clothing to meet ICE dress codes and blankets and hot drinks to battle the cold while waiting to see their undocumented loved ones detained inside. It was a larger Pax Christi contingent than normal on Thursday, thanks to a Lament & Love Prayer Vigil In Memory of Renee Nicole Good, led by Sister Susan Francois of the St. Joseph of Peace religious order in Englewood Cliffs. God of Justice, yet again we ask you, when will you make all things right? Francois read from a text in English and Spanish. We lament that the love of power has found a place in your church. Forgive us. Heal us. Speak your truth to us. Amen. The other group outside Delaney Hall was the visitors Pax Christi was there to help. They included cousins Oscar and Angel Tenesaca, U.S. citizens waiting to visit another cousin, Francisco Dutan. Oscar, 29, who lives in Hackettstown, is a U.S. Army veteran, having served from 2013-2020, including a year in Somalia. He earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Rutgers and now works as a private investigator. Tenesaca said he never would have engaged a Somali civilian the way the ICE officers confronted Good in Minneapolis. If we did that overseas, we would be charged, Tenesaca said. They dont seem to have been trained at all, he said of ICE officers on American streets. I think its crazy how weve been taking out our weapons against U.S. citizens. An employee for the Essex County Department of Corrections filed a lawsuit Monday claiming she was demoted, moved to a small office and discriminated against after taking time off to have surgery. Keisha Ruffin, 53, of Plainfield, alleges in court papers she was stripped of her original duties and essentially demoted, after returning from medical leave for ankle surgery in 2023. Additionally, Ruffin claims she has been forced to urinate in a trash can in her office because the bathroom the elevator is often out of order. An Essex County spokesman declined to comment, saying the countys attorneys had not yet been served with the complaint. Prior to going on medical leave, Ruffin worked as a purchasing employee in the business office of the countys department of corrections. When she returned from leave, she found herself assisting the co-worker she had trained to do her job while she was out, according to the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of Essex County. Ruffin was assigned to a workspace that was smaller than a typical jail cell, lacked ventilation and isolated her from co-workers, the suit states. Due to her ankle surgery and the distance of her new office from the cafeteria, Ruffin claims she has been forced to fast at work. Given the location of where she is now posted, she has to walk on her surgically repaired ankle from the other side of the jail complex altogether, the lawsuit states. Not being near the lunchroom has made it difficult for her to take medications that need to be consumed with food, she claims in the suit. Ruffin also claims the only bathroom accessible to her requires the use of a frequently out-of-order elevator, or climbing downstairs, which is difficult and painful for her. As a result, she has been urinating into a garbage can in her office. This additional stress is having a detrimental effect on her health, the suit claims. The alleged unfair treatment has caused mental health issues for Ruffin, according to the complaint. Ruffin says she filed a grievance over her alleged unfair treatment. A short time later, her supervisors began retaliating against her and co-workers stopped talking to her, she claims in the suit. The lawsuit claims Ruffin is unable to complain beyond her immediate supervisors, because the worker she trained to perform her job while she was on leave has been placed in charge of the human resources department. The harassing behavior in ongoing, the lawsuit states, noting that Ruffin has trained multiple employees and all have been promoted except for her. Plaintiff has been denied holiday pay, she has had her time-off requests ignored, she is no longer given any direction to perform her job duties, she is consistently ridiculed at work by co-workers, she is chastised for things that her co-workers do not get reprimanded for, the suit alleges. The lawsuit alleges the Essex County Department of Corrections and her supervisors have discriminated against as a result of her disability and because she is Black. Ruffins attorneys claim the alleged retaliation is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Shes also claiming violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, and alleges county officials knew or should have known about the alleged harassment but failed to take corrective action. The alleged hostile work environment has also resulted in denials of promotions, which caused her to suffer economic losses, the suit claims. It takes a lot for a breakfast sandwich joint to stand out in New Jersey, where egg sandwiches are basically a religion. But Scram was an immediate hit when it opened in Jersey City back in 2020, with its elevated breakfast sandwiches drawing lines down the block. The ham bun, highlighted by Bechamel sauce and pineapple jam, was named the No. 10 breakfast sandwich in New Jersey by NJ.com. But now, those beloved egg sandwiches may be a thing of the past. The bakery that started in Charleston, South Carolina announced on Instagram back in December the egg sandwiches were removed from the menu because of fire code issues. Melanie Durant told NJ Advance Media on Thursday the Jersey City fire chief inspected the bakery in November and found some of their kitchen equipment not up to code namely a 24-inch electric flat top with no hood suppression system. They said we had until December 7 to appeal or abate the violations or it was a crazy, hefty fine, Durant said. So we just stopped using the equipment altogether. While New Jersey loves simple breakfast sandwiches, Scram took the beloved dish and elevated it with fluffy brioches and creative toppings like fontina cheese, chili mayo and pineapple jam. The sandwiches were a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to be a popular dish in Jersey Citys bustling food scene until they were taken off the menu. Durant said she attempted to contact the department for years, starting with when the bakery opened in 2020, taking over the downtown Jersey City space that once held Enna Bakery. She was told by the previous tenants the kitchen was up to code. I even called (James) Solomons team, who was our councilman at the time, and they were able to find me some paperwork and said we were fine, Durant said. The business before us already had that stuff in place. But the inspector informed Durant the space hadnt been inspected since 2016. It seemed very strange to me that there wasnt a hood system in place, Durant said. I should have fought harder to figure it out. Durant said the status of the kitchen is up in the air. The bakery is trying to figure out how to navigate the situation, but a hood system might not be possible for their current location because of structural issues with the building. In the meantime, the bakery is going to dive into other items like large-format quiches and laminated dough pastries like croissants. But its unclear if their famous egg sandwiches will make a return. I really dont have an answer at this time. Its not that we cant make eggs, we just cant crank out sandwiches the way we were, Durant said. Im working on some other way to get eggs to the people, but we really just dont know. State officials have confirmed that a child under 5 years old has died from the flu, marking the first pediatric flu death in the state this season. The child, who lived in North Jersey, had no other known medical conditions. This flu season is already shaping up to be a very serious one, with more cases than previous years and, tragically, one childs death this week. We extend our deepest condolences to the childs family, said Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown in a statement. New Jersey had five pediatric flu deaths last season, up from two the previous year, according to state data. There have been 58 flu-related deaths in New Jersey since the fall, most of which were people 65 and older. The death this year is a sign of this flu seasons intensity in New Jersey, where 9,288 new flu cases were identified during the week ending Jan. 3, according to the state Department of Healths latest statistics. The number of emergency department and outpatient visits related to flu-like illness also remains elevated. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses are the most frequently reported flu viruses so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past, influenza A(H3N2) predominant flu seasons have been associated with more flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in people 65 years and older. Health officials are urging people to get their flu shots, saying that its not too late. By getting vaccinated, we can each do our part in reducing the spread of flu and other respiratory viruses in New Jersey and helping prevent serious complications, Brown said in a statement. According to data from the CDC, 280 pediatric deaths were reported during the 2024-2025 influenza season. The median age at death was 7 years, and 56% of children who died had at least one underlying medical condition. Among the 208 children with available data who were vaccine eligible, 89% were not fully vaccinated. While vaccines may not fully protect everyone, public health experts argue theyre still proven to help prevent serious illness and death. In the average flu season, vaccines have a 40-60% efficacy in reducing the incidence of severe illness, according to the CDC. Early estimates of the 2025-2026 flu vaccines effectiveness show the shot is 70-75% effective for children and 30-40% for adults. Flu vaccines are available for use in people aged 6 months and older. Theyre offered at doctors offices, pharmacies, community health clinics, health departments and other community locations. Visit the CDC website for additional help finding vaccines in your area. A 40-year-old Philadelphia man was stabbed to death in Ewing on Thursday, authorities said. Police found Jimmy Chase with stab wounds to the torso when they were called to the first block of New Hillcrest Avenue at about 5:20 p.m. on Thursday, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office said. Chase died of his injuries Friday morning at a local hospital. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ryan Minnick of the prosecutors office at 609-989-6406. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at mercercountyprosecutor.com. Two women have sued Bradley Beach, alleging the borough illegally passed an ordinance that limits beach locker rental to residents of the borough. The suit filed by Tia Dinn, of Ocean Grove, and Ann Gorr, of Neptune City, notes that the beach where the 555 lockers are is not borough property and that the lockers should continue to be accessible to both residents and non-residents. The borough passed an ordinance in November that states lockers will only be made available to Bradley Beach residents, borough employees, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service workers. Dinn and Gorr say in their suit that Councilman Paul Nowicki who is No. 35 on the waiting list for a locker voted to ban non-residents from renting one. Dinn and Gorr argue that had Nowicki recused himself, the ordinance would have failed. Mayor Al Gubitosi said in a statement that the council acted lawfully. The beach locker decision by our council was a difficult one because we do value everyone, residents and non-residents, who contribute to our community, Gubitosi said. Ultimately, we evaluated the practices of other local municipalities and conferred at length with our municipal attorney. We believe that the councils actions are consistent with State law and we are making every effort to operate with full transparency to the public. The suit says the borough is trying to operate the beach for the benefit of borough residents, a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine. It argues that non-residents who paid for the lockers to be built and maintained are essentially being unlawfully evicted. (The ordinance) does not provide for a plan to reimburse the Beach Utility Fund for the costs of all of the beach lockers or the non-resident beachgoers being ousted, all of whom paid for construction and maintenance of the beach lockers. Both Dinn and Gorr got on the waiting list for a locker in 2021 and were offered a chance to rent in 2023 by paying an initial fee of $575 after the borough built 33 new lockers. Each then paid $190 in 2024 and $200 in 2025 to renew their leases, the suit says. There are 333 people on the waiting list. According to the lawsuit, about 200 of the 555 lockers were rented by non-residents last year. The plaintiffs are asking for the ordinance to be declared unlawful and canceled. A 73-year-old woman was killed in a four-vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Freehold Township, authorities said. The crash took place at about 9:35 a.m. near the corner of Monmouth Road (Route 537) and Siloam Road, Freehold Township police said. Joanne Fischer, of the Whiting section of Manchester, was flown to an area hospital, where she died of her injuries, police said. Anyone with information that might aid the ongoing investigation is asked to call Freehold Township police officer William Sabin at 732-462-7908. A weed dispensary co-owned by rapper Ice-T has closed less than a year after its grand opening in one of New Jerseys largest cities. Ice-T a star of NBCs "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" partnered with former Playboy model Charis Burrett to open the shop. The store, called The Medicine Woman, opened in Jersey City in April. The stores website no longer lists its Jersey City location and Google search results say it has permanently closed. Heady NJ, a local cannabis news site, first reported the closure. In a statement, the dispensary owners blamed a lack of local government support and mounting costs for the business failure. Despite significant investment, compliance, and readiness to launch, the lack of local oversight and regulatory infrastructure undermined our ability to grow and sustain operations, effectively driving the operation into the ground before it ever even had a real chance to get started, company officials said. As a New Jersey native, Im excited for the opportunity legalization offers our community, the Newark-born Ice-T said in April when the shop opened. The shop, located at 660-684 Tonnelle Ave, joined several other dispensaries already open in Jersey City. Medicine Woman cannabis dispensary business partners, from left, Ice T, Charis Burrett and John Batchelor after their proposal to establish the business was approved at the Jersey City Cannabis Control Board meeting in 2022. Haresh Oudhnarine Other cannabis shops associated with celebrities have also struggled to stay open. In Newark, a celebrity-backed cannabis store, Hashstoria, closed last year. Its backers included members of the Wu-Tang Clan and radio host Charlamagne tha God. In some towns, weed dispensaries have had difficulty drawing enough customers to stay open. New Jerseys cannabis law allows municipalities to set restrictions and caps on the number of dispensaries. While an estimated 70% of the states municipalities have opted out of allowing weed shops, Jersey City is among the cities that allowed unlimited stores. However, the city has restrictions on the distance between dispensaries a rule that has faced legal challenges. More recently, city officials have moved to limit the number of dispensaries amid concerns that an oversaturation of shops could lead to increased competition for a limited customer base. Atlantic City has taken similar steps to limit cannabis stores. Vice President JD Vance tore into CNN over its coverage of the deadly shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer that killed a 37-year-old woman on Wednesday. During a press briefing on Thursday, Vance criticized CNN and other major news outlets over their coverage of the fatal ICE shooting. Vance and the rest of the Trump administration have sought to blame Renee Nicole Macklin Good for her own death, claiming that the woman was trying to interfere with federal law enforcement. Vance took issue with a CNN headline that read: Outrage after ICE officer kills US citizen in Minneapolis. Well, thats one way to put it, and that is the way that many people in the corporate media have put this attack over the last 24 hours. And I say attack very, very intentionally, because this was an attack on federal law enforcement. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people, Vance told reporters on Thursday. The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace, and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day, he added. He then claimed, without evidence, that Macklin Good was a part of a broader left wing network to attack, to dox, to assault and to make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job. If the media wants to tell the truth, they ought to tell the truth that a group of left wing radicals have been working tirelessly, sometimes using domestic terror techniques to try to make it impossible for the President of the United States to do what the American people elected him to do, which is enforce our immigration laws, he added. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Kaitlan Collins defended the headline later that day during The Lead. I mean, and part of that sound bite there from the vice president, he was attacking CNN. He read a headline aloud over our coverage that has happened in the last 24 hours. I went and looked up the headline. It was relatively straightforward. It was certainly accurate, Collins said. It was just that there was outrage in Minneapolis after the shooting, Tapper responded, adding which is a fact. Right. It wasnt inflammatory. It wasnt a one-sided narrative of what people have said on the ground because youve seen the administration saying one thing, as the vice president did today, Collins said. She noted that Vances press conference was incredibly combative and blamed the media and the left for the coverage of this shooting. Local officials have clashed with federal officials over whether the shooting of Macklin Good was justified. The Trump administration has claimed that the woman was trying to hit the officer with her vehicle, arguing that the officer was acting in self defense. Numerous videos of the incident have since been circulated on social media. A New York Times analysis of the video found that the woman appeared to be turning away from the officer before she was shot in the head. State and local officials demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere. The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested. Macklin Goods killing Wednesday morning in a residential neighborhood south of downtown was recorded on video by witnesses, and by the evening hundreds of people came out for a vigil to mourn her and urge the public to resist immigration enforcement. Some then chanted as they marched through the city, but there was no violence. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has unleashed on social media in the days after leaving President Donald Trumps administration, with comedian Dave Smith emerging as his latest target. You have no idea how much I missed this, Bongino wrote in a post on X on Thursday. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, officially returned to private life on Sunday after serving in the FBI for less than a year. Since his departure, he has announced he will return to hosting his self-titled podcast show in early February, while becoming increasingly candid online. The lib/black-piller symbiote is a funny little organism, Bongino posted on Thursday without mentioning any individual by name. Its even led by a comedian. These morons cant even follow their own battle plan. Quick example - I do a guest hit last night on a podcast and the L.B.P. symbiote starts rage tweeting no one is going to watch. When it was the number one live stream in its slot the L.B.P. symbiote melted down again claiming that was us there to attack you. Do these clowns know how this business works? he added. Smith quickly replied to Bongino, writing, Yeah yeah, nice story. Why did you lie through your teeth about Epstein? His response prompted a direct attack from Bongino, who has faced sharp criticism from the libertarian podcaster over the last month, including how he previously told Fox News that that his job is hard. Watching you advertise your dipsh--tery on a series of debates over the past year was my guilty pleasure while I was working, Bongino wrote to Smith. Now go back to your mommas spare room and write me some jokes. Hilarious that you not only missed the news cycle for the past year, but that you also knew you were the moron referenced in the post. Watching you advertise your dipshittery on a series of debates over the past year was my guilty pleasure while I was working. Now go back to Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 8, 2026 Smith did not hold back, going on to accuse Bongino of covering up [pedophilia], which he said will be your legacy. We all knew you were talking about me, you were just too much of a b---- to say my name, Smith said, to which Bongino fired back on Thursday: Your family and kids must be ecstatic that their last name is Smith, so they can blend in with the millions of other Smiths out there and pretend they dont know you. Imagine being dumb enough to post what you just did publicly and then pretend it isnt copium. Youre scared. I can smell you from here. Smith went on to say he will end Bonginos career, telling him, Run away little girl. Holy f---ing crash out! Are you seriously posting about my children at 7am? Smith asked. Bongino has also reposted criticism of Smith over the past day, including one of his critiques about the public grieving of Erika Kirk, the widow of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Smith is not the only person to become the subject of Bonginos ire. He tore into former GOP congressman Matt Gaetz earlier in the week, accusing him of grifting off your daddy like a suckling little doggie. Multiple helicopters engage in flight training exercise China Military Online) 11:04, January 09, 2026 A group of Z-10 attack helicopters attached to a brigade under the Chinese PLA 73rd Group Army lift off successively during a flight training exercise in mid-December, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhou Zelai) Z-10 attack helicopters attached to a brigade under the Chinese PLA 73rd Group Army maneuver to the designated area during a flight training exercise in mid-December, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhou Zelai) A Z-20 utility helicopter attached to a brigade under the Chinese PLA 73rd Group Army hovers over the target area under the cover of a Z-10 attack helicopter during a flight training exercise in mid-December, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhou Zelai) A Z-20 utility helicopter attached to a brigade under the Chinese PLA 73rd Group Army hovers over the target area during a flight training exercise in mid-December, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhou Zelai) (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey slammed President Donald Trumps administration for criticizing his rhetoric following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by a federal immigration officer on Wednesday. Local officials have disputed the administrations claim that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Renee Good on Wednesday morning. Videos of the incident quickly circulated online, showing an officer shooting the driver of an SUV as it began to move. Federal officials alleged that Good was trying to hit the officer with her car. But a New York Times analysis showed that she appeared to be attempting to turn away from the officer before she was shot. During a press conference on Friday, a reporter asked Frey whether he stood by his statement telling ICE to get the f--- out of Minneapolis. What I said was it was reckless abuse of power. Yes, it was a reckless abuse of power. I said that what the narrative that the administration was pushing in the immediacy following this shooting was garbage and false and B.S. It was, I stand by every one of those, he said. He also responded to criticism of him telling ICE to leave the city. This notion of inflammatory comments. I mean, come on, guys, Frey told reporters. I dropped an F-bomb. I dropped an F-bomb. They killed somebody. Which one of those is more inflammatory? Im going with the killing somebody, he continued. The Trump administration has sought to blame Good for her own death, claiming that the woman was trying to interfere with federal law enforcement. Following the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the incident an act of domestic terrorism and said that the officer was acting in self defense. An officer of ours acted quickly, and defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him, Noem said during a press conference in Texas. Were continuing to gather more information but this goes to show the assaults that our ICE officers and our law enforcement are under every single day. And in a fiery press briefing on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance claimed Good was a part of a broader left wing network to attack, to dox, to assault and to make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job. Minneapolis has been on edge since the fatal ICE shooting unfolded on Wednesday. The demonstrations came amid heightened tensions after Trumps administration dispatched 2,000 officers and agents to Minnesota for its latest immigration crackdown. Across the country, another city was reeling after federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon. The killing of Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday set off a clash between federal and state officials over whether the shooting appeared justified and whether a Minnesota law enforcement agency had jurisdiction to investigate. The Associated Press contributed to this report. As protests continue following the shooting death of a woman by an immigration officer in Minnesota, New Jersey lawmakers advanced a trio of bills this week aimed at restricting the states cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials. The bills, which passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, would limit law enforcement officials in New Jersey from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on civil matters. The legislation also calls for restrictions on New Jersey state agencies sharing peoples immigration status with ICE and the establishment of safe zones for immigrants in places such as hospitals, schools and churches. The nearly nine-hour hearing drew hundreds of people to the packed chamber. Some of the speakers referred to the shooting by the ICE agent in Minnesota in urging lawmakers to pass the bills. Now theyre killing Americans on the street, said state Sen. Raj Mukherji, D-Hudson, one of the sponsors of the bills. The three bills advanced out of the committee in votes along partisan lines, with Democrats supporting the measures and Republicans either opposing or abstaining. The bills still must be approved by the full state Senate and Assembly and go to the governor to be signed before they become law. The debate over the bills came as the ICE shooting in Minnesota put a national spotlight on the agencys growing presence in communities around the nation. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, called the shooting horrifying, deplorable, despicable on Thursday. Officials in President Donald Trumps administration officials said the woman who was shot, Renee Good, was a domestic terrorist who attempted to ram federal agents with her car. I dont care what the circumstances, none of what Ive seen remotely merited this woman losing her life, Murphy said. The three bills limiting cooperation with ICE in New Jersey were proposed before the shooting in Minnesota. But the debate in Trenton on Thursday referred to the incident. The behavior of ICE has been atrocious, said Sen. Britnee Timberlake, D-Essex, another Senate sponsor of the bill. Sponsors of the bills werent on the committee voting on the measures but still gave testimony in support alongside others gathered in the room. Republicans in the state Legislature have argued the ICE bills violate the U.S. Constitutions Supremacy Clause, which gives federal law precedence over state law. They say the legislation could be challenged in court if the bills become law. During the hearing Thursday, Democratic sponsors of the bills countered the argument by citing the anti-commandeering doctrine in the U.S. Constitutions 10th Amendment, which bars the federal government from forcing states to enforce federal laws. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, who abstained from the vote on the bills, said he agreed with some of the bills intent. But he argued the legislation lacked language making it clear that local law enforcement officers could still work with immigration officials on criminal cases. Bramnick added that he understood why those in attendance were upset with ICE. Im sympathetic, but I still believe this should be a joint effort with Republicans and Democrats to identify areas where we really want to protect immigrants, or undocumented, but not protect those that have broken the law and are a threat, Bramnick said. State Sen. Troy Singleton, D-Burlington, argued during the hearing that the bill contained no language preventing law enforcement officials from executing criminal investigations. Im just not sure whether the legislation is clear on that point, Bramnick replied. During Mukherjis testimony in favor of the bill, the lights in the Statehouse temporarily turned off. When the lights came back on, Mukherji continued with a criticism of President Donald Trumps administration. The way this administration has turned the lights off on democracy I think that was fitting, Mukherji said. By Thursday evening, after amendments to the bills were made, multiple supporters urged lawmakers to pass the bills in both chambers before the end of the current lame duck legislative session that ends later this month. ICE is brutalizing our communities with devastating consequences we do not have a moment to lose, said ACLU strategist Ami Kachalia. We implore lawmakers to send this bill package to Gov. Murphys desk to become law, and will continue to fight for the constitutional rights of all New Jerseyans. Earlier that day, Murphy declined to comment on whether he would support any of the bills moving through the legislature. A spokesperson for the administration said Murphy is aiming to sign the hundreds of bills passed during the lame duck session by Monday. President Donald Trump said he plans on meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week and is ready to take up her latest offer. During an interview with Fox News earlier this week, Machado heaped praise on Trump following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife. She went as far as to offer the U.S. president her Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded in October and even dedicated to him at the time. Because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people, [we] certainly want to give it to him and share it with him, Machado told host Sean Hannity on Monday. What he has done, as I said, is historic. Trump who has long sought the prestigious prize told Fox News that it would be a great honor if Machado decides to give the award to him. But he didnt stop there. Ive stopped eight wars, and I think, you know, its been a major embarrassment to Norway, Trump said in comments late Thursday. Now, I dont know what Norway has to do with it, but thats where the committee is located. A lot of Norwegian people. But when you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war, he went on to add, repeating a claim that has been disputed, though backed by several world leaders. Trump has publicly lobbied for the prize in recent months, calling it a big insult to the United States in September if he was not awarded it. However, his campaign for the accolade was set back after the Nobel Prize Committee announced Machado as the 2025 recipient, citing her work in promoting democratic rights and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The decision from the committee prompted swift outrage from several of the presidents supporters and allies, many of whom argued that his efforts in securing a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas should have been worthy of last years recognition. Although his efforts did not result in a personal victory, Machado had applauded Trump while addressing the recognition. We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy, Machado wrote on X in October. I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause! In later remarks to reporters, Trump said he spoke with Machado, calling her very nice. The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me and said, Im accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it, Trump said, adding, A very nice thing to do. I didnt, I didnt say, Then give it to me, though I think she might have. During her recent interview, Machado said she had not spoken to Trump since becoming the recipient. He told NBC News in an interview released Monday that Machado who won the opposition primary two years ago but was prohibited from running in the general election by Maduro should not have won the award. After his extradition of Maduro to New York, where he is facing narco-terrorism charges among others, Trump also said it would be very tough for Machado to lead Venezuela. She doesnt have the support within or the respect within the country, he said on Saturday, the same day of the raid. Shes a very nice woman, but she doesnt have the respect. Machado, meanwhile, has maintained that she will win the presidency by a large margin if elections are held. What leads a character as classic and archaic as Zorro to reappear on television on 2026? And of all the potential subject matter, why would he return by way of a French series? The primary motivation was that producer Marc Dujardin said his brother Jean Dujardin [who won an Oscar for his role in The Artist] wanted to play him. I wasnt entirely sure about it, but it was a possibility, series creator Benjamin Charbit tells this publication. Plus, he had the idea that the vigilante could be used to talk about politics, powerful men and populism. Curiously, when we began to write it six years ago, Donald Trump was the president of the United States. Now, with Trump back again, the violence of the political class continues to be a relevant topic. [The series] was meant to be a comic way of addressing it. The new version of the famous masked avenger, which premieres this week on the AMC+ streaming platform, is actually a comedy in true French style. But it is not a parody, says Charbit during a January 2025 presentation of the series hosted by Unifrance, a Parisian brand overseeing its local promotion that invited EL PAIS to the event. Audrey Dana and Jean Dujardin, in a scene from the series Zorro. Christophe Brachet (Christophe Brachet - Paramount + - FTV - Le Collectif 64 - Bien Sur Productions) Don Diego de la Vega is, in this latest version of the classic tale, an aged hero in his fifties who is mayor of Los Angeles. His mission is to fight for the citys residents, but via politics. Serving as foil to the optimism of this Zorro are the classic rich villains of capitalism, who want to steal the water of the citys Indigenous inhabitants through corrupt ploys. Everything is so polarized, and with money concentrated in the hands of the few, its normal that the villains would be rich people. That makes this a very European Zorro. I think that you couldnt shoot this in the United States, because it is very political, says Charbit. This predicament leads the protagonist to once again don his cape and saddle up his horse to fight magnates in the countryside of the Spanish regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Almeria, which stand in for the California deserts and were shot by a primarily Spanish crew, who recycled set aesthetics from Exodus, Ridley Scott and Game of Thrones. Its a pre-Western era, so we wanted to give it a more Spanish touch through the buildings, the music and the contrast with European elegance, Charbit says. Audrey Dana, Gregory Gadebois and Jean Dujardin, in a scene from the series Zorro. Christophe Brachet (Christophe Brachet - Le collectif 64 - Paramount + - France Televisions) I was scared. Because its very strange to have a Dujardin playing a Spanish noble who lives in California and speaks French, so we had to try to make everything else as realistic as possible, with a lot of historic research about the place and time. The whole message about immigration, Native Americans, their customs, the caste system thats real, says Charbit, who highlighted the series focus on themes like hatred of immigrants and Indigenous people. Spanish is also spoken on the show, but as a technique for indicating different social classes. Such messages make the production extremely current, despite it resembling a serial from another era. A proto superheros long revenge Zorro is a character with more than a century of history behind him, having made his debut in 1919 with the pulp novel The Curse of Capistrano as a proto superhero. He rose to fame thanks to the film The Mask of Zorro one year later, a movie featuring silent film superstar Douglas Fairbanks. Since then, Zorro has sought revenge in more than 40 adaptations. Even Batman was based on his dark, mysterious panache. Tyrone Power embodied Zorros 1940s version, he had the face of Guy Williams in a 1950s series, Antonio Banderas brought him to the Hollywood spotlight with two movies in 1998 and 2005 that inspired yet another series, and hes been the subject of animated programs and Japanese versions. Amazon Prime Video clad Spanish actor Miguel Bernardeau in his cape in 2024, a rendering that recalled 1970s Andalusian bandit Curro Jimenez. Charbit recalls how that one focused more on action, violence and youth. The character had never been played by a French actor. My biggest inspiration was actually the Robin Hood movies, specifically the mature hero in Richard Lesters Robin and Marian, explains Charbit. Both ask the question, Is he the hero he was when he was young? We wanted to deconstruct that. Audrey Dana and Jean Dujardin in a scene from the series Zorro. Christophe Brachet (Christophe Brachet - Le collectif 64 - Paramount + - France Televisions) To complicate matters further, the new Zorro is kind of a communist who wants to share everything among the people. Zorro is a Marxist, despite himself. Don Diego is a Spanish noble, but he doesnt see all the privilege he has. As Diego, he wants to improve the situation, but not change it. As Zorro he breaks the boundaries without knowing it and confronts the status quo, says Charbit. The series creator still looked to respect the characters classic traits like his sense of justice, positivism, his loneliness and his goal to not kill. That aspect also makes it very European, because over here, we dont use the American kind of violence. The use of guns and murder is strange to us. It serves as a contrast with Batman and other contemporary figures, whose violence and action is exaggerated and computer-generated, says Charbit. This version of Zorro is far more given to circus tricks, leaps and gallops. Of course, as a classic serial program, it also makes time for a conflicted love story. Audrey Dana plays opposite Jean Dujardin, and the series also seeks to highlight womens struggle. She is a woman who also represents rebellion, says Dana. She has been with her husband Diego for 17 years, they have no children, they dont make love. Suddenly, she meets Zorro, who reawakens her life, says the actress in Spanish. In the end, these are timeless concepts. I think its very important to maintain hope in the world, and not to be afraid or give up our power. We have to fight, with humor and hope. Whether its for the environment, against violence... art can open that up. She also highlights the importance of the show depicting a mature couple. Everyone looks young on screen, women dont want to have wrinkles. The world is clearly afraid of dying. Thats why this Zorro wants to show how time passes for the characters and their choices. Its natural. Does this make a hero as archaic as Zorro the solution to todays problems? Charbit points out, Perhaps superheros like to fix things, but I dont believe violence is the long-term solution. What we do need from him is his way of rising up, of saying things clearly and having empathy. The world needs more of that. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Autumn Special Read. Know. Act. $3 for 3 months! (90 days) Offer expires 12/30/2020 Don't hesitate! Start your digital-only membership today and not only receive full access to our premier news website NNY360.com but also to the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times eEdition! Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter @alexlubben. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Sign up for the weekly Louisiana Coastal Watch newsletter to get updates about our environment coverage. The CDC has not removed any vaccines from its schedule, but has adjusted the profiles for which certain immunizations are recommended The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has adjusted the childhood vaccination schedule in the United States by modifying recommendations for certain immunizations, such as hepatitis A and B. Under the changes, some vaccines are no longer generally recommended and are instead targeted to at-risk populations. In addition, the CDC incorporated a shared clinical decision-making approach between physicians and parents in specific cases. The measure responds to a memorandum from President Trump published in December asking the Department of Health and Human Services to research how developed countries structure their schedules and evaluate the scientific evidence supporting those practices in order to make adjustments to the U.S. model. For its new guidelines, the CDC has followed Denmarks vaccination plan. After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health, said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine ideology, in a statement. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) described the changes to the vaccination schedule as dangerous and unnecessary. The United States is not Denmark, and there is no reason to impose the Danish immunization schedule on Americas families. America is a unique country, and Denmarks population, public health infrastructure, and disease-risk differ greatly from our own, said AAP President Andrew D. Racine. New criteria for minors The CDC is keeping the same vaccines on its schedule, but has modified the guidelines that determine who should receive them, now divided into three categories. Immunizations Recommended for All Children The vaccines recommended for all children include immunization against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, and chickenpox. Meanwhile, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine requires only a single dose, according to the new CDC guidelines. Immunizations Recommended for Certain High-Risk Groups or Populations In the case of high-risk populations, the recommendations apply to vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A and B, dengue, and meningococcal disease, including serogroups ACWY and B. The criteria include unusual exposure to the disease, underlying comorbidities, or the risk of transmitting the disease to others. Immunizations Based on Shared Clinical Decision-Making According to the adjustments made by the CDC, it is not always possible for public health authorities to clearly define who will benefit from immunization, so it has been established that in certain cases, doctors and parents are best placed to make the decision. This category includes vaccines against rotavirus, Covid-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A and B. Which vaccines are still covered by insurance companies? According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), all vaccines will continue to be covered by insurance companies, as none have been formally removed from the vaccination schedule; rather, the recommendations have simply been adjusted. 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, he stated. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The head of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, says that the number of releases will be known in the coming hours. It is unclear whether these imply full freedom or whether restrictions will be applied The head of Venezuelas National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, announced on Thursday the release of a significant number of prisoners, including both Venezuelan citizens and foreigners. Rodriguez, who avoided referring to these individuals as political prisoners, described the move as a unilateral gesture to reinforce our unwavering decision to consolidate peace in the republic and peaceful coexistence among all, regardless of political, religious, economic, or social differences. The Chavista government has presented the releases as a decision unrelated to the extraordinary pressure it has been receiving from the United States since the capture, in the early hours of January 3, of President Nicolas Maduro, who is now imprisoned in a New York jail. Consider this gesture as the contribution that we all must make to ensure that our republic continues its peaceful life and its pursuit of prosperity, Rodriguez declared at a press conference. The head of the National Assembly, who is the brother of acting president Delcy Rodriguez, thanked the former prime minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; the president of Brazil, Lula Da Silva, and the government of Qatar for their mediation in the Venezuelan crisis. In Venezuela, there are currently some 820 political prisoners, the highest number in the entire hemisphere, according to the NGO Foro Penal, which specializes in the issue. Of these, 89 are foreigners (including Venezuelans with dual nationality). Other organizations, such as Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness, claim that the number of detainees exceeds 1,000, many of whom were arrested following protests that challenged Maduros claims of victory in the 2024 presidential elections. Last December, the government authorized the release of 180 prisoners. It remains unclear whether these releases imply the full freedom of political prisoners, or whether restrictions will be applied, such as periodic court appearances or a travel ban, as has been the case in almost all previous releases. In any event, civil society organizations dedicated to human rights are demanding a general amnesty for what they consider arbitrary and unjustified arrests. Although former president Hugo Chavez had political prisoners, such as Commissioner Ivan Simonovisexiled after escaping house arrestor Judge Lourdes Afiuni, Venezuelan prisons have been filling up with political prisoners in the last decade, the one with the greatest political friction during the Maduro government. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Serving members of the armed forces, veterans and their families are being invited to North Devons first free Big Breakfast event which will offer support and networking opportunities plus plenty of camaraderie. The Veterans Charity will be hosting the event at The Barnstaple Hotel on Saturday, February 21 from 9.30am to 12.30pm and as well as the opportunity to meet like-minded people from the forces community, a variety of support organisations will also be in attendance. The Big Breakfast Networking & Engagement Event has been made possible thanks to sponsorship from the British Business Forum in Kuwait. It means attendees will be able to enjoy a complimentary breakfast while accessing a wide range of opportunities for networking, engagement, and support at no cost. Above: The events offer the chance to chat to others from the armed forces community as well as speak to a variety of support organisations if people wish. Credit: The Veterans Charity It follows two successful Big Breakfasts hosted by The Veterans Charity at RAF St Mawgan and RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. The Barnstaple-based charity provides welfare and emergency support for veterans across the UK who have fallen into difficulties and need help with anything from accommodation to essentials such as food, clothing and mobile phones. CEO Danny Greeno said: We are very excited to be bringing our successful Big Breakfast events to Devon, having previously hosted two similar events at RAF St Mawgan and RNAS Culdrose. We are delighted to have wonderful support from The British Business Forum in Kuwait, who have helped to make it possible for us to enable veterans and service personnel to attend for free. They can not only enjoy breakfast and great company, but also the chance to engage with some of our partner organisations and support teams who provide a wealth of assistance to the armed forces community. A number of respected organisations have already confirmed their attendance, including The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust, Ferrovial UK, Naval Childrens Charity, Female Veterans Transition Programme, Defence Medical Welfare Service, Highground Charity and SSAFA. Above: The Big Breakfast events attract a range of people of all ages and from all walks of life, but connected by the armed forces. Credit: The Veterans Charity Mr Greeno said the Big Breakfast events had already proven successful in bringing together the armed forces community and key support organisations, creating meaningful connections and improving awareness of the help that is available. The event is free, but to attend, please book your places via https://bigbreakfast.eventbrite.co.uk In an interview with EL PAIS, the Colombian president acknowledges that he feared being captured like Maduro, but believes that the call with the tycoon froze the threat Gustavo Petro thought this past week that at any moment an assault force could land on the roof of the Casa de Narino, the Colombian presidential residence, and burst into his office. He doesnt have a bunker to run to, as Nicolas Maduro tried to do a week ago before he was captured and placed on a helicopter bound for the United States. The 65-year-old Colombian president felt threatened by Donald Trumps insinuations that something similar could happen to him. The U.S. president has variously called Petro a drug addict, a thug, a drug trafficker, and a front man for Maduro. He has added him to the Clinton List a redlist of individuals and companies linked by Washington to drug trafficking and revoked his visa. Petro, meanwhile, says he clung to the people as a shield against the army with the greatest firepower in history, and to Simon Bolivars sword, kept as a relic close to him. A phone call changed everything. Petro and Trump spoke for an hour on Wednesday, and at the end of it, they expressed satisfaction with the conversation and parted amicably. It was in this same spirit that Petro showed up for the interview with EL PAIS late Thursday afternoon, in one of the rooms at the Narino Palace. An assistant adjusted his hair and another one brought him eye drops. His anti-imperialist rhetoric has been toned down. He even goes so far as to say that his positions on the fight against drug trafficking or the need for a transition in Venezuela culminating in elections are not so far removed from Trumps. Petro even finds some similarities between them. He does what he thinks, just like me. Hes also pragmatic, though more so than me. I like to talk, he jokes. Petro doesnt want any more conflict with Trump, for now. He doesnt have much time left as president, only eight months. The international scenario, in which he feels more comfortable, distracts him from domestic problems. His presidency has also been marked by several corruption cases involving two of his former ministers, who are currently in prison, and violence continues unabated despite his attempts to bring peace to the country. At Christmas, he declared an economic emergency to cover a 16.3 trillion peso (approximately US$4.35 billion) shortfall in the 2026 budget, an exceptional decision that reflects the fragility of the political and economic climate five months before the elections. Question. Were you truly afraid of suffering the same fate as Maduro? Answer. Undoubtedly. Nicolas Maduro or any president in the world can be removed if he does not align with certain interests. Q. Did you reinforce your security in any way? A. There isnt even any air defense here. It was never purchased because the fighting is internal. The guerrillas dont have F-16 fighter jets, and the army doesnt have that type of defense. Q. Did your intelligence services warn you of any real danger? A. It hasnt been necessary. Trump has been saying it for months. But what we use here is popular defense, and thats why I called for popular resistance on Wednesday [in rallies that filled squares throughout Colombia]. Q. Has the threat diminished? A. I think it was frozen, but I could be wrong. We didnt know what military action was being planned, only that one was underway. Q. How do you know? A. Trump told me on the call that he was thinking about doing bad things in Colombia. The message was that they were already preparing something, planning it, a military operation. Gustavo Petro during the interview with EL PAIS. Chelo Camacho Q. How was that conversation? A. The conversation consisted of me being able to express my opinion. He had only received information from the opposition via the state of Floridawhere the most radical Republican wing is located. That opposition lies about our fight against drug trafficking. You read what [former Colombian president] Alvaro Uribe says, and he practically comes across as defending the attacks against us. Q. What impression did Trump make on you as a person? A. He does what he thinks, just like me. Hes also pragmatic, though more so than I am. I like to talk. His views on many issues are very different from mine. But for example, on drug trafficking, we have no differences. He told me something I liked: I know that many lies have been invented about you, just as they have been about me. Q. You have also spoken with Delcy Rodriguez, the new president of Venezuela in Maduros absence. What is your room for maneuver, with Trump breathing down your neck and saying he is in charge of Venezuela? A. Im a friend of hers. Shes under pressure from both within and without. Shes been accused of being a traitor. She sees the need to strengthen Latin American unity, but her central task should be uniting the people of Venezuela. If the people are divided, there will be colonization. If they unite and seek a political solution to the obvious problem, they can move forward. Q. Has she asked you for help? Your [Interior] Minister, Armando Benedetti, has said that when you offered to mediate, Trump changed the subject. A. Benedetti was a witness, but I dont know if he heard Trumps words. It didnt seem that way to me. The conversation basically consisted of me presenting my arguments for 40 minutes, and him, for 15, talking about how we communicate. All this is happening because we dont communicate. Q. Are you now afraid that Diosdado Cabello may be a destabilizing element within the government itself? A. All the political forces that exist in Venezuela today must exist. Eliminating some through violent means will bring more violence. Q. Among those forces is Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition. A. She needs to change her rhetoric. Everything shes done lately is wrong, including winning the Nobel Prize over Trump. Q. Lets say youre not a big supporter of hers, but how do you reconcile yourself to the idea that it wont be her or Edmundo Gonzalez governing when theyre the ones who won the elections? A. I dont consider them to have been free elections. Q. Something similar to what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said A. The United States position regarding Venezuela is not so far removed from mine. The idea of a transition to free elections and a shared government has been raised by others, such as Rubio, and it coincides with my proposal. But it cannot be imposed from the outside; it must emerge from Venezuelan dialogue. The role of the United States should be to facilitate that dialogue, together with Latin America. Before the elections in Venezuela, I proposed a shared government, inspired by the experience of the National Front in Colombia. In Venezuela, it could be applied briefly to create conditions for truly free elections. I also proposed a plebiscite, but it was not accepted by the United States or by Maduro. Now it could be revisited. Q. This is far from what actually happened. A. I was a de facto mediator, along with Mexico, Norway, and other countries. Before the elections, we sought an agreement to hold free elections. I spoke with [former U.S. president Joe] Biden and with Maduro about that option. The last meeting with European governments, the United States, several Latin American governments, and our own took place in Bogota. The idea was to end the blockade and cease the repression, but Maduro said, How can there be free elections if theyve put a price on my head? The United States agreed, but the repression wasnt dismantled, there was no amnesty, the blockade wasnt lifted, and everything failed. President Gustavo Petro. Chelo Camacho Q. Did Maduros refusal to step down after the fraud accusations lead to everything that has happened since? A. I didnt recognize those elections. Neither did Brazil nor Mexico. And after that, I couldnt go to Venezuela. And with Trump, even less so; any possibility of mediation is over. The Trump administration wanted to do it on its own. Q. What is that way? A. The central issue is that theres a clash of visions: U.S. law allows them to enter another country if theres criminal activity like drug trafficking, but international law doesnt. If this becomes widespread, it could lead to a world war. The issue isnt Venezuela, the issue is China: the United States fears competition from China and is seeking energy to compete commercially, but that will lead to war. Q. When is Delcy Rodriguez coming to Bogota? A. Shes asked me for two weeks. She needs to see whats happening in her own country and not make a mistake. Q. And when are you going to the White House? A. First the foreign ministers will go to Washington to finalize the date. Q. Regardless of the call with Trump, there have been concessions and negotiations on security issues, such as bombings and extraditions. Has Trump asked you to revoke the political status of the criminal groups that are now negotiating peace? A. Actually, I dont recognize that status for them because theyre groups driven by greed. There is something Trump can help with, and thats that the prosecution should be handling the negotiations, but they havent wanted to out of fear. But the United States negotiates with criminal groups all the time. The United States negotiates with the drug lords we extradite. Q. Do you think Ivan Cepeda, the left-wing candidate for this years presidential elections, has enough strength to succeed you? A. I cant get involved in politics. Its forbidden. Q. What kind of former president will you be? Will you be actively involved in politics like Alvaro Uribe? A. Im not a tiresome old man. Im not as old as him. I prefer to dedicate myself to reading and writing books. Everything has gone wrong for Uribe. Q. You have said that you have felt alone and misunderstood as president. Now that the twilight of your presidency is beginning... A. What twilight? The fact that so many people are coming out to the squares in so little time left shows strength. I feel very pleased by the support of the people. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Andrew Pagonis Morgan & Morgan, a personal injury law firm, names Andrew Pagonis VP of marketing. Pagonis joins the firm from Google, where he most recently served as a founding marketer for its consumer AI platform, Gemini. He previously held senior roles across Google Ads, Shopping and Commerce. Before coming to Google in 2018, he was brand manager, consumer healthcare at GSK. Based in Morgan & Morgans Brooklyn operations office, Pagonis will help lead the firms marketing efforts, leveraging data, technology and AI-driven innovation to elevate its brand across national and digital channels. We are in a time when AI is redefining how we reach people, and his leadership will help us continue to scale our mission, said Morgan & Morgan founder, John Morgan. James DeMarco Red Banyan, a firm specializing in reputation management, promotes James De Marco to director of strategic communications. De Marco will lead Red Banyans newly launched Powering Reputation model, designed for organizations actively building brand equity while navigating complex environments with high reputational risk. He will be advising executives and organizations operating in politically charged, highly scrutinized or crisis-adjacent contexts, while overseeing brand building initiatives that support business growth objectives. Before joining Red Banyan in 2022, De Marco was at Strategic Heights Media. "James has consistently demonstrated the caliber of judgment and execution required when reputational stakes are high and things are moving fast," said Red Banyan founder and CEO Evan Nierman. (L-R) Keely Gispan, Max Rayden ASC Advisors ups Keely Gispan to partner and promotes Max Rayden to managing director. Gispan was previously managing director at the firm. She has also served as a director at Red Banyan, AVP of media relations and corporate communications for the Americas at BNP Paribas, and account director at Brunswick Group. She is a valued advisor to many of our clients, bringing extensive media relations expertise and assuming leadership roles on many of our hedge fund, private equity, venture capital, real estate, and crypto clients, said ASC Advisors managing partner Steve Bruce. Rayden was most recently a senior director at ASC. He joined the firm in 2025 from Edelman Smithfied, where he was a VP. His dedication to our clients, excellent media relationships, and contributions to staff development make Max a trusted advisor both internally and externally at the firm, Bruce said. Maureen Vogel Drumfire Public Affairs, a boutique D.C.-based public affairs firm celebrating its 10-year anniversary, promotes Maureen Vogel to senior director of digital media. Vogel, who joined Drumfire after previously working with the firm as a contractor, has led the firms digital, social, and web campaigns and initiatives. Vogel has also served as frontend engineer and UNIX lead at food and beverage platform HUNGRY as well as designing and coding the Stock Comparer website. Maureen Vogel is simply the best in the business. She embodies Drumfires ethos and exceeds every expectation. Her work ethic and output represent the very best of our firm, and this promotion is truly well-earned, said Drumfire Public Affairs founder and CEO Aaron Saunders. See O'Dwyer's list of top public affairs firms. Samara Cooper Hillman Dreamday, a PR and affiliate performance firm, brings on Samara Cooper Hillman as VP. Hillman most recently founded consultancy The Tend Method. She has also headed up the beauty division at Jennifer Brett Communications. Hillman has worked with clients in such industries as entertainment, beauty, tech, sports, business, home and fashion. In her new post, Hillman will focus on helping founders translate who they are and what they believe into a clear, credible and culturally relevant public presence. By bringing Samara Cooper Hillman into Dreamday, we are helping founders turn who they are and what they believe into a long-term growth engine rooted in trust, clarity, and cultural relevance, said Dreamday founder and CEO Lauren Kleinman. Not a Subscriber? Join O'Dwyer's & Get RFP Access Stop wasting time tracking down RFPs. O'Dwyer's connects you with organizations looking for PR firms & services. Get new business with O'Dwyer's! Join O'Dwyer's "EXTRAORDINARY leadership" at the helm of Tullamore Show and the FBD National National Livestock Show has ensured its growth and survival since its revival three and a half decades ago. "To not only survive through tough times but to be in such a healthy financial position speaks volumes for the leadership of the event," the President of the European Economic Social Council (EESC), Seamus Boland told the AGM of the show on Wednesday night last. The Island native, who is also CEO of Irish Rural Link, noted there were very few largely voluntary organisations with an annual turnover of 1.5million, which, he speculated, could be nearly doubled if all the unpaid for work was taken into account. The meeting heard the show enjoyed an enormously successful year, attracting huge numbers and recording a surplus of over 130,000. Thanks to all who made made the event such a success were extended by show chairman, John Keena, who paid tribute to one of the founders of the event, the late businessman Christy Maye, who he described as a "visionary". READ NEXT: Feast day of important seventh century Offaly saint to be marked Mr Boland, who was the guest speaker at the AGM, stressed the importance of the show to the economy of Tullamore town and the surrounding area. "I love the vision of Tullamore Show and its ambition. Tullamore said uniquely we're not going to be a small show attached to Tullamore but a national show." He continued: "Tullamore is not too far behind the Ploughing in terms of quality and the numbers which attend each year." The Island based farmer said he had been particularly impressed by the trade stands section at last August's show and also stressed the important role the sustainable village area can play in encouraging farm modernisation. Reflecting on the international perception of the show, Mr Boland said his work at EU level had given him an understanding of the importance of the event. "Not too many people abroad know of Offaly but they have heard of Tullamore and usually due to the whiskey connection. But I was at an event in Normandy recently and a delegate knew of the show and its importance." The EESC President stressed the show highlighted the importance of the main industry in rural Ireland, agriculture. He said one of the great threats to rural Ireland was the demise of farming and, in particular smaller farming units. The Island native noted large consortiums were buying up farmland and farmers couldn't compete with them. "Lots of farms are being bought and the price range is out of reach of small to medium sized farmers." "I raised this issue back in 2018 when I said there was a danger of going back to the days of landlordism." READ NEXT: Concern at lack of Local Area Plan for Tullamore town Mr Boland was installed as President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) at a ceremony in Brussels last October. He told the attendance at Wednesday's show AGM he became involved with the EESC in 2012 through his work in community groups across the State. The EESC is a consultative body of the EU established in the late 1950s under the Treaty of Rome. It is an advisory assembly composed of representatives from employers' associations, trade unions and civil society organisations. Currently, EESC membership numbers 329 with the number of members per EU state varies according to the population of each state. Ireland has nine members, the same breakdown as for the Committee of the Regions. Members of the EESC are divided into three groups of equal number, employers, employees and a third group of various other changing interests such as farmers, consumer groups, professional associations and so on. Mr Boland described the EESC as being similar to Seanad Eireann and it processes most of the legislation that goes through the European Parliament. "We have to deal with issues relating to the environment, consumers, energy and poverty," he outlined. In his younger days, Mr Boland was deeply involved with Macra na Feirme, and reminded the show chairman, John Keena, of his role in the establishment of the Ferbane branch when he was in his late teens. Speaking prior to Mr Boland's address, the show chief said he had known him through Macra and farming back to his young days and recalled often enjoying a cup of tea in his home at the Island, Ballycumber. A MAN pleaded guilty to public order offences after an encounter with a garda detective involved in the investigation into the murders of a boy and his grand-aunt in Edenderry. Pleas of guilty to public drunkenness and a breach of the peace were entered by Eoin Coyne (27), Rooske, Edenderry when he appeared before Tullamore District Court. Court presenter Sergeant Brendan Kearns said that on Sunday, December 7 last at JKL Street, Edenderry, gardai were speaking to members of the public conducting enquiries regarding a murder investigation. While they were doing so, Mr Coyne who was highly intoxicated, was very abusive to gardai, said Sergeant Kearns. An additional charge alleging obstruction of gardai was withdrawn. Sergeant Kearns added that the man had seven previous convictions, including four for criminal damage in Novembe, 2024. In 2020 he had twice been disqualified from driving for driving or attempting to drive a vehicle with excess alcohol. READ NEXT: Big housing scheme in Offaly gets green light Mr Coyne's solicitor, Brian Duffy, told the court Mr Coyne had been out and drank too much. He was familiar with Garda Joseph Bradley regarding another matter and some interaction took place in a manner he's very ashamed of. Mr Duffy said his client had said he suffered from anxiety and depression and had been on medication and clearly alcohol and appropriate medication do not match. He was deeply ashamed and spoke to Garda Bradley and gave him a fulsome apology. A man on a FAS course, he earned 288 per week but rather unusually he had saved 800 to present to the court. Mr Duffy said his client had done so not on his instructions but from his own meagre income as a genuine gesture of remorse. He asked Judge Andrew Cody to take that contribution, along with the apology and the man's mental health background, into account when considering a penalty. Judge Cody noted that Mr Coyne had committed the offences two days after that horrific murder. Is this the yobs who the gardai investigating that have to deal with? he asked. He described Garda Bradley is a senior detective in the area who was obviously involved in that investigation. Mr Duffy said the accused was aware of that and knew it was unacceptable in the extreme. Judge Cody ordered that the contribution of 800 be given to the Acorn Project which works with young people in Edenderry to give them training and hope to stay away from all these sort of issues. Without the financial contribution he would have considered a custodial sentence, added the judge. He sentenced Mr Coyne to a month in prison, suspending it for two years. He also granted the man legal aid. Gardai launched a murder investigation after Tadgh Farrell, who was four, and his 60-year-old great-aunt Mary Holt died in a firebomb attack on a house in Castleview Park, Edenderry on the evening of December 6 last. The four-year-old's grandmother Pauline Holt was also in the house at the time and was brought to hospital for treatment after suffering serious burn injuries. There is no link between the investigation and Eoin Coyne and there is no suggestion at all that Mr Coyne was in any way involved or had any connection with the attack on the house in Castleview Park. (Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme) Chavismo recognizes the mediation work, in some cases lasting for years, carried out by the Arab state, by the Brazilian president and by a former prime minister of Spain Former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, current Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the government of Qatar played a key role in securing the release of a significant number of political prisoners from the Chavista regime on Thursday. Their mediation efforts were acknowledged by Jorge Rodriguez, head of the Venezuelan National Assembly and until recently Nicolas Maduros chief advisor, who made the announcement on Thursday. This success is the culmination of years of secret talks at the highest levels and with the families, who kept hoping for an eventual release. The pardon comes in a completely different political context than what it was just five days ago, when Maduro was still in power. His position is now held by Delcy Rodriguez, Jorges sister, who in these first few days has shown signs of openness. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the country is in a process of stabilization that will be followed by a transition, which could be interpreted as a call for elections. Jorge Rodriguez wanted to make it clear that the release of prisoners was not imposed by Washington, asserting that it was a unilateral gesture to strengthen peace. Zapatero began to have a presence in Venezuelan politics in 2015, when the opposition invited him to mediate with the Chavista regime. The Spanish socialist leader approached this delicate matter with the experience of having successfully dismantled ETA, the Basque terrorist group, back home. His main focus throughout this time, according to those close to him, has been on the issue of political prisoners. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid, in December 2025. Gustavo Valiente (Europa Press via Getty Images) Zapatero has been heavily criticized by Spains political right and by Venezuelas main opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado. Their positions are diametrically opposed. She believes in exerting economic and political pressure against Chavismo. Donald Trumps involvement to this extent has been her doing, facilitated through her friend, Marco Rubio. Zapatero subscribes to the theory that it is better to build a new political reality through dialogue. He also played a key role in granting political asylum in Spain to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the candidate who all indications suggest won the last presidential election against Maduro. Exterior of El Helicoide prison, in Caracas. Matias Delacroix (AP) Lula da Silva takes a similar stance. Last year, the Brazilian president, along with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, attempted to bring the Chavista regime and the opposition together to begin a transition process after the elections. One of the proposed paths was for Maduro to step down with an amnesty, an offer later extended to him by the Trump administration. Petro and Lula insisted that Edmundo Gonzalez, rather than Machado, be the oppositions interlocutor, a move that generated considerable controversy and led to accusations that the presidents favored Chavismo. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia, on December 8, 2025. Adriano Machado (REUTERS) Along with Zapatero and Lula, Jorge Rodriguez has also mentioned Qatar as a mediator. The Arab state has been offering to mediate between Chavismo, the opposition, and the United States for years. In June 2023, EL PAIS revealed that Jorge Rodriguez met in Doha with Juan Gonzalez, an advisor to Joe Biden. At that meeting, they laid the groundwork for organizing the presidential elections that would follow, elections intended to democratize the country through the ballot box. If Maduro won, he could demonstrate to the world that he was a legitimate president who could participate in multilateral organizations without being sidelined. Otherwise, Machado would assume power. That didnt happen, and the situation worsened. It culminated in Maduros capture in Caracas by U.S. special forces who killed his entire presidential guard before taking him to court in New York. What the new Venezuela will look like is still to be determined, but there are signs of change, such as this release of prisoners. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition OFFALY County Council has this week appointed a new Chief Executive to replace the outgoing Anna Marie Delaney. On Monday the County Councillors held a meeting during which they ratified their decision to go with one of the candidates. His name is Eoghan Ryan (pictured below) and he is currently Director of Services in Kildare County Council. The Council has sent a formal letter to Mr Ryan informing him of their decision. During their December monthly meeting the Councillors paid tribute to Anna Marie Delaney who has retired after serving as Chief Executive of the Council for the last 10 years. Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick told the meeting that Ms Delaney had been very helpful, amenable and accessible throughout her tenure. You have been very hardworking throughout that time, working hard for the people of Offaly. I wish you every success, happiness and good health in your retirement. Cllr Shane Murray said Ms Delaney was leaving the county in really good shape. Cllr Claire Murray-Smale commended the work carried out by the Chief Executive on new projects in Edenderry such as the new pool and new library. Cllr Ollie Bryant said Ms Delaney had often shown tremendous leadership and was leaving a lasting legacy. Cllr Declan Harvey commented that part of that legacy was the creation of Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore. Cllr Fergus McDonnell commended her enthusiasm for all of Offaly and not just the big towns. Cllr Peter Ormond pointed out that Ms Delaney had an excellent vision for the county and worked hard to bring it to reality. The new IDA business park in Tullamore and the progress with the N52 Durrow problem were part of that vision and hard work. Ms Delaney said she had really enjoyed her decade in the job. I am very proud of what we have achieved during that time. It is a huge privilege to be Chief Executive. It is a brilliant career. She paid tribute to the excellent indoor and outdoor staff of the Council, who time and again made my job a lot easier. She praised the Council Executive for their ambition and drive for Offaly. Your insights and expertise made my job easier. Ms Delaney said she joined Offaly County Council in 1986 and worked in the Library service. After a period in Laois County Council she took up her role as Offaly's Chief Executive on February 1st, 2016. Eoghan Ryan was the Director of Planning and Strategic Development in Kildare County Council, overseeing forward planning, development management, and urban regeneration for the county, focusing on sustainable growth and community needs as part of the council's senior management. READ NEXT: Offaly Councillors have received 40% pay increase in recent years A TWO-month prison sentence was imposed on a man who is at risk of being sent to jail for an additional eight months. Tullamore District Court was told that Patrick McDonagh (36), Meadowlands, Kilcormac, had breached the terms of previous suspended sentences by being convicted of drugs possession at his address on January 15 last. Mr McDonagh had been under the supervision of the probation service following that conviction, which was for 20 worth of drugs, and had last been in court on October 6. Last week his solicitor, Patrick Martin, told Judge Andrew Cody that Mr McDonagh was suffering from a trapped nerve in his back and had missed two appointments with the probation service but remained willing to engage. Judge Cody said the accused had never engaged with the probation service despite being involved with it in 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2025. READ NEXT: An Post services expected to resume at Offaly shop He said Mr McDonagh had 37 previous convictions, including six under the Misuse of Drugs Act and a bench warrant had to be issued for him so he could be sentenced. Sergeant Brendan Kearns said the man had turned up in court later in the day of that warrant but added that there were four outstanding matters related to other suspended sentences. Mr Martin said his client had not used drugs since last year and he had attended with the probation service, along with leaving messages on the phone for them. The solicitor repeated that Mr McDonagh would engage with the service if he was given another chance. Judge Cody sentenced the man to two months in prison and having been told that he was also subject to four separate suspended sentences, two for three months and two more for one month each, he remanded him to appear in court again on January 21. The judge also fixed recognisances which can be taken up if Mr McDonagh wishes to lodge an appeal against the two-month sentence. In March 2023 Patrick McDonagh received two one-month suspended sentences for his part in what Judge Cody called a terrifying melee in a Kilcormac pub. Nearly a year earlier, on St Patrick's Day, 2022, a row broke out in Gracelands, Main Street, Kilcormac involving six men and violence was recorded on CCTV. Following pleas of guilty by Mr McDonagh and others to a variety of offences, the court heard that when the man got involved in a fight with another man a woman had to separate them. The court was also told that Patrick McDonagh went to a pool table, got two pool balls and returned to fight with the balls in his hand. Mr Martin said his client, a father of four at the time who was also caring for two other children, had tried to break up a fight. Judge Cody found that while Mr McDonagh was involved to a lesser extent than some of the other participants, he should have stepped back and not got involved. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. LOETB Birrs Music Industry & Event Management students will take over The Power of Dreams on Dublin South 93.9 FM on Wednesday January 28th from 11am to 1pm. This opportunity arose after Marian Shanley, a director at the station, awarded the students certificates last May for their outstanding contribution, creative excellence, and positive social impact following the success of their Dance with Me Tonight campaign. The project raised over 2,350 for charity through a single that reached No. 14 in the Top 20 Homegrown IRMA/Official Charts and a concert at Birr Arts Theatre. On the same day, Marian invited the students to collaborate with media professionals to programme, curate, and run a full two-hour broadcast in early 2026. Commenting on the upcoming takeover, the hosts shared their thoughts and excitement about the opportunity. Molly Kavanagh said its not often you get given the opportunity to take over a radio show especially one as big as Dublin South 93.9 FM. While fellow host Kane Shortt added it means the world to me that Marian would let me come on this show and be a part of this takeover. Additionally Jack Concannon said I have a passion for Irish music and getting to share some of my favourite artists music globally through dublinsouthfm.ie is a dream come true. Dan Daly who is performing the intro to the show, also speaks about how Metallica first inspired him in Slane. James Hetfields technique and speed in downpicking helped influence my own technique, but for the introduction, I guess Dimebags way of playing was more of an influence and Calum Foy who recorded the introduction with Dan added I was impressed by Dans precision and musicality, I could see his influences, yet in an original way READ NEXT: Offaly is internationally famous as the home of the Croneen Trout Without giving too much away, Sean Larkin and Senan Grainger will be discussing local, national and global positive news stories. Sean said Im shocked and honoured to have this amazing chance to go live on air - something I never imagined, and an experience few people get at a young age. Its all new to me, but exciting, and I cant wait to see how it goes.. Senan added Im thrilled to be on the radio for the first time. This experience will boost my confidence in speaking to a wider audience. As part of Banagher Tidy Towns - a town in Offaly with a unique outdoor swimming pool - Im excited to share our upcoming projects and my passion for making Banagher an even more special place for visitors to global good news stories. Olena Rudyshyna will be announcing the details of an exciting project during her upcoming interview with Calum Foy. I have a great opportunity to talk about my work experience and the goals I achieved in Ukraine. Im very glad to share my future plans with Calum, and eventually turn them into an Irish project.. READ NEXT: BIG PICTURE SPECIAL: Gala Ball in Offaly rings in New Year in stunning style John McFadden, the Music Industry & Event Management teacher added Its going to be a lot of fun, but beyond that, there are valuable learning outcomes and educational experiences happening behind the scenes. The students have organised every element of the show. Radio production involves so much - from planning content to creating vox pops, stings, and interviews to promoting the show both locally and globally via online means - and theyve taken on all of it. Enda Kennedy, the Centre Manager in LOETB Birr, said This radio takeover is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their creativity and professionalism on a national platform. It reflects the hands-on, real-world learning we value at LOETB Birr, and were incredibly proud of their dedication and the skills theyve developed to make this happen. We are deeply thankful to Marian Shanley and Dublin South FM for supporting our students and giving them this incredible chance. Tune in on Wednesday, January 28th from 11am to 1pm on 93.9 FM or online at dublinsouthfm.ie to catch all these stories - plus insights into other LOETB Birr highlights, from Sasha Baranoks speed climbing achievements, updates from former LOETB Birr students and alumni, Clare-Ann Nolan and Melissa Dunne to the great chicken debate! READ NEXT: Planning approval for Midlands Hospice in Tullamore 'an important milestone' "Our kids deserve a school system funded with dignity, not leftovers." -Dr. Rocio Rivas Dr. Roc?o Rivas (Image by Re-Elect Dr. Rocio Rivas for LAUSD School Board, District 2) Details DMCA In 2026, the three Los Angeles Unified School District Board members from the even-numbered board districts will ask the voters to re-elect them. Nick Melvoin, Kelly Gonez, and Dr. Rocio Rivas were each sent four questions that would allow them to let voters know how they felt about their work so far. Thus far, only Dr. Rivas has responded. Her unedited answers are provided below: Q. If you were grading yourself on follow-through with your campaign promises from the last election, where would you mark yourself as "incomplete"? If re-elected, how would you address these issues? If I had to grade myself, I'd call it a work in progress. The truth is, several of the challenges facing LAUSD are deeply systemic -- decades in the making and worsened by crises that no one term can resolve. We are still dealing with the anxiety and trauma caused by Trump-era immigration crackdowns that created fear in our classrooms, the long road of COVID recovery, ongoing economic instability, and even wildfires and climate-related disruptions that have impacted our most vulnerable communities. But I'm proud that despite those conditions, we've made real, measurable progress: our students achieved the highest academic scores in years; we passed Measure US, a $9 billion bond -- the largest in LAUSD's history -- to modernize aging schools and create thousands of good union jobs; and we strengthened protections for workers, families, and community schools across the district. I remain committed to the long-range work of fully transforming how our public schools are funded. California's school finance structure -- shaped by Prop 13's racialized legacy -- still starves public education of the resources our students deserve. If re-elected, here is how I plan to address these "incomplete" issues: Push aggressively for new and fair revenue -- partnering with labor and statewide allies to focus the conversation on fixing the structural underfunding at the root of so many challenges. Scale up the programs, systems, and partnerships we've built -- from dual enrollment, to community schools, to worker-rights education, to equity, greening, and climate-resilience initiatives like school greening and bus electrification. These efforts shouldn't be isolated successes; they should be districtwide standards. Integrate climate resilience and greening more deeply with district planning -- ensuring campuses are safe, sustainable places to learn, and that this work creates union jobs while improving student well-being. Continue and deepen the collaborative approach our office has modeled -- working hand-in-hand with district staff, labor partners, community colleges, foundations, and families, and strengthening partnerships with the entire workforce -- principals, teachers, campus aides, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, counselors, and the skilled trades. Every worker contributes to student success, and we govern best when labor is a full partner. Together, we can cut through bureaucracy and turn good ideas into real, districtwide implementation. In three years, we've built momentum and delivered tangible wins -- but the long-term work is ongoing. I'm fully committed to finishing what we started and ensuring our students and workers move forward together. Q. What issue that arose during your current term surprised you the most, whether positively or negatively? What surprised me most was how much this board was able to accomplish even when we didn't always agree. Every board member came in with different priorities and different constituencies, but despite that, we worked through hard issues together: budget stability, student enrollment, equity and academic achievement, and the constant pressure of politicization around public education. What I didn't expect was the level of shared commitment to getting things done for students and workers, even among people who don't vote together on everything. That gives me a sense of great hope, because LAUSD is facing enormous pressures: immigration enforcement creating fear in our communities, dramatic swings in state revenue, lingering academic and emotional recovery after COVID, and the constant threat of privatization. But what I saw is when the stakes are high, we can truly govern with determination and purpose. That spirit of collaboration is something I want to expand in my next term, because our students, families, and workers deserve a board that takes on tough issues and stays focused on important solutions. Q. Is there an issue you wish the public paid more attention to? How has this issue impacted you or your constituents personally? The issue I wish the public understood more deeply is how structurally underfunded California's public schools are -- and why. For decades, Californians have lived with the harmful consequences of Proposition 13, a racialized and systemic policy choice that deliberately starved public education and shifted the tax burden away from corporations and wealthy property owners. Its long-term effect has been to divide communities, pit groups and organizations against each other for inadequate resources, and force school districts to operate in a constant state of scarcity. People often see the symptoms -- budget cuts, staffing shortages, outdated facilities -- but not the root cause. And when you combine that structural underfunding with the instability caused by extremists in Washington, who would rather shut down the government than govern, it creates enormous anxiety for our immigrant families, our workers, and our students. LAUSD then becomes ground zero for every national crisis, even though we're just trying to educate kids. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Silent steps in America. Continuous prayer across the world. One shared intention: peace. DALLAS, TX - [1-8-26] Across highways, neighborhoods, and city streets, a quiet yet powerful Much remained unknown Thursday about the chain of events that led to the shooting of a couple near a Portland hospital by at least one immigration agent. Unlike Wednesdays shooting in Minneapolis when numerous people captured video of the fatal confrontation between officers and a resident on a city street, no video has emerged yet and there are few witness accounts so far of the Portland shooting. Authorities, meanwhile, have released few details. One witness in the Portland shooting said he heard five gunshots fired in the parking lot of a Southeast Portland medical office after federal officers boxed in a Toyota truck that had pulled into the lot Thursday afternoon. The man had been seeking care at the office near Adventist Health hospital when he said he saw the officers follow the truck into the lot at 10201 S.E. Main St. and approach it. One officer pounded on the trucks window and the driver appeared scared, the man said. The driver then backed up and moved forward, striking a car behind him at least twice, before turning and speeding off, he said. About five shots rang out from the contingent of officers as the truck raced away, he said. He added that it appeared one car was too smashed up to drive and remained in the lot of the medical office. He gave only his first name, Steve, for privacy reasons, he said. Another witness who was walking in the area and works at the nearby Flora Health recovery center said he heard tires squealing and then two gunshots and spotted a red truck disappearing from the lot. Later Thursday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said U.S. Border Patrol agents were trying to stop a vehicle whose driver was believed to be a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. The passenger was believed to be an associate of the gang, McLaughlin said. When agents identified themselves, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, she said. Fearing for his life, an agent fired a defensive shot, according to McLaughlin. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided similar reasoning an officer threatened by a moving vehicle for the fatal shooting Wednesday of a motorist in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good, after federal immigration agents approached her car and demanded she open her door. Asked whether Tren de Aragua was active in Portland, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Thursday, I dont have any information that would link that at this time, no. But the gang appears to have ties to the region. Last April, two men were arrested in Portland on a federal indictment targeting alleged current and former members of Tren de Aragua, accused in a sex, drug and gun trafficking conspiracy in New York. The indictment alleges the men belong to an offshoot gang. The men are from Venezuela and were working for the DoorDash delivery service in the Portland area, their attorney said. The driver and passenger wounded at the Portland medical office drove about 40 blocks east, where Portland police later found them. 36 1 / 36 Two shot by federal immigration agents in Portland Police first got a call at 2:18 p.m. about a report of the shooting outside the medical office and six minutes later received a report from the driver who had been shot seeking help in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Officers found a man and woman with gunshot wounds who were taken to separate hospitals. Police said they didnt know their conditions. Late Thursday night, FBI investigators were documenting and processing evidence outside the medical office, particularly the banged-up black sedan, with its drivers and front passenger doors left open. It sat in front of the medical offices entrance. FBI agents also scoured the lot for potential shell casings. Patients, many using walkers or wheelchairs, had been holed up inside the three-story office building for at least an hour before they and staff were slowly escorted out to their cars. The parking lot remained full through the evening as FBI agents using flashlights scoured the ground for evidence. The FBI said it was investigating an assault on two Customs and Border Patrol officers. McLaughlin, the assistant secretary, said the trucks driver is a member of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and that the passenger was the target, affiliated with a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved in a recent shooting in Portland. Law enforcement officials havent released the names of the people wounded or the officers involved. Though the FBI is leading the investigation, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez stopped by the scene of the shooting Thursday afternoon. He said his office was present to assist. Of course Im very concerned about the events that transpired today, he said. Our main concern is that theres a thorough and complete investigation. Local officials are very carefully monitoring this. And late Thursday night, Oregons Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced the Oregon Department of Justice was initiating an investigation into the federal officer shooting of the couple in Southeast Portland. Todays incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability, he said in a statement. Our office will take every step necessary to ensure that the rights and security of Oregonians are protected. State and local leaders gathered at a press conference Thursday night to strongly condemn the Border Patrol shooting in Portland that injured two people Thursday and to urge any protesters starting to gather to remain peaceful. Mayor Keith Wilson said fear, confusion and heartbreak had descended on the city although details were still emerging in the Portland shooting, which happened in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Medical Center in Southeast Portland one day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a Minneapolis woman. This is a moment to hold each other close, he said, while also demanding that federal authorities cease immigration enforcement in the city as the shooting is under investigation. Gov. Tina Kotek said Oregonians were united in peaceful opposition to the fear that federal actions had instilled in people and demanded a transparent investigation of them. Oregonians deserve clear answers, she said. Other leaders addressed the federal immigration authorities in much stronger terms. You need to get the hell out of our community, Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Somalia, said. Federal authorities asserted that agents acted in self-defense when they shot the two people, claiming the two were affiliated with the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and that one of them had been involved in a Portland shooting. Local leaders could not confirm those statements, saying federal authorities had not shared information with them about the people who were shot. They also had no access to any possible recordings of the shooting. This is uncharted territory for us, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said. Human rights organizations still operating in Russia are being forced to shut down, despite having committed no crime, after the Kremlin found an extralegal path to cutting off their airflow. The NGOs are accusing banks linked in some way to the government of preventing them from accessing their main source of funding: donations from other Russians. Online pay platforms have yet to offer an explanation for terminating their services to the groups. OVD-Info faces a critical situation: we have lost all our ruble donations, states an SOS published by the defense organization for political prisoners and Russian protestors. Its spokesperson, Dmitri Anisimov, tells EL PAIS via telephone that this is the biggest blow the NGO has received in its 14 years of existence. Other organizations have encountered the same problem, like immigrant support NGO Grazhdanskoye Sodeistvie, while several others have been forced to close. The Nuzhna Pomosch foundation [whose name means Help Is Necessary in Russian] was an early casualty of being cut off from such donations, which caused it to shut down in August 2024. Months prior, officials labeled the group a foreign agent, a designation that the Kremlin has now applied to the other NGOs mentioned in this article. Pressured by terminated access to pay platforms, as well as the fear generated in some of its donors by its foreign agent designation, the management of the group announced it was shutting down all activity because it was practically impossible to continue. Anti-domestic violence NGO Nasiliu.net managed to survive for longer, but wound up closing its doors in December for similar reasons, after a decade of fighting gender-based violence. Our donation platform [CloudPayments] warned us in 2024 that it would block our transfers, the organizations spokesperson, Victoria Odissonova, told this publication a few months ago. Though CloudPayments did not end up cutting service in 2024, out of precaution Nasiliu.net started using another platform, Yiukassa. CloudPayments did start blocking its transfers in September of last year, when the Kremlin initiated a new wave of repressive measures against Russian civil society, including new amendments pertaining to foreign agents. According to OVD-Info, there are now at least 1,586 political prisoners in Russia. The NGO has more than 300 lawyers that currently offer free legal assistance to around 90 of them, and provide support to others who have been arrested or whose homes have been raided by the police. OVD-Info also provides advice and assists in risk assessment for citizens who contact the group through Telegram. Its not only that pay platforms see what we do as risky. Its clear that [officials] are putting pressure on the owners of these businesses so that they stop cooperating with us, says Anisimov. We have explored all possible alternatives in the Russian market and beyond, continues the NGO spokesperson, adding that they have sought out options in neighboring countries that trade with Russia, but unfortunately, no option has emerged. Big businesses are refusing to process our data. There are smaller businesses that we dont trust with our donors data, and services like Tribute, which have similarly blocked other organizations and independent media companies, he adds. OVD-Info has around 12,000 recurring donors with Russian credit cards. These contributions are joined by other, one-time donations. The organization has managed to soften the blow with around 4,000 new subscriptions based on cards located outside of Russia, but the NGO says that it will not be enough for it to continue operations. Regular donations are particularly important to us, because they allow us to plan our work and our budget in the long term, explains Anisimov. They let us know how much money we will have in three months, six months or a year, and if we will be able to defend our clients or expand in certain areas. The NGO uses CloudPayments, which is owned by the Tinkoff bank. The former owner of the financial entity, Oleg Tinkov, was forced to sell his holdings and leave the country after criticizing the war in Ukraine in 2022. They declined to offer us service without any explanation. They claimed that company policy allows them to refuse to give details, says Anisimov. Another platform activists have turned to, Yiukassa, has also declined to handle donations to OVD-Info. The service is owned by Russias largest bank, Sberbank. In documents they sent us, it says that they cannot sign any agreement due to their security policy, says Anisimov, who adds that no further details were provided, supposedly due to reasons of confidentiality. One of the political prisoners defended by OVD-Info is activist Igor Baryshnikov, who was sentenced in 2023 to seven and a half years in prison for discrediting the Russian army, despite suffering from cancer and being the only caretaker for his 97-year-old mother. Sick and forgotten, the blocks on NGOs have endangered the lives of more than 100 Russian political prisoners. Another case is that of Nadezhda Buyanova, a 69-year-old pediatrician who was sentenced in 2024 to five and a half years in prison for saying that Russia is the aggressor to the mother of a child whose father died in the invasion of Ukraine. The mothers testimony is the only proof against her. We were able to secure a ruling in court that she had been illegally fired, but she remains in prison, says Anisimov. The NGO thinks it will be able to rise above these new obstacles. We dont want to limit our work in any way. That is exactly what Russian authorities want us to do after this attack, says Anisimov. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition UPDATE: Homeland Security IDs 2 people shot by Border Patrol in Portland Conflicting details are beginning to emerge of what unfolded in a parking lot near a Southeast Portland hospital, about eight miles outside downtown, on Thursday afternoon, when a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot two people that the agency said it believed were from or associated with Venezuela. The shooting happened, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, after a traffic stop of the pair. Its unclear how badly both people were injured. The confrontation occurred amid sky-high tensions nationwide and came just a day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Heres what we know so far: When and where did the shooting happen? The shooting occurred in the parking lot at Adventist Healths Medical Office 3 building at 10201 S.E. Main Street. At 2:19 p.m. on Thursday, federal officials say U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle that they believed was occupied by two people from or associated with Venezuela. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the passenger who was the target of the stop is in the country illegally, affiliated with the international Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland. McLaughlin said the driver was believed to be a member of Tren de Aragua, which is a Venezuelan gang that she described as vicious. McLaughlin said after the agents identified themselves, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. One agent fired a defensive shot after fearing for his life and safety, McLaughlin said in a statement. In a statement, the FBI described the encounter as an assault on federal officers and said the two assailants fled the scene. DHS said the pair drove off. A man who was at the medical building said he saw federal officers follow a Toyota truck into the parking lot and try to corner it. One officer pounded on the window, he said. The driver then backed up and moved forward at least a couple of times, striking a car behind, before turning and speeding off, said the man who gave only his first name. A vehicle is parked behind a cordoned off area on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after the Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent shot two people in Southeast Portland. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian Conflicting information McLaughlin only referred to one bullet fired, but Portland Police Bureau sources say one of the occupants was shot in the chest and the other the leg or arm. It is possible that one bullet could have injured both people. The man who witnessed the shooting reported that the agent or agents fired about five shots as the truck sped away. Who was shot? On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security identified the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras and the driver as Luis David Nino-Moncada. Portland police said Thursday that federal authorities had not shared information with them about the people who were shot and that they also didnt have access to any possible video recordings of the shooting, so they could not verify any of the federal governments statements. What is the condition of the people who were shot? They were husband and wife, said Tony DeFalco, executive director of Latino Network. The husband was taken to Oregon Health & Science University, where he was in critical condition, said Ana Munoz, director of community defense at Latino Network. The wife was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where her condition wasnt publicly available. At a 6 p.m. news conference, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said both peoples conditions were unknown. Authorities closed off an area around Adventist Healths Medical Office 3 building at 10201 S.E. Main Street in Portland, which was the site of the shooting on Jan. 8, 2026. Allison Barr Skepticism arises The description of events by DHS, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will be heavily scrutinized given that DHS and President Donald Trump offered a version of events leading to the Jan. 7 shooting of Good in Minneapolis that appeared to conflict with video evidence. In describing Good and the agent, Trump said that she ran him over and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Good attempted to run a law enforcement officer over, leading the officer to shoot Good. Video of the shooting showed Good beginning to drive off as an agent approached her car, which was stationed perpendicularly across a road. As the agent tried to open the door, Good began to accelerate and turn the wheels away from another officer whod positioned himself in front of the car. The officer then shot three times, killing Good as her vehicle passed by him. It is not yet clear if theres any video of Thursdays shooting in Portland. When did calls come in to 911? The FBI said the encounter, which it described as an assault, happened at approximately 2:15 p.m. Day, the Portland police chief, said the police bureau learned at 2:18 p.m. of a 911 call reporting a shooting. City police werent involved in the shooting but federal agents were, Day said. Meanwhile, DHS said agents stopped the two people at 2:19 p.m. Its unclear why the different agencies outlined different times or how much time elapsed between the start of the stop and the shooting. What happened next? At about 2:24 p.m., Day, the police chief, said police learned from 911 dispatchers that a man had called to say he was shot and needed help. He was near 146th Avenue and East Burnside Street, which is 2.7 miles from the shooting. Teddy Jay said he witnessed the aftermath when he awoke from a nap and walked down a stairway at the Bria Apartments, at 146th and Burnside, to find a man on the ground and a red truck. A woman was being helped on the other side of the vehicle, Jay said. Paramedics then drove off with the people in separate ambulances, with blood still staining the sidewalk, Jay said. Thankfully they seemed to be alert and speaking, he said. Jay added that hed seen the truck at the apartments before. Day said police arrived at the location to find a male and a female whod been shot and applied a tourniquet while awaiting the arrival of medics. He said the FBI is leading the investigation. We do not know the facts of this case, Day said. We, at this time, do not know if this is an immigration-related event. How are Oregon leaders addressing the situation? Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said his agency is opening an investigation into Thursdays shooting. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called for ICE to halt all operations within the city until a full and independent investigation is complete. Portland is not a training ground for militarized federal agents, Wilson said. When the (Trump) administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means on our streets. Wilson said he spoke Thursday to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and shared their grief for the families who are suffering and grief for the recklessness of our federal government. Hundreds gather at Portland City Hall for a vigil held for the two people shot by a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 8, 2025. Jonathan Bach I The Oregonian/OregonLive How have Portlanders responded? A small group gathered outside Legacy Emanuel Medical Center on Thursday evening. We are calling all of our supporters and allies to protest this violence, said Munoz of Latino Network. Hundreds of protesters later gathered outside Portland City Hall and an ICE facility in South Portland later in the evening. Portland police took six people into custody near the ICE facility. Oregonian reporters Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, Maxine Bernstein, Fedor Zarkhin, Austin De Dios, Noelle Crombie, Kristine de Leon, Yesenia Amaro and Jonathan Bach contributed to this story. Former Oregon receiver Kyler Kasper has landed in the Big 12. Kasper, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, signed with BYU on Thursday. Should he receive a medical hardship waiver, Kasper will have at least two years of eligibility remaining and potentially three. The 6-foot-6 Kasper had just two catches for 51 yards in four games this season, which was cut short due to a left foot injury. He had surgery on both of his feet in 2024 as well. Kasper is the sixth of 13 UO scholarship players to transfer this offseason to commit elsewhere, joining running back Makhi Hughes (Houston), cornerbacks Jahlil Florence (Missouri) and Dakoda Fields (Oklahoma) and safeties Kingston Lopa (Cal) and Solomon Davis (San Diego State). A small but mighty cohort of endangered newts is showing promise in Portland. Last August, the Mazama newt an amphibian species found only in Crater Lake moved into the Oregon Zoos conservation lab as part of an emergency effort to keep its population off the brink of extinction. The project was a collaboration between the zoo, High Desert Museum and National Park Service. Several months later, Oregon Zoo staff say the newts are doing well. Weve seen them grow at least 20% in weight and in length since they arrived, Julia Low, who oversees recovery efforts at the Portland zoo, said in a Thursday news release, which tells us theyre getting what they need to develop properly. Threats against the Mazama newt have multiplied over the past 15 years, especially as warming temperatures favor its predator, the invasive signal crayfish. Crayfish now occupy more than 95% of Crater Lakes shoreline, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, and scientists predict they could soon cover the entire shoreline. In April, the center said it planned to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect the Mazama newt. Conservation plans for the Mazama newt began in 2024 when the High Desert Museum transported 19 amphibians from their home in Crater Lake to a Bend facility. At the Oregon Zoo, employees work hard to emulate the natural conditions of Crater Lake. Timed lights recreate the sunrise and sunset, and hundreds of snails native to the lake have been hatched for food, according to the release. Lab temperatures are kept comparably cold. We have to keep our jackets on inside but if it helps the newts, its worth it, Low said. Keeper Kaley McClung holds a Mazama newt in the Newt Lab. Michael Durham The goal, according to the release, is to keep some Mazama newts safe while conservationists work on a long-term solution to Crater Lakes crayfish problem. Eventually, they hope to release the newts offspring back into their natural habitat. If we dont act now, said David Hering, an aquatic ecologist at Crater Lake National Park, the Mazama newt could disappear. U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter said Thursday that she would help introduce articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, one day after an ICE officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist. Dexter, an Oregon Democrat, also vowed to use every lever available to end the terror ICE has unleashed on our communities. Federal officials said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Renee Good on Wednesday, but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that characterization was bullshit and called the shooting reckless. I am helping introduce articles of impeachment for Kristi Noem, whos complicit in the murder of Renee Nicole Good yesterday, Dexter said in a video posted to social media. We all have seen it in cold blood. While filming, an ICE officer point-blank fired on a woman who was not using her car as a weapon. She simply was using her civil rights to be a legal observer as her neighbors were being terrorized by federal officials. Dexter said she would be joining U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, an Illinois Democrat, in bringing the articles of impeachment. She said everyone should demand accountability. We need safety and security from our federal officers, Dexter said. Not terror, not murder. And I call upon my colleagues to understand the moment that we are in. Our hands are tied in the minority in so many ways, but we must rise up. Americans cannot fear their government and the officials who are enforcing laws. This is not legal, this is not OK and it has to stop. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also addressed the shooting on Thursday. Oregon stands with Minnesota, Kotek posted to social media. Americans deserve a full investigation of this tragedy because no one is above the law. Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Thursday night that the Oregon Department of Justice will open a formal investigation into the U.S. Border Patrol shooting that left two people injured in Southeast Portland. The investigation appears to be the first since Oregon officials warned the federal government in November that they would investigate and prosecute any federal agents who use force beyond the reasonable scope of their duties. Federal authorities and city officials have released little information about the people injured Thursday. A man was wounded in the arm or leg and a woman in the chest, according to dispatch audio and Portland police sources. They are believed to be a married couple. Their conditions were not immediately known. The shooting rocked many people in the Portland area as it came a day after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a woman in Minnesota. We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally. We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties, Rayfield said in a statement. Todays incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability. Our office will take every step necessary to ensure that the rights and security of Oregonians are protected. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop at the time of the shooting. She characterized it as self-defense. She said agents had targeted one of the trucks occupants as a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The driver was a Tren de Aragua member, she said. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, she said. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming. She wouldnt provide the names of those injured nor of the agent who fired. Rayfield said the Justice Department investigation will examine whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority. He said authorities will review video evidence and interview witnesses. If theres evidence that suggests criminal conduct, he said, the case may be referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney. Rayfield and Portland area district attorneys wrote a letter to federal officials in November warning them state officials would monitor and investigate federal officers use of excessive force in Oregon. In the letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Rayfield and the others pointed to several incidents over the past six months when federal agents used munitions that struck local police, fired tear gas against non-violent protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office endangering nearby residents and pointed guns at teenagers in a Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru in Hillsboro. Federal officials did not immediately respond to Rayfields announcement. The Secretary of States Office is asking lawmakers for an initial $25 million to stand up key provisions of a law that will limit political contributions and increase the transparency of spending in Oregon politics even as agency leaders concede they cannot say what implementation will ultimately cost. A top agency official acknowledged that the agency couldnt provide a detailed cost estimate or account for the laws ongoing costs, raising the possibility that the eventual price tag could climb well above $25 million. The uncertainty stems from the fact the agency has not yet hired a contractor to carry out the extensive technological overhaul required by the 2024 law. Given the risk of the project, if we are able to generate respondents to the (request for bids) we anticipate high costs to achieve on-time delivery given the unique requirements of the policy, Deputy Secretary of State Michael Kaplan said in a Dec. 8 letter to the Legislatures top budget writers made public Wednesday. The lack of detailed cost estimates less than a year before key provisions of the law are expected to go into effect raises questions about whether lawmakers could move to delay parts of the law during the session that begins Feb. 2, an option they briefly considered in the final days of last years five-month legislative session. As written, the law will limit the amount of money that political candidates, corporations, unions, individuals and other groups can give to each other starting in 2027, among other provisions. It will also require the state to maintain a comprehensive, modernized system to track political contributions between such groups starting in 2028. Without additional funding, Secretary of State Tobias Read has warned the rollout of the law could be botched. Oregon has a weak track record of standing up large technology-linked systems, most notably the states massive failure to launch the online health exchange Cover Oregon about a decade ago. Read has told lawmakers for months that the price tag for the campaign finance system would be high. But his office is now short on time. Legislators approved the law in early 2024 knowing they would eventually have to fund its implementation, and some of its key provisions are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. In his letter, Kaplan said the largest driver of costs behind the budget request is the tight deadline that a contractor would have to carry out the job. Documents show that the Secretary of States Office plans to put out a request to proposals from vendors by mid-January, with responses expected by mid-February. The novelty of the policy and the arduous work required to build a system that can aggregate and monitor contributions might narrow the number of qualified vendors who will submit bids, which could hike up costs even further, Kaplan wrote. Also, the agency just finished a lengthy process to address numerous inconsistencies and gray areas within the law, but officials say they need further guidance from lawmakers to resolve remaining questions, which could also result in higher costs. We want to put power back into the hands of Oregonians and make sure that no one can buy the states democracy, Read told lawmakers in November. But we also know this: If we dont get this law right, the public will likely see it as another broken promise. And that would do a lot more harm than good. The Legislative Fiscal Office reported that the Secretary of States Office did not fully account for the lengthy rulemaking process and had initially planned for agency staff to develop the new technological infrastructure, instead of an outside contractor. The agency decided to conduct the bidding process after it realized early last year its own staff could not carry out such an overhaul by the deadline. Read entered office last January, nearly a year after lawmakers passed the legislation. His predecessor, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, made it clear before leaving office that the agency didnt have the resources or capacity to implement the law. The legislative analyst recommended that lawmakers wait to make a decision on the funding request until the secretary of state can provide more detailed cost estimates during the upcoming five-week session. Lawmakers have a few options they might consider in the session. They could meet the funding request and work with the Secretary of States Office to address technical flaws in the law. They could also delay the laws implementation date, which they weighed last year before receiving intense backlash from good government groups. Dan Meek, a longtime campaign finance reform advocate who helped negotiate the law and participated in a group last year to address flaws in the bill, said he worried the large financial request might serve as an excuse for lawmakers and Read to delay the contribution limits or other parts of the law. The campaign finance reform proponents have for many months asked for a breakdown of the estimated costs. We have zero breakdown and zero detail, Meek said. The (secretary of state) should disclose the contribution limits enforcement cost but has refused to do that. Lawmakers are entering the 35-day legislative session with a lot of priorities, including taking up policies related to federal immigration enforcement, transportation funding and a projected deficit in the state budget. Its unclear if funding campaign finance reform will be a priority. The Speaker knows the stakes are high: public trust in our fair and safe elections is on the line, said Jill Bakken, a spokesperson for House Speaker Julie Fahey. Were working closely with the Secretary of States Office to ensure that theyre able to implement the bill successfully, knowing that its a priority for voters that Oregon finally enact campaign contribution limits. Bakken didnt specify whether Fahey, a Eugene Democrat, would support delaying some of the bills provisions. In 2024, Faheys office led the negotiations with business industry representatives, union leaders and campaign finance reform advocates who helped craft the law. Legislators only began crafting the law in 2024 after it became clear that voters would see two ballot measures brought forward by competing groups that would have set contribution limits, but to different extents. After passing the law, legislators pledged that they would return to address flaws in the bill and allocate funding. But they have taken no action on the law aside from approving $5.4 million in May 2024 for the Secretary of States Office to hire employees and purchase software. With no campaign finance limits, Oregon has seen massive political contributions flow to candidates of both parties. For example, Read, a Democrat, raised nearly $1 million in 2024 while running for secretary of state. Sen. Christine Drazan of Canby, a Republican who proposed the delay in setting contribution limits last year, raised more than $22 million during the 2022 gubernatorial race that saw a record $70 million in spending. Oregonians have long expressed support for restrictions on political spending. In 2020, voters with 78% approval passed Measure 107 to amend the state constitution to allow such limits, paving the way for the 2024 law. Our top priority is to make sure we dont have any delays in implementing what Oregonians want and deserve, which is stopping millionaires and billionaires from giving unlimited political contributions, Jason Kafoury, a longtime campaign finance reform advocate, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. We urge the Legislature to give the secretary of state the resources they need to put a functional campaign finance system in place. Oregon leaders condemned the violence and called for calm in the hours immediately following the shooting of two people by a federal immigration agent in east Portland. Trumps immigration machine is using violence to control our communities straight out of the authoritarian playbook, said Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat, in a statement. I encourage our community to stay calm and show courage in this moment. We must allow our local law enforcement to do its work. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot and wounded a man and a woman Thursday afternoon in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Medical Center in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses said. One was shot in the leg and the other in the chest, Portland police sources said. They are believed to be a married couple. The agent who shot the two was not immediately identified. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop and characterized the shooting as self-defense. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat and frequent critic of President Donald Trump, echoed Dexters call for calm and suggested that reacting violently would be doing what Trump wants. Please keep protests of Trumps (immigration agents) peaceful, as Trump wants to generate riots, Merkley said. Dont take the bait. Reyna Lopez, president and executive director of PCUN, Oregons Farmworkers Union, extended her thoughts to the victims and said the shooting was further proof that federal immigration agencies put people in danger. We demand our state and local elected officials to do everything in their power to remove federal agents from our communities, conduct a full and independent investigation, and prioritize the safety of Oregonians, Lopez wrote. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson also weighed in quickly, saying Portland is not a training ground for militarized immigration agents, using a term Trump used last fall when he ordered federalized National Guard members to Oregon. We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts, Wilson said. At a press conference Thursday evening, Gov. Tina Kotek said Oregonians were united in peaceful opposition to the fear that federal actions had instilled in people and demanded a transparent investigation of them. Oregonians deserve clear answers, Kotek said. State. Sen. Christine Drazan, a Republican seeking to challenge Kotek in this years gubernatorial race, said she wants federal officials to arrest Tren de Aragua gang members and make communities safer. She said an investigation will determine if the use of force was warranted. The last thing we need in a moment like this is a bunch of grandstanding politicians exploiting this situation and inciting fear to advance their own political agendas, she said in a statement. The three Portland City Council members who represent east Portland, where the shooting took place, said immigration agents in their communities did not make residents there safe. In a joint statement issued ahead of the press conference, Councilors Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith wrote that the real threat to community safety is immigration agents harassing, targeting, detaining and in some tragic cases killing our neighbors. This federal government is going to spin the story like they do every time one of their agents hurts a community member, the councilors wrote. Its on all of us to keep speaking the truth, to keep on bearing witness, because our communitys voices outweigh their lies every time. East Portland is the most diverse area of the city, with 47% of residents in that city council district identifying as non-white. The rest of the Democrats among Oregons elected federal officials joined Dexter and Merkley in condemning the violence. Rep. Cliff Bentz, the delegations sole Republican, did not respond to a request for comment from The Oregonian/OregonLive and has not issued a statement. Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Democrat elected in 2024, condemned the federal governments actions. This isnt law enforcement, its state-sponsored terrorism, Bynum wrote. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici called for those responsible for the shooting to be held accountable under the law. This violence must stop now, she said. Those responsible must be investigated - and not just by Kash Patels FBI - and held accountable Oregons longest serving senator, Ron Wyden, also weighed in on the social media platform X. Trumps deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence and must end, Wyden, a Democrat, wrote on X. Also on X, Rep. Andrea Salinas called on Oregonians to remain peaceful and said state and local law enforcement should be included in the effort to ensure all facts come to light. And Rep. Val Hoyle expressed conflicting sentiments shared by many Oregonians after months of increasing federal immigration enforcement in Portland and other Oregon cities. Part of me feels angry. Part of me feels exhausted. And part of me feels helpless, she wrote. But I do know this: we cant give up. We have to urgently investigate the facts and make our voices heard peacefully. Oregons attorney general, Dan Rayfield, said the reports of the shooting by a border patrol agent were deeply troubling. We have been clear about our concerns with the excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland, and todays incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability, Rayfield wrote. Oregonians deserve clear answers when people are injured in their neighborhoods. Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey ODonnell made clear that her agency was not involved in the shooting and urged calm. The use of deadly force by law enforcement weighs heavily on all of us who serve, she said. In a joint statement, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and the countys four commissioners said: Enough is enough. The county will not stand by as the federal government attacks our neighbors, commissioners wrote. We stand united in our support for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. From the nearby city of Beaverton, Mayor Lacey Beaty, an Army veteran, wrote that Beaverton stands in solidarity with Portlands leaders, first responders and residents. In Beaverton, we are clear about our values, she said. We do not participate in federal immigration enforcement and our police do not coordinate with ICE or Customs and Border Protection operations. Our responsibility is to ensure residents can access city services and local support without fear. Hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Portland City Hall Thursday night, hours after a Border Patrol shooting injured two people in the city. While federal authorities have released few details about the shooting, it sparked outrage among Portlanders and vows of solidarity with Minneapolis, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a woman Wednesday. Around 6 p.m. chants of abolish ICE rose from the crowd, which swelled to about 400 people by 6:45 p.m. The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America organized the vigil, where City Councilor Angelita Morillo called on the city to support a ban on mask wearing by ICE agents. Councilor Sameer Kanal has developed a proposed ban, which will go before the Community and Public Safety Committee that he co-chairs on Jan. 13. Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane urged people to speak out. Democracy is not going to defend itself, she said. And Councilor Candace Avalos said it was time to act more forcefully locally. We are not waiting for Congress to save us, she said. The shooting quickly rekindled mass protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the citys South Waterfront, demonstrations that had dwindled in recent weeks. Hundreds gathered near the site, blocking streets. Portland police ordered protesters onto sidewalks and said they would make targeted arrests after officers observed criminal activity. Federal authorities have released few details about Thursdays shooting, but it sparked outrage among Portlanders and vows of solidarity with Minneapolis, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a woman Wednesday. The ICE building was the focus of intense protests in the fall after President Donald Trump authorized full force to protect it. The full force never materialized, and protests had largely evaporated by the time Trump on Dec. 31 abandoned the push for National Guard troops to mobilize in Portland. Protests broke out at locations across Portland late Thursday after a Border Patrol shooting that injured two people near a Portland medical clinic. News of the shooting quickly rekindled mass protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the citys South Waterfront, demonstrations that had dwindled in recent weeks. Hundreds gathered near the site, blocking streets. Portland police ordered protesters onto sidewalks and warned of targeted arrests. Officers took six people into custody during the night. Federal authorities have released few details about Thursdays shooting, but it sparked outrage among Portlanders and vows of solidarity with Minneapolis, where an ICE agent shot and killed a woman Wednesday. A small crowd began to gather at the ICE building hours after the Portland shooting, and it grew to hundreds by dusk. Protesters yelled shame and hurled insults and slogans at the mostly unseen federal agents inside the building. The crowd soon blocked the street, and Portland police officers arrived in large numbers, some in crowd control armor and others in bike patrol uniforms. The police detachments left soon after making arrests, and a thinning crowd returned to the street. Police continued to make periodically warn that people in the roadway could be arrested. Federal agents, meanwhile, broadcast warnings that people who blocked access to the building or trespassed on its ground could be arrested or subjected to physical force. For the most part, the agents appeared to observe the crowd from inside the building or from its roof but emerged only when vehicles entered and left the facility. The ICE building was the focus of intense protests in the fall after President Donald Trump authorized full force to protect it. The full force never materialized, and protests had largely evaporated by the time Trump on Dec. 31 abandoned the push for National Guard troops to mobilize in Portland. Earlier Thursday, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Portland City Hall. Chants of abolish ICE rose from the crowd, which swelled to about 400 people by 6:45 p.m. The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America organized the vigil, where City Councilor Angelita Morillo called on the city to support a ban on mask wearing by ICE agents. Councilor Sameer Kanal has developed a proposed ban, which will go before the Community and Public Safety Committee that he co-chairs on Tuesday. 35 1 / 35 Portland vigil for victims of shootings by federal agents Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane urged people to speak out. Democracy is not going to defend itself, she said. And Councilor Candace Avalos said it was time to act more forcefully locally. We are not waiting for Congress to save us, she said. Holly Hogan, standing outside City Hall, said she hadnt fully come to grips with the Renee Good shooting in Minneapolis when the news broke Thursday in Portland. I just felt like I couldnt stay home, Hogan said. A friend asked if anyone wanted to come with to City Hall. There are a million things Id much rather be doing tonight than being out here protesting, but I didnt feel like it was an option. Dave Killen contributed to this report. A fragment believed to be part of a Russian Oreshnik missile that crashed in the Lviv region Friday. The weapon used against Ukraine is capable of firing six projectiles with conventional or nuclear warheads The Oreshnik, a medium-range (non-intercontinental) ballistic missile that flies at hypersonic speed and is designed for nuclear warfare scenarios, has been deployed again by Russia in its latest offensive against Ukraine. The missile reaches a suborbital altitude and can carry up to six warheads, either nuclear or conventional. Its high speed and the very short time frame for attack make it extremely difficult for air defense systems to intercept. The Oreshnik is notable for its multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV). Unlike a conventional missile that impacts with a single projectile, the Oreshniks body fragments in the final phase of its trajectory, releasing multiple warheads that fall simultaneously on the target. Its warheads enter the atmosphere at a higher speed than other, less modern rockets, meaning their impact could destroy underground bunkers simply through the force of the shock, without the need for a massive explosive payload. On Thursday night, Russian forces launched the Oreshnik missile, along with 35 other missiles and 242 drones, against the Lviv province of Ukraine, which borders Poland. The weapon had previously been used in November 2024 against the Dnipropetrovsk region. Its deployment violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a key agreement to limit nuclear escalation from which the United States and Russia withdrew in 2019. Months ago, Putin explained that this next-generation hypersonic missile would be capable of reaching a speed of Mach 10, equivalent to about 12,300 kilometers per hour (7,643 mph). One of the newest medium-range missiles has been tested under combat conditions, the president stated at the time. However, Western intelligence largely focused on the alliance known as the Five Eyes (FVEY) which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand points to a modification of an earlier model. The United States said that the Oreshnik is a modified version of another Russian long-range rocket, designed to create an intermediate-range ballistic missile. This IRBM was based on Russias RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile model, said Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Defense, without providing further details. A firefighter works at the site of the apartment building hit by a Russian missile on Thursday. State Emergency Service of Ukraine (via REUTERS) The use of this type of weapon requires according to existing arms control agreements between Russia and the United States that Moscow notify Washington of its launch. The RS-26 Rubezh is a solid-fuel missile capable of reaching a maximum range of approximately 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles). The rocket can carry conventional explosives, nuclear warheads, or Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles. In 2018, when the Russian president unveiled six new weapons of mass destruction, four years before launching his offensive on Ukraine, Putin warned: Not a single country has hypersonic weapons, let alone hypersonic weapons of intercontinental range. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas stated on Friday that the Russian bombing of Ukrainian territory the previous night, using the Oreshnik missile, is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S., and urged that the cost of the war for Moscow be increased with further sanctions against the country. Putin doesnt want peace, Russias reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction. This deadly pattern of recurring major Russian strikes will repeat itself until we help Ukraine break it, the EUs foreign policy chief said in a message posted on her X account. Moscow claims to have fired the Oreshnik missile in response to Kyivs alleged attack on Putins residence in the Novgorod region of northern Russia in December, something Ukrainian authorities called an absurd lie to sabotage peace negotiations. Such a strike close to EU and NATO border is a grave threat to security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russias reckless actions, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake Putin residence attack that never happened, he added. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Intel shares rose sharply on Friday after President Donald Trump reported meeting with the companys CEO. I just finished a great meeting with the very successful Intel CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, the president wrote Thursday on his social media site, Truth Social. He hailed new microprocessors Intel introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week and touted the climb in Intels share price after the federal government moved to invest nearly $9 billion in the chipmaker last summer. Our country is determined to bring leading edge chip manufacturing back to America, and that is exactly what is happening, Trump wrote. On the social media site X, Tan said he was delighted to have met with Trump and said he had also met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The U.S. struck a deal last summer to make the government Intels largest shareholder, with a roughly 9% stake in the business. Trump had initially called for Intel to fire Lip-Bu Tan, because of his personal investments in companies connected with China, but reversed his position after meeting with the CEO and brokering the big investment. The federal backing and cash infusion, augmented later by separate investments from Nvidia and SoftBank, heartened investors. Intels stock began a steady climb. Investors seemed to take Thursdays social media posts as a fresh endorsement from the president. Intel shares were trading Friday at $45.18, up 10.9%. Thats the stocks highest point in nearly two years. On Monday, Intel formally introduced its first microprocessors using its new 18A manufacturing process. The 18A technology, developed at Intels research factories in Hillsboro, features new architecture that the company says will enable denser features and better performance. Intel said its first 18A chips, called Core Ultra Series 3, offer significantly faster performance in PCs and laptops and longer battery life in mobile computers. The new technology is the fruit of several years of work to rebuild Intels technological prowess. The companys manufacturing technology slipped in the years before the pandemic and it now runs behind industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., though the 18A chips represent a milestone in Intels comeback effort. The company hopes that chip design firms will someday use Intels factories to make their own chips instead of sending the work to TSMC. A reputable supply chain analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, wrote in November that Apple may be close to a deal to hire Intel to make some chips for Macs and iPads. Intel still faces severe financial headwinds, though. The company reports financial results Jan. 22 has as projected annual sales of about $52 billion for 2025, which would be its lowest in at least a dozen years. Intel has eliminated about 30,000 jobs over the past 18 months, including more than 6,000 jobs in Oregon. among them a pair of enslaved sisters from antebellum Kentucky and an unnamed British soldier during the Its sheer number of attitudes toward modernitys swerving approach is one reason for the inexhaustibility of his musicbut the tr Stephanie Stricklands Ringing the Changes draws its mathematical ordering process from a centuries-old practice of English bell ringing. The career of the filmmaker/play though he wanted them as far away as possible from his Celtics in the playoffs with the little notes you so frantically made in your room still clinging to the lapels of your coat.He was highly ambitious but profligate with money and with his creative The inevitability of a mirror above a bathroom sink isnt something you register until you look up and find one missing.I liked himits pointless to deny it and in any This long, long road was crucial for the movement of troops during World War II before becoming the road trip par excellence in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to hippies and beatniks If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on Route sixty-six was Nat King Coles advice. But the highway John Steinbeck labeled the Mother Road in The Grapes of Wrath (1939), was not built for kicks. The so-called Main Street of America was established in 1926 to connect Chicago, Illinois, with Santa Monica, California, through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. During World War II it was crucial for the movement of troops; in the 1950s and 60s it attracted families on vacation, then featured on TV with the series Route 66. In the 1960s and 1970s, hippies and beatniks turned it into the road trip par excellence. In the 1980s, the express highway plan rendered it all but obsolete. It has only survived thanks to local associations keen to preserve the Historic Route 66 together with travelers from all over the world. On November 11, 2026, Route 66 will turn 100 years old, carved up and neglected. Some sections have been expanded while others have disappeared or are closed, and the signs are confusing. Establishments open late and close early; you travel miles and miles without seeing a soul. All in all, though, the journey is still fascinating. Days 1 and 2: Chicago 'Crown Fountain', by Jaume Plensa, in Millennium Park, in Chicago. Stephen Chung (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) Windy Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, seems to shiver as you walk along the skyscraper-studded Riverwalk. The city assumes a cultured air at the Art Institute and a modern vibe at Millennium Park, with Anish Kapoors Cloud Gate and Jaume Plensas Crown Fountain. It also boasts its own pizza, the deep dish, and is home to the starting point of Route 66. Day 3: Chicago - Springfield (218 miles) If you wake up in the city of Joliet, you could be forgiven for thinking youre in Mexico. In El Ranchito, we bought a cooler and stocked up on groceries; we also passed by the Rialto Square Theatre and the prison, immortalized in The Blues Brothers. Former Ambler-Becker Texaco service station in Dwight, Illinois. Glenys Kill (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) We leave the bustle behind and enter a huge green plain of corn and soybeans, as though immersed in a theme park of nostalgia. Wilmington preserves the Gemini Giant, a fiberglass colossus that is the result of a commercial strategy of which there are numerous examples such as Muffler Man and Uniroyal Gals, both related to the car industry. The iconic gas stations, for example in Dwight, such as the Ambler-Becker Texaco, are also still standing. Pontiacs facades are reproduced, along with the map of the route designed by Bob Waldmire. We realize that murals are the new neon lights. We barely stop until we get to Atlanta, home of the Hot Dog Giant, where Abraham Lincoln sits reading a lawbook in the largest wagon in the world. In Springfield, we had dinner at the Cozy Dog Drive In, where the hot dog has been served breaded and skewered since 1949. 'The Bunyon Giant', holding a hot dog, in Atlanta. Eddie Rodriquez (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) Day 4: Springfield - Carthage (402 miles) Before leaving the city where Lincoln lived for 17 years before becoming president, we walk through his neighborhood, now a park-museum, and visit his mausoleum. Then, in Auburn, on the way to Carlinville, we wander along an original cobblestone pavement. Knowing that the Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi was closed to traffic in 1970, we decide to walk it to see its characteristic 22-degree bend. The Chain of Rocks Bridge, a historic bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. Serhii Chrucky (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) Back behind the wheel, and already in Missouri, we leave Saint Louis behind, and stop in Cuba, which is awash with murals and exhibits the largest rocking chair in the world. On the way to Carthage we pass through another of the countrys many Springfields. Day 5: Carthage - Stroud (204 miles) The medieval style of Carthages main administrative building blows us away as we approached the 66 Drive-In. We stop in Joplin, like Bonnie and Clyde, to get a map of the Route 66 Tri-State Corridor Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma share this mining region. And crossing a band of yellow cobblestones, we enter Kansas and the world of cars. Everyone here is very grateful to Pixar. The owner of the Cars on the Route attraction in Galena invited us for coffee and suggested we say hello to Dean Crazy Legs Walker in Baxter Springs, whose legs turn backwards and who inspired the character Tow Mater from Pixars Cars. We did it. From now on, we would see hundreds of cars with eyes. And scrapyards. Gas station and souvenir shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Susan Vineyard ( Alamy / CORDON PRESS ) With its undulating landscape, the route through Oklahoma pays homage to the comedian Will Rogers. We visited the Coleman Theater in the town of Miami, a relic of past grandeur; we drove through Vinita, home of Cyrus Avery the man responsible for the building of Route 66, and looked out over the open underpass in Chelsea when traffic makes it difficult to walk. In Foyil we learned about the young Cherokee Andy Payne, winner in 1928 of the Intercontinental Race Los Angeles-Chicago-New York designed to promote the route; and in Catoosa we spotted the Blue Whale, the incredibly famous landmark on the route that Hugh Davis made in 1972 for his wife. We entered Tulsa, whose art deco buildings testify to the fact that it was once the oil capital of the world. This is where to find the Woody Guthrie Center, author of the song Will Rogers Highway, an alternative name for Route 66. As there was no nightlife, we left for Stroud. Day 6: Stroud - Oklahoma City (113 miles) An exhibit at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Chon Kit Leong (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) A few sunny-side-up eggs at the Rock Cafe and we head to Oklahoma City. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum takes us on a movie-like tour of the conquest of the Far West, and tries to do justice to the Native Americans while recreating a rodeo. It is the complete opposite of the memorial erected in memory of the 168 victims attacked in 1995 by white supremacists. For dinner, we opted for the onion burger at Sids Diner in El Reno. Day 7: Oklahoma City - Tucumcari (388 miles) The graffiti-covered cars of the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. Chon Kit Leong (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) By dusk, we aim to get to Tucumcari, reputed for its neon lights. On the way, we stop at the wonderful Clinton Trail Museum and wander through a typical recreated village in Elk City, then have coffee at the art deco gas station in Shamrock. We enjoy a steak at The Big Texan Steak Ranch while watching two twenty-somethings wrestle with the 72-ounce beef challenge. Still in Amarillo, we sketch the 2nd Amendment Giant (pro-gun) and graffiti one of the 10 cars planted at the Cadillac Ranch. Tight for time, we get to Adrian, the official midpoint of Route 66, just as the Midpoint Cafe closes its doors. We get the photo though and head for New Mexico. Tucumcari is not the neon paradise it is cracked up to be, but it preserves remarkable lights plus some thirty murals. Day 8: Tucumcari - Santa Fe (193 miles) We cross the bathroom in the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa off our to-do list and, feeling very relaxed, make our way to Santa Fe via Los Pecos. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the United States (1610). Its bars, squares and artisans, after passing a stream of deserted towns, make us feel more welcome in New Mexico. Day 9: Santa Fe The 1873 Chapel of Loreto in Santa Fe. Monica Wells (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) The citys past is explained in the New Mexico History Museum and is expressed in the Georgia OKeeffe Museum and the Museum of Art; also in the Palace of the Governors, the Mission of San Miguel, the Shrine of Guadalupe, the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the miraculous staircase of the Chapel of Loreto consisting of 33 steps that rotate 360 degrees, with no central support. Day 10: Santa Fe - Gallup (258 miles) Old license plates and road signs on Central Ave in Albuquerque. Ian Dagnall (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) We started the day in Santo Domingo, attracted by its old trading post and a Spanish mission that Native Americans did not allow us to access. We were also unable to travel through sections of Route 66 marked as the Private Property of the Laguna People. In Albuquerque, where the Breaking Bad series was shot, the colonial district is imposing. We eat, of course, at Los Pollos Hermanos which is featured in the Breaking Bad series. Further on, in Grants, the Continental Divide is flagged up; the lakes to its west drain into the Pacific; those to the east, into the Atlantic. By nightfall we are in Gallup. There, the motel receptionist, a woman from India, checks us in virtually. Sign of cattle abduction between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. STELLAMC (GETTY IMAGES) Day 11: Gallup - Holbrook (127 miles) Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Sophie Godefroy (Alamy / CORDON PRESS) We get up early to cross into Arizona and admire the Painted Desert, the prelude to the Petrified Forest, the largest concentration of petrified wood in the world and a spectacular ecosystem more than 200 million years old. Day 12: Holbrook - Williams (130 miles) A welcome sign to the State of Arizona on Route 66. travelpix / Alamy / CORDON PRESS There are dozens of potential pit stops en route, each one boasting just one feature. In Joseph City, we see the Jack Rabbit Trading Post with its rabbit silhouette logo a thousand times, prompting us to keep singing Well, Im a-standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, from Take It Easy, by the Eagles. A statue of Jackson Browne, sculpted by Ron Adamson, does just that. In another flashback, at La Posada (The Resting Place) you can almost see the famous 1930s Harvey Girls waitresses who worked at the the crown jewel of the Fred Harvey series of luxury railroad hotels. The freight convoys, some with as many as 100 wagons, are another roadside attraction. Ron Adamson's Jackson Browne statue on a corner of Winslow. RSBPhoto / Alamy / CORDON PRESS And who can resist catching a glimpse of the 173-meter-deep Meteor Crater, from a meteorite that crashed into the Earth 50,000 years ago? Or the first Muffler Man, a six-meter lumberjack housed on the campus of the coquettish Flagstaff? We sleep in Williams, the gateway to the Grand Canyon, the last city on Route 66. Drone view of Meteor Crater. Oak City Drone / Alamy / CORDON PRESS Day 13: Williams - Needles (193 miles) A donkey from the town of Oatman, Arizona. mauinow1 / GETTY IMAGES The Delgadillo brothers began their crusade to recover Route 66 in Seligman. Angel Delgadillo became known as the guardian angel of Route 66 and is the main founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. While unable to save the entirety of Route 66, they did manage to save their businesses Angels barbershop and Juans bar are obligatory stops. Around the old mining town of Oatman roam the Oatman donkeys, descendants of the beasts of burden from the gold rush era. From there, we head to Needles and California. Day 14: Needles - Pasadena (257 miles) A runner at Santa Anita Park, a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California. Alex Evers (CSM / ZUMA Press / Alamy / CORDON PRESS) Interstate 40, which covers Interstate 66, is so featureless we are close to dozing off when, in Newberry Springs, we happen to stop at the Bagdad Cafe, a decadent mecca for cinephile tourists staffed by three elderly people. Shortly before San Bernardino the birthplace of McDonalds the landscape begins to turn green and, in Rialto, we enter the urban dreamscape of California. We spend the night in Pasadena and catch a glimpse of the nearby Santa Anita Park racetrack. Sign for the Bagdad Cafe, on Route 66 as it passes through Newberry Springs. Andia (Universal Images / Getty Images) Day 15: Pasadena - Santa Monica (87 miles) Early morning, we head for Hollywood, to the Warner Bros. studios; and then, to the Griffith Observatory for a view of the most photographed sign on the planet. We stroll along the Walk of Fame and tour downtown and the unmistakable Frank Gehrys Walt Disney Concert Hall before, surrounded by driverless taxis, we reach the Santa Monica pier, the end point of Route 66. The Route 66 End Sign, at the Santa Monica Pier (California). Robert Landau ( Alamy /CORDON PRESS ) The city of Harrisburg has received a large grant to fund the relocation of the Capital Area Greenbelt in south Harrisburg. For years, the Capital Area Greenbelt a 20-mile hiking and biking trail that loops around the Harrisburg area and passes through Harrisburg, Paxtang, Penbrook, Susquehanna Township, and Swatara Township ran through private property at 1103 S. Front St., the site of the former Phoenix Steel Corp. Mill. But as construction began three years ago on Veterans Grove, a community for homeless veterans, a detour was put in place. That project has since been completed. Tunnels to Towers Veterans Village, a second community for homeless veterans, and Eden Village, a community for unhoused residents is also planned for the same area. The temporary detour brings the Greenbelt trail up Sycamore Street and along Cameron Street before reconnecting to the trail. In the meantime, the Capital Area Greenbelt Association plans to permanently relocate about a quarter mile in this area of Harrisburg. In order to do that, it needs funding for the project, and the city of Harrisburg announced on Thursday that it was awarded a $750,000 grant for the project. The Commonwealth Financing Authority Statewide Local Share Account grant is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The grant will support Phase 1 of the relocation of the Capital Area Greenbelt in South Harrisburg. The grant application was submitted by the city in support of the Capital Area Greenbelt Association. The city will serve as the grant recipient and will work closely with the association on its administration and implementation. The Commonwealth Financing Authority Statewide Local Share Account grants support projects in the public interest of Pennsylvania, and come from gaming revenues from the Pennsylvania Race Horse and Gaming Act. The grant is for Phase 1, which takes the trail from Front Street to Pennsy Drive. It includes a new crosswalk on Front Street and the widening of the sidewalk on Sycamore Street from five feet to about 10 feet. That makes it much more usable, certainly for pedestrians but also for cyclists, said Doug Hill, president of the Capital Area Greenbelt Association. He said the project is still going through the design process, but if everything goes smoothly, construction could start by the end of the year. Phase 1 is expected to cost about $1 million. The association is still looking for other grants and has also started its Buckle the Belt campaign to raise $300,000. A second phase would bring the trail from Pennsy Drive to Shanois Street. The associations preferred route would take the trail through a small wooded property owned by Pennsy Supply. Hill said the association is in discussion with Pennsy Supply to purchase a small property that would connect the trail. If the Pennsy Drive plan were to fall through, the association has a backup plan, but Hill said that Pennsy Drive is the preferred route. If everything goes as planned, heres where the trail would relocate to: If youre coming from Front Street and youre on the north side of Sycamore Street, the trail would continue at Pennsy Drive and make a left on a hairpin turn down the hill toward the railroad track Then the trail would take a left to go underneath the Sycamore Bridge The trail would then go through the lot owned by Pennsy Supply and then reconnect by Shanois Street near the former Lochiel hotel. The trail would run parallel to the Miracle Community homeless encampment. Hill estimates that Phase 2 would cost $750,000 to $800,000 and would include the property acquisition as well as construction. CARLISLE - A man accused of pulling a revenge hit job in a downtown Carlisle barbershop has pleaded guilty to that 2021 fatal shooting. Michael Anthony Baltimore Jr., who was scheduled to go to trial later this month, abruptly ended his case Thursday with a plea to third-degree murder. As part of the negotiated plea, Baltimore was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in state prison. That term will be a full 15 years, because Judge Christylee Peck set it to run consecutive to a separate 4 to 10 year parole revocation term Baltimore has been serving since his January 2023 arrest on the homicide charges. Taken together, it appears that the earliest Baltmore could become eligible for parole would be the spring of 2042. He would then be 63 years old. But a 2042 release will only be in play were Baltimore granted parole on the murder charge at his minimum, which is not guaranteed. The plea was a surprise since prosecutors, on the record at least, were seeking the death penalty for Baltimore for the killing of Kendell Jerome Cook, 39. At the time, they noted as aggravating circumstances - which jurors must agree are present to trigger the death penalty in Pennsylvania - that Baltimore created a grave risk of death to other persons besides Cook; and that Baltimore had a significant history of earlier felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence. Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack said Thursday the plea to the reduced charge - which McCormack said serious discussions started on only earlier this week - made sense for his office because it trades the risks inherent with trial for a certain conviction. This is a guaranteed conviction thats going to take him (Baltimore) off our streets for a very long period of time... and when you weigh that against no guarantees, you have to consider it, McCormack said. The district attorney also noted the victims families were in accord with the third-degree plea. Peck made sure of that, case attorneys told PennLive after the proceeding, at one point directly questioning Cooks fiance to assure herself that the fiance was satisfied with the result. Speaking for the defense, attorney Michael Palermo said his team is pleased to give Baltimore a chance to get out of prison. Had Baltimore been convicted of first-degree murder, he would have faced an automatic life term with no chance of parole at best. Palermo noted his co-counsel, Petra Gross, in defending the agreed-to sentence, also put on the record several criminal justice reports that suggest the risk of recidivism - or new crimes convicted by ex-cons - falls off dramatically for persons in their 60s. The facts One person was killed and another was injured in a May 2021 shooting at the GQ Barbershop in Carlisle. On Thursday, suspected gunman Michael Baltimore pleaded guilty to third degree murder in the case (Steve Marroni/PennLive.com). Baltimore, 47, was charged with fatally shooting Cook, his former boss, on May 22, 2021 in the GQ Barbershop in the 100 block of North Hanover Street. Prosecutors previously said they believe Michael Baltimore may have returned to Pennsylvania to fatally shoot Kendall Cook in retaliation for Cooks cooperation with a police investigation that implicated Baltimore a year or so earlier, they said. In that case, Cook provided a video recording from his shop showing Baltimore pocketing a customers newly bought firearm that was left in a box on a waiting room couch in the shop. Baltimore initially claimed he only wanted to remove the gun from the shops crowded waiting room. But he pleaded no contest to receiving stolen property in September 2020. Baltimore was released from prison months later, on Christmas Day 2020. Two weeks after that, Baltimore was accused of aggravated assault during a domestic incident in Lower Allen Township in a now-withdrawn aggravated assault case. After driving his car through a residential backyard to escape police, Baltimore went on the run only to return to Pennsylvania that May to fatally shoot Cook, prosecutors say. Baltimore had been making threats to Cook, who was the Carlisle shops owner, for two months before the murder. On the day he died, Cook had held the shop open beyond regular closing hours because someone had called in earlier in the day and said they were bringing some customers in. Witnesses identified Baltimore as the man who entered the shop shortly before 7:30 p.m., wearing camouflage clothing, with his face covered by a black mask. Cook, upon seeing the masked man enter, called Baltimore out by name seconds before Baltimore began shooting, according to witnesses statements. After shooting Cook, Baltimore then began to fire at Anthony White, another barber in Cooks shop, as he tried to flee out the back of the shop. White survived the shooting, but he subsequently died in a June 2024 drug overdose that has been ruled a homicide by Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall. McCormack confirmed to PennLive Thursday that Whites death is still under separate investigation by police. Police fairly quickly identified Baltimore as their suspect in the Carlisle case, but they were unable to bring him in on the charges until January 2023, when Baltimore was picked up following an apparent bar fight in Davie, Florida. A lot of hard work and many hours went into us being able today to bring justice to Kendell and Anthonys families, McCormack said in a statement about the plea released Thursday evening. There were a lot of obstacles we had to overcome to reach this point. Anthony White, not only a victim, but a key witness tragically died, and another witness is dealing with the death of his son as the result of an unrelated homicide in Harrisburg. McCormack praised case prosecutors Elizabeth Judd and Jennifer Robinson for overcoming those hurdles and pursuing the case to the point where Michael Baltimore finally admitted in open court today that he committed these crimes. Aside from entering his plea, Baltimore said nothing about the crimes in court Thursday, according to people who were present for the unlisted proceeding. McCormack said the plea hearing was scheduled quickly once the agreement was struck in part because all sides were due to head to State College this weekend to begin jury selection for Baltimores case on Monday. A 34-year-old Lancaster County man is facing more than 550 charges related to grave robbing after investigators discovered more than 100 pieces of human remains in his home, according to multiple news sources. Jonathan Gerlach, of Ephrata, on Thursday was preliminarily arraigned in Delaware County, where he is being held on $1 million cash bail, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Delaware County Daily Times. Prosecutors said Gerlach frequently broke into mausoleums and underground vaults at Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum in Yeadon Borough to steal bodies, bones and other body parts, according to the Inquirer. The burglaries started last fall, with detectives tracking reports of vandalism and theft from at least 26 mausoleums and underground vaults at the cemetery, Yeadon Mayor Rohan Hepkins told the Inquirer. Hepkins is a member of the cemeterys board and first brought the case to police. The remains stolen include human bones, headless torsos, skulls, mummified feet and a skeleton with a pacemaker still attached. According to police, 25 of the vaults and mausoleums targeted in the thefts have stood for over 100 years. After 30 years, I can say this is probably the most horrific thing that Ive seen, Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco told the Inquirer. Gerlach became a suspect after police noticed his brown Toyota RAV4 on license plate readers near the cemetery around the time of the thefts. An affidavit of probable cause filed against Gerlach said the RAV4 was not detected in the area until the thefts began, the Inquirer said. Records also show Gerlachs cell phone was in the area of the cemetery. Yeadon Borough detectives on Jan. 6 caught Gerlach as he was leaving the cemetery with a burlap sack and crowbar, the Inquirer said. He was arrested near his RAV4, which had human remains scattered across the back seat. In plain view inside of the vehicle there were numerous bones and skulls in the back seat area of the vehicle, the affidavit of probable cause said, according to CBS21. The burlap sack contained the mummified remains of two children, three skulls and several loose bones, detectives said. Gerlach told police he used the crowbar to force open a grave and steal remains the night of his arrest. He also admitted to stealing at least 30 sets of human remains from the cemetery in total. On Jan. 7, police searched Gerlachs Ephrata home on the 100 block of Washington Avenue, where, the Inquirer said, human remains were found on shelves and hanging from the ceiling. Gerlach is charged with 574 offenses total, including more than 100 counts of abuse of a corpse. He also faces dozens of counts of intentional desecration of venerated objects, burglary, trespassing, criminal mischief, theft, receiving stolen property and historic lots and burial places. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20. Despite a multitude of evidence linking Gerlach to the crimes, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said there are still many unanswered questions. We dont know what he was doing with them, Rouse said. No motive has been determined, and it is unclear if Gerlach targeted any other cemeteries. There are other reports out there that we have not been able to corroborate, Rouse told the Inquirer while declining to name specific locations. And frankly, I dont know that we ever will. A 12-year-old girl who died in 1869 was among the dozens of bodies a Lancaster County man stole from an eastern Pennsylvania cemetery, according to court documents released Friday. Search warrant applications that police in Delaware County filed before searching Jonathan Gerlachs Ephrata home this week revealed new details about how he came to have more than 100 pieces of human bodies in his basement and a rented storage unit, authorities said. At least 30 bodies were stolen from burial vaults of people who died from 1869 to 1981. Gerlach, 34, was charged Thursday with more than 550 offenses related to stealing from graves at Mount Moriah Cemetery and Arboretum in Yeadon. Hes jailed on $1 million bail. Among the new details revealed Friday were that Gerlach pried open heavy marble vault floors to access underground caskets, used a rope and ladders to descend 10 to 20 feet into where the caskets were stored, and that he sold some of the body parts online. Police said in court records they found Gerlach getting a shout out on a Facebook page for selling human bones and skulls, where a man on Oct. 16 posted Got a possible teen now in the collection and a baboon and a monkey that was part of a human skin bag thanks (link to Gerlachs Facebook page.) A tip that helped break open the case came on Dec. 23 and was listed as corpse in basement, in police reports. It came from a family friend who reported Gerlachs brother and wife had spotted a partially decomposed male body on display in Gerlachs basement, tied and held up by its shoulders. The case represents the second time in recent years that a central Pennsylvania man has been arrested in connection with stolen body parts. The same month these grave burglaries were happening, Jeremy Pauley, 43, was sentenced to six years in prison for serving as a critical middleman in the reselling of stolen body parts that included human flesh, brains and even two human fetuses pilfered from morgues. The newly obtained court documents filed by Yeadon police against Gerlach gave the following account: A volunteer who was helping preserve the abandoned Mount Moriah Cemetery summoned police around 11:29 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2025, where officers discovered a large hole in the cinder blocks protecting the Hunter family mausoleum. Police said the cemeterys mausoleums had been sealed with cinderblocks and cement because of previous vandalism. After looking inside the Hunter family mausoleum, police discovered its marble flooring was destroyed, revealing crypts about 10 feet underground. Police found a white nylon rope with a clip attached inside the mausoleum, tied to a large tree branch on the floor. The way the rope was dangling indicated someone had used it to rappel down to the caskets, court documents said. Among the broken marble, police said they found a screwdriver with the name Bryan etched multiple times onto its handle. Marble stone securing the crypt for Martha Hunter, the preteen who died in 1869, had been completely removed, and her remains and clothing were missing, according to the search warrant. A few weeks later, Yeadon police said they were called back to Mount Moriah on Nov. 29 and led to the Jonathan Prichard family mausoleum. Five of the nine Prichard familys crypts were disturbed, and Mary Prichard Steiglemans remains were missing, court documents said. The 62-year-old woman died in 1940. Police said they found an empty Monster energy drink can among the debris at the mausoleum, with two partial fingerprints. Swabs were taken from the screwdriver and the Monster can to check for DNA, the search warrants said. The neighboring Frank Charlton family mausoleum was damaged around the same time as the Steigleman familys, police said, but there wasnt any evidence found suggesting that mausoleum had been burglarized. Yeadon police learned in December that two crypts were broken into on Nov. 6 at a cemetery on the 1500 block of Westminster Road in Plains Township, Luzerne County, more than 100 miles away from Mount Moriah Cemetery. Police said the targeted crypts in Luzerne County belonged to Mary Cappellini Paga, an 83-year-old woman who died in 1981, and Leo Terence, a 53-year-old man who died in 1981. Two cigarette butts were collected at the scene, as well as two energy drink cans. The items were sent for DNA testing. Yeadon police were called to Mount Moriah Cemetery again on Dec. 20 after four crypts were damaged, belonging to the Slack, Ogden, McCullough and Louber families. Court documents said the crypts appeared to have been broken into from above using tools to move the stone slabs protecting the vaults, similar to the November burglaries. In two of the mausoleums, police found broken wooden pallets that someone propped up as ladders to climb in and out of the underground vaults. On Dec. 29, detectives discovered two sets of remains were missing from the Slack family mausoleum. The upper torso, pelvis and head from two sets of remains were also missing from the Ogden familys mausoleum. Seven sets of remains were stolen from the McCullough familys site, and five were missing from the Louber familys, according to court documents. At the Ogden familys site, police said they found two menthol cigarette butts and a pair of black-framed glasses. Two more energy drink cans were collected, the search warrants said. Police said they found wooden pallets near a storage unit and dumpster resembling those that were found in some of the underground vaults. On Dec. 22, the Campbell family mausoleum at Mount Moriah was burglarized. Court documents said police found broken wood and damaged caskets inside the vault, with six bodies missing. Police said a prybar was found inside the Campbell familys mausoleum, along with a partially-smoked Marlboro cigarette and a black zip tie. On Dec. 29, police determined nine bodies were stolen from the John Zeigler familys vault, three from the Vogan family vault, nine from the Hasson familys mausoleum and six from the Charlton family vault. Yeadon police said they became aware around the same time of similar burglaries happening at 10 family plots in the Philadelphia section of the Mount Moriah Cemetery. Court documents said the Philadelphia cases had similarities to the Yeadon and Luzerne County burglaries. On Dec. 23, police in Luzerne County contacted Yeadon police after getting this tip: Look into Jonathan Gerlach for the Luzerne County mausoleum robbery. I know someone whos friends with his family and they mentioned that they recently discovered a partially decomposed corpse hanging in his basement but were afraid to tell the police. They suspect he may be behind the Luzerne County mausoleum robbery, which happened around the same time in early November. The tipster pointed police to Gerlachs Instagram account, where he followed accounts related to taxidermy, skeleton collecting and oddities, according to court documents. Police said they later searched Gerlachs social media accounts and confirmed he was following or a part of multiple skeleton collecting groups. One of Gerlachs followers on Instagram is a man named Bryan, spelled the same way as the name etched on the screwdriver found at the Hunter family plot on Nov. 7. He also disappeared for a few days in November and mentioned that he had been in Chicago selling a human skull, the tipster said, according to the search warrant. On Dec. 23, Yeadon police learned Gerlach had been charged with shoplifting burglary tools on Nov. 6 at a hardware store in East Earl Township, Lancaster County. Gerlach stole a headlamp, a LED rechargeable glow stick, a hammer drill bit, size medium Ace gloves and a metal cutting wheel, worth a total of $167.43, according to search warrants. Police wrote in court documents that it was suspicious Gerlach stole these items, while paying for $250 worth of other merchandise. The stolen items are commonly used to commit burglaries, police said. One of the items that Gerlach paid for during the Nov. 6 hardware store trip was a black tent stake matching the one that police found at the vandalized Zeigler family plot, according to court documents. Yeadon police conducted a license plate reader search of Gerlachs Toyota Rav4 on Dec. 23 and found hed traveled into or close to the area where the bodies were stolen on at least five occasions from Nov. 2 to Dec. 17, which is when the thefts occurred. He traveled to the area near the Philadelphia portion of Mount Moriah Cemetery on Dec. 24, police said in court documents. Cellphone records placed Gerlach in the area on the same dates and times, court documents said. On Dec. 23, a Yeadon officer on patrol at Mount Moriah found a Toyota Rav4 parked between two fallen tree limbs at the cemetery, in a position that police believed was meant to conceal the vehicle. Police said there was no one in the vehicle, but there were multiple energy drink cans on the front passenger seat. The same day, police said they went to Gerlachs Ephrata address and saw the Toyota parked outside. Detectives patrolling Mount Moriah on Tuesday said they found Gerlachs Toyota parked outside the cemetery with human skulls and bones in the back seat. He was arrested that day when police say they caught him walking back to the Toyota, carrying a crowbar and a burlap sack filled with a childs mummified remains. On Wednesday, police searched Gerlachs Ephrata home and said they found over 100 human skulls, numerous human long bones, mummified human feet and hands, two decomposing human torsos, and other assorted skeletal items. Police said they took a cadaver dog to Gerlachs Ephrata storage locker the same day, where the animal confirmed there was an odor of human remains coming from the locker. Gerlachs preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 20 before Delaware County Magisterial District Judge W Keith Williams II. A 21-year-old Dauphin County man is wanted after police said he repeatedly raped a child, according to charging documents. In December 2023, Steelton police were contacted about reopening a January 2022 case involving a girl who was sexually abused. The county district attorneys office told police in February 2024 that the case had been reopened. A few weeks after the case was reopened, Steelton police interviewed the victim, whose name and age were not included in the affidavit. The victim told investigators Naseem O. Dekeyser, of Middletown, would come into her room at night while she was sleeping, pull down her pants and rape her, the affidavit said. The instances of abuse took place multiple times, according to police. The victims father encouraged the girl to report the abuse, but the victims mother said she did not believe the girl, according to the affidavit. Dekeyser is charged with two felony offenses, rape of a child and sexual assault, and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault without consent. As of Thursday, Dekeyser has a warrant for his arrest. An 18-year-old man sped away from police in a stolen car at up to 120 mph before he crashed Friday into an Adams County coffee shop, court documents show. Jani Bordonada-Mercado, 18, of Hanover, was driving a black 2013 Hyundai Elantra around 3:20 a.m., when Pennsylvania State Police tried to pull him over on Route 94 in Berwick Township because the cars registration expired on Dec. 31, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Police said they activated their lights and sirens, but Bordonada-Mercado refused to pull over and led troopers on about a seven-mile chase down Route 94. Court documents said Bordonada-Mercado went through the center of the roundabout at Route 94 and Stoney Point Road in Reading Township, where he lost control and hit a road sign before crashing through the front entrance of the New Horizon Cafe/Three Arrows Coffee shop. The coffee shop was unoccupied at the time of the crash, the affidavit said. On Facebook, the business said it is closed until further notice due to the crash. According to the affidavit, Conewago Township police made contact with the Hyundai Elantras owner, who told them no one had permission to drive it and reported the car as stolen. Police said Bordonada-Mercado was taken to WellSpan York Hospital after the crash with non-life-threatening injuries. Hes since been charged with receiving stolen property, a felony, as well as a misdemeanor count of fleeing an officer and four summary driving offenses. Court records show he has not been arraigned as of publication. Experts concluded in a report published in 2023 that police should only start a chase if a suspect is believed to have committed a violent crime or if there is reason to believe they will commit a violent crime. Officers should not chase drivers for minor offenses, including traffic violations, according to the report. The report, requested by Congress, was by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Police Executive Research Forum and the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Service. The study found no increased risk of crime if officers chased fewer drivers. Stranger Things star Joe Keery took to social media to express just how he feels about President Donald J. Trumps response to a recent ICE incident. On Jan. 7, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good. On Jan. 8, Keery took to social media to express his feelings towards the handling of Goods death by President Donald J. Trump. Zero human decency, Keery wrote on Instagram Stories. Stop this man. Also posted alongside his words was a link to a recent Truth Social post by Trump about the situation. In response to the shooting, Trump said, The woman screaming [behind the camera] was obviously a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing, and resisting. Trump added that shootings like this are the cause of constant targeting of ICE agents. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason incidents are happening is that the Radical left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE agents on a daily basis, Trump wrote. They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate! Many fans supported Keerys choice of words. One fan on Threads wrote, As if I needed another reason to love Joe Keery. Another, taking to X, sharing a screenshot of Keerys story to say, Joe Keery speaking out against Trump, okay, lets go. Another fan, referring to his Stranger Things character, said, Big Steve [expletive] Harrington on the right side of history. There has been a lot of anger and outrage over the shooting, with many citizens gathering to protest in Minneapolis and in elsewhere. Voodoo Brewery is bidding adieu to Erie, Pennsylvania. The national beer brewer, which was founded in 2005 in Meadville, announced in a post on Facebook that it is closing its location in downtown Erie, which has been in operation for a decade. Erie, this one hurts, the post read. After 10 years of pouring beers, hosting game day crowds, serving late night plates, and being part of downtowns rhythm, weve made the decision not to renew our lease at the Boston Store. We didnt get here easily, and were not walking away casually, the post continued. The craft beer world and the restaurant industry have shifted, and so have we. Voodoo is continuing to evolve toward what we do best, which is making beer and getting it into more hands in more places, focusing on manufacturing and shifting pub and restaurant management to the Voodoo Franchise Group. The company said that it looked for a local partner to take over the bar as a franchise owner, but ran out of time. The right partnership didnt land soon enough. This building became so much more than a pub. It became a pregame stop before Otters and Seawolves games, a meetup before shows at the Warner, a familiar counter on a downtown night, a first beer for some, a weekly beer for many. Erie supported us, and we felt it, the post said. The company went on to thank its employees both past and present, saying that it was working to help every current employee find their next opportunity. To our customers, thank you for showing up, for sticking with us, for cheering us on, for giving us reason to keep creating, the post said. The stores last day will be this Sunday, Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The owner of the Erie building told WJET/WFXP that while he was sad to see Voodoo go, he is hopeful that its departure will lead to new opportunities. It gives us a little bit of a chance to rethink the space, whats good for the downtown, what we might be able to attract to that space, Matthew Good, of CEO of Housing and Neighborhood Development Service, said. Voodoo still has corporate offices in Meadville and State College, as well as locations in New Kensington and Scranton. It also has locations in Ohio, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and elsewhere. As part of a growing pattern of violence, immigration agents have shot more than a dozen people in the past year, including the woman killed in Minneapolis this week They are masked, with only their eyes visible, often dressed in civilian clothes, though they wear bulletproof vests and carry weapons. They travel in unmarked cars, but when they get out of them, almost no one doubts who they are: they are agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, an acronym that has become synonymous with the terror that Donald Trump has unleashed in the United States over the past year as part of an unprecedented persecution of migrants. As soon as they spot the officers arriving, activists, volunteers and neighbors honk their horns and whistles to warn of the start of an immigration raid. Some record and confront the agents, demanding they leave their neighborhood. Others block their path with their vehicles. Its a scene that has been repeated in different cities across the country where the U.S. government has launched large-scale operations to detain undocumented immigrants: Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis In the latter city, however, one of these confrontations resulted in the death of a woman on Wednesday. Her name was Renee Nicole Good. The 37-year-old U.S. citizen, a poet and a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis. According to videos recorded by witnesses at the time of the shooting, Good was inside her SUV, parked in the middle of a street, apparently blocking the passage of several ICE vehicles, when two agents approached her and ordered her to get out of her car, even attempting to open the drivers door. The vehicle in which Renee Nicole Good was traveling. Tim Evans (REUTERS) A third officer filmed the scene and circled the SUV, positioning himself in front of it. After the officer failed to open the vehicles door, Good backed up slightly before turning right, seemingly attempting to flee in the opposite direction from the officers. At that moment, the officer who had been filming drew his weapon and fired at Good through the windshield and then a couple more times through the window. The vehicle accelerated away from the officers before crashing a few seconds later. The shooting which the government has justified by insisting that the agent acted in self-defense after Good tried to run him over and the death of a woman described as a loving, forgiving and affectionate mother and an incredible human being, has shocked a society terrified by an immigration agency emboldened by a president who intends to carry out the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history. Although Goods case has shaken the nation and sparked protests that have led authorities to call for calm and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to activate the states National Guard as a precaution in the event of unrest, this was not the first time an agent fired a weapon during an immigration operation since Trumps return to power. Nor was it the last: just over 24 hours after Goods death, officers from another immigration agency, the Border Patrol, shot two people in Portland, Oregon. One pattern: killed while driving Since Trump returned to the White House nearly a year ago, immigration agents have shot or pointed a gun at someone during an immigration enforcement operation almost 30 times, according to a count by The Trace, an independent, nonprofit news outlet that covers gun violence in the U.S. More than a dozen of those incidents were shootings, and at least four people have died, The Trace reports. A clear pattern has emerged in these shootings. As in Goods case and the one in Portland on Thursday night, the vast majority of people were inside their vehicles when they were shot by federal agents. In response to the incidents, authorities have claimed that the agents fired in self-defense, fearing they would be run overa claim the Trump administration has reiterated following Goods death. the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense, Trump himself claimed. This is despite videos and images from the moment of the shooting showing that Good did not run over any officer. Border Patrol agents point their guns at a man during the protests. Tim Evans (REUTERS) Before the incident in Minneapolis, two of the most high-profile cases took place in Chicago, the scene of another large deployment of immigration agents, which began in September and lasted several weeks. That same month, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a Mexican migrant, was detained by agents while driving on the outskirts of Chicago, in a predominantly Latino neighborhood called Franklin Park. According to the official version, the man resisted arrest, attempted to flee in his car, and dragged an ICE officer before being shot and killed. In October, also as part of what the government called Operation Midway Blitz, during which more than 1,600 people were arrested in Illinoiss largest city, a woman named Marimar Martinez was driving through another Latino neighborhood in Chicago, Brighton Park, warning residents that a raid was coming. She was shot five times with an assault rifle for doing so. Martinez survived and was charged with assaulting the officers. Department of Homeland Security officials labeled her a domestic terrorist, as they have done with Good. In Martinezs case, however, the officer who shot her boasted about it in a text message exchange that was later used in court he wrote he had fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys and prosecutors dropped the charges they had filed against her. In response to the growing ICE presence in U.S. cities, which has led to an increase in confrontations between civilians and agents, thousands of citizens have voluntarily received training on how to react to agents. This is why residents of the neighborhood where Good was killed carried whistles to warn of the start of a raid, a tool that has been used in other cities. On the very day the mother of three was killed, one of these training sessions took place. More than 500 Minnesotans attended. The biggest budget in history Under Trump, ICE has become the primary instrument of the Republican presidents anti-immigrant offensive. Thousands of its agents have been deployed in various cities governed by Democrats to detain as many migrants as possible. They lie in wait outside immigration courts to arrest migrants attending appointments that until recently were routine. They patrol predominantly Latino neighborhoods and detain people based on their accent or physical appearance. Homeland Security Investigations officers in Minneapolis, January 8. Tyrone Siu (REUTERS) Since last summer, agents have been arriving in waves across cities, arresting hundreds or even thousands of people wherever they go. They first descended on Los Angeles, then Washington D.C., Portland, Oregon, Chicago until reaching Minneapolis, the latest focus of their operations. Last Monday, it was revealed that the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, would be sending 2,000 agents to the Twin Cities area for what ICEs acting director, Todd Lyons, called the largest immigration operation ever conducted. Now, following Goods death, the government plans to send more than 100 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to the two cities to support ICEs efforts in Minnesota, The New York Times reported on Thursday. The rise of ICE under Trump has been meteoric, mirroring Trumps demands to streamline the U.S. deportation machine. The Immigration Service now boasts the largest budget for any agency in the countrys history, exceeding the funding allocated to the FBI, the DEA, and other federal entities, and surpassing the annual defense budgets of countries like Italy or Brazil. This is thanks to the Republicans tax reform passed last July, under which ICE received over $100 billion to dramatically expand its operations and capabilities through 2029. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition If you were a fan of this gritty true crime drama set in Pennsylvania, heres some good news for you. One of the shows main stars has stated that the series might get another season. Acclaimed actress Kate Winslet recently sat down for an interview with Deadline, during which she confirmed theres a strong likelihood for a second season of Mare of Easttown. According to PhillyVoice, Mare of Easttown follows the story of the titular Mare as played by Winslet, a detective in Delaware County who investigates cases involving missing and murdered women. The show became incredibly popular, and also nabbed a couple of Emmys to boot. Deadline notes that the Titanic star initially described Mare of Easttown as done and dusted, finished after the show aired on HBO in 2021. However, Winslet confessed recently that there was some conversations about giving the series another go. [There] were proper conversations around a timeframe when it could be possible, Winslet said. And so I think we probably will do it, and thats the first time Ive felt that. This second season wouldnt arrive anytime soon, though, Winslet informed the publication. The actress estimates that filming would begin in 2027 for a release that same year. Hopefully we get even more Wawa screentime and another Saturday Night Live skit out of it, too. President Donald Trump expanded his administrations ban and restrictions on travel in certain countries. And some countries have, in turn, done the same for United States citizens. Al Jazeera reports that two countries in Africa Mali and Burkina Faso have now officially barred U.S. tourists from entering their borders. This ban is being called a tit-for-tat move after the Trump administration issued visa restrictions for multiples countries in Africa as well as Asia, the Middle East and Latin America for reasons pertaining to national security. President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats, the White House website reads. The countries these bans and partial restrictions involve, according to the White House, are: Afghanistan Burma Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen Burkina Faso Mali Niger South Sudan Syria Laos Sierra Leone Burundi Cuba Togo Venezuela Angola Antigua and Barbuda Benin Cote DIvoire DominicaGabon The Gambia Malawi Mauritania Niger Senegal Tanzania Tonga Zambia Zimbabwe Holders of travel documents issued by the Palestinian authority are also fully banned. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the two people shot Thursday by Border Patrol in Portland during a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was Luis David Nico Moncada, DHS said in a post on the social media site X. He is from Venezuela and a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, the agency said. The passenger in the car was Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, also from Venezuela and also associated with Tren de Aragua, DHS said. Portland police officials said Thursday that federal authorities had not shared information with them about the people who were shot and that they also had no access to any possible recordings of the shooting, so they could not verify any of the federal governments statements. This is uncharted territory for us, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said. Moncada entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, DHS said, and was subsequently released, then arrested for driving under the influence and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He has a final order of removal, DHS said. Zambrano-Contreras illegally entered the U.S. in 2023, the agency alleged, and has played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved in a prior shooting in Portland. Portland police said it had nothing to share right now in response to questions about DHS statements Friday. At least one Border Patrol agent shot the two suspected gang associates Thursday after the driver allegedly tried to use his car as a weapon, the agency said in a social media post Friday. The shooting came one day after a federal agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. She was also accused of using her car as a weapon, but video of the incident subsequently cast doubt on the official version of events. The Oregon shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Health hospital in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses previously said. The man was wounded in the arm or leg and the woman in the chest, according to dispatch audio and Portland police sources. They are believed to be a married couple. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for information about the two individuals condition. On Thursday, the apartment building where the two people were found was surrounded by yellow police tape with dozens of Portland Police Bureau officers guarding the perimeter while FBI agents talked to residents. By Rachel Evans, Bloomberg News (TNS) U.S. President Donald Trump said a second wave of attacks on Venezuela has been canceled, citing improved cooperation from the country after some political prisoners were released. Venezuela is working well with the U.S. on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing large numbers of political prisoners, Trump wrote in a social-media post Friday. That means another wave of strikes doesnt appear necessary, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to have its military in position for further action in the region after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. The U.S. Coast Guard boarded another oil tanker on Friday. Thus far, activists have confirmed only 11 freed prisoners in Venezuela, though families have been waiting throughout the night in Caracas for further word. Trumps focus on jailed activists and foreigners in Venezuela is a nod to the countrys political opposition, which was sidelined when the U.S. opted to work with current members of the regime following the removal of Maduro. A government supporter holds an image of President Nicolas Maduro during a women's march to demand his return in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, three days after U.S. forces captured him and his wife. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP Brent futures, the global benchmark for oil pricing, pared gains on the presidents statement, trading at $62.16 a barrel as of 10:15 a.m. in London. Trump is meeting with U.S. oil executives later as his administration pushes them to rebuild Venezuelas energy sector. Biagio Pilieri, an aide to opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado, was released from the infamous Helicoide prison in Caracas late Thursday, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group. Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly, said that a significant number of prisoners would be released, and five Spanish citizens were freed earlier in the day. Trump told Fox News Thursday that he plans to meet with Machado next week, in another gesture of recognition toward the opposition. Last weekend he said she wasnt the right choice to lead Venezuela because she doesnt have the respect of its people, but Machado has maintained her support for the U.S. president and has offered to give him her Nobel Peace Prize, an award hes long coveted. After Maduros capture, Trump had indicated that while the U.S. would consider using the military to secure the cooperation of the interim government in Caracas, he was hopeful he wouldnt need to order additional action. In the weeks leading up to the Maduro raid, the U.S. had built up its presence in the Caribbean and had struck more than a dozen boats the administration claimed were trafficking drugs. It hasnt disclosed any further such attacks since Maduros capture. Trump has said, without offering evidence, that most drug transit by sea has been stopped. The fight against narcoterrorism was a partial justification for last weeks operation to go after Maduro. Military engagement in the region may also continue on other fronts. For months, Trump has signaled a willingness to target drug-manufacturing facilities in other countries, including Colombia and Mexico, and he said on Thursday strikes were being prepared, without offering a specific location. We are going to start now hitting the land with regard to the cartels, Trump said Thursday in an interview with Fox News. On Friday, the Coast Guard boarded and seized a tanker suspected of carrying embargoed oil that was attempting to evade U.S. forces on its way out of Venezuela, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on social media. The seizure was the fifth of a ship attempting to enter or leave the area, showing the U.S. is still attempting to ward off shipments of sanctioned oil to countries including Russia and China. Portland police said Thursday that federal agents shot and injured two people in east Portland, prompting strong condemnation from the mayor. We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts, Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed. Portland police Chief Bob Day called for calm as investigators, including from the FBI, gather evidence. We are still in the early stages of this incident, Day said in a statement. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more. Portland City Council this afternoon abruptly paused a public session around 2:40 p.m., with Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney saying we need to recess the meeting immediately. A source told The Oregonian/OregonLive that city councilors were then informed, by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management deputy director, of a shooting suspected to involve immigration enforcement agents. A spokesperson for Gov. Tina Kotek said her office was in touch with Portland officials but declined to comment further. Police said the shooting happened in the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street, the location of Adventist Medical Center. Tina Henderson, who works in an Adventist Health medical office, said someone ran into her suite and said, You guys, be careful. There was just a shooting in the parking lot. On Wednesday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman who had been observing immigration agents when they said she pulled forward in her car. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Roughly 100 people congregated atop the Capitol steps in Harrisburg on Thursday afternoon to protest ICE, as discontent spreads nationwide following Wednesdays deadly shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. The event was organized by the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, with attendees chanting and displaying signs that expressed concern over a range of what were described as oppressive tactics by the federal government including ICE raids, the recent attack on Venezuela, and its ongoing support for the Israeli militarys operations in Palestine. If we are organized and have structures in place ahead of time, we can say ICE is here, and we have to get them the [expletive] out of our community. There is safety in numbers, said Brian Keisling, one of the Harrisburg Palestine Coalitions lead organizers. We need to meet our neighbors who also dont support this [expletive], Keisling continued, because the Gestapo is coming or theyre already here. The victim of Wednesdays shooting, Renee Good, was in her vehicle while observing a raid by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) in the Minneapolis suburbs. Video of the incident shows Good reversing her SUV as one ICE agent approaches the drivers side door, and another approaches her vehicle from the front. Good then drives her car forward, and the agent in front of the car fires his handgun into the windshield just as she begins to turn away from him leading to varying hotly-debated interpretations as to whether the officer was ever in danger, or could have reasonably believed he was, or why he fired instead of stepping aside. The officer is seen firing two more shots into the drivers side of the car as she pulls away. Good was declared dead at a hospital; video from the scene shows ICE agents refusing to allow bystanders, including a man who identified himself as a doctor, to render aid to Good. President Donald Trumps administration immediately claimed the shooting was justified, and that the officer had been hit by the car, although the videos contradict this. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that federal agencies are not cooperating with state law enforcement investigating the incident. Keisling advised protestors not to get dragged into frame-by-frame arguments with conservatives over the exact timeline of the shooting, since this elides the larger point that the federal government should not be sending mobs of armed men into neighborhoods under the thinnest of pretexts. They want us bogged down in details to ignore the simple reality Renee Good should be alive, he told those assembled Thursday. There is nothing she could have done that would warrant her execution. Thursdays crowd was a mix of left-wing pro-Palestine activists, who skew younger, and older demonstrators who would be considered more mainstream liberals. The onslaught from Trump whom attendees of all stripes described as an outright fascist using immigration enforcement as a pretext for broader repression might force different demographics together. Keisling acknowledged this, cautioning that those in attendance might not agree with everything the Palestine group believes, but that we need to be clear-eyed about the threats we face. Voting regularly and calling ones congressman might not be enough; confrontation, including the chance that things could turn violent, might be inevitable, activists said. In Minnesota, the people got together, and they chased those [expletive] away. They outnumbered them, they threw snowballs at them, they banded together and said get the [expletive] out, Keisling said, referencing an incident that occurred shortly after the shooting. Valerie Franco, a protestor from Hummelstown, said she comes from a family of immigrant farm workers in California, and I have been listening to this crap all my life when it comes to anti-immigrant rhetoric from politicians. Although relatively new to the area, Im looking for groups that can organize, she said. ICE raids have increased dramatically since Trump took office, pledging to crack down on unauthorized immigration. But despite Trumps rhetoric about criminal aliens, three-quarters of the immigrants held by ICE and often deported to prisons with questionable conditions have no criminal record, according to agency data. At least 170 U.S. citizens have also been taken into ICE custody with little to no justification, according to case tracking by ProPublica. One of Jordan Pines first encounters with human trafficking involved an 8-year-old girl who was being trafficked by her mother. The girl never went missing and never missed school, even as her mother sex trafficked her to a string of men in their own home. Mom was addicted to drugs and was trying to get that next fix and pay off her dealer so this little girl would be greeted typically by men that were waiting for her at home, said Pine, founder and CEO of Greenlight Operation, an advocacy organization that works with survivors of human trafficking in Pennsylvania. There would just be a rotating door of men that would do whatever they pleased to this 8-year-old child, and then she would do her homework, and maybe she would have a meal that night. Shed be off to school the next morning. She never missed school. Nobody knew she was being trafficked. Pine invokes the horrific narrative of that girl to underscore the common misconceptions that people have about human trafficking, which, in reality, can involve people living side by side with us in society. An analysis this week by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts showed how central Pennsylvania is a hot spot for human trafficking. Pennsylvania prosecutors filed 431 human trafficking cases since 2020 involving 1,432 charges. The vast majority of offenses involved the trafficking of individuals, followed by involuntary servitude. The vast majority of defendants convicted were men, most between the ages of 30-49. The largest percentage of those 1,432 charges was filed in Franklin County, with 15%, followed by Berks County, with 12%, and Dauphin County, with 11%. Prosecutors in Franklin County explained one particularly large bust skewed their statistics higher, and prosecutors in Dauphin County said theyve made a concerted effort to better identify and prioritize human trafficking. Central Pennsylvania can be conducive for human trafficking, largely because of its concentration of transportation networks and accessibility to a large swath of the country. We are near some major trafficking hubs with the interstate systems and proximity to major cities, Pine said. When you look at business function and distribution, Cumberland County and Dauphin County are heavily sought after because you can reach 70% of North America within a days drive. But not all trafficking involves travel. There are people that are being trafficked in their own homes. While Dauphin County ranks atop the state for these prosecutions, prosecutors there admit their cases represent a fraction of the actual trafficking that is occurring. Thats because it can be hard to recognize, as Pines example illustrated, and because bringing strong cases to court is challenging. Law enforcement is starting to recognize and respond more effectively to human trafficking in our area, said Erin Varley, senior deputy district attorney for Dauphin County and head of its human trafficking task force. However, it also demonstrates how difficult it is to gather enough information and evidence to file charges and that it vastly underrepresents the amount of trafficking thats actually occurring in our area. To put the numbers in perspective, Varley noted, at any given time, Dauphin County authorities could be handling more than 100 active trafficking investigations. But usually at any given time, maybe six or seven cases are charged, Varley said. Some of that relates to how difficult those investigations are. The need to put survivor needs ahead and above anything else and just sometimes the unwillingness of survivors to identify themselves as crime victims or to come forward. Human trafficking is a type of human rights abuse involving the exploitation of people mainly through force, fraud or coercion. Victims are manipulated to engage in sex acts or labor in exchange for something of value. Dauphin County started training departments and county employees about what trafficking actually looks like, which isnt like how its shown in movies, like Taken. Its far more subtle, Varley said, adding that after trainings employees start to recognize it more frequently. That has led to increased reports, which has led to more investigations. Franklin Countys relatively high percentage of cases compelled District Attorney Ian Brink to look through active and inactive files for answers. The number, he quickly realized, is reflective of one case. We have one individual that was charged with a number of offenses, he said. Its still a pending case. A constable that was charged with hundreds of counts. So I think thats skewing our numbers quite a bit because thats adding the number of offenses up very high for one individual. Timothy Heefner, 66, was arrested in September 2023 on more than 700 counts, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The formerly elected Chambersburg constable is accused of running a sugar daddy enterprise targeting vulnerable young women. He is in county jail on $1 million bail. Police say Heefner abused his role as a law enforcement official to carry out his crimes against upwards of 50 females. Lets be real, Brink said. It could occur anywhere, and obviously most people think of human trafficking as people bringing someone from another country and moving them around, making them do XYZ. But we had a person with obviously some authority, a constable, misuse the authority that was given to him and utilized that to be able to basically run under the radar and continue to commit the offenses for a longer period of time. Stories of law enforcement raids on illicit massage parlors are typically commonplace across Pennsylvania, but that scenario is far from representative of human trafficking. What many people dont recognize is how close to home it really is, Pine said. Those who are being victimized by human trafficking could be sitting in classrooms with us. They could be shopping in the same grocery store, or even going to our same church. The majority of human trafficking victims know their trafficker. Oftentimes, they are a romantic partner, Pine said. Often, the crime begins in adolescence. Traffickers are master manipulators, Pine said. They have a goal of making money, of not being found out and keeping things very hush-hush, which is why theyre so good at what theyre doing. Theyre flying under the radar. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Pennsylvania ranks 11th in the nation for percentage of reported cases and tips. More than 600 calls, texts, and online contacts were made to the hotline from Pennsylvania in 2023. Pine also notes that many local law enforcement agencies have established special task forces to address human trafficking, raising not only the awareness but the number of arrests and prosecutions. Prosecuting human trafficking is a drawn-out process that often entails collaboration among multiple law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions as well as state and federal authorities. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said his office has been a part of some of the biggest cases in the commonwealth. Positive results do not come easy when combating human trafficking, he said. These investigations are complex, and that is why our Human Trafficking Section focuses on collaboration with law enforcement partners on all levels, as well as providers who help victims restore their lives. Identifying victims Law enforcement and advocates encourage members of the public to question anything that raises suspicion. Signs of sexual abuse and trauma are not always overt, especially in situations where the crime is happening in the home. When somebody is abducted or you see something like you would in the movie Taken. most of us are going to take note of that and have an offense or complaint to file versus a child who is still going to school every single day, Pine said. But maybe theyre not bathed as well or they are experiencing incontinence at a very young age. That, she explained, is a common sign of trauma. Varley also offers these tips: Look out for individuals who are being overtly or subtly exploited based upon their vulnerabilities. Individuals who are becoming more and more isolated from loved ones and support groups. Traffickers thrive in exploiting vulnerabilities. Be on the lookout for sexually overt behavior in children that is not appropriate for their age; its usually a sign of victimization. Be aware of individuals that are striving to overcome addiction or significant life barriers and seem to be running into roadblocks associated with one person. If you suspect someone is being trafficked: Story by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Last fall, communities across Pennsylvania elected officials who have yet to turn 30 to one of the most visible local roles: mayor. This month, those mayors begin their first terms and their political careers, bringing new perspectives and concerns to local government. Spotlight PA spoke to four incoming young mayors all of them members of Generation Z, by Pew Research Centers definition (though some noted they feel culturally closer to millennials) about their ambitions, their platforms, and what drew them to the position. While they span the ideological spectrum and have jobs as disparate as coffee roaster and political operative, all want to improve their local governments, and share optimism about the future of their communities. Although its not unheard of for Pennsylvanians to elect young local leaders, its rare. Just 3% of the 866 local elected officials who answered a 2021 Pennsylvania Local Government Commission survey were under 35. The average age of a respondent was about 61. Cassandra Coleman, the former mayor of Exeter in Luzerne County who was appointed to her first term at 20, recommended the latest crop make sure theyre listening and learning and not coming in too forceful. But also, Coleman added, I think you have to also weigh that with not being overshadowed and not being kind of pushed to the side because of your age. New perspectives Now is an important time to get involved in government and run for office, said Sam Bigham, the new Democratic mayor of Carnegie in Allegheny County. Were seeing a lot of leaders at different levels not really delivering on their promises or keeping their constituents best interest at heart, especially not for young people like me, he said, pointing to issues like unaffordability and climate change. In Pennsylvania, the roles and responsibilities of mayors vary by municipality type. In some cities, the job is powerful and wide-reaching. In boroughs, the mayors primary responsibilities are to preserve order (i.e., oversee police and respond to emergencies) and enforce local ordinances. They can also break ties among council members. Its often a part-time job, and state law caps salaries based on the size of the borough, though individual municipalities may set pay well below the mandated maximums. The mayors who spoke to PA Local all represent boroughs, and acknowledged the limited powers that come with their office. But they hope to lean into the positions more ceremonial role as a representative of their community and use it to bring fresh points of view to government. Matt Zechman, a Libertarian who was sworn in as mayor of Cleona Borough in Lebanon County this week, said its vital for young people to start running for local office and working their way up so they can change their own future. Its a much different time than it was 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, he said. And if we have the same mindset that todays problems are the same as they were 50 years ago, and we treat them the same way, were just going to keep spiraling downward even more. Winning support As Bigham went door to door during his campaign, he found a whole lot of people were actually excited about a young person running for office, he told PA Local. While some were skeptical of his age and experience level, he said he responded by running a very serious campaign, listening to people, speaking intelligently about local issues, and making sure all his paperwork was in order. Joar F. K. Dahn, the new mayor of the borough of Darby in Delaware County, also said he ran into a a handful of people that were kind of very against a young person running, and insisted he wait his turn. But he stressed that those folks were a vocal minority, and thanked the older adults whove guided him and made it their mission to to mentor the next generation, which he sees as contributing to our future. The young people are going to come, you just got to invite them to the table, Dahn said. You got to make them feel like they also belong here, and you got to make sure they understand that their opinions [are] valid. Several of the mayors hope to motivate their peers to run for office or get civically involved in another way. I just want to let everybody know regardless of their background, age, or affiliation, or anything like that, that they do matter, said Dylan Stevens, a member of the Liberal Party who was elected mayor of the borough of Westover in Clearfield County by a one-vote margin. If they want to make a difference, just go for it. And its really not as difficult as some people might think to run for local office, Carnegies Bigham pointed out. He collected 10 signatures to secure his place on the ballot, and raised a few thousand dollars probably more than what you need in a lot of places, he said. Obviously, you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there and talking to all different kinds of people, Bigham said. Im a bit more introverted, so sometimes it can get really tiring to have to do that, but it can also be really rewarding. Meet the mayors Joar F. K. Dahn of Darby Dahn, 28, calls himself Darbys biggest cheerleader. When he was at college, the Bloomsburg University alumnus didnt tell people he was from Philly, like other students from Delaware County would, he told PA Local. Hed say Darby. Dahn, whose family fled the Liberian Civil War when he was a child, has called Darby home for 20 years. He describes the small borough of 10,749 as a very close knit community, but one that has its struggles. His dissatisfaction with local leadership motivated him to run for mayor. Working as a political operative for several years, he was inspired by the campaigns he was hired by and felt the officials in Darby werent as committed. He started looking for someone to throw his support behind and that person turned out to be himself, Dahn told PA Local. Several residents encouraged him. So he challenged the incumbent mayor in the Democratic primary and ended up winning by 20 points. Dahn ran unopposed in November. In his first 100 days, he wants to motivate community members to get more involved in local government and feel like theyre part of the process. Sometimes, well have council meetings, and Im the only resident in the room, Dahn said. We have council meetings and theres literally nobody there. I want people to understand now that this is a new leadership. Public safety is a big priority for Dahn, who on the campaign trail heard from concerned grandmothers. He hopes to promote a positive relationship between residents and police, and work to reduce gun violence. I need every single grandmom to feel comfortable to walk any single street in Darby, Dahn said. Sam Bigham of Carnegie Carnegies old-style Main Street and strong community connections drew Bigham a resident since age 10 with deep family roots in the area back to the borough of about 8,000 after he graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Now the commonwealths youngest active mayor, the 23-year-old had known for years that he wanted to work in government or public service, and his resume proves it. A former junior councilperson, Bigham also interned for a state representative and a congressman, and worked as a Democratic organizer ahead of last years election. Early last year, Bigham landed the position of executive director of the Carnegie Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that aims to support local businesses and boost the areas attractiveness. He plans to continue in that role alongside his part-time mayoral duties. He told PA Local he decided to run after talking with the incumbent, who was planning to step down. A friend from college helped Bigham campaign, and after lots of door-knocking and securing endorsements from several local politicians, he won the Democratic primary with 661 primary votes to his opponents 204. (He also won enough write-in Republican votes to be listed under both parties on the November ballot.) I wanted to run on a message of community development and optimism and looking forward to the future, he told PA Local. Bighams first-term goals include revitalizing Main Street, improving local infrastructure, updating the boroughs branding, facilitating events between police and residents, and working on sustainability initiatives. Matt Zechman of Cleona Zechman has worn many hats in his 27 years: volunteer firefighter, EMT, combat medic in Afghanistan, coffee roaster, and father. His latest is mayor of Cleona, a 2,000-person borough he describes as a quiet place with two traffic lights, a really nice playground, and a lot of hometown spirit. Although he didnt see a glaring need for major changes in his community, the lifelong resident ran to bring his skills and a new perspective to the role. Zechman did much of his campaigning via social media, he told PA Local. Running on the Libertarian ticket, he beat the Republican incumbent by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in the November election. As mayor, Zechman wants to implement what he calls windows-down policing, a practice he said remembers from his childhood. We would see the police chief and the mayor they would drive in their vehicle, windows down, going slow, talking to residents, engaging, Zechman explained. I knew their names, they knew my name, they knew everyones name. And in a town this small, that is very well possible. And even though its not part of his job description on paper, he said he also wants to use his bully pulpit to find local business sponsors, seek grant funding, or crowdfund to install flashing pedestrian crossing signs, which he called an absolute must for local road safety. Dylan Stevens of Westover Stevens made a spontaneous decision to run for mayor of Westover, a roughly 350-person borough in Clearfield County, just four days before the November election, he told PA Local. Raised in a conservative Republican household, Stevens began exploring third parties when he became disillusioned with the whole political situation in 2020. He landed on the Liberal Party of Pennsylvania, which was formed as the Keystone Party in 2022 by a group of people who believed the Libertarian Party was moving too far right. When Stevens, a 26-year-old whos lived in Westover for 11 years and works at a gas station in another town, realized there wasnt anyone on the ballot for mayor, he decided to give it a go. He wanted to do more in his community and bring more exposure to the Liberal Party, he said. Stevens had mostly kept to himself before, so he took a kids-lemonade-stand-type-of-approach to drum up support, he told PA Local. With help from Liberal Party members from out of town, he introduced himself to people outside a general store a few days before the election and did the same on Election Day outside Westovers polling place. He said reactions ranged from neutral to OK, well, good luck. Stevens ended up getting 13 write-in votes, a single vote more than the next most popular write-in. According to a Liberal Party news release, his election marked the partys first mayoral victory in Pennsylvania. Even though I was kind of an unknown, I guess I had the gift of the gab enough to let people know that I wanted to make a difference in my community and I wanted to give it my best effort, Stevens said. And for a lot of them, it seemed to be enough. Stevens hopes to work with the borough council to attract businesses and explore alternative water sources. He also wants to poll residents on local issues, revive the boroughs Facebook page, and livestream public meetings to improve access for people who arent able to attend in person. Attorneys for a Pennsylvania healthcare giant are denying allegations its employees negligently caused the death of a woman in their care in November 2023, according to documents filed last month. Doctors did not cause 63-year-old April Knotts death when they prescribed her opioids despite knowing she had a documented history of sensitivity to opioids, attorneys representing WellSpan Health and other defendants wrote. Knott died of heart failure Nov. 14, 2023 after spending a week taking regular doses of Narcan just to be able to communicate, according to a lawsuit filed in October by Knotts husband, Christopher, arguing her death was preventable. Knott broke her hip during a fall the month before, according to the lawsuit, and was placed in Chambersburg Hospital for rehab following treatment. Thats where Stanton Sollenberger prescribed her muscle relaxers and opioids Nov. 7, the lawsuit originally said. The lawsuit brings negligence claims against Chambersburg Hospital, WellSpan Health, WellSpan Medical Group and Stanton Sollenberger, the doctor accused of prescribing Knott opioids. It also brings wrongful death and survival act claims against the defendants. Knott is asking for unspecified damages. All four defendants are being represented by the same team of attorneys at Saxton & Stump. In their initial response to the lawsuit, they argued the defendants treatment was standard and not the factual cause of Knotts death. Attorneys also argued Sollenberger was employed by WellSpan Medical Group, not Chambersburg Hospital or WellSpan Health. According to the original lawsuit: Knott fell at home Oct. 27 and suffered a pelvic fracture, and eventually developed a urinary tract infection. After receiving treatment at WellSpan York Hospital, she was discharged and received inpatient rehab at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital. While at Chambersburg Hospital, the lawsuit accuses Stanton Sollenberger of ordering Knott on Nov. 7 to take dilaudid suppository, an opioid; and Methocarbamol and Flexeril, muscle relaxers. Sollenberger noted Knott had a past of severe vomiting from opioid medications Morphine and Percocet, which Sollenberger documented. Medical staff did not increase monitoring of Knotts condition after prescribing her the opioids, the lawsuit said. At midnight, Knott began coughing and at 3:45 a.m., a nurse found her to be lethargic, disoriented and low in oxygen. She also had vomit on her gown. Nurses began giving her Narcan, an opioid antidote, and although she became more alert, she complained of chest pain. Over the next several days, Knott required routine Narcan doses to simply communicate. She eventually suffered heart failure and died Nov. 14, according to the lawsuit. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Author: Shelley Inglis, Rutgers University The U.S. military operation in Venezuela and capture of President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026, topped off months of military buildup and targeted strikes in the Caribbean Sea. It fulfills President Donald Trumps claim to assert authoritative control over the Western Hemisphere, articulated in his administrations 2025 National Security Strategy. Some national security experts say U.S. military action in Venezuela taken without U.S. congressional approval or U.N. Security Council authorization is unlawful. It may violate domestic and international law. The Venezuela attack represents the clearest example during Trumps second presidency of the shift from traditional American values of democratic freedom and the rules-based international order to an America exerting unilateral power based purely on perceived economic interests and military might. Autocratic leaders are unconstrained by law and balance of power, using force to impose their will on others. So, what does this transition from a liberal America in the world to an autocratic U.S. look like? After decades of working internationally on democracy and peace-building, I see three interrelated areas of long-standing U.S. foreign policy engagement being unraveled. 1. Peace and conflict prevention The Trump administrations actions in Venezuela reflect its peace through strength approach to international relations, which emphasizes military power. The actions also follow the emphasis the administration places on economic pressure and wins as a deterrent to war and a cudgel for peace. This approach contrasts with decades of diplomatic efforts to build peace processes that last. Foreign policy experts point out that the Trump administrations emphasis on business deal-making in its conduct of foreign relations, focused on bargaining between positions, misses the point of peacemaking, which is to address underlying interests shared by parties and build the trust required to tackle the drivers of conflict. Trumps focus on deal-making also counters the worlds traditional reliance on the U.S. as an honest broker and a reliable economic partner that supports free trade. Trump made it clear that U.S. interest in oil is a key rationale for the Venezuela attack. This image from video posted on Attorney General Pam Bondis X account shows an oil tanker being seized by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela on Dec. 10, 2025. U.S. Attorney General's Office/X via AP U.S. Attorney General's Office/X via AP Before Venezuela, the limits of the Trump administrations approach were already showing in the global conflicts Trump claims to have halted. Thats evident in ongoing violence between Thailand and Cambodia and in ceasefire violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Moreover, U.S. expertise and resources for sustainable peacemaking and preventing conflict are gone. The entire Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations in the U.S. Department of State was dismantled in May 2025, while funding for conflict prevention and key peace programs like Women, Peace and Security was cut. Trumps unilateral military action against Venezuela belie an authentic commitment to sustainable peace. While its too soon to predict Venezuelas future under U.S. control, the Trump administrations approach is likely to drive more global conflict and violence in 2026, as major powers begin to understand the different rules and learn to play the new game. 2. Democracy and human rights Since the 1980s, U.S. national security strategies have incorporated aspects of democracy promotion and human rights as U.S. values. Trump has not highlighted human rights and democracy as rationales for capturing Maduro. And, so far, the administration has rejected claims to the Venezuelan leadership by opposition leader Maria Corina Machadoand Edmundo Gonzalez, widely considered the legitimate winner of the 2024 presidential election. Much of the U.S. foreign policy to build democracy globally and promote human rights was delivered through foreign assistance, worth over US$3 billion in 2024. The Trump administration cut that by nearly 75% in 2025. These funds sought to promote fair elections, supporting civil societies and free media globally. They were also meant to help enable independent and corruption-free judiciaries in many countries, including Venezuela. Since 1998, for example, the U.S. has funded 85% of the annual $10 million budget of the U.N Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. The fund, now imperiled, helps survivors recover from torture in the U.S. and around the world. The congressionally mandated annual Human Rights Report issued by the State Department in August signaled the Trump administrations intent to undermine key human rights obligations of foreign governments. However, the White House has used tariffs, sanctions and military strikes to punish countries on purported human rights-related grounds, such as in Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. Equally concerning to democracy defenders is its rhetoric chastising European democracies and apparent willingness to elevate political parties in Europe that reject human rights. 3. International cooperation A major aim of U.S. foreign policy has traditionally been to counter threats to Americas security that require cooperation with other governments. But the Trump administration is ignoring or denying many transnational threats. They include terrorism, nuclear proliferation, pandemics, new technologies and climate change. Moreover, the tools that America helped build to tackle shared global threats, like international law and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, have been disparaged and undermined. Even before the U.S. attack on Venezuela, scholars were warning of the collapse of the international norm, embedded in the U.N. Charter, that prohibits the use of force by one sovereign country against another, except in specific cases of self-defense. Early in 2025, Trump signaled an end to much of U.S. multilateral engagement, pulling the country out of many international bodies, agendas and treaties. Venezuelans rip an American flag in half during a protest in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos The administration proposed eliminating its contributions to U.N. agencies like the fund for children. It is also allocating only $300 million this year to the U.N., which is about one-fifth of the membership dues it owes the organization by law. A looming budgetary crisis has now consumed this sole worldwide deliberation body. Meanwhile, the Trump administration says migration and drug trafficking, including from Venezuela, pose the greatest security threats. Its solutions continuing U.S. economic and military might in the Americas ignore shared challenges like corruption and human trafficking that drive these threats and also undermine U.S. economic security. There is also evidence that the Trump administration is not only disregarding international law and retreating from Americas long-standing respect for international cooperation, but its also seeking to reshape policy in its own image and punish those it disagrees with. For example, its call to reframe global refugee protections to undermine the principle that prohibits a return of people to a country where they could be persecuted would alter decades-old international and U.S. domestic law. The Trump administration has already dismantled much of the U.S. refugee program, lowering the cap for 2025 to historic levels. Even for those who work in international institutions, there could also be a price to pay for an illiberal America. For instance, the Trump administration has economically sanctioned many judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court for their work. And the administration has threatened more sanctions unless the court promises not to prosecute Trump a more salient challenge now with the apparent U.S. aggression against Venezuela, which is a party to the International Criminal Court. Some democracy experts worry that the U.S. military action in Venezuela not only undermines international law, but it may also serve to reinforce Trumps project to undo the rule of law and democracy at home. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/2026-begins-with-an-increasingly-autocratic-united-states-rising-on-the-global-stage-271670. In an interview with Fox News, the US president also said he will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week in Washington Donald Trump remains obsessed with drug trafficking despite having decapitated, according to himself, one of the worlds largest drug trafficking organizations with the arrest of Nicolas Maduro in a lightning military operation in Venezuelan territory. The U.S. president stated in an interview on Fox News with host Sean Hannity: We have knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water. We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The Republican leader has not offered much explanation about these attacks, nor where they will take place, or their scope. It remains unclear whether he was referring to new operations in Venezuelan territory or other military interventions on Mexican soil. The cartels are running Mexico, he added. Its very sad to watch, to see whats happening to that country. Theyre killing 250,000300,000 people in our country every single year. Its horrible." The president often uses that figure to refer to overdose deaths in the United States, although most of the deaths are due to fentanyl or other opioids, which are mainly manufactured in Mexico with chemical components imported from China. The United States has declared war on drug trafficking. Last summer, it launched Operation Southern Spear and deployed a large military contingent to the Venezuelan coast, with more than 14,000 troops and a fleet of warships, the largest deployment in the region in decades. Since September, the U.S. military has bombed approximately 30 vessels it described as drug-running boats that were sailing the waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, allegedly transporting drug shipments. In these operations, carried out without a court order or a congressional mandate, more than 110 people have been killed. Last Saturday, the U.S. military launched a lightning military operation in Caracas to capture president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transferred to New York to face justice on charges of narcoterrorism. During the interview, Trump revealed that he will meet next week with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who is scheduled to visit Washington. When the Fox News host mentioned that Machado has expressed a willingness to share the Nobel Peace Prize, which she received last November, Trump said, Ive heard she wants to do that. It would be a great honor. I fought in eight wars, he added, implying that he had accumulated the necessary qualifications to have received the award, which he has never concealed his fervent desire for. In fact, he has admitted to his inner circle that he was annoyed that it was awarded to Machado and not to him. The U.S. leader, who is a teetotaler and avowed enemy of drugs after losing his brother to alcoholism, added during the interview: Its horrible, its devastated families, you lose a child or a parent. Weve done a really good job, were knocking it down. The figures are going down, just like at the border. Trump hasnt explained which border hes referring to, but its assumed he means the one between the United States and Mexico. The borders are ostensibly really closed now. They cant come in and nobody comes. Nobody even tries. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition When I left, the world was dark. Usually, I walked out between midnight and 1 a.m., tired, but good tired, wrapped in a sense of accomplishment sprinkled with a pinch of importance. What I loved in those moments, what stopped me in my tracks, were the pounding sounds of the presses running. Their thunder reminded me of a passing train. Sounds I could feel, as well as hear. Those nights came during my first full-time gig as a journalist. I felt so good, so excited, so happy in a job Id dreamed about. Nancy Eshelman, in June 2014, stands by the press that has printed thousands of issues of The Patriot-News. Leaving at night happened only once a week. Fledgling journalists werent paid much, but the boss offered me a sixth day. Saturday night. Being a single mom, I needed money. My young teenage boys ate everything in sight and routinely grew out of their clothes. There was rent to pay, electricity and a car that needed gas. Putting out the Sunday paper. More money. What promised to be an interesting job. It didnt take any convincing. Back then, I expected the presses to run forever. I expected to remain a journalist forever. I couldnt imagine anything else Id want to do. I realize now I had the mindset of a steelworker or of friends who spent their days toiling at RCA, or of my Dad, who spent years working at Alcoa. Because, you know, it all disappeared. Google tells me close to 3,500 print newspapers disappeared in the past 25 years. On Wednesday, we learned the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette intends to join them, closing its entire operation, including its digital side. This is in a metropolitan area of 2.4 million people. For a couple of decades after I joined the ranks of journalists, newspapers seemed to be printing money. They sent reporters all over the place and eagerly reimbursed what had been spent on mileage, meals, hotels. Life was good, until it wasnt. I cashed in my chips at the end of 2008. Havent regretted it. Ive spent a lot of that time reading what passes for newspapers now. Computer news, sent to my inbox a couple of times a day. During the last couple of months in the year just closed, I found myself annoyed. Even embarrassed. Every news organization seemed to have its hand out. Want news? Kick in, donate. We absolutely need money. I would envision journalists, my former co-workers, standing on the street corners extending a cup to passers-by. Thats what its come to. It makes me sad. Whos to blame? I dont know. Like most things, it depends on whos doing the talking. PITTSBURGH - AUGUST 26: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 26, 2016. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) Getty Images This ancient journalist, who started her career with a typewriter, points her finger at computers. Why would anyone want to wake up to last nights news on their doorstep when their computer can tell them whats happening right now? Im sure its more complicated than that. Still, I dont think a lot of people realize what we are losing. Functioning local journalism is critical to democracy, said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato in response to the Gazettes announcement. This is a major loss to the people of Pittsburgh when it comes to transparency in government, accountability from our institutions, and learning about what is happening in our communities. Indeed, it is. It makes me sad. NANCY ESHELMAN: columnist1@verizon.net Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity is starting the 2026 governors race with $29 million less in available cash than Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. On Friday, the Garrity campaign said that the two-term treasurer raised about $1.5 million last year and ended 2025 with $1 million in cash, compared to the $30 million in available cash the Shapiro campaign reported earlier this week. Shapiro raised more than $23 million in 2025. Since state Sen. Doug Mastriano decided to not enter the governors race, Garrity is the only GOP candidate vying to take on Shapiro in the general election. Garrity put a positive spin the results, noting that her campaign was just getting off the ground and had received an incredible outpouring of support from voters. In just over three months, weve been able to build the foundation for our campaign to turn Pennsylvania around, she said in a statement. Josh Shapiro has never faced a campaign like ours, and we will have the funds to both prosecute Josh Shapiros failures and scandals while painting our positive vision for the Commonwealths future. Garritys campaign, as it did when Shapiro announced his fundraising numbers, claimed the governor abandoned the state during the four-month budget stalemate to raise money from liberal billionaires. More than 97% of Garritys haul came from Pennsylvanians, the campaign said, with more than 75% of contributions coming in at under $100. Garrity echoed comments she made earlier this week about U.S. News & World Reports rankings for Pennsylvania on the economy (38th), education (39th) and overall (41st), adding that over half of 8th graders do not read at grade level and there are 3,000 deficient bridges. Pennsylvanians are struggling under Josh Shapiro, but with the help of thousands of supporters across our Commonwealth, help is on the way, she said. Lawyers have officially started clocking in to fight Harrisburgs city budget dispute on the taxpayers dime. Mayor Wanda Williams just sued City Council, asking the courts to clarify the rights of both parties when it comes to defunding personnel salaries. She is also requesting an emergency injunction, which means a halt on councils override vote that would retain city funding for the four defunded positions until the courts final decision. The lawsuit says the council acted beyond its legal authority by overriding Williams veto of its vote, which equates to permitting them to continue to break the law. Late last year, the council voted to defund the salaries of four key personnel in Williams administration, citing several reasons. The positions were held by Sam Sulkosky, interim business administrator; Gloria Martin-Roberts, interim director of building and housing development; Jason Graves, project director for business development and LERTA administrator; and Denae House, director of community relations and engagement with the police department. The lawsuit specifically added that the business administrator role is neither symbolic nor optional but a statutory position, meaning its required by law. The business administrator plays an important role in Harrisburg, reporting to the mayor and supervising most departments. The lawsuit reads that the role was given to Sulkosky after extensive interviews and examination of his qualifications, and that its difficult to reallocate responsibilities to other positions, because of the significant specialized knowledge. The 55-page document does not mention that the council voted down Sulkosky, the interim business administrator, when he came before them for confirmation. Council President Danielle Hill and council members Jocelyn Rawls, Lamont Jones and Ralph Rodriguez voted against his appointment, some citing concerns with his employment history. The lawsuit says the council did not offer due process proceedings to the four employees despite no allegations of wrongdoing or misfeasance. City law requires the council to approve the mayors appointments for them to serve in permanent positions. Sulkosky previously told PennLive that the 120-day acting position limit does not apply to interim positions. The lawsuit also does not note the ordinance that prohibits acting department heads from staying longer than 120 days without council approval. The lawsuit adds, however, that only the mayor has the right to remove a department head. The lawsuit also argues that if the council had issues with the qualifications of the people holding these defunded positions, it should have sued. The lawsuit cited Bd. Of Revision of Taxes v. City of Philadelphia as a precedent, where the court found that a Philadelphia City Council ordinance violated state law because it was trying to change how a city board worked. The lawsuit claimed multiple areas of impact from the councils actions, including: Disrupting ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with police and city union employees without explaining how. Impacting the mayors ability to effectively provide services. Subjecting city employees to conflicting commands and legal uncertainty. Undermining public confidence in the legality of City governance, leading to irreparable harm. Damaging the reputation of the employees who lost their jobs, leading to them being marked and having difficulty securing future employment. Jeopardizing the employees current projects. Harrisburg operates under a strong mayor-council Plan A form of government: Ultimately, the mayor is the chief executive of the city and enforces all ordinances. Council controls the purse. The lawsuit alleges that by defunding these four positions, the council interfered with the Mayors ability to fulfill her legal obligations. The Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas where this lawsuit was filed recommends mediation before going to a judge. A third-party neutral mediator would help parties come to a solution, which would be faster, cheaper and more confidential than if the case were to play out in court. A spokesperson for the mayor said Thursday night she has ALWAYS been open to mediation, but because statutory positions were cut, the Mayor saw no alternative. Hill told PennLive earlier in the day that Harrisburg City Council would be open to mediation if that deters us from moving forward with this lawsuit. There is one other way this dispute could be handled without going to court. State law allows Williams to reopen the budget and make an amendment before Feb. 15 of this year. However, this would be productive only if the mayor and council members agreed on their choices for personnel. Hill said the council would be open to this option as well if there was an agreement with the mayor. The mayors spokesperson said she would be open to reopening the budget and that is her hope, whether through cooperation or litigation. But she added that the mayor has not been invited to any bargaining table. Jones, the City Council vice president, said it had already tried to go the mediation route. The taxpayers should be livid about this, Jones said in a text. I wonder if it was their personal money, would they have taken this path? Stop the foolishness spending. Still, he added, he wouldnt be opposed to trying again to mediate this dispute. Rodriguez declined to comment because the issue is already in court. Council members Ausha Green, Jocelyn Rawls, Crystal Davis, and former member Shamaine Daniels, did not immediately return requests for comment. Renardo L. Hicks, Michael M. Miller and Renee C. M. Montgomery from Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC are representing Williams. City solicitor Grover said he was waiting for one last signature from council members for Casey Coyle at Babst Calland to represent them. The mayors spokesperson failed to answer how much the lawyers would cost taxpayers, saying she is not privy to the hourly wages of the attorneys nor court costs. With neither side ceding their position, yes, legal action was the only recourse, she added. City Council has 20 days to take action. By Sam Janesch, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, after breaking with his party to praise President Donald Trumps actions in Venezuela this week, on Thursday gave Democrats a critical vote to advance a resolution aimed at reining in the presidents future military endeavors in the country. The resolution calls for the direct removal of U.S. military from hostilities in or against Venezuela without the approval of Congress, which Trump did not seek before his order to capture Nicolas Maduro and run the country for the foreseeable future. It passed narrowly, 52-47, with five Republicans joining all Democrats in a rare bipartisan vote to limit Trumps power. The resolution still awaits final passage, which would require another Senate vote. 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) AP The Pennsylvania Democrats support for the measure had been in question after he not only declined to join others in criticizing Trumps lack of securing congressional approval but also as he blasted fellow Democrats for their reactions calling it the latest outrage du jour in the second Trump era. Still, Fetterman had supported a similar resolution in early November, when Trump was escalating his pressure campaign on Maduro by attacking Venezuelan ships in the Caribbean. In an interview with the Post-Gazette this week, he also said he would not support a full-on invasion. I wouldnt support that, he said, adding that any president should have the discretion to make one-off attacks like Trump had done before and was potentially doing again now in Venezuela. After his vote on Thursday, Fetterman reiterated his approval of Maduros arrest. He said in a statement that he voted to advance to force the resolution out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so we can continue this important debate during a longer debate on the Senate floor. Fetterman has not said how he would like to see the situation in Venezuela proceed, or whether he would ever support sending additional troops there. Republicans who joined him and other Democrats in voting for the resolution said they do not think Trump should have unilateral power to increase the military campaign. While I support the operation to seize Nicolas Maduro, which was extraordinary in its precision and complexity, I do not support committing additional U.S. forces or entering into any long-term military involvement in Venezuela or Greenland without specific congressional authorization, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, said in a statement. U.S. Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, raised concerns about a potentially drawn-out campaign similar to the forever wars that Trump and many others campaigned against. The president and members of his team have stated that the United States now runs Venezuela. It is unclear if that means that an American military presence will be required to stabilize the country, Young said in a statement. Although I remain open to persuasion, any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela must be subject to debate and authorization in Congress. Pennsylvanias other senator, freshman Republican Dave McCormick, voted against the resolution. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is running for a second term in the pivotal battleground state after a first term that put him on the Democratic Partys radar as a potential presidential contender in 2028. He made the formal announcement Thursday at an event at a carpenters union hall in Pittsburgh and, later, at a similar event in Philadelphia. Shapiros announcement demonstrated a unified party behind him including introductions by the state party chair, labor leaders and top local Democratic officials as he ticked off his accomplishments during a nearly 30-minute speech. Gov. Josh Shapiro, in Philadelphia last year, is hoping for a second term while also being eyed in national politics. (Tom Gralish, Philadelphia Inquirer, file) TNS Shapiro warned that his opponents promise darkness and division and extremism, and without mentioning President Donald Trump by name he slammed the chaos and toxicity emanating from Washington, D.C., that he said threatened livelihoods, rights and freedoms. Every step of the way, Ive stood up for my fellow Pennsylvanians, sometimes in a court of law and other times simply refusing to back down, refusing to cast certain Pennsylvanians aside and always by speaking truth to power, Shapiro said. He added, I will not let anyone mess with Pennsylvania and I will always have your backs. Although Shapiro hasnt disclosed any ambitions for higher office, his reelection effort will be closely watched as another test of whether hes White House material. Ever since he won the governors office in a near-landslide victory in 2022, Shapiro has been mentioned alongside Democratic contemporaries like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and others as someone who could lead a national ticket. Shapiro, 52, has already made rounds outside Pennsylvania. Last year, he campaigned for Democrats running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, and hes a frequent guest on Sunday talk shows that can shape the countrys political conversation. He was also considered as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris in 2024. She chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead. A pivotal first term as governor Shapiros first term repeatedly put him in the spotlight. He was governor when Pennsylvania was the site of the first attempted assassination of Trump; the capture of Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the killing of United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson; and the ambush killing of three police officers in the states deadliest day for law enforcement since 2009. Last year, an arsonist tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governors official residence on fire in the middle of the night. Shapiro had to flee with his wife, children and members of his extended family, and the attack made him a sought-out voice on the nations recent spate of political violence. As Shapiro settled into the governors office, he shed his buttoned-down public demeanor and became more plain-spoken. He pushed to quickly reopen a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, debuting his new and profane governing slogan get s- done at a ceremony for the completed project. He crossed the partisan divide over school choice to support a Republican-backed voucher program, causing friction with Democratic lawmakers and allies in the state. Shapiro regularly plays up the need for bipartisanship in a state with a politically divided Legislature, and positions himself as a moderate on energy issues in a state that produces the most natural gas after Texas. Hes rubbed elbows with corporate executives who are interested in Pennsylvania as a data center destination and thrust Pennsylvania into competition for billions of dollars being spent on energy, manufacturing and artificial intelligence. BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A joint maritime exercise is set to include the participation of BRICS members including China, Russia and South Africa, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday. The exercise, "Will for Peace 2026," will be held from early to mid-January in waters and airspace off the Port of Simon's Town, South Africa. Themed "Joint actions to ensure the safety of key shipping lanes and maritime economic activities," the exercise will see participants conduct counter-terrorism, rescue and anti-sea-strike operations, as well as other activities such as professional exchanges and onboard tours. The exercise aims to deepen military exchange and cooperation among participating nations, and to enhance their joint capabilities in tackling maritime threats. Health Reporter Tom Corwin is the Health Reporter for The Post and Courier. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and has covered science, medicine, politics and state legislatures for newspapers in Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. Managing Editor - Post and Courier Myrtle Beach Born and raised in South Carolina, Charles Perry has worked in the state's newspaper industry for nearly 20 years. He covers Horry and Georgetown counties for The Post and Courier. HEFEI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Civilizations rise and fall, yet some endure. At the Anhui Museum in eastern China, a recent exhibition of ancient gold and silver artifacts offered visitors an unusually intimate glimpse into how power, belief and daily life played out -- not through texts, but through precious metals. "Gold's Radiance Steeps Ancient China," one of China's most extensive exhibitions of its kind to date, closed this week after tracing nearly four millennia of craftsmanship, exchange and imagination. The exhibition brought together 490 cultural artifacts, drawn from 61 museums and archaeological institutions across 22 provincial-level regions. Liu Huawei, the exhibition's curator and deputy director of the Anhui Museum, said the objects represented discoveries from 156 archaeological sites. Nearly 200 of the items displayed are classified as China's first-grade cultural relics, and dozens were exhibited to the public for the first time. "The exhibition aimed to convey the shared human emotions and everyday sensibilities that resonate across time," Liu told Xinhua. More fundamentally, he noted, the decision to curate this exhibition stemmed from the belief that Chinese gold and silver artifacts provide a unique lens to observe the Chinese civilization. While gold and silver have long been symbols of wealth and power, in ancient China, these precious metals carried a much deeper significance: they captured the evolving story of a civilization learning to survive, flourish and endure for millennia. China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. Its consistency, originality, unity, inclusivity and peaceful nature are not abstract concepts, but prominent features that are tangible in material culture. To illustrate this, Liu singled out five artifacts from the exhibition that would form a concise, vivid narrative. A tiny silver Kaiyuan Tongbao coin underscores the extraordinary continuity of the Chinese civilization, where monetary forms outlived dynasties by more than a millennium, he said. Issued in 621 by the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Kaiyuan Tongbao, which translates to "circulating treasure from the inauguration of a new epoch," became the most important currency of the Tang Dynasty. It established the tongbao coin system, which persisted for more than 1,200 years. The originality of the Chinese civilization was not confined to its central regions, as evidenced by a golden mask excavated at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2021. Dating back more than 3,000 years, the mask is crafted from 85 percent gold and weighs 97 grams. Though found crumpled into a compact mass, the artifact revealed its full form following meticulous conservation. The mask's exaggerated facial features, elongated eyes and sharply contoured features are hallmarks of Sanxingdui's visual culture. Scholars who led the excavation believe such gold masks were originally placed over bronze sculptures of human heads or attached to separate bronze masks, serving as important ritual objects symbolizing supreme authority. A silver hook from the horse and chariot pit of Qinshihuang's Mausoleum stands as a testament to the grand efforts of China's first emperor to create a unified empire. Curved in a semicircular shape and decorated with cicada patterns in shallow relief, the hook is a component of the bronze chariot's yoke. According to Zhou Ping, deputy director of Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, this artifact symbolizes unity, reflecting the "unification of standards" that Emperor Qinshihuang implemented after unifying China. A key reform involved the standardization of roads and vehicles. Inclusivity -- the ability to absorb and engage with cultures beyond its own borders -- is vividly reflected in a gold ornament depicting a figure with exotic features. Excavated from a noble's tomb at the capital site of Yan, one of the seven major powers during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), the figure wears a felt cap and has arched eyebrows, a high nose, and two short mustaches curling upward -- characteristics commonly associated with people from the Eurasian steppe. "The recovery of dozens of gold ornaments with strong Eurasian-steppe stylistic features presents a striking picture of close interaction between Yan-state elites and northern nomadic groups. These finds offer tangible evidence of China's openness to the wider world long before the modern era," said Dong Yafei, who directs the cultural relics preservation of the capital site of Yan, in north China's Hebei Province. Peaceful exchange underpins a lobed silver box from the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD). The box, which was discovered in east China's Anhui Province, comprises a silver body that exhibits distinctive ancient Persian stylistic features, as well as an iron ring foot that was later added to its base. Similar silver boxes have also been discovered in other regions in the country. Zeng Lei, director of the Qingzhou Museum in east China's Shandong Province, said the body of the silver box likely reached China via the Maritime Silk Road, before being adapted by Chinese craftsmen. Such objects serve as proof that cultural dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations was achieved through peaceful exchange. In recent days, Liu and his peers have been busy cataloging and retrieving these cultural artifacts to return them to their homes across the country. Looking back on the exhibition, which took a year and a half to plan, Liu said that he felt proud as he and his colleagues had offered the public a meaningful encounter with history and civilization. "In doing so, the exhibition illustrated the defining features of the Chinese civilization, one that is ancient yet innovative, diverse yet integrated, and sustained by a long-standing pursuit of harmony," he told Xinhua. Senior Politics Reporter Caitlin Byrd is the senior politics reporter at The Post and Courier. An award-winning journalist, Byrd previously worked as an enterprise reporter for The State newspaper, where she covered the Charleston region and South Carolina politics. Raised in eastern North Carolina, she has called South Carolina home since 2016. Nick Reynolds covers politics for the Post and Courier. A native of Central New York, he spent three-and-a-half years covering politics in Wyoming before joining the paper in late 2021. His work has appeared in outlets like Newsweek, Poynter, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post. He lives in Columbia. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces struck multiple Ukrainian military-related targets with one massive strike and four coordinated group strikes over the past week, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday. According to the ministry, the raids targeted Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, as well as its energy, transport, airfield and port infrastructure. It added that ammunition and fuel depots, drone sites, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries were also hit. Russian forces had taken control of five settlements during the week, the ministry said, adding that its air defense systems had shot down 21 guided aerial bombs, 14 U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, five long-range guided Neptune missiles, and 1,327 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 03:50:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 470 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have untilJanuary 26, 2026to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. ("Alexandria" or the "Company") (NYSE:ARE), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between January 27, 2025 to October 27, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Alexandria and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-are/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJanuary 26, 2026 .About the LawsuitAlexandria and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On October 27, 2025, post-market, the Company disclosed financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 that were below expectations, including cuts to its FFO guidance for the full-year 2025, due to lower occupancy rates, slower leasing activity and most notably, a real estate impairment charge of $323.9 million with $206 million attributed to its LIC property.On this news, the price of Alexandria's shares fell from a closing market price of $77.87 per share on October 27, 2025 to $62.94 per share on October 28, 2025, a decline of about 19% in the span of just a single day.The case is Warren Hern v. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-11319.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 00:00:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 550 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Primo Brands Corporation ("Primo Brands" or the "Company") (NYSE:PRMB). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether Primo Brands and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until January 12, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Primo Brands securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained atwww.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On June 17, 2024, Primo Water Corporation ("Primo Water") announced entry into a merger agreement (the "Merger") with an affiliate of BlueTriton Brands, Inc. ("BlueTriton"). The two companies touted the synergies of the Merger, stating that the combined company was expected to have "significant financial and operating leverage" and "enhanced distribution capabilities" which would position it "for sustained long-term growth." On November 8, 2024, the companies announced the completion of the Merger and the formation of the combined entity, Primo Brands.On August 7, 2025, Primo Brands announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2025. On an accompanying earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Robbert Rietbroek acknowledged that "[t]he speed by which we closed facilities and reduced headcount led to disruptions in product supply, delivery, and service." Following these disclosures, Primo Brands' stock price fell $2.41 per share, or 9.13%, to close at $24.00 per share on August 7, 2025.Then, on November 6, 2025, Primo Brands announced Rietbroek's departure as CEO and disclosed that the Company was drastically reducing its full year 2025 net sales and adjusted EBITDA guidance. During a corresponding earnings call, Primo Brands' new CEO Eric Foss admitted that the Company "probably moved too far too fast on some of the various integration work streams" and that "[t]here's no doubt that speed impacted our ability to get through a lot of the warehouse closures and route realignment without disruption." Foss further revealed that Primo Brands had experienced "customer service issues" as well as "integration issues related to the technology move over." On this news, Primo Brands' stock price fell $8.20 per share, or 36.19%, over the following two trading sessions, closing at $14.46 per share on November 7, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 03:25:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 491 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have untilFebruary 17, 2026to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Coupang, Inc. (NYSE:CPNG), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between May 7, 2025 and December 16, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). These actions are pending in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of California and Western District of Washington.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Coupang and would like to discuss your legal rights and how these cases might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-cpng/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in the class actions, you must petition the Courts byFebruary 17, 2026 .About the LawsuitsCoupang and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company had inadequate cybersecurity protocols that allowed a former employee to access sensitive customer information for nearly six months without being detected; (ii) this subjected the Company to a materially heightened risk of regulatory and legal scrutiny; (iii) when defendants became aware that the Company had been subjected to this data breach, they did not report it in a current report filing in compliance with applicable Securities and Exchange Commission reporting rules; and (iv) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all times.The first-filed case is Barry v. Coupang, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-10795. A subsequent case, Lee v. Coupang, Inc., et al., No. 26-cv-00047, expanded the class period.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-08 23:00:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 636 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 /WHY: New York, N.Y., January 8, 2026. Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) between February 15, 2022 and September 24, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 12, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action first filed by the Firm.SO WHAT: If you purchased Freeport-McMoRan securities 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 Freeport class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45553 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 12, 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 litigate 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 has 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, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Freeport-McMoRan did not adequately ensure safety at the Grasberg Block Cave mine in Indonesia; (2) the lack of proper safety precautions constituted a heightened risk that could foreseeably lead to the death of Freeport's workers; (3) this constituted an undisclosed heightened risk of regulatory, litigation, and reputational risk; and (4) as a result, defendants' statements about Freeport-McMoRan's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Freeport class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45553or 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 or 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.comwww.rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-08 22:55:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 530 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The transaction accelerates Garney's nationwide expansion with a new Pacific Northwest base and strengthens its position as the leading builder of water and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S.KANSAS CITY, MO / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Garney, the nation's leading water and wastewater contractor, has acquired Emery & Sons Construction Group, a heavy civil and underground utility contractor based in Salem, Oregon. The acquisition establishes Garney's permanent presence in the Pacific Northwest, further strengthening the company's ability to deliver critical infrastructure nationwide.This strategic move reflects Garney's continued commitment to growth, operational excellence, and exceptional project delivery. With annual revenues already exceeding $2 billion and more than 2,700 employee-owners nationwide, Garney continues to build on its six-decade legacy as the industry leader in water and wastewater infrastructure.Founded in 1967, Emery & Sons is one of the largest and most respected underground utility contractors in the Northwest. The company brings nearly 60 years of experience and a strong reputation for quality, safety, and community commitment. Emery & Sons adds significant expertise in underground utilities, heavy civil construction, and municipal infrastructure improvement in the region."Emery & Sons has been a trusted builder in the Northwest for decades," said David Burkhart, CEO at Garney. "Their experience in underground utilities and commitment to their people and community make them a natural fit with Garney. By bringing our companies together, we're strengthening our capacity to deliver major water and civil infrastructure. This partnership gives the Emery & Sons team the support and resources to pursue larger and more complex projects while maintaining local relationships and the work they're known for." The addition of Emery & Sons expands Garney's capabilities to deliver a wide range of civil and municipal infrastructure. This growth supports Garney's long-term vision of becoming a full-service water solutions provider by broadening in-house capabilities for earthwork, transmission and distribution pipelines, water mains, and other large-scale civil components essential to complex water projects."Becoming part of Garney creates a solid path forward for our employees and our clients," said Dan Vannoy, President at Emery & Sons. "It gives our people room to grow while keeping the culture and craftsmanship that built our reputation. We'll be able to take on new opportunities and continue doing the kind of work our team takes pride in. We're looking forward to what we can accomplish together." Both companies will continue operating under their existing names and leadership teams as they integrate to meet the region's evolving infrastructure needs.About GarneyGarney is the national leader in water and wastewater infrastructure. Since 1961, Garney has been committed to delivering clean, safe drinking water and protecting public health through essential water and wastewater systems. Garney specializes in self-performing construction services for water and wastewater pipelines, treatment facilities, pumping stations, water storage tanks, and industrial/heavy civil projects through conventional and collaborative delivery methods for municipal, federal, and private sector clients. As a 100% employee-owned company with 19 offices and 3,000 employee-owners nationwide, Garney is committed to advancing the future of water and wastewater infrastructure. At the core of Garney's work is its guiding purpose: Building Sustainable Futures with the World's Most Precious Resources - Water & People.###CONTACT: Jessica Osborn - PR Manager, media@ garney.com SOURCE: Garney PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 23:35:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 730 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Securities Litigation Partner James (Josh) Wilson Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In Freeport-McMoran To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their OptionsIf you purchased or acquired securities in Freeport between February 15, 2022 and September 24, 2025 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310).NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 /Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Freeport-McMoran Inc. ("Freeport" or the "Company") (NYSE:FCX) and reminds investors of the January 12, 2026 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.[You may also click here for additional information]Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors since its founding in 1995. See www.faruqilaw.com As detailed below, the complaint alleges that the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (1) Freeport did not adequately ensure safety at the Grasberg Block Cave mine in Indonesia;(2)the lack of proper safety precautions constituted a heightened risk that could foreseeably lead to the death of Freeport's workers; (3) this constituted an undisclosed heightened risk of regulatory, litigation, and reputational risk; and (4) as a result, Defendants' statements about Freeport-McMoRan's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.On September 9, 2025, Freeport disclosed it was suspending mining activities at its Grasberg Block Cave operation in Indonesia, after "a large flow of wet material" trapped seven workers.On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $2.77, or 5.9%, to close at $43.89 per share on September 9, 2025, thereby injuring investors.Then, on September 24, 2025, Freeport provided an update on the incident, disclosing that two of the trapped team members "were regrettably fatally injured[.]" Meanwhile, "extensive efforts" remained "ongoing in the search for [the five] team members who [remained] missing." On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $7.69, or 17%, to close at $37.67 per share on September 24, 2025.Then, on September 25, 2025, before market hours, Bloomberg published an article stating that the "halt in production at the giant Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia looks set to strain the fractious relationship between [Freeport] and its host nation, at a time when the Jakarta government was already looking to take greater control." The article specified that "[the] state controls 51% of the local entity - after a lengthy battle over ownership - but officials have sporadically continued to demand an increased share. That clamor may now intensify." On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $2.33, or 6.2%, to close at $35.34 on September 25, 2025, thereby injuring investors further.On September 28, 2025, a news organization focusing on Indonesia, published an article entitled "Freeport Landslide was Preventable, Not Just a Natural Disaster, Says Expert." The article quoted an expert as saying "this danger is not new and should have been anticipated from the beginning[.]"The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Freeport's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.To learn more about the Freeport-McMoran class action, go towww.faruqilaw.com/FCXor call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310).Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, on X, or on Facebook.Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP ( www.faruqilaw.com) . Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.SOURCE: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 18:15:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 418 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Kyle Addington of American Wealth Advisers Appointed to Independent Financial Group's President's Advisory CouncilGOODYEAR, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Independent Financial Group, LLC (IFG), a privately held independent wealth management provider congratulates Kyle Addington, President and Director of Financial Planning at American Wealth Advisers, PLLC, on his appointment to IFG's President's Advisory Council (PAC)."I am honored to be included in this Advisory Council," said Addington. "IFG is an important partner to my practice, providing back-office support, and other critical resources that allow us to spend more time taking care of our clients. It's an honor to represent not only my own unique perspective, but that of my advisor peers, as we work together to ensure we have access to the technology, investment solutions, and operational excellence needed to serve our clients and help them build multi-generational wealth." The mission of the President's Advisory Council is to strengthen the partnership between affiliated advisors and IFG leadership by providing real-time, direct advisor insights to help refine initiatives and accelerate their implementation. The Council serves as a trusted board for leadership, ensuring strategies closely align with the evolving needs of advisors and their clients."As we launch our inaugural IFG President's Advisory Council, we are thrilled that Kyle accepted our invitation to join this prestigious group of financial advisors," said Kevin Keefe, President and COO of IFG. "Through open dialogue, collaboration, and advocacy, the Council will help ensure IFG's initiatives reflect what our advisors are telling us they need to serve their clients with distinction in an evolving wealth management industry." Scott Heising, CEO of IFG, added, "I congratulate Kyle on his inclusion in this select group of highly respected professionals and thank him for committing his valuable time to this important initiative." Kyle Addington leads American Wealth Advisers from its Goodyear, Arizona office, where the firm provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services to individuals and families.About American Wealth Advisers, PLLCAmerican Wealth Advisers, PLLC is an independent financial planning and wealth management firm based in Goodyear, Arizona. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, and investment management services.About Independent Financial GroupIndependent Financial Group, LLC (IFG) is a privately held independent wealth management provider based in San Diego, California. Founded in 2003 IFG is an eight-time winner of the Inc. 5000 list of "Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S."Media Contact: Melissa Addington melissa@ americanwealthadvisers.com 602-441-9441SOURCE: American Wealth Advisers PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-08 22:30:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 663 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LAS VEGAS, NV AND RENO, NV / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Nevada Donor Network (NDN) announced today that it has been awarded the Southern Florida Designated Service Area (DSA) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) following an extensive and highly competitive bid process initiated after the decertification of Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency (LAORA) in September 2025.The CMS decision reflects confidence in NDN's proven ability to stabilize, rebuild, and lead high-performing organ procurement operations while ensuring donor families, hospital partners, and transplant recipients are served with excellence, dignity, and compassion.Over the past decade, Nevada Donor Network has undergone a nationally recognized organizational transformation-evolving from a historically underperforming Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) into one of the country's strongest performers. In 2025, NDN maintained Tier 1A status, the highest performance designation awarded by CMS, that achievement positioned NDN as a compelling candidate to assume responsibility for the Southern Florida DSA and restore public confidence in donation and recovery services for the region."CMS's decision affirms the work our team has done for more than a decade to build a culture of accountability, transparency, and mission-driven performance," said Joseph Ferreira, President & CEO of Nevada Donor Network. "Southern Florida deserves an organ procurement organization that is stable, trusted, and relentlessly focused on saving and healing lives. We are honored to bring our experience and commitment to this community." NDN's selection was further strengthened by its longstanding and meaningful ties to Southern Florida, including professional relationships, operational experience, and deep familiarity with the region's diverse communities and healthcare landscape. These connections, combined with NDN's demonstrated success in organizational turnaround and sustained performance improvement, positioned the organization to assume control swiftly and responsibly.The transition comes at a critical moment for Southern Florida. Following LAORA's decertification, CMS initiated a rigorous evaluation process to identify an organization capable of restoring operational integrity, strengthening hospital partnerships, and maximizing donation opportunities. NDN's bid emphasized patient-centered outcomes, collaboration with transplant centers, and a commitment to rebuilding trust with donor families and community stakeholders.In 2025 alone, NDN honored hundreds of heroic donors whose generosity resulted in thousands of lives saved and healed through organ, tissue, cornea, and birth tissue donation. NDN's around-the-clock clinical operations, data-driven performance management, and strong hospital partnerships have consistently translated into improved authorization rates, increased organ recovery, and better transplant outcomes.As NDN prepares to begin operations in Southern Florida, the organization is working closely with CMS to ensure a thoughtful, compliant, and seamless transition. NDN is committed to engaging local hospitals, transplant programs, donor families, and community leaders to ensure continuity of care and to build a donation system that reflects the needs and values of Southern Florida residents."Our mission has always been about honoring heroic donors and saving and healing as many lives as possible," Ferreira added. "That mission does not stop at state lines. We are ready to serve Southern Florida with the same urgency, respect, and excellence that have defined Nevada Donor Network's success." About Nevada Donor NetworkNevada Donor Network is a federally designated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) committed to maximizing the gift of life and health through organ and tissue donation. Established in 1987, Nevada Donor Network is one of only 55 OPOs in the U.S. serving more than three million people in the state of Nevada and 100,000 potential transplant recipients across the country. They work collaboratively with hospital staff and community partners to promote research and provide a strong support network to courageous donor families who've turned loss into hope.At Nevada Donor Network, they encourage Nevadans to help individuals in need of life-saving transplants through education, research and action. Nevada Donor Network is a member of Donate Life Nevada, an affiliate of Donate Life America, whose state-wide efforts encourage Nevadans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. For more information, please visit www.nvdonor.org/ ###Media Contact:Latoya Bembry | The Ferraro Group702-278-1000 | latoya@ theferrarogroup.com SOURCE: Nevada Donor Network ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said on Thursday that the successful handover of military camps in southern Yemen marked a "significant turning point" in efforts to restore the authority of state institutions and prevent the militarization of political life. According to the state-run Saba news agency, al-Alimi made the remarks during a meeting in Riyadh with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, who briefed him on recent developments and coordinated international efforts aimed at reviving the peace process. The meeting also addressed tensions in eastern Yemen following what al-Alimi described as "unilateral actions" by the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Al-Alimi said that the handover of camps in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah was carried out "successfully and peacefully," in coordination with local authorities and with full support from the Saudi-led coalition. He added that the process advanced smoothly toward the southern port city of Aden under a coordinated plan. He also noted that extending state authority in the liberated areas would help facilitate humanitarian access, ease restrictions on relief operations, and improve the provision of basic goods and services. In a statement, Grundberg said that his meetings with al-Alimi and senior Yemeni officials focused on recent developments and their wider implications. He stressed that al-Alimi's call for dialogue, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, offered "a timely opportunity to reduce tensions, address long-standing grievances through political means, and move discussions toward stabilization." Last week, airstrikes and ground operations by the Saudi-led coalition forced STC forces to withdraw from the oil-rich Hadramout and Al-Mahrah provinces, which they had seized from Saudi-backed government forces in December. Formed in 2017 and allegedly backed by the United Arab Emirates, the STC seeks southern Yemen's self-determination and eventual independence. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into Yemen's ruling PLC in 2022, the group continues to push for sovereignty for the south, fuelling recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 00:01:02 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 408 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Freeport-McMoran Inc. ("Freeport" or the "Company") (NYSE:FCX). 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 Freeport and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until January 12, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Freeport securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On September 9, 2025, Freeport issued a press release announcing the suspension of mining activities at its Grasberg Block Cave operation in Indonesia, after "a large flow of wet material from a production drawpoint . . . blocked access to certain areas within the mine," trapping seven workers. The press release further stated that mining operations in the area "have been temporarily suspended to prioritize the safe evacuation of the . . . workers." On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $2.80 per share, or 5.99%, to close at $43.87 per share on September 9, 2025.Then, on September 24, 2025, Freeport provided an update on the incident, reporting that two of the seven workers were "fatally injured" and that the remaining five workers "remain missing." The press release further stated that mining operations in the area remained suspended.On this news, Freeport's stock price fell $7.69 per share, or 16.95%, to close at $37.67 per share on September 24, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 00:00:45 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 494 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Perrigo Company plc ("Perrigo" or the "Company") (NYSE:PRGO). 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 Perrigo and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until January 16, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Perrigo securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On February 27, 2024, Perrigo reported fiscal year 2023 earnings, revealing significant acquisition and integration-related charges, including a purported one-time cash cost of an additional $35 million to $45 million for remediations to address production and facility issues in its infant formula business. The Company also disclosed a 50% decline in earnings per share compared to the prior year due to infant formula remediation actions.On this news, Perrigo's stock price fell $4.87 per share, or 15.14%, to close at $27.30 per share on February 27, 2024.Then, on May 7, 2024, Perrigo released earnings for the first quarter ended March 30, 2024, revealing the significant negative impact of Perrigo's costly actions to augment and strengthen its infant formula business.On this news, Perrigo's stock price fell $3.28 per share, or 9.8%, to close at $30.15 on May 7, 2024.Then, on August 6, 2025, Perrigo issued a press release announcing earnings for the second quarter ended June 28, 2025, revealing the Company's adjusted gross profit decreased $30 million, or 6.9%, due in part to "production variability in infant formula, leading to an increase in product scrap in the quarter." Finally, on November 5, 2025, Perrigo issued a press release, announcing the Company "is initiating a strategic review of its infant formula business" including a "a full range of alternatives." The press release revealed Perrigo is "reassessing the Company's previously announced investment in this business of $240 million." On this news, Perrigo's stock price fell $5.09 per share, or 25.2%, to close at $15.10 per share on November 5, 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 PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 00:35:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 637 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 /WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO) between February 27, 2023 and November 4, 2025, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 16, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you purchased Perrigo securities 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 Perrigo. class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48085 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 16, 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 litigate 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 has 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, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and or failed to disclose that: (1) the infant formula business acquired from Nestle suffered from significant underinvestment in maintenance; (2) Perrigo needed to make substantial capital and operational expenditures above Perrigo's outwardly stated cost estimates to remediate the infant formula business; (3) there were significant manufacturing deficiencies in the facility for Perrigo's infant formula business; (4) as a result of the foregoing, Perrigo's financial results, including earnings and cash flow, were overstated; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Perrigo's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Perrigo class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=48085 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.comwww.rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 15:00:29 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 833 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Remergify and Himalaya Technologies (OTC Expert:HMLA) today announced the opening of beta testing for Mophoe Social , a groundbreaking platform that merges social networking with instant trading capabilities powered by advanced AI technology. Positioned as "Wall Street Bets meets Facebook," Mophoe Social empowers traders to act instantly on real-time community intelligence and market signals.The Social Trading RevolutionMophoe Social transforms how traders discover opportunities, coordinate strategies, and execute trades by combining three powerful elements:Community Intelligence : A vibrant social network where traders share insights, coordinate strategies, and track market movements in real-timeAI-Powered Natural Language Trading : An intuitive chat-based trading assistant that executes trades through simple conversational commandsInstant Execution : The ability to act immediately on information, whether following community momentum or copying whale trades"Imagine discussing a potential move on $SOUL with a large group of traders and everyone coordinating their purchases simultaneously through natural language commands," said Alfred Farrington II, Chief Innovation and Implementation Officer of Remergify. "Or tracking a crypto whale who just bought a significant amount of $BASE and instructing your AI chatbot to instantly copy that trade. That's the power of Mophoe Social - turning information into action at the speed of conversation." Beta Program DetailsThe beta version of Mophoe Social, accessible at beta.mophoe.com , features simulated trading using live market data, allowing users to experience the platform's full functionality in a risk-free environment while final preparations are made for the production launch.Key features available in beta include:Natural Language Trading Interface : Execute trades by simply telling the AI chatbot what you want to doSocial Feed and Groups : Connect with traders, share insights, and coordinate strategiesWhale Tracking : Monitor and copy trades from influential market participantsReal-Time Market Data : Access live information for informed decision-makingCommunity Coordination Tools : Organize and execute synchronized trading strategiesA mobile application will be launched shortly after the web platform's full production release, ensuring traders can stay connected and execute trades from anywhere.About the TechnologyMophoe Social's proprietary AI trading assistant understands natural language commands, eliminating the complexity of traditional trading interfaces. Users can execute sophisticated trading strategies through simple conversational instructions, making advanced trading accessible to everyone from experienced traders to newcomers.The platform's social infrastructure enables unprecedented levels of community coordination, transparency, and collective intelligence in the trading space.Join the BetaTraders interested in participating in the Mophoe Social beta test can register at beta.mophoe.com . Beta testers will have the opportunity to provide feedback that shapes the final product and gain early access to a platform poised to revolutionize social trading.About RemergifyRemergify develops technology solutions that seek to unlock value for shareholders of overlooked or structurally disadvantaged issuers by integrating modern blockchain infrastructure with traditional capital markets workflows. The firm focuses on tools that can improve liquidity, engagement, and income generation for registered shareholders across the expert and OTC markets. About Himalaya Technologies (OTC Expert:HMLA)Himalaya Technologies, Inc. (OTC Expert:HMLA) is a publicly traded company focused on acquiring, developing, and commercializing emerging technology assets that can create long-term value for its shareholders. Through its joint ownership of Expert Market Protocol, Himalaya Technologies seeks to bring next-generation, blockchain-based shareholder reward systems to the OTC Expert Market and beyond. ContactStuart FineCEO stuart@ remergify.com Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and other applicable securities laws) concerning Himalaya Technologies, Inc. ("Himalaya Technologies," the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") and our industry. These statements involve risks and uncertainties and relate to our expectations, strategies, plans, and intentions regarding future operations and opportunities, including our interests in Mophoe.com and ExpertMarketProtocol.com In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "might," "will," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "goal," "seek," "continue," or similar expressions. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such statements are based upon current beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of management, as well as current market and regulatory conditions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding anticipated business developments, partnerships, platform integrations, tokenized asset initiatives, and other strategic activities involving Mophoe.com and ExpertMarketProtocol.com These statements inherently involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict or quantify. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including but not limited to: changes in economic, market, or regulatory conditions; evolving legal frameworks applicable to digital assets and Web3 technologies; risks related to technology development or execution; competitive pressures; and other risks.SOURCE: Remergify, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 00:15:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 304 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ASHLAND, OR AND MEDFORD, OR / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Satya Therapeutics, Oregon's top licensed psilocybin service center and manufacturer, celebrates a string of milestones that underscore its role as a leader in accessible, life-changing psilocybin therapy.1,400th Client Served: In January 2026, Satya's Ashland Service Center will welcome its 1,400th client, making it the highest-volume psilocybin therapy centers in the USA.130+ Google Reviews: Clients consistently praise Satya's compassionate facilitation, safe environment, and transformative sessions, highlighting why the center leads the industry in positive feedback.50,000th mg of Psilocybin Administered: January also marks the delivery of 50,000 milligrams of psilocybin to clients, reflecting both quality and deep personalized care.Affordable, All-Inclusive Journeys: Satya offers all-inclusive psilocybin sessions for $850, led by a licensed facilitator including preparation and integration sessions, the service center cost and the cost of psilocybin-making healing more accessible than any other service center in the U.S.Clients Travel from Other States: Even with 30+ licensed centers in Colorado, clients choose Satya for experience, positive reviews, and high-quality, cost-effective therapy.Regulatory Leadership: Many service centers face closure due to regulatory hurdles and high costs, but Satya continuously adapts, advocating for safe, sustainable, and accessible psilocybin therapy.75,000th mg Psilocybin Manufactured: Satya maintains the lowest wholesale pricing in Oregon (under $1/mg), supplying seven other service centers and holding an estimated 33% market share statewide.Innovative Strain Hunt: Satya is expanding its Melange series of blended psilocybin products, targeting high-psilocin strains for clients on SSRIs or antipsychotic medications, broadening therapeutic options and outcomes.About Satya Therapeutics Satya Therapeutics is a licensed psilocybin service center and producer based in Ashland and Medford, Oregon. Its mission is to provide safe, transformative, and affordable psilocybin-assisted experiences through expert facilitation, compassionate care, and high-quality standards.Learn more atsatyatherapeutics.com Media Contact: Satya TherapeuticsTel: (541) 930-2478Email: andreas@ satyatherapeutics.com Website: satyatherapeutics.com SOURCE: SATYA INC. PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 03:45:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 537 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have untilJanuary 12, 2026to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Stride, Inc. ("Stride" or the "Company") (NYSE:LRN), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between October 22, 2024 and October 28, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Stride and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-lrn/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJanuary 12, 2026 .About the LawsuitStride and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On September 14, 2025, it was reported that the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education had filed a complaint against the Company, alleging fraud, deceptive trade practices, systemic violations of law, and intentional and tortious misconduct, including inflating enrollment numbers by retaining "ghost students" on rolls to secure state funding per student and ignoring compliance requirements, including background checks and licensure laws for its employees. On this news, the price of Stride's shares fell $18.60 per share, or 11.7%, to close at $139.76 per share on September 15, 2025.Then, on October 28, 2025, the Company disclosed that "poor customer experience" had resulted in "higher withdrawal rates," "lower conversion rates," and had driven students away, and that the Company estimated the impact caused approximately 10,000-15,000 fewer enrollments and that, because of this, its outlook is "muted" compared to prior years. On this news, the price of Stride's shares fell $83.48 per share, or more than 54%, to close at $70.05 per share on October 29, 2025.The case is MacMahon v. Stride, Inc., et al., Case No. 25-cv-02019.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2026-01-09 22:45:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 448 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Fifth Largest Conveyor Car Wash Company Celebrates Grand Opening with Free WashesTHOMASTON, GEORGIA / ACCESS Newswire / January 9, 2026 / Tidal Wave Auto Spa, one of the nation's fastest-growing car wash companies, is pleased to announce its first grand opening of 2026 inBillings, MT , at570 S 24th Street . This is the company's largest new build, featuring an enclosed self-serve interior cleaning area that provides customers with a comfortable all-weather space to vacuum and detail the inside of their vehicle.To celebrate the grand opening and share the Tidal Wave car wash experience with the community, theBillingslocation is offering twelve days of free car washes. From January 7 until January 18, customers can experience Tidal Wave's premium wash option, Graph-X4, at no cost. Additionally, any new customer who joins a Tidal Wave Clean Club unlimited wash membership during the Grand Opening celebration will enjoy their first month of unlimited washes for $9.97, for savings of up to $40."The new Billings location is the most impressive ground-up build in our company's history," said Tidal Wave Auto Spa CEO and Founder Scott Blackstock. "The enclosed self-serve interior cleaning area is a standout feature, providing customers with an all-weather space equipped with free high-suction vacuums, mat cleaning machines, tire air, towels, cleaning spray, and compressed air with every wash. This site reflects our commitment to delivering an exceptional, customer-first car wash experience that we are eager to share with the Billings community." Tidal Wave Auto Spais committed to providing every customer with an exceptional car wash experience that's delivered through industry-leading wash technology, clean and welcoming locations, and friendly customer service. The company proudly serves customers at305 express wash locationsacross the United States, includingthree Montana locations . With single-wash options, unlimited car wash memberships, family and fleet plans, Tidal Wave in Billings has wash options to fit your every need.For additional information about Tidal Wave Auto Spa, please visit: https://www.tidalwaveautospa.com/ About Tidal Wave Auto SpaTidal Wave Auto Spa was founded over 20 years ago in Thomaston, GA, by husband and wife, Scott and Hope Blackstock. What started as a small-town self-service car wash business evolved into the first conveyor car wash open in Georgia and is now the fifth-largest conveyor car wash company in the nation, with 305 locations spanning 30 states. Tidal Wave is dedicated to delivering an exceptional car wash experience for every customer through industry-leading car care technology, clean and inviting locations, and outstanding customer service. The company is equally committed to making a positive difference in the communities it serves, raising over $7 million for local programs, service organizations, and non-profit organizations through its fundraising program and annual Charity Day event.Contact Information:media@ tidalwaveautospa.com SOURCE: Tidal Wave Auto Spa Jigawa State has aligned with other Nigerian states to domesticate Nigerias tax reform laws, following the passage of the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Bill, as the country begins the implementation its new tax regime in 2026. This is coming after Ekiti state commenced the tax reform domestication, while Zamfara and Anambra states followed suit in December 2025, to align their states internal revenue laws with four new National Tax Reform Acts. The legislative move is gathering momentum across the country, with Jigawa, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Kwara States taking concrete steps to domesticate the reforms and strengthen their revenue frameworks. The moves, driven by recently enacted laws and executive assent, are aimed at boosting internally generated revenue (IGR). The states domestication of tax reform also aims at improving financial autonomy and creating a more transparent, predictable, and business-friendly tax environment in line with the national tax reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Jigawa State joined the reform drive following the passage of the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Bill by the Jigawa State House of Assembly. In the statement, the JRB lauded the state on the development, describing it as a significant milestone in Jigawas efforts to modernise its revenue administration system. According to the board, the bill, which is expected to be signed into law by the state governor, Umar Namadi, seeks to streamline tax processes, eliminate multiple taxation, outlaw roadblocks for the collection of taxes and levies, deploy technology to enhance transparency and plug revenue leakages, while providing greater clarity on taxpayers obligations. The revenue board stated that the harmonised framework is expected to improve taxpayer compliance, boost investor confidence, and support Jigawa States economic development. It also commended the collaborative efforts of the state government, the legislature, and the Jigawa State Internal Revenue Service in advancing the reform, noting that it aligns with the Tinubu administrations national tax reform programme and underscores the states commitment to transparency and good governance. Similarly, in Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, on 31 December, 2025, signed into law the Plateau State Harmonised Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Law. The tax officials described the legislation as a major milestone in the states revenue reform drive, saying it provides a clearer and more coordinated framework for tax and levy collection. The law is expected to eliminate duplication, reduce revenue leakages, and support funding for critical infrastructure and social services. Additionally, Nasarawa State has also taken decisive steps to modernise its fiscal system, after Governor Abdullahi Sule signed into law the Nasarawa State Revenue Administration Law 2025 alongside the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Law 2025. The legislation establishes a unified and transparent system for administering both tax and non-tax revenues, clearly defining approved levies and strengthening institutional oversight. The Nasarawa reforms are designed to address long-standing challenges such as fragmented revenue practices, multiple taxation, and inconsistent enforcement. Beyond improving coordination among revenue agencies, the laws are expected to enhance transparency, curb arbitrary collections, and restore public confidence in revenue institutions, while supporting investment and economic activity, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In a similar vein, Kogi State joined the reform push on 1 January 2026, when Governor Ahmed Ododo assented to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (Establishment) Law 2025 and the Kogi State Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Law 2025. The Kogi tax laws provide a stronger legal and institutional foundation for a more efficient and professional revenue service, while aligning tax collection practices with national standards. Tax reform The new tax laws, according to the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform, reflect a broader shift away from outdated and fragmented collection methods towards a harmonised, technology-driven, and people-centred tax framework. The key provisions of the laws include the harmonisation of sub-national taxes into nine approved tax types, the outlawing of roadblocks for tax and levy collection, and measures to improve certainty, fairness, and efficiency in the system. Also, the reforms are expected to reduce arbitrary and illegal collections, enhance transparency, and create a more predictable operating environment for businesses, with SMEs projected to benefit significantly from the streamlined framework. The growing legislative momentum across the states signals a new phase in Nigerias fiscal governance, as sub-national governments increasingly position themselves to generate sustainable revenue while supporting economic growth and development. Ned Nwoko, the senator representing Delta North, has reacted to a drug test result undertaken by his estranged wife, filmmaker and actress Regina Daniels, to address the allegation of substance abuse. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the 25-year-old revealed on her Instagram page that she underwent a medical test, which confirmed that she tested negative for substance abuse. She acknowledged that she had used Molly but declined to explain the reasons for doing so. She also threatened legal action against individuals who accused her of substance abuse. Regina said she took the test to set the record straight following allegations of drug abuse levelled against her by Mr Nwoko in October 2025, amid their ongoing marital crisis. Ned Nwokos reaction However, reacting to the test result, the 65-year-old, in a statement posted on his Instagram page on Thursday and signed by his media team, described the test result as misleading and disingenuous. He said: Temporary abstinence does not erase the underlying challenges that brought this situation to light. Recovery and accountability are not matters that can be addressed through social media posts or public engagement; they require sustained effort, honesty, and genuine engagement with professional support. The conditions under which this recent test was conducted remain unclear. In contrast, earlier findings of drugs and alcohol use were established through assessments conducted by two independent, reputable centres in Nigeria and South Africa. These reports were professionally compiled, formally documented, and will be presented and defended in court. The centres involved will be subpoenaed to testify to their findings. Presenting a later negative result as proof that no prior use occurred is misleading and disingenuous. Abstinence Furthermore, the lawmaker stated that the test result reflected abstinence over a period of time. According to him, the findings did not invalidate earlier medical reports, nor did they negate the circumstances that necessitated the intervention in the first place. There has also been an attempt to dilute the seriousness of the substance referred to as MDMA (Molly), regardless of how casually it is referenced or repackaged in language, it is a drug. Renaming it does not alter its chemical composition, its risks, or its impact on judgment and stability. Moreover, temporary abstinence, whether for weeks or months, does not address the underlying issues that brought this situation to where it is today. Healing is not episodic, and accountability is not performative. Long before this matter became public, Senator Ned Nwoko explored every possible avenue to provide support, including private rehabilitation for structured, sustained therapy, not just a brief one-off; it failed. Denial is never a foundation for sustainable therapy. The first step is to own up to the existing problem, said Mr Nwoko. Child custody Mr Nwoko further disclosed that a court directed Regina to undergo supervised therapy, with evidence mandated, following the filing of a child custody suit in 2025. Regina and Mr Nwoko have two children together: Munir and Khalifa. He said he allowed her time to seek the required support privately and handled the situation discreetly, keeping it away from public scrutiny. Mr Nwoko added that he urged her to obtain professional help to sustain a healthy relationship with her children. He noted, When the court gave judgment in favour of Senator Ned having custody, and dismissing all unsubstantiated human rights abuse claims they brought forward last year, the court order stated that Regina should go for supervised therapy with evidence of the same. We did not schedule a public show for this time. It is therefore inaccurate to suggest consistent sobriety or to dismiss prior findings. A single test, taken at a time of ones choosing, does not outweigh documented assessments conducted independently and professionally. If accountability is to be invoked, then it must acknowledge the reality of a problem and demonstrate a willingness to address it; thats accountability that can yield results. Genuine accountability requires confronting reality and committing to long-term professional support, not a matter to be measured by social media engagements. Scrutiny Mr Nwoko further stated that the test result Regina claimed to have conducted would be subject to scrutiny in court. True growth, stability, and accountability come from embracing the process quietly, consistently, and with integrity, the very approach Senator Ned has encouraged from the start. It is not the time for drama. Any test conducted anywhere in the world will face court scrutiny and should be prepared to defend its results, just like the Nigerian and South African labs. In any case, the court would, for clarity, appoint a credible laboratory for verification of claims. It is time for reality supported by relevant, credible and admissible evidence, said the lawmaker. Nollywood actress and film producer Allwell Ademola was laid to rest on Friday at Atan Cemetery, Yaba, Lagos State. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the actress died on December 27, 2025, at the age of 49. Colleagues from the film industry, including Afeez Abiodun, Rotimi Salami, Kunle Afod, and Abiola Adebayo, among others, attended the burial to pay their last respects to the actress, who was widely known for her role as Mama Kate in the 2018 film Ile Wa. In viral videos seen by this newspaper, the actors who attended the final rites were visibly emotional, breaking down in tears as they poured sand on Ms Ademolas coffin, which had already been lowered into the grave. During a brief sermon at the cemetery, the pastor who officiated the burial urged attendees to reflect on their lives while they still had the opportunity. Reminder He said the burial served as a reminder that everyone would one day face the same end. He added that the moment should prompt deep reflection on how ones life journey would conclude, particularly for those harbouring malice or engaging in wrongdoing. The pastor said, Then you will discover that nobody has time. The will of God is that this should help us mend our ways before our Maker. He said the righteous will always consider this in their hearts. What are we going to do with this? She has lived her life. She has run the race and has gone to meet her maker, but what we are doing here is for you and me. As for her, she is rejoicing in the bosom of Abraham. How will you end your journey? That malice, wickedness, I will not agree who knows what is next? That is the million-dollar question before us today. Because in the next few days, nature has a way of putting forgetfulness in things. But will you remember that one day it will be my turn, just as it is her turn today? What God expects of us when we see things like this is to look up to God and say, Father, help me to make the best of the time that is left. Candlelight procession and service of songs At the candlelight procession and service of songs, actors gathered to offer special prayers in memory of their late colleague. The event, which took place on Thursday, was attended by prominent figures in the industry, including Odunlade Adekola, Saheed Balogun, Bolaji Amusan, Iyabo Ojo, Fausat Balogun, Eniola Ajao and Fathia Balogun. Many attendees wore customised white T-shirts bearing Ademolas portrait as a mark of tribute. In an emotional moment captured on video, Salami, widely regarded as one of Ms Ademolas closest friends in the industry, delivered a heartfelt tribute. Fighting back tears, he asked for forgiveness on behalf of the late actress. If theres anyone Allwell has offended, directly or indirectly, please, forgive her and keep praying for her. I think the only thing we can actually do is find a way, in unity, to keep her legacy. Even if shes gone, let all that she has done stay with us and be with us. Salami also announced that he would offer one day of free work to anyone who approached him for a film project. Apology from Allwells brother Meanwhile, one of the late actresss brothers issued an apology to actress Ojo over remarks he had made following his sisters death. He offered the apology during the service of songs held in her honour. Previously, a video that went viral showed him criticising some of her colleagues for their public tributes at the time of her passing. In the video, he said, All the Rest in Peace messages and public displays of love are fake and hypocritical. Where was this love when she was alive? When she produced Eniobanke, none of you promoted it. You all claimed to be friends, yet you never supported her work or career, even though she supported many of you. During the Jagun Jagun production, no one called her or offered her a role. Some of you, the likes of Lateef Adedimeji, Owonikoko, Iyabo Ojo and others, came to our house to shoot movies, yet you never found it worthy to stand by her. If you couldnt support her while she was alive, dont perform loyalty now that she is gone. However, Ojo, a mother of two, responded publicly to the claims, affirming that she had supported the late actress during her lifetime. She wrote, I oversupported your sister when she was alive, when she was building her career as a Producer and director, I featured in her movies countless times for free, and I also supported her financially and emotionally. May her beautiful soul continue to rest in perfect peace, she said. While apologising, he said, Please ma, dont be offended. I did not mean to abuse you; I was not referring to you at all. by Mahmoud Fouly CAIRO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel's recent recognition of Somaliland is less about the self-declared region of Somalia itself but more about strategic calculations linked to Red Sea security, regional power competition, and mounting pressure on key regional states, analysts say. The Israeli step came at a time of heightened geopolitical tension across the Red Sea basin and the Horn of Africa, where maritime routes, proxy conflicts, and fragile states have become increasingly intertwined. In light of this, the Israeli move is widely viewed as a calculated geopolitical maneuver rather than a symbolic diplomatic gesture. RED SEA FOOTHOLD Israel's primary motivation is to secure a strategic position near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and to seek proximity to regional flashpoints, according to political experts. Gamal Salama, dean of the Faculty of Politics and Economy at Suez University, said the recognition reflects Israel's long-standing pursuit of influence across key maritime corridors, particularly those connected to Red Sea security. "This recognition will lead to concrete developments on the ground, not just a symbolic step. Gaining access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, operating near areas of Houthi influence through a military base, and maintaining close cooperation with Ethiopia all serve Israel's interests," Salama told Xinhua. "Israel is seeking zones of military influence, not merely political ones, whether in the Middle East, North Africa, or the Horn of Africa," he added. Somaliland's location along the Gulf of Aden places it close to critical shipping lanes and near areas of influence of Yemen's Houthi group, which Israel views as a direct security threat. Establishing political and potentially security ties with Somaliland would give Israel greater operational depth near one of the world's most vital maritime corridors, according to the Egyptian expert. Israeli interests in the Horn of Africa are not new, analysts note, but the current regional environment, marked by the war in Gaza, Red Sea disruptions, and expanding proxy confrontations, has elevated the urgency of securing forward positions. "Israel is already present in the northern Red Sea, and if it extends its presence to the southern Red Sea, that would mean trying to control a large part of this vital waterway," said Amira Abdel-Halim, an expert on African affairs at the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. REGIONAL PRESSURE DYNAMICS Beyond maritime considerations, Israel's move carries broader regional implications, particularly for Egypt and other Arab states whose interests are linked to stability in the Red Sea. Abdel-Halim echoed Salama that the move is also meant to pressure Egypt and other Arab states that reject Israel's attempts at the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza as well as its expansionist policies, saying pressure in the Horn of Africa forms part of a wider effort to constrain regional actors that resist these agendas. She warned that unilateral recognition of breakaway regions risks deepening fragmentation in already fragile states across the Horn of Africa, potentially encouraging similar secessionist dynamics elsewhere. Such fragmentation, she cautioned, could generate prolonged instability, weaken state institutions, and create new security vacuums open to external intervention. "Fragmenting Arab African states will produce weak mini-states filled with militias, creating new forms of conflicts and crises, a scenario that would be catastrophic for overall regional security," Abdel-Halim told Xinhua. Both analysts stressed that these developments not only threaten African stability but also carry direct consequences for Arab states with strategic, economic, and security interests in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, including maritime trade, energy routes, and regional security cooperation. As regional and international actors continue to reject Israel's move, analysts caution that the long-term impact may lie not in diplomatic reactions, but in how shifting alignments reshape security dynamics in one of the world's most sensitive geopolitical corridors. UNDERMINING INTERNATIONAL ORDER On Dec. 26, Israel declared its recognition of Somalia's breakaway northwestern region Somaliland and has since been met with broad regional and international rejection, with Arab and African countries, as well as the wider international community, reaffirming their support for Somalia's unity and territorial integrity. The Israeli move drew opposition from an overwhelming majority at the Dec. 29 United Nations Security Council emergency meeting. In a joint statement condemning the Israeli move, the Council's three African members - Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia - and Guyana (the A3+), called the Israeli move as a direct violation of the UN Charter and a breach of the cornerstone of international law: respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, which undermines the very foundation of the international order. Such actions set a dangerous precedent and pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, according to the statement. In a statement issued by the European Union's diplomatic service, the bloc said it remained committed to respecting Somalia's territorial integrity in line with its constitution as well as the charters of the African Union and the United Nations, noting that safeguarding Somalia's unity was essential for peace and stability across the Horn of Africa. The Arab League rejected the Israeli recognition as illegal and "null and void," denouncing it as a dangerous attempt to reshape the geopolitical map in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and called on the international community to confront such actions, which it said threaten regional and global peace and security, as well as freedom of navigation and international trade. The 55-member continental bloc African Union has "strongly" condemned and rejected the unilateral recognition of the "so-called Republic of Somaliland" by Israel and urged an immediate revocation. In a statement, it further emphasized that such actions could threaten peace and stability on the continent, particularly in the Horn of Africa, and set an unacceptable precedent inconsistent with established principles. The political feud between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, did not stem from ideological or governance disagreements. It arose from a broken succession pact. Mr Wike engineered Mr Fubaras emergence, apparently to have a successor he can control, but power, once transferred, proved unwilling to remain remotely controlled. What followed was not a routine post-election disagreement but a systemic rupture. Disputes over appointments, control of political structures, and access to state resources escalated rapidly. Governance stalled. Institutions buckled. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers fractured into rival camps, and the state became a theatre of confrontations. Eventually, Mr Fubara defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), presenting the move as political survival rather than ambition. Defection, however, did not bring closure. Instead, it widened the battlefield. What was once an internal PDP power struggle was transplanted into the APC, transforming a state-level feud into a national party dilemma. By crossing over, Mr Fubara did not escape the shadow of his predecessor; he carried the conflict with him, forcing the ruling party to confront a crisis it did not originate but must now manage. APCs embrace and its contradictions In the early days after Mr Fubaras defection, signals from the APCs national leadership were unmistakably warm. The partys national secretary led a delegation to Port Harcourt and publicly endorsed the governor for a second term. Days later, the APC national chairperson went further, declaring Mr Fubara the leader of the party in Rivers State. It was an assertion of formal authority over informal power, intended to settle hierarchy and draw a line under internal contestation. Mr Wike rejected it outright, asking the APC secretary to stay away from Rivers State. His rejection reaffirmed an enduring truth of Nigerian politics: party titles and endorsements do not automatically translate into political control. As Abubakar Kari, a professor at the University of Abuja, observed, the events of recent days suggest that abandoning Mr Fubara is unlikely. It appears like some powerful forces within the APC are solidly behind Mr Fubara, and they have an axe to grind with Wike. They are not very comfortable with the minister, Mr Kari, a professor of political sociology, said. Those forces, he argued, include influential governors within the APC who see Mr Wikes approach as destabilising. He pointed to tensions between Mr Wike and the chairperson of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, as evidence that Rivers politics now intersects with wider intra-party rivalries. When personal feud becomes statecraft Beyond partisan calculations, analysts say Mr Wikes rhetoric has begun to carry reputational costs. Mr Kari was blunt: It is also becoming very clear that Wike has become an embarrassment. Because hes elevating personal feud to statecraft. That posture, he added, is rooted in a long-standing sense of political invulnerability. He has this feeling; I dont know where he got the idea from that hes untouchable that hes too close to the president that he can do anything and get away with it. According to Mr Kari, that perception is now being challenged from within the APC itself. There are elements within the APC that are trying to checkmate him. Rivers, he said, may be the arena where those limits are finally tested. Rivals united in Abuja In a striking paradox, Mr Wike remains a PDP member while Mr Fubara is now an APC governoryet both share a fundamental federal objective: supporting the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. This convergence of interests complicates the APCs calculations. How does the party assert authority over its own governor without antagonising a powerful political actor outside its ranks who still delivers votes and mobilisation critical to its national ambitions? PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported an APC chieftain as saying the partys national leadership had reached a consensus to grant automatic return tickets to governors who join from another party. Mr Fubara was explicitly within that category. If Rivers becomes the exception, analysts ask, what remains of the rule? For Mr Kari, the calculation is straightforward. Perhaps the major reason APC will not likely sacrifice Mr Fubara is that he has the capacity to do exactly what Wike can do for (President) Tinubu: to mobilise support for him. It does not pay the APC or Mr Tinubu to sacrifice Governor Fubara because of Wike. Politics is a practical thing. Politics as loyalty, money and threat Mr Wike has never framed his opposition to Mr Fubara in policy terms. His politics is anchored on loyalty and leverage, not governance metrics. He has openly warned that Mr Fubaras re-election would kill him politically, reducing governance to a contest of personal survival. To enforce that threat, Mr Wike is touring all 23 local government areas of Rivers State, rallying supporters against Mr Fubara. Yet analysts insist that Nigerian political dominance is rarely sustained by rhetoric alone; it is underwritten by money and access to state resources. Mr Kari underscored the shift: Dont forget Mr Fubara is capable of dispensing the kind of patronage that Mr Wike does because hes the governor. He controls enormous resources and influence. Over time, he argued, this could erode Mr Wikes base. I envisage a situation where Governor Fubara will gradually weaken Wikes grip on the politics of Rivers State by dispensing patronage and compromising influential members of Wikes group. The APCs costly dilemma The arithmetic confronting the APC is blunt. If Mr Fubara secures the partys governorship ticket, he enters the race as an incumbent with access to state machinery and resources. The campaign largely funds itself, and the party benefits from unityhowever uneasy. If he is denied the ticket, the APC must bankroll Rivers from Abuja, fighting a sitting governor who remains the recognised leader of the party in the state. Such a move risks alienating Mr Fubaras supporters, dampening enthusiasm for President Tinubu, and opening space for protest votes or quiet sabotage. Public affairs analyst Adoyi Omale dismissed the notion that the APC would sacrifice one of its own governors to please a non-member. Governor Fubara is now a member of APC, but Mr Wike is not, so the issue of APC sacrificing the governor to please the minister does not arise. He was categorical about party structure: The APC national chairperson and other organs of the party have made it clear that the governor is the leader of the party at the state level. Theres no ambiguity. So, where does authority ultimately lie? They are unitary in form it is what the national wants that is going to happen because it is the national that will send people to conduct congresses in the state; it is the national that will authenticate the list of delegates, Mr Omale said. He added that any leverage Mr Wike retains lies outside the APC processes. If Wike wants to stop Fubara, he can do so at the general election but not to say that a particular political party should not give a ticket to Mr Fubara, especially a party that Mr Wike is not a member of. Party rules versus personality That argument is reinforced by Ita Enang, an APC chieftain, former senator, presidential aide, and current nominee for an ambassadorial position. Mr Enang laid out what he described as the partys settled understanding. The governor of a state, by an APC unwritten statement, is the leader of the party in the state. He said the APC national leadership had gone further in its internal commitments. The APC national leadership has an understanding that governors of other political parties who defected to the party will be given the right of first refusal on a second-term ticket and the right to control the party structure at the state level. On Mr Wikes role, Mr Enang was emphatic. Wike is a factional leader of the PDP at the national level, and there is no way Wike can determine who gets a ticket under the APC platform in Rivers. He added: The chairperson of the APC at the state level is under the governor, and the congress committee that would be sent to Rivers State for delegate election will report to Governor Fubara. Drawing a direct parallel with the past, the former senator said: Just as Wike was the leader of PDP when he was the governor. Mr Wike is not a member of the APC and cannot decide who flies the APC governorship flag in Rivers. Mr Enang was blunt about boundaries: Let him choose the PDP governorship flagbearer, not that of the APC. Even if he joins the APC today, he will be working under the governor. He urged the APC national leadership to organise a formal reception for Mr Fubara in Port Harcourt, saying such an event would help the party ascertain the actual members of APC in the oil-rich state. Beyond Rivers: the Tinubu variable For development consultant and columnist Jide Ojo, the decisive variable is President Tinubu himself. Mr Ojo argues that the power Mr Wike currently wields flows directly from the presidency. All the powers and influence Mr Wike enjoys today come from the presidency. He recalled the presidents blunt message to APC governors: He (Tinubu) has the yam; he has the knife. From this vantage point, the crisis is less about sacrifice than negotiation. Mr Ojo believes President Tinubu can broker a settlement, much as he did during the Lagos House of Assembly speakership crisis. Theres nothing that cannot be negotiated in politics, he argued, outlining an alternative: If the president removes Wike today, his influence will be reduced by over 50 per cent, noting that much of Mr Wikes clout rests on appointments, access, and perceived closeness to power. Mr Ojo acknowledged, however, the depth of Mr Wikes anxieties. Wike expressed fears that if Fubara wins a second term, he (Wike) will be buried alive politically, and that is a genuine fear. Every politician wants to remain relevant. The FCT minister has just demonstrated that he may still hold all the aces in Rivers politics; the Rivers House of Assembly began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara on Thursday, 8 January. Beyond Rivers The choice before the APC is not merely strategic; it is fundamental. Back Mr Fubara, and the party signals that defection offers protection and that internal rules still matter. Sideline him to please Mr Wike, and it risks confirming that power lies not in membership or office, but in proximity to the presidency. Ultimately, the question confronting the APC is larger than Rivers State. It tests whether party rules will prevail over personal power, whether incumbency still confers protection, and whether Nigerias ruling party is governed by institutionsor by strongmen. In Rivers, the battle is no longer just about 2027. It is about who truly owns powerand at what price. Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has directed the Commissioner for Health in the state, Seiyefa Brisibe, to carry out a compulsory medical check-up on every member of the state executive council. The directive was contained in a statement by the governors spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday 7 January. Mr Diris directive came less than one month after the death of the Deputy Governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. The Bayelsa State Government had, in December last year, announced that Mr Ewhrudjakpo slumped while he was working in his office, and later died at the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. To prevent avoidable death Speaking on Wednesday during the first state executive council meeting in 2026, Governor Diri said all public officers with hectic schedules must undergo regular health checks to ensure they are medically fit at all times and to prevent avoidable deaths. The Bayelsa governor explained that the directive became imperative after the recent death of Mr Ewhrudjakpo. Mr Diri stressed that although death was inevitable, humans can take preventive measures to enjoy good health and long life. He said an autopsy on the late deputy governor had been conducted and that the result will be made public at the right time. The governor cautioned against politicising the death of the states deputy governor. While we were mourning, some people were politicising the death of our deputy governor instead of showing love and compassion. This was not expected in our state, he said. Mr Diri said that a burial committee headed by the secretary to the state government had been constituted and that a date for the funeral would be announced soon. We thank everyone that grieved with us and pray that in 2026, we will celebrate and not mourn. All of us must be careful about our health so we can prevent avoidable death. Members of the state executive council (should) go and do compulsory check ups. This is a directive that must be carried out. I directed that an autopsy be conducted and the result is ready. At the right time, we will make it public, the governor said. A shooting outside a church building in the United States has led to the death of at least two people, and injury to six others. The attack occurred on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon church in Utah, where a funeral was being held. According to an Al Jazeera report, the police confirmed the attack and have begun investigating the incident. While the police have launched a manhunt, no suspect has been arrested or held in custody. The police also believed that although the shooting wasnt random, it was not a targeted attack against a religion. According to the church, there were signs of a fracas outside the church, where the funeral was being held. Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation took place, and thats when shots were fired, the church spokesperson, Glen Mills, said. After the incident, roughly 100 law enforcement vehicles converged on the scene, with helicopters circling overhead. Reacting to the incident, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressed concern, stating that it should never have happened outside a place of worship or during a celebration of life. The shooting in Salt Lake City came at a time of growing unrest in the US, following the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, which had sparked protests against the immigration crackdown of the Donald Trump administration. The 37-year-old woman, identified as Renee Nicole, was killed during an immigration enforcement operation. READ ALSO: German President condemns US foreign policy under Trump ICE officials described the shooting as self-defence, saying the agent fired after the woman allegedly tried to use her vehicle against officers. However, the Minnesota authorities sharply dispute this account, noting that the threat to officers was unclear. A PREMIUM TIMES review of videos of the incident showed that the woman tried to veer off and avoid hitting the ICE officer before she was fatally shot. A mini truck conveying tomatoes lost control and rammed into other vehicles on the Otedola Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday. The accident occurred around noon and was reportedly caused by brake failure, according to eyewitnesses. The truck veered off its lane and rammed into vehicles on the bridge, triggering panic among motorists. The impact caused a black SUV to climb onto another vehicle, leaving both vehicles damaged. No fatalities were recorded, although occupants of one of the affected vehicles a family were said to have escaped unhurt. Traffic movement on the bridge was disrupted for several hours as emergency responders and road users worked to clear the scene. The incident is the latest in a long series of crashes on Otedola Bridge, widely regarded as one of Lagos most dangerous traffic blackspots, particularly for accidents involving heavy-duty vehicles. In June 2018, the bridge witnessed a catastrophic tanker explosion that killed at least 12 people and destroyed dozens of vehicles, marking one of the deadliest road accidents in Lagos history. Since then, the bridge has recorded repeated crashes involving trucks and articulated vehicles. In January 2025, a multiple-vehicle accident involving trucks left at least one person dead and three others injured. In April of the same year, a vehicle reportedly fell off the bridge, leaving the driver seriously injured. Further incidents were recorded later in 2025. In October, a truck collided with a commercial bus on the bridge, spilling its load and causing severe traffic congestion. In December, two containerised trucks crashed on the bridge, forcing traffic authorities to temporarily shut the route to allow recovery operations. Authorities and road safety advocates have repeatedly blamed many of the accidents on brake failure, speeding, and poor maintenance of heavy-duty vehicles, while residents and commuters continue to call for stricter enforcement of safety regulations and improved monitoring of truck movements on the corridor. Fridays crash again underscored persistent safety concerns on the Otedola Bridge, despite the absence of fatalities. The federal government announces the establishment of Nigeria House Davos during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026, scheduled to take place from 19th23rd January 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. This landmark initiative marks Nigerias first official National House on the Davos Promenade and represents a strategic national platform to project Nigerias economic reforms, investment readiness, institutional strength, and cultural identity on the global stage. Nigeria House Davos is designed to strengthen foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, deepen strategic partnerships, and advance Nigerias global economic positioning in alignment with the administrations Renewed Hope Agenda. Nigeria House Davos is the result of a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) framework involving relevant Ministries, including the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment, Finance and Foreign Affairs, and the private sector. Eviola & Co Integrated Services Ltd is the Lead Coordinating and Executing Organisation, working in consortium with Lex-Con Advisory Services Ltd and UFAM Services Nigeria Ltd, alongside international technical and delivery partners. This structure combines public-sector leadership with private-sector execution expertise to ensure a professional, credible, and impactful national representation. Nigeria House Davos will serve as a sovereign convening platform for ministerial engagements, high level roundtables, policy dialogues, investment meetings, cultural diplomacy, and strategic bilateral discussions. Its programme will span five thematic days covering Solid Minerals, Mining Value Chains, Trade Infrastructure and Agriculture, Climate Investment, Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Digital Trade and Technology, Creative Economy and Cultural Exports, and Cross-Sector Convergence, with Finance, Legislation, Investment Security and Investor assurance integrated across all discussions. For decades, leading nations and global corporations have leveraged Davos Houses as instruments of soft power, economic diplomacy, and global influence. With Nigeria House Davos, Nigeria now enters this league, presenting its narrative from its own perspective, engaging global decision-makers directly, and positioning itself as a serious reform-driven economy open for partnership and investment. The presidency encourages strategic participation by key public institutions, the private sector, development finance institutions, and international partners to ensure that Nigerias debut presence on the Davos Promenade is unified, dignified, and impactful. Nigeria House Davos reflects Nigerias confidence, ambition, and readiness to engage the world, presenting Nigerias narrative with clarity, credibility, and purpose. Abiodun Oladunjoye Director (Information & Public Relations) State House January 9, 2026 The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested six suspected kidnappers and rescued three abductees, following a raid on criminal hideouts in Angara and Fadaman Bauna villages of Lafia Local Government Area. The states Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ramhan Nansel, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lafia. He said that the operation was carried out by operatives attached to Assakio Division in collaboration with local vigilantes. According to him, the suspects were arrested following a complaint received on 7 January, reporting that suspected kidnappers had invaded Angara village and abducted two females, leaving behind an infant. He said that the complainant also alleged that a male member of the community was later kidnapped. Acting on the report, the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Command, CP Shetima Mohammed, immediately ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators. The operation led to the storming of kidnappers hideouts in Angara and Fadaman Bauna forests, resulting in the arrest of six suspects and the rescue of three victims; two females and one male, he said. The police spokesman added that the victims were rescued unhurt, treated promptly and reunited with their families. He further disclosed that the suspects had confessed to the crime and were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigation and prosecution. Mr Nansel said that the commissioner has reassured residents of the commands resolve to sustain its onslaught against all forms of criminality across the state. The commissioner also urged members of the public to continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies to enhance crime prevention and response. (NAN) The Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, has condemned the recent massacre of villagers at a market in Kasuwar Daji, a community located in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. The attack, which occurred on 3 January was reportedly carried out by terrorists suspected to be members of the Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction. During the raid, at least 35 people were killed and an unspecified number of othersmostly women and childrenwere abducted. According to residents, the attackers displayed extreme brutality. Many dead victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs. Before retreating, the terrorists set fire to numerous homes and the village market. In a statement released by its secretary-general, Khalid Aliyu, the JNI expressed deep sympathy for the government and people of Niger State over the massacre. For how long shall innocent, unarmed Nigerians continue to suffer the cruel and unjustified termination of their lives?, the organisation posed. The JNI stated that the frequency of such attacks has become unbearable for the Nigerian public. To say the least, we have become deeply terrified, Mr Aliyu stated. This carnage is one incident too many. Time and again, the JNI has reacted to similar tragedies through press releases, yet the violence persists. Below is the full JNI statement condemning the attack Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammad Saad Abubakar, CFR, mni, after careful assessments and follow-ups on the Kasuwar Daji bloodbath, condemns in the strongest terms the mayhem unleashed on innocent citizens at the market. The JNI also sympathises with the government and people of Niger state, on the gruesome murder of over 30 innocent people. But for how long shall innocent armless Nigerians continue to suffer cruel and unjustified termination of their lives? To say the least, we have become so much terrified, as the carnage was one incidence too many to bear and times without number the JNI has reacted to such similar incidences in the past through press releases. It should be stated that this singular act of Kasuwar Daji, in Borgu LGA of Niger state could have been averted, if due attention was paid to our earlier statement, wherein we stated that: North-Central state Governors should be on the red alert, as criminals are crawling towards the Zone, with North-East having witnessed two of such school girls abductions and North-West with the Maga episode, the North-Central states with mangrove trees and/or thick forests should do more than paying lip services to security matters and; government at all levels in collaboration with different security agencies must rise against the tide of insecurity in whatever guise, through proactive measures and nipping it in the bud, before it becomes cataclysmic for the Nigerian state. This very wanton killing and similar others in Borno, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Sokoto and Zamfara States calls for serious introspection, especially that the 2027 General Elections is fast approaching. But for how long would we continue to wait in vain? For how long, shall we continue to condemn acts of terrorism without any concerted efforts in ending it? And for how long would we continue to remain hopeless in precarious situation such as what was witnessed in Kasuwan Daji and other places within the last 40 days? Be as it may, the JNI is stunned and very much concerned over the unfortunate well-coordinated renewed attacks, outright killings, kidnapping for ransom and school children abductions. Government needs to do more in interrogating the events that culminated to the unfortunate dastardly cum recurring acts. We nonetheless, commend the federal government, especially the Nigerian Airforce, as well as the armed forces for the airstrikes reportedly carried out targeting the terrorists and killing many of them in Borgu, Niger state, some part of Kwara and Zamfara states recently. The tempo should be sustained across board and the need for serious territorial airspace tech cum GPRS control and usage is now more needed than ever and Nigerians are desperately yearning for concrete actions. Thus, we call on the government to: 1. Always identify promptly with victims and places of attacks by being physically on ground to commiserate with the people it is better late than never. 2. A national broadcast after the visit would be very necessary, to dissuade reprisals. Clearly, people are angered over many recent happenings affecting the downtrodden and government needed to act fast. 3. Prosecute officials that are found wanting in the discharge of their assignment(s), so as to serve as deterrent to other nonchalant officials. 4. Collaborate with relevant security agencies with a timeline to bringing an end or at best truncate all security threats bedeviling the country and also mop small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in the hands of criminals, or else Nigeria will continue to witness the rise arms proliferation for self-defense amongst Nigerians since the government failed to do so. 5. Spare no effort to immediately provide support to all the affected communities, as many are now displaced, becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their own land, which further speaks volumes, considering the attendant social nuances often associated with IDP camps. READ ALSO: Suspected bandits stab Plateau resident to death While we call on the Muslim Ummah to intensify prayers seeking Allahs intervention for an end to these repeated sad pogroms, our heartrending condolences go to the families of all the murdered in the Kasuwan Daji massacre, and all other similar victims in other state of the federation. May Allah, the Most High, console the respective families that loss their loved ones and strengthen them to bear the loss, heal and restore good health to all those that sustained various degrees of injuries. May He also guide aright those in authority to be alive to their responsibilities. Amin. A magistrates court in Jigawa State has issued an arrest warrant for Ifeanyi Festus, an official of the State Security Service (SSS), following allegations that he abducted a teenage girl. Mr Festus is accused of abducting Walida Abdulhadi from the Hadejia Local Government Area of the state, forcing her religious conversion, and fathering a child with her. According to the prosecution, the victim was subjected to forced conversion from Islam to Christianity and endured a series of sexual assaults that resulted in pregnancy and the subsequent birth of a child. Representing the applicant, counsel Kabiru Adamu moved a motion requesting the court to compel the arrest of Mr Festus. The application also sought a formal investigation into the alleged offences by the Jigawa State Police Command, citing Section 125 and Section 102(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL). The magistrate, Sadisu Musa, granted the application, directing the police to apprehend the suspect and conduct a discreet and thorough investigation. The court also ordered the SSS to immediately release the victim and reunite her with her family. Background The case reportedly began when Walida was 16 years old. Her father informed local news outlet Falcon Times Hausa that the family spent years searching for her, eventually presuming she had died. The trauma of her disappearance reportedly led to the untimely death of her mother. The victim was recently discovered at Mr Festuss residence in Abuja. Another lawyer involved in the case, identified as Barrister Hussaini, alleged that after years of unlawfully holding her, the suspect converted Walida to Christianity, and the suspect is now purportedly seeking the fathers consent to marry her. Mr Hussaini has petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the SSS to ensure the case is handled with transparency and that justice is served. As of Friday morning, PREMIUM TIMES could not reach the SSS to respond to requests for comment regarding the court order or the allegations against its official. A former chairman, the Unity Bar Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja, Afam Okeke, has called for synergy and intelligence-sharing among security agencies, to curb the menace of the one chance syndicates in Abuja. Mr Okeke made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines during a press conference organised by International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Abuja Branch. The press conference by FIDA was to condemn and draw the attention of relevant authorities to the gruesome murder of their colleague Mediatrix Chigbo by suspected one chance criminal operators. The victim, a lawyer and rights advocate, was said to have been abducted and killed, with her body dumped on a roadside in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Okeke urged security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to intensify intelligence-driven patrols, arrests, and to prosecute offenders. Synergy and cooperation among security agencies will deal a heavy blow on one chance operators and other forms of criminality in Nigeria, he said. He also called for improved institutional capacity of the Nigerian police, and positioning it to realise its inherent mandate as the frontline agency in internal security. He added that theres a need for effective and proactive policing in the FCT as these people are wasting precious lives, and that this has got to stop. I call on the Nigerian police to deploy all necessary resources to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice, to forestall any future occurrence. All necessary machinery should be set in motion to improve the security architecture in the FCT, particularly as it relates to the one chance menace. Residents of FCT deserve to go about their legitimate businesses without fear, and to sleep with both eyes closed. While I commend the FCTA for the good job it is doing in the area of infrastructure, I implore them not to forget to secure the city. More street lights and CCTV must be installed all over the city. He further called for the transportation system of the FCT to be upgraded to meet modern, safe, and efficient standards. He equally called for firm and decisive action to be taken by the authorities to secure the lives and property of Nigerian citizens. In a statement on Thursday, Ms Chigbos family said she was killed on Monday after her abduction in the nations capital. The statement, signed by her sister, Maureen Chigbo, a former president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), said that before her abduction, Nwamaka was on the phone with her sister, Anthonia, who briefly interrupted the call to attend to a client. It said that when Anthonia reverted, the deceaseds phone was still alive, though she could hear her sisters distress cry before the phone suddenly went dead. Anthonia alerted her elder sister, Maureen Chigbo, and other family members, who called the lawyers number repeatedly to reach her or her abductors to no avail. When a call finally went through, a male voice rained curses in English and Hausa language, saying, Thunder fire you there, send three million Naira or else we will kill her. The captors gave no further details and abruptly terminated subsequent calls, the statement added. (NAN) WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday night he supports a bipartisan Senate bill imposing sanctions on any country importing Russian oil, but hopes he doesn't have to use it. One day earlier, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham said that Trump gave the green light to the measure, which would require the United States to impose a 500 percent tariff on all goods imported from any country that continues to purchase Russian oil, petroleum products or uranium. "I support you. Support it. I hope we don't have to use it anyway," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. Trump also said he "didn't think it was a tough decision" to seize the Russia-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic on Wednesday. Russia reportedly had dispatched a naval vessel trying to safeguard it. "After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others," Graham wrote on X, saying it will be "well-timed." Graham said that voting could take place next week in the Senate. The bill was first proposed in April last year with 84 co-sponsors in the Senate, but later languished due to a lack of support from Trump, according to media reports. A Lagos-based forensic audit firm, Sally Tibbot Consulting Limited, has accused the Osun State Government of failing to implement its report exposing N13.7 billion annual payroll fraud. The firm said it uncovered the fraud during a payroll verification and audit exercise it conducted at the behest of the government. It also accused the government of failing to pay its agreed fees. The firm made the allegation on Friday at a press briefing organised by Jiti Ogunye, the legal representative of Sally Tibbot Consulting Limited It accused the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke of refusing to implement its audit recommendations and failing to pay its contract fees, despite receiving and publicly acknowledging the audit report. Presenting the firms findings, Mr Ogunye said the Osun State payroll as of January 2023 listed 37,456 active staff members and 17,918 pensioners, with a combined monthly wage bill of N4.48 billion, based on records from the states payroll platform. However, the firm said its forensic audit established that only 29,004 staff members and 17,918 pensioners were genuine, meaning that 8,452 workers were ghost employees who were receiving salaries without valid employment records. According to the firm, the verified payroll reduced the states monthly wage bill to N3.34 billion, resulting in monthly savings of N1.14 billion and annual savings of N13.72 billion for the Osun State Government. The firm said it submitted its final audit report and invoice to Governor Adeleke on 27 June 2024, and later publicly presented the report at a government-organised event in Osogbo on 10 July 2024. The company said the failure to implement the report has allowed the continued payment of salaries to thousands of ghost workers, leading to significant losses of public funds in Osun State. The dispute However, Sally Tibbot alleged that since the submission of the report, the Osun State Government has failed to implement its recommendations or pay its contractual fees, despite repeated formal and informal demands. Sally Tibbot through her Executive Vice Chairman and CEO has taken many steps ( including telephone communications, WhatsApp messages, meetings, informal demand notes, emissaries interventions, familial routes, plea to government functionaries, political channels, and formal, official correspondences) to demand for the implementation of the Audit Report; and for payment for job undertaken and concluded under the Contract Agreement, to no avail. Although the Governor of Osun State did set up an action committee, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Kazeem Akinleye to review and put down measures for the implementation of the recommendations of the Report, the Committee did nothing about the implementation, the firm said. The firm also rejected claims by the Osun State Government that a post-audit re-verification exercise showed that most of the workers declared as ghost employees were actually active staff or retirees. It described the governments explanation as false, contractually baseless, and an afterthought designed to discredit the audit findings. The claim by the Osun State Government that out of the total number of 8,448 workers declared by Sally Tibbot as unseen workers during the audit exercise, Osun State Government was able, after the submission of the Audit Report, to confirm 8015 as active workers while 433 workers were found to be unreachable. And that out of the total number of 6,713 retirees declared as ghost workers by Sally Tibbot, Osun State Government were able to confirm the existence of 5,830 retirees while 883 could not be reached; and that thus, the total number of workers whom Sally Tibbot was not able during the audit exercise to ascertain their existence is 1,316 against the 15,161-worker(s) declared as ghost workers by Sally Tibbot, is blatantly false, it added. According to Sally Tibbot, the audit contract did not provide for any re-verification after submission of the final forensic report, and the state government lacked the capacity to independently conduct a credible forensic audit, which was why the firm was initially engaged. The company further alleged that its management faced security threats during and after the audit exercise, which it attributed to vested interests affected by the exposure of entrenched payroll fraud in the state. The demands At the press briefing, Mr Obgunye, speaking for Sally Tibbot. demanded the immediate implementation of the recommendations contained in its audit report and the payment of its outstanding contract fees, in line with the terms of its agreement with the Osun State Government. The firm also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct independent investigations into the alleged payroll fraud in Osun State. It urged the anti-graft agencies to probe what it described as a coordinated effort to suppress the audit findings and allow the continued diversion of public funds through the payment of ghost workers. Sally Tibbot said it would not retract its findings or succumb to intimidation, insisting that the audit was conducted professionally, transparently, and in line with global best practices. The firm added that beyond its contractual claims, the matter raised broader concerns about accountability and public finance management in Osun State, noting that continued non-implementation of the audit report would amount to an abuse of public trust. Sally Tibbot has evidence of these threats, verbal and by other means. But Sally Tibbot will not yield to the threats. It will not bow to intimidation. It deserves and demands justice. And the people of Osun State deserve justice on the utilization of their funds held in trust by the Government of Osun State, the lawyer added. How audit was carried out According to Sally Tibbot Consulting Limited, the company was formally engaged by the Osun State Government in April 2023 following a proposal it submitted in January of the same year. The engagement was to conduct a comprehensive verification, validation, and re-engineering of the states payroll system covering civil servants, local government employees, education sector workers, tertiary institutions, and pensioners. According to the firm, a formal contract agreement was executed on 22 May 2023, mandating it to carry out physical staff verification, biometric data capture, payroll validation, and the development of an Automated Payroll Administration System (APAS) for the state. The firm said it deployed 125 staff members, including core personnel and ad-hoc workers, and carried out statewide physical verification over a six-month fieldwork period, followed by data mining, validation, and system development. It said the entire exercise lasted twelve months and cost the company over N600 million. PREMIUM TIMES contacted Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, who promised to get back to our correspondent. We will get back. The committee is working on a response, Mr Rasheed said. However, as of press time, Premium Times had yet to receive a further response from Mr Rasheed. Mustapha Kwankwaso, the Kano State commissioner for youth and sport, is set to vacate his office ahead of the imminent defection of Governor Abba Yusuf from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Mustapha is the eldest son of the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the leader of the NNPP in the state. While Mustapha has neither tendered a formal resignation nor been relieved of his duties by the governor, insiders said he will resign officially before or after the governors formal exit from the party. Although Governor Yusuf has yet to make a public declaration about his defection, his aides and members of the State House of Assembly have confirmed his plans to leave the NNPP, citing escalating legal disputes within the party. Official sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the younger Mr Kwankwaso left his ministry and removed his belongings after his father, the NNPP leader, voiced opposition to the governors transition. The elder Kwankwaso has been hosting strategic meetings at his Miller Road residence with members of the Kwankwasiyya movement who have chosen to remain in the NNPP. In a move to consolidate his base, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the elder Mr Kwankwaso opened a loyalty register at his residence to document elected officials and support groups committed to the NNPP. By Friday, several high-ranking officials had reaffirmed their allegiance to Mr Kwankwaso, declining to follow the governor to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Notable among them are the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Yusuf Kofar-Mata; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Adamu Aliyu; the Commissioner for Internal Security, Ibrahim Umar; a retired Air Force officer; and the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Hamza Kachako. Others who reportedly signed the royalty register are the Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa; the Executive Secretary of the Kano Scholarship Board, Musa Danzaki; and the Managing Director of Kwari Textile Market, Hamisu Dogonnama. The loyalty split extends to the federal and state legislatures. Rufai Hanga (Kano Central Senator) and House of Representatives members Mukhtar Yarima, Abdulkarim Ado, and Sani Wakili have all affirmed their loyalty to the Kwankwaso camp. Both within the federal and State House of Assembly, the governor reportedly commands the majority of the NNPP members. However, lawmakers from the State Assembly, such as Yusuf Aliyu and Zakariyya Ishaq, have remained with Kwankwaso. The representative for MadobiKwankwasos local government areareportedly remains undecided. Despite the holdouts, Governor Yusuf has secured the majority backing in what insiders described as a palace coup. All the 44 local government chairpersons, their deputies, and the vast majority of ward-level executives have joined the governor in the planned transition to the APC. The brewing conflict marks a significant turning point in Kano politics. For nearly four decades, Governor Yusuf was regarded as the ultimate loyalist to Mr Kwankwaso. READ ALSO: Kano Assembly speaks on planned defection of Governor Yusuf to APC In 2023, PREMIUM TIMES reported that 14 of the 19 commissioners in Governor Yusufs initial cabinet were former aides and associates of Mr Kwankwaso. His son, Mustapha, was appointed to the cabinet in April 2024. Proponents argue that the governor is seeking to liberate his administration from Mr Kwankwasos perceived overbearing influence, allowing it to focus on the states development issues independently. However, the supporters of Mr Kwankwaso have described the move as the ultimate betrayal of a lifelong political partnership. The defection, originally expected in early January, was reportedly rescheduled by the governor to give him more time for consultations. it is clear that Nigeria is in a dual crisis of leadership and security, and at the heart of this crisis is the apparent abdication by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of his constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. By inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge, the president ceded sovereign authority in a manner that undermines Nigerias constitutional order. It is the ancient Chinese curse that says, may you live in interesting times meaning a conjuncture of danger, chaos and upheavals. This is where the world and, indeed, Nigeria find ourselves today. A few days ago, President Trump deployed an imposing military force in the Caribbean to threaten Venezuela, including an aircraft carrier, at least seven other warships, scores of aircraft and 15,000 US troops for illegal attacks on small boats that he claimed were ferrying drugs. Last Saturday, Mr Trump dramatically escalated his campaign by kidnapping President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and his wife, as part of what he called a large-scale strike against the country. It was not an unprecedented action because the United States has done that a number of times in the past. The country has defined itself as a hegemon that does as it pleases to those who displeases it, without recourse to law, ethics and basic principles of good behaviour. The results of such American action are known. The overriding lesson of American foreign affairs in the past century is that attempting to oust even the most deplorable regime makes matters worse. The United States spent 20 years failing to create a stable government in Afghanistan and killed the Libyan President, thereby replacing a functional developmental state with a fractured state that set in motion the massive distribution of small arms and light weapons to entrench terrorism in Africa. The tragic consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq continue to beset America and the Middle East. The United States has also repeatedly destabilised Latin American countries, including Chile, Cuba, Guatemala and Nicaragua, by trying to oust a government through force. President Trump claims that his administrations military adventurism is to destroy narco-terrorists. We all know, however, that Venezuela is not even among the top ten drug suppliers to the US. The country is guilty of having the largest petroleum reserves in the world and the US has decided to take it over. In Mr Trumps recently released National Security Strategy, he affirmed the right of his country 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. This is a formal announcement of the end of the rules based international order and the affirmation that might is right in the international system. Venezuela has become the first country subject to this neo-imperialism. There is no more need for international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement. The dictator does as he pleases. In this context, it is difficult to understand how our president, Bola Tinubu, would go and beg President Trump to shoot missiles into Nigeria on Christmas evening, allegedly to kill Islamist terrorists. Did the Nigerian Presidency not read the new national security strategy, which states bluntly that all American action would only be in the interest of the United States alone, and not any other country. The idea that the United States would act to protect Nigerian Christians who are suffering from genocide perpetrated by Islamic terrorists, is as far from reality as can be. Nigerias claim that it supplied the intelligence to the Americans to strike is beyond comprehension, because if we have the intelligence, why did we not act on it. How would grovelling for help from a government that says it will only help itself be a rational policy? What we are doing in reality is asking them to come and take over our resources. What the invitation to bomb our country indicates is an abdication of responsibility by Nigerias political and military leadership. This event raises fundamental questions about sovereignty, constitutional governance, civilian protection, and the integrity of Nigerias social contract. I have so much nostalgia for the proud and assertive Nigeria of 11 January 1976, when our Head of State told the world and the American President, Gerald Ford, that Africa has come of age. In his speech at the OAU Summit in Addis Ababa, General Murtala Mohammed declared: Africa has come of age. It is no longer under the orbit of any extra-continental power. It should no longer take orders from any country, however powerful. The fortunes of Africa are in our hands to make or mar. For too long have we been kicked around; for too long have we been treated like adolescents who cannot discern their interests and act accordingly. For too long has it been presumed that the African needs outside experts to tell him who are his friends and who are his enemies. The time has come when we should make it clear that we can decide for ourselves; that we know our own interests and how to protect those interest; that we are capable of resolving African problems without presumptuous lessons in ideological dangers which, more often than not, have no relevance for us, nor for the problem at hand. Nigeria has come to this Assembly determined to co-operate with you, Mr Chairman, and with all member States to put a stop to foreign interference in our continental matters. As an African nationalist of distinction, I trust that your wise guidance will direct our deliberations to fruitful conclusions of which our peoples will be proud. That moment of pride is difficult to find in Nigeria today as delegations after delegations go to the United States to beg them for the help they have said repeatedly that they are not ready to offer. What we are doing in reality is asking them to come and take over our resources. What the invitation to bomb our country indicates is an abdication of responsibility by Nigerias political and military leadership. This event raises fundamental questions about sovereignty, constitutional governance, civilian protection, and the integrity of Nigerias social contract. As civil society groups pointed out earlier this week, it is clear that Nigeria is in a dual crisis of leadership and security, and at the heart of this crisis is the apparent abdication by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of his constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. By inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge, the president ceded sovereign authority in a manner that undermines Nigerias constitutional order. Even more disturbing is that during and after the operation, the president, the service chiefs, and the leadership of the National Assembly were either on vacation or completely silent, leaving the minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, to publicly rationalise decisions that strike at the core of national sovereignty and democratic accountability. Nigerians should be particularly troubled by the severe deficit of information regarding the nature, scope, legal basis, and rules of engagement governing the collaboration between the Nigerian and US governments. Since the incident, Nigerians have not been informed of the basis for authorising the strikes, under what legal framework they were conducted, what safeguards were in place to protect civilians, whether the National Assembly exercised any oversight, or what accountability mechanisms exist for harm caused. This silence reflects a profound breakdown of institutional accountability mechanisms. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is unequivocal: the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. This provision represents a central pillar of Nigerias social contract. Any security action, especially one involving foreign military forces, must be grounded in transparency, civilian protection, and democratic oversight. None of these standards were met. Nigerians should be particularly troubled by the severe deficit of information regarding the nature, scope, legal basis, and rules of engagement governing the collaboration between the Nigerian and US governments. Since the incident, Nigerians have not been informed of the basis for authorising the strikes, under what legal framework they were conducted, what safeguards were in place to protect civilians, whether the National Assembly exercised any oversight, or what accountability mechanisms exist for harm caused. This opacity fuels mistrust and undermines public confidence in government at a time when trust is already dangerously low. We are yet to receive any confirmation that any actual belligerent targets were hit. Nigerians were left to speculate about reports that debris from expended munitions fell on farmlands in different states of the country. Yes, indeed, we live in interesting times with many dangers on the horizon. As we all know, it is American bombs on Gaza that are executing the biggest genocide in recent history. The principal question posed is whether we have a Sheriff on board who is willing and able to serve the interests of the citizens of Nigeria. A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES. In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise is due to Allah, who perfects His light even if the disbelievers detest it, and who manifests His religion even if the polytheists oppose it. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone with no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allahs blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and all his companions. To Proceed: Dear brothers and sisters! Injustice and oppression are the most heinous crimes plaguing and destroying human societies today. The misuse of power in the form of money, authority, weapons, and media has led to oppression and the misplacement of rights, resulting in the suffering of innocent people. This sermon (Khutbah) explores the concept of oppression as defined in the Quran and the consequences it carries. It confirms that oppressors and wrongdoers will never succeed nor be guided and that the loss and failure of oppressors is an inevitable Divine promise and a universal law. The sermon also highlights some of the prevalent types of oppression in todays world and emphasises the need for the oppressed to stand up against the oppressors. The Quran defines oppression as the misplacement of things by giving those who do not deserve it the rights of others and elevating those who are not qualified over the noble. This often happens by exploiting and misusing four powersmoney, authority, weapons, and media. Oppression is the tool of every traitor who fears the consequence of their treachery and oppression and the means of every transgressor to conceal their transgressions. Allah Almighty has condemned individuals and nations that oppress and do wrong, promising they will ultimately fail and be losers. Allah the Most High states: The oppressors do not succeed. [Quran, 12:23] This Quranic verse is mentioned four times in the Quran and refers to instances where people unjustly take what is rightfully due to others. For example, in the story of Prophet Yusuf, he was arrested and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, while the woman who falsely accused him lived freely in her palace. Similarly, in the story of Prophet Musa, the tyrant Pharaoh (Firaun) claimed to be divine and made decisions that harmed the innocent citizens. At the same time, Prophet Musa and his followers were persecuted and had their freedoms restricted. Despite the temporary ability of oppressors to misplace things through oppression and tyranny, they are deprived of the blessing of success, guidance, and prosperity. This is one of the most important meanings of what Ibn Manzur mentions in his book Lisan al-Arab, when he says: Success is to earn what would make you happy forever and guarantee your survival, salvation, and goodness forever. Pharaoh (Firaun) did not ultimately win except by immortalising his name at the top of the record of unjust corruptors throughout history, and only a body remained, testifying to the power of Allah in seizing the oppressors. No leader, politician, king or kingdom remained. In the Quran, Allah Almighty says: So We seized him and his soldiers, casting them into the sea. See then what was the end of the wrongdoers. [Quran, 28:40] In todays world, we witness many oppressions inflicted upon nations and individuals across various regions. These injustices, persisting over countless years, mirror a disturbing pattern. The oppressors, emulating their defeated predecessors, have replaced honourable leaders with corrupt traitors, wise and righteous minds with bribed thieves, scholars, and honest individuals with perpetrators of injustice and criminals. Truth has been distorted and swapped for falsehood, with the false narrative forcefully inserted into the ears and minds of the people. Most heinous of all, support is extended to murderers and killers while innocent women and children suffer. These oppressors may parade their power, adorned with splendour, exuding joy and astonishment. Yet, beneath their facade, their hearts resonate with the groans and the blood of the oppressed, kindling flames of unrest. This, undeniably, is a sign of their utter failure, the truth of their tyranny, and heralds the ultimate divine judgment. It suffices to recognise that Allah does not love them, for who can love those whom Allah rejects? Allah does not love traitors, Allah does not love corrupters, and indeed, Allah does not love oppressors. The divine promise looms largethe oppressors and their allies are destined for destruction. Allah the Most High says: And warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them, and those who did wrong will say, Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the Messengers. Yet, the response echoes, Had you not sworn, before, that there would be no cessation for you? [Quran, 14:44] Injustice and oppression are the most heinous crimes plaguing human societies. The misuse of power in the form of money, authority, weapons, and media has led to the oppression and misplacement of rights, resulting in the suffering of the innocent people. The ruination and failure of oppressors is an inevitable divine promise and a universal law. The oppressed and their supporters must stand up against the oppressors and fight for their rights. Let the patient and steadfast rebel against the traitors and the oppressed be assured of Allahs promise and that he is close to the pious. Its heartbreaking how so many so-called politicians and leaders today turn a blind eye to the suffering of Nigerians. Yet the Quran is clearAllah commands the Muslim believers to stand firm against oppression and defend the oppressed (in Quran, 4:75). These politicians and leaders, entrusted with power and responsibility, are failing their duty not just to the Ummah, but to Allah. On the Day of Judgement, they wont be able to claim ignorance because the guidance was clear, and they chose silence over action. In Islam, silence in the face of injustice and oppression is considered a grave danger and a betrayal of faith. The Quran and Hadith mandate Muslims to actively stand up for justice and support the oppressed, even if it is difficult, as collective inaction can lead to universal punishment from Allah. Remaining silent in a gathering where injustice is occurring can be seen as consent to the wrongdoing. If one cannot stop it, they must at least leave that situation. Nations before us were destroyed not just for their sins, but for becoming oppressors and for allowing sin, oppression and injustice to become normalised in society without anyone speaking up. This highlights a collective responsibility. A Muslim who sees another person being humiliated and does not assist them, despite having the power to do so, risks being humiliated by Allah on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: Oppression will be a darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Avoiding injustice is a path to light, while engaging in it, or enabling it through silence, leads to spiritual darkness. The core message across all Islamic texts is the active pursuit of justice. Islamic teachings emphasise the importance of actively resisting evil. A Prophetic Hadith states that one should change evil with their hand, if able; if not, then with their tongue; and if still unable, then with their heart, which is considered the weakest form of faith. And speaking truth to a tyrant leader or a wicked politician is also described as the best form of Jihad, signifying great courage for the communitys welfare. A historical example of upholding justice is the story of Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab, who ensured a Coptic Christian received justice after being wronged by a governors son. And the Quran strongly urges Muslim believers to stand firm for justice, even against personal interests. For example, Quran 4:135 commands Muslim believers to be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or your parents or your kin. Additionally, the Quran instructs Muslims to command justice and forbid immorality and oppression. Furthermore, it is taught that the supplication of the oppressed is powerful and has no barrier to Allah, serving as a reminder that Allah hears the wronged and will hold oppressors accountable. Surah Al-Maidah (Quran, 5:78-79) delivers a powerful warning about the consequences of wrongdoing and, more importantly, the dangers of remaining silent in the face of oppression, corruption and injustice. These Quranic verses specifically address the Children of Israel, highlighting how their failure to forbid evil led to divine punishment. However, the message is universalit serves as a lesson for all societies about the responsibility to stand against wrongdoing. Allah Almighty says: Cursed were the disbelievers from the Children of Israel by the tongue of Dawud (David) and Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed and were habitually transgressing. They did not prevent one another from wrongdoing that they committed. How wretched was that which they used to do! [Quran, 5:78-79] These Quranic verses refer to past nations who earned Allahs curse due to their constant disobedience and moral corruption. The mention of Prophet Dawud (David) and Prophet Isa (Jesus) emphasises that these punishments were not sudden; rather, they were the result of a long history of rebellious behaviour. However, what is most striking is that the punishment was not just for those who committed evil, but also for those who allowed it to continue without opposition. This reveals an important truth: when people remain silent in the face of injustice and oppression, they share in the guilt of the wrongdoers. The Quranic verse states that the disbelievers among the Children of Israel were cursed by their own Prophets. This curse was not out of personal anger but was a divine decree due to their disobedience. Their transgressions had reached such a level that even their own Prophets denounced them. Allah the Most High describes them as being in a state of habitual wrongdoing. This means that their sins were not isolated incidents, but rather, they had developed a culture of immorality and rebellion. Verse 79 highlights one of their greatest failures: they did not stop one another from committing evil. This shows that in any society, when people refuse to correct wrongdoing, corruption becomes widespread and eventually leads to destruction. The Quran repeatedly emphasises that enjoining good and forbidding evil is one of the main responsibilities of a righteous community. Failing to do so results in divine punishment, as seen in the history of past nations. These Quranic verses are not just about the past; they hold a deep lesson for our modern societies. Respected brothers and sisters! Today, we see injustice and oppression across the worldwhether in our country, Nigeria, in Palestine, in Yemen, in Syria, or elsewhereyet many people turn a blind eye or refuse to speak out against it. Just like in the past, when wrongdoers are not confronted, their corruption spreads, and entire societies suffer. The Quran teaches that remaining silent in the face of injustice makes us complicit in it. And if people do not stand up against oppression, they risk facing the same consequences as those who commit the wrongdoing. Many Muslim-majority nations today have become silent in the face of oppression, injustice, tyranny, and corruption. The above mentioned Quranic verses serve as a reminder that the decline of a community does not happen overnightit happens when its people allow immorality to grow unchecked. The Surah Al-Maidah (Quran, 5:78-79) delivers a critical message: societies are destroyed not just because of the actions of the corrupt, but also because of the silence of the righteous. When people fail to hold each other accountable, oppression becomes the norm, and divine punishment follows. The Quranic verses urge us to reflect on our responsibility to speak the truth, stand against injustice, and prevent corruption in our communities. If we fail to do so, history will repeat itself, and we will suffer the same consequences as those before us. When injustice and oppression crushes innocent lives, silence becomes a choice and sometimes the most dangerous one. Many today wrap that silence in arguments that sound practical: we are poor, we are in debt, our borders are fragile, we are militarily weak, its far away and too risky. Those arguments may comfort the conscience for a moment, but they do not withstand honest reflection. The Quran asks a blunt question of conscience and community: And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and for the oppressed men, women and children? [Quran, 4:75] That question is not a licence for adventurism; it is a demand that moral people refuse to convert compassion into excuse. If we have words, platforms, votes, resources, or organisational capacity, then we have an obligation because to remain indifferent is to sign a quiet pact with injustice and oppression. The Prophetic teaching gives us a practical hierarchy for that obligation: change evil with your hand if you can; if not, speak against it; if not, oppose it in the heart and even the last, the internal rejection of wrongdoing, is counted as faith. This graded duty means there is no moral pass for cowardice. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) also told us to help your brother, whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed, clarifying that helping the oppressor means restraining him from wrongdoing. The line between action and passivity is therefore not ambiguous: preventing harm is a responsibility that takes many forms speech, shelter, advocacy, law, and, when required and legitimate, the firm restraint of those who would harm others. It is striking how often the very people who invent modern excuses for inaction forget the origins of the faith they claim to follow. The earliest Muslim believers were not men of wealth or political privilege; they were poor, persecuted, and outnumbered. Yet when the persecuted cried, those same Muslim believers shared what little they had, sheltered the weak, and stood in battle when necessary. At Badr, a small, poorly resourced group faced a better-armed force and stood their ground not because they counted their military arms and ammmunition or their coins but because they refused moral surrender. Their victory in scripture and in history came from conviction, sacrifice, and unity, not from economic or military parity. That example travels across time: reformers and freedom-seekers in many lands began without resources and changed the course of history because they chose to act. If poverty or vulnerability were moral absolutes, history would have no liberations to record; yet history shows the opposite the morally resolute have repeatedly overcome greater material odds. Refusing to help the oppressed also turns out to be poor strategy. Tyranny that goes unchecked becomes normalised, its practices drift, and its methods cross borders. Refugee flows, cycles of radicalisation, economic disruption, and diplomatic isolation are common consequences of prolonged injustice and oppression. The security of a nation tied solely to narrow self-interest and isolation is brittle: moral isolation corrodes internal cohesion and invites external dangers. In contrast, societies that cultivate justice and stand for the vulnerable build reputational capital, alliances, and internal resilience. Helping others is not merely charity; it is an investment in a world where shared norms protect everyone. This moral demand is not sentimental nor pacifist in a naive sense. There is a clear and crucial difference between uncontrolled revenge and rightful protection. Islamic law and ethics distinguish between aggression (zulm) and legitimate defense and punishment administered by just authorities. Allah Almighty commands restraint even in conflict: And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not love transgressors. [Quran, 2:190] The law of Qisas and there is for you in legal retribution (Qisas) life that you may become righteous (Quran, 2:179) is framed as a means of preserving human life and dignity by deterring the most severe crimes. Stopping a murderer or a rapist, holding them accountable through lawful processes, and protecting future potential victims is not cruelty; it is justice. Justice, when rightly practiced, restrains chaos; it restores balance; it affirms the sanctity of life. The moral agent stands not for vengeance but for order and protection: proportionate, lawful, and accountable measures that prevent further harm. Practical action therefore looks like a chain of responsibilities, each linked to capacity and to principle. It includes immediate humanitarian relief and medical assistance, safe corridors and asylum for those fleeing violence, documentation and legal support to preserve evidence and enable accountability, diplomatic pressure and coordinated sanctions aimed at perpetrators rather than victims, public advocacy that breaks the silence and reframes the narrative, and international coalition-building for targeted, lawful interventions when peaceful means have been exhausted and civilians remain at imminent risk. Where force is deemed necessary, it must be proportionate, aimed only at stopping ongoing crimes and protecting innocents, carried out under legitimate authority or accountable coalitions, and bounded by legal and ethical constraints. That is not a call to lawlessness; it is a call to principled courage to use every legitimate tool available to end oppression and injustice. History and scripture together teach that small acts of conscience accumulate into transformative movements. The person who raises a voice, the community that opens its doors to refugees, the state that chooses sanctions over silence, the coalition that enables protection all are links in a chain that denies impunity to abusers and affirms dignity for the vulnerable. These acts are expressions of faith as much as they are expressions of strategy: they are outward forms of an inward trust in Allah, the One who commands justice and who hears the cry of the oppressed. To act is to align oneself with that divine ethic; to remain passive is to erode the moral fabric that binds a society. When weighing fear against duty, remember that fear that prevents justice is itself a threat to future safety. The countdown of indifference is real: each time communities choose comfort over courage, they delay the reckoning and increase the chance that the same evil will find its way home. But there is redemption in action. Societies that choose responsibility create protection for themselves by defending universal dignity. Helping the oppressed is simultaneously an act of Ibadah (worship), a moral necessity, and a wise investment in collective security. In the end, know that, speech without action is hollow, but action without justice is dangerous. The correct path the Prophetic path is to do what is right within the bounds of law and ethics, to mobilise what we can, to protect the vulnerable, and to refuse cowardly excuses. When someone rapes or kills, stopping and prosecuting that criminal is not an act of wanton violence; it is the administration of justice intended to protect life and dignity. If peaceful avenues fail and civilians remain in imminent danger, then supporting proportionate, lawful measures to stop ongoing crimes is both permissible and necessary. Such firmness must never be confused with revenge: it must be disciplined, accountable, and anchored in the principles of restraint that Islam teaches. Above all, every practical step must be taken with sincere reliance on Allah tawakkul and with unwavering commitment to the truth that justice, not cruelty, strengthens nations and souls alike. O Allah, grant victory to Islam and honour to the Muslims. Destroy the disbelieving criminals. O Allah, send tranquility upon the hearts of those who strive in Your path. Deliver Your oppressed servants, and raise high the banner of Your religion by Your might, O Mighty, O Strong. O Allah, grant us safety in our lands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and make our leadership among those who fear You, obey You, and seek Your pleasure. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. All praise is due only to The Almighty Allah, and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the final Messenger and the seal of Prophets. Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217. This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Rajab 19, 1447 AH (January 09, 2026). Governor Dauda Lawal has presented certificates to 50 scholarship students of the Crescent University, Abeokuta. The presentation took place on Thursday at the Grand Chamber of the Government House, Gusau. A statement by the governors spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the scholarship students graduated nine years ago but were left on hold by the previous administrations. The statement added that the students were left hanging for nine years because their tuition fees were not settled. It reads in part: Governor Dauda Lawal has presented certificates to 50 graduates of the Crescent University, Abeokuta, who were sponsored by a previous state government. The Crescent University refused to release the students results due to nonpayment of tuition fees. The state government under Governor Dauda Lawal, after carefully studying the case, reached out to the university and settled the outstanding tuition fees. Among the 50 students, there is a First Class graduate in Chemistry and several Second Class Upper degree holders. This gesture shows the state governments commitment to the educational sector and is a clear indication that the state of emergency declared is yielding positive results. While presenting the certificates to the students, Governor Lawal reaffirmed his administrations commitment to prioritising education. The Ibadan Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo Federal Constituency by-election held on 16 August 2025. The appellate court awarded a cost of 5 million in favour of the APC candidate, Adesola Elegbeji. It will be recalled that when the appeal came up for hearing on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, counsel to Hon Elegbeji, Mrs Olayemi Badewole, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and counsel to the APC, Remi Olatubora, (SAN), raised preliminary objections challenging the competence of the appeal. They argued that the appellant, Ayoola Adesola, failed to transmit a complete record of appeal to the Court of Appeal, thereby robbing the court of jurisdiction to entertain the matter. During proceedings, it was discovered that the pre-hearing report of the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal, upon which the appeal was founded, had been surreptitiously removed from the record of appeal transmitted to the appellate court. Messrs Badewole and Olatubora consequently urged the court to decline jurisdiction, insisting that an appellate court cannot validly hear an appeal based on an incomplete record. Counsel to the SDP, Mr Adewole Adebayo, however, offered no explanation for the omission of the Tribunals pre-hearing report from the record of appeal. Meanwhile, in November 2025, the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, had earlier struck out the SDPs petition over the same election for want of diligent prosecution. At the time, counsel to the petitioner, Mr Ebenezer Akingbuli, informed the Tribunal that his witness was absent for the second consecutive time and sought an adjournment. The application was opposed by Taiwo Osipitan, (SAN), counsel to Hon Elegbeji, and Remi Olatubora, (SAN), counsel to the APC, who urged the Tribunal to dismiss the petition. With the Court of Appeals decision, the victory of the APC candidate in the August 2025 by-election remains in place. A 44-year-old man, Ayuba Choji, has been killed by suspected bandits in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State. PUNCH newspaper reported that Mr Choji was stabbed to death on Wednesday night in the KumexMararabaForon axis of the HeipangForon Road, where gunmen believed to be Fulani bandits attacked him and another man who were travelling on a motorcycle. A community leader, Moses Dung, told the newspaper that residents had received threats before the attack and were warned to vacate the area. Before now, we have been receiving threats to leave our community. And last night, the assailants suddenly emerged from hiding and attacked two people moving on a motorcycle without provocation. They stabbed Ayuba Pam Choji, and sadly, he gave up the ghost, Mr Dung said. A survivor of the attack said the assailants ambushed them as they rode through the area. In a statement on Thursday, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) condemned the killing, describing it as barbaric and unprovoked, and urged security agencies to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. The statement, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, said the group was worried about what it described as suspicious movements of armed elements across several local government areas in Plateau. No grievance can justify the taking of innocent lives, the group said, calling for intensified security patrols and protection of rural communities and farming corridors. Pattern of violence The killing comes amid a wave of violent attacks across Plateau State in recent weeks. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that on 3 January, gunmen attacked Bong village in Quaan-Pan Local Government Area, killing at least seven people during a night raid on the community. The newspaper also reported that on Christmas Eve, 24 December, gunmen invaded Bum community in Jos South, killing another seven residents, while several others were injured. In response to the situation, security forces have intensified operations in parts of the state. On 1 January, troops of the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, foiled a planned attack on communities in Wase Local Government Area, killing five suspected bandits during an ambush. Police begin investigation Attempts by PREMIUM TIMES to reach the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off. However, a police source at the command headquarters confirmed that the police were aware of the incident in Barkin Ladi and had commenced investigations to identify and apprehend those behind the killing. Residents of the area have called for increased security presence, warning that repeated attacks on travellers and farmers are deepening fear and disrupting livelihoods across Plateaus rural communities. The Benue State Police Command has said its operatives killed a notorious bandit in Ukum Local Government Area and arrested eight suspects over a violent cult clash in Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area. The police spokesperson, Udeme Edet, said in a statement dated 8 January that officers attached to the Jato-Aka Division responded to a violent confrontation between rival cult groups known as Red and Black on Wednesday. The clash resulted in the death of two male persons, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment, Ms Edet said. She said eight suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, while items recovered included one locally fabricated pistol, one expended cartridge, two axes and two machetes. According to her, efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects who fled the scene. In a related operation on the same day, Ms Edet said the police in Ukum Local Government Area acted on credible intelligence that armed bandits were planning to kidnap a hotelier around Channel Two, Zaki-Biam. He said a patrol team was immediately deployed to the area. On sighting the police operatives, the bandits opened fire. The patrol team responded with superior firepower, during which one of the bandits sustained fatal gunshot injuries, the police spokesperson said. She said the injured suspect was taken to the General Hospital in Zaki-Biam, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor. The deceased was identified as Terkaa Samuel, described as a notorious bandit from Jandekyula in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. Items recovered from the suspect, according to the police, included one locally fabricated Beretta pistol, two rounds of live 9mm ammunition and one bag containing charms. Mr Edet added that additional patrol and tactical teams had been deployed to track fleeing bandits who escaped with possible gunshot wounds. The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Ifeanyi Emenari, said the command remained committed to protecting lives and property, urging residents to provide timely and credible information to security agencies. READ ALSO: Suspected bandits stab Plateau resident to death The latest police operations come as Benue grapples with cult-related violence in several local government areas. The PUNCH reports indicated that at least eight people were killed in cult clashes in Otukpo, Gboko, Makurdi and Jato-Aka in Kwande Local Government Area. Police had earlier confirmed that two people were killed in the Jato-Aka clash, while subsequent violence in Makurdi reportedly claimed three lives in the Wurukum area. Similar incidents in Otukpo and Gboko, linked to rival gangs fighting for territorial control, had left several others dead in the days preceding the Jato-Aka violence. Security agencies say the arrests in Kwande and the killing of the suspected bandit in Ukum form part of broader efforts to contain escalating criminal activities in the state. Residents, however, continue to express concern over the persistence of cult violence, armed robbery and banditry across Benue, particularly in urban centres and border communities. The 20th anniversary celebration of the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia is held in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jan. 9, 2026. (Xinhua) JAKARTA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia aims to expand collaboration with Chinese investors into more sectors, including infrastructure, logistics, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, food security, and human capital development, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Friday. Airlangga made the remarks at an anniversary celebration of the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia held in Jakarta, which was attended by hundreds of representatives from both Chinese and Indonesian companies and government institutions. "Doing business in Indonesia will open access to more markets," he said. "I appreciate the 20th anniversary of the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia. We look forward to strengthening collaboration, expanding partnerships, and creating new engines to continue fostering mutually beneficial cooperation." At the event, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, chairman of Indonesia's National Economic Council, underscored China's contribution to Indonesia's economic development, particularly in downstream industries. "We would not have been able to achieve downstreaming without Chinese investors. We must acknowledge that China has made a significant contribution to the development of the Indonesian economy," the official said. Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto speaks at the 20th anniversary celebration of the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jan. 9, 2026.(Xinhua) AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 360factors, Inc., a leading provider of AI-powered risk and compliance technology, today announced the launch of Ask Kaia, a standalone, browser-based Agentic AI compliance companion and platform purpose-built for U.S. banks, credit unions, and financial institutions. Trained exclusively on U.S. banking and financial regulations, Ask Kaia provides instant, secure, and context-aware answers to complex regulatory questions without the need for software installation or integration with existing systems. As regulatory complexity accelerates across federal and state domains, financial institutions are under mounting pressure to interpret, implement, and respond to a growing volume of compliance requirements and regulatory changes. Ask Kaia helps compliance and risk teams navigate this constantly changing landscape with confidence, speed, and precision. "We built Ask Kaia to deliver what traditional compliance tools and generic AI platforms can't offer: real-time regulatory clarity that's purpose-built and tailored to the U.S. financial sector," said Carl McCauley, CEO of 360factors. "Kaia is an expert-level assistant trained exclusively on financial regulatory content from agencies like the FDIC, OCC, CFPB, NCUA, and eCFR. For community banks, credit unions, and compliance teams under pressure, Ask Kaia fills a critical intelligence gap without extra overhead." A Smarter, Faster Way to Navigate Regulatory Complexity Unlike general-purpose AI tools, Ask Kaia is trained solely on trusted, up-to-date regulatory data. Users can ask Kaia to: Interpret and summarize financial-specific regulations Explain rule changes and their institutional impact Identify compliance gaps in an organization's policies and procedures Evaluate internal policy documents against regulatory standards Draft new policy documents from scratch or update existing policies Provide citations and source links to authoritative content Review marketing content for compliance with applicable regulations and disclosure requirements With a secure, browser-based interface, Ask Kaia is immediately accessible and requires no new infrastructure. It also supports document-based Q&A, allowing users to upload internal policies, procedures, or reports and receive AI-generated analysis within secondsall in a private, secure environment, where internal documents are not shared between institutions or with third-party LLM vendors. Whether you're a regional bank managing hundreds of regulatory touchpoints or a lean compliance team at a credit union, Ask Kaia is built to help you scale without adding costs. Smaller institutions can leverage Kaia to reduce dependency on external consultants, while larger firms can use it to accelerate audits, policy reviews, and regulatory change management workflows. Availability Ask Kaia is available now as a standalone solution for financial institutions across the U.S. It is also available as an embedded component within the Predict360 risk and compliance platform for users. About 360factors, Inc. 360factors Inc. is a pioneering risk and compliance management technology company that empowers organizations with comprehensive, AI-driven solutions. Our flagship products, Predict360, Ask Kaia, and Lumify360, provide advanced capabilities for managing business performance and risk while ensuring regulatory compliance. SOURCE 360factors DUBLIN, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, plans to announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Friday, January 30, 2026, in a news release to be issued at 6:30 AM ET. Aon's President and CEO Greg Case and CFO Edmund Reese will also host a conference call at 8:30 AM ET on Friday, January 30, 2026, which will be broadcast live through Aon's Investor Relations website at ir.aon.com. A replay will be available shortly after the live webcast. The earnings release and supplemental slide presentation will also be available on Aon's Investor Relations website. About Aon Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that protect and grow their businesses. Follow Aon on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram. Stay up to date by visiting Aon's newsroom and sign up for news alerts here. Investor Contact Hallie Miller [email protected] +1 847 442 0622 Media Contact [email protected] Toll-free (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico): +1 833 751 8114 International: +1 312 381 3024 SOURCE Aon plc NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcline Investment Management ("Arcline), a growth-oriented private equity firm, today announced that it has sold its portfolio companies American Holt and Pride Engineering (collectively "AmHolt") to ProMach. With facilities in Massachusetts, Quebec, and Minnesota, AmHolt is a collection of leading brands that provide engineered aftermarket parts and consumables to the food and beverage packaging and processing markets. Through a relentless focus on solving customer pain-points with superior customer service and high ROI, up-engineered products, AmHolt has established itself as a go-to-provider of full lifecycle solutions to premier consumer packaged goods and packaging materials producers. Cliff Gilbert, CEO of AmHolt, commented, "Our partnership with Arcline enabled the AmHolt group of companies to successfully execute on our strategic vision of becoming the preferred vendor for high-quality, mission-critical aftermarket parts and consumables for our customers. We thank our team members, valued customers, and Arcline for the collective success we've achieved and look forward to the next chapter of growth as part of ProMach." "We are excited to welcome the AmHolt team to ProMach," said Mark Anderson, President and CEO of ProMach. "Their addition to our business continues the expansion of our product solutions portfolio, and it significantly expands our ability to serve our customers throughout the lifecycle of their equipment." Anderson continued, "The AmHolt companies are well recognized for their quality design and manufacture, as well as for their ability to partner with consumer packaged goods companies to improve efficiency and uptime, and we are proud to welcome their world-class products into our portfolio." BMO Capital Markets served as financial advisor, and Ropes & Gray LLP and Fredrikson & Byron P.A. served as legal advisors to Arcline in connection with the transactions. About Arcline Investment Management Arcline Investment Management is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over $20 billion in assets under management. Arcline seeks to build the next generation of Industrial Compounders market-leading, non-disruptible industrial platforms designed to consistently grow earnings over decades. For more information visit www.arcline.com. Contact Information: [email protected] www.arcline.com Contact (For Press Inquiries Only): Tim Ragones / Alexander Wolfsohn Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher [email protected] (212) 355-4449 SOURCE Arcline Investment Management CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Corporation announced today that it will redeem on January 20, 2026 all $3,000,000,000 principal amount outstanding of its 5.080% Fixed/Floating Rate Senior Notes, due January 2027 (CUSIP No. 06051GLE7) (the "Notes"), at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date of January 20, 2026. Interest on the Notes will cease to accrue on the redemption date. Payment of the redemption price for the Notes will be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is the trustee and paying agent for the Notes. Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,600 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions difficult to predict or beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the uncertainties and risks discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in any of our subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made. Investors may contact Lee McEntire, Bank of America Phone: 1.980.388.6780 [email protected] Jonathan G. Blum, Bank of America (Fixed Income) Phone: 1.212.449.3112 [email protected] Reporters may contact Jocelyn Seidenfeld, Bank of America Phone: 1.646.743.3356 [email protected] SOURCE Bank of America Corporation TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BeachFleischman PLLC is pleased to announce the promotion of Ashley Byma and Michael Smith to Principal and to welcome Laurie Graves as a new Principal. "The addition of Ashley, Michael, and Laurie to our principal team reinforces our commitment to remain a strong, independent firm that delivers specialized, client-focused solutions," said Eric Majchrzak, CEO of BeachFleischman. Ashley Byma, a seasoned tax professional with more than 12 years of experience at BeachFleischman, focuses on forensic accounting and litigation matters, including marital dissolution and economic damages. Michael brings more than a decade of public accounting experience, specializing in strategic tax planning and advisory services for investors, property owners, and developers across the real estate sector. Laurie Graves joined BeachFleischman as of November 10, 2025. With over 30 years of accounting and tax experience, she works closely with high-net-worth individuals and families on complex estate and trust tax matters, including charitable giving, and retirement-focused strategies. About BeachFleischman Founded in 1990, BeachFleischman is Arizona's largest independently-owned public accounting firm and one of the "Top 200" largest CPA firms in the U.S. With over 200 client service and administrative professionals, the firm provides accounting, assurance, tax, and advisory services to entrepreneurs, organizations, and businesses (U.S. and foreign-based). BeachFleischman specializes in the cannabis, construction, financial & professional services, healthcare, hospitality/restaurant, real estate, manufacturing, nonprofit, and technology industries. Office locations are in Arizona and Nevada. For more information, visit www.beachfleischman.com. Media Contact: Heather Murray, Director of Marketing BeachFleischman [email protected] SOURCE BeachFleischman PLLC LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While everyone is amazed by robot's performance from dancing to drama, it is time to realize that the "ChatGPT" moment for embodied AI robots is stepping closer and closer. How can robots learn to work on their own? Nowadays, robots are expected to possess human-like learning abilities to accomplish tasks they have not been trained with. When will robots be able to perceive, decide and perform like humans? Ensuring Technology provides the answer: only when they can truly replicate the human sense of touch. The product portfolio showcased by Ensuring Technology at CES2026 From January 6th to 9th, Ensuring Technology, the pioneer in embodied intelligent tactile perception, showcased its newly launched series of tactile sensing products at CES 2026: the ultra-thin, high-density, computing-integrated multidimensional tactile sensor Tacta, and the large-area electronic skin tactile sensor HexSkin. The exhibition attracted significant attention from international experts, media, and attendees. Tacta/Hexskin: Tactile Sensors Built for Utility The multi-dimensional tactile sensor industry has long been challenged by low sampling density, low frequency, and complex deployment. Tacta is engineered to overcome these limitations and answer a fundamental question: How can we equip robotic dexterous hands with human-like perception? Tacta achieves this by integrating 361 multi-dimensional sensels in 1 cm2, all sampling at 1000Hz, which delivers tactile perception with human level sensitivity. Beyond sheer density, Tacta's highly compact design offers a maximum thickness of just 4.5mmincorporates sensing, real-time data decoupling, and edge computing into a single module. This eliminates the need for external processing devices and dramatically enhances deploy ability across diverse robotic dexterous hands. At CES, the deploy capability was showcased in a landmark demonstration: a dexterous hand was fully covered with Tacta sensors for the first time. A single hand was equipped with 1,956 multi-dimensional tactile sensels, spanning fingertips, finger pads, and the palm. This complete coverage effectively constructs a human-like network of tactile sensing for robots. For its large-area electronic skin tactile sensor HexSkin, Ensuring Technology highlights how it addresses two critical industry challenges: deplorability and data acquisition. In terms of deplorability, the HexSkin series utilizes a hexagonal topology of sensing-computing-integrated sensels. This innovative design enables seamless tiling and high coverage over complex curved surfaces, such as those on humanoid robots, overcoming the limitation of traditional tactile arrays that can only conform to single-curvature surfaces. Regarding data acquisition, the company has moved away from the conventional approach of "large-array multiplexing (MUX) with bulky external readout boards." Instead, HexSkin employs a modular protocol-based communication architecture. This shift resolves the issues of high latency and slow response rates inherent in traditional systems. Furthermore, HexSkin now makes it possible to cover an entire humanoid robot with electronic skin at a cost reduced to the hundred-dollar range, achieving a groundbreaking balance between high performance and affordability. Ningzhe Hou, founder and CEO of Ensuring Technology, emphasized that the company's tactile sensing technology is built on a "spatially-encoded multidimensional piezoresistance" approach. Beyond its engineering advantagessuch as compact size, ultra-thin profile, and integrated sensing-computing designthe technology delivers two revolutionary benefits for real-world adoption: First, significantly lower cost: The mass-produced fingertip sensor is priced at just one-tenth that of competing industry solutions. Second, superior interference resistance: The sensor remains unaffected by material, temperature, magnetic fields, and other environmental variables, ensuring much stronger robustness in application. 'Ensuring' the foundation for embodied tactile 'Technology' As a practitioner in embodied tactile technology, Hou expressed his concern about the current challenge in the field: how to use tactile data efficiently. He hopes to develop Ensuring Technology into a foundational builder of tactile perception infrastructure for embodied intelligence. He emphasized that the company would introduce a comprehensive tactile sensing infrastructure solution, comprising "mass-producible, integrable high-performance tactile sensor hardware + a self-developed software toolkit for tactile data acquisition, decoupling, and algorithms + a platform for tactile operation model training, generalization, and utilization." This approach aims to transform "invisible touch" into visualizable, deployable, and usable data assets, enabling robots to effectively utilize tactile data and transition from "showing off " to "doing real work." About Ensuring Technology Founded in January 2025 and based in Shenzhen Bay, Ensuring Technology is a frontier technology company specializing in embodied intelligent tactile sensors and tactile-modal software architecture. Established by a technical team from world-leading robotics laboratories and industry pioneers, the company is dedicated to building the foundational tactile infrastructure for robotsempowering them with human-like fine manipulation capabilities and natural human-robot interaction. Website: www.ensuringtech.com SOURCE Ensuring Technology MESA, Ariz., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Gifthealth, a unified digital pharmacy platform, today celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art pharmacy located in Mesa, Arizona. The new pharmacy represents a significant milestone, marking Gifthealth's expansion into the Southwest. The 43,000-square-foot facility will support up to 200 new, highly-skilled jobs. The Mesa Gifthealth pharmacy will incorporate state-of-the-art robotic assisted processing of up to 28,000 medications per day. Gifthealth will partner with UPS and utilize a new RFID scanning and twin packaging technology that will allow medications to be delivered faster, more accurately and tracked in real time to patients nationwide. Automation will help Gifthealth increase capacity, efficiency, and quality of the products shipped. Gifthealth's Digi+Hub model merges the speed of digital pharmacy with the flexibility of hub services, eliminating friction, reducing delays, and ensuring more patients start and stay on therapy. "This grand opening is a pivotal moment in our mission to simplify and unify the entire patient prescription journey," said Chip Parkinson, CEO of Gifthealth. "The Mesa facility significantly enhances our national capacity, allowing us to deliver a fast, reliable, and truly frictionless experience to millions of patients who depend on us for their care." "Gifthealth's Mesa pharmacy strengthens Arizona's reputation as a destination for the world's most innovative health care companies," said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. "With its new state-of-the-art pharmacy, Gifthealth joins a thriving health care and bioscience ecosystem in Arizona while creating skilled jobs in a rapidly growing industry." "Mesa continues to be a destination for innovative companies that are shaping the future of health care," said Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman. "Gifthealth's new pharmacy advances technology that improves efficiency, accuracy, and patient outcomes nationwide." "I'm excited to welcome Gifthealth to the rapidly growing business community of southeast Mesa," said Vice Mayor Scott Somers. "With up to 200 new jobs and state-of-the-art, robotics-assisted processing, this grand opening is another strong step toward our goal of attracting 100,000 high-wage, high-quality jobs to Mesa." Founded in 2020, Gifthealth is the first single partner platform to offer Direct to Patient (DTP) at scale - which has served more than six million patients to date. Gifthealth offers solutions including controlled, reliable dispensation, rapid, nationwide delivery to 88% of U.S. zip codes, guaranteed patient access and scalable capacity. Media Contacts Alyssa Tufts, Arizona Commerce Authority, [email protected] Kim Lofgreen, City of Mesa, [email protected] About Gifthealth Gifthealth is a patient access solution that unifies the prescription journey from provider to patientcombining access, fulfillment, and patient services into one frictionless, branded experience. Our Digi+Hub model merges digital pharmacy speed with flexible hub services, helping more patients get on therapy faster, stay on therapy longer, and deliver better outcomes for brands and providers alike. Gifthealth operates dispensing pharmacies and a nationwide partner network to deliver consistent on-therapy outcomes at scale. Learn more at gifthealth.com. About the Arizona Commerce Authority The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create - attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on X at @azcommerce. About the City of Mesa With a population of more than 523,000, Mesa, Arizona is the 37th largest city in the United States and second largest in the Phoenix-Mesa metro area. Mesa encompasses 138 square miles inside the metro area, which has a population of 5.2 million people and is projected to grow to 5.5 million by 2030. Mesa is a vibrant city and a premier location for business development opportunities. Serving industry leaders such as Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Banner Health, Boeing, Bridgestone, Dexcom, Facebook (Meta), Google, Gulfstream, Northrop Grumman, Virgin Galactic, and many more, Mesa is a smart location for intelligent companies. SelectMesa.com SOURCE Gifthealth JUBA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Friday that civilian killings remain a grave concern, with 519 people having been killed between July and September 2025. In its quarterly report, the UNMISS documented 295 incidents of conflict-related violence, affecting 1,153 civilians. Among them, 519 were killed, 396 injured, 159 abducted, and 79 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). "Compared to the previous quarter, incidents decreased by 12 percent and total victims dropped by 24 percent," the UN mission said in a report issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. While civilian killings fell by 18 percent and injuries by 41 percent, the UNMISS recorded a 20 percent increase in abductions and a seven percent rise in sexual violence cases, signaling persistent threats to civilians. The UNMISS noted ongoing hostilities involving conventional parties to the conflict as well as allied militias, with widespread armed confrontations, shelling, aerial bombardments, and targeted airstrikes affecting many states. Anita Kiki Gbeho, officer-in-charge of UNMISS, said forced displacement continues to exacerbate humanitarian needs, particularly for women and children, undermining peacebuilding efforts. "Accountability for violations remains essential for building trust, reconciliation, and a durable peace in South Sudan," Gbeho said. UNMISS reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with national and local authorities, communities, and partners to enhance civilian protection, promote accountability, and support collective efforts toward achieving lasting peace and stability. LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Goertek, a key player in the extended reality (XR) ecosystem, marked its presence at this year's CES in Las Vegas, which opened on January 6, with the launch of its expansive "XR New Year Package." The showcase features a full spectrum of innovations, from the flagship binocular full-color AR glasses "Rubis"which integrate a Tri-Chip architecture and EMG interactionto the sleek, lightweight "Spinel" AI glasses and the "Euler1.5" mixed reality (MR) reference design. The exhibit also includes a diverse array of AR optics, VR optics, and sensing solutions, collectively demonstrating the breadth of Goertek's integrated capabilities and the maturity of China's smart manufacturing in the global consumer electronics sector. Goertek's Full-Color, Multimodal AR Glasses "Rubis" (PRNewsfoto/Goertek) I. Flagship Innovation: Binocular Full-Color AR Glasses Reference Design "Rubis" Debuts with Tri-Chip Architecture and EMG Interaction The path to mainstream adoption of consumer AI-powered AR glasses has been hindered by the fundamental challenge of balancing high-quality display, computational efficiency, and seamless interaction. The newly unveiled "Rubis" full-color, multimodal AR glasses reference design presents a system-level engineering approach to this complex balancing act. At the core of the near-eye display system, "Rubis" incorporates Goeroptics' proprietary full-color etched waveguide display module. This vertical-format optical solution enhances adaptability to real-world use cases, clearly rendering content such as camera previews, AI prompts, and translation overlays while minimizing obstruction of the user's natural field of view and reducing visual isolation. Departing from conventional single-system-on-chip designs, the "Rubis" employs a heterogeneous architecture that integrates MCU, ISP, and NPU chips. This structure optimizes the data pipeline from camera capture through image processing, neural network computation, and final display via efficient inter-chip communication. The distributed computing approach not only delivers superior power-performance efficiency but also enables the glasses to run persistent, lightweight object-detection models on the dedicated NPU at ultra-low powerlaying the technical foundation for a true "Always-On AI" experience. From an industrial design perspective, the "Rubis" model blends sheet-material accents into a classic frame silhouette, complemented by a modular nose pad system that prioritizes both individual fit and long-wear comfort. Addressing a critical barrier to intuitive control, the "Rubis" is paired with an accompanying EMG neural wristband. This solution was developed in-house and achieves gesture recognition accuracy exceeding 90%. Through highly sensitive sensors, users can control the AR glasses reliably with subtle finger motions, effectively overcoming the limitations of touch-based interfaces and enabling discreet, effortless interaction. II. Lightweight AI Glasses and Sub-100g MR Design: New Approaches to Wearable Comfort Alongside its exploration of next-generation flagship concepts, Goertek also unveiled a suite of reference designs that directly address current market demands for lightweight form factors and fluid interactivity in smart glasses and MR headsets. 1. AI Glasses Reference Design "Spinel": Redefining Daily Wear with an Ultra-Lightweight Form The AI glasses reference design "Spinel" achieves a breakthrough in ergonomics with a total weight of just 35g. It pairs a fashionable aesthetic and extended battery life with high-definition imaging capabilities, establishing a foundation for all-day wearability. Its imaging system supports 4K (40323024) photo capture and 1080p/30fps continuous video recording for up to one hour, enhanced with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) functionality. This positions the device not only as a tool for everyday life documentation but also as a capable source for high-quality video output, serving as a practical, hands-free shooting accessory. Furthermore, the "Spinel" integrates proactive AI visual perception. Through continuous, low-power capture of the environment at low resolution and frame rate, the device can transition from a reactive "command-and-response" model to one that anticipates user needs, creating a technical pathway for context-aware, proactive services. 2. "Rox Vision": An Instant AI Upgrade for Traditional Eyewear To address the vast installed base of conventional eyewear users, Goertek introduced an innovative accessory solution at CES: the "Rox Vision" AI Smart Glasses Accessory Reference Design. "Rox Vision" challenges the integrated design paradigm of traditional smart glasses by proposing a novel, modular approach. It decouples core functionalitiesvisual capture, audio interaction, and AI processinginto a single, compact accessory that can be easily attached to standard glasses. This strategy preserves the essential optical correction and style of existing eyewear while adding generative AI interaction capabilities at a potentially accessible cost point, demonstrating the practical viability of a "snap-on AI assistant" in the wearables space. Tackling the critical comfort challenge inherent to add-on devices, "Rox Vision" employs advanced structural stacking and high-density PCB integration to house high-resolution imaging modules and sufficient battery capacity within a micro-footprint. The total weight is rigorously controlled under 15g, achieving a near-imperceptible wear experience. For core sensing, the design incorporates a 105 ultra-wide field-of-view camera in a minimized module size, ensuring comprehensive and immersive First-Person View (FPV) footage that provides high-fidelity input for AI visual analysis. In audio, leveraging vertical integration, the product utilizes Goertek's proprietary customized SBS speaker system and MEMS microphones to deliver a high-quality, closed-loop voice interaction experience. 3. Breaking the 100g Barrier: A Lightweight Blueprint for MR Headsets While MR technology gains momentum, device weight remains a significant physical barrier to prolonged use, with many all-in-one headsets inducing fatigue within thirty minutes of wear. Goertek's newly unveiled Ultra-Lightweight MR Reference Design applies advanced engineering in structural stacking and material selection to reduce the core headset mass to approximately 100groughly one-fifth the weight of conventional devicesmaking the vision of "imperceptible wear" a possibility. Despite its radical weight reduction, the design does not compromise on visual fidelity. It incorporates a 1.35-inch 4K Micro-OLED display paired with a self-developed 3P Pancake optical module, delivering 38 Pixels Per Degree (PPD) retinal-grade clarity within a 100-degree field of view. The design fully integrates Video See-Through (VST), 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF), and other interactive solutions. This configuration is purpose-built to comfortably support extended sessions of media consumption, light productivity tasks, and casual gaming, charting a clear path forward for mainstream MR adoption. III. From AR Full-Color Polymer Waveguides to Electrically Tunable Liquid Crystal Lenses: Defining the Next Frontier in XR Optics At CES, Goertek's exhibition further extended to a comprehensive suite of optical solutions for AR and MR applications, with a particularly noteworthy breakthrough in Electrically Tunable Liquid Crystal Lens technology. In the realm of AR optics, Goeroptics unveiled its full-color polymer optical module, "F15Pi," engineered to strike an optimal balance between lightweight design and high-fidelity image quality. Polymer materials offer inherent advantages over glass, including reduced weight and improved durability, making them a safer choice for lightweight AR eyewear. Historically, however, their lower refractive index has often resulted in optical artifacts such as pronounced rainbow effects. At this year's CES, Goeroptics demonstrated significant progress by utilizing high-refractive-index polymer materials, optimized micro-nano structures, and ergonomic design to remove rainbow artifacts while achieving a waveguide grating transmittance exceeding 92%. Coupled with an industry-leading, highly efficient full-color Micro-LED light engineremarkably compact at just 0.2cc and 0.5gthis module presents a viable optical solution for all-day wearability. Pushing the boundaries of advanced optical materials and processes, Goeroptics also showcased its fully bonded Silicon Carbide (SiC) etched waveguide module. Using the exceptionally high refractive index of SiC, this module achieves a record-breaking profile of just 0.65mm in thickness and a weight of 3.5g, establishing a new industry benchmark for slimness and lightness. At a 30 field of view, it delivers crisp imagery with excellent color uniformity. Furthermore, Goeroptics introduced the F25Ge full-color etched waveguide, specifically engineered for high-ambient-light outdoor scenarios. When paired with a 0.2cc high-efficiency full-color Micro-LED light engine, it achieves a peak intraocular brightness of 4,200 nits. In the MR domain, Pancake solutions continue to advance toward greater miniaturization. The Xinghe LE51-D integrates optical power adjustment from -7.00D to +2.00D within a slim profile of just 14mma significant benefit for the global population of myopic usersand features a 1.03-inch Micro-OLED display offering an 85.5 field of view. For applications demanding an even thinner form factor, the Xinghe LE52 utilizes a 0.68-inch screen with a total track length (TTL) of only 13.6mm. Regarding groundbreaking advancements in core XR optical technology, Goertek unveiled its Electrically Tunable Liquid Crystal Molecular Focusing solution at CES. As widely recognized in the industry, Vergence-Accommodation Conflict (VAC) remains a fundamental challenge in XR. This conflict arises from a mismatch between the focal distance of light rays from a virtual object and the actual focusing distance required by the human eye, causing a dissonance between vergence (eye rotation) and accommodation (lens adjustment). The result is user discomfort, including visual fatigue, headaches, blurriness, and even motion sickness. Electrically Tunable Liquid Crystal Molecular Focusing technology enables dynamic optical adjustment and vision correction, addressing this persistent industry problem. Specifically, its variable-focus liquid crystal lens employs an electronic drive mechanism. By modulating the applied voltage, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is altered, enabling a continuous diopter adjustment range from -3.00D to +3.00D to compensate for myopia and hyperopia. Notably, this liquid crystal lens can be fabricated with a thickness of less than 1mm and an aperture exceeding 25mm. Its slim, lightweight, and highly integrable profile allows for application not only within VR and MR headsets but also for embedding into the optical path of AR glasses. This integration enables users with refractive errors to experience clear vision without the need for additional corrective lenses, substantially improving wearability and user convenience. From architectural innovations in chipset design and interaction paradigms to breakthroughs in optical materials, Goertek's CES 2026 portfolio responds directly to core industry hurdles in display performance, wearability, and usability. As the XR sector moves toward broader commercialization, Goertek's demonstrated ability to integrate solutions from underlying technology to complete product design provides the market with versatile and practical pathways for adoption. Looking ahead, the diversity of technical approaches on display points toward a maturing and increasingly segmented XR ecosystem. The market's response to these various implementations will ultimately steer the industry's evolution in meeting real-world user needs. SOURCE Goertek RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Linden Creek, a Raleigh-based home staging and interior design brand known for creating calm, livable spaces, is proud to announce a new partnership with local fine artist Megan Mahaney. Together, they have created an exclusive line of art prints, available only through The Linden Creek Shoppe , launching January 9, 2026. The collaboration brings Megan Mahaney's signature work, rooted in soft tones, texture, and a sense of quiet nostalgia, into homes in a way that feels accessible, intentional, and deeply connected to the Linden Creek aesthetic. Veil of Morning Light II - Framed Canvas Wall Art, 40" x 60" (PRNewsfoto/Linden Creek) Mahaney, a Syracuse native now residing in Raleigh, is a fine artist whose work has been shown in Chelsea galleries in New York and featured in the Triangle Parade of Homes and Circa Loft at High Point Market. Her art spans multiple mediums, from atmospheric abstract pieces layered with texture to intimate landscape works often inspired by misty meadows, mountain ranges, and the fleeting moments of dawn and dusk. "I create paintings to bring a sense of comfort and ease," says Mahaney. "My hope is that people feel a place to rest; something that feels grounding and familiar, yet quietly emotional." That sense of calm and connection is what drew Linden Creek to the partnership. Founded by Alisa Sparks, Linden Creek began as a passion project rooted in the belief that every home deserves to feel welcoming, thoughtful, and lived-in. Since launching in Raleigh, the brand has grown into a nationally recognized luxury staging and design franchise, while remaining deeply committed to supporting local creatives and craftsmanship through The Linden Creek Shoppe. "Megan's work immediately felt like a natural extension of our brand," says Sparks. "Her art evokes the same feeling we want to create in the homes we stage and design: calm, warmth, and a sense of ease. Partnering with a local artist whose work aligns so closely with our values felt incredibly meaningful." The exclusive collection features curated art prints selected to complement a wide range of interiors, making it easy for homeowners, designers, and real estate professionals to bring a refined, calming presence into their spaces. The Megan Mahaney x Linden Creek art print collection will be available January 9, 2026, exclusively at The Linden Creek Shoppe. For more information, visit https://lindencreekshoppe.com/collections/linden-creek-x-megan-mahaney or follow along on Instagram for launch details and behind-the-scenes content. Media Contact: Zoe Fisher, Marketing Director [email protected] SOURCE Linden Creek SINGAPORE, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mega Matrix Inc. (NYSE American: MPU) (the "Company") today announced that on January 7, 2026 it entered into a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with Ihsan Dhahab Sdn Bhd ("Ihsan Dhahab") to finance and operate a comprehensive precious metals special economic zone in Saudi Arabia, a Shariahcompliant RWA goldbacked token and stablecoin, a Shariahcompliant RWA precious metals and bullion exchange, an Islamic digital gold bank, and other associated innovative fintech projects. Under the MOU, the parties agreed to collaborate on a range of projects, including: To develop an integrated precious metals special economic zone located in the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or other locations, dedicated to the entire precious metals value chain, including refining, storage, trading, and manufacturing; To design, structure, develop, and launch a leading Shariah-compliant, Real-World Asset (RWA) gold-backed token and stablecoin ; and ; To establish and operate a leading Shariah-compliant digital exchange for the trading of precious metals, bullion, and other RWA-based financial instruments; To create a leading Islamic digital bullion bank, providing Shariah-compliant financing, vaulting, logistics, and other banking services for the precious metals ecosystem; and To collaboratively identify, assess, and develop other innovative fintech projects that align with the strategic objectives of the parties. As part of the collaboration, MPU will draw on its technical experience in stablecoins and Web3 to provide advisory support for capital raising and financing, including equity investments, debt arrangements and other compliant financial instruments. MPU will also provide expertise in corporate structuring, financial modelling, capital markets strategy and international governance standards, and will contribute its technology, intellectual property and global blockchain and digital asset network to support project implementation and scalable development. Ihsan Dhahab will act as the founders Group and promoter, leveraging their local presence and market knowledge in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the wider region to provide strategic direction, sector expertise in Islamic finance and precious metals markets, and to lead regulatory approvals, licensing and day-to-day operations following project commencement. Yucheng Hu, CEO of MPU, commented, "Partnering with Ihsan Dhahab that has deep local experience and resources in the Middle East to develop the precious metals RWA sector represents a measured extension of MPU's stablecoin and its governance token DAT strategy. MPU is contributing to the development of global digital financial infrastructure while broadening its activities within the stablecoin and Web3 landscape." About Mega Matrix Inc.: Mega Matrix Inc. (NYSE American: MPU), a holding company headquartered in Singapore is executing its strategic digital asset treasury ("DAT") strategy by looking to diversifying its basket of leading stablecoins and their governance tokens, and operates FlexTV, a short-video streaming platform and producer of short dramas, through Yuder Pte, Ltd., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit http://www.megamatrix.io. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements that are purely historical are forward looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose," and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees for future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, are the: ability to manage growth; ability to identify and integrate future acquisitions; ability to grow and expand our FlexTV business; ability to purchase stablecoin governance tokens, Bitcoin or Ethereum at the price that we want; ability to reinitiate the ETH staking business, ability to implement the strategic expansion into the stablecoin sector, ability to implement the new business strategy with a focus on stablecoin governance token and ability to create value; the regulatory volatility on stablecoins and governance tokens; ability to obtain additional financing in the future to fund capital expenditures and our digital asset treasury ("DAT") reserve strategy and ability to create value; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions; costs or other factors adversely affecting the Company's profitability; litigation involving patents, intellectual property, and other matters; potential changes in the legislative and regulatory environment; a pandemic or epidemic; the possibility that the Company may not succeed in developing its new lines of businesses due to, among other things, changes in the business environment, competition, changes in regulation, or other economic and policy factors; and the possibility that the Company's new lines of business may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. The forward-looking statements in this press release and the Company's future results of operations are subject to additional risks and uncertainties set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Company's latest annual report on Form 20-F, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof. In addition, such risks and uncertainties include the inherent risks with investing in digital assets such as stablecoins, governance tokens, Bitcoin and/or Ethereum, Digital asset's volatility; and risk of implementing a new DAT strategy focusing on digital assets. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Disclosure Channels We announce material information about the Company and its services and for complying with our disclosure obligation under Regulation FD via the following social media channels: X (f/k/a Twitter): twitter.com/MegaMatrixMPU Facebook: facebook.com/megamatrixmpu LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/megamatrixmpu The Company will also use its landing page on its corporate website (www.megamatrix.io) to host social media disclosures and/or links to/from such disclosures. The information we post through these social media channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these social media channels in addition to following our website, press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The social media channels that we intend to use as a means of disclosing the information described above may be updated from time to time as listed on our website. For inquiries, please contact: [email protected] SOURCE Mega Matrix Inc. LONDON, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- M&G Investments (M&G) today announces that it has led a US$50 million Series C funding round for bit.bio , the Cambridge-based biotech company pioneering next-generation human cell programming technology. The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK. The funding will enable bit.bio to accelerate the development of, and access to, its products, scale its operations globally, expand into the multi-billion toxicology market, bolster its manufacturing operations and generate industry-leading datasets for AI model training. The company's ioCells human cell products are used by leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies and academic institutions globally. Through the creation of human cells and models for research, drug discovery, and toxicology, bit.bio is leading the global transition towards human-relevant New Approach Methodologies1 (NAMs), which use advanced cell-based and computational models instead of animal testing, and are reshaping how medicines are developed with greater predictiveness. M&G has invested through its Crossover strategy within its public equity business on behalf of M&G Life's 130 billion With Profits Fund and its 4.5 million UK policyholders. Crossover provides patient growth equity to high-quality, fast-growing private companies, enabling their eventual crossover into public markets. In addition, bit.bio and M&G are pleased to announce that Lord David Prior - who has held distinguished leadership roles in UK Life Sciences innovation, health policy and governance for more than two decades - joins as an independent director and new Board Chair. Przemek Obloj, Chief Executive of bit.bio, said: "By providing reliable human cells for research and safety testing, we're helping to accelerate drug development and build a world class life sciences business in the UK. Our technology reduces reliance on animal testing while improving the relevance and accuracy of pre-clinical research. With fresh backing from M&G and our wider investor base, we can accelerate development, from in silico model training through our most established in vitro discovery models and towards safety testing." Cornel Chiriac, Investment Director of Crossover, M&G Investments, said: "The investment of patient capital into a fast-growing private UK company, spun out from the University of Cambridge, marks a major vote of confidence in innovation and the future of drug development in the UK. bit.bio's platform makes cell programming reliable, scalable, and commercially ready in a rapidly evolving field. As a long-term investor, M&G is committed to backing the next generation of UK businesses and driving economic progress. With a growing global footprint, bit.bio is a UK success story poised for international growth." Lord David Prior concluded: "bit.bio's technology is world class and the opportunity is now converting that advantage into sustained commercial performance. I look forward to supporting the team as it expands its customer reach and becomes a key partner for pharmaceutical, biotech and research organisations worldwide." Notes to Editors New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are innovative scientific approaches to drug discovery, development and safety testing that do not rely on traditional animal testing. They include advanced techniques such as cell-based assays, computer modelling, and organ-on-a-chip systems, providing more human-relevant data while supporting ethical and regulatory goals. If you require any further information, please contact M&G Media Relations Rebecca Talbot George Greenstreet Tel: 07827 820428 Tel: 07900 511020 [email protected] [email protected] bit.bio Media Relations Amy Flores Spark PR [email protected] About Lord David Prior Lord David Prior has played a key role in UK life sciences innovation, health policy, and governance for more than two decades with distinguished leadership roles, including Chair of the NHS England Board, Chair of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, and Member of Parliament and long-standing member of the House of Lords. About bit.bio bit.bio, the global leader in cell programming technology, is creating functional, human-relevant cells and models at industrial scale to accelerate research, drug discovery and development, while facilitating the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Product development is fuelled by its AI-enabled discovery platform that identifies unique transcription factor combinations to program desired cell types, and its patented opti-ox technology that precisely converts induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into these cell types assuring unprecedented purity, consistency, and scalability. bit.bio's' expanding ioCells portfolio comprises more than 50 products, including ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, ioCRISPR-Ready Cells, and ioTracker Cells. Since spinning out from the University of Cambridge in 2016, bit.bio has raised over $200m from leading investors including Arch Venture, BlueYard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience, and Tencent. Read bit.bio's 2025 Sustainability Report About M&G Investments M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investments company with 365 billion of assets under management (as at 30 September 2025). M&G plc has customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members. For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate. M&G plc recognises the importance of responsible investing, is a signatory (both as an asset manager and owner) to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and is targeting net zero emissions by 2050, across our investment portfolios and operations. For more information, please visit: www.mandg.com SOURCE bit.bio; M&G Investments SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NIIT Learning Systems Limited [NIIT Managed Training Services (NIIT MTS)] (Ticker Symbol: NIITMTS), a global leader in Managed Learning Services, today announced that it has acquired 100% of SweetRush, Inc. ("SweetRush"), a leader in AI-enabled custom learning experience design and strategic training interventions for Fortune 1000 enterprises, professional associations and not-for-profit organizations. The acquisition has been completed through NIIT MTS' wholly owned subsidiary, NIIT (USA), Inc., for an aggregate consideration of up to USD 26 million, including annual performance-based earnouts over the next five years, subject to certain customary adjustments in accordance with the definitive agreements. Headquartered in San Francisco, USA, SweetRush was founded in 2001 by Arturo Schwartzberg and Andrei Hedstrom. SweetRush operates with over 100 team members and an extended pool of industry experts across the United States and Costa Rica, supported by a broader pool of learning professionals. The union brings together SweetRush's custom, AI-enabled, human-centered learning experience design with NIIT's global managed learning scale. SweetRush is recognized for award-winning strategic learning interventions and custom learning solutions, including certification-oriented content and a growing talent solutions capability, while NIIT brings a comprehensive, AI-enabled Managed Learning Services platform serving Global 1000 enterprises, enabling clients to optimize learning investments with measurable outcomes. The acquisition supports NIIT MTS' growth strategy through: An expanded services portfolio, including strategic learning interventions, certification solutions, and talent solutions, positioned to drive wallet share expansion across enterprise, association, and not-for-profit client segments. share expansion across enterprise, association, and not-for-profit client segments. The opportunity to convert project-based relationships into longer-duration, annuity-like managed learning engagements, by extending NIIT's broader Managed Learning Services platform to SweetRush's client base. Sapnesh Lalla, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, NIIT MTS, said: "SweetRush has built a trusted position with discerning clients for whom performance outcomes truly matter. This strategic combination adds award-winning strategic learning interventions and talent solutions to NIIT's Managed Learning Services platform. Together, we will offer clients the best of human-centered learning craft and global operational scalepowered by technology and AI." Danielle Hart, Chief Executive Officer, SweetRush, said: "SweetRush's culture and craft have always been rooted in care, innovation, and business transformation. Joining NIIT gives us a larger platform to serve clients globally while staying true to what makes SweetRush distinctive - human-centered learning design and experiences that drive business-critical outcomes." Vijay K. Thadani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, NIIT MTS, added: "This acquisition strengthens NIIT MTS' ability to serve global enterprises with an expanded, outcome-focused portfolio, combining strategic learning interventions with managed learning delivery and operations at scale." Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush Co-Founder, said: "There is perfect synergy in the union of NIIT and SweetRush. Our team, culture, and capabilities are 100% intact. Now we get to leverage the might of NIIT and enhance the ways we support our clients who turn to us when they have mission-critical learning and development initiatives." Andrei Hedstrom, SweetRush Co-Founder added: "SweetRush has been growing our craft to serve the potential of people and their organizations with great care. We see the connection of the NIIT and SweetRush ecosystems as a way to amplify the greater promise of our teams' transformative impact." About SweetRush SweetRush is trusted by many of the world's leading companies to help improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. The company designs and develops Strategic Training Interventions and high-end bespoke learning solutions for Fortune 1000 companies and professional associations. Headquartered in San Francisco, SweetRush operates a distributed team across the United States and Costa Rica, with a strong culture and employee retention. SweetRush is known for strategic thought leadership and exceptionally creative, effective solutions that combine human-centered learning experience design with highly engaging delivery. Its services include strategy consulting and analysis, strategic training interventions, bespoke learning solutions, high-performance talent solutions, certification development, and innovative learning technologies including VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush's work has earned multiple awards and accolades across learning strategy, leadership, virtual training, blended learning, and innovation categories, in collaboration with its clients. Learn more at www.sweetrush.com. About NIIT Learning Systems Limited (NIIT MTS) NIIT MTS is the trusted and award-winning L&D and talent partner for the world's leading companies in over 30 countries. Established in 1981, NIIT MTS offers managed learning and strategic consulting services to solve the most complex challenges in learning, talent, skills, and workforce transformation. With a Net Promoter Score of 9/10 and a 100% renewal rate, NIIT MTS helps leading companies transform and reimagine their learning ecosystems while increasing the business value and impact of learning. For more information, visit: www.niitmts.com. Learn more at https://www.niitmts.com/niit-sweetrush/ SOURCE NIIT (USA), INC. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. B. Aviva Preminger has been inducted into the Super Doctors Hall of Fame following a decade of consecutive recognition as a New York Super Doctor, as published in The New York Times Magazine. Widely regarded as a foremost expert on complicated breast augmentation and revision surgery, Dr. Preminger continues to set the standard for excellence in aesthetic plastic surgery on Manhattan's Upper East Side. NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. B. Aviva Preminger, founder of Aviva Preminger MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, has achieved one of the most prestigious honors in medicine: induction into the Super Doctors Hall of Fame. This elite recognition is reserved for physicians who have been named a Super Doctor for ten or more consecutive years, placing Dr. Preminger among the most accomplished plastic surgeons in New York. Her inclusion in the 2025 New York Super Doctors list was published in the May 4 Sunday edition of The New York Times Magazine and online at superdoctors.com. Aviva Preminger MD Dr. Preminger is widely recognized as a foremost expert on complicated breast augmentation and revision surgery, attracting patients from throughout New York City and beyond who seek her advanced surgical skills for challenging cases. Her reputation for achieving natural, beautiful resultseven in complex revision procedureshas established her as one of the most trusted names in aesthetic breast surgery. In addition to her Super Doctors Hall of Fame status, Dr. Preminger has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for twelve consecutive years, a distinction awarded to fewer than 7% of physicians nationwide. Her clinical excellence has earned recognition from her peers as well. In 2026, Dr. Preminger will serve as Chair of the Breast Aesthetic Committee for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting, reflecting the trust, leadership, and authority she holds within the specialty. This appointment underscores her position at the forefront of breast aesthetic surgery innovation and education. "Being inducted into the Super Doctors Hall of Fame is an incredible honor that reflects a decade of dedication to my patients and my craft," says Dr. Preminger. "I am passionate about helping women feel confident and beautiful, whether they're coming to me for a first-time procedure or a complex revision. This recognition belongs to my entire team, who share my commitment to excellence every single day." Dr. Preminger's boutique practice on Park Avenue features a state-of-the-art, AAAASF-accredited surgical suite designed to meet the highest standards of safety and patient comfort. She offers a comprehensive range of aesthetic procedures for the face, breast, and body, combining Ivy League training with an artistic eye to deliver results that are both stunning and natural-looking. More About Dr. B. Aviva Preminger Dr. B. Aviva Preminger is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, breast, and body. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and earned her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, where she graduated at the top of her class and served as President of the Cornell Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. Dr. Preminger completed her surgical training at the prestigious New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell/Columbia, where she trained under some of the most renowned cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons in the country. She also holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and completed a Clinical Research Fellowship in Breast Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Preminger is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. She has served as president on the boards of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons and the New York State Society of Plastic Surgeons. Her practice, Aviva Preminger MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, is located at 969 Park Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. For more information about Dr. Aviva Preminger or to schedule a consultation, please visit www.premingermd.com. Media Contact Dr. B. Aviva Preminger Aviva Preminger MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (212) 706-1900 https://www.premingermd.com SOURCE Aviva Preminger MD Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Prescient acquires Uptake, bringing together two like-minded organizations with a focus on exceptional client delivery and impact in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry LONDON, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Prescient (Prescient Healthcare Group) today announced the acquisition of Uptake (Uptake Strategies Ltd), a global healthcare consultancy. This strategic move marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for both companies, combining complementary expertise and shared values to deliver exceptional impact for pharmaceutical and biotech clients and the patients they serve worldwide. Prescient Prescient is an international consulting partner to the biopharmaceutical industry, with offices in the US, UK, India, Spain, and Germany. The company operates across three core practices: Medical, led by Luke Solon, Competitive Strategy, led by Ryan Caradonna, and a newly combined Commercial Practice, which will be co-led by Prescient's Simon Campling and Uptake's Managing Director, Maxine Smith. Stephanie Hall, CEO and Founder of Uptake, will assume the role of Global Practice LeadCommercial and join the Prescient Board, ensuring continuity of Uptake's values, culture, and dedication to delivering exceptional performance for clients throughout the integration. Jason McKenna, CEO of Prescient, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Uptake to Prescient. Uptake's reputation for excellence, innovation, and cultural integrity aligns perfectly with our own ambitions. This partnership strengthens our ability to deliver integrated commercial, medical, and strategic solutions for clients globally, ultimately benefiting patients through better-informed decisions." Stephanie Hall, CEO of Uptake, added: "When seeking a partner for our next chapter, Prescient stood out for its cultural alignment and shared commitment to purpose. This next phase of Uptake's growth will unlock new opportunities for our people and clients, while preserving the values that have defined us for 20 years. I am excited to join the Prescient Board and lead the combined Commercial Practice as we scale together." Alan Payne, Partner and Deputy Head of Bridgepoint Development Capital, said: "This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for Prescient, adding highly complementary commercial and launch expertise. Since partnering with Bridgepoint in 2021, Prescient has proven its ability to integrate high-quality businesses, and this transaction reflects a disciplined approach to scaling its platform while continuing to deliver strong outcomes for clients and patients." This joining of forces reflects both Uptake's and Prescient's strategic growth ambitions, which are focused on combined global reach and innovation. Prescient's proven track record in successful integrations, including its acquisition of Strategic North in 2022, ensures a smooth transition with minimal disruption to clients and teams. Both companies share a strong values-led culture, with Prescient's B-Corp certification reinforcing its commitment to purpose and sustainability. Integration planning is already underway, guided by principles designed to maximize the benefits of clear synergies, increased capacity, and combined strengths to deliver further positive impact. For now, Uptake will continue to operate under its existing brand, with an initial reference to being "part of Prescient" across communications. Further brand evolution will follow as integration progresses. Together, Prescient and Uptake will combine global scale and deep expertise to deliver transformative solutions for pharma and biotech clients, and better outcomes for patients worldwide. The transaction is supported by Prescient's existing investment partner Bridgepoint, which partnered with the company in 2021 via Bridgepoint Development Capital, a lower middle-market fund focused on supporting fast-growing businesses across Europe. About Prescient Prescient is a science- and insight-led development and commercialization partner that helps pharma and biotech companies unlock the full value of their assets through seamless integration of deep scientific acumen, multi-dimensional insights, functional area expertise and sharp strategic thinking. Prescient partners with clients from early in the life cycle, working with a wide range of stakeholders and informing a wide range of decisions. We help unlock the full value of clients' assets by using multi-dimensional insights and specialized strategy consulting. For more information, please visit www.prescienthg.com. About Uptake Uptake (Uptake Strategies Ltd.) is a global healthcare consultancy with strong values, actively driving uptake across the pharma and biotech industry. The Uptake Team is unrelenting in their mission to inspire exceptional performance, to deliver work that positively changes more patients' lives. Uptake transforms the impact of its clients' most critical projects, across planning, strategy, capability, and launch, driving impact applied to improving patient outcomes, enhancing competitive or financial performance, and embedding new capabilities or innovations. For more information, please visit www.uptakestrategies.com. About Bridgepoint Bridgepoint Group is one of the world's leading mid-market investors, specialising in private equity, infrastructure, private credit and private wealth. With $87 billion of assets under management and a strong local presence in Europe, North America and Asia, we combine global scale with local market insight and sector expertise, consistently delivering strong returns through cycles. Media Contact Amelia Hutchins, Marketing Communications Director, Uptake [email protected] Media Contact Marketing Team +44(0) 1344 636405 [email protected] SOURCE Prescient Healthcare Group HONG KONG, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. ("Ribo" or the "Company", stock code: 06938.HK), a leading company in small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics, today successfully listed on the Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange, marking a significant milestone in the capitalization of Chinese biopharmaceutical enterprises in the siRNA field and injecting new momentum into the industry. In its global offering, Ribo issued a total of 31,610,400 shares at an offer price of HKD 57.97 per share, raising gross proceeds of over 1.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, HKPO was over 100x oversubscribed, International Placing was 16.7x oversubscribed, reflecting strong global investor confidence in the value of the siRNA sector and the Company's capabilities. The IPO proceeds will provide solid financial support for the advancement of the Company's core business. In addition, the offering attracted 12 cornerstone investors, including Arc Avenue, Ivy Rock, Springs Capital, China Asset Management, Dacheng International and Dacheng Fund, and Taikang Life Insurance etc., demonstrating the strong confidence of leading institutions in the Company's long-term prospects. Dr. Zicai Liang, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ribo, commented: "Listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange represents a major milestone in Ribo's journey. We extend our sincere gratitude to global investors for their trust and support. Moving forward, we will leverage the international capital markets to accelerate the global clinical development and commercialization of siRNA therapeutics, further strengthen our technologies, deliver breakthrough therapies to patients worldwide while creating sustainable value for shareholders." Proceeds from the offering will be allocated across four key areas: (1) Advancing global multicenter clinical trials for core products; (2) Supporting preclinical and clinical development of the pipeline; (3) Iterating and upgrading siRNA delivery and other technology platforms; (4) Replenishing operational capital and earmarking funds for routine corporate purposes. Ribo has built a fully integrated R&D platform with independent intellectual property rights. Its innovative liver-targeting RiboGalSTARTM delivery technology has successfully advanced multiple products into Phase II clinical trials. The Company has established R&D centers in Suzhou, Beijing and Gothenburg, Sweden, and a global R&D network capable of supporting end-to-end drug development from discovery to global clinical trials. The listing was jointly sponsored by China International Capital Corporation and Citigroup, which provided professional support for the Company's successful entry into the capital markets. About Ribo Life Science Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. (06938.HK) is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics. Powered by its proprietary and innovative siRNA technology platforms, the Company has built a rich and differentiated pipeline targeting major disease areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, liver and kidney diseases. Ribo is committed to delivering revolutionary treatment solutions to patients worldwide through continuous innovation. For more information, please visit: www.ribolia.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2858004/Ribo_Life.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2804420/logo_Ribolia_Logo.jpg BETHLEHEM, Pa., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Luke's University Health Network is pleased to announce that its newly created St. Luke's College of Health Sciences has begun accepting applications for its inaugural class, which will begin in May 2026. The College, which shares a campus with St. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem, is now enrolling students at www.StLukesCollege.org for the following programs: St. Lukes Launches St. Lukes College of Health Sciences to Strengthen Regional Health Care Workforce Radiography (Associate Degree) Respiratory Care (Associate Degree) RN to BSN (Bachelor's Degree) In addition to its degree-granting programs, the College will also offer general education coursework. Approval to establish the St. Luke's College of Health Sciences was granted in October 2025 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, marking a strategic step that will shape the future of health care education and workforce development in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. "This is a historic milestone for the Lehigh Valley," said Mary Grace Simcox, EdD, RN, first president of the St. Luke's College of Health Sciences. "The launch of the St. Luke's College of Health Sciences reflects a bold commitment to strengthening our health care workforce by providing an affordable, local pathway to high-demand careers complete with guaranteed clinical placements, hands-on learning, small class sizes, and clear opportunities for professional advancement." Respiratory Care and Radiography classes will be held at the Priscilla Payne Hurd Education Center, while the RN to BSN program will be offered fully online with a curriculum designed to support adult learners seeking non-traditional college experiences. Students will also have access to simulation and skills labs, study areas and library resources. St. Luke's longstanding partnerships with regional colleges and universities will continue. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care and social assistance sector is projected to experience the largest job growth of any industry between 2024 and 2034, driven by an aging population and persistent workforce shortages. Meeting this demand requires strong, accessible education pathways. St. Luke's has long been a leader in medical education, operating the oldest School of Nursing in the country, a four-year medical school through The Temple St. Luke's School of Medicine, and offering more than 60 Graduate Medical Education programs. "The launch of the St. Luke's College of Health Sciences reflects St. Luke's ongoing commitment as a national leader in health care education and builds on that foundation," Simcox said. "We are excited to welcome our first class of students and help them start, grow and thrive in a health care career." For more information or to apply, visit www.StLukesCollege.org or watch St. Luke's College of Health Sciences Overview Video. About St. Luke's Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of 23,000+ employees providing services at 16 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue of $4.5 billion, the Network's service area includes 11 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke's is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. SOURCE St. Lukes University Health Network, Inc. WELLESLEY, Mass., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has been named a 2025 Top Place to Work by the Baltimore Sun, building on recognitions in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Mo., Boston and Hartford, Conn., where Sun Life has other offices. Through employee survey company Energage, Sun Life was ranked on factors like employee programs, engagement, culture, benefits, social responsibility and career development. Sun Life has also received national recognition as a recipient of the USA Today Top Workplace award for five consecutive years, among other national workplace recognitions. 2025 Baltimore Sun Top Places to Work "We are proud of our caring and purpose-driven culture," said Tammi Wortham, senior vice president, Human Resources, Sun Life U.S. "We show employees they are valued and help them understand how their work contributes to the overall goals of the business. Connecting people to what they do strengthens us as a company and a workforce, and it shows in our high levels of employee engagement and a near 95% retention rate." The Sun Life U.S. Baltimore office is a base for approximately 90 employees who staff Sun Life's Health Navigator service, which guides people through the health system and gets them the right providers and care. Health Navigator is run by PinnacleCare, which was acquired by Sun Life in 2021. In total, Sun Life U.S. has hub offices in six cities across the U.S.: Baltimore; Hartford, Conn.; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Portland, Maine and Wellesley, Mass., as well as an office in Waterford, Ireland. Sun Life provides its employees with a flexible, hybrid work model that allows them to decide which days to use the office. With this approach, employees determine where they will be most productive each day and experience better work/life balance. "Every day, we are proud to foster an environment that inspires people to do their best work," added Wortham. "Receiving this recognition in Baltimore, where our employees are helping people navigate the health system to get the care they need, is truly gratifying." As a leader in the benefits space, Sun Life offers a broad range of meaningful benefits to its employees, including generous paid family and medical leave, mental health support, healthcare navigation, menopause care and other health and wellness services. Sun Life also offers a sabbatical program, which is available to all employees every five years of employment. About Sun Life Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.62 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping approximately 50 million Americans access the care and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life employs more than 8,300 people in the U.S., including associates in our partner dental practices and affiliated companies in asset management. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information visit our website and newsroom. Media contacts Devon Fernald Sun Life U.S. [email protected] 781-800-3609 Connect with Sun Life U.S. https://www.facebook.com/SLFUnitedStates https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-life-financial SOURCE Sun Life U.S. KIGALI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's coffee sector posted strong growth in 2025, with export revenues reaching a record high of nearly 150 million U.S. dollars, the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) has said in a statement. In 2025, Rwanda exported 23,860 tons of green (unroasted) coffee, up 39 percent year-on-year, while export revenues surged 65 percent to more than 148.6 million dollars, according to the statement released on Thursday. This marked a significant improvement compared to 2024, when the country exported 17,142 tonnes valued at more than 89.8 million dollars. The growth was driven by higher export volumes, rising international prices, and sustained investment in production and market expansion, it added. NAEB Chief Executive Officer Claude Bizimana said the results signal that Rwanda is on track to meet its long-term targets. "This growth shows that Rwanda is well positioned to reach the goal of exporting 32,000 tons of coffee and generating 192 million dollars in revenues by the end of the second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) in 2029," he was quoted as saying. Bizimana attributed the success to both increased coffee production and expanded access to international markets. Flagship initiatives such as the Best of Rwanda Coffee Competition played a key role in promoting high-quality coffee and attracting new global buyers. Revenue growth was further supported by favorable global market conditions. The average export price of Rwandan coffee rose 19 percent to 6.2 dollars per kg in 2025 compared with the previous year, NAEB said. On the production side, output benefited from coffee trees distributed and prepared by NAEB over the past five years, now reaching their productive stage. Increased use of fertilizers and the adoption of good agricultural practices also contributed to higher yields. Attractive prices encouraged farmers to invest in proper farm management, while favorable climatic conditions further boosted production. Meanwhile, export growth was reinforced by targeted market development efforts. Bizimana noted that NAEB intensified strategic promotion of Rwandan coffee in emerging markets, particularly in the Middle East, while strengthening its presence in niche specialty markets in Europe and North America. TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Setting a new benchmark for luxury waterfront living in Florida, Marina Pointe, a state-of-the-art condominium community located within Tampa Bay's 52-acre Westshore Marina District, has been honored with three Americas Property Awards by the International Property Awards organization. The awards celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property & real estate industry. An International Property Award is a world-renowned mark of excellence. Dominic Pickering, Executive Director of Marina Pointe Marina Pointe is redefining Tampa Bay's luxury real estate market with its sleek, high-rise towers overlooking a private deepwater marina on Tampa Bay. Offering resort-style amenities, panoramic water views, and modern architectural design, Marina Pointe has quickly become one of Florida's most coveted waterfront addresses for buyers seeking a sophisticated coastal lifestyle. Marina Pointe earned top distinctions in the Apartment and Condominium Development for Florida, Architecture Multiple Residence for Florida, and Residential High-Rise Development for Florida categories, underscoring its status as one of the most exceptional residential projects in the region. These honors recognize excellence in architectural design, innovation, and the creation of an elevated waterfront lifestyle, reflecting the unwavering commitment to quality at every stage of the project by the visionary behind Marina Pointe, BTI Partners. "We're incredibly proud to be recognized with these awards," said Dominic Pickering, Executive Director of Marina Pointe. "From day one, our goal with Marina Pointe has been to create something truly special in Tampa Bay. Every detail was designed to offer residents an exceptional waterfront lifestyle. It's rewarding to see that vision recognized, and it also reflects how Tampa has really become one of the top cities people are relocating to." The International Property Awards are a globally respected competition, open to residential and commercial property professionals worldwide. Recognized for their rigorous judging process and international scope, the awards highlight innovation, design, and quality in real estate, underscoring Marina Pointe's distinction as a standout residential development. Marina Pointe's first residential tower has sold out, while Luna at Marina Pointe, the second phase, is now offering pre-construction waterfront residences ranging from 1,100 to over 3,400 square feet, priced from $1 million to more than $4 million. Each home features floor-to-ceiling glass, designer-curated finishes, and open layouts that showcase sweeping views of Tampa Bay. Residents enjoy access to a 150-slip deepwater marina capable of accommodating yachts up to 90 feet, a resort-style pool and spa, private social lounges, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, and 24-hour concierge service. Marina Pointe's walkable setting places residents steps away from waterfront dining, boutique shopping, wellness studios, and outdoor recreation, all just minutes from downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg. "Marina Pointe delivers a true turnkey waterfront lifestyle," Pickering added. "Every element is thoughtfully designed to provide effortless luxury. From waterfront views and designer interiors to world-class amenities and a vibrant, walkable neighborhood, Marina Pointe embodies the very best of Tampa living." As Tampa Bay's luxury real estate market continues to flourish, Marina Pointe stands as a symbol of the region's transformation, attracting homebuyers from across the United States and around the world. The development exemplifies Florida's vibrant lifestyle, economic growth, and unmatched waterfront appeal, setting a new benchmark for luxury condominium living in Tampa Bay. About Marina Pointe Marina Pointe is Tampa Bay's premier luxury waterfront condominium development, located in the award-winning 52-acre Westshore Marina District. This exclusive waterfront community will feature three luxury towers with thoughtfully designed ultra-high-end condominiums and Harbour Homes, all situated along 1.5 scenic miles of Tampa Bay waterfront with direct marina access. With the first tower completed, Luna at Marina Pointe is offering luxury waterfront residences ranging from 1,100 to 3,500 square feet, priced from $1 million to over $4 million, each featuring panoramic Tampa Bay views and modern finishes. Strategically located in a private peninsula, Marina Pointe redefines luxury waterfront living in Florida with resort-style amenities including a 150-slip full-service private marina on a 13-acre deep-water basin, 24-hour concierge, state-of-the-art fitness centers, resort-style pools, and exclusive social lounges. Marina Pointe offers the rare opportunity for owners to purchase their own private boat slip in Tampa's most exclusive marina, which accommodates yachts from 40 to 90 feet. Centrally located just minutes from downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, this luxury waterfront enclave benefits from the walkable Westshore Marina District, filled with vibrant restaurants, boutique shops, wellness studios, and year-round community events that enhance the lifestyle of residents. It provides discerning buyers the perfect balance of coastal sophistication and metropolitan convenience. For more information about Tampa's most prestigious waterfront residences, visit marinapointe.com . "The three Marina Pointe condominiums are being developed by Marina Pointe East Developer, LLC, Marina Pointe Central Developer, LLC, and Marina Pointe West Developer, LLC (individually or collectively the "Developers" or "Developer" as is required in context), and this offering is made only by the Developers' respective Prospectus for the applicable Condominium. This is not an offer to sell or solicitation of offers to buy the condominium units in states where such offer or solicitation cannot be made. Prices and availability are subject to change at any time without notice. BTI Realty, LLC is engaged in the promotion of the sale of condominium units and is an affiliate of BTI Partners, LLC. Neither BTI Realty, BTI Partners, or any of their respective affiliated and/or related entities are acting in the capacity as a developer of the condominium pursuant to the applicable provision of Florida Statutes, Chapter 718. Please refer to the prospectus and all exhibits thereto for applicable disclosures relating to this project." For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. SOURCE Marina Pointe 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. The AIM All-Share has got off to a strong start to the year after lagging blue-chips in 2026, with investors hoping the feel-good factor that powered the Footsie last year is finally trickling down to the markets lower reaches. Small-cap stocks rose 2.6% over the past five trading days, exactly double the pace of the big-company index, driven by a handful of eye-catching triple-digit gainers. Leading the pack, with a 200% jump, was Galantas Gold Corp (AIM:GAL, TSX-V:GAL, OTCQX:GALKF), which on Thursday struck a deal to buy the Andacollo Oro gold project in Chiles Coquimbo region. The asset is a past-producing, large-scale open-pit heap leach operation, with infrastructure and permits already in place alongside extensive historical technical data. Measured and indicated mineral resources are estimated at an aggregate two million ounces of gold. Put into context, this is, on the face of it, a mid-tier asset being bought for a knock-down $32 million. Whether it proves to be the bargain it appears remains to be seen. Mobilityone Limited (AIM:MBO) doubled in value during the week and is now up more than 800% over the past month. The catalyst was a New Years Eve announcement that it had secured regulatory approval to launch an Islamic bank. CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, OTCQX:CTLHF) gained a comparatively modest 55% after saying it had appointed Cutfield Freeman as financial adviser to help secure a strategic partner and structure funding for its Laguna Verde project in Chile. The move comes as the company nears completion of a pre-feasibility study and advances its application for a Special Lithium Operating Contract. Speculation around the future of Greenland, and claims by the Trump administration over ownership, appeared to give a lift to Alba Mineral Resources PLC (AIM:ALBA, OTC:ALBAF), which has a 51% stake in a critical metals project on the Arctic island. The shares ended the week 61% higher. Stake-building activity pushed Westmount Energy Limited (AIM:WTE, OTCQB:WMELF) up 50%, while Reabold Energy advanced 42% after receiving sign-off for a gas project in Italy. Down 56% in the last year, there were flickers of life at Lords Trading Group, which sells DIY and building materials, along with The shares ended the week 5% higher. Turning to the fallers, Indus Gas topped the losers list, sliding 38% after investors backed plans to delist from AIM. It follows a trend seen in both 2024 and 2025, with smaller companies choosing to go private amid poor liquidity, shrinking access to capital and high listing fees. Jarvis Securities Plc (AIM:JIM) fell a further 33% after a late-December update on the scale of potential liabilities linked to historic breaches of Financial Conduct Authority rules, currently totalling 2.8 million. Over the past year, the stock has plunged more than 80% and is now worth just over 3 million, despite holding around 10 million on the balance sheet. Shares in Gunsynd PLC (LSE:GUN) slid 30% after the explorer published what appeared, on the face of it, to be a benign update on its Barb gold project in Canada. The company said it had completed a full technical assessment of its 2025 field programme at Barb, where it owns 100% of the project. The markets reaction, seemingly at odds with the broadly positive tone, may reflect concern that Gunsynd could yet need to return to shareholders for funding, potentially through a share issue to finance further work. With a market value of about 1.6 million, even a relatively small capital raising would risk being highly dilutive and almost certainly priced at a significant discount. Alternatively, the move may say more about market mechanics than fundamentals. In thinly traded small-cap stocks, a single determined seller can have an outsized impact on the price. Under Londons market-maker system, relatively modest volumes can translate into sharp moves when liquidity is limited. Shares in Engage XR Holdings PLC (AIM:EXR) XR fell 26% after the group reported a sharp drop in revenues, hit by delays to contract signings and weaker demand from corporate clients. The AIM-listed artificial intelligence and spatial computing business said it expects full-year revenue of about 1.9 million for 2025, down from 3.4 million a year earlier, blaming lower-than-expected enterprise sales and renewals as a global hiring slowdown curbed demand for training and onboarding tools. Finally, one of the junior markets larger companies passed a notable milestone. Seeing Machines Ltd (AIM:SEE, OTC:SEEMF), which makes camera-based systems to monitor driver alertness, said it would be cash-flow positive and post its first ever profit slightly ahead of schedule. Earlier in the week, the company said it would receive $14.1 million in cash this month following a renegotiation of a long-running royalty agreement with a major automotive customer. The change follows a material alteration to the customers vehicle production programme, triggering an accelerated payout under an existing guarantee. Seeing Machines said the lump sum would lift profits and cash generation in the second half of its 2026 financial year. 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. About this content About Jamie Ashcroft Jamie Ashcroft, the News Editor for Proactive UK, has developed an impressive career in financial journalism, focusing on the small-cap sector for over fourteen years. Before joining the Proactive team, he was a stockbroker during the global financial crisis, a role that complemented his educational background - a first-class degree in Business and Economics and qualifications in software design and development. As one of the early external hires at Proactive in 2009, Jamie contributed... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. About this content About Fouad Haidar Fouad is a trilingual broadcast journalist & content producer/presenter for Proactive. He has a Communication & Media degree from the University of Western Australia & a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He's worked in Dubai for 7 years reporting on Hollywood A-listers & producing a daily morning show. Back in Australia, he's worked as a weather and lifestyle presenter for Sky News Australia before moving into business and... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the worlds key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. OpenAI has formally expanded its healthcare push with the launch of OpenAI for Healthcare, a set of tools aimed at hospitals, health systems and developers operating in clinical environments. The move marks a shift away from general-purpose or experimental use cases and towards enterprise deployment in one of the most tightly regulated sectors of the economy. The new offering is focused on administrative and operational support rather than clinical decision-making, targeting areas such as documentation, patient record summarisation and information retrieval. It reflects how generative AI is currently being adopted inside healthcare organisations: cautiously, and with a clear emphasis on workflow efficiency rather than diagnosis or treatment. What OpenAI is launching OpenAI for Healthcare consists of two core components: a healthcare-specific version of ChatGPT designed for clinical and administrative users, and a dedicated application programming interface (API) that allows developers and health IT vendors to embed AI capabilities into their own systems. The healthcare version of ChatGPT is intended for use by clinicians, administrators and researchers. It supports tasks such as summarising patient histories, drafting clinical and discharge notes, and retrieving cited medical literature from peer-reviewed sources. The emphasis is on reducing time spent on documentation and internal communication, rather than influencing clinical judgment. The API component enables integration into existing healthcare software, including electronic health records, scheduling platforms and reporting tools. This allows hospitals and developers to deploy AI features within established workflows, rather than introducing standalone systems. Governance and data handling take centre stage A central feature of the launch is how OpenAI is addressing data governance. The company says healthcare customer data remains under the control of the institution and is not used to train its broader models. OpenAI is also offering support for compliance frameworks such as HIPAA in the United States, including Business Associate Agreements for eligible customers. These assurances are critical in a sector where data privacy, auditability and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. Healthcare organisations have been wary of generative AI precisely because of concerns around data leakage, accountability and regulatory exposure. Any technology seeking adoption at scale must address those risks up front. Why the focus is on operations, not diagnosis The scope of OpenAI for Healthcare reflects broader trends in healthcare AI adoption. While interest in AI remains high, most real-world deployments have been narrow and tightly controlled, centred on administrative support rather than autonomous clinical functions. In many developed markets, clinicians spend a substantial portion of their working day on documentation and reporting. That administrative load has been linked to burnout, workforce attrition and reduced patient-facing time. As a result, tools that can reliably improve efficiency without introducing clinical risk have become a priority for healthcare operators. Consumer use continues but on a different track The launch sits alongside growing public use of AI tools for health-related information. Many people now use conversational AI to help interpret symptoms, test results or treatment options, often as a supplement to professional care. Read more: Inside Biotech: AIs expanding role in healthcare, from systems to self-navigation That behaviour has attracted attention and debate, but it operates in a very different context from institutional healthcare use. In clinical environments, requirements around accountability, integration and governance are far stricter. OpenAIs latest move reflects that distinction, with a clear separation between consumer-facing features and enterprise healthcare deployment. Competitive and industry implications For the healthcare technology sector, the announcement adds pressure on incumbent vendors. Electronic health record providers, digital health platforms and enterprise software companies are all racing to incorporate generative AI into their products. OpenAIs entry reinforces the idea that AI-assisted documentation and workflow support are becoming baseline expectations rather than optional features. From an investor perspective, the launch underscores where near-term opportunities in healthcare AI are likely to lie. Incremental efficiency gains, delivered through integration with existing systems, may prove more commercially durable than more ambitious but riskier clinical applications. A cautious but meaningful step OpenAI for Healthcare does not resolve the broader challenges facing AI in medicine. Questions around liability, bias, long-term data governance and regulatory oversight remain open, and adoption will vary across jurisdictions and health systems. What the launch does show is a clear strategic direction. Rather than promising disruption, OpenAI is positioning its healthcare tools to fit within existing regulatory and operational frameworks. In a sector where change is slow and scrutiny is high, that approach may prove to be the most viable path forward. DAMASCUS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Syrian government forces deployed on Friday in Aleppo's predominantly Kurdish Ashrafieh neighborhood following the retreat of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as authorities work to remove SDF fighters from the contested Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. Emergency authorities chief Raed al-Saleh said the authorities have started operations in former SDF-held neighborhoods, removing barriers, reopening roads, and surveying to clear war remnants for civilian safety. "These efforts are part of national initiatives aimed at restoring stability, protecting lives and enabling residents to return safely to their neighborhoods, while addressing residual risks left by years of conflict," al-Saleh told state TV al-Ikhbariya. Buses have gathered around the perimeter of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to facilitate the withdrawal of SDF fighters, in line with arrangements announced by the Syrian defense authorities earlier on Friday, al-Ikhbariya reported. According to the announcement, the SDF fighters are expected to be transferred later on Friday, carrying only light personal weapons, to Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria. The Syrian defense authorities announced late Thursday a ceasefire in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid, urging SDF fighters to leave the area before 9:00 a.m. local time on Friday. However, state media reported that when buses initially assembled to transport the fighters, SDF elements who refused to leave opened fire on the vehicles, forcing a temporary withdrawal. The buses later returned to positions at neighborhood entrances, indicating that the withdrawal agreement remains in effect. The developments came after days of clashes between Syrian government forces and the SDF in northern Aleppo, which displaced civilians and prompted authorities to impose curfews and other security measures. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Seoul, Jan 9 : The final hearing of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection trial was held Friday amid keen interest in the level of punishment he will face, including the possibility of the death penalty. The trial, which kicked off in February after Yoon was indicted on charges of leading an insurrection through his December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law, will conclude after the hearing that began at the Seoul Central District Court at 9:20 a.m. The session will also be the final hearing in the insurrection trials of former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former National Police Agency chief Cho Ji-ho and five others, who are accused of playing a key role in an insurrection through their involvement in the brief execution of martial law. All eight defendants, including the jailed former president, were in attendance. A final hearing typically consists of the prosecution's final opinion and sentencing recommendation, the closing arguments of the defendant's lawyer and the defendant's final statement. 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. Legal sources anticipate the court's sentencing will come in early February, Yonhap news agency reported. 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 mobilizing 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. 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. The courtroom where Friday's hearing was held is the same place other former leaders were tried for various offenses, including former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who in 1996 received sentencing recommendations of the death penalty and life imprisonment, respectively, for their roles in a 1979 coup that installed Chun in power in 1980. Amnesty International has categorized South Korea as a death penalty abolitionist in practice as the punishment has not been carried out since December 1997. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Mumbai, Jan 9 : Amid ongoing election activity in the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) has launched a fierce attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of abandoning its core ideology for the sake of power. The party described the BJP's recent political manoeuvres in Maharashtra as a "shameful display of hypocrisy" following revelations of local alliances with the AIMIM and the Congress party. The Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana' editorial said, "The BJP's current mindset is to do whatever it takes to stay in power and avoid sitting in the opposition as it lacks an original ideology; their Hindutva is a pretence used for selfish political gain. Without the warmth of power, the BJP will struggle to survive. This is why they are willing to partner with Owaisi's party. For the sake of power, the BJP first gave the "Adhan" (call to prayer), then performed the "Nikah" (marriage), and even the "circumcision", but the "Qazi" (judge/cleric) recited the prayers so loudly that the BJP's secret affair reached the entire world." The editorial alleged that the BJP has frequently utilised Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM as a "hidden helper" in elections across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra to divide opposition votes. "Whenever Owaisi arrives in Maharashtra to give the 'call to prayer' (Azaan), it is a signal that the BJP has begun its election preparations," said the editorial, describing the relationship as a "romance behind the trees" that has now come out into the open. The Thackeray camp referred to the recent developments in municipal councils. In the Akot Municipal Council, the BJP is accused of entering into an "open marriage" with AIMIM. In the Ambernath Municipal Council, the BJP collaborated with the Congress to undermine the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. After public outcry, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attempted to perform damage control in a desperate attempt to purify by ordering a " triple talaq " from these alliances and promising action against those involved. However, the damage to the BJP's reputation is irreversible," it claimed. The state of the BJP in Maharashtra has become such that "reputation lost in a drop cannot be regained by a tankful," it said. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena further said that the dealings, including negotiations, bargaining, and secret meetings, for tie-ups were initially conducted in private until someone exposed them. According to the editorial, while PM Modi gave the slogan of "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress-free India), the BJP has now become "Congress-yukt BJP". "The BJP has absorbed corrupt Congress leaders into its fold. It appears their new strategy is to kidnap others' children because they cannot produce capable leaders of their own. Nearly 80 per cent of the BJP's MLAs, MPs, and corporators are imports from the Congress, NCP, or Shiv Sena. These converts now put on a sickening display of loyalty to Hindutva," it alleged. The Thackeray camp argued that by recruiting corrupt leaders and criminals to win elections, the BJP's only true policy has become "winning at any cost". New Delhi, Jan 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended warm birthday wishes to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, lauding his distinguished service to the nation and his pivotal role in strengthening India's foreign policy and relations with countries across the world. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended warm birthday wishes to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, lauding his distinguished service to the nation and his pivotal role in strengthening India's foreign policy and relations with countries across the world. Taking to the social media platform 'X', Prime Minister Modi said, aBest wishes to Dr. S. Jaishankar Ji on his birthday. He has served the nation as a distinguished diplomat and is now playing a key role in strengthening India's foreign policy and ties with the world. Praying for his long and healthy life." Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, born on January 9, 1955, in New Delhi, is an Indian politician and senior leader of the BJP. He has been serving as Indiaas External Affairs Minister since 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the most experienced diplomats to enter active politics. Notably, he is the first Indian career diplomat and former foreign secretary to be appointed as the country's external affairs minister. Before transitioning into politics, Jaishankar had a long and illustrious diplomatic career spanning more than four decades. He served as India's Foreign Secretary, the highest bureaucratic position in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), from 2015 to 2018. Before that, he held several key diplomatic assignments, including serving as India's Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013 and to the United States from 2013 to 2015. Jaishankar was born into a Tamil family known for its strong intellectual and strategic traditions. His father, Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam, was a highly respected bureaucrat, strategic affairs analyst, and commentator who played a crucial role in shaping India's defence and nuclear policies. Growing up in such an environment, Jaishankar developed an early interest in international relations and strategic affairs. He completed his schooling in New Delhi and Bengaluru and went on to graduate from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. He later earned a Master's degree in Political Science, followed by an M.Phil. and a PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His academic specialisation was nuclear diplomacy, an area that would later define much of his professional work. He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1977. Jaishankar began his diplomatic career in Moscow in 1978, where he gained fluency in Russian -- an asset that has significantly contributed to strengthening India-Russia ties over the years. From 1979 to 2006, he held several important postings abroad and within the MEA, gaining deep familiarity with India's diplomatic framework and global engagements. His overseas assignments included postings in Moscow; Washington, DC.; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Budapest; and Tokyo. In addition to his diplomatic postings, Jaishankar also served as press secretary and speechwriter to former President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma, further enhancing his understanding of governance, public communication, and statecraft. Jaishankar returned to India in 2004 and was appointed head of the Americas Division in the MEA. During this period, he played a key role in negotiations that led to the announcement of the landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal in 2005. The agreement marked a turning point in India's global standing by enabling civil nuclear cooperation with the international community. From 2007 to 2009, he served as India's High Commissioner to Singapore, strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in trade, education, and regional security. In 2009, he was appointed India's Ambassador to China, a position he held until 2013, making him the longest-serving Indian envoy to Beijing. His tenure coincided with a critical phase in India-China relations, marked by efforts to stabilise ties amid persistent border tensions. In 2012, when China issued passports depicting Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory, the Indian Embassy in Beijing, under Jaishankar's leadership, responded firmly by issuing visas to Chinese nationals with maps showing the regions as part of India. The move was widely seen as a strong diplomatic assertion of India's territorial claims. In 2013, Jaishankar took charge as India's Ambassador to the United States at a time when bilateral relations were strained due to the arrest of a senior Indian diplomat in New York on charges of visa fraud. He engaged with senior American officials and played a key role in resolving the issue, helping restore trust between the two countries. Jaishankar has often noted that while India-US relations are friendly, they require constant engagement and careful management. On January 28, 2015, following a meeting of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi, Jaishankar was appointed India's Foreign Secretary. He replaced Sujatha Singh, whose tenure was curtailed by nearly eight months. As foreign secretary, Jaishankar prioritised strengthening ties with neighbouring countries and enhancing engagement with East and Southeast Asia. He also coordinated India's swift humanitarian response to the devastating Nepal earthquake in April 2015, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives. After retiring from the IFS in 2018, Jaishankar briefly worked in the private sector. Though he had not initially planned to enter politics, he was invited by Prime Minister Modi to join the Union Cabinet. In May 2019, he was appointed External Affairs Minister in the Modi government's second term and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat as a BJP candidate in July 2019. As external affairs minister, Jaishankar navigated India's diplomacy through a period of unprecedented global challenges. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he led India's 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, under which India supplied domestically produced vaccines to more than 75 countries. He also oversaw the 'Vande Bharat Mission', one of the world's largest repatriation efforts, which facilitated the return of hundreds of thousands of stranded Indian citizens from across the globe. Jaishankar played a crucial role in strengthening India's strategic partnerships with countries such as the United States, Russia, and Japan, and with multilateral groupings, including the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). His approach emphasised India's growing role as a responsible global power. Reappointed as the EAM in June 2024 in Prime Minister Modi's third cabinet, Jaishankar continues to play a central role in shaping India's foreign policy. Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, India renewed its accusations against Pakistan over cross-border terrorism, leading to a further deterioration in bilateral relations. With more than three decades of diplomatic experience, fluency in multiple languages, and deep expertise in global affairs, S. Jaishankar remains a key architect of India's contemporary foreign policy and an influential voice on the global stage. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Bengaluru, Jan 9 : In a tragic incident, four pilgrims, including a girl, returning from Sabarimala in Kerala, were killed and seven others were injured in a road accident near the Kora region close to the Vasanthanarasapura Industrial Area in Karnataka's Tumakuru district on Friday. According to police, the tragedy occurred when the cruiser vehicle carrying the pilgrims rammed into a parked truck. The deceased were identified as six-year-old Sakshi, 30-year-old Venkateshappa, 35-year-old Marathappa, and 40-year-old Gavisiddappa. The accident occurred while the group was returning from the Sabarimala pilgrimage in Kerala. The injured were shifted to a hospital, and the condition of two of them is critical. Preliminary investigations revealed that 11 pilgrims were travelling in the cruiser. The victims had left for Sabarimala on January 5. The devotees from two villages had undertaken the pilgrimage. Sakshi, who was studying in Class 1, was visiting Sabarimala for the second time. The accident occurred at around 4.40 a.m., and all the deceased hailed from Kukanuru in Koppal district. The incident occurred within the limits of the Kora police station, and further investigation is underway. On November 24, 2025, four Sabarimala pilgrims were killed after their car, which was allegedly overspeeding, hit the side barrier of a flyover and fell into an underpass in Abbenahalli village, Kolar district, in the early hours. The victims, all friends, were on their way to Sabarimala in Kerala when the accident took place. The police stated that the overspeeding caused the vehicle to crash into the flyover's side barrier. The impact was so severe that the car, along with the occupants, fell nearly 100 metres into the underpass, killing them on the spot. On November 15, 2025, three pilgrims were killed and four others critically injured when a car in which they were travelling crashed into the BC Road Circle near Mangaluru city on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway in the early hours. According to police, the group was travelling from Peenya in Bengaluru to Udupi Sri Krishna Matha for a pilgrimage. On March 1, 2025, five pilgrims who were on their way to the Male Mahadeshwara temple in the Chamarajanagara district were killed when the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck. The accident occurred at Chikkindumadi in Kollegal taluk. The deceased were on their way to the temple located atop a hill as grand celebrations were underway for Maha Shivaratri. Washington, Jan 9 : President Donald Trump is framing the US intervention in Venezuela not as a short-term military action but as a long-range economic and geopolitical reset-one that he says reclaims control of oil assets, deters rivals, curbs drug trafficking and sends a signal well beyond Latin America. Washington, Jan 9 (IANS) President Donald Trump is framing the US intervention in Venezuela not as a short-term military action but as a long-range economic and geopolitical resetone that he says reclaims control of oil assets, deters rivals, curbs drug trafficking and sends a signal well beyond Latin America. In a sit-down interview on Fox News' Hannity, Trump laid out a sweeping rationale for the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, repeatedly returning to oil as the central lever of US power. "They took the oil from us years ago," Trump said, referring to the nationalization of American energy assets in Venezuela. "We just took it back." The president said the United States has already secured large quantities of Venezuelan crude under sanctions enforcement. "We've taken $4 billion worth of oil in one day," he said, adding that the total would rise over time. Trump said major American companies would now rebuild Venezuela's collapsed energy sector. "The top 14 companies are coming," he said. "They're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure." He argued that restoring production would have global effects. "It means lower oil prices all over the world," he said, a claim that underscores how closely the administration is linking foreign policy to commodity markets. While the president acknowledged that reviving Venezuela's oil industry would take time"The oil will take a while," he saidhe made clear that US involvement would not be brief. "We're going to be there till we straighten out the country," Trump said. The comments suggest an open-ended US role, with economic oversight preceding political transition. On elections, Trump said conditions are not yet in place. "They wouldn't even know how to have an election right now," he said. "The country's become third world." Beyond economics, Trump portrayed the Venezuela action as a demonstration of deterrence. He said the operation sent a message across the region, particularly to governments in Cuba and Colombia. "They saw what happened," he said. "They're treating us with great respect." Trump noted that Maduro's removal had prompted other leaders to fall into line, reducing the likelihood of confrontation. The implication was that decisive action in one country reshapes behavior in others. Framing the operation as a law-enforcement success with immediate security benefits, he accused the former Venezuelan government of exporting crime to the United States. "He emptied his prisons into the United States," Trump said. "He emptied his mental institutions and insane asylums." He claimed a sharp reduction in maritime drug trafficking. "We've knocked out 97 per cent of the drugs coming in by water," he said. "There are very few boats operating right now." While he did not provide independent verification of that figure, he returned to the theme repeatedly, arguing that military force paired with law enforcement had produced tangible results. Trump said the Venezuela raid was risky but successful. "We went right into the middle of a fort," he said. "Thousands of soldiers." He added that US forces reached Maduro within minutes and exited without losing a soldier. "We didn't lose a soldier," he said, though he acknowledged injuries. "A couple of very brave helicopter pilots were wounded pretty badly," Trump said. "But they're good. They're in good shape." Trump contrasted the success with past US military failures. "You didn't have a Jimmy Carter disaster," he said, referring to the failed Iran hostage rescue. "You didn't have a Biden Afghanistan disaster." Trump repeatedly declined to spell out red lines for further escalation. "I wouldn't want to tell you that," he said when asked about conditions for deeper US involvement. Seoul, Jan 9 : South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will make a two-day visit to Japan's Nara prefecture early next week for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Lee is scheduled to depart for Japan next Tuesday for the summit talks, which will be held in the Japanese prefecture of Nara, Takaichi's hometown, Cheong Wa Dae said, Yonhap News Agency reported. The two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of regional and global issues, as well as the economy, society and culture, Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. Lee and Takaichi last held summit talks on Oct. 30 on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju and briefly met on the margins of the Group of 20 leaders' gathering in South Africa in November. Lee will attend a friendship event with Takaichi next Wednesday and meet with ethnic Koreans in Japan before returning home that day. The trip will mark Lee's second visit to the neighboring country after he visited Tokyo in August and held summit talks with Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. The upcoming visit is expected to help strengthen the future-oriented momentum of bilateral ties through "shuttle diplomacy," or reciprocal visits, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Lee has said he intends to advance ties with Japan in a future-oriented manner, while not overlooking longstanding wartime history issues stemming from the time when Korea was under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The planned summit between Lee and Takaichi comes as tensions between Tokyo and Beijing remained heightened over the Japanese prime minister's remarks about Taiwan. On Thursday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with the policy chief of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and discussed efforts to advance bilateral relations, along with other shared issues, the foreign ministry said. During the meeting with Takayuki Kobayashi, chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council, Cho took note of the bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo moving forward in the right direction based on continued "shuttle diplomacy," or regular visits by their leaders, the ministry said. Cho expressed hope that Kobayashi will further make efforts to help deepen relations between the two countries in various areas. Kobayashi, in turn, assessed that the shuttle diplomacy has helped the bilateral ties move forward in a future-oriented and stable manner, underscoring the importance of continuing bilateral cooperation as well as the trilateral partnership with the United States. Kobayashi, a former economic security minister, has served as the LDP policy chief since October last year. The Policy Research Council's chair oversees the party's policy-making process and is considered one of the most powerful posts within the LDP. Gangtok, Jan 9 : Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday shared details of his visit to the revered Manakamana Temple in Nepal, describing the pilgrimage as a spiritually uplifting experience and an occasion to pray for the welfare of people and the progress of the state and the nation. In a post on social media, the Chief Minister said he felt blessed to have the opportunity to visit the sacred shrine dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati. Perched atop a hill at a commanding height, the temple, he noted, offers not only deep spiritual solace but also a serene and awe-inspiring ambience that elevates the mind and soul. "The tranquil surroundings of the temple instil a profound sense of inner peace, bliss, harmony and fulfilment," CM Tamang wrote, adding that the visit left him spiritually enriched and rejuvenated. During his pilgrimage, the Chief Minister said he offered his prayers with humility and devotion for the well-being, happiness and prosperity of the people of Sikkim. He also prayed for the upliftment of the poor, the sick and the vulnerable sections of society, along with peace, development and progress for the state and the country as a whole. Guided by the timeless Indian philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - the belief that the world is one family - the Chief Minister said he extended his prayers beyond borders, seeking universal peace, harmony and the well-being of people across the globe. He emphasised that such spiritual journeys reinforce the values of compassion, unity and shared humanity. The Chief Minister also expressed heartfelt gratitude to all those who supported and assisted him during the pilgrimage. He acknowledged the cooperation and dedication of everyone involved in making the sacred visit possible, stating that their kindness and efforts would always be remembered with respect and appreciation. CM Tamang's visit to the Manakamana Temple comes at a time when he has repeatedly highlighted the importance of spiritual values, cultural heritage and inclusive development in guiding governance and public life. The Chief Minister has often said that faith and tradition play a vital role in strengthening social harmony and fostering a sense of collective responsibility among people. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Eight Trinamool Congress MPs staged a protest on Friday outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. The MPs held placards reading, "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah's dirty politics", and accused the Centre of targeting the opposition through central agencies. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Eight Trinamool Congress MPs staged a protest on Friday outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. The MPs held placards reading, "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah's dirty politics", and accused the Centre of targeting the opposition through central agencies. The Trinamool Congress MPs who participated in the dharna were Derek O'Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. The protest was held ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rally in Kolkata against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC. During the demonstration, Trinamool Congress MPs raised slogans and alleged that the BJP-led Centre was misusing investigative agencies to harass opposition parties ahead of elections. Visuals from the site showed MPs holding placards criticising what they described as "dirty politics" being practised by the Modi government. Derek O'Brien and Mahua Moitra were detained by police while protesting outside the Home Minister's office. The brief detention took place as security personnel attempted to prevent the protesters from blocking access to the premises. After being detained, Derek O'Brien said, "Why are we being detained? Look at this. You are seeing what is happening with Amit Shah's Delhi Police. You are seeing what is happening to MPs. All our MPs have been taken into custody." The protest follows Enforcement Directorate raids conducted on Thursday at the Kolkata office of I-PAC and the residence of its chief and co-founder, Pratik Jain. During the raids, CM Mamata Banerjee reportedly visited the search locations, accusing the central agency of attempting to "loot" sensitive documents related to the Trinamool Congress. Acting on a call given by party supremo and CM Mamata Banerjee, leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress on Thursday evening held protest rallies across the state to condemn the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director and co-founder, Pratik Jain. The ED on Thursday conducted search operations at the Salt Lake Sector V office of I-PAC, which has been working as a political consultancy firm for the Trinamool Congress since 2019. ED teams also searched the Loudon Street residence of Pratik Jain, who is a co-founder and director of I-PAC. Following the searches, CM Mamata Banerjee visited Jain's residence in central Kolkata. While leaving the premises, she was seen carrying documents and a laptop, which she said belonged to the Trinamool Congress and were related to the party's upcoming Assembly elections. Banerjee later went to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake. During her visit, police officials accompanying her were seen removing files and diaries from the office and placing them inside her vehicle. The West Bengal CM alleged that the ED, under the guise of conducting raids, had 'looted' documents related to the party's election strategy, candidate list, internal data and financial papers. Jordan's King Abdullah II meets with the EU delegation at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) AMMAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and the European Union (EU) issued a joint statement on Thursday following the first Jordan-EU Summit held here at Al Husseiniya Palace, in which they urged scaled-up humanitarian access to Gaza and reiterated support for the two-state solution. According to the joint statement, both sides urged all parties to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered aid delivery throughout Gaza. They also called on Israel to release withheld Palestinian clearance revenues to ensure the functioning of the Palestinian Authority, read the statement. They expressed "grave concern" over the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and strongly condemned settlement expansion, annexation attempts, and violence against civilians. On other regional issues, the two sides emphasized respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and the 2024 ceasefire. They also pledged cooperation to support stabilization, reconstruction and refugee return in Syria, read the statement. Beyond the Middle East, both sides highlighted enhanced bilateral cooperation in security, defense, trade, investment and water management under their strategic and comprehensive partnership, read the statement. They agreed to launch the first Jordan-EU Security and Defense Dialogue in Amman in early 2026, and hold the next Jordan-EU summit in Brussels in 2028, according to the statement. Jordan's King Abdullah II (2nd R) welcomes European Council President Antonio Costa (2nd L) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (1st R) at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) Mumbai, Jan 9 : In a scathing revelation during the second part of the joint interview in 'Saamana' with Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday alleged a deep-rooted "strategic plot" to strip Mumbai of its wealth and territory. He warned that the threat to Mumbai's autonomy is now greater than it was during the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950s. Raj Thackeray noted a significant shift in the motives of those opposing Mumbai's interests. While past conflicts were primarily about the city's wealth, he claimed the current objective is to physically break off pieces of the city. "During the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a few non-Marathi wealthy elites wanted Mumbai to go to Gujarat. Today, those five people have grown into five hundred," he stated. He emphasised that the manner in which the Central and state governments are coordinating projects suggests a level of danger never felt before. Questioning the intent behind infrastructure projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Raj Thackeray asked why airports are being planned adjacent to the Vadhavan Port near the Gujarat border. He suggested these are not just development projects but "strategic manoeuvres" to connect Maharashtra's economic hubs more closely with Gujarat while hollowing out Mumbai's core. Raj Thackeray claimed that the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Vadhavan Port are part of a larger plan to vacate prime land in the heart of Mumbai. He alleged that the government has already begun the process of shifting cargo operations from Mumbai's "rightful" airport to Navi Mumbai. He predicted that eventually, all domestic and international operations would be moved out. "The current Mumbai airport area is so vast that at least 50 Shivaji Parks could fit inside it. The plan is to move all flights to Navi Mumbai and then put this massive tract of Mumbai's land up for sale," he claimed. "The math is clear: they want the wealth of Mumbai to flow to a specific class and eventually to Gujarat, while the physical land of the city is carved up for real estate exploitation," he said. Thackeray framed this move not as urban development, but as a "strategic dismantling" of Mumbai's assets. He suggested that by shifting the city's core infrastructure, the administration is clearing the way for a specific class of developers and business interests to take over Mumbai's most valuable real estate. Kolkata, Jan 9 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday registered a complaint at two police stations in Kolkata against the Enforcement Directorate's simultaneous raid and search operations at the office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain. According to sources, one complaint has been registered at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station under Kolkata Police, and the other at Electronic Complex Police Station. However, in both complaints, neither any ED officials nor Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel have been named. The complaints have been registered at the two police stations against unidentified individuals. Kolkata Police have filed a suo motu complaint at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. Reacting to the complaints registered by Mamata Banerjee at the two police stations, the Union Minister of State and former state president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, Sukanta Majumdar, said it is unfortunate that the Chief Minister herself had registered a complaint at two police stations, to "save" a businessman. "I request the Chief Minister to at least maintain the dignity of her chair," Majumdar said. Incidentally, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh will hear three petitions on ED's I-PAC raid later in the day. The main petition is from the ED accusing the West Bengal Chief Minister of misusing her constitutional position by allegedly creating hindrances to the official duties of central agency officials during raid and search operations at these two places. There are two counter-petitions against this main petition by ED, the first by Pratik Jain himself and the second by the Trinamool Congress -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Guwahati, Jan 9 : At least four Rohingyas, who had entered India illegally, were arrested by the security forces in Assam's Cachar district on Friday, officials said. According to police, four persons, including two women, were caught in the Katigorah locality in the Cachar district after it was found that they crossed the international border and entered Indian territory by illegal means. The police said that forged documents, including refugee cards, were recovered from their possession. The four people were taken into custody by the police. Recently, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government would intensify its crackdown on illegal infiltration, asserting that Assam will not be allowed to become a refuge for undocumented foreign nationals. CM Sarma said the state carried out a large-scale "push-back" operation in 2025 to deport illegal Bangladeshi nationals and that the drive would be pursued with greater intensity in the coming year. "In 2026, we will be ruthless in this effort and push back even more. Assam is not your breeding ground," he said. The Chief Minister has repeatedly maintained that illegal infiltration poses a serious threat to Assam's demographic balance, social harmony and internal security. He said the state government remains committed to safeguarding the rights of indigenous communities and enforcing the law without compromise. CM Sarma has earlier stated that infiltration has long been a major challenge for Assam, particularly in border districts, and alleged that previous governments failed to address the issue decisively. He has credited recent administrative measures, enhanced border surveillance and improved coordination between the state police and central security forces for stronger enforcement on the ground. The Chief Minister also reiterated that his government is committed to the full implementation of the Assam Accord, including provisions related to detection, deletion and deportation of illegal foreigners. He stressed that protecting Assam's cultural identity, land rights and demographic integrity remains a top priority of his administration. Hyderabad, Jan 9 : Three migrant workers from Bihar were killed in a road accident in Telangana's Nalgonda district on Friday, police said. The accident occurred near Miryalguda Bypass when a truck collided with a cement tanker. Three other people, who sustained injuries in the incident, were shifted to Miryalguda Area Hospital. The deceased have been identified as Biru Bai (30), Santosh (30) and Suraj (18), all hailing from Bihar. The truck rammed into the cement tanker when the latter was taking a turn at a bypass. The cement tanker was heading to Guntur from Miryalguda, while the truck, laden with marbles, was proceeding towards Guntur from Shamshabad near Hyderabad. In another accident in Kamareddy district, five agricultural workers were injured when an autorickshaw in which they were travelling overturned. The accident occurred late Thursday night at Antampalli in Bikanoor mandal when 15 agricultural workers were returning after working in the fields. The workers were from Surayapalli in Lingampet mandal. Meanwhile, police continued their investigation into Thursday's accident at Mokila in Rangareddy district near Hyderabad in which four students were killed. A car in which they were travelling rammed into a roadside tree. Preliminary investigation revealed that the car was being driven at a speed of 100 kmph. The accident occurred when a group of five students were returning to Hyderabad after celebrating the birthday of one of them. A female student was critically injured in the accident. Three of the deceased were students of ICFAI Business School, while the fourth was an engineering student from MGIT. Sumeet, who had hosted dinner at a hotel on the occasion of his birthday, was among those killed in the accident. He was driving the car. According to police, Sumit lost control of the vehicle while avoiding a barricade erected to check the speed of vehicles. New Delhi, Jan 9 : In a fresh setback to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, a Delhi court on Friday framed charges against them in the alleged Railways land-for-jobs corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order, holding that a prima facie case of corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy is made out against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and several other accused. The court, paving the way for the trial, framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav under Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with offences under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). His family members have been charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy under the IPC. Pronouncing the order, the Special Judge observed that Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members were "operating as a criminal enterprise" and part of a broader conspiracy, wherein public employment in the Indian Railways was allegedly exploited as a bargaining chip to obtain immovable properties. The court held that the Central agency's charge sheet prima facie shows that close associates of Lalu Prasad Yadav facilitated the acquisition of land in lieu of jobs in the Railways across different parts of the country. Rejecting the plea seeking discharge, it said that "the plea of Mr Lalu Yadav and his family members to be discharged is completely unwarranted". According to the court order, of the 98 surviving accused named in the case, charges have been framed against 46 people, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, while 52 accused have been discharged. It may be recalled that proceedings against five accused have abated following their deaths. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 29. The case pertains to allegations of "large-scale corruption" between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister. According to the CBI, parcels of land were acquired in the names of Lalu's family members and a company linked to them, often at rates below market value and largely through cash transactions. In return, railway jobs were allegedly provided across various zones. Parallelly, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the alleged money laundering trail linked to land transfers in Patna. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Google has announced to introduce new Gemini-powered experiences, including AI Inbox, for more helpful and personalised insights for its users. The new capabilities have started rolling out in the US to Gmail users as well as Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, said the company. "We're starting with English and excited to roll out more languages and to more regions in the coming months," said Blake Barnes, VP Product, Gmail, in a blog post. AI Inbox is like having a personalised briefing, highlighting to-dos and catching you up on what matters. "It helps you prioritise, identifying your VIPs based on signals like people you email frequently, those in your contacts list and relationships it can infer from message content. Crucially, this analysis happens securely with the privacy protections you expect from Google, keeping your data under your control," said Barnes. "We're giving trusted testers access to AI Inbox before making it more broadly available in the coming months," he added. Just like Google Search, AI Overviews turn information into answers without the digging. When you open an email with dozens of replies, Gmail synthesises the entire conversation into a concise summary of key points. "And when you ask your inbox a question, we use Gemini to generate a simple AI Overview with the answer," said Google. AI Overview conversation summaries are rolling out for everyone at no cost. Starting today, everyone can use 'Help Me Write' to polish emails or draft them from scratch. There are also new Suggested Replies (an update to Smart Replies) which use the context of your conversation to offer relevant, one-click responses that match how you write. Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are also rolling out to everyone at no cost. The Proofread feature is available for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Next month, the company will update Help Me Write with better personalisation by bringing context from your other Google apps. Today, 3 billion users rely on Gmail to connect and get things done. AI has been a big part of that from Smart Replies to AI-powered spam blocking. IANS na/ -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 9 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday comes at a politically delicate moment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala, as the leadership weighs a landmark civic victory against unmet electoral benchmarks. HM Shah will attend the BJP's state core committee meeting and hold discussions with councillors who secured the party's first-ever victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, former state president K. Surendran, Shobha Surendran and other senior leaders are expected to participate in the deliberations, which are likely to focus on strategy, messaging and organisational consolidation. The visit follows the December local body elections in which the BJP failed to meet HM Shah's earlier directive of securing a 25 per cent vote share across the state. That shortfall has since been partially offset by the breakthrough in the state capital, a result the party has projected as evidence of its growing urban appeal and organisational maturity. Party sources said that Union Minister Shah is expected to underline a campaign approach centred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the state unit convinced that projecting PM Modi as the political face can help the BJP move beyond marginal gains to a more competitive presence in Kerala. The leadership believes that the PM Modi-centric narrative offers the party its best chance to convert visibility into seats rather than merely registering token electoral successes. However, it remains to be seen whether the symbolic importance of capturing the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation will ultimately outweigh the failure to achieve the targeted vote share. While the win in corporation has delivered a psychological boost and a headline-making first, critics within and outside the BJP argue that sustained electoral expansion will be judged more by statewide vote consolidation than by isolated victories. HM Shah's engagement with the state leadership is therefore being viewed as both a stock-taking exercise and a course correction. The discussions are expected to address whether the party should prioritise headline-grabbing wins in key urban centres or refocus on the longer-term objective of building a consistent vote base across regions. As the BJP attempts to recalibrate its Kerala strategy, HM Shah's visit underscores the party's determination to translate a historic civic gain into a broader political footprint - while confronting the hard arithmetic of vote share that continues to shape its ambitions in the state, when it has none in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. Canberra, Jan 9 : Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and three people are missing amid an ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria. Authorities said that there were 30 active bushfires burning across Victoria as of Friday and that they are expected to be unpredictable, uncontrollable, and fast-moving due to catastrophic conditions, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius exacerbated by strong winds. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said at a press conference alongside emergency service personnel and the state Premier, Jacinta Allan, that three people are missing, Xinhua News Agency reported. He said that Country Fire Authority (CFA) officials on Thursday advised the two adults and one child to leave their property in central Victoria immediately due to the life-threatening danger posed by a nearby fire. Hill said that officials returned to the same property later on Thursday to find it had been destroyed. "Those three people are unaccounted for," he said. Multiple homes have been confirmed destroyed in the central Victorian town of Ruffy, 105 km northeast of Melbourne, and residents of neighbouring towns as well as towns in the state's far northeast have been told to evacuate. A catastrophic fire danger rating has been declared for four regions in the state, marking the first time that the highest-level rating has been declared for multiple Victorian regions on one day since 2019. Allan said that Friday would be one of the most dangerous fire days that Victoria has experienced in several years, urging thousands of people subject to evacuation orders to leave immediately. "There are fires across the state, and the conditions are already extremely dangerous," she said. "I cannot be clearer. If you are currently still in a location where you have been advised to leave, you must leave now." CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan said that temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius are forecast for northern Victoria on Friday and that dry lightning strikes are expected to hit central regions in the afternoon. Tokyo, Jan 9 : Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on Friday that he will travel to the United States next week for a week-long visit to bolster the bilateral alliance in the face of an increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region. While addressing a press conference, Koizumi stated he will deliver remarks at the Honolulu Defence Forum in Hawaii on Monday before visiting Los Angeles the next day and then Washington, where he is scheduled to hold talks with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday, Japan's Kyodo News reported. Koizumi said, "With Secretary Hegseth, I plan to have a frank discussion about the security environment as well as specific efforts to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities further." He will return to Japan on January 18. Koizumi and Hegseth will hold talks for the fourth time since the former assumed office in October last year. The two leaders spoke over phone in December last year after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese Self-Defence Forces fighter jets over international waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. Shinjiro Koizumi is set to meet the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, in Honolulu. Koizumi also plans to travel to Los Angeles, where he will visit a drone-related company and attend a reception commemorating the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted by the US military and Japan's Self-Defence Forces following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. When asked whether he would respond if Hegseth urged him to express support for the recent US actions in Venezuela, Koizumi responded, "It's difficult to answer before the meeting." He stressed that it is important for the international community to make diplomatic efforts to restore democracy and stabilise the situation in Venezuela. Last week, the US carried out a military attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, subsequently taking them to New York to face charges for alleged crimes. On December 12, 2025, Shinjiro Koizumi said that he and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, held a telephonic conversation and shared concern over rising tensions in the region following a recent radar lock-on incident involving Japanese and Chinese fighter jets and a joint patrol of Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan, local media reported. The two ministers spoke for about 40 minutes and agreed that Japan and the US will continue to remain in contact to calm the situation, Kyodo News reported. During the telephonic conversation, Hegseth and Koizumi also spoke about a joint patrol carried out by two Chinese and two Russian bombers over the East China Sea and Pacific near Japan's Shikoku Island. Speaking to reporters, Koizumi stated that he and Hegseth agreed that these actions would only increase the tensions in the region. He expressed Japan's readiness in responding to these acts in a "calm yet resolute manner, while steadily carrying out surveillance activities in the seas and airspace surrounding our country. Koizumi further stated that China has not shared appropriate information with Japan, including notice to air missions or navigational warnings, such as the area in which the Chinese military's flight training would be carried out. He once again termed the radar lock-on "dangerous" and an action that "went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft." In a statement, the US Department of War said: "Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to his Japanese counterpart, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, today. The two leaders discussed Japan's efforts to increase its defence spending and strengthen its capabilities, China's military activities, and the importance of realistic training and exercises across Japan, including in the Southwest Islands. Secretary Hegseth and Defence Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific." New Delhi, Jan 9 : Trinamool Congress leader Majeed Memon on Friday reacted to Salman Khurshid's remarks supporting the demolition drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid in central Delhi, stating that the Congress leader's comments reflected his personal opinion and not necessarily the official stand of the Congress party. Responding to Khurshid's backing of the government action, Memon said, "This is Salman Khurshid's personal view. Anyone can express their opinion, and he has shared his perspective. Whether the Congress supports this statement or not remains to be seen. Any action taken under the law is always welcome, but if an action causes unrest, clashes, or undermines the legal system, it must be stopped. Such things should not happen." Memon's remarks come amid political reactions to the demolition drive carried out near Turkman Gate under a court order. The operation, aimed at removing alleged encroachments close to the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid, triggered violent clashes after a large crowd gathered at the site. According to authorities, stone-pelting by protestors injured several police personnel, following which additional security forces were deployed to bring the situation under control. Officials said the area is now calm, while investigations and legal proceedings related to the violence are ongoing. Earlier on Thursday, speaking to IANS, Congress leader Salman Khurshid had defended the demolition action and backed the government, stressing that it was carried out in compliance with judicial directions. "The court has issued its order, and the matter is now settled. No harm has come to the worshippers or the mosque. For this, we should acknowledge the government for doing the right thing. Where illegal construction existed, action was taken according to the court's orders. Everyone should accept the court's decision, and there is no reason to dispute it," Khurshid had said. Memon, however, underlined that while lawful action must be respected, it should not result in public unrest or violence. He cautioned that any step which leads to clashes or destabilises public order needs to be reassessed, regardless of the legal backing. Meanwhile, the Trinamool leader also made broader political remarks, criticising the role of governors appointed under the BJP-led government. "The governors have also become pawns of the BJP, which is unfortunate. I must say with due respect that the office of the governor is highly dignified and honourable. However, unfortunately, the way governors have been appointed by the BJP government shows that most are RSS members and aligned with the BJP. This undermines the constitutional framework, and a governor acting in favour of a political party is not in the interest of democracy," Memon said. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Beijing issued a yellow alert for strong winds and a blue alert for sandstorms on Friday afternoon, as the city braces for gales and dusty weather, according to the municipal meteorological observatory. The observatory forecast strong winds across most parts of the city from Friday night through Saturday morning, with severe gales expected in mountainous areas. Sandstorms were predicted to move from west to east across the city from late Friday afternoon into the night. The city's meteorological authorities warned that the windy weather would be accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature, with the maximum temperature on Saturday projected to plummet to 1 degree Celsius. While winds are expected to ease on Sunday, temperatures will remain frigid, with a daytime high of around 0 degrees Celsius and nighttime lows dipping to minus 8 degrees Celsius. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Sydney, Jan 9 : A teenage girl has died, and four others have been hospitalised, including two in critical condition, following a collision between two vehicles southwest of Sydney. A police statement on Friday said that emergency services responded to a crash in the town of Appin, 53 km southwest of central Sydney, around 8 pm on Thursday and found that a sedan and a utility vehicle had collided. A 17-year-old girl who was travelling as a passenger in the sedan died at the scene, Xinhua News Agency reported. The 46-year-old male driver of the sedan and a 30-year-old woman who was a passenger were taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. A 12-year-old boy traveling in the same vehicle suffered minor injuries and was also hospitalized. The driver of the utility, a 22-year-old man, also sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital under police guard for mandatory drug and alcohol testing. Officers from the crash investigation unit have commenced an investigation into the cause of the collision. In November last year, an elderly woman was killed and three more people were injured in a crash involving a car that was allegedly stolen at gunpoint in northern Australia. Police in the northeastern state of Queensland said in a statement that a 69-year-old woman died when an allegedly stolen blue Audi being driven by a 16-year-old boy crashed into her vehicle north of the state capital of Brisbane. Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash in Murrumba Downs, approximately 20 km north of central Brisbane. Police officers and paramedics commenced CPR on the 69-year-old woman but were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The 16-year-old was arrested at the scene and was taken to hospital with significant leg injuries. Following the initial high-impact collision, the Audi hit a nearby stationary unmarked police car. Two officers inside the car suffered injuries considered non-life-threatening and were transported to hospital for treatment. Queensland Police said that in a neighbouring suburb a woman was threatened with a firearm and the blue Audi was stolen. "The weapon that was used in the alleged robbery has been located by police," the statement said. Brisbane, Jan 9 : World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka moved into the semifinals of the Brisbane International after defeating world No. 5 Madison Keys 6-3 6-3 in straight sets in a rematch of the 2025 Australian Open final on Friday. Brisbane, Jan 9 (IANS) World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka moved into the semifinals of the Brisbane International after defeating world No. 5 Madison Keys 6a"3 6a"3 in straight sets in a rematch of the 2025 Australian Open final on Friday. The victory also means Sabalenka has notched eight consecutive wins in Brisbane and 36 of her last 38 matches in Australia. The match marked Sabalenka's second meeting with Keys since her loss to the American in the Australian Open final, following a dominant 6a"1 6a"0 victory at Indian Wells. She extends her head-to-head record to 6a"2 since they first met in 2018. The opening set was finely balanced, but it was Keysa lack of precision that proved decisive. She conceded seven points through double faults, hesitating between safety and aggression on her second serve as Sabalenka pressed relentlessly. The second set unfolded as a series of breaks, with Keys losing serve five games in a row. Sabalenka steadied herself at 4a"2 and then took full control, sealing the victory with three serves to close out the match. "Sheas a great player. Always tough battles against her. I was trying to stay focused, trying to stay on my serve and put as much pressure as I can on her serve. Thatas all I was thinking about. I put so much pressure back on her. Sheas aggressive, and I tried to put all of that speed back on her," Sabalenka said. A two-time Brisbane International champion in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka will look to take another step toward a third title in four appearances, having finished runner-up in 2024 a" when she faces world No. 20 Czechiaas Karolina Muchova on Saturday. Muchova leads the head-to-head 3-1 over Sabalenka, having won each of their last three meetings dating back to 2023. Sabalenkaas lone victory in the series came in their first matchup in 2019. "I always approach each match the same; it doesnat matter the score between us. Whatas in the past stays in the past. I will try to bring everything Iave been working on throughout basically my whole career and try better every time," Sabalenka added. Muchova has overcome chronic injury setbacks to emerge victorious against No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling upset at Pat Rafter Arena. She required just over two hours to secure the 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory. January 09 : Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched the monthly newsletter of the Panchayati Raj Department titled Panchayaton Ki Pragati Gatha. On this occasion, Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar presented to the Chief Minister the departments annual calendar based on women empowerment, titled Nari Shakti Ki Nai Udaan, Gaon Badal Rahi Mahila Pradhan. The Chief Minister said, Gram Panchayats are the strongest unit of democracy and that the overall development of the state is possible only through their empowerment. The Chief Minister said, this monthly newsletter will serve as an effective medium to convey to the public the positive changes, innovations, and public welfare initiatives taking place in Gram Panchayats. Through this platform, successful development stories from villages will come together at one place and will also inspire other Panchayats. Under the newsletter, every month one exemplary Gram Panchayat will be selected, and its outstanding development works, transparent administration, and public participation will be prominently presented. Along with this, a brief account of one major scheme of the Panchayati Raj Department, campaigns conducted across the state, training programmes, and achievements will also be included. Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said, this newsletter will prove to be an inspirational document for Panchayat representatives. Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj, Anil Kumar described it as an important initiative in the direction of information sharing. Meanwhile, Director Panchayati Raj Amit Kumar Singh said, this newsletter will further strengthen the Panchayati Raj system. New Delhi, Jan 9 : German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be on two day official visit to India, beginning January 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Merz is scheduled to hold talks with PM Modi in Ahmedabad, and both leaders will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to the statement released by the Prime Minister's Office. This will be Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India. In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office stated, "The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties." The two leaders will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, as well as engage with business and industry leaders of India and Germany. Ahead of Chancellor Merz's visit, German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday, discussing bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. "German Ambassador Dr Philipp Ackermann called on Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh today. The Ambassador conveyed new year greetings to the Defence Secretary on behalf of the German side. They also discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment," Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, posted on X. In November last year, PM Modi met German Chancellor Merz on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa. PM Modi described the relationship between India and Germany as strong and expanding across key sectors, including trade, technology and innovation. The Prime Minister had shared details of the interaction in a brief post on X, in which he underlined the growing strategic and economic engagement between the two countries. "It was wonderful to meet German Chancellor, Mr Friedrich Merz. India's ties with Germany are robust, especially in areas such as trade, technology, innovation and more," PM Modi had written on X. PM Modi and Friedrich Merz had also met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June last year. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Chancellor Merz assumed office in May 2025. Germany is one of India's largest trading partners in the European Union and a leading source of investment, engineering expertise and advanced technology. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Guwahati, Jan 9 : Amid allegations of voter deletion during the ongoing electoral roll revision in Assam by the opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched a sharp counterattack on Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, accusing him of misleading the public with fabricated narratives. BJP leader Kamal Kumar Medhi dismissed Gogoi's allegations as "imaginary stories," alleging that he has been indulging in such practices for nearly two decades. Medhi claimed that while some people may initially be swayed by Gogoi's assertions, time has repeatedly "exposed them as false." "Over the last 20 years, most of the allegations raised by Akhil Gogoi have eventually turned out to be baseless and self-serving narratives," Medhi said, adding that the Raijor Dal leader has developed a habit of "inventing stories and presenting them repeatedly in public." Taking a swipe, the BJP leader remarked that Gogoi first constructs imaginary narratives in his own mind and then narrates them before the people and the media. "Though a few may momentarily mistake fiction for truth, people ultimately realise that these are nothing but fabricated tales," he said. Medhi further claimed that because of this repeated pattern, Gogoi's statements are no longer taken seriously by the public. "Today, many people view such statements merely as a source of amusement. If there were a competition in storytelling, he would easily secure the top position," he added. Referring to the recent allegations surrounding voter deletion, Medhi said the claims were being made without any concrete facts or documentary proof. He alleged that the opposition, including the Congress, had rushed to endorse Gogoi's statements without verifying their authenticity. Criticising the opposition as "confused and directionless", Medhi said it has "failed" to raise any credible political issue. He asserted that the people of Assam continue to repose faith in the BJP-led government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claiming that indigenous communities and Indian citizens feel secure under the party's leadership. He further alleged that opposition parties are now driven primarily by appeasement politics, particularly aimed at consolidating Miya Muslim votes, but said the people of Assam are capable of discerning the truth. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Political reactions intensified on Friday over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's protest against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raid on the office and residence of political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata, with a JD(U) leader saying she should focus on doing her job instead of venting her anger. Reacting to Banerjee's protest, JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said the Chief Minister should focus on governance instead of confronting investigative agencies. "She should focus on doing her job instead of repeatedly venting anger against enforcement agencies. Rather, she should go to the people of West Bengal and apologise for her failures. The kind of lawlessness prevailing in the state has turned the situation against her, and her return to power does not seem likely," he said. Uttar Pradesh Minister Narendra Kashyap also backed the ED's action, asserting that investigative agencies would do their duty if corruption was involved. "If Mamata Banerjee or her government is involved in corruption, the ED and CBI will do their job. Prime Minister Modi has told the nation, 'I will neither take bribes nor allow corruption.' Under his leadership, corruption will not be tolerated in the country, whether it involves Mamata Banerjee or Kejriwal," Kashyap said. Chhattisgarh Minister Tank Ram Verma criticised the West Bengal Chief Minister for opposing the probe, saying interference during an investigation was unacceptable. "This is completely wrong. The ED is doing its job and should be allowed to carry out its work. Interfering with and seizing documents during an ongoing investigation is wrong. The people of Bengal are fed up with this government, and in the coming days, we will respond strongly through democratic means," he said. BJP spokesperson Preety Shekhar also took aim at CM Banerjee, claiming her reaction stemmed from political insecurity. "The situation of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal has become similar. Seeing her shrinking support base, she is making irresponsible statements and is entangled in baseless allegations and counter-allegations. Everyone knows that the Enforcement Directorate has taken action. Prateek Jain, who is the director of the I-PAC company and is also associated with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress IT cell, is being questioned by the ED in connection with coal smuggling cases," she said. The reactions come a day after a dramatic standoff between Mamata Banerjee and ED officials during raids at I-PAC's office and residence in Kolkata. The Trinamool Congress supremo accused the central agency of attempting to "loot" her party's documents and announced a protest rally against the searches. CM Banerjee is set to lead the protest rally on Friday, escalating the political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP-led Centre over the ED's actions, even as opposition leaders insist that investigative agencies should be allowed to function independently and without political interference. Bengaluru, Jan 9 : A row has erupted between Karnataka and Kerala over the Malayalam Language Bill-2025 mooted by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government. The move has been slammed by both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP in Karnataka. Bengaluru, Jan 9 (IANS) A row has erupted between Karnataka and Kerala over the Malayalam Language Bill2025 mooted by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government. The move has been slammed by both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan expressing his displeasure, stating that the proposed Malayalam Language Bill2025, mandating Malayalam as the first language even in Kannada-medium schools in Kerala, strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and the lived reality of Kerala's border districts, especially Kasaragod. Reacting to the development, former Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said in Hubballi on Friday that the Karnataka government was running the administration as per the orders of the Kerala government. "The government must take steps to protect the interests of Kannada children," he said. Bommai said the Karnataka government had extended financial assistance when tragedy struck Wayanad in Kerala and that such matters must be taken into consideration. He added that there was already a long-standing dispute over Kasaragod belonging to Karnataka and that the issue was being pursued seriously. "Kannada-speaking people are in the majority there, which is why Kannada schools exist. If Malayalam is made compulsory, what should Kannada children do? The Chief Minister should take responsibility for protecting the interests of Kannada children in Kerala," Bommai said. He further stated that the Karnataka Chief Minister should convey to his Kerala counterpart that Karnataka had released funds during the Wayanad floods and had obliged their requests, and questioned the purpose of such cooperation if the interests of Kannada children were not protected. Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi said Kasaragod district in Kerala has a majority Kannada-speaking population and that more than 70 per cent of the people speak Kannada. "Our government should strongly protest this move," he said. Home Minister G. Parameshwara said language-related controversies between neighbouring states were not new. "In India, language issues have existed for a long time. Border states often face such issues between Kerala and Karnataka, and also between Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka. There are constitutional provisions to address these matters, and decisions must be taken within that framework," he said. Parameshwara added that he would gather more information on the issue and respond later. Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said he did not have complete information on the matter and would study it before reacting. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday night, stating that India's unity rests on respecting every language and every citizen's right to learn in their mother tongue. "For children belonging to linguistic minorities, language is not merely a subject; it is identity, dignity, access and opportunity. When the state compels a single 'first language' choice, it burdens students learning in their mother tongue, disrupts academic progression and confidence, narrows the freedom to choose a second language, and weakens minority-run institutions and minority-medium education ecosystems. "In Kasaragod's border belt, generations have studied in Kannada-medium schools and relied on Kannada in daily life and education. Local representatives have long pointed out that a large majority figures cited at around 70 per cent in parts of the district prefer Kannada learning and the Kannada script ecosystem. This is not a threat to Malayalam; it is a testament to India's plural culture, where languages coexist without fear," Siddaramaiah stated. New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Delhi High Court dismissed the bail application of a man accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl, observing that at the stage of bail, the court cannot scrutinise the evidence and must keep in mind the severity of the offence. A single-judge Bench of Justice Girish Kathpalia rejected the regular bail application filed by the accused, who was booked in an FIR registered at Mehrauli police station for offences under Sections 376, 354, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. According to the prosecution, the case was registered following the statement of the minor girl, who alleged that the accused, living on the ground floor of the same house, had been sexually harassing her since August 2021 by inappropriately touching and forcibly kissing her. The prosecutrix further alleged that the accused tried to establish sexual relations with her multiple times and, on September 16, 2021, when she was alone at home, he sexually assaulted her before she managed to push him away, and he fled. After she disclosed the incident to her mother, the latter apprehended the accused and informed the police. In support of the bail application, counsel for the accused argued that there were multiple contradictions in the statements of the prosecutrix, referring to her depositions under Sections 161 and 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). It was further contended that the testimony of the prosecutrix's mother also contained several inconsistencies. The Delhi High Court found none of these arguments sufficient to merit bail. "The arguments advanced on behalf of the accused/applicant have been noted above simply to be rejected," Justice Kathpalia said. "Firstly, the appreciation of evidence has to be carried out keeping in mind the tender age of the victim of sexual assault. Secondly, as rightly submitted by the learned prosecutor, at the stage of bail, this court cannot meticulously analyse the evidence on record," the order added. The Delhi High Court further observed that "at this stage, in the present case, severity of offence, especially the tender age of the girl child, has to be kept in mind." "I do not find it a fit case to release the accused/applicant on bail. Therefore, the bail application is dismissed," observed Justice Kathpalia, noting that the trial is still pending and that five of the 16 prosecution witnesses have already been examined. January 09 : Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that India has always upheld its Sanatan culture and history through authentic evidence. He described Early North India and Its Coinage as a significant scholarly work that firmly establishes Indias democratic consciousness, civilizational unity, and thousands-of-years-old cultural legacy through factual documentation. The book, he said, effectively counters the long-standing Western narrative that has attempted to distort Indias historical and democratic traditions. The Chief Minister remarked that anyone seeking to understand democracy must look to India. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement at the G20 Summit that India is not only the worlds largest democracy but also the Mother of Democracy. Vaishali, one of the earliest known republics in world history, stands as living proof of this tradition. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath released the book, published by the Hinduja Foundation, from his residence. On the occasion, he also viewed a rare collection of ancient and historical coins preserved by the Foundation. A short film highlighting the philanthropic initiatives of the Hinduja Foundation was also screened. The Chief Minister said, India is perhaps the only civilization that has given refuge, dignity, and equal opportunities to people of every caste, creed, and community, enabling them to flourish. He cited the timeless Indian philosophy, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which teaches that the entire world is one family, reflecting Indias inclusive and humanitarian worldview. Referring to the ancient saying that being born in India is a rare privilege, and being born as a human being even rarer, he said that Indias civilizational values are unparalleled. He noted that Western scholars long propagated the false notion that India was never a unified entity, whereas the Partition of 1947 itself was the result of colonial conspiracy. Quoting the ancient verse defining Bharatvarsha, he emphasized that India historically included present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh, and that questioning Indias unity reflects a failure to understand its ancient heritage. Chief Minister Yogi said that coins discovered from regions such as Ayodhya, Mathura, Kaushambi, Kashi, and Panchal, made of copper, silver, and alloys, serve as irrefutable evidence of the political, economic, geographical, and trade systems of ancient India. These artifacts, documented in the book, reinforce Indias tradition of presenting history through facts and evidence, unlike attempts by Western powers to falsely claim the origins of democracy. The Chief Minister highlighted that India pioneered scientific systems of weights and measures. Traditional units such as Masha and Tola are still in use today, especially in the trade of precious metals. Ancient coinage followed these precise scientific standards, reflecting Indias advanced intellectual and economic systems. Describing the Mauryan era as Indias golden age, he noted that India once contributed nearly 46 percent to the global economy. This share declined to 24 percent by the 15th century and further fell to 1.52 percent at the time of independence due to prolonged foreign exploitation. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, India has now emerged as the worlds fourth-largest economy. Chief Minister Yogi said that Prime Minister Modis Vision 2047 connects every Indian through Panch Pran and eleven resolutions, with pride in heritage as the foremost commitment. The construction of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, the rejuvenation of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, and sustained efforts to preserve Sanatan heritage are concrete expressions of this vision. Author of the book, Prof. Devendra Handa, said that a coin preserved in the British Museum bears the inscription Savitri Putra Janapadas, providing historical evidence that the story of Savitri and Satyavan is rooted in real events rather than mythology. He also referred to coins from the Madra kingdom and the lineage of King Porus, which challenge prevailing historical assumptions. Ashok Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group, said that the time has come for India to present its ancient culture to the world through rigorous scientific research and evidence. He described the book as a meaningful step in that direction, praised the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and expressed confidence in expanding investments in Uttar Pradesh. Also present at the event were P.P. Hinduja, Trustee of the Hinduja Group; Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh; author Prof. Devendra Handa; and senior members and officials of the Hinduja family. Hyderabad, Jan 9 : Students of Moulana Azad National Urdu University on Friday warned that they will intensify their protest if the Telangana government does not drop its move to take back 50 acres from the university. A group of students from the university on Friday called on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao to discuss their plan of action over the show-cause notice issued to the university authorities by the State government. Revenue authorities recently sent a show-cause notice to MANUU Registrar Ishtiaq Ahmad seeking an explanation as to why vacant land within the campus in Manikonda village, Gandipet mandal, should not be resumed, as it has not been used for the purpose for which it was allotted. The students voiced concern over the State government's move and told the BRS leader that it posed a threat to the future of the university. Talking to reporters, a student leader claimed that he received threatening calls after he announced that they would launch a protest over the notice. He said that they see "no difference between the policies of the BJP government at the Centre and the Congress government in Telangana". Stating that 60,000 students from across the country are studying at MANNU, he warned that if any attempt was made to harm the interests of the university, the image of the Congress party would be tarnished all over India. K. T. Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government is trying to weaken MANUU, the only Urdu university in the country and a "jewel of Hyderabad". He accused the Congress government of trying to illegally acquire 50 acres of the university land for a real estate business. KTR remarked that the state government has become a "serial land grabber, like a serial killer." "The Congress government has made it a practice to seize the lands of all universities. First, it took the land of the Agriculture University, citing the High Court. It then tried to seize 400 acres of Hyderabad Central University. But due to the students' protests, public opposition, and the intervention of the Supreme Court, it was temporarily stopped," he said. The BRS leader said even though the Supreme Court said that the Rs 10,000 crore land scam took place in the Hyderabad Central University, the Central government has not yet initiated any investigation. Stating that the state government is acting like a real estate broker, taking over the lands of educational institutions, KTR assured MANUU students that BRS will stand with them. KTR also gave the assurance that after BRS returns to power, it will provide the necessary funds from the State government for the expansion of the university. He wanted to know why Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who claims to be the protector of minorities in the country, was allowing the Congress government in Telangana to encroach upon MANUU land. "Is this your Mohabbat Ki Dukaan. Is weakening a university where minority students from all states of the country come to study, your idea of protection?" he asked Rahul Gandhi. NEW DELHI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves fell by 9.809 billion U.S. dollars to 686.801 billion U.S. dollars during the week ended Jan. 2, showed the weekly bulletin released by the country's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday. This was said to be one of the biggest declines in India's forex reserves in recent years. During the preceding three consecutive weeks the country's forex reserves had risen. According to the RBI data, the Foreign Currency Assets decreased by 7.622 billion U.S. dollars to 551.99 billion U.S. dollars, while the Gold Reserves fell by 2.058 billion U.S. dollars to 111.262 billion U.S. dollars. It also showed that the Special Drawing Rights fell by 25 million U.S. dollars to 18.778 billion U.S. dollars, while the country's position in the International Monetary Fund too declined by 105 million U.S. dollars to 4.771 billion U.S. dollars. Bhopal, Jan 9 : In a heartfelt tribute blending cultural heritage with wildlife conservation, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav announced on Friday that the newly designated Ratapani Tiger Reserve will be named after the renowned archaeologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar. The formal announcement came during CM Yadav's address at the Dr Wakankar Award Ceremony and National Seminar held at Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre (Minto Hall) in Bhopal. The event honours contributions to archaeology and celebrates Dr Wakankar's enduring legacy. The Chief Minister praised Dr Wakankar as a multifaceted personality -- a devoted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) follower, an artist, and a pioneering archaeologist. He is globally acclaimed for discovering the Bhimbetka rock shelters in 1957, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located within the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, about 40 km south of Bhopal. These prehistoric caves feature some of the world's oldest rock paintings, dating back tens of thousands of years. CM Yadav had earlier in 2024 said the sanctuary would be named after Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar, honouring his crucial role in discovering and popularising the UNESCO-recognised Bhimbetka Rock Shelters within the reserve. Highlighting Dr Wakankar's principles, the Chief Minister shared a poignant anecdote from the Emergency period (1975 - 1977). "Despite the ban on RSS and political pressures, Dr Wakankar insisted on wearing his traditional RSS dress, a khaki short, white shirt and black cap while receiving the Padma Shri award. Then-Chief Minister Prakash Chandra Sethi, from the Congress party, initially hesitated but eventually relented, allowing Dr Wakankar to accept the honour in his RSS attire, retaining only a black cap -- a testament to his revered status and steadfast convictions," Dr Yadav said. By naming the tiger reserve, the MP government not only will honour him, but his name will also be inscribed in the jungle records. Ratapani, recently notified as Madhya Pradesh's eighth tiger reserve and India's 57th in December 2024, spans over 1,271 sq km with a rich biodiversity, including around 90 tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and diverse flora. Naming it after Dr Wakankar underscores the state's commitment to preserving both natural and cultural treasures in the region. CM Yadav emphasised that this decision honours Dr Wakankar's immense contributions to uncovering Madhya Pradesh's ancient history while boosting eco-tourism and conservation efforts near the state capital. The CM felicitated this year's Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar national award winner, Dr Yashodhar Mathpal. Dr Mathpal (born 1939) is an Indian archaeologist, painter, curator, Gandhian and Rock Art conservationist. He is most known for his study of cave art, especially in Bhimbetka rock shelters, Barechhina (Uttarakhand) and Kerala. The three-day seminar (January 9-11) continues discussions on archaeology, with experts paying homage to the 'father of Indian rock art research'. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, Jan 9 : Maternal use of antibiotics during pregnancy may raise the risk of babies developing Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease -- a common bacterial disease, according to a study. While the bacteria usually live harmlessly in the gut or genital tract, they can cause serious infections, especially in newborns, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals, leading to sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia. The study led by an international team from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University of Antwerp in Belgium, showed that prenatal antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of neonatal GBS disease, within four weeks of delivery. Early third-trimester exposure showed the strongest association. "Prenatal antibiotic exposure can raise GBS risk within four weeks postpartum, especially in neonates not covered by risk-based intrapartum prophylaxis, with the early third trimester being a critical window of susceptibility," said the researchers in the paper in the Journal of Infection. The team conducted a population-based cohort study including all singleton live births in Sweden from 2006 to 2016, using national registers. Among 1,095,644 liveborn singletons, 24.5 per cent were exposed to antibiotics. GBS incidence was found to be higher among exposed neonates than unexposed (0.86 vs. 0.66 per 1,000 live births), particularly among neonates without GBS risk factors. According to the researchers, the study is the first to examine prenatal antibiotic exposure in relation to the risk of neonatal GBS disease. However, it aligned with previous Nordic studies, which reported a 16-34 per cent increased risk of infections during early childhood (ages 1-5 years) following prenatal antibiotic exposure. The study found that GBS-active antibiotics given close to delivery (within four weeks) offered no protection. The association of prenatal exposure to any antibiotics with neonatal GBS disease appeared to depend on the presence of clinical GBS risk factors, with a positive association observed only among pregnancies without such risk factors. This suggests that neonates without established GBS risk factors may benefit more from limiting prenatal antibiotic exposure, the team said. Calling for more research, the team also underscored the need for increased vigilance in monitoring neonates who fall outside existing GBS prevention guidelines, particularly those exposed to antibiotics in utero during the early third trimester. New Delhi, Jan 9 : As a Delhi court framed charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav and members of his family in the alleged Railways land-for-jobs corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), leaders of the ruling BJP and JD(U) on Friday accused the RJD leadership of being deeply immersed in corruption. Reacting to the court's decision, Uttar Pradesh Minister Narendra Kashyap told IANS that the judicial process must be respected. "The law follows a procedure in which charges are framed. It is the responsibility of the court to do its duty. The court will function independently, and the law will take its own course," he said. BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna took a sharper tone, stating that the charges were the result of past actions. "As you sow, so shall you reap. Since they planted the seeds of corruption, facing legal consequences is inevitable. After examining all the facts, the court has framed charges today. The court believes that corruption charges should be framed against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his entire family. In any case, the Lalu Prasad Yadav family is deeply immersed in corruption," he said. BJP MLA Sanjay Gupta echoed similar sentiments, saying that the developments were expected. "Everyone knows that the Lalu family has long been associated with corruption. Cases related to the era of 'jungle raj' and lawlessness were also fought in court, and Lalu Prasad Yadav himself had to face legal action. What has happened today was inevitable. The court has shown that wrongdoing is wrongdoing, and the charges have been established," he stated. Offering a more measured response, Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary said the matter was entirely within the judicial domain. "It is a legal process in which courts take decisions. When people feel a decision is not in their favour, they approach a higher court. This is how the judicial system works. It does not involve us; it is a matter between the lawyers, the judge, and the client," he said. Congress MP Imran Masood also commented on the development, noting that the framing of charges does not conclude the case. "An accusation does not mean the case is over. It only indicates that charges have been filed. The case will continue, and evidence will be examined as per legal procedures. At present, the matter is still at an early stage," he said. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order, holding that a prima facie case of corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy is made out against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and several other accused. The court, paving the way for the trial, framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav under Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with offences under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). His family members have been charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy under the IPC. Pronouncing the order, the Special Judge observed that Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members were "operating as a criminal enterprise" and part of a broader conspiracy, wherein public employment in the Indian Railways was allegedly exploited as a bargaining chip to obtain immovable properties. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Ahmedabad, Jan 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Gujarat, beginning Saturday, during which he will participate in major religious, cultural, diplomatic and infrastructure-related events across Somnath, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The visit will begin on Saturday, when the Prime Minister arrives in Somnath in the evening. At 8 p.m., he will join devotees at the Somnath Temple for Omkar Mantra chanting, followed by viewing a special drone show organised in the temple complex. On January 11, at 9.45 a.m., the Prime Minister will participate in the 'Shaurya Yatra', a ceremonial procession honouring the countless warriors who sacrificed their lives defending the Somnath Temple through history. At 10.15 a.m., he will perform Darshan and Pooja at the temple, and later, at 11 a.m., he will attend a public function marking the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv'. Later that afternoon, the Prime Minister will travel to Rajkot for the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra region. At 1.30 p.m., he will inaugurate the conference's trade show and exhibition, after which he will formally inaugurate the regional conference at 2 p.m. at Marwadi University and address participants. From Rajkot, the Prime Minister will head to Ahmedabad. At 5.15 p.m., he will inaugurate the remaining stretch of Phase 2 of the Ahmedabad Metro, connecting Sector 10A to Mahatma Mandir, at a ceremony at the Mahatma Mandir Metro Station. On January 12, Prime Minister Modi will meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. The two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram at 9.30 a.m., and subsequently take part in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront at 10 a.m. This will be followed by bilateral talks beginning at 11.15 a.m. at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The meeting will review progress under the Indiaa"Germany Strategic Partnership, which recently completed 25 years. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Groups such as Black Flag Soldiers and Islamic State have been common names for groups in Tamil Nadu, and an Intelligence assessment says that the problem relating to the Islamic State in the state is worse than what one may imagine. Such groups created on WhatsApp and Telegram have become a security nightmare for the security agencies as they are being used to circulate material related to the Islamic State in the state. Why the Tamil Nadu scenario remains a challenging one is that the modus operandi includes mostly propaganda and radicalisation. None of these persons is planning anything major in the state when it comes to ground action. The Islamic State is looking to build an army so that the recruits can take the propaganda to a wider audience. An Intelligence Bureau official said that this is a more dangerous trend that the Islamic State is setting. The intention is to focus more on changing the mindset of the society rather than trying to strike on the ground, the official said. In southern India, the Islamic State has managed to get most of the traction in Tamil Nadu. In fact, the first case where a person left the country to join the Islamic State was from Tamil Nadu. Haja Fakhruddin, hailing from the state's Cuddalore, first left for Singapore and worked there as a store manager before leaving for Syria. The Islamic State had, in fact, set up its first radicalisation camp in Cuddalore. It is here that Fakhruddin and others were radicalised. In 2014, an image of several youth from Tamil Nadu wearing Islamic State t-shirts had gone viral. Since 2014, radicalisation modules have spread across the state like wildfire. One of the main reasons why the outfit has so much traction in the state is because of the Wahhabi influence, officials point out. In 2015, a letter was written to then Chief Minister J/ Jayalalithaa and the police chief, warning about the infiltration of Wahhabis and Deobandis into the managing committees of Chennai-based mosques. The letter written by the Ahlus Sunnath Wal Jamaths Federation also warned that these persons were trying to threaten the unity between Hindus and Muslims. Why this letter was a matter of concern is because the Islamic State follows Wahhabism. Officials say that the Islamic State intends to poison the minds of the people. What they are following in Tamil Nadu is dangerous and, if not checked, will soon spread wider. The plan is to radicalise and brainwash lakhs of youth in the state. Having so many people in the society who have an Islamic State school of thought threatens the security of the entire state, the official said. In a recent chargesheet, the National Investigation Agency said that A. Alfasith of Tamil Nadu's Mayiladuthurai was involved in radicalising the youth. The accused had created several WhatsApp and Telegram groups, such as "Islamic State" and "Black Flag Soldiers", to promote unlawful activities threatening the unity, security, and communal harmony of the country, the NIA said. The Islamic State had followed the same rule book in Kerala and had achieved much success. The radicalisation was so deep that 21 people, including women, left the state to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan. While the outfit wants to poison the society at large with a radical school of thought, it is also looking for recruits for its Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). It is engaged in a battle with both the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at the insistence of the ISI. It would need more people and hence is looking to recruit youth from states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, another official said. Officials say that there needs to be constant monitoring in Tamil Nadu as these elements will look to enhance their radicalisation drives further. The agencies would also seek the help of the elders in the society during de-radicalisation camps. Tokyo, Jan 9 : A fire engulfed five houses in Ashikaga City in Tochigi Prefecture of eastern Japan, on Friday, leaving two people dead and one injured, local media said. The fire department received a call shortly after 7 a.m. (local time) reporting visible smoke coming from a house in a residential area of Ashikaga City, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing public broadcaster NHK Firefighters brought the blaze under control about three and a half hours later. Four houses were almost destroyed, while the roof of another house was damaged in the fire, the report said. According to police, two bodies were found in the ruins of a burned house, while a man in his 60s was injured in the house believed to be the source of the fire and was taken to the hospital. Police are working to identify the two bodies and are investigating the exact cause of the fire. On Thursday, a wildfire broke out on Mt. Ogi in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture with no casualties reported so far, local media reported. Local residents reported smoke rising from Mt. Ogi near Uenohara City at around 10.45 a.m. (local time). The fire continues to spread, NHK reported. As fire engines have difficulty accessing the site due to the mountainous terrain, firefighting authorities are deploying helicopters to battle the blaze, it said. Uenohara City issued a forest fire alert in recent days amid low precipitation and dry air conditions. In December last year, several people were injured after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Niigata City in central Japan, local media reported. The fire occurred in a 10-story apartment building in Chuo Ward in Niigata City, NHK reported. Firefighters were dispatched to the site of the incident to contain the blaze. Local authorities said the incident resulted in multiple injuries, though further details were not immediately available. The apartment building is located in a busy downtown area of Niigata City, surrounded by restaurants and other residential buildings. Kolkata, Jan 9 : The hearing at Calcutta High Court on the high-profile case on the issue of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s simultaneous raid and search operations at the office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) at Salt Lake and at the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain in central Kolkata could not happen on Friday because of excessive crowd within the courtroom. Kolkata, Jan 9 (IANS) The hearing at Calcutta High Court on the high-profile case on the issue of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)as simultaneous raid and search operations at the office of the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) at Salt Lake and at the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain in central Kolkata could not happen on Friday because of excessive crowd within the courtroom. The next date of the hearing before the single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh has been scheduled for January 14. Justice Ghosh ultimately left the courtroom as the people not related to the case stayed back in the courtroom, causing excessive crowding there. Justice Ghosh, the court officers, and the counsel of the parties in the case made repeated appeals to those not related to the case to leave the courtroom, so the hearing in the matter could resume. However, the non-related individuals, including counsels related to other cases and law interns, refused to honour the appeal and stayed put. Ultimately, Justice Ghosh stepped out of the courtroom, and it was later informed that the next date of hearing in the matter has been scheduled on January 14. The main petition in the case was from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of misusing her constitutional position by allegedly creating hindrances to the official duties of central agency officials during raid and search operations at these two places conducted earlier in the day. The ED had also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter, making the Chief Minister a party in the case. It has also pleaded for an investigation into the role of senior police officials accompanying the Chief Minister while she stormed the two places during raid and search operations by the ED officials were on, and reportedly left the places after collecting some paper files and electronic documents. There were two other counter-petitions in the matter, one by Pratik Jain himself and the other by the Trinamool Congress. In its counter-petition, the Trinamool had alleged that since I-PAC is acting as the voter-strategy agency of the party, the ED raid was intended to seize several documents related to the party's poll strategy for the 2026 Assembly polls and share the same with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Delhi High Court has acquitted a former Section Officer in the Directorate General of Audit in a 33-year-old bribery case, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the essential ingredient of "demand" for illegal gratification under the Prevention of Corruption Act. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has acquitted a former Section Officer in the Directorate General of Audit in a 33-year-old bribery case, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the essential ingredient of "demand" for illegal gratification under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Allowing the criminal appeal, a single-judge Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri set aside the conviction and sentence awarded by a special court in 2002, observing that the case had "suffered death by a thousand cuts" and that the benefit of doubt must necessarily go to the accused. The appellant, Tej Narain Sharma, had been convicted in November 2002 for offences under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and sentenced to two years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 15,000. However, the Delhi High Court had suspended his sentence in December 2002. An FIR was registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch in connection with a 1992 trap laid on the basis of a complaint alleging a demand of Rs 20,000 as a bribe during an excise audit of a private firm. While tainted currency notes were recovered from the accused during the raid, the Delhi High Court held that mere recovery was not sufficient to sustain a conviction. "Mere proof of acceptance would not by itself be sufficient, and proof of demand is a sine qua non for securing a conviction under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) of the PC Act," Justice Ohri said. In its decision, the Delhi High Court noted that, from the very inception of the case, it was the consistent stand of the prosecution that the initial demand for a bribe was allegedly made by Audit Officer R.N. Arora, and not by the appellant. "The first big question which arises in the mind of this Court is that if the initial demand was made by R.N. Arora, why were no criminal proceedings ever initiated against him. Curiously, R.N. Arora, instead of being an accused, appeared as a defence witness. No question was put to him as to his making the initial demand," the judgment said. Terming the sanction for prosecution "mechanical" and lacking application of mind, Justice Ohri observed that the sanction order had incorrectly attributed the demand for a bribe to the appellant, contrary to the prosecution's own case. "The sanction order appears to have been made without any application of mind to the specific facts of the present case," the judgment stated. Highlighting multiple inconsistencies, the Delhi High Court held that the prosecution's case was marred by infirmities that collectively made the conviction unsustainable. "The benefit of the doubt must be extended to the appellant," concluded Justice Ohri. The Delhi High Court acquitted the appellant of all charges, cancelled his bail bonds, and discharged the sureties, ordering that a copy of its judgment be communicated to the trial court and the concerned jail superintendent. New Delhi, Jan 9 : A Delhi court on Friday framed charges against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav in the high-profile 'land-for-jobs' case, calling their actions part of a "criminal syndicate". New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) A Delhi court on Friday framed charges against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav in the high-profile 'land-for-jobs' case, calling their actions part of a "criminal syndicate". The case, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleges that during Lalu's tenure as Railway Minister, jobs were exchanged for land parcels transferred to his family. The period of the alleged offence is between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was Union Railway Minister in the first United Progressive Alliance government led by Manmohan Singh. The agency probed the modus operandi which claimed that individuals seeking jobs in the Railways reportedly transferred land at throwaway prices to Lalu's family members and associates. Incidentally, Lalu and Rabri have both been Bihar Chief Ministers, with a comprehensive period of rule running into over a decade that saw intermittent breaks. Rabri Devi, a homemaker with no prior experience in politics, became the first female Chief Minister of Bihar in 1997, after Lalu had to step down following corruption charges related to the "fodder scam". In the current case, the CBI filed chargesheets against the three Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders and others, claiming that Lalu "misused the Railway Ministry as a personal fiefdom to run a criminal enterprise". Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court stated that Lalu and his family "acted as a criminal syndicate" and used public employment as a bargaining chip. The court found prima facie evidence of an "overarching conspiracy" involving Lalu and his family with charges of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC provisions. Between 2004 and 2009, as the Union Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad and his family members and associates were allegedly benefitted with land parcels transferred at nominal prices by several individuals against jobs in his department. These transactions came to be later became known as the 'land-for-jobs scam'. The central agency initiated investigations on the reported scam between 2018 and 2019, and registered a case against Lalu, and the others. The agency alleged that the jobs were given without following due process and were linked directly to land transfers. In 2019, the CBI conducted raids at multiple locations, including properties linked to Lalu's family, intensifying the probe. The agency filed its charge sheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and other family members three years later, detailing how land parcels were transferred to the Yadav family at throwaway prices. It accused them of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy under the then IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Taking cognisance of the charge sheet the following year, a Delhi court summoned Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi, and others to appear before it. The family denied wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated. Last year, the three family members were granted bail, with their lawyers arguing that the case was based on weak evidence and political vendetta. The prosecution, however, maintained that there was clear proof of quid pro quo between jobs and land transfers. With charges officially framed against them, the case is now set for trial, where the outcome will determine both the legal accountability of the Yadav family and the political future of Tejashwi, the leader of Bihar's Opposition Mahagathbandhan bloc. Raipur/Dantewada, Jan 9 : In a significant boost to anti-Naxal operations and peace efforts in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, 63 Maoist cadres, including 36 carrying bounties totalling Rs 1.19 crore, surrendered before security forces on Friday. The surrender ceremony took place at the District Reserve Guard office in Dantewada. The cadres, comprising 18 women and 45 men, were active in Darbha Division, South Bastar, West Bastar, Maad Division and parts of neighbouring Odisha. Among them were seven with Rs eight lakh bounty each, seven with Rs five lakh, eight with Rs two lakh, eleven with Rs one lakh and three with Rs 50,000, a police official said. The mass surrender has been attributed to the ongoing 'Puna Margam' campaign, meaning Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation, launched by Dantewada Police to encourage Maoists to abandon violence and join the mainstream. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam described the initiative as a transformative step towards lasting peace, dignity and holistic progress in the region. The ceremony was attended by senior officers, including Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) CRPF Dantewada Range Rakesh Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police Dantewada Gaurav Rai, commandants of CRPF's 111th, 195th and 230th Battalions, Additional Superintendent of Police Ramkumar Barman and other officials. Forces such as DRG, Bastar Fighters and CRPF played a key role in motivating the cadres to surrender. Under Chhattisgarh's Naxal Rehabilitation Policy, each surrendered cadre will receive Rs 50,000 assistance along with skill development training, agricultural land and other facilities provided by the state government. Prominent among the surrenderees were senior cadres with long records of involvement in violent incidents. Divisional Committee Members (DVCM) Mohan Kadti participated in multiple attacks dating back to 2005, including ambushes and murders. Female DVCM Sumitra Kadti, alias Draupadi and People's Party Committee member (PPCM) Hungi, alias Ankita, were linked to several encounters and arson cases. Others were involved in IED blasts, vehicle burnings, road blockades and propaganda activities. Authorities reiterated the commitment of the Government of India, the Chhattisgarh government, the Dantewada Police, the CRPF and the local administration to establishing peace through sustained operations and inclusive development. The surrender is seen as a major achievement in the ongoing efforts to make Bastar Naxal-free. KABUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities will launch the construction of a new medical university in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province at a cost of more than 565 million afghanis (about 8.7 million U.S. dollars), the official media Bakhtar news agency reported Friday. According to the report, the university will be built on a four-acre plot of land. The project includes the establishment of five academic faculties and a fully equipped teaching hospital, which will serve both educational and healthcare purposes. The university is expected to contribute to the development of higher education in the medical field and improve access to professional medical training in the province. The teaching hospital will also provide practical training opportunities for students while delivering medical services to local residents. The initiative comes as Afghanistan continues efforts to expand higher education capacity, particularly in specialized disciplines such as medicine, amid growing demand for qualified healthcare professionals across the country. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held high-level talks with the EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, in Brussels on Friday as part of the efforts to secure a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "During this dialogue, we deliberated across key areas of the proposed agreement. We reaffirmed our commitment to a rules-based trading framework and a modern economic partnership that safeguards the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains," Goyal said in a post on X. India is pushing for zero-duty access for its labour-intensive sectors, such as textiles, leather, apparel, gems and jewellery, and handicrafts. The Indian ministeras visit to Brussels underscores the intensifying diplomatic and technical engagements between India and the EU. The primary objective of these interactions is to provide strategic guidance to the negotiating teams, resolve pending issues, and expedite the conclusion of a balanced and ambitious agreement. The Ministerial engagement follows a week of intensive deliberations in Brussels, building upon the groundwork laid during high-level discussions held earlier this week between India's Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and the Director-General for Trade of the European Commission, Sabine Weyand. The talks come at a historic juncture for India-EU economic relations. The negotiations were ambitiously re-launched in June 2022 after a hiatus of over nine years, reflecting a renewed mutual commitment to deepen economic integration. Since the resumption, the two sides have held 14 rounds of intense negotiations and several high-level dialogues at the ministerial level, with the latest interaction in December 2025, according to an official statement. Both India and the EU have expressed strong political resolve to deliver a comprehensive deal. The upcoming talks are expected to reaffirm the commitment of both sides to a rules-based trading framework and a modern economic partnership that safeguards the interests of farmers and MSMEs while integrating Indian industries into global supply chains, it said. The European Union is currently Indiaas largest trading partner and a key investor, with bilateral trade in goods significantly bolstered in the 2024-25 financial year. This agreement is envisioned not just as a trade deal, but as a comprehensive partnership that addresses modern economic realities, the statement added. Islamabad, Jan 9 : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will hold a public rally at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi on Sunday. In a video message shared on X, Afridi stated that he will be bringing PTI founder Imran Khan's message to Sindh and asked people of the region to extend full support to the party in the street movement. "My visit is for three days and during this time we have planned various activities. You (people of Sindh) all have to support PTI in the street movement. I will meet you there. Most important is the jalsa set to take place at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi on Sunday at 4:30 pm. You have to begin preparations for the jalsa now. We will hold the biggest gathering in Karachias history." Afridi's aide on information, Shafi Jan, said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM will meet Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah on Monday and hold meetings with party leadership at the Insaf House, followed by a visit to the Press Club during his stay in Sindh, Pakistan's The News International reported. "A big rally will be held at the Mazar-e-Quaid on January 11. (KP) CM's visit to Sindh is important to further accelerate the street movement," The News International quoted the aide as saying. Afridi's announcement came as the PTI had requested authorities to grant the party permission to hold a public meeting in Karachi. On Tuesday, Karachi Region PTI President Raja Azhar wrote a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Karachi's District East, requesting him to grant permission for holding a public gathering at Bagh-e-Jinnah and assured him that the rally would be peaceful and the code of conduct would be followed. PTI is part of the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-Pakistan (TTAP), which has called for street mobilisation related to the second anniversary of the polls held on February 8, 2024. On Thursday, TTAP leaders Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Vice Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas arrived in Lahore for a three-day visit to participate in political activities linked to the street movement. Srinagar, Jan 9 : Former Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday that the recent actions of the Hindu groups have negated the decision of the people in the "Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir" to reject the two-nation theory of Mohammad Ali Jinnah by joining Mahatma Gandhi's secular India. Addressing a press conference here, Mehbooba Mufti said the leadership of J&K joined the secular India represented by Gandhi, thereby rejecting the two-nation theory of Jinnah. "Recent developments championed by right-wing Hindu groups like BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and others have negated the decision of our leaders to have joined the Gandhian secular India by rejecting the two-nation theory of Mohammad Ali Jinnah," she said. Mufti described the revocation of permission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College by the National Medical Commission (NMC) as 'dangerous and unfortunate'. "A few right-wing Hindu groups started an agitation for a few days, prompting the National Medical Commission (NMC) to revoke the permission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College. This was done to cancel the admission of Muslim candidates, who secured their admission in the college by passing the NEET exam. Strangely, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said a day before that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College should be closed and the next day the NMC revoked permission to the medical college. It proves that a nexus existed between the chief minister and the right-wing Hindu groups on this decision," she alleged. She said voices are being raised for giving statehood to Jammu on the basis of religion, and if this happened, the reason for Kashmir to have joined secular India would be proven wrong. The PDP chief called the development 'dangerous' because, according to her, J&K has become a laboratory where experiments are done for testing such decisions and then extending them to the rest of the country. "I fear tomorrow some right-wing groups can raise the same demand for the cancellation of admission of our boys and girls in other institutions outside J&K. We have become a laboratory where decisions like this are tested and then extended to other parts of the country," she alleged. She said NIA, ED, crime branch and other organisations are carrying out such raids daily in Kashmir when she was asked a question about the ED raid controversy in West Bengal. "When three chief ministers were locked up in J&K in 2019, no big political party in the rest of the country raised their voice, and now they are facing the same situation. I am sure that Mamata Banerjee is a tigress and she will face it boldly," she asserted. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Shivpuri : , Jan 9 (IANS) Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, reiterated on Friday the importance of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) that had been signed earlier on January 7 with Union Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Addressing a public gathering in Badarwas (Shivpuri), he reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring real-time monitoring of fertilisers so that farmers receive transparent and timely supplies. He also emphasised the second MoU, which focuses on the economic empowerment of rural women through training provided by India Post Payments Bank. Under this initiative, women will take on the responsibility of opening accounts in villages, enabling them to earn between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 per month and thereby strengthening financial inclusion at the grassroots level. On Friday, he inaugurated a modernised sub-post office in Badarwas, describing the historic facility, located near an ancient temple, as fully transformed with contemporary amenities to serve the public. He noted that this development is part of the postal modernisation campaign launched in 2009, under which 50 post offices across the region have already been upgraded. Earlier in the day, he also dedicated new state-of-the-art sub-post offices in Kolaras and Jagatpura in Shivpuri district. He emphasised that these upgraded facilities will act as "windows to the world," delivering accessible, timely, and reliable postal services equipped with world-class infrastructure. Highlighting the role of postal workers, the Union Minister remarked that a postman does more than deliver mail: "He carries emotions from one home to another and even across borders." Drawing from popular culture, he referenced actor Sunny Deol's famous line about a letter's arrival, adding that today's postman brings a bank along with the letter. He underscored the importance of Post Office Savings Bank, insurance schemes, and the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, calling the latter a seed nurtured by parents that grows into a banyan tree securing the future of daughters. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Communications Minister expressed confidence that India's Postal Department will soon achieve global recognition for service quality. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to integrating postal services deeply into citizensa lives, ensuring modern, citizen-centric, and reliable access for all. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Hyderabad, Jan 9 : Amid the ongoing row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on sharing of river waters, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that the state prefers water over disputes. He called for rising above politics to find a solution to the disputes between the two Telugu states over the sharing of Krishna and Godavari River waters. "If you ask whether Telangana state needs a dispute or water, I will choose water. If asked whether we want conflict or a solution, I will choose a solution," he said while speaking at a programme at Maheshwaram in Rangareddy district. Revanth Reddy appealed to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, N. Chandrababu Naidu, not to create obstacles for the Telangana projects across the Krishna River. "I appeal to him from this platform. Do not create obstacles for permissions to those projects on the Krishna River, which were proposed in the undivided Andhra Pradesh," he said. He noted that due to these obstacles, Central government funds are not being released, and the state is facing a financial burden. Revanth Reddy stated that for Telangana to get port connectivity, cooperation from the neighbouring state is necessary. "If the two states cooperate with each other, the problems will be resolved. Discussions with the neighbouring state will continue for this purpose," he said. He also stated that he favours resolving the problems through talks and not through the courts. He made it clear that the Congress has no intention of gaining political mileage from the water dispute. "I appeal to all parties to rise above politics and cooperate for a solution. Let's resolve our problems amicably," he said. "We are thinking not about political gains, but about the interests of the people and the farmers," he added. The Chief Minister stated that Telangana does not want disputes with neighbouring states, whether it is Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, or Maharashtra. "We seek mutual cooperation," he added. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu, on January 7, had appealed to Telangana not to indulge in politics over river water sharing issues. Expressing concern over the politicisation of water sharing issues between the two Telugu states, the Chief Minister made it clear that he never objected to projects in Telangana. He asked if it was proper to object Polavaram project undertaken by Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister Naidu was referring to the objection raised by the Telangana government over the expansion of the Polavaram project. The Telangana government has approached the Supreme Court to stop the Polavaram-Nallamalla Sagar project aimed at diverting water from the Godavari River to the Krishna basin in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrababu Naidu was talking to media persons after a visit to Polavaram in Eluru district to review the status of the mega project. He said that there is nothing wrong with using surplus water, which is going to waste into the sea. "Once we complete the Polavaram project, we can use surplus water in Godavari, supply Krishna water to the Rayalaseema region, and if there is excess water, we can supply it to Telangana also," he said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Tis Hazari Court on Friday issued a notice to the Delhi Police in connection with the bail applications filed by five accused in the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque stone-pelting case. The court has fixed January 13 as the next date of hearing in the matter. The accused, Mohammad Arib, Kaif, Kashif, Adnan, and Sameer have approached the Tis Hazari Court seeking bail. The court also issued a notice to the jail superintendent, directing him to submit the medical records and CCTV footage related to all five accused before the next hearing. During the proceedings, the defence counsel alleged that the accused were assaulted inside the jail premises. Advocate Atul Srivastava has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque stone-pelting case and is representing the Delhi Police in the matter. Earlier in the day, Delhi Police arrested one more accused in connection with the violence that erupted during the demolition drive near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area of the national capital. With this latest arrest, the total number of people apprehended in the case has risen to 12. According to Delhi Police, the accused has been identified as Mohammad Imran, also known as Raju, aged 36. Earlier on Thursday, Delhi Police had stated that around 30 individuals involved in the violence had been identified. The identification was carried out using CCTV footage from the area, body-worn camera recordings of police personnel, and multiple videos that went viral on social media platforms. Earlier, the police officials said that a summons will soon be issued to Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, asking him to join the investigation. According to police, the MP was allegedly present at the site shortly before the violence broke out. Senior police officials had reportedly requested him to stay away from the immediate vicinity of the demolition site, but he continued to remain in the area prior to the incident. Meanwhile, Delhi Police have intensified their search for YouTuber Salman in connection with the case and are preparing to issue a notice to him. According to police sources, Salman allegedly attempted to disturb public order by using social media platforms. He is accused of calling upon residents to gather at the site during the demolition drive. The investigation has further revealed that some influential individuals in the locality allegedly used WhatsApp groups to incite residents to assemble at the spot. Police said their intent was to create unrest and obstruct the work of the civic authorities and law enforcement agencies during the demolition operation. A copy of the FIR, accessed by IANS, outlines the sequence of events leading to the violence. It states that the unrest began at around 12.40 a.m., when police personnel started barricading the encroached government land ahead of the demolition. As barricading was underway, a group of around 30 to 35 people gathered at the spot, raised provocative slogans, and attempted to prevent police from setting up blockades. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Operation 'Devil Hunt' in Bangladesh has become one of the most sweeping security crackdowns in recent years, with thousands arrested across Dhaka and other districts, yet failing to address the crux of rising violence before the February 12 election, according to reports. While authorities claim the operation is vital to restoring law and order ahead of national elections, ordinary citizens and rights groups have voiced deep concerns about continued killings, unrecovered weapons, and escaped convicts still at large. "Despite the launch of Operation Devil Hunt, continued killings and law enforcement's failure to arrest escaped criminals and recover looted weapons are raising serious concerns ahead of the national election," observed Bangladesh's 'The Daily Star' newspaper on Friday. "Moreover, eight political killings have taken place since the declaration of the election schedule on December 11, including that of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson and July uprising frontliner Sharif Osman Bin Hadi," said the report. After a break, the operation was relaunched soon after Hadi was shot on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka. The second phase, beginning December 13, 2025, has continued into 2026 with intensified raids. The first phase began on February 8, 2025, under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The exercise was aimed at curbing rising crime, recovering looted arms, and apprehending escaped convicts following the July-August 2024 student-led uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime. Over 1,300 arrests were made in the first days alone, add Bangladesh media. Soon after the exercise was launched last year, reports claimed that among people arrested under the operation were mostly members of the Awami League and its associate organisations. "Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 98 people across the capital in the last 24 hours as part of 'Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2', targeting crime-prone areas under different police stations," reported the Daily Sun on January 3. "Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested a man and recovered a firearm, hand bombs, and marijuana during an operation under Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 in Bhola district," said the online portal of BSS news agency late last month. Bhola district in the Barisal division of Bangladesh, about 117 km south of Dhaka, includes the largest island in the country with the same name. Meanwhile, 'The Daily Star' claimed on Friday, quoting data from Police Headquarters, that over a thousand firearms looted during the July 2024 uprising, including 28 stolen from Narsingdi jail, are still unaccounted for. Police figures also show 3,785 murder cases being filed across the country last year, including cases related to killings during the uprising. "Furthermore, the whereabouts of around 710 inmates who escaped from various prisons during the uprising remain unknown," it added. At least four murders have taken place in the capital, Dhaka, alone so far within the nine days this year. Analysts in Bangladesh have warned that rising violence could suppress voter turnout, undermining democratic participation. Many also reportedly feel the operation is reactive rather than preventive, with killings continuing despite mass arrests. Operation Devil Hunt reflects Bangladesh's struggle to balance security imperatives with citizen trust, while critics claim it is politically motivated. While authorities highlight arrests and seizures, ordinary people remain haunted by unresolved violence, unrecovered arms, and political killings. As elections approach, the operation's success will be judged not only by numbers but by whether it can restore genuine safety and confidence among the public. Gir Somnath, Jan 9 : More than 500 sadhus and sants from across the country participated in a grand 'Damru Rally' in Gujarat's district Somnath on Friday, with the rhythmic beats of the sacred drums resonating throughout the region. The participating sants described the event as a 'Mini Kumbh Mela,' reflecting the scale and spiritual fervour of the gathering. Gir Somnath, Jan 9 (IANS) More than 500 sadhus and sants from across the country participated in a grand aDamru Rallya in Gujarat's district Somnath on Friday, with the rhythmic beats of the sacred drums resonating throughout the region. The participating sants described the event as a 'Mini Kumbh Mela,' reflecting the scale and spiritual fervour of the gathering. The rally was held ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modias visit to Somnath for the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Even before the Prime Ministeras arrival, Somnath was enveloped in an atmosphere of celebration, devotion, and excitement. Devotees and locals witnessed scenes that made it feel as though Mount Kailash itself had descended upon the holy town. From Shankh Chakra (also known as Good Luck Circle) to Hamirji Gohil Circle and the Somnath Mahadev Temple, the holy men carried out a massive procession, playing the adaka and adamrua while chanting sacred slogans. The entire region echoed with the sounds of the drums, accompanied by chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' and 'Jai Somnath,' creating an intensely spiritual environment across Somnath. The aDamru Rallya commenced at around 10 a.m. from Shankh Chakra, located approximately one kilometre away, and proceeded through Hamirji Circle before culminating at the Somnath Temple. Sadhus clad in traditional attire and devotees walking alongside them added to the grandeur of the procession. Pilgrims and tourists visiting Somnath expressed delight and amazement at the spectacle. Many devotees were seen capturing the moment as the sound of the 'damru' and devotional chants filled the air, leaving a lasting impression on those present. Speaking to IANS, Sant Piyudan Gadhvi Sadhu said that he had arrived in Gujarat to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, calling it a historic and unique festival being organised at Somnath, the first Jyotirlinga, after several centuries. He said that from January 8 to 11, bhajans, community meals, and the chanting of Lord Shivaas name would unite people in devotion. He added that the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would mark the event as a significant milestone. Sant Bhardwaj Nand Giri also described the atmosphere as resembling a mini Kumbh Mela. He said that after nearly a thousand years, the Somnath Swabhiman Parv was being organised, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the guidance of sants, thousands of scholars and devotees were participating, making it a symbol of faith and cultural pride. The four-day Somnath Swabhiman Parv kicked off at the Somnath Mahadev Temple on Thursday, marking the 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the historic shrine of Lord Shiva. Prime Minister Modi is set to visit the Somnath Temple on January 10 to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv celebrations. One of the upcoming highlights of the festival is the grand Shaurya Yatra, which will be held on the concluding day i.e. January 11 and will see 108 horsemen of the Gujarat Police Cavalry participate in traditional attire. Swabhiman Parv celebrates the enduring spirit of Somnath temple as the year 2026 marks 1,000 years, since the first attack on Somnath took place in January 1026 AD. The Somnath Mahadev Temple reflects Indiaas self-respect, resilience, and reconstruction. Despite repeated invasions, Somnath rose again and stands firm as a symbol of the nationas unwavering pride. The Somnath Swabhiman Parv seeks to bring this history alive for the present generation. The four-day event will celebrate Indiaas cultural confidence, spiritual heritage, and national pride, spreading Somnathas message of self-respect across the nation. Hubballi, Jan 9 : A BJP delegation on Friday visited the residence of the party worker who was allegedly stripped and assaulted by police in Karnataka's Hubballi, following a complaint by a Congress councillor over a dispute arising out of the voter revision exercise, and assured the family members of justice. The party also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. The delegation, led by R. Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, along with the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and MLC Bharati Shetty, visited the residence of the victim woman. Later, addressing the media, R. Ashoka stated that the incident of a woman being stripped in Hubballi has become national news, and people want to know the truth behind it. Ashoka questioned claims that the woman had removed her clothes on her own. "If that was the case, were the police sleeping? When 40 policemen were present, the police van belonged to you, the driver was yours, and law and order were under your control, why couldn't you prevent it?" he questioned. Ashoka alleged that "the police personnel behaved like Dushasana, assaulted the woman and stripped her." He demanded a thorough investigation and objected to the State Women's Commission's statement from Bengaluru claiming that nothing had happened. He pointed out that the National Commission for Women had issued a notice in the case. Questioning the large police presence to arrest the woman worker, he asked, "Did it take 40 people to take one person into custody? Under whose pressure was this done? On whose instructions?" He also demanded the immediate suspension of the police inspector concerned and all those present in the police van until the inquiry is completed. Speaking on the occasion, Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said a councillor had lodged a complaint seeking the arrest of BJP worker Sujatha Handi. "What exactly happened when the inspector took several people along for the arrest should be investigated and revealed by the police," he said. Narayanaswamy further claimed that a video currently circulating was recorded three to four years ago when the Congress councillor and Sujatha Handi were together. "This video clearly exposes the Congress partyas character. From now on, Congress workers should be extremely cautious with their party leaders. They make you commit mistakes, record videos, and use them for blackmail. When you leave the party or oppose them, the videos are made public," he alleged. He warned Congress workers to remain alert, alleging that Congress leaders engage in blackmail by holding videos of their own party workers. Pune, Jan 9 : As the battle for municipal corporation elections intensifies across Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party-SP working president and MP Supriya Sule on Friday broke her silence on the party's alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, saying the tie-up between the two factions was the result of collective teamwork at the local level. Sule also addressed speculation surrounding the unexpected "reunion" and clarified the party's future stance regarding the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The alliance between the NCP-SP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) in Pune has left many wondering how the two opposing sides came together. Sule attributed the move entirely to grassroots-level dynamics. "It was the will of the workers. Many of our candidates and party workers on the ground expressed a desire to fight together. This alliance is the result of collective teamwork at the local level," she explained. The Pune tie-up has fuelled rumours of a possible larger political shift. Political circles have been abuzz with claims that after the Municipal elections, Sharad Pawar's faction might join the NDA. Some reports have even suggested that Supriya Sule could be offered a Union Minister's berth, while Rohit Pawar might secure a ministerial role in the state cabinet. When asked about these rumours, Sule remained composed. "I have seen these discussions on WhatsApp groups, but I do not give them much thought. Why should I dwell on things that are outside the scope of my current work? I live in reality," she said. She added that in a strong democracy, people have the right to express their views. "People will talk, and we must listen to the sentiments of the workers, but my focus remains on my responsibilities," she said. Responding to recurring speculation about her joining the Central Cabinet -- a topic that has surfaced repeatedly over the past decade -- Sule stressed her commitment to her constituency. She said she has been hearing such talk for over 11 years and emphasised that the people of Baramati elected her with great trust. Her focus, she said, is on resolving basic infrastructure issues in her constituency and fulfilling the mandate for which she was sent to Delhi. "People talk, but we must keep doing our work. My first responsibility is to the people who voted for me," she added. Sule's remarks came a day after Maharashtra NCP president and MP Sunil Tatkare on Thursday said that while he does not personally oppose a merger of the Ajit Pawar faction with the NCP (SP), any such decision would be taken collectively by the party leadership. Tatkare also spoke at length on the issue of a possible merger between the two factions and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP's strategic shift after joining the NDA. He defended the decision to align with the NDA, noting that the move had been under internal discussion for years. "We faced criticism for this role and continue to do so, but we remain firm in our decision to stay with the NDA," he said. BRASILIA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a phone conversation on Thursday to discuss the situation in Venezuela, the Brazilian government said. According to a statement from the Brazilian government, both leaders expressed deep concern over the use of force against the South American country, in violation of international law, the UN Charter and Venezuela's sovereignty. "They stressed that such actions constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace and security, as well as for the international order," the statement said. The two presidents agreed that the situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people. Both leaders welcomed the announcement made earlier on Thursday by Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez regarding the release of "a significant number" of Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. The statement also noted that at Venezuela's request, Lula will send 40 tonnes of supplies and medicines to replenish dialysis materials and other medical products stored at a supply center affected by the U.S. bombings on Jan. 3. "Brazil and Colombia reaffirmed their intention to continue cooperating for peace and stability in Venezuela, a country with which they share extensive borders. They also recalled the large contingents of Venezuelan migrants both nations have welcomed in recent years," the statement said. New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rejected US Commerce Secretary Lutnick's comments that the India-US trade negotiations have stalled because Prime Minister Narendra Modi "didn't call" President Donald Trump. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday rejected US Commerce Secretary Lutnickas comments that the India-US trade negotiations have stalled because Prime Minister Narendra Modi "didnat call" President Donald Trump. aThe characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate," MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. "India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and looks forward to concluding it," he added. Lutnick said on Thursday that the trade deal failed after Trump did not receive a call from PM Modi on the issue, adding that Washington moved ahead with other agreements instead. Jaiswal said: "We have seen the remarks. India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as 13th of February last year. Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to reach a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement." He further stated that on several occasions, the two countries have been close to a deal. "Incidentally, the Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions in 2025, covering various aspects of our wide-ranging partnership," Jaiswal added. The US Commerce Secretary claimed he asked Prime Minister Modi to call the President to close the deal. However, he said India was "uncomfortable doing it, so Mr Modi didn't call". Lutnick further stated that the U.S. clinched trade deals with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, but had expected the trade deal with India to be done before them. aWe did Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and we announced a whole bunch of deals. So we did this whole bunch of deals because we negotiated them and assumed India was going to be done before them. I have negotiated them at a higher rate. So now the problem is that the deals came out at a higher rate. And then India calls back and says, 'Oh, okay, we are ready'. I said, 'Ready for what?" New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal filed by the city police against the acquittal of a man accused of molestation, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and that the trial court's assessment of evidence contained no infirmity. A single-judge Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna upheld the 2016 sessions court judgment acquitting the accused of charges under Sections 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in an FIR registered at the Defence Colony police station. In its decision, the Delhi High Court observed that the trial court had correctly appreciated the material contradictions and inconsistencies in the prosecutrix's testimony, along with the unexplained delay in registering the FIR. "The learned trial court rightly noted the contradictions and the improvements in the statement of the complainant and rightly acquitted the respondent," Justice Krishna observed while dismissing the prosecution's appeal under Section 378 CrPC. According to the case records, the complainant, who was working as an ayah in a school in Defence Colony through a placement agency, had alleged that on December 3, 2011, the accused misbehaved with her on the school premises, touched her inappropriately and attempted to rape her. An FIR, however, came to be registered only on January 2, 2012. The Delhi High Court noted that while the complainant had alleged an attempt to rape in her initial complaint, her testimony before the trial court did not support such an allegation. "Clearly, the testimony of the prosecutrix in the Court does not establish any act of attempted rape," Justice Krishna said, adding that there were "material improvements" in her version. The Delhi HC further noted the statement of a co-worker, appearing as a defence witness, who asserted that she was with the complainant during the entire period of the alleged incident and that no such incident had taken place. It observed that no material contradiction could be elicited from her cross-examination. On the issue of delay, Justice Krishna said that there was no explanation as to why the complainant neither approached the police immediately nor called the PCR after the alleged incident. "No explanation is forthcoming for her waiting till 08.12. 2011 to make the complaint," the order said. The Delhi High Court also referred to evidence showing that complaints had been made against the complainant's work conduct shortly before the alleged incident and that her services had been withdrawn by the placement agency. This, Justice Krishna observed, lent credence to the defence plea that the complaint was motivated. Concluding that the view taken by the trial court was a "possible and reasonable view" based on the evidence on record, the Delhi High Court held that there was no merit in the prosecution's appeal and dismissed it. "The prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and the respondent (accused) has been rightly acquitted. There is no merit in the appeal, which is hereby dismissed," ruled Justice Krishna, affirming the acquittal order. Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 9 : The arrest of Sabarimala temple tantri Kantaru Rajeevar in the gold heist case has marked a decisive escalation in an investigation that is steadily moving up the institutional hierarchy. What began as a probe into a sensational theft linked to one of Keralaas most revered shrines has now entered politically sensitive terrain, sharpening speculation over whether the next rung could include a minister. By taking into custody a figure traditionally viewed as insulated from routine criminal scrutiny, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has crossed a significant psychological and symbolic threshold. Investigators are believed to have proceeded with extreme caution, avoiding any public disclosure of the tantrias alleged role until custody was secured, underscoring the sensitivities surrounding the case. So far, 13 persons have been arrested, reinforcing the view that the crime involved a well-organised network rather than isolated actors. The probe on Friday has widened further with the Enforcement Directorate registering a money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, opening the door to scrutiny of financial trails and possible attachment of assets. Political attention has intensified amid longstanding allegations by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who has repeatedly claimed that the role of CPI-M MLA and former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran in the matter is "very clear". Strongly objecting to the allegation, Surendran filed a defamation case against Satheesan, which is now pending before a court in the state capital. Reacting to the arrest, state police chief Ravada Chandrasekhar clarified that the Kerala Police has no direct role in the investigation, stating that the SIT is functioning under the guidance and supervision of the Kerala High Court. Meanwhile, present Devaswom Minister and senior CPI-M leader V.N. Vasavan declined to comment on the development. Asked about the arrest, Vasavan said he had "nothing to say" and walked away, a response that has added to political speculation. With Kerala entering a pre-election phase, any move involving a serving or former minister would carry significant political consequences. While there is no official indication that a minister is under investigation, the arrest of the tantri has altered perceptions of how far the probe is willing to climb, from ritual authority to political power. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday underscored the need to restore schools as vibrant, community-rooted institutions to bring about meaningful reform in the education sector. Addressing a consultation meeting of stakeholders under the Samagra Shiksha scheme in New Delhi, Pradhan said that with five years of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 completed, India is now preparing to transition towards a new framework of Samagra Shiksha in 2026-27, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. "The biggest challenge before us today is to build an education system and human resources that are aligned with the aspirations of a developed India," the Minister said. Highlighting the widespread expectations attached to Samagra Shiksha, Pradhan noted that states across the country have gained valuable experience and evolved best practices in leveraging education as a tool for building a more just and equitable society. "All states have their own experiences and best practices. These must converge to further strengthen Samagra Shiksha and respond to the aspirations of our people," he added. The Minister stressed the need for transformative reforms across multiple dimensions of school education, including improving learning outcomes, strengthening nutrition outcomes, reducing examination burden, simplifying learning processes, ensuring 100 per cent enrolment up to Class XII, promoting holistic school development, and effectively leveraging technology and digitisation. "To meaningfully convert these components into outcomes, we must once again return schools to society," Pradhan asserted. Elaborating on the role of the community, he said that while the government must retain responsibility for systems and salaries, the ownership and day-to-day functioning of schools should involve society at large. "The government must take responsibility for systems and salaries, but the responsibility of running schools should belong to society. As we move towards a new framework of Samagra Shiksha, we must collectively think about how to make this possible," he said. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, Pradhan said this goal can be realised only when every child in the country has access to quality education and 100 per cent enrolment up to Class XII is achieved. Reducing learning gaps and drop-outs, improving learning and nutrition outcomes, capacity-building of teachers, fostering design thinking and critical skills among students, moving India's Amrit Peedhi beyond the "Macaulay mindset", and nurturing robust human capital for a developed India are collective responsibilities, he added. The Minister also appealed to academic experts, senior officials from sectoral ministries, and participating States and Union Territories to work towards a holistic annual plan for the academic year 202627. "This must become a national movement," Pradhan said. The consultation meeting brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on the future direction of Samagra Shiksha and to ensure that the evolving framework effectively supports India's educational and developmental goals. New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Privileges Committee of Delhi Assembly has recommended "appropriate action" against AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three party colleagues for their deliberate absence from its meetings to examine the alleged false claims over "Faansi Ghar", Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Friday. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) The Privileges Committee of Delhi Assembly has recommended "appropriate action" against AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three party colleagues for their deliberate absence from its meetings to examine the alleged false claims over "Faansi Ghar", Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Friday. "Despite adequate opportunity, time, and clarifications being provided, and in the absence of any stay order, or direction from any Court, none of the four concerned individuals Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Former Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and Former Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla appeared before the Committee on the scheduled dates," said the Speaker quoting the Committee's report. "In the opinion of the Committee, such conduct amounts to contempt of the House and of the Committee," he said. The Privileges Committee has recommended that appropriate action may be taken by the House against the concerned persons for their deliberate absence from the meetings of the Committee, he said. The Speaker said, "I place this matter before the House with full confidence and I trust the wisdom of the Members that they will consider the recommendations of the Privileges Committee and take an appropriate decision in accordance with the Constitution, the law, and the traditions of this House." The matter pertains to the alleged false claims made during the previous AAP government to wrongly brand a colonial era "Tiffin Room" as a "Faansi Ghar" (Execution Chamber) within the Assembly premises. The matter was later referred to the Privileges Committee by the Speaker. On Friday, the Speaker said in a statement, "I wish to place before this esteemed House the factual position that has emerged following the report submitted by the Privileges Committee. This matter is not only connected with a significant historical claim, but is also intrinsically related to the powers, dignity, and functioning of this Legislature and its Committees." He said after the formation of the Eighth Legislative Assembly in February 2025, several initiatives were undertaken to preserve and safeguard the historic character of the Delhi Assembly Building. During this process, in order to ensure historical accuracy and authenticity, the official records and archival material were examined. Information received from the National Archives revealed that there was no existence of a "Faansi Ghar" within the Assembly premises. Instead, the records indicated that the concerned area was used as a "Tiffin Room", he said. Bengaluru, Jan 9 : Opposing the Malayalam Language Bill-2025 passed by the Kerala legislature, the Congress-led Karnataka government on Friday said it would urge the Kerala Governor not to grant assent to the Bill. The government is also considering taking a delegation to the President to stop the Kerala government from implementing the Bill, which it says is against the interests of Kannada-speaking children in border regions. Speaking to the media, Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi said the Kerala government has passed the Malayalam Language Bill2025 and sent it to the Governor for assent. "This Bill will create problems for Kannada-speaking people in the border districts. In the border region, especially in Kasaragod district, about seven lakh Kannada-speaking people live, and 210 Kannada-medium schools are functioning there," he said. "This Bill will create serious difficulties for Kannada-speaking people. As per Article 350B of the Constitution, the President should appoint an officer and obtain a comprehensive report from Kasaragod in Kerala. The authorities should also seek the opinions of both the Kerala and Karnataka governments. People living along the KarnatakaKerala border should not be subjected to injustice," Tangadagi said. "We will not allow injustice to be done to our people in the Kerala region. In this context, we appeal to the Governor of Kerala not to grant assent to this Bill. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also posted a message on X regarding this issue," he added. "I will bring this matter to the notice of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. We will form a delegation and meet the President of India. After discussions, we will take further steps. We will not allow injustice to happen to Kannada-speaking people or to the state. We will not tolerate it," Tangadagi said. He further stated that the Karnataka Border Area Development Authority has already written to the Kerala Chief Minister on the issue. "The office-bearers have also met the Governor and submitted a memorandum in this regard," he said. "The hearts and minds of the people of Kasaragod beat for the Kannada language. The Bill proposed by the Kerala government is inappropriate. Earlier, a Karnataka government delegation had met the Kerala Governor and explained the concerns of Kannada-speaking people in the border district. The proposed Bill is likely to cause hardship to Kannada-speaking people," he added. A row has erupted between Karnataka and Kerala over the Malayalam Language Bill2025 mooted by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government. The move has been criticised by both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his displeasure, stating that the proposed Malayalam Language Bill2025, mandating Malayalam as the first language even in Kannada-medium schools in Kerala, strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and the lived reality of Kerala's border districts, especially Kasaragod. Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi said Kasaragod district in Kerala has a majority Kannada-speaking population and that more than 70 per cent of the people speak Kannada. "Our government should strongly protest this move," he said. Reacting to the development, former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said in Hubballi on Friday that the Karnataka government was running the administration as per the orders of the Kerala government. "The government must take steps to protect the interests of Kannada children," he said. New Delhi, Jan 9 : With rising concerns over the political situation in Venezuela, India on Friday said that it is closely monitoring the developments in the region and stands ready to offer assistance to the Indian community in the South American country and neighbouring Colombia. aWe are closely monitoring developments in Venezuela. The Indian community there is small, around 50 people, and our Embassy is in touch with them through a travel advisory. In Colombia, where there are about 650 Indian nationals, our Embassy is also in close contact. As far as our commitment to Indian nationals is concerned, whenever support is needed, we will extend all necessary assistance," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday. The crisis in Venezuela escalated after a controversial US military operation on January 3 that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by the US special forces in Caracas and their transfer to the United States to face criminal charges. The operation, referred to as Operation Absolute Resolve, saw explosions and strikes in Venezuela's capital city, Caracas, and involved elite units of the US military. Maduro and Flores were flown to New York, where they appeared in a federal court in Manhattan and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. He was ordered to remain in custody until his next hearing on March 17. Earlier this week, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said that India is concerned over the recent developments in Venezuela following the US capture of President Maduro. The EAM urged all parties involved to prioritise the safety and well-being of the Venezuelan people amid the ongoing crisis. "We are concerned at the developments, but we would really urge all the parties involved to now sit down and sort of come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and the safety of the people of Venezuela," EAM Jaishankar said at an event in Luxembourg. Earlier, on January 4, India termed the recent developments in Venezuela "a matter of concern" and urged all concerned parties to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region. In a statement, the MEA stated that the Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and is providing all possible assistance. "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," it further read. "The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance," it added. Guwahati, Jan 9 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress supremo over her conduct during and after the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, as a legal confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the Centre is set to unfold on January 14. Reacting to the developments, CM Sarma said CM Banerjee's behaviour at the site of the ED action raised serious concerns about propriety and constitutional conduct. "The way she behaves, her conduct at the crime scene, the manner in which she took away official files, and the use of inappropriate language against the Union Home Minister are deeply concerning," the Assam Chief Minister stated. Sarma further remarked that such actions by a serving Chief Minister could undermine public faith in democratic institutions. "This kind of conduct is likely to erode public respect for her office. I do not wish to comment further, but it is truly unfortunate if a Chief Minister resorts to confiscating files and allegedly detaining individuals. This goes far beyond what is acceptable in a constitutional democracy," he said. The controversy follows ED searches at I-PAC's Kolkata office in connection with an ongoing investigation, after which CM Banerjee personally visited the premises. She accused the central agency of acting at the behest of the Union government and alleged that the raids were politically-motivated. The Trinamool has since linked the ED action to what it termed a pattern of misuse of central agencies to harass Opposition leaders and parties. CM Banerjee's party approached the court on Thursday, challenging the legality of the raid and the conduct of central agencies. The court battle between the Trinamool-led West Bengal government and the Centre is expected soon. Meanwhile, the ED has maintained that its actions are strictly in accordance with the law and based on evidence, reiterating that investigations are carried out independently and without political interference. The central probe agency had also approached the Calcutta High Court seeking an FIR against CM Mamata Banerjee. However, the Calcutta High Court on Friday turned down the ED's plea for an urgent hearing of the case. The ED approached the Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul with the plea for an urgent hearing after the hearing at the single-judge Bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh earlier in the day could not happen because of an excessive crowd within the courtroom at the time of the beginning of the hearing. With Justice Ghosh leaving the courtroom, the next date of hearing was scheduled on January 14. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Forest officials and stakeholders discussed strategies to strengthen mangrove ecosystems and ensuring sustainable coastal livelihoods at a two-day national-level workshop that concluded in Andhra Pradesh on Friday, an official said. The MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes) workshop was inaugurated by the Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visionary leadership. MISHTI envisages the development and conservation of mangrove ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on mangrove restoration, shoreline protection, biodiversity conservation and the generation of tangible livelihood opportunities for coastal communities, a statement issued by the Environment Ministry said. Pawan Kalyan thanked the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav for supporting states in mangrove conservation through the MISHTI scheme. The MISHTI workshop brought together forest officials, experts and stakeholders to deliberate on sustainable mangrove conservation and restoration, an official said in a statement. A key presentation was delivered by Anand Mohan, Chief Executive Officer, National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA0), who highlighted the objectives and implementation framework of the MISHTI initiative. The mission contributes to the objectives of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC), of which India became an active member during COP-27 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). During the presentation, the National CAMPA CEO Mohan, underscored the critical role of mangroves in climate resilience, coastal protection and sustainable economic benefits, stressing the need for coordinated efforts among the states and institutions for effective implementation. The workshop served as a vital platform for knowledge sharing, best practices and policy dialogue, reinforcing the commitment towards strengthening mangrove ecosystems and ensuring sustainable coastal livelihoods under the MISHTI framework. On Thursday, National Biodiversity Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, disbursed Rs 68 lakh to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in Wada tehsil of the Palghar district and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra as part of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). This disbursement stems from the access and commercial utilisation of soil microorganisms, specifically bacteria from the Bacillus genus, which were harnessed for developing innovative probiotic products. It exemplifies the effective implementation of the ABS framework, ensuring that benefits derived from India's rich microbial biodiversity are shared fairly and equitably with local communities and custodians of these resources. Around 15 per cent of ABS applications involve microorganisms, underscoring their potential in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and biotechnology. The mechanism not only channels benefits to farmers, local communities, BMCs and other stakeholders but also encourages the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, a statement said. Kolkata, Jan 9 : West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday made it clear that her party will continue a parallel legal and on-the-street political battle over the controversy surrounding the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) simultaneous raid and search operations on January 8 at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Salt Lake, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, and at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street in central Kolkata. She led a protest rally in the matter in south Kolkata on Friday afternoon, starting from Jadavpur and ending at Hazra crossing, where she outlined her party's strategy on the issue. "Our movement is against the harassment of the people masterminded from New Delhi. Our movement is against the deliberate attempt to strike off the names of genuine voters in the state from the voters' list in the name of the Special Intensive Revision. Our movement is against the deliberate denial of the rights of the people of West Bengal. So being on the streets is the only way out to spearhead the movement on this issue, and this will continue," the Chief Minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of capturing power through the back door in many states, which, according to her, was often done forcefully. "They are trying to do the same thing in West Bengal. The people of West Bengal will not tolerate that any more. I, too, have information about the involvement of BJP leaders with unaccounted money. I am yet to reveal that. But if necessary, I will reveal it now. I tolerate up to a certain level; if I open my mouth now, it will become an international issue," the Chief Minister said. She also accused the BJP of spreading false narratives about illegal Rohingya infiltrators in West Bengal's voters' list. "Before the SIR, they claimed that lakhs of illegal Rohingya infiltrators were in the voters' list. But to date, not a single one has been identified. Now the BJP is trying to delete the names of genuine voters using the Election Commission of India," the Chief Minister said. MELBOURNE, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and three people are missing amid an ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria. Authorities said that there were 30 active bushfires burning across Victoria as of Friday morning and that they are expected to be unpredictable, uncontrollable, and fast-moving due to catastrophic conditions, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius exacerbated by strong winds. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said at a press conference alongside emergency service personnel and the state Premier, Jacinta Allan, that three people are missing. He said that Country Fire Authority (CFA) officials on Thursday advised the two adults and one child to leave their property in central Victoria immediately due to the life-threatening danger posed by a nearby fire. Hill said that officials returned to the same property later on Thursday to find it had been completely destroyed. "Those three people are unaccounted for," he said. Multiple homes have been confirmed destroyed in the central Victorian town of Ruffy, 105 km northeast of Melbourne, and residents of neighboring towns as well as towns in the state's far northeast have been told to evacuate. A catastrophic fire danger rating has been declared for four regions in the state, marking the first time that the highest-level rating has been declared for multiple Victorian regions on one day since 2019. Allan said that Friday would be one of the most dangerous fire days that Victoria has experienced in several years, urging thousands of people subject to evacuation orders to leave immediately. "There are fires across the state and the conditions are already extremely dangerous," she said. "I cannot be more clear. If you are currently still in a location where you have been advised to leave, you must leave now." CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan said that temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius are forecast for northern Victoria on Friday and that dry lightning strikes are expected to hit central regions in the afternoon. Guna, Jan 9 : Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said on Friday that the 4G network connectivity will cover the entire rural parts of the country in June this year. The Union Minister added that there are more than 120 crore mobile users in the country and the reach of 4G network in every corner will strengthen the 'Digital India' vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister Scindia made this announcement while addressing an event in Shivpuri district, under the Guna Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh. "The country is witnessing tremendous growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 4G network will reach every village across the country by June 2026," he said. On this occasion, Union Minister Scindia inaugurated a sub-post office in Badarwas area in Guna, and congratulated the residents for this significant development. He appealed the people to open their bank accounts in the post-office to avail benefits being provided from the state and the Centre. "This sub-post office, equipped with modern facilities will ensure your pension, subsidy and savings, while our postman will become a strong link in empowering rural India, making it 'self-reliant' and connecting to Digital India," Union Minister Scindia said while congratulating the resident of Badarwas for this significant development in the region. While addressing the event, the Union Minister also shared that the India Post Department recently had signed two agreements with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, which will pave the way for economic empowerment in rural parts of India, especially for women and farmers. "One agreement is for real-time monitoring of fertiliser and transparency in its distribution system, while the second is for making women economically empowered," he added. The agreements were signed in the presence of Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi on January 7. Under the agreement, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Department of Posts will establish a nationwide logistics mechanism for the transportation of pesticide, seed and fertiliser samples from across the country to designated laboratories. India Post will provide all of the logistical support from the point of collection through to final delivery for pesticide, seed and fertiliser inspectors. The partnership is part of the PAN-India online pesticide, seed and fertiliser quality management system, which is being developed by the Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP). Gandhinagar, Jan 9 : Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the National Mineral Chintan Shivir at Mahatma Mandir in the state capital, calling it a key platform to chart the mining sector's roadmap for "building a new India". Gandhinagar, Jan 9 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the National Mineral Chintan Shivir at Mahatma Mandir in the state capital, calling it a key platform to chart the mining sector's roadmap for "building a new India". The three-day event, organised by the Union Ministry of Mines, brings together mining ministers from various states, senior officials and industry stakeholders to discuss reforms, technology, sustainability and future policy directions for the sector. Speaking at the inauguration, the Chief Minister said the mining and mineral sector forms the backbone of India's industries and economic growth, and the Chintan Shibir would strengthen this foundation through collective dialogue and practical solutions. He said the Prime Minister has introduced holistic reforms across sectors to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and the mining sector has equally benefited from clear policies, strong political will and transparent governance. CM Patel added that Gujarat has adopted green mining practices, scientific reclamation and technology-led monitoring in line with this national approach. Highlighting Gujarat's mineral strengths, the Chief Minister said the state is an important hub for lignite, limestone and bauxite. He noted that Gujarat has positioned its mining sector as a model of transparency and rule-based governance, supported by a real-time GPS vehicle tracking system for mineral transportation. He reaffirmed the state's commitment to contribute to the goals of Vocal for Local, Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat@2047. Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy described the mining sector as a "pillar of economic growth" that will play a pivotal role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047. He praised Gujarat's development model and said it has set benchmark standards for several states that are now competing constructively in investment and growth. Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey also addressed the evevnt. The event was attended by ministers from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland, as well as senior officials from the Union Coal and Mines Ministry and the Gujarat government, including Industries and Mines Additional Chief Secretary Mamta Verma. Kolkata, Jan 9 : Trinamool Congress general secretary and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee on Friday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had "deliberately" targeted the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) as the agency was assisting the Trinamool Congress with its poll strategy and also helping the party during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state. He also accused the ED of being habitual in harassing Trinamool Congress leaders, including him and his family members, for quite some time. "Previously, they unnecessarily harassed me, my wife, my children and my parents. The Assembly election in the state is ahead. So again, there will be attempts to harass us through these central investigative agencies. But neither I nor anyone in the Trinamool Congress will succumb to such pressures from New Delhi," Abhishek Banerjee said while addressing a public meeting at Taherpur in Nadia district of West Bengal on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, he also said that voters from the Matua community, who constitute a substantial section of the electorate in Nadia district, would not be hoodwinked by assurances from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding their citizenship and voting rights. Meanwhile, the West Bengal unit of the BJP on Wednesday sent a petition to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she created hindrances to ED officials while they were performing their duties during simultaneous raid and search operations on Thursday at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata and at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street in central Kolkata. The state BJP also sought the Governor's intervention in initiating necessary action against administrative and police officers who accompanied the Chief Minister on Thursday during her alleged attempts to obstruct the ED's operations. In its petition to the Governor, the BJP further claimed that there is no constitutional provision authorising any Chief Minister to hover over an ongoing investigation and convert a law enforcement action into a political show. Chandigarh, Jan 9 : A spokesperson of the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate said on Friday here that an FIR has been registered on a complaint by Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh regarding uploading and circulating edited and doctored video of former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi. Several social media posts containing a short video clip allegedly showing Atishi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Delhi Assembly, making allegedly derogatory and blasphemous remarks against Sikh gurus with highly inflammatory captions have been uploaded on social media platforms. The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate spokesperson also said that investigations have been conducted in a scientific manner and the video clip containing Atishi's audio was downloaded from social media platform of Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra and forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory Director in Mohali for forensic examination. With the forensic report dated January 9, it has emerged that the word "Guru" has not been uttered by Atishi in her audio as contained in the video clips being circulated on social media. There has also been deliberate doctoring of the video to attribute words in the captions that were never spoken by the Delhi LoP. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs on Wednesday held a protest by raising slogans in the Delhi Assembly against Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi over her alleged use of 'insensitive words' against a Sikh Guru during a recent Assembly session. Speaking to reporters, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma said that during the state Assembly session on Tuesday, members were paying respect to the Sikh Gurus. He said a special discussion was held in the House to mark the 354th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, which is observed across the country. "On one hand, we were paying tribute and showing respect, but on the other hand, Atishi did not participate meaningfully and made a statement that hurt our sentiments. We are deeply pained that an AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister has insulted a Sikh Guru. Today, she is not even present in the Assembly. She has neither apologised nor attended the session," Verma said. Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra also criticised Atishi's conduct, calling it "extremely shameful". Amaravati, Jan 9 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday conducted aerial survey of the ONGC well at Irusumanda village in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district where the blowout continued to rage for the fifth day. The Chief Minister later held a review meeting on the blowout with the officials of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Konaseema District Collector Mahesh Kumar, MP Harish Balayogi, and MLA Varaprasad at Rayavaram in Mandapeta constituency. The Chief Minister enquired about the measures being taken to control the blowout. He also directed that steps be taken to provide compensation for the coconut trees damaged by the flames. Meanwhile, ONGC has said that it is continuing its focused efforts to subdue and cap well Mori 5, operated by PEC contractor Deep Industries Ltd., in line with the approved blowout control plan. The Crisis Management Team has successfully cleared a majority of the debris from the wellsite, enabling access to the wellhead area, the ONGC said in a statement. The state-owned oil and gas company said that key structural obstructions, including portions of the mast and associated equipment, have been removed, allowing operations to progress towards capping of the well. All essential equipment and materials required for expediting the operations have been mobilised to the site. A continuous water blanket is being maintained to facilitate safe operations in the vicinity of the wellhead, it said. In view of the stabilised conditions, residents in the surrounding areas have resumed their normal routines. ONGCas Crisis Management Team continues to strictly adhere to all prescribed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), with all activities being carried out in close coordination with the local administration. Safety of the community and protection of the environment remain ONGCas highest priorities, it added. The crude-mixed gas suddenly erupted on Monday afternoon while repair works were underway using a workover rig after the well had temporarily halted production. A powerful blowout released a massive volume of gas mixed with crude oil, which shot high into the air. Thick clouds of gas and smoke spread across Irusumanda and the surrounding villages like dense fog, sending panic among people. Imphal, Jan 9 : Unidentified miscreants hurled a bomb near a fuel station in Manipur's Bishnupur district, triggering an explosion. No injuries or damage were reported in the incident, officials said on Friday. A police official said that unidentified miscreants riding a two-wheeler threw the bomb near a fuel station at Moirang Thana Leikai in Bishnupur district on Thursday night, causing an explosion. Though the police launched an investigation and search immediately after the blast, but no one has been arrested so far. Police personnel are also examining the CCTV camera footage from the area to get clues about the incident. Soon after the incident a sit-in protest was staged at the petrol pump area by the staff of the fuel station and local people. Last month, petrol pump owners in Manipur had threatened to shut down their operations after receiving extortion-related threats and recovery of a hand grenade from the toilet of a petrol pump at Koirengei in Imphal East district. The explosive device was reportedly concealed along with a letter warning of dire consequences if the demands of a particular group were not fulfilled. In a statement on December 22, the Manipur Petroleum Dealers Association claimed that despite submitting a memorandum to the Governor regarding frequent bomb threats, extortion and exorbitant monetary demands, no action had been taken by the administration. The Manipur Police earlier said they would further strengthen the anti-extortion mechanism to thwart threats to traders, contractors, government officials and owners of petrol pumps across the state. A police official had said the decision was taken at a meeting between senior police officials and the Petroleum Dealers Association, Manipur. During the meeting, it was decided to review the existing security arrangements at Retail Outlets (ROs) dealing with petroleum products, including petrol pumps. Additional security measures will be implemented, including the vetting of all employees working at ROs. Mobile police teams will also be deployed at strategic locations to ensure the safety of fuel outlets, the official said. Petrol pump owners said that fuel outlets provide essential public services and should not be targeted by any group or individual with malicious intent. They told the media that repeated threats had forced them to shut down their outlets recently as a precautionary measure. The association also appealed to the state government and authorities to take firm action against armed miscreants involved in extortion and to ensure adequate security for fuel station operators across Manipur. Meanwhile, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) N. Ashok Kumar in a statement on Friday said that the state government had set up an Integrated Anti-Extortion Cell on January 26 last year within the Home Department. This unit brings together members from the state Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and Assam Rifles, Indian Army to work in unison against extortion activities across the state. For public reporting, a toll-free helpline of the Anti-Extortion Cell is available 24/7. Citizens can use it to report any extortion threats from calls, messages, letters, or other sources, the statement said. Ashok Kumar said that everyone, including government employees, are encouraged to promptly report such incidents and cooperate fully with the authorities. The Integrated Anti-Extortion Cell will respond quickly by coordinating with relevant police stations and security forces to take effective measures. "The Manipur government remains strongly committed to upholding law and order and seeks ongoing public collaboration to combat extortion and related crimes," the official said. Bengaluru, Jan 9 : A female medical student allegedly died by suicide following harassment at her college. The incident was reported from Chandapura near Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Friday. The deceased has been identified as 23-year-old Yashasvini, a third-year student at a private dental college located in the Bommanahalli area of Bengaluru. Her parents have alleged that she was insulted and harassed in class for remaining absent for a day due to an eye-related problem. Yashasvini was studying in the Oral Medicine and Radiology division. According to the police, she did not attend classes on January 7 due to eye pain. When she returned to college the following day, the lecturer allegedly insulted her by making sarcastic remarks about the eye drops she had used, asking how many drops she had applied and whether she had poured an entire bottle into her eye. She was also allegedly denied permission to present a seminar and was not allowed to handle a radiology case. Parimala, the mother of the deceased, alleged that her daughter was humiliated for remaining absent for a single day. "She had sustained an eye injury and had informed the family about it. She was insulted over her eye problem in front of the entire class. She shared everything with me. Don't they have children? The lecturer and the college management insulted my daughter, following which she took the extreme step," she alleged. She demanded strict action against the lecturer who allegedly insulted her daughter and also against the college principal. "My daughter was completely focused on her studies and did not waste even an hour. How could a lecturer humiliate her in front of the whole class? If she was absent, they should have called the parents. How can they target my child?" she asked. She added that her daughter was a diligent and rank-holding student and that such humiliation deeply affected her. "She was sensitive and feared that she might get poor marks, which would upset me. I have only one daughter. Whom should I share my grief with? No other child should face such injustice," she said. The police have taken up further investigation. More details are awaited. In August 2025, a postgraduate psychiatry student at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) died by suicide after reportedly consuming an overdose of medication. She had been undergoing treatment for depression. In July 2025, a first-year MBBS student at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) died by suicide after being found hanging in his hostel room. In June 2025, a final-year intern at Subbaiah Medical College in Shivamogga, originally from Bengaluru, was found dead in her hostel room. Patna, Jan 9 : Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit on Friday said that the state government is fully committed to the expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the adoption of advanced digital technologies across all sectors. He was addressing an 'Industry Dialogue' meeting organised at the Directorate of Aviation Organisation, Bihar, near Patna Airport, under his chairmanship. The meeting was attended by 13 prominent industry representatives. Discussions focussed on expanding AI in Bihar, strengthening digital governance, and ensuring the swift resolution of industrial issues. Addressing the participants, the Chief Secretary emphasised that the government's priority is to integrate modern technology and AI at every level of governance. "The world is changing rapidly, and Bihar must also develop a strong AI ecosystem. Our aim is to ensure that knowledge about AI reaches everyone and that it is effectively used in government functioning," he said. Rajesh Ranjan, a representative from Google India, proposed an initiative to train Bihar's youth in AI. Under the proposed pilot project, around 10,000 students would be trained over the next six months. The proposal also included extending the program to colleges, which received a positive response from the Chief Secretary. Ajay Singh and Anand Kumar expressed their willingness to collaborate with the state government to use AI for improving education, women and child welfare, and the overall standard of living of citizens. Taking immediate note of the proposal, the Chief Secretary directed Abhay Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Information Technology Department, to examine it seriously. Prithvi Maddirala, founder of the initiative, presented a model of 'Smart Shelters' and 'Smart Poles' equipped with AI-enabled cameras, similar to the system implemented at Sabarimala in Kerala. The Chief Secretary suggested that the model could be launched as a pilot project in select industrial zones of Bihar. CEO Shriya Damini made a presentation on providing 24/7 government services and information through WhatsApp. Following this, the Chief Secretary directed the Bihar Public Service Management to take prompt action on the proposal. During the meeting, the Chief Secretary also provided on-the-spot directions to address various industrial concerns. He instructed the department concerned to make an immediate decision on the application of AI for the revival of the Sasa Musa Sugar Mill. Requests related to releasing start-up funding in a lump sum for the first two phases were assured due consideration, while proposals to create a conducive ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing in Bihar were also discussed in detail. Several other distinguished entrepreneurs and senior officials from different government departments were present during the meeting. Kabul, Jan 9 : Police have discovered a weapon cache containing a variety of arms and ammunition in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, provincial police chief Mawlawi Abdul Haq Haqqani said Friday. The weaponry was recovered from Deh Salah district on Thursday, the official added. Without providing further details, the official stressed that no one has the right to keep or carry arms illegally, and police would spare no effort to collect weaponry from unauthorized persons to ensure law and order in the province, Xinhua News Agency reported. Previously, police reported the collection of 21 firearms and the arrest of 18 individuals in eastern Parwan province on Wednesday. As part of efforts to ensure law and order in post-war Afghanistan, the Afghan government has vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone living outside the security organs of the administration. In November last year, a significant weapons cache was uncovered in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, with three individuals arrested in connection to the discovery, local authorities confirmed. According to Bilal Uruzgani, the spokesperson for the provincial police, the weapons were found hidden in a residential house. The cache included a variety of ammunition, hand grenades, rocket shells, bullets, and other munitions. Authorities have initiated further investigations to identify other individuals who may be connected to the illicit arms stash. In a similar incident, provincial police spokesman Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani said that police in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province have seized a cache of weapons and ammunition and arrested one suspect during a recent operation, provincial police spokesman Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani said Sunday. According to Haqqani, the confiscated items include six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades, a mortar launcher, an M16 assault rifle, a shotgun, as well as hundreds of bullets, cartridges and other illegally stored military equipment. The ammunition was discovered in Helmand's Gereshk district, where police also apprehended an individual suspected of involvement in the case. The detainee has been transferred to custody for further investigation. Patna, Jan 9 : In fresh action in the Bihar fake government job scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted search operations at 16 locations across the country and seized incriminating documents and digital evidence, an official said on Friday. The Directorate of Enforcement, Patna Zonal Office, carried out searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at 16 locations including Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Kolkata, Ernakulam, Pandalam, Adoor, Kodur, Chennai, Rajkot, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Lucknow, according to an official statement. During the search operations, various documents and materials, including sale deeds, bank account details, handwritten notes, cheques, loan agreements, investment details, copies of fake job advertisements and digital evidence, were recovered and seized, the ED said. The federal probe agency initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered at the Sonpur GRPS police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against Deepak Kumar Tiwari and Saksham Srivastava. They were allegedly found soliciting job seekers at Sonpur Railway Station in Bihar. During interrogation, the accused were found to be part of a gang that defrauded people by promising government jobs, the statement said. The gang allegedly operated a sophisticated fake job racket targeting aspirants for government positions in the Indian Railways and other departments, offering posts such as RPF personnel, TTEs and technicians, the ED said. They allegedly forged joining letters, operated fake training centres, and created fake identity cards and email IDs resembling official government addresses, including 'gm.eer.rail.net.gov.in@gmail.com to impersonate the Ministry of Railways while forwarding fake joining letters to candidates. The accused also allegedly credited salaries for two to three months from government-sounding bank accounts such as "M/s Treasury Office RO", "M/s FCI RO", "RRB" and "By Salary" to make the job offers appear legitimate, the probe agency said. JUBA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Friday denied accusations by the United States of obstructing humanitarian assistance following Washington's recent decision to suspend foreign assistance to parts of the country. Thomas Kenneth Elisapana, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the accusations implicating government officials in obstructing humanitarian access by imposing illicit costs are unsubstantiated. "We have not yet received official communication on this through diplomatic channels, but our preliminary position is this: the claim about senior government officials being involved in the obstruction of humanitarian activities is unsubstantiated and therefore unfounded," he told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. South Sudan, as a sovereign country, respects the U.S. government's decisions, he said, adding that Juba has been providing unhindered access to humanitarian activities through the concerned authorities. On Thursday, the United States suspended foreign assistance in Ayod County, Jonglei State, and said it is reviewing its aid to Western Bahr el Ghazal State and considering significant reductions, according to a statement issued by its embassy in Juba. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Friday criticised Leader of the Opposition Atishi of the AAP for wasting the Assembly's time and failing in her constitutional duty to attend the House by flying to Goa, for a party campaign, in the middle of the Winter Session. "If there is any single person responsible for wasting the time of the Delhi Assembly's Winter Session, it is the Leader of the Opposition Atishi," said Sachdeva. He accused her of disrespecting Sikh Gurus in the Assembly while demanding a discussion on pollution. "When the pollution discussion was actually about to take place, she ran away to Goa," he said, alleging impropriety in her leaving the city mid-session, that too, without informing the Assembly Speaker. The reality is that Atishi had come to attend the Delhi Assembly session on January 5 after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party's campaign work in Goa. On the same day, a rebellion broke out in her party's Goa unit, and she needed to return there, Sachdeva said. As a result, she was agitated from the very first day and wanted to conclude a discussion on pollution on January 6 so that she could go back to Goa and settle the internal friction in the state unit, he said. When this did not appear possible, in her frustration Atishi made unrelated statements and passed an indecent remark on Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, and then left for Goa on January 7 without informing the Speaker of the Assembly, said Sachdeva. He said Atishi is a legislator from Delhi's Kalkaji constituency, but for the past nearly five months, she has continuously been campaigning in Goa for the expansion of the AAP. She draws her salary from the tax paid by people of Delhi, yet for the last five months, she has not been available to the people of Kalkaji, said Sachdeva. The Delhi BJP chief said that representatives of every party do go to other states for election campaigning, but not in this manner for a continuous period of five months. Dhaka, Jan 9 : In yet another controversial move, authorities at Bangladesh's Dhaka University have decided to rename the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall to the 'Osman Hadi Hall', after the slain radical Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi who was shot dead in the country's capital last month. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall, named after former President Mujibur Rahmanas wife, will also be renamed aCaptain Sitara Parvin Halla, local media reported on Friday. The decision was reportedly taken during a meeting of the University's highest policy-making forum -- the Syndicate -- held on Thursday, which was chaired by the university's Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan. Speaking to Bangladeshi daily, Dhaka Tribune, on Thursday night, Dhaka University Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed confirmed the development, stating, "The Senate will make the final decision; the Syndicate has sent this (name change proposal) to the Senate. The Syndicate doesn't make the final decision. The process is moving forwarda"one step has now been completed." This move comes against the backdrop of escalating attacks on sculptures and heritage linked to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan, raising concerns about the relentless erosion of historical legacy under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. Following Hadi's death on December 18, the hall union of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall at Dhaka University removed the original nameplate and replaced it with one reading 'Osman Hadi Hall', local media reported Also, several students were seen painting over a graffiti mural of Mujibur Rahman that had been displayed prominently on the main building of the hall. As the news of Hadi's death broke, his supporters went on a rampage targetting minorities, Indian High Commission offices, cultural institutions and media houses across Bangladesh with alarming impunity. Additionally, on Thursday, the Dhaka University syndicate also framed charges against four teachers affiliated with the pro-Awami League teachers' Blue Panel for their dismissal, asking them to respond to a show-cause notice within a week. "Charges have been framed against them, and they will be asked to show cause as to why these charges have been brought against them and why they should not be dismissed. They will respond to the show-cause notice, and based on that, an investigation will proceed. They have not been dismissed yet, but charges have been framed for their dismissal," Dhaka Tribune quoted Saifuddin Ahmed as saying. Last month, at least three teachers of Dhaka University affiliated with the pro-Awami League teachers' panel were allegedly harassed and attacked by a group of students led by a Dhaka University Central Studentsa Union (DUCSU), local media reported. The incident occurred on the campus shortly after the three teachers submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor's office, calling for the reinstatement of the teachers barred from taking classes. Bangladesh has witnessed a deteriorating law and order situation and unsafe working conditions under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, with rising concerns over political interference, restrictions on academic freedom and attacks on those voicing dissent. Thane, Jan 9 : In a significant political development in the Ambernath Municipal Council, four councillors of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) have withdrawn support from a BJP-backed arrangement and extended backing to the Shiv Sena. With the support of these NCP councillors and an Independent member, the Shiv Sena has secured a clear majority in the council, altering the power equations ahead of elections to key civic posts. The NCP councillors cited discomfort in sharing power with the Congress, a party they have consistently opposed since 2023. Local NCP leaders said the public mandate was in favour of the Mahayuti coming to power after the elections, and not for an alliance involving the Congress. The development has put the BJP-led arrangement, which had aligned with the Congress and later facilitated the induction of expelled Congress councillors into the BJP, under pressure. The current strength of the Ambernath Municipal Council stands as Shiv Sena: 27, Independent (supporting Shiv Sena): 1, and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 4, taking the combined tally to 32 councillors. On the other hand, the BJP has 14 councillors and the Congress 12. While it had appeared that the BJP would secure the post of Deputy President in the elections scheduled for Monday, January 12, the situation changed on the final day of group registration when four NCP corporators declared their support for the Shiv Sena. As a result, the Shiv Sena's strength has risen to 32, enabling it to retain control of the Deputy President's post and various subject committees. Although the BJP has won the President's post, the Shiv Sena has retained its hold over the Ambernath Municipal Council following the latest developments. Earlier, on Thursday, 12 Congress councillors who had aligned with the BJP were suspended by the Congress leadership. All of them subsequently joined the BJP on Friday in the presence of state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and state Forest Minister Ganesh Naik. State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal termed the alliance "unacceptable" and a violation of party ideology. State BJP chief Ravindra Chavan said, "The 12 corporators have joined us not for power, but for the development of Ambernath. They trust the dynamic leadership of the BJP-led government to deliver on the promises made to the citizens." On the other hand, Pradip Patil, former Congress block president, said, "The state leadership suspended us without even hearing our side. We formed the Vikas Aghadi to free Ambernath from years of corruption and intimidation. Since our own party did not support our local vision, we have chosen the BJP." The developments have caused unease within the Mahayuti alliance. Leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have described the move as a "betrayal of coalition dharma", accusing the BJP of using Congress defectors to weaken its ally. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier expressed "strong displeasure" over any alliance with the Congress, though the formal induction of the corporators points to a shift in the party's local strategy. Jammu, Jan 9 : Police in J&K's Jammu said on Friday that it has arrested one accused and recovered arms/ammunition during the investigation of a narco-terror case. Jammu, Jan 9 (IANS) Police in J&Kas Jammu said on Friday that it has arrested one accused and recovered arms/ammunition during the investigation of a narco-terror case. "Continuing its sustained crackdown against narco-terror networks under Operation Sanjeevani, Jammu Police, South Zone has achieved further significant progress in the high-profile case earlier busted by Police Station Gandhi Nagar, involving an inter-district, inter-state and cross-border narcotics and arms syndicate following a deep, sustained and professional investigation," a police statement said. It said that on November 14, 2025, PS Gandhi Nagar had registered FIR No. 249/2025 U/S 8/21/22/29 NDPS Act & 111 BNS after apprehending two persons during patrolling, which subsequently led to the unearthing of a well-organised narco-terror module. aDuring the investigation, multiple accused were arrested, including peddlers, financial handlers and jail-based facilitators, and recoveries of over 4.95 kg (approx.) of heroin-like substance, three pistols, live ammunition, and a modified vehicle were effected, revealing cross-border linkages," the statement said. "In the continued deep and professional investigation of the said case, one more accused has been apprehended by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted under the supervision of SP City South and SDPO City South. On January 3, the accused Rohit Kumar alias Makhan, son of Bodh Raj, resident of Raiyan Kotliyan, R.S. Pura, Jammu, was arrested. Subsequently, on January 7, acting upon the disclosure of the accused, the SIT conducted a search at his residence at Raiyan Kotliyan, R.S. Pura, which resulted in the recovery of: One pistol (Px5 Storm Beretta, .30 bore), one magazine, and three live rounds," it said, adding that the recovered arms and ammunition have been seized. The accused is presently in police custody, and further interrogation is underway to establish his exact role, backward and forward linkages, and arms supply routes, the statement said. "Efforts are being intensified to identify and apprehend remaining associates, trace financial and logistical channels and establish complete cross-border and interstate linkages. Jammu police remains firmly committed to dismantling narco-terror ecosystems, neutralising criminal networks, and ensuring the safety and security of the youth and citizens of Jammu," it added. New Delhi, Jan 9 : The Supreme Court, on Friday, refused to interfere with a Jammu and Kashmir High Court judgment directing the completion of a long-pending recruitment process for Jail Warders advertised nearly two decades ago. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was "not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court". "The Special Leave Petition(s) are, accordingly, dismissed," the Justice Nath-led Bench said, while disposing of all pending applications. The SLP arose from a December 21, 2023, judgment of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, which had upheld an order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) setting aside the cancellation of the 2005 recruitment process for 73 posts of Warders in the Prisons Department. In its detailed judgment, the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had pulled up the authorities for cancelling the recruitment process after it had substantially progressed and for keeping the posts vacant for several years. A Bench of Justices Tashi Rabstan and Rajesh Sekhri noted that pursuant to recruitment advertisement, eligible candidates had applied and subsequently cleared physical and outdoor tests conducted in 2010, followed by literacy tests and document verification in January 2011. Despite this, the final results were never declared. The Justice Rabstan-led Bench had observed that the authorities had "kept the matter lingering on for more than 13 years" and ultimately cancelled the entire selection process in February 2019 by invoking alleged procedural irregularities. Rejecting the government's stand, the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court noted that even the Department of Law had twice advised that once the selection process had advanced to such a stage, it could not be withdrawn. "Once the selection process has almost been completed, the petitioners-authorities were not expected to act arbitrarily in cancelling the same, that too after such a long period when the posts are still lying vacant since the year 2005," it had said. The Justice Rabstan-led Bench further held that any procedural irregularities, if at all, could have been rectified without cancelling the entire process, observing that there was no allegation of illegality, malpractice or use of unfair means by candidates. Taking note of the plight of aspirants who had been waiting for nearly two decades, the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court directed the authorities to complete the selection process within three months and adopt a "sympathetic view", as most candidates had crossed the age bar and "have no scope to get another job as the posts were advertised in the year 2005". Senior advocate Dr Anindita Pujari, instructed by advocates Piyush Dwivedi, Adil Muneer, and Shaileshwar Yadav, Radhika Mahopatra and Aushaq Hussain represented 172 candidates before the apex court. Following the Supreme Court's refusal to interfere in the matter, the directions of the J&K and Ladakh High Court have attained finality, thereby clearing the way for the completion of the long-stalled recruitment process in the Jammu & Kashmir Prisons Department. Patna, January 9 : The Bihar State Minority Commission (BSMC) has taken cognisance of the decision reportedly taken by the All India Jewellers and Gold Federation (AIJGF) to restrict the entry of women wearing burqa, hijab, or niqab in jewellery showrooms across the state. The Commission has written letters to the Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma and District Magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh, seeking their immediate intervention in the matter. In its communication, the BSMC said that it came to know about the AIJGF's decision through viral videos on social media, reports published and broadcast by newspapers and television channels, and information received from concerned citizens who believe that social harmony in Bihar must not be disturbed under any circumstances. The Commission alleged that Ashok Kumar Verma, Bihar AIJGF President, is attempting to create religious animosity under a planned scheme by advocating 'No Entry' notices for women wearing burqas/naqabs in jewellery shops. The BSMC said such a decision violates Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantee freedom of expression and the right to life and personal liberty. The Commission also said that portraying women of a particular community as suspects or potential criminals in the name of self-defence is legally inappropriate and socially dangerous. The Commission noted that instead of adopting standard security measures to prevent criminal incidents, the AIJGF's call for banning the entry of women wearing burqas/naqabs is being justified as a security step. However, the BSMC questioned this logic, saying that criminals have also committed offences while wearing helmets or disguises. "By that logic, should wearing helmets while riding motorcycles be banned?" the Commission asked, adding that such reasoning is neither legally sustainable nor practical. The Commission emphasised that law enforcement, surveillance, and proper security infrastructures, rather than targeting attire linked to religious identity, are the correct means to maintain law and order. The BSMC said that the statements and actions attributed to the Bihar AIJGF President appear to be less about security concerns and more about targeting the attire of Muslim women, which could disrupt communal harmony and mutual goodwill in society. The Commission underlined that no individual or organisation has the authority to impose discriminatory restrictions based on religion or attire, and any such attempt could lead to serious law-and-order implications. The Commission has urged the district administration and police authorities to examine the issue carefully and take appropriate steps to ensure that constitutional rights are protected and social harmony is maintained in the state. Dhaka, Dec 9 : Thousands of Bangladeshi travellers are facing a troubling reality as authorities in several countries are denying entry at airports to even those holding valid visas and proper documentation. The situation has deteriorated since the July 2024 demonstrations in Bangladesh, as political unrest led foreign governments to view the country as a potential source of asylum seekers, resulting in more rigorous visa scrutiny, a report said on Friday. "The green Bangladeshi passport, once a symbol of hope and opportunity for millions seeking better lives abroad, has become a liability at immigration counters worldwide. What unfolds daily at airports across Southeast Asia, Western Asia, and beyond is not merely a migration crisis but a systematic breakdown of trust, governance, and human dignity. Thousands of Bangladeshi citizens stand at immigration desks with valid visas in hand, only to be turned away, detained, and deported without clear explanations," a report in international news website 'Global Voices' detailed. "In the first four months of 2025 alone, over 3,500 Bangladeshis were denied entry to other countries and deported back to Bangladesh. These were not criminals or immigration violators. Many held legitimate tourist or visitor visas obtained through proper channels," it added. According to the report, the immigration actions against Bangladeshi nationals have extended beyond Southeast Asia, with 52 Bangladeshis deported from Italy, Austria, Greece, and Cyprus in late September 2025, followed by the deportation of 15 more from the United Kingdom on August 30, last year, over immigration violations. The report stressed that the exploitation of temporary visas for employment-seeking migration by Bangladeshis has caused ripple effects, undermining Bangladesh's economic foundation, social fabric and international standing. "Several Gulf and Southeast Asian nations have either completely blocked or severely limited Bangladeshi worker entry, offering no definite reopening dates. Bangladesh has achieved minimal success in reopening these markets despite ongoing diplomatic discussions and senior-level meetings," it mentioned. The latest Henley Passport Index 2025 ranked Bangladesh at the 100th position its worst ranking in recent years alongside North Korea, underscoring a profound decline in the South Asian nation's global image. "Stories involving Bangladeshi nationals, visa violations, unauthorised stays, and document forgery have become relatively common throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Countries that previously welcomed Bangladeshi visitors now impose stricter entry requirements," the report stated. "Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand have introduced additional verification procedures, while the United Arab Emirates silently halted most visa categories for Bangladeshis last year. Each policy change, though seemingly isolated, contributes to an accumulated erosion of international confidence that determines passport strength," it noted. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s that rocked the US, there has been a tendency to name perceived wrongdoings with the suffix "gate", thus, it did not take much time in branding the narrative of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly entering premises under a probe agency's raid and personally retrieving documents as "I-PAC-gate". This was in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Thursday raids at the political consultancy agency, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata. Along with several other national political parties, the Trinamool Congress, too, avails the firm's services. The raids were part of investigations into alleged financial irregularities linked to the I-PAC, where ED officials reportedly seized documents and digital records during the operation, citing concerns about money laundering and fund misuse. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen entering the ED premises even as the raid was on, where she was reported to have retrieved physical and digital records herself, against norms and rules, and unusual for a sitting Chief Minister. Soon, some media reportage framed it as "I-PAC-gate", drawing parallels to the 1972 burglary and planting of bugs at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. Several recent scandals in India and abroad have been popularly renamed with the suffix. Among such examples in India are "Coalgate" (coal block allocation scam), "Vyapam-gate" (Madhya Pradesh recruitment scam), and "Choppergate" (Agusta Westland helicopter deal), among others. Global controversies like "Dieselgate" (Volkswagen emissions scandal) and "Bridgegate" (New Jersey traffic scandal) have also kept the suffix alive. The Watergate break-in was carried out by operatives linked to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, who attempted to wiretap phones and steal documents. Though the Nixon administration engaged in a cover-up to obstruct investigations, investigative journalism -- notably by The Washington Post -- exposed the scandal. Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein went on to become heroes, who ran a series of expose for the Washington Post, guided by a whistleblower, then known only as "Deep Throat". This exposed a White House political espionage programme that was illegally funded from donor contributions. Nixon denied involvement, his administration destroyed evidence, obstructed investigators, and bribed the burglars who had broken in. The exercise initially worked, with Nixon going in to win a poll. However, the burglars revealing all in the 1973 trial led to a US Senate investigation. This led to multiple indictments and convictions of Nixon's aides, with the President himself resigning in August 1974 to avoid impeachment. The episode was seen as serious abuse of Presidential power and a turning point in US political accountability. There are no real parallels between the two incidents whereas in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally retrieved documents during an ED raid while operatives broke into the Opposition's headquarters in Washington DC to steal documents. In the recent case, it was the action of a Chief Minister vs. a federal agency, whereas in the incident half-a-century ago, it was the President's campaign operatives vs. the Opposition party. The intent in Kolkata is claimed to be as defence of party interests, with critics alleging obstruction in investigations, while that in Washington, DC, was clearly espionage and sabotage of political opponents. Public perception in the later case is reportedly divided, with Mamata Banerjee's supporters obviously claiming bold defiance and critics terming it obstruction. In the Watergate issue, it was overwhelmingly condemned as abuse of power. A legal case has been initiated by both the parties involved in Thursday's unusual episode, where the outcome will determine the future course of action. New Delhi, Jan 9 : Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Friday that the Assembly has formally taken cognisance of Punjab Police registering an FIR against Minister Kapil Mishra on the basis of an unauthorised video clip of House proceedings. The issue of the video clip, purportedly linked to the alleged "disrespect of Sikh Gurus" by AAP leader Atishi, was raised by Laxmi Nagar MLA Abhay Verma of the BJP. The FIR registered by Jalandhar Police is based on the video clip - related to the Atishi episode in Delhi Assembly - downloaded by Punjab Police from Mishra's X handle and put to forensic test, before declaring it "tampered" and filing a case against Mishra. Speaker Gupta stated that the matter raised by Verma pertains to breach of privilege of this House. "The FIR that has been registered is based on a video which is the recording of the proceedings within the House and is the property of the Assembly. Taking such action on this video and registering an FIR against a Minister is a serious issue. In this context, a clear case of breach of privilege is made out against the Police Commissioner of Jalandhar," said the Speaker. Recordings made inside the House belong exclusively to the House and to no one else, he said. "Therefore, it is of utmost importance to know on what basis this case has been registered. The House will take cognisance of the matter and consider appropriate action against the Police Commissioner of Jalandhar, since there has been unwarranted interference with the property of the House," said Speaker Gupta. This video clip is the property of the House and was recorded within the House. On the demand of the Opposition, the matter was referred to the Forensic Science Laboratory for their satisfaction, said the Speaker. Since the recording belongs to the House, calling it "tampered" is against the dignity of the House and anyone found involved in this conspiracy will face strict action by the House, said the Speaker, adding, "The House is formally taking cognisance of the entire matter." Mishra accused AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal of misusing Punjab Police to file a fake FIR against him to scare and silence him. In a message on X, Mishra wrote, "Mr Kejriwal, your FIR and the fear of the police cannot scare us. There is a video in the records of the Delhi Assembly and the whole world has heard the video since that day Atishi has not had the courage to come to the Assembly even though the Speaker of the Assembly called her several times." "The Punjab Police, leaving aside the investigation of crimes in Punjab, is working to cover up the crime committed by your Leader of the Opposition. Atishi has committed a sin but by trying to save her, you are committing an even bigger sin," wrote Mishra. He was referring to Jalandhar Police claims that Atishi never used inflammatory words in Delhi Assembly. Earlier, the Jalandhar Police focused on a specific video clip downloaded from the social media profile of Mishra and forwarded it to the Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Punjab, SAS Nagar. The investigation found that the video had been deliberately "doctored", leading to the filing of an FIR against Mishra. Nashik, Jan 9 : The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray, on Friday, delivered a scathing critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of using "money and muscle power" to influence the democratic process. At a joint rally with his cousin and Shiv Sena-UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray made an explosive claim regarding candidates' horse-trading, alleging that in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation elections a staggering offer of Rs 15 crore was made to three members of a single family to influence their candidacy in one municipal ward. "Where is this money coming from?" the MNS Chief asked, expressing shock at the scale of corruption. He also criticised the trend of candidates being elected unopposed, asking, "How do 60 to 70 candidates from the ruling party get elected unopposed in Maharashtra? Is the right of the voter being snatched away through terror and cash?" Directing his fire at the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray revisited the 2017 election promise where Fadnavis had pledged to "adopt" Nashik for development. "Fadnavis said he would adopt Nashik. The people believed him and forgot the work we had done. But after taking 'adoption', the father never showed his face again," he remarked sarcastically. He listed several incomplete projects, including the Neo Metro, Logistics Park, and the Outer Ring Road, claiming the BJP has only used religion and caste to secure votes while neglecting actual progress. He mocked the BJP, saying that by 2026, they have reached a point where they need to "hire" candidates from other political parties instead of fielding their own loyal party workers. He criticised the Maharashtra government's plan to cut trees in Tapovan for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. He contrasted this with the 2012 Kumbh Mela held during MNS's tenure, which he claimed was managed successfully without cutting a single tree. Raj Thackeray highlighted his past achievements in Nashik, including making the Municipal Corporation debt-free (clearing a Rs 700 crore debt), and implementing efficient waste management systems. In an emotional appeal, he urged citizens not to sell their votes for small sums like Rs 1,500. "Do not let a future come where your children say their parents were sold for a few rupees while the city's development was ignored," he said. He appealed the voters to elected Shiv Sena-MNS alliance for Nashik's transformation. Smoke rises over residential buildings near the Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo city, Syria, Jan. 8, 2026. The Syrian army on Thursday launched intense shelling targeting positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, the state-run SANA news agency reported. (Str/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Thursday launched heavy shelling against positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, as the civilian death toll rose amid escalating clashes, state media and local authorities said. The state-run SANA news agency, citing a military source, said the strikes targeted previously identified SDF positions inside the two neighborhoods, marking a sharp escalation following days of intermittent fighting and security operations in the northern city. In a later report, the news agency said that residents of contested Kurdish neighborhoods in the city began handing over parts of the areas to Syrian state authorities, as internal security forces prepared to deploy and restore order. Earlier on Thursday, the Syrian army released maps marking locations it identified as being under SDF control in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. The army urged civilians to avoid these areas as military forces readied to engage using what officials referred to as "appropriate weapons." Aleppo's Health Directorate said the number of civilians killed in the clashes has risen to nine, with at least 55 others wounded. A correspondent for Syria's state TV al-Ikhbariya reported that residential neighborhoods in Aleppo were struck by what he described as long-range heavy artillery fire launched by the SDF. The Syrian army's operations command issued an urgent safety advisory to residents of Ashrafieh and the adjacent Bani Zaid neighborhood, urging them to stay away from windows and move to lower floors to reduce the risk of injury. In a related development, the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced an extension of the suspension of all flights to and from Aleppo International Airport until 11:00 p.m. local time on Friday, citing ongoing security concerns. In a statement, SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi accused Syrian government-affiliated forces of deploying tanks and artillery in Aleppo's neighborhoods, shelling civilians and displacing residents during an ongoing negotiation process. He said efforts are underway with various parties to halt the attacks. The group stated that the number of civilian victims from what it described as "indiscriminate attacks" by Syrian government-affiliated forces on Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh has risen to 12 killed and 64 wounded, adding that civilians remained trapped under the rubble of damaged buildings. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warned that the concurrent escalation posed a direct threat to civilian lives, saying continued shelling of populated areas is worsening instability and deepening humanitarian suffering. According to the monitor, at least 21 people have been killed since the start of the escalation, including 14 civilians, among them four women and three children, while seven military personnel from both sides were also reported killed. The observatory said the number of wounded has risen to at least 69, including women and children, amid heavy artillery and mortar fire. The fighting comes against the backdrop of stalled talks between Syria's transitional government and the SDF on military integration under a March 2025 agreement, highlighting the fragility of the security situation in Aleppo and the growing risks faced by civilians caught in contested areas. An elderly woman sits by the roadside outside the Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo city, Syria, Jan. 8, 2026. The Syrian army on Thursday launched intense shelling targeting positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, the state-run SANA news agency reported. (Str/Xinhua) Syrian security vehicles are seen parked along a street outside the Ashrafieh neighborhood in Aleppo city, Syria, Jan. 8, 2026. The Syrian army on Thursday launched intense shelling targeting positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, the state-run SANA news agency reported. (Str/Xinhua) Hyderabad, Jan 9 : Hyderabad-Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) has arrested two Nigerians for drug supply and seized 150 gram MDMA from one of them, a police official said on Friday. On a credible information, H-NEW team along with Toli Chowki police conducted a joint operation and arrested two Nigerians. The arrested men have been identified as Chidi Ezeh alias Nageshwaran, 42 and Obasi James Victor, both residents of New Delhi. According to Vaibhav Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force/HNEW, the MDMA was seized from Chidi Ezeh. Chidi Ezeh arrived in India at IGI Airport, New Delhi on March 18, 2014 on a medical attendant visa which was expired on May 20 the same year. His passport and visa got expired. He was arrested in an NDPS case in Hyderabad in 2019 for possession of 130 grams of Cocaine and 32 gram MDMA by Golconda Prohibition & Excise Station. After released from jail he left to New Delhi where he fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN card, and driving licence with a fake name Nageshwaran. Investigation revealed that he was procuring cocaine and MDMA from one Chris, a Nigerian national who presently residing in Delhi, and supplying the same to customers in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and New Delhi. He was involved in three cases including two cases in Hyderabad. A Hyderabad-based peddler who used to receive drugs from Chidi Ezeh is absconding. Sometimes Chidi Ezeh and Obasi James used to deliver drugs to the peddler. According to police, Obasi James Victor entered India on a tourist visa and landed at CSI Airport, Mumbai, on December 31, 2011. He is married and is presently residing in Delhi along with his family. He has been residing in the same building as Chidi in Delhi and associating with him in drug trafficking. Since, there are no cases pending against Obasi James, H-NEW initiated deportation process of him to send him back to Nigeria with the help of FRRO and the Nigerian Embassy. Lucknow, Jan 9 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alongside Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, inaugurated an Indian automobile manufacturing firm's state-of-the-art electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Lucknow on Friday. The facility, dedicated to the nation in a record time of just 18 months, is a clear evidence of Uttar Pradesh's rapid industrial transformation under the double-engine government at the state and the Centre. The dignitaries visited the modern plant and planted 'Sindoor' (vermilion) and Rudraksha saplings on the premises, marking a blend of tradition and progress. Congratulating the firm's Chairman for their investment, CM Yogi Adityanath expressed deep gratitude for their faith in Uttar Pradesh's governance. The hallmarks of the new Uttar Pradesh are "Fearless Business", "Ease of Doing Business", and "Trust of Doing Business", the Chief Minister said. He described the project as highly significant, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of sustainable industrial growth and environmental protection. Recalling the pre-2017 era, the Chief Minister said Uttar Pradesh was once plagued by lawlessness, where investors fled and the state faced an identity crisis. "Before 2017, it was a state of unrest; today, it is a state of celebration," the Chief Minister declared. "No longer labeled a BIMARU state, Uttar Pradesh has become revenue-surplus through clear intent, decisive governance, and a strong vision." "Investors were steadily withdrawing, and the state struggled with unrest," he noted. However, since 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government has reaffirmed Uttar Pradesh as a land of unlimited potential. Today, the Chief Minister said, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a state that converts vast opportunities into tangible results. The past eight-and-a-half years stand as clear evidence of this remarkable change, he added. "The new plant currently has an annual capacity of 2,500 units, with plans to scale up to 5,000 in phases." It will generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities for the state's youth, the Chief Minister said. CM Yogi Adityanath highlighted that the facility reflects the national commitment to combating climate change through electric mobility. Investments, he added, are now flowing into all 75 districts. "Uttar Pradesh boasts exceptional infrastructure, with 55 per cent of India's expressways, metro services in the highest number of cities, the country's largest rail network, two dedicated freight corridors, logistics terminals, the first rapid rail, and operational inland waterways." "With 34 sector-specific policies in place, investors can contribute across any sector." The state has received investment proposals worth Rs 45 lakh crore over the past eight to nine years, CM Yogi Adityanath added. "Projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore have seen ground-breaking, another Rs 6 lakh crore is scheduled for next month, and Rs 5 lakh crore more are in the pipeline. Contributing 9.5 per cent to India's GDP, Uttar Pradesh's GSDP is projected to reach Rs 36 lakh crore by the end of the current financial year." "The state aims to become a $1 trillion economy by 2029a"30, supporting the national goal of a $5 trillion economy by 2027." Uttar Pradesh has rapidly become a global hub for electronics and IT, accounting for 55 per cent of India's mobile phone manufacturing and 60 per cent of electronic goods production. It excels in ease of doing business and thrives in sectors like MSMEs, AI (artificial intelligence), semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics, electric vehicles, agritech, fintech, deeptech, healthtech, tourism, hospitality, defence manufacturing, and sports. The state hosts more than 18,000 startups, backed by 76 incubators, seven Centres of Excellence, and eight unicorns. The manufacturing firm plant was established under the state's FDI and Fortune 500 policy. Prior to 2017, foreign direct investment was negligible, but proactive measures have attracted global players. The MoU was signed in September 2023, land allotted in January 2024, and the world-class facility commissioned in 18 monthsa"a testament to fast-track approvals and robust governance. Platforms like Nivesh Mitra, Nivesh Sarathi, and Udyami Mitra ensure seamless coordination and investor support. In 2024, Uttar Pradesh captured 19 per cent of India's electric vehicle market and benefited significantly from FAME I and FAME II schemes, with 700 electric buses in operation. The plant will produce 17a"18 seater electric vehicles priced at around Rs 15 lakh, ideal for school transport and inter-city connectivity, boosted by the state's Electric Vehicle Policy. Indore, Jan 9 : Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who also heads the state Health and Family Welfare Department, has ordered an inquiry into alleged medical negligence during the treatment of a newborn at Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital in Indore. In a recent incident, the thumb of a one-and-a-half-month-old infant was accidentally severed, allegedly due to negligence by a nurse at the government-run MY Hospital. The nurse was suspended after the incident came to light a few days ago. "An inquiry has been ordered into medical negligence at Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, Indore. The committee will find out the actual reasons behind the negligence and the role of staff members. The state government is committed to providing better treatment to the people and carelessness won't be tolerated," Shukla said in a statement. During a meeting with senior officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Shukla also issued necessary directions, including on ensuring the safety of children during treatment at all government-run hospitals in the state. According to available information, the infant was admitted for treatment of pneumonia. During the process of removing a tape, the scissors allegedly slipped from the nurse's hand, severing the infant's thumb. The incident triggered outrage from the infant's family, who accused hospital staff of negligence. Following the uproar, the hospital suspended the nurse. The salaries of three nursing in-charges were also put on hold pending further inquiry. The incident comes a few months after two newborns lost their lives, ostensibly due to rat bites, triggering public outrage across Madhya Pradesh and prompting action, including a rat-control operation and a cleanliness drive in government-run hospitals across the state. However, the MY Hospital administration had stated at the time that the two newborn girls died of serious pre-existing health problems and congenital deformities, rather than rat bites. Patna, Jan 9 : The Bihar Police on Friday released its 2025 annual report card, claiming a significant decline in serious crimes across the state. According to figures shared by Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar, cases of murder, robbery, riots and bank robberies have dropped substantially compared to the previous year, reflecting the impact of intensified policing and targeted enforcement. As per the data, murder cases declined by 8.3 per cent, robberies fell by 26.9 per cent, and riot-related incidents decreased by 21.5 per cent in 2025. One of the most notable achievements, the DGP said, was an 80 per cent reduction in bank robbery cases, indicating improved surveillance and preventive policing. "During 2025, Bihar Police arrested a total of 3,61,364 accused persons in various criminal cases. In a major crackdown on illegal arms manufacturing and trafficking, police recovered 4,963 illegal firearms and 30,133 cartridges. Additionally, 74 mini gun factories considered hubs for illegal weapon production were busted across the state," Kumar said at a press conference in Patna. He further said the Special Task Force (STF) recorded a major operational leap in 2025, with the number of encounters involving the STF rising from eight in the previous year to 29 in 2025. These operations led to the arrest of 1,682 notorious criminals and a record 134 Naxalites. During STF operations, police recovered 70 standard weapons and 15,552 live cartridges, significantly weakening the operational capacity of criminal and extremist networks, he said. The DGP said sustained anti-Naxalite operations resulted in a sharp decline in Naxalite activities across Bihar. Under mounting pressure from security forces, six Naxalites surrendered, including five wanted extremists and one squad member. Among the prominent surrenders were Ravan Koda and Akhilesh Singh Bhokta, signalling a further weakening of the Naxal movement in the state. DGP Kumar also said the police are focusing on securing convictions. Between January and November 2025, courts convicted 1,43,545 criminals. Of these, four convicts were awarded the death penalty, while 1,097 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Convictions were also secured against 518 accused in serious cases, including rape and those registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reflecting stronger case preparation and follow-up by investigating agencies. DGP Vinay Kumar attributed the improved crime indicators to coordinated policing, intelligence-based operations, strengthened STF action and focused prosecution, asserting that the Bihar Police will continue its zero-tolerance approach towards crime and extremism. Washington, Jan 9 : The United States has begun an on-the-ground assessment in Caracas as it considers a possible reopening of its embassy in Venezuela, even as American officials continue to warn that the country's security situation remains "fluid" and dangerous for US citizens. Washington, Jan 9 (IANS) The United States has begun an on-the-ground assessment in Caracas as it considers a possible reopening of its embassy in Venezuela, even as American officials continue to warn that the country's security situation remains "fluid" and dangerous for US 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 earlier, signalling that the administration is weighing next steps cautiously. On Thursday, US diplomatic and security personnel travelled to the Venezuelan capital to begin that process. "On January 9, US diplomatic and security personnel from the VAU, including Charge d'Affaires John T. McNamara, travelled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations," a US official said. The assessment comes amid a fresh security warning issued by the US Embassy in Caracas, which urged US citizens not to travel to Venezuela and to exercise heightened caution if already there. In a statement, the embassy said Venezuela remains under the highest US Travel Advisory classification due to "severe risks to Americans," including wrongful detention, crime, civil unrest, and limited access to health care. The embassy also 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. Since 2019, the US has not operated an embassy in Caracas when diplomatic staff were withdrawn amid a deepening political crisis and deteriorating security conditions. --IANS Int/lkj/uk Gandhinagar, Jan 9 : The 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv', a three-day celebration highlighting India's cultural guardians and the enduring significance of its spiritual centres, is underway in Gujarat's Somnath. Gujarat Minister Jitu Vaghani said the festival reflects the deep and unbroken bond millions of Indians share with the revered Somnath temple. Vaghani noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the country has been able to reconnect the younger generation with India's spiritual and cultural heritage. He said the 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv' is a representation of the faith that lives in the hearts of people and showcases India's civilizational continuity. A major highlight of the festival is the 72-hour uninterrupted Omkar chanting by young rishikumars, a practice suggested by the Prime Minister for the welfare of humanity and global well-being. Vaghani said the continuous chanting has created a unique atmosphere of devotion and spiritual energy across Somnath. He also recalled that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had restored the Somnath temple after Independence, reaffirming the nation's faith, identity and pride. "Many great souls have sacrificed to preserve Indian culture. 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv' is a tribute to their memory and contribution," he said. Prime Minister Modi will visit Somnath on January 10, and his presence is expected to make the celebrations historic. A Shaurya Yatra featuring 108 horses has been organised in his honour, along with a grand drone show that will add to the spectacle. Lakhs of devotees from across the state are arriving in Somnath to participate in the celebrations. A traditional revadi procession by saints and sadhus was held on Friday. With elaborate arrangements, decorative lighting and well-planned event management, Somnath is glowing with festive divinity. Minister Vaghani invited citizens from all communities to join this significant celebration of Sanatan Dharma. He also noted that Prime Minister Modi will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) in Rajkot, which will play an important role in the development and investment landscape of Saurashtra and Gujarat. Nashik, Jan 9 : Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Friday launched a blistering attack on Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP. He questioned the authenticity of BJP's Hindutva and accused the party of "stealing" leaders from other organizations due to a lack of their own grassroots strength. Taking a direct swipe at Devendra Fadnavis's previous claim of "adopting" Nashik, Uddhav Thackeray mocked the BJP's current recruitment strategy. He was speaking at the joint rally with his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. Uddhav Thackeray challenged the BJP's Hindutva credentials, accusing them of selective morality. He clarified that his alliance with the Congress was a result of the BJP "stabbing him in the back. "When BJP aligns with MIM, where does your Hindutva go then?"he asked. Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP of compromising on ethics to maintain power, claiming the party has become a sanctuary for corrupt individuals. "BJP needs 'stained' people to run their party. They are making such people dance on their heads," he said. He expressed sympathy for loyal BJP workers, mentioning BJP legislator from Nashik Devyani Farande, suggesting that dedicated cadres are being sidelined for "brokers and outsiders." Referring to former BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar's comment that BJP is like Shani Shingnapur (a village where houses have no doors), Uddhav Thackeray retorted, "Indeed, the BJP has no doors." Thackeray quipped, "Fadnavis talked about adopting the city, but it seems they need to adopt children in politics too. Because they can't produce their own leaders, they are stealing our 'children' (leaders)." He asserted that while some leaders he "made big" might have defected, the people who actually built the party remain with him. "Our stage is housefull. We have no shortage of loyalists," he added. He slammed Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar for bias and the Election Commission for its silence. "If we do not wake up today, we will be forced into slavery," he warned the crowd. He noted that despite their past differences (with cousin Raj Thackeray) and electoral defeats, Shiv Sena remains undefeated in spirit. "When we were separate, people asked why we weren't together. Now that we are together, they ask why we joined forces. We have come together not just for power, but for your development," he noted. Reiterating his commitment to the people, Thackeray emphasized that the Thackeray word is a bond. He urged the future corporators to remember that the public looks to them with hope, and appealed the citizens to vote for the combined strength of the Thackeray brothers to secure Nashik's future. Kolkata, Jan 10 : Amid Trinamool Congress' hyper-reactions over the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) simultaneous raid and search operations on Thursday at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata and at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street in central Kolkata, I-PAC on Friday issued an extremely guarded statement in the matter. At the same time, I-PAC, in its statement, assured all necessary cooperation on its part as regards to the central investigative agency probe in the matter. "Yesterday, officials from the Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at the I-PAC office and at the residence of our Director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata. It was a difficult and unfortunate day for a professional organisation like I-PAC. We believe this raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent. Regardless, we have extended full cooperation and will continue to do so as required, engaging with the process in complete accordance and respect for the law," the statement issued by I-PAC read. In the statement, I-PAC authorities also claimed that since the organisation had always upheld the highest standards of professional integrity, despite what transpired on Thursday, I-PAC would remain fully committed to continuing its work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the beginning. In the statement, I-PAC also clarified that their roles as strategists for different political parties are limited to transparent and professional political consulting, uninfluenced by differences in political ideology. "Over the years, I-PAC has worked in a professional advisory capacity with multiple political parties across ideologies and regions, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, YSR Congress Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS), Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena, among others. We do not contest elections or hold political office. Our role is limited to transparent and professional political consulting, uninfluenced by differences in political ideology," the statement issued by I-PAC read. Technology Transform Your Operations with Service Flow Automation In todays fast-paced business environment, efficiency is everything. Companies are constantly looking for ways to reduce manual effort, streamline operations, and improve customer satisfaction. This is where service flow automation comes into play. By automating routine service processes, organizations can focus more on delivering value while minimizing delays and errors. Why Service Flow Automation Matters Service flow automation allows businesses to digitize repetitive tasks within their service operations. From tracking requests and managing approvals to updating customer data, automation ensures that workflows move smoothly without unnecessary bottlenecks. It reduces human error, speeds up processes, and ensures consistent quality, which is crucial for maintaining customer trust and operational efficiency. How Qwaiting Supports Automation At Qwaiting, service flow automation isnt just a buzzwordits a solution designed to optimize every step of your service journey. The platform enables seamless integration between different departments, ensuring tasks are automatically routed to the right people at the right time. 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Explore the automation solutions at Qwaiting today and start transforming your service operations for efficiency, accuracy, and growth. Nordic literature has been gaining popularity around the world for much of the past century, with translations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islandscountries with relatively modest-sized populationsbecoming global phenomena. Much of the credit is given to the late Swedish crime writer Stieg Larsson, whose Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was among the first blockbuster novels to take off in the U.S., creating what many have described as the "Nordic Noir boom." But Larsson was no isolated incident. Other major Nordic authors include Norway's Jo Nesbo and husband-and-wife writing duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, who publish under the name Lars Kepler and whose 10 novels have sold more than 18 million copies (and are now being adapted by Apple into a television series). Today, readers around the world are embracing a wide variety of books from the region. These range from children's books, such as the middle grade space adventure series Kepler62 by writer Bjrn Sortland and Timo Parvela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkanen, and translated by Owen Witesman; to lengthy award-winning series of literary autofiction by authors such as Karl Ove Knausgard and Solvej Balle; to historical novels, like Beasts of the Sea by Ida Turpeinen, which garnered a starred review from PW and was picked up by The Late Show host Steven Colbert for his book club in December. "It was our most popular book around the world last year and has sold in 30 territories," Tiia Stranden, director of the Finnish Literary Exchange, or FILI, told PW. FILI is the organization that promotes the sales of Finnish book rights, representing the country's literary community at book fairs. In December, FILI, along with five other Nordic literary export organizationsthe Danish Arts Foundation, FarLit, which represents the Faroe Islands, Icelandic Literature Center, Norwegian Literature Abroad, and the Swedish Arts Council/Swedish Literature Exchange released their first comprehensive survey looking at translation rights sales for books and quantifying the overall revenue from the region for a single year, 2024. The result was that, in aggregate, Nordic literature generated 78.5 million ($84.8 million) in translation rights revenue in 2024. In all, agencies and publishers signed approximately 4,250 translation contracts on behalf of Nordic authors during the year, with fiction accounting for 78% of total revenue. Individual contracts can cover translation rights for multiple titles. Sweden dominated the rights sales, generating 55.6 million ($60.0 million) in revenue from 2,027 contractsrepresenting more than 70% of the region's total rights sales. Norway followed with 11.9 million ($12.9 million) from 979 contracts. Denmark took in 5.8 million ($6.3 million) from 417 contracts, while Finland recorded 3.3 million ($3.6 million) from 588 contracts. The two smallest sums were from the region's least populated islands: Iceland produced 1.9 million ($2.1 million) from 218 contracts, and the Faroe Islands reported 25,100 ($27,100) from 24 contracts. Fiction drove the majority of Nordic rights sales at 61.2 million ($66.1 million), followed by children's and young adult literature at 11 million ($11.9 million). Nonfiction generated 5.5 million ($5.9 million), while comics and graphic novels accounted for 788,000 ($851,000). Genre distribution varied significantly by country. Iceland's exports were 98.9% fiction, while Finland showed the most balanced portfolio with children's and YA literature representing 45.5% of revenue compared to 38.8% for adult fiction. The survey collected data between May and August 2025 from 43 agencies and publishing houses representing Nordic authors. The survey quantified reported gross revenue from translation rights sales, including both advances and royalties, covering both the share given to a literary agency and the author. The figures include all income sources related to rights sales, such as covers, illustrations, layout, and associated fees, but exclude income from film and television rights. Stranden noted that the organizations, which often work collectively at international book fairs, were "delighted" to finally have comprehensive data quantifying the region's translation rights performance. The figures suggest that Nordic countries significantly overachieve in literary exports relative to their small populations, which total 28 million people in alla factor that typically limits the pool of translators capable of working with these languages and would suggest more modest international reach. Despite these constraints, Nordic literature has found strong markets abroad, with Germany consistently ranking as the largest buyer of translation rights, followed by other Nordic countries and English-language markets. WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he would allow the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia to expire and instead pursue a broader deal that may include "a couple of other players," the New York Times reported Thursday. The New START treaty, which took effect in 2011, limits each party's deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and caps deployed delivery systems, including missiles, bombers and submarines, at 700. The pact is set to expire on Feb. 5. "If it expires, it expires," Trump told the newspaper in an interview conducted on Wednesday, suggesting he would reject Moscow's proposal to keep the treaty's limits in place. "We'll just do a better agreement," Trump said. "You probably want to get a couple of other players involved also." The treaty's expiration would leave the United States and Russia, the world's two largest nuclear powers, without binding limits on their nuclear arsenals for the first time in roughly half a century. The treaty was originally set to last for 10 years. In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin and then U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to extend the pact for five years, the final extension permitted under its terms. Putin reportedly proposed in September that Russia could voluntarily continue observing the treaty if the United States was willing to do the same. Premium online access is only available tosubscribers. If you have an active subscription and need to set up or change your password, please click here New to PW? To set up immediate access, click here. NOTE: If you had a previous PW subscription, click here to reactivate your immediate access. PW site license members have access to PWs subscriber-only website content. If working at an office location and you are not "logged in", simply close and relaunch your preferred browser. For off-site access, click here. To find out more about PWs site license subscription options, please email Mike Popalardo at: mike@nextstepsmarketing.com. On January 3, 2026, the United States took historic action against a regime that had spent years exporting violence, narcotics, and instability far beyond its borders. In a joint operation involving the U.S. military and law enforcement, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and removed from the country. Venezuelans around the world have poured into the streets to celebrate the collapse of a brutal dictatorship. Operation Absolute Resolve was a demonstration of President Trumps capability, restraint, and willingness to act on behalf of the American people, bringing evil to justice. It was also a reminder of something increasingly uncomfortable for Europe: when confronted with real evil that directly threatens the safety of citizens, the U.S. is willing to act decisively instead of surrendering to constructs of international law. Nearly all the responses from our Western European allies show how far our most important and culturally consonant allies have drifted from reality, and how process-obsessed they have become. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the intervention as legally complex, urging caution and stating that [i]nternational law remains the guiding framework. Both Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Frances foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the strikes as a violation of international law. The European Unions leadership and subsequent statement, signed by 26 member states, issued familiar calls for restraint and adherence to international law including the U.N. Charter. U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer was quick to confirm his noninvolvement in the strikes and remind the world that he is a "lifelong advocate of international law." Unfortunately, these reactions are predictableand deeply telling. For decades, the European project has consequentially elevated excessive deliberation over decisively wielding power. In many cases, the U.S. fell into this trap too, putting process over outcomes, before President Trump. Lacking both political consensus and popular support for a serious defense posture, European institutions have substituted regulatory authority and for hard security. The rules-based order has won people over, not because it works, but because it requires little capacity to enforce. Yet there is nothing complicated about recognizing a regime that trafficked enormous quantities of drugs past U.S. borders, directly fueled transnational criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua, and destabilized its neighbors while brutalizing its own population. There is nothing principled about invoking international law as an end in itself when that same legal order has failedrepeatedlyto restrain violent actors who abuse it without care. International law did not stop Maduro. Strongly worded statements did not weaken his grip on power. Years of diplomatic process did not create a transition. But, President Trumps military action did. At the same time, European governments have deliberately undermined their own strategic positionshuttering heavy industry, offshoring critical production, and subordinating economic resilience to ideological climate targets. They have opened the door to mass migration at a scale that strains social cohesion and compromises internal security. As these problems intensify, the ability to set uniform standards matters far less than the ability to secure borders, protect supply chains, and deter adversaries. Unsurprisingly, E.U. leaders find themselves increasingly irrelevant in shaping outcomes even in their own neighborhood. From this position of weakness, European elites still presume to lecture the U.S. for acting in defense of its people, and against Maduro, whose leadership they do not officially recognize either. This is the voice of a governing class that is far more invested in preserving a procedural worldview than in confronting facts on the ground. Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered a sharper and more realistic assessment, recognizing that the U.S.s intervention can be legitimate when states weaponize criminal networks and hybrid threats against others. Her response, unlike the rest of Western Europe, reflects an understanding that sovereignty entails responsibility, including the pragmatic use of hard power. President Trump was correct when he said that no other nation could have carried out this operation. Militarily, yes, but also as a recognition of the gap between rhetoric and action that plagues many of our allies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described President Trump as a president of action. This administrations seriousness marks a clear break from a Western orthodoxy that emerged after the Cold Warone that assumed conflict could be managed away through institutions, incentives, and norms. The soft-power-first doctrine has failed. It failed to deter Russia. It strengthened Chinas hand economically and strategically. It ceded influence in Africa and Latin America to adversarial powers. It left Europe unable to shape outcomes even where its interests are most immediate. The discomfort many European elites feel toward President Trump stems from this rupture. Trump rejects managed decline, and he refuses to simply admire the problem. He rejects the idea that Western nations must apologize for defending themselves or outsourcing their authority to institutions that do not share their interests. He insists that peace rests on strength, confidence, and the willingness to act. The Presidents worldview threatens a European elite consensus built on a heavy dose of self-doubt and proceduralism. But, by example, it may be able to offer Europe a bold path to renewal. The U.S. is not asking Europe to become American. It is asking whether Europe still intends to defend its people, and its sovereignty, or whether it prefers to remain a spectator, issuing statements while others lead boldly. On January 3, 2026, America chose action in the defense of its people and for the cause of justice. Europe should consider why that choice felt so foreignand what its own future looks like if it continues to avoid it. Kristen Ziccarelli serves as Director for Civilizational Action at the America First Policy Institute. Instagram / Juliana Pasquarosa By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 01/08/2026 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. alum Juliana Pasquarosa has soft launched her relationship with a new man after her breakup with Grant Ellis Juliana recently reposted a video of herself drinking champagne and lounging in a robe while her new man was looking out over a big pool.Juliana wrote over the footage, "I said I needed to escape seasonal depression so he flew me to Florida & took me to the spa at the St. Regis. Never settle ladies."Juliana went on to share another photo of just their legs and shoes. The pair was wearing matching sweatpants and white sneakers while at the airport en route to Boston, MA."Back to BOS!!!!" she captioned the photo.One fan noticed that Juliana was wearing a gold ring on her finger and commented, "RINGGGG?!?!"Juliana, however, has yet to unveil the man's identity.Less than three months after their engagement aired on 's Season 29 finale on ABC, Juliana and Grant publicly announced their split in June 2025 via separate Instagram postings.Juliana revealed that she was "having a good time with life" again during a December appearance on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti 's "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous" podcast. I am [dating again] . I am seeing somebody. It's new, it's fun and it's flirty -- and I like that!" Juliana revealed.Juliana acknowledged how coming out of her breakup with Grant was "so hard" and so she wanted to take things "really, really slow" in the dating department."It put my back a little bit into my old, 'I hate men' vibe, and I'm not a man hater and I'm not a woman hater. And so, I think I was just like, 'Let me give this guy a shot,'" she recalled."He was blowing me up for like three straight months, nonstop, and I've been ghosting him. And I was like, 'You know what? Screw it! You're cute!' So we're going to hang out."Juliana also confirmed at the time that she and this mystery man were going to ring in 2026 together in Boston.But this isn't the first guy Juliana has dated since her split from Grant.During the December 2 episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, Juliana revealed a man she had been dating unexpectedly dumped her."Recently, I went on what they call a Stoop date," Juliana said, explaining that a matchmaker, who is also her friend, had set her up with a guy."It was a blind date but on her stoop in [South Boston], like, on her front steps. And that went really well. It was fun, it was cute, and we went on a couple of dates afterwards."But Juliana admitted that the man said he "unfortunately couldn't handle the people coming up" to him "and asking questions" related to her stint on ."They were sending him DMs about me, and so I was like, 'I totally understand. No hard feelings,'" she shared.Since Juliana is a famous figure and has fans who are interested in her dating life, she said she intended to keep her next relationship "a little bit more on the down-low."If this new romance doesn't work out for Juliana, she said she'd be open to appearing on the next season of Bachelor in Paradise.Juliana and Grant got engaged in the Dominican Republic at the Final Rose Ceremony of 's 29th season.finale in March had shown Grant appearing to still be undecided between Juliana and his other Final 2 bachelorette, Litia Garr , only minutes before the Final Rose Ceremony.When Grant dumped Litia, she complained about how she felt completely blindsided and devastated.Litia claimed on After the Final Rose that Grant had called her The One and confirmed they were getting engaged the night before the Final Rose Ceremony.Litia proceeded to throw shade at Grant on social media once the show wrapped, and she even insinuated that Grant probably picked Juliana as his winner because she allegedly slept with him in the Fantasy Suite. (Juliana denied the allegation afterwards).Juliana said Grant's "lack of accountability" in his breakup with Litia sparked an argument two days after they filmed After the Final Rose.This argument was the beginning of the end of their relationship , according to Juliana, who stuck it out a little bit longer but dumped Grant in May 2025 Interested in more news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group IMAGE: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Photograph: ANI Photo Assam has become the first state in India to directly venture into oil production, following the discovery of hydrocarbons at the Namrup-Borhat block in 2025 -- a milestone that shifts the country's oil-sector dynamics and marks a bold step in the state's quest for greater control over its natural resources. The discovery was made by the Assam Hydrocarbon and Energy Company Ltd. (AHECL), the state government's own exploration entity, which has been participating in India's OALP and DSF bidding rounds. This marks the first time a state-run company has independently struck oil inside its own territory, historically a domain of central PSUs like ONGC and Oil India. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, celebrating the breakthrough, described it as 'a defining step forward' as Assam moves to 'take charge of its energy future.' The state government has long sought a greater say in hydrocarbon exploration, arguing that Assam must benefit more directly from the resources extracted from its soil. Government officials say that the Namrup-Borhat discovery has reinforced the state's geological potential, located in the prolific Upper Assam oil belt known for high-quality reserves and historical production fields. Early assessments suggest the presence of commercially recoverable hydrocarbons, though detailed reserve estimates will follow production testing. Energy policy experts say Assam's entry into oil production reshapes the federal character of India's hydrocarbon sector. For decades, upstream oil extraction has been controlled almost exclusively by central PSUs. Assam's breakthrough signals a new phase where states could play a more proactive role in exploration, revenue sharing, and operational control. It also aligns with growing demands from resource-producing states for enhanced autonomy in the extractive sector -- a long-standing political and economic issue in India's north east. Officials say the state's foray into oil extraction fits into a broader energy expansion plan, which includes: Large-scale thermal power development, including the proposed 3,400 MW plant in Dhubri; expansion of natural gas pipelines and city gas distribution, and increased focus on green and renewable energy projects. The oil discovery is expected to attract new investments, generate skilled jobs and strengthen Assam's position as a key contributor to India's energy basket. AHECL is now preparing for the appraisal and early-production phases at Namrup-Borhat, working with technical partners to fast-track testing and commercial output. The state hopes that the project will not only enhance revenues but also pave the way for further state-led exploration blocks. With this landmark discovery, Assam has become the first Indian state to step beyond policy advocacy and into direct oil extraction -- a precedent many other resource-rich states are now expected to watch closely. Demonstrators in Vienna protested against the recent U.S. military action in Venezuela on Thursday, voicing their demand that the U.S. withdraw its forces and cease interference in the South American country's affairs. Bajaj Finserv on Thursday said it has completed the acquisition of Allianz SEs stake in Bajaj General Insurance and Bajaj Life Insurance, worth Rs 12,190 crore and Rs 9,200 crore, respectively. Photograph: Courtesy, Bajaj Finserv Bajaj Finserv, along with Bajaj Holdings & Investment and Jamnalal Sons, acquired the foreign insurers 23 per cent stake in the businesses, marking the largest transaction in the Indian insurance sector. The acquisition takes the Bajaj Groups ownership in both insurance companies to 97 per cent from 74 per cent, giving Bajaj Finserv complete control of the insurance businesses. The transfer of Allianzs remaining 3 per cent stake is expected to be completed over the next few months through a proposed buyback of shares by the insurance companies, subject to applicable law and necessary approvals. If the buyback is completed, Bajaj Finservs stake is expected to rise to approximately 77.3 per cent, with Bajaj Holdings & Investment Limited holding about 18.1 per cent, and the balance held by Jamnalal Sons. The acquisition, worth Rs 21,390 crore, is also one of the largest instances of an Indian promoter group using its own balance sheet to reclaim a major financial services business from a global giant, according to industry insiders. Sanjiv Bajaj, chairman and managing director, Bajaj Finserv, said: The acquisition provides us strategic flexibility to access new markets, introduce new products, build scale and advance growth as insurance penetration in India is set to grow exponentially over the next two decades. "We will continue serving millions of our policyholders even better and delivering sustainable value to our shareholders with a long-term horizon. "We begin our new chapter from a position of strength strong market position, outstanding solvency, trusted partner relationships, excellent customer service, deep talent and tech capabilities. At an investor meet in December 2025, Bajaj said he expected the stake buyout to be completed by early the next calendar year (2026). He also spoke of plans to venture into GIFT City, cater to non-resident Indians and explore other lines such as pension funds through the insurance companies.He also outlined plans for a possible listing of the two companies in the next four to five years. We believe there are a number of changes in the coming years, whether through Ind AS, risk-based solvency and composite licences each of these can open significant possibilities in how businesses are run. "We will need to evaluate these and hence, in our mind, four to five years is a reasonable window to think of a possible listing of these companies it could be a little earlier or later. "We do not need the capital. But given the size of these businesses, I believe listing will take transparency to the next level. According to multiple sources, Mercedes-Benz is already in talks with multiple developers in Gurugram for a luxury branded residence project. Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes. Photograph: Christopher Pike/Reuters Luxury automobile companies Mercedes-Benz and BMW are eyeing the Indian real estate sector, and are in discussions with multiple developers in prime locations, said sources. The trend has seen a spike since Lamborghini family's interest in the Indian realty market, industry insiders said, indicating that such deals are expected to see a rise come 2026. According to multiple sources close to the development, Mercedes-Benz is already in talks with multiple developers in Gurugram for a luxury, branded residential project. Though a source said that BMW is also in talks with Indian groups, it is not clear whether it is for a branded project or for its creative design consultancy arm Designworks, which also caters to the real estate sector. Business Standard had reported last month that Tonino Lamborghini SpA, founded by Tonino Lamborghini, the son of Ferruccio Lamborghini (the founder of the car company), is in advanced stages of talks with two real estate developers in Mumbai and Chennai. Mercedes-Benz has two projects globally, one in Dubai and another in Miami, Florida. BMW is yet to launch any branded residential project globally. "The Lamborghini family exploring India has definitely accelerated conversations. While I cannot go on record about specific brands, I can share that interest has broadened across a few luxury automotive houses, premium wellness brands, couture labels, and European design studios. "Several of them are already in early-stage discussions with Indian developers for flagship branded-home collaborations, said Nandivardhan Jain, chief executive officer (CEO), Noesis Capital Advisors, a hotel transaction advisory and consulting firm. Queries sent to BMW and Mercedes-Benz did not elicit a response. India at present is number six globally in terms of live branded residence projects, contributing a fourth of the global supply, and tenth in the global project pipeline. Major players having a presence in India in this space include Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Armani Casa, Versace Home, the Trump family, Hyatt, Pullman, ITC, and Hilton. The new luxury additions to the list will mark India's entry into the automobile-branded luxury project landscape, otherwise dominated by luxury hotels and lifestyle brands. Now, developers are looking at brands because it naturally brings in a fresh identity and appeal before luxury segment customers. Moreover, it ensures a certain quality in service, said Arun Bharathi Arunachalam, founder and managing director, Bharathi Meraki. According to experts, India has now entered the same league as the US, UAE, Thailand, and Vietnam -- traditionally dominant branded residence markets. The Savills Branded Residences 2025-26 Report highlights that branded residence supply in the Asia-Pacific region has grown 55 per cent over the past five years, with India named as one of the key contributors alongside Vietnam and Thailand. This is a sign of branded residency -- once limited to marquee addresses in Dubai, Miami, or London -- gearing up to conquer the minds of the Indian ultra-rich. Recently, the Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) also announced Taj branded residency in Chennai. According to Noesis Capital Advisors, developers in tier-1 markets like Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai are driving the early momentum while tier-2 cities such as Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Surat, along with leisure destinations within a two-hour drive from major metros, have become very strong adoption zones for branded residencies. Jain further added that global design houses, automotive luxury marques, fashion labels, and wellness brands are actively evaluating India because the branded-homes buyer base has matured significantly in the last three years. The demand for curated living -- where the brand brings lifestyle, design ethos, and aspiration value -- will be comparable to global markets in the near future. Other industry experts corroborated Jain and noted that several non-hospitality brands are seriously and actively exploring opportunities to enter India for branded residencies. However, their interest is not just limited to branded residencies; these companies are also looking to have their branded hotels in India, said an industry expert, who did not want to be named. A Knight Frank report cites the number of branded residence schemes rising from 169 in 2011 to 611 in 2025, with the figure expected to cross 1,000 by 2030. Correspondingly, total branded residence units are projected to surge from just over 27,000 in 2011 to more than 162,000 by 2030. Exploring new vistas Mercedes-Benz already in talks with developers in Gurugram for luxury, branded residential project BMW is also in talks with Indian groups, sources say Such deals expected to see a rise in 2026 Industry experts say non-hospitality brands actively exploring opportunities to enter India for branded residencies These companies also looking to have their branded hotels in India Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff 'I don't want to be called a new Indian voter when I am an old Indian voter.' IMAGE: People look for their names after the Election Commission in Uttar Pradesh releases the draft Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 voter list in Mirzapur, January 6, 2026. Photographs: ANI Photo The Election Commission of India updates voter lists from time to time to remove errors, duplicate entries, and names of deceased voters. For this purpose, it is currently carrying out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. As part of this exercise, booth level officers (BLOs) visit homes to verify voter details, and a draft voter list is published. On January 6, when the draft list for Uttar Pradesh was released, many voters discovered that their names were missing from the draft electoral list. One of them was Gurdeep Singh Sappal, a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee and aide of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, whose name has been on the voter list since 2003. Normally, the Election Commission uses different forms for different purposes. Form 6 is used to add a voter's name to the electoral roll, usually for first-time voters. Form 8 has traditionally been used by existing voters to correct details such as name or address. Earlier, if a voter shifted houses, filling Form 8 was enough to update the address without deleting the voter's old record. According to Mr. Sappal, the problem with the current SIR exercise is that it does not account for voters who have changed their residence recently. Even though shifting homes is common, SIR treats such voters as new voters. In his case, his name was deleted from the Sahibabad constituency after he moved to Noida, but it was not added to the Noida voter list. Election officials reportedly told him that SIR has no provision to include voters who have shifted to a new address. Instead of allowing him to update his address through Form 8, he was asked to apply again using Form 6, which would mean being treated as a new voter and losing his earlier voter record. He argues that this approach has led to the exclusion of crores of genuine voters from the draft list and has made a simple address change unnecessarily complicated. Mr. Sappal posted his experience on the microblogging site X, to which the chief election office of UP responded: 'The BLO has performed his duty correctly by removing your name from the voter list of Ghaziabad district. You and your family members should fill out Form 6 to get your names added to the voter list of Noida district. Just as you can fill out Form 6, other people in a situation similar to yours can also fill out Form 6, and they should do so.' In this interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com, Mr. Sappal explains how his name was excluded from the SIR list, why he believes the process is flawed, and what it could mean for millions of voters across the country. The first question that comes to one's mind is, how can your name be deleted when it was present in the 2003 voter list? I checked the draft electoral list of Uttar Pradesh after it was released and I found out my name was missing. Did you check the details on your own? Yes, as a voter one needs to go and check the draft list and find out whether his or her name exists on it or not. It was released on January 6. You were a voter in Sahibabad constituency in 2003 but later you moved to Noida. So, which home did the BLOs (booth level officers) visit for the SIR exercise? They came to both houses, Sahibabad as well as my Noida home. I requested them to delete my name from the Sahibabad voter list and include it in Noida which is my present address. To my surprise they told me that if I have shifted to a new house then they do not have any provision to add my name to a new address. I told them the rule says that the place where I stay as a voter has to be included. They then told me that they do not have any such provision in SIR. Shifted voters cannot be added in the SIR exercise. Later, I found that what they were saying was true and therefore I took to social media and raised this issue, which is of grave concern. Around 4.64 crore (46.4 million) voters have shifted homes after their names were enrolled in previous electoral rolls. And their names are not included in the SIR list. Mostly these are genuine voters. The ECI has just cut their names out from the draft SIR list. There is no provision for them to be included in this list. Did you tell the BLOs that you have two addresses and currently stay in Noida? Yes, I told them that I have shifted my home. I then downloaded the form, filled it and submitted it to them. Is it possible that if you had not told them that earlier you were a voter in Sahibabad they would have simply added you in the list and not excluded your name? SIR has an enumeration form. It comes with a QR code. The BLO goes to every home and distributes it. But when you shift your home then your QR code is not generated. So, you cannot blame the BLO or even the election returning officer (ERO). This is a mistake of the Election Commission of India. The ECI did not think and implement SIR properly. They never thought how to include voters who have shifted their homes after previous elections. And people do change homes, jobs, or move out of cities. There are 10 to 11 percent voters who have shifted homes and the ECI has not done anything to include them as old voters. It simply deletes their names from the draft voter list. Now it wants them to register as new voters. In this there are serious issues. IMAGE: Special Intensive Revision officials undertake the house-to-house verification process to update the voter list in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, November 4, 2025. Problems like? In SIR there is one major thing called voter mapping. If your name exists in the 2003 voters list then ECI automatically considers you an Indian citizen. And if your name is not included in the 2003 voters list then your Indian citizenship will be investigated. This is not me, but the ECI which stated so in its affidavit in the Supreme Court of India. Now the trouble is that the ECI is telling voters like me that since I am a shifted voter I will be counted as a new voter from 2026. I will be registered as a new voter in future but then my old voter identity of 2003 will be deleted forever because I changed my address. Does it mean that your Indian citizenship is under question over SIR? Precisely. If the ECI wants, and there is no guarantee once the ECI deletes your old voter ID of 2003 other agencies will not jump in to hound you in future. The Modi government has not given any guarantee that once the ECI does not include you as a 2003 voter other government agencies will not go after you. And this question is not about me alone, but more than 4.64 crore voters. My own estimate says that there will be 10 crore to 12 crore (100 million to 120 million) voters who will be affected. When the ECI asks for details of my 2003 voting records, then they have no right to delete that voting record just because I moved to a new address. In UP 2.17 crore (21.7 million) voters got deleted. Did you come across anyone among them? Many of the voters were dejected not to find their names in the SIR list. But the tragedy is that not many people know how to go about it if your name is missing from the electoral list. Secondly, to expect an ordinary voter to understand the implications of his or her name missing in the SIR list is huge. Now, the ECI said that 1.04 crore (10.4 million) voters are being sent notices because their voter mapping could not be done. In other words, their old record of 2023 could not match with the new SIR list. These are technical terms for a layman to understand. Therefore, the question I am asking is why isn't the ECI continuing with the old practice of allowing Form 8 for shifted voter? Why is it creating such confusion and as a result, has already deleted names of 4.64 crore voters? What was that old practice? Earlier if a voter changed his address he had to fill Form 8. The BLO used to come to his house to verify the form and he used to become a voter without any hassle. This was a simple system. Now they have changed this system by telling voters that you go through a new process and become a new voter. The old system was running smoothly. Maybe the ECI did not want duplicate voters. In your case if you had filled Form 8 in Noida then you would also be considered as a voter in Sahibabad, isn't it? That is the precise reason SIR is being done, to check duplicate voters. If I fill my Form 8, then I have to mandatorily quote my EPIC number. From my EPIC number the ECI will come to know in a minute that I am an existing voter from a new area and the old one will can easily be verified digitally and deleted, even if the voter fails to do so. Now the question is why the ECI wants you to become a new voter. IMAGE: A Special Intensive Revision official conducts house-to-house verification process to update the voter list in Kolkata, November 4, 2025. What is your analysis? I think they have left out a huge number of voters and therefore they are trying to now wriggle out by asking shifted voters to register as new voters. They are also looking to collect data of migrated people to deal with them separately. This could be a BJP plan to fill in migrated voters' space with fake voters, but at this stage it's just a conjecture. I do not know the truth today. But right now, I can say it is the ECI's bureaucratic incompetence. They will eventually leave out 10 to 12 crore voters who will not be able to vote. What is wrong if you fill Form 6 as a new address? You have been given one month to correct it. Why should I fill it? What right does the ECI have to delete my voting record being mapped in SIR? On one hand they are asking voters to produce old record and on the other hand they are forcing the shifted voters to give up their old records and register as new voters! Is it fair? I don't want to delete my record of 2003 from the ECI, and why should the ECI do it? I don't want them to delete my old record. Is the new SIR exercise an excuse to launch the National Register of Citizens as your old record of Indian citizenship is not available to the ECI because they have deleted your name after you have changed your address? I have a simple thing to say. They have something called voter mapping. And if they delete my old records then there is no guarantee that in future this record will not be asked for, for the purpose of citizenship verification or any other issue. The record of the Modi government is unreliable in this regard. The ECI has already asserted in the Supreme Court that they have right to examine the citizenship of the voters and are linking SIR to it. In such a case, old records assume criticality. Also, there will be cases where ECI deletes the name of a voter just because he or she has shifted residence and that voter fails to register as new voter due to lack of adequate information. Then the citizenship of that voter will be placed under doubtful category. The ECI has claimed in Supreme Court that it doesn't intend to cancel anyone's citizenship. But certainly, the ECI is no position to guarantee that no other government agency will never step in later and start its own investigation into the citizenship issue of deleted voters. Also, given the way Modi government thinks and functions, it is not a remote possibility. So will you fill Form 6 and include your name in the updated SIR list so that you can vote? No, I am not going to fill Form 6. I am going to court. I want to fill Form 8 which was permissible so far by the ECI itself. I don't want to be called a new Indian voter when I am an old Indian voter. For buying a new home and changing your address you must have paid stamp duty, changed your Aadhar card at a later date. Did you face any problems then? Everything was done smoothly. You change your driving licence to the new address, it is done easily. Your passport is changed to the new address easily. The same is the case with Aadhar too. So, why have difficulties in changing the address for voter ID card? This makes no sense. 'From every point of view, they have faced an extremely difficult couple of years, and the setback they have suffered is irreversible.' 'This reality has begun to set in even amongst the top-level cadres. That is why, in recent times, we have witnessed a huge number of senior-level cadres emerging from the jungle and deciding to renounce violence and join the mainstream.' IMAGE: District Reserve Guard Jawans celebrate after neutralising 27 Naxals, including top Naxal leader Basava Raju, in Narayanpur, May 22, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo "Terrorist organisations can operate in isolation -- they can hide somewhere, conduct a terror attack, and then retreat. But a Maoist movement cannot survive without local support and a strong base." "In the Dandakarnya region there are today not more than 100 to 150 full time regular armed Maoist cadres, plus a few village militia members who do not possess any ideological commitment. They have no understanding of the functioning of the party. They have been forcefully nominated by the Maoist leadership." 2025 has marked a watershed moment in India's protracted struggle against Left-wing extremism, with 256 Maoists neutralised and over 1,500 cadres surrendering in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region alone. At the forefront of this unprecedented campaign stands Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P, who has overseen operations that have systematically dismantled the Maoist command structure. In May 2025, security forces neutralised Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basava Raju, general secretary of the CPI (Maoist), marking the first time in the outlawed outfit's over-four-decade history that its top-most leader was eliminated in an encounter. Sundarraj P, who took over as the inspector general of police, Bastar range on November 11, 2019, in a two-part interview with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff, discusses the operations that brought the insurgency to the brink of collapse and assesses whether Union Home Minister Amit A Shah's deadline of March 31, 2026 can be met. 2025 has witnessed an extraordinary number of both surrenders and neutralisations across the entire Bastar range. How do you assess the overall impact on Maoist strength in the region? The past two years have been decisive for us. During this period, we achieved a major breakthrough, particularly regarding the top leadership of the Maoists. Their strength has been decimated. As on today only a couple of top-level cadres are left out, whereas if you compare the situation 10 to 15 years ago, there used to be approximately 40 to 45 central committee and politburo members within the CPI (Maoist) organisation. That strength declined over time, and by early 2025, they were down to approximately 22 central committee and politburo members. In the current year alone, 11 of these senior leaders have been neutralised in various encounters. Six were neutralised in Chhattisgarh, and five more in other Left-wing extremism-affected states. This includes their general secretary (Basava Raju alias Nambala Kesava Rao), who was the topmost leader of the outfit. Additionally, five of them decided to join the mainstream and have surrendered. They are now left with only five to six central committee members, most of them have crossed their prime age. If you examine their age profile, they are not in a position to provide leadership or hope to the outfit. The leadership has been completely decimated, and they have effectively become leaderless. Even the lower-level formations and middle-level cadres tell a similar story -- they have either joined the mainstream or have been neutralised in encounters, been arrested, or fled from the camps. Their area of influence has also shrunk considerably. They are now left with very few safe shelters compared to what they had previously. All these factors together give us hope that this organisation is facing extinction. In another couple of months, it will be completely broken. Will you meet the deadline set by Home Minister Amit A Shah of March 31, 2026 to completely eliminate Maoism from India? We are hopeful, because the facts and figures are indicating progress in that direction. We believe this armed extremism will come to an end by March 2026. The cadres left behind have only one option: To surrender and join the mainstream. This option is still available to them, but it is not an endless offer. They have a very limited time period, so they should make use of this opportunity and join the mainstream as early as possible, before the security forces compel them to do so through operational means. We remain committed to bringing an end to this mindless violent extremism mounted by the CPI (Maoist) outfit. Operation Black Forest played a significant role in the neutralisation of the Maoist leadership. What made this operation different from earlier ones? Would you agree that Operation Black Forest completely broke the backbone of the Maoists in Bastar? That was one of our most important and decisive operations. Each and every operation we undertake is pursued with utmost sincerity and care, but Operation Black Forest was different in several respects. Firstly, it continued for almost three weeks, making it one of the longest operations we have conducted. Ordinarily, we undertake cyclic operations, with each lasting approximately four to five days before another begins. However, this operation (Black Forest) lasted for 21 continuous days. Despite very adverse climatic conditions and the tough terrain, our forces remained committed. Despite suffering injuries from improvised explosive devices, they did not withdraw. The end result was that the Maoists were forced to abandon the safe hideout they had been establishing along the interstate border. As I mentioned earlier, 2024 and 2025 shattered the myth that the CPI (Maoist) and their People's Liberation Guerrilla Army formations were invincible. That was the prevailing perception previously, but it has been broken. Our forces have now been able to reach every corner of the region (the Dandakaranya zone -- an expansive, forested and hilly tract spanning parts of southern Chhattisgarh, northern Telangana, eastern Maharashtra, western Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh, long projected by the Maoists as a 'liberated zone' and used for decades as their primary operational, training and logistical base), whether it is the Indravati national park area or the Abujhmarh region. They have been committed to operating in these areas, and the results have been very encouraging. We recovered a large number of weapons, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles, SLR rifles and BGL (barrel grenade launchers) -- all weapons that the Maoists had relied upon. Essentially, the Maoists lost their base areas, their recruitment base, their corridors were blocked, and their sources of levy collection diminished. From every point of view, they have faced an extremely difficult couple of years, and the setback they have suffered is irreversible. This reality has begun to set in even amongst the top-level cadres. That is why, in recent times, we have witnessed a huge number of senior-level cadres emerging from the jungle and deciding to renounce violence and join the mainstream. These two years have been critical, and operations such as Black Forest and others conducted in the forested areas have been crucial to this overall strategy. Was Operation Black Forest the most decisive setback for the Maoist movement? How did that affect the command structure of the Maoists? IMAGE: IGP Bastar Sundarraj P inspects arms recovered after the Rekhapalli encounter in Bijapur District on November 8, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo In Operation Black Forest, we recovered 31 dead bodies, most of them were People's Liberation Guerrilla Army battalion members and core cadres. Maoists had previously considered the inter-district and inter-state borders as safe zones. Whenever an operation was launched from a particular area or state, they would attempt to flee to neighbouring areas, exploiting the grey areas created by administrative and security vacuums along these borders. These interstate and inter-district boundaries used to be highly conducive for them. Nowadays, however, we are operating seamlessly. Whether it is an inter-district border or an inter-state border, we coordinate with the concerned agencies and are able to operate strongly and deliver results. That is how we have changed the dynamics. Previously, they would leave one area, take shelter elsewhere, go into hibernation, and then, after identifying conducive period, bounce back. Now we are not affording them that choice. We are not providing them with that option. We operate round the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our main objective is to safeguard the lives and properties of the local population. To that end, our security forces are carrying out intensified operations so that we do not give the Maoists any breathing space to reorganise and plan conspiracies against the security forces or the local population. That opportunity is not being provided to them at present. In that respect, Black Forest was also a very important operation, as were many other operations during this period in which we achieved major breakthroughs. In your assessment, based on your intelligence, what kind of strength is still left with the Maoists? The Telangana director general of police stated that there are only 17 Maoists operating there; Maharashtra too claims there are only 10 Maoist cadres operating out of Gadchiroli now and the area of dominance has also come down hugely. So, in your assessment, what is the strength of the Maoists after all the surrenders and neutralisations in Chhattisgarh? In the Dandakarnya region there are today not more than 100 to 150 full time regular armed Maoist cadres. In the recent times, majority of their People's Liberation Guerrilla Army formations and other regular party cadres have either joined the mainstream, had their bodies recovered, been arrested, or fled from the Naxal camps. They are left with hardly another 100 to 150 regular, full-time armed cadres, plus a few village militia members who do not possess any ideological commitment. They have no understanding of the functioning of the party. They have been forcefully nominated by the Maoist leadership. Now, since the leadership itself has been decimated, the remaining functionaries -- the village militia and other such elements -- have become defunct. They will naturally become extinct as the party's operations come to an end. Our main concern is regarding these 150-plus armed cadres who are still associated with Maoist activities. Hopefully, they will also take the right decision at the right time, renounce violence, and join the mainstream. Have you noticed any significant trend in how the Maoists -- or whatever strength is left presently -- are now organising themselves? There is only Ganpati, there is Devji, and Misir Besra, who operates from Jharkhand. Are the Maoists now shifting to smaller, fragmented units? Are you seeing any major trend in how the Maoists have changed their tactics? In the prevailing circumstances, the Maoist base areas have eroded, the cadres have been depleted, and the leadership has been decimated. Only small groups are left in a few pockets, and they may also be contemplating abandoning this violent path and joining the mainstream. Otherwise, we will take lawful action against them as well. We do not foresee any reason for their resistance to continue, because they do not have the kind of conducive environment that they once had. The local population has also realised the real and ugly face of the Maoists. They are not going to support Maoist cause any longer, because the local population was the biggest victims during this entire period. The Maoists, who claimed to be well-wishers of the tribal population, turned out to be the ones who targeted innocent tribal people -- men, women, and children -- on allegations of being police informers or on other false pretexts. More than 2,000 tribal people have been killed in the past 24 years. The local population will not support the violent cause of the Maoists. The Maoists are left with no leadership capable of carrying this movement forward to the next generation. All the remaining cadres are elderly, and there is no younger generation with the ideological conviction or attraction to carry this movement forward. That is why the Maoist movement is breathing its last and their extinction would be witnessed in couple of months. Would you believe that the elimination of Madvi Hidma broke down the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army's strength? Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff Apart from Madvi, many other top-level cadres, including Basava Raju and others, have been eliminated. The CPI (Maoist) party has become totally directionless, clueless and leaderless, particularly the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army's formations. When Madvi Hidma died in an exchange of fire with security forces, he was a central committee member. Madvi Hidma handed over the activities of PLGA batallion number 1 to Barse Deva and was active as secretary of the Dandakarnya special zonal committee area, few months prior to his neutralisation. Nevertheless, Madvi Hidma's neutralisation was a very decisive turning point. Many other active Maoist leaders have also been neutralised in the past couple of years. It is a combination of many factors. Not only the elimination of individual leaders, but a combination of many other elements has brought us to this decisive point. For any Maoist movement to survive, unlike other terrorist outfits, they require a huge base area and mass contact. Terrorist organisations can operate in isolation -- they can hide somewhere, conduct a terror attack, and then retreat. But a Maoist movement cannot survive without local support and a strong base. They need to be visible to the public; they need to conduct numerous meetings. Once that is no longer happening, the movement cannot survive. In that respect, all these factors together have essentially brought this outfit to the point of extinction. Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday recommended a CBI inquiry into the 2022 murder of 19-year-old resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari, and said that the state government's intention is completely clear that no fact or evidence will be overlooked. IMAGE: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Photograph: @pushkardhami/X Dhami announced that during a recent meeting with her parents, they had requested a CBI probe into the matter, and respecting their sentiments, the Uttarakhand government has recommended the inquiry. Ankita's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, met Dhami on Wednesday night and handed him a letter demanding an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. In the letter, Ankita's father said that his daughter was murdered because of a 'VIP' whose identity is still unknown. The government's objective has been and will continue to be to ensure justice, the chief minister said. He added that his government's intention is completely clear, and no fact or evidence will be overlooked. "Ankita was not just a victim, but she was also our sister and daughter," Dhami said. Considering the seriousness of the case, the state government had initiated an immediate and transparent action in the matter, constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under a female IPS officer, the chief minister said. All the accused involved in the case were arrested promptly, and effective and strong legal representation was ensured by his government, which resulted in a lower court granting life imprisonment to the three convicts in the case. He said the entire case clearly demonstrates that the state government has ensured justice with fairness, transparency, and firmness. Referring to the recent audio clips being circulated on social media, the chief minister said that separate FIRs have been registered, and an investigation is underway. The recent revelations regarding the "VIP" in the Ankita murder case had caused a storm in the state's politics, with various political and social organisations, including the Congress, continuously protesting and demanding a CBI investigation. In 2022, Ankita Bhandari, 19, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Pauri, was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his employees. All three were sentenced to life imprisonment in this case. A demand for a CBI probe into the 2022 killing has gathered pace ever since Urmila Sanawar, an actress, who claimed to be the wife of MLA Suresh Rathore, alleged the involvement of a 'VIP' in the murder. She recently released videos on social media and audio recordings of her conversations, purportedly with Rathore, alleging the involvement of a 'VIP' in the Ankita murder case. In another video, she claimed that the 'VIP' is BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam. Since then, several FIRs have been registered against her and Rathore in Dehradun and Haridwar. Opposition parties in Uttarakhand have been demanding a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case. On January 4, workers from the Congress, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Mahila Manch, Left parties, and social organisations gathered at Parade Ground here and marched towards the Chief Minister's residence, repeating their demand that the case be handed over to the CBI to reveal the name of the "VIP" involved in the murder case. Four persons were booked in Maharashtra's Beed district for collecting more than Rs 4 crore fraudulently claiming it was to support Palestine amid the war with Israel, a police official said on Thursday. Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters Since fighting between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, the overall Palestinian death toll stands at 71,391, while another 171,279 have been wounded. More than 400 deaths have been reported since a ceasefire was reached to halt fighting in Gaza in October. "Local police and its anti-terrorism unit had specific information about suspected terror funding. A search was conducted at Patrud village in Majalgaon. The accused have collected over Rs 4 crore in the name of support to Palestine," the official said. "The money was collected in the bank account of a trust not registered with the charity commissioner. This makes the collection of funds illegal. A case of cheating and fraud has been registered by Majalgaon rural police against the four, two of whom have been arrested," he said. Police is verifying if the accused have links with any proscribed organisation and if the amount collected by them was part of terror funding, the official added. India on Friday appeared to disapprove of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note to jailed activist Umar Khalid, saying public representatives should respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. Mamdani, who is of Indian-origin, handed over a handwritten note to Khalid when the activist's parents met him in the US last month. In the note, Mamdani conveyed his solidarity with Khalid. "We expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of the judiciary in other democracies," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. He was responding to a question on Mamdani's communication to Khalid. "Expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office. Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them," Jaiswal said. Khalid has been denied bail since he was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020. He was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in a case related to clashes in northeast Delhi in February 2020 between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing the law. The clashes left 53 dead and hundreds injured or displaced. Police have claimed the violence was part of a conspiracy to defame the Central government. This week, the Supreme Court denied bail to Khalid. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that the ED's searches at the premises of I-PAC were aimed at "stealing" the TMC' internal strategy ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, asserting that she had done "nothing wrong" by personally reaching the raid site a day earlier. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a protest rally from Jadavpur to Hazra Crossing against the ED raid on the IPAC office, in Kolkata. Photograph: @AITCofficial/X In a sharp personal attack in the very opening stretch of her address at a rally in Kolkata, Banerjee accused senior BJP leaders including "Union Home Minister Amit Shah" of benefiting from proceeds of the coal scam and claimed she could place evidence in the public domain if required. Addressing the rally after leading a nearly 10-km-long protest march through the heart of the city, Banerjee said she had intervened at the ED search site purely in her capacity as the TMC chairperson, not as the chief minister. "What I did yesterday, I did as the TMC chairperson. I have done nothing illegal," she said, referring to her unexpected arrival at the I-PAC office and the residence of its India head, Pratik Jain. The ED on Thursday alleged that Banerjee entered Jain's residence during the raid in a money laundering case linked to alleged coal smuggling and took away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. The TMC supremo said that ED officials entered the premises at 6 am while she reached there around noon. "By then, everything could have been stolen. I first thought they had come to ask or see something. Then I realised they are taking away our party's documents, and strategy details. That is why I rushed there," she said. I-PAC provides political consultancy to the TMC and looks after the party's IT and media cell. "If someone tries to kill me, don't I have the right to defend myself? If my party doesn't exist, how will I fight for the people?" the TMC chief said. Alleging that the money trail of the coal scam ran through "traitors" in an apparent reference to ex-TMC leaders who are now with BJP, she named "a chain that included Amit Shah and Suvendu Adhikari", warning that she possessed proof in pen drives. "They talk about coal scam money. But who eats coal money? How it is eaten? It goes through traitors. Jagannath to Suvendu to Amit Shah, this is the chain. I have all the proof in pen drives. I will release it when the time comes," she said. Escalating her confrontation with the Union government, Banerjee accused central agencies of functioning as political tools of the BJP. "All agencies have been captured," she said, alleging that the ruling party at the Centre had "forcibly captured" power in states such as Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar. "Do you think you can capture Bengal too? If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated and reborn," she said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Turning her guns on the Election Commission, Banerjee alleged that the BJP had "stolen" the mandate in Maharashtra with the poll panel's help and was now attempting to replicate it in Bengal through the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise by deleting genuine voters' names. She announced that the TMC's "next destination" would be the Election Commission in New Delhi to oppose what she described as harassment of voters. Mocking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as "Vanishing Kumar", Banerjee warned against any attempt to "make voters vanish". "If voters are made to vanish, I will protest. Are you a magician?" the chief minister asked. She questioned the rationale behind summoning elderly voters for hearing. "You call 90-year-olds for verification; do you have no shame?" she said, rejecting allegations of large-scale Rohingya presence in Bengal. "If Rohingyas were such a big issue, why was there no SIR in Assam? They enter through Assam, not Bengal," she added. Banerjee also condemned the alleged assault on eight TMC MPs during a protest in Delhi, contrasting it with what she called preferential treatment for BJP leaders. "Our MPs were assaulted while protesting in Delhi, while BJP leaders get red carpet welcomes," she said, adding that her party would not be cowed down. "You may put me in jail for a day. I will put you before the whole world," she warned. Lacing her speech with sharp political barbs, Banerjee challenged the BJP over the 2026 Assembly polls. "In 2026, it will not be our fall, it will be yours. Your downfall has already begun. There will be no BJP government in Delhi," she said, ending the rally with chants of "Jai Bangla" (hail Bengal). The ED searches on Thursday, the agency said, were part of a probe into a 2020 case registered by the CBI into an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majhi alias Lala, accused of illegally excavating coal from Eastern Coalfields leasehold areas in and around Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district. 'We hope we will be able to at least end crashes that involve collisions with stationary vehicles as there will be an automatic warning.' Kindly note that this illustration generated using ChatGPT has only been posted for representational purposes. In a bid to reduce road crashes especially in low-visibility situations like dense fog, the government will soon roll out vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology which will allow cars to 'talk' to each other and alert drivers during contingencies, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday. "The technology features an On Board Unit (OBU) installed in cars for wireless data exchange between vehicles -- this will enable sharing of real-time information like speed, location, acceleration, braking etc.," Gadkari said in a press briefing after the 43rd meeting of the transport development council comprising transport ministers and secretaries of states. The system will prevent crashes by warning drivers early. For example, if a car brakes, nearby vehicles get alerts to slow down before seeing it. According to the ministry, there is potential to reduce crashes by 80 per cent by spotting vehicles in blind spots. "This (the unit) will cost around Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000. We are currently preparing standards in consultation with original equipment manufacturers and we will issue a notification once the process is completed," said V Umashankar, union road transport and highways secretary. "This will enable the installation of these OBUs in new cars and eventually, retrofitting in existing vehicles," Umashankar explained. The technology is currently available in very few countries and the government hopes to come out with standards this year, he added. The telecommunications department, under its national frequency allocation plan, will provide free spectrum -- every manufacturer can use this spectrum to install the units in the vehicle. "We hope that we will be able to at least end crashes that involve collisions with stationary vehicles as there will be an automatic warning," he added. A joint task force has been constituted with the department of telecommunications and it has agreed in-principle for the use of 30 MHz (5.875-5.905 GHz) for V2V purposes. Moreover, the ministry will also formally launch the full programme for cashless treatment for victims of road accidents. "The prime minister will formally launch the cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims soon," Gadkari said. The government had earlier launched the scheme as a pilot programme covering six states. Under the scheme, treatment cover up to Rs 1.5 lakh per victim will be provided, subject to a maximum cap of 7 days from date of accident. The treatment cover will be available to those victims who are involved in road accidents caused by use of motor vehicles. The expenses will either be covered by the insurance company providing the third-party cover for the vehicle involved, or through a motor vehicle safety fund. "Since pilot implementation, 6,833 treatment requests have been raised under the scheme, of which 5,480 victims have been found eligible and have received cashless treatment as per the scheme provisions. 'The total fund disbursed under the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund is Rs 73,88,848,' Gadkari told Parliament in December. Gadkari said that there is an ongoing assessment involving insurance companies to see if premiums can be lowered or raised based on history of traffic violations. "Repeated traffic violations may even lead to the cancelling of a driver's license," the minister said. The minister also said the government will undertake reforms in the bus body code and only bus manufacturers who make the chassis will be allowed to design bus bodies for sleeper buses. The council also deliberated on proposed amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act. Some of the takeaways included proposed amendments to improve ease of living and doing business, strengthen regulatory certainty, and enhance road safety, introduction of a points-based system for tracking traffic violations, and enabling digital and automated issuance of permits for all goods vehicles up to a certain gross vehicle weight. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff United States President Donald Trump, in an interview to The New York Times, brushed aside international law. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump. Photograph: Leah Millis/File Photo/Reuters He spoke about North Atlantic Treaty Organisaiton (NATO) and Greenland, with an emphasis on ownership, while also hinting that China would not take any steps against Taiwan, till Trump was in office. When asked by the New York Times if there were any limits to his global power, the US President said that it is only his mind that can stop him. "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me. I don't need international law," he said, while emphasising, "I'm not looking to hurt people." When pushed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Trump told the New York Times, "I do." It reported that Trump made clear he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the US. "It depends what your definition of international law is," he said. On the issue of China and Taiwan, when asked that Xi Jinping regarded Taiwan as a separatist threat to China, Trump told the NYT, "That's up to him, what he's going to be doing. But, you know, I've expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don't think he'll do that. I hope he doesn't." On the recent developments between China and Taiwan a the threat to choke off Taiwan, Trump said that the Chinese President would not take such steps while he is in office. "He may do it after we have a different president, but I don't think he's going to do it with me as president," Trump said. On being asked which was his higher priority- preservation of NATO or obtaining Greenland, Trump declined to answer directly, but acknowledged 'it may be a choice'. "Ownership is very important," he said. When why he needed to possess the territory, Trump told NYT, "Because that's what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can't do with, you're talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can't get from just signing a document." Speaking about Europe, he said, "I think we'll always get along with Europe, but I want them to shape up. I'm the one that got them to spend more on the, you know, more GDP on NATO. But if you look at NATO, Russia, I can tell you is not at all concerned with any other country but us. I've been very loyal to Europe. I've done a good job. If it weren't for me, Russia would have all of Ukraine right now." Earlier on Thursday, US Vice President J D Vance said that the European leaders should take President Trump seriously on Greenland, seeing how 'hostile adversaries' are showing interest in the region. Calling it important not only for American missile defence, but also the world missile defence, Vance said that Europe should take its security more seriously, otherwise the US would have to 'do something about it'. KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's Customs Department recorded revenue collection of 76.18 billion ringgit (18.71 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, exceeding its initial projections, the department's head said on Friday. Revenue performance from 2022 to 2025 showed a consistent and high-impact upward trend, culminating in a record high in 2025, the department's Director-General Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin told a press briefing. "This achievement reflects two consecutive years of revenue growth exceeding 10 billion ringgit in 2024 and 2025," she said, attributing the increased collection to strengthening tax compliance, enforcement and trade facilitation. "(The department) will continue to play a strategic role in supporting national fiscal reforms and ensuring the sustainability of federal government finances through improved revenue performance and enhanced enforcement," she said. (1 ringgit equals 0.25 U.S. dollars) Claiming yet again that he solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, United States President Donald Trump has said that 'no one in history is more deserving than him' of the Nobel Peace Prize, as he criticised former President Barack Obama for getting the honour even though he 'didn't do anything'. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump has so far repeated the India-Pakistan truce claim nearly 70 times. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters Trump, during a meeting in the White House on Friday with oil and gas executives to discuss plans for the Venezuelan oil reserves, also reiterated his claim that eight jets were shot down in the conflict in May last year without clarifying to which country they belonged. "Look whether people like Trump or don't like Trump, I settled eight wars, big ones. Some going on for 36 years, 32 years, 31 years, 28 years, 25 years, some just getting ready to start like India and Pakistan, where already eight jets were shot out of the air," Trump said. The US president also said that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had visited the White House last year, credited him for saving millions of lives by stopping the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. "The prime minister of Pakistan came here, and he made a very public statement. He said that President Trump saved minimum 10 million lives having to do with Pakistan and India, and that was going to be raging." This is the second time in as many days that Trump has claimed credit for stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan, an assertion he has now made innumerable times since May 10 last year when he announced on social media that the two countries agreed to a 'full and immediate' ceasefire after a 'long night' of talks mediated by Washington. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. Trump further said that no one in history is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than him since he has stopped eight wars within eight months of his second term in the White House. He rebuked Obama for getting the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after assuming office in 2009 even though he 'didn't do anything'. "I can't think of anybody in history that should get the Nobel Prize more than me and I don't want to be bragging, but nobody else settled wars. Obama got the Nobel Prize. He had no idea why. He still has no idea. He walks around, he says, 'I got the Nobel Prize'. Why did he get a Nobel Prize? He got it almost immediately upon attaining office, and he didn't do anything, and he was a bad president," Trump said. Trump asserted that one should get a Nobel Prize for 'every war you stopped. These were major wars. These were wars that nobody thought could be stopped'. Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him he had been trying to stop two of the wars for ten years and wasn't able to do it. "He couldn't believe it. So in theory, you should get the Nobel Prize for every war you stopped. Every one of them was major. But I don't care about that. What I care about is saving lives. I've saved tens of millions of lives," he said. Trump was asked about Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize last year to him, and has said she wants to give the honour to him. Trump said Machado will be coming to Washington, DC next week and 'pay her regards to our country, really to me, but you know I'm a representative of the country, nothing else, and she's coming in sometime next week'. He said 'it's very nice' that Machado wants to come in, 'and that's what I understand the reason is because Norway is very embarrassed by what took place. I mean, they're getting decimated', referring to Machado's offer to give her Nobel Prize to him when the Oslo-based Nobel committee did not honour him last year. "But I'm honoured that she's coming here. I look forward to meeting her," he said. A day earlier, in an interview to Fox News, Trump said again that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan, the two nuclear powers 'ready to go at it big'. India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed American legislation that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariff on countries procuring Russian crude oil. IMAGE: United States President Donald Trump. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters India and China are among a handful of countries which are procuring a significant volume of crude oil from Russia. US Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the bill, said this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the proposed legislation. "We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing here. "Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known." "In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," he said. A Delhi court on Friday ordered framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others in the alleged land-for-job scam. IMAGE: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Photograph: ANI Photo Special Judge Vishal Gogne said Yadav used the railway ministry as his personal fiefdom in order to carry out a criminal enterprise, where public employment was used as a bargaining chip to acquire land parcels by the Yadav family in connivance with railway officials and his close aides. Orally pronouncing the substantive portion of the order, the judge said that the Central Bureau of Investigation's final report revealed an 'overarching conspiracy on the touchstone of grave suspicion'. He also rejected the plea for discharge by the accused, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, as 'unwarranted' underlining that the former railway minister and others were 'operating as a criminal enterprise to usurp land'. The judge also highlighted the 'abuse of decision' by railway officials. "Description of charge sheet constitutes the essentiality and core in the criminality as described," he said. The court framed charges in the case against 41 persons, and discharged 52, which included railway officials and substitutes who did not part away with their land. Earlier, the CBI had submitted a verification report regarding the status of the accused in the case, saying out of the 103 accused named in its charge sheet, five died. The court has posted the matter for formal framing of charges on January 23. A detailed order in the matter is awaited. The CBI filed charge sheets against Lalu Yadav, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the alleged scam. It alleged that appointments in the Group-D category of the West Central Zone of the Indian Railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were made during Lalu Yadav's tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the names of the RJD supremo's family members or associates. The CBI also claimed that the appointments were made in violation of norms and that the transactions involved benami properties, amounting to criminal misconduct and conspiracy. The accused have denied the charges, claiming the case is politically motivated. The United States Department of State has highlighted a 'mission-defining challenge' during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the US in November amid the government shutdown, saying it put in a 'bold contingency plan' to ensure his protection and security. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Paris, on January 7, 2026. Photograph: YOAN VALAT/Pool via Reuters An article dated December 30, 2025 by Supervisory Special Agent Gabriel Macias said that when thousands of commercial flights were grounded due to the US government shutdown last year, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents from the Dignitary Protection Division (DP), New York Field Office (NYFO), and Buffalo Resident Office (BFRO) faced a 'mission-defining challenge'. Jaishankar, who was in Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting on November 11-12, 2025, had then travelled to New York, where he held a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters. 'The successful execution of the mission ensured the foreign minister's diplomatic agenda proceeded without disruption, advancing strategic US foreign policy interests fully aligned with the administration's 'America First' policy priorities. 'It also reflected the ethos emphasised by incoming DS leadership: disciplined execution, mission focus, technical proficiency, and unwavering readiness in support of American diplomacy,' the article said. The article, released Thursday, said that during Jaishankar's visit to New York, DSS needed to adapt quickly amid restrictions due to the government shutdown to ensure his timely arrival and 'uphold the bureau's core mission: protection'. Given that flights were cancelled nationwide due to the shutdown but diplomatic meetings were imminent, 'DSS crafted a bold contingency plan' that involved a seven-hour road journey, one that commenced when agents received Jaishankar at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge in Niagara in upstate New York and executed a '416-mile interstate motorcade to Manhattan'. The article said that to execute the contingency plan, the mission mobilised 27 agents, including three from DP, who drove to Buffalo and New York to join BFRO and NYFO teams for a 'rare long-distance' motorcade movement. 'From the first mile to the last, the detail showcased hallmark DSS tradecraft, adaptability, resilience, technical proficiency, and disciplined execution,' the article said. It outlined that the journey began with BFRO agents coordinating with officials from the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who protected Jaishankar while he was in Canada, and US Customs and Border Protection personnel at the international bridge between the US and Canada to expedite a smooth transition at the border. Agents 'meticulously' planned routes through portions of upstate New York, 'managed fatigue through structured driver rotations, and ensured seamless continuity of protection while maintaining the foreign minister's comfort across the seven-hour journey'. 'Despite freezing temperatures, limited visibility, and shutdown-related constraints, DSS agents executed with calm professionalism and unwavering focus,' it said. It further said during the entire operation, a K9 'alerted on the foreign minister's armoured vehicle. Agents quickly secured the area, coordinated with local explosive ordinance disposal technicians, and, after a thorough inspection, cleared the vehicle, which served as an example of the team's poise and adherence to DSS standards under pressure'. US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has cancelled a previously expected second wave of military attacks on Venezuela, following his military action in Caracas which led to the capture of the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, citing improved cooperation from Caracas and the release of a large number of political prisoners as part of efforts to 'seek peace'. 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 In a post on Truth Social, the US President said that the decision to call off further strikes comes as relations between Washington and Caracas enter a phase of cooperation, particularly on rebuilding and modernising Venezuela's oil and gas infrastructure, which Trump had previously stated following the first wave of attack on Saturday. He described the Venezuelan prisoner releases as a 'very important and smart gesture'. However, Trump noted that the US military units in the region will remain on alert even though the new round of offensive operations is no longer expected. "Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of 'Seeking Peace'. This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes," his post read. Trump, in his post, further highlighted plans for significant investment in Venezuela's energy sector, saying that at least $100 billion will be invested by major oil companies, and noting his intention to meet with top executives at the White House to discuss these plans. "At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," his post added. The move comes almost a week after the US launched a 'large-scale strike' in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday and captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged 'drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies' in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial. Political consultancy firm I-PAC on Friday said the Enforcement Directorate's raids at its premises have set an "unsettling precedent", in its first reaction to the developments that have triggered political upheaval in West Bengal, where elections would be due in months. IMAGE: Documents seized during ED raid at I-PAC's office in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI on X The firm, which has been engaged by the TMC, maintained that it would continue to work in an "unfazed and unperturbed" manner. "Yesterday... was a difficult and unfortunate day for a professional organisation like I-PAC. We believe this raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent. Regardless, we have extended full cooperation and will continue to do so as required, engaging with the process in complete accordance and respect for the law," it said. "We have always upheld the highest standards of professional integrity in all that we do. Despite what transpired yesterday, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the start," it added. The firm said that over the years, it has worked in a "professional advisory capacity" with multiple political parties "across ideologies and regions", including the BJP, Congress, AAP, TMC, JD(U) and Shiv Sena. "We do not contest elections or hold political office. Our role is limited to transparent and professional political consulting, uninfluenced by differences in political ideology," it said. Political circles in West Bengal, which is heading into a high-stakes assembly election, were rocked on Thursday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly visited the central Kolkata residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain and later the firm's office in Salt Lake, where the ED was conducting raids in connection with the coal pilferage case. She alleged that the central agency was trying to seize TMC's sensitive data linked to the polls. Banerjee emerged from Jain's residence with a green folder and electronic devices in her hand and accused ED officials of overreach. Later at the I-PAC office, security personnel were seen dumping a bunch of files in the chief minister's vehicle. The ED moved the Calcutta High Court later, alleging that "key incriminating documents" were seized and "stolen" from the custody of agency officials by the Trinamool Congress supremo with the aid of state police. Alleging that the ED seized sensitive and confidential political data meant for the TMC's use in the upcoming assembly elections, in a display of arbitrary, mala fide, and colourable exercise of power, the party too has moved the high court seeking restraint on misuse and dissemination of documents seized during the search operations. He chose what was best for India, not for himself. Few can deny that when god took Shastri away so soon, they did India an injustice, points out Harishchandra. IMAGE: Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Photograph: Ted West/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Rediff Archives January 11 marks the 60th death anniversary of India's second prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died in Tashkent, then in the Soviet Union, now the capital of Uzbekistan. Shastri died at a relatively young age: he was only 61. He passed away just hours after signing the Tashkent Declaration, which formally ended the 1965 India-Pakistan war, after suffering a massive heart attack. His sudden demise sparked off multiple conspiracy theories and claims of foul play, all of which remain unproven till date. Unlike most other prime ministers of yore whose legacies have been questioned and the halo around their tenure becoming less lustrous over the decades, Shastri is the exception whose popularity has grown over the years and who, even today, is remembered fondly for his humility and his honesty. In such a scenario, a question is invariably asked: what if Shastri had not died and returned to India, staying on as PM for at least a few more years? How different would his India have been, and what impact would a longer Shastri reign have had on the country? It is one of the great 'What ifs...' of our nation. Let's see how it might have panned out. A leader's choices are based on the prevailing situations. Regardless of Shastri's personal sentiments, he would have leaned closer to the Soviet Union. After the Sino-Soviet split in 1969, followed by the formation of a US-Pakistan-China alliance, both Moscow and New Delhi had little choice but to fall into each other's arms. He too would have certainly gone to war to liberate what was then East Pakistan; after all, he is the person who sent Indian tanks towards Lahore! There is no doubt that many of his policies and politics would not have been too different from what eventually came to pass. But where Shastri would have certainly made a huge difference is in two aspects that tragically bedevil Indian politics: Dynastic politics and corruption. In 1966, Shastri was succeeded by Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, and she in turn was succeeded by her son, Rajiv Gandhi, setting the course for dynasty politics to become not just part of India's political system, but to be accepted as perfectly normal by most, though not all, political parties. After all, if the Congress can do it, so can the other parties. The Congress endorsing dynastic succession has had another rippling effect: Today most Indian political parties are family-run enterprises. It is possible that Shastri's children may have entered politics. And it is certainly possible that many other politicians would have pushed forward the case for their own owards to be nominated as candidates for the legislature or Parliament. But Shastri's honesty and strength of character probably meant that he would not have promoted his children over other meritorious persons. And by doing so, he would have been on firmer ground in refusing to endorse the offsprings of other politicians pushing forward the case for their own wards. IMAGE: Lal Bahadur Shastri with then Pakistan president Ayub Khan and then Soviet premier Alexei Kosygin in Tashkent. If offsprings did join politics, they would have had to earn their spurs alongside the others in the party. It is likely that newcomers, whether offsprings of current leaders or not, would be judged by their efforts in the social sector or as political workers before being nominated for the post of legislator or minister. It is almost certain that a longer Shastri tenure would have kept dynastic politics at arm's length, and which in turn would have had a deep effect on how political parties' function. The second, perhaps more significant, difference of a longer Shastri reign would have been less corruption. Far less! Shastri was renowned for his honesty; when he died, his family was still paying off the instalment for a car the family had purchased for their private use. It was a stellar example and just what a poor country like India needed. In 1969, Indira Gandhi amended the Companies Act to ban corporate donations to political parties, saying it was being done to prevent companies from exerting influence on politics. She certainly had a point: We have seen how political bonds are being used by barely qualified companies to win tenders. While Mrs Gandhi's intention may have been noble, what actually happened was that donations went underground. Corporations did not donate funds to the party but clandestinely handed it over to the top leader of the party. This only strengthened the top leader rather than the party itself, to the extent that she or he could (and still can) impose their will upon the rest of the party. Individual party leaders having the funds rather than the party itself has had a deep impact on the political scene. For instance, it led to parties splintering with every leader keen to have their own party, and thereby, possession of the party funds. The fact that even after all these years, this law has not been overturned shows how much political leaders gain from having a party of their own. IMAGE: Lal Bahadur Shastri with Indian Police Service officers photographed in 1963 at Mount Abu. Photograph: Kind courtesy National Police Academy/Wikimedia Commons Shastri was too honest a person and would have frowned upon such nefarious activities. He may have heeded the criticism against corporate donations, but he would not have permitted a law that would have strengthened an individual (himself) rather than the political party. What the solution might have been is beyond this article, but Shastri would have sought to find a solution that benefitted the country rather than the individual. No one can doubt that a less corrupt India would certainly have been a better India. By setting an example of higher standard, a leader inspires others to follow suit. It also allows for stricter laws to punish those guilty. An honest Shastri may not have made India free of corruption, but his actions would certainly have made corruption less endemic across the nation. IMAGE: Lal Bahadur Shastri's final rites. Photograph: Kind courtesy President's Secretariat/Wikimedia Commons There are many who think that Shastri would have overturned many of Nehru's policy decisions, but that is unlikely. In 1964, Congress leaders preferred Shastri over the other contender, Morarji Desai, simply because Shastri represented continuity in terms of his preference for continuing with many of Nehru's policies. But as a leader, he was also open to reason and suggestions. It is noteworthy that while Shastri was personally against building nuclear weapons (he was a Gandhian at heart), after China tested a nuclear bomb in 1964, he gave the go-ahead for India to also work on a nuclear bomb, though publicly he declared that India would not be doing so. He chose what was best for India, not for himself. Few can deny that when god took Shastri away so soon, they did India an injustice. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff CARACAS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's National Assembly on Thursday approved a resolution honoring about 100 people killed during last weekend's U.S. military attack. Ruling-party lawmaker Blanca Eekhout, who introduced the measure, called the victims "patriots" and said the tribute seeks to preserve their memory. The plan includes building a memorial at the site of the attack and creating a commission to support victims' families. Lawmakers also urged foreign governments and parliaments to reject the use of force and defend international law and national sovereignty. U.S. forces struck several locations across Venezuela on Saturday, including Caracas, and captured President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Authorities say the attack killed Venezuelan and Cuban military personnel stationed in the country. Newly formed New Zealand consortium Kereru.ai will look to build one of the first AI platforms designed to be fully sovereign within the country, through a collaboration with Australian AI infrastructure startup SCX.ai. The partnership will combine SCXs AI factory architecture, built around specialised inference accelerators, with Kereru.ais local NZ ownership, governance, and delivery leadership. One of the central initiatives of the partnership that will come out of the platform is Project Kereru, a sovereign New Zealand large language model program inspired by SCX.ais Australian Project MAGPiE. Project Kereru focuses on New Zealand data, institutional language, and local terminology. As well as sector-specific models, culturally grounded applications, including support for Te Reo Maori. It will also run on in-country infrastructure, with strong governance, auditability, and safety controls appropriate for national deployment, while co-existing with the ability to run leading global models on the same platform. Recently appointed Kereru.ai CEO Lyle Ginever said New Zealand must build infrastructure that is sovereign by design, energy-efficient, and tailored to our unique culture, language, and legal framework to thrive in the AI era. This partnership accelerates Kereru AI to a leadership position delivering an innovative AI capability for New Zealand, he said. Available from the first quarter of 2026, Kereru.ai customers will gain access to production-grade AI services delivered via SCX.ais existing infrastructure. Progressive migration to fully New Zealand-based deployments during 2026 as local facilities are commissioned. The United States swift strike that captured Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro has sent shock waves well beyond Latin America and is raising questions for one of Caracass closest partners: China. The operation comes as Beijing faces parallel challenges elsewhere: widening protests in Iran, another key energy supplier to China, and brings implications for Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to control, by force if necessary. To examine what the Venezuela strike reveals about Chinas global position, RFE/RL spoke with Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute and a former aide to US Senator Ted Cruz. Sobolik closely tracks US-China strategic competition and is the author of Countering Chinas Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance. The interview below has been condensed and edited for clarity. RFE/RL: China was a major economic and political partner for Maduro, investing north of $60 billion into Venezuela and Beijing signed an "all-weather partnership" agreement with Caracas. But what does the capture of Maduro and what's materializing in Venezuela now mean for China in Latin America and tell us about Chinese support for its partners? Michael Sobolik: It doesn't mean that much, and I think that is a really important reality to underscore because Venezuela is not the first partner of the People's Republic of China to come into some trouble and to receive next to no help at all from Beijing. [In June], during Operation Midnight Hammer, when the United States bombed Iran's nuclear facilities, China couldn't do anything except stand on the sidelines and condemn it, and the past six months have highlighted a huge problem that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has, which is that it is unable to project power in a meaningful way outside of its near abroad. And it shouldn't be overlooked that the operation to capture Maduro took place mere hours after a Chinese delegation met with him. [Editors note: Qiu Xiaoqi, China's special representative on Latin American affairs, met with Maduro in Caracas the day before the US strike and reportedly was still in Venezuela when Maduro was captured and taken to stand trial in the United States.] That is an enormous embarrassment for China. In that meeting, one can only imagine that there were future plans being drawn up [and] maybe some commitments being offered. All of the promises that China made to Venezuela mean very little right now. It's also an embarrassment for [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping because Venezuela was one of his most prominent beachheads into the Western hemisphere. Taking out Maduro doesn't eliminate all of the inroads for China by any means, but it eliminates a big one. RFE/RL: You mentioned Chinas issues with projecting force and lack of meaningful options to support its partners under pressure. But isnt there still value in the Chinese being able to use the rhetorical tools that it has and condemn the United States at international bodies to rally countries around it? Sobolik: Talk is cheap in international politics. If all you have is diplomacy that isn't backed up by force, then you just have words. Words are not enough to secure your interests and words are also not enough for your military to be successful. I think where China is hopeful that their diplomacy can help them right now is they are already trying to paint the United States as an aggressor and as a violator of international law. I suspect that they are not only hoping that they can get some traction with that approach, but they are also hoping that America oversteps and overexpands right now. You'll notice that [US] President [Donald] Trump is talking about Greenland again, and talking about how we need Greenland and he's not taking military force off the table. I do not expect there to be a war between the United States and Denmark over Greenland. However, the fact that force is not off the table is an opening for China rhetorically to say, look at what the United States just did in Venezuela. They will send their military wherever they want to send it. They did it with Iran. They did it with Venezuela. They're threatening to do it with a NATO partner. I'm sure that the Chinese are going to be quick to try to exploit that. And I think that also speaks to the importance of how the United States handles this moment. RFE/RL: If we can pivot slightly, you mentioned Iran. This is another place where there is rising tension right now. We had strikes this summer from the US and Israel and expanding protests over an economic crisis that are picking up steam each day. If you're Beijing, how do you support Iran? Sobolik: So it's a different situation for China. While Venezuela is in China's oil import portfolio, it's only about 7 percent of China's oil needs, Iran, on the other hand, is enormous for China when it comes to oil. So, China is going to have to stomach some embarrassment over Venezuela, but Iran is a different scenario. They depend on Tehran for oil in a substantial way. So the Chinese interests are implicated in a deeper, more core way with Iran than they are in Venezuela. Of course, the Chinese were not about to do anything to stop incoming B2 bombers with bunker busters in June [2025], but it's an interesting question: What would China be willing to do to shore up their energy security if the politics in Iran change overnight in a way that is unfavorable? That's a lot of hypotheticals, and I don't want to go too deep into that, but I think the important thing here is that the Chinese can afford to get embarrassed with Venezuela and they have the luxury of learning from their mistakes. If things change rapidly in Iran, however, and they're caught on their back feet, that could be an enormous strategic problem for them. So I expect the Chinese to be communicating with the Trump administration clearly and aggressively, and I expect they will take steps to shore up their energy needs. RFE/RL: Another thing connecting Venezuela and Irans ties to China beyond oil is that both have Chinese military hardware, primarily air defense systems. The US operation that captured Maduro has drawn attention to the US military's abilities to evade the Chinese radar systems that Venezuela possesses, particularly the JY27A mobile antistealth radars that are supposed to be capable of detecting fifthgeneration stealth aircraft like US F22s and F35s. What does this tell us about Chinese military hardware? Sobolik: Venezuela has a few different Chinese air defense radars. You mentioned the JY27A, which is an older generation radar. So, its not the latest and greatest. But its important to know how catastrophically those systems failed against the Americans because you had Chinese radars and you had Russian surface-to-air missiles coupled together that should have protected Venezuela. So, every other nation in the world that is a customer of China for air defenses needs to be asking the question: how well are my air defenses going to work, not only against the Americans, but what about the Israelis? What about other nations that are aligned with the United States that have their own security interests? I do want to be clear: it's not that the latest and greatest tech from China has been tested and found wanting, but systems that should be reliable have been found to be susceptible to countermeasures, not only from the United States, but from partners of the United States as well. Thats another black mark for China and an embarrassment for their arms export industry. It should call into question for Xi what other capabilities could be suppressed or sabotaged by the Americans, which could decrease his confidence in using his military to secure his interests. RFE/RL: Since the operation in Venezuela, some have argued that this provides a blueprint for Beijing to move on Taiwan, while other analysts have said that the strike breaks international norms and creates spheres of influence that would embolden China to attack Taiwan. The Taiwanese government, meanwhile, has said that this deters Beijing as it showcases US military might and a will to use it. How do you see this affecting China's calculus on Taiwan? Sobolik: I do not think that what happened in Venezuela is heralding a new era of spheres of influence. The biggest data point that I see that goes against that is that President Trump announced a $1.5 trillion defense budget. That is not the kind of defense budget that is optimized for only the Western hemisphere. That is a global budget for a global military with global missions. I think that's probably bad news for China. As much as they want the story of Venezuela to be about the United States being a violator of international norms and an aggressor, the real story here is that America was strong enough to secure its interests and China wasn't strong enough to stop it. For Taiwan, I think they're absolutely right to say that this bolsters our deterrence for the same reason that our support of Ukraine can bolster our deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Xi and Vladimir Putin met shortly in February 2022 shortly before Putin's special military operation kicked off. And anyone who says that Xi has not been watching America's and Europe's reaction and response to Putin in Ukraine is fooling themselves. Anyone who says that they weren't watching when we had that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 is fooling themselves. Everyone is trying to measure great powers for resolve and capability, so when the United States does a risky military operation like they did in Venezuela without a loss of personnel or equipment, that demonstrates that when the United States says something, it follows through. Thats the crux of deterrence. Deterrence is a clear, credible threat that is communicated and it works if the other side believes that you're actually going to follow through on that threat. So, I think this makes the Taiwanese safer, it bolsters deterrence. It's also why standing with Ukraine and making sure that that conflict does not go in Putin's favor matters for Taiwan. It really does. So, I think that Xi has had some of his planning complicated in multiple ways over the past few days, and I think that's a very good thing. KABUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2,500 Afghan nationals detained in neighboring Iran and Pakistan have been released and returned to Afghanistan over the past month, the local media outlet Tolo news reported on Friday. According to the report, most of the returnees had been detained for lacking valid residence documents or for overstaying their visas. The detainees spent between one day and two months in custody before being released and repatriated. After returning to Afghanistan, the returnees were transferred to the relevant authorities, where their basic information was registered. Emergency assistance was provided, and coordination was made to facilitate their return to their home provinces, the report added. Iran is seeing a 13th night of protests despite a brutal crackdown and threats by the authorities to punish "rioters" demanding an end to the Islamic republic. Videos from social media and those sent to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on the evening of January 9 are showing crowds massing in various parts of the capital, Tehran, and in the major cities of Shiraz and Mashhad. Earlier in the day, protests reached the southeastern city of Zahedan, where Sunni Baluch worshippers took to the streets after Friday prayers. Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House on the same day, US President Donald Trump said that "Iran is in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago." "We're watching the situation very carefully. I've made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts. That does not mean boots on the ground, but it does mean hitting them very, very hard where it hurts." Brutal Crackdowns The protests have grown to their biggest in several years as crowds flooded streets in major cities, small towns, and neighborhoods across Tehran late on January 8. Raw footage from January 8 shows brutal crackdowns, but also protesters adopting bolder tactics: direct clashes with security forces and torching police and Basij paramilitary outposts. "The crowd that was there will not not give in," one protester in Mashad in northeast Iran told RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "Young and old had come out to protest, some elderly people could hardly walk but they were protesting. There was an old man who kept cursing at [Iran's Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei. We're tired of the high prices, the [forced] hijab and everything else. It's not just one or two things, we want the establishment to change (regime change) and the return of the shah." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed supporters of the regime on January 9, saying that "saboteurs, agitators" had "destroyed the country's buildings to please" President Trump. He added that Trump has the "blood of Iranians on his hands" following US strikes on Iran in June, and that the US leader would be "overthrown." After his speech, pro-Islamic republic rallies were held in several cities after Friday prayers with heavy state media coverage. Antiestablishment protests are expected to resume at dusk. Tehran's prosecutor Ali Salehi described protesters who burn public property and clash with security forces as "terrorists" who will be charged with "moharebeh," or waging war against God, which can carry the death penalty. Several security bodies in separate statements also warned protesters on January 9. The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said the "continuation of the situation is unacceptable" and repeated the claim that the protests are instigated by foreign backers. On January 2, Trump said Washington would intervene in Iran if it kills protesters, stating in a Truth Social post: "We are locked and loaded and ready to go." He reiterated that stance late on January 8, saying in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that Iranian authorities have been told "very strongly -- even more strongly than Im speaking to you right now -- that if they do that [kill protesters], theyre going to have to pay hell. The law enforcement force, meanwhile, issued a statement telling people to "protect your teenager" from being swept up in the unrest in view of the police's "no leniency" policy toward "rioters." Iranian media report that several members of security forces were killed in the unrest on January 8, including in Tehran and Marvdasht. A prosecutor and his bodyguards were also killed in the town of Esfarayen, North Khorasan Province. Norway-based Iran Human Rights has said that 51 protesters have been killed as of January 9, with over 2,000 arrests. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, in a joint January 8 statement, accused Iranian forces of "unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests." UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement on January 9 he was "deeply disturbed" by reports of the violence and called for all deaths to be "promptly, independently, and transparently investigated." "Those responsible for any violations must be held to account in line with international norms and standards," he added. This round of protests, which began on December 28, 2025, in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, quickly snowballed, spreading to dozens of towns. By the evening of January 8, videos poured in from nearly every corner of the country showing huge crowds chanting and marching. Authorities first throttled nationwide Internet speeds before enforcing a near-total blackout at 10:15 p.m. local time on January 8, severing phone lines too. News from inside is trickling out slowly amid the communications blackout, but US and European leaders have ramped up their focus on the chaos. Iran has been rocked by the biggest protests against the clerical establishment in years, with the authorities waging a brutal crackdown to quell the growing unrest. The nationwide street protests and strikes by merchants in bazaars -- key commercial hubs in Iran -- are reminiscent of the events preceding the Islamic Revolution in 1979. RFE/RL talked to Jack Goldstone, professor of public policy at George Mason University and one of the world's leading scholars of revolutions and social change, about whether the current events in Iran could lead to the end of the Islamic republic. RFE/RL: Some observers have said Iran is in a prerevolutionary or revolutionary state. What constitutes a revolution? Jack Goldstone: For the revolution to begin, large numbers of people need to challenge the authority of the regime and demand that it ends. That has happened. So, we are at the beginning of a revolutionary moment. But many times in Iran, we have seen this, and the regime has been as brutal as necessary to stop the protests. This time seems to be the biggest threat to the regime because everybody is involved. The capital, smaller towns, old people, young people, and people who are merchants in the bazaar are closing their shops. So, to me, [these] are the most widespread protests, both geographically and in terms of different groups, that I have seen since [the mass street protests that followed a disputed presidential election in] 2009. RFE/RL: You mentioned that large numbers of people are needed to challenge the authority of the clerical establishment for there to be a revolution. What percentage of the population needs to be on the streets for it to be called a revolution? Goldstone: There is no [specific] number. You can have a revolution with one square full of people, 100,000 people, if that frightens the ruler and he runs away like you had in Ukraine. So, there's no number. What matters for whether the revolution succeeds or fails is the resolve of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Basij [paramilitary force], and whatever other forces [Supreme Leader] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can bring in. RFE/RL: Just because this is, as you say, the "beginning of a revolutionary moment" doesnt mean it will succeed, right? Goldstone: Yes, revolution is a process. It can start, it can stop, it can fail, it can succeed. It can even succeed and be reversed. RFE/RL: In the case of Iran, what factors could lead to a revolution? Goldstone: [Khamenei] has spent his life defending the revolution. He considers it a sacred responsibility to protect the revolution. So, he will do whatever it takes. The question is, will the different groups that he orders to shoot at protesters, will they follow those orders now? In the past, they've always done so, but it's usually been against particular groups. Either students or only people in the capital, or only people in certain provinces, or only women. Now it seems to be almost everybody. And that makes it more difficult for the Basij and even the Revolutionary Guards to fire on the protesters because they increasingly feel that the protesters represent everyone, not just one particular [segment of society]. RFE/RL: How does Irans economic crisis, international pressure, and the 12-day war with Israel last year factor into this? Goldstone: I think what we have to say is, at this point, after so many years of economic failures, the total collapse of the currency, and the inability to protect Iran from foreign attack, the regime has lost credibility and legitimacy with most of the population. It simply has not done what the revolutionary regime came to power to do. It's not making Iran safe; it's not making Iran stable. It's not preserving people's livelihood. So, I think there's a general impatience and anger and rejection that has reached a higher level now after the Israeli attacks, after the massive currency [collapse], than we've seen before. What I don't think anybody knows is whether the Revolutionary Guards have also lost faith in the regime. If they have, then they may ask Khamenei and the clerics to stand aside while they try to pull together a new government. RFE/RL: Do the protests need a leader for there to be a revolution? Goldstone: At this point, the next step is for the protests to continue to grow larger and for people to see whether the regime can gather enough repressive forces to contain the protests. Nobody knows at this point. It's very much as in Egypt in January of 2010 when people assembled in Tahrir Square. Nobody really knew whether the army was going to support the people or support the regime. We really didn't know until after it had already started to happen. So, I think the same thing is true now [in Iran]. There's enormous hope for change. But until we know whether the Revolutionary Guards continue to support the regime with all their force or not, we don't know what will happen next. RFE/RL: Will policies in the United States or other countries play a role in what will happen in Iran? Goldstone: I don't think it can play a role. At this point, this is between the people of Iran, the leadership, and the military. America will watch; Europe will watch. They will say they support change. But right now, things will happen in the next 48 to 96 hours that show whether the military remains united in defense of the clerical regime or whether the military starts to break into different pieces. Some of them [will] stand aside, some of them [will] support change. We'll find out, I think, in the next two days, maybe two to three days, whether the military will act as forcefully as it has in the past. In 2022 [during the Women, Life, Freedom protests], the military killed hundreds of people, arrested many, many thousands. They would have to do the same thing now, maybe even more. So, we'll have to see if they are up for it or not. As for Khamenei, he is blaming foreign influence. Hes trying to make the protesters [appear as] the enemies of the nation. But I don't think there's anything he can say right now that will change the momentum. And unless they are faced with a very strong, repressive response, I think the protests will continue to grow. *This interview has been edited for length and clarity. New year. Old war. New personnel. In some of the most consequential personnel decisions of his time in office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has embarked on a series of major changes to top positions in his administration. That includes replacing the heads of the two most important intelligence agencies. Ukrainians are exhausted by Russias all-out war, which hits the four-year mark next month. Voters still largely support Zelenskyy, though his approval ratings have slipped, and pressure is building for possible elections if theres a cease-fire or peace deal. Corruption scandals have also shaken Zelenskyys government, and some political observers say the reshuffle is aimed mainly at bolstering Ukraine in US-led peace talks. "All things considered, the president is realizing that the negotiation process has not yielded quick results. And now these personnel processes, which had slowed down but were maturing, have all now come in a heap, Kyiv-based political scientist Oleh Saakyan told RFE/RL. We see that the priority is the negotiation process and defense. In fact, this is why these personnel reshuffles are taking place. Parliament may vote on the most important positions as early as this coming week. Heres a look at whos in, whos out, whos up, whos down -- and why. In (and Up): Kyrylo Budanov The longtime chief of the military intelligence agency known as HUR, Budanov was tapped by Zelenskyy on January 2 to take over from Andriy Yermak as powerful head of the presidential office -- essentially his chief-of-staff. Tight-lipped and enigmatic, Budanov has cultivated a base of support for his oversight of sabotage operations against Russian targets. Moscow accused him of orchestrating the 2022 bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which links Russia to Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula seized by Moscow in 2014. The bombing, which temporarily damaged the bridges roadway and adjacent rail tracks, was hailed as a demonstration of ingenuity. The agency has also deployed satellite-controlled exploding maritime drones targeting dozens of Russian ships in the Black Sea. Budanovs visibility also stoked speculation he could be a political challenger to Zelenskyy, and some experts said Zelenskyys pulling Budanov into his administration was a way to head off a potential challenge. Budanovs new duties also include leading negotiations with the West aimed at ending Russias invasion. Talks are at a critical juncture now, as Ukraine has pushed back on what it sees as some of the more problematic proposals in the US plan released in November 2025. Zelenskyy appointed a former deputy foreign minister as his aide. Budanovs replacement will be the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko. Out: Andriy Yermak Yermak, the man Budanov replaced, had amassed considerable influence -- and plenty of enemies -- before he was pushed out in late November 2025, the casualty of a snowballing corruption scandal involving energy sector kickbacks. A lawyer and film producer who met Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian presidents former career as an actor and comedian, Yermak was tapped as Zelenskyys chief of staff in February 2020, less than a year after the political novice took office. He grew to be seen as a political enforcer and often inseparable aide to Zelenskyy after the invasion, sleeping in the presidential bomb shelter with him and traveling extensively to meetings abroad. Yermaks apartment was searched in November as part of an anti-corruption investigation overseen by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, known as NABU and SAPO. Before Yermak, the corruption scandal claimed two top cabinet ministers: Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk. Out (and Over, again): Denys Shmyhal When he was tapped to head the Defense Ministry in July, Shmyhal had been Zelenskyys prime minister, for nearly five years -- since before the Russian invasion. Prior to that, Shmyhal held a top executive position at the countrys largest private energy company, DTEK. The prime ministers office holds less power than the presidency, so the job mainly consists of minding legislative matters in parliament, as well as cabinet meetings. Currently, Zelenskyys Servant of the People party holds an absolute majority in the parliament, the Verkhovna Rada -- so in practice, the presidential office runs both the government itself and the legislature. With Zelenskyy cleaning out ministers linked to the energy scandal, he tapped Shmyhal to take over the Energy Ministry, ostensibly to help clean it up. Shmyhal is also seen as a stolid technocrat who rarely grants interviews or seeks publicity, in contrast to some other top ministers and officials, so theres little danger of him eclipsing Zelenskyy. In (and Up): Mykhaylo Fedorov One of the youngest ministers in Zelenskyys government, Fedorov, 34, was named Ukraines first minister of digital transformation in 2019, a position aimed at modernizing the governments clunky government services, many dating back to the Soviet era. Equally important was providing transparency for long-opaque bureaucratic processes, helping to root out deep-seated corrupt practices. The reforms -- described as a state in a smartphone" -- were embraced by Ukrainians, and Fedorovs popularity and success led to a cabinet promotion, to deputy prime minister, with an expanded portfolio. With Shmyhals shuffle over to the Energy Ministry, Fedorov was named to take over the Defense Ministry. Fedorov does not have a military background, which has prompted some grumbling among Ukraines uniformed armed forces. But neither did Shmyhal. His promotion, to the military post, was seen as a signal that drone warfare and production -- an area of wartime innovation that Ukraine has excelled at -- would be put into higher gear. Out (and Down): Vasyl Malyuk Until his demotion, Malyuk oversaw Ukraines largest, and arguably most feared security and intelligence agency, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU. Malyuk took over in February 2023, after Zelenskyy sacked then-chief, Ivan Bakanov, pointing to suspicions that the service was riddled with Russian spies and moles in the run-up to the invasion a year earlier. A rival of Budanovs agency, the SBU was known for rooting out spies and saboteurs, but also conducting assassination and other operations. In June 2025, the service was credited with running a sabotage operation that involved scores of drones being concealed in civilian trucks and launched at Russian air bases thousands of kilometers from the border. The preceding December, the SBU was accused of detonating an electric scooter parked on a Moscow sidewalk, killing a top Russian general. But the services sometimes shadowy operations also drew criticism. In July 2025ssssssssssssss, the service arrested several investigators who were the backbone of the effort by NABU and SAPO to tackle endemic corruption. The SBU accused a number of them of having ties to Russia. That move, along with legislation that stripped the two organizations of their independence, hit a nerve among Ukrainians and particularly the younger generation, which widely embraced their mission to root out graft. Under pressure from street protests, Zelenskyy backed down, and endorsed legislation restoring their independence. Malyuk had reportedly initially refused to resign when ordered to do so by Zelenskyy, and a number of prominent military and security officials spoke out in his support. They included the commander of Ukraines drone operations. I am leaving my post as head of the Security Service, he said, announcing his job switch a few days later. I will stay in the system to carry out operations that continue to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. A strong, modern intelligence service is key to our states security. The newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda reported that Malyuks ouster may have been Yermaks doing. His replacement, Major General Yevhen Khmara, commanded the SBUs elite special operations unit, Alfa. LILONGWE, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Malawi has recorded at least 36 deaths and 37 injuries, with thousands of households displaced since the onset of the rains in September 2025, authorities have confirmed. Disasters, mainly stormy rains, strong winds, flash floods, and lightning, have affected 29 councils in the country, including three cities, namely Blantyre, Zomba, and the national capital of Lilongwe, Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Wilson Moleni said in a statement on Thursday. According to the statement, 35,758 households (approximately 160,011 people) have been affected since Sept. 1, 2025, with the lakeshore district of Nkhotakota topping the list of affected councils, recording 10,772 affected households, 11 deaths, 2 missing persons, and 37 injuries. Currently, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs is reaching out to the affected population with food and non-food items, while local search and recovery operations continue in Nkhotakota District. The country's national search and rescue team remains on high alert, with standby arrangements for the deployment to councils at risk, according to the statement. Over the past five years, Malawi has experienced several devastating tropical cyclones, including Cyclone Gombe in 2022, and Cyclone Freddy, the most severe, in 2023, which affected approximately 2.3 million people, caused 679 deaths, and left 537 people missing. Fifteen acres of prime agricultural land at Crannagh Beg, Athlone have come on the market. Cathal Meares of Sheehy Meares Team Earley explained that the lands are contained within one compact, well-proportioned parcel. Situated in the Crannagh Beg area, the property enjoys a convenient and accessible location close to Summerhill National School, Drum Community Centre, and Colaiste Chiaran with Athlone town and its amenities also nearby. The lands are of good agricultural quality and benefit from roadside frontage. There is potential for a site, subject to obtaining the necessary planning permission. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a substantial holding suitable for agricultural use or long-term investment, said Mr Meares. Viewing is highly recommended and can be arranged by contacting Sheehy Meares Team Earley, Stone Court Roscommon on 090 66 26579 , Cathal on 086 1409158, e-mail: info@sheehymeares.ie or log onto www.sheehymeares.ie An Garda Siochana has said that there are no plans to close the N6 eastbound during Saturday's Mercosur protest in Athlone. In a statement, Gardai said that they were aware of the protest, which will involve a convoy of mainly agricultural vehicles from the N61 Roscommon Road, along the N6 travelling eastbound from Junction 12 to Junction 10, and along the N55 towards the R916, Cornamaddy roundabout on Saturday morning. A march from the vicinity of Junction 9 N6 along the R916 to TUS Athlone, alongside a rally/speeches at TUS Athlone, will form part of the protest. "It is expected that there will be significant additional traffic, including slow-moving vehicles, in the N6 area, from Junction 12 to Junction 10, in the morning and over the course of Saturday, January 10th. "It is not intended that the N6 eastbound will be closed," said the statement. Gardai have asked members of the public travelling in the affected areas of the N6 Athlone on Saturday to plan their journeys during this period to ensure to leave enough time for possible traffic disruptions. "Localised delays" are expected. There will be additional traffic, parking, and pedestrians in the vicinity of the N55 Cornamaddy roundabout, R916, and environs of TUS Athlone from early morning until the Public Assembly finishes in the afternoon. An Garda Siochana is asking members of public visiting Athlone Town, in particular the environs of TUS Athlone on Saturday to be aware of potential traffic delays. The statement concluded by saying that An Garda Siochana has and continues to liaise with Westmeath County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to minimise disruption in the Athlone area before, during, and after the protest. A 46-year-old Ukrainian man charged in connection with an assault in Ballaghaderreen in the early hours of New Years Day is due in court today, Friday. Yevhen Shutko, a Ukrainian national who has a County Roscommon address, appeared at a special sitting on Sunday charged with assault causing serious harm to Jorden Newin, aged in his 30s. Roscommon District Court was informed at the hearing on Sunday that the State was awaiting further directions from the DPP and that more charges could follow given that Mr Newin had passed away. Garda McGrath outlined to the court on Sunday that the defendant, when the charge was put to him at Castlerea Garda Station, said: It definitely was not intentionallyit wasnt recklessI was defending myself. Shutko was remanded in custody to appear before Ballaghaderreen District Court today. A Ukrainian man charged with an assault causing serious harm in the early hours of New Years Day, which resulted in the death of a man in Ballaghaderreen, has been released on bail. Yevhen Shutko (46), with an address at Loughglynn, Co Roscommon, previously appeared before Judge James Faughnan at a special sitting of Roscommon District Court on Sunday, where he was remanded in custody. He reappeared before Judge Faughnan at Ballaghaderreen District Court this afternoon (Friday) where independent surety and bail money amounting to 3,000 in total were furnished to the court. With no further charges forthcoming from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), he released Mr Shutko on bail. The court previously heard that Mr Shutko was claiming self-defence when charged with the alleged assault on Jorden Newin, a man in his 30s, in Ballaghaderreen in the early hours of New Years Day. His reply when charged on Saturday night by Garda Brendan McGrath was It was definitely not intentional, I was defending myself. Following the alleged assault, Mr Newin was taken to Sligo University Hospital before being transferred to Beaumont Hospital where he later died. The court heard that further charges may be forthcoming. Sergeant Mark Mahon, for the state, informed the court that he hopes to have DPP directions in due course but the charge for the moment is one of section 4 assault causing serious harm. However, he added, the state is still objecting to bail. I said I would grant bail. He was remanded in custody with an abundance of caution. The DPP were appraised of that man having died and, a week later, DPP directions are still not forthcoming, said Judge Faughnan. He noted that Mr Shutko had surrendered his passport, as well as his birth certificate to ensure he could not apply for any replacement travel documentation. Furthermore, he lodged 1,500 cash for his bail, with his brother paying a further 1,500 independent surety and undertaking to ensure Mr Shutko would show up for court. The accused man was remanded on bail to next months sitting of Ballaghaderreen District Court on February 13. *Published under the court reporting scheme Chief Minister Mann elaborated on the initiative, stating that the commission would serve as a direct bridge between the government and the industry to end bureaucratic harassment. File Photo. He highlighted that procedural challenges regarding VAT and GST would be simplified to improve the ease of doing business. 1st Meeting of Punjab Traders Body: Kejriwal & Mann Vow End to "Tax Terrorism" On Thursday, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended the first meeting of the Punjab State Traders Commission in Mohali. Advertisement Kejriwal addressed business leaders, emphasising that the commissions primary mandate is to eliminate "tax terrorism", a long-standing grievance of the local mercantile community. He asserted that the Punjab governments focus is on the creation of a "fear-free" environment to ensure that businessmen are no longer viewed with a "negative mindset" or treated as "thieves" by authorities. Chief Minister Mann elaborated on the initiative, stating that the commission would serve as a direct bridge between the government and the industry to end bureaucratic harassment. He highlighted that procedural challenges regarding VAT and GST would be simplified to improve the ease of doing business and resolve pending grievances of small shopkeepers. Advertisement Mann further noted that the commission consists of representatives from the trading community itself, allowing for grassroots-level policy recommendations. Both leaders reaffirmed that by empowering local traders, the state focuses on driving economic growth and generating employment. It is also to ensure shopkeepers no longer run from office to office for solutions. By bringing the administration directly to the markets, the government aims to safeguard the dignity of traders, marking a decisive step toward business reforms in Punjab's commercial sector. Advertisement Source: Times of India Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill clarified that the company is responsible for daily collection and strictly instructed residents not to make any cash payments to staff, as all transactions must be online. File Photo. Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia said that QR codes are being fixed on the exterior walls of households across the city. Amritsar MC Goes Digital: QR Codes Launched for 100% Door-to-Door Waste Collection Advertisement The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) has initiated a QR code-based tracking system for door-to-door garbage collection to strengthen urban sanitation drives. The initiative is focused on ensuring 100 per cent coverage. It has been launched from Anand Avenue in Ward No. 4, which is currently serving as the nodal ward for this digital initiative. Mayor Jatinder Singh Bhatia said that QR codes are being fixed on the exterior walls of households across the city. Under this mechanism, waste collection staff from RRR Company, which was awarded the contract, must scan the code upon lifting garbage. This triggers an automated message to the residents phone, allowing them to confirm the service via a "Yes" or "No" response. If a resident reports that waste was not collected, a complaint automatically registers on the companys portal at the MC office, prompting a redeployment of the vehicle. Advertisement The Mayor addressed waste challenges at the Bhagtanwala dump site,emphasizing that this comprehensive plans aim is to streamline daily disposal. Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill clarified that the company is responsible for daily collection and strictly instructed residents not to make any cash payments to staff, as all transactions must be online. While the company has deployed new vehicles with more expected shortly, the Commissioner urged citizens to avoid dumping garbage on streets. He stressed that maintaining a clean city is a shared responsibility. Residents can also use the QR codes to file direct complaints regarding sanitation services. Source: Times of India Hao Linduan, a member of the 14th batch of the Chinese medical team in Ghana and associate chief physician of the TCM department at the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, speaks during the Third China-Ghana Traditional Medicine Forum in Accra, Ghana, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua) by Justice Lee Adoboe ACCRA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese medical experts and their Ghanaian counterparts on Thursday promoted the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ghanaian herbal medicine for women's health at the Third China-Ghana Traditional Medicine Forum in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. Under the theme "Empowering Women, Sharing Health," the forum explores sustainable traditional medicine solutions, knowledge exchange, and women-centered health innovations from China and Ghana. Hao Linduan, a member of the 14th batch of the Chinese medical team in Ghana and associate chief physician of the TCM department at the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, said women's health is vital to family well-being and national development, while noting that many women worldwide still face unique challenges in reproductive health, emotional management, and chronic diseases. "We believe that traditional medicine, both Ghanaian and Chinese, with its holistic and preventive approaches, offers unique wisdom and effective solutions," he said. Hao said he has witnessed the vitality of Ghanaian traditional medicine, adding that it shares similar core philosophies with TCM in its reverence for life and harmony with nature. "Through our work, we hope to share the value of TCM and deepen China-Ghana collaboration in traditional medicine," Hao added. Anastasia Yirenkyi, director of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate at Ghana's Ministry of Health, said Ghana has taken proactive measures to ensure that traditional medicine is practiced within a safe, regulated, and evidence-based environment. Yirenkyi noted that throughout generations, traditional medicine has made significant contributions to women's health, addressing areas such as reproductive and maternal healthcare. "Ghana's partnership with China in healthcare, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine, has yielded substantial benefits. Over the years, Chinese medical teams in Ghana have contributed to clinical service delivery, training, and knowledge exchange," she noted. Yirenkyi reiterated the commitment of the health ministry to supporting research into traditional remedies for women's health, encouraging innovation that blends traditional knowledge with modern science, strengthening referral pathways between traditional medicine practitioners and orthodox facilities, and enhancing public education on the rational use of traditional medicine. Sandra Ashong, president of the Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists, said many Ghanaian medicinal plants have successfully addressed feminine health issues, including menstrual disorders, fertility challenges, pregnancy-related conditions, postpartum recovery, and stress-related conditions. Furthermore, through her experience working with the Chinese medical teams, she has seen the success of TCM methods, including acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion, successfully addressing women's health issues. Organized by the 14th batch of the Chinese medical team in Ghana, the Health Community of West Africa, which is a Ghana-based Chinese private institution, and the Ghana Health Service, among other partners, the one-day forum brought together experts and practitioners of TCM, the Ghanaian herbal medicine fraternity, regulators, and public officials. A member of the 14th batch of the Chinese medical team in Ghana demonstrates the making of sachets at the Third China-Ghana Traditional Medicine Forum in Accra, Ghana, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua) Anastasia Yirenkyi, director of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate at Ghana's Ministry of Health, speaks during the Third China-Ghana Traditional Medicine Forum in Accra, Ghana, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua) A staff member introduces traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products at the Third China-Ghana Traditional Medicine Forum in Accra, Ghana, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua) Security Challenges in the Balkans George Scutaru, General Director of the independent think tank The New Strategy Center, on security challenges in the Balkans, the implications of the war in Ukraine, and how they are felt most acutely in the Black Sea region Photo: Mediamodifier / pixabay.com Corina Cristea, 09.01.2026, 12:00 Launched almost four years ago, Moscows so-called special operation in Ukraine has had a profound geopolitical impact, affecting the regional and global balance of power. The conflict has led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and the West. It has weakened Moscows strategic position in Europe. It has strengthened Western unity. It has redefined international security priorities. We are talking about one of the most significant ruptures in the international order since the Cold War. What is happening in Ukraine also has a significant impact on security in the Balkans, even though the region is not directly involved militarily. George Scutaru, General Director of the independent think tank The New Strategy Center, discussed security challenges in the Balkans, the implications of the war in Ukraine, and how they are felt most acutely in the Black Sea region. We are discussing three levels: first, we have the hybrid level, because the war in Ukraine does not only bring kinetic, military action, it also brings numerous hybrid actions to Europe, in the Black Sea region and the Balkansand here we are talking about the policy of promoting disinformation narratives in order to maintain a positive image of Russia, even though Russia is an aggressor state, and also to weaken support for Ukraine in some states. I am referring here to states such as Croatia and Bulgaria, which are making an important contribution in terms of supplying certain types of ammunition to Ukraine. Secondly, Russia has a historical influence in the Balkans, using the religious factor, Orthodoxy, and at the same time the Slavic factor. Russia still has a strong influence in Bulgaria and Serbia and is trying to maintain its influence in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Dodik regime in Republika Srpska, so that it can open, metaphorically speaking, a second front, i.e. create additional problems for the West, so that it has to deal not only with the issue of support for Ukraine, but also with other security issues in the region. The third element concerns how countries in the region must deal with collateral effects, namely energy issues, explained the director general of The New Strategy Center. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerability of Balkan countries to their dependence on Russian energy resources. Supply crises and rising prices have amplified social tensions and highlighted the need to diversify energy sources and routes. In this context, the Black Sea and the South-East European energy corridors are becoming increasingly important strategically. Once again, George Scutaru: Some EU countries, like Bulgaria, have managed to solve their dependence on Russian gas and find some substitutes for gas imports, but Serbia is still dependent on energy imports from Russia. Economic issues are having an impact on the region, and we are also seeing the growing influence of other players, such as China, which has a much softer approach to expanding its political and economic influence, primarily through various investments it promotes, including in the Balkan region. The assessment is that the unprovoked war in Ukraine is not just a regional crisis, but a turning point in the evolution of the post-Cold War world order. How can Romania capitalize on its strategic position in the region, not only as a member of NATO and the EU, but also as a promoter of stability? The exploitation of gas in the Black Sea, the development of energy transport infrastructure, and interconnection with neighbouring states can reduce regional dependence on Russia and strengthen energy security in the Balkans, while strategically and militarily, Romania can contribute to security in the Balkans by strengthening NATOs eastern flank and actively participating in regional cooperation initiatives. George Scutaru: We are a Balkan country without any resentment baggage, as there is no nation that takes a negative stance towards Romania. This is a great advantage for us. Secondly, on the eastern flank, we are the most important country militarily, together with Turkeyof course, we cannot compare ourselves to Turkey, which is the second military force in the Alliancebut nevertheless, through the capabilities we accumulate year after year, Romanias military relevance is growing. What is important for us is to avoid a negative scenario in terms of developments on the Ukrainian front. For Romania, the worst-case scenario would be a direct border with the Russian Federation. This would mean that the Ukrainian front would be seriously affected and Russia would have the capacity to pass Odessa and reach the mouth of the Danube. Such a scenario, George Scutaru explained, would mean that Romania would have a direct border with Russia and, moreover, the Russian Federation could occupy the Republic of Moldova, because Moldova has no army and lacks the strategic depth to absorb the shock of an invasion. (MI) January 9, 2026 UPDATE A roundup of local and international news. January 9, 2026 UPDATE Newsroom, 09.01.2026, 20:00 DEAL EU countries provisionally approved a trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur on Friday after more than a quarter of a century of talks. Romania voted in favor of the deal, after requesting and obtaining, along with other European states, additional guarantees to protect national markets. According to Politico, France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary expressed their opposition, while Belgium abstained. The decision needed the approval of 15 countries representing 65% of the blocs total population. EU capitals are now expected to send written confirmation. Dozens of tractors blocked traffic in Milan, Italy, on Friday in a protest against the deal. Also on Friday, about 50 tractors belonging to French farmers, supported by their German colleagues, blocked the Europe Bridge in Strasbourg, which connects the French city to the German town of Kehl, on the other side of the Rhine, to protest as well. French farmers also drove their machines into central Paris on Thursday to make themselves heard. It is the biggest free trade deal ever signed by the bloc. Opponents, led by France, the EUs biggest agricultural producer, say it will increase cheap food imports, undermining domestic farmers. From Brussels perspective, this is a major geopolitical victory, given Chinas growing share of trade and influence in Latin America. The EU-Mercosur agreement will create the worlds largest free trade area, covering some 700 million people. WEATHER The General Inspectorate for Emergencies announced on Friday that in the past 24 hours, Romanian firefighters have continuously supported the authorities and citizens, in order to effectively manage the emergencies caused by the unfavorable weather conditions. According to the press release, the strong winds, snowfall and blizzard have affected 32 localities in 15 counties and the capital Bucharest. In this context, the firefighters, together with the other departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and authorities with responsibilities in managing the effects of the unfavorable weather, have been working to evacuate the water from homes, yards, basements and streets. On Friday morning, there were still power outages in 5 localities in 2 counties, affecting over a thousand end consumers. UKRAINE The Russian Defense Ministry said that in response to the unprovoked attack by Ukraine on the Russian presidential residence in the Novgorod region on the night of January 9, Russian forces launched a massive attack on Ukrainian territory with high-precision long-range weapons, including Oreshnik medium-range missile systems, and drones. According to the Russian Defense Ministrys statement, the attack hit unmanned aerial vehicle production facilities. At least four people were killed and dozens injured in Kyiv, authorities said on Friday. Police reported that several residential buildings were hit by drones. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that a doctor was among the dead, and four members of the rescue teams were injured. According to him, critical infrastructure was damaged in the attack, and some parts of the city were left without electricity or water. TEHRAN EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that the Iranian leaderships harsh crackdown on protesters shows a regime that is afraid of its own people, while UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called for a swift and independent investigation into the deaths in the demonstrations that have rocked Iran for several days, dpa and France Presse report. Protests in Iran continued on Thursday for the 12th consecutive day, with the biggest rallies taking place in Tehran. Authorities have blocked the internet throughout the country, as well as telephone communications. The protests broke out on December 28 in Tehrans Grand Bazaar and have spread to more than 50 cities in all provinces of Iran, the BBC reports. They initially broke out due to the severe economic crisis the country is facing and the devaluation of the Iranian currency, but anti-government chants were also heard at the demonstrations. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened protesters and accused them of being foreign mercenaries in the service of US President Donald Trump. He told the US leader that he should mind his own business, Reuters reports. Iranian NGOs outside the country say that between 34 and 45 protesters, including children, have been killed and more than 2,000 have been arrested in clashes between security forces and protesters. US American President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that, after attacks on maritime vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the United States will carry out ground attacks against the cartels, without specifying exactly where, France Press reports. In the summer, the US deployed a significant military force to the Caribbean and bombed vessels from Venezuela in the name of combating drug trafficking. The legality of these operations has been questioned by experts, NGOs and United Nations officials. At the end of December, the American leader said that the US had destroyed an anchorage in Venezuela used by vessels for drug trafficking. Meanwhile, the United States Senate agreed to vote on a resolution calling on the president to seek the approval of the Congress for any future military operations in Venezuela. (EE) An episode of authentic winter in Romania Snow and blizzards have affected several areas of Romania in recent days, especially in the mountains and in the southwest photo: Hans /pixabay.com Bogdan Matei, 09.01.2026, 14:00 Snow and blizzards have affected several areas of Romania in recent days, especially in the mountains and in the southwest. Traffic has been difficult, with temporary blockages, closed county roads, and train delays. On one highway, a line of trucks stretching over 20 kilometers formed due to some trucks not being properly equipped. An ambulance and a mail truck were stuck in snowdrifts on a local road. Many schools suspended classes or held them online, and some counties experienced power supply problems. In the south, the crossing over the Danube to neighboring Bulgaria by ferry at Bechet and the ferry from Nikopol to Turnu Magurele were suspended due to strong winds. County authorities have decided to monitor vulnerable people, especially pregnant women in their last trimester, people on dialysis, those dependent on oxygen, and those with pacemakers, as well as to inform medical facilities of the necessary measures to adapt dialysis schedules so that patients in hard-to-reach areas are not exposed to the risks posed by weather conditions. Normal winter weather will continue until the end of the week, with heavy snow, blizzards, and frost. These phenomena are typical for this time of year, even though recent years have started with temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius, meteorologist Mihai Hustiu told Radio Romania: We are experiencing authentic winter weather. Several alerts have been issued regarding snowfall and strong winds, with an orange code in effect for the Southern Carpathians, where winds are blowing at 90-120 km per hour, snow is drifting, and visibility is significantly reduced. We also have snow and wind in Transylvania (center), Moldova (east), Dobrogea (southeast), Muntenia (south), and in the southern part of Oltenia (southwest), the wind is blowing strongly, although the snowfall is stopping in this area. Temperatures are dropping, with a yellow frost warning currently in place for the Carpathian region, but temperatures are expected to remain low over the next few nights. On Friday night into Saturday, temperatures in Moldova will be below freezing. This is what January used to be like in past decades, which is why we traditionally call it the Frozen Month, when we should have low temperatures, below minus 10 degrees. Probably, if we take stock at the end of the month, we will not be far from what January means climatologically. In recent years, we have had warm Januaries, and let us remember January 2023, when heat records for this month were broken: it was almost 23 degrees in Zimnicea (south), and in the capital, at the Bucharest Baneasa weather station, it reached 20.9 degrees. In the mountains, there is a high risk of avalanches, i.e. score 4 out of a maximum of 5, in Bucegi and Fagaras (center) and grade 3 in the other massifs in the Eastern Carpathians, and mountain rescuers recommend that tourists stay in the area of the designated slopes. (MI) Drug major Johnson & Johnson has announced an agreement with the Trump Administration to lower drug prices, enabling millions of Americans to access medicines at significantly discounted rates. As part of the deal, the company's pharmaceutical products will be exempt from tariffs, though the specific terms remain confidential. The agreement follows President Trump's requests to the drug industry to address the issue of high medication costs. Johnson & Johnson has also committed to building two new manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Pennsylvania as part of its $55 billion investment plan in the U.S. This investment aims to support domestic manufacturing, research and development, and advancements by early 2029. Johnson & Johnson added that it expects to announce additional U.S. investments later this year. As per the deal with the Government, Johnson & Johnson will participate in the TrumpRx.gov platform, a direct-to-patient program that will allow American patients to purchase medicines from the company at significantly reduced prices. This move is expected to enable patients to access medicines at comparable prices to other developed countries, including through the Medicaid program. Joaquin Duato, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson stated, "Today's agreement shows that when the public and private sectors work together towards shared goals, we can deliver real results for patients and the U.S. ." He further expressed the company's commitment to improving and saving lives while ensuring the United States maintains its leadership in healthcare innovation. Johnson & Johnson's $55 billion investment plan in the U.S. has already resulted in billions of dollars in investments over the past 10 months. The company has started the construction of a $2 billion state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina, which is expected to create around 5,000 skilled manufacturing and construction jobs in the state. The company is also ramping up the hiring of advanced manufacturing employees to work at the facility. Additionally, in September, Johnson & Johnson secured a new 160,000+ square foot biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina, with a $2 billion investment over the next 10 years. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Oil prices extended gains from the previous session on Friday amid fears of supply disruptions, given prospects of Russia-related sanctions, Trump's seizure of Russian oil tanker, unrest in Iran, Iraqi nationalization moves, and a drone attack on a Russia-bound oil tanker near Turkey's coast in the Black Sea. Investors also await the outcome of U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with the heads of major U.S. oil companies later today to convince them to support his plans in Venezuela. Trump said Thursday that the world's largest oil companies had pledged to spend $100 billion to fulfil his promise of reviving Venezuela's flagging oil sector. WTI crude futures rose 0.6 percent to $58.10 after climbing more than 3 percent in the New York session overnight. Brent crude futures were up 0.6 percent at $62.34. Oil prices remain on track for their third weekly gain, reflecting increased geopolitical tensions and fears of supply disruption. Recent data from EIA showing a decline in U.S. crude inventories also allayed global oversupply concerns. U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said in a social media post that President Trump has approved a "Russia sanctions Bill" that proposes 500 percent tariffs on countries that purchase Russia's oil, gas, uranium and other exports. The U.S. has signaled an intensified crackdown on "shadow fleet" tankers and also suggested it could be involved in overseeing Venezuela for years. Amid ongoing unrest and heightened tensions with Western countries, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, today said the Islamic Republic would not tolerate individuals acting as "mercenaries" for foreign powers. The Iraqi government has approved a plan to nationalize operations at the West Qurna-2 oilfield to ensure uninterrupted oil production amidst U.S. sanctions against Russia's Lukoil. Elsewhere, a Russia-bound oil tanker was attacked by drones in the Black Sea, adding to mounting pressure on Russia's shadow fleet. Russian forces launched 278 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, targeting critical infrastructure. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Close on the heels of the Trump administration pulling the United States out of Global Climate Treaty and dozens of international bodies, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced the country's immediate withdrawal from the Green Climate Fund. The Treasury said Thursday that in alignment with the Trump Administration's decision to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it has notified the Green Climate Fund that the United States is withdrawing from the Fund and stepping down from its seat on the GCF Board, effective immediately. "Our nation will no longer fund radical organizations like the GCF whose goals run contrary to the fact that affordable, reliable energy is fundamental to economic growth and poverty reduction," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. The GCF was established to supplement the objectives of the UNFCCC, and continued participation in the GCF has been determined to no longer be consistent with the Trump Administration's priorities and goals, the Treasury said in a press release. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from a key global climate treaty and 66 international organizations saying that they no longer serve American interests. They include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an expert body that assesses climate science globally; International Trade Centre; UNCTAD; and UN organizations working on peace and democracy, family planning, maternal and child , and sexual violence in conflict. The Memorandum orders all Executive Departments and Agencies to stop participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Pandora A/S (PANDY.PK,PNDORA.CO), a Danish jewelry maker and retailer, said on Friday that it expects a drop in fourth-quarter revenue, hurt by weak consumer sentiments, especially in North America. For the final quarter, Pandora anticipates revenue of DKK 11.9 billion, less than the DKK 12 billion in the same period last year. The company projects an operating profit of DKK 4 billion, compared with DKK 4.1 billion a year ago. For the full year, the Danish company anticipates revenue of DKK 32.5 billion, higher than the prior year's DKK 31.7 billion. Pandora expects an operating profit of DKK 7.8 billion, less than the DKK 8 billion last year. "The bottom-line performance demonstrates strong gross margins and cost discipline which partially offset significant external headwinds from commodity prices, foreign exchange rates, and tariffs," the company said. Pandora will release its annual earnings report on February 5. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 8, 2026. Vance said on Thursday that currently part of his job is "to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable" and to ensure that the acting Venezuelan government "actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interest." (Photo by Li Yuanqing/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States would begin carrying out land strikes against drug trafficking cartels. "We've knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are gonna start now hitting land with regard to the cartels," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "The cartels are running Mexico," he added, without providing further details about the plans. His remarks followed a months-long U.S. military operation targeting vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea as well as last week's raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The couple were later transferred to New York to face what Washington described as "drug trafficking" and other federal charges. During the interview, Trump said that the United States would earn a large sum from selling Venezuelan oil. "We are taking billions and billions of dollars' worth of oil," he said. "It'll be trillions of dollars, but we're going to be there till we straighten out the country." Trump also said he's expecting U.S. oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry. According to media reports, the White House is scrambling to broaden a meeting with oil executives scheduled for Friday amid skepticism from major oil companies. Trump said he looks forward to "saying hello" to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who is expected to arrive in Washington next week. Trump previously dismissed the option of working with Machado, saying, "She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country." He again ruled out the possibility of an election in the oil-rich South American country in the near future. Earlier on Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that currently part of his job is "to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable" and to ensure that the acting Venezuelan government "actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interest." U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 8, 2026. Vance said on Thursday that currently part of his job is "to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable" and to ensure that the acting Venezuelan government "actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interest." (Photo by Li Yuanqing/Xinhua) U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 8, 2026. Vance said on Thursday that currently part of his job is "to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable" and to ensure that the acting Venezuelan government "actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interest." (Photo by Li Yuanqing/Xinhua) GreenX Metals Limited (5PMA.F), Friday announced that the Singapore International Commercial Court of the Republic of Singapore has rejected, in its entirety, the Republic of Poland's application to set aside the Energy Charter Treaty or ECT award. Backed by this latest ruling, the company intends to continue to defend its awards and update the market in line with its continuous disclosure requirements. Additionally, the company plans to bring the judgment to the attention of the English courts as part of the Bilateral Investment Treaty set-aside proceedings. Currently, GreenX's stock is climbing 27.6 percent, to 0.62 euros on the Frankfurt Exchange. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The US decision to withdraw from the key global climate treaty is a blow to global climate cooperation, says UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. Responding to the U.S. decision to withdraw from UNFCCC, Stiell said, "The United States was instrumental in creating the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, because they are both entirely in its national interests." "While all other nations are stepping forward together, this latest step back from global leadership, climate cooperation and science can only harm the US , jobs and living standards, as wildfires, floods, mega-storms and droughts get rapidly worse. It is a colossal own goal which will leave the US less secure and less prosperous." Stiell noted "The doors remain open for the US to reenter in the future, as it has in the past with the Paris Agreement." President Donald Trump Wednesday signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and 66 international organizations saying that they no longer serve American interests. The Memorandum orders all Executive Departments and Agencies to stop participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over the decision by the United States to withdraw from a number of UN entities, while underscoring that the system will continue to deliver on all its mandates. A statement issued by the UN Spokesperson on behalf of the UN chief reminded that assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News It is celebration time at Kia India as the company just launched its most ambitious launch in the form of 2nd Gen Seltos. Now, there is another reason for the company to celebrate as it just hit a major milestone in its tech-first connected car journey in the Asian subcontinent. The company just announced that they have achieved a major milestone of selling 5 lakh Kia connected cars in India since they began sales operations in 2019. This positions Kia India as a Technology leader in the ever-evolving automotive landscape. Lets take a closer look at some interesting stats regarding the same. 5 Lakh Kia Connected Cars Reinforcing its tech-driven journey in the country, Kia India just achieved a major sales milestone in its domestic operations. The company has sold over 5 lakh SUVs and MPVs in India to date, that came equipped with Kias Connected Tech suite. This milestone reflects Kias tech-first approach to differentiate itself from rival brands. Kias intelligent mobility ecosystem with connected car tech now accounts for around 40% of the companys wholesale domestic sales. The primary contributor to this milestone is their Seltos 4.2m to 4.4m SUV, which contributed nearly 70% of this 5 lakh total connected cars sold in India, followed by Sonet and Carens family. These connected car tech were offered as complementary subscription services by the company during purchase. Many customers are renewing this service on a subscription model and this retention trend indicates that these buyers were satisfied with Kia Connect connected features and adopted them in their daily life. Most notable of these connected features include Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC), Plant OTA Updates (Over The Air), OTA Software Updates with Kia Remote Diagnostics, Digital Key 2.0, Multilingual Voice Recognition Support, Surround View Monitor along with a few EV-specific connected car features like Drive Green and Kia Smart Connected Home Chargers. Statement from Kia India Commenting on Kias technology leadership in automotive industry, Mr. Atul Sood, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Kia India, said, Kia India has consistently differentiated itself through its vehicle design excellence and technology leadership. Our continued focus on enhancing connected features and customer engagement initiatives such as Kia Drive Green has strengthened adoption and interaction across our connected ecosystem. The strong customer retention beyond the complimentary subscription period underscores the sustained relevance and long-term value of Kia Connect. BEIRUT, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran backs Hezbollah as a resistance group without intervening in its affairs, visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said here on Friday. "Iran supports Hezbollah as a resistance group, but it does not interfere at all in its affairs, and any decision related to Lebanon is left to the party itself," Araghchi said at a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, according to a statement issued by Lebanon's Foreign Ministry. The Iranian minister said that Tehran aims to build relations with Lebanon on "affection and mutual respect" through official state institutions, stressing that continued dialogue is essential despite differences on certain issues. He reaffirmed Iran's support for Lebanon's independence, unity and sovereignty, saying that protecting the country is the responsibility of the Lebanese government and that unity among Lebanon's sects under the authority of the state would help safeguard stability. For his part, Rajji reiterated Lebanon's desire to maintain strong relations with Iran. However, he expressed hope that Iranian support would be directed toward the Lebanese state and its institutions rather than to any other party. Building a capable state that can defend its land and people cannot be achieved while an armed organization operates outside state authority, Rajji said. He called on Tehran to work with Lebanon on finding a new approach regarding Hezbollah's weapons to prevent the issue from being used to weaken Lebanon or any of its communities. Earlier, Araghchi met with Syrian President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace, where Aoun said that Lebanon is ready to enhance economic and trade relations with Iran in a manner that serves the interests of both peoples. YEREVAN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Armenia expects gasoline and diesel prices to decline following an increase in petroleum imports from Azerbaijan, Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan was quoted by Armenpress as saying on Friday. In a social media statement, Papoyan said that significant volumes of Azerbaijani petroleum products are currently being delivered to Armenia by rail, which is already influencing market expectations. "A price reduction of up to 80 drams (0.21 U.S. dollar) per liter for gasoline and diesel is expected compared to last month's prices," Papoyan said, adding that fuel retailers in Armenia are also moving toward lower prices. DAMASCUS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Friday declared the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo a closed military zone and imposed an indefinite curfew after Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters rejected an offer to withdraw from the area by an evening deadline, the Syrian army said. According to the Syrian Arab Army Operations Command, the deadline for the departure of civilians and armed elements from Sheikh Maqsoud expired at 6:00 p.m. local time. Shortly afterward, the army announced that the neighborhood would be treated as a closed military area and that a full curfew would take effect starting at 6:30 p.m. until further notice. Earlier in the day, Syrian government forces completed their deployment in the neighboring Ashrafieh neighborhood following the withdrawal of SDF fighters, part of a broader plan announced by authorities to restore state control and public services in contested areas of Aleppo. A military source cited by the state-run SANA news agency said SDF-linked forces carried out drone attacks targeting several civilian and security sites across Aleppo on Friday, causing injuries and material damage. The latest measures follow days of intense clashes, shelling and drone strikes in and around Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, which have displaced tens of thousands of civilians and sharply escalated tensions between Syrian government forces and the SDF, despite ongoing political talks on military integration. In parallel, Syrian authorities moved to tighten control over routes linking SDF-controlled territories in northern and eastern Syria. by Zhang Yuebin and Xu Shijia Throughout its existence, Japanese militarism has always been an ideology that sabotages peace and order, undermines civilizational progress, and violates human morality and conscience. It has been a malignant tumor not only for East Asia but also for Japan itself. THE INCOMPLETE POST-WAR RECKONING OF JAPANESE MILITARISM After its defeat and surrender in World War II, Japan promulgated a "Pacifist Constitution" aimed at eradicating militarism under the guidance of the Allied Powers. Regrettably, as the global political landscape evolved, militarist remnants managed to survive and gradually regain strength. With the emergence of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry, Japan became a frontline outpost in the Cold War between the two superpowers and began to rearm. In 1950, Japan established the National Police Reserve, a paramilitary force. In 1952, it was renamed the National Security Force. In 1954, it was reorganized into the Ground Self-Defense Force. Meanwhile, the Coastal Safety Force was reorganized as the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Together with the newly established Air Self-Defense Force, they formed a complete tri-service framework of Japan's self-defense system. Meanwhile, a large number of militarist figures who had been purged after the war began to reenter public life and even return to the political sphere. In October 1950, 10,000 war criminals, former military personnel, right-wing extremists, Special Higher Police officers and gendarmes were released from restrictions. By the end of 1951, out of the more than 210,000 individuals purged in the immediate post-war period, 201,507 had their restrictions lifted. Against this backdrop, in Japan's 1952 general election, among over 1,200 candidates, as many as 329 were newly rehabilitated right-wing and militarist figures, including the notorious former army colonel Tsuji Masanobu, who was elected to the House of Representatives. A consequential moment for post-war history occurred when Kishi Nobusuke -- a Class-A war crimes suspect -- was elected Prime Minister of Japan in 1957. After taking power, Kishi promoted a series of policies that ran counter to the tide of history, precipitating a sharp turn to the right of Japan's political orientation -- a reflection of militarist remnants' refusal to accept defeat and their audacious attempts to stage a comeback. Following Kishi's forced resignation amid widespread domestic opposition, militarist remnants chose to lie low, biding their time. In the 1960s and 1970s, Japan seized favorable opportunities and achieved rapid economic growth. This economic boom spurred a social trend of seeking "success factors" from Japan's historical experience, fostering an uncritical reverence of Japan's historical and cultural traditions, and ultimately fueling the erroneous tendency to "reassess" its modern wars of aggression and expansion. Japan's rapid economic development thus became a catalyst for militarist resurgence. THE RESURGENCE OF MILITARISM IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN The resurgence of Japanese militarism is mainly manifested in the following three aspects. Firstly, reshaping perceptions of Japan's militaristic history. Based on the so-called "liberal historical view" and "revisionist historical view", right-wing forces have defamed the hard-earned "new historical perspective" established after the war as "masochistic" and "anti-Japan." They have denied Japan's war crimes and tried to whitewash its history of aggression. As surviving witnesses of the war grow old and pass away, education about wartime history has become increasingly important. However, Japan's education system has long downplayed the country's wartime aggression, depriving the younger generation of the opportunity to understand the full picture of history. In recent years, Japanese right-wing forces have been quietly attempting to infiltrate militaristic ideologies into primary and secondary schools to pave the way for their policies of military buildup and expansion. These actions contravene the guiding principles of Japan's post-war Pacifist Constitution, mislead young people's understanding of history and war, and erode the mutual trust between Japan and its neighboring countries. Some right-wing scholars have distorted history through their so-called "research" and "restoration" of historical facts, openly promoting the erroneous views prevalent during the war. For example, many right-wing scholars refer to Japan's war of aggression as the "Greater East Asia War" and revive deceptive slogans such as "a war of self-defense" and "a war of liberation". Furthermore, the forced recruitment of "comfort women" by the Japanese military constitutes an inhumane crime committed by Japan during the war, yet right-wing scholars persisted on the false claim that these women participated voluntarily. Secondly, seeking to break free from constraints to expand military capabilities. In recent years, Japanese right-wing politicians and the media have clamored for lifting the constraints of the post-war Pacifist Constitution, seeking to redefine military buildup as Japan's core national goal. The Japanese government has gradually reduced the effectiveness of the Pacifist Constitution by revising judicial interpretations. Despite economic downturns, it has kept increasing military spending substantially and expanded its armaments. It has abandoned the long-standing principle of being "exclusively defense-oriented" and pursued the capability for "preemptive strikes." Some politicians have even meddled in the Taiwan question, challenging the red line of China-Japan relations and the post-war international order. Japan's maneuvers in the nuclear field are also alarming. Under the guise of developing civilian nuclear energy, it has maintained the technology and potential to manufacture nuclear weapons, while continuously seeking opportunities to breach the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" of not possessing, not producing, and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons. During Shinzo Abe's tenure as the Prime Minister, the Japanese government pushed for reinterpreting the constitution and lifting restrictions on the exercise of collective self-defense. In January 2007, under Abe's strong push, Japan's Defense Agency was upgraded to full ministry status. In April 2014, the Abe administration replaced the decades-old Three Principles on Arms Exports with the new Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology, moving from an in-principle ban to permission of the export of weapons and related technologies. In September 2015, Japan's parliament passed the so-called "Security Legislation," which granted the Japanese military greater flexibility in conducting military activities overseas. Thirdly, threatening with war to reshape the East Asian order in line with its own interests and needs. In recent years, Japan has repeatedly meddled in the Taiwan Strait. During a parliamentary debate on November 7, 2025, Sanae Takaichi openly claimed that "a Taiwan contingency constitutes a survival-threatening situation for Japan," implying potential military intervention in the Taiwan Strait. This constitutes a brazen interference in China's internal affairs. Takaichi, who visited Yasukuni Shrine many times, embodies the hardline right-wing stance in Japan that rejects the Murayama Statement and seeks to whitewash Japan's history of aggression. Amid volatile international circumstances, the right-wing conservative forces she represents have exploited the growing rightward political climate since the 2000s to gradually hollow out the public foundations of democracy and pacifism, while steadily expanding the influence of militaristic discourse. It is imperative to maintain high vigilance against Japanese militarism, especially regarding the Taiwan question. The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Looking back at history, the war crimes committed by Japanese militarism can never be erased, and the historical facts of its aggression must never be distorted. Any tolerance toward the provocative words and deeds of Japanese right-wing forces will only lead to the resurrection of the specter of militarism, once again putting the people of Asia in danger. It is the responsibility and obligation of all countries to safeguard the victorious fruits of World War II, uphold the post-war international order, and ensure enduring global peace and stability. To that end, nations must work together to prevent any attempt to revive militarism. Editor's note: The authors are Research Fellow and Assistant Research Fellow at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency. PARIS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday that France and Europe have the right to reject proposals from even their closest allies when they are unacceptable, while warning that Europe's political organization is under strain. In his annual address to French ambassadors, Barrot said the United States can "rethink the ties that bind us," but added that Europe also has "the right to say no to a historic ally ... when it is necessary." He said Europe's political organization is "in danger today," but dismissed claims that the continent is facing "civilizational erasure." Such warnings resurfaced after the U.S. National Security Strategy released in December offered an unusually negative assessment of the European Union, arguing that Europe was experiencing an erosion of political freedom and sovereignty. Turning to transatlantic relations, he described the United States as an ally "with whom we are not always aligned." Tensions have been heightened by U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated statements expressing a desire to take over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, a proposal that has been firmly rejected by European leaders. Korean Swiss journalist Rinny Gremaud's debut novel, Generator, provides a meditative examination of identity, provocatively conflating nuclear power with biological ancestry. Holly James smoothly translates from the original French. In 1977, the narrator was born at Kori, the site of a nuclear power plant in Busan, Korea. Her Korean mother's English fluency got her a job with a British company, where she met her daughter's father, a British engineer. Once reactor Kori 1 was complete, however, the father left Korea, abandoning mother and child. Forty years later, Kori's shutdown is imminent, and this end of "the first atomic age" triggers a backward gaze for the narrator: "The word 'generator' resounded throughout my childhood.... It seemed to mean many things at once: generator as in genitor, birth, and spark. Generator as in father." The search commences to geographically trace "this absentee" across the world: "I'll constitute a genitor for myself from the little information I have." At 16, this genitor left his widowed mother to become an engineering apprentice in Wales. At 20, he spent 10 years with the U.K. lighthouse authority, then went on to a Wylfa nuclear construction site. After promising a local girl he'd return, he moved to Taiwan, where he would marry and father two children, before his "stint in South Korea." Gremaud writes in first person, eschewing names, as if names--like her protagonist's--are unreliable. She uses "you" to address the missing father, unapologetically creating his life on the page: In the four decades of his absence, she's earned the right to imagine him to life--and then decide whether to hold or discard him. --Terry Hong Whether professor and scientist Michelle Carr is discussing athletes who use lucid dreaming as a performance enhancer or sensory stimulation designed to influence dream content, her first book, Nightmare Obscura: A Dream Engineer's Guide Through the Sleeping Mind, offers a fascinating, easily digestible overview of why people dream and the wonders of dream science. Carr describes nighttime dreamscapes as "fully immersive and self-relevant realms" where the mind sifts through a tangle of emotions and memories. Dreams help process lessons learned, soothe distress, and even serve as "overnight therapy." She agrees with researcher and lucid dream pioneer Stephen LaBerge, who says that "Dreams can't be fooled... because the dream is always wise to your inner feelings." One upside to bad dreams is that they allow people to process worries during sleep. It is a different matter, however, when the "bodily stress of nightmares" leads to disruptive sleep and impacts health. Carr explains how innovative sensory techniques such as "imagery rescripting"--where patients create a different version or rewrite the script of their nightmare--directly access the sleeping mind to dampen the negative emotions that can lead to nightmares. Dreaming about a skill can improve one's performance. Lucid dreaming, a technique anyone can learn, is when the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can exert control over their dream content. For instance, Carr describes "a swimmer who does laps in a pool full of jelly (in his dream) to train his body to swim against greater resistance and slow down the flow of each stroke." Packed with engrossing and actionable information about people's sleeping lives, Nightmare Obscura is sure to help readers "dream well tonight." --Shahina Piyarali SINGAPORE, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Singapore will release male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacterium in four additional areas, expanding the tropical city-state's anti-dengue program, a senior government official said on Friday. The rollout, under Project Wolbachia, will take place from late January to March in new locations across central and eastern Singapore, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said in a Facebook post. The expansion will raise the program's coverage to about 740,000 households, he said. Singapore is on track to reach 800,000 households -- roughly half of all households nationwide -- by the end of 2026. Project Wolbachia, launched in 2016, involves the regular release of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia, a bacterium that occurs naturally in many insects but not in Aedes aegypti. When these males mate with wild female mosquitoes that do not carry Wolbachia, the eggs fail to hatch, gradually reducing mosquito populations over time. The approach lowers the risk of dengue, as well as other illnesses spread by Aedes aegypti, including Zika and Chikungunya. According to Singapore's National Environment Agency, the project has reduced dengue risk by more than 70 percent and cut mosquito populations by 80 to 90 percent at multiple sites. Residents living near release areas were found to be 45 percent less likely to contract dengue than those in areas without releases. "Dengue remains a persistent threat across Singapore," Puthucheary said. "That's why we are taking a systematic, evidence-based approach and expanding Project Wolbachia progressively to different areas in Singapore." The different ways people express emotion go in and out of fashion, reflecting the values and conventions of a given era. In his expansive cultural history, Soft, Ferdinand Mount unpacks the current disdain for sentimentality as mawkish and insincere and argues instead that the emotional capacity for genuine empathy has occasioned great social change since the medieval period. Mount (Big Caesars and Little Caesars) describes three "Sentimental Revolutions." The first, in the 11th century in Languedoc, France, celebrated romantic love. The second revolution occurred in the 18th century, prompted by the publication of Samuel Richardson's watershed novel, Pamela, and its "obsessive dwelling on the ramifications of one's inner feelings." The final revolution involved cultural shifts in the 1960s in Great Britain and the West. Each period provoked a reaction, which Mount notes constituted a "culture war." For example, Mount notes that Brexiteers such as Nigel Farage in the U.K. sneered at the notions of unity put forward by the European Parliament, which used "Ode to Joy" on its opening day in 2019. Similarly, contemporary ideas of men getting in touch with their feelings are often vilified by the political right wing in the U.S., in favor of harsher, more codified gender roles. While Mount's research is exhaustive and immersive, it's his prose that makes his well-formulated argument a joy to read, such as when he highlights Henry III's "practical sentimentality" as having taken "the edge off the old feudal aggro, softened relations between the classes, as it did relations between the English, Scots, Welsh and Irish, to an extent seldom repeated in later centuries." Soft will be a page-turner for readers of all stripes, regardless of how stiff their upper lip. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash. An immortal creature of shadow and a young woman with an immense magical gift spar through the centuries in the atmospheric, romantically charged dark fantasy novel As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel (The Phoenix Bride). Cybil Harding is born into Elizabethan-era English nobility and a terrible curse that's documented in the Harding grimoire "in ink that was no longer blood but might once have been." Each firstborn Harding in a generation will be a witch, but should that child be a girl, "she would be tainted... bringing disaster to all those around her." Cybil fears her magic and represses it, but the glow of her power still draws the malevolent eye of Miriam Richter, an ageless being born of ambition and dark magic with an endless hunger for souls. Miriam offers to trade Cybil anything in exchange for her essence. Cybil feels an attraction to Miriam but refuses her offer until a tragedy leaves her no choice. Cybil's soul travels the centuries, reborn into new bodies and new lives while unchanging Miriam pursues her like a fox chasing a plump hen. The two women match their strength and cunning across the eras, but no matter who triumphs, their connection may prove more enduring than darkness or light. Siegel's high-stakes, emotionally gripping fantasy echoes Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, if Faust felt a simmering, toxic sexual chemistry with Mephistopheles. Readers who enjoy narratives with gothic overtones and treacherous yearning will relish this intimate, magical game of cat and mouse. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads Government to introduce vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication to prevent accidents 30 MHz spectrum earmarked for real-time vehicle information sharing Proposed amendments to Motor Vehicles Act to strengthen road safety The Indian government is pushing to introduce vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology to reduce road accidents, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday. The technology will allow vehicles to share real-time information about speed, location, acceleration, braking, and blind spots, helping drivers take timely corrective action. A joint task force with the Department of Telecom (DoT) has been formed to advance the initiative. The DoT has agreed in principle to allocate 30 MHz spectrum (5.8755.905 GHz) specifically for V2V communications. Speaking after the annual meeting of transport ministers from states and Union Territories in New Delhi, Gadkari highlighted the need for urgent road safety measures. India records around 5 lakh road accidents annually, resulting in approximately 1.8 lakh deaths, with 66 percent of victims aged 18-34, he said. In addition to V2V technology, the government plans to propose 61 amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act in the upcoming Budget session. These changes aim to improve road safety, simplify regulations, enhance mobility, and align laws with global standards. Also Read: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Launches Mega Pinkathon Awareness Drive The meeting also addressed broader transport issues, including enhanced safety norms for buses and passenger vehicles, Bharat NCAP ratings, phased introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), a points-based system for traffic violations, and digital issuance of permits for goods vehicles. With these measures, the government aims to combine technology, stricter enforcement, and regulatory reforms to significantly reduce road fatalities and improve the overall safety and efficiency of Indian roads. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Moments prior to alerting detectives with the Special Victims Unit about the death of an infant boy on Staten Island, officers with the NYPDs 123rd Precinct conferred in the hallway of the hospital where it was reported. Footage of that conversation, along with a brief exchange between an officer and the deceaseds parents, was viewed Friday in state Supreme Court, St. George, as part of a pre-trial hearing surrounding statements made in the video. The parents, Joseph Taranovich, 24, and Amanda Heben, 24, both face murder charges in connection with the July 20, 2024 death. They were arrested months later. An autopsy report determined the child, Joseph Heben Jr., died of malnourishment inside the couples apartment on Main Street in Tottenville. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The footage played in court Friday was pulled from the bodycam of NYPD Sgt. Eddie Wong, who testified on the witness stand. The veteran officer said he was patrol supervisor that morning for the 123rd Precinct, when he was informed by the desk officer of a deceased infant at the hospital. Judge Mario F. Mattei heard arguments Friday regarding statements in the body-worn camera footage and whether they should be allowed as evidence at trial. He reserved his decision and adjourned the proceedings to Jan. 26 in state Supreme Court, St. George. Taranovichs family has retained private counsel in the case, while Heben is being represented by a team of attorneys with the Legal Aid Society. Bodycam footage The body-worn camera footage shows a group of NYPD officers conferring in a hallway of Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Princes Bay. A nurse at the hospital also joins the conversation at one point. That baby was not a healthy baby, the nurse said. The officers also discussed Hebens alleged statements to police in which she said she was up late that night with the newborn baby and the couples daughter. At the time, Taranovich was working night shifts as a tow truck driver. According to one officer, Heben stated she put the baby down at about 4 a.m., then when she went to check on him about an hour later, he wasnt breathing. The couple claimed she called 911 as well as Taranovich, and that Taranovich arrived home and drove the baby to the hospital. One officer noted that the 911 system had been out of whack that day. At one point in the video, Wong was escorted by a nurse into a room. The nurse pulled back a curtain revealing the infants lifeless body. Moments later, Wong moved down the hallway to a different room where the defendants were watching over their older daughter who was a toddler at the time. Heben was seated on a bed. She was emotional, Wong recalled. Taranovich, before exiting the room with Wong, embraced Heben and gave her a kiss. In the hallway, Wong asked Taranovich in part about the couples home address, which had been a point of confusion for officers. After a short exchange, Heben also exited the room. Heben asked a female officer if she could see her childs body. The officer told her she would have to wait until authorities had a chance to assess everything. Meanwhile, the couples toddler bounced around the hallway, drawing forced smiles and baby talk from the adults. The defense suggested that Wong unfairly escalated things by requesting Special Victims detectives to the scene on what they deemed was a limited amount of first-hand information. They also asked Wong about his instructions to the couple in regard to remaining at the hospital. They were free to leave, but I wanted the detectives to come and talk to them, said Wong. So, to you hang around means free to leave? asked defense attorney Mario Gallucci. Did you tell them that? No, replied Wong. There also was debate over whether the 1-month-old child was named at the time of his death. Officers briefing Wong at the hospital stated the couple explained they were still deciding on a name. However, the defense on Friday suggested Taranovich told police at the time the boys name was Joseph Jr. M.E. report Court filings at the time of the defendants arrests alleged they failed to provide the child with adequate feeding and nutrition. In December, a city medical examiners report deemed the baby had experienced dehydration, shrinkage of the thymus gland and a kidney infection. Attorneys for Heben have since questioned those findings. We will continue to advocate for Amandas release so that she can mourn this loss while at home with her family, said attorney Christina Paliogiannis in a previous statement. Gallucci said the following. My client completely denies these allegations; he was nothing more than a loving father, and I believe once our experts evaluate the matter the truth will come out. Bail status changed Following the couples arrests, they were initially ordered remanded on Rikers Island. During that time, according to Gallucci, his client was assaulted by guards at the facility. Then months into the case, an appellate court called for Hebens release to supportive housing under state supervision. Supportive housing in general is designed to provide stability and services to assist individuals facing various challenges. Soon after, a Staten Island judge allowed for Taranovichs release from Rikers on an electronic monitoring device. He was ordered to stay with family and permitted to leave the residence for work. Family members of both defendants have shown up to court regularly. They watched quietly from the gallery. Taranovich now has long hair, parted down the middle. He wore a black, short-sleeved shirt in court Friday. Heben wore a black pants suit, makeup and her hair was pulled back in a low-hanging ponytail. In some ways they were unrecognizable. In fact, Wong was unable to identify Heben from the witness stand Friday. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A 26-year-old man is accused of burglarizing the rectory of St. Rochs R.C. Church in Port Richmond between Sunday morning Masses. Josiah Vann of Brabant Street, who was previously convicted of a violent robbery in his home community of Mariners Harbor, also stands accused of stealing cars near St. Rochs, which merged with St. Adalberts R.C. Church in 2015. The brazen break-in occurred at the rectory of the church at 602 Port Richmond Ave. on Dec. 28 at about 11:15 a.m., according to the criminal complaint. The defendant approached the church from a rear parking lot and tried unsuccessfully to enter through some doors, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Authorities allege that Vann, wearing black pants and a gray hoodie, was captured on video surveillance entering through an unlocked window at the front of the rectory. A priest in the rectory spotted the defendant holding a towel inside the bedroom, according to the source. Vann told the priest that he was there to see a different priest, but the defendant then immediately left through an exterior door with the towel, the source said. Thats me, the complaint alleges the defendant told police. I went in through the window. I took a towel. I was being stupid. Vann was arrested on Jan. 3 and charged with burglary, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal trespass and trespass. The parish declined to comment. Alleged car thefts On Jan. 3 at about 1:30 p.m., Vann was captured on video surveillance stealing a white 2013 Toyota Camry in the vicinity of Dixon and Villa avenues, the complaint alleges. The victim told police that he exited the Camry to retrieve his wallet from a home. He left his vehicle unlocked with the engine running, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Vann was recorded on video entering the Camry before driving away with the vehicle, police said. About an hour later, officers allege they caught Vann in the drivers seat of the Camry, which was parked in the vicinity of Maple Parkway and Forest Avenue. According to the source, the defendant told police, I saw the car running and said, I guess this is mine now. I got in and drove off. On New Years Eve at about 5:50 p.m., Vann is accused of stealing a 2006 Nissan Altima, again from the vicinity of Dixon and Villa avenues. The keys were in the ignition and the engine was running to warm up the Nissan. The victim went inside a home and realized his car was gone when he stepped back outside, according to source with knowledge of the investigation. The defendant was captured on video surveillance footage entering the car and driving away, according to police. Officers allege they spotted Vann driving the car about four hours later at the northeast corner of Continental Place and Grandview Avenue. Further investigation revealed that he did not have a valid drivers license, police said. I saw the keys in the car and I got into the car, the criminal complaint quotes the defendant as saying to police. Vann allegedly gave a false name and birth date when asked to identify himself at the 121st Precinct stationhouse in Graniteville later that night. In connection with the alleged car thefts, the defendant faces charges that include grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of a vehicle, petit larceny, false personation and a motor vehicle license violation. Vann has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The defendant is being held at Rikers Island in lieu of bail set at $150,001 bond or $50,001 cash for multiple cases. He is due back in Criminal Court in St. George on Friday, according to public records. An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Robbery in Mariners Harbor The defendant once served time in connection with a robbery in Mariners Harbor. Vann and two accomplices forced their way through the back door of a multi-family dwelling on Harbor Loop early in the morning of Oct. 5, 2017, according to the Advance/SILive.com. Once inside, the trio, at least one of whom was armed, snatched electronics, including a cell phone, according to police. A 7-year-old child was in the home during the crime, police said. Police said a 46-year-old man was pistol-whipped and punched in his face but refused medical attention. Vann was arrested in January 2018 and pleaded guilty that same year to third-degree robbery in state Supreme Court in St. George. He was sentenced to 18 months to 54 months in prison for the robbery conviction. New details have emerged about the sudden death of Victoria Jones, 34, the daughter of actor Tommy Lee Jones. According to court records, Jones was facing multiple misdemeanor charges, including public intoxication, at the time of her tragic death. Jones was found dead Jan. 1 inside the Fairmont San Francisco. Authorities have said her death is believed to be the result of a drug overdose, though the investigation remains ongoing. Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital show that Jones was arrested May 14, 2025, in Santa Cruz, California, and charged with public intoxication and resisting a police officer. She was scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference on Jan. 27. On the night of her death on Jan. 1, emergency responders were dispatched to the Fairmont San Francisco at approximately 2:52 a.m. following a report of a medical emergency, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. Tokyo Film festival President of Jury Tommy Lee Jones, third from right, speaks beside his daughter Victoria, fourth from right, and juries, Zhao Wei of China, second from right, Reza Mirkarimi of Iran, right, Martin Provost of France, second from left, and Masatoshi Nagase of Japan during opening ceremony of the Tokyo Film Festival in Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) ASSOCIATED PRESS A hotel guest alerted staff after noticing Jones appeared impaired, according to the Daily Mail. Paramedics arrived at the scene and pronounced an individual dead. The department did not publicly identify the deceased. Audio from the 911 call, obtained by People, classified the incident as a code 3 for the overdose, color change. The case remains under investigation by police and the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Following the discovery, Tommy Lee Jones issued a statement thanking supporters for their condolences. We appreciate all of the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time. Thank you. The statement was signed, The Family of Victoria Kafka Jones. Officials said there were no immediate signs of foul play as they seek the publics help in determining how she came to be on the 14th floor of the Fairmont. However, questions remain about the circumstances leading up to her death. Tokyo Film festival President of Jury Tommy Lee Jones, center, waves for fans with his daughter Victoria Jones, left, and Jury Zhao Wei during opening ceremony of the Tokyo Film Festival in Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) ASSOCIATED PRESS As investigators work to piece together what happened, attention has shifted to Jones final hours as well as her life and relationship with her father. Victoria was the daughter of Tommy Lee Jones and his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley, whom the actor was married to from 1981 to 1996. She began acting at a young age, appearing in films alongside her father. Jones daughter made her film debut in 2002 with a brief appearance in her fathers movie Men in Black II. She later took on several small roles as a child actor, including an episode of One Tree Hill in 2005 and a part that same year in the Western The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, which was directed by her father. While she did not continue acting into adulthood, she occasionally appeared alongside Jones at public events. In 2017, she joined him on the red carpet at the ArcLight Hollywood for the premiere of Just Getting Started, which also starred Morgan Freeman and Rene Russo. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Borough President Vito Fossella penned a letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday, conveying support for the latest push to posthumously honor U.S. Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, a New Dorp resident killed in 2013 during the War on Terror, with the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. He is remembered by many Staten Islanders for the example of his sacrifice, his selflessness and unyielding commitment to defending this country until the very end, Fossellas letter read, in part. In fact, his former high school, the Michael J. Petrides School, adopted a motto in his living memory Live Like Mike sharing his example of leading from the front and putting others before oneself for Staten Islands youth. I am humbled to have shared a long friendship with Robert and Linda Ollis, patriotic Americans who live their lives with the legacy of their son in their minds and hearts every day." I am deeply appreciative of the friendship I have developed with you over the years, and our shared dedication as public servants to the advancement of our country, the letter added. Your tremendous and unwavering support for the military and your successful efforts to bring about peace around the globe are emblematic of the American spirit. Staff Sergeant Ollis embodied that very spirit endurance, courage, selflessness and loyalty to our principles in his service and in giving the ultimate sacrifice. Its the borough presidents hope that Ollis is awarded the distinction so that his name and legacy may be kept alive for generations to come, that they may learn from the example set by a true American hero. Ollis died in 2013 during a Taliban raid on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan. A renewed Staten Island effort Fossella is among the leaders who have expressed support for the latest effort to honor Staff Sgt. Ollis. The effort began last summer, when the Richmond County American Legion penned a resolution advocating Ollis Distinguished Service Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In July, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George, urging the Army to recommend Ollis for the distinction. The recommendation worked its way up the chain of command, finding itself before Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Hegseth wrote a letter to Schumer, a New York Democrat, in December, informing the Senate minority leader that he believed Ollis actions merit the Medal of Honor award. I am writing to inform you of my favorable determination regarding the award of the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, U.S. Army, Hegseths letter read in part. I reviewed a recommendation from the Secretary of the Army to upgrade the Distinguished Service Cross awarded to Staff Sergeant Ollis, to the Medal of Honor, for his valorous actions on August 28, 2013 during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. After giving the recommendation careful consideration, I agree that Staff Sergeant Ollis actions merit award of the Medal of Honor. The final determination on whether or not Ollis receives the Medal of Honor now rests with President Trump. This photo from 2019 shows the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Army. It was awarded posthumously, to the family of Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis who earned the award for extraordinary heroism in Afghanistan on Aug. 28, 2013. (Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel) Bob Ollis, Michaels father, discussed the renewed effort with the Advance/SILive.com in August. You got a mom and a dad who lost their child, and everybody wants to honor him..., he said. You have no idea what that feels like. I cant thank them (Schumer, Morano, the Richmond County American Legion) enough. We hope and we pray. Its up to God now to push it through, he added. The ultimate sacrifice As previously noted in Schumers letter, at the time of his death, Ollis, 24, was serving as a squad leader in Bushmaster Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division during his third combat deployment. On Aug. 28, the base came under fire and Ollis mobilized the men under his command to a secure location and without pause or hesitation answered the call to duty and advanced towards the assailants, according to Schumers letter. Ollis rallied with coalition forces, among them Polish Officer 2nd Lt. Karol Cierpica. Ollis and Cierpica then encountered a suicide bomber. In an act of heroism, Ollis positioned himself between the bomber and Cierpica, firing upon the target. Although Ollis was able to effectively drop the attacker, the vest detonated and killed him, but he shielded Cierpica from the full blast, saving Cierpicas life. As further indicated in the letter, witnesses present at the base that day claim that Ollis sacrifice not only saved Cierpica, but it preserved the lives of more than 40 military and civilian personnel. Ollis has since been recognized with the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Audie Murphy Medallion, and the Polish Armed Forces Gold Medal that nations highest honor for non-citizens. In 2019, Ollis Silver Star was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Elaine Marsha Eugenio, who owned The Card Shop in West Brighton for decades and became a beloved figure in the Staten Island community, died peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 7, after a long illness. She was 83. Her partner of more than 20 years, Howard Howie Fisk, remembered first meeting her when he managed the Key Food across the street from her store. Elaine Eugenio passed away this month. She was 83. (Courtesy of Howie Fisk) I met Elaine when I was managing Key Food and she owned the card shop across the way, he said. We started talking. We started taking walks. Eventually she told me she loved meand thats a strong word. But then we became partners. I treated her like gold. People used to say that, and its because I loved her. Now Im going to miss her terribly. She had a rough life she lost her husband and she lost her children. She will be missed by many. Elaine's partner of 20 years Howie Fisk first met her while managing the Key Food opposite her store. (Courtesy of Howie Fisk) Shamin Frammosa, formerly of S&T Bagels next door to The Card Shop, also shared her memories. Elaine was an amazing womanvery thoughtful, always concerned about others, and always willing to help, Frammosa said. She really was an amazing and strong woman. For generations, Eugenios stationery and toy store served as a true neighborhood gathering place. She sold the business in 2001, stayed on as manager until a few years ago, and the shop continued under new ownership until last year. The space that once housed both the bagel shop and the 40plusyearold Card Shop became a cannabis dispensary last year, but Elaines legacy as the heart of the West Brighton commercial district endures. She was known for her kindness, humor, and the steadfast dedication she showed to her customers. Born July 18, 1942, on Manhattans Lower East Side, Elaine was the daughter of Nathan and Libby Lifschitz. After graduating from Seward Park High School, she married Staten Island native Rocco Eugenio. She worked as a bank teller while raising their children, Rhonda and Matthew, both of whom predeceased her, along with her husband. Back in the day, the late Elaine Eugenio owner of The Card and Gift Shop sells a Lotto Ticket to North Shore resident Jerry Agro. (Advance/SILive.com | Michael McWeeney) The loss of her daughter Rhonda Ann Eugenio, who died at age 39, remained one of the most profound chapters of her life. A lifelong Staten Islander from West Brighton, Rhonda had lived in the former Willowbrook State School, and later in Cerebral Palsy Association group homes in Oakwood and Graniteville. At the time of Rhondas passing in 2004, Elaine shared with the Staten Island Advance: Her late grandparents, Antonio and Antoinette Eugenio, and Nathan and Libby Lifschitz, as well as her late uncle, Anthony Eugenio, spent lots of time with her and used to take her for walks. Her father, Rocco Eugenio, also loved her very much. He died in 2003 and now she can be with him again. Her bright smile and happy face will be missed forever. Elaine Eugenio is shown here outside of her card store in West Brighton, once located next to the former S&T Bagels. (Courtesy of Howie Fisk) Elaine is survived by her partner, Howard Fisk; her sisters, Irene Goldstoff of Morristown, New Jersey, and Helen Penzel of Port St. Lucie, Florida; and several nieces, nephews and a grand-nephew. She will also be remembered for her generosity, her sharp sense of humor and her legendary stuffed shells, a staple at family gatherings. A remembrance service will be held Sunday, Jan. 11, at 11:30 a.m. at Harmon Funeral Home, 571 Forest Ave. A celebration of life is planned for later this year. Additional details and a guestbook are available at mykeeper.com/ElaineEugenio. Donations in her honor may be made to the American Cerebral Palsy Association, the American Heart Association or a charity of ones choice. The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the medical staff at NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for their compassionate care. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding a Staten Island resident reportedly detained in Venezuela. James Luckey-Lange, 28, has been missing since early December, according to his family. At the time of his disappearance, he was traveling in South America. Luckey-Lange is reportedly among a handful of Americans recently detained by Venezuelan forces. The New York Times reported that Luckey-Lange was detained by security forces while meeting local musicians shortly after he crossed into southern Venezuela from Brazil in December, a source familiar with the issue told the publication. While it has been reported that Luckey-Lange is in the custody of Venezuelas military counterintelligence, the State Department was unable to provide Malliotakis, a Republican representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, with information on Luckey-Langes whereabouts due to privacy protections, the congresswoman told the Advance/SILive.com. With the little information obtained from the media and no confirmation that James has been unlawfully detained, I have alerted the State Department (and) White House about the possible detainment and have personally appealed to Secretary of State Rubio to do everything he can to get any and all Americans being held unlawfully by the Venezuelan government released and returned, Malliotakis said in a statement shared with the Advance/SILive.com. We were informed that the State Department is in direct contact with James family and, due to privacy laws, the department cannot share any additional information with me. As of Friday afternoon, Luckey-Langes aunt, Abbie Luckey, has not heard from authorities on her nephews situation. James Luckey-Lange, 28, a Staten Island resident, is being detained in Venezuela, according to reports. (Photo courtesy of Eva Aridjis-Fuentes) While some of the detainees face legitimate criminal charges, Luckey-Lange is one of two detainees that the U.S. government was considering designating as wrongfully detained, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told the Times. Among the arrested are three Venezuelan-American dual passport holders and two American citizens with no known ties to the country. The latest news of Luckey-Langes whereabouts came on Monday, two days after U.S. armed forces seized Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on federal drug trafficking charges. Maduro, who calls himself the president of Venezuela, is not recognized by the U.S. as the countrys legitimate head of state. Traveling abroad since 2022 Luckey-Lange is the son of musician Diane Luckey, who went by the stage name Q Lazzarus. Luckey was particularly known for her 1988 hit song Goodbye Horses, an iconic tune featured in the Oscar-winning film The Silence of the Lambs. Later in life, she worked as a Staten Island bus driver. Luckey died in 2022 at the age of 60. Luckey-Lange had an interest in South America and decided to travel the continent after his mothers death. He wanted to see the countryside and explore, Abbie, Dianes sister, previously told the Advance/SILive.com. His mother, when he was a kid, had told him stories of how she loved Honduras when she went and so he decided to go and see what she was actually talking about. Luckey-Lange is not a citizen of any country in South America and the family does not have roots in Honduras, according to his 74-year-old aunt. Last year, during Luckey-Langes trip, his father died. Missing since December Luckey-Lange traveled between several countries while on this trip, but still kept contact with his aunt. Every Sunday he would make sure to give her a call. Abbie, a New Jersey resident, last spoke to her nephew on Dec. 8, 2025. And he had told me that he was preparing to come home, said Abbie. He was going into Caracas to get a flight out. As reported by the New York Times, it is unclear if Luckey-Lange had a visa to enter Venezuela. The plan was for Luckey-Lange to join the rest of the family for a cruise just before Christmas. The trip is an annual tradition for the family and a way for them to honor Abbies mother, as well as Diane, whose birthday is in December. After we returned from the cruise we were all in shock because we knew something had happened to James, Abbie explained. Either he had injured himself while he was in the Amazon (jungle) or he was detained, so we started really getting worried. Abbie did not know anything regarding her nephews whereabouts until a New York Times reporter informed her of the possibility that he was being held in Venezuela. Its very concerning to me because we dont know who is going to take over the regime or take over the power there and what his thoughts are on American citizens, Abbie told the Advance/SILive.com following the capture of Maduro. So its very concerning, its really up in the air, we dont know. I want them [U.S. officials] to at least acknowledge that hes there, let us know that they know that he is there and how are they proceeding in getting him home. And also, if hes safe, where he is, she added. JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on Friday reiterated his country's commitment to a rules-based international order grounded in international law and multilateralism, with the United Nations (UN) at its center. Delivering a keynote address on the 2026 Foreign Policy Outlook in Rustenburg, North West Province, Lamola said the doctrine of "might is right" must not be allowed to prevail, and that the rule of law remains fundamental to global stability, legitimacy, and governance. "The unilateral military strikes carried out by the United States of America against Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse from Venezuelan territory threaten to reduce the UN Charter to ashes and to turn multilateralism into a shrine," Lamola said. He emphasized that this moment of geopolitical strife will determine whether the UN delivers on its promise or whether the world returns to an age of wars, fragmentation, and racial hierarchy. "We pledged to refrain from force, understanding that to violate the territorial integrity of one is to violate the peace and stability of all," Lamola added. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Runaway costs and a lack of accountability should lead to reforms of a New York City housing program meant to prevent homelessness, New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said Friday. A comptrollers audit of the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program found that poor administration is leading to rising costs that topped $1 billion in the most recent fiscal year. Stronger oversight of the CityFHEPS program is critical to helping individuals and families access safe housing and stay in their communities, DiNapoli said. Improving how the program operates will better protect tenants and taxpayer dollars. The city Department of Social Services administers CityFHEPS, working with seven anti-homelessness non-profit organizations across the five boroughs that help people at risk of homelessness sign up for the rental assistance program. A maze of income and housing requirements determines eligibility for the program, and individuals and families who qualify can use its rental assistance to help pay for permanent housing anywhere in the state. A December Advance/SILive.com report highlighted one local moms struggles navigating the program due to the constant need to verify she met its qualifications. According to the Department of Social Services, the program has helped almost 124,000 people find permanent housing from its launch in 2018 under former Mayor Bill de Blasio through March 2025. Costs for the program have ballooned from $176 million in fiscal year 2019 to $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2025. The citys fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. DiNapolis office looked at the programs operation under former Mayor Eric Adams from January 2022 to May 2024, examining 75 of the programs cases and $671 million worth of its contracts across the seven non-profit providers. The comptrollers audit found that it wasnt clear everyone who used the program was qualified, and that some of the program participants were placed in substandard housing with hazardous conditions. In one case, CityFHEPS paid over $7,000 for a client to move into a roach- and mice-infested apartment for which the Department of Social Services had previously approved another clients removal. Department of Social Services Chief Accountability Officer Bedros Boodanian penned a letter in October to DiNapolis office responding to a draft version of DiNapolis audit, which followed a 2024 audit that also recommended stronger program oversight. In his letter, Boodanian highlights some of the programs successes, including the people it helps receive housing in a city with a historically-low vacancy rate, as evidence of the departments oversight. He also disputes the comptrollers contention that people were placed in housing with hazardous conditions. Boodanian wrote that the apartments passed checks before clients moved in or did not have hazardous conditions at the time of the departments inspection. Boodanian closes his letter noting that despite many challenges, CityFHEPS remains a vital tool for moving families into permanent housing. Administration of any social service program, including CityFHEPS, is an ever-evolving process, requiring continuous improvements and course corrections. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A complicated crime scene and uncooperative witnesses hindered Salt Lake City police efforts to investigate a fatal shooting outside a house of worship belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The shooting in a church parking lot Wednesday night left two people dead and six injured, including five who remained hospitalized with police protection Thursday. Investigators said the shooting erupted from a dispute between people who knew each other and were attending a funeral. No arrests had been made as of early Thursday evening. Authorities say they do not know whether the shooting was gang-related and that they are having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate. Police do not believe the shooting was random or motivated by animus against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church. Our houses of worship are sacred, whatever the affiliation, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said Thursday. We should all protect those spaces. We should all respect those spaces. All the shooting victims were adults. Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, and Sione Vatuvei, 38, were identified as the two people killed. The red brick church in northwest Salt Lake City mostly serves Tongan congregants and holds regular worship services in their native tongue, according to its website. Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in Tonga in the early 1890s, according to the churchs website. At first, they had little success and the mission closed in 1897. But a decade later, missionaries opened a school in Neiafu, Tongas second-largest town, and began preaching across the islands. Dozens of other schools were started by missionaries and seven remain open. The churchs membership in Tonga has grown to 68,000 and 175 congregations. Since the 19th century, the church has had a really, really prominent place in Tongan society. Depending on who you ask, somewhere between one-third and two-thirds of everybody who lives in Tonga are members of the LDS church, said Matthew Bowman, a Claremont Graduate University professor specializing in U.S. religious history. Today, more than a quarter of the Tongan population in the U.S. resides in Utah, where the church is headquartered. The states Tongan population is about 23,000 and is mostly concentrated in Salt Lake County, according to census data. On Wednesday night, residents from a housing complex next to the church flooded outside to help victims and console dozens of people who had been attending a funeral for a man identified by family on social media as Asi Sekona. Several family members could not immediately be reached for comment. Brennan McIntire said he and his wife, Kenna, heard several loud gunshots from their apartment next to the church parking lot while watching TV. He jumped off the couch and ran outside in flip-flops to see what happened. As soon as I came over, I see someone on the ground, he said. People are attending to him and crying and arguing. Kenna McIntire came outside soon after and was rattled at the sight of first responders lifting an unconscious woman into an ambulance while people huddled around and sobbed. The couple said they hear gunshots in their neighborhood almost daily, but never right outside their door. It was really heartbreaking to hear and see, Kenna McIntire said. About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead. Police said they were reviewing license plate readers and surveillance videos from nearby businesses in their search for suspects. The church was cooperating with law enforcement and said it was grateful for first responders quick efforts. We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind, church spokesperson Sam Penrod said. Latter-day Saints have been on heightened alert since four people were killed when a former Marine opened fire in one of their churches in Michigan in September and set it ablaze. The FBI found that he was motivated by anti-religious beliefs against the church. White House insiders have a ruthless nickname for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the Daily Mail reported. And a top member of President Donald Trumps cabinet went out of his way to ice Gabbard out of the recent Venezuela military strike. In a play on the DNI acronym for her job, stab-in-the-back White House colleagues say that it actually stands for Do Not Invite when it comes to Gabbard. Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, has been noticeably absent amid Trumps military raid on Venezuela and continuing controversy over Trumps calls for a U.S. takeover of Greenland. It was revealed that Trump demanded that his raid on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolas Maduro, called Operation Absolute Resolve, was strictly need-to-know endeavor. And one top cabinet member ensured that Gabbard did not need to know. The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tabbed as a possible GOP vice-presidential candidate in 2028, made sure that Gabbard was excluded from the Venezuela op. Retired Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton said that it was highly unusual for the DNI not to be involved in any of these operations, especially something like Venezuela. Gabbard also remained silent for three days after the strike on Venezuela was announced on Jan. 3. Then-Rep. Gabbard in 2019 opposed any U.S. action in Venezuela. And last month, the DNI called out war mongers who were looking to push the U.S. into conflict. Bloomberg reported that the White House was concerned that Gabbard wouldnt be on board with the Venezuela military strike. But a senior intelligence official said that Gabbard had provided key analysis that had helped the mission. President Donald Trumps former number two has dropped a devastating prediction about the future of his onetime boss, the Daily Beast reported. During an appearance on CNN, Vice President Mike Pence told anchor Kaitlin Collins that he thinks Trump will be impeached if the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in this years midterm elections. I think its very likely, Pence said. I mean, they impeached the president for a phone call when we were in office, and I expect it in this highly divided, partisan town. Pence was vice president during Trumps first term in office. But he and the president fell out after Pence refused to stop the official Electoral College certification of Trumps loss in the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. Pence became a target of Trump supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as the Electoral College certification was underway. Some of those protestors chanted Hang Mike Pence! in the midst of the riot. Trump was impeached twice by the Dem-led House during his first term in office. He was acquitted both times by the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate. Trump already appears to be feeling the threat from a possible 2026 Dem takeover of the House. Speaking to GOP House members earlier this week, Trump issued a stern warning about what could happen if the Dems triumph in the midterms. You gotta win the midterms, Trump told the lawmakers. Because if we dont win the midterms, its just going to beI mean, theyll find a reason to impeach me. Ill get impeached. Pence during his CNN appearance also said that Trumps recent military strike against Venezuela could turn into a millstone for the president. The former veep said that Americans are seeking a return to those timeless principles and values that really united the country. Mayor Zohran Mamdani may want to tax the rich. But that didnt stop the democratic socialist from holding a super-secret meeting with one of the richest moguls in Hollywood. The New York Times reported that on Monday, the first full day of the first full week of Mamdanis administration, the mayor had a private sit-down with billionaire Steven Spielberg at the legendary directors Central Park West apartment. The pre-dinner meeting lasted for about an hour, the Times reported, and was not included on Mamdanis official schedule. The sit-down was confirmed by a Spielberg spokesperson and later by City Hall following an inquiry from the Times. City Hall said both men had agreed to keep details of the meeting private and that Mamdani returned to work following the sit-down. Forbes estimates that Spielberg, the legendary director of Jaws and Saving Private Ryan, is worth more than $7 billion. Mamdanis X account earlier that day had posted a video that featured images from his inauguration ceremony and a pledge to return the power of government to the people. The caption accompanying the video read: The work continues. The work endures. The work has only just begun, the Times reported. Spielberg officially became a city resident on the same day that Mamdani was sworn in as mayor, the Times said. While Spielberg is one of the biggest Democratic donors in the country, records do not show that the Raiders of the Lost Ark auteur had contributed to Mamdanis campaign. HANOI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam disbursed more than 755 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 28.73 billion U.S. dollars) in public investment capital by the end of 2025, accounting for 83.7 percent of the Prime Minister's assigned plan, the Vietnam News Agency reported Friday. Presiding over a national conference the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the result was 206.6 trillion Vietnamese dong higher than a year earlier, yet still lagging behind requirements. He added that there are only 20 days remaining before the end of January 2026 to complete the disbursement of the 2025 plan, while authorities must also begin implementing the 2026 public investment package worth nearly 995.4 trillion Vietnamese dong to support the double-digit growth target. Advertisement BusinessEntrepreneurshipFood & drink Not just raw fish: How Aussie sushi became a billion-dollar phenomenon Jessica Yun January 10, 2026 5:01am 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 Raymond Chen, chief executive of takeaway chain Sushi Hub, wants this much on the record. We are not for sale, he said. Sushi Hubs reported $1 billion valuation, a figure wrangled by The Australian Financial Review late last year, triggered a flurry of unsolicited calls from eager investors who want a bite of the companys success. I received more than 100 phone calls from private equity, from fund [managers], said Chen. We were never for sale. Sushi Hub is one of thousands of shops selling grab-and-go hand rolls in Australia. Flavio Brancaleone Chen is among a small handful of early trailblazers that has carved a place for sushi in the nations fast-food landscape. Australian sushi has, over the years, formed its own identity: the hand-rolls we see so commonly are a homegrown invention, and so are the fillings we favour, such as teriyaki beef and salmon, chicken katsu and tempura prawn, writes Adam Liaw, who made a case for the hybrid cuisine for Good Food. Advertisement But when it comes to this particular form of fast food, Australians dont seem as brand loyal as they are with burgers (McDonalds v Hungry Jacks) or burritos (Guzman y Gomez v Zambrero). Australias two biggest takeaway sushi chains are Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi, but the difference between the two beginning with their names is not as widely understood. Both companies have roughly the same number of stores (just under 200) across Australia, although Sushi Hub is more widely known in NSW, where it has more than 90 stores, while Sushi Sushi has a stronger presence in Victoria (95 stores). Both have similar goals to expand domestically (500 stores by 2036 for Sushi Hub, 450 by 2035 for Sushi Sushi), and both aspire to have a strong international presence. Investors have learnt the difference. While Chen, who is media-shy and declined to be photographed, is fending off calls from investors (the $1 billion valuation is the minimum, and also hypothetical, he clarifies), Sushi Sushis majority owner Odyssey has been seeking a buyer since May last year. Advertisement The process is progressing, said Sushi Sushi chief executive Stephen Anders, who was chief financial officer before being promoted to the top job. There is very good interest in the business, which is to be expected when you consider that we have a category-leading platform. Weve got multiple growth pillars within an Australian market context and an emerging international footprint. At this time, there are no further details I can provide. The mutual respect expressed by both Chen and Anders belies a friendly rivalry. Every time I receive a phone call, I say, Sushi Sushi is for sale, said Chen. Im helping them. Im helping Stephen. The birth of Australian sushi Much of Australias takeaway sushi market is dominated by independent mum-and-pop stores, which account for about 65-70 per cent of sushi stores. Put together, Sushi Sushi and Sushi Hub account for about 15 per cent of all sushi outlets, but about 40 per cent of total takeaway sushi sales. Advertisement A third player, Sushi Izu, has more than 240 locations, but are almost exclusively within Woolworths supermarkets. Chen is one of three co-founders of Sushi Hub, the other two being James Chen and Leon Li. Their first venture had nothing to do with rice or fish, however; the trio, who met at university and became flatmates in 2002, opened and ran an outpost of Asian bakery chain Bread Top in western Sydneys suburb of Cabramatta. There, the landlord suggested they open a sushi outlet. The Sushi Hub in Sydneys CBD. Dominic Lorrimer When we started it 19 years ago, there were many people who had never tried any sushi before, Chen said. We had to start educating the customer, giving free samples to the customer, telling them that, you know, sushi is not all about raw fish. The co-founders quickly cottoned onto, and learned to standardise, the unique way Australians like to eat sushi: a preference for familiar cooked like beef and chicken, as well as prawn and veggie tempura, delivered in the beloved handroll shape. Advertisement The lack of experience in sushi-making helped them approach the product from a customers perspective. I dont like cold rice, to be honest. I want it warm. Warm rice, you can smell it, and you can taste its softer, said Chen. From day one, we always realised that theres no secret about making sushi ... keep it fresh, provide the best ingredients, keep it clean, and thats it. Australias best-selling rolls are consistently crispy chicken and chicken teriyaki rolls, salmon and avocado hand rolls and tuna salad rolls. But there is a formula: sushi is a numbers game. Freshness, and the appearance of it, is everything. Sushi Hubs glass counters attract the eyes to rows of nigiri and inari on display, hand-made, on demand. There are regional differences, too; Queenslanders have a distinct preference for chicken sushi paired with beer. Most rolls and nigiri are made and sold within two hours. Our business is based on volume, not based on high margin, said Chen. Advertisement Australias best-selling rolls are consistently crispy chicken and chicken teriyaki rolls, salmon and avocado hand rolls and tuna salad rolls, according to both Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi chiefs. Sushis popularity is multilayered and crosses generations: it is fast, fresh, convenient, healthy and affordable, appealing to everyone from high schoolers to the corporate worker. Sushi Sushi store, Balwyn, Victoria. Younger generations snack five times a day compared to older generations three meals a day, so sushi roll size and price point is appealing, said retail property consultant and Titanium Food director Suzee Brain. They can still use their phone in the other hand compared to knife and fork-style takeaway options. Takeaway sushi outlets thrive in high foot-traffic, high visibility areas, and requires less floor space than other fast food outlets, or about half of a Guzman y Gomez in a typical high street or shopping centre, Brain said. Advertisement Sushi Hub and Sushi Sushi are part of a new generation of ascending Australian fast food chains Lebanese chicken chain El Jannah being one, frozen yoghurt maker Yo-Chi being another looking to export their brand to the world. Related Article Opinion Aussie icons Yes, Australian sushi exists. Get over it, argues Adam Liaw Adam Liaw Recipe writer and presenter So far, Sushi Sushi has made more headway with international expansion: it operates several stores in New Zealand, plans to open 40 stores in Saudi Arabia, and have inked a deal to enter the Indian market. Sushi Hub is focusing primarily on the domestic market, but is eyeing the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Its not as easy to open a Sushi Hub outlet: one can only become a franchise partner when they have worked in a store for five or more years. We are quite relaxed these days because our focus is always Australian market, said Chen. International expansion is only when [the] opportunity comes. Advertisement Hungry investors shouldnt give up hope. It doesnt mean that we will never consider selling in the future, said Chen. But our priority and focus was always, always on the business itself. Even [if] the business is for sale, it has to be strong. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning. Advertisement CultureBooksLiterature Star British author Zadie Smith joins dozens of authors boycotting Adelaide Writers Week Kerrie O'Brien January 9, 2026 4:19pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Star British author Zadie Smith has joined dozens of writers who have pulled out of this years Adelaide Writers Week following the Adelaide Festival boards decision to remove Palestinian-Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the line-up. Among the writers resigning from the event in protest are Pulitzer Prize-winning American Percival Everett, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, and American journalist Masha Gessen. Locally, Michelle de Kretser, Helen Garner, Melissa Lucashenko, Hannah Kent, Evelyn Araluen, Jane Caro and Peter Greste have withdrawn, as have Peter FitzSimons and Kate Halfpenny, writers for this masthead. Richard Flanagan, while not on the line-up, has expressed support for those who have boycotted. The Adelaide Festival board said on Thursday that, while it was not suggesting in any way that Abdel-Fattah or her writing had any connection with the Bondi attack, given her past statements it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi. Advertisement Adelaide Writers Week director Louise Adler has not spoken publicly since the board made its announcement on Thursday. This year is her fourth in the role and many of the writers withdrawing paid tribute to her work. Adelaide Writers Week director Louise Adler. Eddie Jim One of the countrys largest and best loved literary festivals, AWW is scheduled to run from February 28 to March 5. However on Friday, the program was missing from its website, with the note: In respect of the wishes of the writers who have recently indicated their withdrawal from the Writers Week 2026 program, we have temporarily unpublished the list of participants and events while we work through changes. South Australian Jewish leader Norman Schueler told Adelaides The Advertiser newspaper on Friday his community had asked that Abdel-Fattah be excluded. Over a number of festivals there have been certain presenters who have been problematic and we are extremely pleased that they have for once listened to what we have to say, he said. It was a very wise move and it will improve the cohesiveness of the festival by not having her there, Schueler said. Advertisement Last year this masthead reported on concerns raised by a group called the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism, also known as 5A, about Abdel-Fattahs previous public commentary ahead of her appearance at the Bendigo Writers Festival. It referenced a series of her social media posts, including ones it asserted had said Zionists had no claim to cultural safety and that institutions that considered fragile feelings of Zionists were abhorrent. Academic and writer Randa Abdel-Fattah. In 2024, she was accused of doxing Jewish creatives and has also been criticised for use of an image of a parachutist under the Palestinian flag following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In early 2025, Abdel-Fattahs $870,000 research grant was suspended and she was subject to a 10-month investigation by The Australian Research Council (ARC) into potential conflicts of interest over her public comments about Israel. In December she was cleared and the grant reinstated. In her letter of resignation, Stella Prize winner Professor Clare Wright, said she did so with a heavy heart and a gutful of outrage. Advertisement As a Jewish Australian, I am shocked and insulted that the board could exploit the tragedy of Bondi to weaponise its much-loved and respected literary festival. As a writer, I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Dr Abdel-Fattah and her democratic rights and entitlements to discuss her novel [Discipline] on any stage, in any city, in any country in the world ... Professor Clare Wright. Susan Papazian Greg Barns, SC, spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance, said it shows that artists and writers in Australia do not have adequate human rights protections. In nations with a charter of rights or a human rights act, the right to freedom of expression can be enforced. Governments can be sued for breaching those rights. In Canada, for example, its charter of rights protects speech, art and ideas, and actions can be brought against governments that illegitimately interfere with those rights, Barns said. In other parts of the world the Adelaide Festival would face legal action for its decision. Advertisement Talk of staging a guerrilla festival at the same time as the festival is gaining momentum with independent South Australian publisher Pink Shorts Press saying there was interest in the idea as writers continue to boycott the main event, according to InDailySA. It also reports that Adelaide City councillor Keiran Snape vowed to push for council to cut its funding to the festival after the controversy. Related Article Review A bold exploration of media censorship around the Israel-Palestine conflict South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas doubled down on the decision. When asked for my opinion, I was happy to make it clear that the state government did not support the inclusion of Dr Abdel-Fattah on the Adelaide Writers Week program. I do not support the inclusion of those who actively undermine the cultural safety of others, who celebrate the death of innocent civilians, or those who dox other artists simply because of their faith or cultural background. He said the Adelaide Festival also made its own decision to remove a Jewish writer from the Adelaide Writers Week program in 2024 in very similar circumstances. I support that decision, and the consistent application of this principle. Advertisement This masthead has asked the Adelaide Festival to provide more information on the premiers assertion. Former NSW premier Bob Carr, a prominent critic of Israels actions in Gaza, told The Guardian he would still be appearing at the festival and supported the decision. The Adelaide writers festival has supported hearing Palestinian voices; its record on this is unimpeachable, Carr said. The board should be supported, and people sympathetic to the Palestinian cause should continue to participate in [the festival]. Concerns about the wording of the Adelaide Festival boards statement citing the cultural sensitivity of a Palestinian-Australian author appearing at the event so soon after the shootings in Bondi last month were raised by many authors. Advertisement Jamal Hakim, chief executive of the Australian Arab Institute for Culture and Ideas (AAICI), says the decision is the latest in a worrying trend. Invoking cultural sensitivity to justify silencing an author does not protect anyone. It sharpens the divide and is deeply troubling. It tells Palestinians that their testimony alone is too dangerous to be heard, that their grief is an unacceptable disturbance in public life, he said. If this community is serious about healing, Palestinian stories and human rights cannot be pushed to the margins. They must remain visible, audible, and part of the shared record. Silence does not mend wounds, nor does it help end atrocities. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement CultureLive reviewsSydney live reviews Khalid Abdalla holds the room even when the show wanders Chantal Nguyen , Harriet Cunningham , Kate Prendergast Joyce Morgan and Updated January 11, 2026 9:23am ,first published January 9, 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 Sydney Festival is upon us for another year. Here is everything you need to know - reviews, previews and interviews - to plan your festival experience. See all stories . THEATRE Nowhere Roslyn Packer Theatre, January 13 Until January 17 Reviewed by JOYCE MORGAN He emerges from the audience to mount the stage, like an everyman thrust into the spotlight. Its a low-key entrance, with the house lights still up. Khalid Abdalla swiftly seizes attention, drawing us into what he calls the safe nowhere space of theatre. Here hell unpack a tale of a world where nowhere is safe. And what a sprawling tale it is, intertwining family history, grief over a friends cancer, the Arab Spring, colonial legacy, neoliberalism and events in Gaza. The personal and political are inseparable, as they are in Abdallas life. Abdalla is a hugely engaging performer. Neil Bennett Advertisement Scottish-born of Egyptian parents, Abdallas father and grandfather were political prisoners in Egypt. Abdalla himself was involved in the Arab Spring protests in Tahir Square in 2011. With its mix of family tales and images, Nowhere initially brought to mind William Yangs pictorial monologues. But the family album is intercut with images of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Abu Ghraib prison. Theres a soundbite of former British PM Theresa May delivering her infamous line: If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere. The solo show, which Abdalla also wrote, veers into unlikely and not well-integrated terrain. There are flashes of revelation from the design of Paris to his familys connection to an imperial titan. But it ventures down so many byroads, it loses its way. At one point Abdalla has the audience drawing self-portraits. While this lightened the mood and was certainly fun, its broader purpose was elusive. Advertisement This is a technically complex show using video and slide projections, mobile phone images, live camera work much of which Abdalla operates on stage yet it never feels dominated by the tech. The high-tech wizardry (video designer Sarah Readman) is combined with some low-tech origami in this production directed by Omar Elerian and designed by Ti Green. Video of an endless line of childrens clothes laid out along a beach, symbolising children killed in Gaza, is the shows most powerful image. The strength of this unwieldly show is Abdalla. He is hugely engaging, performing with warmth and intimacy, establishing a rapport as he relates moving and even funny anecdotes. He also mimes and dances impressively (choreography Omar Rajeh). He concludes with a searing monologue that acknowledges the suffering of Jewish people, including in the wake of Bondi, and condemns what he calls genocide in Gaza. This Sydney Festival show premiered as artists are under unprecedented pressure to tone down challenging content or be silenced. Advertisement The SMH has reported that some Jewish-Australians had questioned Abdallas inclusion so soon after the Bondi Beach terror attack. It is the same argument that has convulsed Adelaide Writers Week and led to the cancelling of the event after its board controversially dumped Australian-Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah. Theatre has long been a space to consider difficult ideas. This piece, with its impassioned plea for peace, may be chaotic and unfocused, but if were unwilling to contemplate diverse views, we really are on a road to nowhere. MUSIC Hot Chip: Joy in Repetition Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, January 14 Until January 15 Reviewed by KATE PRENDERGAST Heres the bug on my bear; the earwig in my soup. Dont throw a dance music event at a venue with assigned seating. Advertisement The result is a deranged Foucauldian study in group behaviour one so morbidly fascinating as to pull focus from the main happening. Regressing to the meek obedience of crayon-thumbing primary students, you will find the crowd ceding their autonomy almost entirely to their seat number. Confined to their ass-prisons, their trim cubicles of designated space, free movement becomes circumscribed. The joy in repetition, risked. The crowd did their best despite the constraints of the venue. This is what happens when you put the UK indie-tronic institution Hot Chip in the Concert Hall for their 25-year lap. Hallowed though the locale may be, braggy as played the Opera House is on a Spotify bio, its a misguided choice. Most ticket-buyers had, true, got to their feet by Huarache Lights, the second in an irresistibly catchy set list built from a shuffle of 2025s retrospective album whence this event got its name. But, in the chasmic darkness of the centre stalls, at least one elderly lady sat trapped. For her, surrounded, unable to move left or right, the spectacle of the performance became the writhing rears of those who had risen, heroically, to boogie in place. These bodies would plop down en masse just once for the down-tempo Look at Where We Are. Advertisement Sociologically, then, a shambles. Otherwise, a success! Australia appears to love the man/machine hybrid, with this Sydney Festival programming coming off the back of Rufus Du Sol, Justice and Underworld, each experts in translating whats cooked in the studio to a live animal on stage. Adding a drummer to their core five, Hot Chip soar with easy unity through backlist bangers, from their heady self-reflexive breakout Over and Over on The Warning (2006), to the more conceptually mature Eleanor on Freakout/Release (2022). With Alexis Taylors tenor like a shot of cool, pulp-free OJ from a clear glass on a summer day gently invigorating, nostalgic and sweet they meander through two decades of melancholy aphorisms, upliftingly inventive pop hooks and bubbling compositions. Unlike many other electronic music acts, these guys have always embraced a shaggy, DIY, anti-poseur free-spiritedness, for their community of listeners. This means looking cool in your threads, or your shape-throwing, isnt top priority. Its an all-welcome euphoria to tap into. We did our best. Advertisement DANCE Garabari Sydney Opera House, Northern Broadwalk January 9 to 10 Reviewed by CHANTAL NGUYEN Garabari is a Sydney Festival highlight: welcoming, joyous, and promising everyone a good time in a stunning locale. Its staged outside on the Sydney Opera Houses magnificent Northern Broadwalk: the outdoor area behind the sails, featuring the panoramic money-views of Sydney Harbour. As the crowd file in, theyre greeted jovially by Wiradjuri choreographer Joel Bray, who explains the interactive set-up as if inviting you to his house party. The dancers would love to talk to you, he beams. And there is a bar. Ooooh! the audience gasp appreciatively. Advertisement Garabari is a celebration of shared rhythm and community. Stephen WIlson Barker Five minutes later Im standing in the Broadwalk, prosecco in hand. The area is ambient with smoke ruffled by the coastal breeze, and set up with three outdoor stages. Brays dancers wend through the space, stopping to chat with audience members or greet each other. The atmosphere is relaxed and excited: people are exclaiming how good it is to be outside. Garabari is Wiradjuri for corroboree: Brays premise is to have audiences experience the joyful immersion of corroboree. Its the fine arts, ancient cultural sharing, and sociopolitical reconciliation wrapped in an ingeniously accessible, all round good-vibes package. Isnt that exactly the kind of audience connection modern dance is always striving to achieve? The premise is to have audiences experience the joyful immersion of corroboree Stephen Wilson Barker People are recognising each other and catching up. A delightful communal vibe permeates albeit with a Sydney Festival flavour. William Yang! So good to see you! an awestruck voice gasps at octogenarian photography icon Yang, standing unobtrusively stage-side clasping a giant camera. Advertisement Next, I stumble on a knot of First Nations dance personalities surveying the crowd. Im just here to check out my ethnic competition! jokes one. But Joel is the golden child! comes the rejoinder. The dancing and music (Byron Scullins catchy beats) crescendo, and the audience follows the performers from stage to stage with visible glee. Night descends and dancing projections (Katie Sfetkidis designs) light up the Opera House. Children, the elderly, and everyone in between move to the beat, guided by the dancers. One dancer takes the mic and tells the creation story of the Murrumbidgee River. I wanna tell you a story! he begins, and the crowd roars its approval as if at a rock concert. By the end, everyone is dancing the night away in a celebration of shared rhythm and community. Surrounded by the beauty of the Harbour, the Opera House and Bridge, all under a perfect summer night sky: its hard to imagine anything better. Advertisement THEATRE Dear Son Belvoir St Theatre, January 10 Until January 25 Reviewed by JOHN SHAND How do you dramatise a book composed of letters? Isaac Drandic and John Harvey had many solutions in adapting Thomas Mayos Dear Son, which consists of letters Mayo asked fellow Aboriginal men to write to their sons or fathers. More solutions were probably added by Drandic in his role as director. (He also bravely acted, book in hand, as a replacement for the sick Luke Carroll.) Drandic and Harvey located the play in an outback mens shed, strikingly designed by Kevin OBrien and lit by David Walters. While each letter had a protagonist, the text was passed around the cast of five, with described scenes enacted (three actors even becoming a growling a V8 car!), blocks of text delivered in unison (to potent effect), and dance and song. Waangenga Blanco and Jimi Bani in Dear Son. Stephen Wilson Barker The resultant play, produced by Queensland Theatre Co and State Theatre Company South Australia, and presented by Sydney Festival, runs for just 70 minutes, yet seemed longer, not because it dragged, but because it is crammed with mood swings. These range from broad humour to confessions and statements of love onto a sinister vignette set in Darwins notorious Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. Advertisement Given the books impact, I expected the play to be more harrowing, and perhaps it would be, were Carroll to join Jimi Bani, Waangenga Blanco, Kirk Page and Tibian Wyles, all of whom excelled. Drandic, lacking the regular actors projection, handled Mayos letter to his son, which begins with regretting that when the son was nine and reached for his fathers hand in public, Mayo rejected the gesture, saying the son was too old for that. Wyles was the protagonist in Troy Cassar-Daleys letter to his son, telling of the powerful love that conceived him. Bani handled Yessie Mosbys letter to his four sons, brimming with evocations of growing up on the Torres Straits Masig (Yorke Island). It was this piece that included the powerful dance sequence, choreographed by Blanco. Page took on Stan Grants letter to his boys about the suffering of his own father, who was visited in a dream by his ancestors as magpies, telling him it was not yet his time to die because he had a mission to save the Wiradjuri language. The two funniest stories, Jack Latimores about trying to reach an uncle in Port Macquarie before he died, and Charlie Kings recounting of his fathers bicycle ride from Melbourne to Darwin (via the East Coast), were brilliantly delivered by Blanco and Bani, respectively. Kings, one of the finest contributions to the book, ends with Bani expressing regret for not telling his father of his love and admiration before he died. Setting aside grievances, embarrassment and rivalries to say the important things before its too late, and dealing with racism, are recurrent themes. The moving conclusion saw each actor address us as himself and speak of his own families. The collective warmth of heart vibrated through the theatre. Advertisement DANCE Garrigarrang Badu Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre January 9 to 10 Reviewed by CHANTAL NGUYEN Warning: This review contains the name of an Indigenous person who is deceased. The all-female Jannawi Dance Clan takes the stage for this years Sydney Festival with Garrigarrang Badu. The title means saltwater/freshwater, and is the first Jannawi piece to be performed completely in the Dharug language. Choreographed by Jannawi artistic director and former Bangarra dancer Peta Strachan, a Dharug woman from the Boorooberongal clan, Garrigarang Badu is a loving celebration of the Dharug nation and Dharug country a vast area stretching from Sydney Harbour to the Blue Mountains, and running from Broken Bay down to the Southern Highlands. Advertisement Garrigarang Badu is a loving celebration of the Dharug nation and Dharug country. Stephen Wilson Barker Its structured into vignettes set to 14 songs in the Dharug language, with the dancers moving through bush and water, at times carrying torches, nets, nawi (canoes), coolamons (storage vessels), dilly bags, and digging sticks. In terms of production elements, theres no faulting Garrigarrang Badu. The set and props (Govinda Webster and Pink Cactus Props) are gorgeous. Five squares of silk-like material grace the stage, fluttering in a breeze, holding Samuel Jamess atmospheric projections of trees, stars, and smoke. Paul Osborne and Catapult Creatives lighting is equally evocative, capturing the dappling of sunlight through leaves to a pivoting night sky, and the magic of moonlight shimmering on water. The music, composed by DYAGULA with language and vocals by Matthew Doyle and the late Dharug linguist Richard Green, is both a profound act of cultural sharing and will also be broadly appealing for non-Indigenous audiences. The Jannawi dancers have travelled across country to perform. Stephen WIlson Barker Surprisingly, the dance in Garrigarrang Badu is not as strong as these other elements, with a narrative structure that feels flatter less varied in emotional peaks and troughs than it perhaps should be. This makes the 100-minute runtime pass slowly. The piece builds to a lovely climax with the canoe scene, but it seems too little, too late. Advertisement The Jannawi dancers have travelled across country to perform, and showcase an impressive unity in these circumstances. Audiences should not go in expecting a stratospheric level of choreographic complexity or dance technique (the segments with a modern dance influence can be quite exposed, and sit at about late high school to early pre-professional level). But for those who have little exposure to First Nations dance, Garrigarrang Badu may be a valuable entry point. DANCE Post-Orientalist Express Roslyn Packer Theatre January 8 to 10 Reviewed by CHANTAL NGUYEN Korea is a known dance powerhouse and from Korea, choreographer Eun-Me Ahn is a known force of nature. A darling of the international festival scene, her projects include everything from the 2002 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony to a duet with a live chicken. Her visually stunning satire Post-Orientalist Express rushes in like a rainbow in a whirlwind riding a dragon, and opens this years Sydney Festival. Blessed with more than 90 luminous costumes (Ahns designs), an extraordinary techno soundscape (Young-gyu Jangs composition), and eight performers who can do everything from somersaults to biting satire and god-like serenity, Post-Orientalist Express is not so much a dance piece as an entire world, breathtaking in its panoramic energy. Advertisement The tottering panda was an audience favourite. Its through-line is a satirical commentary on Western exoticisation of the Orient. European dance critics describe Ahn as the Pina Bausch of Asia, but you walk out of this show thinking that really, Pina Bausch should just be called the Eun-Me Ahn of Europe. You take your seats and realise the piece has already started: animations of paintings from Europes 19th century Orientalist school of art project onto the curtain (Taeseok Lees video design). Then come the dancers, gliding and pole-vaulting across the stage in Ahns delightful designs. There are boats that glide across lakes; a giant teapot full of mist; a gold dragon embroidered on black velvet; surreal structures of lace, tassels and balloons; sky-high platform boots; flashing mouthguards and glow sticks; and even a tottering panda. The endless energy of the seven dancers is a wonder. Starting as a surreal, hypnotic series of hyper-stylised tableaux (perhaps representing the Western gaze), the dance gradually loosens up, crescendoing into an explosion of colour and life. Theres no interval to interrupt the galloping momentum. Ahn herself is a recurring narrative presence like a fairy godmother, she flicks in and out with energetic solos so charming that the audience cheer. Advertisement The choreography never feels like camp mimicry. Her seven swift-footed dancers are a wonder: effortlessly somersaulting and spinning in a cloud of serpentine athleticism, appearing more like a cast of dozens. Despite this prowess, they move with a refreshing humility, quiet dignity and self-deprecating humour. This stops the choreography from ever feeling like camp mimicry and proves that inaccessible pretension should never be confused with good modern dance. The standing ovation at the end came quickly and was delightfully noisy some audience members even made heart signs with their hands. THEATRE Burgerz Carriageworks, January 8 Until January 18 Reviewed by HARRIET CUNNINGHAM Advertisement When is a burger not a burger? Does it have to be beef? Does it need cheese? Is it a burger if there are no pickles? Does the bun need to be thicker on the top or the bottom? And does it have to be round? These are questions Travis Alabanza has asked of themselves, and now asks of us, in their by turns anarchic, hilarious and hugely affecting show Burgerz, which opens Australias first Trans Theatre Festival. (By the way, Alabanza says yes, the bun does need to be round, otherwise this show might be called Hotdogz.) When is a burger not a burger? Travis Alabanza raises a few questions. Burgerz is Alabanzas response to their experience of a hate crime some 10 years ago, when, one morning on Londons Waterloo Bridge, a man shouted tranny and hurled a burger at Alabanza, splattering their dress with mayonnaise and mince. Related Article Sydney Festival Your ultimate guide to the 2026 Sydney Festival Advertisement It was nothing that a thick skin and some dry-cleaning fluid couldnt fix, perhaps, but for Alabanza the real impact was that no one in this busy street reacted. No one helped. Everyone looked away and walked on by. Track 8 at Carriageworks is full of people ready to help on the first night of Burgerz. When Alabanza emerges from a large packing case dressed in blue overalls on a blisteringly hot night they are greeted by a crowd of fellow travellers. When they call for a volunteer, hands shoot up. But when they ask for a volunteer who is a white cis-male, all goes quiet. Thank goodness for Andy, an economist from Norway who accepts the invitation and spends most of the show on stage wearing a bright orange apron. Andy becomes sous chef and straight man for a sometimes brutal interrogation into the making of a burger. There are plenty of laughs: big squirts and little squirts, meat grinding and buns. There are also tough conversations. Can we talk race? Yes, we can and will. The most impactful moments are when Alabanza drops the cabaret persona and speaks candidly about the despair, the hurt and the confusion of their everyday existence. Andy becomes an Everyman, a silent witness, while the burger becomes a metaphor for the senseless brutality of the norm. The concept of Burgerz is inspired and the delivery unflinching. On opening night the outcome was robbed of some of its impact by stifling heat, unco-operative microphones and the unprovokable Andy, but it will build as Alabanza gets the measure of a Sydney crowd. Advertisement For the most part, Alabanza laps up the volatile chaos of audience participation. They have an impressive string of comebacks for all occasions and handle the top spin of cultural difference with ease. They are gentle but insistent in their attempts to get a reaction from Andy, to the point that it sometimes turns into an uncomfortable battle of wills. But, in the end, the burger gets made and we learn. About Alabanza, about burgers and about ourselves. Advertisement January 9, 2026 11:00am 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 Former AFL WAG Amie Rohan was on my radar at the gym weeks before we spoke. I clocked how one minute shed be deadlifting hilariously heavy bars, the next hoisting her newborn from his pram and handing homemade yoghurt cups to her two daughters. I didnt realise who she was but told her she was ace. Im older than her mum, but we became unlikely friends. One day, Amie needed an emergency babysitter. I was gobsmacked by the 5 million socks drying neatly in her laundry and the fact her kids playroom had no electronic toys. Walls were hung with the periodic table and world maps. Lachie Neale celebrates winning the 2025 grand final between Geelong Cats and Brisbane Lions. Jason South My lasting fascination with Amie though was, and is, that she survived a public humiliation and a private grief with dignity when her then-Geelong Football Club player husband Gary Rohan left her when their youngest was months old, amid rumours of a romance with a club physio. Amie was suddenly a single mum and Gary earned a spot next to Wayne Carey in the AFLs ranks of marital drama grubs. Advertisement Which is why, when the Lachie Neale story broke, I thought of Amie. Since Christmas, shes been camping (with the kids and her new fabulous family man partner) so we havent talked, but I reckon this latest AFL playing away drama will bring back awful memories. And I bet shes drafted messages to Jules Neale, wanting to be empathetic without overstepping. Jules and Lachie Neale on Brownlow night 2025. AFL Photos Id also like to support Jules. Weeks on, I still cant get my head around the Shakespearean scale of the implosion of her marriage to AFL untouchable Lachie and how it has the same archetypes of the Rohan COVID-hub scenario and the Carey saga in 2002, in which the former North Melbourne captain had an affair with his vice captains wife: betrayal, hubris, a fallen king. The Neale plot, no doubt already familiar to you, has a furious wife going scorched earth via Instagram, displaying not vengefulness but certainty. A former best friend leaning into publicity. A 2025 grand final photo of the alleged other woman with her knee pressed into Lachies, apparent intimacy frozen in plain sight. While Im aware an interest in other peoples heartbreak is tacky, I want to know what comes next. Wondering if, assuming Lachie did stray, the alleged relationship that upended his life still holds any appeal now that its stripped of secrecy and fantasy. Advertisement Jules Neale (left) and her estranged friend Tess Crosley on grand final day 2025. Instagram But most of all I wonder whether anyone involved thought through the question that sits beneath every affair story. Not even necessarily a moral question, but a practical one. Will this be worth it? Is short-term heat whatever form it takes, sexy texts, the brush of a hand that feels more exciting than a full-body hug with a spouse, a hotel room rendezvous where guilt fights ego worth blowing up good lives and risking everything for? And you do risk everything when desire outruns good judgment. Because nothing stays hidden. Someone wants more and leaves a breadcrumb. Someone checks a phone. A gut feeling gets followed. Advertisement Related Article Updated AFL 2026 Ive let my family down: Lachie Neale steps aside as Lions co-captain amid marriage breakdown The reckoning arrives eventually, and it involves tonnes of collateral damage. Home, money, trust, children. All in the gun. The boring intimacy of daily life that seems suddenly as precious as rubies. Think. Are they worth more than strange sex? Yep, some affairs do lead to lasting love. But far more often whats left, especially when the kids are tiny, a la the Neales, is a ledger that doesnt make for happy reading. Lachies appears particularly expensive. He loses a wife who gave up her career for his, who no doubt did years of unpaid PR for the Lions (and dont think the club will look after Jules now. Theyll raise the drawbridge.) Hell have to fly cross-country to see his babies. He wont be called the great man himself by sponsors or radio hosts now. Advertisement Related Article Opinion New Year 2025 was the year of weird celebrity matches, hatches and dispatches Kate Halfpenny Regular columnist And without a full mea culpa and not just a dicky pledge to work on himself, good luck with a post-footy media career. The part that tends to get waved away when affairs are framed as emotional detours or private misjudgments is exposure that doesnt just end relationships. It redraws lives. If the answer to whether its worth it isnt an instant, unequivocal yes, then the self-destruction begins long before anyone touches a leg or lifts a phone. Kate Halfpenny is the founder of Bad Mother Media. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here. Advertisement NationalCensorship Opinion Politicians shouldnt decide who appears at writers festivals. Its a dangerous path Richard Flanagan Writer January 9, 2026 5:34pm January 9, 2026 5:34pm 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 Everybody knows there is no fineness or accuracy of suppression, wrote the great Jewish-American writer Saul Bellow, if you hold down one thing you hold down the adjoining. And so it is with the act of the Adelaide Festival board in disinviting Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers Week. With Australians horrified by the Bondi mass murder, insidiously linking a writer with that massacre is an appalling slander, vile in itself. But in saying one Australian writer cannot speak, inevitably more and more Australian writers will find themselves also unable to speak first at festivals, soon in universities, then on public broadcasters. Randa Abdel-Fattah and Peter Singer at Adelaide Writers Week in 2023. This time, her invitation was withdrawn. Andrew Beveridge And the categories of what is unsayable and who is silenced will inevitably grow. Today it is Gaza, but next it could be the environment or social policy. As we see in the United States, the slippery categories of terrorism and community cohesion are ever-growing as forces of oppression. Randa Abdel-Fattah is charged with having given profound offence with past social media posts but then so too has Tony Abbott been charged with giving profound offence to many Indigenous Australians in the past. Both have new books out, both were invited to speak at the AWW, yet only Tony Abbott remains welcome. Some may not like what Randa Abdel-Fattah has to say, but then others may not like what pro-Israel writers who are also to speak at AWW have to say either. And that is the point all deserve to be heard. Advertisement It is no secret that this decision came about because of intense political pressure from the South Australian government. The festival boards statement clearly implies this and goes further by announcing a new special committee to oversee all future programming that will have ongoing engagement with relevant Government agencies and the appointment and/or advice of external experts. For special committee read political commissars overseen by the state. For external experts read lobby groups. And yet we know that a society that allows its politicians and special interest groups to decide who gets to speak and who doesnt is on a dangerous path. Related Article Literature Star British author Zadie Smith joins dozens of authors boycotting Adelaide Writers Week I am writing this because Adelaide Writers Week director Louise Adler, herself Jewish, her grandfather murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau, her father a member of the French resistance, did something remarkable at a critical moment in our culture. Over the past three years, she made the festival no more or less than a beacon for free speech at a time when that felt imperilled. She allowed writers once more to say what they wished and not fear that they would be cancelled or condemned for saying it. It was the republic of letters, not the tyranny of political orthodoxy. When threatened by the powerful for the brave stand she took, Adler did not back down and the Adelaide Writers Week board, to their immense credit, stood firmly behind her. Writers took note. Audiences began growing and kept growing. The conversations grew real and connected, as writers once more found their voice. Issues that were not being discussed and debated elsewhere in public were discussed and debated at Adelaide. And, in consequence, Adelaide Writers Week, to my mind, became once more the best writers festival in Australia. Writing, as Franz Kafka, another Jewish writer, put it, is the axe that smashes the frozen sea within. Good writing is never orthodoxy. It is heresy. Writers, if they are doing their work properly, rub against the grain of conventional thinking. In a time when the richest and the most reactionary seek to create and impose an information and cultural orthodoxy in the form of AI the ultimate point of which is not to benefit humanity but to enrich themselves further and consolidate the grotesqueries of their unprecedented power we need our heretics to be heard and we need forums like AWW that allow audiences to find them more than ever. Advertisement But with this act of utter folly and appalling weakness, the Adelaide Festival board and the politicians who direct it have by scapegoating a Palestinian writer now destroyed Adelaide Writers Week for the foreseeable future. If it has not collapsed, discredited and disgraced, by the time this goes to print, it will within the next few days. In what was described to me as a Jack Russell race out the front door, alongside almost every Australian writer of stature, global literary superstars such as Masha Gessen, Zadie Smith and Percival Everett have all withdrawn, along with sponsors major and minor. Related Article Literature Adelaide Festival pulls Palestinian-Australian writer from Writers Week program The issues this single act raises go far beyond the banks of the now-frozen Torrens: it speaks of a crisis in our hollowed-out democracy in which our politicians no longer have either the courage or judgment to recognise what are the appropriate spheres for their own influence. As South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas put it in 2023 after deciding in spite of being upset by it not to interfere with the AWWs programming that year, when politicians decide what is culturally appropriate it leads us to a future in which politicians can directly stifle events that are themselves predicated on freedom of speech and the expression of ideas. A path, in fact, that leads us into the territory of Putins Russia. Malinauskas was right then. Hes wrong now. Advertisement And if the aim of the Adelaide Festival board members was, in their words, to act in a culturally sensitive way, to lessen murderous antisemitism, they have instead only engorged it, allowing their act to feed into every antisemitic trope of the vilest kind. They have both gifted antisemites and the far right their cowardly act, and with it established a dangerous precedent to further encroach on freedom of speech nationally. Related Article Letters Letters Do we fear exposing an uncomfortable truth? I write this in support both of Louise Adlers previous opposition to this silencing and of my many fellow writers who have chosen to withdraw from AWW, and call upon the Adelaide Festival Board to have the wisdom, the courage and the humility to right this wrong and reinvite Randa Abdel-Fattah. Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. In 2024, he won the Baillie Gifford Prize (for non-fiction) for his most recent book, Question 7. Advertisement NationalNSWBushfires Fears blaze will jump Victorian border as fire bans declared across NSW Jack Gramenz and Angus Dalton Updated January 9, 2026 4:30pm ,first published 12:00pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A NSW volunteers are being sent to Victoria to support firefighting efforts and to prevent blazes from spreading across the border, as extreme heat and wind are expected to sweep into NSW and the ACT on the weekend. A total fire ban has been declared for much of eastern NSW on Saturday, from the Greater Hunter to the Victorian border, including the Sydney region. Loading Extreme fire danger is expected across Sydney, the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, the southern ranges and slopes, and the Monaro Alpine region bordering Victoria, which on Friday battled catastrophic conditions. Sixty fires are burning across NSW, including more than a dozen bush and grass fires along the NSW-Victorian border as bad fire weather pushes north. Advertisement People in the town of Corowa, just north of the border, were briefly urged to take shelter under an emergency warning issued by the NSW Rural Fire Service about 6pm, as a grass fire threatened residential streets. Firefighters have since gained the upper hand and relaxed the warning. The RFS has also said a large bushfire burning south of the Murray River, about 50 kilometres east of Albury, could blow into NSW when the winds change on Saturday. The view of the Victorian bushfires near the NSW border on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney on Friday. Tyson Perkins Firefighters are monitoring the area between Talmalmo and Jingellic as flying embers ignite spot fires on the NSW side. People need to take action now and make sure theyve got a bushfire survival plan in place, the RFS district manager of the southern border Superintendent Tom McDevitt said. Its never too late to start one and know what youre doing. Advertisement The State Operations Centre at NSW RFS headquarters on Friday. Flavio Brancaleone Smoke fills the sky above the Walwa bushfire, on the Victoria and NSW border. VicEmergency Fires already burning in Victoria and new blazes possibly sparked by dry lightning later on Friday will be fast-moving and hard to control as an evening southerly change in wind brings 90 kilometre gusts to Melbourne, the Bureau of Meteorology said in an update from the National Emergency Centre. The winds will then move into NSW on Saturday, increasing fire risk. Were expecting widespread extreme fire danger ratings across NSW and the ACT for tomorrow. No districts are currently at the catastrophic level, a BoM spokesman said. Advertisement NSW firefighters in the Victorian town of Yea on Friday. Eddie Jim A firefighting helicopter battles the Longwood, Victoria bushfire on Thursday. State Control Centre There will also be some increased winds across these regions as the passage of the front moves up and around into NSW, making it challenging for firefighters on the ground. NSW Rural Fire Service were monitoring. Commissioner Trent Curtin said volunteers were helping south of the border. Weve sent a lot of crews into Victoria today to support them with their catastrophic conditions, he told this masthead. Advertisement People cool off at Bronte during the sweltering weather on Friday. Dominic Lorrimer Weve got a lot of aircraft available to support that, so whilst we dont expect that fire to cross the border we are prepared in the event it might. The Murray River that comprises much of the border between the states does help to limit the spread. Its a natural break there. That fire would have to jump quite a long way, but it is possible, Curtin said. Under these conditions, embers can travel quite a long way. Dylan Calder and Jesse, 2, at Waves Aquatic and Fitness Centres Splash Pad in Baulkham Hills. Sitthixay Ditthavong Advertisement Locals seek shelter in a shaded breezy spot in the Narrabeen Beach car park. Max Mason-Hubers Curtin encouraged those who had not already done so to download the Hazards Near Me app and to monitor conditions regularly. Its really important that everyones prepared for extreme fire conditions, he said. In most parts of Sydney, temperatures has passed into the mid-30s and 40s on Friday as the heatwave continued to build. The top temperature of 42.4 degrees was recorded at Penrith. A swimmer takes a dip at Parriwi Beach in Mosman on Friday during Sydneys heatwave. Sitthixay Ditthavong Advertisement Sydney will bake again on Saturday as temperatures reach as high as 43 degrees in the city and in the west. The heatwave is expected to ease when a south-west to southerly change brings milder temperatures on Sunday, when a maximum of 25 degrees is forecast for Penrith and 26 degrees for the city. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. A cool change is expected to arrive about 8pm or 9pm, but the Rural Fire Service is warning the bushfire threat is not over as winds are expected to be strong. Eight total fire bans have been in place today in areas stretching from Greater Sydney to the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Far South Coast and along the border with Victoria, which has experienced catastrophic conditions. Greg Allan, a spokesman for the NSW Rural Fire Service, said the state was experiencing very hot, very-windy conditions. In some very low areas, theres been a number of fires that have reached the watch and act alert level, including one at Mount Colah in the northern parts of Sydney, that was contained really quickly, Allan said. There were a couple of other [fires] out west that did get to watch and act, but crews got around very quickly. The one fire that [is] watch and act now is down in the Eurobodalla thats been burning for a number of days. Its in a very remote area, so theres no immediate threat to properties. Allan said residents near fires should be alert, as damaging winds are expected to begin tonight, and could switch the direction of a blaze before a cool southerly buster provides relief for firefighters. Overnight temperatures usually do cool that a little, the humidity rises and the winds back off. But because the southerly is set to come around 8pm or 9pm tonight, that wind will be quite strong if there is fire activity. Its important to realise that fire may move in a different direction and so you need to monitor whats going on. The Bureau of Meteorology, shortly before 5pm, issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds for parts of the metropolitan, Illawarra and Hunter districts. A vigorous southerly wind change, currently located near Jervis Bay along the Illawarra coast, will move rapidly northwards along the coast during the evening, the bureau said. Damaging southerly winds averaging 55 to 65km/h with peak gusts of about 100km/h are likely about the coastal fringe between Jervis Bay and Gosford from early this evening [Saturday], expected to ease below warning thresholds in the late evening. Locations which may be affected include Wollongong, Kiama, Bulli, Port Kembla, Albion Park and Huskisson. SAO PAULO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazil and Mexico on Thursday jointly condemned the recent U.S. attacks on Venezuela's sovereignty and dismissed any notion of dividing the world into spheres of influence, the Brazilian presidency said in a statement. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Venezuela after the United States launched a raid in Venezuela on Saturday, capturing the country's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife before putting them in custody in New York. "While repudiating the attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty, both leaders rejected any outdated vision that could imply a division of the world into zones of influence. In this context, they reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, international law and free trade," the statement said. Lula and Sheinbaum, heads of the two largest economies in Latin America, voiced readiness to continue cooperating with Venezuela in support of peace, dialogue and stability in the country and the wider region. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Save this article for later Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. A missing woman and girl from south of Brisbane have been spotted travelling together in NSW. The 53-year-old and 12-year-old from Kingston were seen on January 6 about 11am in a blue Holden Crewman at a service station in Coffs Harbour. Police did not reveal their relationship but said the pair were known to each other. The missing woman and child from Kingston were seen driving in a Holden Crewman, a four-door variant of the Commodore ute. Queensland Police The woman is about 160 centimetres tall and of average build, with brown eyes and brown hair. Advertisement NationalNew Year Opinion The 7 things Ill never do again: my reverse-bucket list Margot Saville Deputy opinion editor January 10, 2026 5:00am January 10, 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 Now that Ive reached middle age, when the time I have left to me is dwarfed by the time Ive squandered in unproductive activities like having a family and being nice to people, a bucket list seems all wrong. Do I have the time to train for Everest base camp? Of course not. Much simpler to write a reverse-bucket list things that Ive done in the past and will never do again. On the cancelled list: Camel riding (the author, Margot Saville, is seen here with her daughter Stella), and the boat that sunk ambitions. Illustration by Michael Howard 1. Paraphernalia sports Top of the list is anything to do with paraphernalia sports where the pleasure in the activity is outweighed by the sheer volume of equipment. No. 1 is boating. I was once part of a syndicate which owned a 1953 Halvorsen a timber boat from the golden age of maritime history. What this meant was your shipwright flew first-class to Europe every year because you had spent Aristotle Onassis-quantities of money on keeping it afloat and, in our case, trying to fix the toilet (sorry, head). Everyone had Marine Rescue NSW on speed dial because when youve broken down in the main shipping channel in Sydney Harbour and a 150,000-tonne cruise boat is due in 15 minutes, you need a tow fast. I assume that owning an E-Type Jag is a similar experience, at about half of 1 per cent of the cost. Advertisement In the 20 years we owned the boat, I spent about six hours relaxing on the water with a drink in my hand which works out at about $500,000 an hour. It would have been cheaper to charter the QEII. Our boat, the Kristina. Not quite the Onassis Christina O. 2. Long performances Attend any theatrical performance that lasts longer than 1 hours one hour if the word harrowing appears on the poster. Recently, I went to see Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which clocks in at more than three hours. At the second interval I said to my friend: Look the kid is made up, theres much more crying and if we leave now we can have dinner. Exeunt. In 2023, I saw the first half of On the Beach, an uncanny, post-apocalyptic vision of a world where nuclear fallout is wiping out the population. One hour in, we agreed that it really wasnt killing them fast enough and was the bar still open? I can highly recommend smaller theatre companies which for budgetary reasons put on much shorter plays, thus forcing the playwright to, praise the lord, get to the !$%#ing point. Advertisement Members of the cast from Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Prudence Upton 3. Go camping After a relationship-ending long weekend involving a South Coast caravan park, a Category 5 cyclone and a UTI, I have vowed that I will never again stay anywhere less comfortable than my own space. I like grass, but not enough to sleep on it. 4. Culinary Roulette Go to a dinner party, when there are better alternatives. In a restaurant, you have more control over your food and your dining companions, so why risk culinary roulette? Evidently, its considered rude to ring up the host to negotiate over the menu and the guest list. Or offer dinner-rescuing advice about how long to rest meat before you eat it (I was just trying to help!). There is no need to eat bad food while trapped next to someone with strong opinions on immigration and their gut flora when the solution is at hand. A booking. Advertisement There is one glaring exception to that rule ... 5. Tasting menus Related Article New Year Instead of big resolutions, I keep track of lifes smaller moments Ive been to a few restaurants with a tasting menu the evening starts out well with delicious tiny snacks and free-flowing drinks. However, by the time your waiter has interrupted your conversation for the fourth time to tell you about the offal with sea moss, youve run out of patience, and appetite. In an excellent article entitled Nibbled to Death, former New York Times food reviewer Pete Wells wrote that sometimes the consumer of such a meal may feel as much like a victim as a guest. The reservation is hard won, the night is exhausting, the food is cold, the interruptions are frequent. The courses blur, the palate flags and the check stings. Exactly. Advertisement 6. Camel riding A few years ago, we had a family holiday in Morocco. One afternoon, my daughter and I found ourselves way up high atop large dromedaries, heading for the Sahara. It took a while to realise that, owing to a catastrophic communication breakdown, our sunset drinks were, in fact, an overnight camp in the desert. A bloodthirsty Islamist uprising against the government of Mali was taking place on the other side of the dunes, and that wasnt even my biggest concern. Somehow, the next day, I had to climb back on that animal to get home. Chafing doesnt come close. Margot Saville and her daughter Stella on the camels (which spit, a lot). 7. Wear a jumpsuit Because Im lazy about my appearance, I like the one and done style of dressing. But the last time I wore a jumpsuit it was at a country party, where there were portaloos in the paddocks and industrial quantities of booze. If you can remove most of your clothing and hold it up off the (frankly unsavory) floor while also holding a handbag, in heels, then you have better balance than me. Advertisement Theres plenty more as well as the reverse-bucket list theres a whole other category which I call Zero-Probability Events, things Ive never done and have absolutely no intention of doing, no matter how long I live. They include threesomes, bungee-jumping and owning a snake. At this age, I know my limits. Margot Saville is the Heralds deputy opinion editor. Advertisement NationalVictoriaVictoria bushfires Dread memories of bushfires past stirred by new smoke and flame Tony Wright January 9, 2026 6:10pm 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 Memories merge with the ominous scent of smoke in overheated air, radio waves and websites aswirl with leave now or take shelter pleadings and reports of homes, farms and livestock lost to flames. It combines to wrap Victorians in fearful apprehension at a time like this. The memories may be the worst. And the most useful. Thick smoke blankets Yea on Friday. Eddie Jim They remind with merciless accuracy what can happen and what has happened in heatwaves in this state of eucalyptus forests and grasslands that is known for some of the worlds worst bushfire catastrophes. Advertisement Each comes burdened with an alarming name and death tolls that foster dread on a hot summer day. Black Friday 1939, when 71 people died and whole towns were wiped from the map. A firefighter on Black Saturday: February 7, 2009. Jason South Ash Wednesday 1983: 75 dead across Victoria and South Australia. Black Saturday 2009, the deadliest of all with 173 lives lost in Victoria. Advertisement And the Black Summer of 2019-20, which destroyed more than 20 million hectares across south-east Australia, ignored state borders and killed 35 directly. Smoke choked cities from Melbourne to Canberra to Sydney and beyond, causing at least another 450 deaths. Add to these horrifying black and ash days an untold number of smaller or localised fires, and argue all you like that none of them compare with Australias worst fires, those that burnt 117 million hectares throughout Australias inland in 1974-75, amounting to about 15 per cent of the nations landmass. Much of that was relatively uninhabited, but six people died. A house destroyed near Longwood East on Thursday. Jason South And so, when fire, emergency and government agencies used the word catastrophic to describe what was expected on Friday, fearful memories came with the smoke. Could this be a new Black Friday? Advertisement St Andrews resident James told ABC Radio Melbourne early on Friday morning that he could see a fire burning in the distance in Kinglake National Park, the scene of devastation in the Black Saturday fires of 2009. James lost a house in those bushfires. Watching the smoke, he said, brought back bad memories. Its not the nicest feeling to see smoke only a few kilometres away, James said. We are nervous, but weve done everything [to prepare]. Advertisement Indeed. So fire-wary is he after the trauma of Black Saturday that he has rebuilt his home into the side of a mountain, complete with a bunker and sprinklers. When Age reporter Marta Pascual Juanola visited Yea on Thursday, several people pointed out to her that these latest fires began on the anniversary, almost to the day, of fires in 1969 which wrought catastrophe in the Yea district and elsewhere in Victoria. Rising smoke over the Yea RSL on Friday. Eddie Jim The fires of Wednesday, January 8, 1969, killed 28 people: 17 of them fleeing their cars and trying to outrun the fire on the Geelong-Melbourne freeway at Lara. Among the 280 fires that scorched Victoria that day, Lara and districts around Yea, Daylesford, Bulgana (near Ararat), Darraweit Guim in the Macedon Ranges, Kangaroo Flat and Korongvale recorded the combined loss of 230 houses, 21 other buildings and more than 12,000 stock. Advertisement And mercy, by mid-afternoon on Friday these long years later, a new grassfire was out of control around Lara, which prompted the following emergency and unwelcome memory-jogging warning to residents of Avalon, Corio and Lara: You are in danger, act now to protect yourself. It is too late to leave. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. On Friday, when Age reporter Melissa Cunningham made it north to Yea, she found a veritable ghost town under an eerie sky tinged orange. The vast majority of residents had paid heed to their memories, received and actual, and had fled to find reliable shelter wherever it beckoned. Fire destroyed at least 10 homes in Ruffy, about 100 kilometres north of Melbourne. Nine Earlier came the confrontation of morning on the Longwood fire ground, direct from an exhausted and overwhelmed Country Fire Authority captain in the village of Ruffy, population 164, which straddles the shires of Strathbogie and Murrindindi, about 50 kilometres north of Yea by winding road. The main street looks like a bombs gone off, said captain George Noye, struggling to maintain composure while speaking to ABC Radio. Advertisement Soon, hed managed to survey some of the damage. Related Article Bushfires Victoria bushfires as it happened: Longwood fire destroys homes in Ruffy; warnings for towns including Alexandra, Yea, Marysville and Harcourt; widespread power outages amid heatwave temperatures [Im] just down the main street at the moment, weve lost the old school, the old Ruffy produce store is gone, three houses on the main street. Weve lost countless homes across the area. Ten of my firefighters that I know of have lost homes. Theres no power, a lot of power poles are burned out. Bottled water was running out, and the only fuel available was already in the fire trucks. The unspeakable suffering of livestock was getting to Noye, too, as it always does to those unfortunate enough to witness such inevitable results of fast-running fires in farming districts. Advertisement Theres stock unfortunately that have perished, theres stock that need to be put down and buried. We need all the help we can get as soon as possible, Noye said. Even more unspeakable was the possible fate of three people, including a child, missing in the Longwood fire area. Yea locals Tracy Hall and Maek Miller. Eddie Jim Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill said CFA officers working in the area encountered three people a man, a woman and a child and advised them to take shelter because it was too late to leave. Later that afternoon, those CFA representatives re-attended that area to see the house that they saw those three people standing in front of had been completely destroyed, Hill said, leaving much unsaid. Advertisement At this point of time, were not suggesting [for] one moment weve seen three people perish. All Im saying is that these people are unaccounted [for]. By mid-afternoon on Friday, the missing were still missing. And evacuees in shelters, wearied firefighters, farmers trying to protect their livestock, land and homes, and Victorians everywhere sweltering in crushing heat, tens of thousands of them without power, were pinning their hopes on a cool change promised to arrive in the evening. A fire crew battling the Longwood fire on Thursday. Jason South But no silver lining was to be found there. Jessica Roussel from the Bureau of Meteorology brought unwelcome news. The wind change accompanying the drop in temperature would cause a deterioration in conditions in fire grounds, she said. Advertisement The wind would move to the west, increasing its speed. It had already reached peak gusts of 90km/h through Melbourne earlier in the afternoon. Meanwhile, pictures, reports and urgent warnings flooded in from across the state and into the foothills of the Victorian Alps. Out to the far west in the Wimmera, the wind was already blowing a gale, putting the townsfolk of Natimuk in the path of an uncontrolled grassfire and showering embers on Horsham. Firefighters battle the Longwood fire on Thursday night. Facebook Youd need a good map to find a lot of the dozens of little places listed under leave immediately. By mid-afternoon, residents of the following villages, towns and districts were given the chilling direction to take shelter now: Cathkin, Caveat, Ghin Ghin, Highlands, Kanumbra, Killingworth, Koriella, Molesworth, Whanregarwen and Yarck. Advertisement The people of Acheron, Devils River, Eildon, Taylor Bay, Thornton all in the Longwood fire area, where flames were heading south-east towards Eildon were delivered a particularly alarming message. A wind change is expected around 8pm tonight (Friday, 9 January). This will cause the fire to change direction to the north-east, heading back towards Strathbogie, the emergency warning declared. A property surrounded by burnt land in Longwood on Friday. AAP Conditions will become very dangerous and unpredictable. You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave. Advertisement Just how black or how relatively muted compared with the horrors of the past this new Friday has become will clearly not begin to be revealed until at least Saturday morning. But if there is a measure of salvation to be found within the flames, much of it must be chalked up to the determined firefighters of the CFA, and a warning system that took heed of bad memories to educate the public and began in earnest days ago with the word catastrophic and galloped through the worst of the threats with chants of leave now and take shelter and too late to leave. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Advertisement NationalVictoriaBushfires The animals are their family: Horses and pets take refuge with residents Grant McArthur January 9, 2026 7:09pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Laying back in the shade on a reclining camp chair with a cold drink and their beloved horses nearby, Mark and Julie King almost seem comfortable. But the massive gumtrees towering above them wont stop swaying, and the constant noise of the wind is a terrifying reminder of why they left their Maindample property for the refuge of the Mansfield Showgrounds. Julie King with her horses in Mansfield on Friday. Luis Enrique Ascui We came in last night because today was supposed to be the worst day, Julie King said. We hope were here for nothing but, with that wind wow. Advertisement Its pretty hard to sit here and feel that wind and not worry. The Kings are among 60 people scattered among the sheds and shaded areas of the showgrounds on the outskirts of Mansfield, but they are vastly outnumbered by the animals that have brought the group together. Cloe Rodgerson carries buckets of water for horses in Mansfield. Luis Enrique Ascui There are about 120 animals taking refuge at the showgrounds, including a few dozen horses, a handful of small ponies, a couple of troublesome donkeys who wont stop knocking over communal water buckets, some chooks and plenty of dogs. While the showgrounds are not an official fire refuge centre, Gwen Evans from the Mansfield Agricultural & Pastoral Society said her committee felt compelled to offer a safe place for people wanting to protect their beloved animals, including some who might otherwise have stayed on properties and put themselves in grave danger. Advertisement Its frayed nerves, Evans said. Weve got limited facilities, but at least you can have animals. There are a lot of people who have no family around here, and the animals are their family. Gwen Evans at the Mansfield Showgrounds. Luis Enrique Ascui The Mansfield Sporting Complex in the centre of town has about another 150 people registered as staying. At the showgrounds, people have gathered with caravans, tents and swags from Longwood, where the fire started, as well as from Terip Terip, Merton, Bonnie Doon, Woodfield, Jamieson, Ancona and far further afield. Advertisement Related Article Victoria bushfires Its going to be a long night: As fire roars towards Yea, some dig in for battle Theres a lot of travellers here. We have some people from Cairns with their dogs who were camping, but the campground is closed, Evans said. We can keep people safe and reduce stress. People will feel safe so therefore they dont panic, they dont clog the roads. Weve got a building with two split systems, so theyre keeping cool in there. Weve got access to tea, coffee, little refreshments and were not feeding people, but most are self-sufficient anyway. Advertisement Currently, we have power ... what happens when we dont have power? With his deluxe recliner under the shade of an open pavilion next to his horses, Mark King isnt too worried about seeking the comfort of the air-conditioning. But that bloody wind cant stop him thinking about the four cows and 20 sheep he couldnt bring with the horses. This is for our safety and the horses, he said. Its not ideal, but what can you really do? You just hope youre here for nothing. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Bushfires Mansfield Grant McArthur is a senior reporter for The Age Advertisement PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Opinion As a stubborn PM dug in, one Jewish leader had his ear Matthew Knott National correspondent January 10, 2026 5:00am January 10, 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 15 innocent people were gunned down at Bondi Beach on a Sunday afternoon, a Hebrew word came to Peter Wertheims mind: teshuvah. Often translated into English as repentance, the concept more accurately describes a return, a turning back to something youve strayed or looked away from. In the Jewish tradition, changing ones attitude and behaviour is a process. Its not an instantaneous decision, says Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. It takes an absorption into a persons heart and soul that they have been wrong and a commitment to do better. Illustration by Simon Letch Since the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, Wertheim and other Jewish leaders had warned about surging levels of antisemitism and their fears that vandalism and harassment would morph into deadly violence. People were telling us we were imagining or exaggerating things, says Wertheim, whose 98-year-old mother survived the Auschwitz concentration camp and fled to safety in Australia. Much of it was orchestrated ill will but it was aided by breathtaking ignorance. Then came the December 14 massacre. Among those shot was the Executive Council of Australian Jewry communications director Evan Zlatkis, who was lucky to survive. The terror attack, Wertheim says, shook Australians out of their sense of complacency, sparking profound questions about how the nation had reached this point. Advertisement Of all the nations Jewish leaders, Wertheim is closest to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The pair formed a bond two decades ago when Albanese opposed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel that was gaining traction in Sydneys inner west. They then united against the Abbott governments attempts to water down the Racial Discrimination Act. One prominent Jewish Australian describes Wertheim as the good cop working with the government while his fellow co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, criticises Labors policies on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Behind the scenes, Wertheim has played an important role guiding Albanese towards his unnecessarily protracted decision to hold a royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi attack. The first public commentator to call for a royal commission on the day after the attack was Chris Taylor, a former national security official who now works at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. To Taylor, the case for such an inquiry seemed so obvious as to be almost redundant. Surely the federal government would act quickly along those lines? After all, how could there not be a royal commission following the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil? Taylor wrote this week. Relying solely on a review by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson into potential intelligence failures, he said, is like responding to a city-wide arson spree with an inquiry into whether fire hoses are too short. The idea of a federal royal commission quickly gained pace, garnering the support of former foreign spy boss Nick Warner and former High Court chief justice Robert French. On December 29, 17 families connected to the victims of the attack wrote to Albanese calling for a royal commission. Polling for this masthead conducted in the week after the attack found 48 per cent of Australians supported a royal commission and just 17 per cent opposed it. The basic sense of fairness of the Australian people was offended, Wertheim says. People want to get to the bottom of it. Advertisement Albanese, however, was not convinced. The NSW government had already announced a state-level royal commission, and he feared a drawn-out, polarising national probe would do more harm than good. The evidence gathered by police suggests that Naveed and Sajid Akram had operated in isolation, inspired by Islamic State ideology. No link has been established connecting them to the pro-Palestine protest movement that had flourished during the war in Gaza. Related Article Bondi shooting Inside story: what it took to get Albanese to change his mind It did not help that former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg who demanded Albanese accept responsibility for the death of 15 innocent people in a fiery speech at Bondi Beach was among the leading advocates for a royal commission. There was a lot of politicisation and weaponisation, a senior government source says, explaining the governments reluctance to move. Journalistic profiles of Albaneses career routinely note his stubbornness. He took a lot of persuading to amend the governments stage-three tax cuts and he ploughed ahead with the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum despite a lack of bipartisan support. During the election campaign, he strangely resisted acknowledging he had fallen off a stage at a campaign event. This character trait came to the fore after Bondi. Last week, Albanese said the governments resistance to a royal commission was borne not out of convenience, it is out of conviction that this is the right direction to go in. And the actual experts, who are the current experts, have all recommended this course of action. Advertisement It was also noted at senior levels of government that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done everything in his power to avoid a comprehensive probe into the worst intelligence failure in his nations history. His proposed inquiry, not announced until two years after the October 7 attacks, departs from existing Israeli law and has been criticised for lacking independence. Yet none of these factors made the case for a federal royal commission into the Bondi massacre any less compelling. Matching Netanyahu in obfuscation and evading accountability is not the standard an Australian prime minister should aim for. As recently as Tuesday, Industry Minister Tim Ayres was on radio describing a royal commission as not necessary, saying it would cause division and delay and that it would take up to 2 years to complete. Yet, by this point, Albaneses inner circle was preparing to make a U-turn. As legal experts, business leaders, sport stars, former Labor politicians and national security experts joined calls for a royal commission, Albaneses resistance began to erode, like a rock being worn down by a relentless tide. His private meetings with survivors of the attack were also influential, helping convince him that a properly structured royal commission could contribute to healing for a grieving community. Labor MP Josh Burns privately lobbied Albanese to change course, as did right-faction heavyweight Don Farrell. Political calculations were at play too, of course. This issue would have kept nibbling away at the government for weeks and months, making it hard for them to talk about the issues they want to talk about: childcare, the economy, a prominent member of the Jewish community says. It would have been a distraction, so they decided to cut their losses. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Bondi shooting Albanese has lost face and given ground. Ley should follow suit Natassia Chrysanthos Federal political correspondent On Wednesday afternoon, Albanese met Wertheim and antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydneys CBD to discuss the structure of a royal commission. As Albanese said in media interviews on Friday, he met with Jewish community leaders for hours as they went through the details line by line. (Wertheim declined to comment on confidential discussions with the government). When announcing the royal commission a day later, Albanese masterfully demolished his governments own arguments against holding a royal commission. That it could take years to complete? He imposed a December 14 deadline. That it would delay the Richardson review? The existing probe will be wrapped into the royal commission and delivered as an interim report. Concerns it would platform antisemitism and division? The terms of reference make clear the royal commission should promote, not undermine, social cohesion. Albanese may have been for turning, but not for apologising. While the Jewish concept of teshuvah usually involves the verbal expression of ones sins, the prime minister is not inclined to concede mistakes either publicly or in private. He did not say sorry for taking weeks, rather than days, to support a royal commission or the fact that traumatised survivors had to juggle their recovery with lobbying the government. Indeed, he has skirted around the fact his government changed its mind on holding a royal commission. Such sensitivity is probably unnecessary, if understandable. While political U-turns, like Albaneses shift on a royal commission, are often portrayed as humiliating backdowns, veteran British journalist Peter Riddell has said they can be good for governments. They can remove sources of complaint and show that politicians are listening to the public. Academic research shows voters are more likely to forgive U-turns if politicians are shifting towards a position they favour and if they are driven by principle rather than political calculation. Advertisement Monash University political professor Paul Strangio, who has written about political U-turns, doubts whether the Australian public will see Albaneses shift as a major backdown. Noting that less than a month has passed since the Bondi attack, Strangio says: He has certainly responded to the clamour, the stampede, for a royal commission, but I think the events were too quick to be a full-on volte-face. Albaneses royal commission move did not involve abandoning a fundamental belief, as Kevin Rudd was perceived to have done on climate change when he abandoned an emissions trading scheme. Nor will this U-turn affect most Australians in a direct way, as happened when Julia Gillard reversed her pledge not to introduce a carbon tax. Albaneses standing has undoubtedly been damaged by his response to the Bondi attack, and he has been bruised by the hostility of the attacks on him. But he ends the week satisfied by the overwhelming support for the royal commissions terms of reference and the fact he stared down Frydenbergs bid to sink his chosen commissioner, former High Court justice Virginia Bell. With parliament to resume soon, he has cleared a thorny barnacle away. As for Wertheim, it is enough that Albanese relented, if not repented. This is fair. This is what we asked for. This is designed to get to the root of the problem, he says of the royal commission. As far as we are concerned, it is the outcome that mattered, not how we got there. Matthew Knott is foreign affairs and national security correspondent. Advertisement PoliticsFederalSocial media eSafety Commissioner demands crackdown on Musks AI nudify images on X Mike Foley January 9, 2026 5:52pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Elon Musks social media platform X is being investigated by Australias eSafety Commissioner over a surge in sexually explicit images generated by its AI chatbot, following a threat from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban X over the same issue. On Friday, commissioner Julie Inman Grant said her agency could use its existing regulatory powers to investigate and take appropriate action against AI products that fail to provide appropriate safeguards, as evidence mounts that the controversial platform is being used to generate child abuse material. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Alex Ellinghausen Im deeply concerned about the increasing use of generative AI to sexualise or exploit people, particularly where children are involved, Inman Grant said in a statement on LinkedIn. Inman Grant said reports of sexualised images generated by Xs artificial intelligence tool Grok had doubled since late last year, relating to adults and children, and that companies had the capability to prevent misuse of their products. Advertisement Weve now entered an age where companies must ensure generative AI products have appropriate safeguards and guardrails built in across every stage of the product lifecycle, she said. Related Article Elon Musk Elon Musks Grok AI floods X with sexualised photos of women and minors By adopting a range of well-established AI safety practices, they can effectively anticipate how bad actors will exploit design features and loopholes before harm occurs. X, formerly known as Twitter, has published many thousands of images of people that have been depicted naked by AI without their consent. Starmer on Thursday described the images as unlawful and intolerable and said his government would take action, including via Ofcom, the British communications regulator. Advertisement This is disgraceful, its disgusting, and its not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this, Starmer said. Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. The UK regulator said earlier this week that it was investigating allegations of online child sexual-abuse material on the dark web allegedly generated by Grok, and had made contact with Musks company over the reports. The eSafety agency said in a statement on Friday that it had received several reports in the past couple of weeks about the use of Grok to generate sexualised or exploitative imagery, and that it had contacted X to find out what safeguards it was putting in place to prevent misuse. A spokesman for the Albanese government said that use of generative AI to produce sexualised material without consent was abhorrent and it was committed to restricting access to nudify tools in Australia. Advertisement Related Article Social media US Congress threatens eSafety commissioner with contempt charges New codes coming into force on March 9 will compel AI services, among others, to limit childrens access to sexually explicit content, as well as violent material and themes related to self-harm and suicide. These regulations follow the eSafety commissions enforcement action against a UK-based company that offered two widely used nudify services that allowed its users to manipulate photos of real people. These services had attracted about 100,000 visitors a month in Australia, and eSafety said they had been used to generate explicit deepfake images of students in Australian schools. The sites were withdrawn from Australia in November after an official warning from eSafety. One month since eSafety instituted the Albanese governments world-first under-16 social media ban, Inman Grant is still under threat of contempt charges by US Congress unless she testifies about online safety laws by Tuesday, January 13. Advertisement Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, has claimed that Australias Online Safety Act threatens the free speech of American citizens, and has twice demanded Inman Grant to account for her previous attempts to force social media companies to remove graphic content from their platforms. Congress has the power to compel US citizens living abroad to testify, and to be found in contempt of Congress for failing to comply. Contempt of Congress can be punished with fines or jail time. Inman Grant butted heads with Musk last year when eSafety demanded that X remove graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney, arguing that global removal was necessary because Australians could use VPNs to access the content. The case was abandoned. The European Commission has ordered X to retain all documents relating to Grok for longer while the bloc ensures compliance with its rules after condemning it for producing sexualised images, a spokesperson said on Thursday. The Italian regulator said it was working with Irelands Data Protection Commission the lead EU privacy authority for X, which has a base in Ireland and reserved the right to take further action. Advertisement Sweden on Thursday joined the chorus of criticism, saying the AI-generated images were unacceptable after the countrys deputy prime minister was targeted by a Grok users prompt this week. with Bloomberg, Reuters Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Advertisement PoliticsFederalBondi shooting PM refuses to admit he may have made a mistake resisting royal commission Brittany Busch and Patrick Begley Updated January 9, 2026 2:08pm ,first published 12:05pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A The prime minister has repeatedly refused to concede he made a mistake by not calling a federal royal commission for weeks following the Bondi Beach massacre, as he flagged the high legal stakes of running the highest form of national inquiry alongside an active court case for the first time. The prime minister on Thursday bowed to weeks of pressure and called a federal inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Bondi attack, in which alleged terrorists targeted a Hanukkah celebration and killed 15 people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was under persistent pressure to announce a federal royal commission. AAPIMAGE As the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion began on Friday with a meeting of the executive council at the Governor-Generals residence in Sydney, the prime minister appeared on breakfast TV where he refused several times to acknowledge the scale of his backdown after strongly arguing against the inquiry for three weeks. Asked whether he was sorry that the Jewish community was forced to campaign for the commission while grieving the Bondi tragedy, the prime minister said he had been listening to their concerns. Advertisement I understand, because Ive listened, that grieving families and others in the Jewish community wanted a broader consideration of the issue of antisemitism, he told Sunrise. I, of course, am sorry for the grief and for what they are going through. My heart breaks for them, he said. Related Article Updated Bondi shooting Ive taken the time to reflect: Anthony Albanese bows to intense pressure, announces antisemitism royal commission Albanese argued that the royal commission had been called in record time, although Malcolm Turnbull called the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory on July 26, 2016, the day after ABCs Four Corners aired an investigation into the use of spit hoods and restraints in juvenile detention. The prime minister did not hold a press conference in Canberra when he visited the National Emergency Management Agency on Friday, as is usual, while Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles failed to explain the change in the governments thinking in an interview on 2GB, only repeating that the government had been listening. Advertisement Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she wanted to see ministers be effectively in the dock during the royal commission, questioned over decisions that the government had made that would have contributed to the circumstances that led to the Bondi killings. Former Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo said the investigation into antisemitism and social cohesion should be on the public record, but it was likely that for matters of national security, most of it would have to be held out of the public limelight. He said previous royal commissions, such as the Samuels inquiry into the Australian Secret Intelligence Service in 1994, set a precedent for protecting classified activities. It just needs to be explained very factually, and the PM should give an assurance for that [part of the inquiry] to put as much out as possible, he said. Related Article Bondi shooting Everything you need to know about the federal Bondi royal commission Advertisement The prime minister, while defending former High Court justice Virginia Bell, AC as his choice to lead the inquiry, said it was crucial that any criminal trial would not be compromised by the royal commission. Surviving Bondi gunman Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders and committing a terrorist act, which will be prosecuted through the NSW court system while Bell conducts her investigation. What you do not want, and I dont think anyone would want, is for there to be a disruption of that trial, the prime minister said on Friday, adding that Bell was the best choice of more than a dozen candidates to run the inquiry because of her experience in criminal law and serving more than a decade on the nations highest court. The legal rule of sub judice is designed to prevent prejudicial information that could sway the opinions of a jury from being publicised, with those that do so charged with contempt of court. This is quite a complex issue, Albanese said. There hasnt been a royal commission before while a legal case was going on. I suspect that might have been one of the reasons why there wasnt a royal commission into what happened at the Lindt cafe [siege in 2014]. Advertisement University of Sydney law professor David Rolph, author of a 2023 book on contempt of court, said the risk to the Akram case was manageable. Because the terms of reference for the royal commission are broad, and the commissioner has powers as to what she inquires into at any given point in time, the royal commissioner will be able to minimise or avoid risks of sub judice contempt, Rolph said. Akram is expected to front court in April, just as former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson is due to release his report into intelligence failures. Bell has been given a deadline of December 14, 2026 to return her findings. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsNSWBondi shooting Bondi hero bound for treatment in Israel after bungle, while Ahmed honoured in US Aidan Elwig Pollock January 9, 2026 12:19pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Bondi hero Gefen Bitton is due to land in Israel on Friday local time for specialist medical treatment, after a paperwork mix-up stalled passage over Indonesian airspace. Bitton, who was filmed running to assist when Ahmed al Ahmed famously wrestled a weapon from one of the two gunmen who killed 15 people at Bondi Beach on December 14, suffered three gunshot wounds during the massacre and left St Vincents Hospital in a stable condition. Gefen Bitton accompanied Ahmed al Ahmed as he wrestled a rifle from Sajid Akram. According to a statement from the 30-year-old Israeli nationals family, on arrival, [Bitton] will be transferred directly to the ICU at Sheba hospital for further treatment. Bitton is being transported to Israel by Jewish volunteer health organisation Hatzolah. Advertisement Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong thanked Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for their role in facilitating the flight. We are grateful for their support and swift response, she said. Delays resulted from a paperwork mistake, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked with Indonesia to quickly resolve the issue. According to his family, Bitton initially ran to seek cover with a friend during the attack, but returned to confront the shooters. Loading His family thanked the professional and dedicated NSW Health staff at St Vincents Hospital. Similarly, we thank the medical teams from Sheba who supported the process from afar. Advertisement They also thanked the Australian Jewish community for their support, guidance and assistance, and acknowledged the support of the people of Australia as a whole. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bitton at St Vincents Hospital on Wednesday night, before he was medevaced on Thursday. Albanese said Bitton was suffering from severe injuries, but said he had been shown a photo of the patient safely aboard. Bitton has been granted permanent residency in Australia, should he return from Israel following his recovery. Editor's pick Exclusive Bondi shooting Luca dreams of becoming a paramedic. He was one of the first on the scene after the Bondi attack Five Bondi attack victims remain in hospital in Sydney today, according to a spokesperson for NSW Health. Advertisement One victim remains in a critical but stable condition 26 days on from the deadly attack, while the rest are in a stable condition. Bitton appeared in widely shared footage alongside Ahmed as the latter disarmed the gunman. Gefen had escaped, he was safe, but when he saw the terrorist, he ran into the line of fire to help, Bittons family said. Gefens put his own life at risk with his selfless actions [sic]. Ahmed remains in the US for medical treatment, and speculation is mounting he may meet US President Donald Trump on his visit. His trip has included special guest attendance at the Colel Chabad Gala dinner in New York. Ahmed posted a photograph to his social media posing with NYPD officers, and described Trump as a hero of the world, fuelling speculation about a possible meeting with the American president. Advertisement Ahmed spoke to CNN on Wednesday (local time) and was asked why he did not shoot the gunman from whom he wrestled the firearm. Related Article Bondi shooting Bondi hero Ahmed al Ahmed to be feted at Jewish gala in New York I get five shots, its fine to save life. My blood for my country, Australia, and for human beings around the whole world, anywhere and any place, Ahmed said. I did it as a human being. I didnt shoot him because I was doing it as humility, to stop him to kill more innocent human beings. Ahmed also met Australias ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, in New York. The pair discussed Ahmeds injury, his motivation for confronting the Bondi shooters, and Rudds prime ministership. You were my hero you were the best prime minister for Australia, Ahmed told Rudd. Advertisement Thank you for saying that, but my contributions been quite small, yours were very large, Rudd replied. In the same meeting, Ahmed shook hands with Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. Trump has been among those who have praised Ahmed as a hero for his bravery at Bondi. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsNSWNSW State Parliament NSW could still need state inquiry into Bondi terror attack: Minns Alexandra Smith January 9, 2026 2:29pm 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 Premier Chris Minns says he fully supports a federal royal commission into antisemitism but he has said NSW could still need its own inquiry to canvas state-specific issues such as the role of the security group that provides services to the Jewish community. Minns on Friday said an independent, comprehensive investigation into this terrible crime, the worst terrorism event that Australia has ever had was crucial, and a federal royal commission was the best mechanism to achieve that. Premier Chris Minns says NSW may still require its own inquiry into the Bondi terror attack and its aftermath. Louie Douvis We will fully comply and co-operate with their inquiry, as will our agencies, Minns said. We expect letters patent to be provided to the Commonwealth government so as they can get access to our officials, to us, to any information they need so that we can have a full and comprehensive investigation. However, Minns said that while NSW would no longer hold its own royal commission, a state-based inquiry could still be needed to look at specific issues such as the Community Security Group, which has provided security services to the Jewish community for decades. Advertisement In the days after the December 14 Bondi terror attack, Minns raised the possibility of providing CSG with a greater ability to carry weapons, describing the move as a small price to pay. CSG personnel can carry pistols when performing security duties at schools and synagogues. However, the groups security licence does not permit personnel to carry weapons at public events, such as the Hanukkah celebration where 15 people were killed. We cannot have a situation where the solution to this horrible terrorism event is to have the Jewish community say, Well, we can only exist and celebrate our faith behind big walls, Minns said at the time. On Friday, Minns said any inquiry held in NSW would be an independent probe, not one conducted by the state parliament. He would also not divulge private conversations with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but he stressed the decision to hold a royal commission was made by Albanese. The prime minister on Thursday bowed to weeks of pressure and called the federal inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Bondi attack. Advertisement The reality is, I think there should be more space for political leaders to change their minds if they see the evidence in front of them, if theyre spoken to in a passionate way by victims, survivors and families about the need to get to the bottom of it, Minns said. Related Article Bondi shooting Bondi hero bound for treatment in Israel after bungle, while Ahmed honoured in US I think that thats a good thing in public life, and I think the right decision has been made. Minns said he had faith in a royal commission, but he said there may be elements that need to be investigated quickly, as it relates to NSW issues. I dont want that to read that we dont have any confidence in the Commonwealth probe, of course we do, but it may be particularly in relation to CSG advice to NSW Police and the arming of CSG that we might need immediate information that could help us with that decision-making. Advertisement Minns also backed the decision to continue with a ban on protests in Sydney. I wanted to support the decision of the Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon in relation to extending 14 days for marches in Sydney during this period, Minns said. Its hot weather and its heated passions at the moment, and the truth of the matter is, we dont need further division and aggravation on the streets of Sydney during this difficult period. Lanyon on Tuesday extended the 14-day protest ban on Sydneys streets by another fortnight, days after 250 people descended on Town Hall in an unauthorised rally over the US raid on Venezuela. Under the new anti-protest laws, stationary 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. The latest declaration will last until January 20. Lanyon is free to continue the declaration for up to three months, meaning protests could be restricted until March. KUNMING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Have you ever heard of "police officers" who don't talk? They don't speak, but their track records speak for themselves. Before the annual Chinese People's Police Day, which will be observed this Saturday, let's learn about the four-legged heroes, Kunming dogs. The Kunming dog breed traces its origins to the 1950s. It is China's first and so far only police dog breed to receive international recognition for independent intellectual property rights. The breed is now widely deployed by China's public security authorities, customs, fire services, and the military, performing roles including tracking, detection, security protection, and rescue operations. A police dog trainer plays with Kunming dog pups at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao) A police dog trainer trains a Kunming dog in explosive detection at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Yongwei) Kunming dog pups have fun at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Gao Yongwei) A police dog trainer trains a Malinois dog at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao) Police dog trainers weigh a Kunming dog at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Gao Yongwei) This combo photo taken by Xinhua photographers Jiang Wenyao and Gao Yongwei shows Kunming dogs at the Ministry of Public Security's Kunming police dog base in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua) Advertisement PoliticsNSWBushfires Revealed: Why NSW faces extreme bushfire danger with fewer firefighters Ben Cubby, Angus Dalton and Michael McGowan January 10, 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 NSW is facing a weekend of extreme bushfire danger with far fewer trained firefighters than previously thought, new data from the Rural Fire Service reveals. The RFS has frequently said it is the largest volunteer firefighting service in the world, with more than 70,000 members, but the number of trained firefighters is now just over 45,000, the agency privately told the Productivity Commission last year. About 16,240 RFS volunteers have village firefighter competency, meaning they can fight fires in small buildings, in vehicles or other blazes likely to be found in a village setting, according to RFS documents from 2023 obtained under freedom-of-information laws. The State Operations Centre at NSW RFS headquarters at Olympic Park on Friday. Flavio Brancaleone Only 4550 people had training as breathing apparatus operators, the RFS documents say. Advertisement Like many other volunteer-based organisations, there has been a reduction in membership for multiple reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living pressures, an RFS spokesman said in response to questions about the revelations. Weve also seen demographic changes which have influenced the make-up of our brigades, including a shift from family-run to industry farms. A NSW Rural Fire Service firefighter attempts to extinguish a bushfire at West Wallsend in December 2023. But the service said it was well prepared to confront the heatwave expected to cover much of NSW on Saturday. A total fire ban has been declared for much of eastern and southern NSW, from the Greater Hunter to the Victorian border. Advertisement Extreme fire danger is expected across Sydney, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven region, the southern ranges and slopes and the Monaro Alpine region bordering Victoria, where firefighters were battling catastrophic conditions on Friday. Related Article Bushfires Theres barely a blade of grass: A family-owned winery gone within an hour An extreme fire risk rating means people should be prepared to take action to protect life and property. Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 43 degrees in the city and its west on Saturday, before easing back to 25 degrees on Sunday. The NSW Rural Fire Service said a large bushfire burning south of the Murray River, about 50 kilometres east of Albury, could blow into NSW when the winds change to southerly on Saturday. Advertisement Firefighters are monitoring the area between Talmalmo and Jingellic as flying embers ignite spot fires on the NSW side. People need to take action now and make sure theyve got a bushfire survival plan in place, said the RFS district manager of the southern border, Superintendent Tom McDevitt. Its never too late to start one and know what youre doing. Smoke fills the sky above the Walwa bushfire, on the Victoria and NSW border. VicEmergency Fires already burning in Victoria and new blazes possibly sparked by dry lightning later on Friday will be fast-moving and hard to control as an evening change in wind brings 90km/h gusts to Melbourne, the Bureau of Meteorology said in an update from the national emergency centre. The winds will then move into NSW on Saturday, increasing fire risk. Advertisement Were expecting widespread extreme fire danger ratings across NSW and the ACT for tomorrow. No districts are currently at the catastrophic level, a BoM spokesman said. NSW RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin said volunteers were helping south of the border. The State Operations Centre at NSW RFS headquarters on Friday. Flavio Brancaleone Weve sent a lot of crews into Victoria today to support them with their catastrophic conditions, he said. Weve got a lot of aircraft available to support that, so whilst we dont expect that fire to cross the border, we are prepared in the event it might. The Murray River that comprises much of the border between the states does help to limit the spread. Advertisement Related Article Updated Victoria bushfires Three missing including child, dozens of homes lost as fires continue to rage Its a natural break there. That fire would have to jump quite a long way, but it is possible, Curtin said. Under these conditions, embers can travel quite a long way. Curtin encouraged those who had not already done so to download the Hazards Near Me app and to monitor conditions regularly. Its really important that everyones prepared for extreme fire conditions, he said. Transport for NSW said trains in Sydney and some other parts of the state would be running at reduced speed on Saturday due to the extreme heat. Advertisement Among the trains affected on Friday and Saturday were those running on the Blue Mountains line, between Berala and Flemington, Lidcombe and Penrith, Blacktown and Richmond and around Strathfield and Olympic Park. Buses are running between Campbelltown and Moss Vale because hot weather was affecting tracks. People cool off at Coogee Beach on Friday. Dominic Lorrimer Questions about the real number of trained RFS firefighters have persisted, from inside and outside the service, for several years. In 2024, Jindabyne Brigade captain Colin Wooden told a NSW parliamentary committee hearing that he suspected the published figure of 70,000 was misleading. My concern is that they keep saying that weve got 70,000 members, and theyve lost sight of the actual number of people that are getting on trucks, he told the committee. Advertisement I just did a quick look at our brigade and 36 per cent of our members Ive never seen on a truck and 10 per cent have gotten too old or have moved on. Emergency services report widespread property losses in the Victorian village of Ruffy. Nine Years ago, if there was a fire, bosses would let their people go and fight fires. Now they cant because of operational requirements and all that sort of stuff. So, now, the only people that are available seven days a week are the old greybeards like myself. We had five people on a truck at a fire last year and no one was under 65. In February 2025, the Productivity Commissions annual review on the state of emergency services across Australia found the RFS boasted a volunteer firefighting force of some 75,000. Advertisement The figure had remained consistent across multiple reports, and meant that NSW had a higher ratio of volunteers per 100,000 people in the population than any other state. Fire crews at the Longwood fire. Jason South But in April, former RFS commissioner Rob Rogers told a budget estimates hearing that the agency had only 45,000 trained firefighters, as well as additional volunteers who provided catering and all of those other associated activities. There were varying levels of activity among volunteers, he said. They all have their own rules of whos active and whos not ... I understand its been applied in a lot of different ways around the state, Rogers said in the hearing. Rogers comments prompted the Productivity Commission to seek further information about the actual size of the RFS force. Advertisement The RFS spokesman on Friday said its number of volunteers was determined in large part by reports provided by individual brigades. The oversight of membership and membership status lies within the purview of individual brigades and their executive teams, he said. This approach has proven effective for over a century in managing membership within the organisation. As of December 31, 2025, the RFS has 68,890 registered members. Of these members, 55,059 are deemed operational by brigades and units across the state. Our remaining members fulfil roles including operational support and administration or serve in a social or reserve capacity. Of the members classed as operational, 45,252 hold a formal bush firefighting qualification. Advertisement Volunteering with the RFS looks different for everyone, and our members engage in ways that suit their skills, availability and personal circumstances, the spokesman said. Communities across NSW rely on the combined efforts of volunteers giving what they can, when they can. During the 2019-20 Black Summer fire season, there were more than 186,000 shifts completed by RFS members, but the most firefighters deployed on a single day was 3739, according to a fire season overview produced by the RFS. with Jack Gramenz, Daniel Lo Surdo and Matt OSullivan Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Advertisement Exclusive PoliticsNSWBondi shooting Why armed guards are licensed to protect sacred books, not Jewish lives Patrick Begley January 10, 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 Armed security officers at Jewish schools and synagogues are carrying weapons to protect Torah scrolls and candelabras, not human lives, according to their licence conditions. NSW firearm laws clearly dictate that the protection of people is not a genuine reason to hold a weapons permit, industry professionals and academics say. A guard outside a Jewish school in Sydney in January last year. Steven Siewert But in a work-around practice also used by wealthy individuals outside the Jewish community, gun licences granted to guard property assets are offering protection for people against the threat of deadly violence. The NSW government has avoided questions about the legal status of the arrangements, as Premier Chris Minns considers whether private guards should now be allowed to carry weapons in public at Jewish events. Advertisement The premier said last week that arming the not-for-profit Jewish Community Security Group (CSG) would be the safest way to provide an extreme deterrent at events such as the Hanukkah celebration that was targeted in the Bondi mass shooting. I think thats a small price to pay, Minns said. Its important to note that for static locations, like synagogues and Jewish schools, in many cases, the CSG is already armed. NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley. Dominic Lorrimer Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a shootout with police at the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach on December 14 and his son Naveed Akram, 24, was charged with the murder of 15 festival-goers and the attempted murder of 40 others. Long before the Bondi massacre, the presence of CSG members or private contractors at the gates of Jewish premises highlighted the dangers of antisemitic violence, which ASIO last year ranked as the agencys number one priority when it came to threats to life. Advertisement According to Sayeret Security owner Stephen Vogel, who works with a number of Jewish clients, guards are technically licensed to protect precious objects, including ornaments, sacred books and Torah scrolls. The way it works is, if youre a licensed armed guard, youre protecting an asset, Vogel said. Youre there at the front. Youre armed. So thats your primary function. But obviously, if somebody comes and tries to infiltrate or attack that asset, youre allowed to defend yourself or a third party. Antisemitic graffiti at Maroubra in January last year. Rhett Wyman Vogel said he supported clarifying the law to allow for the protection of human life as a primary purpose of a licence. He also backed a move to allow armed guards in public, as long as they were vetted for marksmanship and weapons handling. Advertisement There is a threat out there, and we need to have the tools to be able to respond, he said. Vincent Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University, said there was an implied understanding that armed guards were not only protecting property but allowing Jewish people to worship freely and go to school freely. Expanding the use of armed security to events held in public was fraught with danger, the former police officer said. Were not a gun culture, like the US. If someone is armed, and it goes wrong, then you can imagine the litigation. Police outside the Great Synagogue in Sydney. Ben Symons Hurley predicted that other vulnerable communities, such as Muslim or Indian Australians, would apply for armed bodyguard licences unless the laws were confined to Jewish events only. Advertisement David Dixon, an emeritus professor of law at the University of NSW, said that in the case of armed guards at Jewish institutions,its inevitable that what they are doing is protecting people. As for allowing guards to carry weapons in public spaces, Dixon said: Because of this horrible event [at Bondi], people are rushing to consider things which, in other circumstances, they would be much more cautious about. Related Article NSW State Parliament NSW could still need state inquiry into Bondi terror attack: Minns Neither the premier nor Police Minister Yasmin Catley would comment directly when asked about the legal basis for armed guards at schools and synagogues or whether the government would need new laws to introduce armed personal protection in public. Catley did say that after the Bondi terrorist attack, more than 450 police officers were deployed as part of Operation Shelter to protect the public and restore confidence in our shared spaces. Advertisement Decisions regarding licensing and equipping of CSG [Community Security Group] are being carefully considered by the NSW Police Force, she said. NSW Police said that armed guards at Jewish institutions were licensed to protect approved classes of property. The legislation does not provide for the issue of a licence or permit for the possession or use of firearms for personal protection or the protection of another person, a spokesperson said. When asked about the number of licensed armed guards, NSW Police said to apply for the information via a formal request under freedom-of-information laws. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, which runs the Community Security Group, declined to answer questions. Last year, the CSG recorded 1044 antisemitic incidents. Advertisement PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government Parents slam vague details on new child sex offender register Matt Dennien and Courtney Kruk January 10, 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 The Queensland government has refused to clarify a key feature of its new public child sex offender register, as parents complain the vague details provided do not give them confidence that convicted paedophiles are not living nearby. The register, named Daniels Law after murdered Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, has three tiers of searches. One provides users with unnamed photographs of convicted child sex offenders who are listed as living in their locality at the time of the application. But in the week since the website was launched, parents have vented frustration online over the unclear definition of locality, with no indication of the radius the search covers. Bruce and Denise Morcombe support Daniels Law, which was named after their murdered son. Jamila Toderas We have an offender in our locality, but what does that actually mean? one person wrote on a Facebook parents forum. Are they in our street? Are they close by, or are they in the suburb? Advertisement Another wrote: Is it in a five-kilometre radius? My whole suburb? I wish they would define locality. Daniel Morcombe. Laws establishing the register only define locality as the general locality where the person resides in the state. Explanatory notes say this includes a persons suburb or town, however is not prescriptive in order to enable locality to include adjoining suburbs or towns of the persons residential address, unless circumstances dictate a different approach. In at least some suburbs of inner-city Brisbane, searches do not produce photographs of offenders living in adjoining suburbs. Advertisement Asked to explain how a persons locality was defined, Police Minister Dan Purdies office referred questions to the police. Given that Queenslands diverse communities comprise condensed, highly populated metropolitan areas to far-reaching, low-density rural and remote areas, the geographic boundaries of the searches have been designed to ensure that each applicant receives the most relevant information, taking into consideration these variances, a police spokesperson said in a statement. Another user, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity, said they had given feedback about the websites shortcomings directly to the office of Premier David Crisafulli. The concerned citizen, who has experience designing logistics and fulfilment operations for large retail commerce systems, said they believed the law was well-formed and with the right intention, but had been poorly executed. In their email to Crisafulli, seen by this masthead, they said the undisclosed and overly narrow interpretation of a persons locality did not reflect real-world proximity to offenders reportable through the scheme. Advertisement Related Article Crime Queenslands public sex offender register is live. Heres what its like to access it In practice, the system can return no reportable offenders even where offenders reside within a short distance (e.g. approximately 5km) in adjacent suburbs, they wrote. This creates a false sense of safety, discourages vigilance, and undermines the very purpose of the legislation. This is not a failure of parliaments intent. It is a failure of implementation, [and] one that can and should be corrected early while the legislation is new and before flawed assumptions become entrenched. The person suggested the website should explain to users how their locality is defined and allow them to search within a radius of kilometres from their home. Advertisement Related Article Child safety More than 100,000 users access Queenslands new online paedophile register If a government safety system can return no offenders while offenders live only minutes away, the system is not fulfilling the laws purpose, regardless of whether it is technically defensible, they concluded. A government spokesperson, responding to additional questions to Purdies office about whether the government had received any complaints, did not provide a direct response. The Crisafulli government is delivering Daniels Law backed in by Bruce and Denise Morcombe exactly as promised, to help protect children who cant protect themselves and make Queensland safer, the spokesperson said in a statement. We are giving parents the information they need to make decisions about the safety of their children with more than 100,000 visits to the site since it was launched and prioritising the rights of victims and parents ahead of the rights of predators. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Tarneit has been named the Melbourne suburb where home buyers splashed the most cash in 2025, edging out Brighton, which topped the list for the past five years. Despite its modest median house value of about $709,000, the western suburb recorded 1666 sales in the year to September 2025. It dwarfed the 272 sales recorded in pricier Brighton, where the typical house costs just over $3.2 million. It also edged out fellow western suburb Point Cook. While the result might seem surprising, the sheer number of sales in Melbournes west is what saw Tarneit rise to the top, Cotalitys executive research director Tim Lawless said. Advertisement Travel newsTraveller letters Calling an entire country overrated? Sounds like snobbery Each week Traveller publishes a selection of rants, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below on how you can contribute. January 10, 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 Overrated list overrated Vietnam was a country our writers named as overrated. iStock Dismissing entire nations or cities as overrated (Traveller, December 12) indicates a lack of curiosity or perhaps elitism. Travel is a luxury, and everyone who looks can find rewarding, memorable experiences by exploring beyond what a travel expert recommends. If visible homelessness, pricey cities, overcrowding, humidity, traffic congestion, kitschy tourist traps [and] sprawling metropolises make tourist destinations overrated, then its a wonder anyone visits Australia. Simon Tatz, Newport, Vic Letter of the week: Go beyond The real Venice can be found beyond the obvious tourist haunts. iStock Advertisement Your travel teams dismissal of Venice as being overrated (Traveller, December 12) reveals more about their approach than the city itself. Venice rewards those willing to look beyond the obvious. Stay in Cannaregio, not San Marco. Rise early when locals reclaim their streets. Wander eastern Castello where neighbourhood bacari serve Venetians, not tourists. That 15 ($26) spritz in Piazza San Marco costs 3 or 4 ($5.50 to $7) three canals away. Yes, Venice has tourist traps, as does Paris, Rome and every beloved destination. The tragedy isnt that Venice is overrated, its that surface-level tourism has convinced people it is. Chris Jack, Dee Why, NSW Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Cistern act Istanbul may be overrated as a cheap destination (Traveller, December 12) but take a step away from the main drawcards and your hip pocket will be happy. Visit the Little Aya Sofya for free, smaller than her big sister means no queuing, and youll enjoy peace and quiet. And instead of the Basilica Cistern (again with exorbitant entrance fees and queues) not far from the Grand Bazaar is the Serefiye Cistern. At half the entrance fee, its smaller but with fewer people, its a wonderful experience and definitely underrated. Not forgetting the friendliest locals we met anywhere in the Mediterranean, Istanbul is definitely worth the visit. Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic Azores point Your characterisation of The Azores as the Hawaii of Europe is not entirely accurate (Traveller, December 19). Yes, like Hawaii, there are hot springs and ponds of boiling mud, but the weather is hardly tropical and, by the way, whale-watching tours occur only in summer. We visited Sao Miguel, the largest island, in April, 2024, and it was wet, chilly and so windy that our plane couldnt land. We had to return to Lisbon and try again the following day, a regular occurrence. On the upside, there is an interesting tea plantation and lush, semi-tropical vegetation, albeit with clear evidence of frequent heavy mud slides. Hikers beware. Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow, NSW Advertisement Steering committee Bangkoks notorious traffic is rated as among Asias most challenging for those who dare drive in it. IStock Michael Gebickis recent column about motoring abroad (Traveller, November 24), was amusing, but I strongly disagree with his conclusion regardless of how local drivers behave, dont do anything you wouldnt do at home. After 60 years driving aboard in all sorts of vehicles, conditions and road rules, my advice would be exactly the opposite. Watch how the locals drive, and blend in to their system. Insistence on little-known Australian concepts of correct etiquette is a sure way of getting into accidents. Ive found Bangkok and Taipei to be two of the most challenging cities in Asia, although I still self-drive hire cars in Phuket and Kaohsiung in the same two countries. Bruce Maxwell, Hervey Bay, Qld Pillow talk Lee Tullochs column on hotel cleaners (Traveller, December 13), aptly describes our rooms cleaned and prepped by an army of housekeepers. Yes, they are mainly women, underpaid, overworked, undervalued, employed to do the most menial job, endure long shifts, low pay and lack of opportunity to move up the career ladder. Keeping that in mind I always leave a tip on my bed daily with a note thanking them for their service. Wouldnt it be nice if the majority of the hotel guests do this and perk up their lives even if for one day? Sanda Aye, Footscray, Vic Advertisement Air enforce Airlines really should enforce the rule of one cabin bag per passenger only. In addition, the storage space above your seats is the designated place for your cabin bags. If you bring too many bags and cant store them above your seats, then you need to check in your luggage. Vincent Chong, Beecroft, NSW Qantas bagging If Rob Murray had been successful claiming for his damaged case from Qantas he would still be disappointed. We claimed successfully but rather than cash or a credit note of some kind we were sent to an obscure shop in the city to choose a replacement. Common brands were not available, and it was a matter of choosing from a limited range of luggage. Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew, Vic Worst Indies Advertisement The eastern Caribbean island nation of St Lucia features a pair of dramatically tapered mountains. iStock My handful of Christmas cards posted November last year, while in St Lucia in the Caribbean, have finally reached home. Presumably they swam. I shall never critique Australia Post ever again. Mark Latchford, Seaforth, NSW Overtourism overstated With all forms of media carrying stories of overtourism, we decided to focus our seven-week road trip in the south-west of the US on the lesser-known places. We were rewarded with equivalent spectacle, interesting histories, and quirky geology shared with dozens, not thousands and without the glitz and queues. There are so many off-the-radar places to choose from that we only saw one tenth of what is available. Pecos and Bandelier Pueblos, Nambe Badlands, Chaco Canyon, the oil town of Farmington, Durango, Tonto cliff dwellings to name a few. Each place has its own story, and they are much more enriching when enjoyed in relative solitude. And while I am at it, please remember a meal in a diner or a visit to Walmart can be just as rewarding and insightful to the American way as the grand monuments. John Stone, Brunswick, Vic Not easy being greener Advertisement Be warned that the 500 Greener Stay points earned on IHG Hotel reservations only apply to stays of at least two nights on the same booking reference. Due to a change of plans, I was forced to make two separate bookings for a three-night stay at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise recently. Despite being gratefully allocated the same Sea View Room, IHG only allocated Greener Points for one instead of two nights. Forgoing eco-wasteful daily room service comes with a catch: long stays in the same room have to be consolidated into a single booking reference. Smacks of IHG green-casting and short-changing the eco-conscientious tourist. Joseph Ting, Carina, Qld Big dipper Simon Johansons article on the Hurtigruten coastal voyage in Norway from Bergen brought back memories of a similar trip I did nearly 50 years ago. My plan was to see the midnight sun, so I carefully chose and booked my sailing date. I was not disappointed. Seeing the sun dip down to the water, not quite touching, and then rising again brought gasps of awe from those of us sitting on the deck in the cool early morning light. This fascinating voyage is part of the many scenic delights of Norway. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW Tip of the week: Gone on the Ghan The journey on The Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin is one of the worlds greatest. Advertisement We recently travelled from Darwin to Adelaide on The Ghan. What a wonderful experience. We were in Platinum class and our cabin was very functional with a small bathroom and comfortable beds. The trip was all-inclusive with a regionally inspired menu paired with a selection of local wines. The staff were warm, friendly and helpful. Our off-train experiences in Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy were memorable. A highlight was dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station in Alice Springs where we enjoyed a wonderful meal, music with a live band and a guide who showed us the stars in the dark sky using a laser pointer. Our fellow travellers came from all over the world including a young couple from New York on their honeymoon. Alison Steinmetz, Chipping Norton, Vic Planet Planit New Zealand, a nation renowned for its drops and drop-dead views. Getty We used the website Planit.co as our booking agency for a two-week New Zealand holiday, and they exceeded expectations. They organised all our activities many at discounted rates with fast, friendly communication and excellent local knowledge. Their recommendations for car-hire, tours, skydiving, rafting, glacier hikes and black-water caving were all top-quality. Despite unpredictable West Coast weather, they stayed in constant contact and proactively helped reschedule plans, keeping everything stress-free. We couldnt have managed such a full itinerary without their professional and caring service. Sara Brims, Bentleigh East, Vic Plaice of worship Advertisement Many travellers will know the experience, driving into a town and then at dinner time, trying to find somewhere to have a meal, however, when your hosts are locals it makes it easier. In Port Pirie, South Australia, the oldest stone church in the city, the 1878-built Congregational Church on Florence Street is now the centre of worship for those seeking sustenance for the sole. The Church of Fish & Chips (originally Barnacle Bills) provides a menu well beyond the loaves and fishes recorded in the Good News. Dining in, you can marvel at the architectural grandeur of the former worship space, while those waiting for takeaway can take a pew. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW Driving force A road weaves its way through a picturesque valley in Boge, Albania. Getty We holidayed in Albania in October, hiring a local car with a driver from Fatmir Aliko at Limitless Albania. They arranged all of our accommodation in hotels suitable to us, consulting us throughout the planning process. Our driver, Marin, was courteous and knowledgeable, taking us to off-the-beaten-track locales. He was a font of information about local flora and fauna, history, politics and economic matters. The car was a small Toyota that had seen some miles, but it was reliable and served its purpose. For the service and convenience, we thought that it was good value. Doug Vorbach, Narwee, NSW Local heroes Advertisement My best travel tip is to use Tours by Locals. I highly recommend them, especially when travelling overseas because the tour guides passion and profound knowledge of the area truly provide an excellent insight. Rachael Stanley, Williamstown, Vic Adored paradors The ancient Roman aqueduct is a premier attraction in Segovia, Spain. Getty Travelling in Spain for us has always been significantly enhanced by staying in paradors, Spanish government-run hotels in historic buildings such as castles, and monasteries. On occasions, they were specially built to showcase views, such as in the cities of Segovia and Toledo. Paradors vary in price, but many are reasonable and all have great character and individuality. Louisa & Lachlan Pitcher, Surrey Hills, Vic Baristas, bar none Advertisement I have recently returned from a holiday in Germany, Switzerland and the Lombardo area in Italy. I found the coffee in these countries disappointing, especially in Germany. Many bakeries have automatic coffee machines that produce a tasteless, fluffy flat white. I thank our Australian baristas, who take making coffee seriously. They give time to sourcing the right beans and often roast the beans themselves. And, of course, they have proper espresso machines. Pam Montgomery, Pretty Beach, NSW Happy places Editors note: We recently launched a new series, My Happy Place, where Travellers writers reflect on the holiday destinations in Australia and around the world that they cherish the most. We also invited you to submit your happy places. Heres a selection. Donegal, Ireland is my happy place. Rolling green hills, dotted with shaggy black-faced sheep, whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs, whispers of smoke as hints to continued occupancy: bliss. To sit, warming hands around a mug of tea beside a peat fire, in a cottage in rural County Donegal, gazing out at a wind ruffled loch, is beyond happiness it is total contentment. Boronia Davie, North Rocks, NSW For me it is Ku-ring-gai National Park. Only several kilometres from home, its where I always find myself. Swimming at McCarrs Creek, midsummer night fishing at Akuna Bay, tackling the vertical trek down to Flint and Steel Beach. Ive stumbled upon rock paintings and ancient middens newly revealed after a deluge, and wandered inland tidal beaches where the last of the Barrenjoey people lived and died, reflecting on all that has been lost but what remains eternal. Luisa Moore, Castlecrag, NSW Advertisement My happy place is Penang and Malaysia in general, with its swaying palms and beautiful beaches, friendly locals, amazing food from the amalgamation of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisines, nature hikes, street art and urban shopping malls with goodies to buy, there is something for everyone. In writing this, I realise what truly makes a happy place special and extraordinary are the people. People who love to eat and proudly tell you where the best places to eat are, people who help you find a secret bar down an alleyway. People who welcome others with open arms. Thats Malaysia. Min Lim, Fitzroy North, Vic The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Traveller letters For subscribers Advertisement WorldEuropePerforming arts From Traralgon to Covent Garden: How Victorias Billy Elliot became a Royal Ballet star Rob Harris January 10, 2026 5:31am 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: It began, as the best type of stories do, with a pair of lost tap shoes. Calvin Richardson was a teenager in regional Victoria when he arrived at a Billy Elliot audition without his own shoes, only to be loaned a pair by the instructor. Flustered, he did not land his first big role on stage, but that missed chance turned out to be only a small detour. Calvin Richardson, a young ballet dancer from country Victoria, who is now principal soloist at the Royal Ballet. Tristram Kenton Id lost them, and I was totally panicked, but the person who was instructing us let me borrow his, and I actually fit into his tap shoes, he recalls. So I did well in the audition, but they were just like oh, Im really sorry, you did a great job, but we think youre going to grow too much ... I think I was just about ready to give up and then. Now 31, Richardson is principal at The Royal Ballet in London one of the most prestigious positions in global dance. Its a long way from his childhood dream of a life in musical theatre, but after more than a decade abroad and a lifetime of discipline and quiet determination, the Australian dancer is reflective on what it means to be at the top and how he got there. Advertisement It feels different, Richardson says over a coffee deep in the bowels of Covent Gardens historic Royal Opera House. Theres a new level of responsibility. You become an ambassador not just for yourself, but for the company. His performances are fewer than in his corps days, but the pressure is greater. Youre no longer trying to impress the person at the front. The rehearsal is for you. What do you want to do with it? To see Richardson on stage is to fully understand why he has risen to the top. Tall, handsome with strong presence and charisma, as Jack/The Knave of Hearts in Alices Adventures in Wonderland he almost floats across the stage with a smile which disarms. Since his promotion, the pace has only intensified. At the time we speak, rehearsals for Alice blended into new work for The Statement, a contemporary drama danced to a soundtrack of spoken word, while Cinderella drew in audiences in their hordes. He had spent the past few months wowing in the lead role in Romeo and Juliet including performances in Brisbane in a production originally choreographed in 1965 by the legendary Kenneth MacMillan. Raised in Traralgon, a coal-mining and timber town in Victorias Latrobe Valley, Richardsons path to ballet began at local dance schools and country competitions with the support of parents Jan and John. He learned his trade under Vicky Flowers of Vickys Dance Academy in Morwell. Advertisement Richardson as Espada in Don Quixote. Andrej Uspenski I just remember picking up my sisters and seeing them do the splits. I thought, I want to try that. Miss Vicky was a great tap teacher. It really spoke to me ... We grew up with a lot of Gene Kelly in Singin in the Rain. A scholarship to the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School at 14 changed everything, bringing a greater focus on the ballet discipline, which would eventually win his heart. It meant a pre-dawn, near three-hour train journey from Gippsland a few days a week. I think I fell in love with it properly then, he says. I mean, I still didnt have expectations of what I should be doing ... but I just sort of soaked all of that up. Advertisement Richardson in The Statement, a dance-drama choreographed to spoken word which explores the shadowy depths of human nature and boardroom politics. Andrej Uspenski Moving across the world as a teenager, he joined the Royal Ballet at 20 after graduating from the prestigious Royal Ballet School, and has never looked back. Over the years, hes played roles from the Mad Hatter to Romeo, across stages in New York, Japan and Madrid. A typical day now in London starts with class at 10.30am, followed by rehearsals and performance that can stretch late into the evening. The routine mirrors that of elite athletes: injury management, recovery and mental health are constant priorities Ive had my fair share of injuries, he says. So Ive learned to listen to my body more. While hes not a yoga person, breath work has become a grounding practice. Theres a dancer here who runs breath classes. When Ive joined, its really helped slow things down. Advertisement Kevin OHare, artistic director of the Royal Ballet, has watched Richardsons rise with admiration. Calvin has that rare ability to move between classical and contemporary worlds with total commitment, OHare says. In a company with a diverse repertoire, from MacMillan classics to commissions from Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, versatility is essential. Every time a new choreographer comes in, I say, There are 103 dancers, take your pick. And they gravitate toward Calvin. He brings something alive in the room. Richardsons adaptability is matched by his work ethic. Advertisement When you leave school as a standout, its easy to expect things to happen quickly, OHare continues. But Calvin started from the corps, took every role seriously, and never lost that focus. Richardsons resilience is particularly notable among the many Australians at the Royal Ballet. Theyve left home, left their families, OHare says. Theyre not going to waste the opportunity. Calvins one of those you can see hes here to make it count. Leanne Benjamin, one of Australias finest ballet exports who spent two decades as principal dancer in London, says the nation has always punched above their weight courtesy of historical and cultural connections. Advertisement The real leap is coming from some place rural, or isolated, and being thrown into an intense kaleidoscope of change, senses, otherness, she says. And what Calvin brings with him is that he is his own person, and you can see that on stage in everything he does. Benjamin, who hails from regional Queensland, said while Richardson was technically brilliant he was a singular person. And because of that, he stands out. Thats why choreographers, dancers, critic and audiences adore him, she says. For Richardson, the craft goes beyond technique. Take the Mad Hatter, he says. The first time, I had to push myself to go far with the expressions, to be silly in front of friends. Thats weirdly vulnerable. Other roles, like Romeo or in Manon, demand more restraint. You might spend a long time just rehearsing how to walk into a room because of what your character has just seen or felt. Without dialogue, everything depends on intention. Theres this beautiful ambiguity what are you saying with that look, that movement? You find a lot of meaning in those moments. Advertisement Hes especially drawn to the classics. Still, he admits he sometimes feels like an outsider to ballet history. I wish I knew more. But maybe that perspective has its own value. As a teenage boy in regional Australia, the challenges were real especially coming to terms with his sexuality. He admits he nearly quit dancing because he was struggling going into senior school. I didnt know I was queer at the time, but I was very different, he says. I didnt have the language to articulate that, but ... I was sort of leading a double life. I was dancing, but I was keeping that secret, like, out of fear of being bullied. Richardson says his journey as a queer artist has deeply influenced his performances. It has earned him an added following in the UK, where he recently posed for a spread in Attitude magazine, an LGBTQI publication. Calvin Richardson and Meaghan Grace Hinkis in the Royal Ballets production of Alice In Wonderland. Advertisement He says embracing his sexuality has played a significant role in his approach to contemporary works, where he has the freedom to express himself authentically. He says these roles allow him to bring parts of his identity to the stage, whether through nuanced physicality or emotional depth. Hes portrayed several queer roles, such as in Yugen and Woolf Works both pieces by Sir Wayne McGregor. Performing queer roles feels natural, he says, explaining how his movements are often informed by his own experiences, allowing him to bring a unique depth to these characters. For him, these roles offer a chance to connect with audiences on a more personal level. His journey of self-acceptance has shaped not only his art but also his approach to performance. I now feel more confident in my identity, he says. This sense of freedom on stage enables him to embrace imperfections and trust in his talent, all while continuing to challenge traditional norms within classical dance. Advertisement When asked what hed say to his younger self, the kid who thought he should hide his passion for dance, he pauses. Id probably say: Like, I understand how painful this is, but also you can still do this, that youre loved and youre cared for and all those things. Richardson is aware that not everyone gets that chance. Many aspiring dancers are lost before they begin. This is a short moment, he says. I want to plan around that, perform for family, bring things full circle ... You rely so much on your body. OHare notes that dancers today face more pressure than ever: greater versatility, public visibility, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Yet, he believes dancers like Richardson shape the future of the art form. Calvins a role model, not just for the company, but for dancers everywhere, OHare says. And he never forgets his shoes. The security of the old world order is being blasted away with every airstrike to enforce the will of US President Donald Trump. The future is an unhappy picture of great power competition and serious risk for Australia. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A The security of the old world order is being blasted away with every airstrike to enforce the will of Donald Trump so he can assure his followers he is making America great again. The US president who ridiculed regime change is now vowing to run Venezuela, turn a profit from its oil, and demanding control of Greenland in the hope of painting the world map with the US stars and stripes. The Trump vision comes with proof of his willingness to deploy hard power, rather than merely posting truths on social media, to get his way. It includes bombing Caracas, capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and seizing oil tankers on the high seas. And it shakes old alliances because it comes with a signal that he could use force against others even NATO members if they do not submit to his plans. It feels like a new world disorder. The sense of balance in world politics is shifting and a new era of great power competition is under way. In this world, might is right. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin believed it already. Trump has signed up as well. US President Donald Trump can turn on allies in an instant, even when seeming to work with them. Bloomberg Its not about the rules-based order any more. Thats gone, says Michael Clarke, a visiting professor at Kings College London, a former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute and a former defence adviser to British governments. Clarke sees an era of major rivals seeking to impose their will across their spheres of influence. American allies, he says, must adapt because they have no choice but to survive in this new dispensation. He quotes an adage: If youre not running a sphere of influence, youre in one. There are four major powers in this world view: the United States, China, Russia and India. This seems generous to Putin, given the weakness of the Russian economy, but Russia is a nuclear state that is aggressive in using its military. Advertisement The reason those big powers are important is that they create the political weather for everybody else, Clarke says. And three of those four powers are revisionist. The US, China and Russia are all trying to change the old system that weve lived with now for the last 80-odd years. And two of those four powers are rogue states. Russia, and America now under Trump, are behaving like rogue states in that theyre undermining very directly the politics of countries around them. Related Article Analysis Venezuela crisis In claiming American strength, Trump also highlights weakness Trumps intervention in Venezuela is not a seismic shift in itself, given that US presidents have used force in Latin America for decades. George H.W. Bush sent troops into Panama in 1989 to replace its leader, Manuel Noriega, and put him on trial for drug trafficking. Trump merely does the same, albeit with newer technology so he can watch it live from his Florida estate. What has changed is the context. Trump can turn on allies in an instant, even when seeming to work with them. The alarming factor over the past week has been the way the White House picked fights with NATO allies over Greenland immediately after displaying its military might against Venezuela. Trump and his team had the opportunity to rule out using force in a dispute with European allies; they never did. The new ethos for using power Trump has the power. He will use it as he wants. One of the presidents most dedicated acolytes, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said as much this week. Advertisement We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, he told CNN on Tuesday. But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world. Miller was direct about the rationale for intervening in Venezuela. The US is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere, he said. Were a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower. Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores surrounded by security en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday (AEDT). GC Images Trump says there is no outside check on how he can act. Asked by The New York Times in recent days if there were any limits on his global powers, he said: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Millers remark highlighted the fact that this is not about Trump alone. There is a movement of MAGA believers who are backing his America First message about turning away migrants, building up the military and putting other countries in their place. Their pivotal test this year comes at the mid-term elections in November. Trump admitted to Republicans on Tuesday (in an address at the Trump Kennedy Centre, which he has just renamed in his own honour) that he could be impeached if the Democrats won control of the House and Senate. The MAGA movement needs to cement its power. Trump has an incentive to engineer a victory on Greenland before election day. Advertisement Alarm over Greenland French President Emmanuel Macron is slicing through the usual pretence that America remains a reliable ally. He spoke on Thursday in Paris about the danger of the US turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules. Its the greatest disorder, the law of the strongest, and everyday people wonder whether Greenland will be invaded, whether Canada will be under the threat of becoming the 51st state or whether Taiwan is to be further circled, Macron told French diplomats, in remarks reported by the Associated Press. He warned of a dysfunctional era in which major powers such as the US and China were tempted to divide the world among themselves. This is a future of competing spheres of influence and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is also ringing the alarm. He argued this week that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had threatened the world order and that US policy was now making a second rupture. Steinmeier, who was Germanys minister for foreign affairs for eight years, said nations had to push back at the breakdown in values by the US, which helped build the world order. Advertisement It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers, he said, in remarks reported by Reuters. Trump has heightened these concerns with his demand for Greenland. But what is his rationale? Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has predicted that any US move to take the territory by force would be a conflict within NATO and therefore the end of NATO. There is no logical analysis of the importance of Greenland to justify that cost. The US has a treaty with Denmark from 1951 that allows it to build military facilities in Greenland, which means there is nothing to stop Trump from expanding operations if his security advisers are worried that climate change will alter the military dynamics in the Arctic. At the same time, there is no barrier to minerals exploration: there is an operating gold mine in southern Greenland, for instance, despite challenging conditions. US companies are not being blocked from searching for critical minerals. View post on X This leads to the obvious theory that Trump is chasing a legacy. He wants to be the president who adds a vast land mass to the US. One MAGA influencer, Katie Miller, who is married to Stephen Miller, posted a map of the Arctic with Greenland covered in the American flag. At heart, the push for US ownership seems a personal and populist move, more than a strategic imperative. Venezuela: a precedent for China? How China responds is now a key factor in the aftermath of the US operation in Venezuela, but there are flaws to the theory that Xi will be emboldened to copy Trump and send Chinese special forces into Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement WorldMiddle EastMiddle East tensions Iranian authorities struggle to contain growing demonstrations Yeganeh Torbati January 10, 2026 5:18am 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 Istanbul: The Iranian government is struggling to contain protests that began late last month with merchants in Tehran and have exploded into mass demonstrations and extended strikes in cities and towns across the country. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in remarks on Friday, Tehran time, that the government would not back down against the protesters, whom he described as vandals. A screen grab showing people blocking an intersection during a protest in Tehran on Friday (AEDT). AP In the modest city of Abdanan, a large crowd marched on Tuesday night, shouting for the death of Khamenei. In the major city of Mashhad on Wednesday night, people tore down an enormous flag bearing the Islamic republics emblem and ripped it into shreds. On Thursday evening, masses of Iranians took to the streets following a call from Irans former crown prince. And in a new and potentially portentous turn, many businesses have shut down their storefronts, bringing much of the countrys already ailing economy to a standstill. Security forces have responded with violence in many instances, including killing protesters, raiding hospitals and arresting thousands, according to human rights groups. Estimates of the death toll range from at least 27 to 36 people, according to tallies by human rights groups. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran said during the week that six children have been killed by security forces. Advertisement Khamenei sought to downplay the mass demonstrations and smear them as directed by the US: Last night [Thursday] in Tehran, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building that belonged to themselves to please the president of the United States. The latest protests started last month with Tehran shopkeepers whose businesses have been wrecked by the recent depreciation of the Iranian rial, then spread and drew in others across the country. Related Article Middle East tensions Iran hospital raid fuels protest anger as crackdown kills 29 Some videos shared online have shown the security forces at times overwhelmed by the size of the gatherings. And despite the repression and official announcements of modest economic changes, including monthly payments worth $US7 ($10.45) to households for purchasing basic food items, the protests appear to be gaining momentum. They havent accepted the legitimacy of even the most basic demands of this people, so now people are at the edge, said Omid, 55, a carpet store owner in the capital, Tehran, in an interview on Wednesday. That day, security forces had countered protesters in the Tehran bazaar with tear gas, videos showed. Like other Iranians interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition that he not be fully named for fear of government reprisal. Advertisement Large crowds took to the streets on Thursday night in the countrys biggest cities, including Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan, as well as other cities from large to small after former crown prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iranians to protest. Pahlavi wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Tuesday that he sees himself as a unifying figure to help Iran transition toward democracy, rather than a ruler-in-waiting. The size of the crowds on Thursday night reminded some participants and observers of the 2009 Green Movement, when an estimated 3 million Iranians took to the streets on a single day in Tehran. In Iranian demonstrations since then, turnout has tended to be smaller and more scattered, in part due to the security crackdown. But not so on Thursday night. A government cost-of-living handout of $10.45 a month has failed to stem the protests. AP Yaser, a Tehran resident, said in a voice message to The Washington Post while in the midst of a march about 8.30pm that men, women and children had joined in. Theyre out as families, he said. You wont believe it. Videos shared by Persian-language news outlets outside Iran corroborated his account of large marches in the capital. Enghelab (Revolution) Street, a popular site for protests, was packed, Yaser said. Some people had lit rubbish bins on fire to ward off the effects of tear gas, he said, though there were far fewer security forces out on the streets than he had expected. As he spoke, chants of death to the dictator could be heard in the background. Advertisement The internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Thursday that Iran was now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout. The government has throttled the internet in past rounds of unrest, trying to block information about developments from circulating. Sohrab, 50, a resident of the northern city of Rasht, said earlier that there had been protests at the citys Shahrdari Square on Wednesday morning. Most shops were closed, and the scene was tense and chaotic, he said. This video grab from footage released by Iranian state television shows burning vehicles during a night of mass protests in Tehran. AP A few minutes ago a plainclothes agent was beating a guy in his head and face in front of me, he said Wednesday. And then on another corner a group of them started running behind two young guys, but it was impossible to say what they were escaping from and what the forces were after. It is like random bits and pieces of violence here and there. Nazanin, 35, lives in Semnan, a city in north-central Iran that has seen little unrest in the past, even during the widespread demonstrations in 2022. But this week, there was a small protest there, she said, with people chanting, Javid shah, or Long live the king, an expression of support for Irans deposed monarchy. Advertisement On Thursday, Nazanin said, at least a third of the businesses in Semnan were closed. And they were not alone. In western parts of the country, where the countrys Kurdish population is concentrated, businesses appeared to largely abide by a call by Kurdish political parties to shutter their businesses. People in Tehran, Rasht and Mashhad - major Iranian cities in different parts of the country - said in interviews that the vast majority of shops in their areas were also closed. Shops that were open included supermarkets, where Iranians were having trouble finding basic goods, especially cooking oil. Related Video Video icon 1:48 Anti-government protests continue to intensify across Iran If the suspension of economic activity continues, it could prove significant. Large-scale closures of businesses have been largely absent from past rounds of protest in Iran in recent decades. Everyone is on a strike now, said Amir, a food vendor in Karaj, near Tehran, on Wednesday. The economy has collapsed. The bazaar has collapsed. One of my acquaintances in the bazaar said, If they want to shoot and kill us, let them! We have had enough. Advertisement Irans government has repeatedly faced street protests, especially since 2017 an average of one mass protest movement every two years. Each time, the authorities have managed to suppress the demonstrations through force, including mass arrests and killings. Several Iranians interviewed by The Post pointed to President Donald Trumps public support for the protesters as adding to peoples motivation to resist. Trump has said the United States would intervene if Iranian authorities kill protesters, though its unclear what that intervention would look like. A man rides his bicycle past shops that have been closed during protests in Tehrans centuries-old main bazaar earlier this week. AP Authorities have also been calling and threatening people who post messages in support of the protests on their social media accounts. One woman, a book blogger in her 30s with about 35,000 Instagram followers, said she received such a call last week after praising the bravery of Iranian protesters and urging solidarity. The caller identified himself as an intelligence officer and told her she had 30 minutes to remove her posts or she would face a criminal case. This time, all of those injustices that have been done to us have accumulated, and people are out on the street because of those injustices, she said. There is a lot more anger this time, and people are much more hopeful. The more it goes on, the more people are coming out. Advertisement Ali Sharifi-Zarchi, a widely respected computer engineering professor at the elite Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, posted a simple, five-word message in Persian on his X account on Monday: Ali Khameneis not my leader. It was a startling statement in a country where criticising Khamenei so directly has long been considered to be crossing a red line, even as Iranian presidents and other officials are often harshly attacked by their rivals and the media. Employment at a public university like Sharif, and indeed any prominent institution in Iran, is impossible for those considered to be firmly and openly opposed to the government. Sharifi-Zarchi did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Outside Sharifi-Zarchis office door, the Basij, the state militia that often cracks down on protests, pasted images of his post, social media posts by Trump and a sign that read, Speaking in the same voice as the enemy. The group posted a picture of what it had done to the X platform. Sharifi-Zarchi, in turn, shared a screenshot of the Basijs X post and wrote: The enemies of the Iranian people are those who attack hospitals, deploy tear gas in the metro, and respond to unarmed protesters with live ammunition. Advertisement On Thursday, he had a simpler message: The victory of the Iranian people is near. The Washington Post Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Advertisement WorldMiddle EastProtests Tool of repression: Iran is cut off from the internet as protests intensify Pranav Baskar and Sanam Mahoozi January 9, 2026 3:45pm 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 Iran was plunged into a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday, internet monitoring groups said, amid widespread protests over dire economic conditions and anger at the Islamic Republic. As the government cracked down in various cities, internet connectivity data showed an abrupt and near-total drop in connection levels in Iran on Thursday afternoon, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, and the Georgia Institute of Technologys Internet Outage Detection and Analysis database. The data indicates that the country is almost completely offline. Merchants and business owners in the traditional bazaars in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Kerman closed their shops to protest at the dire state of the economy and the plunging currency. AP Iranian officials did not immediately respond to questions about the cause of the shutdown, but the government has previously enforced internet blackouts during moments of crisis. During the countrys 12-day war with Israel last June, Iran blocked access to the internet, saying that it was a necessary security measure to stop Israeli infiltration. That measure also cut off the flow of information to the rest of the world. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Middle East tensions The mood on Irans streets seems to be desperation rather than hope Kylie Moore-Gilbert Political scientist and writer Experts believe that pattern is being repeated. NetBlocks said in posts on social media that the shutdown was likely to severely limit coverage of events on the ground as protests spread. We are in a situation that can be described as a near-total internet shutdown, said Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at the Miaan Group, a US-based human rights organisation focused on the Middle East. The method of disruption is exactly the same as the one used during the 12-day war. As the protest movement has spread to cities across the country, the head of Irans judiciary and the countrys chief of security forces told Iranian media that stern measures would be taken against protesters. Merchants and business owners in the traditional bazaars in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Kerman had closed their shops to protest at the dire state of the economy and the plunging currency, according to interviews with witnesses and Iranian news media reports. Videos from multiple cities taken by protesters and passers-by showed crowds chanting Death to the dictator, Freedom, freedom, freedom and Dont be afraid, we are all together. Advertisement Related Article Middle East tensions Iran hospital raid fuels protest anger as crackdown kills 29 The Iranian government uses internet shutdowns as a tool of repression, said Omid Memarian, an Iranian human rights expert and senior fellow at DAWN, a Washington-based organisation focused on the Middle East. Whenever protests reach a critical point, authorities sever the countrys connection to the global internet to isolate protesters and limit their communication with the outside world. Iran has partly censored the internet since 2005, with social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram blocked across the country. But many Iranians use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to circumvent those restrictions. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 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. TEHRAN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday urged people in Iran to preserve unity and said some protesters try to please the United States. Khamenei made the remarks in a televised address to the nation as the country faces growing protests. Advertisement Analysis WorldNorth AmericaTrump's America When it comes to violence against protesters, this administration has a track record of lies Michael Koziol January 9, 2026 11:45am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Washington: The more you watch the chilling video of an ICE officer shooting Renee Nicole Good dead in Minneapolis, the more you cant help but conclude that this was an act of wholly unnecessary violence against an American citizen, if not murder. The brute force with which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the wider Trump administration insisted this was an act of self-defence was a feat of gaslighting. In reality, they gave the game away themselves. There is no feasible way they could have been so sure of what happened so quickly. A law enforcement agent sprays a line of protesters with chemical spray at the scene of the shooting in Minneapolis. AP But ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have form when it comes to misrepresenting encounters with protesters. It was laid out and called out by a federal judge less than two months ago. When ICE began targeting the US city of Chicago in September, in what was dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, they came up against a familiar presence of demonstrators something ICE agents are used to after nearly a year of Trumps deportation blitz. Advertisement Much of the protest activity focused on an immigration detention facility in Broadview, in the Chicago suburbs. As clashes escalated, protesters and journalists were hit with what legal advocates described as excessive force, including tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper-balls, flash grenades and other repressive tools. A number of legal groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, took Noem and the DHS to court seeking an injunction. The plaintiff in the case was the Chicago Headline Club, representing journalists who were coming under fire for doing their jobs. A makeshift memorial to Renee Nicole Good near the site of her shooting. AP In explaining her decision to grant a temporary injunction against the DHS, federal judge Sara Ellis documented an extraordinary level of misrepresentation and outright lying by ICE agents and leadership as they attempted to explain and defend their actions against demonstrators. In a section of the legal opinion discussing the credibility of evidence, Ellis detailed how the DHS submitted hours of bodycam and surveillance footage, including timestamps that were intended to guide the court. Advertisement WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT Loading Presumably, these portions of the videos would be defendants best evidence to demonstrate that agents acted in line with the Constitution, federal laws and the agencies own policies on use of force, the judge wrote. But a review of them shows the opposite. In one case, video showed a line of protesters gathered peacefully on the street outside the Broadwater facility holding signs, Ellis wrote. Almost immediately and without warning, agents lob flash-bang grenades, tear gas and pepper balls at the protesters, stating, f--- yea! Weeks later in another neighbourhood, bodycam footage showed an agent pushing a protester to the ground, allowing him to stand up and then tackling him again, kneeling on his head or neck. Advertisement Related Article Updated Trump's America ICE officer shoots woman dead in dramatic escalation of Trump crackdown Only after agents threw tear gas and pepper balls and pushed the protester to the ground did other protesters throw some bottles of water at the agents, which cannot support the agents use of force, Ellis found. One of the key complaints of Noem and the DHS in the past 24 hours has been about protesters routinely using vehicles as weapons to ram ICE agents as they do their jobs. But the Ellis judgment was also sceptical on that topic. DHS had submitted footage from an October 3 incident in Chicago purporting to show agents facing danger from cars ramming them on purpose. But the judge, having reviewed the video, said it actually suggested the agent drove erratically and brake-checked other motorists in an attempt to force accidents that agents could then use as justifications for deploying force. Advertisement Related Article Updated Trump's White House National outcry after second shooting by US agents in two days The footage caused Ellis to question claims from Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Kristopher Hewson that ICE agents were being rammed every day of Operation Midway Blitz. In another incident, agents wrote in their field reports that protesters had thrown a bicycle at them. But Ellis found the footage from the event made it clear that agents actually took a protesters bike and threw it to the side after they had deployed tear gas. The alleged lies came from everywhere. Russell Hott, the then Chicago field director for ICE, told the court that someone had ripped a beard off an agents face. But when later questioned, Hott said he had no proof that it had actually happened. Perhaps the most scathing assessment in the legal opinion was reserved for Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, who commanded the Chicago operation and appeared on the streets of Minneapolis on Thursday morning, the day after the killing of Good. Advertisement Ellis specifically found Bovinos testimony was not credible. He appeared evasive over the three days of his deposition, she wrote, either providing cute responses to plaintiffs counsels questions, or outright lying. Most tellingly, Bovino admitted in his deposition that he lied multiple times about the events that occurred in Little Village that prompted him to throw tear gas at protesters, Ellis said, referring to a neighbourhood in Chicago. US Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino in Minneapolis on Thursday, after the killing of Renee Good. AP After obtaining an injunction, the plaintiffs moved to drop the case. However, on Thursday, Ellis declined to immediately dismiss the lawsuit and scheduled another hearing for January 22, citing in part concerns about the shooting in Minneapolis. There is no doubt that ICE agents encounter hostile protesters when dispatched to large US cities, and sometimes they are at risk of violence. But law enforcement overwhelmingly has the upper hand. Sympathy for their plight must surely be limited. Advertisement This administrations record on such matters is abysmal and not just when it comes to ICE. Kristi Noem, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, at a news conference in New York on Thursday. Bloomberg Noems instant conclusion that Good brought it on herself was reminiscent of US President Donald Trump blaming diversity hires for the deadly January plane crash in Washington just hours after it occurred and without a shred of evidence. The governments insistence that it already knows what happened in Minneapolis also prejudices the FBI investigation. And now there are signs the investigation will be tainted. A protester in Minneapolis on Thursday. AP Advertisement Minnesotas Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, a state body, initially said it would conduct a joint probe into Goods death with the FBI, following discussions with the US Attorneys Office. Related Article Analysis Trump's America Two wildly varied reports of the same incident reflect the two Americas of our time But on Thursday morning, US time, it said the US Attorneys Office had reversed course, and the FBI a federal agency under the direction of Trumps political appointees would conduct the investigation alone. In a statement, Minnesota BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said his agency would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence and interviews necessary to complete a thorough, independent investigation. Excluding state police from the investigation reeks of a cover-up especially when it is clear that under this administration, federal authorities cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Advertisement At a press conference on Friday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz deployed a quote from George Orwells famous dystopian novel 1984. The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears, Walz said. It certainly feels like that in this moment. 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. MARIGOT:--- The safety of our citizens is an absolute priority for the gendarmerie. The recent arrest of an individual in possession of a firearm once again highlights our unwavering commitment to combating the illegal possession of weapons and dangerous behavior. On Friday, January 2, in the Quartier dOrleans, our gendarmes demonstrated quick action and professionalism in response to a refusal to comply. The driver of a scooter, attempting to evade a control, was swiftly apprehended and arrested. During this intervention, a Glock handgun was seized, thereby preventing a potential threat to public safety. This individual was brought before the Saint-Martin criminal court for immediate trial on January 5. The court handed down a firm sentence of two years in prison with a detention order, underscoring the seriousness of the offense. This procedure was conducted under the direction of the Basse-Terre prosecutors office, whom we thank for their effective collaboration. This operation is part of a broader strategy to enhance security across our territory. The illegal possession of firearms poses a direct threat to public peace, and we remain fully mobilized to address it. Every intervention, every seizure, and every conviction is another step toward a safer environment for all. I would like to commend the courage and dedication of the gendarmes who, day after day, put their lives on the line to protect the population. Their commitment reflects our mission: to ensure the safety of everyone, tirelessly. We also call on citizens to remain vigilant and to cooperate with law enforcement. Together, we can push back against insecurity and build a community where everyone can live in peace. The Saint-Martin gendarmerie will continue to act with firmness and determination. Safety is everyones responsibility, and we are resolute in fulfilling our duty with honor and efficiency. Commandant of the Gendarmerie of Saint-Martin PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in an urgent Public meeting on January 9, 2026. The Public meeting was adjourned on January 8, 2026, and will be reconvened today at 13.30 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Finance will be in attendance. The agenda point is: Deliberations on the issues surrounding the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten a. The recent nomination of the Chairman of the CBCS by the Council of Ministers b. An update on the ENNIA situation c. Developments concerning Mullet Bay (IS/092/2025-2026 dated September 22, 2025) This meeting was requested by MP E.J. Doran, MP A.M.R. Irion, MP D.T.J. York, MP O.E.C. Ottley and MP F.A. Lacroes. Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament and www.pearlfmradio.sx PHILIPSBURG:--- A handful of local fishermen on Sint Maarten are starting the new year in 2026 with new boat equipment and fishing gear. The non-profit Nature Foundation Sint Maarten is pleased to announce that four fishermen recently completed a workshop series designed to support efforts towards sustainable local fishing. As thanks for their time and commitment, each graduate received a one-time purchase order for equipment or services of their choice. The compensation program began in August 2025 with a welcome dinner, followed by three workshops, gear training, and ongoing collaboration throughout the year. Developed jointly by the Nature Foundation and local fishers, the sessions focused on practical tools and knowledge exchange. Topics included sustainable fishing practices, responsible use of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), and creating a cultural archive of Sint Maartens fishing heritage. A special emphasis was placed on the importance of sharks and rays to the marine ecosystem, and ways to help prevent negative interactions with them. Regional fisheries experts from Anguilla and Statia also joined the workshop as guest speakers. Marine conservation and fisheries are often pitted against one another, but you cant have one without the other. Healthy oceans support fish stocks and fishers livelihoods, and their knowledge and involvement are essential to caring for our marine resources, said Nadya de Wolf, Marine Policy and Outreach Fellow. Were grateful to the fishers who allowed us to show our support and respect for the fishing community and have been working with us. This program is just a first step, and we hope it opens new doors. After completing the program, participants could request up to USD 1,500 in pre-approved equipment. Items included fishfinders, marine machinery, and wire rolls for fish pots. Each fisherman also received a custom 3D-printed gauge to measure legal and recommended sizes for queen conch and Caribbean spiny lobster to help ensure sustainable harvests. The Nature Foundation is planning a second round of workshops and funding opportunities in 2026. Small bonuses will reward innovative practices, such as adding escape slots to fish traps. Recruitment will again take place through flyers, word-of-mouth, and visits to the Simpson Bay Fish Market and Great Bay harbor. Interested individuals should reach out to the Project Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send a WhatsApp message to +1 (721) 581-6365 to determine their eligibility. The initiative is part of the MENAA (Marine Elasmobranch Nursery Area Advocacy) project at the Nature Foundation. MENAA seeks to form a foundation for the success of Sint Maartens marine and coastal area, particularly for sharks and rays. Research shows local waters serve as a nursery for species like tiger sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and spotted eagle rays. These animals are crucial for reef health and fishery stability but remain threatened by poaching and ghost nets, despite local protections. MENAA is funded by BESTLIFE2030 (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European Overseas), a granting mechanism focusing on preserving and restoring biodiversity in the EUs outermost regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), which host rich biodiversity but also face significant climate change threats. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The management of SVOBE schools (Milton Peters College and Sundial School) would like to remind the parent(s)/guardian(s) of 5th and 6th grade students (Group 7 & 8) at primary schools about the upcoming Q&A information session for prospective students of the SVOBE schools. Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 Time: 6:30 PM Location: Milton Peters College During this session, representatives from both schools will provide valuable information about the education offered at the SVOBE schools (Sundial School and Milton Peters College). Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers to help them make well-informed decisions when completing the Educational Report. We look forward to welcoming you on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 6:30 PM at Milton Peters College. People visit the Shiqiuling Tunnel, widely known as the "Liu Mingchuan Tunnel," in Keelung, southeast China's Taiwan, Jan. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Chenghao) TAIPEI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Located in Keelung in northern Taiwan, the Shiqiuling Tunnel spans 235 meters in length -- yet over a century ago, its construction required approximately 30 months of labor. Recently reopened to the public for free visits, the tunnel is widely known as the "Liu Mingchuan Tunnel" -- named after the first governor of Taiwan in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), who oversaw its construction. As the first railway tunnel in Chinese history and Taiwan's only surviving railway tunnel from the Qing Dynasty, the tunnel had been closed for years before undergoing recent restoration. "We knew this area was off-limits to outsiders in the past, and when we saw online that it had been opened, we decided to come back to have a look," said a visitor surnamed Lin, who visited with his wife. Both are now retirees living in Taipei but had previously lived in Keelung for decades. "We learned about Liu's achievements from the textbooks when we were young and knew that he did many practical things for Taiwan," Lin said. At the northern entrance of the tunnel, several panels have been installed that introduce the tunnel's history and provide details about its construction through text, photographs and diagrams. In 1885, Taiwan was established as a Chinese province, and Liu, who had arrived at the island in the previous year and led the defense of Taiwan against French forces in the Sino-French War, became its first governor. Liu was a supporter of the Self-Strengthening Movement, which was initiated by some Qing officials to strengthen China's military and industry by adopting Western technologies. One of his endeavors to develop Taiwan was to build railways, a proposal approved by the Qing court in April 1887. As a crucial link on the planned railway between Taipei and Keelung, tunnel construction commenced in the spring of 1888 amid great difficulties, as it traversed interlaced sandstone and shale layers. "Liu's decision to build railways in Taiwan was highly forward-looking, and it also came at a tremendous cost," said Chi Chia-lin, a Taiwan historian, noting that many soldiers from the mainland lost their lives during the construction. The tunnel was completed in 1890. In the following year, the 29-kilometer railway section from Taipei to Keelung officially opened to traffic. In the same year, Liu resigned as Taiwan's provincial governor under pressure from the Qing court and departed the island. According to Chi, Liu's greatest contribution to Taiwan was his drive to promote modernization on the island, including not only building railways but also installing telegraph lines and establishing arms factories. Liu has been widely regarded as the founder of Taiwan's modernization. "His achievements benefited Taiwan and modern China in general," Chi said. "In Taiwan, there is probably no one who does not know the name of Liu Mingchuan," Lin said. "But younger people may no longer care much about that part of the history. I hope more people can learn about Liu's contributions from here." Wagner stronghold in CAR holds the line despite Kremlin shakeup Libreville, Gabon, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 A mural depicting Vladimir Putin and fatigue-clad Russian paramilitary fighters appeared in the Central African Republic before the recent presidential and parliamentary elections as the country looks to recover from decades of violence. The Russian embassy in Bangui called the work of a local artist that also features President Faustin-Archange Touadera and CAR military officers "a sign of our common victory over chaos and instability". The colourful mural in the bustling capital could be seen as a comment on the importance of the Russian military presence for the government of 68-year-old Touadera, who was easily re-elected in the December election, according to provisional results. The resource-rich former French colony remains the last bastion of paramilitary group Wagner, which has established itself as one of the CAR government's main security partners in exchange for lucrative contracts to mine gold and diamonds. "For the first time in the long history of armed conflict, Central Africans have the opportunity to stop fearing for their lives," Alexander Ivanov, the head of CAR-based Russian military contractors -- who is under EU and US sanctions -- told AFP in written comments. Sergei Eledinov, a retired Russian military officer and expert on African security, said Wagner forces had helped improve security in the CAR. "The CAR was, in fact, the only successful positive case," Eledinov told AFP, referring to Russia's military presence in Africa. "The security situation has improved, stability has been achieved, roads have become safer, there are fewer attacks," said the Senegal-based founder of Convoy Africa, a consultancy which advises Russian and foreign companies. "It would not be true to say that everyone is happy. But if we talk about the process as a whole, then of course the situation is improving." After Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash in 2023 following a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, the Russian defence ministry has sought to replace Wagner in Africa and coordinate security operations through an umbrella group known as the Africa Corps. But unlike in countries such as Mali where the Africa Corps took over, Russian private military contractors in the CAR have not come under control of the defence ministry. - Improved security - "They have failed to convince Touadera to give up Wagner in the CAR," a European military source told AFP, referring to Russian authorities. Wagner has been paid in mining concessions, which the source said suited Touadera well. "If he accepts the Africa Corps, he has to pay in cash," the source added. Deployed in 2018 at the request of Touadera to strengthen a ramshackle military, Wagner's fighters have played a key role in ensuring stability in the struggling strategically located country whose resources also include uranium and timber. While pockets of violence remain, particularly in the east and northwest, the Russians have helped drive armed groups out of major cities. Wagner was instrumental in 2020 when Touadera was last re-elected in a vote marred by allegations of fraud and an uprising by six rebel groups. The attempt to overthrow the government was pushed back thanks to the intervention of the Rwandan army and the Russian mercenaries. The Russians also worked to ensure security in the runup to the December 28 ballot. Ivanov, head of the Officers' Union for International Security (OUIS), said the Russian contractors took any threats to the elections "extremely seriously" given the experience of the 2020 polls. Ivanov has been sanctioned by the European Union and the United States as the head of the OUIS, an entity EU and US officials describe as a Wagner front company in the CAR. The group has sought to present itself as a responsible security partner and has regularly published Telegram posts about everything from assisting local residents to disarming militants. Half of Russian contractors serving in the country have fought in Ukraine, including Dmitry Podolsky, Touadera's security adviser, who lost both legs and an arm. While Moscow has sought to play up the popularity of the mercenaries, human rights campaigners and the opposition have accused them of committing widespread rights abuses in the country. - 'Tensions' - Recently, Touadera said talks with Moscow over Russia's military presence were under way but denied he was under pressure to switch to the Africa Corps. "Why do you speak of pressure?" he told France 24 television, pointing to "friendship and brotherhood" between the two countries. Touadera declined to provide details of the talks. "That would be discourteous towards the Russian Federation," he said. Analysts said that Wagner's departure would pose a problem for the CAR government. "Wagner is better established there, with solid economic activities and a security record that is perceived as positive," said Charles Bouessel, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "The authorities fear that the Africa Corps will be less proactive militarily, as we have seen in Mali." Paul Crescent Beninga, executive director of the Central African Centre for Geopolitical Research and Analysis, said the mooted handover between Wagner and the Africa Corps "has created tensions". "But we hope for a smooth resolution," he added. Eledinov said he did not believe that Moscow would rush to dismantle a structure that has proved "successful". "I think that in the near future, they are unlikely to break it up." Russia joins Chinese, Iran warships for drills off S.Africa Simon's Town, South Africa, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 A Russian warship arrived off South Africa's main naval base Friday to join Chinese and Iranian vessels in military exercises that risk further damaging Pretoria's relations with Washington. The exercises draw together several nations feuding with the US administration and come at a time of heightened tensions following Washington's raid on Venezuela. A Chinese destroyer and replenishment ship, and an Iranian forward base ship sailed into South African waters earlier this week ahead of the week-long manoeuvres due to kick off with an opening ceremony Saturday. AFP journalists near the Simon's Town base saw the Russian-flagged corvette vessel pull into False Bay. China is the lead nation in the "Will for Peace 2026" drill involving navies from the 11-nation BRICS group of emerging nations which US President Donald Trump has labelled "anti-American". The South African navy said it would confirm details of the vessels present later Friday. The United Arab Emirates was also expected to send ships, Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa told Newzroom Afrika television late Thursday. Other BRICS nations Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil will send observers, he said. The remaining members of the grouping are India, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The drills will allow the navies "to exchange best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, which contributes to the safety of shipping routes and overall regional maritime stability," South Africa's defence force said. - Global tensions - Washington this week seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker it said was part of a shadow fleet that carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran. It has also threatened action against Iran should protesters be killed in mounting demonstrations sparked by anger over the rising cost of living. Asked about the timing of the navy exercises, Holomisa said: "This exercise was planned long before these tensions we are witnessing today." "Let us not press panic buttons because the USA has got a problem with countries," he said. "Those are not our enemies," he said. The joint drills were initially scheduled for November 2025 but were postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg. Washington boycotted the summit amid a row with Pretoria that includes anger over its ties with Russia and Iran. "Washington has clearly been attempting to put Pretoria in its bad book since the beginning of the current Trump administration," Priyal Singh, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told AFP. "The optics surrounding the upcoming naval exercise will likely be used by policymakers in Washington as another prime example of why its bilateral relations with South Africa should be reviewed," he said. 'War is back in vogue,' Pope Leo says Vatican City, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that war was "back in vogue" and highlighted the "ambition of belligerents", as his own country the United States flexes its military muscles. In a New Year's message to diplomats at the Vatican, his first since becoming head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics last May, Leo lamented the weakness of multilateralism, saying dialogue was being replaced by a "diplomacy based on force". He did not name the US but said rising tensions in the Caribbean and Pacific were "cause for serious concern", particularly in Venezuela -- where US forces recently seized the president. He was speaking just hours after US President Donald Trump said land operations against drug cartels were on the way following maritime attacks in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Leo issued an appeal "to respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all", following Trump's suggestion the US could effectively control Venezuela -- and its vast oil reserves -- for years. The pope's address rounded up a year of increasing global tension, from the Russia-Ukraine war to US strikes in several countries, and rising fears in Europe of a possible US takeover of Greenland. The pope warned that the principle established after the Second World War by which countries cannot use force to violate the borders of others "has been completely undermined". Diplomacy based on dialogue "is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies". "War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," he said. - 'Grave threat' - The pope said peace was being "sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion". "This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence," he said. The Chicago-born pontiff said adhering to international law was "a commitment that states have made", and it "must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents". The destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes and places essential to daily life was "a serious violation" of international humanitarian law, he said. Leo urged the international community to remember that protecting human dignity and the sanctity of life "always counts for more than any mere national interest", he said. The pontiff pointed to the "weakness of multilateralism" as "a particular cause for concern". He said its purpose was to provide a place where people could meet and talk, modelled on the ancient Roman Forum or medieval town square. But it is difficult to talk "when words lose their connection to reality, and reality itself becomes debatable and ultimately incommunicable". "Rediscovering the meaning of words is perhaps one of the primary challenges of our time," he said. Leo also warned of the "danger of returning to the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons", particularly those that use artificial intelligence. Recalling ongoing conflicts around the world, the pope repeated his support for a two-state solution in the Middle East, and lamented rising violence in the occupied West Bank. "Sadly, there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land," he said. NATO 'far from being in a crisis' over Greenland: top commander Helsinki, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 The head of NATO's forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the military alliance was far from being in "a crisis", following President Donald Trump's threats to bring Greenland under US control. "There's been no impact on my work at the military level up to this point... I would just say that we're ready to defend every inch of alliance territory still today," Grynkewich told reporters during a visit to Finland. "So I see us as far from being in a crisis right now," he added. Grynkewich's comments followed Trump repeatedly stating that he wants US control of the mineral-rich autonomous Danish territory. President Trump has not ruled out the use of military force to acquire the strategically located Arctic island with a population of 57,000 people. In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, President Trump was asked if his priority was preserving the NATO military alliance or acquiring Greenland, and he told the newspaper: "It may be a choice." Asked by a reporter about Trump's statement, Grynkewich said he did not wish to comment on whether NATO would survive without the US. Trump has long talked about acquiring Greenland but has ramped up his threats since the US military operation to topple Venezuela's ruler Nicolas Maduro last week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet officials from Denmark and Greenland next week. Washington already has a military presence in Greenland -- the Pituffik base, which dates from World War II when the United States sent forces to defend Greenland after Denmark fell to Nazi Germany. Some 150 personnel are permanently stationed at the base, but the United States stationed up to 6,000 troops across Greenland during the Cold War, largely out of concerns that any Soviet missile would cross the island on its way to North America. Under a 1951 treaty, the United States could simply notify Denmark it is again sending more troops. ank/jll/jj Yemen former defence minister held in Saudi defence ministry: source to AFP Dubai, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 Yemen's recently dismissed defence minister, who travelled to Riyadh with a top-level separatist delegation allegedly detained in the kingdom, is being held at the Saudi defence ministry, a source in his office told AFP on Friday. The family of Mohsen al-Daeri has been unable to contact him since he left Aden for Riyadh early on Wednesday, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He had boarded the same plane as a delegation of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council delegation of more than 50 people including top members. The STC says they have been "arbitrarily detained" and that they have not been able to contact them. The minister is not an official member of the STC, but he hails from Dhale, the home province of the group's leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi. STC forces seized control of much of the south last month, ousting Saudi-backed rivals and angering Riyadh. On Thursday, Yemen's presidential body dismissed Daeri from his position. Daeri stayed in Aden during the STC land grab, which was later reversed by Saudi military power aided by their Yemeni allies on the ground. The offensive exposed a rift between Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which back rival factions of the Yemeni government. The Saudi-led coalition has accused Zubaidi of fleeing to the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi after failing to join the top-level delegation that went to Riyadh. Zubaidi pulled out of the trip after learning that Saudi Arabia would ask him to dissolve the STC, an official from the group had told AFP earlier this week. On Friday, the delegation announced the STC's dissolution from Riyadh, a decision dismissed as made under duress by their colleagues based in the UAE. Saudi Arabia and the UAE support different factions in Yemen's internationally recognised government, which runs the country's south backed by a patchwork of militias with shifting allegiances. Yemen's government was forced out of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 by Iran-backed Houthi rebels who continue to control the more populous north. The Houthi takeover prompted a military intervention by the Saudi-led coalition, including the UAE, to back the government. The ensuing civil war caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and a major humanitarian crisis. Russia joins Chinese, Iran warships for drills off South Africa Simon's Town, South Africa, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 A Russian warship arrived off South Africa's main naval base Friday to join Chinese and Iranian vessels for military exercises that risk further damaging Pretoria's relations with Washington. The exercises draw together several nations feuding with the US administration and come at a time of heightened tensions following Washington's raid on Venezuela. A Chinese destroyer and replenishment ship, as well as an Iranian forward base vessel, sailed into South African waters earlier this week ahead of the week-long manoeuvres due to kick off at the weekend. AFP journalists near the Simon's Town base saw the Russian-flagged corvette vessel pull into False Bay. The China-led "Will for Peace 2026" drill involves navies from the 11-nation BRICS group of emerging nations, which US President Donald Trump has labelled "anti-American". The United Arab Emirates was also expected to send ships, South Africa's Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa told Newzroom Afrika television late Thursday. Fellow BRICS nations Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil will send observers, he said. The remaining members of the grouping are India, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The exercise will allow the navies "to exchange best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, which contributes to the safety of shipping routes and overall regional maritime stability", South Africa's defence force said. - Global tensions - Asked about the timing of the drill, Holomisa said: "This exercise was planned long before these tensions we are witnessing today." They were initially scheduled for November 2025 but postponed because they clashed with the G20 summit in Johannesburg. At odds with South Africa over a range of international issues, the United States boycotted the summit. It also expelled the South African ambassador last year and imposed 30 percent trade tariffs. Washington this week seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker it said was part of a shadow fleet carrying oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran. It has threatened action against Iran should protesters be killed in mounting demonstrations sparked by anger over the rising cost of living. The joint drills have "nothing to do with Venezuela whatsoever", a South African defence ministry spokesman told AFP. "Let us not press panic buttons because the USA has got a problem with countries," Holomisa said. "Those are not our enemies." "Let's focus on cooperating with the BRICS countries and make sure that our seas, especially the Indian Ocean and Atlantic, they are safe," he said. - Bad books - Priyal Singh, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told AFP that "Washington has clearly been attempting to put Pretoria in its bad book since the beginning of the current Trump administration". "The optics surrounding the upcoming naval exercise will likely be used by policymakers in Washington as another prime example of why its bilateral relations with South Africa should be reviewed," he said. A handful of Ukrainians protested as the Russian vessel arrived, criticising South Africa -- which claims to be non-aligned in Russia's war on Ukraine -- for hosting the Russian navy. "They destroyed my city, Kherson, they're wiping it out," said Kateryna Fedkina. "We're just asking South Africa to not cooperate militarily with Russia because Russia is an aggressive state," she said. Adding to the criticism, South Africa's Democratic Alliance party said it was misleading to claim the drills were part of BRICS cooperation as alliance heavyweights Brazil and India were absent. The government was "choosing closer military ties with rogue and sanctioned states such as Russia and Iran", it said. The exercise marks BRICS's increased emphasis on security issues, said Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South Programme at the US-based Quincy Institute. That the four BRICS states taking part all have "serious diplomatic or security differences with the United States" also sent a "wider geopolitical signal", he said. Meta partners with US nuclear companies to power AI data centers San Francisco, United States, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 Tech giant Meta announced Thursday major agreements with three US nuclear energy companies that it says will add up to 6.6 gigawatts of clean power by 2035. The deals make Meta one of America's largest corporate buyers of nuclear energy as it seeks to fuel its artificial intelligence operations. The Facebook parent company signed agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to extend existing nuclear plant operations and develop advanced reactor technology, following a similar agreement with Constellation Energy last year. "State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America's position as a global leader in AI," said Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer. "Nuclear energy will help power our AI future." The agreements will provide financial support to extend operations at three existing nuclear plants while backing development of more experimental nuclear technologies. The deals with Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and TerraPower, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, involve experimental Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that aim to provide clean and easier-to-develop nuclear energy. SMR designs promise enhanced safety features and more efficient operations than traditional plants, but have yet to be deployed at scale. Meta said the projects would support its Prometheus supercluster data center in New Albany, Ohio. Crucially, Meta said it pays the "full costs" for energy used by its data centers so consumers don't bear the expenses, addressing concerns about tech companies' growing electricity demands and whether investment costs get passed on to residential users. The nuclear push reflects the massive energy requirements of AI development, with tech giants racing to secure reliable sources for their expanding data center operations -- a trend that has seen big tech companies scale back their climate commitments. Nuclear energy provides consistent baseload power unlike intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, making it attractive for facilities that require 24/7 electricity. The announcements come as the nuclear industry seeks revival after decades of stagnation caused by nuclear accidents and high costs. Amazon is also championing a nuclear revival through SMRs, and Google plans to restart a reactor in Iowa in 2029. Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to take essentially all the output of the restarted Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. The Trump administration announced in October an $80 billion investment to begin construction on ten conventional reactors by 2030 in partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company. The US government is trying to spark a nuclear investment boom to catch up with China that had more than 30 conventional reactors under construction in 2025, according the World Nuclear Association. The United States had none. NATO chief talks Arctic security with Rubio amid US Greenland push Brussels, Belgium, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with US top diplomat Marco Rubio, after President Donald Trump insisted he wants to take control of Greenland. The US leader has rattled allies by refusing to rule out using military force to take over the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark. Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security given the rising threat of Russia and China in the Arctic. NATO has sought to deflect Washington's interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region. A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio "on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance. But the head of NATO's forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in "a crisis", following President Donald Trump's threats. Colombian leader asks Venezuela to jointly fight drug traffickers Bogota, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 Colombia's President Gustavo Petro on Friday urged Venezuela to jointly fight drug-traffickers operating across the two countries' border, after the United States threatened further armed action in the region. "I have invited Venezuela's current president (Delcy Rodriguez) to act jointly with us on this," Petro wrote on X, calling on her to help see drug gangs "defeated by our nations in unity." On Wednesday, the leftist Petro agreed in a call with Trump to take "joint action" against the cocaine-smuggling guerrillas that operate along Colombia's border with Venezuela. The call marked a sharp de-escalation after months of tensions between the two. Trump said Friday that he had invited Petro to visit the White House in February. Washington has previously accused Trump arch-critic Petro of drug trafficking over Colombia's mass production of cocaine. Shortly after the US ouster of Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday Trump told Petro to "watch his ass." Colombia and Venezuela share a porous 2,200-kilometer (1,370-mile) border where various armed groups vie for control of the profits from drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling. Colombia's government said Petro asked Trump to help "strike hard" at his country's last major remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army, which has rear bases inside Venezuela. Petro's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would hold a virtual meeting on Friday with the US Department of Defense in order to have the country's main guerrilla groups declared "high-value common targets." Speaking to Colombia's W radio, he said the declaration was a necessary step towards being able to "reduce these drug cartels to the bare minimum," with the help of US technology. On Thursday, Trump told Fox News that Washington was "going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels." He did not say where but complained that cartels were "running Mexico." MAPUTO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 85 people were killed and 70 others injured in Mozambique since October amid the ongoing rainy season, according to local media O Pais. Citing a report by the country's disaster management authorities, more than 105,000 people were affected by adverse weather conditions during the period. Figures show that over the same period, 9,851 houses were totally or partially destroyed, while another 8,969 were flooded. In the agricultural sector, more than 6,400 hectares of farmland were inundated, and about 17.7 hectares were lost, affecting 2,866 farmers. The report added that the ongoing rainy season has led to the opening of 15 accommodation centers nationwide. Of these, 11 have since closed, while four remain operational, having sheltered a cumulative total of 4,303 people. Mozambique is currently in the peak of its rainy season, a period marked by frequent alerts for heavy rains and strong winds, particularly in the central and southern regions. The latest Law & Order / SVU crossover arrives with the energy of a writers room determined to swing for the fences. The episode opens with the 27th Precinct teaming up with SVU to investigate the murder of a young Ukrainian woman who initially appears to be a sexual assault victim until shes shot in the head right in front of Detective Riley (Reid Scott) and Lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney). It turns out she wasnt assaulted at all but had recently given birth, and the last thing she did was take a bullet for Lt. Brady. Its a brutal, high stakes beginning that promises a tight, emotionally driven investigation. Snowflakes LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno. Photo by: Will Hart/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. But the case quickly expands and expands and expands. But the case quickly expands and expands and expands. Baby mills, murders, white supremacists, exploding barns oh my. The episode is packed with combustible ingredients, and while the ambition is undeniable, the sheer scope creates pacing problems the two hours never fully outruns. The Queen Bee Showdown That Ate Up Too Much Oxygen One recurring beat is the ongoing Queen Bee behavior between Lt. Brady and Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). Both women have close brushes with death, and their dynamic reads as tense and competitive. These two seasoned leaders circle each other in the field and in interrogation rooms, each trying to get the suspect to talk first, to concede ground, to blink. But the writers linger on it too long. What begins as a sharp character contrast becomes a not-so-subtle tug of war that slows the momentum of an already overstuffed plot. In an episode featuring baby mills, white supremacist compounds, and a cryobank full of stolen embryos, the leadership turf war feels like a luxury the pacing cant afford. Snowflakes LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, David Ajala as Det. Theo Walker. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A 90/10 Split That Leaves the Courtroom Underserved The imbalance between the police investigation and the prosecutorial payoff is the episodes biggest structural issue. Roughly 90% of the runtime is spent chasing suspects Sergey Volkov (Vesselin Todorov Vinnie), Sara Tandon (Colleen Foy), and Joseph Dahlsonns (Tom Lipinski) shadowy network while only about 10% is devoted to the courtroom fireworks Law & Order traditionally uses to land the emotional and moral punch. A more even 50/50 split might have solved the pacing problem. Instead, the legal side feels rushed, especially when a judge suppresses key evidence due to Bradys questionable tactics with Derek Hobbss daughter (Thaila Young). Executive ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and ADA Dominic Carisis (Peter Scanavino) case against Tandon is temporarily torpedoed a major turning point delivered with the speed of a footnote. Snowflakes LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Jess Prichard as Derek Hobbs, Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Case That Gets Bigger, Darker, and More Unhinged As the detectives follow the embryos, the story widens into a chilling conspiracy: A Staten Island cryobank with hundreds of frozen embryos A religious charity arranging closed adoptions A eugenics leaning genetics magnate funding white supremacist ideology A barn explosion that nearly kills Detective Terry Bruno (Kevin Kane) A burial ground of discarded victims. By the time the detectives confront Dahlsonn a man who claims to be protecting white culture while running off book genetic experiments the episode has introduced so many reprehensible characters that the viewer is ready for all of them to burn. And yet, the show still finds room for human moments. Polinas (Tina Ivlev) anguish over the fate of her baby. Olivias steady, grounded advice: Do what you can live with. Prices moral clarity: Disposable women, babies for the richgenetically modified for superiority. Its complicated. Its wrong.>> Those beats land. They always do. Snowflakes LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Kelli Giddish as Sgt. Amanda Rollins, Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady, Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley. Photo by: Will Hart/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Verdict The crossover is bold, messy, and undeniably watchable. Its an episode that refuses to color inside the lines, but in doing so, it loses some of the franchises signature rhythm. The ambition is admirable; the execution is uneven. Still, when the jury returns a guilty verdict for Sara Tandon and Dahlsonns fraudulent embryos are ordered destroyed, the episode manages to pull its sprawling threads into a conclusion that feels grimly earned. A swing for the fences? Absolutely. A home run? Not quite. But its one hell of a ride. What do you think about Law & Order / SVU crossover episode? Let me know in the comments. Overall rating: 7/10 Asked if an AI actor could have played the Judge Maddox role in the movie, Pratt said: No. Everyone was resistant to that. I dont think it would have worked. I love AI and use it all the time but as a parent it freaks me out. But it is also so cool! An emergency engineer was also called out after a strong smell of gas was detected, which turned out to be a gas leak, according to Harrow Council. The landlord was immediately issued with an Emergency Prohibition Order to prevent anyone living there whilst the urgent repair work was carried out. Trump, who bombed Iran last summer and who last week warned Tehran it could come to the protesters aid, said on Friday he would not meet Mr Pahlavi and was not sure that it would be appropriate to back him. She said: A regime that represses its own people, crushes rights and strips away basic freedoms is the same regime that exports terror, funds extremism and threatens stability far beyond its borders. Even here in Britain, Iran is trying to murder its political opponents. Sung Ha Rim (R), an entrepreneur from the Republic of Korea (ROK), helps a customer to select clothes at her store in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 23, 2025. (Xinhua) TIANJIN, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- In the bustling Wanglanzhuang Wenzhou International Trade City in north China's Tianjin, customers flocked to shop for New Year outfits. Among the shops, a fashion boutique stood out with its chic displays and vibrant colors. The shop owner, Sung Ha Rim, a poised young entrepreneur from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in a minimalist suit, greeted visitors in fluent Chinese, offering styling tips with a warm smile. "China is where my career thrives; it has long become my home," she said. Sung moved to Guangzhou in southern China with her family at the age of nine. Growing up in a family of garment traders, she gained early exposure to the industry by observing designs and patterns in her parents' shop. After studying communications at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, she launched her own clothing brand in Guangzhou in 2018, focusing on wholesale. "Starting a business in a foreign land was challenging, especially learning local laws and taxes, but government support eased the process," she recalled. She credited China's vast market potential and its efficient supply chain for her success, noting, "The opportunities here are limitless. People worldwide can find their foothold." Her collaboration with Chinese manufacturers has been highly effective. "They are pragmatic, efficient and offer tailored solutions, thanks to China's robust production capabilities," she explained. As her client network expanded across China, she was approached by Kim Kyung Tak, a manager also from the ROK at the Tianjin mall, who offered incentives like a year of rent-free space and branding support. "Tianjin's strategic location and consumer-friendly policies convinced me to explore the northern Chinese market," she said. After three visits, Sung relocated part of her business operations to Tianjin in autumn 2024, bringing 450 kg of clothing. She meticulously oversaw everything from fabric sourcing to sales data analysis. "Running a fashion brand is like raising a child; neglect it, and the market will respond," she said. Her Tianjin store quickly gained popularity, joining a thriving ROK merchant community that attracted young shoppers across northern China. Frequently shuttling between Guangzhou and Tianjin, she said, "Though the stores are 2,000 km apart, China's advanced transport makes management easy." She also hailed the visa-free entry policy, which has boosted bilateral exchanges. "These opening-up measures make long-term development in China more secure." With China-ROK trade hitting 328 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, Sung expressed optimism. "China's expanding openness, exemplified by initiatives like the Hainan free trade port, creates ideal timing for international growth," she said, noting that her clothing now reaches clients as far as Russia. The xAI data center is seen on May 7, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. The Elon Musk-led artificial intelligence company plans to spend $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, George Walker IV/AP JACKSON, Miss. Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI is set to spend $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Miss., a development Gov. Tate Reeves says is the largest private investment in the states history. The data center, called MACROHARDRR, is being built in Mississippis DeSoto County near Memphis, Tenn. It will be the companys third data center in the Memphis area. xAI CFO Anthony Armstrong said the cluster of data centers will house the worlds largest supercomputer with 2 gigawatts of computing power. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The announcement comes as xAI faces scrutiny over its data center projects in the Memphis area. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have raised concerns over air pollution generated by xAIs supercomputer facility located near predominantly Black communities in Memphis. A petition by the Safe and Sound Coalition, a Southaven group opposing xAIs developments, calls for shutting down xAIs operations in the area and has received more than 900 signatures as of Thursday afternoon. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source xAI did not immediately respond when asked for comment about environmental concerns. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A fact sheet released by the Mississippi governors office said environmental responsibility is a core commitment for xAI. During the announcement, Reeves personally thanked Musk. Reeves predicted the investment would bring hundreds of permanent jobs to the community, thousands of indirect subcontracting jobs, and tax revenue to support public services. Under the incentives for data centers passed in 2024, the state will waive all sales, corporate income and franchise taxes on the xAI development. Saving sales taxes on the computing power that xAI is purchasing would likely be worth a substantial amount of money, but the Mississippi Development Authority did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' questions about how much tax revenue Mississippi will give up. Advertisement Article continues below this ad DeSoto County and the city of Southaven have also agreed to allow substantially reduced property taxes. Protesters arrive at City Hall after marching through San Marcos in August to rally against proposed data centers and their environmental impacts. After initially failing to achieve a required supermajority, the proposed data center campus is once again moving through the approval process. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman SAN MARCOS After community opposition helped stall a $1.5 billion data center proposal, the development is once again moving through the approval process. The San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Tuesday, when the projects lead landowner and developer, Fort Worth-based Highlander SM One LLC, is set to petition for approval to build the data center campus. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The projects resurgence comes after local opposition led the commission to recommend denial in March. In August, the City Council after more than two hours of public comment that mostly opposed the development voted 5-2 to approve measures to annex and rezone the 64 acres on Francis Harris Lane. Despite that, the measure failed to achieve the required supermajority to move forward, requiring the landowners to restart the application process in October. Its incredibly frustrating, Amanda Rodriguez, Place 6 city councilor, said in an interview Thursday. Especially when the developer, after he saw everybody come through and push back, then to come back and try again. And when they say, I care about you and your people. Thats two conflicting beliefs. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source CyrusOne, which initially proposed the project, withdrew its involvement due to pushback from residents and neighbors. Advertisement Article continues below this ad After a contentious town hall meeting, the company announced it was pausing its involvement in the rezoning case to take the time needed to address concerns raised and to ensure that any future plans align with the needs and values of our community. John Mayberry, manager of Highlander SM One, said in a Dec. 16 meeting that there are many potential builders and companies in discussions related to the project but nothing can move forward until the zoning issue is resolved. Frankly, the time of this process led their contract to expire, he said. The project envisions a five-building data center campus that would reside partially in San Marcos city limits at 904 Francis Harris Lane. Each of the data centers buildings would have a 76-megawatt power capacity. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The proposed facility would receive wastewater services from the city. Electricity would be managed by Pedernales Electrical Cooperative and water by the Crystal Clear Special Utility District. Theres frustration The land, currently zoned for commercial development, is in a rural part of greater Hays County and neighbors several family-owned farms as well as the Hays Energy Power Station. The average person doesnt understand why were doing this again, Rodriguez said. They thought we organized, we got together, we were persistent. I mean, what could you ask more as a local government than to have something like that and now? Oh, we have to do it all over again. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Torrie Martin looks over the fence line near San Marcos, toward the area where a data center may be built on Aug. 26, 2025. Martin worries about the environmental impacts like water usage and sound pollution, as well as the safety of her animals. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman During the first application process, Torrie Martin helped lead the charge in fighting against data centers in San Marcos. Her familys ranch borders the property. Developers are prioritized, and thats very scary, she said in a community meeting Thursday. Its very concerning that theyre not listening to the citizens, and thats what they were elected to do. Despite the tug-of-war over the project, San Marcos and the surrounding area may soon be home to not one data center but four. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A project tied to Sabey Data Centers, which is working on a development agreement with the city and another proposed data center with a currently unknown developer, would neighbor Highlander SM Ones proposed site. Another 96-acre natural gas-powered facility developed by CloudBurst, located in an annexed part of the county, is set to be built about three miles southwest, also on Francis Harris Lane. Data centers, large facilities filled with servers that constitute what is commonly referred to as the cloud, provide infrastructure for the multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence industry. But because they operate 24/7, data centers require massive amounts of power and water for cooling. Central Texas has emerged as the top secondary data center market in the country, with at least 55 completed or planned projects between Temple and San Antonio. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the statewide power grid, estimates energy demand will surge 71% by 2031 due to data center growth. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Power use Across the nation, residents have reported increased utility bills after a data center opened nearby. Electricity bills may rise an average 8% by 2030 because of data centers, with that average reaching 25% in large data center markets like Virginia or Texas, according to research from Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University. Officials have said power use for the Highlander SM One site is estimated to be about 2.5 times the peak of San Marcos demand. ERCOT is in the process of approving the project as a large load user. All of our electricity is going to go up. Not just mine, its everyones, Martin said. The concern of what we can afford and what we cant is a very big deal for allowing a data center to come in for development. Advertisement Article continues below this ad New research suggests that the use and training of AI may consume more water than the global bottled water industry, largely thanks to data center operations. The Highlander SM One project would rely on a closed-loop, water-based cooling system, Mayberry said. A one-time filling of between 60,000 and 70,000 gallons would cycle through the project. However, even closed-loop systems typically use more water than homes, according to the International Energy Agency. Developers plan to use between 20,000 and 35,000 gallons of water per day for administrative uses such as bathrooms. Meggie Emerick walks with the March for Water and a Sustainable Future on Aug. 19, 2025. Activists marched for San Marcos City Park to City Hall to protest proposed data centers in the area. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A typical office building uses from 15 to 20 gallons per employee per day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meaning an office building with roughly 1,000 to 1,750 employees would use a comparable amount of water. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Proposed employment numbers for the site have not been disclosed. The facilitys noise would be capped at 75 decibels, with a 50-foot buffer recommended to limit impacts to the surrounding community. After the commission votes Tuesday, the proposal will return to San Marcos City Council for a first reading and vote in February. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But Rodriguez said she doesnt expect anything different happening this time around. Katey Psencik is the breaking and trending editor at the Austin American-Statesman. Katey is a journalist and educator whose career spans print, TV, digital media, and nonprofits. Most recently, she led The Drag Audio Production House at the University of Texas, where she oversaw more than 40 student producers and executive produced award-winning podcasts. She also teaches podcasting and other journalism courses at UT. A Central Texas native and proud Texas Ex, her work has appeared in Texas Highways, Eater, Vox Media and more. She lives in South Austin with her two dogs, Oso and Mav. Greg Pierce holds a sign to passing traffic as protesters gather near the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street andNorth Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anza Aleman-Goldstein, 6, holds a sign to passing cars from atop a parents shoulders at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Forrest Novy holds up a sign to passing cars at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman At an unmarked ICE facility in Pflugerville, about 150 people gathered outside the fence, holding signs and flags. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In late January and early February 2025, Pflugerville residents began raising alarms about a newly renovated federal building near Algreg Street after noticing perimeter fencing topped with razor wire and other security features they said resembled a detention site. The concerns escalated publicly on Feb. 1, when demonstrators gathered outside the property to protest what they described as a lack of transparency surrounding the project. Federal officials later said the building is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and used as an immigration administrative and processing center not a long-term detention facility a characterization echoed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in statements to local media in February 2025. You can see the barbed wire. You can see the fences, said Brianna Griffith of the Party for Liberation and Socialism, who organized the protest. Our purpose is to bring this directly to what we see as the source of that violence ICE itself. Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn an American flag in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protesters eyes water from pepper spray and tear gas after State Troopers deployed gas to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester stand amidst pepper balls after State Troopers deployed them to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters meet with the Austin Police Department at the intersection of 10th and Red River Streets after shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman U.S. Representative Greg Casar prepares to speak to a large crowd gathered during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester walks passed a sign during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn a flag with the seal of the Department of Justice outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto Street, stopping traffic, as they leave the J.J. Pickle Building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protesters stands amidst pepper balls after State Troopers deployed them to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters link arms outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7.] Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs and listen to speakers during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jennifer DeLeon recites a prayer during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs up to passing traffic on both sides of Cesar Chavez Street during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Susan VanHaitsma holds a sign to passing cars during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester blows a whistle during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd begins to build as a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kicks off, Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds a sign with a quote from George Orwells 1984 during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Philosophy professor Bryan Register speaks to a gathered crowd during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Greg Pierce holds a sign to passing traffic as protesters gather near the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Brian Miller, from the Offhand Brass Band, leads a chant with the crowd as the band plays during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jennifer DeLeon holds rosary beads as she recites a prayer during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs up to passing traffic on both sides of Cesar Chavez Street during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester pulls up their mask while leading chants outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman State Troopers gather at the J.J. Pickle Federal Building in downtown Austin as protesters gather in front of the building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman U.S. Representative Greg Casar speaks to a large crowd gathered during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester cheers as cars honk during a rally held at intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Traffic passes through the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard as all four corners are lined with protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A woman holds a sign memorializing Renee Good as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Good, a Minneapolis woman and U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Monica Castillo flies a Mexican flag as rush hour traffic passed by protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anza Aleman-Goldstein, 6, holds a sign to passing cars from atop a parents shoulders at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters bang on the walls of an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Adileta Rostami waves an American flag to passing rush-hour traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters fly Mexican flags out of their car as they arrive to a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jose Zarzoza carries a Palestinian Flag as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Jon Siebels leads a chant as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds up a sign to passing cars during a rally held at intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Forrest Novy holds up a sign to passing cars at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Samuel G holds an upside down American Flag as he protests outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street andNorth Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester kicks at the wall of an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester spray paints a security camera outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters spray paint outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman John Joyner holds a sign to passing traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Andrew Dybevik chants with the crowd as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Adileta Rostami waves an American flag to passing rush-hour traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters holds up the signs of facism to passing traffic at the intersection of 45th Street and Burnet Road to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters that would not give their names hold anti-ICE signs at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Kaleb Aziz, right, and Arion Moore, left, hod signs at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds up an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Arion Moore holds an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Moore said he was out to protest, "The murder of Renee and how quickly Trump tried to frame it as self-defense." He added, "If that's what they're willing to do to a white person in broad daylight, then imagine what's going on in those detention centers." Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman A protester that would not giver her name holds up an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Rad Decker holds up a photo.of Renee Good at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto Street, stopping traffic, as they leave the J.J. Pickle Building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters link arms outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn an American flag in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters meet with the Austin Police Department at the intersection of 10th and Red River Streets after shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto, back toward the J.J. Picle Building after shutting down traffic on Sixth Street, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters give speeches outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters and speakers in Pflugerville described ICE as a nationwide problem and said its presence in the area has long alarmed locals. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source It is very important that we understand that the same ICE here is the ICE that is in Minneapolis, Griffith said. Beyond condemning enforcement tactics, organizers said the rally was meant to show visible resistance and solidarity, particularly at a moment they believe dissent and free speech are under threat. Griffith said public demonstrations are meant to remind immigrant communities that they are not isolated and that others will mobilize when enforcement turns deadly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, along with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Students for a Democratic Society and Young Active Labor Leaders. Organizers said they hope the community members at the protest would carry organizing efforts back into their own neighborhoods. But not all attendees were happy with the organizers; some said they disagreed with the groups methods of resistance. As the protest broke up, several hooded individuals spray-painted the building and its fixtures, and some protesters banged on the side of the structure. While the protest remained peaceful, by the time the crowd began to disperse at 7:45 p.m., a Dumpster at the ICE building had been spray-painted with the slogan Quit your jobs in red. Earlier Thursday, a protest organized by Indivisible Rosedale Huddle gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard, prompting rush-hour drivers to roll down their windows, wave and join in the noisemaking. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One of the organizers of the event, Megan Field, said safety monitors were on hand to keep the protesters away from turn lanes and on the triangular medians. Trisha Morris wore a mask inspired by the film V for Vendetta, which follows the story of an anti-establishment rebellion. Im out here at all of these, she said proudly. I wore this mask at No Kings. A protester leads a chant during a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Why are people protesting? Rallies planned around the Austin area Thursday focused on the death of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident who was shot and killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation Wednesday. The incident has sparked outrage nationwide and brought renewed scrutiny to ICE at a time when the Trump administration is deploying more agents than ever before, particularly in residential neighborhoods. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Federal officials said ICE agents were conducting operations in Minneapolis around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when their vehicle became trapped in snow. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a mob of agitators that were harassing them all day attempted to block the agents and stop them from moving their vehicle. Noem said Good was one of the agitators and when ICE ordered her to get out of her car, she refused. Noem said an agent fired his weapon in self-defense after Good allegedly attempted to weaponize her vehicle while fleeing. That account has been disputed by Minneapolis officials and activists who point to videos circulating online that appear to show Goods vehicle moving away from agents when shots were fired. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has publicly questioned the federal governments version of events and called for transparency as investigations continue. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A Mexican flag flies as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Who was Renee Nicole Good? Good, 37, was a mother of three and a writer who lived with her partner in south Minneapolis, according to family members and local officials. Relatives have described her as a devoted parent and a creative who posed no threat to law enforcement. She was a U.S. citizen and died just blocks from where she lived. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A picture of Renee Nicole Good is displayed near a makeshift memorial for Good, who was shot and killed at point blank range on January 7 by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 8, 2026. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis January 7, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images Her mother said she was one of the kindest people Ive ever known, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Good had previously been married, but her husband died in 2023. Their 6-year-old son is now an orphan. Community members descended on the neighborhood Wednesday after the shooting to honor and remember her. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Tycho Weidmann holds a sign as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Are there additional protests planned? Protesters gather at 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 8 to demand justice for a woman killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Sara Diggins/Austin American Statesman A picture of Renee Nicole Good is displayed near a makeshift memorial for Good, who was shot and killed at point blank range on January 7 by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 8, 2026. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis January 7, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images Protesters gather at 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 8 to demand justice for a woman killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Live updates to this blog have concluded. Look back at our coverage of Thursday's events below. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Near the end of the rally, the protest split up as some went home and others headed to the back of the DHS building. The group who remained expressed frustration with the protests organizaing parties, disagreeing with their resistance methods. As a drone whirred overhead and hooded people spray-painted the building and its fixtures, the protestors advocated for more civilly disobedient methods. Its OK to criticize the people who are leading you if they are trying to lead you into working with fascists one of the organizers yelled to the crowd. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source At one point, a speaker rallied the crowd up and got them to bang on the side of the ICE building. While the protest remained peaceful, by the time the crowd began to disperse at 7:45 p.m, ICEs Dumpster now sported a new slogan sprayed across its front in red: Quit your jobs. Organizers said there would be a follow-up protest on Saturday at the JJ Pickle building in downtown Austin. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Protesters and speakers in Pflugerville described ICE as a nationwide problem and said its presence in the Austin and Pflugerville area has long alarmed locals. It is very important that we understand that the same ICE here is the ICE that is in Minneapolis, said Brianna Griffith with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Beyond condemning enforcement tactics, organizers said the rally was meant to show visible resistance and solidarity, particularly at a moment they believe dissent and free speech are under threat. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Griffith said public demonstrations are meant to remind immigrant communities that they are not isolated and that others will mobilize when enforcement turns deadly. The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Students for a Democratic Society and Young Active Labor Leaders. Organizers said they hope the community members at the protest would carry organizing efforts back into their own neighborhoods. Theresa Hall stood at the back of the protest crowd, broadcasting with her phone. She runs a TikTok account called @bluetexas2026 with just under 4,000 followers, to whom she advocates for various left-leaning causes. She goes to protests like the one at the ICE facility in Pflugerville to live stream. Advertisement Article continues below this ad For me, its really trying to get other people informed, Hall said. Especially in my state, because Texas needs a big change and this election coming up is very, very important. Hall said she wants to help blue Texans realize they are not alone and is trying to help spread information that will turn Texas blue. She believes live streaming is the perfect platform for that. Tonights live stream garnered over 250 views, she said. An unmarked ICE facility in Pflugerville is becoming a site of protest as a group of about 150 people carrying flags and signs gathers outside its fence in objection of ICE's killing of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In late January and early February 2025, residents in Pflugerville began raising alarms about a newly renovated federal building near Algreg Street after noticing perimeter fencing topped with razor wire and security features they said resembled a detention site. The concerns escalated publicly on Feb. 1, when demonstrators gathered outside the property to protest what they described as a lack of transparency surrounding the project. Federal officials later said the building is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and used as an immigration administrative and processing center not a long-term detention facility a characterization echoed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in statements to local media in February 2025. You can see the barbed wire, you can see the fences, said Brianna Griffith from the Party for Liberation and Socialism who organized the protest. So our purpose is to bring this directly to where the source of this terroristic violence is at the terroristic violence that comes from ICE themselves. The protest started at 6 p.m. in Thursday outside of 20200 Algreg Street in Pflugerville. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Before packing up and ending the protest, the scene at 45th Street and Burnet Road was a much different scene than the parallel protest at the Lamar intersection. Quietly, protestors donned in black held Signs of Fascism. The signs said inviting political violence, using secret police, ignoring the courts, suppressing the vote and more. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The protesters were silent, but cars honked as they drive by. Annie Compton, 77, helped organize the Signs of Fascism event, and she said the two demonstrations taking place at the same time were meant to reflect whats at stake. The group was planning a Signs of Fascism event for next week, but Compton said they couldnt wait. We needed to do a shakedown, she said. Its important for people who dont understand the implications of everything thats been going on. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She also said the silence is powerful, and while they intended it to be reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale or similar dystopian societies, yesterdays events have made that somber mood all the more real. Its a sense of mourning for Renee Good, and a sense of mourning for our constitution and our country. Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn an American flag in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protesters eyes water from pepper spray and tear gas after State Troopers deployed gas to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester stand amidst pepper balls after State Troopers deployed them to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters meet with the Austin Police Department at the intersection of 10th and Red River Streets after shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman U.S. Representative Greg Casar prepares to speak to a large crowd gathered during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester walks passed a sign during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn a flag with the seal of the Department of Justice outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto Street, stopping traffic, as they leave the J.J. Pickle Building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protesters stands amidst pepper balls after State Troopers deployed them to disperse a protest outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters link arms outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7.] Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs and listen to speakers during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jennifer DeLeon recites a prayer during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs up to passing traffic on both sides of Cesar Chavez Street during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Susan VanHaitsma holds a sign to passing cars during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester blows a whistle during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd begins to build as a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kicks off, Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds a sign with a quote from George Orwells 1984 during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Philosophy professor Bryan Register speaks to a gathered crowd during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Greg Pierce holds a sign to passing traffic as protesters gather near the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Brian Miller, from the Offhand Brass Band, leads a chant with the crowd as the band plays during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jennifer DeLeon holds rosary beads as she recites a prayer during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters hold signs up to passing traffic on both sides of Cesar Chavez Street during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A protester pulls up their mask while leading chants outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman State Troopers gather at the J.J. Pickle Federal Building in downtown Austin as protesters gather in front of the building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman U.S. Representative Greg Casar speaks to a large crowd gathered during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Joycelyn Henderson leads chants on the bullhorn during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters join in chants during a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester cheers as cars honk during a rally held at intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Traffic passes through the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard as all four corners are lined with protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A woman holds a sign memorializing Renee Good as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Good, a Minneapolis woman and U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Monica Castillo flies a Mexican flag as rush hour traffic passed by protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A crowd of hundreds lines the sidewalk and holds signs to passing traffic during a rally at Austin City Hall to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 10, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anza Aleman-Goldstein, 6, holds a sign to passing cars from atop a parents shoulders at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters bang on the walls of an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Adileta Rostami waves an American flag to passing rush-hour traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters fly Mexican flags out of their car as they arrive to a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Jose Zarzoza carries a Palestinian Flag as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Jon Siebels leads a chant as activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds up a sign to passing cars during a rally held at intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Forrest Novy holds up a sign to passing cars at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Samuel G holds an upside down American Flag as he protests outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street andNorth Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester kicks at the wall of an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A protester spray paints a security camera outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Protesters spray paint outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Activists protest outside an ICE facility in Pflugerville, requesting the organization to leave the county, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Tycho Weidmann holds a sign as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman John Joyner holds a sign to passing traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A Mexican flag flies as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Andrew Dybevik chants with the crowd as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Anna LaVallee leads chants as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Adileta Rostami waves an American flag to passing rush-hour traffic as protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the intersection of 45th Street and North Lamar Boulevard to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters holds up the signs of facism to passing traffic at the intersection of 45th Street and Burnet Road to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jan. 8, 2026 in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of a Minneapolis woman, a U.S. citizen, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters that would not give their names hold anti-ICE signs at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Kaleb Aziz, right, and Arion Moore, left, hod signs at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman A protester holds up an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Arion Moore holds an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Moore said he was out to protest, "The murder of Renee and how quickly Trump tried to frame it as self-defense." He added, "If that's what they're willing to do to a white person in broad daylight, then imagine what's going on in those detention centers." Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman A protester that would not giver her name holds up an anti-ICE sign at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Rad Decker holds up a photo.of Renee Good at a protest at the south gates of the Texas Capitol on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. About one hundred demonstrators gathered to protest ICE operations and decry the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Protesters gather in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto Street, stopping traffic, as they leave the J.J. Pickle Building on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters link arms outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building while listening to speakers during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters burn an American flag in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building before marching through the streets of downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters meet with the Austin Police Department at the intersection of 10th and Red River Streets after shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march down Sixth Street, shutting down traffic, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters march up San Jacinto, back toward the J.J. Picle Building after shutting down traffic on Sixth Street, Jan. 10, 2026 during a protest to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesters give speeches outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building during a protest in downtown Austin on Saturday night, Jan. 10, 2026 to decry Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in solidarity with nation-wide protests after the killing of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman, by ICE agents on January 7. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman More than 100 people were in attendance at the 45th and Lamar protest, prompting rush hour drivers to roll down their windows, wave and join in the noisemaking. All four corners of the intersection were lined with people. As the crosswalk changed to the "walk" sign, some attendees started marching back and forth. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A Chilis employee, obviously on her way to work, ran through the crowd, throwing up a peace sign before crossing the street to clock in. She said she couldnt help but come support for a bit. Evan Osterman, 38, said when he brought his dog to Petco earlier today, he mentioned to one of the employees that he was looking for cardboard to make a sign out of and asked if they had any spare boxes he could use. The employee asked him what the sign was for, and Osterman said he planned to attend an anti-ICE protest. As soon as he heard that, he was like, I got you. He went in the back and he got this for me, Osterman said, lifting his homemade sign. The same thing happened at H-E-B. Trisha Morris showed up in a mask inspired by the film "V for Vendetta," which follows the story of an anti-establishment rebellion. Morris, 44, said she wears it to all of the protests she attends and there are a lot of them. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Im out here at all of these, she said proudly. I wore this mask at No Kings! She said shes quite involved with the American Civil Liberties Union, whose logo sat atop the sign she held against her chest. Trisha Morris wears a mask inspired by "V for Vendetta" at an anti-ICE protest on Thursday, Jan. 8. Julianna Duennes Russ/Austin American-Statesman Protests began across the Austin area on Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis Wednesday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad With 10 minutes to spare before a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard, at least 50 protesters were already showing up with drums, saxophones, homemade signs and fluttering American flags to protest ICE's killing of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good. The protest was divided between both sides of the intersection and cars streaming through the rush hour traffic are laying on their horns. One of the organizers of the event, Megan Field, said safety monitors were on the way. The team was attempting to keep the protesters away from turn lanes and on the triangular medians for safety purposes. The protest at 45th and Lamar has been organized by Indivisible Rosedale Huddle. The group was also hosting a simultaneous event one block west at 45th and Burnet Rd. called Signs of Fascism, which was described as a silent act of political theater in which participants dress in black and hold warning signs about authoritarianism. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Another protest will begin at 6 p.m. at 20200 Algreg St. in Pflugerville, the site of a facility operated by ICE and DHS. Rallies planned around the Austin area Thursday will focus on the death of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident who was shot and killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation Wednesday. The incident has sparked outrage nationwide and brought renewed scrutiny to ICE at a time when the Trump administration is deploying more agents than ever before, particularly in residential neighborhoods. Federal officials said ICE agents were conducting operations in Minneapolis around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when their vehicle became trapped in snow. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a mob of agitators that were harassing them all day attempted to block the agents and stop them from moving their vehicle. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Noem said Good was one of the agitators and when ICE ordered her to get out of her car, she refused. Noem said an agent fired his weapon in self-defense after Good allegedly attempted to weaponize her vehicle while fleeing. That account has been disputed by Minneapolis officials and activists who point to videos circulating online that appear to show Goods vehicle moving away from agents when shots were fired. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has publicly questioned the federal governments version of events and called for transparency as investigations continue. Good, 37, was a mother of three and a writer who lived with her partner in south Minneapolis, according to family members and local officials. Relatives have described her as a devoted parent and a creative who posed no threat to law enforcement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She was a U.S. citizen and died just blocks from where she lived. Additional protests are planned in Austin. A rally hosted by the Austin Immigration Rights Action Committee will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday near the south entrance of the Texas Capitol. On Saturday, Jan. 10, a protest at City Hall will start at 11 a.m. There, activists will call for ICE to leave Austin. In April 2025, Avelo began flying deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cancelled routes to several West Coast cities as part of a new business model. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Avelo Airlines, after partnering with the Department of Homeland Security in the spring of 2025, is backing out of that agreement. In April 2025, the budget carrier launched deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of a controversial charter program and, as part of a shift in its business strategy, cut service to several West Coast destinations. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The business decision was met with scrutiny, including protests and calls for boycotts from travelers and advocacy groups. Avelo Airlines, which launched in 2021, said it will end its participation in deportation flights tied to a government program on Jan. 27, while scaling back operations and refocusing its business, a move that will also affect travelers as the airline cuts its fleet and routes. Heres why the airline says its canceling its participation in the DHS program. Why is Avelo Airlines ending ICE deportation flights? According to CNBC, Avelos CEO, Andrew Levy, told employees that doing business with the federal government didn't provide the profit the company was seeking. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source "We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy," Levy said in an internal memo, as reported by Reuters. The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs." Avelo is shutting down its Mesa, Arizona, base where deportation flights were flown as well as hubs in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Wilmington, Delaware, as part of a broader restructuring effort. Following the transition, the airline will focus on operating Boeing 737-800 aircraft and will maintain a limited number of scheduled commercial flights from some markets, including Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What are people saying about Avelo Airlines? NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, UNITED STATES - 2025/04/17: A protester holds a placard during a demonstration. Protesters marched in front of Tweed Airport, leaving placards hanging along the fence that judged and criticized Avelo Airlines for its plans to assist the Department of Homeland Security in deporting migrants from Mesa, Arizona, out of the U.S. (Photo by Roy De La Cruz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett According to the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), which represents Avelos crew members, the union has raised serious concerns about the airlines participation in ICE deportation flights, saying Avelo may be running afoul of FAA safety regulations. "The airline industry is constantly changing, but weve faced far too much change at our airline including operating certain flights we didnt originally sign up for, the union said in a statement to members. Were hopeful that with the end of the ICE flying and new financing the future is more stable for Flight Attendants at Avelo. Advertisement Article continues below this ad According to reports, an Avelo spokesperson said the airline isnt worried about losing business, noting that passenger bookings in 2025 are running about 11% higher than in 2024. Here's what people on social media are saying about Avelo Airlines dropping ICE flights: Comment byu/-ctinsider from discussion inConnecticut Comment byu/-ctinsider from discussion inConnecticut Comment byu/-ctinsider from discussion inConnecticut Comment byu/-ctinsider from discussion inConnecticut Anu Oguntade works on her assignment during class at Brentwood Christian School on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman Parents can choose from 70 private schools in the Austin area that will accept Texas new school vouchers this fall, according to a database released Thursday. The campuses are some of about 700 around the state approved to participate in the first year of the $1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which will use public dollars to fund students private education. Advertisement Article continues below this ad More than one-third of the schools approved to receive voucher funding in the Austin region 26 in total serve only pre-kindergarten students. Another 33 schools offer pre-K along with other grade levels. Parents looking for an elementary school have far more options than families with older students. In the area, 40 schools serve kindergarten through fifth grade; 30 serve sixth through eighth grade; and only 20 provide a high school education. Austin-area schools span geographically from Spicewood to Schulenberg, but the vast majority are concentrated in Austin and Round Rock. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source To be eligible, private schools must be accredited and have been in operation for at least two years. The schools also must administer a nationally norm-referenced test to students in third grade and above. Schools that provided virtual-only education could also apply. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Five schools on Niches list of the best private schools in Austin are signed up for the program: St. Michaels Catholic Preparatory School, St. Marys Catholic School in Taylor, Brentwood Christian School, Summit Christian Academy of Cedar Park and Grace Academy of Georgetown. The participating schools represent a fraction of the private schools in the area. Austin alone has 100 accredited private schools, according to data from the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. The list released Thursday include schools approved by the states comptroller, which is the office that will oversee the voucher program. The vouchers will provide students up to about $10,500 toward private school tuition per year, but students who receive special education services can get up to $30,000. Homeschooled students can receive up to $2,000 for tutoring, courses or materials. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Once a school is approved for the program, it can accept the funds from the familys voucher to use toward the childs educational costs. YANGON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the Golden Pagoda, attracted over 6.95 million visitors in 2025, U Boe Thin, a member of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees, told Xinhua on Friday. Among them, over 76,000 were foreign visitors, he said. The number of visitors in 2025 decreased compared to 2024, when over 8.65 million people visited the pagoda, including over 90,000 foreigners, he added. Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, authored Senate Bill 37, which requires a new statewide office for complaints against public universities in violation of the law. Jay Janner/American-Statesman Members of the public can now submit complaints against public universities and colleges to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards new Office of Ombudsman, according to a new website launched by the agency Friday. The website, Students First, allows anyone to submit a complaint through a portal, with separate sections for feedback and student complaints. The coordinating board said Brandon Simmons, former Chairman of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents and leader of the office, has already begun meeting with university leaders and chancellors. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The creation of the new oversight office was authorized through Senate Bill 37, a law that took effect Jan. 1. It comes after a fall during which conservative lawmakers and activists attempted vigilante enforcement online to rid gender ideology from public universities. The new statewide office serves as an intermediary between the legislature and the public and institutions of higher education, the website states, with the purpose of investigating complaints regarding violations of Senate Bill 37s provisions on faculty governance, curriculum, grievances, hiring and decision-making authority provisions, and the 2023 law Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices and practices. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Gov. Greg Abbott named Simmons director of institutional policy and oversight in October. The budget line on the bill also authorizes four other full-time employees. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Per Senate Bill 37, the office has five days to notify the institution named in a complaint, and the institution has 175 days to respond. The office has the power to recommend the Legislature withhold funding from the institution if it is found to be in violation of state law until compliance is certified. Each year, the governor, lieutenant governor, state auditor and higher education chairs of the Texas House and Senate will receive a report on the complaints and findings. Those who willingly submit a false report may be subject to fees associated with the investigation, the law states. The announcement did not discuss guidance for course or degree audits, which are also mandated through the law. That process is left up to each university system. The law also restricts faculty influence in university decision-making while expanding the power of politically appointed regents to regulate degrees, core curriculum and hiring of leaders. Sen. Brandon Creighton, Senate Bill 37's author, said his legislation restores the balance of power at universities and holds them more accountable to the public. Faculty who advocated against the law say it replaces subject matter expertise with political influence. The Texas Tech University System, which Creighton now leads, banned courses that advocate for race or gender ideology or contain LGBTQ content. Multiple university systems have already launched audits into courses for gender identity following conservative criticism of gender indoctrination at universities. No law bans teaching in those subjects. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Simmons said he looks forward to engaging more with university leaders and the public to ensure universities remain excellent. Medical assistant Andrea Luna takes the vital signs of patient Yurisleydis Perez at the Central Health East Austin Specialty Clinic in Austin. Health insurance through the federal Marketplace for 2026 is only available until Jan. 15, but if people make less than 200% of federal poverty level they might qualify for coverage through Central Health's Medical Assistance Program. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman The deadline to sign up for health insurance through the federal Affordable Care Act Marketplace is Jan. 15. After that, enrollment at healthcare.gov won't be available until the fall for 2027 coverage. Typically, people who make too much to qualify for government programs like Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP and do not have an employer-based plan have enrolled. Many people in the Marketplace are early retirees, gig workers, freelance or contract employees, part-time employees or work for a small business that cannot afford to provide insurance. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This year's enrollment is happening without the enhanced subsidies that Congress added in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to make plans more affordable for people making more than 400% of the federal poverty level. That translates to $62,240 for a single person and $120,800 for a family of four. How do subsidies work? How much subsidies people receive depends on the number of people in their family, their ages and their income. In 2025, people going through the Marketplace paid 0% to 8.5% of their annual income in monthly premiums. This year they can expect to pay up to 9.96% of their annual income but only if they qualify for subsidies, said Louise Norris, health policy analyst with the consumer group Healthinsurance.org. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On average, people will pay 114% more for their health care through the Marketplace in 2026 than in 2025 because of the changes in subsidies but also because the price of health care went up. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, for example, said its Marketplace rates increased between 7.5% and 62.4%. In Travis County, one Sendero bronze plan increased from a $1,199.42 monthly premium with no subsidies in 2025 for a family of four to $1,383.26 in 2026 for that same family. Walter Moreau, left, executive director of Foundation Communities, and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett speak at Foundation Communities Prosper Center South on Friday, Oct. 31, encouraging people to sign up for Affordable Care Act Marketplace coverage during open enrollment, which ends on Jan. 15. Efforts to increase federal subsidies have stalled in Congress. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Could additional subsidies still happen? Congress is still discussing extending the enhanced subsidies that went away Jan. 1, but there are no guarantees that will happen. Already, a Democratic plan to extend the subsidies failed in the Senate, but a plan passed in the House on Thursday. A compromise plan might be in the works in the Senate. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source "It's all very much up in the air," Norris said. She urges people to pick a plan before Jan. 15 rather than not have health insurance for a full year. "Don't assume Congress is going to fix it," Norris said. Not signing up for anything by Jan. 15 is not a good option, said Erika Leos of Foundation Communities, the nonprofit that provides Marketplace navigation services in Austin. "Even a more expensive plan will be less expensive than an unexpected trip to emergency room or ongoing care of a condition," she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If Congress does extend the enhanced subsidies, people most likely would retroactively be credited for the new subsidies. It is possible Congress also could reopen the Marketplace to enrollment if new subsidies pass, but it might not. That would leave anyone who didn't sign up by Jan. 15 without access to subsidies until next year. How is enrollment going in Texas? In Texas, 3.8 million people relied on Healthcare.gov for their insurance in 2025, and 97% received a subsidy. In Travis County, 144,947 people enrolled. The Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan group, expects 1.4 million people in Texas who had Marketplace plans in 2025 will not enroll in 2026 because of the decrease in subsidies. A Dec. 5 report from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed that 1.2 million people in Texas had signed up. At that point, 2.6 million people still needed to sign up to have the same number of people enrolled, but CMS has not reported any newer data. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Sign-ups, though, do not translate into people with actual health coverage. Many people are auto-enrolled in the same coverage year after year and might not be aware of the changes to their costs. When they see this year's first bill for coverage, they might be shocked to see their rates have increased, Norris said. Then they might decide to drop their coverage by not paying the premium. Typically CMS releases a report in the summer that includes the number of people who are enrolled and are using their insurance by paying their premiums, not just signed up. Locally, the nonprofit insurance company Sendero reported to Travis County commissioners last month that it had not seen a drop-off in enrollees, but it wouldn't know the true impact of how many people will be covered until they pay their premiums. At Harbor Health, which entered the Marketplace with plans this year, it has seen about 75% of the people who were assigned to their plans not sign up for one. And the people who were assigned and did sign up, only about 30% have paid the premiums so far. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Most of those people had not had premiums before, said Dr. Clay Johnston, the co-founder of Harbor Health. This month they are discovering there are now costs to them because of the changes in the subsidies. "That is the group that is pulling out," he said. Foundation Communities has not seen as many people come into its navigation centers and sign up for coverage as last year. As of Tuesday, it had signed up 3,693 people, but had 4,383 signed up last year. The people it serves are typically those who still would qualify for subsidies. Their average household income is $24,697. If people have heard they should not sign up because it will be too expensive, they should still look at plans because subsidies continue to be open to people making less than 400% of federal poverty level. Leos said the nonprofit's Prosper Centers had 42 households not sign up for coverage because of the increased cost. It also had households that qualified for federal programs like Medicaid, CHIP or Medicare or to local hospital district Central Health's Medical Access Program and helped them sign up for those programs. Foundation Communities also saw people change plans or types of plans because of increased costs to the plan they were on in 2025. Foundation Communities has appointments available at its Prosper Centers to answer questions and help people sign up. Make an appointment at foundcom.org/health-coverage or by calling 512-381-4520. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What should I consider when looking at Marketplace plans? Don't just auto-enroll on what you currently have, said Lynn Cowles of the nonprofit Every Texan. Read everything carefully. With more than a hundred plans, each plan is nuanced. Make sure you accurately report your income. If you guess wrong, you could be either missing out on subsidies or owe subsidies back to the government. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Find ways to lower your taxable income. If you are just slightly over the 400% of federal poverty level, you might consider choosing a plan that includes a health savings account and adding money to that for use on medical expenses, or adding money to a retirement savings account like an IRA or a 401(k). Both can help you reduce your taxable income to below 400%. Don't judge a plan based on bronze, silver or gold. Sometimes a bronze plan can be better than a silver or a silver better than a gold, but note that some people receive extra subsidies if they choose certain silver plans. Those plans are noted on the website. What is included in the plan? Is dental included? Are your doctors on the plan? What about your favorite pharmacy? What are the prices? Yes, care about monthly premiums, deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs, but also care about co-pays, drug costs and emergency room visit payments. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What's important to you? Would you rather have a low co-pay for doctor visits or is a higher co-pay but a low deductible important? Is the maximum out-of-pocket expense the most important thing or is it the monthly cost? Is the plan eligible for a before-taxes health saving account? Is a catastrophic plan better than nothing? Some people, particularly those who are healthy and younger, can qualify for these plans, but they tend to cover only a major health event. Norris said sometimes you can find a bronze plan for less than a catastrophic plan. What about a short-term plan? These typically do not do what people expect from an insurance plan. Without health insurance, an emergency room will stabilize you, but the hospital isn't obligated to provide further treatment such as a surgery or an in-patient stay if you cannot pay. 'Even a more expensive plan will be less expensive than an unexpected trip to emergency room or ongoing care of a condition,' said Erika Leos of Foundation Communities, which helps people sign up for health care. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman What if I cannot afford health insurance? Locally, we have three federally qualified health centers: CommUnityCare, Lone Star Circle of Care and People's Community Clinic. They provide primary and some specialty care on a fee scale based on your income. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If you make below 200% of the federal poverty level and live in Travis County, Central Health's Medical Assistance Program acts like health insurance and is available for free or at a lower cost. Check with your current providers. Austin Regional Clinic will see patients who don't have insurance and offers a discount over its posted rates. It also has a telehealth plan with one-time, monthly and annual rates that can be more affordable for in-person visits. Look for discount rates for medications through services like GoodRX or Amazon's prescription service. You also can check with drug companies directly for programs. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The minty fresh marketing materials will include visuals that only depict a "pea-sized" amount of product, instead of the typical toothpaste swirls. AMY SANCETTA/AP Crest toothpaste will join competitor Colgate in adjusting its labeling and marketing so that it "accurately depicts the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste for children" after reaching an agreement with the Texas Attorney Generals Office. In a news release Thursday, Attorney General Ken Paxton said the agreement was reached between his office and Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Co., the parent company of Crest. Last year, the office investigated Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive for what it called "a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that excessive fluoride exposure is not safe for children" and cited the American Dental Association as one of its sources. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Both manufactures market toothpaste products specifically for children. After the inquiry was launched in May 2025, the American Dental Association issued a statement saying Paxton's office grossly mischaracterizes its recommendation for fluoride use in toothpaste products. "The ADA affirms the use of fluoride, in recommended amounts, as safe and effective in preventing tooth decay for both children and adults," the association said. "The ADA recommends that a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice be used from the time a childs first tooth erupts until age 3. When they are 3 to 6 years old, children should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and be supervised while brushing to ensure they spit rather than swallow the toothpaste." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Under the agreement with the attorney general's office, Proctor & Gamble "will ensure that Crest childrens toothpaste marketing and packaging clearly depict the appropriate amount of toothpaste for children," Paxton's office said, adding the updated packaging began rolling out this year. A University of Texas student joins a protest last November against political efforts to limit what can be taught. With Texas A&M professors also facing restrictions on the topics they can teach, Jonathan Zimmerman says one way to protect academic freedom would be to go on strike. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Twice in the past four years, faculty at two of the largest university systems in the country went on strike. First it was postdoctoral students and researchers at the University of California in 2022, then California State University faculty in 2024, both times demanding higher pay after years of falling behind the rising costs of housing, transportation and food. What does it say about a university system touted as one of the Golden States best attributes if its intellectual workforce cant afford to live in the state? the Los Angeles Times editorial board asked in 2022. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Both strikes ended within days, when the university systems stepped up with better pay. And while staffers didnt get everything they demanded, they did show what can happen when educators act together. That lesson should not be lost on the beleaguered faculty at Texas A&M University, who are facing a different kind of pressure. Under new rules promulgated by the systems Board of Regents, professors face growing restrictions on what they can teach and how freely they can teach it. One way to protect academic freedom would be to go on strike. Ben Franklin put it best: If you do not hang together, you will hang separately. At Texas A&M, that warning feels especially apt. If professors dont act collectively, individual faculty members risk being singled out and silenced one by one. Witness the fate of scholar Melissa McCoul, who was dismissed last year after a student confronted the professor for teaching about gender identity in a children's literature course. A video of that confrontation went viral and created such an uproar that university president Mark Welsh III stepped down. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Soon afterward, the Board of Regents announced a policy barring professors from advocating racial or gender ideology. Of course, no one should be allowed to indoctrinate students or impose personal beliefs in the classroom. But the policys vague language has created confusion and fear, discouraging faculty from discussing these topics at all. Earlier this week, for example, philosophy professor Martin Peterson was told he could not teach his course on Contemporary Moral Problems unless he removed modules on race and gender ideology, along with Plato readings that may include these. Petersons syllabus included The Symposium, in which Socrates historys most famous champion of open inquiry leads a dialogue on the human condition, including questions of gender. In one passage, The Myth of the Androgyne, Plato quotes the playwright Aristophanes. First, you should learn the nature of humanity, he says, for in the first place there were three kinds of human being and not two as nowadays, male and female. No, there was a third kind, a combination of both genders. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As Peterson explained in a letter to his department chair, his goal as an instructor is to help students come to their own conclusions. Please note that my course does not advocate any ideology, he wrote. I teach students how to structure and evaluate arguments commonly raised in discussion of contemporary moral issues. But now he cant do that, at least on issues of gender. His university won't let him. That's unacceptable. In authoritarian systems, the state dictates which ideas are permissible. Democracy, by contrast, depends on our ability to think critically and debate openly. That wont happen if universities place entire categories of moral and social disagreement off limits. Advertisement Article continues below this ad News flash: Americans disagree about gender and race. Texas A&M has effectively placed those disagreements out of bounds, but that does not make them disappear. It only ensures that students are less prepared to engage with the world beyond campus. You cant have a real university on that basis. The free exchange of ideas is the bread and butter of academic life, as fundamental to the mission as fair pay. Just as California educators struck to defend their livelihoods, Texas A&M faculty may need to strike to defend their academic freedom. What does it say about a university system if its intellectual workforce cannot engage in intellectual activity? It suggests that professors are being stripped of their most essential rights, as well as their most basic purpose. To restore those rights and to reinforce their purpose professors should stop working and refuse to return until their freedoms are secured. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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 Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, in Beijing on Friday. Noting that China's economy is deeply integrated into the world economy, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the better China develops, the more benefits all parties will gain. Ding said that the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has outlined the blueprint for China's development over the next five years. "We will steadfastly promote high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up, and continuously optimize the business environment," said Ding, noting that China welcomes enterprises from all countries, including Disney, to continue investing in China and deepening their presence, and share China's opportunities to achieve greater development. Iger said Disney is confident in China's development, and will continue to expand its investment in China and better promote exchanges and cooperation between the United States and China. ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday held talks with his Ethiopian counterpart Gedion Timothewos here, with both sides vowing to advance the all-weather strategic partnership. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the tradition of making Africa the destination of the first overseas visit by Chinese foreign minister in a new year has been upheld for 36 consecutive years, demonstrating that China always stands with its African brothers and is committed to strengthening cooperation with developing countries. Ethiopia was chosen as the first stop of this year's visit because the two countries are all-weather strategic partners and should maintain regular strategic communication and strengthen comprehensive strategic cooperation, Wang said. China appreciates that Ethiopia has honored its commitment to the one-China principle, and it supports Ethiopia playing a greater role in multilateral institutions, said Wang. China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to implement the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, continue to play a positive role in advancing China-Africa relations, safeguard the interests of the Global South in international affairs, and promote multipolarization, said Wang. The Chinese minister also said that China-Ethiopia relations are built on mutual understanding and close bonds between the two peoples. He expressed the hope that both sides will seize the opportunity of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and consolidate public support for the bilateral friendship. China will continue to expand practical cooperation with Ethiopia from the perspective of mutual benefit and South-South cooperation, jointly reinvigorate major projects such as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, and play a demonstrative role in promoting Ethiopia's prosperity and development as well as regional connectivity, he said. The two sides should make full use of China's zero-tariff policy for African countries with diplomatic ties to China, expand industrial cooperation, and advance together on the path to modernization, he added. For his part, Gedion said Ethiopia's strategic partnership with China is comprehensive and strong. He expressed gratitude to China for its firm support on issues concerning Ethiopia's core interests, as well as for the valuable assistance it has provided to Africa's development and peace. The 10 partnership action plans for jointly advancing modernization proposed by President Xi are fully aligned with Africa's development vision, while the Global Security Initiative plays an important role in addressing regional challenges, Gedion said, adding that China's zero-tariff policy for African countries has benefited people across the continent. Ethiopia greatly appreciates it and stands ready to continue working with China to ensure that the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries delivers greater benefits to their peoples, said Gedion. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian military launched a massive strike, including with the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, against critical facilities in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. Col. Mathew F. Bunch, commander of Security Force Assistance Command, and Command Sgt. Maj. Darvin T. Williams case the colors during the SFAC inactivation ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Thursday. The one-star headquarters oversaw brigades of soldiers specially trained to advise foreign military forces. (Jaquari Lindsey/U.S. Army) The Army shuttered its Security Force Assistance Command on Thursday at Fort Bragg, N.C., closing the one-star headquarters that oversaw its brigades of soldiers specially trained to advise foreign military forces. Unit leaders cased the commands colors for a final time Thursday, signaling the inactivation of the SFAC as part of a broader Army reorganization effort that has prioritized units that generate combat power over other capabilities. The reorganization mandated last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will also result in the shuttering by the end of the year of four of the Armys six Security Force Assistance Brigades, or SFABs. Col. Matthew Bunch, who took command of the SFAC from Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert in June, said that despite the commands inactivation, its soldiers known as advisors for their role in aiding partner armies had proven successful in their mission to improve allied and partner military forces around the globe. From its inception, the Security Force Assistance Command headquarters enabled advisors to deploy with purpose, clarity, and the support necessary to build meaningful relationships with allies and partners, Bunch said during the inactivation ceremony, according to a news release. Through planning, coordination, and an unwavering commitment to readiness, this headquarters empowered our brigades to operate in every geographic combatant command, advancing the Armys mission in places where trust, cooperation, and shared understanding mattered most. The impact of SFACs work will continue to be felt long after these colors are cased. The SFAC was established in late 2018 alongside the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, which was also headquartered at Fort Bragg, until its inactivation in November. The 1st SFAB stood up at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2017, as top Army officials pitched it as a smaller-than-normal brigade of volunteer soldiers who are experts in their craft and receive extra training to advise foreign armies on the trades of soldiering. Ultimately, the Army stood up six SFABs five active-duty brigades and one National Guard unit and the SFAC to oversee the training and manning of those units. The SFABs were the brainchild of retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, who served as the Army chief of staff before becoming the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Milley pitched them as units purpose-built to conduct the kind of training, advising and assisting operations that brigade combat teams had been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Command Sgt. Maj. Darvin T. Williams stands before the Security Force Assistance Command colors during the commands inactivation ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Jaquari Lindsey/U.S. Army) Milley and other top Army officials wanted to employ SFABs to take deployment pressure off the Armys brigade combat teams, which had for years been rotated in and out Afghanistan and Iraq to train those nations forces to fight the wars there. As Chinese and Russian military aggression grew during the last decade, top Army generals wanted to shift their combat brigades focus to preparations to fight a large-scale war against an enemy equipped with similar capabilities to the United States. As operations wound down in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years, the SFABs were assigned to geographic combatant commands, where they maintained near constant presence to train partner nation forces. The service intends to leave only two SFABs beyond 2026. The 1st SFAB, which is aligned to U.S. Southern Command, will remain at Fort Benning and the 5th SFAB, which is aligned to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, will remain at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said Maj. Ryan Miller, an SFAC spokesman. Under the reorganization, the 1st SFAB has been assigned to the Armys new U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command, Miller said. The 5th SFAB has been placed under U.S. Army Pacifics command. The 4th SFAB will hold its inactivation ceremony later this month at Fort Carson, Colo., Miller said. It had been focused on operations in Europe. The 3rd SFAB at Fort Hood, Texas, will inactivate in late 2026, Miller said. It had previously been aligned with U.S. Central Command but will serve under U.S. Army Pacific until its inactivation, he said. Bunch, an infantry officer who had previously served as the SFACs second in command, said that the work of the SFAC and its SFABs would continue to have meaning for the Army for the foreseeable future. The headquarters played a pivotal role in shaping how the Army organizes, trains, and equips advisor formations, ensuring that our soldiers could deliver meaningful, tailored advisor support to partners worldwide, Bunch said, according to the news release. Whether enabling our brigades or helping allies strengthen their own security institutions, SFAC headquarters ensured advisors had the training, systems, and resources to succeed. As we inactivate this command, we recognize that its influence and the relationships it helped forge will continue to guide the Armys approach to global engagement for years to come. Former Navy Lt. Craig Becker was convicted in 2022 of premeditated murder in the 2015 death of his wife, Johanna Hove-Becker. He recently lost an appeal of the conviction in a unanimous ruling. (Facebook) A former Navy officer who is serving a life sentence for pushing his drugged wife out the window of their seventh-floor apartment in Belgium more than 10 years ago failed in his bid to have his murder conviction overturned. The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the findings and sentence for Lt. Craig R. Becker, who was found guilty by a military court in 2022 of one specification of premeditated murder in the death of his 32-year-old wife, Johanna Hove-Becker. Becker was an explosive ordnance disposal technician serving at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Casteau. His wife died on Oct. 8, 2015, less than two hours after falling from her apartment in nearby Mons. After a drawn-out appeals process, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously on Dec. 17 that none of the 12 trial issues they took under consideration warranted redress. Besides murder, Beck was convicted of one specification of battery for poisoning his wife and two specifications of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. His life sentence includes the possibility of parole, according to court documents. At trial, Becker contended that his wife had jumped from the window after drinking wine and taking medication, according to court documents. Belgian police immediately ruled her death a suicide but reopened their investigation days later after receiving additional reports calling the initial determination into question. Johanna Hove-Becker died in 2015 after a fall from a seventh-floor window in Mons, Belgium. A Navy appellate court recently upheld the murder conviction and life sentence of her husband, Craig Becker, a former Navy lieutenant. (Dignity Memorial) One month beforehand, the couple had signed a separation agreement, according to court records. The appeals judges noted that the defenses case had relied on the theory that Hove-Becker threw herself from the window, yet there was no indication that she was suicidal at the time, they wrote. Indeed, friends and coworkers described her as happy and moving on with her life, the 111-page opinion said. She also signed a lease on a new apartment on the same day as her death, and had packed a bag for a trip to China she was planning to take with her father the very next day. The Navy sought to keep the case under Belgian jurisdiction, concerned that a military court might not be able to use evidence collected by Belgian investigators, court records show. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis denied the request and the Navy assumed primary jurisdiction in 2018. In his appeal, Becker argued that the delay of U.S. military intervention deprived him of his right to a speedy trial and sufficient legal counsel. He contended that the United States put off jurisdiction intentionally, as it allowed Belgian authorities to interrogate him without the assistance of an American attorney, court documents state. Prosecutors then used the fruits of these interrogations against him later in his court-martial, he argued. The appeals court dismissed the claim, saying that Becker did not identify specific interrogations or statements he now objects to. Becker also challenged some of the evidence admitted at trial, including cryptic text messages exchanged between him and a woman prosecutors said was his girlfriend several days prior to his wifes death. He accused the military judge of abusing his discretion by also permitting evidence that he picked up his wife and threw her to the ground at an Army hotel in Belgium in a prior, separate incident in 2013, when court documents say he discovered she was having an affair. The appellate judges acknowledged that the prosecutions case had been largely circumstantial. But there was overwhelming evidence of preparation ahead of the killing, they found in rejecting Beckers petition. (Raymond T. Conway/Stars and Stripes) Hanau, Germany, Oct. 11, 2003: From left, Spc. Caroline Smith, Pfc. Melissa McDonald, and Pfc. Teresa Murphy peer out of a window, trying to get a glimpse of friends and family gathered to welcome the soldiers from the 565th Engineer Battalion home. The almost 200 soldiers received a rousing welcome after an eight-month deployment to Iraq and Kuwait. Workers prepare rice for making sake at the Dassai brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) Sake drinkers hoping to watch seasoned craftsmen show off ancient skills with antique wooden equipment will be out of luck on a tour of the Dassai brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture. The gleaming 12-story brewery, about 40 minutes drive from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, is a high-tech facility that wouldnt look out of place at a NASA launch site. That makes sense given the companys connection to the International Space Station and plans to take its product to the moon. Dassai president Kazuhiro Sakurai speaks to visitors at his sake brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) Company president Kazuhiro Sakurai, a suave gentleman in a tailored suit, will tell you all about it if you run into him during a tour of the brewery. The company recently sold a single, 100-mL bottle of sake brewed on the space station for 100 million yen about $645,000. A tour of the Yamaguchi brewery starts with visitors donning rubber slippers, protective coats and hairnets, then stepping into an air shower to make sure they dont bring contaminants inside. To get a close-up view of sake making, visitors climb stairs and trek through galleries filled with machinery. Theres an explanation of rice polishing and examples of various grades of polished rice to check out. You can see a massive metal rice steamer in another part of the plant. Bottles of Dassai sake make their way along the bottling line at the companys brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) In one room, staff spread cooked rice on tables before adding mold. A much colder room houses dozens of fermentation tanks that exude a strong alcoholic odor. Dassais crew of young brewers analyze every part of the sake-brewing process, according to Sakurai. Theres a room full of printed charts that show test results used to create the perfect brew. Nearby the brewers, clad in white coats, look like rocket scientists as they analyze sake samples. A hostess prepares Dassai sake samples for tasting in a room next to the factory where its brewed in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) Once youve learned all there is to know about sake brewing, its time to taste the product. Cross the road and a small bridge and youll find yourself in a shop equipped with small tables where you can sample several types of sake or even eat sake ice cream while you enjoy the peaceful, green scenery of the countryside. You can also purchase sake brewed on site such as a 720-miL bottle of the companys flagship brand Dassai 23, which sells for 5,200 yen. On the QT Directions: 2167-4 Shutomachi Osogoe, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi 742-0422 Times: Brewery tours start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily; the sake shop is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Costs: The brewery tour costs 1,000 yen, with an additional 500-yen tasting fee. Food: Sake-flavored ice cream sells for 1,000 yen. Information: Online: dassai.com/tour Home decorations are displayed during Mirzaamiyat Ramadan 2026 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2026. The annual event focuses on home preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This year's exhibition opened here on Thursday and will run until Jan. 10. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) People visit Mirzaamiyat Ramadan 2026 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2026. The annual event focuses on home preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This year's exhibition opened here on Thursday and will run until Jan. 10. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) People visit Mirzaamiyat Ramadan 2026 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2026. The annual event focuses on home preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This year's exhibition opened here on Thursday and will run until Jan. 10. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) People visit Mirzaamiyat Ramadan 2026 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2026. The annual event focuses on home preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This year's exhibition opened here on Thursday and will run until Jan. 10. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) Home decorations are displayed during Mirzaamiyat Ramadan 2026 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Jan. 8, 2026. The annual event focuses on home preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. This year's exhibition opened here on Thursday and will run until Jan. 10. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) Naval Air Facility Atsugi, southwest of Tokyo, is home to U.S. Navy Fleet Air Western Pacific and is shared with Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan An elementary school on this U.S. base near Tokyo has revived a program paused during the COVID-19 pandemic that turns service members into classroom volunteers for two hours a month. Heroes in the Hallways allows troops to assist teachers at Shirley Lanham Elementary School for an hour at a time, said program coordinator Michelle Bodwin, a second-grade teacher who provided details by email Dec. 29. They may be asked to read to small groups of students, prepare classroom materials or assist with various learning activities, she wrote. Having a few extra hands in an elementary classroom is always a great help. The program is designed to strengthen community relationships and create volunteer opportunities at NAF Atsugi, about 32 miles southwest of Tokyo. It was scheduled to resume Jan. 9 and will take place on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, the school announced Monday on its Facebook page. A committee of educators known as the Crusader CARE Crew pairs volunteers with Lanham teachers. CARE stands for Community, Action, Relationships and Engagement, Bodwin said by email Tuesday. Nathan Rogers, who served as Lanthams principal until his death in March 2023, coordinated a similar program for several years before the pandemic, Bodwin said. Second-grade teacher Nathan Rogers poses in his classroom at Shirley Lanham Elementary at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes) Now that the circumstances have changed, we are ready to reopen our hallways and welcome all active duty servicemembers to Lanham, she wrote. Bodwin said Heroes in the Hallways benefits all participating service members, including those without children. First and foremost, the base community, especially our single service members and those without children, is made more aware of the presence of children on our base, she said. The troops may also inspire and mentor the students, Bodwin said. Its a chance for the students to interact with our service members, learn more about them, and understand the vital role they play in our community, she said. Bodwin said she was not aware of other schools in the region with similar programs but said plans are underway to share the initiative more broadly. It would be amazing to have this program adopted by the Pacific East District so that all schools have a Heroes in the Hallways program to effectively bring the base and school communities together, she said. Bodwin and the CARE crew said they hope to see increased participation. We need everyone looking out for and supporting the young ones, she said. Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, greets Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi before their meeting at the Okinawa Harborview Hotel in Naha, Okinawa, Jan. 7, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes) NAHA, Okinawa Japans defense minister, on his first visit to Okinawa in his new role, repeated a promise to reduce the U.S. militarys footprint there and expand joint exercises near Japans southwestern islands. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force and the U.S. militarys Okinawa area coordinator, at Okinawa Harborview Hotel in the capital city, Naha. Koizumi met the following day with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the prefectural office in Naha. In their closed meeting, Koizumi and Turner confirmed that we will steadily work to reduce the burden of bases in Okinawa while firmly maintaining the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, Koizumi said at a news conference after the meeting. The Ministry of Defense will work toward the full return of [Marine Corps Air Station] Futenma at the earliest possible date based on the Okinawa Consolidation Plan, Koizumi told reporters before meeting with Turner. The U.S. and Japanese governments agreed in 1996 to relocate the airfield in densely populated Ginowan city to Camp Schwab in rural Henoko. Construction, long delayed by legal challenges, is expected to last until at least 2033, with the airfield ready for use possibly by 2036, then-Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said in January 2025. Koizumi reiterated that pledge to Tamaki, he said at a press conference after their meeting. The ministry also will steadily advance the construction work necessary for the return of land south of Kadena Air Base to reduce the burden of the bases, Koizumi said, according to a readout of the news conference posted on the ministrys website. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, left, poses with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the prefecture's office in Naha, Okinawa, Jan. 8, 2026. (Shinjiro Koizumi/X) Tamaki asked Koizumi to abandon the plan for MCAS Futenmas replacement and to try to find a solution to the issue through dialogue with Okinawa prefecture, a spokeswoman for the prefectures Military Base Affairs Division said by phone Friday. Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity. In response, Koizumi said it is my responsibility as Minister of Defense to steadily advance U.S. military realignment in a visible manner, including the return of MCAS Futenma, according to the readout. Koizumi during the news conference Wednesday repeated statements he made to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited in October, to work toward expanding more advanced and practical joint training exercises in various locations, particularly in the Nansei region. The Nansei, or Ryukyu, islands include Okinawa and stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to unify self-governing Taiwan with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing last month conducted another military exercise that encircled the island and included missile launches. As neighboring countries and others expand and intensify their activities in the seas and airspace surrounding Japan, improving our deterrence and response capabilities in the Nansei region is an urgent issue, Koizumi told reporters Wednesday. Turner in remarks before meeting with Koizumi called the U.S.-Japan alliance the cornerstone of regional peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. He declined to provide specific details about enhanced exercises with Japan. We have a really good plan for 2026 that were super excited about, Turner told reporters after the meeting. Italian air force F-35A Lightning II jets fly over Alaska in 2024. The Italian air base in Trapani, Sicily, will host the first pilot training facility for the aircraft outside the U.S., according to media reports in the two countries. (Raina Dale/U.S. Air Force) NAPLES, Italy An Italian air base in Sicily will host the first F-35 Lightning II pilot training facility outside the U.S., an indication of NATOs increasing demand for the fifth-generation fighter jet. The roughly $130 million multinational training school will be situated at a joint military-civilian airport near the city of Trapani on the islands northwest side, according to U.S. and Italian media reports citing a formal announcement by the Italian defense ministry this week. Establishment of the European pilot training center for the F-35 responds to the growing demand for training linked to greater program participation by NATO and European countries, the Italian online military magazine Analisi Difesa reported Thursday, quoting directly from defense ministry documents. Italy is among at least 13 European countries flying the fighter jet, which is quickly becoming a cornerstone of European defense. For example, Dutch F-35s shot down Russian drones over Poland in September, one of a string of European airspace violations blamed on Russia that had NATO debating how to respond. Italy and Denmark plan to add 25 and 16 of the aircraft, respectively, to their fleets, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said in a statement Wednesday. The U.S. has F-35 pilot training facilities at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, among other installations. Development of the Trapani training facility will be financed by the Italian government and overseen by the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office as well as Lockheed Martin, according to a Defense News report. Its expected to have two full mission simulators, with initial ground training offered by December 2028. Completion of the center is expected by July 2029, Defense News reported. The joint program office and the Italian defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lockheed Martin deferred comment on plans for an Italy-based F-35 pilot training center to the Italian government. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told reporters last year that Sicily would be the first location outside the U.S. to train F-35 pilots, the Italian news agency Ansa reported in July. The training facility at Trapani further expands Italys stake in the F-35 program. The country already has a maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade facility in the north for Europe-based jets. The hub, which inducted its first Europe-based U.S. F-35 for planned depot maintenance in March, also includes the jets only European assembly line. The training facility at Trapani will be the third Italian base with an F-35 squadron, joining Amendola and Ghedi air bases. U.S. Naval Air Station Sigonella, near the Sicilian town of Catania, is about 192 miles southeast of Trapani. It is adjacent to an Italian air base. An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Oct. 29. More than 400 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, a majority of them along the Israeli militarys Yellow Line. (Heidi Levine/The Washington Post) For Palestinians living near Israels demarcation line in Gaza, the war never stopped. In the three months since a U.S.-backed ceasefire began, Israeli troops, tanks and drones have fired on residents almost daily in areas close to or abutting the line. The attacks have killed at least 250 people out of the more than 400 who have died since Oct. 10, according to the local health authority, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Thousands more have been displaced, the United Nations and other humanitarian groups say. Israel says it is responding to attempts by Hamas operatives to cross the line, either to attack troops or to gather intelligence, in violation of the ceasefire agreement that required Israeli forces to partially withdraw. The boundary, known as the Yellow Line, splits Gaza roughly in half, with the Israeli military in the east, much of the south and part of the north, and the vast majority of Palestinians crammed into the west. The line, which is only partly marked by yellow-painted concrete blocks, was meant to be temporary, a first step toward Israels eventual withdrawal. But as the ceasefire took hold, Israeli forces worked quickly to reinforce their positions and establish new ones along the line, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Will Goodhind, an investigator and geospatial analyst for the open-access research project Contested Ground. Since then, Israeli leaders, including military chief of staff Eyal Zamir, have referred to the boundary as a new border line. And on several occasions, troops have pushed into areas west of the line, moving the yellow blocks overnight or without warning, residents and the U.N. said. In one instance last month, a community kitchen supported by the World Food Program along Gazas Salah al-Din Road closed in the evening and by morning, it was suddenly on the Israeli side of the boundary, the U.N. agency said. The Israel Defense Forces has denied shifting the line. But as talks to advance the truce have stalled, Palestinians worry the stalemate will normalize a dangerous status quo - one that experts say would entrench Israels presence and de facto divide the territory, leaving the estimated 2.1 million people now in western Gaza perpetually isolated and displaced. It hasnt been calm since we returned here, said 60-year-old Reda Elewa, a resident of the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. On the ground, it has never stopped - artillery, quadcopters, gunfire, he said. Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Elewa and his family returned to Shejaiya, where the plot of land their home once occupied is around 160 feet from the line. They plan to move closer and push us out, he said of Israels military activity. There is no real ceasefire. For Israel, maintaining the Yellow Line is key to pressuring Hamas, which led the attacks on Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 others taken to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a punishing military campaign in response, killing more than 71,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel will never leave Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz said last month at an event organized by the Makor Rishon news outlet. As part of the ceasefire deal, there will be a significant security zone, even after we transition phases, he said. But while the ceasefire plan envisions an international security force that would eventually deploy to Gaza and help oversee its demilitarization, the Trump administration has struggled to persuade nations to join. When asked last week whether Israeli forces would be withdrawing from Gaza, President Donald Trump, who had just met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said it was a separate subject from the disarmament of Hamas. Well talk about that, he said. In the meantime, Israeli forces have dug in further, clearing new ground, expanding compounds and building up high berms along the line. In this case, the Yellow Line becomes a new de facto border, said Ofer Guterman, a former senior analyst with Israels Military Intelligence Directorate and a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. This arrangement works for both: Israel gets a security buffer protecting its communities, and Hamas keeps its weapons, controls the population, and rebuilds its civilian rule over most of Gazas residents. But for the Palestinian civilians who have borne the brunt of the war, that type of understanding offers little comfort, both for their immediate circumstances and for the enclaves future. Residents who lived in eastern Gaza either have lost or can no longer access their homes, businesses, land or other assets that are located in the Israeli-controlled zone, where troops are carrying out daily demolitions of residential and other buildings, according to the U.N. Israel says the demolitions are necessary to destroy Hamass military infrastructure. Israels policy in Gaza is clear: The IDF operates to destroy the tunnels and eliminate Hamas terrorists without any restrictions within the Yellow Area under our control, Katz said. Israels portion of Gaza, which makes up more than half of the territory, has also swallowed up much of the enclaves agricultural land, according to Gisha, an Israeli human rights group. The majority of the population, 1.6 million people, face acute food insecurity, according to the worlds leading authority on hunger. Meanwhile, in western Gaza, families are packed together amid the rubble, in tents or makeshift shelters, with little protection against the wind and rain. Israeli forces surround them on all sides, including the sea, and daily life near the Yellow Line - which cuts through the enclaves most important urban centers - is unstable and violent. The attacks, residents say, can come at any time. For Eyad Amin, 45, that time came on Nov. 19, just one day after he moved his family from central Gaza back home to Shejaiya. When they arrived, he spotted a yellow block about 1,000 feet to the east. The next afternoon, Amin was at home when he heard a noise and looked out the window: A few yards away was an Israeli tank. He grabbed his three children and ran. When Amin returned the following day for some belongings, there was a new yellow block next to the house. There was no prior warning, no alert, he said. The IDF denied expanding the Yellow Line on Nov. 20. Shejaiya has been a flash point for violence along the Yellow Line, registering the highest number of Israeli attacks from Oct. 10 to Dec. 5, along with Bani Suheila, a town about a mile east of the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a nonprofit organization that maps and analyzes data on political violence around the world. Other hot spots include the Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and Jabalya in the north, ACLED data shows. Among the dead so far: guests at a wedding in Tuffah, a Bedouin woman tending sheep near Israeli-controlled Rafah, a family traveling in a van in Gaza Citys Zeitoun neighborhood, and a teenager whose relatives say was shot and killed in Jabalya, then run over by an Israeli military vehicle. It shouldnt be called the Yellow Line - its the line of confrontation, the death line, said Mohamed al-Bursh, 35, a resident of Jabalya whose destroyed home is a little less than 500 feet from the boundary. Bursh and his extended family returned to Jabalya for three days in October after the ceasefire went into effect. Those three days were the worst of my life, he said. The Israeli army went wild. Quadcopters fired on us and dropped grenades, and tanks shelled the area, Bursh said, adding that now, no one dares to go back not even a cat or a dog would dare. An Israeli security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said that the IDF is dealing with near-daily violations of the ceasefire agreement but conceded that the main point of friction between troops and fighters is in Rafah in southern Gaza, where dozens of Hamas militants have been holed up in a tunnel complex behind Israeli lines. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began, all of them in Rafah. At a cabinet meeting in October, the IDFs deputy chief of staff, Tamir Yadai, said that troops were instructed to shoot at adult suspects approaching the Yellow Line but to detain rather than fire on children, according to Kan News, Israels public broadcaster. Anyone who approaches the line should know that he may be hit, added Katz, the defense minister. So when Tamer Abu Assi, 39, began sending his two young boys out to collect firewood near the ruins of their home in Bani Suheila, a little more than 100 yards from the line, he knew he was putting them at risk. But Abu Assi was injured and unable to walk, and as winter arrived the family, living in a withered tent, needed to stay warm. The boys - Jumaa, 10, and Fadi, 8 - knew the limit marked by the Yellow Line and understood it was dangerous to cross, he said. But as firewood became more scarce, each day they strayed farther from home. On Nov. 29, the IDF issued a statement saying it had identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line, conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat. The Israeli air force eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat, the statement said. The suspects were Abu Assis two boys. They were killed by an Israeli drone east of the Yellow Line, said Anas Abu Saada, 17, who had been with them collecting firewood nearby when he witnessed the attack. When asked about the identities of the victims, the IDF referred The Washington Post to its original statement. They were just kids, Abu Assi said. Karen DeYoung and Imogen Piper contributed to this report. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) on Capitol Hill in April. She accused Seth Harp of doxing the alleged Delta Force commander and leaking classified information. (Tom Brenner/The Washington Post) A House Oversight Committee vote to subpoena journalist Seth Harp over his reporting on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela has raised concerns among press freedom watchers, who say the action disregards First Amendment guarantees. On Sunday, the day after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Harp shared on X a photograph and biography of a military officer he identified as the commander of the Armys elite Delta Force unit, which played a central role in the Caracas operation. Harp later wrote on X that the social media site locked his account until he deleted the post. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a member of the Oversight Committee, accused Harp of doxing the alleged Delta Force commander and leaking classified information. In a voice vote Wednesday, the committee adopted her motion to subpoena the journalist. Luna called for a criminal investigation into Harps reporting and said the subpoena would hold him accountable for his actions. Putting a service member and their family in danger is dishonorable and feckless, Luna wrote on X after the vote, which drew support from both Republicans and Democrats on the committee. The First Amendment does not give anyone a license to expose elite military personnel, compromise operations, or assist our adversaries under the guise of reporting, she said in a statement Thursday to The Washington Post. Congress has a constitutional duty to investigate when national security is endangered, and no one is above oversight. The subpoena had not been issued as of Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the committee. Luna said Harp had been referred to the Justice Department, which didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committees top Democrat, told colleagues in the hearing that he supported Lunas motion after adding an amendment to also subpoena two co-executors of Jeffrey Epsteins estate, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. Garcias office did not respond to a request for comment. Harp, a Rolling Stone contributor and author of the book The Fort Bragg Cartel, which is being developed into an HBO series, denied that he disclosed any nonpublic information. The idea of a reporter leaking classified intel is a contradiction in terms, Harp said in a statement to The Post on Thursday. The First Amendment and ironclad Supreme Court precedent permit journalists to publish classified documents. We dont work for the government and its our job to expose secrets, not protect them for the convenience of high-ranking officials. Its not doxing to point out which high-ranking military officials are involved in breaking news events, added Harp, who served in Iraq as a U.S. Army Reserve member and was an assistant attorney general in Texas. Thats information that the public has a right to know. The identities of Special Operations forces, including Delta Force, are heavily safeguarded and, in many cases, classified by the military, said a person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details. A spokesman for the Defense Department declined to comment. Press freedom advocates and experts were quick to defend Harp, saying that his reporting even of potentially classified information is probably protected by the First Amendment. Reporters have a constitutional right to publish even classified leaks as long as they dont commit any crimes to obtain them, but Harp merely published information that was publicly available about someone at the center of the worlds biggest news story, said Seth Stern, advocacy director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Clay Calvert, a legal scholar and nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the committees vote is an example of the Trump administration and its allies in Congress trying to control the narrative when it comes to the military and military actions. He pointed to the recent press restrictions at the Pentagon, which led to a mass walkout of military and defense reporters, including from The Post, who chose to turn in their credentials rather than agree to the new policy. Taxpayers funding the military have a right to know whos running the show in Venezuela and whos really in charge, Calvert said. Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said congressional subpoenas of journalists are extremely rare and are often walked back. In 2021, the Reporters Committee urged the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to drop a subpoena for phone records from photojournalist Amy Harris. It was left unissued when the committee wound down in 2022. In 1992, a special Senate counsel investigating leaks around Anita Hills sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sought to subpoena phone records of NPRs Nina Totenberg and Newsdays Timothy Phelps, but that request was rejected by Senate Rules Committee leaders. Anytime that Congress tries to get in the business of inquiring into or interfering in constitutionally protected newsgathering, its a problem, Rottman said. Tara Copp and Razzan Nakhlawi contributed to this report. Members of the West Virginia National Guard patrol around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Aug. 26, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON A complex duty status system for Reserve and National Guard forces would be reduced from about 30 duty statuses to four under a bipartisan bill introduced in the House on Thursday to ensure equitable benefits and pay. The Duty Status Reform Act seeks to simplify an overly burdensome system that lawmakers blame for major disparities in health care, pay and benefits such as the post-9/11 G.I. bill when troops move from one type of military service to another. The current framework, a culmination of various congressional patch fixes spanning from World War II to the Global War on Terror, means service members performing similar assignments often receive different benefits. It also causes interruptions in pay, creates budgeting difficulties that make it harder to correctly allocate resources and complicates the work of commanders who need to quickly and easily call up service members for duty, according to lawmakers. Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., said efforts to resolve the issue began more than 20 years ago and continued during his tenure as an undersecretary overseeing the militarys personnel and readiness in former President Joe Bidens Defense Department. This was my No. 1 priority returning to Congress, said Cisneros, a Navy veteran who served in the House from 2019 to 2021 and returned in 2025. Having worked on this issue during my time at the Pentagon, I learned about the complexity of the current duty status system and how it hurts our readiness and quality of life for service members. The bill proposes creating four broad service categories: Contingency Duty, Training and Support, Reserve Component Duty and Remote Assignments. Contingency duty covers deployments for missions such as responding to a national emergency or a natural disaster. Training and support includes required training, administrative assignments and support to reserve units. Reserve component duty represents traditional partial-day reserve service. Remote assignments refer to online learning and other virtual duties. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., described the legislation as common sense and said it cuts through decades of red tape to ensure members of the Reserve and National Guard get consistent benefits, clear orders and the support theyve earned. In addition to Bergman and Cisneros, the bill is also co-sponsored by Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Sam Graves, R-Mo. Several military organizations have endorsed the measure. The National Guard Association of the United States said it would clean up nearly 300 laws, save taxpayer dollars, clear up confusion for service members and remove administrative burdens. When statuses are clear, pay is timely and health care coverage is continuous commanders can focus on the mission instead of paperwork, said Francis M. McGinn, a retired Massachusetts Army National Guard two-star general who now serves as president of the National Guard association. That will be the result of this legislation, he said. A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II taxis on a runway in Ceiba, Puerto Rico following military actions in Venezuela in support of Operation Absolute Resolve on Jan. 3, 2026. (Katelynn Jackson/U.S. Air Force) The United States decision to label the military extraction of Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela last weekend as a law-enforcement operation has sparked a legal debate that the designation could put service members operating across the globe at risk of not being treated as prisoners of war if captured by an adversary. All of the nearly 200 special operations troops and 150 aircraft that participated in the Jan. 3 raid to capture the dictator returned to U.S. soil, prompting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to praise the operators for their flawless execution. The debate comes from the language used to describe the 2-hour operation that sent American troops into a military complex in Caracas with support from the CIA. This past weekend, colleagues, the United States successfully carried out a surgical law-enforcement operation facilitated by the U.S. military against two indicted fugitives of American justice, narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said before an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday. In using this language and clearly avoiding characterizing the operation as an armed conflict, there could be consequences down the road for any countries that look to the United States example as an excuse to avoid extending prisoner of war status to captives, said Geoffrey Corn, a retired Army attorney and professor at Texas Tech University School of Law. We can agree that the end that was achieved is something that is not a bad thing, he said. But the manner by which it was achieved creates second- and third-order consequences that dont appear to be sufficiently contemplated. The decision to mark this as a law-enforcement operation is not only perplexing, it is fundamentally inconsistent with the entire rationale of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Corn said. When drafting the definitions, armed conflict was adopted in a deliberate effort to prevent states from bending the application of its humanitarian laws by misidentifying what is obviously war, he said. When two countries engage in armed conflict, members of their armed forces who are captured are entitled to a prisoner-of-war status and international law would grant them combatant immunity among many other benefits. Otherwise, they would be held to the laws of that country and charged with crimes. If the U.S. begins to manipulate that entitlement, it could lead its adversaries to do the same, Corn said. Had any U.S. service members been captured during the Maduro raid, the U.S. would almost certainly be insisting that they are entitled to prisoner-of-war status, that the Red Cross is entitled to access to them, and that they need to be immediately repatriated as soon as the hostilities are over, he said. Rich Whitaker, a retired Army attorney with experience in special operations units, interpreted statements by Waltz and others from U.S. officials to be describing a mission of self-defense, an action codified in the U.N.s charter. He cited public information about Maduros actions toward the U.S., as justifying self-defense. A federal court indictment stated Maduro and his co-conspirators have distributed tons of cocaine in the U.S. for decades and have operated as narco-terrorists relying on corruption and violence. I believe the administration intended to execute a military operation, justified by the doctrine of self-defense, Whitaker said. I believe they also intended to achieve a law-enforcement outcome, but given the facts, and the words chosen by Ambassador Waltz, it is clear to me they relied upon a self-defense legal justification for the use of military force. In his experience counseling troops as part of his military career, he found soldiers do take an interest in these laws before their missions and truly want to understand the laws of war, Whitaker said. They saw themselves as playing by the rules and in order to play by the rules, you have to understand those rules, he said. Not just for what would happen to them does this make them more vulnerable? but really for a higher reason than that. They see themselves as doing right and America doing right. Whitaker said he imagines that similar conversations occurred in the planning for the mission. Despite all the worldwide noise, at the foundation, I think soldiers can rest easy knowing that this mission was properly authorized and was conducted in accordance with the law and policy of the United States and widely accepted international law, he said. Part of the reason the language of law enforcement might have been used by the White House could be to skirt around the need to seek Congressional approval for the operations. On Thursday, the Senate took action to reinforce its role. Senators advanced a resolution to require congressional authorization for additional military force against Venezuela, asserting the chambers constitutional authority to declare war. The Senate will now debate the resolution and then vote on its final passage. It is unclear if the House would approve the measure, and Trump would be able to veto it if landed on his desk. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, complained in a letter to the VA secretary about a rise in the number of sexual harassment and assault allegations at its facilities. Blumenthal is shown at a congressional hearing in 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON The top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is raising concerns about a rise in allegations of sexual harassment and assault at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, urged VA Secretary Doug Collins to address the staggering increase in complaints filed by employees and the public at VA hospitals, clinics and offices. Reports of sexual harassment more than doubled from 2021 through 2024 rising from 600 to 1,541 according to data collected by the VA from hospitals, clinics, offices and individuals. Allegations of sexual assault at VA facilities rose from 323 to 472 during the same period. Data comes from a report the VA sends to Congress annually that examines safety incidents at VA facilities. Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, a nonprofit advocacy group, described the figures as a serious warning sign. For veterans, it signals that spaces meant for healing and care are too often unsafe, undermining trust and discouraging people from seeking the services they need, Church said. For VA employees, caregivers and volunteers, it reflects workplaces where harmful behavior may go unaddressed and where fear of retaliation can suppress reporting. Blumenthal said the higher figures point to the need for anti-harassment workplace training, which the VA eliminated following President Donald Trumps 2025 executive order ending diversity and equity inclusion programs in the federal government. It is unacceptable that, while sexual harassment and assault reports at VA facilities continue to increase, the Department is unconcerned with providing its employees mandated sexual harassment prevention training, Blumenthal wrote in a Jan. 5 letter to Collins. But the VA stated that the higher number of allegations reflects a greater awareness of the avenues for filing complaints and confidence in the system to appropriately manage them. The Veterans Health Administration remains dedicated to its efforts to encourage reporting and address sexual assault and harassment within VA facilities, according to a VA statement. Incidents included staff complaints about disruptive patients who were mentally impaired or incompetent, according to the report. Minority Veterans of America also acknowledged that the higher number of complaints may indicate a greater willingness to report incidents. But progress is undermined when reporting systems lack consistency, and required prevention tools are removed, Church said. The VA defines sexual harassment as unwelcome comments and contact of a sexual nature that may include requests for favors, physical touching and inappropriate texts and emails. Sexual assault is described as nonconsensual sexual contact or activity, including incidents where victims were incapacitated by illness, injury, intoxication and other reasons. A total of 28,000 safety incidents were reported at VA facilities in fiscal 2024 of which sexual harassment and assaults were a subset, according to the VA. VA officials noted the large volume of patient care it provides at its hospitals and clinics, in comparison to allegations it received. VA hospitals reported 1.4 million patient admissions and 167 million visits to outpatient clinics in fiscal 2024. The agencys Office of Resolution Management responded to sexual harassment claims and other incidents at VA facilities. Sexual assault allegations were compiled from VA police reports. Brian K. Ditch, 44, of Salem, Mo., was sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to repay $1.8 million in government benefits he stole from his uncle, a disabled veteran that Ditch was in charge of and abused for years. (Dent County Sheriffs Office) A Missouri man will spend 13 years in prison and pay the government $1.8 million after pleading guilty to abusing his uncle, a disabled Army veteran, hiding his body after the veterans death and then collecting his government benefits for years. Brian K. Ditch, 45, had been solely responsible for his uncle Thomas Clubb, a quadriplegic, since 2008 in the town of Salem and used that position to pocket the federal benefits owed Clubb as a veteran and disabled person. Ditch pleaded guilty in October to four felony counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This sentencing sends a clear message that the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General will vigorously investigate and hold accountable those who exploit veterans, Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley, with the VA OIGs Central Field Office, said in a statement. Egregious crimes against those who served our nation will not be tolerated, and the VA OIG extends its gratitude to the U.S. Attorneys Office and our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to achieving justice in this case. For about a decade, Ditch would lock his uncle in a garage for more than a day at a time, beat him, force him to sit in his own waste and deny him access to food or water, according to court documents. Ditch concealed Clubbs death in 2019 from relatives, the VA and the Social Security Administration to keep stealing his uncles money. He hid Clubbs body in a shed behind his home and told relatives Clubb had moved into a nursing home, while telling police that his uncle had moved to live with someone else. Since 2008, the VA deposited about $1.6 million into Clubbs accounts, and Social Security deposited another $235,210, according to the Justice Department. Ditch used this money to buy exotic reptiles and firearms, according to court documents. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone in the Eastern District of Missouri on Thursday ordered Ditch to repay this money in addition to time in prison. Salem police officers in March found the uncles partially frozen body in a trash can, as well as three shotguns, according to court records. CARACAS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez on Friday held phone talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. On her Telegram channel, Rodriguez said the leaders agreed on the importance of advancing a cooperation agenda, amid what she described as "the grave criminal, illegal and illegitimate aggression perpetrated against" Venezuela. Rodriguez said she briefed the three leaders on the U.S. armed attacks against the South American country, which caused the killing of civilians and military personnel. "We agree on the need to advance with a broad bilateral cooperation agenda, based on respect for international law, State sovereignty and dialogue between peoples," Rodriguez said. Share A controversy has emerged after a Costa del Sol bar refused to serve tap water and offered only bottled mineral water to its customers. The incident was highlighted on social media by the X (formerly Twitter) account Soy Camarero, which shared an image of a menu stating: 'We do not serve tap water; only bottled mineral water is available.' The post prompted the account to ask followers for their views, quickly sparking widespread debate. While the question of whether restaurants can refuse tap water often divides customer opinion, Spanish legislation on the matter is clear. The law requires hospitality and catering businesses to offer customers free drinking water. It obliges establishments to provide consumers with unbottled water at no cost, as a complementary part of their service. Wine of the week Marques de Caceres Excellens 2019 This highly respected winery is justly proud of its 2019 version of one of its best products. Very intense colour and structure, it has been matured in French oak for 14 months. Around 12 euros. In this case (the name of the place is not published) the wording on its menu appears to directly contravene the law. By limiting customers to bottled water only, it would be failing to meet its legal obligations. The controversy is not new. Complaints regularly appear on social media, highlighting tensions between customers and establishments over service and compliance with regulations. In response to the post, comments were mostly critical of the establishment's policy, with many users stating unequivocally that refusing tap water is illegal. Some commentators, even those usually sympathetic to restaurateurs, argued that the law leaves no room for interpretation. The episode underlines the importance of both customers and businesses understanding current regulations. Customers who know their rights can save money and ensure fair treatment; for restaurateurs, respecting the law is providing proper service. Buses to evacuate Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters who want to leave the area are seen lining up to enter the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, northern Syria, Jan. 9, 2026. (Str/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian interim government on Friday accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of violating withdrawal arrangements in Aleppo and announced a military operation in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. Pro-Damascus forces said SDF-linked fighters targeted evacuation buses on three occasions, shelled army positions, and attacked soldiers, leaving three servicemen dead and more than a dozen wounded, despite an earlier agreement allowing SDF fighters to leave the neighborhood with their personal weapons to ease tensions. "The policy of stalling adopted by the SDF, accompanied by systematic shelling and targeting of civilian sites before military ones in Aleppo, has reduced the chances of continuing any new agreement with this organization," the forces said. They also alleged the presence of fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Sheikh Maqsoud, accusing them of joining the SDF in killing more than 10 Kurdish youths who refused to fight and burning their bodies to intimidate residents. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union. Pro-Damascus forces said the operation aims to remove what they called "criminal elements" from Sheikh Maqsoud. Control of the neighborhood will be transferred to internal security forces and state institutions after the operation, they added. Earlier Friday, pro-Damascus forces completed their deployment in the neighboring Ashrafieh district following the SDF's withdrawal there. The latest developments follow days of intense clashes, shelling, and drone strikes in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, which have displaced many civilians and sharply escalated tensions between the Syrian interim government and the SDF, despite ongoing political talks on military integration. Damaged buildings are seen in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, northern Syria, Jan. 10, 2026. The Syrian interim government on Friday accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of violating withdrawal arrangements in Aleppo and announced a military operation in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. (Str/Xinhua) Damaged buildings are seen in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, northern Syria, Jan. 10, 2026. The Syrian interim government on Friday accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of violating withdrawal arrangements in Aleppo and announced a military operation in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. (Str/Xinhua) Members of Syria's internal security forces are seen deployed at the entrance of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, northern Syria, Jan. 10, 2026. The Syrian interim government on Friday accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of violating withdrawal arrangements in Aleppo and announced a military operation in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. (Str/Xinhua) Tony Bryant Friday, 9 January 2026, 15:58 Share Considered a symbol of Cuba's bid for independence from Spain, the name of journalist, poet and philosopher Jose Marti has been honoured all over Spain with streets, plazas, plaques and monuments. An important figure in Latin American literature and a staunch political activist, Marti was born in Havana in 1853 and began his role in the liberation of his country at an early age. He was a key figure in the planning and execution of the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898), a conflict that escalated to become the Spanish-American War: this resulted in Spain losing its Pacific possessions and ended almost four hundred years of Spanish rule in the Americas, the Pacific and Asia. Founder of the Cuban revolutionary party, Marti arrived in the port of Santander in 1879 after being deported to Spain for the second time because of his revolutionary ideals. Although the young prisoner's final destination was Ceuta, this order was later overturned and he was finally able to evade the sentence against him. This period of residence in Spain was decisive in his development and the experiences of this time would significantly influence his subsequent growth as an intellectual and politician. In the following months, many of his experiences would surface in his writing, both in his notes and letters, and in those he wrote for the press. Although treated harshly by the Spanish authorities, the recollection of the country in his later work would never be bitter: instead, his work was full of pleasant memories and humorous recollections, even though he criticised the sociopolitical situation, not only within Spain but also in its relations with Cuba and its other colonies. Despite the unbridgeable political divide that existed between Cuba and Spain at the time, Marti, considered one of the great Latin American intellectuals, claimed he always felt part of the Spanish people because of his family's Spanish origins. It was because of his love of the country that Chilean writer Gabriela Mistral called him "the loyal insurgent", because his rebellion did not exclude the loyalty to the language, which, she claimed, he undoubtedly enriched with his own writing. He died at the Battle de Dos Rios in May 1895, the first battle of Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain. Anya Soares Friday, 9 January 2026, 11:32 | Updated 11:39h. Share Facing Mercado Central is Belisimo bakery, which at first glance, looks like one of many cozy cafes in Malaga, but instead of the usual cafe con leche with a pitufo, borscht topped with sour cream and potato-filled dumplings sprinkled with dill are on the menu. Mikola Gamula, 32, originally opened his Ukrainian kitchen in the beginning of 2020, on the outskirts of Malaga, just before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Due to the unfortunate timing, at first, growing the business proved to be tough as lockdown restrictions were soon enforced globally. Adapting to the situation, the business owner stuck to selling freshly baked bread. After having hit a dead end, Mikola decided to move the business to the online food delivery platforms Just Eat and Uber Eats, where the premise of an online bakery showed far more promise. According to the Spanish Entrepeunership Observatory, almost 50% of start-ups were left with no choice but to transition from being on-site to working remotely, in order to survive during the global pandemic. Family business From that point onwards, Belissimo began to take shape, as sales multiplied by 30, Mikola recalled, and the business owner focused his efforts on producing and delivering home-made Ukrainian pastries and cakes to peoples doorsteps. The flavour that comes through is of chocolate, fruits, the dessert itself - not of sugar. Originally from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Western Ukraine, Mikola moved to Spain in 2010 with his parents, because of security concerns that arose after the pro-Russian Victor Yanukovich was elected president that year. Notably, it was his parents who, from the beginning, took the business in their stride, and worked tirelessly in the kitchen with their son, where his father begrudingly got used to cooking, he added, smiling. Healthy desserts Three years later, in 2023, Spains industry had opened up again, and the family set their sights on expanding the enterprise, moving Belissimo back into the city. This time around, the business owner was confident that customers would be receptive to a Ukrainian kitchen in the heart of Malaga given their success online, and that above all, that they could offer a healthier desserts alternative, stating that, In Spain, they tend to use a lot of sugar in their pastries and a lot of foreigners and Ukrainians dont like this. Zoom A varied selection of traditional Ukrainian desserts A. Soares Zoom Medovik 'honey' cake with a raspberry cream filling A. Soares The health and wellness industry is now worth over 2 trillion dollars, according to a 2025 consumer survey done by Mckinsey & Company, reflecting a broader consumer trend in prioritising products and routines that support physical and mental wellbeing. Examples include everything from meditation, drinking matcha and doing pilates, eating clean i.e. whole, minimally processed foods. Belisimo have adopted this line of thinking, using on average, two to three times less sugar in their desserts and incorporating quality, homemade ingredients, Ultimately, the business owner is satisfied knowing that, The flavour that comes through is of chocolate, fruits, the dessert itself - not of sugar. As well as sweet treats, the kitchen prides itself on their artesanal coffee as well as a wide variety of traditional dishes such as borscht, cyrniki, varenyky - that are both appetising and filling, making for a cosy dining out experience. Often the Ukrainian customers (who represent about a third of the clientele) invite their Malaga friends over to Belissimo, so that they can learn about the culture, and although Mikola is amused at their reluctance to try unfamiliar dishes like cyrniki (cottage cheese pancakes), once they do, hes witnessed them open their eyes and say this is tasty. Community Certainly, the food plays a crucial role in fostering a relationship between two cultures that belong to opposite ends of Europe that, on the surface, have nothing in common. On a more sobering note, Mikola shares that when Spanish customers visit the bakery, it demonstrates, a show of support for our country, which is under Russian attack. As for why this bakery is popular with Ukrainians, its because Mikola believes Belisimo is able to give people a taste of their childhood, which many customers have thanked them for. With over 230,000 Ukrainians having emigrated to Spain since 2022, Belisimo is a testament to a culture that, despite all odds, is still thriving. It has been 10 months since theyve moved into the city centre, and feedback has been undeniably positive, with customers coming in regularly to advise them to add even more dishes to the menu. In the future, Mikola aspires to grow the business even further, so that more foreigners and more Spanish people know about our kitchen; we want the taste to be unbelievably good. SUR Friday, 9 January 2026, 16:08 Share The coastal village of Lagos (Velez-Malaga) on the eastern Costa del Sol is holding its tenth annual 'Migas Solidaria' event on Sunday 11 January, to raise funds for the charity ANNE Axarquia. Throughout the day the traditional Spanish dish of migas will be served and there will also be a bar serving typical festival food at affordable prices. The food will be accompanied by various musical performances and activities to liven up the day, with the aim of offering residents and visitors a day of community and charity. Deeputy mayor of Mezquitilla and Lagos, David Vilches, said that the event has become "a benchmark within the municipality". He went on to highlight the commitment of the Bahia de Lagos association to maintaining the popular traditions of Lagos and Mezquitilla, always linked to a strong sense of charity. He also encouraged residents of Lagos and nearby towns to participate and enjoy the day which extends the Christmas celebrations for a charitable cause. All proceeds will go entirely to ANNE Axarquia, an organisation that serves many people in the Axarquia area. Its president, Francisco Escamilla Munoz, expressed his gratitude for the support of the Lagos deputy mayor's office and the Bahia de Lagos association for once again remembering ANNE in this charitable initiative. He added that the donations will improve the quality of life of its users and strengthen the services provided by the association. Anne-Axarquia is a non-profit organisation which aims to support people with disabilities. It is located in Velez-Malaga and was founded in late 1995 by a group of parents of children with special needs and teachers concerned about two major issues: the lack of activities for these young people in Velez-Malaga and to give them a future after they finish compulsory schooling. Their work also involves raising awareness among society and families with children with disabilities that social inclusion is both a right and a responsibility. Benalmadena hotel waiter sacked for consuming beer while on duty The detective hired by the company found that the worker drank alcohol during his working day, sometimes alone and sometimes in the company of other colleagues Susana Zamora Friday, 9 January 2026, 16:27 Share A long-serving waiter at a prominent Costa del Sol hotel has had his dismissal upheld by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) after an undercover investigation revealed he was consuming alcohol during his shift. The employee, who had worked at the Hotel Benalma Costa del Sol in Benalmadena for 13 years, was dismissed following a forensic audit of the hotels poolside bars. Management launched an internal investigation after detecting a "clear discrepancy" between the volume of beverages used and the revenue generated at a bar located away from the main complex. To confirm their suspicions of theft and misconduct, the hotel firm hired a private detective to monitor the staff member's activity. The investigators report, cited in the judgment, detailed a systematic pattern of behavior where the waiter would "take advantage" of serving customers to pour himself surreptitious drinks. These he would then drink in a store room. At other times he would pour himself a drink to 'toast' a colleague. The worker filed a lawsuit against the hotel, seeking to have his dismissal declared null or unlawful. He argued that the behavior was "tolerated" by the company and questioned why he had been dismissed while other colleagues involved in similar incidents were only penalised with sanctions. He further contended that, given his 13-year tenure, the company should have issued a formal warning before proceeding to a "terminal" disciplinary measure. However, the TSJA dismissed the appeal, ruling that the dismissal was justified. The court found that the employee had been fully briefed on the companys code of conduct upon his hiring, which explicitly prohibited the consumption of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco during working hours. The judges noted that the location of the barssituated by the swimming pools and "practically independent" of the main buildingprovided the employee with the opportunity to bypass standard management supervision. The ruling confirmed that the "breach of contract" and the "misappropriation of company merchandise" were sufficient grounds for termination, regardless of the employee's length of service. The court also rejected the "gradualist theory" argument, noting that the severity of his actions justified immediate dismissal without the requirement for prior warnings. A 44-year-old suspect has been arrested by the National Police for reportedly trying to shoot another man while chasing him in the Palma-Palmilla district in Malaga. The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday, 4 January. According to sources, the victim managed to dodge the bullets, flee unharmed and alert the National Police. When the police attended the scene shortly after the incident, they found more than half a dozen shell casings. It appears that the incident was provoked by a brawl that had taken place between the two men involved a few days earlier. According to the sources consulted, the suspect, carrying a gun, chased his target and tried to shoot him several times. The other man managed to dodge all the bullets. He ran to a police station, where he called for help. The police subsequently located and arrested the suspect. A man has been arrested by the Local Police in Malaga for reportedly threatening to kill his ex-partner and breaking into her house by forcing the lock. The incident happened in a home in the Puerto de la Torre district, after midnight on 3 January. The police were mobilised to the scene after receiving a call from the woman, who told them that she had locked herself, together with her daughter and son-in-law, on the terrace of the house to avoid an assault by her ex-partner. Her son had locked himself in his bedroom. Upon arrival, the police found the caller on the terrace of the house, as she had explained. The door to the terrace was locked from her side. When the police knocked, one of the young people opened the door and explained that the couple was in the process of divorcing. According to his account, the man had been harassing and threatening the woman for some time and she had filed a complaint a few hours before her call to the police, which had triggered a warrant for his arrest. Despite this, the man went to her house and gained access by picking the lock. Once inside, he threatened to kill her, so she took shelter with her daughter and her son-in-law on the terrace, while her son locked himself in his room. The police finally located the suspect in the bathroom of the house and proceeded to arrest him for the crimes of ill-treatment, threats, harassment and coercion in the family environment and gender-based violence. The 016 telephone number attends to cases of gender-based violence 24 hours a day and in 52 different languages. The call is free of charge and does not appear on the phone bill. Cases of abuse or risk of abuse can also be reported, either by the victim herself, family members or witnesses, by emailing 016-online@igualdad.gob.es. The service can also be contacted by WhatsApp at 600 000 016. In an emergency situation, you can call 112 or the National Police (091), the Local Police (092) or the Guardia Civil (062). If it is impossible to make a call, you can use the ALERTCOPS app, which sends a signal with your location to the police. Share Pedro Sanchez travelled to Paris this week, to attend a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of 35 nations committed to ensuring that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine would last. Formed last March by the UK and France, the coalition's meeting in the French capital on Tuesday was attended by 27 heads of state, including Ukraine's president Volodimir Zelenskyy. Unsurprisingly given his recent intervention in Venezuelan affairs, Donald Trump was not among them, nor was the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Instead, the US was represented by two men with lower profiles: Steve Witkoff, America's special envoy to the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, a businessman who happens to be married to Trump's daughter Ivanka (and whose father Charles was pardoned by Trump on charges of illegal campaign financing and tax evasion in 2020). The high-powered Paris huddle came a week after Zelenskyy presented Trump with a 20-point peacekeeping plan in Florida. Sanchez indicated, for the first time, that he would be willing to send Spanish troops to Ukraine once the war is over - a proposal he will now discuss with each of the major parties (except Vox). At Tuesday's meeting, the UK and France also said they would establish a post-ceasefire military presence in Ukraine. Sanchez has no problem performing policy U-turns, but he has been consistent in his support of Ukraine, even when it has threatened the stability of his coalition. The day before heading to Paris, he wrote in a post on X that "Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is a non-negotiable principle. From Ukraine to Gaza, including Venezuela." (But not including Gibraltar, presumably - a territory over which Spain won't renounce its claim, despite the wish of Gibraltarians to remain a British Overseas Territory.) Spain has had peacekeeping troops deployed around the world for years, most notably in Lebanon, where it leads a UN Interim Force. Sanchez's proposal shouldn't be controversial, especially as he would only send troops to Ukraine post-ceasefire, not for combat (although another idea discussed in Paris was legally binding nations to assist Ukraine if Russia were to launch another invasion). But it has already provoked a variety of responses in congress, from outright refusal (Podemos), to conditional assent (Sumar, although the leftist alliance hasn't stated what these conditions would be). Podemos, once an ally of the Socialists, is more concerned with opposing the US - in this case its "neocolonial theft of rare earth minerals" - than it is with helping Ukrainians. If Vox deserves to be excluded from these talks because it is the "complete opposite of what foreign policy [should be]", as the government's spokesperson said this week, then the far left should be sidelined on the same grounds. Share La cuesta de enero (the January slope/hill) is once again upon us, bringing with it the annual need for a tightening of belts and a sprinkling of joie de vivre in order to allay the general sense of anti-climax the first month of the year can often bring. In fact, given the maelstrom of disturbing news coming our way these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the world is a wholly terrifying place, bereft of any joy or wonder. It isn't, of course, and luckily, there's a foolproof measure we can take to put a spring in the most despondent of steps: keep an eye/ear out for the good news stories buried in the morass of doom-mongering. These nuggets, as a rule, don't sell newspapers or engender vast numbers of clicks, but they're there nonetheless, shining like diamonds in the dark for anyone paying enough attention. Take, for example, the recent development of a new dental gel at Nottingham University which has the potential to renew tooth enamel and radically reduce decay. Speaking as one whose mouth bears a striking resemblance to Jaws from James Bond, I can only marvel at the possibilities. Hats off to the Nottingham boffins, then. Next, locally, the reservoirs in Andalucia are in a much healthier state following recent rainfall. In fact, at La Concepcion, which serves the Costa del Sol, they recently had to actively release water owing to the fact that the 80% capacity had been reached. It wasn't that long ago that we thought it might never rain again around here and plans were being mooted for fleets of lorries full of water to be brought in from other parts of the country. Meanwhile, the mayor of Malaga was giving official advice on how he had personally shortened the time he spent in the shower, which conjured up images not easily erased from the mind, I can tell you. On a national level, at the end of 2025, youth unemployment in Spain was at its lowest level since records began. Even allowing for the caveat that many of these jobs will be low paid, it can still only be good news. Most Spanish villages have a broadband connection and many still have very affordable housing. If the strong youth employment rate could somehow be brought into the mix, it might not be long until young people are able to own houses again like they did in the olden days. Finally, and most conclusively, I read somewhere recently, that if somebody is living in average circumstances in Spain in 2026, they can count themselves to be among the most fortunate 1-2% of people ever to have lived on the face of the earth, mental images of the mayor in the shower notwithstanding. www.peteredgerton.com Felipe VI greets members of the diplomatic corps during the closing of the ambassadors' conference. Miguel Angel Alfonso Madrid Friday, 9 January 2026, 15:39 Share Spain's King Felipe VI has called for "a true democratic transition" in Venezuela that would make Venezuelans "the sole protagonists of their own destiny". Speaking at the the closing session of the ambassadors' conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. He said that the people of Venezuela should be allowed to decide their future at a time of crisis, following the intervention of the US and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro on 3 January. The monarch highlighted the links between Spain and Venezuela as "sister nations" and expressed his "joy" at the release of five compatriots, describing it as "the path we long for". Respect for international law was the second point in his speech. Felipe VI stated that the "systematic violation" of international law that is taking place cannot be allowed "through words or silence". The king believes that "it is essential" to maintain Spain's "unequivocal support and respect for international law", beyond this "particular case". For Felipe VI, "this is a leap backwards of more than a century: to a time of regulatory vacuum which, with the aggravating factor of current technology, raises worrying scenarios for the future". M. Saiz-Pardo / A. Azpiroz Madrid. Friday, 9 January 2026, 13:45 Share Spain was among countries leading international opposition to the US intervention in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro on the orders of Donald Trump. On Sunday, PM Pedro Sanchez joined the leaders of the five biggest 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 warned that Washington's intervention "contravenes fundamental principles" of international law, in particular the ban on 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 highlighted that the Venezuelan crisis "must be resolved exclusively through peaceful means", such as "dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people". Greenland Meanwhile, Spain has joined France, the UK, Germany, Poland and Italy in signing a manifesto to remind the US president that Denmark is a Nato ally and that Greenland plays a strategic role in the defence of the North Atlantic. Emboldened by the successful capture of Nicolas Maduro, Trump has once again stated his desire to annex Greenland for "national security". Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) ROME, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that she disagrees with U.S. President Donald Trump on Greenland. Speaking at her year-end press conference, Meloni said she disagrees with Trump on many things. "I do not agree with Trump on Greenland," she added. Meloni stressed the need to defend international law, warning that "when the rules are broken, we're all much more exposed." She said U.S. military action against Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, would not be in anyone's interests, noting that she does not believe in the hypothesis that the U.S. would launch a military action to take control of Greenland, "an option I would clearly not support." Since taking office again in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in gaining control of Greenland, saying that he would not rule out using "military or economic coercion" to achieve that goal. Denmark and other European countries have strongly opposed such moves. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at a press conference in Rome, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) J. V. Munoz-Lacuna Friday, 9 January 2026, 17:06 | Updated 17:23h. Share Soledad is a black and white (tuxedo) cat, missing an eye and is three and a half years old. An age that, for a cat, marks the beginning of adulthood, although her short life has been marked by numerous adventures and escapades. The latest was spending seven months on a Caribbean island after falling into the sea off the coast of the island of Martinique, in the Lesser Antilles, an island discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502 and which today belongs to France. Her owner - although, in the case of cats, some say that felines have no owner as they choose their human companion - is Hector Valdeon, a well-known lifeguard at the Grandes Playas de Fuerteventura, a series of extensive golden sands within the Dunas Natural Park, famous for its turquoise waters. This expert in aquatic rescues and coastal safety crossed paths with Soledad when the cat was just six weeks old. He had travelled to the island of El Hierro on a journey of self-discovery and found the kitten half-dead and riddled with parasites next to a rubbish bin in the area of La Restinga. "She was missing an eye. I named her Soledad because I was alone and she gave me answers to my life," explains Hector. Crossing the Atlantic In March last year he decided to embark on what he calls "the trip of a lifetime". Together with a work colleague, he set off on his ten-metre sailboat bound for the Caribbean. After restocking on supplies in La Gomera, they covered the 2,613 nautical miles - 4,840 kilometres - that separate Fuerteventura from Martinique in 28 days. His coworker had to return to Spain for work reasons, but Hector remained on the island with Soledad. Tragedy struck on 11 April. The sailboat was anchored near the island when the cat fell into the water because her litterbox was improperly placed. It happened in the early hours of the morning and Hector realised what had happened at dawn. Soledad had to swim some 60 metres to reach the harbour. "I searched for her like crazy for a week but I had to return. Before leaving, I asked for help from people in the area and left my contact info in case they found her," he recalls. Then it was time to return to Fuerteventura on the sailboat, but without Soledad. "I felt regret for having made this trip and I blamed myself for losing her," he says. Two miracles The 25-day return trip was also tough because he lost his internet connection and had to face several storms in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He used a barometer to predict the weather: a rapidly falling pressure indicates bad weather, stable pressure indicates unchanging weather and rising pressure means good weather. His encounter with one merchant ship confirmed he was on course, although another nearly ran him down. "It was an incredibly tough journey and I was terrified. There were days when I didn't see the sun and, in the end, I thought it a miracle that I had survived," says Hector. Months passed with no news of Soledad until November when he received a call from an animal welfare association in Martinique that is dedicated to capturing wild animals to protect native wildlife. "They told me they had found a one-eyed cat and that they would send me a photo the next day. When it arrived, I saw it was her and I was overcome with emotion. It felt like another miracle." Tiffany, a young woman from the association, offered to take the cat to Paris in mid-December in the cabin of an aeroplane after passing the required health checks and Hector travelled to the French capital to meet her. "It was the best Christmas present ever and like a second miracle," he admits. Soledad arrived in Paris "very thin and emaciated" but now she is "as fat as a ball and doesn't want to go on the boat deck". What was Soledad's life like on a Caribbean island for seven months? "That's for her to tell," says Hector, who imagines the cat was "roaming the island" while protecting herself from potential predators and feeding herself by hunting or scavenging for scraps. So, Hector and Soledad are back together again. He describes her as "affectionate and friendly" and she's very popular in Corralejo. "I believe that the cats you rescue from the street have an unconditional love for you for life. That's what I'm experiencing with Soledad," says this lifeguard, who recorded his entire adventure in an extensive logbook which he now wants to turn into a book to tell the story of his double miracle. Miguel Angel Alfonso Friday, 9 January 2026, 13:35 Share January 1st, 1986, 40 years ago, will be forever engraved in the history books as the day Spain took a decisive step to modernise itself. This country, whose GDP (gross domestic product) was then six times smaller than it is today (from 243.38 billion euros to nearly 1.6 trillion euros in 2024) joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the European Union (EU), as a full-blown member. This select club, known then as 'the Europe of the Twelve', as there were only 12 member states at the time, now 27, was one that Spain had aspired to join ever since the final years of the Franco regime. Four decades later, the benefits have made themselves felt in citizens' daily lives, from the elimination of the mandatory passport for travelling to Paris or Rome to freedom of movement within the Schengen area. From the emergency telephone number 091 to 112 and from special tariffs for calling from other countries to free roaming. And 74% of Spaniards continue to believe they can better face the future within the EU, according to the latest Eurobarometer. Twice as many jobs Entry into the EU also generated new opportunities for workers, from access to cross-border employment to expanding national industries. The total number of jobs has increased from 10.8 million in 1986 to 21.1 million in 2024. Multi-million euro exports Since joining the EU, Spain has gained access to the single market, one of the largest economic blocs in the world. The country's exports to Eastern Europe have increased substantially. Spanish products are in high demand in both agriculture and food, including those that are crucial to the national economy such as olive oil, citrus fruits, tomatoes and wine. Currently, 67% of agricultural exports go to other countries in the Union. The expansion of broadband Since joining the EEC, Spain has benefited from more than 150 billion euros in cohesion funds. This investment has been felt not only in large infrastructure projects, but also in homes. In recent years, more than seven million households have gained access to broadband internet thanks to regional funds. And since 2007, almost 6.7 billion euros has been allocated to high-speed rail infrastructure. 1.6 million Erasmus students Bologna, Coimbra, Prague, Krakow... Today, it is impossible to visit any European university city without encountering a colony of Spanish Erasmus students. Since the creation of this EU programme in 1995, more than 1.6 million young people have had the opportunity to study abroad in other EU countries. Spain, in turn, receives 40,000 foreign students annually. Life expectancy of 83 years In 1985, the year Spain signed the treaty to join the EEC, the preliminary step to membership, the country had a population of 38.4 million. The latest census puts the figure at 49.1 million, but with a population that is older than it was 40 years ago. In 1986, 12.6% of Spaniards were over 65, a percentage that reached 23.7% in 2024. Life expectancy has risen from 76 to 83 years. Three billion for the storm Spain has received EU aid for forest fires and floods, with more than three billion euros allocated to Valencia following the 2024 storm. Since that year, the country has participated in the strategic pre-positioning of EU firefighters, hosting teams from Estonia and the Netherlands during the summer months. This has helped to tackle fires across the country in recent times. And Spain's contribution? Since 1986, Spain has contributed to the European project by providing political leadership whenever possible and strengthening the social and citizenship agenda. Its institutional weight has resulted in three presidents of the European Parliament: Josep Borrell (Socialist Party), between 2004 and 2007; Jose Maria Gil-Robles (European People's Party), between 1997 and 1999; and Enrique Baron, another socialist, between 1989 and 1992. It has also produced nine commissioners and two High Representatives - Borrell and, before him, Javier Solana-for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In addition, Spain is home to the Joint Research Centre in Seville and five European agencies: Fisheries Control (Vigo), Occupational Health and Safety (Bilbao), the Intellectual Property Office (Alicante), Fusion for Energy (Barcelona), and the Satellite Centre (Torrejon de Ardoz). A total of 35 artists will show their works on the theme of a world ravaged by conflict Tony Bryant Marbella. Friday, 9 January 2026, 10:26 Share The Marbella art collective, La Kavara, inaugurates its latest exhibition at the Centro Cultural Cortijo Miraflores on Thursday 15 January at 6pm, a collection of works under the banner of The World Between War and Peace. A total of 35 artists will show their works on the theme of a world ravaged by conflict. Pedro Molina, coordinator of the exhibition (and one of the participating artists) told SUR in English that this collection is "more than a message, it is a reflection of humanity throughout history". "War has always been present in humanity. Peace is historically a temporary truce. The causes of conflict are diverse, but look how the invader always takes the cake from someone else's table. In addition to long-standing conflicts, new hotspots are also experiencing escalating violence," Molina said. This new exhibition brings together artists from Spain, Argentina, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France, creators who hope to get their message across with "high-level artistic expression", including paintings (figurative, abstract and cubism), sculptures, photography and monologue. Nearly all of the artists will be present at the inauguration, which will include the launch of a new book, La Kavara: the history of an art collective. La Kavara, founded in 2016 by Pedro Molina, brings together painters, sculptors, photographers, poets and writers active in the Marbella and San Pedro area. The collective's latest exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the turbulence of history, between the shadows of war and hopes for peace. "Wars are more than just conflicts on the battlefield; they are also a reflection of the political, social and economic conditions of their time. They expose power structures, ideologies and human abysses. But they also reveal the resistance, courage and sacrifice of those who live and fight in the turmoil of war. In this exhibition, the artists explore the history of destructive wars, as well as the individual and collective stories of survivors who have been marked by the trauma and consequences of war," explained Molina. The collection can be viewed free of charge between 9am and 9pm until Wednesday 11 February. If youre looking for a real conversation starter in your man cave or a unique flowerbed, gee whiz, do the Buffalo Bills and Brandon Steiner of CollectibleXchange have a deal for you! The well-known urinal troughs from the mens room of Highmark Stadium will eventually be available for purchase. Steiner discussed selling the troughs with the Buffalo-Toronto Public Media when discussing unique memorabilia. Theres definitely the troughs in the bathroom, Brandon Steiner, the founder of CollectibleXchange, said. Theres some stuff in some of the suites that are interesting, great photos, stuff maybe in the locker room that could be kind of quirky, one-offs, that sort of thing. The bathroom troughs are certainly quirky, but also beloved by Bills fans. Buffalos new stadium across the street reportedly will not have the troughs in the mens rooms. CollectibleXchange is partnering with Erie County to remove and sell as much as possible from the current Highmark Stadium before it is demolished. The sale has already begun with other unique items up for grabs on the Bills official website. Erie County will receive 50% of proceeds from the sale. Current items that can be purchased include single stadium seats ($550), pairs stadium seats ($650), double bleacher seats ($550), seatbacks ($100) and pieces of turf ($100). Steiners company will include a tamper-proof, numbered hologram with a scannable QR code and a letter of authenticity provided by CollectibleXchange with any purchase. I knew itd be fun taking the stadium apart, because I know itd be meaningful, Steiner told the Buffalo-Toronto Public Media in his interview. You know, memorabilia is meaningful memories. I always say they call it memorabilia, but its meaningful memories. And I felt like Id go create some really cool products. Pittsfield, N.Y. A 12-year-old girl was injured Thursday when a pickup truck collided with a horse and buggy in Otsego County, state police said. The crash happened around 3:18 p.m. on Route 13 near Mooretown Road in the town of Pittsfield, according to Trooper Aga Tinker, a State Police spokesperson. The Ford pickup was traveling east on Route 13 when the driver drifted to the right and struck the Amish buggy that was traveling in the same direction on the shoulder of the road, troopers said. There were four children in the buggy. The 12-year-old girl, from New Berlin, was taken to Bassett Hospital with injuries. Troopers later said her injuries were minor. Three other children a 14-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from New Berlin were evaluated at the scene but were not taken to the hospital. The horse died from its injuries, police said. The driver of the pickup, Thomas G. Aitken, 26, of Morris, was not injured and was issued a citation, police said. RIGA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A protest against U.S. actions in Venezuela took place on Friday in front of Riga Castle, with demonstrators carrying flags of Venezuela, Latvia, the European Union, and Ukraine. Participants chanted slogans such as "Hands off Venezuela!", "President, get a grip, remember your role!", and "The U.S. is colonizing, Europe is ignoring!" Protesters also held posters reading "Where is international law?", and "Who will be next? Colombia? Greenland?" Law enforcement officers were present at the site to monitor the event. The protest was organized by the community center Maiznica and supported by the youth organizations Protest and Young European Federalists. In a statement, the organizers said the demonstration aimed to condemn what they described as "U.S. imperialist aggression against Venezuela" and to call on the Latvian government to apply international law equally to all countries. The move came days after the Trump administration launched a large-scale military strike in Venezuela on Jan. 3, taking by force the oil-rich South American country's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, before putting them in custody in New York, drawing worldwide condemnation and concern. Syracuse, N.Y. A 24-year-old Syracuse man has died from complications linked to injuries he suffered in a 2020 hit-and-run crash on the citys East Side, according to a funeral director. Nahgene Chewy Jevon Wright died Dec. 28 after years of serious medical issues stemming from the crash, said Charles Garland, owner of Garland Brothers Funeral Home, which is handling Wrights funeral. Wright was 19 when he was critically injured on April 23, 2020, in a three-vehicle crash that sent three people to Upstate University Hospital. Garland said Wright suffered a traumatic brain injury and never recovered, remaining nonverbal and experiencing chronic illnesses and recurring respiratory infections in the years that followed. The crash happened in the 100 block of Columbus Avenue. The blue car hit a van with one person inside and then continued, running a red light and slamming into an SUV on April 23, 2020, according to Syracuse police. The blue car came to rest at the corner of East Fayette Street and Columbus Avenue. Syracuse.com | File photograph Prince Rilley, then 21, was driving a sedan that hit a red van with one person inside, according to police. Rilley continued driving, ran a red light and slammed into a blue SUV carrying Wright and two other people, police said. The impact pushed the SUV into Columbus Deli and Meats. Police said Rilley ran from the sedan but was caught several blocks away at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Fayette Street, near where he lived. Rilley was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash as well as several traffic violations: unlicensed operation, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, driving without insurance and running a red light. He was sentenced to state prison for one to three years after pleading guilty to leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, according to county and state records. He was released from prison in April 2022. Garland said the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office is reviewing Wrights medical history to determine whether his death was caused by complications from the crash. He said the office had not previously been notified of Wrights long-term condition following the crash. Under such circumstances, charges in the original case could potentially be upgraded, Garland said, though no determination has been made. Wrights funeral will be held 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Bethany Baptist Church, 149 Beattie St. in Syracuse, with a service at noon. Burial will take place at a later date. Jordan, N.Y. A Jordan man was arrested Thursday night after troopers say he fired a rifle toward his neighbor. Around 8:12 p.m., troopers responded to a report of shots being fired at 26 Mechanic St. in the village of Jordan, according to Trooper Jennifer Jiron, a state police spokesperson. Investigators said there was a verbal dispute between neighbors in upstairs and downstairs apartments. The upstairs neighbor, Renee Fatta, 43, allegedly forced her way into the downstairs apartment and accused one of the residents of stealing packages that were delivered to her home, troopers said. During the confrontation, Fatta was pushed out of the apartment and the door was locked, they said. A short time later, one of the downstairs residents went into the driveway to move a vehicle. Troopers said Daniel T. Ballard, 40, who is in a relationship with Fatta, armed himself with a rifle, went downstairs and fired one round into the driveway in the direction of the downstairs neighbor. The shot did not strike anyone and no injuries were reported, troopers said. State police later obtained a search warrant for the upstairs apartment, seizing two Smith and Wesson M&P 15 (.23 caliber) and a RossiRS22M (.22 caliber), ammunition and body armor, according to court records. Ballard was arrested and charged with: First-degree reckless endangerment Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon Two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon First-degree unlawful purchase and possession of body armor. Fatta was charged with second-degree criminal trespass and second-degree harassment. Ballard was taken to Syracuse City Court for arraignment. Fatta was issued an appearance ticket returnable to Elbridge Town Court at 5 p.m. Jan. 26. State police were assisted at the scene by the Jordan Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office. A Syracuse radio and TV legend has signed off after a Hall of Fame career in broadcasting. Rick Gary departed Sunny 102 (WZUN-FM), station owner Galaxy Media announced Thursday. Gary had been on the Central New York airwaves for decades, most recently playing golden oldies and classic rock and roll on Sunny 102, where the studio was named after him last year. Rick Garys influence on our station and our community cannot be overstated, Galaxy CEO Ed Levine said in a statement. He helped define Sunny 102 for so many listeners and leaves behind a legacy of excellence in broadcasting. Born and raised in Syracuse, Gary worked at 11 radio stations in four different states, including Y94FM (WYYY-FM), Sunny 102 and Uticas Mix 102.5 (WUMX-FM). He started his career at WBKY while attending the University of Kentucky. CNYRadio.com reports his early days included the Rick and Ron morning show on WOLF in the 1970s until the station changed formats in 1981. He also hosted mornings on WSYR 570 AM before joining WSYRs television station in 1986. He spent 23 years on NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV) from 1986 to 2009, serving as a weather presenter and morning news anchor; co-hosting Bridge Street Live from 2004 to 2009; and sharing Ricks Recipes cooking segments. Gary was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) Hall of Fame in 2011. Ricks contributions will forever be part of Sunny 102 as we broadcast each day from the Rick Gary Studio, Galaxy Media said in a press release. Galaxy Media extends its deepest gratitude for his years of dedication. While he will be greatly missed on the air, his legacy will continue to resonate with listeners and colleagues alike. Ricks therapy dog, Ringo, will be especially missed by the office staff. Galaxy Media congratulates Rick Gary on an extraordinary career and wishes him all the best in this next chapter. In this 2017 file photo, Rick Gary, right, and his dog Ringo visit Syracuse University's Bird Library to encourage students to take a break from studying and pet therapy dogs from The GO Team Therapy Dogs of Syracuse. Michael Greenlar | syracuse.com Michael Greenlar | syracuse.com syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has contacted Gary for comment. A large number of fans and colleagues shared tributes to Gary on social media. I was probably 14 when I first heard him on the radio, 1973 or so. It was 2 guys actually, one a deep voice guy named Ron, and the funny frantic guy Rick. Rick and Ron in the morning, Syracuse radio veteran Jim Reith wrote on Facebook. I had the privilege of working with Rick as one of his morning news anchors on WSYR. He taught me by example what a professional is. Im happy to honor him this way while hes still alive and kicking!! If a stranger asked me about Rick Id say this: Dude is legend. Dude is icon. Dude IS SYRACUSE RADIO. Excellence in broadcasting indeed, said Kathy Rowe, Garys former co-host on Y94FM. Wishing you the best Rick. Fill up the tank and go enjoy yourself. What an incredible run. My guy!!!!! former K-Rock host Jamie Big Smoothie Hantke added. Ive been able to work with legends in this buisness, in this town!!!! POPS is a top notch legend!!! I worked with Rick way back at WTLB. Hes a good guy and I wish him the best, Jeff Moulton wrote. Definitely a true legend! Rick is so much more than radio and TV. Ive listened to him for years! Shirley Florczyk commented. Best wishes to you for whatever your next chapter brings!! Syracuse, N.Y. -- Micron Technology has won the last critical state and federal approvals to build a massive chipmaking complex in the town of Clay, clearing the way for construction to begin later this month. The biggest one, from the U.S. Department of Commerce, opens the tap for Micron to get up to $20 billion in federal taxpayer subsidies. The green light from federal, state and local agencies means Micron can start the estimated $1 billion first phase, which will involve cutting trees and filling in wetlands. The company plans a groundbreaking on Jan. 16, with work to begin the next week. Micron has all the necessary federal, state, and local approvals to start the early works phase of the project, which includes site security establishment, tree clearing, grubbing, excavation, and general earthworks, said Micron spokeswoman Anna Newby in an emailed statement. We look forward to this massive step forward in bringing leading-edge memory manufacturing to Central New York. Micron plans to build up to four chipmaking factories at the corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road, in the town of Clay. The Idaho-based company says it could employ 9,000 people when the fourth and final factory is open in 20 years. Micron will also start work this month on the rail spur across Caughdenoy Road. Rail cars will bring in the estimated 9 million cubic yards of fill Micron will need to level the low-lying, swampy site. The Commerce Department last month issued whats called a record of decision, giving Micron the go-ahead to start building under certain conditions. That approval also starts the flow of money from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to Micron. That includes about $3.4 billion in grants and $17 billion in tax credits. Micron doesnt get the money all at once, but gets reimbursed when the company spends a specific amount or meets certain construction or production benchmarks. The Commerce Department wont reveal what those benchmarks are. Syracuse.com filed a Freedom of Information Act request more than a year ago, seeking those details. Micron said in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has started getting money from the CHIPS Act for the factory its building at corporate headquarters in Boise, Idaho. The company did not reveal how much money it had received The state Department of Environmental Conservation has granted Micron more than 10 permits, mostly to allow the company to fill about 200 acres of wetlands and require Micron to replace those wetlands in adjacent Oswego County. DEC has also issued a draft air permit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month granted Micron permission to fill in federally designated wetlands, which overlap with the state permit. Micron has also obtained a federal permit to cut down trees on the site even though thats likely to result in death or injury to two species of endangered bats that roost on the site. To minimize that, the permit requires Micron to fell trees only from Nov. 1 to March 31, when the bats are wintering in a cave about 13 miles away. Micron ultimately plans to cut down about 450 acres of trees on the 1,400-acre site. Wampsville, N.Y. - A Central New York judge has ruled unconstitutional a law that requires city court judges across the state to retire at 70 years old. The challenge to the law was brought by two city court judges who were both forced to retire: Michael Misiaszek, of Oneida in Madison County, and Mark Saltarelli, of Tonawanda in Erie County. Misiaszek had four years left in his term when he was forced to retire due to his age. Saltarelli wasnt able to seek reelection because he turned 70 years old. Patrick J. OSullivan, a State Supreme Court judge in Madison County issued his ruling on the case last Friday. The ruling only applies to city court judges outside of New York City. It could, however, impact similar age restrictions for other judges in the future. OSullivan, in his written opinion, said it was illogical that other judges, such as village or town justices, are not required to retire at 70 years old while many city court judges are required to retire. The judge said a state law requiring city court judges to retire at 70 years old is overruled by the Equal Rights Amendment that voters approved in 2024. That expanded the state Constitution to include more protections against unequal treatment based on age, among other things. OSullivan also said the state could not prove why 70 should be the age limit. They provide no evidence to demonstrate the exactitude between advancement of general considerations of judicial competence and the attainment of age 70, he said. Nina Kohn, a Syracuse University College of Law professor, said the amendment approved in 2024 could lead to a variety of legal actions. This case is the tip of the iceberg, she said. The new protections for age really call into question many of our laws and policies. Kohn pointed out other retirement ages or age-based ticket pricing as other laws that could be impacted by the Equal Rights Amendment. Kohn said that the legal precedent set by OSullivans ruling on other judges wishing to challenge retirement age laws is uncertain. The ruling may not affect judges in other positions because the state Constitution specifically addresses retirement age for those jobs but doesnt mention city court judges outside of New York City, Kohn said. Another judge could hear an entirely parallel case with the same arguments and make a completely different ruling than the Misiaszek and Saltarelli case, she said. This conflict of almost-identical cases having different outcomes could lead to the matter reaching the highest courts in the state to set a clear and certain precedent, the professor said. Regardless, this decision is important for other courts. The logic is clear, and they are likely to find (OSullivans) reasoning persuasive, Kohn said. Kohn, who works in elder law, agreed that there is no clear reason why age 70 should be the cutoff. For instance, the age cutoff in Pennsylvania is 75. OSullivan also said that there are other ways to remove judges who are unfit, rather than relying on their age alone. These include voting them out or impeaching them. The state argued that the state Constitution says judges over 70 must retire. The judge wrote that doesnt apply in this case because the law doesnt specifically mention city court judges in the list of judges that must retire. Officials at the state Office of Court Administration did not answer syracuse.com | The Post-Standard questions about the judges ruling and its impact on judges. Misiaszek was elected to a 10-year term as the Oneida City Court Judge on Nov. 5, 2019, according to court documents. His term was set to run from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2029. Misiaszek turned 70 on Feb. 20, 2025, according to court documents. He was informed by the city that he would be forced to retire by law by Dec. 31. Saltarelli was elected to a similar 10-year term as Tonawanda City Court Judge, serving from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2025, according to court documents. Saltarelli says he did not seek re-election because he was told the law barred his ability to do so. Both claimed damages from loss of income as well as loss of human rights due to discriminatory practices by the state. Kohn said that in the wake of this decision, city court judges over the age of 70 outside of New York City should be able to run in the next election, protected by this ruling. Syracuse, N.Y. Protesters flocked to three demonstrations against the Trump administration in downtown Syracuse on Thursday. The protests were held in downtown Syracuse in the wake of the killing of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent on Wednesday and the strikes carried out in Venezuela by U.S. forces on Saturday morning that ended with the capture of that countrys president. The protests ranged from a couple dozen people to more than 100 people. Protesters, young and old, held signs and chanted in unison as they expressed their outrage at the Trump administrations actions abroad, nationwide and in Central New York. Some people attended all three demonstrations, while others just happened upon the crowds and joined in. At 4 p.m., around 100 people stood in front of the Jerry Rescue monument in Clinton Square, where chants of Say her name, Renee Nicole Good could be heard as protesters lined Clinton Street. Good, 37, a poet and a mother to three children, was fatally shot by the ICE agent in Minneapolis. Keller Shelton, a band teacher at Central Square who lives in East Syracuse, said the shooting, along with the past year of immigration raids, proves that ICEs presence does not make communities safer. They are criminalizing and terrorizing people who are just trying to live their lives and support their families, said Shelton, 31. All they do is make our lives and our jobs less safe. Its horrible. Its disgusting. A 28-year-old woman who works at Upstate University Hospital said she was motivated to come to the protest after seeing the news of the Minneapolis shooting. The woman, who requested to remain anonymous, said that when ICE detained two people who work at the hospital in October, it made her see up-close how the federal immigration raids are affecting people. I didnt know them personally, she said, but just seeing how its harming members of the community, people whose names I dont even know, seeing how its taken this persons life. I just want to show up. At around 1 p.m., around 70 people packed the sidewalk outside the office of Rep. John Mannion, D-Geddes, at 440 S. Warren St. Speakers led them in chants of the biggest threat in the world today, Donald Trump and the U.S.A. Around 65 people gathered in front of Rep. John Mannion's office at 440 S. Warren Street to voice their criticisms of the Trump administration on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2025. Vince Gasparini Mackenzie Watson, 28, was among those outside Mannions office. Watson, who served in the Air Force for six years before moving to Syracuse, called the Trump administrations use of the military in Venezuela a complete betrayal. This is not supporting the Constitution that I swore to uphold and defend, Watson said. Most military members and most veterans, I feel quite confident in saying, this is not what we signed up to do. Michael Andrews made the drive to Syracuse from Cortland on Thursday to join those protesting outside Mannions office. He said the Trump administrations attack on Venezuela shows that the U.S. has become increasingly violent and barbaric. I think this signifies a larger imperialist expansion across Latin America, he said. Theyre engaging in aggression to try to force the Latin American people to only trade with the U.S. and be completely under their imperialist hegemony. Prior to the protest in front of Mannions office, about two dozen people stood at all four corners of South Salina and Fayette streets at around noon. It is a demonstration that is held weekly by local immigration advocates. Enough is enough, Mary Beth OBrien said. She said the Minneapolis shooting is just one more example of how out of control this administration is. Cars honked their horns to show support as they drove by the protesters. Multiple people who attend the protest every week said they had received more support Thursday than they ever had. Yesterdays situation in Minneapolis was strikingly uncomfortable and horrendous, OBrien said. We the people need to keep coming out and letting the administration know that we will not stand for this. Austin Kocher, a research assistant professor at Syracuse Universitys Newhouse School of Public Communications, writes about Americas immigration enforcement system on Substack, where a version of this post originally appeared. By the time you read this, it will not be news to you that an ICE officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killed Renee Nicole Good Wednesday, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen whose 6-year-old son is now orphaned after the recent death of his father. Her tragic death, captured in a series of videos that went viral online, has already prompted vigils, marches and protests across the country, with many commentators interpreting her death as a preventable yet predictable consequence of ICEs increasingly confrontational tactics and decreasing guardrails. The central, explosive debate right now about Wednesdays events focuses on who is at fault. Because videos of the shooting are widely available, obsessed viewers have spent the past 24 hours picking over the final seconds of this womans life. Slowing down the video. Taking screenshots. Drawing red arrows to emphasize a shadow or an angle. Reposting their edits online accompanied by a usually ill-informed legal argument to support their position on why the ICE officer was or was not justified. Everyone is a forensic analyst now. I know this because I, too, watched the videos. I was a law enforcement specialist in the Navy and graduated top of my class; I know what its like to carry a firearm and I know what its like to have escalation of force laws and policies drilled into you. We also collectively know enough about incidents involving the polices use of deadly force to know that we will never know less about the full context of the situation both the detailed results of the investigation, if there is one, and the more complete social context of the shooting than we do right now. Of course, I have my own conclusions drawn from experience and from research. But what Im writing about today is more human and more vulnerable. Much like the killing of George Floyd in 2020, which took place nearby, millions of Americans watched a law enforcement officer kill a civilian in broad daylight. In Goods case, she was shot in the face three times at close range while sitting in her car. And we watched that. On repeat. From multiple angles. I know why we do it: Weve been taught through years of police killings that the smallest details can make all the difference in public accountability and popular understanding. On the one hand, I believe we should face the brutal realities of our political moment and be moved by the evidence to demand change. But I also want to acknowledge that we are being exposed to a level of collective trauma that demands a dignified response from our leaders. Yet Trump administration officials failed the public Wednesday in a spectacular circus of cruel speculation, sardonic hyperbole and outright malice that reflects a reckless abdication of moral and legal responsibility. Less than three hours after Goods killing, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin characterized the situation with the top-line summary: ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill theman act of domestic terrorism. (Emphasis added.) No investigation, no evidence, no we are looking into what happened. Just an unjustified leap into the moral voice of characterizing a U.S. citizen who just died under circumstances that are, at best, highly debatable as a rioter and domestic terrorist. Never mind, by the way, that the administration was just busted in court lying about the exact same thing: claiming that violent protesters attacked DHS officers with their car, only to have the charges dismissed later with prejudice. McLaughlins response to this situation was irresponsible and unprofessional if not outright dangerous for inflaming the discourse with unjustified assertions at a time when we needed the agency to be mature and measured. I dont think its possible for a human being to watch a fellow citizen killed on camera and respond with such disregard unless there is a corrosive incentive structure around that person so powerful that it blunts our more fundamental human instincts of empathy. McLaughlin was just the tip of the administrations moral failings Wednesday. Stephen Miller reposted the video of Good being shot with just two words: Domestic terrorism. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem repeated the claim that this was an act of domestic terrorism. On Truth Social, President Trump went ever further: The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense. None of this is supported by the video evidence available so far. A quote from George Orwells dystopian novel, 1984, is now circulating widely online: The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. A friend of mine commented: Some read Orwell as a warning and some read him as an instruction manual. Equally dystopian is the fact that this tragedy happened the day after the five-year anniversary of the assault on the U.S. Capitol that prompted the largest number of domestic terrorism prosecutions in history prosecutions and convictions that this same administration terminated and pardoned. The hypocrisy of branding Good a domestic terrorist a day after rewriting the history of the actual largest of domestic terrorism cases takes hypocrisy to a whole new level. The administration is demonizing someone after shes already been killed, justifying the killing without so much as an actual investigation, and expecting the public to ignore what they saw. And heres the thing. A lot of people watch the video and conclude the officer is justified. A lot of people watch the video and conclude that the woman was innocent. Video evidence alone has never, in cases of lethal use of force, provided conclusive evidence that all people can agree upon; we view visual evidence through our own regimes of cognitive biases. Regardless of what any single person thinks happened, it is the responsibility of leaders to take the loss of life seriously and respond to the situation with the dignity that their office demands. I refuse to normalize this behavior in our leaders, elected or appointed. Im not writing to convince McLaughlin, Noem, Miller or Trump to change. I dont think they will. Im writing this because I hold out hope that other Americans across the political spectrum, who are watching this unfold, will resist normalizing this behavior. I dont hide the fact that Im not a fan of Trump but Im also not a particularly partisan person. I have voted for Republicans and Democrats in my life, and I have both respect and disdain for certain politicians and certain policy positions of both parties. So, I think Im on solid ground to say that even if you are the type of person who typically votes Republican and is more pro-enforcement, that does not mean that you have to adopt the kind of dehumanizing language that this administration seems bent on normalizing. Renee Nicole Good deserves to be remembered for the life that she lived, not just the final seconds of her life. I dont think its ethical or healthy for us to watch the violence inflicted on her on repeat. Consider getting some distance from the desensitizing circulation of violent video clips. There is enough video evidence to prompt a careful independent investigation. If the officer is found to be at fault, there should be meaningful consequences. But regardless of the outcome, we must be vigilant against the divisive and dehumanizing rhetoric of this administration in the wake of avoidable tragedies like this. I believe we must find a way to hold on to whatever shred of dignity, compassion and justice we have left. The Senate advanced a bill on Thursday that would block President Donald Trump from using military force within or against Venezuela unless he gets prior approval from Congress, according to NBC News. NBC called the bill a warning shot aimed at Trump and his efforts in Venezuela. Trump ordered an operation in the South American nation over the weekend that ousted President Nicolas Maduro. He has since said the U.S. will run the country for some time. Republican leaders in the Senate tried to block the measure, but were unsuccessful. A vote to advance the bill passed with bipartisan support, 52-47. A full Senate vote on the bill is expected next week, according to NBC. Five Republicans voted in favor of advancing the measure: Todd Young of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri, according to CBS News. Trump reacted angrily to their support for the bill. Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America, Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social, adding that the senators acted with stupidity. He also said they should never be elected to office again, according to CBS. To become law, the bill would still need to pass the House of Representatives and be signed into law by Trump, who could choose to veto it instead. The bill did not pass the Senate with a veto-proof majority, according to ABC News. Overriding a presidential veto requires two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pushed for the resolution, according to ABC. Where will this go next? Will the President deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Kaine said in a statement on Jan. 3, according to ABC. Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization from peoples elected legislature before putting servicemembers at risk. State Assemblyman John Lemondes on Friday dropped his bid to unseat Rep. John Mannion in the election for the 22nd Congressional District in Central New York. Lemondes, a Republican from LaFayette, instead will seek reelection to a fourth term in the 126th Assembly District representing parts of Onondaga and Cayuga counties. Lemondes did not immediately explain the reasons for suspending his campaign for Congress. After a great deal of consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, I have decided to suspend my campaign for the 22nd Congressional District, Lemondes said in a statement. In an interview with syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Lemondes said his decision was based on personal reasons. He declined to elaborate. Since he launched his campaign for Congress in August, Lemondes has struggled to raise money or convince national GOP leaders to include his campaign on their national priority list. Lemondes said he will seek reelection to a fourth term in the 126th Assembly District. His decision will set off a chain reaction in Central New York politics. Republicans will have to scramble at late date to find a candidate to challenge Mannion in November. And the move upends plans for several Republicans who were interested in campaigning for the Assembly seat that Lemondes would have left vacant. Onondaga County Legislator David Knapp, R-LaFayette, had already launched a campaign for the 126th Assembly District seat in December. Several other potential Republican candidates had privately expressed interest in campaigning for what the GOP considers a safe Assembly seat, according to Onondaga County Republican Chair Joe Bick. Bick declined to identify those who approached him about the Assembly seat. Knapp told syracuse.com he was surprised by Lemdones announcement. As of Friday afternoon, he had not decided whether to continue with his Assembly campaign, setting up a potential Republican primary election. Im not ruling anything out, including continuing my campaign, Knapp said. Bick said Lemondes informed him about his decision in a phone call Friday. Lemondes told Bick that he decided to drop his bid for Congress for personal reasons, but he did not elaborate, Bick said. He had only about $31,000 in the bank for his congressional campaign through the end of September, according to Federal Election Commission records. Mannion had more than $1 million in his campaign account on the same date. Most political analysts in Washington have viewed the potential matchup as uncompetitive. Since November, the Cook Political Report has rated the race as likely Democratic. In previous years, the race for the Syracuse-based House seat has been among the most competitive elections in the nation. Analysts have consistently rated the elections as a tossup or as leaning to a Democratic or Republican candidate. The 22nd District has about 30,000 more registered Democratic voters than Republicans. The district spans all of Onondaga and Madison counties, and parts of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties. Almost 70% of the districts voters are in Onondaga County. GUATIRE, Venezuela The United States and Venezuela said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations, as a Trump administration delegation visited the South American nation. The visit marks a major step toward warming icy relations between the historically adversarial governments. U.S. military forces captured former President Nicolas Maduro last weekend in Caracas and took him to New York to face federal charges of drug-trafficking. The small team of U.S. diplomats and a security detail traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement. Venezuelas government on Friday said it plans to send a delegation to the U.S. but it did not say when. Any delegation traveling to the U.S. will likely require sanctions to be waived by the Treasury Department. In a statement, the government of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said it has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the Government of the United States of America, aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries. President Donald Trump has placed pressure on Rodriguez and other former Maduro loyalists now in power to advance his vision for the future of the nation a major aspect of which would be reinvigorating the role of U.S. oil companies in a country with the worlds largest proven reserves of crude oil. The U.S. and Venezuela cut off ties in 2019, after the first Trump administration said opposition leader Juan Guaido was the rightful president of Venezuela, spiking tensions. Despite the assertions, Maduro maintained his firm grip on power. The Trump administration shuttered the embassy in Caracas and moved diplomats to nearby Bogota, Colombia. U.S. officials have traveled to Caracas a handful of times since then. The latest visit came last February when Trumps envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell met with Maduro. The visit resulted in six detained Americans being freed by the government. HELSINKI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Recent U.S. actions and rhetoric are increasingly being viewed in Europe as a drift toward power politics that could put close partners such as Finland in an awkward and potentially costly position, Finland's Helsingin Sanomat warned in an editorial published on Friday. The paper cited what it described as a string of aggressive U.S. moves, including an attack on Venezuela and the seizure of oil tankers at sea, saying they have shaken confidence in Washington's respect for international law and unsettled European allies. "From the European perspective, the actions violate international law," the daily wrote, adding that sudden U.S. policy twists create acute challenges for smaller countries such as Finland. Against that backdrop, U.S. talk of taking Greenland from Denmark is now being taken seriously in Europe, the paper said, even prompting concerns about the possibility of a military operation. The editorial said Washington could advance its military and economic interests in Greenland under the current arrangements or, if needed, through negotiations. It argued that any move toward an occupation would therefore be driven less by practical necessity than by a desire to expand U.S. power, a course it warned would come at the cost of serious damage to relations with allies. For Finland, the situation is particularly delicate. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Finland has tied its security more closely to the United States through North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership and bilateral defense cooperation. Tensions could emerge, however, if U.S. actions collide with Finland's core interests, including Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland, the paper said. The editorial pointed to Finland's planned icebreaker cooperation with the United States as one area where the stakes could rise. Under the arrangement, the first deliveries are expected in 2028. But the paper warned that a darker scenario could unfold if Washington were to embrace an imperial approach in the Nordic region, noting that Finnish-built icebreakers could also have military uses. In October 2025, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation during talks in Washington. Stubb has said the overall deal is worth about 5.2 billion euros (6.1 billion U.S. dollars). The United States plans to procure 11 new icebreakers for its Coast Guard, with four to be built in Finland. The deal has been seen as a rare bright spot amid Finland's difficult economic outlook. "Now we must prepare for an even darker development, in which the U.S. heads to the Arctic regions not for security purposes, but for imperialist conquest. In that case, Finland would be in an extremely difficult situation," Helsingin Sanomat wrote. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination. "Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our NATO allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," Valtonen said, as Washington has framed the Greenland issue in Arctic security terms. Bitcoin billionaire Chen Zhi has been taken into custody in Asia, marking a major step in one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud cases ever uncovered. Authorities say Chen, the chairman of Cambodia-based Prince Group, is accused of running a massive global scam that stole billions of dollars from victims, including many in the United States. Cambodian officials confirmed that Chen was arrested this week at China's request as part of cooperation to fight cross-border crime. He was later extradited to China. It remains unclear whether Chinese prosecutors will formally indict him or if he could ever be sent to the United States, which does not have a standing extradition treaty with China. According to the NY Post, US prosecutors allege Chen was the mastermind behind a huge "pig butchering" scam, a type of fraud where victims are slowly groomed online, often through fake friendships or romances, before being pushed into fake cryptocurrency investments. Once victims try to withdraw their money, the funds are gone. Authorities say these schemes drained life savings from people across the US, the UK, and many other countries. In October, the US Department of Justice announced it was seeking Chen's arrest and moved to seize more than 127,000 bitcoin tied to the alleged operation. At the time, the cryptocurrency was valued at about $15 billion. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case showed the government's commitment to protecting victims and recovering stolen assets. Chinese tycoon tied to $11B pig butchering bitcoin scam taken into custody https://t.co/lRJmzMODa3 pic.twitter.com/QSzui6eo6A New York Post (@nypost) January 7, 2026 Chen Zhi Allegedly Used Stolen Crypto for Luxury Lifestyle Prosecutors say the stolen money paid for an extravagant lifestyle, including luxury watches, yachts, private jets, and high-end real estate. Investigators froze major assets, such as a $16 million mansion in London, a $126 million office building, and a Picasso painting bought in New York, CentralCoin reported. Court filings also describe disturbing conditions inside alleged scam compounds linked to Prince Group. US authorities claim Chen's network operated at least 10 sites in Cambodia where thousands of workers were trafficked, held against their will, and forced to run online scams. Many workers reportedly had their passports taken and were threatened or beaten if they failed to meet fraud targets. Chen and Prince Group have denied all accusations. The company says it operates legitimate businesses in property development, finance, and consumer services. The case has drawn global attention because of its size and impact. US officials have called it one of the biggest crypto fraud investigations in history. Originally published on vcpost.com Google and AI chatbot developer Character Technologies have agreed to settle several lawsuits filed over allegations that their chatbots harmed minors, including one case in Florida linked to a teen suicide. The Florida lawsuit was brought by Megan Garcia, whose 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, reportedly interacted with a Character.AI chatbot in a way she described as emotionally and sexually abusive, ABC News reported. Garcia claims these interactions contributed to her son's death in February 2024. According to court documents, the chatbot, designed after a fictional character from "Game of Thrones," engaged Setzer in conversations that drew him further from reality. Screenshots included in the lawsuit show the chatbot expressing love and urging him to "come home to me as soon as possible." "This is a tragic case that highlights the need for safety measures in AI interactions, especially with minors," Garcia said in court filings. The Florida lawsuit is among multiple claims filed in Colorado, New York, and Texas. All of the cases allege that Character.AI's technology put teenagers at risk. Google, chatbot startup https://t.co/6oic5cHYWd settle Florida mothers lawsuit over teen sons suicide https://t.co/eoUfIHYtVo pic.twitter.com/Qz92adaaMR New York Post (@nypost) January 7, 2026 Google, Character.AI Settle Teen Safety Lawsuits Google was named as a defendant due to its connection with Character.AI after hiring the startup's co-founders in 2024. While the specific terms of the settlements have not been made public, court approval is required before the agreements take effect. According to AP News, Character Technologies has declined to comment on the settlements, and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. These lawsuits reflect a broader concern over the safety of AI chatbots when interacting with younger users. Similar claims have been made against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, in cases alleging that AI systems played a role in emotionally harmful situations involving teens. In the Florida case, Character Technologies previously attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed on First Amendment grounds, but a federal judge rejected that motion, allowing the case to proceed. Experts say the settlements may encourage tech companies to implement stricter safeguards for AI interactions with minors. "The industry is still learning how to protect vulnerable users while providing innovative tools," said one AI safety consultant familiar with the case. Originally published on vcpost.com A federal judge has ruled that Elon Musk can take his lawsuit against OpenAI and its leaders to a jury, marking a major step forward in a closely watched legal fight over the future of artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said there is enough evidence for a jury to decide whether OpenAI broke its original promise to remain a nonprofit organization focused on helping the public. The ruling means the case will move to a jury trial scheduled for March, instead of being decided by the judge alone. Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur, helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 but left the company in 2018. He now runs xAI, a competing artificial intelligence company. In his lawsuit, Musk claims OpenAI abandoned its founding mission when it shifted toward a for-profit structure and entered major business deals, including partnerships that brought in billions of dollars. According to Yahoo, Judge Gonzalez Rogers said there was "plenty of evidence" suggesting OpenAI's leaders made assurances that the nonprofit structure would stay in place. Because key facts are disputed, she said a jury should hear the case. She plans to issue a written order later addressing OpenAI's request to dismiss the lawsuit. Musk argues that he contributed about $38 million to OpenAI in its early days, which he says made up roughly 60% of its initial funding. He also claims he provided guidance and credibility based on the understanding that OpenAI would work for the public good, not private profit. Musk is seeking unspecified financial damages, which he describes as repayment of "ill-gotten gains." Elon Musk wins early battle in lawsuit against OpenAI and rival Sam Altman https://t.co/AleZ0UDTAS pic.twitter.com/1ErXfMWHD2 New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2026 OpenAI Leaders Deny Elon Musk Claims The lawsuit names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman as defendants. Musk accuses them of planning a for-profit shift that benefited them personally. The suit also points to OpenAI's restructuring and large business agreements as proof of that change. OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman have denied the claims. They argue that Musk is a business rival who is unhappy about competition in the fast-growing AI market, NY Post reported. They have asked the court to throw out the case, saying Musk has not shown enough proof of fraud or broken agreements. Microsoft, which is also named as a defendant, has denied any wrongdoing. Its lawyers told the court there is no evidence the company helped OpenAI break any promises. Microsoft urged the judge to dismiss the claims against it. Another issue for the jury will be timing. OpenAI argues Musk waited too long to file the lawsuit. Judge Gonzalez Rogers said jurors will decide whether the case was brought within the legal time limit. Originally published on vcpost.com CES 2026 has always been the stage for many new technologies to be release, as well as those that are still under development. An example of which is what Lenovo unveiled during their showcase, which focuses on a self-charging keyboard and mouse combo. Lenovo Unveils Self-Charging Keyboard, Mouse at CES 2026 Lenovo's massive Tech World showcase at CES 2026 unveiled a lot of new and upcoming technologies, as well as concepts that the company has been working on, including their new self-charging keyboard and mouse. This new set offers a full-sized keyboard and a mouse that both look regular in design, but the technology it packs is what makes it stand out from the rest. The company calls this the "Lenovo Self-Charging Kit Concept," which brings the self-charging capabilities to the keyboard and mouse peripherals that no longer require wired charging. According to Mashable, the concept centers on solar charging technology where users only need to place it at a location that receives light, but it does not need to be sunlight. Lenovo stressed that it only requires indoor light to charge its power cells. As the materials of the keyboard and mouse remain unknown, placing it under direct sunlight may affect the technology or its materials, so it is best not to try this. According to Lenovo, this new set of peripheral concepts brings "one of the industry's first true no-charging" experiences, and it is great for those who want a wire-free setup. No More Wires Needed for This Keyboard and Mouse Lenovo's product images for the Self-Charging Kit Concept unveil where the wireless charging pads are placed on both the keyboard and mouse. For the keyboard, it is placed above the arrow keys and below the Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End keys, right on the empty space which gets the branding or logo from a company. For the mouse, the entire top part of the mouse looks like the charging pad. Indoor Light Is Enough to Charge These According to Lenovo, indoor light is enough to charge the peripherals and give users the experience of a wireless and self-charging keyboard and mouse. These devices can operate when they receive indoor light power as low as 50 lux. Most of the home lighting levels from indoor LED bulbs capable of producing as much as 100 lux at a minimum. The company touted that this keyboard is for those who want a neat desktop or are always on the go, offering both an aesthetic and sustainable solution for their needs. There are still no release dates or availability for the Self-Charging Kit Concept peripherals, as well as their price tag, as of writing. BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The trade agreement between the South American bloc Mercosur and the European Union (EU) will be signed on Jan. 17 in Paraguay, Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said Friday. Quirno welcomed the progress in a post on X, calling it "more trade, more investment and more jobs," and said the European Council had authorized the signing of the Mercosur-EU agreement "after more than 30 years of negotiations." "Everyone wins: Argentina and Mercosur countries will gain preferential access to the EU, the world's third-largest economy, a market of 450 million people that represents about 15 percent of global GDP," he said. Quirno added that the EU will eliminate tariffs on 92 percent of Mercosur exports and grant preferential access to another 7.5 percent, benefiting 99 percent of Mercosur agricultural exports. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen endorsed the trade agreement on Thursday. Member states of the EU on Friday gave provisional backing to the free trade deal in a qualified-majority vote, paving the way for the bloc to formally sign it in Paraguay. Heavy wind, rain, snow batters Europe London, Jan 8 (AFP) Jan 08, 2026 Severe winds, snow and freezing temperatures buffeted Europe with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday, prompting forecasters from Britain to Germany to issue weather warnings. Britain's Met Office issued a "rare" red wind warning for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwestern England between 1600 GMT and 2300 GMT -- its highest level of alert. "Exceptionally strong winds" of up to 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour were expected, it said, warning that "very large waves will bring dangerous conditions to coastal areas". It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, central England and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30 centimetres (11 inches) in some areas. The UK's National Rail has said train services will be affected over the next two days, and called on people to avoid travel unless necessary. No disruptions to air travel from London had yet been announced. - School cancelled, travel disruption - France was also bracing for Storm Goretti, which will bring gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour in the northern Manche department. Schools there will remain closed Friday, and weather alerts have been issued in 30 other northwestern regions. "Take shelter and do not use your vehicle," the Manche prefecture warned on X, urging residents to prepare emergency lighting and a drinking water supply. Europe's current extreme weather conditions have caused at least eight deaths, and on Thursday police in the Albanian city of Durres pulled a man's body from floodwater following days of heavy snow and torrential rain across the Balkans. In Germany, heavy snow and winds in the north were set to affect schools, hospitals and transport links. Up to 15 centimetres of snow (six inches) could fall in the north, and there was a risk of icy conditions in the south, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP. Some areas have announced schools will shut on Friday, including in the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen. In Hamburg, the weather had already caused delays and cancellations on the public transport network on Thursday. The national rail company Deutsche Bahn warned of significant delays in the coming days and has mobilised more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and platforms. Leading car manufacturer Volkswagen will shut its northwestern Emden factory on Friday due to the snow, spokesman Christian Schiebold told AFP. - 'Consequence of climate change' - The DWD said the storm is expected to last until Saturday, with snowfall stopping on Monday. Walter said the storm was an exception when compared to the last few years of milder winters, which were a "consequence of climate change". "It's still possible to have a cold month with snow, even as temperatures rise due to climate change, but such events will become rarer in the future," he said. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute meanwhile said there was only one region in Norway with temperatures above freezing on Thursday: the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. burs-cc/st/phz X Firefighters warn of 'hectic' Australian bushfires Sydney, Jan 8 (AFP) Jan 08, 2026 Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said, as hot winds fanned "hectic" conditions in the tinder-dry countryside. Temperatures are forecast to soar past 40C in parts of the region, creating some of the most dangerous bushfire weather since the "Black Summer" blazes of 2019-2020. Dozens of rural hamlets in the state of Victoria were urged to evacuate while they still could. "The conditions were extreme yesterday. They're catastrophic today," said Country Fire Authority boss Jason Heffernan. "Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse. "Today is going to be quite a hectic and volatile day for firefighters, fire authorities and communities." One of the most destructive bushfires has already razed some 28,000 hectares (70,000 acres) near the town of Longwood, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Victoria's capital Melbourne. "Some properties have lost everything," said local fire captain George Noye. "They've lost their livelihoods, they've lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating," he told national broadcaster ABC. "But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost." - 'Black Summer' - Photos taken earlier this week showed the night sky glowing orange as the fire ripped through bushland. Another blaze was so intense that it stirred up a localised thunderstorm, fire authorities said. Millions of people across Australia's two most populous states -- Victoria and New South Wales -- have been warned to remain on high alert, including in major cities Sydney and Melbourne. Hundreds of baby bats died earlier this week as stifling temperatures hit the state of South Australia, a local wildlife group said. The "Black Summer" bushfires raged across Australia's eastern seaboard from late 2019 to early 2020, razing millions of hectares, destroying thousands of homes and blanketing cities in noxious smoke. Australia's climate has warmed by an average of 1.51C since 1910, researchers have found, fuelling increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns over both land and sea. Australia remains one of the world's largest producers and exporters of gas and coal, two key fossil fuels blamed for global heating. Storms spark travel mayhem and power cuts in northern Europe Cherbourg, France, Jan 9 (AFP) Jan 09, 2026 Gale-force winds and storms barrelled through northern Europe on Friday, disrupting air and rail travel and cutting power to hundreds of thousands in freezing temperatures. Some 50 flights were cancelled in London's Heathrow airport, affecting thousands of passengers, with air travel disrupted across Europe from the Czech Republic to Moscow. Forecasters from Britain to Germany urged people to stay indoors as they issued weather warnings, including the rare, highest-level red wind alert for the British Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwestern England. All trains were cancelled in Cornwall on Friday. Some 57,000 homes in the UK remained without electricity, according to the National Grid energy provider, after Storm Goretti brought strong winds and heavy snow to parts of the country overnight. More than 250 schools remained closed across Scotland, which has struggled through bad weather for much of the first week back after the Christmas break. In France, Goretti cut power to some 380,000 homes, most of them in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said. Overnight, gusts of up to 216 kilometres per hour (134 miles per hour) were registered in France's northwestern Manche region, authorities said. The winds felled trees with at least one crashing on residential buildings in France's Seine-Maritime region, without injuries, authorities said. Gusts of up to 160 kph lashed England and Wales with the Met Office forecasting agency warning of "very large waves" bringing "dangerous conditions to coastal areas". It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, central England and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30 centimetres (11 inches) in some areas. More than 10 people have died in weather-related accidents this week across Europe. The latest deaths were reported by Turkish media, where five people were killed. While two were killed in separate accidents involving dislodged roof tiles, a Syrian man died when a wall fell on him, a construction worker was swept into the Aegean Sea and a pensioner fell off a roof. - Schools out - Schools remained shut in parts of northern France, where weather alerts have been issued in 30 other regions. Giant waves crashed over harbour walls across France's far northwest overnight, and as the storm moved eastwards it brought flooding and forced the closure of roads and ports including Dieppe. Northern Germany faced severe disruption from heavy snow and high winds brought by Storm Elli, with schools ordered closed in the cities of Hamburg and Bremen and long-distance rail services cancelled. Some 600 schools were closed in Moldova until next Monday and around 1,000 homes were without electricity in Romania. Floodwaters were meanwhile receding in parts of the Balkans on Friday after heavy snowfall and torrential downpours earlier in the week triggered hundreds of evacuations across several countries and killed at least two people. In Albania, one of the hardest-hit in the region, Prime Minister Edi Rama said authorities were beginning to count the cost of flooding after hundreds of homes were inundated primarily in the south. But weather warnings for icy conditions and snowfall remained in effect across most of the region, including Serbia, where parts of the west have been without power for days after a snowstorm knocked out power lines. burs-ach/jxb JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday defended the military's seizure of additional Syrian territory, characterizing the expansion as a necessary buffer against a vacuum of authority following the collapse of the Assad government. The move, which has drawn sharp condemnation from Damascus and much of the international community, is intended to secure northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, Katz said in a statement. He asserted that the Israel Defense Forces were operating to neutralize "global jihadist groups," Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Iranian-aligned remnants still active across the border. "This policy applies to all confrontation borders and will remain so," Katz said. His comments came after renewed U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Syria earlier this week in Paris, aimed at easing tensions along their shared border. According to SANA, Syria's state-run news agency, the negotiations are centered on reviving the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. That framework would require the re-establishment of a United Nations-monitored buffer zone and an Israeli withdrawal to the lines held before Dec. 8, 2024. Damascus has insisted on a "balanced security framework" that restores full Syrian sovereignty and prohibits external interference in its domestic affairs. Israel significantly expanded its footprint in the Golan Heights after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, moving troops into the long-standing demilitarized zone. While Syria and other Arab countries have labeled the incursion a flagrant violation of international law, Israeli officials have described it as a "defensive necessity." On Tuesday, the Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed the ongoing dialogue, noting that both sides had agreed to continue discussions "to advance shared objectives" and to ensure the safety of the Druze minority in southern Syria. While the U.S. State Department announced the creation of a "joint fusion mechanism" to coordinate security and de-escalation under American supervision, the trilateral statement notably omitted any mention of the disputed buffer zone, leaving the ultimate status of the seized territory unclear. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Comedian John Mulaney has postponed his shows in Minneapolis this weekend as protests continue across the city condemning the fatal shooting of local mother and poet, Renee Nicole Good, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Mulaney, currently on his Mister Whatever tour, told fans that he doesnt feel comfortable asking thousands of people each night to leave their homes, gather at the venue, and then make their way home when the situation is so unsafe. Whats happening in your city is heartbreaking, he wrote on Instagram. I hate to postpone shows in a town going through such awful challenges and such grief, because it feels unfair to the audience. He continued: I am sorry to anyone who is disappointed. I know a fun stand-up show could be a nice distraction, but it doesnt sit right with me to put anyone at risk. Tickets for the affected shows will be honored for the rescheduled dates of April 10-12, Mulaney said. A video of the Minneapolis incident shows Good inside a Honda SUV, blocking ICE agents from driving down the street. Several officers then surround the vehicle on foot and tell her to exit. When she starts to drive away, an agent opens fire through the windshield. Moments later, Goods vehicle crashes into a parked car. open image in gallery John Mulaney told fans the situation was too unsafe for him to go ahead with scheduled shows ( Instagram via John Mulaney ) open image in gallery People march behind an anti-Trump banner during a Stop ICE Terror at an emergency protest in Minneapolis Thursday ( AFP via Getty Images ) Demonstrators clashed with federal agents in the Minnesota city after Good was fatally shot Wednesday while behind the wheel of her car during an altercation with immigration officers. Protests have erupted in cities including Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, and New York, in condemnation of the shooting. Tensions were heightened Thursday afternoon when Border Patrol agents shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, during a vehicle stop. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey urged ICE agents to get the f*** out of the city, and refuted claims that the ICE agent had opened fire due to self-defense. Frey said: Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bulls***. This was an agent recklessly using power, resulting in somebody dying. open image in gallery John Mulaney deemed the situation in Minneapolis unsafe ( Getty Images for Puck ) open image in gallery Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot behind the wheel of her car during an altercation with ICE agents Wednesday ( Facebook ) Disagreement has also mounted over who will investigate the shooting after Minnesota officials condemned the FBI for blocking them from participating in the shooting investigation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed local authorities have no jurisdiction in the matter. The Minnesota agency that investigates officer-involved shootings said Thursday that it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with it. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared January 9 a Day of Unity to honor the memory of Renee Good, calling on all Minnesotans and citizens nationwide to observe a moment of silence at 10 a.m. CT to remember her. Now is a time to mourn together, in peace, unity, and service, the governor wrote. People across Minnesota will peacefully stand up for shared American values. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Actor Paul Mescal has confirmed he will perform his own vocals as Sir Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles film series. The 29-year-old star, known for Hamnet and Normal People, joins Barry Keoghan (Sir Ringo Starr), Harris Dickinson (John Lennon), and Joseph Quinn (George Harrison) in the Sir Sam Mendes-directed project from Sony Pictures. Speaking to British GQ, Mescal revealed his deep dive into the role, stating: "Ive learned so much. Its really inspired a love." He added: "Ive always loved music, but getting to play one of the great songwriters and great frontmen has really lit a fire in terms of personally writing music and engaging and hearing music in a different way." open image in gallery Your new Beatles: Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, Barry Keoghan and Harris Dickinson at a Sony Pictures event in March ( Getty Images ) Dickinson, playing McCartneys songwriting partner, praised Mescal, noting "his morals are in the best place." Mescal also shared he has met Sir Paul twice, describing him as "the most brilliant man. I feel emotionally attached to him. He received me with great kindness and warmth." He added: "One of the many benefits of shooting a Beatles anthology is that you get to do the job and not talk about the job." It comes after a recent interview for The Guardian, where Mescal acknowledged that he is five or six years into his career, adding that while he feels very lucky he is also learning that I dont think I can go on doing it as much. Asked if he meant he might start rationing his roles, he responded: I think so. Im gonna have to start doing that. For sure. The four Beatles films, each focusing on a different band member, are due in April 2028. Other cast members include Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono. open image in gallery Mescal is currently winning praise for his performance alongside Jessie Buckley in Hamnet ( Focus Features ) Formed in 1960, The Beatles remain the best-selling musical act of all time, boasting 18 UK number one singles and 16 UK number one albums. The full interview with Paul Mescal can be found in the February issue of British GQ, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday, January 27. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Trap Queen rapper Fetty Wap has been released from prison, having served three years of his six-year sentence for his involvement in a New York-based drug trafficking ring. The 34-year-old musician, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was seen smiling and wearing a sweater printed with the words Legends Prevail in footage shared Thursday by his sister and manager, Divinity Maxwell-Butts. Fetty Wap is in good spirits. He is in a focused, grounded place. His priorities are his family, fatherhood, and being an asset to his community, his publicist, Abesi Manyando, said in a statement. Maxwell said on social media that he was freed from incarceration, simply writing Home on his Instagram Stories. In a statement, he thanked his loved ones and fans for their continued support, telling them that his focus is on giving back through my community. open image in gallery Fetty Wap has been released from prison after serving three years ( Getty Images for MTV ) open image in gallery Fetty Wap rose to fame for his 2015 hit Trap Queen ( Getty Images ) The rapper, who lost his left eye as an infant due to congenital glaucoma, said he wants to support at-risk young children and expand access to vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. He continued: Im committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most. The musician was arrested in October 2021 on charges of participating in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into New Jersey and Long Island. His lawyers had suggested that Maxwell turned to selling drugs due to financial hardship brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. He pleaded guilty in August 2022 to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and received a six-year sentence in May 2023. open image in gallery Fetty Wap told fans his focus would be giving back to his community ( Getty ) Prosecutors said the scheme involved using the US Postal Service and cars with hidden compartments to move drugs from the West Coast to Long Island, where they were stored for distribution to dealers on Long Island and in New Jersey. He was serving his sentence at a low-security prison in Sandstone, Minnesota, but will reportedly serve the remainder of his shortened sentence, due to end on 8 November 2026, on home confinement, sources told Rolling Stone. The Independent has contacted his representatives for comment. Maxwell rose to fame with his 2015 song Trap Queen, which peaked at No 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in May of that year. Additional hits including My Way, Again and 679, from his self-titled debut album, cemented his music as club anthems across the globe. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2016. His latest release, King Zoo, came in November 2023, just months into his sentence. The album opened with a call from a federal prison, with Maxwell thanking his fans for their support. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Bluey is a smart show that draws on all kinds of inspirations for its charming stories, including religious ones. My newly published research looks at what Bluey has to say about religion, and the religion of play, which the characters live by. Three episodes in particular show the diversity of religion in contemporary Australia and help us reflect on the diversity and depth of Aussie culture. These episodes teach bite-sized lessons from real-life religions to children and parents in an approachable and thoughtful way. They reward curiosity and media literacy in a way which encourages parents to engage on a deeper level with their kiddos favourite shows. So heres what three episodes of Bluey say about religion and the lessons they hold for children of any religion, and none. The Buddhist parable The episode Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound is a not-so-subtle retelling of the Buddhist parable Kisa Gotami and the Mustard Seeds (but with the titular mustard seeds swapped out for purple underpants!). In the episode, Bluey and Bandit make a video telling a story to cheer up Bingo, who is in hospital. In the story a woman called Barnicus has a puppy called Bumpy, who gets very sick. She takes Bumpy to the Wise Old Wolfhound for help. She is depicted sitting lotus-like, with robes made of towels and a flower crown. The Wise Old Wolfhound asks for a pair of purple underpants from someone who has never been sick. When Barnicus cant find anyone who has never been sick, she realises the Wise Old Wolfhound was teaching her everyone gets sick sometimes. open image in gallery Kisa Gotami with her Dead Child, at the Nava Jetavana, Shravasti; Bluey in Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound ( Photo Dharma/Wikimedia Commons, Ludo Studios, CC BY ) Sickness is just a part of life, and Bingo feels comforted that she is not alone. In the original Parable of the Mustard Seeds, which dates back to the 5th century BCE, Kisa Gotami is a mother whose only son dies. When she goes to the Buddha for help, he tells her to gather mustard seeds from families in which there has never been death. Through trying to complete this impossible task, Kisa Gotami learns death and suffering are inevitable. Through retelling this religious story with its touch of humour and lowered stakes, children learn a basic Buddhist teaching. Sickness and suffering are terrible, but we can be comforted knowing that everyone goes through it, so we can let go of our attachment or need for constant happiness and wellness. The Christian Easter The episode Easter parallels some themes and images from the Christian Easter narrative. Bluey and Bingo are worried that the Easter Bunny has forgotten them. Chilli and Bandit point out the Easter Bunny has already explained he would definitely come back on Easter Sunday. That morning, the girls find empty egg buckets and must follow a trail of clues left by the Easter Bunny. They worry when they cant find the chocolate eggs, especially when they need to be brave or suffer (going into Dads toilet). They worry they might be forgettable. open image in gallery The Three Marys at the Tomb, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1890; and the Bluey episode Easter ( Wikimedia Commons/Ludo Studios ) This parallels how the Christian religion teaches that Jesus followers thought God had forgotten them after Jesus died, despite the promise that Jesus had already given them that he would come back after three days. This teaching reflects the worry many folks feel, that they are maybe too insignificant or sinful for God to care about. The episode ends with Bluey and Bingo rolling an exercise ball (stone) away from the desk cavity (tomb) to find the Easter Bunny had remembered them, cared about them and come after all to give them a wonderful gift of chocolate eggs (eternal life). Through the slant telling of this religious story, children are encouraged to trust that they are loved and trust in the promises made to them even when it seems like theyre small, forgettable or naughty. The Taoist fable In The Sign, Blueys teacher Calypso reads a fable originally from the 2nd century BCE Taoist text Huainanzi. In English, the fable is often called The Old Man Who Lost His Horse, or A Blessing in Disguise. The tale recounts a series of things that happen to this old man, and how, after each event, his neighbours tell him what good or bad luck that thing was. The Old man always responds, Well see in the wu wei attitude. In the Taoist wu wei view of fortune, all things are equal, and it is only human (or, in this case, canine) judgement that makes something good or bad. About the author Sarah Lawson is a PhD Candidate in Ancient Linguistics in the School of Theology, Faculty of Arts and Education at Charles Sturt University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Therefore, the only proper response to something dramatic happening is inaction or serenity, until the passage of time reveals the truth. Bluey initially misunderstands the message, thinking Calypso means everything will go her way in the end. But by the end of the episode she learns to adopt the wu wei attitude for the better. She remains calm, perhaps even serene, about the prospect of moving away from her beloved neighbourhood. Through this religious story, children are taught that a gentle, flowing approach to life that doesnt force ones own desires onto the world can avoid unnecessary suffering and help us find peace and acceptance. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Amanda Seyfried has opened up about her current experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder decades after first receiving her diagnosis. Seyfried, 40, said she was diagnosed with really extreme OCD when she was 19 years old. In an interview with Vogue, published Thursday, the Mamma Mia! star reflected on navigating her diagnosis as a young actor and how shes managing today. OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the person can experience frequent obsessive, intrusive thoughts and then exhibit compulsive behaviors in an attempt to neutralize or rid themselves of the thoughts, according to the International OCD Foundation. I was living in Marina del Rey at the time, shooting Big Love, and my mom had to take a sabbatical from work in Pennsylvania to live with me for a month, she said, reflecting on one of her early experiences with OCD. I got my brain scans, and thats when I got on medication which to this day, Im on every night. As a younger actor, she explained how she distanced herself from any of her triggers, like drinking too much alcohol, doing any drugs at all, or staying out too late. open image in gallery As a young actor, Seyfried would avoid her OCD triggers, such as drinking too much alcohol or staying out too late ( Getty Images ) open image in gallery Seyfried has previously discussed her decision to remain on Lexapro to manage her OCD symptoms ( Getty Images ) I would make plans and then just not go, she said. I guess I did make choices. I didnt enter that realm of nightclubs. I gotta give credit to my OCD. The Mean Girls actor previously revealed in a 2016 interview with Allure that she takes Lexapro for her OCD, saying at the time that she had no plans to stop taking the medication. Ive been on it since I was 19, so 11 years. Im on the lowest dose. I dont see the point of getting off of it, she told Allure. Whether its placebo or not, I dont want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool? She continued: A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses], but I dont think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else. You dont see the mental illness: Its not a mass; its not a cyst. But its there. Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it. Seyfried explained that her OCD has a number of symptoms, including the most common (thoughts and compulsions), to an irrational fear of people using ovens, and worries over her own physical health. I had pretty bad health anxiety that came from the OCD and thought I had a tumor in my brain. I had an MRI and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist, she said. As I get older, the compulsive thoughts and fears have diminished a lot. Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The families of four University of Idaho students murdered in their beds say the warning signs were there, but ignored, long before Bryan Kohberger carried out one of the deadliest crimes in the states history. On Wednesday, the families of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin filed a lawsuit against Washington State University, alleging the school failed to act on repeated complaints about Kohbergers inappropriate behavior while he was a graduate student and teaching assistant, ultimately allowing a foreseeable tragedy to unfold. The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination at public universities. The suit argues that administrators failed to intervene despite numerous reports that Kohberger was stalking and harassing women in the months leading up to the November 2022 killings. Kohberger, who was enrolled in WSUs criminology Ph.D. program and lived in university housing in Pullman, pleaded guilty in July to fatally stabbing the four students at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, about seven miles away. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after accepting a plea deal that spared him the death penalty. open image in gallery A lawsuit has been filed against Washington State University, where Bryan Kohberger had attended, enrolled in WSUs criminology Ph.D. program, weeks before he carried out the Idaho murders in 2022 ( AP ) As part of the plea agreement, Kohberger waived his right to appeal and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms, plus 10 years, more than $300,000 in fines and ordered to pay about $32,000 in restitution to the families and the Idaho victims compensation fund, plus another $20,000 in civil damages. After Kohbergers sentencing, officials released investigative records that the families attorneys say revealed a pattern of institutional failure. The information now coming to light paints a disturbing picture of institutional inaction in the face of repeated and dire warnings, the families attorneys said in a statement. These failures were not the result of a lack of authority or available safeguards, but rather a breakdown in accountability and responsibility at critical moments. Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, who vowed last year to pursue legal action, is a lead plaintiff in the case, along with Madison Mogens mother Karen Laramie, Xana Kernodles father Jeff Kernodle and Ethan Chapins mother Stacy Chapin. The families are seeking unspecified monetary damages. open image in gallery Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, who vowed last year to pursue legal action, is a lead plaintiff in the case ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) open image in gallery Scott Laramie, stepfather of victim Madison Morgan, joined by Maddies mother Karen Laramie, speaks at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The plaintiffs seek to hold WSU liable for its own decisions and actions to remain idle in the face of known extreme and repeated instances of discrimination, sexual harassment and stalking by Kohberger occurring in its educational program, it states. That ultimately culminated in Kohberger stalking and murdering the decedents. According to the lawsuit, WSU had a duty to supervise Kohberger as a student, employee, campus resident and university internet user. But during his one semester at the school as a student, there were at least 13 formal complaints filed against him. There was no indication that WSU acted on these formal complaints, or that it acted in an urgent and decisive manner commensurate with the imminent and serious threat that Kohberger posed, the lawsuit states. WSU failed to exercise its supervisory power and disciplinary authority over Kohberger, despite having repeated notice of the high risk of serious misconduct. In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for WSU told The Independent: Our hearts remain with the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy. Because this is a legal matter, we are declining further comment at this time. open image in gallery Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in November 2022. Kohberger is serving life in prison for the murders. ( Instagram ) open image in gallery The home where the stabbing happened has since been demolished ( Getty Images ) The suit alleges Kohberger developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing and stalking behavior that the university allowed to persist. By September 2022, professors were discussing a possible intervention over his treatment of female students, the complaint says. Women allegedly feared for their safety, requested escorts to their cars and created informal warning systems to protect one another when Kohberger was present. Less than two weeks before the murders, Kohberger was called into a meeting with faculty members to address concerns about his conduct, according to prior reporting by The New York Times. WSU fired him from his teaching assistant position in early December, after the killings but before his arrest, citing unsatisfactory performance and failure to meet norms of professional behavior. Kohbergers firing from the school came too late, the families argue in the lawsuit. The victims families have come together with a shared purpose to seek transparency, accountability, and meaningful reform, their attorneys said. This effort is not about vengeance or speculation. This is about ensuring that institutions entrusted with the safety of young people take threats seriously and act decisively when warning signs are present. Kohberger, now 31, is serving his sentence at Idahos maximum-security prison just south of Boise. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Bones and skulls spotted in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery led police to an horrific discovery - a basement filled with body parts. Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life whey they found more than 100 sets of human remains during raids at a suspected grave robbers home and storage unit in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Jonathan Gerlach now faces nearly 500 charges after at least 26 mausoleums and vaults were burglarized at Mount Moriah Cemetery since November. Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home, district attorney Tanner Rouse in a press conference Thursday. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones. They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf. open image in gallery The entrance to Mount Moriah Cemetery where the thefts took place ( GoogleMaps ) Most were in the basement, authorities said, and they also recovered jewelry believed to be linked to the graves. In one case, a pacemaker was still attached. Police say Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the 1855 cemetery. It's considered the countrys largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that's home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites. Authorities learned of the alleged crimes when board members with the nonprofit group that worked to preserve the cemetery called police to say grave sites had been desecrated, NBC News reported. Police had been looking into the string of burglaries when an investigator checked Gerlachs vehicle plates and found he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the period when the burglaries occurred. open image in gallery Gerlach admitted stealing dozens of human remains, cops said ( Delaware County District Attorney's Office via AP ) On January 6, 2026, at approximately 20:00hrs, detectives were conducting surveillance of the cemetery when they observed the suspects car with numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat of the vehicle, the DAS office said in a statement. Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar and other assorted items. The offender was brought into custody where he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains. Gerlach was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft. Gerlach is being held on a $1 million bond. The investigation is ongoing and police are working to identified the remains and any family. Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco said the case was the most disturbing he had seen in his career. Rest in peace is rest in peace, and this is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings, he said. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Luigi Mangione is headed back to court for a pivotal hearing in his fight to block the government from seeking the death penalty against him in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangiones lawyers insist authorities prejudiced his case by turning his December 2024 arrest into a Marvel movie spectacle, and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed even before he was formally indicted. If that doesnt work, they argue the charge that has enabled the federal government to seek the death penalty murder by firearm should be thrown out because it is legally flawed. Federal prosecutors say Mangiones lawyers are wrong, countering that the murder charge is legally sufficient and that pretrial publicity, even when intense is hardly a constitutional crisis. Any concerns about public perceptions can be alleviated by carefully questioning prospective jurors about their knowledge of the case, prosecutors wrote in a court filing. open image in gallery Mangiones lawyers have asked the judge to bar the government from using certain items found in a backpack during his arrest ( Police handout ) Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges, which carry the possibility of life in prison. Friday's hearing, Mangiones first trip to Manhattan federal court since his April 25 arraignment, is also expected to cover the defenses bid to exclude certain evidence. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett has said she also plans to set a trial date. A cause celebre for people upset with the health insurance industry, Mangiones court appearances have draw dozens of supporters, some of whom wear green clothing or carry signs expressing solidarity with him. Mangiones lawyers have asked the judge to bar the government from using certain items found in a backpack during his arrest, arguing that the search was illegal because police had not yet obtained a warrant. Those items include a gun that police said matched the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which he purportedly described his intent to wack a health insurance executive. One big question is whether Garnett will need to hold a separate hearing on the evidence issue like one last month that took three weeks in Mangiones parallel state murder case. Mangiones lawyers want one. Prosecutors dont. They contend police were justified in searching the backpack to make sure there were no dangerous items and that the gun, notebook and other evidence would have eventually been found anyway. open image in gallery Supporters of Luigi Mangione gather following a hearing where terrorism charges against him were dismissed in the murder of UnitedHealth Care CEO Brian Thompson, outside of Manhattan Supreme Court on September 16, 2025 in New York City ( Spencer Platt/Getty Images ) Thompson, 50, was killed Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Groups annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say delay, deny and depose were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. Mangione, 27, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. He's already had success paring down his state case. In September, a judge threw out state terrorism charges against him. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last year that she was directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty, declaring that capital punishment was warranted for a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America. Mangiones lawyers argue that Bondis announcement, which she followed with Instagram posts and a TV appearance, showed the decision was based on politics, not merit. Her remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in his indictment a few weeks later, they said. Bondis statements and other official actions, including a choreographed perp walk in which armed officers led Mangione from a Manhattan pier, have violated Mr. Mangiones constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors pushed back on what they said were the defenses meritless and misleading claims that Bondis decision was tainted by her past work as a lobbyist for a firm whose clients include UnitedHealthcares parent company. BOGOTA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that he has invited Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez to work together in combating armed drug traffickers. In a post on X, Petro said armed drug traffickers must be disarmed and their power must be reduced. Latin America must defend itself against any force that destabilizes the region, a task that requires unity among the peoples, armed forces and states in the region, he said. On Wednesday, Petro held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which they exchanged views on bilateral relations, the fight against drug trafficking and the situation in Venezuela. Local media reported that Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said Thursday the Colombian and U.S. heads of state have agreed to jointly combat the anti-government guerrilla group National Liberation Army. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A former adult film star who decapitated her ex-boyfriend and discarded his head in the trash, was ordered to spend decades behind bars for the gruesome killing. Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones sentenced Devyn Michaels, 47, on Thursday, to 28 years to life in a Nevada prison for the murder of 46-year-old Johnathan Willette. I cannot deliver what the family is hoping for, Michaels said briefly before the judge handed down the sentence, according to 8 News Now. After a two-week trial in November, a jury convicted Michaels of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors said Michaels beat Willette with a stick before decapitating him inside his Henderson home on the night of August 6, 2023. Police found Willettes body wrapped in blankets, doused with chemicals and missing his head. They believe Michaels threw Willettes head into the trash in her northwest Las Vegas neighborhood. It was never recovered. open image in gallery A judge sentenced Devyn Michaels to 28 years to life in prison for the murder of 46-year-old Johnathan Willette ( Henderson Police Department ) During the trial, jurors watched video of Michaels telling police she was massaging Willette in his bedroom when she struck him with what she described as a candlestick-like object. Michaels, who has also used the names Nikki Fairchild and Tracee Tavarez and last worked as a realtor, married Willette in 2012. They divorced in 2018. She later married his 29-year-old son, Deviere Willette. In her testimony, she described both relationships as marriages of convenience. On the night of the killing, Willette was at the Henderson home he shared with his mother. She did not see him that evening, but Michaels told her he had been drinking and smoking marijuana before going to bed early so they could register their children for school the next day. When his mother went looking for her son, whose truck was still parked outside, she found him dead in a downstairs bedroom, wrapped in blankets and bloody. Following an investigation, police arrested Michaels on August 15, 2023, and charged her with murder. According to the arrest report, she admitted to striking Willette in the head with a wooden stick while rubbing his back on the bed. She said Willettes arms went limp after she hit him but insisted she did not intend to kill him. She said she wanted to hurt him badly enough to send him to the hospital so she could figure out what to do with her children. She also claimed Willette had tried to get her to perform a sexual act on him moments before the attack. open image in gallery Prosecutors said Michaels beat Willette with a stick before decapitating him inside his Henderson home on August 6, 2023 ( Facebook ) In 2024, she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a deal that would have made her eligible for parole after 15 years. She later attempted to withdraw that plea but the judge determined she had voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently entered the plea. During an initial sentencing hearing in July 2025, Michaels apologized and then immediately proclaimed her innocence, sending the case to trial. Jurors were never told about the prior plea agreement. Willette, who founded JW Marketing and The Vegas Moving Guy, according to Newsweek, was known for helping others find work. After he was murdered, his father and stepmother took custody of his two children. We cannot bring Johnathan back, said Valerie Willette, his stepmother. God has gained an angel in heaven. We believe he is watching over us and the girls. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The mom-of-three shot dead by a federal agent in Minneapolis was a member of an ICE watch group, Department of Homeland Security sources have claimed. Renee Nicole Good was killed when an ICE agent opened fire at her car, in an incident that has sparked wildly conflicting accounts and widespread anger. The Trump administration has quick to brand Good a domestic terrorist and claimed she was trying to hit officers while leaving the scene. The attacks on the victim have led to angry protests across the U.S. pushing back at the White Houses narrative, with Goods family claiming she was murdered. open image in gallery Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE Agent after her car blocked a road in Minnesota ( Facebook ) Now, Department of Homeland Security sources have told Fox News that 37-year-old was allegedly a member of a group dedicated to monitoring and tracking immigration enforcement operations. ICE watch groups, similar to a neighborhood watch scheme, are informal arrangements that give people the chance to share information about anti-immigration raids in their communities. They are increasingly common and being a member may simply involve joining a Whatsapp or Facebook group. The Fox source suggested that Good had followed ICE agents to at least two locations and that she had used her car to deliberately block roadways and interfere with federal operations. The sources also claimed that members are the group are openly disrupting ICE operations in some cases. It is not illegal to monitor or film federal agents in the course of their duty, despite claims from the Trump administration to the contrary. Six legal experts told Reuters in a report last year that surveillance of ICE is largely protected under the U.S. Constitution - as long as the activists don't interfere with that work. Courts have long held that recording law enforcement activists in public areas is legal. open image in gallery Goods killing has sparked mass demonstrations in Minnesota, as residents call for ICE to leave Prominent Democratic figures have slammed the suggestion that Good was engaged in domestic terrorism or that she had tried to ram ICE agents. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has been one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administrations version of events, launching into a profanity-filled speech at a press conference after Goods death. They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense, he said. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: that is bull****. The Democrat continued by demanding that ICE agents get the f*** out of Minneapolis. State governor Tim Walz has meanwhile shared a statement on X, in which he publicly mourned Good and urged Minnesotans to do the same. open image in gallery Jonathan Ross has been named as the ICE agent who fatally Good on Wednesday ( Screengrab ) Now is a time to mourn together, in peace, unity and service, the proclamation read. People across Minnesota will peacefully stand up for shared American values. In the wake of Goods killing, protests have erupted across Minnesotas biggest city. Demonstrators have been seen bearing signs which read RIP Renee and ICE MURDERED A WOMAN. Her mother Donna Ganger told the Minnesota Star Tribune: Renee was one of the kindest people Ive ever known. She was extremely compassionate. Shes taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being. Jonathan Ross has been named as the ICE agent who shot Good. Speaking to The Daily Mail, his father Ed confirmed that his son has yet to be charged with a crime and he did not expect him to be. She hit him, he told The Mail. He also had an officer whose arm was in the car. He will not be charged with anything. You would never find a nicer, kinder person. He's a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldn't be more proud of him. NAIROBI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Property Developers Association of Kenya (KCDA), an alliance of investors in the real estate sector, on Friday donated two million Kenyan shillings (about 15,500 U.S. dollars) to support 30 local students pursuing university education. The donation ceremony was held at the University of Nairobi and was attended by senior faculty members, industry executives, and students. KCDA President Zhang Jiaping said the scholarships aim to help local youth realize their academic aspirations while deepening cultural understanding between China and Kenya. "May you take knowledge as your compass, ideas as your blueprint, and a sense of responsibility as your foundation," Zhang told the beneficiaries. Margaret Hutchinson, acting vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, said the initiative reflects an investment in sustainable development while strengthening Sino-Kenyan friendship. She added that KCDA is contributing to the nurturing of a new generation of professionals who will lead with skills, innovation, and a strong sense of responsibility. Wang Shangxue, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, said the scholarship program is designed to cultivate outstanding young professionals and future development leaders in Kenya. Established in Nairobi in 2024, the KCDA brings together Chinese real estate developers operating in the country to promote industry coordination, ensure compliance with local regulations, and support the provision of high-quality, sustainable housing. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. The Golden Globes has wrapped for another year. Check out all the magic moments as they unfolded in our blog and head to culture editor-at-large Michael Idatos wrap for an analysis of the nights proceedings and what it means for the Oscar race here. And read on to see the full list of winners and nominees for the 2026 Golden Globes below. Film Best motion picture drama WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he looks forward to having a meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in the White House during the first week of February to address topics including drug trafficking. "I am sure it will work out very well for Colombia, and the U.S.A.," Trump said of the planned meeting on Truth Social, adding that "cocaine and other drugs must be STOPPED from coming into the United States." Earlier this week, Trump said that Petro called him by phone "to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements" and that he "appreciated his (Petro's) call and tone" during the phone conversation. The phone call came after Trump threatened Petro, claiming a U.S. military strike against Colombia "sounds good" to him. On Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Colombia, which borders Venezuela, is "run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he (Petro)'s not going to be doing it very long." Petro condemned the U.S. strike that occurred on Jan. 3 to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and has also accused the U.S. government of "murder" for killing suspected drug traffickers at sea. Advertisement LifestyleHealth & wellnessHealth I gave up drinking a year ago. This is what it did to me Jenny Tucker January 9, 2026 11:39am 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 For most of my adult life, I have woken up on New Years Day with a stinking hangover. Ive always believed it was worth the pain. I love New Years Eve a chance to party, to be with dear friends and celebrate the next 365 days into my life. January 1 seems soaked in anticipation: the promise of possibilities and a chance to start afresh. This time last year, I did something Id never done before: I resolved to stop drinking. It might not sound like a biggie to some, but this was massive to me. Other than during pregnancy, Id always been a fully fledged member of the just-one-more club. And as a journalist, its almost required as part of the CV. At the start of my career, in the late 1980s, lifelong connections were made over a glass of 12 per cent something. We loved partying the way Swifties love Taylor, with a dedication and passion that turned everything into a blur of glorious, sweeping delight. We were young, fun and regularly sozzled. It was all such a hoot. When your social life has been built on drinking, the decision to stop is significant. Getty Images My 40 years of drinking I have a lot to thank my career for. When I started out as a junior writer on the launch of teen magazine Just Seventeen, I was a naive graduate. Suddenly, I was thrown into a world that had me interviewing pop stars, tripping off overseas for photo shoots, and pinballing around swanky parties. I couldnt have been happier. Advertisement More importantly, I forged tight friendships with my colleagues, who are still my best friends. With the passing years, some have moved to other parts of the country, but we meet regularly. Booze was inextricably woven into our gatherings. All friendships have a unique narrative that evokes hilarity. Its often the suture that binds them. Our common denominator was getting drunk together. Which is OK in your 20s and 30s, but not so great, perhaps, in your 40s and beyond. As the grey hair starts appearing, it becomes a dangerous game of health roulette. Not only are the years totting up for me I am now 60 but I write regularly about how to live a wholesome lifestyle, so there is no denying it: alcohol isnt good for you. In fact, the World Health Organisation says there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and various experts that Ive interviewed have told me that we should be drinking zilch. Multiple studies link alcohol to seven types of cancer. Related Article Alcohol I gave up booze five years ago: these are the 10 questions I always get asked On a personal level, I had started noticing that my memory was waning. I wasnt drinking heavily, but I was regularly having one or two glasses of wine (lets be honest, sometimes three) with my evening meal. Often, Id watch a film or read a chapter of my book and then the next morning, Id find it hard to recall details. One of my biggest fears as I age is losing my memory. My mum had crippling dementia, which diminished her beyond recognition. Advertisement A new way of socialising One morning, towards the end of 2024, as I rose with a fuzzy head, I started to wonder whether alcohol was serving me well. So I committed to doing Dry January, initially more to support my elder son, who was also abstaining for a month. I anticipated the worst. Would I be able to resist grappling that chilled bottle of chardonnay from the fridge on day four? Could I go to a dinner party and be sated enough by sparkling water without needing to gouge my eyeballs out with boredom? Would my friends still want to associate with this sensible, sober me? The truth is, stopping drinking can be an issue when hanging out with people who still enjoy their evening tipple. Its helpful to know this in advance if youre contemplating doing the same. Interactions are now based around a whole new version of what makes us tick. Thankfully, most of my closest friends have been amazing, never huffing in annoyance or loading on the judgment, just offering support. Yet some of my drinking comrades have been less than impressed. One told me in no uncertain terms that she wasnt happy about my self-restraint and announced: Oh well, youll never be invited to anything now. As if I am bearable to hang out with only when Im bonkers with booze and screeching like a howler monkey. Advertisement I do get it. When someone says they are not drinking, the word boring appears in a speech bubble above their head. Its an assumption we tend to make, but I am hoping I can prove the naysayers wrong because its OK, amazing actually, being sober. The secret to success I wish I could say there was a connect-the-dots route to success. Perhaps my decision came at a time when I was ready to step back maybe thats what made it work. But when I first embarked on sobriety, I had no clue whether it would be a surefire victory. Related Article Trends Whats the one big standout in the health trends for 2026? We asked the experts I was shocked that it was easier than I had expected. There were no cravings (though I did eat more chocolate for a while) and when January came to an end, I was ready to step into the next month and then the next. People have asked whether I had hidden bottles, or stopped mixing with other drinkers, or felt like the dullard at the party. None of those, honestly. Its like deciding to lose weight, learn a language or change jobs. You decide you are going to do it, then you try really hard to stick with it. Theres no magic wand. So if youre even slightly tempted, my advice would be, just do it. Advertisement Waking up with a clear head and full recall of the previous night is a good reason to stop drinking. Getty Images A clear head and a flatter stomach Once you start to see the benefits, its a huge motivator to help you stick to your resolve. Ive lost weight, my skin is clearer, I have more energy, sleep better and, much to my husbands delight, have developed a new-found tolerance. Not drinking has made me realise how much alcohol contributed to my anxiety. Id wake up after a big night, worrying whether Id said the wrong thing or embarrassed myself, while the aftermath of the hangover ravaged my jangling nerves and churning gut. These days, there is a simple joy in waking up feeling 100 per cent ready for whats ahead. I havent been so productive in years. Advertisement But the best part of it all is that I am fully present every day. There is no stodgy head, no loss of the previous days nuances. I am in the room, living with the brightness levels turned right up. And as the new year marks 12 months under my belt, theres nothing I want to feel more than to be wholly participating in life. For the rest of my time here, Im striving for full clarity, please. That prospect is a million times more appealing than any double G&T. Just to reassure you, my fun hasnt been squashed. I have saved enough money to fund a mini-break. Ive been to Christmas parties and danced until the early hours. Ive chatted to friends, laughed alongside them and watched (without envy) as they quaffed champagne. Ive made a conscious decision not to be that sober person who constantly checks their watch to see if its 10pm and thinks, Oh goody, bedtime! and I really want to prove that youll never be invited to anything person wrong. Related Article Health and nutrition Tempted to do a new year body cleanse? Do this instead Recently, I asked a pal whos been on the wagon for eight years whether he misses being that bombed fella who once sat on a glass table at a wedding reception and shattered it into splinters. Not only am I still alive, he replied, but I feel bloody fantastic. I love being sober. Likewise. The recycling bin will thank you for it. iStock Advertisement My five tips for going alcohol-free Giving up, or drastically cutting back on alcohol, is a conscious decision. You might need professional support; you might be able to do it alone. I found I had to shift my mindset (I wont drink today). Taking it one day at a time does help. Dont beat yourself up if you have the odd drink. If you can manage an occasional drink without undoing all the good work, its still a positive step forward. Dont listen to the cynics. You wont become boring. But you will be different. If they cant tolerate your differences, its their problem. There are tons of no- or low-alcohol options out there. Some are awful and taste like weird-flavoured fizzy water, but I have my favourites too. Embrace the benefits. Use improved health, clarity and energy truly to enjoy all the things you love doing. My daily fix of exercise is my new habit. The Telegraph, London Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share More: Health Alcohol Fitness Dozens of writers withdraw from event after Palestinian author dropped Dozens of writers have pulled out of the Adelaide Writers' Week after it dropped a Palestinian author from the program. Advertisement NationalNSWBondi shooting Abhorrent: Ghost store attempts to cash in on Bondi attack Amber Schultz January 9, 2026 11:50am 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 ghost store purporting to be located in Bondi claims its co-founder was shot during the antisemitic attack and is using the tragedy to attempt to sell clothes, bathers and bags. Isla & James is closing because of the Bondi Beach tragedy, the website claims, underneath an image it says is of the shops founders, which appears to be AI-generated. The Isla & James website was created nine days after the Bondi Beach shooting. IslaandJames.com During the Bondi Beach shooting, James was shot. In seconds, the life we were building collapsed And so, Isla & James is coming to an end. The site then lists its discounts, claiming the store will close permanently once stock is sold. Advertisement None of the 15 people killed in the terror attack was named James. Some survivors who were shot or injured have not been publicly identified. Ghost stores pretend they are in Australia and are imminently closing down, but are instead based overseas and are drop-shipping low-quality products. Consumers are being warned of ghost stores and illegitimate fundraisers attempting to cash in on public sympathy after the Bondi attack. Louise Kennerley The website was created on December 23, nine days after the terror attack, according to multiple domain age checkers. The site does not list a specific street address and notes products ship from a central warehouse in Asia. No phone number is listed, and the site does not have a .au web address. It claims its business registration number and Value Added Tax (VAT) number can be provided on request. Australias VAT equivalent is the Australian Business Number (ABN). There are no businesses registered by the name Isla & James on the ABN website. Advertisement Google Lens imagery of the products links to other e-commerce sites with near-identical layouts as well as online marketplace Temu. The store owners have been contacted for comment via the stores support email. The events at Bondi were senseless and despicable. Exploiting the grief and suffering of our community to turn a profit is abhorrent. Acting Fair Trading Minister Jihad Dib A spokesperson for NSW Fair Trading confirmed it was attempting to have the site taken down after being contacted by this masthead. We take very seriously allegations that traders are seeking to exploit vulnerable members of the community by engaging in conduct that takes advantage of consumers sympathies towards those connected with the tragic terrorist attack at Bondi, the spokesperson said. Advertisement Misleading or deceptive conduct in trade or commerce about an alleged association with a local community or incident, such as the Bondi Beach attack, may amount to civil and criminal contraventions of the Australian Consumer Law. Acting Fair Trading Minister Jihad Dib has condemned attempts to manipulate and deceive consumers after the tragedy. Steven Siewert Related Article Bondi shooting He died a hero: Daughters tribute to father killed in Bondi attack Acting Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Jihad Dib said the government condemned any attempts to manipulate and deceive consumers after this tragedy, and that Fair Trading intended to issue a public warning about the site. The allegations of fake websites claiming to represent victims of the Bondi terror attack are deeply disturbing, he said. Advertisement The events at Bondi were senseless and despicable. Exploiting the grief and suffering of our community to turn a profit is abhorrent especially at a time when so many small businesses in the area have been doing it tough. The consumer body warned the public to be on the lookout for ghost stores, illegitimate fundraisers and other deceptive conduct in the sale of goods or services linked to the Bondi attack. Cases can be reported to Scamwatch. Bondi Beach incident helplines: Bondi Beach Victim Services on 1800 411 822 Bondi Beach Public Information & Enquiry Centre on 1800 227 228 NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Lifeline on Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at kidshelpline.com.au Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Letters NationalVictoriaLetters Do we fear exposing an uncomfortable truth? January 9, 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: Alan Moir ROYAL COMMISSION Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to be dragged kicking and screaming to call a royal commission into the Bondi massacre of Jews in the face of vehement opposition (PM bows to pressure on Bondi royal commission, 9/1). Why is an inquiry into antisemitism met with such resistance? Perhaps its opponents fear that it would expose an uncomfortable truth: that beneath the purported respectability of the pro-Palestinian movement lies the persistence of our latent cultural antipathy towards Jews. Yet, people continue to falsely deny that antisemitism exists. The disclosure of incontrovertible evidence of the truth defeated Holocaust denial. Antisemitism denial needs the same treatment. Bruce King, Malvern East An ultimately futile exercise By the time its completed, the royal commission replacing immediate, potentially effective inquiries will be just so much yada, yada to the majority of Australians. In the meantime, its progress will unnecessarily create further conflict around Australias Jewish community as witnesses are dragged through an ultimately futile exercise in seeking understanding and retribution. The end result, if any, will be a further diminution of the Australian values we supposedly treasure. Leon Burgher, Stony Creek Advertisement Leadership that listens Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses decision to reverse course and establish a royal commission into the Bondi shootings reflects the value of leadership that listens. Responding to widespread public concern about how this tragedy tore at Australias social fabric of peaceful multicultural coexistence was not a sign of weakness, but of democratic responsiveness. In an era marked by global instability, social division and relentless bad news, Albaneses willingness to adapt his position and assume responsibility offers a measure of reassurance. Flexibility in leadership should invite both scrutiny and respect, but it is preferable to stubbornness that ignores the electorates concerns. Joseph Ting, Carina, Queensland Cracking down on those who spread hate It is sad to see the prime minister cave in to pressure from some communities to call for a royal commission into antisemitism. His stance up to now has been one that has tried to avoid further division in the community. Perhaps his hesitancy comes from the fact that the commission may reflect government failures or that it may be politically damaging and very expensive. However, now that the decision has been made, hopefully it will expose the truth where normal processes have failed. The royal commission can crack down on those who spread hate and radicalisation in our community and combat its harmful consequences. The aim is to make Australia a place of freedom and peace for all. Julie Ottobre, Brunswick East Getting to the nub of it Deep down, the prime minister knows that the only politician who willingly agrees to call a royal commission is the one who knows what the findings will be. Jim Lamborn, Templestowe THE FORUM BOM site On the first catastrophic fire day in a long time (Theres no chance of controlling this fire, 9/1), theres no mention of a Total Fire Ban on either the Bureau Of Meteorology website or app for Victoria. Instead, theres a Fire Weather Warning, which I dont think is the same. At least, that is not what the public are accustomed to. Another failure on the BOMs part, or from the authorities who decide on the warning language. We need clear language in times of emergency. Antoinette Borg, Eltham Advertisement Solar comfort As incredible temperatures and firestorms destroy so much in just one day, thank God for solar panels and batteries. Transmission systems (poles and wires) get caught in the fury. The best and easiest way to address this most ghastly impact of climate change is through widespread take-up of solar panels and batteries. There is nothing better than the feeling of being in control of your own energy system when things go pear-shaped in the grid. And we need more solar panels and batteries because this is what is meant when we ask governments to take action to address climate change. Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury Droning on If we ever get a nuclear submarine, it will be obsolete because of drones. If the money saved was spent on a fleet of fire-fighting aircraft ... if only. Noel McKinnon, Frankston South Lose the faiths During my secondary schooling at Northcote High from 1959 to 1964, I remember boys such as Henry, Alex, Leon, Morris, John, James and Neville in my year group. It was only decades later that I realised these boys represented a wide range of religious faiths Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox. At the time, those differences were largely irrelevant. As a royal commission into antisemitism is proposed, it may be worth examining whether the proliferation of single-faith schools is fostering a them and us mentality within our community. Perhaps it is time to reconsider the value of one inclusive education system that brings Australians together. Kevin Brown, Moonlight Flat Religion revelation I feel for the whole Middle East. For hundreds, if not thousands, of years, the inhabitants have never been able to get along. Religion (a man-made construct) then came along and ensured an eternity of conflict. That humans need religion at all is sad. Cant we just exist? Frank Flynn, Cape Paterson Put aside politics It is generally agreed that social division along the lines of religion or ethnicity is to be abhorred, especially in the wake of the Bondi massacre. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley criticised the PM when he was against holding a royal commission into Bondi and is criticising him still now that he has decided to hold one (PM bows to pressure on Bondi royal commission, 9/1). Josh Frydenberg was able to prioritise the need to have a royal commission rather than point score against Labor. The Zionist Federation of Australia was able to praise the inquirys terms of reference. The inquiry is supported by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. There is a time to be statesperson-like and put aside party politics. We must remember the enemy is terrorism. Now is such a time if we truly want social cohesion. Jan Marshall, Brighton Advertisement Speaking freely Natassia Chrysanthos highlights the challenges facing Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell including the way our society balances free speech and discrimination (Opinion, 9/1). That balance is extremely complex. For instance, writer Tammy Reznik freely expresses her view that anti-Zionism must be named honestly. In her eyes, that name is antisemitism (Opinion, 9/1). Meanwhile, Palestinian-Australian writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has been cancelled by the Adelaide Writers Week, a decision she describes as censorship (Writer pulled from festival over cultural sensitivity, 9/1). Debates about free speech will continue long after the royal commission has ended. Rod Wise, Surrey Hills Dramatic irony Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah has written a book on the pitfalls of expressing ones opinion and clinging to beliefs. With great irony, the Adelaide Festival board has chosen to ban her from Writers Week. Graeme Gardner, Reservoir Disappointed, delighted Hard to find the words to express my disappointment at the boards decision to cancel Randa Abdul-Fattah this smacks of censorship and anti-Palestinian racism. On the other hand, I delight in knowing some of my favourite writers and social commentators Amy Remekis, Jane Caro, Hannah Kent, Fiona Katauskus and Robbie Arnott along with The Australia Institute have withdrawn from the event. Happy to host them at all my place instead. Sharon Gardner-Drummond, Blackburn South Seeing is believing US President Donald Trumps text description of the incident in Minneapolis describes an ICE officer actually run over and so injured that it is a wonder he is still alive (Mother killed in Trump crackdown, 9/1). Most, if not all of us, have seen the video. Has anyone seen an officer laying on the ground as a car goes over him? Has anyone seen an agent so injured that he is not able to walk around freely? Trump sees things of the highest level. He sees world events and acts on what he sees, or should I say thinks he sees. Given his version of the events in Minneapolis and given he could become involved in war because of his interpretation of what he sees, am I scared? You bet! Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir Whats next? Where to next for America with Donald Trump seeming to legitimise the killing of Renee Good by his ICE agents because she was very disorderly and a professional agitator. David Brophy, Beaumaris History repeats Could someone with a very loud voice remind American voters what happens when their president uses military force to invade a country like Greenland or threatens a proud country like Canada with its history of resisting American invasions? There is a precedent that I witnessed as a Canadian. Canada took no official part in the Vietnam War (1954-75) and Canada welcomed Americans who refused to fight in it. In the summer of 1972, I travelled down to Boston to university. I bought one of the local newspapers, and it was full, page after page, column after column with the names of dead American servicemen. In all, more than 58,000 Americans were slain. And now it seems Trump threatens a repeat. Mike Steer, Heidelberg Advertisement Related Article Note From The Editor How The Age chooses which letters to publish Residents failed The plight of the residents of Aruma homes is another manifestation of a NDIS system not fit for purpose (Disability homes on brink of collapse, 8/1). If the purpose is to provide effective care at a sustainable cost, the government has failed again. Any government function that is provided by subsidised service providers requires providers to maintain a certain standard but also make a profit. A single service can be covered by numerous providers thereby adding a multiplier effect in terms of overheads and profit. These services should be provided by the government. Stephen Farrelly, Donvale Timely reminder Your correspondent (Letters 9/1) says privatisation of public transport has worked due to no strikes and cleaner trains. In my experience, there has been no improvement and the lack of strikes cannot necessarily be related to privatisation, but rather to a change in industrial relations. In the 1950s, I used to get off the Elizabeth Street tram, and if I had 13 seconds, I knew I could catch the 3.45pm Frankston train it always left on the advertised second. In recent years, I cant remember a train leaving on time. Laurie Comerford, Chelsea The good old days It is sad that your correspondent (Letters 9/1) is too young to remember public transport in the 1950s when all suburban stations were staffed and smartly uniformed staff took your ticket at the gate. Carriages were clean and well-maintained. Its sad, also, that the decline in public services and the eruption of strikes was a political problem that was not properly addressed, creating an opening for Jeff Kennett. Don Jordan, Mt Waverley Love letter In a world full of hate, I read Adam Zwars heartbreaking letter to his late wife (Sweetheart, if theres an eternity, I will be looking for you, 9/1). His father told him: When you know, you know. My late husband proposed after three weeks, and I told him it was too soon and to ask me again next week. He did. Myra Fisher, Brighton East Advertisement What would Bowie do? Ten years ago today (January 10), David Bowie died. Brexit was months away, Donald Trump seemed unlikely, and we thought we understood how democracy worked. We were wrong. As I reflected, three songs kept rising to the surface: Five Years, Im Afraid of Americans, and Fantastic Voyage. Why? Because theyre field notes from a future were now living in. Five Years detonates denial about running out of time. Im Afraid of Americans diagnosed authoritarianism. With Trump returning to power, were living those warnings. Fantastic Voyage asks the hardest question: can we resist becoming what we hate? The real battleground in 2026 isnt just politics or economics. Its character. So what would Bowie do? Hed tell us to stop begging rigged systems to be fair. Build power instead. Change the frame from the inside. Sue Barrett, Caulfield South AND ANOTHER THING ... Bushfires Look no further than CFA volunteers for the true heroes in Victoria. Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South As south-east Australia swelters and bushfires rage, Im reminded of the Nationals irresponsible decision to abandon net zero and the people they purport to represent. Jan Storey, Beaumaris CFA crews at the Longwood fire. Jason South Advertisement Is there anyone left who can hold a hose during this awful time in Victoria? Heather Frith, Essendon Royal commission Anthony Albanese needs to answer two questions: When did he change his mind about holding a royal commission, and why? Tony OBrien, South Melbourne After the Bondi massacre royal commission, lets have a royal commission into why the 1991 Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commission has made little or no difference. Bernd Rieve, Brighton The electorate rejected Josh Frydenberg; the media, regrettably, did not. Catherine Ross, Sandringham Trump Perhaps Greenland could become Donmark? Is Don, is US, is not so good. Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor Advertisement Advertisement Finally Re Letters 9/1: Melbourne drivers practise their bad habits when pushing trolleys in supermarkets. Margaret Ward, Sorrento The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here. 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. Advertisement NationalVictoriaBushfires Dry thunderbolts in the night set the hair on end Tony Wright January 9, 2026 11:54am 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 bushfire blog for the latest updates A fusillade of lightning and the detonation of thunder arrived in Portland at precisely midnight. We hoped it was not the presage to a day of catastrophe for Victoria, but it set the hair on end and felt like the coming of a day of judgment. A bolt of lightning over Portland, south-west Victoria, during a massive dry electrical storm just after midnight Friday. Anne McCurdy The dry storm lasted more than an hour-and-a-half in this far south-west corner of Victoria. We stood on the verandah, scanning the dark for a sign that one of those hundreds of lightning strikes had ignited the forest beyond the horizon or grassland nearby. Advertisement Related Article Updated Victoria bushfires Three missing including child, dozens of homes lost as fires continue to rage We were lucky. No flame rose into the night. Not here. Not yet. We were a long way from the active disasters and impending catastrophe in Victorias Strathbogie Ranges and beyond, and in the north-east near Walwa. But friends at Mansfield were siphoning water from their dam and priming their generator to defend their home if the worst were to happen, and theyd taken in friends who had been evacuated from the spreading area of the Longwood fire, a restless night ahead of them. We were in touch by text message, hoping for the best, fearing worse. It seemed almost surreal these friends had been with us on holiday in our safe pocket by the sea only a couple of days ago. Advertisement The explosions of thunder and the bolts of lightning some of them almost simultaneous, known with perfect accuracy as thunderbolts brought home the reality that the worst fear of Victorians, uncontrollable bushfire, was only a flash away on a hot night. Tongues of dry lightning light up the beach at Portland soon after midnight Friday.. Kevin Taplin We sat out by the coast near Portland, about half an hour from the South Australian border. The midnight storm came in a long line of thunderbolts from across the border, lighting up the sky in south-east South Australia, itself a dangerous fire zone when the conditions turn malicious. North of us, at Dunkeld, Strathdownie, Apsley and Horsham, paddocks ignited at the touch of lightning flashes. Local firefighting volunteers, on anxious alert all night, were on to all these small outbreaks within minutes and had the flames extinguished before they could race off across the landscape. Advertisement The thunder grumbled off across our bay soon after 1.30am, though the lightning, dry and dangerous, could be seen for another half hour. Victorias day of trepidation was on the way. Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert. Advertisement NationalVictoriaBushfires Theres barely a blade of grass: A family-owned winery gone within an hour Grant McArthur Updated January 9, 2026 7:35pm ,first published 5:01pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A With the help of a CFA ute and a mate, Matt Fowles fought desperately to save his home and vineyard on Thursday, but now little remains. The Longwood fire hit the family-owned, award-winning Fowles Wines outside Avenel, north of Melbourne, at 9.15am on Thursday. Just 45 minutes later, it had left a moonscape of scorched vines, razed homes and dead sheep. Winemaker Matt Fowles says theres barely a blade of grass on his property that hasnt been burnt. Matt Fowles About 300 acres of vines have been destroyed, hundreds of sheep killed and Fowles uncles house, as well as those of neighbours, are gone. By 9.30am it rolled on and put pressure on the house and smoke, thick smoke and then by 9.45am the whole [property] was ablaze, Fowles said Friday morning. Advertisement Fowles managed to save his house, but his vines are gone. Matt Fowles My whole yard was alight, we only just saved the house. At another property about five kilometres down the road, we lost everything. We lost the house and four sheds. That was the house my uncle was living in, and he chose to leave the day before, which was obviously a very good thing to do. Im aware of two other houses that have been lost and, on my other boundary to the north, I know theres a house that was lost in there, which highlights how amazing it was that we managed to hang on to ours. By 10am on Thursday, a shocked Fowles began mopping up and assessing damage, and worked until midnight to protect whatever buildings remained, before winds increased again and he left 300 acres of scorched vines, 1500 acres of burnt grazing land and hundreds of dead sheep. I thought, Geez, I could be toast with whats coming, and it spooked me, so I got out of there, the winemaker said. Advertisement Its a moonscape. Theres barely a blade of grass. Yesterday was intense and Im in shock, I would say, if Im being realistic. I was pretty emotional this morning, and then now Im thinking about how to piece it all back together. Matt Fowles and wife Lu at his vineyard in 2024. His relief at saving his home was short-lived. When The Age checked in with him later on Friday, he said his house had now been lost. His crop, too, is completely gone for the year. At this stage, its definitely 100 per cent crop failure for this vintage, and all the infrastructure around it all the drippers [for watering], all the posts are all burnt, burned to the ground. Advertisement Ive had hundreds of texts [from] mates in the wine industry and beyond, getting in touch and I have had several offers now saying they will send me some fruit. So the support has been absolutely amazing. Matts brother, independent MP Will Fowles, thanked the CFA and his friends and neighbours for their support. This is an incredibly challenging time for the communities of Avenel and Longwood, he told The Age. We are incredibly grateful for the bravery and generosity of the CFA volunteers as well as our neighbours and friends. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Bushfires Mansfield Grant McArthur is a senior reporter for The Age CARACAS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Communication and Information Minister Freddy Nanez said Friday that the country's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has no plan to travel abroad in the near future. "As a government, we are focused on the domestic agenda to guarantee our people their right to peace and stability," Nanez said on Telegram. Advertisement An out-of-control bushfire has demolished a central Victorian town, leaving three people missing, surrounded the popular tourist town of Alexandra and prompted evacuation warnings in Marysville on Friday night, as hundreds of firefighters battled two major fires and dozens of smaller blazes across the state. This week, authorities repeatedly warned of dire conditions the worst across Victoria since the 2019-20 Black Summer and by midday on Friday conditions were worse than expected, with at least 60 new fires burning across the state, fuelled by extreme heat and dry conditions. Dozens of homes have been lost. Wyatt Moncrieff at their property near Longwood East. The fire came right to their back door, and their neighbours house burnt down. Jason South Fire grounds baked in extreme heat, bushfires generating their own lightning, strong winds threatening to keep firefighting aircraft grounded, and the 8pm weather change the most dangerous part of fighting a bushfire brought more danger in central Victoria. Temperatures plummeted 15 degrees with the change, but the few hours that followed the wind change over fire grounds would be crucial, senior meteorologist Angus Hines said. Advertisement Related Article Bushfires Victoria bushfires as it happened: Longwood fire destroys homes in Ruffy; warnings for towns including Alexandra, Yea, Marysville and Harcourt; widespread power outages amid heatwave temperatures Those fires start to blow in a new path, and also, because those wind changes can be really quite blustery and gusty and not really consistent, it can really make for quite erratic fire behaviour, Hines said. The first half of the day tomorrow will be a pretty key time to see if those fires do flare up again, or if theyre able to be a little bit more contained than they were today. Winds were expected to drop off overnight after a day of gusts up to 100km/h. Overall, that will act to suppress the fire danger across the state from overnight tonight into the weekend, but in the short term the next few hours, as that wind changes, and that wind surges quite strongly for a couple of hours its continuing to be really challenging, Hines said. Advertisement By Saturday, winds would be calmer in Victorias north, but still blustery across the states south, and drop to between 30km/h and 50km/h (compared with between 60km/h and 80km/h on Friday). Sunday would be calmer still, Hines said. Crews will start taking stock of the damage across Victoria at first light on Saturday, after state response controller Alistair Drayton was faced on Friday with the most emergency warnings he has seen in years. Smoke surrounds the town of Alexandra on Friday. Luis Enrique Ascui It being a catastrophic day, it would be really negligent of us to do what we would normally do on a normal fire, which is to go in immediately with impact assessment crews to understand losses, Drayton said. Firefighters spent much of Friday battling two huge blazes in the states centre and north-east, before strong winds and high temperatures in the afternoon ignited fast-moving grassfires across the state. Advertisement At 8pm, the states online bushfire dashboard was a sea of red alerts, with evacuation orders issued for towns including Harcourt, south of Bendigo, Skipton in western Victoria, as well as Kinglake and Marysville, which were devastated during the 2009 Black Saturday fires. Fires ripped through buildings in Harcourt, but the full extent of the damage wont be known until the blaze is brought under control. Footage of a drive through the small town revealed a mess of twisted metal and charred debris, with some fires still actively burning in the rear of businesses. Loading Of the two major blazes, it was the massive Longwood fire, sparked on Thursday, that was at the centre of firefighters worries. By Friday night, the Longwood fire covered 145,249 hectares, with an 182-kilometre edge that was marching steadily south-east towards larger centres, including Yea and Alexandra. On Friday night, fires surrounded Alexandra, with crews fighting desperately to save the town. Premier Jacinta Allans community was among those evacuated. Advertisement On Friday morning, reports emerged from the tiny hamlet of Ruffy, which lay directly in the fires path. At least 10 homes were destroyed there, along with the community centre and telephone exchange. A firefighter suffered third-degree burns and was taken to hospital. The true toll there will only be known when it is safe enough to get fire crews in to the town. Rising smoke over the Yea RSL on Friday. Eddie Jim It looks like an atomic bomb has gone off, local CFA captain George Noye told ABC Radio. [Im] just down the main street at the moment, weve lost the old school, the old Ruffy produce store is gone, three houses on the main street. Weve lost countless homes across the area. Ten of my firefighters that I know of have lost homes. The destroyed former school had been converted to a community centre; Ruffy does not have a school. An aerial view of a property destroyed in Ruffy. Nine News Advertisement Just to Ruffys north, in Longwood East, authorities were mounting a search for three people two adults and a child who had earlier been urged to leave. When firefighters later returned to the same address, the house had been destroyed. In nearby Tarcombe, an unconfirmed story emerged of an animal-carer sheltering in a dam with six joeys as fire consumed her property. In the Yarra Valley town of Marysville, the air was thick with smoke and ash coated the streets. By Friday night, most people had left the area, which usually attracts tourists heading to Lake Mountain Alpine Resort. But in the local Duck Inn pub, owner Hong Yoo stayed put, along with a couple of regulars. An emergency warning urging residents to leave immediately was issued about 5.15pm on Friday. I cant see anyone in the town, but theres two people in the pub with me, checking the news, Hong said, as the regulars chatted in the background. Its just smoky. We are very lucky no wind, the temperatures a bit down. Honestly, if something happens, I can go to the community centre. Scenes from the Longwood fire. Jason South Advertisement Elsewhere, survivors brought stories of scorched moonscapes, razed houses and dead sheep. As the Longwood fire advanced, updated modelling suggested strong winds could push the fire towards the towns of Yea and Alexandra, which attracts summer holidaymakers and campers. By 2pm on Friday, locals were told to stop using water until absolutely necessary as firefighters needed the pressure for their hoses. By 5pm, maps released by authorities suggested the fire was lapping at the edges of Yea and had overrun the nearby hamlets of Molesworth (population 91) and Yarck (population 194). In Yea, just west of Alexandra, the only sound was the roar of fire trucks beneath the orange sky choked with thick, grey smoke. Every shop was shuttered except service stations and a supermarket, which have stayed open for the fire crews battling blazes in areas surrounding the historic town. Firefighters battle the Longwood fire overnight on Thursday. Facebook Advertisement Most residents had left the town, but Paul Heyen stayed behind to protect the house he has lived in for more than 40 years. Heyen, who trained as a volunteer firefighter in Tasmania, filled his yard with buckets of water and has a battery-operated hose ready to put out any embers that could land on his home. Dozens of people have sought shelter from the fires in the regional centre of Seymour, on the fires eastern edge. Weve got people sleeping in the basketball stadium. There are pets everywhere, said Claire Ewart-Kennedy, Deputy Mayor of Strathbogie Shire. Its pretty confronting. As she spoke, the regions mayor was fighting fires at his property. This is catastrophic. There are three people missing. Weve lost significant livestock, property and god knows what else in Ruffy and Longwood, Ewart-Kennedy said. This is beyond serious. Ive never felt so helpless and scared of whats still to come. Further north, a second major blaze covered 100,721 hectares near Walwa, near Albury-Wodonga. A fire crew battles a blaze in Longwood on Friday. AAP Advertisement The fire tore through bushland and pine plantations on Thursday before emerging on Friday and running south-east towards Corryong. Firefighters were fearful of a weather change forecast for Friday night, which was expected to push the fire east onto the town. On Friday afternoon, firefighters were urging locals to leave immediately. Cheryl Winter, owner of the Corryong Courthouse Hotel, said she planned to stay and recently picked up a generator from Albury to keep the towns top pub running.Well keep the air-cons and the beer tap going for anyone who needs to get in from the heat, she said. Weather changes are among the most-dangerous part of fighting a fire as they can turn a blazes flank into a long fire front. The cool change that swept through Melbourne about 5pm was not expected to hit the fire-affected regions until well into the night. Paul Heyen hoses down his Yea home as fire advanced on the town on Friday. Eddie Jim Advertisement Longwood reached a top of 41.3 degrees, with wind gusts of up to 60km/h forecast across the afternoon. Near Walwa, it reached 37.3 degrees, with gusts approaching 40km/h. In Natimuk, in Victorias west, at least five homes have been lost in a fire. More than 75,000 houses are without power across Victoria, as major electricity supply companies continue to grapple with dynamic fire conditions. The State Emergency Service has fielded 539 calls for help across Victoria since midnight on Friday 420 of them for fallen trees. Damaging winds are only expected to get worse this evening following a wind change, but a 112km/h gust was recorded at Mount Gellibrand, in the states south-west, about 1.20pm. Enormous plumes of smoke above the Walwa bushfire. VicEmergency Advertisement In the heat of the afternoon, people in Skipton just east of Ballarat and Horsham were hit with sudden emergency warnings after fast-moving grassfires broke out and raced towards the towns. Across the state, dozens of roads remain closed. The CFA will be working for weeks to extinguish the fires and make them safe, while there are months of work ahead for complete recovery after the fires. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. Advertisement NationalWAWater safety I thought the worst had happened: WA mums pool nightmare sparks summer warning Andrew Du January 9, 2026 9:30pm 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 West Australian mother Sysy ONeil thought her daughter was dead when she pulled her from the family pool, unconscious, not breathing and with foam around her mouth. Two-year-old Giselle lay limp in her mothers arms. Giselle ONeil was saved from drowning in the family pool by her sister, with her parents performing CPR until paramedics arrived. I had this child that was lifeless, ONeil said. She wasnt responsive at all. I obviously thought the worst had happened. Advertisement Moments earlier, Giselle had been playing in the pool at their Hamersley home with her sister, searching for dive toys. Then everything went quiet. Her seven-year-old sister Mia spotted Giselle face-down in the water and pulled her out, screaming for help. Mia called out to me and said, mummy, Giselle is frozen, ONeil said. She immediately began CPR, following instructions from a triple-zero operator while waiting for paramedics. After several agonising minutes, Giselle began breathing again. She was rushed to Perth Childrens Hospital, spending the night in intensive care before being discharged the following day with no lasting injuries. Advertisement It could have been a very different Christmas, ONeil said. Editor's pick Exclusive Infrastructure WACA pool to cost taxpayers $840k as Labor pins profit hope on waterslide cash splash Summers hidden danger While Giselles story ended in relief, experts warn many families arent as lucky. Data obtained by 9News Perth ahead of the release of a report by Kidsafe WA reveals 4813 children were treated for injuries at Perth Childrens Hospitals emergency department between December 2024 and January 2025. Advertisement It equates to almost one in four of all child injury presentations for the entire year, packed into just two summer months. Kidsafe WA chief executive Scott Phillips said warmer weather brought heightened risks. About a quarter of all injuries for the year happen during summer, he said. The most common injuries were falls, accounting for 1721 cases, followed by blunt force injuries such as knocks and collisions, with 1092 cases. The hospital also treated children for bike-related injuries with 118 cases, and bites and stings, totalling 181. Advertisement But drowning remains the most dangerous threat. Of the 24 child drowning emergencies recorded across the year, 19 occurred during summer. Experts say drowning often happens silently in backyard pools and familiar places and can take just seconds. Our supervision, we just need to be vigilant, Phillips said. Make sure young children are watched constantly. They dont always make good decisions around water. Advertisement For ONeil, CPR training made the difference. Editor's pick Skincare Dozens of sunscreens have been recalled, most of them mineral. What does this mean? The one time I really needed it in my 38 years of life, it literally saved my child, she said. Her husband Ronald said no parent expected to use those skills until they have to. No one wants to give CPR to their own child, he said. Advertisement But knowing how to do it and staying calm saved her life. The family credits older sister Mia for saving Giselles life, as she was the first to notice something was wrong. We were lucky but the luck was driven by our heroic little daughter, Mia, pulling her sister from the water, and by my wife staying calm and knowing what to, Ronald said. Now at home, Giselles family hopes sharing their story prevents another tragedy. Inside CES 2026: Giant TVs, robots unveiled in Las Vegas From robots to giant TVs, technology expert Trevor Long reveals the latest household gadgets being unveiled at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Trevor Long travelled to Las Vegas with support from Hisense, LG, Reolink, LEGO and Samsung. WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said a deal will be made for the United States to acquire Greenland in an "easy way" or "hard way." "I would like to make a deal the easy way but if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way," the U.S. president told reporters at an event at the White House, adding that he was "going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not." Asked about a media report that the White House was considering paying Greenlanders for their agreement to join the United States, Trump said, "I'm not talking about money for Greenland yet." Danish Ambassador to the United States Jesper Moller Sorensen and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's head of representation to the United States, met with White House officials on Thursday, U.S. media reported. On Tuesday, the White House issued a statement saying that "utilizing the U.S. military" is always an option for Trump over his demand for Greenland. Both Greenland and Denmark have made clear the island is not for sale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday 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." Denmark is a member of both NATO and the European Union. AI takes delivery of first Dreamliner after privatisation NEW DELHI : TATA Group-owned Air India has taken delivery of the first Boeing 787-9 aircraft after the airline was privatised nearly four years ago. This is also the first line fit or custom-made Dreamliner for the airline. Generally, line fit refers to an aircraft specifically made for a particular airline. An official on Thursday said Air India completed the title transfer of the Dreamliner at the Boeings Everett factory in Seattle on January 7. After inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft, also the first line fit Dreamliner to be taken by Air India after being acquired by Tatas in January 2022, is expected to arrive in India in the next few days. The new aircraft has a three class configuration -- economy, premium economy and business class seats. The last line fit Dreamliner that was acquired by Air India was in October 2017 when the carrier was under the Government ownership. According to the official, the latest aircraft is the airlines first wide-body and 52nd overall delivery from the 220 Boeing jets ordered in 2023. Air India Express has already taken delivery of 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8s, including its first line fit plane that was inducted in late December. After Tatas took over in January 2022, Air India placed orders for 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing planes. Out of the Airbus order, 6 A350s have already been inducted into the Air India fleet. Air India already has 26 B787-8s and 6 B787-9s of erstwhile Vistara which was merged with the airline. Currently, Air India Group has over 300 planes, including 185 aircraft with Air India and the remaining ones with Air India Express. The official said a dozen more legacy Dreamliners with refreshed interiors are expected to return to service through 2026. In November last year, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026. GENEVA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday that Jan. 9 marked 1,000 days since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, warning that the scale of suffering was staggering, with more than 21 million people currently estimated to be acutely food insecure. Laerke said here at a regular press briefing that nearly 34 million people in Sudan now require humanitarian assistance, while the entire region continues to suffer from the spillover of the crisis. He stressed that Sudan is facing the largest displacement crisis in the world. "9.3 million people are uprooted inside the country and more than 4.3 million have fled across borders, placing immense strain on neighbouring countries," he said. According to OCHA, famine has been confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli, and at least 20 other areas remain at risk. "More than 21 million people are currently estimated to be acutely food insecure across the country," Laerke said. Women and girls are bearing the heaviest burden of the crisis, he added. "Female-headed households are now three times more likely to be food insecure -- three-quarters of these households report not having enough to eat," he said, noting that hunger is becoming increasingly gendered. Laerke said that the United Nations is urging real steps toward a lasting peace, as well as for strict adherence to international humanitarian law. AISECT Publication to participate in New Delhi World Book Fair Staff Reporter : THE National Book Trust (NBT), New Delhi, is organising the World Book Fair at Bharat Mandapam (Pragati Maidan), New Delhi, from January 10 to 18. VishwarangAISECT Publication is actively participating in this prestigious event. In connection with this, Santosh Choubey formally launched a poster for the World Book Fair and a folder for AISECT Publication, which highlights AISECTs literary activities and its journey in publishing. Maheep Nigam, Senior Manager of AISECT Publication, informed that more than 600 books, monographs, and magazines related to computer science, literature, art, culture, folk tradition, health, yoga, skill development, science, and childrens literature will be displayed at the fair. Additionally, books written by overseas Indian authors will be specially showcased, which are expected to be a major attraction for readers. On this occasion, AISECT Publication will also exhibit more than 100 new book titles. The AISECT Publication stall will be located at Stall No. N-2 in Hall No. 2, where literary discussions and brainstorming sessions will also take place. Speaking on the occasion, Santosh Choubey, Director of Vishwarang and Senior Author, said, The World Book Fair is a powerful platform for dialogue between authors, readers, and publishers. It facilitates the exchange of ideas and provides an introduction to diverse streams of literature. AISECT Publication is consistently committed to bringing highquality, contemporary literature related to social concerns to its readers. Bull in china shop SO, UNITED States President Mr. Donald Trump has no intentions of attacking Greenland and seize the place, but buy it, if we are to believe US Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio. Mr. Trump is a kind man -- unwilling to hurt anybody, and he is also willing to accommodate everybody -- including Mr. Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan President whom the US forces captured and deposited him in an American court on drug charges. The people of Greenland -- and also of Denmark under whose sovereign control the place is an autonomous region -- do not understand Mr. Trumps kind gesture and they stand out in the streets displaying placards stating that Greenland is not up for sale. Danish establishment, too, is getting ready to oppose any American move as regards Greenland -- not realising how kind-hearted Mr. Donald Trump is and how accommodative the US is of the needs of its friend-members of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Danish people -- as also some other NATO member-nations -- fail to understand that what dominates Mr. Trumps heart is extreme empathy for his NATO allies and he is trying to usurp Greenland only out of that empathy. Jokes apart, factually, the US -- and of course Mr. Trump -- is acting like a bull in China shop, spreading devastation, demolishing the current international order, spewing venom, threatening everybody, brandishing American power ... ! In the process, the US is refusing to pay attention to the words of caution uttered by its friends -- that NATO would be finished if Mr. Trump tries to usurp Greenland. If the US really swoops on Greenland, NATO would be finished and the world would get pushed to the brink of a possible world war. Stakes, thus, are disastrous, to say the least. But the US does not seem even aware of the intrinsic risks and dangers that his moves would entail in the end. It is least worried about NATOs existence. It is not concerned about the warning issued by Russia; It is least concerned about the new world order after the US really acquires control of Greenland in whatever manner. It wants Greenland, and it will rest only after it is in Washingtons control. It is least bothered if NATO would survive that American move or not. For the present, the US has only one concern -- cornering the worlds best resources and storing the materials in safe places for future use. At this juncture, India did say that safety of nations should have top priority. But it is not the American habit to listen to such words of wisdom. It makes a decision, and then starts moving in the direction of its choice. That is what is going to happen in Greenland, and that is what is going to happen in Cuba -- possibly later in Iran. The bull has moved into a China shop, and is smashing everything down. Though the world has seen many confrontations in the past few decades after the World War II, the current situation has had no parallel. Even though the US was often criticised by the world as a bully, the current posturing of President Mr. Trump has no precedence. The world, therefore, will have to work extra hard to find an appropriate response to the American vandalism. For, when logic fails, the world will require another approach -- which may not be too different from the language of armed conflict. If the world really gets pushed to that point, then nobody would ever be able to predict what would be in store for humanity. Had the Americans known such a possibility, they might not have voted for Mr. Trump for a repeat term. Of course, one would love to trust the worlds collective wisdom to pave a way out of this crisis. If the Big Daddy is acting stupid, others will have to start taking cautious steps so that they together can restrict his hooliganism. There is no doubt, however, that the Russia-Ukraine or the Middle-East crises appear to have paled in significance the moment the Trump-driven crisis of dangerous one-upmanship raised its ugly head -- giving the world a lot of work to do. CG Waqf Board Chairman Dr Raj meets Minister Kiren Rijiju Staff Reporter : CHAIRMAN of Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board Dr Salim Raj paid a courtesy visit to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi. During the meeting detailed discussions were held on protection of Waqf properties and issues related to skill development of Muslim youth. While interacting with Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Dr Salim Raj briefed about matters related to the Waqf Board. He said that the Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board has completed the process of uploading details of Waqf properties on the Umeed Portal and so far more than 95 per cent of the properties are registered on the portal. He further said that this initiative will ensure transparent management of Waqf properties and help society gain greater benefits from these properties. During the meeting, the need for coordination at both Central and State levels for the protection, development and better utilisation of Waqf properties was also discussed. In addition, the Union Minister Kiren Rijiju agreed to the proposal of establishing training centres for skill development of Muslim youth. Champion of Western Ghats conservation Eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgilpasses away at 83 PUNE : NOTED ecologist Madhav Gadgil, known for his work on the conservation of Western Ghats, has passed away in Pune after a brief illness, family sources said on Thursday. He was 83. Gadgil breathed his last late Wednesday night at a hospital in Pune, the sources said. He played a pioneering role in shaping Indias ecological research and conservation policy. Gadgil was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), popularly known as the Gadgil Commission. In 2024, the United Nations presented Gadgil with the annual Champions of the Earth award, the UNs highest environmental honour, for his seminal work on the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot. He had chaired the Government-constituted Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel to study the impact of population pressure, climate change, and development activities on the ecologically fragile region in India. In 2010, Gadgil was appointed chairman of the panel, which submitted a landmark report recommending that a significant portion of the Western Ghats be designated as ecologically sensitive. While the report triggered intense debate, it is widely regarded as a milestone in Indias environmental discourse. Born in Pune on May 24, 1942, Gadgil hailed from an illustrious academic family. His father, Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, was a noted economist and former director of the Gokhale Institute. Madhav Gadgil graduated in biology from Fergusson College in 1963 and completed his masters degree in zoology from the University of Mumbai in 1965. He went on to pursue a PhD from Harvard University in 1969, where he worked on mathematical ecology and animal behaviour. After returning to India in 1971, Gadgil joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1973. During his tenure at IISc, he established key institutions, including the Centre for Ecological Sciences and the Centre for Theoretical Studies, laying the foundation for modern ecological research in the country. He retired from IISc in 2004 and later continued his academic engagement with the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune and the University of Goa. Gadgil served on several high-level national and international bodies, including the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, the National Advisory Council, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority. A prolific researcher and writer, Gadgil authored or co-authored several influential books, including This Fissured Land and Ecology and Equity, and published over 250 scientific papers. He was also a regular columnist, writing extensively in English and Marathi to popularise ecological awareness. Gadgils contributions earned him numerous national and international honours, including the Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2006), Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Volvo Environment Prize, and Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. His last rites were performed on Thursday itself. Kerala CM, Opposition leader condole death of ecologist Madhav Gadgil: CHIEF Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan on Thursday paid tributes to noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil following his death, recalling his contributions to environmental protection. Through his teachings and research, Gadgil made significant contributions to discussions on environmental protection, the CM said. His views have been discussed at different levels in debates on development and the environment, Vijayan added. The central points of his philosophy were human-centred environmental protection and management, balanced development, and decentralised governance. He constantly emphasised that the countrys natural wealth must be preserved for future generations. He faced criticism with equanimity and scientific awareness, the Opposition leader Satheesan said in a statement issued by his office. Directives issued for regular inspection of water supply, pipelines Staff Reporter : DRINKING water supply, its quality, and the condition of pipelines are under heightened scrutiny in the wake of the recent Indore tragedy, which has triggered serious allegations regarding contaminated water supply and neglected pipelines. With similar concerns being raised about drinking water systems and ageing pipelines in the Bhopal division, the administration has moved to tighten monitoring and accountability across the division. Against this backdrop, Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Singh on Thursday conducted a detailed review of drinking water arrangements through video conferencing with officials from all districts of the division. The review covered both rural and urban areas, with emphasis on preventing incidents linked to poor water quality or faulty supply lines. Daily testing of drinking water: Singh directed district CEOs, Chief Municipal Officers, and concerned officials to ensure daily testing of drinking water, making it clear that negligence in water quality monitoring will not be tolerated. He instructed that all complaints related to drinking water received on the CM Helpline must be resolved immediately, stressing that delays could lead to serious public health consequences, as seen in Indore. Taking serious note of old and deteriorating pipelines, the Commissioner instructed officials of Rajgarh, Sehore, Vidisha, and Raisen districts to conduct immediate surveys of old water supply lines. He said that wherever repair or replacement is required, corrective action must be taken without delay. In light of allegations emerging from Bhopal regarding water contamination and pipeline issues, he emphasised proactive inspection rather than reactive measures. Water treatment plants be tested regularly: Singh also directed that all water treatment plants be tested regularly in co-ordination with urban local bodies and that their functioning be closely monitored. Reviewing the work of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, he instructed district CEOs to mandatorily inspect drinking water systems during field visits. Testing of hand pump water sources and regular cleaning of water tanks were also made mandatory. The Commissioner stated that in the next review meeting, officials must present precise data on water testing, supply systems, and available water sources. He also reviewed rural drinking water schemes and directed that Village Water and Sanitation Committees manage and monitor water distribution at the village level to ensure transparency and safety. Gauri Chandrayan passes away Staff Reporter : Gauri Chandrayan, Member of National Executive Body of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness. She was 67. She leaves behind husband Dilip Chandrayan, two sons Kapil, former Member of Vidarbha Statutory Development Board and an Economist and Ambarish and a host of relatives and friends to mourn the loss. Last rites were performed at Sahakar Nagar ghat. A condolence meeting was held in presence of Ravindra Bhusari, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; Ashok Trivedi, Grahak Panchayat and Vasantrao Pimpalapure, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. Gauri Chandrayan was the Member of the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited (MSEDCL), Nagpur Urban Zone and worked as a Judicial Member in District Consumer Redressal Forum, Nagpur. She was also a Member of Railway Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC), All India Grahak Panchayat and Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat, Nagpur. Gauri Chandrayan had a vast experience in the field of consumer rights and had been working towards the protection of consumer rights for many years. She played a key role in various consumer redressal forums and helped in solving many consumer complaints. She was a well-respected member of the consumer rights community and her work has been instrumental in safeguarding the rights of consumers. Chandrayan was also the Director of Purti Super Bazar and social worker. Influencer fined Rs 50K for filming reels inside Pune Mahanagar bus PUNE : PUNES civic-run bus corporation has fined social media influencer Atharv Sudame Rs 50,000 for filming reels inside one of its buses without permission. Sudame made reels inside a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited bus, which featured uniform, electronic ticketing machines and the civic undertakings badge without authorisation, an official said. The notice with the Rs 50,000 fine was slapped on Sudame after he failed to respond to the first one, sent on January 2, seeking his clarification within a one-week period, he added. The fine of Rs 50,000 was calculated at a rate of Rs 25,000 each for the two offending videos. If Sudame fails to deposit the fine, an offence will be registered against him under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act, the official informed. Such fines will serve as a deterrent against those using public transport for social media gains, said PMPML chairman-managing director Pankaj Deore. Not directed removal of every dog from streets, says SC NEW DELHI : THE Supreme Court on Thursday said it had not directed the removal of every dog from the streets and the directive was to treat these stray canines according to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. While hearing arguments in the stray dogs case, the apex court observed that a dog can smell people who are either afraid of them or have suffered a dog bite and they attack such persons. A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria was hearing the pleas including the ones filed by dog lovers seeking modification of its earlier orders and those for stringent compliance with the directives. We have not directed the removal of every dog from the streets. The direction is to treat them as per the rules, Justice Mehta observed. The bench heard submissions of a battery of lawyers including senior advocates C U Singh, Krishnan Venugopal, Dhruv Mehta, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Shyam Divan, Sidharth Luthra and Karuna Nundy. At the outset, senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, informed the bench that four states had filed their compliance affidavits in the matter on Wednesday. During his submissions, Singh said in places like Delhi, there is a rodent menace and the national capital also has a unique problem of monkeys. He said the abrupt removal of canines would lead to an increase in the rodent population, which has consequences. When the rodent population goes up, we have seen very disastrous consequences, he said. Justice Mehta observed, In a lighter vein, dogs and cats are enemies. Cats kill rodents. So we should promote more cats. Singh said they were not questioning the orders passed by the apex court and were only requesting the bench to revisit it only to modulate it. Let these dogs also be regulated in a manner that has proved to be the only efficacious manner, which is sterilisation, vaccination and re-release in the territory, he said. The bench said, Tell us how many dogs each hospital should have roaming around in the corridors, in wards, near patient beds? Singh said the top courts intention in the matter was unquestionable and it had noted how the ABC Rules and orders passed by the courts were not implemented. What alarmed your lordships and rightly so is the fact that despite the Animal Birth Control Rules being in force, despite court orders to implement it, your lordships found that in a large number of states and in several cities, they are not being implemented, he said. Venugopal said dogs cannot be in hospitals and till now, there has been no will to implement the statutory rules. He said there was no budgetary allocation to ensure the implementation of the rules. Another senior lawyer argued that a census and data on stray dogs were essential. When one of the advocates referred to the lack of infrastructure, including that of dog shelters, the bench said, We are all conscious of that. Please tell us, is this micro-chipping, which is mandatory for pet dogs, really happening? the bench asked. One of the lawyers said, In this country, it is not happening but can it happen, should it happen? In my respectful submission, the answer is yes. Another counsel referred to the stray dog menace in residential complexes and said public ways have to be kept safe. We are under no pressure. You are mistaken, Justice Nath observed, after the lawyer said the apex court was apparently under pressure. When one of the lawyers argued that one did not know if the dog would like him or not, Justice Nath observed, A dog can always smell a human who is afraid of dogs and who has suffered a dog bite and he will always attack. The counsel referred to a recent case where a pet dog was unleashed by a person on somebody else. Unintentionally also, if a pet goes and attacks a neighbour, that is an offence, the bench observed. Several lawyers also gave suggestions to deal with the issue. The hearing in the matter remained inconclusive and would continue on Friday. At the fag end of the hearing, Justice Mehta referred to a report published in the English daily Times of India on December 29, 2025 titled, On the roof of the world, feral dogs hunt down Ladakhs rare species. It said the lawyers should go through the report and come prepared on that on Friday. While hearing the arguments on Wednesday, the top court flagged the non-compliances of rules and directions by civic bodies and said people were dying not only due to dog bites alone in the country but also because of accidents caused by stray animals on roads. Taking note of the alarming rise in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex court on November 7 directed relocation of stray canines forthwith to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. It also said the stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back in the place they were picked up. It directed the authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from the state highways, national highways and expressways. The top court passed a slew of directions in the case over the stray dog matter. It is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 last year, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital. Pet dog bites caretaker, another inside CM House Staff Reporter : IN AN unusual incident at the Chief Ministers House in Bhopal, a pet dog attacked and bit the caretaker and the guard, leaving both injured. According to reports, the dog, which is kept as a pet inside the CM House premises, became aggressive for reasons that are still unclear. The situation was eventually brought under control after officials restrained the dog using a belt. The primary victim, the caretaker, was immediately taken to 1250 Hospital, where he received prompt medical attention. Doctors examined him and confirmed that he is in stable condition. Following the incident, the pet dog has been shifted to the Kajlikheda Dog Centre for observation and evaluation. Officials stated that the dog will be monitored carefully to ensure safety before any further decisions regarding its return to the premises are made. The incident has raised concerns about safety within official residences, even in controlled environments. Authorities have indicated that safety measures and protocols for pets will be reviewed and strengthened to prevent such incidents in the future. Trump for 500 pc tariffs on India, China for buying Russian oil NEW YORK/WASHINGTON : The legislation would give the White House tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying cheap oil from Russia, said US Senator Lindsey Graham UNITED States (US) President Donald Trump has backed a sanctions bill that could impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, giving the White House leverage against countries like China and India to stop them from purchasing cheap oil from Moscow. US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday said that the legislation would give the White House tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying cheap oil from Russia. After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others, Graham said in a post on X Wednesday. This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace, and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putins war machine, he said. This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putins bloodbath against Ukraine, he added. Graham said he looks forward to a strong bipartisan vote on the bill, hopefully as early as next week. Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, among the highest in the world, including 25 per cent levies for its purchases of Russian energy. Graham and Blumenthal have introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which would impose secondary tariffs and sanctions on countries that continue to fund Putins barbaric war in Ukraine. The legislation has proposed a 500 per cent tariff on secondary purchase and reselling of Russian oil and one that almost every single member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has co-sponsored. President Trump and his team have made a powerful move, implementing a new approach to end this bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine...However, the ultimate hammer to bring about the end of this war will be tariffs against countries, like China, India and Brazil, that prop up Putins war machine by purchasing cheap Russian oil and gas, a joint statement by Graham and Blumenthal had said last year. Earlier this week, Graham had said that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra informed him about New Delhi reducing its purchases of Russian oil and asked him to convey to President Donald Trump to relieve the tariff imposed on India. Graham, accompanying Trump on Air Force One on Sunday, was talking about his tariff bill. Graham said that to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pressure must be put on Russian President Vladimir Putins 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 Ambassadors house about a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about is how they are buying less Russian oil, Graham said. He added that the Indian envoy conveyed to him Would you tell the President to relieve the tariff? This stuff works...But if you are buying cheap Russian oil, keeping Putins war machine going, we are trying to give the President the ability to make that a hard choice by tariffs. I really do believe that what he (Trump) did with India is the chief reason India is now buying substantially less Russian oil, Graham said. Indias Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra had last month hosted US Senators, including Graham, Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, Peter Welch, Dan Sullivan and Markwayne Mullin at India House, the official residence of the Ambassador of India in Washington, DC. Had fruitful conversations on the India-US partnership from energy and defence cooperation to trade and important global developments. Grateful for their support for a stronger IndiaUS relationship, Kwatra had said in a post on X. WARSAW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Polish farmers held a protest on Friday, voicing strong opposition to the EU-Mercosur agreement, under which the EU will phase out tariffs on some 90 percent of Mercosur goods. The farmers gathered around 11 a.m. local time in front of the Palace of Culture and Science in central Warsaw and marched to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, carrying Polish national flags and banners. Slawomir Izdebski, leader of a major Polish farmers' union, said the protest aimed to reject both the EU-Mercosur agreement and the current government's policies on rural development and agriculture. The EU's trade agreement with the South American Mercosur countries -- Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay -- would grant preferential tariffs on agricultural products such as beef, poultry, dairy, sugar and ethanol. Farmers warned that once the agreement takes effect, it would allow low-cost agricultural products from South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina to enter the EU market, putting Polish farmers at a clear disadvantage and threatening agricultural development and food security. Farmers across the European Union have been protesting against the agreement for weeks. On Thursday, French farmers drove about 100 tractors into Paris and blocked roads at several symbolic sites, including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, to protest agricultural policies and the EU-Mercosur deal. Polish Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski announced in Brussels on Wednesday that the EU is to return to a more restrictive safeguard clause in the Mercosur agreement. According to him, the mechanism will ultimately be triggered when prices of sensitive products in the EU fall by 5 percent. Polish President Karol Nawrocki met with farmers' representatives on Friday. At a press briefing following the meeting, presidential spokesperson Rafal Leskiewicz said there was still time to prevent the agreement from taking effect before Jan. 12. On Friday, EU member states gave provisional backing to the EU-Mercosur free trade deal in a qualified-majority vote, paving the way for the bloc to formally sign it in Paraguay next week. A majority of the EU's 27 member states supported the pact, while France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary voted against it, and Belgium abstained. Negotiations on the agreement began more than 20 years ago and were finalized in 2024. Two-day national seminar on Recent trends in Mathematics begins Staff Reporter: A TWO-DAYnational seminar on Recent trends in Mathematics was launched on the National Mathematics Day 2025 in collaboration with Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Government Science College Jabalpur and Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology Bhopal. During inaugural ceremony, Additional Director, Jabalpur Division of Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Department Dr PR Chandelkar highlighted ancient Indian university and education system and its usability. Invited as keynote speaker, retired Professor PV Jain elaborated on the basic concepts of mathematics. Principal Dr Shikha Saxena highlighted the importance of Mathematics in Artificial Intelligence and its ability to solve complex real-world problems in the future. Head of Mathematics Department, Rani Durgavati University, Dr JK Maitra explained about innovations and inventions in the new education system. HoD Mathematics, Science College, Dr Rajesh Tiwari and coordinator Dr GR Sahu briefed about the seminars outlines and objectives and its acceptability in present scenario. Around 40 research papers were received by researchers of mathematics and computer science while around 300 candidates from different colleges participated in the seminar. During second session, Dean, Mathematic and Computer, Science, Guru Ghasidas University, Professor PP Murthy mentioned about various branches of mathematics. During third session, poster, rangoli and research paper reading were conducted. JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it killed two senior Hamas members in Thursday's airstrikes, while Gaza health officials reported 14 deaths across the enclave over the past 24 hours. According to an IDF statement, the military killed Kamal Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Awad, identifying him as the head of Hamas' anti-tank missile unit. The military also reported the death of Ahmad Thabet, whom it described as a key figure in Hamas' weapons manufacturing department. The military said the strikes followed a failed rocket launch from Gaza on Thursday toward an area of Gaza City where Israeli troops were operating. WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, confirmed Awad's death but characterized him as a civilian. The IDF also reported targeting a command-and-control compound in northern Gaza on Thursday, killing four militants it said were using the site to store weapons and plan attacks. Hamas has not officially commented on the specific deaths, but spokesman Hazem Qassem said the strikes "confirm the Israeli occupation's renunciation of its commitment to the ceasefire." Separately, Gaza health authorities said 14 Palestinians, including five children, were killed and 17 wounded in Israeli attacks over the past day. Officials noted that some victims remain trapped under rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescue teams. Since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Gaza's death toll has risen to 439 with 1,223 injuries, according to local health authorities. Rescue teams have recovered 688 bodies during that period. In the broader conflict, at least 71,409 Palestinians have been killed and 171,304 wounded since Israel's military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023. Shares of Black Diamond Group Limited (TSE:BDI Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$16.07 and last traded at C$15.86, with a volume of 207812 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$15.03. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Black Diamond Group from C$15.00 to C$17.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Acumen Capital upped their target price on Black Diamond Group from C$14.50 to C$17.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Black Diamond Group from C$13.50 to C$17.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$17.00. Get Black Diamond Group alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on BDI Black Diamond Group Trading Up 2.6% The company has a 50 day moving average of C$14.32 and a 200 day moving average of C$12.99. The firm has a market cap of C$1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.79 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 88.46, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.17. Black Diamond Group (TSE:BDI Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported C$0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Black Diamond Group had a net margin of 6.46% and a return on equity of 8.11%. The firm had revenue of C$105.32 million during the quarter. Analysts predict that Black Diamond Group Limited will post 0.5349233 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Buying and Selling In other Black Diamond Group news, Director Robert Wagemakers sold 20,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of C$14.10, for a total transaction of C$282,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 543,580 shares in the company, valued at C$7,664,478. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 23.83% of the stock is owned by insiders. Black Diamond Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Black Diamond Group Ltd rents and sells space rental solutions and modular workforce accommodations to business customers in Canada, the United States and Australia. The company also provides specialized field rentals to the oil and gas industries of Canada and the United States. Besides, Black Diamond Group provides turnkey lodging services, as well as a host of related services that include transportation, installation, dismantling, repairs, maintenance, and ancillary field equipment rentals. From its locations, the company serves multiple sectors including oil and gas, mining, power, construction, engineering, military, government, and education. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Black Diamond Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Diamond Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM)s share price hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $190.39 and last traded at $190.1410, with a volume of 342306 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.47. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have commented on AEM. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (a-) rating on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $189.00 target price on Agnico Eagle Mines in a report on Sunday, December 7th. Zacks Research raised Agnico Eagle Mines from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. CIBC increased their price objective on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from $165.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an outperformer rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Agnico Eagle Mines from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $201.60. Get Agnico Eagle Mines alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on Agnico Eagle Mines Agnico Eagle Mines Stock Performance The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The mining company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.40. Agnico Eagle Mines had a return on equity of 15.64% and a net margin of 32.62%.The company had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Agnico Eagle Mines Limited will post 4.63 EPS for the current year. Institutional Trading of Agnico Eagle Mines A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 381.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 154 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 69.2% during the second quarter. City State Bank now owns 269 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the mining companys stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 68.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Agnico Eagle Mines (Get Free Report) 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agnico Eagle Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $28.32 and last traded at $28.2240, with a volume of 1814492 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.85. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AEO shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of American Eagle Outfitters from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 target price on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a neutral rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $22.18. Get American Eagle Outfitters alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters Stock Performance The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.89. The stock has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The apparel retailer reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.10. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.90%.The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. American Eagle Outfitterss revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. American Eagle Outfitterss payout ratio is presently 43.10%. Insider Activity In related news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 243,047 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.30, for a total value of $5,906,042.10. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 191,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,659,549.30. The trade was a 55.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 920.6% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,497,720 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $94,066,000 after acquiring an additional 4,959,039 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in American Eagle Outfitters during the 3rd quarter valued at about $23,395,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 37.7% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,455,961 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $40,158,000 after buying an additional 946,904 shares in the last quarter. Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new position in American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $14,618,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 41.7% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,307,326 shares of the apparel retailers stock valued at $22,196,000 after purchasing an additional 678,536 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About American Eagle Outfitters (Get Free Report) American Eagle Outfitters, Inc (NYSE: AEO) is a leading American specialty retailer offering apparel, accessories and personal care products for men and women. The companys flagship brand, American Eagle, focuses on casualwear including denim, tops, outerwear and accessories targeted primarily at teens and young adults. In addition to its core apparel lines, the company operates the Aerie brand of intimates, loungewear and swimwear, which has gained recognition for its body-positive marketing and inclusive sizing. American Eagle Outfitters conducts business through a combination of over 900 brick-and-mortar stores in North America and Greater China, complemented by a growing e-commerce platform that serves customers around the globe. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for American Eagle Outfitters Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Eagle Outfitters and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aritzia (TSE:ATZ Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from C$116.00 to C$150.00 in a research note issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target suggests a potential upside of 16.33% from the stocks previous close. ATZ has been the subject of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Aritzia to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Aritzia from C$114.00 to C$140.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Aritzia from C$116.00 to C$157.00 in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Aritzia from C$110.00 to C$130.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Desjardins lifted their price objective on shares of Aritzia from C$125.00 to C$133.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$135.92. Get Aritzia alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ATZ Aritzia Trading Up 2.9% ATZ traded up C$3.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting C$128.94. 1,395,314 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 815,033. The company has a market cap of C$14.86 billion, a PE ratio of 53.73, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 93.51. The firms fifty day moving average is C$109.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$90.50. Aritzia has a 1-year low of C$36.51 and a 1-year high of C$135.00. Aritzia (TSE:ATZ Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 8th. The company reported C$1.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$1.04 billion during the quarter. Aritzia had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 15.24%. Equities analysts forecast that Aritzia will post 1.7771148 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Aritzia Company Profile (Get Free Report) Aritzia Inc is an integrated design house of exclusive fashion brands. It designs apparel and accessories for its collection of exclusive brands and sells them under the Aritzia banner. The category of products offered by the firm is blouses, T-shirts, pants, dresses, sweaters, jackets and coats, skirts, shorts, jumpsuits, and accessories. Its geographical segments include Canada and the United States. The company generates the majority of revenue from Retail, followed by eCommerce. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Aritzia Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aritzia and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aspen Pharmacare (OTCMKTS:APNHY Get Free Report)s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $6.83, but opened at $7.19. Aspen Pharmacare shares last traded at $7.19, with a volume of 221 shares changing hands. Aspen Pharmacare Price Performance The stocks 50-day moving average is $5.70 and its 200 day moving average is $5.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 2.21. Get Aspen Pharmacare alerts: About Aspen Pharmacare (Get Free Report) Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Durban, South Africa. Founded in 1997 by Stephen Saad and Gus Attridge, Aspen has grown from a regional generic drug producer into a global specialist in branded and generic medicines. The company is publicly traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and its American depositary receipts trade overthecounter under the symbol APNHY. Aspens core business encompasses the development, manufacture and distribution of a broad portfolio of injectable and oral pharmaceutical products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Aspen Pharmacare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aspen Pharmacare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Avolta AG Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:DUFRY Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $5.94, but opened at $5.7530. Avolta shares last traded at $5.7375, with a volume of 1,300 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, UBS Group restated a neutral rating on shares of Avolta in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy. Get Avolta alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Avolta Avolta Stock Performance Avolta Company Profile The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.44. (Get Free Report) Avolta AG operates as a travel retailer. The companys retail brands include general travel retail shops under the Dufry, World Duty Free, Nuance, Hellenic Duty Free, Zurich Duty-Free or Stockholm Duty-Free, Autogrill, and HMSHost brands; Dufry shopping stores; brand boutiques; convenience stores primarily under the Hudson brand; and specialized shops and theme stores. It offers perfumes and cosmetics, food and confectionery, wines and spirits, watches and jewelry, fashion and leather, tobacco goods, souvenirs, electronics, soft drinks, packaged food, travel accessories, personal items, sunglasses, destination, and other products, as well as newspapers, magazines, and books. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Avolta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Avolta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BNP Paribas SA (OTCMKTS:BNPQY Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $50.24 and last traded at $49.93, with a volume of 20541 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $48.23. Analysts Set New Price Targets BNPQY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DZ Bank cut shares of BNP Paribas from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays lowered BNP Paribas from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded BNP Paribas from a moderate sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an outperform rating on shares of BNP Paribas in a report on Friday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold. Get BNP Paribas alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on BNPQY BNP Paribas Stock Up 3.2% The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $43.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.51. The firm has a market cap of $111.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.74. BNP Paribas (OTCMKTS:BNPQY Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.53. BNP Paribas had a net margin of 22.74% and a return on equity of 8.56%. The company had revenue of $81.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.84 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that BNP Paribas SA will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year. BNP Paribas Company Profile (Get Free Report) BNP Paribas is a major international banking group headquartered in Paris, France, formed through the 2000 merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas. The group provides a broad range of banking and financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients, operating as one of the leading universal banks in Europe with a global footprint. Its principal business activities encompass retail banking and services, corporate and institutional banking, and investment solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for BNP Paribas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BNP Paribas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Flagstar Bank, National Association (NYSE:FLG Get Free Report) has received an average rating of Hold from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.3182. A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on FLG shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $14.50 price target on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Get Flagstar Bank National Association alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Flagstar Bank, National Association Flagstar Bank, National Association Price Performance Shares of FLG stock opened at $13.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Flagstar Bank, National Association has a 12-month low of $8.56 and a 12-month high of $13.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.16 and a 200-day moving average of $11.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.09. Flagstar Bank, National Association (NYSE:FLG Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter. Flagstar Bank, National Association had a negative return on equity of 3.80% and a negative net margin of 7.06%.The business had revenue of $498.00 million for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Flagstar Bank, National Association will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current year. Flagstar Bank, National Association Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 7th were paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Flagstar Bank, National Associations dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -4.12%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Flagstar Bank, National Association in the 1st quarter valued at $422,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp bought a new position in Flagstar Bank, National Association during the first quarter worth $2,403,000. Comerica Bank acquired a new position in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in the first quarter valued at $990,000. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in the first quarter valued at $405,000. Finally, Investors Research Corp bought a new position in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in the second quarter valued at about $233,000. 67.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Flagstar Bank, National Association Company Profile (Get Free Report) Flagstar Financial Corporation (NYSE: FLG) is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Flagstar Bank, provides a range of financial services across the United States. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Flagstar combines commercial banking, mortgage lending and servicing, and deposit products to serve individuals, businesses and public entities. As a publicly traded company, Flagstar leverages its banking charter and national mortgage platform to deliver tailored financial solutions through both digital and branch channels. The companys mortgage business is one of the largest residential originators and servicers in the nation, offering retail, wholesale and correspondent lending channels. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Flagstar Bank National Association Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Flagstar Bank National Association and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. WINDHOEK, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Erongo Desalination Plant (EDP), located in Namibia, achieved a milestone of delivering 17.59 million cubic meters of potable water in 2025, marking a 14 percent increase from 2024. Located 35 km north of Swakopmund in the Namib Desert, the facility is the largest reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant in Southern Africa. According to a year-end performance report released Friday by its owner Orano Mining Namibia, the surge in output demonstrates the plant's readiness to support Namibia's rapidly growing industrial sector. "This year-on-year continuous growth demonstrates the EDP's ability to grow with the increase in demand in the Erongo Region and presents further proof of its ability to deliver potable water to its current capacity of 22.5 million cubic meters per annum, as well as its proven historical track record in reliable water provision," Orano said in a statement. Other highlights achieved during 2025 include 15 years of operation without a single lost-time injury, achieved in June 2025, and a daily production record of 63,381 cubic meters on June 17. According to Orano, the EDP is ready to increase water supply to Namibia's state-owned NamWater as demand in the Erongo Region increases with the development of mining and other industries and the related growth of local towns. To stay ahead of soaring demand from new mining developments and urban growth, Orano confirmed that engineering teams are already planning to scale the facility to its full design capacity of 45 million cubic meters per year. The facility currently plays a pivotal role in sustaining several uranium mines and coastal municipalities located in the arid Namib Desert. Shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $91.8750. A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WH shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, December 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (down from $88.00) on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from $95.00 to $94.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Get Wyndham Hotels & Resorts alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WH Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Stock Up 3.2% Wyndham Hotels & Resorts stock opened at $80.18 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.61 and a 200-day moving average of $80.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a twelve month low of $69.21 and a twelve month high of $113.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.76. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:WH Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $382.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $406.29 million. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts had a net margin of 23.54% and a return on equity of 61.12%. The firms revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.480-4.62 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Wyndham Hotels & Resortss dividend payout ratio is presently 37.70%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, General Counsel Paul F. Cash sold 36,379 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.66, for a total value of $2,606,919.14. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 39,123 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,803,554.18. This represents a 48.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Scott R. Strickland sold 28,134 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.11, for a total transaction of $2,000,608.74. Following the transaction, the insider owned 40,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,870,212.93. The trade was a 41.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,482 shares of company stock valued at $4,677,538. Corporate insiders own 2.46% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 73.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 314 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 5,950.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 363 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts by 181.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 495 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.46% of the companys stock. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Company Profile (Get Free Report) Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc (NYSE: WH) is a leading global hospitality company specializing in hotel franchising and management. Established in 2018 through the spin-off of Wyndham Hotel Group from Wyndham Worldwide, the company focuses on the development, marketing and distribution of hotel brands designed to meet the needs of business and leisure travelers. Its core business model centers on franchising agreements, enabling third-party hotel owners to operate under the Wyndham portfolio while accessing the companys centralized services and support. The companys brand portfolio spans economy, midscale and upper-midscale segments, featuring well-known names such as Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Microtel Inn & Suites, and La Quinta by Wyndham. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chartwell Retirement Residences (OTCMKTS:CWSRF Get Free Report)s stock price rose 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $14.7880 and last traded at $14.67. Approximately 520 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 7,970 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.64. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, Scotiabank reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Chartwell Retirement Residences in a report on Monday, November 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy. Get Chartwell Retirement Residences alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CWSRF Chartwell Retirement Residences Stock Up 0.2% Chartwell Retirement Residences Company Profile The firms 50-day moving average price is $14.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.89. (Get Free Report) Chartwell Retirement Residences (OTCMKTS: CWSRF) is one of Canadas largest providers of seniors housing, offering a range of retirement living options and care services. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company develops, owns and operates retirement communities across multiple provinces, catering to the evolving needs of older adults seeking independent living, assisted living, memory care and long-term care. The companys portfolio includes more than 150 retirement residences that deliver hospitality-style services such as chef-prepared meals, housekeeping, dining and recreation programs. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Chartwell Retirement Residences Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chartwell Retirement Residences and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund (TSE:CHE.UN Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from C$20.00 to C$18.50 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets price target would suggest a potential upside of 23.33% from the stocks previous close. Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on CHE.UN. Scotiabank lowered shares of Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and boosted their target price for the company from C$15.00 to C$17.00 in a report on Friday, November 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund from C$14.00 to C$18.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and upped their price objective for the company from C$16.00 to C$21.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, CIBC increased their price objective on Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund from C$16.00 to C$19.00 in a research report on Friday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$18.07. Get Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund alerts: Read Our Latest Report on Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund Trading Down 4.0% Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund Company Profile Shares of TSE CHE.UN traded down C$0.63 during trading on Friday, hitting C$15.00. 613,889 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 330,026. The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$14.31 and a 200-day moving average price of C$13.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 128.02, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 1.18. Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund has a 12-month low of C$8.50 and a 12-month high of C$15.88. (Get Free Report) Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund provides industrial chemicals and services to customers in North America and around the world. The company organized into four main operating segments: Sulphur Products and Performance Chemicals (SPPC), Water Solutions and Specialty Chemicals (WSSC), Electrochemicals, and Corporate. It generates maximum revenue from Electrochemicals segment. Chemtrade operates in Canada, the United States, and South America of which maximum revenue comes from the United States. SPPC markets, remove and produces merchant, regenerated and ultra-pure sulphuric acid, liquid sulphur dioxide, sodium hydrosulfite and provides other processing services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UBS Group upgraded shares of China Yuchai International (NYSE:CYD Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports. CYD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Research cut China Yuchai International from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of China Yuchai International from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of China Yuchai International in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, China Yuchai International currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $60.00. Get China Yuchai International alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on CYD China Yuchai International Stock Down 0.8% Institutional Investors Weigh In On China Yuchai International Shares of NYSE:CYD opened at $40.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.06. China Yuchai International has a fifty-two week low of $9.90 and a fifty-two week high of $42.60. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Matthews International Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of China Yuchai International in the third quarter worth approximately $2,270,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of China Yuchai International in the first quarter valued at $422,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of China Yuchai International by 70.3% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 135,881 shares of the companys stock worth $3,249,000 after buying an additional 56,085 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of China Yuchai International by 136.0% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 16,609 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 9,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of China Yuchai International during the second quarter valued at $4,759,000. About China Yuchai International (Get Free Report) China Yuchai International Ltd. (NYSE: CYD) is a Cayman Islandsincorporated holding company with principal executive offices in Singapore. Through its subsidiaries, the company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of diesel engines in the Peoples Republic of China. Its principal operating subsidiary, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Limited (GYMCL), has been producing diesel engines since 1951 and ranks among the countrys largest heavy-duty engine makers. The companys core product portfolio includes high-speed and medium-speed diesel engines for on-highway trucks and buses, off-road vehicles such as construction and agricultural machinery, marine propulsion systems, and power generator sets. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for China Yuchai International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Yuchai International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group assumed coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an outperform rating and a $50.00 price target on the restaurant operators stock. Telsey Advisory Groups target price indicates a potential upside of 27.67% from the companys current price. Several other brokerages have also issued reports on CMG. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $40.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $49.94. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 0.8% Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $39.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.97. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $34.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.15. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $29.75 and a twelve month high of $59.57. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.29. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 45.39% and a net margin of 13.04%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 122.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 87,844,788 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $3,442,645,000 after buying an additional 48,398,628 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth $1,001,668,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 42.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 38,497,927 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $1,509,043,000 after acquiring an additional 11,471,658 shares during the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at $597,031,000. Finally, BlueSpruce Investments LP lifted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 24,760.7% in the second quarter. BlueSpruce Investments LP now owns 3,930,732 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $220,711,000 after acquiring an additional 3,914,921 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the companys stock. Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile (Get Free Report) 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Clough Global Opportunities Fund (NYSEAMERICAN:GLO Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of 0.0537 per share by the investment management company on Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. Clough Global Opportunities Fund Trading Up 0.5% Shares of GLO stock traded up $0.03 on Thursday, reaching $5.81. 216,134 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 294,367. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.60. Clough Global Opportunities Fund has a 1-year low of $4.32 and a 1-year high of $5.88. Get Clough Global Opportunities Fund alerts: Clough Global Opportunities Fund Company Profile (Get Free Report) Clough Global Opportunities Fund (NYSE American: GLO) is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns through a focus on income generation and capital appreciation. Trading on the NYSE American exchange, the fund invests primarily in the equity securities of global companies operating across energy, utilities, transportation, chemicals and other infrastructure-related industries. By concentrating on sectors critical to the worlds economic growth, the fund aims to provide investors with diversified exposure to both developed and emerging markets. The funds investment strategy is driven by bottom-up research and fundamental analysis. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Clough Global Opportunities Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Clough Global Opportunities Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Community Bancorp. (OTCMKTS:CMTV Get Free Report) rose 14.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $28.9725 and last traded at $28.50. Approximately 9,909 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,284% from the average daily volume of 716 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.80. Community Bancorp. Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.69. The firm has a market cap of $158.46 million, a PE ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 0.30. Get Community Bancorp. alerts: Community Bancorp. (OTCMKTS:CMTV Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $12.61 million for the quarter. Community Bancorp. had a net margin of 24.43% and a return on equity of 15.91%. Community Bancorp. Company Profile Community Bancorp. operates as the bank holding company for Community National Bank that provides financial services to individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities in northern and central Vermont. It offers financing for commercial business properties, equipment, inventories, and accounts receivable, as well as standby letters of credit; and business checking and other deposit accounts, cash management services, repurchase agreements, ACH and wire transfer services, card processing, and remote deposit capture. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Community Bancorp. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Community Bancorp. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UBS Group downgraded shares of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (OTCMKTS:CODYY Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports. Compagnie de Saint-Gobain Stock Performance Shares of CODYY opened at $19.32 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $19.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.32. Compagnie de Saint-Gobain has a 52-week low of $16.66 and a 52-week high of $24.52. Get Compagnie de Saint-Gobain alerts: About Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (Get Free Report) Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (OTCMKTS: CODYY) is a French multinational that develops, manufactures and distributes building materials and high-performance solutions for construction, mobility and industrial markets. Founded in 1665 and headquartered in Courbevoie, France, the company has evolved from its origins in glassmaking into a diversified materials group producing an array of products used across building envelopes, interiors and specialized industrial applications. Saint-Gobains product portfolio includes glass and glazing systems, insulation and gypsum-based solutions, mortars, exterior and interior finishing systems, piping and high-performance ceramics and abrasives. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The company traded as low as $16.54 and last traded at $16.4260, with a volume of 2711609 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.85. A number of other analysts have also issued reports on CAG. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Conagra Brands from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Cowen reiterated a hold rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Conagra Brands from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Reduce and an average target price of $19.00. Get Conagra Brands alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Conagra Brands Insider Transactions at Conagra Brands Hedge Funds Weigh In On Conagra Brands In other Conagra Brands news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total value of $223,659.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 61,369,876 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,256,241,000 after purchasing an additional 966,031 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 2.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,202,392 shares of the companys stock worth $536,363,000 after acquiring an additional 588,435 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 25.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,587,877 shares of the companys stock worth $285,414,000 after acquiring an additional 3,173,767 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,674,084 shares of the companys stock worth $268,672,000 after acquiring an additional 2,618,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,870,239 shares of the companys stock valued at $262,405,000 after acquiring an additional 193,829 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.75% of the companys stock. Conagra Brands Trading Up 3.1% The stock has a market cap of $7.93 billion, a PE ratio of -75.39 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $17.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.50. Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3 billion. Conagra Brands had a negative net margin of 0.87% and a positive return on equity of 10.59%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Conagra Brands Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 27th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.4%. Conagra Brandss dividend payout ratio is -636.36%. About Conagra Brands (Get Free Report) Conagra Brands, Inc is a leading packaged foods company based in Chicago, Illinois, with a broad portfolio of shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated foods marketed under familiar brands. The company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of consumer food products, serving both retail grocery and foodservice channels. Conagras product lineup includes frozen entrees, snacks, condiments, baking goods and desserts, providing convenient meal solutions for consumers across North America and select international markets. Among its well-known brands are Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Marie Callenders and Banquet in the frozen foods category, as well as Hunts sauces, Orville Redenbachers popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks and Reddi-wip toppings. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Conagra Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Conagra Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Deutsche Telekom AG (ETR:DTE Get Free Report)s share price fell 0.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as 27.21 and last traded at 27.30. 6,378,529 shares traded hands during trading, The stock had previously closed at 27.40. Deutsche Telekom Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 78.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of 27.24 and a 200-day moving average price of 29.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.62. Deutsche Telekom Company Profile (Get Free Report) Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, Group Development, and Group Headquarters and Group Services segments. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. In addition, the company provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Telekom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Telekom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LUSAKA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on Friday voiced concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), emphasizing that the situation demands urgent intervention. ICGLR Executive Secretary Mubita Luwabelwa said the situation has led to widespread displacement, forcing large numbers of civilians to flee their homes. "The rising numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons highlight the urgency of our discussions. We must prioritize their welfare and work toward restoring peace and security in the region," he said at the start of an Extraordinary Meeting of Chiefs of Defense Forces of ICGLR member states in Zambia's southern city of Livingstone. While appreciating efforts made to find a lasting solution to the crisis, he expressed concern that there have been no significant improvements, as hostilities persist and a lasting ceasefire remains absent. He also condemned territorial advances by armed groups, saying that the continued attacks are not only a setback but also a blow to public confidence. Luwabelwa called on member states to seek sustainable solutions to the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC and its wider regional implications. Maambo Hamaundu, permanent secretary in Zambia's Ministry of Defense, said the region continues to face complex and evolving security challenges, including armed groups that terrorize communities. He said the security challenges have resulted in worsening humanitarian crises that demand urgent attention. Despite the challenges, Hamaundu said that the ICGLR has made significant progress in the region, with member states strengthening dialogue, increasing cooperation, and taking collective action to address security threats. Zambia is hosting a series of meetings on the situation in eastern DRC, commencing with an Extraordinary Meeting of the Specialized Committee of Defense Experts on Thursday and concluding with the Extraordinary Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Defense on Saturday. Executives from Coterra, Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), Ovintiv and Northern Oil and Gas discussed the merits of diversified shale portfolios, recent capital and operational initiatives, and the current commodity price environment during a conference panel in Florida. Get alerts: Diversification vs. concentration: a portfolio debate Coterra leadership framed diversification as a balanced business model across commodities and basins, describing three main benefits: strategic capital allocation flexibility, operational learning transfer, and greater financial stability. The company said having both oil and gas exposure allows it to pivot capital as relative commodity pricing changes and provides steadier cash flows that support return-of-capital priorities such as dividends and share repurchases. Operationally, Coterra highlighted examples of cross-pollination between its Northeast gas operations and its West Texas/New Mexico activity, including expanded focus on gas marketing, takeaway capacity, power-linked pricing contracts, and LNG-related contracting across business units. The company also emphasized that a balanced portfolio supports dividend coverage, noting it has maintained what it described as two, three, four times dividend coverage relative to free cash flow even in a softer oil environment. Ovintiv described a different path: narrowing the companys footprint to two core areasthe Montney and the Permianafter a multi-year portfolio transformation. Management said the focus was driven by where Ovintiv believes it has enduring inventory runway and operational advantage, emphasizing that the right strategy depends on what a company is good at and how it can sustain returns over a long period of time. Ovintiv also pointed to cross-basin learning between the Montney and Permian, including remote operations and automation initiatives in Canada and advances in completion approaches such as simul-frac and trimul-frac. Ovintiv on asset monetization and the Montney buildout Ovintiv said it has begun early-stage work on a potential divestiture process for its Mid-Continent/Anadarko assets, including selecting advisors, engaging potential buyers, and preparing a data room. Management noted that the macro backdrop could make near-term dealmaking challenging, but characterized the assets as long-dated PDP, making longer-term oil views relevant to valuation, not just near-term pricing on the strip. On the Montney, Ovintiv said it continues to see significant remaining resource and improving development potential as basin egress and infrastructure expand. The company discussed recent acquisitions, including NuVista and Paramount, and said it believes it has 15 to 20 years of inventory on the oil side. Management emphasized the assets condensate exposure, describing condensate as sold largely as diluent for oil sands producers and priced pretty close to flat to WTI. Ovintiv also reiterated a target of $100 million in annual synergies from the NuVista acquisition and said executing those synergies quickly is a near-term focus. Northern Oil and Gas outlines Utica deal economics Northern Oil and Gas described itself as a 100% non-operator that increasingly partners with operating companies to acquire undivided interests paired with development agreements. The company said its recently announced Utica transaction was complex, involving a seller made up of both a public upstream company and an affiliated public midstream company, as well as a broader transaction involving another acquisition. Northern said a key element of the deal is buying both upstream and midstream assets, which it expects to change the cost structure materially compared with a standalone upstream operator paying a third-party or affiliated midstream provider. The company gave an example, stating that a fields operating cost could decline from roughly $3 per Mcf to about $1.80 per Mcf when fully integrated. It also said volumes in a midstream system with roughly $500 million invested have fallen from about 600 million per day to around 150 million per day, and the company expects to be able to increase volumes by nearly three times over the next five years, positioning the asset as a volume and free-cash-flow growth engine. Devons free cash flow target, long-term outlook, and AI focus Devon emphasized a company-wide focus on sustainable free cash flow, centered on a goal to deliver an incremental $1 billion of sustainable free cash flow by the end of the year. Management said the company is more than 60% of the way toward that target and expressed confidence in achieving it. Looking longer-term, Devon suggested the company could look different in 10 to 15 years and said it is evaluating opportunities that overlap with its existing capabilities. Management discussed geothermal as an example, noting that while Devon does not currently market electricity, geothermal could align with core competencies such as geology and geophysics, leasing, horizontal drilling and completions, and surface facilities development, potentially supplemented through partnerships. Devon also highlighted AI as a key enabler of its free cash flow initiative. Management said the company is running 80 value workstreams in parallel and stated that each is enabled by AI in some form. It described three waves of AI adoption: improving data accessibility, embedding AI into workflows, and redesigning processes from the ground up with technology at the center. Operational updates: Coterras Marcellus and Permian performance Coterra addressed questions about potentially monetizing its Marcellus position, describing the asset as a strong fit that generates significant free cash flow at a low reinvestment rate and has helped fund growth in the Permian. The company characterized Northeast Pennsylvania and the Delaware Basin as top-tier rock and said the Marcellus remains a core component of its portfolio approach. In the Permian, Coterra discussed water-related challenges in Culberson County in the second quarter. Management said the team adjusted the development plan by substituting certain wells in the second half of the year to keep the full-year outlook in line with guidance while diagnosing and remediating issues. The company described remedial work including cement squeeze jobs to address crossflow, noted the affected area involved five net wells, and said subsequent wells performed in line with or better than prior expectations. Coterra added it expects to run a plan of 25 to 30 wells per year outside of the specific development row discussed. The panel concluded with a broader discussion of supply economics and shale maturity. Northern Oil and Gas said it views marginal U.S. oil supply cost at roughly $65 to $70 WTI and argued that prices below that level are unlikely to sustain U.S. production indefinitely. Devon offered a more optimistic view on recent capital efficiency, citing continued improvements in well costs in recent years that have, in its view, more than offset maturing productivity trends. About Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company focuses on the exploration, development, production and marketing of hydrocarbons, including crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and natural gas. Devon operates as an upstream energy company that acquires, evaluates and develops onshore resource plays using a combination of drilling, completion and production optimization techniques. Core business activities include identifying and developing energy reserves, operating well programs and managing reservoir performance to generate production and cash flow. Featured Stories Endeavour Mining plc (OTCMKTS:EDVMF Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. A number of analysts have recently commented on EDVMF shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Endeavour Mining in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Endeavour Mining in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank reissued an outperform rating on shares of Endeavour Mining in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Endeavour Mining in a research note on Sunday, December 7th. Get Endeavour Mining alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Endeavour Mining Endeavour Mining Price Performance About Endeavour Mining Endeavour Mining stock opened at $55.73 on Friday. Endeavour Mining has a 12 month low of $17.81 and a 12 month high of $55.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.66. (Get Free Report) Endeavour Mining is a gold production company with primary operations across West Africa. The company focuses on the exploration, development and extraction of gold resources, operating a portfolio of mines and development projects in Cote dIvoire, Burkina Faso and Mali. Production is complemented by regional exploration programs designed to identify additional gold deposits and extend mine life across its project portfolio. Key operating assets include the Ity and Agbaou mines in Cote dIvoire, the Hounde mine in Burkina Faso and the Kalana project in Mali. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Endeavour Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Endeavour Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FedEx (NYSE:FDX Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Bank of America from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $365.00 price objective on the shipping service providers stock. Bank of Americas price target would suggest a potential upside of 18.12% from the companys previous close. A number of other analysts also recently commented on FDX. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on FedEx from $275.00 to $288.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. Oppenheimer restated a market perform rating on shares of FedEx in a report on Friday, December 19th. Vertical Research reduced their target price on FedEx from $280.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Friday, September 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of FedEx from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $328.00 price target on shares of FedEx in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, FedEx presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $303.16. Get FedEx alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on FDX FedEx Stock Up 0.5% Shares of NYSE:FDX opened at $309.00 on Friday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $277.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $248.41. FedEx has a 52-week low of $194.29 and a 52-week high of $315.40. The company has a market capitalization of $72.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. FedEx (NYSE:FDX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The shipping service provider reported $4.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.02 by $0.80. FedEx had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The business had revenue of $23.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.05 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. FedEx has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.800-19.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that FedEx will post 19.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of FedEx by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 462 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. BHK Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of FedEx by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. BHK Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,074 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of FedEx by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,981 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in FedEx by 0.5% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,884 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $1,859,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its position in FedEx by 3.2% in the second quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.47% of the companys stock. FedEx Company Profile (Get Free Report) FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) is a global logistics and courier company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by Frederick W. Smith in 1971 and beginning operations in the early 1970s, the company pioneered overnight express shipping and has since expanded into a diversified portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain services. FedEx operates an integrated air-and-ground network that moves parcels, freight and documents for businesses and consumers worldwide. FedExs core operating segments include express parcel delivery via its FedEx Express division, domestic and residential parcel delivery through FedEx Ground, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, and logistics and supply-chain management solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for FedEx Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for FedEx and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F Get Free Report)s stock price dropped 1.3% on Friday . The company traded as low as $14.09 and last traded at $14.2150. Approximately 68,384,523 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 75,535,094 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.40. Trending Headlines about Ford Motor Here are the key news stories impacting Ford Motor this week: Get Ford Motor alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Ford Motor from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Ford Motor from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $12.54. Ford Motor Stock Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The companys 50-day moving average is $13.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.21. The firm has a market cap of $56.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 1.62. Ford Motor (NYSE:F Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The auto manufacturer reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $50.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $43.08 billion. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 11.94%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ford Motor Company will post 1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year. Ford Motor Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Ford Motors payout ratio is 51.72%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ford Motor Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of F. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ford Motor by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 12,543 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 7.4% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 11,822,986 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $128,279,000 after purchasing an additional 813,800 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Ford Motor by 7.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,476,340 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $81,118,000 after buying an additional 510,473 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ford Motor by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 9,055,356 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $98,251,000 after purchasing an additional 279,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC increased its position in shares of Ford Motor by 1,280.3% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 2,919,334 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $31,675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,707,834 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the companys stock. About Ford Motor (Get Free Report) Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the company became an early pioneer of mass-production techniques with the Model T and the adoption of the moving assembly line. Today, Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of vehicles and mobility solutions under the Ford and Lincoln brands, spanning passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vehicles. Fords business activities extend beyond vehicle production to include parts and aftermarket services, fleet and commercial sales, and automotive financing through Ford Motor Credit Company. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Ford Motor Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ford Motor and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM Free Report) (TSE:GMM.U) from a hold rating to an overweight rating in a research note released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Piper Sandler currently has $98.00 price objective on the auto manufacturers stock. Several other equities research analysts have also commented on GM. Morgan Stanley raised General Motors from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, December 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on General Motors from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Argus set a $78.00 target price on General Motors in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on General Motors from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of General Motors from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, General Motors currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $77.29. Get General Motors alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on GM General Motors Trading Up 3.9% Shares of GM stock opened at $85.09 on Thursday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $76.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.06. General Motors has a 1-year low of $41.60 and a 1-year high of $85.18. General Motors (NYSE:GM Get Free Report) (TSE:GMM.U) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The auto manufacturer reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $48.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.60 billion. General Motors had a net margin of 1.62% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The businesss revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. General Motors has set its FY 2025 guidance at 9.750-10.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that General Motors will post 11.44 EPS for the current fiscal year. General Motors Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. General Motorss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.07%. Insider Activity In other news, CAO Christopher Hatto sold 15,697 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $1,098,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,007 shares of the companys stock, valued at $840,490. The trade was a 56.66% 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, President Mark L. Reuss sold 260,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.45, for a total transaction of $17,316,870.00. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 98,006 shares in the company, valued at $6,512,498.70. The trade was a 72.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 284,021 shares of company stock valued at $18,971,788 in the last three months. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GM. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in shares of General Motors during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in General Motors during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in General Motors by 500.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 330 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in General Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of General Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. 92.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Key General Motors News Here are the key news stories impacting General Motors this week: Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded GM from Hold to Overweight and set a $98 price target, highlighting conviction that EV pullbacks and valuation reset create upside. The Fly Piper Sandler upgraded GM from Hold to Overweight and set a $98 price target, highlighting conviction that EV pullbacks and valuation reset create upside. Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst commentary and idea flow (Seeking Alpha, Zacks) paint GM as a value/momentum play citing recurring SaaS monetization, margin resilience, and large-cap upside potential versus peers. Seeking Alpha Bullish analyst commentary and idea flow (Seeking Alpha, Zacks) paint GM as a value/momentum play citing recurring SaaS monetization, margin resilience, and large-cap upside potential versus peers. Neutral Sentiment: Non-financial partnership/newsflow such as a Dept. of TransportationGM roadtrip app is positive for branding but unlikely to move nearterm fundamentals. SFGate Non-financial partnership/newsflow such as a Dept. of TransportationGM roadtrip app is positive for branding but unlikely to move nearterm fundamentals. Negative Sentiment: GM announced large special charges reports show roughly $7.1B in Q4 charges tied to EV pullbacks and China restructuring, with media/filings citing about a $6B EV-related writedown a direct hit to nearterm earnings and cash flow. CNBC Reuters GM announced large special charges reports show roughly $7.1B in Q4 charges tied to EV pullbacks and China restructuring, with media/filings citing about a $6B EV-related writedown a direct hit to nearterm earnings and cash flow. Negative Sentiment: Operational cuts and workforce reductions: GM is cutting more than 1,000 jobs at two plants as it adjusts EV production to weaker demand a sign of nearterm cost and demand pressures. MSN Operational cuts and workforce reductions: GM is cutting more than 1,000 jobs at two plants as it adjusts EV production to weaker demand a sign of nearterm cost and demand pressures. Negative Sentiment: Sales/data pressure: Q4 U.S. retail sales fell ~7% yearoveryear with EV deliveries down sharply after taxcredit dynamics evidence that nearterm demand for EVs remains soft. Zacks General Motors Company Profile (Get Free Report) General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) is a global automotive manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, that designs, builds and sells cars, trucks, crossovers and electric vehicles, and provides related parts and services. Founded in 1908, GM has long been one of the worlds largest automakers and has evolved into a multi-brand company whose primary marques include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick. Beyond vehicle manufacturing, GMs operations encompass vehicle financing, connected services and advanced mobility initiatives. GM develops and markets a broad portfolio of products and technologies, including internal-combustion and battery-electric vehicles, vehicle components and on-board connectivity services. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for General Motors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for General Motors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wells Fargo & Company restated their equal weight rating on shares of Greif (NYSE:GEF Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $72.00 price target on the industrial products companys stock, up from their previous price target of $68.00. Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Greif in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Greif from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Greif from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $72.50. Get Greif alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Greif Greif Price Performance Greif Dividend Announcement Shares of Greif stock opened at $71.22 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $65.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.02. Greif has a 52 week low of $48.23 and a 52 week high of $71.54. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th were given a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. Greifs dividend payout ratio is 71.11%. Insider Activity at Greif In other Greif news, EVP Bala Sathyanarayanan sold 7,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $466,340.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,513,239.50. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer sold 33,851 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total transaction of $2,016,842.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 66,826 shares in the company, valued at $3,981,493.08. This represents a 33.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 32,293 shares of company stock worth $2,145,733 and have sold 70,584 shares worth $4,385,849. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEF. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Greif by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 662 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new stake in Greif in the second quarter worth about $214,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC purchased a new stake in Greif in the second quarter worth about $216,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Greif during the 2nd quarter valued at about $230,000. 45.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Greif Company Profile (Get Free Report) Greif, Inc is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, with a history dating back to its founding in 1877. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has evolved from a regional barrel and drum manufacturer into a diversified packaging provider serving a wide range of end markets. Greifs longstanding heritage in container solutions has positioned it as a trusted partner for customers seeking reliable, high-quality packaging options. The companys core business revolves around the design, manufacture and sale of industrial packaging products, including steel, plastic and fiber drums; intermediate bulk containers (IBCs); safety closures; rigid, flexible and reconditioned packaging; containerboard and protective packaging. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Greif Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greif and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) shareholders approved three proposals at a special meeting held Jan. 8, 2026, including the companys merger agreement related to a proposed acquisition by an affiliate of Lone Star Funds. The meeting was led by board chairperson Helen Cornell and conducted via remote communication. Get alerts: Meeting purpose and structure Cornell said the purpose of the special meeting was to consider and act on matters relating to the proposed acquisition of Hillenbrand by an affiliate of Lone Star Funds. She noted that the agenda and rules of conduct were available through links on the special meeting website, and that shareholders could submit questions relevant to the meetings business through an online portal. Attendees and voting mechanics Cornell also provided a forward-looking statements disclaimer, stating that any such statements reflected managements views only as of Jan. 8, 2026, and were subject to risks and uncertainties. She referred shareholders to the Risk Factors section in the companys annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2025, filed Nov. 19, 2025, as well as subsequent SEC filings. Cornell introduced board members attending remotely: Gary Collar, Joy Greenway, Dan Hillenbrand, Joe Lower, Neil Novich, Dennis Pullin, Jennifer Rumsey, Inderpreet Sawhney, Stuart Taylor, and Kim Ryan. She also introduced Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary Nick Farrell. Farrell reported that the board set Nov. 28, 2025 as the record date for determining shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting. He said notice of the meeting was mailed on or about Dec. 1, 2025 to shareholders of record. He added that an official shareholder list was available for inspection during the meeting via a link on the meeting website. Farrell said Hillenbrand designated Gregory Malatia as inspector of election and reported that, as of the record date, the company had 70,508,655 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Based on a preliminary count before the meeting, Farrell said holders of at least 58,927,708 sharesabout 83.57% of outstanding shares entitled to votewere present in person by remote communication or by proxy, establishing a quorum. Proposals presented to shareholders Cornell said there were three items of business, each described in the proxy statement, and that shareholders could vote through the special meeting website. The board recommended shareholders vote for each of the proposals. Merger agreement proposal: Approval of the agreement and plan of merger dated Oct. 14, 2025, by and among Hillenbrand, LSF12 Helix Parent LLC, and LSF12 Helix Merger Sub, Inc. Approval of the agreement and plan of merger dated Oct. 14, 2025, by and among Hillenbrand, LSF12 Helix Parent LLC, and LSF12 Helix Merger Sub, Inc. Compensation proposal: An advisory (non-binding) vote to approve compensation that may be paid or become payable to Hillenbrands named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger agreement and related transactions. An advisory (non-binding) vote to approve compensation that may be paid or become payable to Hillenbrands named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger agreement and related transactions. Adjournment proposal: Authorization to adjourn the meeting if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies in the event of insufficient votes to approve the merger agreement proposal. Q&A and preliminary results As part of the agenda, the company opened a window for questions relevant to the business of the meeting, with Farrell designated to read questions submitted online. Farrell said there were no questions at that time. After a brief pause to allow shareholders to vote or change votes, Cornell closed the polls and announced preliminary results based on a preliminary tabulation by the inspector of election. Cornell said all three proposals were approved: the merger agreement proposal, the compensation proposal, and the adjournment proposal. Cornell emphasized that the results were preliminary and that final vote totals would be included in the inspector of elections final report filed with the meeting minutes. She also said final results would be reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC. With no further business, Cornell adjourned the meeting. About Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) Hillenbrand, Inc, headquartered in Batesville, Indiana, is a global industrial company specializing in engineered equipment and process solutions. Through its Coperion division, Hillenbrand designs and manufactures compounding and extrusion systems, polymer and food processing equipment, bulk material handling technologies and associated automation. These offerings support a variety of end markets, including plastics, chemicals, food, pharmaceutical and minerals, helping customers optimize production efficiency and product quality. Tracing its roots to the Batesville Casket Company founded in 1906, the organization evolved through strategic acquisitions and expanded its focus on process technologies. Further Reading Shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (OTCMKTS:ICAGY Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of Hold from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. ICAGY has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an overweight rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded International Consolidated Airlines Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Get International Consolidated Airlines Group alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on International Consolidated Airlines Group International Consolidated Airlines Group Stock Performance ICAGY opened at $11.65 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $26.62 billion, a PE ratio of 3.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.68 and a 200-day moving average of $10.37. International Consolidated Airlines Group has a 52-week low of $5.60 and a 52-week high of $11.77. International Consolidated Airlines Group (OTCMKTS:ICAGY Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The transportation company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $1.09. The firm had revenue of $10.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.95 billion. International Consolidated Airlines Group had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 112.24%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that International Consolidated Airlines Group will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About International Consolidated Airlines Group (Get Free Report) 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for International Consolidated Airlines Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Consolidated Airlines Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Irish Residential Properties REIT Plc (OTCMKTS:RSHPF Get Free Report) traded up 1.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1.10 and last traded at $1.10. 10,000 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 9,764 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.0850. Irish Residential Properties REIT Stock Up 1.4% The businesss 50 day moving average price is $1.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.12. Get Irish Residential Properties REIT alerts: Irish Residential Properties REIT Company Profile (Get Free Report) Irish Residential Properties REIT plc is a real estate investment trust focused on acquiring, developing and managing residential properties across the Republic of Ireland. The companys core business involves sourcing and investing in purpose-built rental homes, including apartments, duplexes and terraced houses, which it leases to individual tenants under long-term rental agreements. Its model emphasizes professional property management, tenant retention and the enhancement of living standards through responsive maintenance and community-oriented amenities. Since its establishment in 2014, Irish Residential Properties REIT has built a geographically diversified portfolio spanning key urban centres such as Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Irish Residential Properties REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Irish Residential Properties REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SGOV Free Report) by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,611 shares of the companys stock after selling 9,949 shares during the period. iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF comprises approximately 4.4% of Sound Financial Strategies Group LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLCs holdings in iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF were worth $6,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Weaver Consulting Group raised its holdings in shares of iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 3,880 shares of the companys stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. raised its stake in iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF by 0.6% during the second quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. now owns 18,957 shares of the companys stock worth $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF by 0.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,774 shares of the companys stock worth $1,588,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF by 15.2% in the second quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 1,158 shares of the companys stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 5,114 shares of the companys stock valued at $515,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF alerts: iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF Trading Up 0.0% SGOV stock opened at $100.45 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.53. iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF has a 1 year low of $100.27 and a 1 year high of $100.74. iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF Company Profile The iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value weighted index of US Treasurys maturing in less than or equal to three months. SGOV was launched on May 26, 2020 and is managed by BlackRock. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SGOV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SGOV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The inheritance of China-Africa friendship, the stability of China's Africa policy, and the solidarity of developing countries together are the reasons why Africa has been the destination of Chinese foreign minister's first overseas visit each year for 36 years, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while co-chairing the ninth China-African Union (AU) Strategic Dialogue with AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Wang said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of launching diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and that China-Africa friendship was forged in their arm-in-arm struggle for national independence and liberation, and has matured through their respective national development and economic construction. At the start of the new year, it is only natural for China to visit its African brothers and sisters first, just as one would pay a New Year visit to relatives, he added. The Chinese foreign minister said that China's domestic and foreign policies have remained highly stable, providing the world with much-needed certainty, and this consistency extends to China's engagement with Africa. He emphasized that no matter how international and regional circumstances change, China will always be the first to extend a helping hand when Africa needs assistance, and the first to stand by Africa when it seeks partners for cooperation. Noting that China and Africa both belong to the Global South and share similar historical experiences and common aspirations, Wang said that with the 2.8 billion people of China and Africa united in solidarity and endeavor, they can overcome any difficulty or challenge, accelerate the pace of their shared path toward modernization, and contribute to a more equitable, cooperative, harmonious and stable world. Shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $67.61 and last traded at $67.6140, with a volume of 73929 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $67.05. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Trading Up 0.6% The stock has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 1.04. The companys 50 day moving average is $65.45 and its 200-day moving average is $64.09. Get John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 739 shares of the companys stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF in the second quarter worth $48,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF in the second quarter valued at $61,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. bought a new position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at $83,000. About John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF The John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap index. The fund tracks an index of US firms ranked 200-950 by size, weighted by multiple factors relative to their sector peers. JHMM was launched on Sep 28, 2015 and is managed by John Hancock. Read More Receive News & Ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Kion Group (OTCMKTS:KIGRY Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $20.38, but opened at $19.7180. Kion Group shares last traded at $19.6601, with a volume of 373 shares. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms recently weighed in on KIGRY. DZ Bank cut shares of Kion Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of Kion Group in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut Kion Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Get Kion Group alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on KIGRY Kion Group Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.86 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.96. Kion Group (OTCMKTS:KIGRY Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter. Kion Group had a return on equity of 4.59% and a net margin of 2.48%.The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Kion Group will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year. Kion Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Kion Group AG is a Germanybased manufacturer of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, traded over the counter in the U.S. under the ticker KIGRY. The company designs, produces and services a broad range of material handling equipment, including counterbalance trucks, warehouse and very narrow aisle trucks, pallet trucks, reach trucks, and automated guided vehicles. Kion Group also offers software and digital products to optimize warehouse management and logistical operations for customers across manufacturing, retail, distribution and e-commerce industries. The groups key brands include Linde Material Handling, STILL and Dematic. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Kion Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kion Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG Get Free Report)s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $24.37, but opened at $23.74. Kite Realty Group Trust shares last traded at $23.5880, with a volume of 147,995 shares. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have recently commented on KRG shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kite Realty Group Trust from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kite Realty Group Trust from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a hold rating and set a $24.00 target price (up from $23.00) on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $25.00 price target (up previously from $24.00) on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $25.63. Get Kite Realty Group Trust alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Kite Realty Group Trust Kite Realty Group Trust Stock Performance The firm has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.70, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stocks 50-day moving average is $23.07 and its 200-day moving average is $22.60. Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $205.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $208.82 million. Kite Realty Group Trust had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 4.27%. Kite Realty Group Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.090-2.110 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Kite Realty Group Trust will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year. Kite Realty Group Trust Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is an increase from Kite Realty Group Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Kite Realty Group Trusts payout ratio is currently 181.25%. Institutional Trading of Kite Realty Group Trust Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KRG. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Kite Realty Group Trust by 54.8% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,305 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 118.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,365 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 57.9% in the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,748 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.81% of the companys stock. Kite Realty Group Trust Company Profile (Get Free Report) Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust that specializes in the ownership, development and management of open-air retail real estate. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company focuses on acquiring, developing and operating community and neighborhood shopping centers, as well as mixed-use properties that accommodate national, regional and local retailers. Established in 1994, Kite Realty has grown its portfolio through strategic development projects, targeted acquisitions and selective dispositions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Kite Realty Group Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kite Realty Group Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 304,719 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for approximately 0.9% of KLP Kapitalforvaltning ASs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. KLP Kapitalforvaltning ASs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $232,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 263.6% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 40 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Trending Headlines about Eli Lilly and Company Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week: Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance LLY opened at $1,086.28 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $1,033.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $858.57. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $623.78 and a 12-month high of $1,133.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.14, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year. Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is presently 29.35%. Analyst Ratings Changes LLY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Tuesday. They set a buy rating and a $1,250.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price objective on Eli Lilly and Company and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $951.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $1,200.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $1,169.00. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company 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). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,892 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $633,000. Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 21,933 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,239,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 1.1% during the second quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,622 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,117,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the companys stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,074 shares of the companys stock worth $1,803,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in AutoNation by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,192 shares of the companys stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the companys stock. Get AutoNation alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have commented on AN. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an overweight rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AutoNation from $221.00 to $220.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $244.00. AutoNation Price Performance Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $215.28 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average is $206.34 and its 200 day moving average is $209.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.88. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. AutoNation (NYSE:AN Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current year. AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued. About AutoNation (Free Report) AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for AutoNation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AutoNation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,606 shares of the construction companys stock, valued at approximately $1,099,000. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Armstrong World Industries in the third quarter worth approximately $318,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its position in Armstrong World Industries by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 11,400 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $2,235,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Armstrong World Industries by 603.6% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 394 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Armstrong World Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $247,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Armstrong World Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $314,000. 98.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Armstrong World Industries alerts: Armstrong World Industries Trading Up 3.4% NYSE:AWI opened at $195.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.37 and a 12 month high of $206.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.45. Armstrong World Industries Increases Dividend Armstrong World Industries ( NYSE:AWI Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Armstrong World Industries had a return on equity of 38.97% and a net margin of 19.08%.The firm had revenue of $325.00 million for the quarter. Armstrong World Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.450-7.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will post 6.18 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 6th were paid a $0.339 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 6th. This is a positive change from Armstrong World Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Armstrong World Industriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.46%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Vertical Research began coverage on Armstrong World Industries in a research report on Monday, October 20th. They set a buy rating and a $238.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Armstrong World Industries from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Armstrong World Industries from $178.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $207.50. View Our Latest Report on AWI About Armstrong World Industries (Free Report) Armstrong World Industries, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of commercial ceiling and wall solutions. The company offers a diverse portfolio of acoustical, decorative and specialty ceiling systems designed to enhance interior environments in offices, healthcare facilities, schools, retail outlets and other non-residential settings. Through its focus on performance, aesthetics and sustainability, Armstrong World Industries addresses both functional and design requirements for architects, contractors and building owners. Armstrongs product range includes mineral fiber, fiberglass, wood wool, metal and stone wool ceiling panels, as well as suspension and grid systems. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AWI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE:AWI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Armstrong World Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Armstrong World Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS reduced its stake in shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,423 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 11,251 shares during the period. Bank of America accounts for about 1.0% of Legacy Wealth Management LLC MSs holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MSs holdings in Bank of America were worth $3,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Bank of America during the third quarter worth about $649,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Bank of America by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 259,680 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $12,288,000 after purchasing an additional 24,740 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Bank of America during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $217,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bank of America by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 6,476 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CCG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank of America during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $287,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.71% of the companys stock. Get Bank of America alerts: Bank of America Stock Performance Shares of NYSE BAC opened at $56.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The firms 50-day moving average price is $54.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.91. Bank of America Corporation has a 52-week low of $33.06 and a 52-week high of $57.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $410.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.29. Bank of America Announces Dividend Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.05 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 15.70%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 30.52%. Bank of America News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of America this week: Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on BAC to $66 and reiterated a Buy, signaling analyst confidence and ~17.5% upside from the recent price, which can support buying interest. TD Cowen Boosts BAC Price Target TD Cowen raised its price target on to $66 and reiterated a Buy, signaling analyst confidence and ~17.5% upside from the recent price, which can support buying interest. Positive Sentiment: HSBC Global Research upgraded Bank of America from Hold to Strong-Buy, another bullish analyst action that may buoy sentiment and offset some negative headlines. HSBC Upgrade Note HSBC Global Research upgraded Bank of America from Hold to Strong-Buy, another bullish analyst action that may buoy sentiment and offset some negative headlines. Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America confirmed it will report Q4 2025 results and host an investor call on Jan. 14 an upcoming catalyst that could amplify moves depending on earnings, guidance, and commentary on regulatory or capital issues. Q4 Results & Call Bank of America confirmed it will report Q4 2025 results and host an investor call on Jan. 14 an upcoming catalyst that could amplify moves depending on earnings, guidance, and commentary on regulatory or capital issues. Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America updated its accounting for tax equity investments and is pushing into fixed-income and digital-asset initiatives strategic moves that investors will watch for earnings and capital effects, but the immediate impact is uncertain. Accounting Update Bank of America updated its accounting for tax equity investments and is pushing into fixed-income and digital-asset initiatives strategic moves that investors will watch for earnings and capital effects, but the immediate impact is uncertain. Negative Sentiment: Indias markets regulator found that a Bank of America unit shared confidential information ahead of a $180M block trade and alleges misleading responses during the probe; BofA is reportedly seeking to settle without admitting guilt. This raises regulatory, legal and reputational risk that can pressure the stock. India Regulator Finds BofA Shared Confidential Info Indias markets regulator found that a Bank of America unit shared confidential information ahead of a $180M block trade and alleges misleading responses during the probe; BofA is reportedly seeking to settle without admitting guilt. This raises regulatory, legal and reputational risk that can pressure the stock. Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded Bank of America, adding to negative analyst action that can amplify selling pressure when paired with regulatory headlines. Wolfe Research Downgrade Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BAC. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Bank of America from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Bank of America from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Bank of America in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $59.82. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Bank of America Bank of America Company Profile (Free Report) Bank of America Corporation is a multinational financial services company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It provides a broad array of banking, investment, asset management and related financial and risk management products and services to individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, governments and institutional investors. The firm operates through consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking and markets businesses, offering capabilities across lending, deposits, payments, advisory and capital markets. Its consumer-facing offerings include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity lending, auto loans, credit cards and small business banking, supported by a nationwide branch network and digital channels. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 118,557 shares of the credit services providers stock after selling 2,501 shares during the quarter. Mastercard comprises about 0.7% of State of Alaska Department of Revenues portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Mastercard were worth $67,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Robbins Farley lifted its position in Mastercard by 50.0% during the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 54 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Mastercard alerts: Mastercard Stock Down 0.0% Shares of MA opened at $579.82 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $556.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $566.47. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $465.59 and a 12-month high of $601.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The firm has a market cap of $520.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.86. Mastercard Increases Dividend Mastercard ( NYSE:MA Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.31 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.53 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.28% and a return on equity of 202.03%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This is a positive change from Mastercards previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Mastercards dividend payout ratio is presently 22.25%. Trending Headlines about Mastercard Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week: Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts have issued reports on MA shares. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Mastercard from $685.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $655.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $665.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Cowen reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Mastercard from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $657.48. Read Our Latest Report on Mastercard Mastercard Company Profile (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments. Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MicroSectors FANG & Innovation 3x Leveraged ETN (NYSEARCA:BULZ Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 264,062 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the previous sessions volume of 207,615 shares.The stock last traded at $269.5120 and had previously closed at $259.40. MicroSectors FANG & Innovation 3x Leveraged ETN Trading Up 7.3% The firm has a market cap of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09 and a beta of 4.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $266.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.35. About MicroSectors FANG & Innovation 3x Leveraged ETN (Get Free Report) The MicroSectors Solactive FANG & Innovation 3X Leveraged ETN (BULZ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Solactive FANG Innovation index. The fund tracks 3x the daily price movements of an equal-weighted index of US-listed technology companies. BULZ was launched on Aug 20, 2021 and is issued by REX Microsectors. See Also Receive News & Ratings for MicroSectors FANG & Innovation 3x Leveraged ETN Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MicroSectors FANG & Innovation 3x Leveraged ETN and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Mitchells & Butlers Plc (OTCMKTS:MBPFF Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $3.6950 and last traded at $3.6950, with a volume of 1560 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $3.25. Mitchells & Butlers Price Performance The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.45. Get Mitchells & Butlers alerts: About Mitchells & Butlers (Get Free Report) Mitchells & Butlers plc is one of the United Kingdoms leading operators of managed pubs, bars and restaurants, trading under a portfolio of well-known brands. The companys venues serve a broad spectrum of customers, from casual diners at family-friendly outlets to guests seeking premium steakhouse and craft bar experiences. Its core business activities encompass site management, menu development, beverage sourcing and hospitality operations across its estate. The companys brand portfolio includes names such as All Bar One, Toby Carvery, Harvester, Miller & Carter, Sizzling Pubs and Vintage Inns, among others. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Mitchells & Butlers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitchells & Butlers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LUSAKA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- As early as 7:00 a.m. local time, Katherine Ngulube, a 23-year-old mother of two from Lusaka, Zambia's capital, was already preparing to collect a free food hamper for her family. "I want to ensure that I am among the first to receive a hamper," said Ngulube, placing her seven-month-old baby on her lap. A resident of Chaisa Compound, one of Lusaka's low-income settlements, Ngulube's family was among more than 100 vulnerable households that received food hampers on Friday through an initiative supported by the Chinese Ladies Association in Zambia (CLAZ). "This donation has come at the right time, as most vulnerable households like mine are struggling to provide for our younger children due to a lack of resources," she said after receiving a food hamper. "I hope for more support in the area of livelihood strengthening for women like me to improve our situation." Each food hamper included a bottle of cooking oil, packets of sugar, packs of soy pieces, and a variety of cookies, offering a balanced and nutritious supplement for children and their families. For many vulnerable and low-income households in Zambia, access to adequate food remains a daily challenge, often leading to malnutrition, particularly among young children. Faustina Munshya, a 36-year-old mother of three children, also shared her joy and expressed gratitude for the timely donation. "It will greatly help us in supplementing my family's food needs," she said. The donation, coordinated by the Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) Zambia Chapter, benefited over 200 children aged under five. During the handover ceremony, WFWP Zambia Chapter President Annie Mwale thanked CLAZ for its support in promoting the welfare of vulnerable homes through food assistance. "We are immensely grateful to the Chinese Ladies Association for their partnership with us in making a positive impact on the lives of the less privileged in our society. This donation will go a long way in ensuring that targeted children receive the much-needed food," Mwale said. She added that WFWP Zambia's food supplement program, which has been running for over five years, targets households with malnourished children, who were prioritized as beneficiaries of the food hampers. CLAZ President Liu Guifen acknowledged WFWP Zambia's work in supporting vulnerable women and addressing the needs of malnourished children. "We are glad to take part in this initiative and recognize the practical impact WFWP Zambia has made in assisting women and children in need," Liu said. Biohaven (NYSE:BHVN Free Report) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from $26.00 to $21.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a neutral rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Biohaven in a report on Friday, December 26th. William Blair reissued a market perform rating on shares of Biohaven in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a strong-buy rating on shares of Biohaven in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Cowen reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Biohaven in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a buy rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Biohaven in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $25.57. Get Biohaven alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Biohaven Biohaven Trading Down 3.3% NYSE:BHVN opened at $11.36 on Tuesday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $10.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.86. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of -1.49 and a beta of 1.14. Biohaven has a fifty-two week low of $7.48 and a fifty-two week high of $44.28. Biohaven (NYSE:BHVN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($1.64) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($1.91) by $0.27. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Biohaven will post -8.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Vlad Coric purchased 666,666 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $7.50 per share, for a total transaction of $4,999,995.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,195,275 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,964,562.50. The trade was a 126.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO George C. Clark purchased 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.52 per share, for a total transaction of $144,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 20,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $170,400. The trade was a 566.67% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 4,416,999 shares of company stock worth $33,144,833 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 16.00% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Biohaven A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Biohaven by 113.7% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,383 shares of the companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Biohaven during the third quarter worth $60,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Biohaven by 26.1% during the second quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 5,800 shares of the companys stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in Biohaven in the 3rd quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Biohaven by 47.7% in the 2nd quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 6,032 shares of the companys stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. 88.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Biohaven Company Profile (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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Biohaven Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Biohaven and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Hold from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $221.1842. MTB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of M&T Bank in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of M&T Bank from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on M&T Bank from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on M&T Bank from $220.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of M&T Bank in a research note on Wednesday. Get M&T Bank alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on M&T Bank Insider Transactions at M&T Bank Institutional Trading of M&T Bank In related news, Director Robert E. Sadler, Jr. sold 6,000 shares of M&T Bank stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.06, for a total transaction of $1,140,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,070 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,244,324.20. The trade was a 26.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, EVP Christopher E. Kay sold 5,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.70, for a total transaction of $1,006,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,054,541.70. This represents 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 have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in M&T Bank by 46.8% in the 3rd quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 433,679 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $85,704,000 after buying an additional 138,173 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in shares of M&T Bank by 27.3% during the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 8,111 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in M&T Bank by 20.8% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 25,741 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,988,000 after acquiring an additional 4,432 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in M&T Bank by 3.1% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 463,669 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $89,947,000 after purchasing an additional 13,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in M&T Bank by 6.2% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 584,438 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $113,375,000 after purchasing an additional 33,920 shares in the last quarter. 84.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Key Headlines Impacting M&T Bank Here are the key news stories impacting M&T Bank this week: M&T Bank Price Performance Shares of NYSE MTB opened at $213.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $195.92 and a 200-day moving average of $194.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.59. M&T Bank has a fifty-two week low of $150.75 and a fifty-two week high of $215.49. M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 9th. The financial services provider reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter. M&T Bank had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 20.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that M&T Bank will post 16.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. M&T Bank Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. M&T Banks payout ratio is currently 36.95%. About M&T Bank (Get Free Report) 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. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for M&T Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for M&T Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Mullen Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:MLLGF Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Securities restated a buy rating on shares of Mullen Group in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Mullen Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Mullen Group in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, CIBC reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Mullen Group in a research note on Thursday. Get Mullen Group alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MLLGF Mullen Group Trading Down 0.4% Mullen Group Company Profile Shares of OTCMKTS:MLLGF opened at $11.59 on Tuesday. Mullen Group has a 1 year low of $8.50 and a 1 year high of $11.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.30. (Get Free Report) Mullen Group Ltd. is a diversified transportation and logistics company headquartered in Okotoks, Alberta. Founded in 1949 as a regional trucking firm, the company has grown through a combination of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions to become one of Canadas leading asset-based carriers. Mullen Group provides full-service solutions across a range of industries, with a focus on temperature-controlled freight, bulk and specialized haulage, and dedicated contract carriage. The company operates through several complementary business segments, including truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) services, logistics and warehousing, courier and parcel delivery, and international freight forwarding. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Mullen Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mullen Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Next Level Private LLC grew its holdings in PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF Free Report) by 212.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,282 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 45,044 shares during the period. Next Level Private LLCs holdings in PBF Energy were worth $2,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in PBF Energy by 761.0% in the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,412 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in PBF Energy by 67.2% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,993 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in PBF Energy by 66.2% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,054 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in PBF Energy by 25.0% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 261.0% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,354 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the companys stock. Get PBF Energy alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at PBF Energy In other PBF Energy news, SVP Trecia M. Canty sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.44, for a total value of $1,822,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 200,744 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,315,111.36. This trade represents a 19.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 250,000 shares of PBF Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.51, for a total value of $8,627,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 790,716 shares of the companys stock, valued at $27,287,609.16. This trade represents a 24.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 429,624 shares of company stock valued at $15,534,465. 5.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. PBF Energy Stock Up 14.0% PBF stock opened at $32.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of -6.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.74. PBF Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.61 and a 52 week high of $41.47. PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.52) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.17. PBF Energy had a negative return on equity of 15.88% and a negative net margin of 1.78%.The firm had revenue of $7.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.50) earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PBF Energy Inc. will post -1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year. PBF Energy Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. PBF Energys dividend payout ratio is currently -23.66%. Analysts Set New Price Targets PBF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PBF Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Piper Sandler raised shares of PBF Energy from an underweight rating to an overweight rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price objective on shares of PBF Energy and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered PBF Energy from a peer perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $23.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Mizuho raised PBF Energy from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and lifted their price target for the company from $31.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average target price of $29.57. Get Our Latest Research Report on PBF Energy About PBF Energy (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. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PBF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for PBF Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PBF Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 280,231 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 23,475 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Capital One Financial were worth $59,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COF. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $254,000. Plancorp LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capital One Financial in the second quarter valued at about $272,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Capital One Financial by 53.9% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 88,505 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $18,830,000 after acquiring an additional 30,991 shares during the period. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its stake in Capital One Financial by 1,490.0% in the 2nd quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 43,486 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $9,252,000 after purchasing an additional 40,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Capital One Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $647,000. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Capital One Financial alerts: Key Stories Impacting Capital One Financial Here are the key news stories impacting Capital One Financial this week: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth COF has been the topic of several recent research reports. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $264.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, December 26th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Capital One Financial from $270.00 to $266.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Capital One Financial from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $271.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $276.25. Read Our Latest Report on COF Insiders Place Their Bets In other Capital One Financial news, insider Lia Dean sold 3,269 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.15, for a total value of $713,132.35. Following the sale, the insider owned 69,855 shares in the company, valued at $15,238,868.25. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Neal Blinde sold 43,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.83, for a total transaction of $9,583,056.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 73,020 shares of the companys stock, valued at $16,198,026.60. This trade represents a 37.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 298,895 shares of company stock worth $67,111,541 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.26% of the companys stock. Capital One Financial Price Performance Shares of COF stock opened at $255.77 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.72. The company has a market cap of $162.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 107.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Capital One Financial Corporation has a twelve month low of $143.22 and a twelve month high of $259.64. Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $5.95 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $15.46 billion during the quarter. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 2.24%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 15.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. Capital One Financial Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Capital One Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Capital One Financials payout ratio is currently 135.02%. Capital One Financial Profile (Free Report) Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The companys core businesses include credit card lending, consumer and commercial banking, and auto finance. Capital One issues a wide range of credit card products for consumers and small businesses, and it operates deposit and digital banking services aimed at retail customers and small to midsize enterprises. Products and services include credit and charge cards, checking and savings accounts (including the online-focused Capital One 360 platform), auto loans, and commercial lending solutions. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Capital One Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capital One Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP Free Report) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 389,970 shares of the energy producers stock after selling 40,071 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $36,887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COP. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 2.5% in the third quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,167 shares of the energy producers stock worth $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 0.8% in the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 89,942 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $8,508,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 44.0% in the third quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,593 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,386 shares of the energy producers stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the companys stock. Get ConocoPhillips alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,152,410. This represents a 60.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,768 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This represents a increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. Roth Capital reduced their price target on ConocoPhillips from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on ConocoPhillips to $113.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Mizuho boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $126.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $112.96. Get Our Latest Analysis on ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Stock Performance Shares of COP opened at $98.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.32. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $79.88 and a 12 month high of $106.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. Research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year. ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillipss previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. ConocoPhillipss payout ratio is currently 47.52%. About ConocoPhillips (Free Report) ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets. The companys activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for ConocoPhillips Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ConocoPhillips and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nordic American Tankers Limited (NYSE:NAT Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $3.93 and last traded at $3.9250, with a volume of 3097621 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.90. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Nordic American Tankers in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a hold rating and issued a $3.50 price target on shares of Nordic American Tankers in a report on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Nordic American Tankers from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Nordic American Tankers from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $3.25. Get Nordic American Tankers alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on NAT Nordic American Tankers Stock Up 0.4% The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $829.00 million, a P/E ratio of 195.85 and a beta of -0.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3.59 and a 200 day moving average of $3.23. Nordic American Tankers (NYSE:NAT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 28th. The shipping company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). Nordic American Tankers had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 0.39%. The company had revenue of $40.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $52.89 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Nordic American Tankers Limited will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Nordic American Tankers Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Nordic American Tankerss previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.3%. Nordic American Tankerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2,600.00%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nordic American Tankers A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nordic American Tankers by 25.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,260,627 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $16,518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,232 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Nordic American Tankers by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,124,150 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $16,090,000 after purchasing an additional 369,462 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Nordic American Tankers by 0.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,568,766 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $6,756,000 after buying an additional 16,535 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Nordic American Tankers by 108.3% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,429,423 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $7,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263,228 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Nordic American Tankers by 83.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,277,830 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $7,152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039,353 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 44.29% of the companys stock. About Nordic American Tankers (Get Free Report) Nordic American Tankers Limited is a Bermuda-based shipping company specializing in the ownership and operation of Suezmax crude oil tankers. The companys fleet is employed on the spot and period charter markets, transporting crude oil across major global trade routes. By focusing on commercially flexible employment strategies, Nordic American Tankers seeks to optimize vessel utilization and generate stable income for shareholders. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, Nordic American Tankers maintains technical and commercial management arrangements through established ship-management partners. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nordic American Tankers Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nordic American Tankers and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Barclays upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS Free Report) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Novartis from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Cowen reiterated a hold rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, November 10th. HC Wainwright cut Novartis to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Novartis from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a sell rating and set a $118.00 target price (down from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $119.75. Get Novartis alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on Novartis Novartis Trading Down 0.3% NVS opened at $141.54 on Tuesday. Novartis has a 12-month low of $97.39 and a 12-month high of $143.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $298.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.51. The firms fifty day moving average price is $132.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.82. Novartis (NYSE:NVS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.26 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $14.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.70 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.21% and a net margin of 26.49%.Novartiss revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Barrett & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 66.0% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the companys stock. About Novartis (Get 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. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG Get Free Report) CFO Bruce Chung sold 12,383 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.56, for a total value of $1,938,682.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 79,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,391,254.32. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Bruce Chung also recently made the following trade(s): Get NRG Energy alerts: On Tuesday, January 6th, Bruce Chung sold 7,617 shares of NRG Energy stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.79, for a total value of $1,209,503.43. NRG Energy Stock Performance Shares of NRG stock traded down $5.35 on Thursday, hitting $143.56. 2,549,657 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,047,511. The companys fifty day moving average is $163.90 and its 200 day moving average is $160.33. NRG Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.57 and a 1-year high of $180.54. The company has a market capitalization of $27.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.45, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.99. NRG Energy Announces Dividend NRG Energy ( NYSE:NRG Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.53 billion. NRG Energy had a net margin of 4.84% and a return on equity of 103.57%. The firms revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.90 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that NRG Energy, Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. NRG Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 26.31%. NRG Energy announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the utilities provider to buy up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently commented on NRG shares. Scotiabank assumed coverage on NRG Energy in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a sector outperform rating and a $212.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded NRG Energy to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an underperform rating on shares of NRG Energy in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research lowered NRG Energy from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a buy rating and set a $198.00 price target on shares of NRG Energy in a report on Monday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $199.21. View Our Latest Research Report on NRG Energy NRG Energy News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting NRG Energy this week: Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $3.0 billion share repurchase (up to ~9.2% of shares), which supports buybacks and is a direct capital-return catalyst for the stock. Article Title Board-authorized $3.0 billion share repurchase (up to ~9.2% of shares), which supports buybacks and is a direct capital-return catalyst for the stock. Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an earnings beat and revenue growth (EPS and revenue above consensus), providing fundamental support under the share price. Article Title Recent quarterly results showed an earnings beat and revenue growth (EPS and revenue above consensus), providing fundamental support under the share price. Neutral Sentiment: Company issued an official leadership-succession press release detailing the timeline (Gaudette named President now, CEO effective April 30) a controlled, board-led transition rather than an abrupt departure. Article Title Company issued an official leadership-succession press release detailing the timeline (Gaudette named President now, CEO effective April 30) a controlled, board-led transition rather than an abrupt departure. Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/valuation commentary and coverage remain mixed to constructive (consensus Moderate Buy and varied price targets); valuation notes may limit downside but also cap upside until new CEOs strategy is clear. Article Title Analyst/valuation commentary and coverage remain mixed to constructive (consensus Moderate Buy and varied price targets); valuation notes may limit downside but also cap upside until new CEOs strategy is clear. Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction has been negative outlets reported the stock falling on the succession news as investors price in uncertainty around leadership change and strategic continuity. Article Title Immediate market reaction has been negative outlets reported the stock falling on the succession news as investors price in uncertainty around leadership change and strategic continuity. Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling around the announcement date large sales by VP(s) and the CFO, and a disclosed sale of shares by Robert Gaudette which investors often view as a negative signal on near-term confidence. Article Title Institutional Investors Weigh In On NRG Energy Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in NRG Energy by 0.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,411,045 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $865,437,000 after buying an additional 39,253 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in NRG Energy by 0.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,954 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $790,471,000 after acquiring an additional 31,238 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in NRG Energy by 113.3% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,444,271 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $231,921,000 after acquiring an additional 767,014 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of NRG Energy by 42.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,368,824 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $221,671,000 after purchasing an additional 409,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of NRG Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,225,329 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $198,442,000 after purchasing an additional 86,528 shares during the last quarter. 97.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About NRG Energy (Get Free Report) NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) is a U.S.-based integrated power company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of power generation assets and participates in wholesale and retail energy markets. NRG supplies electricity to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and retail consumers, while also providing energy-related products and services designed to manage consumption and support reliability. NRGs generation mix includes conventional thermal plants as well as renewable and distributed energy resources. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for NRG Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NRG Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE:OI Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 2,354 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 3,039% compared to the average daily volume of 75 call options. Key Stories Impacting O-I Glass Here are the key news stories impacting O-I Glass this week: Get O-I Glass alerts: Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised near-term and full-year EPS forecasts (Q2, Q3 and FY2026) and maintains a Strong-Buy view, citing higher expected quarterly EPS and lifting FY2026 to $1.90. This improves forward earnings visibility and supports the rally. Zacks Research raised near-term and full-year EPS forecasts (Q2, Q3 and FY2026) and maintains a Strong-Buy view, citing higher expected quarterly EPS and lifting FY2026 to $1.90. This improves forward earnings visibility and supports the rally. Positive Sentiment: O-I hit a 52-week high and is featured as a momentum pick in Zacks coverage momentum and technical breakout headlines can attract trend-following money. O-I Glass, Inc. (OI) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run? O-I hit a 52-week high and is featured as a momentum pick in Zacks coverage momentum and technical breakout headlines can attract trend-following money. Positive Sentiment: Zacks included OI in a short list of stocks trading near 52-week highs with room to rise, reinforcing the narrative of continued upside from momentum investors. 4 Stocks Trading Near 52-Week High With Room to Rise Further Zacks included OI in a short list of stocks trading near 52-week highs with room to rise, reinforcing the narrative of continued upside from momentum investors. Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $21, signaling stronger analyst conviction on upside potential and giving investors a higher reference valuation. Truist Financial Increases O-I Glass (NYSE:OI) Price Target to $21.00 Truist raised its price target to $21, signaling stronger analyst conviction on upside potential and giving investors a higher reference valuation. Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded O-I Glass, adding another sell-side uplift that can drive buying from institutional accounts. Wells Fargo upgrades O-I Glass (OI) Wells Fargo upgraded O-I Glass, adding another sell-side uplift that can drive buying from institutional accounts. Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed a large spike in call purchases (2,354 calls, ~3,039% above typical daily volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish positioning by traders. O-I Glass Stock Up 1.3% OI opened at $15.36 on Friday. O-I Glass has a one year low of $9.23 and a one year high of $16.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.36, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 0.77. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $13.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.59. Institutional Trading of O-I Glass O-I Glass ( NYSE:OI Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. O-I Glass had a positive return on equity of 16.02% and a negative net margin of 2.26%.The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter. O-I Glass has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.550-1.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that O-I Glass will post 1.33 EPS for the current year. A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in O-I Glass during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of O-I Glass by 64.1% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,350 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 918 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of O-I Glass during the second quarter worth about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in O-I Glass by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,403 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 820 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in O-I Glass in the 2nd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.24% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on OI. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of O-I Glass from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded O-I Glass from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price target for the company from $15.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised O-I Glass from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $14.00 to $17.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on O-I Glass from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised O-I Glass from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, O-I Glass has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $17.56. Read Our Latest Research Report on OI About O-I Glass (Get Free Report) O-I Glass, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of glass containers, supplying the food and beverage, wine and spirits, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and personal care industries. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio, the company produces a broad range of glass packaging solutions, including bottles and jars, designed to meet customer specifications for size, shape, color and performance. O-I leverages proprietary technologies in forming, decoration and quality control to serve both mass-market and premium brands. Tracing its origins to the early 20th century through the merger of prominent regional glassmakers, the company adopted the Owens-Illinois name in 1929 before rebranding as O-I Glass in 2015. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for O-I Glass Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for O-I Glass and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oak Family Advisors LLC raised its stake in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report) by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,420 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after buying an additional 5,555 shares during the quarter. Oak Family Advisors LLCs holdings in EOG Resources were worth $4,083,000 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 EOG. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in EOG Resources by 64.1% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,728,128 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $445,921,000 after buying an additional 1,456,928 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 282.3% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,546,058 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $184,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141,680 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 122.6% in the 2nd quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 907,231 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $108,514,000 after acquiring an additional 499,610 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in EOG Resources by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,494,503 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $537,588,000 after purchasing an additional 294,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in EOG Resources during the second quarter worth approximately $33,874,000. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get EOG Resources alerts: EOG Resources Stock Up 2.9% Shares of NYSE EOG opened at $105.54 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $106.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.62. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.59 and a 52-week high of $138.18. The stock has a market cap of $57.27 billion, a PE ratio of 10.51, a PEG ratio of 8.04 and a beta of 0.49. EOG Resources Dividend Announcement EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy exploration company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.29. EOG Resources had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The company had revenue of $5.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. EOG Resourcess quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is 40.64%. Insider Activity In other news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.68, for a total value of $211,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 54,979 shares in the company, valued at $5,810,180.72. This represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts recently issued reports on EOG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of EOG Resources from $131.00 to $121.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of EOG Resources in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Siebert Williams Shank lowered their target price on EOG Resources from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on EOG Resources from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on EOG Resources from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $138.14. Get Our Latest Research Report on EOG About EOG Resources (Free Report) EOG Resources, Inc (NYSE: EOG) is an independent exploration and production company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Tracing its corporate origins to Enron Oil & Gas Company in the late 1990s, the company established itself as a standalone E&P operator and has grown into one of the largest U.S. upstream producers. EOG focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). As an upstream-focused company, EOGs core activities include geologic and geophysical exploration, drilling and completion of wells, reservoir development, and the marketing of hydrocarbon production. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oak Family Advisors LLC raised its stake in Alerian MLP ETF (NYSEARCA:AMLP Free Report) by 288.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,526 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 109,572 shares during the quarter. Alerian MLP ETF accounts for about 1.7% of Oak Family Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Oak Family Advisors LLCs holdings in Alerian MLP ETF were worth $6,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Alerian MLP ETF by 0.7% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,453,389 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $413,033,000 after buying an additional 54,835 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Alerian MLP ETF by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,715,784 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $132,693,000 after acquiring an additional 152,451 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alerian MLP ETF by 19.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,634,868 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $79,886,000 after acquiring an additional 262,817 shares in the last quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alerian MLP ETF by 17.5% in the second quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 1,311,189 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $64,065,000 after purchasing an additional 194,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alerian MLP ETF by 1.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,113,670 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $54,414,000 after purchasing an additional 14,538 shares in the last quarter. Get Alerian MLP ETF alerts: Alerian MLP ETF Stock Performance Alerian MLP ETF stock opened at $47.56 on Friday. Alerian MLP ETF has a fifty-two week low of $43.75 and a fifty-two week high of $53.24. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $47.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.63. The stock has a market cap of $10.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.70. Alerian MLP ETF Company Profile ALERIAN MLP ETF seeks investment results that correspond (before fees and expenses) to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, the Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index (the Index). The Index is a rules based, modified capitalization weighted, float adjusted index intended to give investors a means of tracking the overall performance of the United States energy infrastructure Master Limited Partnership (MLP) asset class. The Index is comprised of 25 energy infrastructure MLPs. The fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in securities, which comprise the Index (or depositary receipts based on such securities). Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMLP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alerian MLP ETF (NYSEARCA:AMLP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Alerian MLP ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alerian MLP ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report) by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 177,916 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 43,420 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $28,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,027,000 after buying an additional 2,023 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,097 shares of the companys stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 131,362 shares of the companys stock valued at $20,851,000 after acquiring an additional 37,988 shares during the period. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at about $822,000. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the first quarter worth about $759,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the companys stock. Get Philip Morris International alerts: Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.3% PM opened at $158.76 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.12 and a 1-year high of $186.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $247.13 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $155.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $162.44. Philip Morris International Announces Dividend Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. On average, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.52%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 price target on Philip Morris International in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on Philip Morris International and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $189.00. View Our Latest Research Report on Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Profile (Free Report) Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States. PMIs product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN Free Report) by 23.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 426,022 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 80,397 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLCs holdings in Banco Santander were worth $4,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 77.4% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 419,635 shares of the banks stock worth $2,812,000 after acquiring an additional 183,051 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Banco Santander by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 71,990 shares of the banks stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Banco Santander by 271.2% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 10,276 shares of the banks stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 7,508 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in Banco Santander in the 1st quarter valued at about $339,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Banco Santander by 65.3% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 71,169 shares of the banks stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 28,107 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the companys stock. Get Banco Santander alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth SAN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b+) rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold. Banco Santander Price Performance Shares of SAN stock opened at $11.93 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.08 and a 200-day moving average of $9.97. Banco Santander, S.A. has a one year low of $4.58 and a one year high of $12.13. The company has a market cap of $177.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.73. Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). Banco Santander had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 17.90%.The firm had revenue of $26.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.32 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Banco Santander Company Profile (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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SAN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Banco Santander Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Santander and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Premium Brands Holdings Co. (OTCMKTS:PRBZF Get Free Report)s share price fell 1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $72.58 and last traded at $72.58. 1,428 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 15,357 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.34. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have weighed in on PRBZF. Scotiabank raised Premium Brands from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. National Bankshares restated a sector perform rating on shares of Premium Brands in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. TD Securities reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Premium Brands in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Premium Brands in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Premium Brands currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Get Premium Brands alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on PRBZF Premium Brands Stock Down 1.0% Premium Brands Company Profile The businesss fifty day moving average is $69.77 and its 200-day moving average is $67.31. (Get Free Report) Premium Brands Holdings Corp is a Canadian specialty food manufacturing and distribution company that develops, produces and markets a broad array of premium branded and private-label food products. The company serves retail, foodservice and take-home meal customers, offering a diverse portfolio that includes deli meats, fresh and frozen sandwiches, baked goods, seafood, plant-based proteins and artisanal cheeses. Premium Brands focuses on high-growth, value-added segments of the food industry where quality, convenience and innovation drive customer loyalty. Through a strategy of organic development and targeted acquisitions, Premium Brands has assembled a network of production facilities and distribution centres across North America and selected international markets. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Premium Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Premium Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PressLogic (PLAI) plans to raise $9 million in an initial public offering (IPO) on the week of January 12th, IPO Scoop reports. The company will issue 1,800,000 shares at $4.00-$6.00 per share. In the last 12 months, PressLogic generated $14.77 million in revenue and $1.91 million in net income. The company has a market cap of $83.20 million. American Trust Investment Services acted as the underwriter for the IPO. PressLogic provided the following description of their company for its IPO: (Incorporated in the Cayman Islands) We provide digital marketing services to companies in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Our content marketing solutions include a digital marketing solution segment, which offers editorial content, influencer marketing and display advertising, along with advertisements. We run nine proprietary media brands with over 12 million subscribers and followers, including nine websites, five apps, 11 Facebook fanpages, 11 Instagram profiles and eight YouTube channels, as of the date of this prospectus. Note: Net income and revenue are in U.S. dollars (converted from Hong Kong dollars) for the 12 months that ended June 30, 2025. (Note: PressLogic filed its F-1/A on Oct. 14, 2025, and disclosed the terms of its small IPO: The company is offering 1.8 million shares at a price range of $4.00 to $6.00 to raise $9.0 million, if priced at the mid-point of its range. Background: PressLogic filed its F-1 to go public in September.) . PressLogic was founded in 2016 and has 124 employees. The company is located at 26/F, Chinachem Leighton Plaza 29 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay Hong Kong and can be reached via phone at +852 3709 2787 or on the web at https://www.presslogic.online/. Receive News & Ratings for PressLogic Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PressLogic and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $136.00. Several brokerages have commented on PHM. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of PulteGroup from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on PulteGroup from $136.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded PulteGroup from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of PulteGroup in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on PulteGroup from $135.00 to $128.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Get PulteGroup alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on PulteGroup Institutional Investors Weigh In On PulteGroup PulteGroup Trading Up 5.0% Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in PulteGroup by 5.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,900,271 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,704,513,000 after buying an additional 609,640 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of PulteGroup during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $404,339,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of PulteGroup by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,623,917 shares of the construction companys stock worth $478,828,000 after acquiring an additional 424,011 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in PulteGroup by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,634,275 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $277,811,000 after acquiring an additional 23,051 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in PulteGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at $315,883,000. 89.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. NYSE:PHM opened at $123.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.33. PulteGroup has a twelve month low of $88.07 and a twelve month high of $142.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $121.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The construction company reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. PulteGroup had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 19.58%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.35 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that PulteGroup will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year. PulteGroup Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.26 dividend. This is a boost from PulteGroups previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. PulteGroups payout ratio is 8.01%. Key PulteGroup News Here are the key news stories impacting PulteGroup this week: About PulteGroup (Get Free Report) PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE: PHM) is a U.S.-based residential homebuilder that designs, constructs and sells single-family homes and develops master-planned communities. The company operates multiple national and regional brands that target different buyer segments, including first-time buyers, move-up buyers and active-adult customers. Its operations encompass land acquisition and development, home design and construction, community amenities and ongoing customer service and warranty programs. PulteGroup markets homes under several well-known brands, such as Pulte Homes, Centex and Del Webb, among others, offering a range of product types from entry-level detached homes to larger, higher-end residences and age-restricted active-adult communities. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for PulteGroup Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PulteGroup and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ramiah Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Canada ETF (NYSEARCA:EWC Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,393 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $728,000. iShares MSCI Canada ETF accounts for approximately 0.7% of Ramiah Investment Groups investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Canada ETF in the 1st quarter worth $129,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in iShares MSCI Canada ETF by 1.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,534,679 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $62,538,000 after purchasing an additional 21,113 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in iShares MSCI Canada ETF by 16.5% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 42,084 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,712,000 after purchasing an additional 5,965 shares during the period. Turn8 Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI Canada ETF by 67.5% in the 1st quarter. Turn8 Private Wealth Inc. now owns 8,679 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 3,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in iShares MSCI Canada ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,214,000. Get iShares MSCI Canada ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Canada ETF Trading Up 0.8% NYSEARCA EWC opened at $54.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77 and a beta of 0.94. The businesss 50 day moving average is $52.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.85. iShares MSCI Canada ETF has a 12-month low of $36.70 and a 12-month high of $54.80. iShares MSCI Canada ETF Profile iShares MSCI Canada ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Canada 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 publicly traded securities in the Canadian market, as measured by the MSCI Canada Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Canadian equity market. It is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EWC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Canada ETF (NYSEARCA:EWC Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Canada ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Canada ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Triumph Financial (NYSE:TFIN Get Free Report) and Renasant (NYSE:RNST Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation. Profitability This table compares Triumph Financial and Renasants net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Triumph Financial alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Triumph Financial 2.00% 1.76% 0.24% Renasant 11.26% 6.99% 1.01% Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Triumph Financial and Renasant, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Triumph Financial 1 0 0 0 1.00 Renasant 0 1 0 1 3.00 Institutional & Insider Ownership Valuation & Earnings 91.1% of Triumph Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.3% of Renasant shares are held by institutional investors. 5.6% of Triumph Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Renasant shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. This table compares Triumph Financial and Renasants top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Triumph Financial $487.93 million 3.32 $16.09 million $0.29 235.31 Renasant $1.09 billion 3.18 $195.46 million $1.99 18.33 Renasant has higher revenue and earnings than Triumph Financial. Renasant is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Triumph Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Volatility and Risk Triumph Financial has a beta of 1.48, suggesting that its stock price is 48% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Renasant has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Renasant beats Triumph Financial on 8 of the 13 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 Renasant (Get Free Report) Renasant Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Renasant Bank that provides a range of financial, wealth management, fiduciary, and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through three segments: Community Banks, Insurance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banks segment offers checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, asset-based lending, and equipment leasing services, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; equipment financing and leasing; real estate1-4 family mortgage; real estatecommercial mortgage; real estateconstruction loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; installment loans to individuals; and interim construction loans, as well as automated teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, call center, and treasury management services. The Insurance segment provides insurance agency services, such as commercial and personal insurance products through insurance carriers. The Wealth Management segment offers a range of wealth management and fiduciary services, including administration and management of trust accounts, such as personal and corporate benefit accounts, and custodial accounts, as well as accounting and money management for trust accounts; annuities, mutual funds, and other investment services through a third party broker-dealer; and qualified retirement plans, IRAs, employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated a network of 189 banking, lending, and mortgage offices located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; 150 full-service branches and 11 limited-service branches; 173 ATMs; and 38 interactive teller machines. Renasant Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Receive News & Ratings for Triumph Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Triumph Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC cut its position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ Free Report) by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,042 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 187,301 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.12% of iShares MSCI Japan ETF worth $17,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RoundAngle Advisors LLC increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. RoundAngle Advisors LLC now owns 25,876 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 2.4% during the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,052 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its position in iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 0.8% during the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 22,785 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. LM Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 0.6% in the second quarter. LM Advisors LLC now owns 30,317 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,273,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBA Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 4.1% in the second quarter. MBA Advisors LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.60% of the companys stock. Get iShares MSCI Japan ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Japan ETF Trading Down 0.1% Shares of EWJ stock opened at $82.86 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average is $82.33 and its 200 day moving average is $79.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 0.68. iShares MSCI Japan ETF has a 12 month low of $59.84 and a 12 month high of $85.31. About iShares MSCI Japan ETF iShares MSCI Japan ETF (the fund), formerly Ishares Msci Japan Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index (the Index). The Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EWJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Japan ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Japan ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PHNOM PENH, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) generated 10.67 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, said a Ministry of Commerce report released on Friday. The report showed that the kingdom shipped goods worth 5.67 billion dollars to its fellow ASEAN member states last year, up 9.8 percent year on year. Meanwhile, it exported products worth 5 billion dollars to the EU market last year, up 13.5 percent year on year, figures from the report showed. The ASEAN market represented 18.1 percent and the EU market accounted for 16 percent of Cambodia's total export volume of 31.28 billion dollars in 2025, the report said. The main goods Cambodia exported to ASEAN and the EU were clothes, textiles, shoes, travel goods, bags, bicycles, car tires, some electronic devices, as well as agricultural produce such as rice, cashew nuts, casava and rubber latex. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report) by 244.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,705 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after purchasing an additional 9,018 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Mettler-Toledo International worth $15,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Mettler-Toledo International by 91.8% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 140,267 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $164,775,000 after purchasing an additional 67,149 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mettler-Toledo International during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,012,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 477.8% during the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 52 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 84.9% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,513 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $2,965,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mettler-Toledo International by 15.4% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 81,086 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $99,545,000 after buying an additional 10,841 shares during the last quarter. 95.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Mettler-Toledo International alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades MTD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised shares of Mettler-Toledo International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $1,600.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,200.00 to $1,285.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays reduced their target price on Mettler-Toledo International from $1,600.00 to $1,550.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Mettler-Toledo International in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a neutral rating and a $1,475.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Mettler-Toledo International in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set an equal weight rating and a $1,550.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mettler-Toledo International currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $1,441.67. Mettler-Toledo International Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MTD opened at $1,463.57 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,426.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,325.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.90 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 1.41. Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $946.69 and a 12 month high of $1,525.17. Mettler-Toledo International (NYSE:MTD Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $11.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $10.62 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $997.36 million. Mettler-Toledo International had a negative return on equity of 426.96% and a net margin of 21.20%.The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $10.21 EPS. Mettler-Toledo International has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 12.680-12.880 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 42.050-42.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. will post 42.71 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity at Mettler-Toledo International In related news, Director Elisha W. Finney sold 474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,433.57, for a total value of $679,512.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $445,840.27. This represents a 60.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider La Guerroniere Marc De sold 6,055 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,488.18, for a total value of $9,010,929.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 187 shares in the company, valued at $278,289.66. This trade represents a 97.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 19,565 shares of company stock valued at $28,683,737 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.94% of the companys stock. Mettler-Toledo International Company Profile (Free Report) Mettler-Toledo International Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of precision instruments and services for laboratory, industrial and food retail applications. The companys product portfolio includes laboratory balances and analytical instruments, industrial weighing systems, process analytics and sensors, metal detection and x-ray inspection equipment, checkweighers, and a range of automated inspection and data-management solutions. Mettler-Toledo also provides software, calibration and lifecycle services intended to support compliance, quality control and operational efficiency across customer facilities. The company serves a broad set of end markets including pharmaceutical and biotech laboratories, chemical and food processors, logistics and manufacturing operations, and retail environments where accurate weighing and inspection are critical. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MTD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (NYSE:MTD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Mettler-Toledo International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mettler-Toledo International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA Free Report) by 56.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 718,902 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 259,122 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries worth $14,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TEVA. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 3,715.8% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,900 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 26.8% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 3,293 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd bought a new position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the companys stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. 54.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Teva Pharmaceutical Industries alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have issued reports on TEVA shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research note on Friday, December 5th. They set a sector outperform rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $33.67. Insider Buying and Selling In other Teva Pharmaceutical Industries news, VP Richard Daniell sold 115,468 shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.68, for a total value of $3,311,622.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,387,653.12. The trade was a 70.47% 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, CAO Amir Weiss sold 12,300 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.20, for a total value of $371,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,650 shares in the company, valued at $170,630. The trade was a 68.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 622,060 shares of company stock worth $17,076,965 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.49% of the companys stock. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:TEVA opened at $32.50 on Friday. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has a 12-month low of $12.47 and a 12-month high of $32.91. The companys 50 day moving average price is $27.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.43. The firm has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a PE ratio of 54.16, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile (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. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Smith Douglas Homes Corp. (NYSE:SDHC Get Free Report) shares traded up 9.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $19.06 and last traded at $19.1150. 61,933 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 14% from the average session volume of 71,815 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.49. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Smith Douglas Homes from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Smith Douglas Homes from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Smith Douglas Homes from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group reiterated a positive rating on shares of Smith Douglas Homes in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Smith Douglas Homes in a report on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $16.60. Get Smith Douglas Homes alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Smith Douglas Homes Smith Douglas Homes Trading Up 9.8% The company has a market capitalization of $988.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.95. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $18.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.77. Smith Douglas Homes (NYSE:SDHC Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $262.04 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $251.41 million. Smith Douglas Homes had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 0.12%. On average, analysts anticipate that Smith Douglas Homes Corp. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smith Douglas Homes Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Smith Douglas Homes in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC purchased a new position in shares of Smith Douglas Homes in the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Smith Douglas Homes during the 3rd quarter worth about $188,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Smith Douglas Homes during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $195,000. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Smith Douglas Homes in the 3rd quarter valued at $214,000. Smith Douglas Homes Company Profile (Get Free Report) Smith Douglas Homes Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, construction, and sale of single-family homes in the southeastern United States. It also provides closing, escrow, and title insurance services. The company sells its products to entry-level and empty-nest homebuyers. Smith Douglas Homes Corp. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Woodstock, Georgia. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Smith Douglas Homes Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Smith Douglas Homes and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soho House & Co Inc. (NYSE:SHCO) held a special meeting of stockholders to vote on a proposed merger transaction, with Chief Executive Officer Andrew Carnie serving as chairperson. Carnie opened the meeting by thanking the board, management team, and employees, and specifically acknowledged the boards special committee members Eric Deardorff and Yusef Jackson for their work evaluating, negotiating, and recommending the transaction submitted to stockholders for approval. Get alerts: Meeting format and stockholder procedures The companys Chief Legal Officer, Ben Varkoly, acted as secretary of the meeting and reviewed voting and participation guidelines for the virtual format. Stockholders were required to access the meeting with a 16-digit control number to vote or submit questions. Varkoly noted that stockholders who had already submitted a proxy and did not wish to change their vote did not need to take further action, while those seeking to vote or revise a prior vote could do so through the meeting platform until the polls closed. 54,149,151 shares of Class A common stock outstanding, entitled to one vote per share 141,500,385 shares of Class B common stock outstanding, entitled to 10 votes per share Varkoly said the board set Dec. 1, 2025 as the record date. As of that date, the company had: He added that the inspector of elections, Christopher Woods of American Election Services, informed the company that a majority of the voting power entitled to vote at the meeting was present virtually or represented by proxy, and the meeting proceeded on the assumption that a quorum was present pending final confirmation. Representatives of Okapi Partners (proxy solicitor) and Sidley Austin (legal counsel) also attended. Proposals presented to stockholders The meeting included two proposals, though only one was ultimately put to a vote. The company said both the special committee and the board of directors unanimously recommended stockholders vote in favor of each proposal presented. Merger proposal: Stockholders were asked to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated Aug. 15, 2025, by and among Soho House & Co Inc., Partners LLC, and Merger Sub Inc., and to approve other transaction agreements and a Letter Agreement Amendment as described in the proxy statement. The company stated that approval required: The affirmative vote of holders representing a majority of the voting power of the companys outstanding common stock entitled to vote; and The affirmative vote of holders representing a majority of the votes cast by the companys unaffiliated stockholders, as defined in the proxy statement. Adjournment proposal: Stockholders were also asked to approve potential adjournment of the meeting to solicit additional proxies if there were insufficient votes to approve the merger proposal. However, the company said it expected there were already enough votes to approve the merger proposal, rendering the adjournment proposal moot. As a result, the adjournment proposal was not voted on. Preliminary vote results and next steps After allowing time for stockholders to cast or change votes electronically, Carnie closed the polls. Varkoly then reported that the inspector of elections had completed preliminary tabulations and delivered a preliminary vote report. Based on that preliminary tabulation, the company said it had been advised that stockholders voted to adopt and approve the merger proposal. Varkoly emphasized the results remained subject to final verification by the inspector of elections. The company said it expects the transaction to close as soon as possible following completion of the verification process and the satisfaction or waiver of remaining closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement. The company also said it plans to publicly announce the official voting results on May 4, after all verifications have been completed. Q&A and adjournment Following the formal business, the company moved to a question-and-answer session, during which stockholders were permitted to submit up to one question related to the matters presented. The company indicated it did not have additional information to disclose beyond what had already been provided in the proxy statement and a Form 8-K filed the prior day, and said it would provide further disclosures as appropriate as events develop. With no further business, the special meeting was adjourned. About Soho House & Co Inc. (NYSE:SHCO) Soho House & Co Inc is a global hospitality and membership company that operates a network of private clubs, hotels, restaurants, workspaces and leisure facilities aimed primarily at creative professionals. Its core offering revolves around exclusive, members-only Houses that combine social spaces, dining venues, screening rooms, spas and event programming under one roof. The companys diversified portfolio extends to branded hotels and short-stay locations, as well as co-working facilities under the Soho Works banner. The company was founded in 1995 by Nick Jones in London, with the inaugural House offering serving emerging artists, filmmakers and designers. Featured Stories Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.25. Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sonic Automotive from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Barclays started coverage on Sonic Automotive in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an equal weight rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Sonic Automotive in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Sonic Automotive from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Get Sonic Automotive alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on SAH Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sonic Automotive Sonic Automotive Trading Up 2.5% Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SAH. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Sonic Automotive by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,426 shares of the companys stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its position in Sonic Automotive by 41.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 183,522 shares of the companys stock worth $13,964,000 after buying an additional 53,510 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sonic Automotive by 89.9% during the third quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 57,702 shares of the companys stock worth $4,391,000 after buying an additional 27,315 shares in the last quarter. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Sonic Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Sonic Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $7,450,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.92% of the companys stock. Shares of Sonic Automotive stock opened at $64.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Sonic Automotive has a 12-month low of $52.00 and a 12-month high of $89.62. The businesss 50 day moving average is $63.25 and its 200-day moving average is $72.90. Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.82 by ($0.41). Sonic Automotive had a return on equity of 21.65% and a net margin of 0.86%.The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. Sonic Automotives quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Sonic Automotive will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Sonic Automotive Dividend Announcement 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Sonic Automotives dividend payout ratio is currently 41.08%. About Sonic Automotive (Get Free Report) 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Sonic Automotive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sonic Automotive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:SPEU Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 48,261 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 78% from the previous sessions volume of 27,054 shares.The stock last traded at $53.2450 and had previously closed at $53.09. SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF Stock Down 0.1% The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $747.72 million, a P/E ratio of 16.86 and a beta of 0.94. Get SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,215,382 shares of the companys stock valued at $110,348,000 after purchasing an additional 168,266 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF by 389.5% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 831,260 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,283,000 after buying an additional 661,443 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF by 16.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 400,941 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,181,000 after buying an additional 56,113 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF by 0.5% during the third quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 240,711 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,990,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 204,188 shares of the companys stock worth $10,171,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064 shares during the last quarter. SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF Company Profile The SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF (SPEU) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the STOXX Europe TMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of Western European companies across the market-cap spectrum. SPEU was launched on Oct 15, 2002 and is managed by State Street. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TD SYNNEX (NYSE:SNX Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $172.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the business services providers stock. Morgan Stanleys target price suggests a potential upside of 16.66% from the stocks current price. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barrington Research restated an outperform rating and issued a $182.00 price objective on shares of TD SYNNEX in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial set a $175.00 price target on TD SYNNEX in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of TD SYNNEX in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their target price on TD SYNNEX from $140.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of TD SYNNEX from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $168.73. Get TD SYNNEX alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on SNX TD SYNNEX Stock Down 2.4% Insider Buying and Selling at TD SYNNEX Shares of NYSE:SNX opened at $147.43 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $151.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.37. TD SYNNEX has a 52 week low of $92.23 and a 52 week high of $167.76. In other news, insider Miriam Anne Murphy sold 1,673 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.49, for a total value of $261,807.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,529 shares in the company, valued at $2,586,623.21. This trade represents a 9.19% 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 Richard T. Hume sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.77, for a total value of $768,850.00. Following the sale, the director owned 47,515 shares in the company, valued at $7,306,381.55. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 23,939 shares of company stock worth $3,690,188 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On TD SYNNEX A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SNX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of TD SYNNEX by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,248,639 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,119,340,000 after buying an additional 759,022 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in TD SYNNEX by 8.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,230,059 shares of the business services providers stock worth $574,019,000 after acquiring an additional 330,085 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its stake in TD SYNNEX by 15.0% in the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,949,709 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $400,275,000 after acquiring an additional 384,518 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of TD SYNNEX by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,372,733 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $388,535,000 after acquiring an additional 9,024 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of TD SYNNEX by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,391,880 shares of the business services providers stock worth $188,908,000 after purchasing an additional 10,392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.00% of the companys stock. Key Headlines Impacting TD SYNNEX Here are the key news stories impacting TD SYNNEX this week: TD SYNNEX Company Profile (Get Free Report) TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the information technology industry. Formed in September 2021 through the merger of Tech Data and SYNNEX Corporation, the company provides a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions that span hardware, software, cloud, mobility, security and data center technologies. TD SYNNEX partners with vendors, resellers and system integrators to design, deploy and support IT infrastructures across diverse market segments, including commercial enterprises, public sector organizations and retail operations. The companys core business activities include the distribution of technology products from manufacturers such as servers, storage, networking equipment and peripherals, as well as the resale and provisioning of software licenses and cloud-based solutions. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for TD SYNNEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TD SYNNEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue trimmed its stake in The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR Free Report) by 4.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 62,694 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 3,160 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Progressive were worth $15,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PGR. Family Capital Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Progressive during the third quarter worth about $155,000. Joseph Group Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Progressive by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 15,919 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $3,931,000 after purchasing an additional 2,663 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Progressive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA purchased a new position in Progressive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $497,000. Finally, Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Progressive by 9.6% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 20,530 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $5,070,000 after buying an additional 1,805 shares during the period. 85.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Progressive alerts: Progressive Stock Up 1.9% Shares of NYSE:PGR opened at $213.01 on Friday. The Progressive Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $199.90 and a fifty-two week high of $292.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $223.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.52. The company has a market cap of $124.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.34. Progressive Dividend Announcement Progressive ( NYSE:PGR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The insurance provider reported $4.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $5.04 by ($0.59). Progressive had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 33.88%. The firm had revenue of $21.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Progressive Corporation will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Progressives dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2.19%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CFO John P. Sauerland sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.48, for a total transaction of $1,142,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 223,024 shares of the companys stock, valued at $50,956,523.52. This represents a 2.19% 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, insider Steven Broz sold 1,344 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.80, for a total value of $302,131.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 26,354 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,924,379.20. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,034 shares of company stock worth $2,047,481. Company insiders own 0.34% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In PGR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Progressive from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. HSBC set a $259.00 price target on shares of Progressive and gave the company an underperform rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Progressive from $350.00 to $348.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. William Blair lowered shares of Progressive from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating on shares of Progressive in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Progressive has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $260.74. Read Our Latest Research Report on PGR Progressive Company Profile (Free Report) Progressive Corporation is a large U.S.-based property and casualty insurer that primarily underwrites personal auto insurance along with a broad suite of related products. Its offerings include coverage for private passenger automobiles, commercial auto fleets, motorcycles, boats and recreational vehicles, as well as homeowners, renters, umbrella and other specialty P&C products. Progressive also provides claims handling, risk management and related services to individual and commercial policyholders. The company distributes its products through a mix of direct channelsonline and by phoneand an extensive independent agent network. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PGR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Progressive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Progressive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rocket Lab, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, RTX, and GE Aerospace are the five Defense stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Defense stocks are shares of companies that design, manufacture, or provide services related to military equipment, aerospace, homeland security, and defense technologies. Investors often view them as defensive because they frequently earn steady revenue from long-term government contracts and tend to be less sensitive to economic cycles. Their performance is driven by government defense spending and geopolitical events, and they carry specific regulatory and political risks. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Defense stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: Rocket Lab (RKLB) Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a space company, provides launch services and space systems solutions for the space and defense industries. The company provides launch services, spacecraft design services, spacecraft components, spacecraft manufacturing, and other spacecraft and on-orbit management solutions; and constellation management services, as well as designs and manufactures small and medium-class rockets. Boeing (BA) The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; and Global Services segments. Read Our Latest Research Report on BA Lockheed Martin (LMT) Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments. Read Our Latest Research Report on LMT RTX (RTX) RTX Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides systems and services for the commercial, military, and government customers in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. The Collins Aerospace Systems segment offers aerospace and defense products, and aftermarket service solutions for civil and military aircraft manufacturers and commercial airlines, as well as regional, business, and general aviation, defense, and commercial space operations. Read Our Latest Research Report on RTX GE Aerospace (GE) GE Aerospace (also known as General Electric) is a company that specializes in providing aerospace products and services. It operates through two reportable segments: Commercial Engines and Services and Defense and Propulsion Technologies. It offers jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft. Read Our Latest Research Report on GE Recommended Stories Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD Get Free Report) (NYSE:TD) had its price target increased by equities researchers at Scotiabank from C$125.00 to C$132.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. Scotiabanks target price points to a potential upside of 1.01% from the stocks current price. A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on TD. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$128.00 to C$135.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$128.00 to C$133.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$122.00 to C$126.00 in a report on Monday, December 8th. Desjardins raised their price target on Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$126.00 to C$133.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, National Bankshares raised Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their price objective for the stock from C$124.00 to C$134.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Toronto-Dominion Bank currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$129.17. Get Toronto-Dominion Bank alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on TD Toronto-Dominion Bank Price Performance TSE:TD traded down C$0.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$130.68. The stock had a trading volume of 3,126,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,732,891. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$121.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$110.95. The firm has a market capitalization of C$220.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.03. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a one year low of C$76.33 and a one year high of C$132.72. Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD Get Free Report) (NYSE:TD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported C$2.18 earnings per share for the quarter. Toronto-Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 15.80%.The company had revenue of C$16.03 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Toronto-Dominion Bank will post 7.2160149 earnings per share for the current year. About Toronto-Dominion Bank (Get Free Report) Toronto-Dominion is one of Canadas two largest banks and operates three business segments: Canadian retail banking, U.S. retail banking, and wholesale banking. The banks U.S. operations span from Maine to Florida, with a strong presence in the Northeast. It also has a 13% ownership stake in Charles Schwab. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toronto-Dominion Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DHAKA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and at least 15 were injured after a bus collided with a stationary truck in Bangladesh's Munshiganj district, some 37 km from the capital Dhaka, on Friday morning. Md Abdul Hannan, officer-in-charge of local Sirajdikhan Police Station, told Xinhua over mobile phone that "one person was killed, and at least 15 others were injured in the road mishap." He said the accident occurred around 5 a.m. as the bus on the Dhaka-bound lane of an expressway hit a stationary truck from behind at high speed. Bangladesh has a high fatality rate for road accidents due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers, and a lack of monitoring by the traffic department. Booking, Travelers Companies, Expedia Group, MakeMyTrip, and Trip.com Group are the five Travel stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Travel stocks are equities of companies whose primary businesses depend on tourism and passenger mobility for example, airlines, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, car rental companies, and online travel agencies. These stocks tend to be cyclical and sensitive to factors like consumer discretionary spending, seasonality, fuel and labor costs, health and safety concerns, and travel restrictions, which can make their prices more volatile around economic or geopolitical events. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Travel stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: 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. Travelers Companies (TRV) The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. Read Our Latest Research Report on TRV Expedia Group (EXPE) Expedia Group, Inc. operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com. Read Our Latest Research Report on EXPE MakeMyTrip (MMYT) MakeMyTrip Limited, an online travel company, sells travel products and solutions in India, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Colombia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The company operates through three segments: Air Ticketing, Hotels and Packages, and Bus Ticketing. Read Our Latest Research Report on MMYT Trip.com Group (TCOM) Trip.com Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and in-destination, corporate travel management, and other travel-related services in China and internationally. The company acts as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, as well as provides train, long-distance bus, and ferry tickets; travel insurance products, such as flight delay, air accident, and baggage loss coverage; and air-ticket delivery, online check-in and seat selection, express security screening, real-time flight status tracker, and airport VIP lounge services. Read Our Latest Research Report on TCOM Recommended Stories Two Harbors Investments Corp (NYSE:TWO Get Free Report) shares rose 7.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $11.99 and last traded at $11.8010. Approximately 1,942,796 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 2,985,057 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.94. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TWO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Two Harbors Investments from $9.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Zacks Research downgraded Two Harbors Investments from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Maxim Group downgraded shares of Two Harbors Investments from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of Two Harbors Investments in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Two Harbors Investments from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $11.96. Get Two Harbors Investments alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on TWO Two Harbors Investments Stock Performance 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -4.97 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.09. Two Harbors Investments (NYSE:TWO Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter. Two Harbors Investments had a positive return on equity of 11.92% and a negative net margin of 44.10%.The firm had revenue of ($18.67) million for the quarter. Research analysts expect that Two Harbors Investments Corp will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year. Two Harbors Investments Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 5th. Two Harbors Investmentss payout ratio is presently -54.40%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CFO William Dellal sold 7,087 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.44, for a total value of $81,075.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 36,703 shares in the company, valued at $419,882.32. This represents a 16.18% 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 Rebecca B. Sandberg sold 27,370 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.43, for a total value of $312,839.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 156,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,791,286.74. This trade represents a 14.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 124,307 shares of company stock valued at $1,420,130 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Two Harbors Investments Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Two Harbors Investments in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Two Harbors Investments by 240.4% in the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,370 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 2,380 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 695.6% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,421 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Two Harbors Investments in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Two Harbors Investments by 456.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,465 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 4,482 shares in the last quarter. 64.19% of the stock is 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Two Harbors Investments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Two Harbors Investments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. United Asset Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,239 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $909,000. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. West Bancorporation Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Arista Networks by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 32,410 shares of the technology companys stock worth $4,722,000 after buying an additional 3,658 shares in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co raised its holdings in Arista Networks by 1.9% during the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 45,607 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $6,645,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 48.5% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 84,650 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $12,334,000 after acquiring an additional 27,646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the third quarter worth about $427,000. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Arista Networks alerts: Arista Networks Stock Performance ANET stock opened at $123.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $131.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.44. Arista Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.43 and a fifty-two week high of $164.94. The firm has a market cap of $155.86 billion, a PE ratio of 47.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.41. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Arista Networks ( NYSE:ANET Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The technology company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Arista Networks had a net margin of 39.73% and a return on equity of 30.28%. The business had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. Arista Networkss quarterly revenue was up 27.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year. Several analysts recently issued reports on ANET shares. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a neutral rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Monday, November 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Arista Networks from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $171.00 to $159.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $164.44. Get Our Latest Report on ANET Insider Activity at Arista Networks In other news, insider Kenneth Duda sold 30,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total value of $3,694,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,976 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,598,124.16. This trade represents a 69.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 24,042 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.55, for a total value of $2,994,431.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 9,917 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,235,162.35. This trade represents a 70.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 216,464 shares of company stock valued at $28,488,988. Insiders own 3.39% of the companys stock. Arista Networks Company Profile (Free Report) Arista Networks, Inc is a technology company that designs and sells cloud networking solutions for large-scale data centers and enterprise environments. The company is best known for its high-performance switching and routing platforms, which are used to build scalable, low-latency networks for cloud service providers, internet companies, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise IT. Aristas offerings emphasize programmability, automation and telemetry to support modern, software-driven network architectures. Central to Aristas product portfolio is its Extensible Operating System (EOS), a modular network operating system that provides consistent programmability, stateful control and advanced visibility across the companys hardware platforms. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ANET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Arista Networks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arista Networks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vitesse Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTS Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $18.84 and last traded at $18.97, with a volume of 111701 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $19.33. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VTS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vitesse Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Vitesse Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Vitesse Energy from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Vitesse Energy from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $24.50. Get Vitesse Energy alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on VTS Vitesse Energy Trading Up 4.2% The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $763.35 million, a P/E ratio of 39.48 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.78. Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.13). Vitesse Energy had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 7.70%.The company had revenue of $67.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.70 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vitesse Energy, Inc. will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year. Vitesse Energy Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.5625 per share. This represents a $2.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Vitesse Energys dividend payout ratio is 450.00%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vitesse Energy by 74.7% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,303 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 557 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Vitesse Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vitesse Energy in the third quarter worth $37,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vitesse Energy by 138.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Vitesse Energy by 203.6% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,770 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. 51.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Vitesse Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Vitesse Energy (NYSE: VTS) is an independent exploration and production company primarily focused on onshore oil and gas assets in the United States. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the company identifies, acquires and develops low-decline, shallow to intermediate depth vertical wells, targeting predictable production profiles and stable cash flows. Vitesse leverages a lean operational model to optimize well performance and reduce unit operating costs across its asset base. The companys core operations are concentrated in the Arkoma Basin of eastern Oklahoma and the Ark-La-Tex region, where it holds acreage positions in multiple formations. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Vitesse Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vitesse Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $290.51 and last traded at $286.2530, with a volume of 7359 shares. The stock had previously closed at $286.33. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WTS. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They set a hold rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Monday. They set a sector perform rating and a $288.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Watts Water Technologies from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $275.00 target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $280.00. Get Watts Water Technologies alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Watts Water Technologies Watts Water Technologies Price Performance The company has a 50-day moving average of $276.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.24. Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The technology company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.21. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.79% and a return on equity of 18.31%. The company had revenue of $611.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $576.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year. Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Watts Water Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.47%. Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies In other news, major shareholder Timothy P. Horne sold 6,814 shares of Watts Water Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.32, for a total value of $1,855,588.48. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,084,800. The trade was a 31.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Virginia A. Halloran sold 605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.78, for a total transaction of $167,451.90. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,412 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,712,173.36. This trade represents a 4.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,605 shares of company stock valued at $4,296,387 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WTS. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 156.9% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 131 shares of the technology companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $62,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Watts Water Technologies (Get Free Report) Watts Water Technologies, Inc is a global manufacturer and distributor of flow control products and solutions designed to ensure the safe, efficient delivery and use of water. Founded in 1874 and headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, the company has built a reputation for engineering innovation in residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, heating, cooling and water treatment systems. Watts operates through a comprehensive portfolio of brands and product lines that address application-specific requirements in water safety, pressure regulation, flow control and filtration. The companys product offerings span backflow preventers, pressure reducing valves, relief valves and steam traps, as well as hydronic balancing and temperature control devices for heating systems. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Watts Water Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Watts Water Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. 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 Vote View Results NEW DELHI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 40 others injured Friday after a bus carrying them skidded off a mountainous road and fell into a gorge in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, officials said. The accident took place at Haripurdhar village of Sirmaur district, about 142 km southeast of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. Senior local government official Sunil Kayath said the rescue operation was going on and all the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. Officials said the death toll is likely to increase, owing to the critical condition of some of the injured. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Deadly road accidents are common in India, often due to overloading, bad road conditions and reckless driving. Last year, over 480,000 road accidents were recorded in the country. PYONGYANG, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) accused South Korea of violating its airspace by flying a drone on Jan. 4, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday, citing a press statement dated Friday. BRUSSELS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- EU member states on Friday gave provisional backing to EU-Mercosur free trade deal in a qualified-majority vote, paving the way for the bloc to formally sign it in Paraguay, according to EU sources. The pact is with the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The European Commission has described it as the largest trade accord the EU has ever concluded. The agreement still requires approval by the European Parliament before it takes effect. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the United States has decided to release two Russian citizens from the crew of a Russian-flagged oil tanker previously seized by the U.S. side. Moscow welcomes the decision and expresses its gratitude to the U.S. leadership, the ministry said, adding that Russia is urgently working out all issues related to ensuring the speedy return of its citizens. On Wednesday, the U.S. European Command said it had seized the oil tanker in the North Atlantic in an operation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the Marinera vessel, previously known as the Bella 1, of being part of a "Venezuelan shadow fleet" that transported sanctioned oil. The Russian Transport Ministry said Wednesday the vessel was granted temporary authorization on Dec. 24, 2025, to sail under the Russian state flag in accordance with Russian legislation and international law. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the U.S. action constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international maritime law and demanded that the United States not impede the speedy return of Russians on board the vessel to their homeland. Bangladesh in turmoil : Indias strategic imperatives | Lt General (Veteran) L Nishikanta Singh IndoBangladesh relations have entered a deeply uncertain and volatile phase after Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country. In recent days, tensions have escalated alarmingly following the brutal lynching of a Hindu youth. While many describe this as mob violence, available evidence and patterns of intimidation strongly suggest a pre-meditated, politically motivated act, aimed at sending a chilling message to Bangladeshs minorities ahead of elections. The message appears unmistakable: if certain Islamist and radical political forces come to power, the Constitutional and social ethos born out of the 1971 Liberation War will be dismantled. Minorities who once lived with relative security are now facing systematic attacksTemples vandalised, homes torched, women humiliated, and entire neighborhoods terrorised. The innocent Hindu population, along with Buddhists and other minorities, is living under constant fear. Recent reports indicate a fresh wave of coordinated attacks against the Hindu community across multiple districts. Several temples have been desecrated, idols destroyed, and properties looted. Videos emerging from Bangladesh are deeply disturbingshowing public beatings, arson, and forced displacement. Thousands, especially minorities, are fleeing simply to survive. This crisis is particularly painful for India. Bangladesh is a country whose independence in 1971 was secured with immense Indian sacrifice. Thousands of Indian soldiers laid down their lives, and India bore enormous economic and military costs to liberate Bangladesh from Pakistani genocide. Yet today, radical groups are openly raising anti-India slogans, burning Indian flags, and portraying India as an enemy. Naturally, many Indians are asking : What should India do now ? The immediate future of Bangladesh appears unstable. The caretaker Government seems incapable of enforcing law and order, creating a dangerous power vacuum. Islamist radical organisations such as Jamaat-e-Islami are rapidly gaining ground, reportedly with covert support from Pakistan and strategic backing from China. Disturbingly, several Western Nations appear either indifferent or indirectly complicitby funding NGOs that turn a blind eye to radicalism or by remaining silent spectators to minority persecution. Indias Strategic Stakes and Historical Mistakes India must now act decisively to protect its National interests. To an extent, preparations are already underway. However, before outlining future options, it is crucial to revisit a historic strategic errorthe mishandling of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The Chittagong Hill Tracts, comprising Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban districts, cover nearly 13,200 square kilometresabout 10% of Bangladeshs territory. The region shares borders with Tripura and Mizoram and is ethnically, culturally, and historically closer to Indias North East. At Independence in 1947, the largely non-Muslim indigenous popula- tion Chakmas, Marmas, Tripurishoisted the Indian flag in Rangamati, expressing their desire to join India. A delegation appealed to Delhi. While Sardar Patel was sympathetic, Jawaharlal Nehru declined intervention, and the region was handed over to Pakistan. This decision proved catastrophic. Subsequently, Pakistanand later Bangladesh pursued aggressive demographic engineering by settling Muslims in CHT. From 98% non-Muslim, the indigenous population has now been reduced to nearly 50%, through killings, displacement, and forced migration. These communities Buddhists, Hindus, and Animistsmaintain deep ethnic ties with tribes in Tripura and Mizoram. The Siliguri Corridor: Indias Achilles Heel Indias greatest vulnerability in this context is the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land bridge connecting the North East to the rest of India. At its narrowest, it is only 22 kilometres wide and around 200 kilometres long. Bangladesh lies to its south, Bhutan and Nepal to the north, and the Chinese military presence in the Chumbi Valley is barely 45 kilometres away. Every critical supply linehighways (NH-10, NH-27), railways, oil pipelines, military logisticspasses through this corridor. A blockade, even temporary, could sever the entire North East from mainland India. Chinas extensive infrastructure buildup in Tibet has further heightened this threat. Notably, extremist voices in Bangladesh have repeatedly threatened to cut off this chickens neck. Indias Ongoing and Necessary Responses India has begun responding to these threats by establishing four new military bases at Kishanganj (Bihar), Chopra (West Bengal), near Dhubri (Assam), and Parva (Mizoram). The BSF is setting up 85 modern border outposts along the Bangladesh border, equipped with advanced surveillance, drone and counter-drone systems, and rapid-response capabilities. These steps indicate that India is preparing for multiple contingenciesranging from refugee influx and cross-border terrorism to full-scale military escalation. Bangladeshs Own Vulnerabilities It is equally important to recognise that Bangladesh has its own strategic chokepoints: Rangpur Corridoronly about 80 km wide and FeniChittagong Corridor merely 1530 km wide, providing access to the Bay of Bengal. In the event of a serious conflict, India could secure the Rangpur division, widening its own corridor from 22 km to nearly 100 km. Capturing the Feni area would grant India direct access to the Bay of Bengal, effectively splitting Bangladesh into two. The Indian Armys expertise in riverine warfare, demonstrated decisively in 1971, has since expanded manifold. Humanitarian Responsibility : India cannot ignore the ethnic cleansing-like targeting of minorities in CHT. Supporting indigenous self-defence, autonomy, or international protection me- chanisms would align with Indias moral and civili-sational responsibilities. CHT as a Strategic Buffer : Supporting greater autonomyor independenceof CHT would create a buffer zone against Islamist radicalism, securing Indias Northeast from extremist spillover. Direct Sea Access for the North East : From southern Tripura, the Bay of Bengal is barely 25 km away through CHT. Access would revolutionise trade, logistics, military mobility, and economic development in the North East. Correcting the 1947 Injustice : Incorporating or protecting CHT would rectify a historic wrong, as the regions overwhelming non-Muslim population clearly belonged to India during Partition. Countering ChinaPakistan Axis : A firm Indian posture in eastern South Asia would blunt Chinas strategic encirclement and Pakistans proxy ambitions. Conclusion Bangladesh stands at a crossroadsbetween its secular, pluralistic origins and a descent into radicalism and instability. For India, this is not merely a neighbourhood crisis but a direct National security challenge. Strategic restraint must now give way to strategic clarity. Protecting minorities, securing Indias North East, neutralising extremist threats, and correcting historical mistakes are no longer optionalthey are imperatives. History has offered India a second chance. Whether it seizes it will shape the future of South Asia. The writer was the seniormost officer of the Military Intelligence Corps for 5 years MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the United States has decided to release two Russian citizens from the crew of a Russian-flagged oil tanker previously seized by the U.S. side. Telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi), which has been struggling with losses, a huge debt burden and declining subscribers, has finally got a major relief. The telco on Friday confirmed that the AGR (adjusted gross revenue) dues for the period of 2006-07 to 2018-19 have been frozen. Additionally, the Department of Telecom is to set up a committee to reassess the AGR dues. While that is great news for the company, it may not be enough to strengthen the company, say analysts. Vodafone Idea has massive AGR dues of over Rs 87,000 crore. According to analysts, earlier, the company was supposed to pay Rs 75,900 crore in six equal instalments annually starting March 2026. Now, as per the revised schedule, the company will have to pay a maximum of Rs 124 crore annually over the next six years, between March 2026 and March 2031. It will have to pay Rs 100 crore annually over four years from March 2032 to March 2035. The remaining AGR dues have to be paid in equal instalments annually over six years between March 2036 and March 2041. This is a massive relief for the telco that has been battling a financial crisis for the last few years. Not surprisingly, the stock surged on Friday, hitting a high of Rs 12.51, not too far from its 52-week high of Rs 12.80, before pulling back, amid a broader market weakness. While the company may have got a huge respite on the AGR dues, that is not the only thing to worry about for the telco. A big challenge for Vi has been that it has been constantly losing subscribers to rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. Also, despite the government relief on AGR, its debt remains very high. According to an analysis by Pranav Kshatriya of Emkay Global Financial Services, Vis pre-IndAS116 annualised EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is around Rs 898 crore, which is 6.7 per cent of its spectrum debt, with a cash balance of Rs 3,080 crore as of the end of the second quarter. The management gave guidance for the capex spends of Rs 7,500-8,000 crore for FY26. With this, leverage remains high even without AGR dues, and the government will need to consider a plan for reducing spectrum debt. We believe that further capital infusion and restructuring of the spectrum liabilities are crucial for long-term sustainability of the company, said Kshatriya. Separately, Airtel and Jio continue to gain market share, supported by higher customer stickiness, improving financial performance and favourable market conditions, according to Kuber Chauhan of Axis Securities, who believes the momentum is likely to continue, driven by the 5G rollout, tariff hikes, strategic alliances and robust cashflows. While competitive intensity has moderated due to market consolidation, challenges such as high debt levels for weaker players and regulatory obligations persist, said Chauhan. Vi raised Rs 18,000 crore through a follow-on public offer in April 2024. Apart from that, it is also getting Rs 5,836 crore from promoters. The company has, for some time, also been in discussions with lenders to raise around Rs 25,000 crore in debt. However, those plans havent fructified so far, with banks particularly keen on getting clarity on spectrum and AGR liabilities to the government. Last year, the government converted Vis Rs 36,950 crore in spectrum dues to equity. With the AGR relief coming in now, doors will possibly open for the company to complete its debt fundraising, which will help it continue with its planned network capex and coverage expansion plans, say analysts. According to Ambit Capital analysts, the moratorium on AGR payments will enable Vi to raise debt and equity funding. But servicing debt payments and providing a return to equity investors is predicated on subsequent tariff hikes, they said recently. As of September 2025, Vi promoters, including various companies of the Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone, held around 25.57 per cent stake in the company, while the government holds 49 per cent. Since its equity fund raise in 2025, Vi has increased 4G population coverage and data capacity, commenced network expansion, installing over 17,000 towers and launched 5G services in 17 circles. The benefits of this network enhancement have started to reflect in reducing subscriber losses, say analysts. But it hasnt been able to completely arrest the slide. According to Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Vi is still expected to see a 1.5 million decline in subscriber base quarter-on-quarter in October-December. Revenue is expected to remain flat quarter-on-quarter as the subscriber base decline continues to offset a marginal increase in average revenue per user. Analysts expect telecom companies to hike tariffs sometime this year, given the consolidated market structure and the fact that India now has among the highest data usage, but among the lowest data prices. The last time tariffs were hiked was in July 2024. Denmark and Greenland's envoys to Washington have begun a vigorous effort to urge US lawmakers, as well as key Trump administration officials, to step back from President Donald Trump's call for a takeover of the strategic Arctic island. The US President, in a recent New York Times interview, said he has to possess the entirety of Greenland instead of just exercising a long-standing treaty that gives the United States wide latitude to use Greenland for military posts. The US is party to a 1951 treaty that gives it broad rights to set up military bases there with the consent of Denmark and Greenland. "Greenland is a long-standing ally and partner to the US and we have a shared interest in stability, security, and responsible cooperation in the Arctic," she said. There is an agreement with the US that gives them access to have bases in Greenland if needed. Meanwhile, Denmark's Defence Ministry warned that any military attempt to invade the land will be met with immediate armed resistance as per the 1952 Cold War-era agreement. For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India Danish soldiers have standing orders to open fire immediately on any invading force without waiting for permission from their commanders, the ministry confirmed. The rule was established after Nazi Germany's invasion of Denmark in April 1940, which led to a widespread breakdown in communications. The directive ensures that soldiers can defend the nation even if they are cut off from their leaders, and it remains in effect today. READ HERE | 4 ways the US could acquire Greenland: From military threats to Cofa The Joint Arctic CommandDenmarks military authority on the islandwill determine what constitutes an attack. But can the Danish Army take on the might of the Pentagon in the case of an invasion or a Venezuela-like operation? Here is what available data tells us: In an ideal world, 9th January 2026 would have been the release day for Jana Nayagan, Vijay's final film before becoming a full-time politician. However, the twist of fate is such that the film's censor certificate hearing at the Madras High Court happened on this date, after the proceedings had begun on January 7. Earlier in the day, it seemed like good news finally for Vijay, his fans and the Jana Nayagan team after the Madras High Court had instructed the CBFC to give the U/A certificate for the film. At that point, it seemed like that movie would be on track to release for January 14, keeping with its Pongal promise. However, that dream was quashed within hours as the Madras High Court put a stay on its earlier order to give the CBFC more time for defending their stand against the film. With the Pongal holidays set to begin, the date for that hearing is scheduled for January 21, making a Pongal release out of question. However, there is a twist to the tale. On Monday (January 12), the Jana Nayagan producers KVN Productions will appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the unresolved censor certificate issue. With the case still ongoing at the Madras High Court, it remains to be seen as to how much effect this incoming appeal at Supreme Court will have against the CBFC. However, if things go their way, Jana Nayagan's producers can get the Supreme Court to list the case in urgent appeal section, which could fast track the date for legal proceedings. All eyes are on January 12 and a best-case scenario could still be a January 14 release. As of now, though, a release in January looks bleak, barring a miracle. The Central Board of Film Certification should grant a UA certificate to Tamil superstar Vijay's Jana Nayagan, the Madras High Court ordered on Friday. The HC found that it was "crystal clear" that the complainant's grievance was an afterthought and that entertaining such complaints would fuel a "dangerous trend". Allowing the plea of KVN Productions, which has produced the film, seeking a direction to CBFC authorities to issue a censor certificate, Justice PT Asha said that once the board had decided to grant certificate, the Chairperson had no power to send the matter to the Review Committee. Soon after the judgment was pronounced, Additional Solicitor General A R L Sundaresan made a mention before Chief Justice M M Shrivastava to permit the Censor Board to file an appeal against the single judge order. He requested the court take it up immediately, reported news agency PTI. The news agency added that in her order, Justice Asha said the censor board had decided to grant a censor certificate to the film and sent a communication to the producer on December 22, 2025. Once the board had taken a decision and sent a communication, the Chairperson has no power to send the matter to the Review Committee based on a subsequent complaint by one of the panel members. Therefore, the chairperson had exercised his power without jurisdiction, the judge reportedly added. The judge said exercising powers under Article 226 of the Constitution, the court has powers to mould the relief sought by setting aside the letter dated January 6, by which the matter was referred to the Review Committee. The judge said the argument of ASG Sundaresan that the petitioner can only challenge the letter dated January 6 and cannot file a petition seeking issuance of mandamus (direction), cannot be sustained. KVN Productions on Wednesday expressed deep regret over the delay, acknowledging the massive wave of excitement and emotions surrounding the film. "It is with a heavy heart that we share this update with our valued stakeholders and audiences. The release of Jana Nayagan, eagerly awaited on 9 January, has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances beyond our control." The Madras High Court had reserved its order on a petition seeking a direction to the CBFC to give a censor certificate under the 'UA 16+' category to Jana Nayagan, speculated to be the top star's final film. On January 6, when the plea came up for hearing, Justice Asha orally asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to produce on Wednesday, a copy of the "complaint" that claimed the film "hurts religious sentiments." The filmmakers had submitted that the movie had been referred for "review" after an initial recommendation for U/A certification. Directed by H Vinoth, the film 'Jananayagan' stars actors Vijay, Prakash Raj, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, among others. The film team, having completed all work, sent it for censorship on December 18. Vijay, who heads the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political party, has announced that he will contest the coming assembly polls in the state, due in MarchApril. Typhoid, a life-threatening but preventable infection, remains a serious public health challenge, silently affecting millions every year and disproportionately hospitalising children. In India, nearly 47 lakh typhoid cases were recorded in 2023, with about 7,400 reported deaths. In fact, the current situation in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has once again drawn attention to this persistent disease. Due to leakage in a water pipeline, cases of suspected typhoid were reported from Sectors 24, 28, and the Adivada area of Gandhinagar city a few days ago. According to the Municipal Corporation, the city has recorded 133 total cases registered, of which 45 have been discharged and 88 are currently hospitalised. Caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi, the disease spreads through contaminated food and water, enters the bloodstream, and can lead to prolonged illness or death if left untreated. Despite medical advances and the availability of effective vaccines, typhoid continues to thrive in settings marked by poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, and overcrowded living conditions. Globally, typhoid fever continues to cause significant illness and mortality. As of 2019, an estimated 90 lakh people worldwide fell sick due to typhoid every year, with around 1.1 lakh deaths annually. Africa and South Asia remain the most affected regions, where access to clean water and sanitation remains uneven and outbreaks occur regularly. Considering that typhoid can be fatal if not treated quickly, it becomes essential to understand what the disease is, how it spreads, why its prevalence remains high in India, and what experts recommend for prevention and control. What is typhoid? According to the Cleveland Clinic, Typhoid fever is an illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi). It infects your small intestines (gut) and causes high fever, stomach pain and other symptoms. Typhoid fever is also called enteric fever. According to the clinic, Paratyphoid fever is often mentioned alongside typhoid. It is a similar illness, but generally causes milder symptoms and is caused by Salmonella Paratyphi (S. Paratyphi). Both S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi are distinct from other Salmonella bacteria that cause salmonellosis, which is a common form of food poisoning. What are the symptoms, and how does it spread? Typhoid symptoms usually develop gradually, often appearing one to three weeks after exposure to the bacteria. The illness typically begins with a persistent fever that starts low and steadily rises, sometimes reaching as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This is often accompanied by abdominal pain, headache, chills, weakness, fatigue, muscle aches, and changes in bowel habits, including constipation or diarrhoea. Some patients also develop a rash, cough, and loss of appetite. If not treated promptly, typhoid can progress to severe complications. Weeks after the onset of symptoms, patients may develop intestinal inflammation, abdominal swelling, internal bleeding, or intestinal perforation. In some cases, symptoms can return even after the fever subsides, making early diagnosis and complete treatment critical. The disease spreads when Salmonella Typhi bacteria enter food or water sources, usually through human faecal contamination. Drinking untreated water, consuming unwashed fruits or raw produce, ingesting unpasteurised milk or juices, or eating food prepared with poor hygiene can all lead to infection. Inadequate handwashing after using the toilet further facilitates transmission. A major challenge in controlling typhoid is the presence of chronic carriers. Even after antibiotic treatment, some individuals continue to shed the bacteria in their stool for over a year while showing no symptoms themselves. These carriers can unknowingly infect others, particularly in settings where food handling and sanitation standards are poor. Typhoid complications can be life-threatening and include sepsis, internal bleeding, intestinal perforation, altered mental status, and infected arterial aneurysms. These conditions require immediate medical intervention and are responsible for much of the disease-related mortality. Why are typhoid cases rising in India? For your daily dose of medical news and updates, visit: HEALTH India continues to bear a disproportionate share of the global typhoid burden. According to the Global Burden of Disease 2021 estimates, India recorded approximately 37 lakh typhoid cases and 41,586 deaths, contributing to 58 per cent of global typhoid cases and 48 per cent of global deaths. This high burden reflects persistent gaps in water safety, sanitation infrastructure, food hygiene, and vaccination coverage. A 2021 community-based study conducted in densely populated urban communities of Vellore examined households of blood culture-confirmed typhoid cases among children aged six months to 15 years. The study found that mothers eating food from street vendors during the previous week was independently associated with typhoid, while treatment of household drinking water was protective. It concluded that street-vended food remains a significant risk factor for typhoid transmission in urban India, underscoring the importance of sanitation facilities and point-of-use water treatment. More recent evidence from a 2023 nationwide study assessing typhoid burden by age, state, and antimicrobial resistance patterns has added further urgency. The study stated, Our assessment of the typhoid fever burden in India by age, state, and AMR categories in 2023 have timely public health implications to inform targeted TCV introduction and prioritisation strategies in India. It found the highest number of cases among children aged five to nine years, while hospitalisations and deaths were highest among children under five. The study also highlighted a growing threat of fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella Typhi, particularly among children under 15 years. It noted that relying solely on the routine immunisation programme, which targets TCV around nine months, would be insufficient for the immediate control of typhoid fever in India. Delhi, Maharashtra, and Karnataka were identified as priority states, together accounting for nearly a quarter of Indias typhoid cases and deaths. Another 2024 study reinforced the role of socio-economic and environmental factors, stating that risk factors include lack of sanitation, unsafe water, unsanitary latrines, family size over six, overcrowding, low socioeconomic status, and illiteracy. The study also observed that disease burden is higher in urban India, especially among the poorest households, and is not strongly associated with seasonal rainfall, indicating year-round transmission. Compounding these challenges is the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. A large systematic review analysing over two decades of Salmonella Typhi isolates found that while multidrug resistance has declined, it is being replaced by widespread fluoroquinolone resistance driven by genetic mutations. The study concluded that the results reflect the effect of antimicrobial pressure which has been driving AMR in typhoidal Salmonella in India, making treatment more complex and expensive. What are the steps taken to address typhoid in India? According to a 2025 Lok Sabha reply, The Union government is making continuous efforts to ensure safe drinking water to citizens. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, potable tap water is being provided to rural households, with priority given to water quality-affected habitations. The reply noted that over 2,000 water quality testing laboratories have been set up, and trained village-level volunteers are conducting regular water testing. Another Lok Sabha reply highlighted that the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched the Handbook on Drinking Water Treatment Technologies in March 2023, followed by a Concise Handbook for Monitoring Water Quality of Piped Drinking Water Supply to Rural Households in December 2024 to strengthen field-level implementation. In response to the recent Gandhinagar outbreak, the Municipal Corporation has formed 85 survey teams and conducted surveillance of over 1 lakh 58 thousand people. Adequate quantities of chlorine tablets and ORS packets have been distributed, leakage repairs have been undertaken on a priority basis, and super chlorination has been carried out at all water sources. The Chief Minister has also directed daily water sampling, strict chlorination protocols, and on-ground inspections of pipeline works to prevent future leakages. What experts recommend Dr Amit Gupta, Senior Neonatologist and Paediatrician at Motherhood Hospitals, Noida, said that typhoid continues to spread largely due to contaminated water supply and poor sanitation infrastructure. He noted that choked drainage systems and unsafe drinking water create conditions that allow the bacteria to spread rapidly, particularly in densely populated areas. Based on his clinical experience, Dr Gupta said infections often rise in neighbourhoods with inadequate water safety and hygiene practices. He flagged street food as a major concern, explaining that improperly handled or contaminated food frequently becomes a source of infection. Referring to recent reports of water contamination in places like Gandhinagar, Dr Gupta said outbreaks are often preceded by warning signs that tend to be overlooked. Foul-smelling or visibly dirty tap water, or a sudden increase in stomach infections in an area, are clear indicators of contamination. If these early signs are ignored, isolated cases can quickly escalate into large outbreaks, he warned. Explaining why children are particularly vulnerable, Dr Gupta said immunity plays a key role. Adults have been exposed to many bacteria over time and may have had subclinical typhoid infections that provide some level of immunity. Children, especially young ones, have immature immune systems, which makes them far more susceptible, he said, adding that the elderly face similar risks due to weakened immunity. On prevention, Dr Gupta emphasised vaccination as a critical missing link. Typhoid vaccination should be part of the national immunisation programme. The vaccine is affordable and effective, and even a single dose can offer protection, he said. He advocated targeted vaccination drives in schools and vulnerable communities, along with stronger public awareness efforts. Basic hygiene education, such as safe food practices and clean water use, can significantly reduce transmission when communities are actively involved, he added. This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Four deputies of the Russian State Duma have been invited to Washington for consultations on Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported on Friday. "Have extended a formal invitation to Duma members to meet with us here in Washington, D.C., later this month," U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna said in a post on her X account. Luna added that she had received permission from the U.S. State Department for the consultations. The agenda for the meeting will cover the peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, prospects for trade, and strengthening ties between Russia and the United States. Alexey Chepa, deputy head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, confirmed that preparations for the meeting are underway, but the exact date has yet to be determined. The idea of a Russia-U.S. parliamentary meeting was first floated by Russia's special presidential representative Kirill Dmitriev in late October after talks with Luna. Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the case of the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, is contesting elections to the Jalna Municipal Corporation from ward number 13. Pangarkar told THE WEEK that the Gauri Lankesh case is sub judice and he will not be able to speak about it, other than the fact that he was granted bail on merit. "I will be acquitted one hundred per cent as I had nothing to do with it," said Pangarkar. He is contesting as an independent and is fighting against a BJP candidate, among other parties. "I have the people's support. I am not part of any partynot even the Shinde Sena. They are not supporting me either," he said. When asked whether he would join the Shinde Sena after the election if he wins, Shrikant Pangarkar replied that the decision will be taken when the time comes and he cannot say anything about it right now. "But mostly no, I will prefer to be independent," said Pangarkar, who was a councillor for the undivided Shiv Sena from 200106. Other than the Gauri Lankesh murder case, Pangarkar is also accused in a case involving an arms and explosives seizure in Nala Sopara on the outskirts of Mumbai. He was also arrested in August 2018 by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the seizure of crude bombs and weapons from different parts of the state. Pangarkar was booked under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the time, news agency PTI said in a report. When he was denied a ticket by Shiv Sena, Pangarkar joined the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. He was about to join the Shinde Sena before the assembly elections last year, but Eknath Shinde kept his entry into the party on hold to avoid controversy ahead of the polls. Even in this election, the Shinde Sena has not fielded a candidate against him, though the BJP has. Gauri Lankesh murder case Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on 5 September 2017, a murder that made national headlines. An unidentified assailant shot dead the 55-year-old senior journalist outside her home in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru. She had just returned from her office in Gandhi Bazaar and was opening the front gate when an assailant pumped at least three bullets into her head and chest. Shrikant Pangarkar was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on 4 September 2024 in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee defended a move of walking into the residence of Indian Political Action Commitee (I-PAC) Director Pratik Jain and the office on Thursday and take away documents and electronic devices, which she says was an act of protecting herself while being flanked by senior police officers and state government officials. I went as chairman of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). I didnt do anything wrong. I was protecting myself, said Mamata while drawing parallels with Union Home Minister Amit Shah having security personnel with him all the time for his protection. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo walked the streets of Kolkata with her party MLAs and MPs along with huge turnout of her supporters, sending out a message to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that she would not be cowed down by intimidation tactics. If somebody instigates me, it is a re-birth for me, said Mamata while talking about her political struggles in the past. Mamata also warned the BJP that she has pen drives and can open the Pandoras box. If I open my mouth, there will be chaos all around. But I wont because I love the country, warned Mamata. The CM also hit out at the BJP saying after capturing Haryana, Bihar and other states, now they want to capture West Bengal. They hear the name Bengal and want to attack, said the CM. Mamata also spoke about her party MPs being manhandled by police in the Delhi cold on Friday morning while protesting in front of Shahs office. The TMC supremo has got her guard up to protect her turf and come back to power for a fourth term, riding on sympathies of her supporters. It is a tough battle ahead for the CM who has to rework her poll strategy and fight the saffron party not just democratically and ideologically, but also in ways that catches her and her party workers off guard. Days after a section of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu groups celebrated the National Medical Commissions (NMC) decision to withdraw permission to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Reasi, Jammu, to run an MBBS course for 2025-26 academic session, a doctors' body has called on the President to intervene and get this decision revoked. Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) is an affiliate of the global International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and a non-profit medical organisation in India dedicated to nuclear disarmament, regional peace, and health advocacy. IDPD president Dr Arun Mitra told THE WEEK, "The real challenge for the country in the times ahead is that communalisation is entering the education system and dividing society along religious lines. This trend has now reached medical institutions, which is deeply troubling. These are not minority institutions, and therefore there is no justification for demanding additional seats." He added, "Had there been genuine concerns, they should have been raised earlier. This years agitation is not about education; it is driven by political motives. If such issues are allowed to penetrate medical education, it will become a serious challenge for the country, one that all concerned citizens must collectively resist." The medical college at Katra was granted permission last year to admit 50 students, and admissions were carried out. Out of these 50 students, 42 students admitted belonged to the Muslim community. According to the IDPD's press note, "This fact alone, appears to have triggered a politically motivated agitation by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who have openly argued that since the college is run by the Mata Vaishno Devi Trust, admissions should be restricted to students from the Hindu community." It further states, "IDPD categorically states that this argument is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and legally untenable. The medical college does not enjoy minority status, and therefore any agitation or demand based on religious exclusion is illegal and violative of the Constitution of India. Admissions based on merit, irrespective of religion, caste, or creed, are the cornerstone of a democratic and secular education system." India on Friday rejected the United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's claims that the India-US bilateral trade deal did not fructify since Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to call US President Donald Trump. India called Lutnick's comments inaccurate. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said they have taken note of Lutnick's remarks and "India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as far back as February 13 last year." #WATCH | Delhi | MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We have seen the remarks. India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as 13th of February last year. That is, since then, the two sides have held multiple pic.twitter.com/sEJBQB0Zpu ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2026 "Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to reach a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement. On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterisation of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate," Jaiswal said. Adding India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal, Jaiswal said Modi and Trump spoke on the phone on eight occasions in 2025, covering different aspects of India-US wide-ranging partnership." Jaiswal added that India is closely following developments regarding rumoured US bill to impose additional tariffs for buying Russian oil. The proposed bill reportedly seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariff on countries procuring Russian crude oil. India and China are major importers of crude oil from Russia. "We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments," Jaiswal said. He added, "Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known." "In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," PTI reported quoting the spokesperson. On New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's comments regarding the Umar Khalid case, Jaiswal said, "We expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. Expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office. Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them." The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is holding protests in Kolkata and Delhi on Friday against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Thursday raids on the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and the home of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had vowed to fight back while visiting the I-PAC office and Jains office amid the ED raids. Her fight has intensified into protest marches on Friday, with TMC MPs in Delhi protesting in front of Home Minister Amit Shahs office. Male MPs alleged that theyas well as the women MPs protesting alongside themwere dragged and assaulted by Shahs forces. The MPs present at the protest were Derek OBrien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. What is happening? What is Amit Shah doing in Bengal? Call Amit Shah. Amit Shah is stealing data and phones. See what is happening with Amit Shahs Delhi Police. See what is happening with MPs, said Derek OBrien, while being dragged by police. Mamata has alleged that the BJP was using the central investigating agency to intimidate the TMC while stealing their poll strategies ahead of the April 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal. The battle between the ED and TMC has reached the Calcutta High Court, with the agency alleging hindrance and obstruction while conducting raids in connection with money laundering in a 2020 coal scam case. The ED has stated that CM Banerjee arrived with senior police and state officials at Pratik Jains house and took away key evidenceincluding physical documents and electronic devicesbefore proceeding to the I-PAC office to remove key evidence. The ED has maintained that the raids were linked to hawala transactions in the coal smuggling scam, and that no political party office has been searched. The case is scheduled for further hearing at the Calcutta High Court on Friday afternoon. As many as twelve people were killed and over 35 suffered injuries after a private bus fell into a deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Friday. The bus, bound for Kupvi in Himachal Pradesh, plunged into the gorge after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. Himachal Pradesh authorities said the accident occurred when the bus en veered off the road and plunged into the gorge and landed upside down near Haripurdhar village, about 95 kilometres from the district headquarters, Nahan. Authorities said that though the bus only had a seating capacity for 39 passengers, it was overloaded. #WATCH | Sirmaur bus accident | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: Principal Media Advisor to CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, Naresh Chauhan says, "...As per the information received so far, 13 people have lost their lives, and about 22 people have been hospitalised. The officials have reached the pic.twitter.com/a1APOLAYSj ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2026 District administration authorities said rescue efforts are progressing at war-footing and the injured were rushed to Sangrah and Dadahu hospitals. Himachal Pradesh industry minister and local MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan said the district administration has been put on alert, and medical teams and doctors at Dadahu, Sangrah and Nahan hospitals are prepared for emergency. He said the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained and expressed condolences on the incident. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu condoled the incident and directed authorities to provide all possible medical care for the injured. "Instructions have been issued to the district administration to provide every possible assistance to the families of the deceased and to ensure the best medical facilities for the injured, so that the affected families may receive support during this difficult time," Sukhu said in a statement on X. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced solatium for kin of the deceased. "The loss of lives due to a bus mishap in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, is extremely saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," PMO said in a statement. As the deep depression is brewing over the southwest Bay of Bengal heads northwestwards towards the Sri Lankan coast, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has withdrawn the heavy rain alert for Chennai, according to reports. Though there are chances for some showers in Chengalpet, which could receive heavy rainfall of 612cm on Saturday, the situation in Chennai and Kancheepuram wont be as bad as expected, as the depression is likely to cross the Sri Lankan coast on Friday. The city could, however, receive light to moderate intensity rainfall on Friday, depending on how the system crosses Sri Lanka. Partly cloudy skies may keep temperatures at a maximum of 2829C and a minimum of around 24C," an IMD bulletin said. The deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past 6 hours, and lay centred at 0530 hours IST of today, the 9th January, 2026 over the same region, near latitude 7.1N and longitude 83.3E, about 160 km east of pic.twitter.com/8OwarDzigp India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 9, 2026 An orange alert has been issued for heavy rainfall of 12 cm to 20 cm in coastal districts, including the Delta district in Tamil Nadu, on Friday and Saturday. The latest IMD alert reads: The deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past six hours, and lay centred at 05:30 hours IST of Friday over the same region near latitude 7.1N and longitude 83.3E, about 160 km east of Pottuvil (Sri Lanka), 190 km east-southeast of Batticaloa (Sri Lanka), 260 km east-northeast of Hambantota (Sri Lanka), 280 km southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 570 km southeast of Karaikal (Puducherry) and 740 km south-southeast of Chennai (Tamilnadu). It is very likely to continue to move northwestwards and cross north Sri Lanka coast between Trincomalee and Jaffna around Saturday afternoon. The Sri Lankan authorities too confirmed the updates, stating the depression is likely to cross the north Sri Lanka coast between Trincomalee and Jaffna around Saturday afternoon instead of the earlier prediction of landfall between PottuvilTrincomalee on Friday night. Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra civic body polls on January 15, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar revealed that the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have resolved their differences and the workers want to unite for the civic body polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Pointing out it was not premeditated, Pawar said local party workers felt that contesting together would be beneficial. That is how the alliance was formed, he told PTI. "The workers of both parties want to unite. The two NCPs are together now. All tensions in our family have ended," Ajit Pawar was quoted as saying by NDTV. Will NCP factions merge? However, while talking to PTI, Pawar spurned rumours about a potential merger between his party and the NCP (SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar. He said such discussions existed only in the media. Right now, we are focused only on winning maximum seats, he added. said that political parties have abandoned their ideologies and there is a shift towards "vendetta politics". He slammed the local BJP leadership in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad for fighting NCP in the civic elections despite being allies. He claimed some leaders are being poached through inducements, while others are pressured over pending inquiries, promising them that investigative agencies would be managed after they switch allegiance. "Those who have money and muscle power are using it. Those who feel that votes can be sought by raking up caste issues are adopting that tactic," Pawar said. In the light of criticism that he is targeting the BJP despite sharing power with it at the Centre and in the state, Pawar said local body elections are fought on civic issues. "National and state elections are different. Voters know with whom the country and the state should be entrusted. Civic elections are about local problems, and we are raising issues faced by citizens in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad," he said. With Assam having the second-largest percentage of Muslim population in the country (after Jammu and Kashmir) at 34 per cent, Congresss categorical decision to keep its distance from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) appears complex but calculated. The party believes that breaking with the Muslim-centric outfit could help it broaden its appeal among anti-incumbency voters, anti-BJP voters, and sections uncomfortable with backing a party identified exclusively with one community. An internal Congress assessment suggests that AIUDF, which won 16 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, has steadily lost credibility among Muslim voters. Many within the community believe party chief Badruddin Ajmal has failed to translate Muslim numerical strength into representing Muslims proportionately. The post-delimitation restructuring of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies has further weakened AIUDFs relevance. Before delimitation, around 30 of Assams 126 Assembly seats were Muslim-dominated, with another 10 constituencies where Muslim voters played a decisive role. That arithmetic has now changed. At present, only 23 Assembly seats are considered overwhelmingly Muslim-dominated, with just half a dozen others where Muslim voters are decisive. Earlier, Muslim voters were spread across more seats, and even a small shift in votes could alter outcomes. AIUDF played a key role in consolidating those votes, said a political analyst. Now the concentration is higher, and Congress believes it has sufficient appeal to win these seats on its own, especially as AIUDFs influence declines. This message became clear during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In Dhubri, Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain secured 1,471,885 votes, nearly 60 per cent of the total, defeating AIUDF chief Ajmal by a margin of over 40 per cent, a result that shook AIUDFs claim over the Muslim vote. Congress leaders also argue that an alliance with a Muslim-centric party risks polarising the electorate, potentially alienating anti-BJP voters who are equally opposed to identity-based politics. Such voters, they fear, could stay away from Congress in the event of a formal tie-up with AIUDF. However, some analysts caution that Congresss weak organisational structure in Assam and its weak alliance partners as compared to the BJP's could still limit its ability to convert vote share into seats, especially in a tightly contested electoral landscape. The BJP has Asom Gana Parishad and Bodo People's Front (BPF) as its alliance partners, which are seen to have a strong support base of their own. Notably, the Congress will be contesting the upcoming assembly election without two of its major alliance partners, AIUDF and BPF (the latter having shifted allegiance to the BJP since the last elections), with which it had contested the 2021 assembly elections in which the two alliance partners had collectively gathered the vote share of about 13 per cent. The Congress this time will be banking on Muslim votes. If it is able to secure more than 30 out of around 35 Muslim percentage votes, it can boost its prospects in several constituencies, added with other votes, a political analyst said. Besides, the Congress in Assam has kept its vote chori allegations alive. Addressing the media at Rajiv Bhavan on Thursday, Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain and former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora accused the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission of India to manipulate voter lists, drawing parallels with alleged electoral irregularities in Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The leaders expressed alarm over attempts to tilt the odds in favour of the ruling BJP ahead of the polls while alleging inclusion of temporary voters from other states in the draft electoral rolls, published after a Special Revision (SR) of the voter lists, calling it a vote chori attempt. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian military launched a massive strike on critical facilities in Ukraine, including using an Oreshnik hypersonic missile, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday. The attack also involved high-precision long-range ground and sea-based weapons, as well as combat drones, the ministry said. The targets included drone production facilities and energy infrastructure that supports the operation of Ukraine's military-industrial complex, it added. The Oreshnik hypersonic missile is capable of reaching high speeds, according to media reports. In November 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia had successfully tested the missile system, hitting targets in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The ministry said the raid was in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack involving 91 long-range strike drones on Putin's residence in the Novgorod region overnight into Dec. 30, 2025. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied launching the attack, calling it "another lie from the Russian Federation." In a new wave of protests in Iran, people took to the streets in Tehran on Thursday night, following a call for action from the nation's exiled crown prince. Internet and phone services were reportedly cut off throughout Iran soon after. The protests are seen as the first major test of influence for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. His father, the shah, left Iran just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. During the rallies, some protesters were heard chanting in support of the former shah. In the past, such actions could have had severe consequences, but today they highlight the deep public anger over Iran's struggling economy. The demonstrations on Thursday were a continuation of protests that began in cities and towns across Iran the day before. Many markets closed in solidarity with the protesters. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the unrest has led to at least 39 deaths and over 2,260 arrests. For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East As the protests grow, they put more pressure on Iran's government and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Unlike the response to the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations, authorities have not yet implemented a complete internet shutdown or a massive deployment of security forces, though this could change if the situation escalates. So far, these protests have not had a clear leader. However, the call to action from the exiled crown prince will show how much influence messages from outside the country have on the demonstrators. AP quoted Nate Swanson, an Iran expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington, as saying that the past protests in Iran have often been weakened by the lack of a clear alternative leader, and that while many potential leaders exist within Iran, the country's security forces have consistently arrested, persecuted, or exiled them, preventing anyone from rising to prominence. What was Crown Prince Reza Pahlavis message? Pahlavi urged people to protest at 8pm local time on Thursday and Friday. Witnesses reported that as the time arrived, chanting broke out across Tehran's neighbourhoods. People shouted slogans like "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to the Islamic Republic!", while others voiced support for the former monarchy. In a statement, Pahlavi said: "Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands." He also issued a warning to the government: "I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered." Pahlavi mentioned he would announce his next steps based on the public's response to his call. His connection with Israel has faced criticism before, especially following a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June. While some demonstrators have chanted in support of the shah, it is unclear if this support is for Pahlavi personally or a general wish to go back to the era before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. What has been Irans response to the protests? While Iranian officials have not publicly commented on the protests, there have been reports of violence against security forces. The Mizan news agency reported a police colonel was fatally stabbed near Tehran. Separately, the Fars news agency stated that gunmen killed two security members and injured 30 in the city of Lordegan. Additionally, a provincial official told state television that an attack on a police station in Chenaran on Wednesday night resulted in five deaths. It is not yet clear why Iranian authorities have chosen a more restrained approach to the current protests. Last week, US President Trump warned that there would be consequences if the government used deadly force against peaceful demonstrators. Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly criticised these remarks. The ministry called the US expressions of concern "hypocritical", citing a long history of American interference in Iran's domestic affairs. Iran has experienced several waves of nationwide protests over the last few years. The latest unrest follows a severe economic downturn. After a conflict with Israel in June and tightening sanctions, Iran's currency, the rial, plummeted in December to 1.4 million per US dollar, sparking the protests against the government. Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of facilitating the escape of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemens Southern Transitional Council (STC), who is wanted on treason charges. Al-Zubaidi has been pushing for an independent state in southern Yemen, with the UAEs support, and his escape has resulted in a major escalation in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The incident, characterised by Saudi officials as a clandestine smuggling operation facilitated by the UAE, exposes the depth of the geopolitical rift on the Arabian Peninsula, where two nominal allies now appear to be engaging in a proxy conflict within the broader Yemeni civil war. The operation facilitating Al-Zubaidis escape involved UAE military and intelligence officers and was overseen by Major General Saleh Al-Ahbabi, Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Joint Operations. He remained in direct contact with Al-Zubaidi, guiding him step by step. pic.twitter.com/5hUaxalTlL Rich Tedd (@AfriMEOSINT) January 8, 2026 According to the Saudi-led coalition, the UAE orchestrated al-Zubaidis escape after he was expelled from Yemens Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and formally charged with treason. The charges stemmed from his failure to attend Saudi-brokered de -de-escalation talks in Riyadh. Saudi officials claim the operation involved direct Emirati military support. Al-Zubaidi is said to have fled Aden by boat under cover of darkness to Berbera, in the breakaway region of Somaliland. From there, he reportedly travelled to Mogadishu before boarding an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft bound for the UAE. Riyadh claims the aircraft disabled its identification systems while flying over the Gulf of Oman to avoid detection, reactivating them shortly before landing at a military base in Abu Dhabi. Saudi officials note that the same aircraft type has previously been used in conflict zones, including Libya and Ethiopia. For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East Supported by the UAE, the STC has sought the restoration of an independent state in South Yemen. Tensions reached a breaking point in December when STC forces advanced into the oil-rich governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, areas traditionally under the influence of Saudi-backed forces. Riyadh viewed this move as a red line, seeing it as a direct threat to its national security and to the territorial integrity of Yemen. The crisis deepened when Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on STC positions and destroyed what it described as an Emirati arms shipment at the port of Mukalla. By publicly releasing intelligence details of the alleged escape route, including the aircraft involved and the purported role of an Emirati major general, Riyadh has abandoned diplomatic restraint. Saudi state-aligned media have amplified the narrative, publishing wanted-style posters of al-Zubaidi and portraying him as a traitor who placed foreign interests above Yemens unity. This campaign appears aimed at delegitimising the STC leadership while pressuring the UAE to scale back its intervention in southern Yemen. Politically, the fallout within the STC suggests that Saudi Arabias strategy of isolating al-Zubaidi may be working. While he has been cast as a fugitive, Riyadh has continued engagement with other senior STC figures. The STC delegation currently in Riyadh has distanced itself from al-Zubaidis actions, with key members praising Saudi efforts and committing to unity. Abdulrahman al-Muharami, a senior commander and an STC official, has reportedly begun to consolidate security in Aden, ostensibly filling the power vacuum left by al-Zubaidis departure. Riyadh might prefer working with him as he seems to be signalling a possible retreat from secession in favour of a federal arrangement or a unified authority under Saudi oversight. The daring escape has also drawn in neighbouring countries like Somalia, which has announced a probe into the unauthorised use of its airspace and airports. Mogadishu says the operation is a violation of its sovereignty and could hurt the UAEs ties with Somalia. Meanwhile, the two principal partners in the war against the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, now appear to be openly competing for influence. Facing a firm Saudi military response, the UAE is reportedly scaling back its direct support for the STCs expansionist ambitions, withdrawing assets from key bases. For Riyadh, the removal of al-Zubaidi and the subsequent crackdown underscore its determination to control the political trajectory of Yemen, allowing no challenge from within the anti-Houthi camp. Regarding the Minneapolis shooting, United States President Donald Trump claimed that 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, in the car, ran the ICE officer over, and he seems to have shot her in self-defence. However, the DW Fact Check analysed the 13-second clip shared by Trump and revealed his claim as false. What really happened? A viral video from Minneapolis circulated on social media showing an officer approaching a red SUV stopped in the middle of the road. It is seen that the officer is demanding that the driver open the door, grabbing the handle. The incident took place on January 7. The SUV begins to pull forward, and an ICE officer standing in front of it pulls the trigger and fires at least two shots, jumping back as the vehicle moves towards him. However, it is not clear whether the vehicle makes contact with the officer. Professional agitator Renee Good from out of state chose her own outcome. She is in Minneapolis harassing ICE, she has her car blocking the street. 1.) she is ordered out of her car 2.) she refuses 3.) she backs up 4.) she drives forward into an ICE agent 5.) ice agent pulls pic.twitter.com/VtOTTcBVgE Spicey Bits (@SpiceyBits) January 7, 2026 While sharing the video, Trump said that the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, and then violently, willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defence. Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive." Trump has weighed in on the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. his post is as reckless and riddled with lies as you might expect. fire, meet gasoline pic.twitter.com/hLVNdtTX1B Peter Twinklage (@PeterTwinklage) January 7, 2026 Looking at the clip closely, initially posted in slow motion, one may indeed get the impression at the five-second timestamp that the SUV has run the officer over. However, it is clear that by the eight-second mark, at the latest, the aforementioned ICE officer is standing upright and looking after the vehicle as it drives away. While watching the video in speed, it becomes clear that the SUV is moving and the ICE officer jumps back from it and is not run over. Must watch: NYT just released a damning forensic analysis of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. It flatly refutes Trump administration claims confirming the motorist was driving away, not toward the officer, and the officer was not hit by the vehicle.https://t.co/n8opkxbtmU pic.twitter.com/jJ0ttyr34R Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 8, 2026 Meanwhile, tensions remained high in Minneapolis on Friday as protesters took to the streets, raising slogans against federal agents after the shooting emerged. At least two were wounded in the recent clashes. The shooting took place during President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security defended the ICE officer and said, "Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot." Though the president and the federal agencies came in support of the shooter, the city of Minneapolis contradicted the claim and stood with Good. The city's Democrat mayor, Jacob Frey, condemned the ICE agents' actions, and, having viewed the videos himself, categorically rejected the characterisation of the killing as self-defence. The mayor accused the federal agencies of escalating the situation. The incident is currently under investigation. Amid US President Donald Trumps renewed push to take over Greenland, Denmark's defence ministry warned that any military attempt to invade the land will be met with immediate armed resistance as per the 1952 Cold War-era agreement. Danish soldiers have standing orders to open fire immediately on any invading force without waiting for permission from their commanders, the ministry confirmed. The rule was established after Nazi Germany's invasion of Denmark in April 1940, which led to a widespread breakdown in communications. The directive ensures that soldiers can defend the nation even if they are cut off from their leaders, and it remains in effect today. The Joint Arctic CommandDenmarks military authority on the islandwill determine what constitutes an attack. The clarification comes at a time of heightened focus on Greenland from the US after Trump expressed interest again in the autonomous territory, which is under Danish oversight, and has even suggested using force to control it. His administration has cited Greenland's strategic importance for US national security, particularly in monitoring Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic. Under the 1951 Greenland Defence Agreement, the United States is already a NATO ally with broad rights to build and maintain military installations in Greenland, but this requires the consent of both Denmark and Greenland. Greenland is a large island, with 80 per cent of its landmass located above the Arctic Circle, and it is home to approximately 56,000 people, most of whom are Inuit. However, leaders in both Denmark and Greenland have been clear that the island is not for sale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivered a strong warning that any military attempt by the US to seize Greenland would signal "the end of NATO". Justifying Trumps stance, US Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that Denmark has not done enough to secure the territory as an "anchor for world security". He argued that Greenland is essential not only for US security but for global safety. Meanwhile, diplomats from Denmark and Greenland are actively meeting with US lawmakers and White House staff in Washington, to convince the Trump administration to drop the idea of taking over the important Arctic island. According to Danish officials who wished to remain anonymous, Denmarks ambassador, Jesper Mller Srensen, and Greenlands top representative, Jacob Isbosethsen, met the White House National Security Council on Thursday. The White House is yet to comment on the meeting. The diplomats have also been meeting members of the US Congress, hoping to gain support in persuading Trump to abandon his proposal. A meeting is also expected next week between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish officials. This comes after Trump told The New York Times he wants full ownership of Greenland, rather than just relying on an existing treaty that allows the US to operate military posts there. Danish officials expressed optimism about the upcoming discussions with Rubio. This is the dialogue that is needed, said Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. Renee Nicole Good had just returned from dropping off her 6-year-old son at school when she was shot dead inside her vehicle by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross in Minnesota. Protesters have now spilt out into the streets in several cities, including Austin, Boston, Minneapolis and New York City, after anger erupted over the killing of the 37-year-old mother of three. Minnesota residents have demanded a complete and transparent investigation into the shooting and are calling for the ICE officer to leave the state. Who was Renee Nicole Good? On January 7, Renee Nicole Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old child at an elementary school and was returning when she encountered the federal immigration agents. She was accompanied by her wife. Her ex-husband told AP that Good and her partner had moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri. She has three kids aged 6, 12, and 15. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the Goods second marriage was to Timmy Ray Macklin, with whom she had her third child, who is the 6-year-old. Macklin died aged 36 in 2013, his father confirmed to the news outlet. She had her first two children from a separate first marriage. Good, her 6-year-old son and her current partner had recently settled on a quiet residential area in Minnesota. She did not have any history of criminal charges and had gotten only a traffic ticket once. On her social media, she described herself as a poet and writer and wife and mom. She also had a pride flag on her account. Some media sources have claimed that Good was part of an anti-ICE group called ICE-Watchand that she was involved in social justice. ICE Watch activists reportedly use phone apps, whistles and car horns to warn neighbourhoods when ICE officers appear in residential areas. In a video filmed moments after the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7 a woman is heard sobbing as she identifies herself as the victim's wife, while federal agents surround the car and confront people recording the scene https://t.co/J8UQ8jPiNR pic.twitter.com/ZQFsvAPbVv Reuters (@Reuters) January 8, 2026 Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of domestic terrorism and stalking ICE agents. Her ex-husband, who asked to remain anonymous, told AP that Good was not an activist and had never participated in a protest to his knowledge. He said that she was trying to head home when she encountered the group of ICE agents on the Street. Her mother, who spoke to The Star Tribune, called her extremely compassionate and said Shes taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving, and affectionate. She was an amazing human being. She also said that Good was not part of any type of protests against the ICE. Good studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and won a prize in 2020 for one of her works, according to a post on the schools English department Facebook page. She also hosted a podcast with her second husband, who died in 2023. In now viral videos shot by bystanders, Goods partner is seen filming the ICE agents from outside the car. After the shooting, her partner was seen chasing her car before it crashed into a parked vehicle on the street and fell to the ground and was crying. In the video, she is heard saying, They shot my wife, and I made her come down here, its my fault. When a bystander was asked if there was anybody they could call, she said, I have a 6-year-old at school... we're new here, we don't have anyone." The entire incident took place in less than 30 seconds Attempts to reach Goods partner have received no response. The Donald Trump administration is considering paying between $10,000 and $100,000 per person in Greenland in a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and join the US. Touted as a business transaction, should this go through, it would reportedly cost approximately $5-6 billion, as Greenland's population is about 57,000. Officials told Reuters that this idea of convincing Greenlanders with money was one of the potential options the White House was weighing, with the others being diplomatic agreements and even the use of military force. However, both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly refused Trump's offers for the strategically located countrywhich began as a "real estate deal" idea during his first term in 2019. In fact, as many as 85 per cent of Greenlanders agreed in a January 2025 opinion poll that they did not want to separate from Denmark just to become a part of the US. Only six per cent of the respondents said they wanted to be part of the US, while nine per cent were undecided. The poll, conducted by the research agency Verian for various Danish and Greenlandic media, involved responses from nearly 500 people in Greenland aged 18 and above. Interestingly, the poll was a bit more balanced when it came to the topic of Greenland becoming an independent countrywhile 57 per cent were in favour of it, a whopping 28 per cent were against it, and 17 per cent were undecided. More recently, Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated online that it was "wrong" and "disrespectful" that Nuuk was the target of US "threats, pressure, and annexation". "No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation," Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday (local time) after Trump had told reporters that the US needed to acquire Greenland for national security purposes. Reiterating that Greenland was a NATO member, Nielsen also called for better, respectful ties between Washington and Nuuk, instead of annexation. "Our country is not an object of superpower rhetoric. We are a people. A land. And democracy. This has to be respected. Especially by close and loyal friends." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with his Danish counterpart sometime next week to discuss Greenland further. High tension prevailed in Minneapolis on Friday, a day after the ICE shooting in the area that claimed the life of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer behind the shooting has been identified as Jonathan Ross. Also read | Did Minneapolis woman provoke ICE agent Jonathan Ross? Trump's claim gets fact-checked Who is Jonathan Ross? Mas de la situacion en Mineapolis, Minnesota. Asi responden los agentes de migracion de Donald Trump a una protesta pacifica en rechazo a las redadas contra indocumentados. Mas en https://t.co/BjdELZkX5p pic.twitter.com/P2rcCGNycg Joaquin Lopez-Doriga (@lopezdoriga) January 7, 2026 Ross, 43, has served as an Enforcement and Removal Operations agent and Iraq War veteran. For nearly two decades, he has served in the Border Patrol. Since 2015, he has been serving as a deportation officer with the ICE. With the video of the incident emerging, details about Ross's past have emerged, and it seems that he had a similar incident six months ago. Minneapolis'te Amerikan bayrag yaklyor. Bolgeye ulusal muhafzlar gonderiliyor. pic.twitter.com/IjBWpdqSGi Punto Haber (@punto_haber) January 7, 2026 Defending the ICE officer, US Vice President J.D Vance said that the officer was dragged by a car, causing an injury requiring 33 stitches. Speaking to the reporters at the White House, Vance added: "So you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile." The court records revealed that Ross was deployed from 2004 to 2005 with the Indiana National Guard. He said that he served as a machine gunner on a gun truck as part of a combat patrol team. He returned from Iraq in 2005. He joined the Border Patrol in 2007. He worked there until 2015, serving as a field intelligence agent gathering and analysing information on cartels and drug and human smuggling. He has also served as a team leader with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Similar incident six months ago As part of Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, Ross went to arrest Roberto Munoz-Guatemala, who was in the US, in his car. Though the FBI agents identified them as police and instructed Munoz-Guatemala to pull over. But he did not. Ross pulled his vehicle diagonally in front of his car to force him to stop. Ross approached Munoz-Guatemala's car and told him to lower his window. However, Munoz-Guatemala drove off while Ross's arm was caught in the vehicle. He was dragged for a few metres before the accused was tasered. The Trump administration and the Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem defended the shooter and said that the act was in "self-defence". An investigation was launched into the incident. Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc. (CVE:YFI Get Free Report)s share price traded up 25% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$0.06 and last traded at C$0.05. 908,930 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 229% from the average session volume of 276,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.04. Edgewater Wireless Systems Trading Up 25.0% The company has a quick ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of -18.34. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$0.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of C$11.93 million, a P/E ratio of -5.00 and a beta of -0.41. About Edgewater Wireless Systems (Get Free Report) Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc develops and commercializes technologies and intellectual property for the wireless communications market in North America. The company provides IP Licensing, Wi-Fi spectrum slicing solutions, dual channel Wi-Fi; wireless access points and associated peripheral equipment and support services; and PowerZoning, a channel power control product for multi-channel single radio Wi-Fi networks. It also offers spectral surveillance architecture. The company was formerly known as KIK Polymers Inc and changed its name to Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc in January 2012. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Edgewater Wireless Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edgewater Wireless Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. (TSE:LAR Get Free Report) traded up 11.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$9.35 and last traded at C$9.30. 183,886 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 251,039 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$8.37. Lithium Americas (Argentina) Stock Down 0.6% The company has a market cap of C$1.59 billion, a PE ratio of -19.56 and a beta of 1.91. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$7.07 and its 200-day moving average is C$5.40. Get Lithium Americas (Argentina) alerts: Lithium Americas (Argentina) (TSE:LAR Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported C($0.40) earnings per share for the quarter. About Lithium Americas (Argentina) Lithium Argentina is an emerging producer of lithium carbonate for use primarily in lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles. The Company, in partnership with Ganfeng operates the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium brine operation in the Jujuy province of Argentina and advancing the PPG Project in the Salta province of Argentina. Lithium Argentina currently trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange ( TSX ) and the New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE ) under the ticker LAR. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Lithium Americas (Argentina) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithium Americas (Argentina) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DAMASCUS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday proposed a framework for cooperation with Syria and pledged financial and economic support during talks in Damascus with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Von der Leyen made the pledges during a meeting, which also included European Council President Antonio Costa and Syrian foreign chief Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, the Syrian presidency's media office said. In a video posted on her official X account, she said the European Union (EU) seeks to work with Syrian authorities to support recovery, reconstruction and social stability, while noting that recent security escalations underline the need for continued dialogue among all parties. Von der Leyen announced that the EU is proposing a new cooperation framework based on three pillars. The first pillar focuses on launching a political partnership, beginning with a high-level dialogue in the first half of this year to explore how the EU can best support Syria. The second pillar centers on economic cooperation. She said the EU has already lifted economic sanctions, invited the European Investment Bank to resume its activities in Syria, and is seeking to restart discussions on a cooperation agreement that would allow Syria renewed access to European markets. The third pillar involves financial support, with von der Leyen saying the EU plans to mobilize around 620 million euros (722.5 million U.S. dollars) this year and the next to support humanitarian assistance, early recovery programs and bilateral cooperation. Von der Leyen also said the EU is working with regional partners, including Turkiye, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as the United Nations refugee agency, to support safe, dignified and voluntary returns of displaced Syrians. Both sides also stressed the importance of preserving Syria's territorial unity and expanding political dialogue in a way that serves the interests of the Syrian people and supports a balanced and constructive partnership, the Syrian presidency said. The Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL Get Free Report) insider Suren Gupta sold 19,593 shares of Allstate stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $4,114,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 100,646 shares of the companys stock, valued at $21,135,660. The trade was a 16.30% 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. Suren Gupta also recently made the following trade(s): Get Allstate alerts: On Friday, November 28th, Suren Gupta sold 3,786 shares of Allstate stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.13, for a total value of $814,482.18. On Wednesday, November 26th, Suren Gupta sold 750 shares of Allstate stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.01, for a total value of $161,257.50. On Monday, November 24th, Suren Gupta sold 600 shares of Allstate stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.02, for a total value of $129,012.00. On Friday, November 21st, Suren Gupta sold 21,871 shares of Allstate stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.21, for a total value of $4,706,857.91. On Monday, November 17th, Suren Gupta sold 400 shares of Allstate stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.22, for a total transaction of $86,088.00. On Friday, November 14th, Suren Gupta sold 1,400 shares of Allstate stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.02, for a total transaction of $301,028.00. Allstate Trading Up 1.8% Shares of NYSE:ALL traded up $3.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $210.92. 1,640,089 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,510,031. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $203.12. The Allstate Corporation has a 1 year low of $176.00 and a 1 year high of $215.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.43 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Allstate Dividend Announcement Allstate ( NYSE:ALL Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $11.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.48 by $5.69. The business had revenue of $17.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.59 billion. Allstate had a return on equity of 35.42% and a net margin of 12.53%.The businesss revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.91 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The Allstate Corporation will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Allstates dividend payout ratio is 12.95%. Analysts Set New Price Targets ALL has been the topic of several research reports. Roth Capital raised their price target on Allstate from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Allstate in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set an outperform rating and a $254.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Allstate from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Evercore ISI set a $225.00 price target on shares of Allstate in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Allstate from $250.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell 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 $236.00. Get Our Latest Report on Allstate Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Allstate by 60.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,500 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 2,443 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Allstate during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $231,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Allstate by 6.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,756 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $5,747,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Allstate by 2.4% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,224 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Allstate by 9.8% during the first quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,837 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. 76.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Allstate Company Profile (Get Free Report) Allstate Corporation is a publicly traded insurance company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and is one of the largest personal lines property and casualty insurers in the United States. Founded in 1931 as a subsidiary of Sears, Roebuck and Co, Allstate has grown into a diversified insurer that serves millions of consumers and businesses through a mix of distribution channels and product offerings. The company underwrites a broad range of insurance products, with primary emphasis on auto and homeowners coverage. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Allstate Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Allstate and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:SIELY Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $9.90, but opened at $10.60. Shanghai Electric Group shares last traded at $10.60, with a volume of 1,131 shares changing hands. Shanghai Electric Group Stock Performance The firms 50 day moving average is $10.55 and its 200 day moving average is $9.52. Get Shanghai Electric Group alerts: About Shanghai Electric Group (Get Free Report) Shanghai Electric Group Co, Ltd. is a leading Chinese state?owned enterprise specializing in the design, research and development, manufacture and sale of power generation and industrial equipment. Founded in 2004 through the consolidation of several historic Shanghai?based manufacturing entities, the company has roots dating back to early electrical apparatus production in the mid?20th century. Shanghai Electric operates as a vertically integrated supplier, providing key components and turnkey solutions for power plants, industrial facilities and infrastructure projects. The companys principal product lines include steam and gas turbines, boilers, generators and auxiliary equipment for thermal and nuclear power stations. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Shanghai Electric Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Shanghai Electric Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK (OTCMKTS:PPERY Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 59,312 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 34% from the previous sessions volume of 44,151 shares.The stock last traded at $11.69 and had previously closed at $12.06. PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Trading Down 1.2% The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.36. Get PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK alerts: PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Company Profile (Get Free Report) 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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PT Bank Mandiri Persero TBK and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (OTCMKTS:FUJIY Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $10.89, but opened at $10.55. Fujifilm shares last traded at $10.66, with a volume of 31,073 shares traded. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Fujifilm from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Strong Buy. Get Fujifilm alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on FUJIY Fujifilm Stock Up 0.2% The company has a market capitalization of $26.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.79 and a 200 day moving average of $11.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Fujifilm (OTCMKTS:FUJIY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.58. Fujifilm had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 8.31%.The business had revenue of $5.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.31 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Fujifilm Holdings Corp. will post 0.66 earnings per share for the current year. Fujifilm Company Profile (Get Free Report) Fujifilm (OTCMKTS:FUJIY) is a Tokyo-based multinational conglomerate originally founded in 1934 as Fuji Photo Film Co, Ltd. Over the decades the company has evolved from a photographic film manufacturer into a diversified technology group operating across imaging, information, highly functional materials and healthcare. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation serves customers worldwide with a combination of hardware, consumables, software and services. The companys product and service portfolio spans consumer and professional imaging products, commercial and industrial printing systems, and office document solutions including printers and copiers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fujifilm Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fujifilm and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. TD SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE:SNX Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of 0.48 per share by the business services provider on Friday, January 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This is a 9.1% increase from TD SYNNEXs previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. TD SYNNEX has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 5 years. TD SYNNEX has a dividend payout ratio of 13.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect TD SYNNEX to earn $13.62 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 12.9%. Get TD SYNNEX alerts: TD SYNNEX Stock Down 2.4% SNX traded down $3.57 on Thursday, hitting $147.43. 1,854,655 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,137,524. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stocks fifty day moving average is $152.01 and its 200-day moving average is $149.74. The company has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.37. TD SYNNEX has a 12 month low of $92.23 and a 12 month high of $167.76. Analyst Ratings Changes SNX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of TD SYNNEX in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of TD SYNNEX from $181.00 to $177.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays increased their price target on TD SYNNEX from $140.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of TD SYNNEX in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered TD SYNNEX from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $169.18. Read Our Latest Report on SNX TD SYNNEX Company Profile (Get Free Report) TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the information technology industry. Formed in September 2021 through the merger of Tech Data and SYNNEX Corporation, the company provides a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions that span hardware, software, cloud, mobility, security and data center technologies. TD SYNNEX partners with vendors, resellers and system integrators to design, deploy and support IT infrastructures across diverse market segments, including commercial enterprises, public sector organizations and retail operations. The companys core business activities include the distribution of technology products from manufacturers such as servers, storage, networking equipment and peripherals, as well as the resale and provisioning of software licenses and cloud-based solutions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for TD SYNNEX Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TD SYNNEX and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE:PLOW Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $34.50 and last traded at $34.51, with a volume of 76630 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.72. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have issued reports on PLOW shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Douglas Dynamics from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. DA Davidson restated a buy rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Douglas Dynamics in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Douglas Dynamics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $39.00. Get Douglas Dynamics alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Douglas Dynamics Douglas Dynamics Price Performance The company has a 50 day moving average of $32.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.51. The firm has a market cap of $822.00 million, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Douglas Dynamics (NYSE:PLOW Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The auto parts company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.04. Douglas Dynamics had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 16.18%. The company had revenue of $162.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $163.27 million. Douglas Dynamics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.850-2.250 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Douglas Dynamics, Inc. will post 1.3 EPS for the current year. Douglas Dynamics Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Douglas Dynamicss dividend payout ratio is currently 67.05%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Douglas Dynamics Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PLOW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 28.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 88,051 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 19,447 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Douglas Dynamics during the 1st quarter worth about $914,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Douglas Dynamics during the first quarter valued at about $241,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 10.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 113,465 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $2,636,000 after buying an additional 10,535 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 4.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,538 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the period. 91.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Douglas Dynamics Company Profile (Get Free Report) Douglas Dynamics, Inc is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of snow and ice removal equipment for commercial, municipal and residential markets. The companys product portfolio encompasses a wide range of truck-mounted plows, spreaders, salt brine systems and related accessories engineered to perform in challenging winter conditions. Its offerings cater to professional snow contractors, government agencies and retail customers seeking reliable solutions for snow and ice management. Douglas Dynamics markets its products under several well-known brands, including Fisher Engineering, Western Products, Hiniker Company and Buyers Products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Douglas Dynamics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Douglas Dynamics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Stora Enso Oyj (OTCMKTS:SEOAY Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $12.78 and last traded at $12.73, with a volume of 3347 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.6920. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Stora Enso Oyj from a strong sell rating to a hold rating and set a $10.80 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, September 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Stora Enso Oyj currently has an average rating of Reduce and an average target price of $10.80. Get Stora Enso Oyj alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Stora Enso Oyj Stora Enso Oyj Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 1,242.24 and a beta of 0.71. The companys 50 day moving average is $11.98 and its 200-day moving average is $11.38. Stora Enso Oyj (OTCMKTS:SEOAY Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The basic materials company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.22. Stora Enso Oyj had a negative return on equity of 2.55% and a net margin of 0.14%.The company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stora Enso Oyj will post 0.67 earnings per share for the current year. Stora Enso Oyj Company Profile (Get Free Report) Stora Enso Oyj is a Finland?based provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper. The company draws on centuries of forest industry experience and leverages sustainable practices to produce a wide array of products, including paperboard for consumer goods, specialty papers for printing and publishing, and pulp for industrial applications. Its portfolio also encompasses wood products such as cross-laminated timber, sawn timber and building components, designed to meet growing demand for environmentally friendly construction materials. Formed through the 1998 merger of Swedish mining and forestry giant Stora and Finnish paper maker Enso, Stora Enso combines deep heritage with ongoing investments in innovation. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Stora Enso Oyj Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stora Enso Oyj and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:CX Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $12.03 and last traded at $11.9450, with a volume of 2934040 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.84. Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CX. Wall Street Zen raised Cemex from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Scotiabank lowered Cemex from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating and set a $11.10 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Cemex from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Cemex in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Cemex from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $9.00 to $10.00 in a report on Monday, October 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cemex has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $10.14. Get Cemex alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on CX Cemex Trading Up 6.5% The firms 50 day moving average price is $10.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $17.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.59. Cemex (NYSE:CX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The construction company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.15. Cemex had a net margin of 8.62% and a return on equity of 6.85%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $226.73 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current year. Cemex Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.0224 per share. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Cemexs payout ratio is presently 9.68%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cemex Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. WealthCollab LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cemex by 73.7% in the 2nd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 3,724 shares of the construction companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Cemex by 256.7% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,298 shares of the construction companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 3,093 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cemex by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 3,488 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,744 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cemex by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,210 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cemex in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 82.97% of the companys stock. About Cemex (Get Free Report) Cemex (NYSE: CX) is a global building materials company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. The company produces, distributes and sells cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates, as well as related building materials, to construction markets in more than 50 countries. Cemexs product portfolio also includes asphalt and mortar mixes, waste-derived fuels and other complementary construction solutions, supported by a network of production facilities, distribution centers and logistics operations. Founded in 1906 as Cementos Hidalgo, the company adopted the Cemex name in 1976 following a series of domestic mergers and expansions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Cemex Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cemex and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Edinburgh Worldwide (LON:EWI Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 223.50 and last traded at GBX 223, with a volume of 3940437 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 217. Edinburgh Worldwide Trading Down 1.5% The stock has a market capitalization of 783.96 million, a PE ratio of 51.95 and a beta of 0.78. The firms fifty day moving average is GBX 208.78 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 198.04. Edinburgh Worldwide Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Trust aims for capital growth from a global portfolio of initially immature entrepreneurial companies, typically with a market capitalisation of less than $5bn at time of initial investment, which are believed to offer long-term growth potential (over at least five years). The portfolio does not seek to track the comparative index, hence a degree of volatility against companies index is inevitable. A spread of risk is achieved by having 75125 companies, with exposure to a minimum of six countries and 15 industries. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Edinburgh Worldwide Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edinburgh Worldwide and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 188 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 158% from the previous sessions volume of 73 shares.The stock last traded at $8,275.00 and had previously closed at $8,260.00. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Price Performance The stock has a market cap of $996 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37 and a beta of 0.29. The companys 50 day moving average is $8,070.26 and its 200 day moving average is $6,994.46. Get Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach alerts: Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $147.32 earnings per share for the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 3.84%. The company had revenue of $73.67 million for the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Dividend Announcement Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Company Profile The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $43.00 dividend. This represents a yield of 215.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beachs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.14%. (Get Free Report) Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL) is a community bank founded in 1907 and headquartered in Long Beach, California. As a wholly owned subsidiary of FMB Bancorp, the bank serves individuals, families and local businesses with a focus on personalized relationship banking. Its long history reflects a commitment to supporting the economic growth and development of the communities it serves. The banks primary business activities include a broad range of commercial and retail banking services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. THE HAGUE, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Dutch parties D66, VVD and CDA announced on Friday that they will collaborate to form a minority cabinet following a two-day meeting at the De Zwaluwenberg estate in Hilversum, the Netherlands. According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, it is highly unusual for political parties to choose to operate without majority support from the start of their coalition. The prospective minority government falls well short of a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The three parties hold a combined 66 seats in the House, leaving them 10 seats short of a majority. In the Senate, they are 16 seats short. Over the past few days, party leaders have held extensive discussions on the proposed cabinet's structure and finances. D66 leader Rob Jetten said the talks were robust, particularly regarding policy content and budgetary matters. Negotiations on substantive policy dossiers are expected to continue in the coming period. Shares of Bank of Ireland Group plc (LON:BIRG Get Free Report) rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 16.78 and last traded at GBX 16.69. Approximately 197,289 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 448,917 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 16.48. Bank of Ireland Group Price Performance The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 15.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 13.95. The stock has a market capitalization of 158.98 million, a PE ratio of 0.14 and a beta of 1.15. Bank of Ireland Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Bank of Ireland Group is one of the largest financial services groups in Ireland, with total assets of 156 billion at 31 December 2023. We provide a broad range of banking and other financial services. We are organised into four trading segments (Retail Ireland; Wealth & Insurance; Retail UK; and Corporate & Commercial) and one support division (Group Centre) to effectively serve our customers. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Ireland Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Ireland Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG (OTCMKTS:TELDF Get Free Report)s share price rose 13.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $2.30 and last traded at $2.30. Approximately 799 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 2,600 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.02. Telefonica Deutschland Trading Up 13.9% The stocks 50 day moving average is $2.22 and its 200 day moving average is $2.49. Get Telefonica Deutschland alerts: About Telefonica Deutschland (Get Free Report) Telefonica Deutschland is a leading German telecommunications provider and a subsidiary of the global Telefonica Group. Headquartered in Munich, the company operates under the O2 brand and serves both consumer and business customers across Germany. Its network infrastructure supports mobile, fixed-line and converged solutions, offering reliable coverage in urban and rural areas alike. The companys core offerings include mobile voice and data services, fixed-line broadband internet, landline telephony and digital television packages. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Telefonica Deutschland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Telefonica Deutschland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF (BATS:OEUR Get Free Report)s stock price shot up 0.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $33.10 and last traded at $33.04. 2,147 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 4,178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.7294. ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF Price Performance The firms fifty day simple moving average is $33.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.76. The company has a market cap of $39.66 million, a PE ratio of 19.06 and a beta of 0.88. Get ALPS O'Shares Europe Quality Dividend ETF alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of OEUR. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF by 66.2% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 59,097 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,930,000 after purchasing an additional 23,530 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $269,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF by 385.3% during the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,888 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,499 shares in the last quarter. ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF Company Profile The ALPS OShares Europe Quality Dividend ETF Shares (OEUR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the OShares Europe Quality Dividend index. The fund selects and weights large and mid-cap Europe stocks based on three factors: high quality, low volatility, and high dividend yield. OEUR was launched on Aug 19, 2015 and is managed by ALPS. See Also Receive News & Ratings for ALPS O'Shares Europe Quality Dividend ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ALPS O'Shares Europe Quality Dividend ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Victoria PLC (OTCMKTS:VCCTF Get Free Report) shot up 6.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $0.5671 and last traded at $0.5556. 134,078 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 293% from the average session volume of 34,115 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.5220. Victoria Stock Up 6.4% The company has a 50 day moving average of $0.60 and a 200-day moving average of $0.86. About Victoria (Get Free Report) Victoria PLC, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes flooring products primarily in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, the United States, and Australia. The company operates through four segments: UK & Europe Soft Flooring, UK & Europe Ceramic Tiles, Australia, and North America. It offers a range of wool and synthetic broadloom carpets, ceramic and porcelain tiles, flooring underlays, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), hardwood flooring products, artificial grass, carpet tiles, and flooring accessories. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Victoria Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Victoria and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV Free Report) had its price target upped by UBS Group from $43.00 to $45.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the airlines stock. A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Southwest Airlines from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Southwest Airlines from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Southwest Airlines from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $40.22. Get Southwest Airlines alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on LUV Southwest Airlines Trading Up 0.6% Shares of LUV stock opened at $42.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Southwest Airlines has a 12-month low of $23.82 and a 12-month high of $43.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.15. Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.39% and a net margin of 1.38%.The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year. Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Southwest Airliness dividend payout ratio is currently 110.77%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Airlines Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LUV. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 7.1% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 4,690 shares of the airlines stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airlines stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airlines stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airlines stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management boosted its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 0.4% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 83,070 shares of the airlines stock worth $2,651,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Southwest Airlines (Get Free Report) Southwest Airlines Co is a U.S.-based low-cost carrier that operates a point-to-point domestic and near-international airline network. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company primarily flies Boeing 737 aircraft and offers no-frills, single-class service designed to keep fares competitive. Southwests operating model emphasizes high aircraft utilization, quick turnaround times and an open seating policy, allowing customers to board and select seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King as Air Southwest Company, Southwest began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Southwest Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwest Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR Free Report) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the oil and gas companys stock. NBR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler upgraded Nabors Industries from an underweight rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $65.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Nabors Industries in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nabors Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $65.00 target price on shares of Nabors Industries in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a neutral rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Nabors Industries in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nabors Industries currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $56.43. Get Nabors Industries alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Nabors Industries Nabors Industries Price Performance NBR stock opened at $64.36 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.93. The companys 50-day moving average is $52.50 and its 200-day moving average is $42.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $937.08 million, a PE ratio of 6.67 and a beta of 0.94. Nabors Industries has a 1 year low of $23.27 and a 1 year high of $69.20. Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The oil and gas company reported ($3.67) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($2.37) by ($1.30). Nabors Industries had a negative return on equity of 30.85% and a net margin of 7.08%.The firm had revenue of $825.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $824.61 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($6.86) earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Nabors Industries will post -6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nabors Industries A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NBR. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Nabors Industries by 244.6% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 889 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Nabors Industries by 58.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,444 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of Nabors Industries by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 1,545 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 47.7% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,231 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Nabors Industries by 153.9% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,222 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 1,953 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the companys stock. Nabors Industries Company Profile (Get Free Report) Nabors Industries Ltd. is a global oil and gas drilling contractor that provides land and offshore drilling rigs, drilling equipment and related services to energy companies around the world. The companys operations span two core segments: drilling and evaluation, which includes land?based and platform drilling rigs as well as wellbore survey services, and wellbore technologies, offering pressure control equipment, downhole tools and specialized maintenance services. Nabors integrated model combines rig operations with engineered products and field support, positioning it as a full?service provider in the upstream sector. The company maintains a diverse, modern fleet of automated and conventional drilling rigs and has pioneered advanced drilling technologies, including automated drilling controls and managed pressure drilling systems. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Nabors Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nabors Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eurocash (OTCMKTS:EUSHY Get Free Report) and Loblaw Companies (OTCMKTS:LBLCF Get Free Report) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends. Institutional and Insider Ownership 0.2% of Eurocash shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Get Eurocash alerts: Profitability This table compares Eurocash and Loblaw Companies net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Eurocash N/A N/A N/A Loblaw Companies 3.93% 22.74% 6.30% Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Eurocash 0 1 0 0 2.00 Loblaw Companies 0 0 0 0 0.00 Valuation and Earnings This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Eurocash and Loblaw Companies, as reported by MarketBeat. This table compares Eurocash and Loblaw Companiess top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Eurocash N/A N/A N/A $1.32 1.36 Loblaw Companies $44.53 billion 1.17 $1.58 billion $0.50 88.18 Loblaw Companies has higher revenue and earnings than Eurocash. Eurocash is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Loblaw Companies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary Loblaw Companies beats Eurocash on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Eurocash (Get Free Report) Eurocash S.A. engages in the wholesale distribution of food and other fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in Poland. The company operates through Wholesale, Retail, and Projects segments. Its FMCG products include food products, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and household chemicals and cosmetics. The company markets its products to traditional retail stores, including small supermarkets, grocery stores, and specialized grocery stores; and kiosks, retail outlets, and convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, hotel and cafe chains, and catering outlets. It operates a network of Cash & Carry warehouses; Delikatesy Centrum network supermarkets; Inmedio; and franchise and partner stores of Eurocash distribution. Eurocash S.A. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Komorniki, Poland. About Loblaw Companies (Get Free Report) Loblaw Companies Limited, a food and pharmacy company, provides grocery, pharmacy and healthcare services, health and beauty products, apparels, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services in Canada. It operates in two segments, Retail and Financial Services. The Retail segment operates corporate and franchise-owned retail food, and associate-owned drug stores. This segment also includes in-store pharmacies, health care services, other health and beauty product stores, apparel stores, and other general merchandise stores. The Financial Services segment provides credit card and banking services, the PC Optimum loyalty program, insurance brokerage services, and telecommunication services. The company offers PC Health app. It provides its products and services under various brands. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada. Loblaw Companies Limited operates as a subsidiary of George Weston Limited. Receive News & Ratings for Eurocash Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eurocash and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.2188. Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a sector perform rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. CIBC lifted their target price on shares of Hecla Mining from $15.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Hecla Mining in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Capital set a $8.75 price objective on Hecla Mining and gave the company a sell rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Hecla Mining from $12.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Get Hecla Mining alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on HL Hecla Mining Trading Down 1.7% NYSE HL opened at $21.02 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a PE ratio of 67.79 and a beta of 1.28. The stocks 50 day moving average is $17.00 and its 200 day moving average is $11.81. Hecla Mining has a twelve month low of $4.46 and a twelve month high of $22.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $409.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.60 million. Hecla Mining had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 16.35%.The companys revenue for the quarter was up 67.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.03 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Hecla Mining will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hecla Mining Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 8th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a $0.0038 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. Hecla Minings payout ratio is presently 3.23%. Insider Activity at Hecla Mining In related news, CFO Russell Douglas Lawlar sold 18,535 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.02, for a total transaction of $278,395.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kurt Allen sold 52,219 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.91, for a total transaction of $1,144,118.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 216,641 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,746,604.31. The trade was a 19.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 426,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,678,773. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Trading of Hecla Mining A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Hecla Mining during the third quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Hecla Mining by 2,390.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,490 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,390 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management bought a new position in Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in shares of Hecla Mining during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hecla Mining by 29.9% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 4,023 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 926 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.01% of the companys stock. Hecla Mining Company Profile (Get Free Report) Hecla Mining Company, founded in 1891 and headquartered in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, is one of the oldest publicly traded precious metals companies in the United States. Originally established to develop the rich silver deposits of the Coeur dAlene district, Hecla has evolved into a diversified mining enterprise focused on the exploration, development and production of silver and gold, with by-product credits from lead and zinc. The companys principal operations are located in North America and Latin America. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Hecla Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hecla Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS Free Report) had its price target increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $121.00 to $130.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the insurance providers stock. Several other equities analysts also recently commented on AXS. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Axis Capital from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an outperform rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Axis Capital in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a neutral rating and a $104.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $115.00 price target (down previously from $116.00) on shares of Axis Capital in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $123.00 price target on shares of Axis Capital and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.90. Get Axis Capital alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Axis Capital Axis Capital Stock Performance NYSE:AXS opened at $103.80 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.58, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.65. Axis Capital has a 1 year low of $83.90 and a 1 year high of $110.34. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $102.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Axis Capital (NYSE:AXS Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Axis Capital had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 18.99%. Axis Capitals revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Axis Capital will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Axis Capital Announces 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 paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Axis Capitals payout ratio is presently 14.55%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axis Capital Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Axis Capital in the second quarter valued at approximately $100,683,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Axis Capital during the third quarter worth about $56,705,000. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Axis Capital by 47.7% during the second quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,817,204 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $188,662,000 after purchasing an additional 586,576 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Axis Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,025,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Axis Capital by 174.6% during the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 744,842 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $77,329,000 after buying an additional 473,608 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Axis Capital (Get Free Report) AXIS Capital Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides various specialty insurance and reinsurance products in Bermuda, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment offers professional insurance products that cover directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions, employment practices, fiduciary, crime, professional indemnity, medical malpractice, and other financial insurance related coverages for commercial enterprises, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and other professional service providers; and property insurance products for commercial buildings, residential premises, construction projects, property in transit, onshore renewable energy installations, and physical damage and business interruption following an act of terrorism. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Axis Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Axis Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG Free Report) had its price target increased by Truist Financial from $263.00 to $273.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the industrial products companys stock. A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on PKG. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Packaging Corporation of America from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $222.00 to $233.00 in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $235.33. Get Packaging Corporation of America alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on Packaging Corporation of America Packaging Corporation of America Price Performance Packaging Corporation of America stock opened at $214.00 on Tuesday. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12 month low of $172.71 and a 12 month high of $242.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.88. Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion during 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 businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.65 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.400 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year. Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Packaging Corporation of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.56%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PKG. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the first quarter worth $2,127,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America during the second quarter valued at $1,306,000. Atlas FRM LLC increased its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 59.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas FRM LLC now owns 535,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $100,821,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 12,679 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 349.3% in the 3rd quarter. Burney Co. now owns 11,066 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,412,000 after purchasing an additional 8,603 shares during the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Packaging Corporation of America (Get Free Report) 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. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Packaging Corporation of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Packaging Corporation of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MOSCOW, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on Friday sharply criticized recent U.S. actions, saying the world has entered a period of extreme instability and confrontation. In a Telegram post, Medvedev called the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the seizure of President Nicolas Maduro a "universal catastrophe in international relations," saying the year had begun turbulently. Medvedev said oil lay at the center of the crisis, warning that U.S. efforts to secure long-term access to Venezuela's energy resources risk further escalation. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Several research firms have recently commented on BBVA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b+) rating on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued an equal weight rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Get Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Institutional Trading of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Stock Performance Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 183.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 1,597 shares of the banks stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 105.9% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,845 shares of the banks stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 949 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,316 shares of the banks stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,158 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.96% of the companys stock. Shares of BBVA stock opened at $23.68 on Friday. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria has a fifty-two week low of $10.03 and a fifty-two week high of $24.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.82. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $22.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.22. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 28.58% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The company had revenue of $10.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.47 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Company Profile (Get Free Report) Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA) is a Spanish multinational financial services group headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. The bank traces its roots to several historic regional banks and was formed through a series of mergers that consolidated its position as one of Spains largest banking groups. BBVA operates as a universal bank offering a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients. BBVAs core businesses include retail and commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, private banking and wealth management, asset management, and insurance. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Glencore PLC (OTCMKTS:GLNCY Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eight research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.30. A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Glencore from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an outperform rating on shares of Glencore in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Glencore in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Berenberg Bank raised Glencore from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Glencore in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Get Glencore alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on GLNCY Glencore Trading Up 8.8% About Glencore Glencore stock opened at $12.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Glencore has a 12 month low of $5.74 and a 12 month high of $12.33. The stocks 50 day moving average is $10.01 and its 200-day moving average is $8.96. (Get Free Report) Glencore is a global natural resources company engaged in the production, processing and marketing of commodities. The business combines large-scale mining and metals operations with an extensive physical commodities trading and marketing platform. Its activities span the full commodity value chain, from extraction and smelting/refining to the commercial distribution of metals and energy products to industrial customers worldwide. Key product areas include base and precious metals (such as copper, zinc, nickel and related concentrates), bulk commodities and energy products (including thermal coal and oil) and associated value?added materials and services. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Glencore Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Glencore and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Five Point (NYSE:FPH Get Free Report) and IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones (NYSE:IRS Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, dividends and profitability. Profitability This table compares Five Point and IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Five Point alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Five Point 48.56% 4.24% 2.99% IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones 86.65% 27.35% 13.44% Earnings & Valuation This table compares Five Point and IRSA Inversiones Y Representacioness revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Five Point $193.90 million 4.42 $68.30 million $1.30 4.48 IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones $409.02 million 3.11 $195.18 million $4.97 3.30 IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones has higher revenue and earnings than Five Point. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Five Point, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Five Point and IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Five Point 0 0 2 0 3.00 IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones 0 1 0 0 2.00 Risk and Volatility Five Point has a beta of 1.37, indicating that its share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones has a beta of 1.49, indicating that its share price is 49% more volatile than the S&P 500. Insider & Institutional Ownership 38.1% of Five Point shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 45.5% of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones shares are held by institutional investors. 21.5% of Five Point shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 25.1% of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Summary IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones beats Five Point on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About Five Point (Get Free Report) Five Point Holdings, LLC, through its subsidiary, Five Point Operating Company, LP, owns and develops mixed-use and planned communities in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and San Francisco County. The company operates in four segments: Valencia, San Francisco, Great Park, and Commercial. It sells residential and commercial land sites to homebuilders, commercial developers, and commercial buyers; operates and owns a commercial office, research and development, medical campus, and other properties; and provides development and property management services. The company was formerly known as Newhall Holding Company, LLC and changed its name to Five Point Holdings, LLC in May 2016. Five Point Holdings, LLC was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. About IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones (Get Free Report) IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anonima, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the diversified real estate activities in Argentina. It operates through five segments: Shopping Malls, Offices, Hotels, Sales and Developments, and Others. The company is involved in the acquisition, development, and operation of shopping malls, office buildings, and other non-shopping mall properties primarily for rental purposes. It also acquires and operates luxury hotels and resorts under the Intercontinental, Libertador, and Llao Llao names; develops and sells residential properties, including apartment tower complexes; and acquires undeveloped land reserves for future development or sale. In addition, the company engages in the development and operation of stadium; and provision of appa!, a digital customer loyalty system platform, for consumption in shopping malls, use of parking spaces, and redemption of corporate benefits. The company was incorporated in 1943 and is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anonima operates as a subsidiary of Cresud S.A.C.I.F. y A. Receive News & Ratings for Five Point Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Five Point and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. 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 contrast to its peers? We will compare Renasant to similar businesses based on the strength of its dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk and profitability. Profitability This table compares Renasant and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Renasant alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Renasant 11.26% 6.99% 1.01% Renasant Competitors 7.23% 6.94% 0.79% Dividends Renasant pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. 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 peers, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Institutional & Insider Ownership Analyst Ratings 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 company insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of shares of all State Commercial Banks Fed Reserve System companies 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. This is a summary of current ratings for Renasant and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Renasant 0 1 0 1 3.00 Renasant Competitors 29 165 197 19 2.50 As a group, State Commercial Banks Fed Reserve System companies have a potential upside of 4.96%. Given Renasants peers higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Renasant has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Volatility & Risk Renasant has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Renasants peers have a beta of 1.01, suggesting that their average share price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500. Valuation and Earnings This table compares Renasant and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Renasant $1.09 billion $195.46 million 18.33 Renasant Competitors $723.51 million $95.99 million 39.62 Renasant has higher revenue and earnings than its peers. Renasant is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Summary Renasant beats its peers on 10 of the 15 factors compared. Renasant Company Profile (Get Free Report) Renasant Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Renasant Bank that provides a range of financial, wealth management, fiduciary, and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through three segments: Community Banks, Insurance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banks segment offers checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, asset-based lending, and equipment leasing services, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; equipment financing and leasing; real estate?1-4 family mortgage; real estate?commercial mortgage; real estate?construction loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; installment loans to individuals; and interim construction loans, as well as automated teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, call center, and treasury management services. The Insurance segment provides insurance agency services, such as commercial and personal insurance products through insurance carriers. The Wealth Management segment offers a range of wealth management and fiduciary services, including administration and management of trust accounts, such as personal and corporate benefit accounts, and custodial accounts, as well as accounting and money management for trust accounts; annuities, mutual funds, and other investment services through a third party broker-dealer; and qualified retirement plans, IRAs, employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated a network of 189 banking, lending, and mortgage offices located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; 150 full-service branches and 11 limited-service branches; 173 ATMs; and 38 interactive teller machines. Renasant Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Receive News & Ratings for Renasant Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Renasant and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $115.80 and last traded at $110.9250, with a volume of 311340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.60. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have commented on W shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Wayfair from $51.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Wayfair from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 price target on shares of Wayfair and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Wayfair in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $75.00 target price on Wayfair in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wayfair has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $105.29. Get Wayfair alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on W Wayfair Stock Up 3.3% The stock has a fifty day moving average of $102.72 and a 200-day moving average of $84.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.37 and a beta of 3.31. Wayfair (NYSE:W Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $3.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Wayfair Inc. will post -2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Niraj Shah sold 30,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.32, for a total transaction of $3,069,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 439,137 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $44,932,497.84. This represents a 6.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Fiona Tan sold 6,347 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.54, for a total value of $638,127.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 198,860 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $19,993,384.40. The trade was a 3.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,127,453 shares of company stock worth $108,127,287. 21.91% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wayfair A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of W. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Wayfair by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 13,374,574 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,194,750,000 after acquiring an additional 521,240 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Wayfair by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,562,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $854,178,000 after buying an additional 397,572 shares during the last quarter. Spruce House Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Wayfair by 37.6% during the 2nd quarter. Spruce House Investment Management LLC now owns 3,000,000 shares of the companys stock worth $153,420,000 after acquiring an additional 819,615 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Wayfair by 826.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,817,056 shares of the companys stock worth $251,648,000 after acquiring an additional 2,512,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wayfair by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,661,496 shares of the companys stock valued at $84,985,000 after purchasing an additional 59,083 shares in the last quarter. 89.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Wayfair Company Profile (Get Free Report) Wayfair Inc (NYSE: W) is an e-commerce company focused on home furnishings and decor. Through its platform, Wayfair offers a broad assortment of furniture, lighting, home textiles, kitchenware and decorative accessories. The companys portfolio includes flagship sites such as Wayfair.com, as well as specialty retail brands like Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane and Perigold, each catering to distinct design styles and price points. Founded in 2002 by Niraj Shah and Steve Conine under the name CSN Stores, the business rebranded as Wayfair in 2011 and went public in 2014. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Wayfair Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wayfair and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lessened its holdings in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Free Report) by 29.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 22,644 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 9,263 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc.s holdings in U.S. Bancorp were worth $1,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in U.S. Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of U.S. Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 446.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 639 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of U.S. Bancorp by 216.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 738 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in U.S. Bancorp by 846.5% during the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 814 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.60% of the companys stock. Get U.S. Bancorp alerts: U.S. Bancorp Trading Up 1.2% USB stock opened at $55.53 on Friday. U.S. Bancorp has a one year low of $35.18 and a one year high of $56.19. The stock has a market cap of $86.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $50.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. U.S. Bancorp Dividend Announcement U.S. Bancorp ( NYSE:USB Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.17 billion. U.S. Bancorp had a net margin of 16.89% and a return on equity of 13.34%. U.S. Bancorps quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.03 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that U.S. Bancorp will post 4.38 EPS for the current year. 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 issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. U.S. Bancorps payout ratio is currently 47.60%. Insider Activity at U.S. Bancorp In other news, Chairman Andrew Cecere sold 140,445 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.34, for a total value of $6,508,221.30. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 1,360,414 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $63,041,584.76. This represents a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP James L. Chosy sold 26,909 shares of U.S. Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.86, for a total value of $1,260,955.74. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 226,375 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,607,932.50. The trade was a 10.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of U.S. Bancorp from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $52.50 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. HSBC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of U.S. Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $56.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, U.S. Bancorp has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $56.30. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on U.S. Bancorp U.S. Bancorp Profile (Free Report) U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is a bank holding company and the parent of U.S. Bank, a national commercial bank that provides a wide range of banking, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services. The company operates through consumer and business banking, commercial banking, payment services, and wealth management segments. Its product set includes deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, credit and debit card services, treasury and cash management, merchant processing, and institutional and trust services. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for U.S. Bancorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for U.S. Bancorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM Free Report) by 30.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 82,419 shares of the specialty retailers stock after selling 35,952 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLCs holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $16,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Williams-Sonoma alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have weighed in on WSM. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $198.71. Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.1% NYSE WSM opened at $197.82 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.58. The stocks 50 day moving average is $185.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.95. Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. Williams-Sonomas revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year. Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonomas dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%. Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares in the company, valued at $153,353,071.89. This trade represents a 1.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Williams-Sonoma Company Profile (Free Report) Williams?Sonoma, 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 multi?brand 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 higher?end interiors. The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Williams-Sonoma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Williams-Sonoma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Spectrum Asset Management Inc. NB CA acquired a new position in Moodys Corporation (NYSE:MCO Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 984 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $469,000. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moodys in the second quarter worth $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moodys during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moodys during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Moodys in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in Moodys by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 66 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the companys stock. Get Moody's alerts: Moodys Stock Down 0.2% Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $530.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.65, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.45. Moodys Corporation has a one year low of $378.71 and a one year high of $540.00. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $495.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $496.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.84. Moodys Dividend Announcement Moodys ( NYSE:MCO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. Moodys had a net margin of 29.92% and a return on equity of 63.58%. The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.21 EPS. The firms revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Moodys has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Moodys Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Moodyss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.23%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCO. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Moodys from $540.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Moodys from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price target on shares of Moodys and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Moodys in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Moodys in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $555.93. Get Our Latest Report on Moodys Insider Activity at Moodys In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total value of $558,934.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $29,255,223.90. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 2,154 shares of company stock valued at $1,041,098 in the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Moodys Profile (Free Report) Moodys Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moodys is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators. Moodys operates primarily through two complementary businesses. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Moodys Corporation (NYSE:MCO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Moody's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Moody's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Strategic Blueprint LLC decreased its position in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report) by 77.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,566 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 19,262 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLCs holdings in Salesforce were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 88,823,481 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $24,221,275,000 after purchasing an additional 909,853 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Salesforce by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 49,260,918 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $13,452,998,000 after buying an additional 776,300 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Salesforce by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,873,900 shares of the CRM providers stock valued at $5,669,224,000 after buying an additional 114,504 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter worth $2,826,049,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Salesforce by 26.2% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 7,755,317 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $2,087,545,000 after acquiring an additional 1,612,413 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Salesforce alerts: Salesforce Stock Performance Shares of CRM opened at $260.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $244.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.26. Salesforce Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.96 and a 52-week high of $367.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $250.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.70. Salesforce Announces Dividend Salesforce ( NYSE:CRM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The companys revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Research analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were issued a dividend of $0.416 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Salesforces dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.16%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CRM shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wedbush reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Salesforce in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a buy rating and a $335.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim restated a neutral rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and issued a $430.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $327.74. Check Out Our Latest Report on Salesforce Insider Transactions at Salesforce In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 122 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.00, for a total value of $31,598.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,085,096,889. This represents a 0.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 134,662 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.70, for a total value of $31,605,171.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 139,767 shares in the company, valued at $32,803,314.90. This represents a 49.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 155,034 shares of company stock worth $36,726,584 over the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. About Salesforce (Free Report) Salesforce, founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a global provider of cloud-based software focused on customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications. The company popularized the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for CRM and has built a broad portfolio of products designed to help organizations manage sales, service, marketing, commerce and analytics through a unified, cloud-first platform. Core offerings include Sales Cloud for sales automation, Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing and engagement, and Commerce Cloud for e-commerce. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CRM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Salesforce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Salesforce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF (ASX:FSUB Get Free Report) announced a interim dividend on Thursday, January 8th, MarketIndexAU Dividends reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of 0.08 per share on Thursday, January 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 32.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 7th. Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF Stock Performance Get Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF alerts: Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF (ASX:FSUB) is an exchange-traded fund listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and managed by VanEck. The fund provides investors with exposure to a portfolio of fixed-rate subordinated debt securities, targeting instruments issued in the Australian market and denominated in Australian dollars. As an ETF, FSUB offers intra-day tradability and portfolio diversification through a single listed vehicle managed by a global asset manager with an Australian presence. Featured Articles The ETF focuses on subordinated bonds and similar capital instruments, which typically sit below senior secured and unsecured debt in the capital structure and therefore offer higher yield potential in compensation for increased credit risk. Receive News & Ratings for Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vaneck Australian Fixed Rate Subordinated Debt ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Far from a triumphant display of strength and Western Hemisphere dominance as Washington claims, the U.S. assault on Venezuela in fact marks a defining moment in the rapid erosion of American global hegemony. The invasion, a brazen use of force, has exposed America's diminishing capacity to achieve objectives through diplomacy or influence. Its forcible seizure of Venezuela's president and overt calls to take control of the country's oil industry further reveal the United States as a super-disruptor of international law. At the height of its power, the United States cast itself as the guardian of international law, crafting the rules and wielding them to serve its own interests. Today, confronted with deepening domestic strains and an increasingly contested global position, Washington has shed its veneer of moralism and is resorting more openly to naked force to impose its will on other countries. In justifying its invasion of Venezuela, the United States offered little beyond assertions of self-interest. As The Guardian observed, "The days of the U.S. trying to convince the world that Saddam Hussein did in fact have weapons of mass destruction ... were, in fact, the good old days." The operation aligns with Washington's recently released National Security Strategy, which signals a retreat from its traditional role as the unchallenged global power in the past three decades. Declaring that "the days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over," the strategy prioritizes hemispheric dominance, vowing to reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore U.S. preeminence in the Western Hemisphere. Moreover, the U.S. invasion represents a reckless squandering of America's credibility as a major power and a grave blow to the international system it once claimed to uphold. Following its military operation in Venezuela, President Donald Trump issued threats against Colombia and Greenland, and signed an order withdrawing the United States from 66 international organizations. Washington's overreliance on force and large-scale exit from multilateral institutions not only alienates much of the world, including its own allies, but also systematically undermines the global governance framework. The so-called "rules-based international order" and alliance systems once formed the cornerstone of America's hegemonic dominance. By dismantling these very foundations in pursuit of unilateral supremacy, Washington is only accelerating its decline into self-imposed isolation. History offers a stark lesson: America's reckless wars harm not only other nations but ultimately backfire on itself. In Afghanistan and Iraq, the initial "moments of glory" following regime change were soon succeeded by chaos and instability, leaving the United States mired in costly, protracted conflicts and strategic setbacks. The same pattern is poised to repeat in Venezuela. As The Guardian observed in a separate commentary: "As Venezuela's skyline lit up under U.S. bombs, we were witnessing the morbid symptoms of a declining empire." Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS decreased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,722 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 4,109 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories comprises approximately 0.8% of Legacy Wealth Management LLC MSs portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MSs holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $2,642,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ABT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 172,800,851 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $23,502,644,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977,715 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 78,354,270 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $10,656,964,000 after acquiring an additional 689,517 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,293,067 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $5,184,589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390,554 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the second quarter worth approximately $3,026,180,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,177,029 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $1,792,209,000 after buying an additional 68,613 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.7% Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $126.21 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $110.86 and a 1-year high of $141.23. The company has a market capitalization of $219.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average of $126.08 and a 200-day moving average of $129.47. Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.30. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 31.88%.The company had revenue of $11.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Abbott Laboratoriess previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.57%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have weighed in on ABT. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $147.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Daiwa Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $134.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $147.47. Read Our Latest Analysis on ABT Abbott Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report) Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions. In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Abbott Laboratories Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abbott Laboratories and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oak Family Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM Free Report) by 46.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,906 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 31,403 shares during the period. Oak Family Advisors LLCs holdings in Newmont were worth $3,027,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NEM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Newmont by 53.5% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 399 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Newmont by 2.3% in the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,584 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Newmont by 1.3% during the third quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 12,187 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in Newmont by 17.6% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,135 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Newmont by 1.3% in the second quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,947 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.85% of the companys stock. Get Newmont alerts: Newmont Stock Down 1.0% Newmont stock opened at $106.90 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $93.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $116.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.41. Newmont Corporation has a twelve month low of $38.53 and a twelve month high of $109.30. Newmont Dividend Announcement Newmont ( NYSE:NEM Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The basic materials company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $5.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. Newmont had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 33.42%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Newmont Corporation will post 3.45 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 26th. Newmonts payout ratio is presently 15.53%. Insider Activity In related news, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.34, for a total value of $406,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 279,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,768,936.82. The trade was a 1.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bruce R. Brook sold 2,080 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.36, for a total value of $192,108.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,709 shares in the company, valued at $3,021,003.24. This represents a 5.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,160 shares of company stock worth $767,206 over the last 90 days. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In NEM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Newmont from $75.00 to $94.00 in a report on Friday, November 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Newmont from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Newmont in a report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upgraded Newmont from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $71.50 to $114.00 in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, National Bankshares upped their price objective on Newmont from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $97.08. Get Our Latest Analysis on Newmont About Newmont (Free Report) Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) is a leading global gold mining company engaged in the exploration, development, processing and reclamation of gold properties. The companys core business centers on the production of gold, with additional byproduct metals produced from its operations. Newmont operates a portfolio of long?lived mines and development projects, and its activities span the full mine life cycle from early-stage exploration through to mining, milling and closure. Founded in 1921 and headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, Newmont has grown through organic development and strategic acquisitions. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. G&S Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (BATS:MTUM Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,395 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,127,000. Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTUM. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 262.2% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 163 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF during the second quarter valued at $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 45.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 216 shares of the companys stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF by 397.8% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 224 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Stock Performance Shares of MTUM opened at $253.41 on Friday. iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $168.49 and a 52-week high of $240.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67 and a beta of 1.02. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $249.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.74. iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF (MTUM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US equities, selected and weighted based on price appreciation over 6- and 12-month periods and low volatility over the past 3 years. MTUM was launched on Apr 16, 2013 and is managed by BlackRock. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HS Management Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report) by 31.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 123,062 shares of the fast-food giants stock after buying an additional 29,648 shares during the period. McDonalds accounts for approximately 4.9% of HS Management Partners LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. HS Management Partners LLCs holdings in McDonalds were worth $37,397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in McDonalds during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonalds by 29,382.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $1,676,339,000 after purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonalds during the second quarter worth approximately $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its holdings in shares of McDonalds by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in McDonalds by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $1,188,147,000 after buying an additional 1,974,751 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the companys stock. Get McDonald's alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at McDonalds In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of McDonalds stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of McDonalds in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Barclays increased their target price on McDonalds from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on McDonalds in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $328.68. View Our Latest Stock Report on MCD McDonalds News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting McDonalds this week: Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More. Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a hold with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More. TD Cowen maintained a hold with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More. Positive Sentiment: McDonalds announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokemon Happy Meals and returning Pokemon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More. McDonalds announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokemon Happy Meals and returning Pokemon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Specific marketing promosPokemon Happy Meals and collectible cardsare confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More. Specific marketing promosPokemon Happy Meals and collectible cardsare confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: McDonalds is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More. McDonalds is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonalds grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More. Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonalds grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More. Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Follow-up reporting details the suits ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More. Follow-up reporting details the suits ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Unions accuse McDonalds of repeated harassment of largely teenage stafflabor and PR headwinds that could increase scrutiny and potential costs if organizing or fines follow. Read More. McDonalds Price Performance Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $308.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.53. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $307.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.66. McDonalds Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. McDonalds (NYSE:MCD Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonalds Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year. McDonalds Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This is a boost from McDonaldss previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonaldss dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%. McDonalds Profile (Free Report) 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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for McDonald's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for McDonald's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Grace & White Inc. NY trimmed its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT Free Report) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 144,323 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 2,918 shares during the period. Applied Industrial Technologies comprises approximately 6.6% of Grace & White Inc. NYs portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Grace & White Inc. NYs holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies were worth $37,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 7.6% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,709 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,891 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $5,158,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 381,187 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $85,897,000 after buying an additional 14,926 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at about $318,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,348 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $22,162,000 after buying an additional 10,863 shares in the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Applied Industrial Technologies alerts: Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance Shares of AIT opened at $264.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.50 and a current ratio of 3.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $257.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $258.02. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.96 and a fifty-two week high of $280.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.87. Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend Applied Industrial Technologies ( NYSE:AIT Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 21.86%. Applied Industrial Technologiess revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.36 earnings per share. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.100-10.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Applied Industrial Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.71%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In AIT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho set a $305.00 price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $287.50. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on AIT Applied Industrial Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) Applied Industrial Technologies, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIT, is a leading distributor of industrial products and services. The company offers a comprehensive range of bearings, power transmission components, fluid power products, industrial rubber products, and automation solutions. Through its network of distribution centers and branch locations, Applied Industrial Technologies serves diverse end markets including manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, food and beverage, and wastewater treatment. Founded in 1923 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Applied Industrial Technologies has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AIT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Applied Industrial Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Applied Industrial Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX Free Report) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 399,567 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock after purchasing an additional 13,549 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in TJX Companies were worth $57,753,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 101,141,056 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $12,489,909,000 after acquiring an additional 727,292 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in TJX Companies by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,595,536 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $6,001,063,000 after purchasing an additional 285,737 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,070,916 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $3,205,927,000 after purchasing an additional 301,127 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the second quarter worth $1,808,774,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in TJX Companies by 0.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,081,087 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $1,121,423,000 after purchasing an additional 80,487 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the companys stock. Get TJX Companies alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on TJX shares. Wall Street Zen cut TJX Companies from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an outperform rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $168.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-four have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $163.86. TJX Companies Stock Performance NYSE:TJX opened at $158.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $175.50 billion, a PE ratio of 34.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.33. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.10 and a 1-year high of $158.55. TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.06. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 58.30%. The firm had revenue of $15.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. TJX Companiess revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year. TJX Companies Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. TJX Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.53%. Insider Transactions at TJX Companies In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 24,363 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.31, for a total value of $3,686,365.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 510,780 shares in the company, valued at $77,286,121.80. The trade was a 4.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Amy B. Lane sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 22,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,362,896.80. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,863 shares of company stock worth $8,226,366. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. About TJX Companies (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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TJX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for TJX Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TJX Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue reduced its stake in GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE Free Report) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,634 shares of the companys stock after selling 6,233 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in GE Aerospace were worth $34,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in GE Aerospace by 23.5% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the companys stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in GE Aerospace by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 32,021 shares of the companys stock worth $9,633,000 after acquiring an additional 5,625 shares in the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 154.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 97,280 shares of the companys stock worth $29,264,000 after purchasing an additional 59,106 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 159,682 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,101,000 after purchasing an additional 2,779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 269,330 shares of the companys stock valued at $81,020,000 after purchasing an additional 8,668 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.77% of the companys stock. Get GE Aerospace alerts: GE Aerospace Trading Down 2.8% NYSE:GE opened at $314.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $331.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $303.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $287.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.76. GE Aerospace has a 12-month low of $159.36 and a 12-month high of $332.79. GE Aerospace Announces Dividend GE Aerospace ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $11.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.29 billion. GE Aerospace had a net margin of 18.34% and a return on equity of 34.01%. GE Aerospaces revenue was up 26.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.200 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that GE Aerospace will post 5.4 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 29th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 29th. GE Aerospaces dividend payout ratio is presently 19.23%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms recently commented on GE. Wall Street Zen downgraded GE Aerospace from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on GE Aerospace in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a buy rating and a $386.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an outperform rating on shares of GE Aerospace in a report on Monday, October 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target on GE Aerospace from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on GE Aerospace from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, GE Aerospace presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $309.94. Get Our Latest Research Report on GE Aerospace Insider Buying and Selling at GE Aerospace In other news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 8,000 shares of GE Aerospace stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.71, for a total value of $2,381,680.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 150,434 shares of the companys stock, valued at $44,785,706.14. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock. GE Aerospace Company Profile (Free Report) GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) is the aerospace business of General Electric, focused on the design, manufacture and support of aircraft engines, integrated propulsion systems and related aftermarket services. The company serves commercial airlines, airframers, business and general aviation operators, and defense customers, providing propulsion solutions for a broad range of aircraft types from single?aisle airliners to widebody and military platforms. Its product portfolio includes a family of commercial and military jet engines as well as spare parts, components and systems engineering. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for GE Aerospace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GE Aerospace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue reduced its holdings in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV Free Report) by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 254,549 shares of the companys stock after selling 17,966 shares during the period. AbbVie comprises about 0.6% of State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in AbbVie were worth $58,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA acquired a new position in AbbVie in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AbbVie during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of AbbVie during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AbbVie in the second quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.23% of the companys stock. Get AbbVie alerts: AbbVie Stock Performance ABBV opened at $224.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $396.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 169.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $226.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.86. AbbVie Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.39 and a twelve month high of $244.81. AbbVie Increases Dividend AbbVie ( NYSE:ABBV Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.09. AbbVie had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 3,216.47%. The company had revenue of $15.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.00 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. AbbVie has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 3.320-3.360 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.73 per share. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from AbbVies previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. AbbVies dividend payout ratio is currently 496.97%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have commented on ABBV shares. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on AbbVie from $227.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. DZ Bank downgraded AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $237.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Piper Sandler reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $289.00 target price (up from $284.00) on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of AbbVie from $207.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $246.89. View Our Latest Report on AbbVie Key Stories Impacting AbbVie Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week: Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: AbbVie advanced its Phase 2 icalcaprant trial in depression, which keeps a potential late-stage CNS asset on the radar and preserves upside if clinical data are positive. Read More. Pipeline progress: AbbVie advanced its Phase 2 icalcaprant trial in depression, which keeps a potential late-stage CNS asset on the radar and preserves upside if clinical data are positive. Read More. Positive Sentiment: New oncology program: AbbVie launched a first?in?human ABBV?901 ovarian cancer trial, expanding its oncology pipeline and creating a longer-term growth optionality. Read More. New oncology program: AbbVie launched a first?in?human ABBV?901 ovarian cancer trial, expanding its oncology pipeline and creating a longer-term growth optionality. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Real?world evidence readouts: Post?marketing/observational studies for Rinvoq (Korea) and upadacitinib (Japan) wrapped up, which can support label, payer conversations and uptake in key markets. Read More. Read More. Real?world evidence readouts: Post?marketing/observational studies for Rinvoq (Korea) and upadacitinib (Japan) wrapped up, which can support label, payer conversations and uptake in key markets. Read More. Read More. Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and dividend narrative: Berenberg upgraded to a Buy and investor commentary emphasizing AbbVies reliable dividend/ income profile may underpin longer?term demand from income-focused funds. Read More. Read More. Analyst support and dividend narrative: Berenberg upgraded to a Buy and investor commentary emphasizing AbbVies reliable dividend/ income profile may underpin longer?term demand from income-focused funds. Read More. Read More. Neutral Sentiment: Event calendar: AbbVie scheduled its full?year and Q4 2025 earnings release and call for Feb. 4 an upcoming catalyst where management can clarify guidance drivers. Read More. Event calendar: AbbVie scheduled its full?year and Q4 2025 earnings release and call for Feb. 4 an upcoming catalyst where management can clarify guidance drivers. Read More. Negative Sentiment: Guidance nudged below consensus: AbbVie updated Q4 2025 EPS to $3.3203.360 (vs. street ~3.360) and FY 2025 to $10.61010.650 (vs. ~10.650), a small miss that removes near?term upside expectations. (Company guidance release) Guidance nudged below consensus: AbbVie updated Q4 2025 EPS to $3.3203.360 (vs. street ~3.360) and FY 2025 to $10.61010.650 (vs. ~10.650), a small miss that removes near?term upside expectations. (Company guidance release) Negative Sentiment: One?time accounting hit: Management flagged IPR&D and related expenses that will negatively impact Q4 EPS, pressuring reported profitability this quarter. Read More. One?time accounting hit: Management flagged IPR&D and related expenses that will negatively impact Q4 EPS, pressuring reported profitability this quarter. Read More. Negative Sentiment: M&A rumor volatility: Reports the company was in talks to buy Revolution Medicines briefly lifted both stocks; AbbVie subsequently denied talks, a reversal that likely contributed to intraday selling pressure. Read More. Read More. About AbbVie (Free Report) AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas. AbbVies product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and womens health. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for AbbVie Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AbbVie and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Free Report) by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,741 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 31,906 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $22,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 97.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,927 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,644,000 after buying an additional 11,311 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 3.8% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 581,325 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $92,407,000 after acquiring an additional 21,458 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 12.0% during the third quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,236 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,867,000 after purchasing an additional 9,345 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 45.3% in the third quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 30,854 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,905,000 after purchasing an additional 9,619 shares during the period. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 8.2% in the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 6,252 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Morgan Stanley Stock Performance Shares of MS opened at $184.70 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $172.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.65. The stock has a market cap of $293.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a one year low of $94.33 and a one year high of $188.82. Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement Morgan Stanley ( NYSE:MS Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.73. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.40%. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is presently 41.03%. Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. The trade was a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Morgan Stanley News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Morgan Stanley this week: Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley filed spot crypto ETF registrations (Bitcoin, Solana and a spot Ethereum trust that may include staking), expanding its wealth-product suite and distribution reach a potential long-term revenue and brand win for its wealth-management channels. Morgan Stanley Files Third Crypto ETF In 48 Hours Morgan Stanley filed spot crypto ETF registrations (Bitcoin, Solana and a spot Ethereum trust that may include staking), expanding its wealth-product suite and distribution reach a potential long-term revenue and brand win for its wealth-management channels. Positive Sentiment: The bank said it will launch a digital wallet in H2 2026 to support tokenized assets, signaling product expansion into custody/staking and providing another potential distribution channel for crypto services. Morgan Stanley Announces Digital Wallet Launch The bank said it will launch a digital wallet in H2 2026 to support tokenized assets, signaling product expansion into custody/staking and providing another potential distribution channel for crypto services. Positive Sentiment: Internal dealmaking activity appears to be picking up Morgan Stanley promoted ~184 employees to managing director after a revival in M&A and capital-markets activity, supporting higher IB fees if deal flow continues. Managing Director Promotions After Dealmaking Revival Internal dealmaking activity appears to be picking up Morgan Stanley promoted ~184 employees to managing director after a revival in M&A and capital-markets activity, supporting higher IB fees if deal flow continues. Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Zacks upgraded MS to a Strong Buy and also added MS to a dividend/income list these endorsements can attract flows from model/quant and income-focused investors. MS Upgraded to Strong Buy by Zacks Analyst sentiment: Zacks upgraded MS to a Strong Buy and also added MS to a dividend/income list these endorsements can attract flows from model/quant and income-focused investors. Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanleys CIO Mike Wilson reiterated confidence in earnings growth and called out consumer stocks as a key opportunity supportive macro/sentiment commentary from senior research can lift investor conviction. Mike Wilson Sees Crystal Clear Earnings Growth Morgan Stanleys CIO Mike Wilson reiterated confidence in earnings growth and called out consumer stocks as a key opportunity supportive macro/sentiment commentary from senior research can lift investor conviction. Neutral Sentiment: Near-term event risk: Morgan Stanley reports earnings next week and Wall Street expects earnings growth the report will be a catalyst that could reinforce or reverse todays move depending on results and guidance. MS Reports Next WeekStreet Expects Growth Near-term event risk: Morgan Stanley reports earnings next week and Wall Street expects earnings growth the report will be a catalyst that could reinforce or reverse todays move depending on results and guidance. Negative Sentiment: Valuation/analyst caution: some firms (including a recent JPMorgan note) have kept neutral ratings or signaled limited upside vs. current price that can cap gains if investors shift to profit-taking or rotate into larger perceived winners. Valuation/analyst caution: some firms (including a recent JPMorgan note) have kept neutral ratings or signaled limited upside vs. current price that can cap gains if investors shift to profit-taking or rotate into larger perceived winners. Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and competitive risks in crypto: launching ETFs and staking features attracts SEC and compliance scrutiny and puts Morgan Stanley in a crowded ETF field any regulatory pushback or slow asset flows would be a near-term drag on the trade. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Morgan Stanley in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an outperform rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $181.85. Get Our Latest Research Report on MS About Morgan Stanley (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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP Free Report) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,667 shares of the railroad operators stock after selling 3,414 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenues holdings in Union Pacific were worth $15,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $1,856,340,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.7% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,398,715 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $1,472,217,000 after purchasing an additional 46,436 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.6% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,782,577 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $1,134,236,000 after buying an additional 1,255,231 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 32.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,152,042 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $725,222,000 after purchasing an additional 778,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 22,618.2% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,624,636 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $603,876,000 after buying an additional 2,613,083 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Union Pacific alerts: Union Pacific Stock Up 2.4% Shares of UNP opened at $229.83 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $229.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $227.20. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $256.84. The firm has a market cap of $136.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Announces Dividend Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates 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 analysts expectations of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.75 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacifics dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $253.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $259.46. Read Our Latest Report on Union Pacific 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 two?thirds of the United States. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Union Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Union Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Two people were wounded Thursday in a shooting involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Portland, Oregon, authorities said. Portland police said officers found a man and a woman suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to the hospital and their conditions were not immediately known. The shooting occurred one day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot dead a woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, intensifying public attention on federal immigration enforcement and prompting thousands of people to protest. "Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident," Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement, adding that the city could not "sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts." Wilson said Portland is not a "training ground" for militarized agents and warned that the "full force" threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. He called on the ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation is completed. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon urged the public to keep any protests related to the incident peaceful. United Asset Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 15,247 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $896,000. Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Rollins by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 266,092 shares of the business services providers stock worth $14,377,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Rollins by 5.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,812 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 1,620 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rollins by 100.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 659,851 shares of the business services providers stock worth $35,652,000 after purchasing an additional 331,074 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins by 75.7% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,370 shares of the business services providers stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 3,605 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Rollins during the first quarter worth $451,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.79% of the companys stock. Get Rollins alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Rollins In other Rollins news, insider Thomas D. Tesh sold 2,396 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.73, for a total transaction of $143,113.08. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 31,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,889,080.71. The trade was a 7.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman John F. Wilson sold 1,520 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.40, for a total value of $90,288.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 607,587 shares in the company, valued at $36,090,667.80. This trade represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,311 shares of company stock valued at $371,760. 4.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an outperform rating on shares of Rollins in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $66.00 price target on shares of Rollins and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Rollins from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $72.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $63.00 price objective on Rollins and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Rollins in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $66.92. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Rollins Rollins Stock Up 1.3% ROL stock opened at $60.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.26 and a beta of 0.79. Rollins, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.77 and a 52 week high of $61.84. The companys 50-day moving average price is $59.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Rollins (NYSE:ROL Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.03. Rollins had a net margin of 14.02% and a return on equity of 37.60%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Rollins Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.1825 per share. This is a boost from Rollinss previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Rollinss payout ratio is presently 68.22%. About Rollins (Free Report) Rollins, Inc (NYSE: ROL) is a provider of pest and termite control services operating through a network of subsidiaries and franchises. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers a broad range of pest management solutions for both residential and commercial customers, positioning itself as a specialist in protecting property and public health from pests and vectors. Its service offerings include general pest control, termite inspection and treatment, bed bug remediation, mosquito and vector control, wildlife exclusion, and related specialty services. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Rollins Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rollins and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. California Resources (NYSE:CRC Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Pickering Energy Partners from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued on Friday. CRC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on California Resources from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. UBS Group set a $64.00 price objective on California Resources and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $56.00 price objective (down previously from $58.00) on shares of California Resources in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of California Resources from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of California Resources in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, California Resources presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $65.27. Get California Resources alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on California Resources California Resources Price Performance Shares of NYSE CRC opened at $46.58 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.47. California Resources has a 1-year low of $30.97 and a 1-year high of $58.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.15. California Resources (NYSE:CRC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $855.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $888.58 million. California Resources had a net margin of 10.60% and a return on equity of 11.59%. California Resourcess quarterly revenue was down 36.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that California Resources will post 3.85 EPS for the current year. Institutional Trading of California Resources Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRC. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of California Resources by 58.9% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 37,673 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,721,000 after purchasing an additional 13,962 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in California Resources by 27.6% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 52,384 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $2,303,000 after acquiring an additional 11,336 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in California Resources during the second quarter valued at about $1,267,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in California Resources by 103.5% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 44,097 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $2,017,000 after acquiring an additional 22,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of California Resources in the 2nd quarter worth about $624,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.79% of the companys stock. About California Resources (Get Free Report) 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. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for California Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for California Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Bank of America from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Friday. The firm currently has a $114.00 price objective on the transportation companys stock. Bank of Americas price objective would suggest a potential upside of 6.54% from the stocks previous close. A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on UPS. Wolfe Research reissued a peer perform rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. UBS Group increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $111.41. Get United Parcel Service alerts: View Our Latest Report on UPS United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.5% Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $107.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $136.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.02. The company has a market capitalization of $90.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.11. United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.94 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,277,988 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $5,619,730,000 after buying an additional 372,850 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,063,250 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,594,713,000 after acquiring an additional 288,720 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,792,139 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,603,459,000 after purchasing an additional 746,667 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,623,834 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,675,733,000 after purchasing an additional 762,407 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $851,842,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About United Parcel Service (Get Free Report) United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce. The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for United Parcel Service Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for United Parcel Service and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Equity Bancshares (NYSE:EQBK Get Free Report) is one of 20 publicly-traded companies in the State Commercial Banks Fed Reserve System industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare Equity Bancshares to similar businesses based on the strength of its risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, dividends and institutional ownership. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Equity Bancshares and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get Equity Bancshares alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Equity Bancshares 0 2 0 1 2.67 Equity Bancshares Competitors 29 165 197 19 2.50 As a group, State Commercial Banks Fed Reserve System companies have a potential upside of 4.96%. Given Equity Bancshares rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Equity Bancshares has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Institutional & Insider Ownership Valuation & Earnings 71.8% of Equity Bancshares 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. 6.6% of Equity Bancshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.7% of shares of all State Commercial Banks Fed Reserve System companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. This table compares Equity Bancshares and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Equity Bancshares $192.21 million $62.62 million 38.93 Equity Bancshares Competitors $707.57 million $95.99 million 39.62 Equity Bancshares rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Equity Bancshares. Equity Bancshares 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. Profitability This table compares Equity Bancshares and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Equity Bancshares 5.01% 11.67% 1.33% Equity Bancshares Competitors 7.23% 6.94% 0.79% Dividends Equity Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Equity Bancshares pays out 60.0% 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. Risk & Volatility Equity Bancshares has a beta of 0.87, indicating that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equity Bancshares rivals have a beta of 1.01, indicating that their average stock price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Equity Bancshares rivals beat Equity Bancshares on 10 of the 15 factors compared. Equity Bancshares Company Profile (Get Free Report) Equity Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Equity Bank that provides a range of banking, mortgage banking, and financial services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various demand, savings, money market, and time deposits. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, commercial real estate-backed, commercial lines of credit, working capital, term, equipment financing, acquisition, expansion and development, borrowing base, real estate construction, homebuilder, agricultural, government guaranteed, and other loan products to national and regional companies, restaurant franchisees, hoteliers, real estate developers, manufacturing and industrial companies, agribusiness companies, and other businesses. The companys loan products also comprise various consumer loans to individuals and professionals, including residential real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, installment loans, unsecured and secured personal lines of credit, overdraft protection, and letters of credit. It also provides debit cards; online banking solutions, such as access to account balances, online transfers, online bill payment, and electronic delivery of customer statements; mobile banking solutions comprising remote check deposits with mobile bill pay; ATMs; and treasury management, wire transfer, automated clearing house, and stop payment services. In addition, the company offers cash management deposit products, such as lockbox, remote deposit capture, positive pay, reverse positive pay, account reconciliation services, zero balance accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as banking services through telephone, mail, and personal appointments. As of December 31, 2021, it operated a network of 69 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Receive News & Ratings for Equity Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equity Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 80.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,931 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,749 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company accounts for approximately 0.8% of Integral Investment Advisors Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Integral Investment Advisors Inc.s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $2,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LLY. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Steph & Co. grew its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% during the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 263.6% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 40 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance NYSE LLY opened at $1,086.28 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $1,133.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 53.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.35. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $1,033.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $858.57. Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. Analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. 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 is currently 29.35%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LLY shares. Zacks Research upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Wolfe Research increased their target price on shares of 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. National Bankshares set a $1,286.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,038.00 to $1,182.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $1,169.00. Read Our Latest Research Report on Eli Lilly and Company Key Headlines Impacting Eli Lilly and Company Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week: Eli Lilly and Company 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. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ Free Report) by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 481,905 shares of the cell phone carriers stock after acquiring an additional 117,633 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $21,180,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Advantage Trust Co lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 549.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carriers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carriers stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carriers stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the companys stock. Get Verizon Communications alerts: Verizon Communications Stock Performance Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $40.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $10.60 and a one year high of $47.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement Verizon Communications ( NYSE:VZ Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The business had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. Verizon Communicationss payout ratio is currently 58.97%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts recently commented on VZ shares. Scotiabank upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Verizon Communications from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $47.47. Read Our Latest Research Report on Verizon Communications About Verizon Communications (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. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Verizon Communications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Verizon Communications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 34.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 94,300 shares of the credit services providers stock after buying an additional 24,283 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 0.7% of Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in Mastercard were worth $53,639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,421,213,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Mastercard by 55,868.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,421,148 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $7,541,880,000 after acquiring an additional 13,397,168 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Mastercard in the second quarter worth $6,725,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Mastercard by 25.6% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,372,404 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $3,580,909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,475,807 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $44,098,695,000 after buying an additional 931,132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.28% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Key Mastercard News Here are the key news stories impacting Mastercard this week: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Mastercard from $638.00 to $630.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Mastercard from $669.00 to $660.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $657.48. Get Our Latest Research Report on Mastercard Mastercard Stock Down 0.0% Shares of MA stock opened at $579.82 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a one year low of $465.59 and a one year high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $520.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $556.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $566.47. Mastercard (NYSE:MA Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.31 by $0.07. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.28% and a return on equity of 202.03%. The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.89 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year. Mastercard Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This is a positive change from Mastercards previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Mastercards dividend payout ratio is 22.25%. About Mastercard (Free Report) Mastercard Incorporated is a global payments technology company that operates a network connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. The company facilitates electronic payments and transaction processing for credit, debit and prepaid card products carrying the Mastercard brand, while also providing a range of payment-related services to issuers, acquirers and merchants. Its technology and network enable authorization, clearing and settlement of payments and support a broad set of use cases including point-of-sale, e-commerce and mobile payments. Beyond core transaction processing, Mastercard offers a suite of value-added services such as fraud and risk management, identity and authentication tools, tokenization and digital wallet support, cross-border and commercial payment solutions, and data analytics and consulting services for merchants and financial partners. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Mastercard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mastercard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM Free Report) by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,445 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 26,108 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Funds holdings in International Business Machines were worth $30,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth approximately $852,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the second quarter worth about $16,565,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,051,475 shares of the technology companys stock worth $28,019,274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,913,708 shares in the last quarter. Thames Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,710,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 122,623 shares of the technology companys stock worth $36,147,000 after acquiring an additional 3,537 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the companys stock. Get International Business Machines alerts: International Business Machines Trading Up 2.0% Shares of IBM opened at $302.69 on Friday. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $214.50 and a twelve month high of $324.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $282.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $303.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $281.94. International Business Machines Announces Dividend International Business Machines ( NYSE:IBM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The technology company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. International Business Machiness payout ratio is currently 80.38%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. Weiss Ratings raised International Business Machines from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b) rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, November 21st. They set an outperform rating and a $360.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $295.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $301.85. Get Our Latest Analysis on IBM International Business Machines 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. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IBM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for International Business Machines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Business Machines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. iShares MSCI Canada ETF (NYSEARCA:EWC Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $54.81 and last traded at $54.5880, with a volume of 196615 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $54.46. iShares MSCI Canada ETF Price Performance The company has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.85. Get iShares MSCI Canada ETF alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EWC. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in iShares MSCI Canada ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at about $51,589,000. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in iShares MSCI Canada ETF in the second quarter valued at about $40,619,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI Canada ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,214,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Canada ETF by 152.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,304,333 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $60,260,000 after purchasing an additional 787,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its position in shares of iShares MSCI Canada ETF by 871.0% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 663,041 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $33,482,000 after purchasing an additional 594,755 shares in the last quarter. iShares MSCI Canada ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI Canada ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Canada 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 publicly traded securities in the Canadian market, as measured by the MSCI Canada Index (the Index). The Index seeks to measure the performance of the Canadian equity market. It is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Canada ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Canada ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 8,872 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 68% compared to the average volume of 5,273 call options. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley downgraded Archer Daniels Midland from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and cut their price target for the stock from $57.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an underweight rating and issued a $59.00 target price (down from $61.00) on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Archer Daniels Midland from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Archer Daniels Midland in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average price target of $54.38. Get Archer Daniels Midland alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on ADM Archer Daniels Midland Price Performance Shares of ADM traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.77. 732,851 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,198,743. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $58.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $29.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.70. Archer Daniels Midland has a 12-month low of $40.98 and a 12-month high of $65.00. Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. Archer Daniels Midland had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 8.01%. The business had revenue of $20.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Archer Daniels Midland has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.250-3.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Archer Daniels Midland will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year. Archer Daniels Midland Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 19th. Archer Daniels Midlands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.27%. Institutional Trading of Archer Daniels Midland Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Archer Daniels Midland in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in shares of Archer Daniels Midland by 367.0% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 509 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Archer Daniels Midland by 313.8% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 509 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in Archer Daniels Midland in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC increased its stake in Archer Daniels Midland by 113.6% during the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 534 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Archer Daniels Midland Company Profile (Get Free Report) Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is a global agricultural processor and food-ingredient provider that sources, transports and processes oilseeds, corn, wheat and other agricultural commodities. The company operates large-scale crushing, refining and processing facilities that produce vegetable oils, protein meals, corn sweeteners, starches, ethanol, animal feeds and a wide range of food and industrial ingredients. ADM also develops specialty ingredients and solutions for human and animal nutrition, food and beverage formulation, and industrial applications such as bio-based materials and renewable fuels. ADMs business combines commodity origination and merchandising with downstream manufacturing and ingredient formulation. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Archer Daniels Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer Daniels Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A visitor takes a cup of ice cream from an XBOT robotic barista at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2026. The 2026 CES, the world's premier technology event, runs here from Tuesday to Friday. The annual show has attracted thousands of exhibitors from more than 155 countries and regions, according to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of CES. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) People visit the exhibition area of BOE Technology Group at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2026. The 2026 CES, the world's premier technology event, runs here from Tuesday to Friday. The annual show has attracted thousands of exhibitors from more than 155 countries and regions, according to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of CES. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) A man visits the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2026. The 2026 CES, the world's premier technology event, runs here from Tuesday to Friday. The annual show has attracted thousands of exhibitors from more than 155 countries and regions, according to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of CES. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) A visitor views Beta companion robots at the exhibition area of Hisense during the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2026. The 2026 CES, the world's premier technology event, runs here from Tuesday to Friday. The annual show has attracted thousands of exhibitors from more than 155 countries and regions, according to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of CES. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW Get Free Report) insider Jennie Daly bought 139 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 108 per share, with a total value of 150.12. Jennie Daly also recently made the following trade(s): Get Taylor Wimpey alerts: On Monday, December 8th, Jennie Daly purchased 147 shares of Taylor Wimpey stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 102 per share, for a total transaction of 149.94. On Monday, November 10th, Jennie Daly acquired 142 shares of Taylor Wimpey stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 105 per share, with a total value of 149.10. Taylor Wimpey Price Performance Shares of TW stock remained flat at GBX 108.10 during trading on Friday. 9,657,498 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,409,451. The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 103.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 104.33. The stock has a market cap of 3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 5.08. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently weighed in on TW shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Taylor Wimpey from GBX 140 to GBX 145 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set a neutral rating and a GBX 109 target price for the company. Peel Hunt restated a hold rating and set a GBX 110 price target on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Taylor Wimpey from GBX 140 to GBX 120 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 135 price objective on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 129.13. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on TW About Taylor Wimpey (Get Free Report) Taylor Wimpey plc operates as a homebuilder in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities. Taylor Wimpey plc was incorporated in 1935 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Taylor Wimpey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taylor Wimpey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (OTCMKTS:IDCBY Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 24,212 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the previous sessions volume of 27,360 shares.The stock last traded at $15.66 and had previously closed at $15.64. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. Stock Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $279.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.55. Get Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. alerts: Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (OTCMKTS:IDCBY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $28.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.38 billion. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. had a return on equity of 8.96% and a net margin of 24.10%. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. Company Profile Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (ICBC) is a state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing. Founded in 1984, ICBC has grown into one of the worlds largest banking institutions by total assets, operating a diversified financial services business that serves corporate, institutional and retail clients. The bank provides deposit-taking and lending, trade and transaction banking, treasury and markets services, as well as a range of payment and settlement solutions. ICBCs product and service offerings span corporate banking, retail banking, and investment banking, including corporate loans, supply?chain and trade finance, cash management, credit and debit cards, mortgages and consumer finance, wealth-management products, custody and asset-management services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:GBX Get Free Report) shares were down 6.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $49.27 and last traded at $50.0850. Approximately 139,439 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 518,267 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.34. Trending Headlines about Greenbrier Companies Here are the key news stories impacting Greenbrier Companies this week: Get Greenbrier Companies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Greenbrier Companies from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Greenbrier Companies from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Greenbrier Companies in a research note on Friday, November 21st. They set a sell rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Greenbrier Companies from $57.00 to $52.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Greenbrier Companies in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $45.00. Greenbrier Companies Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.25 and a 200-day moving average of $46.42. Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The transportation company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $706.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.52 million. Greenbrier Companies had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 6.30%.The firms quarterly revenue was down 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Greenbrier Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.750-4.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Greenbrier Companies, Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year. Greenbrier Companies Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Greenbrier Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.32%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,894,314 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $179,800,000 after buying an additional 51,624 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Greenbrier Companies by 65.7% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 872,748 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $40,190,000 after acquiring an additional 346,039 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in Greenbrier Companies by 1.8% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 667,002 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $30,795,000 after acquiring an additional 11,538 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Greenbrier Companies by 26.0% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 642,992 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $29,687,000 after acquiring an additional 132,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Greenbrier Companies by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 477,218 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $21,976,000 after acquiring an additional 39,350 shares during the last quarter. 95.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Greenbrier Companies Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Greenbrier Companies, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading supplier of freight transportation equipment and services. The company designs, engineers and manufactures railroad freight carssuch as intermodal well cars, covered hoppers, tank cars and double-stack carsas well as marine barges for domestic and international customers. Beyond original equipment production, Greenbrier provides aftermarket services including maintenance, repair, refurbishment and mechanical overhauls under long-term service agreements. Greenbriers operations are organized into OEM and aftermarket segments, with manufacturing facilities and engineering centers across North America, Europe and Russia. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Greenbrier Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greenbrier Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. National Bank of Canada (TSE:NA Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Scotiabank from C$184.00 to C$188.00 in a research note issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. Scotiabanks price target would suggest a potential upside of 8.26% from the stocks current price. Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of National Bank of Canada from C$168.00 to C$173.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on National Bank of Canada from C$147.00 to C$158.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. CIBC upped their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$174.00 to C$179.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on National Bank of Canada from C$153.00 to C$152.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on National Bank of Canada from C$161.00 to C$181.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Bank of Canada presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of C$166.17. Get National Bank of Canada alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on NA National Bank of Canada Stock Performance TSE:NA traded up C$1.57 during trading on Friday, reaching C$173.65. The companys stock had a trading volume of 427,588 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,807. The firm has a market cap of C$67.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.14 and a beta of 1.15. National Bank of Canada has a 12 month low of C$106.67 and a 12 month high of C$177.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$168.40 and a 200-day moving average of C$154.46. National Bank of Canada (TSE:NA Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The financial services provider reported C$2.82 earnings per share for the quarter. National Bank of Canada had a net margin of 19.69% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The company had revenue of C$3.70 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that National Bank of Canada will post 10.8360791 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. National Bank of Canada Company Profile (Get Free Report) National Bank of Canada is the sixth-largest Canadian bank. The bank offers integrated financial services, primarily in the province of Quebec as well as the city of Toronto. Operational segments include personal and commercial banking, wealth management, and a financial markets group. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for National Bank of Canada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Bank of Canada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF Get Free Report) (NYSE:SLF) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from C$84.00 to C$83.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. Barclayss target price indicates a potential downside of 5.36% from the stocks current price. Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$93.00 to C$95.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday. Desjardins set a C$94.00 price objective on Sun Life Financial and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$99.00 to C$95.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. TD Securities decreased their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$101.00 to C$99.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$96.00 to C$98.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of C$91.56. Get Sun Life Financial alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SLF Sun Life Financial Stock Up 1.0% TSE SLF traded up C$0.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$87.70. 257,000 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,021,863. The stock has a market capitalization of C$48.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.77. Sun Life Financial has a twelve month low of C$74.56 and a twelve month high of C$91.11. The businesss 50-day moving average is C$83.85 and its 200-day moving average is C$83.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.00, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a current ratio of 92.19. Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF Get Free Report) (NYSE:SLF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported C$1.86 earnings per share for the quarter. Sun Life Financial had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 15.69%. The business had revenue of C$9.07 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sun Life Financial will post 6.9230769 earnings per share for the current year. Sun Life Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Sun Life Financial is one of Canadas Big Three life insurance companies along with Great-West Lifeco and Manulife. Sun Life provides insurance, retirement, and wealth-management services to individual and corporate customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. It also owns MFS Investment Management, a Boston-based asset-management firm. Sun Life generates about a third of its profit from asset-management operations. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Sun Life Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sun Life Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Exchange Income (TSE:EIF Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by investment analysts at Raymond James Financial from C$92.00 to C$100.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a strong-buy rating on the stock. Raymond James Financials price target points to a potential upside of 14.26% from the companys current price. Several other analysts have also recently commented on EIF. Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$94.00 price target on Exchange Income and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Exchange Income from C$69.50 to C$80.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. National Bankshares upped their target price on shares of Exchange Income from C$84.00 to C$88.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. CIBC boosted their price target on shares of Exchange Income from C$85.50 to C$93.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Exchange Income from C$80.00 to C$90.00 in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exchange Income presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of C$85.81. Get Exchange Income alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on EIF Exchange Income Price Performance Shares of EIF stock traded down C$0.49 on Friday, reaching C$87.52. 87,830 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 124,871. Exchange Income has a 1 year low of C$45.00 and a 1 year high of C$89.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 173.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.76. The business has a 50-day moving average price of C$80.58 and a 200 day moving average price of C$73.96. The company has a market cap of C$4.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.90. Exchange Income (TSE:EIF Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported C$1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Exchange Income had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 4.64%.The company had revenue of C$959.74 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Exchange Income will post 3.9962963 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Exchange Income Company Profile (Get Free Report) Exchange Income Corp is a diversified acquisition-oriented corporation focused on opportunities in two sectors, aerospace, aviation services and equipment, and manufacturing. The business plan of the corporation is to invest in profitable, well-established companies with strong cash flows operating in niche markets. Its Aerospace and Aviation segment is a key revenue driver, recognizes revenue from the provision of flight, flight ancillary services, and the sale or lease of aircraft and aftermarket parts. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Exchange Income Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Exchange Income and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $6.41, but opened at $6.73. Sasol shares last traded at $6.8550, with a volume of 426,267 shares trading hands. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Sasol from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Sasol from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sasol from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d+) rating on shares of Sasol in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Reduce. Get Sasol alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on SSL Sasol Stock Performance Institutional Trading of Sasol The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.87. Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sasol by 75.7% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,450,355 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $6,135,000 after purchasing an additional 624,911 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Sasol by 31.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 154,700 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $654,000 after buying an additional 37,412 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sasol by 119.9% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 17,169 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 9,360 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Sasol in the 2nd quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in Sasol by 47.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 19,572 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 6,283 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.21% of the companys stock. Sasol Company Profile (Get Free Report) Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The companys core operations encompass the conversion of natural gas, coal and heavy hydrocarbons into liquid fuels and a wide array of chemical products. Sasol leverages proprietary Fischer-Tropsch and gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies to deliver cleaner-burning diesel, jet fuel and naphtha, alongside solvents, surfactants and specialty polymers for industrial and consumer applications. In addition to its GTL business, Sasol operates downstream facilities for the manufacture of alpha olefins, ethylene, propylene and other base-chemical intermediates. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Sasol Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sasol and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO Get Free Report) (NYSE:BMO) had its target price increased by analysts at Scotiabank from C$187.00 to C$191.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. Scotiabanks target price would suggest a potential upside of 3.46% from the stocks current price. BMO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays raised their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$177.00 to C$181.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Natl Bk Canada lowered shares of Bank of Montreal from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$181.00 to C$182.00 in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Desjardins boosted their price target on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$180.00 to C$189.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$179.00 to C$183.00 in a report on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of C$183.08. Get Bank of Montreal alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on BMO Bank of Montreal Stock Performance Shares of TSE:BMO traded down C$0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting C$184.62. The stock had a trading volume of 796,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,426,642. The companys 50 day moving average is C$176.85 and its 200-day moving average is C$169.41. Bank of Montreal has a 12-month low of C$121.31 and a 12-month high of C$185.99. The company has a market cap of C$130.88 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.39. Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO Get Free Report) (NYSE:BMO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The bank reported C$3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$9.34 billion for the quarter. Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 13.57% and a return on equity of 9.04%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bank of Montreal will post 9.6514585 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Bank of Montreal (Get Free Report) Bank of Montreal is a diversified financial-services provider based in North America, operating four business segments: Canadian personal and commercial banking, U.S. P&C banking, wealth management, and capital markets. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Bank of Montreal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of Montreal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Voestalpine AG (OTCMKTS:VLPNY Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $9.41 and last traded at $9.41, with a volume of 657 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.27. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLPNY shares. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group upgraded shares of Voestalpine from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup restated a neutral rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of Voestalpine in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Get Voestalpine alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on VLPNY Voestalpine Stock Performance The company has a market cap of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.00 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $8.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 1.32. Voestalpine (OTCMKTS:VLPNY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.31 billion. Voestalpine had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 1.50%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Voestalpine AG will post 0.45 earnings per share for the current year. About Voestalpine (Get Free Report) 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. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Voestalpine Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Voestalpine and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Outokumpu (OTCMKTS:OUTKY Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 2,500 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 72% from the previous sessions volume of 1,450 shares.The stock last traded at $2.74 and had previously closed at $2.71. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth OUTKY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Outokumpu in a report on Friday, December 5th. Zacks Research raised Outokumpu from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Outokumpu from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Danske upgraded shares of Outokumpu to a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold. Get Outokumpu alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on OUTKY Outokumpu Trading Up 1.1% The company has a 50 day moving average of $2.38 and a 200 day moving average of $2.17. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.83 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.76. Outokumpu (OTCMKTS:OUTKY Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter. Outokumpu had a negative net margin of 1.83% and a negative return on equity of 2.90%. Analysts predict that Outokumpu will post 0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year. About Outokumpu (Get Free Report) Outokumpu Oyj is a Finland-based global producer of stainless steel products and one of Europes leading stainless steel manufacturers. Headquartered in Helsinki, the company traces its roots back to mining operations established in 1910 and has, over decades, transformed into a focused stainless steel specialist. Outokumpus core business encompasses the production of high-grade stainless steel in flat and long product forms, serving a broad range of industries including automotive, construction, energy, and consumer goods. The companys primary product portfolio includes cold-rolled and hot-rolled coils and sheets, plates, strips, bars and wire, as well as tailor-made and value-added solutions such as precision-cut blanks and welded tubes. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Outokumpu Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Outokumpu and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MEXICO CITY, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Honduran lawmaker Gladis Aurora Lopez was wounded Thursday after an explosive device was hurled at a group of people in a rear area of the National Congress building, police said. The device detonated minutes before a congressional session was set to begin. Lopez had been speaking with reporters when an explosive device was thrown from outside and detonated nearby, causing injuries in her shoulder, back and head. She was rushed to the hospital. National Police Director Manuel Aguilar Godoy said that a specialized investigative team has been deployed to review security camera footage from inside the legislature, 911 emergency-system recordings and nearby surveillance in an effort to identify those responsible. Congress president Luis Redondo condemned the violence in a statement on social media. Local media reported that the incident occurred amid tense political demonstrations outside the building. Shares of Sampo PLC (OTCMKTS:SAXPY Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 344,216 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 610% from the previous sessions volume of 48,458 shares.The stock last traded at $22.9980 and had previously closed at $23.2650. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In SAXPY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Sampo in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Sampo from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sampo has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Get Sampo alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Sampo Sampo Stock Performance The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.37 and a 200 day moving average of $22.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $123.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 0.45. Sampo (OTCMKTS:SAXPY Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.27 billion. About Sampo (Get Free Report) Sampo plc is a Finland-based insurance and financial services group that primarily underwrites property and casualty (P&C) insurance while also offering life insurance and related financial products. The company operates through subsidiaries that provide a mix of retail and corporate insurance solutions, claims handling and risk management services. Its business model emphasizes underwriting discipline and diversified exposure across personal, commercial and specialty insurance lines. Sampos operations include well-known subsidiaries that deliver core products and services: a Nordic P&C insurer that writes motor, property, liability and specialty lines, and a life insurance and wealth management arm that offers savings, pension solutions and asset management services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Sampo Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sampo and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) dropped 2% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $1,063.03 and last traded at $1,063.9030. Approximately 2,552,314 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 3,266,747 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,085.19. Eli Lilly and Company News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week: Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages have weighed in on LLY. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $951.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. National Bankshares set a $1,286.00 price target on Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They set a sector outperform rating and a $1,165.00 target price on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $1,169.00. Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 2.0% The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 52.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,033.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $858.57. 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 (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year. Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is presently 29.35%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter valued at $31,000. 82.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Eli Lilly and Company (Get 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. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. There is a deep sense of sadness in Clondalkin following the death of a 12-year-old boy in a suspected murder-suicide on Thursday. Oisin OReilly was found dead at a house in the west Dublin suburb on Thursday morning. The body of his father, Wayne OReilly, 48, had been found earlier after emergency services were called to a home in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot at around 8.30am. The two properties, which both had visible Christmas decorations in the windows, are about a 15-minute drive away from each other. Speaking at the Stripe Young Scientist exhibition on Friday, Tanaiste Simon Harris described it as an extraordinarily sad, distressing and concerning situation. Sinn Fein councillor Daithi Doolan said: We didnt expect this here, you never expect in your doorstep. He added there is a deep sadness and, I suppose, a sense of anger at it happening at all. He said there is a long journey ahead for the family. But they can be rest assured, this community will be with them every step of the way as they embark on that difficult, difficult journey, he added. He appealed for people not to speculate about the events on social media, saying it would exacerbate the grief and trauma of the family. Both locations were preserved for forensic examinations and both bodies were removed for post-mortem examinations. A garda spokesperson said the results will determine the course of the investigation. Irelands child and family agency, Tusla, said the boy was not in the care of the state, but said his family was known to the organisation. The Missouri conservative sided with the Dems in limiting the war powers of the Prez and garnered rebuke from the White House. Here's his explanation and a glimpse at the fallout . . . Hawley was one of five Republicans who voted Thursday for Virginia Sen. Tim Kaines war powers resolution that bars Trump from conducting hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force. That measure advanced through the Senate 52-47. In a statement, Hawley said, My read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it. Thats why I voted yes on this mornings Senate resolution, Hawley said. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley draws Trump's wrath on Venezuela war powers resolution The senator joined four other Republicans in voting to halt Trump's ability to take military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. Trump says 5 GOP senators who voted to limit Venezuela war powers "should never be elected to office again" Republican Sens. Todd Young, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Rand Paul and Josh Hawley voted with all Democrats to advance the measure. Local protest postscript roundup starts with this progressive promo line from public radio . . . "With a slew of anti-ICE rallying cries and homemade signs melting in the rain, protesters said the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this week is emblematic of the dangerous, daily mass deportations by ICE." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Hundreds gather in KC for anti-ICE protest, demand justice for woman killed More than 100 people gathered in downtown Kansas City's Ilus W. Davis Park for an Anti-ICE protest Thursday evening. Developing . . . SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- An investigation has been launched into Thursday's shooting in Portland, U.S. state of Oregon, which injured two people and involved federal law enforcement agents. According to the Portland Police Bureau, the incident occurred in an eastern neighborhood of the city and involved agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Responding officers found a man and a woman suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Both were transported to hospital for treatment, police said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Border Patrol agents were conducting a "targeted vehicle stop" involving one passenger identified as the enforcement target. "When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents," Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement, adding that an agent then fired a "defensive shot," after which the driver fled the scene. At a news conference Thursday evening, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek urged the federal government to ensure transparency in the investigation and to cooperate fully with Portland police and the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office to "rebuild trust with our nation's government." Portland Mayor Keith Wilson also called on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to suspend all operations in the city until an independent investigation is concluded. While acknowledging the federal government's account of the incident, Wilson said, "There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past." Portland Police Chief Bob Day said local authorities "do not know the facts of this case," and the investigation remains ongoing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also opened an investigation into the shooting. At the conclusion of #TBT we share a classic view of Kansas City with a bit of a new spin as we check pop culture, community reporting and top headlines for late night & early morning denizens of the discourse. Check TKC news gathering . . . Cowtown Culture War Cont'd Kansas City rally demands justice for Renee Good after Minneapolis ICE shooting A Kansas City rally demanded justice for Renee Good after she was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Locals Talk Fight For Life 'The alternative for me is death:' Breast cancer patient reacts to House vote to extend enhanced ACA subsidies These subsidies expired on December 31st, 2025. It now goes to the Senate where, according to NBC News, it's unlikely to pass. The Dotte Disputes Dox Unified Government of Wyandotte County denies KMBC request for emails about Chiefs stadium deal You may have to wait more than three years to learn the inner workings of a multi-billion-dollar stadium deal between local and state leaders and the Kansas City Chiefs. Golden Ghetto Overflowing Leawood City Hall closed Friday after water line cut inside building A water line accidentally cut inside Leawood City Hall Thursday forced the city to shut down the building for the rest of the day, as well as Friday. Toast To New Hipster Hangouts Kohinoor, One Of KC's Newest Cocktail Bars, Is A Gem Kohinoor (also the name of one of the most famous diamonds in the world) opened in October underneath the downtown Pickwick Plaza Apartments. Friendly Workout Advice How Jennifer Aniston Stays Fit and Reaches 'New Levels of Strength' Jennifer Aniston has a refreshingly simple approach to staying fit, according to her personal trainer who shared how the actress maintains her trim and toned physique MAGA Saves American Homes Trump: Fannie, Freddie to Buy $200 Billion of Mortgage Debt to Bring Mortgage Rates Down Trump said having Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds would drive mortgage rates and monthly payments down. Republicans Limit Prez Trump War Powers Senate moves to restrict Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela Congress saw several key votes on Thursday, including ones to address military action in Venezuela, expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and more. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins has been following it all and reports from the Capitol. Obamacare Showdown Awaits US House expands healthcare subsidies but bill faces uphill battle in Senate Seventeen moderate Republicans defied their party leadership and sided with Democrats to help pass the bill. Deuce Defends ICE Vance demand Democrats answer whether ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting was 'wrong in defending his life' Vice President JD Vance challenges Democrats to defend ICE officer who shot a woman in Minnesota after she reportedly tried to run him over with vehicle. Vlad Knocks Out Power In Winter Ukraine: 1 million without water, heat after Russian strike - DW - 01/08/2026 Ukrainian authorities said overnight Russian strikes targeted energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia as temperatures hover below freezing. Follow DW for more European Outrage Flows French and German presidents condemn US foreign policy under Trump In separate speeches, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier warn rules-based international order could disintegrate Iran From Youth Uprising What to know about the intensifying protests shaking Iran and putting pressure on its theocracy More than 340 protests have taken place across all of Iran's 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Thursday. Brits Play Up Drone Wars Could gamers be the secret weapon of a modern UK military? The British Armed Forces has asked gamers and coders to consider signing up, but can it convince them? Hollywood Pride Endures Mickey Rourke SNUBS job offers amid eviction battle Mickey Rourke is reportedly being selective about his work projects despite ongoing financial troubles and an eviction battle at his Los Angeles home over unpaid rent. FILLER UP!!! Record number of men having 'willy' surgery on NHS to beat erectile problems A RECORD number of men have got "bionic willies" on the NHS. Last year, 626 received a penis prosthesis - a surgical last resort when gadgets and Viagra fail to beat erectile dysfunction. The pione... Patriotism Overhead WATCH: More than 1,000 bald eagles converge at wildlife refuge just north of Kansas City Missouri is one of the best-known states for wintering eagles Building Boom Across Bridge 'I don't have a problem with it': Northland resident raises concerns about unknown development in neighborhood A Northland resident contacted me with concerns about construction activity happening behind his home, wondering if the work was even permitted. Tonight's Taste Test KC Restaurant Week 2026 Preview: Modern Market Eatery Modern Market Eatery Director of Operations Brett Kilgore and General Manager Erika Mahe join Kerrigan and Guest Host Ivani Bing. Local Listening Session Liberty Celebrates America 250 with Kickoff Concert - KC STUDIO Kickoff America 250 in Liberty with a concert featuring music from musical theater, the classical world, as well as some of our greatest patriotic tunes. Buzz On Winter Weather Kansas City weather: Gusty storms, wintry mix Friday, colder weekend Overnight temperatures are expected to fall sharply into the mid-30s, with breezy winds lingering into Friday. And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. This story might have been lost in the mix this week but deserves attention given the dire circumstances on local streets that seem to be worsening despite the best efforts from authorities. For context . . . The lead image was taken by TKC quite some time ago when so many KCMO activists imagined that homeless camps were symbols of "resistance" and not just a sign of more desperate circumstances . . . Now, check the DOJ presser & more reporting . . . Ricky Lee Myers, also known as The Mayor, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to more than 10 years in prison followed by six years of supervised release. On May 21, 2025, Myers pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. According to court documents, on Oct. 23, 2024, Myers was inside the residential structure that he built in a homeless camp located on a dirt road extending from East 23rd St. roughly between Vine St. and Highland Avenue, in Kansas City, Missouri, when federal agents executed a search warrant there. This area is within 1,000 feet of a school. In Myers residence, agents located a bag with approximately 60 grams of methamphetamine along with a firearm. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : CHAR DHAM YATRA PACKAGE 2026 A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WITH COMFORT Industry: Tours The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is regarded as one of the holiest pilgrimages in India. Every year, lakhs of devotees from India and abroad travel to the Himalayas to seek divine blessings and inner peace. The Char Dham circuit consists of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, four sacred shrines located amidst breathtaking mountain landscapes. (TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - January 8th, 2026 - The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is regarded as one of the holiest pilgrimages in India. Every year, lakhs of devotees from India and abroad travel to the Himalayas to seek divine blessings and inner peace. The Char Dham circuit consists of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, four sacred shrines located amidst breathtaking mountain landscapes. Our specially curated Char Dham Yatra Package 2026 ensures that pilgrims experience a safe, smooth, and soulenriching journey. With reliable transport, comfortable accommodation, and expert guidance, we make your yatra memorable and stressfree. Spiritual Importance of Char Dham Yamunotri: Dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, this dham is the origin of the Yamuna River. Pilgrims believe that bathing here purifies the soul and protects against untimely death. Gangotri: The sacred source of River Ganga. Worship here is said to cleanse sins and grant spiritual upliftment. Kedarnath: One of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, surrounded by snowclad peaks. It represents liberation and divine energy. Badrinath: The abode of Lord Vishnu, considered the most important dham. Visiting Badrinath is believed to grant moksha (salvation). Together, these four shrines symbolize the essence of Hindu spirituality and are believed to open the path to ultimate liberation. Char Dham Yatra 2026 Opening Dates As per official announcements: Yamunotri & Gangotri: Opening on 24th April 2026 (Akshaya Tritiya) Kedarnath: Expected to open in April 2026 Badrinath: Expected to open in April 2026 The yatra season continues till October/November, depending on weather conditions. Char Dham Yatra Package Highlights Inclusions Transport: AC cabs, SUVs, Tempo Travellers, and buses available from Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, or Dehradun. Stay: Comfortable hotels, guest houses, and dharamshalas near each dham. Meals: Pure vegetarian food served throughout the journey. Guides: Experienced tour managers and local guides for assistance. Safety: Professional drivers trained for Himalayan routes. Duration Options Standard Package: 1012 days covering all four dhams. Do Dham Yatra: Kedarnath + Badrinath or Gangotri + Yamunotri. Helicopter Tours: For those with limited time or seeking convenience. Suggested Itinerary (From Delhi) Delhi Haridwar (overnight stay, attend Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri). Haridwar Barkot (base for Yamunotri). Barkot Yamunotri Barkot. Barkot Uttarkashi (base for Gangotri). Uttarkashi Gangotri Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi Guptkashi. Guptkashi Kedarnath (trek or helicopter). Kedarnath Guptkashi. Guptkashi Badrinath. Badrinath Joshimath Rudraprayag. Rudraprayag Rishikesh. Rishikesh Delhi (end of yatra). Why Choose Our Package? Doortodoor service: Pickup from Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, or Dehradun. Seniorfriendly travel: Comfortable seating, easy booking, and medical support. Affordable fares: Transparent pricing with no hidden charges. Flexible options: Oneway, round trip, Do Dham, or helicopter tours. Trusted team: Experienced drivers and guides with years of expertise. Travel Tips for Pilgrims Carry warm clothes, rain gear, and sturdy footwear. Keep medicines and a small firstaid kit handy. Respect local traditions and maintain cleanliness at shrines. Book early to avoid lastminute rush. Consider travel insurance for added safety. Booking & Contact Website: https://srgholiday.com/ Call / WhatsApp: +919649274278 Head Office: 56 A Narayan City, Indra Gandhi Nagar, Jagatpura, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302017 ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Sachin Company: SRG HOLIDAYS PVT LTD Phone: 09649274278 Email: sachinkumarmeena4278@gmail.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has canceled the Baku-Tehran-Baku flight scheduled for today, a source in AZAL told Trend. Further details on the resumption of flights on this route will be announced and passengers will be informed immediately. AZAL apologizes for the inconvenience caused and thanks passengers for their understanding and patience. The safety of flights and passengers is the number one priority for AZAL. Passengers can contact the AZAL call center to be informed about the latest news: [email protected]. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Heads of religious confessions operating in Azerbaijan have sent letters of gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev, expressing their appreciation for the head of states care and attention to the faithful people, Trend reports. In their letters, heads of religious confessions praised the atmosphere of religious tolerance existing in Azerbaijan. They also hailed the financial support provided to the religious confessions under the Order of President Ilham Aliyev dated January 7, 2026, On providing financial assistance to religious institutions across Azerbaijan, describing this as another manifestation of the consistent advancement of state-religion relations in the country. Noting that the Order is of great public importance in maintaining unity, solidarity, and social stability in Azerbaijani society, the leaders of non-Islamic religious communities expressed their gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the constant attention, material and moral support provided to the religious sphere in the country. In their letters, Bishop Alexy Smirnov of the Russian Orthodox Churchs Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese, Milikh Yevdayev, Chairman the Religious Community of Mountain Jews in Baku, Head of the European Jewish Community in Baku, Alexander Sharovsky, Head of the European Jewish Community in Baku, Robert Mobili, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Religious Community, Zamir Isayev, Head of the Baku Religious Community of Sephardic Jews, and other leaders of religious communities expressed their deep appreciation for the constant attention and care show to their cultural and religious heritage. They expressed their gratitude not only for the economic development and socio-political stability of modern Azerbaijan, but also for the level of the prevailing situation of religious tolerance and communal harmony. They also commended the multiculturalism, which is the Azerbaijani peoples way of life, emphasizing that religious and ethnic diversity is not a divisive line in the country, but, on the contrary, is perceived as an important factor enhancing unity and solidarity. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Anar Isgandarov was awarded the "Shohrat" Order, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree. According to the decree, Isgandarov was awarded the "Shohrat" Order for his fruitful activities in the socio-political life of the country. AGHDAM, Azerbaijan, January 9. The first stage of resettlement to several villages in Azerbaijans Aghdara district began on January 9, with former residents returning to their homes and receiving the keys to newly built houses, the Public Relations Department of the Restoration, Construction and Management Service (RCMS) operating in Khankendi city and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts told Trend. According to the service, 26 families comprising 96 people were resettled in Chapar village, 19 families comprising 74 people in Heyvali village, 13 families comprising 48 people in Childiran village, and 31 families comprising 119 people in Ashaghi Oratagh village. In total, 89 families totaling 337 people returned to their native lands during this phase. The first stage of resettlement to several villages in Azerbaijans Aghdara district began on January 9, with former residents returning to their homes and receiving the keys to newly built houses, the Public Relations Department of the Restoration, Construction and Management Service (RCMS) operating in Khankendi city and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts told Trend. Speaking at the key handover ceremony, Telman Kerimli, executive director of the service, congratulated residents on their return and briefed them on the modern living conditions created in the villages, as well as the restored social infrastructure and reconstruction efforts carried out in the area. He wished the returning families a happy and safe life in their homes. Kerimli noted that essential infrastructure has been established in the villages, utilities have been restored, and all necessary conditions for permanent residence have been ensured. He emphasized that, alongside resettlement, addressing employment opportunities for residents remains a key priority. According to him, systematic measures are being taken to provide jobs for returning residents in both the private sector and state institutions in line with their professions and qualifications, and this process will continue in stages. In the village of Ashaghi Oratagh, residents were welcomed by Sabuhi Gahramanov, deputy to the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Aghdara and Khojaly districts. Presenting the keys, Gahramanov stated that the large-scale reconstruction and development program in the region is being implemented in a planned manner and in line with high-quality standards. He added that not only residential buildings but also social infrastructure, road and transport systems, and utility services, including electricity, water, and gas, have been rebuilt to ensure safe and comfortable living conditions for residents. The service also noted that resettlement to other settlements in the Aghdara district will continue gradually in the next stages, as construction and restoration work are currently underway in several localities across the district. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Azerbaijan has complied with an international request from Uzbekistans Prosecutor Generals Office, facilitating the extradition of a wanted individual, Trend reports via the Prosecutor Generals Office. The request concerned Imani Ali Abdollah, born on March 30, 1970, a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who had been placed on an international wanted list after being found guilty of fraud. The request was reviewed and granted by the Prosecutor Generals Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The individual, identified and apprehended in Azerbaijan in 2025, was extradited pursuant to the provisions of the Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family, and Criminal Matters, dated October 7, 2002. Following the decision for extradition, he was transferred to the relevant authorities of Uzbekistan, under the escort of a specialized convoy from the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Work on the third Ro-Pax type ferry, being constructed at the Baku Shipyard by an order placed by Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO), a company within the Azerbaijan Transport and Communications (AZCON) Holding, is progressing according to schedule and nearing completion, the statement of ASCO says, Trend reports. Within the scope of the project, the assembly of blocks for the main hull of the ship has been completed. Currently, pipelines are being installed, and cables for the electrical systems are being laid. Meanwhile, the installation of ventilation systems, mechanical equipment, insulation of living areas, and cabin partitioning are underway. The project involves several innovations compared to previous similar Ro-Pax ferries. These include the installation of a three-ton crane for utility purposes, additional storage tanks for the compressed air system, and the creation of an electrical power supply system for refrigerated containers. Additionally, a hazardous gas detection system and an extra fire extinguisher for the foam fire suppression system will be installed in the lower cargo compartment. The ferry will also feature an automatic railway track crossing system and a braking system on the cargo platform. In the main engine room, an additional cooling system, two service hatches, and two service cranes will be installed. Furthermore, some technical solutions have been optimized compared to previous vessels. For instance, the installation of a passenger lift has been abandoned. The rear auxiliary steering system has been removed, and the power of the front auxiliary steering system has been increased from 350 kW to 545 kW. Like the previously commissioned Azerbaijan and Zarifa Aliyeva ferries, the new ferry will have a maximum speed of 14 knots, a length of 154.5 meters, a width of 17.7 meters, and a height of 7.5 meters. In terms of cargo capacity, this ferry will also be able to carry 100 passengers, 56 tank-type wagons, or 50 freight vehicles/trucks simultaneously. The new ferry is of particular importance for the modernization of ASCO's fleet and for enhancing the country's transit potential. Like other vessels, this Ro-Pax ferry is planned to be used for cargo and passenger transportation over the Caspian Sea, as well as in transport operations along the Middle Corridor. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel An oil tanker which has been berthed here for several days is seen in Lancheria, Anzoatequi, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning as a team of U.S. diplomats and security personnel arrived in Caracas, the capital of the oil-rich South American country. The U.S. team will assess the possibility of reopening the U.S. embassy in Venezuela, according to a U.S. official, after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were seized in a U.S. raid on Jan. 3. "In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident," U.S. Southern Command said in a press release. "Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy's Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale," the command said. The U.S. official said Friday that personnel from the State Department's Colombia-based Venezuela Affairs Unit, including the unit's charge d'affaires John McNamara, will "conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations" in Caracas, where the U.S. embassy was closed in 2019 with all embassy staff withdrawn. On Friday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump praised cooperation from Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez, announcing that a second U.S. strike against Venezuela "will not be needed." "The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure," Trump wrote on Truth Social, saying that "Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners." Seven prisoners were freed in the nation on Thursday, and many more are expected on Friday, according to media reports. "Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks ... however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes," said Trump. The U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean near Venezuela has reached its largest scale in more than three decades. "At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," Trump added. The U.S. president touted on Thursday night that the United States will get huge money from selling Venezuelan oil, while expecting U.S. oil companies to play a key role in rebuilding Venezuela's oil industry. "We're taking billions and billions of dollars worth of oil, and it'll be hundreds of billions of dollars. It'll be trillions of dollars, but we're going to be there till we straighten out the country," Trump said Thursday night in an interview with Fox News. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that currently part of his job is "to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable, and as the President (Trump) has directed us to do, to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interest." U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that the United States will not only market stored oil in Venezuela but also control the sales of oil output from the country indefinitely. Young people play beach volleyball in Lecheria, Anzoatequi, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) A street vendor walks on beach in Lecheria, Anzoategui, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) An oil tanker which has been berthed here for several days is seen in Lecheria, Anzoatequi, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) Kiteboarders sail in front of an oil tanker, which has been berthed here for several days, in Lecheria, Anzoatequi, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) A kiteboarder sails in Lecheria, Anzoategui, Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026. The U.S. military seized the fifth oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela early Friday morning. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Azerbaijans State Security Service has detained an individual suspected of committing treason and carrying out assignments on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency, Trend reports via the service. During the operational-investigative measures continued by the State Security Service to detect and prevent the intelligence-subversive activities of foreign special service agencies aimed at the national security of the Republic of Azerbaijan, reasonable suspicions arose that Siyafat Farzaliyev, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in 1969, committed treason. The investigations revealed that while visiting a foreign country, a resident of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Siyafat Farzaliyev, was involved in secret cooperation in exchange for a material gain by representatives of the special service agencies of that state, and after returning to the country, on their instructions, he complied with their directives by filming videos of military and other strategically significant installations situated in Nakhchivan city and Shahbuz district, thereafter transmitting them to representatives of foreign intelligence services. Furthermore, during a search of the apartment where the mentioned person lived, separate parts of a Kalashnikov-type automatic weapon were discovered and seized from there. Siyafat Farzaliyev was charged under Articles 228.1 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or carrying of firearms, their components, ammunition, explosives, and devices) and 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and was remanded in custody by a court decision. Investigative-operational measures on the criminal case are currently ongoing. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel AGHDARA, Azerbaijan, January 9. The first stage of resettlement to several villages in Azerbaijans Aghdara district began on January 9, with former residents returning to their homes and receiving the keys to newly built houses, the Public Relations Department of the Restoration, Construction and Management Service (RCMS) operating in Khankendi city and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts told Trend. According to the service, 26 families comprising 96 people were resettled in Chapar village, 19 families comprising 74 people in Heyvali village, 13 families comprising 48 people in Childiran village, and 31 families comprising 119 people in Ashaghi Oratagh village. In total, 89 families totaling 337 people returned to their native lands during this phase. The first stage of resettlement to several villages in Azerbaijans Aghdara district began on January 9, with former residents returning to their homes and receiving the keys to newly built houses, the Public Relations Department of the Restoration, Construction and Management Service (RCMS) operating in Khankendi city and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts told Trend. According to the service, 26 families comprising 96 people we Speaking at the key handover ceremony, Telman Kerimli, executive director of the service, congratulated residents on their return and briefed them on the modern living conditions created in the villages, as well as the restored social infrastructure and reconstruction efforts carried out in the area. He wished the returning families a happy and safe life in their homes. Kerimli noted that essential infrastructure has been established in the villages, utilities have been restored, and all necessary conditions for permanent residence have been ensured. He emphasized that, alongside resettlement, addressing employment opportunities for residents remains a key priority. According to him, systematic measures are being taken to provide jobs for returning residents in both the private sector and state institutions in line with their professions and qualifications, and this process will continue in stages. In the village of Ashaghi Oratagh, residents were welcomed by Sabuhi Gahramanov, deputy to the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Aghdara and Khojaly districts. Presenting the keys, Gahramanov stated that the large-scale reconstruction and development program in the region is being implemented in a planned manner and in line with high-quality standards. He added that not only residential buildings, but also social infrastructure, road and transport systems, and utility services, including electricity, water, and gas, have been rebuilt to ensure safe and comfortable living conditions for residents. The service also noted that resettlement to other settlements in the Aghdara district will continue gradually in the next stages, as construction and restoration work are currently underway in several localities across the district. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. The first meeting of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijan's Press Council for 2026 was held today, the council's statement says, Trend reports. Opening the meeting with a welcome speech, the Press Council Chairman Rashad Majid said that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev emphasized the importance of protecting the Azerbaijani language in his speech during the meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan on November 3 last year. Majid reminded that his organization, together with the Media Development Agency, held a conference on November 7 last year on the topic of "Correct application of the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language in the media". According to the chairman, the agency has prepared a summary of this conference, which not only holds significance for the call to protect the Azerbaijani language but also provides a systematic perspective on the parameters of the work to be done. He also mentioned that during the last meeting of the Board of Directors in 2025, the issues raised by President Ilham Aliyev were discussed. As a result, the composition of the Press Council's Language Commission was restructured. The chairperson of the commission was appointed as Vusala Mahirgizi, a member of the Board of Directors and the head of APA Holding. Other members representing the Press Council include Aflatun Amashov, the editor-in-chief of Khalq Newspaper, Professor Gulu Maharramli from Baku State University, Akif Ashirli, the editor-in-chief of Sharq Newspaper, Elshan Aliyev, a member of the Council's Monitoring and Inspection Commission and editor-in-chief of "Vatan Sasi Newspaper", Tahir Aydinoghlu, the head of the Press Councils Council of Senior Journalists and deputy editor-in-chief of Khalq Newspaper, and Seyfaddin Huseynli, the deputy editor-in-chief of 525-ci Newspaper. Majid also pointed out that on January 5, President Ilham Aliyev gave an extensive interview to local television channels, further emphasizing the importance of protecting the Azerbaijani language. The head of state described the language as one of the main attributes of statehood, even placing it along with the flag, coat of arms, and anthem, and noted that the long-term hardships endured by the nation have had negative impacts and consequences on the mindset. It's crucial to eliminate these negative effects. The council chairman highlighted that the Press Councils Language Commission would hold an expanded meeting today to discuss President Ilham Aliyev's statements in more detail and to determine specific areas of action. Before this, the Board of Directors would review the representation of several experts in the Language Commission. Majid announced the names of the candidates, and after the discussions, the membership of Professor Tofig Hajiyev (Tofig Muzaffaroghlu), the head of the Department of Modern Azerbaijani Language at Baku State University's Faculty of Philology, Associate Professor Rasim Heydarov, the head of the Education Department at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), the renowned TV presenter and honored artist Nargiz Jalilova, and Vasala Mammadova, a presenter at ITV TV channel, was confirmed in the commission. Additionally, Nadir Yalchin, an editor at the APA Information Agency, was elected as the secretary of the commission. Thus, the Language Commission of the Press Council was formed with 12 members, including the Chairperson Vusala Mahirgizi, Vice Chairperson Seyfaddin Huseynli, and Secretary Nadir Yalchin. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Azerbaijan has introduced amendments to the resolution titled On Approval of the Classification by Significance Level of Immovable Historical and Cultural Monuments Placed Under State Protection in the Territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The revised resolution, signed by Prime Minister Ali Asadov, updates official records following the renaming of locations where architectural monuments of national importance are situated in the Khojavend, Khojaly, Tovuz, Julfa, Ordubad, Aghjabadi, and Jalilabad districts. The above resolution's goal is to classify cultural heritage structures into world, national, and local significance. This classification follows international standards and is required by Article 7 of the Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. It also provides legal protections, conservation measures, and usage phrases for each category, with stronger rules for important monuments. The text also emphasizes the state's role in protecting these monuments and describes a method for revising categorization lists after new discoveries or status changes. This law is essential for managing Azerbaijan's cultural heritage. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Chinas export surge set to drive economic momentum in 2026 Photo: Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Despite a slowdown in investment and consumption growth, Chinas export machine has gained traction in new markets like Africa and ASEAN, compensating for declines in traditional trading partners. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. The discussion surrounding the development of renewable energy sources in Turkmenistan is increasingly shaped by international climate commitments, regional energy trends, and the countrys domestic economic structure. Unlike several neighboring states, Turkmenistan doesnt see green energy as a horse to ride in place of its hydrocarbon-based model, but rather as a feather in its cap aimed at boosting efficiency, diversifying the energy mix, and meeting international climate requirements. With regard to its engagement in the international climate agenda, Turkmenistan has taken concrete steps since gaining independence. The country ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995, the Kyoto Protocol in 1998, and the Paris Agreement in 2016, thereby assuming commitments to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2C while pursuing efforts to achieve the 1.5C threshold. In its updated Nationally Determined Contribution submitted in January 2023, Turkmenistan declared an unconditional reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels under a business-as-usual scenario. In 2010, the countrys total emissions amounted to approximately 66.4 million tons of CO equivalent, with the energy sector accounting for around 85% of total emissions. The document covers energy, transport, industry, agriculture, and waste management, placing emphasis on decoupling economic growth from emissions growth through energy efficiency and low-carbon development. In addition, Turkmenistan has joined a number of international initiatives. In December 2023, the country signed the Global Methane Pledge, a move of particular relevance given the dominant role of natural gas in the national economy. Turkmenistan is also a party to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on the phased reduction of hydrofluorocarbons and supports the Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The National Climate Change Strategy adopted in 2019 remains the core framework document for implementing the countrys climate commitments. In neighboring Central Asian countries, renewable energy development has accelerated in recent years, although starting conditions differed significantly. Kazakhstan has emerged as a regional leader, with wind and solar energy accounting for nearly 5% of electricity generation in 2023. The country has enshrined a carbon neutrality target in legislation, operates an emissions trading system, and plans to increase the share of renewables to 15% by 2030. For comparison, Uzbekistan demonstrates the fastest growth rates in the region. Since 2022, approximately 2.5 GW of solar and wind capacity has been commissioned, while national targets have been raised to 27 GW of installed capacity and a 40% share of green electricity by 2030. Large-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects are currently being implemented. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan rely primarily on hydropower, which provides 76-88% of their electricity generation. Their focus is placed on expanding hydropower capacity, reducing seasonal shortages, and developing cross-border electricity trade within the Unified Energy System of Central Asia. Against this backdrop, renewable energy development in Turkmenistan remains limited, although regional trends are shaping expectations of a gradual convergence of approaches, particularly in the areas of solar and hybrid generation. At present, natural gas accounts for approximately 88% of primary energy supply, with the remaining share largely attributable to petroleum products. In 2023, electricity generation reached nearly 31.9 billion kWh, with virtually all output provided by gas-fired power plants. The share of renewable energy sources remains marginal. According to available data, renewables accounted for about 0.1% of final energy consumption between 2021 and 2023. At the same time, domestic energy demand continues to grow. In 2024, per capita energy consumption reached approximately 5.7 tons of oil equivalent. Infrastructure development and industrial expansion are increasing pressure on the energy system, making energy efficiency and gas savings increasingly relevant. In this context, the legal framework for renewable energy development was established with the adoption of the Law of Turkmenistan On Renewable Energy Sources on March 13, 2021, including amendments adopted in November 2023. The law regulates the production, conversion, storage, distribution, and consumption of energy derived from solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal sources, as well as biomass and biogas. The practical rollout of renewable energy policy in Turkmenistan is centered around kicking off pilot and hybrid projects. A key example is the solar-wind power plant with a capacity of 10 MW currently under construction in the city of Gyzylarbat in the nation's Balkan region. The good news is that preparations are also underway for the implementation of a 300 MW solar photovoltaic power plant in the city of Kerki in the Lebap region. In parallel, efficiency-enhancing projects are being implemented, including the modernization of combined-cycle power plants in the Akhal and Dashoguz regions, which is expected to save up to 500 million cubic meters of natural gas annually. Hydropower in Turkmenistan is represented by the Mary Hydropower Plant, which was commissioned in 2018. International financial institutions and organizations view renewable energy development in Turkmenistan primarily through the lens of emissions reduction and improved energy efficiency. UNDP and other UN agencies assess national projects in this area as relatively ambitious, expecting their implementation to be financed mainly through domestic resources, with international support provided for monitoring, reporting, and adaptation. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development emphasize the need to diversify the energy balance, reduce dependence on natural gas, and modernize infrastructure. Financial and technical assistance, including approximately $15 million in funding from the Global Environment Facility, is directed toward institutional development and the deployment of low-carbon technologies. Neighboring countries are looking to Turkmenistan to step up to the plate and take the bull by the horns when it comes to regional climate and energy initiatives. Theyre hoping for a real game changer in methane emissions reduction, improved gas efficiency, and a boost in energy cooperation within regional programs. Experience sharing with neighboring countries, participation in international sector-specific platforms, and the consistent development of a national legal framework indicate Turkmenistans intention to gradually synchronize its energy indicators with regional trends in Central Asia. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 9. Turkmenistan has introduced changes to the procedure for submitting financial statements by economic entities, Trend reports via the countrys Ministry of Justice. Under the revised regulations, economic entities without foreign investment are required to submit interim financial statements by the 20th day of the month following the reporting period, while annual reports must be filed no later than January 25 of the subsequent year. For companies with foreign investment, interim reports are due by the 25th day, and annual reports must be submitted by January 25. Production associations, unions, joint-stock companies, and agencies are obligated to file consolidated interim financial statements by the 30th day, with consolidated annual reports due by February 1. Both central and local executive authorities are required to submit consolidated interim financial statements within 40 days of the reporting periods conclusion, with annual consolidated reports due by February 1. These updated rules amend the financial reporting guidelines that have been in effect in Turkmenistan since 2019, establishing clearer protocols for the submission of accounting and financial statements by economic entities. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. The establishment and development of information systems based on a unified approach, strengthening mutual integration, and implementing centralized management mechanisms will ensure increased efficiency, transparency, and timeliness in financial management in Azerbaijan, Minister of Finance Sahil Babayev said, Trend reports via the Ministry of Finance. He made the remark at a meeting of the Working Group on Digital Management and Electronic Information Systems held at the ministry. The minister noted that, by decree of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated August 25, 2025, wide-ranging reforms have been initiated in the management of public finances, focusing on digitization and the application of modern management mechanisms. As part of the implementation of this decree, the "Digital State Finance" information system is being created, which will be developed as a fully integrated ecosystem, rather than as separate platforms. According to the agenda of the meeting, the Digital Finance Center presented the current status of the ministrys digital management and electronic information systems, as well as priorities for their development and integration within a unified framework. Live demonstrations of key digital systems were also conducted. The presentations provided details about the "Digital State Finance" information system, e-contracts, e-accounting, the Budget Information Management System (BIMS), the Serious Event Reporting Online Form System, the e-budget portal, and the Unified Data and Reporting System. The presentations noted that the "Digital State Finance" system ensures the centralized management and integration of financial systems under one umbrella. Through the e-contract system, contracts for government procurement will be concluded, executed, and monitored entirely in an electronic environment. The e-accounting system will enable the centralized collection of opening balances, automatic asset accounting, and the application of a unified approach to accounting. Through the Serious Event Reporting Online Form System, the full digitalization of 44 types of serious reporting forms will reduce paper circulation and strengthen control mechanisms. The e-budget portal serves as the electronic budget guide. The Unified Data and Reporting System will contribute to the formation of a centralized data environment based on the "Data Lakehouse" approach and support analytics and decision-making. The meeting also briefed on tasks for the current year, discussing the main digital projects and action plans, the development, expansion, and integration of systems, as well as planned activities in technical, institutional, and regulatory areas. Babayev emphasized the importance of coordinated actions and consistent reforms in achieving the set goals, noting that further improvement of digital financial management is one of the ministry's key priorities, and gave relevant instructions. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 9. Turkmenistan and India are considering the organization of high-level visits and political consultations in the near future as part of efforts to advance bilateral relations, Trend reports via Turkmen MFA. The issue was discussed at a meeting between Turkmenistans Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Turkmenistan Bandaru Wilsonbabu, held on January 8. In the course of the talks, the sides exchanged views on the further development of Turkmen-Indian cooperation in political and diplomatic affairs, trade and economic ties, as well as cultural and humanitarian interaction. The diplomats also reviewed the possibility of reciprocal visits by the heads of the foreign ministries of the two countries and discussed a preliminary agenda for upcoming political consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers. The meeting also addressed draft documents planned for signing during forthcoming bilateral meetings and visits. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Turkish Airlines (THY) has cancelled all five of its scheduled flights to the Iranian capital, Tehran, for Friday due to escalating protests, Trend reports, citing data from the Istanbul Airport mobile application. In addition to the suspension of Turkish Airlines flights, five other flights operated by various Iranian carriers were also canceled on Friday. While seven additional flights remain scheduled for the time being, the situation at Tehrans international airport continues to evolve and remains uncertain. Heightened security concerns became apparent late Thursday evening. According to aviation tracking platform Flight Radar, both a Turkish Airlines flight en route to Shiraz and a Pegasus Airlines flight bound for Mashhad were compelled to return to their point of origin and exit Iranian airspace. The recent unrest stems from a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial against foreign currencies, which has triggered a wave of protests by traders in Iran since December 29. The demonstrators are calling for urgent measures to stabilize the currency and address the countrys broader economic challenges. LAS VEGAS, United States, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) concluded here on Friday, highlighting rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and its expanding role across consumer electronics, robotics, automobiles and smart manufacturing. As one of the world's largest and most influential technology events, this year's CES showcased cutting-edge innovations in generative AI, edge AI, embodied intelligence, smart devices and automotive technologies, reflecting the accelerating integration of digital intelligence into real-world applications. AI emerged as the defining theme of the event. From AI-powered consumer electronics and smart home systems to service robots and wearable devices, exhibitors demonstrated how AI technologies are moving from experimental stages into practical, everyday use, with increasing emphasis on on-device processing and scenario-based applications. Automotive and mobility technologies also drew significant attention. Major automakers and technology companies unveiled intelligent cockpit solutions, advanced driver-assistance systems and vehicle-mounted AI platforms, underscoring the growing role of automobiles as next-generation smart terminals. Chinese companies maintained a strong presence at the show, presenting products and solutions spanning consumer electronics, display technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence. Their participation highlighted continued progress in smart hardware development, system integration and industrial innovation. "The innovation capability of Chinese brands is indeed improving rapidly," Li Wei, president of Hisense Visual Technology Co, told Xinhua. "Particularly in the home appliance sector, this growing strength is increasingly reflected in high-end products, marking a fast transition from followers to industry leaders." He noted that Chinese companies are seeing swift improvements not only in innovation, but also in the speed of application and their ability to industrialize new technologies. According to the U.S. Consumer Technology Association, the organizer, the annual tech show attracted more than 4,100 exhibitors from over 155 countries and regions. Photo: The official website of Makhachkala seaport ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, January 9. Makhachkala Seaport plans to strengthen cooperation with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan in 2026 to redirect Chinese cargo flows to the Trans-Caspian route, Trend reports. The initiative is part of Russias broader shift in cargo traffic toward eastern and southern directions, with Iran, India, China, and Central Asian countries identified as key partners. Within the framework of the North-South transport corridor, the port has also reduced costs for multimodal container shipments along the Mumbai-Makhachkala route by half, improving the competitiveness of the corridor. Looking ahead, Makhachkala Seaport aims to launch ferry services linking Turkmenistan, Iran, and Kazakhstan by 2030, a move expected to significantly expand transport capabilities across the Caspian region. Makhachkala Seaport is Russias only deepwater, ice-free port on the Caspian Sea and serves as a strategic transport hub connecting southern Russia with Central Asia, Iran, and the South Caucasus. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Azerbaijan has dispatched the next batch of petroleum products to Armenia, Trend reports. Overall, 2,698 tons of cargo (48 wagons in total), including 1,742 tons of RON-95 gasoline and 956 tons of diesel, are being shipped from Bilajari station to Armenia. On December 18, Azerbaijans state oil company company SOCAR delivered the first batch of domestically produced oil to Armenia. The shipment, totaling 1,220 tons of RON-95 motor fuel, was transported via 22 railcars and dispatched from the Baku cargo station to the Boyuk Kesik station by ADY freight train. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. Japans ITOCHU Corp said it has signed a strategic partnership memorandum with shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to promote the use of environmental attribute certificates as a tool to cut carbon emissions in the transportation sector, Trend reports via ITOCU. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly work on marketing, public relations and sales initiatives aimed at encouraging companies that use transport services to reduce their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, ITOCHU said in a statement. The partnership brings together the aviation and maritime sectors, creating what the companies described as a new cross-industry model for decarbonisation in Japan, at a time when cutting Scope 3 emissions those generated across supply chains has become an increasingly urgent challenge for companies globally. ITOCHU has been promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), while MOL has focused on expanding low-carbon marine fuels. By combining their efforts, the companies aim to establish a framework that helps logistics users lower emissions across the entire transportation supply chain. As part of the initiative, the two companies carried out a reciprocal transaction of environmental attribute certificates. ITOCHU purchased certificates generated by MOL to offset emissions linked to marine transport services, while MOL bought aviation-related certificates generated by ITOCHU to reduce emissions from employee air travel. The transaction was conducted via a platform operated by 123Carbon, a Netherlands-based environmental technology company, which manages the issuance, transfer and retirement of certificates under an audited system designed to ensure traceability and transparency in line with global standards. ITOCHU said the initiative aligns with its management policy focused on shifting profit opportunities downstream and advancing contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. A new shipment of petroleum products from Azerbaijan to Armenia is expected, marking another step toward the restoration of logistical links between the two countries, Azerbaijani economist Inglab Ahmadov told Trend. The upcoming delivery will include 1,000 tons of AI-92 gasoline, 1,000 tons of diesel fuel, and 1,800 tons of AI-95 gasoline. This will be the second shipment following the first delivery on December 18, 2025, when 1,220 tons of AI-95 gasoline were sent to Armenia. In his statement, Ahmadov stressed that the key factor in such supplies is their regularity and long-term outlook. It is positive that this is happening within a relatively short period of time, he said. According to him, if no serious unforeseen circumstances arise, supply volumes are expected to grow, eventually leading to a steadily developing trade balance in the region. Ahmadov noted that this would make it possible to think about long-term prospects for rebuilding logistics and developing partnerships with Armenia, primarily in the supply of petroleum products. Of course, changes do not happen instantly. There is a fuel and energy balance that must be maintained in order not to disrupt the stability of Azerbaijans domestic fuel supply or Armenias needs. The Armenian market is small, and it is still too early to talk about rapidly reshaping the fuel and energy map. At this stage, we are talking about symbolic initial steps. All this will take time, and it is still unclear how events in the region will develop, given the tectonic instability in the south, the north, and Eurasia as a whole. Trade is not only about the delivery of goods but also about a broader picture of interdependence and interaction between countries, even if their relations are not yet fully friendly. Azerbaijan is associated in the region with being a major supplier of petroleum products. We are now starting with a symbolic supply of fuel and energy products, which will require the restoration of a logistics line to Armenia that has not functioned since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Against the backdrop of instability among other suppliers, including Russia, the timing of these supplies is extremely favorable. This lays the groundwork for further expansion of deliveries and the strengthening of economic ties between the countries, he added. The expert emphasized that the initial steps in petroleum product supplies will gradually expand and be complemented by other goods, a point that has already been voiced by Armenias leadership. He described the process as the beginning of a complex but necessary effort to establish relations between peoples and states, adding that developments are unfolding as they should and that prospects for fuel and energy cooperation in the region are promising. On October 21, 2025, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in a joint press statement with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said that Azerbaijan had lifted all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia that had been in place since the occupation period. The first such transit shipment was the delivery of Kazakh grain to Armenia. On December 18, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) sent the first batch of locally produced oil to Armenia. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. bp is preparing to deploy its first light well intervention vessel (LWIV) in the Caspian Sea, in the Deepwater Gunashli area, offshore Azerbaijan, the company said, Trend reports. The vessel will be deployed by bps AGT Wells team, covering operations in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye, bp Vice President for Wells in the AGT region Russell Morrice said in a social media post. The subsea construction vessel Khankendi has now been fully converted and will sail to the CDWG field in the next week for a series of subsea interventions. This activity will be the first ever global use of the Oceaneering BORIS (Blue Ocean Riserless Intervention System) supported by Saipem as vessel operator and SLB for intervention equipment, he noted. bp has already awarded two major contracts to support the safe and efficient delivery of the campaign: A multi-million dollar RLWI contract to Oceaneering International for the provision of all RLWI services. This includes the setup, assembly, and testing of BORIS, as well as project management, engineering, systems integration, and the supply of equipment, materials and fabrication works required for BORISs deployment. A multi-million dollar contract to SLB for light well intervention (LWI) services. The scope includes the provision of a wireline/slickline combination (Combo) unit to eliminate heavy lifting and simplify red zone management; a full bleed-off package with high-pressure pumping capabilities for circulation and pressure testing; multi-skilled crews as required. The latest data from bp reveals that total ACG production in the first three quarters of 2025 averaged about 327,000 barrels per day, or approximately 89 million barrels, equivalent to 12 million tons overall. Production by platform included Chirag at 21,000 barrels per day, Central Azeri at 88,000, West Azeri at 75,000, East Azeri at 43,000, Deepwater Gunashli at 52,000, West Chirag at 24,000, and Azeri Central East (ACE) at 24,000 barrels per day. As of the end of September 2025, 145 wells were in operation at ACG, 48 were used for water injection, and 10 for gas injection. During the first nine months of 2025, six oil-producing wells, four water-injection wells, and one gas-injection well were drilled and completed at ACG. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 9. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 25 million euro loan to Sarens Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of the Belgian multinational Sarens Group, to support its expansion in heavy-lifting, engineered transportation, and installation services, Trend reports via the EBRD. The funding is aimed at meeting the increasing demand for industrial infrastructure in Kazakhstans renewable energy and logistics sectors. The loan will enable Sarens Kazakhstan to acquire high-capacity cranes, specialized trailers, and other vehicles necessary to enhance its operational capabilities. The equipment purchased with the funds is expected to facilitate the installation of at least 11.75 GW of additional wind energy capacity, advancing Kazakhstans goal of raising the share of renewables in its total energy output to 15% by 2030. In addition to supporting the renewable energy transition, the project will contribute to the development of logistics infrastructure along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). Since its inception, the EBRD has invested nearly 10.3 billion euro across 342 projects in Kazakhstan, focusing primarily on private-sector development. Best of Germany 2026: Kaiserslautern (Stripes Staff) The Best of Germany 2026 results are calculated by polling military community members living in Germany via the www.StripesEurope.com website. There are two phases: Phase One: Nominations Voters had the opportunity to write in nominations for their favorite local business in each category. The nomination survey was open for two weeks in June 2025. Phase Two: Voting All nominated businesses were compiled into a survey, which was available for public voting for two months, July and August 2025. NEW Category for 2026: Best Tattoo Studio WINNER: The Ministry of Ink The Ministry of Ink studio in Mannheim was selected by voters in Kaiserslautern as the best place to get a tattoo. Its no wonder, either, with three artists and an impressive portfolio of works. Ministry of Ink experts have experience in numerous styles and offer advise and consultations. The professional atmosphere and artistic quality earned this tattoo shop your top votes. NEW Category for 2026: Best Pet Store WINNER: Fressnapf For the first time, the Best of Germany nominations asked you to tell us about your favorite pet store and voters in both Bavaria and Kaiserslautern chose Fressnapf. With nearly 1,000 stores in Germany, this franchise provides food and supplies for pet owners of all kinds, from cats and dogs to horses and tortoises. Other convenient services like pet scales, water quality testing, and ID engravers make Fressnapf stores a top choice. 2026 WINNERS Winners are determined by having the highest total number of votes within their category for a single region. In the case of a tie, both businesses are declared winners. Food & Drink Healthcare Pets Automotive Services and Shopping Travel & Leisure ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 9. Kazakh producers will be reimbursed for their railway transportation costs, Trend reports, citing the countrys Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development. This is reflected in the changes made to the "Rules for Providing State Support Measures for Promoting Processed Goods, Works, and Services of Kazakh Origin on the Domestic Market." The adjustments enable domestic companies to receive compensation for transportation expenses associated with the movement of priority goods by railway within Kazakhstan. The maximum compensation can reach up to 10,000 monthly calculation indicators (MCIs), equivalent to approximately 43.25 million tenge ($84,649). Before these amendments, state support for domestic railway transportation had not been implemented in the country. The ministry emphasized that the new measures aim to reduce transportation costs for manufacturers, enhance the competitiveness of Kazakh products, and boost the share of domestic content in local goods. Additionally, the government has significantly increased the reimbursement for international product certification costs. Previously, companies could receive up to 3,000 MCI, but now they are eligible for up to 15,000 MCI, equivalent to 65 million tenge (around $127,219). The ministry reminded that international certifications allow Kazakh companies to participate in tenders for multinational organizations and expand their export opportunities. Furthermore, the requirements regarding tax dynamics has been eased, companies registered for less than seven years (previously three years) are no longer required to demonstrate annual tax growth to qualify for support. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 9. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev receives credentials from the newly appointed ambassadors of the U.S. and Bulgaria, Julie Stufft and Georgi Vodenski, respectively, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh president. During his meeting with the Bulgarian ambassador, President Tokayev extended warm regards to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. He underscored the significant impetus that President Radev's visit to Kazakhstan the previous year had provided to the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two nations. We remain steadfast in our commitment to further enhancing our cooperation with your esteemed country. We will endeavor to expand our collaboration in both political and economic spheres, Tokayev remarked. In discussing U.S.-Kazakhstan relations, President Tokayev reflected on the productive visit he made to the United States last November, highlighting its cordial and fruitful nature. We engaged in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with President Donald Trump. Recently, we also held an insightful phone conversation addressing various aspects of our bilateral partnership. I am grateful for the invitation to attend the forthcoming G20 summit in the United States later this year. We will continue to work diligently to sustain and deepen our strategic cooperation across a range of sectors, President Tokayev added. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 9. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed the Digital Code, Trend reports via the press service of the president. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the country states that this document provides a systematic approach to the development of digital technologies, the implementation of artificial intelligence, and the creation of a secure and sustainable digital environment. The Digital Code enshrines digital human rights in a comprehensive manner. Citizens are guaranteed the right to delete, anonymize, and restrict the processing of personal data. Biometric identification is permitted only in cases defined by law. The Code also introduces the right to appeal decisions made by algorithmic and automated systems, with the involvement of authorized specialists. This provision aims to increase transparency and accountability of digital and AI-driven decisions affecting citizens' rights. In addition, the Code establishes a legal framework for digital interactions, defining digital documents, data, and digital proofs, such as codes, one-time identifiers, and biometric methods. It also grants special protection to national digital assets, which are declared inalienable. The Digital Code paves the way for the use of modern technological solutions, including smart contracts and distributed systems, and introduces a platform for the exchange and circulation of digital data products. Digital transformation is now a mandatory process for all government bodies, state-owned enterprises, and quasi-state sector entities, and they will be required to develop and implement annual digital transformation programs, with their effectiveness being measured. Cybersecurity is a key focus, with new standards for protecting digital assets, data, and infrastructure. The Code also includes provisions to ensure that digital technologies and services are accessible to people with disabilities and those with limited mobility. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 10. US President Donald Trump will meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House. The US President announced the meeting on the social media platform Truth Social, Trend reports. Preliminary information indicates that the meeting is scheduled for the first week of February. BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 10. US President Donald Trump announced that American oil companies will invest at least 100 billion dollars in Venezuela and that the United States will ensure their security, Trend reports. Trump emphasized that our giant oil companies will spend at least 100 billion dollars of their own money, not government money. They dont need government money, but they do need government protection. They need the government to ensure their safety, according to his statement on social media platform Truth Social. He also said the companies plan to use these funds to restore electricity and essential infrastructure in Venezuela, and the United States will support their security efforts in the country. The announcement comes as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild Venezuelas oil and gas sector following recent developments in U.S.Venezuela relations. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW Museum to host open annual open house Jan. 24 UAMN photo by S. Zhang Visitors explore the mammals laboratory during the 2023 UA Museum of the North open house. The University of Alaska Museum of the North will host its annual open house from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. Visitors can meet staff and researchers, tour the galleries and go behind the scenes in the labs. Hands-on activities will be available for children and families. Admission is free, thanks to support from Alaska 529, UAs education savings program. For more information, call 907-474-7505 or visit the museum online. ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Jennifer Arseneau, ua-museumlearn@alaska.edu, 907-474-6948 136-26 A large-scale collapse of public utilities is unfolding in Russia, caused by years of infrastructure decay and the redirection of state funds to the war against Ukraine. According to Ukrinform, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine stated this on its website. Worn-out heating networks, the lack of scheduled modernization, and chronic underfunding have led to a situation where accidents that were once fixed within hours now last for weeks, leaving people without heat in the midst of severe frosts. One of many examples is the settlement of Atamanovka in Zabaykalsky Krai, where about five thousand people, including hundreds of children, have been without heating for more than a week. The first ruptures in the heating main occurred as early as December 30, but failures have continued one after another. Temperatures in apartments have dropped to nearly zero while outside temperatures are around -25C, and residents are forced to live in winter clothing. Schools and kindergartens are closed, and heating centers set up by local authorities turned out to be cold and effectively unusable. Officials traditionally limit themselves to promises and demonstrative meetings, but the problem is much deeper: Russia's utility system has not been modernized for decades. Rosstat has already acknowledged that one-third of heating networks are in critical condition. At the same time, in various regions of the country from Siberia to the central regions a series of mass accidents on heating pipelines have been recorded already at the beginning of the year, leaving entire districts without heat. "An additional blow to the industry was the sharp reduction in funding for housing and communal services. The Kremlin has halved the budget for communal infrastructure within a few years. While trillions of rubles are being spent on the war, the money that remains for heating networks is enough to patch holes, rather than fully replace worn-out systems," the Foreign Intelligence Service emphasized. As Ukrinform previously reported, in the Russian Federation the degradation of the rural network continued in 2025; in particular, at least 266 settlements were officially liquidated, most of them completely depopulated villages. Photo: illustrative, Anastasia Tsitsinova / "Novaya Gazeta" Five hundred children from Ukrainian institutional care facilities and family-based care arrangements who were evacuated from the Dnipropetrovsk region to Turkey after February 24, 2022, were kept in isolation and punished by being deprived of food by their escorts. The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "In December, I received requests to comment on the situation involving Ukrainian children temporarily relocated (evacuated) to Turkey, which was highlighted in an investigation by Slidstvo.Info. In particular, the video report published excerpts from a report by the Ombudsman's Office prepared following a monitoring visit to Turkey, which contains sensitive information about gross violations of children's rights," he said. He recalled that the case concerns more than 500 children from Ukrainian institutional care facilities and family-based care settings who were evacuated from the Dnipropetrovsk region to Turkey after February 24, 2022, and accommodated in hotels. According to him, as early as the beginning of 2024, the Ombudsman's Office received information directly from the children themselves, as well as from other sources, about possible violations of minors' rights. "In order to verify the information, my representatives visited families in the Dnipropetrovsk region to which the children had been returned from Turkey. As early as March, I initiated a monitoring visit. According to testimonies from residents of the facilities, these children were systematically subjected to physical and psychological violence by caregivers, as well as by older children against younger ones," Lubinets emphasized. He said the children were kept in isolation; escorts prohibited them from communicating with Turkish psychologists who were present at the hotel around the clock so that the children would not report violations of their rights; they were punished by deprivation of food; and the children were able to leave the hotel premises without supervision, exposing themselves to danger in a foreign country. The official noted that all identified violations were confirmed by the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, who signed a separate report following the visit, and whose representatives, along with staff of Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Services, were directly involved in the monitoring. "With regard to reports of pregnant minors returning to Ukraine, it is necessary to clearly understand the consequences of disseminating such information. Publicity is a very effective tool. However, its use must always be preceded by an assessment and comparison of the risks and benefits of disclosing certain data," Lubinets said. At the same time, he noted that the report prepared following the visit contains information that, taken together, relates to identifiable or potentially identifiable individuals (including children whose rights were found to have been violated by the monitoring group), as defined in paragraph 10, part 1, Article 2 of the Law of Ukraine "On Personal Data Protection," as well as other sensitive information, access to which is justifiably restricted in the interests of children, including those born as a result of these circumstances. "It is surprising that in 2023 representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy monitored the conditions of these children in Turkey, yet in the official report stated that they were receiving proper care and access to social, medical, and other services. At the same time, the Turkish side appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding violations of the rights of evacuated children. However, these appeals were not properly taken into account," the ombudsman said. Lubinets added that all identified facts were set out in a report and sent to the Prime Minister of Ukraine and to every relevant state authority in order to take urgent response measures. In addition, materials that may indicate instances of cruel treatment of children were sent to the Office of the Prosecutor General. "I note that information and materials concerning children whose rights were found to have been violated were not disseminated in the media or otherwise shared with any third parties due to the sensitivity of the information. Respect for children's rights, including the protection of personal data and privacy, is mandatory in all response processes. Any disclosure of data that could identify a child or cause harm is unacceptable and contradicts national legislation and international standards," he stressed. As reported, at the end of November an investigative film was presented about approximately 3,500 orphaned children who were taken abroad from the Dnipropetrovsk region at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and evacuated to Turkey by a charitable foundation run by businessman Ruslan Shostak. The film claims that psychological and physical abuse was committed against the children in Turkey, and that two underage girls returned home pregnant by Turkish men. Following the monitoring visit by the Ombudsman's Office regarding violations of children's rights during the evacuation to Turkey, a criminal case was opened in Ukraine concerning the improper fulfillment of duties to protect the lives and health of children. However, a year later the case was closed due to the absence of elements of a crime. On December 10, Lubinets reported that criminal proceedings regarding the situation of orphaned children evacuated to Turkey at the start of the full-scale invasion had also been launched in Turkey. Ukrinform photos available for purchase here Ukraine is ready to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with the Czech Republic based on dignity and mutual respect, while any discord only benefits Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this at a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Petr Macinka in Kyiv on Friday, Ukrinform reports. Sybiha called the visit of the new Czech foreign minister, which took place amid Russia's massive missile attack on Ukraine, "a true visit of courage and solidarity." "The Czech Republic has a new government, and today I felt new energy and determination to develop the Ukrainian-Czech partnership. We are ready to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the shared interests of peace, security, and prosperity for both our peoples. It is important to maintain the positive momentum in our relations, and I am grateful to the minister for his personal contribution to supporting this approach. Today we agreed to continue cooperation based on mutual respect," Sybiha said. He noted that during the talks the parties discussed defense cooperation in detail, including further implementation of the Czech ammunition initiative. "It has proven effective in protecting the lives of our people and ensuring the security of all Europe. We are grateful that it continues," he said. Sybiha also expressed confidence that cooperation between Ukrainian and Czech defense companies has significant potential and will bring direct economic and security benefits to the Czech Republic as well. "We discussed this in detail with the minister today. We are also interested in Czech businesses taking part in reconstruction projects. All of this is about mutual benefit," the minister said. He also thanked the Czech Republic for sheltering Ukrainians, providing work and integration opportunities, and noted the positive contribution Ukrainians are making to the Czech economy and society. According to him, Ukrainians in the Czech Republic show their gratitude through their work and dedication. He stressed that Ukrainian diplomats will defend their rights. "Dignity and mutual respect are the foundation of relations between people and states. Today, the minister and I agreed to follow exactly this path. When we stand together, we are always stronger and more successful, and any discord only plays into Moscow's hands. Ukrainians and Czechs know this from their own history, remembering 1938 and 1968. We are doing everything to ensure that this history does not repeat itself. Our peoples deserve a better future in a united, democratic Europe," Sybiha said. The new Czech foreign minister, Petr Macinka, is in Ukraine on his first visit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar has responded to damage sustained by its embassy building in Kyiv during a massive Russian strike on the night of January 9. This was reported on the website of Qatars Foreign Ministry, according to Ukrinform. The State of Qatar expresses its deep regret over the damage sustained by its embassy building in Ukraine as a result of the shelling of the capital, Kyiv, last night, the statement reads. The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed that none of its diplomats or embassy staff were injured. The ministry emphasized the need to protect embassies, diplomatic missions, headquarters of international organizations, and civilian facilities from the consequences of crises, and of ensuring the safety of their personnel in accordance with international law. The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatars firm position calling for a resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis (Russias war against Ukraine ed.) through dialogue and peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirms its full support for all international efforts aimed at de-escalation, the statement added. Notably, the Qatari Foreign Ministrys statement does not explicitly mention Russia as the party responsible for the attack on Kyiv. As previously reported by Ukrinform, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the night of January 9, a strike was carried out across Ukraine, including with a medium-range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik. The Russian ministry claimed it was a response to an alleged attack on President Putins residence in Valdai on the night of December 29, 2025. Photo: x.com/andrii_sybiha Katra Medical College closure under right wing pressure sets a dangerous precedent The newly established medical college named Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) was closed following the ruckus created by the RSSBJP communal elements after admission of 42 Muslim students on Merit [Students outside the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence on Wednesday. (Photo Courtesy: Arun Sharma/Indian Express)] It was deeply disturbing to witness the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) openly rejoicing over the closure of the Medical College at Katra in Jammu and Kashmir. At a time when people across the country are demanding the opening of more medical colleges to ensure access to advanced medical care closer to their homes, this decision runs completely counter to public interest. For this very reason, the granting of permission to the Katra Medical College last year was widely welcomed. The college is run by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and functions under a dual administrative framework involving both the Trust and the government. The Shrine Board already manages several institutions that function efficiently and serve the public well. Millions of devotees visit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine every year and offer donations, which are utilized for public welfare activities, including the running of educational and healthcare institutions. The newly established medical college was named Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME). In accordance with constitutional principles and established admission norms, admissions to 50 seats were made strictly on the basis of merit. What provoked the ire of RSSBJP communal elements was the fact that 42 out of the 50 students admitted on merit were Muslims. This triggered a communal agitation, with the absurd and unconstitutional demand that the college should admit only Hindu students, and that Muslims have no place in an institution funded by a trust associated with a Hindu religious shrine. Such arguments strike at the very heart of Indias secular Constitution. The National Medical Commission (NMC), the statutory body responsible for regulating medical education, subsequently ordered the closure of the college, citing alleged deficiencies in infrastructure. This justification is astonishing and completely unconvincing. The college had received permission only recently, and the intake was for the first batch, which requires relatively minimal infrastructure. Established practice dictates that if infrastructural shortcomings are found, institutions are issued notices and given time to rectify them. Closure is resorted to only after repeated non-compliance despite multiple warnings.. There are several medical colleges in the country which lack infrastructure but NMC has not shown any concern for them. In this case, no such process was followed. The abrupt closure appears to be nothing more than a pretext, with the real reason being intense political and communal pressure exerted by the RSSBJP, which currently holds power at the Centre. The public celebration of the closure by these very forces only reinforces this conclusion. This single factthe religious identity of students admitted purely on meritseems to have triggered a politically motivated and sectarian campaign by the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). They have openly argued that since the college is run by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, admissions should be restricted to Hindus. This argument is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and legally untenable. The Katra Medical College does not enjoy minority status, and therefore any demand for religious exclusion in admissions is illegal and violates the Constitution of India. Admissions based on merit, irrespective of religion, caste, or creed, are the cornerstone of a democratic and secular education system. The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD), an organization of health professionals committed to universal healthcare, has strongly criticized the closure of the college. IDPD has described the decision as arbitrary, unjust, and deeply troubling, stating that it strikes at the foundations of merit, constitutional values, and institutional autonomy. The National Medical Commission is a statutory, autonomous regulatory body and is expected to function independently, guided solely by law, ethics, and public interest. Its apparent capitulation to sectarian and political pressure in this matter is extremely unfortunate and raises serious concerns about the erosion of institutional autonomy. Such surrender sets a dangerous precedent and threatens to have grave long-term consequences for medical education, social harmony, and the rule of law in the country. By shutting down the medical college, the NMC has not only punished students who were admitted fairly and lawfully, but has also sent a chilling message that merit can be overridden by communal considerations. This is wholly unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. It is therefore of utmost importance that the Medical College at Katra is immediately reopened and allowed to function strictly in accordance with the law. Education cannot be communalised; Merit cannot be punished; Constitutional institutions must not surrender to sectarian pressure. [The writer, Dr Arun Mitra, is a Practicing ENT Surgeon in Ludhiana, Punjab. He is also the President of the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) www.idpd.org.] Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Meet Abu Ubaida: Al-Qassam Spokesperson Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout Abu Ubaida, whose real name is reported to be Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout (Abu Ibrahim), served for nearly two decades as the spokesperson of al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas Abu Ubaida, whose real name is reported to be Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout (Abu Ibrahim), served for nearly two decades as the spokesperson of al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. A figure of dignity and restraint, he remained a constant target of the Israeli occupying forces. On numerous occasions, attempts were made to assassinate him, yet each effort ended in failure. On 31st August 2025, the Israeli military announced that Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of al-Qassam Brigades, had been killed in an airstrike carried out on 30th August. Shortly after this announcement, Hamas released a statement urging the public not to pay heed to rumors. Nevertheless, the familiar voice, long recognized as that of Abu Ubaida spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, fell silent. Days passed, then weeks, yet the masked spokesperson, known for his distinctive appearance with a red keffiyeh covering his face, did not reappear. Public curiosity intensified and a question echoed everywhere: where is that fearless spokesperson now? Name Endures, Face Changed After a prolonged silence, on 29th December 2025, the newly appointed spokesperson of al-Qassam Brigades, also introduced as Abu Obaida, issued a detailed statement. While the statement announced the martyrdom of several senior Qassam leaders, it also formally confirmed the martyrdom of the former spokesperson known to the world as Abu Ubaida. In reality, the man who had spoken for nearly two decades under the name Abu Ubaida was Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout (Abu Ibrahim). He was killed in an Israeli strike on 30th August 2025. The current spokespersons real identity is likewise different. However, in accordance with the organizations strategic practice, he too has been introduced under the same name: Abu Ubaida. It was thus this new Abu Ubaida who publicly announced the martyrdom of his predecessor, Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout (Abu Ibrahim). Announcement of Martyrdom and Its Background Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout had long been a prime target of the Israeli occupying forces. Numerous attempts were made on his life, yet each time he survived and the attacker failed in its objective. Ultimately, on 30th August 2025, acting on what it described as actionable intelligence, Israeli forces carried out a devastating strike that not only destroyed the targeted building; but also resulted in the killing of the entire al-Kahlout family. According to reports circulating on social media, a tip-off was provided the same day to Israels internal security agency, Shin Bet (Shabak), indicating that Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout was residing with his family in a specific building in Rimal. Following this information, an emergency meeting of the military leadership was convened. Despite knowing that Abu Ubaida was present in a particular apartment, the entire building was targeted. As a result, Abu Ubaidas family and all members of the al-Kahlout household were killed in the strike . Speaking for al-Qassam for Two Decades Following the announcement of Abu Ubaidas martyrdom, the public came to fully grasp that the figure who had represented al-Qassam Brigades for nearly two decades, with exceptional resolve, clarity of judgment and strategic composure, had now attained the status of martyrdom. Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout formally joined the Qassam Brigades in 2002. In recognition of his written and oratory skills, his seriousness of purpose, and his sound judgment, he was appointed the organizations spokesperson in 2004. In June 2006, he issued his first official statement as spokesperson, announcing an operation carried out by Hamas east of the city of Rafah. The operation resulted in the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the capture of a third, Gilad Shalit. Thereafter, whenever circumstances demanded, Abu Obaida emerged as the voice of the Qassam Brigades, delivering statements at critical moments. Voice, Style and Impact Allah the Almighty had endowed Abu Ubaida with a commanding, resonant and unmistakably authoritative voice. He spoke in eloquent, classical Arabic. His statements were often framed with verses from the Glorious Quran. His voice carried, on the one hand, the weight of pain and loss, and on the other, the thunder of resolve and defiance. He frequently concluded his addresses with the sentence: Innahu La-Jihad Nasrun Aw Istishhaad (Indeed, it is a struggle whose outcome is either victory or martyrdom.). Following the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood , his prominence grew dramatically. Yet his speeches were marked neither by exaggeration nor by emotional bravado; instead, he articulated facts with clarity and restraint. The people awaited his statements with intense anticipation, listened attentively, and even children began imitating his distinctive style. Whenever he appeared publicly, he wore the military uniform of the Qassam Brigades and covered his face with a red Arab keffiyeh, concealing his identity. Though by then, his voice alone had become his unmistakable signature. Because he used to cover his face with a keffiyeh, he was known by the epithet Al-Mulaththam, the masked one. Identity Revealed After Martyrdom Following the official announcement of the martyrdom of Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout (Abu Ibrahim), widely known as Abu Ubaida, his photographs were revealed and publicly his real name was disclosed for the first time. Shortly thereafter, a statement by his brother also emerged, in which he shed light on various aspects of Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlouts personality, life and long journey of struggle. Familys Forced Displacement From Asqalan to Jabalia Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlouts parents hailed from the historic city of Asqalan (Ashkelon), a place also associated with the eminent scholar of Hadith, Ibn Hajar Asqalani, the renowned commentator on Sahihul Bukhari. Today, Ashkelon lies under Israeli control. Like countless other families from Asqalan, Hudhaifa Samirs family was forcibly displaced in 1948 as a result of Israeli violence and repression. They were compelled to abandon their home, farmland, and ancestral city, eventually seeking refuge in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza. Memorization of the Quran and Higher Education Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout was born on 11th February 1984 and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp of the Northern Gaza, where he memorized the Glorious Quran at a remarkably young age. He completed his primary and secondary education in the schools run by the UNRWA in the Jabalia camp. For higher education, he got admission at the Islamic University of Gaza in 2002. There, he earned a masters degree in 2013. In pursuit of his masters Degree, he authored a research thesis titled: Al-Ardhu Al-Muqaddasah Bein Al-Yahudiyyah, Wa al-Nasranniyyah Wa al-Islam (The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity and Islam), completed under the supervision of Dr. Ahmad Jabir al-Asmi. Spanning 645 pages, the thesis stands as a testament to his scholarly depth and intellectual seriousness. Family Life and Martyrdom Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout lived a dignified family life and was the father of four children. At the time of the attack, his wife and three of their children were with him, and all of them were martyred in the same strike. His eldest son, Ibrahim, was not present at the location at the time. He, therefore, survived the attack. He remains safe today. May Allah make him a true successor of his father! Voice More Dangerous to the Enemy Than Any Weapon The life of Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout was not merely the story of an individual, but the embodiment of an idea, a voice and an era. Rising from the narrow alleys of a refugee camp, he became a presence that resonated far beyond Gaza stirring the global conscience. His words carried not only the pain of dispossession, but also a deep awareness of resistance, an unshakable faith in perseverance, and a clear vision of ultimate purpose. His voice proved more dangerous to the enemy than any weapon. He appeared before cameras without revealing his face or his name, yet he demonstrated to the world what it truly means to live by principle and to die for justice. His martyrdom further underscored a fundamental truth: resistance does not end with the loss of individuals. Names, voices, and messages are inherited, carried forward by new generations. Abu Ubaida is no longer merely a name attached to a person; it has become a symbol of resolve, dignity, truth and sacrifice. History will bear witness that when oppression descended in its most brutal form, there were still those who stood firm, armed with Quranic conviction, sustained by faith, and prepared for martyrdom. Abu Ubaida has been martyred, but his voice endures, and his message will continue to illuminate the path for generations to come. May God accept the sacrifice of Hudhaifa Samir al-Kahlout and his family, grant them the highest rank in Paradise, and allow their sacrifice to remain a guiding light for the oppressed! Aameen! [The writer, Khursheed Alam Dawood Qasmi, works for Moon Rays Trust School, Zambia, Africa.] Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Quick Read SPYD offers a 4.7% yield from 80 equally weighted high-dividend S&P 500 stocks with a 0.07% expense ratio. The funds quarterly dividends fluctuated 31% in 2025. Its 5-year total return of 68% trails the S&P 500s 86%. Half of SPYD concentrates in financials (16.9%), consumer staples (16%) and utilities (13.4%) with only 1.2% in technology. Have You read The New Report Shaking Up Retirement Plans? Americans are answering three questions and many are realizing they can retire earlier than expected. Retirees facing low bond yields have turned to high-dividend equity strategies, but not all approaches deliver the stability fixed-income investors need. The challenge is finding yield that won't disappear when markets turn. What SPYD Actually Delivers SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA:SPYD) holds the 80 highest-yielding S&P 500 stocks, equally weighted, delivering a 4.7% yield with a 0.07% expense ratio. For a retiree with $200,000 invested, that's roughly $9,400 in annual income at minimal cost. 24/7 Wall St. 24/7 Wall St. This infographic provides a detailed analysis of the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD), outlining its mechanics, suitable investors, pros, and cons. It highlights SPYD's strong income generation balanced against its potential for lower capital appreciation. The fund collects dividends from mature, cash-generating businesses. Unlike covered-call strategies that sacrifice upside for premium income, SPYD captures full appreciation potential. The equal-weight approach means no single company dominatestop holdings like CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) each represent just 1.6% to 1.8% of assets. The Sector Concentration Reality SPYD's yield pursuit creates predictable sector tilts. Financials comprise 16.9% of assets, Consumer Staples 16%, and Utilities 13.4% - nearly half the portfolio. This makes sense: banks, utilities, and consumer staples typically pay higher dividends than growth sectors. The tradeoff is stark underperformance during growth-driven markets. Over the past year, SPYD returned 5.6% versus the S&P 500's 17% gain. The five-year gap is similar: 68% total return versus 86% for the broader index. Technology represents just 1.2% of SPYD compared to roughly 30% in the S&P 500. Dividend Volatility Retirees Must Accept SPYD's quarterly distributions fluctuate significantly. In 2025, payouts ranged from $0.42 per share in March to $0.55 in Decembera 31% swing. This reflects the fund's mechanical selection: it simply buys the highest yielders, regardless of dividend quality or sustainability. GameStop (GME) shares gained as much as 7% on Wednesday after the companys board revealed a performance-based pay plan for its billionaire chief executive Ryan Cohen. While Cohen wont receive any guaranteed pay, he will still bank billions as long as GMEs market cap grows by tenfold and its cumulative performance EBITDA hits about $10 billion by 2035. More News from Barchart Despite todays gains, GameStop stock is down some 40% versus its 52-week high. www.barchart.com Does That Warrant Buying GameStop Stock? Cohens new pay plan fully vests only if GameStops valuation hits $100 billion, which isnt a small feet given its market cap stood at about $34 billion only at its peak in 2021. Investors cheered the announcement primarily because the compensation package suggests Cohen continues to see a big future for the gaming merchandise retailer. It signals the billionaires confidence in his ability to turnaround GameStop, an NYSE-listed firm that has long been viewed as a sinking ship. And given his track record, Cohens conviction may be a strong enough reason to consider owning GME stock for the long term. What Else Makes GME Shares Worth Buying Beyond Cohens show of faith, there are other reasons that warrant at least some exposure to GME shares in 2026. The Texas-based company is expanding into high-margin categories like collectibles that drove a big increase in net income to $77 million in its latest reported quarter. Plus, the recent crypto pivot may also trigger a rally provided that Bitcoin (BTCUSD) experiences a significant rebound this year. According to Barchart, options data is skewed largely to upside as well. Derivatives contracts due Jun. 18 currently have the upper bound set at about $26, indicating GameStop may rally up to 23% over the next five months. GameStop Doesnt Receive Wall Street Coverage On the flip side, a major red flag on GME stock is the lack of Wall Street coverage, which means limited analyst scrutiny, institutional interest, and liquidity. Without research reports or price targets, investors have little to no professional guidance, making GameStop shares more vulnerable to excess volatility, speculation, and sentiment-driven swings. On the date of publication, Wajeeh Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Understanding Functional Currency in Vietnams Accounting Regime Vietnams accounting framework allows enterprises to adopt a functional currency that best reflects their underlying business operations. Circular No. 99/2025/TT-BTC provides detailed guidance on how businesses can determine, change, and translate their functional currency, offering greater flexibility while maintaining compliance with Vietnamese accounting and reporting requirements. This approach is particularly relevant for foreign invested enterprises (FDIs), importexport companies, and logistics firms whose primary transactions are conducted in foreign currencies. What is a functional currency? Under Circular 99, enterprises may use either the Vietnamese dong (VND) or a foreign currency as their functional currency for bookkeeping purposes. The functional currency must reflect the economic environment in which the enterprise primarily operates and generates cash flows. By allowing the use of a non-VND functional currency, the regulation enables businesses to present financial information more accurately in their principal operating currency, while still complying with Vietnams statutory reporting obligations. Determining the functional currency An enterprises functional currency must align with the transactions, events, and conditions that are most relevant to its operations. Circular 99 sets out the following key criteria: The currency is regularly used for payments, setting selling prices of goods or services, and incurring costs; or The currency is used to raise financial resources, such as through debt or equity issuance, or is regularly received from business operations and retained as reserves. Enterprises must assess these factors holistically to determine the most appropriate functional currency for bookkeeping. DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM EXPLORE IN-DEPTH INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS GUIDES. Explore vital economic, geographic, and regulatory insights for business investors, managers, or expats to navigate Vietnams business landscape. Our Online Business Guides offer explainer articles, news, useful tools, and videos from on-the-ground advisors who contribute to the Doing Business in Vietnam knowledge. Start exploring Changing the functional currency Once established, a functional currency should remain consistent unless there is a fundamental change in the enterprises operational or managerial environment that significantly alters the underlying transactions and conditions. If such a change occurs: The functional currency may only be changed at the beginning of a new accounting year; and The enterprise must apply specific translation and disclosure rules when making the transition. Key Requirements When Changing Functional Currency Item Key requirement Translation of opening balances All account balances and the statement of financial position must be translated into the new functional currency using the average transfer exchange rate (mean of buying and selling rates) of the commercial bank most frequently used, applied as of the change date. Comparative information Prior-period figures in the profit and loss and cash flow statements must be translated using the average transfer exchange rate for the relevant period, based on the same commercial bank. Disclosure requirements Enterprises must explain the reason for the change and describe its impact on the financial statements in the notes. Financial reporting when using a non-VND functional currency Vietnamese regulations require that financial statements submitted to competent authorities or published externally be presented in VND, unless otherwise stipulated by law. Accordingly: Enterprises using a foreign functional currency for internal accounting must translate their financial statements into VND for statutory purposes. Where an independent audit is required, the audited financial statements must also be presented in VND. Translating financial statements into VND Translation principles When translating financial statements from a foreign functional currency into VND, enterprises must follow the principles prescribed in Circular 99, applying consistent exchange rate methodologies across financial statement items. Category Translation method Assets and liabilities Translated at the average transfer exchange rate quoted by the commercial bank most frequently used by the enterprise at period-end. Equity items Owners capital, capital surplus, other capital, and bond conversion options translated at the actual exchange rate on the contribution date. Asset remeasurement differences Translated at the actual exchange rate on the revaluation date. Retained earnings Undistributed post-tax profits and funds translated according to corresponding P&L items; remaining retained earnings translated at the recorded book exchange rate. Profit and loss and cash flow items Translated at the actual exchange rate at the transaction date. Where appropriate, the average exchange rate for the period may be used if it approximates actual rates within the State Bank of Vietnams spot rate band. Accounting for exchange rate differences Exchange rate differences arising from the translation of financial statements into VND must be recognized under Exchange rate differences within the equity section of the statement of financial position. These differences do not directly affect profit or loss but reflect currency translation impacts on the enterprises financial position. Disclosure requirements Enterprises are required to disclose in the notes to the financial statements: The impact of translating financial statements from a foreign currency into VND; and Any resulting differences or changes that materially affect the financial statements. Clear disclosure ensures transparency and allows stakeholders to properly interpret the enterprises financial performance and position. Takeaway Vietnams Circular 99 allows enterprises, especially businesses, to choose a functional currency that best reflects their operating environment. This flexibility improves the accuracy and relevance of financial reporting while still requiring translation into VND and clear disclosure for statutory and stakeholder purposes. Enterprises should reassess their functional currency, plan any changes at the start of a fiscal year, and implement robust processes for applying exchange rates, translating, and disclosing. For further information on Vietnams new accounting regime, please read: Circular 99: What Vietnams New Accounting Regime Means for IFRS Alignment On the valuation side, Nvidia is extremely rich. NVDA trades at a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of around 48 times and a price-to-cash flow multiple of 61 times. These multiples imply very high growth built in. In short, Nvidia's valuation is in bubble territory, reflecting sky-high expectations for its AI/data-center role. The most valuable company in the world with a market capitalization of around $4.6 trillion, NVDA stock rallied strongly in the last two years on the AI boom but has since retreated from late-2025 highs on fears of an AI bubble burst. After hitting an all-time peak near $212 in October 2025, the stock trades around $185 in early January 2026. NVDA stock is roughly flat so far year-to-date (YTD). Nvidia is the leading designer of GPUs and AI accelerators for data centers. Its processors power cloud servers, AI training, and inference applications worldwide. In late 2025, Nvidia reported record-breaking results, showing its dominance in the AI chip market. With new architectures like Blackwell and Rubin, and an expanding software/model stack, Nvidia stands at the forefront of the data-center AI revolution. Together, these stocks offer diversified exposure to the data-center buildout that analysts expect to keep accelerating into 2026. Without further ado, let's examine these names more closely. Analyst ratings on Barchart point to three leaders for 2026. First of all, we have Nvidia (NVDA), which supplies the GPUs and AI accelerators that power modern data centers, positioning it to capture infrastructure spending. Secondly, Amazon (AMZN) benefits from Amazon Web Services dominant cloud share and steady enterprise demand. Finally, Broadcom (AVGO) offers networking silicon and systems that glue hyperscale racks together, with recurring software and semiconductor revenue. Data center stocks have become central to investor portfolios as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) drive record demand for capacity and networking gear. These names tend to combine durable revenue with capital-spending cycles that can amplify earnings when enterprise customers expand deployments. Story Continues Nvidias top-line and profit growth remain explosive, with its recent financials exceptional. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, revenue hit $57 billion, up 62% year-over-year (YOY), driven by a record $51.2 billion in data center sales, which were up 66% YOY. Gross margin stayed at 73%. Nvidia generated $37 billion in shareholder returns via buybacks and dividends over the first nine months. Looking ahead, management guided for Q4 revenue to around $65 billion, implying continued strength. CEO Jensen Huang noted that cloud GPUs are sold out as AI demand accelerates. Moreover, after a strong finish to 2025, Nvidia kicked off 2026 with major CES announcements. CEO Jensen Huang unveiled Rubin, an extreme codesigned six-chip AI platform now in production. Huang also introduced new AI models like Alpamayo for autonomous vehicles. These moves show that Nvidia is expanding from chips into a full-stack AI ecosystem. All of this tells us that future growth prospects for Nvidia remain tied to AI, with the firm's roadmap assuming continued hyper-growth. Analysts remain mostly bullish on NVDA stocks long-term outlook, although they warn that much future growth is already priced in. The 48 analysts with coverage of the stock have a consensus "Strong Buy" rating for NVDA. The mean price target of $256 indicates upside potential of 38% from current levels. So, Nvidia seems to be a high-beta play on generative AI as its top-notch tech and CES roadmap suggest more growth ahead. Still, investors will have to judge whether the lofty valuation is justified. www.barchart.com Data Center Stock #2: Amazon Amazon is the worlds largest online retailer and a leading cloud services provider through AWS. It dominates e-commerce while AWS leads cloud computing, making Amazon central to data-center growth. Management has aggressively boosted data center and AI investments through custom AI chips and big-capacity clusters as demand soars. This combination of scale in retail and cloud positions Amazon at the heart of the AI/data-center boom. Valued at $2.6 trillion by market cap, AMZN stock has been mostly range-bound in 2025. The stock is up roughly 10% over the past year. However, shares are up about 40% since last spring on strong earnings surprises. The shares recently traded near their 52-week high, reflecting renewed investor interest in AWS-led growth. www.barchart.com Just like Nvidia, Amazon is richly priced. It trades near 31 times forward earnings, implying very high growth expectations. This earnings multiple is similar to high-growth tech names, although Amazons core retail business typically commands lower multiples. In short, Amazons valuation suggests investors are pricing in accelerating AWS and AI growth. Amazon delivered strong results as Q3 sales rose 13% YOY to $180 billion, with AWS revenue up 20% to $33 billion. Operating income was $17.4 billion, roughly flat YOY, but that included $4.3 billion of one-time charges. On a normalized basis, operating income would have been $21.7 billion. Net income surged to $21.2 billion, up from $15.3 billion previously, boosted by a $9.5 billion investment gain from Anthropic. Trailing 12-month operating cash flow was $130.7 billion, up 16% YOY, but free cash flow fell to $14.8 billion from $47.7 billion as capital spending jumped. Amazons revenues and cash flows are growing on robust online sales and cloud demand, even as it ploughs capital into AI infrastructure. Amazon continues to push its AI/data-centrer demand. In late 2025, AWS pledged up to $50 billion to expand AI-focused cloud capacity for U.S. government agencies. Amazon also announced a $15 billion buildout of new Indiana data center campuses to support enterprise AI and cloud workloads. CFO Brian Olsavsky noted that Amazons 2025 capital spending topped $100 billion, mostly on AWS, and will remain elevated in 2026. Looking ahead, Amazons growth is tied to cloud/AI adoption and e-commerce strength. CEO Andy Jassy observed that AI drives meaningful improvements in every corner of our business, with AWS growth re-accelerating to 20% YOY. Analysts expect continued AWS momentum as enterprises deploy AI workloads. Wall Street analysts remain bullish on AMZN stock. Analysts with coverage of AMZN assign a consensus "Strong Buy" rating. The mean price target of $294.96 implies 20% upside potential from here. www.barchart.com Data Center Stock #3: Broadcom Broadcom is a global semiconductor and infrastructure software giant. It designs custom ASIC chips and networking products like switches and adapters used extensively in data centers. Broadcoms products serve hyperscale cloud customers and telecoms. The firm's acquisition of VMware has also given it a strong position in data-center virtualization and hybrid cloud. AVGO stock performed very well in 2025. Shares have surged about 45% over the past year, making AVGO one of the top gainers in its niche. Shares closed around $343 on Jan 7, 2026. That rally comes on the heels of enthusiasm over Broadcoms AI-focused business and strong cash flows. Similarly, the valuation of Broadcom is very rich. AVGO trades around 41 times forward earnings and about 1.2 times P/E-to-growth. Such multiples are well above sector norms, implying that much growth is already priced in. AVGO stock pays a small dividend with a 0.70% yield, but that is secondary to its growth story. Broadcoms recent financial results were robust. In Q4, revenue landed at $18 billion, up 28% YOY. Profitability remains robust at EPS of $1.74. CEO Hock Tan highlighted that AI-driven demand was accelerating. Tan said that AI semiconductor revenue grew 74% YOY, and guided for Q1 revenue to about $19.1 billion, another 28% above the prior year. For fiscal 2025, Broadcom earned about $43 billion in adjusted EBITDA, a 35% YOY gain, and generated a record $26.9 billion in free cash flow. Wall Street is confident that Broadcom should benefit from ongoing data-center buildouts and AI adoption. Management said that AI semiconductor momentum is continuing, expecting AI-driven sales to keep doubling. Analysts generally view Broadcom as a steady grower thanks to its diversified business. The consensus among 41 analysts with coverage is a Strong Buy rating with a mean price target of $456.20, suggesting 37% upside potential. On the date of publication, Nauman Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Venezuela was set to hold talks on Saturday with US envoys in Caracas on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president. Venezuela said Friday it had launched discussions with US diplomats in the capital, the latest sign of cooperation following the leftist leader's capture and US President Donald Trump's claim to be "in charge" of the South American country. Officials said the US envoys were in Caracas to discuss reopening the country's embassy, while in Washington Trump met with oil companies over his plans to access Venezuela's huge crude reserves. The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez "has decided to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the government of the United States of America, aimed at re-establishing diplomatic missions in both countries," Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement. John McNamara, the top US diplomat in neighboring Colombia, and other personnel "traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations," a US official said on customary condition of anonymity. Venezuela said it would be reciprocating by sending a delegation to Washington. Rodriguez in a statement condemned "the serious, criminal, illegal and illegitimate attack" by the United States and vowed: "Venezuela will continue to confront this aggression through the diplomatic route." - Trump vows oil investments - Trump said earlier Friday that he had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela due in part to the release of political prisoners. The US president had suggested he might use force again to get his way in Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves. At a White House meeting on Friday, he pressed top oil executives to invest in Venezuela's reserves, but was met with a cautious reception -- with ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods dismissing the country as "uninvestable" without sweeping reforms. Trump said foreign firms had enjoyed no meaningful protections under Maduro, "but now you have total security. It's a whole different Venezuela". He also stressed that the companies would deal only with Washington, not Caracas, when exploiting Venezuela's oil resources. Trump earlier said that oil companies promised to invest $100 billion in Venezuela, whose oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions. He had earlier announced a plan for the United States to sell between 30 million and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with the money to be used at his discretion. He promised any funds sent to Caracas would be used to buy only US-made products. In the meanwhile, Washington has maintained maritime pressure on oil tankers in the Caribbean, where it seized a fifth tanker carrying Venezuelan crude -- oil that would be sold, Trump said. State-owned oil company PDVSA confirmed in a statement that one vessel was returning to Venezuelan waters, describing it as the "first successful joint operation" with Washington. - Prisoners' release - Anxious relatives waited outside Venezuelan jails for a glimpse of their loved ones as the authorities began releasing political prisoners -- a move Washington claimed credit for. "When I heard the news, I broke down," said Dilsia Caro, 50, waiting for the release of her husband Noel Flores, who was jailed for criticizing Maduro. Venezuela began releasing prisoners on Thursday in the first such gesture since US forces removed and detained Maduro in the deadly January 3 raid. Some relatives still gathered outside the prison had waited more than 36 hours to see their family members. "We've been living with this uncertainty for several days now... We are worried, we are very distressed, filled with anxiety," said one woman, awaiting the release of her brother. In Nicaragua, meanwhile, authorities have arrested at least 60 people for reportedly expressing support for Maduro's capture, according to a local human rights group. Trump told Fox News he would meet next week with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whom he earlier brushed aside as lacking the "respect" to lead Venezuela. Exiled Venezuelan opposition figurehead Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia said that any democratic transition in the country must recognize his claim to victory in 2024 presidential elections. Maduro was proclaimed the winner of the vote, but his re-election was widely seen as fraudulent. Gonzalez was hoping Friday for the release of his son-in-law, who was detained a year ago in Caracas. - Protests in Caracas - Maduro was seized in a US special forces raid accompanied by airstrikes, operations that left 100 people dead, according to Caracas. US forces took Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to New York to face trial on drug-trafficking and other charges. Rodriguez insisted Thursday her country was "not subordinate or subjugated" despite her pledge to cooperate with Trump. Angry protesters rallied in the streets of Caracas on Friday demanding Maduro's release in the latest of a daily series of demonstrations. "We don't have to give one little drop of oil to Trump after all that he has done to us," said one protester, Josefina Castro, 70, a member of a civil activists' group. "Our Venezuelan brothers died (in the attack), and that hurts." bur-rlp/sla/jgc/lga/ceg According to Politico, Washington asked [Venezuelas interim leader] Delcy Rodriguez to crack down on drug flows; to kick out Iranian, Cuban and other intelligence officials or networks hostile to Washington; to stop the sale of oil to the United States adversaries. Washington has not asked for the release of "political prisoners" or the organization of presidential elections, much to the chagrin of the Straussians. According to ABC News, Washington has demanded that Venezuela stop selling oil to China and Russia, as well as Cuba and Iran, and only trade oil with the United States. Russia is the worlds second largest oil producer and therefore does not buy any, neither from Venezuela nor elsewhere. Iran, which is also a producing state, is primarily responsible for the El Palito and Paraguana refineries. Tehran has invested $4.7 billion in Venezuelas oil industry. It does not buy oil for itself, but to circumvent the oil transport bans that affects it. It can thus provide for the needs of its allies, the Lebanese Hezbollah or Ansar Allah in Yemen. Venezuelas oil production has collapsed to less than 5% of its capacity. When President Hugo Chavez was in power and his countrys oil reserves were discovered, he knew that the Bush-Cheney tandem would confiscate its reserves as soon as they could. He then decided not to build the special refineries required by this heavy oil and reorganized instead the national extraction by making sure to stop the theft by the corrupt executives of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDV SA). During this period, oil production declined, but what it brought in increased. On the contrary, Nicolas Maduro has not managed to maintain the facilities that have deteriorated. Production continued to fall, but so did government revenues. U.S. companies that invest to turn around Venezuelas oil sector wont be able to expect a return on investment for a decade. Given the instability of this country, it will be a risky bet for them. The White House is considering subsidizing this investment. If that were the case, it would have to invest $80 billion to $90 billion over a seven-year period to return to the production of the 1990s, that is, before the discovery of heavy oil. According to the Wall Street Journal, US President Donald Trump is expected to bring together representatives of the oil industry, including those of Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Continental Resources, the company of billionaire Harold Hamm, Donald Trumps private oil adviser, at the White House on 9 January. Last year, Trump revoked licenses that had allowed companies such as Italys Eni, Spains Repsol and Indias Reliance Industries, to operate in Venezuela, while issuing a special exception for Chevron. The meeting was prepared by US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and US Secretary of the Interior (Land Management) Doug Burgum at the Goldman Sachs Oil Conference in Miami. According to the Norwegian firm Rystad Energy, a recognized expert in the field, it would be necessary to invest $183 billion over 15 years to properly exploit Venezuelan oil. Since the United States is itself an oil exporter, it does not need Venezuelan oil in addition to its own. For Washington, taking control of oil does not mean appropriating it, but ensuring that it is not available without compensation for China and Iran. Moreover, Venezuelan oil represents only 4% of the oil imported into China. It would be a loss for Beijing, but easy to compensate. In the end, the U.S. intervention in Venezuela appears only as an action aimed at disrupting the mafia networks that have prospered in the shadow of the Iranian-Venezuelan alliance. Another challenge for Washington would be to recover the stocks of Soviet weapons that the Venezuelan army has. It could be that some of these weapons have still not given up all their secrets and that the Pentagon would like to acquire them. The Bolivarian army would be forced to attempt a coup detat to protect them. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) ranks among the best big data stocks to invest in. UBS increased its price target for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) from $315 to $320 on December 19 while maintaining a Buy rating on the companys shares, noting Accentures solid artificial intelligence position and steady demand. Accentures Advanced AI revenue reached $1.1 billion in the first quarter, up 120% year-over-year, while Advanced AI bookings were $2.2 billion, up 76% from the prior year. 360b / Shutterstock.com UBS cited Accentures growth in data center professional services, a sector that is predicted to double by 2030, and said the companys leading ten alliance agreements are driving growth that surpasses total company performance. The firm also noted Accentures capital return program, which includes $3.3 billion disbursed through $2.3 billion in share buybacks and $1 billion in dividends, as customers continue to focus on transformational programs through what UBS termed as a solid demand environment. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN), based in Dublin, Ireland, is a multinational professional services firm specializing in IT consulting, digital transformation, and management solutions. The company took its foray into predictive analytics over a decade ago and is on track to become a premier data company. While we acknowledge the potential of ACN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Magic Formula Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Retirement Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Train passengers in Italy face disruption due to a 24-hour strike. Italy faces disruption to rail services across the country this weekend due to a 24-hour national strike by train staff and railway maintenance workers. The walkout is timetabled from 21.00 on Friday 9 January until 21.00 the next evening, Saturday 10 January. The strike could affect services operated by Trenitalia, Italo and Trenord, and "may lead to changes to services, including before and after its conclusion", according to a statement on the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana website. Italo has published a list of guaranteed rail journeys, as has Trenord, which said that buses would be provided in the event that its train services to Milan airports are cancelled. Those planning to travel by rail in Italy on Friday night or on Saturday are advised to check updated timetables on the official websites and apps of the train companies before travelling. Rome's Fiumicino airport has warned travellers that rail connections to and from the airport could experience delays or cancellations as a result of the strike. The walkout by railway staff follows disruption at airports around Italy on Friday due to several strikes affecting the air travel sector. For official information about upcoming strikes in Italy see transport ministry website. Photo credit: Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock.com. Prosecutors in Italy launch probe into deadly bar fire at Crans-Montana whose 40 casualties included six Italian teens. Rome prosecutors have opened an investigation into the New Year bar fire at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in which 40 people were killed - including six Italian teenagers - and 116 were injured. The Rome prosecutor's office, responsible for investigating crimes involving Italian nationals abroad, is looking into possible charges of involuntary homicide and arson by negligence, the same charges levelled against the owners of Le Constellation bar by Swiss investigators. Authorities in Switzerland allege that the inferno was caused after sparks from flares attached to champagne bottles reached the bar's ceiling, which quickly caught fire, as young people rang in the new year. Rome prosecutors will delegate the probe to police officers who are ready to travel to Switzerland to conduct the necessary investigations, according to sources cited by Italian media on Thursday. The intervention by Rome follows similar moves by Belgium and France, amid claims that the bar had inadequate fire escapes and that local authorities failed to carry out annual safety inspections on the premises for the past five years. The funerals of the six Italian teens killed in the fire were held on Wednesday, as schools across Italy held a minute's silence for the victims. Milan's Niguarda hospital is currently treating 11 Italians injured in the blaze, including three in a critical condition. Friday is a national day of mourning in Switzerland, with church bells set to ring out across the country at 14.00. An official memorial ceremony will be held in Martigny on Friday in the presence of heads of state, including Italy's president Sergio Mattarella and France's Emmanuel Macron. Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni is set to be joined by members of the Italian government and opposition leaders at a memorial Mass in Rome on Friday afternoon, in a moment of national unity. Founded in 1972, The New School Rome is a private, non-profit international school offering the British curriculumfrom early years through to A-Levels. The school combines academic rigour with a personalised and nurturing environment, emphasising critical and creative thinking as well as pastoral wellbeing. At the Open Day visitors will have the chance to explore the campus, ask questions about admissions and curriculum, and see classrooms and facilities in action. With small class sizes and highly qualified UK-trained teachers, The New School prides itself on its strong sense of community and holistic approach to learning. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has taken a final investment decision on the SARB Deep Gas Development, a technically complex offshore gas project that forms part of the broader Ghasha Concession, underscoring the UAEs push to secure long-term gas self-sufficiency while expanding its role in global energy markets. More from Yahoo Scout What is the SARB Deep Gas Development project? Why is the Ghasha Concession strategically important? What role does gas play in UAE's energy strategy? How will advanced digitalization be used in SARB? The SARB development is designed to deliver up to 200 million standard cubic feet per day of gas before the end of the decade, enough to supply electricity to more than 300,000 homes daily. ADNOC said the project will play a material role in meeting rising domestic demand while supporting incremental gas exports. SARB will be developed around a new offshore platform hosting four gas production wells, located roughly 120 kilometers offshore from Abu Dhabi. Gas from the field will be transported to Das Island, where it will be tied into existing ADNOC Gas facilities for upstream processing, allowing the company to leverage established infrastructure and reduce development costs. A notable feature of the project is its reliance on advanced digitalization. ADNOC plans to embed artificial intelligence and advanced monitoring technologies across operations, with the facility to be operated remotely from Arzanah Island. The company says this approach will improve operational efficiency, enhance safety, and reduce the overall footprint of offshore activities. The SARB project is part of the Ghasha Concession, one of the most strategically important gas developments in the UAE portfolio. The concession includes several offshore sour gas fields and is widely viewed as a cornerstone of the countrys strategy to become gas self-sufficient while positioning itself as a reliable supplier to international markets, particularly in Asia. ADNOC Upstream Chief Executive Musabbeh Al Kaabi said the investment decision reflects progress in unlocking Abu Dhabis gas resources and maximizing synergies across ADNOCs offshore network. The company has increasingly emphasized integration across upstream, midstream, and processing assets as a way to improve returns and accelerate project timelines. Beyond energy supply, ADNOC highlighted the projects alignment with its In-Country Value program, which aims to drive local economic development, build domestic capabilities, and expand opportunities for Emirati talent across the energy sector. Large offshore projects such as SARB typically generate significant demand for local services, fabrication, and long-term operations roles. The decision comes as national oil companies across the Middle East continue to double down on gas investments, even as global energy systems transition. Gas is increasingly viewed by producers as a bridge fuel that can support energy security and emissions reduction efforts when paired with efficiency gains and advanced technologies. New CEO The appointment of Tramores, Stephen Kent as the new CEO of the CIE Group is being welcomed in the south-east, with the former Bus Eireann chief having overseen major service expansion, passenger growth and the rollout of Irelands first fully electric regional city bus network during his tenure. Mr Kent, who previously worked with Waterford Crystal, brings strong regional and public transport experience to the role at a time of growing demand for sustainable mobility, a focus that is expected to benefit communities such as Tramore through improved integration and delivery of public transport services. Sympathies The passing has taken place of Louise Musante (nee: Ogle), late of San Mateo, California and formerly of Tramore, Co. Waterford. Louise passed peacefully at Mills-Peninsula Medical Centre after a long and courageously borne illness. She was predeceased by her sister Claire, brother-in-law Kelly, and mother-in-law Marilyn. Louise was dearly loved and will be sadly missed by her sorrowing family: her husband Michael; her children Emilia, Cristina, James and David; her parents Noel and Cecilia; her father-in-law John; her brothers and sisters Myles, Paul, Cecilia and Grace; her sisters-in-law Helena and Deirdre; her brothers-in-law Denis and Conor; her nieces and nephews Sofia, Anna, Lily-Kate, Michael, Claire, Emma, Eli, Alexander, Finn and Juliette; her extended family, neighbours and her many friends in Ireland and America. A vigil service was held for Louise on Friday, on January 2, followed by a memorial service and Requiem Mass on Saturday, January 3rd. Both services took place at Sneider & Sullivan & OConnells Funeral Home, 977 South El Camino Real, California. Grief Support Group Grief is something we all experience at different times in our lives and it can often feel very lonely. Everyones experience of loss is different, but no one should have to face grief on their own. If you or someone you know is grieving, support is available in a calm and understanding setting. A Grief Support Group will be meeting in Tramore on Saturday, January 17th, in the Tramore Coastguard Centre from 10.30am to 11.30am . This group provides a welcoming space to come together, to listen or to share, and to connect with others who understand the journey of loss. You are welcome to come as you are whether you wish to talk, listen, or simply spend time in the company of others who truly get it. Copper Coast Community Choir Looking for a fun and uplifting way to start the new year? The Copper Coast Community Choir is back on Wednesday, January 14th, at the Dunhill Multi-Education Centre. Under the direction of Anne Kavanagh, the choir offers a relaxed and friendly environment where everyone can enjoy the joy of singing together. Join us for music, laughter, and community spirit. It will begin at 11.00am in the Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (Eircode: X91 FVF9). To register or for more information: Call 051 396934 30TH Anniversary Tramore GAA Club Secretary and long-serving club member Declan Walsh recently celebrated 30 years of employment with Keltec Engineering on the Cork Road, Waterford, marking the milestone before Christmas. Highly regarded within the company, Declan is described as the heartbeat of the firm, where he holds the prestigious position of General Manager. Originally from Slieverue, Declan now resides in Ballycarnane Woods with his wife Margaret and their children, Nathan, Isabelle, Alishia and Alex. He is also a hugely valued and dedicated member of Micheal MacCraith GAA Club, where his commitment and contribution over the years are greatly appreciated. Beach Clean Tramore Eco Group enjoyed another productive and pleasant morning beach clean last week, focusing on removing tiny fragments of broken plastic and discarded fishing rope from the shoreline. The effort was rewarded with well-earned coffee and cake at Mollys afterwards. It was especially encouraging to welcome a few new volunteers to the group. Anyone interested in helping to keep Tramores beach clean is very welcome to join in the group meets every Wednesday at 11am outside Mollys. No experience required, just a willingness to lend a hand. Darragh Mc Donagh More than 4.25 million was spent on liposuction, facelifts, breast augmentation and other plastic or cosmetic procedures in public hospitals during 2024, representing an increase of almost 17 per cent from the previous year. A total of 744 went under the knife in state-funded hospitals during the 12 months for surgeries including browlifts, nose jobs and breast reductions 79 more than during 2023. Liposuction procedures, in which excess fat is suctioned from targeted areas like the abdomen or buttocks, were performed on 85 patients in 2024 at a total cost of 831,864. The procedure was previously described on the Health Service Executive (HSE) website as a cosmetic procedure carried out to improve a persons appearance, rather than their health. Some 37 patients underwent facelift and browlift surgery in public hospitals during the same period at a cost of 207,518 almost double the amount that was spent on the procedures in 2023. A facelift is a procedure that tightens sagging facial skin and underlying tissues, reducing wrinkles, jowls and loose neck skin, typically resulting in a more youthful appearance. A total of 57 patients underwent breast augmentation procedures in 2024, costing 309,115, while 70 others underwent application, removal or insertion breast procedures at a cost of 250,486. Breast reduction surgery was carried out on 229 women at a cost of almost 2 million. Some 37 patients underwent ear repair in public hospitals at a cost of 320,007, while 37 had rhinoplasty costing 207,518. Eyelid excision for 119 people cost a total of 208,078. The HSE has said it is not possible to calculate what portion of the total cost was funded by the taxpayer, by private health insurers, or by other means. The figures, released by the HSE under freedom of information laws, relate to both public and private patients. Procedures paid for by the HSE for public patients relate to plastic, rather than cosmetic surgery, it said. In the case of public patients, procedures of this nature are carried out only for clinical, and not cosmetic, reasons, and based on a clinical diagnosis by a medical consultant. Plastic surgery is aimed at correcting disfigurement or restoring lost functioning as the result of accidents, birth defects, or treatment of disease, added the HSE. Gardai are investigating a suspected murder-suicide after a father and his young son were found dead in separate houses in west Dublin on Thursday morning. According to The Irish Times, the suspects have been identified as Wayne OReilly (48) and his 11-year-old son Oisin. They are not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths, believing Mr OReilly murdered the child before taking his own life. The pair were reported missing last October but were later located safe and well. At the time gardai said they and the family were concerned for their wellbeing, The Irish Times reported. Mr OReilly is believed to have had access to his son in a shared custody arrangement with his ex-partner, the boys mother. It is understood the fathers remains were discovered first, effectively raising the alarm. Emergency services were called to a home in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot at approximately 8:30am on Thursday morning, where they found a man in his 40s dead at the scene. During follow-up inquiries, the body of the boy was discovered at a home in Clondalkin. The two properties, which both had visible Christmas decorations in the windows, are about a 15-minute drive away from each other. A teenage boy destroyed property valued at over 10,000 while living in specialised Tusla accommodation in the South East region. The boy, aged in his mid-teens, destroyed a television, chairs, plates, cutlery, sinks, glass panels and windows on a date in March 2025. The child appeared at an in-camera hearing at Waterford Circuit Court before Judge Eugene OKelly. The boy was understood to have been the only occupant living in the protected accommodation when he committed extensive criminal damage. At one point he picked up a stool and threw it through a glass patio door, creating up to 2,000 worth of damage. The damages were valued at 11,386 in total. Sergeant Michael OGrady informed the court that the child said at the time: Hell do it again if he stays here. The child admitted to Gardai that he threw the television and broke up to eight windows, saying: Im not happy here, I want to be moved to another house. The court heard that the boy had four previous convictions acquired in 2024, including for the unauthorised taking of a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), burglary and public order offences. Defence counsel Gareth Hayden BL explained that the boy had been in the care system from a very early age and had "little interaction" with his birth parents. Mr Hayden said that the boy destroyed property in "the misguided hope that hed be moved" and described his actions as a "cry for help". The child "no longer has the same frustrations", according to Mr Hayden. Judge OKelly will revisit the matter in January 2026. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Waterford is mourning the loss of highly respected businesswoman Kathleen Fitzgerald. Kathleen was a director of Georges Court Shopping Centre in the city centre, along with a number of other business interests. She served as a Director of Waterford Chamber from 2000 to 2014 and served with distinction as President of Waterford Chamber from 2006 to 2007. In 2011, she made history as the first female president of Waterford Rotary Club. Paying tribute today, CEO of Waterford Chamber Gerald Hurley, said that Kathleen made an outstanding contribution to the business community in Waterford. Kathleen will be fondly remembered for her professionalism, generosity, and lasting impact on Waterfords business and civic life. Our thoughts are with Kathleens family at this difficult time. May she rest in peace" Mr. Hurley added. Postal workers are under severe pressure this week to deliver packages that were due to be delivered before Christmas. One postal worker said that people have been waiting weeks for important letters regarding doctors appointments. Several Waterford postal workers spoke to the Waterford News & Star under the condition of anonymity. According to them reason for the delays is due to staffing shortages. Its absolute chaos, they said. According to several postal workers, around ten postal workers took time off during the Christmas period, and only four relief staff were employed to take over the workload. One postal worker took three days off work no post was delivered in that area for three days. Normally, January is a quiet time for postal workers, but now staff are delivering 300 to 400 packages per day, double their usual workload. Some people have speculated that the recent shutdown of Fastway has increased the workload for An Post staff. One postal worker told the Waterford News & Star that it was a disgrace. They continued: Theres stuff still up in Dublin that was supposed to be delivered before Christmas. Another postal worker told the Waterford News & Star that when they do deliver packages, people are furious opening the door. An Post were reached for comment but declined to answer at the time of publication. Waterford beef farmers believe they face an existential threat to business in the wake of the European Unions deal with Mercosur, the South American trading bloc. The trade agreement was passed by a majority of EU member states on January 9 despite Irelands opposition to the deal. EU powerhouses hope that the free trade arrangement between the two blocs will drive economic growth and create sustainable trading partners amid increased tensions from the United States and China. Irish farmers have claimed that the arrival of Mercosurs less-regulated livestock products will result in Irish farmers being undercut and lead to downward pressure on prices. The deal is expected to see Mercosur export up to 99,000 tonnes of beef into EU markets. The deal will now be advanced to the European parliament where it faces further deliberations. Level playing pitch John Power runs a suckler cow farm with his wife Catherine and son Alan in Clonea, Kilmacthomas. The family sell to Waterfords Dawn Meats, which is then processed into the beef used for McDonalds. He says that Irish farmers are not on a level playing pitch compared to their Brazilian counterparts. Irish beef farmers operate under an amalgamation of EU and Irish law that requires stringent traceability, quality assurance and veterinary controls. While Mercosur does provide for some regulation on beef, a case of Brazilian beef containing banned hormones entering the Irish food chain in January caused outcry from farmers. It is ridiculousthe hoops that we have to dance through to produce a kilo of beef, relative to what the Brazilians have to do, said Mr Power. Farmers have been hammered with so many things, with Mercosur deals, and we've been hammered with regulation, and [the EU] can just go out and bring in all this beef from Brazil. Europe is just too weak. It won't protect its own producers. John Power Billy Glasheen operates a weanling-to-beef operation in Passage East. Speaking to the News & Star, he echoed Mr Powers sentiments. The level of traceability and controls on Irish beef, European beef production is out of this world that 99,000 extra tonnes [of Mercosur beef], all it will be used for is to beat down the price of European beef, Mr Glasheen said. I'm all for the South America deal, but you cant have two different sets of rule books. I have a shed of cattle here now. I bought it for big money in the back end of last year, where beef was making a lot more money. Now I've been threatened by imports that it's going to reduce the price to beef. When I go to sell it, I'm going to possibly take a bad price for that beef. Irish Cattle and Sheep Association Development Chair Edmond Phelan, who operates a beef farm in Fenor, said the implications of the deal were wide-ranging. So if the meat factory buys at whatever price, they add their margin on, so they're okay, but it's the producer thats caught. It's an awful lot more than the producer is at stake here. It's public safety, public health. Remodelling Mr Power said that the Mercosur deal would likely force a change in operations on his farm. We have outside farms, and we would think that maybe we might let thembut now the dairy farmers are after getting a blow again, so they mightnt be interested in taking land. 2025 was generally seen as an excellent year for beef farmers, with cattle selling at all-time high prices. The case study of Brexit offers a glimpse of hope for beef farmers. Britainss exit from the EU prompted fears of an apocalyptic event for Irish farmers that now faced tariffs if they wished to sell to Irelands biggest trading partner. Irish farmers worried that cheaper Mercosur beef would suddenly become more attractive to British buyers. Figures show that Ireland has managed to avoid that doomsday scenario, with the overwhelming majority of the UKs beef imports still coming from Ireland, with only a small drop in volume post-Brexit. Mr Phelan did say that 2025 saw a surge of New Zealand beef arrive in the UK, with potential to eat into Irelands share of the market. Future The deal is now set to be decided on by the European Parliament in Strasbourg in two weeks. Governments disapproval to the Mercosur deal was forced by threats to the fulcrum of its existence, with junior minister for Agriculture Michael Healy Rae threatening to leave the coalition Government if Mercosur was not opposed. Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly attempted to delay the agreement of the deal made on January 9 over concerns surrounding Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding. Waterford farmers remain anxious looking into the future. I look at fellas like myself at the mart, and most of us are all grey-haired men, the next generations just not going to do it, said Mr Glasheen. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share A A A It is possible to realise just how inconsequential you are in the grand scheme of the universe, and simultaneously feel totally fine with that. Its a thought that came to me while lying blissfully in a hammock, staring at the canopy of treetops above, reaching metres into the sky. The trees are so tall they alter my idea of scale: I feel like an ant among them. The hammock was courtesy of the Evergreen Lodge on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park. The lodge is summer camp-coded: think Moonrise Kingdom or The Parent Trap, all timber-lined rooms, packing trunks and towering dark-green pines, with activities such as ziplines, giant chess and bocce scattered among the buildings and campground. There are make-your-own smores (an American confection of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and biscuits) each evening at one of the campfires dotted around the property. The trees were either Ponderosa or Sugar pines, yawning above like an optical illusion, giving the feeling of a kind of ground-floor vertigo. Though shorter than the giant sequoias that Yosemite is best known for, these trees can reach more than 250 feet (76 metres) or the height of a 20-storey building. The view from Aarti Betigeris hammock during a visit to Yosemite in 2023. Aarti Betigeri And, despite the smores, it was the trees I was here to see. Giant sequoias captured my attention when I was a very young child, leafing through a 1970s-era Childcraft encyclopedia. Encyclopedias, as I tell my child, are bound sets of books that we used in the time before Google to learn about the world. In the 80s, rich people would have an entire set of Encyclopedia Britanica on their shelves, a flamboyant visual cue about their dedication to learning. At home, we had Childcraft, an American-published set of 15 books aimed at children, each with a theme such as The Green Kingdom or How Things Work. I adored these books. In 1980s suburban Melbourne, my world was bounded by school, home, the 59 tram and the occasional trip to Lygon Street. It was multicultural, but not particularly wide. The books simultaneously drove and fed my insatiable curiosity about the rest of the world. I grew up one street north of the Essendon Airport boundary fence, and numerous times each week Id hear a roar and see the undercarriage of planes taking off. Where were they going? To places and worlds I might not experience in real life, but I had access to via the Childcraft pages. I was still learning to read, so would stare in fascination at the black and white photos of people gathered at the base of a giant tree, looking like twigs or branches against the thick trunk. Twenty or more people could stand at the base holding hands, I guessed. There were close-ups of bark, leaves, insects, squirrels. As my reading skills developed Id sound out the words. Yosemite, California. I thought it was pronounced Yowsee-mite, like Vegemite, until someone corrected me. Being able to say sequoia didnt land for a long time after that. Advertisement The photos showed the trees from underneath, reaching up towards the sky, much like the scene from my hammock, many years later. It felt a long way away, but at the same time, a key part of how I understood the natural world. Id added Yosemite to my bucket list and didnt think much about the giant sequoias until the COVID lockdowns, when my travel wishlist would appear to me in dreams. There I was at The Peak in Hong Kong, or at the Montreux Jazz Festival. But the trees kept edging their way in, climbing to the top. I looked them up again and there they were, in high-res photos far more sophisticated than what I remembered, towering overhead and dwarfing the people beneath them. Your sense of scale changes in adulthood, but not these they still looked unconquerable. They reminded me of the ents in The Lord of the Rings. El Capitan seen from Yosemites Merced River. iStock I also watched the 2018 documentary Free Solo, about the American climber Alex Honnold, who climbed Yosemites famous El Capitan numerous times before becoming the first person to free solo climb the vertical rock face that is, without ropes or protective gear. El Cap is about 2300 metres tall, and Honnold climbed it in just under four hours. Related Article Pop culture On a road trip across America, I knew the truth was out there. The aliens? Maybe not Imagine an Olympic gold medal-level achievement that if you dont get that gold medal youre gonna die, says fellow climber Tommy Caldwell in the film. Thats pretty much what free soloing El Cap is like. In the film, Honnold undergoes an MRI, which finds that his brain doesnt respond to fearful images the way most brains do: his amygdala doesnt activate. Ive had several ex-girlfriends tell me theres something wrong with me, Honnold ruefully tells the camera. I couldnt shake the thought of Honnold dangling from a sheer cliff face by his fingertips. Yosemite took on a more urgent quality in my mind: a place where the tension between nature and the human desire to dominate it is front and centre. Advertisement Finally, in 2023, I gave in, and booked a family trip to see the trees in person. My child was eight at the time, around the same age Id been when Id leafed through the encyclopedia. Theyre trees the size of a skyscraper, taller than probably the highest building in all of Canberra! I said. She shrugged, and bent her head back down, absorbed in Minecraft. Aarti Betigeri: I would stare in fascination at the black and white photos of people gathered at the base of a giant tree. In San Francisco I hired a car, against the murmurs of concern from family members. Are you sure you want to drive? The road isnt great. I blithely shrugged off their concern and insisted that driving was the only way. And the first two hours were relatively easy compared to central San Francisco, where I got stuck on top of a hill, unable to descend, desperately ignoring the cacophony of beeping from the cars behind. But after those two hours I realised my folly. Once the road swung upwards, there was no going back. The right side of the road, on which Americans drive, was on the outside edge of the peak, and packed with hairpin bends. There were no guardrails or trees, and the drop quickly became perilously steep. As I inched my way up, I kept my eyes on the crest. But there was nothing to see except bright blue sky and the sheer cliff faces of neighbouring peaks. As far as I knew, there was no road beyond it, just an edge into nothingness. Related Article Architecture A film about a house fed my crazy dream. Three weeks later, I was there The road was New Priest Grade Road. There is an Old Priest Grade Road, in use since the 1800s, that is far steeper and more direct. In some spots, it has a gradient of 20 per cent, according to the dangerousroads.org website. Locals use it with little fear (much like Honnold, he of the missing amygdala). While it was built in 1915 as a less treacherous alternative, New Priest Grade Road was still an intense experience, particularly for someone whod been driving in the US for less than a day. It took me about 40 minutes to drive less than 10 kilometres. There were pull-over spots, hanging precipitously over the side of the sheer-drop cliff, but they were smaller than a Kia hatchback, with no discernible space to enter or exit. The idea of pulling into one of them to let cars pass was more terrifying than the road itself, and I couldnt bring myself to do it. At one point a truck driver sped up to overtake and hurled Mountain Dew in an open plastic bottle at my window; the sticky substance exploded on the glass. Thankfully the window was closed. I didnt blame them, I would have done the same. Advertisement Advertisement NationalNSWFire They couldnt put them out: Blaze sinks superyachts at Mosman marina Jack Gramenz Updated January 9, 2026 11:00am ,first published January 9, 2026 3:37am 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 A boat owner has described how a fire ripped really quickly through superyachts at a marina on Sydneys lower north shore, sinking three and badly damaging a fourth as police frantically evacuated surrounding vessels. People were woken up and told to flee their boats after emergency services were called to the blaze at The Spit Marina, at the southern end of the Spit Bridge in Mosman, shortly before 3.30am on Friday. Loading Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said 40 firefighters were needed to contain the blaze, which caused millions of dollars in damage. Four people escaped the flames and NSW Ambulance paramedics treated a woman for smoke inhalation before she was taken to hospital in a stable condition. Dewberry said the blaze could have been even more destructive. Advertisement Theres dozens of boats and yachts and a lot of money, and people are living on some of these vessels as well, he told Nines Today program. Boat owner Andrew Carr said he was woken by police evacuating people about 4am. The fire is not currently being treated as suspicious. Fire and Rescue NSW Loud bang at the door, which is unusual when youre sleeping in your boat, he told Nine News. I got up, theres a police officer at the door, he said: Could you get off the boat theres been a fire on the dock. Advertisement They went through every boat, he knocked on everyones door. Carr recalled seeing clouds of toxic smoke as the fire on one boat quickly jumped to others. And burnt really, really quickly, I was really surprised. They couldnt put them out, Carr said. Vision from the scene shows one of the charred boats sinking. Authorities are investigating what sparked the blaze, but it is not currently being treated as suspicious. Advertisement NSW Port Authority boats were also involved in dousing the fire and helping to remove fuel and oils from the vessels to avoid contaminating the water. The Spit Marina site is operated by dAlbora and also houses a number of marine services, boat hire and brokerage services as well as a boat club and restaurants. Port Authority workers examining the scene. Sitthixay Ditthavong It is described as one of Sydney Harbours most prestigious boating precincts with dedicated superyacht berths. David Joyce, dAlboras head of marketing, said normal marina operations were expected to resume on Friday afternoon. Advertisement Our priority is ensuring safety on site, supporting authorities with their investigation and clean-up, and restoring safe operations as soon as possible. We have deployed significant resources to the site to assist with these tasks and minimise the disruption to our customers, he said. Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app. As coffee transforms from a popular lifestyle choice into a rapidly expanding industry, it is creating new opportunities for cross-border cooperation at China-Vietnam border ports. #GLOBALink Management said AGIs third-quarter filings were delayed because the company required additional time to confirm and finalize the accounting treatment of operations in Brazil after internal channels identified financial reporting and internal control matters requiring further evaluation. Householder added that, over a short period, AGI launched a new business model, secured several large projects, and formed an investment fund to support current and future projectssteps that improved profitable growth but increased complexity for financial reporting and audit review. CEO Paul Householder described the quarter as solid despite challenging market conditions, particularly in North American farm equipment. Management said the commercial segmentespecially internationallyremained strong and reflected progress from multi-year strategic initiatives focused on profitable organic growth, operational excellence, and balance sheet discipline. For the quarter, AGI posted consolidated revenue of CAD 389 million , up 9% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA was CAD 71 million , a 4% increase from the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 18.2% , down about 100 basis points from last year, which management said was primarily due to mix shifting toward commercial projects. Ag Growth International (TSE:AFN) reported third-quarter 2025 results showing year-over-year growth in revenue and adjusted EBITDA, while management also addressed a filing delay tied to accounting and internal control matters in Brazil and outlined steps to remediate a related material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. The commercial segmentled by Brazilremains the main growth driver with an order book of about CAD 667 million that is over 90% commercial ; AGI is monetizing Brazilian project receivables via an investment fund to ease working capital (net debt leverage was 3.9x ) and expects positive free cash flow once the fund is fully operational in 2026. Third-quarter filings were delayed after an internal review uncovered a material weakness in Brazil's internal controls over financial reporting; management said no restatement is required and remediation (including enhanced controls and training) is underway but not yet complete. AGI reported Q3 consolidated revenue of CAD 389 million (up 9% y/y) and adjusted EBITDA of CAD 71 million (up 4% ), while adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 18.2% (down ~100 bps) due to a mix shift toward commercial projects. Story Continues Power Hungry: Inside Metas Huge Investment in a Nuclear Strategy According to management, the audit committee conducted an independent and comprehensive review focused on Brazil, and the company identified opportunities to improve financial reporting processes and internal controls related to Brazil. The findings were determined to constitute a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. Executives said remediation actions are underway and described the goal as strengthening the foundation to handle complex Brazil opportunities and avoid future filing delays. In the Q&A, management characterized the weaknesses at a high level as including: Segregation of duties challenges typical of newer business activities with fewer people involved Need to enhance technical accounting knowledge and training for complex deal structures and legal agreements Additional review processes to ensure the right internal oversight Why Apple Chose Google to Power the Future of AI Executives said the review was focused on Brazil and that there were no reasons or concerns to extend the review to other regions. They also stated there was no restatement as a result of the review, while noting that some remediation actions (such as training and knowledge transfer) will take longer to complete and the material weakness could not yet be considered remediated. Commercial strength led by Brazil; order book heavily weighted to commercial Management emphasized strong commercial segment performance driven by large-scale international projects, with Brazil highlighted as a standout contributor. CFO Jim (last name not provided in the transcript) said the commercial segments adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 19.5% from 17.9% year over year, citing increased volume, project execution, and disciplined cost control. EMEA also contributed meaningfully, supported by major project execution in the Middle East and Africa. At quarter-end, AGIs order book was approximately CAD 667 million, up slightly year over year. Management said the order book was over 90% commercial, which increases sensitivity to the timing of securing large commercial projects and can create lumpiness in order intake. Executives said the company has shifted toward higher-value projects with longer execution timelines to improve revenue visibility and customer relationships while partially offsetting weak farm market demand. Farm market remains pressured; early order program feedback cautious In the farm segment, management said revenue declined year over year, with mixed regional performance. Brazil improved quarter over quarter in revenue and order book; the U.S. saw only a slight revenue decline and early signs of order book stabilization; and Canada softened after a strong 2024 and was described as broadly in line with the U.S. Executives pointed to low commodity prices pressuring farmer income and dealer inventory for portable equipment remaining above historical levels, despite declining through the third quarter. AGI said it launched its annual early order program for portable grain handling equipment and adjusted it for the current environment. Early feedback suggested purchasing trends may mirror last years weak performance, and management said it was too early to call a trough in the overall market. Executives said uncertainty in the North American farm market is expected to persist into early 2026, citing low crop prices, high dealer inventories, and ongoing uncertainty around tariffs and subsidies. Cash flow, leverage, and Brazil receivables monetization fund AGI reported a net debt leverage ratio of 3.9x, flat quarter over quarter. Management attributed the leverage level to sizable, but temporary working capital investments supporting large projects, particularly in Brazil. Operating cash flow was described as strong, while free cash flow was impacted by additional project financing requirements in Brazil. To address this dynamic, AGI discussed an investment fund structure in Brazil intended to monetize long-term financing receivables tied to large commercial projects. Management said the first monetization occurred shortly after Q3, with initial inflows collected in Q4, and additional inflows expected in early 2026. In the Q&A, executives said the administrative process in Brazil (including legal registration of collateral) can be onerous and is driving timing, though they emphasized no funding risk and said investors and committed capital are in place. Executives said AGI has previously discussed monetizing 60% to 80% of sales amounts at a minimum on applicable deals, while retaining some financing internally. They also said the company expects positive free cash flow in 2026 once the fund is up and running and moving very smoothly, adding that the structure should allow AGI to pursue large deals without consuming working capital to fund project costs. Separately, management said it initiated a payables optimization program with a Canadian financing institution to improve terms and extend average payables with certain high-volume suppliers, supporting cash flow and working capital. Looking ahead, management said fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA is expected to be lower sequentially and versus the prior year due to challenging market conditions, negative mix, and higher SG&A costs versus last years comparatively lower base. The CFO attributed the SG&A year-over-year dynamic largely to a prior-year adjustment to bonus accruals that lowered SG&A in Q4 2024. About Ag Growth International (TSE:AFN) Ag Growth International Inc manufactures portable and stationary grain handling, storage, and conditioning equipment, including augers, belt conveyors, grain storage bins, grain handling accessories, grain aeration equipment, and grain drying systems. The company operates mainly in Portable handling, permanent handling, storage and conditioning, livestock, and manufacturing sectors. Some of its brands are batco, wheatheart, westfield, storm, rem, hi roller, union iron, hsi, tramco, ptm, vis, nuvision, twister, grain guard, airlanco, westeel, frame, and entringer. The article "Ag Growth International Q3 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. Advertisement NationalNew Year Opinion The 7 things Ill never do again: my reverse-bucket list Margot Saville Deputy opinion editor January 10, 2026 2:00am January 10, 2026 2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Now that Ive reached middle age, when the time I have left to me is dwarfed by the time Ive squandered in unproductive activities like having a family and being nice to people, a bucket list seems all wrong. Do I have the time to train for Everest base camp? Of course not. Much simpler to write a reverse-bucket list things that Ive done in the past and will never do again. On the cancelled list: Camel riding (the author, Margot Saville, is seen here with her daughter Stella), and the boat that sunk ambitions. Illustration by Michael Howard 1. Paraphernalia sports Top of the list is anything to do with paraphernalia sports where the pleasure in the activity is outweighed by the sheer volume of equipment. No. 1 is boating. I was once part of a syndicate which owned a 1953 Halvorsen a timber boat from the golden age of maritime history. What this meant was your shipwright flew first-class to Europe every year because you had spent Aristotle Onassis-quantities of money on keeping it afloat and, in our case, trying to fix the toilet (sorry, head). Everyone had Marine Rescue NSW on speed dial because when youve broken down in the main shipping channel in Sydney Harbour and a 150,000-tonne cruise boat is due in 15 minutes, you need a tow fast. I assume that owning an E-Type Jag is a similar experience, at about half of 1 per cent of the cost. Advertisement In the 20 years we owned the boat, I spent about six hours relaxing on the water with a drink in my hand which works out at about $500,000 an hour. It would have been cheaper to charter the QEII. Our boat, the Kristina. Not quite the Onassis Christina O. 2. Long performances Attend any theatrical performance that lasts longer than 1 hours one hour if the word harrowing appears on the poster. Recently, I went to see Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which clocks in at more than three hours. At the second interval I said to my friend: Look the kid is made up, theres much more crying and if we leave now we can have dinner. Exeunt. In 2023, I saw the first half of On the Beach, an uncanny, post-apocalyptic vision of a world where nuclear fallout is wiping out the population. One hour in, we agreed that it really wasnt killing them fast enough and was the bar still open? I can highly recommend smaller theatre companies which for budgetary reasons put on much shorter plays, thus forcing the playwright to, praise the lord, get to the !$%#ing point. Advertisement Members of the cast from Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Prudence Upton 3. Go camping After a relationship-ending long weekend involving a South Coast caravan park, a Category 5 cyclone and a UTI, I have vowed that I will never again stay anywhere less comfortable than my own space. I like grass, but not enough to sleep on it. 4. Culinary Roulette Go to a dinner party, when there are better alternatives. In a restaurant, you have more control over your food and your dining companions, so why risk culinary roulette? Evidently, its considered rude to ring up the host to negotiate over the menu and the guest list. Or offer dinner-rescuing advice about how long to rest meat before you eat it (I was just trying to help!). There is no need to eat bad food while trapped next to someone with strong opinions on immigration and their gut flora when the solution is at hand. A booking. Advertisement There is one glaring exception to that rule ... 5. Tasting menus Related Article New Year Instead of big resolutions, I keep track of lifes smaller moments Ive been to a few restaurants with a tasting menu the evening starts out well with delicious tiny snacks and free-flowing drinks. However, by the time your waiter has interrupted your conversation for the fourth time to tell you about the offal with sea moss, youve run out of patience, and appetite. In an excellent article entitled Nibbled to Death, former New York Times food reviewer Pete Wells wrote that sometimes the consumer of such a meal may feel as much like a victim as a guest. The reservation is hard won, the night is exhausting, the food is cold, the interruptions are frequent. The courses blur, the palate flags and the check stings. Exactly. Advertisement 6. Camel riding A few years ago, we had a family holiday in Morocco. One afternoon, my daughter and I found ourselves way up high atop large dromedaries, heading for the Sahara. It took a while to realise that, owing to a catastrophic communication breakdown, our sunset drinks were, in fact, an overnight camp in the desert. A bloodthirsty Islamist uprising against the government of Mali was taking place on the other side of the dunes, and that wasnt even my biggest concern. Somehow, the next day, I had to climb back on that animal to get home. Chafing doesnt come close. Margot Saville and her daughter Stella on the camels (which spit, a lot). 7. Wear a jumpsuit Because Im lazy about my appearance, I like the one and done style of dressing. But the last time I wore a jumpsuit it was at a country party, where there were portaloos in the paddocks and industrial quantities of booze. If you can remove most of your clothing and hold it up off the (frankly unsavory) floor while also holding a handbag, in heels, then you have better balance than me. Advertisement Theres plenty more as well as the reverse-bucket list theres a whole other category which I call Zero-Probability Events, things Ive never done and have absolutely no intention of doing, no matter how long I live. They include threesomes, bungee-jumping and owning a snake. At this age, I know my limits. Margot Saville is the Heralds deputy opinion editor. A behemoth fire burning in Victorias far north-east has grown ahead of more dangerous fire conditions on Sunday. However, milder conditions in the coming days are expected to give firefighters a better chance at containing blazes, which are expected to burn for weeks. The Longwood fire stood stable at 142,421 hectares on Saturday evening, while the Walwa fire stretching over the NSW border grew to 93,456 hectares an increase of some 400 hectares. A high fire danger rating was declared for Victorias north for Sunday, while in the states south, State Control Centre spokeswoman Reegan Key said conditions would be low to moderate. We do have those cooler conditions, and the winds will abate over this week on and off, so its better conditions for firefighters to be able to direct attack fires, Key told this masthead on Saturday. It was too early to determine what communities down south could still be caught up in fires in the Otways, which remained at emergency level on Saturday night, Key said. A total fire ban would still be in effect across Victoria on Sunday, to ensure we dont have more fires while conditions are good, Key said. The main town under threat from the Walwa blaze was the town of Corryong in Victorias far north-east. Late Saturday communities in the Mitta Valley were directed to leave immediately. Temperatures on Saturday at Corryong reached the mid-30s, the Bureau of Meteorologys Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said. The nearby Hunters Hill weather station was recording humidity in the single digits. The heat and the dryness are still lingering up there, which is unfortunate for them. The winds are a bit more variable, but also lighter because of that. So it makes things unpredictable, Sherwin-Simpson said. Corryong is forecast to reach a maximum of 33 degrees on Sunday. Melbourne is forecast to reach a top of 19 degrees, while Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road should hit 17 degrees. No significant rainfall was forecast over the fire grounds in the next couple of days. There could be a couple of spots that make it up into the north-east, around the Walma fire and more central parts around that Longwood fire, Sherwin-Simpson said. But really the bulk of the rainfall is going to stay south of the ranges so I dont think itll help out those major fires a huge amount. Advertisement PoliticsNSWBondi shooting Bondi hero bound for treatment in Israel after bungle, while Ahmed honoured in US Aidan Elwig Pollock January 9, 2026 9:19am 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 Bondi hero Gefen Bitton is due to land in Israel on Friday local time for specialist medical treatment, after a paperwork mix-up stalled passage over Indonesian airspace. Bitton, who was filmed running to assist when Ahmed al Ahmed famously wrestled a weapon from one of the two gunmen who killed 15 people at Bondi Beach on December 14, suffered three gunshot wounds during the massacre and left St Vincents Hospital in a stable condition. Gefen Bitton accompanied Ahmed al Ahmed as he wrestled a rifle from Sajid Akram. According to a statement from the 30-year-old Israeli nationals family, on arrival, [Bitton] will be transferred directly to the ICU at Sheba hospital for further treatment. Bitton is being transported to Israel by Jewish volunteer health organisation Hatzolah. Advertisement Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong thanked Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for their role in facilitating the flight. We are grateful for their support and swift response, she said. Delays resulted from a paperwork mistake, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked with Indonesia to quickly resolve the issue. According to his family, Bitton initially ran to seek cover with a friend during the attack, but returned to confront the shooters. Loading His family thanked the professional and dedicated NSW Health staff at St Vincents Hospital. Similarly, we thank the medical teams from Sheba who supported the process from afar. Advertisement They also thanked the Australian Jewish community for their support, guidance and assistance, and acknowledged the support of the people of Australia as a whole. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bitton at St Vincents Hospital on Wednesday night, before he was medevaced on Thursday. Albanese said Bitton was suffering from severe injuries, but said he had been shown a photo of the patient safely aboard. Bitton has been granted permanent residency in Australia, should he return from Israel following his recovery. Editor's pick Exclusive Bondi shooting Luca dreams of becoming a paramedic. He was one of the first on the scene after the Bondi attack Five Bondi attack victims remain in hospital in Sydney today, according to a spokesperson for NSW Health. Advertisement One victim remains in a critical but stable condition 26 days on from the deadly attack, while the rest are in a stable condition. Bitton appeared in widely shared footage alongside Ahmed as the latter disarmed the gunman. Gefen had escaped, he was safe, but when he saw the terrorist, he ran into the line of fire to help, Bittons family said. Gefens put his own life at risk with his selfless actions [sic]. Ahmed remains in the US for medical treatment, and speculation is mounting he may meet US President Donald Trump on his visit. His trip has included special guest attendance at the Colel Chabad Gala dinner in New York. Ahmed posted a photograph to his social media posing with NYPD officers, and described Trump as a hero of the world, fuelling speculation about a possible meeting with the American president. Advertisement Ahmed spoke to CNN on Wednesday (local time) and was asked why he did not shoot the gunman from whom he wrestled the firearm. Related Article Bondi shooting Bondi hero Ahmed al Ahmed to be feted at Jewish gala in New York I get five shots, its fine to save life. My blood for my country, Australia, and for human beings around the whole world, anywhere and any place, Ahmed said. I did it as a human being. I didnt shoot him because I was doing it as humility, to stop him to kill more innocent human beings. Ahmed also met Australias ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, in New York. The pair discussed Ahmeds injury, his motivation for confronting the Bondi shooters, and Rudds prime ministership. You were my hero you were the best prime minister for Australia, Ahmed told Rudd. Advertisement Thank you for saying that, but my contributions been quite small, yours were very large, Rudd replied. In the same meeting, Ahmed shook hands with Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. Trump has been among those who have praised Ahmed as a hero for his bravery at Bondi. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Exclusive PoliticsNSWBondi shooting Why armed guards are licensed to protect sacred books, not Jewish lives Patrick Begley January 10, 2026 2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Armed security officers at Jewish schools and synagogues are carrying weapons to protect Torah scrolls and candelabras, not human lives, according to their licence conditions. NSW firearm laws clearly dictate that the protection of people is not a genuine reason to hold a weapons permit, industry professionals and academics say. A guard outside a Jewish school in Sydney in January last year. Steven Siewert But in a work-around practice also used by wealthy individuals outside the Jewish community, gun licences granted to guard property assets are offering protection for people against the threat of deadly violence. The NSW government has avoided questions about the legal status of the arrangements, as Premier Chris Minns considers whether private guards should now be allowed to carry weapons in public at Jewish events. Advertisement The premier said last week that arming the not-for-profit Jewish Community Security Group (CSG) would be the safest way to provide an extreme deterrent at events such as the Hanukkah celebration that was targeted in the Bondi mass shooting. I think thats a small price to pay, Minns said. Its important to note that for static locations, like synagogues and Jewish schools, in many cases, the CSG is already armed. NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley. Dominic Lorrimer Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a shootout with police at the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach on December 14 and his son Naveed Akram, 24, was charged with the murder of 15 festival-goers and the attempted murder of 40 others. Long before the Bondi massacre, the presence of CSG members or private contractors at the gates of Jewish premises highlighted the dangers of antisemitic violence, which ASIO last year ranked as the agencys number one priority when it came to threats to life. Advertisement According to Sayeret Security owner Stephen Vogel, who works with a number of Jewish clients, guards are technically licensed to protect precious objects, including ornaments, sacred books and Torah scrolls. The way it works is, if youre a licensed armed guard, youre protecting an asset, Vogel said. Youre there at the front. Youre armed. So thats your primary function. But obviously, if somebody comes and tries to infiltrate or attack that asset, youre allowed to defend yourself or a third party. Antisemitic graffiti at Maroubra in January last year. Rhett Wyman Vogel said he supported clarifying the law to allow for the protection of human life as a primary purpose of a licence. He also backed a move to allow armed guards in public, as long as they were vetted for marksmanship and weapons handling. Advertisement There is a threat out there, and we need to have the tools to be able to respond, he said. Vincent Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University, said there was an implied understanding that armed guards were not only protecting property but allowing Jewish people to worship freely and go to school freely. Expanding the use of armed security to events held in public was fraught with danger, the former police officer said. Were not a gun culture, like the US. If someone is armed, and it goes wrong, then you can imagine the litigation. Police outside the Great Synagogue in Sydney. Ben Symons Hurley predicted that other vulnerable communities, such as Muslim or Indian Australians, would apply for armed bodyguard licences unless the laws were confined to Jewish events only. Advertisement David Dixon, an emeritus professor of law at the University of NSW, said that in the case of armed guards at Jewish institutions,its inevitable that what they are doing is protecting people. As for allowing guards to carry weapons in public spaces, Dixon said: Because of this horrible event [at Bondi], people are rushing to consider things which, in other circumstances, they would be much more cautious about. Related Article NSW State Parliament NSW could still need state inquiry into Bondi terror attack: Minns Neither the premier nor Police Minister Yasmin Catley would comment directly when asked about the legal basis for armed guards at schools and synagogues or whether the government would need new laws to introduce armed personal protection in public. Catley did say that after the Bondi terrorist attack, more than 450 police officers were deployed as part of Operation Shelter to protect the public and restore confidence in our shared spaces. Advertisement Decisions regarding licensing and equipping of CSG [Community Security Group] are being carefully considered by the NSW Police Force, she said. NSW Police said that armed guards at Jewish institutions were licensed to protect approved classes of property. The legislation does not provide for the issue of a licence or permit for the possession or use of firearms for personal protection or the protection of another person, a spokesperson said. When asked about the number of licensed armed guards, NSW Police said to apply for the information via a formal request under freedom-of-information laws. The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, which runs the Community Security Group, declined to answer questions. Last year, the CSG recorded 1044 antisemitic incidents. Advertisement Travel newsTraveller letters Calling an entire country overrated? Sounds like snobbery Each week Traveller publishes a selection of rants, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below on how you can contribute. January 10, 2026 2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A Overrated list overrated Vietnam was a country our writers named as overrated. iStock Dismissing entire nations or cities as overrated (Traveller, December 12) indicates a lack of curiosity or perhaps elitism. Travel is a luxury, and everyone who looks can find rewarding, memorable experiences by exploring beyond what a travel expert recommends. If visible homelessness, pricey cities, overcrowding, humidity, traffic congestion, kitschy tourist traps [and] sprawling metropolises make tourist destinations overrated, then its a wonder anyone visits Australia. Simon Tatz, Newport, Vic Letter of the week: Go beyond The real Venice can be found beyond the obvious tourist haunts. iStock Advertisement Your travel teams dismissal of Venice as being overrated (Traveller, December 12) reveals more about their approach than the city itself. Venice rewards those willing to look beyond the obvious. Stay in Cannaregio, not San Marco. Rise early when locals reclaim their streets. Wander eastern Castello where neighbourhood bacari serve Venetians, not tourists. That 15 ($26) spritz in Piazza San Marco costs 3 or 4 ($5.50 to $7) three canals away. Yes, Venice has tourist traps, as does Paris, Rome and every beloved destination. The tragedy isnt that Venice is overrated, its that surface-level tourism has convinced people it is. Chris Jack, Dee Why, NSW Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Cistern act Istanbul may be overrated as a cheap destination (Traveller, December 12) but take a step away from the main drawcards and your hip pocket will be happy. Visit the Little Aya Sofya for free, smaller than her big sister means no queuing, and youll enjoy peace and quiet. And instead of the Basilica Cistern (again with exorbitant entrance fees and queues) not far from the Grand Bazaar is the Serefiye Cistern. At half the entrance fee, its smaller but with fewer people, its a wonderful experience and definitely underrated. Not forgetting the friendliest locals we met anywhere in the Mediterranean, Istanbul is definitely worth the visit. Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic Azores point Your characterisation of The Azores as the Hawaii of Europe is not entirely accurate (Traveller, December 19). Yes, like Hawaii, there are hot springs and ponds of boiling mud, but the weather is hardly tropical and, by the way, whale-watching tours occur only in summer. We visited Sao Miguel, the largest island, in April, 2024, and it was wet, chilly and so windy that our plane couldnt land. We had to return to Lisbon and try again the following day, a regular occurrence. On the upside, there is an interesting tea plantation and lush, semi-tropical vegetation, albeit with clear evidence of frequent heavy mud slides. Hikers beware. Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow, NSW Advertisement Steering committee Bangkoks notorious traffic is rated as among Asias most challenging for those who dare drive in it. IStock Michael Gebickis recent column about motoring abroad (Traveller, November 24), was amusing, but I strongly disagree with his conclusion regardless of how local drivers behave, dont do anything you wouldnt do at home. After 60 years driving aboard in all sorts of vehicles, conditions and road rules, my advice would be exactly the opposite. Watch how the locals drive, and blend in to their system. Insistence on little-known Australian concepts of correct etiquette is a sure way of getting into accidents. Ive found Bangkok and Taipei to be two of the most challenging cities in Asia, although I still self-drive hire cars in Phuket and Kaohsiung in the same two countries. Bruce Maxwell, Hervey Bay, Qld Pillow talk Lee Tullochs column on hotel cleaners (Traveller, December 13), aptly describes our rooms cleaned and prepped by an army of housekeepers. Yes, they are mainly women, underpaid, overworked, undervalued, employed to do the most menial job, endure long shifts, low pay and lack of opportunity to move up the career ladder. Keeping that in mind I always leave a tip on my bed daily with a note thanking them for their service. Wouldnt it be nice if the majority of the hotel guests do this and perk up their lives even if for one day? Sanda Aye, Footscray, Vic Advertisement Air enforce Airlines really should enforce the rule of one cabin bag per passenger only. In addition, the storage space above your seats is the designated place for your cabin bags. If you bring too many bags and cant store them above your seats, then you need to check in your luggage. Vincent Chong, Beecroft, NSW Qantas bagging If Rob Murray had been successful claiming for his damaged case from Qantas he would still be disappointed. We claimed successfully but rather than cash or a credit note of some kind we were sent to an obscure shop in the city to choose a replacement. Common brands were not available, and it was a matter of choosing from a limited range of luggage. Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew, Vic Worst Indies Advertisement The eastern Caribbean island nation of St Lucia features a pair of dramatically tapered mountains. iStock My handful of Christmas cards posted November last year, while in St Lucia in the Caribbean, have finally reached home. Presumably they swam. I shall never critique Australia Post ever again. Mark Latchford, Seaforth, NSW Overtourism overstated With all forms of media carrying stories of overtourism, we decided to focus our seven-week road trip in the south-west of the US on the lesser-known places. We were rewarded with equivalent spectacle, interesting histories, and quirky geology shared with dozens, not thousands and without the glitz and queues. There are so many off-the-radar places to choose from that we only saw one tenth of what is available. Pecos and Bandelier Pueblos, Nambe Badlands, Chaco Canyon, the oil town of Farmington, Durango, Tonto cliff dwellings to name a few. Each place has its own story, and they are much more enriching when enjoyed in relative solitude. And while I am at it, please remember a meal in a diner or a visit to Walmart can be just as rewarding and insightful to the American way as the grand monuments. John Stone, Brunswick, Vic Not easy being greener Advertisement Be warned that the 500 Greener Stay points earned on IHG Hotel reservations only apply to stays of at least two nights on the same booking reference. Due to a change of plans, I was forced to make two separate bookings for a three-night stay at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise recently. Despite being gratefully allocated the same Sea View Room, IHG only allocated Greener Points for one instead of two nights. Forgoing eco-wasteful daily room service comes with a catch: long stays in the same room have to be consolidated into a single booking reference. Smacks of IHG green-casting and short-changing the eco-conscientious tourist. Joseph Ting, Carina, Qld Big dipper Simon Johansons article on the Hurtigruten coastal voyage in Norway from Bergen brought back memories of a similar trip I did nearly 50 years ago. My plan was to see the midnight sun, so I carefully chose and booked my sailing date. I was not disappointed. Seeing the sun dip down to the water, not quite touching, and then rising again brought gasps of awe from those of us sitting on the deck in the cool early morning light. This fascinating voyage is part of the many scenic delights of Norway. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW Tip of the week: Gone on the Ghan The journey on The Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin is one of the worlds greatest. Advertisement We recently travelled from Darwin to Adelaide on The Ghan. What a wonderful experience. We were in Platinum class and our cabin was very functional with a small bathroom and comfortable beds. The trip was all-inclusive with a regionally inspired menu paired with a selection of local wines. The staff were warm, friendly and helpful. Our off-train experiences in Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy were memorable. A highlight was dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station in Alice Springs where we enjoyed a wonderful meal, music with a live band and a guide who showed us the stars in the dark sky using a laser pointer. Our fellow travellers came from all over the world including a young couple from New York on their honeymoon. Alison Steinmetz, Chipping Norton, Vic Planet Planit New Zealand, a nation renowned for its drops and drop-dead views. Getty We used the website Planit.co as our booking agency for a two-week New Zealand holiday, and they exceeded expectations. They organised all our activities many at discounted rates with fast, friendly communication and excellent local knowledge. Their recommendations for car-hire, tours, skydiving, rafting, glacier hikes and black-water caving were all top-quality. Despite unpredictable West Coast weather, they stayed in constant contact and proactively helped reschedule plans, keeping everything stress-free. We couldnt have managed such a full itinerary without their professional and caring service. Sara Brims, Bentleigh East, Vic Plaice of worship Advertisement Many travellers will know the experience, driving into a town and then at dinner time, trying to find somewhere to have a meal, however, when your hosts are locals it makes it easier. In Port Pirie, South Australia, the oldest stone church in the city, the 1878-built Congregational Church on Florence Street is now the centre of worship for those seeking sustenance for the sole. The Church of Fish & Chips (originally Barnacle Bills) provides a menu well beyond the loaves and fishes recorded in the Good News. Dining in, you can marvel at the architectural grandeur of the former worship space, while those waiting for takeaway can take a pew. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW Driving force A road weaves its way through a picturesque valley in Boge, Albania. Getty We holidayed in Albania in October, hiring a local car with a driver from Fatmir Aliko at Limitless Albania. They arranged all of our accommodation in hotels suitable to us, consulting us throughout the planning process. Our driver, Marin, was courteous and knowledgeable, taking us to off-the-beaten-track locales. He was a font of information about local flora and fauna, history, politics and economic matters. The car was a small Toyota that had seen some miles, but it was reliable and served its purpose. For the service and convenience, we thought that it was good value. Doug Vorbach, Narwee, NSW Local heroes Advertisement My best travel tip is to use Tours by Locals. I highly recommend them, especially when travelling overseas because the tour guides passion and profound knowledge of the area truly provide an excellent insight. Rachael Stanley, Williamstown, Vic Adored paradors The ancient Roman aqueduct is a premier attraction in Segovia, Spain. Getty Travelling in Spain for us has always been significantly enhanced by staying in paradors, Spanish government-run hotels in historic buildings such as castles, and monasteries. On occasions, they were specially built to showcase views, such as in the cities of Segovia and Toledo. Paradors vary in price, but many are reasonable and all have great character and individuality. Louisa & Lachlan Pitcher, Surrey Hills, Vic Baristas, bar none Advertisement I have recently returned from a holiday in Germany, Switzerland and the Lombardo area in Italy. I found the coffee in these countries disappointing, especially in Germany. Many bakeries have automatic coffee machines that produce a tasteless, fluffy flat white. I thank our Australian baristas, who take making coffee seriously. They give time to sourcing the right beans and often roast the beans themselves. And, of course, they have proper espresso machines. Pam Montgomery, Pretty Beach, NSW Happy places Editors note: We recently launched a new series, My Happy Place, where Travellers writers reflect on the holiday destinations in Australia and around the world that they cherish the most. We also invited you to submit your happy places. Heres a selection. Donegal, Ireland is my happy place. Rolling green hills, dotted with shaggy black-faced sheep, whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs, whispers of smoke as hints to continued occupancy: bliss. To sit, warming hands around a mug of tea beside a peat fire, in a cottage in rural County Donegal, gazing out at a wind ruffled loch, is beyond happiness it is total contentment. Boronia Davie, North Rocks, NSW For me it is Ku-ring-gai National Park. Only several kilometres from home, its where I always find myself. Swimming at McCarrs Creek, midsummer night fishing at Akuna Bay, tackling the vertical trek down to Flint and Steel Beach. Ive stumbled upon rock paintings and ancient middens newly revealed after a deluge, and wandered inland tidal beaches where the last of the Barrenjoey people lived and died, reflecting on all that has been lost but what remains eternal. Luisa Moore, Castlecrag, NSW Advertisement My happy place is Penang and Malaysia in general, with its swaying palms and beautiful beaches, friendly locals, amazing food from the amalgamation of Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisines, nature hikes, street art and urban shopping malls with goodies to buy, there is something for everyone. In writing this, I realise what truly makes a happy place special and extraordinary are the people. People who love to eat and proudly tell you where the best places to eat are, people who help you find a secret bar down an alleyway. People who welcome others with open arms. Thats Malaysia. Min Lim, Fitzroy North, Vic The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Traveller letters For subscribers Advertisement WorldMiddle EastMiddle East tensions Iranian authorities struggle to contain growing demonstrations Yeganeh Torbati January 10, 2026 2:18am 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 Istanbul: The Iranian government is struggling to contain protests that began late last month with merchants in Tehran and have exploded into mass demonstrations and extended strikes in cities and towns across the country. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in remarks on Friday, Tehran time, that the government would not back down against the protesters, whom he described as vandals. A screen grab showing people blocking an intersection during a protest in Tehran on Friday (AEDT). AP In the modest city of Abdanan, a large crowd marched on Tuesday night, shouting for the death of Khamenei. In the major city of Mashhad on Wednesday night, people tore down an enormous flag bearing the Islamic republics emblem and ripped it into shreds. On Thursday evening, masses of Iranians took to the streets following a call from Irans former crown prince. And in a new and potentially portentous turn, many businesses have shut down their storefronts, bringing much of the countrys already ailing economy to a standstill. Security forces have responded with violence in many instances, including killing protesters, raiding hospitals and arresting thousands, according to human rights groups. Estimates of the death toll range from at least 27 to 36 people, according to tallies by human rights groups. The Centre for Human Rights in Iran said during the week that six children have been killed by security forces. Advertisement Khamenei sought to downplay the mass demonstrations and smear them as directed by the US: Last night [Thursday] in Tehran, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building that belonged to themselves to please the president of the United States. The latest protests started last month with Tehran shopkeepers whose businesses have been wrecked by the recent depreciation of the Iranian rial, then spread and drew in others across the country. Related Article Middle East tensions Iran hospital raid fuels protest anger as crackdown kills 29 Some videos shared online have shown the security forces at times overwhelmed by the size of the gatherings. And despite the repression and official announcements of modest economic changes, including monthly payments worth $US7 ($10.45) to households for purchasing basic food items, the protests appear to be gaining momentum. They havent accepted the legitimacy of even the most basic demands of this people, so now people are at the edge, said Omid, 55, a carpet store owner in the capital, Tehran, in an interview on Wednesday. That day, security forces had countered protesters in the Tehran bazaar with tear gas, videos showed. Like other Iranians interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition that he not be fully named for fear of government reprisal. Advertisement Large crowds took to the streets on Thursday night in the countrys biggest cities, including Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan, as well as other cities from large to small after former crown prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iranians to protest. Pahlavi wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Tuesday that he sees himself as a unifying figure to help Iran transition toward democracy, rather than a ruler-in-waiting. The size of the crowds on Thursday night reminded some participants and observers of the 2009 Green Movement, when an estimated 3 million Iranians took to the streets on a single day in Tehran. In Iranian demonstrations since then, turnout has tended to be smaller and more scattered, in part due to the security crackdown. But not so on Thursday night. A government cost-of-living handout of $10.45 a month has failed to stem the protests. AP Yaser, a Tehran resident, said in a voice message to The Washington Post while in the midst of a march about 8.30pm that men, women and children had joined in. Theyre out as families, he said. You wont believe it. Videos shared by Persian-language news outlets outside Iran corroborated his account of large marches in the capital. Enghelab (Revolution) Street, a popular site for protests, was packed, Yaser said. Some people had lit rubbish bins on fire to ward off the effects of tear gas, he said, though there were far fewer security forces out on the streets than he had expected. As he spoke, chants of death to the dictator could be heard in the background. Advertisement The internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Thursday that Iran was now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout. The government has throttled the internet in past rounds of unrest, trying to block information about developments from circulating. Sohrab, 50, a resident of the northern city of Rasht, said earlier that there had been protests at the citys Shahrdari Square on Wednesday morning. Most shops were closed, and the scene was tense and chaotic, he said. This video grab from footage released by Iranian state television shows burning vehicles during a night of mass protests in Tehran. AP A few minutes ago a plainclothes agent was beating a guy in his head and face in front of me, he said Wednesday. And then on another corner a group of them started running behind two young guys, but it was impossible to say what they were escaping from and what the forces were after. It is like random bits and pieces of violence here and there. Nazanin, 35, lives in Semnan, a city in north-central Iran that has seen little unrest in the past, even during the widespread demonstrations in 2022. But this week, there was a small protest there, she said, with people chanting, Javid shah, or Long live the king, an expression of support for Irans deposed monarchy. Advertisement On Thursday, Nazanin said, at least a third of the businesses in Semnan were closed. And they were not alone. In western parts of the country, where the countrys Kurdish population is concentrated, businesses appeared to largely abide by a call by Kurdish political parties to shutter their businesses. People in Tehran, Rasht and Mashhad - major Iranian cities in different parts of the country - said in interviews that the vast majority of shops in their areas were also closed. Shops that were open included supermarkets, where Iranians were having trouble finding basic goods, especially cooking oil. Related Video Video icon 1:48 Anti-government protests continue to intensify across Iran If the suspension of economic activity continues, it could prove significant. Large-scale closures of businesses have been largely absent from past rounds of protest in Iran in recent decades. Everyone is on a strike now, said Amir, a food vendor in Karaj, near Tehran, on Wednesday. The economy has collapsed. The bazaar has collapsed. One of my acquaintances in the bazaar said, If they want to shoot and kill us, let them! We have had enough. Advertisement Irans government has repeatedly faced street protests, especially since 2017 an average of one mass protest movement every two years. Each time, the authorities have managed to suppress the demonstrations through force, including mass arrests and killings. Several Iranians interviewed by The Post pointed to President Donald Trumps public support for the protesters as adding to peoples motivation to resist. Trump has said the United States would intervene if Iranian authorities kill protesters, though its unclear what that intervention would look like. A man rides his bicycle past shops that have been closed during protests in Tehrans centuries-old main bazaar earlier this week. AP Authorities have also been calling and threatening people who post messages in support of the protests on their social media accounts. One woman, a book blogger in her 30s with about 35,000 Instagram followers, said she received such a call last week after praising the bravery of Iranian protesters and urging solidarity. The caller identified himself as an intelligence officer and told her she had 30 minutes to remove her posts or she would face a criminal case. This time, all of those injustices that have been done to us have accumulated, and people are out on the street because of those injustices, she said. There is a lot more anger this time, and people are much more hopeful. The more it goes on, the more people are coming out. Advertisement Ali Sharifi-Zarchi, a widely respected computer engineering professor at the elite Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, posted a simple, five-word message in Persian on his X account on Monday: Ali Khameneis not my leader. It was a startling statement in a country where criticising Khamenei so directly has long been considered to be crossing a red line, even as Iranian presidents and other officials are often harshly attacked by their rivals and the media. Employment at a public university like Sharif, and indeed any prominent institution in Iran, is impossible for those considered to be firmly and openly opposed to the government. Sharifi-Zarchi did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Outside Sharifi-Zarchis office door, the Basij, the state militia that often cracks down on protests, pasted images of his post, social media posts by Trump and a sign that read, Speaking in the same voice as the enemy. The group posted a picture of what it had done to the X platform. Sharifi-Zarchi, in turn, shared a screenshot of the Basijs X post and wrote: The enemies of the Iranian people are those who attack hospitals, deploy tear gas in the metro, and respond to unarmed protesters with live ammunition. Advertisement On Thursday, he had a simpler message: The victory of the Iranian people is near. The Washington Post Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Advertisement WorldMiddle EastProtests Tool of repression: Iran is cut off from the internet as protests intensify Pranav Baskar and Sanam Mahoozi January 9, 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 Iran was plunged into a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday, internet monitoring groups said, amid widespread protests over dire economic conditions and anger at the Islamic Republic. As the government cracked down in various cities, internet connectivity data showed an abrupt and near-total drop in connection levels in Iran on Thursday afternoon, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, and the Georgia Institute of Technologys Internet Outage Detection and Analysis database. The data indicates that the country is almost completely offline. Merchants and business owners in the traditional bazaars in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Kerman closed their shops to protest at the dire state of the economy and the plunging currency. AP Iranian officials did not immediately respond to questions about the cause of the shutdown, but the government has previously enforced internet blackouts during moments of crisis. During the countrys 12-day war with Israel last June, Iran blocked access to the internet, saying that it was a necessary security measure to stop Israeli infiltration. That measure also cut off the flow of information to the rest of the world. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Middle East tensions The mood on Irans streets seems to be desperation rather than hope Kylie Moore-Gilbert Political scientist and writer Experts believe that pattern is being repeated. NetBlocks said in posts on social media that the shutdown was likely to severely limit coverage of events on the ground as protests spread. We are in a situation that can be described as a near-total internet shutdown, said Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at the Miaan Group, a US-based human rights organisation focused on the Middle East. The method of disruption is exactly the same as the one used during the 12-day war. As the protest movement has spread to cities across the country, the head of Irans judiciary and the countrys chief of security forces told Iranian media that stern measures would be taken against protesters. Merchants and business owners in the traditional bazaars in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad and Kerman had closed their shops to protest at the dire state of the economy and the plunging currency, according to interviews with witnesses and Iranian news media reports. Videos from multiple cities taken by protesters and passers-by showed crowds chanting Death to the dictator, Freedom, freedom, freedom and Dont be afraid, we are all together. Advertisement Related Article Middle East tensions Iran hospital raid fuels protest anger as crackdown kills 29 The Iranian government uses internet shutdowns as a tool of repression, said Omid Memarian, an Iranian human rights expert and senior fellow at DAWN, a Washington-based organisation focused on the Middle East. Whenever protests reach a critical point, authorities sever the countrys connection to the global internet to isolate protesters and limit their communication with the outside world. Iran has partly censored the internet since 2005, with social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram blocked across the country. But many Iranians use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to circumvent those restrictions. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Advertisement WorldNorth AmericaSpace NASA to bring astronaut home in first-ever space medical evacuation Loren Grush and Danny Lee January 9, 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 Key points NASA cites an inability to treat the condition on the ISS. The crew includes US, Japanese and Russian astronauts. An earlier spacewalk was cancelled due to medical concerns. NASA will conduct a medical evacuation of an astronaut suffering an undisclosed ailment aboard the International Space Station, agency officials said. The early return in the coming days will mark the first time in NASAs history that the agency has cut short a crewed mission already in space for medical reasons. Crew-11 astronauts (from left) Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Oleg Platonov and Kimiya Yui in August, before their launch to the International Space Station. Getty Images The astronaut is absolutely stable, Dr James Polk, NASAs chief health and medical officer, told reporters. Were not immediately disembarking and getting the astronaut down, but it leaves that lingering risk and lingering question as to what that diagnosis is. The astronaut will return with the three other members of their mission, called Crew-11, which launched to the International Space Station in August. The mission was scheduled to last six months, like most of NASAs astronaut missions to the space station, but the emergency return will cut more than a month from their trip. Advertisement The team on the mission comprises NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencys Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Related Article Updated Space What a ride: After 286 days stuck in orbit, Butch and Suni finally get home NASA first acknowledged the medical episode on Wednesday, when the space agency abruptly postponed a January 8 spacewalk in light of the emerging health concern. The capability to diagnose and treat this properly does not live on the International Space Station, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters. And I think theres pretty broad agreement across our experts here on the ground, as well as the crew members in space. NASA officials would not disclose the name of the astronaut, nor the specific medical condition, citing privacy reasons. However, Polk said the ailment was unrelated to any of the operations happening on the space station. Advertisement This was not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations, Polk said. In light of the Crew-11 return, NASA and SpaceX are now looking at ways to expedite the launch of the next crewed mission to the International Space Station, called Crew-12. The flight was originally set to launch on February 15 at the earliest, the space agency said previously. Related Article Space Russian satellite breaks up in space, forcing ISS astronauts to shelter in capsules Typically, NASA prefers having new astronauts arrive at the space station before crews living on board depart for Earth, so there can be a handover of operations between the two groups. But with Crew-11 leaving early, the station will have two Russian cosmonauts and a lone NASA astronaut, Christopher Williams, on board until Crew-12 arrives. Chris is trained to do every task that we would ask him to do on the vehicle, Amit Kshatriya, NASAs associate administrator, told reporters. Advertisement Astronauts have dealt with medical episodes in space before that have interrupted work assignments. In 2021, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei suffered a pinched nerve that forced the space agency to postpone a planned spacewalk. And in 2020, a case study revealed that an unidentified astronaut developed a blood clot in the jugular vein while living aboard the International Space Station. The astronaut landed safely at the end of their six-month mission following prescribed treatment from NASA and doctors. Bloomberg 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. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share More: Space Illness Russia USA NASA During the pandemic, millions of Americans broke into the housing market thanks to sub-3% mortgage rates. But as mortgage rates and home prices started to climband while wages remained relatively stagnantachieving the American dream feels further out of reach than ever. Indeed, the average age of a first-time home buyer climbed to an all-time high of 40 years, according to the National Association of Realtors. More from Yahoo Scout What are experts forecasting for the housing market? What factors make homebuying unaffordable for first-time buyers? How much would mortgage rates need to drop? Why are these affordability solutions considered unrealistic? The historically low share of first-time buyers underscores the real-world consequences of a housing market starved for affordable inventory, Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research, said in a statement. The share of first-time buyers in the market has contracted by 50% since 2007right before the Great Recession. While theres been short-lived glimmers of hope that housing affordability could improve, like mortgage rates dropping from a 2023 peak of 8%, experts agree its very unlikely buying a home will become more affordable any time soon. According to Realtor.com data shared with Fortune, at least one of three things would need to happen: mortgage rates would need to fall to 2.65%; median household income would need to rise by 56%; or home prices would need to decline by 35%. For the mortgage calculations, Realtor.com assumed a 10% down payment, historical income data reflected median household income from the latest Census, and home prices are based on the National Association of Realtors existing home sales price, and mortgage rates came from Freddie Mac, Hannah Jones, Realtor.com senior economic research analyst, told Fortune. The current mortgage rate is about 6.15%, which means the rate would have to drop several percentage points to reach 2.65%. Meanwhile, the median household income would need to be $132,171, but its currently only $84,763. Home prices would need to drop to $273,000, down from $418,000, assuming incomes, mortgage rates, and the income share remain unchanged, Jones said. To put it in perspective, home prices have risen more than 50% in just the past six years, so a drop that significant would be astounding. Unrealistic options While it may be helpful to put actual figures on what it would take to make housing affordable, these options dont realistically align with todays market reality. The circumstances that lead to rates the sub-3% of 2020-2021 past were a worldwide, once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) pandemic, Max Slyusarchuk, CEO of A&D Mortgage, told Fortune. Meanwhile, the last time we saw a 50%-plus increase in average wages was likely post-World War II, and I believe that took two-plus decades to realize. Jan 8 (Reuters) - AnaptysBio said on Thursday it filed a partial motion to dismiss a claim by GSK's oncology unit, which alleges the biotech breached their contract, escalating a legal dispute over royalties tied to sales of the cancer drug Jemperli. The dispute centers on a 2014 agreement between AnaptysBio and oncology unit Tesaro that gave the latter rights to develop and sell Jemperli, a PD-1 inhibitor approved for certain endometrial cancers. Mehr von Yahoo Scout What is the legal dispute between AnaptysBio and GSK about? What are the key terms of the Jemperli licensing agreement? When will this legal dispute be resolved in court? What specific allegations has each company made against the other? GSK did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment outside business hours. A trial to resolve claims is scheduled for July 1417, 2026, and the court is expected to hear AnaptysBio's motion by early March. Tesaro filed a lawsuit against AnaptysBio in a Delaware court on November 20, accusing it of breaching the agreement and arguing that the alleged breach allowed Tesaro to terminate the deal, halve royalty and milestone payments, and secure a permanent license to the drug. AnaptysBio countersued a day later, accusing Tesaro of violating exclusivity terms by participating in trials of rival PD-1 drugs, including Merck's Keytruda, and failing to fully maximize Jemperli's commercial potential. It also alleged that GSK interfered with the agreement by favoring its antibody-drug conjugate programs over Jemperli. Under the license, Anaptys is entitled to tiered royalties: 8% on annual net sales below $1 billion, 12% on sales between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, 20% on sales from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, and 25% on sales above $2.5 billion. Royalty payments are set to continue at least until key patents expire in 2035 in the United States and 2036 in the European Union. (Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) A police officer helps a boy to light a candle near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) AI research lab Anthropic continues to land sizable enterprise deals. Its latest entails bringing its large language models to a legacy German insurance giant. Anthropic on Friday announced a deal with Munich, Germany-based global insurance conglomerate Allianz to bring responsible AI to the insurance industry. The parties declined to share financial terms of the deal. More from Yahoo Scout How does Anthropic's enterprise market share compare to competitors? What recent enterprise deals has Anthropic secured? What are the key components of Anthropic's Allianz partnership? When do investors expect meaningful AI ROI for enterprises? The partnership is made up of three specific initiatives. The first is making Claude Code, Anthropics AI-powered coding tool, available to all of Allianzs employees. Anthropic and Allianz will also build custom AI agents for Allianz employees that can execute multistep workflows with a human in the loop. This partnership also includes an AI system that logs all AI interactions to keep the AI transparent and ensure that information is readily available for regulatory or other needs. With this partnership, Allianz is taking a decisive step to address critical AI challenges in insurance, Oliver Bate, CEO of Allianz SE, said in the companys press release. Anthropics focus on safety and transparency complements our strong dedication to customer excellence and stakeholder trust. Together, we are building solutions that prioritize what matters most to our customers while setting new standards for innovation and resilience. This is just the latest enterprise deal Anthropic has landed in recent months. In December, the company inked a $200 million deal to bring its AI models to data cloud company Snowflake and its customers. Shortly after, it announced a multi-year partnership with the consulting firm Accenture. In October, it signed a deal with consulting firm Deloitte to bring its Claude chatbot to the firms 500,000 employees. That same month, Anthropic signed a deal with IBM to bring its AI models into the latters products. The race for AI enterprise dominance is clearly on, and Anthropic appears to be winning so far at least. Anthropic holds 40% of enterprise AI market share, according to a December survey from Anthropic investor Menlo Ventures, and 54% of the market share for AI coding. Anthropic market share increased throughout last year. When Menlos original survey came out in July, the company held a 32% market share for overall enterprise LLM use. Google launched its dedicated enterprise AI product, Gemini Enterprise, in October. At the time, the company touted that the product suite already had customers, including fintech Klarna, design software company Figma, and cruise line operator Virgin Voyages, among others. OpenAI launched its enterprise version of ChatGPT, ChatGPT Enterprise, in 2023. Recently, the company reportedly expressed deep concern in an internal memo that Google Geminis success was starting to encroach on its business. Shortly after, the company released a report that said enterprise use of ChatGPT had surged 8x in the past year. Apogee Enterprises (APOG) has drawn fresh attention after announcing the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Matthew J. Osberg, third quarter and nine month earnings, and a revised fiscal 2026 outlook. Investors are reassessing the stocks risk and reward trade off. See our latest analysis for Apogee Enterprises. The recent earnings release, revised fiscal 2026 outlook and CFO transition have come against a weaker backdrop, with a 30 day share price return of 11.79% and a 1 year total shareholder return of 34.14% pointing to fading momentum. If Apogees news has you rethinking opportunities in construction exposed names, it can be useful to compare with broader industrials such as aerospace and defense stocks. With earnings under pressure, a leadership change, and the shares trading below some estimated value markers, is Apogee now priced too pessimistically, or is the market already reflecting the companys realistic growth prospects from here? Most Popular Narrative: 35.1% Undervalued With Apogee Enterprises last closing at US$33.77 against a most followed fair value estimate of US$52, the narrative points to a wide valuation gap that rests heavily on how its operations evolve from here. Increasing adoption of energy-efficient, sustainable building practices and the trend toward green construction standards is likely to favor Apogee's portfolio of high-performance glazing and curtainwall systems. This may support pricing power and higher-margin growth opportunities that will benefit both revenue and net margins. Read the complete narrative. Curious what earnings profile has to back that kind of gap? The narrative leans on faster profit growth than revenue and a very specific future earnings multiple. The full story is in how those moving parts fit together over the next few years. Result: Fair Value of $52 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, that upside case faces real pushback if U.S. commercial construction remains sluggish or if tariffs and cost pressures continue to squeeze already thin segment margins. Find out about the key risks to this Apogee Enterprises narrative. Build Your Own Apogee Enterprises Narrative If you see the numbers differently or want to test your own assumptions, you can build a custom view of Apogees outlook in just a few minutes, starting with Do it your way. A great starting point for your Apogee Enterprises research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 3 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision. As global markets navigate a complex economic landscape, Asian stock markets have shown resilience, with some indices experiencing mixed performances amid evolving geopolitical and economic conditions. In this context, growth companies with high insider ownership are gaining attention for their potential stability and alignment of interests between management and shareholders, making them noteworthy considerations in today's investment environment. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In Asia Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth UTI (KOSDAQ:A179900) 25% 120.7% Seers Technology (KOSDAQ:A458870) 33.9% 78.8% Phison Electronics (TPEX:8299) 10.8% 29.8% Novoray (SHSE:688300) 23.6% 31.4% Modetour Network (KOSDAQ:A080160) 12.7% 41.8% Loadstar Capital K.K (TSE:3482) 31% 23.6% Laopu Gold (SEHK:6181) 34.8% 34.3% J&V Energy Technology (TWSE:6869) 17.5% 31.6% Gold Circuit Electronics (TWSE:2368) 31.4% 37.2% Fulin Precision (SZSE:300432) 10.6% 55.2% Click here to see the full list of 623 stocks from our Fast Growing Asian Companies With High Insider Ownership screener. Let's explore several standout options from the results in the screener. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: BIWIN Storage Technology Co., Ltd. is engaged in the research, development, design, packaging, testing, production, and sale of semiconductor memory with a market cap of CN58.86 billion. Operations: BIWIN Storage Technology generates revenue primarily from its semiconductor segment, totaling CN8.25 billion. Insider Ownership: 17.5% Earnings Growth Forecast: 69.7% p.a. BIWIN Storage Technology has demonstrated robust revenue growth, with a 20.9% annual increase expected to outpace the broader Chinese market. Despite recent earnings challenges, with net income falling to CNY 30.41 million for the first nine months of 2025, the company is forecasted to achieve profitability within three years. Recent buyback activities highlight strong insider confidence, as evidenced by a CNY 150 million repurchase plan completion at an adjusted price of CNY 182.07 per share. SHSE:688525 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Jan 2026 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Shenzhen SEICHI Technologies Co., Ltd. focuses on the R&D, production, and sale of new display device testing equipment in China, with a market cap of CN22.43 billion. Operations: Shenzhen SEICHI Technologies Co., Ltd. derives its revenue primarily from the development, manufacturing, and distribution of innovative testing equipment for display devices within China. Leesville, LA (71446) Today Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. Thunder possible. High 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Light rain early. Decreasing clouds late. Thunder possible. Low 42F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Minister of State, Alan Dillon TD, has welcomed continued progress on the significant extension planned for Ballyhaunis Community School, confirming that the project remains active within the Department of Educations school building pipeline. The project, which will deliver substantial new accommodation for students and staff, was approved under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) to provide: - A two classroom Special Education Needs (SEN) base - Five general classrooms - One science laboratory with preparation area - One art room and associated art store Minister Dillon said the extension represents an important investment in education provision for East Mayo. Ballyhaunis Community School is a growing and diverse school community, and this project will ensure that students have access to modern, high quality learning spaces. The inclusion of a new SEN base, additional classrooms and specialist rooms reflects the needs of the school and the wider community it serves. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery and has been progressing through the Departments architectural and design stages. In Quarter 3 of 2024, the Department approved the project to advance to Stage 2a, the detailed design phase of the architectural process. The Department subsequently received the Stage 2a Detailed Design Report in Quarter 3 of 2025. The Department of Education has confirmed that the Stage 2a submission is now under active review. Once this review is complete, the Department will issue further guidance to the school authority on progressing the project to the next stage of development. Minister Dillon said this progress is welcome news for the school community: This is a positive step forward for Ballyhaunis Community School. I will continue to work closely with the Department of Education to ensure this project advances as efficiently as possible. The school community deserves modern facilities that support teaching, learning and inclusion, and this extension will play a central role in meeting those needs. He added that investment in school infrastructure remains a key priority for Mayo: Across Mayo, we are seeing strong investment in new school buildings, extensions and modernisation projects. These improvements are vital to supporting our young people and ensuring that every student has access to the facilities they need to reach their full potential. Reading, PA (19601) Today A mix of clouds and sunshine; the closest to freezing (32) we've been in a week and a half. . Tonight Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78. Allentown, PA (18103) Today A mix of clouds and sunshine; the closest to freezing (32) we've been in a week and a half. . Tonight Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78. You might expect a technology that literally owes its existence to artificial intelligence (AI) to be bullish on AI stocks, and thats the case with Grok and other AI chatbots. Despite fears that the AI bubble could soon burst, Grok named AI-related stocks as the best bets for 2026. That view is also shared by fellow chatbots ChatGPT and Google Gemini along with stock experts of the human variety. According to The Motley Fools 2026 AI Investor Outlook Report, fewer than 10% of AI investors plan to reduce their AI stock exposure over the next year. Roughly 60% of all survey respondents said they are confident in AI stocks long-term returns, which suggests that investors are buying into AIs potential for long-term growth even amid short-term volatility. GOBankingRates asked Grok and two other AI chatbots which stocks to invest in for 2026. Heres a look at the six stocks that topped the list. Nvidia (NVDA) Current stock price (as of Jan. 7): $188.67 per share One-year gain/loss: 34.63% The worlds biggest company by market cap continued its hot streak in 2025 and is expected to do the same in 2026. Nvidia was mentioned as one of the top stocks to invest in by Grok, ChatGPT and Gemini. Grok cited Nvidias dominance in AI chips and said the company should benefit from ongoing hyperscaler spending and new chip releases. Heres what the others had to say: ChatGPT: Nvidia is a top AI play with continued demand for GPUs and data-center infrastructure. Google Gemini: Nvidia remains the gold standard for AI chips, and its forward price-to-earnings ratio is considered reasonable relative to its growth. Read More: Self-Made Millionaires Suggest 5 Stocks You Should Never Sell Check Out: 9 Low-Effort Ways To Make Passive Income (You Can Start This Week) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Current stock price (as of Jan. 7): $324.38 per share One-year gain/loss: 53.43% Grok calls Taiwan Semiconductor a key foundry for AI chips thats positioned for strong demand and pricing power, largely thanks to heavy capital expenditures from clients like Nvidia and Amazon. ChatGPT and Google Gemini also listed the company among their top stocks thanks to heavy AI chip demand. Microsoft (MSFT) Current stock price (as of Jan. 7): $484.34 per share One-year gain/loss: 14.67% The software giant earned a notable mention from Grok due to the potential of its cloud/AI integration businesses. Heres what the other AI chatbots had to say: Dr Srinivas Rao, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AtaiBeckley, said: Following the strategic combination of atai Life Sciences and Beckley Psytech completed last year and the recent corporate redomiciliation to the United States, we enter 2026 with meaningful momentum and a clear vision for the impact AtaiBeckley can deliver for people living with difficult-to-treat mental health conditions. Our pipeline is maturing at a pivotal moment for innovation in the mental health treatment landscape, and with financial resources expected to support operations into 2029, we are well prepared to execute. Our presence at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference provides us with an important opportunity to engage with investors and strategic partners and highlight the progress weve made so far and the value we believe AtaiBeckley is positioned to deliver in the months and years ahead. BPL-003: mebufotenin benzoate nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression and alcohol use disorder: Reported positive topline data from the eight-week, quadruple-masked, dose-finding, core stage of the Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a single dose of BPL-003 in patients with treatment-resistant depression in July 2025. The study met its primary and all key secondary endpoints, and BPL-003 demonstrated rapid, robust and durable antidepressant effects with a single dose. Both 8 mg and 12 mg single doses of BPL-003 showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms at all time points of the study compared to a 0.3 mg low-dose active control out to Week 8. Reported positive topline data from the eight-week open-label extension study of the Phase 2b clinical trial of BPL-003 in patients with TRD in November 2025. The findings showed that a 12 mg dose of BPL-003, administered eight weeks after an initial dose, was generally well-tolerated and produced additional clinically meaningful antidepressant effects that were sustained for up to two months. Company anticipates providing guidance on the BPL-003 Phase 3 clinical program in Q126 with Phase 3 trial initiation in Q226, pending outcome of the scheduled End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Initiation of an additional cohort in an open-label Phase 2a study of BPL-003 in patients with TRD planned in Q126, with initial data expected in Q426. The study will evaluate a two-dose induction regimen of BPL-003, where patients who are also taking defined antidepressants will be given an 8 mg dose of BPL-003 followed by a second 8 mg dose two weeks later, and then followed for a further 10 weeks. VLS-01: dimethyltryptamine buccal film for TRD: Company anticipates topline data from Elumina, the Phase 2, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of repeated doses of VLS-01 in 142 patients with TRD in H226. EMP-01: Oral R-enantiomer of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine for social anxiety disorder Announced granting of new patent covering EMP-01 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in December 2025. US patent No. 12,492,178 includes claims to a highly-crystalline form of (R)-MDMA HCl and is expected to provide exclusivity through 2043. Last patient last visit in the exploratory Phase 2a study of EMP-01 in approximately 70 adults with social anxiety disorder occurred in Q4 25, with topline data expected in Q126. Aurum Resources has submitted applications for mining exploitation licences that encompass the entire 572.67km area of its Boundiali Gold Project in Cote dIvoire. Out of the three applications, two were submitted in December last year. This signals a move away from purely exploration activities towards the possible development of a large-scale open-pit mining operation. These applications are under consideration by the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy of Cote dIvoire. The three pending exploitation applications cover the Boundiali South (BST), Boundiali DS (BD) and Boundiali Minex (BM) tenements. The BD and BM mining licence applications, covering 130.38km and 274.93km, respectively, were lodged in December 2025. The earlier BST application, covering 167.36km, was submitted in March 2025. Updated mineral resource estimates (MREs) for Boundiali, currently at 2.41 million ounces (moz), and Napie (0.87moz), together with the Boundiali pre-feasibility study (PFS), are scheduled for release in the first quarter of calendar year 2026. The company is also planning an exploration programme, including 100,000m of diamond drilling, at Boundiali and two additional MRE updates in mid and late 2026. An additional 30,000m of diamond drilling is planned for the Napie project. Aurum managing director Caigen Wang said: The rapid transition from exploration to mining licence applications across our entire Boundiali footprint is a testament to the quality of our assets and the efficiency of our team. In 2025, we grew our resource from 1.59moz to 2.41moz and completed over 108,000m of drilling at Boundiali. With $40m in the bank and a clear pathway to a definitive feasibility study in late 2026, we are perfectly positioned to deliver significant value this year." In September 2025, Aurum, via its subsidiary Plusor Global, signed an agreement to acquire 35% of the registered share capital of Ivorian company Major Star Plus. "Aurum submits mining licence applications for Boundiali project in Cote dIvoire " was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Nestle CEO Philipp Navratil took the helm at the Swiss giant with the worlds largest food maker facing intense scrutiny and, four months on, that has only gotten worse in the opening week of the year. The company is battling to contain the fall-out of an international recall of infant formula that has spread across dozens of markets and will have the market again questioning the companys decision-making and communication. Nestle, which has faced criticism over its infant-formula and baby-food business on a number of occasions over the years, has had to recall products from more than 60 countries because of a quality issue with an ingredient. The company first put out a recall notice in December for specific batches of its Nan stage 1 formula in Europe as a precautionary measure following the detection of the Bacillus cereus bacteria. However, the recall has been widened with formula also pulled from countries across Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. Following the detection of a quality issue with an ingredient provided by a leading supplier, Nestle has undertaken testing of all arachidonic acid oil and corresponding oil mixes used in the production of its potentially affected infant nutrition products. No illnesses have been confirmed in connection with the products involved to date, Nestle says. However, the SMA brand owner has faced accusations it delayed recalls and released information gradually. Meanwhile, industry analysts are already calculating the possible impact on Nestles sales, with the situation likely to be at the top of the list of questions Navratil and CFO Anna Manz receives when the company publishes its 2025 financial results next month. Consumer advocacy group Foodwatch, which says the oil was used in around ten Nestle factories in Europe, argues the company cannot be trusted. Foodwatch has learned that contaminated peanut oil was used by around ten Nestle factories producing infant formula in Europe, including in France. The group was aware of this at least since early December, Foodwatch said in a statement yesterday (8 January). It is inexplicable that Nestle delayed recalling products intended for babies and chose to release information piecemeal, nearly a month after becoming aware of the bacterial contamination. This is further proof that this multinational's traceability is unreliable and that Nestle cannot be trusted. Just Food has put those comments to Nestle. As Nestle knew about the contamination since at least December 9, how come the massive recalls concerning over 60 countries only happen this week? a Foodwatch spokesperson told Just Food. Only a few countries were informer in December as [EU food-alert system] RASFF shows. The important info is also that over ten Nestle factories have used the problematic ingredient. Again, then why wait almost a month to inform consumers? On January 7, 2026, Ankai's bus factory buzzed with activity as 215 naturalgas buses destined for Mexico lined up for departure. These "green vehicles" will cross oceans to reach Monterrey Mexico's "city of mountains" supporting local transit development with lowcarbon, energyefficient mobility solutions. Since 2017, Ankai has been exporting buses to Mexico in volume. Notably, the order for 800 naturalgas buses in 2022 set the largest record for Chinese bus exports to Mexico and laid a solid foundation for the company's expansion into the North American market. Over the past decade, Ankai's naturalgas buses have been deployed in multiple Mexican cities including Monterrey, Chihuahua, and Ciudad Juarez. With reliable performance and environmentally friendly operation, they have become an important force in local public transit and strengthened the "Made in China" brand image. A representative from Ankai said this batch of naturalgas buses exported to Mexico are customized models precisely developed for the Mexican market. They offer lower fuel consumption, stronger power, and longer range, and compared with conventional diesel buses can significantly reduce emissions of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Located in northern Mexico with a pleasant environment, Monterrey is one of the country's most livable and industrially developed cities and has long ranked high in Mexico's sustainability indices. The deployment of these vehicles will further support the city's transit transformation and improve the travel experience for residents. Highquality products require comprehensive service support. To ensure the smooth delivery and stable operation of these buses in Mexico, Ankai has established a fullchain, customized service system covering presale, insale, and aftersale stages. Adhering to a longterm R&D strategy, Ankai continues to intensify efforts on core technologies, building competitive strength across multiple cleanenergy powertrains including pure electric, hybrid, hydrogen fuel, and natural gas. Today, Ankais green footprint spans countries and regions such as Russia, France, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and Kyrgyzstan, continuously promoting Chinese green transportation technologies and sustainable development concepts worldwide. Source: Hefei Evening News XRP benefited more than most from that constant flow. Its smaller market depth and higher speculative positioning made it especially responsive to marginal liquidity shifts. But that dynamic is reversing. Japan's policy rate jumped to 0.75% in December 2025 and economists widely expect at least 1.0% by mid-2026. For years, the yen-funded carry trade quietly pumped liquidity into risk assets without most investors noticing the mechanism. Traders borrowed yen at near-zero rates and deployed the capital into higher-yielding marketsincluding crypto. When Japanese rates sat at -0.1%, the trade was autopilot profitable. Borrow for free, earn anywhere else, pocket the spread. The tension between these forces will define XRP's trajectory in 2026. Carry trade pressure could cap XRPs upside until funding costs stabilize. But tax reform creates structural demand that could absorb that pressure and push XRP past its 2018 all-time high of $3.84. Which force wins determines whether XRP trades in a $2-$3 range all year or breaks into the $4-$5 territory. With economists projecting rates could hit 1.0% by September 2026, the macro pressure looks set to persist. Each incremental hike tightens the funding conditions that made crypto speculation cheap. But Japan simultaneously approved crypto tax reform that could override the entire carry trade narrativeslashing rates from 55% to a flat 20% and opening institutional floodgates. The Bank of Japan just created XRP's biggest macro headwind for 2026and handed it a potential escape route. December's 25-basis-point hike to 0.75% sent 10-year JGB yields above 2% for the first time since 1999, immediately pressuring yen-funded carry trades that have quietly fueled crypto liquidity for years. XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), more sensitive to these flows than Bitcoin or Ethereum, fell sharply as leveraged positions unwound. Have You read The New Report Shaking Up Retirement Plans ? Americans are answering three questions and many are realizing they can retire earlier than expected. Japans crypto tax reform cuts rates from 55% to 20% and allows institutional allocation. This could create structural demand independent of carry trade unwinds. Bank of Japan raised rates to 0.75% in December 2025highest since 1995pushing 10-year JGB yields above 2% for first time since 1999 and pressuring yen carry trades that fueled crypto liquidity for years Story Continues As funding costs climb, carry trades that worked on autopilot for a decade now require active management. Traders are unwinding positionsthey sell risk assets to close yen loans, repay funding lines, and reduce exposure before costs rise further. The yen strengthens as capital returns, which accelerates the exit and tightens liquidity across the system. XRP feels this pressure more acutely than Bitcoin or Ethereum. Its relatively shallow order books and concentrated speculative capital make it vulnerable when funding-driven flows reverse. History confirms the patterneach BoJ tightening cycle has triggered broad crypto weakness, but XRP consistently underperformed. Until Japanese funding conditions stabilize or U.S. rates cut faster than Japan hikes, XRP remains exposed to this macro unwind. How BoJ Policy Sets XRP's Price Range for 2026 leksiv / Shutterstock.com leksiv / Shutterstock.com Macro policy in Japan isn't background noise for XRPit's a key factor thats settling the price ceiling and floor for 2026. Here are three possible scenarios for the XRP price based on the BoJ policy. If BoJ Pressure Eases: XRP Targets $4-$5 The bullish case of XRP hitting $4-$5 requires the BoJ to pause after one or two hikes while the Fed cuts rates by mid-2026. In that scenario, yen funding pressure fades as the rate differential stabilizes. Carry trades stop unwinding and crypto-specific demand can dominate again. XRP's first test becomes its 2018 all-time high near $3.84. A decisive break and hold above that level by mid-2026 could trigger fast repricing into thin supply above prior peaks. With ETF inflows, RLUSD adoption expanding, and improving liquidity, the setup supports extension into the $4.00-$5.00 range by year-endif macro stops capping upside. If Pressure Stays Moderate: XRP Consolidates $2.50-$3.50 A more realistic outlook sees the BoJ hiking gradually toward 1.0%, the Fed cuts once or holds steady, and macro pressure remains but doesn't intensify dramatically. In that scenario, XRP could trade range-bound for much of 2026 as institutional inflows absorb selling pressure without triggering breakout momentum. A move above $3.84 likely comes in the second half of 2026 if it happens at all. Price settles between $2.50 and $3.50, reflecting steady adoption restrained by ongoing Bank of Japan macro headwinds. If BoJ Hikes Aggressively: XRP Risks $1.50-$2.00 The bearish scenario plays out if the BoJ pushes rates toward 1.25-1.50% while the Fed holds restrictive policy. Carry trade unwinding accelerates and yen strengthens sharply, forcing leveraged positions to liquidate across crypto. Even with positive ETF flows and growing RLUSD usage, the XRP price could struggle to reclaim prior highs. If XRP fails to break above $2.50 by mid-2026, it risks slipping to the $1.50 and $2.00 range, with the BoJ-XRP dynamic overriding crypto-specific progress entirely. Japan's 20% Crypto Tax Could Override Carry Trade Pressure Entirely Japan's 2026 tax reform might be the most underappreciated XRP catalyst on the calendar. By reclassifying crypto from "miscellaneous income" to investment products under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, Japan is opening institutional floodgates that could dwarf carry trade pressure. The reform drops tax rates from progressive brackets topping out at 55% down to a flat 20%matching treatment of stocks and investment trusts. This applies to approximately 105 "specified crypto assets" traded on registered Japanese exchanges, with implementation expected in fiscal year 2026. The change includes three-year loss carryforwards, finally giving crypto the same tax treatment as equities. The structural shift this enables is massive. Japanese pension funds, insurance companies, and institutional asset managers couldn't touch crypto at 55% tax ratesthe math didn't work in any portfolio model. At 20%, crypto becomes allocatable at scale using the same frameworks that govern stock and bond positions. This isn't speculative retail money, but institutional capital operating under fiduciary standards, building strategic positions sized for multi-year holds. That demand profile is independent of BoJ rate moves and yen funding costs. Even if carry trade unwinding creates temporary headwinds, tax-driven institutional demand provides a structural floor for XRP. Liquidity improves, volatility compresses, and crypto moves from fringe speculation to legitimate portfolio component in Japanese institutional frameworks. For 2026, macro sets the baseline through carry trade mechanics. But regulatory catalysts may define the magnitude of XRP's upside. If institutional participation accelerates under favorable tax treatment, XRP could outperform broader risk assets despite persistent yen funding pressure. The question is timingwhether tax reform demand scales fast enough to offset BoJ tightening through the year. The New Report Shaking Up Retirement Plans You may think retirement is about picking the best stocks or ETFs, but youd be wrong. Even great investments can be a liability in retirement. Its a simple difference between accumulating vs distributing, and it makes all the difference. The good news? After answering three quick questions many Americans are reworking their portfolios and finding they can retire earlier than expected. If youre thinking about retiring or know someone who is, take 5 minutes to learn more here. By Saeed Azhar, Tatiana Bautzer and Marianna Parraga NEW YORK/HOUSTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. involvement in Venezuela's oil sector offers a potential opportunity for international banks, with JPMorgan Chase in an advantageous spot due to its history in the country and past involvement with international trade financing. More from Yahoo Scout What opportunities do U.S. banks see in Venezuela? How might U.S. sanctions changes affect Venezuelan banking? Why does JPMorgan have an advantage in Venezuela? What challenges remain for banks entering Venezuela's market? A clutch of banks including JPMorgan and Citigroup have historically operated in the country, but reduced operations or pulled out in the last few decades. U.S. banks now, however, may have the potential to compete for opportunities in trade financing or financing investment in oil infrastructure, one source familiar with the situation said. Venezuela is under an interim government after the United States captured President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend and analysts stressed there would still be significant challenges to doing business. Among the banks, JPMorgan could have an edge in the country, where it has had a presence for 60 years. While JPM curtailed its banking and stock trading operation in 2002, it kept a dormant office in Caracas for many years, according to a second source familiar with the matter, adding that it could be reactivated as needed. "JPMorgan is among the very few U.S. banks with an office in Venezuela, though activity is minimal due to current restrictions," said Maria Paola Figueroa, Head of Frontier Latin America Research at the Institute of International Finance. "The potential reopening of the oil sector and a broader economic recovery could create meaningful opportunities for foreign banks to re-enter the Venezuelan market, subject to the easing of U.S. financial sanctions." Venezuela has been under U.S. sanctions since 2006, which were tightened in 2017, prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from providing new money to the government or state oil company, PDVSA. In 2019, Washington imposed broad sanctions on its oil sector. Now the United States is planning to selectively roll back sanctions on Venezuela as it begins marketing Venezuelan oil. The Department of Energy on Wednesday said that proceeds from oil would settle in U.S.-controlled accounts at global banks. For JPMorgan, there could be several avenues for involvement. One idea floated within the bank was the possibility of creating a trade bank to finance oil exports, a third source familiar with the matter said, without specifying if official discussions were taking place. The bank, which has a strong presence in oil-producing regions such as the Middle East and Africa, has historical precedence here, as it led the consortium of banks that operated Trade Bank of Iraq, set up in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion. The Syrian regime, led by the Al-Qaeda-rooted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), announced on Wednesday that it had declared an all-out war against security checkpoints controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksud and Ashrafiya in Aleppo. The clashes and declaration of war occurred with integration talks between HTS and the SDF stalled, and immediately after Israeli and Syrian representatives met in Paris under US auspices. On January 4, a high-level delegation led by SDF Commander Mazlum Abdi met with HTS government officials in Damascus, but no agreement was reached. Mezlum Ebdi making a press statement [Photo: Voa] Washington, as part of the USs drive to establish complete hegemony in the Middle East, aims to entirely eliminate Russias and Chinas influence in the region. To this end, it is attempting to align both Ankara and Tel Aviv, as well as its proxies in Syria, behind imperialist aggression against Iran. The genocide launched in Gaza in October 2023, the war waged against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the regime change in Syria, and the imperialist-Zionist attack on Iran last June are all part of this drive. Amid escalating global war, marked by imperialist aggression against Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump has hinted that a new military attack on Iran, already shaken by protests, is imminent. Less than a year after the overthrow of Russian and Iranian-backed President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, US-allied forces in Syria have reached the brink of civil war, while the regimes massacres of Alawites have continued. This underscores that the so-called Syrian revolution was a reactionary regime change supported by imperialism: ethnic, sectarian, and social problems have not been resolved, but have become even more severe. The warnings of the World Socialist Web Site against the shouts of revolution from the pseudo-left have been confirmed. As we wrote at the time, What is unfolding in Syria is not a revolution but a reactionary, imperialist-led carve-up of the country. The regime claimed that while imposing a curfew on the neighborhoods in question, it had established two humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians. Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa stated that the neighborhoods must come under the complete control of Damascus and that their red lines were One state, one government, one army. Co-chair of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Ilham Ahmed, confirmed the declaration of war in a statement on social media and called on government officials to take responsibility for what is happening in the neighborhoods and to find a realistic and lasting solution to the problems through dialogue, avoiding war and violence. The SDF warned that the clashes could escalate into a large-scale civil war, stating, This development is seen as a serious warning sign of a potential and widespread military escalation; amid the ongoing international silence, it heightens concerns about the outbreak of a broader conflict. Residents flee the Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighborhoods after clashes broke out on Tuesday between Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in a contested area of the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 [AP Photo/Omar Albam] At least 12 people have been killed in two days of bombing and clashes, while tens of thousands have fled the area. Two neighborhoods in Aleppo, home to approximately 600,000 people, have been under intense blockade by the Damascus regime for five months. It was also reported that at least seven civilians were killed in clashes between government forces and the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the autonomous administration on Monday and Tuesday. The Damascus regime has reportedly amassed forces in the region and deployed nearly 80 tanks around the neighborhoods. The SDF armed forces, which are said to consist of approximately 100,000 people and serve as the main proxy of the US, and the de facto autonomous administration had reached an agreement on March 10, 2025 to integrate with the Damascus regime. Although it was announced that a preliminary agreement had been reached on assigning three divisions of the Syrian army to the SDF, no practical progress has been made. This situation underscores how fragile any potential agreement and integration process would be. A spokesperson for the US State Department told the Rudaw, The United States is closely monitoring the situation. We call on all parties to exercise restraint. The spokesperson added, The meetings facilitated by Ambassador Barrack focus on the implementation of the March 10 integration agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government and on recommitting to this agreement. Ankara, a major supporter of the HTS regime, wants the SDF, the Syrian sister organization of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) with which it is in negotiations, to dissolve itself without obtaining any legal status and submit to the new Damascus regime. The emergence of an autonomous or independent Kurdish territory right next to Turkeys southern border, where an estimated 20 million Kurds live, is seen as an unacceptable security threat by Ankara. Not only could the HTS attack on the SDF and the clashes in Aleppo reignite the civil war in Syria, but these events could also undermine the negotiations between President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government and the PKK. Erdogan and Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, are promoting a reactionary Turkish, Kurdish, Arab alliance against Israels growing influence in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East in general. Erdogan, who supports Washingtons new colonialist Gaza peace policy, hopes that by getting along well with Trump he can advance the interests of the Turkish bourgeoisie in Syria and the region as a whole. Israel, which is trying to expand its influence by encouraging the autonomy of the Druze, Kurdish, Alawite and Christian minorities in Syria, is also trying to challenge Ankaras influence over the Damascus regime. It largely destroyed the countrys military infrastructure with air strikes as the Assad regime fell, and expanded its occupation of southern Syria under the pretext of security. The day before the declaration of war in Aleppo, negotiations were held in Paris under US auspices between the HTS administration and an Israeli delegation regarding a security agreement. The talks were attended by high-level officials including the US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, the US Presidents Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner. A joint statement issued after the meeting read, Both sides have decided to establish a joint fusion mechanisma dedicated communication cellto facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States. According to Haricis report, Amit Segal, editor of Israels N12News, wrote on his X account on Tuesday that the Trump administration was working to secure a more comprehensive economic agreement between Israel and Syria, stating that the agreement would feature a sprawling joint economic zone along the current demilitarized stripcomplete with energy projects, pharmaceutical plants, and, most Trumpian of all, a ski resort. According to Segal, the US and Syrias proposal also include a wind power plant, a crude oil pipeline, data centers, and pharmaceutical facilities. Such projects, which will complete the plan to turn Gaza, subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing, into the Riviera of the Middle East, further expose the neo-colonialist goals of Trump and his allies against the peoples of the Middle East. No bourgeois regime or movement in the Middle East opposes US imperialisms drive to plunder the region and subjugate its peoples; on the contrary, they are complicit in its crimes and are preparing for war to grab crumbs from the reactionary carve-up. The only way forward is to build sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International, to establish the international revolutionary unity of the working class in a socialist struggle for the seizure of power, throughout the Middle East and in the imperialist centers. Resident doctors in England are currently being balloted by the British Medical Association (BMA) for a renewed strike mandate in their fight against the Starmer government over pay restoration and a deepening unemployment crisis in the National Health Service (NHS). The vote closes on February 2. A resounding Yes vote is essential. But experience has demonstrated that this struggle cannot be entrusted to the BMA Resident Doctors Committee (RDC). If resident doctors are to win, the fight must be taken out of the hands of the BMA officials and placed under the democratic control of the rank-and-file, linked to a broader mobilisation of the working class against austerity, privatisation, and war. Resident doctors on the picket line at Bournemouth Royal Hospital, December 2025 The Starmer government is driving the NHS toward collapse: enforcing real terms pay cuts, expanding outsourcing, reviving failed Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes, and diverting state spending towards the military build-up. The defence of the NHS is inseparable from a political struggle against these priorities. That struggle requires organisation, clarity, and leadership from below. In December, resident doctors completed their fourteenth round of strike action since March 2023. This was after voting by 83 percent to reject a last-minute offer put to them by BMA leaders in an online ballot, over a deal doctors slammed as insulting. The proposals were delivered as an ultimatum by Labours Health Secretary Wes Streeting. There was no change on the 5.4 percent award imposed for 2025, leaving pay erosion in real terms compared to 2008 at 21 percent. His response to the jobs crisis which saw 20,000 doctors locked out of speciality training last year was to expand the number of posts to 4,000. Even this was spread over three years and based on repurposed jobs rather than new positions. RDC chair Dr. Jack Fletchers reaction exposed the purpose of the ballot for the BMA bureaucracy: to stage a climbdown and offload responsibility onto the rank and file. He claimed that the government was finally understanding the frustrations of resident doctors, and pledged to Streeting in a letter to work in a constructive spirit to find a settlement that would take strike action off the table for years to come. New talks began this week, but no one will be taken in by the health secretarys claim to be starting 2026 with a clean slate after his branding resident doctors moaning minnies responsible for juvenile delinquency and holding the country to ransom. Dr. Jack Fletcher [Photo: BMA/Threads] The risk posed to resident doctors is the continued isolation and containment of their struggle; conditions exist for this to be overcome but they must be acted upon. Anger is widespread across the NHS, and opposition to austerity and attacks on democratic rights by the Starmer government is growing. But these opportunities can only be seized by breaking decisively with the BMAs divisive strategy. The BMA has blocked unified action across the NHS by resident doctors, promoting multi-year deals in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland that have led the fight for pay restoration down a dead end. In Scotland, around 5,000 resident doctors are set to mount a four-day national strike from January 13, after returning a 92 percent mandate on a 58 percent turnout in December. The BMA called off a three-day strike set for July 2023 claiming that a two-year deal of 17.5 percent between 2022-24 marked a commitment to credible progress on pay restoration when pay erosion stood at 28.5 percent. With an 11 percent uplift in 2025 pay erosion currently stands at 17 percent in real terms compared to 2008, and the Scottish National Party government has declared that only 4.25 percent for this year and 3.75 for 2026-7 is affordable. In Wales, a new contract with the Labour-led Welsh Assembly was hailed in December by BMA leaders as a landmark agreement when it delivered only a 5.4 percent increase this year and left pay erosion standing at 16.1 percent in real terms. The BMA has stated, We believe this is the limit of what we can achieve without entering a trade dispute and undertaking industrial action. The contract makes no mention of specialty training bottlenecks, leaving thousands of newly qualified doctors facing unemployment. In Northern Ireland, a similar pattern prevails, the BMA welcomed a 5.4 percent uplift for 202526 even after acknowledging that resident doctors face 20.8 percent pay erosion compared to 2008. Across all constituent parts of the UK, the message is the same: austerity is being extended, not ended. Cost-cutting is rebranded as efficiency savings but serves the same ends: thousands of jobs losses and increased workloads. Industrial models of productivity are being transferred to hospital settings, reducing the complex tasks of caring for patients to assembly-line type work and bringing the inevitable decline in the standard of treatment. Staff are at breaking point: the 2024 NHS staff survey reported that 42 percent of medical and dental staff experience work-related stress and 30 percent felt burnt out because of their work. The BMA leadership has refused to challenge head-on the Starmer governments narrative of unaffordability on pay restoration. Instead, it presents minor advances as proof that resident doctors are being valued. The reality is that claims there is no money are part of a strategy to block career progression, deepen the training bottleneck and effectively deskill the workforce, forcing fewer staff to do more for less pay. There is no shortage of money when it comes to funnelling billions into outsourcing contracts, the revival of PFI under long-term infrastructure plans, and military spending. The estimated 1.7 billion required to establish pay restoration for resident doctors in England denounced as unreasonable by the Starmer government is a drop in the ocean compared to the projected 800 billion by 2040 needed to meet Labours NATO target of 5 percent of GDP. The defence of the NHS is incompatible with this agenda. Resident doctors, nurses, and all NHS staff enjoy the respect of millions and can mobilise mass working-class opposition to austerity and war against the culprits responsible for driving the public health service to ruin. But doing so requires the formation of rank-and-file committees, independent of the union bureaucracy, to take democratic control of the struggle. Such committees must be based on unity across grades, professions, and regions, countering the divisions imposed from above by the leaders of all the health unions. This is the perspective advanced by NHS Fightback. Recent experience with staff on Agenda for Change demonstrates the stakes. In England, an award of just 3.6 percent was imposed last year on nurses, healthcare assistants, and support workers, despite mass rejection in consultative ballots organised by Unite, Unison, GMB, and the Royal College of Nursing. Streeting denounces resident doctors, but he has praised other health unions for their responsible role because they helped enforce the substandard pay award by restricting voting to a non-binding ballot preventing strike action. This playbook of the bureaucracy and its constructive engagement with the Starmer government must be thrown out by organised opposition from below to end the downward spiral. NHS workers are lined up for an even lower pay settlement this year of just 2.6 percent, even as an estimated 170,000 NHS staff in England are scraping the National Minimum Wage. This is not a temporary aberration but the outcome of years of collaboration between governments and union leaders. The dismantling of the NHS can only be stopped through a conscious political struggle in its defence. That means demanding the redirection of vast resources away from private profiteers and the war machine and into a fully funded, publicly run health service. The struggle of resident doctors is part of an international fight by healthcare workers opposing intolerable conditions, striking in countries from France, Germany, and the US to New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka. A global assault by governments and corporations can only be met with a unified, international counteroffensive in the working class. NHS FightBack, as part of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and File Committees, is fighting to build a new leadership among health workers in the UK. We urge all NHS workers, doctors, nurses and staff in every grade to contact us and join the fight for a public health service based on socialist foundations. English translation from the Russian by James Clayton. Originally published in 1920. Read the translators introduction here. 1. The war for great trade routes, for sources of raw materials and fuel The World War of 1914-1918, which claimed tens of millions of lives and destroyed the enormous wealth accumulated in all countries over decades of global labour, was fought for control of sources of raw materials and fuel and for the great railways and sea routes to regions rich in these sources of raw materials and fuel. Thus, the great pan-German project of the Baghdad Railway, which had been one of the main issues around which all international politics revolved in the 25 years preceding the world war, was intended to promote the following main objectives of German imperialism. On the one hand, the Baghdad Railway was supposed to establish German domination, first in Constantinople, that is, on the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, in other words, on the great military and trade route from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine and the Caucasus to the Mediterranean Sea and Suez; secondly, on the great historical route from the Balkans through the ancient kingdoms of Lydia, Heraclea, Caesarea, Babylonia, Syria, that is, the road taken by Alexander the Great to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, which opened the gates to 300 million-strong India, the pearl in the crown of the British Empire. A German map of the Baghdad Railway [Photo by Martin von Gagern / CC BY-SA 3.0 On the other hand, the Baghdad Railway was supposed to chain the victorious chariot of the German Empire to the decaying Ottoman Empire, and hand over to the control of German capitalism and enterprising German industrialists, all sources of raw materials and fuel, all the inexhaustible underground riches of Asia Minor and, in particular, Mesopotamia, that amazing region whose fertile plains were successively ruled by empires that dominated the world with their power and civilization. Mesopotamia is where once, according to tradition there was an earthly paradise. The completion of the Baghdad Railway and the possession of the Ottoman inheritance meant, on the one hand, the establishment of German rule; German hegemony on the great military and trade routes from Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the Balkan Peninsula to the rest of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Secondly, it meant the monopoly control of the richest sources of raw materials and fuel in Asia Minor, such as copper ore deposits near Diyarbakir and Agram, immense oil fields near Baghdad, and the fertile plains of the vilayets[ 1 ] of Basra and Mosul, which supplied huge quantities of wheat, oats, corn, beans, and cotton plantations in Mesopotamia, through the creation and development of which German planners intended to overthrow the hegemony of the United States in the world cotton market and free Germany from dependence on American cotton. It is the same on the question of Morocco. In the struggle for this African region, over which Europe was only a hairs breadth away from war on multiple occasions, namely in 1905, then in 1908, and finally in 1914. Here we have the same conflict over great trade routes and sources of raw materials and fuel. Fighting over Morocco, Germany and France sought to gain control of this territory, firstly, to establish, each for itself, its exclusive influence on the Atlantic coast of Africa and on the great Mediterranean military and trade route from Gibraltar to the Suez Canal; secondly, to monopolize Moroccos underground riches, above all, as French deputy Margon proved at a meeting of the French Chamber of Deputies on November 21, 1913, the iron and copper mines of this African territory, which are superior in quality to the famous mines in Bilbao, and the untapped coal deposits in the Moroccan subsoil. It is well known what role the German metallurgical syndicate of the Mannesmann brothers, on the one hand, and the French metallurgical syndicate of the cannon king Schneider, on the other, played in the Moroccan politics of both countries[ 2 ] and in the origins of the [first][ 3 ] World War. What was already obvious before the war, namely the desire of each of the great imperialist powers to gain monopoly control over the most important world routes and the main areas rich in raw materials and fuel, this tendency of imperialism, was revealed with dazzling clarity in the course of the world war. Thus, after the first victories of the German army, the entire German press proclaimed that Germany was fighting, first of all, for freedom of the seas, i.e., for the destruction of the English fortifications in Gibraltar and Suez, in other words, for the destruction of English hegemony on the great sea trade routes and for the transfer of this hegemony into German hands; secondly, for the annexation to the German Empire of the Belgian, French, and Ukrainian regions near its borders, rich in coal and iron. The German imperialists made the annexation of the coal-mining regions of Belgium and the French-owned Bresse iron basin to Germany a fundamental condition for peace with their western neighbours. In the east, the German imperialists sought to seize the coal and iron basins of Poland. On the other hand, imperialist France set itself the goal of wresting the iron-industrial basin of Alsace-Lorraine, with its iron mines and steelworks, and the entire coal basin of the Saar from Germany. The essence of the Versailles peace lies precisely in the separation of these regions from Germany.[ 4 ] Thus, the world war was fought over great trade routes and sources of raw materials and fuel. Ukraine, with its boundless natural resources and remarkable geographical position at the crossroads of Western Europe and the Black, Azov, and Caspian Seas, with the Caucasus and its mineral wealth and huge oil deposits, which is becoming increasingly important in the economic life of nations, further on to Turkestan with its cotton plantations, to Persia and all of Central Asia, could not but become the object of desire of all the imperialist powers. 2. The Ukrainian hypnosis The day after the Brest Peace,[ 5 ] the German imperialists sent their troops not to northern or central Russia, not against Moscow or Petrograd, but to Ukraine. When German diplomats tried to sow discord between Soviet Russia and Ukraine, they did so in order to weaken Ukraine and be able to directly or indirectly annex it and thereby chain it to the victorious chariot of the German Empire. Territory lost by Soviet Russia under the 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk When the German revolution in November 1918 crushed the throne of the Hohenzollerns, and German occupation troops retreated back home, new conquerors replaced the helmeted invaders. After the fall of the Hohenzollerns and the defeat of Germany, Ukraine became the object of desire and expansionist plans on the part of French and English capitalists. The sailors of Wilhelmshaven were to play a key role in the German Revolution of 1918. This picture shows a soldiers council (soldatenrat) formed by sailors of the ship Prinzregent Luitpold during the German Revolution. If Krasnov and Skoropadsky were agents of German imperialism[ 6 ] working to establish German hegemony in Ukraine and the Don, Denikin and Wrangel, on the contrary, were instruments for the implementation of the conquering schemes of Anglo-French imperialism, above all towards Ukraine. And, as is well known, having captured Kharkov and Tsaritsyn and giving his troops the historic order to march on Moscow, Denikin did not, however, move directly towards Moscow. He turned left towards Ukraine and began to occupy Yekaterinoslav, Poltava, Kiev... Only at the end of September, three months after the aforementioned order, did Denikin begin operations in the Voronezh and Kursk directions. Obviously, Denikin was in a hurry to finally seize Ukraine in the interests of and on the orders of his superiorsthe English and French bourgeoisie. But, having spent three months conquering the left and right banks of Ukraine, he weakened his fighting forces and thus hastened his own demise in the struggle against his most formidable enemy, Soviet Russia. Anton Denikin After Denikins defeat, Ukraine seemed to have been saved from the clutches of Western European imperialism. But now, in place of the Black Hundred Cossacks and the gold-braided officers, the Polish nobility is emerging as a contender for Ukraine. Pisudski's manifesto most vividly exposes the cards being played by the ruling classes of Poland. Pisudski's manifesto leaves no doubt about the true goals of noble Poland in the war against both federal republics. Their goal is the occupation of Ukraine by Polish troops and the seizure of Ukraine. And again, we see that instead of taking the direct route through Smolensk to Moscow and giving battle to a formidable enemy on the fields of Soviet Russia, the noble troops are following the same path as Charles XII, the Germans, and Denikin. Such is the power of attraction to Ukraine or, as Comrade N.N. puts it, the Ukrainian hypnosis that has affected all opponents of Soviet power and seems to have clouded their minds. What makes Ukraine the object of such passionate desires on the part of the vultures of capitalism, what is the source of the Ukrainian hypnosis, the attractive force of Ukraine, which has an irresistible effect on all opponents of Soviet power? German troops in Kiev in 1918 (Public domain) It is not only that Ukraine is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of its natural resources, but also that Ukraine possesses the basic elements of productioncoal and iron, without which no factory can operateand the basic elements of human nutritionbread, meat, sugar, fats, and salt. Modern Germany, for example, has neither coal nor bread. If the capitalist system is preserved, Germany is doomed to destruction and extinction. It faces a fate worse than that of Spain, which has turned from a once-flourishing industrial country into the poorest region of Europe. As a capitalist power, Germany can now only exist by once again seizing Alsace-Lorraine and the Saar Basin from France, by once again occupying Ukrainein short, after a new World War, which would be an adventure even more senseless and risky than the adventure of 19141918.[ 7 ] Even France and England, despite their enormous territorial wealth, are unable to hold out for long without the support of Ukraine and Soviet Russia with its cotton-rich Turkestan, oil-rich Caucasus, etc. There is only one capitalist country in the world that can survive without exploiting the riches of Ukraine. But this countrythe United Statesis located on another continent.[ 8 ] It has grain, coal, iron, and even cotton in sufficient quantities, and therefore the American bourgeoisie is less interested than the French and English bourgeoisie in overthrowing the Soviet regime in Russia and Ukraine and in possessing the latter's riches. 3. The riches of Ukraine, Ukraine's role in the world economy on the eve of the war It is well known what role Ukrainian grain played in supplying the population of Western European countries before the war. Ukrainian rye went to Germany, Ukrainian wheat to England and partly to Italy. Ukraine produces mainly grain, namely wheat and barley. According to data on production, imports, and exports, the average for the five-year period from 1909 to 1913 was a net surplus of 180,000,000 poods[ 9 ] [2.94 million tonnes] of wheat and 211,000,000 poods [3.45 million tonnes] of barley in the nine Ukrainian provinces. Far behind is rye, with a surplus of 32,000,000 poods, [524,181 tonnes] followed by oats, with a surplus of 9,000,000 poods. [147,426 tonnes] In total, the average surplus of the four main crops over the five-year period amounted to a huge mass432 million poods [7 million tonnes]. It goes without saying that with further progress in agriculture in Ukraine, the productivity of its fertile soil will increase significantly, and Ukraine will be able to produce a huge surplus of grain to supply other countries. A peasant family in Volhynia during the First World War Along with grain, Ukraine also exported livestock abroad, albeit in incomparably smaller quantities. According to railway statistics, the net export from nine Ukrainian provinces averaged 231,000 head, or about 6 million poods [98,284 tonnes], in the three-year period from 1912 to 1914. It is obvious that with the intensification of livestock breeding, Ukraine will be able to export much larger quantities of livestock to other countries. Sugar production played a very important role in the Ukrainian economy on the eve of the war. In the 1913-1914 campaign, there were about 200 sugar refineries operating in Ukraine, which produced an average of 67 million poods [1.09 million tonnes] of spirit per year in the five-year period from 1909 to 1914. On average, 30 million buckets[ 10 ] [369 million litres] of 40 proof alcohol were produced annually in the nine Ukrainian provinces during the five-year period from 1909 to 1914, of which only 61 percent was consumed domestically. The surplus was exported to Great Russia, the Caucasus, and other countries. On the eve of the war, Ukraine was the most important supplier of eggs to the world market, which were exported abroad annually in thousands of railcars. Even from this brief overview of the scale of Ukraine's agricultural exports on the eve of the war, it is clear what role the question of the exploitation of Ukraine and, if necessary, the forcible export of its grain, livestock, etc. to Western European countries had to start playing. After several years of war, as a result of global impoverishment and world famine looming over the whole of Europe, it is not surprising that the day after the Brest Peace, the German imperialists threw their troops not against hostile Russia, but against friendly Ukraine. As Comrade Rakovsky recalled in his report of May 18, 1920, at the 4th All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets, Petliura's Ukraine, under the agreement concluded between the Ukrainian People's Republic on the one hand and Germany and Austria on the other, was to deliver by June 1, 1919, 75 million poods of grain, [1.22 million tonnes] 11 million poods [180,000 tonnes] of livestock, 30,000 sheep, 2 million poultry, 45,000 poods [737 tonnes] of fat, 2,500 railcars of eggs, 2.5 million poods [40,951 tonnes] of sugar, 20 million liters of alcohol, etc. The question of Ukrainian coal and iron has played a major role in our civil war. The Donetsk Basin, which ranks first among other industrial regions of Eastern Europe in terms of coal and iron wealth, is a stronghold for our domestic and international counterrevolution in the struggle against Soviet Russia and Ukraine.[ 11 ] The Krasnovs, Kaledins, Denikins, and their European patrons dreamed of seizing the Donetsk Basin from Russia and Ukraine in order to put both Soviet republics in a stranglehold of cold and hunger, cause a complete paralysis of the railways in Russia and Ukraine, bring all economic life in the country to a standstill and provoke an uprising of the population, driven mad by hunger and cold, against Soviet power. On the other hand, foreign capital was too interested in the Donetsk Basin to give it up to the Soviet Republics without a fight and lose the colossal profits that the exploitation of the Donetsk Basin brought to European capitalists. It is well known that the day after the Brest Peace Treaty was signed, imperialist Germany began to strive to take control of the Donetsk Basin, and the German imperialist press devoted many columns to describing the riches of the Donbas, calculating in detail how much coal, metal, and ore German entrepreneurs and German occupation troops would be able to extract from this area in the interests of German industry. When German troops were forced to leave the Donetsk Basin, it became the object of conquest by the Entente powers. As for Donetsk coal and iron, if it is true that before the world war only insignificant quantities of our coal and iron were exported abroad, then this was even more important from the point of view of international imperialism and counterrevolution. Therefore, Donetsk coal and iron were a magnet that attracted huge amounts of European capital to the Donbas. English, French, and Belgian entrepreneurs invested huge sums in metallurgical enterprises and coal mines in the Donetsk Basin, and in fact the entire metallurgical and coal industry of the Donbas was in the hands of Anglo-French-Belgian capital before the October Revolution. On the eve of the war in 1914, of the 3,600 coke ovens in the Donbas coal mines with a production of 175 million poods, [2.8 million tonnes] 3,150 ovens with a production of 153 million poods [2.5 million tonnes] of coke belonged to joint-stock companies with exclusively foreign capital. As for the metallurgical industry, foreign capital was also completely dominant on the eve of the war. For example, the famous Prodamet, which controlled 60% of all metal production, was mainly a syndicate of Belgian and French capitalists. The central administration of this syndicate was located in Paris. Foreign capitalists completely owned the iron ore mines of the Kryvyi Rih [Krivoy Rog] region. Kryvyi Rih [Krivoy Rog] iron ore is among the best in the world in terms of iron content. The extraction of Kryvyi Rih [Krivoy Rog] ore grew rapidly during the 20th century, far outpacing the growth of our other iron ore regions. In 1900, production amounted to only 111 million poods, [1.8 million tonnes] but by 1904 it had reached 202 million poods, [3.3 million tonnes] and 380 million [6.2 million tonnes] in 1913. A significant portion of this excellent ore was always exported abroad, mainly to Germany and England, where it was processed into pig iron and iron and then imported back into Russia. In dire need of our ore as a result of the war and general impoverishment, imperialist Germany made free duty-free export of ore from Russia and Ukraine one of the conditions of the Brest Treaty. Given the insignificance of iron ore reserves in Ukraine, the implementation of this requirement posed a serious threat to Ukraine's economic future. After the departure of German troops, Kryvyi Rih [Krivoy Rog] ore was naturally bound to attract the attention of French, Belgian, and especially British capitalists. Foreign capitalists invested huge sums not only in metallurgical mines, factories, and coal mines in the Donbas, but also in city trams, power stations, railways, and other industrial enterprises throughout Ukraine, and were by no means willing to give up their profits without a fight. When the Germans left Ukraine, Petliura, who had previously sold Ukraine to Wilhelm II, went to Odessa to the French Consul General d'Anselm to conclude a new treaty on the sale of Ukraine. Under this treaty, all the railways of Ukraine were to pass to France, and into the hands of the French stock exchange. As for imperialist England, the latter was even more interested in the question of Ukraine than in the economic conquest of the coal and metallurgical regions of the Donbas, concessions on Ukrainian railways, power stations, etc. It was interested in the conquest of Ukrainian grain. The influential English bourgeois newspaper The Daily Telegraph, in an article published last August during Denikin's offensive, wrote: The harvest in Ukraine is satisfactory and is capable of meeting the needs of Europe, provided that sufficient labour is applied. Comrade [Grigory] Sokolnikov quotes from the English White Book on the Bolsheviks a characteristic report by one of the English agents to Lord Balfour: Europe will experience a serious shortage of food until the fields of Russia are used to such an extent that Russia, as the main breadbasket of Europe, will be able to supply all European states with its grain exports.[ 12 ] In the period preceding the world war, the former Russian Empire, with its population of 200 million, its boundless territories covering more than one-seventh of the globe, its inexhaustible natural resources, and its agricultural products, played a colossal role in the world economy. This role was not obvious, hidden by the monetary form of commodity exchange. The enormous share of Russian exports and their great importance for the world economy were masked by the negligible market value of these exports. Since Russian goods were exported abroad in the form of raw materials, unprocessed, they were valued very low, and the total value of Russian exports, expressed in monetary terms, in rubles, francs, pounds sterling, was extremely low compared to their true value in the world economy. On the other hand, many items of Russian exports, imported back into Russia in processed form, such as goods made from Russian wood, Russian leather, Russian ore, etc., were sold here at prices ten, sometimes a hundred times higher than their price in unprocessed form. The role that the former Tsarist empire played in the lives of many countries is evident from the serious difficulties that Italy is now experiencing. Recently, there have been quite a few sensational reports in the English and French newspapers about the Italian government's intentions to establish friendly relations with Soviet Russia, regardless of the policy of other powers in this matter. Italian Minister [Francesco Saverio] Nitti had to state in a special conversation with a correspondent of the Matten newspaper (7/20) that all these reports are biased. Nitti denied the policy attributed to him, which was to free Italy from the need to purchase American wheat, English coal and French iron in order to obtain all this from Soviet Russia or the Central Powers. Italy, Nitti said, needs raw materials more than any other country and must try to obtain them wherever possible. Therefore, it will continue to buy wheat in America in the hope that a the day will come when Russia will once again start sending cheaper grain, but not just for Italy, but for the whole of Europe. A number of countriesItaly, Switzerland, the Scandinavian countriesfound themselves in a critical situation simply because the blockade of Russia and the ruin of Germany meant that the most important suppliers of basic products such as grain, flax, timber, coal, iron, etc. to the large markets were out of action. As a result, many Anglo-Franco-American speculators, taking advantage of the weakening of competition on the international market, were able to exploit the friendly countries dependent on them to an extent that they had never been able to do before the world war.[ 13 ] Nevertheless, Russia's withdrawal from the war dealt a heavy blow to the economies of all capitalist countries. The day after the end of the [First] World War, when a general, enormous shortage of essential foodstuffs began to be felt: bread, meat, sugar; and raw materials such as Russian flax, coal, ore, timber, leather, oils, etc., the unexpected disappearance of such a link as the former Russian Empire[ 14 ] from the economic chain of capitalist states was a terrible blow to the latter. During the four years of war, humanity, through the fault of the exploiters, literally shot billions of tons of iron, coal, cotton, and leather into the air, which were used exclusively for the needs of the war. Today, when it would be especially necessary for the international bourgeoisie to begin the intensified exploitation of old Russia, to finally turn it into its colony, this goal has become more unattainable than ever. For those European bourgeois scholars who understood that it was impossible to restore the old order, that it was impossible to restore the former economic relations of servitude, such as existed between the former Russian Empire and Western European statesit is clear that there is a need to end the armed conflict with the All-Russian Soviet Federative Republic. The only way to save Western Europe from economic collapse, hunger, and material deprivation is, according to these bourgeois economists and statesmen, to get closer to Russia. Saving Western Europe from economic ruin, hunger, and material deprivation means, in the opinion of such bourgeois economists and statesmen, rapprochement with Russia. Without the help of Soviet Russia, all of Europe is doomed to degeneration. A conference on the fight against famine was held in London. The nature of this conference is evident from the fact that not even representatives of the bourgeois press were allowed to attend. And so, this conference on combating famine and industrial ruin acknowledged that victory over famine and the restoration of industry are unthinkable until Russia is given the opportunity to revive its economy and place its enormous food reserves at the disposal of other countries. The reports by the Dutchman Wenkebach and the German professor Brentano made a particular impression. The former had been in Vienna since the outbreak of the war and gave a shocking account of the dire conditions there. Brentano emphasised that the decline of industry was the result of the coal crisis, which in turn was a consequence of the unbearably harsh terms of the peace treaty. The conference adopted a number of resolutions, including the following: The conference believes that the economic conditions of the peace treaty bear the main responsibility for the danger of a gigantic revolution of hunger facing the entire civilised world. Of particular interest is the resolution adopted by the conference on the Russian question. The conference believes, the resolution states, that the restoration of world industry cannot take place until Russia is given the opportunity to revive its economy and place its enormous reserves of raw materials and food at the disposal of other countries. But the first steps towards this goal must be the cessation of all violent interference, both covert and overt, in Russian affairs by foreign powers. However, a significant portion of the statesmen of the bourgeois countries are not yet willing to renounce such violent interference in Russian affairs. The Polish adventure is the best proof of these bandit plans of all capitalist states, especially England and France, towards the former Russian Empire. Within the former Russian Empire, Ukraine occupied a relatively insignificant area. Its area was only 14.3 percent of European Russia without Poland, the provinces of Kovno, Grodno, Vilna, Courland, and Arkhangelsk. However, compared to Western European countries, Ukraine, with an area of 45 million desyatins[ 15 ] [492,625 sq. km], is a large state, inferior only to Germany, France and Spain, which have an area of 46 to 50 million desyatins [546,250 sq. km]. Comprising only 14.3 percent of the territory of European Russia, Ukraine already played a huge role in the foreign trade of the former Russian Empire before the war, exporting many of the most important items of Russian trade. It was from Ukraine that almost the entire share of wheat, barley, rye, flour, livestock, alcohol, sugar, salt and many other goods exported annually before the war from Tsarist Russia. As regards sugar production in particular, the importance of Ukrainian industry can be judged by the fact that of the total number of sugar and refined sugar factories operating in European Russia in 1913-1914, 294 were located in Ukraine. These considerations, supplemented by the data we have given above regarding Ukrainian exports abroad before the war, already explain why the capitalist powers are striving at all costs to destroy Soviet power in Ukraine and place the latter in a position of servitude to the international capitalist market. The same data explain why, starting with the campaign against the two brotherly republics, Russia and Ukraine, international capitalism throws its main military forces at Ukraine. The catastrophic economic situation of the entire capitalist world and the urgent need to obtain as quickly as possible, today rather than tomorrow, an extra million poods [163,380 tonnes] of grain, sugar, salt, etc., These are the reasons for the feverish rush of the German, Denikin and Polish troops to Ukraine. Herein lies the driving force behind the Ukrainian hypnosis, to use the expression of Comrade N.N. (Kommunist, 16 May 1920), which is so strongly felt by all military opponents of Soviet power. History knows many examples when, during war, correct strategic plans and considerations were sacrificed to political motives and dynastic interests, thereby compromising the fate of the campaign. In this case, the burning issues of the stomach, the acute, urgent need for Ukrainian flour and refined sugar weighed heavily on the military scales and forced the strategists leading the campaign against the Soviet republics to choose the route to Moscow not by the shortest road, but necessarily through Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. 4. The adventure of the Polish nobles. Its driving forces. As a result of the World War, Poland found itself in an extremely difficult economic situation. Global impoverishment and a general shortage of goods engulfed the newly formed Polish Republic. Polish industrial factories developed rapidly before the war, largely thanks to the support of German capitalism and the transfer of many German factories, with their machinery, production methods, etc., to the Vistula region bordering Germany. Thanks to this transfer of many factories to the territory of the former Russian Empire, German industrial trusts were freed from the necessity of paying high customs duties at the Russian border and gained a huge advantage in the struggle for the Russian market compared to their English, American, and French competitors, who were far from the Russian borders. The newly formed Polish Republic had to maintain and develop its industry under the difficult conditions of global devastation. There was no question of assistance from a ruined and hostile Germany. As for the friendly EntenteFrance, England, the United States were eager to supply Poland with rifles, machine guns, cannons and other goods, which they had more than enough of after plundering Germany and ending the war, but when it came to delivering factory machinery, machine tools, locomotives, etc., and even more so raw materials, the situation was very bad. Polish nationalist leader Jozef Pisudski and Ukrainian nationalist Symon Petliura in Vinnytsia, May 1920 A particularly important factor in the Polish collapse was its separation from the former Russian Empire. It is well known how quickly Polish industry grew by exploiting the huge Russian market and how Polish capitalism was bound up with the Tsarist policy of conquest.[ 16 ] With every new offensive step of Russian imperialism in Central Asia, the Near and Far East, the population of every annexed or incorporated into the zone of Russian influence region of Persia, Manchuria, Mongolia, and Talienwan, had the good fortune to see the travelling salesmen of Polish industry, representatives of odz and Warsaw, and to become acquainted with the quality of Polish manufactured goods long before our Petrograd and Moscow factory owners had time to get organised and send their representatives to these distant outposts. It is well known that Polish industry was more closely linked to our expansionist policy and more intensively exploited, with greater enthusiasm, persistence and systematicity, all the advantages of Russia's territorial expansion than the industry of the main factory districts of Russia, namely the Moscow-Petrograd districts. The World War, the establishment of the Soviet regime in Russia and Ukraine, the resulting creation of the Polish Republic separated it from the rest of the former tsarist empire, bringing Polish industry to the brink of collapse. Polish industry lies in ruins. Roman Dmowski, described by Radek as a real, not romantic representative of the Polish bourgeoisie, emphasised the impossibility of a separate Poland and openly declared that it would be better to unite all Polish lands in a federation with Greater Russia than to have a small independent Poland. Naturally, in the era of imperialism, in the era of the struggle for large markets, in the era of the feverish pursuit of raw materials by all countries, the bourgeois classes of Poland consider it useful for themselves to become part of a large economic complex. However, it goes without saying that the Polish imperialists do not even want to hear about a friendly unionhorror of horrors!of their dear fatherland, their bourgeois, noble Poland, with the All-Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, i.e., first and foremost, with Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. Since it is impossible for noble Poland to unite and merge amicably with Soviet Russia and Ukraine into a single federation, the Polish imperialists have only one way to save their homeland from economic and political bankruptcy, which is inevitable in the very near future: to subjugate the All-Russian Socialist Soviet Republic and turn all the territories of the former Tsarist empire into an economic vassal of Poland. It goes without saying that this plan to destroy Soviet Russia and Ukraine by force of arms is, at first glance, pure madness, the most absurd adventure. But the world war of 1914-1918, the Brest Peace, the Treaty of Versailles, and the notorious League of Nations were all adventures, insane undertakings and deeds of a class doomed to destruction. The capitalist system has reached such a point of decay that the most prominent and intelligent representatives of the class interested in preserving it are incapable of offering anything to save it except conquering Ukraine in order to seize Ukrainian land, grain, sugar, coal, etc., with the aim of opening up a free passage to the Black Sea, the Azov and Caspian Seas, and further on to the Caucasus, Turkestan and Central Asia, in order to restore Polish industry and the Polish gentry to their former markets and to their place, the former serfs. Finally, this plan to subjugate the territories of the former Russian Empire, causing the dismemberment and decomposition of the latter as a result of the violent annexation of Ukraine, is yet another illustration of the madness that has gripped the leaders of Polish politics. But is this crazy project just some weird Polish fantasy? No, the main ideas behind it were once defended in thousands of German newspapers, leaflets, and brochures, and were even put into practice by German diplomats and generals. After the Germans left Ukraine, the English and French imperialists seized upon this project; now the same tune is being sung by the pompous Polish imperialists. Polish soldiers in Kiev in May 1920 By marching on Russia and Ukraine, noble Poland is primarily carrying out the plans of Polish imperialism, the great-power Polish empire. From the very first days of the restoration of Polish independence, the Polish gentry, Polish capitalists and those who expressed their interestsPolish social patriots, who only recently had been shouting so loudly about the self-determination of nationsbegan to reveal their aspirations for plunder, violence and oppression of neighbouring peoples and countries. In the west, Polish imperialists set as their main goal the seizure of coal fields and mineral resources not only in Silesia, but also in Bohemia (the Cieszyn coal basin), thereby turning against themselves, in addition to the Germans and their Slavic brothers, the Czechs and Slovaks. The Polish imperialists are clearly striving to seize the Cieszyn coal region of Bohemia and the disputed areas of Upper Silesia and Posen in East Prussia. In the east, the insatiable Polish invaders are striving to restore the borders of 1772, annex Lithuania, Belarus, the coast of Latvia, the middle reaches of the Dvina River, Polesia and, finally, the right bank of the Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, i.e., with that southern beauty, Odessa.[ 17 ] Poland demands from Soviet Russia a territory three times larger than the entire area of Poland, with a population of 30 million people, of whom no more than 3 million are Poles. With these grandiose plans in mind, the bourgeois and landlord classes of Poland are not only pursuing Bonapartist goals. Deprived of any support from the broad masses of the people, the Pisudski government is, of course, forced to seek support from the military and the officers loyal to it, who sympathise with all kinds of adventures. But this is only one of the motives for the Polish war. The entire international situation, the entire external situation, the entire internal economic situation is pushing Poland towards the most insane plans. Revolutionary ferment in the Polish countryside among the millions of rural labourers and in the cities among the factory proletariat is growing and manifesting itself in continuous strikes. Polish industry lies in ruins. The country's financial situation is desperate. Poland's relations with Germany, Czechoslovakia and Latvia are strained. The mood of the population in the annexed territories towards the gentry is hostile. The war with Russia and Ukraine is a war to suppress the revolutionary movement in Poland itself, a war aimed at keeping the eastern revolutionary flame as far as possible from the Polish powder keg, which could explode at the slightest spark. It is a war aimed at seizing the Ukrainian market, and further, Ukrainian grain, coal, iron, sugar, and salt. Furthermore, it is a war for the economic domination of industrial Poland over all the regions of the former tsarist empire, a war for the return of Polish industry to its old markets in the Far East and Central Asia. Finally, it is a classic war between the lords and the serfs, a war to return to the Polish magnates, all these princes Radziwi, Sanguszko, Zamoyski, Branicki, etc., their sugar factories, their richest Polesie forests, their vast Volhynian lands, for their palaces and estates, left in the hands of the muzhiks. In short, this was clearly a class war between the powerful lords and landowners against the serfs, against the peasantry, against the canaille.[ 18 ] In pursuit of its own imperialist goals, the Polish nobility, this mistress of the Anglo-French capitalists, was forced not to forget its patrons and to buy their favour with corrupt services. Denikin's defeat overturned all the plans of English entrepreneurs to extract tens of millions of poods [1.6 million tonnes] of grain and raw materials from Ukraine. Denikin had prepared millions of poods of Ukrainian wheat in the ports of the Black and Azov Seas for export to England in payment for military support. Denikin's defeat collapsed the contracts signed by British agents for the supply of Ukrainian grain, Caucasian oil, etc. to the English market. The calculations of French capitalists regarding railway concessions in Ukraine also collapsed, as did any hope of regaining the coal and iron ore mines and shafts of the Donbas. It is not surprising that imperialist France and England reacted with such sympathy to Pisudski's adventure. According to British plans, noble Poland was to take on the role of a pump in the hands of Great Britain for pumping grain, lard, meat, livestock and other necessary products out of Ukraine, just as the Polish government was already doing with Belarusian timber. Thus, in the winter of 1919, the Polish government sold two billion marks worth of Belarusian timber to British capitalists. It should be noted, incidentally, that the latter are very interested in the forest riches of Lithuania and Belarus and support the predatory felling of Belarusian and Lithuanian forests for export to England. Polish newspapers recently reported that, in order to export timber from Lithuania and Belarus to England, the union of timber industrialists in Minsk decided to send a special delegation to London, which would include Representatives of English firms are also involved. The Poles are cutting down the last remnants of Belarusian forests. Predatory England is using the services of Polish speculators to squeeze every last drop out of Belarus while it still can. The famous Belarusian potato is already disappearing, as a significant portion is being exploited by the English for alcohol. This commonality of Anglo-Polish interests based on the plundering of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania naturally creates fertile ground for the emergence of the most ardent sympathies of the ruling classes of Great Britain towards all the robberies of the gentry. The government telegram from the English king to Pisudski is a clear sign of the common views that prevail between the British government and the Polish instigators. The landing of French troops in Danzig, as well as the dispatch of military supplies, such as cargo for the army in Poland, testify to the same commonality of views between the French government and the Polish invaders.[ 19 ] 5. The Polish adventure and Ukrainian culture The Polish invasion and Polish ambitions pose a mortal threat to the economic future of the worker-peasant Ukraine, its national independence and its culture. The Polish gentry is polonising all the areas it manages to bring under its influence. Thus, in Eastern Galicia, where Poles make up a negligible part of the population, Polish is being introduced as the official language. In Volhynia, where, according to Polish statistics, only 7 percent of the population belongs to the Polish nation, the Polish language has also been declared the official language. In Podolia, where, according to the same exaggerated Polish data, only 8 percent are Poles, the same is being done. Finally, in Belarus, where, as nowhere else, the arrival of Poles was marked by the arrival of tens of thousands of landowners who, like hungry locusts, pounced on the peasants property, the most consistent policy of Polonization is being carried out. The Polish authorities systematically persecute Belarusian schools. The Higher Pedagogical Institute in Minsk has been dissolved. All secondary schools, except for one in Minsk, have been closed. Public schools have been left without any funds and exist only on voluntary contributions from the parents of the pupils themselves. These facts alone show what the alliance between the bandit Petliura and the Polish nobility means for Ukrainian culture. The treacherous slogan Ukrainian Peoples Republic is only a cover for the subjugation of Ukraine to international capital and the Ukrainian kulaks. During the first Ukrainian Peoples Republic in Ukraine, the Austro-German imperialists and General Skoropadsky ruled Ukraine. This was a time when, under a treaty with the Germans and Austrians, Petliura's Ukraine pledged to give Austria and Germany 75 million poods [1.2 million tonnes] of grain, 11 million poods [180,187 tonnes] of livestock, etc. (see above). Skoropadsky with his officers During the Second Ukrainian People's Republic, Ukraine was a colony of French capital under a treaty signed by the traitor Petliura in Odessa with French General dAnselm. Under this treaty, almost all Ukrainian railways, financial and military enterprises were to pass into the hands of French stockbrokers. The Third Ukrainian People's Republic, which the same Petliura is now promising, is only a smokescreen for the establishment in Ukraine of the hated black power of the Polish nobility. The entire history of Ukraine cries out against this new treacherous act by Petliura. This history is a history of heroic deeds and great defeats of the Ukrainian peasantry, the Ukrainian canaille, in its centuries-long struggle against the Polish gentry. On the contrary, the entire history of noble Poland was nothing but a long series of wars against Ukraine with the aim of enslaving the latter. Ukrainian literature, the immortal works of Shevchenko, and Ukrainian folk poetry vividly reflect this side of the long-suffering history of the Ukrainian people, whose entire development took place in a bloody struggle against the Polish lords. All the Cossack rebellions, all the struggles of the Zaporozhian Sich, and the struggle of Bohdan Khmelnytsky were essentially the struggle of Ukrainian peasants against the yoke of Polish landowners, the struggle against the Polonizers, the enemies of the Ukrainian language and Ukrainian culture. Symon Petliura Petliura, a mercenary and hired bandit who sells himself to anyone who agrees to pay well for his bloody services, is now handing over Ukrainian land, the Ukrainian language, and all Ukrainian culture to the Polish gendarmes, the insolent Polonizers who are closing Belarusian schools and declare Polish the official language even in regions where the Polish population is negligible. Polish gentry and Polish cultural leaders are already trying to Polonise all of Belarus, Volhynia and Podolia, and intend to do the same to all the regions of Ukraine that they manage to conquer. Only in closest alliance and unity with the working masses of Soviet Russia will Ukrainian workers be able to defend their language and their culture, created by the masses. How much blood have Russian workers and peasants already shed on the fields of Ukraine in the struggle for happiness and freedom! And what do those pitiful eight thousand poods [131 tonnes] of grain, which have been taken to Russia during the current period of Soviet power in Ukraine, mean in comparison with these rivers of blood, with this heroic self-sacrifice of Russian workers and peasants? The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic is a member of the All-Russian Socialist Federative Republic, which in the near future will become the Great International Republic of Soviets. And what is the difference between our workers and peasants socialist federation and the robber capitalist empires? The free constitution of England keeps 300 million Indians in grinding slavery and suffocates them, who have long been groaning under the British yoke. Republican France brutally suppresses the slightest manifestation of freedom and national self-determination in Morocco, Algeria, Indo-China, and all its colonies; the great transatlantic Republic, the United States, still refuses to recognise the independence of Cuba and the Philippines, in the name of whose supposed liberation the war with Spain was started in 1898. At this time, the government and the working and peasant masses of the Russian Socialist Federative Republic joyfully welcome the formation in the ruins of the former Tsarist empire, where, as in all capitalist countries, any aspiration for national self-determination that has been stifled and suppressed, the autonomous Bashkir Soviet Republic, the autonomous Tatar Socialist Soviet Republic, etc. In all capitalist states without exception, large and small, in France, England, Japan, America, Holland, Belgium, Poland, etc., we see brutal violence against national minorities, and sometimes the transformation of huge collectives of hundreds of millions of people into a nation of slaves and serfs, falling under the power of a more organised, more civilised minority, as we see in the example of the 300 million people enslaved in India and the armed capitalist England that rules over them. At one polein the capitalist countriesthere is brutal suppression of national minorities, and sometimes even nationalities, where the national minority holds the reins of power in its hands. At the other polein the Republic of Sovietsthere is the most careful, most brotherly feeling and attitude not only towards more or less large, but also towards the smallest national units. Dozens and hundreds of honest Ukrainians, sincerely longing for the national and cultural revival of Ukraine, have come, like two pillars of the Ukrainian national community, Vynnychenko and Hrushevsky,[ 20 ] to the conviction that only Soviet power can now fulfill to the end the role of liberator of Ukraine from all forms of oppression. On 27 May, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee approved the provisions for an autonomous Tatar Socialist Soviet Republic with its centre in the city of Kazan. This announcement will resound throughout the entire Muslim world, in Persia, Afghanistan, Turkey, India, and will serve in the eyes of our Muslim brothers, workers and peasants of the East, as a new illustration of the great principles that underlie the national policy of the All-Russian Federal Republic. Two or three decades will pass, and we will see how, together with the spread of public education in the Soviet Republic, together with the opening of thousands and thousands of schools, evening courses, academies, etc., together with the complete elimination of illiteracy in Russia and Ukraine, alongside the amazing monuments of Russian and Ukrainian literature, the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Gogol, Shevchenko, new great works will appear by new brilliant poets, fiction writers, etc., who come from the working and peasant milieu... The poetry and literature of the Tatar, Bashkir, Kyrgyz and other peoples, which are only just awakening to life, will blossom into full bloom; poetry and literature will blossom, and all these separate streams, tributaries, small rivers and large rivers, intertwining in a strange and harmonious manner, merging and feeding with their life-giving waters into a single international ocean of poetry and science, freed for the first time from the national and class oppression of the working people, will shine with such unprecedented, incomparable beauty, the like of which neither classical Hellas with all its marvellous works of art, nor the civilisation of the medieval and capitalist eras with all the immortals poets, artists, thinkers and scientists born of those eras, could give to the world. From defence to attack In order to achieve their class liberation and the right to genuine national liberation as quickly as possible and with the least loss of blood, the workers and peasants of Russia, Bashkiria, the Tatar regions, Ukraine, the Caucasus, etc., must join hands and, through joint efforts, put an end to the centuries-old, hereditary enemy of the working and peasant peoplethe capitalist, the kulak, both native and foreign. Polish lords, Polish landowners, and Polonizers from the banks of the Vistula are now marching on Ukraine, declaring war on Ukrainian freedom and independence, on the Ukrainian worker-peasant Soviet government, and on the Ukrainian language. We will double, triple, or even increase our efforts tenfold if necessary, and we will put an end to the threat of the Polish nobles as soon as possible. However, let us remember that noble Poland is only an outpost of international imperialism, only a tool in the hands of the Imperialist International of death and destruction, and above all Anglo-French imperialism. As Comrades Chicherin and Rakovsky rightly point out in their note on the offensive of the Polish lords: The very existence of workers republics successfully fighting for the economic revival of their countries is a thorn in the side of countries where the workers are not yet in power. Trip of Christian Rakovsky (sitting on the right) in Ukraine 1920. At the time, his official position is Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Prime Minister) of the Ukrainian SSR. We must show world imperialism, and above all England, which we can mortally wound, the Achilles heel of its formidable military and economic apparatus, that we do not consider the tactic of active defence to be the only method of self-defence for the Soviet republics. We wish to devote ourselves to peaceful labour, to peaceful creative work. We want our workers and peasants Socialist Federal Republic, through its fruitful internal activity, its great peaceful deeds in all areas of economic and cultural life, in a word, by the very fact of its existence, to serve as an example, a beacon, a guiding star for the workers and peasants of all countries and continents. But if England continues to persecute us like predatory beasts, if it keeps throwing new armies of mercenaries against us, we will not limit ourselves to driving the Polish lords out of Ukraine and helping the Polish workers and peasants raise the red banner over the Warsaw citadel. We are approaching the end of the first period of the Soviet Republics wars with international capital, a period of active defence against the Anglo-French predators. We know where the Achilles heel lies, the weakest and most vulnerable spot in the body of our main enemy, Great Britain. The commander of the Soviet fleet, Raskolnikov, with his decisive actionson his own initiative, without orders from Moscow to the coast of the Caspian Sea, and specifically by landing in the Persian port of Enzali, where an English detachment had retreated before the onslaught of our heroic sailors to Resht, took the first step, fraught with great world-historical consequences, from the tactics of active defence of the Soviet Republics to the tactics of a bold offensive in the struggle against world imperialism. The Soviet Union at its founding in December 1922. [Photo: David Benson/WSWS] England could not prevent the emergence of the Soviet Azerbaijan Republic and powerlessly let the Baku oil fields slip from its hands. In vain did the British government, in an official statement to the House of Commons, reassure the alarmed British owners and shareholders of Persian oil fields and other concessions that there were sufficient British forces in Persia to repel a possible Bolshevik offensive. If necessary, our Cossack brigades will reappear in Tehran, but no longer white and under the command of the notorious Tsarist colonel Lyakhov, hated by the Persians, but as red cavalry regiments under the command of red commanders such as Comrade Budyonny, Primakov and others. Azerbaijan, Persia, which is friendly to us, and allied Afghanistanall these are countries where every tremor of the ground beneath the feet of the English oppressors is powerfully reflected in all corners of the British Empire, causing strong underground shocksharbingers of an impending earthquake in India and Turkey. When news of the blows we have dealt to English prestige in Azerbaijan, Persia, and Afghanistan reaches the Near East, the Middle East, and the Hindu, Muslim, and non-Muslim East, then not only will the British capitalist empire be shaken, but the ground will begin to burn under the feet of the French imperialists in Asian Indo-China, in the African colonies, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. The first period, the period of the revolutionary defensive wars of the Soviet Republics for the right to create a new life on the great socialist principles by peaceful means, is, we hope, coming to an end. Let us hope that we will not be forced, on the very next day after the conclusion of peace with Poland, to decisively and irrevocably set aside the peaceful plough and enter the second period of revolutionary wars of the Soviet Republics:offensive wars in the Westin the name of uniting with our brothers abroad in the Westthe Czech, Hungarian, and German workers groaning under the yoke of Anglo-French capitalism and all its agents in the Eastin the name of liberating hundreds of millions of Persians, Afghans, Hindus, who are eagerly awaiting our arrival for the final decisive battle with world imperialism and its main representativebloodthirsty capitalist Great Britain. One week after the deadly fire in Crans-Montana, it is becoming clear that this was not a tragic accident, but manslaughter driven by profit. The bar Le Constellation had been known for years as a deadly fire trap, without the authorities intervening or even carrying out inspections. The bar Le Constellation on the day after the inferno [Photo by Christian David / wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 Italian Formula One manager Flavio Briatore, who himself operates several nightclubs, bars and restaurants in various parts of the world, told Corriere della Sera: Do not talk to me about an accident, a tragedy or adverse circumstancesthis was murder. In the Swiss ski resort, 40 people aged between 14 and 39 were burned beyond recognition on New Years Eve. A further 116 were injured, some of them critically. Eighty-three are still being treated in specialist clinics across Europe. At a press conference on Tuesday, Nicolas Feraud, president of the municipality responsible for fire safety inspections, was forced to admit that the local authority bears joint responsibility for the catastrophe. The last inspection, Feraud said, had taken place in 2019. For five years, the bar had not been inspected. However, even during the three inspections that took place between 2015 and 2019, the cheap insulation material on the ceiling of the bar was not considered important. The highly flammable material was ignited on the night of the fire by fountain candles. These were mounted on champagne bottles, emitting a bright flame, causing the inferno. Feraud justified the lack of inspection by stating that the law did not require the quality of the acoustic insulation material used to be checked during the regularly prescribed inspections. As early as 2015, when the current operators took over the bar and carried out renovations, the authorities showed no interest in the foam mats on the ceiling of the basement. Nor did they concern themselves with the only staircase leading to the basement, which had been narrowed during the renovation from 4 metres to 1.4 metres. The narrow staircase proved to be a deadly trap for numerous victims. The French couple operating the venue, Jessica and Jacques Moretti, were only required to apply for a permit for renovation of the veranda, and had a free hand in the interior conversion. Feraud also had to admit that the dangers posed by the ceiling had long been known. A newly surfaced mobile phone video from New Years night 2020 shows a waiter urgently warning guests of the risk of fire. The same fountain candles set alight at that time ignited the ceiling in the recent tragedy. For the bar, which held up to 400 guests on the night of the fire, only a single fire extinguisher was required, which, according to Feraud, was present. Whether it was actually used, the municipal president could not say. Nor could he confirm whether an emergency exit was accessible and open. Feraud, a member of the right-liberal FDP, claimed that he would have acted immediately if he had known earlier about the party practices at the bar. When it was pointed out that the bar had advertised the fountain candles on its website, he replied that anyone was free to write whatever they wanted on their website. Feraud also rejected any suspicion that bribery or cronyism had been involved. Neither he nor the responsible fire inspectors had personal relationships with the landlord couple, he claimed. Coming from the same man who only a few days earlier had asserted that the bar was inspected annually or biennially, this claim is of little value. The reputation of the operator couple, initially described as excellent, meanwhile has also been damaged. French newspaper Le Parisien has revealed that Jacques Moretti was convicted in France 30 years ago of pimping, deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and fraud, and spent some time in prison. The public prosecutors office is now investigating the Morettis for negligent manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent causing of a major fire, but has so far issued no arrest warrant. The operating licence for a second restaurant in Crans-Montana has been withdrawn from the Morettis. It has also now become clear why so many minors are among the victims, even though under cantonal law young people under the age of 16 are not permitted to remain in bars or restaurants after 10 p.m. without being accompanied by a parent, and they are prohibited from consuming alcohol. The bar Le Constellation was known for its lax admission controls. According to reports from young people, it was also possible to bypass the bouncer at the main entrance via a side door, the access code to which was known to insiders. The new findings confirm what we wrote in the first article on the inferno in Crans-Montana: it is part of a chain of developmentsthe coronavirus pandemic, the increase in fatal workplace accidents, the genocide in Gaza, the reintroduction of conscription in Germanyin which profit or power interests take precedence over human lives. The tourism industry, too, is increasingly dominated by profit-hungry, globally operating corporations. In the case of Crans-Montana, US corporation Vail Resorts, which owns all the ski facilities and several restaurants, plays this role. The authorities are put under pressure or bought off by them. Smaller actors, such as the Morettis, only prevail if they possess the required ruthlessness. Barclays, one of the UKs Big Four largest banks, has bought a stake in U.S. stablecoin settlement startup Ubyx. Ryan Hayward, Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments at Barclays, said that interoperability is essential to unlock the full potential of digital assets. The size or the terms of the investment were not disclosed. Haward added, As the landscape of tokens, blockchains and wallets evolves, specialist technology will play a pivotal role in delivering connectivity and infrastructure to enable regulated financial institutions to interact seamlessly. Founded in March 2025 by former Citi executive Tony McLaughlin, Ubyx is developing what is called a clearing system for stablecoins and tokenized deposits. This aims to allow users to deposit digital money from a variety of issuers and in multiple currencies into existing bank and fintech accounts. According to its white paper, the startup plans to help stablecoins achieve cash equivalent status so they can see more mainstream corporate adoption. McLaughlin told Decrypt in an interview that he thinks stablecoins will eventually be able to address every payments use case, if it becomes easy enough for all banks and fintechs to on- and off-ramp them. This is the process by which crypto is converted to traditional fiat currency and vice versa. He predicts what he calls a pluralistic market structure emerging, with many interconnected issuers, currencies, and chains, eventually creating a full merger of Web3 and TradFi. This isnt the first time Ubyx has seen major investment. In July 2025, the startup raised $10 million in a seed round led by Galaxy Ventures with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Peter Theils Founders Fund, VanEck, Mirana Ventures, LayerZero, Paxos, Boku, Payoneer, and Monerium. UK follows U.S. on stablecoins The news comes as the UK is finally codifying its stablecoin regulations, following the passage of the GENIUS Act in the U.S. last July. In November 2025, the UK rolled out its proposed stablecoin regime, including caps on individual holdings and those of small and medium businesses. The rules are still awaiting industry input before coming into play. UK Stablecoin Regs Coming 'Just as Quickly' as US: Bank of England A CryptoUK spokesperson told Decrypt that Barclays investment in Ubyx was a signal that UK institutions are moving beyond exploration and are now taking practical steps to integrate digital money within regulated frameworks. The industry lobbying group added that this type of stablecoin settlement infrastructure is a critical component for the future of tokenized markets. Espionage allegations against a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) military intelligence officer accused of acting on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence have exposed a campaign waged by elements within the Canadian military to smear veteran Ottawa Citizen reporter David Pugliese as a Russian asset. Much of the story has emerged via a series of leaks to the Globe and Mail, the unofficial national newspaper of the Canadian ruling class, and reported in such a way as to obscure the central political fact that the scandal has exposedthe seething hostility of the ruling class to opponents of its planned wars against Russia and China and its readiness to use anti-democratic methods to silence them. On December 10 Master Warrant Officer Shawn Robar was arrested by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service and charged with passing highly sensitive government secrets to what court documents refer to as a foreign entity, according to the Globe. An anonymous official source later disclosed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that the foreign entity is the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), the military intelligence agency of Ukraine. The significance of this fact is underscored by the fact that the director of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, has recently been named to head the Office of the President of Ukraine. Robar, a counterintelligence officer tasked with briefing military leadership, is alleged to have pursued a project with the GUR featuring unconventional activity that involved sensitive techniques. Ukrainian intelligence, whose agencies include the GUR and the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), emerged directly out of the Soviet KGB, the Stalinist secret police. Today they are infested with openly pro-Nazi elements and draw inspiration less from their institutional roots in the KGB than their political-ideological forebearers in the World War II era Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which collaborated with Hitlers Third Reich in the Holocaust and its war of annihilation against the Soviet Union. Canadian relations with Ukrainian intelligence, authorized or illicit, cannot be separated from Canadian imperialisms collaboration with Ukrainian fascists since 1946. This unbroken relationship continues today via the far-right Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), which has attained immense political influence in Ottawa. According to standard procedure, command approval would have been required for Robar to pursue the said project with Ukrainian intelligence. When that approval was denied, Robar operationalized it anyway. In September 2024, he held unauthorized meetings with Ukrainian operatives abroad. Canadian military prosecutors allege that Robar handed classified information to his Ukrainian handlers. This included the identity of another Canadian military intelligence officer engaged in covert intelligence and information-collection activities; the Canadian states intelligence assessment of Ukraine; and the military movements of a foreign military partner. Ukrainian intelligence then used this knowledge to attempt to gain leverage over Canada and make threats. Military prosecutors further allege that Robar offered the services of specialized units within the CAF who could possibly work with Ukrainian intelligence. Robar is even said to have discussed switching allegiance to Ukraine after he came under investigation by Canadian authorities. Robars colleagues in military counter-intelligence became concerned about his loyalty and informed their superiors, leading to charges under the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act, the National Defence Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. The gravity of the charges are such that the maximum penalty for them is life imprisonment. The Globe and Mail subsequently revealed that the project Robar was working on together with Ukrainian intelligence was thematically aligned with ongoing attempts to remove veteran Ottawa Citizen reporter David Pugliese from his job, because his reporting was undermining Canadian support for Ukraine. In 2023, Robar had been assigned by his superiors to interview CAF officers who alleged that they faced threats and retaliation from Russia over their possession of a secret KGB file on David Pugliese from the 1980s in which Pugliese is identified as a target for recruitment. Nothing in the dossier states that he was ever recruited. The threats allegedly originating from Russia included death threats and home break ins. Nowhere does the Globe and Mail refer to any police reports that should have been filed by the officers, a curious omission. Elements within the CAF were unhappy with Pugliese over his reporting on two charities, Mirya Aid and Mirya Report, set up by CAF officers as private citizens to funnel non-lethal aid to Ukraine. Puglieses reporting has shone an unflattering light on the activities of Lt. Colonel Melanie Lake, the director of Mirya Aid, and the former commander of the CAFs Operation UNIFIERwhich supervises the training of Ukrainian troops, including members of various neo-Nazi movements who have been integrated into Ukraines security forcesas well as those of Captain Joseph Friedberg, who established the Mirya Report to raise funds for Mirya Aid. In multiple articles in the Ottawa Citizen in 2023 and 2024, Pugliese exposed allegations of misappropriation of funds, missing equipment and the unauthorized use of Canadian government resources by these groups. Officers appeared in their military uniforms at Mirya Aid events, even though they were supposedly acting for Mirya Aid in their personal capacity. CAF officers used their military email accounts as well as various military bases in work for Mirya Aid. Pugliese reported that Friedberg made threats of legal action against Miryas critics and was later investigated by his superiors. More than 20 Mirya volunteers resigned in the wake of Puglieses revelations, citing ethical concerns. Pugliese and Postmedia, which owns the Ottawa Citizen, now face a $14 million defamation suit launched by Mirya Report. The Globe and Mail reports that unnamed CAF officers who alleged they were experiencing Russian threats put Robar in touch with Ukrainian state operatives. The alleged KGB dossier seems to be what brought him (Robar) into contact with Ukrainian officials. A series of messages seen by the Globe show that senior staff at the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa were aware of the alleged KGB dossier and were aiding efforts to prove its veracity. In other words, Robar was put in touch with Ukrainian intelligence to support a campaign within the CAF officer corps to silence one of Canadas senior military affairs journalista campaign that was being aided and abetted by the Ukrainian government. Moreover, as we shall subsequently demonstrate, the documents upon which this campaign is based are forgeries, in all likelihood emanating from the Ukrainian intelligence apparatus. The smear campaign was publicized in a manner to protect Puglieses accusers from a lawsuit and their evidence from scrutiny, with the assistance of highly placed members of Canadas Conservative Party, which under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre has increasingly morphed into a far-right party. The alleged KGB documents, or rather photostats of the documents, were first made public by former Conservative Cabinet Minister Chris Alexander, a fellow of the pro-war Macdonald-Laurier Institute on October 24, 2024, at a meeting of the Parliamentary Public Safety and National Security Committee. The session addressed the subject of alleged Russian interference in Canadian politics. Alexander, reports the Globe, says that he met with Robar on October 8, 2024, shortly after I (Alexander) received the dossier naming Pugliese and not long after Robars clandestine meetings with Ukrainian spies. The forum of a Parliamentary Committee provided Alexander with parliamentary immunity for his statements. If Alexander had merely called a press conference, he would have invited a libel suit and a legal discovery process, which would have put the alleged KGB dossier under a microscope. Alexander told the parliamentary committee that previous efforts to expose (Puglieses) long-running covert ties to Moscow have resulted in attempts to intimidate current and former Canadian parliamentarians, including my former colleague James Bezan (the Conservatives shadow defence minister), as well as Canadian Army officers. No proof whatsoever was supplied to back up these inflammatory claims. Front page of alleged KGB file on Ottawa Citizen Reporter David Pugliese. [Photo: Courtesy The Walrus] Alexanders allegations invert reality. It was as yet unnamed CAF officers who began a smear campaign against Pugliese, alongside Mirya Report attempts to silence their critics in Ukraine and North America with legal action. And, as we now know, Ukrainian intelligence subsequently attempted to blackmail the Canadian government and likely multiple individuals. Though not well-known to most readers of the World Socialist Web Site, David Pugliese is an accomplished investigative reporter of the old school. Although he operates within the ideological framework of capitalism and calls himself a proud Canadian, his reporting has long infuriated Canadas ruling class and military establishment. To name only those most immediately relevant to the current campaign against him, Pugliese has penned exposes of the growing influence of the far-right Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Canadian politics; of the Canadian states ongoing support for Ukrainian and other Nazi war criminals, including through its Victims of Communism monument; and of Nazi and fascist groups active within the Canadian military. He was also one of a tiny number of mainstream journalists who challenged the attempts of the entire Canadian political establishment to dismiss the revelation that former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freelands beloved grandfather was a prominent Ukrainian Nazi collaborator as Russian disinformation and of no consequence. Pugliese has strenuously denied the allegations that he worked for the KGB, pointing out basic factual errors in the alleged KGB file, such as its assertion that he was employed by the Ottawa Citizen before 1989. In his own testimony before the Parliamentary Committee, given to answer Alexanders allegations, Pugliese revealed that Military public affairs officers have acknowledged that during my time at the Ottawa Citizen, there have been no fewer than three attempts by senior DND (Department of National Defence) officials to convince my employer to remove me from the defence beat. His employer, Post Media Group, has defended Pugliese unconditionally in the face of the Globe and Mails recent contribution to the smear campaign (detailed below). This is all the more significant, given that the Post Media Group is itself a right-wing media conglomerate, virulently hostile to the working class and democratic rights. If any reporters should be accused of working on behalf of a state intelligence agency, it is those at the Globe and Mail who often report as if they were stenographers for the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS). Reporters Steven Chase and Robert Fife, the Globes lead writers on the Robar affair, served as the primary conduits for elements within the Canadian state who in 2023 whipped up a furor over claims that Beijing had interfered in the 2021 and 2019 federal elections. This campaign, it need be recalled, was used to stigmatize China as an existential threat to Canadian democracy, destabilize the Trudeau government from the right and press for sweeping new powers for Canadians security-intelligence apparatus. The Globe has reported on the Robar case in a manner that lends credibility to the smear campaign and fraudulent allegations against Pugliese. On his X account, Pugliese has noted that Chase, Fife and fellow Globe reporter Mark MacKinnon have declined to publish material he supplied to them refuting the allegations against him peddled by the Ukrainian government and elements in Canadas military-security apparatus. In September 2025, the Canadian magazine The Walrus confirmed that an independent forensic investigation exposed the KGB dossier as a fake. The archives of the KGB in Kiev contain no such files, and the archival file numbers which should be present are missing. Typeface specialist Erik van Blokland asserts that the Cyrillic typewriter typeface used in the documents is in fact a digital typeface which he himself invented in 1993, three years after the documents are alleged to have been created. But in their reporting on this story, the Globe reporters fail to refer to these investigations. Instead, their reporting lends credibility to the assertions of the promoters of the documents, which align with Canadian imperialist interests, and the previous reporting of the Globe and Mail hyping the Russian threat. The Globe has breathlessly reported the claims Russia orchestrated an intimidation campaign targeting those with knowledge of the KGB dossier on Pugliese. It has sought to boost the veracity of this dossier by highlighting remarks it solicited from Andriy Kogut, the SBU director of archives. Kogut asserts, reports the Globe, the documents would have been difficult to forge without real documents or perfect and deep knowledge from within the KGB. In fact, the SBU possesses such perfect and deep knowledge as it emerged directly out of the KGB! Moreover, it and the Ukrainian security services as a whole have a long and notorious record of using torture and frame-ups against their political opponents, including against Bogdan Syrotiuk, a socialist opponent of the Zelensky regime and anti-war activist who has been jailed on frame-up charges since April 2024. The political meaning of the campaign to smear David Pugliese must be understood. Canadian imperialism is terrified of the growing anti-war sentiment among workers and youth. Puglieses exposures within the capitalist press have thus become politically unacceptable as the ruling class launches a war-spending orgy, already in the hundreds of billions of dollars, to prepare for the planned carve-up of Eurasia. The campaign against Pugliese cannot be understood apart from the ruling class drive to criminalize all expressions of principled opposition to its imperialist policies, including tarring opponents of Israels genocide in Palestine as antisemitic and shutting down student solidarity encampments. Since the start of Canadian imperialisms war against Russia in 2022, the state and the Ukrainian far right, acting as one, have waged a vicious propaganda campaign, including attacking and shutting down multiple anti-war meetings, and censoring critical artwork, such as the film Russians at War. The NDP and its trade union sponsors have said nothing in defence of Pugliese. This is not surprising. The NDP has long stood foursquare behind Canadian imperialisms wars. This is the party that drove out Ontario MPP Sarah Jama for mild remarks in defence of the Palestinians and which has excluded the pseudo-left Yves Engler from its federal leadership race based on his opposition to Canadian imperialisms war plans. The NDP leaderships preferred choice for leader, Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, is a staunch supporter of the Ukraine war and frequent participant in Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) activities. The union bureaucracy has joined together with the Carney government in a corporatist alliance to crush opposition on the shop floor to its war on workers rights and living standards, the necessary domestic component of the war drive abroad. There is no peace constituency within the ruling class, and there is no constituency which defends democratic rights. The only viable program to defend both democratic rights and oppose imperialist war is socialist internationalismthe fight to mobilize the Canadian and international working class to establish workers power and put an end to capitalism, the outmoded nation-state system, and the domination of society by a predatory oligarchy. Keith Porter Jr., 43, and father of two, was shot and killed on New Years Eve by an as-yet unidentified off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, in Northridge, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. He was the 13th victim of an ICE-involved shooting since the fascist Trump returned to power and began to make good on his promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history by deporting up to 20 million people. Keith Porter Jr. According to Porters mother, Franceola Armstrong, From day one that he was born, I knew that he was my joy. She said, When he came around, people looked for him. He was a joy to be around. My son, the biggest heart, sympathetic, appreciative, so much gratitude. She also said that he was hardworking, caring and uplifting to those he was around. A friend of the family, Bishop Jack Wilson said, He was full of life, and always smiling, it hurts me that he didnt take his last breath, but his last breath was taken from him. Porters cousin Jsan Tyler condemned the goon from the ICE Gestapo, saying, If I could say anything to the ICE agent, its that youre a murderer. You stole my cousin from me. You stole their father from them. She continued, You stole a Black man off the planet that God ordained to live and thrive. You stole a human life, and you need to pay for it. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims, in much the same way as they did in October, that the officer was responding to an active shooter situation. They stated that after the agent identified himself as an ICE agent, that Porter then aimed his rifle at the agent, and that the agent then requested Porter to lay down his weapon. DHS then says that when Porter did not put down his weapon, the ICE officer shot him. DHS also claims that though Porter shot his rifle three times at close range while aiming at the agent, that the officer was not injured in the shooting. The shooting is now under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Departments Robbery-Homicide Division; however, it has also been widely reported that the FBI, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security Investigations are also handling the case because a federal agent was involved. Given that the agent was off duty, this explanation for involvement of federal officials in the investigation of the killing of Porter reeks of a cover-up. Tens of thousands protest against ICE raids and the Trump administration in Los Angeles, June 14, 2025 There is no reason to believe anything coming from the DHS. It was only a few months ago that ICE agents shot another man in Los Angeles, claiming it was in response to an active shooter. The brazen lawlessness under which ICE agents operate is in every case defended by DHS and the fascistic Trump administration as legitimate responses to threats of bodily harm to the agents themselves. Yet, in every case that has been investigated, it has been shown to be a lie. The 14th victim of ICEs reign of terror across the US took place on Wednesday, when an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a US citizen and mother of three. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other Republicans have claimed, in contradiction to video evidence, that Good had weaponized her vehicle. This was also the reason given in virtually all the other shootings carried out by ICE officers in the last year. In the previous active shooter situation in LA, TikToker Richard LA, the victim, was shown in the days immediately following the shooting not to have had a gun. That was when the claim of vehicular weaponization was run up the flagpole. In response to the shooting of Porter, eyewitnesses have reported that he was outside celebrating the New Years Eve holiday by firing his weapon in the air, and that when the agent confronted Porter, he did not identify himself. Given that the agent was the only one on the scene other than Porter and his friends, one is left with the assumption that the entirety of the DHS statement is taken from this one off-duty officer, who was responsible for ending the life of Keith Porter Jr. On Sunday, about 50 people took part in a candlelight vigil to honor Porter. The vigil was organized by Black Lives Matter (BLM), of which Porter was a member. BLM said that the vigil was called not only to honor Porter, but to issue a call for an independent investigation into his death. Melina Abdullah, co-director of BLM Grassroots, said, We want to recognize that one of the worst imaginable injustices has been committed, and there will be time for us to protest, this is a time of grief we are not going to be quiet. Protests and appeals to reason, directed either to the fascists in power, or their Democratic Party colleagues from across the aisle, will not bring justice for Keith Porter Jr., the other victims of ICE shootings, or the thousands and hundreds of thousands who are terrorized by the actions of the ICE Gestapo daily. The vilification and terrorizing of immigrants, the poorest of the poor, is a bi-partisan policy that has been continued without interruption under one administration after another. What is needed is for immigrant workers and youth to organize with other workers into rank-and-file committees that are independent of both capitalist parties and the unions. These committees should be democratically organized and the starting point for preparations for a general strike against the ICE Gestapo, fascism, dictatorship and war. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday announced that his government has called a Royal Commission to be conducted over the next 12 months. Nominally an inquiry into the December 14 terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, every aspect of the announcement made clear that the Commission will, in fact, serve as a witch-hunting body directed against mass opposition to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese [Photo: Facebook/AlboMP] Albaneses announcement was a response to a frenzied and unprecedented campaign by powerful sections of the ruling elite. The major corporate publications, big business groups, Israeli leaders and Zionist lobbies had hysterically demanded a Royal Commission, with increasingly open signals from the political establishment that Albaneses political future depended on it. The most striking element of that campaign, and of the Royal Commission that has eventuated from it, is that the terrorist attack itself is increasingly being relegated to the background. It is still referenced, but only in the vaguest of terms as the nominal pretext for an inquiry that has little or nothing to do with the actions of the two Islamic State-inspired gunmen on December 14. Their atrocity is not even mentioned in the official title of the inquiry, which is instead billed as a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. For more than two years, opposition to the genocide and Australias complicity in it has been branded as antisemitic, in a gratuitous conflation of the Jewish people with the militarist Israeli state. Social cohesion, a hitherto unknown term and one that is still never defined, has been repeated as a mantra over that period, based on the suggestion that strident opposition to war crimes, official policies or the government is an impermissible threat to the functioning of society. The line is reinforced in the first of a four-point terms of reference for the Commission, set by the government. It is tasked with Tackling antisemitism by investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society, and its key drivers in Australia, including ideologically and religiously motivated extremism and radicalisation. Which institutions is the government claiming are overrun by antisemitism? The very first point in the terms of reference is a clear nod to the claims of the Murdoch press and Zionist lobbies that universities and other public institutions are hotbeds of antisemitism, based solely on the fact that protests against Israels genocide have been held at them. The second term calls for the Commission to examine the ways in which the police and other state agencies can tackle this purported threat. The need for more stringent immigration controls is hinted at, in what is a clear racist dogwhistle. Sandwiched between the various calls for repression is the third which is also the shortest term of reference in the summary presented on Albaneses official webpage. The remit of the commission, it states, is Examining the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025. The fourth term calls for the Commission to make recommendations aimed at strengthening social cohesion and stamping out undefined ideologically and religiously motivated extremism. The day before Albanese announced the Commission, Sussan Ley, leader of the opposition Liberal-National Coalition, spelled out what is considered extremism in ruling circles. She raised the necessity for the Commission to particularly target left-wing extremism, i.e., opposition to the genocide and to imperialist war. There are two reasons for the sidelining of the attack itself in a Commission ostensibly triggered by the horrors of December 14. The first is that what actually occurred has nothing to do with the aims being prosecuted by the government and the ruling elite, in seeking to shut down opposition to the genocide. The perpetrators were not pro-Palestinian protesters or anything like it. Based on what little has been revealed, they were adherents of Islamic State (IS), a sectarian Sunni militia that has a long history of hostility to the Palestinian national struggle, including perpetrating terrorist attacks against Hamas in Gaza. In the Middle East and Central Asia, its violent operations have frequently dovetailed with imperialist intervention, with IS playing a key role in the US proxy war to topple the Assad regime in Syria and carrying out strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Ironically, the IS terrorists would be no less hostile to the pro-Palestinian protest movement than those in the ruling class invoking their actions to shut it down. The multi-religious, multi-ethnic and secular character of the protests, and their explicit distinction between Judaism and Zionism, is anathema to religious communalism. In other words, the Royal Commission is beginning with a big lie, conflating IS terrorists with peaceful political opposition, two phenomena that have no connection. The other reason for the disinterest in the concrete circumstances of the attack are the many unanswered questions that it raises. 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. For almost 25 years, since the September 11, 2001 attack in New York, ASIO has listed Sunni Islamic extremism as the most probable terrorist threat. IS has been notorious for more than a decade for perpetrating mass casualty attacks, including in the West. But despite this, the public is supposed to believe that two IS members were able to assemble an arsenal, and then plan and perpetrate their attack, under ASIOs nose without it having any forewarning. Albaneses remarks in announcing the Commission were aimed at convincing those in the ruling class who had demanded the inquiry that he was giving them everything they wanted. He declared that the government had accepted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which deliberately conflates opposition to the Israeli state with anti-Jewish bigotry. Albanese disingenuously denied that the definition outlawed opposition to Israel, stating that it merely meant that such opposition shouldn't be different from the holding to account of other states. But by that logic, branding Israel as an apartheid regime, or noting that it is committing a genocide, would be beyond the pale. Albanese touted his governments acceptance of the recommendations of a report prepared by its special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal. The report demands pro-Israeli censorship of the press, Zionist propaganda in the schools and the defunding of any institutions that permit opposition to the Israeli regime within their bounds. Segal, a Zionist lobbyist who has explicitly defended Israels bombing of hospitals, stood alongside Albanese. The prime minister told various lies about the anti-genocide movement, including that its regular protests were preventing Jewish people from going to the city centres. That is simply a slander, including against the many Jewish people who have participated in the protest movement. He declared that it was legitimate to have opinions on the Israel-Gaza conflict, but that the conflict not be brought here. In reality, the Labor government is a party to the genocidal war, having backed Israel politically, diplomatically and materially throughout, including through the export of weapons components. The suggestion that the conflict is confined to the Middle East, aside from being factually false, is part of the thinly-veiled racism in which the entire Royal Commission is enveloped. The none too subtle message of those demanding social cohesion has been that Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are a threat to Australia and must be combatted. Behind a veil of opposing racism, the ruling elite is attempting to stoke up an anti-immigrant and even fascistic atmosphere. The irony is that it is precisely in such an atmosphere that genuine antisemitism flourishes. In all of the discussion surrounding the Royal Commission, little mention has been made of the growth of openly fascist forces, such as the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network, which constitute a threat to Jewish people and to the entire working class. The calling of the Royal Commission again underscores Labors role as a spearhead of reaction, from supporting imperialist war abroad to enforcing authoritarianism domestically. The defence of democratic rights, including the exposure of the circumstances of the December 14 attack, requires an independent movement of the working class, directed against Labor, the entire political establishment and the state agencies. 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. The crowing by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the agreement signed Tuesday with France to send British and French soldiers to Ukraine after a ceasefire with Russia has rapidly subsided. For the ruling class, it has only underscored the questions: how many, how soon, and how will this be paid for? The Times has led demands in ruling circles during the Ukraine war for a rapid reprioritisation of spending away from social welfare to re-armament, enabling Britain to fight a prolonged, high-intensity war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Prime Minister Keir at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026. [AP Photo/Ludovic Marin] It responded to the Anglo-French-Ukrainian deal with a barrage of articles within 24 hours, led by longtime columnist Edward Lucas, a consultant specialising in European and transatlantic security. He is a known British imperialist asset, part of an organised cluster of anti-Russia mouthpieces. The first paragraph of Lucas op-Ed, Empty words on Ukraine spell doom for Nato, got down to brass tacks: We are promising forces we do not have, to enforce a ceasefire that does not exist, under a plan that has yet to be drawn up, endorsed by a superpower that is no longer our ally, to deter an adversary that has far greater willpower than we do. Apart from that, Britains defences are in great shape. With at best 25,000 combat-capable troops and already struggling to keep even 1,000 of them deployed as a tripwire in Estonia, the well-connected Lucas observes, and lacking air defences, munitions and spare parts stockpiles and other enablers, the UK is realistically incapable of acting as an independent military force. The situation is now perilous because Under Trump, the US has become a predator not an ally. Pressuring Denmark over Greenland is the death knell for Nato: for hawks in the White House, shedding European allies and associated entanglements is a bonus not a minus. Without the US brains in planning and intelligence, muscle (stockpiles and enablers), and the political will to fight, Nato is an empty shell. Starmer claimed US security guarantees had been agreed for a British-French peacekeeping force in Ukraine, but an initial draft statement including a US commitment to support the force in case of attack, as well as intelligence and logistics support was watered down to a proposed US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism. The US did not sign the final document. Zelensky was left bitterly lamenting, asked if European countries would defend Ukraine, as long as we dont have such security guaranteeslegally binding, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congressthis question cannot be answered. The head of foreign affairs in the Ukrainian parliament Oleksandr Merezhko commented simply As of now, Trump isnt offering anything concrete and serious. US commitments are vital to the British proposaldesigned largely to spike a deal being struck by Washington and Moscow over the heads of the Europeansunder conditions in which, again, as reported by the Times, Britain and Frances combined peacekeeping force would be limited to 15,000 after army chiefs warned that personnel numbers were too low to send more. The paper added that, according to two military sources, the assumption is that fewer than 7,500 British soldiers will be deployed although that figure is also expected to be a struggle for the UK. As a separate Times editorial, Labour must get serious about increasing defence spending, pointed out: To be anywhere near credible in the deterrence role, Britain would have to deploy a brigade, preferably an armoured one, for an extended period, quite possibly a decade. That would mean rotating troops in and out of theatre, placing an enormous strain on an army that is now at its smallest since the late 18th century. Britains land force is short of everything: personnel, modern armoured vehicles, artillery and air defence. Its manpower and ammunition stocks would be exhausted in a few weeks of intense fighting. The same is true of all of Europes armed forces. In Lucass words, none is currently capable of deterring either Russia or the US We have spent 35 years paring back our defences. The same point was made in a recent Economist article asking, if Europe could take on Russia without American help, and which answered, Without greatly improved capabilities, it must hope for a short war. Given the green light by the media campaign, multiple military top brass came forward to press the case for more resources for the armed forces. Their demands come during a delay in Labour publishing its Defence Investment Plan (DIP)supposed to have been released by the end of last year. The DIP is to lay out how government spending will back its strategic defence review published last Junewhich Starmer said was critical to moving to warfighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces. Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey have faced a hostile clamour on the basis that, despite such talk, Labour is still only committed to military spending of 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to spend 3 percent in the next parliament (after 2029). A raft of commentary compares this unfavourably with Germany who have laid out plans for a vast military rearmament not seen since Hitler laid waste to Europe. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin and Defence Secretary John Healey meet with Joint Expeditionary Force Chiefs in 10 Downing Street, June 14, 2025. [Photo by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The most hawkish elements demand the government immediately start coughing up staggering sums to reach NATOs new target of 5 percent of GDP spent on the military. The Financial Times reported last month that the best part of a trillion pounds (800 billion) of new funding for defence projects and wider strategic infrastructure would need to be found by the Treasury by 2040 to fund the commitment. Ramping up the pressure Friday, the Times revealed that in a meeting between Starmer and defence chiefs in December, the prime minister raised concerns about the affordability of the DIPwhich has now been kicked down the road to before March. At the talks, also attended by Healey and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton delivered a dire financial assessment showing a 28 billion shortfall in the military budget between now and 2030. These demands are echoed across Parliament, by a political establishment which constitutes a single party of war. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey welcomed Starmers agreementalong with other European leadersin defence of Denmark over Greenland, while asking Starmer, but does he also agree that if Trump does attack Greenland, it will be the end of NATO? Given that frightening possibility, does he accept that the UK needs to increase defence spending more quickly than currently planned and build new alliances with reliable nations? This summed up the crisis of British foreign policy, given that just minutes laterusing UK basesjoint US-British forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker the Marinera in waters off Scotland. On Friday, asked by Sky News, if he would guarantee that British troops or bases would not play a role in US military actions towards Greenland, Healey refused to answer. Conservative Party leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch responded by accusing Starmer of acting against the national interest by prioritising welfare handouts over defence spending. Adding We need to spend more on defence He did not answer the question about when we will get to 3 percent yet he knows up until 2031 how much he is going to be spending on welfare. The same point was made by Lucas, who concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to impose sacrifices on his people. We are not. He acts. We dither and pretend. Writing in the Telegraph, columnist Jeremy Warner said, Whatever the wider geopolitical and economic consequences of Donald Trumps latest escapade in Latin America, there is one thing it has highlighted closer to homethe urgent need to put a rocket under UK defence spending. The only conclusion was that, Welfare must take the brunt of the pain in efforts to boost defence spending. It was time for the government to grasp the nettle as A radical re-imagining of spending priorities is approaching at pace. The obvious target here has to be welfareand particularly working-age benefitswhere spending is plainly out of control. That Starmer has been reluctant to act on these demands shows his recognition that he leads an already hated Labour government which would meet fierce opposition to this class and imperialist war agenda. But the ruling class is increasingly adamant that he proceed anyway or be replaced by someone who will. The working class must act with even greater urgency to build a political movement against this threat. The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) has called for an independent investigation, led by rank-and-file workers, into the recent deaths of US Postal Service workers Nick Acker, 36, in the Detroit area and Russell Scruggs, Jr., 44, near Atlanta. We urge postal workers to come forward with information about safety conditions at their facilities by filling out the form at the end of this article. All submissions will be kept anonymous. Postal workers at a USPS processing and distribution center. [AP Photo/Ben Margot] The USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee has launched an investigation into widespread safety issues, injuries and deaths at the United States Postal Service. The investigation was launched in response to the deaths last November of Nick Acker at a distribution center near Detroit and Russell Scruggs, Jr. near Atlanta. A USPS worker in Duluth, Georgia, has now contacted the rank-and-file committee about a horrific ongoing experience at the North Metro Processing & Distribution Center. She says she suffered serious health issues while working during a construction project at her facility. After falling into a coma due to breathing dust and other particles, she was denied workers compensation. Management ignored her physicians restrictions and then fired her. The workers name has been changed to Alice to protect her identity. The following interview has been edited for clarity. WSWS: How long did you work for the USPS? Alice: I started in 2000. Im a processing clerk. WSWS: When did this construction project begin? Alice: The beginning of 2024. First, it started off in one section of the building. But I was under the impression that they were coming to do some work over on the office side, because they cleared out everybody in the office side, on the HR side. We didnt know that they were coming to the workroom floor. A lot of the people in the HR on the office side got to work from home during the construction work. And I thought that was bull, because we cant work from home, they didnt give us an option. WSWS: What were conditions like before the construction project started? Alice: It was a hostile work environment. In the past, Ive had issues with management over here in Duluth. One of the managers I had put paperwork on is the same manager that would retaliate against me after my hospitalization. The very same one that did not honor my doctors statement. Its always been a hostile work environment, caused by the maintenance management staff. I never had issues with any people, coworkers in the building. Its always been, for me, maintenance management. They use their position to bully people. During construction, they said, You got to come to work. You dont come to work, then after missing so many days, thats a write up. Then after that you get suspended. Im not the only one in there that has underlying health issues that shouldnt have been in that type of environment. WSWS: Tell us what happened. The United States Postal Service in its entirety neglected to provide us with a safe work environment. I held my end up, as far as my contract goesshowing up for work, doing my duties, things of that nature. They were supposed to provide me with a safe work environment, and they didnt. At the time, my last week of being in the building before I went home, I had complained to my manager, saying Im having a hard time breathing in here. Its hot and muggy in here. I keep coughing. I asked if it was okay if I leave work early tonight, and he said yes. He also added that the chiller wasnt working. The chiller is part of the air ventilation system. With the chiller not working, its hot and muggy in there. You cant breathe, so that causes respiratory issues. Its the summertime, and were in there with no air conditioner running, and we just have to deal with it. If someone was in a stationary job, such as a clerk, or even the mail handlers, they would bring fans to work to try to stay cool. There were times they would have [the air conditioning units] running, but all that was coming out of it was hot air. So were in a building where theres no windows or anything, and were inhaling all of these particles released by construction. When construction was happening in the summer, it was hot and unbearable. People couldnt breathe. It was like dancing with the devil, sweating and everything, to the point where when people were on their lunch breaks and their 15-minute breaks, everybody was running outside. They were either sitting outside or running to their vehicles and turning on the AC, or running to the store to get big jugs of water and big cups of ice. We went to one supervisor to ask them, Hey, are we supposed to be over here in this area while [the construction workers] were ripping down this big, old tubing? The supervisor said, Oh, yeah, its fine. We asked, Are you sure? It seems like we would be in their way. They took down this huge tubing in the ceiling, which I later found out was part of the ventilation system, and when they ripped it down everything was covered with dust and other stuff. WSWS: No PPE [personal protective equipment] or face masks were given out? Alice: You remember the masks that the surgeons used to use, the thin blue ones? There was a point in time, very brief, that they started passing those out during the construction work, but they ran out and people were not able to get masks. Those were inappropriate masks to wear because of the type of construction work that was taking place in there. The mask we should have been wearing is the N95. I ordered better masks when I first started noticing my coughing, I was coughing uncontrollably, but by that time, it was too late, the stuff had already got in my lungs. In April 2024, I was hospitalized for 10 days and the doctor couldnt figure out what was going on. Could it be the construction work? He didnt think anything of it, because at that time, I hadnt showed him pictures of my workplace. But he gave me a restrictions letter, that I cant be around construction work, dust, dirt, debris. My manager didnt care about that. I believe that was retaliation because I had put pen and paper on him in the past for creating a hostile work environment, an EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] complaint. And so when I mentioned to him, Hey, Im on restrictions from a physician, I cant be out there, he ignored that and didnt care. The union was aware, and [the union reps] advice to me was, Follow the last instructions of your supervisor. I said, but Im on restrictions, but I did so, following [the union reps] instructions. But I was hospitalized a second time. I went into a coma and had to be rushed into surgery. I was in the hospital for over three months, and then in rehab. I had to learn how to walk and talk again. I had two nurses and a physical therapist coming out to my house for a total of 12 weeks. That was because insurance wouldnt cover it any more. I was diagnosed with PTSD, depression. That whole situation traumatized me. When I came out of my coma and was able to walk and talk, they brought me my phone up there, and I showed my doctor the pictures when he came to visit me in the hospital. He said, Oh my God, I am so sorry. When he saw those pictures, that man was almost in tears, because he knew what I had just went through. I almost died. He felt bad, he felt responsible in the sense that had he known that the construction work was of that magnitude, he would never have let me go back in that building. But I had assured him. I said, this is USPS fault, not yours. I was diagnosed with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], and from the doctors statement that I got from my physician, he said that the work environment played a role in me getting injured. WSWS: Did you have any underlying health conditions before the construction project started? Alice: That I was aware of, no. WSWS: What about your coworkers? Was their health impacted as well during construction? Alice: I dont know, honestly, because people dont walk around broadcasting their medical history. But I will say, myself and a few other people had noticed that the building was getting emptier and emptier. People were missing. We dont know if they quit, resigned, transferred out, or were they sitting at home while the construction work was taking place. I dont know. There was one lady, one of my coworkers, a custodian. She was having breathing issues. She has asthma, and she also kept coughing. She went to her doctor because she couldnt figure out why she couldnt stop coughing. She made her doctor aware of what was taking place in there. She told me that her doctor gave her a restriction letter, telling her to take rest and get fresh air and use your asthma pump when needed. Not in those words, but along those lines. People needed money, their backs were up against the wall, they had bills and didnt have enough sick leave or annual leave or whatever to take off that time if they needed it. My coworker would still come to work, wear a mask, do her job, and she would take her breaks outside in her car with the windows down, getting fresh air. Denied workers compensation and fired WSWS: Tell us what happened next. Alice: When I was comatose, my aunt and my moms family flew out here on a red-eye. They came straight to the hospital, and when they got there, my aunt says she met with the same manager that didnt honor my doctors statement. She gave him documentation from the hospital. Now, what the hospital did was, they filled out some FMLA [Family and Medical Leave Act] papers. And on that documentation, it clearly states, In critical condition, return to work is yet to be determined. I have all the paperwork in a folder that was given to my aunt. She took the FMLA paper and gave it to the manager. Later on, I found out that USPS never received that paperwork. Ive been out from work since June of last year. I was approved to go back to work, but with restrictions. I said, how can I come to work if Im in the state I am? Thats impossible. And theres still construction work taking place in there, and my doctor note clearly says that I cant be around that type of environment. You would have thought theyd have said, No, you cant come in this building, but we could send you to a station where there isnt any construction. No, they didnt do that. But I have witnessed them accommodate two other pregnant custodians when they shouldnt have been in the building at all. They assigned them to desk duty. I put in for workers compensation twice and was denied each time. Now, Im currently looking for an attorney that can help get my wages and medical coverage taken care of. I have $61,000 in bills. All the attorneys that I have spoken to have said Yes, you have a case. But when you say the United States Postal Service, its like a forbidden rule, you cant sue them. Everybodys scared of the post office. Why? They have a team of lawyers, they say. Okay, thats fine, but we have proof that they were in the wrong. Then, on the 15th of August last year, management called and verbally terminated me for failure to report to work. They didnt care. They verbally fired me over the phone, and I laughed at it, because I never received any paperwork. I never received a letter of removal or anything like that. So when I reached out to my last supervisor and asked about documentation, because Im trying to file unemployment, he said Youre not fired. I said, What does letter of removal mean? He responded, oh, uh Yeah, letter of removal means terminated. Im currently looking for another job. WSWS: Were you given an explanation as to why your workers compensation requests were denied? Alice: From what I read online, theyre telling me that I didnt submit more sufficient medical documentation. But my lung doctor made it simple, black and white, Due to the construction work, it is my belief He typed up this letter, you guys asked for this, and he gave it to me. I went in there and picked it up. We gave you what you were asking for. I even submitted pictures of me lying in a coma. WSWS: What about the union reps? Were they given any knowledge about the construction project? Did they give any updates to the members about it or assist? Alice: I dont remember. I dont know what the union knew was or was aware of. But I can tell you theyre useless as hell, because how do I get terminated for failure to report to work if Im on oxygen, on a concentrating machine 24/7? The union [American Postal Workers Union, APWU] isnt worth two cents to a nickel. The rep is useless. Theyre in bed with management, because theres no way I should have gotten written up, fired or anything else if Im sitting at home and in a hospital and in a rehabilitation center due to a work-related injury. People dont want to speak up because they are scared that they will get fired. We were trained and threatened that we couldnt talk to you guys, the news people. If we talk to you guys, the news outlet, we get fired. They made us sign off paperwork on that. I dont care. This is one of those situations where I dont give a damn about this job. They almost killed me, almost took my life. They try to cover up things, they try to turn a blind eye. No, Im speaking up. What are they going to do, fire me? They already did, and Im a person thats living with a disability [COPD]. WSWS: You recently attended a meeting of the USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee to discuss how to bring forward its investigation into unsafe conditions. What did you think about the meeting? Alice: Its a meeting that needed to be had. That meeting you guys had the other day was very, very important because it not only was myself that endured unsafe work environments, it was other employees as well that have witnessed or have experienced it hands on. The meeting needs to be had again. Everybody should have been on that call to hear in different locations, theres this situation here, the same situation there. WSWS: Any final remarks? Alice: I feel like the workers comp is for the employer, theyre not for the employees. Given my situation and my proof, they didnt back me up in this situation. Who do we turn to in a situation like this? Who can I find to help me fight this case that I have? Thats taken resources, thats taken up my time, my money, and its unfair. They failed to provide us with safe working environments. The post office neglects their workers. They dont provide us with safe working equipment, and the training they give these so-called managers and supervisors is useless. Im quite sure Im not the only one going through this, having to deal with the post office and situation like this and not having proper representation. We need to stand on their backs about this, step on their toes, make them feel the wrath. They treat people terribly, and all were trying to do is come to work and provide for our families. Screenshot from a video released by the Pentagon of a small vessel being struck by US missiles, October 3, 2025 [Photo: Pentagon] President Trumps naval and air campaign in the southern Caribbean and Pacific against supposed narco-terrorism has not been a targeted strike at transnational cartels but a direct assault on the Latin American working class. The boats struck are overwhelmingly civilian workboats and fishing skiffs, pangas used by fishermen, transport workers and small traders. Their destruction and the massacre of their crews are acts of international piracy and war crimes that have terrorized coastal communities. The strikes escalated sharply this past Saturday with the US militarys operation that abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. This criminal violation of Venezuelan sovereignty came on top of an effective blockade of the country and the missile attacks against common civilian boats in the Caribbean and Pacific killing at least 107 people in 30 strikes since September. The Trump administration has justified these actions, claiming the boats and Maduro himself are part of a massive drug smuggling operation bringing large quantities of fentanyl to the United States. Such claims are blatant lies. Venezuela is not the source of any fentanyl and accounts for only a minuscule share of the cocaine flowing north from South America. As Trumps own subsequent statements have shown, the goal is regime change in Venezuela to secure US oil interests. In the aftermath of Maduros kidnapping, Trump threatened Venezuelas interim President Delcy Rodriguez, stating that if she doesnt do whats right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro. Given that Maduro faces the possibility of life in a US prison, this is a thinly veiled death threat. And according to ABC News, other Trump officials have asserted that the goal is for Venezuela to kick out China, Russia, Iran and Cuba and sever economic ties and agree to partner exclusively with the US on oil production and favor America when selling heavy crude. It is a further lie that the boats are running drugs in the first place. Photo evidence released by the Trump administration itself reveals that these were small, fast, but rudimentary fiberglass cargo boats used commonly in Latin America for every purpose, including delivering groceries, fresh water and fuel to remote locations. These boats also often take passengers for travel or tourism. With few roads in the jungles, islands and coastal regions of Latin America, these pangas or lanchas are skiffs that are a primary mode of transportation in the region extending from Mexico to South America. Many of these boats were provided as part of government economic stimulus projects begun decades ago in order to cheaply connect these widespread, remote communities and allow them to engage in a higher level of fishing, support the burgeoning tourist industry and feed a growing and modernizing population. The original panga design was created by Yamaha as part of a World Bank project circa 1970. The upswept bow resembles the machete or knife called a panga and allows the boats to be operated directly from the beaches without having to install any infrastructure, such as boatyards and docks. The boats are about 22 feet (6.7 meters) long with a beam of about 6 feet (1.8 meters). They were mass produced out of heavy fiberglass materials, making them nearly immune to collisions and rough use, and they have lasted for decades with further decades of use ahead of them as well. The missile strikes on the pangas are the equivalent of bombing pickup trucks used ubiquitously across the US. While no doubt some of these boats are used in the drug trade, the drug runners are often not associated with the cartels at all. Instead, they are usually poor natives who have been coerced by various means to make the runs for the cartel. One local told the World Socialist Web Site that the last drug bust near my home included a young native man whose sister was kidnapped by the cartel. Moreover, these civilian panga boats could not possibly reach the United States from Venezuela using the Yamaha Enduro outboard motors that commonly power such boats in Latin America. To do so would require massive amounts of fuel, along with navigation and weather equipment that these impoverished people simply do not possess. Pangas such as these would either have to carry so much fuel they would not have room for drugs or people, or would have to stop for fuel at a dozen or more places on the route north to the US. It simply is not practical and might not even be possible. In addition to fuel issues, the boat operators would be exposed to the sun and elements for days at a time in boats that are not suited for navigating open waters for long periods. The cartels would risk losing all of their products with each such trip. In other words, the boats that have been sunk and the crews that have been murdered could not have been heading to the US. The vast majority were workers trying to make a living amid the poverty imposed by more than a century of US interventions in the region. American leisure boats passing through the region have been encouraged to share their vessel information and travel plans online voluntarily with the US government with the implied threat that they might be accidentally targeted by one of these arbitrary strikes if they do not. Reports indicate US vessel captains have been nervously debating if it is better to share the information and possibly be harassed or to attempt to fly under the radar but risk being accidentally targeted. The invasion on Saturday resulted in the deaths of even more workers. At least 100 people were killed, including Joana Rodriguez Sierra, a 24-year-old Colombian woman, who was killed by a missile or projectile in her bed during the midnight raid by US forces. Another civilian casualty of the criminal raid was 78-year-old Rosa Gonzalez, who was murdered by US forces when a projectile hit the apartment in the port city of La Guaira where she and her nephew Wilman lived. Any pretense of justification for such acts of war was quickly thrown out with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth smugly declaring Welcome to 2026 and Trump outright admitting that international law will not be a barrier to the aims of the predatory US financial oligarchy he represents. In other words, this is a campaign of terror against the working class of Latin America and the Caribbean, a logical extension of the wars of the past 35 years and the attacks on workers by ICE and other police-state agencies within the US itself. And the naked neo-colonialism of the attacks on the pangas and of the kidnapping of Maduro was made clear when Trump declared, Were going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars. No confidence can be placed in any section of the Democratic Party to stop these attacks. Congressional leaders bemoaned the lack of notification but largely agreed with the military action itself. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, only stated his opposition and did nothing to mobilize the mass opposition that exists to these attacks, even as Trump holds Maduro in a New York prison. These attacks abroad will be matched with attacks on the working class domestically with the last vestiges of democratic rights and vital social programs squashed and more austerity imposed upon workers. The working class is the only social class with the interest and ability to end the threat of world war and barbarism by abolishing the capitalist system that is their source. Workers leaving the Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly Plant A World Socialist Web Site reporting team spoke to workers at several Detroit area auto plants Thursday about the US attack on Venezuela and the brutal murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis Wednesday. The increasingly violent and anti-democratic actions of the Trump administration, trampling on all democratic and legal norms, are at the center of discussions in factories and workplaces across the United States and globally. Events are rapidly exposing the naked class interests behind US policy, as well as the role of the corporate media as a mouthpiece for Trump and his billionaire allies. At the Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly Plant, workers stopped to speak to WSWS reporters during the afternoon shift change. Many had just heard the news of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis and were struggling to make sense of these events. A veteran Warren Truck worker said he opposed the war in Venezuela and connected it to the recent shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Trump proved to Americans he will kill you if you go against him. He is a terrorist, he said. Asked about what was driving this, he said, It is about the five wealthiest billionaires. The only way out is to shut the country down. Stop everything. Show them who is in control. Speaking of the conditions at Stellantis he said that something needed to be done about the defense of jobs with the introduction of more automation and artificial intelligence. Over 1,000 workers at Warren Truck are still on indefinite layoff, despite boasts by United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, a supporter of Trumps tariffs, that they would be recalled. One person is doing what 10 people used to do. We should be working four hours a day, so the benefit of technology goes to workers, he said. A contract worker told the WSWS that the attack on Venezuela by the Trump administration was meant as a show of force and statement that we have more guns than you. He said he saw a parallel to the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis. I saw the video, it is crazy. They are saying We can do what we want to you. Its totally undemocratic. He explained that his family had immigrated from South Asia. MAGA is based on nationalism. It is the same thing with Modi in India, he said about the leader of the far-right Hindu chauvinist government in that country. The methods may be different, but the goals are the same in terms of diverting workers anger by whipping up communalism and nationalist hatreds. Another worker said, I dont want to fight a war. Oil, that is why Trump is doing it. The war is not going to help anyone but the rich and I am not one of those. Wars are fought as a way to launder more money to their pockets. While they claim it is for this and that, the money is going into the offshore accounts of the rich, not for us. Another worker agreed, saying, Trump is at war with Venezuela, and he is also at war against the American people. A third noted that the American news media had provided uncritical support for Trumps attack on Venezuela. Im sure that if it was Russia bombing or invading people and stuff like that, they would call that terrorism. Workers at Dana Corporation in Warren also spoke out against the war on Venezuela and the ICE murder in Minneapolis. One said, We have three wars going on right now. One with Venezuela and boots on the ground in Ukraine, he said, referencing the sending of US advisors and special operations forces to aid the proxy war against Russia. Meanwhile, The US and Israel are bombing Iran. Another worker noted, What the US is doing in Venezuela is to oppress the people there, and what ICE is doing in this country is to oppress the people here. A veteran Stellantis autoworker, a regular reader of the WSWS, denounced the murder of Renee Good. I saw the videos. Trump lied. They said the lady was a vicious terrorist that tried to run over the ICE agent. Speaking about the US attack on Venezuela, he said, You know, the whole reason behind the UN and Security Council was supposed to be to do away with the doctrine of might makes right that we saw in World War I and World War II. So, now they are trying to get back to that. You have Stephen Miller talking about, Why should we let a country sell oil to our enemies? and all that. They are not the ones who are actually going to be fighting. They want to kill everybody elses sons and daughters, not their own. These guys are trying to drag us into a war, acting like mob bosses and thugs, taking peoples oil and kidnapping. The media says, how audacious. What are they talking about? I had a thief that was audacious enough to break into my house in the still of the night and take everything. I mean, he is not a goddamn hero. That shows that the corporate media completely sold out. The US starts wars, telling everybody it is to stop the tide of communism and to protect people. At the same time, they are the ones that are down there killing the people, imposing regime changes, destabilizing economies and keeping all these different countries under the thumb of oppression, just so that they can go in and rob the resources from the people. But then the billionaires tell you to be mad at the immigrants. All the while they are picking your pockets. But the one thing that you have in common with all other workers is that you have a boss, right? You got rich people somewhere at the top taking all the money, and we are paid a little bit of money. Its basically a Ponzi scheme. They get you to give them your time and energy, and that time and energy gives them hundreds of millions and billions of dollars in profits. He spoke about the deteriorating economic situation in the US and the impact on workers. The job cuts in 2025, he said, were only anticipatory. Even more layoffs are going to come when those tariffs really hit. It is going to be a rude awakening for everybody. Today, the World Socialist Web Site is publishing the first complete English-language translation of an important revolutionary pamphlet from the Russian Civil War. The work, Ukraine as the Object of World Counterrevolution, by Mikhail Pavlovich, was first published in Russian by the Third International in 1920, in an edition of 100,000 copies. Excerpts in English were published by Communist International, the journal of the Executive Committee of the Comintern, also in 1920, and an excised Ukrainian language translation was published in Winnipeg in 1922 by the newly founded Communist Party of Canada.[ 1 ] Other than these publications, Pavlovichs writings have remained undeservedly obscure, as they were suppressed due to the rise of Stalinism. Mikhail Pavlovich, at the Congress of Peoples of the East in Baku, 1920. Source: Novyi vostok, No. 18, 1927. Even if this book were of only historical interest, its renewed circulation on a world scale would mark a significant contribution to the struggle of the international working class to deepen its political and historical understanding of the Russian Revolution. But the political questions developed in the essay remain the central issues of our own timethe class character of bourgeois nationalism and its relationship to imperialism, the relationship between the struggle of the oppressed for national liberation and the struggle of the working class for world socialism. Thus, this works assimilation by workers in 2026 will greatly assist them to develop a more complete understanding of their own world-historical taskthe overthrow of capitalism and the struggle for a socialist world society. Historical background Mikhail Pavlovichs pamphlet was written during the maelstrom of socialist revolution and civil war. Pavlovich was sent to Ukraine 1919, first in a military capacity on the southern front against Denikin, and then as Deputy Peoples Commissar for Education of Ukraine. This pamphlet, along with many other works, was part of the Bolsheviks political intervention in the Civil War, without which no military campaign could have succeeded. As Pavlovich writes his pamphlet, the Bolshevik Revolution is besieged on all sides by world imperialism. The victorious workers state is fighting for its very survival, after the invasion of Ukraine and Russia variously by German, and then French, English and finally by Polish troops. The White monarchist General Anton Denikin occupies Kiev and leads a series of anti-Jewish pogroms. Tens of thousands are murdered. In the wake of the revolution, which dissolved the Tsarist empire and promised national self-determination for oppressed national minorities, Ukrainian bourgeois nationalists have declared an independent Ukraine. They promise liberation of the long-oppressed Ukrainian peasants through the creation of a democratic capitalist state. But in reality, the bourgeois nationalists are oriented toward the various imperialist powers, who continue the battles of World War I over trade routes, sources of raw materials and fuel. Their extreme economic weakness renders the Ukrainian nationalists the servants of imperialism. Their actions demonstrate their claims of independence to be mere pretense. German imperialism demands the starving Ukrainians hand over their grain and foodstuffs, to such an extent that the Ukrainians would themselves starve. Ukrainian nationalists enforce these orders. The Ukrainian peasants rise up against the Ukrainian nationalists and German imperialism imposes a dictator, Hetman Skoropadskyi, to enforce their brutal demands. A socialist revolution in Germany breaks out in November 1918, forcing the abdication of the Kaiser, resulting in the withdrawal of imperialist German troops from Ukraine. Though the German revolution is put down by the Social Democrats working hand in glove with the most reactionary social forces, the resulting end of the German occupation of Ukraine ensures the survival of the revolution in Russia. After German imperialism withdraws its troops from Ukraine, British and French imperialism move in, as does Poland. Once again, the Ukrainian nationalists serve as their local enforcers. The English demand the coal fields and factories of the Donetsk basin, replicating many of the German demands for grain. France demands Ukraines railways. The Poles demand the enforced Polonization of much of the country. The Ukrainian nationalists are ready to sell it all, to make any deal with imperialism, if only to preserve their place as the independent capitalist exploiters of Ukrainian labour and resources, with the troops of imperialism standing directly behind them. Their claims of independence serve merely to dress up their own rapacious class interestsand their own economic weaknessin noble-sounding language. The German occupation and the Peace of Brest Litovsk, part of a series of maps on the Russian Civil War published in 1929. The Bolsheviks explain that true independence for the workers and peasants of Ukraine can only be achieved on a socialist, and not a capitalist basis. The most basic demands for Ukrainian democracy cannot be reconciled with the class interests of the native bourgeoisie, which draw them into an alliance with German, French and Polish imperialism, against Ukrainian peasants and workers. But the revolution, if confined to Ukraine and Russia will not be safe while Germany, England and France remain imperialist states. The struggle for an independent Ukraine thus also requires the struggle for a socialist Germany, a socialist France, England and Poland. It requires a Ukraine which is part of a larger, socialist federation of states. The Bolsheviks are fighting to extend the socialist revolution beyond the borders of Russia, beyond Ukraine, because as Marxists, they understand that it is only on an international basis, and not confined to a single country, that the revolution can not only survive, but triumph. The victory of the national revolution can only be achieved on an international scale, by means of the permanent revolution. In his pamphlet, Pavlovich writes: The treasonous slogan Ukrainian Peoples Republic is only a cover for subjugating Ukraine to international capital and the Ukrainian kulaks (rich peasants. Ed.). During the first Ukrainian Peoples Republic, Austro-German imperialists and General Skoropadsky ruled Ukraine. This was the time when, after the treaty with the Germans and Austrians, Petliuras Ukraine undertook to give Austria and Germany 75 million poods of grain, 11 million poods of live cattle, etc. During the Second Ukrainian Peoples Republic, Ukraine was a colony of French capital in accordance with the agreement that the venal Petliura signed in Odessa with the French general dAnselm. After that agreement, almost all Ukrainian railways, financial and military enterprises were to pass into the hands of French stockbrokers. The third Ukrainian national republic, promised by the same Petliura, was only a veil for the hated black power of the Polish nobility established in Ukraine.[ 2 ] Pavlovich explains the attraction of the imperialist powers to Ukraine. Part of the answer lay in Ukraines vast natural wealth: The fact is not only that Ukraine is generally one of the richest countries in the world with its natural treasures, but the fact is that Ukraine possesses the main elements of production coal and iron, without which it is impossible to start a single factory, but also the main elements of food for the human bodybread, sugar, fats and salt.[ 3 ] The second part of the answer lay in Ukraines geo-strategic location. Pavlovich writes, World War I was fought over major trade routes and sources of raw materials and fuel. Ukraine with its boundless natural wealth, with its famous geographical position, is located at the crossroads from Western Europe to the Black, Azov and Caspian seas, to the Caucasus with its mineral wealth and giant oil deposits, with every day increasingly important in the economic life of peoples, and further to Turkestan with its cotton plantations, to Persia and the whole of Central Asia, it could not but become an object of desire on the part of all imperialist powers.[ 4 ] But the primary interest of the imperialist powers in Ukraine was to strangle the biggest threat to imperialismthe newly established workers state. Pavlovich writes, The Krasnovs, Kaledins, Denikins, and their European patrons dreamed of seizing the Donetsk Basin from Russia and Ukraine in order to put both Soviet republics in a stranglehold of cold and hunger, cause a complete paralysis of the railways in Russia and Ukraine, and bring all economic life in the country to a standstill. and provoke an uprising of the population, driven mad by hunger and cold, against Soviet power.[ 5 ] The relevance of Pavlovichs polemic 106 years later is immediately apparent. The villains of Pavlovichs pamphlet, Hetman Skoropadsky and Symon Petliuranot to mention their fascist and Nazi successors who emerged from these defeated nationalist elements in the years after Pavlovichs deathare the heroes of todays petty-bourgeois Ukrainian nationalist ideologues and the ruling class of gangster-capitalist oligarchs who fund them. They remain ideological links to present-day Ukraines imperialist sponsors in Germany and Poland, whose eyes remain firmly fixed on the Donetsk basin, and the Russian lands to the east. While the Stalinist bureaucracy destroyed the Soviet Union, the regions vast natural wealth and geography remain. "Hetman" Pavel Skoropadsky with his officers It is of critical political significance to recall that contemporary Ukrainian bourgeois nationalism owes its second reincarnation to the politically degenerate Stalinist bureaucracy. The bureaucracy dissolved the USSR in 1991 in a social and political counter-revolution which restored capitalism and opened up the newly created independent states to imperialism. Ukrainian bourgeois nationalist ideology, incubated after World War II by western intelligence agencies and their Nazi collaborator accomplices, was transplanted back into Ukraine proper, as the WSWS has extensively documented here and here. Ukrainian workers, cut off politically from their class brothers and sisters in Russia and the other Union states, politically isolated from the revolutionary socialist tradition and thrown into extreme exploitation and poverty, have since 1991 been prescribed for their pains ever larger doses of political poison the ideology of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, OUN, who helped the Nazis carry out the Holocaust in Ukraine. Hatred of all things Russian is cultivated to divide Ukrainian from Russian workers, to prevent their unified struggle against their exploiters. World imperialism elevated these social forces to power in the 2014 Maidan coup. American, British, Canadian and German imperialism then re-armed them, deploying them as their military and political proxies for the war against Russia. The reactionary 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was a desperate response of the Putin regime to negotiate a deal with the same imperialist powers who have invaded Russia by the same route twice in the last 100 years. The "Heroes" monument in Ellenville, New York. It includes OUN-symbols and busts of OUN leaders Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych, as well as Symon Petliura, a Ukrainian nationalist and anti-Semite responsible for pogroms of thousands of Jews during the civil war in Ukraine after the October revolution Changing what must be changed, the same essential class and geopolitical dynamics described by Pavlovich remain operative. The Ukrainian bourgeoisie has once again put Ukraine up for sale to the lowest bidder. In an effort to secure an endless supply of western armaments, the Zelensky regime has signed an extremely disadvantageous deal with the fascistic Trump regime to exploit Ukraines supply of critical minerals, permitting US corporations to pillage the country. As the World Socialist Web Site has explained, imperialisms need to appropriate for itself Eurasias immense stock of natural wealth, mineral, energetic, natural and human, in an effort to postpone capitalisms ultimate crisis, is a key factor driving its rearmament and plans for war against Russia and also China. Today, US-based asset management corporations such as Blackrock and Oaktree Capital are scooping up Ukrainian farmland.[ 5 ] Monsanto, Cargill and Dupont by themselves already own 40 percent of this farmland.[ 6 ] Ukraines debt now stands at $152 billion, 70 percent of which is owed to external creditors.[ 7 ] Todays Ukrainian independence is every bit as much of a cruel hoax as it was a century previous. Permanent Revolution, the national question and the peasantry in Ukraine as Object of World Counterrevolution Although Pavlovich does not use the phrase in his book, the events he describes illustrate Trotskys conception of permanent revolution. Pavlovichs own political orientation to these events was that of the Bolshevik Party, which was at that time led by and fighting for this perspective. As early as 1905, Leon Trotsky recognized that in the course of a revolutionary struggle in countries of belated capitalist development, the proletariat would be required to fight for state power. Even bourgeois democratic political tasks could henceforth only be accomplished by the working class, which would require socialist means for their realization. Leon Trotsky in 1902 The Tsarist empires peculiar industrial development, which relied on the most advanced technologies and finance capital from Europe, thrust forward the working class as the principal revolutionary social force in society. Meanwhile, the bourgeoisie was tied closely to foreign capital, and the absolutist Russian state. In his book Results and Prospects, Trotsky notes, The (Russian) proletariat immediately found itself concentrated in tremendous masses, while between these masses and the autocracy there stood a capitalist bourgeoisie, very small in numbers, isolated from the people, half-foreign, without historical traditions, and inspired only by the greed for gain.[ 8 ] The Russian bourgeoisies financial ties with world imperialism both drew the bourgeoisie towards imperialism and drew in world imperialism to take the side of the counter-revolutionary bourgeoisie. This same political dynamic also drew the Russian and Ukrainian working class towards the international proletariat, and the international proletariat into the Russian revolution. Should the Russian proletariat find itself in power, if only as the result of a temporary conjuncture of circumstances in our bourgeois revolution, it will encounter the organized hostility of world reaction, and on the other hand will find a readiness on the part of the world proletariat to give organized support, Trotsky wrote in 1906.[ 9 ] Pavlovichs pamphlet documents the organized hostility of world reaction to the Bolshevik Revolution in Ukraine, and its fear of a corresponding revolutionary outburst at home, demonstrating in the real, historical development of the revolution the necessarily international character which Trotsky had theorized 14 years earlier. Pavlovich notes, in respect of Polish intervention in Ukraine, that The war with Russia and Ukraine is a war to suppress the revolutionary movement in Poland itself, a war aimed at keeping the eastern revolutionary flame as far as possible from the Polish powder keg, which could explode at the slightest spark.[ 10 ] The leading revolutionary role of the working class and the objectively international quality of its revolutionary activity, bound up with the increasingly international nature of capitalist production, had implications for the national question in Ukraine in 1919, where the overwhelming majority of ethnic Ukrainians were peasants. Trotsky, while recognizing the immense importance of the agrarian question in the revolution, insisted that the peasantry could play no independent political role. Trotsky writes, The history of capitalism is the history of the subordination of the country to the town. The industrial development of the European towns in due course rendered the further existence of feudal relations in agriculture impossible. But the countryside itself never produced a class which could undertake the revolutionary task of abolishing feudalism. The town, which subordinated agriculture to capital, produced a revolutionary force which took political hegemony over the countryside into its hands and spread revolution in state and property relations into the countryside. As further development has proceeded, the country has finally fallen into economic enslavement to capital, and the peasantry into political enslavement to the capitalist parties.[ 11 ] The political enslavement predicted by Trotsky proved in fact to be the lot of the Ukrainian peasantry under the various bourgeois nationalist regimes established in Ukraine after the February Revolution of 1917. In June of that year the Central Council of Ukraine declared Ukrainian autonomy, and in January 1918, the Ukrainian Peoples Republic was formed in response to the seizure of power by the working class in the October Revolution. Among its political leaders were the Socialist Revolutionaries (the SRs), the main reformist party of the peasantry. On February 23, 1918, the Ukrainian Rada invited German and Austrian troops into the country, which overthrew the government and set up a dictatorship under the Hetman Pavel Skoropadsky when the Central Rada (parliament) refused German demands to seize the grain of the Ukrainian peasants. Pavlovich describes these events in detail. If bourgeois independence meant de-facto economic enslavement to imperialism for the peasants, it also meant the suffocation of the striving for a free development of Ukrainian national culture. In his pamphlet, Pavlovich describes the wholesale attack on Ukrainian culture which accompanied the Polish invasion of Ukraine, which was once again sponsored by the bourgeois nationalists under Semyon Petliura, in order to defend their class interests against the Ukrainian revolutionary workers and peasants. Ukrainian agitational poster, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1920s. Son, go to the school of the red officers, and the defence of Soviet Ukraine is assured. Drawing together these threads, Pavlovichs work underlines the fact that the political and cultural liberation of the Ukrainian peasantry is inextricably bound up with the fate of the world socialist revolution, with the liberation of the European and entire international working class. He writes, Only in close alliance and unity with the working masses of Soviet Russia will Ukrainian workers be able to defend their language and their culture, created by the masses. How much blood have Russian workers and peasants already shed on the fields of Ukraine in the struggle for happiness and freedom! And what do those pitiful eight thousand poods of grain, which have been taken to Russia during the current period of Soviet power in Ukraine, mean in comparison with these rivers of blood, with this heroic self-sacrifice of Russian workers and peasants? The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic is a member of the All-Russian Socialist Federative Republic, which in the near future will become the Great International Republic of Soviets.[ 12 ] After the victory of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War, a policy of supporting national languages and cultures (korenizatsiia) was introduced in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and throughout the newly created Soviet Union. The 1920s saw a flowering of national minority languages and cultures which had been suppressed under the Tsarist empire, and a flowering of Soviet culture as a whole. Yiddish poster asking: Wha-a-t? You are also with us not knowing?! Go to likpunkt [illiteracy liquidation station]!. The poster depicts nine figures of USSR ethnic minorities, dressed in folk costumes, and a figure of Russian proletarian in the front, along the letters of alphabet Cyrillic, Georgian, Armenian, Turkic, Hebrew, and Latin, against the industrial background. A part of propaganda campaign rallying support for the Liquidation of illiteracy policy (Likbez), started in 1917. From 1923 to the early 1930s Likbez programs were offered in languages of the Soviet nationalities to partially reverse decades of Russification under the Russian Empire, and as a part of korenizatsiia (nativization) policy for the integration of non-Russian nationalities into the governments of their specific soviet republics. Published by Tsenroizdat Central Publishing House for the USSR Peoples, 1924-1931) in the late 1920s-early 1930s in Moscow. Source: Blavatnik Archive [Photo by Blavatnik Archive] The reversal of the Bolshevik nationalities policy by the Stalinist bureaucracy in favour of a return to reactionary great Russian chauvinism was entirely bound up with its hostility towards the internationalist program of the October revolution and its shift toward the nationalist program of building socialism in one country. The bureaucracys subsequent repression of Ukrainian culture in the 1930s, and the famine which arose from its rushed collectivization policy permitted all of the enemies of the working class to falsely conflate the bureaucracys crimes in Ukraine with socialism when in fact they represented its repudiation. One hundred and five years later, the theoretical insight of Leon Trotsky into the permanent and international nature of the coming socialist revolution, and the historical proofs of this theory provided by Mikhail Pavlovich are as politically relevant, immediate and pressing as the day they were written. The political life of Mikhail Pavlovich Mikhail Pavlovichs numerous books and essays, well-known during his lifetime, have been kept largely obscure, due to their incompatibility with Stalinism, and all forms of national socialism. With a few small exceptions, his collected works, published in part by the state publishing house Gosizdat in 1925-26 remain untranslated into English. This is due, above all, to his close political connection to Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition, and his principled socialist internationalism. Pavlovich served alongside Trotsky in several responsible capacities during the immediate aftermath of the October Revolution, and in his later life his journal Novyi vostok published the works of leading members of the Opposition. Having risen to their feet to observe a minute of silence in his memory at the opening session of the 15th Party Congress in 1927, the Stalinists rapidly proceeded to pretend that Pavlovich had never existed.[ 13 ] Advertisement in the back of the book China in the struggle for Independence. LENGIZ, the Leningrad Department of the State Publishing House, announces that the collected works of M.P. Pavlovich (Veltman) are being prepared for printing: World Politics from the end of the 19th Century and the first quarter of the 20th Century. Volume 10, which was never printed, promised to contain a study of Lenin, Zinoviev, Bukharin, Radek, Stalin & Trotsky on imperialism and world politics. 1925. Advertisements are the only known reference to the work. Pavlovich was born Mikhail Lazarevitch Veltman into cultured Jewish family in Odessa in 1871. A contemporary of Lenin and his fellow Odessan David Ryazanov, with whom he was close, Pavlovich was shaped by all of the critical political experiences of that great generation of revolutionary socialists. Pavlovich grew up as the influence of Narodnik populism on the Russian socialist movement was superseded by Marxism. Populism had idealized the peasantry as the social class upon which a future socialist society in Russia would be based. Pavlovich, like Lenin and Ryazanov, turned towards the working class under the powerful influence of Plekhanovs writings. Like Lenin, his first political experiences revolved around the campaigns of students in the 1880s for their own democratic organizations within the Russian school system. Accepted to the Faculty of Law, Veltman declined the opportunity and in 1891 went out into the Odessa factory district and began to agitate among the working class. In 1894, he was arrested, along with Grigorii Tsyperovich[ 14 ] and more than 50 workers in the first large trial of Russian Social Democrats for political opposition to the Tsarist autocracy. After serving 18 months in an Odessa prison, in 1896 he was forced to walk into exile all the way to Verkhoyansk in the far east Sakha (Yakutia) region, over several months. He remained exiled until 1899. Upon his return, Pavlovich settled in Chisinau (now in Moldova), where he threw himself into revolutionary work. The date of his entry into the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party is unclear. Some sources state he was a member from 1898, but this seems unlikely, as he was still in exile. Others state he joined in 1903.[ 15 ] In 1901 Pavlovich authored his first book, a study of the Boer War, which would mark the beginning of new developments in international foreign policy that would have an enormous impact on the internal situation in all states.[ 16 ] Pavlovich writes in his own autobiographical sketch that during the (1903) split in the party, I remained with the Mensheviks as he was not interested in party disagreements, I did not read anything except that which had a direct bearing on international politics and the East. This account was written in 1926 as he was dying of lung cancer, during the sharpening party disagreements between the emergent Stalinist bureaucracy, which demanded the party abandon the internationalist perspective which had been the basis for the October Revolution for the policy of socialism in one country, and the Left Opposition which insisted on adherence to an internationalist perspective. His account should be taken in that historical context. Pavlovich in fact participated in party disagreements, as did every party member, by virtue of his political interventions and publishing work.[ 17 ] Some revolutionists, such as Trotsky, had opposed Lenins split of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, while simultaneously opposing the Mensheviks opportunist orientation to the liberal bourgeoisie. Not recognizing Lenins far-reaching conception of the role of the party and the centrality of the struggle against political opportunism, Trotskys concern in 1903 was that a split in the social democracy would weaken the working class and the socialist movement. However, he was later won to Lenins positions. So was Mikhail Pavlovich. Having returned to St. Petersburg, Pavlovich actively cooperated with the Bolsheviks during the 1905 Revolution, conducting propaganda in the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments among the garrison of the Peter and Paul Fortress. He was arrested and imprisoned in Moscow at Taganka in 1906 but released on bail after six months. Upon release, Pavlovich began once more to agitate among the soldiers and sailors, in St. Petersburg, contributing to the Bolshevik soldiers newspaper Kazarma.[ 18 ] Pavlovich was arrested again in October 1907 and imprisoned at the infamous Kresty prison in St. Petersburg. He recounts how the Russian ruling class, fearing the potential of the working class for social revolution, took brutal revenge on the prisoners. They threw out all the faint-hearted, the soft-hearted, all those who could not hate political prisoners, who did not want blood. Now every warden, every doctor and paramedic had to be a member of the Union of the Russian People. Now a different era had arrived. The ruling classes saw that the old regime was indeed facing a formidable enemy, that it was a fight to the death with this enemy. And now they took revenge on this enemy for everything, they took revenge for the fact that they once considered revolutionaries empty dreamers who would never succeed in winning the masses to their side, they took revenge especially for the fear of them in 1906, they took revenge for all the previous indulgences and liberties in prisons.[ 19 ] Escaping the Kresty prison with the help of one of the few sympathetic prison wardens, Pavlovich fled via Finland to Paris, where he wrote for Lenins newspaper Iskra.[ 20 ] Mikhail Pavlovich in 1907. Source: Novyi vostok, No. 18, 1927 This initiated a period of intense political activity, in which he authored important works on imperialism and the colonial question. With the outbreak of World War I, Pavlovich collaborated from the moment of its founding in the Parisian Nashe slovo [Our word], where Trotsky, Antonov-Ovseenko, Lozovsky and other internationalists began the struggle against Plekhanov, Kautsky and the social patriots.[ 21 ] The betrayal of the Second International of 1914, in which most of its parties voted to support their respective bourgeoisies in the war, was a political watershed in the development of the revolutionary socialist movement. Pavlovich sided with the internationalists. He understood the war to be an imperialist war, and he rejected the national self defence position of the Second International. Already in 1912, he had written: Socialists fight first and foremost against the expansionist plans of their own government, while pacifists are primarily concerned with the good behaviour of other countries governments.[ 22 ] For the Sovremennik (Contemporary) journal, Pavlovich authored a series of articles in 1912 and 1913 detailing the industrial competition between the imperialist powers over strategic trade routes and natural resources. Some of these articles were amalgamated into a book, Imperialism, and the struggle for the great rail and sea pathways of the future,[ 23 ] in with the author detailed the tendency of imperialist powers to compete for railway and sea routes. These he illustrated with hand-drawn maps. Map of the important sea routes and coastlines of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Drawn by Mikhail Pavlovich. Some of Pavlovichs anti-imperialist articles were also published in English, in the New Review, a socialist publication in New York City. The last decade of Pavlovichs life was his most productive. It divides into two periods; his revolutionary activism from the February Revolution to the founding of the Soviet Union, and the final chapter, marked by the struggle over political perspective and program which developed between the right-nationalist forces in the Soviet bureaucracy, and the Bolshevik internationalists led by Leon Trotsky. During the February Revolution, Pavlovich assisted in analyzing the secret files of the Tsarist secret police in Paris, exposing 60 Tsarist agents provocateurs inside the socialist emigre movement. He organized two ships, the Tsaritsa and the Dvina, to take more than 500 revolutionary socialist exiles back to Petrograd, returning with them to Archangelsk, sometime before the October Revolution. The day after the seizure of the Winter Palace, Pavlovich was seconded to the Peoples Commissariat for Foreign Affairs as an expert on the political machinations of world imperialism, examining secret papers from the Russian foreign ministry in which the imperialist powers plotted to divide the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East. These were exposed to the public by Leon Trotsky in Izvestiia, on November 23, 1917.[ 24 ] Pavlovich then accompanied the Soviet delegation to Brest Litovsk as an adviser under Joffe and Trotsky, later authoring an article, Lenin and Brest Litovsk. The Soviet diplomat and later Left Oppositionist Adolf Joffe noted that at Brest, M.P. [Mikhail Pavlovich] earned everyones respect for his enormous erudition, and his extraordinary modesty.[ 25 ] Pavlovich joined the Bolshevik Party in 1918, and at the outbreak of the Civil War was transferred to the Red Army General Staff, once more under Trotsky. Pavlovich helped establish the Soviet Military Academy in Petrograd.[ 26 ] He was also appointed to head all state construction projects in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). In 1919 Pavlovich was sent to the southern front in Ukraine during the advance of Denikin, also to supervise wartime construction activities. His expertise on the railroads, which was the expertise of a political journalist, was now employed to blow them up at strategic locations to thwart the advance of the White Army. According to his private notes in the Russian archives, this wartime assignment deeply troubled him, and he requested a transfer back to the Military Academy.[ 27 ] Joffe recalled an incident in which Lenin, seeing Pavlovich mounted, armed and in military uniform remarked to Pavlovich, What has the Entente brought us to that theyve even put Pavlovich on a horse![ 28 ] His transfer back to Moscow proved more traumatic than his military assignment. Pavlovich was one of 55 leading members of the party injured when a member of the peasant-based Socialist Revolutionary Party threw a bomb into a meeting of party propagandists on Leontevsky Lane on September 25, 1919. Twelve comrades were killed, and Pavlovich was hospitalized with a head wound. Three years later, as the inner-party conflict was mounting, Pavlovich published a book on the incident, highlighting Trotskys eulogy: Each of us, despite the severity of our loss, must say: it is hard to die young, but enviable is the death of those who fall at their post and at such a time as ours, when the fate of the masses is being decided for many years to come; enviable is the fate of the fighter who fulfilled his duty to the last moment, to the treacherous blow... Such are the comrades we are burying here.[ 29 ] Trotsky at the funeral of the victims of the explosion in Leontevsky Lane, 1919. Pavlovich returned to Ukraine, first again in a military capacity on the southern front, then later being named Deputy Commissar for Education. Here he authored his work, Ukraine as the Object of World Counterrevolution. During this time Pavlovich also developed the Red Armys political course on imperialism which he directed for several years at the Red Army academy, another project which was closely associated with Leon Trotsky. His lectures were translated into in English in 1922 as The Foundations of Imperialist Policy by the Labour Publishing Company in London England. Pavlovich was elected as a candidate member of the Comintern on August 6, 1920, and assigned the organization of the Congress of Peoples of the East in Baku, which took place in September. First Congress of Peoples of the East. Pavlovich is seated in the front, to the left of Zinoviev. Novyi vostokThe New East journal The decision to form the All Russian Association of East Asian Studies (VNAV being its Russian abbreviation) was taken at a June 18, 1920, meeting of the Central Committee (CC) at which Lenin was present.[ 30 ] The CC decided to recall Pavlovich from Ukraine to take charge of the creation of the institute. The purpose of the institute was to promote and disseminate knowledge of Asia in the workers state, which was rapidly being drawn into revolutionary events in Turkey, Persia, Central Asia and China. The institute would publish a journal, Novyi vostok (The New East), until 1930. Pavlovich was chosen to lead the institute for his contacts and experience with Asian revolutionaries, and his decades of writing on the revolution in the oppressed countries. Its first issue appeared in 1922, and Pavlovich edited the journal until his death in 1927. In one sense, the journal arose out of and supported the Bolsheviks policy of korenizatsiiathe promotion of indigenous and minority cultures and political self-expression. The journal featured many writers from Soviet minority nationalities, Tatar, Buryat, Tajik, Turkmen, Tibetan, Jewish, Uzbek, Mongol as well as Russian academic experts on ethnography, the economics, art history and economy of Asia and also Africa. The journal also published discussion on the Turkish, Iranian and Chinese revolutions, including articles from leading members of the Left Opposition, including Adolf Joffe, Christian Rakovsky, Grigory Safarov, Rafail, Sibiryakov and Varesenika Kasparova. Pavlovich responded to Lenins death in January 1924 with an article, Lenin and the East, upholding Lenins insistence on the political leadership of the working class in the revolution, in which he wrote that the ending of national oppression in the colonial countries will require direct intervention and active action by the international proletariat.[ 31 ] When the Chinese Revolution erupted in 1925, Pavlovich published a report from sources in China, and insisted that the working class must play the leading political role in the struggle: The Chinese proletariat, yesterday still ignorant, yesterday still a submissive slave, is raising its head and increasingly emerging as the leader in the struggle for the national liberation of a country of 400 million people. The hour is not far off when the Chinese proletariat, in its heroic struggle against the vultures of world imperialism, will lead not only the students, small shopkeepers, labourers, etc., but also the millions of peasants of their country.[ 32 ] The essentially Menshevik position of the Stalinist bureaucracy was that the working class would play a subordinate role, and that the national revolution in China would be led by the bourgeoisie, a policy that led the revolution to catastrophic defeat. Mikhail Pavlovich passed away from lung cancer at the age of 56 on June 19, 1927. His funeral was attended by his comrades, who buried him in Moscows Novodevichy Cemetery. The coffin of Mikhail Pavlovich is born by his political comrades, including Ilya Nikolaevich Borozdin (middle pallbearer) chairman of Novy vostoks historical and ethnological department and a member of the Presidium of the All-Union Scientific Association of Oriental Studies. Borozdin was later imprisoned, along with many other authors who published in Novyi vostok. The hostility of the bureaucracy towards the internationalist perspective of the October Revolution, towards the theory of Permanent Revolution, culminated in Stalins political genocide of the Great Terror, in which not only the entire revolutionary cadre of the party and the Red Army was exterminated, but also leading intellectuals, academics and artists, along with their families. Out of over 100 individual authors who contributed to Novyi vostok during Pavlovichs term as editor, at least thirty-one were repressed. Seventeen were shot. Eleven perished in prison or shortly after release. Joffe committed suicide in 1927. As more scholarly work is done on Novyi vostok, this list will surely grow. Some of the repressed authors who wrote for Novy vostok: Left to right. Top row: Manuel Abramson, Hussein Bodiansky, Christian Rakovsky, Konstantin Dobroliubsky, Varsenika Kasparova, Agvan Dorzhiev, Grigory Broido. Second row: Ivan Maisky, Adolf Joffe, Anatoly Kantorovich, Grigory Kirdetsov, Nikolai Konrad, Sergei Kotlyarevsky, Melnikov. Third row: Siren Natzov (Shoizhenov), Pyotr Derber, Raskolnikov, Karl Radek, Grigory Safarov, Avetis Sultanovich Sultan Zade, Vladimir Vilensky (Sibiriakov), Abramson (prison photo). Fourth row: Ilya Borozdin, Vladimir Gurko-Kriazhin, Semyon Dimanshtein, Alexei Zakharov, Moisei Akselrod, Feodor Shmidt. In 1930, as if to end all further debate on the subject, an essay by Stalin on the national question appeared as the lead article in the final issue of Novyi vostok, in which the dissolution of the All-Russian Association of East Asian Studies and its journal was announced. During a January 1930 meeting of the Institute of Red Professors at the Communist Academy, the Association had been declared to be a camp of bourgeois fellow travelers calling themselves Soviet Orientalists and its functions transferred to the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The Stalinist Semyon Dimanshtein, who assumed editorship of Novyi vostok after Pavlovichs death and announced the dissolution of VNAV, was shot on August 25, 1938, on the orders of Stalin and Molotov. He had been accused, however untruthfully and absurdly, of being a member of the Trotskyist Opposition. We hope that the publication of this translation and the rediscovery of this important figure in the history of the revolutionary socialist movement will contribute to the political education of the working class, now confronted, once again, with imperialist war and fascist barbarism. US President Donald Trump asserted unlimited presidential powers to wage war all over the world in an interview with the New York Times published Thursday, declaring, I dont need international law. Asked what limits exist on his power as commander-in-chief, Trump replied: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Trump made this assertion of unlimited presidential authority five days after US forces launched drone and missile strikes on Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, killing 100 people, before special operations forces kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro. Since the attack, the Trump administration has threatened Cuba, Colombia, Iran, Russia, China and even the European Union, declaring its intention to use military force to seize Greenland from NATO ally Denmark. One of the US Coast Guard helicopters preparing to seize the Centuries, a tanker loaded with Venezuelan oil, in international waters bound for China. December 20, 2025 [Photo: @Sec_Noem] On Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that the US would seize between 30 and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, worth up to $3 billion. This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, Trump wrote. The Times interview was published as the US Navy pursued oil tankers linked to Venezuela, Iran, Russia and China fleeing the Caribbean across the Atlantic. On Wednesday, US forces seized two more tankers in international watersthe Russian-flagged Marinera in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland, and the M Sophia in the Caribbean. The seizure of the Marinera was a major military operation. The tanker had been escorted by Russian warships after a Russian flag was painted on its hull and registered with Moscow. The US mobilized P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft, AC-130 gunships and F-35 jet fighters to support Coast Guard forces boarding the vessel. A direct clash between US and Russian forces was avoided. The US Navy is now pursuing additional tankers that sought to escape the illegal US blockade of Venezuela, with vessels fleeing hundreds of miles into the Atlantic. Any actions taken by Venezuelas interim government are going to be dictated by the United States of America, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference in Miami on Wednesday, declared that the US would oversee the sale of Venezuelas oil indefinitely. Trumps threats span the globe. In his interview with the Times, he reiterated his threat to use military force to annex Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark. He refused to say whether he valued Greenland or the NATO alliance more. It may be a choice, he said. Ownership is very important. On Monday, Leavitt confirmed that utilizing the US Military is always an option in seizing Greenland from Denmark. The threats against Greenland have provoked sharp responses from European governments. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters in Lithuania on Monday: Since Denmark is a member of NATO, Greenland will, in principle, also be subject to NATO defense. On Tuesday, Denmarks military intelligence service classified the United States as a security risk for the first time. That same day, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Britain issued a joint statement with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning the United States they would not stop defending the values of sovereignty and territorial integrity. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking at a symposium late Wednesday, issued the sharpest condemnation yet from a European head of state. There is a breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order, Steinmeier said. It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers. He added, Attempts are being made to push even medium-sized statesand that includes usto the margins of history, while small and weaker states are left completely unprotected. French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing Frances diplomatic corps at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, echoed Steinmeiers warnings. The US is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from the international rules that it was until recently promoting, Macron said. Multilateral institutions are functioning less and less effectively. We are living in a world of great powers, with a real temptation to divide up the world. The US attack on Venezuela came just weeks after the publication of the 2025 National Defense Strategy, which declared the Western Hemisphere an American sphere of influence in which the United States would not tolerate the presence of extra-hemispheric powers. The document, released in December, identified China as the pacing threat and called for the US military to secure energy dominance through control of strategic resources in Latin America and the Middle East. The Venezuela operation is the first implementation of this doctrine. Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, writing on his Substack on Wednesday, reported that the objective of the Venezuela operation is to cut off China, Americas economic rival, from its ongoing purchases of Venezuelas cheap heavy crude oil. China is the largest importer of Venezuelan oil. The next target, I have been told, will be Iran, another purveyor to China whose crude oil reserves are the worlds fourth largest, Hersh wrote. He characterized the Venezuela operation as the opening shot in a US energy war on China. On Thursday, the US Senate voted 52-47 to debate a War Powers resolution that would require Trump to seek congressional authorization for continued military operations in Venezuela. But the resolution will have no serious effect, as House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not take it up. The Democratic leadership has repeatedly declared that it can do nothing to stop Trumps flagrant violations of the Constitution and international law. Those Democrats who have made mild criticisms of Trumps actions in Venezuela invariably preface their remarks with vitriolic condemnations of Maduro as a thug and a dictatora label they do not apply to Trumptogether with praise for the US military. In that vein, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, Were in the euphoria period of acknowledging across the board that Maduro was a bad guy and that our military is absolutely incredible. In December, the Democratic congressional leadership joined Republicans to pass the $901 billion National Defense Authorization Act, the largest military budget in US history. Minority Leader Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar all voted in favor, providing the funding for the very military apparatus now seizing tankers, blockading Venezuela and preparing for war with China and Iran. Trump has now called for a $1.5 trillion military budget for fiscal year 2027a 66 percent increase. America MUST have the strongest Military in the World, and its not even close! Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. We will CUT the waste, but we will BUILD the power. $1.5 TRILLION! According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, this would add $5.8 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Such a budget will require a frontal assault on the social rights of the working classthe gutting of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and every remaining social programand a frontal attack on democratic rights. In his interview with the Times, Trump reiterated that he was willing to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military inside the United States. Fight for rank-and-file control! For help founding a Healthcare Workers Rank-and-File Committee, fill out the form below. Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai Hospital on January 10, 2023, in New York City. [AP Photo/Andres Kudacki] More than 21,000 nurses in New York City and Long Island must act immediately to prevent the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) from sabotaging their city-wide strike scheduled for January 12. As of this writing, the union has withdrawn strike notices at seven of the 15 hospitals involved without even having secured contracts. The union bureaucracy is openly defying its members near-unanimous strike vote and working feverishly to prevent what would be the largest nurses strike in New York City history. The nurses must organize independent rank-and-file committees, impose their decision to strike from below and take control over bargaining and the conduct of the strike to prevent a sellout. They must also appeal to workers throughout New York for support. I am in support of a strike, a nurse from the medical-surgical unit at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City told the World Socialist Web Site. Some people think we would be selfish to walk out, but it is also selfish to keep working under conditions when we cant properly take care of people. Healthcare workers across the board should be organized because we didnt get a raise this year, said a worker at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. A travel nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital said she supports a strike because its going to help everybody in the long run. Im a nurse, and its going to benefit us all. We can hang in there and support each other while we ask for the things we need in healthcare. Teams are only as strong as their weakest links, and if nurses are being made to supervise patients on their break time, for example, when theres not adequate coverage, thats something thats going to affect everyone in the healthcare system, said a medical student. Under the auspices of a mediator, NYSNA officials met with representatives of One Brooklyn Healths Interfaith Medical Center, One Brooklyn Healths Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and Richmond University Medical Center on January 5. Claiming to have made major progress on healthcare benefits, safe staffing and protections against workplace violence, NYSNA unilaterally withdrew strike notices at these five hospitals, even though no contracts had been finalized. The union also claimed to have reached agreements on artificial intelligence and pensions with the hospitals. It has given no details about any of these agreements, and they have called off strikes at these facilities without full contracts. On January 7, NYSNA withdrew strike notices at Brooklyn Hospital Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center. Nevertheless, the union announced that it aimed to settle contracts with these hospitals by Friday, January 9, and hold ratification votes afterward. Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, told CBS News that she hoped to reach deals with all hospitals before the strike deadline. This is deliberate sabotage. No contract reached under such circumstances can be anything else but entirely pro-management. The NYSNA bureaucrats aim to repeat their betrayal of nurses at 12 city hospitals in 2023. Then, as now, safe staffing was foremost among the nurses demands, and the nurses voted by nearly 99 percent to strike. But instead of leading a powerful, united struggle, NYSNA kept its members divided by facility. It issued strike notices only to rescind them days later, announcing tentative agreements that it proclaimed to be victories for safe staffing. The union quickly held ratification votes to lock the agreements in place. The character of these agreements, is made plain by the fact that the nurses are raising the same demand for safe staffing three years later. Workers frustration was too great for NYSNA to prevent strikes at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital. Nevertheless, the union shut down these strikes after only three days. The new betrayal would be even more outrageous. The federal government is systematically eviscerating public health and workers rights. In New York, federal spending cuts will reduce hospital funding by an estimated $8 billion and result in 34,000 hospital job losses during the next few years. Under the direction of conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sharply reduced the schedule of childhood vaccinations and recommended that the hepatitis B vaccine be delayed instead of administered at birth. The very institutions charged with protecting workers health are being dismantled, and the result will be major increases in disease, disability and death. The NYSNA officials have refused to defend public health or its own members jobs and rights. They did nothing to mobilize workers against the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel in April 2025. They are doing nothing but holding ineffectual vigils in response to the disciplining of three Mount Sinai Hospital nurses, one of whom was suspended, for raising safety demands after an attempted shooting in the emergency room. Another sellout will encourage further attacks on healthcare workers everywhere. These attacks will come not only from hospital administrators, but also from the state. Everything depends on the independent mobilization of the nurses. They must reject the sellout agreements that are being hatched behind closed doors and seize the initiative from the NYSNA bureaucrats. This step requires the formation of rank-and-file committees outside the unions control and beholden to neither corporate party. Through these committees, workers must organize a strike for safe staffing and the best possible patient care. Workers also must hold meetings to publicize their demands and denounce the federal attacks on healthcare. They must appeal to workers throughout New York for support. The New York nurses struggle must become the spearhead of a broader working class offensive against the subordination of vital social services to the profit interests defended by the entire political establishment. BDO Cayman Islands, a member of accounting network BDO International, has announced the promotion of Gordon Procter to the position of partner. With more than ten years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance sector, Procter specialises in captive insurance arrangements and alternative risk vehicles. Since joining the company, Procter has advised insurance managers, captive owners and reinsurers, helping clients meet a range of regulatory, reporting and operational obligations. BDO Cayman Islands, which works in the captive insurance market, said the promotion recognises Procters technical capability and forms part of its wider approach to developing leadership capacity. The company added that the appointment reflects its focus on acknowledging employee contributions and maintaining its position in the insurance and reinsurance sector. BDO Cayman Islands partner and insurance head Paul Arbo said: Gordons promotion to partner is extremely well deserved. His deep understanding of the Cayman Islands regulatory environment, combined with his practical, solutions-driven approach, has made him a trusted advisor to clients navigating increasingly complex insurance and reinsurance structures. We are delighted to welcome him to the BDO leadership team and to have him as a pivotal driver of our next phase of growth. Last December, BDO USA launched a new subsidiary called BDO Government Services to support state and local governments across the continental US and Puerto Rico. The unit will provide advice to government leaders and provide tailored solutions for disaster recovery and federally funded initiatives. "BDO Cayman Islands elevates Gordon Procter to partner" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. Libbey Glass strikers after November 19 vote to defeat USW sellout After nearly five months on strike, more than 500 Libbey Glass workers in Toledo, Ohio continue to hold the picket line against an employer determined to shred seniority, destroy overtime protections and gut the skilled trades that keep the plant running safely. Libbeys owners and their financiers seek to eliminate seniority, expand blanket managements discretion, impose mandatory 12hour shifts and outsource critical trades to contractors who have no healthcare or pension obligations. The courage and solidarity of the strikers have been tested every step of the way not only by managements threats but by the open sabotage of the trade union bureaucracy of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and the United Steelworkers (USW). The strike started on August 23 when the workers, members of IAM Local 1297 and USW Locals 59, 700 and 65, overwhelmingly rejected the last, best and final offer. In the months since, IAM and USW officials have kept workers on starvation level strike benefits. At the same time, they have isolated the strike with the assistance of the Greater Northwest Ohio AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, which have thousands of members in the Toledo area. In midDecember, IAM Local 1297 pushed through a separate contract, ending its participation in the walkout and sending members back into the plant. The result has been the rupture of the strikes unity and the reintroduction of replacement labor across the line. The situation has grown worse. Rankandfile workers report that USW Local 65the mold makersheld a snap vote on December 30 and workers ratified the companys offer under dubious circumstances. A Libbey worker who remains on strike told the WSWS, Questions have been raised on the legitimacy of the vote. Many of their member were out of town or unavailable for the holidays. Some votes were cast over the phone which is most certainly not in any of the bylaws. The International denies having anything to do with the quick turn negotiations and vote done without the solidarity of the other two striking steelworker locals. He continued, The largest problem with them signing a contract is the no sympathy strike clause which the International should have never allowed if they wanted actual solidarity with their sister unions. Word today as well is the president of the mold makers union has been offered employment in the International Steelworkers office effective almost immediately. Locals 700 and 59 remain out and steadfast to get a fair and equitable offer despite forces from all sides trying to squash our efforts. This no sympathy strike language is the tool of strikebreaking. It transforms what should be mutual protection into an instrument for dividing workers. IAM and Local 65 officials have pressured their members to cross the picket lines of their fellow workers. This follows the attempt by the USW International to ram through managements last, best and final offer in November. USW District 1 Donnie Blatt and other USW national officials called the vote over the heads of local union officials, who would not bring it back to the membership because they knew it would be soundly defeated. In an effort to split the membership and suppress opposition, the International called separate informational meetings and votes, hoping to force through a ratification. In a courageous act, rank-and-file workers from Local 65 attending the first meeting unanimously rejected the deal. Before the vote, the WSWS issued a statement calling on Libbey workers to vote no, form a democratically elected strike committee and take the conduct of the strike out of the hands of the USW bureaucracy. The repeated backstabbing by USW and IAM officials confirms an iron rule: the trade union bureaucracy acts as agents of corporate management and the state. The USW and IAM bureaucracies control vast resources, live on large salaries and use members dues to underwrite structures that are hostile to the interests of the rank and file. It is clear that Libbey management and its private equity investors have been emboldened by the class war policies of the Trump administration and its wars of plunder abroad and state violence at home. Added to this are the Trump administrations tariffs, encouragement of reshoring that is a pretext for increased speedup and layoffs, and embrace of corporate restructuring and the weaponization of technologies like AI to eliminate jobs. The IAM, USW, the United Auto Workers and the Teamsters support Trumps economic nationalism and actively collaborate with a ruling class determined to make working people pay for the crisis of capitalism. The only way forward is the transfer of power from the bureaucracy to the workers themselves. Libbey workers must form a Libbey RankandFile Strike Committee now. Such a committee must do the following: Demand full disclosure of any proposed contract, side letters and bargaining minutes and insist on a ratification vote conducted under worker control, with adequate time to review and debate. Snap, blackmail votes by international officials must be rejected. Take control of strike communications, publish all income and expenditures and ensure strike benefits sufficient to sustain rankandfile perseverance. Union assets must be made available for strike defense, not hoarded by a privileged apparatus. Organize independent mass meetings, picketing and enforcement of the picket line; determine the terms of any return to work and refuse to allow bureaucrats to call off the strike unilaterally. Coordinate active solidarityflying pickets, demonstrations and mass information driveswith workers at the Toledo Jeep assembly, Dana Driveline, Mercy and ProMedica hospitals, Cleveland Cliffs and local oil refineries to break the isolation the bureaucracy has imposed. Reach out internationally via the International Workers Alliance of RankandFile Committees (IWARFC) to mobilize support from glass workers and allied trades in Mexico, Portugal and elsewhere. A specific appeal must be made to the thousands of Jeep workers at the Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex whose class interests are identical to those on the Libbey picket line. The UAW bureaucracy has a record of making deals that lock in speedup, concessions and deadly conditions, like those that led to the deaths of Toledo Jeep worker Antonio Gaston and Dundee Engine Complex worker Ronald Adams Sr. Libbey and Jeep workers should convene joint meetings, organize crossplant demonstrations and prepare coordinated stoppages where necessary. A united working class in Toledo will strike a blow against the wholesale rollback of conditions across the region. Rankandfile committees are a necessary instrument to defend workers against industrial slavery and destitution. The history of the class struggle, including the 1934 AutoLite strike in Toledo and other major confrontations, shows that mass, democratically controlled action and a broad movement uniting workers across industries is the basis for countering attacks by management and the government. That lesson must be revived and adapted for todays international economy. If workers seize control, build rankandfile committees and coordinate solidarity across plants and borders, this strike can become the beginning of a much broader fight to defend jobs, pensions, healthcare and democratic rights. If bureaucrats continue to fragment and betray, Libbey will be another precedent to justify further assaults across industry. For victory, workers must act independently, democratically and in solidarity with their co-workers across industries, the region and national borders. To get information on building a rank-and-file committee, fill out the form below. Recent data released by the academic and lawyer-operated database, the Deportation Data Project, reveals a surge in immigration-related arrests in 2025. The database tracks public records of national Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, along with data gathered by immigration advocates. The records requests from September 1, 2023, to October 15, 2025, lay bare the capitalist ruling elites systemic campaign of terror directed at some of the most vulnerable sections of the working class. In 2024, the total number of arrests recorded in Oregon for the entire year amounted to 113. At least 1,200 were arrested in 2025, a staggering ten-fold increase. The first 10 months alone accounted for 660 arrests. After the data cutoff point in mid-October, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks stated on X that over 560 people in Portland were arrested by federal agents. However, even these counts are likely an underestimation, as Diane Goodwin, a spokesperson from a coalition of immigrant advocacy organizations, Oregon for All, reported a total of nearly 1,900 arrests. A protester holds a sign as law enforcement officers stand outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. [AP Photo/Jenny Kane] Of those arrested in the first 10 months of 2025, roughly 84 were percent male, twothirds aged 19-40, with detainees ranging from 4 to 71 years old and people coming from 45 countriesmost from Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, Guatemala and China. Only 32 percent of those arrested in 2025 had criminal convictions (down from 45 percent in 2024), undercutting ICEs fraudulent claims that the arrests consisted of only hardened or violent criminals. The means to carry out these fascistic attacks has been revealed in recent court testimony, which exposes ICEs use of facial recognition, airline passenger lists and software aggregators to generate arrest lists and meet quotas, producing mechanized, indiscriminate targetinga tactic honed by Israel in its AI-driven kill list targeting Palestinians in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Notably, arrests spiked in July, October, and November, following the springtime decree by President Donald Trump to triple the national arrest quota from 1,000 to 3,000 daily. The regional ICE director for Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, Cammilla Wamsley, also doubled the internal daily goal the agency had set for 2024, to 30 arrests per day. Immigrant workers in Washington also faced particularly brutal targeted workplace raids, aimed primarily at those in states vast orchards. Central Washingtons orchards rely heavily on immigrant labor; many detained workers are longresident undocumented workers or family members trying to legalize status. In 2024, Washington farmers and growers employed over 36,000 H-2A short-term visa workers, and produced 70 percent of the US apple crop. The targeted attacks of workers in central Washington, primarily in farmworking communities around Yakima, Wapato, Granger and Toppenish, reached a late November peak of 5-10 arrests daily. An estimated 40 percent of all agricultural work done in the US is performed by immigrants, many of whom now face exploitation, fear, and uncertainty. The shifting tactics utilized by ICE, from primarily targeted workplace raids, to broad-daylight kidnappings in public spacessuch as banks, gas stations, grocery stores, while commuting, or even at hospitalshas had widespread ramifications. A report by The Columbian highlights the effects that the crackdown has had on workers whom are simply seeking medical care, and especially those seeking medical exams for green card applications. Dr. Nicolette Bembenek, a civil surgeon licensed in Vancouver, Washington to perform such exams, stated that when the exams became available in 2022, applicants would travel for hours to see her, with high demand necessitating a monthly cap. She noted that demand had sharply fallen off since January 2025, with the advent of the Trump administrations crackdown. In a survey of 691 healthcare workers in 30 states by the Migrant Clinicians Network and Physicians for Human Rights, 84 percent reported that ICE activity has led to moderate to significant decreases in patient volume, 26 percent reported that enforcement directly affected care, with an additional 7 percent reporting direct ICE activity inside the facilities. A particularly heinous example of ICEs interference in patient care and privacy has unfolded at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. The Columbian reports, ICE officers have been allowed to remain at patients bedsides at all times, including during sensitive exams, mental health assessments and bathroom use, according to the Oregon Nurses Association. Nurses also report being told by hospital management that detainees do not maintain the same HIPAA rights as other patients. [The 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act set national standards protecting patient health information.] The response to these violations of human rights, dignity, and privacy, in conjunction with exploitative working conditions, chronic and unsafe under-staffing, and stagnant pay, has found expression in a recent strike by 140 medical professionals at Legacy Health. The strike is part of a wave of working class resistance, including a walk-out by 1,600 students in Hillsboro, Oregon, where the citys large minority population has been targeted by anti-immigrant raids. Although resistance to the attempts by the ruling class to scapegoat immigrant workers and divide the working class has been growing, workers can only succeed in this defense by arming themselves with a clear understanding of the political forces and historical tasks at hand. Most critically, they must break wholly and completely with the Democratic Party, whose direct complicity in these attacks, as well as the imperialist invasion of Venezuela, reveals their class orientation. They must organize independently from the union bureaucraciesthe labor police that have aided and abetted nationalist filth and the largest wave of mass layoffs since the Great Recession. The fight to defend immigrants is inseparable from the fight for the working class and democratic rights; only independent, classbased mobilization can stop the deportation machine and the authoritarian program it advances. The federal government has officially resumed garnishing wages and withholding benefits from student loan borrowers after years of legal limbo. The Trump administration has made several moves to limit repayment options and enforce collections after an extended COVID-era pause. The federal Education Department announced a proposed legal agreement to squash the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan in December 2025, dealing a final blow to the Biden administration's efforts to forgive or reduce the $200 billion burden of repayment on 5 million federal borrowers. More than 7 million SAVE borrowers have been in administrative forbearance, not requiring payments, since June 2024. Interest on their debt restarted in August 2025 and the administration announced plans to resume wage garnishment on borrowers behind on payments beginning Jan. 7, according to reports. Here's what to know about who is at risk of having money taken from their paycheck. USA TODAY reached out to the Department of Education for comment. What happens if you're behind on student loan payments? If you miss a payment or two on your federal student loans, you won't automatically be in bad standing. Your loan will become delinquent on the first day after you miss a payment, usually resulting in late fees or potential dings to your credit score, according to the Federal Student Aid Office of the Department of Education. If you go long enough without making a payment, your loans may go into default, at which time the government can begin involuntary collections, automatically taking money out of your paychecks, tax refund or other federal benefits. The federal government has officially resumed garnishing wages and withholding benefits from student loan borrowers as of Jan. 7 after years of legal limbo. What is wage garnishment? Wage garnishment is a legal process in which money is withheld from an employee's paycheck to pay back a debt. The money is collected by employers and sent to the relevant creditors, usually after a court order or other legal notice. Common reasons for wage garnishment include child support, student loan debt, credit card debt, bankruptcy, or unpaid taxes, according to ADP, a company that provides payroll processing. An employer can face steep fines or legal penalties for failing to garnish an employee's wages. The amount that can be withheld from a paycheck is dependent on the type of debt owed, state and federal law. Garnishment stops after the debt has been repaid, the garnishment order revoked or the period of time set out in the order ends. What is the Treasury Offset Program? What can it collect from you? The Treasury Offset Program is the centralized government program for collecting debts owed to federal and state agencies, such as child support and defaulted loans. Did the market context or stock performance influence the timing or scale of this transaction? The transactions were executed at around $4.41 per share, with the stock down 15.36% on a one-year basis as of Friday, and the disposition cadence aligns with a systematic reduction strategy through SFS Corp rather than opportunistic timing. What is the remaining ownership capacity, and how might it constrain future activity? Post-transaction, Mat Ishbia retains only 279,989 direct shares and 6,314,123 indirect shares, as reported on the Form 4; however, the latest proxy statement lists ownership of roughly 2.8 billion shares. Future large-scale liquidations are infeasible absent additional derivative conversions. How significant is the transaction relative to historical trading patterns? The sale size of roughly 1.9 million shares is moderately above the median indirect sale (1.2 million shares) observed in recent transactions, but the 22.36% of pre-trade holdings impacted is notably higher than the historical median of 4.37% per sell event since September, driven by the shrinking available share base. What does the transaction structure reveal about insider intent and liquidity? All 1.9 million shares were sold by SFS Corp, a Mat Ishbia-controlled entity, following conversion of UWM Paired Interests into Class A Common Stock -- indicating a deliberate unwinding of indirect, convertible equity rather than direct personal holdings. The transaction value is based on the SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price of $4.41 on Friday. On Friday, UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC) President and CEO Mat Ishbia reported via an SEC Form 4 filing the indirect sale of nearly 1.9 million shares in multiple open-market transactions totaling $8.37 million, with all shares disposed of through an entity called SFS Corp as part of a broader derivative conversion and liquidation strategy. The sale was entirely indirect -- no direct shares were traded -- with all disposition conducted via SFS Corp, a controlled entity with complex trust and conversion structures. Story Continues UWM Holdings Corporation is a leading wholesale mortgage lender in the United States, operating at scale from its headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan. The company uses a broker-centric wholesale channel model for mortgage loan origination and servicing. The company focuses on the wholesale channel for residential mortgage lending. What this transaction means for investors Ishbias latest transaction matters because it clarifies how much of his remaining exposure to UWM is structural rather than directional. The company is operating from a position of improving fundamentals. In the third quarter, UWM generated $41.7 billion in loan originations, delivered $843 million in revenue (compared to $745.6 million last year), and posted $211 million in adjusted EBITDA, its strongest operating performance since 2021. Meanwhile, liquidity remained robust at roughly $3 billion, giving the lender flexibility as rates stabilize and refinance activity begins to recover. The billionaire CEOs sale was executed under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted in March and followed the conversion of Paired Interests into Class A common stock. Importantly, this was not a reduction of Ishbias core ownership position. While the transaction represented a larger percentage of his remaining indirect holdings, the companys most recent proxy still lists ownership of roughly 2.8 billion shares. For investors, the signal is mechanical rather than behavioral. Ishbia continues to unwind legacy, convertible exposure methodically while retaining overwhelming economic control. The durability of UWMs earnings power, margin discipline, and servicing strategy remains far more relevant to long-term value than the optics of another planned sale. Glossary Form 4: A required SEC filing disclosing insider trades of company securities by officers, directors, or significant shareholders. Indirect sale: The sale of securities through an entity or trust controlled by the insider, not directly in the insider's own name. SFS Corp: A controlled entity used by an insider to hold or transact company shares, often for estate or tax planning. Derivative conversion: The process of exchanging derivative securities, like options or paired interests, into common stock. Paired Interests: A type of security combining two financial instruments, often convertible into common stock. Class A Common Stock: A class of company shares typically offering standard voting rights and ownership in the company. Disposition: The act of selling or otherwise transferring ownership of securities. Insider: A company executive, director, or large shareholder with access to non-public company information. Outstanding shares: The total number of a company's shares currently held by all shareholders, including restricted shares. Liquidation strategy: A planned approach to selling assets or securities, often to raise cash or reduce holdings. Weighted average purchase price: The average price paid per share, weighted by the number of shares in each transaction. TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report. 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See the 3 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of January 5, 2026 Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Mat Ishbia Sells Another $8.4 Million in UWM Stock as Shares Slide 15% This Past Year was originally published by The Motley Fool Quick Read Bitcoin broke through $90K resistance on January 3 after ETFs pulled in $471M on January 2. BTC now trades around $92K-$94K. A break above $95K could trigger a gamma squeeze toward $100K. Elevated funding rates and crowded long positioning create liquidation risk if support breaks below $88K. Have You read The New Report Shaking Up Retirement Plans? Americans are answering three questions and many are realizing they can retire earlier than expected. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) just broke through $90,000 after more than a month of failed attempts. Bitcoin spent December locked between $86,000 and $90,000, testing resistance repeatedly without breaking through. Holiday trading volumes dropped to $30-40 billion, well below levels needed to sustain breakouts, as institutional capital sat on the sidelines. Then early January changed the setup. Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $471 million on January 2the second-highest daily inflow since mid-Novemberand volume returned as institutions re-entered the market. The breakout finally had the backing it neededand the $90,000 level that repeatedly rejected price throughout December finally gave way on January 3, with BTC briefly testing $95,000, marking a new yearly high. But breaking $90K doesn't guarantee $100K. Bitcoin now trades around $92,000-$94,000, testing whether this move has legs or runs out of steam at the next resistance zone. The coming weeks will determine if BTC clears $95,000 and makes a run at six figures or pulls back to retest the $90K support. Why Bitcoin Couldn't Break $90K in December gnepphoto / Shutterstock.com gnepphoto / Shutterstock.com Three forces kept Bitcoin pinned below $90,000 throughout December, creating a ceiling that held despite multiple attempts. Profit-Taking Zone The $90,000 level represents a major profit-taking zone for investors who accumulated Bitcoin in the $60,000-$70,000 range. With gains of 30-50%, many locked in profits, creating persistent sell pressure. This overhead supply capped each rally as sellers stepped in, resulting in a self-reinforcing ceiling that proved difficult to overcome. Options Wall Significant open interest in call options between $90,000 and $95,000 created a hedging dynamic where dealers sold spot Bitcoin to remain delta-neutral, effectively reinforcing resistance. Until these options expired or were breached with substantial volume, they acted as a mechanical ceiling. Macro Fog Year-end positioning was complete, but the Federal Reserve's 2026 policy stance was unclear. The Bank of Japan signaled potential hawkish moves and geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East added uncertainty. These factors kept institutional buyers cautious. Elevated funding rates on derivatives platforms indicated a crowded long trade, raising the risk of a liquidation cascade if the Bitcoin price dropped below key support levels. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) is included among the 14 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026. BMO Sees Competitive Pressures Weighing on Brown & Brown (BRO) Shares On December 23, BMO Capital downgraded Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) to Market Perform from Outperform and trimmed its price target to $88 from $90. The firm expects consensus organic growth estimates to drift lower in 2026, which it views as a potential sentiment overhang for the stock. Brown & Browns valuation tends to track organic growth closely, and BMOs forecast, which sits 100 basis points below consensus, prompted the downgrade. The analyst also flagged what it described as a talent war with Howden, noting industry reports that Brown & Brown recently lost a large team to a competitor. Separately, on December 15, Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) announced that a subsidiary acquired the assets of the J. Kevin Campbell Agency, Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The deal was confirmed by J. Scott Penny, the companys chief acquisitions officer, alongside Kevin Campbell, principal of the Campbell Agency. Kevin Campbell founded the agency in 1991, building a business focused on workers compensation insurance solutions. In 2004, Kian Ostovar joined the firm and later opened an office in Gainesville, Florida, serving clients across north and central Florida. Both leaders will transition into roles within Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO). Campbell will join the Tampa office, while Ostovar will move to the Ocala office, bringing their experience into the broader platform. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) operates as an insurance brokerage, providing risk management solutions across property, casualty, and employee benefits lines. While we acknowledge the potential of BRO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best Income Stocks to Buy Now and 20 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2025 Disclosure: None. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Doubleday In September 1781, a slave ship known as the Zorg set sail for Jamaica from Africas Gold Coast. Originally a Dutch vessel, the Zorg had been captured by a British captain and heavily overloaded with slaves. It left the Gold Coast with 442 Africans held captive below decks, and an inadequate crew of 17. As Siddharth Kara relates in this harrowing but fascinating book, the Zorgs trans-Atlantic crossing plumbed the depths of human depravity, said Amanda Brickell Bellows in The Wall Street Journal . Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board. Supplies of food and water ran dangerously low. Advertisement Advertisement Days from Jamaica, the crew of the Zorg huddled together and devised a murderous plan. Rather than arriving at their destination with scores of dead or dying (and therefore commercially useless) slaves, they decided to throw them overboard. In total, more than 123 captive men, women and children were disposed of in this way. Kara argues that this unspeakable plan of action was driven by economic greed, said Farrah Jarral in The Guardian . While maritime insurance didnt cover the deaths of slaves from natural causes, it was possible to claim for slaves thrown overboard, by portraying them as jettisoned cargo. And sure enough, the ships Liverpudlian owner duly filed a claim for the lost slaves, and then, in 1783, took the insurers to court when they refused to pay. Kara suggests that the resulting public exposure of the Zorg murders helped kick-start the anti-slavery movement which led, ultimately, to the passing of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807. Blending powerful storytelling with meticulous research, The Zorg effectively illuminates one of the darkest chapters in our history . It is indeed a shameful story, and Kara has undertaken a vast amount of research, said David Mills in The Times . Its a pity, then, that his book is clumsily constructed and badly written. Moreover, his shaky grasp of nautical matters (no sail is fastened by a shroud, they are for masts) makes it difficult to have faith in the veracity of his colour. Anthony Joshua is speaking out for the first time following the devastating crash that killed two of his friends ... admitting the loss of Sina Ghami and Kevin "Latif" Ayodele has been tough on him. The former heavyweight champion broke his silence on Thursday via social media ... and expressed gratitude to those who showed love and support to Ghami and Ayodele, whom he called truly special people. Instagram / @healthy_mindset "Ill just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men," Joshua said. Advertisement Advertisement "100% its tough for me, but I know its even tougher for their parents." Joshua added, "I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers." Federal Road Safety Corps Ghami and Ayodele lost their lives on December 29, 2025, after the Lexus SUV they were riding in with Joshua crashed into a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Nigeria. AJ only suffered minor injuries. The driver of the Lexus, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was reportedly charged with dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care, and driving without a valid drivers license. Anthony Joshua Seen In Pain Following Car Crash in Nigeria Memorial services for Ghami and Ayodele were held earlier this week -- and Joshua was in attendance. There have been retirement rumors swirling around since the aftermath of the tragedy, but Joshua has yet to address his professional future. Spencer Pratt is running for mayor of Los Angeles but hes not the only celebrity to try their hand at politics. Pratt announced the news on January 7, 2026. The system in Los Angeles isnt struggling, its fundamentally broken, Pratt, 42, said at the They Let Us Burn public demonstration, via the New York Post. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and Im done waiting for someone to take real action. Pratt continued, Thats why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isnt a campaign, this is a mission, and were gonna expose the system. Advertisement Advertisement The event was held on the first anniversary of the Palisades Fire. Pratt was also spotted signing official candidacy paperwork at the event. Everything Dwayne Johnson Has Said About Possibly Running for President: The Idea Is Alluring The reality star joins a long line of celebrities who have sought public office of their own, including Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham. Keep scrolling to see more stars who entered the political ring: Jerry Springer Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Jerry Springer was best known for his career as an actor and talk show host, but he also served on the city council in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a political aide to the late Robert Kennedy and served as mayor of Cincinnati. Kanye West Kanye West was a successful rapper and performer before he launched a failed presidential run under the American Independence Party in 2020. Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan had a long career in Hollywood before he was elected as the 40th president of the United States in 1984. He also served as governor of California from 1967-1975. Donald Trump Donald Trump was best known as a reality star and businessman before he won the U.S. presidential election in 2016. He was elected again in 2024. Roseanne Barr Roseanne Barr launched her own presidential run in 2012 under the banner of the Green Party, but was beaten out by Jill Stein. Cynthia Nixon Theo Wargo/Getty Images Cynthia Nixon attempted a run for governor of New York and had a debate with then-incumbent Andrew Cuomo. She lost the Democratic primary by a margin of 500,000 votes. Shirley Temple Child star Shirley Temple ran for the California State Senate in 1967 and lost, but was later named U.S. ambassador to Ghana and ambassador to Czechoslovakia. Sonny Bono Sonny Bono might be best known for his singing career with ex-wife Cher, but he also served as a U.S. House Representative for California from 1995 until he died in 1998. Bono was also mayor of Palm Springs from 1988-1992. Al Franken Al Franken hosted The Al Franken Show and appeared on Saturday Night Live before transitioning to politics. He served as Minnesotas senator from 2009 to 2018 and stepped down after several allegations of sexual assault were raised against him. Herschel Walker Herschel Walker launched a Georgia Senate race in 2022, and was defeated by Democrat Raphael Warnock. Caitlyn Jenner Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Caitlyn Jenner, who was best known for her Olympic career as well as her familys foray in reality TV, joined the California gubernatorial race in 2021 to run against Gavin Newsom. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected as Californias 38th governor in 2003 and held the role until 2011. Howard Stern Howard Stern, a radio and TV host, was the Libertarian nominee during the 1994 New York governor race, but backed out after he was required to share his financial information. Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert, who is most known for his late night talk show and comedy career, attempted to run for president by adding his name to the ballot in South Carolina but was denied. Farrah Abraham Former Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham announced on January 15, 2026, that she was running for city council in Texas. Im running for Austin City Council District 5 because our city has lost balance weve gone soft on crime, driven up prices and left working families like mine struggling to keep up. Enough is enough, Abraham said in a statement to Us Weekly via her rep at KN Productions Media Group. Ive faced Hollywood drama, cancel culture and online trolls and Im still here ready to fight for Austin families who dont have lobbyists or insider access. Im here for the everyday parents juggling jobs, school runs and dreams. Its time for a survivor mom who knows how to hustle and make real change. Donald Trumps youngest son, Barron, is reportedly making a conscious effort to soften his Slovenian accent as he settles into young adulthood. The 19-year-old, who has largely stayed out of the public eye, is said to be focused on fitting in with his peers in the United States while becoming more confident in how he speaks. Barron Trump focusing on getting rid of his accent, sources suggest Barron Trump has been reportedly taking elocution lessons as part of that effort. The goal, Rob Shuter sources claim, is not public performance but personal confidence. Barron is very focused on how he presents himself now. Hes thoughtful, deliberate, and wants to be confident when he speaks, but he does it quietly, without drawing attention. The renewed attention comes years after viral footage of Barron as a four-year-old circulated online. In the clip, he can be heard speaking with a noticeable Slovenian accent while playing with his parents, Donald Trump and Melania Trump, memorably saying, I like my suitcase. Advertisement Advertisement However, unlike his older brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric, Barron has consistently avoided the spotlight. While he did attend several rallies during his fathers presidential run last year, he rarely addressed crowds. Sources describe him as reserved and intentional about maintaining his privacy. Another source alleged the role his mother has played in that approach. He stays away from the spotlight whenever possible. Hes very aware of his privacy, and his mother makes sure it stays that way. Melania is fiercely protective of him, the source said. Moreover, that protectiveness reportedly shaped Barrons upbringing. He was raised primarily by his mother and grandparents, who emphasized shielding him from constant public scrutiny. Shes always been hands-on, making sure hes safe and grounded, the source added. That means guidance, protection and helping him navigate the world on his own terms, alongside the grandparents who were there from day one. Barron currently attends classes at New York Universitys Washington campus. The post Donald Trumps Son Barron Focused on Ditching His Slovenian Accent Source appeared first on Mandatory. NEED TO KNOW Egypt Sherrod shared a health update with her followers to explain her recent "silence" in a since-deleted Instagram post The update comes after she posted about "a woman's patience" being tested, which some fans thought was about her husband Mike Jackson The former HGTV stars were the hosts of Married to Real Estate before they said the series was canceled in June 2025 Egypt Sherrod is explaining her recent "silence" in a social media update days after she shared a cryptic message about "a woman's patience" being tested. The HGTV star, 49, shared the update in a since-deleted Instagram post on Tuesday, Jan. 6, in which she explained her social media hiatus was due to a recent surgery she had to heal from, followed by an unexpected injury. Advertisement Advertisement I owe you an update..sorry for the silence, she began the caption. I had to step away from the world for the past five weeks to focus fully on healing after surgery. Its been a scary road, but Im still standing and still on the mend. She continued, Now heres the wild part just as I finally got back on my feet last week, a literal piece of marble fell on my foot and shattered two of my toes. TWO. The devil is absolutely a liar. Sherrod then went on to look at the bright side, noting how the surgery and marble accident all happened in 2025, and she is rebuking all of this energy for 2026. She added that she was still able to walk without a cast or boot despite all that she went through. Egypt Sherrod/Instagram Egypt Sherrod in a Jan. 8, 2026 Instagram post Egypt Sherrod in a Jan. 8, 2026 Instagram post Her health update comes after she shared a New Years post with her followers, in which she penned a message about her "patience" being tested. Advertisement Advertisement A good womans patience is often mistaken for tolerance of harm, when in reality it is a form of hope, she wrote. She may give chances not because she lacks strength, but because she believes in goodness, growth, communication, and the possibility of repair. She carries the weight quietly, adjusting, forgiving, and trying again long after others would have walked away. But every boundary crossed, every repeated disappointment, slowly clarifies something important: love cannot survive where respect is absent. The real estate expert concluded the post by warning, Never push a Proverbs woman. She is covered and clear. New chapters. While its unclear what exactly her post was referring to, some commenters questioned whether it was about her husband and HGTV co-star Mike Jackson. Advertisement Advertisement Okkkk you look breathtaking Egypt and the caption is EVERYTHING..but did anybody else go scrolling to see if she and Mike was still together??? That caption scared me for a minute. Ok, excuse me while I continue to heal. Happy New Year my dear, one user wrote. A number of other users replied to the comment in agreement. David Livingston/WireImage Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson in June 2022 Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson in June 2022 I definitely did. My heart was pounding and screaming SAY IT AINT SO, one person wrote, followed by another who admitted Sherrods caption sent us into panic mode. PEOPLE reached out to a representative for Sherrod who had no comment on the post. On Jan. 8, Sherrod posted another update on Instagram about how everyone is replaceable. Advertisement Advertisement People come and go. Vision stays. Everyone is replaceable. But momentum is non-negotiable. This year Im locked in on disciplined focus and execution. On the bus or not, it keeps rolling, she wrote in the post. Prince Williams/WireImage From Left: Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod with their daughters in Atlanta on March 17, 2025 From Left: Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod with their daughters in Atlanta on March 17, 2025 Sherrod and Jackson tied the knot in September 2010 after six years of dating. Since then, they have welcomed two children, daughters Harper and Kendall. Sherrod is also stepmom to Jackson's older daughter, Simone, from a previous relationship. In an interview with PEOPLE published in October 2025, the couple addressed rumors circulating about their relationship, and how that affected things behind the scenes as they worked on what ended up being the final season of Married to Real Estate. Amid several changes to the production team and other claims about what was happening on the set of their real estate and home renovation series, the two said that adding to the chaos were questions about their marriage. "From a fan standpoint, another monkey wrench in it all was false articles flying all over the place about us separating," Jackson said at the time. Advertisement Advertisement "We were like, 'Where's this coming from? Because we're still deeply in love and having fun and traveling.' So you've got all the [show executive] changes, you don't know what time slot [you're in] and then you've got the fans reading articles that aren't true," he continued. Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty From Left: Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod at the 52nd Daytime Emmys on Oct. 17, 2025 From Left: Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod at the 52nd Daytime Emmys on Oct. 17, 2025 In June 2025, they had just returned from a family vacation to the Mediterranean when they say they learned that Married to Real Estate was ending something they first posted about on Instagram amid a number of big changes to HGTV's lineup at the time. "We came back on this amazing high and I lie to you not, we were still at the airport loading our bags in our car when management and the agency called us to tell us about the show," Sherrod told PEOPLE in 2025, adding that "it was insane." 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. At the time, the two said they still had other businesses and projects they were working on together, including Indigo Road Realty, which is a real estate brokerage, design firm and construction company, as well as home furnishings that consumers can buy online, and their podcast, Marriage and Money. Advertisement Advertisement "Everything you saw on TV is real," Sherrod told PEOPLE, noting that the end of Married to Real Estate on HGTV "is just the beginning of our entire saga." She added, "We want everybody to be okay with it and just continue to tune in for what's next." Read the original article on People Legendary figure skater Oksana Baiul is speaking candidly about her issues after getting pulled over by the police. The Ukrainian figure skating legend, 48, who won a gold medal in the 1994 Winter Olympics, sat in her vehicle and recorded herself speaking confessional-style after she was pulled over in her Mercedes. The athlete has made headlines in recent years after announcing her divorce on Facebook and subsequently giving up custody of her 11-year-old daughter, Sophia. In the video, Baiul spoke candidly about the issues she's currently facing. Advertisement Advertisement "Hey everybody. [Its] 4:46, Im at Starbucks. I was just being stopped by the police officer, the figure skater told the camera in an Instagram video on Wednesday. What a nice, nice, nice gentleman this guy is. In the caption, Baiul went on to explain the reason she was pulled over. I know all of you are like why police?" she wrote. "I have Louisiana plates still on my 2020 'Mercedes . In the video, Baiul got a bit deeper, speaking about some of the challenges she's recently dealt with. Baiul recently gave up custody of her 11-year-old daughter in the midst of her divorce battle with ex-husband and manager, Carlos Farina. Advertisement Advertisement "I ask myself a question. Its a very interesting question probably its something that I have been struggling with for so many years, she said in the video, taken while sitting in her car. If I dont believe in myself, nobody else will believe in me. Believe in yourself, people. Giving Up Custody of Her Daughter Us Weekly reported on Monday that Baiul and Farina informed the court of a deal they had reached that covered custody, support, and the division of their property. Farina was awarded primary custody and is permitted to relocate from the couples previous home in Louisiana to Las Vegas with their daughter, Sophia. The piece continued by saying that visitation between Baiul and Sophia can be coordinated if their daughter agrees to it. Baiul, who has been open about her issues with alcoholism in the past, agreed to enroll in anger management classes and undergo alcohol and drug testing to ensure she is remaining sober. Baiul announced on social media back in August that she and Farina were divorcing. Announcing Her Divorce on Facebook In August, Baiul took to Facebook to announce that she and Farina would divorce. Advertisement Advertisement Dear extended fam and friends, Im expressing myself to you this morning regarding my personal circumstances. My husband and I are divorcing. I am asking for prayers and I am praying for #sophiabaiulfarina #sobriety, Baiul wrote, referencing their daughter, Sophia. In Gods hands know thank you for my lesson. The couple wed in 2015. Baiul previously told the Shreveport Times that she is sober and grateful. She referenced her sobriety in a follow-up post, where she shared photo results of a sobriety test that clearly showed that she did not have any drugs or alcohol in her system. Baiul Put Her House Up for Sale In October, Baiul announced she was putting her Louisiana home up for sale. Advertisement Advertisement Thank you, Shreveport !!! House is for sale, moving back to Las Vegas I love u all. I am sorry it didnt work out, Baiul wrote on Facebook. According to a Zillow listing shared by Louisiana First News in October, the home is a Georgian Italianate mansion built in 1925. Listed at $1,195,000, the 6,000-square-foot home, which features five bedrooms and five bathrooms, was restored in the last three years. Sitting on a 1.33-acre lot, the home exudes the grandeur of crossing from the Gilded Age to New Age, according to its listing. It features seven marble fireplaces, several chandeliers and sconces, and a floating spiral staircase. The New York Post reported that Baiul added that while she hoped to open a skating school in Louisiana, she couldnt make it happen. Advertisement Advertisement I cant make a living in Shreveport. Unfortunately, I cant, Baiul said on Facebook, the Post reported. I do love all the people here. I came for a reason, and it did not happen. I came here to create some things, but they did not come to fruition. I have to go where the ice exists. Related: Olympic Figure Skater Gives up Custody of Daughter After Announcing Divorce on Facebook This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Source: Bloomberg Chevron Corp., the sole Western supermajor permitted to pump Venezuelan oil, is loading tankers at the fastest pace in seven months as the US government moves to control the Latin American nations crude riches. Chevron loaded 1.68 million barrels of Venezuelan oil onto ships during the first week of this month, the most for that period since May, according to vessel movements tracked by Bloomberg. The amount pumped aboard vessels was almost five times the volume of the same week in December. Most Read from Bloomberg Those cargoes are mainly bound for US refiner Phillips 66, with the remaining earmarked for Valero Energy Corp and Chevrons Pascagoula fuel-making plant on the Mississippi coast, according to the data and a person with knowledge of the situation. Chevron-booked tanker Mediterranean Voyager is on its way to deliver Venezuelan crude to a Phillips 66 refinery in TexasSource: Bloomberg Chevrons accelerated tanker loadings come as Venezuelan crude-storage facilities near full capacity. More and more of the nations oil has been stowed in tank farms after the US last month stepped up efforts to impede the former regime of Nicolas Maduro from selling oil abroad to raise cash. Maduro was ousted by US forces in a Jan. 3 raid. With President Nicolas Maduro deposed, President Donald Trump wants US oil giants to revive Venezuelas energy industry. Though its unclear who, if anyone, will take part, Chevron is already there.Source: Bloomberg The US this week pledged to take control of Venezuelan oil sales, including an initial tranche of as many as 50 million barrels. Commodity traders and banks have been tapped to help with the effort; proceeds are to be deposited into US-controlled bank accounts for the benefit of both Venezuela and the US, according to a fact sheet published Wednesday. The US also is easing some sanctions to allow the execution of the plan. Phillips 66 is set to receive a batch of 1 million barrels from the Chevron shipments at its Sweeny refinery in Texas, while Chevron and Valero are each set to receive 340,000 barrels of Boscan oil, a grade favored for asphalt production. Chevron declined to comment on commercial matters. Phillips 66 didnt have an immediate comment and Valero didnt immediately return a message seeking a comment. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2026 Bloomberg L.P. An over-50-year marriage thats been seemingly crumbling for years may finally be ending. Many have anticipated that Hillary Clinton would have divorced Bill Clinton decades ago. The former President admitted to having a sexual relationship while in office with intern Monica Lewinsky in the late 90s. Now the former Democratic nominee has apparently had enough of her husband and is ready to end their marriage for good. The release of many disturbing photos with Bill at Jeffrey Epsteins island and other supposed inside dirt on Bill is apparently the last straw for the former Secretary of State. Shes not going to be a doormat anymore, said an insider. Jeffrey is a convicted sex offender and pedophile who died in 2019 while in prison. Hillary Clinton is ready to throw Bill under the bus according to a presidential historian Photo Credit: KENNY HOLSTON/THE NEW YORK TIMES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images A divorce that many might say has been in the making for over 20 years could actually happen. RadarOnline reports that the couple is headed towards a $240 million breakup. A divorce may be far from the worst thing in store for the former President, though. Advertisement Advertisement Presidential historian Bill Wagener says that the former First Lady is ready to throw Bill under the bus. That is assuming they will have to testify before the congressional committee about Jeffreys misconduct. Among the photos with Bill is one showing him in a hot tub at Jeffreys island. In December, Bill and Hillarys marriage was said to be on shaky ground with the impending release of the Epstein files. Hillary, though, apparently has other dirt of her own on her husband. Insiders allege there are plenty of other reasons she is finally done with forgiving Bill. That includes supposed information from private investigators reportedly linking the former Arkansas Governor to a sex worker in Brazil and former Penthouse Pet Judi Gibbs. She died under mysterious circumstances after assisting with an Arkansas cocaine investigation. The PI dossier also reportedly includes Bills alleged ties to drug use with female friends. Although Bills spokesperson called for the full Epstein files to be released, the former President is said to be shaking in his boots for fear of more damaging photos coming out. Bill was acquitted by the Senate after previously being impeached because of his affair with Monica while in office. TELL US DO YOU BELIEVE HILLARY CLINTON WILL TURN HER BACK ON BILL AFTER SUPPORTING HIM ALL THESE YEARS? The post Hillary and Bill Clinton Divorce Bombshell: Not Going To Be a Doormat Anymore Source appeared first on Reality Tea. TV personality Julianne Hough, who took on a new role as co-host for Dancing with the Stars in 2023, is taking a break from Hollywood to relax in a bikini on a sun-filled beach in Costa Rica. The 37-year-old shared new photos from her trip on Instagram on Jan. 8, showing off her fit physique in stylish swimwear while going on adventures with friends. In the first photo of the bunch, Hough posed with her back to the camera on the beach, wearing a cheetah-print string bikini and a chic sunhat. The next few photos showed her hanging out with a child and a dog before trying out pottery. Advertisement Advertisement Of course, Hough doesn't stop dancing on vacation, as the sixth photo showed her mid-dance, striking a pose while standing on one foot, her head thrown back. She also included a couple of videos, including a sweet moment with the star holding a baby on the beach, swaying as they watched the sunset. Hough also got a little muddy during a ride on the back of an ATV, with the dancer showing off the end result in a fun clip. She asked fans for suggestions of destinations for her next trip in the caption, writing, "Where to next?!" Related: Julianne Hough Sparks Concern With Gnarly Fall During Rainy Pool Day "You look amazing," wrote one fan of the star, as more compliments quickly followed, including "Stunning beauty ," "Perfection," and "You are simply a ray of sunshine." Advertisement Advertisement Others said, "have mercy," "Definition of PERFECT=Julianne Hough," and "So gorgeous. Thanks for posting." Meanwhile, many fans read the caption and suggested a variety of places where Hough could travel next, including Greece, Croatia, and El Salvador. "Madeira Island, Portugal is amazing. Like a little Hawaii," read another suggestion. More fans said, "New Orleans for Mardi Gras you would love it here ," and "next should be hotel Schloss in zermatt, switzerland!" Hough didn't share any details about the trip, such as how long she was there, all the people she traveled with, and the reason she was there, but fans didn't seem to mind, happy to get a little peek at the vacation. Related: Julianne Hough Celebrates Christmas in a Bikini in Festive New Photos This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Nick Reiner's lawyer's sudden decision to quit is being speculated to be due to financial reasons. Alan Jackson was representing the accused up until his January 7 arraignment, during which he announced his decision to withdraw from the case. A public defender was subsequently assigned to Nick, and the hearing was rescheduled for February. Now, insiders have also claimed that Nick Reiner's family has completely cut him off financially and emotionally as they are "devastated" and "cannot support him anymore." Why Rob Reiner's Family Has 'Completely' Cut Off The Alleged Killer Son Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA The start of the new year brought the long-anticipated arraignment of Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old accused of killing his celebrity parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner. Advertisement Advertisement However, on January 7, when the arraignment took place, his attorney, Alan Jackson, suddenly announced to the court that he was withdrawing from the case. Sources have now shared with British journalist, Rob Shuter's #Shuterscoop, that the alleged killer's family has cut him off. "The family has completely cut Nick off," a close source said. "They are devastated. But they realized they cannot support him anymorenot financially, not emotionally, not morally." Another source stated that Nick behaved badly with his legal team, which may have caused issues with Jackson. "Even with the best legal team, a client has to cooperate. Nick's behavior over the past weekserratic, threatening, unpredictableleft no other choice. The family can't bankroll chaos," the source claimed. Advertisement Advertisement "They loved him once," the insider continued, "but what he did, what he became it was monstrous. They can't protect him anymore, and they can't keep funding his destruction." The Alleged Killer Likely Didn't Have The Funds To Pay His Ex-Lawyer, Expert Says Brent Perniac/AdMedia/Newscom/MEGA While Jackson did not disclose his reasons for quitting, experts suggest that his decision was likely tied to the financial demands of the case. The attorney is believed to be among the most sought-after defense attorneys and likely commanded at least a seven-figure retainer. This expense, along with future legal costs, may have been too steep for the accused to sustain. "Nick Reiner doesn't have the money, if he did, he wouldn't be living in his parents' guesthouse. And under the California Slayer Statute, you kill your parents you're disinherited," said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, per the New York Post. Other Experts Shared Similar Sentiments Over Late Rob Reiner's Son's Lawyer's Exit Janet Gough / AFF-USA.com / MEGA After Jackson stepped away from the case, the court appointed public defender Kimberly Greene to represent the accused. Advertisement Advertisement The arraignment has since been pushed to February, meaning Nick's plea remains unknown for now. There has also been no indication that Nick's family plans to retain another private attorney. According to Seth Zuckerman, a defense lawyer who once represented actor Jonathan Majors in a domestic violence case, this is further proof that Jackson's exit may have been financially motivated. "If they had the financial resources, they would go hire another private attorney," Zuckerman said of Nick's family. Criminal defense attorney Mark Bederow also shared similar sentiments as Rahmani and Zuckerman over Jackson's withdrawal. Advertisement Advertisement "A representation like this could cost an extraordinary sum of money," Bederow said. "Probably the money is not there. "I don't know who is controlling the family assets, but I would imagine that whatever hope there had been from the client or the family, that it's just not there, and the defense costs so much," he added. Nick Reiner Is Unlikely To Face The Death Penalty If Found Guilty, Experts Say Brent Perniac/AdMedia/Newscom/MEGA Since Reiner's arrest in connection with the deaths of his parents, rumors that he could face the death penalty have circulated widely. The speculation intensified after District Attorney Nathan Hochman addressed the case during a press conference in December. At the time, Hochman stated that the murder counts Nick faces carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Advertisement Advertisement However, Rahmani and Bederow feel it is unlikely that Hochman will pursue the death penalty if Nick is found guilty. "I don't think it will be a death penalty case. We haven't had an execution in California in almost 20 years," Rahmani said. "There is no way this is going to end up being a death penalty case," Bederow also stated. "I don't think the Reiner family would want that." The Alleged Killer's Family Is Against The Death Penalty, Request Mental Help For The Accused MEGA In line with Bederow's suggestion, the Reiner family has seemingly voiced their displeasure over the possibility of the death penalty. A source close to the family recently shared that they feel "Nick is seriously ill," and ending his life will in no way bring back his late parents. Advertisement Advertisement "They believe killing him won't bring Rob and Michele back and it won't fix what went wrong," the insider told Rob Shuter's #ShuterScoop last month. As the case proceeds, the family will also fight back against any recommendations for the death penalty and would prefer that Nick be offered mental help if he is eventually found guilty. "Justice, to them, means treatment, accountability, and making sure this never happens again," a different source said, seemingly referencing the recent discovery of Nick's schizophrenia. "Another death isn't justice." A Georgia judge has ordered state authorities to return luxury vehicles, jewelry and more than $149,000 in cash seized from Young Thug, delivering another setback to prosecutors after the collapse of the high-profile YSL racketeering case. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker ruled Wednesday that the state must return most of the property taken from the rapper during the long-running investigation tied to the Young Slime Life case. The order requires the items to be returned by Friday at 5 p.m., concluding that the state no longer had legal grounds to retain them. The property includes a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2022 Porsche 911, three Mercedes-Benz vehicles, a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a 2018 Lamborghini, a Can-Am Spyder, multiple pieces of jewelry and approximately $149,000 in cash. The assets were seized during the racketeering investigation led by the Fulton County District Attorneys Office. Advertisement Advertisement The ruling followed arguments from defense attorney Brian Steele, who said the state failed to meet the legal requirement to hold a civil forfeiture hearing within 60 days of the rappers October 2024 plea agreement. Judge Whitaker determined the forfeiture complaint had been dismissed and that prosecutors failed to cite legal authority allowing continued possession of the property. Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, was released from jail on Oct. 31, 2024, after entering guilty pleas to one gang charge, three drug charges and two gun charges. He also entered no-contest pleas to racketeering conspiracy and an additional gang charge. Although he received a 40-year sentence, he was released on time served after spending more than two years in custody while awaiting trial. The sentence includes 15 years of probation and strict limitations on his presence in metro Atlanta, with limited exceptions for family-related events. The YSL case began in May 2022 when Fani Willis announced indictments against Young Thug and 27 others. Prosecutors alleged Young Slime Life was a violent street gang connected to the Bloods and claimed criminal activity was linked to Young Thugs record label, Young Stoner Life. The prosecution became increasingly troubled over time, marked by allegations of misconduct, judicial recusals and procedural missteps that ultimately led to the original judge stepping aside. Several defendants accepted plea agreements, including rapper Gunna, who entered an Alford plea in 2022. The case formally concluded in December 2024 when the final defendants, Deamonte Kendrick, known as Yak Gotti, and Shannon Stillwell were acquitted of nearly all charges, including murder. The outcome left the state without any murder convictions after what became Georgias longest criminal trial, and the forfeiture ruling further underscores the prosecutions unraveling. I love watching well-researched, honest, and engaging portrayals of remarkable historical figures. Nothing beats a great biopic. Lately, though, it feels like Hollywood has drifted away from truly compelling biographical films in favor of more straightforward documentaries. And honestly, I miss discovering incredible people Id never learned about but absolutely should have. So, as always, Im taking matters into my own hands and digging into the lives of historical figures who deserve their own biopicsand Ive found some excellent ones. Here are 12 important historical figures who have lived such intriguing lives that we need a 2-hour biopic of them: A Little Late with Lilly Singh / Via giphy.com Related: People Who Were Kidnapped Are Sharing How They Escaped, And Oh My God 1. Ada Lovelace is considered to be the world's first computer programmer. Science & Society Picture Librar / SSPL via Getty Images Ada Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke Byron, was an English mathematician and is known as the world's first computer programmer. She was an associate of Charles Babbage and created a program for his computer prototype. She was interested in Babbage's machines in 1833, and even translated and annotated an article written by the Italian mathematician and engineer Luigi Federico Menabrea. Her annotations were excellent. Advertisement Advertisement Babbage only built a small part of the Analytical Engine, but Lovelace's efforts are remembered. The early programming language called Ada is named after her. 2. Dr. Rosalind Franklin made the scientific breakthrough of the double-helix structure of the DNAalthough her contribution would not be recognized for nearly 50 years. Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Dr. Rosalind Franklin was a physical chemist, researcher and foremost expert in crystallography who spent two years conducting research at King's College London in the early 1950s, as scientists worked hard across the globe and fought against each other to discover the structure of DNA. She was trying to prove the structure of the B form of DNA through mathematical computations and more than 100 hours of photographic exposure. Her breakthrough was seen in the famous Photo 51. However, her contribution to this groundbreaking discovery went largely unrecognized. In 1953, Dr. Franklin published Photo 51 in the same issue of the journal Nature where Cambridge scientists James Watson and Francis Crick also announced their double helix model of DNA. Advertisement Advertisement She faced a lot of hurdles and sexism as she expanded her research, but regardless of those humiliations, she championed her science. 3. Granville T. Woods was an American inventor who held more than 60 patents in the the United States Heritage Images / Getty Images Granville T. Woods, born in 1856, was a prolific inventor who was at the peak of his career alongside Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Frank Sprague. He had attended school till the age of 10, and held multiple apprenticeships with machinists and blacksmiths. When he started working on railroads, he began pursuing his interests in all things electrical and continued his education. He established his electrical engineering business in Cincinnati in 1880, and moved to New York City in 1892 to continue his work. He has over 50 registered inventions to his credit, some developed with his brother. Many of his inventions were important to rail work, as they made trains and trolleys safer. He designed the 'Dead Man's Handle,' which is a type of controller that automatically slows down the train if the train operator is too sick to operate the train. He also came up with an automatic brake that could be pulled from inside any train car. 4. Hypatia of Alexandria, who is considered the earliest known female mathematician. Photo 12 / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Hypatia was born in 355 CE, and she lived during a turbulent era in Alexandria's history. She was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. She is the earliest known female mathematician. Advertisement Advertisement She was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a mathematician, astronomer, and the last attested member of the Alexandrian Museum. Hypatia continued her father's program of preserving the Greek mathematical and astronomical heritage in extremely difficult times. She was known for her commentary on geometry, number theory, and the astronomical tablealthough these works have been lost. At her time, she was the world's leading mathematician and astronomer, and the only woman to do so. Additionally, she was a popular teacher of philosophy. Her philosophy was Neoplatonist and was seen as 'pagan' at the time, which caused conflict between Christians, Jews, and pagans. Hypatia was brutally murdered by a gang of Christian zealots during a time of intolerance. Related: My Innocence Died After Learning These Disturbing Truths 5. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, an Indian-born American astrophysicist who won the1983 Nobel Prize for key discoveries in the evolution of stars. Bettmann / Bettmann Archive Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was educated at Presidency College, University of Madras, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. Advertisement Advertisement Chandrasekhar determined what is called the Chandrasekhar limit, which states that a star having a mass more than 1.44 times that of the Sun does not form a white dwarf but instead collapses, blows off its gaseous envelope in a supernova explosion, and becomes a neutron star. Furthermore, it states that an even more massive star continues to collapse and becomes a black hole. He came up with this concept during his journey to England in 1930, and these calculations would go on to contribute to the eventual understanding of supernovas, neutron stars, and black holes. Although his ideas were met with strong opposition, it took years for his concept to be generally accepted. 6. Jose Clemente Orozco , the most important 20th-century Mexican muralist. Ullstein Bild Dtl. / ullstein bild via Getty Images / LatinContent / Getty Images Jose was born in 1883 in Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, to Rosa de Flores Orozco. After moving to Mexico city in 1890, he became incredibly interested in art. Orozco was greatly inspired by Dr. Atl's view on Symbolism and he followed him to Orizaba, where the competing armies in 1914 were about to enter the city. The violence he witnessed in the revolution affected his life and art heavily. Advertisement Advertisement After receiving a disappointing review of his art in Mexico, he went to the United States in 1916. Four years later, he would return to the city as a cartoonist. Along with Diego Rivera, he became a leader of the artist movement called Mexican Muralism. Orozco had a darker view of the revolution, which reflected in his art. Between 1922 and 1924, he would paint the murals at the National Preparatory School. Some of his work was destroyed by conservative students, and he destroyed some himself. He defied assumptions of Mexican art as folkloric, exotic, and social realist, and became an important figure of the New York art scene. During his time in the United States, Orozco experienced censorship but overcame cultural and linguistic difficulties to become a pioneer of the public arts movement of the 1930s and 1940s. Related: Only 2% Of Americans Can Name All 50 States So If You Score Higher Than 67% On This Quiz, You're A Geography Expert 7. Lise Meitner proposed the term and discovered nuclear fission. Historical / Corbis via Getty Images / Bettmann / Getty Images Lise Meitner was born in 1878 in Vienna, Austria and was a physicist who shared the Enrico Fermi Award in 1966 with chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann for their discovery of uranium fission. Advertisement Advertisement She received her doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1906, and joined Hagn in research on radioactivity. The duo were among the first to isolate the isotope protactinium-231 and study nuclear isomerism. After Hahn and Strassman had proven that barium appears in the neutron-bombarded uranium, Meitner and her nephew elucidated the physical characteristics of this division and in January 1939 proposed the term "fission" for the process. Although, in 1944 Hahn received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for discovering it, even though Meitner merited a share of the award. She was later on invited to the Manhattan Project in the US; however, she declined as she opposed the atomic bomb. 8. Mansa Musa , the emperor of the West African empire of Mali, who was considered to be the wealthiest person in history, 1312. Heritage Images / Getty Images Mansa Musa came to the throne in 1307, and in the 17th year of his reign, he set out on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage would lead the world to know about the wealth of Mali. He was known for his generosity and the exemplary behavior of his followers as well, creating a favorable impression. His empire at the time was one of the largest in the world. So big that, in fact, the traveler Ibn Battuta noted it took him about four months to travel from the northern borders of the Mali empire to Niani in the south. Advertisement Advertisement He built the Great Mosque at Timbuktu, and Timbuktu became a very important commercial city, having caravan connections with Egypt and other important trader centers in North Africa. All of this made Mansa Musa's legacy and empire one to be remembered in history. 9. Justinian and Theodora were the Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine empire from 527 CE to 565 CE. Ullstein Bild Dtl. / ullstein bild via Getty Images Theodora was the wife of emperor Justinian I, who reigned from 527 CE to 565 CE. She was the most powerful woman in Byzantine history. Her intelligence and political sensibilities made her the most trusted adviser to Justinian, and gave her the power and influence to promote religious and social policies. Not much is known of Theodora's early life, but what can be found from the official version is this: she became an actress and a prostitute while she was young, leading an unconventional life. For some time, she made her living as a wool spinner, and when she met Justinian, she converted to miaphysitism, a nonorthodox doctrine. Due to her superior intelligence and excellent handling of political affairs, many thought at the time that it was she, not Justinian, who was ruling the empire. She is remembered as one of the first rulers to recognize the rights of women, passing laws to prohibit the trafficking of young girls as well as changing the divorce laws to benefit women. Advertisement Advertisement Now a biopic on Theodora would definitely be intriguing to watch! 10. Hedy Lamarr , the Austrian actress who stunned Hollywood, also pioneered the technological foundation for Wi-Fi today! George Rinhart / Corbis via Getty Images/ Pictoral Press via Alamy Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1914. As a child, her father inspired her to look at the world with keen eyes. With exposure to the inner workings of different machines like the printing press at an early age, Lamarr's thinking was guided by it, and she found deep interest in machines. Once she entered Hollywood as an actress, she started dating pilot Howard Hughes. He helped fuel her innovative mind while on set. He introduced her to the scientists behind how plans were built, and it helped broaden her perspectives. She first met composer George Antheil in 1940. Lamarr was deeply impacted by the World War and wanted to contribute in a significant way. So, she and Antheil came up with strategies to support the armed forces in the war against the Axis powers. Together, they came up with a new communication system, which was to be used to guide torpedoes to their targets in war using "frequency hopping" amongst radio waves. This would prevent the interception of radio waves and allow the torpedo to find its intended target. They were awarded a patent for their technology in 1942, although the Navy did not implement it straightaway. Advertisement Advertisement Later on in 1997, the Electronic Frontier Foundation awarded Lamarr and Antheil with their Pioneer Award. This achievement would lead Lamarr to be named as the "mother of Wi-Fi" and other wireless communications. Related: These Are The Most Popular And Well-Known Logos Of All Time (Ever), But I Still Doubt You'll Know Them All 11. Christine Jorgensen, the first American transgender woman to attain fame. New York Daily News Archive / NY Daily News via Getty Images Christine was born George William Jorgensen, Jr., on May 30, 1926 in New York City. As a child, Jorgensen felt different from other boys and was quite shy. She gravitated towards dolls and dreamed of having elegant feminine qualities. In high school, she realized she was a woman in a mans body. After graduating, she attempted to enlist in the Army but was initially rejected due to her size. A few months later she was drafted and stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where she worked in a clerical role. She hid her attraction to men because homosexuality was harshly punished in the military at that time. She was honorably discharged in December 1946. After leaving the military, she remained unhappy until a book helped her understand her identity and led her to begin estrogen therapy. She consulted European experts and traveled to Denmark in 1950, where Dr. Christian Hamburgerwho first diagnosed her as transsexualagreed to perform the surgery for free. Over the next two years, she underwent hormone treatment, psychiatric evaluations, and surgery to remove her male genitalia. When she reached home, the story had reached the newspapers. She became an overnight sensation in the months following, and her story as a WWII veteran and her beautiful feminine features captivated the press and public. While there is a 1970 film on her called The Christine Jorgensen Story, I think it goes without saying that we all want a more modern biopic on this legend. 12. Christopher Lee, the legendary actor who was part of espionage against the Germans during WWII. Mirrorpix / Getty Images / ullstein bild / Getty Images Christopher Lee was an English actor, known for his iconic portrayals of villains ranging from Dracula to J.R.R. Tolkien's wizard, Saruman. However, before he got into acting, he was part of World War II. He took part in the 'Winter War' of 1939, where he fought for Finland against the Soviet Union. He then enrolled in the RAF in 1940, but could not proceed because of eye problems. Following this, he joined the intelligence branch, where he decoded German cyphers, as he knew six languages, including French and German. Through this, he joined the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group), where he participated in espionage against the Germans. His service was well appreciated and he received medals for bravery from the British, Yugoslavian, Czech and Polish governments. Given his extensive and magnificent acting career and his honorable service to the Army in World War II, we have yet to see a well-researched and truthful biopic on this legend. I've done the work and research; now I need some writers and directors to pick this up because I will be SEATED to watch these extraordinary lives as a biopic on the big screen. Also in BuzzFeed: 20 Wholesome Posts That Prove Humans Are Trying, And Honestly It Got To Me Also in BuzzFeed: Just A Few WTF Facts And Stories That Shattered My Brain Into A Million Billion Pieces This Week Also in BuzzFeed: Take This Quiz And Well Reveal Which Fictional Beauty Icon You Are Based On Your Makeup Style Read it on BuzzFeed.com Abraham Lincoln was an American hero but a flawed one. As we celebrate him, let's also acknowledge some ugly truths that reflect the times in which our our 16th president lived. President Lincoln took a bold and courageous stand for his time, and of course Lincoln was far more advanced in his time than many of his white contemporaries. But it's also important to understand our country's real history, and not just the most cheerful version of it. So here are some ugly truths about Lincoln, that go along with the laudable ones. Related Headlines Lincoln Cared More About Preserving the Union Than Ending Slavery Credit: C/O Lincoln's main goal during his presidency, which began just before the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, was to preserve the Union not to free slaves. Advertisement Advertisement Christopher Bonner, a historian at the University of Maryland, says in Netflix's historical documentary Amend: "Lincoln understands that slavery is bad, which is a good start. But he says that if I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do so." "He has got to get the South back, and at this point, he'll do whatever it takes to win, even if it's at the expense of Black Americans," Smith says of Lincoln's thinking at the time. You don't have to take the documentary's word for it. You can read Lincoln's August 22, 1862 letter here, in which he states: "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that." He Didn't Always View People of Color as Equals Abraham Lincoln on February 9, 1864. Library of Congress - Credit: C/O In 1861, Abraham Lincoln invited a group of African-American leaders to the White House, according to Columbia University historian Eric Foner. But instead of having a discussion about improving racial equality in America, he further underscored their inequality. Advertisement Advertisement In Amend, Pedro Pascal reads the address that Lincoln delivered that day. "Your race are suffering, in my judgment, the greatest wrong inflicted on any people," he said. "But even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with the white race." Lincoln Blamed the Civil War on Black Americans President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st, 1863 / painted by David Gilmour Blythe. Library of Congress. - Credit: C/O In his aforementioned address, Abraham Lincoln continued: "Consider what we know to be the truth, but for your race among us, there could not be war." Again, you don't have to rely on Netflix to research this. Here is a link to a primary source, "Lincoln's Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Colored Men." Lincoln Wanted to Relocate Freed Black Americans to a Colony in Central America "Lincoln at home," an Andrew O'Connor portrait of Lincoln and family. Library of Congress - Credit: C/O "There is an unwillingness on the part of our people, harsh at it may be, for you, free colored people, to remain with us," Lincoln added. "It is better for us both, therefore, to be separated. The place I am thinking about having for a colony is Central America." Advertisement Advertisement Yes, at one point, Lincoln wanted to remove Black people from the U.S. altogether. "Part of what Lincoln is doing here is trying to get at that gnawing uncertainty in Black people that maybe we can't actually belong in this country," Bonner notes. "He's saying, we all understand that equality is what this country's supposed to be about, but really, racial equality is not gonna happen, so get with the program." More Detail Mural of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass by William Edouard Scott, at the Recorder of Deeds building, built in 1943. Library of Congress. - Credit: C/O Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist who traveled the country speaking about his own experiences as a freed former slave, was furious at Lincoln, according to Bonner. His solution? To convince Lincoln that he needed Black Americans to win the war, thus encouraging white Americans to view Black Americans as equals. Advertisement Advertisement Douglass argued that Lincoln couldn't win the war without abolishing slavery and that Black men were essential to the war effort, saying that men "who would be freed themselves must strike the blow." His logic was that if Black men shed their blood to fight for their country, then they must be considered citizens. (The painting above depicts him urging Lincoln to let Black men fight for the Union Army.) "Douglass is convinced they will prove they are citizens, that they're deserving of rights, and that they're deserving of legal equality," Bonner adds. The Main Reason Abraham Lincoln Signed the Emancipation Proclamation? To Win the War "Storming Fort Wagner," Kurz and Allison, Library of Congress - Credit: C/O Douglass' plan worked: Although at the time Lincoln couldn't "conceive of the United States as a biracial society," as Foner points out, "his views will begin to move forward very dramatically." Foner adds: "The Emancipation Proclamation is issued as a military order. It's to help win the war." Advertisement Advertisement The painting above depicts the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first all-Black Union regiment, fighting for their country and freedom. Disagree? Credit: C/O Feel free to share your objections in the comments and share sources. We love open debate about our country's history. Thank You for Reading This List of Ugly Abraham Lincoln Facts No One Likes to Talk About Warner Bros. - Credit: C/O You might also like this list of Based on a True Story Movies That Are Mostly True, including Malcolm X, above. Amend: The Fight for America is now streaming on Netflix. Related Headlines Originally appeared on E! Online Emily Henrys creative vision didnt pack its bags when it came to the People We Meet on Vacation film. Indeed, the beloved romantic comedy author assured that the Netflix adaptation starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, now streaming, is exactly what she had in mind while writing the novel. Im so thrilled where it wound up, Henry told E! News in an exclusive joint interview with the films director Brett Haley. I couldnt name a specific thing that was killed off, but its so unimportant to me at this point. Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, the 34-year-oldwho has also penned soon-to-be adaptations like Book Lovers and Beach Readnoted that she created a list early on of what she thought must be included in the film for not only herself, but for fans. The thing that I did fight for was that I really wanted the pregnancy scare, she explained of the emotional moment during the Tuscany vacation in the film. To Henry, it was more important than Alex and Poppys trip to Croatia, which was ultimately cut. In the book, they talk about what happened in Croatia a lot and you get to Croatia and youre like, What happened? Cant we work this out? As she put it, Croatia was always a red herring where Poppy thinks that their relationship broke in Croatia, but where it really broke was in Tuscany. Another plot piece Henry thought was essential for the final cut? Molly Shannons hilarious cameo as Poppys mom. Advertisement Advertisement I wanted the condom box scene, she continued, noting that it was in-and-out several times before finally making it into the film. It came and went, and came and went and it was in the movie. More from E! Online As she put it, Croatia was always a red herring where Poppy thinks that their relationship broke in Croatia, but where it really broke was in Tuscany. Advertisement Advertisement Another plot piece Henry thought was essential for the final cut? Molly Shannons hilarious cameo as Poppys mom. I wanted the condom box scene, she continued, noting that it was in-and-out several times before finally making it into the film. It came and went, and came and went and it was in the movie. Netflix However, Henry also admitted that fans may be disappointed to see more than a few of Alexs soliloquies cut from the Netflix adaptation. There are some things that Alex says that Im sure readers are gonna be like, I wish I couldve heard Tom Blyth say that to Emily Bader, the novelist reasoned, but the thing is, my books are very talky and in a movie you dont want it to feel like, Okay, hes doing a speech at her. Advertisement Advertisement And of course, Henry and Haley addressed one of the biggest changes from book to film, which saw Alexs brother David (Miles Heizer) host his wedding in Barcelona rather than Palm Springs, which is where Alex and Poppy finally reconcile. The decision, the duo explained, came down to logistics and budget, as there is no green screen usage throughout the film. Netflix It was always really important to me that it felt like real vacations and that were not trying to hide something or fake something, Haley explained. I was like, Look, lets not try to fake Palm Springs somewhere thats not Palm Springs, can we just own Barcelona? Spain ended up being a place we could shoot this film and get a lot of bang for our buck location-wise. Henry, meanwhile, jokingly added, Frankly, it was an excuse for all of us to go to Spain. For more must-watch book-to-screen adaptations, keep reading Hamnet Based on: Maggie OFarrell 2020 Novel Starring: Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn and Emily Watson. Premieres: In theaters December 12 Why Were Excited: A fictional account of the tragic death of William Shakespeares 11-year-old son in the mid-16th century, this book flew off shelves with good reason: its utterly engrossing. And with an all-star cast being directed by bold name Chloe Zhaowho co-wrote with OFarrellthis film will be a devastating cant miss. The Housemaid Based On: Freida McFaddens 2022 novel Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar and Michele Marrone Premieres: In theaters December 19 Why Were Excited: The cast alone is enough to have us seated for the adaptation, which follows a maid to a wealthy family with some very sinister secrets bubbling under the surface. But Paul Feig, who is no stranger to a twisty story with A Simple Favorand its sequelis at the helm so its safe to say were in for quite a ride. His & Hers Based on: Alice Feeneys 2020 Novel Starring: Tessa Thompson, Jon Bernthal, Pablo Schreiber, Crystal Fox, Sunita Mani, and Rebecca Rittenhouse Premieres: January 8, 2026, on Netflix Why Were Excited: A twisty thriller that brings a recluse back to their hometown is always an immediate yes, and in this limited series, its Thompsons Anna whose return following a murder captivates a local detective (new Emmy winner Bernthal) who is also investigating the crime. Advertisement Advertisement People We Meet on Vacation Based On: Emily Henry's 2021 novel Starring: Tom Blyth, Emily Bader, Lucian Laviscount, Jameela Jamil, Lukas Gage and Sarah Catherine Hook Premieres: January 8, 2026, on Netflix Why Were Excited: Henry has already taken womens literature by storm in recent years, so it was only a matter of time before her novels got the big screen treatment. And after major turns in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and My Lady Jane, respectively, Blyth and Bader have proven they may just be the perfect Alex and Poppy. The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 Based On: The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave, on sale January 6, 2026 Starring: Jennifer Garner, Angourie Rice, David Morse, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Judy Greer and Rita Wilson. Premieres: February 20, 2026, on Apple TV Why Were Excited: The past always catches upat least, thats what Hannah Hall (Garner) and stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) are learning in real-time in season two of the acclaimed Apple series. Five years after the events of The Last Thing He Told Me, the duo have settled into their new normal without Hannahs husband (and Baileys dad) Owen (Coster-Waldau), only for him to resurface right before a shocking family tragedy sets off a string of events that leads the duo in a race for their lives. Bridgerton Season 4 Based On: Julia Quinn's 2001 Bridgerton novel An Offer From A Gentleman Starring: Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha, Jonathan Bailey, Claudia Jessie, Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, Katie Leung, Michelle Mao and Isabella Wei. Release Date: Part One: January 29, 2026; Part Two: February, 26, 2026, on Netflix Why Were Excited: After three seasons trying to cement a place in his family and discovering himself, fan-favorite Benedict Bridgerton at last finds love in the upcoming installment. And newcomer Ha is joining the Netflix hits ever-growing ensemble as his love interest Sophie Baek. Wuthering Heights Based on: Emily Brontes 1847 novel Release Date: In theaters February 13, 2026 Starring: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie Why Were Excited: Cue the Kate Bush classic, were heading back to the moors. Filmmaker Emerald Fennell is reteaming with her Saltburn collaboratorsElordi starred and Robbie producedfor a take on Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff that weve surely never seen before. Advertisement Advertisement Reminders of Him Based On: Hoovers 2022 novel Starring: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford, Lainey Wilson and Nicholas Duvernay. Premieres: In theaters February 13, 2026 Why Were Excited: After five years, Kenna returns to her hometown looking to reunite with her daughter. Instead, she finds solace in a local bar owner who remains one of the few who is willing to give her another chance. While the next few years see several of the best-selling novelists books hitting the screen, shes a big part of bringing this book to life as she co-wrote the script with Lauren Levine. Kay Scarpetta Based On: Patricia Cornwell's mega-popular series of the same name that has 26 books in total Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker and Jake Cannavale Premieres: March 11, 2026, on Prime Video Why We're Excited: If it's based on a book and Kidman stars in it, we will binge the s--t out of it. (See: Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and the fact that this is her second appearance on this list.) Add in that the Oscar winners will be playing crime-fighting sisters and it's already become our favorite new show of the year. Project Hail Mary Based On: Andy Weirs 2021 novel of the same name Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller and Milana Vayntrub Release Date: In theaters March 20, 2026 Why Were Excited: Sure, Goslings been to space as the first man, but his latest mission takes him out of this galaxy as he wakes up from a coma as the sole survivor in an expedition to the Tau Ceti solar systema cool 12 light-years away from Earth. Things only get worse now that hes solo and must continue his mission to reverse solar dimming and save humanity from extinction. NBD! Margos Got Money Troubles Based on: Rufi Thorpes 2024 novel Starring: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman Premieres: April 15, 2026, on Apple TV Why were Excited: Is it really a limited series if it doesnt have Kidman popping up in it? Thorpes bookfollowing the daughter of a former Hooters waitress and a onetime pro-wrestler who turns to OnlyFans after becoming a single mom at 20is already excellent on its own. But this casting has certainly placed this eight-episode series at the top of the must-watch list. Advertisement Advertisement Verity Based on: Hoover's 2021 book Starring: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett Premieres: In theaters May 15, 2026 Why We're Excited: For starters, we can look no further than Anne, Dakota and Josh. The bookwhich follows a struggling writer who is asked to complete a best-selling series after the author's mysterious accidentis already a wild, twisty ride. And with this trio at the center, seeing it brought to life on screen is all the more exciting. Practical Magic 2 Based On: The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Stockard Channing, Dianne Weist, Joey King Premieres: In theaters September 18, 2026 Why Were Excited: Another midnight margarita night is finally on the books. Nearly three decades after the original movie, the sequel, based on Hoffmans 2021 novel, follows Sally (Sandra), Gillian (Nicole), Frances (Stockard) and Jet (Dianne) contend with their familys curse as it begins to plague the next generations of Owens ladies. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Based On: Suzanne Collins 2025 novel Starring: Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Elle Fanning, Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jesse Plemons and Ralph Fiennes. Premieres: In theaters November 20, 2026 Why Were Excited: On the same day Collins latest trip to Panem was announced, Lionsgate confirmed it would be adapting the much-anticipated story following a young Haymitch AbernathyPeeta and Katniss famously haunted mentor in the 74th Hunger Gamesduring his winning battle in the 50th Games. The Love Hypothesis Based On: Ali Hazelwoods 2021 Novel of the Same Starring: Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman Premieres: TBD Why Were Excited: The fake dating romance that sent #BookTok into a spiral is heading to the big screen. And the novel that has roots in fanfiction centered on Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren is starring none other than Rey actress Daisy Ridleys IRL husband Tomjoined by the Riverdale alum. And if thats not a reason to be excited by whats to comeor at least curiouswe dont know what is. Advertisement Advertisement The Husbands Based On: Holly Gramazios 2024 novel Starring: Juno Temple Premieres: TBD on Apple TV Why Were Excited: Prepare to meet more than one hundred husbands. Indeed, the story follows Lauren, who arrives home to be greeted by her husband Michaelonly she has never seen him before in her life. A different husband soon takes his place, and she soon learns a seemingly-endless supply of spouses are coming from her attic. As she navigates this complicated romantic journey, key questions emerge, namely, what does she want from life and will she take the reins to get it? Five-Star Weekend Based On: Elin Hilderbrands 2023 novel Starring: Jennifer Garner Premieres: TBD on Peacock Why Were Excited: Hilderbrand is the queen of Nantucket beach read. Add in a megastar like Garner and its place in our queue is solidified. The Alias alum stars as Hollis, a food blogger whose life is turned update down by tragedy. As part of her healing journey, she resolves to host a five-star weekend with her closest palsonly for it to go awry as the cracks in her friendships deepen and game-changing secrets emerge. Yep, we are firmly seated. Midnight Sun Based On: Stephanie Meyers 2020 novel Starring: TBD Premieres: TBD on Netflix Why Were Excited: While fans had to wait more than a decade for Meyer to release the retelling of Twilight from Edward Cullens POV, viewers will soon see an animated version of the story coming to their screens. And its safe to say catching a glimpse of an animated killers sparkly skin will be must-see TV. Lucky Based On: Marissa Stapley's 2021 book Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Drew Starkey, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Premieres: TBD on Apple TV Why Were Excited: If seeing Anya and Drew leading the cast isnt enough of a drawand it should be!the story itself is pretty thrilling, a young woman returning to the con artist life she was raised in an attempt to secure her future. And with Reese Witherspoons Hello Sunshine producing and a stellar supporting cast, we are already seated. Advertisement Advertisement Funny Story Based On: Emily Henry's 2024 novel Starring: TBD Premieres: TBD on Netflix Why Were Excited: Among the many adaptations of Henry's novels coming to the big and small screen is her 2024 best-seller, which gives viewers a look at how Daphne finds herself again after Peter breaks off their engagement to be with his childhood best friend Petra. And of course, Daphne gets an assist from Petra's own ex-boyfriend, Miles. For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App Two Little Nightmares, directed by Oscar-nominated Croatian filmmaker Nebojsa Slijepcevic (The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent), and Chentian, by renowned Palestinian screenwriter Suha Arraf (Villa Touma), are amongst the six films selected in competition at the sophomore edition of the Nordic Gateway programme. The initiative is nested within the Goteborg Film Festivals Nordic Film Market, Scandinavias biggest film emporium, taking place over Jan. 28-30. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement The program, launched last year, highlights high-potential projects from renowned helmers and production companies to facilitate co-productions and financing possibilities. A competitive showcase, the Nordic Gateway awards its winner with a 35,000 ($40,600) Tint Post-Production Award. This years projects come from Palestine, Germany, Croatia, Belgium and the U.K. Speaking with Variety, Goteborg Film Festival Head of Industry Josef Kullengard said that the Nordic Gateway initiative was designed as a way of preserving the original roots of the Nordic Film Market, which was born out of a need to have a platform where Nordic films can reach out to the world, but has grown exponentially since its inception. Nordic Gateway is about finding the projects that we believe are suitable for co-production with Nordics, but that also tick other boxes, he added. The variety [this year] is super interesting as well. Im very pleased with the spectrum of the projects. Projects selected for Gateway have been hand-picked by the industry team as opposed to selected through an open call. Certain entries also come in collaboration with key partners, as is the case this year with Element, a German production that was selected in collaboration with the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE), Two Little Nightmares, in partnership with CineLink and Euro Pop Bubble with Midpoint. Below, you will find profiles for the six projects selected for this years Nordic Gateway: Chentian, dir. Suha Arraf (Palestine) Arraf is the screenwriter behind festival hits such as The Syrian Bride and Lemon Tree. Her 2014 directorial debut, Villa Touma, played at Venice. Chentian, produced by leading Palestinian producer May Odeh (Aisha Cant Fly Away, A Useful Ghost), is fresh out of Marrakechs prestigious Atlas Workshops and trails sisters-in-law Nabila and Sham to tell a story about women, marriage and desire during occupation. As the men disappear, the women must confront betrayal, power, and survival on their own terms. A co-production between Palestines Odeh Films and Germanys Mayana Films. Advertisement Advertisement Euro Pop Bubble, dir. Grant Gulczynski (U.K.) Gulczynskis work has screened at major festivals such as CPH:DOX and Sarajevo, with the filmmaker having previously been selected for the Berlin Talent Campus and Midpoint Institute. Euro Pop Bubble finds British musician Fred spending a lonely Christmas in the aftermath of his boyfriends death. Freds grief is quickly complicated by jealousy and ambition when he decides to follow his late partners dream all the way to the finale of the Euro Pop Contest, going from his lonely Berlin bedroom to a big stage in Stockholm. Produced by Crystal Compass. Alors on Danse, dir. Pieter Van Hees (Belgium) Set in Brussels, the film follows Zoe and Ota, two young dancers from different worlds who are unexpectedly paired during a casting call. What starts as a thorny mess of clashing egos eventually blurs into love in what is described as an energetic, youthful and romantic dance film. Director and writer Van Hees has previously directed provocative genre cinema such as Left Bank and Waste Land, as well as working on television in projects such as Versailles and Undercover. Producer Roxanne Sarkozi tells Variety that Alors on Danse feels like a fresh echo of Pieter Van Hees earlier work: the same sharp eye for relationships, but with a younger, brighter spark. Produced by De Wereldvrede. Element, dir. Mariko Minoguchi (Germany) This German sci-fi offering is set soon after a seaquake begins to drain the worlds water reserves. To save humankind, a geophysicist living with early-onset Alzheimers is recruited to investigate the vast void swallowing the oceans. Sent to a remote station, she must uncover the truth before its too late. Element is Minoguchis sophomore directorial effort, following 2018s Relativity, which won the German Film Critics Award for best debut and best screenplay. Minoguchi also co-wrote The Colony, which premiered at the Berlinale and reached No. 1 on U.S. Netflix charts. Producer Jorgo Narges describes Element as ambitious, high-concept sci-fi that speaks to a global audience. Produced by X Filme Creative Pool (The White Ribbon, Berlin Babylon). Our Sister Angela, dir. Jascha Hannover and Katharina Warda (Germany) Berlin-based writer, speaker and filmmaker Katharina Warda and The Books He Didnt Burn director Jascha Hannover join forces to tell the story of GDR, an enthusiastic solidarity movement for the Black U.S. civil rights activist Angela Davis that emerged in East Germany in the early 1970s. Produced by Germanys Florianfilm in co-production with the U.K.s Dare Pictures and U.S.-based La Lutta. Speaking with Variety, Warda says the film will be told from the perspective of Black East Germans, a community that is almost invisible both in Germany and internationally. Two Little Nightmares, dir. Nebojsa Slijepcevic (Croatia) Slijepcevics 2024 short film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent won the Palme dOr at Cannes and the European Film Award for best short film, as well as being nominated for an Oscar in the same category. Two Little Nightmares tells the story of Matija, who at seven-years-old is inexplicably linked to a series of suicides in the small village where he grew up including his fathers. Years later, the playwright uses his practice as well as long-buried memories to process his troubled past. A co-production between Antitalent, Contrast Films, Les Films Norfolk, Studio Virc and Sense Production. Advertisement Advertisement Annika Pham contributed to this piece. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Emily Henry's beloved novel, People We Meet on Vacation, follows Poppy and Alex, two best friends who are complete oppositesshe's a spontaneous travel writer, he's a cautious literature professor. But, for over a decade, they've taken one annual summer trip together. After a falling out keeps them from speaking for two years, they reunite at a destination wedding and attempt to salvage their relationship. If youre a fan of the book, youll spot the biggest change early into the Netflix adaption: the aforementioned wedding is not in Palm Springs. In fact, the California desert city doesnt appear at all. Instead, the film unfolds primarily in Barcelona. Advertisement Advertisement Turns out Palm Springs is actually a very difficult place to film! Who knew! Henry wrote in her Substack, Emilys Grocery List. Though director Brett Haleys enthusiasm suggests its more than just logistics: In a recent interview with TODAY, Haley said: Emily and I talked about Palm Springs, but its not that great. No hate against Palm Springs, but you know, Barcelona hey. Netflix They needed a location that felt BIG and BEAUTIFUL and romantic and also hellishly hot if your A/C were to break, Henry wrote. Barcelona checked every boxGothic architecture, Mediterranean coastline, and oppressive summer heat. Get ready for a very hot, sultry summer in Barcelona, she teased readers. The film structures the story around the destination wedding in Barcelona with flashbacks to earlier tripsa similar approach to the books dual timeline. The entire production filmed across just three locations between October 15 and November 3, 2024, wrapping in only 19 days total. What Got Cut (and What Made It In) Netflix Henry's original novel takes Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth) on nine different trips over ten years: Croatia, Iceland, Vail, Sanibel Island, Sweden, Norway, Tuscany, New Orleans, and finally a wedding in Palm Springs. That's a lot of passport stamps for any production budget, and the film clearly couldn't hit all those destinations. Instead, they filmed in two other key locations that had to do the heavy lifting for the entire decade of friendship. Advertisement Advertisement New Orleans made the cut. The French Quarter appears as a flashback sequencethe only book destination where the corresponding real-life locations show up on screen. Production filmed at Cafe Du Monde on Decatur Street and along Bourbon Street in October 2024, capturing that sticky Southern heat the book describes. If you've read the novel, you'll recognize this as the trip where opposites collide in the most humid way possible. The other European destinations visited in the bookCroatia, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Tuscanydidn't get individual filming locations. Instead, the production used Costa Brava, along with New Orleans and Barcelona, to stand in for these locations in flashback sequences. You Might Also Like NEED TO KNOW Jim McBride, a Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter, died on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at age 78 His friend and fellow songwriter Jerry Salley said that he died "from a fall that he took last Monday, late afternoon" on Facebook McBride wrote songs for country music icons like Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Johnny Cash and more Jim McBride, a Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter who's widely known for penning Alan Jackson's "Chattahoochee," has died. McBride died on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at age 78, local Alabama news station WAFF reported. Two days later, Jackson shared a tribute to his friend on social media. Advertisement Advertisement "Jim was a good man and a great and genuine songwriter," Jackson, 67, wrote on Instagram, alongside two throwback pictures with McBride. "He understood country music and touched many with his songs." He continued, "Jim and I wrote some of my favorite songs together and I dont know if my career would have ended up quite the same without his help, inspiration, and encouragement in my early years. Thank you Jim, rest in peace. - AJ" In a tribute by friend and fellow songwriter Jerry Salley posted to Facebook on Jan. 7, Salley wrote that his "closest and longest friend Ive ever had passed away unexpectedly this morning from a fall that he took last Monday, late afternoon." "Jim McBride wasnt just a close friend, he was a true, lifelong Brother to me. My best friend. We talked or texted every few days right up until the end," he wrote, before going on to recount their fondest memories. Advertisement Advertisement "What hurts the most is that I didnt get a chance to say goodbye. But, someday we will be writing songs again for eternity, and praising the God we both worship!! Rest In Peace my Brother. I love you, and will miss you, our conversations, our adventures and all the laughter we shared till then," he concluded. Born and raised in Huntsville, Ala., McBride got his first guitar when he was 21 and some of his earliest songs were performed on the hit television series Hee Haw. McBride's first song to enter the country charts was 1979's "We Let Love Fade Away," which was recorded by Leon Everette. His first song to reach No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart was Bet Your Heart on Me, which Johnny Lee recorded in 1981. Then, in 1987, "Rose in Paradise," which McBride wrote and Waylon Jennings recorded, also topped the chart. With Jackson, McBride recorded "Chasin That Neon Rainbow," "Chattahoochee," "Someday," "Thats All I Need to Know" and "(Who Says) You Cant Have It All." "Chattahoochee" earned recognition as Song of the Year and Single of the Year by the Country Music Association. Rick Diamond/Getty Jim McBride in Nashville in 2017 Jim McBride in Nashville in 2017 In 2017, Jackson opened up to Billboard about writing with McBride. Advertisement Advertisement "That simple lyric, thats what I like, and thats what Jim always brought," he said. "I think thats why we connected well. If its the right words that mean something, they dont have to be anything extraordinary. Its a more natural feeling, and thats what Ive always liked about some of the great songwriters that Ive loved. Over the course of his career, McBride also wrote songs for greats like Conway Twitty, George Jones, Patty Loveless, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, Jerry Lee Lewis, Randy Travis, Toby Keith and Johnny Cash. McBride was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame honored him the same year. Read the original article on People SINGAPORE, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Three Chinese technology firms debuted higher on Thursday after raising a combined $1.19 billion, bolstering Beijing's quest to compete with the U.S. in high-tech and setting the tone for what could be yet another busy year for new listings in Hong Kong. All of the debutants traded above their offer prices. Artificial intelligence company Zhipu AI, also known as Knowledge Atlas Technology, opened 3.3% higher than its offer price of HK$116.20 apiece and traded around HK$126.00. More from Yahoo Scout What are the business focuses of these newly listed companies? How did the three Chinese tech firms perform on their Hong Kong debut? What does this indicate for Hong Kong's IPO market outlook? Why is China fast-tracking AI and chip company listings? Shanghai Iluvatar CoreX, a semiconductor firm, started 31.6% higher than the offer price of HK$144.60, and changed hands at around HK$162.50. Surgical robotics company Shenzhen Edge Medical jumped 36.4% above the HK$43.24 offer price, and traded at around HK$56.00. The debuts of the three firms, which raised a combined HK$9.3 billion ($1.19 billion), come as Chinese authorities fast-track AI and chip listings to strengthen domestic alternatives to advanced U.S. technology, a backdrop that has drawn issuers across the tech sectors. Huawei's AI server spin-off xFusion has hired Citic Securities in preparation for a mainland IPO, while memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies and Baidu's AI chip arm Kunlunxin are planning listings too, Reuters has reported. Zhipu AI, spun out of Tsinghua University, raised HK$4.35 billion at HK$116.20, giving it a valuation near HK$51 billion. It plans to use the bulk of proceeds for research and development. Cornerstone investors included JSC International Investment Fund and JinYi Capital Multi-Strategy Fund, among others. Marco Sun, chief financial market analyst at MUFG (China), said the modest gains in recent IPOs, particularly Zhipu AI, should not be seen as fading enthusiasm for AI. "Early-stage investments have yet to be cashed out for profit," Sun said. "China's AI story is only beginning to unfold, so it's too early to draw conclusions." CHINA's AI PUSH Founded in 2019, Zhipu AI has become a leading player in China's AI push. In June last year, OpenAI singled it out as a fast-rising rival, framing the company within Beijings push to expand Chinese-developed AI overseas. Zheng Peng, CEO of Zhipu AI, said the firm was "flattered" but its overseas expansion was "normal business". "As a frontrunner in the AI sector, this listing will provide the company with significant capital to fuel its next phase of growth," said Dan Ouyang, partner at law firm Baker McKenzie, which advised the Zhipu AI IPOs sole sponsor and underwriters, in a statement on Thursday. HONOLULU (KHON2) Are you looking for love? Hawaii has a new dating show giving singles a chance at romance in paradise. Hosted by Tumua Tuinei, the series is now casting contestants ages 21 and overwith kupuna welcome to apply as well. Viewers are encouraged to apply or nominate someone they know on KHON2s website or with the following link: Apply for Get Chance. The show features exciting dates and experiences with local partners, including adventures at places like Kualoa Ranch and special incentives along the way. Advertisement Advertisement Watch the pilot episode available now at KHON2s Get Chance with Host Tumua Tuinei and tune in for new episodes starting Feb. 14, just in time for Valentines Day. 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 KHON2. Netflixs new thriller His & Hers not only packs a hair-raising murder case, but the star-studded cast is just as exciting as well. The series takes place in a small, sleepy town in Georgia called Dahlonega, where former news anchor Anna Andrews launches into full-on investigative reporting after learning about the murder of her high school friend. In the midst of that, she winds up reconnecting with her estranged husband, Detective Jack Harper, who is also looking into the incident. Between juggling the grief, work and the contention in their relationship, the pair have their work cut out for them. Check out the cast below and see what stars make up the town. Tessa Thompson as Anna in His & Hers (Netflix) Tessa Thompson as Anna Andrews Tessa Thompson joins the series as Anna, a journalist who turns away from her job as a WSK TV News anchor after going through a traumatic experience. However, she returns to her craft to crack the case of who murdered her high school friend. Advertisement Advertisement Thompson previously starred in Dear White People, Hedda and the Creed films, and she also plays Valkyrie in the MCU, including Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame. Her TV credits include Veronica Mars and Westworld. Jon Bernthal as Jack in His & Hers (Netflix) Jon Bernthal as Jack Jon Bernthal plays Jack, Annas estranged husband. He lost his job in Atlanta and has since moved to his hometown of Dahlonega, where he has taken a new role as a detective with the towns sheriffs office. The murder hits close to home, and it may lead him back to communicating with Anna, whos also investigating the incident. A fellow Marvel star, Bernthal previously starred in The Punisher on Netflix and returned as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again with a solo Disney+ special and a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the way. His credits also include The Walking Dead, Fury, The Accountant 2, Wolf of Wall Street and more. Sunita Mani as Priya in His & Hers (Netflix) Sunita Mani as Priya Sunita Mani stars as Priya, a young and excited new detective at Dahlonega Sheriffs Office, who assists Jack on the murder case and quickly comes up with her own theories on what really happened. Advertisement Advertisement Mani previously starred in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glow, A Nice Indian Boy, Save Yoursevlves! and more. Shes also a dancer, and famously featured in the Turn Down for What music video. Crystal Fox as Alice in His & Hers (Netflix) Crystal Fox as Alice Crystal Fox comes in as Annas mother Alice. After a tragedy, she hadnt heard from her daughter in a year, though Jack has continued to check on her. Alice is strong-minded and lives on her own, but her health has steadily declined and its causing some strange behavior. Fox previously starred in Driving Miss Daisy, In the Heat of the Night, Big Little Lies, A Fall From Grace and more. Pablo Schreiber as Richard in in His & Hers (Netflix) Pablo Schreiber as Richard Pablo Schreiber comes in as Richard, a highly-skilled cameraperson and Annas top choice to help her in the field as a reporter. But hes also the husband of Annas professional nemesis, Lexy Jones. Advertisement Advertisement Schreiber previously starred in Halo, Den of Thieves, 13 Hours, Orange Is the New Black, American Gods, Candy and more. Rebecca Rittenhouse in His & Hers (Netflix) Rebecca Rittenhouse as Lexy Jones Rebecca Rittenhouse stars as Lexy Jones, Annas arch-enemy in the newsroom and the wife of popular cameraman Richard. Lexy now holds the anchor position Anna used to have at WSK TV News, and the ambitious and smart journalist doesnt plan on giving it up. Rittenhouse previously starred in Maggie, Blood & Oil, The Body, Good on Paper, Unfriended: Dark Web and more. Marin Ireland as Zoe in His & Hers (Netflix) Marin Ireland as Zoe Marin Ireland comes in as Zoe, Jacks sharp-tongued sister. Shes letting Jack stay with her and her 6-year-old daughter Meg until he gets himself back on his feet. Zoe lives a pretty lackluster life but the recent murder in the town has kept her intrigued and busy lately. Advertisement Advertisement Ireland previously starred in Hell or High Water, The Umbrella Academy, Devil in Disguise, Eileen, Materialists, Homeland, The Dark and the Wicked and more. Chris Bauer as Clyde in His & Hers (Netflix) Chris Bauer as Clyde Chris Bauer stars as Clyde, the husband of the murder victim, Rachel. The pizza chain owner is one of the suspects on Jacks roster. Though hes boastful, the businessowner also has some secrets hes keeping under wraps. Bauer previously starred in True Blood, The Little Things, The Wire, Heels and more. Poppy Liu as Helen in His & Hers (Netflix) Poppy Liu as Helen Poppy Liu comes in as Helen, the headmistress at St. Hilarys Academy, the same high school she, Anna, Rachel and Zoe all attended. She was good friends with Rachel, and when she gets upset over Annas reporting on the murder, Anna questions if Helen has something to hide. Advertisement Advertisement Liu previously starred in Space Cadet, No Good Deed, I Love Boosters and more. The post His & Hers Cast and Character Guide: Whos Who in Netflixs Twisty Thriller? appeared first on TheWrap. Freeze! Alaska State Troopers is back. Over 10 years after its last season, the popular, long-running documentary series has been revived, bringing fans back to "The Last Frontier." The show, which debuted in 2009, ran for eight seasons on cable through 2015. When it was reported in 2014 that Alaska State Troopers would be ending, then-Troopers director Col. James Cockrell did not close the door on a potential return, stating that "in a couple of years if there is a desire among DPS to begin another chapter." A&E announced in December of 2025 that the series would be returning with an all new-season. "We are excited that the tireless efforts of the Alaska State Troopers to ensure public safety across The Last Frontier will be seen across the country with this new season of Alaska State Troopers," Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, told Parade. As the new chapter begins, here is how to watch and stream Alaska State Troopers. The series has a new home on A&E When does the new season of Alaska State Troopers premiere? The new season of Alaska State Troopers premiered Wednesday, Jan. 7. How to watch the new season of Alaska State Troopers? While the series originally aired on the National Geographic Channel, it now airs on A&E. Related: Law and Order, NCIS, CSI, Oh My! These Are the 30 Best Crime Dramas of All Time What time will the new season of Alaska State Troopers air? New episodes of Alaska State Troopers will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesdays. How to stream the new season of Alaska State Troopers? Fans can stream the new season on the A&E App and aetv.com. Alaska State Troopers will also be available on demand. When was the last season of Alaska State Troopers? The last season of the documentary series aired in 2015. What is Alaska State Troopersabout? The show provides an "inside look" at law enforcement teams who work to protect and service communities in Alaska. A press release for the new season notes, "In Americas largest and wildest state, just 400 Alaska State Troopers are responsible for patrolling hundreds of miles in Fairbanks and the Mat-Su Valley and serve more than 230 remote villages only reachable by boat or plane. From the endless light of summer to the deep freeze of winter, each one-hour episode captures these men and women as they patrol the vast frontier by land, sea, and air. Alaska is the final stop for fugitives on the run, where danger is vast, distances are brutal, and backup can be hours away. From multi-agency criminal takedowns to life-saving search and rescue missions, the series showcases a range of calls Alaska State Troopers face that are as immense and unpredictable as the state itself." Why did Alaska State Troopers stop filming over a decade ago? The Anchorage Daily News reported in June of 2014 that then-Troopers director Col. James Cockrell had sent an email to Department of Public Safety employees informing them that the state had decided to not take part in another season of Alaska State Troopers. Advertisement Advertisement "DPS has decided to end the production after this season after five years of filming with (production company) PSG Films," a trooper spokeswoman said, via the Anchorage Daily News. "This decision was not reflective of PSG Films or the quality of their product. It was just time to focus on the job of providing public safety without any added outside distractions." According to the Anchorage Daily News, the trooper spokeswoman revealed that "the film crews sometimes presented logistical problems for troopers, such as when they needed to transport people they had arrested but had limited space because of the two-person camera teams." Did any previous troopers return for the new season of Alaska State Troopers? Trooper James Kimura, who was previously featured on the show, is in the new season of Alaska State Troopers, along with many new troopers. Parade has also confirmed that some of the command staff who participated in past seasons can be seen throughout the new season on larger operations. Related: This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Midwest isn't exactly known for its cuisine. The South is known for barbecue and flavorful cooking, the Southwest has Tex-Mex, and the Northeast is a seafood haven. The majority of the Midwest's Michelin-star restaurants are in Chicago. If anything, the Midwest gets teased for having food that's sub-par, bland, or super processed. Sure, in some cases, that can be true. I'm a Minnesotan, born and raised, and I've seen some dishes that have made me raise my eyebrows. But we also have some really great food, too. A lot of Midwest dishes are hearty comfort foods; after all, the weather can get pretty cold and windy in certain parts of the Midwest. There are also several unique, innovative dishes, often developed by immigrants to the area, out of necessity, or just for fun. Now, I could name a dozen Minnesota-specific dishes, but the Midwest is a big place. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it includes 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. I set out to compile a list of the best comfort foods in the area, featuring some options that are more state-specific, as well as those that are generally popular in the Midwest. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The Most Iconic Sandwich In Every State 1. Chicago-style deep dish pizza Serving spatula pulling out a slice of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from the rest of the pie - Lauripatterson/Getty Images Chicago is the third-largest city in the U.S., behind New York City and Los Angeles, so it's no surprise this historic Midwestern hub is responsible for several contributions to American cuisine. One of the most iconic is Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Now, when we say deep dish, we mean DEEP dish; the crust for Chicago-style pizza, made from a yeasty dough, is usually about half an inch thick. The dough lines a cast iron pan and is then filled with mozzarella cheese, sprinkled with toppings, and then covered with a layer of tomato sauce, an inversion from what you get on most other types of pizza. The tomato sauce for Chicago-style deep dish pizzas is thicker than a typical pizza sauce, and you'll probably need a knife and fork to dig into a slice. Comedian Jon Stewart once joked that Chicago-style is less like a pizza and more like a casserole. According to pizza historian Peter Regas, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented in 1943 by Ric Riccardo, an Italian immigrant and businessman who ran a pizza shop called Pizzeria Ricardo. The original pizza used standard dough and was nearly an inch tall. Eventually, a cook at the pizzeria would develop the more fortified dough used today. After Ricardo died, the sole owner of the shop, Ike Sewell, renamed the place Pizzeria Uno. Now a chain, Pizzeria Uno still touts itself as the inventor of Chicago-style deep dish pizza today. 2. Chicago-style hot dog Tray of Chicago-style hot dogs - Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock As we said, Chicago is responsible for a lot of culinary contributions. In addition to Chicago-style deep dish pizza (and tavern-style pizza, the lesser-known type of Chicago-style pizza), it's known for Chicago-style hot dogs, a type of hot dog with a very specific recipe and storied past. Advertisement Advertisement The very first iteration of the Chicago-style hot dog goes back to 1893, when two Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary introduced a Vienna frankfurter topped with mustard and a pickle at the Chicago World's Fair. By 1920, street foods were pretty common in Chicago, especially with the influx of immigrants that provided a wide variety of food options. Hot dog stands, in particular, became especially popular. And then the Great Depression hit. To help feed a starving population, vendors began adding vegetable toppings to create a more filling meal; at the time, this was called a Depression Sandwich. Today, a true Chicago-style hot dog is served on a poppyseed bun and is topped with white onion, sweet pickle relish, a spear of dill pickle, a tomato slice or wedge, pickled sport peppers, celery salt, and yellow mustard. This creates a savory, tangy hot dog that's a step beyond your basic ballpark frank. 3. Cincinnati Chili Bowl of Cincinnati chili atop spaghetti noodles - from my point of view/Shutterstock Traditional chili is a quintessential Tex-Mex dish, but it has many of the hallmarks of Midwestern cuisine it's hearty, and it warms you up. Ohio has its own take on chili, though, with Cincinnati chili. As with many of the cuisines on this list, Cincinnati chili was created by immigrants. In 1920, brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff came from Macedonia, now part of Greece, to join their brother. Argie Kiradjieff was a grocer in Cincinnati, an area that had seen a large influx of immigrants from Macedonia prior to World War I. Tom and John opened up Empress Chili Parlor, but they weren't serving typical chili. Instead, it was something of a hybrid between chili and a Mediterranean stew, and included spices like chili powder, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This dish became a hit with the Macedonia immigrant community, but also with the rest of Cincinnati's residents, who had never tasted anything quite like this before. Advertisement Advertisement Today, Cincinnati chili is commonly served over spaghetti or atop hot dogs. One of the most popular spots for this type of chili is Skyline Chili, a chain started in the '40s by a Greek immigrant. The chain is primarily based in Ohio, but has a few locations elsewhere in the U.S. 4. Funeral potatoes Funeral potatoes in a casserole dish - Lauripatterson/Getty Images Technically, funeral potatoes are credited as coming from Utah, which isn't in the Midwest. While no one knows exactly who "invented" this dish, it's extremely popular in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) circles. However, Utah doesn't have dibs on it, and it's pretty popular in the Midwest as well. Now, despite the name, funeral potatoes are not exclusively for funerals. They're great for any large gathering funerals, yes, but also baby showers, grad parties, or family holidays. "Cheesy potatoes," as we called them growing up, are a staple of almost every holiday dinner in my extended family. They're easy to make and pretty much a guaranteed hit wherever you bring them. This is basically a casserole (or hotdish, depending on your local more on that later) made from hashbrowns, butter, condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese, spread in a pan and topped with cornflake cereal or potato chips, then baked. It creates a salty, cheesy, slightly crunchy dish that warms you from head to toe. 5. Gooey butter cake Squares of gooey butter cake on a tray - Bhofack2/Getty Images Next, we head to the southern Midwest to St. Louis, the home of gooey butter cake. The true origins of the cake are muddled, but sources agree that it was invented in the 1930s or '40s by a baker in St. Louis. It was possibly an accidental creation, brought about when the baker used the wrong ratio of ingredients, but no one can say for certain. Either way, the end result was a tasty, gooey creation. Advertisement Advertisement Gooey butter cake typically has a shortbread-like crust with a creamy, custardy center. The recipe uses a yeast or dough base, but many simplified recipes today just use yellow cake mix. You'll also need eggs, butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. It needs to bake until nearly firm, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. This method is what creates that baked-through crust on the outside, but preserves the gooeyness on the inside. Despite the simple ingredient list, the cake is pretty decadent, so most people prefer to enjoy it with coffee or tea. 6. Hot dish Spoon scooping a serving out of a tater tot hot dish - Nick Lundgren/Shutterstock "Hot dish" is primarily an upper Midwest term. It's very similar to a casserole, and if you ask, north Midwesterners will insist there's a difference ... they just may not be able to articulate exactly what it is. But no worries, that's what I'm here for. Essentially, all hot dishes are casseroles, but not all casseroles are hot dishes. While casseroles may be served as sides, appetizers, or entrees, hot dishes are meant to be main dishes. They're heartier, usually with a protein and a starch and/or vegetable, and typically use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom to blend it all together. One of the most famous hot dishes, especially in Minnesota, is tater tot hot dish. This classic was created during the Great Depression, like a lot of casseroles and hot dishes, to help ingredients stretch further. Most tater tot hotdish recipes include ground beef, vegetables, cream of mushroom soup, and cheese mixed together and topped with rows of tater tots. This provides us northerners with a savory, filling dish that helps us survive the long winters up here. 7. Juicy Lucy Juicy Lucy burger cut in half - Ruslan Mitin/Shutterstock If you're a burger lover, you haven't lived until you've tried a Juicy Lucy (also spelled Jucy Lucy). The Juicy Lucy is a cheeseburger with the cheese stuffed inside the burger rather than (or in addition to) on top of the burger patty. This allows the cheese to melt more evenly and ensures that every bite provides the perfect amount of savory, salty goodness. Sealing the cheese inside also releases steam as the burger cooks, contributing to the juicy factor of a Juicy Lucy. American or cheddar cheese is most commonly used, but there are no rules on what kind of cheese you can stuff inside a Juicy Lucy. Advertisement Advertisement Ask Minnesotans where the Juicy Lucy originated, and they'll say either Matt's Bar or the 5-8 Club or possibly something like, "Ope, I'm not getting in the middle of this debate." Both Minneapolis bars claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy, or Jucy Lucy, as Matt's Bar spells it, in the 1950s. We may never know the exact origins of this legendary burger, but in truth, it doesn't really matter. Several bars and restaurants now offer Juicy Lucy burgers, both inside and outside of Minnesota. 8. Puppy chow Bowl of puppy chow - Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock We may not be the coastal elite, but don't worry, we're not actually eating dog food. Puppy chow is a snack that is very much not for dogs. If you're unfamiliar, you may know it by another name: Muddy Buddies. The Chex brand sells these in stores (although now that I think about it, I can't guarantee they're sold outside the Midwest, since General Mills is a Midwest company). However, most Midwestern kids grew up calling it puppy chow. No one knows the exact origins of the treat; it appears to be a recipe passed around the Midwest for decades. So, what is this treat? You start with Chex or a similar type of cereal as the base. Then, you'll mix together melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted butter, peanut butter, and vanilla, and pour this mixture over the cereal, stirring until the cereal is evenly coated. Next is the fun part: The cereal goes into a large food storage bag, and you'll add in powdered sugar. Seal the bag, and shake until the powdered sugar coats the chocolate coating. Pro tip: Spread it on wax paper to cool, otherwise it will clump up. Is it healthy? Absolutely not, but it is incredibly delicious. These treats are popular snacks at holiday parties, but also great for other types of events, like birthday parties or potlucks, or when you just need a sugary pick-me-up. You can also remix puppy chow to give it fun twists. 9. Scotcharoos Pan of scotcheroos with a piece taken out - Lindsay Jubeck/Shutterstock Chocolate and peanut butter are a universal favorite, not limited to the Midwest, but the Midwest sure knows how to bring out the best of these combinations. Not only did we invent puppy chow, but we also invented scotcheroos (sometimes spelled scotcharoos). Like puppy chow, scotcheroos combine chocolate, peanut butter, and cereal, but they're totally different. Advertisement Advertisement If you're from the Midwest, you're probably familiar with these no-bake bars, even if you've never heard the term "scotcheroo." Growing up, we always called them Special K bars, since that was the cereal my mom used, and Special K had published its own version of the recipe. I've heard them called cabin bars, after Caribou Coffee created a cabin bar-flavored drink a few years back (it was delicious). I've also heard many families have their own term for the bars. Regardless of what you call them, the recipe is basically the same. You'll start by boiling together sugar and corn syrup, then add in peanut butter and the cereal of your choice, usually some variation of Rice Krispies or Special K. After you spread them into a pan, you'll melt together semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, then spread the melty goodness on top of the bars. This creates a treat that's chewy and full of sweet flavors that work perfectly together. As with puppy chow, these are popular at all sorts of events, like barbecues, family reunions, and potlucks. 10. Wild rice soup Bowl of wild rice soup on a table - Bhofack2/Getty Images Wild rice (or "manoomin" in Ojibwe) is a crop grown in the Great Lakes region. Most rice in the U.S. grows in the South or in California and the Midwest doesn't have the climate to sustain rice crops, with the exception of Missouri. But wild rice isn't an actual rice. It's a grain that comes from aquatic grass that grows in cooler waters. Wild rice is an ancient crop, and was either a primary food source or downright sacred to many of the area's indigenous peoples. Wild rice is usually a shade of brown or black, and has a nutty flavor that's both chewy and a little crunchy. While there are tons of dishes you can make with it, the most popular by far is wild rice soup. This creamy, savory soup was invented by a chef at the Orion Room, a high-end restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, in the 1970s. There are tons of wild rice soup recipes available; as it's soup, you can kind of adjust it to your liking. All include a cream soup base and incorporate wild rice, onion, carrots, and celery. Personally, I like to add shredded or chopped chicken, cubed ham, and American cheese to mine. The moment the temperature starts to drop in the fall, I add wild rice soup to my monthly meal rotation, as it's the perfect cozy comfort food. Advertisement Advertisement Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Chowhound. Dont worry about downloading that movie you wanted to watch before boarding an American Airlines flight. The company announced this week it has officially added free high-speed wireless internet to more than 2 million of its flights per year for members of its loyalty program. Here are more details. Long Time Coming The company previously announced plans to expand free wi-fi to AAdvantage members last month. Now it is reality as the company celebrates its 100-year anniversary. Advertisement Advertisement Were setting the standard for connectivity in the skies, said Heather Garboden, who serves as chief customer officer for American, in a press release. She noted free high-speed internet is more than a perk but rather an essential aspect of travel today. Thats why were proud to begin rolling out this new offering sponsored by AT&T, across the majority of our fleet. Once roll out is completed, every AAdvantage member can stay connected, stream and share almost anywhere their journey takes them for free. How Are They Doing It? According to AA, the company has more satellite-equipped aircraft than any other carrier in the world. That includes more than 900 planes with service via Viasat or Intelsat. Advertisement Advertisement They will continue to be the sources as the free program expands to all loyalty club members while AT&T is the name sponsor. By sponsoring free inflight Wi-Fi for American Airlines AAdvantage members, were making it easier for people to stay productive, entertained and in touch from takeoff to landing, AT&T EVP and GM for mass markets Jenifer Robertson said in a press release. Were proud to support this experience for AAdvantage members, helping redefine what it means to travel connected, all courtesy of Americas best, fastest and most reliable network. All of Americans narrow body and dual-class regional fleets offer free high-speed internet while the companys new Boeing 787-9 and 787-8 aircraft will be getting the service as well. This expansion of wi-fi offerings comes as the company seeks to appeal to premium customers. Advertisement Advertisement Were excited to be a premium global airline. We believe thats where the demand trends will go, American Chief Financial Officer Devon May said earlier this month during a speech at a Goldman Sachs investor conference. This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Have you had a bad experience with Wizz Airs All You Can Fly pass? Get in touch and email money@telegraph.co.uk* For most students, the choice of where to complete their university assignments is usually between their bedroom and the library. Laurence Davies, a 22-year-old earth sciences student, however, faces very different options. With a globe in front of him, he has 200 destinations dotted across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to choose from, all of which he can fly to for 9. He is one of 20,000 people who signed up to Wizz Airs All You Can Fly pass a unique 435 ticket promising a year of unlimited travel for last-minute flights. This week, the fourth-year student has chosen Jeddah, Saudi Arabias second city, finding a last-minute direct flight from London Gatwick. Since purchasing the pass in August 2024, he has managed to balance his degree while taking more than 110 flights. Advertisement Advertisement And, he says, a narrow economy seat with a tray table at 38,000ft has its advantages over the library. I love not having any connection to the outside world because it means I dont have any distractions. I have my laptop and Im in a sterile environment so I can get through readings, download lectures to watch and complete assignments. Davies has travelled as far east as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, north to the Arctic city of Troms, Norway, to see the Northern Lights and south to the tip of North Africa with his flight pass. As a former president of his universitys travel society, he perhaps unsurprisingly jumped at the opportunity to buy the All You Can Fly pass when it was first announced in August 2024. For me, being able to travel cheaply with the pass to areas I wouldnt be able to afford normally was an excellent opportunity and one I couldnt pass [up]. Davies says the ticket has paid for itself many times over. After the initial purchase fee of 435, his 110 flights, which come with a 9 fee for each ticket, have cost him 1,425, meaning he has spent an average of 12.95 per flight. Advertisement Advertisement While other low-cost carriers like easyJet and Ryanair offer flights for as little as 15, these routes are often limited to destinations in Europe, booked months in advance or during sales. Wizz Air, by contrast, offers several mid-haul flights with half a dozen routes to the Middle East, although many require a stopover in Bucharest, its largest base. Davies says: My very first flight was to Amman, the capital of Jordan, an area Ive never visited before. At the time I booked it online, it was showing as a 400 return. I got it for 18 as a result of the pass. If theres no flights, its pointless Davies might present the best example of someone who has maximised the benefits of the All You Can Fly pass. Hes a true globetrotter with great flexibility and openness as to where he visits. But the same story is not true for many others who bought the pass. They are angry at a system they say is riddled with glitches and pernicious terms and conditions that strip the joy from travelling. Advertisement Advertisement Jacob Lewis**, 65, a marketing manager from London, bought the pass believing he could save a fortune on frequent trips to Israel. He knew that the ticket was for last-minute travel passholders can only book flights departing within the next 72 hours and that no extras, such as seat selection or additional baggage, were included. But he thought passholders would be able to purchase the remaining seats that were unsold on last-minute flights. In reality, Wizz Air created a separate booking portal for All You Can Fly tickets and therefore determines how many of these seats it offers on each route. He says: It meant I would go on to their website and could see lots of availability for flights to Israel, but the moment I went on the separate site, there would be nothing there. Advertisement Advertisement The odd flight is available and then there is nothing at all. I thought this is ridiculous. Even if I can get there, how am I going to get back? I could be stuck there. We know with Wizz Air, you get what you pay for. Its cheap and I can accept that. But if youve not got any flights, its a pointless exercise. b' ' Lewis realised the pass didnt suit someone like him, who wanted to fly to a specific destination, and he quickly requested a refund. This was where he came up against Wizz Airs elusive customer service, something repeatedly mentioned by passholders. On Nov 5, the airline offered to refund the cost of the pass within 10 working days. A month later, nothing had arrived. The airline said it had been unable to refund him because of heavy workload and could not say when it would be returned. Advertisement Advertisement Follow-up emails from Lewis went ignored and it was only after The Telegraph contacted the airline that it refunded him 435 two months later. The stress isnt worth it Alban Pruti, 48, was perhaps better placed to make use of the pass. The international development practitioner is based between Pristina, the capital of Kosovo and Sarande, in Albania. It means he is well able to make use of the Hungarian airlines expansive route network in Eastern Europe. But he has chosen not to renew his membership, in large part because of one rule in the tickets terms and conditions. The process is like the Hunger Games, Mr Pruti says of Wizz Airs chaotic booking system - David Rose Worried that the low ticket cost of 9 would lead some passholders to book flights and fail to appear, Wizz Air imposed a strict rule that means if a passholder fails to board two flights in a year, their subscription is cancelled with no refund. The airline even says it could go further and fine passholders who are no-shows. Advertisement Advertisement Pruti explains: If you book a flight with a stopover, its not considered one ticket but two individual flights. So you might think booking with a six to eight-hour layover is a good buffer in terms of counting for delays, but if your first flight is cancelled, you are screwed. For an airline that was ranked worst for punctuality in the UK in 2023 and has built a network often reliant on stopovers in either Budapest or Bucharest, its a recipe for disaster. Pruti says: The process is like the Hunger Games. Tickets are released each day at 6am. But often you might find a flight and it would just disappear. There would be a glitch. Sometimes it would be a payment error. Other times, Ive seen members who have accidentally been double-booked. That means even though they take the flight, one of those tickets is treated as a no-show. A spokesman for Wizz Air said passengers who miss a flight because their first flight was delayed or cancelled would not be treated as a no-show. But this process is not automatic and involves the passholder having to dispute the failure to appear with the airlines customer service, which they say is often unresponsive and unreliable. Advertisement Advertisement Pruti says: Ive met some really cool people in the All You Can Fly community, but the cost people forget is the added stress this brings. I would rather pay a little more to have the peace of mind. And while flying to the Maldives [a route that was cancelled in April] was amazing, if Im being honest, it was too short. I was there for just two days. My membership paid off but it wasnt brilliant. A spokesman for Wizz Air said: As a first-of-its-kind membership concept, Wizz All You Can Fly has been met with an unprecedented response since launch. It sold out first in the UK and continues to generate huge interest across Europe and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Members tell us they value the affordability, flexibility and choice of routes, with some even managing to fit in more than a hundred trips over the course of a year. Were continuing to listen carefully to passholder feedback as we evolve and improve the product. The no-show policy is designed to help ensure seats arent left empty, giving more travellers the chance to fly and supporting our efforts to reduce emissions per passenger kilometre. Passholders can miss up to two flights per year, with this allowance resetting annually when a new subscription begins. If a missed flight is caused by circumstances outside a customers control, we encourage them to get in touch with our customer services team, who will be happy to help. *Please note that by submitting your content to us, you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. For further details, please see our Privacy Notice. Advertisement Advertisement **Name has been changed. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. Bakersfield, in south central California, is known for its music scene, outdoor fun, and antiques shopping, as well as industries like agriculture and petroleum. It also has an under-the-radar zoo where you can see rare, endangered species, and by visiting it, you support their protection and care. At the California Living Museum (CALM), you won't find elephants or polar bears. The zoo, which is also a rehabilitation center, was founded in 1983 to save and promote the appreciation of animals that are native to California. Visitors can explore the grounds of the zoo on the Central California Children's Railroad and interact with horseshoe crabs at a touch tank in the California Coast Room. There's also an area to pet sheep and other farm animals and a reptile house where you can get close to frogs and snakes. However, the central mission of the organization is to ensure that endangered species like California condors and kit foxes have a better chance of survival. The California Living Museum is less than a half hour from Bakersfield Municipal Airport and 15 minutes from Downtown Bakersfield. If you're looking for a bigger airport, the zoo is about two hours (without traffic) from LAX. While in Bakersfield, you might want to go camping and fishing at scenic Lake Buena Vista. What you shouldn't do is attempt navigating the nearby Kern River, which is one of the most dangerous rivers in the world due to its powerful currents and rapids. Read more: The Most Breathtaking And Lively Mountain Towns Across America, According To Reddit Wildlife at the California Living Museum A bird behind the wires of a cage at CALM Zoo - @wait.chris.b / Instagram A zoo accredited by the Zoological Association of America, the California Living Museum also rescues and rehabilitates endangered animals and educates the public about these rare species and their plight. Of its 100,000 annual visitors, a quarter are students through a partnership with the local school district. And under the zoo's Campus Master Plan, it's expected to grow over the next 15 years with the addition of wolf and grizzly bear habitats, among other developments. Advertisement Advertisement The zoo nurses animals back to health and releases them back into the wild when possible. But not all animals are fit for release because of human reliance or permanent injuries. At CALM, you can observe mountain lions (cougars), for example, whose entire California population is estimated to be only 4,500. Similarly, there are only about 5,400 bighorn sheep in California, five of which are at CALM. Here you'll also find reptiles such as the desert tortoise, ringtail cats, and birds like the ferruginous hawk and black-crowned night heron. As one of the area's top attractions for families, CALM is especially lively during the regionally popular HolidayLights display. People can walk through the zoo at night to experience millions of lights, meet Santa, choose a Christmas tree, make holiday-themed crafts, and shop at a special holiday market. HolidayLights tickets start at $14, and general admission is $12 for adults, $8 for kids ages 3 to 12, and $9 for seniors (as of this writing). Admission is free for children under 3 and for active military and veterans. 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. A town in the heart of southwest Montana serves as a charming gateway to two rivers, scenic campsites, and ghost towns. These are all surrounded by half a million acres of the Pioneer Mountains. This unincorporated mountain town, Wise River, takes its name from the Wise River (originally known as Wisdom River) that flows below it. This tributary of the Big Hole River originates in the Pioneer Mountains and meets the Big Hole at MT Highway 43, making this small community the perfect gateway to recreational water activities and outdoor adventures. Both the Wise and Big Hole Rivers are known for their fishing, while the more dramatic Big Hole is also an excellent place to kayak, canoe, or whitewater raft. Some of Montana's famed wildlife, like river otters, beavers, and even deer and elk, can be spied along the riverbanks. A handful of scenic campsites line the Wise River, where you can pitch a tent in this peaceful setting and then explore areas like the Pioneer Mountains and Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. More adventurous campers can hike into the National Forest and find a secluded spot among the trees and the mountains. Day hikers can also just trek part of the Continental Divide Trail at Big Hole Pass, an hour away. If you're in the ghost town mood, drive the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, a 49-mile road that follows the Wise River to its source and continues beyond. The Byway offers access to the ghost town of Coolidge. If its haunting, decaying buildings inspire a desire for further adventure, you can continue on to Bannack, an Old West ghost town near stunning camping spots, which is less than an hour away. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The Most Breathtaking And Lively Mountain Towns Across America, According To Reddit What you'll find in the town of Wise River Wise River Club sign with blue sky and street - @pellejernryd / Instagram While just over 40 people live permanently in Wise River, the town has big offerings when it comes to history and scenery. A must-visit place is the historic Wise River Club. Established over 100 years ago as a hotel to serve the area's hunters and fishers, this local favorite has since expanded to include a bar, restaurant, and cabin with RV rental spots. Besides that, music lovers will be thrilled to know that one of its owners is Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top fame. If you're looking for a bite, head to the H Bar J Saloon and Cafe for some solid American cuisine. In fact, user Joyce Glick writes on Google that this restaurant has "the absolute best hamburger I've ever eaten anywhere in the world." Whether you're staying in Wise River or not, be sure to stop at the Forest Ranger Station in town, where you can get information on recreational activities in the area. The town of Wise River is just 40 minutes from Anaconda, Montana's "hidden gem on the Continental Divide" and a great outdoor adventure town in its own right. Folks in Butte can reach this town in about 40 minutes, and it's just under a 2-hour drive from Bozeman, which is where you'll find the closest international airport, Bozeman Yellowstone International. The ghost town of Coolidge Abandoned wooden cabin in front of mountains Coolidge Montana - RJ Ridley/Shutterstock The town of Wise River marks the starting point of the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. On this stunning drive, you can stop at a number of turnoffs to enjoy the views or explore sites like Coolidge, a ghost town whose beginnings date back to the 1800s. Advertisement Advertisement Silver was discovered in the area in 1872 and the nearby mine was named Elkhorn because of elk horns found at the site. However, because of years of economic ups and downs, the town of Coolidge didn't develop until 1911. And yes, it was named after Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, who was voted into office in 1923. His friend William Allen had bought the mining claims of this area (rumor has it, Coolidge was an investor too). At its height, this company town had a store, a school, and electricity, before it was abandoned in 1932 after an economic downturn in the early '20s and a massive flood resulting from a dam failure on the Wise River in 1927. Coolidge is a 40-minute drive from Wise River, about five miles off a dirt road east of the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. It's about a 20-minute walk from the parking lot to the site. While it may not be as well-known as Garnet, a well-preserved ghost town hidden in northwestern Montana, Coolidge is still impressive with its ruins set against a cinematic mountain setting. Here, you'll find abandoned cabins, the mill, and the old railroad tracks, all evocative remnants of a time long gone. In the winter, the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway is closed to cars, but you can traverse it with a snowmobile instead. 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. After college in Florida, I spent time traveling to try to find where I wanted to live long-term. I tried Portland, Oregon, for six months, then moved back to Tampa Bay, and then went to Wisconsin. I ended up buying a home here, falling in love with the outdoors and slower pace in my small town. After growing up in North Carolina, I moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 18 for college. That's where I fell in love with my now-fiancee and the surrounding Pinellas County. We both adored Florida's beaches, took regular weekend trips to Key West and Manasota Key, and thoroughly enjoyed life in the Tampa Bay area. Advertisement Advertisement At times, I thought we might just stay there forever but after graduation, the world felt wide open. So, we started "shopping around" the country for a new place to call home. We tested Oregon, then returned to Florida but neither was a perfect fit for us My partner and I packed up my truck and started our adventure by road-tripping across the Western United States. We camped in the Badlands, swam in the Yellowstone River, slept in a canyon in Idaho, and in 2020, landed in Portland, Oregon. Portland was the epitome of cool the kind of place where you could hike in the morning, grab a craft beer at night, and feel like you were living the hipster dream. However, after six months, I found myself struggling with poor air quality from local wildfires and missing the familiarity of St. Pete. Advertisement Advertisement So, we moved back to Florida, hoping to relive our college days with close friends and potentially settle down. There's a lot we loved about St. Petersburg, but I wasn't sure about staying in Florida. WGCPhotography/Getty Images However, my fiancee and I struggled to put down roots. Pinellas County and its housing market had undergone significant changes while we'd been away. Homes were selling for significantly more than they had been a few years ago, and many of those prices were far beyond our budget. The rental market remained competitive as ever, too. We ended up renting a 400-square-foot ADU in the area for about $1,100 a month. At the time, it was the only place we found within our budget that had in-unit laundry and a decent location. Advertisement Advertisement We made it work, and I even became friends with my landlord and his wife. However, heavy rain routinely flooded part of the unit, and after one particularly severe hurricane, the carpet was so soaked it had to be removed. Between the worsening storms and rising house (and insurance) prices in the area, the idea of buying our first home here felt increasingly unrealistic. We'd already been spooked by Hurricane Irma in 2017, and this felt like a small taste of the possible issues to come if we stayed. Fortunately, by this point, I had a solid remote job, and we'd been building up our savings to put toward a down payment on a house. Advertisement Advertisement Now, we had to figure out where to go next. A small town in southern Wisconsin ended up being a great fit for our lifestyles and wallets I've enjoyed living in Wisconsin. Joe Opaleski My fiancee suggested we move to southern Wisconsin, near where her family lived. Real estate was cheaper there, and we could stay with her parents while house-hunting. I agreed, we moved, and we're still happily here years later. Our lives immediately felt different in a southern Wisconsin county with a population of about 100,000, in a town of less than 10,000. After living in one of the most densely populated counties in Florida, home to nearly 1 million people, I was thrilled to find a quieter place to call home. I've also fallen in love with the Wisconsin outdoors and all the adventures it has to offer. I've hiked Kettle Moraine State Forest, surfed on Lake Michigan, tested new fishing holes, and explored the lakes I'd only heard about before moving. Advertisement Advertisement The locals seemed to welcome us instantly, and the community feels rich and full of life new businesses always seem to be opening: a huge coffee shop, a speakeasy bar, and even a high-end restaurant. Plus, the local "lake life" offered the same laid-back vibe we used to enjoy finding around Florida's beaches. Soon, we bought a four-bedroom house in the area, securing a mortgage that costs us less than $1,500 a month. In less than a year, we'd gone from living in someone else's tiny suite to having our very own four-bedroom home for a comparable monthly cost. We could hardly believe it. Advertisement Advertisement Sure, winters can be a lot colder and tougher out in the Midwest, and we sometimes miss Florida, but I like the life we've built. I always say if the hipsters in Portland or the beach bums in Florida knew about small-town Wisconsin, they'd move here in a heartbeat (or at least visit in the summers). Read the original article on Business Insider Welcome to Checking In, a review series in which our editors and contributors rate the best new (and revamped) luxury hotels based on a rigorousand occasionally tongue-in-cheek10-point system: Each question answered yes gets one point. Will room service bring you caviar? Does your suite have its own butler? Does the bathroom have a bidet? Find out below. 1 hotel seattle entrance In three words: Seattle-style luxury More from Robb Report Advertisement Advertisement Whats the deal: 1 Hotel Seattle is the first Pacific Northwest outpost for this brand that lives under the U.K.-based Starwood Hotels bannerand the company did its best to channel the ethos of the Emerald City throughout the property. Seattle is a city immersed in nature and shot through with an spirit of conservationism, and 1 Hotel has fully embraced that eco-conscious culture in its design and service. But more on that in a moment. Instead of being located downtown, the 153-room (including 45 suites) property is perched in Seattles South Lake Union neighborhood, making it easy to access the Seattle Center and Lake Union, but still not far from Pike Place Market and the Puget Sounds waterfront that has been re-imagined in the wake of the double-decker Alaskan Way Viaduct being removed. Longtime Seattle residents can remember a time in the not-so-distant past when there wasnt much going on in South Lake Unionthat was until the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen kickstarted development in the area earlier this century. The building boom only increased when Amazon moved its headquarters from Beacon Hill to a series of buildings that are all within walking distance of the hotel, including Amazons Spheres, the glass domes breaking up an expanse of office buildings. The 1 Hotel Seattle resides inside a tower originally built by Allen, and itself is kind of drab on the outside, exemplifying the slightly uninspired architecture of Seattle in the 2000s. But the team at Starwood transformed the inside beautifully, headlined by the gorgeous, two-story living wall sculpture of Mount Rainier. Local artist Rebecca Sheedy and her studio Floraform blended moss and reclaimed wood to craft this show-stopping installation that towers over the lobby. The wood-ensconced rooms have a Scandinavian-inspired feel, fitting for a city with a deep Nordic heritage as people from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were the largest ethnic group in Washington state at the turn of the 19th century. And throughout the rooms you see little touches of 1 Hotels committment to sustainability, from Nespresso machines with recyclable pods, to water carafes and cups made from recycled glass bottles, to little timers in the showers to keep you mindful of how much water youre using, to chalkboards being available for taking notes instead of using paper. The best room: The Alder House is a stunning suite bathed in blonde wood and flanked by windows that offer a beautiful, unobstructed view of the Space Needle from both the living room and the master bathroom. You can soak in the tub as you turn your head to see the sun set behind the Emerald Citys most iconic landmark. The 1,190-foot, one-bedroom, 1.5-bath suite is anchored by an ample living room and dining room thats flanked by a two-seat bar. If you happen to be traveling with friends or family, this suite would be the ideal place for everyone to gather around the large dining table. the alder house The Rundown Did they greet you by name at check-in? No, but front desk staff was always polite and attentive. Welcome drink ready and waiting when you arrived? Bonus point if it wasnt just fruit juice. There was no welcome drink. Does the hotel have a standout perk? At the property there are two Audi Q6 e-Trons that are available to guests and are used for planned excursions around the city like a trip to the Seattle Art Museum followed by a tour of Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront. Since the hotels opening it has also added a partnership with Wild Haus Floating Saunas where guests can bob across Lake Union while unwinding in a sauna and taking in stunning views of Capital Hill to the east, Queen Anne Hill to the West, Gasworks Park to the north and the Space Needle to the south, all while seaplanes land and take off from the water surrounding you. Private butler for every room? No. Is there a heated floor in the bathroom? What about a bidet? No heated floors. Are the toiletries full sized? Toiletries are full-sized and specially formulated for 1 Hotel by Bamford Spa. Is there a private pool for the rooms exclusive use? How are the spa and gym? While there is no pool at the 1 Hotel, the gym is well appointed with Pelotons, free weights, kettle bells, and Life Fitness treadmills and ellipticals. Are the restaurants worth their salt? This is one of the strongest aspects of the hotel, a restaurant youd gladly go to even if you werent staying there. La Loba from James Beard finalist chef Oscar Amador Edo draws on his Spanish heritage and Pacific Northwest ingredientsas well as some Japanese influencesto craft a tapas-filled menu that also serves outstanding pastas and mains like lamb loin asada and pan roasted black cod. Do you want to spend Friday night in the lobby bar? Absolutely, as would a good chunk of Seattle, it seems, as the bar at the restaurant downstairs was full each of our stay. Would you buy the hotel if you could? While its not the most beautiful building weve seen on the outside, what 1 Hotels has done to the inside would make us glad to have this one in our portfolio. The Verdict The 1 Hotel Seattle doesnt have all the trappings of a mega-resort like an expansive pool, but for an urban hotel its the kind of well-equipped and stylish spot you want to return at night after exploring the city. Advertisement Advertisement Score: 8 What Our Score Means: 1-3: Fire your travel agent if they suggest you stay here. 4-6: Solid if youre in a pinchbut only if youre in a pinch. 7-8: Very good. Wed stay here again and recommend it without qualms. 9-10: Forget booking a week. When can we move in permanently? Best of Robb Report Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Key Points Pfizer has been making deals in recent years to enhance its long-term growth potential. Last month, it reached a GLP-1 licensing deal with a China-based drug company. Having more assets in its pipeline could make Pfizer an underrated growth stock now. 10 stocks we like better than Pfizer Did you know that in just the past three years, healthcare giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has lost approximately half its value? The stock surged during the pandemic as its COVID-19 vaccine and pill enabled it to generate record numbers. But in recent years, concerns about future growth and patent cliffs have weighed on its valuation. The company has been working on trying to enhance its growth opportunities via acquisitions, but that hasn't been sufficient to turn things around for the stock -- not yet, anyway. However, there's one potentially lucrative growth opportunity that Pfizer's focusing on that could change things and drastically improve the stock's trajectory, perhaps as early as this year, and that's GLP-1 drugs. Image source: Getty Images. Pfizer has been making deals in the GLP-1 space There have been numerous deals that Pfizer has been making in recent years, and one area that it looks to be particularly interested in of late is the development of GLP-1 drugs. Last month, the company announced a licensing deal with Chinese company YaoPharma worth up to $2.1 billion. It has a GLP-1 drug that is in its early stages of development. However, with the bulk of the deal tied to royalties and milestone payments, it's a relatively inexpensive way for Pfizer to grow its pipeline in the GLP-1 space. Pfizer was involved in an even larger deal back in November when it agreed to acquire Metsera for up to $10 billion. Metsera doesn't have any approved drugs in its portfolio, but it has multiple assets that are in development, including MET-0971, which is in phase 2b trials. It's a bit further along, but it's still by no means a certainty that it'll obtain approval. Why having an approved GLP-1 drug could be a game changer for Pfizer If Pfizer ends up with an approved GLP-1 drug, or even if it looks to be making progress in clinical trials with the assets it acquires, that could give growth investors renewed hope in the company's potential. Experts at Grand View Research project that by 2033, the GLP-1 receptor agonist market could be worth over $200 billion, which is nearly three times the roughly $70 billion it was worth in 2025. Investors only need to look at Eli Lilly's success to see the potential upside for a company involved in GLP-1 drug development. Eli Lilly hit a $1 trillion valuation last year, largely due to its strength in the GLP-1 market. It has approved GLP-1 treatments for diabetes (Mounjaro) and weight loss (Zepbound) that generate billions, and that have turned it into one of the best growth stocks in the healthcare sector. Not all speakeasies are created equal-and not all speakeasies transport you to the 1920s where the bartenders are dressed in metallic fringe dresses and the cocktail recipes are 100 years old. At The Bunker, which is located on LaSalle Road in West Hartford, guests will find themselves in a bar that's somewhere in between a Cold War-era military bunker and a college fraternity basement (minus the sticky floors). The Bunker is tucked in the basement of Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan in West Hartford Center. It's convenient because guests can go grab a drink and play a round of pool after eating kebabs and pita burgers-but also because Aaron Sawar's family has owned Shish Kebab House since it opened in 1988. Advertisement Advertisement "It's a speakeasy in the fact that it's hidden and you would never know it's there. But it's really just a hidden military-themed bar in the basement of Shish Kebab House," Sawar said. Arcade games at The Bunker in West Hartford. (Kelly Vaughan/ For Hearst Connecticut Media ) Sawar, an active-duty member of the United States military, decided to open The Bunker after feeling like he was missing the type of community-oriented bar that he and his crew would grab a drink at while they were deployed. Many of his customers, he said, are also active-duty military or veterans. "There's no place where you can kind of just go grab a beer, grab a small bite to eat, and just kind of kick back for a second. There's really none of that in the Center anymore, so I think we've successfully created that atmosphere," Sawar said. Advertisement Advertisement Sawar was deployed to Africa shortly before the grand opening of The Bunker in 2022. Since he returned home, he's been continuing to transform the basement into a comfortable and casual speakeasy, adding military-inspired paraphernalia to the bar, which he sources from eBay and army surplus stores. The entrance at The Bunker in West Hartford. (Kelly Vaughan/ For Hearst Connecticut Media ) It's a contrast to some other prohibition-era bars that have opened secretly-or not so secretly-over the last several years. After walking down a dark alleyway and entering an unmarked door, guests will see a small television mounted to the ceiling that reads "Emergency Alert System - United States Government Issued Emergency Action Notification." A 1960s-era yellow and black sign that reads "fallout shelter" is nailed next to a Cold War civil defense message center steel sign. Advertisement Advertisement Once you descend down a steep staircase, you'll enter a large, cavernous room that features a smattering of high-top tables and bar stools and two large pool tables. Most of the light is emitted from about half a dozen arcade games. "We're kind of like the spot that feels exclusive when you're there and you tell your friends like Oh, I know this place'," Sawar said. The Bunker is a military-themed speakeasy in West Hartford. (Kelly Vaughan/ For Hearst Connecticut Media ) At the bar, guests can order a handful of craft cocktails, draft and bottled beers, wine, hard liquor and casual bar bites. Popcorn, hot dogs and pizza slices are popular with the late night crowd, Sawar said, but there's also a selection of food available from Shish Kebab House including their pita burgers. Advertisement Advertisement Sawar collaborates with the staff to ideate drink specials; it's a relationship built on a shared vision and decades of trust. "Some of the staff I've worked with for 15 years or 20 years," Sawar said. In a way, it's a continuation of the family business. Sawar's grandparents opened Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan when their entire family immigrated to the United States; at the time, Sawar said it was a "hole-in-the-wall" before it steadily transformed into a fixture of West Hartford Center. The Bunker may follow in that tradition-that is, if you can find your way in. The Bunker is open Sunday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. This article originally published at This West Hartford speakeasy is located in the basement of Shish Kebab House. Idaho is amazing. But, geez, it gets cringey around here. Each year, I take a fond, masochistic gaze back at the most humiliating news stories of the prior 12 months. And every time, the list ends up dominated by Gem State politics. This makes sense. Most Idaho politicians are atrocious. (But most embarrassing? We vote for them! Dependably disappointing Jim Risch, Idahos oldest-ever senator, is now eighty-freaking-two! And running yet again! Hed be 89 years old at the end of his next term!) Advertisement Advertisement Most of this top 10 involves far-right nutballs. After all, this is a deep-red state. If we lived in Oregon, I could make fun of Portland protesters in blue bunny suits. But we dont. So I cant. Consequently, its time to take one for the team, conservative hyper-extremists. (I will, however, agree that the Boise woman in the inflatable frog suit at last springs No Kings protest looked preposterous in her attempt to be as weird as Portland.) Bounty on the Boise mayor If youve lived in the Treasure Valley for a minute, youve probably heard of bat-shat-crazy Old State Saloon in Eagle specifically its insecure, attention bore of an owner. (I shall refer to him as Temu Bundy, an Ammon Bundy-inspired nickname borrowed from a subreddit discussion.) In Temu Bundys latest moronic marketing move, he offered at least $10,000 to anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. After all, shes sorta woke. I want to wake up and expose evil, and I want to do it for the glory of God, Temu Bundy told the Idaho Statesman. Advertisement Advertisement Luci Willits, the only conservative Boise City Council member, called the bounty ridiculous. Id take that a step further. Its malevolent. Hetero Awesome Fest: a gay ol time Ready for a dim-witted doubleheader? Temu Bundy also was the very stable genius behind Hetero Awesome Fest, a two-day disaster held in June at Boises Cecil D. Andrus Park. Purportedly an alternative to LGBTQ+ Pride Month, it was a colossal bust. Nobody showed up. OK, a few bigoted buffoons did dozens, reportedly. The highlight? A heroic, guitar-toting double agent with specious intentions. Local musician Daniel Hamrick was formally introduced on stage, then quickly donned a jacket with a Pride heart patch and sang a ditty about a trans boy. Hilariously, he made it through most of the song before Temu Bundy slithered across the park and yanked the mic away. Now that must have been embarrassing. Resolution for natural definition of marriage Sticking with the homophobic theme, lets not forget House Joint Memorial 1, which lawmakers easily passed in January. This complete waste of time sponsored by reliably dreadful Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision to allow same-sex marriages nationwide. Specifically, it aimed to restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman. Advertisement Advertisement Come on, Idaho! Do we really want to outlaw Sister Wives on TLC? Street brawl at Charlie Kirk vigil A candlelight vigil was held outside the Idaho Capitol after the September killing of political activist and influencer Charlie Kirk. So naturally, Idahoans found a way to embarrass themselves. The chaos started when a numbskull looking for trouble showed up yelling profane unpleasantries about Kirk. That triggered a violent brawl, plenty of lady shrieks, imposing American flag waving, USA! USA! chants and humiliation for humanity in general. (Watch this video if you want to feel ill. Brain-cell warning: Thats a FoxNews.com link.) Why, Idaho? Whyyyy? What could that protester ever expect to gain by rudely disrupting the event? But also, how is it that a crowd of mourners supposedly championing nonviolent responses to free speech cant comprehend when they become violent about it themselves? Reefer Madness, Idaho style Because Idahos lawmakers love seeing potential tax dollars flood into Oregon, ours will be the last state to legalize cannabis. But do they also have to waste time enacting useless legislation? Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Brad Little signed a bill in February that mandated a $300 minimum fine for low-level marijuana possession. Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, it made the mandatory minimum financial punishment worse for a joint than for, say, attempted strangulation, the Statesman reported. Guess how many Idahoans that unusually stiff minimum fine will prevent from day-tripping over to Ontario to buy legal weed? ZERO. Cannabis is everywhere in the Treasure Valley. The law is flat-out stoopid. Town hall chaos in North Idaho In February, a Post Falls woman was forcibly removed from a Coeur dAlene town hall organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Shed been heckling legislators and refused to leave. Unidentified plainclothes dudes then dragged her out of the high school auditorium while other Idahoans watched some in amusement, others not so much. Naturally, theres viral video. The jaw-dropping mess was not a good look for the Kootenai County sheriff. And a December trial in the aftermath wound up with a mixed verdict for the owner of a local security company, Lear Asset Management. I probably wouldnt hire those bros for my next block party. Teresa Borrenpohl of Post Falls was dragged out of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committees Legislative Town Hall. (Hailey Hill/Coeur d'Alene Press) Idaho: the firing squad state It was pretty embarrassing or horrifying in 2024 when Idaho botched the lethal-injection execution of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech (like, eight times). So our ingenious answer is to make Idaho the only state with firing squad as its preferred execution method? Advertisement Advertisement Thats what happened after Gov. Little signed it into law in 2025. Firing squad might be effective in the end, but it feels barbaric. An autopsy of the most recent execution by firing squad, in South Carolina, showed that the shooters missed the convicted killers heart. A pathologists analysis said the inmate experienced excruciating conscious pain and suffering for about 30 to 60 seconds after he was shot, according to NPR. This is Idaho. Unless the convict is holding a road sign, our firing squad might miss the entire body. Zip-tied kids in Wilder It doesnt matter how you feel about undocumented immigrants. Zip-tying children is wrong. Using an investigation into an alleged illegal horse-betting scheme as cover, hundreds of law enforcement officers stormed Canyon Countys La Catedral Arena, which is popular among Latino residents. At the event, the Idaho Statesman reported, which saw hundreds of people in attendance, law enforcement restrained individuals and set up tents to question them about their immigration status. By the end, ICE said its agents arrested over 100 illegal aliens. In the days after the raid, the Idaho Statesman spoke with three families of those detained at La Catedral who said their 13- and 14-year-olds were zip-tied. The ACLU and immigration attorneys also shared photos of children who had marks on their wrists where they had been restrained. Advertisement Advertisement Truly sick stuff, Idaho. A boy shows off marks left behind by zip-ties at the October raid in Wilder where hundreds of people were initially detained, including children. (ACLU of Idaho) Everyone is welcome in Idaho? Nope In national-news humiliation, a Meridian middle school teacher inadvertently triggered a firestorm by refusing to remove two signs that had been in her classroom for four years. You know the ubiquitous one: Everyone is welcome here, featuring hands of different skin tones. That inclusive message was simply too much for the West Ada School District, which told the Statesman it was concerned the signs might inadvertently create division or controversy. By the time it was all over, Idahos House Bill 41 had gone into effect, outlawing flags or banners depicting a political viewpoint from schools. And Idahos attorney general had weighed in, claiming the welcome sign was somehow political. (Gimme a break.) In the end, the teacher accepted a job with the Boise School District, which still allows the innocuous sign. Shawn Wright, owner of Brigade Screen Printing, and staff work with a small army of volunteers printing Everyone is welcome here shirts. After word from the West Ada School District saying posters with the same slogan were to be taken down in classrooms, orders for the shirts flooded the print shop in East Boise. (Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com) A political game of capture the flag Signs. Flags. And more Heather Scott! In another bucket of nonsense she sponsored, the Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 96, which limits the kinds of unofficial flags that state and local governments can display. Utah passed a similar measure. Advertisement Advertisement As a runaround, local leaders in Boise and Salt Lake City adopted new official city flags to run up the pole. In Boise, the City Council designated the rainbow Pride flag and a flag promoting organ donation as official city flags, The New York Times noted in some of the national coverage drawn by this vapid debacle. One of my favorite headlines? In Boise, Idaho, a political game of capture the flag. Boise 1, Idaho Legislature 0. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Two people were killed and six others injured in a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church Wednesday night while mourners were attending a memorial service inside, police said. The shooting took place in the back parking lot of a house of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Utah-based faith known widely as the Mormon church. Authorities said no suspect was in custody Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement All the victims were adults. At least three of the injured were in critical condition, police said. Police said they do not believe the shooter had any animus toward a particular faith. They also don't think the shooting was random. We dont believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said. The red brick church in the northwest Salt Lake City neighborhood mostly serves Tongan congregants and holds regular worship services in their native tongue, according to its website. Upon hearing gunshots, residents from a low-income housing complex next to the church flooded outside to help victims and console dozens of people who had been attending a funeral for a person who was not identified. Advertisement Advertisement Brennan McIntire said he and his wife, Kenna, heard several loud gunshots from their apartment next to the church parking lot while watching TV. He jumped off the couch and ran outside in flip-flop sandals to see what happened. As soon as I came over, I see someone on the ground, he said. People are attending to him and crying and arguing. Kenna McIntire came outside soon after and was rattled at the sight of first responders lifting an unconscious woman into an ambulance while people huddled around and sobbed. The couple said they hear gunshots in their neighborhood almost daily, but never right outside their door. Advertisement Advertisement It was really heartbreaking to hear and see, she said. About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead. Neighbors huddled in blankets next to a taco truck, watching the officers work and waiting for updates. Police said they were reviewing license plate readers and surveillance videos from nearby businesses in their search for a suspect. This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. The church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, was cooperating with law enforcement and said it was grateful for first responders' quick efforts. Advertisement Advertisement We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind, church spokesperson Sam Penrod said. About half of Utahs 3.5 million residents are members of the faith. Houses of worship like the one where the shooting occurred can be found tucked into neighborhoods around the city and state. The faith has been on heightened alert since four people were killed when a former Marine opened fire in a Michigan church in September and set it ablaze. The FBI found that he was motivated by anti-religious beliefs against Latter-day Saints. ___ The story has been updated to correct that a shooting at a church in Michigan took place in September, not last month. ___ Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents confronted and shot a man and a woman Thursday afternoon in a medical clinic parking lot near Adventist Health hospital in Southeast Portland, authorities and witnesses said. The man was wounded in the arm or leg and the woman in the chest, according to dispatch audio and Portland police sources. They are believed to be a married couple. Police said they didnt know their conditions. The shooting occurred about 2:15 p.m. at Adventist Healths Medical Office 3 building at 10201 S.E. Main St. as federal officers tried to box in a truck that had driven into the lot, police and a witness said. Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, said agents were trying to make a traffic stop at the time of the shooting. She characterized it as self-defense. She said agents had targeted one of the trucks occupants as a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The driver was a Tren de Aragua member, she said. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, she said. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming. She didnt release any names. Advertisement Advertisement The FBI released a statement saying its Portland office is investigating an assault on federal officers ... involving two Customs and Border Patrol agents. The two assailants fled the scene immediately following the shooting and are currently being treated for their injuries, the statement said. Oregons Attorney General Dan Rayfield said Thursday night that he was opening a formal investigation into the shooting. We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally, Rayfield said in a statement. We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties. Advertisement Advertisement Few details have emerged so far about what led to the the shooting as hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Portland City Hall and community leaders held a news conference to decry the violence. The latest Japhet De Oliveira, a spokesperson for Adventist Health, said police responded to the shooting in the Adventist Health Portland campus in an area with several clinics and offices. Tina Henderson, who works in the medical office at the shooting scene, said someone ran into her suite and said, You guys, be careful. There was just a shooting in the parking lot. Advertisement Advertisement A man who was at the medical building said he saw federal officers follow a Toyota truck into the parking lot of the office building and try to corner it. One officer pounded on the window, he said. The driver then backed up and moved forward at least a couple of times, striking a car behind him, before turning and speeding off, said the man who gave only his first name. Its not clear if the car hit by the truck belonged to the federal officers. Officers fired about five shots at the truck as it left, the witness said. Portland police said they received two calls one at the medical office and then one about 40 blocks away in Northeast Portland, where they found a man and woman with gunshot wounds at Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside. Advertisement Advertisement Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel, police said in a statement. The patients were transported to the hospital. Police Chief Bob Day urged residents to stay calm as we work to learn more. We are still in the early stages of this incident, he said. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis. READ MORE: Oregon leaders react to shooting by federal agents in Portland On Wednesday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman who had been observing immigration agents when they said she pulled forward in her car. Advertisement Advertisement Portland Mayor Keith Wilson condemned the shootings and called on federal immigration officials to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed. Just one day after the horrific violence in Minnesota at the hands of federal agents, our community here in Portland is now grappling with another deeply troubling incident, Wilson said in a statement. We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences, he said. Gov. Tina Kotek appeared later at a news conference with Wilson and other political and community leaders and demanded that federal authorities launch a full investigation and not more detentions. Advertisement Advertisement Oregonians deserve clear answers, she said. Oregonian reporters Noelle Crombie, Kristine de Leon, Yesenia Amaro and Jonathan Bach contributed to this story. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The third time won't be the charm for Stacey Abrams, at least in 2026. The two-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee in battleground Georgia is ruling out another run for governor this year, saying that instead she'll focus on her work fighting what she warns is the nation's move toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump. "Americans are in pain but they are ready to act, and now is the moment to reconnect to what is at stake and what is possible," Abrams said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Its clear to me that the most effective way I can serve right now is by continuing to do this important work. For that reason, I will not seek elected office in 2026." Advertisement Advertisement Abrams, a former Democratic Party leader in the Georgia state legislature and a nationally known voting-rights advocate, narrowly lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election. She lost her 2022 rematch with Kemp by nearly eight points. Flashback: Stacey Abrams Mulls Third Straight Run For Georgia Governor Stacey Abrams, seen here at Georgia State University on Nov. 7, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia, will not run for governor in 2026. (Getty Images) Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last spring that Abrams was mulling a third straight run for governor in the race to succeed the now-term-limited Kemp. Read On The Fox News App Abrams grabbed plenty of national attention during the 2018 Georgia race, and came close to making history as the nation's first Black female elected governor. Her refusal to concede to Kemp after losing by a razor-thin margin boosted her among many Democrats while becoming a top GOP political target. Advertisement Advertisement Josh Shapiro Launches 2026 Gubernatorial Re-election Campaign As 2028 White House Buzz Swirls She launched the Fair Fight political organization following her defeat, helped Biden narrowly carry Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, and also contributed to the sweep by the Democrats in the Jan. 5, 2021 twin Senate runoff elections. Abrams raised over $110 million in fundraising for her 2022 rematch with Kemp, but was soundly defeated by the Republican incumbent. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, seen speaking with Fox News Digital during his 2022 re-election campaign, is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026. In recent years, the political machine Abrams built has faded. The Abrams-founded New Georgia Project folded last year after being fined $300,000 for illegally backing her 2018 campaign. Advertisement Advertisement And while Abrams last year considered a 2026 gubernatorial run, other Democratic candidates jumped into the race. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement during former President Joe Biden's administration, is widely seen as the front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Fraud Fallout Forces Walz To Abandon Gubernatorial Re-election Bid Also running for the Democratic nomination is former Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan, who was elected in 2018 but declined to seek re-election in 2022. The former Republican is now a moderate Democrat. Former state Rep. Ruwa Romman and former Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond are also in the race. Advertisement Advertisement In the race for the Republican nomination, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has the backing of President Donald Trump. The field also includes Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The Cook Report, a leading non-partisan political handicapper, rates the race a toss-up, while Inside Elections rates it as tilt Republican and Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it as lean Republican. Abrams, in her statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said she'll keep her focus on the fight to protect democracy. "The antidote to authoritarianism and its harms has always been democracy; and I have long believed that democracy requires active engagement and staunch defenders," she wrote."But democracy is experienced by the vast majority through the work of government when it fails, we are all imperiled." Original article source: After 2 straight losses, Democrat Stacey Abrams sits out 2026 race for Georgia governor A three-alarm fire in Passaic, New Jersey spread to at least two homes early Friday. The fire broke out in the Hope Avenue homes at around 5:45 a.m. Firefighters were working to stop the flames from spreading to more homes. One resident was pulled from a second-floor apartment. He was being treated for smoke inhalation. Residents from 158, 160 and 164 Hope Avenue were evacuated. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More New Jersey news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Jan. 9 (UPI) -- At least four people were killed and 19 injured after Russia launched large-scale strikes against Kyiv and across Ukraine overnight, with Moscow admitting it used a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile for only the second time ever. The fatalities, all in Kyiv, included a paramedic who was killed when an apartment building where he was treating people in Darnytskyi district in the east of the capital was hit again in a so-called "double tap" strike that also injured four other paramedics, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. At least four neighborhoods were targeted with drones, damaging at least 20 residential buildings, as well as commercial buildings, in the Dniprovskyi, Pechersk and Desnianskyi districts and a fire in the Shevchenkivsky district. Advertisement Advertisement The power and water supply were also interrupted in parts of the city amid heavy snowfall and temperatures of 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Metro services linking west and east Kyiv under the Dnipro River were also affected. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an online post that the Embassy of Qatar was damaged in the attacks involving 242 drones and 35 ballistic and cruise missiles targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure across the surrounding Kyiv and Chernihiv regions and in the far western Lviv province, which was hit with an Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate range ballistic missile. It is believed the IRBM's target was believed to be a 17 billion cubic meter underground gas storage facility south of Lviv, providing more than half of Ukraine's total gas storage capacity. The site is around 50 miles from the Polish border. The Russian Defense Ministry said it had deployed the weapon as part of a "massive high-precision long-range land-and sea-based weapons strike" against critical Ukrainian targets in retaliation for a Dec. 29 attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's state residence. Advertisement Advertisement In a statement published by the state-run TASS news agency, the ministry said the strike achieved its goals of hitting "facilities for producing drones used in the terrorist attack, as well as energy infrastructure supporting the operation of Ukraine's military-industrial complex." "Any terrorist acts by the criminal Ukrainian regime will continue to be met with a response," said the ministry. Kyiv and Washington have previously said the alleged attack on Putin's house in Novgorod province, northwest of Moscow, never happened. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called Russia's reported use of the experimental missile "a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and the United States." Advertisement Advertisement "Putin doesn't want peace, Russia's reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction. This deadly pattern of recurring major Russian strikes will repeat itself until we help Ukraine break it," she wrote on X. Kallas urged EU countries to send more of their air defense stockpiles to Ukraine immediately and impose tougher sanctions and other measures to push up the cost of the war for Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the use of a hypersonic missile in a post on X, saying it was a threat to Europe and beyond and called Moscow's justification "absurd." "Such a strike close to the EU and NATO border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russia's reckless actions. We are informing the United States, European partners, and all countries and international organizations about the details of this dangerous strike through diplomatic channels. Advertisement Advertisement "It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake 'Putin residence attack'. More proof that Moscow does not need any real reasons for its terror and war," added Sybiha. With a 17,000 mph top speed and 3,400 mile-maximum range during which they go sub-orbital and, like long-range Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, can be configured to deliver nuclear or conventional warheads. The first reported use of an Oreshnik missile was against an aerospace plant in Dnipropetrovsk in November 2024 with Putin calling it "a combat test" in response to Ukraine using U.S. and British long-range missiles after then-U.S. President Joe Biden lifted restrictions on Army Tactical Missile Systems being used to attack Russian territory. Putin said Russia had been forced to respond to "NATO's aggressive actions" and that threat levels to the security of the Russian Federation would determine the selection of subsequent test targets of the weapon for which he claimed there was no effective defense. Advertisement Advertisement "We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow others to use their weapons against our facilities, and in case of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond decisively and in mirror-like manner," he said. Putin also asserted the right to attack Western countries that give Ukraine long-range defense weapons to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If you were compiling a list of the countries that would repel most travellers, then Yemen would have to be near the top. For much of the past 10 years, the Middle Eastern nation, which sits just south of Saudi Arabia, has veered between civil wars and humanitarian crises. Amid the chaos, Yemen also has Socotra: an unblemished island, sitting some 200 miles off the coast in the middle of the Arabian Sea. While it is officially part of Yemens internationally recognised borders, its distinctive geography and demographics (the islanders speak their own dialect and are generally known as Socotrans) have kept it isolated from the conflict and helped it blossom into one of the worlds least likely tourism hotspots. You may have seen Socotra. The islands otherworldly fauna including the alien-looking dragons blood trees, which are famous for their scarlet resin have become a bit of a travel trend on Instagram. That, in turn, has triggered a cottage industry of adventure-focused travel companies offering guided tours of the island despite the Foreign Office (FCDO) advising against all travel to Yemen, including Socotra. Socotras distinctive dragons blood trees are native to the island - Luke Mackenzie The main reason people go to Socotra is that its beautiful its often called the Galapagos of the Middle East with a vast array of stunning landscapes, including long white-sand beaches, mountain ranges, freshwater lagoons and protected marine nature reserves, says James Willcox, founder of Untamed Borders, which runs group and private tours to numerous adventurous destinations, including both Socotra and the Yemeni mainland. Trouble in paradise Now the Socotra story has taken another twist, as the escalating security situation in Yemen (including the proxy conflict between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the UAE) has seen flights grounded. According to media reports, some 400 tourists, mainly from the West, have ended up stranded on the island. Without any consulates on the ground, most are now dependent on tour guides to keep them safe and sheltered. Tourists gather outside the closed office of Yemenia Airways on Socotra this week - Photo by STRINGER/EPA/Shutterstock With only a handful of hotels on the island most of them several hours from the best nature sites camping tends to be a common part of the Socotra experience at the best of times. When flights were grounded, the island soon became peppered with small encampments, each containing dozens of tourists braving the elements. Advertisement Advertisement When our group leader broke the news that our flight was cancelled, it was a mixed bag of emotions, not least as I have family and pets back at home, says Adrian Yap, a Singaporean national currently on a group tour on the island. Nevertheless, he insists that being stranded on Socotra has its upsides. Weve been able to explore a bit more beneath the surface and meet some of the villagers too. I also got to sleep underneath the dragons blood trees. Adrian Yap (second from left) is among those currently stuck on Socotra The agency I booked with [Safar Expeditions] handled the situation with a lot of care. They kept me informed and did everything possible to support me with food and shelter, says one British traveller who ventured to Socotra as a holiday from her job in Qatar. Like other travellers, she was broadly abreast of Yemens travails before deciding to head to Socotra but figured the island would be safe. In fairness, the chances of the island being drawn into the conflict probably havent changed. But that doesnt mean that the current security situation wont affect the island. The vast majority of flights in and out of Socotra emanate from the UAE, which has invested in the island since the outbreak of Yemens civil war as part of its wider plan to back the South Yemen separatist government. Stranded tourists chat at a hotel on Socotra - REUTERS Now the UAE finds itself at loggerheads with regional neighbour Saudi Arabia. Last week, the Saudis bombed what they said was a shipment of weapons in the Yemeni port of Mukalla, which they claimed was being sent by the UAE to separatist forces. This prompted the UAE to withdraw some troops from Yemen. Given that the Emiratis have been integral to Socotras tourism industry (with three weekly flights from Abu Dhabi), their withdrawal could lead to longer disruption for tour operators. Advertisement Advertisement The current plan is to get tourists onto flights heading to the Saudi city of Jeddah, says tour operator Nicole Smoot from Safar Expeditions. From there, travellers would be able to connect on direct routes back to Europe, or on connecting flights back to the US. But with hundreds of adventure-seekers reported to be on Socotra, it may take a few goes. Advice unheeded Should travellers have been so quick to flock there in the first place? The FCDO has long advised against travel to Yemen, although some local tour groups clearly consider Socotras inclusion to be an oversight. The island of Socotra, due to its remoteness and location, is completely safe for tourists, reads the advice from locally based operator Tour Socotra. Travellers are advised to obtain specialist travel insurance and to prepare for contingencies. Given the risks of monsoons, flight cancellations arent exactly unknown at the best of times, says James Willcox. We always advise anyone going to Socotra to bring extra medication, for example, in case you end up spending longer on the island than you planned. Tour operators insist that Socotras location make it safe for travel - iStockphoto As for the future of Socotra tourism, it probably wont be long before the Instagram adventurers return. Even if the UAE were to withdraw from Yemen, there is every chance another airline would pick up the golden ticket. Before UAE-based Air Arabia became the main carrier, it was the local airline Yemenia that was the go-to route for adventure tourists. Some even arranged private flights. Advertisement Advertisement Thats the thing about these breathtaking bucket-list spots: a certain type of traveller is more than willing to jump through a few hoops in order to see them. If that means having to run roughshod over FCDO travel advice and potentially spend a few extra nights sleeping under the stars, then so be it or at least thats what the Socotra fans will tell you. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. A 550-pound bear that had been living beneath a California mans home for over a month has finally left after a bizarre strategy ended a long streak of failed removal attempts by state officials. The male black bear was reportedly removed from the crawl space Tuesday after bear-removal experts from Tahoe traveled to the Altadena home. One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday. According to surveillance video, the large bear has been wedging itself in and out of a small crawl space beneath Ken Johnsons house since late November. Johnson said that the animal caused extensive damage to his home, costing tens of thousands of dollars. It also created a dangerous, unlivable situation involving structural and gas line issues. Advertisement Advertisement "Right after surviving the Eaton fire, I lost my job, and shortly after that the bear began tearing into the structure of my home," Johnson said in a GoFundMe page. "I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe." Bear Remains Under California Home After Weeks Of Failed Removal Attempts A 550-pound bear finally scurries away after a wildlife expert crawls under the home to flush it out. (Fox News) The bear eviction finally took place after Johnson contacted BEAR League, an organization that specializes in bear removal emergencies in Lake Tahoe, located seven hours north of Altadena. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the organization was "pleased to have helped Ken Johnson with this bear." "A Southern California homeowner had a large male bear living under his house for more than a month before reaching out to the BEAR League for help," the organization added in a post on Facebook on Thursday. BEAR League told Fox News Digital that the league used paintballs filled with vegetable oil that hit the bear in the backside. The wildlife rescue group reportedly finished the job in less than 20 minutes. Wild Bear Makes 'Very Polite' Surprise Visit To California Zoo Before Returning To Forest Surveillance video has captured a large bear squeezing itself into a new home. "After earlier removal attempts by state wildlife officials were unsuccessful, BEAR League first responders Scott and Dave traveled to the Los Angeles area to assist," the organization added. "Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the homefully aware the bear was still thereto get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawl space opening." Advertisement Advertisement To prevent the bear from denning in the crawl space again, the organization said it "loaned electric unwelcome mats to give the homeowner time to make repairs and secure the crawl space to prevent another visit." Click Here To Download The Fox News App According to social media footage posted by the organization, the mat worked just as designed, and the bear scurried away when it returned. BEAR League emphasized that residents should be cautious about having open crawl spaces, noting that properly securing them helps people coexist safely with wildlife. "We remind those who live in bear country that a poorly-secured crawl space is an open invitation for a winter visitor like this bear," the league said to Fox News Digital. "BEAR League responds multiple times per day at this time of year to evict bears from under homes in the Lake Tahoe region, and weve done so for 30 years without cost to the homeowner. We work hard to educate people who share space with the bears that if humans take some very simple steps, they can live in harmony with the bears." Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays success ended a long streak of failed eviction attempts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which had been trying to remove the bear for over a month. At one point, a trap even caught the wrong bear. Efforts that included bait, noisemakers and even a trap that caught the wrong bear all failed. Original article source: 550-pound bear finally evicted from California home after bizarre strategy ends monthlong ordeal The Venezuelan government has released just nine prisoners following an announcement by the authorities in Caracas that a large number of political prisoners would be freed, the Foro Penal human rights organization said on Friday. Foro Penal said the number released represented around 1% of the 800 it believes are being held in Venezuela's prisons. It added that neither the prominent opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa nor Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of opposition politician Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, were among those freed. Both had been mentioned in media reports as likely candidates for release. Advertisement Advertisement Guanipa's family accused the government of breaking its promise. "The remnants of the Maduro regime are not keeping their word," they said on X. "Delcy Rodriguez, stop playing games and order your people to release all political prisoners immediately," they said in remarks addressed directly to the acting president. On Thursday, the government in Caracas said it would free Venezuelan and foreign prisoners without specifying a number or publishing a list of names. Jorge Rodriguez, president of the Venezuelan parliament and the president's brother, merely mentioned a large number. He described the measure as a gesture in the quest for "peace." Rights organizations have for years criticized arbitrary arrest and opaque conditions of imprisonment in Venezuela. The El Helicoide prison in Caracas is seen as a particular symbol of state repression, with former inmates reporting abuse and torture of opposition activists. Traders and investors (especially retail) will face a dizzying array of new and newly-accessible crypto and blockchain-related products in 2026, particularly in the United States. Tokens (via CEXs and DEXs), ETFs on tokens, tokens on equities, prediction markets, DATs, structured products, yield products, 2nd-gen NFTs ... the list goes on. Hamstrung by the statutory capital price tag of holding crypto, banks have allowed the crypto-native community another headstart year to drive adoption and innovation. Whether or not some banks skepticism of crypto is earnest or circumstantial, we expect that they will merge onto the road with more force and presence in 2026. Demand from clients, maintaining competitiveness, and sheer revenue potential will make any other choice unappealing. For 2026, here are some topics of thematic development we expect (and will be glad to see). Breadth and more broad-based rallies to create better definition of the digital asset class. We did see some evidence of this in Q2 and Q3, but more of this is needed: more broad-based rallies and more definition. Bitcoin adoption momentum to accelerate, which we noted in ETF holdership, DATs, and early structured products. If 2025 reminded us of anything, its that price or growth predictions can go awry. We prefer to focus on the thematic developmentprogress that investors and traders can look forward to and track to help deepen their conviction to deploy capital in digital assets. In 2025, we expected: Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option In todays newsletter, Andy Baehr from CoinDesk Indices provides his 2026 crypto outlook covering banks, bitcoin, privacy and the abundance of product choice. In Ask an Expert, I cover top trends advisors need to know heading into this year. Andreessen Horowitz declared 2025 as the year crypto went mainstream , and for good reason. Traditional finance (TradFi) isn't just watching from afar anymore; its undergoing a massive structural upgrade. We are now seeing blockchain move from a niche experiment to the base layer for financial systems because of its undeniable efficiency and transparency. Happy New Year!. As we enter 2026, the question for wealth management has fundamentally shifted. It is no longer "will digital assets matter?" but rather "can your firm afford to be the one that says no?" Story Continues Furthermore, retention of assets on-chain via stablecoin and tokenized yield product wallets will draw new users into the fold. How many more friends will split dinner checks with USDC? On the other end of the scale, now many more regulated futures contracts will be collateralized with USDC? The breadth of new crypto-linked ETFs, while offering maximum opportunities to traders, may overwhelm longer-term investors and their advisors (our designated 5%ers), who simply want to track crypto. We expect (self-referentially) that indexed financial productsETFs, listed derivatives, structured products, and tokenized basketswill become more available, broadly-referenced, and utilized. The winning index(es), which we predict will be CoinDesk 20 and CoinDesk 5, will become new liquidity engines for constituents. Bitcoin and everything else Bitcoins relative simplicity, internally-consistent use and investment cases, tenure, and US ETF head start have led it to represent crypto and the crypto market. High historical correlations between bitcoin and other crypto assets have supported this shorthanding. In 2025, the focus on stablecoins, top Layer 1 protocols Ethereum and Solana, and staking have helped pave the educational road for new crypto adopters. Good progress has been made there, to help reinforce the intuition of bitcoin being one thing, and much of the rest of the digital asset class being something else. We expect bitcoins correlation to the CoinDesk 20 Index to decline in the future (despite bitcoin being its largest constituent). We note that the 90-day correlation fell to around 0.80 during the height of the market in Q3, before ending the year above 0.95. We see lower correlations as a sign of health and greater opportunity. Spotlight on privacy Privacy has been a controversial topic in crypto. Not only does privacy violate the original spirit of bitcoin and cryptoradical decentralizationbut has helped feed the crypto is used by criminals narrative (at times justifiably). Ultimately, a financial system without privacy is untenable, and integration into traditional markets will require accommodation. 2025 saw the progress made by semi-privacy solutions such as Canton take greater root. On the other end of the scale, Zcashs spectacular 10x return in Q4 (in an aforementioned soft tape) reminded us that the voices of the enthusiasts can often be the loudest. For more, read the full Digital Assets: Quarterly Review and Outlook. - Andy Baehr, CFA, head of product and research, CoinDesk Indices Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option Ask an Expert Q. What should advisors know going into 2026? We are currently facing a "triple threat" that is reshaping how money moves, how assets are held, and how clients expect to be served: Stablecoins: The worlds largest payment systems Mastercard, Visa, and SWIFT are already integrating blockchain and stablecoin payment rails. Money is now moving on-chain in minutes versus days, with a level of transparency that replaces the historical "black hole" of traditional wire transfers. Tokenization: From private equity to real estate, the "everything on-chain" movement is here. Tokenization is providing the fractional ownership and liquidity that legacy systems simply can't match. Crypto Access: The largest asset manager in the world, BlackRock, has declared its bitcoin ETF (IBIT) as its biggest revenue generator and its only two years old. Q. What should advisors know now that the banks will be offering crypto? Wall Streets most prominent crypto skeptics have pivoted. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, once a vocal critic, conceded in late 2025 that "crypto is real" and that blockchain, stablecoins, and smart contracts are genuine innovations that will be used "by all of us to facilitate better transactions" (Coincub, 2025). Major global institutions like BVBA, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley have officially moved beyond the "1% experiment." Their investment committees are now recommending 14% portfolio allocations to digital assets for high-net-worth clients (TradingView, 2025). The verdict: For advisors, the "career risk" has flipped. The danger is no longer in participation; the danger is now in under-allocation. Q. What country is leading the bitcoin charge? Based on the latest 13F filings, U.S. companies are leading the charge. While adoption isn't just a U.S. story, American institutions are dominating the top 10 list. Core items to note: BlackRock's IBIT remains the commanding leader in the ETF space, reaching $50 billion in AUM in record time and accounting for approximately 59% of all spot bitcoin ETF assets as of late 2025. Strategy Inc. (MicroStrategy) continues its aggressive accumulation, with its total holdings representing over 3% of the total Bitcoin supply. Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) significantly expanded their positions in late 2025, more than tripling their stakes in BlackRocks IBIT as part of a long-term "digital gold" diversification strategy. Q. What's the most critical item facing advisors? The most critical data point for the 2026 outlook isn't a price target its a client demand metric. 82% of investors now state they are more likely to work with an advisor who offers digital asset guidance (InvestmentNews, 2025). Clients are no longer asking if they should buy bitcoin; they are asking how to secure it, how to report it for taxes, and how to integrate it into their estate plans. As Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley turn on direct access for their 15,000+ advisors this year, the competition for these assets will be fierce. - Sarah Morton Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option Keep Reading Over a dozen major international charities have urged the UK Government to take action on Sudan, calling its leadership of efforts to end the conflict inconsistent. After 1,000 days of fighting marked by mass rape, starvation and ethnic slaughter, leading aid organisations including Save the Children, Oxfam and Action Against Hunger say Britain must act now to prevent further catastrophe. The nearly three-year conflict has displaced 14 million from their homes, killed as many as 400,000 people, triggered famine across several regions and unleashed what the UN has called the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Advertisement Advertisement The UK government has a key role to play in resolving the crisis because it is the UN security councils penholder on the country and leads the negotiation and drafting of resolutions, putting it in a unique position to drive action. Among its calls for action are: Push for an immediate, nationwide ceasefire Increase funding to local aid groups to help stop the spread of hunger Work with neighbouring countries to increase humanitarian assistance to refugees However, the charities said ministerial changes, funding cuts, departmental upheaval and shifting political priorities had repeatedly knocked Sudan off the agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Sudan cannot be allowed to fade into another forgotten crisis, worse, a neglected one, said Samy Guissebi, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Sudan. The scale of suffering is immense, and we have witnessed the exhaustion and fear etched into the faces of people arriving in search of food, shelter and safetywe cannot do this alone. The appeal comes amid reports that, despite having been warned of a looming disaster in the city of El Fasher in late October, the UK government opted for the least ambitious approach to preventing atrocities, citing resource constraints. At least 60,000 people were killed in the three-week massacre that came after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of committing genocide, seized the city. It has been described by analysts as the largest single mass killing since the Rwandan genocide of the 1990s. Advertisement Advertisement British-made military equipment has also reportedly made its way into the hands of the RSF, allegedly via the United Arab Emirates, which has long been accused of arming the paramilitary group. The UK government has previously been criticised for failing to make progress on Sudan. Last April, a global summit on Sudan held in London by David Lammy, the then foreign minister, failed to establish an international contact group to facilitate ceasefire talks. The summit took place against the backdrop of one of the deadliest episodes of the war, when the RSF attacked the sprawling, famine-stricken Zamzam displacement camp, killing at least 1,000 people, according to the UN. Advertisement Advertisement Critics argued Mr Lammy could have pressured the UAE, which attended the conference and has repeatedly been accused of funnelling arms to the RSF, by threatening exclusion unless the violence stopped. In the end, the conferences final statement did not mention Zamzam or Darfur, leading some campaigners and aid groups to believe that the massacre was being sidelined deliberately. In the wake of the conference, Mr Lammy stressed that the key barrier to ending the war was not a lack of funding or UN mechanisms, but a lack of political will. Activists and experts have accused the UK of lacking influence and ambition in Sudan, arguing that its efforts are being stymied by its close economic and political ties to the UAE. Advertisement Advertisement But Dr Kate Ferguson, co-executive director of Protection Approaches and an expert on preventing mass violence, rejected suggestions that the UK lacks influence and said it should focus its effort on protecting civilians. There are so many things the UK can do, and moments where it has indeed stepped forward. It can take just a couple of extra degrees of leadership to galvanise momentum. But leadership and pressure need to be consistent, she said. Civilian protection and atrocity prevention are political efforts that require commitment, creativity and consistency, she told The Telegraph. This is where the government must focus its efforts and it is well placed to do so. A Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Sudan, having committed over 146 million over the last year. Advertisement Advertisement The UK continues to press all sides to protect civilians and end the war, and Ministers have been working tirelessly towards those goals over the past year, they said. The spokesman added that the UK has one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world and denied that British weapons are being used in Sudan, saying there are no current export licences for the equipment reported on in recent media. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. The Department of the Air Force has named five officials to lead some of its most critical programs as its first portfolio acquisition executives. The executives will have more authority to make important decisions and speed up the procurement process. The officials, who were formerly program executive officers, will oversee the Air Forces command, control, communications and battle management; fighters and advanced aircraft; nuclear command, control and communications; propulsion; and weapons sectors, the department said in a Thursday announcement. These moves are the first of a slate of changes to the Air Forces acquisition processes intended to get new weapons systems in the hands of warfighters faster, and open up more opportunities to smaller and non-traditional businesses. They follow the new approach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined in a November speech to turn the Pentagons sluggish procurement process into a more nimble Warfighting Acquisition System. Advertisement Advertisement This transformation is a generational opportunity for the Department of the Air Force, Air Force Sec. Troy Meink said in the Thursday statement. It enables us to holistically reform our enterprise from requirements, to acquisition, to test in order to support the rapid and efficient development of our warfighting capabilities in order to get the operators what they need, when they need it. The new cadre of PAEs will be solely responsible for how their portfolios perform, Hegseth said in his November speech at the National War College in Washington, and will have the authority to act without running through months or even years of approval chains. They will have the power to decide how best to balance cost, schedule and performance of a new system, with an eye toward getting those systems out quicker and better mission performance, he said. Meink pledged to ensure those portfolio executives and their teams have the authority, the resources and the talent to carry out their missions successfully. These PEOs-turned-PAEs are in charge of vital programs the Air Force sees as necessary to fight and win a future war. Brig. Gen. Jason Voorheis, for example, has been the PEO for fighters and advanced aircraft, and is in charge of programs such as the drone wingmen fleet known as collaborative combat aircraft and the next-generation F-47 fighter. Advertisement Advertisement The Air Force said these changes will empower its workforce, streamline processes, strengthen partnerships with industry, and better integrate how the service manages its portfolios. This acquisition transformation is not just about buying things faster, William Bailey, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. Its a fundamental overhaul of our culture to empower our airmen, unleash innovation, and deliver the integrated capabilities we need to deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries. Bailey said that changing PEOs into PAEs will push the authority and accountability down to the mission level. We are telling our leaders, You own this mission set, Bailey said. For the airman on the flightline, this means getting the tools they need before they become obsolete. The move unlocks their expertise, cuts through bureaucracy, and ensures our acquisition enterprise is fully integrated with the warfighters needs at all times. Advertisement Advertisement The Space Force has also decided to name space access as well as space based sensing and targeting as the first mission areas to be assigned portfolio acquisition executives. Acquisition is now a warfighting function, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Forces acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration. Our commercial first approach allows us to harness the incredible innovation happening in the private sector, getting cutting-edge technology into the hands of our guardians at the speed of a startup, not a bureaucracy. This is how we maintain our edge. Purdy said the Space Force will use iterative development a process where a new system is refined and improved in repeated phases, rather than waiting for it to be completely done before delivery and rapid fielding to get systems in use quicker. Speed with discipline is our mantra, Purdy said. We continue to empower our acquisition corps to be experts who can manage risk and deliver capability through rapid, iterative cycles. By Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's launch of an Oreshnik hypersonic missile appears aimed at intimidating Ukraine and sending a signal of Russian military might to Europe and the United States at a crucial juncture in talks to end the war. Putin has repeatedly boasted of the speed and destructive power of the Oreshnik, which Russia first fired at Ukraine in November 2024. Since then, it has kept the weapon in reserve. Advertisement Advertisement The overnight Oreshnik strike in western Ukraine came after a week of setbacks for Russia. On Saturday, President Donald Trump sent U.S. special forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a close Putin ally, and on Wednesday U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the north Atlantic. On Tuesday, Britain and France announced plans to deploy troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire - prompting Moscow to respond that it would view foreign soldiers as legitimate combat targets. Gerhard Mangott, a Russia specialist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, said Moscow was frustrated at being sidelined during weeks of diplomacy between the U.S., Ukraine and the Europeans, and "particularly mad" about the planned potential troop deployment by Kyiv's European allies. The use of the Oreshnik should be seen in that context, he said. "It's a signal to the United States and the Europeans about the military capabilities of the Russian army," Mangott said in a telephone interview. Advertisement Advertisement He said Moscow wanted to convey that "Russia is to be taken seriously, given its military arsenal, and that the Europeans and Trump should return to a minimum of respect for the Russian position in the negotiations." 'DESTRUCTION NOT NECESSARILY THE GOAL' The Oreshnik is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional warheads, although there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to the latest attack. A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that the missile struck a state enterprise in the western city of Lviv and was likely carrying inert or "dummy" warheads - as in 2024, when Russia first fired it to test the weapon in war. Advertisement Advertisement "It does appear that at this point Russia is using Oreshnik for signaling purposes, so the destruction is not necessarily the goal," Pavel Podvig, director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project, told Reuters when asked if the use of dummy warheads would diminish the capacity of Moscow's action to intimidate Ukraine and its allies. "It's probably a general signal of resolve to escalate. My guess is that it will be read this way by the West," he said. Western reaction to the attack, around 60 km (40 miles) from Ukraine's border with NATO member Poland, was swift. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany called it "escalatory and unacceptable". European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was "a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S.". RUSSIAN STATEMENT ON REASON FOR MISSILE USE DRAWS SCEPTICISM Advertisement Advertisement Russia specialist Mangott was sceptical about the official statement from Russia's Defence Ministry that the Oreshnik launch was in response to an alleged Ukraine drone strike targeting one of Putin's residences, in the northern region of Novgorod, late last month. Ukraine has denied any such attack took place, accusing Moscow of lying about it in order to derail peace talks. Several high-profile Russian war bloggers also criticised the official framing of the strike as a revenge attack. One, Yuri Baranchik, suggested it would have "looked more convincing" if Moscow had fired the missile at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's bunker in Kyiv. Mick Ryan, an Australian military expert, linked the weapon's use to Russia's recent setbacks, especially over Venezuela. He said the point was "to demonstrate that Russia remains a nuclear-armed world power. In this guise, it is a psychological weapon an instrument of Putins cognitive war against Ukraine and the West rather than a weapon of mass physical destruction." Advertisement Advertisement Russian arch-hawk Dmitry Medvedev, a former president who is now deputy chairman of Putin's Security Council, alluded in a social media post to the capture of Maduro, the oil tanker seizure by the U.S. and the possibility of further U.S. sanctions against Russia, which he said had made for a "stormy" start to the year. In comments highly critical of Washington, he said international relations had descended into a madhouse and compared the Oreshnik strike to "a life-saving injection of haloperidol", an anti-psychotic drug. Prominent Russian war blogger Fighterbomber, a former military serviceman, said he thought the use of the Oreshnik was a display of power to convey a message and that Moscow would not be resorting to it often. He noted that some Oreshnik systems had been transferred to Belarus and that Russia would have some of its own in reserve, but suggested that there was not an endless supply of the relatively new missile. Advertisement Advertisement "Taking all these constants into account, we can assume that we can afford to conduct such demonstrations two or three times a year," he wrote. He expressed hope that no further launches would be needed for now, concluding: "The signals have been sent and they have been heard." (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn in LondonEditing by Frances Kerry) (Corrects paragraph 4 to say Democratic Progressive Party, not Democratic People's Party) By Greg Torode and Yimou Lee HONG KONG/TAIPEI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Some Chinese online users are calling for a lightning Venezuela-style snatch of Taiwan's leaders in a prelude to taking over the island, but analysts, scholars and security officials say China's modernising military is still far from ready. Advertisement Advertisement In Taiwan, they say, China's military has an adversary which has prepared for years against a "decapitation operation" on its leaders, besides extensive air defences and radar capabilities, as well as likely support from the United States and its allies. Although China has spent years acquiring advanced weapons, questions remain about the capabilities of its People's Liberation Army in using them effectively, as well as a command structure that must knit them together in combat. "Once such an operation runs into trouble, it would quickly escalate into a full-scale conflict, with extremely high political and military risk," said Chen Kuan-ting, a lawmaker of Taiwan's ruling Democratic People's Party. Taiwan's layered air defence and early warning systems meant any air assault or special operations infiltration effort would risk detection as it crossed the Taiwan Strait, foreshadowing escalation, he added. Advertisement Advertisement The United States showcased its forces' battle-tested air dominance with last weekend's operation to extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Its military controlled the skies with stealth fighters, jets that jammed enemy defences and covert reconnaissance drones and satellites feeding commanders real-time intelligence. By contrast, the PLA "still has clear gaps in real joint-operations experience, electro-magnetic and electronic-warfare capabilities, and actual combat validation of high-risk missions," said Chen. China's defence ministry offered no immediate response to faxed questions from Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement CHINA HAS NOT RULED OUT FORCE TO TAKE TAIWAN China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects China's claims. "Operationally, while the PLA is in recent times trying to get up to speed with force integration, it is still baby steps compared to what the Americans have for decades been accumulating," said Singapore-based security scholar Collin Koh. Taiwan is determined to defend its sovereignty and boost its defence, President Lai Ching-te said last month, after Beijing fired rockets towards Taiwan as part of its latest military drills. Advertisement Advertisement The drills surrounding Taiwan - the most extensive to date - were accompanied by strong messaging from Chinese officials and the military. "Any external forces that attempt to intervene in the Taiwan issue or interfere in China's internal affairs will surely smash their heads bloody against the iron walls of the Chinese People's Liberation Army," China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. In October, Lai unveiled a multi-layered air defence system called "T-Dome". It is intended to be similar to Israel's "Iron Dome", with a more efficient and "sensor-to-shooter" mechanism for a higher kill rate that integrates weaponry from Taiwan-developed Sky Bow missiles to U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket systems. Advertisement Advertisement In July, Taiwan's military staged a drill to protect the Taipei's main airport from a hostile landing, deploying portable stinger rockets and tanks. MADURO EXTRACTION INSPIRES SOME While military attaches say China has war-gamed extraction operations in Taipei in a broad range of military options to take control of Taiwan, some Chinese online users tom-tommed the U.S. action in Venezuela as inspiration. "The Venezuelan situation has provided us a solution for unifying Taiwan," said one user on the X-like microblogging site Weibo. "First use special operations to arrest Lai Ching-te, then immediately announce the takeover of Taiwan, issue new identity cards ... and achieve a swift and decisive victory." Advertisement Advertisement Chen, who sits on the foreign affairs and defence committee of Taiwan's parliament, dismissed such remarks as "fantasy" and other analysts said any such attempt would quickly face hard military realities. China had added aircraft to replicate platforms such as Boeing's EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jet and Northrop Grumman's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye command and early warning aircraft, but their precise capabilities had yet to be delineated, Koh said. With the ruling Communist Party still playing a role in the PLA's command structure, doubts remain about its effectiveness, added Koh, who is with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "A decentralised command-and-control hierarchy is essential; that allows field commanders to exercise necessary initiative to cope with the fluid, evolving and uncertain nature of military operations as events unfold," Koh said. Advertisement Advertisement Despite any perceived PLA shortcomings, Taiwan's leaders are taking no chances, however. "We have have no capital to take them lightly," said a senior Taiwan security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the military issues are sensitive. "After all, in the wake of this painful and shocking experience, China will also look for all kinds of ways to overcome these problems." (Reporting by Greg Torode in Hong Kong and Yimou Lee in Taipei; Additional reporting by Laurie Chen, Tiffany Le and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) NEED TO KNOW An apartment in Quebec, Canada turned into an ice castle after its tenant left the property without heat Freezing temperatures caused pipes to burst in the home, leading water to spread all over the space and turn into a thick layer of ice Video of the aftermath shows icicles hanging from the ceilings and ice covering every surface A tenant who left their apartment without heat returned home to a sea of ice inside. The home located in the city of Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, Canada was transformed into a nightmare ice castle after freezing temperatures caused the pipes to burst in the space while the tenant was away, CTV News reported on Jan. 5. Advertisement Advertisement In a video of the aftermath shared by CTV News, a thick layer of ice covers entire spaces in the home, including the washer and dryer as well as the clothes on top of it. Another shot shows icicles hanging from the bottom of the kitchen cabinets, with more hanging down from the ceiling. The frozen water also created a layer of ice on the floor, as well as an abstract-looking sculpture reaching up towards the ceiling. CTV News/YouTube Icicles hanging down from the kitchen cabinets inside the apartment Icicles hanging down from the kitchen cabinets inside the apartment Jacques Nault of Logispro Mauricie, the property management company that owns the building, told local Canadian outlet Noovo Info that hes never seen such an extreme situation like this before. There is water in the ceilings, in the walls, everywhere. Mold will grow, Nault told Noovo Info. We are going to strip, dry and rebuild according to what is covered by insurance. Advertisement Advertisement While the apartment is part of a triplex, the other units were not affected, according to the outlet. The ice was reportedly discovered while addressing a different issue in one of the neighboring units. The responsible tenant, who was not named, was officially evicted on Jan. 5 after they had moved out of the property months ago and had stopped paying rent, per the outlet. PEOPLE reached out to Nault for comment but did not receive an immediate response. Getty Trois-Rivieres, Quebec in the winter Trois-Rivieres, Quebec in the winter Trois-Rivieres is a city located on the St. Lawrence River, almost exactly between Montreal and Quebecs capital, Quebec City. 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to Weather Atlas, in January in Trois-Rivieres, the average low temperature is 1 degree fahrenheit and the average high is 19 degrees. Read the original article on People According to Michigan prosecutors, Adam Beckerink has now been served a governor's warrant for extradition to Illinois. Originally, Beckerink was contesting his extradition while serving out a sentence for domestic violence and contempt of court convictions, but he is now set to face a charge for the murder of his wife in Chicago. After more than a year of questions surrounding the death of 36-year-old Caitlin Tracey, it's now just a matter of time before her husband, Beckerink, the only suspect in her death, is brought back to Chicago to be charged with her murder. Advertisement Advertisement "That was just great work by, and a follow up by, the detective division. Sometimes these things are lengthy. They take a little time and you have to do a lot of digging to make sure that you get the right evidence and build that strong case," Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told the I-Team recently. Tracey was found dead in October of 2024 at the bottom of the stairwell in Beckerink's high-rise apartment in the South Loop, her foot severed, her body pulverized. "The detective division dedicated hours and days and months to this to make sure that they brought justice to someone by getting this person charged," said Supt. Snelling. RELATED: Man accused of murdering wife at his South Loop condo pleads guilty to violating bond Advertisement Advertisement A Chicago police murder warrant for Beckerink was issued near the end of October 2025. Now, after months of serving his sentence for domestic violence against Tracey in Michigan, Beckerink has been served a governor's warrant signed by JB Pritzker for first-degree murder to bring him back to Illinois. In a surprise hearing last week, the judge revoked Beckerink's bond, and his attorneys said he was no longer contesting his extradition, according to a Michigan prosecutor on the case. Beckerink could be brought back to Chicago to face a Cook County murder charge in a matter of days. "These aren't always open and shut cases," ABC 7 chief legal analyst Gil Soffer told the I-Team. He says once Beckerink is brought back to Chicago, the complex legal process of a murder case begins for both prosecutors and the defense. Advertisement Advertisement "The evidence of domestic battery, you would imagine. The state will try to find every way it can to introduce that, to establish that there's a violent pattern of behavior here in that relationship, and the defense will say it's not relevant to the question about whether this murder took place on this date. They'll fight tooth and nail; I'm sure, to keep that all out," Soffer said. The I-Team has made repeated attempts to contact Beckerink's attorney, but has not heard back. Australians in Victoria have been warned they should prepare for "property loss or worse" as much of the country faces extreme heatwave conditions. Temperatures on Friday and Saturday are forecast to hit record highs for most states and territories, with Victoria and South Australia in particular bracing for dangerous fire conditions due to strong winds and hot temperatures. A total fire ban is in place in Victoria and all regions across the state were given a "catastrophic" or "extreme" fire danger rating. Advertisement Advertisement "Victorians should brace themselves for more property loss or worse," Country Fire Authority (CFA) chief officer Jason Heffernan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday. [BBC] "The conditions were extreme yesterday. They're catastrophic today," Heffernan said. Temperatures in Melbourne are expected to hit 42C on Friday and while areas in north-west Victoria may reach 45C, a cool change is forecast in the south-west. A bushfire near Longwood, central Victoria, has burnt through nearly 36,000 hectares, authorities said, with at least 20 homes in the small town of Ruffy destroyed. Advertisement Advertisement Ruffy CFA captain George Noye said the town had been "severely" affected. "The main street looks like a bomb's gone off, we've lost a school," he told the ABC. "Some properties have lost everything. They've lost their livelihoods, they've lost their shearing sheds, livestock, just absolutely devastating. "But thankfully, at the moment, no lives have been lost." A statement from Victoria's state control centre on Friday said the Longwood fire was "incredibly dynamic, with the fire spreading in multiple directions" and may spread further than initial estimates. Advertisement Advertisement Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said three people - two adults and a child - remain unaccounted for in the Longwood area. He said authorities spoke to them yesterday at their property, warning them to seek shelter as it was too late to evacuate. Fire officials returned later to find the home had burnt down but could not locate the three people. "They may be safe, they may be alive, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but we are keeping an open mind," Hill said. In the Australian Capital Territory, which includes the capital Canberra, a total fire ban was declared for the first time in six years. Advertisement Advertisement Sydney will see the mercury rise up to 42C on Saturday, before dropping to around 26C by Sunday. More than 36,000 hectares of land has been burnt in the Longwood fire. [VicEmergency] Another fire near Walwa, north-east Victoria, has burned through more than 17,000 hectares. Heffernan urged all Victorians to be on high alert, not just those near active fires. "That is how severe these conditions are at the moment, not only at the Longwood fire but across the state," he told the ABC. "My message at the moment to Victorians is yes, we are talking about Longwood and Walwa, but we have many other fires that have started this morning in and around communities... I am expecting more as the day goes on." In South Australia, local fire authorities said they had battled a number of small fires across the state overnight and temperatures were expected to hit 46C in some areas. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a wide-ranging royal commission into antisemitism, weeks after two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people. The commission will investigate the nature, prevalence and drivers of antisemitism generally as well as the circumstances of the Bondi mass shooting, Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday. It will also make recommendations for law enforcement, strengthening social cohesion and countering the spread of extremism. A royal commission, which is the most powerful form of government-commissioned inquiry that can be held in Australia, has the power to summon witnesses and request documents as evidence. It will be led by former High Court judge Virginia Bell, Albanese said. Advertisement Advertisement A report is due by Dec. 14, which will be a year to the day since the shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney landmark. This was an antisemitic terrorist attack, aimed at Jewish Australians, inspired by ISIS, the deadliest that has ever occurred on Australian soil," said Albanese, referring to the Islamic State group. The surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, faces dozens of criminal charges including murder and terrorism. He has yet to enter a plea. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police during the episode. The announcement followed weeks of urging, that has grown in volume, from lawmakers across the political spectrum, some Jewish leaders and other public figures such as prominent sportspeople for a national royal commission to be convened, instead of a statewide inquiry in New South Wales, where the shooting happened. Albanese at first suggested such a wide-ranging inquiry might take too long, but rejected the suggestion on Thursday that he had been pressured to change his mind. Advertisement Advertisement I have listened, he said. In a democracy that's a good thing. Albanese had already launched an investigation into Australia's security and law enforcement agencies following the shooting, which he said would become part of the royal commission. He also plans to enact a legislative agenda in response to the attack that includes tightening Australia's already stringent gun laws and criminalizing the words of so-called hate preachers, which his government has said frequently fall below the bar for prosecution. Wildlife authorities in California arrested a man who was found with over a dozen red abalone under suspicion of intent to sell. What happened? Officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife approached a group of people at Ocean Cove in Jenner, California, after they were seen putting things into containers. Their moving lights and night activity "the kind of lights that usually mean someone is doing more than sightseeing," the CDFW explained in a social media post, per The Press Democrat drew the attention of wildlife officers. Advertisement Advertisement The wildlife authorities questioned the group and discovered a man was in possession of 15 red abalone, a species of sea snail. The man was arrested under suspicion of the intent to sell, which state law dictates could result in up to $40,000 in fines and up to one year in jail. Commercial harvesting of red abalone in California has been banned since 2018 due to the species' concerning population decline, attributed to the unchecked population growth of purple sea urchins. The sea urchins are not invasive, but they outcompete red abalone for food, depleting bull kelp forests and leading to starvation of the red abalone species. Advertisement Advertisement The red abalone is a critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Why is illegal poaching concerning? Illegal poaching, or the illegal hunting or capture of a protected wildlife species, exacerbates the conditions of already vulnerable wildlife species and their native habitats. The red abalone is already critically endangered from the overpopulation of purple sea urchins and a weakened food chain. Sunflower sea stars, which normally prey on sea urchins, are also in decline, allowing the latter to thrive. 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. Purple sea urchins have depleted California's kelp forests, leaving the red abalone species, alongside other marine life species that rely on kelp forests for food and shelter, starving. Advertisement Advertisement The combination of these conditions results in an unbalanced ecosystem that accelerates population loss. Illegally poaching red abalone pushes this already threatened wildlife species towards extinction. What's being done about abalone poaching? California's red abalone harvesting ban has been extended to 2036, according to KSBW News, which would support the recovery and replenishment of this wildlife species in California waters. In addition, scientists are studying how to restore kelp forests, including transplanting kelp from healthy forests to support depleted areas, creating and nurturing new forests on rock surfaces, and managing sea urchin populations to avoid kelp forest depletion or degradation. Advertisement Advertisement Volunteer divers in California spent over 15,000 hours restoring the kelp forest off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, which has made a remarkable comeback. Conservationists also urge people to eat more purple sea urchins to control their population, restoring balance to the rest of the ecosystem. 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. Avelo Airlines said that it will no longer carry out migrant deportation flights for the Department of Homeland Security, ending a contract that supported the U.S. government's immigration enforcement efforts. The Houston-based carrier, founded in 2021, said its deal to handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flights did not sufficiently boost the airline's financial position. As a result, the low-cost carrier is shutting down its hub at Mesa Gateway Airport in Phoenix, where its migrant flight operation was based, the company said in a statement to CBS News. "Avelo will close the base at [Mesa Gateway Airport] on January 27 and will conclude participation in the DHS charter program," an Avelo spokesperson said. "The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs." Advertisement Advertisement Avelo operates low-cost flights to dozens of destinations, including the Caribbean, from four U.S. hubs. It is planning to open a fifth base in Dallas in late 2026. DHS has long partnered with CSI Aviation, which subcontracted with Avelo to provide ICE with air charter services. The federal agency also subcontracts with other charter companies, including GlobalX, which handled more than half of DHS' charter flights in 2025, according to ICE Flight Monitor at Human Rights First, a group that tracks ICE deportation flights. "ICE never contracted directly with Avelo Airlines," DHS said in a statement to CBS News. "ICE will continue to utilize its contracted service provider, which works with multiple airlines to support the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens." In April, Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy expressed confidence that the airline's deportation business would help drive the carrier's growth, while conceding that handling deportation flights was a "sensitive and complicated topic." Advertisement Advertisement Mesa's charter program has sparked public backlash and protests against its decision to work with ICE. The Indivisible Project, a nonprofit group that led protests against Avelo Airlines, on Thursday applauded the carrier's move to end its contract with DHS. "For months, communities across the country spoke out, organized, protested and demanded that Avelo Airlines end its deportation flights. After months of plummeting sales and canceled commercial flights, Avelo was forced to walk away from contracts that harmed immigrant families and destabilized workers and it's sales," Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin, said in a statement. Latest details after ICE officer kills woman in Minneapolis shooting Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis Protesters gather after ICE shoots and kills woman in Minneapolis Quick Read Dave Ramsey recommends claiming Social Security at 62 but research shows over 90% of Americans should wait until 70. Claiming at a suboptimal age costs retirees $182,370 in median lifetime discretionary spending. Waiting until 70 increases typical lifetime benefits due to longer modern life expectancies. Have You read The New Report Shaking Up Retirement Plans? Americans are answering three questions and many are realizing they can retire earlier than expected. Dave Ramsey has given advice on a lot of different financial issues, and some of that advice is questionable, like the idea that you don't need a credit score. Some of his worst advice, though, relates to when to claim Social Security. Ramsey has repeatedly made a suggestion about when to claim benefits that could cost you a fortune and put your retirement security at risk. Here's what Ramsey said, along with details on why listening to his advice could be so costly. Here's Ramsey's recommended age to claim Social Security In a 2019 podcast, Ramsey recommended claiming Social Security at 62. Since that's the earliest age when you can claim retirement benefits, listening to Ramsey's advice would mean starting your checks ASAP and well before your full retirement age, which is when you become entitled to your standard benefit. This advice is surprising -- especially since it wasn't just a one-off comment made on a podcast. This is also the official position published on the Ramsey Solutions blog, which says: "In most cases, it actually makes more sense to take your retirement benefits sooner instead of waiting later. Why? Because your retirement payments die when you die . . . so you might as well take the money and make the most of it while you can." The blog goes on to suggest that you should start receiving your benefits ASAP, but try to invest the money if you can. The problem is that this advice is absolutely terrible -- and it could cost you a lot more than you'd think. In fact, it could cost the typical retiree as much as $182,370. Why is Ramsey's advice so costly? Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels and JJ Gouin from Getty Images Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels and JJ Gouin from Getty Images Ramsey's advice is a huge problem because the actual research shows the vast majority of seniors should not claim Social Security at 62. They should start checks at 70. In fact, data from the National Bureau of Economic Research is extremely clear that waiting until the age of 70 is the optimum choice for more than 90% of working-aged Americans. The NBER data reveals that those who claim at a suboptimal time end up losing out on $182,370 in median household lifetime discretionary spending because of that choice. NEED TO KNOW After 37 days living in a crawl space underneath a house, a bear has finally been removed The homeowner threatened to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after they failed to evict the 550-lb. animal The BEAR League stepped in and first responders from the organization were able to get bear out from under the house and off the property A bear has finally been evicted after reportedly living under a homeowners property for over a month. On Thursday, Jan. 8, the non-profit animal organization, BEAR League, revealed in a post on Facebook that they were able to assist in getting the animal out of the space. Advertisement Advertisement PEOPLE previously reported that Altadena resident Kenneth Johnson had threatened to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after they allegedly failed to evict the 550-lb. bear living underneath his house. The bear had been living there for 37 days, starting Nov. 30, according to the New York Post. It was finally removed on Tuesday, Jan. 6, per Fox News. A Southern California homeowner had a large male bear living under his house for more than a month before reaching out to the BEAR League for help, BEAR League wrote on Facebook. Estimated at over 500 pounds, the bear barely fit into the crawlspace and caused extensive damage to the homes heating ducts. Toogee Sielsch via Storyful Bear living underneath California home Bear living underneath California home 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The organization added, Concerned that the gas line may have been damaged, the homeowner shut off gas service just before Christmas. Advertisement Advertisement After earlier removal attempts by state wildlife officials were unsuccessful, BEAR League first responders Scott and Dave traveled to the Los Angeles area to assist, the organization continued. Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the home fully aware the bear was still there to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawl space opening. BEAR League also revealed that they placed a loaned electric unwelcome mats to give the homeowner time to make repairs and secure the crawlspace to prevent another visit. PEOPLE has contacted the BEAR League and California Fish and Wildlife Department for comment. In a video shared by the organization, the bear could be seen running out of the hole after hearing loud sounds. Go away, go, go, go, someone can be heard saying in the background. Hes out! Advertisement Advertisement The clip then captured the bear returning later before running away again after trying to move the electric mat. I can hear him under there, and it's really scary when you hear the banging and crushing and scratching and stuff ... he's not happy," the homeowner told KABC. While addressing Johnson's legal threat against the wildlife department, the BEAR League's Dave Fleishman said, I saw that Ken was potentially looking at litigation against California Department of Fish and Wildlife because they kind of left him high and dry and fending for himself with this bear under the house. Toogee Sielsch via Storyful Bear living underneath California home Bear living underneath California home "He looked very relieved when we walked up, I'll say that," Fleishman told the outlet. "He looked even more relieved, and I would say even surprised, at how quickly we were able to do it, because literally from the time Scott started crawling under the house to the time the bear was out was less than 10 minutes." Advertisement Advertisement Johnson also created a GoFundMe page to raise money to repair the damage caused by the bear. Right after surviving the Eaton fire, I lost my job, and shortly after that the bear began tearing into the structure of my home, he wrote. I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe, the homeowner continued. Ive reached out for help, but the state has declined to get involved, leaving me fully responsible for the cost of removal, Johnson added. Professional traps, safety measures, and repairs are incredibly expensive, and Im being forced to pay for all of it myself while unemployed. As of Friday, Jan. 9, Johnson has raised $2,112. Read the original article on People ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) A years-long battle between a town and a quarry continued at the Limestone County Courthouse on Wednesday. The noise, the traffic, the dust, its just too much to handle, Attorney Sarah Stokes said. Huntsville approves over $12 million for construction at Big Spings Park East The residents of Belle Mina are suing the owners of the quarry, hoping to put a pause on its operations until the case goes to trial in April. Advertisement Advertisement She and her team represent the residents of Belle Mina during the battle with the quarry. The hearing began on Wednesday, with plaintiffs laying out what they say Belle Mina residents have been dealing with, mainly noise and dust from the quarry. They argue that drilling and air pollution arent just annoying, but could lead to health problems. Madison County site selected for Alabamas second state veterans cemetery Witnesses described dust coating their homes and cars. Theyre covered with the dust. To the point its changed, the color, New Beginnings Covenant Ministries pastor Eddie Walton. On Thursday, quarry representatives brought in experts who said the noise and dust dont exceed EPA standards. But attorney Stokes told the court thats not the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Were not here today to prove a regulatory standard. What were here today is to prove nuisance, she said. Quarry representatives also suggested that much of the dust came from the recent soybean harvest. But Walton pushed back, saying that while harvest-related dust is normal, it doesnt explain what residents are experiencing now. There were certain seasons where, you know, it would be dust, but it was just a season. It was a couple of months. This is every day, day in, day out, Walton said. The quarry said its built mounds to help block noise and light, and insists no irreparable damage has been done to nearby properties. Attorney Stokes disagrees, saying this is about restoring peace for the people who live there. Advertisement Advertisement They are fleeing their homes because of the quarry. What is more irreparable than losing your peace and security in your homes? Stokes said. News 19 asked the quarry representatives for comment, but they decided not to speak on the hearing. While a decision was not made on Thursday, we will provide an update once the judge has decided. 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 WHNT.com. A black bear that sparked concern after roaming through Adelanto and Victorville in California's High Desert has been safely returned to its natural habitat in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to wildlife officials. The incident highlights ongoing challenges as Californias wildlife increasingly crosses paths with urban communities. Here's what to know about the High Desert incident and bears in California. A black bear, pictured in an undated photo. Black bear captured after High Desert sightings The California Department of Fish and Wildlife tracked the bear using its collar and relocated it to the San Gabriel Mountains, Victorville Mayor Liz Becerra confirmed Monday night. Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, Adelanto officials issued a Black Bear Sighting Alert on social media, urging residents to stay cautious. The bear was first spotted on New Years Eve near Monte Vista and Dos Palmas roads west of Highway 395, with sightings continuing between Rancho Road in Adelanto and Bear Valley Road in Victorville. Videos even showed San Bernardino County Sheriffs deputies responding to reports of the wandering bear. In a 2019 photo, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials safely brought down a "black bear" from a front yard tree in Apple Valley. Why do bears leave the mountains and head into cities? North American black bearsCalifornias only bear speciesare native to the San Bernardino National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains. Wildlife experts say bears often leave mountain habitats due to drought, wildfires, flooding, or food shortages. Over the years, the High Desert has seen multiple bear encounters, from a 2019 Apple Valley incident in which a bear climbed a 25-foot tree to a tragic 2021 case in which a bear was struck by a car in Victorville. Advertisement Advertisement Officials stress that climate change and urban expansion are increasing these encounters statewide. A motion-activated camera captures a black bear roaming the backyard of an Oak Hills home on Monday, May 9, 2022. What homeowners should do if a bear appears on their property If you encounter a black bear, dont panic and dont run, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Instead: Stay calm and stand your ground. Raise your arms to appear larger and speak firmly. Never approach or feed the bear. If a bear becomes aggressive, fight backdo not play dea d . Report emergency wildlife encounters by calling 911, Sheriffs Dispatch at 760-956-5001, or visiting https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov. Fatal bear encounters and serious injuries in California Fatal bear attacks in California are extremely rare. According to wildlife data, there has been only one confirmed fatality in the states modern history, and fewer than 10 fatalities overall since record-keeping began. Most incidents involve non-aggressive behavior, such as bears seeking food or defending cubs. Advertisement Advertisement Serious injuries are also uncommon: between 1980 and 2023, roughly 1520 incidents resulted in significant harm, often in remote areas like Yosemite or the Sierra Nevada. These cases typically involve campers or hikers surprising bears at close range This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California Black Bear Roams High Desert Then Heads Back to Mountains HIDALGO During a visit to the border Friday, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said changes in immigration laws should wait until the border is completely secure, a contrast from Republican lawmakers who are willing to explore legal status for immigrant workers to address labor shortages prompted by enforcement efforts at work sites. Cornyn was part of a group of Republican U.S. senators and Senate hopefuls who flocked to the Rio Grande Valley to praise President Donald Trumps border policies as they attempt to promote their achievements and shape political narratives ahead of Novembers midterm elections. Aggressive enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has prompted some unauthorized workers to stay clear of job sites, leading to labor shortages in construction and restaurants. The Valley has been among the areas hardest hit by the worker shortage, prompting a group of local builders to call for solutions to economic struggles in their industry. Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, an Edinburg Republican, met with the group and expressed support for a visa program for construction workers, akin to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector. Cornyn, though, said it was too early to consider such an option. The first thing we need to do is secure the border, Coryn said during a news conference along the border in the city of Hidalgo. There is no way that the American people, and certainly my constituents in Texas, would allow us to take another stab at reforming our immigration laws until weve got the border secure. After securing the border, he said, the next step would be to remove people who never should have been here in the first place. Only after that had been accomplished, Cornyn said, should lawmakers delve into changing immigration laws. Advertisement Advertisement Much of Trumps border policy has been set by executive action. The Republican Congress passed $170 billion in funding for immigration and border enforcement through 2029, making ICE the best-funded law enforcement agency in the country and giving the agency unprecedented recruitment, enforcement, deportation and detention powers. But the effort did not codify many of Trumps changes to border practices. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who stood beside Cornyn during Fridays news conference, said he was open to legislation that would address the need for qualified workers but also said the first priority was to secure the border. I think we can work in a constructive way on how we come up with a mechanism whereby people who come to this country legally can contribute and be members of our work force, said Thune, R-South Dakota. ICE activity at construction sites has intimidated workers those unauthorized to live in the U.S. and those with legal authorization from accepting work, builders say. This labor shortage has prompted construction delays that economists suggest will drive up housing costs. Advertisement Advertisement Absent a change in immigration laws, Cornyn suggested job sectors would benefit from cuts to assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, saying it would encourage people to work. If you are an able-bodied young adult, you cant qualify for food stamps, you cant qualify for welfare benefits like Medicaid and the like, in order to encourage more people to get off the couch, Cornyn said. Thats good for them, good for their families, good for their communities. For Cornyn, who is locked in an expensive primary race with Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston, the news conference was also an opportunity to tout a major provision from Republicans 2025 mega-bill reimbursement for Operation Lone Star. Cornyn publicly stated during spring negotiations that his vote in support of the package was contingent on reimbursing Texas for Gov. Greg Abbotts border security initiative. Ultimately, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July with support from nearly all Republicans and no Democrats, included $13.5 billion in two funds to reimburse states for border security spending. Advertisement Advertisement Abbott had requested $11.1 billion, and the vast majority of the bills money is expected to go to Texas. But six months after the bills passage, the Trump administration has yet to allocate funding. State Republicans, led by Cornyn, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, sent a December letter asking the departments of Homeland Security and Justice to prioritize Texas in the disbursement. That money will now soon be flowing into the coffers of the state of Texas, to the tune of roughly $11 billion, to do justice which is to reimburse Texas taxpayers for stepping up and filling the gap when the federal government simply refused to do so, Cornyn said Friday. That would not have happened without the leadership of the majority leader and the whip and the direction of the president of the United States, to whom I am very grateful. The Cornyn campaign and allied groups have spent more than $40 million in advertising, helping to close Paxtons initial polling lead. Polls have shown no candidate close to the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff in the March 3 primary. Cornyn has the backing of Thune and OneNation, a group aligned with the Senate Republican leader that organized Fridays border trip after spending millions in pro-Cornyn advertising. Advertisement Advertisement Thune on Friday praised Cornyn, whom he beat out to become majority leader in 2024. He has been such an advocate through the years on the issue of border security foremost expert on it, Thune said. Most of us, what we know about the border, we know from him. Part of Cornyns campaign strategy has been to emphasize his support for Trump in ads and on social media. Thune, Cornyn, other Republican senators and Senate hopeful Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee from North Carolina, praised Trumps border actions, with Cornyn expressing his gratitude for Trumps leadership in getting the One Big Beautiful Bill passed and for his Border Patrol leadership appointments. The presidents endorsement or lack of, thus far has factored heavily into the states Senate primary. It is one of a handful of Republican contests for Senate where Trump has yet to put his thumb on the scale, and the president has said that he likes both Cornyn and Paxton. Advertisement Advertisement Cornyn and Thune have appealed to Trump for his endorsement. The border trip was also an opportunity for Cornyns opponents to press their cases. Paxton preemptively criticized Cornyns visit in a Thursday statement that noted the senator said a border wall makes no sense in a February 2017 speech in Weslaco, among other instances of wall skepticism in early 2017. At the time, Cornyn said technology and personnel are more effective than physical barriers in some areas. On Friday, Cornyn praised the border wall and its outfitting with cameras, sensors and other technology. His 40-plus year career has been spent fighting for amnesty for illegals, cutting deals with Democrats, trying to stop President Trump, and standing in the way of building the wall, Paxton said in the statement. Texans arent going to forget how Cornyns betrayed our country, and no last minute trip to the border to try and act tough is going to change that. Advertisement Advertisement Hunt posted an ad on X criticizing Cornyns previous apprehension for a border wall. Now that Trumps secured our border, John Cornyn wants to take the credit for the wall he tried to block, the ad said. Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Disclosure: Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The group of Buddhist monks walking from Forth Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., is expected to be in the area in a manner of days. Because they are on foot and stopping for overnight rests, a comprehensive map isnt exact on arrival times, but the Walk for Peace will make its way through Charlotte. Who is making the journey? As of Jan. 9, the group of 19 monks and their rescue dog, Aloka, were in South Carolina. Advertisement Advertisement The group, which has been walking since Oct. 26, 2025, has been making headlines and become a social media sensation. Sharing a message Photos and videos show the monks greeting well-wishers along their path with flowers and hugs. Some residents along the path come to watch while others embrace the hugs and hold signs of support and peace. Arrival in Charlotte The monks could arrive in Charlotte as soon as Jan. 10, though the online map still says between then and Jan. 20. The published stop is at First Baptist Church-West, 1801 Oaklawn Ave., Charlotte, but many people follow the route and station themselves along the way. Sharing the love The monks have support personnel to provide food, water and lodging, but members of many communities have also stepped up to meet those needs. People can follow the 2,300-mile journey on Facebook. This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Where, when to see the Buddhist monks on Walk for Peace in North Carolina DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Trump envisions turning Mount Hermon into a ski resort as part of his new peace plan, blending security with economic cooperation for Israel and Syria. Turning the Gaza Strip into the Riviera? Forget it, thats yesterdays news. Try this one on for size: turning Mount Hermon on both sides of the Israeli-Syrian border into the Aspen of the East, equipped with ski lifts, snowmaking machines, and tens of thousands of winter tourists enjoying Druze hospitality in southern Syria. Advertisement Advertisement Sound crazy, like a verse that could be inserted in an updated version of John Lennons iconic song Imagine? Sure, but that is one idea floated during Paris talks this week between Israeli and Syrian teams, mediated by US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, and Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, both of whom are real estate developers and senior Trump administration envoys. Problem-solving through real estate With Witkoff and Kushner involved, there is no problem that cannot be solved at least theoretically through real estate development. Intractable issue in Gaza? Turn it into valuable beachfront property. Got to get the Russians and Ukrainians to agree about Donbas? First, turn it into a joint economic corridor with power plants, industrial parks, and housing reconstruction. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive before President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are slated to speak at the White House last month. (credit: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS) And regarding that little issue between Jerusalem and Damascus namely, IDF occupation of a large swath of land inside Syria to keep Israels border safe, and the Syrians demanding control of that land back split the difference and turn it into a blossoming economic zone. Advertisement Advertisement All of this reflects an emerging Trump administration pattern on border conflicts: freeze the fighting, take the disputed territory out of active military contention, and use economic incentives to stabilize the situation with the expectation that this can eventually open the door to a broader peace deal. Call it peace through prosperity echoing the title of the Trump administrations June 2019 Peace to Prosperity conference in Bahrain, which advanced an economics-first logic to peacemaking that later underpinned the Abraham Accords. While, at first glance, it seems easy to mock the idea of turning southern Syria into a tourist hot spot, on second glance, the logic behind it makes it worth a second look. Two weeks ago, at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump was asked if the two leaders had reached an understanding regarding Syria. Trumps response was, well, Trumpian: Advertisement Advertisement With Syria, you know, the new president I respect him, he is a very strong guy, thats what you need in Syria. You cant put a choirboy somebody who is a perfect person, everything is nice, no problems in life you have the opposite there. He is a strong guy, we get along with him great. After praising Ahmed al-Sharaa for the cooperation in responding to the December attack that killed two US servicemen in Syria which Washington blamed on ISIS, Trump went on: Im sure that Israel and him will get along. I will make it so that they do get along. A few days later, after an impasse of some two months in security talks that reportedly had hit a dead end, the two sides met under US supervision in Paris, where the guns-into-skis plan was discussed. Whether or not it all pans out, the fact that the sides were discussing economic and civil issues, not just security arrangements, was in itself a new and refreshing twist. Israelis have long dreamt about eating hummus in Damascus as part of a comprehensive peace deal with Syria. That kind of peace still looks distant, but an interim agreement that could one day make it possible to sip hot chocolate in a lodge at the base of a bunny hill on the Syrian half of Mount Hermon is something that may be within reach. Advertisement Advertisement Trump said he will make it so they [Israel and Syria] get along, and one way he is trying to do so is by turning the area that Israel moved into after the fall of Assad, including the Syrian part of Mount Hermon, into an area not of competition, but of cooperation. What is at issue? The immediate issue is the area the IDF moved into after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in November of 2024. Not only did it take over the demilitarized zone between the two countries, but it also pushed forward eastward beyond that, building several IDF outposts. Netanyahu made clear, during the press conference with Trump, the rationale for the move. We want to make sure the border area right next to our border is safe, we dont have terrorists [there], we dont have attacks, and we also want to secure our Druze friends. What Netanyahu articulated there briefly was essentially an updated Israeli security doctrine. After October 7, it is no longer enough to have a fence or wall along borders. Rather, a buffer zone is preferred on the other side that will be free of terrorists. Advertisement Advertisement This is the doctrine in Gaza, where any eventual arrangement there will include a belt, around a kilometer wide, along the border with Israel that will be a no-mans-zone. Why? To keep the terrorists from using that area, as they did on October 7, to launch an attack across the border and overwhelm Israeli defenses. In Lebanon as well, Israel wants a buffer zone along the border, south of the Litani, without Hezbollah presence. And nowhere is this needed more than on the Golan. In a post-October 7 reality, and a post-Assad reality, the fear is that jihadists will move into what was once a sacrosanct demilitarized zone the Assads, with all their faults, kept that area clear, at least until the Iranians moved into Syria en masse during the civil war. Advertisement Advertisement The fear is that with Assads fall and Sharaas rise to power, Damascus will no longer feel bound by the 1974 disengagement agreement, allowing actors inimical to Israels interests Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad to move into or near the demilitarized zone, from where they could one day mount October 7-style attacks against Israeli communities on the Golan Heights. To prevent that, Jerusalem believes a buffer zone is needed. And here is where things get dicey, because while Israel is demanding a buffer zone, the US is saying all that is required is a demilitarized zone. Whats the difference? Israel wants to keep IDF forces inside the buffer zone and have it serve as a forward defense belt with unilateral freedom of action to hit threats without needing international approval. In practice, this means a miles-deep strip of Syrian territory where Damascuss sovereignty is heavily curtailed, and Syrian forces are simply not allowed in at all. The Syrians, obviously, are not crazy about the idea, and their position has fallen on sympathetic ears in Washington, which wants to see Sharaa stabilize the country. Up until now, the US vision has been a more classical demilitarized zone a sovereign area in Syria where both sides agree to troop and weapons limitations, and there is likely third-party monitoring. Advertisement Advertisement For Washington, the key is a stable, internationally supervised quiet border that helps Sharaa consolidate the state; for Israel, the key is a physical Israeli-controlled cushion so that October 7-style surprises cannot build up right on the fence. The former prioritizes restored Syrian sovereignty plus monitoring; the latter prioritizes Israeli boots on the ground and guns between any hostile actor and the Golan communities. And it is into this mix that the whole economic plan is inserted. The buffer, which will be demilitarized, will be filled with cooperative economic projects, not necessarily IDF soldiers. According to various reports on the proposal, it will include, in addition to a ski resort, a wind power plant, a crude oil pipeline, data centers, and pharmaceutical facilities. Channel 12s Amit Segal reported that the offer would give Syria roughly $4 billion in GDP growth a 20% increase over its current output along with an 800-megawatt boost in power capacity, 15,000 new jobs, and a 40% reduction in pharmaceutical dependency. Advertisement Advertisement Barrack summed up the idea by saying that under the leadership and inspiration of Trump, prioritizing economic opportunity, prosperity, and open dialogue consistently leads to meaningful and long-term cooperation. Following the two-day talks in Paris, the US, Israel, and Syria issued a rare joint communique that described productive discussions aimed at pursuing lasting security and stability arrangements that respect Syrias sovereignty and unity, Israels security, and the prosperity of both countries. The language was careful and calibrated, balancing repeated references to Syrias sovereignty with equally explicit nods to Israels security and mutual prosperity, while avoiding any mention of borders, withdrawals, or timetables. The language was also vague, talking about the establishment of a fusion mechanism under US supervision to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement, and commercial opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement A fusion mechanism is security jargon for an air traffic control-like mechanism for a volatile border a standing system meant to prevent collisions, manage incidents, and keep misunderstandings from spiraling into escalation. In other words, a deconfliction mechanism. It is a tool for control, not necessarily reconciliation. But it could lead to reconciliation. And the economic zone that Trump hopes to build there ski resort and all is meant to show both sides what that reconciliation can look like, how good it feels, and why it is worth pursuing. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing $200 million in new state electric-vehicle tax rebates after Congress earlier this year ended a federal $7,500 state tax deduction on new EVs, the state said on Friday. In late 2024, Newsom said if President Donald Trump eliminated a federal EV tax credit, he would propose creating a new version of the states Clean Vehicle Rebate Program that ended in 2023 and spent $1.49 billion to subsidize 586,000 vehicles over a decade. EV sales fell sharply in the final three months of 2024 after the federal tax credit expired on September 30. Advertisement Advertisement The legislation ending the $7,500 new federal EV tax credit also ended a $4,000 used EV credit. On Friday, the California Air Resources Board said it was not yet clear how much per vehicle the state may offer in tax rebates. Automakers are grappling with the fallout of fewer EV sales. Chrysler-parent Stellantis said on Friday it will stop selling its plugin hybrid electric Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in North America, while General Motors , opens new tab said Thursday it would take a $6 billion charge to unwind some electric-vehicle investments. The federal government, effective October 1, barred states from allowing electric vehicles and other clean cars to use carpool lanes without meeting vehicle occupancy requirements. Advertisement Advertisement California and other states had used the perk to encourage sales of EVs. Trump has taken aim at EVs on a number of fronts including signing legislation in June to bar California's electric vehicle sales mandates. In July, the administration told automakers a new law signed by Trump will not require them to pay any fines for failures to meet fuel-efficiency rules dating back to the 2022 model year. The administration is making other changes that will save automakers billions of dollars in purchasing credits from Tesla and others to meet prior regulatory requirements. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio) Jacob Davis suspected that nothing positive would come from the Trump administrations announcement on Tuesday that it had deployed some 2,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota. One day later, Renee Nicole Good was dead. The mother of three was in her car when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer opened fire. Cellphone videos posted online showed the 37-year-old poet turning her SUV away from the agent. He continued to shoot at her. Good is at least the fifth person killed during recent immigration crackdowns. The day after she was killed, two people in Portland, Oregon, were shot by federal officers. Advertisement Advertisement Sadly, the shooting wasnt surprising, Davis, 30, who lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, told Capital B on Thursday. Maybe the only surprising thing about it was the fact that it happened so quickly. And it really hit close to home because it happened only about 10 minutes from my house. Five years after the killing of George Floyd, Davis is one of many residents who fear that the administrations rhetoric and decision to send agents to cities that are often home to large Black and migrant populations will increase the risk of violence, as calls grow for justice for Good. In December, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem framed Minneapolis as a place with significant crime and fraud issues that the federal government must address. The area is about 18% Black and has a large Somali community. That same month, President Donald Trump stunned many when he disparaged the countrys Somali community. Advertisement Advertisement They contribute nothing. I dont want them in our country, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting. We can go one way or the other, and were going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country. Then, tensions in Minnesota escalated after a YouTuber in December alleged with little evidence that he had uncovered massive day care fraud in the state. On Monday, a Liberian-born, naturalized citizen said that an encounter with agents left him hospitalized. He said that he was attacked in Brooklyn Park, which is located approximately 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis. I think that its fearmongering, Davis said of the administrations rhetoric. I dont agree with it. I dont feel unsafe when I go outside. I feel like I can live my life without fear. Advertisement Advertisement He added that what has put him on edge is the increased presence of agents in his area, where there are many Spanish speakers. A Mexican restaurant recently opened down the street from his house, and driving past it now worries him I know that its an easy target, he said. Data from the Minneapolis crime dashboard in December showed that robbery, carjackings, homicides, and most other types of crime have decreased since a pandemic-era peak in 2020 and 2021, according to MPR News. City homicide rates for the start of the year arent yet available. Michael Duruaku, 37, echoed Davis concerns about growing alarm in the area. Duruaku said that the administrations increasingly aggressive rhetoric has resurfaced difficult conversations among his family about being Black in the U.S. He is Nigerian American and lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with his family. Advertisement Advertisement I have an 8-year-old son who is, I think, a little more aware of the world around him, he told Capital B on Thursday. Hes asking a lot of questions about how all this impacts us, about why Black people and migrants are being targeted. Like Davis, Duruaku rejects the picture of Minneapolis that the administration is painting, and believes that it endangers residents. You can go to any major city or small town and find crime, but that doesnt necessarily speak for the personality of the whole place, he said. I think that Minneapolis is a great place not only to raise a family but also to grow up. It has a highly diverse culture that people should experience. Those who are trying to create a narrative around crime and other things probably havent been out here long enough to speak from an informed point of view. Advertisement Advertisement For Duruaku, Wednesday was also difficult because of its similarities with the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Floyd, 46, was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, blocks from where Good was fatally shot. It really wasnt that long ago that there was this other tragedy, Duruaku said. Wednesday was heavy because we were dealing with the reality that theres this ongoing brutal force being used to harm people. Retired Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins said Goods death compounds the grief the city felt after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. (Courtesy of The National Black Justice Collective) In December, the Minneapolis City Council approved a plan to reimagine and reconstruct the community-created memorial at the intersection where Floyd was killed, to create a space for a memorial, Andrea Jenkins told Capital B on Friday. Jenkins retired from the council this month and was the first out Black transgender woman elected to public office in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Id classify this community as still grieving, still healing from the murder of George Floyd. So this, said Jenkins, 64, when referring to Goods killing, this actually compounds that, right? Because, its the same community, its the same people, its literally the same exact neighborhood. Search for justice The administration has defended the actions of the agent who killed Good. White House officials described the victim as a domestic terrorist, one whose death was a tragedy of her own making. Good had no criminal record. Officials and civil rights organizations have denounced this characterization, calling for a full, transparent investigation. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, whose district includes Minneapolis, criticized the administration, saying that its actions have spread fear, chaos, and violence. Advertisement Advertisement ICEs actions today were unconscionable and reprehensible, the Democrat said in a statement Wednesday. This is not law enforcement. It is state violence. It is simply indefensible, and ICE must be held accountable. Janai Nelson, the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, shared similar sentiments. In a statement Wednesday, she condemned what she called the wanton killing of a legal observer by an ICE officer and the horrific abuse of power that was used against an American citizen exercising her First Amendment freedoms. As Minneapolis residents and people nationwide know too well, it is DHS agents violent actions that are instilling fear in Minneapolis and other communities across the country, not their immigrant neighbors, Nelson said. We urge the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to swiftly and comprehensively complete their investigation in the interests of justice and accountability. Advertisement Advertisement These demands for accountability come amid concerns that a fair investigation might not be likely, since federal authorities are leading the investigation without help from the state. Hours after the shooting on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts filed a motion to subpoena all records and footage related to this killing. But Republicans shamefully voted it down demonstrating once again that they have never cared about law and order or keeping our communities safe, the Democrat said in a statement Wednesday. Karianne Jones, an attorney and a partner with Evergreen Legal Strategies, spoke about the shooting on a Thursday press call. When federal agents behave egregiously, unreasonably, and in ways that really just cannot be characterized as carrying out their official duties, in those circumstances, states can and do prosecute, Jones said. Advertisement Advertisement Legal experts said that regardless of which agency leads the investigation, once it concludes, investigators are ethically required to turn over requested evidence to any subsequent investigating authority. Whether the FBI fully complies with these requests will affect the ability of state and local prosecutors to bring a case, Jones said. It is important that state and local governments use all the authority that they have to step in and find justice for victims. This shared passion for justice among advocates across the state is what Davis, the Minneapolis-area resident, will carry forward as protests continue in the days ahead. People in Minnesota are so generous, care about social causes, and want to make a difference, he said. The common thread I see between 2020 and now is the way Minnesotans use their voices after a tragedy. This story has been updated. The post Calls for Justice Grow After ICE Shooting of Minneapolis Mom appeared first on Capital B News. By Kanishka Singh Jan 8 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday about the situation in Venezuela, and the two countries have affirmed their support for a "peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process." The U.S. military seized ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Venezuela in a raid over the weekend and brought the two to New York. Advertisement Advertisement "They affirmed their support for a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people," Prime Minister Carney's office said in a statement about his discussion with Lula. "The leaders emphasised the necessity for all parties to uphold international law and the principle of sovereignty." The U.N. human rights office has said the U.S. intervention in Venezuela was a violation of international law that made the world less safe. Trump told the New York Times in an interview published on Thursday that the U.S. could oversee Venezuela and control its oil revenue for years. Advertisement Advertisement Trump has decided to back Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, instead of Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. Carney spoke to the Venezuelan opposition leader on Sunday and his office said he thanked her "for her resolute voice on behalf of the Venezuelan people." Canada has been critical of Maduro's government over reported human rights abuses in Venezuela and Carney called his removal from power "welcome news", but Ottawa did not directly praise the U.S. military raid in the South American nation. Carney has also urged parties to uphold international law. Lula has condemned Washington's actions as crossing an "unacceptable line." (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Tom Hogue) The 37-year-old Staten Island man shot and killed by police in the West Village after he pulled an imitation pistol on cops while escaping from a car crash had a history of domestic issues, police sources said Friday. Dmitry Zass, who lived with his parents in Great Kills, Staten Island, had allegedly attacked his father earlier in the week, but had not been charged, police sources said. During a panicked 911 call, his mother claimed Zass was attacking his father and that he had a gun, according to the sources. His parents were in the process of getting an order of protection against him when he was killed by police on Bedford and Downing Sts., about 15 miles from his home. Advertisement Advertisement The deadly confrontation was the second police-involved shooting to erupt in the city within five hours Thursday night, cops said. Zass was motoring through the West Village in a white BMW around 10:50 p.m. when he crashed into another car at the corner of Bedford St. and Sixth Ave., Assistant Chief James McCarthy, the commanding officer of Manhattan South, said at an early-morning press conference Friday. Cops called to the scene were met by two people who said their vehicle collided with Zass, who then drove off. But Zass didnt get far, McCarthy said. The BMW was stopped in traffic when the officers approached, McCarthy said. At that moment, a 37-year-old male exits the BMW, drew what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at the officers. Advertisement Advertisement Once observing the firearm, the officers discharged their weapons, McCarthy said. Zass said nothing as he pulled the gun on the officers, McCarthy said. He fell on the ground beside a tree, one neighbor said. Residents of the narrow side street heard police repeatedly order Zass to drop his gun. I heard, Drop the gun! (Then) about two shots go off, said Joseph Hoffman, who lives nearby. Ten more shots go off as well. (Theyre screaming,) Drop the gun! Drop the gun!' I saw the cop backing up and then firing. Like running backwards, Hoffman, 23, said. This really doesnt happen in the West Village a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Ruby, another neighbor, ran to her window upon hearing the gunfire. (I) saw a policeman pointing a gun up Bedford St. toward Seventh Ave., she recalled. He had his arms outstretched, gun pointed. He said repeatedly, Drop the gun! Then we heard one or two shots after that. A few moments later she saw a stretcher rolling in, she said. Even after being shot, Zass held onto his weapon and maintained possession of the firearm as officers repeatedly gave commands to drop the weapon, McCarthy said. The officers repeatedly, as shown on body-worn cameras, asked him to drop the gun because they wanted to render him aid, McCarthy said. He didnt say anything. Advertisement Advertisement The tan-colored firearm that Zass refused to let go of turned out to be an imitation pistol, he said. EMS rushed Zass to an area hospital, where he died of his wounds. Cops cordoned off the block for most of Friday as they continued their investigation. Zass white BMW, which was left at the scene, had at least three bullet holes in the rear windshield. When the Daily News visited Zass home in Staten Island, a relative declined to comment. Neighbors frequently saw Zass walking up and down the block with his dog, which died last year. We bonded over our dogs, said one neighbor left shaken after hearing that Zass had died. The woman admitted that she was aware of his struggles. Advertisement Advertisement I was worried about him, said the woman, who wished not to be named. The officers involved in the shooting werent harmed, but were taken to area hospitals for observation. Thats a fake gun? It looks like a real gun, said one witness to the shooting, who would only identify himself as Alex, after being shown a photo of it. I understand you dont want to have to use deadly force, but if you pull a fake gun on cops, I feel like youre liable to get killed. For the second time tonight, were reminded of the real danger our officers encounter every day to protect the people of New York City, McCarthy said, referring to the 5 p.m. shooting in New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital earlier in the evening. Advertisement Advertisement In that case, police shot and killed a 62-year-old mentally ill patient armed with the jagged shard of a broken toilet seat inside a room at the Park Slope hospital at Sixth St. and Seventh Ave. The NYPDs Force Investigation Division is investigating both incidents. By Mike Stone and Aishwarya Jain Jan 9 (Reuters) - Defense contractors are seeking legal advice after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to tie share buybacks, dividends and executive pay to weapons delivery schedules, three sources said. Trump's executive order "Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting," signed on Tuesday, may be hard to enforce but could chill major buybacks and bonuses as firms seek to avoid falling out with the administration, the sources said. More from Yahoo Scout How are defense companies responding to the new restrictions? What does Trump's executive order require from defense contractors? What enforcement challenges could the executive order face? How might this order impact defense contractor stock performance? The threat of contract terminations and other penalties for underperforming companies is real, according to company executives, analysts and other industry observers, but those actions could easily get tied up in court or be delayed in other ways to make them less effective. Yet fear of the Trump administration has become a significant factor in corporate decision-making. One industry executive viewed the order as unenforceable and vague, but said his company would strive to comply for fear of angering the administration. Even though dividend yields for most major defense contractors remain below the norm, a second executive noted that when the debate involves executive pay and shareholder returns during a period of delayed weapons deliveries, the government has a strong public relations position. "Americas defense industrial base has a responsibility to ensure our warfighters have the best possible equipment and weapons and, with this Executive Order, the days of defense contractors prioritizing investor returns over military readiness are over," said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. Top defense contractor Lockheed Martin said it shares President Trumps and the Department of Wars focus on speed, accountability, and results, and will continue to invest and innovate at scale." L3Harris's CEO said in a letter to employees obtained by Reuters: Meeting this moment will require increased investment." Other big contractors including RTX, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman did not immediately return a request for comment. Boeing declined to comment. Trump's executive order sent defense stocks down immediately after Trump blasted the industry's slow production on Truth Social hours before the order was published. Shares rebounded later when Trump said his administration's fiscal year 2027 defense budget request would reach $1.5 trillion, a 50% increase from the current $1 trillion budget. Implications of the executive order were digested by the defense industry overnight with executives calling legal counsel with questions about enforceability and court challenges, according to industry executives and attorneys. CBS News has pushed back at a report claiming editor-in-chief Bari Weiss held another 60 Minutes story critical of Donald Trumps policies. The disputed segment by veteran journalist Anderson Cooper is about the Trump administrations plan to accept South African refuges, according to Status. Trump has often repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that a genocide of white people was taking place in South Africa and set out plans to prioritize white South Africans' visa claims last October. Advertisement Advertisement Sources told the newsletter the as-yet unaired segment was viewed by producers in December, with Weiss giving extensive editorial feedback. The newsletter, produced by a former CNN media reporter, also suggested the story was all but guaranteed to provoke Trump and that there had been an abnormal level of review. However, a source close to CBS News has denied the claims and insists the story is still being worked on. A 60 Minutes story by Anderson Cooper has reportedly been held (2022 Invision) Bari Weiss did not hold the story, the source said in a statement to The Independent. The story was already going through our standard, rigorous editorial review led by executive producer Tanya Simon, which led to multiple screenings. The story was not held, it's still in action and in reporting stages with the team, they continued. Tanya made the decision to have the team continue with their reporting. Advertisement Advertisement A previous 60 Minutes report critical of Trump was pulled in December, sparking backlash behind the scenes. The other segment focused on the mistreatment of migrants sent by the United States to CECOT, a prison in El Salvador. The 13-minute clip was set to be broadcast in December before it was withdrawn before air. Weiss, appointed as CBS News editor-in-chief last year, attempted to justify the decision in an email to staff at Christmas, arguing it was necessary to win back the trust of Americans disillusioned by network news. [S]ometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair, she said in a message seen by The Independent. The news comes after another 60 Minutes story was axed, which focused on the Trump administration sending prisoners to CECOT (pictured with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) in El Salvador (AP) However Sharyn Alfonsi, the reporter who produced the CECOT segment, wrote in a leaked email that she believes the real reason for the story being axed was corporate censorship. Advertisement Advertisement Sources at the broadcaster later told The Independent that staff were ready to revolt over the scandal. One person even described it as a holy f***ing dumpster fire. The 60 Minutes story, which later leaked online, included several accounts from detainees about the treatment they had endured in CECOT. One of the interviewees was a Venezuelan college student who had sought asylum in America. He told 60 Minutes that the prison director had a chilling message for him upon arriving: Welcome to hell. I'll make sure you'll never leave. PLATTSBURGH The American Colonization Society received $100,000 by the U.S. government in 1819 to underwrite the resettlement of formerly enslaved Blacks and free Blacks on the African continent. Liberia was called Little America by President James Monroe, for which the countrys West African capital, Monrovia, is named for. Americo-Liberians landed there for five decades, and a Champlain native, Jehudi Ashmun, oversaw the early settlers arrival and transition there from southern and northern states. Advertisement Advertisement Clinton County Historical Association and Museum Director Helen Nerska presents The Extraordinary Life of Champlains Jehudi Ashmun (17941828) today at 2:30 p.m. at Meadowbrook Healthcare, 154 Prospect Ave., Plattsburgh. He was born in Champlain, and his father was one of Champlains founding fathers, Samuel Ashmun. Samuel and a couple of his sons went on to sign abolitionist protest documents, Nerska said. Not Jehudi. He was gone by then. Amos Pettengill, he sort of discovered Jehudi. Pettengills biographer says he rescued Jehudi. Pettengill will say he sort of gave gave him more focus on life. Under Pettengills guidance, Ashmun joined the Congregational Church and went to study at Middlebury College. The mentor and protegee stayed connected until the latters demise. At Middlebury is the first of his recorded illnesses, Nerska said. He had illnesses. Some of them were a sign to the intensity of his character, so we dont know what that means these days. But the man was very intense, and throughout his life, he always did more than was absolutely necessary to a normal person. Advertisement Advertisement He had to go home, and he went back to Middlebury. Ashmun eventually graduated from Vermont University todays University of Vermont. His first job was as principal and the only instructor at the Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine. It was originally known as the Maine Charity School. Hes credited with bringing the seminary to the attention of the public and getting it sort of started, Nerska said. Apparently, also, the reason he didnt stay there is because he had a relationship with someone, Catherine Gray in Champlain, a schoolteacher. Then, he moved to Maine, and in Maine, he met another woman. Apparently when Catherine found out, she decided she wanted him back, and they resumed their relationship, but that upset people in Maine. Even though the school trustees supported Jehudi, the students did not. Advertisement Advertisement Ashmun relocated to Washington, D.C., where he was connected to the Protestant Episcopal Church. When he was there, he edited and published a 32-page monthly magazine for three years, so every month for three years, he produced a 32-pages of dialogue, Nerska said. At the same time, he was also publishing a book about a guy who was actually the first to look for alternate locations for free Black population. They were also looking for those that were freed from slave ships the guy he was writing the memoir on did this. They thought by Jehudi telling Samuel Bacons story that Jehudi became committed to the same cause as Bacon. Originally known as the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United States, ACS was founded in 1816 by a group of white elites, including Rev. Robert Finley; Charles Fenton Mercer; Henry Clay; Daniel Webster; Bushrod Washington, George Washingtons nephew and ACSs first president; Elias Caldwell; and Francis Scott Key. Formed to assist in the colonization and removal of free Black people, the ACS quickly recruited support and financial backing from enslavers, the Protestant and Presbyterian churches and others, including federal government officials, according to whitehousehistory.org. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. government was acquiring land there through a couple of agencies, Nerska said. Of course, they took the land in Africa, which turned out to be Liberia. They took it by force, so the natives were still going to defend their land when Jehudi arrived. He arrived, and he had to immediately start fighting the natives. This is the situation he arrived at. He was a colonization agent, and he was the first one that this land had called Liberia. In 1822, Ashmun was accompanied by his wife Catherine, who died about a month after their arrival from malaria. Everybody was dying from malaria every time they went into these new environments. Jehudi himself was very sick and, apparently, guided his colonists who were fighting against the natives, Nerska said. The colonists had guns, and the natives, of course, didnt. He was there for awhile. The colony had been set up by this guy originally who had taken the land from the natives, but that guy left leaving it to Jehudi to manage. Advertisement Advertisement Then, apparently, he came back and left again. (Jehudi) wrote his own book, The History of the American Colony in Liberia. Jehudi arrived at the colony with his colonists to prevent the extermination of the colony because the natives were at war. He arrived, and he actually set up the government there. This is on behalf of the American Colonization Society that he is doing this, and they are the ones that believed people should be returned to Africa. Check out the progression of the Buc-ee's in Ruston, Louisiana, Jan. 7, 2026. Construction on the cornerstone freeway phenomenon is underway in Ruston, Louisiana. As of Jan. 7, crews were leveling dirt at the site of the first Louisiana Buc-ee's. The Ruston Buc-ee's will employ at least 200 people at $18 to $20 an hour with benefits. Buc-ee's known for its endless rows of gas pumps, signature food items like Texas brisket and Beaver Nuggets, branded merchandise and pristine bathrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Buc-ee's has more than 50 travel centers in the South. It started in Lake Jackson, Texas. "For our family, opening a Buc-ee's in Louisiana is like coming home," CEO Arch "Beaver" Aplin said in a previous statement to USA Today Network. "We are very excited about Buc-ees coming to Ruston." Greg Hilburn contributed to this story. More: Ruston breaks ground on Buc-ee's to make way for the Beaver in Louisiana Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Check out the progress on the Buc-ee's in Ruston St. Ignatius high school canceled school Friday due to a bomb threat, the Catholic school said. School officials said the school received a robot-generated phone call Thursday night with threatening language about several bombs on campus. Chicago police arrived about 11 p.m. and swept the buildings and school with bomb-sniffing dogs, officials said. CPD said they responded to the 1000-block of West Roosevelt Road on the Near West Side, and the threat was not bona fide. The scene was safe and secure. Advertisement Advertisement No one was injured. The FBI is also involved and was investigating the origin and nature of the call. SEE ALSO: Package with 'homemade explosive substance' discovered near Arizona State Capitol School and all activities were canceled out of an abundance of caution, school officials said. Off-campus and capstone activities were expected to go on as planned. No one is in custody, and area detectives are investigating. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER | Track crime and safety in your neighborhood Yinkas view Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi landed in Ethiopia this week, beginning a four-country African tour that marks the 36th consecutive year Beijings top diplomat has opened the calendar with a visit to the continent. The tradition is often cited as proof of Chinas steady commitment to Africa. But it would be naive to pretend that recent shocks and intensifying great-power rivalry do not shape which capitals make the itinerary. This years stops Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Lesotho all sit, in different ways, on the fault lines of US President Donald Trumps revamped foreign policy. Advertisement Advertisement Tanzania is still recalibrating after violent elections in October triggered an unusually forceful US response that caught its diplomats off guard. Lesotho, briefly hit with steep US tariffs last year, still faces uncertainty over the future of AGOA, the preferential US-Africa trade pact that underpins much of its export economy. For both, China offers a measure of stability. However Wangs first stop in Addis Ababa also home to the African Union carries broader significance. The AUs recent reiteration of support for Beijings One China policy has fresh salience following Israels recognition of Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia. The issue resonates not only at the AU, but in Ethiopia itself, which has long eyed Somalilands ports as a strategic outlet for the landlocked country. In Mogadishu, Wang is expected to underscore Chinas support for Somalias territorial integrity, a position Beijing reiterated just days after Israels move. The stance aligns with Chinas own sensitivities over sovereignty and separatism. Chinas Africa policy has not fundamentally shifted. But abrupt changes in long-held US positions on trade, elections, and even religion have sharpened the geopolitical stakes. Wangs annual January tour now looks less like a diplomatic ritual, and more like an exercise in strategic timing. Notable By Tim Kelly TOKYO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Japanese public now sees China's growing military power as the country's leading security concern, overtaking the threat posed by North Korean nuclear missiles, a government survey released on Friday showed. In the survey 68% of 1,534 respondents pointed to advances in Chinese military technology and its activities close to Japan and in the South China Sea as their top security worry, up from 61% when the poll was last conducted three years ago. Advertisement Advertisement The five-week survey began on November 6, a day before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked the worst diplomatic dispute with Beijing in more than a decade by saying that Tokyo could deploy its forces if a Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan was deemed an existential threat to Japan. China has demanded she retract her remarks, warned its citizens against travelling to Japan and threatened to restrict exports of rare earths, a key component in industrial supply chains. Beijing has also conducted military drills near Japan and, last week, held war games around Taiwan involving missiles, warships and aircraft. The survey also showed support for Japan's military at an all-time high, with 94% of respondents saying they had a favourable opinion of the Self-Defense Forces. The poll comes as Takaichi's government prepares to formulate its next defence plan, which is expected to further increase funds for defence. Advertisement Advertisement Under its U.S.-drafted post-war constitution, Japan renounced the right to wage war, but it remains one of the world's biggest military spenders. It is doubling defence outlays to 2% of GDP to deter China from using force to pursue its territorial ambitions in East Asia. Beijing has accused Japan of stoking regional tensions with its military plans and has warned Tokyo of a "crushing" defeat if it were to intervene over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Kate Mayberry) By Abdi Sheikh and Vincent Mumo Nzilani MOGADISHU, Jan 9 (Reuters) - China's top diplomat postponed what would have been a historic visit to Somalia, part of a tour of Africa aimed at bolstering strategic trade, the East African nation's foreign affairs ministry said on Friday. Wang Yi's planned visit would have been the first by a Chinese foreign minister since the 1980s. It had been expected to provide Mogadishu with a diplomatic boost after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the breakaway Republic of Somaliland, a northern region that declared its independence in 1991. Advertisement Advertisement Somalia's relations with the U.S. are also at a low point after Washington said this week it would pause further assistance that benefits the government over a dispute about the demolition of a World Food Programme warehouse. Somali foreign affairs ministry officials told Reuters that the reason for the postponement and a future schedule for Wang's visit would be provided later. China's foreign affairs ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Wang began his annual New Year's tour of Africa on Wednesday, focusing on strategic trade access across East and Southern Africa as Beijing seeks to secure critical shipping routes and resource supply lines. Advertisement Advertisement He arrived in Dar es Salaam on Friday for a two-day working visit, Tanzania's foreign ministry said in a post on its X account. It added that the visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations and deepen economic ties between the two nations. Wang met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday and called for greater cooperation with Africa's fastest-growing economy, including in infrastructure, green industry, and the digital economy. He is also expected to travel to Lesotho during the trip, which is due to conclude on January 12. (Additional reporting by Sfundo Parakozov in Johannesburg and Joe Cash in Beijing;Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Joe Bavier) By David Kirton GUANGZHOU, China, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Chinese automaker Xpeng said it wanted to become better known as a physical AI company rather than just a carmaker, as it gears up to launch street trials of robotaxis and start mass producing humanoid robots later this year. Robots and autos are the core of physical artificial intelligence and share a wide range of existing sensor tech and other hardware. Automakers, for example, are creating robots to automate warehouse and factory tasks. He Xiaopeng, founder and CEO of the company - one of China's best-selling electric vehicle startups and a Volkswagen partner - on Thursday said that with automakers facing intense competition, integrated AI capabilities with XPeng's in-house "Turing" AI chip will give it an advantage.XPeng definitely does not want to become a car company that simply sells hardware cheaply," he said at an event in Guangzhou. "We want to become a global technology company, a company with strong differentiation.The effort to reposition itself echoes similar efforts by Elon Musk's Tesla to expand into making humanoid robots and robotaxis as part of a sharp rise in the use of AI globally. Underlining growing interest in physical AI, chip technology company Arm Holdings told Reuters this week that it had reorganized to create a physical AI unit to expand its presence in the robotics market. Another Chinese automaker, Li Auto in 2023 unveiled a repositioning towards AI, with founder Li Xiang saying that it had invested more than 6 billion yuan ($859.1 million) in AI models, computing power and infrastructure annually. Advertisement Advertisement Xpengs shift also comes as Chinas auto market, the worlds largest, has been embroiled in a years-long price war that has hurt profits. Xpeng's He unveiled four revamped car models at the Guangzhou event, emphasizing new software features including 3D navigation systems, advanced hazard alerts beyond the immediate line of sight and improvements in autonomous driving systems. He said Xpeng has also been hiring and investing in developing autonomous driving and humanoid robots centred on its in-house AI capabilities. The company will begin mass production of humanoid robots in the second half of 2026 and will begin street trials of robotaxis very soon, He said. Xpeng recorded a net loss of 380 million yuan in the third quarter and He previously said he expected to break even by the end of 2025. (Reporting by David Kirton in Guangzhou, Additional reporting by Zhang Yan in Shanghai; Editing by Brenda Goh and Thomas Derpinghaus) Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, was in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday and held talks with Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. A Chinese envoy visited Israel and Ramallah this week and met with senior officials from both sides, according to statements from Chinas foreign ministry released on Friday. Zhai Jun, the special envoy of the Chinese government on Middle East issues, was in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement During his visit, he held talks with Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and "exchanged views on regional hot issues." Saar posted on X/Twitter about the meeting, saying he stressed the need for open dialogue between the two countries and a desire to improve diplomatic relations. Eyes on Iran I urged China to pay attention to Iran's attempts to rearm and regroup its web of proxies. Iran is still the main source of instability in the Middle East, Saar stated. I also emphasized that a reliable peace process requires Palestinian society to undergo a process of deradicalization and to disconnect from the ethos of terror. Advertisement Advertisement In a separate statement, Chinas foreign ministry said Zhai also visited Ramallah in theWest Bank on Wednesday and held a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During the meeting, they reportedly discussed China-Palestinian relations and other Palestinian related issues. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a response following the shooting outside of a funeral at an LDS meetinghouse on Redwood Road. At around 7:30 Wednesday evening, there was a shooting in the parking lot of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse while a funeral was taking place inside. Reportedly, an altercation broke out in the parking lot, and shots were fired. Two people were killed, and at least six more were injured. Two dead, others injured after shooting at LDS meetinghouse on Redwood Road We are aware of a serious incident that occurred outside a Church meetinghouse at 660 North Redwood Road in Salt Lake City tonight as a memorial service was being held in the chapel. The Church is cooperating with law enforcement and is grateful for the efforts of first responders. Until more information is available, all questions about this incident are being directed to the Salt Lake City Police Department. We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind. Sam Penrod, spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bystanders react to shooting during funeral at LDS church that killed two Advertisement Advertisement He added that the Church will provide updates as they are available. Three victims are in critical condition, and at this point, the condition of three other victims is unknown, as they were taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. Police are currently searching for the suspect or suspects, and at this time, they said they do not know how many suspects may be involved. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement 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 ABC4 Utah. This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. No executive shift last month was bigger than 7-Elevens longtime CEO announcing his retirement a move that subsequently kicked off the search for the next face of the largest convenience retailer in the U.S. But Joseph DePintos resignation wasnt the only notable leadership shift the industry saw as 2025 came to a close. Heres more on DePintos departure, as well other significant executive moves we covered in December. And heres our executive roundup from November, in case you missed it. DePinto steps down at 7-Eleven Late on Dec. 19, Seven & i Holdings announced that DePinto, 7-Elevens CEO since 2005, would retire at the end of the year. Stan Reynolds and Doug Rosencrans, president and COO of 7-Eleven, respectively, will serve as co-CEOs until a permanent replacement is hired. That search process is now part of the most anticipated c-store industry storyline heading into 2026. DePintos departure marked a significant shift for 7-Eleven, and its next chief executive will be tasked with leading the c-store retailer into a major new growth phase. In addition to shepherding the company through an initial public offering, the new CEO will also have to keep the rollout of hundreds of larger, food-focused c-stores on track, as well as juggle other updates and improvements to 7-Elevens technology and food offerings. BP taps outside CEO, loses top c-store exec BP revealed in mid-December that Murray Auchincloss, who had been BPs chief executive since January 2024, had stepped down and oil industry veteran Meg ONeill will become its next CEO, effective April 1. Carol Howle, BPs executive vice president of supply, trading and shipping, is serving as interim CEO. ONeill, BPs fourth CEO since 2020, will assume leadership amid a challenging period for the company, which underwent a major strategy reset in 2025. Early last year, the company kicked off its initiative to reduce expenses by about $2 billion by 2026, which included laying off thousands of employees and divesting 10% of its company-operated c-stores. ONeill was most recently CEO of Australian energy company Woodside Energy, and was its COO, EVP of development and EVP of development and marketing before that. Prior to joining Woodside Energy in 2018, she spent 23 years with ExxonMobil in a variety of technical, operational and senior leadership roles across the U.S., Canada and Norway. Days after ONeills appointment, Kevin Kapala, head of growth and customer sales for BPs convenience retailing business in the U.S., announced that he left the company. Kapala had spearheaded the customer-facing sales organization within BPs c-store business in the U.S., including overseeing partnerships at about 8,500 locations nationwide. He also led go-to-market strategies for BPs c-store banners in the U.S., notably Ampm and Amoco, while advancing their digital transformations and overseeing their franchise networks. This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. The beleaguered Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency faces a big test in 2026, with pressure mounting on the agency to clarify its approach to a wide range of security challenges. As it reels from workforce cuts, lost resources and weakened partnerships, CISA will need to revitalize its support for critical infrastructure operators, craft an incident-reporting mandate that walks a tightrope of competing interests and develop a strategy to confront the Chinese governments increasing aggression in cyberspace. The agency will also need to fix a morale crisis that threatens to further erode its operational readiness, as well as decide how much it intends to help state and local governments secure the upcoming midterm elections. Advertisement Advertisement That many priorities would strain even a healthy agency, and since President Donald Trump took office a year ago, CISA has been anything but healthy. Losing 30 percent of your people in an unstructured drawdown is clearly a bad idea and this will hurt in every area, said Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. From infrastructure protection to employee recruitment to whatever assignments it receives in Trumps new cyber strategy, CISA enters 2026 fighting an uphill battle, with a lot riding on whether it can turn itself around. We want CISA to succeed, said former senior agency employee Lauren Zabierek, because their success strengthens our national security. Advertisement Advertisement CISAs acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, said the agency has sharpened its mission under the Trump administration. We will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our trusted partners to improve federal network defense, empower small and medium businesses and critical infrastructure across the country to build resilience, and share timely and actionable threat information to assist in safeguarding the systems and networks Americans rely on every day, Gottumukkala said in a statement. Here are the seven biggest challenges that CISA faces this year. 1. Protecting critical infrastructure with slim resources. The biggest challenge CISA faces in 2026 is supporting critical infrastructure companies and state and local governments after losing thousands of employees and several key collaboration tools. Advertisement Advertisement CISA has lost staffers focused on regional outreach, infrastructure security and strategic planning, making it harder for the agency to connect with infrastructure operators, deliver security services and guidance to them and collaborate with them on countering future threats. Our capacity to deliver our technical services has been significantly reduced in the past 11 months due to the cuts in programs and contracts, and we have to do more with less, said one CISA employee, who, like other staffers interviewed for this story, requested anonymity to speak freely. Several of the agencys infrastructure partners agreed. The essential mechanisms CISA needs to support critical infrastructure partners have been hollowed out, said Errol Weiss, chief security officer at the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center. If a cybersecurity crisis hits healthcare or any other sector, he predicted, CISAs vital lifeline of coordination, support, and resource triage will be severely constrained, if not entirely severed. Prior to the cuts, CISA had been trying to increase its support for the education sector, a community often overlooked in discussions about critical infrastructure despite weathering some of the most disruptive attacks. But current events have absolutely set us back, said Doug Levin, national director of the K12 Security Information eXchange. Schools have noticed a stark difference, Levin said, in state [and] regional [CISA] offices where personnel are simply not available to provide services anymore. Advertisement Advertisement The agencys partnerships have also suffered as a result of the Trump administration both shuttering the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, which facilitated sensitive discussions, and eliminating funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which provides vital intelligence and services to state and local governments. Cyber experts and industry leaders urged the government to reverse both moves. The cuts have created a dangerous void and left U.S. critical infrastructure fundamentally more vulnerable, Weiss said. The recent changes have also eroded CISAs reputation as a reliable partner for the critical infrastructure community. The people that CISA should be supporting dont trust us, and right now theyre absolutely right in that position, said a second CISA employee. Advertisement Advertisement By cutting staff, collaboration forums and travel allowances, DHS seems to be making it as hard as possible for CISA employees to have contact with the private sector, said Michael Daniel, president of the Cyber Threat Alliance, an industry collaboration group. Over time, these restrictions will degrade CISAs effectiveness, reduce its understanding of the broader environment, and make its products less relevant. The Trump administration has said that the cuts at CISA are part of reorienting the agency toward its core protective mission. But infrastructure representatives rejected that framing. You cant simply refocus CISA on core defense without acknowledging that defense relies entirely on those external relationships, Weiss said. 2. Chinas aggressive cyber and geopolitical ambitions. The looming potential of an armed conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan has further elevated the stakes of CISAs critical infrastructure protection mission. Companies look to CISA for early warnings of threat activity and guidance on thwarting China-linked hackers, while policymakers rely on the agency to identify and prioritize critical national assets that need protection, such as the railways and ports used to mobilize military equipment. Those responsibilities will put CISA at the center of any conflict over Taiwan, given that China is expected to open such a conflict by hacking U.S. infrastructure to delay an American response to the invasion. But many experts are pessimistic about CISAs current readiness to prevent or respond to those attacks. Advertisement Advertisement A Chinese invasion of Taiwan will be the geopolitical crisis of our time, but CISA is ill-prepared to play its part, said Brian Harrell, a former assistant director for infrastructure security at CISA. I question current relationships and information sharing mechanisms. China-linked infrastructure hacks are akin to putting a gun to our head, said Suzanne Spaulding, who led CISAs predecessor at DHS for six years. We need to take the bullets out of that gun by working to reduce the likelihood that Chinas cyber efforts will have the impact they seek. 3. Balancing the regulatory challenges of CIRCIA. CISA is also racing to finalize a regulation requiring critical infrastructure operators to report cyber incidents to the agency. The 2022 Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) required CISA to publish the final version of the rule by October 2025, but CISA extended that deadline to this May. Companies and their lawyers are closely watching CISAs process of drafting what has become known as the CIRCIA regulation, which will be the U.S.s first comprehensive cyber incident reporting requirement. Currently, the vast majority of cyberattacks in the U.S. go unreported. The CIRCIA rule is expected to dramatically increase the governments awareness of cyber threat activity facing critical infrastructure companies. It's essential, not just for CISA but for our security, to get CIRCIA in a working state, said Jeff Greene, a former executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the agency. Advertisement Advertisement But CISA faces a difficult balancing act: preserving the rules core information-gathering purpose while addressing businesses complaints that the Biden administrations draft regulation is too onerous, broad and vague. Industry representatives say the draft rule overburdens companies in the middle of chaotic incidents, and some question CISAs ability to effectively use the ocean of data it will receive. The agency is likely going to be under pressure to make the reporting system as minimalist as possible, said Daniel, who served as President Barack Obamas cyber adviser. CISA will do its best to produce a rule that generates useful reports without impeding businesses, Greene said, but youre not going to get something that everyone thinks is great and well-crafted. The contours of the final CIRCIA rule will define CISAs relationship with the private sector in the coming years. It is critical that CISA gets the implementing regulation right, said John Miller, a top executive at the Information Technology Industry Council. 4. Uncertainty over CISAs commitment to product security. CISAs transformation over the past year has raised questions about its commitment to a major pressure campaign aimed at improving the security of the digital ecosystem. Advertisement Advertisement During the Biden administration, CISA launched a Secure by Design initiative to encourage companies to build security into their products from the beginning and turn on secure features by default. Hundreds of companies have signed a pledge to make improvements in seven specific areas. But the key figures behind the initiative left CISA at the beginning of the Trump administration, and CISA has done nothing publicly with the project since then, raising questions about its fate. Zabierek, one of the projects now-former leaders, said she hoped the Trump administration recognized its value and kept it alive, because preventing cyberattacks through more secure technology is the most sustainable path to national cyber safety in the long run. Secure by Design could dovetail with the Trump administrations unconventional political strategy, either through heavy-handed pressure on tech companies often criticized by conservatives or through praise of participating businesses as conscientious stewards of public safety. But either approach would require resources, staff and open communication with industry all things the administration has taken from CISA. Greene said CISA was starting to have [a] real effect with Secure by Design during the Biden administration. Were starting to see companies go through the cycle that we had hoped to see. 5. Election cybersecurity. With the midterm elections looming, security experts predict a resurgence in foreign influence operations designed to sow chaos and sway voters. In past election cycles, CISA helped state and local officials rebut misinformation and coordinated closely with the FBI and the intelligence community to track and disrupt foreign interference. But CISAs anti-misinformation activities prompted reprisals from the new Trump administration, casting doubt on the agencys attitude toward election security this year. Advertisement Advertisement Trump has weakened the nations preparedness for election threats, Jena Griswold, Colorados Democratic secretary of state, told Cybersecurity Dive. Caitlin Durkovich, a White House homeland-security official during the Biden administration, said the Trump team has signaled that collecting on, exposing, and disrupting increasingly sophisticated hostile or aspiring foreign state actors will not be a priority. Even if the White House allows CISA to reengage on the issue, staffers will likely be reluctant to take part in a mission that the administration considers radioactive. And whatever effort CISA does make will encounter skepticism from state and local officials who have lost trust in the agency. Many no longer see CISA as an honest broker, Spaulding said. This is devastating and will take many years to recover. 6. Overcoming the agencys internal morale crisis. CISA wont be able to achieve any of its goals, experts said, without addressing its crippling morale crisis and refilling hundreds of vital positions. In addition to firing many workers, the Trump administration has forced out others by sending them to other Department of Homeland Security agencies, sometimes in unrelated roles across the country. Successful efforts to traumatize the federal workforce have decimated CISA, Spaulding said. CISA has announced ambitious plans to fill critical gaps in its workforce this year, but the administrations attacks on CISA and the broader federal workforce will make it very difficult for the agency to recruit new employees and retain current staffers. It will take a long time to hire their way out of all firings and departures, Greene said. Almost everyone I know who left is making more money and working fewer hours, so getting those people to come back is not going to be super easy. CISA might be able to find new workers in the months ahead, Greene said, but the hiring process is so slow that the agency may not see the benefits for a long time. In the meantime, some employees say theyre trying to make due with the agencys remaining capacity. Weve got to pick up the pieces and still do our jobs, said a third CISA employee. A lot of people are still committed to the mission, but it's going to be tough sledding. 7. Leadership vacuum. CISA will struggle to improve morale, confront China and reestablish its trusted public presence without a permanent director. Trumps nomination of Sean Plankey to lead CISA expired at the end of 2025, and it is unclear if Trump will renominate him. Getting a CISA director confirmed is absolutely critical, Montgomery said. No defense agency whether it's CISA or NSA should go without a permanent leader for more than 10 days, much less 10 months. Agencies without leaders struggle to make big changes and to advocate for themselves in strategy and budget meetings with the White House and other agencies. The ability to put longer-term plans in place is really hamstrung, said Trey Herr, senior director of the Atlantic Councils Cyber Statecraft Initiative. The mid-level officials currently steering CISA wont want to make big decisions on CIRCIA, election security and other issues without a director in place. That could force CISA to watch as other agencies take the initiative on cybersecurity. Harrell said he admired the people currently running CISA, but they need the autonomy and flexibility to lead without doing Mother, may I to the DHS front office for every issue. Sion, Switzerland Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Swiss bar that went up in a deadly blaze during a New Year celebration, was held in custody after being interviewed by prosecutors on Friday, a prosecutor said. The Swiss Valais region's chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a statement that Moretti's detention was necessary to avoid a "risk of flight." His wife Jessica, the other co-owner of the bar, was allowed to remain free under judicial supervision, Pilloud's office said. The Morettis, who co-own Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski-resort of Crans-Montana, were interviewed by prosecutors in Switzerland's southwestern Wallis canton as the country held a national day of mourning for the 40 people killed in last week's disaster. The average age of those killed was 19. The couple face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. Co-owners of Le Constellation bar in in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica Moretti, arrive for a hearing at the office of the public prosecutor of the Canton of Valais, in Sion, Switzerland, Jan. 9, 2026. / Credit: Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP/Getty (Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP/Getty) They were questioned by the public prosecutor's office in the town of Sion, not far from Crans-Montana. Advertisement Advertisement A day of national mourning in Switzerland Carrying a bucket filled with white roses, Azeddine Mekrabech made his way to Crans-Montana on Friday as Switzerland remembered the dozens who died in the New Year fire tragedy. An igloo-like tarpaulin now covers the mound of flowers, teddy bears and lit candles outside Le Constellation bar in the ski resort, to protect the makeshift memorial from the falling snow. Entering the enclosed space, Mekrabech delicately placed the roses. "I brought 40. One for each of the victims," he told AFP. Mouners sign a book of condolence after a memorial ceremony in tribute to victims of the Crans-Montana bar fire, Jan. 9, 2026, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. / Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Eight days on from the tragedy at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead and 116 injured, Switzerland marked a national day of mourning for the mostly teenage victims. Mekrabech, 30, had come from Lyon, in neighboring France. He was one of many who traveled from afar to mark the occasion in the snow-blanketed ski resort where the tragedy occurred. "I'm someone who likes to party quite a bit. It made me think of myself. I thought, I could have been at a party without paying attention and been trapped like that," he said. "I saw myself ... I felt I had to make the gesture." He and others said they would watch the national memorial ceremony, being live-streamed on giant screens in Crans-Montana from Martigny, down the Rhone valley. Several heads of state from the European nations that had citizens killed in the blaze attended the service. (From left) European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever, former Grand Duke of Luxembourg's Henri, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's President Sergio Mattarella observe a minute of silence during a tribute ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, in Martigny, Switzerland, Jan. 9, 2026. / Credit: MICHAEL BUHOLZER/POOL/AFP/Getty At the Crans-Montana congress center, which was used in the days after the tragedy to accommodate family members desperately seeking information about their missing loved ones, around 1,400 people gathered to view the ceremony, many sobbing quietly. Advertisement Advertisement When first responders filed in, making their way to around 100 reserved seats, they were met with a standing ovation. Nicolas Dobler, a 38-year-old volunteer fireman in the northwest Swiss canton of Jura, said he had come with three colleagues to light candles at the memorial. "We came specifically today for the national day of mourning and also to really support our fellow firefighters who have truly experienced something horrible," he told AFP. "It's a situation you would never want to encounter. You can't prepare for this kind of thing, it's impossible. Even with all the training in the world." Olena, a 61-year-old Ukrainian refugee who lives in Sion, said she had also come up the mountainside to take part in the day of mourning. "I come from Ukraine, where people are also dying. This was terrifying. I wanted to come and honor the victims," she said. Mouners gather outside the Le Constellation bar after a memorial ceremony in tribute to victims of the fire that gutted the business during New Year's Eve celebrations, eight days later on Jan. 9, 2026, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. / Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Outside Le Constellation, Federico Gelle, a 17-year-old from Italy's Tuscany region, lit a candle for so many teens his own age who had perished. He knelt down and seemed to pray among the flowers, before straightening his glasses and re-emerging, his eyes filled with tears. "This is a terrible thing, but it was avoidable," he told AFP. "I haven't lost anyone here ... but it is just very sad." Gelle said that if he had chosen to spend New Year's Eve in Crans-Montana, as he had in the past, he might very well have been among the victims. "It's a thought that sent shivers down my spine ... I think I am very lucky." Matthias Gerhardt, 61, made the trip from Geneva, visiting Crans-Montana for the first time. "What happened is so serious, it's unbelievable. That's why I came all this way," he told AFP. "We are in a state of national mourning. It is important that we can express our anger, speak with people. It is important to participate." Vance posts new video that shows Renee Good's last words and other angle of shooting Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis New details on ICE agent involved in Minneapolis shooting Florida residents will get a bit of a break from above-average temperatures late this weekend. Freeze and frost warnings will be possible across some parts of North Florida and the Panhandle early in the week, but colder temperatures are expected late next week, around Jan. 15-16. Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location A potential cold front late in the week "could rival some of the coldest conditions seen so far this season in Florida," according to AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham via email Jan. 9. Advertisement Advertisement And the cold fronts are coming as several cities set record high temperatures and the state experiencing temperatures about 15 to 20 degrees above average, according to the National Weather Service. Here's what to expect and when. First cold front bringing threat of tornadoes, severe storms Strong to severe storms are possible Jan. 9-10, 2026. Damaging winds and a tornado or two are possible with storms both days. "A cold front will pass through the state of Florida Sunday into Sunday night, which will bring a very notable change in the weather pattern across the state," Buckingham said. "After days of well above-average warmth, a sharp turn towards below-average temperatures will occur between late Sunday and Monday across the state. "The sharpest temperature drops will occur across northern and central Florida, then the cold front is expected to lose some of its strength as it tries to press into South Florida by Sunday night." Advertisement Advertisement "Strong to severe storms remain possible Friday/Saturday (Jan. 9-12)," according to the National Weather Service Mobile. "Damaging winds and a tornado or two are possible with storms both days." Winter returning to Florida with significant cold front on the way After breaking two record highs on Jan. 7, the cold front is expected to bring some showers and an isolated thunderstorm Saturday into Saturday night, the National Weather Service Tallahassee said. "Colder weather follows the front as temps go from the 70s to near 80 for highs to the 50s early next week!" A light freeze is expected for portions of the area Sunday night and Monday night, the National Weather Service Tallahassee said. Advertisement Advertisement Inland light freezes are forecast Sunday and Monday nights, the National Weather Service Jacksonville said, with widespread inland frost Monday night. See low temperatures expected in Florida after arrival of first cold front Low temperatures expected around Florida Jan. 12, 2026. Here are low temperatures expected across Florida early next week after the arrival of the first cold front, as predicted by the National Weather Service: Pensacola Jan. 11: 35 degrees Jan. 12: 36 degrees Tallahassee Jan. 11: 34 degrees Jan. 12: 34 degrees Jacksonville Jan. 11: 41 degrees Jan. 12: 43 degrees Daytona Beach Jan. 11: 50 degrees Jan. 12: 54 degrees Melbourne Jan. 11: 57 degrees Jan. 12: 60 degrees Port St. Lucie Jan. 11: 58 degrees Jan. 12: 59 degrees West Palm Beach Jan. 11: 68 degrees Jan. 12: 69 degrees Miami Jan. 11: 69 degrees Jan. 12: 69 degrees Naples Jan. 11: 57 degrees Jan. 12: 59 degrees Fort Myers Jan. 11: 54 degrees Jan. 12: 57 degrees Sarasota Jan. 11: 53 degrees Jan. 12: 57 degrees Orlando Jan. 11: 49 degrees Jan. 12: 51 degrees Florida breaking record high temps this week 1/7 - Two new record highs were set today - Tallahassee reached 80 today, breaking the previous record of 79 from 1916. - Apalachicola reached 77 today, tying the previous record set in 1974. Average highs for early January are in the mid 60s. #FLwx pic.twitter.com/3HfkquJ39n NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) January 7, 2026 Florida has been breaking record high temps this week, with near record temperatures expected in some locations through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service Tallahassee. Advertisement Advertisement Near record warmth is forecast for Jan. 9-10, the National Weather Service Jacksonville said. Forecast highs in the low 80s will be within one to three degrees of daily records both today and Saturday, mostly across the interior, with Leesburg currently forecast to tie their record high of 82 degrees today, Jan. 9, according to the National Weather Service Melbourne. In South Florida, daytime temperatures are expected to remain above average into the weekend but fall short of setting any records. Records this week: Tallahassee reached 80 Jan. 7, breaking the previous record of 79 from 1916. Apalachicola tied its record high of 77 on Jan. 8, a record set in 1974. On Jan. 8, Ruskin reached 85, breaking the old record of 84 set in 2013. Also on Jan. 8, St. Petersburg hit 81, breaking the old record of 80 set in 1989. Second cold front could 'rival some of the coldest conditions seen so far this season' Another strong cold front is expected to move into Florida toward the end of next week. Advertisement Advertisement "We will be keeping a close eye on a potential cold front late next week, as there is a chance it could rival some of the coldest conditions seen so far this season in Florida," Buckingham said. "Exact timing of that front is still somewhat in question, but currently the potential for a more widespread frost and freeze across Florida will be monitored next Thursday night, Friday night and possibly Saturday night." See low temperatures expected in Florida after arrival of second cold front Here are low temperatures expected across Florida late next week after the arrival of a second cold front, as predicted by AccuWeather: Pensacola Jan. 15: 33 degrees Jan. 16: 41 degrees Tallahassee Jan. 15: 32 degrees Jan. 16: 34 degrees Jacksonville Jan. 15: 40 degrees Jan. 16: 41 degrees Daytona Beach Jan. 15: 42 degrees Jan. 16: 41 degrees Melbourne Jan. 15: 43 degrees Jan. 16: 45 degrees Port St. Lucie Jan. 15: 49 degrees Jan. 16: 50 degrees West Palm Beach Jan. 15: 50 degrees Jan. 16: 53 degrees Miami Jan. 15: 57 degrees Jan. 16: 58 degrees Naples Jan. 15: 53 degrees Jan. 16: 50 degrees Fort Myers Jan. 15: 49 degrees Jan. 16: 46 degrees Sarasota Jan. 15: 49 degrees Jan. 16: 47 degrees Orlando Jan. 15: 45 degrees Jan. 16: 46 degrees Colder temperatures hit Florida in November 2025 "This will not be the strongest cold front / lowest temperatures observed so far this season," Buckingham said. Advertisement Advertisement On Nov. 11, temperatures dropped much longer than expected with either of the coming cold fronts. Temperature fell to: Miami: 49 degrees Orlando: 36 degrees Jacksonville: 28 degrees Tampa: 38 degrees Will it rain in Florida anytime soon? Radar keeps track of storms approaching, moving through Florida Weather alerts issued in Florida Current drought conditions in Florida Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text What's next? We will continue to update our weather coverage as conditions warrant. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Floridas best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at tallahassee.com/newsletters. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida weather swinging from record highs to freeze, frost DENVER (KDVR) Colorado is once again responding to the Trump Administration over federal actions taken against the state. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced an update to a lawsuit the state originally filed back in October 2025. When Weiser first filed a lawsuit over the federal government relocating the U.S. Space Command, Trump said Colorados election laws had also played a big factor in the move. Colorado leaders react after woman with local ties shot by ICE officer in Minneapolis Advertisement Advertisement Now, Weiser alleges Trump is taking unconstitutional actions against the state because of one former county clerk. Our Attorney Generals Office here has had our hands full, defending our state against numerous, illegal actions by the Trump administration that are harming Colorado. Today, Colorado has filed 49 lawsuits and counting, Weiser said Thursday. Instead of adding to that list, Weiser said he is updating a lawsuit already filed in federal court against the Trump administration. The lawsuit over the Trump administrations decision to move Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala. was filed in October. Since then, the president has been calling on state leaders for the release of Tina Peters, a former Mesa County Clerk, who is in custody at a state prison for her role in an election security breach. Advertisement Advertisement Our state is exercising our sovereign authority to prosecute and incarcerate former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who violated Colorado laws and undermined election integrity. In response, the Trump administration has unleashed an array of threatened and actual punishments against Colorado, violating our constitution and federal law, Weiser said. The updated lawsuit asserts the actions here that are designed to punish Colorado and impose further harmful consequences violate the 10th Amendment, the elections clause, the principle of state sovereignty, the separation of powers principle, and numerous other federal laws. We are asking the court to declare the Trump administration as unlawful and unconstitutional. After state leaders called for Peters to remain in prison, several actions against Colorado have come down from the federal government, including the administration announcing a plan to dismantle NCAR in Boulder and terminating millions in federal grants for things like transportation and energy. Weiser said he is asking the court to block agencies from enforcing the actions. Man arrested for threatening mass shooting in Breckenridge This series of events and the timing demonstrate and reflects an unmistakable campaign of punishments and threats directed at Colorado to respond to what is the lawful exercise of our sovereign authority. And sadly, indications are more might be coming, said Weiser. We also want a broader declaration that a revenge campaign targeting Colorado because of our exercising of our sovereign authority, is unconstitutional. This is an important principle. Advertisement Advertisement The actions noted in the updated lawsuit did not include a recently announced funding freeze for social services and a mandate to keep a coal plant open. Weiser said stay tuned for a response to those actions. 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 FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) President Donald Trump called out Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in an address to House Republicans on Tuesday, saying he stinks for his actions regarding the presence of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the state. About 35 minutes into his 90-minute address, Trump spoke about borders and deciding not to let people from around the world come into the U.S., targeting those from prisons in places like Congo and Venezuela. May they rot in hell: Trump digs at Colorado Governor, DA for Tina Peters imprisonment Advertisement Advertisement These are extraordinarily tough people, these are people that make your motorcycle gangs look like fine young men in comparison. They come in from prisons in the Congo, they come in from prisons from all over the world but in particular Venezuela, President Trump said in the address. Tren de Aragua comes in. They say its the worst gang in the world. It makes our gangs look like little sweethearts. It makes our gangs, you want to take them out to dinner theyre so nice. The U.S. Department of the Treasury describes TdA as a transnational criminal organization that threatens American communities through diverse criminal activities, including human smuggling and trafficking, money laundering, illicit drug trafficking and violence. Alleged members have been accused of many crimes around Denver, including violent kidnappings and robberies. During his address, the president went on to claim that the governor of Colorado does not want to do anything about TdAs presence. Advertisement Advertisement They cut off the fingers of people. One guy makes a phone call in Colorado, the governor stinks in Colorado, he has no control. So, Tren de Aragua, they dont want to do anything about it, so ICE has to go in and take them out because the governor doesnt want to do anything, the president said. They make a phone call, theyve taken over my building, the landlords calling, they took over his building, so the governor doesnt want to do anything, but he calls the police, the guy, they come in. Did you call the police? This is Tren de Aragua talking to the man that owns the building. Did you call the police? Yeah. Boom, they cut off his fingers. If you call them again, the next time your hand comes off. Its unclear what specific case Trump was referring to, however FOX31 reported on an incident in October 2024 in which two people were arrested after they allegedly held a man against his will, assaulted him and amputated a finger. The Denver Police Department later announced that the two suspects were arrested on warrants. Police were investigating whether the suspects were members of TdA. In another instance, CBZ Management, the company that manages one of the apartments that were rumored to be taken over by TdA, said gang members had assaulted one of its representatives in late 2023. The company said that the issue was not with migrants, but gangs that had taken over the complex, claiming that management could not get help to stop them. The properties were later placed into receivership by the city of Aurora, and a suspect who was documented as a member of TdA was arrested, according to police. These are the animals that were throwing the hell out of here, he said on Tuesday, going on to discuss the safety of Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement When President Trump visited Aurora for a campaign rally in 2024, he announced Operation Aurora, a plan to remove migrants who entered the country illegally and may be involved in gangs and criminal activity. Officials confirmed in late 2024 that multiple suspects who were caught on camera knocking on apartment doors with large firearms in hand were indeed affiliated with the gang. Since Trump returned to office, there have since been several additional arrests reportedly related to the gang, both by local agencies and federal agencies. Notably, while federal operations have resulted in numerous arrests and deportations of alleged TdA members, there have also been nationwide reports of non-criminals, veterans and legal immigrants being deported, sometimes to countries where they have never visited. In response to Trumps statements, the governors office issued a statement to FOX31, recalling efforts from the state to provide resources for local law enforcement agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Colorado is a zero tolerance state for crime and the governor offered any needed resources to Aurora last year to go after TDA and other gangs. Specifically, in August 2024, he offered dedicated investigative support in the form of Troopers and CBI agents to work cases, the state has been participating in the joint task force supporting this response, and DHSEM provided analysts to support investigations to identify and arrest known criminal gang members. The Governor is focused on working with local and federal law enforcement to improve public safety, apprehend criminals, and keep our communities safer by addressing gang activity and eradicating Tren de Aragua from Colorado. Colorado has continued to see a decrease in crime and we are proud of our data-driven efforts to make this happen, a spokesperson for the governors office said. Trump tries to rally House GOP but meanders along the way as the partys majority narrows At the end of 2024, the governors office congratulated the city of Aurora for the arrests of assumed TdA members and said the state added resources over the summer and was ready to assist Aurora police. Governor Polis congratulates the city of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department for these arrests. The state added staff and resources to the task force in July and convened federal officials over the summer. The state stands ready to assist Aurora PD. Governor Polis is calling for additional public safety investments during the upcoming legislative session to crack down on crime and urges the legislature to approve those requests to make Colorado safer, a spokesperson for Governor Polis office said in a statement to FOX31 in December 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Polis office told FOX31 last January that the governor is committed to making Colorado one of the top ten safest states. He hopes law enforcement continues to coordinate to keep guns and drugs out of our communities. Later last January, 41 people were detained by ICE after a raid of a makeshift nightclub in Adams County, an effort which the Colorado Governors Office and other local agencies praised and said was welcome. This is one of many reports of suspected TdA arrests from Denver metro agencies. 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 FOX31 Denver. HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) Standing in the middle of Hartfords trendy Pratt Street, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) lauded the latest hike of Connecticuts minimum wage a 59 cent increase triggered by legislation he signed into law seven years ago. The new wage, $16.94 per hour, kicked in on New Years Day. The 2019 legislation commands the state to use the federal Employment Cost Index to calculate annual wage increases, starting at a floor of $15 per hour that was instituted in 2023. Minimum wage increase takes effect in Connecticut Advertisement Advertisement Lamonts Thursday press conference was the second hes held in recent months to tout the wage hike and the latest in a string of technically official events that walk the thin line between policymaking and campaigning for a third term in office. One way to make life a little more easy for people is to pay them a little bit more, Lamont said. The political debate over the minimum wage remains largely the same in 2026 as it was in 2019. Democrats like Lamont believe hiking the wage is a lifeline for working class residents. Republicans and their allies in the business community believe the price pressures of a higher minimum wage hurt job creators. State Rep. Vincent Candelora (86th), the GOP leader in the state House, takes particular umbrage with the fact that the increases are now effectively automatic. Advertisement Advertisement I would structure it the way it used to be, which is where the legislature would vote to increase it, and it would be done gradually over time, Candelora said. Lamont has consistently pushed back on criticism from across the aisle. The two-term incumbent is a former entrepreneur himself, an experience he frequently cites on the occasions when he jousts with business interests. I come out of business, Lamont said. These folks that, you know, dont come out of business, they listen to the lobbyists and they parade their talking points as if this is anti-business. But the governors portrayal of his political opponents as largely out of touch with the realities faced by small business owners fails to address the fact that many of the most vocal opponents of the minimum wage law are themselves employers. Candelora, for example, owns and operates a sportsplex in North Branford. Advertisement Advertisement What this minimum wage has done for me is its caused me to have to increase my pricing every year to absorb my labor costs, Candelora said. To his political left, Lamont also has to contend with the fact that many within his party believe he has not gone far enough on strengthening wage laws. Persistent efforts to ban a practice known as tipped wages wherein some businesses use tips in order to meet the minimum wage have failed to advance out of the legislature. Dante Bartolomeo, Lamonts top labor official, gave a noncommittal answer when asked about her stance on doing away with tipped wages. I think well have to see what the legislature feels about that again this year, Bartolomeo said. Advertisement Advertisement The legislature will reconvene in February. 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. A week on from the dramatic raid that seized Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, details of the intelligence surrounding the operation are becoming clearer, but some mysteries still remain. The intelligence The mission took months of planning and intelligence gathering. In August the CIA is believed to have sent a team of undercover officers into Venezuela. The US does not have a functioning embassy in the country, so the team could not use diplomatic cover and were working in what is known in the intelligence worlds as a "denied area". They were on the ground to scout targets and recruit people who could help. Advertisement Advertisement US officials have said they had one particular source who was able to provide detailed intelligence on Maduro's whereabouts which would have been critical to the operation. Identities of such sources are normally highly protected but it quickly emerged it was a "government" source who must have been particularly close to Maduro and in his inner circle in order to know where he was going to be, and when. That has led to intense speculation about who it was and what has happened to them. But their identity is still not public. All of the human intelligence on the ground fed into a "mosaic" of intelligence to plan the operation in conjunction with technical intelligence like mapping and satellite imagery. Maduro was photographed on the USS Iwo Jima in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and a type of blindfold [@realDonaldTrump] The mission The scale, speed and success of the operation were unprecedented. Advertisement Advertisement "This thing worked like clockwork. That doesn't happen often," explains David Fitzgerald, a former Latin America Chief of Operations for the CIA who also worked on planning missions with the US military. "It is not the military tactics that drive the operation, but the intelligence." Around 150 aircraft were involved in the mission, with helicopters flying only a hundred or so feet above the terrain to get to Maduro's compound. US military helicopters flying over Caracas, with plumes of smoke from earlier air strikes clearly visible [Reuters] There are still some mysteries though. One is exactly how the US turned off the lights in Caracas in order to enable the special forces to arrive. Advertisement Advertisement "The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have - it was dark and it was deadly," US President Donald Trump said. The fact that the US Cyber Command was publicly thanked for its role in the operation has led to speculation that US military hackers got inside Venezuelan networks in advance to shut the grid down at the right moment - but details are limited. The failure of Chinese and Russian air defences has also led to speculation of what kind of jamming or electronic warfare technology was deployed by the US in the air to aid the operation. The US Space Command, which operates satellites, also received credit for creating a "pathway" for the special forces to enter unseen. Stealth drones were also thought to have been deployed. Exact details of the capabilities used are likely to remain secret, but America's adversaries will be doing their best to try and understand what happened. Advertisement Advertisement The battle Those who have planned complex operations say it is remarkable that everything went according to plan, something that does not usually happen. One helicopter was hit but was still able to fly and no US forces were killed. There are still few details about the battle that took place at Maduro's compound, Fuerte Tiuna. The Cuban government said that 32 of its nationals were killed by US forces. These were bodyguards provided to defend Maduro by its ally, Cuba. The Caribbean country provides not just bodyguards, but wider security support to the regime. Advertisement Advertisement "Within the immediate perimeter of Maduro, there were probably zero Venezuelan security officers and on the outer perimeter maybe a mixture of both," says Fitzgerald. The fact that they proved so ineffective has also led to questions about whether some elements of the regime facilitated the mission in some way. US forces were also able to get to Maduro as he was trying to lock himself into a steel safe room but before he could close the door. They had blowtorches and explosives ready to blow the door open if needed, but the speed of the apprehension again suggests an incredibly detailed understanding of the layout of the compound. Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, was hit by US strikes as part of the operation [CBS] The plan The CIA undertook a classified assessment in advance of the operation, looking at what might happen if Maduro was removed. Advertisement Advertisement The analysts examined a series of options and, according to reports, came to the view that working with elements of the existing regime offered more chance for stability than trying to install the opposition in exile in power. That helped solidify the view that the US should work with Delcy Rodriguez the vice-president. There are thought to have been back-channel, secret contacts with elements of the Maduro regime in advance of the operation to discuss how people might position themselves given different potential outcomes. The exact detail of those remain mysterious but they likely do much to explain why the mission took place, why it was successful and also what the plan is next. More on this story: The Santa Cruz County Sheriff has confirmed that Erica Fox, the 55-year-old swimmer who went missing in the waters of Pacific Grove, CA, was killed by a shark. In the latest update, authorities confirmed: [the] Corner's Office has determined the cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries and submersion in water due to a shark attack. The manner of death has been ruled an accident. The species of shark responsible has not been disclosed. However, this exact spot has experienced shark attacks in the past, and great whites are known to roam the area. Fox was swimming with a group she founded, the Kelp Krawlers, on December 21st, 2025, when she went missing from the others. There were reports of a large splash, and shark sightings. According to a responding member the U.S. Coast Guard: Advertisement Advertisement The person who reported the shark sighting claimed they saw a shark breach the water with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth. They then witnessed the shark submerge below the waterline without resurfacing. I can confirm that there was a reported sighting in the area, however we cannot necessarily correlate this sighting with the missing person as there is no confirming evidence of that. Related: Surfers Return After Fatal Shark Attack in NorCal, Shocking Locals Foxs body was later recovered on December 29th, 2025 in Santa Cruz County, south of Davenport Beach. According to her husband, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, she was identified by a Garmin watch and an electromagnetic shark deterrent still attached to her leg. Advertisement Advertisement As mentioned, there were previous shark encounters and attacks at the very same spot. In May of 2022, another swimmer, Steve Breummer, was bitten by a great white shark at Lovers Point; he survived but sustained serious injuries. Then, in August of 2022, David Stickler was paddleboarding with his dog onboard at Lovers Point, when a shark chomped his board. He, and his dog, also survived. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Erica Fox. Rest in peace. Related: Human Body in Its Mouth: Shark Attack Victim Still Missing in CA This story was originally published by Surfer on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Liberty Steel owed Rotherham Council more than 4.2m in unpaid business rates when it was issued with a compulsory winding up order in August 2025, the local authority has confirmed. Council leader Chris Read said the authority had written off more than 3m of the debt on the recommendation of external legal advisers but that this could be reversed if there was a possibility of recovering the money. The authority said it intended to submit a claim to administrators for the full outstanding balance. Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Insolvency Service said creditors for the company could register with them. Liberty Steel has been approached for comment. The steelworks, which employed nearly 1,500 workers in Rotherham and Sheffield, was placed under government control when the courts granted a compulsory winding up order. Read said: "At this stage it is too early to know whether we will receive a dividend from this claim or whether the full balance will ultimately need to be written off." He added that, from the date the winding-up order was issued, and while the property remains occupied, business rates liability transfers to the liquidator. Advertisement Advertisement Additional business rates demand notices totalling 1.75m for the period from 21 August 2025 to 31 March 2026 were issued on September 16, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "These are expected to be paid in full, though there remains uncertainty over how the liquidators will operate and for how long," he said. Read explained that the income from business rates was split between the council (49%), South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (1%), and central government (50%), with any losses also shared on the same basis. An Insolvency Service spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the Official Receiver continues to progress bids for the sale of Speciality Steel UK. Advertisement Advertisement "The sales process is ongoing, with the aim to complete a sale at the earliest opportunity." Liberty Steel and special managers from consultancy firm Teneo - appointed to assist with the liquidation - have been approached for comment. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North More on this story Related internet links Barbed wire seen behind a fence at an Alabama prison. Criminal justice reform advocates expect to play defense in the 2026 Alabama legislative session but are also supporting bills targeting parole, prison conditions and the death penalty. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Criminal justice reform advocacy groups plan to support bills targeting parole, prison conditions and the death penalty in the 2026 Alabama legislative session. But advocates also acknowledged that their main work may be against bills to increase criminal penalties, legislation likely to be attractive to lawmakers in an election year. Advertisement Advertisement We think it will be a tough year for sensible criminal justice policy for sure, said Dev Wakely, worker policy advocate for Alabama Arise, in an interview on Tuesday. I think a lot of the election-year grandstanding is going to be an issue, it usually is. Every four years, people will come up with these bad ideas and try to advance them. It is hard to get positive movement on bills that make common sense for reforms. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The ACLU of Alabama hosted a media briefing on Tuesday to discuss its legislative priorities for the coming session. Among them is HB 54, sponsored by Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, which would allow women who are pregnant while incarcerated to remain on probation for several weeks after giving birth. Theres so much data about the immediate connection and what that does to the newborn in its first moments, said ANiya Robinson, policy and organizing director for the ACLU of Alabama, at the briefing. Practically speaking, the mother needs time to rest and recuperate, so why send her back to a facility that has a known history of harming people, of people dying? Advertisement Advertisement The legislation states women must inform staff working in the jail that they are pregnant during the medical screening process and that they are tested for pregnancy as part of the screening process unless they decline to be tested. HB 54 would require bail to be granted to pregnant women so long as the court determines they are not a threat to themselves or to the public. The court shall allow a pregnant woman to be supervised on a pre-incarceration term of probation for the length of her pregnancy and for 12 weeks after the birth of her child, the bill states. Hollis introduced the bill in the 2024 and 2025 sessions, but it did not come to a vote. Several lawmakers, particularly Republicans, expressed concerns that the bill would allow women who became pregnant to avoid incarceration. Advertisement Advertisement It is important to remember that, the 12 weeks postpartum, that is essentially going to be considered a probation period, Robinson said. The mother is still going to have to check in. Her motions are still going to be monitored. It is not people trying to avoid incarceration, it is really a delay in our opinion. Robinson also said that the legislation establishes additional penalties women fail to report to the facility where they are incarcerated on top of the original convictions or charges. Nearly all the criminal justice reform groups also support legislation that limits the death penalty. Two were filed by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa. One is HB 76, a constitutional amendment to abolish capital punishment in the state. A second bill, HB 70, would allow those who were sentenced to death by a judge over a jurys recommendation of life without parole to pursue resentencing. This would apply to more than two dozen people currently on Alabamas death row. It may be a bit of a tough lift, but it is a common sense policy, Wakely said. We should not have a different set of people sitting on death row when a jury pretty clearly found they did not deserve to die. Advertisement Advertisement Groups also expressed support for reforms to parole. HB 86, also from England, would give weighted consideration to parole applicants who tried to rehabilitate themselves while incarcerated. Ultimately, it would create a more systematic, transparent, danger to public safety approach, said Jerome Dees, policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, in an interview on Tuesday regarding the parole reforms proposed in the legislation. The groups also wanted to limit the likelihood of people who were granted parole returning to prison. Alabama Appleseed also plans to support legislation that would preventing people on parole who have shown rehabilitation from returning to prison because of technical violations stemming from their parole or minor infractions. Advertisement Advertisement Appleseed highlighted this issue in a report published in November titled Taking a Life, which described the burdens on those paroled out of life sentences, who can be returned to prison for small violations, even after remaining law-abiding after release. We are working on some legislation to make it a little easier for people who are doing well to stay in their communities and not get tossed back into the most violent prison system in the country, said Carla Crowder, executive director of Alabama Appleseed. Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg Chinese startup MiniMax Group Ltd. spent its first three years largely on the sidelines of the generative-AI boom. As rivals chased local ChatGPT clones, the Shanghai-based team tackled a harder problem: building a single model capable of processing text, speech and video. Founder Yan Junjie sums up the period in one word: Painful. Most Read from Bloomberg It took four years to reach this point the first three were defined by pure agony, Yan said in an interview with Bloomberg in November. But the strategy to pursue multi-modal capabilities has paid off. When his foundation model M2 finally hit the market in October 2025, it quickly gained traction with developers around the world. The company has served at least 212 million users across consumer products, from AI avatars to its Hailuo video generator. MiniMaxs debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Friday serves as a gauge of investor appetite for a sector that has consumed billions in capital and is only now starting to show signs of commercial viability. The IPO also crystallizes a surge in wealth for Yan. Priced at the top end of the offer range, the listing valued his four-year-old firm at $6.5 billion. Shares more than doubled on its Friday debut, giving the 36-year-old chairman and chief executive officer a fortune of about $3.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. A MiniMax spokesperson declined to comment on Yans wealth. The firms ascent was backed by billionaires drawn from Chinas tech elite and Hong Kongs financial establishment. Pacific Century Group, chaired by Richard Li, the son of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, emerged as a key investor. Another pre-IPO investor is MiHoYo, the gaming studio behind thatwas co-founded by billionaire Cai Haoyu. They are joined by China tech giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. as well as Abu Dhabis sovereign wealth fund. Gaming Obsession Raised in a small county in Henan province, Yan taught himself advanced calculus in high school after finding the standard curriculum too slow. Yet he did not set out to build an empire. As a doctoral student at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he told friends his ambition was simply to become a Java developer at IBM Corp., targeting an annual salary of about 280,000 yuan ($40,000), according to local media. Oakland's Teni East Kitchen, which Chronicle associate restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez once called the Bay Area's most underrated Burmese restaurant, is moving to a larger home. Teni East will open in March at 3770 Piedmont Ave., just half a mile away from its current location in Temescal, which will close a few months later, owner Tiyo Shibabaw said. The 3,000-square-foot Piedmont Avenue space, last occupied by Pomella, comes with double the kitchen space and about 30 to 40 more seats, including on a spacious outdoor patio. Advertisement Advertisement "We are still able to stay in the same neighborhood, while we can also grow and improve. It gives us a little more room to do that," Shibabaw said. Shibabaw, a native of Ethiopia, spent a decade working at the Bay Area's most well-known Burmese restaurant, Burma Superstar, before striking out on her own. She opened Teni East in 2016, often putting a California spin on Burmese dishes, like adding baby kale to tea leaf salad. She also operates Aman Cafe, a next-door spinoff devoted to roti. In a 2023 review, Hernandez described Teni East as "criminally overlooked" and lauded Shibabaw's "croissant-flaky rotis, remarkable vegan dishes, belly-warming curries - and it wouldn't be a great Burmese restaurant without phenomenal salads." But Teni East's kitchen is "really, really small," Shibabaw said, so she recently started searching for a new location. She said she often fields offers to move to cities such as Walnut Creek, but wanted to stay in Oakland. After Pomella closed last year, she jumped at the opportunity. She'll have room for more kitchen equipment, including a steamer, and plans to add new dishes such as steamed seafood. There will also be a new bar program. This article originally published at This criminally overlooked' Burmese restaurant is moving to a larger new home. Authorities on Friday released new information about a man who was killed in a standoff at a home in a Massachusetts town earlier this week that also left a police chief and a sergeant injured. Officers conducting a well-being check at a home at 53 Off South Street in the Berkshire County town of Hinsdale on Wednesday learned a man had locked himself in a bedroom on the first floor, according to Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. The check came a day after the man in question, identified Friday as 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil, had placed a call to the FBIs National Threat Operation Center and made claims that sparked mental health concerns, Shugrue said during a news conference. Advertisement Advertisement NTOC officials told Shugrues office that Kauvil communicated to them that he felt paranoid, believed law enforcement was listening to his phone calls, and that organized crime groups were attacking his family. He thought that someone was trying to lure him into the house, into a machine in his basement, that would damage the body and drain life, Shugrue said. A total of five police officers, including the Hinsdale police chief, a Hinsdale police sergeant, a Hinsdale police officer, and two Dalton police officers, responded to Kauvils home after he made multiple abandoned 911 calls. Kauvil agreed to speak to the sergeant through the locked door of the bedroom, but after about 30 minutes, Shugrue said police determined it was necessary to take him into custody. Advertisement Advertisement When police breached the bedroom door, Kauvil was holding a gun in one hand, struggling with the sergeant, and repeating, Just kill me, according to Shugrue. First responders were able to secure Kauvil face down on a bed, but he was able to hold on to the gun as the struggle ensued. Shugrue said Kauvil then discharged his weapon, shooting the sergeant in the hand. The bullet went through the sergeants hand and hit the chest of the chief, who was wearing a bulletproof vest. Kauvil was tased twice before a Hinsdale officer opened fire, striking the sergeant in the elbow with one shot and Kauvil in the head with a second shot, according to Shugrue. Kauvil was taken to Berkshire Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Hinsdales police chief was treated and released the same day. The sergeant was transported from Berkshire Medical Center to Albany Medical Center in New York for the continued treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The names of the officers involved in the standoff are not being released at this time. An investigation remains ongoing. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz sign an agreement giving Utah a greater role in managing national forest land, at the Utah Capitol on Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Gov. Spencer Cox's office) Utah has had more than 7 million acres of national forest for over a century but not the say it wanted in managing them. That changed Thursday morning when the state finalized a new agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, intended in part to expand logging. This is something weve been working for wanting literally, for generations in our state, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at the state Capitol before signing the document. And now the moment is here where we can be involved on the front end of these decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Utah is the third state to formalize such an agreement with the Forest Service this year, following Idaho and Montana. The compacts come after President Donald Trump directed federal agencies in March to speed approval of logging projects and set goals for timber sales, calling it a way to reduce wildfire risk. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz joined Cox at the Capitol to sign the agreement. He said it provides the state a seat at the table, side by side, rather than simply a chance to give input in how the lands are managed. The term I like is cooperative federalism, but theres a role for the states to manage federal lands, and thats what were doing here today, Schultz said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Conservation groups blasted the agreement as Utahs latest move to assume greater control of public lands. They said it sets the stage for a vast expansion of commercial logging. Theyre just using wildfire as an excuse to manage in a way that gives money to the timber industry, said Laura Welp with the Western Watersheds Project. Welp said supporters of the new arrangement overstate the benefits of removing timber in reducing wildfire. She noted the influence of weather, high winds, drought and climate change. Habitat restoration, which involves smaller-scale operations, can be used to manage risk, she said, rather than big commercial logging projects. Steve Bloch, legal director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said the change sets the stage for Utah officials to have both a heavy hand and the loudest voice in how our national forests are managed, crowding out all other stakeholders. Thats not how this is supposed to work, and well be watching closely to see how the agreement plays out on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, rejected the notion that the deal is a gift to the timber industry. I wouldnt agree with that, he said. I mean, certainly, we take our environment very seriously. We care for it. Its part of who we are. In April, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins declared a crisis on national forest lands, citing severe wildfires and other stressors compounded by too little active management. Rollins directed the Forest Service to expand agreements with states to bring the full power of our partners to help address this emergency. Before Thursday, Utah and the Forest Service have long had more limited compacts, Ferry told reporters after the event. Advertisement Advertisement Thursdays version goes further than Idahos and Montanas, making Utah a partner in decisions about logging, cattle grazing, recreation, wildlife and forest restoration, Ferry said. Leland Pollock, a rancher and chair of the Garfield County Commission, speaks with reporters at the Utah State Capitol on Jan. 8, 2026. (Annie Knox/Utah News Dispatch) Leland Pollock, a rancher and chair of the Garfield County Commission, attended the announcement and looked on as Cox and Schulz signed the agreement. Hes long advocated for reduced federal oversight of public lands, including the downsizing of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Asked if he sees the new framework as a step toward greater state control of other public lands like national monuments, Pollock laughed, saying, Oh, hell, no, dont say that. Were not going to make the forest unhealthy or worse, he said. Were going to make it better. Advertisement Advertisement The agreement applies to more than 8 million acres of national forest and adjacent land in Utah. It does not pertain to other vast stretches of federally managed land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Wine consumption in the EU is expected to continue falling over the next ten years driven by ongoing changes in how and what people drink, according to new findings from the European Commission. The group's EU Agricultural Outlook 2025-35 expects wine consumption in the EU will decline 0.9% a year until 2035 to roughly 19.3 litres per capita, a 9% decrease on consumption per capita between 2021 and 2025. According to the report, the factors pulling down consumption appear to be consumer concerns about health, policies that back moderate drinking for health reasons and growing competition from other drinks. Advertisement Advertisement Reflecting on how consumption habits were changing, the Commission highlighted younger drinkers "in particular" tended to consume less alcohol. It also noted a preference, more broadly, for consuming more "upmarket" wines. While the level of decline is not the same across EU countries, nations that have in the past had high wine drinking levels are seeing some of the largest decreases, such as France and Germany. The EU is also seeing growing sales of "wine-based drinks" such as no- and low-alcohol wines but sales volumes are predicted to "remain small". Declines in consumption are also being seen in some of the EU's key export markets, like the US and UK. Consequently, the report expects EU wine production could decline 0.5% a year over the next decade, which would see output fall to 138 million hectolitres. Advertisement Advertisement The report also said a "projected reduction in vineyard areas of 0.6% per year between now and 2035" could be a "major reason" for a future decline in production, "assuming weather conditions and thus average yields remain stable". Winemakers across the EU are being impacted by a wine glut and several countries have called on the bloc to take action to support "grubbing-up" initiatives, such as France and Germany. In December, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the European Council reached a preliminary agreement on a set of measures to support the EU's wine sector, which included an agreement on using EU funding to support vine uprooting plans. The Commission's latest agricultural report also stressed wine export growth is at risk. It pointed to the EU being "temporarily" impacted by decreasing shipments to the US, which is the bloc's primary export market for wine. Advertisement Advertisement EU wine exports are expected to drop 0.6% a year between 2025 and 2035. Imports are anticipated to be down 1.9% a year. The UK, which is the EU's second-largest market for exports, is also seeing declines in shipments, the report said. Though other markets like Latin America and Africa are seeing a growing demand for EU wine, it will not be enough to sufficiently steady the bloc's exports, the report added. "Declining wine consumption in EU forecast to continue" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York challenged the administration's freezing of more than $10 billion in federal childcare and family assistance funds based on alleged fraud. Five Democratic-led states sued US President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday challenging its decision to freeze their access to more than $10 billion in federal childcare and family assistance funds based on what it said were concerns about fraud in their welfare systems. California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan after the US Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday said it had restricted their access to the funds pending further review. Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The funds include $7.3 billion from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance to low-income families with children, and nearly $2.4 billion from the Child Care and Development Fund, which helps make childcare more affordable for such families with working parents. HHS also said it had frozen the five states' access to $869 million in social services grant funding. All three programs are overseen by the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the department. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz visiting Columbus, Ohio, April 6, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo) In announcing the freeze, the agency cited concerns about "widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars" in those states' welfare programs, as well as the possibility that individuals other than US citizens and lawful permanent residents were illegally receiving benefits. Advertisement Advertisement The agency's action appeared to build on its decision a week earlier to freeze $185 million in annual childcare funds to Minnesota following allegations of widespread fraud in the state's social services programs. On Monday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who served as then-Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election, announced he will not seek a third term in office so he can instead focus on the fraud scandal. Democratic leaders: Freeze is 'vindictive,' 'cruel' The affected states' Democratic leaders have blasted this week's funding freeze, which New York Governor Kathy Hochul called "vindictive" and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called "wrong and cruel." New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, in announcing Thursday's lawsuit said she "will not allow this administration to play political games with the resources families need to help make ends meet." The lawsuit alleges the agency lacked a legitimate justification for the funding freeze, failed to provide evidence to support its fraud concerns and infringed on Congresss power over spending as enshrined in the US Constitution. By Raphael Satter and AJ Vicens WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Three Democratic U.S. senators are calling on Apple and Alphabet's Google to remove X and its built-in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors on the platform. In a letter published on Friday, senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Edward Markey of Massachusetts said Google and Apple "must remove these apps from the app stores until X's policy violations are addressed." Advertisement Advertisement X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been under fire from officials around the world since last week, when Grok began flooding the site with AI-generated nonconsensual images of women and children wearing revealing bikinis, see-through underwear, or in degrading, violent, or sexualized poses. The senators' letter, first reported by NBC News, noted that Google has terms of service that bar app makers from "creating, uploading, or distributing content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children." Apple's terms of service, they said, bar "sexual or pornographic material." The senators noted that, in the past, both tech giants have moved swiftly to kick offending apps off their platforms. "Turning a blind eye to Xs egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices," the letter said. Advertisement Advertisement Google and Apple did not immediately return messages seeking comment. X referred Reuters to a January 2 post in which it said the site takes action "against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material." X's parent company xAI did not answer specific questions about the letter or Grok's explicit output, sending only its generic response that cited unspecified "Legacy Media Lies." SENATOR SAYS MUSK PROFITS FROM INDECENT IMAGES Musk has responded with laugh-cry emojis to AI-altered photographs of prominent people in bikinis and posted several times a day about X's popularity. At one point, he blamed users for unlawful content generated by his chatbot, saying: "anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." Advertisement Advertisement With pressure mounting on Friday, Musk's xAI, which operates Grok and owns X, appeared to be imposing some restrictions on Grok's public image generation. Public requests from X users to digitally strip women down to bikinis were met with a message saying image editing functionality was "currently limited to paying subscribers." X users were still able to create sexualized images using the Grok tab and then post the images to X. The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from X, was also still allowing users to generate images without a subscription. Reuters could not establish the extent to which the changes had curbed generation of nonconsensual imagery, if at all. Wyden said that the tweaks did not dampen his concern. Advertisement Advertisement "All Xs changes do is make some of its users pay for the privilege of producing horrific images on the X app, while Musk profits from the abuse of children," he wrote in an email. (Reporting by Raphael Satter and AJ Vicens; Additional reporting by Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, David Gregorio and Joe Bavier) On the streets of Durham, there were growing calls for justice for Renee Good. The 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security said Good was trying to run over the ICE agent. Various video angles showed how it all played out. "My heart is really heavy," said Betsy Barton as she replayed the video of Good's last moments. Her heartbreak came just two months after ICE agents were on the streets in Durham. Advertisement Advertisement "It's not just that people were up scared or in fear, it's that they were taken away from their families. They were wrenched out of their cars less than a mile from where I live," Barton said. ALSO SEE | Advocates, governor react to deadly ICE-involved shooting in Minnesota A rally was called hours after Good was killed, with demands for accountability. "What justice means to us is for ICE to not be in our streets and more," said Amy Aponte. She is one of the organizers with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which called for this rally on Thursday night. "It just made me realize that really, none of us are safe. You know, Renee Good is a White woman. And if they can shoot her, if they kill her, they can kill you. They can kill me for no reason," said Aponte. Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of protesters shared in that same message, frustrated and fed up, including Rodolfo Gorrin. "It's unacceptable. We're beyond done with that senseless violence," he said. "I'm done. We're done. And that's what we're out here to get our voices heard, to get this message to more people." Immigration rights activists also took their message to the streets of Durham, marching throughout downtown. Karen Taggart was right along with them, holding a sign condemning ICE. "You're not alone, that the truth is, that she was murdered, that the video that you're watching is real, " said Taggart. President Donald Trump defended the agent's action and said the officer acted in "self-defense." Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins walks into a Missouri Right to Life rally in March 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Secretary of State Denny Hoskins admitted Friday that he wrote a ballot summary likely to create prejudice against a possible referendum on Missouris gerrymandered congressional district map. Hoskins lawyer, Kathleen Hunker of the attorney generals office, made the admission during a hearing in a court case challenging the ballot summary and said it would be revised in negotiations with sponsors of the referendum. Advertisement Advertisement On a further reflection of the ballot title, the secretary has come to believe that the language, though defensible, does come close enough to the line of being inherently argumentative and likely to create prejudice, Hunker told Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe. That means we can do better, and so we are going to withdraw our opposition to the plaintiffs claim about how the language is inherently argumentative. A political action committee called People Not Politicians on Dec. 9 turned in more than 300,000 signatures to force a statewide vote on the redistricting plan Republicans muscled through a September special session. The PAC objected to the ballot summary as soon as it became public and filed a lawsuit on Nov. 20. Chuck Hatfield, attorney for People Not Politicians, told Stumpe that Hoskins will have to admit more that the language he wrote is insufficient and unfair to meet the standards for revising the summary. Your honor cant enter an order just because its close to the line, Hatfield said. Were going to have to have a finding that its insufficient and unfair. And Im asking them to agree to that, and if they dont, then we need a trial. Advertisement Advertisement The case before Stumpe was scheduled for a trial next Friday. He set a new date, Feb. 9, in case there is no agreement on what the revised summary should say. The ballot summary written by Hoskins asks if voters approve the law, which repeals Missouris existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns? People Not Politicians objects to the characterization of the reapportionment made in 2022 as a gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbents and the factual basis for saying it keeps more cities and counties intact. The bill itself is just a list of voting districts and counties assigned to each district and the summary Hoskins wrote cannot be found in its contents, the PACs court filings state. The summarys statement about statewide voting patterns also brought objections. Recent elections gave Republicans about 60% of the vote and Democrats about 40%. The new map would give Democrats 12.5% of the state delegation instead of one-quarter. Advertisement Advertisement Republicans want the new congressional map to please President Donald Trump, who demanded the changes as a means to protect the GOPs slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Using the new map, Republicans hope to win seven of the states eight congressional seats by adding enough GOP votes to flip the 5th District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. Republicans currently hold six of the eight seats. If People Not Politicians and Hoskins office can agree on the factual basis for changing the summary, it would end the case but not litigation over the special session and the congressional map. There are at least eight other lawsuits, six in state court and two in federal court, directly or indirectly related to the actions of the legislature or People Not Politicians. Advertisement Advertisement The most recently filed case challenges assertions by Hoskins and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway that the map passed in September took effect on Dec. 11, 90 days after the end of the special session. In that case, filed by the ACLU of Missouri, the state is accusing People Not Politicians and Hatfield of encouraging a lawsuit the PAC could not bring on its own. It has subpoenaed Hatfield, People Not Politicians Director Richard von Glahn and the PAC for records the state believes will show the connection. The state believes that PNP, Von Glahn or their agents recruited (the ACLU plaintiffs) as proxies to bring this lawsuit, Solicitor General Louis Capozzi wrote in one filing in the case. And the state is seeking sanctions against Hatfield in a federal case dismissed in early December that sought to block the petition drive entirely. In the federal filing, Capozzi argued that Hatfield admitted in federal court that the map would take effect even if signatures were submitted to force a vote. Advertisement Advertisement Yet during the following days, defendants and Mr. Hatfield personally have aggressively and repeatedly communicated the opposite position to the media, stating unambiguously that their mere act of submitting referendum signatures immediately froze (the redistricting law) and prevented it from going into effect, Capozzi wrote. In the Friday hearing before Stumpe, Hatfield noted that Capozzi is seeking sanctions and making accusations that he or People Not Politicians is sponsoring the case over when the map takes effect. The order from Stumpe directing Hoskins to revise the ballot summary needs to settle all legal issues in the case, he said. Mr. Capozzi sought sanctions against me in federal court, and hes either confused about what happened in federal court, or hes intentionally misrepresenting what happened in federal court, Hatfield said. Im assuming hes confused about what happened, and I dont want any confusion here. There is also confusion over which of the more than 300,000 signatures will be checked to see if the referendum petition meets the threshold of approximately 110,000 signatures spread over six congressional districts. Advertisement Advertisement In court, and in media statements, Hoskins and his attorneys have said only signature pages with at least one signature dated Oct. 14 or later will be checked. Hoskins approved the form of the petition on Oct. 13. Of the 49,773 pages with signatures, 33,068 have been sent to local election authorities to verify whether the signatures are from registered voters. The rest, Hoskins office said Friday in a statement to The Independent, having invalid dates were scanned, retained, and organized separately. Speaking on KMOX radio on Wednesday morning, Hoskins repeated the statement that signatures arent being checked. Were not counting those, Hoskins said. And, you know, unless a judge issues a court order and says, hey, yes, you must count these. But otherwise, weve set those aside. They should not count toward that referendum. Advertisement Advertisement But in statements to People Not Politicians, Chrissy Peters, Hoskins director of elections, said the pages retained in the secretary of states office are being checked for signature verification. In a statement intended to clarify the confusion, Rachael Dunn, spokeswoman for Hoskins, said Friday that no signature checks are being made in Hoskins to determine if the petition has sufficient signatures to be placed on the ballot. She said only signatures on pages sent to local election authorities will be counted. The secretary of states office is not, Dunn wrote, utilizing any lines reviewed on pages dated Oct. 13 and earlier for determination towards sufficiency. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in December dubbed Operation Buckeye has abated, but ICE agents remain in Columbus detaining residents. Advocates and people who spoke with The Dispatch said that many who live in immigrant communities within Columbus remain concerned and scared. ICE agents who came through Columbus in December appear to have flocked to Minneapolis, where one agent shot and killed a woman on Jan. 7, triggering protests there, in Columbus and around the nation. Advertisement Advertisement The community is in fear, Maqueli Eldredge, a paralegal at Legal Immigration Services in Dublin, said of Columbus-area immigrants. Eldredge said that before the December surge ended around Christmas, she would hear of 10-20 reports of ICE arrests per day. This week, shes been counting 3-5 per day. The Ohio Immigrant Alliance said in a Jan. 9 new release that the organization identified at least 214 people arrested during "Operation Buckeye." The organization said in an analysis of publicly available jail rosters that 80 percent of the people detained were Latino, and less than 10 percent were African. The organization emphasized this was likely an undercount of ICE detentions. Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release Jan. 9 that more than 280 immigrants were arrested in Ohio from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21. The agency did not answer whether "Operation Buckeye" had ended or if an increased ICE presence remained in Columbus. Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant told the Dispatch that ICE does not communicate enforcement plans with her or the Columbus Division of Police, but to the best of her knowledge, only the ICE agents based in the city remain in Columbus. Eldredge disputed the chief, saying that she is familiar with the small staff of Columbus-based ICE agents and that the current scope and methods of enforcement efforts show a large number of agents from out of town remain active in Columbus. Eldredge said shes spoken with immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, in the process of securing citizenship or applying for asylum, who are afraid to leave their homes. They do not want to go to work, go out to eat, or shop for groceries because they fear contact with ICE, detention or deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Kelly Escobar, a community activist who says most of her friends are Hispanic immigrants, said some people who went into hiding during the December surge have started to come out of their homes, but their fear persists. I've got a friend who owns a [local business], Escobar said. Shes terrified constantly. I was talking to her right after Christmas, and she was like, Im scared to be open, but Ive got to pay rent. Escobar said the womans customers are still scared to come out to buy food. Eldredge said shes seen restaurants that are usually popular with immigrant communities almost empty. During the December surge, some restaurants and grocery stores offered food delivery. Volunteers, especially white citizen volunteers, brought food to people scared to leave their homes. Eldredge said that has died down. December ICE enforcement caught community off guard Eldredge said the ICE surge in December came with no warning. She thought something was amiss when a Brazilian woman called her to say her husband had not come home. Advertisement Advertisement The woman said she drove around the neighborhood and found his vehicle abandoned with the doors open and a broken window. She asked Eldredge to help her figure out if ICE had taken him. Eldredge started seeing reports of ICE activity emerge across Facebook and Instagram. Word spread in immigrant social media groups that ICE had come to Columbus in force. The same day, one of Eldredges clients reported to an ICE check-in appointment in Westerville. She was telling us, you know, some people are going inside the big office and not coming back, she said. I tried to keep her calm. I said, sometimes it takes a little longer. Advertisement Advertisement The woman told Eldredge she saw an attorney leave the office with only a child, and both were crying. Eldredge said her client was detained at the appointment and remains in ICE custody. In a hearing, the prosecutor said the woman, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Brazil, could face deportation to Ecuador, Eldredge added. The woman has no ties to Ecuador. Representatives from Eldredges law firm have been escorting clients to ICE check-ins to try to prevent them from being captured. Other clients havent been taken from appointments. Eldredge said she doesnt know why the 25-year-old woman was detained at her appointment when others werent. Eldredge said some clients have been detained for months in crowded conditions with little access to food and hygiene. She said U.S. citizens have been detained and have had to prove their identities. She said sometimes, after clients have been detained, officials have seemed not to know who they were. Advertisement Advertisement I happen to be white, but if I were brown-skinned, I also would be afraid of going out on the streets, Eldredge, herself a Brazilian immigrant, said. I still take my passport with me everywhere, because I know the minute I open my mouth, I have an accent. ICE has not responded to Dispatch requests to detail the scope of its operations in Columbus. The agency published a news release celebrating "Operation Buckeye" in Ohio on Dec. 20, announcing that 10 men it called "the worst of the worst" criminals had been detained in Ohio. ICE has not answered how many people were arrested in the operation. The Dispatch has not been able to verify the charges stated in the news release against the men through local and federal court systems or legal databases. ICE has not responded to a request from the Dispatch to disclose where and when those charges were filed to further search for them. Eldredge said most of the arrests she knows about involved people with no criminal histories beyond immigration-related charges. Columbus reacts as ICE shoots, kills woman in Minneapolis On Jan. 7, a federal agent in Minneapolis shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Advertisement Advertisement According to reports, Good was operating as a "legal observer" who arrived on the Minneapolis street along with other citizens responding to ICE agents who were conducting an operation when federal officials say their vehicle became stuck in the snow. More than 150 people gathered outside Columbus City Hall the evening of Jan. 7 to honor Good. Multiple anti-ICE protests were held on Jan. 8, including a rally outside Westerville City Hall at 4:30 p.m. and another outside the Ohio Statehouse at 6 p.m. that drew hundreds. Escobar said she was not surprised by the shooting because of the aggressive behavior she saw from agents in Columbus. Advertisement Advertisement It makes me nervous, and its tragic, Escobar said. We also knew it was a matter of time. Eldredge said she fears something similar could happen in Columbus, as ICE agents continue to make arrests. Thats what I always tell my husband, Eldredge said. Something bad will happen here. Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com. This story has been updated to include additional context about the presence of ICE and federal immigration agents in Columbus. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is ICE still operating in Columbus? Whats next for Operation Buckeye? Jan. 9A Lee County judge ruled Tuesday, Jan. 6, in favor of Dixon's defense attorney's motion to pause the information-gathering pretrial process in a lawsuit that alleges the city did not comply with state law for public records requests. The suit filed Oct. 29, 2025, by Missouri nonprofit organization the Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy and Metric Media LLC, doing business as NW Illinois News alleges the city willfully and intentionally violated the Illinois Freedom of Information Act by failing to produce records requested by its reporter, court records show. It asks the court to order the city to pay a fine between $2,500 and $5,000 for each alleged violation and order the city to award the plaintiffs reasonable attorney fees and costs, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement An FOIA request is a formal, written demand for specific public records from a government agency. Laws surrounding these requests vary by state. On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Sterling-based attorney Tim Zollinger, representing Dixon, told Lee County Circuit Judge Douglas E. Lee that although the city didn't respond in the required time, it was unintentional. After the lawsuit was filed, city officials corrected the mistake by providing a written response stating that it does not have the records requested, court records show. Shortly after that response was sent, the media companies' attorneys Edward Weinhaus of Cook County and Adam Florek of LegalSolved in Missouri filed a motion for an extensive list of records and questions requiring written responses from Dixon related to its handling of FOIA requests. Zollinger provided some written responses, but filed a motion against the rest of it on Jan. 2. Advertisement Advertisement In court Tuesday, Zollinger argued that the city resolved the issue by providing a response to the FOIA request. It should not be ordered to supply the extensive information requested because it's no longer relevant, Zollinger said. "We do oppose the motion," Weinhaus said, referring to the one filed by Zollinger. He added that he "would advise the city spend some time discussing a settlement." Weinhaus appeared in court via Zoom. Zollinger said a conversation would be helpful, but that he intended to make arguments against the request that the city pay the plaintiffs for their attorney fees. Advertisement Advertisement Lee granted Zollinger's motion to temporarily pause the formal information-gathering process. He scheduled the next court date for 11:30 a.m. Feb. 20 for arguments to be made on the issue of attorney fees and fines. The lawsuit: what we know On May 12, 2025, Owen Wang, who identified himself as a NW Illinois News reporter, submitted a FOIA request via email to the city. It requests "a list of businesses was registered with the city from last week with the following fields: business name, business number, business type, business address, issued date, status and registered agent name," according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement In an interview, Zollinger told Shaw Local that Dixon doesn't require businesses to register with the city, so it doesn't have any type of list. This is not a case where records existed and were wrongfully withheld, he said. The city failed to respond to Wang's request within five business days as required by state law, and the companies filed the lawsuit. After that, the city responded to the FOIA request. The city's response sent via email Nov. 19, 2025, said, "There are no such records responsive to this request. The city of Dixon does not have a business registry," court records show. After that, the media companies' attorneys filed a lengthy motion asking Dixon to provide an extensive list of records and provide a written response to 13 questions and 20 statements, either admitting or denying them, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement All the requested information is relevant to the FOIA filed by Wang, but also includes the city's broader handling of all FOIA requests. For example, one request for records asks for "all correspondence, communications, and/or documents sent to or from the responsible defendant's [Dixon] FOIA officer from May 12, 2025, until Dec. 28, 2025, according to the motion. Zollinger filed a motion objecting to the plaintiffs' motion Jan. 2. Arguing against providing the list of records, the motion says, "The city of Dixon has cured the oversight of not responding to the original FOIA request by providing a formal written response. Tendering discovery on a wide range of topics not at issue or no longer relevant is oppressive, constitutes an unreasonable annoyance, unreasonable expense, and is clearly intended simply to cause the city to incur attorney fees and expend public funds." Advertisement Advertisement That motion also argues against awarding attorney fees to the plaintiffs. It references Illinois FOIA law that says the court can award a person seeking public records, but should consider "the degree to which the relief obtained relates to the relief sought." "In this instance while the attorneys for plaintiff could have simply written a letter to the city asking if it would voluntarily comply ... the plaintiff nonetheless chose to file suit," according to Zollinger's motion. "Illinois law is clear that the purpose of considering an award of reasonable attorney fees under FOIA is not to reward successful plaintiffs or punish the government," Zollinger further states, referencing a similar 2023 FOIA case against Joliet Township. Zollinger's motion also argues against the plaintiffs' request that the city be ordered to pay a fine for each alleged violation because the city has responded to the initial FOIA request. It is not often that we see high-yield dividend stocks outperforming the markets by a wide margin. However, last year, Citigroup (C), which boasted one of the highest dividend yields among its large-cap banking peers, rose 66%, which was not only significantly higher than the broader market but also higher than other banks. The stock has been strong in recent years and is up 150% over the last three years, which is well ahead of the KBW Bank Invesco ETF (KBWB). In my previous article, I had noted that Citi looked like a good buy despite the rally. In this one, well examine whether the stock can continue its good run or if investors would be better off selling the stock. More News from Barchart www.barchart.com C Stock 2026 Forecast While Citi has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the 25 analysts tracked by Barchart, it trades above its mean target price of $117.92. The disconnect is primarily because of the recent rally in Citi shares and lagging analyst action. The sell-side community is, however, getting incrementally bullish on Citi, and last month J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock from a Neutral to Overweight. Other brokerages have also been raising their target price. Wells Fargo analyst Mike Mayo raised his target price to a new Street high of $150, which is 21.6% higher than the Jan. 5 closing prices. Among others, Piper Sandler and Truist have raised Citis target price to $130 and $123 recently. More analysts should follow suit after Citi reports its Q4 2025 earnings later this month. Citis Turnaround Gains Traction As I noted previously, Citi has been a play on the turnaround. As part of the turnaround, Citi has flattened its organizational structure, reduced bureaucracy, and cut its workforce to lower its cost base. It has also exited consumer banking in several international markets, which helped free capital. The bank has consolidated into five core businesses to reduce complexity and focus its energies on key businesses. Citi continues to make progress on the turnaround and has secured board approval to exit its remaining business in Russia. While the sale would mean an after-tax hit of $1.1 billion, J.P. Morgan sees the move as positive to Citis capital ratios given Russias higher risk weightage. President Donald Trump told Fox News Sean Hannity on Thursday that it would be a great honor to accept the (second-hand) Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded last year to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a remark that quickly sparked mockery and criticism online. Hannity noted that Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela, that she dedicated the award to Trump at the time of her win, and that she told Hannity this week that she wants to personally give Trump her prize for liberating her country following the U.S.-led operation that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Politics: Trump Gets Up, Walks Away From Meeting To Stare Out Window At Ballroom Machado, whose ability to lead Venezuela has been previously questioned by Trump, is due to visit the U.S. next week. Hannity asked Trump, who for years has thirsted over being awarded the accolade, whether he planned to meet with her and if he would accept the Nobel Prize she wants to hand to you. Advertisement Advertisement Well, I understand shes coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, Trump replied. And Ive heard that she wants to do that. That would be a great honor. Trump went on to repeat his disputed claim that hes helped to end eight conflicts and took a swipe at Norway home of the Nobel committee calling it a very big embarrassment for the country that he has not yet received the prize, even though he (sort of) admitted he didnt know if the actual nation had anything to do with the selection of the winner. The comments quickly drew ridicule on social media, with critics calling the idea of Trump receiving someone elses Nobel Peace Prize unspeakably pathetic and so humiliating. unspeakably pathetic stuff from Trump here as he says he'd be honored to accept Maria Corina Machado's Nobel Prize if she wants to give it up to him pic.twitter.com/AhLvnBqRAO Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 9, 2026 What are we even doing here https://t.co/BerMdJatwi Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) January 9, 2026 This is so humiliating for everyone involved https://t.co/YUkSiOdQBW MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 9, 2026 Advertisement Advertisement Hey @NobelPrize committee, if Machado actually gives the Peace Prize to Trump or even offers to share it, rescind the prize & declare no winner last year! https://t.co/Rb2CEzofBa Mark (@navyblueskies) January 9, 2026 New level of pathetic for him. jp (@ChefjparkJohn) January 9, 2026 So much second hand embarrassment Glenny Lennox (@glennylennox) January 9, 2026 How ******* desperate to fill the narcissistic void. https://t.co/YxElW6biDI mh (@solandmel) January 9, 2026 Advertisement Advertisement So participation trophies are good now? https://t.co/kyeUOWaar0 The Keystone Take (@KeystoneTake) January 9, 2026 Is Trump the neediest president? Discuss. https://t.co/M3ExF1XSnD Hilde Eliassen Restad (@hilderestad) January 9, 2026 Give him a participation trophy. It would be as meaningful as getting a Nobel from Machado. Dan Zorn (@danzorn22) January 9, 2026 Advertisement Advertisement A used Nobel Prize for a cheap and tawdry burlesque show entertainer? There are more valuable wares down at Sam's Pawn Shop Crowd Scientist (@InSituSF) January 9, 2026 His narcissism is totally unhinged. Challenge Your Beliefs (@ChallengeBelief) January 9, 2026 Wont that cheapen the FIFA award? GroundChuck (@BlueJock) January 9, 2026 Related... Read the original on HuffPost President Donald Trump drew fresh outrage over remarks about what he believes are the limits, or lack thereof, on his international power. In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Trump was asked whether there were any constraints on what he could do on the world stage, following the U.S. military operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and amid renewed rhetoric from senior Trump administration officials about the United States potentially taking control of Greenland. News: Trump Ramps Up Incendiary Threats After Venezuela Strike Read the full interview at The New York Times. Yeah, there is one thing, Trump replied. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Advertisement Advertisement I dont need international law, he added. Im not looking to hurt people. Donald Trump drew fresh outrage this week over remarks about the limits on his international power. via Associated Press Trump briefly acknowledged the United States is expected to abide by the international rules-based order, before immediately adding a caveat that it depends what your definition of international law is. Critics reacted sharply on social media. Politics: Donald Trump Torched Over Unspeakably Pathetic Second-Hand Nobel Prize Admission Zeteo editor Mehdi Hasan wrote that Trumps response is what dictators say. First-term Trump Homeland Security official Miles Taylor, the author of the 2018 anonymous essay that made him the subject of a Justice Department investigation, said the comments revealed the mind of a fascist. Advertisement Advertisement Others argued Trump is a man with no morals so were all in trouble, there are no limits since he has no morality and that Trump thinks his authority is absolute which alone is disqualifying for the President. Related... Read the original on HuffPost When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere: Donald Trump is signalling his aim for US expansion. | Credit: Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images We have entered the era of the Donroe Doctrine, said CNNs Jake Tapper in the aftermath of the US abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The term, referencing Donald Trumps upgrade of a foreign policy doctrine of old, signals this US presidents clear intent to enforce US interests in the Western Hemisphere a strategy that could have significant implications around the world. What is the Donroe Doctrine? Its a Trumpian twist on the Monroe Doctrine, a US foreign policy principle established in 1823 during the presidency of James Monroe. It warned that the American continents must not be considered as subjects for colonisation and European powers must not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere that America now designated as a US sphere of interest. Advertisement Advertisement The Monroe Doctrine was broadened in 1904 by Theodore Roosevelt to sanction US interference in any Latin American country plagued by wrongdoing or impotence. Frequently criticised as a form of imperialism, the doctrine was nonetheless invoked by a number of subsequent US presidents to justify intervention in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua. It lay behind Washingtons efforts to oust Fidel Castro in Cuba, and its role in the coups that overthrew Guatemalas Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 and Chilean leader Salvador Allende in 1973. It was also invoked during the Second World War to make Greenland a de facto US protectorate after Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany. In 2013, Barack Obamas secretary of state, John Kerry, declared that the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over, signalling a more collaborative relationship with other nations in the Western Hemisphere. Whats new about the Donroe Doctrine? In its new national security strategy, published in November 2025, the Trump administration plainly declared an intention to reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine and restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere. But it also added a "Trump Corollary to the doctrine, describing US aims to expand our network in the region and roll back foreign influence. Recent months have seen US strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, tighter control of migration flows, and the seizure of strategic assets. The parameters of US national security now appear effectively inseparable from advancing US economic interests globally, said Pablo Uchoa, an international politics expert at the UCL Institute of the Americas, on The Conversation. This vision of geopolitics justifies the aggressive pursuit of any resources the US thinks are beneficial to its interests, from Greenlands minerals and strategic position to the Panama canal and Venezuelan oil. Advertisement Advertisement Donroe Doctrine is not an official White House term (it seems to have been coined by the New York Post) but Trump appears to have taken a liking to it, as with most things that bear his name. There is no proper detail behind the idea, John Bolton, Trumps first-term security adviser and now a harsh foreign policy critic, told The Atlantic. No matter what he does, there is no grand conceptual framework; its whatever suits him at the moment. What does it mean for world politics? With the US dominating the Western Hemisphere and China asserting primacy across the Asia-Pacific, a world carved into spheres of influence could benefit Beijing, said The New York Times. It could keep US military forces away from Asia and would certainly undercut Washingtons criticism of Beijing when China elbows its way across the South China Sea to menace Taiwan. The absence of conspicuous military support for Maduro from either Moscow or Beijing suggests that neither object to a doctrine that appears to entitle powerful countries with the right of having spheres of influence, said Uchoa on The Conversation. What does that means for the non-superpowers in the Western Hemisphere? Six key areas have already been identified as potential targets for further American expansion, intervention or annexation, said CBS News: Greenland, Iran, Cuba, Colombia, Canada and the Panama Canal. A person has been killed and dozens are trapped after a rubbish mound collapsed at a landfill site in the Philippines. Thirteen people were rescued overnight, but one person died en route to hospital. A further 38 people are still missing following the collapse of rubbish, earth and debris in the village of Binaliw in Cebu City, according to local Mayor Nestor Archival. The woman who died in the collapse was employed at the landfill site, but it is not yet clear if everybody affected worked there. Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has posted pictures of the incident. Credit: Nestor Archival / Facebook Jaylord Antigua, a 31-year-old office worker in the landfill, said the collapse happened quickly, without warning and in good weather. The avalanche of rubbish destroyed his office, which he managed to escape by crawling under the rubble and debris. Advertisement Advertisement I saw a light and crawled toward it in a hurry because I feared there will be more landslides, Mr Antigua told The Associated Press. It was traumatic. I feared that it was my end, so this is my second life. An aerial view after a huge mound of garbage collapsed at a waste segregation facility in Binaliw, Cebu city. Credit: AP Rescuers are working to retrieve those still missing. All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols, Mayor Archival said in a statement posted on Facebook. Pictures released by authorities showed rescuers with earth-moving equipment scouring a building which appeared devastated by the massive slide. Advertisement Advertisement Authorities and officials at the waste management facility, which has 110 employees, were to hold an emergency meeting on Friday, Mayor Archival said. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know EastEnders spoilers follow. EastEnders' Phil Mitchell has tweaked his plan to go to Portugal with Nigel Bates amid his sister Sam's lumpectomy. In recent scenes, Phil vowed to support Nigel through his dementia diagnosis, opposing the idea of having him move to a care home. Despite telling Nigel's wife, Julie, that he was on board with the relocation for his friend's sake, Phil was secretly planning for the both of them to head to Portugal. Advertisement Advertisement This followed the two pals reminiscing on the olden days, with Nigel asking Phil if they could go to the beach. However, it looks like Phil's plan will have to wait a little longer. In yesterday's episode, Sam confirmed her lumpectomy would be on the day the best friend duo was meant to leave Walford behind. BBC Related: EastEnders' Ronni Ancona promises unexpected twists in new Bea and Linda plot In new scenes, Phil talked to Sam, encouraging her to think "positively" through her cancer diagnosis. When she protested she would have to be on her own, Phil reassured her: "You ain't going to be on your own. I've changed the flights." Advertisement Advertisement "You might be a pain in the backside, but you're still my sister, aren't you?" he continued. Sam was grateful she would have Phil by her side, but gave him some home truths about his plan to take Nigel away. "It ain't right," Sam said. BBC Related: Best film and TV tours in the UK "Julie's his wife. She's given up nearly everything to care for him!" she insisted, reminding Phil that Julie would be selling their family house in Scotland to pay for Nigel's care. "You can't take her husband abroad," she finally said to no avail Phil was adamant that sending Nigel to live in a care home would be like abandoning him. Advertisement Advertisement "If you breathe a word of this to her, me and you are done," he told his sister. Ignoring Phil's threats, Sam almost confessed to Julie once she saw her so concerned about leaving Nigel to head to Scotland. "The thought of anything happening to him while I'm away would just be..." Julie began. She then asked Sam to "keep an eye on Phil" as he wouldn't be able to "do it all on his own". BBC "You are lucky, you know. I haven't got any siblings. I haven't got a big brother looking out for me," Julie continued. "Just keep him close." Advertisement Advertisement Sam had a change of heart about revealing Phil's true intentions, keeping quiet and wishing Julie safe travels. "I'll make sure that Phil does right by Nigel," Sam finally said. Will she convince Phil to speak with Julie? EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast. Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don't miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. This week's episode reacts to the biggest twists from the Corriedale crossover. You Might Also Like Two meetings, held almost simultaneously towards the end of December, offered a stark illustration of the competing strategic visions now shaping the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. In Damascus, Turkiyes foreign, defence and intelligence chiefs met Syrian officials on December 22 as Ankara continued to prioritise the consolidation of state authority and stabilisation after the fall of Bashar al-Assads government in Syria. On the same day, Israel hosted Greece and Cyprus for the latest iteration of their trilateral framework. Two days before that meeting, Israel launched another air attack on Syria one of more than 600 strikes in 2025 a reminder to Ankara and Damascus that Israel is willing to disrupt Syrias recovery from war. Advertisement Advertisement While officially framed around energy cooperation and regional connectivity, the trilateral agenda between Israel, Greece and Cyprus has steadily expanded to encompass security coordination and military alignment, signalling a shift from economic competition to strategic containment. For Cem Gurdeniz, a retired admiral and one of the architects of Turkiyes Blue Homeland maritime doctrine that calls for Ankara to safeguard its interests across the surrounding seas the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea the meeting was an attempt to exclude and encircle Turkiye. Gurdeniz describes Israels approach as an indirect containment strategy aimed not at confrontation but at altering Ankaras behaviour. The objective is not war, but behavioural change narrowing Turkiyes strategic space to induce withdrawal without conflict, he told Al Jazeera, warning against treating the standoff as routine energy competition. A map showing Eastern Mediterranean states: Turkiye, Cyprus, Israel and Greece [Al Jazeera] For Israel, the trilateral framework reflects unease with Turkiyes approach in Syria, which prioritises territorial integrity and the restoration of central authority an outcome that runs counter to Israels preference for a fragmented regional security landscape. Advertisement Advertisement Greece and Cyprus, meanwhile, view the partnership as a means to advance maritime boundary claims and energy corridors that would marginalise Turkiyes role in the Eastern Mediterranean. Security and military cooperation now form a central pillar of the trilateral agenda, according to Muzaffer Senel, a visiting scholar of European studies at Marmara University. All three actors have sought to create faits accomplis through unilateral initiatives in the region in what they jointly perceive as a common rival: Turkiye, Senel told Al Jazeera in reference to possible security and energy arrangements between the three countries that could threaten Ankaras interests. Israels gambit The decision to hold the trilateral meeting in Israel was not incidental. It reflected the shrinking diplomatic space available to the Israeli leadership as the genocidal war on Gaza deepens Israels international isolation. Advertisement Advertisement With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity, his ability to travel abroad has become increasingly constrained, particularly to countries that are signatories to the court, such as Greece and Cyprus. The Greek government, while not rejecting the ICCs warrant for Netanyahu which also includes one for Israels former defence minister, Yoav Gallant has said that these decisions do not help. Cyprus has also noted that the ICC warrants are binding. Neither has publicly said that they will not execute the warrants. Hosting the Greek and Cypriot leaders in Israel was therefore not simply a logistical choice, but a symptom of how legal and diplomatic pressures are reshaping Israels outlook and pushing it towards security-centric alliances. At the same time, the meeting served to recast Turkiye as a regional problem through coded Ottoman references and narratives of expansionist ambition, aimed at eroding Ankaras interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Advertisement Advertisement Standing alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Netanyahu a longtime advocate of a Greater Israel warned that those who fantasise they can re-establish their empires and their dominion over our lands should forget it, a remark widely interpreted as a reference to Turkiye. As a peninsular state, Turkiye has more than 8,300km (5,100 miles) of coastline. Greece argues its Aegean islands, many of which lie just off the Turkish coast, generate their own exclusive economic zones (EEZ), extending maritime claims up to 200 nautical miles (about 370km). (Al Jazeera) Ankara rejects this, saying islands cannot create full EEZs and that borders should be drawn from the mainland. Cyprus is another flashpoint. After a Greek Cypriot coup in 1974, Turkiye intervened as a guarantor power, splitting the island. Turkiye is the only country to recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In 2004, the north backed a United Nations reunification plan, but the Greek-administered south rejected it, leaving the conflict unresolved. Advertisement Advertisement In the Eastern Mediterranean, these regional wedge issues have given Israel an opportunity to insert itself and further inflame tensions. Greece, in particular, has sought to leverage Israels close ties with Washington to secure diplomatic backing in longstanding maritime boundary disputes. Greece seeks to involve the US through Israel in order to gain diplomatic backing for resolving Eastern Mediterranean maritime boundary issues, said Senel. Those disputes involving gas exploration rights also claimed by Turkiye have long fuelled regional tensions and now form part of a broader effort to constrain Ankaras strategic room for manoeuvre. While no formal collective defence agreement has been signed, high-level cooperation among the three states is moving beyond ad hoc coordination towards a more institutionalised security framework. The inclusion of the United States as a like-minded partner under a so-called 3+1 format, Senel noted, clearly conveys a strategic message directed at Turkiye. Advertisement Advertisement Although the trilateral mechanism stops short of a formal military alliance, its trajectory points towards deeper security and defence cooperation, reinforcing Ankaras perception of an emerging containment axis in the eastern Mediterranean. Emerging anti-Turkiye axis Relations between Greece, Cyprus and Israel have not been hindered by Israels genocidal war on Gaza, which began in October 2023. Unlike several other European Union states that have described Israels campaign in Gaza as genocide or ethnic cleansing and called for sanctions over violations of international law, Greece and Cyprus have remained largely silent while expanding cooperation with Israel. In the current context, where the Greek Cypriots will assume the presidency of the Council of the EU, and at a time when the EU is ignoring Turkiyes geostrategic position and importance, finding diplomatic pathways to alleviate the tensions is a hard task, said Zeynep Alemdar, foreign policy programme director at the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Istanbul. Advertisement Advertisement EU officials do not understand the mutual benefits of including Turkiye in the energy and defence calculations of the region, Alemdar told Al Jazeera. In December, Greek parliamentarians approved the purchase of 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel for approximately $760m. The two countries are also advancing towards a major defence agreement estimated at $3.5bn, under which Israeli defence firms would construct a multi-layered air defence system for Greece. In September 2025, Cyprus also received an Israeli-made air defence system costing tens of millions of dollars, with further deliveries expected. Advertisement Advertisement Turkiye will surely try to dilute this coalition through diplomacy with its Middle Eastern allies, yet Israels disruption will continue. Israels and Turkiyes interests in the region will bring about more confrontations, noted Alemdar. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkiye will not allow violations of its rights in the Aegean and the Mediterranean, without naming the three countries or referring directly to their meeting. Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk, the press and public relations adviser and spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, sought to downplay the trilateral meeting, noting that it does not pose a military threat to Turkiye. Turkiye, for its part, has also embarked on its largest naval procurement process, with a price tag estimated at about $8bn and 31 ships in the process of being built in 2025 alone to defend its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Advertisement Advertisement The process has largely been driven by skirmishes between Greece and Turkiye dating back to 2020, when both parties used naval assets to lay claim to conflicting economic zones, and when Ankara realised it needed to invest more in its navy to avoid being squeezed out of the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkiyes regional approach Analysts are also warning that Turkiyes calibrated response to the trilateral meeting risks underestimating a broader pattern of Israeli provocations across multiple theatres. From Syria to the Eastern Mediterranean and, more recently, Somalia, following Israels recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region Israel has demonstrated a willingness to exploit political fractures in ways that undermine state consolidation. In Syria, this approach has been particularly visible and feeds into Israels policies in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Israeli bombing of the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defence in Damascus in July last year was widely seen as an attempt to weaken the Syrian government at a moment of renewed diplomatic engagement. Turkiyes Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned in December that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were in coordination with Israel to obstruct Syrias stabilisation. A recent Al Jazeera Arabic investigation obtained hours of leaked audio recordings of senior military officers from the regime of the ousted leader al-Assad, discussing plans to destabilise Syria and suggesting coordination with Israel. Taken together, Israeli actions in Syria increasingly resemble a template for indirect pressure not aimed at direct confrontation with Turkiye, but at constraining Ankaras influence by entrenching instability along its southern flank. In seeking to grind down Turkiye in Syria while advancing its naval strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean, the result is a dual-pressure model that exhausts and distracts Turkiye, turning each move into a potential crisis and steadily eroding its initiative, said the retired Turkish admiral Cem Gurdeniz. Israeli recognition of Somaliland likely reinforces Turkiyes concern that Israel is willing to legitimise breakaway coastal entities when doing so undercuts stabilisation efforts aligned with Turkiyes maritime interests. This approach also finds support within Israels ideological ecosystem. The right-wing political theorist Yoram Hazony, a close ally of Netanyahu, has openly argued for the fragmentation of regional states such as Iraq and Syria into smaller entities organised along sectarian or communal lines a vision that aligns with policies privileging division over consolidation. Turkiye should stop treating this as episodic friction and treat it as Israels deliberate attempt to shape the post-Assad order in Syria while tightening a Mediterranean alignment that sidelines Ankara, Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security studies at Kings College London, told Al Jazeera. The response needs to be practical, coercive in the political sense, and geared to results rather than signalling, he added. Turkiye has a track record of acting proactively when it believes its national interests are at stake. In Libya, Ankaras military support for the internationally recognised government in 2020 prevented its collapse. Similarly, Ankaras backing of Azerbaijan in its war with Armenia helped tip the balance, enabling Baku to recapture territory occupied by Armenian forces. Israeli threats to destabilise Syria, Somalia and Yemen could provide Ankara with an opening with countries it has had rocky relations (since improved) with in recent years, mainly Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which increasingly are also threatened by Israeli influence in the region and have most recently condemned Israeli recognition of Somaliland. Ankara should not only expand relations with such key Arab states, Krieg said, it also needs to take practical steps that make alternative formats commercially and strategically attractive. Turkiye will not dismantle that [Eastern Mediterranean] axis with rhetoric, he added. Ankara should expose and disrupt Israeli influence operations rather than arguing about motives, he warned, adding that the point is to make it politically expensive for Israel to posture as a stabiliser while acting as a patron of breakaway structures, said Krieg. The strategic risk for Turkiye is gradualism; [Ankaras] objective should be explicit: prevent a permanent Israeli security carve-out in southern Syria and prevent an Eastern Mediterranean order in which Ankara is boxed in, Krieg concluded. Do you have any Cincinnati education issues you'd like to raise to The Enquirer? I'm Grace Tucker, the Enquirer's education reporter as of September 2025. I report on all the K-12 public school districts across Greater Cincinnati as well as colleges and universities including University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University. In the short time I've been an education reporter, I've heard from district superintendents, treasurers, spokespeople, board of education members, politicians, union officials, parent advocates and others. And I've merely scratched the surface of what's going on with education in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Are you a parent, teacher or simply a taxpayer in Greater Cincinnati wanting to share an education concern or story idea with The Enquirer? Join me at my office hours. Education reporter's January office hours Friday, Jan. 16 Time: 3 to 5 p.m. Location: Anderson Library Meeting Room, 7450 State Road, Cincinnati. Friday, Jan. 30 Time: 3 to 5 p.m. Location: Price Hill Library Meeting Room 209, 970 Purcell Ave., Cincinnati. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Enquirer reporter to host January public office hours A qualified majority of member states at least 15 countries representing 65 percent of the EUs population backed the deal at a meeting in Brussels on Friday. France, Ireland, Austria and Poland are understood to be among the countries that voted against it. The result clears EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to sign the accord with Mercosur, the South American bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Advertisement Advertisement The European Parliament must give its consent, however, before the deal can enter into force. French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has already pledged to push for rejection in the Parliament, where the vote could be tight. 4bn deal If approved, the deal would be the EUs largest trade agreement in terms of tariff reductions, cutting around 4 billion in duties on EU exports. The European Commission wrapped up two decades of negotiations a year ago, arguing the pact is central to the EUs efforts to unlock new markets, offset business lost to US tariffs and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Advertisement Advertisement Backers such as Germany and Spain see it as a strategic boost at a time of economic uncertainty. France has emerged as the deals most vocal opponent. As the EUs largest agricultural producer, Paris fears an influx of cheaper South American food notably beef, poultry and sugar produced to standards farmers say fall short of those imposed at home. Environmental groups have also lined up against the pact, with Friends of the Earth branding it climate-wrecking. To woo sceptics, Brussels has offered safeguards, including the ability to suspend imports of sensitive agricultural products, tighter controls on pesticide residues, a crisis fund, faster support for farmers and a pledge to cut import duties on fertilisers. Advertisement Advertisement EU offers farmers extra funds to quell anger over Mercosur deal Tractors, blockades Protests have flared across France against the deal, with farmers blockading roads on Thursday and Friday. Before dawn on Friday, farmers from the Confederation Paysanne union drove tractors onto the Paris ring road, briefly blocking traffic as they chanted No! No! No to Mercosur! The previous day, another union, Coordination Rurale, steered tractors towards the Arc de Triomphe and the National Assembly. Environmental activists and agricultural students also joined the protests. France tightens checks on food imports amid farmers' opposition to Mercosur Advertisement Advertisement The disruption has spread beyond Paris. Motorways linking northern France to Belgium were closed on Thursday evening, with roadblocks reported in Burgundy, Lozere, Tarn and the Basque Country. Farmers have also continued to block access to a fuel depot in Bordeaux. Protests are also planned in Belgium and Poland, marking a third consecutive winter of farmer unrest across Europe. (with newswires) BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The European Union will grant Syria around 620 million euros ($722 million) this year and next for post-war recovery, bilateral support and humanitarian aid, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. "After years of devastation under the Assad regime, Syria's recovery and reconstruction needs are immense, and I just could see (it) by my own eyes," she said during a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus. Von der Leyen said the EU wants to start talks on reviving a cooperation accord with Syria and that it will launch a new political partnership with the country, including high-level talks in the first half of 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the EU lifted economic sanctions on Syria after rebels toppled longtime autocratic President Bashar al-Assad following over a decade of civil war. Von der Leyen said the recent escalating violence in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo between government forces and Kurdish fighters this week was "worrisome", and that continued dialogue between all parties was "urgently needed". ($1 = 0.8588 euros) (Reporting by Lili Bayer, writing by Louise Rasmussen, editing by Inti Landauro) The EU is set on Friday to finalize the Mercosur free trade agreement with four South American countries - Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, as European farmers continued to rally against the planned deal. Representatives from EU countries are expected to agree on the signing and conclusion of the deal with the required qualified majority, meaning at least 15 of the EU's 27 states, representing 65% of the bloc's population, must back the proposal to go forward. The agreement was supposed to have been signed in Brazil in December. However, Italy blocked the necessary EU decision at the time and demanded further concessions for farmers. They fear being exposed to unfair competition from the Mercosur countries, as farmers there can produce under different conditions. Advertisement Advertisement The European Commission then proposed further safeguards, which should now secure the necessary majority. Countries that have expressed opposition include Poland, France, Hungary, Ireland and Austria, but together they do not form a blocking minority. French farmers disrupted traffic on Paris' inner-city motorway on Friday morning after dozens of tractors had entered the city centre on Thursday. Farmers also blocked the A27 Lille-Tournai motorway, while Belgian farmers disrupted traffic on several motorways in the south and east of the country. According to the commission, the new free trade area with more than 700 million inhabitants will be the largest of its kind in the world and is also intended to send a signal against the protectionist tariff policy of US President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement The plan is to remove customs duties and trade barriers between the EU and the four participating Mercosur countries as far as possible. German businesses have been pushing for the agreement to be concluded for years. The deal is to be signed in Paraguay, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Mercosur confederation of states. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Antonio Costa are due to travel to the South American country for this purpose. Following the planned agreement this Friday, a written decision is still required for the signing and conclusion of the agreement. However, this is considered a formality. Elastic N.V. (NYSE:ESTC) ranks among the best big data stocks to invest in. Elastic N.V. (NYSE:ESTC) announced a number of major collaborations in December. Notably, the company partnered with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on December 16 to establish a Security Information and Event Management as a Service platform for US federal civilian agencies. The endeavor is managed under a $26 million base-year contract with ECS, which could be renewed for up to four more years, reaching a total agreement valued at $130 million. The deal enables CISA to use Elastics cloud-based software for uniform cybersecurity monitoring across Federal Civilian Executive Branch Agencies. Additionally, on December 1, Elastic N.V. (NYSE:ESTC) unveiled an update for Amazon Bedrock AgentCore that makes it possible to monitor and troubleshoot AI agents using the Elasticsearch platform. The software offers monitoring features that enables users to keep track of agent performance, managing expenses, understanding agent reasoning processes, and sustaining dependable agent workloads. Elastic N.V. (NYSE:ESTC) is a software company that provides solutions for search, logging, analytics, security, and observability. With its machine-learning capabilities, the company allows users to automate a wide range of tasks, including anomaly detection and root cause analysis. While we acknowledge the potential of ESTC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Magic Formula Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Retirement Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. A majority of European Union countries has given the green light for the signing of the Mercosur free trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, sources told dpa on Friday. At a meeting of representatives from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, a sufficient number of participants agreed to the planned signing of the deal, according to diplomats. The new free trade zone, with more than 700 million inhabitants, will be the largest of its kind in the world, according to the European Commission. Advertisement Advertisement The agreement on the controversial deal was made possible by further concessions to the agricultural lobby, which views competition from the four countries, which are members of the wider Mercosur South American trading bloc, as a threat to European farmers. In South America, agricultural products such as beef can be produced more cheaply than in Europe. The agreement was initially supposed to be signed in Brazil in December. However, the necessary majority of EU member states was not achieved at that time because Italy tied its approval to further support commitments for European farmers. For the deal to pass it required a so-called qualified majority, meaning at least 15 of the EU's 27 states representing 65% of the bloc's population must back it. Italy's approval was necessary because two other populous EU countries, France and Poland, oppose the agreement in its current form. A majority of European Union countries gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign the Mercosur free trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay after decades of negotiations. At a meeting of representatives from the 27 EU countries in Brussels, a sufficient number of participants agreed to the planned signing of the deal, diplomatic sources told dpa. The new free trade zone, with more than 700 million inhabitants, will be the largest of its kind in the world, according to the European Commission. The controversial deal has been in the making for more than 25 years. Advertisement Advertisement The final agreement was made possible by last-minute concessions to Europe's agricultural lobby, which views competition from the four countries - all members of the wider Mercosur South American trading bloc - as a threat to European farmers. In South America, agricultural products such as beef can be produced more cheaply than in Europe. The agreement was initially supposed to be signed in Brazil in December. However, the necessary majority of EU member states was not achieved at that time because Italy tied its approval to further support commitments for European farmers. For the deal to pass it required a so-called qualified majority, meaning at least 15 of the EU's 27 states representing 65% of the bloc's population must back it. Advertisement Advertisement Italy's approval was necessary because two other populous EU countries, France and Poland, oppose the agreement in its current form. Signal to Donald Trump The new free trade area is also intended as a signal offsetting US President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policy. The aim is to dismantle trade and tariff barriers between the EU and the Mercosur states as much as possible. German industry had been pushing for years for the deal to be concluded. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Friday's breakthrough as a "milestone in European trade policy and an important signal of our strategic sovereignty and ability to act." Advertisement Advertisement "With this agreement, we are strengthening our economy and trade relations with our partners in South America that is good for Germany and for Europe," he added. The commission estimates that the agreement could increase annual EU exports to South America by up to 39%, or around 49 billion ($57 billion) - supporting more than 440,000 jobs throughout Europe. In particular, the automotive industry, mechanical engineering and the pharmaceutical sector stand to benefit. Car imports to Mercosur countries are currently subject to a 35% tariff, for example. A quarter-century of talks Negotiations on the Mercosur agreement began back in 1999. The commission finally concluded the talks in December 2024, despite persistent criticism from countries such as France. Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the EU's trade dispute with the United States brought new momentum to the process. Many countries, and Germany especially, now want to demonstrate that fair trade is not a thing of the past. "Now it is important to conclude the next free trade agreements quickly," Merz stressed, noting that 25 years of negotiations had been too long. However, critics of the deal fear that European farmers could be forced into a merciless price war, while fuelling the destruction of South American rainforest. There are also concerns that strict EU standards on food safety and animal and plant protection could be undermined. The commission in Brussels firmly denies this, stressing that only products complying with the bloc's extensive regulations can be imported into the EU. Safety net for farmers To counter ongoing farmers' protests against the planned free trade area, the commission recently drew up additional economic safety clauses. Advertisement Advertisement That includes countermeasures that can be quickly initiated in the event of a harmful increase in imports from the Mercosur states or an excessive fall in prices for EU producers. These would lead to the temporary suspension of trade advantages. The imports of products including beef, poultry, rice, honey, eggs, garlic, ethanol, citrus fruits and sugar is to be monitored particularly closely. A report on the impact of imports from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is to be published at least every six months. Bolivia, which is now also part of Mercosur, has to adapt its rules before it can benefit from the free trade agreement. Signing planned in Paraguay The agreement is now to be signed in Paraguay, which currently holds Mercosur's rotating presidency. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are to attend the signing ceremony. A written decision based on Friday's agreement is now required to sign and finalize the trade deal. This is considered a formality, however. Slovenian newspaper Dnevniks supplement magazine Objektiv took a bold artistic approach in its latest cover Friday, depicting President Donald Trump wearing a Venezuela flag pin and bleeding oil from his nose in an image that makes him appear similar to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The cover, illustrated by artist Tomato Kosir, features a subhead reading American Attack on Venezuela and comes in reaction to the Trump administrations recent military strike on the Latin American country, which resulted in the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro, by U.S. forces in the middle of the night. In the aftermath of the military operation, Trump announced that the U.S will run Venezuela, later suggesting that the U.S. oil industry would take over the countrys oil production. Advertisement Advertisement 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, Trump told NBC News. News: ICE Shooting Fallout Grows, 'PBS News Hour' To End Weekend Edition: Live Updates Comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis are nothing new for the president and his administration, which has drawn heightened criticism during Trumps second term in the wake of his rampant immigration enforcement. Many critics have drawn parallels between Trumps agenda and fascism. Trumps own vice president, JD Vance, once called the president Americas Hitler in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has fought back against the parallels and criticism, with the Department of Homeland Security stating last year, It is absolutely sickening to compare ICE law enforcement agents to the Gestapo. This is also not the first time Kosir has referenced the U.S. president in his art. In August last year, the artist illustrated an image of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen looking similar to Trump in reaction to a trade agreement with the U.S. president to avert a potential trade war. News: ICE Officer In Minneapolis Killing Has Served Decades In Military And Law Enforcement The magazine, based in Melania Trumps home country, has sparked some positive reactions online. Advertisement Advertisement America: Hes not Hitler / Europe: Listen, we know a thing or two about Hitler, one post on X read. 10/10. No notes, another read. Good morning to Melania Trumps homeland of Slovenia and to this amazing magazine cover showing her husband with Hitler moustache made of crude oil, one post with over 200,000 likes read. Slovenes cooked severely here. Related... Read the original on HuffPost By Saad Sayeed and Mubasher Bukhari ISLAMABAD, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan is in the final phases of striking a $1.5-billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan, a former top air force official and three sources said, promising a major boost for Sudan's army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Their conflict has stoked the world's worst humanitarian crisis for more than 2-1/2 years, drawing in myriad foreign interests, and threatening to fragment the strategic Red Sea country, a major gold producer. Advertisement Advertisement The deal with Pakistan encompasses 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for scouting and kamikaze attacks, and advanced air defence systems, said two of the three sources with knowledge of the matter, who all sought anonymity. It was a "done deal", said Aamir Masood, a retired Pakistani air marshal who continues to be briefed on air force matters. Besides the Karakoram-8 jets, it includes Super Mushshak training aircraft, and perhaps some coveted JF-17 fighters developed jointly with China and produced in Pakistan, he added, without giving figures or a delivery schedule. Pakistan's military and its defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for Sudans army did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment. Assistance from Pakistan, especially drones and jets, could help Sudan's army regain the air supremacy it had towards the start of its war with the RSF, which has increasingly used drones to gain territory, eroding the army's position. Sudan's army accuses the RSF of being supplied by the United Arab Emirates, which has denied supplying weapons. POSSIBILITY OF SAUDI BACKING The sources did not say how the deal was being funded but Masood said it was possible the finances would come from Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Advertisement "Saudi Arabia may favour and support all the favourable regimes in Gulf for procurement of Pakistani military equipment and training," he said. One of the sources said the Saudis brokered the deal but added there was no indication they were paying for the weapons. Another source said Saudi was not providing funds. Reuters has reported that Islamabad is in talks with Riyadh for a defence deal that could be worth between $2 billion and $4 billion. Masood said the weapons for Sudan could be included in such an agreement, without confirming discussions with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of the U.S.-led quad grouping of nations that has tried to push Sudan's army and the RSF towards peace talks. On recent visits, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan requested Saudi assistance in the war, according to Sudanese and Egyptian sources. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are embroiled in a major feud sparked by recent events in Yemen. The two most powerful countries in the Gulf have sharp differences on a range of volatile Middle East issues, from geopolitics to oil output. Their difference burst into the open with an advance of UAE-backed southern Yemeni separatists in early December that brought them into conflict with Saudi-backed forces. Advertisement Advertisement PAKISTAN'S DEFENCE AMBITIONS The deal is another feather in the cap for Pakistan's growing defence sector, which has drawn growing interest and investment, particularly since its jets were deployed in a conflict with India last year. Last month, Islamabad struck a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with the Libyan National Army, officials said, for one of the South Asian nation's largest arms sales, which includes JF-17 fighter jets and training aircraft. Pakistan has also held talks with Bangladesh on a defence deal that could includes the Super Mushshak training jets and JF-17s, as ties improve ties with Dhaka. Advertisement Advertisement The government sees Pakistan's burgeoning industry as a catalyst to secure long-term economic stability. Pakistan is now in a $7-billion IMF programme, following a short-term deal to avert a sovereign default in 2023. It won IMF support after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies provided financial and deposit rollovers. (Reporting by Saad Sayeed in Islamabad and Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Additional reporting by Ariba Shahid, Khalid Abdelaziz and Ahmed Shalaby; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) A cave once known only to hunters and explorers is now helping to stabilize livelihoods for communities in central Vietnam, near the border with Laos. After strict limits were placed on the world's largest cave, experts have reported striking changes. In the early 1990s, local hunter Ho Khanh stumbled upon a massive cave while sheltering from a storm in what is now Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Advertisement Advertisement At the time, hunting and forest extraction were among the few ways that residents could earn a living. In 2008, Limbert and his wife, Deb, working with the British Caving Association, partnered with Ho to rediscover the cave. The cave, called Son oong, stunned researchers with chambers that were wider than airplane hangars and skylights that supported underground forests. Surveys confirmed that it holds the largest known cave chamber cross-section in the world. Rather than allow mass tourism, authorities limited access to small, managed expeditions. This approach mirrors strategies used in U.S. national parks, such as backcountry permits and seasonal closures, which protect the landscapes. Tin oan, a lecturer at Northumbria University, said that spreading visitors across multiple caves eased environmental pressure while sustaining local income. Tourism programs and stronger enforcement also helped to reduce illegal hunting and logging. Advertisement Advertisement "There was no work [in the 1990s]," said Phan Van Thin, the director of tour operations for a Vietnamese tour company Oxalis. "Now, most people work in hotels, restaurants, or as guides. No one goes hunting or logging anymore." While Vietnam's national parks lack comprehensive wildlife data, guides report more frequent sightings of endangered species like Hatinh langurs. Limbert noted that while these observations don't prove a full recovery, they still indicate positive changes. The progress of Son oong fits a global pattern of conservation efforts. In Brazil, scientists rediscovered the Pernambuco holly, which was thought to be extinct for 200 years. 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. Meanwhile, jaguars have been surprisingly spotted returning to Arizona, signaling a slow yet hopeful wildlife recovery. Advertisement Advertisement "When we were surveying Son oong, we rarely saw any primates," said Limbert. "Now, we see big groups." Limbert is also hopeful that this progress will spread to the cave's Laotian side. "I'm sure we will see the same kind of change as Vietnam," he said, per Mongabay. "It's happened in Phong Nha, and I'm sure it will happen in Laos too." 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. Did a "Lucas Mamdani", brother to New York City's mayor, buy properties with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to financially benefit from new city policies on affordable housing? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find evidence to support the existence of any sibling of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The claim originated from a page with a satire label that was later cropped out of the image that went viral. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on January 7, 2026. It began: EXPOSED: FAKE SOCIALISTS BERNIE & MAMDANI CAUGHT IN MASSIVE NYC PROPERTY SCAM - POCKETING TENS OF MILLIONS FROM SHAM 'AFFORDABLE HOUSING' FRAUD! https://t.me/+nPHzGh53lLNkMTg0Bernie's Shady Holdings Co. SNAPPING UP CONDEMNED DUMPS ACROSS THE CITY, READY TO FLIP 'EM FOR INSANE PROFITS TO MAMDANI'S CROOKED REGIME THE SECOND HE STEALS THE MAYOR'S SEAT!Then Brother Lucas SWOOPS IN WITH NO-BID SWEETHEART DEALS TO 'FIX' 'EM UP - PURE CORRUPTION CASH GRAB! They're Not Socialists, They're MASTER CON ARTISTS RIPPING OFF THE POOR!Share This Before They Shut It Down! Follow @mcafeenew for more drops. in part About Satire Before you complain and decide satire is synonymous with "comedy": satire sati()r noun The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing. Articles from Blair's sites frequently get copied by "real" fake news sites that omit the satire disclaimer and other hints that the stories are fake. One of the most persistent networks of such sites is run by a man from Pakistan named Kashif Shahzad Khokhar (aka "DashiKashi") who has spammed hundreds of such stolen stories into conservative and right-wing Facebook pages in order to profit from the ad revenue. The families of four University of Idaho students killed in November 2022 are suing Washington State University, alleging the school failed to act on repeated warnings about Bryan Kohbergers stalking, harassment and threatening behavior before the killings, according to court records. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. It alleges WSUs actions and inaction allowed Kohbergers behavior to escalate unchecked in the months leading up to the murders. Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, WSU recruited Kohberger from the East Coast to serve as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology while he pursued a Ph.D. with a focus on sexually motivated burglars and serial killers. The filing states WSU paid Kohberger a salary and provided free tuition, medical benefits and on-campus housing, all conditioned on his behavior and compliance with university policies. Alleged behavior quickly raised alarms The lawsuit alleges that almost immediately after Kohberger arrived in the Pullman-Moscow community, he developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing, and stalking behavior, particularly toward women, and that his conduct instilled fear among students and staff. According to the complaint, a fellow graduate student said early in the fall 2022 semester she began leaving her office door open because she believed this guy was going to do something inappropriate with a student. Advertisement Advertisement That same student said Kohberger struck her as a stalker or sexual assaulter type. Another graduate student described Kohberger as a possible future rapist, while multiple female students reported feeling unsafe during interactions with him. The lawsuit states Kohberger was noted to be obsessed with studying sexually motivated burglars and serial killers and that faculty members were aware of growing concerns. Blocking exits, following women, security escorts The complaint details repeated incidents in which Kohberger allegedly stood close to womens desks, loomed over them, and blocked their exits from offices for long periods of time. One female graduate student reported that Kohberger trapped her in her office while attempting to talk about the Ted Bundy murders. Advertisement Advertisement According to the lawsuit, Kohberger followed several female students and staff members to their cars after hours. As a result, security escorts were arranged after 5 p.m., sometimes by professors and other times by the WSU Police Department. Some staff members told others that Kohberger had been stalking them. Graduate students also reported taking precautions to protect themselves. Some kept office doors shut to keep Kohberger out, while others left doors open as a refuge if someone felt threatened. In one classroom incident early in the semester, the complaint states Kohberger verbally attacked a female student so severely that she fled the room in tears, leaving her belongings behind. Advertisement Advertisement He was described as very angry, as if he had built up fury or rage. 911 email warning and hiding from him The lawsuit alleges that WSU employees took steps to avoid leaving colleagues alone with Kohberger. In one instance, a WSU employee told a colleague to email her with the subject line 911 if she needed immediate help during an interaction with him. In another case, a WSU undergraduate fled into a bathroom to hide from Kohberger because she felt uncomfortable with his scary behavior. One sophomore student reported that Kohberger followed her and that when she told her supervisors, she was advised not to be alone with him and was told she was not the first person to report problems. Advertisement Advertisement Her supervisor later took her home so she would not have to walk alone or take public transportation, according to the complaint. Faculty discussions and internal warnings The lawsuit states that by mid-September 2022, WSU professors were discussing the need to do an intervention with Kohberger because of how he treated female students. By September or October, one professor believed Kohberger was stalking people. One student later learned that Kohberger had photos of her and other female classmates on his cell phone, according to the filing. During a faculty meeting, one professor allegedly warned colleagues about Kohbergers future behavior, saying: Advertisement Advertisement Mark my words, I work with predators, if we give him a Ph.D. thats the guy that in that many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing his students. That professor also believed Kohberger was already stalking people, the lawsuit states. Complaints filed, no action alleged According to the complaint, at least 13 formal complaints related to Kohberger were submitted to WSUs Office of Compliance and Civil Rights. However, the lawsuit alleges the employee responsible for acting on those complaints later reported she had neither met nor spoken with Kohberger. Some students continued reporting concerns despite believing WSU would not protect them from retaliation. Advertisement Advertisement One student said she was dissatisfied with how prior reports were handled but continued reporting because Kohbergers actions made her feel unsafe. The lawsuit alleges Kohbergers supervising instructor expressed concern that removing him from employment could expose WSU to a lawsuit, elevating financial concerns above campus safety. Escalation and aftermath The complaint states Kohberger later pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. The lawsuit alleges that subsequent investigations revealed extensive online searches related to home invasions, serial killers, paranoia and pornography involving exclusively non-consensual sex acts, as well as repeated late-night drives past the victims home months before the killings. Advertisement Advertisement The families argue that stalking behavior is a known predictor of escalating violence and that WSU failed to use its threat assessment tools, policies and authority to intervene before four students were killed. They are seeking damages and a jury trial. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for WSU said, Our hearts remain with the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy. Because this is a legal matter, we are declining further comment at this time. Editor's note: This page is a summary of news on the shootings involving immigration agents in Portland and Minneapolis for Thursday, Jan. 8. For the latest news on the immigration shootings and the ensuing fallout, view USA TODAY's story for Friday, Jan. 9. Minneapolis continued to reel on Thursday after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in the head this week by a federal immigration officer in a residential neighborhood south of the Midwestern city's downtown. The shooting was captured on video by witnesses and fueled political and community tensions over immigration activity as part of President Donald Trump's nationwide immigration efforts. Some lawmakers called for the arrest of the officer in the shooting, identified in court documents as Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Jonathan Ross. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Minnesota investigators say they have withdrawn from a probe into the agent's use of force after being denied access to evidence. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension initially said it was partnering with the FBI to investigate. But state authorities said Thursday they were notified by the FBI that they would no longer have access to "case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said state officials didn't have jurisdiction in the case. While the Minneapolis City Council has demanded that ICE leave the city immediately, the Trump administration has asserted that the agent fired in self-defense. One person was killed in a shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz said on Jan. 7 that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot. Journalist KingDemetrius Pendleton is treated after being exposed to a chemical irritant following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. A man is treated after being exposed to a chemical irritant following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Members of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office look on as people gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Members of law enforcement work the scene following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez (L) addresses onlookers following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. An aerial view shows protesters clashing with police after a driver of a vehicle was shot amid an immigration enforcement surge, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 7, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a video. A federal agent uses pepper spray on protesters blocking a street after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Police tape is seen around a vehicle with a bullet hole the windshield after a driver was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino looks on after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand at the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. A federal agent runs towards protesters trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Federal agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis: See chaotic scene 1 of 18 One person was killed in a shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz said on Jan. 7 that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot. But local leaders disagree. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vehemently blamed federal immigration agents for sowing chaos in the city and said video of the shooting contradicted what he called the government's "garbage narrative." Timberwolves hold moment of silence, Walz calls for moment on Jan. 9 The NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence to honor Good before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Jan. 8. Advertisement Advertisement Video of the Timberwolves broadcast of the trubute, posted to the r/NBA subreddit and reviewed by USA TODAY, shows that the moment of silence was punctuated by a fan yelling go home ICE followed by cheers. The tribute came hours after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 9 a Day of Unity in Goods honor and asked the state to hold a moment of silence at 10 a.m. local time. Id ask each and everyone to find a way to contribute in your community to show the goodness, to rise up, to make sure that were being very, very clear about this, that we expect our Constitutional rights to be respected, Walz said in a video message on X accompanying the proclamation. What does video of the shooting show? Video circulating online shows multiple law enforcement officers approaching Good's SUV, which was stopped in the middle of a street. One officer attempts to open the driver's side door, as someone is heard saying, "Get out of the (expletive) car." Advertisement Advertisement Good briefly reverses before driving forward, beginning to turn right. As the vehicle begins to move forward, another officer standing near the front driver's side draws his gun and fires multiple times. At the moment the shots were fired, the wheels of Good's vehicle are turned to the right, angled away from the officer in front of the vehicle. It is unclear from the video whether the officer was struck. President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem say he was. Video analysis by USA TODAY shows Good's vehicle appeared to be turning away from the officer who fired on her. The agent fired three shots, one at the front windshield and two more through the open driver's side window as Good moves past. All shots appear to be fired after the agent is out of the way. Check out the full video analysis here. Advertisement Advertisement George Petras, Stephen J. Beard, Ramon Padilla, Janet Loehrke and Shawn J. Sullivan Court documents in car dragging case identify ICE agent Homeland Security officials said the immigration officer in this week's fatal shooting in Minneapolis is the same officer who was injured in June 2024 in another vehicle incident. That Enforcement Operations Officer is identified in court documents as Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Jonathan Ross. Vice President JD Vance noted at the White House that this week's shooting incident echoed the agent's previous case that put him in the hospital. That very ICE officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car six months ago, Vance said at the White House on Jan. 8. Vance did not directly name Ross at the White House briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Read more about Ross and his past injury here. Neighbors on the look out for ICE say they are not deterred One of the organizers of the thousands of Minnesotans who work in neighborhood groups to monitor ICE say they are not deterred by the shooting death of Renee Good. Andrew Fahlstrom, 44, an organizer with Defend the 612 who lives near where Good died, said the feeling on the ground in Minneapolis is terrifying. It's inspiring. It's heartbreaking as people turn out in response. Minneapolis is pissed, he said. The murder of Renee Good made it clear to everyone in the city just how dangerous and unhinged this group of armed agents actually is. Groups of neighbors across the city have organized over the past five weeks to follow ICE vehicles, honking along the way to warn they are coming. They work to notify family of those taken, monitor bus stops and schools for ICEs presence and to deliver meals to people afraid to leave their homes. Community leaders demand arrest of ICE agent Local leaders and advocates in Minnesota called for the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good to be publicly identified, fired and criminally prosecuted at a news conference on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement We will take nothing below that, City Council Member Jason Chavez said during an emotional speech. Multiple activists described Good as an observer, someone who monitors law enforcement while theyre working in public. When asked if Good was part of a specific organization, Montana Hirsch of Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee said pretty much everybody in the city is doing such work and it doesnt matter if youre with a certain group or not. Hirsch asked the public to join a planned rally and march on Saturday and take the streets tonight and every day until we get justice. Ndea Yancey-Bragg Vance calls incident that led to shooting an 'attack on federal law enforcement' Vice President JD Vance defended the ICE officer who fatally shot the woman in Minneapolis, saying the incident was an attack on federal law enforcement and that news coverage of it was a disgrace. Advertisement Advertisement Vance said the incident was a result of left-wing radicals working tirelessly to thwart ICE. This was an attack on federal law enforcement, Vance said. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people. The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day, Vance added. Walz, the Minnesota governor, earlier thanked members of the media for covering the incident: "I will say it where our president won't. The press are defenders of our democracy. You need to be there." Advertisement Advertisement Bart Jansen Minnesotans won't feel investigation is fair, Walz says Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday called for state investigators to be allowed to participate in the shooting investigation after the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said it was blocked from accessing evidence by federal officials. "Very, very difficult for Minnesotans to think in any way this is going to be fair when Kristi Noem was judge, jury and basically executioner yesterday," Walz said at a news conference. Walz said the state's BCA, which investigates use of force incidents by law enforcement, is made up of "nonpartisan career professionals" that would conduct an unbiased investigation. Walz criticized federal officials including Trump, Noem and Vice President JD Vance for having "already passed judgment" on the victim of the shooting and made statements that are "verifiably false." What is the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension? The agency that was set to investigate before being denied access to evidence and case materials is called the Force Investigations Unit of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, part of the Department of Public Safety. Advertisement Advertisement The Force Investigations Unit was created in 2020 "to provide an independent, consistent and trusted mechanism for investigating use of force incidents involving law enforcement officers," according to the BCA. It was formed after the murder of George Floyd by ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who was filmed in Minneapolis kneeling on Floyd's neck in May 2020. The unit describes itself as an "independent third party" that can investigate the use of deadly force by law enforcement, sexual misconduct cases involving an officer and other incidents. Could Minnesota file state charges against ICE agent? Minnesota state investigators would need to be able to conduct a thorough investigation to move forward with potential state charges against the unnamed ICE agent who fatally shot Good, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson. "To file state charges, we would need a full investigation, which would include the opportunity to have been at the crime scene, to have had the opportunity to take a look at all the video and evidence that the FBI would have in their possession," he said. A man holds up a sign as people gather at the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 8, 2026. DHS Secretary Noem says state investigators don't have jurisdiction In a news conference on Thursday, Noem disputed that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had been blocked from investigating. "They have not been cut out. They dont have any jurisdiction in this investigation," she told reporters. Noem also criticized state authorities for failing to investigate alleged fraud in the state, which triggered the influx of federal agents to Minnesota. Noem calls Minnesota 'a train wreck,' says agent who fired fatal shot is home resting Homeland Security Secretary Krisi Noem on Thursday said the ICE agent who fired the fatal shot acted in self-defense, calling the case domestic terrorism. Noem said the ICE agents were trying to get a car stuck out of the snow prior to the incident, and Good ignored agents instruction. After the shooting, the secretary told reporters the agent went to the hospital, was treated and released and is spending time with his family now. Noem did not release the agents name but said he is a veteran with the federal agency. A man protests against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, during a rally against increased immigration enforcement across the city outside the Whipple Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 8, 2026. ICE tells court that protesters swarm vehicles, endangering safety ICE officers described being aggressively chased down Minnesota streets, with numerous instances of their vehicles being rammed, hit, and vandalized, in a court filing two days before the fatal shooting. The filing on Jan. 5 came in response to a lawsuit seeking to block ICEs enforcement in the city. It explained the stress and dangers that ICE officers encountered around Minneapolis. ICE officers said their vehicles are swarmed almost daily, resulting in vehicular crashes, endangerment of officer and public safety, harassment, and even at least one arrest by local authorities. Before the shooting, ICE officers said they admonished protesters who approached them in their vehicles and occasionally arrested protesters who assaulted or impeded officers. Bart Jansen VP Vance defends ICE agents, says shooting 'falls on this woman' Vice President JD Vance on Thursday pushed back on claims that the shooting was not in self-defense, calling it "preposterous." "The gaslighting is off the charts and I'm having none of it," Vance wrote in a post on X. "This guy was doing his job. She tried to stop him from doing his job. When he approached her car, she tried to hit him. A tragedy? Absolutely. But a tragedy that falls on this woman and all of the radicals who teach people that immigration is the one type of law that rioters are allowed to interfere with." More: Vance calls criticism of Minneapolis ICE shooting 'preposterous' Politicians divided on what played out in shooting videos Government officials remain divided regarding what transpired in videos showing Good's fatal shooting. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defense, but other officials dispute that account. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, was quick to question Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's denial the shooting was in self-defense. "Weve hit a breaking point in this country when an ICE officer is rammed by a lunatic in an SUV and the Mayor of Minneapolis responds not with condemnation, but by telling federal law enforcement to 'get the (expletive) out!'" Hunt posted on X. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, called Good a "legal observer" and said federal immigration agents' actions were "unconscionable and reprehensible." "I am beyond outraged that their reckless, callous actions led to the killing," Omar said in a statement. "My heart breaks for the victims family, who will have to forever live with the pain caused by the Trump Administration's reckless and deadly actions." Nicole Solis, who attended a local Minneapolis vigil for Good on Wednesday, said shes concerned split opinions from officials might create division. My worry is that it keeps people from showing up for each other, Solis said. Natalie Neysa Alund; Corey Schmidt, St. Cloud Times Why is ICE in Minneapolis? Immigration agents have been on the ground in Minneapolis in recent weeks as part of what ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons described in an interview with Newsmax as "the largest immigration operation ever." Officials have declined to detail how many immigration officers are deployed there. The move comes amid a fraud scandal that has drawn national attention and led to federal probes. The Trump administration has placed blame for fraud on members of Minnesota's Somali community. According to Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, agents have made more than 1,000 arrests since first deploying resources to Minnesota. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement activity and sent federal officers into several Democratic-led cities around the country, leading to protests and at times, clashes with demonstrators and law enforcement. Cities including Los Angeles; Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have been swept up in a growing crackdown on illegal immigration and alleged crime. Read more. Christopher Cann Has anyone else been shot during Trump's deportation campaign? The woman fatally shot by an immigration agent on Wednesday is at least the third to be fired upon by federal agents engaged in Trumps wide-reaching deportation campaign. Agents fatally shot an immigrant from Mexico and wounded a U.S. citizen in the early months of Operation Midway Blitz, the White Houses immigration enforcement around Chicago. Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Mexican immigrant, was shot and killed by federal agents outside the Illinois city on Sept. 12, 2025, four days after the launch of Operation Midway Blitz. The circumstances of Villegas-Gonzalez's death remain unclear. Homeland Security officials said he resisted arrest and dragged an agent with his car, but video evidence from the scene shows the agent describing his wounds as "nothing major." A second person was shot in the Chicago area on Oct. 4. Marimar Martinez, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and wounded by a federal agent on the citys South Side. Authorities originally said she rammed an agent with her vehicle, but charges against her were later dropped. Read more. -Michael Loria Protests erupt across US in response to fatal shooting Opponents of Trump have called for protests in several U.S. cities, raising the risk that the fatal shooting could become a national flashpoint over the president's deployment of federal immigration agents to Democratic-led cities and states. In Minneapolis, hundreds marched the streets on Wednesday to mourn the loss of Good. As night fell, a crowd gathered at the site of the shooting in a residential area of the city's Central neighborhood, aerial TV images showed. Candles placed at the site lit up the snowy, winter night. The crowd chanted Good's name and called for immigration authorities to leave Minneapolis, saying, "ICE out now." Earlier, some protesters were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing gas masks who fired chemical irritants. Communities across the country also gathered for vigils and demonstrations, including in Oregon, Arizona, Illinois, New York and California, among other states, according to local reports. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (C) and his wife Gwen Walz (R) look on during a vigil for Renee Good on the steps of the state capitol building on Jan. 9, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Earlier this week a federal agent fatally shot Good in her car during an incident in south Minneapolis. People stand by a makeshift memorial at the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 8, 2026. A woman reacts next to a memorial site during a vigil for a 37-year-old woman who was shot in her car by a U.S. immigration agent, according to local and federal officials, in Minneapolis, Minn. on Jan. 7, 2026. People attend a vigil at the site where a woman was shot and killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis on Jan.7, 2026. Signs hang at a makeshift barricade placed near the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 8, 2026. About 1,000 people gathered near the site where a woman was allegedly shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis. People gather for a vigil following a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation earlier today in south Minneapolis. About 1,000 people gathered near the site where a woman was allegedly shot by an ICE officer on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis. About 1,000 people gathered at night in near-freezing weather on Jan. 7 near the site where a woman was allegedly shot by an ICE officer earlier that day in Minneapolis. A man holds a sign that says "ICE NOT WELCOME" during a vigil for a 37-year-old woman who was shot in her car by a U.S. immigration agent, according to local and federal officials, in Minneapolis, Minn. Jan. 7, 2026. People gather for a vigil following a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation earlier today in south Minneapolis. People gather for a vigil following a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation earlier today in south Minneapolis. People gather for a vigil following a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation earlier today in south Minneapolis. A vigil for a 37-year-old woman fatally shot in her car by a U.S. immigration agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026. A person places a flower at the site where a woman was reportedly shot and killed by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. People look at the site where a woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. Vigils held for woman killed in ICE related shooting in Minneapolis 1 of 16 Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (C) and his wife Gwen Walz (R) look on during a vigil for Renee Good on the steps of the state capitol building on Jan. 9, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Earlier this week a federal agent fatally shot Good in her car during an incident in south Minneapolis. Who was Renee Nicole Good? Millions of people have seen the moment an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good. Good's defenders including city and state leaders are calling what happened an unjustified attack; federal authorities say the agent was acting in self-defense. Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Good lived with her partner in Minneapolis and was a compassionate woman who had "taken care of people all her life." "She was loving, forgiving and affectionate," Ganger told the newspaper. "She was an amazing human being." Read more here. - Amanda Lee Myers Contributing: Corey Schmidt, St. Cloud Times; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ICE shooting: Agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good identified The father of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minnesota, has come forward to defend his sons actions and believes he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He will not be charged with anything, Ed Ross, 80, told The Daily Mail, describing his son as a tremendous person of whom he is deeply proud. Jonathan Ross fatally shot Good, a 37-year-old mother-of-three, on a Minneapolis street Wednesday after she was confronted by him and other agents in her vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Video footage shows Good in a maroon SUV idling on an icy street occupied by several government vehicles. As Ross and other agents approach, they order her to get out of the car, and one reaches through the drivers side window. When the SUV begins to move forward, Ross, who is standing near the driver's side of the car, draws his firearm and fires multiple rounds at the vehicle, which then crashes a short distance away. The incident has become a national flashpoint with the Trump administration accusing Good of trying to run over Ross and labeling the act domestic terrorism, while state and local authorities condemned the ICE agents response as reckless and said that his life was never in danger. The father of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot Renee Good, defended his sons actions in a new interview. You would never find a nicer, kinder person, he said. Ross is pictured after the fatal shooting of a mother-of-three (Screengrab) Renee Good was a 37-year-old poet and mother of three (Facebook) She hit him, Ed Ross told The Daily Mail. He also had an officer whose arm was in the car. He will not be charged with anything. You would never find a nicer, kinder person, the father, who is from Illinois, added. He's a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldn't be more proud of him. Advertisement Advertisement Ross, 43, was identified as the shooter by multiple media outlets Thursday. It was also reported that he had been dragged by a car during a separate immigration enforcement operation last year, requiring him to receive over two dozen stitches. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the incident left him a little bit sensitive. A DHS spokesperson told The Independent they would not expose the name of the agent who shot Good, but added that he had worked for ICE for over 10 years. Goods SUV crashed into a telephone pole after she was shot in the dead by Ross (Getty) Mourners gather at the site of where Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Ed Ross told The Daily Mail that his sons wife, a Filipino immigrant, is an American citizen, though he didnt say how long she has lived in the U.S. I dont want to go any further than that, he said. The wife is polite, very nice, very outgoing, one neighbor also said. They have a couple of kids. Advertisement Advertisement Ross is an Iraq war veteran. In 2017, his father posted a photo on Facebook of his son clad in fatigues and carrying a rifle with the caption Jon Ross in Iraq. The ICE agent purchased a home in the Minneapolis area in 2015 with a loan from the Veterans Administration, the outlet noted, citing property records. Neighbors said that Jonathan Ross is a hardcore MAGA supporter, with one noting that theyd seen Trump stickers and a Dont Tread On Me flag often associated with opposition to government overreach outside his home. "Having this Plan B gives me peace of mind, knowing that no matter what happens my child will be protected and cared for," said an immigrant mother who lives in Metairie, pictured here in August 2025. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America) For weeks after hundreds of U.S. Border Patrol agents were deployed to New Orleans as part of the Catahoula Crunch immigration crackdown, one Metairie woman and her husband both of them undocumented immigrants from Honduras lived in isolation, barely leaving the house. Each time they leave, the woman said, they risk arrest, detention and deportation. She asked not to be identified for fear of being targeted by immigration enforcement agents. (Verite News previously interviewed the woman in August.) Her husband, a construction worker, stopped going to work entirely for the first few weeks of December, after the beginning of the U.S. Border Patrol surge in New Orleans. Advertisement Advertisement Despite the risk, he has since returned to work, she said, because they need the money. He needs to go out and work, we have rent to pay, she said in a message on WhatsApp in December. My husband works alone when he is sure that there is not much movement on the streets, another message, sent in January, said. The couple worry about what would happen to their child a 4-year old U.S. citizen if they do get picked up. So they devised a backup plan a notarized letter that names a close friend they trust as a temporary guardian for their son, also called provisional custody by mandate. The letter, which was drafted in March, authorizes the friend to take the child to and from school, to take him to his medical appointments and, if necessary, to travel with him out of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Having this Plan B gives me peace of mind, knowing that no matter what happens my child will be protected and cared for, the mother told Verite News. This decision was made with my childs safety and stability in mind. As President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown continues, a growing number of immigrant parents even some with legal status in the U.S. across the New Orleans metro region are making such provisions to protect their childrens well-being, immigrant rights groups told Verite News. There is no publicly available data to show how many temporary guardianship arrangements have been created in Louisiana since Donald Trumps second presidential inauguration or since the Catahoula Crunch operation began in December because these mandates are private legal documents, not court orders. But representatives from local organizations that support Latino and immigrant communities, including Puentes New Orleans and Familias Unidas en Accion said they have seen a sharp increase in families requesting help with making provisional custody arrangements. Leticia Casildo, executive director of Familias Unidas, said before 2025, her organization encouraged undocumented parents to create guardianship arrangements for their children should they ever be detained, but back then, the group had few takers. Advertisement Advertisement Maybe we would have 10 people sign up in one year, Casildo said. Last year, however, Casildo said more than 200 families requested help to arrange for temporary guardianship. Since Catahoula Crunch launched, Casildo said, Familias Unidas has been arranging for volunteer notaries to visit peoples homes to assist with getting these legal documents signed because many are afraid to leave their residences. Suma Setty, a senior analyst of policies affecting immigrant families at the Center for Law and Social Policy, said her organization has received a huge increase in inquiries about temporary guardianship from local advocates and child care providers. The reason why these are becoming more popular is because parents are terrified of what could happen if an arrangement is not in place, Setty told Verite News in a phone interview Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement In April, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deported two mothers from Honduras, and their U.S. citizen children, after they were taken into custody at routine check-ins with operators of the agencys immigrant surveillance program. A lawsuit filed in August on behalf of both families alleged that the mothers were not given the opportunity to arrange care for their U.S. citizen children, including one boy who was in treatment for stage 4 cancer. In July, ICE issued a policy directive instructing officials to designate a detained parent coordinator and to facilitate required participation in family court, child welfare, or guardianship proceedings, and communication with child welfare services when parents or legal guardians of minors or incapacitated adult dependents are detained. ICE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this article. The Center for Law and Social Policy interviewed undocumented immigrant parents in six states last year. Setty said the parents who already had agreements in place were people with large social networks that included adults with legal status in the U.S. who they trusted. She stressed the importance for advocates to connect immigrant parents who dont have those networks with people who they can build trust with. Although temporary guardianship agreements vary from state to state, Setty said they generally allow for another adult to make decisions about childrens education, medical care and sometimes finances, while they are separated from their parents. Advertisement Advertisement These agreements are critically important for immigrant parents to ensure the best possible care for their children, Setty said. Arthur Ago, director of strategic litigation and advocacy at the Southern Poverty Law Center, who focuses on education and youth policy, acknowledged that such arrangements are often the best way to guarantee a childs security when a parent is taken into immigration custody, he wishes that parents were not being forced to make them. Sudden changes in a childs family structure have long-lasting negative consequences, he said. You are going to end up with children that could potentially be socially isolated within that new guardian unit, let alone if they have to move school districts, Ago said. That isolation destroys any sense of security and hope for children. And that is going to set them back years. Originally from Guatemala, Mayra, a New Orleans mother of three with work authorization in the U.S., said she worries about how the persecution of immigrants is affecting her three children. Her two daughters are glued to the social media accounts of local immigrants rights activists, watching to see where Border Patrol and ICE agents are showing up next. Whenever there are alerts that agents are in their community, her kids beg her not to go outside, she said. And when she goes to work as a cleaner, they inundate her with phone calls to make sure shes safe and will return home. Advertisement Advertisement I think the fear that they feel is more than I feel, Mayra, who asked Verite News to use her first name only because she fears being targeted by immigration enforcement, said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter. After all this [is over] I dont think theyre gonna be the same. When the Border Patrol operation began in New Orleans Mayra sat her daughters ages 10 and 13 and her 18-year-old son down to tell them the plan shed come up with if she were to be detained. The conversation was difficult, she said. When she told her son hed have to sell her car to make sure they had enough money to get by without her, at least for a while, the children burst into tears. But the first thing theyd have to do, she said, was call Elizabeth, a social worker theyd known since her youngest daughter was a baby. Elizabeth had agreed to take care of the kids if Mayra were to get picked up. Mayra didnt make a formal arrangement with Elizabeth. Since her eldest son is 18, he would be able to maintain legal guardianship of his younger siblings. And with his permission, Elizabeth, who asked to be identified only by her middle name, would do the actual work of taking care of them. Advertisement Advertisement Mayra said she trusts Elizabeth who has previously taken the children to Guatemala to visit their family members there completely. Mayra and Elizabeth have both spoken about preparing her children to be independent in case theyre separated from their mother. Its out of necessity, they need to be able to survive without [her], Elizabeth, who said she is honored that Mayra asked her to watch over her children, said. [Its] deeply sad for the orientation for your kids to have to shift in that way. This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Envision Energy has been selected by Brazilian renewable energy developer Casa dos Ventos to supply 630MW of wind turbines. The Chinese renewable energy solution provider has also signed a 30-year long-term service agreement with Casa dos Ventos. The contract represents Envision Energys first net-zero energy project in Brazil. The partnership between the two companies is intended to hasten Brazil's transition to renewable energy and reinforce its status as a major player in the global green energy market. It was formalised at a signing ceremony attended by Envisions chairman, Lei Zhang, and Casa dos Ventos founder Mario Araripe. Under this agreement, Envision will deliver its customised 8.xMW Galileo AI wind turbines, which are among the largest single-capacity units used in Brazil. These turbines incorporate local grid requirements and resources, optimising energy production and project sustainability. The partnership may extend beyond turbine supply, potentially involving collaboration in digital asset management and integrated solutions for green hydrogen and ammonia. This could bolster next-generation renewable energy systems across the region. The agreement builds on a series of high-level meetings and strategic discussions between the two companies. In May 2025, Zhang met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his visit to China to talk about Brazils green energy transition, net-zero industrial parks, and new areas of cooperation such as sustainable aviation fuel and green hydrogen. In September 2025, Araripe visited Envision to continue talks on promoting net-zero industries. This partnership aims to introduce Envisions net-zero technologies into Brazil more systematically, setting new benchmarks for energy transformation across Latin America. Envision Energy senior vice-president and president of Latin America and the European region Henry Peng said: Brazil has emerged as a global leader in renewable energy, with clean sources supplying nearly 90% of the country's electricity. As the government diversifies the energy mix, non-hydro renewables such as wind and solar are becoming a strategic pillar of Brazil's energy transition. As one of the earliest global renewable energy companies to invest in Brazil, our partnership with Casa dos Ventos goes far beyond turbine supply. We commit to explore topics such as AI-enabled, system-level net-zero solutions across wind, AIDC [AI data centres], green hydrogen, energy storage and sustainable aviation fuel. In November last year, Envision Energy and GES formed an alliance to expand battery energy storage system (BESS) and wind power projects in Spain and across Europe, with the goal of speeding up the regions clean energy transition. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Federal immigration agents shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland on Thursday, a day after an officer fatally shot a woman in Minnesota, authorities said. The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building at night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority and refer criminal charges to the prosecutor's office if warranted. The Department of Homeland Security said the vehicle's passenger was a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who was involved in a recent shooting in the city. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a targeted vehicle stop in the afternoon, the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot, it said. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicle's occupants. During prior shootings involving agents from President Donald Trump's immigration crackdowns in U.S. cities, including the fatal one Wednesday in Minneapolis, video evidence has cast doubt on the administration's characterizations of what prompted the shootings. Trump and his allies have consistently blamed the Tren de Aragua gang for being at the root of violence and drug dealing in some U.S. cities. The Portland shooting escalates tensions in a city that has long had a contentious relationship with Trump, including due to his recent failed effort to deploy National Guard troops there. The city saw long-running nightly protests outside the ICE building. Advertisement Advertisement According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting outside Adventist Health hospital at 2:18 p.m. Thursday. A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers went there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Officers determined that they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known. Portland police said officers applied a tourniquet to one of them. City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a meeting that as far as we know, both of these individuals are still alive, and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement At a nighttime news conference, Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation and he had no details about the events that led to the shooting. Mayor Keith Wilson and the City Council called on ICE to end all operations in Oregons largest city until a full investigation is completed. We stand united as elected officials in saying that we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts, they said in a statement. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. Wilson also suggested at a news conference that he does not necessarily believe the federal government's account of the shooting: There was a time we could take them at their word. That time is long past. Advertisement Advertisement Democratic State Sen. Kayse Jama, who lives near where it took place, said Oregon is a welcoming state but he told federal agents to leave. You are not welcome, Jama said. You need to get the hell out of Oregon. The city officials said federal militarization undermines effective, communitybased public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. Well use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents civil and human rights. They urged residents to show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time. Several dozen people gathered in the evening near the scene where police found the wounded people. Advertisement Advertisement Its just been chaos, said one, Anjalyssa Jones. The community is trying to get answers. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged protesters to remain peaceful. Trump wants to generate riots, he said on the social platform X. Dont take the bait. ___ Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed. Barbara Swartz reads to children at Baden Christian Child Care in St. Louis last winter (photo submitted). Missouri has submitted detailed justification required to access federal funding owed to almost 2,000 child care providers across the state for services rendered in December, according to a Friday press release. The Office of Childhood in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which found it could not access the funds earlier this week, had been unable to explain the delay to child care providers because it had not received communication from the federal government before Thursday evening. Advertisement Advertisement We know how important these payments are to providers, and this is our utmost priority, said Office of Childhood Assistant Commissioner Deidre Anderson-Barbee in the press release. The department submitted a comprehensive breakdown Friday morning to meet the requirements of a federal initiative called Defend the Spend, its spokesman told The Independent. Defend the Spend, a system created by the now-dissolved Department of Government Efficiency, requires recipients of federal funds to justify each transaction before they can receive payment. Although the state office has submitted the required documentation, child care providers still dont know when they can expect to receive payment. Lisa Scheer, director of Baden Christian Child Care in St. Louis, told The Independent that the message from the state office brings little relief. Advertisement Advertisement Its an answer, but its not an answer anyone wants to hear, Scheer said. To be honest, theres not going to be an answer until they say, Were paying you. Scheer said her child care center relies heavily on the federal funds because each of the 45 children the center serves participates in the subsidy program. Families in Missouri must earn no more than 150% of the federal poverty level to qualify. Our families really rely on our services for food, for safety, Scheer said. We provide area transportation and really just a safe haven for our neighborhood and community. U.S. Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim ONeill on Dec. 30 announced in a social media post that all states would be required to justify their child care expenses in order to access support from the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Advertisement Advertisement On Monday the federal department froze child care payments to five states all with Democrat-led governments. The states Office of Childhood said Friday that the federal request for information about Missouris child care subsidy program indicates Missouri child care funds have not been frozen. Before that communication, the cause of the delay wasnt clear. Casey Hanson, deputy director of Kids Win Missouri, told The Independent that the uncertainty has made the funding disruption more painful for child care providers who operate on very tight margins. In a meeting of around 160 providers Wednesday, Hanson said, many were frustrated and upset. Advertisement Advertisement Some providers who mostly serve families who receive subsidies are at a point to be turning [those families] away, especially if they dont have reserves, and a lot of small providers really dont, Hanson said. Scheer, who was in the meeting, said shes trying to delay costs where she can. She agreed with her husband that she wont draw a paycheck until federal funding comes through. But she realizes her employees, who are mostly single women, cant do that. While Scheer said she is committed to keeping her doors open, shes not sure how long the center would be able to operate without subsidy payments. Its trying to make sure my employees needs are met so that they can still show up for children, so childrens needs are met, so that parents can still go to work and be parents for their children, Scheer said. Its just a lot of unknown. Portland Police Chief Bob Day speaks at a press conference on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Shaanth Nanguneri/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Two people shot by federal agents in Portland on Thursday have some nexus to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Friday afternoon. Both people, identified Friday morning by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, are still hospitalized and in federal custody, Day said. He added that they both had surgery and are in stable condition. Advertisement Advertisement The mans name is spelled differently in Washington County district court records from a November 2025 arrest for driving under the influence of intoxicants: Luis David Nino-Moncada. With tears in his eyes, Day said that the pairs potential connection to the gang in no way draws a throughline to the shooting. Even sharing this information around this association is so difficult and painful for me, because I understand, from what I have been told, that fear that suddenly this is going to be some wholesale blaming, this wholesale approval of the actions that happened yesterday, and that is not the case. Nothing that Ive said today should be warranted in any way to affirm whatever happened yesterday. The shooting, which occurred the day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minnesota, sparked protests and highlighted the growing chasm of mistrust between the Trump administration and the progressive Democrats who govern Oregon and Portland. Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security quickly claimed the two were affiliated with Tren de Aragua and that Nino-Moncada weaponized their vehicle against officers who shot in self-defense a strikingly similar statement to one it put out to rationalize the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota on Wednesday. In that instance, multiple bystanders took cell phone videos that appeared to show the officer firing on Good as she was driving away from them, but no such videos have been made available of the Portland incident. Police chief cites gang ties Capital Chronicle searches of state and federal criminal court records and the Lexis-Nexis database turned up no charges for either Nino-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras. But Day said Friday that Zambrano-Contreras was previously arrested for prostitution in Washington County and Nino-Moncada was present when Zambrano-Contreras was served with a search warrant. Police, who have been investigating a July shooting in northeast Portland, also believe there is a connection between Tren de Aragua and that incident based on a report from the victim, a Venezuelan immigrant. Day said hes not aware of either Nino-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras being involved in that shooting, but he said that the investigation led police to believe the two are connected to the gang. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement It was a change of tune for Day, who told reporters at a Thursday evening press conference that he didnt have any information about Portlands involvement with Tren de Aragua, a multinational crime organization founded in 2014 in a Venezuelan prison. Since Thursday, Day said he learned the names of the two people shot and asked investigators about any connections. Stephen Mayer, a spokesperson for the Washington County District Attorneys Office, confirmed to the Capital Chronicle that Nino-Moncada has an active driving under the influence of intoxicants case, and could not comment further because it is pending. Prosecutors in that case also allege that he took and drove Zambrano-Contreras 2015 red Chevrolet Camaro without her consent. Mayer also confirmed that Zambrano-Contreras is involved in a case that was referred to the county from local law enforcement during the summer of 2025 involving human trafficking and firearm offenses. Because the case involved multiple jurisdictions and potential federal law violations, it was referred to the FBI and US Attorneys Office, Mayer said. Because the investigation is ongoing, we can make no further comment. Advertisement Advertisement At the news conference, Day stopped short of condemning Thursdays shooting and urged Portlanders to remain peaceful and trust the justice system. He gave as an example the Portland Police Bureaus testimony that led a federal judge to block the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to the city. The very fact that the National Guard did not wind up on the streets of Portland is a testament to the behaviors and the actions of the Portland Police Bureau, and its also a testament to the system continuing to work, he said. Other than providing names in a statement posted to the social media platform X on Friday morning, the Department of Homeland Security has shared few details about Thursdays shooting. Along with mentioning the July shooting, the department alleged Nino-Moncada was previously arrested for a DUI and Zambrano-Contreras was involved in a prostitution ring, but did not provide any evidence. A department spokesperson did not respond to questions from the Capital Chronicle. The shooting Thursday sparked demonstrations outside Portland City Hall and the citys waterfront Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, with hundreds of Portlanders taking to the streets to protest. Portland Police arrested six people outside the ICE facility for disorderly conduct. A few officers were injured, Day said. Portlanders gathered outside Portland City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8, for a candlelight vigil and protest after federal officers shot two people. (Photo by Shaanth Nanguneri/Oregon Capital Chronicle) More protests are expected this weekend, including demonstrations near the Portland ICE facility and outside the state Capitol in Salem. Advertisement Advertisement State and local officials, meanwhile, are still gathering information about the shooting in Oregons largest city. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, who joined Gov. Tina Kotek and other local officials at a fiery press conference late Thursday, called on ICE to halt all operations in the city. Kotek described the shooting as another terrible, unnecessary violent event instigated by the reckless agenda of the Trump administration. And Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Thursday evening that his office will investigate whether any federal officers acted outside the scope of their authority, in keeping with a November warning he and district attorneys of the states three largest counties gave the federal government that the state will investigate and prosecute federal agents who engage in excessive force. Republican leaders in the state Legislature, meanwhile, accused Democrats of stoking fear and rushing to judgement. It is deeply irresponsible for elected officials to immediately politicize an active investigation, delegitimize law enforcement and inflame fear by suggesting federal agents are acting as some kind of secret police, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, and House Minority Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, said in a joint statement. That rhetoric is reckless and dangerous at a moment when clarity and calm are needed most. Advertisement Advertisement At the apartment complex where the victims called 911 for help, two federal public defenders were investigating the scene Friday morning, though they said they had not yet been assigned to the case. They declined to comment further. Shooting details emerge Portland Police received a report of a shooting shortly after 2:15 p.m. near a medical office on Southeast Main Street. According to the Department of Homeland Security, federal agents stopped a vehicle Nino-Moncada was driving as part of a targeted traffic stop aimed at Zambrano-Contreras, who was a passenger. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused the driver of attempting to run over law enforcement agents, and said that an agent fired a defensive shot. A witness who spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive said he saw officers follow the truck into the Adventist Health parking lot, pound on the trucks window and then officers fired about five shots at the truck as the driver sped away. A few minutes later, police received a call for help from an apartment complex in east Portland. Dispatch audio obtained by the Capital Chronicle indicated that a man was shot twice in the arm and a woman identified as his wife shot once in the chest. Emergency responders transported both people to the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement On Friday morning, several residents at the income-restricted Bria Apartments told the Capital Chronicle they did not recognize the couple, but some said they had seen the red truck the couple were in when they called for medical help. Many Bria residents are originally from Venezuela and Oaxaca, Mexico, residents said. Employees at the on-site Bria leasing office said they were not able to comment or confirm whether the two lived at the apartments due to federal housing laws. Resident Catherine Vitolo said she was napping during the afternoon and woke up to see the police tape around the building. She later saw officers scrubbing down blood from a sidewalk near the spot the truck was left. Vitolo, who has lived at the Bria Apartments since April 2025, said she feels mostly safe there and has not seen what shed characterize as gang activity in or around the building. She said FBI agents had visited her and neighbors Thursday evening to ask if theyd seen anything. The sidewalk alongside the parking lot where the victims called for help has some remaining blood stains, a neighbor said. Another neighbor said they saw officials cleaning up the scene. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Ana Munoz, the director of community defense at the Latino Network said on social media in a message in Spanish that the Portland-based organization is supporting the couples family at the moment, including their children. She called the federal governments characterization of the couple lies, and she has not responded to inquiries from the Capital Chronicle about the source of her information. Advertisement Advertisement They are a married couple with kids, Munoz said. They are people fleeing the violence in their country. They are people looking to live free from poverty and hunger. They are human. Munoz said one of the victims is hospitalized at Oregon Health and Science University and the other at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland. While Portland Police confirmed possible gang ties, investigations into what happened during the shooting are ongoing. The federal governments rationale is similar to its explanation for an officer shooting and killing a Minnesota woman on Wednesday. Video obtained by the Minnesota Reformer shows an ICE officer firing three shots through the windshield and driver-side window of an SUV and then walking away from the vehicle, apparently unharmed. But President Donald Trump claimed Renee Nicole Good, the woman shot by that officer violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the officer and that it was hard to believe he was alive. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Good weaponized her vehicle and attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. Advertisement Advertisement Unlike the Minnesota case, in which multiple bystanders took and shared cell phone videos, there wasnt immediately available video from the Portland shooting. Portland Police have not seen video of the incident, Day said. Little evidence of Tren de Aragua in Portland Venezuelans are among the top three nationalities most arrested by ICE in Oregon in 2025, according to Deportation Data Project, a database of federal immigration records from September 2023 to October, 2025. ICE detained at least 68 Venezuelans in the first 10 months of 2025, of whom 11 had convicted criminal records, according to the data. Still, Venezuelans make up a small portion of Portlands immigrant population fewer than 400 people, according to U.S. census data. Elliott Young, a Latin American history professor at Lewis and Clark University who has researched Tren de Aragua in Venezuela, surrounding countries and the U.S., said he has not seen evidence of the gangs presence in Portland. Young, who is also a co-director of Stanfords Migration and Asylum Lab, urged skepticism of the Homeland Security Departments claims because the agency has not provided any evidence linking Nino-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras to the gang. Based on allegations made by DHS and the government about other Venezuelans linked to Tren de Aragua, its based almost completely on no evidence or circumstantial evidence, like someone being at a party where there are people who are known Tren de Aragua members, he said. Those people then get picked up, charged with being linked to this gang and being deported. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Authorities are investigating a series of grave robberies at Mt. Moriah Cemetery after skeletal remains were discovered in the basement of a man's home in Ephrata. Police say 26 mausoleums at the historic cemetery were broken into, including one erected in 1912 bearing the name Jonathan Prichard. Investigators believe the Prichard mausoleum was among the targets. RELATED | Court docs reveal accused grave robber's months-long plot to steal human remains Court docs reveal accused grave robber's plot to steal human remains Advertisement Advertisement Jonathan Prichard IV, who still lives on one of the family's original homesteads in Swarthmore, said he was shocked to learn his great-great-grandfather's remains may have been stolen. "I thought to myself, 'I wonder if that's the same cemetery,'" Prichard said. "I'm not real happy about it. That's twisted. How would he feel if I went and dug his mother up or something?" 'How would he feel if I dug up his mother?' Families targeted in grave robbery speak out Prichard admitted he knows little about his ancestor, who was born in 1827. "I'm embarrassed, I don't know that much. I know he built a church in the city of Philadelphia," he said. "We could have gone to college on his dime if we became ministers." Advertisement Advertisement His son, Jonathan Prichard VI, called the sad. "Just kind of icky. I don't have a better way of putting it. To know that someone would be willing to do that is just sad," he said. "My partner and I have gone down to Mount Moriah a number of times, especially during the pandemic. It was one of our favorite spots to go, and we had visited the mausoleum, so we were really upset to hear about it." Grave markers at the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Police say five of nine damaged crypts were missing remains, which may be among more than 100 sets of skeletal remains found in the home of Jonathan Gerlach. Investigators returned to Gerlach's property on Thursday to remove additional bodies. Authorities believe Gerlach was attempting to sell the skeletons. Posts on his social media accounts allegedly showed skulls and bones with captions offering them for sale and inviting direct messages. Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO | 'Horror movie come to life': Cops find more than 100 skeletal remains in Pa. man's home Gerlach was arrested Jan. 6 at Mt. Moriah Cemetery while police conducted surveillance in response to the break-ins. Several notable Philadelphians are buried at the Yeadon cemetery, including John McCullough, a Shakespearean actor who rose to fame in the mid-1800s and performed at the Walnut Street Theatre. His family's burial vault also shows signs of damage. "He obviously spent a lot of money on that mausoleum and put his bones in there and wanted to be left alone, and he's not," Prichard IV said. Police are also investigating a mausoleum theft in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, that may be connected to Gerlach. If you have a family member who was buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery and was interred in a mausoleum or underground burial vault, you are asked to contact Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco at HGiammarco@yeadonpd.org. Video above: News 5 Now Top Stories from Jan. 8, 2026 THEODORE, Ala. (WKRG) A new year is bringing a new home to a family in Theodore through Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama. Mobile County girl left in squalor for months; dog found dead in closet, and parents arrested According to a Habitat for Humanity news release, Samuel Walwyn and Arelis Ballart will receive the keys to their new home in Theodore on Jan. 9. Advertisement Advertisement The home, which was built in a Habitat neighborhood, is the fourth one being dedicated on that street. We are excited for this sweet couple to finally have a place they can call home, says HFHSWA Executive Director Courtney Rouse-Heinz. This is the 10th house that weve been able to provide for deserving homeowners over the past two years. 1 in 8 residents in Alabama spend over half of their income on housing, according to statistics from the Office of Government Relations and Advocacy. Mobile Police release photo of man accused in Family Dollar parking lot robbery There is an 883% increase in the housing shortage since 2014, with the state being short 16,000 homes for rent or sale, according to the release. Advertisement Advertisement 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 WKRG News 5. By Nate Raymond Jan 8 (Reuters) - Five Democratic-led states sued U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday challenging its decision to freeze their access to more than $10 billion in federal childcare and family assistance funds based on what it said were concerns about fraud in their welfare systems. California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday said it had restricted their access to the funds pending further review. Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The funds include $7.3 billion from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance to low-income families with children, and nearly $2.4 billion from the Child Care and Development Fund, which helps make childcare more affordable for such families with working parents. HHS also said it had frozen the five states' access to $869 million in social services grant funding. All three programs are overseen by the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the department. In announcing the freeze, the agency cited concerns about "widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars" in those states' welfare programs, as well as the possibility that individuals other than U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents were illegally receiving benefits. Advertisement Advertisement The agency's action appeared to build on its decision a week earlier to freeze $185 million in annual childcare funds to Minnesota following allegations of widespread fraud in the state's social services programs. On Monday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who served as then-Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election, announced he will not seek a third term in office so he can instead focus on the fraud scandal. The affected states' Democratic leaders have blasted this week's funding freeze, which New York Governor Kathy Hochul called "vindictive" and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called "wrong and cruel." New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, in announcing Thursday's lawsuit said she "will not allow this administration to play political games with the resources families need to help make ends meet." Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges the agency lacked a legitimate justification for the funding freeze, failed to provide evidence to support its fraud concerns and infringed on Congresss power over spending as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot) FLAGLER BEACH It was standing-room only at Flagler Beach City Hall Thursday night, Jan. 8, when the City Commission voted 4-1 to annex more than 500 acres for the proposed Summertown development. Chairman James Sherman, Vice Chairman Rick Belhumeur and Commissioners Eric Cooley and Scott Spradley voted in favor; Commissioner John Cunningham was opposed. The decision came after hours of debate and comments from residents that involved the projects density; reassurance that the developer will sell part of the lands floodplain to the county (as per a recent deal between the parties); its financial impact on the city, and more. Advertisement Advertisement The board had also previously approved the annexation on first reading in a 4-1 vote, with Cunningham solely opposing. What is Summertown developer proposing? Summertown is part of the Veranda Bay project, which also includes approximately 234 acres east of the highway. The 545 acres proposed along the west side of John Anderson Highway would be called "Summertown" a mixed-use development of residential and commercial space. The developer is Ken Belshe of Sunbelt Land Management. A map outlines the proposed Summertown and Veranda Bay development along John Anderson Highway in Flagler Beach It would consist of a maximum of 1,640 residential units, averaging about 2.6 units per acre, which would make it a low-density development; a maximum of 840,000 square feet of nonresidential uses, including retail, commercial, restaurants and offices; and a maximum of 250 rooms for a proposed boutique hotel. Advertisement Advertisement The entire project could more than double the city's 5,500 population. There is also a spine road between the south side of State Road 100 across parts of Summertown to connect it to John Anderson Highway to accommodate the expected added traffic from the development. A provision in the annexation agreement caps the number of home construction permits for Summertown at 150 if the spine road hasn't been completed. Belshe said the development would in fact be "a complete community with an internal road system, trails, parks and open spaces." "Summertown represents a thoughtful, low-density opportunity to create a vibrant, walkable town center that complements rather than overwhelms the unique character of Flagler Beach, he said. Residents voice concern for Bulow Creek, support for potential future tax revenue Several residents voiced their views on the annexation, some raising concerns and others expressing their support for the project. Advertisement Advertisement Flagler County Vice Chair Kim Carney, who is also a Flagler Beach resident, said she is concerned about the project's fiscal impact study, done by Georgia-based company Strategic Planning Group, Inc., which projects Summertown's future water and sewer tax revenues "Why is the city relying on a study produced, funded and controlled by the developer?" Carney said. "According to SunBiz, this firm is currently inactive and has administratively dissolved. Despite that, the city is relying on this study to support a major financial decision. "The city has a fiduciary responsibility to perform its own independent fiscal analysis or, at a minimum, retain a qualified annexation consultant to do so," she added. Other residents wanted reassurance that the county's recent deal with the developer to buy 153 acres of the Bulow Creek floodplain area will, in fact, happen. Advertisement Advertisement Sandra Schultheiss, a John Anderson Highway resident, argued that the city needed more time before annexing the property. "We are rushing this," Schultheiss said, adding that it would be a good idea to table the measure until the purchase is complete. "We are talking about preservation of Bulow Creek, we are talking about our future and our flooding; I think our water management is a serious problem." John Phillips, president of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce, praised the cooperation between government officials and the development team to work out the annexation agreement. Flagler Beach resident David Whelan said "without the annexation," the city doesn't have "a seat at the table" for the project's PUD discussions. Advertisement Advertisement "I completely understand (residents) wanting to protect (Flagler Beach's character), but without this annexation, the board, the planners you don't have a seat at that table," Whelan said. "If you don't protect it, who will?" County struck deal to save part of Bulow Creek floodplain Commissioners and residents have raised concerns about the developments potential negative impact on the environment, while also highlighting its economic benefits. Flagler County Commissioner Andy Dance struck a deal with the developer to preserve approximately 153 acres of floodplain on Bulow Creek, which is part of the Summertown property. Flagler County has applied for a Florida Forever grant, which will be used to create a buffer between Summertown and the flood plain. During Summertowns annexations first reading on Nov. 13 in Flagler Beach, the development team showed a map that illustrated how the maximum distance between the creeks water bank and the property line is 100 feet. That distance is several hundred feet greater throughout other points of the Summertown boundaries. Advertisement Advertisement In addition to a 100-foot natural buffer, developers are proposing an additional 75-foot setback that will run along the entire project boundary. Commissioners asked if language could be added to reassure the community that the countys purchase of the 150 acres of floodplain is indeed happening. Belshe said talks with the county have gone well, and his intention is to move forward with the sale if the county finds the money. But with variables that could change that prospect, such as new commissioners who have a different perspective being elected or the purchase amount is unreasonable to the developer, Belshe said he wants to ensure the company doesnt lose control over the property it owns. The knife cuts both ways, Belshe said. "The county is asking us to trust them; Im asking them to trust us." Advertisement Advertisement County officials emphasized the local government's intention to purchase the land, calling it a "priority," but one that could take up to two years. According to Erick Revuelta, the countys public lands and natural resource manager, applications for Florida Forever grants are grouped and evaluated by the states Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC), which meets twice a year to rank such projects in order of priority. That boards next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2026. County Commissioner Andy Dance, who negotiated the Bulow Creek deal with the developer, said the county can explore other options to find the money if the state grant doesn't go through. Partnering with the St. Johns River Water Management District or using the county's own Environmentally Sensitive Lands program are possible alternatives, he said. If and when the county secures the lands purchase, the developer also agreed to adjust the projects density, potentially reducing the maximum residences proposed (1,640). With the annexation approved, the developer and the city can now work on Summertowns PUD agreement before the phases of the project are approved for construction in the future. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Beach approves 545-acre annexation for Summertown development COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A use-of-force review board cleared the Ohio police officer who shot and killed 21-year-old TaKiya Young, a pregnant Black mother who had been accused of shoplifting, according to a statement from the police department's chief released this week. The five-member review board, empaneled by Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford, found that Officer Connor Grubb did not violate department policy when he fatally shot Young on Aug. 24, 2023, during an encounter in a Kroger parking lot in a Columbus suburb. The deaths of TaKiya Young and her unborn child were a profound tragedy for her family, our department, and the community, Belford said in a written statement. After receiving the complete investigation and evidence from BCI, the Use of Force Review Board conducted a thorough policy review and found no violation of department policy by Officer Grubb. Advertisement Advertisement Per the department's policy, the board convened in December after a Franklin County jury acquitted Grubb on all counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of Young. Four of the board's members work at law enforcement agencies in Franklin County, and one is a township trustee from Brown Township, according to Ryan Stubenrauch, a spokesman for the Blendon Township police. Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young's family, said the review board's results are unsurprising and the department's policies are a clear and present danger to everyone who encounters their officers. He (Grubb) chose escalation over de-escalation. He chose to create danger and respond to the danger he created. Now his department has cleared him instead of sending a message that would protect lives in the future, Walton said. Advertisement Advertisement Bodycam recordings showed Grubb and Sgt. Erick Moynihan had approached Youngs car outside a Kroger about a report that she was suspected of stealing alcohol from the store. She partially lowered her window and protested as both officers cursed at her and yelled at her to get out. On bodycam video, Young could be heard asking them, Are you going to shoot me? Then, she put on a turn signal and her car rolled slowly forward toward Grubb, who fired a single bullet through her windshield into her chest, the bodycam recording showed. In the statement, Grubb said he positioned himself in front of Youngs vehicle to provide proper backup. He said he drew his gun after he heard Young fail to comply with Moynihans commands. When her car moved toward him, he said, he felt the vehicle hit his legs and shins and begin to lift his body off the ground as he shot. Moments later, after the car came to a stop against the building, the officers are seen breaking the drivers side window. Police said they tried to save her life, but she was mortally wounded. Young and her unborn daughter were subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital. A full-time officer with the township since 2019, Grubb was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to stand firm when he travels to China later next week and keep the steep tariffs on its electric vehicles in place. Canada opened a trade irritant with China when the government, in lockstep with then U.S. president Joe Biden, slapped a 100 per cent tariff on EVs arguing the measure was required to protect Canada's domestic automobile industry. China retaliated by slapping tariffs on canola, seafood and pork. Ottawa has since been under pressure, notably by the Prairie premiers, to lift those duties to provide relief for Canadian farmers, producers and harvesters. Advertisement Advertisement But Ford, an outspoken proponent of his province's auto industry, says Carney should hold the line. "We can't back down. Simple as that," he said during a news conference Thursday. "[If] they want to come and open a big manufacturing facility and employ Unifor employees, well, lets talk," he said, referring to the autoworkers' union. "But dont be shipping cars in not manufactured by Ontarians." Trade will be a key topic when Carney meets with China's President Xi Jinping and other top officials. The prime minister is looking to repair the relationship which was pushed to the breaking point in 2018 when China arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in what was seen as retaliation after Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies. Advertisement Advertisement The Prime Ministers Office said trade, energy, agriculture and international security are all on the agenda. Asked if he would support a compromise on EV tariffs, Ford restated that the vehicles should be made here. "We have the best auto workers in the entire world. That's the compromise," he said. "Come here and look at the market and maybe it'll hold other automakers accountable, well, the U.S. automakers, accountable when they're shipping vehicles up here." Last year Chinas ambassador to Canada suggested the Chinese electric-vehicle giant BYD has been interested in investing in Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Wang Di told the Globe and Mail BYD "had carefully thought about coming to Canada to make investment" but "met huge difficulties, restrictions and obstruction and they had to give up." He told the newspaper in March the electric vehicle manufacturer's presence in Canada would have provided Canadians with "good-quality" and less-expensive electric vehicles. Nebraska State Auditor's Office in the Nebraska Capitol. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN The state auditor called out a publicly-funded historical society in western Nebraska for potential misuse of a debit card, including the purchase of a pink oil burner from a Colorado vape shop. A tip prompted the state probe of the Plains Historical Society in Kimball County, and results of that financial review led to a nine-page letter this week to the society and its board president, Jack Shaw. The Plains Historical Society owns and operates a museum in Kimball, Nebraska, and also maintains space in a former school building, a board member said. The society, located in the Nebraska Panhandle, was under state scrutiny for potential misuse of a debit card. (Courtesy of Plains Historical Society) Shaws daughter, Lisa, whom the audit team identified as a former board member of the historical society, was a target of the review. The state report alleges that Lisa Shaw persuaded the board to start using a debit card. Advertisement Advertisement According to the state audit team, she made 54 purchases with the debit card during a roughly six-week period in 2024 totaling $1,386 for apparently personal purposes. The report, which said the questioned charges were later paid back, itemized buys from places including a Kwik Stop, cafes, a Sugar Shack, diners, gas stations and a parking lot. The audit team emphasized a $31 transaction at a vape and glass shop that included the pink-colored oil burner. Such devices can be used to vaporize essential oils or other substances. A copy of a receipt and photos of the store were included in the report, along with a remark questioning whether any of the products listed above could possibly be considered a reasonable or allowable expenditure of [historical] society funds. Findings go to law enforcement Debit card purchases were made from the historical societys general fund bank account, which contains a mix of public and non-public funds. The audit team said the society did not appear to be accounting for the funds separately. Thus, it said, all the money should be considered restricted under state law to certain uses, such as construction of historical buildings, purchase of property of historical significance and related maintenance and storage. Advertisement Advertisement State Auditor Mike Foleys team called the situation concerning, regardless of whether reimbursement was made for suspect charges. The report noted that the board chairman, Jack Shaw, reimbursed the society in September 2024 for the questionable purchases. The debit card also was canceled. The audit report said the societys board is responsible for financial accountability and control over operations, including ensuring that public funds are spent according to state law. Foleys office turned over its findings to the Nebraska Attorney General and Kimball County Attorney for review. Multiple attempts to reach the Shaws were unsuccessful. A member of the societys board, who asked that his name not be used citing fear of local reprisal, said that he had discovered and reported potential misuse of the debit card to the local police department in 2024. The board member said that Jack Shaw reimbursed the society from his personal funds and that Lisa Shaw was voted off the board. He said board members take the museum and preservation of history very seriously and they want to keep it going. A state auditor report included photos of a Colorado vape shop, and a receipt, where a Plains Historical Society board member allegedly made a questionable purchase. (Courtesy of State Auditors Office) The audit report included a written response from Jack Shaw. He said the societys governing board on Dec. 4, 2025, voted to reaffirm its decision to stop using a debit card and to open a separate account for non-restricted funds and to prohibit cash withdrawals except when specific requirements are met. He also included a letter to the entitys bank laying out stricter procedures for cash withdrawals. Advertisement Advertisement Foleys team noted in its report that debit cards do not provide as much fraud protection as credit cards and other more secure forms of payment and urged a more formal written policy outlining procedures for safeguarding public assets. While Lisa Shaw is identified in the report as a former board member, Foley said she was an active member at the time of the questionable purchases. Get it right Listed as a public benefit nonprofit corporation established in 1957, the historical society owns and operates the Plains Historical Society Museum in Kimball, which is near the borders of Colorado and Wyoming. State law authorizes counties to grant such historical societies an annual amount of general tax funds for certain purposes, Foleys office said. With roughly 2,700 units of government under the watch of the state auditor, Foley said a little-known historical society ordinarily wouldnt catch his attention. He said the tipster was helpful and that such examinations often have a ripple effect in sending a message for small and large governmental entities to be watchful. Youve got to get it right, he said. It might be your time. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Equinor has awarded 12 new framework agreements with a total value of nearly Nkr100bn ($9.9bn) for maintenance and modifications on both offshore installations and onshore facilities in Norway. These contracts, awarded to seven Norwegian supplier companies, have a combined annual value of approximately NKr10bn. They span five years, with options for two extensions, one of three years and one of two years. Work pertaining to the contracts will commence in the first half of this year. Maintenance and modification activities are said to cover the planning, engineering, installation and execution of both modification and maintenance projects. They also include ongoing maintenance on facilities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and at onshore plants. These tasks involve a wide range of disciplines such as mechanical, electrical and automation engineering, and together account for roughly 4,000 direct man-years of work. The agreements are expected to generate significant benefits for the Norwegian supplier industry nationwide. Equinor's plans include maintaining production levels at 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (mboe/d) on the NCS through to 2035. Annual investments of Nkr6070bn are projected to enhance recovery and develop new fields. Equinor also aims to drill approximately 250 exploration wells and perform around 300 well interventions each year. Three newcomers to maintenance and modifications are among the contract winners. Aibel, Aker Solutions and Wood Group Norway have been allocated responsibilities for various installations on the NCS and onshore plants. The final portfolio allocation will be determined at the time the contracts are signed. Equinor chief procurement officer Jannicke Nilsson said: These are strategically important agreements, and collectively among the largest Equinor has awarded. The agreements will ensure long-term activity and value creation across Norway, with job creation estimated at around 4,000 man-years at the suppliers. The goal is close, long-term and predictable cooperation that strengthens the culture for safety and security and our shared competitiveness. Together, we will work safer and smarter, and scale up the use of new technology. In a separate announcement, Equinor said that the company and its partners generated an estimated $130m in value and cost savings in 2025 through the use of AI. Currently, AI is deployed across offshore installations and onshore facilities to address industrial tasks at scale, enhancing safety, efficiency and profitability. Last month, Equinor and its partners discovered oil, condensate and gas in the Tyrihans st prospect around 250km south-west of Brnnysund in the Norwegian Sea. Baxters former police chief and city clerk have both been arrested following a state audit that found tens of thousands of dollars in improper payments made by the city. William Daggett, who later served as Mitchellvilles police chief and interim city administrator before resigning the day the state audit was released, is charged with first-degree theft and felonious misconduct in office. Katelyn Wilson, Baxters former city clerk, is charged with unauthorized computer access, an aggravated misdemeanor. Both were taken into custody on Thursday, Jan. 8. Daggett and Wilson resigned from their roles on Feb. 15, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement The arrests mark the most recent escalation in a case that began when newly elected Baxter officials flagged financial irregularities and requested state intervention in January 2024. That audit, which Auditor Rob Sand released in November, found that roughly $75,000 had been improperly paid out of city funds, most of it tied to payroll and compensatory time. The audit found Daggett received more than $50,000 in improper pay. Sand said auditors found his reported work hours often did not align with when he was actually on duty. There was a pretty wide distinction between when his timesheets said that he was on duty versus when he actually called in to say he was on duty, Sand said at the time. He was hired by Mitchellville in March 2024 and later served as interim city administrator. In Mitchellville, several city employees have raised concerns about his conduct, and city officials have requested a state audit into city finances. Advertisement Advertisement Court documents in Daggett's case were not available early Jan. 9. Meanwhile, court records filed in Jasper County outline a separate set of allegations against Wilson. A criminal complaint alleges Wilson did not turn in her city-owned laptop after she resigned from her position. Investigators allege she later accessed the computer system multiple times, "completed large file transfers using 'We Transfer' a cloud-based large files transfer service, and deleted files." The auditors report found Wilson received $3,510 in improper payroll and identified another $11,295 in unsupported disbursements, including purchases made with the citys Visa credit card. Advertisement Advertisement A third employee, EMS coordinator Randi Gleam, also was cited in the audit for receiving about $1,461 in improper payroll and excess vacation payouts that she should not have received. She resigned Feb. 5, 2024. She has not been charged. 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: Former Baxter police chief and city clerk arrested after state audit South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Japan next week for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Seoul said Friday, days after meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The visit to Takaichi's picturesque hometown of Nara on Tuesday and Wednesday follows major Chinese military drills around Taiwan, and North Korea firing ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. Tokyo and Beijing are also embroiled in a diplomatic spat triggered by Takaichi's suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Lee and Takaichi, who both took office in 2025, last met in October on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. This will be Lee's second visit to Japan since last August, when he met Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. The South Korean leader will hold a summit meeting and dinner with Takaichi in Nara on Tuesday, where the two will discuss "regional and global issues", Lee's office said. They will also explore ways to "strengthen practical cooperation across a wide range of areas directly affecting people's livelihoods, including the economy, society and culture," it added. Advertisement Advertisement "The visit is expected to help cement a future-oriented and stable trajectory for South Korea-Japan relations" through an "early bilateral visit following Takaichi's inauguration," his office added. - Dark past - Relations have long suffered over issues related to Japan's brutal 1910-45 occupation of the Korean peninsula, and there have been concerns that ties could worsen under the conservative Takaichi. Lee's conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol -- before declaring martial law in December 2024 and being removed from office -- sought to improve relations with Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Lee takes a relatively more dovish approach than Yoon towards North Korea, and has said South Korea and Japan are like "neighbours sharing a front yard". Lee met with President Xi this week, in the first visit to China by a South Korean leader in six years. Lee took the opportunity to snap a selfie together. Lee's Beijing trip came less than a week after China's massive military drills around Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory. The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation, including from Tokyo but notably not from Seoul. Advertisement Advertisement The South Korean leader has also stayed on the sidelines of Japan and China's current dispute. This has seen Beijing warn its nationals to avoid Japan, impose trade restrictions and summon home Japan's last two pandas one month early. On Wednesday, Lee told reporters "relations with Japan are just as important as relations with China". "There was a prevailing tone of appreciation (from Japanese media) that South Korea refrained from raising sensitive issues (with Xi)," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing on Friday. "President Lee, in fact, did not discuss any sensitive issues with the Chinese side," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Yee Kuang Heng, a professor in international security at the University of Tokyo, said he did not expect Lee to bring any particular message from Xi to Takaichi. "However, the two leaders may discuss the fallout from China's economic coercion that both ROK (South Korea) and Japan have experienced over the years," Heng told AFP. "Takaichi will be wary of China's wedge strategy designed to drive divisions between ROK and Japan and will want to re-emphasise common ground shared between Seoul and Tokyo," he added. hs-stu/fox More than 100 people gathered for a peaceful protest in downtown Dayton Thursday evening. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, it comes after ICE agents shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Two others were injured in a shooting involving ICE agents in Portland on Thursday. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement For about 90 minutes, community members carried signs and chanted about wanting ICE out of cities across the country. The Party of Socialism and Liberation of Dayton organized the protest. Zahn Mundhenk attended the protest and wasnt surprised by the turnout. The fact that this protest came together so quickly is an indication of how many people are furious at whats been happening, she said. Mundhenk said she had to be here after the shooting in Minnesota. Were all furious about the murder of an unarmed American citizen, she said. News Center 7s Malik Patterson spoke to one of the organizers, Maxx Bowman. He is a part of the coordinating committee for the Party of Socialism and Liberation. Advertisement Advertisement Just standing in solidarity. Its solidarity for that sort of this violence thats happening towards everybody in the States, Bowman said. Bowman added that Dayton was the best city for the protest. Its a symbol, as a city of peace, Bowman said. Ohio State Representative Phil Plummer told News Center 7 that he has no problem with this peaceful protest, but he believes the shooting couldve been avoided. When a law enforcement officer tells you to do something, you do it, and if you have agreements, you go to court, and your agreements out with the judicial system, he said. Plummer also agreed with President Trump, saying ICE agents were just following orders. Advertisement Advertisement If you want to be an American citizen, come in legally, like many people have done, and youll be embraced, Plummer said. News Center 7s Malik Patterson said while at the protest, he didnt see any counter-protestors. Organizers told our crews that there will be more peaceful protests to come throughout the region. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] GCSE students in Northern Ireland will not be able to receive their exam results online in August. Pupils in England can receive results via an app for the first time in 2026. But a spokesperson for the exams board CCEA said there were no similar plans for results in Northern Ireland. A and AS-level pupils have been able to receive their results online since 2016. In England, each pupil will have an "education record" app which will download and store their GCSE results for the first time in August 2026. Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Education in England has said it will also save schools and colleges administrative costs, and "modernise how young people access their exam results once they have left school". The app will be updated with a pupil's results from 11:00 BST on GCSE results day, which is due to be Thursday 20 August 2026. Many pupils may still go to school to collect their results earlier that morning. But a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland exams board CCEA said there were no similar plans. "As with all CCEA processes, we will keep this topic under review and consult with our schools and students and other relevant stakeholders for future considerations," they said. What do students and school heads in Northern Ireland think? Ronan and Tabitha from St Ronan's College in Lurgan are studying for GCSEs, but both told BBC News NI that they would rather come into school to get their results than receive them on an app. Advertisement Advertisement "There's a buzz around the school," Ronan said. "People might feel like they want to stay at home if they got bad results and not go in and tell people about their results." Both Ronan and Tabitha thought it would be important to go in to talk about results with friends and teachers. "I think everything now is becoming so much more digital, and especially as your GCSE results are so important for the future and everything, it's so much more beneficial to be surrounded by your friends and your teachers, and to be able to access that support network," Tabitha said. Advertisement Advertisement "It's good to see familiar faces and it makes everybody feel more comfortable and secure. "Especially at our age I think it's good to be able to access the support network around you that is provided by the school." St Ronan's College principal Fiona Kane says she still likes to see pupils coming into school on results day [BBC] Their principal Fiona Kane said that she thought the app was a good idea, but she still liked to see pupils coming into school on results day. "Even at A-level, when they can get results online, we still try to bring the students and their families in," she said. "We have a celebration event in school and it's really good to spend time with them." Advertisement Advertisement The principal of Bangor Academy, Matthew Pitts, also told BBC News NI that he was glad that his pupils would still come into school to pick up GCSE results. "Staff have invested a lot of time and energy, and built up good relationships with students," he said. "So it's good for them to come in, so you get a chance to see them, and talk about their results and the next steps they're going to take." Separately, the Department of Education is considering major changes to exams in Northern Ireland which could see the end of AS-levels and a return to a two-year A-level course. Advertisement Advertisement At GCSE and A-level there would be fewer topics to study and fewer exams, with the aim of a maximum of two exams in every GCSE and two for every A-level. A public consultation on the proposals concluded in November 2025. More on this story This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Last fall, communities across Pennsylvania elected officials who have yet to turn 30 to one of the most visible local roles: mayor. This month, those mayors begin their first terms and their political careers, bringing new perspectives and concerns to local government. Advertisement Advertisement Spotlight PA spoke to four incoming young mayors all of them members of Generation Z, by Pew Research Centers definition (though some noted they feel culturally closer to millennials) about their ambitions, their platforms, and what drew them to the position. While they span the ideological spectrum and have jobs as disparate as coffee roaster and political operative, all want to improve their local governments, and share optimism about the future of their communities. Although its not unheard of for Pennsylvanians to elect young local leaders, its rare. Just 3% of the 866 local elected officials who answered a 2021 Pennsylvania Local Government Commission survey were under 35. The average age of a respondent was about 61. Cassandra Coleman, the former mayor of Exeter in Luzerne County who was appointed to her first term at 20, recommended the latest crop make sure theyre listening and learning and not coming in too forceful. Advertisement Advertisement But also, Coleman added, I think you have to also weigh that with not being overshadowed and not being kind of pushed to the side because of your age. New perspectives Now is an important time to get involved in government and run for office, said Sam Bigham, the new Democratic mayor of Carnegie in Allegheny County. Were seeing a lot of leaders at different levels not really delivering on their promises or keeping their constituents best interest at heart, especially not for young people like me, he said, pointing to issues like unaffordability and climate change. In Pennsylvania, the roles and responsibilities of mayors vary by municipality type. In some cities, the job is powerful and wide-reaching. In boroughs, the mayors primary responsibilities are to preserve order (i.e., oversee police and respond to emergencies) and enforce local ordinances. They can also break ties among council members. Advertisement Advertisement Its often a part-time job, and state law caps salaries based on the size of the borough, though individual municipalities may set pay well below the mandated maximums. The mayors who spoke to PA Local all represent boroughs, and acknowledged the limited powers that come with their office. But they hope to lean into the positions more ceremonial role as a representative of their community and use it to bring fresh points of view to government. Matt Zechman, a Libertarian who was sworn in as mayor of Cleona Borough in Lebanon County this week, said its vital for young people to start running for local office and working their way up so they can change their own future. Its a much different time than it was 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, he said. And if we have the same mindset that todays problems are the same as they were 50 years ago, and we treat them the same way, were just going to keep spiraling downward even more. Winning support As Bigham went door to door during his campaign, he found a whole lot of people were actually excited about a young person running for office, he told PA Local. Advertisement Advertisement While some were skeptical of his age and experience level, he said he responded by running a very serious campaign, listening to people, speaking intelligently about local issues, and making sure all his paperwork was in order. Joar F. K. Dahn, the new mayor of the borough of Darby in Delaware County, also said he ran into a a handful of people that were kind of very against a young person running, and insisted he wait his turn. But he stressed that those folks were a vocal minority, and thanked the older adults whove guided him and made it their mission to to mentor the next generation, which he sees as contributing to our future. The young people are going to come, you just got to invite them to the table, Dahn said. You got to make them feel like they also belong here, and you got to make sure they understand that their opinions [are] valid. Advertisement Advertisement Several of the mayors hope to motivate their peers to run for office or get civically involved in another way. I just want to let everybody know regardless of their background, age, or affiliation, or anything like that, that they do matter, said Dylan Stevens, a member of the Liberal Party who was elected mayor of the borough of Westover in Clearfield County by a one-vote margin. If they want to make a difference, just go for it. And its really not as difficult as some people might think to run for local office, Carnegies Bigham pointed out. He collected 10 signatures to secure his place on the ballot, and raised a few thousand dollars probably more than what you need in a lot of places, he said. Obviously, you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there and talking to all different kinds of people, Bigham said. Im a bit more introverted, so sometimes it can get really tiring to have to do that, but it can also be really rewarding. Meet the mayors Joar F. K. Dahn of Darby Dahn, 28, calls himself Darbys biggest cheerleader. When he was at college, the Bloomsburg University alumnus didnt tell people he was from Philly, like other students from Delaware County would, he told PA Local. Hed say Darby. Advertisement Advertisement Dahn, whose family fled the Liberian Civil War when he was a child, has called Darby home for 20 years. He describes the small borough of 10,749 as a very close knit community, but one that has its struggles. His dissatisfaction with local leadership motivated him to run for mayor. Working as a political operative for several years, he was inspired by the campaigns he was hired by and felt the officials in Darby werent as committed. He started looking for someone to throw his support behind and that person turned out to be himself, Dahn told PA Local. Several residents encouraged him. So he challenged the incumbent mayor in the Democratic primary and ended up winning by 20 points. Dahn ran unopposed in November. In his first 100 days, he wants to motivate community members to get more involved in local government and feel like theyre part of the process. Advertisement Advertisement Sometimes, well have council meetings, and Im the only resident in the room, Dahn said. We have council meetings and theres literally nobody there. I want people to understand now that this is a new leadership. Public safety is a big priority for Dahn, who on the campaign trail heard from concerned grandmothers. He hopes to promote a positive relationship between residents and police, and work to reduce gun violence. I need every single grandmom to feel comfortable to walk any single street in Darby, Dahn said. Sam Bigham of Carnegie Carnegies old-style Main Street and strong community connections drew Bigham a resident since age 10 with deep family roots in the area back to the borough of about 8,000 after he graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Now the commonwealths youngest active mayor, the 23-year-old had known for years that he wanted to work in government or public service, and his resume proves it. A former junior councilperson, Bigham also interned for a state representative and a congressman, and worked as a Democratic organizer ahead of last years election. Early last year, Bigham landed the position of executive director of the Carnegie Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that aims to support local businesses and boost the areas attractiveness. He plans to continue in that role alongside his part-time mayoral duties. He told PA Local he decided to run after talking with the incumbent, who was planning to step down. A friend from college helped Bigham campaign, and after lots of door-knocking and securing endorsements from several local politicians, he won the Democratic primary with 661 primary votes to his opponents 204. (He also won enough write-in Republican votes to be listed under both parties on the November ballot.) I wanted to run on a message of community development and optimism and looking forward to the future, he told PA Local. Advertisement Advertisement Bighams first-term goals include revitalizing Main Street, improving local infrastructure, updating the boroughs branding, facilitating events between police and residents, and working on sustainability initiatives. Matt Zechman of Cleona Zechman has worn many hats in his 27 years: volunteer firefighter, EMT, combat medic in Afghanistan, coffee roaster, and father. His latest is mayor of Cleona, a 2,000-person borough he describes as a quiet place with two traffic lights, a really nice playground, and a lot of hometown spirit. Although he didnt see a glaring need for major changes in his community, the lifelong resident ran to bring his skills and a new perspective to the role. Zechman did much of his campaigning via social media, he told PA Local. Running on the Libertarian ticket, he beat the Republican incumbent by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in the November election. As mayor, Zechman wants to implement what he calls windows-down policing, a practice he said remembers from his childhood. We would see the police chief and the mayor they would drive in their vehicle, windows down, going slow, talking to residents, engaging, Zechman explained. I knew their names, they knew my name, they knew everyones name. And in a town this small, that is very well possible. And even though its not part of his job description on paper, he said he also wants to use his bully pulpit to find local business sponsors, seek grant funding, or crowdfund to install flashing pedestrian crossing signs, which he called an absolute must for local road safety. Dylan Stevens of Westover Stevens made a spontaneous decision to run for mayor of Westover, a roughly 350-person borough in Clearfield County, just four days before the November election, he told PA Local. Raised in a conservative Republican household, Stevens began exploring third parties when he became disillusioned with the whole political situation in 2020. He landed on the Liberal Party of Pennsylvania, which was formed as the Keystone Party in 2022 by a group of people who believed the Libertarian Party was moving too far right. When Stevens, a 26-year-old whos lived in Westover for 11 years and works at a gas station in another town, realized there wasnt anyone on the ballot for mayor, he decided to give it a go. He wanted to do more in his community and bring more exposure to the Liberal Party, he said. Stevens had mostly kept to himself before, so he took a kids-lemonade-stand-type-of-approach to drum up support, he told PA Local. With help from Liberal Party members from out of town, he introduced himself to people outside a general store a few days before the election and did the same on Election Day outside Westovers polling place. He said reactions ranged from neutral to OK, well, good luck. Stevens ended up getting 13 write-in votes, a single vote more than the next most popular write-in. According to a Liberal Party news release, his election marked the partys first mayoral victory in Pennsylvania. Even though I was kind of an unknown, I guess I had the gift of the gab enough to let people know that I wanted to make a difference in my community and I wanted to give it my best effort, Stevens said. And for a lot of them, it seemed to be enough. Stevens hopes to work with the borough council to attract businesses and explore alternative water sources. He also wants to poll residents on local issues, revive the boroughs Facebook page, and livestream public meetings to improve access for people who arent able to attend in person. 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Germany's justice ministry plans to present measures in the near future that would allow authorities to more effectively combat the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate images in ways that violate personal rights, a spokesperson said on Friday. Grok, the built-in AI chatbot on billionaire Elon Musk's social media site X, has come under investigation in Europe for its so-called "spicy mode", which allows users to generate sexually explicit images. A Reuters investigation found the chatbot's image generation was being used to create images of women and children in minimal clothing, often without the consent of the individuals depicted. Advertisement Advertisement Germany's media minister urged the European Commission earlier this week to take legal action to stop what he called the "industrialisation of sexual harassment" on X. Responding to a question about the controversy at a regularly held government press conference, justice ministry spokesperson Anna-Lena Beckfeld indicated that Germany was preparing to take on the issue in its domestic courts. "It is unacceptable that manipulation on a large scale is being used for systematic violations of personal rights," she said. "We, therefore, want to ensure that criminal law can be used more effectively to combat this." The ministry is working to better regulate deepfakes and plans a law against digital violence to support its victims, she told journalists. Advertisement Advertisement "We want to make it easier for them to take direct action against violations of their rights on the internet," Beckfeld said. The ministry plans to present concrete proposals in the near future, she said, adding that she could not comment in detail on the plans at this point. After initially dismissing concerns over Grok's image generation, xAI has now restricted the function to paid subscribers. Musk said last week that anyone using the chatbot to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such material directly. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Miranda Murray; Editing by Joe Bavier) Germany on Friday condemned Russia's use of the Oreshnik nuclear-capable medium-range ballistic missile in an overnight attack on western Ukraine. "Russia has escalated once again with its use of the medium-range missile against Ukrainian civil infrastructure in Lviv," deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer said in Berlin. "These are symbolic threats intended to create fear, but which do not work. For that, Russian behaviour at this point is too transparent," Meyer added. Advertisement Advertisement Russia's justification for using the new missile - first used against Ukraine in November - on the grounds of an alleged Ukrainian attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin exposed the move "as pure manoeuvre," he said. The allegation of an attack on Putin's residence had already been refuted, Meyer said. "Russia is further escalating here unprovoked," he added. The spokesman noted that the Oreshnik had been launched after Ukraine, the US and Europe had been working intensively for weeks towards a peace agreement. The attack would not change Germany's determination to stand at Ukraine's side, Meyer said. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is travelling to Washington against the backdrop of ongoing discussions about a ceasefire in Ukraine and US threats to annex Greenland. The conservative politician plans to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio for consultations on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said on Friday. Key topics would be bilateral relations, further support for Ukraine, as well as trans-Atlantic security and defence policy, she said. Relevant foreign and security policy issues are on the agenda. Advertisement Advertisement According to the spokeswoman, Wadephul plans to make a stopover in Iceland on his flight to the United States to meet his counterpart orgerur (Thorgerdur) Katrin Gunnarsdottir. Wadephul had already met Gunnarsdottir in Berlin at the beginning of December. The spokeswoman did not announce a stopover in Greenland. She said the trip was a strong sign of the close bilateral relations with the US, but also of the importance of the European NATO partners. US President Donald Trump is showing increased interest in Greenland, which forms a part of NATO partner Denmark. In an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, Trump justified his interest in Greenland again with the national security of the US as well as the island's natural resources. Taking Greenland by force would mean attacking a fellow NATO member. When asked which was his higher priority, obtaining Greenland or preserving NATO, Trump declined to answer directly, but acknowledged that it may be a choice. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther reassured residents of Weinland Park that they are safe after Monique and Spencer Tepe were found shot dead in their home there on Dec. 30. Ginther declined on Jan. 9 to speak to whether there is still a present danger from the shooter, who hasn't been found nearly two weeks later. Police have not named any suspects or a potential motive in the killings. "We know that that neighborhood is one of the safest neighborhoods in our city," Ginther said. "Homicide and violent crime are down to the lowest levels in nearly 20 years. So there is nothing that I know today that would suggest that folks in that community are at risk from the individual who committed that." Advertisement Advertisement The latest on the Tepe case: Columbus officer went to wrong street for Tepe welfare check, footage shows He deferred further questions about the investigation to the Columbus Division of Police. On Jan. 8, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the department is balancing the community's safety with putting information out to the public and trying to be as transparent as the investigation will allow. Ginther also said he's deferring to a member of the Tepe family who told reporters this week they'd rather have the investigation done right than fast. Ginther said the city grieves with the Tepe family and he he trusts the police working this case. Advertisement Advertisement "We want this done right and we want to hold people accountable," Ginther said. "I would encourage people not to share or spread misinformation. We are going to share as much information as we can in the appropriate time but we can't jeopardize this investigation." Columus Mayor Andrew Ginther discusses current issues like ICE activity and the Tepe murder investigation during an interview at the Fran Ryan Center on Jan. 9, 2026. Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, died on Dec. 30 after being found shot inside their home on the 1400 block of North 4th Street in Weinland Park. The couple's two young children, both under the age of 5, were found physically unhurt inside the home. Columbus police have not publicly identified a suspect or potential motive in the couple's deaths. Around 9 a.m. on Dec. 30, coworkers of Spencer's from the dentistry office where he worked in Athens called Columbus police after Spencer did not show up for work and no one could reach Spencer or Monique by phone. Advertisement Advertisement An officer went to do a well-being check but went to a home on Summit Street instead of the Tepe home, according to body camera footage released by Columbus police. About 40 minutes after that check, friends of the Tepes found them dead in their home. Police have focused the investigation on the window of time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30, which is when they believe the couple was killed. On Jan. 5, detectives released video from a security camera showing a person walking in an alley near the Tepes' home during that time frame, calling the person a "person of interest." A public visitation for the Tepes will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Jan. 11 at the Schoedinger Northwest funeral home on Zollinger Road in Upper Arlington. An additional gathering for a celebration of life will occur from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at Due Amici in Columbus. Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tepe killings prompt Columbus mayor to reassure Weinland Park safety A new year will bring new rules to Cyprus as single-use plastic shopping bags will no longer be sold or distributed in many stores. According to CyprusMail, the environmental protection department announced a ban on single-use plastic bags in the north that took effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Ataoglu said microplastic pollution is at an all-time high and called it "essential to take urgent and effective measures." Back in 2023, several single-use plastic products were banned in the north, including plastic earbuds and single-use plastic utensils. Per CyprusMail, a couple of international coffee chains introduced paper straws to their stores in the region as well. Advertisement Advertisement Single-use plastic bag bans in five states and cities across the United States have reduced consumption by about six billion bags per year, according to Environment America. Research also found that bans could lower plastic bag use by roughly 300 bags per person each year. According to CNN, about 2,000 truckloads of plastic are dumped into bodies of water every day. The presence of plastic in the ocean puts animals at risk. About 100,000 marine mammals die every year after ingesting plastic or becoming entangled, per the World Wildlife Fund for Nature - Australia. Even more states across the country will implement single-use plastic bans in the new year. California's ban, which closes a loophole in previous legislation, will take full effect in 2026. Starting Jan. 1, stores in the Golden State will offer only recycled paper bags for customer use. According to PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center, dozens of cities and towns in Pennsylvania have plastic bag ordinances already in effect. This year, the Philadelphia City Council introduced a bill to implement a 10-cent fee on paper bags to further encourage the use of reusable totes. Advertisement Advertisement "It's exciting to see local leaders in Pennsylvania taking action to reduce the use of this ubiquitous yet unnecessary product," Faran Savitz, a zero-waste advocate with the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center, said. "We are seeing real results." In addition to ditching plastic grocery bags, there are other ways to use less plastic in your everyday life. Instead of plastic food containers, consider storing your leftovers in recyclable or biodegradable containers like glass, stainless steel, or silicone. 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. Geopolitical tensions have surged in recent years. While stock markets have mostly shrugged off risks, commodity markets have been rewired. US actions in Venezuela are the latest example of a new era of geopolitics shaping the market. It might be hard to tell by looking at the stock market, but investors are living in a new era of geopolitical risk. While equity markets have largely shrugged off the latest geopolitical shocks, the last few years of hot and cold wars have rewired commodities. From Ukraine to Venezuela, ongoing and emerging conflicts have impacted everything from oil to gold to copper. "Geopolitical risk has always influenced commodity prices, but it is increasingly acting as a persistent pricing factor rather than a transitory shock," a team of commodities researchers at Oxford Economics wrote. "While acute events can still trigger sharp price moves, markets now tend to embed a standing risk premium reflecting ongoing supply-chain fragility, trade fragmentation, and resource nationalism." Ultimately, conflict is becoming a permanent pricing mechanism rather than a temporary blip on traders' radars. "As a result, geopolitical considerations are more systematically incorporated into pricing, investment decisions, and procurement strategies across many commodity markets, rather than being quickly priced out once an event fades from headlines," they added. Many traders and experts say the start of this new era for commodity markets began in 2022 with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In nearly four years since then, the world has seen fresh fighting across the Middle East, rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and, most recently, the surprise US raid on Venezuela. These episodes have been potent drivers of gold's rapid rally. Investors have flocked to the safe-haven metal as forecasters see the potential for further conflicts through the rest of this decade. Flare-ups across the Middle East between Israel and Iran and a two-year war between Israel and Hamas have only heightened gold's status as a hedge, while also boosting silver. "We're going to have a lot of geopolitical uncertainty," said Desmond Lachman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, an economic policy think tank. "When you get that, you get movement into precious metals as one of the safe havens. But added to that is the United States reliability as a partner to question is called into question." Oil is an outlier in the new era, with prices steadily sliding even as geopolitical forces send investors flocking to other commodities. Crude fell 20% in 2025, with the summer's Israel-Iran conflict only causing a brief jump in the price of Brent. The post Before Great Whites Ruled, This Crocodile Crushed Everything in Its Path appeared first on A-Z Animals. Quick Take Reaching 30 feet and 3 tons was the mandatory size for this apex marine predator . The 5-foot skull of Machimosaurus rex created significant predatory constraints for the species. Recent fossils prove the Machimosaurus genus survived a supposedly terminal global extinction event . Sampling ancient sandstone in the Sahara was required to uncover the Machimosaurus rex lineage. Crocodiles and alligators are usually the apex predators in whatever environment they live in. Their massive jaws and armored bodies are the perfect weapons system against potential prey and foe alike. Today, many species of crocodile exist within the taxonomical group, with some being larger than others. Forget what you know about ancient extinctions. This 3-ton marine crocodile wasn't just an apex predator; it *survived* a supposedly terminal global extinction event. A-Z Animals As with other animals, however, a fossil is occasionally dug up that challenges all we know about these apex reptiles. This fossil of the largest sea-dwelling crocodile ever found may just be the perfect example of just that. Advertisement Advertisement Enter: Machimosaurus rex. The Ancient Crocodile That Was Larger Than a Great White The ancient crocodile species, Machimosaurus rex Machimosaurus rex , was the largest marine crocodile longer than a great white shark and one of the largest crocodylians to ever live. Ramon Carretero/Shutterstock.com (Ramon Carretero/Shutterstock.com) Machimosaurus rex is the largest thalattosuchian (marine crocodile) to have ever lived. Crocodiles havent changed all that much in the millions of years they have been around. Generally, the largest changes that happen through the ages arent in appearance or special ability, but in sheer size. For Machimosaurus rex, that is certainly the case. Machimosaurus rex was a prehistoric crocodile that scientists recently discovered in the modern-day Sahara Desert. Considered a sea-dwelling crocodile, Machimosaurus rex was one of the largest crocodiles to have ever lived. In fact, the researchers who discovered the fossils only had one word to describe it: Massive. Advertisement Advertisement Federico Fanti and his team were the ones to discover the prehistoric crocodile. While searching through ancient sandstone in a region known for its rich fossil deposits, the team struck gold. Well, they struck a skull, to be more specific. Machimosaurus rex belonged to a group of machimosaurid crocodyliforms (crocodile-like in appearance) creatures. Additionally, it was the largest known teleosauroid and thalattosuchian creature to be named. The thalattosuchians were a group of sea-dwelling crocodiles that are commonly referred to as marine or sea crocodiles. Even with all the complicated naming, all thats really important is just how big this croc was! Just how big was Machimosaurus rex? Machimosaurus rex would have been significantly larger than todays crocodiles Johan Swanepoel/Shutterstock.com (Johan Swanepoel/Shutterstock.com) When researchers discovered the first fossils of Machimosaurus rex, they were shocked. The first part of the skeleton that the team stumbled upon was the skull, and upon its unearthing, was measured to be over five feet long. Advertisement Advertisement Once the digging began, the researchers were able to put the skeleton together to get an estimate of just how big Machimosaurus rex was. Using their measurements, they estimate that the mega-croc would have measured over 30 feet long and weighed around 3 tons. As Federico Fanti describes in this Washington Post piece: Its just big. Its almost the size of a bus. With a size like that, its no wonder that the researchers believe the croc to have been at the apex of the food chain. If it were able to get a hold of something, it likely would have been able to eat it. Additionally, it would have had few predators that could seriously threaten it. For reference, the average size of a great white shark is between 13-16 feet, with a weight between 4,200-5,000 lbs. The monster croc would have been around double that size. Where was Machimosaurus rex found? The first fossils of Machimosaurus rex were discovered in the Sahara Desert, although it would have been a lagoon millions of years ago. Anton Petrus/Shutterstock.com (Anton Petrus/Shutterstock.com) The fossils of Machimosaurus rex were found in modern-day Tunisia within the Sahara Desert. Although todays Sahara region is dry and nearly devoid of large life, that wasnt always the case. During the Jurassic era, when Machimosaurus rex was alive, the region was likely a lagoon. Using geologic data, the researchers believe that the lagoon that Machimosaurus rex would have lived in was facing the ocean. More evidence of this marine environment is clear, as fossils of turtles and other fish were also in the area around Machimosaurus rex. Advertisement Advertisement As a marine crocodile, Machimosaurus rex would have likely hunted in the water and was probably an ambush predator or scavenger, just like many other crocodiles today. Additionally, they had big heads with short teeth, meaning that they were designed for big bite forces and less for penetration. The ideal food for Machimosaurus rex would have been large bony fish and giant turtles. A close comparison is the modern-day American alligator. American alligators have shorter, broader snouts that are better designed for harder prey. With a more condensed mouth, they are able to crush turtle shells whereas the American crocodile has to rely mostly on mammals for prey. Why did Machimosaurus rex go extinct? For a long time, scientists thought that a global extinction event between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods killed off creatures like Machimosaurus rex, but that didnt seem the be the case. In fact, the fossils show that Machimosaurus rex lived well after this supposed extinction. Although it isnt certain, most scientists agree that the Machimosaurus genus, including Machimosaurus rex, died out around 130 million years ago. What is the largest crocodile today? Although Machimosaurus rex was the largest species of crocodile within its genus, it isnt around today. Even still, there are some prehistoric giants that are alive and well today! The largest living member of the Crocodylia family, as well as the largest living reptile in the world, is the saltwater crocodile. Advertisement Advertisement Saltwater crocodiles are massive creatures that are native to Southeast Asia and Australia. Like the Machimosaurus rex, these crocodiles are marine-dwelling, if only a bit smaller. They generally grow up to 20 feet long and weigh between 2,200 and 2,900 lbs. What Other Animals Live in Tunisia? Tunisia is home to a plethora of wildlife, including some animals that might not be found in other African countries. Wild boars, jackals, and hyenas can all be spotted across the countryside, while much more peaceful creatures such as gazelles and hares are also present. The Tunisian wilderness is also home to some dangerous reptiles, such as the horned viper and cobra. Tunisia is home to many mammals, such as the Barbary sheep and African wildcat, reptiles like the Tunisian fringe-toed lizard and common chameleon, amphibians like the Mediterranean tree frog and spur-thighed tortoise, birds such as the North African ostrich, Eurasian hoopoe, and Barbary partridge, and fish species like the Atlantic bonito. Additionally, Tunisia also has an array of invertebrates, including scorpions, spiders, and beetles. All in all, this makes Tunisia a unique place for animal lovers to explore! Where is Tunisia Located on a Map? Tunisia, also known as the Republic of Tunisia, is situated in the northernmost part of the African continent. It is located in the Maghreb region of North Africa, with its western and southwestern borders shared with Algeria, while Libya is situated to the southeast. Here is Tunisia on a map: The post Before Great Whites Ruled, This Crocodile Crushed Everything in Its Path appeared first on A-Z Animals. MURFREESBORO, Ark. Most road trips start with a map and end at a destination. This one started with Siri and ended with a two-carat diamond. For the Ward family, the trip to Arkansas began as a simple search for crystals. Their youngest son, Austin, has a fascination with minerals and wanted to go mining. So his mother, Elizabeth Ward, turned to her phone and asked, Hey Siri, where can we mine for crystals? Hey Siri: Texas man uses AI to find 2.09-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park Advertisement Advertisement When Siri suggested Crater of Diamonds State Park, just six hours from home, the family packed up and hit the road. They spent four hours mining on their first day, braving temperatures of 33 degrees during a cold front. That was probably the hardest part, just having cold, wet hands the whole time, Ward said. When Austins father first pulled something from the dirt, he didnt want to get Austin and his brother Adrians hopes up too high. After hours without success, the family considered calling it a day. But Austin wasnt ready to leave. With him just insisting on it, I thought, We already came this whole way. Lets go one more time for him, Ward said. Advertisement Advertisement Thats when the trip took a sparkling turn and Ward found a diamond. I had no idea that I had found a diamond out there, Ward said. Arkansas Crater of Diamonds Park visitor from Indiana unearths 2.71 carat diamond Park officials later confirmed the discovery was one of only five diamonds found in December and the sixth largest found at the park this year making for an unforgettable moment for a family who traveled hundreds of miles to see a childs dream come true. 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 KARK. Haitian army forces (FADH) patrol the city center near the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince. The United Nations Security Council on September 30, 2025, adopted a resolution to transform a UN-backed security mission in gang-dominated Haiti into a larger, full-fledged force with military troops. The humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Medecins Sans Frontieres, is once again suspending medical services at a clinic in Haitis gang-ridden capital of Port-au-Prince. The latest suspension affects a clinic in the Bel-Air neighborhood, where residents report that intensified police raids which have included the use of explosive drones have led to increased deadly clashes between armed groups and the Haiti National Police. Among those killed was a former Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) community health worker who was unable to get medical attention after a building used by the aid group became a battleground during the intense fighting on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement MSF said seven community volunteers were caught in the crossfire when they became trapped inside the former school building that they use as a clinic. After several hours, they escaped. Minutes later, a community volunteer who had collaborated with MSF arrived at the building seeking medical attention for his injuries. Unable to receive first aid, he sadly died from his injuries in front of the buildings gate, MSF said in a statement. This situation is not an isolated case. The organization said the escalating violence is not only endangering the lives of thousands of civilians who live in the area of the ongoing police operations, but its alarmingly compromising their access to health care. Advertisement Advertisement The medical interventions we carry out in Bel Air and Bas Delmas provide essential care to several thousand patients every month, said Nicholas Tessier, MSF head of mission in Haiti. Without these clinics, they would be completely deprived of access to health care. Today, due to this new episode of violence, we are forced to suspend all our activities in Bel Air until further notice. In the last two years, MSF has been forced to temporarily close its clinics and in some cases, permanently shut down facilities because it has become too dangerous to operate. In its latest statement, the aid group called for all parties to respect medical facilities, healthcare personnel, patients and civilians. Haiti National Police tout controversial anti-gang raids Police have touted the operations, saying they have dislodged gang leaders from targeted communities, bulldozed homes of other suspected gang members and seized firearms, including an M16. In the capital, where 1 in 4 individuals live in a gang-controlled neighborhood, according to the United Nations, reactions are mixed. While some see residents living in the targeted neighborhoods as being complicit with gang members who hide kidnap victims in homes and use children as lookouts, others are pleading for more compassion. The police and the government need to rethink their operations so that they can target the real perpetrators of the insecurity so you are not killing the poor people who have nothing to do with the violence, or the guns., Fritznel Pierre, a human-rights advocate, said. Advertisement Advertisement Pierre, who heads the Organization for Peace and Development, said his group estimates that at least 80 people have been killed since the security operations began at the end of December. At least 40% of the deaths, he said, were collateral damage involving innocent residents who live in the areas being targeted because they have no other choice, are attached to their neighborhood, or used as human shields by gang members. In Bel-Air alone, he said his group estimates there were at least 45 people who died, including a 12-year-old girl. In the La Saline neighborhood, where he was born, three deaths were recorded, including one of a 68-year-old woman who was shot in the stomach and died as she returned from buying plantains and meat to cook and sell and crossed paths with an armored police vehicle. The exact circumstances that led to her death are unclear. Others, he said, were killed when bandits rounded up residents and forced them to dig holes to stop police armored vehicles from getting into the neighborhoods. Our position is clear, we cannot justify there being collateral damage because people live in these neighborhoods, Pierre said. There are a lot of factors for why people live in these neighborhoods, starting with they lack the economical means to live anywhere else. Imagine someone who is already being poor and is being asked to pay sums of money theyve never touched in their lives to rent a house? he said. The people are often in a situation of resilience where they have no choice but to cohabitate with gangs not because they are complicit, but because they have no other choice. A federal judge weighing one of several court challenges to the Trump administrations decision to revoke temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. is questioning how a dozen countries with the same benefit suddenly arrived at the same fate. Judge Ana C. Reyes of the Federal District Court in Washington told government lawyers during two days of hearings that shes having a hard time believing that the termination of Temporary Protection Status designation for a dozen countries experiencing conflict, including Haiti, was not arbitrary. I just cannot believe that there was an individualized, not preordained decision, that objectively looked at every country, Reyes said Wednesday. That would be the first time in humankind something like that had been found. Advertisement Advertisement Since starting his second term, President Donald Trump has focused on dismantling immigration protections for Haitians, Venezuelans and others in the U.S. as he pursues mass deportations. One of the targets has been TPS, which was created by Congress to protect people from countries experiencing armed conflict or humanitarian crises. Under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Trump has ended or initiated terminations affecting over 1 million people who had been allowed to legally live and work in the United States. The countries affected include Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Venezuela. The moves have triggered a slew of lawsuits, including the class-action lawsuit, Miot et al. v. Trump, before Reyes. Plaintiffs in the case argue that Noem violated administrative law and the Constitution when she terminated Haitis TPS designation as of Feb. 3, 2026. Last year, their lawyers, including those with the firm of Miami-based immigration attorney Ira Kurzban, successfully persuaded another federal judge in New York to block an earlier attempt by the administration to end protections for Haitians before their expiration date. After the department announced in the Federal Register that TPS protections will end in February, the plaintiffs sued again, arguing that the decision was unlawful and unsupported by conditions on the ground in Haiti. They are arguing that the decision was also based on racial animus rather than on the required assessment of safety in Haiti and want Reyes to put the revocation on hold while the case proceeds. Advertisement Advertisement Over two days, Reyes pressed government lawyers on the scope of Noems authority, particularly her power to make determinations based on what the administration characterizes as the national interest. Justice Department attorneys argued that the secretary has broad discretion to make such determinations, and they are not reviewable by the courts. Reyes, however, seemed unconvinced. As the government argued that Haitian migrants were a strain on local communities, she cited estimates that Haitian TPS holders contribute roughly $10 billion to Floridas economy alone, and then asked: You think its in Floridas national interest to get rid of these people? At another point, she posed a hypothetical aimed at whether Noems decision is arbitrary: Could the secretary decide it was in the national interest to end TPS for Haitians because she doesnt like vanilla ice cream? READ MORE: Haitis women and girls face rising gang sexual attacks Justice Department attorney Dhruman Sampat responded, I dont know, and after being challenged by Reyes, he said, Yes, your honor, Noems authority can go that far. That sounds like an economic consideration to me, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Reyes also noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who in May designated Haitis most powerful gangs as foreign and global terrorists, acknowledged the immediate security challenges in the Caribbean country. The judge also read documents about the Federal Aviation Administration barring U.S. aircraft from flying into the countrys main international airport after gangs fired on three U.S. airliners. As Reyes turned her attention to the departments own justification for ending TPS for Haiti and what she said was a dozen countries, she laid out the contradictions in the Federal Register. It seems odd to me to say its perfectly safe to return to Haiti and then, in the same breath, say that there are gangs running rampant in Haiti, Reyes told government lawyers, questioning the administrations rational in acknowledging the country has no functioning government, yet saying its safe for Haitians to return. She added that she was troubled by what appeared to be a preordained decision by Noem. I have to say that is one of my biggest concerns here, she said. 2010 earthquake TPS was first granted to Haitians after the devastating Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake. Since then, Haiti has endured repeated disasters and prolonged political instability, including the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Advertisement Advertisement Today, armed gangs control large swaths of the capital, where the United Nations says a quarter of the population lives in a gang controlled neighborhoods, and roughly half of the population, around 5.7 million people, do not have enough to eat. The incessant violence, which includes rapes, kidnappings and killings, have forced more than 1.4 million to flee their homes and is spreading to other regions. READ MORE: Haiti farmers battered by Hurricane Melissa are still reeling, U.N. says Nevertheless, the Trump administration argued to Reyes over two days that there are safe havens in Haiti that migrants could go to, even though it was unable to cite them. On Wednesday, the governments lawyer even painted a positive image, saying that Haiti was making progress. Things seem to be trending in the right direction, the lawyer told Reyes. Advertisement Advertisement As proof, he said, a new constitution was being drafted, there was aggressive prosecution of corruption and voters were being registered for elections. Those assertions are sharply disputed. Plans to rewrite the constitution were abandoned last year, no corruption cases have been prosecuted despite investigations, and government officials in December approved a decree shielding themselves from prosecution after leaving office. Meanwhile, after being installed in April 2024 to help run the country, a nine-member Transitional Presidential Council is set to end its mandate on Feb. 7 without scheduling elections, which last took place in 2016. The approaching deadline has raised concerns of more political turbulence. Reyes, who before becoming a judge litigated immigration cases as an attorney, also brought up a discrepancy in the number of Haitians that could be affected if the Trump administrations revocation is allowed to stand. While Homeland Securitys Federal Registry notice said there are 352,959 people under Haitis TPS designation, a public record search shows 568,545 Haitians would be vulnerable to deportations. Reyes noted that based on the Homeland Securitys number of Haitians found to have had committed some sort of fraud to get TPS, it constitutes 0.4% of the larger number. Advertisement Advertisement The government lawyer, who struggled to do the math, acknowledged he did not know the nature of the fraud. Im not sure how they define fraud when they ran that, he said. Reyes said she plans to make a decision as of Feb. 2, the day before the designation is set to end. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) A day after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams issued a warning to New Yorkers: They are coming to our city. Speaking in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refused to say whether she will flood ICE agents into New York City. But she promised to use every single tool at the governments disposal to enforce U.S. immigration laws. Trump admin is using a new tactic to deport asylum seekers Advertisement Advertisement New Yorkers have become familiar with the sights and sounds of an ICE arrest from a chaotic raid on Canal Street to violent moments inside 26 Federal Plaza. But what happens in the minutes, weeks and months after these interactions? According to immigration attorney Anthony Enriquez, the Minnesota shooting makes one reality incredibly clear: The stakes here are really life and death. What we really need to do is take a hard look at the power that weve given the government to really harm all of us, said Enriquez, vice president of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at the Kennedy Human Rights Center. Heres a look at the road ahead for people arrested by ICE: The arrest During a standard arrest, ICE officers issue a Notice to Appear. The notice accuses the person of being unlawfully present in the United States and calls on them to defend the charge in court. Advertisement Advertisement ICE also issues orders of expedited removal to some people, deporting them without a trial. About 9% of people in ICE detention in December fell under this category. There is no constitutional right to legal representation in an immigration case. More Local News Who is detained? ICE detention is not punitive, but rather utilitarian. It ensures people show up to their court appearances and protects public safety, according to ICE. ICE Director Todd Lyons described DHSs detention authority as extraordinarily broad and equally complex. ICE officers use discretion to decide who is detained or released based on factors like available bed space and whether a person is a flight risk, Enriquez said. Advertisement Advertisement In some circumstances, a person is released with conditions, such as regular check-ins and ankle monitors, and allowed to remain in their community. Increasingly, people are being arrested and detained at these check-ins. A Reagan-era law created standards for mandatory detention, requiring ICE to detain people accused or convicted of a crime and people who have recently arrived in the U.S. without permission. In July, the Trump administration broadened its legal interpretation of mandatory detention to include people who have been in the U.S. for years, departing from precedent. Its a decision immigration officials anticipated was likely to be litigated, and they were correct. Over 350 courts around the country have ruled against the governments broad interpretation of mandatory detention, including a recent class action lawsuit in California, Enriquez said. Advertisement Advertisement In New York City, people like Carlos Javier Lopez Benitez have taken the federal government to court over this issue. In a scathing opinion ordering Lopez Benitezs release, Judge Dale Ho determined that ICE used no discretion in the 27-year-olds arrest and violated his right to due process. Lopez Benitez has lived in this country for more than two years, works in construction, and has no criminal record. He is an applicant for asylum and voluntarily appeared for [court], Ho wrote. Masked federal agents suddenly appeared, forcibly separated him from his U.S.-citizen siblings, detained him in a room without a bed or access to a shower for three days, and then shipped him halfway across the country. Immigration detention Processing at an ICE office usually takes one day before a person is transferred to a detention center, according to the Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs. Detainees are logged into an electronic tracking system that allows loved ones to follow their whereabouts. A spokesperson for ICE told PIX11 News the system is regularly updated, but Enriquez said that is not true. Advertisement Advertisement Most people arrested and processed in New York City are detained somewhere else. ICE unilaterally decides where a person is detained. That power is abused to punish people, said Enriquez. Many advocates suspected this was the case with Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident detained by ICE. Khalil was sent to Louisiana and missed the birth of his first child. The New York Civil Liberties Union says this was punishment for his pro-Palestinian activism. Khalils detention was particularly long 104 days. On average, people spend just over two months in ICE detention. Advertisement Advertisement People normally wait two to four weeks for their first court appearance, but it can take years to complete an immigration case. Before his release in 2011, Brooklyn resident Davino Watson spent three years fighting his case in ICE detention, even though he was a naturalized U.S. citizen. The stakes could not be higher for the over 68,000 people currently in ICE detention, nearly 7,000 of whom have been detained for over six months, Enriquez said. This is the deadliest year in ICE detention on record, Enriquez said. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Release and bond In a standard case, a detainee can go before a judge to challenge their detention and request release. Advertisement Advertisement This is not the case for people in mandatory detention. As the government casts a wider net, more people are being detained without the opportunity for release. The lawyers for Larysa Kostak, a Brooklyn resident of 20 years, argued she was wrongfully denied a bond hearing. The federal government appealed her case and delayed her release after a judge allowed Kosataks community to pay her bond. Deportation Since President Donald Trump started his second term, 650,000 people have been deported, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Thursday. Some two million people voluntarily self-deported in the same period. In many cases, leaving the country is the path of least resistance, but its not always so simple, according to Sarah Gillman, a lawyer with the Kennedy Human Rights Center. Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people are not able to withstand what happens in detention, Gillman said. So a lot of people do give up, and they just take a removal order and theyre gone. Sometimes, countries refuse to accept people from U.S. detention, leaving them trapped in detention after agreeing to leave the country. A spokesperson for ICE told PIX11 News that if a country refuses to accept someone, ICE will work with the government to find another country willing to accept them. This practice has been called into question in places like South Sudan. The U.S. Department of State warns Americans not to travel to South Sudan for safety concerns, but considers it a safe country to resettle deportees, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project. Advertisement Advertisement All these realities violent arrests, poor detention conditions and bleak odds of release are an intentional part of a culture of fear, according to Gillman. Cruelty is the point of most of what theyre doing, she said. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. 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 PIX11. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Public transportation advocates released a report this week on the impacts of service cuts to Rhode Island buses. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) board approved a proposal back in August to address its financial troubles with service reductions and fare increases. Those changes took effect in September. A group of advocates known as the Save RIPTA Coalition gathered Thursday at the Rhode Island State House to announce their findings on the service cuts after collecting ridership data and surveying riders and RIPTA employees. Advertisement Advertisement BACKGROUND: RIPTA board approves plan that includes service reductions According to the report, ridership fell by approximately 12%, or about 125,000 trips, in the month of November. Liza Burkin, the board president for the Providence Streets Coalition, shared more details about the findings during the press conference. Two thirds of RIPTAs routes do not run at the minimum standard frequency, Burkin explained. We wonder why we cant grow ridership. We wonder why RIPTA is struggling. Frequency is the key to growing the system. The coalition also pointed out that some RIPTA riders said they lost jobs, had to work fewer hours, were chronically late to school, and missed out on educational opportunities because of the service cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Last year, I was able to wake up at 6 a.m. and still get to school perfectly on time, one Providence high school student said during the press conference. Earlier this week, I woke up just past 6:15 a.m. and was an hour and a half late to school. I missed two of my morning classes, and my grades in Spanish and Algebra went down both by five points. A high school student shares how the service cuts to RIPTA have impacted them on Jan. 8, 2026. The student stressed that they take their grades seriously and are worried about how the cuts are impacting their academic performance and wellbeing. After a while, the exhaustion of having to take RIPTA has stopped feeling temporary, the student explained. Its something that I carry with me throughout my life because its hard to worry about school when youre still cold from having to wait 30 minutes to get onto the bus in the morning, or youre worried about making it home safe and on time. In response to the report, RIPTA acknowledged that public transit is vital for Rhode Islanders. Advertisement Advertisement We are proactively working to expand our ridership through partnerships with some of Rhode Islands largest employers and realigning our schedules to better match with riders work schedules, the agency said in a statement. While there are still fiscal challenges, like rising health care costs and volatility in fuel pricing, we are making significant progress in improving our transit system. RELATED: Winter service changes for RIPTA bus routes start Jan. 17 The Save RIPTA Coalition released a legislative package this week, calling on state lawmakers to allocate $5 million in the next budget to restore public transportation services. You can read the full report and learn more about the legislative package here. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup 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 WPRI.com. Australians have been experiencing an uptick in a serious mosquito-borne virus, according to ABC. What's happening? A case of Japanese encephalitis virus has been identified north-west of Melbourne. The virus was found in a mosquito trap installed in the western community of Horsham by monitoring personnel. This is the first case of the Australian summer, following an original outbreak of the virus in 2022. The Japanese encephalitis virus is spread by mosquitoes and can cause fever, vomiting, and seizures. Once in roughly every 250 cases, the virus causes severe inflammation of the brain, which can be fatal. Luckily, most people who contract it experience either mild symptoms or no symptoms whatsoever. Advertisement Advertisement Australian researchers have previously identified pig farms as major vectors for the Japanese encephalitis virus. Why is the Japanese encephalitis virus important? Thanks to increased global heat and precipitation due to atmospheric pollution, mosquito populations have been spiking. Along with them have been the viruses they carry. This includes Zika, dengue, and West Nile virus. What's being done about the Japanese encephalitis virus? Researchers have been busy trying to find new ways to manage explosions of mosquito populations. Some have found that soap can immobilize them without resorting to indiscriminate insecticides. Others have found promising results in a new kind of fungus. Attacking the root of the issue will require lowering pollution in major sectors such as agriculture, electricity, and transportation. This can stabilize weather patterns and slow the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Advertisement Advertisement While up-to-date vaccines are the best front-line defence, Australian authorities suggested a range of precautions to avoid Japanese encephalitis virus infections. These included the use of bug spray, covering up with light-colored clothing, and dismantling stagnant water pools around the home. "Anyone can be bitten by mosquitoes, but people living, working or spending time outdoors in northern Victoria especially near rivers may be at higher risk," said Victoria's chief health officer Caroline McElnay, per ABC. 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 politician was injured after an explosive device was thrown at her head during a television interview in Honduras. Gladys Aurora Lopez, the National Party deputy, was talking to reporters on Thursday (8 January) when the bomb was hurled towards her. According to the National Party, the blast detonated just "centimetres" from Lopez, causing wounds to her back. Local media has reported that she survived the attack and is in a stable condition. Advertisement Advertisement Her party condemned the attack and called for an investigation to be launched to find the perpetrator. The incident comes amid a tense political climate in Honduras, after a hotly contested presidential race on 30 November resulted in a weeks-long vote count and a disputed outcome. LANSING House Republicans filed a lawsuit Friday, Jan. 9, seeking to overturn a recent opinion by Attorney General Dana Nessel they say will derail their plans to block wasteful spending. The lawsuit filed in the Michigan Court of Claims seeks an injunction and a temporary restraining order to halt $645 million in "work project" spending that the House GOP halted in December, but that the administration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer resumed after Nessel issued an opinion Jan. 7. The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee prompted a statewide uproar Dec. 10 when it invoked a rarely used section of Michigan's Management and Budget Act to reject about $645 million in multiyear "work projects" requested Nov. 14 by the State Budget Office. Funds approved in the 2025 budget but still unspent at the end of the 2025 fiscal year which the Whitmer administration wanted to roll over to 2026 and beyond by assigning the funding to work projects included funding for infrastructure, housing and food support, clean energy projects, local projects such as new fire trucks and emergency vehicles, and a program that provides cash to new parents. Otherwise, the unspent money would "lapse," or be returned to the state funds from which it originated. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall Nessel said in her opinion it's unconstitutional for an appropriations committee in one chamber of the Legislature to be able to block previously approved spending in that way. She said it allows the Legislature to exercise powers reserved for the executive branch of the state government and also violates a constitutional provision that laws must be passed by both chambers of the Legislature. Advertisement Advertisement In a Jan. 9 news release, House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, said Nessel's opinion was "purely political and extremely flawed," and intended to allow the continued growth of what he describes as departmental "slush funds." Our lawsuit will stop this Nessel power trip and uphold the law that allows the Legislature to put an end to this nonsense," Hall said. The lawsuit filed by the House of Representatives names 31 state departments and department heads, seeking to block them from spending the funds. Hall has said he is willing to vote to restore some of the blocked funding, but only after negotiations and a vote by lawmakers. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: House GOP files lawsuit over AG Dana Nessel's 'work projects' opinion By Dominique Vidalon, Sarah Young and Miranda Murray PARIS/LONDON/BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Thousands of homes were blacked out, aircraft were grounded and train services disrupted as Storm Goretti hurled gale-force winds and heavy snow at northern Europe on Friday, compounding a week of freezing weather. The storm slammed into Britain on Thursday before moving eastward into continental Europe. In snowbound Germany, the state railway called it one of the most severe weather events in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Around 380,000 households lost electricity in France, mainly in Normandy and Brittany, although by midday about 60,000 had been reconnected, and 60,000 homes in Scotland and central England suffered the same fate. FLIGHTS CANCELLED In the Netherlands, flights were cancelled as heavy snowfall was set to return after a one-day lull. Winds of more than 150 kph (93 mph) were recorded overnight in Frances northwestern Manche region, with a record 213 kph in Barfleur, forcing the SNCF rail operator to suspend services between Paris and Normandy. The French state energy company EDF said Storm Goretti had required two reactors to be taken offline at the Flamanville power station after a high-voltage line was disrupted, while roofs were torn off and trees uprooted. Wholesale power prices rose across Western Europe. Advertisement Advertisement In the English West Midlands, some rail services were suspended as thick snow blanketed the region, and residents were advised to stay home if possible. "It's been quite a few years ... you get a bit of this (snow) and everything seems to stop," said Wolverhampton resident David Goldstone, 86. Pedestrians struggled with shopping trolleys and mounds of slush. "We're just not used to it, are we?" said another local, Tracy Wilks, 53. FREEZING WEATHER GROUNDS FLIGHTS In northern Germany, state-owned Deutsche Bahn halted long-distance train services until further notice, citing one of the most severe winter weather events in many years. Advertisement Advertisement "So far, we have been able to avoid situations where passengers are left stranded on the open track for long periods," a spokesperson told reporters at Berlins central station, adding that crews were working to clear the tracks. At Hamburg Airport, northern Germany's busiest air terminal, about 40 flights were cancelled, while a Bundesliga soccer fixture between Hamburg's St Pauli and RB Leipzig scheduled for Saturday was postponed. German carmaker Volkswagen closed its Wolfsburg plant early on Friday, while a second in Emden remained closed. The Dutch airline KLM said it had cancelled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Friday. Schiphol had already cancelled hundreds of flights earlier this week because of freezing weather. In Hungary, the military was called out to assist motorists trapped in heavy snow. Advertisement Advertisement Western Balkan countries have seen widespread disruption since Sunday. On Thursday, one person was found dead in Albania, which has been hit by extensive flooding, while gales ripped off roofs in northeast Turkey. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Sarah Young in London; Miranda Murray and Klaus Lauer in Berlin, Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam and Anita Komuves in Budapest; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Alex Richardson and Kevin Liffey) By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - EU states gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign its largest free trade accord with the South American group Mercosur, more than 25 years after talks began, following months of wrangling to secure enough support. With U.S. President Donald Trump shaking up global trade, the European Commission and countries such as Germany and Spain argue the deal will help offset business lost from U.S. import tariffs, and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the EU's clearance as a "historic day for multilateralism". "In an international scenario of growing protectionism and unilateralism, the agreement is a signal in favour of international trade as a driver of economic growth, with benefits for both blocs," he posted on X. Opponents led by France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food products, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers. FARMERS MARCH, BLOCK HIGHWAYS Farmers have launched protests across the EU, blocking highways in France and Belgium and marching in Poland on Friday. France voted against the deal - but a sufficient majority of EU members backed the accord. An EU diplomat and Poland's agriculture minister said that 21 countries supported the agreement, with Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland and Poland against and Belgium abstaining. A minimum of 15 countries representing 65% of the bloc's total population was required for approval. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed Friday's vote as a "milestone" and said the deal would be good for Germany and for Europe. "But 25 years of negotiations is too long. It's vital that the next free trade agreements are concluded swiftly," he said in a statement. The approval clears the way for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to sign the agreement with Mercosur partners - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - in Asuncion. Argentina's Foreign Ministry said the signing ceremony would take place on January 17. The European Parliament will also need to approve the accord, finally concluded a year ago, before it can enter into force. FRANCE SAYS THE BATTLE IS NOT OVER The free trade agreement is set to be the European Union's biggest in terms of tariff reduction, removing 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion) of duties on its exports. The Mercosur countries have high tariffs, such as 35% on car parts, 28% on dairy products and 27% on wines. The ICE agent who fired three shots into a vehicle in Minneapolis, killing a 37-year-old mother, has been identified. Jonathan Ross, 43, was the agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, according to reports by multiple outlets. The killing left Goods son by her late husband an orphan, led to immediate tensions in the city, and caused a political storm over ICE. Good had just dropped off her six-year-old son at school when she encountered ICE agents, one of whom later shot her point-blank in Minneapolis, her ex-husband told the Associated Press. She left behind three kids, a daughter and a son aged 15 and 12 from her first marriage, and a six-year-old son from her second marriage, which had ended with her second husbands death. Police tape surrounds a vehicle suspected to be involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, fearing for his life killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. / Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Widow and mom-of-three Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis Wednesday. / Facebook Ross was seen on video being dragged roughly 100 yards by a driver during an ICE operation in a Minneapolis suburb, in June of last year. Court documents show that the driver, a Guatemalan sex offender, was convicted of assault. The documents also named Ross and said that he had been hospitalized afterwards. Advertisement Advertisement They showed that he had been dragged when the offender, Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, came to a halt at an impromptu traffic stop in Bloomington, Minnesota. Ross tried to open the car door, then used a device to smash open the window of the car. Munoz-Guatemala took off, dragging Ross for almost 100 yards. Ross identity emerged because both Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance disclosed that the agent who killed Good was involved in the previous incident. Ross was seen on one of the videos captured by protesters after the shooting. / Screenshot/Max Nesterak/X At the White House on Thursday, Vance said of Ross, that very ICE officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car six months ago, 33 stitches in his leg. Munoz-Guatemala was never charged with attempted murder but with assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon and resulting in bodily injury, Joseph Thomson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at the time. ICE agent Jonathan Ross on a hospital bed displaying his arms, one covered in blood from deep gashes in US District Court for the District Court of Minnesota document on June 17, 2025. / US District Court Document ICE agent Jonathan Ross was hospitalized in June 2025 after he was dragged by a car during an immigration operation, a federal complaint says. / Minnesota District Court The first outlet to name the agent as Goods killer was the Minnesota Star-Tribune. When they did, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin declined to confirm Rosss identity, and demanded the Star Tribune retract its story. Advertisement Advertisement This officer is a longtime ICE officer who has been serving his country his entire life, she wrote, adding that Ross had over a decade of experience as an ICE agent. Jonathan Ross, 43, was named as the killer. He is a 10-year veteran of ICE who served in the military. / Facebook Ross's family member posted a photo on Facebook of what appears to be him holding an M249 SAW machine gun and standing in front of a HUMVEE. / Facebook Publicizing [ICE agents] identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious risk. The Star Tribune should be absolutely ashamed of itself for its reckless behavior, and they should delete their story immediately. The Star-Tribune did not do so, and among those who named Ross were CBS News, during its Evening News, which is anchored by MAGA-coded Tony Dokoupil. CBS News reported that he was part of a specially trained ICE tactical unit. Public records show that Ross served in the military, financing his home through a Department of Veterans Affairs mortgage, while social media photos show him handling an M249 SAW machine gun while in the uniform worn in the early years of the Iraq war, standing in front of a green-painted Humvee in an area surrounded by palm trees. Advertisement Advertisement His wife was identified by the Daily Mail as the daughter of Filipino parents. Rosss father told the outlet that she is a U.S. citizen, but did not reveal how long she had been in the country. He also defended his sons decision to shoot Good, telling the Mail, she hit him, before praising Ross as a committed, conservative Christian, a tremendous father, a tremendous husband. I couldnt be more proud of him. Satellite images show Rosss house displaying a yellow Dont Tread On Me flag in the yard. Footage taken by bystanders showed Good beginning to drive away from the chaotic scene on a snowy Minneapolis street when an agentRossopened fire at her, shooting once through the windshield and twice through the open drivers window. Her vehicle slammed to a halt shortly after as witnesses erupted in outrage. Advertisement Advertisement Trump administration officials swiftly sought to portray her as a domestic terrorist who was killed for trying to run over federal agents with her car, sparking protests in the state and outrage across the country. This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people. The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace, Vance said Thursday in an angry rant against coverage of the killing. Vance accused the news media of lying about the attack, despite the incident being captured on camera from multiple angles. That footage disputes much of what Noem claimed occurred, notably that multiple agents were at risk of being run over by Good and that the agent named as Ross was at risk of being killed. CNN law enforcement analyst John Miller pointed out that Good had defied training given to regular police never to stand directly in front of a car when someone was in the drivers seat. Minneapolis is once again the focus of debates about violence involving law enforcement after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, in her car. The incident quickly prompted dueling narratives. Trump administration officials defended the shooting as justified, while local officials condemned it. The shooting will also likely prompt renewed scrutiny of training and policy of officers and the question of them shooting at moving vehicles. There has been a recent trend in law enforcement toward policies that prohibit such shootings. It is a policy shift that has shown promise in saving lives. Advertisement Advertisement Decades ago, the New York City Police Department prohibited its officers from shooting at moving vehicles. That led to a drop in police killings without putting officers in greater danger. Debates over deadly force are often contentious, but as I note in my research on police ethics and policy, for the most part there is consensus on one point: Policing should reflect a commitment to valuing human life and prioritizing its protection. Many use-of-force policies adopted by police departments endorse that principle. Yet, as in Minneapolis, controversial law enforcement killings continue to occur. Not all agencies have implemented prohibitions on shooting at vehicles. Even in agencies that have, some policies are weak or ambiguous. In addition, explicit prohibitions on shooting at vehicles are largely absent from the law, which means that officers responsible for fatal shootings of drivers that appear to violate departmental policies still often escape criminal penalties. Advertisement Advertisement In the case of ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, its policy on shooting at moving vehicles unlike that of many police agencies lacks a clear instruction for officers to get out of the way of moving vehicles where feasible. Its an omission at odds with generally recognized best practices in policing. ICEs policy on shooting at moving vehicles ICEs current use-of-force policy prohibits its officers from discharging firearms at the operator of a moving vehicle unless it is necessary to stop a grave threat. The policy is explicit that deadly force should not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect. That point is relevant for evaluating the fatal shooting in Minneapolis. Videos show one officer trying to open the door of the vehicle that Good was driving, while another officer appears to be in front of the vehicle as she tried to pull away. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that an ICE officer feared for his life before shooting a woman in Minneapolis. AP/Yuki Iwamura Shooting to prevent the driver simply from getting away would have been in violation of agency policy and obviously inconsistent with prioritizing the protection of life. Advertisement Advertisement ICEs policy lacks clear instruction, however, for its officers to get out of the way of moving vehicles where feasible. In contrast, the Department of Justices use-of-force policy makes it explicit that officers should not shoot at a vehicle if they can protect themselves by moving out of the path of the vehicle. Notably, President Joe Biden issued an executive order in 2022 requiring federal law enforcement agencies like ICE to adopt use-of-force policies that are equivalent to, or exceed, the requirements of the Department of Justices policy. Despite that order, the provision to step out of the way of moving cars never made it into the use-of-force policy that applies to ICE. The rationale for not shooting at moving vehicles Prioritizing the protection of life doesnt rule out deadly force. Sometimes such force is necessary to protect lives from a grave threat, such as an active shooter. But it does rule out using deadly force when less harmful tactics can stop a threat. In such cases, deadly force is unnecessary a key consideration in law and ethics that can render force unjustified. Advertisement Advertisement Thats the concern involved with police shooting at moving vehicles. It often is not necessary because officers have a less harmful option to avoid a moving vehicles threat: stepping out of the way. This guidance has the safety of both suspects and police in mind. Obviously, police not shooting lowers the risk of harm to the suspect. But it also lowers the risk to the officer in the vast majority of cases because of the laws of physics. If you shoot the driver of a car barreling toward you, that rarely brings a car to an immediate stop, and the vehicle often continues on its path. Many police departments have incorporated these insights into their policies. A recent analysis of police department policies in the 100 largest U.S. cities found that close to three-quarters of them have prohibitions against shooting at moving vehicles. The gap between policy and best practices for protecting life The shooting in Minneapolis serves as a stark reminder of the stubborn gap that often persists between law and policy on the one hand and best law enforcement practices for protecting life on the other. When steps are taken to close that gap, however, they can have a meaningful impact. Connor Grubb, a police officer in Blendon Township, Ohio, was acquitted in November of charges stemming from a killing that involved a pregnant woman fleeing in a car. Doral Chenoweth/AP Some of the most compelling examples involve local, state and federal measures that reinforce one another. Consider the fleeing felon rule, which used to allow police to shoot a fleeing felony suspect to prevent their escape even when the suspect posed no danger to others. Advertisement Advertisement That rule was at odds with the doctrine of prioritizing the protection of life, leading some departments to revise their use-of-force policies and some states to ban the rule. In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for police to shoot a fleeing suspect who was not a danger. Banning that questionable tactic notably led to a reduction in killings by police. This history suggests that clear bans in law and policy on questionable tactics have the potential to save lives, while also strengthening the means for holding officers accountable. 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: Ben Jones, Penn State Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Ben Jones 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. Last summer, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent found himself in a perilous situation. His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents. The agent, who suffered injuries to his arm and hand, fired his Taser at the man during the encounter, records show. Roughly six months later, the same officer faced another driver who hit the gas as he tried to stop her vehicle. This time, he fired with his service weapon killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Advertisement Advertisement The officer in the June case is identified in court documents as Jonathan Ross. A senior Department Homeland Security official confirmed that case involved the same officer who fired the shots that killed Good this week. As authorities and lawmakers nationwide seek to untangle the circumstances behind the fatal shooting, Rosss actions during the incident last summer and his professional background are facing renewed scrutiny. A transcript of Rosss testimony from the June case reviewed by CNN adds new detail to his experience, which includes a tour of duty with the National Guard in Iraq as a gunner from 2004 to in 2005. In his testimony he describes performing hundreds of traffic stops in his career over nearly two decades in Border Patrol and then ICE including encounters with drivers seeking to flee. They do erratic behaviors, they take great risks, and they seem to not be aware of other people driving on the road, Ross told the jury. They usually they make just extreme movements with their vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Trump administration officials have cited that June case as evidence that ICE agents face deadly threats that compel them to react with extreme force. That very ICE officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car, six months ago, Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Thursday. You think maybe hes a little bit sensitive about someone ramming him with an automobile? But local lawmakers and some experts say that this weeks situation was far from life-threatening to the ICE officer, as Good appeared to be swerving away from him as he began shooting. To use deadly force the elements of that have to be so concerning to open up fire on an individual, said former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, adding in a CNN interview that the agent should simply have gotten out of the way of Goods car. Advertisement Advertisement Michael Harrigan, a retired FBI agent who now consults on law enforcement practices and tactics, said its not unreasonable to believe that the prior car dragging case may have been on the ICE officers mind as he pulled the trigger. But Harrigan said agents are trained to evaluate every incident individually. The fact is every incident has to stand alone, Harrigan said. It doesnt really matter what they went through before. Its never going to be a justification for something else. They know that. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who declined to name Ross, citing violent threats to ICE agents, said he is a longtime ICE officer who has been serving his country his entire life. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the officers actions. This is an experienced officer who followed his training, and well continue to let the investigation unfold into the individual and continue to follow the procedures and policies that happen in these use of force cases, Noem said at a news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Ross served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 with the Indiana National Guard, he testified in court, and then joined Border Patrol in 2007. He said he worked with the agency near El Paso, Texas, where he worked on intelligence about cartels and drug smuggling, before joining ICE in 2015. With ICE, he said, he works in fugitive operations in the Minneapolis area and regularly collaborates with other federal agencies. I target higher value targets, he testified. The agents experience in ICE included a selection to a Special Response Team, McLaughlin said, which requires 30 hours of tryouts, continuous training and expert marksman qualifications. An FBI agent at the scene of the shooting in Minneapolis. - Getty Images His violent encounter with a suspect last June began when federal officials moved in to arrest Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, an undocumented immigrant who had been charged with sexually abusing a teenage relative in 2022, according to a court affidavit written by an FBI agent involved in the case. Advertisement Advertisement At the time, ICE had requested local officials hold him in jail, but that request was denied, the affidavit said. The affidavit refers to Munoz-Guatemala as being from Guatemala, while a DHS press release described him as being from Mexico. On June 17, 2025, federal officials tracked Munoz-Guatemala to his home in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, and conducted a traffic stop as he started to drive away. Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Munoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit. The affidavit does not name Ross, only referring to him as an officer for ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations division, but other court documents including an exhibit and witness list make clear that it is Ross. Advertisement Advertisement Munoz-Guatemala handed Ross an identification document, but refused to follow Rosss commands to lower his window and open the door, the affidavit says. Ross pointed his Taser at Munoz-Guatemala, used a spring-loaded window punch to break the cars rear passenger door window, and put his arm through the window to try to open the door. Munoz-Guatemala responded by driving the car onto the curb and accelerating away at a high rate of speed, according to the affidavit, and Ross was pulled along by his right arm. A door-camera video posted by news channel WCCO shows Munoz-Guatemala driving away quickly across a lawn, with several officers running after him. I was fearing for my life, Ross testified during the trial. Ross said he discharged ten rounds of his Taser, hitting Munoz-Guatemala, and yelled for him to stop over and over and over again at the top of my lungs. Advertisement Advertisement Munoz-Guatemala swerved the car down the street and dragged Ross about 100 yards, according to the affidavit, before the agent was knocked away from the vehicle. Munoz-Guatemala then drove with the Taser hanging out of the car window, and was arrested about a mile away by local police officers. Ross suffered a cut to his right arm that required 20 stitches, as well as a cut to his left hand that required 13 stitches, according to the affidavit, which includes photos of Rosss bloody limbs. Some of the wounds they couldnt close. There wasnt enough skin to close it with stitches, Ross said. Ross also said in court in December that ICEs field office in the Twin Cities didnt have a body-worn camera policy. Body-worn cameras were rolled out to certain offices throughout ICE, and ours was not one of them that was rolled out at that time, Ross said. As a result, he said, immigration agents in the Minneapolis area cannot wear them. Advertisement Advertisement Munoz-Guatemala was charged with assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon and resulting in bodily injury, and was convicted by a jury in December after a three-day trial. His sentencing is pending. Rosss deadly encounter with Good began on Wednesday as ICE agents worked in Minneapolis. Video shows that Goods vehicle was partially blocking a road that agents were attempting to drive down. As two other agents rushed toward her window, gesturing at her and trying to open the vehicles door, Ross walked to the front of her vehicle. Good briefly put the vehicle in reverse, then shifted into drive and hit the gas, with the wheels seemingly turned to the right instead of directly ahead toward Ross. Its unclear whether her vehicle made significant contact with the agent as he began firing, striking her. Her vehicle accelerated down the road, crashing into parked cars nearby. She was later pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement In the minutes after the shooting, Ross is seen in witness videos approaching Goods crashed vehicle, before walking away and telling other officers to call 911. He and at least one other agent then drove away in another vehicle. Experts in law enforcement questioned Rosss actions in the shooting, telling CNN that the agent appeared to violate several key rules for engaging with suspects in vehicles. ICEs own general policy is that agents should not chase vehicles or fire at them unless there is imminent danger, said John Amaya, a former deputy chief of staff for the agency during the Obama administration. He said that many agents are not trained in crowd control practices or interacting with residents, adding that that can make certain interactions a recipe for disaster. Charles Ramsey, a former Philadelphia police commissioner, told CNN that many law enforcement agencies around the country have restricted officers in their interactions with suspects in vehicles. You dont reach into cars thats how you wind up getting dragged down the street, Ramsey said. You dont stand in front or behind a car with the engine running Policies around the country have pretty much prohibited firing at a moving car. Some of Rosss actions could be legally justified, Ramsey noted. But just because you can doesnt mean you should, he said. Use of deadly force is an absolute last resort when you dont have other options. He had other options. Dont stand in front of the freaking car thats option number one. CNNs Priscilla Alvarez and Scott Glover contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The federal immigration officer who shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis this week is a U.S. Army veteran with Indiana ties, deployments to Iraq and years of experience, newly released records show. Jonathan Ross, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal officer based in Minnesota, told a court about his career in December during the criminal trial of a man who dragged Ross with a car, badly cutting Ross' arm and hand. Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, 40, attempted to flee in June 2025 when Ross approached him to serve an administrative warrant on behalf of ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Ross told the court he served in the Indiana National Guard and deployed from 2004 to 2005 to Iraq as a machine gunner on a gun truck and served on a combat logistical patrol team, delivering essential supplies in dangerous areas. An Indiana National Guard spokesman confirmed Ross served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2008 and deployed to Iraq from November 2004 to November 2005 with the 138th Signal Battalion. ICE shooting live updates: DHS identifies 2 people shot in Portland The spokesman noted he earned the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal during the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement After that, he joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was assigned to a job near El Paso, Texas. He said he patrolled the border, tracked border crossers and served as a field intelligence agent. He worked on the border from 2007 to 2015 and learned Spanish. In 2015 he joined ICE and joined Enforcement and Removal Operations as a deportation officer. He mentioned he is a current member of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force based in St. Paul, Minnesota. I am a firearms instructor, an active shooter instructor, Ross told the court Dec. 8 at the trial. Im also a field intelligence officer and I am a member of the SWAT team, the St. Paul Special Response Team. Image submitted in an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint in the case of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. ROBERTO CARLOS MUNOZ filed on June 17, 2025. Ross described the incident with Munoz-Guatemala. In that operation in June, he said, he drove his unmarked gold Chevy Tahoe. Ross is shown arriving in a vehicle of that description in videos circulating of this weeks shooting. Ross immediately left the scene in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys asked Ross about the June incident where he was dragged and deployed a Taser against Munoz-Guatemala. At this point I feared for my life. And the only thing I had in the in my left tools to use was my Taser. So I quickly drew my Taser, Ross said at the December trial. Ross had a cut to his right arm requiring 20 stitches and a cut to his left hand requiring 13 stitches, according to court documents. A Minnesota federal jury found Munoz-Guatemala guilty in December of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon and resulting in bodily injury. Munoz-Guatemala was charged in 2022 with repeatedly sexually abusing a minor victim. He was ultimately convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony offense, according to the Department of Justice. Advertisement Advertisement Officials declined to independently name Ross in the Jan. 7 shooting, but said he had at least 10 years of experience as an ICE officer and served on the agency's Special Response Team. We are not going to expose the name of this officer. He acted according to his training," wrote Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security spokeswoman in a statement to USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: ICE officer Minneapolis shooting Indiana National Guard The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on 7 January sparked protests across the US and increased scrutiny of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). ICE has made thousands of arrests since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, often in public places, leading to a number of clashes with protesters who oppose the agency's operations. A second fatal shooting, of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, happened in Minneapolis on Saturday 24 January. This incident involved Border Patrol, an immigration agency which works alongside ICE. What is ICE and when was it formed? ICE is taking the lead in carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportation initiative, which was a central promise of Trump's election campaign. Advertisement Advertisement The US president has significantly expanded ICE, its budget and its mission since returning to the White House. The agency enforces immigration laws and conducts investigations into undocumented immigration. It also plays a role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US. ICE was formed as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, a response to the terror attacks on 11 September 2001. The legislation created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with ICE as one of its subsidiary agencies. What powers do ICE agents have to arrest people? ICE sees its mission as encompassing both public safety and national security. However, its powers are different to those of the average local police department in the US. Its agents can stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally. However legal permission to enter a home or other private space requires a signed judicial warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Agents can detain US citizens in limited circumstances, such as if a person interferes with an arrest, assaults an officer, or ICE suspect the person of being in the US illegally. Despite this, according to news organisation ProPublica, there were more than 170 incidents during the first nine months of Trump's presidency in which federal agents held US citizens against their will. These cases included Americans they had suspected of being undocumented immigrants. What powers does ICE have to use force? An ICE officer shot Renee Nicole Good while she was driving her car [Getty Images] ICE's use of actions involving force are governed by a combination of the US Constitution, US law and the DHS's own guidelines. Advertisement Advertisement Under the US Constitution, law enforcement "can only use deadly force if the person poses a serious danger to them or other people, or the person has committed a violent crime", said Chris Slobogin, director of the criminal justice programme at Vanderbilt University Law School. But the US Supreme Court has historically granted broad leniency to officers making in-the-moment decisions without the benefit of hindsight. A DHS policy memo from 2023 states that federal officers "may use deadly force only when necessary" when they have "a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury" to themselves or another person. In Minneapolis, US citizen Good was killed while behind the wheel of her car. The Trump administration says the agent acted in self-defence but local officials insist she posed no danger. Advertisement Advertisement During the political row that followed Good's death, Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block the deployment of federal immigration agents in the state. Where does ICE operate? Typically, ICE operates inside the US, with some staffing abroad. ICE and other agencies have deployed hundreds of officers to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, in partnership with other federal law enforcement agencies. About 2,000 agents from ICE and other federal agencies were deployed Minneapolis as of 14 January, officials told BBC's US partner CBS News, as well as an additional 800 US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents including Border Patrol staff. Advertisement Advertisement It is thought some agents have since left. Ecuadorian authorities confirmed that an ICE agent tried to enter its Minneapolis consulate on 27 January but was denied entry. Under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, consular premises are considered "inviolable", and Ecuador - whose president is an ally of Trump - has filed an official complaint. Why are ICE agents going to the Winter Olympics in Italy and will they be at the Super Bowl? Milan Mayor Beppe Sala reacted angrily to the news that ICE agents would be sent to Italy to help support American security operations during the Winter Olympics, which begin on 6 February. "This is a militia that kills... of course they're not welcome," he told Italian radio. Advertisement Advertisement It is common for DHS and US domestic law enforcement agencies to provide security support at major international events. In this case, US officials insist that the role of Homeland Security Investigations - part of ICE - will be "strictly supportive - working with the Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations". It would "obviously" not conduct immigration enforcement operations outside the US, government spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the BBC. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that ICE personnel would not appear on Italian streets. However, ICE agents are expected to be on duty at the Super Bowl football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots in California on 8 February. Advertisement Advertisement McLaughlin told The Independent newspaper that the DHS would work with local and federal partners "to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup". "Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear," she said. What is Border Patrol? Border Patrol is a uniformed branch of law enforcement that is part of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. It typically operates near the US southern border and at other points of entry but under Trump now also works in the interior, helping ICE agents to conduct immigration stops in major cities. Advertisement Advertisement During the administration of Trump's predecessor Joe Biden, the numbers of immigrants arriving in US cities far from the border spiked. US Citizen Pretti - an intensive care nurse - was shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. The administration initially defended the officers involved. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was shot because he was "brandishing" a gun. Senior presidential adviser Stephen Miller called him a "would-be assassin". Local authorities denied this, adding that the gun was legally registered, he was not brandishing it, and that Pretti was shot after the firearm was removed. Advertisement Advertisement There is no sign of a gun in Pretti's hand, according to analysis of the available video by BBC Verify. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later struck a more muted tone, and said a full investigation would be carried out. Trump himself said his administration would "de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota, while Miller acknowledged that the agents involved in the incident may not have followed protocol. The two two agents who were involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was also expected to leave Minneapolis, being replaced by Trump's border tsar Tom Homan. What happens to people who are detained by ICE? The scale of Trump-era deportations have been significant. The administration said it had deported 605,000 people between 20 January and 10 December 2025. It also said 1.9 million immigrants had "voluntarily self-deported", following an aggressive public awareness campaign encouraging people to leave the country on their own to avoid arrest or detention. An immigrant who encounters ICE can face a variety of outcomes. Sometimes an individual is temporarily held, then released after questioning. In other circumstances, ICE will detain and transfer that person to a larger detention facility, of which there are several throughout the US. While many immigrants continue to fight for legal status while detained, if they are unsuccessful, they may ultimately be deported. About 65,000 people were in ICE detention as of 30 November 2025, according to data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse's immigration project, a compendium of government data from Syracuse University. Immigration lawyers have told the BBC that, once ICE detains an individual, it can sometimes take days for families or lawyers to find out where they are. What opposition have ICE agents met? People demonstrate against ICE during a vigil honouring Renee Nicole Good [Getty Images] Many communities have pushed back when ICE and partner agencies like the Border Patrol carry out operations. It is now common for residents to film ICE agents as they carry out arrests. Some encounters between ICE and the public have become aggressive or violent. During ICE operations in Chicago, Illinois, a collective of media organisations sued the Border Patrol. They alleged agents used improper force against journalists, religious leaders and protesters. A federal judge sided with the group, before an appeals court overturned the decision. Good and Pretti are not the only people injured by gunfire during an immigration enforcement operation. It emerged that an ICE officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minneapolis in the days after Good's death. The DHS said federal officers were conducting a "targeted traffic stop" when a Venezuelan national was shot after resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. There were also two incidents in Los Angeles in October in which agents shot at drivers, the Los Angeles Times reported. DHS said in both instances that the drivers had threatened the officers with their vehicles. ICE officers, and other immigration agents, have also been criticised for wearing masks while carrying out their operations. DHS officials have defended the practice, saying it protects agents from doxxing - being identified online - or harassment. Where do Americans stand on ICE and deportations? Americans have a complicated view of Trump's immigration enforcement plans, polling suggests. A little more than half believe some level of deportation is necessary, an October 2025 survey from the non-partisan Pew Research Center suggested. That's roughly the same number as Pew found the previous March. But the same poll suggests that Americans have concerns about Trump's methods. It found that a majority of US adults - 53% - believed the Trump administration was doing "too much" to deport undocumented immigrants. About 36% backed the approach. A CBS News poll carried out by between 14 and 16 January - after Good's death but before Pretti's - suggests opposition may have been growing. It found that 61% of respondents said that ICE was being "too tough when stopping and detaining people", while 58% disapproved of Trump's handling of immigration as a whole. During the 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony on 1 February, a number of top musicians - including Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny and British singer Olivia Dean, as well as country star Shaboozey and Cuban-American icon Gloria Estefan - used their wins to criticise Trump's immigration enforcement operations. "Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out," Bad Bunny said during a speech. Americans love to eat chicken, and there are plenty of fast-food options for those looking for their fix. Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, KFC, Raising Canes, Churchs again, its not hard to find chicken. But one restaurant you just dont hear mentioned in that discussion much anymore is Boston Market. That might have something to do with the old, Out of sight, out of mind, saying because it is not easy to find a Boston Market these days. The restaurant, which began as Boston Chicken in 1985, and is headquartered in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, had more than 1,200 restaurants at one point in the 1990s, according to The Street. Advertisement Advertisement But the bottom fell out over the next couple of decades. Boston Market was down to 300 stores heading into 2023, and The Street said that it shrank to fewer than 30 locations by the start of 2024. The Boston Market Wikipedia page says it currently has 22 stores left, but The Street said the actual number could be less than 20. The outlet cited a report from Nations Restaurant News in 2023 that claimed that Boston Market owner Jay Pandya faced hundreds of lawsuits from vendors, franchisors, and employees regarding unpaid bills when he filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 8, 2023. At the time, per the report, he cited $10-$50 million in liabilities. Advertisement Advertisement But, The Street reported, that filing by Pandya and another attempt were each rejected by the courts. So, what happened to Boston Market and its delicious rotisserie chickens to call such a fall off? Restaurant analyst Aaron Allen told FCNews that the chain hurt itself by holding its costs down a move that ultimately led to a reduction in quality, which only undercut it further. Also, a big issue for Boston Market, per The Streets report, was the fact that grocery stores began offering rotisserie chickens. The chain eventually saw the likes of Costco serve up the same things far cheaper, retail and restaurant expert Steve Feldman reportedly said. And, because of that, it might be hard for Boston Market to pull itself back off life support. Read the original article on pennlive.com. In recent months, Idaho lawmakers and state leaders have expressed angst over a projected state budget deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars. They have deliberated how to close the gap. Cut spending by slashing state programs? Reverse tax cuts enacted in the 2025 legislative session? During a sometimes-tense discussion Thursday, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and legislative leaders offered a preview of what Idahoans can expect in the 2026 legislative session, set to begin Monday. Here are five things to watch: 1. A fight over Medicaid expansion A panel of Idaho lawmakers in December recommended that the Legislature repeal the states voter-enacted Medicaid expansion program, which provides health care coverage to about 90,000 lower-income Idaho residents. Advertisement Advertisement Members of the Legislatures interim DOGE committee, modeled after Elon Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency, said a repeal was needed amid the states budget deficit. They shared anecdotes suggesting that people were gaming the system and fraudulently receiving health care benefits. On Thursday, Little told reporters at a news conference that he was not open to repealing Medicaid expansion. Weve got a lot of stuff to do with Medicaid, but repeal isnt on the table, he said. He stopped short of saying he would veto a proposal to repeal the expansion program. I dont commit on bills until I see them on my desk, he said. But he warned that there would be all kinds of unintended consequences of repealing Medicaid expansion. Idaho Gov. Brad Little told reporters Thursday that he wouldnt support a repeal of Medicaid expansion, though he stopped short of committing to veto such a proposal. (Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com) Discussion over the fate of Medicaid expansion dominated the 2025 session. Initial bills proposed cutting the program entirely, but lawmakers instead voted on a compromise to implement a managed care model to reduce costs. Advertisement Advertisement The federal government pays 90% of the costs of Idahos Medicaid expansion, which as of early 2025 provided access to care for about 90,000 lower-income Idaho residents who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid but not enough for private insurance discounts. (About 385,000 Idaho residents were enrolled in Medicaid as of fiscal year 2024.) But amid rising health care costs, Idahos share of the burden has significantly exceeded lawmakers expectations: from $32 million in projected costs in 2018 to $110 million in fiscal year 2026, said Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, on the House floor in February. On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, called the program a behemoth that risked siphoning money away from other government priorities. Medicaid Expansion passed in 2018 as a ballot initiative with over 60% support from Idaho residents, and Little previously expressed reservations about cutting a program that was passed overwhelmingly by the public. 2. Disagreement over the states economic health Little and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle painted diverging pictures of the states budget and economic prospects. Advertisement Advertisement In December, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke said the states approximately $14 billion budget was upside-down after lawmakers slashed income taxes during the 2025 session. Idaho faces a projected deficit of over $500 million in fiscal year 2027, he said. The states general fund budget was about $5.2 billion for fiscal year 2025. But on Thursday, Little touted the record growth in residents employment and personal incomes though he, Moyle and Senate Pro Tem Kelly Anthon, R-Burley, also noted that farmers and ranchers are tightening their belts amid low commodity prices. Anthon said he had a very positive outlook for the state, and Moyle sought to minimize the impact of cuts lawmakers would need to make to state programs to balance the budget, as Idahos constitution requires. Were in a really interesting situation this year, where were going to have the opportunity to go in and possibly reduce some government spending, which I totally support, he told reporters. At the same time, were going to get tax relief. Idaho Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Arthur Anthon, R-Burley, speaks to issues facing the upcoming legislative session as Speaker of the House Mike Moyle, R-Star, listens. (Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com) But if you look at overall whats going on in the state, we are in amazing shape, he said. We dont have a problem. Advertisement Advertisement Democratic leaders took a darker view. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said the state was in a hole and pushed back on the suggested that cutting government spending was the answer. We dont have a spending problem. There is no fat to cut, she said, citing low pay and high turnover among government employees. Any cuts at this point are excruciating. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, presented a less-rosy budget outlook. (Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com) Instead, said Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, the state needed to reverse some of the tax cuts it has enacted in recent years. We havent had a conservative approach to budgeting, she said. Weve had an attitude of cut, cut, cut instead of, How much revenue is really needed in a growing economy? and How many services really would help Idahoans? Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said state lawmakers havent taken a conservative approach to budgeting. (Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com) 3. New proposals to balance the budget Little told reporters hed save details of his budget proposal for a State of the State address Jan. 12, but he forecast that there will be some money thats available that hasnt been used before. Advertisement Advertisement Little didnt specify where that money would come from, but in December, his team suggested it would be open to dipping into the states $1.4 billion in rainy-day funds to help close the gap. Bedke in December called such a move prudent, and Emily Callihan, a spokesperson for Little, told the Statesman that the use of the funds remains an option that the governor may recommend to balance the budget. 4. More tax cuts? During his January 2025 State of the State address, Little called for tax cuts that could reduce the states general fund by about $100 million. Lawmakers pushed through cuts that reduced the fund by more than four times that amount. Democratic lawmakers blame the states budget shortfalls on that decision. Early in the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers must also decide whether to conform with the tax breaks offered in federal tax code. Idaho typically aligns its state tax code closely with the federal one, but doing so this year could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars of lost revenue at a time when it cant take the hit, an Idaho think tank warned in November. Advertisement Advertisement I think its so unfortunate now that were in this situation, that we have to be so stressed about how to conform because of what its going to do to break our own bank, Wintrow said. As lawmakers this session work to balance the budget, could even more tax cuts be on the way? Little said he would not be shocked to see such a proposal come across his desk, though he did not provide additional details. 5. Questions about education funding Amid the states revenue shortfall, Little in August ordered state agencies other than public schools to cut spending by 3%. Will he keep exempting funding for kindergarten through 12th grades? Its going to be pretty close, Little told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement In 2025, he signed House Bill 93, which allotted $50 million for $5,000 grants to students who dont attend public schools. Students with disabilities could receive up to $7,500 annually. The grants would come in the form of refundable tax credits. Public-school advocates have warned that the program is just the beginning, and that the budget for such grants would only increase siphoning money away from public schools. But this year, at least, Little said theres not any new money for any such increases. We are trying to do all we can to make the budget balance, he said. Im fairly confident that my legislative partners will agree that there is no new money. Reporter Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed. Idaho Lt. Gov. Bedke accuses state lawmakers of budgeting like Washington, D.C. Lawmakers set the stage for battle over Idahos Medicaid expansion An Idaho man who has been accused of killing his grandfather with a hatchet told police that it was a mercy killing, according to local reports. Jeremiah Kiley, 29, has been formally charged with the second-degree murder on Monday, January 5, of his grandfather, Joseph Reyes, who was 69. Reports indicate that Kiley waited until Tuesday, January 6, to call 911 to report his grandfathers death. As he spoke to dispatchers over the phone, Kiley allegedly told them that Reyes had been "acting crazy" the previous evening, according to court records obtained by local paper the Bonner County Daily Bee. Advertisement Advertisement Deputies with the Bonner County Sheriff's Office rushed to Reyes' Sandpoint home, where they found his lifeless body. It was determined he had been dead for several hours. While speaking with the deputies, Kiley allegedly told them that he killed Reyes with the hatchet in self-defense. He allegedly told investigators that during a "schizophrenic episode" the night before, his grandfather had pointed a gun at him. Kiley further claimed that he feared that Reyes would find more guns that were hidden throughout the home where they both lived, police alleged in the court documents reviewed by the Bonner County Daily Bee. Ohio Man Allegedly Fatally Shoots Roommate, 61, After Fight Over Dog Staying in the House Those same documents indicate Kiley, while admitting to striking his grandfather in the head that prior night with the hatchet, also claimed that the killing was committed to "stop [Reyes'] suffering." Advertisement Advertisement The court records failed to account for why Kiley waited until the next day to report the alleged incident. It is alleged in the court records that as they were questioning Kiley, police could see his demeanor shift, moving from calm in one instance to aggressive in the next. Kiley is being held on a $1 million bond. He has not been asked to enter a plea to the charge against him, and it was unclear Thursday, January 8, if he had an attorney who could address the allegations on his behalf. The case is still being investigated, police said in a statement. Kiley has a court hearing scheduled for January 21. Texas Man Says the Reason Why He Killed His Mother Is Because It Was Something I Needed to Do Advertisement Advertisement If convicted of second-degree murder, which is defined as involving "malice aforethought" or the use of torture, Kiley could be sentenced to 10 years to life without parole. In Idaho, offenders might face the death penalty if they are charged with first-degree murder. In such cases, the killing had to be carried out "by means of poison, lying in wait, torture," or with premeditated "willful, deliberate" intent. Suspects may also face a first-degree murder charge if they kill "any peace officer, executive officer, officer of the court, fireman, judicial officer," prison guard, "or prosecuting attorney who was acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty." A murder is also a first-degree felony when it is committed "in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, aggravated battery on a child under 12 years of age, arson, rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, mayhem, an act of terrorism, or the use of a weapon of mass destruction, biological weapon, or chemical weapon." The Thursday strike, per the IDF, was in response to "Hezbollah's continued violations of the ceasefire understandings." The IDF conducted an airstrike in the Zaita region of southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing a Hezbollah operative, according to an official military statement. A later statement from the IDF clarified that the operative was Alaa' Hourani, who was a Hezbollah drone operator. Throughout the IDF's conflict with Hezbollah, Hourani also aided in re-establishing the terror group's infrastructure in the region, as well as in intelligence gathering and deploying terrorist forces. Advertisement Advertisement The military claimed the strike was in response to "Hezbollah's continued violations of the ceasefire understandings." This comes less than 24 hours after the IDF struck Jouaiyya, southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah terrorist from the group's 127th Aerial Unit. The terrorist was also taking part in re-establishing the terror group's infrastructure in the region, according to a Wednesday statement. Netanyahu weighs in on Lebanon's efforts to combat Hezbollah Lebanon's government and army have not made sufficient efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and this is evidenced by the terror group's efforts, with Iran's help, to rearm and reestablish its infrastructure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated on Thursday afternoon. United Nations peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in vehicles together with Lebanese soldiers in the Buwayda region of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon, on January 8, 2026. (credit: RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images) The prime minister's comments came after the Lebanese army stated earlier that day that, outside the Israeli-controlled areas, it had achieved operational control south of Lebanons Litani River, had moved into an advanced stage of monopolizing arms in the area, and was committed to ensuring that armed actors are never again able to use the border area as a staging ground for military actions. Advertisement Advertisement The statement reaffirmed the armys commitment to being the sole actor responsible for maintaining security in Lebanon, with an emphasis on the area south of the Litani River To this end, Lebanons army claimed that its plan to consolidate weapons has entered an advanced stage, following the effective and tangible achievement of the objectives of the first phase on the ground. According to the army, having completed the initial phase, it has gained full operational control south of the Litani River, with the exception of those areas under the control of the IDF. Sam Halpern and Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report. Calling a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling a straightforward path to a legal victory, lawyers for the state of Illinois said Friday they hope to quickly resolving ongoing litigation over President Donald Trumps controversial efforts to deploy National Guard troops to the Chicago area to bolster immigration enforcement. The status filing in U.S. District Court comes two weeks after the high courts denial of a request from the Trump administration to allow the Republican president to deploy troops to Illinois streets while a court battle over a restraining order plays out. In the filing, lawyers for Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that although the Supreme Courts ruling made no final determinations, it effectively resolves as a matter of law that the federalization and deployment orders by Trump were illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs reading of the Supreme Courts Dec. 23 ruling is that it creates a straightforward path to judgment as a matter of law in their favor, the filing stated. While Illinois attorneys said they are prepared to proceed with summary judgment proceedings before U.S. District Judge April Perry, such litigation could be costly and drawn out, and the state is open to discussing other possible resolutions, the filing stated. That posture is based partly on a dramatic change in circumstances. When the lawsuit was filed in October, National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas had already been federalized and were assembling at bases for imminent deployment. Now, those forces have been largely demobilized, though some 195 Illinois National Guard troops remained in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as of this week completing the demobilization process, which is expected to conclude next week. Advertisement Advertisement The filing also made note of Trumps social media post on Dec. 31 announcing he was ordering the National Guard removed from Illinois, which also threatened: We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again Only a question of time! Quoting from settled case law, the lawyers for Raoul said Trumps voluntary cessation of the contested conduct is only binding if its absolutely clear the wrongful behavior will not recur. Lawyers for the Department of Justice, meanwhile, asked for more time to decide how to proceed, saying they were continuing to evaluate the implications of the Supreme Courts recent stay decision, which potentially affects pending cases in Oregon and California. In the same status filing, the DOJ asked for one-month extension to file a response to the complaint, which the attorney generals office has opposed. Advertisement Advertisement The divided opinion by the conservative-majority Supreme Court represented a significant political victory for Gov. JB Pritzker and other Democratic governors in their escalating battle with Trump over his authority to go against their wishes and use federalized troops on U.S. soil to assist immigration enforcement personnel carrying out the presidents mass deportation efforts in Chicago and other American cities. At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois, the high courts order said. Thus, at least in this posture, the Government has not carried its burden to show that (the law) permits the President to federalize the Guard in the exercise of inherent authority to protect federal personnel and property in Illinois. Three of the courts conservative justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, lodged dissents, with Thomas and Alito writing that the court has unnecessarily and unwisely departed from standard practice. The fight landed at the Supreme Court days after Perry issued a temporary restraining order barring Trump from deploying Guard troops to the state. That order has since been continued indefinitely pending the resolution of the lawsuit. _____ With a market cap of $25.4 billion, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AVB) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that develops, redevelops, acquires, owns, and operates apartment communities across major U.S. markets. As of September 30, 2025, it owned or held interests in 314 apartment communities with 97,219 homes and additional projects under development. The Arlington, Virginia-based company is set to announce its fiscal Q4 2025 results soon. Ahead of this event, analysts predict AVB to report a core FFO of $2.85 per share, a 1.8% rise from the $2.80 per share in the year-ago quarter. It has surpassed Wall Street's bottom-line estimates in two of the past four quarters while missing on two other occasions. More News from Barchart For fiscal 2025, analysts expect AVB to post core FFO per share of $11.25, up 2.2% from $11.01 in fiscal 2024. Looking ahead to fiscal 2026, core FFO is projected to rise a further 3.6% to $11.65 per share. www.barchart.com AVB stock has decreased 15% over the past 52 weeks, lagging behind the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 17.1% gain and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF's (XLRE) marginal rise over the same period. www.barchart.com Shares of AvalonBay Communities fell nearly 1% following its Q3 2025 results on Oct. 29 as the company reported core FFO of $2.75 per share, missing analysts expectations. Investor sentiment was further hurt by its forecast of Q4 core FFO in the range of $2.80 per share to $2.90 per share, with the midpoint below the estimate. In addition, rental demand softened in key markets such as Seattle, Northern California, San Francisco, and San Jose due to weaker consumer activity and an oversupply of units. Analysts' consensus view on AVB stock is cautiously optimistic, with a "Moderate Buy" rating. Out of 24 analysts covering the stock, seven give a "Strong Buy," one has a "Moderate Buy" rating, and 16 give a "Hold" rating. The average analyst price target for AvalonBay Communities is $202.98, suggesting a potential upside of 13.1% from the current levels. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com In early January 2026, as captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, made their first court appearances in the U.S., an image circulated online that users claimed (archived) showed Flores in court with a bandaged head and a black eye. U.S. forces seized Maduro and Flores during an overnight mission in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, on Jan. 3. The operation reportedly left dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban officers dead. According to The Associated Press, U.S. officials were holding Maduro and Flores at the the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, while they awaited trial. One X user who shared the image, which showed a woman with dark brown hair and glasses wearing a black blazer and maroon top seated in front of a microphone, wrote, "Those who call on the U.S. to protect women's rights should keep this image in mind. If the same had happened to Donald Trump's wife, human rights activists would have reacted strongly across the world." (X user @YasirAgha1234) The image also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived) and LinkedIn (archived). Snopes readers wrote in, asking whether it actually showed Maduro's wife. Advertisement Advertisement The woman in the image was not Flores, as evidenced by authentic photos from the Venezuelan first lady's capture by the reputable photo agency Getty Images and court sketches from her and Maduro's first appearance on Jan. 5, 2026. We were unable to definitively determine whether the image had been digitally edited or generated with artificial intelligence. Because of this, we've left this claim unrated. According to the authentic photos, Flores did not wear glasses and had light blond hair. Flores has had blond hair since at least 2019, according to Getty Images. She and Maduro both wore what appeared to be prison clothes during the Jan 5. appearance, consisting of a blue t-shirt over an orange inner layer. According to The Associated Press, Flores did have bandages "on her forehead and right temple" during her Jan 5. court appearance, with her lawyer Mark Donnelly reportedly saying she suffered "significant injuries" during her capture. The alleged photograph of Flores showed her with bandages on her left temple. The court sketches did not show Flores with a black eye as seen in the image that falsely claimed to portray her. Snopes could not determine whether the image in question was authentic, meaning not created or edited using artificial intelligence. Google's Gemini AI language model said it did not detect SynthID an invisible watermark that Google embeds in content created by its generative AI consumer products in the image. Online AI detectors Sightengine and Hive Moderation both found the image unlikely to have been AI generated. Such detectors are not always completely reliable. Advertisement Advertisement The image did appear to show the woman wearing two different earrings a hoop in her right ear and a small golden pendant dangling from her left. Such inconsistencies can point to the use of AI. Some versions of the image carried a watermark identical (archived) to that used by Samira Shuja, an Afghan journalist in the U.K. Snopes could not find the image on Shuja's various social media feeds. We reached out to Shuja to ask about the image and await a reply. We also reached out to an X user who shared an early instance of the image and will update this story if we hear back. Maduro and Flores face federal drug trafficking charges in the U.S. According to a 25-page indictment, the pair are accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of people who owed them drug money. Sources: 'AI Image Detector. Detect AI-Generated Media at Scale'. Sightengine, https://sightengine.com/detect-ai-generated-images. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026. Advertisement Advertisement 'At Least 24 Venezuelan Security Officers Killed in Maduro Capture, Its Military Says'. AP News, https://apnews.com/live/us-venezuela-trump-maduro-updates-01-06-2026. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026. 'Cilia Flores Is Seen in Handcuffs after Landing at a Manhattan...' Getty Images, 5 Jan. 2026, https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/cilia-flores-is-seen-in-handcuffs-after-landing-at-a-news-photo/2254194608. COTO, DANICA, and ANDREA RODRIGUEZ. 'Cuba Releases Details of 32 Officers Killed in US Strike on Venezuela as US Defends Attack'. AP News, 6 Jan. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/cubans-killed-venezuela-strike-us-oas-a8d8fcbe3e825979c5d3171f9b076a85. Hive Moderation. https://hivemoderation.com/ai-generated-content-detection. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026. Advertisement Advertisement KINNARD, MEG, and MICHELLE L. PRICE. 'How the US Captured Venezuelan Leader Nicolas Maduro'. AP News, 3 Jan. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-presidential-palace-blowtorches-7969152ae48510003fe9cbde92f3c102. 'Nicolas Maduro and His Wife, Cilia Flores, Are Seen in Handcuffs...' Getty Images, 5 Jan. 2026, https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/nicolas-maduro-and-his-wife-cilia-flores-are-seen-in-news-photo/2254194837. SETH, ANIKA ARORA. 'US Indicts Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro'. AP News, 3 Jan. 2026, https://apnews.com/interactive/us-indicts-venezuela-maduro/. SISAK, MICHAEL R., et al. 'Maduro Says "I Was Captured" as He Pleads Not Guilty to Drug Trafficking Charges'. AP News, 5 Jan. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-131f59e517cc8314a53c8dace230d328. Advertisement Advertisement SISAK, MICHAEL R., and LARRY NEUMEISTER. 'After Capture and Removal, Venezuela's Maduro Is Being Held at Notorious Brooklyn Jail'. AP News, 4 Jan. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/maduro-federal-prisons-jails-mdc-brooklyn-f985d47a1aa82ac330aa8a2e004f3db2. 'SynthID'. Google DeepMind, https://deepmind.google/models/synthid/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026. As Georgia ranks as one of the top states for Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, immigrants, families, and advocates on the front lines share their fears and the fight for freedom in a series of interviews. Nana Gyamfi is intentional about the word she uses to encapsulate federal agents ongoing sweep in Atlanta and throughout the state for both documented and undocumented immigrants. I use the term body snatchers as a catch-all term for the government enforcement agents and their masked mercenaries to make clear that there is no distinction between the systems they work for immigration and criminal enforcement systems and to highlight their continued function: to snatch our people, our loved ones, our neighbors, our co-workers away from us, she said. To them, our people are bodies for their quotas, their body count. Advertisement Advertisement Stories of people being detained and disappeared while taking their children to school, of unsanitary detention centers, and the lack of due process fuel Gyamfis efforts as executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, which works to advocate for and empower immigrants from across the African diaspora. In addition to local chapters in Georgia, California, New York, and Florida, the 20-year-old organizations legal resources and clinics are available virtually. The legal and policy staff host bi-weekly asylum support webinars. Gyamfi is leading one of the many grassroots organizations fighting to disseminate information and provide legal support and everyday resources at a time of unprecedented attacks on immigrant communities. Pew Research estimates around 200,000 Black immigrants, mostly from Jamaica, Haiti, and Nigeria, call metro Atlanta home. According to Gyamfi, Black migrants are detained, deported, and held in solitary confinement at a disproportionately higher rate. Advertisement Advertisement The fear has increased, she said when asked about the current feeling in the city. People find themselves not wanting to go to the grocery store, take kids to school, or go to work. Tensions in immigrant communities ratcheted up last year after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp bolstered efforts in the state to support President Donald Trumps deportation efforts. Last March, Kemp announced that the Georgia Department of Public Safety had requested that Immigration and Customs Enforcement train 1,100 officers to better assist in identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who pose a risk to public safety in the state. The fear has increased. People find themselves not wanting to go to the grocery store, take kids to school, or go to work. Nana Gyamfi, executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration Then in May, Kemp signed House Bill 1105, requiring sheriffs to hold suspects believed to be in the country illegally if they are wanted by ICE. Charlton County, located 10 miles from the Florida border and 274 miles south of Atlanta, approved a nearly $50 million agreement with ICE last June to expand the Folkston ICE Processing Center from 1,100 detainees to nearly 3,000, making it the largest private detention facility in the country. Advertisement Advertisement The small town of Social Circle, located 45 miles outside of Atlanta, made headlines this week when The Washington Post reported that federal immigration officials were planning to use warehouses in the community as a detention facility to house 5,000 to 10,000 people being staged for deportation. Gyamfi said the fear of arrest, detention and deportation has even spread to those in the immigrant community who thought they were safe. If you look at percentages, [Black immigrants] are some of the most documented. Most could feel some sense of security. That has disappeared. People with protected status, they were living out in the open, they have jobs, they have kids and have been here for decades. But suddenly, at a traffic stop, the body snatchers end up taking them to a detention prison. This wasnt on peoples radar. People who once felt comfortable in a place like Atlanta, full of people that look like them and where Black folks have power, now find themselves making choices every day about how they move through the city. Many are staying home or abandoning their churches, while others are unwilling to speak on the phone for fear that lines are tapped. Advertisement Advertisement For Gyamfi, the new threat level means her organizations work now expands to support basic everyday needs. We are providing aid for food drives to elders and disabled folks who are even more vulnerable. Gyamfi said she is encouraged by seeing people engaged in community defense and supports their efforts by creating emergency preparedness plans, distributing know-your-rights information, and continuing the work of locating people who have been detained. Staff writer Madeline Thigpen contributed to this report. The post Immigrants Advocate Fights ICE Raids, Federal Push to Snatch Our People appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey says he didn't see his new job coming. He expected to remain police chief through the rest of Mayor Joe Hogsett's third term, digging into IMPD's core issues as part of a new five-year strategic plan that he oversaw. But after two years leading the police department, Bailey will become Hogsett's chief of staff Feb. 2, moving from one of the city's top law enforcement jobs to one of its most influential civilian roles. The job, also known as chief deputy mayor, has been the source of controversy and repeated turnover. Bailey will be Hogsett's fourth chief of staff in a decade as mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Former Department of Public Works Director Dan Parker stepped down from the role Dec. 31, halfway through Hogsett's third term, after more than three years as the mayor's right-hand man. The mayor's first chief of staff, Thomas Cook, quietly resigned in late 2020 after Hogsett discovered Cook's prohibited sexual relationship with a subordinate. In a 2024 IndyStar article, Lauren Roberts, Caroline Ellert and a third anonymous woman accused Cook of sexual misconduct; Ellert also accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2019. A Marion County grand jury is now investigating city development deals involving Cook, as well as allegations of "unlawful touching." In a sit-down interview with IndyStar Jan. 9, Bailey said none of that fraught history gave him pause as he considered the new job. "I'm focused on service and governing," he said. Indianapolis police chief Chris Bailey speaks Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, at the City-County Building about taking over as Mayor Joe Hogsett's chief deputy mayor and chief of staff. To that end, Bailey's more than two decades of law enforcement experience starting as an IMPD patrol officer in 1999 and rising through the ranks to become chief in February 2024 taught him something that he plans to keep top of mind: Good governance starts with public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Bailey also discussed how he will navigate tensions over violent crime between the Democrat-led capital city and the Republican-dominated state legislature, what the city needs in its next police chief and whether he plans to run for political office someday. Read the full Q&A with Bailey below: IndyStar's full Q&A with incoming Chief of Staff Chris Bailey This conversation has been edited for length, brevity and clarity. Question: In late December, you told an IndyStar colleague the following: "The average tenure for a police chief is about three years. My goal while I'm here is to do the right thing, and to leave this organization better than I got it." So you've been chief for two years. Was the offer to become chief of staff a surprise? Why leave IMPD now? Answer: Yeah, it's a surprise. It wasn't on my bingo card to be the chief of staff for a major metropolitan city mayor. Advertisement Advertisement But as I contemplated the offer, I think everything in my career, in my life, has set me up for this opportunity, and it's always been an interest of mine to govern. I did that as a police chief. I wasn't really a police officer, as a police chief I was an administrator. I managed a $350 million budget, 1,800 employees responsible for the safety of millions of people that either live or visit and come and go in our city every single day. My intention when I said 'yes' to the mayor to take the police chief's job was to finish this term as the police chief, and then walk away. But as fate has it, the opportunity came. And after careful reflection and discussions with my family, I thought it would be a great opportunity to help continue my service to the city. And it will be a different way of serving. How will the ways you try to influence the city's direction as chief of staff differ from how you did so as police chief? I think that leadership generally is about people and relationships. And I think I've done a good job, from my time as deputy chief of investigations through assistant chief and chief, of building relationships across the political spectrum, across our city, across our state and across our country. [Through] my work with the Major Cities Chiefs Association, I have friendships with chiefs all over the country, and that allows me to have great perspectives and understand things that are happening in whatever city, things that may come here eventually. Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people [make this transition], and I didn't realize that until one of my close advisers sent me a bunch of articles about all these police chiefs that transfer to city manager, to public safety director, and some even to mayor which, by the way, I have no interest in. So I'll just answer that question for you now. But [there are] skills that you learn in those positions, managing people, navigating obstacles, working through interdepartmental issues. An issue for [the Department of Public Works] is an issue for the police. An issue for [the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services] is an issue for the police. [Working] through those issues has prepared me for this role, and for Mayor Hogsett to see that is truly an honor for me. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett listens as Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief, Christopher Bailey speaks during a press conference with community and faith leaders, called to address downtown gun violence on Saturday, July 5th, 2025, in Indianapolis. On that note, after more than two decades in policing, what perspective will you bring to the mayor's office about how public policy decided up here on the 25th floor of the City-County Building affects what's happening on the ground in neighborhoods? Everything that we do as a government revolves around public safety to start. If you don't feel safe in your neighborhood, if you don't feel like a city is safe, then you don't come here. You don't visit here. You don't live here. You don't raise your family here. You don't invest your money here. Advertisement Advertisement I think having that perspective helps lead everything else among the priorities that the mayor has: better roads, investments in parks, ending chronic homelessness, removing the barriers for housing, making the price of housing more affordable so people can have a home and then create some generational wealth that comes along with being a homeowner. All those things play a part, with public safety being at the top of that. As chief of staff, how will you handle the often contentious relationship between the mayor's office and the state legislature, whose members frequently are talking about intervention in local law enforcement after episodes of violent crime? I really am going to lean into the example that was set by [former Chief of Staff] Dan Parker. Dan Parker has a great relationship with people at the state on both sides of the aisle, and I think that our shared interests are to make sure that Indianapolis is great. Same thing with me: I've spent a lot of time being apolitical and being focused on doing what's right and what's best for the people of this city and working with both sides of the [Indianapolis City-County] Council, with both sides of the General Assembly, to pass bills like the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force bill or to work with the council on a bipartisan effort to help us combat issues related to street takeovers and street racing. Advertisement Advertisement I think when the focus is on governing, which is mine I am not an elected person and so my obligation is to every single person who lives, works and visits Indianapolis. Politics play a part in everyday life. I play politics at home with my kids. You can't escape it. But I'm here to govern and work with people to make Indianapolis better tomorrow than it is today. Obviously, there's been some turnover in the chief of staff role. Currently, development contracts involving Hogsett's first chief of staff, Thomas Cook, are being looked at by a Marion County grand jury. There's been a lot of strife over the last year and a half regarding Cook's impact in this role. Did any of that give you pause when you considered taking the role as chief of staff? No, because my focus is on the city. Everything I have in my life is because of this city. I'm focused on service and governing. There's challenges in every single administration and every single agency within any giant enterprise. There's been steps taken to mitigate issues related to those things, but what I'm focused on now is continuing to push Mayor Hogsett's agenda forward for the next two years and making sure that the people of Indianapolis have what they need to live in the greatest city in the country, in my opinion. IMPD Chief Chris Bailey talks about the year in Indianapolis law enforcement Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 and hopes and plans for the upcoming 2026 year. Moving to your current department: Now IMPD will be without a chief. What do you want to see from the next police chief, and are there any specific people you'll vouch for to the mayor? Between myself and [former IMPD Chief Randal Taylor], and my time as assistant chief and now as chief, weve spent a really large amount of time creating a deep bench and a leadership legacy within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. And I'm proud of our team. Any successes that we've had in my tenure as a chief you can give [my team] credit for them, and our officers, our professional staff, and our partnerships in the community and other city enterprises. Advertisement Advertisement So I think we all want someone who is visible, who is supportive, who will listen, who is accessible in the community, who is service-oriented, who understands what our mission is, who understands what the goals are that we've worked together on in the last two years. ... And there's someone within our existing team that I think fits that bill. Multiple people. So the mayor's choice is going to be very hard. I'll provide input in all that, and whoever he decides on will be a much better chief than I could ever have imagined. Do you think it's important that someone from the current rank and file is promoted from within? I think at this time, where we are right now, the best candidate to be police chief comes from right here within our department. During your time as chief, IMPD dealt with some controversies related to outbursts of downtown violence, a number of officers being charged with sex crimes. Are there regrets from your time as police chief that you want the next chief to focus on improving? Yeah, those are challenges. Any time you're dealing with human beings, you're going to have people that unfortunately step out from under their oath. And those things have to be dealt with. I think what you saw from us is that those things were dealt with, they were dealt with quickly and in the right way. Its super unfortunate that it happened. Advertisement Advertisement I think I could have done a better job at fixing our recruitment and retention issues. This is a national issue, no doubt. The issues of 2020 and George Floyd and the racial reckoning, and all the things that occurred over the last five years in policing, definitely have impacted people who want to be police not just in Indianapolis, but across the country. There were tremendous investments made by Mayor Hogsett in starting pay in this last labor agreement to push our pay up significantly. And this is a great job if you have a mind for service. So I want the next chief to really and it was going to be part of our strategic plan to dive deeper into hiring practices. The whole process, from start to finish, which includes recruiting and all those things. We had just gotten started in doing some of those things and I have no doubt the next chief will continue those efforts to improve that area. You said you won't run for mayor. That's not in the works. Does this new job mean that you're thinking of a future in elected office? I didn't expect this job, and so I don't know what the future holds. I may have my fill of governing in the next two years and just want to escape to some deserted island and stare at a palm tree. I don't know. Advertisement Advertisement I don't want to box myself into anything, but at this point, I have no desire to run for political office. Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why IMPD Chief Chris Bailey became Hogsett's chief of staff interview Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, discusses the Republican supermajority caucus's 2026 legislative agenda during a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Statehouse. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Indiana House Republicans on Thursday announced a four-bill legislative agenda for the 2026 session focusing on housing affordability, utility costs and deregulation. House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, framed the tightly focused priorities as a continued effort to address cost-of-living issues. Advertisement Advertisement We are in the midst of our short session, and weve hit the ground running this year to deliver for Hoosiers, Huston said at a Statehouse news conference. This year, were focused on lowering costs for Hoosier families and reducing government to unleash opportunity. The supermajority caucuss four priority bills hone in on housing supply, electric utility regulation, consolidation of boards and commissions, and continued deregulation of K-12 education. The proposals collectively seek to loosen local zoning rules to spur housing construction; change how utilities are regulated and compensated; streamline state government oversight bodies; and repeal thousands of words of education statute lawmakers say are outdated or unused. Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, discusses the Republican supermajority caucuss 2026 legislative agenda during a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Statehouse. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Huston made clear, however, that House Republicans do not intend to reopen the state budget. Advertisement Advertisement This years priorities build on efforts advanced in recent years to reduce costs, get government out of the way and grow our economy, he said. The session is expected to end by late February even earlier than usual short sessions after lawmakers returned to the Statehouse for two weeks in December to debate a contentious redistricting proposal that ultimately failed to pass. House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said that while some of the proposed housing provisions could help reduce rents, Democrats saw limited progress in the GOP agenda. It seemed to me, at first glance, its pretty lackluster when it comes to trying to save Hoosiers money on their utility bills, GiaQuinta said. It doesnt mention anything with regards to health care or child care. These are issues that weve been talking about for a long time now and its not just us, its what Hoosiers are looking for. Housing supply and local zoning rules House Bill 1001, authored by Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, targets housing affordability by limiting local zoning regulations and streamlining approvals for new residential development. Advertisement Advertisement Miller, a home builder himself, said Indiana has constrained supply far too long through unnecessary and problematic regulations and restrictions, contributing to high homeownership costs. House Republicans have made it a priority to increase housing stock in the state of Indiana, Miller said, noting nearly $75 million in housing investments in recent budget cycles. Yet the costs to own a home they remain high. House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, reacts to the Republican caucuss legislative priorities during a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Statehouse. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The bill would allow certain housing uses to be approved without public hearings, cap parking requirements, limit local design standards and require mixed-use or multifamily housing to be permitted in some commercially zoned areas. It also expands allowances for accessory dwelling units, such as backyard or in-law apartments. Miller said the goal is not to strip authority from local governments, but to work within their existing frameworks. Advertisement Advertisement Were not taking decision-making away from local authorities, he said. What were actually doing is working within the guidelines that they already operate. The legislation also requires local governments to begin reporting housing approval data to the state, which Miller said will help identify bottlenecks. We dont know what we dont know, he said. GiaQuinta said Democrats are open to parts of the proposal, particularly provisions that could reduce construction costs and lower rents. He pointed to requirements tied to building materials and design standards as potential contributors to higher housing prices, but he cautioned lawmakers to closely examine the actual savings and impacts on local control. Advertisement Advertisement If that can lower costs and lower (monthly payments) for folks that are living in an apartment there are probably some things in there that are a good first step, GiaQuinta said. But if our goal is to reduce costs, were going to have to really take a deep dive and see what the exact savings are going to be. Utility accountability and energy affordability Next up, House Bill 1002, authored by Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, would overhaul how Indiana regulates electric utilities by moving forward with performance-based rate making and multi-year rate plans. Indianas regulatory structure has served us well for generations, Shonkwiler said. But that framework was built for a very different energy era. She said that although Indianas residential electric rates remain among the lowest in the Great Lakes region, families are still struggling to afford utility bills. Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler, R-Noblesville, describes her electric utility regulation bill during a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Statehouse. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Hoosiers are still feeling the financial burden of heating, cooling and lighting their homes, she said. We are updating our regulatory tools so utilities are held accountable for delivering the outcomes we want: strong reliability, improved resilience and better affordability. Advertisement Advertisement The bill would tie utility profits to performance metrics such as affordability, service restoration and reliability. Utilities would additionally be required to place customers on budget billing plans by default allowing ratepayers to opt out and would be prohibited from disconnecting service to certain low-income customers during periods of extreme summer heat. Shonkwiler described the approach as incremental but significant for Indiana, which has not previously adopted performance-based regulation at this scale. This is about modernizing regulation in a way that still protects consumers, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Still, GiaQuinta said Democrats remain skeptical that the bill would deliver meaningful or timely savings. One thing that we can do right off the bat is suspend the sales tax on utilities, GiaQuinta suggested. On electricity alone, thats about $350 a year. And if you do that on all utilities, that really starts to add up. Consolidating boards and commissions Another measure, House Bill 1003, authored by Rep. Steve Bartels, R-Eckerty, proposes repealing, merging or restructuring dozens of state boards, commissions and councils. In its current form, the massive 346-page bill would eliminate 56 state commissions, committees, boards, task forces and councils, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. Advertisement Advertisement This is a product over three years of work, Bartels said. A legislative task force debated possible cuts to Indianas roster of more than 250 state boards and commissions in November. The intent here, Bartels continued, is to increase government efficiency and effectiveness. While the bill includes modest cost savings, he emphasized that money is not the primary goal. Story continues below. Dozens of state boards, commissions and councils would be affected by House Bill 1003, authored by Rep. Steve Bartels, R-Eckerty. (List from a legislative fiscal analysis published on Jan. 7, 2026) The intent is not necessarily to specifically save money, Bartels said. Its efficiency. Huston echoed that view, saying overlapping boards can create confusion and duplicate work. Youre creating multiple work streams out of that, and oftentimes those work streams are not even congruent with one another, Huston said. Advertisement Advertisement The bill also makes sweeping changes to administrative rulemaking, professional licensing and the state building code, transferring some responsibilities to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, for example. Some suggestions including elimination of the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission have already been criticized, however. A representative from the Indiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, for example, previously told lawmakers he was concerned about building code decisions and changes being made by state agency staffers or lawmakers without the involvement of the commission, whose members include architects, professional engineers and others with construction experience. More K-12 education deregulation Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said his House Bill 1004 continues a multi-year effort to strip unused or outdated language from Indianas education code. This legislation improves Indianas education framework by removing restrictive, redundant and unnecessary statutory requirements, Behning said. He added that the bill, as currently drafted, would eliminate more than 19,000 words from state law following last years removal of nearly 35,000 words in a separate deregulation measure and cleans up conflicting definitions, unused programs and obsolete mandates. The goal is really to let education get out of the way, let educators do what they do best, he said. Behning noted that the bill would further repeal outdated reporting requirements, remove defunct grant programs and eliminate mandates that no longer align with how schools operate, including provisions tied to obsolete technology and programs no longer funded by the state. Huston called education deregulation one of the House GOPs most persistent and challenging priorities. Its oftentimes asked for, but oftentimes hard to accomplish, he said. We want to create a flexible system to do it. GiaQuinta told reporters he still needed to review the 168-page bill but questioned the effort. Rep. Behning now has been in charge of the education committee since 2011, and he keeps wanting to deregulate the things that he was responsible and the House Republicans have been responsible for putting in (state code), GiaQuinta said. Maybe theyre correcting the errors of their ways. I dont really know what the plan is there, so well continue to monitor that. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Forty people were killed when a blaze ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana on New Year's Day. A video showing people waving napkins near a fire installation has been falsely linked to the incident on social media, but it was in fact filmed in the Indonesian island of Bali a week before. "Video footage from inside the bar shows the moment the fire started," reads a Douyin post on January 2, 2026 written in simplified Chinese. It includes hashtags that say "Swiss bar New Year's Eve" and "explosion and fire at bar in Switzerland". The post, which has been shared over 1,400 times, includes a 14-second clip showing a group of people dancing and swinging white cloths next to burning leaves arrayed across the counter of a kitchen. Advertisement Advertisement Decorations on the kitchen ignite and the flames quickly spread to the ceiling, as patrons filming the scene scramble to leave. Screenshot of the false post taken on January 8, 2026 with a red X added by AFP Similar posts spread elsewhere on Douyin, and in other languages including English, French and Spanish after a deadly fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Day, leaving 40 dead and 116 injured (archived link). Twenty-six of those killed were teenagers. Prosecutors believe the fire started when people celebrating the New Year raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached, setting light to sound insulation foam on the ceiling in the bar's basement section. Swiss authorities said fire safety inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. Advertisement Advertisement French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who owned and managed Le Constellation, are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence (archived link). However, the circulating footage is unrelated to the incident. A reverse image search revealed that a longer version of the clip was published on December 22, 2025 on Instagram (archived link). It further shows a man trying to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher. The video's Russian-language caption tags a restaurant named Bella Canggu. Screenshot comparison of the false Douyin post (L) and the longer Instagram post According to Google Maps and the restaurant's website, Bella Canggu is located in Canggu, a resort village in Bali, Indonesia (archived here and here). Advertisement Advertisement The restaurant advertises its "Taverna Nights" -- where guests wave napkins, smash plates and dance on tables -- in one of its Instagram posts (archived link). A video of its staff waving napkins next to burning leaves can be found in its Instagram Highlight named "TAVERNATHURSDAY", with pictures showing settings and the staff's attire matching those in the clip (archived link). The social media user who posted the video and the restaurant did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. Screenshot comparison of the Instagram video posted December 22, 2025 (L) and the restaurant's Instagram story The fire department in Badung Regency -- which is in charge of the Canggu area -- told AFP on January 8 the fire shown in the video happened in Bella Canggu on December 22, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement I Ketut Agus Pasek Sudina, the head of the North Kuta police, separately said no one died in the fire, but the property damage cost approximately 305 million Indonesian rupiah ($18,100). Indonesian media outlet Detik also reported on the fire on December 25, 2025 with a picture showing a similar scene in the circulating clip (archived link). Anti-government protests in Iran appeared to accelerate on Jan. 9, sparked by anger over the collapse of the country's currency and a broader sense of hopelessness and disillusionment with Tehran's clerical leaders. The uptick in unrest also comes as President Donald Trump warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue." NetBlocks, an internet watchdog, said that its data showed that Iran's authorities had imposed a nationwide internet blackout and other forms of strict digital censorship amid the turmoil. This makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the scale and severity of the demonstrations and the government's response. Anti-government protests in Iran appeared to accelerate on Jan. 9, sparked by anger over the collapse of the country's currency and a broader sense of hopelessness and disillusionment with Tehran's clerical leaders. The uptick in unrest also comes as President Donald Trump warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue." See the scenes in Iran, beginning here on the streets amid anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from social media video released on January 8, 2026. Witnesses told Reuters protesters gathered in the streets on Thursday, January 8, however this video's date taken has not been verified. Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on January 9, 2026. People tear down an Iranian flag after it was taken down in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, in this still image obtained from a social media video released on January 8, 2026. Date when the video was filmed could not be confirmed. An overturned car and multiple fires burn as protesters chant outside a police station, during Iran's biggest demonstrations in three years over economic hardship, in Azna, Lorestan Province, Iran, in this still image obtained from a social media video released on January 1, 2026. Protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on January 9, 2026. Witnesses told Reuters protesters gathered in the streets on Thursday, January 8, however this video's date taken has not been verified. People gather on the streets amid anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from social media video released on January 8, 2026. The date of the videos could not be verified. Witnesses in Tehran told Reuters that protesters gathered in the streets on Thursday, January 8. People gather on the streets during a protest in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on January 8, 2026. The date could not be verified but multiple videos verified to Mashhad were posted online on January 8. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, January 9, 2026. Burning debris lies in the middle of a street during unrest in Hamedan, Iran on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. A person uses a lighter to set fire to a banner during demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. Burning debris lies next to an overturned dumpster in the middle of a street during unrest amid demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. Rocks, tree branches, and a toppled charity box remain on a street during unrest amid demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. A protester flashes victory signs as traffic slows during demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran's currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people were killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. Security forces detain protesters outside a commercial building on Ahmadabad Street in Mashhad, Iran on January 3, 2026. Iran has experienced recurrent waves of protests in recent years driven by political repression, economic hardship, rising living costs, and restrictions on civil and social freedoms, including women's rights. Demonstrations have frequently been met with arrests, heavy security deployments, internet disruptions, and, according to activists and rights groups, the killing of protesters, as authorities move to suppress dissent. People walk down the street, chanting in Farsi, "Reza Shah, rest in peace", in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from a social media video released on December 30, 2025. Demonstrators attempt to force a gate open to gain access to a building during a protest in Fasa, Iran, in this still image obtained from a social media video released on December 31, 2025. See Iran's anti-government protests, huge crowds, unrest in photos 1 of 16 Anti-government protests in Iran appeared to accelerate on Jan. 9, sparked by anger over the collapse of the country's currency and a broader sense of hopelessness and disillusionment with Tehran's clerical leaders. The uptick in unrest also comes as President Donald Trump warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue." See the scenes in Iran, beginning here on the streets amid anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from social media video released on January 8, 2026. Witnesses told Reuters protesters gathered in the streets on Thursday, January 8, however this video's date taken has not been verified. 'Woman, life, liberty': Iranians on why they'll risk beatings and death for change Advertisement Advertisement But some videos and images have slipped out, published on social media by opposition groups and human rights monitors. In some, protesters can be heard calling for the overthrow of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the return of the exiled son of Iran's last king, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Iran's last shah, as he is known, was overthrown by Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. His son and heir, also Reza Pahlavi, lives in Virginia. Iran's religious rulers have for years struggled to bridge the gap between their theocratic priorities and the expectations of a young society that seeks more social, economic and political freedoms. Some videos and images appeared to show protesters met with tear gas amid violent street confrontations. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 34 protesters and four security personnel have been killed and 2,200 arrested over the last 12 days. Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based monitoring group, said at least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed by Iran's security forces. However, the demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month and have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces, have yet to reach the scale of unrest that started in 2022 and carried over into 2023 and were ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, according to the monitoring groups. The 22-year-old died while in police custody after being detained for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. Members of Iran's "Guidance Patrol" its so-called morality police claimed Amini was wearing her hijab incorrectly when she was arrested. Inside Iran: A nation still seeing with resentment toward US Advertisement Advertisement Iran does not maintain diplomatic relations with the United States. A representative for Iran's mission to the United Nations, in New York, did not immediately respond to a comment for request on the current protests, which started in Tehran with shopkeepers in the city's Grand Bazaar angered by a sharp slide in the rial currency. They have since evolved to include mainly young men rather than the women and girls who played a key role in the Amini protests. In a post on X, Pahlavi said that "millions of Iranians" have been demanding "their freedom." He also thanked Trump for his recent warning to Iran's leaders that the U.S. will intervene if peaceful protesters are killed. Iranian state media has downplayed the scale of the protests, posting videos of empty streets. The Pentagon bombed Iran's nuclear facilities in August 2025 as part of an Israel-Iran war that lasted 12 days. In his first major address to the nation since the demonstrations erupted almost two weeks ago, Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said Trump should focus on problems in his own country, without elaborating. He also accused Iran's protesters of "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iranian street protests grow amid internet blackout, Trump threat BAXTER, Iowa The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has charged the former City of Baxter police chief and city clerk in connection to an audit that discovered over $70,000 of improper disbursements. In November 2025, the Iowa State Auditors Office released a report which detailed a special investigation of City of Baxter funds between July 2021 and February 2024. The report was requested by Baxter city officials who were concerned over financial transactions made my former employees Police Chief William Daggett, City Clerk Katleyn Wilson and EMS Coordinator Randi Gliem. In the report, Auditor Rob Sand says $75,073 of improper disbursements were identified, along with $11,294 of unsupported disbursements, and $3,814 of unbilled, uncollected, and over-collected utility billings. Advertisement Advertisement The report says improper payroll costs and excess comp time payments were paid out to the three Baxter employees in the following amounts: $51,275.62 to Daggett $3,509.55 to Wilson $1,461.09 to Gliem The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says authorities arrested Daggett and Wilson Thursday. Daggett was charged with Theft in the First Degree, a Class C Felony, and Felonious Misconduct in Office, a Class D Felony. Wilson, was charged with Unauthorized Computer Access, Aggravated Misdemeanor. The DCI did not include any information about the investigation or an arrest related to Gliem. The office says no additional information will be released at this time. Iowa News: Advertisement Advertisement 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 who13.com. PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) The one bighorn sheep license that the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission uses as an annual fundraising tool will be auctioned by a different organization this year. The commissioners chose Iowa Foundation for North American Wild Sheep for 2026 during this weeks GFP commission meeting. The auction will occur during the foundations March 20-21 fundraiser at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel. Fire crews tend to early morning barn fire in NW Iowa Advertisement Advertisement Since 2013 the bighorn license had been auctioned through Midwest Chapter Wild Sheep Foundation, based at Chaska, Minnesota. Both organizations applied to hold the auction this year. It wouldnt be a bad idea, Commissioner Travis Bies of Fairburn said in suggesting the switch to the Iowa non-profit. Commissioners Jim White of Huron agreed. Added commissioner Jon Locken of Bath, Im good to give it a try. The 2025 license sold for $155,000. The hunter took a ram on public ground near Deadwood, according to John Kanta, a GFP wildlife official. The commission uses the auction proceeds for bighorn management and other wildlife program purposes. Advertisement Advertisement Designating one license for auction allows a non-resident to hunt sheep in South Dakota. The bighorn hunts are marketed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department. In 2025, the commission made two ram-only tags available to South Dakota resident hunters for the Custer State Park season and four ram-only tags for South Dakota resident hunters for the Black Hills season. 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 KELOLAND.com. The US military's dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend has sent shockwaves through Tehran, where Iran's leadership now confronts the uncomfortable possibility of a similar fate. The prediction markets are taking notice. Traders Price In Regime Risk Polymarket traders are pricing in the risk. The probability of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei being removed as Supreme Leader by year-end has surged to 56%, up 21 percentage points in recent days. The spike reflects growing market conviction that Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader may not survive the convergence of internal unrest and external pressure now bearing down on the Islamic Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela and Iran have been close allies, bound by shared hostility toward Washington. Tehran dispatched oil tankers to help Caracas circumvent sanctions, and the two nations signed a 20-year cooperation agreement. Watching Maduro dragged from his bedroom by American forces has made Tehran's longstanding warnings about US regime change plots feel uncomfortably prescient. Source: Polymarket Protests Spread Nationwide Protests triggered by Iran's currency collapse have spread far beyond their origins among shopkeepers. Demonstrations now span 88 cities across 27 of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The organization reports at least 34 protesters killed and over 2,000 arrested, though these figures cannot be independently verified. Khamenei has dismissed some demonstrators as rioters, mercenaries, and foreign-linked agitators, while security forces deploy paramilitary units and reportedly raid hospitals to arrest the wounded. Trump's Escalating Threats President Trump has twice warned Iran in less than a week. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he cautioned that killing protesters would trigger a forceful US response. In a radio interview, he told host Hugh Hewitt that Iran would "pay hell" for such violence. Advertisement Advertisement Trump declined to meet with Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah, saying it would not be appropriate at this time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public support for Iranian protesters has likely deepened Tehran's siege mentality. What Prediction Markets Show Polymarket's graduated odds reveal trader thinking about Iran's trajectory. The January 31 market sits at 22% on $4.3 million in volume, March at 35%, June at 42%, and December at 56%. This pattern suggests expectations of prolonged instability rather than imminent collapse. Deadline Probability Trading Volume January 31, 2026 22% $4.3 million March 31, 2026 35% $1.9 million June 30, 2026 42% $1.8 million December 31, 2026 56% $504,000 Related markets show 51% odds of President Masoud Pezeshkian's removal by year-end, while 62% still bet on "Nothing Ever Happens"reflecting persistent uncertainty about whether pressure will translate into actual regime change. Why Iran Is Not Venezuela Despite parallels, Iran presents a fundamentally different challenge. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has built proxy networks across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza, designed to project power and deter attack. Iran's drone and missile arsenal has proven effective in regional conflicts. Advertisement Advertisement Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any American action would make all US regional assets legitimate targets. Last summer's Israeli strikes revealed vulnerabilities but also produced rare national unity, with Iranians across the political spectrum condemning foreign attack. Khamenei wrote on social media that Iranians who believed in negotiating with America have now witnessed the truth: while Iran negotiated, Washington prepared for war. The prediction markets' 56% probability represents essentially a coin flip against the Supreme Leader's survival. For a regime that has endured 45 years of American enmity, those odds may seem manageable. But Maduro probably calculated his own chances quite favorably until US forces came through his door. Read original story Iran Faces Regime Pressure: Polymarket Odds on Khameneis Ouster Hit 56% by Oihyun Kim at beincrypto.com BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel on Friday of "direct involvement" in his country's ongoing anti-government street protests and of attempting to turn them violent, while dismissing their military intervention as "a weak possibility." Speaking during a news conference after meeting with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri, Araghchi said the current wave of demonstrations in Iran was similar, "to a large extent," to the popular protests that broke out in Lebanon in 2019, when the collapse of the national currency and rising prices of hard currencies triggered widespread unrest. He said the government in Tehran was seeking to "avoid this problem" and resolve it through dialogue. Advertisement Advertisement "What differs this time are statements by American and Israeli officials indicating their direct involvement and interference in the disturbances in Iran," he said. "They are trying hard to turn these peaceful protests into violence." He cited, as an example, Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. CIA director and secretary of state, who addressed Iranian protesters in a post on X on Jan., saying: "Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them ...." According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights non-governmental organization, at least 51 protesters, including nine children under 18, have been killed, hundreds injured, and more than 2,200 detained in the latest round of nationwide protests in Iran. The unrest, which began Dec. 28 in Tehran's bazaar over poor economic conditions, quickly spread to other parts of the country. Advertisement Advertisement U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran and "come to the rescue" of protesters if they are harmed by security forces. Araghchi dismissed as "slim and weak" the possibility of U.S.-Israeli military intervention in his country, saying they had tried before -- referring to the 12-day war in June 2025 -- and that "it was a total failure." He added that if they were to repeat it, "the results would be the same." The visiting foreign minister, who met with several Lebanese officials, said his two-day visit to Beirut was meant to consolidate bilateral political, economic and cultural ties and discuss how to confront mounting Israeli threats that "menace all the people of the region." "We are trying to open a new page in our relations ... one that would serve and respect our mutual interests," Araghchi said, expressing hope that his visit would mark the start of a new chapter and a "launching point" for Iran-Lebanon ties. Advertisement Advertisement Lebanon's new leaders, who have been in power for a year, have adopted bold decisions concerning Hezbollah, the country's most powerful militant group, which has been financed and armed by Iran for more than four decades. Chief among these was a decision to assert the country's sovereignty and contain weapons --meaning disarming Hezbollah -- in line with the Nov. 27, 2024, cease-fire agreement brokered by the United States and France to end 14 months of war with Israel. Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji went a step further by asking Araghchi during their meeting early Friday whether Tehran "accepts the presence of an illegal armed organization on its territory" -- similar to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Rajji said defending Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese state, but this cannot happen in the presence of "an armed organization outside its authority." Advertisement Advertisement He called on Iran to discuss with Lebanon "a new approach regarding Hezbollah's weapons," so that they do not become "a pretext to weaken Lebanon." Araghchi replied that Iran supports Hezbollah "as a resistance group, but it does not interfere in its affairs, and any decision concerning Lebanon is left to the party itself." He added, however, that dialogue between the two countries is necessary to confront "challenges and risks" arising from differences in their approach "to certain issues." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized, in separate statements after talks with the visiting Iranian official, the importance of establishing sound relations with Iran, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. Advertisement Advertisement Araghchi, who also met with Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, dismissed threats to "deprive his country of its right to peaceful nuclear energy or to develop defensive capabilities" -- conditions set by the United States and Israel to prevent an attack on Iran. He confirmed that Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi is scheduled to visit Tehran on Saturday and, when asked by a reporter whether he would bring a new U.S. proposal for negotiations, said he was "waiting to see whether he is carrying any letter or proposal from any party." On Syria, Araghchi said Iran supports its sovereignty and unity and rejects any measures aimed at partitioning the country or occupying its territories. "Syria's stability is important for all countries in the region," he added, noting that the Syrian authorities should understand that any rapprochement with the "Israeli Zionist" entity is not in Damascus' interest and that normalization would lead to "Zionist conspiracies" against the Arab nation. Over the past year, Syria and Israel have held intermittent negotiations aimed at reaching a security agreement to stabilize their shared border, prevent repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and potentially pave the way for future diplomatic normalization. Jan 9 (Reuters) - Thousands of companies around the world have filed lawsuits challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs and sought refunds on duties paid. The U.S. Supreme Court may release opinions in argued cases on Friday. The court does not announce ahead of time which rulings it intends to issue. Any decision on tariffs will focus on the legality of levies on goods imported from several trading partners, including China, India and Brazil, that Trump has imposed by invoking a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies. Company executives, customs brokers and trade lawyers are bracing for a ruling, and a potential fight over obtaining perhaps $150 billion in refunds from the U.S. government for duties already paid by importers if he loses. Here are some of the major companies that have filed cases against the administration so far: Company Date Filed Details J Crew January 6, The New York-based company sought Group 2026 similar protections as Dole Fresh, including a full refund of tariffs paid under the IEEPA to date. Dole January 2, Filed a lawsuit to seek a Fresh 2026 declaration that tariffs under IEEPA Fruit were unlawful, a full refund for all Company tariffs under the order paid to the U.S., and an injunction to prevent imposition of future tariffs under the order. Goodyear December Filed a protective Tire & 10, 2025 lawsuit at the U.S. Court of Rubber International Trade (CIT) Company challenging the tariffs imposed under emergency powers, and sought a right to a refund and an injunction preventing further tariffs under the IEEPA. BorgWarne December The auto parts maker filed a lawsuit r 12, 2025 asking for the CIT to hold the tariffs imposed under IEEPA unlawful, and sought protection for its right to a complete refund of tariffs paid, according to a court filing. GoPro December Filed a protective suit at the CIT 24, 2025 to challenge Trumps IEEPAbased tariffs and secure refunds of duties paid on imported camera equipment. Costco November Sued the U.S. government Wholesale 28, 2025 to ensure it will receive refunds if the Supreme Court rejects President Donald Trump's bid for sweeping authority to impose tariffs. EssilorLu November Filed to overturn xottica 26, 2025 sweeping IEEPA tariffs and preserve refund rights as duties on imported frames and lenses became costly under the emergency tariff regime. Alcoa November Joined wave of importers 26, 2025 challenging IEEPA tariffs, seeking a declaration the duties are unlawful and demanding refunds of all amounts paid. Toyota November Filed protective suits Vast crowds of Iranians have taken to the streets of the capital, Tehran, and several other cities, calling for an end to the Islamic Republic and in many places for the restoration of the monarchy. Young and old, rich and poor, Iranians across the country and from all walks of life are now demonstrating their fury at the clerical establishment which has ruled them for close to half a decade. One young woman in Tehran told the BBC she was protesting because her dreams had been "stolen" and she wanted the regime to know that "we still have a voice to shout, a fist to punch them in the face". Advertisement Advertisement Another spoke of the despair and hopelessness that is driving the protests. "We're living in limbo," she said. "I feel like I'm hanging in the air with neither wings to migrate nor hope to pursue my goals here. Life here has become unbearable." Day after day, since late December, protests in Iran have been spreading and building momentum, fuelled by deep-seated economic and political frustration. "People are becoming bolder now," 29-year old Sina told the BBC on Thursday by text message from the city of Karaj, west of the capital Tehran. "I went to buy some groceries and people were speaking out loud against the regime in the daylight! I was thinking that the protests will stop but it hasn't lost its momentum." Advertisement Advertisement It is hard to know the full picture of what is taking place because independent media are not allowed to operate freely in Iran, many people are fearful to speak publicly, and now the internet has been severely restricted. The BBC spoke to people before the near blackout. But there is no disguising the extent of discontent, and the size of some of the protests filmed and posted on social media. Iranians have a multitude of grievances against their government from the absence of political freedoms to corruption and the state of the economy which has resulted in crippling price rises. The last major protests in Iran were sparked, in 2022, by the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was accused of not wearing the compulsory hijab properly. Advertisement Advertisement This time it was a strike by shopkeepers at Tehran's historic grand bazaar on 28 December over the plummeting value of the Iranian currency which lit the match of a new crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic. Protests at universities followed. The institutions were swiftly ordered shut by the authorities, ostensibly because of cold weather. But by then, the spark had ignited a wider fire in the country, with clashes in many small towns and cities, particularly in the west of Iran. Some of the chants heard on the streets over the past few days have been familiar. "Death to the Dictator" is a reference to the 86-year old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "Azadi, Azadi", or "Freedom, Freedom" is a common refrain. Advertisement Advertisement Another popular chant: "This homeland won't be a homeland until the mullahs are buried." New to these latest protests, however, is the chant: "Pahlavi will return," a reference to Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran who was overthrown in 1979. It was he who called for people to turn out on the streets on Thursday night. The protests of the last few days have seen increasing chants for the return of the monarchy. "Personally I think he's the only way out of this," 26-year old Sara from Tehran told the BBC. Other Iranians say that they see expressions of support for the monarchy as a sign of desperation to be rid of the current regime, and a lack of alternatives. Advertisement Advertisement "I'm not the biggest fan of Reza Pahlavi. But to be honest my personal opinion is not important now," 27-year old Maryam from Tehran told the BBC. "Being and staying united is more important. It's a different vibe from the Woman Life Freedom protests [of 2022]." She says they were characterised by grief for Mahsa Amini. "But people seem more angry and determined now." Another woman, in the western town of Ilam near the border with Iraq, described people raiding a supermarket linked to the regime, and throwing the produce away to show their disgust at the authorities. Advertisement Advertisement She told the BBC she even knows young people from families affiliated with the regime who have been taking part in protests: "My friend and her three sisters, whose father is a well-known figure in the intelligence services, are joining without their father knowing." This is an extraordinary moment in the country. And no one knows exactly where it will lead. The head of Iran's judiciary has threatened to impose severe punishment on protesters involved in the unrest that has gripped the country for days. "The punishment of rebellious and disruptive elements will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency," Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei was quoted as saying by Iran's state radio. It comes after Iran was rocked on Thursday by the largest anti-government demonstrations seen since the current wave of protests erupted late last year, triggered by a shock to the foreign exchange rate. Advertisement Advertisement In response to the protests on Thursday night, authorities suspended internet access and reports have been coming in of numerous people killed after security forces opened fire on demonstrators. Iran is known for its heavy use of the death penalty, which was repeatedly carried out in previous waves of protests. By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - With Iran's anti-government unrest evolving rapidly and foreign pressure mounting, the clerical establishment appears unable, for now, to tackle what has become a crisis of legitimacy at the heart of the Islamic Republic. The demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month, have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces but have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-3 unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in detention for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. Advertisement Advertisement Starting in Tehran with shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar angered by a sharp slide in the rial currency, the latest protests now involve others - mainly young men rather than the women and girls who played a key role at the Amini protests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested during the unrest, which analysts say highlights a deeper disillusionment with the Shi'ite status quo. Iran suffered a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday, which internet monitoring group NetBlocks said extended into Friday. It coincided with calls from abroad for more protests from Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution. "The collapse is not just of the rial, but of trust," said Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have tried to maintain a dual approach to the unrest, saying protests over the economy are legitimate and will be met by dialogue, while meeting some demonstrations with tear gas amid violent street confrontations. Nearly five decades after the Islamic Revolution, Iran's religious rulers are struggling to bridge the gap between their priorities and the expectations of a young society. "I just want to live a peaceful, normal life Instead, they (the rulers) insist on a nuclear program, supporting armed groups in the region, and maintaining hostility toward the United States," Mina, 25, told Reuters by phone from Kuhdasht in the western Lorestan province. "Those policies may have made sense in 1979, but not today. The world has changed, said the jobless university graduate. Advertisement Advertisement PROTESTERS TAKE OVER THE STREETS A former senior official from the establishment's reformist wing said the Islamic Republic's core ideological pillars from enforced dress codes to foreign policy choices - did not resonate with those under 30 - nearly half the population. "The younger generation no longer believes in revolutionary slogans it wants to live freely," he said. The hijab, a flashpoint during the Amini protests, is now being enforced selectively. Many Iranian women now openly refuse to wear it in public places - breaking with a tradition which has long defined the Islamic Republic. Advertisement Advertisement In the ongoing protests, many protesters are venting anger over Tehran's support for militants in the region, chanting slogans such as "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran," signalling frustration at the establishment's priorities. Tehran's regional sway has been weakened by Israel's attacks on its proxies - from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq - as well as by the ousting of Iran's close ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In a video shared on X and verified by Reuters, protesters in the second-most-populated city of Mashhad, in the northeast, were seen bringing a large Iranian flag down from a pole and tearing it up. People clashed with security forces in Tehran's Grand Bazaar and cheering protesters marched through Abdanan, a city in southwestern Ilam province, other videos verified by Reuters this week showed. Advertisement Advertisement In a video from the northeastern city of Gonabad, which Reuters was unable to verify, young men were seen rushing out of a seminary mosque to join a large crowd of protesters cheering them on in an apparent revolt against the clergy. NO EASY WAY OUT FOR IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER Vatanka from the Washington-based Middle East Institute said the Iranian clerical system had survived repeated protest cycles by repression and tactical concessions but the strategy was reaching its limits. "Change now looks inevitable; regime collapse is possible but not guaranteed," he said. In other countries in the region such as Syria, Libya and Iraq, longtime leaders only fell after a combination of protests and military intervention. Advertisement Advertisement U.S. President Donald Trump has said he might come to the aid of Iranian protesters if security forces fire on them. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he posted, without elaborating, on January 2, seven months after Israeli and U.S. forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, facing one of the most precarious moments of his decades-long rule, responded by vowing Iran "will not yield to the enemy." The former Iranian official said there is no easy way out for the 86-year-old leader, whose decades-old policies of building proxies, evading sanctions and advancing nuclear and missile programs appear to be unravelling. Advertisement Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the protests, calling them "a decisive moment in which the Iranian people take their futures into their hands". Inside Iran, opinions are divided on whether foreign military intervention is imminent or possible and even firm government critics question whether it is desirable. "Enough is enough. For 50 years this regime has been ruling my country. Look at the result. We are poor, isolated and frustrated," said a 31-year-old man in the central city of Isfahan on condition of anonymity. Asked whether he supported foreign intervention, he replied: "No. I don't want my country to suffer military strikes again. Our people have endured enough. We want peace and friendship with the world without the Islamic Republic." Advertisement Advertisement Exiled opponents of the Islamic Republic, themselves deeply divided, think their moment to bring down the establishment may be close at hand and have called for more protests. But how far they enjoy any support inside the country is uncertain. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Michael Perry) Jan 9 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will give a speech in a few minutes on "the terrorist actions" in the country, Iranian state TV reported on Friday, as protests over economic hardships continued nationwide. A countrywide internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday and extended into Friday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said. It coincided with calls for more protests from Reza Pahlavi, the long-exiled son of Iran's last shah who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Starting in Tehran with shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar angered by a sharp slide in the rial currency, the latest protests now involve others - mainly young men rather than the women and girls who played a key role in 2022-23. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested during the unrest, which analysts say highlights deeper disillusionment with the status quo. Authorities have tried to maintain a dual approach to the unrest, saying protests over the economy are legitimate and will be met by dialogue, while responding to some demonstrations with tear gas amid violent street confrontations. Nearly five decades after the Islamic Revolution, Iran's Shi'ite Muslim clerical rulers are struggling to bridge the gap between its priorities and the expectations of a young society. In the ongoing unrest, many protesters are venting anger over Iran's support for militants around the Middle East, chanting "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran" in frustration over the authorities' perceived neglect of domestic problems. (Reporting by Pariza Hafezi; editing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich) Egypt accepted responsibility for the incident, Channel 13 reported, citing an IDF source. An Egyptian warship entered the closed maritime zone off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the IDF confirmed on Thursday. The Israel Navy ships were dispatched from Ashdod Naval Base, and issued instructions to the Egyptian vessel to leave, the military confirmed. Israeli warships fired warning shots towards the vessel, as it posed an imminent threat, Channel 13 reported. The IDF's statement neither confirmed nor denied this. Advertisement Advertisement "The military acted in accordance with procedures, called on the vessel to stop, and after it did not comply, distancing measures were carried out," the IDF said, before the vessel turned around and returned to Egyptian territorial waters. Egypt accepted responsibility for the incident, Channel 13 reported, citing an IDF source. IDF troops marking the ''yellow line,'' where Israeli troops had withdrawn to in accordance with the US-brokered hostage, ceasefire agreement, October 20, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) IDF: 'Egypt is central partner in peace agreement' The Israeli army emphasized that "Egypt is a central partner to the peace agreement, and that the security relationship between the two countries continues as usual." SEOUL, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit South Korea between January 17 and 19 for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung, South Korea's Blue House said in a statement on Friday. Her visit, at Lee's invitation, is the first state visit by an Italian leader to South Korea in 19 years, the presidential office said. The leaders, who will hold their summit on January 19, plan to discuss areas of bilateral cooperation including trade, artificial intelligence and defence as well as broader international affairs, it said. Italy is one of South Korea's four largest trading partners in the European Union, the office said. (Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies) More than $9.5m (7m) from "tainted property" held in a Jersey bank account is to be returned to the Government of Nigeria to support an infrastructure project. His Majesty's Attorney General for Jersey Mark Temple KC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December to return the money. The MOU built on two previous agreements between Jersey and Nigeria involving the repatriation of more than $300m (230m). Advertisement Advertisement In January 2024, the Royal Court found the funds were "more likely than not" proceeds from a corrupt scheme where third-party contractors diverted government funds "for the benefit of senior Nigerian officials and their associates". Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria's Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, said the repatriated assets would be used "in line with the terms" of the MOU. He said: "The successful recovery and repatriation of the forfeited assets underscores the effectiveness of Nigeria's collaborative efforts with its international partners in ensuring that there is no safe haven for illicitly acquired wealth or assets moved to foreign jurisdictions." Advertisement Advertisement Funds will contribute to the final stages of a stretch of highway that acts as a "vital link" between Nigeria's capital and its second-largest city. Temple said the return demonstrated "the strength of our civil forfeiture legislation as a powerful tool in the fight against corruption". Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. More on this story Related internet links Jan. 9John Carter, who pleaded guilty in the death of his Fairfield girlfriend Katelyn Markham, has been denied early release from prison. Carter was in Butler County Common Pleas Court on Friday for a hearing linked to the highly publicized criminal case. Judge Dan Haughey denied his request for early release from prison. "He should serve every second of the sentence imposed," Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said in a statement. "... He has, after all, taken then (coward's) way out and should be given nothing more by this court than the maximum sentence the court wisely and correctly imposed." Advertisement Advertisement Carter was engaged to Markham at the time of her 2011 disappearance and death. She was days away from her 22nd birthday. After years of investigation by Fairfield Police, no arrests were made even after Markham's body was found in Indiana. In March 2023, an indictment against Carter was returned by a Butler County grand jury after the county prosecutor's investigators had taken another look and probed the evidence for about 18 months. In early June 2024, Carter agreed to a plea deal that reduced a murder charge down to involuntary manslaughter. A month later, he was sentenced to three years in prison, the maximum sentence for the third-degree felony. Last year, Carter, 37, filed a motion asking a judge to release him early after only serving a little more than a year in prison. In his appeal, Carter's attorney, Cornelius Lewis, addressed that his client "has worked extremely hard at being a 'model-inmate' by engaging in positive programs and avoiding the negative prison environment." U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, announces his 2026 campaign for governor during an event on June 30, 2025, at the David Lust Accelerator Building in Rapid City. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Republican governor candidate Dusty Johnson wants to give first-time homebuyers two years without property taxes and also wants to provide $400 annual property tax credits to all other homeowners in the state, he announced Thursday. Property taxes have become a problem for every South Dakota homeowner, and I feel duty-bound to provide relief to all of them, Johnson said in an interview with South Dakota Searchlight. Advertisement Advertisement Johnson is serving the remainder of his term in the U.S. House while he seeks the Republican nomination for governor in Junes primary election. His proposal comes as lawmakers prepare to debate a heap of other property tax ideas during the legislative session that begins Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre. Homeowners property tax payments rose nearly 40% from 2020 to 2024, causing many to demand relief. I Voted Today! stickers are laid out for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, voters on Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Election 2026 News and commentary on statewide races and ballot questions. Read the latest> Johnson would pay for his proposal with $110 million in estimated annual revenue that will be available when the state sales tax rate goes back to 4.5%. Lawmakers reduced it to 4.2% in 2023 but scheduled the reduction to sunset after June 30, 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Its important that the relief is fiscally responsible, Johnson said. There are a lot of plans out there. There are a lot of people promising the moon, but they cant actually make the math work. Johnson said each homeowner would see the credit on their county property tax statement. Johnsons campaign said there are about 260,000 homeowner-occupied parcels in South Dakota, making a $400 credit for each come to about $104 million. The campaign said there are about 1,500 first-time homeowners every year who pay an average of $2,000 in property taxes, which comes to $3 million annually, or $6 million for the first two years. Among the other property tax relief ideas that could be considered by lawmakers this winter are 19 proposed by a task force over the summer. Hansen: Johnson tries to take credit for others plans State House Speaker Jon Hansen, of Dell Rapids, served on the task force and is seeking the Republican nomination for governor. He accused Johnson of stealing the sales tax idea from the task force. Advertisement Advertisement One of the task force recommendations, from Sen. Randy Deibert, R-Spearfish, would capture the revenue from the scheduled sales tax increase and place it in a local effort replacement fund to replace a portion of property taxes paid to school districts. The recommendation does not specify a plan for $400 credits or a two-year property tax holiday for first-time homebuyers. Hansen also pointed to a social media post of his from Nov. 3 when he proposed the preservation of $105 million in sales tax relief dedicated to property tax cuts. Dusty Johnson can try to take credit for others plans all day, but the reality is he didnt do the work to create this plan, Hansen said in a statement. This proposal was adopted by the property tax task force this summer, which I created and helped lead. Over two months ago I announced this proposal as just one aspect of a larger plan to significantly reduce property taxes. A vote on this plan is already coming this legislative session. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Hansen has also endorsed taking money from a state housing infrastructure fund and state reserve funds to provide $120 million of property tax relief to homeowners through $500 credits; cutting state spending by 5% and using the $123 million of savings for property tax cuts; and dedicating 25% of future state revenue growth to property tax relief. Another Republican candidate for governor, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden, said Johnsons plan does nothing to actually confront the problems negatively impacting South Dakota. Shifting from one tax to another doesnt alleviate the burden on residents. It makes it worse, Doeden said. The state should be seeking to lower the tax burden on South Dakota families, not create an increase. Doeden has pledged to eliminate property taxes by utilizing savings from the creation of a state Department of Government Efficiency, by implementing more fair and equitable ways to generate revenue, and by growing the economy to widen the tax base. Gov. Rhoden supports optional county sales tax Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden is serving the remainder of former Gov. Kristi Noems term after she departed to serve in the Trump Cabinet. Rhoden is also running to keep his job, and has already signed one property tax relief proposal into law after legislators approved it in March. Advertisement Advertisement The multifaceted law, which took effect in July, is intended to slow property tax increases. It places tighter limits on the growth of property assessments and local government budgets for five years, exempts some home improvements from affecting assessments, and makes more elderly and disabled people eligible for property tax assessment freezes by raising limits on their income and home values. Rhoden has additionally proposed an optional half-percent sales tax for counties, which they could use to reduce the county portion of owner-occupied property taxes on homes. Counties are not currently allowed to levy sales taxes. Rhoden said Thursday in a statement that South Dakotans deserve a meaningful property tax cut, and my plan delivers it. A blanket statewide sales tax increase delivers less relief for the South Dakota communities who need it most, Rhoden said. My plan empowers voters in each county to make their own decisions, and to deliver a bigger property tax cut for homeowners if they choose. Advertisement Advertisement County commissioners could impose Rhodens proposed county sales tax, and citizens could gather petition signatures to send the decision to local voters. Johnson said Rhodens plan passes the buck to county commissions. He also said it could transfer tax benefits from rural counties to urban counties, pointing to greater taxable sales in larger cities. South Dakota Searchlight asked Johnson to square his property tax proposal with his earlier pledge to make schools the states top budget priority. He said long-term school funding depends on economic growth, and lower homeownership costs would help achieve that goal. Johnson said homeowners who already qualify for state relief programs, such as elderly and disabled people, would still get the $400 credit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Enquirer is identifying the most important people to watch in 2026 in Greater Cincinnati. Did we miss someone? Email Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com Josh Heuser, 47, founder of AGAR, an experiential company behind some of Cincinnati's biggest attractions, such as Ghost Baby and Blink. Why he's a person to watch: Heuser and his team at AGAR push Cincinnati forward. The firm "creates wonder," he said, through its retail design, hospitality design, experiential marketing and public art. Advertisement Advertisement This year, the Independence native and his team opened Prim, a beautiful, plush cocktail bar. Like its speakeasy predecessor, Ghost Baby, Prim encourages visitors to be present in our otherwise digital world. The menus gently suggest readers put their phones away, despite the bars' picture-worthy interiors and drinks. But the spaces' gorgeous decor and music make it easy to immerse yourself. Through the firm's work, Heuser wants to contribute to the growth and vibrancy of the city. AGAR, which was created in the late 2000s, opened its office in Over-the-Rhine. Now, AGAR chose to open Prim in Downtown to encourage a resurgence there, Heuser said. In the past few years, businesses have moved out of the city center, and the area has come under fire for crime. "I chose to stay (in Cincinnati)," said Heuser, who graduated from Northern Kentucky University. "And if I'm going to choose to stay, then I want to create a world that I want to live in, spaces and places I want to go to. Or experiences that I think our city deserves." What Heuser wants for Cincinnati in 2026 Heuser wants Cincinnati's leaders to focus on the future, which includes taking risks and balancing multiple big projects at once. "The discovery phase for all of Cincinnati might be over," he said, "If we don't take the risks now and try to do big things together." Advertisement Advertisement And he plans to contribute to this growth-minded culture. Heuser has been vocal about developing a "hotel mixed-use" development in the Queen City. He wants the hotel to be representative of Cincinnati and its culture, not just a hotel brand in Cincinnati, so that even locals want to visit it. "It would be a shortcoming of myself if I didn't pursue that to the fullest," he said, "and get a deal done in 2026." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Josh Heuser wants to 'create wonder,' get Cincinnati hotel deal done in 2026 The Federal Reserve will receive more insight into the labor market this morning when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its last chunk of unemployment data for 2025. Though the agency said earlier this week that the number of job openings hit a 14-month low in November, there are signs the hotly anticipated new numbers could be more positive: The payroll company ADP estimated that companies added 41,000 jobs in December in a reversal from Novembers decline (but still below expectations). Meanwhile, the hunt for President Donald Trumps next Fed chair continues: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that there are still four candidates for the job, one of whom BlackRocks Rick Rieder has yet to be interviewed. He predicted that the president would decide right before or right after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos at the end of the month. Eleanor Mueller NEED TO KNOW A Florida man convicted in a decades-old case in which a 5-year-old girl was left to be eaten alive by alligators is again facing a possible death sentence In November 1998, Harrel Braddy kidnapped Shandelle Maycock and her daughter, Quantisha Candy Maycock Braddy, now 76, was sentenced to death by jury in 2007 but his sentence was overturned in 2017 since the jury's decision was not unanimous A Florida man convicted in a decades-old case in which a 5-year-old girl was left to be eaten alive by alligators is again facing a possible death sentence. Harrel Braddy, now 76, was found guilty in 2007 of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and other counts in connection with the 1998 death of Quantisha Candy Maycock and the kidnapping of her mother, Shandelle Maycock, per Florida Supreme Court records viewed by PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a new state law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict, according to the court records. Now, Braddy's case is back in court, with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed. The Miami Herald reported this week that under a 2023 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a jury can impose the death penalty with an 8-4 vote, meaning Braddy could still be sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict. Carl Juste/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Harrel Braddy in court on Jan. 5, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Harrel Braddy in court on Jan. 5, 2026 in Miami, Florida. On Nov. 6, 1998, Braddy drove Shandelle, a woman he had befriended through a mutual church friend, home from work. He later agreed to take Shandelle to pick up her 5-year-old daughter, Quantisha, who was staying with a family friend, per the court documents. When they got back home, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave, telling him she was expecting company a claim she later said was a ruse to get him to go but he refused, insisting on having a conversation. Advertisement Advertisement "Upon being told to leave, Braddy immediately attacked Shandelle, threatening to kill her and choking her until she lost consciousness," the documents state. "Shandelle testified that when she regained consciousness, she was still in her apartment but Braddy again choked her until she passed out." Shandelle testified that she woke up a second time in the backseat of a car in her driveway, with Quantisha in the front and Braddy driving. She told Quantisha they were going to jump out, but Braddy warned her not to. When she opened the door, he accelerated around a corner, causing both her and Quantisha to fall out, per the court documents. AP Photo/J. Pat Carter Quantisha "Candy" Maycock Quantisha "Candy" Maycock Braddy stopped the car, got Quantisha back inside, and put Shandelle in the trunk, before driving for 30 to 45 minutes. He then pulled the mother out, threw her to the ground, and choked her while threatening to kill her, the court documents state. When she regained consciousness, she was in a remote area and flagged down passing motorists, who called the police. Authorities said Braddy then abandoned the girl on the side of Interstate 75 in Broward County, in a stretch known as Alligator Alley. The court documents state Braddy told investigators he left Quantisha there "because he was angry with Shandelle and because he was worried that Quantisha would tell people what he had done to Shandelle." He also believed he had left Shandelle for dead, but she survived. Advertisement Advertisement Three days later, two fishermen found a girl's body floating in a canal in the area. She was confirmed to be Quantisha. 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. The Broward County chief medical examiner testified that her left arm had been bitten off by an alligator after she died. He said she had brush burn injuries consistent with sliding on a hard surface, likely from falling out of a car, and had suffered multiple alligator bites to her torso and head, while she was alive but likely unconscious. He concluded her death was primarily caused by blunt force trauma to the left side of her head, per the court documents. Shandelle testified that she initially saw Braddy as nice and occasionally asked him for favors, the court documents state. He once made a sexual advance, but after she threatened him with a knife, he left and later apologized. She said he never made another advance before that fateful day. Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said Braddy had a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1984, including convictions for attempted murder, burglary, robbery and kidnapping, the court documents state. Read the original article on People At least four people were killed and 19 others injured in Kiev after Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight, authorities said on Friday. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a doctor was among the dead, while four medical workers were injured. Critical infrastructure had been hit in the attack and some parts of the city were without power or water, he wrote on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement In the west of the country, the Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force said a Russian strike on Lviv was conducted using an unidentified ballistic missile. The Ukrainian military reported that the missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar test area in Russia's Astrakhan, a known launch site for the Oreshnik ballistic missile. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said whether it was an Oreshnik missile was currently unknown. "The military will provide information," Sadovyi wrote on Telegram. He said explosions had been recorded in Lviv, but there was currently no information about casualties. Civilian facilities and residential buildings in the city were not damaged, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Russia fired an Oreshnik missile at Ukraine's industrial city of Dnipro in November 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Western air-defence systems are incapable of intercepting the Oreshnik, which means hazel tree in Russian. He has also said it could hit targets as far away as Western Europe. Western military analysts say that Oreshnik is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Here are the top headlines from this morning. A blood center is hoping to get more people with certain blood types in their doors through a new reward system as the nationwide shortage of blood donations continues. LifeServe Blood Center hopes new initiatives will bring in more donations Respiratory viruses are tearing across the country and officials say Siouxland is no exception. Advertisement Advertisement Influenza and COVID cases on the rise in Siouxland Along the northeast corner of 5th and Jennings St. lies a historic building once home to businesses that revolutionized the auto industry in Siouxland. Historic downtown building now home to new tenants Nebraska State Senator Dan McKeon is accused of having a pattern of behavior violating the Nebraska legislatures workplace policies on harassment and decorum. NE legislature considers State Senators expulsion Norfolk city council members unanimously voted Melissa Figueroa as the new city attorney. She is set to start that role on January 16. Advertisement Advertisement Norfolk City Council votes in new city attorney Sioux City drivers can expect to see a roughly four-day lane closure beginning today. 4-day lane closure coming to Sioux City road Watch more stories in the video above. 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 KCAU 9 News | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. By Mahmoud Hasano, Orhan Qereman and Khalil Ashawi ALEPPO, Syria, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Syrian army said it would push into the last Kurdish-held district of Aleppo city on Friday after Kurdish groups there rejected a government demand for their fighters to withdraw under a ceasefire deal. The violence in Aleppo has brought into focus one of the main faultlines in Syria as the country tries to rebuild after a devastating war, with Kurdish forces resisting efforts by President Ahmed al-Sharaa's Islamist-led government to bring their fighters under centralised authority. Advertisement Advertisement At least nine civilians have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes in Aleppo, where Kurdish forces are trying to cling on to several neighbourhoods they have run since the early days of the war, which began in 2011. A ceasefire was announced by the defence ministry overnight, demanding the withdrawal of Kurdish forces to the Kurdish-held northeast. That would effectively end Kurdish control over the pockets of Aleppo that Kurdish forces have held. CEASEFIRE 'FAILED,' SECURITY OFFICIALS SAY But in a statement, Kurdish councils that run Aleppo's Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafiyah districts said calls to leave were "a call to surrender" and that Kurdish forces would instead "defend their neighbourhoods", accusing government forces of intensive shelling. Advertisement Advertisement Hours later, the Syrian army said that the deadline for Kurdish fighters to withdraw had expired, and that it would begin a military operation to clear the last Kurdish-held neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud. Two Syrian security officials told Reuters the ceasefire efforts had failed and that the army would seize the neighbourhood by force. The Syrian defence ministry had earlier carried out strikes on parts of Sheikh Maksoud that it said were being used by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to launch attacks on the "people of Aleppo". It said on Friday that SDF strikes had killed three army soldiers. Kurdish security forces in Aleppo said some of the strikes hit a hospital, calling it a war crime. Advertisement Advertisement The defence ministry disputed that, saying the structure was a large arms depot and that it had been destroyed in the resumption of strikes on Friday. It posted an aerial video that it said showed the location after the strikes, and said secondary explosions were visible, proving it was a weapons cache. Reuters could not immediately verify the claim. The SDF is a powerful Kurdish-led security force that controls northeastern Syria. It says it withdrew its fighters from Aleppo last year, leaving Kurdish neighbourhoods in the hands of the Kurdish Asayish police. Under an agreement with Damascus last March the SDF was due to integrate with the defence ministry by the end of 2025, but there has been little progress. Advertisement Advertisement FRANCE, U.S. SEEK DE-ESCALATION France's foreign ministry said it was working with the United States to de-escalate. A ministry statement said President Emmanuel Macron had urged Sharaa on Thursday "to exercise restraint and reiterated France's commitment to a united Syria where all segments of Syrian society are represented and protected." A Western diplomat told Reuters that mediation efforts were focused on calming the situation and producing a deal that would see Kurdish forces leave Aleppo and provide security guarantees for Kurds who remained. The diplomat said U.S. envoy Tom Barrack was en route to Damascus. A spokesperson for Barrack declined to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Washington has been closely involved in efforts to promote integration between the SDF - which has long enjoyed U.S. military support - and Damascus, with which the United States has developed close ties under President Donald Trump. The ceasefire declared by the government overnight said Kurdish forces should withdraw by 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Friday, but no one withdrew overnight, Syrian security sources said. Barrack had welcomed what he called a "temporary ceasefire" and said Washington was working intensively to extend it beyond the 9 a.m. deadline. "We are hopeful this weekend will bring a more enduring calm and deeper dialogue," he wrote on X. TURKISH WARNING Advertisement Advertisement Turkey views the SDF as a terrorist organisation linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and has warned of military action if it does not honour the integration agreement. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking on Thursday, expressed hope that the situation in Aleppo would be normalised "through the withdrawal of SDF elements". Though Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who belongs to the Sunni Muslim majority, has repeatedly vowed to protect minorities, bouts of violence in which government-aligned fighters have killed hundreds of Alawites and Druze have spread alarm in minority communities over the last year. The Kurdish councils in Aleppo said Damascus could not be trusted "with our security and our neighbourhoods", and that attacks on the areas aimed to bring about displacement. Advertisement Advertisement Sharaa, in a phone call with Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Friday, affirmed that the Kurds were "a fundamental part of the Syrian national fabric", the Syrian presidency said. Neither the government nor the Kurdish forces have announced a toll of casualties among their fighters from the recent clashes. (Additional reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus, Maya Gebeily in Beirut, John Irish in Paris, Huseyin Hayatsever in Ankara, Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Alistair Bell) HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) announced the launch of five new master of business administration (MBA) specializations designed to prepare ethical, thoughtful leaders for critical roles in artificial intelligence, business analytics, cybersecurity, finance and healthcare administration. The KWC notes that across all five fields, demand for qualified professionals continues to outpace supply. These new tracks are meant to prepare the students for success in rapidly evolving industries. Developed in partnership with Rize Education, the specializations can be completed within Kentucky Wesleyans existing 12-month, 30-credit-hour MBA framework. Officials say each specialization emphasizes not only technical mastery but also ethical decision making and responsible leadership. The KWC says the programs launch at a time when graduate business schools nationwide are reassessing their offerings to meet evolving workforce demands. Kentucky Wesleyans expanded MBA aims to position graduates for career advancement in both traditional and emerging sectors. Advertisement Advertisement Owensboro announces name for new sports facility The job market has fundamentally shifted, said Dr. Stephen Germic, provost at Kentucky Wesleyan College. These specializations reflect our commitment to preparing graduates who can lead with both technical expertise and the integrity, empathy and ethical grounding that define the Wesleyan Way. Our students will be equipped not just to succeed in their careers, but to make meaningful contributions to their organizations and communities. Officials say the five new specializations span the most in-demand sectors of the modern economy. Students can focus on: Artificial intelligence lead AI adoption and innovation strategies Business analytics drive data-informed decision making Cybersecurity protect organizations from evolving digital threats Finance guide investment and corporate financial strategy Healthcare administration navigate the complex landscape of medical organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Owensboro Blue Bridge reopening date delayed again Officials say the specializations build on Kentucky Wesleyans core MBA curriculum, which weaves together courses in organizational behavior, managerial accounting, leadership and business ethics and strategic decision making. Our new MBA specializations were designed by industry leaders and academic experts to reflect where business is heading, said Dr. Rohnn Sanderson, director of the MBA Program and professor of economics. But we never lost sight of our core mission. These programs prepare students to lead in AI-driven, data-rich environments while upholding the values that define Kentucky Wesleyan College graduates. KWC says applications for the new specializations are being accepted now. Prospective students can learn more about admission requirements and program details here or by contacting Dr. Rohnn Sanderson, director of the MBA Program, at rohnn.sanderson@kwc.edu or (270) 852-3198. Advertisement Advertisement 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). Hot Seats, an illegal casino in Leesburg with apparent ties to the racketeering case against former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, was raided Thursday night along with two other gambling operations in Lake County. The operation dubbed Calvin Coolidge, after the former U.S. president, for reasons that remain obscure targeted Hot Seats; The Hub, which is also in Leesburg; and House of Treasures in Umatilla. Agents seized a total of 231 machines and more than $158,000 in cash, the Florida Gaming Control Commission and the Lake County Sheriffs Office announced Friday in separate news releases. It is impressive to take 231 illegal slot machines off the streets in one night, Alana Zimmer, the commissions executive director, said in a statement. We are giving notice to those who want to operate illegal gambling facilities that we will close you down. Advertisement Advertisement The gaming commission, which has escalated efforts to shutter illegal casinos since its creation in 2021, led the raids at Hot Seats and The Hub and worked with the sheriffs office to shut down House of Treasures. As the Orlando Sentinel has previously reported, Lake County has been a center of illegal gaming in Central Florida, in part because of its onceconvoluted approach to regulation and enforcement. Several people were also issued notices to appear in court on charges of keeping an illicit gambling house, a second-degree misdemeanor, and illegally possessing a slot machine, which carries a $10,000 fine per machine, according to Florida law. Hot Seats was mentioned last summer in a court document filed in Lopezs case. Lopez, arrested in June along with several co-conspirators, is accused of helping to establish illegal casinos in several Central Florida counties, including Lake and Osceola, in exchange for campaign donations and thousands of dollars in personal payments. Investigators said that once he was elected sheriff, he worked to protect an illegal casino in Kissimmee from scrutiny. Lopez, who has pleaded not guilty, is awaiting trial while the others charged in the operation have all accepted plea deals. Advertisement Advertisement In late July, after Hot Seats was mentioned in the Lopez case, a Sentinel reporter visited the establishment, located in a tidy retail shopping plaza. A large Hot Seats sign was on the building, though the establishments windows were blacked out. Inside, patrons were playing on the rows of slot machines. At the time, sheriffs officials declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation into Hot Seats. On Friday, a gaming commission spokesperson did not respond to questions about how long Hot Seats was under investigation before Thursdays raid. The agency also did answer questions about why the operation was named after Coolidge, though the former president famously stayed in Mount Dora during a 1930s winter vacation. Gambling houses proliferated in Lake in recent years partly because of a 2021 ordinance that allowed up to 25 such businesses to receive permits and operate if they disclosed the number of machines in their possession and underwent annual inspections. In effect, it allowed those businesses to run afoul of Florida law, which generally only permits gambling houses on Native American land and two South Florida counties. Advertisement Advertisement Sheriffs officials said the ordinance confused deputies tasked with enforcing it, and it wasnt until 2024, following concerns raised by state authorities, that Lakes county commission repealed that ordinance. Hot Seats and House of Treasures were among those allowed to operate under the permitting regime only to continue business once the permits were no longer issued, according to records reviewed by the Sentinel. Many, like Hot Seats in 2017, had been raided in the past, only to reopen, sometimes under the same names and at the same locations. But now law enforcement is eager to shut them down. We will continue these operations to eradicate this illegal activity and arrest those that are responsible, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement A Sheriffs Office spokesperson released the names of four people cited following the raid at House of Treasures, but none of their cases were available in court records as of Friday afternoon, so the Orlando Sentinel is not yet publishing the names. A commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking the same information about who was cited in its raids. Jacksonville-based attorney Kelly Mathis is listed as a registered agent for The Hub in state business filings. Mathis, whose 2013 conviction for taking part in a massive illegal gambling scheme was overturned in 2016, was also listed in a court filing as a possible defense witnesses in Lopezs case. He did not reply to a message seeking comment Friday about on the raid at The Hub. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis directly to her office. Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, the Trump administrations decision to keep the investigation into Wednesdays killing of Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in federal hands concerns her. She said shes worried that the FBI wont share evidence with state investigators. A day after Good was killed in Minneapolis, federal immigration agents shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the ICE building at night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority and refer criminal charges to the prosecutors office if warranted. The Latest: Congresswoman wants federal officers to leave Portland, Oregon, after 2 people shot, wounded An Oregon Congresswoman says federal immigration officers should leave Portland after two people were shot Thursday while sitting inside a vehicle outside a hospital. Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Democrat, laid the blame on Republican President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement This isnt law enforcement, its state-sponsored terrorism, Bynum said in a release. This is the second shooting this week by agents following the orders of a wannabe dictator who is trying to take over cities and rule by instilling terror in the hearts of American people. Several other Oregon officials including Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, and U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have demanded that the administration halt militarized immigration operations in the state. The Department of Homeland Security described one of those wounded in Portland as a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who had been involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The statement said that when agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver tried to run them over and an agent shot. The shooting came a day after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman inside her vehicle in Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide protests planned for upcoming weekend Hundreds of ICE protests are scheduled across the country this weekend, including several in states like Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Florida, according to Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration. The group and its local chapters organized protests last year in all 50 states. Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible said he expects the number of protests this week to surpass 1,000. This is hitting people who previously were not engaged, Levin said, pointing out that over the last few days he has seen a rise in veterans, people in rural America, and even some Republican voters speaking out. Advertisement Advertisement I do not think this is an ideological fight. This is a fight between people who are trying to trash the Constitution through aggressive violent behavior and normal everyday Americans who do not want to be messed with in this way, he said. Renee Goods wife says they had whistles, while stopping to help neighbors before fatal ICE shooting The wife of Renee Good says kindness radiated out of her. Becca Good told MPR News in a statement that they stopped to support neighbors amid immigration enforcement efforts, when Renee was fatally shot Wednesday by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. We had whistles. They had guns, Becca Good said. Advertisement Advertisement Renee Good, 37, was stopped across a street when the agent fired shots into her SUV. Federal officials said the officer acted in self-defense and that the driver pulled toward him. Court records from a previous incident have identified the agent as Jonathan Ross. Becca Good said the couple moved to Minnesota to make a better life for themselves and their son. There was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other, she said. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever. ICE agent who fatally shot woman doesnt have complete legal immunity, Minnesota prosecutors say Advertisement Advertisement Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday seemed to dispute Vice President JD Vances claim that the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good had absolute immunity earlier this week. Moriarty said it was too early to tell whether Goods death would warrant prosecution against the officer that shot her, Jonathan Ross. When asked to speculate on the Trump administrations motives for blocking state investigators from a joint investigation into the shooting, Moriarty said she couldnt speak to why the Trump administration is doing what it is doing. I can say the ICE officer does not have complete immunity here, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Hennepin County prosecutor asks public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, the Trump administrations decision to keep the investigation into Wednesdays killing of Good by an ICE officer in federal hands concerns her. She said shes worried that the FBI wont share evidence with state investigators. Moriarty said she isnt sure what legal outcome the evidence her office receives from the public might produce. But she said her office is responsible for the investigation, despite the Trump administrations decision to assign it solely to the FBI. We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case, she said. It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent. Advertisement Advertisement Moriarty also said that her office would offer a link for the public to submit videos that captured the fatal shooting. Minneapolis school system offers remote learning amid ICE crackdown The Minneapolis school system will offer families the option of remote learning for a month amid federal immigration enforcement in the city, the district said. The district provided the update in emails to teachers that were obtained by The Associated Press. The move comes as the Trump administration sends 2,000 immigration agents to the area and the community responds to the fatal shooting of a local woman earlier this week by a federal agent. Advertisement Advertisement Minnesota senators push DOJ, FBI to work with local authorities In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith called for a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation of the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent. That requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities, the letter read. The head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which investigates officer-involved shootings, said Thursday that it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with it on the investigation into Goods killing. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the state has no jurisdiction. DHS identifies 2 people shot by federal immigration agents in Portland Department of Homeland Security officials identified the driver as Luis David Nico Moncada and the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. Both are from Venezuela and entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the agency said. DHS said Moncada was a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member and that since entering the country, he has been arrested for driving under the influence and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The department said Zambrano-Contreras is associated with the gang and has played an active role in a Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and was involved with a prior shooting in Portland. The two were shot Thursday during an immigration operation outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon. There was no immediate independent corroboration of any gang affiliation. Telephone numbers for the two could not immediately be located. Minnesota educators revamping protocols due to ICE presence near schools Parent-teacher conferences may look different next week at schools in the St. Cloud area due to the presence of ICE agents in the school district, according to the president of the districts teachers union. Many parents do not feel safe coming to our schools because of the fear of being taken away from their schools, their homes, and their workplaces, said Chris Erickson, a media specialist who is on leave while serving as president of the districts teachers union. Erickson said anxiety and fear are being felt by parents, students and educators. Wendy Marczak, president of the Bloomington Federation of Teachers, said it is difficult to protect children and create an environment where students can learn and thrive when ICE is stalking your schools. ICE agents deliberately wait outside the school building during drop-off and pickup times, trying to catch parents and take them away, Marczak said. The consequences of those actions are devastating. Everyone is scared and angry. Teachers feel helpless to protect their students. Students are not coming to school. Learning is being lost. Federal officers are leaving Louisiana for Minneapolis, documents show Federal immigration officers are pulling out of a Louisiana crackdown and heading to Minneapolis in an abrupt pivot from an operation that drew protests around New Orleans and aimed to make thousands of arrests, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The shift appeared to signal a wind down of the Louisiana deployment that was dubbed Catahoula Crunch and began in December with the arrival of more than 200 officers. The operation had been expected to last into February and swiftly raised fears in immigrant communities. The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers are taking part in what the Department of Homeland Security has called the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. Read more about the shift in operations Minnesota teachers union demands no ICE operations near schools We have seen ICE agents in Roseville circling school property, just waiting for families to pick up their children, Education Minnesota President Monica Byron told reporters at a Friday morning news conference. In greater Minnesota, students in St. Cloud, St. James and Rochester are afraid to go to school for fear of being harassed, assaulted, or worse, by the very people our government was set to protect us, Byron said. The union is demanding that ICE operations be kept away from schools so students, educators and staff can learn and work in safety and peace, Byron said. USCIS says it has launched sweeping initiative to review Minnesota refugee cases U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Friday that its initial focus is reexamining background checks of 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who have not obtained green cards. The effort began mid-December, and USCIS says it involves intense verification of refugee claims. The agency is calling the effort Operation PARRIS, an acronym for Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening. The operations geographic scope is unclear, but the Homeland Security Department calls Minnesota ground zero for the war on fraud. Refugees are extensively vetted before entering the United States. They must apply for legal permanent residency one year after arriving. Protesters clash with federal authorities during Connecticut vigil Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said a vehicle believed to have been driven by federal officers struck a person in the crowd, knocked them down and drove away without stopping outside the Abraham Ribicoff federal building Thursday night during a protest over Good's killing in Minneapolis. He said the person declined medical attention. Videos from the scene show protesters trying to block a car and van from leaving a parking garage at the building, then the vehicles driving off slowly through the crowd. Someone then throws an object that smashes a window of the van. Some protesters also said they were pepper-sprayed. No major injuries were reported. What we saw last night was a peaceful vigil in the city of Hartford turned violent, Arulampalam, a Democrat, said at a news conference Friday. And that violence didnt come from the city of Hartford. That violence is a direct result of the lawlessness and recklessness of the Trump administration that has occurred over the past year. Arulampalam said city police are investigating. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday morning. Comedian John Mulaney postpones Minneapolis performances Mulaney said in a post on the social platform X that postponing the shows feels unfair to the audience. Still, I dont feel comfortable asking thousands of people each night to leave their homes, gather at the venue, and then make their way home when the situation is so unsafe, he wrote. He called the situation in Minneapolis heartbreaking. Hundreds of people have been protesting in Minneapolis since Good was killed. Shows had been scheduled Friday through Sunday at the Armory event center. Tickets for those performances will be honored April 10-12. Somali group planning rally for Minneapolis woman killed by ICE agent The Somali American Leadership Task Force says the 2:30 p.m. CT event at 34th Street and Portland Avenue will be peaceful and is being organized by Somali neighbors to show community solidarity and condemn ICE operations in Minnesota. Hundreds of people have been protesting in Minneapolis against ICE since Good was killed. Court records from a previous incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, have identified the ICE agent who shot Good as Jonathan Ross. ICE officer who shot Renee Good in Minneapolis has served decades in military and law enforcement The federal agent is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to records obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. Jonathan Ross has served as a deportation officer with ICE since 2015, records show. He was seriously injured last summer when he was dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect whom he shot with a Taser. Federal officials have not named the officer who shot Good, a 37-year-old mother who was shot as she tried to drive away from federal agents. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agent who shot Good had been dragged by a vehicle last June, and a department spokesperson confirmed Noem was referring to the Bloomington, Minnesota, case in which documents identified the injured officer as Ross. Attempts to reach Ross, 43, at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not immediately successful. Read more about Ross Minnesota shooting videos challenge administration narrative, policing experts question tactics Federal officials say an immigration officer acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis. But videos of the incident from different angles tell a far more complicated story, and policing experts say some of the choices the officer made defy practices nearly every law enforcement agency has followed for decades. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism carried out against ICE officers by a woman who attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him. But its unclear in the videos if the car makes contact with the officer. Sharon Fairley, a law professor and criminal justice expert at the University of Chicago, said the investigation into what happened will have to examine whether the officer acted reasonably, both in firing his gun and in the moments leading up to it. Read more of the APs analysis of the Minnesota shooting Anger and outrage spills onto Minneapolis streets after ICE officers fatal shooting of Renee Good As anger and outrage spilled out onto Minneapolis streets over the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, a new shooting by federal officers in Oregon left two people wounded, sparked additional protests and elicited more scrutiny of enforcement operations across the U.S. The shooting in Portland, Oregon, took place outside a hospital Thursday afternoon. A man and woman were shot inside a vehicle, and their conditions were not immediately known. The FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice were investigating. Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all operations in the city until a full investigation is completed. Hundreds protested Thursday night at the ICE building. Just as it did following Wednesdays shooting in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security defended the actions of the officers in Portland, saying it occurred after a Venezuelan man with alleged gang ties and who was involved in a recent shooting tried to weaponize his vehicle to hit the officers. It was not yet clear if witness video corroborates that account. Read more about the reactions in Portland and Minneapolis Latvia will seek an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to Russias latest heavy attacks on Ukraine, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said on Friday. Russia earlier carried out renewed large-scale airstrikes on Ukraine and said it had, for the second time since the start of the war, used its nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range missile in stike on the western city of Lviv, not far from the border with Poland. "Latvia will request an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council in response to Russias barbaric attack against Ukraine, including using an intermediate range ballistic missile close to the EU and NATO border," Braze wrong on X. Advertisement Advertisement Latvia took up a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the first time on January 1 and will serve on the UNs most powerful body for two years. The Baltic EU and NATO member, which borders Russia, is a close partner and supporter of Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion for nearly four years. Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has said her country intends to request an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council in connection with Russia's "barbaric attack" on Ukraine and the use of a medium-range ballistic missile near the borders with EU and NATO countries. Source: Braze on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Quote: "Latvia will request an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council in response to Russia's barbaric attack against Ukraine, including using an intermediate-range ballistic missile close to the EU and NATO border." Advertisement Advertisement Details: Latvia is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council this year. Background: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The statement reaffirmed the armys commitment to being the sole actor responsible for maintaining security in Lebanon, with an emphasis on the area south of the Litani River Lebanon's government and army have not made sufficient efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and this is evidenced by the terror group's efforts, with Iran's help, to rearm and reestablish its infrastructure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated on Thursday afternoon. The prime minister's comments came after the Lebanese army stated earlier that day that, outside the Israeli-controlled areas, it had achieved operational control south of Lebanons Litani River, had moved into an advanced stage of monopolizing arms in the area, and was committed to ensuring that armed actors are never again able to use the border area as a staging ground for military actions. Advertisement Advertisement The statement reaffirmed the armys commitment to being the sole actor responsible for maintaining security in Lebanon, with an emphasis on the area south of the Litani River To this end, Lebanons army claimed that its plan to consolidate weapons has entered an advanced stage, following the effective and tangible achievement of the objectives of the first phase on the ground. According to the army, having completed the initial phase, it has gained full operational control south of the Litani River, with the exception of those areas under the control of the IDF. Members of the Lebanese army stand at the entrance of Deir Mimas, after an Israeli military spokesperson said on Monday that Israel would keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past a February 18 deadline for them to withdraw, in Deir Mimas, Lebanon February 18, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER) Lebanese army statement lacks mention of Hezbollah The statement did not mention Hezbollah, which agreed to a ceasefire with Israel in November 2024 after the IDF decimated its ranks, upper command, and infrastructure. The agreement stipulated that only Lebanons state security forces were allowed to carry arms. Advertisement Advertisement Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began again after the group began launching attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with terrorist groups in Gaza after the Hamas-led massacres in southern Israel sparked the Gaza war. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that the statement signaled that no group would be able to launch attacks from southern Lebanon. Nevertheless, since the start of the ceasefire, the IDF has repeatedly struck at Hezbollah operatives working to reestablish the group in southern Lebanon. In November of last year, the IDF stated that it had killed over 370 Hezbollah combatants since the ceasefire agreement went into effect a year earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, sources in the IDF's Intelligence Directorate last month told Walla that it was clear within several months of the implementation of the agreement that the Lebanese army was incapable of exerting power over Hezbollah. Further, the directorate noted that Hezbollah "double agents" had infiltrated the army's ranks. 'Far from sufficient' In the Israeli prime minister's response to the Lebanese army's statement, Netanyahu's office stated that "The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel's security and Lebanon's future." The PMO added that "Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support." Advertisement Advertisement Israel's foreign ministry also slammed the Lebanese claims, stating that "the facts remain that extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River. The goal of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon remains far from being achieved." The ministry published a video along with the statement, showing areas in southern Lebanon, where it says Hezbollah has infrastructure and other assets. The statement, published on X/Twitter, added that "Israel acknowledges the decision of the Lebanese government to address the disarmament of Hezbollah and some of the efforts the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have made in this context," but noted that the efforts were still nevertheless "limited." Former defense minister Yoav Gallant also criticized the statement in a Thursday post on X/Twitter, calling the Lebanese army's action "lax and avoiding friction with Hezbollah," and claimed that, despite the statement, Lebanon has not fulfilled its side of the agreement between the two countries. Advertisement Advertisement "Despite its announcement this morning, the Lebanese army is acting with laxity and avoiding friction with Hezbollah," Gallant wrote. "As a result, the agreement is not being upheld, and terror infrastructures are not being neutralized." "The dismantling of the missile array, the elimination of Nasrallah and Hezbollah's leadership, and the destruction of terror infrastructures along the northern border came at a heavy pricefrom Israeli citizens in general and from residents of the north in particular." Gallant concluded by affirming Israel's obligation to monitor Hezbollah and "strike Lebanese terror wherever required" in order to prevent future threats. IDF conducts second strike in 24 hours on southern Lebanon The IDF conducted an airstrike in the Zaita region of southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing a Hezbollah operative, according to an official army statement. Advertisement Advertisement The strike, per the statement, was in response to "Hezbollah's continued violations of the ceasefire understandings." This comes less than 24 hours after the IDF struck Jouaiyya, southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah terrorist from the group's 127th Aerial Unit. The terrorist was taking part in re-establishing the terror group's infrastructure in the region, according to a Wednesday statement. Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. FineHeart has raised 83m ($96.6m) in public and private financing towards advancing the development of its implantable cardiac output accelerator for advanced heart failure treatment. The French clinical stage companys lead product in development is Flowmaker, a hybrid between a pacemaker and a cardiac assist device to restore normal contraction of the heart. 35m ($40.7m) of the total funds originate from the close of FineHearts Series C funding round. The round featured participation from new investors including Groupe Pasteur Mutualite and Groupe Etchart and significant participation from the European Innovation Councils (EIC) European Investment Bank (EIB) fund. Existing investors including FH Founders also participated. In parallel with the Series C raise, FineHeart has also received 48m ($55.8m) in grants from the European Commissions (EC) IPCEI Med4Cure, a 1bn ($1.16bn) public funding pool created for healthcare innovation projects in the EU. Set to be disbursed in several tranches, the Med4Cure funds have been granted to FineHeart given its role as lead partner in the project with an initiative to structure the European active implantable medical device (AIMD) sector. As lead partner on the project, FineHeart will apply the funds towards key technological development challenges related to AIMDs, including the miniaturisation of power supply systems, and approaches towards improving the long-term reliability and durability of implantable systems. FineHearts CEO and co-founder, Arnaud Mascarell, said: We are delighted to welcome new investors at this first closing. I would like to extend my special thanks to Groupe Pasteur Mutualite and the (EIC) for their key contributions, as well as to our long-standing shareholders. Together with the IPCEI, this funding strengthens our ambition to build disruptive, IP-protected technologies that enable more predictive, personalised, preventive, and participatory medicinewhile advancing Europes industrial competitiveness and healthcare sovereignty. A total of 13 companies from the EU Member States of Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Spain are participating in Med4Cure. Under the initiative, the nations participating will provide up to 1bn ($1.16bn) in public funding, which is expected to unlock an additional 5.9bn ($6.8bn) in private investments. "FineHeart secures 83m to advance cardiac device development" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. RUSSELL COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) A Lebanon, Virginia man received 10 life sentences plus 15 years after he was found guilty of multiple sex crimes. According to a news release from Russell County Commonwealths Attorney Zack Stoots, David Walter Moore, III was sentenced on Thursday. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Crime Watch Moore, 54, was found guilty by a jury in October of 10 counts of object sexual penetration, one count of aggravated sexual battery and one count of indecent liberties of a child. Advertisement Advertisement Stoots said he asked for the maximum allowed penalty for Moore. We are pleased that Moore was held responsible and was sentenced to spend his remaining days in prison, Stoots said in a statement. The Russell County Sheriffs Office, Washington County, Virginia Sheriffs Office and Highlands Childrens Advocacy Center investigated the case. 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. A tense confrontation between two Minnesota members of Congress erupted on the U.S. House floor this week, captured on video and underscoring the widening partisan divide over a fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting in Minneapolis that has triggered protests, outrage, and renewed calls for federal accountability amid worries of a government cover-up. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter. Democratic Rep. Angie Craig confronted Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer during a break in floor proceedings Wednesday evening, challenging his public defense of ICE just hours after federal agents fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis woman, during what the Department of Homeland Security said was an immigration enforcement operation. Good leaves behind a wife and three children. Craig, the first out lesbian elected to Congress from the state, is also married to a woman, and they have children. Advertisement Advertisement Related: Shocking video shows ICE agent fatally shooting woman in south Minneapolis Related: Distraught woman says ICE killed her wife in video after deadly Minneapolis shooting Video broadcast by C-SPAN and circulated online shows Craig approaching Emmer, gesturing emphatically and speaking forcefully as other lawmakers gather nearby. The exchange lasts under a minute but quickly escalates, with Emmer appearing to wave Craig away as colleagues move in to separate them. (@) Craig later told Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO that she approached Emmer because of what she described as his lack of standing up for Minnesotans after the shooting. She said Emmer didnt let me get three words out before he went from zero to 60, adding that if you cant have a conversation with someone without it escalating in the first three words, then youre not really ready to have a conversation and youre not listening. Advertisement Advertisement Craig said her frustration stems from a belief that having ICE on the ground in Minnesota is simply not making Minnesota any safer. In fact, its having the opposite effect. Related: ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has been identified Related: LGBTQ+ officials denounce ICE killing of Minneapolis woman, demand investigation The clash followed a Facebook post Emmer published mere hours after the shooting, in which he praised ICE agents for putting their lives on the line to protect communities, said God bless and protect them, and accused elected officials of spewing lies and hateful rhetoric. Advertisement Advertisement Craig said that message, and what she described as Emmers unwillingness to acknowledge Goods death, drove her to confront him directly. The Advocate has contacted Craig's office for additional comment. Good was killed earlier this week during a federal operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have claimed the ICE agent involved acted in self-defense, asserting that Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon. Related: Vigil for Renee Nicole Good becomes a call to action against ICE Related: Who was Renee Nicole Good? Remembering the Minneapolis poet and mother killed by ICE Some of the Trump administrations most senior officials have fabricated stories to the public about what happened. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem initially told reporters that ICE agents were trying to push a car out of the snow when a domestic terrorist tried to run them over. Advertisement Advertisement That characterization has been questioned by local leaders, activists, and eyewitnesses, and videos from the scene have circulated widely online. According to the video of the incident, that did not happen. Vice President JD Vance, on Thursday, from the White House briefing room podium, continued to tell falsehoods about the killing, claiming that Good intentionally drove at federal agents to run them over. Video analysis shows that Good had turned the wheel of the car away from the agents as she tried to flee from masked men who were grabbing at her door. Related: Feds freeze Minnesota officials out of probe around killing of Renee Nicole Good Related: Federal immigration agents shoot two more people, this time in Oregon Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump also lied about what happened, saying on Wednesday that the agent had been taken to the hospital and was lucky to be alive. The ICE agent was seen on video walking around and uninjured after the shooting. Emmers office did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the floor exchange. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Lesbian Minn. rep confronts Republican lawmaker over ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good RELATED Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has launched an independent initiative to publicly document alleged criminal abuse by federal immigration agents during "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago. "We aim to preserve evidence to facilitate transparency and accountability. We also intend to unmask those agents who have been alleged to have committed crimes or engaged in other unlawful conduct," Lightfoot said. Lightfoot, who was once a federal prosecutor, said the ICE Accountability Project, addressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents' actions, has been months in the making thanks to the help of some unnamed donors. Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Protests in Little Village, across Chicago area after deadly ICE officer shooting in Minneapolis She's asking for people to upload video and digital evidence to the project's website, reporticenow.com. There will be two levels of review. A small team of lawyers, former federal agents and trained investigators will work on verifying the incidents. If it all checks out, evidence will be published. "This site intentionally is not on a U.S.-sponsored platform. So, we don't want the risk of anybody trying to censor information that is posted. It will remain in perpetuity on this website," Lightfoot said. Advertisement Advertisement After watching the federal operation play out, Lightfoot said she had to do something. Alleged abuse was reported in the Chicago area before Wednesday's fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Video evidence later disputed Department of Homeland Security claims that agents acted in self-defense when using lethal force in the shootings of Marimar Martinez and Silverio Villegas Gonzalez. "I could not in consciousness sit and watch what was happening and just feeling frustrated and angry; I needed to do something constructive about it," Lightfoot said. "Our project is focused instead on those federal immigration agents who cross the line, who have violated residents' rights and believe that they are above the law." Advertisement Advertisement Lightfoot's project is similar to one announced by Gov. JB Pritzker a few months ago. She says both initiatives will work in harmony with each other. Lightfoot expects harsh criticism from the federal government, but she hopes local prosecutors will use the information to hold federal agents accountable. "I think people should do their jobs, but we are gathering this information in one place, hopefully to facilitate that," Lightfoot said. While the ICE Accountability Project is focused on the Chicago area, Lightfoot hopes mayors around the country will replicate the idea in their own communities. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A stretch of Oklahoma Highway 95 where two southwest Kansas mothers were killed is being reclaimed to honor their memory. Permanent markers are being installed to memorialize Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley (Courtesy: OSBI) The decision was made in 2025 as part of House Bill 1486, which renames roads and bridges. Now, with lawmakers approval, the next step is paying for the signs to go up. Advertisement Advertisement The two Kansas moms were reported missing on March 30, 2024, after driving to Oklahoma from Hugoton to pick up Butlers children from Tifany Adams, the childrens paternal grandmother. Their vehicle was found abandoned on OK-95 just south of Elkhart, Kansas. Oklahoma Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, on April 10, 2024. (KSN Photo) Oklahoma Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, on April 10, 2024. (KSN Photo) On Thursday afternoon, a GoFundMe to pay for the markers reached its goal. Tara Parker, an administrator on the Facebook page Justice for KS Moms Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley, wants this to bring peace and relief to the families. It means somebody somewhere is going to ask, Who was that?' she said. That means theyre going to go back and look at the story, and the story lives, they live on, and that makes a big difference; it gives you a little bit of a sense of relief. It doesnt close the healing door, but it does help you down the journey of healing. Parker said it could take a few months to get the markers up. Advertisement Advertisement Butlers dad said this is a way to reclaim that stretch of road, not just for him but for his daughter and Kelley, too. I want the girls to own that stretch of road, if that makes sense, and they should own it, Clint Butler said. If theres any money left over from the GoFundMe, he wants to buy footstones for his daughter and Kelley with their pictures on them. Tune in to KSN Sunday after the game. KSNs Julia Thatcher will have more from Clints emotional interview about what these markers mean to him and his daughters legacy. Previously: Prosecutors respond to Tad Cullum dismissal motion in Kansas moms case Background Two weeks after Butler and Kelley were reported missing, their bodies were found buried inside a chest freezer. Investigators said the women had been stabbed to death. Five suspects were arrested the next month. Advertisement Advertisement Those suspects were Adams, Tad Cullum, Cole Twombly, Cora Twombly and Paul Grice. Adams pleaded no contest last year. The cases against the other four are working their way through the court system. Tifany Adams, Tad Cullum, Cora Twombly, Cole Twombly and Paul Grice (Courtesy: Texas County Sheriffs Office) To learn more about Butler and Kelleys case, click here. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. 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 KSN-TV. Pollards Chicken & Catering has closed its mainstay Ballentine Boulevard location in Norfolk. The business announced the closure on social media Dec. 30: This was not an easy decision, and were incredibly grateful to everyone who made this location such a special part of Pollards history. No reason was given for the closure. The Virginian-Pilot reached out to Pollards for comment, but no one returned our phone call by Friday. Advertisement Advertisement The restaurant had operated in the community since 1969 and serves some of the areas best chicken, according to Pilot Taste Tests, which draw on community nominations. Customers responded to the news with memories of eating sweet puffs, visiting after church on Sundays, and working there. Pollards opened its first restaurant in 1967 on East Little Creek Road in Norfolk. According to its website and Pilot archives, the chain expanded over the years to nine locations at its peak before the pandemic. Four remain open: 8370 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk; 100 London Bridge Shopping Center, Virginia Beach; 6523 College Park Square, Virginia Beach; and 717 S. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake. Advertisement Advertisement ___ The lights at Feather n Fin Chicken & Seafood, which opened its first location at Tidewater and Cromwell drives in Norfolk in late 1968, have gone out. Would-be customers reported on social media that the restaurants were not operating during posted hours starting in late December. The doors were locked at the Tidewater Drive location and Virginia Beach Boulevard spot in Virginia Beach on Tuesday afternoon. The Princess Anne Road location in Norfolk had a sign on the door, referring customers to the food truck in the parking lot, but it wasnt operating when The Virginian-Pilot visited Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. On Thursday, calls by The Pilot to all of the locations, including Suffolk, went unanswered, and the companys website said online ordering was temporarily unavailable. Advertisement Advertisement In response to emailed questions, Feather n Fin owner Tim Roberts said Thursday the chain plans to stay rooted in Norfolk and has paused operations to optimize its resources and restructure while seeking temporary locations for the food truck. The business is walking away from the storefront locations because of landlord disagreements, he said in a text message, and plans to look at other facilities. He said the business plans to pitch a workforce development program and is seeking partners and investors to support its vision. Rest assured, we are not closing but redirecting our focus towards long-term success, Roberts said via email. Feather n Fin, known for serving chicken, fish sandwiches and gizzards, has been popular among homegrown celebrities such as Pharrell Williams and Pusha T. They selected the restaurant for the 2019 Something in the Water festival, The Pilot reported, and Roberts and his team jumped into action and put a food truck together in 27 days, bringing 9,000 pounds of chicken to the event. The plot chickens. ___ Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekaya.gibson@virginiamedia.com The northern Indian city of Dehradun, located in the Himalayan foothills, was shaken by a violent incident weeks ago. Brothers Anjel and Michael Chakma - students who had migrated more than 1,500 miles from the north-eastern state of Tripura for studies - had gone to a market on 9 December when they were confronted by a group of men, who allegedly abused them with racial slurs, their father Tarun Chakma told the BBC. When the brothers protested, they were attacked. Michael Chakma was allegedly struck on the head with a metal bracelet, while Anjel Chakma suffered stab wounds. Michael has recovered but Anjel died 17 days later in hospital, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Police in Uttarakhand state (whose capital is Dehradun) have arrested five people in connection with the incident, but they have denied that the attack was racially motivated - a claim that Chakma's family strongly disputes. The incident, which has triggered protests in several cities, has put the spotlight on allegations of racism faced by people from India's north-eastern states when they move to larger cities for education or work. They say they are often mocked over their appearance, questioned about nationality and harassed in public spaces and workplaces. For many, the discrimination extends beyond abuse to everyday barriers that shape where and how they live. People from the region report difficulty renting accommodation, with landlords refusing tenants because of their appearance, food habits or stereotypes. Such pressures have led many north-eastern migrants in large cities to cluster in specific neighbourhoods, offering safety, mutual support and cultural familiarity far from home. Advertisement Advertisement But while many say they learn to endure everyday prejudices to build lives elsewhere in the country, violent crimes such as Anjel Chakma's killing are deeply unsettling. They reinforce fears about personal safety and a sense of vulnerability, they say. Protesters demand an anti-racism law in India in the aftermath of Anjel Chakma's killing [Getty Images] India has seen many high-profile cases of racial violence involving people from the north-eastern region over the last several years. The killing of Nido Tania in 2014 became a national flashpoint, prompting protests and widespread debate about racism after the 20-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh state was beaten to death in Delhi following taunts about his appearance. But activists say it did not mark an end to such violence. Advertisement Advertisement In 2016, a 26-year-old student from the region was beaten up in Pune. A year later, another student was racially abused and assaulted by his landlord in Bengaluru. Rights groups say there are many such incidents that do not grab national attention. "Unfortunately, the racism faced by people from the north-east tends to be highlighted only when something extremely violent happens," said Suhas Chakma, director of the Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group. The federal government in its annual crime reports does not maintain separate data for racial violence. For Ambika Phonglo from the north-eastern Assam state, who lives and works in the capital, Anjel Chakma's killing has been deeply unsettling. "Our facial features like narrow eyes and flat noses make us easy targets of racism," she says. Advertisement Advertisement Phonglo recalls being subjected to racial name-calling by colleagues during a workplace discussion a few years ago. "You face it and learn to move on," she says, "but not without carrying a heavy burden of trauma." Mary Wahlang, from neighbouring state of Meghalaya, said she decided to return home after college in the southern state of Karnataka, abandoning plans to seek work in larger cities, after repeated racial name-calling by classmates. "Over time I realised that some people used these slurs without understanding they were racial or hurtful, while others did so despite knowing the consequences," she says. Such experiences, activists say, are not isolated, with many from north-eastern states describing racial taunts and everyday discrimination as a routine part of life in workplaces, campuses and public spaces across the country's major cities. Advertisement Advertisement While awareness about the north-eastern region and the racism people from there face have improved over the years, casual racism persists, they say. "How do we look Indian enough? Sadly, there are no clear answers," says Alana Golmei, member of a monitoring committee set up by the federal government in 2018 in the wake of increasing complaints of racial violence in Indian cities. She says that dismissing such attacks as isolated incidents unrelated to racism only deepens the problem. "One has to first accept and acknowledge the issue to begin addressing it," Golmei told the BBC. India has seen many cases of violence involving people from the north-eastern states [Getty Images] The killing of Anjel Chakma has renewed calls for a specific anti-racism law. Several student and civil society groups have issued open letters demanding legal reform. Advertisement Advertisement After Nido Tania's death in 2014, the Indian government set up a committee to examine discrimination faced by people from the north-east living outside of the region. The panel submitted its report to the home ministry the same year, acknowledging widespread racism and recommending several measures, including a standalone anti-racism law, fast-track investigations and institutional safeguards. But activists say little has changed since. No specific anti-racism legislation has been enacted, and many of the recommendations remain only partially implemented. The BBC has sought clarification from the federal government, but they are yet to respond. Advertisement Advertisement The renewed demands over an anti-racism law have revived a broader debate over whether legislation can address prejudice, often seen as rooted in social behaviour. Experts and activists such as Chakma and Golmei argue that it can. They cite laws criminalising dowry and caste-based atrocities, arguing that while these haven't ended abuse, they have empowered victims and raised awareness. "An anti-racism law could empower victims, improve reporting and place racial abuse clearly within the scope of criminal accountability," Golmei said. Meanwhile in Tripura, Tarun Chakma mourns his elder son while facing uncertainty over his younger one: Michael, a final-year sociology student, is expected to return to Dehradun to complete his studies. Advertisement Advertisement While family members have urged caution, Tarun Chakma says he is torn between fear for his son's safety and the belief that abandoning his education would amount to another loss. "At the end of the day, higher education for a better future was the reason for which we had sent our sons so far away from home," he says. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. BATON ROUGE, La (Louisiana First) The final meeting for the Caleb Wilson Hazing Prevention Task Force took place Thursday. The committee, organized by the Louisiana Board of Regents, brought together lawmakers, university leaders, student advisors, and hazing prevention stakeholders to make sure no Louisiana family loses another student to hazing. State representative Vanessa LaFleur, a leading voice on this task force, said, We dont want there to ever be another Max [Gruver], or another Caleb in the state of Louisiana. Advertisement Advertisement Her statement referenced two high-profile hazing deaths that reshaped the conversation around student organizations in the state. Members echoed the sentiment that this isnt just an isolated issue; its a culture issue. There are things that shift culture, things that create culture, said Winton Anderson. And what we were doing today was not only dealing with the prevention piece as much as dealing with the accountability piece. Task force leaders said Thursdays meeting was about closing gaps in oversight, enforcement, and advisor responsibility for all Louisiana schools. Today, what you saw is closing the gap of our attempt to close the gap on what we believe are going to be the next phase of policies to help us ensure that theres accountability at every level, said Anderson. Advertisement Advertisement The policy reform is key, but leaders said education is the foundation. The key to this is education, said LaFleur. And I think weve put in the safeguards for that. Safeguards will be there when the legislation drops. Weve got to show them why hazing does not create sisterhood, why hazing does not create. But what it does is it destroys. 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 Louisiana First News. Speaking at the Elysee Palace during Frances annual meeting with ambassadors on Thursday, Macron said French policy towards Africa had undergone a fundamental change since 2017, when he declared in Ouagadougou: There no longer is a French policy for Africa. France, he said, now sought partnerships that were not based primarily on historical or linguistic ties and did not automatically prioritise French-speaking countries. A central element of this shift has been the overhaul of Frances military footprint in Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Since Macron came to power in 2017, France has ended or drastically reduced its military presence in Central and West Africa, withdrawing troops from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal. Macron said France had completely changed its mindset on Africa since his speech in Ouagadougou, insisting that the reduction of its military presence, notably in Mali and Burkina, was a necessary correction rather than a retreat. We reviewed, and rightly so, our military bases, he said, adding that France had removed the military component that was no longer understood by countries and by younger generations, while rebuilding relevant partnerships, notably in Benin. Macron returns to Africa with drive for fresh partnerships on five-day tour Obliged to adapt Seidik Abba, a Nigerien academic specialising in the Sahel, contests the idea that France drove these changes. Advertisement Advertisement It is not true to say that it was France that decided to withdraw, he told RFI, pointing to pressure from African governments and growing hostility among young people who viewed French bases and the CFA franc as relics of colonialism. For security analyst Emmanuel Dupuy, head of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies, Macrons reference to Ouagadougou obscures how different the context was in 2017. At the time, Frances Sahel strategy was underpinned by the apparent success of Operation Serval and, later, Barkhane missions that directed French military might against jihadists. There was a form of politico-military euphoria, Dupuy said, with African governments actively requesting French security support. That environment has since collapsed, following coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and Frances expulsion from all three. He describes the current phase as one of reluctant realism, with Paris obliged to adapt to a disengagement it did not choose. Advertisement Advertisement 'End of an era' as France pulls out of Mali. Was the mission a failure? Boosting economic ties With its military role curtailed, Paris is now seeking to play another card, Abba said, with greater emphasis on economic ties. As Macron himself has said, French companies need to be more aggressive and we need to move away from multinationals such as Bollore and Total and work more closely with SMEs and French start-ups, the analyst noted. Macron said Frances renewed Africa policy would place greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, cultural and creative industries, and sport. Reaching young people and engaging with diasporas is seen as a crucial step. Advertisement Advertisement In particular, France is seeking to expand relations with English-speaking African countries, moving beyond its traditional francophone partners. This is driven both by political considerations but above all the desire to gain market share and bring added value to the French economy, Abba says. Anglophone Africa The French president pointed to a planned Africa summit in Nairobi in May 2026 as a milestone, describing it as a very important meeting that will help embody this genuine revolution in our approach. Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Germanys Chancellor Friedrich Merz have been invited, illustrating what Macron said was a change in mindset. Advertisement Advertisement Dupuy, however, sees the pivot to East Africa as an implicit admission of weakness. France, he argues, failed to consolidate influence in its former spheres and is now seeking opportunities in regions dominated by China, India and the United States. France is very poorly equipped perhaps even completely disarmed to be credible in this region of the world, he said, noting intense competition over infrastructure corridors and strategic trade routes linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. South Africas joint drills a show of influence in the Indian Ocean Battle of narratives Beyond economics and culture, Macron stressed the importance of countering disinformation, warning that France was losing ground in what he described as a battle of narratives. Advertisement Advertisement We must not lose this battle, he said, arguing that French interests were also defended through countering disinformation and responding to accusations that France represented a new colonial power. Such narratives, he said, often drew on anti-colonial, anti-European and anti-French discourse and required a more robust response. Dupuy is less alarmist. While acknowledging growing anti-French sentiment, he points to persistent demand for French support in certain security crises. Frances recent intervention in Benin, which helped stabilise President Patrice Talons government in the face of an attempted coup, was one such example. There is a paradox, he said. France is criticised for militarism, yet welcomed when its support proves decisive. Double standards? Macrons Africa policy has come under scrutiny for its uneven response to military coups. Advertisement Advertisement A recent opinion piece in Benins La Nouvelle Tribune accused Macron of double standards in taking a hard line against juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, while being more accommodating towards coup leaders in Gabon, Guinea and Chad. The writer said Frances selective approach undermines its democratic discourse and fuels anti-French sentiment. Dupuy acknowledges the double standard, but argues that not all coups should be treated the same. He suggests that the succession of Mahamat Deby in Chad in 2021 was a power transfer tacitly tolerated by France, rather than a putsch, and that military takeovers in Gabon and Guinea followed deeply contested electoral processes rather than explicit ruptures with Paris. Elections, coups and crackdowns: Africa's mixed democratic record in 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Gabon and Guinea have since embarked on transition processes, Dupuy explains, giving their leaders a degree of international legitimacy absent in the Sahel states, where no credible electoral timelines exist. Yet Guinean military leader Mamadi Doumbouya had earlier pledged not to stand, and major opposition parties were barred from running. La Nouvelle Tribune criticised Macron's decision to congratulate him on his election victory regardless. There is a democratic problem, for sure, Dupuy said, but you cannot call for elections on the one hand, validate the electoral process by observing the polls and talking about the need for transition, and at the same time fail to welcome the fact that this transition is taking place. 'Recognising' Africa In his speech, Macron also said France was closely monitoring crises in Sudan, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. Advertisement Advertisement Dupuy was doubtful about France's influence in such conflicts. Everyone knows that France has no weight on the question of Sudan, he said. And on the Great Lakes, France has been marginalised by the Washington summit that produced an historic peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda. While France is in a phase of decline on the African continent, he says we shouldn't completely bury France's presence. In addition to its soft power in sport, culture, the arts, heritage and returning artefacts, France, he argues, needs to support Africans in their emergence as a power in their own right. As the Americans are leaving the UN, we could take advantage of this to impose an African state as a permanent member of the Security Council, the analyst suggested. President Macron made recognising Palestine his priority for 2025, and it worked. He could make bringing one or two African countries onto the Security Council his objective for 2026. It would be a game changer, just like recognising Palestine was. Zohran Mamdanis inauguration speech on Jan. 1 became instantly famous for his promise to prove the "warmth of collectivism." Yet Americans should pay just as much attention to another deeply concerning comment from the socialist mayor of New York Citys first act in office. He declared that those who are "fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty," implying that his administration wont tolerate public debate about his agenda. These words mark the moment when higher educations radical monoculture jumped into the real world of political power and cultural impact. Our experiment in self-government is now at unprecedented risk. Mamdanis words are familiar to anyone who has followed the decline of the university in recent decades. It reflects the idea that respectful discourse - a central Enlightenment and American ideal - is really a tool of oppression used by elites to prop themselves up while keeping everyone else down. This belief is widespread on campus: A December poll from the free-speech group FIRE found that 90% of undergraduates think that "words can be violence." Even worse, a third of students are willing to use actual violence to prevent the saying of those words. This is a generation prepared to stifle debate it dislikes, casting even the most well-meaning ideological opponents as enemies of society. Advertisement Advertisement But Mamdanis inauguration is the first time this generation has seized the levers of power outside of the classroom. It makes sense: His candidacy was driven by zealot-like support from young college graduates and students - the groups most likely to be radicalized. Now Mamdani, in some of his first words, is spreading the message that discourse is dangerous. This isnt simply another college professor preaching to the undergrad choir. Its the mayor of Americas most powerful city proselytizing the broader public about the supposed moral importance of stifling debate. Mamdanis rhetoric is especially dangerous due to his track record of enabling and encouraging antisemitism. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the biggest security bills my organization has paid have been for events in which Jewish students could discuss the Hamas attacks openly and experience their heritage - and thats in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Two of the speakers we hosted in November and protected were attacked, bloodied, and hospitalized the next day. But its just not Jewish people who are threatened when civil discourse is discarded. Everyone is at risk from the resulting breakdown of basic human decency. Given the ideological capture of academia, the day was always going to come when the inmates started running the asylum. Whats shocking is that so many serious people failed to see it. A generation of well-meaning centrists let such extremism run riot in higher education, assuming that what happened on campus would surely stay there. It didnt, and the resulting damage will not easily or quickly be undone. But it must be confronted as soon as possible, which requires immediate action from sane Americans of all political stripes. While some may pin their hopes on the Trump administration, the real reform of higher education must happen elsewhere. As we enter Americas 250th year, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas policymakers have created new civics programs within their state universities. This is a template for further progress. At the very least, students should learn about the Enlightenment values that undergirded the American experiment before deciding whether they will join Mamdani in denouncing them. Advertisement Advertisement The most important action, however, depends on philanthropists. Many of the countrys most successful people are profoundly disappointed by their alma maters, yet continue to make large, unrestricted gifts to them. This is profoundly self-defeating, insofar as it supports the training of a generation that rejects the foundations of American success. Instead, philanthropists should stop funding irreformable schools, establish new centers at the schools where theres still a shred of hope, and even create new schools altogether, similar to the University of Austin. Whether on the sane left or the sane right, the donors goal should be to make civil discourse and respectful debate the defining part of a universitys work. Thats currently the case for only a handful of schools. Zohran Mamdani is proof that the destructive ideology that defines the modern university is poised to damage America itself. He is the first of a wave of extremists who want to reshape society for the worse. Our best hope, as a country, is to begin building an even bigger wave of college graduates who practice civil discourse and promote social cohesion. This monumental challenge will take years. Untold harm will be done in the meantime. But the survival of our experiment in self-government ultimately depends on raising the next generation to choose a better, truer, and freer path than the one chosen by Zohran Mamdani and the radicalized army that elected him. Charles Mitchell is co-founder and CEO of the Open Discourse Coalition. WYOMING COUNTY, WV (WVNS) A man was arrested following a car chase that started in Wyoming County and crossed county lines. According to a press release on the Wyoming County Sheriffs Offices Facebook page, Keith Hill was arrested after a multi-county car chase and drugs were recovered from the car. Mercer County man charged in connection with commercial burglaries The press release stated that a member of the Wyoming County Sheriffs Office was on routine patrol on Friday, December 26, 2025 in the Hanover area of Wyoming County along U.S. Route 52. While on patrol, the law enforcement officer saw a car with a defective registration plate light. Advertisement Advertisement According to the press release, the member of the Wyoming County Sheriffs Office tried to hold a traffic stop and turned on the emergency blue lights. The siren was turned on when the car went faster instead of stopping. The press release stated that Hill, who was identified as the driver of the car, proceeded to drive fast in an attempt to avoid law enforcement, even with foggy conditions and wet roads. The car, driven by Hill, eventually crossed into Mingo County until the chase ended up at Horsepen Mountain. According to the press release, Hill turned the car onto a gravel road near the bottom of Horsepen Mountain, and stopped after around two to three miles. Once the car stopped, Hill and a woman, later identified as Nikita Blankenship, ran into a wooded area nearby and did not stop when asked by the member of the Sheriffs Office. West Virginia man arrested for allegedly murdering woman and dumping her body in 2020 Advertisement Advertisement The press release stated that a member of law enforcement and a K9 officer searched the area, and Hill was found in a swamp like area and was caught by the K9. Once the car was searched, two pieces of aluminum foil that contained a crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine, were discovered. According to the press release, Hill was later found to have a revoked West Virginia drivers license because of a DUI. The suspected methamphetamine, which is a Schedule II controlled substance, will be sent for additional testing at the West Virginia State Police Forensic Lab. The press release stated that the Gilbert Police Department helped the Wyoming County Sheriffs Office with the chase. According to the press release, all people involved are believed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Advertisement Advertisement 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 WVNS. Key Points Shift4 Payments shares declined during the past five years as investors lost interest in fintechs. The company is growing fast and generating free cash flow. The valuation is cheap, and free cash flow is poised to roughly double during the next three years. 10 stocks we like better than Shift4 Payments It's a new year, and all investors are trying to do the same thing: Find the best stocks to buy and hold in 2026. It's a tall task, considering there are thousands of stocks to choose from. That's why I like to narrow down the search by looking at sectors that were under pressure in 2025. Investors often are wary of an entire sector of the stock market. When this happens, virtually every stock in the sector gets punished. This can result in a good company getting thrown out with the bathwater. And that's why I'm looking at financial technology (fintech) today. Fintech underperformed by a wide margin in 2025. To illustrate, consider the Global X FinTech ETF -- an exchange-traded fund (ETF) with a focus on fintech stocks -- compared with the S&P 500. As the chart below shows, this ETF posted a loss for the year, in contrast to the market's red-hot gains. FINX data by YCharts The fintech sector had a challenging year, making it likely that there's a good opportunity in this beaten-down industry. And I believe that Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is one such stock. How Shift4 makes money Shift4 offers payment-processing hardware and software to hospitality venues, stadiums, restaurants, and more. This isn't exactly unique -- many players in the industry do this. But Shift4 has grown substantially by focusing on high-volume customers, such as the aforementioned stadiums. Image source: Getty Images. Few fintechs have grown as fast as Shift4 in recent years. During just the past five years, revenue has increased by nearly 400%. Granted, its high-volume customer base tends to have lower margins, but this focus helped the business scale up. Moreover, management relentlessly focuses on profitability -- specifically, free cash flow -- despite the margin headwind. Chief Executive Officer Taylor Lauber said in his third-quarter letter to shareholders that Shift4 always prioritizes "where the next dollar is spent, and with urgency, as the free cash flow of the business improves each quarter." As the chart above shows, Shift4 has made consistent progress with its free cash flow, now generating more than $350 million annually. But its stock price has stagnated, meaning it now trades at a cheap price-to-free-cash-flow valuation of 16. NEED TO KNOW Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Penn. on Tuesday, Jan. 6 A search warrant for Gerlach's home was issued, and detectives allegedly found hundreds of human skeletal remains On Thursday, Jan. 8, he was charged with 496 counts, including 100 counts of abuse of corpse A Pennsylvania man has been arrested on nearly 500 charges in connection with the burglaries of graves and mausoleums across Pennsylvania. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon, Penn., Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a statement. According to Rouse, authorities executed a search of Gerlach's Ephrata, Penn., home, where they allegedly found hundreds of skeletal remains. Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, Jan. 8, Gerlach was subsequently charged with 496 counts, including 100 counts of abuse of corpse, 100 counts of theft by unlawful taking and 100 counts of receiving stolen property. The remaining 196 counts include 26 counts of burglary, 26 counts of criminal trespass, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a public monument, 26 counts of intentional desecration of a venerated object, 26 counts of intentional desecration of historical lots and burial places, and 26 counts of criminal mischief. Gerlach also faces 7 counts of "defiant trespasser fenced/enclosed," and 7 counts of "defiant trespasser posted." On Tuesday, Jan. 6, around 8 p.m., Yeadon Police Department Detective Leah Cesanek and Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Detective Chris Karr were surveilling the Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Advertisement Advertisement While there, the pair discovered numerous bones and skulls in plain view in the backseat of Gerlachs car. Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar and other assorted items, Rouse alleged in the statement. Gerlach was then taken into custody, and police say he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains. A search warrant for Gerlachs home was issued and executed. Once officers from the CID, the Ephrata PD and Middle Creek Search and Rescue arrived at his home and storage unit, they allegedly discovered over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains. Advertisement Advertisement "Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night. This is an unbelievable scene," Rouse said, according to the news release. Rouse further alleged that some of the human remains were those of children, including remains belonging to months-old infants, according to ABC 6. He also claimed that some of the remains were 200 years old, while others were "much newer." There's one with a pacemaker still attached to the body," Rouse added. Rouse said that the remains were found in various conditions. "Some were hanging as it were. Some were pieced together, some were skulls on a shelf," he said, according to ABC 6. Advertisement Advertisement He alleged that the detectives recovered an awful lot of bones, and are still working to piece together who they are, where they are from, and how many we are looking at, per the outlet. It's going to be quite some time before we have a final answer. Police believe the remains were also stolen from other nearby cemeteries. It is unclear whether Gerlach sold the remains and what motivated the collection. "I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through it, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact their loved one or their child, Rouse said, according to the news release. Gerlachs arrest follows an investigation into the string of burglaries of graves and mausoleums between Nov. 7, 2025, and Jan. 6. Advertisement Advertisement In addition to investigating Gerlach, authorities are also investigating a Facebook group he was connected to, called "Human Bones and Skull Selling Group." He was tagged and pictured holding a skull on the group page, ABC 6 reported. 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. Gerlach is being held on $1 million bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20. The investigation remains ongoing. The Delaware County District Attorney's Office urges anyone with additional information to contact Detective Leah Cesanek at 610-623-1500 or Detective Chris Karr at 610-891-4700. Read the original article on People Delaware County authorities allegedly caught a serial grave robber in the act, with "bones and skulls in plain view in the back seat" of his car after a string a burglaries at a cemetery outside of Philadelphia. And then they searched his home and storage unit and found more than 100 human skeletal remains, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office on Jan. 8. Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is in fact one of their loved ones. said District Attorney Tanner Rouse in a press conference Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, has been charged with burlary, over 100 counts of abuse of corpse, theft and descretion, among other offenses. "Through investigation it is believed that over 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains have been recovered from Gerlachs home and storage unit in Ephrata," the DA wrote in a press release. Authorities allege between November and when he was arrested at the cemetery Tuesday, Gerlach was responsible for numerous burglaries of graves and mausoleums at Mount Moriah Cemetery at 6201 Kingsessing Ave. in Yeadon, at Philadelphia's southwest border with suburban Delaware County. While doing surveillance on Jan. 6, authorities said they saw Gerlach's car with bones and skulls in it. Advertisement Advertisement "Gerlach was then seen exiting the cemetery holding a burlap bag, crow bar and other assorted items," the DA said. "The offender was brought into custody where he admitted to stealing approximately 30 sets of human remains." A search of his home and storage unit lead to what authorities said was more than 100 full or partial sets of human and skeletal remains. The investigation is continuing. Mount Moriah is a 200-acre historic cemetery dating back to 1855. At some point it was abandoned, but then restored by the now nonprofit Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, according to the group's Facebook page. The charges include 26 counts of intentional desecration of public monument, venerated objects and historic lots and burial places. Gerlach remains in custody. Advertisement Advertisement The District Attorneys Office urges anyone with additional information to contact the lead investigator on this case, Detective Leah Cesanek at 610-623-1500 or Detective Chris Karr at 610-891-4700. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Man stole from graves, had over 100 skeletal remains: Delco DA NEED TO KNOW A 67-year-old British man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of forcing a woman to have sex with more than 100 men over a 30-year period The sentencing judge called Rodney Johnston's crimes "rape in all but name" on Friday, Jan. 9 Johnston's victim spoke out for the first time, saying he made her feel "degraded" but now "for the first time in decades I am free" A British man was sentenced to prison for the remainder of his life after being found guilty of forcing a woman to have sex with more than 100 men over a 30-year period. Rodney Johnston, 67, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years during a hearing at the Norwich Crown Court on Friday, Jan. 9, according to BBC, Sky News and a news release from the Norfolk Police. Advertisement Advertisement Judge Alice Robinson called Johnstons crimes rape in all but name during Fridays hearing, BBC reported. "Going out became a byword for her being raped by strangers, Robinson said while handing down Johnstons sentencing, per the outlet. Johnston was found guilty last September of forcing a woman to have sex with more than 100 men in remote, countryside locations over a 30-year period between 1994 and 2024, during which he also filmed and photographed the assaults, BBC reported at the time. The outlet reported that local authorities discovered more than 30,000 images and videos documenting the womans abuse over the last three decades. British prosecutors said Johnston used threats and intimidation to force the woman into having intercourse with the men, per the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Norfolk Police said the abuse consisted of outings in which Johnston would take the woman "to secluded woodland or pre-arranged hotel rooms where the victim would be made to engage sexually with multiple men." Stephen Pond/PA Images via Getty Norwich Crown and County Court Norwich Crown and County Court He was convicted on three counts of procuring a woman to have sexual intercourse by threats or intimidation, two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of intimidation of a witness, according to Norfolk Police. Authorities indicated they'll continue to investigate Johnston's crimes to determine if others should be held responsible. "Our focus will now shift to establishing if any further offenses have been committed and if so, we'll conduct a thorough investigation to identify those responsible and do everything we can to bring them to justice," senior investigating officer Duncan Woodhams told BBC. 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. The woman, whose identity remained anonymous, also reportedly spoke out against Johnston in court for the first time prior to his sentencing Friday. Advertisement Advertisement For the first time in decades I am free, she said, per Norfolk Police. I found myself in a situation I never imagined I would be in, the victim added. What I then went on to endure I would not wish on anybody. I had no voice, no choice. The woman called Johnston a "monster" who treated her like nothing more than an object. I felt dirty, sick, used, degraded, humiliated and terrified but this became my norm, she told the court. I no longer know who I am. Now I must rebuild myself and I often feel lost and unsure where to begin. I feel anxious about the future, but for the first time in decades I am free. Advertisement Advertisement If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People The Brief A 30-year-old Mundelein man, Allen Chiquini, died after falling or attempting to step off a moving Metra train in a north suburban Chicago area, according to the Lake County Coroners Office. Investigators said Chiquini mistakenly boarded a northbound train, exited through the rear after being unable to open passenger doors, and was struck while the train was in motion. The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 2 near Ellis Avenue and Winchester Road; toxicology results are pending and the investigation is ongoing. LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - New details have been released in the death of a man found near Metra tracks in a north suburban Chicago community last week. Advertisement Advertisement The Lake County Coroners Office said Wednesday the man died after falling or attempting to step off a moving train. What we know The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, near Ellis Avenue and Winchester Road in Libertyville. First responders were called to the area after the crew of an outbound Metra train reported seeing a body along the tracks. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. He was identified as 30-year-old Allen Chiquini of Mundelein, according to the coroners office. An autopsy conducted Jan. 5 determined Chiquini died from blunt force head injuries consistent with being struck by a train. Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said video evidence showed Chiquini had boarded an earlier northbound train, mistakenly believing it was traveling southbound. After being unable to open the passenger doors, he exited through the rear of the train by climbing over a safety barrier. The coroners office said Chiquini either fell or attempted to step off the train while it was in motion. The incident occurred between the stop where he boarded and the next scheduled stop. What's next Toxicology results are pending, and the investigation remains ongoing by Metra police. The Source The information in this article was provided by the Lake County Coroner's Office. ALBANY - A 41-year-old Schenectady man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday for terrorizing patrons of Washington Tavern with a 9mm pistol last year. Video shows Hector Gomez pointing a gun at around a dozen people in the Western Avenue bar around 3 a.m. on Feb. 8. He was expected to be sentenced to between 8 and 12 years in state prison by state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle. Marcelle imposed the decade-long sentence and ordered Gomez to serve five years of post-release supervision during a morning court appearance. Advertisement Advertisement Gomez originally faced kidnapping, burglary and unlawful imprisonment charges after turning himself in to Albany police in February. He pleaded guilty in September to felony second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Three videos previously released by the Albany County District Attorney's Office show Gomez fighting with bar patrons before pointing his gun at one man, who puts his hands up. He then moves to the front before spotting one woman leaning against a wall by herself. He points the gun directly at her temple and shouts something before exiting the frame. She slides down the wall in shock as another woman tends to her. In a video taken from the building's vestibule, Gomez is seen leaving the bar before firing two rounds into the snowy sidewalk and walking out of the frame. Two of the videos were recorded by Washington Tavern's security system and a third was taken by a bar patron. While the videos are without sound, prosecutors say Gomez threatened to "kill everyone in here" as he waved the gun around. They believe he began pointing the gun after his attempts to flirt with a woman at the bar were rebuffed. Advertisement Advertisement More: Harrowing video shows man threatening Washington Tavern patrons with loaded gun More: Schenectady man pleads guilty after threatening Albany bar patrons with loaded gun Before sentencing, Albany County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brucato spoke of not only the impact on the crowd of mostly college students, but also the city's nightlife. "It's not just about punishing him per se," he said. "It's also about deterrence." He noted his three prior felony convictions, something Gomez's lawyer Daniel Smalls pushed back against - saying since 2009, he'd had a clean record, but the deaths of two family members in a car crash days earlier had sent him spiraling. Advertisement Advertisement "I did mess up really bad," Gomez told the court, later adding, "If the victim was here I'd look them in the eye, really apologize and then say That wasn't me that day.' That person that you see in the video is definitely not me." Marcelle commended Gomez for taking responsibility, but took issue with how, in his presentencing investigation report, Gomez described his actions as self-defense and did not recall the woman he'd pointed a gun at. "I don't know how you don't remember that," he said. As guards led Gomez out of the courtroom, his family members called out that they loved him. This article originally published at Man headed to prison after cameras captured his rampage in Albany bar. NEED TO KNOW An Iowa man was found dead in Arkansas on Jan. 6, more than two weeks after he disappeared, according to authorities Nicholas Collins had not been seen or heard from since Dec. 19 His car was found on Jan. 1, five days before his body was discovered A missing Iowa man was found dead in Arkansas more than two weeks after he disappeared. Nicholas Collins, 22, was last seen on Dec. 19, 2025, according to a news release from the Tama County Sheriff's Office (TCSO). Advertisement Advertisement Before he left his home in Garwin, Iowa, Collins left a note, according to a previous news release from the sheriffs office, who believed at the time that he was headed to Gladbrook, a nearby city. HIs phone was shut off and had no service as of Dec. 19, and his family said they had not seen or heard from him since that day. Collins car was discovered in Arkansas at the Ozark National Forest in Johnson County hours away from where he had last been seen on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, authorities said. The car, described by the TCSO as a 2012 Mini Cooper, was located at the Arbaugh Trailhead on the Ozark Highlands Trail, according to a separate news release from the Newton County Sheriffs Office (NCSO) in Arkansas. Advertisement Advertisement His body was found five days later in a very steep, rugged and remote area of the Ozark National Forest about 1.7 miles from the trailhead, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators later confirmed that Collins "died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The TCSO stated there was no indication of foul play in connection with Collins death, but say an investigation is ongoing. This is a very difficult time for Nicholass family, and we ask everyone to respect their privacy as they grieve, the TCSO said in its latest news release. 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. We thank all the agencies and volunteers for their part in the search, including local teams in Arkansas, federal law enforcement, and our staff in Tama County, they added. Advertisement Advertisement In a separate statement, NCSO Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said, in part, "I hate that this turned out like it did, but I am glad we are able to provide some answers to a family that has been without answers for what I can only imagine were a very long couple of weeks. Our prayers and condolences go out to them." If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Read the original article on People NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Jalen Garces stood silent before the judge, expressionless as he was sentenced Friday to 28 years in prison for the shooting death of 33-year-old Ali Muhammad, the son of a prominent community activist. Garces, 28, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for second-degree murder, plus five additional years for firearm-related charges after he was convicted for the murder of Muhammad on June 29, 2023. Garces was also facing Possession of a Firearm by a Felon charges, but that charge was nolle prosequi. Muhammad was the son of prominent activist Bilal Muhammad, and Friday morning when the Muhammad family walked into court, they were surrounded by a strong group of supporters. Advertisement Advertisement Man found guilty of killing son of prominent community activist When given the opportunity to speak in court, Garces declined. We asked for 30 [years] and got 28, but we got more than the guidelines called for, said Norfolk Commonwealths Attorney Ramin Fatehi. And thats a sentence that we can live with, and that we feel is consistent with justice. Garces shot and killed Muhammad in the parking lot of his apartment complex on 1st Bay Street in Norfolk. Garces was arrested two days later after the shooting by Virginia Beach Police during a traffic stop. He was charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of murder. Advertisement Advertisement Garces pleaded not guilty to his charges and opted to be tried by a jury. The trial began Aug. 11, 2025, and concluded after four days with a Norfolk jury convicting Garces as charged. Man found guilty of killing son of prominent community activist During the trial, prosecutors showed video evidence of a black 2019 Ford Mustang, driven by Garces, parked in Muhammads parking lot for 19 minutes the night of the shooting. The Mustang was seen leaving the scene shortly after the deadly shooting via flock camera. Investigators say it was Flock camera technology that ultimately helped detectives connect Garces to the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Ill tell you this case, its the case that made me a believer in the [Flock] system, said Fatehi. The police ran a flock search trying to find that car, flock actually came back negative. They searched it manually and found the car. That car cracked the entire case. The sentencing hearing Friday was emotional, filled with victim impact statements. Five victims addressed the court, including Alis father, Bilal Muhammad, who was on the phone with his son the moment he was shot. The last words he heard from his son were, Get that gun out of my face. Other victim statements came from Kelly Shaw, the mother of Muhammads three daughters, Aayliah Muhammad, the oldest of three daughters, Cynthia Muhammad, Muhammads mother, and Waquita Murphy, Muhammads older sister. Prosecutors emphasized that the Muhammad family will never truly know why his life was taken. Those girls, just 11, 9 and 5-years-old, are now growing up without their father. Advertisement Advertisement I dont think justice was served completely, but a criminal off the street for 28 years, I feel like justice was done in that sense, Bilal Muhammad said, adding, [Garces] didnt even stand up to apologize to us. He acted like, Oh well, so what? And thats the type of attitude he displayed when a judge asked him, Do you have anything to say to the court, to the family? And you say no? Bilal Muhammad said after the verdict that we got victory today, thank the Lord. Thank the Lord. And I got to say, this day, our son Ali is smiling, and his three daughters, theyre smiling right now. The judge underscored how senseless the killing was, describing a dispute between Garces and Muhammad that allegedly started over something as minor as a parking spot. Mr. Garces has asserted his innocence, claimed somebody else did it, Fatehi said. The jury disagreed. It wasnt worth killing and taking three little girls away from their dad. Advertisement Advertisement Fatehi said Garces had no reason to kill Ali Muhammad and take him from his family. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. and Mrs. Muhammad and to Alis entire family for their tragic loss, Fatehi said. I was at the scene of this crime, as I am for every homicide in Norfolk, and I have no doubt that the information from the Flock camera system made the difference between an arrest and conviction and an unsolved murder. My office will continue to focus our efforts on cases like these, where people hurt and kill the members of our community. 10 On Your Side also spoke exclusively to Jalen Garces father, Don Garces. He said he extends his condolences to the Muhammad family. Garces says they plan to appeal the sentencing. I want to give my condolences to [Ali Muhammads] family, Don Garces said. No family should have to bury their child. Advertisement Advertisement However, Don Garces said he doesnt believe his son got a fair trial. Did my son get a fair trial? Im going to be honest no, Don Garces said, adding, No gun, no fingerprints, no gun residue in the car. And even when my lawyer asked in court, Did yall test the car for fingerprints or gun residue? Like I said since day one, if my son done this, then he has to do the time. Inside the courtroom, grief was visible. Kelly Shaw, the mother of Ali Muhammads three daughters, broke down while taking the stand. I talk about Ali every day, she said. I want him to be remembered as somebody that was a good person out here, because thats exactly what he was, a father and a friend. He was the one that was going to be here for any and everybody. He made sure that if nobody came, he was there all the time. Advertisement Advertisement Ali Muhammads 11-year-old daughter, Aayliah Muhammad, also stood before the judge. My anxiety kicked in, and its hard to breathe when you have anxiety and you overthink about a lot of things, Aayliah said. Ali Muhammads mother and older sister described him as the youngest, the baby of the family. His mother, Cynthia Muhammad, spoke of that bond, while his older sister, Murphy, told the court Ali Muhammad stood by her side throughout her cancer journey. The judge ordered Garces to have no contact with the Muhammad family, and to remove himself from any gang affiliations. Bilal Muhammad said his family is using their faith to go forward. Advertisement Advertisement We are holding together, with faith, Bilal Muhammad said. Its not bringing our son Ali back, but we are very thankful. 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. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) A Utah resident was federally sentenced this week for his role in a massive drug trafficking scheme, nearly a month after his brother was sentenced for the same crime. Mountazar Altalibi, 36, was sentenced to 96 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release after he trafficked Alpha-Pyrrolidinohexanophenone, also known as Alpha PHP or bath salts, out of two Utah businesses. His brother, Jaafar Altalibi, was given the same sentence last month. Nine other individuals and two businesses were also indicted during the same investigation. Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Massive Utah drug trafficking bust involves foreign nationals, says U.S. Dept. of Justice According to the United States Attorneys Office in the District of Utah, the brothers and other defendants would receive bath salts from a foreign supplier, before selling them to others for profit. Additionally, the brothers reportedly assisted in money laundering the proceeds from drug sales and used said funds for their lifestyles and homes. Reportedly, the other co-conspirators helped redistribute the drugs. When the Altalibis and other co-conspirators were arrested in 2023, law enforcement described it as a massive bust. Advertisement Advertisement How to make ABC4 your preferred news source on Google Protecting our communities and prosecuting drug traffickers is a priority of this administration and my office, said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. Criminals who import and distribute bath salts or any other type of illegal and deadly substance will be held accountable. The DEA and the Salt Lake City Metro Narcotics Task (MNTF) will continue to investigate any person or organization selling illegal substances that cause harm, said Miguel Chino, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of DEAs Rocky Mountain Field Division Salt Lake Office. Chino added, It doesnt matter whether it is bath salts, methamphetamine, or cocaine the DEA and MNTF will continue to track down and arrest drug traffickers and seize illegal controlled substances and narcotics proceeds. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement 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 ABC4 Utah. A new ranking has found Market Basket as the second-best grocery store in the country. According to the customer data science company, Dunnhumby, Market Basket ranked second out in the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market. According to Dunnhumby, The RPI found that 41% of a retailers long-term success is based on saving customers money through competitive pricing, promotions, and rewards up three points from last year and marking a new record high." Advertisement Advertisement H-E-B, a Texas-based chain, took the top spot. 2025 threw a lot of curveballs at the U.S. consumer. Shopper confidence dropped as concerns about higher prices, fewer job opportunities, and stagnant wages eroded purchasing power. Consumers across all income levels are feeling the squeeze and making more price-conscious choices, said Matt OGrady, President of the Americas for dunnhumby. In this environment, building trust with American shoppers has never been more critical. Other Massachusetts stores that topped the list were Costco (4), Aldi (5), Trader Joes (7), Amazon (8), and Wegmans (9). Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was fired in September after being accused of attempting to create a work stoppage. He is now countersuing to regain his position. Advertisement Advertisement Demoulas was initially put on leave in May to allow for an investigation into the allegations. In the weeks that followed, several other executives loyal to Demoulas were fired, including Joseph Schmidt and Tom Gordon, who were both banned from setting foot on the grocery store chains property. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A woman was held captive by masked gunmen in Manosque after robbers targeted her partners crypto USB drive. The January 6 incident brought Frances total to 14 recent attacks, leading global statistics according to security researcher Jameson Lopps database. Three hooded individuals entered the couples home on Chemin Champs de Pruniers around 7:30 p.m., according to Le Parisien. Advertisement Advertisement The attackers tied up the woman, threatened her with a handgun, and slapped her while demanding crypto data. After seizing a USB drive, they fled. The victim freed herself and contacted police, emerging physically unharmed. Tax Official Caught Selling Targeting Data to Criminal Gangs The attack comes amid revelations that criminals access government databases to identify crypto holders. According to Le Parisien, tax official Ghalia C. was imprisoned on June 30, 2025, in Bobigny after using tax software to provide addresses to organized crime. Prosecutors say she searched for files on crypto investors, billionaire Vincent Bollore, and prison officials before selling the information. Advertisement Advertisement She refused to give her phone passcode and the name of the person who hired her; thats criminal behavior, the public prosecutor stated. This woman abused her position in a completely abnormal manner to serve a hardened criminal. Investigators discovered Ghalia accessed Mira tax software to locate targets for violent robberies. Her searches specifically included crypto investors. One prison officer was attacked on September 26, 2024, when three armed men burst into his Montreuil home after she provided his address. Police found large cash deposits and Western Union transfers in her accounts. She received approximately 800 euros per operation, according to confessions from arrested henchmen. Advertisement Advertisement Her lawyer, however, argued, the justice system is making a lot of assumptions, but prosecutors charged her in a similar Nancy case involving attacks on prison guards homes. Physical Attacks Reach Record Levels Physical violence against crypto holders has escalated dramatically, with Lopps database documenting 269 total attacks since tracking began. The year 2025 has recorded 65 incidents, averaging more than one per week. Source: Haseebq Criminals successfully steal assets in 2/3 of documented attacks, and 60% of perpetrators are eventually captured. France has emerged as a particular hotspot, with Parisian authorities believing one organized crime ring perpetrates multiple recent kidnappings. Advertisement Advertisement Western Europe accounts for 27% of global attacks, followed by North America at 24% and Asia-Pacific at 20%. Source: Haseebq Market Correlation and Evolving Risk Assessment Investor Haseeb Qureshis analysis revealed critical insights about attack patterns. His regression found a correlation of 0.67 between crypto market capitalization and attack frequency. Simple regression yields an R of 0.45, meaning 45% of the variance in violence is explained simply by price, Qureshi noted. Normalization analysis provided a nuanced perspective. When adjusting for population growth, Qureshi found that crypto was actually more dangerous in 2015 and in 2018, back when crypto was very small. Advertisement Advertisement During that time, Coinbases monthly active users increased 60x from 2 million to 120 million, meaning violence has not grown proportionally. There has indeed been a recent uptick in violent events per user, Qureshi acknowledged. But its a moderate increase, roughly in line with 2021 rates of violence, and significantly lower than pre-2019. Rising Violence Severity and Criminal Sophistication Attacks have grown substantially more violent. Haseebs severity classification shows 51% now classified as serious, involving armed robbery, kidnapping, or home invasion. Another 21% qualify as severe, including torture and severed body parts, while fatal outcomes account for 5%. Advertisement Advertisement Source: Haseebq Criminals have adopted sophisticated tactics, with home invasions representing 25% of attacks. Perpetrators often pose as delivery workers to gain entry, while kidnappings involve surveillance. OTC trades have become particularly dangerous, with attackers luring victims to hotel rooms. Dubai is actually from a number of different perspectives very risky, Lopp noted, though adding that Dubai maintains a 100% success rate in catching criminals before they escape. The UAEs nine recorded attacks all resulted in arrests, in contrast to jurisdictions where criminals frequently evade capture. Security Recommendations Shut up, Lopp advised bluntly. Stop flaunting your wealth. Advertisement Advertisement His recommendations include avoiding face-to-face trades, maintaining situational awareness, refusing food or drinks from untrusted sources, and implementing distributed multi-signature setups that make rapid fund movement difficult. Qureshi provided even more practical guidance. He advised to stay in a safe city, ideally in a building with 24/7 security. Dont wear crypto swag in public or signal that you have crypto on you. He recommended using services like DeleteMe to remove personal data from brokers, establishing PO boxes for commercial mail, and maintaining separate hot wallets with meaningful amounts that could be surrendered without compromising entire holdings. The Manosque case remains under investigation, with financial losses yet to be assessed. Authorities continue pursuing leads on the three suspects who remain at large. Read original story Masked Gunmen Steal Crypto USB in France as Tax Official Caught Selling Data to Gangs by Anas Hassan at Cryptonews.com Digital asset infrastructure firm Fireblocks said it bought TRES Finance, a crypto accounting and financial reporting platform for an undisclosed amount, in a bid to close the gap between blockchain-based operations and traditional finance systems. TRES will continue to operate as a standalone product, with Fireblocks supporting its growth and integrating it more deeply into institutional workflows. The acquisition was valued at $130 million, according to people familiar with the negotiations cited by Fortune. As the cryptocurrency market matures, companies are moving from what has largely been a grey area into a regulated space. Compliance is therefore now a necessity as adoption rises and global regulations like MiCA start taking effect and the ability to bridge on-chain data with traditional audit standards is growing. TRES is designed to help crypto-native companies and traditional institutions generate structured, compliant financial records from blockchain activity, a task that typically requires custom infrastructure and manual reconciliation. Companies expanding into new markets or preparing for public offerings face pressure to produce audit-ready records. TRES enables this by turning fragmented blockchain data into reports that align with existing enterprise systems. Over 230 companies, including firms like Finoa, Alchemy and Wintermute, already use TRES to manage tax compliance, reconciliation and financial control, according to a Fireblocks press release. The acquisition follows Fireblocks October acquisition of Dynamic, a developer platform used by companies including Kraken, Magic Eden and Ondo Finance. Three masked men broke into a home in Manosque, France, on Monday evening, tying up a woman at gunpoint and stealing a USB drive containing her partner's crypto data. The incident occurred at a residence on Chemin Champs de Pruniers in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, according to French outlet Le Parisien. The assailants threatened the victim with a handgun and slapped her before taking the USB drive and fleeing. Advertisement Advertisement The victim, who was reportedly unharmed, managed to free herself within minutes and contacted police. An investigation has been opened and entrusted to the local criminal investigation department and the regional directorate of the national police. Last year, Jameson Lopp, CTO of the security firm Casa, documented over 70 crypto-related wrench attacks globally in his publicly available database, with France emerging as a European hotspot for violent crypto-related crime, with more than 14 such incidents reported. Frances combination of a relatively high baseline level of criminal activity, visible concentrations of crypto wealth among founders, traders, and public figures, and growing local expertise in digital assets creates fertile conditions for more opportunistic and organized crypto-related crime, cybercrime consultant David Sehyeon Baek told Decrypt. The Grisliest Bitcoin and Crypto Wrench Attacks That Grabbed Headlines in 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Baek said it is reasonable to expect some established criminal networks in France to increasingly fold crypto into crimes when it offers better margins, faster cross-border transfers, or lower perceived traceability than cash or traditional banking channels. "Global liquidity, markets that never close, and the ability to move large amounts of money across borders almost instantly" make crypto an attractive target for criminals, he added. The case comes amid revelations that a French tax official was indicted last June for abusing access to state tax databases to identify potential targets, including cryptocurrency investors, and pass their personal information to criminal actors. According to a separate report by Le Parisien, the official used internal tax software to search for addresses, income details, and family information unrelated to her duties, in at least one instance preceding a violent home invasion. Judges said the searches could not be justified by her role, which focused on corporate taxation. Iranian protesters on Thursday stepped up their challenge to the clerical leadership with the biggest protests yet of nearly two weeks of rallies, as authorities cut internet access and the death toll from a crackdown mounted. The movement, which originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on 28 December after the rial currency plunged to record lows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger-scale demonstrations, including in the capital. The protests have troubled the authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel. Advertisement Advertisement US President Donald Trump meanwhile threatened on Thursday to take severe action against Iran if its authorities "start killing people", warning Washington would "hit them very hard". That message came after rights groups accused Iranian security forces of shooting at demonstrators, with the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights on Thursday saying security forces had killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, since the demonstrations began. What happened on Thursday evening? People in Iran's capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the streets on Thursday night after a call by the country's exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration, witnesses said. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began. Advertisement Advertisement CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported the internet outage, both attributing it to Iranian government interference. Attempts to dial landlines and mobile phones from Dubai to Iran could not be connected. Such outages have in the past been followed by intense government crackdowns. It represents a new escalation in the protest movement, initially against Iran's ailing economy, that has spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, 29 December, 2025 - Euronews Farsi Pahlavi had called for demonstrations at 8 pm local on Thursday and Friday. When the clock struck, neighbourhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. Advertisement Advertisement The chants included "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to the Islamic Republic!" Others praised the shah, shouting: "This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!" Thousands could be seen on the streets. "Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands," Pahlavi said in a statement. "I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered." Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 39 people while more than 2,260 others have been detained, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said. The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Irans civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A man sits as shops are closed during protests in Tehran's centuries-old main bazaar, 6 January, 2026 - AP Photo Meanwhile, the protests themselves have remained broadly leaderless. It remains unclear how Pahlavi's call will affect the demonstrations moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement "The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran," wrote Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Council, who studies Iran. "There may be a thousand Iranian dissident activists who, given a chance, could emerge as respected statesmen, as labour leader Lech Waesa did in Poland at the end of the Cold War. But so far, the Iranian security apparatus has arrested, persecuted and exiled all of the countrys potential transformational leaders." Iranian officials appeared to be taking the planned protests seriously. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper published a video online claiming security forces would use drones to identify those taking part. Iranian officials have offered no acknowledgment of the scale of the overall protests, which raged across many locations Thursday even before the 8 pm demonstration. Advertisement Advertisement Related Iran weighs Trump threat It remains unclear why Iranian officials have yet to crack down harder on the demonstrators. Trump warned last week that if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters," America "will come to their rescue." Trump's comments drew a new rebuke from Iran's Foreign Ministry. "Recalling the long history of criminal interventions by successive US administrations in Iran's internal affairs, the Foreign Ministry considers claims of concern for the great Iranian nation to be hypocritical, aimed at deceiving public opinion and covering up the numerous crimes committed against Iranians," it said. Advertisement Advertisement But those comments haven't stopped the US State Department on the social platform X from highlighting online footage purporting to show demonstrators putting up stickers naming roads after Trump or throwing away government-subsidised rice. "When prices are set so high that neither consumers can afford to buy nor farmers can afford to sell, everyone loses," the State Department said in one message. "It makes no difference if this rice is thrown away." Meanwhile, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, in a video posted to her X account, said "The world is once again witnessing the brave people of Iran stand up." "Their cry for freedom, for dignity, for the choice to live and be governed as they choose, has been heard across the globe," she said. "The people of Europe see what is happening on the streets and in the hearts and minds of the people of Iran. We know the change that is underway...The people of Iran are not protesting, they are crying out. Europe hears them, the world hears them." Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang are not afraid to discuss their political beliefs on their podcast, Las Culturistas, and on their most recent episode, Rogers shared his feelings about Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett's chances of winning a Senate seat: "Don't waste your money." The two got on the topic of politics after Rogers did his "I Don't Think So Honey," the podcast's ritual rant about cultural topics. During the episode, the pair talked about their feelings on different politicians they supported in the early 2010s and how they knew their chances of winning were slim, but still supported them. Rogers shared that he felt it was clear that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gearing up to run for president in 2028, but feels he won't win, criticizing his strategy of "dunking" on President Donald Trump and Republicans on social media and in speeches without following that up with actionable change. "Anytime a politician is making it about themselves, I'm already done," Rogers said. "Don't waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett. Do not do it." (@) Yang, who is fresh off his Saturday Night Live exit, chimed in and said, "I must agree." Advertisement Advertisement Rogers continued, "You're going to waste your money, take it from someone who sent Sara Gideon a ton of money in Maine. Just don't do it." He added that he felt that if Beto O'Rourke couldn't clinch a seat in the Senate, then Crockett for sure won't. "It's nothing against her, it's just that she is a politician who is very well-defined already, and it is my opinion that we are going to need someone less defined in this moment that rises up," Rogers said. "I'm interested in this [James] Talarico guy from Texas." Rogers is referring to the Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. The Las Culturistas cohost continued to explain that he feels Crockett's competitor would be harder to define as anything other than what Talarico is: a rising Democratic politician from Texas who can speak to "the middle." Previously, Crockett has found herself as the subject of criticism and national headlines after she and (now former) United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene got into a heated exchange, where Crockett said Greene had a "bleach blonde bad built butch body." Crockett also called the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, who is in a wheelchair, "hot wheels," which many felt she was mocking his disability. Rogers went on to clarify that he's not being fatalistic about the Democrats' chances of winning; he felt that there's a chance to "not flop by putting up what everyone said they hated in the beginning, which is an establishment California Democrat [referring to Newsom]. It doesn't work." Advertisement Advertisement These comments made their way to social media, and the hosts were criticized. One creator, @2RawTooReal, uploaded a video sharing his counter-argument to Rogers. "What do you mean by too defined? She's only been in Congress for fucking two, three years?" the creator said in his video. "You say that she can't win because she's too defined, too well-known; however, you need to be motherfucking known to win a statewide motherfucking race bitch." (@) Comedian and actress Loni Love quote-tweeted this creator's video and shared her thoughts in a post that reads, "One of the reasons both can sit with their legs crossed making money is due to the work of A LOT of Black women and men that fought for civil rights for us all. If we thought like this (She cant win), we wouldnt have LGBTQ rights today. They dont even live in Texas" This article originally appeared on Out: Matt Rogers told Las Culturistas listeners not to support Jasmine Crockett RELATED Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday backed holding talks between Europe and Russia amid international efforts to end the Ukraine war. "I believe the time has come for Europe and Russia to talk," she told her annual press conference in Rome. "For, if Europe decides to participate in this negotiation phase, but talks to only one of the parties to the conflict, I fear that the positive contribution that it could make will in the end be limited," she said. Advertisement Advertisement A few weeks ago, French President Emmanuel Macron said it could be sensible and useful for Europe and Ukraine to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to be directly involved in the discussion. In her comments on Friday, Meloni referred to Macron's words and said she thought he was right on this point. By Giselda Vagnoni and Crispian Balmer ROME, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not believe the United States would use military force to seize Greenland, warning on Friday that such a move would have grave consequences for NATO. At her traditional New Year's press conference, Meloni said a reinforced NATO presence in the Arctic would help address U.S. concerns about rival powers gaining influence in the region, reducing pressure for unilateral action by Washington. Advertisement Advertisement "I continue not to believe in the hypothesis that the United States would launch a military action to take control of Greenland, an option I would clearly not support," said Meloni, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's closest allies in Europe. Her comments come amid rising tensions over U.S. policy in the Arctic and Europes role in shaping security policy, after last weekend's U.S. swoop on Venezuela rekindled concerns about Trump's intentions towards Greenland. THREAT TO NATO While most EU leaders criticised the United States for grabbing President Nicolas Maduro in a daring military raid, Meloni said she had supported the operation. Advertisement Advertisement "I agreed with Trump on Venezuela. I do not agree with him on Greenland," she said, adding that it would not be in anyone's interest for the United States to seize the vast territory, which is strategically located between Europe and North America. "I think it would not even be in the interest of the United States of America, to be clear," Meloni added. The White House said on Tuesday that the U.S. was considering a range of options to acquire Greenland, including the use of military force. The Italian leader said it was "clear to everyone" that any U.S. move on Greenland would have a significant impact on NATO, adding this was the reason she did not think Washington would follow through on its threats. Advertisement Advertisement However, she said it was important for NATO to boost its presence in the region, adding that she understood U.S. concerns over the need to prevent "excessive interference from other actors that could even be hostile". Meloni has traditionally had strong ties with Trump and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration last year. Her supporters had hoped she would have privileged access to him and become a bridge between Washington and Europe, but it is far from clear that he has heeded her advice up until now. "There are many things on which I do not agree with Trump. For example, I believe international law must be strongly defended. ... When I disagree, I tell him, I have no difficulty doing so," Meloni said on Friday. (Additional reporting by Giulia Segreti, Stefano Bernabei; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Alex Richardson) ROME, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Europe should reopen dialogue with Russia, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday, adding that it was far too soon to discuss welcoming Moscow back into the Group of Eight leading nations. Meloni said she agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently called for Europe to engage with Moscow as efforts continue to end the war in Ukraine. "I think Macron is right on this. I believe the time has come for Europe to also speak with Russia," she said at her traditional New Year's press conference. Advertisement Advertisement "Because if Europe decides to take part in this phase of negotiations by talking only to one of the two sides, I fear that in the end the positive contribution it can make will be limited," she added. Talks to bring the almost four-year war to an end have accelerated since November. However, Moscow has yet to signal willingness to make concessions after Kyiv pushed for changes to a U.S. proposal that initially backed Russia's main demands. Moscow has also given no public sign that it would accept a peace deal with the security guarantees envisaged by Ukraine's allies, including having Western troops inside Ukraine. Meloni said the European Union should appoint an envoy to deal directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and avoid confusion. Advertisement Advertisement "If we were to make the mistake of deciding, on the one hand, to reopen dialogue with Russia, and on the other, to proceed in a disorganised way, we would be doing Putin a favour," she said. "We have had this problem from the start. Too many voices speaking, too many formats," she added. Among proposals put forward by the United States in November was for Russia to be readmitted to the Group of Seven wealthy nations club, reviving the now-defunct G8. Meloni said it was "absolutely premature" to talk about welcoming Russia back into the G7 fold. She also reiterated that Italy had no intention of sending troops to Ukraine to help guarantee any peace deal. France and Britain last month signed a declaration of intent on the future deployment of multinational forces into Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached. (Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni and Alvise Armellini, editing by Giulia Segreti and Crispian Balmer) A ballot box outside the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds for the Nov. 4, 2025 local election. (Julia Goldberg/SourceNM) With the start of 2026, expect to see a ramp-up toward New Mexicos June 2 primary and, of course, the Nov. 3 midterms. Source NM will be both rounding up and digging into the election cycle. For now, heres an overview of campaign activity in the first week of the year. Signature scamper More than a dozen candidates have announced campaigns for New Mexicos top executive office in the 2026 election, as current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is term-limited from running again. Advertisement Advertisement In order to appear on the ballot, candidates running with either of the states major Democratic or Republican parties must collect a little more than 2,000 signatures from members of their political parties and submit them to the Secretary of State by a Feb. 3 deadline, according to state law. The secretary of states office will publish the petition forms for minor party and independent candidates, including the required number of signatures, by March 31. Those candidates have until June 25 to file for candidacy, since they do not participate in the primary elections. The law requires that signatures for the major party candidates represent 2% of registered voters in the party who voted in the last gubernatorial primary election. For Democrats that number is 2,505 and for Republican candidates thats 2,351 signatures, according to the states election information guide. Candidates have until the deadline to collect signatures, and then submit that along with other paperwork to the Secretary of State, according to Alex Curtas, a spokesperson for the office. Advertisement Advertisement At this point no one is officially a candidate for anything, Curtas told Source NM in an email. People have made announcements and declared they are running, but no one is officially running until the paperwork is submitted and verified/accepted by our office on candidate filing day. Four candidates have reported exceeding the signature counts in statements from their campaigns. They include Democratic candidates Deb Haaland, the former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. congresswoman, who reported exceeding the minimum within 24 hours in October; and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who has gathered more than 8,000 signatures, his campaign spokesperson told Source NM on Friday. Republican candidates Gregg Hull, the mayor of Rio Rancho; and recent entry to the race Duke Rodriguez, a cannabis businessman and former cabinet secretary under former Gov. Gary Johnson, also said theyve met the threshold. Rodriguez said in a news release this week he had collected more than 6,000 signatures. Advertisement Advertisement This wasnt about checking a box. It was about earning trust, Rodriguez said in a statement. Every signature represents a real person who took time to participate, engage, and make their voice heard. That matters. New entries While no campaign will be official until the Feb. 3 filing day, candidates are still announcing their entries into the race. James Jim Ellis, a former Public Regulation Commissioner appointed by Lujan Grisham in 2023, who served until 2024, unveiled his website earlier this week, saying his platform is building affordability, opportunity, and trust in government. An emailed request for comment was not returned by deadline. Ellis is the fourth candidate to seek the Republican nomination, with a field that includes Hull, Rodriguez and Sen. Steve Lanier (R-Aztec). Lanier has served in the state senate since his election in 2024, and served one term as a San Juan County commissioner. Dem contenders report additional events, endorsements Haaland opened the new year with a donation of more than 350 books Friday to the Albuquerque-based literacy nonprofit Read to Me! Advertisement Advertisement By investing in education we invest in New Mexicos future. As governor, Ill prioritize making sure kids can read early on day one, she said in a social media post. Also this week, Bregman received the endorsement of Ohkay Owingeh, his third tribal endorsement. Ohkay Owingeh Governor Benny J. Lujan said in a Jan. 5 statement that Bregman respects our sovereignty and understands the realities facing our community, in the official endorsement. He listens, he follows through, and he approaches tribal nations as partners not afterthoughts. That distinction matters, Lujan said. Bregman celebrated the endorsement in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Im deeply honored by the trust Ohkay Owingeh has placed in me, Bregman said. For decades, Ive stood alongside tribal governments in the fight for sovereignty and fairness. As governor, I will make sure tribal nations have a real partner in the Governors Office and a real voice in state government. Bregman also took to social media at the end of 2025 with what he called an Obama-inspired favorites list that included items such as his favorite musician and beer (Luke Combs and Coors). Whats in a name The Santa Fe County Clerks Office on Friday issued a news release reminding candidates of an approaching deadline for their own voter registrations. Once the Secretary of State issues the official election proclamation on Jan. 26, under state law anyone interested in running for office will be unable to make any changes to their names, addresses or political party affiliations. Those rules do not apply to anyone not running for office. Got election year tips or questions? Send them to info@sourcenm.com. Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque) is among the Democrats and Republicans who are pushing the New Mexico Legislature to pass additional medical compacts during the 30-day session. Three of her bills cleared a House committee Jan. 21, 2026. (Courtesy NM Legislature) After weeks of bipartisan negotiations, state lawmakers this week unveiled legislation intended to make it easier for doctors to practice in New Mexico by entering a multistate medical compact for physicians. Advocates have lobbied for years that entering the compact which would allow doctors licensed in other states to practice in New Mexico will help address the states physician shortage, but have faced pushback from some Democratic lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Now one lawmaker from the working group on the issue, Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque), said the proposals intended for this session dont go far enough. This week, she introduced three bills that would enter the state into three additional health care compacts and is urging her colleagues to at least consider them. Our health system is in really bad shape right now, she told Source NM. I cant think of a higher priority for us in the coming session but to address solutions to the problem, and compacts are a part of that. Unlike 44 jurisdictions, including New Mexicos five border states, New Mexico is neither a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact for physicians, nor part of eight other major compacts for paramedics, audiologists, dentists and other specialties, according to Think New Mexico, a nonpartisan advocacy group. Advertisement Advertisement In response to ongoing pressure from advocates and state Republican lawmakers to allow medical compact legislation a full hearing at the Roundhouse, Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) in November convened a six-lawmaker working group composed of Democrats and Republicans in both chambers. Members were tasked with crafting legislation that would enter the state into health care licensure compacts amid public outcry over growing wait lists and long drives to access health care across the state. The state lost close to 250 doctors between 2019 and 2024. Wirth told Source New Mexico that the group, after multiple meetings, succeeded in crafting licensure compact legislation for doctors and social workers, but that other potential compacts need more work and remain in the pipeline. Lawmakers are expected to introduce the social worker compact legislation soon. Wirth has previously described joining compacts as a complex process that requires lawmakers to work closely with managers of each of the licensure organizations individually to ensure legislation meets their requirements but also ensures the state maintains its autonomy. Advertisement Advertisement But Matthews said she emerged from the working group convinced that joining the compacts is relatively easy and that reconciling the states legislation with compact requirements is often a matter of stylistic versus substantive changes. She also is increasingly persuaded the compacts work. She provided Source a list of studies that show immediate increases in health care workers for states that join compacts. Matthews said she faced pushback in the working group about introducing additional compact bills, but decided, We need to move forward on this. Her legislation would enter New Mexico into compacts for paramedics, counselors and psychologists. Advertisement Advertisement She told Source she is actively working with managers for each of those compacts, sharing the legislation and seeking assurances that the language meets their requirements. She expects to amend each bill soon after the session starts with any additional notes they provide, she told Source. Still, Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe), one of the sponsors for the physician compact bill, told Source this week that she doesnt think the Legislature will have enough time to carefully consider each of Matthews compacts. As evidence, she pointed to the amount of work the doctor compact took, saying the lawmakers and compact managers had to toil over language about, for example, liability for compact board members; the state Medical Boards subpoena power; and protection of health records, particularly for women and transgender people. Doing that for three other compacts during a 30-day session would be impossible, she said. Theyre not ready, she said of Matthews compacts. We have not had any comprehensive meetings with the organizations on that to make sure that any changes that we make will be accepted. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will seize control of Greenland "the easy way" or "the hard way" and warned that he won't miss out on the opportunity to Russia or China. "We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not," he said. He brushed off naming a price to purchase the land from Denmark but also didn't describe what any potential military action would look like. "I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way," Trump said. He made the comments during a press availability Jan. 9 as he met with some of the top oil companies in the world to discuss investment in Venezuela, where the U.S. just a week earlier captured leader Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York to face drug charges. Advertisement Advertisement Trump said if the U.S. hadn't gone into Venezuela and attempted to reinvigorate their oil industry, Russia or China would have. He also referred to Venezuela as a next-door neighbor because of its location in the Western Hemisphere. "And by the way, we don't want Russia or China going to Greenland, which if we don't take Greenland, you're going to have Russia or China as your next door neighbor," Trump said. "That's not going to happen." Trump said there are Russian and Chinese destroyers, Russian submarines and larger Chinese ships, already sitting outside of Greenland. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark that has about 31 billion barrels of oil in reserves, about three-quarters of what the U.S. has. But the territory banned drilling in 2021, citing environmental concerns. Advertisement Advertisement White House aide Stephen Miller questioned Denmark's right to control Greenland in a Jan. 5 interview with CNN. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says US will move on Greenland before Russia or China During the latest flare-up of violence between Thailand and Cambodia in their decades-long border dispute, a video and photos were shared in social media posts falsely claiming they showed foreign soldiers who were secretly bolstering the ranks of the Thai military. The visuals in fact show a live-acted military simulation event held in Thailand, which the local organisers told AFP had nothing to do with the border conflict. "Foreigners came to help Siam secretly -- no wonder Siam is so strong," reads a Khmer-language Facebook post shared on December 24, 2025, using a historic name for Thailand. "Countries that sell weapons always want war for profit, while poor countries suffer because of their weapons," adds the post, which has over 100,000 views and more than 600 shares. Advertisement Advertisement Attached to the post are a video and two photos, depicting people in military garb inside a camouflaged tent. They appear to be using laptops and communications gear and consulting maps. Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on January 6, 2026, with a red X added by AFP The same visuals were also shared in similar Threads and Instagram posts during deadly clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops along their shared border in December 2025 (archived link). The latest flare-up over a decades-long boundary dispute saw dozens killed and nearly a million people displaced before a truce was agreed on December 27 (archived link). The video and photos circulating online, however, do not show foreign soldiers that supposedly bolstered the ranks of the Thai military. Advertisement Advertisement A banner hanging in the tent visible in the background of the falsely shared video reads, "Thailand Military Impression Club". A subsequent keyword search led to a Facebook page for the club, which posted video and photos on December 23 and 24 that matched those shared in the false posts (archived here and here). Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared visuals (L) and video and photo posted by the Thailand Military Impression Club "Milsim21/12/2025," reads the video's caption, using a portmanteau of "military simulation" -- events where participants wearing military apparel and brandishing realistic airsoft guns simulate combat (archived link). Suchin Sookcharoen, co-owner of the Thailand Military Impression Club, told AFP the circulating visuals were taken from an event they organised in central Ratchaburi province which borders Myanmar. Advertisement Advertisement "They have nothing to do with the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict," he said on January 6. Suchin said the club has operated for nearly a decade, organising military simulation games that recreate real and fictional battles. "Some tourists wear uniforms that resemble real ones, which might confuse people online," he said. AFP previously debunked a similar claim that Israeli troops had arrived to support Thai soldiers in the conflict with Cambodia. In recent days, benchmark copper futures in London briefly reached a record US$13,000 per ton amid mine outages and trade disruptions that raised concerns about global copper supply. This spike has put renewed focus on Freeport-McMoRans role as a major copper producer at a time when the metal is critical for power, construction, and electrification-related industries. While copper prices hit new highs on tight supply and strong demand, Freeport-McMoRan is simultaneously contending with legal and safety scrutiny at its Grasberg Block Cave mine in Indonesia following a fatal incident and subsequent production suspension. With copper touching record highs on supply strains, well examine how this price surge affects Freeport-McMoRans existing investment narrative and risk balance. The best AI stocks today may lie beyond giants like Nvidia and Microsoft. Find the next big opportunity with these 28 smaller AI-focused companies with strong growth potential through early-stage innovation in machine learning, automation, and data intelligence that could fund your retirement. Freeport-McMoRan Investment Narrative Recap To own Freeport-McMoRan, you generally need to believe in coppers long-term importance and Freeports ability to convert that into sustainable cash flows. The immediate upside catalyst is the recent spike in copper prices, which supports near term earnings potential, while the most acute risk now centers on operational, legal, and reputational fallout from the Grasberg Block Cave incident in Indonesia. At this stage, the copper price surge does not offset the seriousness of those Indonesia related risks. Among recent announcements, the continued declaration of the US$0.15 per share quarterly dividend, including the February 2, 2026 payout, stands out in this context. It signals that, despite Grasberg related disruptions and multiple class action filings, Freeport has not yet altered its capital return framework, which remains an important part of the investment case for shareholders who see copper price strength as a partial buffer to Indonesia specific uncertainty. Yet behind rising copper prices and steady dividends, investors should be aware of the unresolved safety, regulatory, and legal exposure around Grasberg... Read the full narrative on Freeport-McMoRan (it's free!) Freeport-McMoRan's narrative projects $31.1 billion revenue and $3.3 billion earnings by 2028. This requires 6.4% yearly revenue growth and a $1.4 billion earnings increase from $1.9 billion today. Uncover how Freeport-McMoRan's forecasts yield a $48.52 fair value, a 11% downside to its current price. Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday said he authorized the state's National Guard to be "staged and ready" amid protests against the Trump administration after a federal immigration law enforcement officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. Protests have been reported in cities nationwide after a DHS officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good on Wednesday in Minneapolis, with the city again being thrust into the national spotlight for protests against the federal government. While the Trump administration is claiming the officer shot in self-defense, many activists and politicians say videos of the shooting contradict their explanation. Advertisement Advertisement Amid the protests on Thursday, Walz, a Democratic and political opponent of President Donald Trump, ordered the Minnesota National Guard to be ready to assist local and state law enforcement in protecting critical infrastructure and maintain public safety. "Minnesotans have met this moment. Thousands of people have peacefully made their voices heard. Minnesota: Thank you. We saw powerful peace," Walz said in a Friday statement. "Yesterday, I directed the National Guard to be ready should they be needed. They remain ready in the event they are needed to help keep the peace, ensure public safety and allow for peaceful demonstrations." Videos of the shooting show masked officers approaching Good in her car parked across a street. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer can be heard cursing and demanding Good to exit the vehicle before reaching into her driver-side window and trying to open the seemingly locked door. Advertisement Advertisement The vehicle then backs a small amount before the wheels of the car are turned right and going forward. An ICE officer standing in front of the car then fires multiple shots, first into the front windshield and then through the opened driver-side window. Trump and members of his administration have claimed the mother of three was a domestic terrorist trying to ram the ICE officer who fired on her in self-defense. Democrats and state and local officials have staunchly challenged the Trump administration's claims. "The Trump Administration is brazenly lying to justify murder, telling us to ignore what we've seen on video," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said in a statement. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is joining the chorus of Chicago-area critics of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis that left a woman dead, and now he's calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to step down. The tragic confrontation that ended with an ICE agent injured by an SUV and the woman driving it shot to death has turned into a very polarizing moment, raising tensions and concerns. The moments that led up to the shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday were documented from many angles and subject to different interpretations, often driven by political views on the ICE operations. Advertisement Advertisement Governor Pritzker is accusing the Trump administration of twisting the facts about what the ICE agent did and how the the shooting victim, Renee Good, responded. "It's clear that this woman who was killed, this mother who was killed, was moving very slowly, not attempting to go after anybody," Pritzker said. Governor Pritzker is calling on DHS Secretary Noem to resign. Meanwhile, one of his Republican challengers, Darren Bailey, is saying states that don't work with the federal government bear some responsibility when tragedies like this happen. "None of this should be happening," Bailey said. "If state government would be upholding the law, if we were doing this in Illinois, if we were they were doing it in Minnesota , federal government would have no need to be there." Advertisement Advertisement A similar incident happened in Franklin Park back in September when a man allegedly fleeing a traffic stop was shot and killed by federal immigration agents. Illinois U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, now a candidate for Senate, said on Friday she expects to file articles of impeachment against Secretary Noem on Friday. "This is tragic, and you know, I want Kristi Noem to know, no matter what, that we are watching her and we are going to hold her accountable," Rep. Kelly said. Kelly's efforts may face roadblocks with the Congress currently controlled by Republicans, but she says something needs to be done, and she has had many calls supporting the impeachment move. Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE | Protests in Little Village, across Chicago area after deadly ICE officer shooting in Minneapolis Local rapid response groups have been tracking ICE activity in Chicago for the last several months, and some of that has led to tense clashes with federal agents. In Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, activists have been honoring the 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. They are now reinforcing some of their own training in hopes of avoiding a similar tragedy. A memorial now sits under the Little Village arch in remembrance of Good. "It definitely does change our approach," Little Village Community Council Ella Bueno said. "I myself am very scared." Advertisement Advertisement Bueno is one of nearly 200 people who have volunteered with the Little Village Community Council to patrol ICE activity in Chicago. They say the goal is never to interfere with federal immigration operations. Many of them patrol on foot or bike, and even when using their vehicles, they say it's critical to stay back to avoid the type of scene that unfolded in Minneapolis. "We wanted to make sure people were educated about what their rights were," Little Village Community Council head organizer Chela Garcia said. "That is part of what community political education is." Still, that has led to some tense moments in Chicago, with the deployment of tear gas while some bystanders were detained. Some of the volunteers say there is often a lot of confusion when federal agents are making commands, as seen Wednesday in Minneapolis, right before shots were fired. Advertisement Advertisement "From what I've seen while patrolling, ICE agents can be really confusing, because there can be one telling you please back up and another trying to grab someone," Little Village Community Council volunteer Alex Garduno said. The Department of Homeland Security has often called these groups agitators, saying they are interfering with operations. DHS also accused Good of using her vehicle as a deadly weapon, as they say the officer shot her in self defense. "They are ill trained for this job," Garcia said. "They are not supposed to be on the street." According to the ICE use of force policy, "Deadly force is not authorized solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect," unless "there is probable cause to believe that the escape of the subject would pose an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or another person." Advertisement Advertisement Retired Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy also weighed on what law enforcement training should look like in that situation. "The preferable option is to deescalate the situation," Roy said. "One person standing in front of a car you are not going to stop the car. You have the option of stepping aside... the dynamics of each situation are unique and you need to tailor your tactics to that individual situation... what works on the southwest border is not going to work in downtown Chicago or downtown Minneapolis and vice versa." As DHS is expected to continue federal operations here in Chicago, the local groups say they'll continue their efforts peacefully. They plan to continue training volunteers while making sure all residents know their rights. The Brief Milwaukee-area Latino residents expressed sharply different views on the ICE shooting in Minneapolis but agreed lives should not be lost. A Milwaukee County supervisor said the county board is working on measures related to ICE activity and surveillance technology. Advocacy groups are planning a solidarity vigil at the Wisconsin State Capitol in response to the shooting. MILWAUKEE - Communities across the country continue to react to the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, with people expressing sharply different views on what happened but broadly agreeing lives should not be lost. Local perspective Some Milwaukee-area Latino residents say the shooting in Minneapolis has raised concerns about what federal enforcement activity could mean locally. For community activist Stephanie Salgado, the moment calls for action. Advertisement Advertisement FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android "It's time to get ready, it is time to come together, and it's not to play around," said Salgado. "It is wild. To hear our administration. Talk about it as a self-defense tactic. When anybody who can access the video, can see." Salgado is among many Americans upset and concerned about the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Wednesday and what it could mean for Milwaukee. "If they're targeting Chicago, they're targeting Minnesota Twin Cities. We are in the middle of it all, that means it's coming soon," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Pastor Mariano Garcia views the incident differently and supports law enforcement. "Law enforcement comes and tells you to stop. Why would you run? Why would you try to hurt them with the car when you know that's a deadly weapon, so that's absolutely self-defense in my opinion," Garcia said. Garcia said cooperation with police is critical. "It's not worth losing your life over anything, just cooperate," he said. Dig deeper The presence and impact of ICE agents in local communities is something Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez said the county board is watching closely. Advertisement Advertisement "It's important, it's very essential to us as human beings to know that we don't want to live in fear, you know," Martinez said. Martinez said the county board is currently working on resolutions aimed at preventing ICE from staging operations at public parks and limiting the use of facial recognition technology and Flock cameras. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News "We are for proper community involvement, and we are for trying to make people feel safe and therefore terrifying people and that's what's happening," Martinez said. What's next Meanwhile, advocacy groups are calling for public action in response to the shooting. A solidarity vigil and rally is planned for 5 p.m. on Friday evening, Jan. 9, at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, with organizers encouraging people to gather to grieve, connect and call for changes to immigration enforcement practices. A similar vigil and protest was held in Milwaukee on Wednesday following the shooting in Minneapolis. More discussion Local perspective The Source The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News. People took to the streets of Minneapolis and other US cities for a second night to protest against the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot in her car by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Demonstrators marched in Houston, Cincinnati, Washington DC, Philadelphia and other cities, some with placards calling for the abolition of ICE. People laid floral tributes where Good's car crashed after the shooting, just blocks away from the place where George Floyd was killed in 2020, sparking weeks of national protests. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, two people were injured in another shooting involving federal agents, this time border patrol in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon. Protester in Portland, Oregon [AP] The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Portland incident happened during a traffic stop of a Venezuelan gang member, who "attempted to run over" agents with his car. The Democratic mayor of Portland cast doubt on their account and people gathered on Thursday night at the city's ICE facility to protest. There were six arrests. ICE is taking the lead in carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportation initiative, which was a central promise of Donald Trump's election campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Officials have offered differing accounts of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, with the Trump administration claiming the ICE agent was acting in self defence, while local officials say the woman posed no danger. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said it would investigate the incident. A row between Minnesota officials and the federal government over control of the investigation deepened on Thursday. Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said the FBI had initially agreed to a joint investigation with state officials, but then reversed course and denied the state access to materials and evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Without the ability to access all the necessary case materials and evidence, the BCA has "reluctantly withdrawn" from the investigation, the BCA's superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accused the Trump administration of blocking state officials from involvement in the case, but US Vice-President JD Vance said the investigation is a federal issue. Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car which is in the middle of the street, and telling the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the agents tugs at the driver's side door handle. As the vehicle attempts to drive off, one of the agents at the front of the car points their gun at the driver and several shots are heard. Advertisement Advertisement The car then continues to drive away from the officer and crashes into the side of the street. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has claimed the ICE agent shot Good multiple times because she was trying to run over the officer in her car. But Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called that version of events a false narrative, saying it was clear to him she was trying to leave the scene, not attack an agent. He said the Trump administration will use chaos as an opportunity to "occupy" the city and the New York Times reports that 100 more federal agents are being deployed. Governor Walz has activated the state's National Guard to help with security of the protests. Advertisement Advertisement At the scene of the crash on Thursday, blood from the shooting could still be seen in the snow. People set up a vigil at the site to honour Good, lining the bank with candles and roses. Hundreds of demonstrators showed up throughout the day, shouting insults at ICE and offering their neighbours coffee on the cold winter day. Susie Hawyard, a minister, said she went to the scene of the shooting as soon as she heard the news to verify "with my own eyes" what happened. Members of the community have been gathering to pay their respects to Good [Eloise Alanna/BBC] "I was horrified," she said. "I saw the car, I saw Renee's car, I saw Renee's blood." Advertisement Advertisement Protesters also gathered at a federal building in Minneapolis early on Thursday morning, where they were met with armed officers. The protests remained largely peaceful there, as residents expressed their anger over the killing of Good. "They cannot get away with killing someone. There has to be consequences for actions," said Gavin, one of dozens of people outside the federal building. Those who knew Good said she was a poet and guitarist who had just moved to the city of Minneapolis. Her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was "probably terrified" during the confrontation with officers that saw her fatally shot. Advertisement Advertisement "She was extremely compassionate," Ganger told the daily newspaper. "She's taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being." Even those who did not know Good said they were touched by her death. "Renee was everything that was good about our community," said Nimco Ahmad, a Somali immigrant who grew up just blocks from the incident. Ahmad said she and others were gathered to help ensure justice would be secured for Good. Nimco Ahmad said the shooting has shaken up the welcoming community of Minneapolis [Eloise Alanna/BBC] The exclusion of state authorities from the probe into Good's killing is likely to undermine public trust, said Edward Maguire, a criminology professor at Arizona State University. Advertisement Advertisement "From a criminological perspective, jurisdictional claims in cases like this are often less about legal requirements and more about political efforts to control the investigation and shape its outcome," he said. But the state could still file criminal charges later against the federal officer who killed Good, said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. With additional reporting from Grace Goodwin [BBC] Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. BEIJING (AP) A week in which longtime tensions between neighbors China and Japan ratcheted up economically and politically drew to a close with no sign of improvements Friday as the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo rebuffed his host nation and the Japanese reported delayed shipments to suppliers in China because of the spat. The two developments capped a week where China made clear its displeasure with Japan by instituting new export controls, condemning what it called Tokyo's renewed militarism and cozying up to another regional neighbor, South Korea, during its leader's visit to Beijing. On Friday, the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, People's Daily, kept the jabs coming. Advertisement Advertisement New militarism will lead Japan back into the abyss, it said in an editorial. History serves as a stark warning, yet the Japanese right wing is repeating its old tricks. It was the latest in several days of pointed Chinese criticism toward Japan after its prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested in November that she wouldn't rule out intervening if China used military force against the island of Taiwan. China views self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has said it would take it by force if needed. It staged large-scale military exercises nearby late last month. China keeps its export controls On Thursday night, the Chinese embassy in Japan said it had rejected a petition from Japan's Foreign Ministry to retract the new export controls on dual-use items that the Japanese military might be able to use in weaponry. The ambassador, Wu Jianghao, insisted that China's move was entirely legitimate, reasonable and lawful and vital to national security. Advertisement Advertisement Also Friday, Japanese officials said they are closely watching if Japanese exports of agricultural, fisheries and other goods are appropriately handled by China without delays. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that outgoing shipments of sake and processed food from Japan to China were being held up because of the diplomatic tensions, widening the ripples of the dispute. Officials at the government-affiliated Japan External Trade Organization told The Associated Press that the shipments had been delayed in customs on the China side starting in late November. Kyodo, quoting trade industry sources, said they believed sake may have been targeted as a symbol of Japan. Japans chief cabinet secretary, Minoru Kihara, said he was aware of reports that some of the Japanese exports to China have been held up. He wouldnt comment on individual commercial transactions. It is important that agricultural, fisheries and other exports from Japan are smoothly carried out, Kihara said. We will closely watch the situation and take appropriate measures. He didnt say what those might be. Advertisement Advertisement Some subtlety in the jabs Japan and China have a fraught history haunted by the Japanese colonization of Taiwan in 1895. The nations have fought two wars, and the imperial government in Tokyo brutally occupied parts of China in the first half of the 20th century. The countries maintain diplomatic relations and work closely together on many fronts but occasionally use government apparatus to condemn each other when disputes arise. China's choice of wording in the People's Daily editorial and other rhetoric was noteworthy. It avoided casting a broad brush on the Japanese people and specifically targeted the country's right wing, which Takaichi belongs to. A report Thursday about Japan's nuclear ambitions repeatedly mentioned the right wing, and the People's Daily editorial beseeched the peace-loving Japanese people to be highly vigilant toward their government. "Japans future lies not in the dangerous fantasies painted by the right wing, but in the thorough reckoning with its history of aggression," People's Daily said. Advertisement Advertisement Rare earths as a pressure point Kihara, the government spokesman, said Chinese export controls of rare earths already in place have caused serious impact on global supply chains. We believe that international trade of rare earths should be carried out smoothly," Kihara said. Industry and Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa did not confirm whether Chinas dual-use goods ban included new action on rare earths. Azakawa said the impact on Japanese industries is already significant because about 70% of rare earths, used in a wide range of products such as electronic parts and autos, are imported from China. Rare earths are extremely important minerals, and the export controls have already affected our country tremendously, Akazawa said. He wouldn't comment on whether Japan would consider retaliating. Advertisement Advertisement Lauding South Korea China also pointedly expressed positive feelings about South Korea during the visit this week of its president, Lee Jae Myung, who met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. After the signing of millions in new export contracts, Lee heralded a new chapter in the development of Korea-China relations." As he visited, Chinese state media which recently warned that travel to Japan by Chinese citizens might be dangerous provided splashy coverage and said outgoing Chinese traveler to South Korea during New Year's had surpassed those to Japan. Relations between Beijing and Tokyo showed at least one tiny positive sign Friday. At a Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, spokesperson Mao Ning was informed that a one-time Japanese ambassador to China had died. She expressed the country's condolences. ___ Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Police closed Highway 90 between Dragot Junction and the Dead Sea hotel district in both directions due to flooding and warned travelers of serious danger. Trees collapsed onto parked and moving vehicles on Friday in Bnei Brak and Ashkelon amid severe winds and flooding, injuring one person in moderate condition and damaging several cars, according to Magen David Adom and local authorities. Police closed Highway 90 between Dragot Junction and the Dead Sea hotel district in both directions due to flooding and warned travelers of serious danger. Advertisement Advertisement In Ashkelon, a tree fell beside a car that had flipped onto its side, trapping the driver, who was conscious and suffered head and limb injuries. MDA said the man was rescued by firefighters, treated at the scene and evacuated in moderate condition to hospital. In Bnei Brak, a fallen tree crushed multiple vehicles, including one reportedly hit while in motion. Medics examined occupants at the scene and reported no injuries. Avi Reymanud, an MDA emergency medic in Bnei Brak, said he heard a loud crash of a tree collapsing, alerted dispatch while heading down, and found the trunk over several cars. We performed medical checks on the passengers and the incident ended miraculously with no injuries, he said. An ambulance is seen as Storm Byron makes landfall in Israel, December 11, 2025 (credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM) In Ashkelon, MDA medic Itzik Elbaz said he arrived with an intensive care ambulance and motorcycle responders, treated the trapped driver during the firefighters extrication, and transported him in stable, moderate condition. Winds expected to reach 100 km/h A widespread winter system is producing coastal gusts of 6070 km/h, with winds expected to strengthen through the afternoon and evening. Dr. Amir Givati, head of the Israel Meteorological Service, said gusts could reach 100 to 115 km/h along the coast and lowlands and 90 to 100 km/h in the mountains, with easing only overnight. Authorities urged the public to avoid flood-prone roads, secure loose objects, and follow emergency instructions. Advertisement Advertisement Winds will peak from midday into evening along the coast and lowlands, Dr. Givati said, adding that calmer conditions are expected only overnight. Power disruptions According to a Ynet report, the Israel Electric Company (IEC) has announced that the stormy weather and strong winds have caused trees and branches to fall onto the power grid in several areas across the country. This has led to downed wires and disruptions in the power supply. The IEC teams are currently working to assess the damage and restore power to all those affected. As Ugandans go to the polls they are faced with a choice of propelling a leader into his fifth decade in power or backing a candidate seeking to capitalise on the desire for change from some quarters. President Yoweri Museveni, 81, in office since 1986, is aiming for a seventh successive election victory. His main challenger, pop-star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, 43, has promised a revolution in governance and sweeping reforms. Advertisement Advertisement Access to the internet was suspended for most people on Tuesday, with authorities citing concerns about public safety and the spread of misinformation. Wine criticised the decision. With high rates of youth unemployment in a country where the majority of the population is under 30, the economy has become a key concern in the campaign. When will we know the results? If everything goes to plan the outcome of the presidential vote should be known by 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday 17 January. This is because by law the electoral commission must declare the presidential result within 48 hours from the end of voting. Polls are due to close at 16:00 local time on Thursday. What are Ugandans voting for? The 21.6 million registered voters are taking part in three elections: Advertisement Advertisement Presidential - there are eight candidates to choose from Parliamentary (1) - 353 constituency MPs will be elected Parliamentary (2) - 146 women representatives - one per local district - will be elected Who could be the next president? This is the second time that President Yoweri Museveni (L) and Bobi Wine (R) are facing each other in a presidential election [Getty Images / Reuters] Museveni and Bobi Wine are the two front-runners among the all-male list of eight hopefuls. This is the second time they are facing off at the ballot box, with the president winning the 2021 poll, marred by allegations of rigging and a crackdown on the opposition, with 58% of the vote compared to Bobi Wine's 35%. Yoweri Museveni - National Resistance Movement (NRM) Museveni first took power by force 40 years ago as the leader of a guerrilla army that pledged to restore democracy after years of civil war and the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Advertisement Advertisement Once feted as being part of a fresh generation of African leaders set to usher in a new democratic era, growing accusations of human rights abuses and harassment of opposition figures have soured that perception. Critics say he has ruled with an iron hand since he seized control and having gone back on pledges to step down, he is the only president most Ugandans have known. Currently the third longest-serving leader in Africa, Museveni has benefitted from two constitutional amendments - removing age and term limits - that have allowed him to keep running for office. He argues that he remains the country's sole guarantor of stability and progress. Bobi Wine - National Unity Platform (NUP) The one-time hit maker Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is widely thought to be the strongest of the seven opposition candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Dubbed at one point the "ghetto president", he is seen as embodying youthful aspirations for change and he enjoys strong support among young, urban, working-class voters. Bobi Wine established himself as a serious contender five years ago, coming second and helping to restrict Museveni to the lowest share of the vote in any election he has contested. Bobi Wine's NUP party became the largest opposition force in parliament. Since that vote, Bobi Wine has continued to face harassment from the security forces. The other candidates are Frank Bulira, Robert Kasibante, Joseph Mabirizi, Nandala Mafabi, Mugisha Muntu and Mubarak Munyagwa. Advertisement Advertisement Prominent opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has run against Museveni four times, is not able to take part and remains in jail on treason charges after being arrested in neighbouring Kenya in 2024. He has denied any wrongdoing. [BBC] [BBC] What are the key concerns for voters? Economic issues, particularly unemployment, are weighing on the minds of many as they get ready to vote. The average income per person has been slowly but steadily rising since the pandemic but there do not seem to be enough jobs to match the bulging numbers of young people looking for work. Advertisement Advertisement There are also concerns about poor infrastructure and disparities in access to quality education and healthcare. The country has however managed to avoid the spike in the cost of living that has affected so many other countries in the region and led to pressure on those in power. Corruption is another major concern. Uganda comes 140th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index, with widespread bribery and nepotism reported in government institutions. Will the vote be free and fair? The conduct of elections in Uganda has often been criticised. This time round officials say the vote will be free and fair but UN experts have warned that may not be the case, citing what they describe as a "pervasive climate of fear" in Uganda. Advertisement Advertisement During the campaign period, opposition supporters have faced escalating harassment, including arrest on politically motivated charges, rights groups say. Bobi Wine's rallies, unlike those of Museveni, have been disrupted by security forces. Amnesty International described the use of tear gas, pepper spray, beatings, and other violent acts as "a brutal campaign of repression" ahead of the vote. The government says the measures are necessary to ensure a peaceful election and prevent anyone from inciting riots on polling day. When it comes to the election itself, Bobi Wine has urged voters to stay at polling stations and safeguard their ballots to help prevent vote rigging. Advertisement Advertisement But election officials have said people should cast their ballots peacefully and then leave, assuring that the vote counting will be transparent and observed by party agents, the media and election monitors. Critics, however, have questioned the independence of the electoral commission. The opposition fears that the internet shutdown is aimed at preventing people from verifying results. The NUP says it has a vote-monitoring app that can overcome this issue by using Bluetooth technology. Election workers have been preparing for voting day [Reuters] How does the presidential vote work? The counting of votes should begin at each polling station as soon as voting closes with the results eventually being transmitted to a central tallying centre. A candidate must gain more than 50% of the votes cast nationwide to win the presidency in the first round, otherwise there will be a run-off within 30 days between the top two candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Museveni has always gained more than 50% in the initial round of voting. You may also be interested in: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts LONDON (AP) Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is preventing non-paying users from generating or editing images after a global backlash erupted over sexualized deepfakes of people, but the change has not satisfied authorities in Europe. The chatbot, which is accessed through Musk's social media platform X, has in the past few weeks been granting a wave of what researchers say are malicious user requests to modify images, including putting women in bikinis or in sexually explicit positions. Researchers have warned that in a few cases, some images appeared to depict children. Governments around the world have condemned the platform and opened investigations. Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Grok responded to image altering requests with the message: Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features. While subscriber numbers for Grok aren't publicly available, there was a noticeable decline Friday in the number of explicit deepfakes that Grok is now generating compared with just days earlier. Grok was still granting image requests but only from X users with blue checkmarks given to premium subscriber who pay $8 a month for features including higher usage limits for the chatbot. The Associated Press on Friday confirmed Friday afternoon that the image editing tool was still available to free users on the standalone Grok website and app. Advertisement Advertisement An X spokesperson didn't respond immediately to a request for comment. The restrictions for users save for paying subscribers did not appear to change the opinions of leaders or regulators in Europe. This doesn't change our fundamental issue. Paid subscription or non-paid subscription, we don't want to see such images. It's as simple as that, said Thomas Regnier, a spokesman for the European Union's executive Commission. The Commission had earlier slammed Grok for illegal and appalling behavior. The British government was also unsatisfied. Groks changes are not a solution," said Geraint Ellis, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who on Thursday had threatened unspecified action against X. Advertisement Advertisement In fact, it is insulting to the victims of misogyny and sexual violence, he said, noting that it shows that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so. We expect rapid action, he said, adding that all options are on the table. Starmer, speaking to Greatest Hits radio, had said that X needs to "get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because its simply not tolerable. The U.K.'s media and privacy regulators both said this week theyve contacted X and Musks artificial intelligence company xAI for information on measures taken to comply with British regulations. Advertisement Advertisement France, Malaysia and India have also been scrutinizing the platform and a Brazilian lawmaker has called for an investigation. The European Commission has ordered X to retain all internal documents and data relating to Grok until the end of 2026, as part of a wider investigation under the EUs digital safety law. Grok is free to use for X users, who can ask it questions on the social media platform. They can either tag it in posts they've directly created or in replies to posts from other users. Grok launched in 2023. Last summer the company added an image generator feature, Grok Imagine, that included a so-called spicy mode that can generate adult content. The problem is amplified both because Musk pitches his chatbot as an edgier alternative to rivals with more safeguards, and because Groks images are publicly visible, and can therefore be easily spread. ___ AP writers Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The Birmingham Zoo is offering a way to vent over relationships that didnt go as planned this Valentines Day. For $20 participants can name a Madagascar hissing cockroach in honor of an ex as part of the Zoos Valentines Day fundraiser. Each donor will receive a digital Certificate of Naming and a cockroach fact sheet to highlight the ex of their choosing. If you want your ex to be part of the fundraiser you need to submit your donation by end of day February 12. Founder of Electrical Guitar Company in Alabama to retire at the end of 2026 Advertisement Advertisement For more information about the fundraiser, and non-cockroach related Valentines Day related activities at the zoo, visit https://www.birminghamzoo.com/. 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 CBS 42. Four space station fliers have been told to cut their mission short and return to Earth ahead of schedule because of an apparently serious medical issue affecting an unidentified crew member, NASA announced Thursday. "Yesterday, January 7, a single crew member on board the station experienced a medical situation and is now stable," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a news conference. "After discussions with Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. J.D. Polk and leadership across the agency, I've come to the decision that it's in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew 11 ahead of their planned departure (in mid February). ... We expect to provide a further update within the next 48 hours as to the expected, anticipated undock and re-entry timeline." Advertisement Advertisement In keeping with the agency's strict medical privacy policy, NASA officials have not identified the astronaut in question or provided any details about the nature of the medical issue. But the ailing astronaut is a member of NASA's Crew 11, made up of commander Zena Cardman, veteran astronaut Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They were launched to the International Space Station on Aug. 1 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry ship. They were planning to return to Earth around Feb. 20, after their Crew 12 replacements arrive. Fincke and Cardman were planning to venture outside the space station on Thursday to complete a support truss for an add-on solar array and to carry out a variety of other tasks. Advertisement Advertisement But on Wednesday, NASA announced the spacewalk had been called off due to a "medical concern" with one of the Crew 11 astronauts. The agency said the crew member was "stable," but no other details were provided. Polk said Thursday that the astronaut in question was not injured or made ill by any operational aspect of living aboard the space station, adding that spacewalk preparations played no role in the incident. Isaacman said the planned early return of Crew 11 did not represent an "emergency," adding the agency was simply erring on the side of caution to ensure the health and well-being of the astronaut. Even so, Crew 11's early return will mark the first time in U.S. space history that a mission has been cut short due to a medical issue. Polk agreed it was not an emergency, adding "This is not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations, but unrelated to the operational environment that we have right now. It's mostly having a medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity and with the suite of hardware that we have at our disposal available to complete a diagnosis." Advertisement Advertisement Space station crews have extensive medical equipment on board and crew members are trained to serve as medical officers. Physician and former astronaut Tom Marshburn told CBS News that space station crews are "equipped to deal with all the things that have happened in space over the 65 years of human spaceflight, any of those things that come up. Even to the some extreme examples, like a heart attack, something like that. We have the tools to do it. "We just can't sustain somebody sick for a really long period of time, just for a few days, perhaps. But pretty much any medical event that you can imagine ... could happen up there, yeah." Amit Kshatriya, NASA's associate administrator, said Crew 11 will follow normal procedures when returning to Earth where they will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast. SpaceX support crews and NASA flight surgeons will be standing by aboard the company's Crew Dragon recovery ship. The crew will be flown to shore by helicopter and then fly by jet back to the Johnson Space Center. Advertisement Advertisement "As Dr. Polk mentioned, it's the first time we've done a controlled medical evacuation from the vehicle, so that is unusual," Kshatriya said. "What's important to us is the whole crew, and we don't want to do anything, given the nature of the condition, that we put any other additional risk on the crew by diverging from our normal processes. So that's why we're doing essentially a controlled expedited return." The space station is continuously staffed by a crew of seven. Three launch and return to Earth aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft and four fly to and from the lab aboard NASA-managed SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry ships. Both spacecraft serve as lifeboats during a crew's long-duration space station stay. If a Soyuz or Crew Dragon flier gets sick or is seriously injured aboard the station, that person is joined by all of his or her crewmates for the flight back to Earth. Because of the ever-present chance that a Soyuz or Crew Dragon might have to depart early, NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, agreed to fly one NASA astronaut aboard each Soyuz and one Russian cosmonaut aboard each Crew Dragon. Advertisement Advertisement The seat-swap arrangement ensures that at least one Russian and one American are always on board the station to operate equipment in their respective modules should one spacecraft depart early and take all its crew members with it. For that reason, after Crew 11 undocks from the station, NASA will still have one astronaut Chris Williams aboard to operate systems in the lab's U.S. modules. He was launched to the outpost in November aboard a Soyuz spacecraft along with two Russian crewmates. A one-time volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with a Ph.D. in astrophysics from MIT, Williams was a board-certified medical physicist at Harvard Medical School when selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 2021. With the departure of Crew 11, Williams would be on his own managing the U.S. segment of the space station until Crew 12 arrives in February. Advertisement Advertisement Crew 12 commander Jessica Meir, a space station veteran, rookies Jack Hathaway and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and veteran cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled for launch Feb. 15. NASA and SpaceX are looking into moving that launch up a few days amid work to ready a Space Launch System rocket for takeoff as early as Feb. 6 to send four astronauts on a looping fight around the moon. The high-profile Artemis 2 mission will be the first to send astronauts to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years. Isaacman said he did not think the early return of Crew 11 and the possibly early launch of Crew 12 would have any impact on the moon mission. Latest details after ICE officer kills woman in Minneapolis shooting Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis Protesters gather after ICE shoots and kills woman in Minneapolis Galantas Gold has signed an agreement to acquire a 100% ownership interest in the Andacollo Oro gold project in Chile. Located in the Coquimbo Region, the project is an open-pit heap leach gold mine with existing infrastructure and permits. It is situated around 55km from La Serena and includes substantial land rights and infrastructure. Historical mineral resource estimates for the project indicate measured and indicated resources totalling 2.02 million ounces (moz) of gold, consisting of 130 million tonnes (mt) grading 0.48 grams per tonne (g/t) gold. Inferred mineral resources are estimated at 5.06moz of gold, comprising 358mt grading 0.45g/t gold. Galantas Gold CEO Mario Stifano said: The acquisition of the Andacollo Oro gold project fundamentally repositions the company, adding a large-scale, past-producing gold asset with existing infrastructure, permits and a deep technical database in one of Chiles most established mining districts. With an AdsorptionDesorptionRecovery plant at 200,000oz per annum nameplate capacity, the project provides Galantas with multiple development pathways and a level of optionality that is rarely available in a single transaction, while the staged consideration structure reflects our commitment to capital discipline and risk management. The transaction involves Galantas acquiring Sol de Oro Mining, which owns Compania Minera OXI, and subsequently Compania Minera e Inmobiliaria Dragones, the project owner. The cash consideration totals $32m (C$44.17m) over four years, conditional upon regulatory approvals. Galantas executive officer Robert Sedgemore owns Sol and is considered a related party under relevant regulations. The project is adjacent to Teck Resources copper-producing Carmen del Andacollo Mine. Compliance with regulatory requirements and shareholder approvals are pending for transaction completion. In June 2025, Galantas signed a joint venture agreement with Ocean Partners UK to restart operations at the Omagh gold project in Northern Ireland. "Galantas signs agreement to acquire Chiles Andacollo gold project" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Jan. 8 (UPI) -- NASA said Thursday that four astronauts aboard the International Space Station will return to Earth a month earlier than scheduled after one of them suffered a "serious medical condition." Neither the astronaut nor the medical issue were made public, with NASA officials saying they were withholding the information due to medical privacy. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters in a press conference that they expect to announce an anticipated undock and re-entry timeline in the next 42 hours. Advertisement Advertisement It will be the first medical early return of an astronaut in the 25-year history of the orbiting laboratory. "After discussions with chief health and medical officer Dr. J.D. Polk and leadership across the agency, I've come to the decision that it's in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure," Isaacman said. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov make up Crew-11, which launched on Aug. 1 for the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Polk said the affected astronaut was "absolutely stable" but had suffered a medical incident "sufficient enough" that they would be best served by a complete evaluation on Earth. Advertisement Advertisement "Again, because the astronaut is absolutely stable, this is not an emergent evacuation," he said. "We're not immediately disembarking and getting the astronaut down, but it leaves that lingering risk and lingering question as to what that diagnosis is, and that means there's some lingering risk for that astronaut aboard." Though it is ISS' first medical evacuation, Polk said it was being carried out as NASA was "erring on the side of caution for the crew member and in their best interest and their best medical welfare." The announcement came hours after NASA postponed Thursday's spacewalk from the ISS due to an astronaut medical issue involving a single crew member. "Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11's mission," NASA said in a statement. "These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely." Advertisement Advertisement Crew-11 was originally scheduled to complete its mission and return to Earth in late February, after being relieved by Crew-12. Isaacman said they are now looking at earlier launch opportunities for Crew-12 to reach the ISS. Until then, NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, who launched to the station late November, will maintain a U.S. presence on the orbital laboratory. Along with Williams, the ISS is inhabited by cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who arrived via Russian Soyuz on Nov. 27. Donald Trumps policy to charge international visitors more to enter some of the countrys most beloved national parks is already causing chaos and unease among staff. The Department of the Interior announced in November that it would introduce an America First pricing rate, under which non-U.S. residents must pay $250 for a pass to nearly a dozen of the most popular natural attractions, while U.S. residents will continue to pay just $80. Non-residents without an America the Beautiful passwhich features Donald Trumps facewill also be charged an additional $100 for entry to 11 of the most visited national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. National Park workers say Donald Trump's surcharge on foreign tourists is causing long lines and delays. / FREDERIC J. BROWN / Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images The policy targeting overseas tourists took effect on January 1 and has already caused problems, The Washington Post reported. Entrance into parks has slowed as staff are now required to inquire about visitors residency and immigration status, and workers say the conversations have become increasingly uncomfortable. Advertisement Advertisement We feel a bit conflicted in what were doing, or it doesnt feel right, one park worker told the Post. We dont want to make visitors feel unwelcome. Workers also say that groups of foreign visitors decide every day not to enter the parks once they realize they are being charged more simply because they are not U.S. residents, or after being questioned about their immigration status and visas. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING - OCTOBER 09: Tourists take a selfie with the Grand Prismatic Spring on October 9, 2024 in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images) / VCG / Getty Images Wait times are absolutely longer because we have to ask more questions, a second park staffer told the newspaper. If someone doesnt meet residency requirements, then we have to explain everything to them. This can be made extra difficult with language barriers. Many fear the disruption will only worsen during the busier summer months. Trump's face as seen on a design for the Mneesha Gellman, a political scientist at Emerson College who serves as an expert witness in U.S. immigration court, said the Trump administration intended the price hike to make visiting the U.S. a distressing experience for international tourists. Advertisement Advertisement Its meant to make people feel nervous and uncomfortable and make the decision to either stay away or to modify their plans based on their identities, Gellman told the Post. It really is being used to sow fear. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Department of the Interior instructed national park staff not to allow anyone entry if they had defaced or covered Trumps face on the passes. In a statement, Interior Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Peace said the price increase reflects the administrations belief that Americas public lands should be enjoyed by everyone who visits our country lawfully and responsibly. The updated fee structure reflects the significant investment made by U.S. taxpayers to support these public lands, while still welcoming international visitors who help sustain local economies and share in our nations natural and cultural heritage, Peace added. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Department of the Interior for comment. Bishop William Barber announces This Is Our Selma, a memorial march from Wilson to Raleigh to be held in mid-February. (Photo by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline) Weve got to turn this around. Bishop William J. Barber II choked back emotion as he reflected on Wednesdays untimely death of Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement My God, theyre killing mothers. And the grossest image that Ive seen in a long time you have an [airbag] covered with blood and baby dolls in the dashboard, said Barber in recalling his reaction to seeing the videos of Goods shooting which have been widely circulated on social media. The crashed SUV after an ICE agent shot the driver through the window on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. The driver died at the scene, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) The question in this moment is what kind of systems, what kind of attitudes create the atmosphere that can gin somebody up to the point that they would shoot a woman, a mother, at point blank range? Barber asked. The Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump maintain the ICE agent was acting in self-defense. Barber did not see it that way. Advertisement Advertisement Because the spirit of hate has been unleashed. If its not turned around, it could destroy us all, he warned. Barbers remarks came as a coalition of North Carolina religious and advocacy organizations held a Friday press conference to announce This Is Our Selma, a memorial march from Wilson to Raleigh in mid-February. Barber said North Carolinians are tired of hate and tired of regressive policies that threaten Medicaid, restrict voting rights and instill fear in immigrant communities. The coalition includes Repairers of the Breach, Indivisible, the North Carolina Council of Churches, the North Carolina Poor Peoples Campaign and the Union of Southern Service Workers. Advertisement Advertisement Organizers say the need for a massive march became even more apparent after legislative leaders decided last fall to redraw North Carolinas congressional districts at the request of President Donald Trump to favor Republicans in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Critics have argued the new map undermines the voting power of the states rural Black voters in the 1st congressional district, which has been represented by Black lawmakers for decades. The 1st district seat, currently held by U.S. Rep. Don Davis, was North Carolinas only competitive House seat. The Cook Political Report notes that race is no longer a toss-up. The seat leans Republican. Thats the only reason people do all this tricky redistricting and try to block voting rights is because they have considered that they cannot win in a fair fight, said Barber, calling the new map blatant and racist. Advertisement Advertisement Rev. Dr. Hanna Broome, director of religious affairs for Repairers of the Breach and president of the NC Council of Churches, said the march from Wilson to Raleigh is not only a commemoration of a historic moment, but a continuation. 156 years after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, we are still pressing forward toward the promise of justice and democracy for all people, Broome said. Dennis Gaddy, executive director of the North Carolina Community Success Initiative, said he was moved by a sign in the chapel that read, We wont be diluted, we wont be dismissed. Gaddy said his nonprofit represents thousands of people who have at one time or another found themselves entangled with the criminal justice system and are turning their lives around. And there are people now who are eligible to vote that dont know it, and they need to be empowered to go to the polls, Gaddy said. Thats one of the things well be doing along this movement. Advertisement Advertisement In-person, early voting for the March 2026 primaries begins Feb. 12, and the group hopes the march will put a spotlight on that opportunity to be heard. Barber encouraged the group to not speak out against the policies or an administration they oppose, but to speak out boldly in support of policies they would love to see pass including healthcare for all, fully funded public education, and living wages. All over the nation, people of goodwill must decide now to stand and push for democracy and a society worth having and then love forward to get it. The Moral March gets underway Feb. 11 at Saint James Christian Church in Wilson and culminates Feb. 14 with a Time to Love Forward mobilization and march in downtown Raleigh. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, right, talks with State Sen. Glen Meyer of Pender. Jan. 9, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN Nebraska lawmaker Jared Storm of David City has asked the Legislatures Executive Board to reprimand progressive lawmaker Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha for removing and later returning part of a Nebraska Capitol display on American history from conservative nonprofit PragerU. Earlier this week, Cavanaugh said she removed the frames because we are not allowed to adhere anything to walls in the hallway of the Capitol. She said typically that any such display would be placed near the information desk and not in the Capitols hallways. State Sen. Jared Storm of David City talks with State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha. Jan. 9, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Such conduct is unbecoming of a member of the Nebraska Legislature. elected officials should be held to a higher standard than members of the general public, said Storm on the floor. Advertisement Advertisement Cavanaugh said she tried not to damage the artwork and called the Nebraska State Patrol to let them know where to find the paintings. The patrol returned the posters to the Nebraska Capitol Commission. The images were rehung. No apparent damage was done to the art, and a patrol spokesman on Friday evening confirmed that there is no active investigation of the incident. Storm, a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Legislature with a GOP supermajority, said he thinks her actions are a serious matter that needs to be addressed. I think there are a lot of people in the state and nationwide that were upset to see those items pulled off the wall, Storm told the Examiner. They want to see some consequences. Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The incident got amplified by conservative influencers and media outlets after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, tweeted security footage of the incident and wrote that he was disappointed in this shameful and selfish bad example. In the corner of the short biographies next to the portraits are the logos of the White House and PragerU on Jan 6, 2026.(Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner) Cavanaugh declined to comment to the Examiner. She was seen talking to Storm and lawmakers on the floor as lawmakers worked on filing bills. Before lawmakers adjourned for the day on Friday, Cavanaugh went to the mic on the floor and expressed remorse for what she did on the first day. She said she had apologized to lawmakers personally. Advertisement Advertisement I should not have done [it] I have regretted it pretty much ever since, and I regret putting all of my colleagues in the position to have to deal with the repercussions of my actions, Cavanaugh said. I hope to do better. I appreciate the grace that you all have given me this morning in talking with me, and I hope that we can move forward in a productive way for the remainder of this session. I dont want to be what stands between us and good policy for the people of Nebraska. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha. Jan. 9, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) The Executive Board met after lawmakers adjourned for the day. State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, Exec Board chair, said the issue would be discussed during a closed portion of the meeting but said Cavanaughs apologies were sincere. The Exec Board took no immediate action on Cavanaugh Friday. Nebraska lawmakers are dealing with trying to close the states $471 million budget hole and weighing whether to expel a fellow lawmaker for the first time in state history, State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst. His expulsion hearing is set for Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Speaker John Arch of La Vista has said the PragerU display is allowed in the Capitol and that it had approval to do so from the Nebraska Capitol Commission. The nonprofit behind the images has faced criticism for sharing content that historians consider misleading and inaccurate. The latest display is part of a push from the Trump administrations White House Task Force 250, outreach designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Thursdays winter weather at Mount Charleston caused the Nevada State Police to close down State Route 157, known as Kyle Canyon Road, for several hours. Snow-covered roads, icy patches, and limited access to the mountain created long wait times for people wanting to enjoy the outdoors. NSP reopened State Route 157, but theyre urging travelers to drive with caution. Advertisement Advertisement I was surprised because it didnt seem like much snow here, but theres a good turnaround place right here, so Im sure thats why theyre doing it here, said visitor Tom Bottenberg. Download the 8 News Now streaming app Longtime cabin owner Tom Bottenberg said reopening the road doesnt mean conditions are back to normal, especially in shaded areas where there can be ice. Well, it looks pretty icy, so it makes sense to really not come up unless you have chains or four-wheel drive, said Bottenberg. Others, including visitors from out of state like Javid Farr, still made the trip up the mountain, headed to Lee Canyon ski resort. Advertisement Advertisement We actually tried to go up around 8:30, but we didnt have snow chains, had to reroute to Auto Zone, go back up, and they had the roads blocked, but earlier it was like Disney on ice, it was bad, said Farr. Death Valleys Lake Manly returns after recent rains Javid said taking extra time and preparing ahead helped make the drive safer. Definitely have your snow chains, a windbreaker so you dont freeze to death, a positive attitude because youre gonna need a lot of patience, said Farr. Nevada State Police are reminding drivers that just because roads are open doesnt mean theyre clear. Advertisement Advertisement Troopers urge travelers to watch for ice, especially early in the morning and after sunset. 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 KLAS. The Washington, D.C. area is about to gain another travel option for anyone flying in and out thanks to a new airport. Located just 40 minutes from Washington in picturesque Manassas with a giant farmers market and lively downtown, the regional airport is set to begin commercial service in spring 2027 after airfield upgrades are completed. Once it opens to passengers, it will be the fourth airport in the area, which is already home to Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) in Arlington, Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), and Washington Dulles International (IAD) in Fairfax. Manassas Regional Airport has been in operation since 1932, and is currently a general aviation airport, meaning it does not operate scheduled public flights. In 2023, the City Council approved a lease to bring in commercial service, and the airport has been working diligently ever since to meet all the requirements set forth by the FAA. In fact, Manassas Regional Airport has already been issued certifications that will allow the transition to passenger service, clearing a significant hurdle. So what's left to do? The airport is undergoing an environmental assessment to evaluate the impact of its transformation and is working on further certification that will make it fully operational. In the lead-up to opening, the terminal will be expanded in order to accommodate passenger demands. The airport is also in the midst of designing a new air traffic control tower, which will take about 18 months to construct. It's also expected that negotiations will begin this year to determine which airlines will operate from the airport. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Things You Should Never Wear On A Plane Manassas Regional Airport aims to elevate the passenger experience Amtrak train arriving at Manassas Station - refrina/Shutterstock Airport officials are confident that Manassas Regional Airport will fill a need in the area. Washington's three other airports carry a high number of passengers a year, with Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), in particular, being one of the airports with the worst TSA wait times in all of America. "When we think about the Manassas airport, we think of it as an opportunity not to build something that will rival BWI, Dulles or Reagan," says Marc Ricks, CEO of Avports, the developer overseeing the airport, "but one that can accommodate market access for new carriers." Avports' goal is to allow passengers to move from curb to gate in just seven to 12 minutes a welcome change from the outdated mobile lounges that plague Dulles, making it one of the worst-rated airports in the world. While it's unclear which airlines might operate out of Manassas, officials say they'd like to start with one or two carriers and expand slowly as demand grows. Travelers to the area will likely be thrilled by another, hopefully more affordable alternative to Dulles. There is also good news for reaching the airport: Manassas already has an Amtrak station with direct connections to Washington and Baltimore. The airport is also situated right off a main highway and is just 4 miles from downtown Manassas, which is filled with dining and shopping options, making it a much less stressful departure option than some urban airports. As developments continue and the opening date approaches, keep an eye out for new flight options and segments. Advertisement Advertisement 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. NEW JERSEY (PIX11) An 8-year-old child was seriously injured on Wednesday when a rock was thrown at a school bus on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to police. Authorities are searching for the person who threw the rock. More Local News Officers received a 911 call just after 2 p.m. The rock was thrown at the school bus as it traveled northbound in the right lane near Exit 70A/B. It shattered a side window on the bus and struck the 8-year-old student, causing serious injuries, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Authorities asked anyone who may have witnessed the incident, has dash-cam footage, or any other information to contact New Jersey State Police Troop D at 732-441-4500, ext. 1401. Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here. 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 PIX11. Beds for unhoused people sit at a hotel conference room in Gallup, paid for by the New Mexico Office of Housings first-ever grant funding program to help shelters keep unhoused people warm. (Photo courtesy DWS) Homeless shelters across the state received funding to keep people warm amid a statewide cold snap thanks to a first-ever, state-funded grant program from the new Office of Housing. The statewide Office of Housing emerged as one of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams priorities during the legislative session last year. The small team within the states Department of Workforce Solutions is tasked with overseeing the allocation of more than $100 million on a statewide strategy for affordable housing and homelessness prevention measures, including about $20 million the Legislature approved specifically for anti-homelessness initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Thats the fund where the office found $820,000 to provide to several dozen statewide facilities, including transitional living centers, domestic violence shelters and others, to increase their capacity and warmth this winter, DWS Secretary Sarita Nair told Source New Mexico on Friday. Individual shelters typically rely on local governments or private contributions to keep unhoused people warm during the winter months. And they often come up short funding-wise, according to a survey of housing nonprofit organizations the Office of Housing conducted shortly after launching last year, Nair said. This hasnt been a role that the states played historically, Nair said of funding the warming centers. But it has always been a challenge for a lot of these shelters to be able to expand for the additional demand they see in the winter. Shelters that applied for the funding received up to $20,000 grants they could use on supplies like cots, portable heaters or blankets and generally to increase the number of people theyre able keep warm during the winter. Advertisement Advertisement We heard from some folks that, This is the first time that weve been able to heat every room in our shelter, Nair said. Really basic things, but thats how you expand the capacity. A news release from the office said the funding has already proven particularly useful in rural areas, where providers reported improved building heating, increased street outreach efforts, expanded bed capacity, and the ability to offer extended overnight hours with hot meals. Nair also said the Office of Housing is already preparing to execute a similar grant funding round to help shelters keep unhoused people from overheating during the summer months. We know that cooling centers are becoming equally important, she said. And so we would love to do another round of that, if we get more funding. Lujan Grishams budget proposal for the legislative session beginning Jan. 20 includes $110 million for the Office of Housing, including a $65 million one-time appropriation for affordable housing and $45 million for homelessness services. Floridas Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced that the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (F-A-F-O) will investigate school boards to identify wasteful spending of tax dollars. The initiative aims to hold school boards accountable for what Ingoglia described as excessive and wasteful spending. The decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny of budgetary practices within Floridas educational institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Ingoglia emphasized the need for accountability in his statement, saying, School boards should not be given a free pass for their excessive and wasteful spending of your tax dollars. In his announcement, he posed a rhetorical question to underline the seriousness of the oversight: Which school board should we F-A-F-O first? Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Rep. Steny hoyer (D-5th) embrace before a 2023 meeting between Moore and the state's congressional delegation on Capitol Hill. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) is on the right and then-Sen. Ben Cardin (D) is back left. (Photo by Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters) Lisa Bianco was a campaign staffer for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) from 2006 to 2012, when he was House Majority Leader, and said trying to introduce him to new people at that time posed a unique challenge. I used to joke that it was really hard to staff him because Id run up and say, Mr. Hoyer, I want to introduce you to so-and-so, and hed say Oh, of course I know them, said Bianco, who now works with the lobbying firm Perry Jacobson. Advertisement Advertisement He connects so well with people and its because its genuine, and its because he really cares about them, she said. Hes really invested in them, and he really is a true public servant. Hers was one of the many stories about Hoyer that came from Marylands political and community leaders Thursday after he announced from the floor of the House that he will not seek reelection this year to a 24th term in Congress. They remembered a friend, a mentor, a colleague, a dedicated public servant and a natural politician who left his stamp on state and national politics in a 60-year career. Former Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md), whose working relationship with Hoyer dates back to 1967 when they were both in the General Assembly, called him a loyal friend and a decent card player in Hearts, but said one of Hoyers most important roles is mentor. We have so many new members in the Maryland Congressional delegation. He wanted to be able to help them as they started their congressional careers, Cardin said. Steny gives of himself every moment. And is effective in representing his people and in doing a lot of really good things. Thats a combination thats going to be hard to duplicate. Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd) knows that from first-hand experience. Elfreth was a one-time intern in Hoyers office, but said she still relied on him when she became a colleague this year. Hes been someone I can consistently turn to, especially [during] tough moments and tough days on the floor, Elfreth said. I wont know how to react or feel about the chaos down here, and I can find him on the floor, sit down and get his take on it. And inevitably, he has seen, in his six-decade career, something similar happen. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), said in a social media post it would take an entire novel to summarize the congressmans impact on the 5th district. In an interview Thursday, Alsobrooks recalled Hoyer was the first phone call she got after her 2010 victory as Prince Georges County states attorney. Someone handed me a phone and said, You have a phone call. And it was the first call I received that night, and it was Steny Hoyer calling to congratulate me, Alsobrooks said. And from there, he has told me, any time you put your name up for office, Im going to be there to support you. Advertisement Advertisement Hoyer was also the first person to suggest that Alsobrooks should seek federal office, about eight years ago. He was the person who called me on a Saturday, had me come meet him in an office, and said: You know what, I think you should consider federal office, Alsobrooks said. No one had ever said that to me before. When House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince Georges and Anne Arundel) served on the College Park City Council, from 2003-06, the city was still part of Hoyers 5th District. Hes someone that is highly respected, loved by all of us. Someone that has delivered for Maryland, has brought resources present in the community, Pena-Melnyk said during an interview in her office in Annapolis. Theres no one that doesnt love Steny. Hes so charismatic. A hard worker, and has put Maryland on the map. A citizen again Hoyers influence in Maryland politics began in 1966 at age 27 after winning a seat in the state Senate. Nine years later, he became the youngest president in that chamber. Advertisement Advertisement He was elected to the House in a special election in 1981 to represent the district that currently includes portions of Prince Georges and Anne Arundel counties and all three Southern Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles and St. Marys. During that time, he rose to serve as No. 2 Democrat in the House. During that time, he also had a hand in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), for the Affordable Care Act and helping former President Joe Biden (D) get the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021. We would not have the Americans with Disabilities Act without Steny Hoyer. We would not have the Affordable Care Act without him helping Speaker Pelosi whip those votes. We wouldnt have the Democratic Caucus as it is, without a Steny Hoyer, Elfreth said. Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement that Steny Hoyers fingerprints have been on countless pieces of historic policy achievements. His impact on the 5th District is unmistakable, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) If you sort of drive through his congressional district and look out both sides of the window, youre going to see something that Steny Hoyer helped make happen, Van Hollen said. One of Hoyers top achievements for Maryland was leading the effort to get the General Services Administration to relocate the aging FBI headquarters from Washington, D.C., to a site in Greenbelt, after 10 years of studies and battling Virginia officials who wanted the headquarters built in Springfield, Virginia. But that achievement is in peril after President Donald Trump (R) announced last year that FBI headquarters, and its 6,000 employees, would stay in downtown Washington, D.C. A Republican-controlled Senate committee approved a resolution in October to help make it happen. Advertisement Advertisement About a week later in November, Hoyer joined Gov. Wes Moore (D), Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) and others to announce the state had sued the administration to stop an action that would unlawfully sabotage a multiyear collaborative effort to relocate the facility to Greenbelt. Hoyer said in an interview Thursday he will continue to challenge the Trump administration over the FBI move. The reason why the site is being changed has nothing to do with the suitability for the FBI, and everything to do with the animus that the president of the United Sates directs towards the FBI, and frankly towards Prince Georges County, he said. Im going to try keep to convincing my colleagues in Congress that a short-term political decision is harmful in this case. Thursdays announcement by Hoyer, 86, follows a similar announcement by 85-year-old Pelosi, the Baltimore-born Democrat who has represented California in the House for more than three decades. Pelosi will also step down at the end of her term in January 2027. Advertisement Advertisement SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE During part of his 10-minute speech, Hoyer choked up a few times. He had a quick reply when asked what brought that on. The past 65 years, he said. I have been involved in an enterprise that I really enjoy. I love the interface with the public. I love the interface with the fellow members of the state Senate, or state Board of Higher Education, or the Congress of the United States. Hoyer continued: I love working on behalf of communities and people to try to make their lives better and make the communities more successful. When youre ending that and walking into a much slower pace of life, which my wife is going to enjoy. It was emotional. When you do something for a long time and you like it, and you decide to walk away voluntarily it has an emotional tug on you. Advertisement Advertisement Hoyer remarried a few years ago to Brookings Institution senior fellow Elaine Kamarck. Judith P. Hoyer, his first wife of more than 30 years, for whom early childhood centers around Maryland are named Judy Centers, died of stomach cancer in 1997. The pair had three children. Im really happy for him the fact that he gets to be a citizen again, that he gets to sleep in and spend time with his grandkids and rest after six decades of service, Elfreth said. You know, I dont think Marylanders appreciate just how much criss-crossing the country Steny did over those decades to elect Democrats across the country. I mean, just tireless travel and work. A banner with the inscription "ifo" stands at a press conference of the Institute for Economic Research (ifo) in Munich. Leonie Asendorpf/dpa Signs are increasing in German industry that the current economic crisis may be coming to an end, with production surprisingly continuing to rise in the manufacturing sector in November, thanks to strong growth in the automotive industry. Compared to the previous month, manufacturing increased by 0.8%, the Federal Statistical Office, or Destatis, reported from the city of Wiesbaden on Friday. This was the third consecutive increase. Analysts, however, had expected a setback and had, on average, anticipated a decline of 0.7% compared to October. Additionally, the production data for the previous month was revised upwards. In October, manufacturing increased by 2%, up from a previously reported growth of 1.8%. Mainly increases in automotive industry "The positive development of production in November 2025 was mainly attributable to the growth observed in the automotive industry," Destatis said, noting an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous month. The mechanical engineering sector also contributed to the positive result. A decline in energy production by 7.8% had a negative impact. Year-on-year there was growth, which surprised analysts: For November, an increase of 0.8% was recorded, while analysts had expected a decline of 1%. Already on Thursday, data on incoming orders in the industry had been surprisingly strong, which raised hopes among economists for an end to the downturn in German industry. Ifo: Car manufacturers less pessimistic According to the Munich-based ifo Institute, a leading economic think tank, sentiment in the automotive industry slightly improved in December 2025. The ifo business climate index rose to minus 19.8 points from a seasonally adjusted minus 20.2 points in November. While companies assess their current business situation as worse, they are looking less pessimistically at the coming months, according to ifo. "One ray of hope is the development in electromobility," said ifo industry expert Anita Wolfl. Courts are now facing a growing threat: AI-generated deepfakes. Melissa Sims said her ex-boyfriend created fake AI-generated texts that put her behind bars. "It was horrific," she said. Sims said she spent two days of hell in a Florida jail. "It's like you see in the movies 'Orange is the New Black'," she said. "I got put into like basically a general population." Advertisement Advertisement Her story made headlines in Florida. Sims and her boyfriend had recently moved there from Delaware County, Pennsylvania. She said her nightmare began in November 2024 after she called the police during an argument with her boyfriend, when she said he allegedly ransacked her home. "Next thing I know, I'm looking at him and he's slapping himself in the face," she said. She said he also allegedly scratched himself. When police arrived, they arrested her for battery. As part of her bond, the judge ordered her to stay away from her boyfriend and not speak to him. Fast forward several months, and she said her boyfriend created an AI-generated text that called him names and made disparaging comments. Advertisement Advertisement "I end up getting arrested for violating my bond," she said. "No one verified the evidence." Judge Herbert Dixon says Sim's ordeal is one of increasing frequency. "Several years ago, it started out with just fake audio recordings," he said. "And now it's gotten to a point of fake video and fake images being produced." Dixon is a senior judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He also serves as a member of the Council on Criminal Justice alongside former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Its mission is to advance policy in the criminal justice system. Advertisement Advertisement "One of the things we're trying to do is to develop a framework for the responsible use of artificial intelligence," he said. "Do you think prosecutors and police need to do a bit more due diligence in this age of AI before they bring charges, or is that better left for the courtroom?" asked WPVI investigative reporter Chad Pradelli. "Some due diligence has to be involved," he replied. Drexel professor Rob D'Ovidio teaches AI forensics. "This is scary to say, but we're no longer going to be able to trust what we see in front of us," he said. He said AI-generated video, texts and other evidence can be difficult to spot. AI is simply getting too good. Advertisement Advertisement "The challenge is the detection tools are not keeping up with those capabilities," he said. As an example, he created an AI-generated photo to show us. He input it into three different well-known AI detection software programs. All three spit back different results that ranged from 1% to 62% probability of the photo being synthetic or AI-generated. "The standard nowadays is we trust unless proven otherwise, right? I think we have to flip the script and distrust until we verify," he said. As for Sims, her story has a happy ending. After eight months of legal wrangling by her attorney, prosecutors dropped the bond violation charge against her. And, last month, she went to trial on the battery charge and was acquitted. Advertisement Advertisement Sims shared her story on her journey to advocate for a new law to create AI evidence standards and penalties. "If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone," she added. In July, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a new digital forgery law that makes it a felony to create AI deepfakes that injure, exploit or scam in the state. Action News reached out to Sim's ex-boyfriend but has not heard back. President Donald Trumps dream of being handed the Nobel Peace Prize has been killed within hours of him saying what an honor it would be. Trump, 79, is due to host Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado in the Oval Office next week, amid a public and behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to have Machado hand her prize to Trump, both to appease the president and to encourage him to endorse her as a replacement for deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Speaking about that possibility in an interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday, Trump lit up, saying: Ive heard that she wants to do that. That would be a great honor. Trump talks to Hannity about the visit of Machado. / Fox Trump went into his now-familiar riff about his peace credentials, boasting, Ive stopped eight wars and calling it a very big embarrassment that he hadnt been given the prize. He argued that when you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war. Advertisement Advertisement Within hours, however, Trumps hopes were dashed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which said its rules do not permit the passing on of its coveted prize to someone else. A spokesperson told the Daily Beast on Friday: A Nobel Prize can neither be revoked nor transferred to others. Once the announcement of the laureate(s) has been made, the decision stands for all time. As for the prize money, the laureate(s) are free to dispose of it as they see fit. Machado has dedicated her victory to Donald Trump. But that will be as far as it goes, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute. / Rune Hellestad / Getty Images The organizations refusal to bend its own rules will be a disappointment not just to Trump but also to some of his loyalists, who are reported to have lobbied for Machado to hand the president the prize he so covets. Fox News presenter Rachel Campos-Duffy, the wife of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, both 54, is reported to have been working both publicly and privately to get Machado to offer the prize to Trump when they meet next week, according to political journalist Rachael Bades Substack. Advertisement Advertisement Campos-Duffy is said to have worked hard to get Machado the Oval Office audience where she would give Trump her Nobel Peace Prize, Bade writes, saying the push has come from Trump-world insiders who know the president is fixated on the award. Trump is reportedly a fan of Campos-Duffy, pictured here with her husband, Sean Duffy. / Bill Clark / Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call The Venezuelan opposition leader, who had spent months in hiding before the U.S.-led operation that removed Maduro on Jan. 3, plans to press Trump on both the future of her country and her own role in leading it. Trump has said of that prospect: 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 has instead tacitly backed interim acting leader Delcy Rodriguez. Nicolas Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed federal agents. / XNY/Star Max / XNY/Star Max/GC Images But in public as well as in private, Campos-Duffy has tried to flip that script, according to Bade, and has argued on air that Rodriguez is the wrong person in charge, alleging that she was behind executions of dissenters and had acted as torturer in chief. Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, Campos-Duffy has described Machado as pro-American, said she respects President Trump, and stressed that Machado will work with the president on economic issues, on the oil, and on rooting out the corruption. Trump has spent years insisting he deserves the Peace Prize for supposedly ending a string of global conflicts, even inventing one between far-flung countries to pad his list of wins. However, the Norwegian committee gave the 2025 Peace Prize to Machado instead of him, despite his lobbying campaign. Allies have tried to fill the void with ersatz accolades. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino invented a FIFA Peace Prize that was handed to Trump onstage at the Kennedy Center weeks after the Nobel committee passed him over. The Daily Beast has contacted Campos-Duffy via Fox News and the White House for comment. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy contends 54% of the states non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses reviewed by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) were issued illegally. (File photo by Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline) The U.S. Department of Transportation is threatening to withhold nearly $50 million in federal funding from North Carolina if the state refuses to revoke commercial drivers licenses the department contends were illegally issued to immigrant drivers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy issued a statement Thursday contending 54% of the states non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses reviewed by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) were issued illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Such licenses are intended to be issued to foreign nationals who are in the United States legally. Canadians and Mexicans may drive in the U.S. with their home countrys licenses for temporary visits. North Carolinas failure to follow the rules isnt just shameful its dangerous, Duffy said in a statement. Im calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system. Duffys statement comes amid an ongoing nationwide audit of states truck licensing systems by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). North Carolina must fix its licensing failures and immediately revoke all illegally issued licenses, federal officials said. Advertisement Advertisement The level of noncompliance in North Carolina is egregious, said FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs. Under Secretary [Sean] Duffy, we will not hesitate to hold states accountable and protect the American people. In a letter to Gov. Josh Stein, Barrs said the illegal licenses were discovered during an annual program review of the state CDL program initiated by his administration last August. Barrs said his administration found that the NC Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles issued: Non-domiciled CDLs that extend beyond the expiration of drivers lawful presence in the United States. Non-domiciled CDLs to citizens of Mexico not present in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Non-domiciled CDLs without providing evidence that it verified the drivers lawful presence in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement The DMV shared this statement when asked to comment on the letter: NCDMV is committed to upholding safety and integrity in our licensing processes, the agency said. We have been collaborating closely with our federal partners for several months to resolve these matters that are impacting many U.S. states. U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, posted on X that the North Carolina DMV has been a complete disaster, from long wait times to paperwork issues, and beyond under the previous administration. I hope Governor Stein and the @NCDOT will quickly clean up this mess left to them by the previous administration and get North Carolina back into compliance as soon as possible, Budd posted. Advertisement Advertisement To avoid losing federal funding, Duffy said the North Carolina DMV must take the following corrective actions: Immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations. Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements. Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet federal rules. Click here to read the U.S. Department of Transportations letter to the NCDMV. Greg Kasowski, executive director at Children's Advocacy Centers of North Dakota, announces a new initiative to raise awareness about child abuse and exploitation at a Jan. 8, 2026, press conference. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor) Six victim advocacy groups announced Thursday a new initiative to help the public better protect kids in response to several high-profile cases of child abuse and sex trafficking that dominated headlines in 2025. Advocates said the new organization, called the North Dakota HOPE Project, was prompted by events like the criminal conviction of former state Sen. Ray Holmberg, who last March was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a child sex crime. Advertisement Advertisement For many survivors, 2025 felt like a year of nonstop retraumatization, Stacy Schaffer, executive director of the 31:8 Project, said in a statement announcing the project. This initiative is about reminding survivors that help exists and reminding communities that exploitation is preventable. The acronym HOPE stands for healing, outreach, prevention and empowerment. Greg Kasowski, executive director of the Childrens Advocacy Centers of North Dakota, said his organization served more than 3,000 children and families in 2025. About 1,000 children were suspected of being abused or interviewed by a forensic interviewer, he said at a Thursday press conference. Each one of those cases could have should have been prevented, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Kasowski called on North Dakotans to learn the signs of sex trafficking and how to respond appropriately. We have some opportunities today to make 2026 a year where we stop being reactive, and start being proactive, he said. To help educate the public, HOPE Project is hosting a six-part free webinar series that focuses on human trafficking awareness and child online safety. The first webinar takes place Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. To register, visit the North Dakota HOPE Projects website. During the press conference, advocates also called attention to the help available to survivors of abuse, including medical services, shelters and other support. A list of resources is also available on the groups website. Nikki, a sex trafficking survivor who works on the 31:8 Projects Survivor Advocacy Committee, said that trafficking thrives in secrecy. Advertisement Advertisement I want people to understand that human trafficking is not rare, she said during the press conference. I am just one survivor among many. Nikki asked to be identified only by first name. The Monitor does not identify victims of sex crimes. Nikki said survivors like her need safety, support and understanding. By learning the signs, starting conversations and supporting prevention and survivor centered services we can help ensure that no one has to face exploitation alone, she said. Nikki said shes been able to heal thanks to resources offered by organizations like the ones involved in the North Dakota HOPE Project. Shes now pursuing her bachelors degree in social work, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advocates on Thursday applauded a new law adopted by the 2025 Legislature that requires all sixth, 10th and 12th graders in public schools to undergo education about human trafficking awareness and prevention. It is meant to complement, not replace, the broader accountability that we are talking about today, said Mark Heinert, executive director of Youthworks. He noted the need for more training geared toward adults. Youth education is strongest when its paired with adults who are paying attention, Heinert said. The six organizations working together on the North Dakota HOPE Project are the 31:8 Project, Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners, Childrens Advocacy Centers of North Dakota, North Dakota Domestic & Sexual Violence Coalition, Families Flourish ND and Youthworks. Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Dick Dever, a Bismarck Republican who serves on the Legislatures Protection and Victim Services Committee, attended the event. The committee this interim session is studying topics including state laws related to crimes against children and human trafficking, and current services available to survivors. Dever said hed like to do whatever we can to further support organizations like the North Dakota HOPE Project. He noted that in recent years the Legislature has taken steps including establishing the Human Trafficking Commission under the Attorney Generals Office in 2015. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., discusses the $199 million awarded to North Dakota from the federal government as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program. At left is Gov. Kelly Armstrong and at right is Interim Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor. (Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday touted the success of the states application for federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding, which landed one of the largest per-capita awards in the nation. North Dakota received $199 million for the first year of the five-year grant. Advertisement Advertisement Congress set aside $50 billion for the program in its reconciliation bill last year as a way to offset losses rural states will incur due to Medicaid cuts. The funding, awarded to North Dakota in late December, is almost double the minimum funding available to states this year. The funding amounts to roughly $561 per North Dakota resident, according to an analysis by policy research organization KFF. Only six states received larger per-capita awards. The average grant amount was about $200 million per state. States are guaranteed at least $500 million over the five-year period, but could receive more depending on the strength of their applications and other factors. Advertisement Advertisement Hoeven, a Republican, said his goal is for North Dakota to receive the maximum possible award of $1 billion. He pointed to North Dakotas existing hospital and communications infrastructure as factors that set its application apart. The state has a very short window to get the money out into the hands of communities. North Dakota has until the end of September 2026 to obligate the funding, and until September 2027 to spend it. The state Department of Health and Human Services is hiring a liaison to help tribal communities apply for the federal funding. Tribes unique legal status means their applications for grant money may have different requirements, Armstrong said. Advertisement Advertisement We want to make sure that they have access to somebody on our staff that helps them do that and gives them the best chance of success, said Armstrong, a Republican. State lawmakers will convene for a special legislative session later this month to authorize the spending of the grant money. A committee of lawmakers tasked with guiding the states application for Rural Health Transformation Program funding will meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the $200 million award and to discuss bill drafts for the special session. While Armstrong called the special session to allocate the federal funding, lawmakers could also consider legislation related to other issues. Advertisement Advertisement Legislators will consider four policy bills that the state pledged to adopt in its Rural Health Transformation Program application. They would require schools to participate in a federal fitness test, require ongoing nutrition education for doctors, have North Dakota join a physician assistant licensure compact and to expand the services pharmacists are authorized to provide. The federal government indicated that states with these policies would get larger grant awards. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A North Texas man who shot at three police officers in Westworth Village pleaded guilty on Wednesday to aggravated assault of a public servant, and a judge placed him under a term of deferred adjudication probation. Eight months after he fired the shots, Jacob LaGrone, 31, was married in France in a $59 million viral wedding. LaGrone fired at a Westworth Village police officer and at two Westover Hills officers at his house on River Trail Court in March 2023. Advertisement Advertisement The officers responded to the house to check on reports of a disturbance and shots fired. When they arrived, the officers were fired upon, Westworth Village officials have said. The punishment range for the offense to which LaGrone pleaded guilty is five to 99 years, or life, in prison. He pleaded guilty in Criminal District Court No. 4. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office in August 2023 offered LaGrone a plea agreement under which he would be sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to a record filed by the district clerk. More breaking news: Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for Star-Telegram news alerts. Justice was achieved through three guilty pleas to aggravated assault of a public servant, District Attorney Phil Sorrells wrote in a statement. Our office carefully evaluated the facts, the evidence, and the likely trial outcomes before reaching this resolution. We support the officers involved and remain grateful that none were physically injured. Mr. LaGrone will be supervised for seven years under strict conditions, and our office will pursue adjudication if any violations occur. LaGrone, a Nashville native, married Madelaine Brockway, whose family lives in the Fort Worth area. The ceremony at the Chateau de Villette near Paris was designated the wedding of the century in a TikTok video posted by HMR Designs. Advertisement Advertisement Brockway and others documented the five-day celebration on Instagram, and it drew widespread attention on social media. The wedding included an overnight stay at the Palace of Versailles. Band Maroon 5 performed at the wedding reception. The brides father, Robert Brockway, owns a group of Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Florida and several homes in the Fort Worth area. In response to an inquiry from a reporter, defense attorney Jeff Kearney, whom LaGrone retained, wrote on behalf of his client: We are pleased we were able to reach a fair resolution for all parties. Jacob and his family look forward to moving on to the next chapter of their life. Our editors also recommend: Sign up for Star-Telegram news alerts. Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday night to protest after a recent report indicated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center could be coming to a town in southern New Hampshire. The protest was held outside Merrimack Town Hall. Inside, councilors listened to testimonies from residents united against the idea of an ICE facility being constructed in their community. The very idea of our town being considered for such a facility is a moral crisis, one resident said. Advertisement Advertisement Another questioned, Do we really want to bring that to our town? And when we say theres nothing we can do, theyre banking on us feeling that way. All I ask you guys is to really think, Merrimack. Were neighbors, were friends. This is not what we want, another resident added. Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Advertisement Advertisement Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Anti-ICE rally in Merrimack, New Hampshire Last month, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration was seeking contractors to help it overhaul the countrys immigrant detention system in a plan that includes renovating industrial warehouses into seven large-scale detention centers and 16 smaller processing sites. According to the report, the facility in Merrimack would be one of the 16 smaller processing sites with 500 to 1,500 beds. The protest came a day after a woman was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, and on a day in which officers shot two others during a traffic stop in Portland, Oregon. Also on Thursday night, hundreds of people protested in Boston Common to show support for Renee Nicole Good, the wife and mother killed in Minneapolis. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Those living along the I-35 corridor could experience severe weather starting today, Friday, January 9. There is a marginal risk for isolated storms beginning in the late morning through the early evening. The National Weather Service (NWS) office of Austin and San Antonio is warning Texans in South Central and Central Texas of severe thunderstorms that could bring large hail and damaging winds to the area along and east of the I-35 corridor. A graphic shared by NWS reveals the highest risk of storms is east of I-35 between San Antonio and the North Austin suburb of Georgetown. Advertisement Advertisement The storms are expected to begin around 10 a.m. Friday and could run through the late evening, around 9 p.m. The storms are moving in hours before a cold front is set to drastically drop temperatures. There is a mainly level 1 of 5 risk for isolated severe storms today from late morning through early evening, primarily along and east of the I-35 corridor. Large hail and damaging winds are possible. pic.twitter.com/4c3fxLRFya - NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) January 9, 2026 San Antonio severe weather may cause travel delays The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning that those flying in and out of San Antonio and Austin, among other airports, should expect delays. Thunderstorms may impact flights in Austin (AUS) and San Antonio (SAT), along with flights in Atlanta (ATL) and Detroit (DTW). Check your flight information to see if your travel has been impacted. At the time of publishing, it appears flight delays out of SAT are minimal, but this could change at any moment. If you're flying out of the San Antonio International Airport, you can use the airport's flight status tracker on its website for up-to-date flight information on your and other flights in and out of SAT. Have weather pics you want to share with MySA? Send them our way on social or via email at news@mysa.com. This article originally published at NWS: Large hail, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds threaten San Antonio. New York and four other states have jointly sued the Trump administration to restore $10 billion in federal funding it froze for child care and other programs in those Democratic-led states. The case, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and filed in federal District Court in Manhattan on Thursday, Jan. 8, argues that suspending the states' funding for three programs violated both federal law and the U.S. Constitution. It calls the Republican-controlled federal government's claim that it was searching for "potential" fraud a "pretext" to antagonize Democratic governors and their states. On Jan. 9, a federal judge temporary blocked the Trump administration from freezing the funding, granting a temporary restraining order for the states that would keep the federal dollars flowing during the court battle. Advertisement Advertisement "Defendants have provided no explanation for why targeting just these five states each of which, as they have emphasized, has a Democratic governor is a reasonable response to Defendants unsubstantiated assertions of nationwide fraud," attorneys charged in the 41-page complaint. In New York, the decision has put on hold $2.5 billion in annual funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which provides monthly cash aid to more than 200,000 low-income New Yorkers; $638 million for Child Care and Development Fund services; and $93 million for the Social Services Block Grant program. The other states whose funds were frozen and joined New York in the suit are California, Illinois, Colorado and Minnesota. In announcing the freeze on Jan. 6, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department said, without elaborating, that it was acting on concerns about "widespread fraud" and benefits going improperly to people who aren't U.S. citizens or lawful residents. States decry 'fishing expedition,' 'impossible' demand New York and the other states are arguing the administration has no power in federal law or the Constitution to unilaterally halt funding. In doing so, the suit contends, it is usurping congressional spending authority, and also ignoring the steps it must follow under federal law to probe potential "irregularities" in funding use. New York Attorney General Letitia James listens to questions from attendees during a Protecting the People Community Impact Hearing hosted at Westchester Community College in Valhalla on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The states say federal officials made an unreasonable demand for them to avoid a freeze: by turning over, within two weeks, all their information about millions of beneficiaries of the programs. The suit called that a "fishing expedition," and an attempt to justify the freeze the government planned to do anyway. Advertisement Advertisement "As Defendants know, that is an impossible task on an impossible timeline, offered only as pretext to maintain the freeze against Plaintiff States," the lawsuit alleged. What is the effect of the federal funding freeze? The states warn that programs that serve vulnerable populations "will largely cease operations" if funds are cut. And even before that, agencies that oversee child care funding are scrambling to fill potential gaps and weighing unpleasant choices, such as raising family co-payments or extending waiting lists for care slots, according to the case. The states also contend the freeze could damage how the programs are seen and curb participation as a result. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani interacts with Pre-K students at Friends of Crown Heights Education Center on November 13, 2025 in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. Mamdani along with Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman and Councilmember Rita Joseph met with educators and visited with young students, speaking about his campaign promise of free care for children starting at 6 weeks old. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) It "generates the public perception that state agencies have failed or engaged in wrongdoing, thereby damaging their reputation," the attorneys wrote. Advertisement Advertisement In response to the lawsuit, the Health and Human Services Department's top lawyer posted on X that the department stands by its "action to defend American taxpayers" after identifying "serious concerns" about funding use in the five states. "Its unfortunate that these Attorney Generals from these Democrat-led states are less focused on reducing fraud and more focused on partisan political stunts," wrote Mike Stuart, the department's general counsel. The freeze came shortly after a controversy erupted over social services fraud in Minnesota, one of the states whose funding was suspended. In Westchester County, county officials say the frozen funding affects $126 million a year for social services in Westchester, endangering programs that help families find child care, avoid eviction and get housing after emergencies. Advertisement Advertisement This funding is used for a variety of extremely critical functions," Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a statement. "And with the financial challenges Westchester County is already facing as a result of the policies of the Trump Administration, we have no way of backfilling any of these crucial programs if this funding is frozen. This story has been updated with new information Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA TODAY Network. Reach him at CMcKenna@usatodayco.com. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY, other states sue to restore $10B in funding frozen by Trump Then-U.S. President Barack Obama dropped more than 26,000 bombs on seven countries Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen in 2016 alone. We determined this by looking at data from the U.S. Air Force, Council for Foreign Relations, the Long War Journal and the New America Foundation. Obama did not obtain an act from Congress to conduct his military operations; however, his actions were not illegal. Congress passed a broad 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force to approve war against al-Qaida and the Taliban, which Obama relied on to justify his military activities. However, Obama stretched use of the 2001 AUMF to target militant groups that either did not exist on Sept. 11, 2001, or were not al-Qaida affiliates. U.S. presidents have repeatedly conducted military activities in other countries without seeking approval from Congress. President Donald Trump justified military activities during his first administration by citing the AUMF as well. As U.S. President Donald Trump authorized a surprise strike on Venezuela in January 2026 as part of the military's capture of President Nicolas Maduro, his defenders pointed out that former President Barack Obama had bombed numerous countries during his presidency. Conservative podcaster Alec Lace wrote on X: Barack Obama dropped 26,171 bombs in a single year on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan without Congressional Approval Donald Trump just captured NarcoTerrorist Dictator Maduro Guess which one received the Media melted down over? Barack Obama dropped 26,171 bombs in a single year on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan without Congressional Approval Donald Trump just captured NarcoTerrorist Dictator Maduro Guess which one received the Media melted down over? pic.twitter.com/E2oFTwJmiR Alec Lace (@AlecLace) January 3, 2026 The claim about Obama is technically correct in that he did not obtain an act of Congress to conduct his military activities, though numerous presidents including Trump have done the same. We looked through old databases and reports about Obama's airstrikes and drone warfare program conducted with coalition partners through the year 2016 to confirm the number of strikes he authorized. Advertisement Advertisement However, Obama relied on an Authorization for Use of Military Force that Congress issued in 2001 to target al-Qaida and the Taliban as a legal basis for his administration's military actions. In June 2025, Trump sent stealth aircraft into Iran with so-called Massive Ordnance Penetrator "bunker buster bombs" to reach concealed sites. Per a Pentagon briefing, around 75 precision-guided weapons were used in the overall operation, which included missiles sent by a U.S. submarine toward Isfahan. Around 14 of the bunker busters hit their targets. How many bombs did the Obama administration drop? In 2014, the U.S. along with a number of coalition partners began Operation Inherent Resolve against the militant Islamic State group. The U.S. conducted numerous airstrikes in Iraq and Syria using both manned and unmanned aircraft, including drones. According to data from the U.S. Air Force Central Command, in 2016 the coalition dropped a total of 30,743 weapons in Iraq and Syria. According to an analysis by the think tank Council for Foreign Relations, the U.S. carried out 79% of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in 2016 and was responsible for 24,287 of these bombs. Advertisement Advertisement In addition, through Operation Enduring Sentinel in Afghanistan, the U.S. dropped a total of 1,337 weapons through both manned and unmanned aircraft, according to data collected by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, an independent media outlet. Data from the Long War Journal part of the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and the liberal think tank New America also found the U.S. conducted around 513 strikes in Libya, 43 in Yemen, 14 in Somalia, and three in Pakistan in 2016. This data didn't give the exact numbers of weapons used. Regardless, keeping in mind the number of strikes in Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan, as well as the quantity of weapons used in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, the total still amounts to more than 26,000 bombs in seven countries in just 2016. Did Obama get congressional approval? Trump is not the first president who did not get congressional consent to carry out military actions in another country. In 1950, President Harry Truman used his authority to send U.S. troops to defend South Korea along with a U.N. Security Council resolution, but no authority from Congress. In 1980s, President Ronald Reagan ordered military force in Libya, Grenada and Lebanon, and in 1989 President George H.W. Bush directed the invasion of Panama to topple the dictator Manuel Noriega. According to a National Constitution Center analysis, while the U.S. Constitution gives the president the title of commander in chief of all armed forces, only Congress can declare war. Over the years, presidents have broadly interpreted their roles as commander in chief and often used it to bypass Congress. Advertisement Advertisement In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution to ensure Congress had a role in approving U.S. involvement in any armed conflicts. However, Congress has also passed numerous Authorizations for the Use of Military Force that give the president the ability to carry out limited and clearly defined military actions. In practice, however, these AUMFs have been interpreted broadly to justify all kinds of military actions. In 2001, Congress passed an AUMF authorizing military actions against "those responsible for the recent [Sept. 11, 2001] attacks against the United States." In 2002, Congress passed another AUMF calling for the use of military force against Iraq. When Obama ordered military intervention in 2011 in Libya without congressional approval, he said his actions did not fall under the War Powers Resolution. A 2016 analysis by left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress found that the Obama administration had continued to use this justification for drone strikes: "Congress initially authorized war against al-Qaida and the Taliban in its 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, and the Obama administration continues to rely on that AUMF as congressional authority for ongoing military operations." The Council for Foreign Relations also evaluated the legality of Obama's drone strikes in 2017. It found that the 2001 AUMF had been "stretched" by the Obama administration to "justify strikes against terror groups that either did not exist on 9/11, or are unaffiliated with al-Qaida. Yet, the AUMF remains the domestic legal underpinning for all U.S. military actions against Islamist terrorists." Advertisement Advertisement A 2016 paper by a pair of Duke and Harvard Law School professors, Curtis A. Bradley and Jack L. Goldsmith, on "Obama's AUMF Legacy" noted that Obama initially wanted to repeal the 2001 AUMF, but by the end of his presidency it acted as the legal underpinning for his military actions: Despite massive changes in the geographical scope of the conflict that began on 9/11, the strategy and tactics employed, and the identity of the enemy, the AUMF remains the principal legal foundation under U.S. domestic law for the president to use force against and detain members of terrorist organizations. The AUMF is already the longest operative congressional authorization of military force in U.S. history, and, as of fall 2016, there was no immediate prospect that Congress would move to repeal or update it. With the continued vibrancy of Al Qaeda, its associates, and the Taliban, and with the 2014 presidential extension of the AUMF to cover military operations against the Islamic State, the AUMF is likely to be the primary legal basis for American uses of force for the foreseeable future. [] For many years, President Obama proclaimed that he wanted to repeal the AUMF and end the AUMF-authorized conflict. By the closing year of his presidency, however, his administration had established the AUMF as the legal foundation for an indefinite conflict against Al Qaeda and associated groups and extended that foundation to cover a significant new conflict against the Islamic State. In 2014 and 2015, Obama did try to get Congress to pass an updated AUMF for his ongoing war against the Islamic State. In February 2015, he sent Congress a draft AUMF, but disagreements over how it would limit the powers of a future U.S. president, and even Obama, meant the measure stalled. In 2020, Trump also cited the 2002 AUMF as the legal justification for the Jan. 2, 2020, U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In sum Obama did use more than 26,000 bombs in 2016 alone against seven countries. However, while he did not get congressional approval at the time, he relied on older congressional authorizations as the legal basis for such strikes, a practice that Trump also continued. Sources: "Afghanistan: Reported US Air and Drone Strikes 2016." TBIJ, https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/drone-war/data/get-the-data-a-list-of-us-air-and-drone-strikes-afghanistan-2016. Accessed 24 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement "America's Counterterrorism Wars." New America, http://newamerica.org/future-security/reports/americas-counterterrorism-wars/. Accessed 24 June 2025. Blake, Aaron. "Analysis: Trump Attacked Venezuela and Arrested Its President. Is That Legal? | CNN Politics." CNN, 3 Jan. 2026, https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/politics/legal-authority-trump-venezuela. Accessed Jan. 6, 2026. Bradley, Curtis A., and Jack L. Goldsmith. "Obama's AUMF Legacy." The American Journal of International Law, vol. 110, no. 628, 2016, https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6661&context=faculty_scholarship. Accessed 24 June 2025. Combined Forces Air Component Commander 2014-2021 Airpower Statistics. U.S. Air Force Central Command, 30 Nov. 2021, https://www.afcent.af.mil/Portals/82/November%202021%20Airpower%20Summary_FINAL.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Crowley, Michael, and Edward Wong. "Is the U.S. at War With Iran? What to Know About Trump, Congress and War Powers." The New York Times, 22 June 2025. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/us/politics/trump-strikes-war-iran.html. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Does the President Need Congress to Approve Military Actions in Iran? | Constitution Center." National Constitution Center Constitutioncenter.Org, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/does-the-president-need-congress-to-approve-military-actions-in-iran. Accessed 24 June 2025. Elsea, Jennifer. "Defense Primer: Legal Authorities for the Use of Military Forces." U.S. Congress, 10 Dec. 2024, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10539. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Evaluating the Obama Administration's Drone Reforms." Council on Foreign Relations, 31 Jan. 2017, https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2017/01/Workshop_Report_Obama_Drone_Reforms_OR.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Fowler, Stephen. "Trump Administration Defends Iranian Strikes as Some Lawmakers Question Its Legality." NPR, 22 June 2025. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/06/22/nx-s1-5441731/iran-strike-congress-reaction-vance-rubio. Accessed 24 June 2025. Glass , Andrew. "United States Invades Panama, Dec. 20, 1989." Politico, 20 Dec. 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/20/united-states-invades-panama-1989-1067072. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Hegseth, Caine Laud Success of U.S. Strike on Iran Nuke Sites." Department of Defense, 22 June 2025, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4222533/hegseth-caine-laud-success-of-us-strike-on-iran-nuke-sites/. Accessed 24 June 2025. Herb, Jeremy. "Congress War Authorization: Where We Last Left off." CNN, 7 Apr. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/congress-obama-war-authorization. Accessed 24 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement "H.J.Res.114 - Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002." U.S. Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-joint-resolution/114/text. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Interpretation: Declare War Clause." National Constitution Center. https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-i/clauses/753. Accessed 24 June 2025. Kheel, Rebecca. "Trump Administration Outlines Legal Justification for Soleimani Strike." The Hill, 14 Feb. 2020, https://thehill.com/policy/defense/483135-trump-administrtion-outlines-legal-justification-for-soleimani-strike/. Accessed 24 June 2025. Liptak, Kevin. "Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites Thrust US into Escalating Middle East Conflict." CNN, 22 June 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/21/politics/trump-iran-air-strikes. Accessed 24 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Martin, Kate. "Are U.S. Drone Strikes Legal?" Center for American Progress, 1 Apr. 2016, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/are-u-s-drone-strikes-legal/. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Operation Enduring Sentinel Lead Inspector General Quarterly Report to Congress, January 1, 2024March 31, 2024." Office of Inspector General. https://oig.usaid.gov/node/6845. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Public Law 10740." U.S. Congress, 18 Sept. 2001, https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ40/PLAW-107publ40.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2025. "US Airstrikes in the Long War." FDD's Long War Journal, https://www.longwarjournal.org/us-airstrikes-in-the-long-war. Accessed 24 June 2025. "What We Know about US Air Strikes on Three Iranian Nuclear Sites." BBC, 23 June 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9r4q99g4o. Accessed 24 June 2025. "Who We Are." Operation Inherent Resolve, https://www.inherentresolve.mil/WHO-WE-ARE/. Accessed 24 June 2025. Zenko, Micah and Jennifer Wilson. "How Many Bombs Did the United States Drop in 2016?" Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/blog/how-many-bombs-did-united-states-drop-2016. Accessed 24 June 2025. Silver and platinum plunged, extending a recent run of exceptional volatility as traders weighed index rebalancing sales, supply constraints and the risk of potential US tariffs. Gold also declined. Spot platinum slid as much as 7.7% and silver tumbled as much as 6%, though both metals are still up for the month so far. Silver had powered to a record high above $84 an ounce in late December as strong retail investor appetite, particularly in China, buffeted prices in thin trading over the holiday period. Most Read from Bloomberg Gold and palladium also fell alongside their precious metal peers ahead of an annual rebalancing of broad commodity indexes, which sometimes are a drag on prices because passive tracking funds sell commodities that have rallied heavily to match new weightings. We expect large-scale selling activity to kick off amid significant rebalancing flows from broad commodity indices, TD Securities strategist Daniel Ghali wrote in a note, adding that silver had seen a devilish blow-off top. Citigroup Inc. has estimated outflows of $6.8 billion from gold futures contracts and roughly the same amount from silver because of reweighting of the two largest commodity indexes thats set to start this week. Both metals faced a similar index selloff last year, without causing a discernible drag on the market, according to a Dec. 12 note from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The bank, however, said the amount of selling required in silver is more outsized this year. In the London market, the dominant spot-trading hub, silver and platinum supplies have been tight following shipments to the US last year spurred by tariff fears. Borrowing costs for the metals eased somewhat this week, but still remain historically elevated as inventories remain locked in US warehouses. Traders are awaiting the outcome of Washingtons Section 232 probe into imports of critical minerals that could lead to levies or trade restrictions. You now have a lack of liquidity that means that anyone who wants to come into the market really has to pay up for that, Michael Widmer, head of metals research at Bank of America Corp., told Bloomberg Television. While theres a positive fundamental demand outlook for silver, which has many industrial applications, speculators have brought excessive volatility into the market, he said. Traders also are keeping an eye on geopolitical tensions that may bolster haven demand. Days after the seizure of Venezuelas president, the White House refused to rule out military force to acquire Greenland. China, meanwhile, imposed controls on exports to Japan with any military use. An Ohio man has learned his punishment for killing his ex-wife nearly 25 years ago. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Paul Hicks, 50, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Huron County Prosecutor James Sitterly. Today a killer is held accountable, although 24 years after the crime, its a stark reminder that truth has no expiration date, Yost said. Prison bars will now restrain the evil that stole Regina from her loved ones. Advertisement Advertisement As previously reported by News Center 7, Paul was convicted in the 2001 cold case murder of his ex-wife, Regina Hicks, in December. TRENDING STORIES: Witnesses said Regina left her boyfriends house in her white Chevrolet Camaro to pick up her son on Oct. 18, 2001, around 8 p.m., but never arrived. The Camaro was found on Oct. 22 in a pond at Section Line Road 30 in Willard, her body inside. Paul was arrested in April. He was found guilty on three counts of murder and one count of kidnapping after a two-week trial in December. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks in the school library of Eisenhower International School in Tulsa on Oct. 2. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to advocate again this year for eliminating the cap on how much Oklahoma can spend to help children attend private schools, though the state hasnt hit its current limit. With the 2026 legislative session set to begin Feb. 2, Stitt remains committed to removing the $250 million spending cap on the Parental Choice Tax Credit program, his press secretary Tevis Hillis told Oklahoma Voice. The tax credits provide $5,000 to $7,500 to families to offset the cost of private school tuition and fees. Advertisement Advertisement Demand far exceeds current funding, leaving families on waitlists, Hillis said. His goal is simple: let more kids attend the school of their parents choice. However, the Oklahoma Tax Commission confirmed to Oklahoma Voice it hasnt had to turn away any applicants this school year because of the budget limit. The Tax Commission reported last week that nearly $1 million in tax credits were still available for the 2025-26 school year with under two weeks left before the application window closes. Families have been able to apply since Feb. 18 of last year, according to the commissions website. When asked for clarification, Hillis said her reference to waitlists pertains to students seeking those schooling options. Advertisement Advertisement The Oklahoma Legislature would have to agree to adjust the programs spending cap, but lawmakers didnt give even a committee hearing to a Senate bill last year that sought to remove the limit entirely. State officials estimated the policy would cost the state $13 million. The state Senates top leader has continued to express reservations about uncapping the program. Any changes must be done responsibly, Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said in a statement this week. Removing the cap entirely at this time could lead to unintended consequences and strain the states ability to ensure the program is meeting its intended purpose. Our priority is making sure those who need help the most are the primary beneficiaries. Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, speaks at an announcement of a budget deal for the 2026 fiscal year on May 14. Gov. Kevin Stitt stands behind the senator. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, didnt return a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement The state is projected to have $692 million less to spend than the year before, raising doubts about the feasibility of major new investments. Stitt first advocated for eliminating the maximum spending limit on the Parental Choice Tax Credits in his state budget proposal last year. In a recent guest column in The Oklahoman, the governor pledged he would work this year to make the tax credits available to more families. So far, only one new bill has been filed that would expand the program. Senate Bill 1389 from Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, would allow the spending limit to increase by 20% if at least 90% of the available funds are claimed. Daniels filed last years bill to completely remove the spending cap. She said her new legislation is a much more fiscally conservative, responsible way to go. Advertisement Advertisement My bill this year allows us to grow the program in a responsible, measured way because we now see that it is very successful, and more Oklahoma families are choosing to take advantage of it, Daniels said. We should allow that credit limit to increase gradually as participation increases. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, awaits votes on a veto override during the Senate session on May 29. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) Stitt and Republican lawmakers have celebrated the Parental Choice Tax Credit program, created in 2023, as a way to help financially disadvantaged families leave public schools and access the private school of their choice. Legislative Democrats have long criticized the policy for giving funds to wealthy families and for diverting millions of dollars that they say should instead go to public schools, which educate the vast majority of Oklahoma students. Last weeks report from the Tax Commission shows the state so far has spent $249 million this school year on tax credits for 39,485 students. Just over 3,700 of those students had attended a public school the semester before the 2025-26 academic year, according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Students who qualified for the $7,500 maximum tax credit made up the largest share, 28.4%, of awarded applicants, according to an Oklahoma Voice analysis. These are children from households that earn no more than $75,000 a year or receive income-based government benefits like SNAP and Medicaid. The state spent $79.6 million on private school tax credits for these students. The second-most-awarded group of applications, 27.3%, came from families with a yearly income between $75,001 and $150,000. These households, which qualify for $7,000 per student, collectively received more than $72 million from the program. Households earning over $250,000 a year were the third-most common, representing 24.5% of total recipients. Oklahoma spent $48 million this school year to support the private school costs of these families, who qualify for $5,000 per student. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A mountain of rubbish collapsed at a landfill in the central Philippines on Thursday, killing a 22-year-old woman and leaving more than 30 people missing, authorities have said. Rescuers pulled 12 injured sanitation workers from debris at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City, who were later hospitalised. Many of the missing are believed to be workers at the landfill. The mayor of Cebu told news outlet ABS-CBN that it may be difficult to reach survivors because of the potential for further collapse. Advertisement Advertisement The cause of the collapse is still unclear, but Cebu City councillor Joel Garganera said it was likely the result of poor waste management practices. Some 300 people from various government agencies and civilian groups have been deployed to the privately-owned landfill. Several excavators, ambulances and fire trucks have also been seen on site. "All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons," Cebu Mayor Nestor Archival said in a Facebook post on Friday. "This is not like other landslides that you can just excavate. If you pull from the top, the bottom is soft. Let's say there is a person there, when you get the debris, it might get worse," he said, ABS-CBN reported. Advertisement Advertisement Cebu City councillor Joel Garganera said the incident may have happened suddenly, but was likely a result of poor waste management practices. Operators had been cutting into the mountain, mining the soil, and then piling garbage to form another mountain of waste, Garganera told local newspaper The Freeman. "It's not a sanitary landfill. It's already an open dumpsite," he said. Families are waiting for updates on their loved ones trapped in the debris. One Binaliw resident, Belen Antigua, told Rappler that her son had survived the landslide but she was still waiting for her other relatives to be found. Another said that families had been gathered at the landfill to look for their children since Friday morning. Advertisement Advertisement "I could not understand my emotions. They said those trapped are calling for help, so there is a possibility that my brother is still there," Michelle Lumapas, whose brother works at the landfill, told ABS-CBN. The Binaliw landfill is about 15 hectares (37 acres). Landfills are common in major Philippine cities like Cebu, which is the trading centre and transportation gateway of the Visayas, the archipelago nation's central islands. SAN FRANCISCO OpenAI announced a deal with a leading kids online safety group Friday, teaming up with a former adversary on a ballot initiative that could let California voters decide on new rules for how young people use AI chatbots, an issue that has raised scrutiny from parents and lawmakers across the country. The compromise first reported by POLITICO came after the ChatGPT maker and advocacy group Common Sense Media had filed competing ballot initiatives aiming to restrict kids interactions with AI. The deal avoids what could have been a multimillion-dollar battle in this years election, and the two sides see the new proposal as offering a path to a potential national standard for regulating how youth use the technology. We hope to not just take this to California but well beyond, said Chris Lehane, OpenAIs global affairs chief and a Democratic political veteran, during a joint press conference with Common Sense Media. Advertisement Advertisement The new proposal includes requirements for AI companies to determine a user's age and implement safeguards for young people using their products, as well as limiting the sale of young peoples data, among other provisions. Rather than confusing the voters with competing ballot initiatives on AI, we decided to work together and to enact the strongest protections in the country for kids, teens and families, said Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer. It comes amid heightened public criticism of OpenAI and other chatbot creators facing lawsuits over kids interactions with artificial intelligence, including over teen suicides. Working with Common Sense Media could help shield OpenAI from some of that criticism coming from lawmakers and parents. The measure will still need to collect enough signatures to officially make it onto the November ballot a process that can cost upwards of $10 million and which may start as soon as next month. Advertisement Advertisement Theres also a chance state lawmakers could push their own legislation on chatbots, which could negotiate the measure off the ballot an option any opponents to OpenAIs ballot measure may prefer as a way to set their own rules and avert fighting a pricey campaign against the tech giant. Steyer, whose group will now be taking the lead on the compromise ballot effort, said his group has already been in discussions with leaders in Sacramento, and said we expect the Legislature will come out very soon with a comparable package. Were going to pursue every measure, from the Legislature to the ballot, Steyer said. Lehane said OpenAI would be standing up a ballot committee to support the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Several lawmakers are already working on legislation to restrict AI chatbots, including to impose age-check requirements on chatbot platforms and temporarily ban AI-powered toys for children under 13. The ballot proposal seeks to build on an AI chatbot law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last year, which aims to make so-called companion chatbots safer for young people and requires companies to detect, remove and respond to instances of suicidal ideation by users. The author of that law, state Sen. Steve Padilla, applauded the compromise but said he preferred to see the Legislature tackle the evolving issue. He previously slammed OpenAI for what he called an attempt to "hijack" his law to craft the language for its initial initiative. While this is an important milestone, theres more work to be done and I continue to believe this issue should be tackled by the Legislature and Governor through a public process inviting all stakeholders to participate, Padilla said in a statement Friday. Given the rapidly evolving nature of this technology, we also shouldnt put this law into the Constitution as proposed in the updated initiative doing so would create an unnecessarily high-bar to revise and update that law in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Another key lawmaker looking to regulate AI, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, said in a statement that she was pleased to see the two groups teaming up. But, she said: The legislatures role remains unchanged; we have both the role and responsibility to protect Californias children and to represent our constituents, adding: We will therefore be evaluating this proposal and considering our own actions as we deem necessary to ensure the safety of our communities. Steyer said his group has also been in discussions with other major tech companies about the effort, without naming any. No other major AI model makers came out in support of, or opposition to, the new initiative as of Friday afternoon. The compromise stops short of an outright ban on chatbot usage for kids: OpenAIs initial measure focused on young peoples interactions with chatbots, while Steyers first proposal was more wide-ranging, also banning cell phones in schools and requiring AI literacy education in California. Those issues were dropped from the revised version. Advertisement Advertisement The state attorney general would enforce the child safety requirements and impose penalties on companies found in violation, while chatbot makers would have to publish their child safety policies and submit to outside audits. The initiative would also prohibit AI companies from targeting advertising to children, or selling their personal data without a parents approval. Companies would have to provide parental controls, and offer parents the option to be notified if a child expresses an intent to harm themselves. The language would omit some uses of AI systems, like those used only for commercial purposes by businesses, video game features that resemble chatbots and products like smart speakers. The ballot measure could still face opposition from other kids safety groups that have called for even tougher measures and are likely to bristle at having a dominant AI company like OpenAI involved in crafting such rules. Advertisement Advertisement Critics may also hit out at its risk assessment and audit requirements, arguing they could be more burdensome for startups and make it more difficult for new AI companies to challenge current industry heavyweights. That could draw concern from venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator that invest in so-called Little Tech firms and startups. Steyer acknowledged walking a fine line when it comes to startups, saying hes heard from smaller firms in the past who want to make sure that we don't craft legislation that will put them out of business. In late December, when Israel established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Somaliland, it was actually not the first time it had done so. Israel had previously recognized the newly independent state of Somaliland in 1960, when it first won its independence from Britain. At that time, however, Israel was not alone. Thirty-four other states, including all five members of the United Nations Security Council, also recognized an independent Somaliland. Although it emerged from colonial domination as an internationally recognized independent state, Somaliland chose to merge with the former Italian Somaliland after it too became independent. The merger proved to be an uneasy one, however. The two formerly separate colonies had separate administrative, legal and educational systems, reflecting the influence of their former colonial overlords. Somaliland and Somalia also continued to maintain different police forces and different tax structures. Advertisement Advertisement Their respective elites also had little in common. Whereas the former British Somaliland inherited a strong democratic tradition from Britain, that was not the case in the former Italian colony. Indeed, within a decade after independence and merger, the new unitary state, dominated by its southern region that had been Italian Somaliland, never held a real presidential election after 1967, when Abdirashid Ali Shermarke took office. Shermarke was assassinated two years later, and Somalia has not had a truly democratic election since. Nor has Somalia had much stability in the last half-century. Wars with Ethiopia and Kenya, internal guerrilla insurrections, piracy and the rise of al-Shabab have transformed Somalia into a failed state. In contrast, since it broke away from the central government in 1991, Somaliland has boasted more than three decades of political democracy and economic stability. It has held multiple presidential and legislative elections. Nevertheless, although it exhibits all the characteristics of a unified state with functioning administrative governance, it has never been able to obtain international diplomatic recognition. Although it is not officially recognized as an independent state, Somaliland does maintain unofficial relations with several states; for example, it has offices in Washington and London among others. It has reached a variety of economic agreements with several countries, notably neighboring Ethiopia. Advertisement Advertisement So there is precedent for Somaliland obtaining recognition and a seat at the United Nations. That it chose to rupture its relationship with the Republic of Somalia years after agreeing to a merger is no different from the case of the United Arab Republic. In 1958, Egypt and Syria agreed to a merger intended to create a unitary state with a single president Egypts Gamal abd-el Nasr and a single legislature. The merger lasted barely four years, however after a military coup, Syria opted for independence once more. The African Union has refused to recognize Somaliland and has condemned Jerusalems decision to establish formal relations with its capital, Hargeisa. It has called upon Israel to revoke its recognition of the breakaway state. Yet in May 1993 the African Union recognized Eritrea, which had bolted from Ethiopia after years of warfare. In 2011 it did the same for South Sudan, which had broken from Sudan, again after years of rebellion. Russia and China have also condemned the Israeli move. After all, Russia refuses to accept Ukraines independence, whereas China considers Taiwan a breakaway province. Yet they too have recognized Eritrea and Sudan. Russia recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which seceded from Georgia thanks to Russian military intervention. Moscow also recognizes as independent states the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk, whose survival depends on the Russias militarys presence. Advertisement Advertisement The Arab League and Turkey have also condemned Israel for opening relations with Somaliland. Yet Turkey, alone among the rest of the international community, recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which owes its independence to the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island. Finally, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have condemned Israels new ties with Somaliland and have threatened to target any Israeli presence there. That is hardly a surprise. Jerusalem has made no bones about the fact that being able to operate from the Horn of Africa will enhance its ability to strike at the rebel group. The issue is not really Israels recognition of Somaliland, however. Rather it is why the international community, and if not all those states that had once recognized Somaliland at least the western democracies have not done so again. Like democratic Taiwan, which only a few small states recognize even though it maintains unofficial political, military and economic relations with numerous countries, notably the U.S. Somaliland appears destined to remain an international pariah, despite demonstrating all the characteristics of a healthy, thriving, democratic polity. Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy undersecretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987. Advertisement Advertisement 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. Oregon state officials said Thursday they are launching an investigation after two people were injured in a shooting that involved U.S. Border Patrol agents in Portland. We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) said in a statement. We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties. Todays incident only heightens the need for transparency and accountability, Rayfield continued. Our office will take every step necessary to ensure that the rights and security of Oregonians are protected. Advertisement Advertisement The attorney general added that the probe will look into whether federal officers acted outside the scope of their lawful authority. If evidence of criminal conduct is found, cases may be referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney for potential prosecution, Rayfield added. The Portland Police Bureau said in a statement that a man and a woman were both injured in a shooting in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Officers arrived at around 2:24 p.m. local time, applied a tourniquet and called for medical assistance. The two injured people were then taken to a nearby hospital; their condition has not been released publicly. Border Patrol claimed it stopped a vehicle carrying a passenger who was a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in its own statement. Advertisement Advertisement When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, the DHS statement continued. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said during an overnight press conference that the FBI was leading the investigation, providing no other details about what led to the shooting. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (D) called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to pause operations in the city until an investigation into the shooting is completed. I warned Homeland Security leadership that their actions constituted a disaster in the making. Yesterdays horrific loss of life is the direct consequence of ignoring that warning. Make no mistake, this death was entirely preventable, Wilson said in a statement, referring to the shooting death of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement I deplore the callous, sickening rhetoric administration officials used to defend the indefensible and call for swift accountability, he continued. Elected officials cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. The mayor added: ICE agents and their Homeland Security leadership must be fully investigated and held responsible for their violence against the American people, in Minnesota, in Portland, and across the nation. The incident in Portland and recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis come amid President Trumps nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration, including Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, has defended ICEs actions in Minnesota and accused Macklin Good of attempting to run over an officer in an act of domestic terrorism. Hundreds of protesters marched following Macklin Goods death. Minnesota officials condemned ICE for how the shooting, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) telling ICE to get the f out of Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement 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. A crowd of protesters walks back to the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, during a protest against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, after the killing of Renee Nicole Good. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA More than 150 people gathered Thursday night in front of the Statehouse to protest the Trump administrations immigration crackdown and an agents fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. Organizers from the South Carolina chapters of 50501 and the Party for Socialism and Liberation gave brief speeches before leading most of the crowd on a 0.6-mile march to Columbia City Hall and back. Advertisement Advertisement Police cars blocked off portions of Main Street as the crowd walked, chanting slogans condemning Wednesdays killing of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three who was shot through the windshield by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Police cars also followed the walkers. The protest in the state capital remained peaceful and lasted for about two hours. It began along Gervais Street on the sidewalk in front of the Statehouse, with people waving American flags and holding signs with slogans including stop ICE terror and stop attacking U.S. citizens. People honked their horns as they drove by. Samantha Rainwater of Columbia, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, told the SC Daily Gazette that the group marched to city hall to discourage Columbia leaders from signing agreements with ICE or expanding its presence in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Across South Carolina, 19 counties, 10 cities and two state law enforcement agencies participate in ICEs 287(g) program, named for the section of a 1996 law that authorized it. They do not include Columbia or Richland County. The most recent participant, Elloree Police Department in Orangeburg County, signed on Wednesday, according to ICEs website. Minnesota and national leaders have disagreed sharply on the circumstances surrounding Goods death, which has prompted large protests in Minneapolis and across the country. Video of the shooting shared with the Minnesota Reformer, an affiliate of the Gazette, shows officers approaching a vehicle stopped in the middle of a snowy road. One yells at her to get out and tries to open the door. Good slowly backs up, then pulls forward as she begins to drive away. An officer at the front of the vehicle, identified in court records as Jonathan Ross, shoots three times. At a news conference Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer acted in self-defense. She alleged Good was attempting to kill him with her vehicle, which she called an act of domestic terrorism. Vice President JD Vance continued Thursday to call it self-defense. Advertisement Advertisement Sigourney Howell, a 27-year-old Sumter resident, said she came to the protest because she worries about whats next for America. What can be seen and heard on video doesnt match what officials are saying, she said. Brenda Peake said she came from Rock Hill to join the Statehouse protest because she believes the government is lying about what happened to Good, and she couldnt stay quiet. You look at the videos and you can see that shes trying to get away, said the 77-year-old, who used to work for the North Carolina Department of Corrections. As a female, I know if a guy in a mask and a big gun came up to my car, I would try to get away. Its just an instinct. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Protest organizer Anson Foster speaks into a bullhorn at an anti-ICE protest in front of the Statehouse on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina, after the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) A man holds a sign that reads "Renee Nicole Good" at a protest on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2026 at the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, protesting Good's killing in Minnesota by a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Officer. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) Protesters walk next to a police car along Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina, during a protest on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) Advertisement Advertisement A crowd of protesters gathers next to Columbia City Hall in Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) A crowd of protesters walks back to the Statehouse on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina, during a protest after the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) Beth Johnson, left, waves an American flag beside John Robinson, right, with a group of protesters gathered next to Columbia City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) Protesters return to the South Carolina Statehouse from Columbia City Hall during a protest on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Ashford/SC Daily Gazette) Pennsylvanias unique system of electing poll workers comes with downsides For this Novembers election, no candidate was listed on the ballot for judge of elections in Scrantons Ward 6, Precinct 1. So the poll worker on duty allegedly wrote her own name on the ballots. According to the Lackawanna County district attorney, Kathie Sico, who was serving as the precincts judge of elections that day, decided to write herself in for the position on the ballots before handing them to voters. Sico who has been charged with multiple violations of election law, including felony fraud by election officials and interference with elections stated that she knows it looks like voter fraud, but she has had so much going on the past couple weeks with her medical condition that she didnt even think, a detective with the county wrote in a criminal affidavit, according to WVIA. Advertisement Advertisement Outright fraud by an elected poll worker, such as Sico is accused of, is rare. But the case highlights one of many issues that have arisen from Pennsylvanias unique system of selecting the people who run voting locations and some argue its time for change. Unlike most states, which use some variation of an appointment-based system, Pennsylvania elects its poll workers. Each polling place has at least five workers, including three who are elected: the judge of elections, a minority inspector, and a majority inspector. There are over 9,000 voting precincts in the state, meaning the state needs to elect more than 27,000 workers Pennsylvania is the only state that still elects poll workers Pennsylvania has been electing poll workers since 1799. And according to data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, its the only state in the country that still directly elects the workers who run voting precincts. The other longtime holdout, Rhode Island, did away with the practice in 2009. Former Rhode Island state Rep. Michael Marcello, a Democrat who wrote the bill that ended those elections, told Votebeat and Spotlight PA in May that the goal was to prevent these positions from being politicized. But his co-sponsor, former Democratic state Rep. Scott Pollard, recalled a more practical reason: It was tough to find people to run for the positions, especially when they needed to fill out paperwork to appear on the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement The same is true in Pennsylvania. This year, thousands of poll worker positions went without named candidates on the ballot. Theres something about the emotional hurdle of having to be on the ballot, said Sean Drasher, election director for Lebanon County. They dont want to be seen as a politician. In Allegheny County, which needs nearly 4,000 judges and inspectors to staff its precincts, only 439 candidates for those offices were on the ballot this fall. But not having your name on the ballot is not much of a barrier to being elected to the position, as even a single write-in vote can be enough to win. In Lebanon County, write-in candidates won roughly half of the judge positions this year, along with about 70% of the inspector positions. Advertisement Advertisement However, write-ins can create problems of their own. Because it is possible to win with just a single vote, these races frequently result in ties that election officials have to spend time and money resolving through a process called the casting of lots essentially a game of chance equivalent to a coin flip. More than 200 poll worker races tied in Westmoreland County this year, and in Lancaster County, election director Christa Miller estimated that 95% of the ties the county dealt with this year were for poll workers. If no one wins through the election, the county appoints people to fill the vacant spots. The downsides of electing poll workers Drasher has a unique and personal connection to the elected poll workers system. His first job in election administration was as a poll worker, a position he won through a tied write-in election. He got the job when his daughter pulled the winning marble during the casting of lots. Advertisement Advertisement So I have a soft spot for it, he said. But now that Im sitting in the chair, there are some big downsides to it just from an (operations) point of view. Drasher said that, on paper, the idea of having an elected judge along with two inspectors who ideally come from different political parties makes sense. If operating properly, it would ensure a bipartisan group of poll workers selected by members of their own community. But in practice, the system fails to meet that standard, both because so many positions go without candidates and because the way the law is written is possible for both inspectors to come from the same party. Under Pennsylvania law, the inspector candidate with the most votes becomes the majority inspector, and the candidate with the second-most votes becomes the minority inspector. In theory, since each political party can nominate only one candidate in the primary, this should produce inspectors from different parties. But with the ease of winning through write-in votes, it is not uncommon for the minority inspector to simply be a second member of the other inspectors party. Advertisement Advertisement The system can also produce winners who dont want the job. Election officials say many people have their names written in by friends as a joke. Drasher said that can be okay if the unwitting electee is someone who will take the job seriously, but it often results in positions becoming vacant (winners can decline the job if they dont want it) or experienced appointed poll workers getting pushed out. I hate to see it go, but I have to admit that if something came up, if the legislature said, Hey, do you want to change it? I would lean toward changing it to become more in line with the way the other states do it, he said. That change could be on the horizon. Earlier this year, state Sen. Lisa Boscola (D., Northampton) announced that she would introduce a bill to transition to an appointment-based system. In an interview this week, she said the current system is outdated and, sadly, at times laughable. Advertisement Advertisement She said her bill, which hasnt yet been introduced, will simply move the process from an election to an appointment by the county board of elections. Its antiquated, she said. Us being the last state, that should say enough. This story was produced by Votebeat and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Xny / Getty Images That includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently said this during an interview: 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. NBC/Meet the Press / Via x.com Related: Greenlanders Created Their Own Version Of A MAGA Hat, And The Internet Is Absolutely Loving It In that same Meet the Press interview , Rubio said the word "hemisphere" six additional times, usually in reference to preserving the security of this entire chunk of the planet. Joe Raedle / Getty Images Shortly after, the official State Department account posted the following tweet: "This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened." Advertisement Advertisement The Western Hemisphere encompasses North America, South America, and parts of Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Africa. THEPALMER / Getty Images Related: "If You Knew Anything": Donald Trump Mansplained To A Female Journalist Asking This Important Question, And It Completely Backfired This bizarre post follows Donald Trump's threats of action against additional countries , including Greenland, and claims that Cuba is "ready to fall." Mandel Ngan / Getty Images Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise. In case you forgot what that is, it's the controversial 920-page-long conservative playbook created by the Heritage Foundation, Online, one person pointed out that "re-hemisphering" appears in Project 2025, akaIn case you forgot what that is, it's the controversial 920-page-long conservative playbook created by the Heritage Foundation, that supporters and some former Trump staffers authored , according to CNN. Douglas Rissing / Getty Images Page 184 of Project 2025 outlines a "hemisphere-centered approach to industry and energy." Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement "The next Administration has a golden opportunity to make key economic changes that will not only provide tremendous economic opportunities for Americans but will also serve as an economic boon to the entire Western Hemisphere," the handbook reads. Related: 27 Photos Of Donald Trump In 2025 He Probably Reaaaaaally Doesn't Want You To See Online, many people are saying the same thing about the State Department's post, and that is, "YIKES!" "They went from 'America First' to 'Our half of the planet' so fast," one tweet reads. Another person responded directly to the State Department's account, asking, "Is this account run by a 5 year old?" Related: AOC's Response To Being Asked If She Could Beat JD Vance In 2028 Is Going Viral And in response to the "this is OUR hemisphere" bit, one replied, "No, it isn't. We don't dictate to the world. Get your own house in order, stop violating other nations' sovereignty!" And lastly, another wrote, "No it's not. The USA belongs to the USA, the rest belongs to other people. Petrifying imperialistic claim." Advertisement Advertisement Take a shot every time a government official says "Western Hemisphere" this week. Or, actually, don't do that Hall of Fame for bad ideas. Thoughts??? Also in In the News: Things Are Rough, So Here Are 12 Examples Of GOOD News Happening In The World Right Now Also in In the News: "What Trump Derangement Syndrome Really Looks Like": 34 Of The Very, Very Best Political Tweets Of The Week Also in In the News: Jimmy Kimmel Just Revealed A Shocking Personal Reason He Dislikes Trump So Much Read it on BuzzFeed.com A Philadelphia man arrested Tuesday sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant, state troopers and Lackawanna County detectives charge. The informant told investigators with the Lackawanna County Drug Task Force they could purchase cocaine from a go-between, who accepts money for the drug and then contacts a dealer. Robert Berry, 32, is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The intermediary has not been charged. Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint: The informant arranged to meet the intermediary Tuesday in Dunmore. Investigators provided $1,400 in buy money. Investigators watched the informant enter the go-betweens residence at about 4:20 p.m. A red Jeep pulled in front of the residence about 15 minutes later. The intermediary got into the SUV briefly and then went back into the residence. The informant turned over crack cocaine to investigators minutes later. Detectives stopped the Jeep as it approached West Pine Street from Veterans Drive. They detained Berry and another man. Investigators determined Berry sold the drug to the go-between. Advertisement Advertisement Detectives found a plastic bag containing 3.6 grams of crack cocaine in Berrys sweatshirt pocket and $520 in cash, including the buy money. He remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on Jan. 15 before District Judge Joanne Corbett. In 2026, a new IRS rule will reshape 401(k) plan contributions for millions of workers. Originally a part of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, the rule alters how high-income Americans can save for retirement particularly as it pertains to catch-up contributions. Here are all the details you need to know about how the new rule affects your 401(k) plan. What Are Catch-Up Contributions? When it comes to contributing money to retirement accounts, employees have annual contribution limits assigned by the IRS or a maximum amount they are legally allowed to contribute per calendar year. Employees aged 50 and over, however, are allowed additional catch-up contributions amounts beyond the standard, annual limit designed to help employees catch up on retirement savings if they have fallen behind. According to the IRS, for the 2025 tax year, workers under 50 are allowed up to $23,500 in retirement contributions; workers over 50 are allowed an additional $7,500 in catch-up contributions. Previously, employees had the option of allocating these catch-up contributions to either a traditional 401(k) using pre-tax dollars or a Roth 401(k) using after-tax dollars. Starting in 2026, however, if employees earned more than $145,000 in the previous year, their 401(k) catch-up contributions will have to go into a Roth 401(k). This new regulation will not only apply to a traditional 401(k), but also a 403(b), 457(b), SEP IRA and SIMPLE IRA. Learn More: Suze Orman Calls This $1.6 Million 401(k) Rollover Move Crazy What She Recommends Instead Read Next: 5 Clever Ways Retirees Are Earning Up To $1K Per Month From Home How Should High-Income Workers Prepare for This New Rule? According to financial experts, the new regulation wont drastically overhaul how workers save for retirement, but it may require them to take a few steps in preparation: Review Income and Retirement Contributions Director of planning and advice at Key Wealth, Tina A. Myers, suggested reviewing your annual income and retirement contributions before the year ends to see if this new regulation will affect you. If you are already using an all-Roth system or earned under $145,000 annually, nothing will change for you. If you were utilizing a traditional 401(k) and/or made over $145,000, read on. Find out If Your Employer-Sponsored Plans Support Roth Contributions If your employer doesnt offer a Roth 401(k) option by 2026, you wont be allowed to make catch-up contributions at all, stated Andrew Latham, CFP and content director at SuperMoney.com. So check with your employer and push them to get compliant if they arent already. Fortunately, more employers have adopted Roth 401(k) options over the last few years in preparation for this new regulation. A proposal of sorts has gone viral online. Amid recent news coverage of U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, an account sharing "metapolitical satire" on X had a thought, one it called "the simple diplomatic solution." The account, which goes by "Miss White," suggested Barron Trump, the sole child of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, marry Princess Isabella of Denmark, the second heir in line for the throne. Princess Isabella of Denmark at her 18th birthday celebration at the Royal Theatre's Old Stage in Copenhagen on April 15, 2025. / Barron Trump at his father's Election Night Watch Party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on Nov. 5, 2024. "The simple diplomatic solution is Barron Trump marries Princess Isabella of Denmark and Greenland is given to America as dowry payment," the post reads. Advertisement Advertisement Millions of users, about seven million and counting, have seen the post since it was first shared on Jan. 7, with thousands sharing their thoughts in the comments. Here's what to know. What people are saying The simple diplomatic solution is Barron Trump marries Princess Isabella of Denmark and Greenland is given to America as dowry payment pic.twitter.com/fhs3b6IDZG miss white (@cinecitta2030) January 7, 2026 While some commenters were amused by the suggestion, cracking jokes and sharing memes, others were supportive of the proposed union: "This is how we in Austria resolved conflicts in the good old days of the Habsburg monarchy," one user said. "This would be a pretty clever deal actually," one user wrote. Another user said, "If life were as simple as Bridgerton, this would work." Others were horrified by the possible implications. Advertisement Advertisement "That is not geopolitics, that is medieval fan-fiction," another user wrote. "Greenland is not a bargaining chip, Princess Isabella of Denmark is not a pawn, and Barron Trump is not a diplomatic tool. Nations are not exchanged through marriages, this is not the 1400s." And others, still, were hypothesizing about whether or not they'd be a good match. How does Greenland fit into all of this? Greenland, the world's largest island, has been part of Denmark, a NATO ally, since the 18th century. The country's Danish and Greenlandic leaders have made it a point to emphasize both to the American public and to Trump in recent months that Greenland is not for sale. Advertisement Advertisement While Greenland has its own local government (including a parliament that oversees some domestic and civil affairs), laws related to defense, national security and the economy are controlled by policymakers in Copenhagen. Trump first expressed interest in procuring Greenland in 2019, during his first term as president. In a joint address before Congress on March 4, 2025, the president said he plans to get Greenland "one way or another." The White House said he's discussing his options, including potential use of the U.S. military, a move that would send shockwaves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. Who is Princess Isabella? Princess Isabella of Denmark arrives at a performance for her 18th birthday celebration at the Royal Theatre's Old Stage in Copenhagen on April 15, 2025. Isabella, second in line to the throne, is the eldest daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark. Advertisement Advertisement Isabella is the middle child, younger sister to Crown Prince Christian and older sister to 15-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. Isabella is a year younger than Barron, having turned 18 on April 21. According to Harper's Bazaar, the royal family splits their time between the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen and the Chancellery House at Fredensborg Palace, located on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pitch for Barron Trump to 'marry' Princess of Denmark goes viral Plans to build a controversial 3,400-home new town could undermine national security, according to an MP. Homes England wants to build the development at Chalgrove Airfield in south Oxfordshire with a planning application expected soon. But Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame Freddie van Mierlo said the project is "fundamentally incompatible" with the government's updated planning framework due to its impact on the UK's defence capability. Advertisement Advertisement The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said national security remains its top priority. Van Mierlo said the government's revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) places renewed emphasis on protecting business, defence, and security interests. He claims the airfield plans would not meet the criteria of the updated policy, which is currently under public consultation until 10 March. The site is home to military ejector seat maker Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, whose work would be affected by a proposed reduction in runways. Van Mierlo said the airfield also supports the work of the NHS, RAF Benson, Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Thames Valley Police. Advertisement Advertisement He said: "The Government's updated NPPF makes clear commitments to protecting defence capability, public safety, and established business operations. "Yet at Chalgrove Airfield, those commitments appear to have been overlooked. The proposed development cannot be integrated effectively with the airfield's current and critical functions. "Proceeding would directly contradict the principles set out in the government's own planning framework and would risk serious consequences for national security and emergency services." The MP has written to the government for urgent clarification on the future of the project in light of the change. Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "National security remains this government's top priority. "Our proposals to reform national planning policy are under consultation and the existing framework currently remains in place. We are pulling every lever we have to fix the housing crisis and deliver the 1.5 million homes this country desperately needs." The ministry would not provide comment on individual planning cases. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. More on this story Related links A road rage crash in the West Village ended with a driver fatally shot by police, in the second fatal police involved shooting in New York City in five hours. The 37-year-old driver, behind the wheel of a BMW, had gotten into a crash at Bedford Street and Sixth Avenue just before 10:55 p.m. Thursday night. The occupants of the other vehicle flagged down nearby police officers on patrol, who approached the vehicle as it was stuck in traffic. Advertisement Advertisement "At that moment, a 37-year-old male exited the BMW, drew what appeared to be a firearm and pointed it at the officers, upon observing the firearm, the officers discharged the weapons," NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy said. The driver, identified as Dmitry Zass of Staten Island, was struck by the officers' gunfire. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. The parents of Zass were in the process of getting an order of protection against him, officials said. When he allegedly attacked his father earlier in the week, his mother called 911 and reported that he had a gun, officials said. No charges were filed yet in that alleged assault. He reportedly lived with his parents on Staten Island. Advertisement Advertisement "The subject maintained possession of the firearm while officers repeatedly gave commands for him to drop the weapon, even after he was shot," McCarthy said. "The officers repeatedly, as shown on body worn camera, asked him to drop the gun, because they wanted to render him aid. He didn't say anything." One witnesses said he saw the BMW driving on Sixth Avenue, "the wrong way, with its bumper dragging on the ground, around this corner, pursued by a minivan. Stopped at that stop sign, then backed into the minivan." The occupants of the minivan flagged down officers. His imitation Sig Sauer handgun was recovered at the scene. Police determined it was an air pistol. Advertisement Advertisement The two officers were evaluated at local hospitals. The gunfire was just five hours after police fatally shot a suspect who barricaded himself in a room with a patient and a security guard at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted to social media saying the NYPD put their lives on the line to protect New Yorkers in these incidents...and that "there is every indication that their actions were nothing short of heroic." Mayor Zohran Mamdani also spoke out and said the shootings are devastating. "Last night officers were placed in incredibly difficult and dangerous circumstances, the actions they took, they responded swiftly and I will always emphasize when someone has been killed, the need for a thorough investigation, as is our current process, and we are going to work to ensure the safety of both officers and New Yorkers," Mamdani said. Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Polish farmers descended on Warsaw on Friday to protest a European trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, marching just moments after it was accepted by a majority of EU nations in Brussels. Over a thousand protestors gathered, some arriving on their tractors, to again denounce a deal many fear will lead to unfair competition in the bloc. "This will kill our agriculture in Poland," said Janusz Sampolski, a farmer who came from a village just south of Gdansk on the Baltic coast, some 340 kilometres (210 miles) away. Advertisement Advertisement "We will be dependent on supply chains from other countries," he told AFP, saying it could threaten Poland's food security "in the event of the threat of war". Poland, along with France, Ireland, Austria, and Hungary, voted against the measure, but most of the 27 EU members approved it, diplomats told AFP. Carrying flags and wearing yellow vests, the demonstrators marched toward Parliament and the chancellery of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Some protestors set off fireworks and lit off flares. Tractors, which several drove into the city, were not let into its limits. Aside from economic concerns, farmers also warned of food quality and safety risks. Advertisement Advertisement "Food will be coming to us... produced using pesticides that have been banned in the European Union," said Przemyslaw Zbroinski, another farmer from the Gdansk region. "Some of the substances [have been banned] for nearly 30 years," he added. The Mercosur deal has been in the works for over 25 years, with the European Commission arguing that it will bolster EU exports while fostering diplomatic ties. But for Zbroinski, "It will definitely end with much harsher and larger strikes, and blockades of countries and capitals". ks/js VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Leo XIV is planning to travel to Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands to fulfil Pope Francis wish of visiting a key migration entry point to Europe, a Spanish cardinal said Friday. Cardinal Jose Cobo Cano, the archbishop of Madrid, announced plans for the trip were underway after meeting with a top official in the Vatican secretary of state to discuss the itinerary. While June had been rumored as the possible date, Cobo said the timing of the trip was still up in the air. Word of the planned papal trip came a day after the Spanish government announced a landmark agreement, strongly supported by the Vatican, in which Spain's Catholic bishops agreed to let the state ombudsman have the final say in church-funded compensation for victims of clergy sexual abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Spain had long lobbied for Francis to visit, but over 12 years he always declined. Francis preferred to travel to smaller countries, oftentimes far away, where Catholics were a minority. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Cobo said the current proposal calls for Leo to visit the capital, Madrid, and the city of Barcelona, where he would visit the Sagrada Familia basilica. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica architect Antoni Gaudi, who is on the path to possible beatification. The plan calls for Leo to also visit the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa. The islands experience large numbers of migrant arrivals from West Africa. While Francis had long declined to visit the Spanish mainland, he had had hoped to visit the Canary Islands as part of his longstanding outreach to migrants and refugees. Leo has echoed Francis' concern Friday, telling the Vatican's diplomatic corps in his annual foreign policy speech that migrants enjoy inalienable rights. He said he hoped that countries' efforts to crack down on human trafficking ""will not become a pretext for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees." Advertisement Advertisement The Spain trip would mark the first known travel plans for Leo in 2026. The American pope has said he wants to visit Africa this year, especially Algeria, which played an important role in the life of St. Augustine, the inspiration for Leos Augustinian religious order. Leo has also said he hopes to return to his beloved Peru, where he lived for two decades as a missionary, and to Argentina and Uruguay, which had unsuccessfully lobbied for a visit by the Argentine pope during his pontificate. The announced trip came a day after the Spanish government said that the Spanish Catholic hierarchy had agreed to let the state ombudsman have the final say in compensating victims of clergy sexual abuse, a remarkable concession by the church. Justice Minister Felix Bolanos, who led the talks with the Spanish bishops, credited the Vatican with having pushed for the deal despite the opposition of some Spanish bishops. Spanish abuse survivors had criticized the bishops' original in-house compensation proposal as lacking any oversight. I have the feeling that the Holy See has pushed for this, that the Spanish church has signed the agreement, but I also have the feeling that some bishops in Spain are not entirely enthusiastic about this agreement, he said in an interview with Cadena Ser radio. Advertisement Advertisement The deal is a remarkable concession by the Spanish church to allow the state to intervene in its internal handling of abuse claims. It is evidence of how the Spanish hierarchy has lost credibility over revelations of decades of abuse and cover-up by the hierarchy that were documented in 2023 by the ombudsman's office. ___ AP writer Joseph Wilson contributed from Barcelona. __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. A woman in Wisconsin who was pregnant with her second child was found dead this week after her estranged boyfriend allegedly set her familys house on fire with the 3-year-old child they share still inside, police said. Milwaukee police arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the death of Gladys Johnson who was found dead in her home on the night of Monday, January 5, according to WISN. The suspects name has not yet been publicly released since he has not yet been formally charged. Police said that the detained suspect was Johnson's estranged boyfriend. In addition to being the father of her 3-year-old daughter, the suspect was also the father of the unborn son she was pregnant with at the time of her death. Advertisement Advertisement Police said that the suspect does not have a criminal record in Wisconsin, according to the outlet. However, authorities did confirm that the couple had a history of domestic violence. Officers with the Milwaukee Police Department responded to the home where Johnson lived with her family around 11:30 p.m. on January 5. Man Accused of Murdering Pregnant Girlfriend, Setting Her Home on Fire After Refusing to Have Abortion Johnson's mother, Michelle Johnson, told local news outlets that she grew concerned when she smelled smoke inside the home. She told WITI that her daughter's boyfriend would not allow her into her daughter's bedroom and claimed he blocked the door while saying, No, you [are] not getting in here. The boyfriend then allegedly pointed his gun at Michelles other daughter before he fled the home. Advertisement Advertisement Michelle then managed to get into the room, where she was able to put out the fire and found her daughter unresponsive. "I found her, and I didn't want her to burn up. And God had my back. He still took her and her baby, but she's in heaven with my mom. And she's watching down on me, Michelle told WISN. But now I have to stand up for her baby. I have to raise her with my other daughters. Michelle added, He was wrong for taking my daughter's life. After the suspect fled the scene, officers arrested him less than a mile from the home about 30 minutes after the fire was reported to 911, according to Milwaukee Police arrest records. Advertisement Advertisement The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner ruled Johnsons cause of death as homicide, per WISN. Additionally, it was concluded that the victim "may have sustained traumatic injuries following an assault from her significant other. A Month Before Their Murder-Suicide, a Wyoming Woman Predicted Her Ex-Boyfriend Would Kill Her "If she didn't want to be with you no more, she wanted to live her life. She was also carrying a baby, Johnson said of her late daughter. And God should punish you for that. Now I'm going to miss my daughter and my grandchild that she was carrying. You should get punished the same way you punished her. Michelle also reflected on how her daughters passing will impact her 3-year-old granddaughter. "It's going to be a hard time to tell her, a 3-year-old, that your mother was not only sleeping, but then she's going to see her in a casket," she said. The Milwaukee Police Department confirmed to Us Weekly that the case is currently under an active investgiation. (U.S. Air Force) The presidential Doomsday Plane, a flying fortress designed to serve as an airborne command post in the event of a nuclear war, was spotted in the air on Thursday night, raising questions and some concern on social media. The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch was seen landing at LAX on Thursday evening in a video posted by the Airline Videos X account. Whats believed to be the first appearance in its 51-year flying history, the Boeing 747 E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the Doomsday Plane, showed up at LAX during Thursdays Airline Videos Live broadcast and will most likely be the highlight of 2026! pic.twitter.com/wvc39ypRnP AIRLINE VIDEOS (@airlinevideos) January 9, 2026 The modified 747 is impervious to electromagnetic pulse attacks and has an electrical system designed to support advanced electronics and a wide variety of communications equipment, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Air Force. Advertisement Advertisement The plane, which can fly for 12 hours on a full tank of jet fuel and is capable of refueling in the air, was first deployed in 1980. It was reportedly carrying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and several Pentagon reporters. The video of the Nightwatch sparked a flurry of social media posts, with many wondering if it was a sign of impending doom. Things are tense during the beginning of 2026. Richard Reeves (@rreeves5) January 9, 2026 Escape from New York was a documentary The Dread duck Pirate Mark Brooks (@MarkBrooksArt) January 9, 2026 $372,496 per hour. Thats what the Pentagon just spent to fly a nuclear command post to Los Angeles for an industrial tour. The standard Cabinet jet costs $42,936/hour. They chose the Doomsday Plane instead. First time the E-4B Nightwatch has ever landed at LAX in its 51 pic.twitter.com/CX5GfnwjGj Shanaka Anslem Perera (@shanaka86) January 9, 2026 During this time of heightened tensions in and outside the US, the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the the "Doomsday Plane," is on a so-called "industrial tour." Its first stop: Los Angeles with a landing at LAX. I'm told one of the two Doomsday planes will be pic.twitter.com/Wh6N4Vbjja Jeff Vaughn (@JeffVaughn) January 9, 2026 Advertisement Advertisement Wait isnt this like a war plane ? A flying pentagon ? Bella Verita (@1BellaPrime) January 9, 2026 Its not clear how many passengers was aboard the plane, but right-wing journalist L. Todd Wood, a member of the Pentagon press corps, posted photos of the aircraft on X Thursday, saying, Boarding the Doomsday plane at Joint Base Andrews. Boarding the Doomsday plane at Joint Base Andrews pic.twitter.com/GcDMIT650K RealLToddWood (Just call me Neo) (@RealLToddWood) January 8, 2026 In a subsequent video, Wood said he was looking forward to spending some time with Secretary Hegseth today on the Doomsday plane. MAGA activist Laura Loomer and Breitbarts Olivia Rondeau were also pictured in front of the aircraft on Thursday. While in Los Angeles, Hegseth was seen working out with Army recruits at UCLA. Hegseth had cameras recording him working out with recruits today at UCLA pic.twitter.com/vahh9c7lN6 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 9, 2026 The National Airborne Operations Center has several missions, both operational and training, which require travel to a wide variety of locations, both within the United States and around the world, an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement to Mediaite. The E-4Bs visit is part of meeting both the operational and training requirements of the NAOC mission. The post Presidential Doomsday Plane Seen Landing at LAX, Sparking Questions first appeared on Mediaite. Thursdays Top Stories Thursdays Five Facts [1] Bill aims to address juveniles criminal records and potential gun ownership as adults A bill pre-filed for the 30-day session aims to address people who commit gun crimes as kids from owning firearms soon after as adults. Kids who commit felony-level crimes serve their sentence, but with their juvenile records sealed, they are still able to own a gun as an adult. House Bill 25 looks to change that. If passed, it would make it illegal for kids who commit crimes with guns to have a gun within 10 years of their sentence. Juvenile records would remain sealed from the public, but their criminal history would be available to law enforcement and legal gun vendors. [2] NMDOH continues childhood vaccine recommendations after federal changes The New Mexico Department of Health is going against vaccine recommendations made by Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. The NMDOH announced that they are maintaining the same childhood vaccine recommendations. All of these childhood vaccines will still be covered under the Vaccines for Children program, Medicaid, and private insurance. Advertisement Advertisement [3] Two systems with rain, snow, cold, & wind Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in effect through Friday morning for the mountains across western and northern New Mexico. Spotty rain and snow will stick around western and northern New Mexico Thursday morning and early afternoon. The second of the pair of storm systems will start moving into the state late Thursday afternoon and evening. A burst of rain and snow will likely move into the Albuquerque Metro around 6 p.m. as temperatures plummet along a cold front. [4] Valencia County homeowners demand answers over ongoing tax confusion Homeowners in Valencia County say there are still problems with their property tax bills. The confusion stems from a filing error by the county assessor last November, a mistake that sent property tax bills soaring. County officials said they would fix the error and send out a second, more accurate bill. But many said they still saw problems. Homeowners said their current bills show duplicate lines for charges. The county assessor and treasurer said the total amount due on the second bill is correct, and they blamed any duplicate lines on a software issue. [5] APS Board of Education members take new leadership roles Members of the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education are stepping into new leadership roles. Ronalda Tome-Warito, who serves District Two, will be the boards new president. Rebecca Betzen, who serves District 3, will be the vice president, and Heather Benavidez, for District 4, will become the board secretary. 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. For months now, Shannon Hampson has had August 1 etched in her mind. That day marks an important shift for her and other early care and education providers in Nebraska who serve low-income families. On that date, the state intended to begin paying providers a consistent rate for families who use government subsidies to pay for child care. Instead of reimbursing providers based on childrens attendance which can vary wildly, especially this time of year, based on factors like illness and family travel Nebraska would pay providers the same amount each month based on enrollment. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Last year, because of the change expected to come in summer 2026, Hampson, who owns a home-based child care program in Lincoln, Nebraska, felt comfortable filling more of her program slots with children whose families pay with subsidies. Today, she does not have one private-paying family. She made the shift assuming the enrollment-based pay would insulate her from the instability that often accompanies subsidy slots. Advertisement Advertisement I was super excited to know more of these families were going to get that quality, consistent care, Hampson said, adding that reaching more low-income families is important in the field. Its not that providers dont want to. Now, though, that could all be about to change. Nebraskas transition to enrollment-based pay was part of an effort to get in compliance with a rule established by the Biden administration in 2024. Enrollment-based payments, that administration believed, would create greater predictability for providers, allowing them to serve more low-income families who need child care and, eventually, could entice more providers to participate in the subsidy program. The rule was one of a handful of changes made by the prior administration related to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the primary federal program that states use to provide financial assistance to low-income families in need of child care. Other shifts include paying providers up front for child care, rather than reimbursing them the following month, and encouraging the use of grants and contracts with providers. State timelines for implementing these changes have varied. As of September 2025, 24 states were paying based on enrollment, according to an analysis by New America. For the others, the latest deadline granted was Aug. 1, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Just this week, however, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced that it would seek to rescind many of the 2024 rules, returning these issues to states. The proposed changes cannot be enforced right away. Under federal law, the agency is required to take public comments, review them, and use that input to make final decisions, noted Alex Adams, who leads ACF. He declined to give a timeline for any changes to take effect. If approved, the changes would not make any net new policy decisions, he added. It simply goes back to where we were prior to 2024 regulations. The administration wants to rescind the 2024 rules, he said, because all 50 states had requested waivers related to some or all of these rules due to budget constraints and other implementation challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Any time 50 states are asking for a waiver from something, Adams said, it suggests to me that maybe the rule isnt working as intended. He also noted that attendance-verified payment, rather than enrollment-based, is more of a deterrent to fraud. Leaders in the Trump administration are concerned about programs with phantom attendance suggesting they receive government payments but dont actually serve the children they say they do Adams said, but he declined to share specifics of ongoing investigations. Many early care and education advocates and policy experts have expressed skepticism that rampant fraud and abuse is going unchecked. Casey Peeks, senior director of early childhood policy at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, called the allegations unfounded and worried that they would undo real progress made in the field in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement It is very unhelpful and destabilizing to the sector, in the immediate- and long-term, to take some of these most foundational levers we have to stabilize the sector and claim that they result in fraud, Peeks said. Upon hearing the news this week, Hampson said shes had to remind herself to just breathe. She knew she was taking a risk by enrolling 100% of families on subsidies. Now, she said, she will have to rearrange her budget to continue to serve all of those families. Under an attendance-based pay structure, her income is just that much more volatile. In December, for example, between holidays, vacation time and childrens absences, Hampson was only able to bill the state for 18 child care days. If the children in her program were from private-paying families, she would have been paid for 23 days, she said. Advertisement Advertisement But Hampsons operational costs didnt see a material decrease in December. Without a provider being at fault at all, they could be at 50% attendance one day just because the flu is going around. That shouldnt harm their bottom line, Peeks said. Its really unpredictable and unfair for the provider, she added. Just because attendance is down doesnt mean operation costs go down. In West Virginia, where providers have been paid based on enrollment since 2020, Katelyn Vandal emphasized how critical the change has been to keeping her rural, center-based program open. Our mortgage payment doesnt cost less because two kids in the classroom have the flu, noted Vandal, director of A Place to Grow, a child care center in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Nor does her electricity bill and a host of other overhead costs. Advertisement Advertisement If her state returns to attendance-based pay, shes not sure A Place to Grow would be able to continue operating. The center serves about 100 kids, with 60% from families that pay with subsidies. We run such a fine budget line anyway that if, six months from now, we were going back to attendance, we would be looking at closing, she said. We would not survive transitioning back to that. Sheryl Hutzenbiler, owner of Munchkin Land Daycare in Billings, Montana, said she suspects that, under attendance-based pay, providers will either raise tuition rates on families many of whom are already paying the maximum they can afford without one parent leaving the workforce or, like Vandal, be forced to close their doors. But that is not a decision Hutzenbiler will have to face, should the Trump administration successfully restore attendance-based pay. Since she lives in Montana, where enrollment-based pay became law in 2023, she and other providers in the state are protected from policy fluctuations at the federal level. Advertisement Advertisement Thats true for a handful of states, which have either passed laws protecting enrollment-based pay or have continued paying based on enrollment, on a temporary basis, since the pandemic. (West Virginia is in the latter category.) Enrollment-based pay has been pivotal for Hutzenbiler, whose home-based program consists of about 60% of families who pay with subsidies. Back when she was paid based on attendance, she said her first sacrifice during low-attendance months would be her own wages. She would pay her full-time teacher first and make sure program costs were covered, often leaving nothing for herself and relying on her husbands income instead. With the consistent subsidy income each month, though, shes not only been able to avoid missed paychecks for herself, shes been able to add two part-time workers to the payroll. Hampson, in Nebraska, said she was part of a group last year advocating for the state to pass legislation around enrollment-based pay. It was ultimately unsuccessful. We wanted to know our state had already said yes, so we wouldnt go backwards, she said. And here we are going backwards. In an industry where profit margins are estimated at less than 1%, these changes will inevitably leave providers who participate in the subsidy program with less revenue to survive on. The shifts will likely also deter providers who participate in the subsidy program, or who might have considered participating, from doing so in the future, said Peeks. This will likely, in effect, leave low-income families with fewer choices about where to go for child care. When youre stabilizing providers overall, youre often creating more options for families overall, said Peeks. I think it could definitely have a chilling effect. Albuquerque Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials detained Ateo Herrick and one other person during a Jan. 9, 2026, demonstration outside of the Albuquerque field office. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) A protest of approximately 20 people outside of a federal immigration detention center Friday afternoon on Albuquerques south side sparked several physical confrontations, resulted in the detention of two protestors and ended after federal officials threatened the crowd with arrest if they didnt disperse. Dare to Struggle New Mexico organized the protest outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in response to the fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Minnesota of 37-year-old Renee Good. Advertisement Advertisement Were here to let them know were here, were angry, that we want to block and get crazy for them, said one organizer Lizzie Nutig said through a megaphone in front of the gates. We need to be loud, we need to be brave, we need to be doing things to block them. She continued. We need them to know that people are mad. Using a megaphone, Nutig and organizer Brian McQuaid led chants including Be like Renee and Get in the way; Fuera ICE; Smash the mass deportation machine; along several others that contained profanities. About five minutes into the protest, several demonstrators approached the gates outside of the facility and hung photos of the immigration agent who shot Good, and a photo of President Donald Trump with a hand-printed expletive. Advertisement Advertisement DHS officials, who had been watching the protests from the office, exited the building and shoved protestors away from the fence, and told them they were required stay on the sidewalk to protest. Officers also detained one person who Source NM has not yet been able to identify. Additional agents wearing camouflage and Enforcement and Removal Operations patches filed outside, carrying non-lethal firearms and Saber Red pepper spray. No members of DHS identified themselves when asked by protestors or the news media. Protestors yelled, sometimes using expletives: Do you like hurting people? Get out of here, and go to h-ll. Agents rushed at one of the protesters who yelled profanities, Adeo Herrick and, as protestors attempted to intervene, one of the agents in fatigues fired pepper spray hitting himself and at least one protester. Advertisement Advertisement Herrick was then dragged to the ground and provided their name to Source NM while being carried away by multiple agents into the building. Shortly after 12:40 p.m., a car emblazoned with the Federal Protective Service pulled forward, blasting the loudspeaker message: This is deemed an unlawful assembly, ordering the protestors and media to disperse or face arrest. When reached by phone after the protest, Nutig and McQuaid said they had not yet heard if charges were being filed against the two protestors detained and said they were in contact with attorneys. In a statement, they requested the release of the two detained protestors and the arrest of the officers who assaulted protestors today. A request for comment to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains pending. Advertisement Advertisement Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier in the day released a statement calling for a thorough and transparent investigation, into Goods death. The governors statement also expressed her support for those raising their voice in protest. Protest is fundamental to democracy its how we make our government listen when something goes terribly wrong. But protests must remain peaceful. The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Fridays protest. About 18 officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Albuquerque responded to the 20 or so protestors on Jan. 9, 2026. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials line up to face protesters who demonstrated in Albuquerque on Jan. 9, 2026 after the fatal shooting of 37-year old Minnesota woman Renee Good by an ICE agent. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) Two people were detained during the protests, which also involved officials shoving protestors onto the sidewalk, spraying pepper spray and declaring it an illegal assembly ordering protestors to disperse or face arrest. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) Advertisement Advertisement Immigration agents and protestors jostle one another during a Jan. 9, 2026, protest outside of the Albuquerque Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) About 20 people gathered in 35-degree weather around noon on Jan. 9, 2026, outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Albuquerque office. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official, who declined to give his name, ordered protestors and news media to move to the sidewalk. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer brandishes pepper spray at protestors during a Jan. 9, 2026, protest outside the Albuquerque field office. (Danielle Prokop/ Source NM) Advertisement Advertisement This is a breaking news story and will be updated as needed. By Sabrina Valle NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Healthcare dealmakers are heading to San Francisco this weekend betting on a new wave of mega-mergers in 2026 that could eclipse the industrys standout years of 2019 and 2021 when such tie-ups approached half a trillion dollars, according to more than a dozen top bankers and lawyers. Ahead of the week-long 43rd annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, dealmakers said more forgiving antitrust scrutiny under U.S. President Donald Trump has given large pharmaceutical companies confidence to consider acquisitions worth $30 billion or even merging with equally big companies. Fresh industry agreements with the White House on tariffs and drug prices are also helping, they said. "Across a number of different industries, we have seen deals get approved in the last year that could have had more regulatory risk in the past," said Jeremy Meilman, global co-head of healthcare investment banking at JPMorgan. "So that has made people dust off the playbook on the art of the possible." That is a sharp contrast in sentiment to 2024 when there wasn't a single biopharma deal worth more than $5 billion, and marks a rise in activity from last year, when several transactions exceeded $10 billion, according to LSEG. SETTING THE TONE FOR DEALMAKING The run-up to the annual gathering, which pulls thousands of investors, bankers, lawyers and companies into San Francisco, often sets the tone for healthcare dealmaking for the year with deals getting announced at and around the meetings. Eli Lilly announced plans Wednesday to buy Ventyx Biosciences for $1.2 billion. Speculation that AbbVie was close to buying Revolution Medicines ahead of the conference and that Merck was also interested, lifted the cancerdrug developers market value by 34% to about $20 billion even though AbbVie denied the talks and the company remains six months away from clinical trial results that are key for its valuation. CEOs are running models to test how their portfolios would look under transformational deals, anticipating a potential window to win regulatory approval through 2026, before the U.S. midterm elections could reshape Washington. Several transformational deals are being considered and should be discussed in side meetings, and even some merger-of-equals scenarios are being exploredif only to conclude they are not the best move and let discussions drop, people said. The administration's "interventionist tendencies may provide an incentive for speed in M&A," PwC said in its 2026 outlook, with the first companies to reach agreements having an edge to get deals approved. Protests are set to take place across Connecticut on Jan. 10 and 11 following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minnesota. Her death, along with another incident in Portland on Jan. 8 where a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot and wounded two people, has sparked high tensions and protests around the country. This weekend, a coalition of anti-Trump grassroots organizations like 50501 and Indivisible are organizing ICE Out For Good protests. On Instagram, 50501 said they are responding to Goods death and the continuing escalation of violence in our communities." They are calling for the immediate abolition of ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Other protests may be organized as well. Here's what to know in Connecticut. Protests this weekend in Connecticut As of 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, there were 9 ICE Out for Good protests planned across Connecticut for Jan. 10 and 11. Heres a list of towns holding protests on Jan. 10: Brookfield 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Welcome to Brookfield sign Fairfield 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at The Home Depot Guilford 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Boston St. and Whitfield St. Mystic 12 - 2 p.m. Salisbury 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. in front of the White Hart Inn Willimantic 3 - 4:30 p.m. at Frog Bridge Corner Windham 3 - 4:30 p.m. at Jillson Square Capitol Police estimated about 10,000 protesters were expected at the No Kings rally in Hartford on Oct. 18, 2025. Heres a list of towns holding protests on Jan. 11: Advertisement Advertisement New London 12- 2 p.m. at Parade Plaza Torrington 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Coe Memorial Park More protests may be added. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: CT ICE protests planned for this weekend. See what cities and towns Protests are set to take place across Vermont on Jan. 10 and 11 following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minnesota. Her death, along with another incident in Portland on Jan. 8 where a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot and wounded two people, has sparked high tensions and protests around the country. Protesters rallied in Burlington on Jan. 8 and, this weekend, a coalition of anti-Trump grassroots organizations like 50501 and Indivisible are organizing ICE Out For Good protests. On Instagram, 50501 said they are responding to Goods death and the continuing escalation of violence in our communities." They are calling for the immediate abolition of ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Other protests may be organized as well. Here's what to know Protests this weekend in Vermont As of noon on Jan. 9, there were 10 ICE Out for Good protests planned across Vermont for Jan. 10 and 11. Heres a list of towns holding protests on Jan. 10: Bennington 10 - 11 a.m. at 7 Main Street. Fairfax 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Fairfax Community Center Montpelier 5 - 6 p.m. South Royalton 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at South Royalton Green St. Albans 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the intersection of Main St. and Fairfield St. St. Johnsbury 1 - 2 p.m. at Main St. in front of the Courthouse and Post Office Waitsfield 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. at 4391 Main Street. Here's a list of towns holding protests on Jan. 11 Advertisement Advertisement Bennington 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Brattleboro 1 - 2 p.m. at Pliny Park Vergennes 3 - 4 p.m. at Vergennes City Park More protests may be added. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VT ICE protests planned for this weekend. See what cities and towns A Providence police cruiser is seen parked on Brook Street about a block north of the Barus & Holley building on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, the day after a gunman killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Providence Police clocked over $500,000 in overtime hours in the 10 days they investigated last months shooting at Brown University. More than 7,250 overtime hours were logged between Dec.13 and Dec. 23 by patrol officers in cars and canvassing the campus and surrounding areas on foot along with detectives, Kristy Dos Reis, a spokesperson for the department, confirmed Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Rhode Island State Police planned to meet with law enforcement officials from Providence, and other communities that assisted with the response to the shooting on Monday to craft a grant request for federal reimbursement, said Maj. John Allen, a State Police spokesperson. Allen said overtime costs for 86 state troopers totaled $38,243 between the night of the shooting on Dec. 13 and Dec. 17, the day before the manhunt concluded. Nearly 90 Providence officers worked overtime over the five days following the shooting, as local, state and federal authorities searched for the gunman suspected of killing two students and wounding nine others inside the Barus & Holley engineering building on the eastern edge of campus. On the night of Dec. 13, Dos Reis said 210 officers put in overtime. Seven Providence Fire Department members worked a total of 35.5 overtime hours on Dec. 13 at a cost of $2,422.06, according to figures provided to Rhode Island Current. Advertisement Advertisement Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national police suspect who committed the shooting along with the Dec. 15 homicide of an MIT professor, was found dead inside a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility on Thursday, Dec. 18. Local police coverage continued during the investigation through Dec. 23. Neves Valentes body was found Dec. 18. By then, the FBI had taken over the investigation since the case expanded beyond Rhode Island. On Friday, Dec. 19, 56 officers clocked in overtime hours. The number sharply dropped down to 10 on Saturday, Dec. 20, with only three officers seeking overtime by Dec. 23, the final day of data provided. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX At Trentham Academy, a large secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent, the swimming pool is barricaded with danger signs, while the heating system has remained broken during recent mock exams. "It was hard to concentrate," student Esme says. "I couldn't stop myself from shivering while I was trying to breathe and to calm myself down while I was trying to do the exam." This is one of 88 schools in the area that were maintained as part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, signed by the city council 25 years ago. Advertisement Advertisement These contracts pay private companies to maintain buildings in return for being allowed to generate profits. The contract in Stoke-on-Trent is one of the largest of around 660 similar contracts across the UK, most of which were signed under a previous Labour government, and is among the first to come to an end. [Ann Gannon / BBC] But a BBC investigation in February last year revealed concerns the Stoke-on-Trent contract would run out before vital school repairs were completed. The end of these contracts is crucial, because if buildings are not handed back in good condition, public money has to pick up the bill. In the years before the contract finished, the BBC understands work costing between 24m and 30m was identified, not all of which was done in time. Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after the contract ended in October, Transform Schools (Stoke) Ltd (TSSL) - the PFI company - went into liquidation, leaving building repairs unfinished, contractors unpaid, and the city council left picking up the pieces. Just months earlier, TSSL had agreed to "extend its obligations", but that became irrelevant because of the insolvency. Earlier in the year, as concern grew, Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it would set aside 3.5m to ensure schools were left "safe, warm and dry". But the BBC has also heard allegations that work slowed down markedly in the final year of the contract, with repair jobs marked as closed without problems being fixed. The BBC spent a day seeing some of the problems first-hand at Trentham and other academies in the same trust. 'Hands shaking' On the day the BBC visited Trentham, teenagers preparing for their science GCSEs were bundled up in layers of clothes, some wearing coats. Advertisement Advertisement The school has reported problems with the heating system repeatedly, but some classrooms still rely on small electric heaters for warmth. "You can't write," pupil Sam said. "You can't hold the pencil properly." "It's simply so cold and no one wants to work," classmate Kai added. If classrooms become too cold, the school has to send pupils home to learn remotely. Pupils have previously been sent home because of the broken heating [Ann Gannon / BBC] The school pool was previously used by local primaries for swimming lessons, but remains closed after first shutting in 2022 due to leaks and structural issues. When Trentham bid for government funding for building work, it was turned down on the grounds the PFI contract was meant to put everything right by October 2025. Advertisement Advertisement But Sharon Bates, from the school trust, says jobs were "stacking up" in the final year of the contract, despite repeated requests for repairs. The schools involved had been paying a regular fee to TSSL as part of the contract to manage any issues with their buildings and facilities. Equans, a large sub-contractor working for TSSL, ran the contract helpdesk, and told us TSSL insisted on signing off work costing more than 250, meaning schools had to repeatedly chase jobs that had been marked as completed. Even small repairs were caught up in the process, including a water issue with a sink at Smallthorne Primary School, which was first reported in May 2025 but remained unfixed by the end of the contract in October. Advertisement Advertisement The BBC has seen evidence the issue was logged under multiple job numbers, and understands a repair was not signed off by TSSL. Down the road, Mill Hill Primary School had roof repairs completed in May by a different company for TSSL and by October was still reporting leaks, with little information about what work had been done. The pool at Trentham was first closed in 2022 and was still empty when the BBC visited the school [Ann Gannon / BBC] Information released to the BBC a year ago by the government revealed surveys of the 88 schools in 2021 and 2024 warned their condition was graded "amber/red", meaning major work was needed. Despite Stoke-on-Trent City Council promising "safe, warm and dry" schools and saying an agreement was being reached, on 20 November the council wrote to the schools in the contract warning that TSSL was going into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation, meaning the agreement no longer applied. Advertisement Advertisement The council said it had worked hard to manage the end of the PFI contract over several years and had withheld a further 8m from TSSL to ensure work would be completed, on top of the 3.5m from unspent capital funds. It is not clear how much of the money set aside by the council has already been spent, or how great the remaining bill will be to repair Stoke-on-Trent's schools. In a statement, the council said it was working to reach agreement with schools on what needed to be done. "We want to reassure schools and parents that we absolutely intend to complete the remaining works," a spokesperson said. Parts of the Trentham school building have had to be cordoned off or boarded up [Ann Gannon / BBC] Council chief executive Jon Rouse robustly defended the management of the contract, which he described as a "difficult hand" weighted towards the private sector. Advertisement Advertisement He said there was a "moral and ethical" obligation to sort it out, adding that "we know what remains undone and needs to be put right". Rouse told the BBC he "would have preferred if those profits had been spent on Stoke-on-Trent's schools", but conceded that making money was part of the contract. Subcontractor Equans told the BBC it had successfully completed 6.2m worth of handback repairs, and was still owed 5m by TSSL, which it was pursuing through the liquidation process. The saga has left many wanting answers. Carl Ward, chief executive of City Learning Trust - which includes Trentham and four other academies left with multiple building issues - said it was "hugely frustrating" that work wasn't completed before the contract ended. Advertisement Advertisement Half of the schools in the contract, all academies, had been withholding payments as concerns about unfinished work escalated. Privately, three other academy chief executives have shared concerns and evidence with the BBC about unfinished work and the legacy for schools in Stoke-on-Trent. Carl Ward said "hundreds of pieces of work" needed doing in each impacted school [Ann Gannon / BBC] Questions remain about why work seemingly slowed down towards the end of the contract, and how much profit was made over the 25 years. That question is harder to answer than it may seem because of complex company structures. TSSL was in a group of companies that ultimately belongs to Innisfree, one of the largest infrastructure investment companies in the UK with a big share of PFI projects, which has included 260 schools. Advertisement Advertisement The founder and chief executive of Innisfree, David Metter, has been a staunch advocate of the value for public money in PFI contracts, telling MPs in 2011 that, overall, "UK plc is getting an excellent deal". BBC analysis of public accounts suggests Metter, or companies owned and controlled by him or his family, appear to have made at least 130m in dividends from PFI investments in schools, hospitals and other infrastructure projects. It's not possible to say how much came from the Stoke-on-Trent contract. The BBC first wrote to Metter and his company Innisfree Ltd in December, and made a number of attempts to contact him. The BBC understands Innisfree was asked if it would put money back into the Stoke-on-Trent PFI company, TSSL, having drawn significant dividends out over the years, and the company declined. A spokesperson for Innisfree said: "We have no comment other than to say that on Stoke schools these matters are subject to commercial contract." The directors of the now liquidated TSSL, based at Innisfree, have not replied to the concerns raised by our investigation. When approached by the BBC in February 2025, TSSL said it was "unaware of widespread issues with quality" and considered that schools had been "maintained in accordance with the contract". Subcontractor Equans said it had "focused on fulfilling our role with a consistently high standard of service" throughout the contract, adding that it "conducted a responsible and well-managed close of our contracted works". Concerns about the end of these PFI contacts have been longstanding. In 2021, the public accounts committee of MPs said academy schools, responsible for their own buildings, might be left having to fund outstanding repairs. PFI investors, they added, could pay higher dividends and "walk away with limited threat of recourse". Additional reporting by Ben King Republican Vivek Ramaswamy picked up a key endorsement in the Ohio governors race on Wednesday from the states term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R). With the election year upon us, I am joining Republicans across Ohio in supporting our dynamic ticket for Governor, led by Vivek Ramaswamy, DeWine said in a statement shared online. The endorsement came hours after Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who ran an unsuccessful bid for president in 2024, and Amy Acton, a former Ohio health director and the leading Democratic candidate, announced their picks for lieutenant governor. Advertisement Advertisement Joining the GOP ticket is Ohio state Senate President Rob McColley (R), who adds governing experience to the bid, Ramaswamy acknowledged this week. The first important decision any Governor makes is who will be his or her choice for Lieutenant Governor, DeWine said, calling McColley a great pick. Ohio is winning new business projects from the coasts, and Ramaswamy will keep the momentum going, the governor added. Ramaswamy also has endorsements from the Ohio GOP and from President Trump, whose Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the candidate helped to launch last year alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk who has also thrown his support behind Ramaswamy. Advertisement Advertisement A Republican has held the Ohio governors mansion since 2010. Cook Political Report rates the seat likely Republican, one step short of being solidly in the GOP column. 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. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has told the BBC that he believes there is now a "real threat" of US military action against Colombia. Petro said the US is treating other nations as part of a US "empire". It comes after Trump said a military operation in Colombia "sounds good". Petro said that the US risks transforming from "dominating the world" to becoming "isolated from the world." He also accused US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of acting like "Nazi brigades". Trump has significantly expanded ICE operations as part of what the administration says is a crackdown on crime and immigrants who illegally entered the US. Advertisement Advertisement The BBC has approached the White House for comment. Following US strikes on Venezuela and the seizure of Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump said a military operation targeting Colombia "sounds good". Trump has also repeatedly told Petro to "watch his ass", remarks Petro strongly condemned. Trump and Petro spoke by phone on Wednesday evening, after which Trump said he would meet his Colombian counterpart at the White House in the "near future. Writing on his Truth Social platform late on Wednesday after the call, Trump described his conversation with Petro as a "Great Honour". A Colombian official said at the time that the conversation had reflected a 180-degree shift in rhetoric "from both sides." Advertisement Advertisement But on Thursday, Petro's tone suggested relations had not significantly improved. He told the BBC the call lasted just under an hour, "most of it occupied by me," and covered "drug trafficking Colombia" and Colombia's view on Venezuela and "what is happening around Latin America regarding the United States." Petro strongly criticised recent US immigration enforcement, accusing ICE agents of operating like "Nazi brigades". Trump has accused countries like Colombia and Venezuela of not doing enough to tackle drug-trafficking. The US has conducted more than 30 strikes in recent months on vessels that the US says were being used for drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing more than 110 people. Advertisement Advertisement Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview that aired on Thursday night that after targeting drug trafficking by water "we are going to start now hitting land", adding that "the cartels are running Mexico". Trump has often blamed immigration for crime and trafficking in the US, using it to justify large-scale enforcement operations. Since returning to the White House, the US president has sent ICE agents to cities across the country. The agency enforces immigration laws and conducts investigations into undocumented immigration. It also plays a role in removing undocumented immigrants from the US. The administration says it deported 605,000 people between 20 January and 10 December 2025. It also said 1.9 million immigrants had "voluntarily self-deported", following an aggressive public awareness campaign encouraging people to leave the country on their own to avoid arrest or detention. Advertisement Advertisement About 65,000 people were in ICE detention as of 30 November 2025, according to data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse's immigration project, a compendium of government data from Syracuse University. This week a US immigration agent shot dead a 37-year-old US citizen in the city of Minneapolis, sparking protests overnight. Federal officials said the woman, Renee Nicole Good, had tried to run over immigration agents with her car but the city mayor, Democrat Jacob Frey, said the agent who shot her had acted recklessly and demanded agents leave the city. Petro said ICE had "reached the point where it no longer only persecutes Latin Americans in the streets, which for us is an affront, but it also kills United States citizens." Advertisement Advertisement He added that if this continued, "instead of a United States dominating the world an imperial dream it is a United States isolated from the world. An empire was not built by being isolated from the world." Petro said the US has for "decades" treated other governments, particularly in Latin America, as an "empire" regardless of the law. The two leaders have long been adversaries, frequently trading insults and tariff threats on social media. Following the US's military action in Venezuela, Petro accused Washington of seeking wars over "oil and coal," adding that if the US had not pulled out of the Paris Agreement, where countries agreed to limit global temperature rising by reducing fossil fuel use, "there would be no wars, there would be a much more democratic and peaceful relationship with the world. And South America." Advertisement Advertisement "The Venezuelan issue is about this," he said. After Trump's comments threatening military action in Colombia, demonstrations were held across the country in the name of sovereignty and democracy. Petro told the BBC that Trump's remarks amounted to a "real threat", citing Colombia's loss of territory such as Panama in the 20th century, and said "the prospect of removing [the threat] depends on the ongoing conversations." Asked how Colombia would defend itself in the event of a US attack, Petro said he would "prefer it to be about dialogue." He said that "work is being done" on this. Advertisement Advertisement But he added: "Colombia's history shows how it has responded to large armies." "It's not about confronting a large army with weapons we don't have. We don't even have anti-aircraft defenses. Instead, we rely on the masses, our mountains, and our jungles, as we always have." Petro confirmed he had also spoken to Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's acting president and former vice president and oil minister, and invited her to Colombia. He said Venezuela had "long been subject to interference by various intelligence agencies," adding that while such agencies had permission to operate in Colombia, it was solely to combat drug trafficking. He denounced attempts at what he said were other "covert operations" in Colombia. Advertisement Advertisement He did not directly comment when asked whether he feared the CIA could carry out covert operations similar to their actions in Venezuela in Colombia, or whether he feared his own government or inner circles may have informants. Maduro was captured by the US army's Delta Force, the military's top counter-terrorism unit, after a CIA source in Venezuelan government helped the US track his location. Gustavo Petro said Colombia preferred dialogue with the US, but added the country's history showed "how it has responded to large armies" [BBC] As the world's largest producer of cocaine, Colombia is a major hub for the global drug trade. It also has significant oil reserves, as well as gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal. The US has said it will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely" as it prepares to roll back restrictions on the country's crude in global markets. Advertisement Advertisement Speaking aboard Air Force One after the Venezuela operation, Trump described Petro as a "sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States," adding: "He's not going to be doing it for very long." Petro denied the claims, saying it has "always been proven that I'm not involved in that." "For 20 years I have been fighting against the drug cartels, at the cost of my family having to go into exile," he said. A former guerrilla, Petro has pursued a "total peace" strategy since taking office, prioritising dialogue with armed groups. Critics say the approach has been too soft, with cocaine production reaching record levels. Asked what failed and whether he accepted responsibility, Petro said coca cultivation growth was slowing and described "two simultaneous approaches." "One, talking about peace with groups that are bandits. And the other, developing a military offensive against those who don't want peace." He said negotiations were ongoing in southern Colombia, "where the greatest reduction in coca leaf cultivation has occurred" and "where the homicide rate in Colombia has fallen the most." Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant. The policy of dialogue, he said, was intended to "de-escalate violence", adding: "we're not fools, we know who we're negotiating with." [BBC] Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. MINNEAPOLIS Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has characterized the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by federal agents as an "act of domestic terrorism," alleging the driver had been "stalking, impeding, and blocking" ICE officers for hours leading up to the incident. Video from the scene shows Renee Good's wife, Rebecca Brown Good, in distress immediately after the shooting, saying that she encouraged Renee to attend the location where ICE agents were operating. In the video, taken by BIGSLEEZ YUP, she can be heard saying, "I made her come down here. Its my fault." Advertisement Advertisement Jeffries Calls Noem 'Stone-cold Liar' Over Minneapolis Shooting Response, Demand Investigations While Noem and President Donald Trump have framed Good as a "professional agitator" intent on harming agents, family members are disputing that characterization. Renee Goods mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Renee "would never have been part of anything like that" and described her as compassionate and non-confrontational. Read On The Fox News App Renee Good had ties to an organized anti-ICE network in Minneapolis that trains participants to monitor and interfere with federal immigration enforcement operations, the New York Post reported. Advertisement Advertisement According to the Post, Good became involved with a group known as "ICE Watch," a loose coalition dedicated to documenting and disrupting ICE activity in the sanctuary city. Similar ICE Watch-style networks have emerged nationwide and have previously been linked to confrontations with federal agents, including incidents involving vehicles used to block or strike officers. The Post reported that Good became connected to the group through her sons charter school, Southside Family Charter School, which publicly promotes a "social justice" curriculum and involvement in political activism. Multiple sources told the outlet that Good received training on how to engage with ICE officers during enforcement actions. A woman identified as Leesa told the Post at a vigil held at the shooting site that Good was a "warrior." Advertisement Advertisement "She was trained against these ICE agents," Leesa said. "To listen to commands, to know your rights, to whistle when you see an ICE agent." Another vigil attendee told the Post that Good was part of a coordinated "ICE Watch" team and that members routinely spent time together outside of enforcement actions. Southside Family Charter Schools website states that it offers "an academically challenging, socially conscious education" and describes its curriculum as centered on social justice. Fox News Digital has reached out to the school. Eyewitness video shows a grieving woman who identified herself as Renee Good's wife. (Reuters) Vance Demand Democrats Answer Whether Ice Officer In Minneapolis Shooting Was 'Wrong In Defending His Life' Advertisement Advertisement The shooting occurred after a vehicle driven by Good allegedly moved toward agents, leading to what DHS describes as a shooting in "self-defense." Video circulating online shows an ICE officer approaching the stopped SUV and attempting to open the drivers door before the vehicle moves forward. Another officer standing in front of the vehicle then fires multiple shots at close range. First Alert 4 in St. Louis confirmed with the Missouri Department of Revenue that the Missouri license plate on the red Honda Pilot driven by Renee Good at the time of the incident was registered to two people in Kansas City. Former neighbors told local media outlets that the couple relocated multiple times over the past year, including a reported move to Canada following the 2024 presidential election, before later settling in Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Renee Nicole Macklin Good was previously married to Timothy Macklin Jr., a comedian who died in May 2023, according to an obituary reviewed by Fox News Digital. Protesters confront law enforcement officers at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Before the fatal encounter, the couple managed B. Good Handywork LLC, a household repair business incorporated in early 2024. According to Missouri business filings, B. Good Handywork LLC was formally incorporated by Rebecca Brown Good in 2024. Corporate records list both Rebecca Brown Good and Renee Nicole Macklin Good as managers of the company. The business was registered to a residential address in Kansas City, Missouri, where the couple previously lived, writing that the purpose of the small business was to "perform interior and exterior repair, maintenances, and upgrade projects in clients homes." Advertisement Advertisement Get All The Latest Us News Here A picture of Renee Nicole Good is displayed near a makeshift memorial for Good, who was shot and killed at point-blank range on Jan. 7 by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent after officials said she tried to run over an officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 8, 2026. Click Here To Download The Fox News App According to court records obtained by Wdaf, Renee filed a name change petition at the Jackson County Courthouse in Missouri roughly five months after Macklin's death, writing that she wished to add "Good" to her last name to "share a name with my partner." The filing also noted that she was the mother of three children under the age of 18, including one child she shared with Macklin. Fox News Digital has reached out to Rebecca Good. Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report. Original article source: Renee Goods wife claimed Minneapolis shooting was my fault in video amid anti-ICE fury Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) and House Appropriations Committee Chair Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Twp.) speak at a press conference on work project spending. Dec. 10, 2025. | Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance. Following up on a promise from earlier this week, the Republican-led Michigan House of Representatives has filed a lawsuit against 31 state governments departments and their heads in an effort to bar them from accessing $645 million in work project spending. In December, Republican members of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to disapprove more than half a billion dollars of work projects funds, drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers and multiple Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Following a request from Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, determined that the maneuver used to cut the funds process violated the separation of powers clause and other requirements in the Michigan Constitution. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX While Democrats cheered Nessels determination, with Anthony calling it a lifeline for the countless non-profit organizations and local governments that have been left in limbo for weeks, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and House Appropriations Committee Chair Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township) were quick to criticize Nessels opinion as partisan and flawed. Our lawsuit will stop this Nessel power-trip and uphold the law that allows the Legislature to put an end to this nonsense, Hall said in a statement Friday. Advertisement Advertisement The suit, filed with the Michigan Court of Claims seeks immediate injunctive relief and a temporary restraining order to bar Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration from utilizing the funding. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A man was killed Friday morning in a boat crash in Crescent City, authorities said. Rescue teams were called to the area at about 6:42 a.m. for the crash that happened near 100 Grove Avenue. The Crescent City boat ramp was closed due to the crash. Multiple rescue teams and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the scene. It was supposed to be a relaxing Friday morning on Crescent Lake for Sander Northrop, but instead she watched two boats collide in a deadly crash. Advertisement Advertisement I was just sitting down with my coffee, and I hadnt even taken a sip yet, Northrop said. There were two boats out in the water and I looked at them and I thought, boy they look like theyre heading straight for each other and as quick as the thought was, they hit. FWC said the crash happened just before 7 a.m. on Crescent Lake. Both boats each only had one person on board. The impact of the crash threw both men into the water. Both had life jackets on. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Northrop immediately called 911 and started screaming to her neighbors for help. She was able to get the attention of two groups of people who had boats. Advertisement Advertisement Both boats quickly got into the water and got both men back to shore. One of the boat captains had little to no injuries. The other captain was transported to a hospital and died from his injuries. Action News Jax was able to speak with the boater who survived the crash. He didnt want to go on camera, but he said that fog was not a factor of this crash. He said the lake was clear. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] He told Action News Jax he was driving his boat just after 6:30 a.m. near Bear Island when he noticed a trash bag in the water. He said he went to circle back and grab the trash bag. He didnt get it, and by the time he pushed the throttle forward, he says another boat hit him head on. Advertisement Advertisement The FWC is leading the investigation. PCSO said this is the first boating death in Putnam County in 2026. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. PROVIDENCE With the start of the new legislative session, Rhode Island faith leaders gathered at the State House on Thursday, Jan. 8, to implore lawmakers and budget writers to "take care of our neighbors and the poor" and protect them from the "atrocities and relentless attacks coming from D.C." Those in need were described as "the child who only eats because of the free meals she gets at school; the teacher who is living in his car because there isnt enough money for even the basics; the small business owner who wants to do right by her staff, but cant afford health care for herself never mind her team." The list went on, ending with this group: "the parents who stopped bringing their children to school, church, and the playground because ICE is using looks, accents and misdemeanors to separate and destroy families,'' according to Alisha Pina, the director for the Interfaith Coalition holding the event. Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, right, speaks during the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalitions poverty vigil on Jan. 8 at the State House. At left is Alisha Pina, spokeswoman for the coalition. One by one, the clergy in attendance read the names of Rhode Island's top state and federal officeholders and its 113 state legislators, saying after every few names: "May you govern with wisdom, care and compassion." Advertisement Advertisement "In this election year, we need to be proactive, not reactive, to the atrocities and relentless attacks coming from D.C ... The crises right here in Rhode Island in education, in our health care systems ... our lack of affordable housing ... [and] the needs of those with less," said Pina, who emceed the event. Thursday's vigil was a chance for the Interfaith Coalition to draw attention to its 2026 legislative priorities, including more funding for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, "safe and affordable housing" and "school meals for all,'' financed at least in part by a new 3% surtax on the incomes of the "top 1% of earners." And the list goes on. The faith leaders and other advocates got no promises from top lawmakers, but they did got assurances from House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson that they are mindful and sympathetic to the many unmet needs in Rhode Island. Gov. Dan McKee even gave them a preview of the "affordability for all agenda" he plans to roll out next week in his state-of-the-state address on Jan. 13 and his proposed 2026-27 budget two days later. Advertisement Advertisement The governor said his proposed state budget "will use our resources to protect the most vulnerable Rhode Islanders from federal cuts to vital safety-net programs. I will also provide and forward an 'affordability for all' agenda to help families support [their] basic needs and deal with rising cost. "We'll be putting millions of dollars back into Rhode Island's pockets,'' he said. "We'll address health care costs, affordable housing and home ownership and energy prices, all things that are working against those who need it most ... [and] to make sure your voice is heard and make sure the [voice of the] vulnerable people in this state is heard." In her turn at the microphone, Lawson acknowledged "the terrible event that took place in Minneapolis" a day earlier, the fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent of an American citizen under disputed circumstances. "I want to express our deepest condolences, on behalf of the Senate, to the family of Renee Nicole Good," she said of the victim. "Our communities should be welcoming, and safe, for all." Advertisement Advertisement Lawson was not alone in lamenting the tragedy, as it has been described by many on the left and the right. More broadly, the Senate president said: "The current federal administration in Washington continues to make life harder and more expensive in ways that impact all of us ... not just for the people who rely on services such as SNAP." "This is an uncertain moment. But Rhode Islanders are generous and compassionate,'' she said. And "I remain deeply committed to our fight against poverty, and its root causes, here in Rhode Island." Similarly, Shekarchi promised to work with the governor, the Senate president "and all of our colleagues in the General Assembly ... to mitigate as best as humanly possible these devastating changes in our federal revenue streams that hurt the most vulnerable Rhode Islanders the most. Advertisement Advertisement "It will not be easy,'' he said, but "we will look at every single program and we will do whatever we humanly possibly can to continue to help the people in Rhode Island that need the most." This story has been updated to correct an inaccuracy. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here's what interfaith Coalition is seeking from RI lawmakers this year Indonesia Energy Corporation (IEC) has announced advancements in its pre-drilling activities at the onshore Kruh Block in Indonesia, where preparations for two new wells, K-29 and WK-5, are under way. The company aims to begin drilling the first of these wells by the end of the first quarter of 2026 (Q1 2026), with plans to conduct operations consecutively. Drilling pads have been completed for K-29 and delivered for WK-5. Drill pipe, drill bits and wellheads are on site, and the drilling rig has been chosen and is currently undergoing inspection. Additionally, IEC has secured approval from the Indonesian Government for the procurement of necessary drilling explosives, which have been transported to a assigned storage facility. IEC started operations on the two new wells in September 2025. IEC president Frank Ingriselli said: We are excitedly moving forward with our plans to commence drilling of the next two wells planned on our 64,000-acre Kruh Block, which I will visit during operations on-site in Sumatra. We will keep the marketplace updated as we embark on this exciting period. We believe we have world-class assets in Indonesia that should contribute to our strategic plan to maximise returns on our investments and grow shareholder value. IECs main assets consist of the Kruh Block, a 64,000-acre onshore area on the island of Sumatra, and the Citarum Block, a 195,000-acre onshore area on the island of Java, Indonesia. The companys headquarters are located in Jakarta, Indonesia. In June 2024, IEC initiated new 3D seismic exploratory operations at the Kruh Block, spanning 63,000 acres. The 29km seismic programme targeted existing proved reservoirs and promising shallow oil/gas zones discovered in 2022. "IEC advances pre-drilling at Kruh Block in Indonesia" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Since declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland has tried for decades to gain international recognition. Yet no country acknowledged it as a sovereign state until Israel did so on 27 December 2025. Authorities in Somalia, who want to keep their territory intact, have decried Israel's decision and rallied the African Union and other African countries for support. But Israel and Somaliland are moving forward with their "strategic partnership". Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, visited Somaliland on Tuesday, 7 January, meeting the region's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, and discussing ways to enhance bilateral ties. Advertisement Advertisement Next week, Somaliland's president will head to Jerusalem. Somalia's Foreign Ministry denounced an "unauthorised incursion" into the country. It criticised Saar's visit as "a serious violation of Somalia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity", and "unacceptable interference in the country's internal affairs". Why are Israel and Somaliland willing to court international disapproval for the sake of this alliance? UN ambassadors condemn Israel's recognition of Somaliland Torn history Somaliland lies in north-western Somalia, in the Horn of Africa along the strategic Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea. It shares land borders with Ethiopia, Djibouti and the rest of Somalia. Advertisement Advertisement Up until the 18th century, the Somali region consisted of independent sultanates and clan-based societies, with limited Ottoman influence along parts of the coast. Eventually, European powers started establishing ports and trade agreements in the region too. Following the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 and the "Scramble for Africa", France, Britain and Italy moved to formalise their presence in the Horn of Africa. Britain declared a protectorate over north-western Somalia today's Somaliland in 1887, while Italy established control over southern and north-eastern Somalia from 1889. France's influence centred around the Gulf of Tadjoura, now part of Djibouti. Meet the Kenyan man shaping a francophone future in East Africa Advertisement Advertisement Somaliland remained a British protectorate for the first part of the 20th century, but Somali nationalist movements grew in the 1940s and '50s. When Somaliland declared independence on 26 June 1960, followed by Italian-controlled Somalia on 1 July, they formed one country. But over the years, Somalilanders had kept their English-speaking habits and different administrative rules. And under the increasingly authoritarian regime of Siad Barre, the military commander who seized power in 1969, Somalilanders were victims of repression. With the fall of Barre in January 1991 and the beginning of a civil war, the region declared independence again. Strategic location, strategic timing Ever since, Somaliland has governed itself independently and organised its own elections. Advertisement Advertisement It has long sought formal recognition as an independent state, signing bilateral agreements with a handful of foreign governments on investments and security coordination. Since the election of President Abdullahi in December 2024, the region has made bolder attempts to pursue recognition from the international community, especially towards United States President Donald Trump. This is when Israel started looking at a partnership with Somaliland, including recognition. With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition "Due to its strategic location on the shores of the Gulf of Aden, the territory of todays Somaliland has drawn geopolitical attention from great powers for a long time," writes Nasir M Ali, an international relations expert and former director of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Hargeisa, in a new handbook on Somaliland. Advertisement Advertisement Analysts believe that an alliance between Israel and Somaliland is particularly advantageous for Israel because of its strategic position across the Red Sea from Yemen, where Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have carried out numerous attacks against Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Ali told RFI that Somalilanders were overwhelmingly in favour of the partnership. "They've been waiting for recognition for decades, and now is the time," he said. "The strategic reasons are strong, and others in the Muslim world have already re-allied Israel." 'Not in a position to choose' Abdullahi had suggested last month that Somaliland join the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 that saw the United Arab Emirates a close partner of Somaliland Bahrain and then Morocco establish ties with Israel. Israel's decision to recognise Somaliland also follows two years of increasingly strained ties with many of its closest partners over its war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement "Somaliland is and has been a stable democracy for almost 35 years," the Israeli foreign minister said, and "it is pro-Western and a friend of Israel". Israel's government has also advocated for what officials describe as voluntary Palestinian migration from Gaza. But Somaliland has denied that the Israel recognition agreement allows it to establish military bases, or to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the region. "We are not in a position to choose," Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, chairman of the ruling Waddani party, told Al Jazeera this week. "We are in a state of necessity for official international recognition. "There is no choice before us but to welcome any country that recognises our existential right." Advertisement Advertisement Israel's recognition of Somaliland 'is not an isolated initiative': expert A risky partner Some analysts argue, however, that Israel's support could harm Somaliland's hopes for wider recognition. After Saar's visit to Hargeisa, the African Union called for the "immediate revocation" of Israels recognition of Somaliland, calling for respect of Somalia's territorial integrity. The European Union, China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also condemned the recognition, fearing growing insecurity in the Red Sea. "Israel's recognition could be seen as not the best place to start among African and Muslim partners of Somaliland," Ali suggests, "but it could also seduce countries like Ethiopia and other potential partners." That would be a game changer for Somalia, he says, for East Africa and for the entire region. Police are searching for a woman after a road rage incident in Massachusetts escalated into a knife attack in the parking lot of a smoke shop in New Hampshire on Thursday morning, authorities announced Friday. Officers were called to Ace Discount Cigarettes at 28 Bridge Street in Pelham, New Hampshire, just before 11:30 a.m., after receiving a report of a woman who was being attacked, according to the Pelham Police Department. When officers arrived, they determined that a road rage incident had occurred in the nearby town of Dracut, Massachusetts, with both drivers pulling into the parking lot of Ace Discount Cigarettes. Advertisement Advertisement The victim had entered the store, but when she came out, the suspect allegedly confronted her with a knife in hand, according to police. Surveillance video shared by the police department showed the victim fleeing to safety and the suspect slashing the tires of the victims car and rummaged through her trunk. The suspect then reportedly fled south on Bridge Street. Police described the suspect as a Hispanic or Black woman in her 50s, and about 5 feet 3 inches tall. She was seen in the video wearing red leggings, a purple jacket, and a knitted hat. Boston 25 spoke with the victim of the road rage incident 2 Friday evening. She wished to remain anonymous and did not want to go on camera. Advertisement Advertisement She said she was driving from Dracut, Mass., to Ace Discount Cigarettes in Pelham, NH. The victim claims the driver of the car in front of her took a sharp right turn without a signal. She said she beeped at the driver. Afterwards, the suspect allegedly started following the victim closely and into the parking lot of Ace Discount Cigarettes. I told her just move on, just leave, said the victim. I tried to ignore. She described, I went out there. I went to go into my car, and she came behind me with a switchblade because I heard a click. She said the same thing about pay attention to who youre beeping at. Advertisement Advertisement The victim was able to get away, run inside Ace Discount Cigarettes, and told the owner to call 911. Pelham Police Lt. Adam Thistle said this is an ongoing investigation and theyre doing everything to apprehend the suspect. Its unfortunate, he said. We dont want to ever see this violence take place... We always tell people just to try and avoid those confrontations. If a minor traffic incident takes place, the best course of action is to let it go. If its serious enough, call local PD. The victim said she hasnt been able to eat or sleep over the last two days. She finished, Were all Gods children, and I forgive [the suspect]... I just want [the victim] to pay for what she did. Advertisement Advertisement The search is ongoing for the suspect, who police believe is traveling in a newer Kia Optima with Massachusetts plates. Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Pelham police at 603-635-2411. 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. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Demonstrators protest US actions in Venezuela, including the detention of President Nicolas Maduro, on Jan. 8, 2026, in Pretoria, South Africa. | Credit: Ihsaan Haffejee / Anadolu / Getty Images On Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump authorized an attack on Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his rendition to New York. Once there, he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. While the episode was a departure from more recent, comparatively hands-off American policy in the region, it was very much aligned with a long post-World War II history of U.S. interventions designed to change unfriendly regimes into friendly ones. In addition to direct military interventions, the CIA supported numerous coups across the region during the Cold War. Guatemala, 1954 The first major post-World War II intervention was in Guatemala. Using psychological warfare, propaganda and economic pressure, the CIA helped create a rebel army that toppled the Guatemalan government of Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, said Responsible Statecraft . The leaders land reforms had been met with fierce opposition from Guatemala's elite and the U.S. government, which had economic interests tied to the United Fruit Company. As a ploy for stability, it didnt work Guatemala suffered through a 36-year civil war that began in 1960 and experienced multiple coups. Cuba, 1961 In 1961, President John F. Kennedy authorized a covert program to train 1,400 Cuban exiles in Guatemala to invade and topple the still-young communist regime of Fidel Castro. A series of strategic errors, including the failure to keep the plans a secret along with a misappraisal of the Castro governments military capabilities, led to an embarrassing disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearing Venezuelas Trump-shaped power vacuum Delcy Rodriguez: Maduros second in command now running Venezuela The exile force landed at the Bay of Pigs on the morning of April 17 and was immediately pinned down. More than 100 were killed and Kennedy was forced to bargain for the more than 1,200 survivors who were taken prisoner. A major embarrassment for the United States and the Kennedy administration, the Bay of Pigs fiasco strengthened Castros power in Cuba and pushed him to pursue closer relations with the Soviet Union, said The New York Times . Brazil, 1964 In 1964, the U.S. threw its support behind a military coup to oust Brazilian President Joao Goulart. The U.S. launched Operation Brother Sam, a plan to lend logistical support to the Brazilian militarys effort to take control of the Brazilian government, said the Library of Congress , although additional material support proved unnecessary to complete the coup. The military would rule for the next 21 years as a close Cold War ally of the United States before a transition to democracy took place in 1985. The Dominican Republic, 1965 In 1963, the U.S. had backed a coup against the democratically elected leftist government of Juan Bosch. In 1965, pro-Bosch military forces launched their own rebellion against the junta and the country was plunged into civil war. Under the pretext of protecting American citizens and preventing the emergence of another Castro-like regime, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the deployment of 42,000 Marines to the capital of Santo Domingo on April 28, 1965, where they collaborated with forces loyal to the junta and quickly defeated the rebels. Advertisement Advertisement The following year, Bosch was defeated at the ballot box by junta-backed former president Joaquin Balaguer. During 12 years of harsh rule under Balaguer, democracy was trampled, corruption ran rampant and social reform was denied, said The Wilson Center . Bolivia, 1971 While much less well-known than the 1973 coup in Chile, the CIA also provided support in 1971 to oust the leftist government of President Juan Jose Torres in Bolivia. Torres was replaced by a lengthy military dictatorship led by Hugo Banzer, during which more than 14,000 Bolivians were arrested without a judicial order, more than 8,000 were tortured with electricity, water, beatings and more than 200 were executed or disappeared, said Harpers Magazine . The country remains politically troubled today. Chile, 1973 The CIA backed the ouster of the democratically elected government of socialist President Salvador Allende in 1973. While the agency had a more prominent role in a failed 1970 coup attempt ordered by U.S. President Richard Nixon, the 1973 coup is widely considered one of the worst offenses of American foreign policymakers during the Cold War. Allende committed suicide that year when it was clear the coup had succeeded. His successor, General Augusto Pinochet, ruled with an iron fist for 17 years, leaving behind a trail of 40,175 victims, including torture, executions, detentions and disappearances, said Amnesty International . Nicaragua, 1979 A socialist government led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front took power in Nicaragua in 1979, and the recently inaugurated administration of Ronald Reagan wanted to overthrow the government as part of its Cold War policy of rollback against communist regimes. Reagan approved an operation in which the CIA would aid Nicaraguan rebel insurgents who were fighting the newly established socialist Sandinista government with the goal of preventing the spread of Communism, said The Miller Center . Because Congress refused to allocate money for Reagans Nicaragua venture, the campaign also led to the Iran-Contra scandal when the U.S. sold weapons to Iran and used the proceeds to back the Contras. Grenada, 1983 The long shadow of the Bay of Pigs could be seen in the U.S. invasion of the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada , with a population of less than 100,000 people, in 1983. A socialist government had seized power in a bloodless coup in 1979, led by Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Fearing a growing alliance with Castros Cuba and fixated on Bishops plans to build an international airport capable of accommodating Soviet aircraft, President Ronald Reagan planned for an invasion and finally got his opportunity when military hardliners deposed and later executed Bishop. On Oct. 25, 1983, Reagan dispatched a small combined military force to overthrow the regime. The intervention was popular within the United States, serving as proof of concept that Reagan was a tough anti-Communist, said The National Interest . Panama, 1989 Before the Persian Gulf War, President George H.W. Bush authorized an invasion of Panama to topple the countrys de facto dictator, General Manuel Noriega. It was a dizzying turn of events, given that Noriega was only recently considered a reliable Cold War ally and CIA informant who had provided intelligence to the U.S. about leftist movements for decades. But his deepening involvement with Colombias Medellin Cartel and increasingly authoritarian rule triggered a crisis that Bush resolved with a swift invasion that began on Dec. 20, 1989, and concluded with Noriegas surrender to U.S. forces just two weeks later. His overthrow was a decisive assertion of U.S. military force for a new American president in a moment of global tumult, said The New Yorker . Haiti, 1994 At least four people were killed and 19 others injured in Kiev after Russia pummelled Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, using its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile to target western Ukraine. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday a doctor was among the dead, while four medical workers were injured. Critical infrastructure had been hit in the attack and some parts of the city were without power or water, he wrote on Telegram. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Telegram that the strikes were carried out in response to an alleged "terrorist attack" by Kiev on a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Facilities producing unmanned aerial vehicles used in the alleged attack as well as energy infrastructure were hit, according to the ministry. Moscow has claimed Ukraine attempted to attack Putin's Valdai residence in western Russia with 91 drones, all of which it said were shot down. Experts have questioned the account presented by Russia. Ukraine has rejected the accusations and accuses Moscow of using the false claim to justify strikes on government buildings. Russia says Oreshnik hit western Ukraine In the west of Ukraine, the Western Command of Ukraine's Air Force earlier said a Russian strike on Lviv was conducted using an unidentified ballistic missile. Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian military reported that the missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar test area in Russia's Astrakhan, a known launch site for the Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said explosions had been recorded in Lviv, but there was currently no information about casualties. Civilian facilities and residential buildings in the city were not damaged, he added. The Russian Defence Ministry said the Oreshnik missile was used as parts of the attacks on western Ukraine, marking the second strike on Ukraine involving the weapon. "The Russian armed forces have launched a massive strike with ground- and sea-based high-precision long-range weapons against critical targets in Ukraine, including the Oreshnik medium-range complex and drones," the ministry said in a statement quoted by state news agency TASS. Advertisement Advertisement Russia first fired an Oreshnik missile at Ukraine's industrial city of Dnipro in November 2024. At the time, Putin justified the strike as retaliation for Kiev's use of long-range Western weapons against military targets in the Russian hinterland. Putin has claimed that Western air defence systems are incapable of intercepting the Oreshnik, which means hazel shrub in Russian. He has also said it could hit targets as far away as Western Europe. The first Oreshnik missile deployed against Ukraine did not carry warheads, with damage caused solely by its high speed. Still in testing at the time, the weapon can carry conventional and nuclear warheads and, with speeds up to 12,000 kilometres per hour and a range of 5,000 kilometres, poses a potential threat to Europe. The second Oreshnik targeting Ukraine was carrying conventional warheads, according to the Russian military. By Olena Harmash KYIV, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile overnight at a target in Ukraine near the border with NATO-member Poland, in what Kyiv's European allies on Friday described as an attempt to intimidate them from supporting Ukraine. It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid a night of air attacks that Ukrainian authorities said also killed four people in Kyiv, knocked out power in the capital and damaged the Qatari embassy there. Advertisement Advertisement The Oreshnik, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) designed to project power across Europe and which Moscow says is impossible to intercept, can carry nuclear warheads although there was no suggestion it had done so. A senior Ukrainian official said it appeared to be carrying inert "dummy" warheads. The strike appeared aimed at cowing Ukraine at a crucial juncture in talks to end the war, analysts said. It happened after a week of setbacks for Russia, including the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow said it fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it calls an attempted drone attack on one of Putin's residences last month, which Ukraine denies and the United States has said did not happen. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said a strike close to EU and NATO borders posed "a grave threat to security". Advertisement Advertisement "It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake 'Putin residence attack' that never happened," he wrote on X. "Putin uses an IRBM near EU and NATO border in response to his own hallucinations this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses." President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strike was "demonstrably" close to EU states and warned Ukraine's neighbours to take note of the dangers. "From the standpoint of the use of medium-range ballistics, this is the same challenge for Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, and many other capitals," he said in his nightly video address. "Everyone should understand it in the same way, and take it equally seriously." EU DENOUNCES 'CLEAR ESCALATION' Advertisement Advertisement It took place days after a summit where European countries pledged to offer troops for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire and Washington backed giving security guarantees for Kyiv. "Russias reported use of an Oreshnik missile is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S.," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X. "EU countries must dig deeper into their air defence stocks and deliver now. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who spoke to the leaders of France and Britain, said: "Threatening gestures are intended to instil fear, but they will not work. We stand with Ukraine." Advertisement Advertisement The senior Ukrainian official said the missile had struck the workshop of a state enterprise in the western city of Lviv near the Polish border. Impact from several submunitions caused "minor penetrations of concrete structures" at the workshop and made craters in the forest area, the official told Reuters. Separately, the SBU state security service said Russia had attempted to destroy civilian infrastructure in the surrounding region amid "rapidly deteriorating weather conditions". Moscow said it hit energy infrastructure and a factory that made drones used in the attack on Putin's residence. Kyiv has called Moscow's allegation that it attacked Putin's residence in the Novgorod region of northern Russia on December 29 "an absurd lie" to sabotage peace talks. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he does not believe it happened, although something else happened in the area. Advertisement Advertisement CASUALTIES, POWER SUPPLIES DISRUPTED IN ATTACK ON KYIV Russia fired a total of 242 drones and 36 missiles, including the Oreshnik, to hit infrastructure in the western Lviv region and in and around Kyiv, Ukraine said. One of the four people killed in Kyiv was Serhiy Smoliak, 56, an emergency medic who came to help survivors at a suburban apartment hit by a drone and was killed in a follow-up strike. His body lay covered on snowy ground near a road. Four other medics and five rescuers were wounded there. Authorities said more than 20 people were injured and electricity was knocked out to more than half a million homes. Advertisement Advertisement With temperatures forecast to fall to -10 Celsius (14F) overnight, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said heating had been restored to nearly 1,100 apartment buildings -- of 6,000 affected by the strikes. Residents sheltered underground on mattresses and chairs, some wrapped in blankets. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said repair crews were working around the clock to restore heat and power in Kyiv. Qatar confirmed that its embassy was damaged and said no one was hurt. The country has occasionally acted as a mediator in the conflict. The Oreshnik was fired just before midnight, according to Lviv regional officials. The Ukrainian military said the missile was moving at a speed of 13,000 km per hour. Advertisement Advertisement Moscow first fired an Oreshnik Russian for "hazel tree" - against what it said was a military factory in Ukraine in November 2024. Ukrainian sources said that missile carried dummy warheads, not explosives, and caused limited damage. On Tuesday, Britain and France announced plans to deploy troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire - prompting Moscow to respond that it would view foreign soldiers as legitimate combat targets. The British defence minister, John Healey, was in Kyiv to discuss a potential future deployment. (Reporting by Olena Harmash, Andrew Osborn, Tom Balmforth, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Friederike Heine; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Gareth Jones, Peter Graff and Diane Craft) By Andrew Osborn Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Russian military said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences last month, which Kyiv has denied. It is the second time that Russia has used the intermediate-range Oreshnik, a missile which President Vladimir Putin has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more than 10 times the speed of sound. Advertisement Advertisement The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although there was no suggestion that the one used in the overnight attack had been fitted with them. The Russian Defence Ministry said the strike had targeted critical infrastructure in Ukraine. It said Russia had also used attack drones and high-precision long-range land and sea-based weapons. "The strike's targets were hit," the ministry said in a statement, describing the targets as a factory producing drones used in the alleged attack against Putin's residence, as well as energy infrastructure. Lviv regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said a critical infrastructure facility had been targeted. Local media said Stryi, a gas field with a huge gas storage facility, was probably the intended target. Advertisement Advertisement Russian war correspondents released video purportedly showing the moment the Oreshnik struck its target in western Ukraine. Filmed across a snow-covered landscape, what looked like six flashes were seen striking the ground followed by a loud bang and a series of detonations. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video. Ukraine has called the Russian allegation that its drones tried to attack one of Putin's residences in the Novgorod region on December 29 "an absurd lie" designed to sabotage already troubled peace talks. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he doesn't believe the strike on the residence happened, but that "something" unrelated happened fairly nearby. STRIKE REPORTED BY HEAD OF WESTERN UKRAINIAN REGION Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian air force confirmed on Friday that Russia had fired an Oreshnik missile launched from the Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea. Moscow first fired an Oreshnik Russian for "hazel tree" - against what it said was a military factory in Ukraine in November 2024. On that occasion Ukrainian sources said the missile was carrying dummy warheads, not explosives, and caused limited damage. Putin has said that the Oreshnik's destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead. Some Western officials have expressed scepticism about the Oreshnik's capabilities. One U.S. official said in December 2024 that the weapon was not seen as a game-changer on the battlefield. Russia released video in December of what it said was the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system in close ally Belarus, a move meant to boost Moscow's ability to strike targets across Europe in the event of a war. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Peter Graff) Russia used its Oreshnik intermediate-range missile in its attack on western Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry, marking the second strike on Ukraine involving the weapon. According to the ministry, the attack was carried out in response to a "terrorist attack" by Kiev on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. It added that the strike's objectives were achieved and that facilities producing unmanned aerial vehicles used in the alleged attack, as well as energy infrastructure, were hit. Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine has denied launching an attack on Putin's residence and accuses Moscow of using the false claim to justify strikes on government buildings in Kiev. Russia first fired an Oreshnik missile at Ukraine's industrial city of Dnipro in November 2024. Putin has claimed that Western air-defence systems are incapable of intercepting the Oreshnik, which means hazel tree in Russian. He has also said it could hit targets as far away as Western Europe. Western military analysts say that Oreshnik is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. KYIV, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday. Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's maritime export arteries over the last two months as retaliation for attacks on "shadow fleet" tankers heading to Russia to export its oil. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement that one ship had been sailing along Ukraine's maritime export corridor to pick up a grain cargo at the port of Chornomorsk, and was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Advertisement Advertisement The other, near the Odesa port, was under the flag of the Comoros Islands and was carrying soybeans. The deep-water seaports in Odesa region are crucial for Ukraine's commodity-heavy economy to export its products. "This is yet another indication that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian objects, international shipping and food logistics," Kuleba wrote. He posted images that showed ships bearing the names Ladonna and Wael K on their hulls. According to MarineTraffic, a ship tracking website, the Ladonna is a 157-metre Comoros-flagged bulk carrier and the Wael K is a 115-metre general cargo ship. Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine's seaport authority told Reuters on Wednesday that the number of Russian attacks on ports in the Odesa region had almost tripled from the previous year to 96 in 2025. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Writing by Max Hunder and Dan Peleschuk;Editing by Alison Williams and Kevin Liffey) A Russian drone damaged the Qatari Embassy building in Kyiv during a large-scale attack on the city on the night of 8-9 January. Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) Quote: "In addition to our civilian infrastructure and energy facilities, the building of the Embassy of Qatar was damaged last night by a Russian drone Qatar, a state that does so much to mediate with Russia in order to secure the release of prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons. Advertisement Advertisement A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to. Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure." Details: Zelenskyy stressed that the latest Russian strike is a loud reminder to international partners that support for Ukraine's air defence is a constant priority. Background: On the night of 8-9 January, Russia launched a large-scale combined attack on Ukraine. The main targets were Kyiv Oblast and the capital. As of Friday morning, four people are reported to have been killed in the capital alone. Among them is an ambulance worker. Dozens of people were injured. Russia also used a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile to strike a critical infrastructure facility in Lviv Oblast. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 278 airborne weapons on the night of 8-9 January 36 missiles and 242 drones of various types. As of 09:00, air defence units had shot down or jammed 244 aerial assets. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Whether you are planning a fairytale walk through Copenhagens cobblestone streets or a scenic road trip across Denmarks windswept fjords, safety is always on the mind of savvy travelers. Recently, people on travel forums have asked about Denmarks safety, partly driven by news around Greenlands geopolitical spotlight and shifting global headlines. Yet the question remains: is Denmark itself a safe destination for your trip in 2026? The short answer for most travelers is yes. Denmark consistently ranks among the worlds safest travel destinations and remains stable, welcoming, and generally free of major conflict or danger. That said, every destination has nuances. Understanding local safety conditions, common travel concerns, and the situation around Greenland can help you plan with confidence and peace of mind. Photo by Febiyan on Unsplash (Photo by Febiyan on Unsplash) Greenland talk and geopolitical context should travelers worry? A recent topic in headlines and online chatter is the geopolitical situation involving Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. In early 2026, statements from U.S. political leaders about acquiring Greenland caused diplomatic tension and wide international discussion. Denmarks prime minister rejected these remarks and emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, reaffirming the countrys commitment to sovereignty and NATO alliance frameworks. Advertisement Advertisement These developments, while serious in political terms, have no direct bearing on travel safety in Denmark for tourists. They reflect highlevel diplomatic negotiations and security discussions between governments and military alliances. There is no indication from official sources that this situation has translated into travel advisories or heightened risk to visitors on the ground in Denmark. Travelers should treat global headlines with perspective and monitor official travel advice from reputable sources rather than equate geopolitics with immediate danger to tourists. It is also important to note that Greenland, while politically linked to Denmark, has its own travel conditions, climate concerns, and remote geography that differ from mainland Denmark. If you plan to visit Greenland as part of a broader trip, research that destination separately and prepare accordingly for weather and logistical factors. Denmarks safety profile: what official sources say Denmark regularly ranks high on global peace and safety indexes, and official travel advisories reflect that stability. According to recent international travel assessments, Denmark is considered safe for tourists traveling with standard precautions, and violent crime is rare compared with many other countries. Travelers who visit Denmark rarely experience serious crime, and the overall experience is one of ease rather than risk. Petty theft such as pickpocketing or bag snatching can occur in popular places like train stations, tourist streets, and crowded areas. Police in Denmark are professional, approachable, and often speak English, making reporting easy if needed. Related: The 7 best travel tips to follow before going abroad Like many other European countries, Denmark acknowledges a general terrorism risk, as indiscriminate attacks could theoretically occur anywhere in the world. Denmarks security services work actively to monitor potential threats, and travelers are encouraged to stay aware of their surroundings and follow guidance from local authorities. In daily life, Danish cities feel open, orderly, and welcoming. Public transportation is clean and efficient, and nowhere is personal safety infrastructure stronger than in urban Denmark. On the ground: what travelers should know While Denmark overall is safe, there are practical travel tips worth knowing before you go. Petty theft happens most often in crowded tourist zones such as Copenhagen Central Station, the main shopping street Strget, and around popular nightlife areas. Keeping wallets and passports secure and being mindful of your belongings in busy places will go a long way toward a stressfree trip. Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhoods like Christiania or Nrrebro in Copenhagen have unique cultures and are worth visiting for their local flavor, but they may also have occasional isolated incidents related to nightlife or latenight crowds. Staying in welllit, active areas after dark and using licensed transport services helps maintain safety. Related: Avoid getting fooled: the latest travel scams you need to know I recently spent a few days in Copenhagen and was struck by how safe the city felt at every turn. Traveling as two women unfamiliar with the area, we walked through the streets late at night without encountering any issues or feeling uneasy. The city felt calm and welcoming, and we were pleasantly surprised by how few unhoused individuals we came across, which added to the sense of security. Beyond the physical safety, what stood out most was the warmth of the Danish people. Strangers were consistently kind, helpful, and generous, whether offering directions, sharing local tips, or simply smiling as we navigated the city. It was a rare combination of safety and hospitality that made our short visit feel effortless and truly enjoyable. If you plan to drive outside city centers, Danish roads are wellmaintained, and traffic systems are predictable. Bicycles are a cherished part of Danish street life, so be attentive to bike lanes and local traffic etiquette to avoid accidents. Likewise, Denmarks healthcare system is worldclass, and emergency services are reliable if required during your stay. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter and get hidden gems, travel secrets, and stories like this delivered straight to your inbox! Practical travel advice for Denmark in 2026 If you decide to travel to Denmark right now, here are clear, travelertested tips to make the most of your trip without unnecessary worry: Stay aware of pickpocket hotspots. Keep passports and electronics secure, especially in busy squares and transit stations. Avoid public demonstrations. Like many stable democracies, protests happen but are usually peaceful. Staying a respectful distance is wise. Know emergency numbers. In Denmark, dial 112 for immediate police, fire, or ambulance assistance. Respect local laws. Even small things like public order rules or drug penalties vary by country. Familiarizing yourself with Danish laws helps avoid misunderstandings. Use common sense at night. Welllit, populated streets are safer; licensed taxis and rideshares reduce stress after dark. Denmarks hospitality, high quality of life, and efficient infrastructure make it a favorite for travelers seeking culture, design, history, and nature. With thoughtful planning and awareness, Denmark remains a rewarding and safe destination for 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Adventure starts with a clicksign up for our newsletter for travel tips and stories. This story was originally published by TravelHost on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Attractions section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. By Shivangi Acharya and Shivam Patel NEW DELHI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - India's trade pact with the United States stalled last year because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a telephone call to President Donald Trump ahead of a deal, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Friday, giving an account of events that New Delhi has denied. Trade talks between India and the U.S. fell apart and Trump then doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50%, the world's highest rate, including a levy of 25% in retaliation for India's purchases of Russian oil. "It's all set up and you have got to have Modi call the President. And they were uncomfortable doing it," Lutnick said in an interview on the All-In podcast, a U.S. show by four venture capitalists that focuses on business and technology. "So Modi didn't call." Responding to Lutnick's remarks, India's foreign ministry said the "characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate." The two nations have been close to a deal on several occasions since the agreement to negotiate in February last year, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a media briefing on Friday. "Incidentally, Prime Minister and President Trump have also spoken on phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership. Lutnick's comments came after Trump stepped up the pressure for talks with a warning this week that tariffs could rise further unless India curbs its Russian oil imports. The failure to reach a deal has pushed the Indian rupee to a record low and spooked investors waiting for progress in two-way negotiations. India is still seeking a tariff rate between Washington's offers to Britain and Vietnam that had formerly been agreed but the offer has expired, Lutnick added. India's trade ministry did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment on Lutnick's remarks. New Delhi and Washington were very close to a trade deal last year but a communication breakdown led to the collapse of any potential pact, Reuters reported. It cited an Indian government official involved in the talks as saying that Modi could not have called Trump, for fear that a one-sided conversation would put him on the spot. (Reporting by Shivangi Acharya and Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Hugh Lawson) The News Saudi Arabia asserted its dominance in Yemens south and, in the process, exposed sharp differences with the UAE. The swift changes over the past month during which UAE-backed separatists gained control of large swaths of the country before quickly losing that territory appear to have been settled, for now. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council reportedly dissolved itself after talks in Riyadh this week, during which some members may have been held incommunicado. Its leader fled by boat and then plane, apparently to Abu Dhabi, according to Saudi officials. The developments in Yemen, which remains divided between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis, carry regional and global implications. The country sits alongside a major shipping chokepoint between Asia and Europe, and its island of Socotra beyond its appeal as a tourist destination hosts military assets and is a node for communications cables. Directly across the Gulf of Aden lies Somaliland, another secessionist region where the UAE has built up its influence. Countries that can maintain military bases on either side have strategic influence over security and trade. The competition over Yemen and the Horn of Africa is intensifying a previously quiet rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh that could complicate US-led efforts on Gaza and Iran, and alter how global businesses operate in both countries. Know More The rift over Yemen is increasingly visible online, in a worsening war of words. Neither Saudi nor the UAE has a free press, and both enforce strict laws governing social media posts that are deemed to threaten national security or defame their rulers. But just like the Qatar embargo almost a decade ago, those rules seem to slacken when officials make direct accusations against fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members. Most of the vitriol has been aimed at the UAE, with Emiratis largely exercising restraint and, unlike the Qatar episode, both are avoiding personal attacks on rulers (or their mothers). One Middle East expert warned the divisions could portend a regional transformation. But an investor with close ties to Abu Dhabi noted that escalatory steps havent yet been taken, such as withdrawal of ambassadors, and urged all sides to relax. WASHINGTON The Senate will hang a plaque honoring the law enforcement officers who protected the Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, following through with a law initially passed in 2022 that has yet to take effect. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., introduced a resolution to direct the architect of the Capitol to prominently display the plaque somewhere in the Senate to honor the law enforcement members who responded to the Jan. 6 attack until a permanent location is determined. The resolution passed with unanimous consent, meaning it did not require a formal vote and was approved with no objections. The bill comes nearly four years after Congress originally commissioned a plaque to be hung in the Capitol honoring all the law enforcement agencies who responded to the attack that day. However, the plaque which has since been finished, but reportedly placed in storage has not been installed yet. Advertisement Advertisement Republicans took control of the House in 2023, and since then have declined to follow through with the bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed the justification for the missing plaque this week as Congress marked the fifth anniversary of the Capitol riot. The law, Johnson argued, would require the plaque to list all of the individual names of the officers who were at the Capitol that day but the plaque that was commissioned only lists the agencies. If Democrats want that plaque to be hung, Johnson said, theyd need to amend the law through the appropriate committees. Tillis argued that technicality could be easily cured by publishing a digital list of names of police heroes online in addition to the plaque. Advertisement Advertisement We owe the police eternal gratitude for their Jan. 6 response, Tillis said on Thursday. Because the resolution only deals with Senate property, its unlikely it will need House approval. However, the House will need to weigh in at some point in order to find the permanent location outlined in Tillis resolution. Its not clear if the digital list of officers is sufficient for Johnson and other House Republicans in accordance with the law, nor is it clear how long it could take for the House to vote on a similar resolution to install the plaque. At least 160 officers were injured during the Jan. 6 riot, and hundreds others were present as they sought to secure the Capitol building. Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics teams latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In todays edition, Jonathan Allen breaks down the implications of the Senates Venezuela vote. Plus, Henry J. Gomez reports on Vice President JD Vances defense of the ICE officer involved in the fatal Minneapolis shooting. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Advertisement Advertisement Adam Wollner The Senate rebukes Trump on Venezuela, but it will do little to slow him down Analysis by Jonathan Allen President Donald Trumps critics are taking a victory lap after the Senate voted today to advance a resolution purporting to limit his power to use military force in Venezuela. Five Republicans joined Democrats in a procedural move that amounts to sending Trump a strongly worded letter of disapproval. But Congress isnt going to get in Trumps way when it comes to military action in Venezuela or anywhere else. If the Senate ultimately passes the resolution, there is no reason to think Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will take it up in the House. And there is every reason to think Trump would veto the legislation in the unlikely event that it ends up on his desk. Shortly after the votes were counted, Trump took to social media to excoriate the Republicans who voted against him Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana and say they should never be elected to office again. (Collins, notably, faces a tough re-election campaign this fall.) Advertisement Advertisement Republicans should be ashamed of the senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Citing the Constitution, the Vietnam-era War Powers Act and a subsequent law outlining the process for Congress voting to remove U.S. forces from hostilities, the Senate voted to direct Trump to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and some set of lawmakers invariably becomes defensive of that prerogative when they dont agree with the military action in question. But only three current senators Republicans Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, along with Vermont independent Bernie Sanders were alive in the summer of 1942, when Congress last voted to declare war. The War Powers Act has arguably made it much easier for a president to deploy force without a formal declaration of war. Under its provisions, the president has 48 hours to inform Congress of military action and can conduct hostilities for up to 60 days without congressional approval. In addition, it created a pathway for Congress to vote to authorize the president to go to war without a declaration a means President George W. Bush used to launch the global war on terror and the Iraq War. Advertisement Advertisement If Congress was serious about tying Trumps hands and if there were anywhere near the votes needed to override a veto it would pass a government funding bill that prohibits the use of money for military action in Venezuela. More broadly, Congress appears to have little appetite for taking back the responsibility and accountability for declaring war. If lawmakers wanted that, and the ballot box risk that comes with it, they would repeal the War Powers Act altogether. Vice President JD Vance articulated the view of most executive branch officials over many decades today when he said: The War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake and unconstitutional law. That hasnt been tested in the courts, and it wont be anytime soon. As long as lawmakers want to sidestep the responsibility for making war, theyll make speeches instead and pass largely symbolic resolutions. Related: New DOJ opinion offers legal justification for Maduro seizure, Trump officials tell Congress, by Ryan J. Reilly and Julie Tsirkin Vance says death of Minnesota woman killed by ICE was 'a tragedy of her own making' By Henry J. Gomez Vice President JD Vance claimed that the woman fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis was brainwashed and suggested without evidence that she was tied to a broader left-wing network. Advertisement Advertisement Vance, his voice at times rising in anger as he spoke and took questions in the White House briefing room, also lectured the media for its coverage of the incident while offering few details to back up his version of events. Im not happy that this woman lost her life, Vance said of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was shot and killed during a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers yesterday. President Donald Trump has said Good was resisting orders and viciously ran over the ICE Officer during an immigration-related operation in the city. Officials and an eyewitness have disputed that account. Im not happy that this woman was there at a protest violating the law by interfering with the law enforcement action, Vance added. I think that we can all recognize that the best way to turn down the temperature is to tell people to take their concerns about immigration policy to the ballot box, stop assaulting and stop inciting violence against our law enforcement officers. Thats the best way to take down the temperature. ... Were not going to give in to terrorism on this, and thats exactly whats happened. Vances appearance in the briefing room was rare, underscoring the administrations eagerness to make him a point man on Minnesota. He joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to discuss the administrations response to the shooting and to an ongoing investigation involving allegations of misuse of welfare funds in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Vance was critical of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, his Democratic opponent for vice president in 2024, and announced the creation of an associate attorney general position to tackle fraud probes in Minnesota and other states. But he was particularly exercised about the shooting, criticizing questions about whether it was warranted. The ICE officer who shot Good, he said, nearly died six months ago after having been dragged by a car and required dozens of stitches in his leg. So you think maybe hes a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile? Vance said. Read more The latest from Minneapolis: The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension wont be part of the probe into the shooting. Instead, the FBI will be solely responsible for the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Asked about the move, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Minnesota state investigators of allowing volatility and not doing their work. Walz said hes pessimistic that a fair outcome will come from the federal probe. Walz also authorized the Minnesota National Guard to be staged and ready to support local and state law enforcement in the wake of ongoing protests. Follow live updates Today's other top stories In the House: The House voted to revive expired Obamacare funds for three years, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats in favor. Lawmakers also failed to override Trumps veto of two GOP-sponsored bills. In the Senate: The Senate unanimously agreed to hang a plaque honoring the officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after the House refused to do so. Read more Retirement watch: Rep. Steny Hoyer , D-Md., announced he wont seek re-election. Hoyer, 86, is the longest-serving Democrat in the House. Read more In the courts: A judge ruled that a fifth federal prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi is serving unlawfully. Read more In the courts, cont.: Trump is seeking $6.2 million in legal fees from Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis office after the election interference case against him and others was dismissed. Read more Climate crunch: Trumps decision to withdraw from international organizations affiliated with the United Nations leaves the U.S. without a meaningful voice in global climate talks. Read more Kicking off: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his re-election campaign in a speech foreshadowing themes that could double as the foundation of a potential 2028 presidential bid as he detailed his fight against the chaos and toxicity in Washington, D.C. Read more Thats all From the Politics Desk for now. Todays newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Owen Auston-Babcock. Advertisement Advertisement If you have feedback likes or dislikes email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com And if youre a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Shipley Do-Nuts, the US-based doughnut and kolache chain, has named Bill Leibengood as its chief marketing officer (CMO). Leibengood has more than 25 years of restaurant marketing and operations experience. He has served as CMO of Houlihans before moving into the chief operating officer role, and also held senior marketing positions at Wingstop Restaurants and Applebees. In his new role, Leibengood will develop marketing strategies to increase same-store sales, strengthen Shipleys digital engagement and deliver more seamless, modern guest touchpoints. He will also work on aligning promotional efforts across the system. Advertisement Advertisement Leibengood said: As Shipley continues to scale, disciplined marketing will play a critical role in the company's next phase of growth. My focus will be on strengthening our marketing capabilities, sharpening our data-driven decision making and ensuring our brand continues to meet guests where they are as we amplify Shipley's position as the premier doughnut and kolache destination nationwide. The appointment comes as Shipley continues to expand, opening a record 35 new shops last year, including locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Shipley Do-Nuts' CEO Flynn Dekker said: With his deep marketing expertise, Bill will help elevate our brand storytelling through fresh, creative initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement He will have significant responsibility for strengthening the authentic guest experience our customers have cherished for nearly 90 years as we expand across the country and share our Texas heritage with new communities. "Shipley Do-Nuts appoints Bill Leibengood as new CMO" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. Singapores former prime minister said the American military raid on Venezuela was worrying for smaller nations, becoming the latest Asian leader to voice concern over the attack. Senior minister Lee Hsien Loong said that a difficult internal situation couldnt be a justification for military intervention by one country into another, unilaterally and without any proper authorisation. The attack might have appeared to be a spectacular military success but it could have long-term consequences for the international system, he warned. Advertisement Advertisement From the point of view of a small country, if thats the way the world works, we have a problem, Mr Lee, who stepped down as his countrys prime minister after two decades in 2024, said at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institutes regional outlook forum on Thursday. To some extent, that has always been the way the world works. The US has done this many times in different parts of the world. And other powers do it too. But you look at the situation, you look at the impact of it and you ask yourself, 'Is this a plus or a minus?' I dont think this is a plus. His comments make Singapore the latest Asian nation to voice concerns and objections about the US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, joining Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and China. Venezuelans rip an American flag in half during a protest in Caracas against the capture of president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by US military forces (AP) Mr Maduros overthrow is emerging as the latest flashpoint between China and the US as they compete for influence in Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Mr Lee said a central challenge facing the world was the relationship between the US and China which was beset by tensions even though both countries remained wary of bearing the costs of a full-scale trade war. While many Asian countries counted the US as a crucial partner, they also recognised Chinas status as a major and growing economic power, he said. And as Washington was stepping back from its role as an anchor player in the region, Beijing was making the right noises on multilateralism, he added. China has come down heavily on the US for engaging in what it has called a bullying act against Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Beijing and Caracas have maintained close ties for many decades, driven by a shared political ideology and mutual distrust of a world led by Washington. President Xi Jinping took a veiled swipe at the US for engaging in unilateral bullying which he said seriously undermines the international order. All countries should respect other peoples independent choice of development paths and abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Mr Xi said, with major powers in particular setting the example. Indonesia expressed deep concern over any action involving the use or threat of force as it was not only dangerous but also disrupted stability. Including universal principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international humanitarian law, not for the rhetoric that can worsen the situation as we push for de-escalation, dialogue and protection of civilians, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Malaysia offered even stronger criticism, describing the US attack as a "clear violation of international law" and an unlawful use of force. Prime minister Ibrahim Anwar also demanded the release of president Maduro and his wife without any undue delay. India, which is not known to take strong stances in world politics, said it was concerned by the developments in Venezuela. Foreign minister S Jaishankar urged all involved parties to prioritise the well-being and safety of the people in the South American country. We would really urge all parties involved to now sit down and sort of come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and the safety of the people of Venezuela," Mr Jaishankar said at an event in Luxembourg. LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Six Kurdish people went on trial in Britain on Friday charged with membership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group banned in its home country Turkey as well as Britain and elsewhere. Prosecutors say the defendants, aged between 24 and 63, belonged to or professed to belong to the PKK, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain in 2001. They were charged in December 2024 after a police raid on a Kurdish Community Centre in north London the previous month, with some of the defendants also charged with arranging or addressing meetings in support of the PKK in 2023 and 2024. Advertisement Advertisement The PKK announced last year that it would disarm and disband, and symbolically burned weapons, but it remains widely banned, including in the European Union and the United States. Ercan Akbal, 57, Ali Boyraz, 63, Agit Karatas, 24, Berfin Kerban, 32, Turkan Ozcan, 60, and Mazlum Sayak, 28, have all pleaded not guilty to membership of a proscribed organisation. Akbal also denies two counts of arranging a meeting in support of the PKK and two counts of addressing a meeting to encourage support for the PKK. Ozcan and Sayak deny two counts of arranging a meeting in support of the PKK, and Boyraz and Karatas deny one count of addressing a meeting to encourage support for the PKK. Advertisement Advertisement The PKK fought for four decades for independence or autonomy for Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. "There is nothing wrong with the Kurds wanting self-determination or people campaigning for it ... but it is the means that the PKK used that caused them to be proscribed," Larkin said. The trial is due to take up to three months. (Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Six whales have died on a remote beach in New Zealand's South Island following a mass stranding and volunteers are racing against time to get 15 others that are still alive back to the sea. Some 55 pilot whales washed up on Farewell Spit on Thursday. While most managed to make their way back out to sea, 15 have restranded and are now spread along about 1km (0.6mi) of the beach. A video from Project Jonah, a non-profit working with marine mammals, showed volunteers pouring buckets of water on the whales to keep them cool. Advertisement Advertisement "When the tide comes in, we're going to have to move really quickly to bring these whales together, then move them out to deeper waters," said Louisa Hawkes from Project Jonah. Six pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on a remote New Zealand beach [Project Jonah New Zealand] Pilot whales are highly social animals and have a natural instinct to look out for one another. Volunteers hope to bring the 15 stranded whales together in a "nice tight group" to help them refamiliarise with one another and swim out together, Hawkes said. They will attempt to refloat the whales this afternoon, but time is tight. "We have to do all of that before the tide turns and drops again," Hawkes said. Advertisement Advertisement The group is calling for volunteers to help with the refloating. New Zealand's conservation department has deployed rangers, a boat and a drone to Farewell Spit to monitor any further strandings. Mass strandings regularly occur at Farewell Spit, located on the northern-most tip of the South Island. The conservation department describes it as a "naturally occurring 'whale trap'" located along a migratory route for long-finned whales. "Whales may be easily deceived and caught out by the gently sloping tidal flats and a rapidly falling tide," it said in a statement on Thursday. In February 2017, more than 400 long-finned pilot whales washed up there the largest stranding in New Zealand for more than 100 years. Flight options for local travelers are changing in 2026. San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is stopping or reducing direct flights to two desert destinations this spring, airport representatives told The Tribune. By May, the airport will provide direct flights to eight destinations across the United States, with nonstop trips to Dallas, Denver and more. Heres how air travel is changing in San Luis Obispo County this year: Passengers board an American Airlines flight for Phoenix at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport on the morning of July 16, 2024. (David Middlecamp/dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com) When do direct flights from SLO to Las Vegas end? Alaska Airlines brought back direct flights from San Luis Obispo to Las Vegas in early October. Advertisement Advertisement The airline will end daily nonstop service from SLO to Harry Reid International Airport on Monday, April 20, according to Joe Goble, a public information specialist for the San Luis Obispo County Department of airports. As of Wednesday, Jan. 7, the airport had not determined whether or when seasonal Las Vegas service may return later in 2026, Goble said in an email. Courtney Pene, SLO County deputy director of airports, told the Tribune in May that the airport would love to see Alaska Airlines make this nonstop route permanent and year-round. A one-way ticket from SLO to Las Vegas starts at $79. Can I still fly nonstop to Phoenix? American Airlines plans to reduce its daily direct service to Phoenix this spring. Advertisement Advertisement Currently, travelers can catch four nonstop flights from San Luis Obispo to the Arizona city each day. Starting on Saturday, May 3, the SLO airport will only have three daily direct flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Goble said. He did not specify which flight will be cut, but Google Flights indicated that the 9:45 a.m. American Airlines flight from SLO to Phoenix will no longer be available. One-way flight prices from San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport start at $376, according to the American Airlines website. Will SLO airport get flights to new destinations in 2026? The SLO airport did not have any new direct flights coming in 2026, as of Thursday, Jan. 8. As for new nonstop destinations, were always in active discussions with our airline partners, but theres nothing additional to announce at this time, Goble told The Tribune. Socialist and communist protest groups ramped up their coordinated demonstrations in blue cities Thursday, escalating their anti-government messaging and vilifying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis. The groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and The Peoples Forum, rallied their members in New York City, Chicago and elsewhere, while the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a self-described communist group, activated its members in cities from New Orleans to Minneapolis. The mobilization spawned demonstrations in multiple other cities, including Burlington, Vermont; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle; Atlanta; and Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Protesters chanted "Killer Kristi!" at a demonstration in downtown Manhattan, where Noem announced the arrest of 54 alleged Dominican Trinitarios gang members. "Go to hell, Kristi Noem!" they yelled. Fox News Politics Newsletter: Jeffries Slams Noem Over Minneapolis Shooting Response Read On The Fox News App A young self-declared communist holds up a sign at an anti-ICE rally at Foley Square in New York City Jan. 8, 2026. Other groups, closely aligned with the Democratic Party, including Indivisible and 50501, supported anti-ICE protests around the nation. By late Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit that has led anti-Israel protests for years, joined the cacophony of anti-ICE denouncements, declaring, "This is state violence." Advertisement Advertisement In New York, a crowd of about 300 people carried signs that said "ICE Cold Killers" and "ICE is Trumps Gestapo." The demonstrations followed the fatal shooting of anti-ICE protester Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an ICE enforcement operation in South Minneapolis Wednesday. Demonstrators accused the ICE agent of "cold-blooded murder," while Trump administration officials said he acted in self-defense after the woman drove her Honda Pilot SUV at him, threatening his life. WATCH: Protests continue in Minneapolis following deadly ICE shooting Who Was Renee Nicole Good, Woman Killed In Minneapolis Ice Shooting? Advertisement Advertisement Extremism experts are warning that the highly coordinated and choreographed demonstrations risk inciting violence against law enforcement and may be designed to manufacture the appearance of widespread chaos while advancing a coherent ideological agenda that exploits domestic flashpoints to destabilize the country. "I just wish the average American realized that there is a network of far-left agitators in America who are Marxist-Leninists, socialists, Maoists and even North Korean apologists," Stu Smith, a researcher at the Manhattan Institute with an expertise on domestic terrorism, told Fox News Digital. "As these ideologues say the issue is never the issue. Its all about the revolution. After this terrible situation in Minneapolis, they used social media and their networks to mobilize and get on the streets to hurt America." Ag Pam Bondi Warns Minnesota Protesters After Ice Shooting: 'Do Not Test Our Resolve' Advertisement Advertisement At Foley Square in New York, near local ICE offices, leaders from The Peoples Forum, a nonprofit activist hub that has received funding from a tech billionaire, Neville Roy Singham, and has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, stage-managed most of the day's protest. They arrived at 8:41 a.m., just minutes before the 9 a.m. start, hauling two shopping carts full of bullhorns and premade black-and-white signs printed with the message "JUSTICE FOR RENEE NICOLE GOOD" and a photo of Good with "PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION" across the bottom. "Want a sign?" one of the organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation asked demonstrators, many of them standing with their hands in their pockets. One man asked for a switch of signs. Advertisement Advertisement "Can I have the sign that says, ICE OUT OF OUR COMMUNITY?" he said. Beyond New York, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization led raucous protests near the site of the killing soon after news spread of the shooting. According to internal FBI documents made public, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been the subject of federal scrutiny. In 2015, the FBI opened an investigation into the group to assess potential criminal activity. While no charges were filed, internal FBI documents described the organization as a "revolutionary socialist and Marxist-Leninist organization" and cited alleged ties to foreign Marxist-Leninist extremist groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Advertisement Advertisement At the New York City demonstration, protesters spoke bluntly about their ideological orientation. "I personally identify as a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist, following the teachings of [former communist China leader] Mao Zedong," said demonstrator Tye Burrus, 18, who held a handmade sign depicting a hammer and sickle smashing a giant ice cube. Burrus, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation who self-identifies as transgender, said losing faith in the Democrats and never having faith in the Republicans led to embracing communism. "So, now I am a communist," Burrus said. One demonstrator sold copies of the Workers Vanguard, which calls itself a "Marxist Newspaper" of the Spartacist League, the U.S. chapter of the International Communist League. Advertisement Advertisement Ice Agents Actions In Minneapolis Shooting Were Absolutely Reasonable: Expert "One dollar please," she said, circulating in the crowd. Another protester handed out copies of a newspaper, The Revolution, which urges readers to "join the fight for socialist revolution." The paper, which identifies itself as a product of the Revolutionary Internationalist Youth and its local chapter at the City University of New York, notes that it advocates "the program of Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky." Yet another demonstrator, this one from the City University of New York student group, held a sign advocating "FOR A REVOLUTIONARY WORKERS PARTY," a labor party inspired by Soviet communist leader Leon Trotsky. The bottom of the sign said, "REVOLUTIONARY INTERNATIONALIST YOUTH." Advertisement Advertisement Members of Refuse Fascism, a group that describes itself as "anti-fascist," moved through the crowd, handing out slick, freshly printed pamphlets titled "The Peoples Indictment of Donald Trump," outlining what organizers described as a history of alleged constitutional violations by Trump. Online, it announced plans for a protest at the White House on Saturday at 1 p.m., posting online, "Trumps ICE Gestapo commits cold-blooded murder." Jonathan Turley: Minnesota Democrats' Choose 'Rage Politics' Over Sanity A protester at Foley Square holds up a "F--- Fascism" sign for the camera. Members of the Democratic Socialists of America, whose endorsed candidate Zohran Mamdani recently won New York Citys mayoral election, attended the protest wearing red hats bearing the groups "DSA" initials. Protest organizers declined requests for comment. On X, Mamdani echoed the talking points of the protesters, alleging that "an ICE agent murdered a woman in Minneapolis only the latest horror in a year full of cruelty." Advertisement Advertisement Among the demonstrators, symbols from different movements appeared side by side. One woman carried a flag for Palestine, while a man banging a cowbell hung a flag of communist Cuba on his backpack. As the demonstrators circled the sidewalk outside the World Trade Center with Noem inside, Manolo De Los Santos, a founder of The People's Forum and a regular protest organizer, told the crowd that demonstrators werent allowed inside. "We are not going anywhere," he shouted into a bullhorn. On the spot, The Peoples Forum posted De Los Santos defiant message on its X account: "NOW. MASSIVE PICKET AT WORLD TRADE CENTER." Click Here To Download The Fox News App But not for long. Soon after, the staged protest ended, the activists shuffled away and organizers from The Peoples Forum bundled up their megaphones and rolled away with their grocery carts filled with signs, neatly stacked and ready for use another day. Original article source: Socialist groups chant 'Killer Kristi' while escalating nationwide anti-ICE protests When Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland on Tuesday, he became the first Israeli official to visit the breakaway republic since his country established full diplomatic relations with it in the closing days of last year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the diplomatic recognition of Somaliland a breakaway part of Somalia on December 26. He said that the recognition was in keeping with the spirit of the Abraham Accords, referring to the United States-led initiative encouraging a number of Arab countries to normalise relations with Israel in return for diplomatic and financial concessions from the US. But Israels recognition of Somaliland has prompted protests within Somalia and complaints from dozens of countries and organisations, including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and the African Union. Advertisement Advertisement Meeting with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa on Tuesday, Saar told reporters that Israel had not been discouraged by criticism of its decision. We hear the attacks, the criticism, the condemnations, he said. Nobody will determine for Israel who we recognise and who we maintain diplomatic relations with. Hegemon Israels recognition of Somaliland comes after more than two years of its genocidal war on Gaza, and attacks on regional countries, including Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Qatar. Attacks on Lebanon continue, and there are new indications that Israel may be seeking to launch renewed attacks on Iran, its main regional nemesis. Advertisement Advertisement Israels wars appear to be an attempt to portray itself with US backing as the regional hegemon, uninterested in compromising with its enemies. Recognition of Somaliland, despite regional opposition, marks the latest part of that strategy. And Israel has found a new ally in the Horn of Africa on the back of its decision. Despite being self-governing for more than 30 years, Somaliland has failed to gain international recognition, despite maintaining its own currency, passport and army. Recognition has been elusive, meaning that even if there are qualms from some over ties with Israel, many are willing to overlook them in the hope that this decision will pave the path for other countries to follow. Advertisement Advertisement Clans, militias and corruption have ruined Somalia, Somali journalist and human rights activist Abdalle Mumin, who was previously imprisoned by his countrys authorities, told Al Jazeera, At least in Somaliland they have achieved some kind of peace and stability. Many hope that other countries will follow Israel, Mumin continued. Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israels announcement recognising Somalilands statehood in downtown Hargeisa [Farhan Aleli/AFP] Why has Israel recognised Somaliland? Nevertheless, speculation over why Israel chose to recognise Somaliland has mounted since Netanyahus announcement, with analysts pointing to its strategic location at the crossroads between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Somalilands port of Berbera lies close to some of the worlds busiest maritime routes, which have come under attack over the past two years from Yemens Houthi rebel movement, a sworn enemy of Israel. Advertisement Advertisement These were all factors in Israels recognition, former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy said, acknowledging that the Netanyahu government also benefitted from preserving the suggestion that Somaliland may take in Palestinians forced out of Gaza. However, Levy suspects Israels ambitions may be grander still, including increasing the countrys value to its chief sponsor, the US. By securing an ally in a strategically important region, The key dynamic, according to Levy, is momentum. If you set out to do something like this, you cant just stop [at recognition], he told Al Jazeera. You have to keep taking steps: more aircraft, more presence, more moves. Once youve committed to this kind of game, you need to stay at the table. Advertisement Advertisement The timing of the move, shortly before Netanyahus meeting with US President Donald Trump on December 29, also held significance, Levy said. Israel was trying to place itself more firmly on what it imagines Washingtons agenda to be, and how it imagines great power competition in the Horn of Africa, particularly with China, which maintains a base in neighbouring Djibouti, might play out. Weve seen before that Israel can put something on the table and the Americans follow later, he said. Israel may be implicitly telling the US, Were active, and were positioned in a way that helps you. Having us there helps you. Map of Somalia, showing Somaliland [Al Jazeera] Momentum According to many observers, the past two years of war have already fundamentally changed the nature of Israel, with the strain of its genocidal war on Gaza, plus news assaults upon its regional neighbours, leaving the country fractured, isolated and with the hard right firmly in the ascendancy. Advertisement Advertisement How enthusiastic the country might be for additional adventures in the Horn of Africa, a region, according to many observers, that remains largely unknown to much of the Israeli public, is unclear. Israelis have no idea what or where Somaliland is. Its a non-issue in Israel, Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera. The first time the news came out, it was published alongside maps showing the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and its position across the Gulf of Aden. They had to show people where it was, he said, dismissing the suggestion that Israel may ever station troops there. No, this is Netanyahu doing what hes been doing ever since October 7, 2023: expanding the theatre of conflict, he said. Be that to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen or Iran. Now, its Somaliland. Theres no other rationale behind it. Its about always moving forward. The Indonesian government has adopted a new tariff policy aimed to safeguard domestic cotton woven fabric producers in the face of increased imports. According to a report from the Jakarta Globe ID, the policywhich was signed on Dec. 22follows an investigation from the Indonesian Trade Safeguard Committee, which suggested that an increase in cotton woven fabric imports have begun impacting the nations domestic textile sector. More from Sourcing Journal Known as the Bea Masuk Tindakan Pengmanan (BMTP) duty, the tariff will be applied on top of existing import duties, including preferred tariffs under international trade agreements and most-favored-nation rates. Imports from 122 World Trade Organization member developing countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and nations in Africa and Latin America will be exempt from the duty. The policy will be applied for three years with a declining tariff each year. During the first year, rates will range from Rp3,000 ($0.18) to Rp3,300 per meter, based on tariff classification. The rate drops to Rp2,800-Rp3,100 per meter during the second year, and in the final year it will be Rp2,600-Rp2,900. The textile and apparel industry is one of Indonesias largest manufacturing sectors, supported by a robust domestic market and a long-established value chain ranging from fiber production to finished garments. According to the nonprofit Business Indonesia, Indonesias textile and apparel gross domestic product grew 4.26 percent in 2024 after several years of volatility, with Purchasing Managers Index indicators reaching its highest level in nearly a year in November 2025. Indonesia is a player in the global textile market, ranking 13th among textile-exporting countries with a 1.66 percent share of global textile exports, valued at $13.4 billion in 2023 according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. Yet, the countrys domestic demand for textiles continues to drive the industry, accounting for around 30 percent of production, according to Business Indonesia. The organization credits that demand to a combination of online retail, increased purchasing power in urban areas and Indonesias rapid adoption of new fashion trends. The countrys large Muslim populationroughly 12 percent of the worlds Muslims, or around 240 million people, live in Indonesia, according to the Pew Research Centeralso has helped boost domestic textile demand. Around 80 percent of Muslim apparel production in Indonesia is for domestic consumption, according to Business Indonesia. While Indonesia will allow some exemptions for importers, those entities must submit a certificate of origin for cotton woven fabric imports from eligible countries. If origin requirements arent met, the imports will remain subject to the duty. The Mosi-3 exercise will run for a week off the coast of Cape Town, under Chinese leadership, with South Africa acting as host. In a statement, the South African Navy said the manoeuvres would involve vessels from Brics+, a grouping that has recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. In reality, however, the exercise is largely a coming-together of China, Russia and Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Tellingly, the Mosi drills a multinational naval exercise hosted by South Africa every two years were rebranded at the last minute as Will for Peace. According to the South African National Defence Force, the chosen theme is joint actions to ensure the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities. It is an ambitious objective, although the number of ships involved will be modest. China is sending two vessels, the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan and the supply ship Taihu. Russia is deploying a corvette equipped with a helicopter, while Iran is contributing its 103rd flotilla. With Brics expansion, China seeks a global counterweight to US An exercise in influence By welcoming Iranian vessels for the first time, South Africa's latest naval exercise has broken with tradition a move that is seen as a clear sign of converging interests between Iran, China and Russia. Advertisement Advertisement All three share an ambition to challenge what they see as a Western-dominated international order. The deployment is taking place not far from French-controlled waters in the Indian Ocean, and the French military is watching closely. I think its mainly a signal, one senior officer told RFI, speaking anonymously. Theyre not going to achieve real naval interoperability in a week, but they are sending a strategic message. They are showing that they can project power far from home. The timing is also no coincidence. With shipping routes being diverted away from the Red Sea because of tensions linked to attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen, there is renewed interest in asserting a presence around the Cape of Good Hope the maritime crossroads between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. Advertisement Advertisement The fact that they changed the name of the exercise to Will for Peace at the last minute is revealing, the officer added. The message is implicit: the Americans use force against countries in the Global South, such as Venezuela, while they present themselves as a bloc united around peace. Chinese 'geopolitics of debt' While the three guest nations are not necessarily pursuing identical goals in the southern Indian Ocean, together they are flexing their respective muscles and marking out an area of interest. Over the past two decades, Beijing has become Africas leading trading partner and bilateral creditor, with southern Africa playing a central role in Chinese strategy. Chinas influence in the western Indian Ocean is also built on infrastructure, notably through the Belt and Road Initiative. Advertisement Advertisement In Madagascar, Tanzania and Mozambique, it is financing and constructing ports, roads and energy projects. China's expanding footprint allows Beijing to secure fishing rights, protect its maritime trade flows and potentially lay the groundwork for future military facilities. It fits perfectly with their largely commercial offer, the French officer notes. Because they are buyers and lenders, its the geopolitics of debt. But it also adds another layer, by showing that they now have growing military capabilities in a world where power is becoming more and more significant. Chinas new strategy in Africa: is the continent getting a fair deal? Moscow seeks to offset isolation For Moscow, the war in Ukraine has only heightened Africas strategic importance. Advertisement Advertisement Russias engagement in southern Africa reflects a need to offset the political and economic isolation brought about by Western sanctions imposed since 2022. Diplomatically, the region is seen by Moscow as a valuable reservoir of support. At the United Nations General Assembly, several southern African countries including Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania have abstained or declined to back resolutions condemning Russias aggression in Ukraine. Africa and war in Ukraine: from strategic neutrality to pro-Russian realignment And when it comes to energy, European sanctions are pushing Russia to diversify its partnerships in Africa. Advertisement Advertisement In the Mozambique Channel, this approach translates into offers of energy and security cooperation, particularly to Mozambique, Madagascar and the Comoros. According to French military sources in the region, these relationships are often built on a predatory model, combining military assistance with influence operations. Unlike the Chinese, who focus on economics, the Russians are far more active on the military front, one officer explained to RFI. They are promoting anti-French narratives in Madagascar and the Comoros. The region also serves as a transit route for Russias so-called shadow fleet, giving Moscow a clear interest in securing these waters. Advertisement Advertisement As for Iran, its participation in the exercise above all signals strategic solidarity with Russia and, by extension, with China. In southern Africa, China and Russia present their approach as one of equal partnerships. However, behind this strategy lies a different logic. By institutionalising their naval presence through exercises such as Mosi-3, both countries are showcasing their strength and asserting their geopolitical ambitions in a region that is growing ever more strategically important. This article has been adapted from the original in French by RFI's Frank Alexandre. South Dakotas K-12 population dropped slightly this year, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again. Watertown schools saw a decrease year over year, from 2024 to 2025. However, the Castlewood school system saw an increase. Thats according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31. Watertown's Dane Stark passes the ball while being guarded by Brookings' Gavin Smith during their season-opening high school boys basketball game on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at Brookings High School. Watertown won 66-45. All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction. Advertisement Advertisement There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last years count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease. Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last years fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%. 2024 fall count: South Dakota's public school enrollment shrank by more than 400 students, DOE reports Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last years count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%. Advertisement Advertisement Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools. Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last years count, an increase of 8%. In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction. Watertown, Castlewood school enrollment numbers In 2024, Watertown public schools had 3,535 students enrolled. By 2025, enrollment decreased to 3,366, decreasing by 169 students. Advertisement Advertisement As for private schools in Watertown, enrollment went up by 25 students from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, Watertown had 80 students in private schools. This fall, the number went up to 105. As for Castlewood, the 2024 numbers were 337, increasing to 350 in 2025. This school district moved the needle up by 13 students. Sioux Falls area public schools The states largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last years count of 24,221 K-12 students to this years count of 24,050. Students walk off the school bus to find their classroom line during the first day of school on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, at Marcella LeBeau Elementary School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sioux Falls neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year: Advertisement Advertisement Harrisburg, the states third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year. Brandon Valley, the states fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year. All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last falls count of 44,334. OGorman graduates toss their caps up as the ceremony ends on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last falls count of 4,777. More: Alternative education on the rise as South Dakota Legislature eyes school choice bill Louis listens to his mom Cassandra Brown talk about foxes during a lesson on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, at The Pelican School in Sioux Falls. All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last years count of 2,835. Alice Mannette contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Why more South Dakota families are choosing homeschooling By Heejin Kim SEOUL, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will visit Japan on January 13 and 14 for a summit with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Lee's office said on Friday. Lee and Takaichi will hold the summit in Nara City on January 13, followed by a dinner, where they are expected to discuss regional and global affairs as well as economic and social issues, the presidential office said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement The pair will attend diplomatic events together and Lee will separately meet with South Korean residents in Japan, it said. The summit aims to reinforce the goal of developing South KoreaJapan relations in a future-oriented, stable direction, Lee's office said. The leaders may also discuss regional issues such as the current dispute between China and Japan, and the potential participation of North Korean athletes at the Asian Games scheduled for September in Japan, Lee's security adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing on Friday. (Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies) Pages from a federal analysis outlining perceived national security risks posed by Revolution Wind and four other East Coast wind farm projects submitted in a court filing by the Department of Justice. A recent federal analysis revealed new and specific national security risks posed by offshore wind, including Rhode Islands nearly completed Revolution Wind project, according to the Trump administration. But, its classified. Advertisement Advertisement Federal regulators, and the U.S. Department of Justice attorneys representing them in court, offered little explanation for the abrupt suspension of five East Coast wind projects, including Revolution Wind, in court filings submitted Thursday. The tranche of documents, spanning 160 pages, defends the Interior Departments Dec. 22 stop work order, which is being challenged by the Revolution Wind project developers, along with the companies behind three of the four other projects. The companies have each turned to federal courts to attempt to bar the Trump administration from interfering in their projects, claiming the 90-day suspension is an executive overreach that violates constitutional separation of powers, among other laws. For the 65-turbine Revolution Wind project already 87% complete south of Rhode Islands coastline, the late December halt to construction was especially harmful. The 704-megawatt project already endured a monthlong pause from August to September when federal regulators first sought to stop work under the guise of national security concerns. The initial stop work order was temporarily tossed by U.S. Senior Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lamberth is scheduled to consider the second request for a preliminary injunction from the Revolution Wind developers, joined by the Rhode Island and Connecticut AGs, on Monday. Ahead of the in-person hearing, Trump attorneys laid out their defense in writing to the court. They refuted allegations of constitutional breaches, and consequences for the project developers, who say they are at risk of losing $6 billion if construction cannot resume by Jan. 12. Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administrations response? When it comes to the operation of the Project, the public interest in national security outweighs Revolution Winds alleged economic harms, wrote Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division. When it comes to the operation of the Project, the public interest in national security outweighs Revolution Winds alleged economic harms. Statement by Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division, in court brief But exactly what security concerns prompted the Trump administration to renege on the existing federal approval for the project remains fuzzy. The project had already undergone a rigorous and lengthy review of economic, environmental and security considerations. Advertisement Advertisement Jacob Tyner, the Interior Departments deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, pointed to a November 2025 assessment completed by the Department of War, the new name the Trump administration has given the Department of Defense. The assessment itself is classified. But according to Tyner, This information included, among other things, discussion of the rapid evolution of relevant adversarial technologies and the direct impacts to national security that arise from the operation of offshore wind projects in proximity to early warning monitoring systems, and military and civilian radar systems. The findings set off a chain reaction: Defense leaders met with federal wind energy regulators to update them on the new analysis. Energy regulators then wrote to Revolution Wind and developers of four other projects to call for a 90-day pause because they had not considered the specific national security risks in prior reviews of the projects, Tyner wrote. This despite documented analysis, and agreement, over how the towering turbines spinning in Rhode Island sound might affect military surveillance and radar systems by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) out of its operations center in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement A November 2024 agreement between the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force and the Revolution Wind developers outlined ways the parties agreed to mitigate potential radar concerns, including ongoing coordination and analysis of the acoustic monitoring equipment and fiber-optic cables used in the project constitution and operations. The agreement also called for the project developers to give $80,000 to the Defense Department within 10 days of completion for adverse effects from its project. In exchange, the Defense Department agreed not to object or interfere with project construction and operation, as long as the developers remained in material compliance. As of the effective date of this agreement, Project Owner has disclosed to the DoD Parties in writing all material facts necessary for the DoD Parties to be able to fully assess the Projects potential adverse impacts on military operations and readiness and risks to national security, the agreement, signed Nov. 4 2024, states. Advertisement Advertisement A second declaration from Dale Marks, deputy undersecretary of acquisition and sustainment for the Defense Department, might offer some clue what changed. But nearly all of the eight-page submission is redacted. A separate classified declaration presumably without redactions was submitted to the court for private review by the judge. Burgums initial halt to construction set out a 90-day review timeline, though it acknowledged the possibility of extending the pause. But Tyners declaration hinted that a resolution may never come. At this time, BOEM is not aware whether the national security risks can be mitigated and, if they can, whether Developers would find the proposed mitigation measures acceptable, Tyner wrote. Further, any potential mitigation measures may be more effectively incorporated into the Revolution Wind Project before construction is completed. Also affected by the suspension order are Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind, both off New Yorks coastline; Vineyard Wind 1, south of Marthas Vineyard; and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. Developers for Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind and the Virginia project have also filed separate federal lawsuits against the Trump administration seeking to resume their projects. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A new bill would give people the power to take action against their Community Development District board members for misconduct or failure to perform the job. State Senator Kristen Arrington filed SB 1180 this week. It could affect a situation currently happening in Osceola County, where neighbors claim that the Concorde Estates Community Development District spent $900,000 in 20 days without any apparent vote among board members. State auditors are now planning an audit of the District, following a request from State Senator Arrington and a unanimous vote from the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. Advertisement Advertisement FDLE is also investigating Concorde Estates, but the agency hasnt commented further on the investigation. So, what is a community development district? In the state of Florida, tens of thousands of people live in these neighborhoods. This is a mini-local government created to build and maintain the community. It handles the development and maintenance of various facilities, including roads, landscaping, parks, and amenities. It is paid for through assessments on the homeowners who live there and is reflected on their annual property tax bill. Senator Arrington says she hopes this gives residents an option to act soon rather than waiting for the results of this state audit, which could take several months. Advertisement Advertisement As election law currently stands, the only way to hold district members accountable is to vote them out at the end of their term, which is typically four years. If this bill passes, it would give residents an explicit, enforceable avenue to remove failing board members for the first time. This is what weve been working for and asking for and pleading for, said Sharon Taggert, a resident at Concorde Estates. Jim and Sharon Taggert are two of many residents who went door-to-door in their district, Concorde Estates, to gather voters signatures to recall board members last year. This is despite the District and its chairman not having answered residents questions about why the community was falling into disrepair, with amenities not being maintained and grass sometimes overgrown. Advertisement Advertisement Residents allege the District spent half its budget, $900,000, in 20 days in December 2024 without a vote from the board. There has been no sufficient explanation from the board regarding the necessity or justification for this level of expenditure, according to a letter from Senator Arrington to lawmakers requesting the state audit last November. Some board members, including the chairman Victor Cruz, have been no-shows at scheduled meetings. Residents say at least three meetings have been canceled at the last minute. In fact, on Wednesday, 9 Investigates was at the scheduled board meeting along with more than a dozen residents and two board members. It wasnt until after the meeting was set to start that residents learned the meeting had been canceled without any explanation. Advertisement Advertisement Residents say the last meeting theyve had was June 2025.These people have control of our purse strings, Taggert said. We need to go with people that we feel we can trust. Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington told 9 Investigates that after residents gathered signatures, the state advised her that election law wouldnt allow recalls in special districts. Now, her daughter-in-law, State Senator Arrington, filed a 13-page bill. We just want them to be held accountable to you know the same standards that other elected officials are, Sen. Arrington said. If this bill passes, it will hold district board members to the same standard as city and county officials. Advertisement Advertisement It allows voters in the district to remove elected officials for various reasons, including malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, and incompetence. To initiate the recall process, 10 percent of registered voters in the CDD must sign the initial recall petition within 30 days. The board member is then given a chance to respond, petitioners must collect an additional round of signatures, 15 percent of registered voters in the district, to force a recall election. A simple majority, defined as 50 percent plus one, is required to remove a board member, according to the proposed bill. This is something that the residents could do timely and a great way that they could put the situation into their own hands, Sen. Arrington told 9 Investigates. Advertisement Advertisement The Florida Legislature is set to start the 2026 session this upcoming Tuesday. After this story was published, Concorde Estates provided the statement below. It is the same statement the District provided in October when asked about misuse of spending and other allegations. At this time, the Concorde Estates Community Development District Board has not authorized any interviews or public statements concerning ongoing matters. Because there are potential legal issues and other pending proceedings, the Board believes that public comment at this stage could be detrimental to the interests of the District and the community as a whole. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. The post Stingless Bees Outlasted DinosaursBut Can Legal Rights Shield Them Now? appeared first on A-Z Animals. Quick Take Stingless bees have pollinated much of the Amazon for 80 million years and support key crops like cacao, coffee, and bananas. In 2025, municipalities in Peru became the first in the world to grant an insect legal rights, including the right to exist and be protected from harm. Climate change, deforestation, pesticides, and invasive species are putting stingless bees at serious risk. Indigenous communities have long relied on stingless bees for food, medicine, and tradition, and helped lead the push for legal protection. Stingless bees are so ancient that they shared the planet with the dinosaurs. For the past 80 million years, stingless bees have been pollinating 80% of the Amazons flora, including such crops as bananas, avocados, coffee, and cacao plants. In 2025, this key pollinator became the first insect in the world to be granted legal rights. Frieseomelitta is a genus of stingless bees native to Peru. Vinicius R. Souza/Shutterstock.com (Vinicius R. Souza/Shutterstock.com) Avaaz.org, a global online activist network, posted on Instagram, Some of our worlds most important pollinators are under threat, but now a gentle revolution is buzzing. In October 2025, Satipo, a municipality in central Peru, passed an ordinance granting legal rights to stingless bees. In December 2025, Nauta, in the Loreto region of Peru, became the second municipality to pass the ordinance. Municipal Ordinance No. 33-2025-CM/MPS grants the bees in the area protection, including the right to exist and thrive in a healthy ecosystem free of pollution. Also, humans can file lawsuits on behalf of the bees. Advertisement Advertisement Stingless bees do have stingers, but they are very small and ineffective. Rather than stinging, these bees defend themselves by biting. Known as the Tribe Meliponini, there are over 600 species of stingless bees around the world. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. There are about 175 species of stingless bees in Peru. Like honeybees, stingless bees are eusocial and live in colonies with a queen, drones, and workers. They also face many threats, similar to honeybees. In Peru, stingless bees are vulnerable to climate change, pesticides, human activity, and habitat loss. They are also competing with invasive bees from Europe and Africa. Deforestation is a growing problem as well. The Amazon forest in Peru lost over 100 acres to wildfires in 2024. Scientists believe the more frequent fires are due to higher temperatures and a drier climate. Furthermore, illegal logging in Peru is a persistent problem, creating more deforestation in the rainforest. Peruvian rainforests are facing severe deforestation threats. qualtaghvisuals/Shutterstock.com (qualtaghvisuals/Shutterstock.com) Conservationists hope the new laws will help raise awareness and make it easier to obtain funding for research. The campaign to grant the bees legal status was the result of cooperation between multiple groups, including environmental activists, scientists, and Indigenous leaders. Constanza Prieto, the Latin American director at the Earth Law Center, one of the organizations advocating for the bees, told the Guardian, This ordinance marks a turning point in our relationship with nature: it makes stingless bees visible, recognises them as rights-bearing subjects, and affirms their essential role in preserving ecosystems. Stingless bees have been important to Peruvian culture for both food and medicine, dating back to pre-Columbian times. Indigenous peoples have historically cultivated the bees for their honey, pollen, and propolis (a sticky substance produced by bees used for medicinal properties and to make candles). Meliponiculture is the traditional practice of sustainable stingless beekeeping in Peru. ANTOSYS/Shutterstock.com (ANTOSYS/Shutterstock.com) Stingless bees from the Amazon produce a type of honey that has different properties from the honey made by European honeybees. Scientists have discovered that stingless bee honey contains molecules with many special properties that are antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory. Indigenous traditional songs and dances feature the bees, while local beekeeping continues to play an important role in the communities today. Advertisement Advertisement Cesar Ramos, president of EcoAshaninka, an organization led by the Ashaninka Indigenous community, told Inside Climate News, Bees are part of the family. They are ancestors. EcoAshaninka collaborated with Earth Law Center and Amazon Research Internacional to advocate for the new ordinances. Bees may be the first insects to be granted legal rights, but a few other animals have also received legal rights around the world. In Ecuador, the Rights of Nature have been a part of the countrys constitution since 2008. In 2022, the courts applied this right to all wild animals based on a case of a woolly monkey. Poachers captured the monkey as a baby from the wild. The monkey was likely sold in a market and was then kept as a pet for 18 years. The courts found the monkey, named Estrellita, had her rights violated when she was poached as a baby and kept in captivity. Like all wild animals in Ecuador, woolly monkeys have legal rights. alvarobueno/Shutterstock.com (alvarobueno/Shutterstock.com) Since March 2023, the government of Panama has granted legal rights to sea turtles. Five of the seven sea turtle species nest or migrate along the coast of Panama. The law recognizes sea turtles rights to move about freely in a healthy environment. Conservationists are working to expand these laws nationwide in Peru. A petition by Avaaz.org has amassed over 388,000 signatures. With a goal of reaching 500,000 signatures, the petition states, When enough of us sign, Indigenous allies will deliver our voices [directly] to Perus lawmakers. The post Stingless Bees Outlasted DinosaursBut Can Legal Rights Shield Them Now? appeared first on A-Z Animals. Falmouth University student Anna Richmond inspects the damage to her car which was crushed outside her rented accommodation by fallen trees during Storm Goretti on Jan. 09, 2026 in Falmouth, England. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images) A powerful storm system, named "Goretti" by Meteo-France, moved across the United Kingdom and France on Friday, leaving downed trees and power cuts affecting nearly half a million customers. The storm also spread snow across parts of Great Britain. A fallen tree in Falmouth, Cornwall. Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK with tens of thousands of Britons across the country facing widespread power cuts, travel disruption and school closures. Picture date: Friday Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Matt Keeble/PA Images via Getty Images) The worst of the 55,000 U.K. power outages were in the southwest at Cornwall, where 73 percent of National Grid U.K. power customers were without power as of Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US. Advertisement Advertisement A weather station at Padstow NCI in Cornwall recorded a wind gust of 123 mph (198 km/h). One man had his home's roof ripped off as hail and rain poured in through cracks in the walls. Off the southwest shore, a peak gust of 99 mph (159 km/h) was reported at St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, the highest there since 1991, the Met Office said. AccuWeather.com To the southeast, a 121 mph (195 km/h) gust was measured at Barfleur, on the tip of France's Cotentin peninsula. Winds were even worse in Normandy, France, with a wind gust of 132 mph (212 km/h) recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare. At one point, more than 380,000 customers were without power in France. The storm affected rail services in the English West Midlands, as well as trains in France and Germany. Travel and school disruptions in Scotland from a storm earlier this week were extended by Friday's storm. The nation was hit with 20 inches (51 cm) of snow on Monday, and many schools shuttered again on Friday, wrapping up a full week of closures. As Missouri continues to invest in behavioral health, we must ensure that recovery housing grows with the same level of safety and oversight as the rest of the system (Getty Images). Across Missouri, many individuals and families continue to struggle with the effects of alcohol and substance use disorders. Helping people recover requires a strong system where treatment and community-based recovery supports work together. Treatment provides medical care and counseling during a crisis. Recovery support services help people stay on track afterward by building routine, confidence, and healthy connections. Advertisement Advertisement These supports include peer mentoring, transportation, job and family assistance and recovery community centers. For many people, recovery housing is also an important piece of this system. A safe and stable place to live can make the difference between moving forward in recovery or falling back into old patterns. As the executive director of the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers, I work with programs that offer these community-based supports across the state. Our members include faith-based, peer-based and community-based organizations that help people rebuild their lives. We work closely with treatment providers, courts and health agencies because recovery is strongest when all parts of the system are connected. No single agency can meet every need, and no one recovers alone. Within this broad network of services, recovery housing has a special role. When people leave treatment, jail, or unstable living situations, they need a safe place to go. The environment they enter can have a major impact on their long-term success. Good recovery homes offer structure, peer support, and accountability. They give people a stable foundation during one of the most vulnerable points in their recovery journey. That is why MCRSP serves as Missouris official affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences, the national leader in defining safety and quality standards for recovery housing. In this role, MCRSP reviews and accredits recovery homes across Missouri. We make sure these homes meet clear standards for safety, resident rights, operations, peer support, and ethical practices. Advertisement Advertisement Accreditation is a sign that a home is committed to safety and quality. Accredited homes undergo a formal review and must make improvements when needed. They are checked again on a regular basis. This gives families, treatment providers, courts, and state agencies confidence that the residence is safe and well-run. Choosing an accredited home also protects residents from unsafe or poorly managed facilities. Standards around safety, privacy, training, financial responsibility, and peer support help prevent harm and create a positive environment for recovery. For professionals in health care, behavioral health, criminal justice or social services, referring clients to accredited recovery residences should be the first choice. Accredited homes offer the strongest assurance that residents will be supported and protected. They also provide the structure and peer connections that research shows improve long-term recovery outcomes. Accredited homes strengthen the communities around them as well. With clear rules, trained leaders, and strong local partnerships, these homes help reduce stigma and build trust. Safe, well-run housing benefits both the residents and the neighborhoods they are part of. Advertisement Advertisement As Missouri continues to invest in behavioral health, we must ensure that recovery housing grows with the same level of safety and oversight as the rest of the system. Accreditation is not a barrier it is a safeguard for residents, families, and communities. Recovery is personal, but it should not be faced alone. When treatment providers, state agencies, and community partners work together and choose accredited recovery residences, Missourians have their best chance to rebuild their lives and regain hope. Sudans civil war has devastated the countrys cultural heritage, effectively wiping out centuries of valuable relics. The conflict has left around 10 million people displaced and an estimated 150,000 killed. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces two-year occupation of Khartoum has also seen 4,000 items looted from the Sudan National Museum, including mummies dating from 2,500 BC. Museums and ancient palaces in Darfur and El Geneina were destroyed or emptied. Advertisement Advertisement Officials say truckloads of antiquities were driven from the capital in 2023 RSF members filmed themselves opening crates of mummified remains and estimate total losses at $110 million. They tried to erase our history, one official told Le Monde. LONDON -- Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed was one of the last doctors left in El Fasher, a city in Sudans beleaguered Darfur region, when he finally made his escape. "As I ran for my life, I passed dead and injured people, some of whom I knew personally," Mohammed told ABC News. "I heard people crying out for help, but I could not stop. It was about personal survival at that point. I couldnt offer any help. As a doctor, it was my duty to help the wounded, yet I was unable to offer any help." The city had been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the powerful paramilitary group now in control of around half of Sudan, for 18 months. Food supplies had run out in the summer of 2025, meaning the tens of thousands of civilians trapped there were forced to survive on animal feed, Mohammed said. Rapid Support Forces via AFP via Reuters - PHOTO: In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 23, 2023, fighters ride in the back of a vehicle in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. Sudan now one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory': UN Advertisement Advertisement "Drones were everywhere," he told ABC News. "The RSF fighters came on the city from four directions in massive numbers. They began killing civilians, destroying buildings, and launching shells indiscriminately. People were running in every direction. It looked like an apocalypse. Everyone was trying to survive." The city was cut off from the world -- with aid groups prevented from entering -- but evidence of the violence in El Fasher was visible from space, with clusters of bodies, burning buildings and pools of blood seen in satellite imagery released by Yale University in October. Blood visible from space in Sudan shows evidence of Darfur genocide: Analysts El Fasher became a byword among locals and international observers for the horrors that have been inflicted in the Sudanese Civil War, which has now gone past 1,000 days. 1,000 days of fighting A power struggle in April 2023 saw the RSF launch attacks on its ally-turned-rival the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments. The U.S. said in January that members of RSF and their allies had committed acts of genocide , and that both the RSF and SAF had committed war crimes. Advertisement Advertisement The fighting initially broke out in the capital, Khartoum, but has spread to all corners of the northeastern African nation. Now, the RSF are in control of roughly half of Sudan, including the entirety of the Darfur region, experts said. Mohammed Jamal/Reuters - PHOTO: Awadeya, a Sudanese displaced woman who was held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, carries a water container at a camp for displaced people who fled from al-Fashir to Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan, Nov. 15, 2025. Now, the battle lines in the civil war have become "more entrenched," according to Jehanne Henry, a human rights lawyer and researcher at the Middle East Institute, a think tank based in Washington DC. But the violence continues to affect the entire country, with drones increasingly used by both sides. "Attacks can be done by drone into the rear areas of control, as opposed to just fighting along front lines," she told ABC News. "It's been characterized by urban warfare because it started in Khartoum. So this is unlike any other war that Sudan has ever seen, at least in the last hundred years." "In terms of the death toll, we think it's in the hundreds of thousands," she said. Advertisement Advertisement While the true death toll is unknown, the scale of the suffering in Sudan can also be seen in the vast numbers of people who have been displaced by the war. Twelve million people have been displaced, with 33.7 million people -- about two-thirds of the population -- in need of humanitarian support, according to the International Rescue Committee. "The numbers are the numbers, but I think of seeing two or three children share a bed in malnutrition units gives you an idea of what's going on," Dr. Yasir Elamin, the president of the Sudanese Americans Physicians Association (SAPA), told ABC News. "I lived most of my life in Khartoum. We weren't used to that. You needed to go to the south or go to Darfur to be able to see them, but to go the heart of the capital to see that the malnutrition units are crowded is certainly a new level to this crisis, he added. "I think the worst part of this, it's a man-made crisis. Nothing about this should have happened in the first place." Despite the scale of the suffering, Sudan has been relatively overlooked by the international community, compared to conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, according to Dame Rosalind Marsden, the former EU special representative for Sudan from 2010-2013. Advertisement Advertisement "The diplomatic efforts that have been made to resolve the Sudan crisis are absolutely not proportionate to the gravity of what's been going on," she said. A path to a ceasefire? As the civil war has continued, external powers have also played an increasing role in the conflict. The United Arab Emirates has been accused by human rights groups of directly supplying the RSF with weaponry, an allegation the country strongly denied, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt have allied with the SAF. Some analysts have gone as far as to describe the development in the conflict as a "proxy war." "Sudan is an opportunity for different powers in the region to play one another off each other," said Henry, of the Middle East Institute. "It represents this really vast area of potential. Sudan occupies some really strategic land on the Red Sea coast. It's really this gateway to the Middle East, it bridges the Middle East and Africa." All three countries, along with the U.S., are now part of the "Quad," a diplomatic initiative to try to bring the conflict to an end. Those efforts, led by the U.S., saw all four countries issue a joint statement on Sept. 12, laying out a framework for a potential deal in Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement The "Quad" statement represented an "important diplomatic breakthrough," Marsden said, which saw key players lay out a road map and all agree that there was "no viable military solution to the conflict." That statement, she said, crucially puts civilians at the center of a post conflict transition. "However, there are still many obstacles to peace, Marsden said. "The flow of arms to the conflict parties continues. RSF have said that they are ready to accept a humanitarian truce but have continued to press their attacks, while the SAF have rejected a truce unless the RSF surrenders and disarms first -- an unrealistic demand at a time when the RSF is making rapid military gains." Planet Labs/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: This combination of satellite images released by Planet Labs PBC on Dec. 19, 2025, shows the graves near UNICEF headquarters in El-Fasher on Oct. 8, 2025, on Oct. 27, 2025, on Jan. 15, 2025, and on Dec. 14, 2025. While the fighting continues, though, the U.S. for now is continuing to push both sides to agree to a humanitarian truce. "The Quad initiative is a golden opportunity that should not be allowed to slip away and deserves strong support from international partners," Marsden said. Advertisement Advertisement In the meantime, however, the tireless work of humanitarians continues on the ground, with no end to the fighting in sight. "I pray for Darfur to live in peace, for its people to return to their homes and for life to begin again," Mohammed, the doctor who fled El Fasher, told ABC News from Tawila, a refugee camp near El Fasher where he continues to treat refugees. "Enough of war, enough of the death. Darfur has been bleeding since 2003, and the war has never truly stopped." Nike is a successful firm and one of the worlds great marketing success stories, but it has hit some hard days in recent years. The company has seen its earnings slip in the last two fiscal years, due to a combination of factors including uncertain consumer moods, more uncertainty in tariff and trade policy, deep discounts that cut into margins, competition in the China markets, and a weak direct-to-consumer segment. This has all caused problems for the stock, and shares in NKE are down over 47% in the last 3 years. In addition to its marketing expertise, the company is also known for producing quality goods that people want to buy. Linking the iconic Air Jordan shoes to basketball star Michael Jordan was a stroke of genius; Jordan himself has a reputation for quality and pursuit of excellence, which lends to the shoes and Nike over the years has built on that link to develop a large customer base for its various lines of sports apparel: mens, womens, and kids athletic clothing; winter gear; and specialized sports shoes such as cleats and running or workout shoes. Well start with Nike, one of the best-known names in sports apparel and shoes and the owner of one of the worlds most recognizable brands, the Nike swoosh. Nike is a household name, and has built itself into a ~$95.5 billion giant of the industry. With that in mind, we used TipRanks Insiders Hot Stocks tool to pinpoint two companies that fit this profile each seeing recent insider purchases of about $1 million. Both stocks carry Buy ratings from Wall Street analysts and offer double-digit upside potential in the year ahead. Lets take a closer look. To ensure transparency, regulators require these transactions to be publicly reported, giving everyday investors access to this information. Insider buying is most telling when the amounts involved are substantial. Seven-figure purchases are rarely made lightly, and when insiders put $1 million or more into their own stock, it often reflects strong conviction in the companys outlook and a signal investors may want to pay attention to. A couple of points are worth keeping in mind. Insiders sell shares for many reasons, from diversification to tax planning. Purchases, however, tend to be far more deliberate. Executives typically buy only when they believe the stock is undervalued and positioned to move higher. For investors looking for meaningful market signals, few indicators are as telling as insider trading activity. Not the illegal kind, but legally disclosed transactions made by corporate officers, board members, and senior executives the people with the deepest insight into their companies operations and prospects. Story Continues The companys CEO, Elliot Hill, has been reassuring customers and investors alike that Nike has a turnaround plan. And, last month, he spent just over $1 million to buy 16,388 shares in the company. His personal stake in Nike now stands at well over $15 million. When we turn to the quarterly results, we see that both revenue and earnings beat the forecast in fiscal 2Q26. The top line, of $12.4 billion, was up a modest 0.4% year-over-year and was $190 million better than had been expected; the bottom line of 53 cents per share beat the estimates by 16 cents. In her coverage of Nike for Bernstein, analyst Aneesha Sherman points out that the turnaround will take time, with patience required to see the desired results. Nikes turnaround is progressing but slowly and with limited visibility on the upcoming FY, the analyst said. The main message of Decembers Q2 print was that the turnaround is still in middle innings. While weve seen strong progress in North America (with growth accelerating, new product resonating, and old product almost completely cleared) and Running (with double-digit growth in every region and order books up for CY2026) there is still more work to do in clearing China inventory, turning around Converse, and restoring margins We like the signs of progress but see this more as a slow grind than a sharp bounce-back. These comments back up Shermans Outperform (i.e., Buy) rating, while her $85 price target suggests a 30% one-year upside potential. (To watch Shermans track record, click here) The 21 recent analyst reviews here support a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a split of 15 Buys and 6 Holds. The shares have a trading price of $65.35, and the average target price of $75.95 implies a gain of 16% on the one-year horizon. (See NKE stock forecast) Agree Realty Corporation (ADC) Up next on our list of insider buys is Agree Realty, a real estate investment trust, or REIT, based in the Metro Detroit area of southeast Michigan. Agree, like many REITs, operates through the acquisition, direct ownership, and management of real properties. In Agrees case, most of its properties are in the retail sector. The company targets grocery store, wholesale club, off-price retail, farm supply, auto and tire service, home improvement, auto part, and convenience store locations. In all, Agree owns 2,603 properties across all 50 states, and its properties have a total of 54 million square feet of gross leasable space. Agree is capable of buying and funding new properties for development and is a leader in the US market for net lease retail spaces. At the end of 3Q25, Agrees portfolio was 99.7% leased out a high figure that bodes well for the company. The weighted-average remaining lease term was listed as 8 years, and 66.7% of the annualized base rents came from investment-grade retail tenants. Agree doesnt stop with real estate leases; the company also invests in ground leases allowing tenants to build what they want, the way they want, while Agree maintains ownership of the land beneath. Agree had 237 ground leases in 38 states at the end of 3Q25, with 6.4 million square feet of gross leasable area. This part of the companys total portfolio represents approximately 10% of the annualized base rents. Also of note in Q3, Agree reported $183.22 million in total revenues, a figure that was up nearly 19% year-over-year and beat the forecast by $1.7 million. At the bottom line, Agree reported diluted core funds from operations per common share of $1.09. The Core FFO measure is a key metric for this REIT, and was 2 cents per share better than had been expected. Most REITs are reliable dividend payers, and Agree is no exception. The companys dividend payment history stretches back to 1994, and in 2021 Agree switched from quarterly to monthly payments. The last declared dividend, for 26.2 cents per common share, was declared on December 11 for January 15 payout. The $3.14 annualized rate gives a forward yield of 4.36%. The last informative insider buy for ADC came on December 24, when John Rakolta of the Board of Directors purchased 15,000 shares. He paid out $1.082 million for the stock, and now holds a stake in the company worth more than $14.2 million. Linda Tsai, of Jefferies, has been covering this stock, and she is unequivocally upbeat on its prospects. She writes of this REIT company, ADC is our preferred pick for its defensiveness & consistent business execution ADC is supported by its substantial liquidity and a diversified growth strategy. Disciplined underwriting, coupled with the prospect of a more dovish Fed, provides ADC with significant runway to capitalize on its superior cost of capital. Tsai rates this stock as a Buy, and her $91 price target indicates that it has room for an upside of 28% in the next 12 months. (To watch Tsais track record, click here) The 12 recent analyst reviews on record for ADC shares split into 9 Buys and 3 Holds, for a Strong Buy consensus rating. The shares are priced at $70.49 and their $81.25 average target price implies a one-year gain of 15%. (See ADC 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. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Sudans civil war has marked 1000 days of fighting since the conflict erupted in April 2023. More than 12 million people have been displaced as a result of the power struggle between Sudans armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. Widespread violence, including allegations of a genocide in the western Darfur region, has led to at least 150,000 people being killed, alongside famine and a collapse of health systems in what the UN has called the worlds largest humanitarian crisis. Peace talks in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have failed, with attention increasingly focused on the international actors fueling the war: The UAE is accused of being the biggest weapons provider to the RSF, allegations it has denied. At this point, the likely outcome of any peace process is that Sudan whether united or divided will end up as a vassal of the Gulf states, Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation, wrote in Foreign Affairs. He noted that Africa was notably absent from this game for control, as Sudan has become a prototype of a new kind of international war. Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino, on the southern border of New Mexico and Texas, opened on Friday, Jan. 2, under new management. On Oct. 15, 2025, a deal was finalized that sold the one-mile Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse track and the casino to Strategic Gaming Management for $301 million. According to a press release, Strategic Gaming Management immediately sold the real estate to Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI) in a sale-leaseback transaction. We want to lean into horse racing; make it an overall draw to the facility, Grant Lincoln, CEO and founder of Strategic Gaming Management, told the El Paso Times. GLPI was created in 2013 as a spin-off company from Penn National Gaming. GLPI operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires real estate properties specifically, casinos and racetracks in this case and leases them back to operators, according to MarketBeat. GLPI owns nine racetracks, including Sunland Park. Sunland Park is the first racetrack in Strategic Gaming Managements portfolio, which is headquartered at Baldinis in Reno, Nevada. Lincoln founded Strategic Gaming Management in 2009 to operate U.S. gaming assets. Lincoln previously founded Century Gaming in 1997, which brought over 10,000 slot machines to Montana and Nevada, according to the El Paso Times. I think youll see more promotions and just bigger and better things here at Sunland Park, not just on the horse racing side, but property-wide as well, director of racing operations Dustin Dix told KTSM. Sunland Park opened in October 1959. A change in New Mexicos legislation in 1999 allowed for a casino with slot machines to be opened at the track. Since 2000, the track was operated by businessman and racehorse owner Stan Fulton and later by his family after his death in 2018. This story was originally published by Paulick Report on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The post Why Only 30 Super Tuskers Roam AfricaAnd What Sets Them Apart From All Other Elephants appeared first on A-Z Animals. Quick Take Super tuskers are African bull elephants that have tusks in excess of 100 pounds (45 kg) There are fewer than 30 remaining super tuskers left. Craig was known globally due to his calm demeanor and patience with photographers . The East African Brewing Company appointed Craig as its Tusker beer brand ambassador in 2021. One of Africas last remaining Super Tuskers has passed away. Officials from the Amboseli National Park reported that Craig, a longtime resident of the protected area in southern Kenya, died of natural causes on January 3, 2026, at the age of 54. The park is a favorite stop for safari tourists, and countless individuals have seen this legendary super tusker up close over the years. Craigs passing is mourned by conservationists and elephant lovers around the world. Craigs Life and Legacy Craig was a bull elephant who lived his entire life in the Amboseli region, near the Kenyan border. He was born in January 1972 to Cassandra of the CB elephant family, one of the most well-studied elephant families in Africa. He had just turned 54 at the time of his death. He was renowned for his exceptionally calm and docile demeanor, which made him a favorite for safari tourists and professional photographers. Craig would often pause and pose for photos. Super Tusker Craig lived in the Amboseli National Park region his entire life. Amboseli Trust for Elephants Original / License (Amboseli Trust for Elephants) Besides his peaceful demeanor, Craig was most famous for his tusks. Their weight, over 100 pounds each, is a rarity among bull elephants. The size of his tusks earned Craig the Super Tusker title. It also made him a natural to be selected as the ambassador for the East African Brewerys lager brand, Tusker, in 2021. Craig was believed to be one of Africas largest male Super Tuskers, only a handful of which remain today. During his long life, Craig fathered a number of calves, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service in a social media post. This ensures his powerful bloodline and gentle character live on across generations. What Makes Super Tuskers Unique? Super Tuskers are a select group of African bull elephants that have exceptionally long ivory tusks. These tusks weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kg) each. The tusks are so long and heavy that they often sweep the ground. It takes decades for a bull elephant to develop tusks that size. Most Super Tuskers are between 45 and 55 years old before they earn the title. African bull elephants live, on average, until their mid-60s, meaning a Super Tusker could enjoy that status for 10 to 20 years. Craig was one of the last remaining Super Tuskers in the world. Kenya Wildlife Service via AP Original / License (Kenya Wildlife Service via AP) Conservationists believe there are fewer than 30 Super Tuskers left across all of Africa. The biggest threat to Super Tuskers, and all elephants, has always been the ivory trade. Poachers highly prize elephant tusks, and taking them means the elephant dies. Conservation protection initiatives are in place to monitor and protect elephants across Africa, including some focused primarily on the preservation of Super Tuskers. Craigs Impact On Elephant Conservation Craig was one of the few Super Tuskers left in Africa, and his fame helped bring global awareness to the plight of Super Tuskers. Within Amboseli National Park, home to many of Africas elephants, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) works to ensure the long-term conservation of the species. The Trust, established in 1972, monitors more than 3,500 elephants and over 3,000 square miles (8,000 km) of parkland. Advertisement Advertisement The ATE has also funded more than 60 community programs for Maasai women and men. One important conservation-focused program addressed the loss of livestock caused by elephant behavior. Historically, Maasai custom dictated that when an elephant kills a farmers livestock, the elephant must be speared and killed. After the programs implementation, the number of elephant spearing deaths dropped by half. Craigs legacy extends beyond elephant conservation. The ATE also funds scholarships for promising young girls within the Amboseli communities. Traditionally, girls education was limited due to high fees and a culture that favors only educating boys. Each year, the Trust selects two to three young people and provides them with three years of funding for undergraduate and graduate-level education. BA1 is the oldest Super Tusker living in the Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks in Kenya. Tsavo Trust Original / License (Tsavo Trust) Craigs conservation impact extended beyond his home park. The Big Tusker Project, a collaboration between the Tsavo Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service, is one example. The Big Tusker project was started 13 years ago. It focuses on protecting Super Tuskers in the protected wilderness of Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks in southern Kenya. The project works to monitor the 12 named Super Tuskers living in the park areas. Both aerial and ground teams keep a watchful eye on these special elephants. More About African Elephants African elephants are the largest mammals on the planet. Bull elephants average 11 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh between five and seven tons. Some grow even larger. Their trunks have around 150,000 muscles, which they use for smelling, breathing, grasping, communication, and drinking. An African elephant can hold over two gallons (8 liters) of water at a time in its trunk. Advertisement Advertisement Both male and female African elephants can grow tusks, but it is the bull elephant whose tusks have the potential to grow the largest. Their tusks are actually modified incisor teeth that grow continuously. Female African elephants form small family herds with other females and spend their lives together. Bull elephants, by contrast, are typically solitary animals. However, they may form temporary bachelor groups in the immediate years after they leave the matriarchal family groups. The post Why Only 30 Super Tuskers Roam AfricaAnd What Sets Them Apart From All Other Elephants appeared first on A-Z Animals. SPRINGFIELD For several hours Friday, members of Springfield polices crisis negotiation team tried to speak with a man in a house along Wilbraham Road, but eventually the police entered and took the man into custody. Around 5 p.m., a SWAT team forced entry into the house, which is in the 1600 block of Wilbraham Road. From the street, the officers lights could be seen through the windows as they moved through the two-story house and into the attic. After a few minutes, they emerged with an older man who was handcuffed. Advertisement Advertisement By about 5:20 p.m., most of the police had left the scene. Ryan Walsh, police spokesperson, said Friday afternoon there was no threat to public safety. The incident began shortly before noon after the mans family called to say they were concerned about his well-being and worried that he might be a danger to himself, according to Walsh. Its unknown if hes armed, but there are firearms in the home, Walsh said earlier in the day. Police set up a perimeter around the house, according to Walsh. Police blocked off Wilbraham Road and the other roads surrounding the house. Officers crouched behind bushes surrounding the property. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. "Our country is devastated by this tragedy. We honour the memory of those who were lost, and we stand beside those now facing a long journey of recovery," he said at the ceremony in Martigny, southwest Switzerland's Wallis canton. The Alpine country held a nationwide minute of silence, after which church bells rang across the country for five minutes in honour of those killed in the inferno, which engulfed the basement of Le Constellation, a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. "The start of 2026 should have brought the familiar hopes and promises a new year with a fresh start. For young people especially, such promises take flight on dreams and the rightful hopes of youth promises destined for the skies that fell too soon into the ashes of a night of horror," Parmelin said at the service in Martigny, attended by around 1,000 people. Advertisement Advertisement Paris prosecutor's office opens investigation into Swiss resort fire "Hope... depends on our justice system's ability to bring failures to light and to impose consequences without delay or leniency. This is a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state." Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Le Constellation bar, was being held in custody after being interviewed by prosecutors on Friday, a source told the French news agency AFP. Moretti and his wife Jessica were interviewed by prosecutors in the Switzerland's southwestern Wallis canton on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Luxembourg's former grand duke Henri were among those in attendance. Advertisement Advertisement In an emotional address, Wallis president Mathias Reynard told the families and loved ones of those killed: "We are with you. "Our thoughts, our prayers, our hearts turn towards you. "In this shared grief, we stand united." The manager of the Swiss bar where 40 people were killed in a New Year's Eve fire Jacques Moretti has been arrested due to a potential risk of flight, multiple international outlets reported on Friday. The Valais police declined to comment, although Swiss authorities earlier announced have opened a criminal investigation into the two bar managers, French nationals Jacques and Jessica Moretti. They are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais regions chief prosecutor. Advertisement Advertisement In their first public comments since the fire, the Morettis said on Tuesday they were "devastated and overwhelmed with grief," and pledged their "full cooperation" with investigators. The pair arrived earlier at the Valais public prosecutor's office in Sion for questioning as part of the probe into the blaze. The owners of the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana Jacques und Jessica Moretti arrive to be questioned by the Valais public prosecutor in Sion, 9 January, 2026 - AP Photo Moretti's arrest comes on the same day that Switzerland held a nationwide minute of silence to remember the victims of the fire in La Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana. The silence was followed by church bells across the country ringing for five minutes, at the start of a national day of mourning. Advertisement Advertisement "We owe those affected, their families and loved ones respect, remembrance, and the obligation to do everything we can to ensure that such a catastrophe does not happen again," Swiss President Guy Parmelin wrote in an open letter on Friday. Parmelin said he bowed his head to those "who were lucky enough to survive the fire disaster, but are now only at the beginning of a long road to recovery." Swiss President Guy Parmelin writes in a condolence book in Martigny, 9 January, 2026 - AP Photo Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop champagne bottles started the fire at Le Constellation bar when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are investigating whether the ceiling soundproofing complied with regulations and whether candles are permitted for use in the bar. Advertisement Advertisement It emerged earlier this week that fire safety inspections hadn't been carried out since 2019. Under regional regulations, all buildings in the canton of Valais that are "accessible to the public" must undergo an annual fire safety inspection. The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s. People gather for a minute of silence on the national day of mourning at Lausanne Cathedral, 9 January, 2026 - AP Photo International guests Representatives of 37 countries, as well as from the EU, have been invited to Friday's commemoration, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said. Advertisement Advertisement Italy will be represented by President Sergio Mattarella and France's President Emmanuel Macron will also attend. Luxembourg will be represented by former Grand Duke Henri, Belgium by Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Serbia by Foreign Minister Marko uric. Former Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri and French President Emmanuel Macron during the commemorative ceremony in Martigny, 9 January, 2026 - AP Photo European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is also due to attend. Switzerland's Federal Council will be represented by President Guy Parmelin, Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi and other ministers. The entire State Council of Valais will also be in attendance. The tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1 and detained by the US Coast Guard on 7 January, is said to have ties to fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor and a former Ukrainian politician from Odesa. Source: investigation by Current Time, a Russian-language TV channel set up by Radio Liberty and VOA, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda Details: The journalists have established that the tanker is linked to "friends of the Kremlin" Ilan Shor and Viktor Baranskyi, a former member of Odesa City Council from the Opposition Platform For Life party, which is banned in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement The tanker changed ownership during weeks of pursuit, moving from a Turkish company to Russia's Burevestmarin firm and obtaining permission to fly the Russian flag. The investigation says that Ilya Bugai, from Chita and listed as Burevestnik's CEO, also heads the Moscow-based company Rusneftekhimtorg, which supplies fuel, including for tankers. Several foreign buyers are listed among the firm's customers. A common feature is that the companies are registered in the names of women living in Moldova. At least two of the women previously appeared in an investigation by Verstka, an independent Russian news outlet operating in exile, into a shadow tanker fleet reportedly linked to Viktor Baranskyi. In 2021, organisations associated with him were blacklisted under US sanctions for transporting Venezuelan oil. The journalists also say that Rusneftekhimtorg used a tanker considered to be linked to Baranskyi and traded with a company close to Baranskyi's informal holding company. Advertisement Advertisement The investigation has also established that Rusneftekhimtorg had taken out a loan from Russia's Nefteprombank, which later lost its licence and went bankrupt. In settling the debt, Rusneftekhimtorg transferred claims against a third company, Diamand Estate, to the lender. Since 2022, Diamand Estate has owned two TV channels in Moldova and has been linked to people close to Shor. Shor has also been suspected of siphoning funds from Nefteprombank, but the case ended without any legal consequences for him. The journalists said that Shor has been based in Moscow in recent years and, with Russian backing, has sought to bring political forces he controls in Moldova to power. Payments to members of his network are channelled through Russia's Promsvyazbank. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Baranskyi became a suspect in criminal cases concerning treason, support for Russian forces and the misappropriation of barges owned by a shipping company. He was later stripped of Ukrainian citizenship and his seat on the city council. He fled to Russia, where he joined a new project led by Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is godfather. Background: On 7 January, the US military took control of two tankers, including a Russian-flagged vessel it had pursued for more than two weeks. The vessels have been accused of breaching sanctions. The crews may face trial in the US. Vice President JD Vance said that the tanker Bella 1, later re-registered in Russia as Marinera, merely posed as Russian in order to circumvent sanctions and avoid accountability. Russia's Foreign Ministry said that US President Donald Trump had decided to release two Russians from the detained tanker. Reports have suggested that many of the crew are Ukrainian citizens. Kyiv is checking the reports. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! An officer recruit fires a pistol during firearms training at the George S. Mickelson Law Enforcement Center in Pierre, South Dakota, on July 8, 2024. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Failure to disclose past misconduct by a law enforcement officer can be enough to overturn a criminal conviction, even if that misconduct was decades old and unrelated to the crime that drew the conviction. Pennington County States Attorney Lara Roetzel said thats why she asked South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to convene a task force to standardize the collection, reporting and sharing of information about officer misconduct. Advertisement Advertisement My goal is that there would be somewhere that prosecutors and law enforcement agencies could go and share information, said Roetzel, who was named a member of the task force when Jackley announced its creation in a press release last month. Details of past misbehavior are often referred to as Giglio or Brady evidence, named for the two U.S. Supreme Court cases that determined defendants have the right to know about any past dishonesty or ethical lapses by the witnesses against them. Under those decisions, potentially damning but undisclosed evidence can upend a conviction even if a prosecutor wasnt aware the evidence existed beforehand. In an era when police officers regularly move from place to place, Roetzel said, its important for prosecutors to be able to keep tabs on which officers have misconduct in their personal histories. Theres no guarantee an officers previous employer will pass along information. Advertisement Advertisement Other states also struggle with disclosure, according to a 2022 Minnesota Law Review article. Some agencies in some jurisdictions disclose all manner of police misconduct, wrote Rachel Moran, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Other agencies may only share and maintain information about dishonesty. Misconduct lists across the U.S., she wrote, vary widely and are almost completely unregulated. The issue is a significant concern for South Dakota, Roetzel said, which has welcomed a host of officers moving in from out of state in recent years. I saw several situations where an officer would move to another jurisdiction, and I felt like I needed to make a call to the prosecutor in the officers jurisdiction, Roetzel said. Attorney general: Disclosure is foundation of our credibility Attorney General Jackley sits on the Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission, which reviews applications for reciprocity by out-of-state officers and considers requests for reinstatement from officers whove gotten into trouble and want a second chance. Advertisement Advertisement The commission also acts as a jury when an officer accused of misconduct decides to push back against the allegations to avoid sanction. The Giglio implications of an officers behavior are especially important considerations for the commission, Jackley said. Criminal behavior, unethical conduct, and allegations of racism or sexism could all impact an officers reliability on the witness stand, Jackley said, but dishonest conduct such as lying in a police report or search warrant application can be the most damning at a trial. Honesty and disclosure of all the facts, he said, is the foundation of our credibility in the courtroom. Jackley and Roetzel both said the task forces creation wasnt prompted by an overturned conviction, but is preemptive. Every member comes from law enforcement, Jackley said, because its the obligation of law enforcement to disclose. Advertisement Advertisement Jackleys press release on the task force said the group will review the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on disclosure and the further decisions that refined what does or doesnt constitute evidence of misconduct. After that, the group will make recommendations on how South Dakota law enforcement agencies can comply with the intent and spirit of the decisions. Misdeeds or allegations of misdeeds that may not be enough to threaten an officers certification may nonetheless qualify as evidence that must be disclosed to a defense lawyer, he said. Jackley said something like a database of misconduct is a possibility, but the first step will be for the group to find a framework for what needs to be disclosed and when. Jackley is running for Congress as a Republican, and is not seeking reelection as the states attorney general. He said the decision to create the commission was meant in part to finish strong as attorney general by working to improve the justice system for years to come. Protecting law enforcement Deuel County Sheriff Cory Borg will serve as board president for the South Dakota Sheriffs Association for 2026. Hell serve as the county sheriff representative on the new Giglio task force, alongside other working officer representatives from the Highway Patrol and Vermillion Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Borg, whos served as sheriff since 2018, has five deputies to patrol his county, which includes the cities of Clear Lake, Toronto and Brandt. Hes never had to report any misconduct from those deputies, he said, but wouldnt hesitate to do so. Nobody hates a bad officer as much as a good officer. Deuel County Sheriff Cory Borg The public sets a high ethical bar for officers and should, he said, since officers serve as public servants. A bad apple officer who grabs headlines or tanks a criminal case with dishonesty damages the publics perception of the field. Nobody hates a bad officer as much as a good officer, Borg said. Advertisement Advertisement Back in Pennington County, Roetzel said she hopes the task force isnt viewed as a group thats out to get police. Attending to ethical issues on the front end, she said, shows people that the state respects the rule of law and those who seek to uphold it. This is not anti-law enforcement, she said. We want to protect law enforcement. The group will hold an organizational meeting later this month, according to Jackleys office, after which its remaining meeting dates will be set. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Nearly 16,000 nurses in New York City are set to strike on Monday amid a battle over safe staffing, healthcare benefits, pay and workplace safety during contract negotiations. The action, due to take place across five large hospitals, is being organized by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which is demanding the hospitals put patients over profit. The hospitals insist they continue to bargain in good faith, and have accused the union of trying to disrupt patient care. Advertisement Advertisement CEO compensation at three hospitals Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York Presbyterian is nearly 12,000 times more than that of the average nurse, according to the union. Related: US House breaks with Trump to revive Affordable Care Act subsidies Nancy Hagans, president of NYSNA, who has worked at Maimonides medical center in Brooklyn for over 30 years, told the Guardian that the hospitals are pushing to scale back safe staffing ratios, refusing to guarantee healthcare benefit coverage for nurses, and declining to address workplace safety issues. Three of the major hospitals involved in contract negotiations have $1.6bn cash or cash equivalent on hand, according to the union, which said they have already started hiring travel nurses to replace those striking in preparation for a strike. Advertisement Advertisement What we are asking them is to take those millions and invest it into the community so we could continue to work to care for our patients, invest it into staffing, invest those millions into our medical coverage so we could come to work, said Hagans. Were not taking this lightly. Were not asking to strike. Management is the one whos telling us that we need to strike. They are the ones putting us on the picket line. She cited safety issues that stem from a drastic increase of assaults on healthcare workers since the Covid-19 pandemic, and an active shooter incident at Mount Sinai last November, where three nurses were reportedly disciplined for speaking out afterwards. The large, wealthy hospitals are much better off financially than they were three years ago, but yet theyre asking for takeaways, claimed Hagans. They told us to choose between our wages or keeping our healthcare and safe staffing, because we cannot have it all. The safety of a patient should never be a bargaining chip. Nurses will not cut corners on patients and their safety. Nurses are just demanding that New York City private hospitals put patients over profit. Nurses represented by NYSNA issued 10-day strike notices on 2 January at a string of New York hospitals. On Tuesday, seven of the smaller hospitals moved forward in contract negotiations, with the union rescinding their strike notice. Advertisement Advertisement About 1,000 nurses at three Northwell hospitals in Long Island have also issued strike notices. Our nurses have been at the bargaining table since September 2025 with little to no movement, said Simone Way, a member of the NYSNA executive committee, and a nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside hospital. Even though we started this process in September, there have been committees in the hospital having these same discussions on staffing since January 2025, so its no surprise to our management the things nurses feel we need. Related: A state of crisis: record number of Americans are pessimistic about US healthcare system Way also criticized hospital managements efforts to blame the strike on nurses, claiming they are putting patients at risk and asking for too much. They do have the money, but they dont appear to be willing to invest that money in their nurses or into the ability for us to provide the best care humanly possible to our patients, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Mount Sinai denied retaliation claims against nurses following Novembers active-shooter incident, and denied attempting to take away healthcare benefits for nurses. A spokesperson said: We are continuing to bargain in good faith in the hopes of reaching an agreement that is fair, reasonable, and responsible, but unfortunately just a week before a potential strike NYSNA has refused to move off of its extreme economic proposals that demand hospitals like ours spend billions of dollars on increased nursing compensation and additional hires. They claimed most of the unions claims about bargaining are untrue, and confirmed that the hospital was taking steps to prepare in case of a strike. New York Presbyterian blamed the union for not budging on wages. NYSNAs threatened strike is intended to disrupt patient care across the city, a spokesperson said. We have taken the necessary steps to ensure that our patients will continue to receive safe, exceptional care. We will always meet our fundamental obligation to the communities we serve. Montefiore did not respond to requests for comment. Attack helicopters are often found in the ugliest situations on Earth, and angular and bristling with weapons and sensors, the helicopters themselves are appropriately ugly. Combining armour, an automatic cannon, rockets, and guided missiles, they are often tasked with the perilous role of taking out main battle tanks, as well as supporting ground forces down low in the face of multiple guns and surface-to-air missiles and any other weapon an enemy can point upwards. Much feared as they are, the attack helicopters mission is extremely dangerous, and nap-of-the-earth flying, hiding behind terrain, and the latest countermeasures are all necessary to keep an attack helicopter crew alive above the modern battlefield. Lets take a look at the best: 10: Eurocopter Tiger Eurocopter Tiger Europes attempt to create an attack helicopter has suffered extreme bad luck throughout its programme, despite it being created by a collaborative team with immense experience from France and Germany. Some of the trouble was sown from its conception in 1984, with the partner nations requiring different roles from the helicopter. Advertisement Advertisement So, despite a relatively small production run, the type is available in different variants, one specialised for fire support and another for the anti-tank role. As well as the complications caused by these differences, the project development started in the Cold War and ended in the post-Cold War period when military spending was reduced. 10: Eurocopter Tiger Eurocopter Tiger Despite a first flight in 1991, the aircraft did not enter service until in 2003, though for the sake of fairness, it should be noted the earlier AH-64 Apache had a gap of 11 years between prototype and service entry. The Tiger is best known for its appearance in the 1995 James Bond film Goldeneye. It has been sold to Spain and Australia. Its Australian career has been dogged by technical issues as well as issues with parts supply. Despite all these issues, the Tiger has matured in French and German service into a capable machine well known for its high levels of agility. 9: HAL Prachand HAL Prachand The Indian aerospace industry has had a dramatic twenty years, with work going on in every conceivable sector from space travel, via proposed stealth fighters to light uncrewed aircraft. The Prachand (Giant) is Indias move into the world of attack helicopters. Advertisement Advertisement The Prachand is a light multirole attack helicopter intended to perform well in hot and high conditions. It features a turret-mounted French 20-mm autocannon, the M621. It will armed with the indigenous Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missile, with provision to carry air-to-air missiles. 9: HAL Prachand HAL Prachand The Prachand is of an archetypal attack helicopter configuration with a narrow fuselage, which presents a smaller target to hostile forces. The crew are seated in tandem positions, and it has a tail-dragger undercarriage, with gun and sensors near the front and stub wings for rockets and missiles. The usual features of helmet-mounted sights, laser and radar warning receivers, missile approach warning receivers, data links, are all present however only a limited number have been produced, with full-rate production only in the last few years. 8: Denel Rooivalk Denel Rooivalk The only indigenous African attack helicopter in service, the Rooivalk is a rare type with only 15 made. Big, agile and with excellent agility and handling, the Rooivalk from South Africa is very much a pilots machine. It forsakes armour for performance and is the product of a unique situation. Advertisement Advertisement With a fast-moving border war and the threat of Soviet armour, guerrilla war and insurgency, the South African army looked with envy to the gunship helicopters by the US and the USSR. However, the weapons embargo on apartheid South Africa meant they had to develop their own attack helicopter and its weapons. 8: Denel Rooivalk Denel Rooivalk The Rooivalk (Red Kestrel) was developed from the mid-1980s by Denel building on earlier work that had made a proof-of-concept gunship out of an Alouette III. To simplify the task while operating under a UN embargo the dynamics were taken from the Atlas Oryx, a licence-built Puma, while it also used the Turbomeca Makila engines of the Super Puma. According to its test pilot, The best thing about the Rooivalk, was the incredibly low workload that the pilot had in flying the helicopter. The handling qualities and the performance of the aircraft was superior to anything I have flown up to that stage giving the pilot a stress-free environment to concentrate on the mission and not battle the aircraft into accurate flying. 7: Agusta A129 Mangusta Agusta A129 Mangusta The Mangusta was developed in the late 70s and early 80s by Agusta to fulfil an Italian Army requirement for a light observation and anti-tank helicopter. This was intended to guard against a potential Warsaw Pact armoured thrust against Italys border with Yugoslavia, the only effective direction of attack thanks to the Alps. Advertisement Advertisement Operations in Somalia in the early 1990s revealed several shortcomings, leading to the requirement for a gun, full Night Vision Goggle capability, and an improved navigation system. Agusta incorporated all of these features on the A129 International variant as well as replacing the original licence-built Gem gas turbines. 7: Agusta A129 Mangusta Agusta A129 Mangusta The new engines were the impressive LHTEC T800s, an advanced engine developed for the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche stealth helicopter. This gave the Mangusta improved performance, the A129 having had to operate at the edge of its ability in the scorching heat of Somalia. The Italian Army had the improvements retrospectively applied to its own aircraft (apart from the engine upgrade). The TAI/Leonardo T129 ATAK is essentially the A129 International with modifications to meet Turkish requirements. The T129 is operated by Turkey, the Philippines and Nigeria. 6: Chinese Aircraft Industries Group (CAIC) Z-10 Chinese Aircraft Industries Group (CAIC) Z-10 Like most attack helicopters, the Chinese Z-10 attack helicopter features a crew of two in an armoured tandem cockpit with stub wings for weapons carriage, and a 20mm cannon in a nose turret. This is the same basic configuration as the Tiger, Mangusta and Rooivalk (though the latter has little in the way of armour). Advertisement Advertisement The Z-10 is a true multi-national effort, in the mid-90s the Russian company Kamov were contracted to provide an initial design which the Chinese would develop and refine. The European companies Eurocopter and Agusta also assisted with the development. The result is a sleek futuristic machine that has been in service since 2012. 6: Chinese Aircraft Industries Group (CAIC) Z-10 Chinese Aircraft Industries Group (CAIC) Z-10 The prototypes originally flew with US-built Pratt & Whitney PT6 turbines but production aircraft have a domestically produced engine along with upturned exhausts to reduce the infra-red signature. Combined with at least a modest attempt at RADAR Cross Section reduction through careful matching of external angles the Z-10 has the potential to be an effective light attack helicopter. The Z-10ME is an upgraded variant with improved countermeasures, a missile approach warning system, a radar warning receiver, new engine exhaust nozzle canted upwards to help control infra-red signature and a more powerful engine with 1200 kW of power. It also more ammunition for the gun, graphene-based armour panels, and a countermeasure that fires lasers into the eyes of infra-red sensors and missiles to blind them. 5: Kamov Ka-50/52 (NATO codename Hokum) Kamov Ka-50/52 (NATO codename Hokum) Produced in response to the same requirement that led to the Mi-28 the Hokum features, unusually for an attack helicopter, a coaxial twin-rotor. Co-axial means two stacked rotors turning in opposite which eliminates torque and thus the need for a noisy tail rotor. Advertisement Advertisement It is also unusual in its use of side-by-side seating. Chosen to fulfil the requirement the original Ka-50 was a single-pilot aircraft, it being thought automation would reduce the workload to an acceptable level. However, as the programme progressed an improved variant with more sensors led to a second crew member and the side-by-side seating arrangement. 5: Kamov Ka-50/52 Kamov Ka-50/52 Side-by-side seating restricts each crew members field of view compared to the traditional tandem layout. Meanwhile, although the coaxial rotor system has benefits in terms of yaw inertia and hover performance it has shortcomings in overall manoeuvrability in order to avoid the risk of blades colliding. Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine has seen a large number of Hokums destroyed, the most reliable sources putting the figure as high as 60. This is not due to any inherent flaw of the design but to high-risk tactics, determined opposition with capable weapons and a paucity of cover. 4: Mil Mi-24/25/35 (NATO codename Hind) Mil Mi-24/25/35 (NATO codename Hind) The first Soviet attack helicopter was conceived as a flying Infantry Fighting Vehicle, thus as well as a selection of anti-tank missiles, rockets and a gun, it can also carry eight combat troops (when the armament load is reduced). The early Hind grabbed a series of world helicopter records, including the female speed record for helicopters (at 333 km/h) with Galina Rastorguyeva and Lyudmila Polyanskaya. Advertisement Advertisement This cockpit was then armour-plated and along with the cabin pressurised to prevent chemical or biological agents getting in. At least until the troops want to get out. As well as being heavily armed the Hind is also fast and uses this speed to make up for a lack of manoeuvrability if it has to engage with other attack helicopters as happened during the Iran-Iraq war. 4: Mil Mi-24/25/35 (NATO codename Hind) Mil Mi-24/25/35 (NATO codename Hind) During the Soviet-Afghan War, to ensure aircraft availability in the harsh operating conditions time-expired engines were kept on the aircraft until theyd accumulated a further 50 hours of life after death. Other parts would deliberately only be replaced when they finally failed, which is taking conditional maintenance a step too far but does demonstrate the ruggedness of the design. The Hind has taken part in a bewildering array of conflicts and insurgencies starting in Ethiopia in 1978 and continuing to the present day. Tough, well-armed, and uniquely for an attack helicopter able to deploy a section of troops, the Hind continues to live up to its Afghan nickname of the Devils Chariot. 3: Mil Mi-28 Havoc Mil Mi-28 Havoc Looking like a Soviet Apache the Havoc has suffered a development history about as long as the Tiger, except in this case due to a lack of interest from the Russian Defence Ministry rather than German indecisiveness. Advertisement Advertisement Learning from the experience of operating the Mi-24, a requirement was drawn up in the late 70s for a new helicopter that would be a dedicated gunship lacking the ability to carry armed troops. However, a small compartment to carry three personnel remains allowing rescued aircrew to travel in slightly more comfort than sat on the chin pods as they do with the Apache. 3: Mil Mi-28 Havoc Mil Mi-28 Havoc The Mi-28 first flew in 1982, but by the end of 1984, the rival Ka-50 had been chosen as the new anti-tank helicopter. This is where things should have ended, however, Mil continued development, improving the aircrafts capabilities so that by 1995 the Mi-28N emerged with better navigation equipment to allow night and all-weather operation. Showing that perseverance sometimes pays off deliveries of the Mi-28N to the Russian Army started in 2006, over two decades after the first flight. The type has been heavily used in the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in 2022, where at least 13 Mi-28s have been lost so far. 2: Bell AH-1Z Viper Bell AH-1Z Viper Sharing much with the UH-1 Huey, the AH-1 was born of a need to provide dedicated fire support for US troops in Vietnam. The Huey Cobra was selected to provide an interim measure while the extremely sophisticated AH-56 Cheyenne was developed (though the Kaman Tomahawk had officially won the contest). Bells model 209 entered service with only a few alterations from the competition entrant 209. Advertisement Advertisement The latest version of this now veteran design is the radically more potent AH-1Z Viper, Cobra still shares a transmission, engines and tail with the UH-1Y Huey, the UH-1Y having been developed at the same time as the AH-1Z allowing for a claimed 85% commonality in maintenance significant items. 2: Bell AH-1Z Viper Bell AH-1Z Viper The most obvious external difference to the legacy Cobras is a new four-bladed main rotor which should reduce the vibration levels at slow speed while also improving overall performance and all up mass. The stub wing is also increased in span and gains a missile pylon at the tip, the main advantage of the increase in span however is a repositioning of the inner pylon which previously had to be tilted to ensure jettisoned weapons wouldnt hit the skids limiting what could be carried there. As an interim measure the Cobra family has now been in service for over 50 years and doesnt appear to be retiring anytime soon. 1: AH-64 Apache AH-64 Apache The Apache was developed by Hughes Helicopters for the programme to replace the US Armys AH-1 Cobra, first flying in 1975. The first A models entered service in 1986 and three years later were deployed to Panama as part of Operation Just Cause, the following year almost half the US Apache fleet was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1997 the AH-64D was introduced featuring a glass cockpit, the Longbow fire control radar, a data modem to share targeting information and up-rated engines. The US Army acquired new build D models along with converting their existing A model aircraft, making it the de-facto standard, due to the costs for other users of maintaining the earlier models without the purchasing power of the US driving down the price of parts. 1: AH-64 Apache AH-64 Apache The D itself is now being phased out by the AH-64E Guardian which features improved communications and data processing, more powerful GE T700 engines, and the ability to control UAVs. Initially the Es are being paired with RQ-7 Shadow drones, presumably as a prelude to Judgement Day when the drones take over completely and subjugate mankind as their slave work force. Foreign operators of the Apache include the Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel; the UK builds a modified locally produced variant called the WAH-64D (pictured). Current production is expected to run until 2026, 50 years after the first example flew and thanks to continual development it remains the standard to beat. Follow Joe Coles on Substack, Twitter X or Blue Sky. His superb Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes is available here. If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar Photo Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en ]]> Iran unrest and tempered Venezuela expectations lifted Brent toward $63 a barrel. Friday, January 09, 2026 Iran protests have added some impetus to 2026s heretofore surprisingly bullish start, putting potential supply disruptions back on the agenda. Moreover, the failure of the Trump government to entice US oil majors to invest in Venezuela and Treasury Secretary Bessents call for wildcatters to drill there soothed some concerns that Venezuelas oil production could soar in the near term. As such, ICE Brent is set to end this week with a $2 per barrel gain at almost $63 per barrel, the third weekly gain in a row. US Seizes Escaping Russian-Flagged Tanker. The US military seized the Russian-flagged Marinera tanker in the northern Atlantic Ocean after a three-week pursuit, simultaneously to the boarding of the fully laden M Sophia in Caribbean waters for allegedly conducting illicit activities. Iraq Nationalizes Its Largest Producing Oil Field. Iraq has approved plans to nationalize the 500,000 b/d West Qurna 2 oilfield, taking it over from previous operator Lukoil, which was forced to call a force majeure in November due to US sanctions and letting state-owned Basrah Oil run its operations. Rio Tinto-Glencore Merger Blows Metal Markets Up. Two of the world's largest mining companies, Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) and Glencore (LON:GLEN), stated they're in early talks to create the world's largest miner with a combined value of $207 billion, building on a stalled 2024 merger proposal from Glencore. Trading Sharks Latch onto Venezuelan Volumes. Global trading giants Vitol and Trafigura are reportedly negotiating with the US government to market Venezuelan oil, according to media reports, several days after the White House announced a $2 billion deal with Caracas to sell 30-50 million barrels from PDVSA. Seeking to Boost Synergies, Iberian Refiners Unite. Spain's Moeve and Portugal's Galp are in talks to merge their downstream businesses, combining assets with a total nameplate capacity of 690,000 b/d (or 5% of Europe and a retail network of more than 3,250 stations, targeting a mid-2026 closure. Trump Withdraws US from Most International Organizations. US President Trump signed a memorandum on January 7 that triggers the withdrawal of the country from 66 international organizations, including the International Renewable Energy Agency and the UN's climate change panel. Trump Pitches 500% Tariffs on Russian Oil Buyers. The White House has greenlighted the US Congress to vote on a Lindsey Graham-sponsored bill that would authorize 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian crude oil, extending the unprecedented tariff also on gas, uranium and refined product sales. Renee Nicole Good had just dropped her youngest child off at a school in Minneapolis when she was shot behind the wheel of her car by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. She was 37, a mother of three, and left behind her wife, who sobbed at the scene as Good lay slumped metres away in her blood-soaked vehicle. Goods shooter was identified as Jonathan E Ross, a 10-year veteran of the special response team of ICEs enforcement and removal operations, on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement In life, Good and Ross inhabited opposing ends of one of Americas most explosive political debates. The killing has sparked protests across the United States, from Minneapolis to Portland, pitting local officials against the Trump administration and splitting Americans over whether the shooting was an act of violence or a justified use of force. Goods death has set off protests nationwide - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU Those taking sides are forced to choose between a made-for-the-White House enemy of the state and a state official who arguably symbolises the most controversial elements of Donald Trumps immigration sweep. Good had apparently recently been drawn into the orbit of activism surrounding immigration enforcement, while Ross embodied a force increasingly present and unwelcome in communities across the country. Advertisement Advertisement A US citizen, Good had settled in Minneapolis only recently, on a quiet residential street where some porches hung pride flags and Christmas lights. In social media accounts, she described herself as a poet and writer and wife and mom. But Right-wing media outlets in the US have portrayed Good as an anti-ICE warrior and linked her to activist groups seeking to document and resist the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The New York Post reported that Good connected with other Left-wing activists through her youngest childs woke school, Southside Family Charter School. It claimed that Good became involved with ICE Watch, a loosely organised network of activists focused on monitoring and disrupting ICE raids in Minneapolis. Good with her wife. Good had apparently recently been drawn into the orbit of activism surrounding immigration enforcement Similar networks have sprung up nationwide, with activists relying on phone apps, whistles and car horns to alert neighbourhoods to ICE activity. Advertisement Advertisement [Renee Good] was trained against these ICE agents what to do, what not to do, its a very thorough training, a mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told The Post. To listen to commands, to know your rights, to whistle when you see an ICE agent, she added. Good was the mother of three children. She had a son and a daughter, now aged 15 and 12, with her first husband, and a six-year-old boy with her second husband. She studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and in 2020 won an undergraduate award from the Academy of American Poets. Tributes left to Good at the scene - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU While Mr Trump and officials from his administration paint Good as a radical Left terrorist who intended to ram Ross with her vehicle, members of her family and friends mourn a woman they describe as loving and open-minded. Advertisement Advertisement Good was one of the kindest people Ive ever known, Donna Ganger, her mother, told the Minnesota Star Tribune. She was extremely compassionate. Shes taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. Video taken by protesters shows an officer approaching her car as it sits blocking the road, grabbing the handle as he demands she open her door. As she begins to pull her car forward, a second ICE officer in front of the vehicle pulls out his weapon and quickly fires two rounds into it at close range. The car then races off, losing control a short distance later and slamming into a vehicle parked in the snow. Advertisement Advertisement From start to finish, the incident takes only 10 seconds. Credit: X/@Breaking911 While federal officials have declined to name the officer who fired the shots, the Minneapolis Star Tribune first identified him as Ross on Thursday. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at the department of homeland security, said that the agent is a long-time ICE officer who has been serving his country his entire life. She added that his experience includes over 10 years as an ICE deportation officer and selection for ICEs special response team. According to reports, Ross was previously dragged by a car driven by a fleeing suspect while arresting Roberto Carlos Munoz-Guatemala, a Mexican citizen, in Bloomington, Minnesota, in June 2025. A picture of Ross posted to a Facebook page apparently belonging to his father Munoz-Guatemala, who had a prior conviction for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and was subject to an ICE detainer, ignored agents commands. Advertisement Advertisement Ross broke a car window and attempted to unlock the door, but Munoz-Guatemala accelerated, dragging him roughly 300ft before he was thrown from the vehicle. Ross required 20 stitches on his arm and 13 on his hand, according to court documents. Hours after Wednesdays shooting, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said Ross had previously been dragged by a vehicle, but did not provide specifics, instead saying that the officer was experienced and followed his training. It was a sentiment echoed by numerous senior officials in the Trump administration, which moved to paint Good as an extreme Leftist terrorist. Advertisement Advertisement After viewing the video of the incident, Mr Trump accused Good of being disorderly and defying federal agents commands. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, wilfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defence, Mr Trump said. Credit: X/@DHSgov The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our law enforcement officers and ICE agents on a daily basis, he added. Advertisement Advertisement The presidents comments follow a pattern of attacking what he describes as the radical Left, which has largely emerged since the September shooting of Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The radicals on the Left are the problem, Mr Trump told Fox and Friends after Kirks death. Theyre vicious and theyre horrible and theyre politically savvy. National Democrats, along with Minnesota state and local officials, have offered a starkly different account. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, called Wednesdays shooting totally predictable and totally avoidable. He argued the incident stemmed directly from the recent influx of federal immigration officers into Minneapolis and nearby communities in recent days. Around 2,000 agents were deployed to the MinneapolisSaint Paul area for targeted arrests - Anadolu The surge in immigration enforcement is the latest example of the Trump administration deploying federal officials to communities believed to have high numbers of undocumented migrants, and the use of force in these operations is far from isolated. Advertisement Advertisement The Minnesota incident is the ninth reported shooting linked to immigration enforcement since September, all involving people in their vehicles, according to the New York Times. Amid rising tensions, ICE agents have also faced direct attacks, including a shooting in September involving bullets engraved with anti-ICE messages. A rooftop sniper opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, leaving one detainee dead and two others critically injured. One casing has the phrase Anti-ICE scratched onto it. A gunman who opened fire at an ICE centre used bullets scrawled with the phrase anti-ICE Overnight, two people were injured in a shooting involving federal agents in Portland, Oregon, officials said. The incident occurred during a traffic stop of a Venezuelan gang member who allegedly tried to run over agents, and both victims were taken to hospital. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponised his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, DHS said in a statement posted on X. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. A rapid hiring push that brought roughly 12,000 new officers to ICE in under a year is now under scrutiny on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers question whether training standards were lowered to meet aggressive recruitment goals. A bullet hole in the window of Goods car at the scene - Stephen Maturen ICE announced on Jan 3 that it had expanded its workforce by roughly 120 per cent after a nationwide recruitment drive, growing the force from around 10,000 to more than 22,000. But officials in Washington say ICE cut training requirements to meet recruitment targets and has not explained how it decided which recruits could take shortened training programmes. DHS also lowered the minimum age requirement from 21 to 18. Across the US, further protests and vigils have erupted, heightening tensions even more over the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. Tensions are flaring on the streets of Minneapolis. Chaos broke out as federal officers moved into a crowd outside a federal building to detain a man, firing pepper balls to drive back protesters. Hours after the shooting, a crowd of hundreds gathered to honour Good, chanting: Say her name! Renee Good! Say her name! Renee Good! Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. President Donald Trump, 79, has revealed the one thing he thinks is limiting his power on Earth. The President of Peace opened up in a new interview with The New York Times about his self-imposed limits in the week the U.S. military invaded Venezuelaand made similar threats against Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Greenland. Donald Trump says When asked by the Times if he believed there were any limits in his global power, Trump claimed, Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Advertisement Advertisement I dont need international law, Trump claimed, then added: Im not looking to hurt people. Trump said his administration does abide by international law, but then qualified: It depends what your definition of international law is. Before announcing on Wednesday that he had spoken to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, only days after threatening to invade his country and warning him to watch his a--, Trump was using more inflammatory language about the leader. On Sunday, Trump said of Colombia: Run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. Hes not going to be doing it very long. Advertisement Advertisement Colombias Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Trumps remarks were an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law. After the success of the Venezuela raid, the president has made a series of threats against other countries. / Alex Wong / Getty Images Despite Trump saying he had invited Petro to a meeting at the White House, the Times quoted the Colombian leader as saying he feared an invasion similar to the takeover of Venezuela, where the military also cited that they were tackling drug smuggling. Well, we are in danger, Petro told the Times on Thursday. Because the threat is real. It was made by Trump. Trump also lashed out at Republican senators this week who joined with Democrats to attempt to stop future U.S. military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Five Republicans joined every Senate Democrat to vote 52 to 47 to advance the legislation in a move that angered the president. Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America, Trump posted to Truth Social in response to the decisive vote. German leftists demonstrate against the U.S. abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images Trump is also facing pushback on his plans to either buy the Danish island of Greenland or have it come under U.S. control. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, Trump said on Sunday, despite warnings from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that threatening Denmark could jeopardize the future of NATO. Advertisement Advertisement White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was actively discussing an offer to buy Greenland, stating it was something thats currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team. Denmark and the leaders of Greenland itself have repeatedly stressed that the island territory is not for sale. European nations in NATO, including the U.K., released a statement on Tuesday rebuffing Trumps moves that read: Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. The message was signed by leaders of seven of Americas allies, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration said on Thursday it was creating a new division at the U.S. Department of Justice to combat what the White House called "rampant" fraud across the country. Rights advocates and critics have said the Trump administration has used fraud allegations as an excuse to target immigrants and political opponents. They have also dismissed Trump's ability to tackle fraud, citing pardons from Trump to those who have faced fraud convictions in the past. Advertisement Advertisement "To combat the rampant and pervasive problem of fraud in the United States, the DOJ's new division for national fraud enforcement will enforce the federal criminal and civil laws against fraud targeting federal government programs, federally funded benefits, businesses, nonprofits and private citizens nationwide," the White House said in a statement. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has singled out Minnesota, alleging rampant fraud is being committed by immigrants in the welfare system and social-service programs. Trump administration officials have frequently and sharply attacked the state's Somali community, the largest in the country. Rights and immigration advocates say Trump has exaggerated isolated examples and used those to engage in what they called federal overreach. The assistant attorney general for the new Justice Department division will be responsible for leading the department's efforts to investigate, prosecute and remedy fraud affecting the federal government, federally funded programs and private citizens, the White House said. Advertisement Advertisement The White House said the official will advise the U.S. attorney general and deputy attorney general "on issues involving significant, high-impact fraud investigations and prosecutions and related policy matters." Earlier this week, the Trump administration said it would freeze more than $10 billion in federal childcare and family assistance funds to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, citing what the administration called fraud concerns. The states later sued the Trump administration. The administration has threatened federal funding cuts to organizations and states over a number of issues ranging from alleged fraud in programs in states governed by Democrats to diversity initiatives and pro-Palestinian university protests against U.S. ally Israel's assault on Gaza. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus) President Trump on Thursday said his counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping, would have to determine himself if he will use military force against Taiwan. The president told The New York Times regarding a potential operation led by Beijing that Xi considers Taiwan to be a part of China and thats up to him what hes going to be doing. You know, Ive expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that and I dont think hell do that. I hope he doesnt, Trump said, days after the United States captured Venezuelan regime leader Nicolas Maduro. Advertisement Advertisement He may do it after we have a different president, but I dont think hes going to do it with me as president, Trump continued. He noted that Maduros capture came after signs of a real threat, adding the circumstances faced by China are not similar to those around the U.S. and Venezuela. You didnt have people pouring into China. You didnt have drugs pouring into China. You didnt have all of the bad things that weve had. You didnt have the the jails of Taiwan opened up and the people pouring into China, Trump said. There arent that many people in the jails. But you didnt have hundreds of thousands of people coming from jails and mental institutions, he added. Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has described the Venezuelan operations as part of a war on the influx of illegal narcotics being funneled into the U.S. Maduro, alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, is facing narco-terrorism charges in the Southern District of New York in addition to charges of cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. While the White House has justified the U.S. militarys attacks on Caracas, Xi has overseen a ramping-up of military action near Taiwan. In recent weeks, Chinese officials have confirmed live drills around the island, which have included 130 aircraft, such as fighters and bombers; 14 military ships; and eight other official ships from Beijing. Lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party condemned the show of force by reiterating Washingtons alliance with Taipei. Advertisement Advertisement These drills are intended to intimidate Taiwan and other democracies in the region and to undermine peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific. By rehearsing coercive military scenarios and projecting force beyond its borders, the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to reshape the regional order through aggression and intimidation, Committee Chair John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and then-ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) wrote in a joint statement. The United States stands with Taiwan and fellow democracies and will continue to work with partners to preserve Taiwans security and uphold a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific, they continued. The White House did not immediately respond to The Hills request for comment on Trumps remarks about Xi. 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. WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 3: US President Donald Trump watches Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture unfold in Washington, United States on January 3, 2026. Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio are seen. (Photo by Donald Trump's Truth Social Account/Anadolu via Getty Images) Credit - Anadolu via Getty Images2026 Anadolu The military raid ordered by President Donald Trump to capture and extract Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro represents the starkest expression yet of his administrations intent to reassert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Whether Trump thinks that Russia and China can apply the same spheres-of-influence principle to parts of Europe and the Asia Pacific remains unclear. The big risk as things stand is that an adversary misreads his mixed signals, oversteps, and triggers an escalation nobody wants. But a world in which great powers dictate affairs in their respective backyards, if Trump does move that way, is more likely to descend into chaos or conflict than to achieve stable equilibrium. Advertisement Advertisement Maduros capture masks big questions about Venezuelas near-term future. Delcy Rodriguez, a stalwart of the Chavista regime, which has run the country for more than two decades, has been sworn in as president. Chavismo, the regimes ideology, gets its name from the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, and defines itself by anti-imperialist rhetoric, confrontation with Washington, and close ties with American adversaries from Cuba to China to Russia to Iran. For now, Trump appears disinclined to oust the Chavista regime, which has a stranglehold on the Venezuelan state. He shows little sympathy for Venezuelas opposition, whose leader Maria Corina Machado had lobbied for a U.S. intervention aimed at more profound change, and seems to have scant interest in a genuine democratic transition. In any case, any attempt at regime change could provoke violent resistance from the army and a plethora of militias invested in the status quo. Instead, the immediate goal appears to be grabbing the countrys vast oil reserves, though even there, challenges are formidable. Getting more Venezuelan crude flowing will require billions of dollars and years of work. American companies wont invest without a better sense of what Venezuelas future holds. At the same time, it remains to be seen how much Trump can work with Rodriguez and what oil concessions she can offer while keeping the fiercely nationalist Chavista movement and the military in line. Other American demands might be less complicated: Venezuela cutting subsidies to and severing ties with Cuba, for example, or distancing itself from Russia and China. While Venezuelans live with a deeply uncertain future, the seizure of Maduro caps a year of Trump demonstrating ever more brazenly his belief that Washington must have free rein in the Western Hemisphere. The wild western hemisphere Greenland, a sparsely populated, mineral-rich, icebound island, is an autonomous Danish territory located between the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. Early in 2025, President Trump appeared fixated on taking control of the territory, insisting on its vital importance for American security. Advertisement Advertisement Such expansionist rhetoric had receded as Trumps attention turned elsewhere, but, emboldened by the audacious raid in Caracas, the president and his top lieutenants have again indicated the intent to bring Greenland under U.S. control. Trump has even appointed an envoy to that end. Seizing the island militarily would be an extraordinary step, an open confrontation with a NATO ally. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly told U.S. senators that is not the plan. Political pressure and subterfuge to extend American influence, perhaps combined with a bid to buy the island, seem more plausible but are unlikely to work. Others in the administration decline to rule out using force. After what happened in Venezuela, it is hard not to take them seriously. NUUK, GREENLAND - MARCH 30: An artwork titled "Trump" by Greenlandic artist Kristian "Keto" Christiansen, depicting President of the United States Donald Trump wearing traditional Greenlandic snow goggles and clothing while digging up minerals with a kayak paddle, is displayed in a glass case on March 30, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Getty Images2025 Getty Images The past year has also seen Trump threaten to reannex the Panama Canal, menace Canada, and interfere openly in Latin American politics. He has leveraged tariffs to punish enemies and bailouts to reward friends, albeit with mixed success. (Trump aided Javier Mileis re-election bid in Argentina but failed to stop the sentencing of the former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro for an attempted coup.) He has threatened Cuba and Colombia, despite Washingtons longstanding ties to Bogota. He has blown up small boats allegedly running drugs off the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, and he has floated the idea of unilateral strikes on cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico. The message is clear: Washington will throw its weight around in the Western Hemisphere and it wants rivals located elsewhere, China and Russia especially, outor at least out of critical sectors. Its a doctrine elaborated clearly in an otherwise muddled national security strategy. In a nod to old-school gunboat diplomacy, it rests on threats and acts of violence. At least part of the point of the smash-and-grab operation in Venezuela was to display raw military power. Advertisement Advertisement Reactions from Moscow and Beijing to Maduros snatching have varied. Russias condemnations of the American assault have lacked the outrage that marked denunciations of earlier U.S. meddling in Venezuela. The Kremlin did not make much fuss even when the U.S. stopped a Russian-flagged ship transporting sanctioned oil after Moscow had formally asked Washington not to do so. Chinese statements have been stronger and grown in intensity as the U.S. intention to control Venezuelan oil has become clearer. Neither country has taken concrete steps to defend the regime. Indeed, Maduro discovered all too abruptlyas had his Iranian counterparts last yearthe limits of Russian and Chinese backing in the face of American military might. But they may try to stop Rodriguez from yielding to American pressure aimed at curbing their influence in Venezuela. Maduros government had been Russias main South American partner. Venezuela owes the Chinese government billions of dollars. Certainly, both Russia and China will resist any wider campaign by Washington to squeeze them out of the continent. China, in particular, is deeply engaged in South America, where it is a large trading partner for many countries. Many of the regions leaders, even among those who support Trump, value Chinese investment. For its part, Beijing views links in the region as vital to its Belt and Road initiative and energy and mineral supplies. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander Still, the advantages of Trumps unabashed embrace of spheres-of-influence politics in the Western Hemisphere are self-evident for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Advertisement Advertisement Long before Russias all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin had characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as disastrous, lamenting the independence of former Soviet states in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. He has spent years attempting to re-establish Russias hegemony in its near abroad and chafed at NATOs eastward expansion. The deals Moscow proposed to the U.S. and NATO just before Russian tanks rumbled across Ukrainian borders in 2022 show that the Kremlin wants to renegotiate wider European security to give Russia more sway and constrain the military capacity and activities of NATO member states in its neighborhood. TOPSHOT - French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R), his wife Brigitte Macron (R), Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (L) visit the Dujiangyan site, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, in Dujiangyan, in southwestern China's Sichuan province on December 5, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) POOL/AFP via Getty Images For Xi, the calculus is similarly territorial: intensifying Chinese coercion of Taiwan so as to eventually bring it under mainland rule; advancing maritime claims in the waters surrounding China; andmore broadlyenjoying sufficient influence over the so-called first island chain (the arc of archipelagos stretching from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo) that no rival power can block Chinese access to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A return to great-power spheres of influence would tacitly legitimize these longstanding strategic goals. If Washington pushes other countries around or pursues territorial expansion in the hemisphere where it sits, surely Moscow and Beijing can do the same? Conversely, if the U.S. insists that Russia and China stay out of the Western Hemisphere, what justifies Americas military presence in Europe and the Asia Pacific? When senior officials in the Trump Administration suggest that might makes right, that international law is irrelevant, and that small states are expendable, they are not just undermining the international order underwritten by the U.N. Charter, they are providing a soundtrack that plays beautifully in the Kremlin and the Chinese halls of power. That said, what matters most to Xi and Putin is not what Trump does in Americas vicinity but what he does in Europe and the Asia-Pacificregions in which they see their own spheres of influence. Its those signals Beijing and Moscow will be watching most carefully. For now, its less clear whether Trump plans to extend to Europe or the Asia the spheres-of-influence policy he is applying closer to home. The president himself and top officials send mixed messages. Even behind closed doors, administration insiders say different things. Winter is coming European capitals arguably have the strongest cause to fear that Trump would give Putin a freer hand in the continents eastall the more so if the U.S. does try to take control of Greenland and thus imperil NATO. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 18: U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other European leaders at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Getty Images2025 Getty Images Over the past year, Trumps mistreatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his evident disdain for the continents elites have often been excruciating to witness. Advertisement Advertisement Its true that despite Trumps apparent inclination toward a bargain with Russia and his confusing Ukraine diplomacy, he has not deployed the full weight of American leverage to compel Kyiv and European capitals into accepting a peace deal on Moscows terms. Trump has cut off material aid to Ukraine, yet Washington continues to provide critical intelligence and to sell weapons to European allies, who then pass them to Kyiv. Russian officials now tend to see stalled Ukraine talks as evidence that Trump will not abandon Kyiv or European allies. Still, the American pressure on Zelenskyy to accept an ugly dealone that would strip Ukraine of meaningful deterrence by capping the size of its military and denying it reliable security guaranteesappears poised to intensify. Putin, meanwhile, is testing the continents defences through a combination of surveillance drones, disinformation campaigns, and acts of sabotage, including suspected jamming of air-traffic-control frequencies at numerous European airports. These operations may now likely escalate further. Putin will probably calibrate his interference to maintain a veneer of plausible deniability. That fiction wont convince anyone but it will ensure that there isnt much pressure in Washington for Trump to intervene. European leaders, for all they talk about the dangers, are moving too slowly to plug gaps in the continents security architecture that American disengagement would expose. Even with their best efforts, they need time and some degree of American support in Ukraine. They may also have to contend with Washington backing far-right politicians who, paradoxically, reject the very defense spending hikes that Trump needled out of European leaders. Wary of incurring Trumps wrath, European leaders for the most part have responded cautiously to his threats to seize Greenland and offered only meek criticism of the assault on Venezuela, even as it is widely seen as breaching the U.N. Charter. Advertisement Advertisement European leaders fear that Russia could overreach beyond Ukraine, forcing a NATO member to respond. As their own commitments to Kyiv and mutual hostility with Russia grow, any number of actions and reactions would risk a dangerous escalation. That threat is accentuated by Trumps Venezuela intervention and would ratchet up dramatically if he makes a move on Greenland. Under the Red Sky Trumps intentions in the Asia-Pacific remain still harder to read. So far, he has strained but not jettisoned Americas alliances. His meetings with counterparts in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea have been cordial, and senior U.S. officials continue to signal support for those allies. Trump has not revised the U.S. posture of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan. That approach has long aimed to deter a Chinese invasion by reinforcing the islands defences while remaining vague about whether Washington would come to Taiwans defense. At the same time, the approach has sought to dissuade Taipei from declaring or making moves toward independence, which Beijing would take to mean hope of reunification (as it would call taking over Taiwan) was disappearing. Indeed, Trump in December approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taipei, prompting Beijing to stage one of its most aggressive military drills ever around the island. It beggars belief that Trump would cede Taiwans advanced semiconductor industry to China, when the American military and industry still depend on it, or cede to China primacy in a region that generates half of global trade. Senior American officials explicitly deny any such intention. Advertisement Advertisement Still, American allies in the Asia-Pacific sense the mood shifting. Hit hard by Trumps tariffs, they fear what he might give up for the trade deal he clearly desires with Beijing all the more so as Xi bested Trump in their tariff spat. American allies increasingly worry about Trumps apparent disinterest in Asia-Pacific security, his tendency to consider China as an economic rival rather than a comprehensive geostrategic competitor, and his downgrading of the regions strategic importance. They worry about the implications for the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific if senior American policymakers and much of the U.S. military increasingly put the Western Hemisphere first. Despite big weapons deliveries to Taiwan, Trump himself evinces little interest in the islands security, and he reacted nonchalantly to Chinas drills around Taiwan last month. In South Korea, there are growing calls for Seoul to develop its own nuclear deterrent. Even in Japan, where nuclear weapons have traditionally been considered unthinkable, concerns about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees have led lawmakers and officials to whisper about the possibility. Granted, Xi seems unlikely to interpret Trumps Venezuela intervention as an opening for China to invade Taiwan. Beijings calculations are based less on events the other side of the world than on longer-standing considerations, including the difficulty of mounting an amphibious assault, the readiness of Chinas military amid continued purges of top commanders, and the massive cost of such a move, particularly given Chinas sluggish economy. In any case, Chinese leaders see no precedent in the Venezuela operation for Taiwan, whose status they regard as a domestic issue. Advertisement Advertisement Besides, Xi is more likely to bide his time, avoid a confrontation up with the U.S., and steer clear of unnecessary risks while regional dynamics in Asia appear to be shifting in Chinas favor. He may even be cautiously optimistic about politics in Taipei, given opposition leaders obstruction of defense reforms and openness to talks with mainland officials. The greater, more immediate danger, as in Europe, lies in misstep or miscalculation. Dangerous scenarios could unfold were Beijing to overstep, believing that Trump would not respond. A quarantine or blockade of Taiwan could easily escalate, as could a collision with a U.S. boat or a plane or an altercation with the Philippines or Japan, both U.S. allies. In such scenarios, despite his desire to avoid escalation, Trump would face immense domestic pressure to respond and bristle at any suggestion Xi had made him look weak. The wrong ordering principle Powerful forces militate against the idea of organizing the world into spheres-of-influence. No stable equilibrium would be arrived at easily. Where would the boundaries of such spheres fall in the Arctic or Pacific, for example? Influential midsize powerssome of which have nuclear weapons and others of which might acquire themget a say, even if they must make greater accommodations with regional bullies. Moreover, despite Trumps apparent admiration for Putin and Xi, distrust among capitals is so rife, and the American president so impetuous, that he appears as likely to clash with fellow strongmen as to carve up the world alongside them. His calls for dramatic hikes in the U.S. defense budget do not suggest a single-minded focus on the Western Hemisphere. Nor would such an approach offer a blueprint for the Middle East, a region of enduring strategic importance. Arab governments eager to turn the page on years of upheaval see Washington as the only power capableif rarely willingof restraining a bellicose Israel. Many Arab leaders also want the U.S. to help manage Iran, which is weakened but still poses a threat in their eyes. Without American engagement no understanding about a regional balance of force will develop among Arab powers, Iran, Israel and Turkey. Advertisement Advertisement As for Africa, some thinkers on the continent argue that distracted big powers will leave it alone; a pox on all their houses, in other words. That perspective is understandable, given decades of foreign meddling in Africa. But the lawlessness embodied in spheres-of-influence politics would most likely unleash an ever more frenzied scramble for the continents resources by predatory midsize powers. How Trumps sphere-of-influence gambit plays out will depend on his next steps. If the regime in Venezuelawithout Maduro but still Chavistarebuffs American demands, will Trump take further military action aimed at more fundamental change, which could plunge the country into factional violence? Or, fired up by seizing Maduro and seeking distraction from political troubles at home, will he attempt something similar elsewhere? The most perilous next move would be a renewed push to bring Greenland under American subjugation. Such a gambit could well spell the end of NATO, as Denmarks leader has warned, or at least its radical transformation, and test European unity, with huge implications for the continents security. Its not hard to track a path from there to Russia trying something more reckless in the Baltics. Attempting to reorganize the world around spheres of influence is a recipe for disaster. Were not there yet. But Trumps Venezuela raid has brought us a big step closer. Write to Comfort Ero at cero@crisisgroup.org and Richard Atwood at atwood@crisisgroup.org. Investing.com -- President Donald Trump intensified his campaign to acquire Greenland this week, issuing a stark ultimatum that the United States is prepared to secure the Arctic territory the hard way should Denmark and local authorities refuse a diplomatic sale. The Presidents comments from Friday, building on statements made earlier in the week that sent shockwaves through Europe, frame the worlds largest island as a non-negotiable pillar of American national security Speaking to reporters, the President framed the acquisition as a preemptive strike against Eastern influence in the Western Hemisphere. Advertisement Advertisement "We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not," Trump stated. "Because if we dont do it, Russia or China will take over Greenlandand were not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor." While the administrations stated preference remains a financial transaction, the Presidents language turned notably more aggressive. "I would like to make a deal the easy way," he added. "But if we dont do it the easy way, were gonna do it the hard way." The shift in rhetoric follows a period of heightened geopolitical volatility. Fears of U.S. military interventionism have spiked among international allies following a recent, audacious U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. For European leaders, the "hard way" phrasing is no longer viewed as mere hyperbole. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a blunt warning this week, stating that any U.S. military move on Greenland would signify the "end of the NATO alliance." European officials have reiterated that Greenland remains under the protection of NATOs collective security agreements. Advertisement Advertisement Despite the Presidents combative tone, the State Department appears to be maintaining a dual-track approach. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the administrations primary objective remains an outright purchase. Rubio is scheduled to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss the islands future. However, with Copenhagen asserting that Greenland is not for sale, the diplomatic path seems narrow. Related articles Trump escalates Greenland rhetoric, citing Russia and China security threats Gold may hit $5,000/oz in 1H'26 - HSBC Goldman expects lower but still attractive stock market returns in 2026 I think often these days about how past American leaders thought the Civil War was divine punishment for the nations sins. In his second inaugural address in 1864, Abraham Lincoln framed the struggle against slavery in biblical termsnot to suggest that he was on a holy mission to abolish it, but that the war itself was the result of providence. Fondly do we hopefervently do we praythat this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away, he told the assembled crowd. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsmans 250 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, Lincoln continued, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said 3,000 years ago, so still it must be said: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Ulysses S. Grant, the leading Union general and eventual president, saw the tremendous bloodshed as a balancing of accounts for the Mexican-American War, which helped fuel the westward expansion of slavery. The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war, he recounted in his memoirs. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times. Advertisement Advertisement Lincoln had also opposed President James Polks contrived effort to annex Texas and conquer roughly half of Mexico in the 1840s. In a private letter to a friend in 1848, he criticized Polk for provoking a war with the Mexican government over Texas and then demanding that Congress support it. Lincolns friend had suggested that Polks actions were valid because the Constitution allows the president to repel foreign invasions. That did not apply in this case, Lincoln countered, because Texas was not part of the United States when the fighting began. Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purposeand you allow him to make war at pleasure, the future president warned. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose, Lincoln continued. If, today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, I see no probability of the British invading us, but he will say to you, Be silent; I see it, if you dont. Those words proved to be prophetic. Last week, President Donald Trump sent troops into Venezuela to capture Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and bring him to the U.S. to stand trial on various charges. Much of the situation is unclear: Trump initially claimed that the U.S., in some unspecified way, would take control of Venezuela. Days later, there are no U.S. troops on the ground, and the Chavismo faction that had been ruling Venezuela, with the exception of Maduro, appears to be intact. Advertisement Advertisement In the immediate aftermath of the raid, Trump showed little interest in the legal or constitutional implications of his actions. They should say great job, he told reporters after one mentioned criticism from congressional Democrats. They shouldnt say, Oh gee, maybe its not constitutional. You know, the same old stuff that weve been hearing for years and years and years. Nor have he and his subordinates offered much clarity on the situation. Some officials described it as a law enforcement operation, citing a 2020 federal grand jury indictment against Maduro. Others suggested that the Trump administration would now try to now control the rest of the New World more aggressively. Trump and his top officials have threatened additional military action in Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico. They have also renewed their demands and threats to acquire Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Some top GOP officials have taken to sounding like German officials from the late 1930s. We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power, Stephen Miller, Trumps top domestic policy aide, told CNNs Jake Tapper earlier this week. These are the iron laws of the world. Miller also suggested that the U.S. acquisition of Greenland was a foregone conclusion because nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. Representative Andy Ogles, speaking on the Trump administrations apparent imperial desires, described the U.S. as the dominant predator force in the Western Hemisphere. He appeared to mean that as a compliment. The American people have signaled no interest in any of these proposed military misadventures. As many as 73 percent of voters oppose the use of military force to seize Greenland, according to one post-Maduro poll. But the views of American voters may not matter, at least in the near term. The U.S. only really has two branches of government right now. Trump sits atop the executive branch, which is little more than a vehicle for his personal whims and desires. Officials like Russ Vought have sabotaged many agencies workings to benefit their corporate allies. Other powers and responsibilities have been turned toward darker ends. Advertisement Advertisement The judicial branch also retains much of its vitality despite the Supreme Courts best efforts to sabotage it. Lower court judges have consistently pushed back against the Trump administrations lawlessness on immigration enforcement, on federal spending power, and on basic civil rights. Occasionally a majority of the nine justices does something other than undermine their fellow judges, but those days are few and far between. Congress, on the other hand, functionally no longer exists. It has not been abolished in some dictatorial show of force or authoritarian crackdown. That would be unnecessary. There are still senators and representatives. They occasionally hold votes and hearings on Capitol Hill. They still run for reelection. But they dont really do much of anything. Oversight is minimal and toothless; lawmaking is centralized, preordained, and infrequent. Much of the blame for this sorry state lies with the Republican Party and its leaders. The Constitutions structure anticipates that members of each branch will guard their own powers and prerogatives jealously. It also assumed that lawmakers would be more loyal to their constituents and to the republic than to some passing demagogue. Top GOP lawmakers have gone out of their way to prove these assumptions wrong. Mike Johnson, the eminently forgettable speaker of the House, insisted in a CNN interview that the Venezuela raid wasnt a big deal. This is not a regime change, he claimed. This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime. He and John Thune, the Senate majority leader, insisted that Trump was not obligated to inform Congress under the War Powers Act before launching a military operation to arrest a foreign head of state. Advertisement Advertisement Democrats, too, have struggled to use their platform and (albeit limited) power effectively. I asked for assurances that they were not planning operations in other countries ... including Colombia and Cuba, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday, and I was very, very disappointed in their answer. Nor have they been able to articulate a compelling argument against Trumps imperialism. The White House is laser focused on threatening a military takeover of Greenland, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar offered on social media on Wednesday. Wheres the same focus on lowering costs? Congresss power is immenseif it chooses to wield it. No better evidence could be offered than Trumps warnings that he will be impeached if Democrats retake at least the House in this years midterm elections. You got to win the midterms, because if we dont win the midterms, its just going to beI mean, theyll find a reason to impeach me, Trump told GOP lawmakers earlier this week at a policy retreat. Ill get impeached. There is no shortage of reasons to impeach and remove him, but Trumps military adventurism would be a good place to start. Why does Congress have the power to declare war? Because that power must reside somewhere. It could not reside in the Supreme Court, obviously. Nor could it be entrusted to the presidentnot even to George Washington, whom the Framers had in mind when they sketched out the offices powers. Instead it fell to the most representative branch, along with the power of the purse and the approval of military commissions and regulations. The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress, was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons, Lincoln explained in the 1848 letter. Kings had always been involved and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. Advertisement Advertisement English history is filled with examples that prove his point. The history of Parliament is, at least in part, a history of medieval kings asking for more money to wage expensive wars and surrendering more power in exchange for it. This our [Constitutional] Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all kingly oppressions, Lincoln continued, and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. Trumpworld apparently thinks it can solve this ancient dilemma by plundering Venezuelas oil and transferring it to offshore slush funds, circumventing both the Treasury and the Constitution. Past administrations had the bare decency to pretend they were appealing to a higher interest, like liberty or democracy or human rights. The Trump Doctrine, such as it is, is pure gangsterism, shorn of any moral pretext other than because I want to and because I can. It is the domestic abusers mentality translated into foreign policy. The U.S. is powerful enough to get away with this for a little while. But this country is not omnipotent. Much of our strength as a superpower comes from the goodwill of our allies and our neighborsfrom our alliances and trade relationships and shared institutionsall of which is now being destroyed or dismantled. Whether by divine reckoning or abstract karma or sheer Newtonian physics, there will one day be an equal and opposite reaction to Trumps foreign policy adventurism. Only by restoring constitutional government can we hope to limit whatever damage will come. President Donald Trump offered two new proposals in early January aimed at the stubbornly complex issue of home affordability. Trump on Wednesday said he would move to ban institutional buyers from the housing market. Then on Thursday, he proposed a mortgage bond program aimed at lowering mortgage rates. Will either achieve their targets? Experts are skeptical. Two previous proposals from the Trump administration opening federal lands to housing development and introducing 50-year mortgages mostly brought shrugs and, so far, have yet to yield results. The proposed ban on institutional buyers For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream, Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social. I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations. Advertisement Advertisement For decades, many rental apartments in the United States have been owned by large landlords with thousands or tens of thousands of units. During the Great Recession, a new breed of landlord turned that business model to single-family homes. Those buyers helped stabilize a housing market in free fall, and today the largest institutional owner of houses, Invitation Homes, holds about 85,000 single-family homes nationally, according to its latest annual report. Concern about the role of these large buyers is nothing new. In 2023, two Democrats Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Washington Rep. Adam Smith proposed a bill with a similar ban. Congress must take action to crack down on corporate greed and get hedge funds out of the single-family home market, Smith said at the time. In February 2025, they reintroduced similar legislation. However, neither bill went anywhere. Advertisement Advertisement How much do these buyers drive the market? Thats unclear, but according to Redfin, real estate investors of all sizes small, individual investors and large institutions bought 17% of U.S. homes that sold in the third quarter of 2025, up from 16% a year earlier. Institutional buyers typically arent as active in the Northeast and Midwest, where home prices have spiked in the past couple of years. Invitation Homes, for instance, owns 3,500 houses in Chicago and Minneapolis, but the other 80,000-plus houses are spread across California, Texas, Florida and other Sun Belt states. The argument against a ban Banning big buyers might make homes more affordable by reducing some competition for homes. However, the housing market is slowing in some places home sellers in Texas and Florida want to be able to sell to anyone right now, investor or not. Learn more: Theres still a nationwide shortage of homes so why are sellers getting desperate in some places? Advertisement Advertisement Proposed bans on institutional investors tap into widespread fears about Wall Street invading Main Street, along with notions about who owns a house. Its fine for a publicly traded company to own a home if its a rental unit with a balcony and an elevator, but not if that home has a picket fence, a garage and a backyard. But theres also a theory that too much regulation of the housing market will scare away new development an important consideration given the widespread agreement that the national housing market is running millions of homes short and needs more supply. According to Bennie Waller, a finance and real estate professor at the University of Alabama, and Ken Johnson, a finance and real estate professor at the University of Mississippi, a blanket ban would hurt the housing market in the long run. With the free entry and exit by professional investors in the housing market, home prices will reflect investor knowledge, and all U.S. households will benefit from this extra knowledge as sold prices will now reflect a greater understanding of both price and risk, Johnson and Waller write in an analysis of Trumps proposal. Advertisement Advertisement A more informationally efficient housing market (one with free entry and exit for all) will attract more capital. Growing levels of capital will increase the amount of housing inventory. The opposite is true for a less informationally efficient housing market and will result in less inventory. In this time of inventory shortage, it does not seem wise to restrict investors and their capital from the housing market. The $200 billion mortgage bond move A day after his bombshell on home buying, Trump announced he planned to wade into the market for mortgage-backed securities in a bid to drive down mortgage rates. Because I chose not to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in my First Term, a truly great decision, and against the advice of the experts, it is now worth many times that amount AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE and has $200 BILLION DOLLARS IN CASH, Trump wrote on social media. Because of this, I am instructing my Representatives to BUY $200 BILLION DOLLARS IN MORTGAGE BONDS. That was followed by a post on X from Bill Pulte, head of the overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that Fannie and Freddie will be executing the order. Advertisement Advertisement Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the government-sponsored entities that ultimately issue about two-thirds of U.S. home loans. Those mortgages are packaged as securities and sold to pension funds and other institutional investors. So while your home loan might be originated by a lender such as Rocket, loanDepot or Wells Fargo, or by an independent mortgage broker, it soon is turned into a mortgage bond owned by an investor. This arcane process allows mortgages to be issued en masse, and its part of the reason nearly two-thirds of Americans own their homes, a high level by global standards. If the government steps in and buys additional bonds based on mortgages, the increased demand for home loans could lead to lower mortgage rates. Mortgage rates dipped and mortgage stocks spiked on Trumps proposal. But there was skepticism that the move would create sustained relief for mortgage rates. Details remain limited, but its difficult to see this proposal moving mortgage rates in a large or lasting way, says Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com. A one-time infusion of roughly $200 billion, or even a series of smaller purchases that add up to that figure, is unlikely to meaningfully alter long-term mortgage pricing. While $200 billion sounds like a lot, its just 10% of the amount of mortgage-backed securities owned by the Federal Reserve, which holds $2 trillion of such instruments. Advertisement Advertisement When similar actions by the Federal Reserve have lowered rates in the past, its because markets viewed those purchases as large, sustained and predictable, Berner says. Without that same level of scale and credibility, any impact on mortgage rates would likely be modest and short-lived. What policies could affect home affordability? Theres really no easy fix. Home prices are driven by supply and demand, while housing affordability is a function of home prices, mortgage rates and wages. Theres a broad consensus among economists that too few homes have been built in the United States since the Great Recession, and that has led to a shortage of homes that has created upward pressure on prices. As with other housing policy ideas focused on demand, the larger issue is that the markets core challenge remains on the supply side, Berner says. Without meaningful gains in construction, the long-term impact would be minimal, aside from a potential one-time boost to home prices. Theres not much the federal government can do to spur building. Approvals of new developments generally come at the local level, and local residents opposition to new construction can sway municipal officials against approving new developments. The Trump administration is taking a high-stakes, transactional approach to its goal of acquiring Greenland with a plan to offer lump-sum payments of up to $100,000 to each Greenland resident to encourage secession from Denmark and alignment with the United States, Reuters reports. The cash plan is the latest move in President Donald Trump's push to acquire the semiautonomous territory, which he has described as strategically vital for U.S. national security. While Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly said the island is "not for sale," Reuters reports White House aides are weighing both direct payments and a possible Compact of Free Association (COFA). The U.S. has COFA arrangements with three Pacific island nations: Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. While they remain independent, the U.S. provides defense and economic support and their militaries operate freely. Strategic stakes and Greenland's red lines European pushback to Trump's plan for Greenland has intensified, however. Advertisement Advertisement In remarks cited by The Associated Press, Trump suggested a 1951 consent-based defense arrangement that allowed the U.S. to establish a military base on Greenland is insufficient. He told The New York Times that "ownership gives you things and elements that you can't get from just signing a document." Concerns have grown in Greenland, Denmark and among NATO members about possible U.S. military action, especially after troops conducted a raid on Venezuela and Trump declared that the U.S. now "runs" the South American country. Vice President JD Vance told reporters the U.S. "is going to have to do something" if Denmark cannot secure Greenland, noting U.S. missile defense is partly dependent on the island. Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen countered that the 1951 agreement already offers "ample opportunity" for a stronger U.S. presence, if both governments choose. Greenland's leaders have rejected U.S. overtures. Advertisement Advertisement "Enough is enough, " Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on social media. "No more fantasies about annexation." Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in Denmark's parliament, said decisions are being discussed "over their heads," reiterating the principle "Nothing about Greenland, without Greenland." She said most Greenlanders want greater self-determination, including possible independence, as well as the right to decide their future. Diplomatic pushback and Capitol Hill skepticism Politico reports eight European nations joined Denmark in a statement stressing Arctic security must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned against a world governed by the "law of the strongest," according to the AP. On Capitol Hill, Danish and Greenlandic envoys have pressed U.S. lawmakers to oppose military moves to seize the island. Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told Politico the visitors made clear there is "no willingness" to negotiate a sale. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the White House's "obsession" with the island "profoundly troubling." What's next The dispute now turns to high-level talks in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Danish counterpart next week. He has reportedly told lawmakers the administration intends to purchase rather than take it by force. The White House has said it is "looking at what a potential purchase would look like," and has not ruled out military options. The post Trump may offer green for Greenland to encourage secession from Denmark appeared first on Straight Arrow News. Related Links If Donald Trump is genuinely worried about Russian warships stalking Greenland or genuinely motivated by the new Great Game of Arctic supremacy, the easiest way to secure US objectives is to break Russian imperial power where it is most acutely vulnerable. The key pressure points are the Russian treasury and applying asymmetric attrition on the front line in Ukraine where significant parts of Vladimir Putins war machine are being degraded. Exploit these two advantages and Greenland will take care of itself. Advertisement Advertisement The Venezuela raid or rather, Trumps joint venture with the neo-Marxist Chavista regime to divvy up plunder is a publicity stunt. The stated rationale for the seizure of Nicolas Maduro is largely bogus. The deployment of an entire armada is out of all proportion to the strategic threat, which is practically nil. The stated rationale for the seizure of Nicolas Maduro is largely bogus - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters The Chavistas are undoubtedly mixed up with drug trafficking but they have almost nothing to do with the fentanyl epidemic in the US. The precursor materials for fentanyl come from China and are processed at clandestine labs in Mexico. Venezuela does not grow coca plants in any volume. I have a pretty good idea where it is grown since I was once held and interrogated at gunpoint by a drug militia in the Amazonian ceja de selva. The Colombian cocaine that is smuggled through Venezuela mostly goes to Europe. The charade is now continuing in a new form, with British help, in the North Atlantic. It is another stunt. The US navy is boarding the wrong shadow fleet. Advertisement Advertisement The tankers violating oil sanctions against Venezuela are strategically and economically irrelevant. They make no difference to the global oil market or to the strategic balance of power. The US navy is boarding the wrong shadow fleet - Kristi Noem/X China used to buy Venezuelas heavy tar-like oil for use in asphalt and roofing during the overbuilding boom, which is now history and will never be repeated. Teapot refiners still buy shadow barrels at a discount, opportunistically, for a wafer-thin profit. But this is a sideshow. China can buy as much oil as it needs, anywhere it wants, and its oil import demand is in secular and irreversible decline in any case. You can argue that forcing Venezuela and its oil back into the US orbit thwarts efforts by China and Russia to create a rival payments system for oil priced in yuan (nobody wants rubles) but this is a stretch. Advertisement Advertisement US control over international payments certainly matters but that is a function of Americas enduring economic strength, a tight G7 alliance and the perceived political safeness of US financial instruments all of which are in jeopardy. Ultimately, it is a secondary issue whether a fungible commodity is traded in dollars, yuan, Venetian ducats or Cowrie shells. If Trump really wants to take on the Russia-China axis which, one suspects, he has no intention of doing he should be leading and enforcing a total blockade of the Russian shadow fleet passing through the Danish Straits. That would deprive the Kremlin of circa 1.5 million barrels a day of export revenue. Russian oil and gas exports are already in precipitous decline falling 34pc in November from a year earlier and are about to fall a lot further. Advertisement Advertisement Brent crude prices have dropped to a five-year low of $60 a barrel as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states flood the global market to regain lost share. That alone would not be enough to halt Putin but Russia is in reality receiving barely more than half of this price. The trade price of Urals crude has crashed to $36.69 at the Baltic port of Primorsk and $34.82 at Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, now a dangerous and uninsurable venue for tankers running the gauntlet past Ukrainian drones. Total oil revenues have been running at less than a billion a week since early December, thanks in great part to tightening sanctions imposed upon a foot-dragging White House by both parties in the US Senate. The Russian war economy is running on fumes. Advertisement Advertisement The liquid assets of the national rainy day fund have dropped to 1.9pc of GDP. The fund has sold two thirds of its gold, down to 173 tonnes from 555 tonnes in late 2022. These gold sales have pushed up the ruble exchange rate in a mechanical fashion, which some mistake for evidence of Russian resilience. Vladimir Putin is entering a window of maximum danger - Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/EPA/Shutterstock Russia is losing, write William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk in a commentary for the Royal United Services Institute. The proper strategic choice for the West is crystal clear: double down on the current strategy of military aid to Ukraine, tighten the economic noose further and keep going until the Kremlin breaks. This entails other dangers, of course. Advertisement Advertisement Facing an economic spiral and depleted conventional forces, Vladimir Putin is entering a window of maximum danger. We must prepare not for a resurgent Russia but for a desperate one: 2026 will be the year of hybrid escalation, Dixon and Beznosiuk said. The best proxy gauge of the Russian economy is what is happening to RZD, the state railway company now facing insolvency with debts of $51bn (38bn). Freight volumes have fallen by 20pc. Some 300,000 wagons are lying idle, clogging the marshalling yards and blocking tracks. The Russian railways are a microcosm of a much broader economic contraction and incipient collapse. They are massively in debt and are being hammered by a shrinking industrial base that looks increasingly like the prelude to a major depression, said Jeff Hawn, from the London School of Economics. Russias military advance in key areas of Ukraine has been just 50 metres a day slower than the battle of Somme in 1916 and Russia has not broken the fortress belt in four major offensives and four years of war. Advertisement Advertisement Totting up Russian losses is a parlour game but the rough levels from confirmed open-source intelligence are 3640 tanks, 8200 infantry fighting vehicles, 380 howitzers, 920 self-propelled artillery pieces, 480 rocket and missile systems, 104 aircraft, 107 helicopters and 18 ships and, of course, some 1.1 million casualties, on Nato estimates, leaving a generation of war wounded that cannot be concealed. Some of this is being replaced but much of it is not. It is Russia that is on the wrong side of this asymmetric attrition. Trump has either fallen for the Kremlins cultivated narrative of inevitable victory or actually prefers a three-way carve-up of the world between the US, Russia and China, leaving him with a free hand to build his American empire. Take your pick. Trumps lust for Greenland has nothing to do with US security. That can be secured only by further US military bases in cooperation with Denmark if the Pentagon can in fact spare the forces. To take Greenland by force or coercion would surely turn Europe into an enemy, leaving the US loathed, alone and far less powerful than it thinks. Advertisement Advertisement Trump appears obsessed by critical minerals that lie under Greenlands glaciers and other such commercial fantasies but I wonder whether the motive isnt even more atavistic. Thomas Jefferson added 830,000 square miles from the Mississippi to the Rockies with the Louisiana purchase in 1803. Greenland would just outdo him by adding 836,000. Trump has more work cut out if he wants to beat James Polk, who added a million square miles with the annexation of Texas in 1845 and the seizure of North Mexico in 1848. For that he would need Canada. It is a frivolous thought. Shame on me for even suggesting it. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang might be worth $156 billion, but he barely bat an eyelid at a proposed tax on billionaires which critics fear could push talent out of California. The proposed bill would impose a one-time, 5% tax on the states billionaires, estimated to be some 200 individuals. Even if the indivdual barely makes the billion-dollar threshold, the tax would still demand a $50,000,000 payment. At Huangs net worth, he would be facing an eye-watering payment of almost $8 billion. The tech titan seemed relatively unfazed by the proposalor its impact on the West Coast states talent pool. I havent thought about it even once, Huang told a Bloomberg podcast. We work in Silicon Valley because thats where the talent pool is. We have offices all over the world. Wherever theres talent, we have an office. Already, reports are emerging that magnets of talent and investment are considering leaving the state. Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has explored spending more time outside California and opening an office for his Los Angeles-based personal investment firm, Thiel Capital, in another state, The New York Times reported a fortnight ago. Likewise, Google cofounder Larry Page has discussed leaving the state by years end, sources told the Times. Critics of the bill have been quick to highlight any exit of wealthy individuals. For example, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents part of Silicon Valley, flagged the NYT story on X and echoed President Franklin Roosevelt by adding, I will miss them very much. Huang was more sanguine, continuing: We chose to live in Silicon Valley and whatever taxes they would like to apply, so be it. Im perfectly fine with it, it never crossed my mind once. The co-founder and CEO of the AI giant isnt the only one in Nvidias C-suite who will be impacted by the proposed tax. In July, Nvidias CFO Colette Kress and its executive vice president of world field operations, Jay Puri, saw their wealth rise to more than a billion dollars per calculations by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Their soaring fortunes came on account of the significant stock they hold in the company, where the share price has risen has risen by more than 35% over the past year alone. While tech giants are facing questions about how to keep talented staff motivated when their wealth is ballooning (thanks to the share benefits they are awarded), it seems Nvidia has so far kept the pressure on with effective golden handcuff agreements. Greenlanders could be offered a lump sum of $100,000 (75,000) per person as part of an attempt to convince them to secede from Denmark and join the United States. White House officials, who intend on buying Greenland, have discussed payments ranging from the equivalent of 7,460 to 74,600, four sources told Reuters. If the maximum payment was made to the 57,000 inhabitants of the mineral-rich Arctic island, it would cost Washington $5.7bn (4.25bn). Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump insisted that the US needs Greenland for national security reasons at a time when Russia and China are working together in the hotly contested Arctic region. Copenhagen has said the strategically placed semi-autonomous region, which is the worlds largest island, is not for sale. Any deal would require Danish assent. Greenland has long considered seeking independence from Denmark but surveys show most Greenlanders do not want to be part of the US. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenlands prime minister, has said: Enough is enough ... No more fantasies about annexation. Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: Enough is enough. No more fantasies about annexation - Oscar Scott Carl/EPA/Shutterstock The cash offer is one of various plans, including a military takeover, under consideration before a meeting between Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and his Danish counterpart in Washington next week. Advertisement Advertisement The refusal to rule out military action has concerned European allies after the capture of Venezuelas dictator, Nicolas Maduro, and the Donroe Doctrine reassertion of US dominance over its sphere of influence. b' 0801The importance of Greenland\'s position ' Asked if there were any limits on his global powers, Mr Trump said on Thursday, Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. I dont need international law, he added. Im not looking to hurt people. Mr Trump told the New York Times: Ownership is very important. Thats what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you cant do with, youre talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cant get from just signing a document. Mette Frederiksen (right) has said Denmark and Greenland have made it clear they reject US presidents statements - Christian Hartmann/AFP A source said consideration of payments had become more serious in recent days, with aides now entertaining the higher $100,000-per-person lump sum. Advertisement Advertisement They have also discussed offering Greenland a compact of free association. Such bespoke agreements have been offered to small Pacific islands and involve exchanging access to troops for duty-free trade with the US and services such as mail delivery and military protection. It is hard to estimate how much Greenland and its natural resources are worth, given its strategic location and sought-after rare-earth minerals. Mr Trump will want to secure better value to acquire Greenland than Sir Keir Starmer achieved in giving away the Chagos Islands. Sir Keir signed the Chagos Islands treaty in May, giving up British sovereignty over the islands and paying Mauritius 30bn over 99 years. This is despite the fact that Mauritius has never ruled the islands. Advertisement Advertisement Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, has warned that if the US were to take Greenland by force, it would be the death of Nato, of which Denmark is a member. Protesters wave Greenlandic flags in front of the US consulate during a demonstration - Christian Klindt Soelbeck/AFP On Tuesday, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement, saying only Greenland and Denmark can decide matters regarding their relations. The US president warned there may be a choice between Greenland and Nato in his New York Times interview. One EU diplomat told The Telegraph: Good luck explaining to the American people why youre spending billions to buy off Greenlanders while your citizens are overwhelmingly concerned with their cost of living. Advertisement Advertisement I am not sure thats the economic populism Trump was elected on, the envoy added, pointing to a YouGov poll showing 45 per cent of Americans opposed buying Greenland and only 25 per cent were in favour. Donald Trump Jr on a visit to Nuuk as the US president discusses options, including military action, to take control of Greenland - Emil Stach/AFP With the November mid-term elections looming, some Republicans have publicly spoken out against Mr Trump. Don Bacon, a Republican representative, said: This is appalling. Greenland is a Nato ally. Denmark is one of our best friends so the way were treating them is really demeaning and it has no upside. Ms Frederiksen has said Denmark would be willing to discuss increasing Arctic security through Nato on Greenland. The US already has a treaty giving its troops access to Greenland. Advertisement Advertisement Sir Keir spoke to Ms Frederiksen, Mr Trump and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, on Thursday in separate calls where the leaders agreed Arctic security should be bolstered. Dutch media reported that Nato officials were considering suggesting a special joint mission to Greenland to appease Mr Trump. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, said on Friday that the best way to prevent problems was to ensure there is serious and significant Nato presence in the Arctic and Greenland. Ms Meloni said: I dont believe in the hypothesis of the US taking military action in Greenland, which I wouldnt support and which wouldnt benefit anyone. Advertisement Advertisement I believe that, with its very assertive methods, the Trump administration is drawing attention to the strategic importance of Greenland for its interests and security. Its an area in which many foreign actors operate, and I believe the message from the US is that it will not accept excessive interference by foreign actors. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. AP News President Trumps approval rating has been in the negatives since mid-March, though it has recovered from a second-term low of -13.1, shortly after the government shutdown ended, to a current -8.2. However, while Trumps numbers are negative, European leaders are faring far worse. Even Italys Giorgia Meloni, the European leader with the highest rating tracked by YouGov polling, has just 35% favorability and a -21 net favorability rating. Trump, meanwhile, has a 43.3% favorability rating and 53.4% unfavorability in the RealClearPolitics Average. The worst-performing leaders are United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Frances President Emmanuel Macron, who have favorability ratings of just 17% and 16%, respectively. Germanys Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has only 25% favorability and 69% unfavorable ratings. Advertisement Advertisement That places these leaders below the least popular branch of the U.S. government, the Congress, which has 22.3% approval and 68% disapproval in the latest RCP average. Unsurprisingly, with such dismal favorability ratings, opposition parties in these European countries are gaining in the polls. In Germany, the right-wing Alternative for Germany party now tops the polls at 26%, closely followed by Merzs party, the Christian Democratic Union, at 25%. In Germanys February 2025 elections, the AfD received 21% of the vote, while the CDU received 29%. In the UK, Starmer became prime minister after the July 2024 elections, in which his Labour Party received 34% of the vote, the Conservative Party received 24%, and Reform UK, Nigel Farages new right-wing party, received 14%. In current polling, Reform UK leads with 28%, followed by Conservatives at 18% and Labour at 16%. Advertisement Advertisement Frances parties have not undergone a total realignment, as the largest parties, the right-wing National Rally and the left-wing New Popular Front, are polling similarly to the July 2024 legislative elections. However, Macrons governing coalition, Ensemble, has fallen from 23% to 15%, while the center-right Republicans party has risen from 5% to 12%. Even Trumps -8.3 net job approval rating suggests Republicans are likely to lose the House in the midterms. In the RCP Average for the Generic Congressional Vote, Republicans trail Democrats by 4 points. Since 2002, the RCP Average for the Generic Congressional Vote on Election Day has incorrectly predicted control of the House only once, in 2016, making it a historically reliable statistic. This deficit, combined with the fact that the party holding the presidency has won the House in the midterms only once since 1982, in 2002, makes a Republican victory a long shot. Betting markets likewise indicate a low probability of a Republican win in the House in 2026, at 24%. The UN climate chief led a chorus of criticism Thursday over President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a bedrock climate treaty, calling it a "colossal own goal" that will only harm his country. Trump released a presidential memorandum Wednesday ordering the withdrawal from 66 global organizations and treaties -- roughly half affiliated with the United Nations -- for being "contrary to the interests of the United States." Most notable among them is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which underpins all major international climate agreements. Advertisement Advertisement UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell said Trump's decision would "only harm the US economy, jobs and living standards." "It is a colossal own goal which will leave the US less secure and less prosperous," Stiell said in a statement. His remarks were followed by comments from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he "regrets" the US decision to withdraw from multiple international bodies, without naming any one organization. "The United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us, and we will continue to carry out our mandates with determination," Guterres said, while reminding member states of their legal obligations to fund the world body's budget. Advertisement Advertisement Critics warned Trump's move will further isolate the country on the global stage. "It's critical the United States is a participant in and is actively trying to reduce climate change -- it's the world's largest economy, the world's biggest historical emitter," Jake Schmidt of the Natural Resources Defense Council told AFP, noting that the United States would be the first of 198 parties to ever leave. The treaty adopted in 1992 is a global pact by nations to cooperate to drive down planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. "The decision by the world's largest economy and second-largest emitter to retreat from it is regrettable and unfortunate," European Union climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said. Advertisement Advertisement Trump has thrown the full weight of his domestic policy behind fossil fuels and derides climate science as a "hoax." - Fight looms - His administration sent no representative to November's UN climate summit in Brazil, which is held annually under UNFCCC auspices. The US Treasury Department announced Thursday it was also pulling out of the UN's Green Climate Fund, the world's largest multilateral climate fund. The UNFCCC was adopted 34 years ago at the Rio Earth Summit and approved by the US Senate by a 92-0 vote during George H.W. Bush's presidency. The US Constitution allows presidents to enter treaties "provided two thirds of Senators present concur," but it is silent on the process for withdrawing from them -- a legal ambiguity that could invite court challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Trump has already withdrawn from the landmark Paris climate accord since returning to office, just as he did during his first term from 20172021 in a move later reversed by his successor, Democratic president Joe Biden. "A future US administration could both rejoin the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement on day one, without needing to go back to the Senate for another round of advice and consent," Schmidt said. But this would be uncharted territory and legal scholars are not in full agreement. - 'Gift to China' - Jean Su, a senior attorney for the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP: "It's our contention that it's illegal for the president to unilaterally pull out of a treaty that required two thirds of the Senate vote," she continued. "We are looking at legal options to pursue that line of argument." Advertisement Advertisement California Governor Gavin Newsom, an outspoken Trump critic who is widely seen as a presidential contender, said "our brainless president is surrendering America's leadership on the world stage and weakening our ability to compete in the economy of the future -- creating a leadership vacuum that China is already exploiting." China is the world's biggest polluter, but it has also become the global leader in renewable energy. Trump's memorandum also directs the US to withdraw from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body responsible for assessing climate science, alongside other climate-related organizations. bur-ia/mlm US forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic in a dramatic move that could put Donald Trump on a collision course with Vladimir Putin. The UK later revealed British armed forces provided support to the United States capture of the Marinera, a Venezuelan-linked vessel previously known as Bella-1, as it travelled north and eastwards through the waters between Iceland and Scotland on Wednesday. The interception of the vessel comes amid a climate of global instability, with tensions also growing between Mr Trump and Europe over the US presidents repeated threats to take over Greenland. Advertisement Advertisement The diplomatic row over Greenland came just days after US forces entered Venezuela and seized its president, Nicolas Maduro, in an extraordinary show of American military power. Mr Maduro was taken to New York, where he is facing charges for drug trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and narco-terrorism. Now, the capture of the Marinera could prove to be a new flashpoint in relations between the West and Moscow after Russias transport ministry appeared to suggest that international maritime law had been breached. The Venezuela-linked oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, pictured last year (Hakon Rimmereid) Mr Trump appeared to take a swipe at Americas Nato partners following the operation, writing on social media: We will always be there for Nato, even if they wont be there for us. The only nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT (Donald J Trump) REBUILT USA. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! His claim of a lack of Western support came despite British involvement in the interception of the Marinera. RAF surveillance craft and a naval supply ship, the RFA Tideforce, were among the British military assets that took part in the operation, according to the Ministry of Defence, which insisted the UKs support was in full compliance with international law. Advertisement Advertisement Defence secretary John Healey said: This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine. Arguing the seizure was legally justified, Mr Healey later told MPs on Wednesday evening the tanker had been stateless and falsely flying the flag of Guyana when it was first intercepted, before changing its name and attempting to adopt the Russian flag. He said the UK supported the operation at the request of Mr Trump as part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions-busting and shadow shipping activity. A member of the US Coast Guard observing the Marinera, which is one of a Venezuelan shadow fleet of tankers carrying oil in breach of US and international sanctions (X/@US_EUCOM) The sanctioned tanker has been pursued by the US over several weeks, after it apparently escaped what Mr Trump described as a total naval blockade of Venezuela put in place in December. Advertisement Advertisement The Marinera is one of a shadow fleet of tankers carrying oil in breach of US and international sanctions. Currently empty, the vessel hastily renamed itself and painted a Russian flag on its side in a bid to secure Moscows protection after turning toward Europe. Russias transport ministry said it had granted the Marinera, previously flagged in Guyana, a temporary permit to sail under the Russian Federation flag on Christmas Eve. It added that no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. US European Command announced the seizure of the Marinera for violations of US sanctions, before it was then revealed that another sanctioned Venezuela-linked tanker was seized by the US. The Sophia was captured during a pre-dawn raid in the Caribbean on Wednesday, according to US Southern Command. In a social media post on the back-to-back operations, US secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem said both ships were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it. The US military has now handed control of the Marinera to law enforcement officials, a US official told the Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the crew of the tanker is subject to prosecution. The sanctioned Marinera tanker had been pursued by the US for several weeks (RT News) Ahead of the Marineras seizure, Kremlin adviser and former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov told the BBC that such a move would be considered as [an] attack on Russia, and it could lead to very critical or maybe even crisis situation in relations between Russia and US. The seizures on Wednesday come after US forces apprehended at least two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters towards the end of last year. Meanwhile, at least 33 Venezuelan vessels have been targeted by the US since early September in attacks that are believed to have killed 112 people, justified by claims of their drug trafficking into the US. Former deputy head of Nato Rose Gottemoeller has accused Mr Trump of wanting to end what has been the post-Second World War law-governed order enshrined in the UN Charter. Speaking to The Independent, she also warned Europe could face a future without US nuclear deterrence amid the US presidents vow to take Greenland. The UK later revealed British armed forces provided support to the USs capture of the Marinera (PA) Sir Keir Starmer has been urged by senior British military figures to be much tougher in resisting Mr Trumps threat to annex the strategic, mineral-rich island, which is part of Denmark, a Nato country. Advertisement Advertisement Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace accused the US president of attempting to thieve Greenlands mineral assets, while former Nato deputy supreme allied commander General Sir Richard Shirreff said the British government ducks and weaves instead of taking a firm stance on defending the territory. But on Tuesday, Sir Keir and other European leaders spoke out publicly over the threats, declaring that they will not stop defending Greenlands territorial integrity. US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that American forces would begin ground operations in Mexico targeting drug cartels, following months of naval strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. "We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico," Trump said in an interview with broadcaster Sean Hannity on Fox News. Trump provided no additional information on the timing or scope of the planned land attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Any military strikes on Mexican territory without Mexico City's consent would violate international law and mark an unprecedented attack on a US ally and major trading partner. The statement follows Saturday's Delta Forces-led capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro at a Caracas compound where he was sheltering, the culmination of an extended US military and economic campaign against his government. Maduro now faces drug trafficking charges in New York. US strikes on narcoboats have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people since September, according to US officials. Trump has also recently revealed that US forces struck a docking facility for such boats in Venezuela. The naval campaign has targeted vessels suspected of smuggling cocaine and fentanyl in international waters and near Venezuela's coast. Trump has described the operations as enforcing a blockade on drug trafficking. What would be the target of anti-cartel operations? Ground strikes on cartels in Mexico would represent a substantial expansion of US military involvement in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Mexico's two most powerful criminal organisations, the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, control vast territories and have been locked in violent competition that killed more than 30,000 people last year. Trump designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organisations in February 2025, a move Mexico condemned as threatening its sovereignty and potentially justifying military intervention. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has proposed constitutional reforms to strengthen protections against unauthorised foreign operations and has consistently rejected any US military presence on Mexican soil. Sheinbaum said Monday that the Americas "do not belong" to any single nation, responding to Trump's assertion of Washington's "dominance" over the hemisphere after Maduro's capture. Advertisement Advertisement Trump said Sunday he has pressed Sheinbaum to allow deployment of US troops against Mexican cartels, an offer he said she previously rejected. Related Overdoses from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have caused more than 100,000 deaths in the US per year since 2021. Mexican cartels produce most of the fentanyl entering the US using chemical precursors sourced primarily from China. Trump designated the drug as a weapon of mass destruction in December 2025. It remains unclear whether Trump would seek Congressional authorisation for strikes in Mexico. The US constitution grants Congress authority to declare war, although presidents have historically launched military operations without formal declarations. When President Trump announced the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday, he justified the military operation in part by framing it as a move to recover assets that he claims had been stolen from U.S. companies. "Venezuela unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars," Mr. Trump said. "This constituted one of the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country." Who owns Venezuela's oil? Advertisement Advertisement The president's focus on Venezuela's oil is now raising questions about American energy companies' activities in the country, as well as whether U.S. oil giants might now work to revive its floundering petroleum industry. Venezuela's constitution states that the nation owns all mineral and hydrocarbon deposits its oil and natural gas reserves within its own territory, including those that lie beneath the country's seabed. Mr. Trump "talks about them taking our oil the oil itself was never 'our oil'," Samantha Gross, director of the energy security and climate initiative at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, told CBS News, adding that the nation's vast crude reserves "belong to the government of Venezuela." What's also true, however, is that U.S. oil companies had contractual agreements with Venezuela to extract, process and transport its oil, as well as to share in the revenue from oil sales. Mr. Trump's claims of theft reflect actions by then-Venezuela leader Hugo Chavez to nationalize the nation's energy sector in 2007 and to confiscate the production assets of Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips after they left the country, Gross said. Advertisement Advertisement Those seizures have led to years of lawsuits and efforts by the companies to recoup their losses. While a World Bank arbitration panel has ruled in favor of the oil companies, the money has yet to be recovered. "It is beyond question that there are a number of U.S. companies and others out there who have claims against Venezuela that have been trying to get those claims satisfied for many years," Ted Posner, a partner at law firm Baker Botts and a former assistant general counsel for international affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, told CBS News. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. Oil industry executives met on Friday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to discuss Venezuela. Representatives from Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips attended, including ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance. Advertisement Advertisement "ConocoPhillips continues to monitor developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability," the company said in a statement prior to the meeting. Said a Chevron spokesperson after the meeting on Friday: "For more than a century, Chevron has been a part of Venezuela's past. We remain committed to its present. And we stand ready to help it build a better future while strengthening U.S. energy and regional security." Exxon didn't respond to requests for comment. Chavez's power play and corruption Venezuela's government has a long history of nationalizing its oil sector, with state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, taking over the industry in the 1970s. Exxon and other foreign oil companies continued to operate in the country by signing contracts to provide technical assistance and other expertise to PDVSA. Advertisement Advertisement In the 1990s, Exxon and other large petroleum companies were invited by then-Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez to return in an effort to develop the oil reserves in the Orinoco River Basin, according to "Energy in the Americas," a book published by the University of Calgary Press. But in 2003, Chavez fired thousands of PDVSA workers after they went on strike. Four years later, he expanded the nationalization push by requiring foreign companies to give majority ownership of their ventures to PDVSA. Exxon and ConocoPhillips failed to strike a deal with Venezuela, while BP, Houston-based Chevron, Norway's Statoil and France's Total signed pacts giving majority stakes to PDVSA, allowing them to remain, Reuters reported in 2007. "Some agreed, and some did not, and assets were expropriated," Gross said. Amid widespread corruption under Chavez, as journalist Anne Appelbaum noted in a 2024 book, hundreds of billions of dollars were siphoned off from PDVSA and other Venezuelan companies and subsequently disappeared into private bank accounts around the world. Advertisement Advertisement A 2017 investigation by U.S. and Portuguese authorities found that PDVSA executives had funneled millions of dollars into Portugal's Banco Espirito Santo. Venezuela owes billions to Big Oil Chavez's strong-arm tactics led to efforts by Exxon and ConocoPhillips to seek compensation for their assets, with Exxon claiming it had lost $16.6 billion due to the nationalization campaign. A World Bank arbitration panel in 2014 awarded the company one-tenth of what it had sought, but that same body later annulled most of that award. In a separate case, an international tribunal ruled that Venezuela owed $8.7 billion to ConocoPhillips in compensation for the 2007 seizure of its assets. Advertisement Advertisement Other industries also had their assets taken away under Chavez's 14-year reign, and companies have filed at least 60 arbitration claims against Venezuela since the 2000s, according to Luisa Palacios, an adjunct senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. "The value of these liabilities is estimated at $20 to $30 billion or about 10% to 15% of the almost $200 billion in international debt obligations Venezuela owes," she said in an article this week published by Columbia. "Venezuela could pay off these claims by inviting investors back to the country," she noted. "That could be done through debt-for-equity swaps or by linking future oil production to repayment of current debts. However, restructuring the country's foreign obligations will likely be needed for Venezuela to fully realize its oil potential." U.S. wasting no time Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela's oil reserves are estimated to be the world's largest, with more than 303 billion barrels. That represents about 17% of the world's total oil supply, according to OPEC data. But Venezuela's crude oil production has plunged, with the industry today pumping 800,000 to 1 million barrels per day, down from more than 3 million per day in the early 2000s. That output has nosedived due to chronic underinvestment, government mismanagement, and the impact of U.S. and international sanctions. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will export between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at "market rates," with revenue used "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Venezuela's interim government had agreed to release the oil. Advertisement Advertisement Although Mr. Trump is pushing U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela following Maduro's capture, they may need assurances before committing to new ventures, Gross said. "The political situation in Venezuela is really uncertain right now. Before a company is going to realistically invest a lot of money, they will want a stable political situation," she added. Vance posts new video that shows Renee Good's last words and other angle of shooting Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis Video shows ICE officer's point of view, Renee Good's last words before being shot President Donald Trump is asking the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to reimburse him more than $6.2 million in attorney fees and costs in the wake of the recently dismissed 2020 election interference case she brought against him. The development comes after Willis was permanently sidelined from prosecuting the case against Trump last September. She had lost an appeal after the Georgia Court of Appeals said Willis and her office could not continue to prosecute the case, citing an "appearance of impropriety" stemming from her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The case was then dismissed in November. Georgia state legislators last year passed a law that says that if a prosecutor is disqualified from a case because of his or her own improper conduct and the case is then dismissed, anyone charged in that case is entitled to request "all reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred" in their defense. The judge overseeing the case then is responsible for reviewing the request and awarding the fees and costs, which are to be paid from the budget of the prosecutor's office. Advertisement Advertisement "In accordance with Georgia law, President Trump has moved the Court to award reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in his defense of the politically motivated, and now rightfully dismissed, case brought by disqualified DA Fani Willis," Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, said in a statement. Fani Willis Permanently Removed From Prosecuting Trump Election Interference Case After Losing Appeal President Donald Trump and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. (Getty Images) A motion filed Wednesday said, "President Trump prays that this Court award attorney fees and costs for the defense of President Trump in the amount of $6,261,613,08." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Willis indictment had accused Trump of pressuring officials to overturn the 2020 vote in Georgia, organizing "fake electors" and harassing election workers. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others in August 2023, and Trump surrendered at the Fulton County Jail on Aug. 24. Georgia Calls Special Election In March To Fill Mtg Vacancy Special prosecutor Nathan Wade and Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County Last month, when another person charged in the case made a similar filing, Willis office filed a motion asking to be heard on the matter of any claims for fees and costs filed in the case, according to The Associated Press. Willis' motion raised concerns about the law passed last year that allowed Trump and others to seek to have their expenses paid. Advertisement Advertisement "The statute raises grave separation-of-powers concerns by purporting to impose financial liability on a constitutional officer, twice elected by the citizens of Fulton County, for the lawful exercise of her core duties under the Georgia Constitution," her motion said. Donald Trump's booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriffs Office after he surrendered on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. Click Here To Download The Fox News App Her motion also added that the law violates due process by "retroactively imposing a novel fee-shifting scheme" that creates a substantial burden for the county's taxpayers without any recourse. Fox News Digitals Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Trump seeks more than $6M from Fani Willis' office in wake of election interference case Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin and sees him as a bigger obstacle to peace in Ukraine than Volodymyr Zelensky, according to sources. They said the US presidents decisions to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker and support a new sanctions bill were a signal to Putin that he was running out of time to bring an end to the war. The source, who is close to the US presidents inner circle, said: He works around a carrot and stick approach. And I think hes all out of carrots. Advertisement Advertisement Another source said Mr Trumps found the Russians two steps forward, one step back strategy in talks increasingly tiresome. Mr Trump has spoken warmly in the past about Putin and said Ukraine was to blame for the war. However, several current and former Washington officials said the Trump administrations thinking was becoming more in line with the European view that Putin was playing for time. Credit: Reuters On Wednesday, American special forces risked a confrontation with Moscow when they boarded a Russian registered tanker flagged for sanctions violations. Hours later, the White House confirmed that Mr Trump had greenlit a sanctions bill during a meeting with Lindsey Graham, one of the most high-profile Russia hawks in the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement The legislation would give the president extraordinary powers to isolate Russia, including the ability to impose 500 per cent tariffs on goods imported from countries that purchase Russian oil, petroleum products or uranium. One former official said: What is tiresome to the administration is ... that the Russians use a two steps forward, one step back strategy ... they seem like theyre ready, then when things come up that we thought they would be amenable to they either ramp things up, or they stop talking for a while. Ukraine had, he said, been more amenable to compromise. Mr Trump has blown hot and cold with both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war as he tries to make good on a campaign promise to secure peace. Advertisement Advertisement Frequent claims that he believes Putin is serious about finding peace in Ukraine have alarmed Mr Zelenskys allies in Europe. They point out that warm conversations between the two leaders were often followed by missile and drone attacks. Russia has continued to launch missile attacks on the people of Ukraine despite warm words during talks to end the conflict - AP Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones on Kyiv, killing at least one person, a day before Mr Zelensky met Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago at the end of last year. A British official said the result was that the Trump administrations mindset was closer to the European view of the conflict than ever before. He said: Putins sustained brutality, nefarious behaviour and game playing do not go unnoticed by the administration. David Lammy, the British deputy prime minister, met vice president JD Vance at the White House on Thursday. Talks were expected to centre on a US offer to support security guarantees to protect Ukraine if Russia were to attack again. Advertisement Advertisement Right on cue, Putins foreign ministry denounced the plans and said any Western troops deployments in Ukraine would be viewed as legitimate targets. Talks between the British deputy prime minister David Lammy and US vice president JD Vance were followed by a blunt warning from Russia A spokesman said: The Russian foreign ministry warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as foreign intervention. Russia then fired an Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile at Lviv. The city is hundreds of miles from the front line but, crucially, just 40 miles from the border with Nato and EU member Poland. Ukraine said it was a test for the transatlantic community. Mr Trump signalled his personal irritation with Putin during a recent press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. He said: Im not thrilled with Putin, hes killing too many people. Volodymyr Zelensky seen shaking hands with Mr Trump in Florida last month is said to have been more willing to compromise than Putin - AFP A day later he contradicted Russian claims that Ukraine had targeted one of Putins residences with drone. He told reporters on Air Force One: I dont believe that strike happened. We dont believe that happened, now that weve been able to check. Advertisement Advertisement A former White House official said Mr Trump was also emboldened by the special forces raid to capture Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela. He said: It was the sort of operation that only the United States or maybe Israel could have carried out. However, previous moves to get tough on Moscow have often been followed by a relaxing of pressure. And a member of Mr Trumps national security council during his first term said the latest twist was part of the usual ebb and flow of a policy still focused on talking with the Kremlin. He said: I think this is an operational versus strategic question. He may push back harder on certain operational things but his strategic desire to end the Ukraine war quickly seems unchanged. Anna Kelly, a White House spokesman, said Mr Trumps aim remained the same. She said: President Trump is focused on getting this war settled and ending the senseless killing that was brought on by Joe Bidens incompetence. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. The conventional wisdom in many political circles is that Donald Trumps control over congressional Republicans is complete and unrelenting. The president barks orders, and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill obey, motivated by some combination of fear, partisan allegiance, loyalty and ideological agreement. But while Trumps power in Republican politics is obviously considerable, that wisdom is not always correct. In fact, Thursday was arguably the worst day for the incumbent president since he returned to power almost a year ago. One of the setbacks came in the GOP-led House, where a Democratic discharge petition to revive and extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies passed the chamber on a 230-196 vote. In all, 17 House Republicans sided with the Democratic minority more than members of either party expected suggesting bipartisan concern about the health care coverage benefits that Republicans let expire on Jan. 1. Advertisement Advertisement The measure now heads to the Senate, where a separate set of negotiations is underway for a possible compromise. Speaking of the upper chamber, Trumps other, more dramatic setback happened in the Senate on Thursday afternoon. My MS NOW colleague Mychael Schnell reported: In a rare bipartisan rebuke of President Donald Trump on Thursday, the Senate narrowly advanced a war powers resolution aimed at reining in U.S. military actions in Venezuela an early sign that Trump may not have the congressional backing he anticipated for an extended military presence there. In a 52-47 vote, senators agreed to begin debate on a war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that, if successful, would direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress. As the dust settled, many observers were surprised to see that five Senate Republicans had voted with the Democratic minority on the bipartisan legislation. Senate Democrats, led in large part by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, repeatedly tried to advance war powers resolutions in 2025, only to fall short in the face of GOP opposition. This time, however, as Trump pursues a legally dubious and highly controversial course of action in Venezuela, the effort succeeded. Advertisement Advertisement The breakthrough was striking, though as a practical matter, the impact is likely to be limited: Even if the measure heads to the House, GOP leaders are likely to ignore it, and if it managed to reach the White House, the president would veto it. But as the MS NOW report noted, Thursdays vote nevertheless marked a clear admonishment of Trumps military escalation in Venezuela. Indeed, the president made no effort to hide his disgust, publishing an item to his social media platform in which he said the five Senate Republicans who voted for the resolution Maines Susan Collins, Missouris Josh Hawley, Alaskas Lisa Murkowski, Kentuckys Rand Paul, and Indianas Todd Young should never be elected to office again. Put another way, according to Trump, a quintet of GOP senators defied the White House, which means they necessarily deserve to lose their jobs, even for an inconsequential, symbolic vote like this one. Advertisement Advertisement Taking stock of the larger context, a Politico report noted, A cadre of congressional Republicans dealt President Donald Trump significant defeats Thursday a series of rebukes that demonstrate how his iron grip on Capitol Hill has weakened at the start of a critical election year. I think thats the right way to see the developments. The point isnt that the unpopular and failing president is suddenly powerless. Hes not, as evidenced by Thursdays failed House votes on overriding his recent vetoes. Rather, the point is that his grip is slipping in ways he isnt accustomed to and clearly does not like. This was evident in the fall, when Republicans rejected some of Trumps ridiculous nominees and voted to rebuke his trade agenda, and it was even more obvious this week. As this years midterm elections approach and GOP members look for ways to salvage their careers, this dynamic seems likely to get worse for the White House before it gets better. Advertisement Advertisement This post updates our related earlier coverage. Also, a legislative procedural detail in the 10th paragraph has been corrected. The post Trump suffers rare back-to-back defeats in Republican-led Congress appeared first on MS NOW. This article was originally published on ms.now Venezuela should manage its own oil I'm going to make the radical suggestion that the future of oil production in Venezuela should be determined in Venezuela, by Venezuelans. Greg Shane, Urbandale Trump cant even rebuild the White House, let alone Venezuela As President Donald Trump rambles about rebuilding Venezuela, remember Trump literally destroyed the East Wing of the White House and can't even get construction started. Erich Riesenberg, Des Moines More: Fixing Venezuela won't be easy, but we have to get this right | Opinion Congress should assert its role in foreign affairs Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Venezuela. When do we, as a country, say enough is enough? When do we tell our elected officials to represent their constituents, and not their donors, and take back the powers given to them? Congress played no part in operation in Venezuela. The track record of nation building has not gone well for our country. Do we have anyone in the House or the Senate to show evidence of having a spine and stand up for the Constitution of the United States? Advertisement Advertisement This was about looting a country for its oil, among other resources. What message does this send to China about Taiwan, and Russia about Ukraine? Colin Powell's "Pottery Barn Rule" applies here: If you break it, you own it. Kevin M Hansen, Indianola More: Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst just sit back and let Trump do their jobs | Opinion Lets set conditions on other government aid The government is now telling applicants which foods they cannot purchase with SNAP benefits. Would it make sense that the government also require farmers to implement water-safe farming practices in order to qualify for subsidies? David Weiss, Ankeny This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Congress should assert its role in foreign affairs | Letters JPMorgans Kinexys blockchain unit announced plans Wednesday to launch its JPM Coin on Canton Network, the rising privacy-enabled network designed for financial markets. The firm is working with Digital Asset, the company behind Canton, to expand the tokens reach. Initially launched on Base, the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum layer-2 scaling network, JPM Coin (ticker: JPMD) is a bank-issued, USD-denominated deposit token that lets institutional clients make payments using a digital representation of JPMorgan deposits on public blockchain infrastructure. "This collaboration moves the industry forward in transacting on public blockchains, said Kinexys Global Co-Head Naveen Mallela, in a statement. In bringing JPM Coin to Canton, we can further increase efficiency and unlock liquidity." The collaboration will proceed in phases throughout 2026, initially focusing on establishing technical and business frameworks for JPM Coin's issuance, transfer, and redemption on Canton. Once natively available on Canton, institutions will be able to issue, transfer, and redeem JPMD near-instantly. Future phases may explore integrating additional Kinexys Digital Payments products, including JPMorgan's Blockchain Deposit Accounts, to expand capabilities for Canton ecosystem users. "This collaboration brings to life the vision of regulated digital cash that can move at the speed of markets," said Digital Asset co-founder and CEO Yuval Rooz, in a statement. "By bringing JPM Coin natively to Canton, we're establishing the foundation for modernizing the existing financial rails to facilitate the more efficient flow of capital, bridging traditional finance and digital infrastructure in a way that preserves privacy, compliance, and trust." DTCC Handles $3.7 Quadrillion in Transactions a YearNow It's Tokenizing Treasuries on Canton Canton Network has earned support from other financial giants in recent months. Franklin Templeton announced plans in November to bring its Benji tokenized fund platform to Canton, while in December, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporationwhich processes $3.7 quadrillion worth of transactions annuallysaid it planned to issue tokenized securities on the network. Canton Networks native token CC began trading in November and rose to a new all-time high price at the start of this year, peaking at $0.176 on January 1. It recently traded for $0.135, according to CoinGecko, still up 82% over the last month. Mark my words: Trumps Venezuelan travesty will not end well. Ive got to hand it to Trump, however. He gives new meaning to the phrase trumped up. The phrase predates our current president by a few hundred years, of course, but he might as well claim it as his own. Trumped up happens to be the perfect term for his modus operandi. Trump has indeed trumped up a rationale for invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president. Trump on December 18 said Venezuela took all our oil and that we want it back, and he repeated that allegation on the morning after Maduro was nabbed. Not true. Ive been reminded that, while American oil companies did operate in Venezuela, they operated under Venezuelan leases. They didnt own the land or the oil. And when Venezuela nationalized their oil industry, American companies sued and won billions in compensation. Advertisement Advertisement As Ive argued all along, Narco-terrorism was just a pretext. Its all about seizing the oil and minerals Trumps oligarch friends want. Ive begun to wonder if Trump is really in charge. It seems to me America under Trump is becoming a country of the oligarchs, by the oligarchs, and for the oligarchs. Venezuela already is. And now Trump says he meaning he, on behalf of our very own oligarchs would be running Venezuela and its oil industry. Easier said than done, I believe. Nicolas Maduro is gone, but as I heard one of his opponents remind us recently, his brutal oppressive regime is still in place. Venezuelan Vice President-turned-interim President Delcy Rodriguez, in particular, has been defiant: In a televised address, she said Maduro was still president and that the Venezuelan people will no longer be slave to the colony of an empire. And the Venezuelan government has recently decreed that police find and arrest everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States. Maduros cronies and the Venezuelan military are going to want some payback. Any one up for a protracted insurgency? I realize Maduro, by all accounts, has few redeeming qualities, if any. And granted, our military did perform brilliantly. But still, invading a sovereign country to kidnap its president was illegal and unwise by any standard. Last Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Congressional approval was not necessary because this was an arrest operation and not an invasion. Seriously? A variation of the old Duck Test comes to mind: If it looks like an invasion and acts like an invasion, its an invasion. And an American occupation is sure to follow. Never mind that Trump has said well only be running the country until a judicious transition is possible. Shades of a comedy trope Ive mentioned before the one about military coups in banana republics: When will it be safe to hold a free election?" a character asks the generalissimo. You should live so long! he replies. Advertisement Advertisement Make no mistake about it: Trump may deny it, but America is off on yet another adventure in nation building. Remember Colin Powells Pottery Barn analogy? As he tried to warn President George W. Bush about invading Iraq, If you break it, youve bought it. Trump broke Venezuela, and the bill will come due. Readers may recall that our forays into nation building didnt work out in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. We ignore the lessons of history and the constraints of culture at our peril. But there is no use trying to remind Trump of that. He is largely ignorant of history, and he is armored in his ignorance. That makes him uneducable. Finally, I have likewise been reminded that a presidents constitutional authority as commander-in-chief of the military is limited. Under the United States Code 1541 (c), the president may introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstancesonly pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces. Its high time for Congress to demand Trump operate within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. In the words of the poet, Ah me! I fondly dream. Advertisement Advertisement An afterword. Im puzzled by one element of Maduros indictment. He is being charged with possessing machine guns. That is illegal under U.S. federal law, but Maduro certainly didnt possess machine guns in the United States. The other charges are questionable, but this one is absurd. Contact Ed Palm at majorpalm@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Trump's twisted rationale behind invasion in Venezuela | Opinion Donald Trump and his senior officials have hailed Operation Absolute Resolve, the raid on Caracas and the capture and abduction of Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, as an outstanding military success. Its also easy to argue it was a blatant and unashamed violation of international law. And it signals a further erosion of what is left of the rules-based international order. The temptation for the White House now is to declare victory and quickly move on to other targets while the world is still stunned by the audacity of kidnapping a sitting foreign leader. The people and leaders of Cuba (long an obsession for Trumps secretary of state, Marco Rubio), Colombia (the largest supplier of cocaine to the U.S.) and Mexico (the key route through which fentanyl gets into the U.S.) will be deeply worried about their future prospects in a Trumpian world. Advertisement Advertisement Related: Trump and his team keep upping the 'stupid' on Greenland | Opinion As will Greenlanders, particularly in light of Trumps recent comments that the U.S. need[s] Greenland from the standpoint of national security." Not to mention the ominous tweet by MAGA influencer, Katie Miller the wife of Trumps influential deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller showing a map of Greenland in the colors of the U.S. flag. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference following a U.S. strike on Venezuela where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026. Here, an expert says the raid and Trump's embrace of the two-century-old Monroe Doctrine foreshadows a new "great power" carve-up of the world. The U.S. president certainly wont be discouraged by the meek response from many European officials. This has been deeply disconcerting, signaling that many of the most ardent defenders of international law appear to have given up pretending it matters any more. The EUs foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, was first out of the block, with a post that started by pointing out Maduros lack of legitimacy as president and ended with an expression of concern for European citizens in Venezuela. She just about managed to squeeze in that the principles of international law and the UN charter must be respected." But this sounded like and most likely was an afterthought. Advertisement Advertisement A subsequent joint statement by the EU26 (all member states except Hungary) was similarly equivocal and did not explicitly condemn Washingtons breach of international law. The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, focused his statement on the fact that the UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela, that he regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and would shed no tears about the end of his regime. Before closing with his desire for a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people, the former human rights lawyer briefly reiterated his support for international law. U.S. law enforcement move captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores out of a helicopter to head toward a federal courthouse in New York City on January 5, 2026. Here, an expert warns against the potential consequences of President Donald Trump's revival of the Monroe Doctrine and a return to "great power" politics. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, however, wins the prize for prevarication. As well as making almost identical comments about Maduros lack of legitimacy and the importance of a transition in Venezuela, he also noted that a legal assessment of the U.S. operation is complicated and that Germany will take its time to do so. The view from Moscow and Beijing While there was a mixture of enthusiasm and worry across Latin America, the strongest condemnations came from Moscow and Beijing. Advertisement Advertisement The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had signaled his support for Maduro early on in the escalating crisis at the beginning of December. A statement by the Russian foreign ministry on January 3 initially merely offered support for efforts to resolve the crisis through dialogue. In subsequent press releases, Russia has taken a stronger line, demanding that Washington release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spouse. China similarly expressed concern about the U.S. operation as a clear violation of international law. A foreign ministry spokesman urged Washington 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. Moscows position in particular is, of course, deeply ironic. To condemn the U.S. operation as an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state may be correct. But it is hardly credible in light of Moscows decade-long war against Ukraine that has involved the illegal occupation and annexation of nearly 20% of Ukraines territory. China, on the other hand, can now have its cake and eat it in Taiwan, which, unlike Venezuela, is not widely recognized as a sovereign and independent state. With regime change back on the international agenda as a seemingly legitimate endeavor, little is left, from Beijings point of view, of the case against reunification if necessary by force. Advertisement Advertisement Trumps actions against Venezuela may not have accelerated Chinese plans for forceful reunification, but they will have done little to deter them. The episode is likely to have emboldened more Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. Carving up the world All this points to a further gradual conversion of American, Chinese and Russian great power interests to have their recognized spheres of influence in which they can do as they please. But while China and Russia may be unable to do much about their now-deposed ally Maduro, there is no obvious or straightforward way to delineate where one sphere of influence begins and another one ends. The expectation of a carve-up of the world between Washington, Moscow and Beijing also explains the lack of European outrage over Trumps operation against Venezuela. It signals a European realization that the days of the liberal international order are well and truly over. Europe is unlikely to take a futile stand that would only risk being abandoned by Trump and assigned to Putins sphere. On the contrary, European leaders will do their utmost to gloss over differences with the U.S. and try to capitalize on an almost throwaway remark by Trump at the end of his press conference on Saturday that he is not thrilled with Putin. Advertisement Advertisement What matters for Europe now are no longer the niceties of international norms. Its now a question of keeping the U.S. and its mercurial president on side in the hope of being able to defend Ukraine and deter Russia from further aggression. Such efforts to accommodate the U.S. president are only going to work to some extent. Trumps decision to restate his ambition to annex Greenland, whose vast critical mineral resources he covets, plays into his vision of absolute dominance in the Western Hemisphere. This revival of the two-century-old Monroe doctrine (recast by Trump at the weekend as the Donroe doctrine) was outlined in the new U.S. national security strategy in December. It clearly does not end with regime change in Venezuela. The strategy set out to reestablish conditions of strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass or mitigate the risk of conflict between Russia and European states. But further destabilizing the transatlantic alliance by threatening the territorial integrity of Denmark over Greenland and possibly abandoning Europe and Ukraine to the Kremlins imperial designs are likely to have the opposite effect. Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, if the Venezuela incursion further encourages Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea and possibly a move on Taiwan, it will hardly achieve Americas aim, spelled out in the national security strategy, of preventing military confrontation with its most significant geopolitical rival. Like other U.S. regime change efforts since the end of the Cold War, U.S. action in Venezuela is likely a self-isolating and self-defeating move. It signals a return of law of the jungle for which the U.S., and much of the rest of the world, will ultimately pay a heavy price. Stefan Wolff is a professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England. This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Venezuela raid signals new great power carve-up of the world | Opinion Tucker Carlson argued reactions from conservatives to the ICE shooting of a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis are showing just how desensitized Americans really are. How come so few conservatives are viewing this story through a human lens? Carlson asked in a newsletter for his network subscribers this week. The post goes on to mention liberals who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk back in September. Advertisement Advertisement Say, when something similar, like the killing of Charlie Kirk, happens on the other side, did many on the left celebrate because they thought his political positions were wrong? We have a guess, the post reads. Violence around the world is desensitizing Americans to violence at home. Renee Good was shot and killed this week by an ICE agent who has been identified as Jonathan Ross. ICE officials have insisted the officer acted in self defense and accused Good of using her vehicle as a weapon, a narrative local officials like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) have rejected. The 37-year-old was an American citizen and reportedly the mother of a kindergarten-aged child. Did we disagree with her views on immigration? Probably. But that shouldnt matter, Carlsons newsletter reads. Her death is a tragedy, regardless of her partisan affiliations, ideological beliefs, or who pulled the trigger. A woman was shot in the face. Carlson accused American leaders of normalizing bloodshed around the globe, citing authorities capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Americas leaders must stop normalizing bloodshed, the post reads. That means pulling the plug on ethnic cleansing, viewing war as the last option rather than the first, and please, for the love of God, no more Lindsey Graham frothing over the titillating excitement of KILLING PEOPLE. The post Tucker Carlson Asks Why Conservatives Cant View Renee Good Shooting Through Human Lens: A Woman Got Shot in the Face first appeared on Mediaite. Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The United States on Friday seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as it works to control Venezuela's oil, military officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marines captured the Olina overnight, officials said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that the ship was "suspected of carrying embargoed oil" and had tried "to evade U.S. forces" as it left Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Southern Command posted on X that it's "unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere." "In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident," the post said. The operation was part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear. The Coast Guard is planning to boost its ability to inspect and repair seized foreign tankers, The Washington Post reported, signaling that it will continue to seize the tankers. Many of the tankers are in too poor condition to be accepted by U.S. ports. Advertisement Advertisement The Coast Guard sent out an internal call for personnel to increase its teams of inspectors to visit seized tankers, assess them and fix safety concerns before they come to U.S. ports, The Post reported. The message does not say how many people it needs, but it does say that those eligible must be "capable of offshore boardings and long hours aboard the vessel." "These vessels are stateless and beyond substandard," the Coast Guard said in its internal message. Since President Donald Trump declared a "complete blockade" of Venezuelan oil exports in December, the Coast Guard has taken at least four ships. In mid-December, the U.S. seized an oil tanker called The Skipper. It is held offshore near the Port of Galveston, Texas. On Wednesday, the U.S. seized the Bella-1 in the North Atlantic after pursuing the ship for weeks. It also seized the Sophia in the Caribbean. Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the Kremlin thanked Washington for agreeing to release two of the Bella-1's Russian crew members. "In response to our appeal, U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens from among the crew of the tanker Marinera, who had previously been detained by the American side during an operation in the North Atlantic," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram. "We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the U.S. leadership." "Ghost fleets" like the Bella-1 operate with false paperwork or flags. They ship sanctioned oil to China and other destinations. The U.S. government has said the oil sales fund narco-terrorism. Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Post there are hundreds of these ships and are often in bad shape. If they don't meet safety standards or risk a spill, they are denied entry to a U.S. port. "They tend to be at the end of their service life -- old, in poor condition," Cancian said. LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain said it was allocating 200 million pounds ($270 million) to fund preparations for the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine, after pledging its soldiers this week to a multinational force for the country in the event of a ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday agreed a declaration of intent at a summit of the "coalition of the willing" of Ukraine's allies, outlining a potential future deployment. Visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday, British defence minister John Healey said the money would be spent on upgrading vehicles and communication systems and counter-drone protection, as well as ensuring troops are ready to deploy. Advertisement Advertisement Britain made the announcement hours after Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile, in what Kyiv's European allies described as an attempt to intimidate them from supporting Ukraine. Macron has said France could send thousands of troops to the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU), aimed at firming up security guarantees to reassure Kyiv. Britain has not said how many troops it would send; Starmer said on Wednesday Britain's plans were still being finalised. Healey said the funding announcement for the MNFU showed the government was "surging investment" into preparations for Ukraine. "This capital spending is being funded from the core defence budget and sends a clear signal to allies and adversaries of the UKs intent to lead the MNFU, (and) fulfil our promises to secure the peace in Ukraine," the statement from the Ministry of Defence said. Advertisement Advertisement Healey also told Zelenskiy that production of Octopus interceptor drones, based on a Ukrainian design but made in Britain, would start in January. Britain will send thousands of them back to Ukraine each month to help the country defend itself against Russian drone attacks. ($1 = 0.7447 pounds) (Reporting by Sarah Young) By Dan Peleschuk KYIV, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Ukrainian officials raced to restore power on Thursday after Russian drone attacks plunged two southeastern regions into near-total blackout overnight, strikes that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said were aimed at "breaking" his country. Zelenskiy said Russia was intent on using wintry weather as a weapon rather than allowing U.S.-led diplomacy to work towards a resolution of nearly four years of conflict. Advertisement Advertisement A Russian missile attack on Thursday targeted apartment buildings in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskiy's home town in Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and injuring 24, including six children, the head of the local military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said. In a rare instance of simultaneous warnings, the Ukrainian president and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said a new mass Russian strike was possible. Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy system as Ukrainian forces fend off Russian advances on the battlefield and Kyiv faces U.S. pressure to quickly secure a peace deal. POWER RESTORED TO NEARLY 700,000 HOUSEHOLDS Advertisement Advertisement Private energy provider DTEK said power had been restored to nearly 700,000 households by Thursday evening after the overnight attack. But it said 194,000 households remained without electricity, including in Kryvyi Rih. The head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said Kryvyi Rih had been subjected to one of the heaviest combined attacks of drones and missiles since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Twenty-nine apartment buildings were damaged and more than 70,000 remained without power. The water supply was operating, though with reduced pressure. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba had earlier said more than 1.7 million households in Ukraine faced water supply problems. Advertisement Advertisement In Dnipro, the region's main town, Mayor Borys Filatov said water supply was back to normal and power and heating would soon be fully restored. In Zaporizhzhia region, the Energy Ministry said power had been restored after a blackout forced infrastructure to rely on reserves. "This is Russia's war specifically against our people, against life in Ukraine - an attempt to break Ukraine," Zelenskiy wrote on X after a European tour aimed at rallying support for Kyiv. Zelenskiy, speaking separately in his nightly video address, said, "There is information there could be a new, massive Russian strike this evening" and warned residents to heed alerts. Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Embassy said it had also received information "concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days". In Dnipro, generators hummed outside storefronts downtown, where residents told Reuters they were used to disruptions. "This is not the first blackout, and I suspect that it will not be the last, so we are working - we are prepared," said a barista who introduced herself as Iryna. In his address, Zelenskiy said Russia was "placing greater emphasis on winter than on diplomacy, on ballistics against our energy sector rather than on working with America and reaching agreements with President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement "This needs to change, and it needs to change through pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine." In Kryvyi Rih, key steel maker ArcelorMittal said it had temporarily suspended some production and Zaporizhstal, another major producer, also reported a suspension. Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said Russian drones had hit port facilities around the city and damaged an empty oil storage tank. (Additional reporting by Mykhailo Moskalenko in DniproEditing by Philippa Fletcher, Gareth Jones, Ron Popeski, Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman) Russia's Oreshnik missile attack in Ukraine near the EU border aims to intimidate Kyiv's Western allies and signals Vladimir Putin's displeasure at recent foreign policy setbacks including in Venezuela, analysts said Friday. Days after European and US negotiators unveiled a post-war peacekeeping plan for Ukraine, Russia overnight Thursday to Friday targeted an infrastructure facility in the country's western region of Lviv with the Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). It is thought to be only the second known combat use of the weapon. Advertisement Advertisement While Moscow said the strike came in response to an alleged drone attack on a Putin residence in December, nearly four years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, analysts said the move was designed to send a clear message to Western leaders and frighten ordinary Europeans. "Vladimir Putin is using this to communicate with the West, because he could undoubtedly achieve the same operational effects without this missile," Cyrille Bret, a Russia expert at the Paris-based Montaigne Institute, told AFP. "As Europeans are developing their air defence capabilities, this is a way of reminding them of their vulnerability," he added. The Kremlin has touted the Oreshnik as a "state-of-the art" weapon, which travels at hypersonic speeds, can hit targets across Europe and cannot be intercepted. Advertisement Advertisement In a call on Friday, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said Russia's use of the missile was "escalatory and unacceptable", according to a UK government spokeswoman. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Russia was using "fabricated allegations to justify the attack", according to the spokeswoman. Ukraine has denied targeting Putin's residence. Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy said on Facebook the strike was "a new level of threat -- not only for Ukraine, but also for the security of Europe". The missile, named after the Russian word for hazel tree, was first fired on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement - 'Psychological weapon' - The choice of a new target located around 70 kilometres (40 miles) from the border with the European Union was significant, observers said. "It is much closer to the EU's borders," Etienne Marcuz, an associate fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research, a French think tank, said on X. "This should probably be seen as a message to European countries," he said, adding the result of the strike was "probably more psychological than operational". Some observers saw the strike as Putin's attempt to reassert his authority following setbacks including Washington's capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the seizure of a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic and fresh demonstrations in Iran challenging Moscow-allied authorities. Advertisement Advertisement "It is a psychological weapon -- an instrument of Putin's cognitive war against Ukraine and the West -- rather than a weapon of mass physical destruction," wrote Mick Ryan, a retired major general from the Australian army and Ukraine war analyst. He said the use of the Oreshnik was a "sign of a fearful, worried leader and not one that is confident and anticipating victory". The move could not hide the fact that Russia had little power "to shape events or respond to military contingencies involving its allies and friends beyond its borders," he added. Timothy Ash, an emerging market economist focused on Russia, struck a similar note, pointing to relatively limited damage on the ground after the missile strike. Advertisement Advertisement "The Oreshnik is highly effective but also very high cost, and from a cost benefit analysis it makes zero sense for these to be deployed in Ukraine," he wrote. "The deployment of the Oreshnik therefore seemed more a PR exercise, perhaps aimed at the Trump administration signalling that Russia is unhappy more broadly about the state of play in the world," he added. While Russia calls the Oreshnik a hypersonic missile, Western defence analysts say it is not a revolutionary weapon. "It is most likely NOT a hypersonic missile," said Marcuz, adding Europe has a means of intercepting IRBMs. Advertisement Advertisement "The Oreshnik's multiple warheads could pose a problem, depending on when they are released," he added. In December, Putin's ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said the weapon had been deployed in his country, which borders NATO's eastern flank. fz-dab-as/ah/cc Jan 9 (Reuters) - The United States will provide $45 million in assistance to Cambodia and Thailand, the senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia said on Friday during a visit to the region, to help solidify President Donald Trump's peace-making efforts between the two. "The United States will continue to support the Cambodian and Thai governments as they implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and pave the way for a return to peace, prosperity, and stability for their people and the region," Michael DeSombre, the U.S. assistant secretary for East Asia, said in a statement. A senior State Department official said DeSombre would meet senior Thai and Cambodian officials in Bangkok and Phnom Penh on Friday and Saturday to discuss implementation of the peace accords "and broader efforts to promote our shared interests in a safer, stronger and more prosperous Indo-Pacific." Advertisement Advertisement DeSombre said the United States, which has slashed its global foreign assistance programs under Trump, would provide $15 million for border stabilization to help communities recover and to support people displaced by the recent conflict, and $10 million for demining and clearing of unexploded ordnance. The U.S. would also provide $20 million for initiatives that will help Cambodia and Thailand combat scam operations and drug trafficking, and other programs, DeSombre said. The Trump administration has made combating the so-called scam centers based in Southeast Asia a priority, as U.S. citizens have been targeted by their financial fraud operations. Border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand flared up again last month after the collapse of a previous ceasefire deal brokered in July by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to end a previous round of conflict. Advertisement Advertisement The Southeast Asian neighbors agreed on another ceasefire at the end of last year, halting 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides. The more recent clashes included fighter-jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages. Thailand is a long-time U.S. ally, while the United States has sought to improve relations with Cambodia to try to woo it away from strategic rival China. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Tom Hogue) The Brief The FBI is investigating a shooting in east Portland involving Customs and Border Patrol agents that left two people wounded. Portland police found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds, who were taken to a hospital with their conditions unknown. The shooting comes a day after an ICE officer fatally shot a woman in Minnesota, raising broader concerns about recent federal law enforcement use of force. A shooting involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents that were allegedly conducting a "targeted vehicle stop" in Portland, Oregon, left two people injured, according to the assistant department of homeland security secretary. Advertisement Advertisement According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting near a hospital at about 2:18 p.m. A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers then responded there and found the two people with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said. DHS responds Tricia McLaughlin posted on X that at 2:10 PT, border patrol agents were conducting a traffic stop and passengers were believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Here are the facts: At 2:19 PST, US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon. The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a https://t.co/Tr0qUQCtkm Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 9, 2026 Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney told KOMO News that the condition of the two people were unknown but appeared to still be alive. What they're saying "FBI Portland is investigating an agent involved shooting that happened at approximately 2:15pm near the 10000 block of Main St. in Portland involving Customs and Border Patrol Agents in which 2 individuals were wounded. This remains and active and ongoing investigation led by the FBI. Please follow this thread for updates regarding this matter," the post, which has no been deleted, was published to the FBI Portland X account Thursday afternoon. FILE - A U.S. Border Patrol patch is seen on the sleeve of an agent at MCAS Miramar on Sept. 26, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images) Dig deeper The Department of Homeland Securitys agencies include Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol. Local perspective During a live-streamed Portland City Council meeting earlier on Thursday, council members were seen having to suddenly go on recess and later return, citing the reason for their abrupt and temporary departure was due to the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement "Just a day after the shooting in Minneapolis of Renee Good, there was a shooting involving two Portlanders in East Portland, with federal agents we are still waiting for more details," Pirtle-Guiney said. Portland mayor responds Portland Mayor Keith Wilson responded to the "deeply troubling incident." We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. Portland is not a "training ground" for militarized agents, and the "full force" threatened by the administration has deadly consequences. As Mayor, I call on ICE to end all operations in Portland until a full investigation can be completed.Federal militarization undermines effective, communitybased public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. I will use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents' civil and human rights.I call on every Portlander to represent our values and to show up with calm and purpose during this difficult time. Portland does not respond to violence with violence. We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice. We must stand together to protect Portland.The City of Portland will continue to provide updates as they become available. We are grateful to our first responders for their support of the victims. Wilson and the city council called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end all operations in Oregons largest city until a full investigation is completed. Advertisement Advertisement "We stand united as elected officials in saying that we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts," a joint statement said. "Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents, and the full force threatened by the administration has deadly consequences." The city officials said "federal militarization undermines effective, communitybased public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. Well use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents civil and human rights." They urged residents to show up with "calm and purpose during this difficult time." "We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice," the statement said. "We must stand together to protect Portland." Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged any protesters to remain peaceful. "Trump wants to generate riots," he said in a post on the X social media platform. "Dont take the bait." Minneapolis ICE shooting Big picture view The shooting in Portland comes a day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minnesota. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed during an immigration enforcement operation in a residential neighborhood south of downtown. The Source Information for this article was taken from KOMO News, a now deleted tweet posted by FBI Portland on Jan. 8, 2026, and The Associated Press. Previous reporting from FOX 9 also contributed to this report. This story was reported from San Jose. When the United States took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his home on Saturday, it was 36 years to the day since U.S. forces captured another South American strongman: Panama's Manuel Noriega. Their cases are both extraordinary and similar: both were indicted on drug-trafficking charges by federal grand juries in the U.S.; both were taken by U.S. forces from their home turf; and both claimed their arrests were illegal. For Noriega, that argument failed. His trial, which ended in a conviction and a 40-year prison sentence, could foretell Maduro's fate in the current case. Advertisement Advertisement "The legal framework established in Noriega's case will directly govern Mr. Maduro's prosecution," Nicholas Creel, a law professor at Georgia College & State University, wrote for The Wall Street Journal. "Too bad for him that the arguments we can expect his lawyers to make have already been litigated, and rejected, by federal courts." Clark Neily, senior vice president for criminal justice at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, told Straight Arrow News that questions about the legality of seizing a foreign leader to stand trial in the U.S. were settled by the Noriega case. "Two things are true," Neily said. "First, there are differences between the Noriega operation and what we saw last weekend with Maduro. As far as U.S. courts are concerned, I expect the similarities to be more relevant. The similarities are that in both cases, military force was used to obtain physical custody of a foreign leader who was under indictment in the U.S. for drug crimes." The case against Noriega In 1988, federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa, Florida, indicted Noriega on charges that included racketeering, drug smuggling and money laundering. Negotiations to persuade Noriega to resign his position in Panama and face trial in the United States failed. Advertisement Advertisement Then-President Ronald Reagan balked at invading Panama to capture Noriega. But after his successor, George H.W. Bush was elected, there was a huge shift. Under Bush, U.S. forces invaded Panama and surrounded Noriega's place of hiding. U.S. troops notoriously blasted rock music at an unbearable level until Noriega surrendered. Noriega was taken to Miami to stand trial. Noriega's defense attorneys argued multiple points, the strongest perhaps being that he enjoyed immunity from prosecution as a head of state immunity and that the U.S. unlawfully took him into custody. "Noriega raised defenses, such as head of state immunity and the forceful capture and rendition to the U.S.," Neily told SAN. "All of those were rejected." Advertisement Advertisement The government relied on a memo written by William Barr, a future U.S. attorney general who then was an official in the Justice Department's Office of Special Counsel. He said a president had "inherent legal authority" to order the capture of a foreign leader accused of a crime in the United States, even if it violated international law. The courts ultimately found that any immunity that foreign leaders might enjoy did not protect them if they engaged in criminal activity. "They noted that the immunity exists to facilitate diplomatic relations and protect official state functions, not to shield drug traffickers," Creel wrote. "Noriega's drug trafficking was seen as clearly private criminal conduct, not an official governmental act." Noriega was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He ultimately served almost three decades in the U.S., France and Panama, where he died of a brain tumor in 2017 at age 83. The case against Maduro While Noriega was captured and taken to Miami for trial, Maduro was taken to New York City, where he was indicted on drug-trafficking charges in 2020. In his first appearance in court this week, he claimed he was a prisoner of war and was "kidnapped" by U.S. forces. Advertisement Advertisement Some experts say that Maduro may have a stronger argument than Noriega about immunity from prosecution. While Noriega sat as the de facto head of state for six years, he was never officially recognized as the country's president. Maduro was elected president of Venezuela in 2013, following the death of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Most international observers believe Maduro's most recent election, in 2024, was the result of fraud. Some, including retired prosecutor Dick Gregorie, who indicted Noriega, said that even if Maduro uses a similar defense, it likely will not matter because the U.S. does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimately elected head of state. "There's no claim to sovereign immunity if we don't recognize him as head of state," Gregorie said. "Several U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have called his election fraudulent and withheld U.S. recognition. Sadly, for Maduro, it means he's stuck with it." Advertisement Advertisement The legality of Trump's order to seize Maduro is not likely to matter, legal experts say, even though he failed to notify Congress or the United Nations Security Council before the military action. "The use of the military to conduct an operation in a foreign country is sufficiently towards the warmaking end of the spectrum," Neily said. "It's the constitutional, assigned role of Congress to declare war, and not the president." However, Neily added that the military action exists in legally disputed territory. "There's a lot of grey area, because the president is commander-in-chief of the military," he said. "Historically, that's been understood to, at least, authorize some power to the president to act unilaterally using military force." Advertisement Advertisement In Maduro's case, as in Noriega's, Neily said, "military force was used to obtain physical custody of a foreign leader who was under indictment in the U.S. for drug crimes." Ultimately, Maduro's fate will rest in how a jury considers the facts of the case. "It boils down to a black and white question," Neily said. "Was he or was he not a major player in a transnational drug distribution scheme that involved a number of drug cartels in Colombia, Mexico and elsewhere?" If a jury decides he was, Maduro could, like Noriega, spend the rest of his life in prison. The post The US brought a South American strongman to trial 3 decades ago. His case could foretell Maduro's fate appeared first on Straight Arrow News. Related Links Bia Tosha, a former Diageo distributor in Kenya, has asked a local court to halt the sale of the UK spirits major's stake in its business in the country to Asahi. The firm applied for an ex parte injunction to block the stake sale yesterday (6 January) but that has been refused as the judge requested to hear from both sides in the case, Just Drinks understands. Reports earlier today (7 January) from Bloomberg and Reuters said Bia Tosha had asked the High Court in Kenya to halt the sale due to legal action with Diageo's Kenyan businesses that has not yet been resolved. Kenneth Kipligat, a lawyer representing Bia Tosha, told Bloomberg: If they succeeded in disposing [of] their only asset in Kenya, we will not be able to execute a judgment against Diageo." He added: [The] court agrees with us that the matter is urgent and has fast-tracked it and given us a date for Friday. The litigation in question dates back to 2016 against EABL and its subsidiary Kenya Breweries. The case was linked to a spat over a distribution contract. Bia Tosha, this publication understands, is no longer a distributor in the market, with its route network having been taken over by other businesses. Asahi agreed to pay $2.3bn for Diageos business in Kenya, which includes the UK groups majority stake in East African Breweries, in December. The Tanqueray brand owner's decision to sell its final beer production asset in Africa had been predicted by industry watchers last year following the disposal of other businesses in the region. Asahi's decision to snap up the assets however did raise some eyebrows at the time, mainly due to the Japanese beer major's minimal presence in Africa and with the market being dominated by other major players like Heineken and Castel. "Kenyan distributor asks court to block Diageo stake sale to Asahi" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Thursday, less than a week after toppling its leader Nicolas Maduro. "Only time will tell" how long Washington would demand direct oversight of the South American country, Trump told The New York Times. But when asked whether that meant three months, six months or a year, he replied: "I would say much longer." Advertisement Advertisement The 79-year-old US leader also said he wanted to travel to Venezuela eventually. "I think at some point it'll be safe," he said. US special forces snatched president Maduro and his wife in a lightning raid on Saturday and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges, underscoring what Trump has called the "Donroe Doctrine" of US hegemony over its backyard. US President Donald Trump speaks to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat in Washington, 6 January, 2026 - AP Photo Since then Trump has repeatedly asserted that the United States will "run" Venezuela, despite the fact that it has no boots on the ground. Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez insisted that no foreign power was governing her country. Advertisement Advertisement "There is a stain on our relations such as had never occurred in our history," Rodriguez said of the US attack. But she added it was "not unusual or irregular" to trade with the United States now, following an announcement by state oil firm PDVSA that it was in negotiations to sell crude to the United States. 'Tangled mess' Oil has emerged as the key to US control over Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven reserves. Trump announced a plan earlier this week for the United States to sell between 30 million and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with Caracas then using the money to buy US-made products. Advertisement Advertisement On the streets of Caracas, opinions remain mixed about the oil plan. "I feel we'll have more opportunities if the oil is in the hands of the United States than in the hands of the government," said Jose Antonio Blanco, 26. "The decisions they'll make are better." Teresa Gonzalez, 52, said she didn't know if the oil sales plan was good or bad. Supporters of the Venezuelan government stage a rally in Caracas, 7 January, 2026 - AP Photo "It's a tangled mess. What we do is try to survive, if we don't work, we don't eat," she said. Trump, who will meet oil executives on Friday, is also considering a plan for the US to exert some control over Venezuela's PDVSA, the Wall Street Journal reported. Advertisement Advertisement The US would then have a hand in controlling most of the oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere, as Trump aims to drive oil prices down to $50 (42) a barrel, the paper reported. Vice President JD Vance underscored that "the way that we control Venezuela is we control the purse strings." "We tell the regime, 'you're allowed to sell the oil so long as you serve America's national interest,'" he told Fox News host Jesse Watters in an interview broadcast late on Wednesday. Related 'Go like Maduro' Vance, an Iraq veteran who is himself a sceptic of US military adventures, also addressed concerns from Trump's "Make America Great Again," saying the plan would exert pressure "without wasting a single American life." Advertisement Advertisement The US Senate is voting on Thursday on a "war powers" resolution to require congressional authorisation for military force against Venezuela, a test of Republican support for Trump's actions. Caracas announced on Wednesday that at least 100 people had been killed in the US attack and a similar number wounded. Havana says 32 Cuban soldiers were among them. The Trump administration has so far indicated it intends to stick with Rodriguez and sideline opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. Venezuelas interim President Delcy Rodriguez gives a press conference at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, 10 March, 2025 - AP Photo But Rodriguez's leadership faces internal pressures, analysts have told the AFP news agency, notably from her powerful Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez. Advertisement Advertisement "Her power comes from Washington, not from the internal structure. If Trump decides she's no longer useful, she'll go like Maduro," Venezuela's former information minister Andres Izarra said. The US operation in Venezuela, and Trump's hints that other countries could be next, spread shockwaves through the Americas, but he has since dialled down tensions with Colombia. A day after Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro spoke with Trump on Wednesday, Bogota said on Thursday it had agreed to take "joint action" against cocaine-smuggling guerrillas on the border with Venezuela. By Tim Evans and Renee Hickman MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violence in President Donald Trump's nationwide crackdown on migrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adamantly rejected the Trump administration's assertion that the agent fired in self-defense, saying video of the shooting directly contradicted what he called the government's "garbage narrative." Advertisement Advertisement "They're already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense," a visibly angry Frey said at a press conference. "Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly - that is bullshit." Frey blamed federal immigration agents for sowing chaos in the city, telling ICE: "Get the fuck out of Minneapolis." But he also urged residents to remain calm, as Democratic leaders in Minnesota, Washington and elsewhere called the ICE operation an unnecessary provocation that resulted in tragedy. The Minnesota City Council identified the dead woman as Renee Nicole Good and said she was "out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government." The council statement also demanded that ICE leave the city immediately. As night fell, a crowd that appeared thousands strong gathered at the site of the shooting in a residential area of the city's Central neighborhood, aerial TV images showed. Candles placed at the site lighted up the winter night. Earlier, some protesters were met by heavily armed federal agents wearing gas masks who fired chemical irritants. Advertisement Advertisement Opponents of Trump called for protests in several American cities, raising the risk that the killing could become a national flashpoint over his deployment of federal officers to Democratic-led cities and states. Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told a press conference that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were responding to a vehicle stuck in the snow when they were harassed by a "mob of agitators." One of the protesters, later identified as Good, followed agents all day, Noem said. Good blocked their vehicle and refused orders to move out of the way, she said. "She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle, and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over," Noem told a news conference, saying the car struck the officer. Advertisement Advertisement She characterized that as domestic terrorism and said the act was under investigation by the FBI. State officials said they would launch their own investigation. Videos of the shooting posted on social media and verified by Reuters raised doubts about the government's account. One widely shared video showed a maroon Honda SUV partially blocking the road. As the clip begins, the driver inches forward before stopping to let another car pass. The driver, with the window down, then appears to gesture to an approaching pickup truck to go ahead as well. Instead, the truck stops, and two officers exit and approach the car on foot. As one of the officers orders the driver out of the SUV and grabs at the door handle, the vehicle reverses briefly, and a third agent moves to the front of the car from the passenger side. Advertisement Advertisement The driver then advances, steering to the right in what appears to be an effort to drive away from the officers. The agent in front of the car pulls his weapon, steps back and fires as the moving car's left front bumper comes close to his legs. He fires three shots, with at least one shot after the car's front bumper had passed him. It was not clear from the video whether the car made contact with the officer, who stayed on his feet throughout the encounter. After the shots, the car accelerates and crashes into parked cars and a utility pole. Noem said the officer was experienced and "followed his training." He was treated by a doctor at a hospital and released. Advertisement Advertisement VICTIM WAS 'EXTREMELY COMPASSIONATE' Good's mother told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was "extremely compassionate," and she said Good was not the type of person to confront ICE agents. "She's taken care of people all her life," her mother, Donna Ganger, told the newspaper. "She was loving, forgiving and affectionate." The police chief said Good, who was married, was not a target of immigration operations. A witness whose home is nearby told CNN that Good lived in the neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security has said it is conducting the "largest DHS operation ever" in Minnesota with 2,000 officers deployed to arrest "fraudsters, murderers, rapists, and gang members." The surge follows allegations of wide-scale welfare fraud involving Somali immigrants, whom Trump has called "garbage." Noem said authorities had arrested 1,500 people in recent weeks. Advertisement Advertisement WALZ, TRUMP AT ODDS Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who ran for U.S. vice president in the 2024 election won by Trump, also rejected the federal government's account and placed the blame for the shooting on the Trump administration. He told a press conference that he had put the National Guard on alert for possible deployment. "What we are seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict," Walz said. "...Today that recklessness cost someone their life." In a social media post, Trump said the video showed the woman "violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense." Advertisement Advertisement The competing narratives highlighted U.S. political polarization, in which Trump's supporters enthusiastically endorse his version of events while opponents contend his assertions are often provably false. WITNESSES DESCRIBE SHOOTING Venus de Mars, a 65-year-old who lives near the site of the shooting, described seeing paramedics perform CPR on a woman collapsed next to a snowbank near the crashed car. "There's been lots of ICE activity but nothing like this," de Mars said. "I'm so angry. I'm so angry, and I feel helpless." The fraud allegations date to 2020 against some nonprofit groups in the Somali community that administer childcare and other social services programs. Advertisement Advertisement At least 56 people have pleaded guilty since federal prosecutors started to bring charges in 2022 under Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. Walz announced this week he would not seek a third term as governor, saying he did not have time both to address the fraud scandal and to campaign. (Reporting by Tim Evans in Minneapolis and Renee Hickman in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ted Hesson, Kanishka Singh, Brad Brooks, Heather Schlitz, Jonathan Allen and Ryan Jones; Writing by Ted Hesson, Joseph Ax and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Emily Schmall, Scott Malone, Paul Thomasch, Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman) As Washington openly floats the idea of asserting control over Greenland, a dramatic naval operation unfolds in the freezing waters between Iceland and northern Scotland. A Russian flagged tanker is seised in the Greenland Iceland UK gap, raising urgent questions about maritime law, alliance unity, and who really controls the North Atlantic sea lanes. At stake is something far bigger than a single ship. For the first time in its history, the transatlantic alliance is being pulled apart by the actions of its most powerful member. Could NATO survive a confrontation between allies, or are we watching the foundations begin to crack? Roland speaks to Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of US Army forces in Europe, about how NATO has handled internal disputes in the past and why this moment is different. Advertisement Advertisement And former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe explains what was on board the seised vessel, why it mattered, and what this incident means for the future of freedom of navigation. Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. Bonneville County residents cast their votes during the May 21, 2024, primary election at The Waterfront Event Center in Idaho Falls. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) After Idahos top election official gave the federal government a list of all Idaho registered voters that scrubbed their personal information, the U.S. Department of Justice says it wants the unredacted list. The Justice Department offered Idaho a deal that would let the federal law enforcement agency audit the states voter rolls. And a Justice Department attorney hinted the agency could sue Idaho like it has sued 23 other states if election officials dont turn over the full records that the Trump administration demanded. Thats according to communications in December that the Idaho Capital Sun obtained through a public records request. Since then, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said his office and the Justice Department have been negotiating over whether and how to share Idahos full data which he portrayed as a complex legal issue. He said he isnt nervous that his office will be sued, but it could happen. Advertisement Advertisement Every indication to me is that we are having a good dialogue. And they seem to be willing, theres a willingness with them to engage with us in that dialogue, McGrane told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview Tuesday. And so at the moment, Im not nervous that were going to be sued, but its always a possibility. In September, the U.S. Justice Department asked Idaho like it had asked other states to turn over its full voter registration records with identifiable information on registered voters. The Justice Department says it wants Idahos data to ensure election integrity. But as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, some fear how the federal government will use the data. Trump has falsely claimed that droves of noncitizens vote, a crime which is actually rare nationally and in Idaho. The Justice Department did not directly respond to the Idaho Capital Suns questions about its negotiations with Idaho, or whether the agency would sue the state. Advertisement Advertisement Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement. The DOJ Civil Rights Division has a statutory mandate to enforce our federal voting rights laws, and ensuring the voting publics confidence in the integrity of our elections is a top priority of this administration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX You may have seen in the news that we have sued six states earlier this week, Justice Department attorney tells Idaho official After the Justice Department first asked for Idahos data, McGrane only gave the Justice Department access to a de-identified voter registration list, which the agency routinely shares with people and organizations that request it. After consulting with the Idaho Attorney Generals Office, we will be sharing a copy of our publicly available file, which does not contain any personally identifiable information, McGrane wrote to the Justice Department in a Sept. 22 letter. We welcome a dialogue with your office to continue to discuss the broader efforts to ensure the accuracy of Idahos voter rolls. In this file photo, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane talks with a supporter during the Idaho Republican Party primary celebration on May 17, 2022. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) But more than a month later, the Justice Department re-upped its request for Idahos full voter rolls. Advertisement Advertisement On Dec. 4, David Vandenberg, an attorney in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, was calling to follow up on getting Idahos full voter registration list. You may have seen in the news that we have sued six states earlier this week for refusing to provide their voter registration lists, Vandenberg said in a Dec. 4 voicemail to former Idaho Chief Deputy Secretary of State Robert McQuade. And were preparing additional lawsuits. Id like to keep everyone out of that as much as possible. But I havent heard anything back from you all. Days later, on Dec. 8, he sent an email to McQuade saying the Justice Department is requiring an unredacted copy of Idahos statewide voter-registration list by Friday, December 12, 2025, as previously demanded. Less than an hour later, McQuade replied by detailing Idahos efforts to purge noncitizens from the states voter roll, which stemmed from a 2024 executive order by Gov. Brad Little. Advertisement Advertisement After working closely with the Idaho Department of Transportation and using a federal immigration database called SAVE, we worked to verify citizenship for all of Idahos 1.1 million registered voters. Following this work, we provided data on approximately 30 individuals to the Idaho State Police (ISP) for investigation as possible non-citizen registrants/voters, McQuade wrote. The number of suspected noncitizen voters in Idaho referred for prosecution was even smaller. Its our understanding that once the investigation was completed, around August or September of this year, ISP referred about a dozen or so folks to the U.S. Attorneys Office here in Idaho for possible prosecution, he added. We have not heard where these investigations have led since. The Idaho Secretary of States Office is still verifying citizenship on all newly registered voters prior to each election to ensure only citizens vote, he added. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare gave the feds fully identifiable data on SNAP enrolees Months before the Justice Department sought state voter registration lists, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked states for help to build a database for managing a food benefits program called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Advertisement Advertisement USDA told states its request stemming from an executive order in March by President Donald Trump that focused on stopping fraud, waste and abuse was to build a database meant to strengthen SNAP and government program integrity, according to a July 9 letter USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins sent Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare gave USDA identifiable information, including enrollees names, addresses, birth days, Social Security numbers and eligibility information like income and expense data, agency spokesperson AJ McWhorter told the Idaho Capital Sun. Like the Justice Departments request for voter rolls, USDAs request was a first for Idaho. This is the first time that USDA has asked for information on our entire caseload, McWhorter said. Advertisement Advertisement Asked what the USDA has done with Idahos SNAP data, a USDA spokesperson who requested to not be named said: We will not comment on pending litigation. Why Idahos Secretary of State says sharing the states full voter roll is complicated In an interview Tuesday, McGrane said his office has since been in talks with the Justice Department. The Idaho Secretary of States Office hasnt shared more data or promised to yet, he said. The Justice Department also in December offered Idaho a deal to share the data that would direct state election officials to remove voters deemed allegedly ineligible from the states voter registration roll. The Justice Department has offered similar, confidential deals to at least 11 other states, Stateline reported. Idahos deal would allow the Justice Department to audit the states voter rolls, and would direct state election officials to purge alleged ineligible voters. McGrane said he hasnt signed the deal. He said he hasnt seen the Justice Department do this under any other presidential administration. Advertisement Advertisement But he said hes very confident in Idahos processes for verifying voter information with very clean voter rolls. Part of Idahos talks with the Justice Department revolve around legal issues specific to Idaho around sharing voter lists, McGrane said. For one, because Idaho offers same-day voter registration on election days, the state is exempt from the National Voter Registration Act, which McGrane said is among the main authorities that the Justice Department has leveraged to get voter data from states. He said Idaho law also limits how the state shares voter lists with third-party entities, requiring certain security measures. In September, when McGrane only shared Idahos redacted voter list, he touted Idahos efforts to purge noncitizens from voter rolls. As part of that, his office already works with the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to verify citizenship. Its not as clear what DOJs intentions are at this point, other than saying theyre auditing all the states, McGrane said. And so were just making sure that we do that, and that any data that we would share with them is handled securely, and that its protecting voter information. Advertisement Advertisement In a statement last week, Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said the Trump administration is prioritizing enforcing election laws. Enforcing the Nations elections laws is a priority in this administration and in the Civil Rights Division. Congress gave the Justice Department authority under several federal laws, including the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Act, to ensure that states have proper voter registration procedures and programs to maintain clean voter rolls containing only eligible voters in federal elections, she said. The recent request by the Civil Rights Division for state voter rolls is pursuant to that statutory authority, and the responsive data is being screened for ineligible voter entries. VRLData Sharing Agreement (FINAL) SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE By Kanishka Singh and Akanksha Khushi WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said the U.S. will maintain oversight of Venezuela "much longer" than a year and his own judgment is the only limit to his global power, according to a New York Times interview published on Thursday. When asked by the Times if Washington's oversight of Venezuela would be three months, six months, a year or longer, Trump said: "I would say much longer." Advertisement Advertisement "Only time will tell," he added. Trump ordered the U.S. military on Saturday to seize President Nicolas Maduro, who was brought to stand trial with his wife in New York. The U.N. human rights office has said the operation a was a violation of international law that made the world less safe. The newspaper quoted Trump as saying: "I don't need international law." When asked by the newspaper if there were any limits on his global powers, Trump said: "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me." When pressed further, Trump said his administration needed to abide by international law, but the newspaper said he made clear he would be the arbiter when it applied. Advertisement Advertisement "It depends what your definition of international law is," he said, according to the newspaper. The Republican president said the U.S. would rebuild Venezuela "in a very profitable way." "We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need," he said. Trump added the U.S. was "getting along very well" with interim President Delcy Rodriguez's government. "They're giving us everything that we feel is necessary," Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Trump on Tuesday unveiled a plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under U.S. blockade. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by David Goodman, Philippa Fletcher and Cynthia Osterman) US forces have seized another tanker in the Caribbean Sea, officials say, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to control exports of Venezuelan oil. The tanker, the Olina, is on multiple countries' sanctions lists and the fifth vessel to be seized by the US in recent weeks. The US is using the seizures to pressure Venezuela's interim government and remove the so-called dark fleet of tankers from service. Officials say this fleet consists of more than 1,000 vessels that transport sanctioned and illicit oil. Advertisement Advertisement "Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: 'there is no safe haven for criminals,'" said the US military's Southern Command on Friday. The vessel reportedly left Venezuelan waters late on Sunday, after the US seized President Nicolas Maduro in an early morning raid. Officials said Friday's operation was carried out before dawn by Marines and sailors in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, and that it was seized after it "departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces". Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that it was "another 'ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil". Advertisement Advertisement Noem also shared a video appearing to show troops dropping onto a ship from a helicopter, and described the operation as "safe" and "effective". Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech said the vessel was attempting to break through the US naval blockade in the Caribbean. It had been sailing under a false flag registered to Timor-Leste, according to the International Maritime Organization. Vanguard Tech added that the vessel's location tracker was last active 52 days ago, northeast of Curacao, and that "the seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region". The US had sanctioned the Olina last January, then named Minerva M, accusing it of helping finance Russia's war in Ukraine by moving Russian oil to foreign markets. Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, the US said it seized two other tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in "back-to-back" operations in the North Atlantic and Caribbean. One of them was the Russian-flagged Marinera seized with the help of the UK Royal Navy, which gave logistical support by air and sea. The Marinera is allegedly part of shadow fleet carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran, breaking US sanctions. US officials said that Marinera was falsely flying the flag of Guyana last month, which made it stateless. US authorities alleged the second tanker - the M/T Sophia - was "conducting illicit activities". Advertisement Advertisement Experts have told BBC Verify that under UN international maritime law, authorities can board a stateless vessel. President Donald Trump says Venezuela - which has the world's largest proven oil reserves - "will be turning over" up to 50 million barrels of oil worth some $2.8bn (2.1bn) to the US. The oil, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would be sold "in the marketplace at market rates" and that the US would control how the proceeds were dispersed "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people". Meanwhile on Friday, US diplomats visited the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to assess the possibility of re-opening an embassy in the Latin American country. Advertisement Advertisement Diplomatic ties between the US and Venezuela were severed by Maduro in 2019. The new Venezuelan authorities have said they're engaged in exploratory talks on restoring relations. The United States military has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean, as it continues to target vessels sanctioned by Washington in its pressure campaign against Venezuela. In a statement on Friday, the US military Southern Command said its forces had apprehended the Olina tanker without incident. Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: there is no safe haven for criminals,' it said. Advertisement Advertisement It did not say why the tanker was targeted or offer further details on alleged violations. US government records show that the Olina was sanctioned for moving Russian oil under its prior name, Minerva M, according to the Associated Press news agency. International shipping registries said the tanker is currently flying a false flag, the agency reported. Shortly after the seizure, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted unclassified footage on social media of a US helicopter landing on the vessel and forces using what appeared to be an explosive device on door on the ship. Noem described the vessel as another ghost fleet tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil. She added it had departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces. Advertisement Advertisement The operation comes two days after US forces seized two oil tankers, including the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker, originally known as the Bella-1. The US Department of Justice has since said it was investigating the crew of the ship, which was seized in the northern Atlantic, for failing to comply with coastguard orders and would pursue charges. Russia has decried the seizure as a gross violation of international maritime law and called on the US to release the crew. Since US military forces abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday a move roundly condemned as a flagrant violation of international law Washington has pledged to maintain its blockade on sanctioned oil tankers. It has also called on Venezuela to staunch its ties with Russia and China. Advertisement Advertisement US President Donald Trump has said the operation against Maduro, as well as the continued sanctions and military pressure, was aimed at opening the countrys vast oil reserves to US companies. The abduction has been roundly condemned as a flagrant violation of international law, with UN experts saying earlier this week that Trump administrations plan to indefinitely control Venezuelas oil industry represents a violation of its citizens right to self-determination Trump was set to meet with oil and gas executives at the White House later on Friday. Fifth tanker seized The US had seized another tanker in the Caribbean earlier this week, the M Sophia, which the military described as a stateless vessel. Panama later said the ships flag had been cancelled by the country last year. Advertisement Advertisement US forces had also seized the Skipper tanker and the Centuries vessel in December. That month, four United Nations experts said the US had no right to enforce unilateral sanctions through an armed blockade on Venezuela. The group said the blockade constituted an illegal armed aggression under international law. Reporting from Bogata, Colombia, Al Jazeeras Teresa Bo said the future of the US blockade remained unclear amid some signs of progress between Venezeulas government and Trump. She said Caracas has increasingly relied on a so-called shadow fleet in the face of US sanctions. Around 40 percent of tankers from Venezuela have been sanctioned, and they rely on this shadow fleet to export some of its oil, mostly it goes to China, Bo said. Advertisement Advertisement Early on Friday, Trump said on Truth Social that the US and Venezuela were working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, he said, adding that US military ships would remain deployed to the region. Venezuelas government, meanwhile, said a US State Department delegation was visiting Caracas on Friday to begin the exploratory process on resuming diplomatic ties. By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal by Cisco Systems in which the tech company and President Donald Trump's administration are asking the justices to limit the reach of a federal law that has been used to hold corporations liable for human rights abuses committed abroad. Cisco has appealed a 2023 ruling that breathed new life into a 2011 lawsuit that accused the California-based company of knowingly developing technology that allowed China's government to surveil and persecute members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. Advertisement Advertisement Cisco has called the lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages, unfounded and offensive, saying it sold technology to China that is expressly legal under U.S. trade policy. The lawsuit was premised on the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 law that had been dormant for nearly two centuries before lawyers began using it in the 1980s to bring international human rights cases in U.S. courts. Cisco, with backing from the Trump administration, is asking the Supreme Court to use the case as an opportunity to limit the reach of the Alien Tort Statute. The lawsuit also alleged a violation of the Torture Victim Protection Act, a 1991 law that allows for the filing of civil suits in U.S. courts against foreign officials who commit torture. The Falun Gong plaintiffs alleged Cisco executives had facilitated torture on the part of Chinese officials, and therefore could be held liable under both the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act through a legal theory called "aiding and abetting" liability. Advertisement Advertisement A Cisco spokesperson said the company is pleased with the court's decision to hear the case and looks forward to oral arguments. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments and rule by the end of June. Paul Hoffman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Falun Gong, founded in China in 1992, combines meditation, slow-motion exercises, moral teachings broadly based on Buddhism and Taoism and leader Li Hongzhi's sometimes unorthodox theories such as his belief that aliens have started to take over the world. Falun Gong members founded a right-leaning U.S. media outlet called The Epoch Times that has been heavily critical of the Chinese Communist Party and supports Trump. The Chinese Communist Party saw the group's growing popularity as a challenge to its rule and banned it after 10,000 practitioners silently protested in Beijing in 1999, calling it an "evil cult" that threatened national stability, and imprisoned some of its members. The Human Rights Law Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Washington, sued Cisco in 2011 on behalf of a group of Falun Gong members. The lawsuit accused Cisco of designing and implementing the "Golden Shield," an internet surveillance system used by the Chinese Communist Party to locate and detain Falun Gong practitioners and other dissidents. Advertisement Advertisement The initial plaintiffs included Chinese and U.S. citizens who said they were subjected in China to forced conversion, among other abuses. Some of the plaintiffs said they endured beatings with steel rods, shocking with electric batons, sleep deprivation, and violent force-feeding. A judge dismissed the case in 2014, saying the alleged conduct did not have a sufficient enough connection to the United States for the case to go forward. The case stalled for many years, in part because of a string of rulings in other Alien Tort Statute cases that made them harder to bring. In a 2023 ruling, a panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the plaintiffs plausibly alleged "that Cisco provided essential technical assistance to the douzheng (crackdown) of Falun Gong with awareness that the international law violations of torture, arbitrary detention, disappearance and extrajudicial killing were substantially likely to take place." In that ruling, the 9th Circuit panel said both aiding and abetting claims could be brought under both statutes invoked by the plaintiffs. Advertisement Advertisement In Friday's order agreeing to hear Cisco's appeal, the Supreme Court said it would focus arguments on whether that holding was correct. The Supreme Court in 2018 ended an Alien Tort Statute lawsuit claiming Jordan-based Arab Bank helped finance militant attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories. That decision said foreign corporations cannot be sued in American courts for human rights abuses overseas, but left the door open to Alien Tort Statute cases against U.S. companies. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Will Dunham) The U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro is being felt far beyond Venezuela. In Florida, communities with ties to other authoritarian-led nations in Central and South America say the move to arrest Venezuelas president could reshape immigration and regional stability. Those like Jaime Arellano, who have firsthand experience with dictators, say they are feeling hopeful. In Latin America we have the three-headed viper, which is Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, said Arellano, 65, a former Nicaraguan political prisoner who was released in 2023 along with 221 others after negotiations between the Daniel Ortega regime and Washington. Now I believe that one of its heads has been cut off, the main one, which was Maduros Venezuela. There is a new hope. Advertisement Advertisement Arellano, who lives in Hillsborough County, said it was important for the United States to treat the situation in Venezuela as a national security issue. He also said it could impact U.S. immigration policy and anyone seeking asylum from the region. Many of the political asylum processes for Venezuelans and Nicaraguans are frozen. Once the problem is resolved, many of us who dream of returning to our country will be able to do so, Arellano said. My dream is to return to Nicaragua, to die in Nicaragua, and to live what remains of my life in my country to help rebuild it. Florida is home to some of the largest Hispanic populations in the country, according to U.S. Census estimates. About 1.5 million Cubans, roughly 400,000 Venezuelans, more than 440,000 Colombians and around 170,000 Nicaraguans live in the state. Guadalupe Tunon, assistant professor of politics and international affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, said that for Floridians who were once political prisoners, the capture of Maduro may matter less as a signal of immediate political opening and more as a source of increased pressure on regimes. Advertisement Advertisement There may be reasons for cautious attention rather than optimism: economic stress can shift regime behavior, but it does not guarantee liberalization, Tunon said. The operation in Venezuela has prompted some Florida Republicans to suggest Cuba could be next. If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, Id be concerned at least a little bit, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Wilfredo Cancio, a Cuban journalist and analyst who follows the islands political and economic crisis from South Florida, said Cubas transformation will come under the weight of its own collapsed system. The Venezuela factor is a key element in accelerating that transformation, said Cancio. Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, the former Miami-Dade County mayor, said on X that what President Trump did in Venezuela was to save American lives! His actions will have direct repercussions in our region, especially in Cuba, where many are finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel! But Cancio, the Cuban journalist, said he doesnt see it that way. I dont believe the United States will intervene in Cuba, as some exiles are predicting and hoping for at this crucial moment, he said. It would have a tremendously destabilizing effect, at a cost the United States would rather avoid. Roberto Pizano,a former Cuban political prisoner living in Tampa,said political shifts across Latin America show growing support for right-wing forces. Pizano, 87, was imprisoned for 18 years under the late Fidel Castro. Advertisement Advertisement I hope that will happen soon in Cuba, too, but we have to see said Pizano. Of course, there is still Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, but Latin American voters are saying enough to left-wing politicians. Pizano said a democratic transition in Venezuela and other countries that have long monopolized political power would be welcomed but not easy. It is a process because they have to break down the political structure in place and start rebuilding with democracy and laws, Pizano said. Colombian Juan Posada, 49, of Tampa, who served as a public information officerunder former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, said that if Venezuela stabilizes and puts in place a democratic government, the regional impact would be positive, especially by helping reorganize Venezuelan communities across South America. Advertisement Advertisement Posada said it would ease migration pressure on countries such as Colombia and Peru that have received large numbers of people from this Latin American nation. Last year, the Department of State added Colombia to a list of nations that have failed to cooperate on U.S. drug control efforts, alongside Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico, among others. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a former guerilla member who was elected in 2022, has criticized the Trump administration over foreign policy, immigration and attacks on drug boats in the Caribbean. Posada said Maduros departure is already raising concerns among other Latin American presidents, including Petro, Brazils Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Mexicos Claudia Sheinbaum. Advertisement Advertisement This can be seen as a new order, Posada said. Countries such as Argentina, Chile and Ecuador are already aligned with democratic values and liberty. In Florida, the impact of Maduros capture should be viewed with caution when it comes to the immigration issue and local communities from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, said Jose Daniel Ferrer, 55, a prominent Cuban dissident in Miami. Repressive structures are still in place, controls still exist on those countries. The work toward full democratization must be completed, Ferrer said. Only then should people return to their country. I would be among the first to return if the minimum necessary conditions were met. Some Venezuelans have begun to discuss what it would be like to go back to their home country a move encouraged by the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that its time for Venezuelans who were under temporary protections in the United States to return home. In 2025, the Trump administration revoked this status for about 600,000 Venezuelans. The great news for those who are here from Venezuela on temporary protected status is that now they can go home with hope for their country, a country that they love, that there is going to be peace, prosperity and stability, McLaughlin said. Carlos Bohorquez, 42, a Venezuelan immigrant in Tampa, said that for now, returning home is not an option. He said people in Venezuela are being arrested for going out to show support for Maduros capture. Temporary protections should remain in place, he said. How are you supposed to go back? How are you supposed to send people back to Venezuela under these conditions? Bohorquez said. It doesnt make sense. The Venezuelan government has started releasing detainees considered political prisoners by human rights groups, in what officials described as a goodwill gesture. Spain's foreign ministry said five of its nationals had been released. Among them is prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights activist, Rocio San Miguel, her family confirmed to US media. The move comes after the US seized Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in a raid on the capital, Caracas, on Saturday, to face drug trafficking charges in New York. Advertisement Advertisement US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the release of political prisoners - which has been a long-held US demand - was "a very important and smart gesture" from Venezuela. Trump added that Venezuela released the prisoners as a sign of "seeking peace" and as a result, he had cancelled a "previously expected second wave of attacks" on the country. Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly and the brother of its interim president Delcy Rodriguez, announced on state television that "a significant number" would be released immediately, without specifying the number or identity of prisoners being freed. Hundreds of political prisoners are detained in Venezuelan prisons, with only a handful thought to have been released so far. Advertisement Advertisement Jorge Rodriguez said the interim government was releasing them in the interest of "national unity and peaceful coexistence". Rocio San Miguel, a vocal critic of Maduro and a defence expert, was the first prisoner confirmed to be freed. Her family told the New York Times that she was taken to the Spanish embassy in Caracas. Arrested in 2024, she was accused of being involved in a plot to kill the then-president and faced charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism. Her arrest shocked human rights activists and, because her whereabouts were unknown, was labelled as potential "enforced disappearance" by the UN Human Rights Office. Advertisement Advertisement Venezuelan human rights organisations - some of which have members or their founders in jail - welcomed the news with caution. Despite being a key lieutenant of Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez's interim administration has appeared willing to co-operate with the US since it took its leader and made sweeping declarations about the South American nation's future. About 50 to 80 prisoners are believed to be held at the notorious El Helicoide prison, which US President Donald Trump announced would be closed following Maduro's capture. The prison gained international notoriety for detaining alleged political opponents, with reports by human rights groups of torture including beatings and electrocution. Advertisement Advertisement The announcement also comes shortly after US President Donald Trump stated that he had "given orders to close that prison," which had become one of the most notorious symbols of political repression in the country. Venezuelan human rights group Provea warned El Helicoide's anticipated closure should not deflect attention from the other detention sites still running across the country. Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies in prison, has repeatedly demanded releases. In a sit-down interview with the Fox News show Hannity, Trump said Machado was expected to come to the US "next week sometime". Advertisement Advertisement Machado told host Sean Hannity earlier in the week that she wanted to give the US president her Nobel Peace Prize. When asked by Hannity whether Trump would accept the offer, he said "that would be a great honour". Venezuela's opposition and human rights groups have said for years the government used detentions to stamp out dissent and silence critics. Since the widely disputed 2024 election, the opposition claimed legal proceedings against activists, journalists and political adversaries increased. Attorney General Tarek Saab and others in the government repeatedly denied Venezuela held political prisoners, arguing those detained were arrested for genuine crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Additional reporting by Norberto Paredes. By Jonathan Stempel Jan 7 (Reuters) - A unit of KeyCorp will pay $7.77 million to resolve allegations that the large regional bank violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent loans from the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program for forgiveness, the U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey said on Wednesday. KeyBank's settlement related to a Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, branch manager who, in 2020 and early 2021, allegedly recruited business owners to overstate their payroll expenses and how many people they employed in about four dozen loan applications. This resulted in nearly $6 million of federal Small Business Administration loans, with KeyBank awarding the branch manager incentive pay for opening accounts for the business owners before it uncovered the scheme, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Tommy Hawkins, the branch manager, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 65 months in prison in 2024. Six other people faced related criminal charges, and four have pleaded guilty. KeyBank did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to settle, and the settlement reflected its cooperation in the government's investigation. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment. About $6.2 million of the settlement is restitution. Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program in March 2020 to support Americans suffering financially from the pandemic, including by providing forgivable loans to small businesses. KeyCorp has about 1,000 branches in 15 U.S. states, and had $187.4 billion of assets as of September 30, 2025. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Rod Nickel) Jan 8 (Reuters) - Spanish authorities on Thursday said Venezuela released prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights activist Rocio San Miguel and four other Spaniards from prison, but local rights groups said Venezuelan prisoners had not yet been freed as promised. Venezuela's top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said earlier on Thursday that a significant number of both foreign and Venezuelan prisoners would be freed in the coming hours. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares confirmed the release of San Miguel, an expert on security and Venezuela's military, in an interview with broadcaster RNE. He named the other freed Spanish citizens as Andres Martinez, Jose Maria Basoa, Ernesto Gorbe and Miguel Moreno. Spain called Venezuela's action a "positive step." Advertisement Advertisement However, a leading local human rights group cast doubt on the scope of the prisoner release, stating that as of Thursday evening, the promised release of Venezuelan nationals, who they describe as political prisoners, had "not been executed in a real way." The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners said there was "uncertainty in the detention centers where families stationed at the doors... report that the releases of unjustly imprisoned Venezuelans have not been carried out." The prisoners were released during a week of political turmoil in Caracas after the U.S. ouster of President Nicolas Maduro, his arraignment in a New York court on narcoterrorism charges, swearing-in of interim President Delcy Rodriguez and announcement that the U.S. would refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of crude oil stuck in Venezuela under U.S. sanctions. Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies imprisoned, has repeatedly demanded releases. Advertisement Advertisement For years, Venezuela's opposition and human rights groups have said the government uses detentions to stamp out dissent, a charge authorities have consistently denied. San Miguel was detained in February 2024 at Maiquetia international airport near Caracas, an arrest widely condemned by opposition politicians and rights organizations. Leading local rights group Foro Penal estimates there are more than 800 political prisoners in the country. That figure includes at least 86 foreign detainees from the United States, Spain and other countries. (Reporting by Reuters and Corian Pons and Aislinn Lang in Madrid; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) The View doesnt see as many on-air clashes as it used to, but on Friday, the ABC hosts got into an old-fashioned yelling match over Greenland and Venezuela. Eventually, moderator Joy Behar had to remind host Ana Navarro were on television! The argument came in the very first Hot Topic of the day, as the women discussed Republican outrage over Trumps renewed attempt to buy Greenland. Host Sunny Hostin wondered why these lawmakers are staunchly against purchasing Greenland but were fine with the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. She quickly noted that Greenland is not for sale, and drew parallels between the two situations. Neither is Venezuela, and nor is its oil ours, Hostin said. Yet, we went in, we took the president Ive called it a kidnapping, because I believe thats what it is and we take the head of state of Venezuela, and take the oil, and is, I think, going to put the money in offshore accounts. So how is that OK but Greenland isnt? LAWMAKERS DENOUNCE TRUMP THREATS TO SEIZE GREENLAND: After GOP Sen. Thom Tillis lashed out at White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Millers claim about expanding Americas borders, 'The View' co-hosts weigh in. pic.twitter.com/hdTunC1HJl The View (@TheView) January 9, 2026 At that, Ana Navarro cut in, assuring Hostin she loves her, but immediately pushing back and saying that an equivalency cannot be made between Greenland and Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Lets look at some facts. Venezuela is a dictatorship, Greenland is not, Navarro said. Denmark is our ally, Greenland is our ally, we have military bases and operations in Greenland, Denmark is part of NATO, as we are, so we are part of one big alliance. Venezuela is a place where they kill, jail, and torture the opposition, where they repress human rights. Navarro argued that we lose the point if Greenland and Venezuela are treated as the same, which lit the fire for Hostin. No we dont! The law is the law, Hostin retorted. It is an unlawful thing that we did in Venezuela, and it would be unlawful for us to do it in Greenland. Navarro then reiterated her feelings from earlier in the week, saying that the methods used can and should be questioned, but shes still celebrating along with Venezuelans. She also added that she doesnt consider the operation in Venezuela successful until every single political prisoner is released, and theres free and fair elections. Advertisement Advertisement Hostin then pressed her on whether Navarro thinks its OK for the U.S. to take Venezuelas oil, prompting Navarro to snap back that Venezuelans think its OK because Maduro stole it! From there, the women argued over the legality of the move and whether the legality even matters, talking over each other and refusing to let anyone else weigh in namely host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who kept trying. Eventually, Behar had to raise her voice. Hold on! Ana, were on television! she bellowed. Im eight months pregnant, can we just all have a chance to speak? Like, what are we doing? Farah Griffin agreed. Advertisement Advertisement The conversation got back on track and more audible from there, and though they still disagreed, the women were able to finish out the segment. You can watch the full argument in the video above. The post The View Erupts Into Yelling Match Over Greenland and Venezuela: Ana, Were on Television! | Video appeared first on TheWrap. The world is catastrophically failing the people of Sudan. Today marks a grim milestone 1,000 days of devastating violent conflict involving unimaginable atrocities, millions pushed into famine, and the most barbaric abuse of Sudans women. The scale of the humanitarian crisis happening now is greater than any in the 21st century and the security consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Sudan for many years to come. The world must not look away from the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces that is terrorising Sudan. I am determined we shine a searing spotlight on the unfolding atrocities and make 2026 the year the world comes together to drive urgent new momentum towards peace. Advertisement Advertisement Last month, I listened as Sudanese civilians and community workers from their Emergency Response Rooms recounted the horrific human cost of the RSFs October capture of the town of El Fasher after a grinding 18-month siege including ethnically motivated mass killings and use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper (Reuters) These stories on the ground corroborated the satellite images from space images of blood-soaked earth and mass graves that all too briefly jolted the worlds attention. Aid workers in Tawila gave me a virtual tour of the makeshift camps where hundreds of distressed children arrived having made a 46-mile journey from El Fasher on foot. Traumatised women and children are scraping an existence with scant rations under thornbush shelters. International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff recounted their struggle to support unprecedented numbers of victims of sexual violence in what they described as a war on womens bodies. As shocking as what I saw was what I did not see boys or men. Fathers, husbands and brothers missing, likely killed, following forced separation from their families. Advertisement Advertisement Over 30 million people still need lifesaving aid. Famine is spreading. Infrastructure has collapsed. Preventable diseases are rampant. The conflict is escalating and spreading in the Kordofan region. The RSF have been accused of war crimes (File picture) (Rapid Support Forces) For the leaders of Sudans warring parties to refuse to halt the war or to prevent massacres and atrocities on this scale is horrendous. For so many soldiers to be systematically raping Sudanese women is barbaric. The case for action is deeply moral. But it is also about our wider security. Wars that rage unresolved radiate instability. They undermine the security of neighbouring states, they become easy targets for extremist groups to exploit. And they lead migrants to embark on dangerous international journeys. Sudans war goes far beyond Sudan. It is regionalised and globalised. It poses a global test of our ability to mobilise the agile alliances, partnerships and multilateral weight to get a breakthrough. Advertisement Advertisement Words of international concern or outrage are not enough. We need a concerted diplomatic drive to arrest the spiralling violence and suffering. Sudanese residents gather to receive free meals in Al Fasher (AFP via Getty Images) The US have been working to get a truce and wider plan in place drawing together the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (the Quad). That is why last month in Washington I held talks with Secretary Rubio and the Presidents senior advisor on Africa and I have repeatedly engaged Quad members on ways forward. But we need the same international focus and energy now from right across the world that we had around securing the Gaza ceasefire. Today we are announcing that the UK will jointly convene with Germany a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin in April, as we mark the third anniversary of this devastating conflict. And the UK will use its voice and Presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, to prevent Sudan again slipping down the international agenda. Advertisement Advertisement At the heart of international efforts must be pursuing the humanitarian truce and a push for a permanent end to hostilities. This can only come through greater pressure on the warring parties crucially from their regional backers. Second, we have to prevent further atrocities by either side. This means working to raise the cost of committing or backing further massacres. On 12 December, the UK sanctioned senior RSF commanders, including the so-called Butcher of El Fasher who has openly boasted on social media of murdering Sudanese civilians. Sudanese who fled el-Fasher city crowd to receive food at their camp in Tawila (AP) And we are working to combat impunity and hold perpetrators to account. In November, UK leadership at the UN Human Rights Council secured international agreement to an urgent UN inquiry into crimes in El Fasher. We are supporting vital investigations by the International Criminal Court. Third, unimpeded aid needs to reach populations in need. The UK has provided an additional 21 million for food, shelter, health services and protection of women and children in hardest to reach areas. This brings our total support to 146 million this financial year. Advertisement Advertisement But for aid to save more lives, the belligerents must lift their deliberate and systematic barriers to humanitarian access. Ultimately, no amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the guns fall silent. It must be the Sudanese people, not any warring group, that determine Sudans future. The world must now come together around this cause to stem the bloodshed and help set Sudan on a path to peace. Yvette Cooper is the Foreign Secretary Washington House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, speaks during an event previewing the 2026 legislative session, alongside Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Tacoma, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Olympia. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard) Democratic leaders in the Washington state Legislature said Friday they have no plans to hold hearings on two conservative-backed initiatives focused on parental rights of students in public schools and banning transgender athletes from playing girls sports. Both Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, and House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, staked out this position in remarks to reporters. It creates a high likelihood that both of the initiatives will go before Washington voters on midterm ballots this November. Advertisement Advertisement Im certain that we will not be passing either of those initiatives, Pedersen said. Theyll be up to the voters to decide. The political committee Lets Go Washington said it turned in more than 400,000 signatures for each of the two initiatives last week. Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who leads the group, urged lawmakers to reconsider holding hearings. Not only would this be a blatant slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of Democrat, Independent, and Republican voters who support the measures, it would be a clear sign that they dont care about the abuses to children, families, and female athletes taking place in the state, Heywood said in a statement. Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said he hasnt read the initiatives but itd be the first time I ever supported a Bill Heywood initiative, making an apparent flub of Heywoods first name. Advertisement Advertisement If what youre hearing is the Legislature saying it should go to the voters for a vote, I tend in general, as a general matter, I dont have a problem, he told reporters Friday. The vows from legislative Democrats dont come as a surprise. The parental rights measure would immediately undo a new state law Democrats fought to pass last year. That law rewrote a Lets Go Washington initiative known as the parental bill of rights that lawmakers passed in 2024. IL26-001 would repeal the changes made to the 2024 initiative by House Bill 1296, one of the most controversial bills passed in the 2025 legislative session. Democrats said the rewrite was necessary to clarify the earlier Heywood-backed initiative, which sought to codify rights for parents of public school students under age 18. Advertisement Advertisement The goal of the 2024 initiative was to ensure parents have easy access to school materials, their childs medical records and immediate notification if a child is involved in a crime. One of the major changes in last years legislation removed parental access to medical records. IL26-638 looks to block transgender girls from competing in girls sports. Even though Ferguson said he wasnt an expert on the initiatives, he said, We live in a world right now where trans kids are going through a lot. I want to support trans kids, he said. Ferguson also had a brief but tense exchange with conservative commentator Brandi Kruse, who asked about his position on the initiative, given his daughter competes in school sports. The governor responded by suggesting Kruse has an obsession with trans kids. Advertisement Advertisement Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said he was surprised Democrats wont hear the initiatives. I thought that was disrespectful, he said. We can have honest disagreements about the policy. But I raised three daughters, they were actively involved in sports. This absolutely is a legitimate conversation on fairness and safety. Both measures appear to have enough signatures to move forward to the Legislature, then to voters in November. But the secretary of states office still needs to certify the initiatives before they can be considered. Thatll likely take several weeks. Lawmakers technically have three options with the citizen initiatives. They can approve them and make them law, though that wont happen in this case. They can send them to the ballot for voters to decide, the presumed outcome here. Or they could pass an alternative to an initiative, leaving it up for voters to weigh in on both. The 60-day legislative session begins Monday. Airlines around the world have conducted demonstration flights using biofuel blends for more than a decade. But alternatives to fossil jet fuel currently account for less than 1% of all jet fuel dispensed. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Air Group) A whos who from Washington state business and Democratic politics on Thursday extolled the virtues of alternative jet fuel and said the state would strive to become the nations leading enabler of greener flying. The occasion was a splashy launch event in Snohomish County for a new state-funded eco-fuel development nonprofit, dubbed the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator. Advertisement Advertisement The business accelerator debuted with $10 million in tax dollars approved by the Legislature, matched by another $10 million from an unidentified philanthropic donor. Those new commitments build on tens of millions of dollars the Legislature and Congress previously allocated. The earlier funding was meant to lure alternative fuel refiners to Washington state, supports a Washington State University research lab, and incentivizes green jet fuel use in the state. Executives from Boeing, Amazon, Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle joined Gov. Bob Ferguson, state legislators and the president of WSU on stage at Boeings Future of Flight visitor center next to Paine Field. Collectively, we have the political will and the private partnerships to get big things done, state Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, told the standing-room crowd. State Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said, Sustainable aviation fuel is essential to decarbonizing air transportation, and Cascadia is the one region with the research, industry, policy and workforce needed to scale it. Advertisement Advertisement The states approach contrasts with the Trump administration, which just this week pulled the U.S. out of the foundational United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Trump administration officials have heaped scorn on taxpayer-financed decarbonization incentives. They favor policies to maximize fossil fuel production to drive down energy costs. While there are confusing signals coming out of the other Washington, the rest of the world is all-in on sustainable aviation fuel, Liias said. This is the fuel of the future. The board chair and vice-chair of the new Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator said the trade organization would lead education and advocacy efforts, recruit companies, invest in research and go to bat for project developers. The industrys moniker for alternative jet fuel is sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF for short. There are multiple methods to make it using a variety of feedstocks such as crop and forestry waste, used cooking oil, algae or hydrogen. Depending on the details, the eco-fuel can reduce the carbon footprint of air travel by anywhere from 50% to 80%. Advertisement Advertisement SAF is favored by airlines because it is a drop-in fuel, meaning it works with existing airplane engines and fuel infrastructure. Most jet engines are currently limited to a maximum 50% blend with conventional jet fuel. Major engine makers are in the process of testing and certifying engines for 100% SAF. The trouble is that SAF currently costs two to five times as much as conventional jet fuel. The high price and limited supply are holding back wider adoption. A panel discussion at Thursdays launch event for the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator featured, from right, Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck, Amazon senior manager Guy Palumbo, Boeing Machinists union president Jon Holden and SkyNRG Senior Adviser Andy Billig. Moderator Tim Zenk, at left. (Photo by Tom Banse for Washington State Standard) At present, there is no continuous, commercial-scale production in Washington state. But several major companies have plants in design or construction. Dutch energy company SkyNRG said Thursday that it aims to break ground in late 2027 or in 2028 on a large biofuel production facility at the Wallula Gap industrial park along the Columbia River southeast of Pasco. The company plans to produce 50 million gallons per year of SAF and renewable diesel by converting bio-methane collected from local and regional landfills, as well as a little bit from cow manure digesters. Advertisement Advertisement A competitor named Twelve recently completed construction on a synthetic jet fuel plant in Moses Lake. Twelve plans to use a power-to-liquid production method that relies on lots of renewable electricity to transform carbon dioxide captured from the air and water into what it calls E-Jet fuel. Executives at Twelve portrayed the Moses Lake facility as a demonstration plant. It may begin production in a matter of weeks and ramp up to 50,000 gallons annually. The California-based company plans to locate a much larger commercial-scale E-Jet fuel plant somewhere in the Midwest. On the west side of the Cascades, BP was awarded nearly $27 million in federal grant funding in 2024 to buy equipment and make upgrades at its Cherry Point refinery. The goal was to begin production in 2029 of 10 million gallons of SAF annually. But since then, BP corporate management scaled back its renewable fuels ambitions globally and put the Whatcom County project on indefinite pause, according to a spokesman. Its future is now unclear. If you add up the capacity of the eco-jet fuel projects announced in the state so far, you make only a modest dent to transition Washington airports to climate-friendly fuel. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated Washingtons jet fuel consumption at 848 million gallons in 2024. According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport alone dispenses around 600 million gallons of jet fuel per year, a number expected to rise over the coming decade. Advertisement Advertisement By the end of the decade though, an Oregon border county could become home to a much larger alternative fuel refinery whose output would equal Sea-Tacs annual demand. A Texas-headquartered company named NXTClean Fuels is in the process of permitting an alternative jet fuel and renewable diesel refinery along the Columbia River near Clatskanie with a capacity of 750 million gallons per year. If that project comes to fruition, it would theoretically go a long way toward addressing limited supply in the Pacific Northwest. But that still leaves the barriers of feedstock availability and affordability for airlines. During a press availability following Thursdays launch event, the CEO of SkyNRG Americas, John Plaza, said he foresaw plenty of availability of the renewable natural gas raw ingredient that his company needs to make jet fuel at its planned southeast Washington plant. Airlines such as Amazon Air have demonstrated some willingness to pay a premium to achieve climate and sustainability goals. SkyNRG Americas CEO John Plaza spoke Thursday at Paine Field about progress in permitting the companys planned commercial-scale eco-jet fuel plant near Wallula, Washington. (Photo by Tom Banse for Washington State Standard) We strive to have the airline industry pay as little a premium as possible, Plaza said. Advertisement Advertisement The alternative jet fuel has a climate advantage and a marketing advantage, said SkyNRG senior adviser Andy Billig in a separate interview. Billig is a former state Senate majority leader who played an instrumental role in the 2023 passage of state tax incentives for SAF producers and users during his final term in office. The state tax credit is worth up to $2 per gallon and can be stacked with federal incentives. Editors note: This story was updated to clarify the status of BPs sustainable aviation fuel project at Cherry Point. An enraged elephant was captured in video tipping over a safari vehicle in South Africa, and several commenters were quick to blame rangers for the dangerous encounter. The video by @ankeschnepel and posted on southafriworlds Instagram page is purported to have taken place in the Mabalingwe Nature Reserve, located less than a two-hour drive from Johannesburg. There were no apparent injuries, but surely the safari tourists were shaken. The video prompted several commenters to allege negligence by the rangers, also known as safari guides. There were two other game-viewing vehicles in the vicinity. Advertisement Advertisement Rangers shouldve known better and were "too close" were common refrains among the critical comments. But others came to the defense of the rangers. What could the rangers have done any differently? one commenter wrote. If you have ever been in an African game drive, an elephant herd can suddenly emerge out of literally nowhere. And if one of them decides you are in the wrong place, this can happen without provocation. Elephants even knock over other elephants without any provocation. So rather state what you think the rangers should have done differently if you say that the `Rangers should've known better!! Several observers pointed out that the bull elephant was in heat or musth, noticing the oozing temporal glands behind the eyes. An elephant in musth becomes highly aggressive and very dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Also on FTW Outdoors: Can you spot the deadly snake lurking ahead? These kids didnt There were also reports that a newborn calf was with the herd, and the bull was in protection mode. Another commenter alleged that a tourist was to blame. Somebody in the car took a photo with their camera flash and that irritated the elephant, the commenter wrote. There were no signs of them flapping their ears showing their presence. It was a very sudden movement despite the elephant running in the background. Game vehicles often hold their ground and the elephants are unbothered, curious but not bothered unless its a male [in] heat. Advertisement Advertisement Finally, one commenter from Johannesburg seemed to submit an update from local authorities about the encounter, writing, A statement was released by Mabalingwe HOA stating the elephants were on edge because of a newly born calf (unknown to the ranger at the time). The [patriarch] is seen in the video tipping the vehicle in an act to protect the herd. They have since blocked all the roads in the areas surrounding the elephants to give them time to get their new member of the family integrated into the herd. In closing, anytime you go to the bush you are stepping into their world and anything can happen. I dont do not believe this incident was caused by negligence. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Angry elephant tips over safari vehicle; were rangers to blame? Wisconsin is bracing for a weekend snow event that could make travel tricky across parts of the state. Forecasters say northern Wisconsin stands the best chance for accumulating snow Saturday into early Sunday, Jan. 10-11, with lighter amounts expected farther south, according to the National Weather Service in Milwaukee. The system arrives from the central Plains Friday, moving northeast through the Upper Midwest. Advertisement Advertisement "An active stretch of potent storm systems will bring a wide range of winter precip types to the Midwest and Great Lakes the remainder of the week," the Weather Prediction Center wrote. How much snow will Wisconsin get? Snow is likely to begin Friday night in the northern counties, with lake-enhanced bands expected to push totals higher in areas near Green Bay and the Michigan border. Some communities could see 4 inches or more, while the heaviest snow may approach 8 inches in spots that linger under the strongest bands, according to the Weather Prediction Center. Farther south, including much of central and southern Wisconsin, snow amounts will be lighter, generally under 2 inches. Still, a quick accumulation could make roads slick, particularly during the Saturday evening commute. Minor ice accumulations are also possible in far western counties, though impacts are expected to be limited. Across the border in Michigan, the Upper Peninsula is expected to see heavier snow as the system interacts with lake-effect enhancements. The tip of the Lower Peninsula may also receive snow totals approaching a foot in localized areas before the storm weakens Sunday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Forecasters note that while snow totals will vary, the storm is expected to move quickly east into Ontario by Sunday afternoon. How cold will temps get in Wisconsin this weekend? Wisconsin will see temperatures steadily dropping over the next few days as multiple systems push through the state. Heres a regional summary based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration graphical forecast map. Northern Wisconsin & U.P. border: Coldest region of the state with lows mainly in the mid-teens, dipping to around 1117F. Cities like Park Falls and Rhinelander: 15F. Ironwood and Ashland: 1617F. Central Wisconsin: Lows in the upper teens, around 1819F. Cities like Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids and Wisconsin Dells: 1819F. La Crosse and Eau Claire: 1718F. Eastern Wisconsin & Door County: Slightly warmer, lows in the low 20s, around 2021F. Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Manitowoc and Oshkosh: 21F. Southern Wisconsin & MadisonMilwaukee corridor: Lows near 20F. Madison, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee: 20F. Janesville and Kenosha: 1920F. Lake Michigan shoreline & far eastern WI: A bit warmer due to lake influence, lows 2527F. Cities like Muskegon, Pentwater and Grand Haven: 2627F. Wisconsin weather watches and warnings Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the United States as the Weather Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at baddison@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin snow possible in weekend weather. Where will it hit? More than 1,000 anti-ICE protests are scheduled nationwide for Saturday, Jan. 10, and Sunday, Jan. 11, following the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. "There's widespread anger right now. It's organic," said Ezra Levin, cofounder of the progressive group Indivisible, which helps organize rallies and train local activists. Rallies and vigils were already popping up before the national groups got involved, he said. Advertisement Advertisement A groundswell of protests began on Jan. 7, after a federal agent from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in her car in Minneapolis. The shooting prompted days of protests in Minneapolis, which have quickly spread to cities across the country. One person was killed in a shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz said on Jan. 7 that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot. Journalist KingDemetrius Pendleton is treated after being exposed to a chemical irritant following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. A man is treated after being exposed to a chemical irritant following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Members of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office look on as people gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Members of law enforcement work the scene following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Minneapolis City Council member Jason Chavez (L) addresses onlookers following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. An aerial view shows protesters clashing with police after a driver of a vehicle was shot amid an immigration enforcement surge, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jan. 7, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a video. A federal agent uses pepper spray on protesters blocking a street after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Police tape is seen around a vehicle with a bullet hole the windshield after a driver was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino looks on after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand at the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. A federal agent runs towards protesters trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. People gather near the scene of a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on Jan. 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. Federal agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis: See chaotic scene 1 of 18 One person was killed in a shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz said on Jan. 7 that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot. A second shooting by a Border Patrol agent of a married couple in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 8 has also prompted protests. While the events are being planned locally, a broad coalition of well-known civil rights and left-leaning protest groups are backing the two days of protest and vigils and encouraging their members to attend. Groups involved include Indivisible, MoveOn, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501 and the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition. "We can feel the energy on the ground. People were already organically doing this, so we're just following the people at this moment in time," said Sarah Parker, a 50501 National Partner and Executive Director of Voices of Florida Fund. Advertisement Advertisement Organizers are calling the events "ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action" and have encouraged local organizers to hold the protests and vigils at midday, or to end before nighttime to reduce the chance of violence. Protests are scheduled in cities and towns of all sizes. For example, people will gather Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Wilmington, North Carolina, as well as in New York City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. State or regionally specific event locations and site specific information can be found online. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of one of the supporting groups Public Citizen, said she expects the events this weekend to be peaceful. Protests across the country during President Donald Trump's first year back in office were widespread and largely peaceful. Advertisement Advertisement The intent of these solidarity actions is to both honor and humanize the lives taken by ICE and to demand immediate accountability, transparency, and independent investigation into the killing of Renee Nicole Good, as well as expose the broader pattern of ICE violence," Gilbert said. Minneapolis protests began shortly after shooting Response to the shooting in Minneapolis began immediately. Thousands joined a vigil and gathered across the city to demand accountability just hours after Good's death. On Jan. 8, another large rally was followed by a march downtown. Minneapolis protesters are expected to gather again at 1 p.m. CT Jan. 10 near the site of the shooting on the city's southside. They will meet at the northwest corner of Powderhorn Park at 10th Avenue and 32nd Street. Concrete barriers were put up on Jan. 9 outside the federal building in Minneapolis, where ICE and Border Patrol regularly meet, according to a NewsNation reporter. Dozens of protests have already occurred Protests took place Jan. 8 in cities like Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dozens more were scheduled for Friday Jan. 9. Demonstrators rally in Boston on Jan. 7, 2026, after the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. "There's no time a law enforcement officer should feel they are under such duress that they have to fire multiple times at an unarmed civilian in their vehicle," Sioux Falls resident Jennifer McNamara told the Argus Leader during a 100-person protest Jan. 8. Advertisement Advertisement Levin, with Indivisible, said they are hearing about new protests and vigils from "dozens" of local organizers each hour. "Renee was in the car after dropping off her kid at elementary school. Unarmed, had a whistle, was simply stopping to support her community," he said. "I think a lot of people can imagine being that that person who's just a good person trying to do good things in a peaceful way and being victimized by this secret police force. Undeniably it is hitting people differently." Lawful protests vs. legal enforcement In Trump's second term, immigration and other federal agents have been sent to a number of Democrat-led cities that the president has claimed are overrun by violent crime and illegal immigration. Groups have formed across the country to push back on immigration enforcement efforts in their cities, including blowing whistles and honking loudly to warn people in the country illegally that ICE is coming. Advertisement Advertisement More: ICE shooting live updates: Feds identify 2 people shot in Portland Especially in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, where ICE's enforcement has been particularly heavy, some people have placed their bodies or cars in front of ICE vehicles to keep them from moving. Crowds have surrounded officials to shame and record them. Texas Republican Rep. Roger Williams told conservative media outlet NewsMax on Jan. 9 that clashes will continue as long as Americans keep challenging immigration officials. We need to see some improvement in the fact that people need to quit demonstrating, quit yelling at law enforcement, challenging law enforcement, and begin to get civil," he said. "And until we do that I guess were going to have it this way and the people that are staying in their homes, are doing the right thing, need to be protected. Local activists trained to respond to their own issues Throughout 2025, national organizing groups worked to build a network of hundreds of thousands of activists engaged in their communities and civic life. Advertisement Advertisement That included training local activists to respond independently to moments that resonated in their community without needing prompting from national groups. "This is us trying to support and create some structure. But people are doing this of their own volition. We just want other people to be able to find them," Levin said. A review of the most commonly used protest organizing sites on Jan. 8, before the national groups got involved, showed events had already been planned in larger cities like Austin and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as in smaller cities like Longview, Texas, and Terre Haute, Indiana. Some of the events are also aimed at showing displeasure with the recent military action in Venezuela, in which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were seized from their Caracas home and brought to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Samantha Laurey of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader contributed Sarah D. Wire, a national political correspondent for USA TODAY, can be reached at swire@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's where anti-ICE are taking place after Minneapolis shooting (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) White House officials believe that former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the superfan-turned-intraparty foe of President Donald Trump, may have tipped off a far-left protest group about Trumps dinner plans last September. According to Axioss Alex Isenstadt, a chaotic confrontation between Code Pink protesters and Trump at Joes Seafood, a Washington, D.C., restaurant that Greene had recommended to the commander-in-chief, embarrassed the president and intensified concerns in the White House about his safety. Advertisement Advertisement Officials told the Secret Service that they suspected that Greene may have informed Code Pink of Trumps intention of dining at Joes that evening. Per Isenstadt, the White Houses theory relies on two pillars: 1. Her suggesting where Trump should dine Officials say that after recommending the president go to Joes, Greene repeatedly called White House staffers the day of the dinner to confirm he was going. After Trump heard about Greenes calls, he called her shortly before leaving the White House and confirmed his planned visit, the sources said. Greene who was a regular at the restaurant didnt show up there when Trump and other officials were there, which struck some Trump aides as odd. 2. Greenes relationship with Code Pink White House aides note Greene is friends with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin . Greene and the organization are aligned in their opposition to the U.S. providing military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Benjamin last year praised Greene for opposing Trumps bombing of nuclear sites in Iran and for calling to strip foreign aid from the Pentagons budget. Both Greene and Code Pink denied the accusation. The former told Axios that the charge is an absolute lie, a dangerous lie, and insisted that while she recommended the establishment to Trump, she didnt know when he might go. That absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical, commented Code Pinks Melissa Garriga. Trump criticized Greene in a November Oval Office Q&A after Greene broke with him on a number of hot-button issues. Advertisement Advertisement Yeah, so I dont know what happened to Marjorie. Shes a nice woman, but I dont know what happened. Shes lost her way, I think, said Trump at the time. when somebody like Marjorie Taylor Greene, whos now catering to the other sideI dont know what, you know, I guess shes got some kind of an act goingbut Im surprised at her. But when somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesnt know. The feud only escalated from there. The post White House Reportedly Suspects Marjorie Taylor Greene Tipped Off Left-Wing Protesters About Trump Dinner Plans first appeared on Mediaite. The Indiana Department of Child Services has eliminated 75 positions in its ongoing quest to streamline and restructure the agency, months after it eliminated dozens more. Not all of those eliminated positions resulted in people leaving the agency responsible for child welfare. While 23 people were terminated from the agency, about 20 employees transitioned into family case manager roles. Additionally, DCS says there were "a few retirements and resignations," along with some vacant positions eliminated. Advertisement Advertisement The total number of positions eliminated this week accounts for slightly less than 2% of the DCS workforce. It still has just over 4,000 employees across the state and remains the third-largest state agency. The move, which DCS said was a "staff restructuring," comes as part of the agency's plan to pursue more efficiencies, which it dubbed Project Awaken. It said no family case managers were terminated as a result of the actions. "The reductions primarily targeted central office roles in project management, IT, and finance, as well as contract staff," according to DCS communications director Ron Green. "To support the objectives of Project Awaken, several affected employees are transitioning into (family case manager) positions to bolster frontline child safety efforts. More: They sleep on cots, travel for showers. Why are kids living in DCS offices, sometimes for weeks? Advertisement Advertisement These aren't the first positions eliminated recently at DCS. Director Adam Krupp in June 2025 announced that the agency's restructuring would consolidate its 18 regions to five, which eliminated about 40 employees. Krupp said at the time that the restructuring would affect middle- and upper-level managers, not front-line caseworkers. The moves comes at a time when DCS has already been facing staffing challenges. Fewer workers, more cases: Report shows DCS struggles to meet caseload requirements In the agency's annual staffing and caseload report released last October, the number of DCS caseworkers fell while the number of child welfare cases grew. That means the agency failed to meet caseload standards required under state law, which isn't new for the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Investigative reporter Tony Cook contributed to this report. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her on X @hayleighcolombo. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why did Indiana DCS eliminate 100+ positions? It's part of 'restructuring' Key Points The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF tracks the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Growth Index, which holds 66 of America's largest companies. Those 66 companies represent 70% of the total value of the entire U.S. stock market, and they include artificial intelligence powerhouses like Nvidia and Alphabet. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has delivered blistering annual returns over the last decade. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard World Fund - Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF The CRSP U.S. Total Market Index is made up of all 3,498 companies listed on American stock exchanges. The CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Growth Index, on the other hand, covers 70% of the market capitalization of the Total Market Index. In other words, if we ranked all 3,498 stocks from largest to smallest, the Mega Cap Growth Index would start at the top of the list and work its way down until it captured 70% of its total value. Remarkably, the Mega Cap Growth Index holds just 66 stocks. That's right, a mere 66 companies account for 70% of the total value of the entire U.S. stock market. Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising given Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet -- which are America's four largest companies -- are worth a whopping $15.9 trillion combined. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: MGK) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) which tracks the performance of the CRSP U.S. Mega Cap Growth Index, and it consistently beats the market thanks to its highly concentrated portfolio of America's largest tech stocks. Here's how it can help investors supercharge their returns. Image source: Getty Images. Large positions in America's flagship tech companies The artificial intelligence (AI) boom has created trillions of dollars in value since it started gathering momentum in early 2023. At first, suppliers of data center chips and components like Nvidia were the biggest winners, but providers of cloud computing services and developers of AI software quickly joined the party. Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet each fall into one of those buckets, so it's no surprise they have comfortably beaten the benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index over the last few years: NVDA data by YCharts Those four stocks have a combined weighting of 46.7% in the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF, so they have a significant influence over its performance. Stock Vanguard ETF Portfolio Weighting 1. Apple 12.77% 2. Nvidia 12.67% 3. Microsoft 11.31% 4. Alphabet 10.02% Data source: Vanguard. Portfolio weightings are accurate as of Nov. 30, 2025, and are subject to change. The United States has ratcheted up its rhetoric on Greenland in recent days, to the great concern of its European allies, with talks now due to take place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish officials next week. Greenland, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark but has a largely autonomous status, has been in Trump's sights since his first term in office. The relationship between the United States and Greenland goes back a lot further, however. Advertisement Advertisement Greenland's location is highly strategic, lying on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US. It is therefore a crucial part of the US anti-missile shield. In 1941, at the height of World War II, the US negotiated a deal to build and operate military bases on Greenland, Denmark's then-colony in the Arctic, for as long as the conflict would last, in a bid to protect the American continent. Denmark's ambassador in Washington, isolated from Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, independently negotiated the agreement with the US to protect Greenland, which is geographically part of North America and lies in the Western Hemisphere. By the end of the war, the US had 15 military bases in Greenland. Today just one remains, the Pituffik air base on the north-western coast. Advertisement Advertisement Since 1951, a Danish agreement with the US revised in 2004 gives the US military virtually carte blanche on Greenlandic territory, as long as it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance of its plans. Trump has argued that Denmark has failed to ensure the security of Greenland, which measures 2.2 million square kilometres (849,424 square miles), or about a fifth the size of the entire European continent. That is comparable to Alaska, the largest US state, although Greenland's population is just 57,000 people. Integrating Greenland would make the US the world's third largest country by land mass behind Russia and Canada, leapfrogging China. A recent report by Denmark's military intelligence service said Russia, China and the United States were all vying to play "a greater role" in the Arctic. Advertisement Advertisement In the past year, Copenhagen has beefed up its investments in Greenland. In 2025, it allocated 1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) to security in the region, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday. Greenland has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as melting polar ice a result of climate change opens up new shipping routes. A year ago however, 85% of Greenlanders said they opposed joining the US, according to a poll published in the Danish and Greenlandic press. The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, Europa Press, HINA, Lusa, MIA, PAP, Ritzau and STA, as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project. Meet the Navys new frigate. Its definitely not the same as the old frigate. Following the recent cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate, the Navy has decided that the design for its FF(X) frigate will be based on the Coast Guards Legend-class National Security Cutter. Frigates have many missions, including protecting and escorting other ships and hunting submarines, but the Navy has been without such vessels for more than a decade. The Constellation-class frigate program for which the Navy has already spent about $2 billion was initially envisioned as a relatively easy lift for the service because it was based on an existing ship. Advertisement Advertisement But the Navy couldnt help tinkering with the Constellations design, making it much different from the warship on which it was based, and that inevitably led to construction delays and cost overruns. Eventually, Navy Secretary John Phelan announced in November that the service would only accept two of the ships currently being built and cancel the remaining four that had been under contract. For the Navy, it was time for Plan B. That meant looking to the Coast Guard. Since they first entered service in 2008, Legend-class cutters have shown they are formidable ships, and they have a proven design. One of the cutters was seen taking part in the pursuit of a Russian-flagged tanker suspected of transporting oil in violation of sanctions. Each vessel is 418 feet long, has a crew of 148, and can reach a top speed of 28 knots. They also have a range of up to 12,000 nautical miles and can deploy for between 60 and 90 days, and they cost an average of $670 million per ship. Advertisement Advertisement The cutters armaments include a Mk 110 57 mm deck gun; a Phalanx 20 mm close-in weapon system (CWIS), and four M2 .50-caliber machine guns. But to become warships, they will need more robust combat systems. Therein lies a major challenge, because as currently envisioned, the new frigates design does not include a built-in Vertical Launch System, or VLS. The now-cancelled Constellation, by comparison, was supposed to have 32 VLS cells. This is potentially an issue because the Navy is in the process of retiring its cruisers, each of which can carry up to 122 missiles in VLS cells. Meanwhile, China is building Type 055 destroyers, each of which can carry 112 missiles in VLS missile tubes. Although the new frigates would have a different type of missile launching system, it is unclear if they might run into the same types of issues as the Navys Littoral Combat Ships, which have needed to be up-gunned for high-end conflicts but have proven most successful in chasing drug smugglers. Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, its clear the Navy needs frigates quickly, and it hopes to launch the first ship in 2028. But it remains to be seen if the new vessel can avoid the types of construction delays that doomed the Constellation, which was originally supposed to enter service this year, before that was pushed back to 2029 at the earliest. For more information on the Navys latest adventure in shipbuilding, head to our YouTube channel, where Task & Purposes video producer Kyle Gunn talks about how the Navy is hoping to get it right this time. Islamabad, Pakistan Less than a week into the new year, after a meeting between Pakistans Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and his Bangladeshi counterpart Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, the Pakistani military announced that a deal to sell its domestically produced JF-17 Thunder fighter jet could be imminent. A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militarys media wing, said Khan praised the Pakistan Air Forces combat record and sought assistance to support the Bangladesh Air Forces ageing fleet and integration of air defence radar systems to enhance air surveillance. Alongside a promise of fast-tracked delivery of Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, the statement, issued on January 6, added that detailed discussions were also held on potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement The Super Mushshak is a light-weight, two-to-three seater, single-engine plane with fixed, non-retractable, tricycle landing gear. The plane is primarily used for training purposes. Besides Pakistan, more than 10 countries currently have deployed the plane in their fleet for pilot training, including Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Iran, Iraq and others. Just a day later, it was reported by the Reuters news agency that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were in talks to convert about $2bn of Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, further strengthening military cooperation between the two longtime allies. The discussions come only months after they signed a mutual defence pact in September last year. Both developments followed reports in late December that Pakistan had reached a $4bn deal with a rebel faction in Libya, the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), including the sale of more than a dozen JF-17 Thunder jets. While the Pakistani military has yet to formally confirm any agreement with Libya or Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh has so far only expressed interest rather than signing a contract, analysts say events in 2025 have boosted the JF-17s appeal. Advertisement Advertisement However, the relatively cheap price of the plane, estimated at $25m-$30m, has meant that several countries in the last 10 years have shown interest in it, with Nigeria, Myanmar and Azerbaijan already having the jet in their fleets. And recent events have bolstered the reputation of Pakistans air fighting capabilities, say analysts. In May, India and Pakistan fought an intense four-day air war, firing missiles and drones at each others territories, parts of Kashmir that they administer, and at military bases, after gunmen shot down 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied any link to the attack. Pakistan said it shot down several Indian fighter jets during the aerial combat, a claim Indian officials later acknowledged after initially denying any losses, but without specifying the number of jets downed. The PAF demonstrated superior performance against much more expensive Western and Russian systems, which has made these aircraft an attractive option for several air forces, Adil Sultan, a former Pakistan Air Force air commodore, said. Advertisement Advertisement The Indian Air Force (IAF) has traditionally relied on French Mirage-2000 and Russian Su-30 jets, but in the 2025 fighting also used French Rafale jets. Pakistan, for its part, relied on its recently imported Chinese J-10C Vigorous Dragon and the JF-17 Thunder as well as the United States F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, with 42 planes in the formation that took on 72 IAF planes, according to the PAF. So what is the JF-17 Thunder, what can it do, and why are so many countries showing interest? What is the JF-17 Thunder? The JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight, all-weather, multi-role fighter aircraft jointly manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chinas Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Advertisement Advertisement Pakistan and China signed an agreement in the late 1990s to develop the aircraft, with work beginning in the early 2000s at the PAC in Kamra, situated in Pakistans Punjab province, just more than 80km (50 miles) away from the capital, Islamabad. A retired Pakistan Air Force air commodore who worked closely on the programme said production is split between the two countries, with 58 percent carried out in Pakistan and 42 percent in China. We are manufacturing the front fuselage and vertical tail, whereas China makes the middle and rear fuselage of the plane, with a Russian engine being used, as well as British manufacturer Martin Bakers seats are installed. However, the complete assembly of the plane is carried out in Pakistan, he told Al Jazeera, speaking on condition of anonymity due to his involvement in the project. He said the aircraft was first unveiled to the public in March 2007, with the induction of the first variant, Block 1, in 2009. The most advanced Block 3 variant entered service in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement The idea was to replace Pakistans ageing fleet, and subsequently, in the next decade or so, they made the bulk of our air force, with more than 150 combat jets part of the force, he said. Before the JF-17, Pakistan was primarily relying on French manufacturer Dassaults Mirage III and Mirage 5, as well as Chinese J-7 fighter planes. The Block 3 variant places JF-17 in the so-called 4.5 generation of fighter jets. It has air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities, advanced avionics, an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, electronic warfare systems and the ability to fire beyond-visual-range missiles. Their avionics and electronic capabilities are an upgrade from the fourth generation of fighter planes, such as the F-16 and Su-27, which were primarily built for speed and dogfighting. Advertisement Advertisement The AESA radar gives these planes the capability to track multiple targets at once and provides more visibility at longer distances. However, unlike fifth-generation planes, they lack stealth capabilities. The Pakistan Air Force says the jet offers high manoeuvrability at medium and low altitudes and combines firepower, agility and survivability, making it a potent platform for any air force. Bangladesh Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan (left) met with the Pakistani Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu in Islamabad on January 6, during which a potential procurement of JF-17 was also discussed [Handout/Inter-Services Public Relations] Who has bought the JF-17? Myanmar was the first country to buy the JF-17, ordering at least 16 Block 2 aircraft in 2015. Seven have been delivered so far. Nigeria became the second buyer, inducting three JF-17s into its air force in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Azerbaijan followed with an initial order of 16 jets in February 2024, worth more than $1.5bn. In November 2025, Azerbaijan unveiled five JF-17s during its Victory Day parade, formally making it the third foreign operator of the aircraft. That same month, the Pakistani military announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with a friendly country for procurement of the JF-17, describing it as a noteworthy development without naming the buyer. Other countries, including Iraq, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, have also explored the option of buying the JF-17 over the past decade, though those plans did not materialise. While JF-17 makes the bulk of the PAFs fighting squadron, the plane is not used by the Chinese air force, which is more reliant on its J-10, J-20 and developing its latest J-35 fighter planes. Advertisement Advertisement With the planes entire assembly carried out in Kamra, Pakistan is the primary seller of the JF-17 fighter plane, including its after-sales services. How does the JF-17 compare to other fighter jets? The most advanced fighters currently in service globally are fifth-generation jets such as the US F-22 and F-35, Chinas J-20 and J-35, and Russias Su-57. These aircraft feature stealth technology unlike all previous generations of jets. The JF-17s Block 3 variant, by contrast, belongs to the 4.5 generation, alongside jets such as Swedens Gripen, Frances Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Indias Tejas and Chinas J-10, among others. Still, while they dont have stealth capabilities, 4.5 generation planes have specialised coating on them to reduce their radar signature, making them harder though not impossible to detect. Advertisement Advertisement So, for instance, when a 4.5-generation jet enters the enemys radar zone, it can get detected, but it can also try to jam signals by using its electronic jamming capabilities, or use long-range missiles to attack the target, before turning back. On the other hand, a fifth-generation plane remains entirely undetected by radars due to its physical design and weapons, which are stored internally. While official pricing has not been disclosed, estimates put the JF-17s unit cost at between $25m and $30m. By comparison, the Rafale costs more than $90m per aircraft, while the Gripen is priced at more than $100m. An Islamabad-based regional security analyst who has closely monitored the development of the JF-17 planes said the jets appeal lies in its cost-effectiveness, lower maintenance requirements and combat record. The JF-17s appeal is less about headline performance than the overall package, which includes lower price, flexible weapons integration, training, spares and generally fewer Western political strings, he told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity because of his involvement with the JF-17 project. In that sense, the JF-17 is a good enough multirole jet optimised for accessibility. It can suit air forces modernising on tight budgets, but it is not a direct substitute for higher-end fighters like the J-10C or F-16V in range, payload, electronic warfare maturity and long-term upgrade headroom. Sultan, who is also dean of the Faculty of Aerospace and Strategic Studies at Islamabads Air University, said the JF-17s performance against Indian aircraft in 2025 underscored its capabilities. However, he cautioned that outcomes in air combat depend not only on the aircraft but on who is operating it. The jets integration with other systems such as ground and airborne radars, communication systems and the human skills mastered during training play the most vital role, he said. (Al Jazeera) Why is the interest in JF-17s growing? Pakistans air force again drew attention during the four-day conflict with India in May 2025, particularly on the night of May 7, when Indian aircraft struck targets inside Pakistani territory. According to the PAF, Pakistani squadrons flying Chinese-made J-10C jets shot down at least six Indian aircraft. Indian officials initially denied losses but later acknowledged that some planes had been lost. US President Donald Trump, who has claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, has repeatedly highlighted the performance of Pakistani jets, a claim India has strongly rejected. Although the JF-17 was not involved in the reported shoot-downs, the PAF says it was part of the formations that engaged Indian aircraft. Three days later, on May 10, the ISPR claimed a JF-17 was used to strike Indias Russian-made S-400 air defence system with a hypersonic missile. India has denied any damage to its defence system. The Islamabad-based security analyst said Pakistan is using the May conflict to market the JF-17 as a combat-proven, affordable option for countries with limited defence budgets. He added, however, that the possibility of a potential procurement should be treated cautiously. Expressions of interest should be treated cautiously as fighter jet procurements typically take years to translate from exploratory talks to signed contracts and deliveries, he said, adding that while PAF is continuing to market the JF-17 aggressively, the JF-17 for debt swap isnt what PAF envisions. Other observers agree that Islamabad sees an opportunity to leverage its air forces performance to secure defence exports and project itself as a rising middle power. The retired air commodore involved in the JF-17 programme said combat performance remains the ultimate benchmark. Very few countries are making fighter jets, with most of the market dominated by Western developers who often attach many conditions to sales, he said. But everybody wants to diversify and avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, and that is where Pakistan comes in. On Bangladesh, he said Dhakas posture towards Pakistan has shifted sharply since a change of government in 2024. Such deals are not just about sale of a platform or a plane. It is a collaboration, an agreement at national level, showing strategic alignment between two countries, he said. Fighter jets, he added, are a long-term commitment, with service lives of three to four decades. If Bangladesh is getting a JF-17 or Super Mushshak trainers, you can be certain that they are in it for the long haul with training and after-sales services. They are also showing interest in Chinese J-10s, which means that strategically, they have decided who they want to align with in the future, he said. Deputy State Superintendent Tom McCarthy speaks to Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) after delivering testimony on AB 678. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Wisconsin school districts would be required to establish policies on appropriate communication between students and staff members before the next school year, under a bill that received a public hearing Thursday. The bill comes in reaction to a report from the Capital Times in November that found over 200 investigations into teacher licenses due to allegations of sexual misconduct or grooming from 2018 to 2023. Another bill coauthored by Nedweski, AB 677, making grooming a felony crime in Wisconsin received a public hearing earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Many of these cases begin with the erosion of professional boundaries when a school employee starts communicating with the students inappropriately often outside of school hours and without parent knowledge usually through the use of text messaging and social media, Nedweski told the Assembly Education Committee. While the vast majority of school staff use these tools responsibly, a small number have exploited that access sometimes leading to devastating consequences. AB 678 would require Wisconsin school boards to adopt a policy on appropriate communications between students and employees or volunteers in the school district. This bill preserves local control. It does not mandate a one-size-fits-all policy; instead it allows each school district to determine what communication policies work best for its own community, Nedweski said. The policies would need to include specific consequences for staff who violate the policy and specify that it applies to communications during and outside of school hours. The policy would need to include standards for appropriate content and methods of communication. Advertisement Advertisement An amendment to the bill, which Nedweski said came at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and other stakeholders, would require annual training for employees on identifying, preventing and reporting grooming and professional boundary violations. The Department of Public Instruction has worked with Nedweski on the legislation and supports it. We think this is a good effort to get the conversation started, Deputy State Superintendent Tom McCarthy said, noting the agency has been working on policy related to appropriate communication for over eight years. He said there are a lot of districts that are using technology for software that allows them to track communications. Theres a bit of a dichotomy with this issue. We know that in order to educate kids we need to foster and build relationships with students and families, and so we do encourage appropriate communication in every school district, McCarthy said, adding that the policy and training would be critical. You will find some circumstances where youre going to want communication and it might not be as neat and tidy as youd expect it to be. There are always emergency circumstances where a teacher might need to call a student directly so we want some policies to be flexible to address those areas. Advertisement Advertisement Chris Kulow, director of government relations for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), said the organization had some concerns about the language in the bill related to consequences. He testified for information only, noting the issue of communication between staff and students is not new to school districts. Although recent news coverage and increased interest from state policymakers may make this appear to be a new issue, it is not new to schools. School boards have long recognized the need for policies addressing appropriate communication and professional boundaries between pupils and staff. Many districts have already adopted such policies, Kulow said. This bill may require some districts to update existing policies to reflect its specific language and to the extent it prompts boards to review and strengthen policies is beneficial. Kulow said complying with the provision related to consequences as currently written would be challenging as violations can vary widely and require a wide range of responses. The organization wanted the provision removed, but said Nedweski wanted something related to be included in the bill. Attempting to predetermine specific consequences for every specific scenario may be impractical and could complicate the disciplinary process, Kulow said. We suggested revising the language in the bill to read that the school board shall include in the policy a range of consequences up to and including termination. Advertisement Advertisement The bill currently only covers Wisconsin public schools, though Nedweski told Democratic lawmakers, who expressed concerns about the bill not including the states private voucher schools, that she is working on an amendment. We need to protect all kids. This is such a growing problem. Weve seen just an increase in inappropriate communication, Nedweski said. Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), also asked whether lawmakers would be open to including funding for school districts to support the implementation of the bill. Nedweski said she hasnt had any requests for funding from schools or the DPI throughout the development of the bill. Advertisement Advertisement I think its a serious enough issue, a weighty enough issue, that all schools can find the resources to craft a policy and do some training to make sure they are protecting children, Nedweski said, adding that DPI already has modules related to this type of training. McCarthy said additional funding, including the release of $1 million set aside for the agency in the state budget, could help speed along the process. Those funds, which sit in a supplemental fund, can only be released by the Joint Finance Committee. He said without the funds the agency could potentially have to cut down on staff and other areas of its operations, which could affect how quickly work is done. Under the bill in its current form, school boards would need to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026. McCarthy said DPI would like to see an amendment that would move the deadline for policy adoption to a later date, saying DPI may need a longer runway to ensure the agency has time to change and update policies and training if needed. He told the Wisconsin Examiner that some of the changes could be necessary if Nedweskis grooming bill becomes law. Advertisement Advertisement Rich Judge, assistant state superintendent for the division of government and public affairs, also noted that school boards would need to have time to meet, develop and approve policies. Nedweski said in a written statement to the Examiner that she is taking the agencys suggestion under consideration and is discussing potential dates. One potential date could be Sept. 1, 2026, she said. If AB 678 is signed into law, the goal is for school districts to have these policies in place for the 202627 school year, Nedweski said. She noted that some of the agencys concerns are tied to her other bill. This only underscores the importance of passing AB 677 and getting it signed into law promptly to ensure that districts across Wisconsin can take the necessary steps to better protect students in school. NEED TO KNOW Elizabeth Diamond's husband, Chris, died after contracting a rare disease from swimming in a waterfall during their 2016 honeymoon in Jamaica At first, the couple thought Chris had a stomach bug that would pass, but his condition quickly deteriorated and he ended up being taken off life support "Id met my soulmate, and he was gone," Elizabeth said. 5 years later, she found love again and remarried Elizabeth Diamond's newlywed joy soon turned to tragedy when her husband, Chris, became ill during their honeymoon and died just weeks later. The Texas woman, 51, recalled to The Sun how the couple celebrated a "beautiful" wedding in November 2017 and pledged to love each other "in sickness and health, till death do us part" not knowing that the vow would soon become a painful reality. Advertisement Advertisement They set off for a weeklong honeymoon in Jamaica, enjoying horseback riding excursions and walks on the beach together. It was so romantic, and I couldnt believe how happy I felt, Elizabeth told the outlet of the trip. Finally, Id found the man of my dreams, and I was never going to let him go. On the final day of the honeymoon, the newlyweds visited a waterfall. Elizabeth remembered thinking the water didn't look as she had expected. Courtesy Elizabeth Diamond Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Id seen photos of the turquoise water, but when we arrived, it was all murky and brown not at all like the paradise Id been expecting, she told The Sun. "I was disappointed but determined to make the most of every minute of our honeymoon." 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. Despite the murkiness of the water, Chris jumped in to swim. The next day, he came down with what the couple assumed was a stomach bug. Advertisement Advertisement At first, the nausea and diarrhea didnt worry me too much, but he couldnt shake it off," she said. When he texted me at work a week later, still ill, to say he was going home early, I was immediately concerned. This was a man who never missed work." While Chris was "sure it would pass," his illness worsened. Two weeks after their return from Jamaica, the 45-year-old woke up with yellow skin and eyes. "I told him, We need to get you to the hospital right away,' " Elizabeth recalled. Courtesy Elizabeth Diamond Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Doctors quickly determined that Chris had jaundice and that his kidneys and liver had shut down. What made this news even scarier was the fact that they had no idea why," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Thinking that his illness could be connected to their trip to the Caribbean, she went online, searching for any health reports from Jamaica. She found numerous warnings about leptospirosis, a disease caused by the bacterium Leptospira, which can be found in water or soil contaminated by animal urine, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing and even death, the CDC states. Chris had Weil's disease, an acute, severe form of leptospirosis. There were reports of [leptospirosis] all across Jamaica," Elizabeth told The Sun. In a flash, I thought of the waterfall, how Chris had jumped right into that brown, murky pool. My breath caught in my throat." Advertisement Advertisement While Chris was treated with doxycycline at the hospital, his condition gradually deteriorated. At first, still able to speak, hed grip my hand and say, Im not ready to die,' " Elizabeth recalled. "But the next day, he was put on a ventilator to help him breathe, only able to use alphabet cards to communicate with me. Chris was then placed in a medically induced coma, as Elizabeth remained by his bedside and decorated the walls of his hospital room with photos of their wedding and family. Eventually, the doctors told Elizabeth that Chris "was brain-dead and there was nothing more they could do for him." "It was like being trapped in a waking nightmare," Elizabeth said of the tragedy. "Just weeks before, wed been newlyweds. How could this be happening?" BSIP/UIG Via Getty Leptospira bacteria Leptospira bacteria The next morning, 50 days after their wedding, Elizabeth said goodbye to Chris. "I climbed into the bed, curled up into Chris arms and whispered, I love you. Then his life support was turned off, and he was gone." Advertisement Advertisement Id met my soulmate, and he was gone, she added. Not long after, she opened up her mail and saw both her marriage certificate and Chris' death certificate and "collapsed in uncontrollable sobs." Courtesy Elizabeth Diamond Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Elizabeth Diamond and her husband Chris Elizabeth navigated her grief with the help of her family and friends. While she never imagined finding love again, she created an online dating profile "as a joke" to "tease" her son in October 2022. She received quite a few responses to her profile, including one from a man named Kim. They connected over texts and phone calls before meeting in person for their first date. The pair got married in June 2024, and Elizabeth said she knew in her heart that "Chris was there in spirit, wanting me to be happy and loved again. Advertisement Advertisement She said she's sharing her story in hopes of helping others who have faced similar tragedies. I want people to know that in grief you can find a strength you never imagined, and that joy and love are always possible," she told The Sun. Read the original article on People Houston police have arrested two suspects after a woman on a bus was shot in the head and killed on a city bus Wednesday. Another passenger was wounded. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, known as METRO, says a man got on the bus and opened fire, aiming at two men who were also on board, but hit the 25-year-old woman. METRO Police Chief Ban Tien said the woman was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Houston police said a 16-year-old male went to a local hospital, reporting he'd been wounded in the shooting. His condition wasn't known. "The individual who fired first and caused the fatal injury has been charged with murder," METRO said in a statement Thursday. "The second individual, who allegedly returned fire and injured another passenger, has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon. " Earlier, Houston police released photos of the suspects on social media. HPD is searching for these two suspects (below) wanted for the fatal shooting of a female, 25, and injury of a juvenile male, 16, at 10800 Richmond about 2:30 p.m. yesterday (Jan. 7). TIPS: Call HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or @CrimeStopHOU More info: https://t.co/MaG5sMUzdQ pic.twitter.com/NTi4d7ehV9 Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 8, 2026 METRO said the bus operator immediately stopped the bus and followed protocol, safely getting all the other passengers off. Advertisement Advertisement METRO and Houston police swarmed the area seeking the shooter. Members of the public were asked to avoid the area. Surveillance footage from the bus was given to detectives and witnesses provided information to investigators as well, METRO noted. A man who was on the bus at the time told CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV he thinks the man who was shot got hit in the leg. "It was only two shots," he said. Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis New details on ICE agent involved in Minneapolis shooting Massive anti-government protests in Iran turn deadly NEED TO KNOW A woman has been arrested after she was allegedly caught nude in her neighbor's pond According to the Union Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana, Erin Elizabeth Sutton, 41, told officers she was "trying to be a mermaid" While the woman was transported to the local hospital for treatment, she allegedly "threatened to kill deputies and paramedics" A Louisiana woman has been arrested after she was allegedly caught naked in her neighbors pond, a local sheriffs office reports. According to a social media statement shared on Wednesday, Jan. 7, by the Union Parish Sheriffs Office (UPSO) in Farmerville, La., 41-year-old Erin Elizabeth Sutton was arrested this week in connection to an alleged incident last year. In November 2025, authorities were dispatched to a residence in the Linville community of Marion, La., in reference to a trespassing complaint, per the statement. The homeowner reportedly called claiming their neighbor was standing in their driveway screaming and that they were informed not to trespass on the property. Advertisement Advertisement Upon arrival, UPSO officers located Sutton swimming, nude, in a pond on the callers property. [Sutton] refused to exit the pond and speak to the deputy, stating she was trying to be a mermaid, the department writes. After "several commands the woman finally exited the pond, per the statement. Due to cold temperatures, emergency medical services (EMS) evaluated Sutton and provided a blanket. Authorities ushered Sutton inside a residence to warm up, but the defendant "suddenly charged toward the deputy, per the statement. After several commands, Sutton refused to comply, and the deputy deployed a taser, which had no effect, the post says. Sutton was taken to the ground, where she continued to resist detention and began kicking and punching the deputy. Getty A police officer with a taser A police officer with a taser When Sutton was finally restrained, she was transferred by EMS to the local hospital for further treatment, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement During transport, Sutton threatened to kill deputies and paramedics, UPSO writes. Because Sutton required medical treatment, deputies waited until a later date to seek warrants for her arrest. 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. On Jan. 6, Sutton surrendered herself to deputies at UPSO was placed into custody. According to the department, Sutton currently faces three counts of resisting an officer, two counts of public intimidation, two counts of battery of a police officer, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of criminal trespassing. Neither Sutton nor the UPSO immediately responded to PEOPLEs request for comment. Read the original article on People WEST VIRGINIA (WVNS) A state health report came out from the United Health Foundation. It ranked West Virginia as the forty-sixth healthiest state in the country. 59News spoke with Rebekah Underwood, a medical assistant at the Beckley Area Medical center on what exactly that means for the state. A lot of chronic diseases rates are high in are area a lot of people not seeking help. So much of it is preventable. Then theres poor access to healthcare, we have all these rural areas its hard for people to get to the doctor, Underwood said Advertisement Advertisement Underwood attributed the low health rates to a number of things like chronic diseases and mental health disorders. One factor is that West Virginia has the highest rate of tobacco use with 26% of people using it, the highest in the country, according to the American Lung Association. Underwood also said West Virginia has a shortage on doctors and healthcare facilities to provide quality patient care in certain communities. New Jersey pilot crashes at Philippi Barbour County airport after brake fails 59news also spoke with members of the staff at Generations Health and Wellness who believe a big part of why West Virginia is ranked so low is due to poor mental health in the state. According to Taylor Hill a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, this can lead to substance abuse issues. Advertisement Advertisement When you have a mental health diagnosis it goes hand in hand with substance abuse because when you have that mental health and its overlooked, they tend to self-medicate and so they can be treated for substance abuse but if they are not treated for their mental health as well, then its just keep occurring over and over again, Hill 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 WVNS. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A 43-year-old man from Warsaw was sentenced on Friday after he strangled a woman to death in 2023, the Wyoming County District Attorneys Office announced. Officials said Michael Bellaire killed Cheryl Cook at her residence in Warsaw on Nov. 2, 2023. He then stole her debit card and fled to Mexico before finally being apprehended by Mexican authorities almost a year later. He was returned to Wyoming County and found guilty on Oct. 20, 2025 following a seven-day trial. Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Bellaire was sentenced to 25 years to life for second-degree murder, seven years for strangulation and 1 1/3 to four years in prison for fourth-degree grand larceny. The sentences will run concurrent to each other. The sentence of 25 years to life in this case, the maximum sentence allowed by law, was appropriate, said Wyoming County District Attorney Vincent Hemming. The Defendant murdered the victim by strangling her and took her away from her children, grandchildren, and family members. I hope that the Defendant spends the rest of his life in prison. Orders of protection for the victims family remain in place until 2126. Latest Local News Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Advertisement Advertisement 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 News 4 Buffalo. Yemens main southern separatists have decided to disband following talks in Saudi Arabia, the secretary-general of the organisation has said, although the announcement was dismissed by its spokesman, who called it ridiculous. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Subaihi said in a broadcast on Yemeni television on Friday that the dissolution of the group was taken to preserve peace and security in the south and in neighbouring countries. He praised the measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the solutions it has provided that meet the needs of the people of the South. Advertisement Advertisement However, STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi, who is in Abu Dhabi, rejected the announcement coming out of Saudi Arabia. This news is ridiculous, he told the AFP news agency, confirming he remained out of contact with the delegation in Riyadh, indicating a split was emerging within the group. In a post on X, al-Tamimi said decisions related to the STC could only be made by the council in its entirety and under its president. This will be done immediately upon the release of the Southern Transitional Council delegation currently in Riyadh, he wrote. The Council will continue its positive and constructive engagement with all political initiatives in a manner that enables the people of the South to determine their future. Advertisement Advertisement Separately, the STCs National Assembly issued a statement urging supporters to take part in demonstrations planned for Saturday in the Yemeni cities of Aden and Mukalla, rejecting what it described as partial or evasive solutions to the southern cause. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have grown after the STC, which Riyadh says is backed by Abu Dhabi, launched an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops in December. On Thursday, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen said the STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi had fled to the UAE via Somaliland after skipping the talks in Riyadh, accusing the UAE of smuggling him out of the country. The STCs possible dissolution is a significant political development, though not hugely surprising, said Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra in Doha. Advertisement Advertisement The STC made a massive miscalculation last month when it launched the military offensive and took over the oil-rich regions of Hadramout and al-Mahra, thereby expanding its control across southern Yemen, he said. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman welcomed the announcement on the dissolution of the STC, describing it as a courageous step towards safeguarding the future of the southern issue, and said the move would help pave the way for inclusive southern dialogue under Saudi sponsorship, according to remarks posted on X. Key players in Yemen interactive Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised Yemeni government viewed these advances as a red line and a threat to national security, launching strikes on two vessels in Mukalla port, which they claimed were carrying UAE-linked weapons shipments to the STC. In response, the Yemeni government declared a state of emergency and ordered the withdrawal of all UAE forces, leading to a deep rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, former allies in a war with the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi group, which controls the capital Sanaa and much of the north of Yemen. Advertisement Advertisement Following al-Zubaidis departure, from the Saudi perspective, theres absolutely no way to maintain the STC because of its separatist stance, said Ahelbarra. The STC was established in April 2017 as an umbrella organisation for groups that seek to restore southern Yemen as an independent state, as it was between 1967 and 1990. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends a dinner hosted by President Donald Trump with U.S. tech leaders at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4. Meta announced deals with three nuclear energy providers Friday to power its AI data centers in Ohio. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Meta announced deals with three nuclear energy providers Friday to power its AI data centers in Ohio. The tech giant made agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to bring 6.6 gigawatts of power online for its cluster of data centers by 2035. The power draw exceeds the energy demands of the entire state of New Hampshire. "At Meta, we are investing in nuclear energy because it provides clean, reliable power that is essential for advancing our AI ambitions and strengthening American leadership in energy innovation," Urvi Parekh, head of global energy at Meta, said in a statement. Meta and Vistra Energy, a power company based in Irving, Texas, agreed to a 20-year power purchase agreement. Meta's data centers will draw 2,176 megawatts of power from three Vistra nuclear plants. Stacey Dore, chief strategy and sustainability officer for Vistra, said its Perry, Davis-Besse and Beaver Valley plants were set to be retired as recently as 2020. The company purchased those plants in 2023. TerraPower and Meta's agreement will develop up to eight Natrium reactor and energy storage system plants. Natrium reactors are nuclear reactors developed by TerraPower. Two Natrium reactor units will be initially developed under the agreement with the possibility of adding six more later. TerraPower is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. Oklo, a company based in Santa Clara, Calif., has agreed to develop a 1.2 gigawatt nuclear energy campus for Meta in Pike County, Ohio. Under the agreement, Meta will prepay for power and contribute funding to the development of the project. Oklo is targeting 206 acres of land to develop its power plant. It will begin surveying the site and making preconstruction plans this year and plans to have the first phase of construction completed by 2030. It aims to have the plant fully operational by 2034. By Jana Choukeir and Maha El Dahan DUBAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Yemen's main separatist group appeared split on Friday as some members announced it was disbanding, reflecting a feud between Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that was blown into the open by a separatist advance last month. Saudi-backed fighters have largely retaken areas in southern and eastern Yemen seized by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in December, and an STC delegation has travelled to the Saudi capital Riyadh for talks. Advertisement Advertisement However, STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Yemen on Wednesday instead of joining the talks, with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen saying the UAE had helped spirit him away on a flight that was tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi. One of the members who travelled to Riyadh for the talks said in a statement broadcast on Saudi state media on Friday that the group had decided to disband. But the STC says it has had no communication with the delegation that initiated the talks under Saudi sponsorship. A spokesperson who did not travel to Riyadh and is close to Zubaidi said any decision on the group's fate can only be taken by the entire council, including its leader. Advertisement Advertisement Any such decision would only be taken once the delegation in Riyadh "is released," he said. Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman welcomed the decision as a "brave" one. A conference would be held in Saudi Arabia to discuss southern Yemeni issues with all groups invited, he said. Saudi Arabia and the UAE had previously worked together in a coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's civil war, a conflict which caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. But the two most powerful countries in the Gulf have had sharp differences over issues ranging from geopolitics to oil output. Their rivalry was exposed when the STC advanced to within reach of Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh declared a threat to its national security. Advertisement Advertisement The STC on Friday called for mass protests in the southern cities of Aden and Mukalla, urging supporters to rally on Saturday in a show of "loyalty and steadfastness" amid the political crisis. Authorities in Aden aligned with Yemen's Saudi-backed government later ordered a ban on demonstrations in the southern city, citing security concerns, according to an official directive seen by Reuters. (Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Reyam Mokhasef and Enas Alashray; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Aidan Lewis and Andrew Heavens) By Nichola Groom and Nate Raymond Jan 9 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday for suspending construction on two major offshore wind projects that the state says it needs to power 1 million homes and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In two separate lawsuits, New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a federal court in Washington to block U.S. President Donald Trump's December 22 freeze on federal offshore leases held by Norway's Equinor and Denmark's Orsted. Advertisement Advertisement The Interior Department has said it paused the projects due to complaints by the Pentagon that wind turbines cause radar interference that can make it hard to identify security threats. "New Yorkers deserve clean, reliable energy, good-paying jobs, and a government that follows the law," James said in a statement. "These projects were carefully reviewed and already under construction when the federal government pulled the plug without explanation. This reckless decision puts workers, families, and our climate goals at risk, and my office is taking action to stop it." James, an elected Democrat, is one of the Republican president's top political antagonists. Equinor and Orsted have faced repeated setbacks to their offshore wind developments under Trump, who has said wind turbines are ugly, costly and inefficient. Advertisement Advertisement Both offshore wind developers have filed their own lawsuits against Interior on behalf of their multibillion-dollar New York projects, Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind. Equinor's Empire Wind has warned in court papers that it faces likely termination if it cannot restart construction by January 16 and has asked a federal judge in Washington for a preliminary injunction. A hearing on that request will take place next week. Orsted has sued on behalf of Sunrise Wind and another project, Revolution Wind, which is being built off the coast of Rhode Island. The company in September succeeded in getting a federal judge to block a separate Trump administration stop-work order on Revolution Wind. The Interior Department's pause on offshore wind leases also affects Avangrid's Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts and Dominion Energy's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind facility. (Reporting by Nichola Groom in Los Angeles and Nate Raymond in Boston; Additional reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Matthew Lewis) NEED TO KNOW Staff at a zoo in Japan have been dressing up as pandas after the four bears that lived in the park returned to China The "Panda Love Club" experience at Adventure World amusement park and zoo in Wakayama sees workers wear black-and-white panda head hats as they're fed apple by zoo visitors, according to The Times Later this month, the final pandas left in Japan are set to also return to China Staff at a zoo in Japan are going to great lengths to try and fill the void left by one of its departed animals after its final four pandas had to return to China. In honor of their lost bears, workers at Adventure World amusement park and zoo in Wakayama, which is south of Osaka, have been sporting panda face hats and being fed by zoo visitors, according to a new report from U.K. newspaper The Times and the South China Morning Post. Advertisement Advertisement The park, which had to give back its final four pandas in June 2025, offers visitors the chance to join their Panda Love Club for the price of $50 (8,000 yen), The Times reported. People will be allowed to dress up as a zookeeper and experience a program that mimics actual animal care work, such as preparing meals, observing behavior, filling out daily reports and checking the safety of the exercise area, the park said, per the outlet. ANTOINE BOUREAU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Adventure World theme park in Wakayama, Japan Adventure World theme park in Wakayama, Japan The 90-minute session also allows visitors to feed caged zookeepers, who are dressed up as pandas, with apple pieces. This special attraction will allow visitors to learn about the relationship between pandas and care staff and experience the significance of passing on the lives of giant pandas to the future, the park continued, per The Times. Advertisement Advertisement Adventure World has been involved in the protection and breeding of giant pandas in both Japan and China for more than 30 years, per its website. PEOPLE has contacted Adventure World for comment. 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. January will mark the first month Japan has been without pandas since 1972, according to The Times. The countrys last two pandas twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, who are in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo are set to return to China later in January, per the outlet and the South China Morning Post. Advertisement Advertisement There are no plans to replace Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, according to The Times. The departure of pandas from Japan comes amid increasing hostility between the country and China that has seen Beijing suspend some food imports, block Japanese pop music and cancel concerts by Japanese performers, according to The Times. China has a history of loaning out its pandas to allies in what has been called panda diplomacy, per Reuters. The pandas typically return to China following the end of the loan agreement. According to The Times, China has gifted or lent more than 30 pandas to Japan since 1972. Read the original article on People Get the day's news. Sign up for our Daily Headlines newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning at 7 a.m. An FBI agent shines a flashlight on broken glass where Customs and Border Protection agents shot a man and woman in a clinic parking lot near Adventist Medical Center on Thursday in Portland. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times) Micron Technology will begin construction on a new $100bn semiconductor megafab in Onondaga County, New York, with an official groundbreaking on 16 January 2026. The project follows completion of environmental reviews and the receipt of required permits, allowing ground preparation and building work to begin. Company leaders, including chairman, president and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, will take part in the ceremony alongside officials from federal, state and local government, as well as business community representatives. The site in Clay, New York, is set to become the largest semiconductor fabrication plant in the US and represents the most significant private investment ever made in New York state. Micron intends to invest up to $100bn over more than 20 years to build as many as four fabs, with an initial $20bn phase targeted for completion by 2030. The facility is designed with sustainability targets in mind and could include four cleanrooms covering a combined 2.4 million ft. The development forms part of Microns strategy to raise its American-made DRAM production to 40% of global output within ten years. The company expects that ramping up production at the New York site will contribute to meeting increasing demand for memory components used in artificial intelligence systems and other technology sectors central to current economic trends. Microns investments are supported by incentives at multiple government levels. The company has secured up to $6.4bn in CHIPS Act direct funding for work on facilities in Idaho and New York as well as expansion in Virginia. The State of New York has allocated up to $5.5bn in GREEN CHIPS incentives for this projects duration. Overall, Micron anticipates eligibility for the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC) across its US developments. The company projects that its New York megafab will create close to 50,000 jobs statewide, which includes around 9,000 direct Micron positions. "Micron to break ground on $100bn megafab in New York" was originally created and published by World Construction Network, a GlobalData owned brand. MONCLER HIRE: Marisa Pucci is joining Moncler as chief communications officer Americas, WWD has learned. She will be based at Moncler Americas regional headquarters in New York and will report to regional president Tommaso De Vecchi, and to international chief brand officer Rod Manley. Manley joined in January last year from Burberry, as reported. More from WWD Pucci was previously chief communications and image officer at Christian Dior, America, which she joined 13 years ago. Prior to Dior, she held senior communications roles at Barneys New York and at agency PR Consulting. While not exactly in the same role, she succeeds Brett Fahlgren, whose title was vice president of marketing & communications for the Americas at Moncler. Pucci arrives at a strategic time for Moncler. On Jan. 31, the Moncler Grenoble fall experience will be held in Aspen, the first American ski destination show for the brand. Moncler in 2026 will open its biggest flagship in the world on New Yorks Fifth Avenue. Last year, the brand for the first time participated at the Met Gala and launched the Moncler Genius collection with Mercedes-Benz by Nigo and the first collection of apparel collaborating with Donald Glovers Gilga Farm. Retail has long been a key focus for chairman and chief executive officer Remo Ruffini and a way to build the brands community, and the New York store will contribute to further develop the American market. The New York store will be located in the General Motors building, previously home to the FAO Schwarz toy store until 2015. It then served as a temporary location for Apple during the renovation of their Fifth Avenue flagship, and was subsequently leased to Under Armour, which had planned to build its largest store in the world on the site but scratched the idea when it encountered financial struggles. The location now will be the largest store in Monclers global retail network, spanning more than 21,000 square feet across two expansive floors following extensive renovation. The design concept will be curated by Monclers go-to architecture studio, Gilles & Boissier. The first Moncler store in the U.S. opened in Aspen in 2008 and the first in New York in SoHo in 2010. Monclers management has repeatedly said the U.S. market remains under-penetrated, and it is a major focus for the company in the coming years, representing a long-term growth opportunity. The 46th Hungarian Film Festival, held from Feb 2 to 8, will feature 220 films screened at Budapest's Corvin Cinema and the Inga Cultural Cafe, organisers said. Festival director Andras Muhi said that over 450 submissions have been received, adding that the event would "present the broadest spectrum of Hungarian films produced last year". This year, films will compete in ten categories, including one for video clips, Muhi said. Documentaries will be divided into scientific, educational, and portrait subcategories, he added. At the press conference, Muhi paid tribute to recently deceased film director Bela Tarr, a one-time organiser of the event. He noted that Tarr was handed the festival's life achievement award last year, adding that "he will be sorely missed". History The Hungarian Feature Film Review was founded in 1965, and from 1986 onward, under the name Hungarian Film Review and organized by the Hungarian Film Association, it annually brought together and presented the Hungarian films of each year until 2012. Revived by the Hungarian Film Association in 2025, the Hungarian Film Review will be held for the 45th time between February 28, 2026. Paying tribute to its predecessors and driven by a sense of responsibility for the future of Hungarian cinema, the Hungarian Film Association once again organizes a competitive film festival in keeping with tradition. The Film Review is organized on behalf of the Hungarian Film Association by MFSzemle.hu Nonprofit Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Organizing Body), which is responsible for the implementation, data management, and communication of the event. The Goal of the Film Week The 45th Hungarian Film Review, in keeping with tradition, aims to gather and present the widest possible range of works by Hungarian filmmakers, thereby contributing to the development of Hungarian cinema and strengthening the personal connections between creators and audiences alike. Its goal is also to support Hungarian society in expressing and understanding its intellectual values, joys, and conflicts, and in seeking solutions through the presentation of film works. The Competition Categories of the Film Week The Film Review consists of ten competition categories and two additional sections dedicated to the presentation of film works the Panorama and Information sections. Competition Categories: Feature Film Short Film Experimental Film Documentary Film Short Documentary Film and Documentary Series Scientific, Educational and Portrait Film Short Animated Film Animated Series Television Series Music Video clip The selection of films competing in each category is carried out by three-member pre-selection juries appointed by the Director of the Film Review. Panorama Section In this section, the Film Council invites or accepts submissions from Hungarian films, films made with the participation of Hungarian creators, or international co-productions that have not been entered into the official competition. Information Section Films that were not selected for the competition by the pre-selection jury but were deemed to have professional or artistic merit may be presented in this section. This category may also include films that wish to be showcased at the Film Review but were not submitted to the official competition. More: mfszemle.hu/en Photo for illustration 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 ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Critical infrastructure and state-run services are operational nationwide after the heavy snowfall this week, the spokesman of the National Disaster Management Directorate told a press briefing. Fire Service Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Mukics said the operative board handling the consequences of the extreme weather held a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Sandor Pinter early on Thursday. Disaster management forces had to take action to protect human life only in one instance, in Akaszto, in southern Hungary, where the roof of a house collapsed, Mukics said. Social services are operating at 85.6 percent capacity, "no one needs to spend the night outdoors," he added. Crucial elements of infrastructure such as energy, gas, heating and drinking water supplies are operational, as is the delivery of basic foodstuffs and medicine, he said. There is a power outage in two localities, in Nagypeterd and Rozsafa in Baranya County, in southern Hungary, but that is also expected to be resolved within a matter of hours, he said. Health-care services are up and running and school started everywhere; no locality or road in the country is cut off, he said. Mukics thanked all those helping to handle the snow situation, as well as health-care and law enforcement employees, for their work. According to the meteorological service, there is increasingly smaller chance of snow in the coming days but winds are expected to pick up nationwide. Several areas are now under an orange alert for risk of snowdrifts, he added. Snowdrifts and freezing rain are expected in the coming days, with temperatures falling further as low as -15-20 degrees Celsius, he warned. The road management authority used 796 vehicles to clear the snow and ice from the roads, he said. Disaster management, police and ambulance services deployed 4,763 people and 2,008 vehicles. Police received alerts of 200 road accidents, one of which was fatal and 16 included injuries, he said. The police and the civil guard checked on 3,289 elderly people living alone in remote localities, and aided 190 of them, he said. The ambulance services were deployed to 4,144 rescue missions on Wednesday alone, and treated 748 trauma patients, he said. Meanwhile, 1,059 troops and 210 adapted vehicles of the Armed Forces, as well as 113 troops and 9 vehicles of counter-terrorism unit TEK are standing by, ready to be deployed in snowed-in areas, he said. Regarding transport services, Mukics said that rail cargo traffic has been halted since Wednesday afternoon except for essential deliveries. Passenger trains are largely running with no more than 30 mintues' delay, and "a few fallouts on the lines to God and Monor" near Budapest, he said. Ten smaller localities are cut off from bus services; the list of localities and bus stops are available at utinform.hu, he said. Air and water traffic is uninterrupted nationwide, he added. Mukics called on citizens to refrain from travelling in areas under weather alerts whenever possible, and on local authorities to ensure the accessibility of schools, kindergartens, hospitals and walk-in clinics. Gergely Gulyas, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, said that homeless shelters were operating at 85 percent capacity; he asked citizens to report encounters with homeless people "in a bad state". He said that railway stations of state-owned company MAV will also be heated and open for the homeless. Red alert issued about homeless in Hungary after heavy snowfall We have more places at homeless shelters than homeless people in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a video on Facebook on Thursday. The video showed Orban talking about the need to provide care for homeless people "in times like these" at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, saying that the task belonged to local authorities. Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said that while homeless care was a task of municipalities, state secretary Attila Fulop was instructed to brief local authorities on the matter and a red alert was issued, which scrapped the limits on the number of people that can be taken in at shelters. More than 20 percent of places are still free, he said: "basically, we can ensure placement for all homeless people in the country..." Further, police patrols have been instructed to deliver all homeless people found in public areas to shelters, he added. "We are taking special care of those living rough. Take care of each other," Orban said in the post. 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 ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. Morgan Stanley has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an Ethereum Trust, on the heels of its registrations for spot Bitcoin and Solana exchange-traded products, expanding its crypto footprint in early 2026. The Wall Street giant filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday for the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, an exchange-traded fund designed to track the price of ETH and distribute staking rewards to investors. Morgan Stanley Registers Bitcoin and Solana Funds With SEC The filings come as regulators under U.S. President Donald Trump have adopted a more accommodating approach to crypto markets, opening the door for traditional financial firms to expand ETF offerings tied to digital assets. The Ethereum Trust would be a passive investment vehicle sponsored by Morgan Stanley Investment Management, holding ether directly and valuing shares daily based on a pricing benchmark derived from major trading venues, according to the Form S-1. The filing states that the trust intends to stake a portion of its ETH holdings and distribute rewards to shareholders at least quarterly, subject to IRS guidance. ETH was trading at about $3,211 at the time of writing, down roughly 0.7% on the day, according to CoinGecko data. Crypto Expansion The latest move builds on a steady expansion of the banks crypto strategy. Morgan Stanley broadened access to crypto funds to all clients in October, including those with retirement accounts, after previously limiting exposure to high-net-worth individuals. Last September, the firm also confirmed it had partnered with Zerohash to enable Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana trading through its E*Trade platform. Morgan Stanley Expanding Access to Crypto Fund Investments: CNBC Early last year, the bank's CEO and Chairman, Ted Pick, said that the banks approach hinges on regulatory comfort. For us, the equation is really around whether we, as a highly regulated financial institution, can act as transactors, he said in a January interview. If spending hours surrounded by books sounds like your kind of happiness, then the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 should definitely be on your calendar. Every year, thousands of readers, students, writers, and publishers head to this iconic fair to discover new titles, grab great deals, and soak in the joy of reading. Held for over five decades, the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) is one of Indias most important literary events. Tis Hazari Court remands 8 accused to judicial custody till January 21 in Turkman Gate stone-pelting case. The accused were produced before Delhi's Tis Hazari Court after fresh arrests linked to the MCD demolition violence on January 7th. Morgan Stanley filed for spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Wednesday, becoming the latest American bank to do so. The move is designed to track ETHs price while passing staking rewards through to shareholders. The news comes just days after Bank of America also expanded client access to crypto amid rising institutional demand. Wall Street Giant Enters ETF Market In addition to Ethereum, Morgan Stanley also submitted ETF applications linked to Bitcoin and Solana on Tuesday. A relatively late entrant to the crypto space, the banks move represents its first involvement in this segment of the ETF market. The announcement arrived about two years after crypto-focused ETFs in the US started to proliferate. Morgan Stanleys S-1 filing marks a significant step in integrating cryptocurrency within traditional finance. Managing $1.6 trillion in assets, the bank is broadening client exposure to crypto via regulated investment products. https://twitter.com/NateGeraci/status/2008529449369956671?s=20 The submission reflects a broader shift among established Wall Street institutions toward greater involvement in digital assets. On Monday, BeInCrypto reported that Bank of America began authorizing wealth management advisors to recommend a portfolio allocation of 1% to 4% in cryptocurrency. Before that, firms including BlackRock, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup also launched trading operations and tokenization services. While banks appear increasingly driven by a fear of missing out on crypto-related opportunities, the broader market has been underperforming, particularly in recent months. Bank Endorsements Clash With Market Weakness While Morgan Stanley's endorsement supports broader mainstream acceptance, it arrives during a period of heightened volatility. Most spot Bitcoin ETF assets remain concentrated among retail investors, many of whom have faced recent losses. This environment has accelerated a shift toward professional holders, with institutional ownership rising from 20% to 28%, reflecting a gradual rebalancing of market participation. At the same time, the broader crypto market has shed roughly $600 billion in Bitcoin market capitalization since October. Small-cap indices have fallen to levels last seen in November 2020, while newly launched altcoin ETFs have quickly slipped into negative territory. Further uncertainty looms as US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his nominee for Federal Reserve Chair as soon as Friday. Kevin Hassett has emerged as a leading contender to replace Jerome Powell. If he is appointed, markets will anticipate a more dovish monetary stance. Read original story Morgan Stanley Files for Spot Ethereum ETFs as TradFi Deepens Crypto Exposure by Camila Grigera Naon at beincrypto.com By Anna Szymanski What matters in U.S. and global markets today By Anna Szymanski, Editor-in-Charge, Reuters Open Interest Global investors are trying to get their bearings amid a flood of geopolitical headlines mostly courtesy of the U.S. president. Wall Street slipped on Wednesday after touching a record high earlier in the session, Asian stocks traded down today and oil stabilized after dropping sharply yesterday on news of U.S. plans to buy sanctioned Venezuelan crude. And in the latest twist in the Donroe Doctrine drama, U.S. President Donald Trump called for a more than 50% increase in the U.S. defense budget by 2027 and threatened to block defense contractors from paying dividends or buying back shares unless they ramped up weapons production. Were only one week into 2026 folks. Hang on for a bumpy ride! I'll get into all of the market-moving news below, but first check out the latest episode of the Morning Bid daily podcast. Subscribe to hear Reuters journalists discuss the biggest news in markets and finance seven days a week. Today's Market Minute * Samsung Electronics on Thursday projected a three-fold jump in fourth-quarter operating profit from a year earlier to a record high as tight supply and a surge in artificial intelligence-driven demand stoked prices for conventional memory chips * Warner Bros Discovery's board unanimously turned down Paramount Skydance's latest attempt to acquire the studio, saying its revised $108.4 billion hostile bid amounted to a risky leveraged buyout that investors should reject. * Nvidia is requiring full upfront payment from Chinese customers seeking its H200 artificial intelligence chips, hedging it against ongoing uncertainty over Beijing's approval of the shipments, said two people briefed on the matter. * President Donald Trump is tearing up the global energy playbook as the administration seeks to dominate the Western Hemisphere. China may be the ultimate target of this Donroe Doctine, but U.S. oil companies could become the unintended casualties, argues ROI energy columnist Ron Bousso. * The new year has got off to a roaring start for U.S. equities and investors are anticipating a fourth consecutive year of double-digit returns. But elevated valuations could yet spoil the party, warns ROI markets columnist Jamie McGeever. Trumps visible hand Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. military budget should rise to $1.5 trillion in 2027, well above the $901 billion approved by Congress for 2026. Such a move would require congressional approval, and budget experts are sceptical about the feasibility of such a dramatic increase. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) remains one of the most-followed members of Congress when it comes to stock trading disclosures. While Pelosi outperformed the S&P 500 in 2025, according to a new report, the congresswoman failed to make the top 10 list of the top gainers in Congress. Top 10 Congress Traders 2025 Tracking the trading activity of members of Congress has grown in popularity in recent years and investors can see the latest trading activity on the Benzinga Government Trades Page. Some trades catch attention due to their timing, while others can lead to calls for potential conflicts of interest given committee assignments by members of Congress. Don't Miss: The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon Invest at $0.85/Share Americans With a Financial Plan Can 4X Their Wealth Get Your Personalized Plan from a CFP Pro New data from Quiver Quantitative, shared by the New York Post, shows the 10 members of Congress who gained the most from their investment portfolios in 2025. Here's the list: Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.): +52% Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): +50% Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.): +37% Rep. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.): +37% Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.): +35% Rep. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): +35% Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.): +33% Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.): +29% Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): +29% Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.): +29% The top 10 list includes three senators and seven representatives. By political party, the list includes eight Republicans and two Democrats. Greene was one of the most followed members of Congress by retail investors in 2025, thanks to her frequent trades and strong returns. The congresswoman's last day in Congress was Monday, meaning she will no longer have to publicly disclose her investments. Greene previously said she had a portfolio manager who made trades for her without insider information. Trending: Have $100k+ to invest? Charlie Munger says that's the toughest milestone don't stall now. Get matched with a fiduciary advisor and keep building For comparison, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which tracks the S&P 500, was up 16.6% in 2025. "Some members seemed to spend more time managing their portfolios than they did at their day job on Capitol Hill," Quiver Quantitative CEO Chrstopher Kardatzke told the New York Post. Kardatzke said members of Congress are buying and selling stocks, trading options and were even buying and selling meme coins in 2025. Ranking outside of the top 10 was Pelosi, who gained 18% in 2025. The 18% gain comes after Quiver Quantitative reported a 54% gain for her portfolio in 2024. Like Greene, Pelosi will not be required to disclose her stock picks in the future, as she announced she is not running for re-election in 2026 and will leave Congress in 2027. Global energy company EDF has signed a deal with the real-world asset (RWA) technology company droppRWA to look into tokenisation and blockchain-based solutions for Saudi Arabias energy sector. Per a press release shared with Cryptonews, Omar Aldaweesh, CEO of EDF International Regional Headquarters (EDF RHQ), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Faisal Al Monai, Chairman of droppRWA Limited. Therefore, the MoU has created a framework for the partners to explore the integration of decentralised technologies within the countrys energy sector. More precisely, it focuses on: blockchain-based protocols potential to streamline inter-company transactions, tokenisation of real-world energy assets to improve project liquidity, development of frameworks for the carbon credit industry. Moreover, the organisations say that by bringing energy assets on-chain, ranging from renewable energy installations to thermal assets, the partnership seeks to modernise financing structures and drive transparency throughout the asset lifecycle. Signing ceremony. Source: EDF, droppRWA Meanwhile, EDF Group is a large, multinational energy company. Its parent company is one of the worlds largest electricity producers, Electricite de France (EDF). The Group supplies energy and services to 41.5 million customers, it says. It generated consolidated sales of 118.7 billion in 2024, per the press release. Also, droppRWA says that its team specialise in delivering Sovereign RWA projects to the Primary Capital Market. They help governments and semi-government entities utilise blockchain to unlock asset value, it says. You may also like: Mavryk CEO Alex Davis on Tokenizing Real-World Assets and Building On-chain Yield at Scale Alex Davis, CEO of Mavryk, believes the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is no longer a speculative concept but an inevitable evolution of global finance. Drawing on experience across blockchain innovation, DeFi, and institutional investing, Davis argues that infrastructure, regulation, and macroeconomic pressure are finally aligning to push tokenized investments into the mainstream. From Tezos to Tokenization Infrastructure Before becoming CEO of Mavryk, Davis served as Head... Making Energy Assets More Accessible The collaboration aims to set a new standard for managing and financing the regions large-scale energy projects, the announcement says. This way, theyd create a more sustainable and efficient economic environment, a goal which aligns with Saudi Arabias Vision 2030. EDF RHQs Aldaweesh said that the organisation supports innovative efforts that advance the countrys energy sector. Exploring the potential of asset tokenisation and next-generation financial technology allows us to look beyond traditional frameworks, he writes. Jan 9 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI is investing more than $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, state Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement on Thursday, as a boom in generative AI fuels demand for increased computing power. Interest in data centers swelled last year as tech giants and AI hyperscalers planned and invested billions of dollars in spending to scale up infrastructure. xAI's latest expansion underscores its ambitious push to compete more effectively with industry leaders OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude by training increasingly advanced models. xAI expects to begin data center operations in Southaven in February 2026, the statement added. Musk had announced the purchase of the data center, called "MACROHARDRR", on December 30. The billionaire had said that it would take xAI's compute power to 2GW, but did not provide investment details or its location at the time. The data center is close to xAIs newly acquired power plant site in Southaven and its existing data center in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the governor's statement. Memphis houses xAI's supercomputer cluster known as Colossus, touted as the largest in the world. The company has spent $7.8 billion in cash in the first nine months of the year, Bloomberg reported earlier in the day, as startups in the AI space typically burn through huge amounts of cash, with billions poured into acquiring pricey, advanced data center hardware. (Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru) On Jan. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court deferred ruling on the litigation challenging President Donald Trump's global tariffs The new date for the next ruling is set for Jan. 14. When Trump announced sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs targeting countries across the world on Apr. 2, 2025, a day he dubbed "Liberation Day," he invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The administration had argued that trade deficits constituted a national emergency and the president didn't need to consult with Congress to levy global tariffs. Several businesses affected by the decision and 12 U.S. states, mostly Democratic-governed, then went to the Supreme Court to challenge Trump's tariffs. Related: Crypto markets reel amid Supreme Court hearing on Trump tariffs What the court ruling means for tariffs If the court rules that the president was wrong in invoking the emergency powers, the Trump administration will have to reimburse importers who already have paid the duties. The reimbursement is estimated to be more than $133.5 billion as per a Reuters report. But the administration could get away with only limited repayments if the court decides to grant limited powers to the president under IEEPA. The court's decision carries far-reaching implications for not only the global economy but also the crypto market. The digital assets market got increasingly tied to Wall Street last year and Trump's tariff announcements frequently rattled the markets throughout 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a chart while speaking during a Make America Wealthy Again trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. In fact, it was Trump's threat to hike tariffs on China on Oct. 10 last year that triggered the crypto flash crash in which more than $19 billion got wiped out in a day. More News: Trader buys Solana ahead of tariff ruling Ahead of key policy announcements, mysterious crypto traders often place market orders and net millions of dollars. As reported earlier, a trader made millions by shorting cryptocurrencies ahead of Trump's China announcement on Oct. 10. Recently, a crypto trader on Polymarket profited over $400,000 by betting on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's ouster. Notably, the trader had created his Polymarket account only a day earlier, triggering speculations of insider trading. Once again, a crypto whale placed an order as markets buzzed with reports of a Supreme Court ruling expected on Jan. 9. The Chinese unit of Nexperia is moving to line up domestic suppliers of silicon wafers while expanding its packaging operations within China. The move comes as the company looks to stabilise production after supply disruptions caused by an ongoing corporate dispute. Citing a report by Chinese news agency Caixin, Reuters reported the supplier selection process is expected to be largely completed in the first quarter. The shift comes after wafer deliveries from Nexperia Netherlands were halted, disrupting supplies to the Chinese business. It was reported in December that the unit had since secured Chinese-made silicon wafers sufficient to meet its entire 2026 output needs for one category of power chip, following the suspension of shipments from the Dutch unit. The supply freeze followed a decision by the Dutch government in September to take control of Nexperia from Wingtech Technology, citing governance concerns. Wafer supplies to the Chinese unit were suspended the following month. In response, Beijing imposed restrictions on exports of Nexperias finished products, a move that led to chip shortages for automakers worldwide. Those curbs were lifted in November, easing pressure on supply chains and signalling a cooling of tensions over the Dutch-based chipmaker. During the same month, the Dutch government also paused its direct intervention in Nexperia after discussions with Chinese officials. Securing alternative local suppliers would enable the Chinese operation to continue chip manufacturing without relying on shipments from the Netherlands. The current fragmentation leads to duplicated investment and exposes Nexperia to competitive risks, ultimately harming the companys overall interests, Wingtech chairwoman Ruby Yang Mu was quoted by Reuters as saying in an interview with Caixin. Requests for comments were not immediately answered by Nexperia Netherlands. Despite the easing of measures by both governments last month, legal proceedings and an internal struggle over control of Nexperia remain unresolved. In December, Wingtech filed an appeal with the Dutch Supreme Court against earlier rulings that stripped it of effective control over its subsidiary. A Dutch court is scheduled to hear arguments on 14 January on whether to launch a formal investigation into alleged mismanagement at Nexperia. "Nexperias China unit seeks local wafer suppliers amid dispute report" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. By Nicole Jao NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose 2% on Friday on growing supply worries linked to intensifying protests in oil-producing Iran and an escalation of attacks in Russia's war in Ukraine. Brent futures settled $1.35, or 2.18%, higher to $63.34 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up $1.36, or 2.35%, to $59.12. Both benchmarks climbed more than 3% on Thursday, following two straight days of declines. For the week, Brent rose about 4%, while WTI gained about 3%. "The uprising in Iran is keeping the market on edge," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with the Price Futures Group. Worries over potential disruption of Iran's oil output grew as the civil unrest in the Middle Eastern country intensified. "Iran protests seem to be gathering momentum, leading the market to worry about disruptions," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity analysis at Saxo Bank. A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday as protests over economic hardships continued in the capital Tehran, the major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan as well as other areas around the country. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 28.40 million barrels per day last month, down 100,000 bpd from November's revised total, a survey showed, with Iran and Venezuela posting the largest declines. Concerns about the spread of the Russia-Ukraine war also added to supply worries. The Russian military said on Friday it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at targets in Ukraine. The targets included energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement. Still, global oil inventories are rising, and oversupply remains the main driver that could cap gains, Haitong Futures said. Unless risks around Iran escalate, the rebound is likely limited and hard to sustain. Meanwhile, the White House was set to meet with oil companies and trading houses Friday afternoon to discuss Venezuelan export deals. U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that Venezuela give the U.S. full access to its oil sector following Washington's capture of the country's leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. Trump administration officials have said the U.S. will control Venezuelan oil sales and revenue indefinitely. Oil major Chevron Corp, global trading houses Vitol and Trafigura, and other firms are competing for U.S. government deals to market up to 50 million barrels of oil that state-run oil company PDVSA has accumulated in inventories amid a severe oil embargo. OpenAI and SoftBank Group Corp. have jointly invested $1 billion in SB Energy, an infrastructure company thats working with the tech firms on a massive US buildout of data centers to power artificial intelligence. OpenAI and SoftBank will each invest $500 million in SB Energy to support the energy firms growth as a data center developer and operator, the companies said in a statement Friday. OpenAI also said it has selected SB Energy to build and operate its 1.2 gigawatt data center in Milam County, Texas. A single gigawatt is enough to power roughly 750,000 US homes at any given moment. Most Read from Bloomberg The companies did not disclose a valuation for the investment. For large tech firms, securing power is key in their quest to satisfy lofty AI ambitions. Thats created a race for energy to support more and larger data centers and is helping drive up electricity demand. The need for power is leading some to invest in suppliers or plants, or line up their own energy sources. Meta Platforms Inc. on Friday said it has agreed to deals that could ultimately total more than 6 gigawatts of nuclear power. SB Energy, which has long been backed by SoftBank, was founded as a renewable and storage developer, but has in recent years expanded into developing, owning and operating data centers. The new funding follows SB Energy lining up $800 million last year from Ares Infrastructure Opportunities funds. The tie-up with SoftBank and OpenAI adds to a growing web of interconnected deals between tech companies that are helping to prop up the AI sector and raising concerns about the possible fallout if demand for artificial intelligence falls short of expectations. SoftBank is one of OpenAIs largest investors. The SB Energy partnership builds on OpenAIs Stargate initiative, a joint project between the AI startup and partners including SoftBank and Oracle Corp with the goal of spending $500 billion on data centers and infrastructure for AI in the US over four years. The projects first site is a massive data center in Abilene, Texas, developed by Oracle and built alongside development partner Crusoe. SB Energy is developing several multi-gigawatt data center campuses. --With assistance from Mark Chediak. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek Jan 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI and SoftBank Group will invest $500 million each in SB Energy to expand data center and power infrastructure for their Stargate initiative, SB Energy said on Friday. SB Energy, a SoftBank-owned company, will build and operate OpenAI's previously announced 1.2-gigawatt data center site in Milam County, Texas. SB Energy will also become a customer of OpenAI, using its APIs and deploying ChatGPT for employees. Stargate is a $500 billion multi-year initiative to build AI data centers for training and inference, backed by major investors including Oracle. President Donald Trump backed the initiative when the companies announced the plan in January 2025. Tech companies are investing directly in power infrastructure as energy access becomes a critical constraint on AI expansion, with the push for larger and more numerous data centers driving electricity demand higher. SB Energy is developing several data-center campuses, with initial facilities expected to begin service this year. The partnership "accelerates our delivery of advanced AI data center campuses and associated energy infrastructure at the scale required to advance Stargate and secure America's AI future," SB Energy co-CEO Rich Hossfeld said. The data center construction boom has also prompted major players including Meta Platforms to allocate unprecedented sums to infrastructure projects that require massive investments in chips, power, cooling, and servers. Meanwhile, OpenAI faces rising expenses for training and operating its AI systems amid intensifying competition from Alphabet's Google. CEO Sam Altman told staff late last year that the company has entered a "code red" mode focused on enhancing ChatGPT, while delaying launches of other products, as it moved to counter Gemini's growing traction. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid) Orchestra Private Equity (Orchestra PE) has entered a share purchase agreement to acquire Mammoth Coffee Lab, a South Korean company that runs the Mammoth Coffee franchise. The agreement was executed via Orchestra Private Equity VII, according to The Asia Business Daily. The transaction is structured to acquire all shares of Mammoth Coffee Lab currently owned by representatives Kim Beom-su and Choi Kyung-hwan, alongside other shareholders. The deal also includes all equity of Seojin Roasters, the affiliated coffee bean roasting business. The consideration is reported to be around Won100bn ($68.5m). An Orchestra PE representative was quoted by the publication as saying: This acquisition of Mammoth Coffee was made through an overseas fund backed by global limited partners (LPs) from Europe, Australia, and Asia. KFC Korea, for which we recently signed an SPA for sale, is also a portfolio company of the same overseas fund. We continue to invest in and support the growth of leading domestic consumer goods companies by leveraging global capital." Mammoth Coffee operates with a kiosk-based ordering set-up and automated production processes. It started in 2012 in Hongdae, Seoul, and has grown to roughly 900 franchised outlets across the country, ChosunBiz reported. Mammoth Coffee Lab generates approximately Won75bn in annual revenue while Seojin Roasters reported sales of Won14bn. Following completion, Orchestra PE intends to focus in Korea on increasing franchise openings, improving operational capabilities, and developing the digital customer experience. The Orchestra PE representative added: Based on our accumulated operational experience in the food service and franchise sectors, we aim to enhance our execution capabilities for growth in Korea while also seeking realistic growth opportunities in the Japanese market. "Orchestra PE signs deal to buy South Koreas Mammoth Coffee Lab" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. By Leo Marchandon Jan 8 (Reuters) - The CEO of OVHcloud said on Thursday that the cloud computing firm was seeking a cross-border solution to the European Union's artificial intelligence infrastructure push, after the group reaffirmed its guidance for the 2026 financial year. Talking to analysts after OVHcloud reported 6% organic growth in first-quarter revenue, CEO Octave Klaba said the company had been discussing AI gigafactory plans with the European Commission, but expressed concerns over the bloc's "country-by-country approach" to AI initiatives. The French group has started discussions with potential partners across six or seven European countries to establish cross-border infrastructure with interconnected facilities, he said, while criticizing the lack of focus on customers. "For the moment, it's just the initiative to create the assets, but nobody talks about how it will be used," Klaba said. BRAND RECOGNITION KEY FOR LONG-TERM GOAL OVHcloud's revenue rose to 275.3 million euros ($321.4 million) in the quarter that ended in October. Public cloud services, which make up 21% of its revenue, grew 15.8% to 58.2 million euros, while private cloud services, including dedicated servers, increased 4% to 167.2 million euros. Net revenue retention rate was 105% on a like-for-like basis, demonstrating higher spending by existing customers, it said. However, its long-term revenue target of 2 billion euros per year is challenged by muted customer acquisition and brand recognition. "We are not good at the acquisition of new customers today," Klaba said, adding that OVHcloud's goal was for every European citizen to recognize the company by 2030. Klaba said that inventory planning shielded OVHcloud from rising memory and disk prices in the 2025 and 2026 financial years, but warned component shortages could drive up capital spending in 2027. OVHcloud also announced plans to expand its 3-AZ regionsa model where infrastructure is split across three locations to prevent outagesto Berlin, following earlier launches in Paris and Milan. ($1 = 0.8565 euros) (Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak) Key Points Freeport-McMoRan's earnings are expected to grow throughout 2026. Production is recovering following a tragic event in Indonesia. The stock's valuation makes it an unmissable value. 10 stocks we like better than Freeport-McMoRan The recent mini-dip in the share price of copper and gold miner Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) presents a good buying opportunity in a company that's set to dramatically improve its earnings through 2026 and continue doing so through 2027. With copper trading close to an all-time high, the miner's outlook is very positive, and its valuation remains attractive. Copper prices continue to surge I've used the plural to illustrate that there are two key copper prices that investors follow and to highlight a bullish point for Freeport. There are the Commodity Exchange (COMEX) price in the U.S. and the London Metal Exchange (LME) price used internationally. The good news is that both are trading close to their all-time highs. It might seem obvious that COMEX and LME copper prices should trade in sync; after all, copper is a commodity product. However, the reality is that a significant spread existed between the two in 2025, as the market bid up COMEX prices in anticipation of tariffs on imported copper by the Trump administration. Indeed, the COMEX/LME copper price spread reached almost 30% in the summer. Both copper prices are now close to all-time highs, with the COMEX price currently around $5.65 per pound, up from $4.10 a year ago. That's more supportive for Freeport, as it indicates strength in underlying demand rather than U.S. inventory stockpiling ahead of potential tariffs. Freeport-McMoRan's recovery in 2026 That said, Freeport is not yet fully able to take advantage because the company suffered a tragic, fatal accident in an Indonesian mine, which has reduced its production expectations for 2025 and 2026. For an illustration of how this affected sales expectations, consider the following comparison of the sales guidance provided in July and November. Freeport-McMoRan Guidance 2025 Estimate 2026 Estimate 2027 Estimate Copper (July) billions of pounds 3.95 4.3 4.3 Copper (November) billions of pounds 3.5 3.45 4.1 Gold (July) millions of ounces 1.3 1.6 1.5 Gold (November) millions of ounces 1.05 0.75 1.2 Data source: Freeport-McMoRan presentations. Three reasons to buy Freeport-McMoRan stock The downgrade to sales volume expectations is disappointing, but there are three key reasons why Freeport stock is highly attractive. Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. As skyrocketing land prices and the "Yellowstone effect" drive a historic sell-off of ranch land to billionaire outsiders, one Montana family is charting a different course to preserve the Old West. Dale and Janet Veseth, owners of Veseth Cattle Co., donated their 38,000-acre ranch to the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, according to the New York Post. Valued at $21.6 million, the gift is the largest land donation in Montana's history and offers a potential blueprint for aging landowners facing the pressures of a hot real estate market. Don't Miss: The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon Invest at $0.85/Share Sam Altman Says AI Will Transform the Economy This Platform Lets Investors Back Private Tech Early The donation comes at a volatile time for Western real estate. Massive ranch listings surged 250% over the past year, according to the Post, citing Live Water Properties. Wealthy buyers are outbidding traditional agricultural interests, often converting working ranches into private hunting preserves or luxury estates. Recent benchmarks that highlight the trend include a 110,000-acre ranch in New Mexico listed in March for $68.5 million; a Wyoming ranch larger than Rhode Island listed for $79.5 million in August; and a 100,000-acre Wyoming ranch that the Marlboro Man rode across listed in October for $52.8 million, The Post reported. For the Veseths, whose family has stewarded their land for three generations, selling to the highest bidder meant risking the end of the property's agricultural productivity. "Every time that land comes out of agriculture, it's just a struggle to get it back," RSA Communications Director Haylie Shipp told the Post. Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100. The average age of ranchers in the U.S. has climbed to 60, creating a succession crisis for the $113 billion cattle industry. Many aging owners don't have heirs interested in the labor of cattle ranching, making a multimillion-dollar exit to a developer or tech mogul tempting, The Post reported. The Veseths, who have no direct heirs to take over their operation, donated the land to the RSA to ensure it remains a working ranch in perpetuity, according to the Post. Under the RSA's management, the acreage likely will be leased to younger ranchers who are priced out of land ownership. The incubator model allows new ranchers to build herds without paying the high cost for the land required to enter the industry. Millions of young Americans are facing a rapidly changing job market as AI erodes entry-level office roles, forcing a rethink of the traditional college-to-office career path. AI Disrupts Entry-Level Office Jobs For Gen Z On Tuesday, Sander van't Noordende, global CEO of Randstad, the world's largest staffing company, told Fortune that the "Path that used to work for a long time is starting to break." He said AI is already outperforming many entry-level roles in fields like marketing, communications, and design, leaving graduates struggling to secure traditional office positions. Don't Miss: The ChatGPT of Marketing' Just Opened a $0.85/Share Round 10,000+ Investors Are Already In Missed Tesla? EnergyX Is Tackling the Next $200 Billion Opportunity Lithium Skilled Trades And Hospitality Offer Better Opportunities Van't Noordende urged graduates to consider careers outside traditional office settings, noting, "There is a massive demand in skilled trades, mechanical engineers, machine operators, maintenance engineers, forklift drivers, truck driversyou name it." He also highlighted that hospitality and retail jobs, such as bartenders and baristas, are seeing pay growth that outpaces many desk jobs. He advised caution for those already invested in degrees, saying, "Retrain. Learning new skills is always good." He added, "Look around you, and where you see the opportunities that match with your skills and your background and go there." Trending: An EA Co-Founder Shapes This VC Backed MarketplaceNow You Can Invest in Gaming's Next Big Platform Before the Raise Ends 1/19 STEM subjects, he added, may still offer long-term opportunities. STEM subjects are academic fields grouped under Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. AI Job Disruption Warnings Grow Business and tech leaders said rapid advances in artificial intelligence were accelerating job losses across multiple sectors. Earlier this month, Airtasker Ltd. CEO Tim Fung said gig jobs such as ride-hailing drivers could disappear within three to five years, while AI was also likely to replace data scientists, coders and engineers. He said blue-collar trades would be among the last affected and suggested people may be happier pursuing crafts or skilled work. See Also: Bezos' Favorite Real Estate Platform Launches A Way To Ride The Ongoing Private Credit Boom Last year, AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton warned that AI capabilities were doubling every seven months and could replace millions of jobs by 2026. Crypto payments firm Ripple was granted permission from the UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to scale its payments platform in the country, the firm announced on Friday. The FCA approved the firms Cryptoasset Registration and Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, enabling companies in the UK to use its services for cross-border payments with digital assets. Extending Ripples licensing portfolio and payments solution is about more than just efficiency; it is about unlocking trillions in dormant capital and realizing a world where value moves instantaneously, said Ripple President Monica Long, in a statement. We are thrilled to see the UK embracing the compliant infrastructure necessary to make this vision a reality, she added. The firms approval comes one day after the FCA shared new details about the permissions required for firms seeking to conduct regulated crypto asset activities in the country when its new regulation commences in 2027. Based on the proposed legislation, all crypto firms will come under full FCA oversight, subjecting them to the same regulations as consumer protection and market conduct standards that other financial products in the country are held to. Altcoins Defy Bitcoin Slump as XRP, Solana Notch Double-Digit Gains To meet those standards, all firms, even those that may maintain some registrations with the FCA, will need to reapply for approval ahead of the new regulatory regime. Applications are expected to open in September. Ripples approval from the FCA through its subsidiary Ripple Markets UK LTD underscores the companys deep and ongoing commitment to the UK, the firm said in a statement, noting that the UK is core to its global strategy. The firms London office is its largest outside the United States, and it has committed more than $6.6 million to UK universities through its University Blockchain Research Initiative. "The UK has a well-deserved reputation for high regulatory standards. The FCAs rigorous approach to compliance mirrors Ripples commitment to adhering to regulations," said Ripple Managing Director of UK & Europe Cassie Craddock, in a statement. The Year in XRP 2025: New Highs After 7 Years as Ripple's SEC Case Finally Ends Securing approvals from the FCA is a pivotal moment for Ripple, enabling us to provide essential digital assets infrastructure to UK businesses, she added. We have seen in other jurisdictions how regulatory clarity drives adoption, and the UK is poised to take advantage. Its early 2026 regulatory approval in the UK continues a trend of regulatory victories for the firm, who saw its yearslong battle with the SEC come to a conclusion in the US last year. The Ripple-linked XRP is up about 1% over the last 24 hours, and the prominent crypto token has jumped more than 11% in the last week to recently change hands at $2.13. Jan. 8A hospital in Ritzville that had been at risk of financial jeopardy plans to continue operating after ending the year "nicely in the black." Late last year, East Adams Rural Healthcare issued a warning the hospital could close as soon as Jan. 7. Just past that deadline, hospital leaders now say that risk has passed. "In the fall, we issued a WARN notice indicating the potential risk of closure or bankruptcy on January 7," hospital CEO Todd Nida wrote in a statement. "Since that time, the hospital experienced strong financial performance in November and December, which has significantly improved our position. As a result, EARH is no longer at immediate risk of closing on Jan. 7." Hospital Board chair Eric Walker said the hospital ended 2025 "nicely in the black." "We seem to have righted the ship," he said. At the board's December meeting, interim CFO Viola Babcock said the hospital would end the year with $190,000 in the bank. The hospital appeared in dire financial straits last year after Babcock uncovered it had lost $14 million since 2020 losses former administrators had allegedly concealed from the hospital's elected board. The hospital has since put plans into motion to convert to a rural emergency hospital, a federal designation created in 2023. Under that model, the Ritzville hospital would not be able to provide many inpatient services but could receive greater Medicare reimbursement. East Adams would be the first Washington hospital to pursue a REH designation, which will require approval from the state to set up rules and operations to oversee a rural emergency hospital. The hospital board has previously expressed hopes the state attorney general would sign a 30-day emergency order sometime in January to allow the hospital to begin operating under the new status. Board members reached Tuesday declined to comment on whether such an order was forthcoming. Chris Rokos' eponymous fund was up 21%, a person close to the fund told Business Insider. The manager is one of several big-name macro firms that had a strong 2025. Last year was the latest in a run of strong returns for the fund, which made close to 31% in 2024. Add Rokos Capital to the list of macro hedge funds that outperformed in 2025. The firm, run by former Brevan Howard cofounder Chris Rokos, made 21% last year, a person close to the London-based manager told Business Insider. That follows gains of nearly 31% in 2024. The manager, which manages $22 billion, declined to comment. Macro hedge funds had a strong 2025 thanks to a choppy geopolitical environment caused by, among other things, President Donald Trump's tariff policies and conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Bridgewater Associates had its most profitable year ever, Business Insider previously reported, with gains of 33% in its flagship Pure Alpha fund. Rob Citrone's Discovery Capital was up more than 35%. Rokos's former firm, Brevan Howard, lagged the macro pack, Business Insider reported. The firm's two largest funds, Master and Alpha Strategies, returned 0.8% and 8%, respectively. Rokos, in a way, is a throwback to a previous iteration of the hedge fund industry, which was dominated by big star traders instead of the multistrategy managers that have come to rule the space. He accounts for most of the risk-taking, Business Insider previously reported, and raised fees this past summer that give the firm a quarter of the trading profits generated. Macro funds are expected to have another strong year. Evanston Capital, an asset manager that invests in hedge funds, put out a report stating that the "protectionism" of the Trump administration and other nations "will lead to more varied economic conditions across countries." Because of this shift, there will be "a richer set of prospective trades for skilled macro managers, especially those that can optimize trade expressions across directional, relative value, and volatility dimensions." Firm 2025 Performance Bridgewater Asia Total Return 36.9% Discovery Capital 35.6% Bridgewater China 34.2% Bridgewater Pure Alpha 33% D.E. Shaw Oculus 28.2% EDL 27.1% Rokos 21% Bridgewater All Weather 20.4% Brevan Howard Emerging Markets 15.4% Taula 11% Brevan Howard Alpha Strategies 8% Brevan Howard Master 0.8% Read the original article on Business Insider Shares of video platform Rumble (RUM) are. modestly higher in premarket trading Wednesday after the company made live its Rumble Wallet, built in partnership with Tether, the issuer of USDT and one of Rumbles major investors. Hinted at for months, the wallet allows viewers to tip content creators in bitcoin (BTC), tether (USDT), or tether gold (XAUt) without going through traditional payment systems like banks, ad networks, or credit card companies. Its fully non-custodial, meaning users not Rumble hold the keys to their funds. The product is built using Tethers Wallet Development Kit (WDK), a platform that lets users create wallets without relying on centralized custodians. This is the first live deployment of the WDK. Rumble represents free speech and liberty the same way that cryptocurrency and a decentralized internet represent freedom, and Rumble Wallet is the natural combination of those things, said Chris Pavlovski, founder and CEO of Rumble. The wallet is integrated directly into the Rumble app, giving creators another income stream that doesnt depend on advertising revenue or subscriptions. Payments will be handled by MoonPay. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino called the wallet a step toward more decentralized and freedom-preserving tools for internet users. Tens of millions of people will now be able to use crypto to support the content they value without middlemen. Rumble has positioned itself as a free speech alternative to YouTube, with a growing audience and a business model that appeals to creators seeking independence from platform moderation or advertising restrictions. Tether has backed the platform for a while, with several three-digit million dollar investments. RUM was higher by 3% in premarket trading, though still 50% lower on a year-over-year basis. Ryzon Materials and Yintai Xinhai Mining have entered into a non-binding heads of agreement (HoA) for an engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPC+M) contract for the Nachu graphite mine. Through its Tanzanian subsidiary, Uranex Tanzania, Ryzon Materials holds full (100%) ownership of the Nachu graphite project near Ruangwa. The project is located roughly 220km from the port of Mtwara. Under the HoA, Xinhai will draw on its expertise in mining engineering, mineral processing and project delivery to prepare revised cost estimates for the plants initial stage within the current quarter. The project has a planned capacity of 80,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of graphite. Xinhai will also complete the detailed engineering phase, as previously announced on 30 September 2025. Ryzon chairman Frank Poullas said: We appreciate the support we continue to receive from Xinhai and its partners. We look forward to moving towards major development works in the coming year. The agreement sets out the process for finalising the EPC+M contract, with Xinhai scheduled to submit a formal proposal to Ryzon in the second quarter of 2026. In addition, Xinhai is supporting Ryzon in arranging financing for the project by leveraging its network to help advance the process. At present, discussions are under way with several parties, primarily located in China, with the aim of obtaining at least 80% of the required capital through debt financing. Xinhai chairman Elon Zhang said: With the numerous site visits our company has conducted at Nachu and all the test work completed in our lab, I have no doubt that Nachu is a unique graphite mine and will push extremes to bring the project into production in the soonest possible time frame. "Ryzon and Xinhai sign agreement for Nachu graphite mine in Tanzania" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The share price of Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) surged by 15.54% between December 30, 2025, and January 6, 2026, putting it among the Energy Stocks that Gained the Most This Week. Sable Offshore (SOC) Continued its Rally This Week. Here is Why Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) is an independent upstream company focused on developing the Santa Ynez Unit in federal waters offshore California. Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) has shot up by around 80% over the last month after the company succeeded in its efforts to receive federal approval to restart its controversial oil and gas pipeline near Santa Barbara, overriding the strong local opposition to the project. However, Sable continues to face resistance from California residents and environmental groups and was even hit with an emergency lawsuit by the Environmental Defense Center and Center for Biological Diversity seeking to block the restart on December 26. The plaintiffs argued that the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) had bypassed the required public notice, opportunity for public participation, statement of reasons for its decisions, and other conditions required under the federal Pipeline Safety Act. However, the pipeline regulator responded by saying that it had granted an emergency permission to Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) based on a national energy emergency declared by President Trump last year. Resultantly, on January 2, a federal court denied the request to stay PMHSAs decision to take over oversight of Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) plans to restart the Santa Ynez unit, marking a major victory for the company and potentially clearing its way to resume oil production locally. Following the courts decision, Benchmark analyst Subash Chandra reiterated the firms Buy rating on Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) and assigned the stock a price target of $20. The analyst believes that Sables Santa Ynez unit is the closest it has been to restarting, but noted that the case hasnt been dismissed, with responses and briefs due over the next few months. While we acknowledge the potential of SOC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Natural Gas Stocks to Buy Right Now and 11 Best Performing Energy Stocks in 2025. Disclosure: None. Jan 9 (Reuters) - Luxury retailer Saks Global is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as Sunday, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The owner of New York's century-old Fifth Avenue flagship store is preparing to file for bankruptcy without a restructuring deal in place, though it aims to craft one in the coming weeks, according to the report. The company is also in advanced discussions on about $1.25 billion debtor-in-possession financing package with creditors, which would allow it to keep its business running during bankruptcy and pay vendor dues, the report added. Saks Global did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Shinjini Ganguli) U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent isnt mincing words when describing the ongoing labor crisis and where things are heading. In a Fox Business interview, he admitted that young graduates and white-collar professionals across the country face a difficult job market because of disruption from artificial intelligence (1). Must Read With an estimated net worth of more than $500 million and a portfolio that includes farmland (2), disruption from AI isnt a direct threat to Bessent himself. But when asked what he would do if he were a young graduate facing the current job market, he offered quick advice. I don't know what job I would go into, Maria. But I can tell you, I would be trained up in AI What I would do is become an AI native, he told Fox Business Maria Bartiromo. The message lands at a time of profound change. Heres why you should consider adopting some AI skills, regardless of your age, industry and experience. Widespread disruption Job losses from AI isnt a distant prediction but an ongoing reality. As of the end of November, AI was directly cited as a reason for nearly 55,000 job cuts in 2025, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas (3). Young Americans are particularly vulnerable to this disruption, as the unemployment rate for recent college graduates hit nearly 6% by the end of Q3 2025 (4). Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia recently predicted the rate could hit 25% within the next five years if current trends continue (5). Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, had an even more terrifying prediction. He told Axios that nearly half of all entry-level white-collar workers could be obsolete within five years because of AI (6). Young, entry-level workers are at the forefront of this trend, but as the technology improves older workers could be at risk as well. Goldman Sachs predicts up to 14% of global jobs could be disrupted by AI, under specific assumptions about the technologys improvement and adoption over time (7). Thats 1 in 7 workers. With the threat of automation looming over us all, acquiring new and unique skills to work with AI could be the equivalent of a career insurance policy. The share price of SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) surged by 13.18% between December 30, 2025, and January 6, 2026, putting it among the Energy Stocks that Gained the Most This Week. SLB Gains Following US Action in Venezuela SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) provides technology for the energy industry worldwide. SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) garnered widespread investor attention after a US military strike captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with President Trump declaring that the American oil companies would now enter the South American country and invest billions of dollars to rebuild its crumbling energy infrastructure. The President plans to meet with executives of several oil majors this week to discuss boosting Venezuelan oil production, given that the country is sitting atop the largest oil reserves in the world. While the immediate impact remains unclear, investors are betting that reviving Venezuelas dilapidated oil infrastructure would require exactly what companies like SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) provide: rigs, crews, and equipment to drill and complete wells. SLBs technology would prove crucial to boosting Venezuelan crude production, potentially giving the company a strong pipeline of projects and contributing significantly to its revenue. While we acknowledge the potential of SLB as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Natural Gas Stocks to Buy Right Now and 11 Best Performing Energy Stocks in 2025. Disclosure: None. Soybeans are starting Wednesday with gains of 10 to 12 cents. Futures reverted lower from the midday gains, as contracts were down 5 to 7 cents at the close. Preliminary open interest was up just 1,647 contracts on Tuesday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was 5 cents lower at $9.82 1/4. Soymeal futures were 20 cents to $1.30 higher at the close, with Soy Oil futures down 38 to 47 points. There were 88 deliveries issued against January soybeans overnight, with 78 issued for bean oil. Reuters reported that China bought 10 cargoes of US soybeans this week for March to May shipments. USDA confirmed some of that on Tuesday morning, with a 336,000 MT private export sale to China. USDA also corrected to the December 30 flash sale of 231,000 MT for unknown to 136,000 MT to China and 206,700 MT to unknown destinations. More News from Barchart Export Sales data shows the total soybean commitments at 27.698 MMT, a 31% decline yr/yr. That is just 51% of USDAs projection, and is behind the 52% average pace. EU soybean imports have totaled 6.46 MMT from July 1 through January 4, lagging last year by 0.88 MMT according to European Commission data. Brazil soybean exports were tallied at 3.38 MMT in December, which was up 68.6% from the same month in 2024 and down 19.4% from November. Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.42, down 5 1/4 cents, currently up 10 1/2 cents Nearby Cash was $9.82 1/4, down 5 cents, Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $10.56 1/4, down 5 3/4 cents, currently up 11 1/2 cents May 26 Soybeans closed at $10.68, down 6 1/4 cents, currently up 11 3/4 cents On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) is included among the 14 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026. TD Cowen Lifts Aflac (AFL) Target, Holds Neutral View On December 22, TD Cowen raised its price target on Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) to $102 from $100 and kept a Hold rating on the shares. The update followed a review of the companys third-quarter results and revisions to the firms model. In June, Aflac disclosed that hackers had gained access to customer data, though it said at the time it could not determine how many individuals were affected. Later in December, the insurer confirmed that the cyberattack impacted data tied to roughly 22.65 million people. According to a filing with the Texas Attorney General, the stolen information included customer names, birthdates, home addresses, government-issued ID numbers, Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers, and medical and health insurance details, TechCrunch reported. Aflac said it has begun notifying affected individuals and is outlining the support resources being made available to them as part of the response. The company made the following statement: To date, Aflac is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information and along with third-party partners will continue to monitor any fraudulent activity. Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) provides financial protection products through its subsidiaries, with operations primarily in the United States and Japan. While we acknowledge the potential of AFL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best Income Stocks to Buy Now and 20 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2025 Disclosure: None. On a full-year basis, Zammit said the business excluding Hyve increased gross billings in the high single digits year over year while improving gross margin and operating margin. He also said Hyve grew gross billings at a double-digit rate well above expectations and made progress expanding offerings and diversifying its customer base. Zammit said the distribution business excluding Hyve continued to show momentum, with gross billings up 10% year over year and double-digit growth in both gross profit and operating income. Hyve delivered another strong quarter, with gross billings increasing by more than 50% year over year. He added that Hyves operating income grew meaningfully and is becoming a larger part of the overall mix. CEO Patrick Zammit said the company delivered another set of record results to close fiscal 2025. For the fourth quarter, TD SYNNEX reported non-GAAP gross billings of $24.3 billion , up 15% year over year (or 13% in constant currency). Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.83 , up 24% year over year, which management characterized as another company record. TD SYNNEX (NYSE:SNX) executives highlighted record fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2025 results, citing broad-based demand across its global distribution business and continued rapid expansion at Hyve. Management also outlined strategic priorities for fiscal 2026 and provided first-quarter guidance that implies continued double-digit gross billings growth, while noting that working-capital timing that benefited the fourth quarter is expected to reverse in the first quarter. Q1 fiscal2026 guidance calls for nonGAAP gross billings of $22.7$23.7 billion (~12% growth at the midpoint) and EPS of $3.00$3.50 , while strategic priorities for 2026 emphasize omnichannel/AI tools, specialized gotomarket efforts and continued investment to scale Hyve. Free cash flow was $1.4 billion for the quarter and fiscal year, the company returned $742 million to shareholders in FY25 (including $173 million in Q4 repurchases), but management expects a Q1 cash outflow as workingcapital timing that benefited Q4 reverses. TD SYNNEX posted record Q4 and fiscal2025 results with nonGAAP gross billings of $24.3 billion (+15% YoY) and nonGAAP diluted EPS of $3.83 (+24%), while Hyve grew more than 50% YoY and distribution exHyve rose about 10% . Story Continues Regional trends: APJ leads growth; Europe outperforms expectations Zammit pointed to strength across regions and technologies. He said North America grew steadily, supported by demand across key customer segments, increased security requirements, and shifts toward complex multi-cloud architectures. Europe, he said, grew faster than anticipated as customers prioritized infrastructure software, PC upgrades, and modernization of aging infrastructure despite a slow macroeconomic backdrop. In the Q&A, Zammit said the European market grew mid-single digit, and he attributed TD SYNNEXs stronger performance to ongoing share gains and a strategy focused on higher-growth technologies, vendors, and customer segments. This ETF Is Proof That the Healthcare Rebound Is Real Asia-Pacific and Japan remained the companys key growth engine, according to Zammit, driven by rapid cloud expansion, PC upgrades, accelerating AI development, and digitization across economies in the region. Responding to a question about sustainability and market share, he said TD SYNNEXs share in APJ remains relatively low and the company is investing significantly to gain share, including in faster-growing markets such as India. He also noted that operating income in APJ has grown overproportional[ly] versus sales, helped by cost discipline alongside investment. Zammit added that Latin America delivered double-digit top-line momentum with strong engagement across the portfolio and customer base. Portfolio performance: PCs, strategic technologies, and Hyve CFO David Jordan said fourth-quarter results exceeded the midpoint of guidance across key metrics, with gross operating margin expansion driven by operational efficiencies, favorable mix, and margin management. Jordan highlighted strength in both major portfolios: Endpoint Solutions : Gross billings increased 12% year over year, supported by PC demand tied to the Windows 11 refresh and sustained demand for premium devices. Jordan said PCs have increased double digits globally for four consecutive quarters, and the company expects momentum into the initial months of fiscal 2026. Advanced Solutions: Gross billings increased 17% year over year, or 8% excluding Hyve, driven by growth in Cloud, Security, Software, and other strategic technologies. Hyve, reported within Advanced Solutions, grew more than 50% year over year, driven primarily by server and networking rack-build programs. Zammit later added that Hyves ODM/CM business grew in line, if not slightly better than the pace of the market, and he pointed to a very strong quarter in supply chain services, which he described as more opportunistic and lumpy. Management also discussed the impact of rising memory prices. Zammit said DRAM and NAND prices have increased dramatically, and the company is already seeing higher average selling prices (ASPs) across product families including PCs, servers, and storage. He called higher ASPs a near-term tailwind and said the key variable to watch will be volume elasticity, especially for PCs. He said TD SYNNEX is more focused on commercial PCs than consumer PCs and expressed optimism that elasticity should be relatively low for its mix, while also reiterating that the refresh cycle is not over. He added that the weight of AI PCs continues to increase. On concerns about pull-forwards ahead of pricing increases, Zammit said it is difficult to assess but he was confident there were no material pull-forwards in the last quarter. Margins, cash flow, and shareholder returns Jordan said net revenue was $17.4 billion, up 10% year over year and above the high end of guidance, with an approximately 29% gross-billings-to-net-revenue reduction in the quarter. He noted the gross-to-net dynamic remains elevated versus the prior year due to a higher mix of software within distribution and increases in certain Hyve programs. Gross profit increased 15% year over year to $1.2 billion, while gross margin as a percentage of gross billings was 5%, flat year over year. Non-GAAP SG&A was $698 million (about 3% of gross billings), and the companys cost-to-gross-profit ratio improved by about 100 basis points year over year to 58%. Non-GAAP operating income rose 18% to $497 million, and non-GAAP operating margin as a percentage of gross billings was 2.04%, up 5 basis points year over year. Free cash flow was $1.4 billion in the quarter, which Jordan said brought annual free cash flow to $1.4 billion, well ahead of expectations and marking the third consecutive year above $1 billion. The company returned $209 million to shareholders in the quarter through $173 million of repurchases and $36 million in dividends; for the fiscal year, TD SYNNEX returned $742 million, bringing three-year cumulative shareholder returns to over $2.2 billion. As of November 30, the company had $1.2 billion remaining on its repurchase authorization. Jordan said year-end cash was elevated due to a new debt issuance intended to pay off $700 million of debt maturing in August 2026 and strong working-capital execution. He also said the quarter benefited from a few larger receipts that arrived just before period end, estimating Q4 benefited by a few hundred million dollars that should normalize in fiscal 2026. The company expects a cash outflow in Q1 due to seasonality and the reversal of those timing benefits, but Jordan said it still expects cumulative free cash flow across fiscal 2025 and 2026 to align with its medium-term target of 95% conversion of non-GAAP net income to free cash flow. Q1 guidance and 2026 priorities For the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Jordan guided to non-GAAP gross billings of $22.7 billion to $23.7 billion (about 12% growth at the midpoint), net revenue of $15.1 billion to $15.9 billion (assuming a 33% gross-to-net adjustment), non-GAAP net income of $243 million to $283 million, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.00 to $3.50, based on approximately 80.1 million weighted-average shares. The outlook assumes a euro-to-dollar exchange rate of 1.16. Jordan also said planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2026 are expected to be similar to fiscal 2025, including investments to support Hyves growth. Strategically, Zammit said the company is sharpening execution around four focus areas in 2026: Omnichannel engagement , including enhancements to its Partner-First Digital Bridge and a new AI Assistant designed to support self-service transactions and real-time support for customer-facing teams. Specialized go-to-market , highlighted by a global security RFP win intended to expand enterprise penetration and Cisco naming TD SYNNEX distributor of the year globally and in the Americas and EMEA. Best-in-class enablement , including the launch of an AI Game Plan workshop aimed at helping customers sales teams translate AI opportunities into business outcomes. Expanding brand visibility, reinforcing its making IT personal brand promise. On Hyve, Zammit said demand remains strong among hyperscaler customers, citing differentiators such as production flexibility, a favorable U.S. footprint, co-development capabilities, and a secure supply chain. He also said the company continues to bid on new programs with existing customers and potential new customers, though he noted new programs can take time to ramp. Jordan announced the board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.48 per share payable January 30, 2026, to shareholders of record on January 16, 2026. About TD SYNNEX (NYSE:SNX) TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the information technology industry. Formed in September 2021 through the merger of Tech Data and SYNNEX Corporation, the company provides a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions that span hardware, software, cloud, mobility, security and data center technologies. TD SYNNEX partners with vendors, resellers and system integrators to design, deploy and support IT infrastructures across diverse market segments, including commercial enterprises, public sector organizations and retail operations. The company's core business activities include the distribution of technology products from manufacturers such as servers, storage, networking equipment and peripherals, as well as the resale and provisioning of software licenses and cloud-based solutions. The article "TD SYNNEX Q4 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. THC beverage company Jeng has received a strategic investment from Quench Ventures, a drinks industry-focused venture capital firm. The details of the deal, including financial terms, were not disclosed. Jeng, based in Montauk in New York state, describes itself as a premium, hemp-derived, sparkling, cocktail brand. The company positions its range as an alcohol alternative, particularly targeting women looking for different options for social occasions and relaxation. In a statement announcing the investment, the company said it plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its retail expansion, deepen strategic partnerships, and develop its hemp-infused drinks portfolio. Jeng co-founder John Enghauser said: This isn't just capital, it's alignment. Quench understands how to build premium beverage brands with cultural relevance and durability. Their experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow Jeng thoughtfully, responsibly, and with an eye toward the long-term future of this category. The funding comes as new US federal legislation, signed into law in November, introduces the prospect of tighter rules governing the sale of hemp-derived THC beverages in the country. Hemp-derived cannabinoid products with THC content exceeding 0.3% will no longer be permitted for sale, nor any final hemp-based cannabinoid goods with more than 0.4mg of THC per container. In October, a coalition of 39 US state attorneys general urged the US Congress to tighten the federal definition of hemp to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp-based THC products sold outside state-regulated cannabis systems. Jeng in its statement added that it also intends to take part in industry discussions on standards, safety and the long-term development of the hemp drinks category. The deal adds Jeng to a Quench Ventures portfolio that includes brands such as Liquid Death, Cirkul, Long Drink and SipMargs. Quench Ventures founder and managing partner John Green said: Jeng represents the kind of thoughtful innovation, craft, and long-term vision we look for. Their leadership within the hemp-infused beverage space, combined with a strong understanding of brand, consumer trust, and regulatory realities, makes them a compelling addition to our portfolio. "THC drinks firm Jeng secures investment" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. Corn: The corn market was quietly higher early Thursday morning, and when I say quietly, the March issue (ZCH26) is showing trade volume of fewer than 10,000 contracts as of this writing. March posted a 1.0 cent trading range overnight and was sitting 1.25 cents lower. Those who tend to lean to the bearish side will point out the contract was on its session low to start the day, while die-hard bulls will counter with, Yeah, but the contract is only 1.0 cent off its session high! Fundamentally, there isnt much change to talk about, though we will get the next round of weekly export sales and shipments numbers later Thursday morning, this one for the week ending Thursday, January 1. This means the reports are finally up to date, again just ahead of the next expected US government shutdown following the January 30 budget deadline. While export demand for US corn was still running strong with the previous update, the trend is for the pace projection based on reported shipments to decrease. The National Corn Index ($CNCI) came in at $4.10 last night putting national average basis at 36.75 cents under March futures as compared to last Fridays final figure of 37.25 cents under March. Morning Summary: If one were to have a drinking game of taking a shot of their favorite beverage every time the name starting with T was mentioned, they wouldve been staggering within the first 15 minutes of this mornings financial television program. The 3 big issues were the US president calling for a 50% increase in defense spending, pushing it to $1.5 trillion, a move that will likely shut the US government down later this month. But hey, US defense company stocks are rallying, so theres that. This was followed by a discussion on global trade with the Global Trade Chair for BCG, a global consulting firm, whose latest findings showed international trade not only grew during 2025 but is expected to see more of the same this year. That being said, one highlight (lowlight?) was the US is becoming a slower-growing trade hubImpact on GDP yet to be determined. The third topic was the US Supreme Court possibly ruling the US presidents executive orders creating tariffs on nearly every other country unconstitutional. However, as I said in an interview Wednesday, the US president has shown no interest in acknowledging court rulings or that silly little thing called Congress, so I dont see a change in trade policy coming any time soon. Story continues Soybeans: The soybean market was also quietly lower to start the day, breaking the pattern that weve seen so far this year of quietly higher overnight trade. The March issue (ZSH26) was sitting 3.5 cents lower at this writing after sliding as much as 5.5 cents while registering 16,000 contracts changing hands. The only thing this indicates is the worlds largest buyer was likely doing something else, including watching long-term weather forecasts for Brazil. Something else I mentioned in one of Wednesdays interviews was the fact the coffee markets forward curve was still in backwardation (inverted) indicating a bullish supply and demand situation. And with Brazil the world leader in production and exports of coffee, and the crop being a weather derivative, we could ask the question if there is some general concern over Brazilian weather as the country moves deeper into its summer season[i]. A look at weekly closes for the March-May soybean futures spread and we see it covered 42.5% calculated full commercial carry at Wednesdays close as compared to last Fridays settlement covering 47%, the largest percent covered since 52% on Friday, October 17. This tells us the commercial side of the soybean market remains comfortable with Brazils 2026 production potential, for now. Wheat: The wheat sub-sector was quietly mixed pre-dawn Thursday. As of this writing the HRW market was showing a small loss, the HRS market a small gain, and SRW mostly unchanged, all three on light trade volume. Starting with HRW we see the March issue posted a 3.5-cent trading range on trade volume of 1,600 contracts and was sitting 1.0 cent lower, and 0.5 cent off its session low at this writing. There isnt much we can read into this, so lets move on to HRS where we see the March issue up 3.75 cents on trade volume of fewer than 100 contracts. Right. All it would take is one sell order to change things, so again, lets move on. March SRW was near unchanged after posting a 3.0-cent trading range, up 2.0 cents to down 1.0 cent while registering fewer than 4,000 contracts changing hands. What stands out to me with the sub-sector is the two winter National Cash Indexes ($CSWI) ($CRWI) have gained roughly 10.0 cents through early January a seasonal move but continue to run well below previous 5-year end of January low prices established last year. Based on the Law of Supply and Demand this tells us market fundamentals remain bearish. [i] Acknowledging the two crops coffee and soybeans are grown in different parts of the country. On the date of publication, Darin Newsom did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com BRUSSELS, January 09, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: Titan SA (Euronext Brussels, ATHEX and Euronext Paris, TITC) announces that its subsidiary, Titan America SA ("Titan America"), listed on the NYSE, has entered into an agreement to acquire Keystone Cement Company, a Pennsylvania-based cement manufacturer and aggregates producer. The transaction includes modern and high-quality assets such as an integrated cement plant, operating one of the most efficient cement kilns in Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley, with a clinker production capacity of 990,000 short tons per year. Thanks to its attractive location, the plant is well-positioned to serve a 6.2 million short ton per year addressable market across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio, with strong exposure to large-scale infrastructure and technology investments and extensive transportation modernization programs. The acquisition is expected to accelerate top-line growth, enhance geographic diversification and improve operating margins through the realization of integration synergies, including substantial operational and commercial benefits from integration with the existing assetsEssex Cement in New Jersey and Roanoke Cement in Virginiaas well as Titan Americas fly ash processing and marketing facilities operated with Separation Technologies, a Titan subsidiary across Pennsylvania and Ohio. The transaction price (subject to ordinary post-closing adjustments) is $310,000,000, which corresponds to approximately $313 per short ton of current clinker production capacity and its closing is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions. Bill Zarkalis, President & CEO of Titan America, commented: "The strategic investment aligns perfectly with Titan Americas long-term growth strategy in the economic mega-regions along the East Coast of the US and enables Titan America to strengthen further its existing core materials business in the Mid-Atlantic region while adding complementary capacity in high-growth regions. It also demonstrates our disciplined M&A strategy - acquiring assets where our operational capabilities, commercial network, and financial strength can create substantial shareholder value." Marcel Cobuz, Chair of the Group Executive Committee, commented: "This acquisition in the US is consistent with the TITAN Forward 2029 Strategic Priorities, focusing on expanding cement capacity and accelerating inorganic growth in heavy materials, including alternative cementitious materials. It also complements the recent active Group portfolio management moves across our key markets towards the acquisitions of an integrated cement plant in the Greater Istanbul Market with US export potential, a cement grinding plant in France, aggregates bolt-ons in Greece, a precast Joint Venture business in the Western Balkans, along with investment partnerships in pozzolan in Greece and Turkiye as well as in fly ash facilities in the UK and in India." Before Peet's and Starbucks began massive expansions in the 1990s, diner-style restaurants such as Denny's, IHOP, and Sambo's were the go-to coffee shops for many consumers. Even this reporter conducted newspaper interviews at "coffee shops" before Peet's and Starbucks were nationally popular. I once interviewed television, film, and Broadway actor Willard Waterman, who in the 1980s suggested we meet at a coffee shop a now-defunct California Denny's competitor, Lyon's. Waterman appeared on many westerns and comedy television shows back in the 1950s and '60s. Lyon's restaurants were established in San Francisco in 1952, and the last one closed in Sacramento in 2012, KOVR-TV reported. Sambo's restaurants, with as many as 1,100 in 47 states at one time, also disappeared. Racist connotations of the name "Sambo's," along with outrage over George Floyd's killing in 2020, eventually led the owner of the last restaurant, Chad Stevens, the grandson of one of the founders, to change the name to Chad's Cafe. Peet's and Starbucks replace diners as primary coffee shops Denny's and IHOP are still popular breakfast restaurants, especially on weekends, but most people don't consider them coffee shops anymore, unlike Peet's or Starbucks. The modern coffee-shop sector has seen its share of closings, however. Starbucks reduced its North American store count by about 1%, or from 18,734 shops to 18,300 by the end of its fiscal year, ending September 2025. Peets, which has over 250 locations in the U.S., closed a few stores last year. Popular retail chain Compass Coffee files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking a sale of its assets.Shutterstock Shutterstock Compass Coffee files for bankruptcy protection Another coffee chain is facing more dire circumstances with closings and a bankruptcy filing. Washington, D.C.-based Compass Coffee filed for Chapter 11 protection to restructure its business and seek a sale to a stalking-horse bidder, facing a court judgment for unpaid rent and a lawsuit filed by co-founder Harrison Suarez, according to RK Consultants. The Starbucks rival, which filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia on Jan. 6, said the bankruptcy responds to a changing retail landscape in the nation's capital. Decline in foot traffic and office occupancy slows business "Washingtons economic and retail landscape has changed fundamentally since 2020," Compass Coffee said in a statement on its website. "Downtown foot traffic and office occupancy remain well below pre-pandemic levels, and consumer demand has shifted away from the dense weekday patterns that once sustained many urban cafes." "Retail models built for a different era, including legacy lease structures and fixed operating costs, no longer align with todays reality," the company said. WASHINGTON (AP) When it comes to claiming that Venezuelan oil is now under his control, President Donald Trump is mincing no words. But no small part of that oil belongs to China under contracts it struck with Caracas years ago, setting the stage for a delicate diplomatic dance in the next few weeks. Some experts expect Trump to work with China in an effort to stabilize trade relations. After all, Trump is expected to visit Beijing in April as part of an effort to protect the fragile trade truce he reached with Chinese President Xi Jinping late last year. The administration appears focused on avoiding unnecessary escalation or new irritants with Beijing while keeping leverage firmly on Washingtons terms, said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He added that he doubted Trump would risk turning Venezuela into a flashpoint that complicates trade dynamics or Trumps personal engagement with Xi. China is owed at least $10 billion from Venezuela, according to various estimates, a debt that former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had paid down by shipping oil to China. It is possible that the interim Venezuelan government complying with Washingtons demands could question the legality of those loans-for-oil deals and cease payments. Two major Chinese state-owned enterprises China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec are entitled to 4.4 billion barrels of oil reserves in Venezuela, the highest for any foreign country, according to a research note by the investment bank Morgan Stanley. U.S. companies also have claims for tens of billions of dollars from when Caracas nationalized the oil industry, and its not clear how these IOUs will be honored and in what order. The U.S. seized two sanctioned oil tankers this week as part of a plan to assert control over Venezuelan oil shipments. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. will handle the sales of Venezuelas oil indefinitely, depositing proceeds into U.S.-controlled accounts that will ultimately flow back into Venezuela to benefit the Venezuelan people. The administration said this week that the U.S. would kickstart those sales with 30 million to 50 million barrels taken from the South American countrys crude storage facilities. Asked for more detail, a Trump administration official not authorized to comment publicly and speaking on condition of anonymity said U.S. policy was to wind down adversarial outside influence in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. using such leverage over a crucial natural resource comes after Beijing flexed its muscles last year by choking off critical supplies of rare-earth magnets and weaponizing its purchase of American soybeans in the trade war with Washington. When Trump met Xi in South Korea in October, the two men agreed to a one-year truce, backing off from sky-high tariffs and export controls on each other. At a meeting with US oil executives at the White House, Donald Trump says the US will decide which companies can extract oil in Venezuela, with Venezuela "turning over" up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US The president also took questions from the press on his desire for the US to own Greenland and the latest developments in Iran Since US forces struck Caracas and detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week, President Trump has repeatedly cited the South American country's massive oil reserves as a reason for the military operation WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Venezuela is releasing political prisoners in a sign of cooperation after the U.S. military removal of Nicolas Maduro, as he prepares to meet with oil executives Jan. 9 and with the countrys opposition leader next week. Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of Seeking Peace, Trump said in a social media post he called an important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Trump was set to meet at 2:30 p.m. Eastern with oil executives from 17 companies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Trump is encouraging investment of $100 billion in Venezuela, to revive its oil industry. Following the announcement of President Trumps historic energy deal with Venezuela, American oil companies will come to the White House to discuss investment opportunities that will restore Venezuelan oil infrastructure, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. Trump said newly installed Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez is cooperating with the U.S. administration. But he also plans to meet opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington, after previously saying "she doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. "Well, I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her," Trump told Hannity on Fox News on Jan. 8. Trump is meeting at 11 a.m. Eastern with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been coordinating U.S. plans for Venezuela with Rodriguez and others. Trump canceled a potential second wave of attacks on the country because of its cooperation, but that he would leave military ships in the region as a precaution. All the maneuvering is part Trumps plan to rebuild Venezuela by running the country indefinitely in coordination with local officials and paid for with oil revenues. The changes come after the U.S. military captured Maduro and his wife Jan. 3 and brought them to New York to face trial on charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking. They have pleaded not guilty. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and President Donald Trump look on during an event at the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6, 2025. Venezuelas oil production suffered in recent years under U.S. sanctions. Chevron has been the only U.S. company operating there but administration officials expect that company to expand operations soon and others such as Exxon Mobil and Conoco Phillips to join. "You can sell oil together with the United States, or you can not sell oil," Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business on Jan. 8. Venezuela is choosing, Maybe we should work with the United States. So that oil, we're allowing it to flow again, it's marketed by the United States government. President Donald Trump posted a chart containing job data hours early. Trump posted the chart on Truth Social Thursday night. The White House later said it was an "an inadvertent" disclosure. President Donald Trump offered an early look at the closely held December jobs data. Trump posted on Truth Social at 8:20 pm ET on Thursday a chart that included unreleased figures. Prior to Friday's report, the totals for private and public sector jobs would not have been the same as the ones included in the chart. The White House said the chart's publication was "an inadvertent public disclosure." A White House official said they would review protocols for economic data. "Following the regular procedure of presidents being prebriefed on economic data releases, there was an inadvertent public disclosure of aggregate data that was partially derived from pre-released information," the official said in a statement to Business Insider. "The White House is accordingly reviewing protocols regarding economic data releases." On Friday morning, economists were able to connect the dots following the release of the December jobs report to the public. The US added 50,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly report. The increase was less than expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.4%. The Truth Social post in question Truth Social/Business Insider Historically, presidents are briefed a day ahead of the report's publication. By protocol, the president and White House staff are not supposed to comment on the report until it is released. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Trump leaked the data early to distract from the disappointing economy. "Job growth under Trump has stalled to levels not seen in more than 20 years outside recessions," Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking committee, said in a statement. "That includes the private sector, where job growth slowed to less than half its 2024 pace. His decision to leak market-sensitive data was nothing but an attempt to distract from a failing economy." Economist Justin Wolfers called the episode "unprecedented." "No White House has ever before leaked such important market-moving numbers," Wolfers, a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, wrote on X. "No serious country does this." Trump had a similar episode during his first term. In 2018, Trump touted jobs numbers an hour before the report's release. Economists criticized the president at the time, though the White House said Trump had done nothing untoward. Wall Streets invitation to the open house in your neighborhood may soon be revoked. On Wednesday, President Trump called on Congress to codify a new proposal to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, saying in a Truth Social post, People live in homes, not corporations. For prospective buyers, this could mean not having to go up against, say, Blackstone when you put in a bid for a home. SUBSCRIBE: Receive more of our free The Daily Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: Wall Street Gets Squeezed by Twin Global Crises and White House Affordability Push Grabs Big Bank Bulls by the Horns Location, Location, Location Nationally, roughly 20% of the nations 86 million single-family homes are investor-owned, according to a report published last year by real estate data provider BatchData. But mom-and-pop operations, or investors owning between just one and five properties, account for 85% of that mix, while large investors, or those with more than 1,000 properties, account for just a 2.2% slice of the investor-owned pie. The footprint of large investors is so small that most experts dont see it as having much of an impact on the overall supply, which is sparse. I think that the investor problem is kind of a boogeyman for the housing market, RedFin economist Daryl Fairweather told non-profit news organization CalMatters. But in a handful of hotspot housing markets, institutional investors are causing a major distortion, typically winning bids with all-cash offers and later turning properties into rentals. One study from The Urban Institute found that 45% of single-family homes owned by institutional investors are in just six markets: Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, Charlotte, Houston and Tampa Bay. Properties owned by large-scale investors tend to increase the price of nearby homes, while those owned by smaller investors usually have the opposite effect, according to a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That said, the White Houses policy proposal (far from the first of its kind) is a small win for Americans and a major loss for a few big investment firms: Trump's calls for a $1.5 trillion military budget sent defense stocks soaring on Thursday. Kratos Defense, Northrup Grumman, and Lockheed Martin were among the top gainers. The sector fell on Wednesday afterTrump said he wouldn't permit buybacks or dividends from defense firms. President Donald Trump gave defense stocks a big boost on Thursday after he called for increasing the US military budget to a record amount. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he determined America's military budget should be raised to $1.5 trillion in 2027. The current defense budget is around $901 billion. "This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe," the president wrote on Wednesday evening. Trump added that he would have kept the military budget at around $1 trillion, but due to the "tremendous Income" generated from tariffs, the US could "easily" afford to increase that amount. Defense stocks spiked on Thursday morning. Shares of top contractors clawed back losses from Wednesday's session spurred by Trump's statement that he would ban defense companies from issuing dividends and stock buybacks unless military production and maintenance are enhanced. Here were the big movers in Thursday's session: The White House declined to comment further. The strength of the US military has long been a key focus for Trump, but his attention on the US military has sharpened after the US conducted its raid on Venezuela and captured the nation's president this month. This week, Trump also revived the idea that the US could take over Greenland, with the administration weighing options including the use of the military to acquire the territory from Denmark. Read the original article on Business Insider President Trump has reportedly homed in on $50 a barrel as the price he'd like to see US oil prices trend toward, alleviating energy costs for US households. The problem for the US oil industry? That math doesn't check out. In the Permian Basin, the largest collection of oil plays in the continental US and the crown jewel of American energy, breakeven prices hover between $62 and $64, according to data from the Dallas Federal Reserve. With the price of WTI crude oil (CL=F), the US benchmark, around $57 today, this means, at a basic level, that barrels extracted by US oil companies on US soil are not being sold for more than it costs to drill for them. "Capital efficiencies and returns drive our investment decisions," one respondent told the Dallas Fed's most recent quarterly energy survey. "If economic conditions worsen, drilling and completion activities will cease in 2026." As a wave of global oversupply gluts the oil market, the Energy Information Administration expects that Brent crude (BZ=F) the international benchmark will fall toward an average of $55 per barrel within the first quarter of 2026 and remain at that depressed level throughout the year. WTI prices would almost certainly move in tandem, pegging its value around $51.50. This is likely good news for Trump, especially as affordability has stepped in as the leading issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections. The national average price for gas in the US on Thursday was $2.81 per gallon, according to AAA data, about $0.25 lower than a year ago and the lowest level since March 2021. As for Trump's plans for the industry, the question is more complicated. Read more: Find the best credit cards for buying gas 'We are at a tipping point' In May, when oil was trading at around the same levels it is today, Travis Stice, executive chair of Diamondback Energy (FANG), an independent exploration and production firm, said the industry was already looking over the edge of a cliff. "There have only been two quarters since 2004 where [oil prices] have been as cheap as they are today," excluding 2020's anomaly, Stice wrote in a letter to shareholders. "Therefore, we believe we are at a tipping point for U.S. oil production at current commodity prices." Even the oil majors ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), and ConocoPhillips (COP) which are often able to maintain higher breakeven marks due to their scale and multiple business lines through the energy supply chain, are starting to feel the heat. Exxon and Chevron have both pegged their global breakeven targets for 2030 at around $30 a barrel. That's well below today's prices but, given current trends, becoming increasingly close. Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) is included among the 14 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026. UBS Trims Eversource (ES) Target but Sees Constructive Regulatory Progress On December 17, UBS lowered its price target on Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) to $73 from $78 and kept a Neutral rating on the shares. Analyst William Appicelli pointed to a recent filing by Eversource Energys NStar Gas, which reached a rate settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General, the only party involved in the case. If approved, the agreement would allow the company to avoid a formal rate case. It would also clear one of several regulatory issues still pending, which UBS views as a constructive step. Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) posted strong gains in 2025, rising more than 18%. That momentum stalled in November, when shares dropped nearly 9% after Connecticut regulators rejected the companys plan to sell its water utility business. The decision slowed Eversources efforts to streamline operations and lower debt. Eversource had agreed in January 2025 to sell Aquarion in a $2.4 billion deal. The company originally acquired the water utility in 2017 for about $1.7 billion. Regulators ultimately determined that the proposed sale did not meet managerial suitability and responsibility standards in a way that aligned with the public interest. The deal did meet financial and technological requirements and was expected to maintain safe and reliable service, but that was not enough to secure approval. Management said the state showed interest in expanding a non-profit ownership model. When regulators examined that option, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority found it difficult to move away from the investor-owned structure. A 2024 special act had directed the state to assess whether a non-profit model could better serve water customers. Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) is a utility holding company focused on energy delivery through its regulated utility subsidiaries. While we acknowledge the potential of ES as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best Income Stocks to Buy Now and 20 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2025 Disclosure: None. As the European market continues to thrive, with the STOXX Europe 600 Index reaching new highs and major indexes posting strong annual gains, investors are increasingly looking for opportunities in lesser-known areas. Penny stocks, though often considered a relic of past trading days, remain relevant by offering potential growth at lower price points. These smaller or newer companies can provide significant returns when supported by solid financials, and this article highlights three such promising penny stocks in Europe. Top 10 Penny Stocks In Europe Name Share Price Market Cap Financial Health Rating Ariston Holding (BIT:ARIS) 4.356 1.51B Orthex Oyj (HLSE:ORTHEX) 4.88 86.66M Lucisano Media Group (BIT:LMG) 1.04 15.45M Angler Gaming (NGM:ANGL) SEK3.60 SEK269.95M Angler Gaming (DB:0QM) 0.31 226.45M Libertas 7 (BME:LIB) 3.12 66.18M Hultstrom Group (OM:HULT B) SEK3.22 SEK195.9M ForFarmers (ENXTAM:FFARM) 4.68 413.64M Deceuninck (ENXTBR:DECB) 2.265 313.07M Dovre Group (HLSE:DOV1V) 0.0726 7.89M Click here to see the full list of 282 stocks from our European Penny Stocks screener. Let's take a closer look at a couple of our picks from the screened companies. Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: Overview: S.C. Ropharma S.A. operates a chain of pharmacies in Romania with a market cap of RON99.19 million. Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from Romania, amounting to RON1.32 billion, with additional income of RON4.76 million from the Republic of Moldova. Market Cap: RON99.19M S.C. Ropharma S.A., a Romanian pharmacy chain, reported revenue of RON1.12 billion for the nine months ending September 2025, with net income of RON2.72 million, marking its recent profitability. The company has reduced its debt to equity ratio from 45% to 30.9% over five years and maintains satisfactory net debt levels at 12.4%. Its short-term assets exceed both long-term and short-term liabilities, indicating solid financial footing despite a low return on equity at 3.5%. While trading significantly below estimated fair value, earnings have been impacted by large one-off gains and declining growth rates over five years. BVB:RPH Financial Position Analysis as at Jan 2026 Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: Overview: EXACT Therapeutics AS is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT) for targeted therapeutic enhancement, with a market cap of NOK137.91 million. WASHINGTON Some of America's top oil executives told President Donald Trump their companies aren't ready to invest in oil operations in Venezuela unless major changes are made to ensure the viability of the ventures. The oil industry pointed to challenges with Trump's Venezuela oil plan as the president met with executives from 17 oil companies on Jan. 9, nearly one week after the United States military captured the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. "We first got into Venezuela in the 1940s. We've had our assets seized twice," ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said. "So you can imagine, to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes from what we've seen historically here and what is currently the state." More: Trump meets with oil execs after Venezuela attack. Here's why. Trump has said the United States will take control of between 30 billion and 50 billion barrels of Venezuela oil and is working to convince American oil companies to spend billions to upgrade aging oil infrastructure to increase the country's energy output. He has said the companies will more than earn their money back through profits, with oil sold to both Americans and Venezuelans. But Woods said existing legal and commercial challenges make the country's oil "uninvestable" unless changes are made for legal, financial and security guarantees. "There has to be durable investment protections and there has to be a change to the hydrocarbon laws in the country." More: Trump says Venezuela will give up to 50 million barrels of oil to US If the Trump administration is able to address those needs, ExxonMobil can "hit the ground" quickly, Woods said. He said the company plans to assemble a technical team to assess the state of the oil industry in Venezuela. "We haven't been in the country in almost 20 years," he said. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods (C) attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump (L) and oil company executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 9, 2026. Trump said he hopes to strike a deal with the oil companies that would include security guarantees to keep the companies "physically safe, in addition to financially safe." I have an idea what I want, what I think we should have, Trump said of a potential deal. "We have to get them to invest, and then we have to get their money back as quickly as we can. And then we can divvy it all up between Venezuela, the United States and them. I think its simple. I think the formula is simple. We start with a brand-new plate." Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum joined Trump and the oil executives at the meeting. More: Trump reveals how long he expects US to control Venezuelan oil By Jarrett Renshaw and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with executives from some of the world's largest oil companies at the White House on Friday to discuss Venezuela, saying he wants them to invest $100 billion in the country to vastly expand its production. Trump has named oil as the priority for his strategy for the South American nation after U.S. forces seized its leader Nicolas Maduro in an overnight raid on its capital January 3. "American companies will have the opportunity to rebuild Venezuela's rotting energy infrastructure and eventually increase oil production to levels never, ever seen before," Trump said at the opening of the meeting. He was flanked by top executives from Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron Corp and others. "We're going to be making the decision as to which oil companies are going to go in," the Republican president said. He praised an agreement with Venezuela's interim leaders to provide 50 million barrels of crude oil to the U.S., where numerous refineries are specially equipped to refine it. Trump said he expects such deliveries to continue indefinitely. "One of the things the United States gets out of this will be even lower energy prices," he said. U.S. forces have continued to apprehend Venezuelan oil tankers at sea to enforce an embargo. The fifth such seizure was announced on Friday. Trump administration officials have said they need to control Venezuelas oil sales and revenues indefinitely to ensure the country acts in Americas interests, including by reducing corruption and drug trafficking. Some Democratic lawmakers have criticized this approach as extortion. Industry analysts have also warned about political instability as the country treads a fine line between denouncing Maduro's capture and appeasing the U.S. "UNINVESTABLE" Companies including Chevron, Vitol and Trafigura are competing for U.S. licenses to market Venezuelas existing crude oil, but oil majors are hesitant to commit to big, longer-term investments in Venezuela due to high costs and political instability. Exxon CEO Darren Woods said at the White House meeting that the company sees Venezuela as currently "uninvestable" and needs to see significant changes to return there. "We've had our assets seized there twice, and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes," he said. "We're confident that with this administration and President Trump, working hand in hand with the Venezuelan government, that those changes can be put in place," he said. Oil traders and US refiners are rushing to position for access to Venezuelan crude after the Trump administration said it would take control of as much as 50 million barrels, one of the largest unexpected supply flows in years. Most Read from Bloomberg Leia em portugues. The US strategy announced initially in a late-night social media post Tuesday from President Donald Trump and more details coming Wednesday from Energy Secretary Chris Wright thrusts the federal government into direct involvement in the international oil market and promises to reinvigorate flows of Venezuelan crude to American refineries after years of sanctions. WATCH: US President Donald Trumps administration said it would take control of as much as 50 million barrels. Rosalind Mathieson reports.Source: Bloomberg The return of Venezuelan barrels to US buyers could mark one of the most significant shifts in global energy markets in recent years. It has already sent Canadian crude prices plunging and weighed on benchmark oil futures. The country has the worlds largest oil reserves, but its production has slumped below 1 million barrels a day after decades of underinvestment, trade sanctions and economic isolation. Its quite extraordinary that the United States is going to control Venezuelan oil sales indefinitely, said Carolyn Kissane, an associate dean at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, where she teaches about energy and climate change. Trump said in a New York Times interview published on Thursday that the US would be running Venezuela and extracting its oil for years. We will rebuild it in a very profitable way, he told the newspaper. The US moves have prompted a flurry of interest from previously sidelined players as well as the select few that have been able to continue operations in Venezuela. Citgo Petroleum Corp., the US refiner indirectly owned by Venezuela, is considering resuming purchases for the first time since US sanctions cut off its supply in 2019. Trading giant Trafigura Group and others will hold talks with the US government about how they can return to buying crude from Venezuela and supplying fuel to the country, said the firms global head of oil. The potential access to Venezuelan oil also helped send shares of US refining giants surging, with Valero Energy Corp. climbing more than 5% intraday to an all-time high. Oil major Chevron Corp. is also in talks with the US to extend the crude producers special license to operate in Venezuela. While top US oil companies are set to meet with Trump at the White House in coming days, several drilling firms are still likely to be wary of a quick return or entry into Venezuela without assurances and clarity about the political and legal landscape, analysts said. Ever since the Trump Administration sent armed forces to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend, the energy industry has seemed excited that Venezuela may be open for business again. But not loudly. You don't see CEOs yelling, "I'm in on this!!" Maybe they fear new production will weigh on oil prices. But oil prices already are soft because there's too much of it. Prices fell on Tuesday and were lower on Wednesday. At the same time, nearly all the stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 energy sector fell on Tuesday, including Chevron, down 4.5%; ExxonMobil (XOM), down 3.4%; and ConocoPhillips (COP), down 2.1%. The sector overall was the worst S&P 500 performer, down 2.8%. But they're interested. President Donald Trump is supposed to meet with several CEOs at the White House to try to convince them to invest in Venezuela. Chevron is already there. Exxon and Conoco had their operations nationalized in the mid-2000s and will listen to the pitch. The industry has made Venezuelans rich and ruined them. Corruption has been so rampant that workers haven't been paid. Businesses died. The economy is close to collapse; millions of Venezuelans have fled to other countries. The physical state of Venezuela's oil industry is disastrous. A thin veneer of oil coats much of Lake Maracaibo, along with drilling rigs. Trump has big ambitions Trump's dream/vow is that U.S. oil companies can undo all that damage, well, lickety split. He hopes, in fact, the Venezuelan industry will be back on its feet in, say, 18 months. Money is beginning to organize to finance this new bonanza. In addition to meeting with oil executives, administration officials will be attending an industry meeting that takes place this week, conveniently, in Florida. You can bet Venezuela will be top of mind. And in the process, President Trump and the U.S. have emerged as a key global player in energy. Trump probably has "more influence on whats happening in the oil market than anyone has had before," Edward Morse, told Barrons this week. Morse is a senior advisor and commodities strategist at Hartree Partners, a global trading firm. G G Venezuela has played a key role in oil And Venezuela has an important place in energy history. It became a big oil producer in the 1920s. By 1940, Venezuela was the world's third-largest oil producer after the United States and the Soviet Union, with production concentrated around Lake Maracaibo. Venezuela's massive oil resources are concentrated in the northwest, around Lake Maracaibo, and in the Orinoco River basin in the southeast quadrant of the country. Boaz Weinstein, who runs Saba Capital Management, has become a vocal critic of several UK-listed investment trusts over the past year - Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg A Wall Street tycoon has threatened to sue one of the UKs largest investment trusts for reducing its stake in Elon Musks SpaceX. Boaz Weinstein, who runs Saba Capital Management, said the partial sale of Edinburgh Worldwide Investments crown jewel interest in Mr Musks rocket company appears to defy commercial logic. Edinburgh Worldwide Investment (EWI), which is chaired by Jonathan Simpson-Dent, cut its SpaceX investment by over a third in October just two months before the rocket start-up was revalued at $800bn (593bn), up from $400bn last July. The trust, which is worth 850m, was opened by Scottish funds group Baillie Gifford in 1998 to invest in innovative, high-growth companies. Between September and October, the trusts stake in Mr Musks SpaceX fell to 8.4pc from 13pc. Mr Weinstein has demanded the trusts board provide more transparency on the decision and claimed the move was designed to help usher in a merger by EWI with a rival trust a claim EWI denies. The activist investor said that unless Saba received satisfactory responses to questions raised over the sale, it could issue proceedings on behalf of EWI. Selling down EWIs highest conviction position at a price far below its current valuation and without consulting shareholders is self-evidently unacceptable, Mr Weinstein said in a letter attacking the board. Unsuccessful attempt at board seats Mr Weinstein, a hedge fund tycoon, has become a vocal critic of several UK-listed investment trusts over the past year as he wages a one-man assault on the sector. This has included Saba campaigns at nine close-ended investment trust boards taking aim at their performance. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his demands that the trusts vote to give Saba board seats so the hedge fund might run those funds, at least five of the nine UK investment trusts voted to restructure or liquidate last year because of pressure from the hedge fund. According to Sabas claim, EWIs SpaceX sale cost shareholders roughly 37m and appeared to be linked to an unsuccessful attempt by the board to engineer a merger with another trust managed by funds group Baillie Gifford, the US Growth Trust. Mr Weinsteins fund blocked that merger in December over concerns it would have allowed Baillie Gifford to keep the mandate for the trusts while requiring Saba to pause its activist campaign. The US hedge fund has long criticised Baillie Gifford over what it claims is its poor performance, while the latter has claimed that Mr Weinsteins fund is attempting to seize control of EWI. The Trump administration has captured Venezuela's leader and said it will revive its oil industry. Chevron stands to gain as it's the only US major still operating in Venezuela. Berkshire Hathaway, led by Greg Abel after Warren Buffett's exit as CEO, owns about 6% of Chevron. Investors are scrambling to identify potential winners from the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Trump's plan to "run" the nation and deliver an oil boom. Berkshire Hathaway is one contender thanks to its large bet on Chevron. "Berkshire should benefit from its 6% stake in Chevron, since it is the only US oil major in Venezuela," David Kass, a finance professor at the University of Maryland who's closely followed Berkshire for more than four decades, told Business Insider. Berkshire now led by Greg Abel following Warren Buffett's recent retirement as CEO is Chevron's largest corporate shareholder with a 6% stake worth about $19 billion, assuming Berkshire hasn't altered the wager since its latest portfolio update. The conglomerate counted the oil major as its fifth-largest stock position at the end of September 2025, representing about 7% of the total $267 billion value of its US stock portfolio. Berkshire poised to profit Greg Abel will make $25 million in cash in his new role. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Venezuela has the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, but decades of underinvestment in its oil infrastructure mean it only produces about 1% of global oil output. Chevron has secured short-term exemptions to US sanctions on Venezuela, allowing it to produce and export limited amounts of the country's oil. Rivals, including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, left Venezuela years ago following the nationalization of the country's oil industry and government seizures of foreign-owned assets. Trump said over the weekend that he envisions large US oil companies coming to Venezuela, fixing and modernizing its pipelines and refineries, and supercharging the country's oil production. Excited investors piled into oil stocks on Monday. Chevron shares surged as much as 6.3% on the day to a nine-month high of about $166, briefly valuing Berkshire's stake at over $20 billion. They retreated on Tuesday but are still up nearly 3% so far in 2026. Chevron already has stakes in five production projects in Venezuela, thanks to partnerships with affiliates of the country's state oil company. On an earnings call in August, CEO Mike Wirth highlighted Chevron's deep foothold in the country. He said it has been operating in Venezuela for more than a century, and has "played an important role in regional energy security, as well as maintaining American economic interests." NEW YORK (AP) Venezuela's oil industry has been in the spotlight since President Donald Trump used military force to capture the country's leader, President Nicolas Maduro. In the days that followed, Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela and tap its oil reserves. He said Venezuela stole U.S. oil, a reference to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's move decades ago to nationalize hundreds of foreign-owned assets, including those owned by American oil companies. Trump floated a plan for those companies to return and rebuild Venezuela's beleaguered oil industry. He later announced Venezuela would provide 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA said it is negotiations with the U.S. government for the sale of crude oil. The administration also selectively removed sanctions to enable the shipping and sale of Venezuelan oil to markets worldwide, saying the proceeds would settle in U.S.-controlled accounts and be disbursed to the American and Venezuelan populations, according to the Energy Department. The moves may be part of a long-term strategy to gain a foothold in a nation with vast oil reserves. Interest in Venezuela's vast oil reserves Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, and some energy analysts predict there wont be enough oil to meet global demand in coming years. The South American nation has an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil in the ground, which is about 17% of the worlds supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Unlike other parts of the world, where geologists have to search for untapped oil, the reserves under Venezuelas soil are largely mapped and known, experts say. But because of dilapidated infrastructure, the country only produces about 1% of the world's oil. Venezuela has enormous reserves, said Claudio Galimberti, global market analysis director and chief economist at Rystad Energy. If you ask any oil company around the world, go to their exploration team, their geologists, and ask them where is oil going to come from in the 2030s and 2040s, their answer is a rather scary, We dont know. So there is going to be a problem of finding oil in the next few years. In the short term, the global supply of oil exceeds demand, so increased production from Venezuela isnt critically needed. But the International Energy Agency estimates that under current policies approximately 25 million barrels per day of new oil supply projects will be needed by 2035 to keep markets in balance. A $130,000-a-year income left little room to breathe once a Florida caller laid out nearly $200,000 in consumer debt and just $3,000 in savings. Alyssa from Naples, Florida, contacted "The Ramsey Show" after reviewing her finances with her husband. Once their combined figures were tallied including nearly $200,000 in consumer debt, $60,000 tied up in cars, and just $3,000 in savings personal finance host Dave Ramsey delivered a blunt assessment. "You're freaking broke," Ramsey said, adding, "That lifestyle is absolutely asinine." Don't Miss: Missed Nvidia and Tesla? RAD Intel Could Be the Next AI Powerhouse Just $0.85 a Share Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Heres how you can earn passive income with just $10, starting today. Six Figures, Little Margin Despite earning about $11,500 a month, Alyssa said the couple feels ongoing financial pressure. She works as a mental health therapist and earns most of the income, while her husband works in construction. Before remarrying, the two handled their finances separately. "Between our combined finances, we're bringing in about $11,500 a month and still feel like we can't," she said, raising concerns about stability as a self-employed parent with a 9-year-old daughter and the difficulty of building savings. Debt That Crowded Out Progress When asked to list their obligations, Alyssa said the couple carries about $140,000 in student loan debt. Roughly $90,000 belongs to her, while about $40,000 belongs to her husband. They also owe about $60,000 on vehicles and have a mortgage balance of approximately $240,000. Trending: 7 Million Gamers Already Trust Gameflip With Their Digital Assets Now You Can Own a Stake in the Platform Before the Raise Ends 1/19 After those figures were laid out, co-host George Kamel shifted the focus to cash flow. "How much margin can we create every month to throw at that smallest debt?" he said, pointing to spending reductions as the primary lever rather than income growth. A Narrow Path Forward As Alyssa raised concerns about emergencies, Ramsey emphasized the need for immediate changes. He said the solution would require immediate, uncomfortable changes, including selling vehicles, eliminating vacations, and cutting spending deeply. "The more dramatic we change our life, the faster this is going to turn around," he said, adding that continuing to "goof around with it" would only prolong the stress. Ramsey urged the couple to redirect all available cash toward eliminating consumer debt. Payday looks very different today than it did generations ago. Instead of paper checks and trips to the bank, your paycheck can show up automatically sometimes even early thanks to direct deposit. But while direct deposit is common, many people dont fully understand how it works, what information it requires, or why employers and banks encourage it. Here's what you need to know about direct deposit and how it works. How does direct deposit work? Direct deposits are handled by the Automated Clearing House. Most people set up direct deposit through their employers payroll or HR system. This allows your employer to run payroll on scheduled paydays and electronically transfer your wages from the companys bank account directly into your personal bank account. Instead of receiving a paper check, your paycheck shows up as a deposit in your account. With direct deposit, youre paid on the same schedule as you would be with a physical check. If youre paid biweekly, for instance, direct deposit can be set up to deliver your pay every two weeks. If your paydays fall on the first and 15th of each month, direct deposit can follow that schedule as well. If youre self-employed, you can also set up direct deposit through your business payroll system. Youll first need a business bank account, which you can use to transfer funds to your personal account. Because payroll processing still takes a few days, its important to plan ahead. Make sure you pay yourself early enough to cover any bills that are set up on autopay from your personal account. It's important to note, however, that direct deposit isnt limited to paychecks. You can also use it to receive your tax refund, send or receive child support or alimony payments, or manage certain recurring bills. Read more: How to set up direct deposit for your tax refund Benefits of direct deposit Speed Paper checks hold up the payment process because you have to wait for payroll to run, paychecks to get issued, and the employee has to find time to deposit the check. With direct deposit, your company can run payroll, and you can receive those funds in your account within a couple of days. Secure Whether it's from the business side or the employer side, you don't run the risk of losing a paycheck with direct deposit. Everything happens electronically. Flexibility You can set up your direct deposit to split your paycheck across multiple accounts. For example, part of your pay can go into your regular checking account while another portion goes directly into a savings account. This allows you to build your savings automatically, without having to remember to move money after you get paid. Discounts and deals Some banks offer perks for setting up direct deposit. For example, by enrolling in direct deposit, you may be able to avoid monthly maintenance fees or even earn a cash bonus. Read more: What is early direct deposit, and which banks offer it? How can I set up a direct deposit? If you have a bank account, you can set up direct deposit. Whether you're starting a new job or your current job is moving to a direct deposit system, you'll need to talk to your company's payroll or human resources department to get started. You'll usually need: Your bank account number Your bank routing number The name of the financial institution The type of account you have (checking or savings, for example) You can usually find these details when you log into your online banking portal. You can also find your account and routing numbers on your personal checks. Some companies or payroll systems might have additional requests when you set up your account. For instance, some request you bring in a voided check with your banking information. After you've submitted your banking documents, your company will set up your payroll information and sync your data with their payroll schedule. Depending on your employer and the company's payroll system, getting set up can take a few days to several weeks. Ask your company's HR representative when to expect your first direct deposit. When you set up direct deposit, your company will have a payroll portal you can log into to check your payment details. This includes when you last got paid, how much that payment was, and how that check was paid out, including Social Security, Medicare, state taxes (if any), and any other withholdings you have set up. You can also find copies of your pay stubs to save for your records. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York courtroom Monday, two days after U.S. forces carried out a surprise raid in Venezuela, capturing the country's president at a military base and hustling him in handcuffs and blindfolded to a U.S. aircraft carrier. "I am innocent," he told the judge. Maduro who, with the help of his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, turned his native land into an economic basketcase in fealty to graft and socialism was indicted in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of conspiring with Colombian guerilla groups to traffic drugs into the United States. "The Venezuelan regime remains plagued by criminality and corruption," then-Attorney General William Barr noted in a press release at the time. "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." The military action highlighted the nation's political divisions, with many Democrats calling the move "illegal" and threatening reprisals against President Donald Trump. The White House could have indeed made things easier for itself by keeping Congress informed about its plan. But the action is not without precedent. President George H.W. Bush in 1989 approved a similar action without congressional authorization against Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. The courts upheld his apprehension and conviction on drug charges. Other presidents, including Barack Obama in Libya, have acted unilaterally to advance American interests. "The Constitution does not give a president the right to declare war," law professor Jonathan Turley posted on X. "However, presidents are allowed to use military forces without such a declaration." The question now: What comes next? Trump should consider a national address outlining his plans moving forward. The president initially said the United States would "run" Venezuela for the time being, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a softer interpretation of American intentions, saying Sunday that the United States would continue its blockade of Venezuelan oil exports as a means of pressuring the country to embrace a more prosperous course. No doubt Cuban officials, so dependent on Venezuelan oil, feel the heat. Meanwhile, Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, now serves as interim president. The Wall Street Journal describes her as a "hard-line socialist and regime stalwart." Ms. Rodriguez appeared defiant over the weekend, but Trump says she is "cooperating" with the United States. We'll see. Ultimately, the goal should be for the United States to facilitate free and fair elections in Venezuela while helping it rebuild its economic infrastructure. But, at the very least, there is one less collectivist tyrant in the Western Hemisphere. (COMMENT, BELOW) Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Premedical student Samah Khan discusses her article The crisis of physician shortages globally. Samah draws a powerful parallel between the medical exodus in Pakistan and the doctor deserts of Californias Central Valley, revealing how structural neglect drives providers away from the communities that need them most. She explores the root causes of this brain drain, from low wages to limited residency spots, and argues that health care systems must reshape their values to retain talent. The conversation highlights promising solutions like local recruitment tracks while emphasizing that without systemic change, patients will continue to suffer the cost of delayed care. Join us to understand why doctors leave and how we can anchor them back home. This episode is presented by Scholar Advising, a fee-only financial advising firm specializing in providing advice for DIY investors. If you want clear, actionable strategies and confidence that your financial decisions are built on objective advice without AUM fees or commissions, Scholar is designed for you. Physicians often navigate complex compensation structures, including W-2 income, 1099 work, production bonuses, and practice ownership. Scholars highly credentialed advisors guide high-earners through decisions like optimizing investments for long-term tax efficiency and expert strategies for financial independence. Every recommendation is tailored to the financial realities physicians face. VISIT SPONSOR https://scholaradvising.com/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended Transcript Kevin Pho: Hi. Welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today, we welcome Samah Khan. She is a premedical student. Todays KevinMD article is The crisis of physician shortages globally. Samah, welcome to the show. Samah Khan: Thank you for having me. Kevin Pho: All right. Tell us what led you to write this article and then talk about the article itself for those who didnt get a chance to read it. Samah Khan: Of course. This article came from a moment of really chilling clarity. I was sitting in Modesto, and my neighbor was talking about the fact that she had to drive two hours for a cardiologist. I sort of had this flashback of my fathers clinic in Pakistan where patients would literally walk for days from villages in Afghanistan just to see him. The landscapes couldnt be more different, right? One was arid and dry, and one was the agricultural heart of the global economy. But the symptoms were the same: the waiting and the profound physical distance between where sickness happens and where health care is allowed to exist. I realized that we diagnose this all wrong. We call it a physician shortage in the Valley, and we call it brain drain in Pakistan, but those are just different presenting complaints. If two patients with different histories show up with the same disease, you have to look for the common root cause. The root cause that I saw was a failure of value. Both systems, one through neglect and the other through active pull, fail to value keeping a doctor in the community that needs them the most. In Pakistan, it is a system that trains brilliant clinicians and then gives them no viable future. In California, it is a system that trains them in the Valley but doesnt counter the gravitational pull of the coasts. ADVERTISEMENT Writing it felt less like an opinion article and more like a case study. Here are two patients, Patient A and Patient B. Here are their vital signs: the wait times, the doctor-per-capita ratios. The diagnosis was structural abandonment and neglect. The treatment is that you have to design systems that make the doctors life and the patients dignity the central value and the central focus. I didnt want it just to be a comparison; I wanted it to be a warning. If it can happen in these two completely different places, it is not an anomaly. It is not a one-off phenomenon. It is a design feature of how we fail to build health care for the margins. If we dont change that design, the deserts will only keep growing. Kevin Pho: You contrast that physician shortage where someone had to drive two hours to see a cardiologist in Modesto, California, to your fathers practice in Pakistan. I am in New Hampshire. Tell me what Modesto, California, is like. What is the nearest big city? Just give us a picture of what that is like and how easy or difficult it is to see a clinician there. Samah Khan: Modesto is the worlds largest producer of almonds, I believe. If you drive down any road, you will see almond trees lining every single square inch. It is almost equally distant between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I think it is a little bit closer to San Francisco, but the Central Valley is really like what it sounds like: right smack dab in the middle of California. I know Fresno is exactly three hours between LA and SF. While there are some really good hospitals in Modesto (you have Sutter Health and you have Kaiser Permanente), a lot of specialized procedures will require you to drive up to San Francisco to go to UCSF or to go to Stanford to get your treatment. Kevin Pho: You mentioned in your fathers practice, a lot of physicians who were trained in Pakistan eventually leave, and I think you gave some data in your article: one in three Pakistani medical students plan to go overseas. What are some of the reasons why they dont stay in practice in Pakistan? Samah Khan: Pakistan will invest in medical schools; they will invest in education. But they are not investing in the salaries, in the job security, or in the health care infrastructure that could convince a graduate to stay. Obviously, every medical student wants the best salary. They want the best life to build a family. That is something they are going to find abroad. That is not something they are going to find in their own country. Kevin Pho: And are you seeing some similarities between that picture with whats going on in Modesto, California? Samah Khan: Absolutely. My school, UC Merced, just started a pipeline program to get students from the Central Valley into an eight-year combined bachelors and medical degree program with UCSF. So you are having these high school students getting a seat automatically in one of the top five medical schools in the country just to sort of convince them to stay in the Valley and work for the Valley, just like these homegrown physicians. There are steps to rectify these doctor deserts that I talked about, but the problem is still there. One program which admits 12 students a year isnt going to drastically change the landscape of these doctor deserts. While it is a good first step and it is successful, this should be a model for future programs. Kevin Pho: Have you talked to some of the medical students or clinicians in Modesto, California, in the Valley and got some reasons about why theyre leaving? Is it similar to what you said earlier, that they just want to leave for the coast and big cities? What are some of the specific reasons? Because it doesnt sound like Modesto, California, is that much of a rural area to me. Samah Khan: Certainly. Obviously, there is better weather, better pay, and more quality of life in the coastal areas. You have almost better prestige. Honestly, if you say you are a doctor in LA or SF, that is going to carry a little more gravitas than saying you are a doctor in Modesto or Fresno or Stockton. Also, these are sort of urban underserved areas (I wouldnt say rural, but more urban underserved) where they need a lot more primary care physicians. They need a lot more nurse practitioners as first-point-of-care clinicians than super-specialized ones. Kevin Pho: In fact, in your article, you talk about 42 percent of family medicine graduates staying in the Valley in 2024. So that really speaks to that lack of primary care, and I think that is endemic to the rest of the country as well in terms of finding that primary care clinician. Samah Khan: That is exactly right. Kevin Pho: So theres a certain irony, right? You wrote about these medical schools using public money to train these physicians and then they leave that area. Talk more about those programs. You mentioned a program in the past that hopefully would keep some of these physicians to stay in the Valley after they finish training. Samah Khan: Precisely. We cant just train more doctors. We have tried that. Pakistan trains them and they leave. California trains them and they just cluster. We have to be very specific: What are the precise and tangible conditions that make a doctor stay? For the Valleys PRIME programs, it was selecting students from the Valley, investing in them, and tying their training to the community, to Fresno, to Modesto. It is showing them that this is your home. We will make it possible for you to thrive here. That is a design intervention, and that is working. For Pakistan, it is a little harder. It is about rebuilding a system that is worth staying for, and that is a lot of brutal and long-term work. But the first step is just admitting that diagnosis: We dont have a doctor shortage; we have a retention crisis. You dont solve a retention crisis just by recruiting more people. You solve it by fixing the place that people are leaving. Kevin Pho: So you mentioned the PRIME track, and you said that it is working. Do we have any data? Give us some stories or examples that show that it is really moving the needle. Samah Khan: Definitely. That first cohort was actually admitted with me back in 2023. They are still completing their premedical studies as undergraduates. But everyone that I had met was so passionate about medicine, about the Valley, about staying where they had grown up, and building a practice, even not just joining a hospital. That speaks to the passion and the level of dedication that these students have to the Valley. Of course, they are small, it is like 12, 15 people every year. But having that sort of close-knit community is also very good. Kevin Pho: Its really interesting because whenever I hear about the doctor shortage, its primarily in rural areas, and you dont think of Modesto, California. But now youre seeing these doctor deserts, as you said, in these urban, I guess urban-light, areas as well. Right? Samah Khan: That is absolutely true. It is about the choice to reimburse a procedure in San Francisco at a rate that you have never offered in Stockton. Kevin Pho: Talking again about your fathers practice in Pakistan. So whats it like there? Are medical students still leaving? You talk about some structural changes. So is there any progress in Pakistan in terms of relieving some of these doctor deserts? Samah Khan: You know what? I wouldnt say that I have family back in Pakistan. I have friends who are training as medical students and they are all just so excited to take the USMLEs; they are so excited to get out of the country. Like my dad saw it firsthand as well. He was Cleveland Clinic trained. He could have had a lucrative career here, but he chose Pakistan. For years he was that anchor in the community. But for every one of him, how many other brilliant physicians are looking at the crumbling system and the threats and the exhaustion and just getting on a plane? Kevin Pho: So I understand that you are studying for a masters in public health. From a public policy standpoint, what are some of the policy solutions that can help with these doctor deserts? And like you said, its not necessarily a doctor shortage, but its more of a retention problem. Is there a policy solution that can help address this? Samah Khan: Without a doubt. Pakistan as a country spends less than 1 percent of its GDP on health care. You can see that manifest physically. If we put a little more spending into something that is a basic human birthright, we will see results. It will make more doctors stay; it will increase quality of life for patients. I think the same goes for California. Obviously, it has the worlds fourth largest economy; it could be a country on its own. Just spending a little more money in the right places, redistributing funds, not even pulling from anything else. In my MPH classes, we are talking about countries making ethical agreements, like India making ethical agreements with countries abroad to give their physicians there because they have a surplus of really brilliant clinicians and these abroad countries want them. But as my professor said, it is kind of like having dogs that you are not feeding, and your neighbor comes and sees the dogs and says: Oh, you have a surplus of dogs; we will take them. It is not that you have a surplus of dogs. The problem is not the surplus; it is neglect. The fact that you make a polite agreement with your neighbor to give them the dogs doesnt change the fact that you are not feeding them at home. So I think the real solution here is to start feeding your dogs at home. Kevin Pho: So you mentioned more funding, more money. Of course in health care, thats going to be a tough ask. So again, lets say if you were in charge of public policy, what are some specific ways that we can reallocate those funds to help with that doctor desert in the Valley of California? Samah Khan: For sure. I would definitely put funding into these pipeline programs. Obviously, a homegrown physician is the ideal solution to this. I would invest in rural health clinics and community health workers, these anchors of the community that unfortunately dont get enough recognition. There are a lot of other problems in the Central Valley. There is water insecurity. There is a large farmworker population. They have their own slew of health issues and corresponding health barriers. I conducted a secret shopper audit of pharmacies in Fresno, and I found that 11 out of 95 listed pharmacies were closed, not open to the public, not public-facing pharmacies. A large majority were not accepting new patients for controlled medications. Only one in three really said: Yes, we are accepting new patients. That showed me that it is not just a doctor desert; it is a pharmacy desert. It is really just a health care desert. The next step after a patient sees a doctor is to go to the pharmacy and get their medication. If they cant do that, then you label that as patients in Central Valley having low medication adherence or low compliance. But the fact is that they are just being turned away at every point in their journey. Kevin Pho: So you studied in the Valley in California. Maybe give us a little pitch. What are some of the reasons why you think physicians should stay in the Valley? What are some of the perks and draws of practicing in the Valley? Samah Khan: Totally. It is sort of like that supply and demand where there is a lot of demand and very low supply. Obviously, there is the prestige, the recognition from the community, the gratitude, and the instant validation that you get from treating these patients who are starved of this resource. There are a lot of hospitals offering insanely high packages, insanely high salaries, to doctors who are willing to come just to sort of attract them and keep them there. I think honestly if you look in the right places, you can find higher salaries in the Valley than you can on the coast, just depending on which hospital you work at. The coastal areas are suffering from overpopulation and overcrowding. They are going to eventually migrate towards the middle. The real estate markets in Modesto and Fresno are booming because people are commuting a lot more to their jobs in the San Francisco area and Los Angeles. So there is a lot of long-term potential for your job security, and they need you. Kevin Pho: Yeah, and sometimes its just more than money because as you said, these hospitals in Modesto are offering insanely high salaries, but people still arent coming. So it has to be more than money that draws physicians to practice in the Valley. Samah Khan: You are absolutely right. It is just that really stark hunger for physicians. Kevin Pho: We are talking to Samah Khan. She is a premedical student. Todays KevinMD article is The crisis of physician shortages globally. Samah, lets end with some take-home messages that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience. Samah Khan: Yes. I actually want to leave this message just to look upstream. The patient in your office is often the endpoint of a broken system. You should advocate for them by also advocating for audits, like of the algorithms, of the policies, of the insurance directories that failed them long before they reached you. That upstream ounce of prevention truly outweighs any downstream pound of cure. Kevin Pho: Thank you so much for sharing your perspective and insight. Thanks again for coming on the show. Samah Khan: Thank you so much. Early indications in the Palestinian presidential elections show former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is set to win by a comfortable margin. Polling closed at 1900 GMT, two hours later than scheduled after voting difficulties forced an extension. One exit poll, by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, gave Mr Abbas 66% of the vote and his closest challenger, Mustafa Barghouti, 19.7%. A high margin of victory, as well as good voter turnout, are considered crucial if Mr Abbas is to command enough of a mandate to push through his agenda of peace talks and an end to the armed Palestinian uprising. Although a final result is not expected until tomorrow, supporters of Mr Abbas are already celebrating. This is the first presidential election for Palestinians since 1996, and about 1.1 million people registered to vote. There were problems with registration, heavy turnout and the turning away of hundreds of voters from a big Israeli-run polling station in East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem has special voting arrangements, with Palestinians allowed to vote in Israeli post offices. Voters complained Israeli officials were not allowing them to vote even though the Palestinian central election commission had properly registered them. Mr Abbas himself cast his vote at the Ramallah compound where the late leader of the Palestinians Yasser Arafat is buried. He said the vote was taking place in a marvellous fashion. It is an illustration of how the Palestinian people aspire to democracy, he said. The death of Mr Arafat in November last year has raised hopes for new peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, had refused to do business with Mr Arafat. Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is the nominated candidate and a founding member of the main Palestinian political faction, Fatah. [] Courtesy BBC News In context Mahmoud Abbas was formally sworn in as president on 15 January. Despite Mr Abbas support for a return to peaceful resistance, attacks by militant groups continued after his election. However, Mr Abbas deployed Palestinian police in northern Gaza and by February had persuaded Hamas and Islamic Jihad to begin a temporary, unofficial cessation of violence. Mr Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon went on to announce a mutual ceasefire at a summit in Egypt, although the militant groups stopped short of making it official. In August, Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip, with emotional scenes as Israeli troops removed some settlers by force. Mr Sharons policies caused bitter resentment within his party, Likud, and in November 2005 he resigned to form a new centrist party of his own. He suffered a stroke in January 2006, and has been in a coma ever since. Like this: Like Loading... Health tech gadgets displayed at the annual CES trade show make a lot of promises. A smart scale promoted a healthier lifestyle by scanning your feet to track your heart health, and an egg-shaped hormone tracker uses AI to help you figure out the best time to conceive. Tech and health experts, however, question the accuracy of products like these and warn of data privacy issues especially as the federal government eases up on regulation. The Food and Drug Administration announced during the show in Las Vegas that it will relax regulations on low-risk general wellness products such as heart monitors and wheelchairs. Its the latest step President Donald Trumps administration has taken to remove barriers for AI innovation and use. The White House repealed former President Joe Bidens executive order establishing guardrails around AI, and last month, the Department of Health and Human Services outlined its strategy to expand its use of AI. Booths at the conference showcased new tech designed to help people living in rural areas with their health care needs amid doctor shortages, boost research into womens health and make life easier for people with disabilities. AI technologies have benefits in the over $4.3 trillion health care industry, according to Marschall Runge, professor of medical science at the University of Michigan. Theyre good at analyzing medical imaging and can help streamline doctors busy schedules, but they can also promote biases and hallucinate, providing incorrect information stated as fact. I would urge people not to think that the technology is the same as a well-resourced, thoughtful, research-driven medical professional, said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation. Privacy protections like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act do not cover information collected by consumer devices, and the companies could be using the data to train their AI mode ls, or selling it to other businesses, Cohn said. With a lot of the gadgets at CES, its difficult to find out where your information is going, Cohn said. You have to dig down through the fine print to try to figure that out, and I just dont think thats fair or right for the people who might rely on it, she said. But the creators of the products say their innovations fill in health care gaps, and they maintain they protect their customers privacy. Sylvia Kang, founder and CEO of Mira, said she created the egg-shaped hormone tracker because many of her friends were trying to conceive and realized they had no knowledge of their hormonal health. To use the worlds mini hormone lab, you dip a wand in urine, insert the wand into the monitor and look at the results on the app. Kang said her company uses AI to analyze female hormone data and has one of the worlds biggest hormonal health banks. The data is stored on the cloud and is not shared with anyone, Kang said. There was no such thing before, Kang said of her $250 product. Many gadgets at CES focused on womens health, which has been historically under-researched and underfunded. Before 1993, women were excluded from clinical trials, and there still is little research on areas like menopause. While not every woman will have a baby, all women go through menopause, and yet we know nothing about it, said Amy Divaraniya, founder and CEO of the womens health company Oova, during a session. JESSICA HILL, LAS VEGAS, MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... Mukesh Awasti was all set to leave for Australia to pursue a degree in civil engineering on a sunny day in September, but instead he joined a youth revolt against corruption in Nepal and lost his leg after being shot by security forces. Lying on a hospital bed at the National Trauma Center in the capital Kathmandu where his leg was amputated, 22-year-old Awasti said he regrets giving up so much for the little that has been achieved after the sacrifices of so many people. Violent protests in Kathmandu that began Sept. 8 left 76 people dead and more than 2,300 injured before the demonstrations fueled by Gen Z activists forced the appointment on Sept. 12 of Nepals first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge who has promised fresh elections in March. Since then, the interim government and its leader have come under criticism from many of the people who took part in the protests and expected major changes in the Himalayan nation. I am regretting my decision to take part in the protest because they have been zero achievement from the new government we brought which has failed us, Awasti said. There should be end to corruption which has not happened and the people who opened fire on the demonstrations should have been arrested but that that has also not happened either. So far the governments anti-graft agency has filed one significant corruption case that does not include key political figures. The politicians accused of corruption by protesters are preparing to contest upcoming elections and there has been no case filed against leaders who were in power when protesters were injured in September. Demonstrators say promises have not been met Dozens of demonstrators, including some who were injured in September, recently have protested against the government they brought to power. These protests outside the prime ministers office has been held in the past few weeks with police forced to break some of them. We are back here in the street because the government has failed to live up to their promise. There are so many families of those who lost their lives and many who were injured but what has the government done? Nothing, said Suman Bohara, who walks with crutches on a shattered right foot. We are here because we are compelled to. Tens of thousands of mostly young demonstrators first gathered in Kathmandu on Sept. 8 to protest widespread corruption, lack of opportunities, employment and poor governance, which was triggered by a ban on social media. They broke through police barricades and attempted to enter parliament, only to be shot by security forces. A day later, the protests spread across the country. Angry mobs burned down the offices of the prime minister and president, police stations and the homes of top politicians who were forced to flee on army helicopters. The army eventually stepped in to restore control and negotiations ended with Karkis appointment and the key task of conducting parliamentary elections. The government has said it is determined to meet that goal. As the world is looking forward to a smooth change in government through our elections on March 5, I want to assure that we will deliver these elections, Karki said. Our preparations are almost complete, and the security environment has improved a lot with our security apparatus is assured enough. Gen Z groups show a lack of clarity Different demands have emerged from separate groups among the young protesters including direct election of prime ministers, scrapping the present constitution and jailing all previous politicians. There is no single leader or group but rather several individuals who have claimed to represent Nepals voice in the Gen Z movement. The lack of clarity among the protesters since September has been a key hurdle in Nepal, according to analysts. All the confusion right now in Nepal is because of the lack of clarity among the Gen Z groups on what they are demanding and how the government was formed, said Abeeral Thapa, principal of Polygon College of Journalism and Mass Communications in Kathmandu. Some are beginning to oppose the planned elections in March, saying their protest was not intended only to bring about elections for a new Parliament, while their demands to end corruption and arrest all the corrupt politicians should be fulfilled immediately. Other groups seek elections that would bring new lawmakers who would perform all these tasks. It has not been clear how powerful the government is and the limitations on a mandate to fulfill all the demands from the people who brought the interim leaders to office. When appointing the interim government, the president mentioned that the key purpose was to conduct elections for Parliament. Thapa noted Nepals constitution does not have a specific provision for forming an interim government. A line in the document reads, The main duty of the President shall be to abide and protect the constitution. BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, KATHMANDU, MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... More artificial intelligence is being implanted into Gmail as Google tries to turn the worlds most popular email service into a personal assistant that can improve writing, summarize far-flung information buried in inboxes and deliver daily to-do lists. The new AI features announced yesterday could herald a pivotal moment for Gmail, a service that transformed email when it was introduced nearly 22 years ago. Since then, Gmail has amassed more than 3 billion users to become nearly as ubiquitous as Googles search engine. Gmails new AI options will only be available in English within the United States for starters, but the company is promising to expand the technology to other countries and other languages as the year unfolds. The most broadly available tool will be a Help Me Write option designed to learn a users writing style so it can personalize emails and make real-time suggestions on how to burnish the message. Google is also offering subscribers who pay for its Pro and Ultra services access to technology that mirrors the AI Overviews thats been built into its search engine since 2023. Like this: Like Loading... Recent government data reveals that Macao Union Hospital currently has about 488 medical staff members and plans to recruit skilled professionals from mainland China to improve the quality and range of its specialized medical services. According to O Lam, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, the total number of healthcare professionals in Macau exceeded 8,000 as of last November, including over 2,000 doctors and 3,000 nurses, as well as 557 speech, occupational, and physical therapists. Notably, Macao Union Hospital has met its recruitment target of 719 staff members, with approximately 60% being healthcare personnel. The hospital in Cotai has been operating on a trial basis for over two years and plans to formally take over the Outlying Islands Emergency Station, currently managed by the Health Bureau (SSM), later this month to provide emergency services. However, the authorities have clarified that these services do not include emergency center care for severe or critical illnesses like heart disease. Patients requiring such care will still need to be transferred to Conde S. Januario Hospital on the Macau peninsula. Alongside the launch of emergency services, the hospital will also offer 24-hour laboratory and radiology services for Taipa and Coloane residents, with the scope of these services currently under evaluation. At a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, authorities acknowledged a shortage of specialist physicians in Macau and stated that efforts will be made to recruit high-caliber professionals from mainland China to provide advanced medical services at Macao Union Hospital. Plans also include training local resident physicians, leveraging collaborative strengths to offer professional training for Macaus youth, with the aim of cultivating future specialists dedicated to serving the region. Like this: Like Loading... The new University Town to be established in Hengqin will launch 42 courses and interdisciplinary academic research, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam, announced at the Legislative Assembly (AL). According to the Secretary, in response to an inquiry from lawmaker Song Pek Kei, the project will be constructed in three phases, with basic completion expected by 2030. In the first phase, the University of Macau (UM), Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), and Macao University of Tourism (UTM) will move into approximately 65,000 square meters of facilities in the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. This is expected to happen between August and September this year. In this first phase, the institutions will conduct postgraduate activities, with the initial number of students enrolled expected to be around 1,200 across 42 courses. The 42 courses offered in the first phase will be distributed across the different institutions, with UM offering a total of 23, UTM 12, and the remaining seven offered by MPU. The project also aims to recruit international students, which will be a key focus of the second phase. Regarding staff, one of the main matters addressed in the inquiry by lawmaker Song, O Lam stated that the three universities will conduct a joint open recruitment drive for Macau residents in the first half of this year, with a particular focus on young people. Song raised concerns about local involvement in the process and the recruitment of foreign talent to contribute to the reputation and image of the University Town. In response to Songs concerns, the Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau, Kong Chi Meng, stated that several local institutions are in discussions with internationally renowned universities about joint programs to attract international talent to Macau, including staff and students. According to Kong, these talks are expected to lead to partnerships between local and internationally renowned universities to share experiences, conduct joint research, and offer exchange programs. Focus on science and engineering The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam, in providing more details on the project proposed by lawmakers, added that the Hengqin University Town will focus on science and engineering disciplines to cultivate interdisciplinary research talent. This includes the University of Macau establishing a medical school, an IT science school, an engineering school, and a design school, with undergraduate and postgraduate students comprising 55% and 45% of the student body, respectively. The Macao Polytechnic University and Macao University of Tourism will offer courses in environmental intelligence, smart tourism, international convention and event management, Portuguese language, and economics and trade, O Lam further remarked. Like this: Like Loading... A local woman has fallen victim to a scam involving criminals posing as mainland public security officials, losing MOP50,000. Judiciary Police said the victim received a call on Wednesday from someone claiming to be a mainland police officer, alleging her phone was linked to fraud cases. The scammers instructed her to share her screen and delete mobile applications, during which she entered personal information. She later received a bank alert showing MOP50,000 had been transferred from her account. Like this: Like Loading... The military parade on the occasion of Victory Day on November 8 was not just a solemn event, but also a clear demonstration of the profound changes that have taken place in the sphere of Azerbaijan's national security. Everyone watched the parade and remembers the impression made by the passage of military units and samples of military equipment in service with the Armed Forces of the country. The presented samples of modern military equipment and new combat units have become a symbol of consistent and systematic work to strengthen Azerbaijan's defense capability. And the intrigue lies in the fact that not everything that our army is armed with today was shown at the parade. Some of the weapons have been demonstrated, some have not yet been demonstrated, but the time will come, President Ilham Aliyev said in a recent interview with TV channels. Over the past five years, Azerbaijan has not stood still. On the contrary, Victory became the starting point for a large-scale modernization of the Armed Forces. In the rapidly changing geopolitical situation, the country's leadership has relied on technological modernization of the army, improving the quality of management, developing mobility and precision of combat capabilities. As a result, the Azerbaijani army today has a disproportionately higher level of combat readiness than during the Patriotic War. Without going into details, the President put it this way: "In any case, we have significantly increased our potential. If we compare the Azerbaijani army in terms of weapons and combat capability today and when we won the Patriotic War, we are several times stronger today. I think this assessment is sufficient to characterize. I won't say how many times, but several times. And this, of course, gives us confidence in our abilities." Although Baku does not shout about its military might on every corner, it is precisely this paucity of information about the real capabilities of our armed forces that makes everyone keep their distance. No one doubts that this power is real after the 2020 war. It is also known that Azerbaijan is increasing its defense budget, and these billions are used for specific purposes. Azerbaijan is building, or rather strengthening, a combat-ready army. Not because he's preparing for war. President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stressed that we are not going to fight, but events in the world are changing every day, and we need to be prepared for anything. Although, as the head of state emphasizes, our wars are in the past. Everything that Azerbaijan achieved in the five post-war years was not the result of escalation, but a combination of force, diplomacy and political will. The way the world works, the force component is especially important here. New regional realities have been formed, which are now perceived by the international community as an objective fact. Today's world is really full of surprises and, unfortunately, not pleasant ones. A stable and just peace is possible only with a strong army and a reliable security system. That is why, in parallel with diplomatic efforts, the process of rearmament, the creation of new military formations and the introduction of advanced technologies has been going on for five years. Azerbaijan is not only acquiring weapons, but also developing its own military-industrial complex. If at first it was only an effort to reduce dependence on imports, now the country's military-industrial complex products have become one of the export positions. As the President of Azerbaijan noted, unfortunately, the number of wars in the world is growing, and accordingly, the demand for military products is growing. Prices for weapons are also rising rapidly. First of all, for ammunition. Therefore, the head of state believes, it can become an alternative source of currency for us. Given the rising prices of weapons in the world, the revenues of the Azerbaijani military-industrial complex will also grow. Prices are really rising against the background of the ongoing war in Ukraine. At the 71st session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held in Slovenia, it was reported that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, prices on the global arms market have increased several times. For example: Grad missiles have increased in price by 7 times, tank shells - by 6.2 times, artillery shells - by 4 times, tanks - by 1.3 times. The President has set a short-term goal to increase exports to one billion dollars. The Head of State is confident that this is a realistic goal, and it can be achieved in three to four years. Moreover, there is interest in the products of the Azerbaijani military-industrial complex from foreign companies. It should be noted that in 2024-2025, $1 billion was invested in the defense industry of Azerbaijan. In 2025, the country's military-industrial complex sold products worth 1.38 billion manats, of which one billion accounted for exports. Today, 17 countries are acquiring Azerbaijani-made weapons. Licenses for the production of defense products were issued to 15 companies. It is expected that the volume of private sector investments in this area will soon exceed 1 billion manats. The volume of sales in 2026 is expected to exceed 420 million manats. In December, the Military Industrial Complex of Azerbaijan celebrated its professional holiday. At an event dedicated to this date, Defense Industry Minister Vugar Mustafayev noted that in order to promptly and efficiently meet the needs of the armed Forces, large-scale modernization works are being carried out at enterprises of the Azerbaijani defense industry, production facilities are being updated, and the level of digitalization and automation is increasing. As a result of the increased production capacities of the plants, timely and high-quality fulfillment of state defense orders is ensured, as well as the export potential is expanding. Currently, 15 private licensed companies operate in the defense industry in Azerbaijan. They produce electronics, electronic warfare equipment, missile systems and other high-tech products, as well as conduct research in the field of artificial intelligence. The products of a number of private companies have already been transferred to the armed forces as part of a government order. According to the agency, the state order has been fulfilled by 97 percent. By the way, on December 16, 2025, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan turned 20 years old. Comparing the state of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Karabakh War and today, military experts speak of unprecedented qualitative growth. Undoubtedly, this fact gives us all confidence. Let's not talk about the world as a whole, but regionally, Azerbaijan's military might is a real force capable of guaranteeing stability on our borders. Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Karabakh War has been recognized by the world, and no one has any doubts or questions about its legitimacy. Azerbaijan's actions were self-defensive and fully consistent with international law. That is why the realities formed after the war were recognized by the world community. This is all that Azerbaijan needed. He no longer wants to fight, he has fulfilled his task by ensuring his integrity and sovereignty, he does not claim anyone's lands. But the reality is that only force can guarantee security. Therefore, he continues to buy weapons, continues to modernize the army and increase combat training. International law has operated intermittently before, but today this mechanism for maintaining peace and order no longer works. Therefore, each country should think about its own security on its own. For Azerbaijan, a strong, modern and high-tech army is not an instrument of war, but a guarantee that wars in our region will truly remain a relic of the past. Guangdong and Macau authorities are exploring ways to streamline social security policies for Macau residents in Hengqin and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) while promoting employment opportunities for young residents. The announcement came during a delegation visit organized by the Guangdong-Macau working group, which included representatives from the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and the Social Security Fund (FSS). At a recent meeting, the Guangdong-Macau Specialized Group for Cooperation in Labor and Social Security Affairs joined Guangdongs Human Resources and Social Security Department, where the two pledged to strengthen cooperation across labor, employment, skills assessment, and social security. Both parties analyzed the results previously achieved by the Guangdong-Macau Specialized Group, and also exchanged views on future cooperation guidelines in four key areas: Labor Inspection, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Assessment of Technical Skills, and Social Security, yesterdays DSAL statement said. From the talks, several agreements emerged, including professional internships for Macau youth and measures to boost synergistic growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Agreements included a new data-sharing mechanism for social security between Guangdong and Macau, expanded reciprocal recognition of professional technical levels, and new exam and training centers for rehabilitation specialists handling work-related accidents. DSAL also highlighted rising participation in one test, multiple certificates programs, including new Macau exam points for elderly caregivers. Future plans discussed include expanding the vocational skills recognition list to cover new energy vehicle repair and Building Information Modeling (BIM), as well as one test, multiple certificates recognition for aesthetics and barbering. The inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau GBA Entrepreneurship Competition was praised during the meeting for spotlighting AI, biotech, and food tech innovations. Attendees pledged to continue refining youth projects and enhancing broader support across Macau and the GBA. The group also tackled issues related to cross-border labor, vowing to enhance prevention and resolution mechanisms. Both sides stated that they will leverage annual meetings and inspection training to deepen labor inspection ties and information exchanges, safeguarding workers rights. Like this: Like Loading... The Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District launched a six-week consumer carnival on to boost holiday spending, targeting about 500 merchants with electronic coupons and lucky draws. The 17th edition of the Northern District Consumer Carnival runs from Jan. 12 through Feb. 20, spanning the Chinese Lunar New Year period. Raymond Wong, president of the association, announced the initiative at a press conference yesterday at the Bank of China Building. He told attendees that the promotion targets the catering and retail sectors. Participating businesses are mainly in the catering and retail sectors, Wong said. Registration remains open as organizers aim to cover about half of the businesses in the Northern District. To create a synergistic effect, some participants will offer additional discounts on top of the standard promotions. Wong expects these discounts to boost business by 20 to 30%. Detailing the system, Ma Kin Cheong, director-general of the association, explained that participants using the BOCPAY feature in the Bank of China mobile banking app can qualify. Shoppers spending MOP100 or more at participating merchants from Monday to Friday via Bank of China POS machines or BOC payment QR codes can draw up to three electronic vouchers. The vouchers are offered in denominations of MOP10, MOP20, MOP30, or MOP50 each. Each registered BOC Macau Mobile Banking user gets up to three coupon voucher draws and one entry for the grand prize draw per weekday. Entries for the lucky draw will accumulate to be drawn later at the closing ceremony in March. To redeem their vouchers, users must use them at double value within 14 days through BOC Macau Mobile Banking at participating merchants using a double redemption method. For example, a purchase of MOP20 will allow participants to use a MOP10 electronic coupon, Ma clarified. Prizes include smartphones, digital products, home appliances, and consumer vouchers. Regarding the budget for the consumer carnival, Wong said initial electronic coupons cost about MOP1 million, and that the total budget depends on consumer spending. Prize money and awards total about MOP1.3 million, with MOP1 million in electronic coupons and the rest in prizes. The prior edition of the Northern District Consumer Carnival ran from December 2023 to February 2024. Like this: Like Loading... A tour bus collided with a motorcycle Wednesday evening on Avenida do Dr. Ma Man Kei in Zone A, injuring two people. A 32-year-old mainland Chinese passenger suffered a head laceration and back contusion, while the 52-year-old local rider sustained a hand laceration. Both were hospitalized and conscious. The Public Security Police (PSP) said the bus likely failed to maintain a safe distance. Alcohol tests for both drivers were negative. The tour bus driver is facing prosecution. Like this: Like Loading... A prominent tycoon wanted by United States federal prosecutors for allegedly running one of Asias largest transnational criminal networks has been arrested and extradited to China, Cambodian authorities and Chinese state media said. Chen Zhi, 38, a national of China and Cambodia, was extradited on Tuesday after a months-long investigation by the two countries, Cambodias Interior Ministry said in a statement a day later. Chens Cambodian citizenship had been revoked, the ministry added. The operation was conducted at the request of the Chinese government, the ministry said, though it is unclear what charges Chen faces in China. He was arrested alongside two other Chinese nationals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chen is the founder and chairman of Prince Group, which bills itself as one of Cambodias biggest conglomerates, with investments in luxury real estate, banking services, hotels, and major construction developments. But US federal prosecutors say his business empire was fueled by forced labor and cryptocurrency scams that conned victims the world over and at one point were allegedly earning Chen and his associates $30 million every day. Vehicles drive past the Prince International Plaza in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on October 15, 2025. - Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images In October, the US Treasury Department and UK Foreign Office sanctioned Prince Group and dozens of its affiliates, designating them transnational criminal organizations. Chen was charged in absentia in New York with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, along with several associates. Prosecutors also seized $15 billion in cryptocurrency from Chen following a years-long investigation, in what the Justice Department said was the largest forfeiture action in its history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the indictment was announced, several other jurisdictions including Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan announced seizures or freezes of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets linked to Chen. CNN has reached out to lawyers representing Prince Group for comment on Chens arrest. Prince Group has previously denied engaging in unlawful activity, calling the allegations baseless and aimed at justifying the unlawful seizure of assets, according to a statement published on its website. Chinese state media CCTV released footage Thursday of a handcuffed and hooded Chen being escorted from an airplane by Chinese security forces following his extradition. Alleged cybercrime kingpin Chen Zhi is extradited from Cambodia to China. - The Ministry of Public Security/Weibo Chen Zhi in custody of Chinese police upon arrival in China. - The Ministry of Public Security/Weibo At present, Chen Zhi has been placed under compulsory criminal measures in accordance with the law, and the related cases are under further investigation, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. It described Chen as the ringleader of a major cross-border online gambling and fraud criminal syndicate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinese authorities will also issue wanted notices for the first group of key members of the Chen Zhi criminal syndicate and will resolutely apprehend all fugitives and bring them to justice, a ministry official said. Cambodia has recently come under more pressure to act against the scam networks operating within its borders. In its statement, the interior ministry said Chens arrest was within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime has said the criminal networks that run the scam hubs are evolving at an unprecedented scale, despite highly publicized crackdowns last year. This arrest reflects sustained international pressure finally reaching a point where continued inaction became untenable for Phnom Penh, said Jacob Sims, visiting fellow at Harvard Universitys Asia Center and a transnational crime expert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It defused escalating Western scrutiny while aligning with Beijings likely preference to keep a politically sensitive case out of US and UK courts. What does arrest mean for US charges? Analysts say Chens extradition to China will mean it is highly unlikely he will face justice in the US, at least in the short term. China does not have an extradition treaty with the US and the two countries are embroiled in a deepening geopolitical and economic rivalry. This outcome effectively shields Chen from US jurisdiction, said Sims. The global scam industry, much of it centered in Southeast Asia, is estimated to be worth between $50 billion and $70 billion. In 2023 it conned victims in the United States alone out of at least $10 billion dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The massive industry relies on hundreds of thousands of people who have been trafficked or lured to work in heavily guarded scam compounds, where they are forced to carry out investment or romance scams known as pig butchering, to con ordinary people out of their life savings. US prosecutors allege Chen and others operated at least 10 forced labor camps across Cambodia since 2015 to engage in cryptocurrency investment schemes under the threat of violence. Authorities allege they laundered criminal proceeds through the business and bribed government officials to stay ahead of criminal investigations and raids on the compounds. Prince Group, American and British authorities allege, was the umbrella for more than 100 shell companies and entities allegedly used to funnel laundered cash across 12 countries and territories from Singapore to St Kitts and Nevis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chen and others used the stolen money to buy Picasso artwork, private jets and properties in upscale neighborhoods of London, as well as supplying bribes to public officials, according to prosecutors in New York. Analysts say Chen faces a number of outstanding legal issues in China, though the charges remain opaque and have not compelled his extradition until now. What is clear, however, is that Beijing has strong incentives to handle this quietly and internally, given the political sensitivities surrounding his business empire, its regional ties, and in particular, a number of reported ties to various Chinese government officials, Sims said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 Steven Sim, in his first public address as Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, today signalled a shift in government focus towards helping businesses survive and grow after a series of labour reforms aimed at strengthening worker protections. Speaking at the inaugural Malaysia Brand Day, which also marked his first official public event in the role, Sim said the Prime Minister had given him a new mandate following recent measures such as minimum wage increases of between 10 and 15 per cent, the first-ever rise in median monthly wages above RM3,000, and the introduction of protections for gig workers. Sim said he had previously introduced himself as a minister of workers, having spent the past two years helming the Human Resource Ministry, before being tasked by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with a new mission under the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives portfolio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After we jaga pekerja, the next mandate is to jaga the owners, he said, using the Malay word meaning to take care of. Sim warned that Malaysian businesses are facing twin geo-economic pressures, including direct global competition and rising protectionism, cautioning that maintaining the status quo could place firms at risk. Business as usual means businesses going out of business, he said, adding that the current environment made reform both urgent and necessary. The inaugural Malaysia Brand Day is Malaysias first-ever national brand showcase. It is held to showcase local brands and encourage Malaysians to buy locally produced, manufactured and marketed products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sim said these challenges were raised directly by the business community, noting that he met around 30 businessmen representing more than 10 SME associations at his office a day earlier, many of whom voiced concerns over shrinking margins and intensifying foreign competition. He said some local firms were struggling as overseas producers increasingly sell directly into the Malaysian market, bypassing domestic intermediaries, adding that Malaysia must be cautious about tariff-style responses given its position as a smaller economy. Outlining his ministrys priorities, Sim said the government will focus on four key areas productivity, bureaucracy, capital access and market development which he described as the core strategy moving forward. Under the productivity pillar, he said small and medium enterprises, which make up more than 90 per cent of businesses, must improve efficiency through greater digitalisation, automation and skills development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On bureaucracy, Sim said entrepreneurs had made it clear that government processes must not become a burden to business growth. Businessmen told me, dont give money never mind just dont kacau, he said, adding that simplifying procedures would be a key focus so the government does not become an obstacle. Sim acknowledged that access to financing remains a major bottleneck, particularly for SMEs with viable products, brands and customers but limited cash flow following the pandemic. Expansion needs money, and capital accessibility is something we must fix, he said. He added that developing market access would be the fourth focus area, urging large corporations and government-linked companies to source more from local SMEs alongside efforts to expand into export markets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sim said Malaysia must also rethink its long-standing reliance on cost-based incentives for foreign investors as global economic realignments reshape trade and manufacturing. For decades, we competed as a cost centre. Going forward, we must become a value centre, he said. He cited Malaysian brands such as Jimmy Choo, Eu Yan Sang and Ghee Hiang as examples of local companies that have successfully gone global, adding that Malaysias geography, talent pool and openness to trade remain strong advantages. Sim said the renewed emphasis on entrepreneurship and branding aligns with the Prime Ministers broader push to strengthen SMEs, citing measures announced in the recent policy address including RM2.5 billion in financing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Half of the allocation, he said, is channelled to SMEs that have never received funding, alongside tax refunds to improve cash flow, rental support and reductions in indirect taxes. This is about sending a clear signal that we want to get things right. We want Malaysian businesses not just to survive, but to succeed. Malaysia Brand Day is being held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from today until Friday, from 10am to 6pm. KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Malaysian prosecutors said on Thursday that they have put an end to their corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying that there was insufficient evidence to continue. The move by the Attorney General's Chambers came more than two years after graft charges against Ahmad Zahid, the leader of a key partner in Malaysia's ruling coalition, were dropped to allow prosecutors to conduct further investigations. The Kuala Lumpur High Court in September 2023 granted Ahmad Zahid a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on 47 charges involving criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering related to funds connected to his charitable foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2023 decision raised questions about the government's commitment to fighting corruption cases, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's party dependent on the support of Ahmad Zahid's United Malays National Organisation to maintain its parliamentary majority. The AGC said on Thursday that it has decided that no further action will be taken in relation to the case, adding that the decision was in line with the power and authority of the Attorney General under the Federal Constitution and related laws. "After examining all the materials and new evidence obtained from the results of the further investigations and research, the AGC, based on the assessment and consideration of the prosecution, found that the available evidence is insufficient to support continuation of the prosecution for all the charges in question," it said in a statement. The decision was made "taking into account the interests of justice, integrity of the prosecution process, as well as the need to ensure certainty and accuracy in the criminal justice system," it added. (Reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by David Stanway) On January 7, Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an ICE agent in the streets of South Minneapolis. She was a mother of three and lived just a few blocks from where she was gunned down. [Originally published at communistusa.org] The attack provoked fury, with thousands in Minneapolis gathering for vigils and protests against ICE terror. Protests have already spread across Minnesota and to cities around the country. Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem leaped to defend the killer, ICE agent Jonathan Ross, slandering Good as a domestic terrorist. She behaved horribly, Trump said, and then she ran him [Ross] over. Noem claimed Good used her car as a weapon and that Ross shot her dead in self-defense. Video evidence and eye-witness reports tell a different story. Grim video shows Good in her car getting accosted by an ICE agent trying to open her door. As she maneuvers to escape, Ross fires at her three times. Her vehicle then crashes into a parked car. Federal agents, including Ross, then jump into their vehicles and flee the active crime scene before medical responders arrive. Federal authorities claim that Good clipped Rosss arm badly enough to require stitches. Even if this were true, its hardly a crime punishable by summary execution in the street. This is nothing less than state-sanctioned murder. Good was no domestic terrorist. The real terrorists are the ICE agents and the ruling class that sent themthe same ruling class which arms the genocidal Israeli state and bombs civilians in Venezuela. Trumps deployment of ICE agents and National Guardsmen across the country was a conscious provocation. Their unwelcome presence was inevitably going to lead to deadly confrontations. Since Trump launched his terror campaign, ICE has shot at least 16 people and held at least 15 others at gunpoint. Good was the fourth to be killed. The day after Goods murder, ICE agents shot a married couple in Portland, Oregon. New wave of ICE terror Trumps deployment of ICE agents and National Guardsmen across the country was a conscious provocation / Image: Chad Davis, Flickr The deadly shooting followed Trumps announcement that an additional 2,000 federal agents are making their way to Minneapolis. He is doubling down on ICE mobilizations in Minnesota and targeting Somali workers following fraud allegations against some in the Somali diaspora. To be clear, the ruling class does not care about fraud. Trump himself has pardoned fraudsters who pleaded guilty to similar accusations. The real fraudsters and criminals are the ones behind the ICE mobilizations. The purpose of this fresh wave of ICE terror is to distract from the worsening economic situation and Trumps inability to solve any of the issues facing the working class, reflected in his falling poll numbers. Trump is using Somalisand immigrant workers in generalas scapegoats, attempting to pit workers against each other. The capitalist state persecutes and terrorizes immigrant workers in order to drive down wages and conditions for everyone. These are the class-war methods of our enemy. We must respond with class-struggle methods of our own. Fight ICE with class struggle Immigrants are not responsible for the crisis we face today. It is the capitalists and their failing system that are to blame. Workers must meet ICE terror with militant class defense, and the struggle against ICE must be a struggle against the system as a whole. An injury to one is an injury to all, and the labor movement has a responsibility to lead this fight. The existing union leadership is well positioned to do so. Over 300,000 workers in Minnesota are organized in the AFL-CIO, including the 80,000-strong Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation. The union leaders support immigrant workers in words, but so far, they have failed to take decisive action, like pickets, strikes, and mass protests against ICE. The unions in Minneapolis should mobilize workers in a drive to organize the unorganized and establish workers self-defense committees in every neighborhood and workplace targeted by ICE. These self-defense committees could convene an assembly to elect a citywide leadership and coordinate the struggle to drive ICE out of Minneapolis entirely. And we shouldnt stop there. Similar committees should be organized in every major city in the country to put an end to ICE terror and the capitalist system that creates it. Tradition of struggle Minneapolis has a rich history of class struggle and these methods have been successfully deployed here before. During the 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters strike, 67 people were shot by police at a picket line on Bloody Friday, July 20. Many were bystanders and a majority of those injured were shot in the back. Two workers were killed: Henry Ness and John Belor. The attack provoked fury, with thousands in Minneapolis gathering for vigils and protests against ICE terror / Image: Chad Davis, Flickr In response, Teamsters Local 574 linked up with unions across the city to coordinate a one-day strike of the transport workers. This included bus drivers who refused to transport National Guardsmen mobilized to break the strike. On July 24, Roughly 40,000 people10% of the citys populationattended Henry Nesss funeral procession and Minneapolis was effectively shut down as a result. In the words of Farrell Dobbs, one of the strikes leaders and a member of the Communist League of America, There was not a cop in sight as the grim thousands gathered. The police were in hiding, hopeless in the face of a coordinated and disciplined working class. The lessons of the 1934 strike are clear. The capitalist class and their state are highly organized. Workers need our own organization to meet their force with our force. The leadership of the Communist League of America was essential to the Teamsters victory in 1934. The Revolutionary Communists of America are building the same type of party today, in connection with our comrades all over the world in the Revolutionary Communist International. No trust in Democrats or the courts Since the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz have called for the removal of ICE. But their words are empty. Neither Democrat has done anything to protect immigrant workers. If anything, theyve given credence to Trumps racist accusations against Somalis. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have attacked immigrant workers. Nearly 4.4 million immigrants were deported under the Biden-Harris regime. The difference between Trump and the Democrats is that Democrats want to deport immigrants as quietly as possible, while Trump wants dramatic scenes to distract from his failures and try to shore up his fracturing MAGA base. Frey has counseled Minneapolis to meet ICEs hate with a whole lot of love. Both Frey and Walz have called for peace and calm. ICE murdered Renee Good less than a mile from where police killed Floyd nearly six years ago, and Minnesotans have not forgotten that Walz deployed the National Guard during the George Floyd uprising in 2020. Now he has mobilized the National Guard once again, and has it ready to deploy against anti-ICE protests. Neither can we rely on the courts to deliver justice for Renee Good and end ICE terror. The courts ultimately maintain the exploitative relationship between workers and capitalists. We need to look no further than the ruling on Derek Chauvinthe cop who murdered Floyd. He was convicted and imprisoned, but racist police violence continues to wreak havoc in neighborhoods across the country. Safety and justice can only be guaranteed by the organized and mobilized working class. These words were spoken at Henry Ness funeral, and they are still true today: The life of our murdered brother typifies the lives of all workers. The social system gave him no chance. There is only one way, one struggle in which a worker has a real interest. That is the struggle of Labor against Capital This struggle against oppression is no easy task. On the side of the bosses are the police, the army, the courts. The mayor of Minneapolis does not consider the lives of the strikers worth protecting. The only thing of importance to him is the protection of the bosses property, the bosses right to keep workers enslaved at low wages and in misery Brothers, sisters, as we leave this demonstration we must bear in our hearts a fierce resolve to carry on Brother Nesss struggle. We must not fail him! We must avenge his murder. This we shall do if we struggle to win this strike, if we struggle to throw the exploiters from off our backs and to establish a new social order in which the worker may enjoy the fruits of his toil. An injury to one is an injury to all! Organized labor must step into the fight! Workers self-defense committees in every workplace and neighborhood targeted by ICE! No faith in the Democrats! Down with both ruling class parties! Immediate amnesty and full rights for undocumented workers and their families! Build a communist party that can defeat ICE and the capitalist system once and for all! 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 brain continuously calculates how likely it is that something will happen within the next three seconds. It uses this assessment to prepare quick and accurate responses. Credit: Max Planck Society Humans respond to environments that change at many different speeds. A video game player, for example, reacts to on-screen events unfolding within hundreds of milliseconds or over several seconds. A boxer anticipates an opponent's moveseven when their timing differs from that of previous opponents. In each case, the brain predicts when events occur, prepares for what comes next and flexibly adapts to the demands of the situation. A study by neuroscientists from the Ernst Strungmann Institute of the Max Planck Society, Goethe University Frankfurt, the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, and New York University, explains how the human brain predicts the timing of future events. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that the brain continuously estimates how likely something is to happen within the next three secondsand uses this estimate to prepare fast and accurate reactions. How the brain predicts timing Using psychophysical experiments, the researchers measured how quickly people responded to simple visual and acoustic signals, such as flashes or tones, while carefully controlling when these signals were likely to occur. From these experiments, they identified two key principles that the brain uses to predict the timing: The brain uses the same basic probability calculation regardless of whether an event is expected in a few hundred milliseconds or in several seconds. This means the brain predicts the future in a consistent, scale-free way across different time rangesup to at least three seconds. At the same time, probability sharpens the sense of time: When an event is likely to happen at a certain point in time, the brain tracks time precisely. When an event is less likely, timing becomes less precise. This finding challenges a classic explanatory approach in psychology and neuroscience known as Weber's law, which suggests that timing precision should not depend on probability. Implications for behavior and adaptation "The brain predicts the timing of future events in different situations and at different speeds in the same way. This helps explain why people can adapt so easily to new environments," says Matthias Grabenhorst, first author of the study. These insights can help us better understand many aspects of human behavior, including attention, decision-making, and even disorders that impair timing and prediction. The study sheds light on how the brain continuously prepares for the near futuresecond by second. Publication details Matthias Grabenhorst et al, The anticipation of imminent events is time-scale invariant, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2518982123 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Key medical concepts Psychophysics 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 Dr. Heather Skanes opened Alabama's first freestanding birth center in 2022 in her hometown of Birmingham. Skanes, an OB-GYN, wanted to improve access to maternal health care in a state that's long had one of the nation's highest rates of maternal and infant mortality. Those rates are especially high among Black women and infants. Skanes' Oasis Family Birthing Center opened in a majority-Black neighborhood, offering midwifery services as well as medical care. But about six months after the center's first deliverya girl who was Alabama's first baby born in a freestanding birth centerthe state health department ordered Skanes to shut it down. A department representative informed her that by holding deliveries at the birth center, she was operating an "unlicensed hospital," she said. Hospital labor and delivery units are shuttering across the nationincluding more than two dozen in 2025 alone. Freestanding birth centers like Skanes' could help fill the gaps, but they too are struggling to stay open. They face some of the same financial pressures that bedevil hospitals' labor and delivery units, including payments from insurers that don't cover the full cost of providing maternity care. Birth center owners also must contend with arcane state rules and antipathy from politically powerful hospitals that view them as competition, especially in rural areas with few births. Nationwide, the number of freestanding birth centers doubled between 2012 and 2022, but more recently the pressures have taken a toll: About two dozen centers have closed since 2023, bringing the total number down to about 395, according to the most recent data from the American Association of Birth Centers. In November, Pennsylvania Lifecycle Wellness and Birth Center announced it would shut down birth center services, citing pressure from regulatory challenges and sharp surges in malpractice premiums. It had served Philadelphia for 47 years. And New Mexico's longest-operating freestanding birth center stopped delivering babies in December. "When a new business opens, within the first three to five years you expect a certain number will close," said Kate Bauer, executive director of the American Association of Birth Centers. "But we've had several long-standing birth centers close [in 2025] and that hits particularly hard." In California, which has some of the strictest birth center licensing rules in the country, concern over the closure of at least 19 birth centers between 2020 and 2024 prompted the state legislature to pass a law in October to streamline birth center licensure. An appealing alternative Freestanding birth centers are not attached to hospitals and aim to provide a more homelike, less traditional medical setting. They employ midwives and focus on low-risk pregnancies and births. Some also have an OB-GYN or family medicine doctor on staff, and they often have partnerships with nearby hospitals and doctors if more specialized care is required. Some Black and Indigenous midwives and doulas say birth centers can be helpful alternatives to their community members, many of whom have had experiences in more medicalized settings that left them feeling marginalized, dismissed or unsafe. Midwife Jamarah Amani, executive director of Southern Birth Justice Network, runs a mobile midwifery clinic serving majority-Black and Latino neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The nonprofit, which aims to make midwife and doula care more accessible, recently bought a building for a freestanding birth center it aims to open in 2027. "[Midwifery] presents like a luxury concierge-type of service, and our goal is to really change that and to bring it back to the community in a very grassroots way," Amani said. She added that expanding access to prenatal care could help address inequities in maternal health, as maternal death rates among Black women are three times higher than those among white women. Freestanding birth centers also can be a solution for communities without a hospital nearby. The closest hospital to the Colville Indian Reservation, located in northern Washington state, is half an hour away, said Faith Zacherle-Tonasket, founder of the nonprofit xa?xa? Indigenous Birth Justice. So far, the group has trained nearly a dozen tribal doulas and midwives to serve the area. In the next few years, it plans to open a freestanding birth center. Zacherle-Tonasket said Indigenous-run birth centers are crucial alternatives for tribal women, who also have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation and often face prejudice in clinical settings. "They don't feel safe. So a lot of them just don't get prenatal care," said Zacherle-Tonasket. "Bringing traditional midwives that are from our own communities, that were born and raised in our communities, that know the familieswe know that those babies will be birthed with love." Regulatory hurdles When the Georgia legislature relaxed state health care regulations in 2024, it felt like a long-awaited win for Katie Chubb. A registered nurse and mother of three who's worked in health and nonprofits, Chubb has spent years trying to open a birth center in Augusta. The state denied her application to open the center in 2021. Georgia, like many states, requires health care providers to get state approval, called a certificate of need, before they can build a new facility or expand services. Rival providers, like other hospitals, can challenge an application, effectively vetoing their local competition. That happened in Chubb's case: Two local hospitals filed letters of opposition against her and refused to say they'd accept emergency transfers from her birth center, another requirement for opening. Georgia currently has three freestanding birth centers, a fraction of the more than two dozen that operate in neighboring Florida. "We're seeing women giving birth in hospital hallways or at home unassisted, because there's no in-between option like a birth center," Chubb said. In October, Georgia lost another labor and delivery unit at a rural hospital two hours north of Augusta. "Women are just left to figure things out." In Kentucky, the Republican-controlled legislature passed a bill in March that aimed to clear the way for freestanding birth centers by exempting them from the certificate of need process. But Republican lawmakers attached a last-minute anti-abortion amendment to the bill, prompting Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to veto it. The legislature eventually overrode his veto. Midwifery advocates hope the new law will help make it easier to open a birth center in the state. Georgia legislators similarly revised Georgia's certificate of need rules in 2024, exempting freestanding birth centers. Chubb, who championed the new law, hoped it would clear the path for herself and others. But they hit another roadblock. The state still requires birth centers to secure a written agreement with a local hospital to accept transfers of clients in emergencies. Chubb and at least one other prospective birth center owner have been unable to get their local hospitals to sign such transfer agreements. "We're still fighting," Chubb said. "Behind closed doors we're still working very hard on getting legislation and regulations changed to make opening birth centers more equitable." Some hospitals view birth centers as a threat to the viability of their labor and delivery units, siphoning off patients and revenue from a service that's already unprofitable for most hospitals. Daniel Grigg, CEO of Wallowa Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in northeast Oregon, said there aren't enough births in the area for both hospitals and birth centers. "When you've got a small-volume community like we have, every birth helps the providers keep their skills up and their competency," he said. "When you've got a midwife taking, say, 10 patients out of that pool," it can have an impact on physicians and hospitals. Alabama lawsuit After the Alabama Department of Public Health shut down Skanes' birth center in 2023, she joined with two other women who had also been attempting to open birth centers in Alabama: Dr. Yashica Robinson, an OB-GYN in North Alabama, and Stephanie Mitchell, a licensed midwife in Alabama's rural and economically disadvantaged Black Belt region. Together they sued the Alabama Department of Public Health over what they called a de facto ban on birth centers. The state insisted its tighter regulations would ensure that birth center facilities are safe. The birth center owners said the state's rules were overly burdensome and clinically unnecessary for the low-risk, nonsurgical births that are attended by midwives. And, they said, the rules prevented more families from accessing care where it's desperately needed. The state has lost at least three hospital labor and delivery units since 2020. "Entire swaths of the state are maternity care deserts without access to essential health care," said Whitney White, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the birth center owners and their co-plaintiff, the Alabama affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. "Hospital labor and delivery units are closing, and pregnant folks are reporting they're really struggling to access the care they need, struggling to get appointments, struggling to find a provider," White said. Last May, an Alabama trial court permanently blocked the state from regulating freestanding birth centers as hospitals. Birth center staff are still overseen by state boards of midwifery and nursing. All three Alabama centers are now open. But their licensed midwives are delivering babies under a cloud of uncertainty about the future. The state appealed the ruling in November. The case is ongoing. Struggles and solutions Bauer, of the American Association of Birth Centers, said many centers face the same financial barriers. Uncomplicated births at freestanding birth centers cost less than they do at hospitals, but research has shown that insurers, including Medicaid, reimburse centers at lower rates. Some state Medicaid programs don't cover some of the nonclinical services, such as lactation consultants and doulas, that birth centers may provide. And malpractice premiums are rising. "We're volunteering our time, essentially, to keep the birth center open as a service to the community," said Sarah Simmons, co-owner of Maple Street Birth Center in rural Okanogan County, Washington. The center can't afford to hire a front-desk staffer or another midwife, Simmons said. She added that on average, the center makes less than a third of what the local hospital makes for providing the same obstetric service. But there may be solutions to some of these financial problems. For example, the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a national health care policy center, has recommended that health insurance plans, both Medicaid and commercial, pay hospitals and birth centers monthly or quarterly "standby capacity payments" per woman of childbearing age covered by that health plan in the facility's service area. It also recommends that plans pay a separate delivery fee for each birth. In 2024, Democratic U.S. senators proposed a bill to allow for a similar payment model. Standby payments could help freestanding birth centers, especially those that fill gaps in maternity care desertsbut not unless centers receive payments that are comparable to those that hospitals get, said Simmons, whose center serves four sparsely populated counties along with the Colville tribal communities. "This would be most beneficial to freestanding birth centers if pay parity laws were enforced, so rural freestanding birth centers were paid the same rates for the same services as rural hospitals, " she said. State grants also can help, but birth centers say a one-time infusion won't be enough. In 2024, Washington opened grant applications for distressed hospital labor and delivery units and freestanding birth centers. Ashley Jones, of True North Birth Center and president of the Washington chapter of the American Association of Birth Centers, said the grant has helped keep their doors open. Meanwhile, Chubb, the Georgia nurse, recently had to take another job to support her family while her birth center remains in legal limbo. "I'm just waiting until the government figures out what they're doing." Key medical concepts MidwifePrenatal Care 2026 States Newsroom. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A new national study led by researchers from University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences reveals that pharmacists and female pharmacy technicians face a significantly higher risk of suicide compared to their counterparts in the general population. The findings, published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, underscore the urgent need for improved workplace policies, mental health resources and stigma reduction in pharmacy settings. They also speak to the broader issue of burnout severity in health care workers. "Pharmacists are an invisible workforce that drive the engine of medication delivery in every health care setting," said Kelly Lee, PharmD, professor of clinical pharmacy at Skaggs School of Pharmacy. "Every medication that reaches a patient has been touched by a pharmacist and/or a pharmacy technician. These health care workers are under unique strains, but it can be difficult to seek help. We need to make it easier." "Our study helps confirm that pharmacists and female pharmacy technicians are at high risk for suicide nationwide," added first author Hirsh Makhija, a medical student at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "While wellness promotion has slowly progressed for the pharmacy workforce, substantial gaps remain." The study analyzed data from across the U.S., using the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from 2011 to 2022. The study's key findings were: Pharmacists were about 21% more likely to die by suicide than people in the general population. By sex, female pharmacists had a comparable risk to women in the general population, male pharmacists faced a 25% higher risk than other men. Although pharmacy technicians overall had about a 14% lower risk of suicide, female pharmacy technicians had a 22% higher risk of suicide than women in the general population. Males account for 76% of pharmacist suicides and 39% of pharmacy technician suicides, while females account for 24% and 61%, respectively The researchers also looked into the factors driving suicide deaths among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, finding that job-related stress and mental health could both be significant factors. Pharmacists were more likely to experience workplace problems prior to suicide, and pharmacy technicians were more likely to have a history of mental health challenges. To Lee, these findings speak to the broader issues of managing mental health and burnout in highly demanding health care work settings. "The field talks a lot about mental health, especially after COVID, but our overall work culture hasn't changed," she said. "Access to mental health resources is limited, and stigma continues to be a major barrier to seeking help." Lee also notes that pharmacists face unique workplace challenges that likely exacerbate these negative mental health trends. For example, the increasing clinical responsibilities of pharmacistssuch as administering vaccinations and helping manage ongoing health conditionshave not been matched by recognition or reimbursement. Pharmacists also face frequent challenges with insurance approvals, prior authorizations, and payment for medications. "Pharmacists are highly trained, but unlike other health care providers, we're not necessarily paid for our clinical services," she said. "The lack of payment and recognition adds to the strain facing these workers." To help mitigate some of the challenges pharmacists and other health care workers face, Lee emphasizes that more resources and compassionate workplace policies are needed. For example, UC San Diego has piloted programs such as the HEAR initiative to provide immediate support for health care workers in crisis. "Employers must create environments where taking time for mental health is normalized and supported. It shouldn't be difficult for someone to seek help," she said. The research team is now focused on implementing and studying targeted interventions for at-risk health care workers, including pharmacy professionals. "Our goal is to prevent even a single suicide," said Lee. "That means immediate access to help, reducing stigma, and workplace policies that truly support mental health." Publication details Hirsh Makhija et al, National trends in pharmacist and pharmacy technician suicide: Incidence and associated features, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (2026). DOI: 10.1093/ajhp/zxag006 Journal information: American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 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: Primavera Nueva Inc. is recalling specific lots of its 4-count tamales after learning they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious illness. The recalled products were sold in California and Nevada and were made between Oct. 10, 2024, and Oct. 10, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced. The recall affects the following flavors: Roasted Green Chile & Jack Cheese Black Bean Bonanza & Jack Cheese Butternut Squash with Roasted Green Chiles & Cheese BBQ Chipotle Bean & White Cheddar Mushroom Spinach & Salsa with Two Cheeses Roasted Green Chile Black Bean Bonanza Butternut Squash with Roasted Green Chiles Mushroom Spinach & Salsa Roasted Pumpkin & White Cheddar No other Primavera Nueva products are included in the recall, the FDA said. During an inspection on Oct. 10, the FDA found that earlier production records did not consistently confirm that the tamales reached temperatures high enough to kill harmful bacteria. The tamales were made using a frozen ingredient labeled "Not Ready to Eat. Must Be Thoroughly Cooked Before Eating." Because proper cooking temperatures were not consistently documented, the company issued the recall. Primavera Nueva says it fixed the problem on Oct. 11, 2025, by improving how it monitors and verifies cooking temperatures. Listeria is a type of bacteria that can cause serious illness, especially in pregnant women, newborns, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, confusion and loss of balance. No illnesses have been reported in connection with these tamales so far. The FDA warns people to not eat the recalled tamales with date codes 10/22/24 through 10/22/25. The products should be thrown away. For questions, consumers can contact Araceli Santoyo via email at primaveranueva@aol.com or phone, 707-939-9350 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.3 p.m. PT). The recall is voluntary and is being carried out in partnership with the FDA. More information Read the full recall from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Key medical concepts Listeria monocytogenesListeriosis 2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Ambassador of Belarus S.Chepurnoi meets Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan On January 8, 2026 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus, Stanislav Chepurnoi, met with the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan in charge Culture, Tourism, and Media, Bahar Seyidova. The parties discussed cooperation in culture, including the exchange of culture days, exhibitions, and other events. The resuming of direct flights between Minsk and Ashgabat was also discussed as in order to development of the tourism sector. print version With digital misinformation increasingly spilling into real-world tensions, Maharashtras cyber police is making it clear: online hate will not go unchecked. Following Mirrors reports on the issue, in a sweeping clean-up on social media platforms , the Maharashtra Cyber Cell has taken down 120 objectionable links and posts after sustained negotiations with major social media platforms. A 20-member cyber team, armed with high-end surveillance and analytical tools, is working round the clock to scan social media platforms for content that is defamatory or capable of triggering communal tension. A team of 20 officers is working 24 hours to detect objectionable content on various social media platforms. We have pulled down around 120 objectionable content so far, Yashasvi Yadav, ADG, Maharashtra Cyber Cell, told Mumbai Mirror. Cyber officials said that 30 to 40 links and posts are scrutinised every single day, with special focus on content that is deliberately crafted to inflame communal tension or malign individuals. We have special tools to identify links or posts that are objectionable, defamatory or created with an intention to disrupt communal harmony. Once flagged, we follow up with social media platforms to get the content taken down, a senior officer said on condition of anonymity. Among the advanced tools being used is Maltego, an open-source intelligence and graphical link-analysis platform that enables real-time monitoring of social media ecosystems. Maltego helps us understand social media structures and coordinated hate campaigns. It uses AI-driven analysis. Once such content is identified, action is initiated, a cyber official said. One of the biggest hurdles, officers admit, is resistance from global social media platforms, which often claim that the flagged content does not violate their internal community guidelines. We inform platforms and ask them to pull down objectionable links. Many times, the response is that the content does not violate their guidelines, and they refuse. Thats when negotiations begin, the officer said. These negotiations typically play out over 48 hours, during which cyber officials remind platforms that Indian law must prevail. We tell them the content is controversial in India and they must comply with the law of the land. In some cases, we warn that stringent action will be taken if the posts are not removed, the officer added. Action does not stop at takedowns. Based on the gravity of the offence, the cyber cell moves against content creators under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). If a post seriously disrupts communal harmony, strict action is initiated. FIRs can be registered, posts and links taken down, and even social media accounts deactivated. In less severe cases, warnings are issued, and most users comply by deleting the content, the officer said. The cyber cell has also called upon citizens to act as the first line of defence against online hate. We urge people to complain online or call 1930 if they come across any controversial or objectionable post, ADG Yashasvi Yadav said. I have already worked for four hours today, made eight deliveries and earned Rs 338, says Prashant*, a Kurla-based Instamart worker. To earn Rs 1,000, I must work 11 to 12 hours. For some deliveries, we get as little as Rs 10. The 30-year-old, who joined a nationwide gig workers strike on December 31, wants 10-minute deliveries stopped. The problem with 10-minute delivery is that were rushed constantly, but dont earn anything extra. If someone is doing 12-14 hours of work and earns Rs 1,000 in a day, think about what theyre risking. They ride through traffic and put their lives in danger just because the companies have made an unreasonable promise to the customer. If we are late, we are abused by customer and company, he says. Merciless penalties Prashant says failure to deliver an order within 40 minutes results in a penalty. Reaching anywhere in 10 minutes is impossible. Sometimes you get stuck for 40 minutes. Then a Rs 300 penalty is imposed. Like Prashant, thousands of gig workers across India have consistently flagged unsafe working conditions, exploitative policies by platform companies and physical exhaustion for very little return. And despite gig work being one of the fastest-growing segments of the Indian economy, not much has been done to alleviate the workers distress. In response to the mounting complaints, the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), All India Gig Workers Union (AIGWU) and other unions held nationwide strikes on Christmas Day and New Years Eve, two high-volume days demanding that governments resolve long-standing grievances. While companies continue to profit from the surge in demand for home deliveries, gig workers say they are often neglected. Companies say IDs are blocked only if someone commits fraud. But thats not always the case, says Ramesh* (27), a Blinkit worker, who moved to the city from Belgaum seven months ago. In my case, a customer entered the wrong building number and complained that they didnt receive the order. The company blocked my ID without any verification. It took two weeks to reactivate my ID, Ramesh explains. Zomato declined to comment for this report, while attempts to reach Swiggy were unsuccessful. Low wage, high pressure Relying on base pay for their total monthly earnings is not enough for daily subsistence, workers say. Sometimes the bonus is Rs 5 or Rs 7. If a delivery takes 10-15 minutes longer than the expected time, you dont get even that, explains Karthik*, a Ghatkopar-based Blinkit worker. My rented bike costs Rs 7,000 a month, including fuel and maintenance. My monthly income is around Rs 24,000Rs 25,000. Our hard work is not repaid by these companies and our complaints always land on deaf ears. That is why I joined the strike. Soon after the strike ended, platforms claimed it was unsuccessful. Eternal (parent company of Zomato and Blinkit) CEO Deepinder Goyal claimed that the NYE saw record delivery of 75 lakh orders to over 63 lakh customers. Goyal further referred to striking gig workers as miscreants. Over 40,000 workers participated in the strike on December 25 and nearly 2.5 lakh participated on New Years Eve and nearly 60 per cent of orders were delayed across the country. Would you really call this a failure? asks Shaik Salauddin, founder president, TGPWU, and co-founder, IFAT, who led the call for the pan-India strikes. The CEOs [Goyal] response was shameful. As we called the strike, they sent out an internal circular across Zomato and Blinkit platforms that incentives will be increased on December 31 by up to Rs 3,000 for that day. Why is this not implemented all year round? he asks. Instead, nine days on and despite the strikes impact, union leaders and gig workers say none of their demands has yet been addressed by the platform companies. Only one CEO sat for a 5-hour interview [Goyal on Raj Shamanis podcast] and used distraction tactics to justify 10-minute delivery? says Rizwan Shaikh, member of IFAT and president of Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh, who led the call for the strikes in the state. They refuse to pay fixed fare for each delivery. If we consider an average guy can earn up to Rs 1,000 a day, he has to ride for at least 150-200 kilometres for around 12-14 hours. That costs us money. Gig work is glorified as a work when you wish to model but that does not match the reality. The flipside There is, however, a small minority that sees no issue. In line with Goyals justification, Instamart delivery worker Zaid Ahmad Mohd Amin Ansari said he always picks up orders from just a few kilometres away from the drop location and there are times when he even takes up to 30 minutes but is not fined. I earned Rs 12,000 this week, which is good enough for me, he says, holding up his payment dashboard. I opted out of the strikes as higher incentives are there on holidays like New Years Eve. *Names changed to protect the identity of workers For decades, Ulhasnagars political grammar revolved around one surname Kalani. At his peak, Pappu Kalani was not merely an MLA or a strongman politician, he was the axis around which civic power turned. Local governments were stitched together with his consent, alliances were struck on his terms, and elections were often reduced to ritual. Few dared to take him on. That era, unmistakably, is over. In a rare and emotionally charged moment, Kalani recently told members of the Sindhi community that if he failed to secure their support this time, he may be forced to leave the city altogether. Kalanis rise dates back to the 1980s and early 90s, when Ulhasnagars politics was shaped by muscle power, tight control over civic institutions and personalised authority. He entered the Maharashtra Assembly in 1990 and went on to win multiple elections, even securing victories while lodged in jail. His grip over the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation was so complete that Team Omi Kalani (TOK) functioned as a parallel power centre, often acting as kingmaker rather than a conventional party. But beneath the aura, critics say, the record was thin. Raj Asrondkar, a social worker and long-time resident, says, Pappu Kalani always offered assurances, but very little translated on the ground. There is hardly any landmark development or lasting public infrastructure that can be credited to him. The opposition used to call him a chocolate factory sweet promises, no delivery. Kalani shifted parties and positions based on convenience, blurring ideology beyond recognition. After TOK was formed, his son aligned with the BJP, the same party that had fiercely opposed Kalani during Gopinath Mundes 1995 campaign for a crime-free Maharashtra. Today, the Kalani camp seeks shelter under the Shiv Sena banner. For years, TOK contested independently, with its own symbol and brand. National and state parties, Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP, negotiated with the Kalanis from a position of compulsion. Ulhasnagars politics was localised, personality-driven and largely insulated from ideology. The first crack appeared in 2009, when Kalani lost decisively to Kumar Ailani. Voter psychology had shifted. Subsequent elections only deepened the trend, margins narrowed, defeats mounted. The most symbolic blow came in the last Assembly election, when Ailani defeated Kalanis son Omi Kalani by a record margin of over 30,000 votes. Despite emotional appeals, religious messaging and direct outreach to traditional vote banks, the Kalani brand failed to connect with a younger, more aspirational electorate. Now, the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation election has laid bare how far the balance of power has shifted. Once fiercely independent, TOK is contesting the civic polls on the Senas bow-and-arrow symbol. Leaders avoid calling it a merger, but the meaning is clear: TOK has surrendered its standalone identity and entered the fray as a junior ally, not a negotiator, but a dependent partner. The realignment played out amid chaos on nomination day, confusion over tickets, AB forms, last-minute defections and administrative strain, mirroring the volatility of Ulhasnagars current political landscape. Kalanis emotional appeal to the Sindhi community must be read in this light. Ulhasnagar remains Maharashtras only Assembly constituency dominated by Sindhi voters, a community that has historically shaped the citys leadership. From its inception, only Sindhi MLAs have been elected. Kalani rose from this very base, as did his rivals. The transformation of TOK from kingmaker to junior ally, and Kalanis own admission of vulnerability, mark the end of an era. Whether the Sena alliance can arrest the slide remains uncertain. What is clear is this: Ulhasnagar is no longer waiting for one family to decide its future. When we were not in power, there was no development. Even our relatives and close ones who have shifted to other suburbs ask why we are still stuck here. I was explaining this context, and that is why I said that people may have to shift if there is no development. We have fielded 22 candidates, and I am personally on the ground to turn the tables, said Pappu Kalani. Responding to his fathers remarks, Omi Kalani sought to play down the comment, He didnt mean it that way. He was only requesting votes and trying to convince people, he said. Sacramento, CA The response to wildfires, and the impacts of rising fire insurance costs, were among several topics highlighted during Governor Gavin Newsoms nearly hour-long State of the State address delivered earlier today before the legislature. It marks his final address as he is terming out of office at the end of the year. Newsom tied climate issues to rising fire insurance costs and also spoke about progress that he feels the state is making in that area. Newsom stated, We became the first state in the country to require insurers to lower insurance for home hardening upgrades. That is not the case in any other state. He continued, In the last few months, and this is important, six insurance companies announced their commitment to remain in, or expand here in California. It was an important milestone, but there is still work to do. Newsom also spoke about efforts following the wildfires in Los Angeles that occurred one year ago this month. Some of the other topics the Governor highlighted included efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 9%, increasing funding for California K-12 students, reducing insulin costs, the opportunities and challenges surrounding artificial intelligence, and the diversity of the states economy. California Republicans have a starkly different view of the current trajectory of state government. Click here to view an earlier story about concerns raised by Assembly Republicans ahead of the address and a video released about Newsoms time in office. Sonora, CA $4 million was awarded by the California Energy Commission to expand Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure across an eight-county Sierra region. The Central Sierra Economic Development District, in partnership with Momentum, is doing outreach to local businesses that are interested in hosting EV charging stations at their sites. The Sierra Charging Network project covers Tuolumne, Calaveras, Alpine, Mono, Inyo, Amador, Mariposa, and Nevada counties. The goal is to deploy EV charging stations in rural and underserved areas. Businesses may be eligible for a no-cost site evaluation and even potentially fully funded EV charging station installation. These charging stations are not just about clean vehicles, said Sophia Kaufman, Project Coordinator at CSEDD. The Sierra Charging Network is about expanding clean energy infrastructure, creating stronger local economies, and a more resilient future for Sierra communities. Three webinars will be held this month, and interested people are encouraged to register here. They will be on January 15 from 9-10 am, January 22 from 2-3 pm, and January 29 from 5-6 pm. Protesters confronted federal officers in Minneapolis on Thursday, a day after a woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The demonstrations came amid heightened tensions after President Donald Trumps administration dispatched 2,000 officers and agents to Minnesota for its latest immigration crackdown. Across the country, another city was reeling after federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon. The killing of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday set off a clash between federal and state officials over whether the shooting appeared justified and whether a Minnesota law enforcement agency had jurisdiction to investigate. Heres what is known about the shooting: How it unfolded The woman was shot in her SUV in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where police killed George Floyd in 2020. Videos taken by bystanders and posted online show an officer approaching a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle draws his gun and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him. It is not clear from the videos if the officer gets struck by the SUV, which speeds into two cars parked on a curb before stopping. Its also not clear what happened in the lead-up to the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the SUV was part of a group of protesters that had been harassing agents and impeding operations that morning. She said agents had freed one of their vehicles that was stuck in snow and were leaving the area when the confrontation and shooting occurred. No video has emerged to corroborate Noems account. Bystander video from the shooting scene shows a sobbing woman who says the person shot was her wife. That woman hasnt spoken publicly to give her version of events. Victim was a wife and mom Good died of gunshot wounds to the head. A U.S. citizen born in Colorado, Good described herself on social media as a poet and writer and wife and mom. Her ex-husband said Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home when she encountered ICE agents on a residential street. He said Good and her current partner moved to Minneapolis last year from Kansas City, Missouri. Goods killing is at least the fifth death to result from the aggressive U.S. immigration crackdown the Trump administration launched last year. Noem says officer followed training Noem said Thursday that there would be a federal investigation into the shooting, though she again called the womans actions domestic terrorism. This vehicle was used to hit this officer, Noem said. It was used as a weapon, and the officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy. Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and referred to Goods death as a tragedy of her own making. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone when he described the shooting to reporters Wednesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had watched videos of the shooting that show it was avoidable. Officer has been an ICE deportation agent since 2015 The agent who shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Jonathan Ross has been a deportation officer with ICE since 2015, records show. He was seriously injured this summer when he was dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect whom he shot with a stun gun. Federal officials have not named the officer. But Noem said he was dragged by a vehicle in June, and a department spokesperson confirmed Noem was referring to the Bloomington, Minnesota, case in which documents identified the injured officer as Ross. Court documents say Ross got his arm stuck in the window as a driver fled arrest in that incident. Ross was dragged 100 yards (91 meters), and cuts to his arm required 50 stitches. Man and woman wounded in Portland According to police, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting outside a hospital Thursday afternoon. Minutes later police heard that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers went there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were wounded in a shooting with federal agents. Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation and he had no details about events that led to the shooting. The Department of Homeland Security said the vehicles passenger was a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who was involved in a recent shooting. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a targeted vehicle stop, the driver tried to run them over, the department said. An agent fired in self-defense, it said. There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicles occupants. Trump and his allies have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for being at the root of violence and illicit drug dealing in some U.S. cities. Federal and Minnesota leaders dispute jurisdiction to investigate Drew Evans, head of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Thursday that federal authorities have denied the state agency access to evidence in the Good case, barring the state from investigating the shooting alongside the FBI. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demanded that state investigators be given a role, telling reporters that residents would otherwise have a difficulty accepting the findings of federal law enforcement. And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem, Walz said. Noem denied that Minnesota authorities were being shut out, saying: They dont have any jurisdiction in this investigation. Protest met with pepper spray, tear gas Dozens of protesters gathered Thursday morning outside a Minneapolis federal building being used as a base for the immigration crackdown. Border Patrol officers fired tear gas and doused demonstrators with pepper spray to push them back from the gate. Area schools were closed as a safety precaution. Protests were also planned across the U.S. in cities including New York, New Orleans and Seattle. ___ Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed. By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press GUATIRE, Venezuela (AP) The United States and Venezuela said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring relations, as a Trump administration delegation visited the South American nation. The visit marks a major step toward reestablishing diplomatic ties between the historically adversarial governments. In a brazen intervention last weekend, the U.S. military captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend from his compound in Caracas and flew him to New York to face federal charges of drug-trafficking. A small team of U.S. diplomats and a security detail traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement. Venezuelas government on Friday said it plans to send a delegation to the U.S. but it did not say when. Any delegation from the country traveling to the U.S. will likely require sanctions to be waived by the Treasury Department. The government of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said it has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the U.S., aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries. Rodriguez is engaged in a delicate balancing act, under pressure to meet the Trump administrations demands and also win the support of Venezuelas military hard-liners outraged over the U.S. seizure of Maduro. Her statements on Friday laid bare that tension. Relating her telephone conversations with the left-wing presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Spain, she condemned Washingtons grave, criminal, illegal, and illegitimate aggression against her country. Later, in televised remarks at the inauguration of a small womens health clinic in downtown Caracas, she emphasized diplomacy with Trump as the best way to defend Venezuela and even ensure the return of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. We will meet face-to-face in diplomacy to defend the peace of Venezuela, the stability of Venezuela, the future, to defend our independence and to defend our sacred and inalienable sovereignty, Rodriguez said without mentioning the possible resumption of operations at the U.S. embassy. President Donald Trump has sought to coerce Rodriguez and other former Maduro loyalists still in power to advance his vision for U.S. control of Venezuelas lucrative oil exports. The South American country has the worlds largest proven crude reserves. The U.S. and Venezuela severed ties during Trumps first term in 2019. The U.S. insistence that opposition leader Juan Guaido was the rightful president of Venezuela enraged Maduro, who maintained his firm grip on power. That year, the Trump administration shuttered the embassy in Caracas and moved diplomats to nearby Bogota, Colombia. U.S. officials have traveled to Caracas just a handful of times since. The latest visit came last February when Trumps envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, met with Maduro, paving the way for Venezuelas release of six detained Americans. ___ Lee reported from Washington. Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City. Follow the APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america By REGINA GARCIA CANO and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California Gov. Gavin Newsoms office said the state faces a $2.9 billion budget deficit this year, an amount significantly lower than what legislative budget analysts projected. The deficit, though small, could still require cuts and means the Democratic governor doesnt have money to advance new programs during his last year in office. Its the fourth year in a row that the nations most populous state faces a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. This years shortfall comes despite growing revenues fueled by stock market gains and investments in artificial intelligence. Newsoms office outlined a behemoth $349 billion budget, though his proposal for how to spend all of that money is far from final. Lawmakers and the Democratic governor will spend the next several months fighting and negotiating over priorities and cuts. Last year Democrats had to roll back their ambitious program to provide free health care to immigrants without legal status in the face of a $12 billion deficit. This budget really is about an eye towards ensuring that we have a sustainable fiscal plan going forward, Finance Director Joe Stephenshaw said during a Friday briefing. This year, they will also face a $1.4 billion loss in federal funding after new federal policy changes to health care and food assistance programs for low-income people. Lawmakers have said repeatedly California is in no position to backfill that money. The budget doesnt fully address the federal funding loss. Newsom will try to safeguard some of the progressive policies that have defined his tenure as he considers a presidential run. But lawmakers have to consider the looming structural deficit that could climb to $22 billion the following year. Newsom cant seek a third term and will leave office in January. Ongoing deficit The nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office in November projected California to face a $18 billion shortfall this year. Their estimate and Newsoms sometimes differ. Newsoms administration said some of the deficit was offset recently after the state racked in billion of dollars more in revenues than expected. Still, State Controller Malia Cohen this week warned lawmakers that the state is already spending nearly $6 billion more than expected six months into the fiscal year. She urged them to take a disciplined approach. Republican lawmakers said the problem is nothing new. They have little say in the budget process because Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers. California families have to balance their budgets and make tough choices. The state government should be held to the same standards, Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland said. Democratic lawmakers said theyre committed to addressing deficits. During these times of uncertainty, we must craft a responsible budget that prioritizes the safety and fiscal stability of California families, state Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limon said in a statement. Education Newsom on Thursday during his State of the State address said his budget will include the most significant investments in public education. He plans to fully fund transitional kindergarten programs for all students, spend more than $27,000 per student next year and provide $1 billion to high-need schools. Based on a complex set of formulas, roughly 40% of the states budget is required by California law to go to schools every year. Newsom also proposed to move the Department of Education into the executive branch. The state superintendent of public instruction is an elected position, and its not immediately clear whether Newsom will ask voters to approve the change. Housing and homelessness He doesnt propose any new funding to local governments to address homelessness. Last year, Newsom and lawmakers agreed to set aside $500 million for the local programs but its not guaranteed. County officials worry the lack of new funding will hurt efforts to reduce homelessness. The programs are working, California State Association of Counties CEO Graham Knaus said, pointing to a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness that Newsom touted earlier this week. It would make no sense to then stop the most successful program that is doing that, he said Friday. Reserves Newsom also calls for the state to rebuild its reserves after withdrawing roughly $12 billion in the last two years to solve budget problems. He wants to deposit roughly $3 billion into the states rainy day fund, $4.5 billion into a special fund for economic emergencies and $4.1 billion in schools reserve funds. He also wants the state to use $3 billion to pay down debt. Other proposals The budget proposal includes $200 million to create a rebate program to make buying an electric car more affordable. The money comes from revenues generated by the states cap-and-trade program and an air pollution regulation fund. The goal is to backfill federal tax incentives for electric vehicles that were slashed by Trumps massive tax and spending cut bill. Newsom also wants to give more money to the states Department of Justice to help the state fight the Trump administrations agenda. California has sued the administration more than 50 times since last year. ___ Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report. By TRAN NGUYEN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) Italy on Friday gave crucial support to plans by the European Union to seal a huge free trade deal with five South American nations neighboring Venezuela that has been negotiated for over 25 years. Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was long seen as the key vote in the campaign by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to rally support for the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Von der Leyen said the successful vote sends a strong signal of the EUs economic clout and stability in the face of an increasingly hostile and transactional world. She said she would travel to Paraguay soon, where Mercosur nations are meeting next week. The European Parliament will vote on it before it enters into force. At a time when trade and dependencies are being weaponized and the dangerous, transactional nature of the reality we live in becomes increasingly stark, this historic trade deal is further proof that Europe charts its own course and stands as a reliable partner, von der Leyen said. Italy confirmed its support for the deal on Friday, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani hailing it as good news for Italy. This agreement is destined to boost our exports, with the goal of reaching 700 billion euros ($814 billion) in exports, Tajani wrote in a post on X. Meloni said she never had any ideological objections to the Mercosur agreement. We have always said we will be in favor of it when there are sufficient guarantees for our farmers, she told a press conference on Friday. The agreements potential is good, but not at the expense of the excellence of our products. Deal to create huge free trade zone German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the agreement is a milestone in European trade policy and an important signal of our strategic sovereignty and ability to act. In a statement, he said with this agreement, we are strengthening our economy and trade relations with our partners in South America which is good for Germany and for Europe. The deal would create one of the worlds largest free trade zones, covering some 780 million people from Uruguay to Romania and a quarter of the globes gross domestic product. It also gives Brussels a diplomatic win at a time of economic upheaval, providing a stark counterpoint to the gunboat diplomacy of Washington and the coercive export controls of Beijing. Given Trumps policies of isolating the U.S. from the rest of the world, it is an imperative for the EU to lead trade integration policies at the global level and to look for partners elsewhere, said Antonio Fatas, a macroeconomist at the French business school INSEAD. On the other side of the Atlantic, Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrated the agreement. His countrys economy, worth between $2.3 billion and $2.1 billion last year, is by far the most robust of the South American trade bloc. This is a historic day for multilateralism, Lula said in his social media channels. In an international scene of growing protectionism and unilateralism, the (EU-Mercosur) deal is a favorable sign for international trade to be a factor for economic growth, with benefits for both blocs. Countering Trumps tariff threats In the wake of Trumps tariff wars, Brussels has sought to curtail its dependency on the U.S. market with trade deals forged across the world. The EU has struck deals with Japan and Indonesia, and are working on one with India. A delay in December to the signing of the deal had infuriated Lula and led experts to worry a last-minute stumble would wreck the EUs credibility. For Europeans, the finalization of free-trade agreements with new partners stands among the best responses to US tariffs, growing protectionism and trade tensions with China, said Agathe Demarais, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She said the current EU reliance on China for some critical raw materials could be broken by tapping into Mercosurs deposits. Opposition to the deal was led by France and Poland, with riled-up farmers flooding streets and blocking roads with tractors from Brussels to Athens. Austria, Hungary and Ireland also voted against it. Irelands Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Thursday in Shanghai during a state visit to China that we dont have confidence that (Irish farmers) wouldnt be undercut by that, according to Irish public broadcaster RTE. Both Martin and French President Emmanuel Macron said that internal negotiations sparked by the political furor surrounding the deal had led to reforms that better protect European farmers. But they acknowledged such reforms were not enough to overcome domestic political pressure. Posting on X on Thursday, Macron said three of Frances key demands were now being met: New safeguards to an emergency brake of imports if they are found to undercut EU prices by 5% or more; the mirroring of EU food safety regulations in the Mercosur bloc; and an increase of inspections of agrifood imports at EU ports and beyond. Still, Macron said the potential economic gains of the Mercosur deal are limited and do not justify the risks it poses to EU agriculture. His office stated that the deal would only add 77 billion euros ($89.7 billion) by 2040 0.5% of the EUs GDP. Green members of the European Parliament had vowed to take the Commission to court over the deal. They said the agreement would accelerate deforestation in the Amazon and weaken the EUs climate targets. Frances Verkamp, trade campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, described the deal as toxic. She said Brussels is playing a game of imperial dominance in global trade with China and the U.S. that wins nothing for workers or consumers and even less for nature and climate. ___ Zampano reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Mauricio Savarese Sao Paulo contributed. By SAM McNEIL and GIADA ZAMPANO Associated Press The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has invited buyers for about 281 tonnes of old and damaged coins in a rare large-scale currency disposal aimed at clearing unusable stock from its vaults and making room for newly minted coins. In a tender notice, the CBK called on qualified firms, primarily coin-minting companies and metal smelters, to bid for the purchase and melting of coins that no longer meet circulation standards. The exercise will see 281,667 kilogrammes of worn-out coins permanently withdrawn from the monetary system. Bids for the disposal will close on January 22, 2026, shortly after the bank issued a separate three-year coin-minting tender, signalling plans to replace the withdrawn coins with new ones. Like most central banks, the CBK routinely removes coins and banknotes that deteriorate through prolonged use. The withdrawn coins contain recoverable metals, including copper, nickel, aluminium, steel, bronze, and brass, which successful bidders can recycle for industrial purposes. By June 2025, the CBK held coins worth Sh11.37 billion, with Sh20 coins accounting for Sh4 billion, Sh10 coins Sh4.02 billion, and Sh5 coins Sh1.95 billion. However, the bank did not disclose the exact number of individual coins included in the sale. Current coin denominations weigh between 3.75 grammes and nine grammes. The heaviest coin ever circulated in Kenya remains the 1985 five-shilling coin, which weighed 13.5 grammes and was minted in the United Kingdom. The CBK stressed that it will strictly supervise the destruction process to ensure all coins are permanently rendered unusable. As part of the evaluation process, CBK will require a commitment in writing that the successful bidder will allow the bank to inspect and confirm the smelting of the entire consignment of the old coins, the bank said. It is expected that the bidder will notify the bank when ready to undertake the smelting/destruction and invite the banks team to witness the smelting and confirm in writing that the smelting is done to the satisfaction of the bank. The coins are currently stored at three CBK facilities, with Mombasa holding the largest share at 196,373 kilogrammes. Nairobi stores 76,347 kilogrammes, while Kisumu holds 8,947 kilogrammes. Prospective bidders can inspect samples of the coins at the CBK head office before submitting their proposals. The winning firm will take full responsibility for loading, transporting, and destroying the coins and must meet strict eligibility requirements, including proven experience in large-scale smelting and ownership of suitable industrial equipment. Despite declining demand for small denominations, particularly 50-cent, Sh1, and Sh5 coins, CBK continues to mint them. While digital payments have reduced everyday reliance on physical coins, they remain necessary for cash transactions involving uneven pricing. In December 2018, the CBK introduced new Sh1, Sh5, Sh10, and Sh20 coins featuring wildlife symbols a giraffe, rhino, lion, and elephant replacing designs that previously carried portraits of former presidents. The coin disposal tender comes against the backdrop of CBKs Sh14.1 billion, five-year contract awarded to Germany-based Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technologies GmbH to print new banknotes, replacing British firm De La Rue. Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu previously raised concerns over the procurement process, citing irregularities and the failure to establish a special selection committee. CBK Governor Kamau Thugge defended the award, saying the process received approval from the National Security Council. Jubilee Party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni launched a sharp attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over remarks he made suggesting that the Mt Kenya region would eventually rally behind a single dominant political party. Speaking on Thursday, January 8, during an interview on Spice FM, Kioni described Gachaguas comments as both retrogressive and unconstitutional, warning that such rhetoric threatens Kenyas hard-won multiparty democracy. I heard someone saying that in this region, we will only have one party. That is a very retrogressive statement, Kioni said. The Jubilee Party principal accused the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader of undermining constitutional principles by promoting political monopoly, insisting that Kenyas democratic framework does not allow for the dominance of a single party in any region. It is not a statement you should make, even if you want to achieve it. It is against the Constitution. If he had said it when I was there, I could have contradicted him, he added. Kioni stressed that safeguarding pluralism remains essential to Kenyas political stability, noting that such remarks could strain relations within the broader opposition and fuel unnecessary divisions among leaders who are expected to work together. He warned that continued statements advocating for a one-party political direction could force him to reconsider his place within the opposition alliance, arguing that no individual should jeopardize democratic values or the political futures of others. We fought for this Constitution, and it is because of this pluralism that we can challenge each other. Because I am going to run in 2027, you are not going to sacrifice my political career on statements you continue saying, Kioni said. The Jubilee secretary-general made it clear that he would not hesitate to chart his own political path if such rhetoric persists, even if it means facing current allies at the ballot. I will leave you and follow my own path, and meet during the elections. But people might think I have a very big problem with these individuals, but I do not have, I just do not agree with some of their statements, he stated. Beyond his criticism of Gachagua, Kioni also weighed in on the growing internal tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), alleging that some party insiders were plotting to auction the party to external interests. He likened ODMs current challenges to the internal turmoil Jubilee faced two years ago, claiming similar attempts were once made to sell off Jubilees political influence. ODM is on sale, and they are currently trying to implicate former President Uhuru Kenyatta. But ODM members must fight for the soul of the party and fight for the spirit of Raila, Kioni said. The government has issued a firm warning to beneficiaries of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project, cautioning them against diverting the funds to non-business activities and clarifying how existing loans and overdrafts relate to the disbursement. Speaking on Thursday, January 8, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Wycliffe Oparanya explained that popular mobile overdraft facilities cannot automatically deduct NYOTA funds because the government releases the money through a dedicated mobile application, not through beneficiaries regular mobile money accounts. Oparanya said developers designed the NYOTA mobile app specifically to ensure that beneficiaries use the funds strictly for approved business purposes. As a result, youth with existing mobile loans or overdrafts should not expect automatic deductions from their NYOTA allocations, since the money does not pass through their usual mobile wallets. The issue of your loans, you will have to deal with the lender, Oparanya said while presiding over the disbursement of the NYOTA North Rift Cluster Business Start-Up Capital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. The Cabinet Secretary also revealed that the government can monitor how beneficiaries withdraw and spend the funds through the app, adding that misuse would block access to the money. Oparanya warned that the system will not release funds intended for business if a beneficiary attempts to divert them to betting or gambling. If you try to use the funds for betting, the money will not be released. It will only be released once you use it for the intended business, he said. The NYOTA Project is a five-year government programme funded by the World Bank and designed to empower young people by tackling unemployment, income insecurity, and low savings. Following the latest disbursement, the government estimates that it has released about KSh250 million to more than 9,500 youths across counties in the North Rift region. Under the programme, each beneficiary in the Rift Valley region receives KSh22,000 to support the growth of their enterprises, while the government deposits an additional KSh3,000 into savings accounts held at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). On Thursday, President William Ruto also announced expanded support for young people under the Recognition of Prior Learning initiative, revealing that the government has funded short certification courses of up to one month to help ease beneficiaries transition into formal employment. The government says the measures aim to ensure NYOTA funds deliver real economic impact by supporting sustainable youth-led businesses and long-term financial security. President William Ruto has unveiled a bold initiative to empower young people, women, and persons with disabilities by expanding their access to government procurement opportunities, a move aimed at boosting economic inclusion nationwide. In a statement posted on X on Thursday, January 8, 2026, President Ruto said the program will train a substantial number of participants to take advantage of reserved government contracts. To enable young people, women and persons with disability participate in government procurement, we will train 600,000 of them to access 30 per cent of the opportunities reserved for these categories of people, he stated. The President explained that the initiative is part of a broader strategy to tackle unemployment and poverty. It complements other government programs, including affordable housing, labour mobility, digital job expansion, and market development. Together with labour mobility and affordable housing programmes, development of markets and hostels, and the expansion of digital jobs, we are confronting unemployment and eradicating poverty, Ruto wrote. In addition, the program includes a practical skills component, offering young people hands-on experience under the mentorship of master craftsmen and women. At the same time, we will support another 90,000 young people to undergo on-the-job training. They will be attached to master craftsmen and women for skills transfer, and receive a KSh6,000 stipend a month for six months. The master craftsmen will also be paid as the government also meets the cost of certification, he said. President Ruto made the announcement while overseeing the disbursement of business start-up capital under the Nyota North Rift Cluster initiative in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. By combining targeted training, financial support, and mentorship, the program aims to develop a generation of skilled and economically independent Kenyans. It is expected to strengthen the workforce, reduce reliance on informal employment, and create long-term pathways for young people, women, and persons with disabilities to participate fully in state and private-sector opportunities. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has raised concerns over attempts by the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to infiltrate its grassroots structures in Western Kenya. ODM Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi said UDA has been drawing several ODM-elected legislators and officials from Vihiga and Kakamega Counties into UDA meetings. One such gathering took place on Tuesday at a hotel in Kakamega, where top UDA officials convened a session that included ODM lawmakers. Our members are being approached to facilitate and participate in the upcoming UDA grassroots elections under the false pretext that UDA and ODM are in a political cooperation agreement, Osotsi said in a statement released Wednesday. Osotsi revealed that UDA operatives have gone further by forming a regional presidential caucus that includes ODM members, a move he said violates both the Political Parties Act and the ODM constitution. He described the actions as regrettable and conducted in bad faith, especially in the wake of the death of ODMs founding leader, Raila Odinga. These developments amount to a hostile takeover and a grand scheme that includes sustained threats of violence and expulsion directed at several senior ODM officials who have dared to speak out against the premature and disrespectful actions, Osotsi said. The deputy party leader argued that no legally binding agreement exists between UDA and ODM, either nationally or at the grassroots level, to justify UDAs ongoing political overreach. What currently exists, he said, is merely the 10-point reform package signed after the mid-2024 Gen Z uprising. He accused UDA of attempting to exploit ODMs two-decade-old organizational structures illegally. It should be understood that currently ODM is a distinct political party, and it is not an appendage to the UDA party. The broad-based arrangement does not provide for how the two parties will handle the 2027 elections going forward, Osotsi declared. Osotsi urged ODM members to resist the infiltration attempts, which he called illegal and unconstitutional. His warning comes as a recent Infotrak survey released Thursday indicates that President William Ruto is leading voter preference in the Western region, also known as Mulembe Nation, ahead of the 2027 presidential election. A recent Infotrak poll has revealed shifting political winds in Western Kenya, showing strong support for ODM, UDA, and DCP, while other parties struggle to make an impact. The survey sampled 602 respondents across Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma, Busia, and Trans Nzoia counties, offering a glimpse into voter preferences as the 2027 General Election draws closer. Thursdays findings show the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leading the pack with 25 per cent overall support in the region, with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) close behind at 20 per cent. The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) trails at 7 per cent. Ford Kenya and DAP-K have struggled to gain significant ground, recording only 4 per cent and 2 per cent support respectively. Other smaller parties, including Wiper, Jubilee, PNU, United Green Movement, Maendeleo Chap Chap, Restore and Build Kenya Party, MDG, and Peoples Democracy Party, each received 1 per cent support, with the remaining parties collectively managing 5 per cent. County-level results paint a diverse political picture. In Kakamega, ODM dominates with 29 per cent, while UDA trails at 13 per cent and DCP at 8 per cent. Ford Kenya and DAP-K lag behind at 3 per cent and 1 per cent. Vihiga shows a tight contest, with ODM at 25 per cent and UDA breathing down its neck at 24 per cent. Ford Kenya manages 4 per cent while DAP-K sits at 1 per cent. Bungoma tells a different story, with UDA leading at 27 per cent, ahead of ODMs 18 per cent and DCPs 5 per cent. Ford Kenya claims 7 per cent while DAP-K remains at 1 per cent. In Busia, ODM leads with 27 per cent, UDA follows at 17 per cent, and DCP takes 11 per cent, while Ford Kenya and DAP-K record 2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Trans Nzoia shows ODM at 26 per cent, UDA at 21 per cent, DCP at 5 per cent, Ford Kenya at 3 per cent, and DAP-K at 2 per cent. Infotrak conducted the survey through Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI), reaching out to registered voters aged 18 and above. The poll recorded a 100 per cent response rate and carries a margin of error of 4 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level. Researchers analyzed the data using SPSS 27 to guarantee accuracy. The findings point to an increasingly competitive political landscape in Western Kenya, with voter loyalties evolving ahead of the 2027 General Election and the regions traditional power structures facing potential upheaval. Cultural & Historical Significance Awarnach occupies a distinctive position in the rich tapestry of Welsh Arthurian mythology, representing the ancient giant race that inhabited Britain before human settlement. In the Welsh Triads, one of the most important collections of medieval Welsh literature, he is explicitly named as one of the three chief giants of Britain, placing him among the most significant mythological beings of the Celtic world. This classification connects him to the primal landscape and pre-Christian belief systems where giants were often seen as personifications of natural forces and ancient wisdom. His appearances in various Welsh genealogical texts and mythological compilations demonstrate how these giant figures were integrated into the complex web of Celtic heroic tradition, serving as both antagonists and keepers of ancient knowledge that heroes like Arthur had to confront and sometimes learn from. The persistence of Awarnach in Welsh tradition reflects the deep-rooted Celtic concept of giants as fundamental elements of the mythological landscape, embodying the raw power and mystery of the British Isles before the arrival of civilization and Christianity. Women named Dianda are often perceived as possessing a unique blend of spiritual depth and practical strength. They typically exhibit a nurturing, protective nature combined with a strong sense of purpose and divine connection. These individuals are frequently described as having an innate ability to care for others while maintaining firm boundaries and clear moral convictions. Their personality often reflects the name's combined meaningsshowing both the gentle, intuitive qualities associated with divinity and the steadfast, protective characteristics of a guardian. Diandas are commonly seen as natural leaders in community and spiritual settings, able to inspire others while providing practical support and guidance. They tend to be deeply principled yet adaptable, combining traditional values with contemporary understanding in ways that make them effective bridges between different generations and perspectives within Christian communities. The name suggests someone who balances compassion with strength, creating a personality type that is both approachable and authoritativequalities that make Diandas particularly effective in roles requiring both emotional intelligence and decisive leadership. Women named Keiko are often perceived as graceful, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent individuals. They typically exhibit a calm demeanor and natural elegance that draws people to them, combined with a strong sense of loyalty to family and friends. Keikos are frequently described as having excellent interpersonal skills, able to navigate social situations with tact and sensitivity while maintaining their authentic selves. Their name meaning 'adored one' often translates into a personality that genuinely cares for others' wellbeing, making them natural caregivers and supportive companions. Many Keikos display artistic or creative talents, particularly in traditional Japanese arts or music, reflecting the cultural heritage embedded in their name. They tend to be resilient yet gentle, combining inner strength with outward softness in a way that makes them both respected and beloved in their communities. This balance of traditional values with modern adaptability allows Keikos to thrive in various environments while maintaining their core identity. The name's association with being cherished often manifests in individuals who value deep, meaningful relationships and who approach life with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for beauty in all its forms. Individuals associated with the Macauslan name are often characterized by traits of steadfastness, loyalty, and a strong connection to their heritage. The historical context of Scottish clan life suggests that those bearing this name would likely exhibit qualities of resilience and determination, having descended from families that maintained their identity through periods of political turmoil and social change. There is often a sense of quiet strength and practicality associated with the name, reflecting the pragmatic nature required to navigate the challenges of Highland life. Many Macauslans are thought to value tradition and family bonds highly, demonstrating a deep sense of responsibility to their community and ancestry. The name also suggests characteristics of independence combined with a commitment to preserving cultural identity, traits that would have been essential for survival and success in the historically complex Scottish social landscape. These personality associations are drawn from the name's historical context and the typical values emphasized within Scottish clan culture. Cultural & Historical Significance Mairia is an Irish feminine name that represents a distinctive Gaelic variation of Mary, deeply rooted in Ireland's Christian heritage while maintaining unique Celtic characteristics. The name emerged during the early Christian period in Ireland when biblical names were adapted to fit Irish phonology and linguistic patterns. Throughout Irish history, Mairia has been particularly associated with regions of Connacht and Munster, serving as both a given name and a surname in some Gaelic families. The name carries strong connections to Irish Catholicism and the veneration of the Virgin Mary, yet it maintains its distinct Irish identity separate from the more common English 'Mary'. During the Gaelic Revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, names like Mairia gained renewed popularity as symbols of Irish cultural identity and resistance to Anglicization. The name represents the preservation of Gaelic linguistic traditions and serves as a marker of cultural continuity through periods of significant social and political change in Ireland. Cultural & Historical Significance The name Odon has deep roots in Anglo and Germanic cultures, deriving from the Old German elements 'od' meaning 'wealth, fortune' and 'wini' meaning 'friend' or 'protector.' Historically, it was borne by several medieval European nobles and religious figures, particularly in France and England during the Norman period. The name gained prominence through Saint Odon of Cluny in the 10th century, who was instrumental in monastic reform and helped spread Benedictine influence throughout Western Europe. During the Middle Ages, variations of the name were common among aristocracy and clergy, symbolizing both material prosperity and protective qualities. The name's association with wealth and defense made it appealing to noble families who saw these attributes as essential for leadership and guardianship of their domains. In Anglo contexts, the name maintained its continental prestige while adapting to local naming conventions, often appearing in historical records of Norman-descended nobility in England. Women named Ricarda are typically perceived as strong, organized, and naturally authoritative individuals who excel in leadership roles. They often possess a practical mindset combined with emotional intelligence, allowing them to manage both household and professional responsibilities effectively. Ricardas are known for their reliability and determinationonce they commit to a goal, they pursue it with unwavering focus and strategic planning. Their nurturing side emerges in close relationships, where they provide steadfast support and wise counsel. While they can be perceived as reserved initially, Ricardas reveal warm, loyal personalities to those they trust, balancing traditional values with modern adaptability in their approach to life's challenges. This combination of strength and compassion makes them effective mediators and trusted advisors in both family and professional settings. Their inherent sense of responsibility often leads them to take charge in situations requiring organization and clear decision-making. The Religious Disenfranchisement of Assyrians in Iraq (AINA) -- The use of the "Christian" label for indigenous peoples in Iraq, particularly in northern Iraq, is not neutral. It carries political, legal, and historical consequences that undermine indigenous identity and collective rights. Religion Is not an indigenous Identity; "Christian" describes a religious belief, not a people, nation, or indigenous group. indigenous status is defined by ancestral connection to the land, a historical continuity, a shared language, culture and national identity. The Assyrian people existed as an indigenous nation since 4750 BC and retained their national identity after adopting the Christian faith in 33 AD. Labeling Assyrians solely as "Christians" denies their status as original inhabitants of Mesopotamia, reduces them to a religious minority, not an indigenous people, and enables the denial of land rights, political representation, and self-determination. This is identity erasure, not recognition. The use of the Christian moniker is normal Northern Iraq, particularly under the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The "Christian" label is often used to a void recognition of Assyrian indigenous land ownership, present Assyrians as guests or dependents, rather than rightful natives of the land and legitimize demographic change, land confiscation, and administrative control. This reduction is applied selectively. Kurds are not labeled "Muslims," Arabs are not reduced to "Muslims," Turkmen are not defined by religion. Only indigenous Assyrians are stripped of their national identity and recast as a religious community. International law (including UNDRIP) recognizes: indigenous peoples as peoples, not religious sects The right to self-identification Collective rights to land, culture, history, and political existence Replacing indigenous identity with a religious label violates these principles. The Assyrian people pre-date modern religions and modern states and have maintained continuous presence in their ancestral homeland Preserved their identity through language, culture, and historical memory. They are not migrants, settlers, or newcomers. The use of the "Christian" label is not accidental. It is a tool that disenfranchises the Assyrian people, turning a nation into a sect and indigenous landowners into a managed minority. Assyrians are not Christians who happen to live in Iraq, they are an indigenous people of Mesopotamia who happen to be Christian. This distinction is essential for justice, recognition, and rights. NewsVoir Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 9: Dr. Nomal Chandra Borah, Founder - GNRC Universal Health Mission and GNRC Group of Hospitals, has been honoured with two distinguished national honours -- the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) and the Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 by the Association of Nurse Executive (India) -- recognising his transformative contributions to healthcare, neurology, nursing leadership, and community development over five decades. About IAN and Its Lifetime Achievement Award The Indian Academy of Neurology, the apex national body of neurologists, is responsible for advancing neurological science, research, education, and clinical standards in India. The IAN Lifetime Achievement Award recognises neurologists who have contributed exceptionally to the growth and excellence of neurology in the country. IAN praised Dr. Borah's "awe-inspiring life story of grit, determination, and service," noting how he rose from humble beginnings to become one of India's most respected neurologists. The citation highlights his integrity, self-belief, and perseverance in establishing Northeast India's first comprehensive neuroscience centre, expanding neurological services to previously unreached populations, and starting DNB Neurology training in the region. IAN further commended his extensive research, prolific publications, and his stature as a mentor and social entrepreneur -- calling his journey "monumental for the State and the Nation, and an inspiration for the younger generation to emulate." About ANEI and Its Lifetime Achievement Award The Association of Nurse Executive (India) is the country's premier professional body representing senior nursing leaders, educators, and administrators. ANEI works towards strengthening nursing governance, promoting professional excellence, and shaping policies that uplift India's nursing workforce. The ANEI Lifetime Achievement Award is among the highest honours in Indian nursing leadership, presented to individuals whose vision and lifelong service have deeply influenced nursing practice and healthcare delivery nationwide. In its citation, ANEI lauded Dr. Borah as a "visionary neurologist and dedicated social reformer", highlighting his pioneering initiatives -- including GNRC Medireach, Swasthyamitra, and the Universal Health Mission -- which have expanded preventive and affordable healthcare to rural and underserved populations. The association also acknowledged his role in establishing the Asian Institute of Nursing Education (2004), now a respected centre for nursing education and leadership in India. Dr. Borah's Response Expressing gratitude, Dr. Borah said, "These recognitions belong to my patients and their family members, colleagues, mentors, students, and the GNRC family. I remain committed to making healthcare more ethical, equitable, and accessible for all." About GNRC Hospitals GNRC Hospitals, founded by Dr Nomal Chandra Borah in 1985, is a leading chain of tertiary care super-specialty hospitals in Assam and West Bengal, offering nearly 1,000 beds. With state-of-the-art facilities and a patient-centric approach, GNRC delivers comprehensive and compassionate healthcare. Its ground-breaking Affordable Health Mission has earned global recognition, including a Harvard School of Public Health case study and coverage in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia. GNRC's community health initiative, Swasthyamitra, and its integrated care model have also been featured in international journals and presented at global forums such as the 8th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR 2024). Committed to research, education, and clinical excellence, GNRC continues to shape the healthcare landscape of Northeast India. For more, visit: www.gnrchospitals.com. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with leading Indian AI startups has left founders and innovators deeply inspired, reaffirming India's ambition to emerge as a global leader in artificial intelligence. The roundtable, chaired by the Prime Minister this week, comes ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in India next month. Twelve Indian AI startups, selected under the Foundation Model Pillar of the Summit, participated in the discussions and presented their work across diverse domains, including Indian language foundation models, multilingual LLMs, speech and generative AI, healthcare diagnostics, engineering simulations, material research, and data-driven analytics. Several founders highlighted the Prime Minister's deep understanding of technology, India's unique challenges, and the ethical responsibilities that accompany AI leadership. Pratyush Kumar, Co-founder of Sarvam AI, said the Prime Minister's personal insights left a strong impression. "The Prime Minister's insights from his personal life were very inspiring for us in terms of technical topics. He told us that there is a lot of diversity and hopes in India, but there is a unity between them." Nikhil Malhotra, CIO of Tech Mahindra, recalled an anecdote shared by PM Modi during his visit to France to underline inclusive thinking. "He told us in France that everyone paints with the right hand, because right-handed people are more painters. Someone tried it with the left hand. It was a very good example. So that means that the PM knows what he is saying," Malhotra said. Malhotra emphasized that the Prime Minister clearly understands the importance of widespread AI adoption and ethical leadership. "He also knows that AI diffusion is very important in India. He also knows that if India wants to become the Vishwaguru of AI, then India has to solve those typical problems that the world is not solving ethically and responsibly." For Siddharth Panwar, CEO of NeuroDX, the interaction reinforced the need for India-specific innovation. "His experience was very important to refine our thinking. No one understands India's specific needs more than him. After talking to him, we realized again that we don't have to copy the West. We have to make something that will change people's lives." The Prime Minister's vision has also contributed to reversing brain drain, according to Parth Sarthi, Research Engineer at GAN.AI. "I myself shifted back from the US because of the Prime Minister's vision and the India AI Mission. Now finally in India, we have the GPUs, we have the funding to actually build models that can compete with the models of the world." Arastu Sharma, CEO of Shodh AI, described the moment as historic. "Ten years ago, we could never have imagined that I would get a chance to do this in my country with a deep tech ambitious project. So that opportunity is here now." Articulating the ethical framework discussed during the roundtable, Ayush Gupta, CEO of Genloop, said the Prime Minister laid out a clear formula for India's AI future. "He gave a formula that India's AI has to be authentic and ethical. This is how we can leave our mark in the world. AI is going to be the self-reliant intelligence for India, and it will play a very important role in a Viksit Bharat." Ganesh Gopalan, Co-founder of Gnani AI, was struck by the Prime Minister's technical grasp. "You won't believe that the Prime Minister does so many things. But he understands the model. He understands our problems. And he is trying to take us ahead of other countries." For Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder of Fractal AI, the emphasis was on data sovereignty and inclusivity. "PM's vision is that India should become the world's biggest leader in AI. And for this, it is important that we use India's data, make India's models and make it available in our language to every citizen of India." Sravanth Aluru, CEO of Avataar AI, highlighted the clarity of direction provided. "I think the clarity, the purpose and the role that they've given each one of us and how we'll all come together to collaborate towards putting India on the pedestal." Looking beyond conventional AI applications, Hrishikesh Bal, CEO of BharatGen, noted the Prime Minister's forward-thinking approach. "While most people are still stuck thinking about the role of text-based LLMs and chat, he's really thinking beyond the role of AI in science, AI in innovation and the real transformation that AI is going to bring to our lives." Prof. Sashikumaar Ganesan, Founder of Zenteiq, said the vision has reignited innovation across industries. "His vision and the entire team's vision brought the industries back to innovation and especially (in) the era of AI." Emphasizing AI's reach at the grassroots, Abhishek Upperwal, CEO of Soket AI, called the upcoming India AI Summit a defining moment. "(AI) Impact Summit is a huge opportunity for India and we shouldn't miss it. We can go to the grassroots level and help people benefit from AI. I think that's the biggest vision idea that PM sir has told us." These Start-ups are working in a diverse set of areas including Indian language foundation models, multilingual LLMs, speech-to-text, text-to-audio and text-to-video; 3D content using generative AI for e-commerce, marketing, and personalized content creation; engineering simulations, material research and advanced analytics for data-driven decision-making across industries; healthcare diagnostics and medical research, among others. (ANI) The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said it had been close to a trade deal with the United States on several occasions, and the characterisation by the US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about it was "not accurate." "On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterization of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly presser. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump have spoken over phone on several occasions over the past year, covering different aspects of wide ranging partnership between India and the US, Jaiswal said. "We have seen the remarks. India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far as far back as 13th of February last year. That is, since then, two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement," the MEA spokesperson said. "On several occasions, we have been close to a deal. The characterization of these discussions, the reported remarks, is not accurate," he said. India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies, and look forward to concluding it, he noted. Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had claimed that the trade deal between India and the United States did not happen as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not place a call to Donald Trump. In a conversation with American venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, as part of the 'All-In Podcast' on Thursday (local time), Lutnick said that while contracts were negotiated and the entire deal structure was prepared, the final step required direct, leader-level engagement. "I would negotiate the contracts and set the whole deal up, but let's be clear. It's his (Trump's) deal. He's the closer. He does it. It's all set up, you got to have Modi, call the President. They were uncomfortable doing it. So Modi didn't call. That Friday left, in the next week we did Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, we announced a whole bunch of deals," the US Commerce Secretary said. Lutnick went on to explain Trump's broader trade negotiation strategy, describing it as a "staircase" model. According to him, countries that moved first received the best possible terms, while those that followed later were offered progressively higher rates. Referring to the first trade deal with the United Kingdom, Lutnick said Trump was repeatedly asked about which country would be next, and India was publicly named multiple times. India, he said, was given "three Fridays" to close the deal, effectively putting it on a "short clock." However, according to Lutnick, India did not meet the deadline and as a result, the US moved ahead with trade agreements with several Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, announcing a series of deals across Asia. Lutnick said these agreements were negotiated at higher rates, as the US had initially assumed that India's deal would be completed earlier. When India later approached the US, around three weeks after the deadline, seeking to proceed, it was told that the opportunity had passed. Trump administration has imposed tariffs on countries that were major exporters to the US, including India and China. There is a 50 per cent tariffs on goods from India entering the United States since August 2025. (ANI) PNN New Delhi [India], January 9: SGF India, the vegetarian restaurant brand known as Spice Grill Flame, has opened three new outlets in the Delhi NCR region. The new locations are in Rohini Sector 22, Gurugram Sector 37D, and Narela. The announcement was shared by Kewal Ahuja, Founder of SGF India, as the company begins its expansion plans for the year 2026. According to the company, the new outlets are part of a planned effort to strengthen SGF's presence in areas where customer demand has been steadily increasing. Delhi NCR continues to be one of SGF India's most important markets, with several outlets already operating across the region. The addition of these three locations is expected to make the brand more accessible to customers living in fast-growing residential pockets. Speaking about the expansion, Kewal Ahuja said, "We have seen consistent support from customers in Delhi NCR over the years. Opening three outlets at the start of the year gives us a strong base for what we plan to do in 2026. Our focus remains on serving good food and running our outlets efficiently." The locations were chosen after studying local demand and surrounding development. Rohini Sector 22 and Narela have seen a rise in residential housing, while Gurugram Sector 37D continues to grow as a mixed residential and commercial area. SGF India stated that these factors played a key role in finalising the locations, as the company prefers areas that can support long-term operations. Founded in 2012, SGF India has built its brand around vegetarian North Indian food and soy-based products. Its chaap items remain among the most popular offerings on the menu and have helped the brand stand out in the organised vegetarian dining space. Over time, SGF has expanded to more than 100 outlets across different parts of the country and now serves over one million meals every month. With these new openings, SGF India is looking to further strengthen its position in North India before moving into additional markets later in the year. The company has indicated that expansion will continue in phases, with a focus on maintaining consistency across outlets rather than rapid scale alone. About SGF India SGF India, also known as Spice Grill Flame, is a vegetarian restaurant chain founded in 2012 by Kewal Ashwani Ahuja. The brand focuses on soy-based dishes and North Indian flavours and currently operates more than 100 outlets across India. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) NewsVoir Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 9: ASBL Spectra, a premium ready-to-move in gated community in Hyderabad's Financial District, has announced an innovative homebuying initiative with the launch of its 'No Registration & No GST' scheme. The scheme eliminates upfront GST and registration charges for buyers, significantly reducing the immediate financial burden associated with purchasing a ready-to-move-in home. Located in Financial District, one of Hyderabad's most sought-after residential and commercial hubs, ASBL Spectra is addressing one of the biggest challenges faced by homebuyers today. While many buyers have strong income profiles and loan eligibility, the heavy upfront capital required for ready-to-move properties often delays or prevents purchase decisions. The Challenge with Ready-to-Move Properties Traditionally, purchasing a ready-to-move apartment requires buyers to arrange substantial liquid capital at the outset. Beyond the property value and down payment, buyers are required to pay 5 percent GST along with approximately 7.5 percent towards registration and stamp duty. These statutory charges, often amounting to several lakhs of rupees, must be paid simultaneously, creating a significant financial hurdle. As a result, many genuine homebuyers who are otherwise comfortable servicing home loans struggle to arrange large sums of cash upfront, leading to delays or missed opportunities in securing completed homes. A Restructured Approach to Home Buying Under the 'No Registration & No GST' scheme, ASBL Spectra has restructured the purchase process by absorbing GST and registration charges into the overall transaction structure. Instead of requiring buyers to make these payments upfront, the costs are managed through a revised sale deed value, significantly lowering the immediate capital outlay. With this scheme, buyers can now book a spacious 2,220 sq. ft. premium apartment by paying just 5 lakhs at the time of booking. The GST and registration components, which traditionally create financial pressure at the entry stage, are no longer required as lump-sum upfront payments. This allows buyers to secure a fully completed and ready-to-occupy home with a smoother purchase journey. To illustrate the impact, a 2,220 sq. ft. apartment priced at 2.65 crore would typically require buyers to arrange approximately 80.86 lakhs from personal funds under a conventional purchase model. This includes GST, registration and stamp duty, along with other associated charges. Under the 'No Registration & No GST' scheme, the same buyer requires only about 26.5 lakhs of personal capital. Bank financing can now cover close to 90 percent of the total cost, compared to the typical industry average of around 65 percent. This results in a reduction of over 54 lakhs in immediate cash requirement. About ASBL Spectra ASBL Spectra is a RERA-approved residential development (P02400003071) spread across approximately 7.85 acres in Financial District, Hyderabad. The project comprises four high-rise towers with G plus 39 floors and features nearly 76 percent open space, offering a balanced environment focused on natural light, ventilation, and privacy. The gated community offers thoughtfully designed 3 BHK residences with roomsized balconies, catering to families seeking space and comfort without compromising on urban connectivity. ASBL Spectra enjoys direct access from the Outer Ring Road service lane, with Narsingi Junction just 3 minutes away, Gachibowli Circle approximately 7 to 10 minutes away, and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport reachable within 30 to 35 minutes via the ORR. Easing the Path to Homeownership By restructuring how GST and registration charges are handled, the scheme addresses a key concern in the ready-to-move housing segment. Higher loan coverage and lower upfront cash requirements allow buyers to preserve liquidity for interiors, furnishings, or financial contingencies, while continuing to benefit from immediate possession and clarity on the final product. The 'No Registration & No GST' scheme is currently available on all the units at ASBL Spectra. Interested homebuyers may visit the project site in the Financial District or contact the sales team for more information on available inventory and the booking process. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) German businesses are eagerly looking forward to having this Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and India is a key partner for Germany, said Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, while speaking to ANI on Friday. This statement precedes the official visit of the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, to India on January 12 and 13. Ackermann noted that the timing of the Chancellor's visit, occurring two weeks before the EU-India summit, signals German hopes for a successful FTA. "We feel that an FTA is a game-changer in our trade and industrial relations. German business is eagerly looking forward to having this FTA, and the Chancellor will certainly make that point. His (German Chancellor) visit, being two weeks ahead of the EU-India summit, is also a clear signal to the Indian side how much my country is really hoping for a good FTA, and the Chancellor will make that point," he said. The partnership also extends to higher education and research. Ackermann noted that 60,000 students of Indian origin currently study in Germany. He described German universities as very satisfied with these students, who maintain a reputation for commitment and hard work. The Ambassador noted that this reflects the strong character of the bilateral partnership in education. Bilateral relations between the two countries currently stand at an all-time high. "India is a key partner for Germany. This strategic partnership has grown over the years. India is also a very important partner in defence," Ackermann said. "Our partnership was never as good as it is now. I am very happy to see how strong the partnership is, how strong the attention in Germany toward India is, and how strong the friendship in India toward Germany is." He expressed satisfaction with the mutual attention and friendship between the nations, but added that a strong partnership can "always be stronger and better." The upcoming visit aims to lead to a renewed effort to strengthen these ties further. According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr. Friedrich Merz, will pay an official visit to India on 12-13 January 2026. This will be Chancellor Merz's first official visit to India. On the visit, he will be travelling to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. The two leaders are expected to take stock of the progress made in diverse aspects of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year. The discussions are also expected to focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people relations. (ANI) Joining in the line of praises, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma gave a shoutout to director Geetu Mohandas, hailing her for being the "ultimate symbol of women empowerment." Taking to his X handle, RGV shared his surprising reaction to the director's work on the film. "After seeing the @TheNameIsYash starring trailer of #Toxic I have no doubt that @GeethuMohandas is the ultimate symbol of Women Empowerment ..No Male director is Man enough in comparison to this Woman .. I still can't believe she shot this," he wrote. https://x.com/RGVzoomin/status/2009188646432407904 Earlier, stars like Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, and Rishab Shetty also hailed the teaser on social media. The 'Raazi' actor took to her Instagram Story to react to the teaser. Giving the teaser a thumbs up, the actress wrote, "Dynamite." Karan Johar, in his story, added, "WOW!!!! What a BIRTHDAY announcement!!! Truly ROCKING!" The much-awaited teaser for actor Yash's upcoming film 'Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups' was unveiled on Thursday, coinciding with the actor's birthday celebrations. The teaser offers a striking glimpse into Yash's intense and enigmatic character as Raya, instantly sparking excitement among fans. Set against the backdrop of a cemetery, the teaser opens with a blaze of action, with gunfire cutting through the silence, signalling the arrival of Yash as the composed, fearless, and unflinching Raya with a Tommy gun. https://www.instagram.com/p/DTPJarajA9Z/ 'Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups' is written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas and directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film stars Yash alongside Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, Kiara Advani, and Nayanthara in key roles. Toxic marks Yash's return to the big screen after 'KGF: Chapter 2'. Produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, Toxic is set to hit theatres on March 19, 2026. (ANI) Security forces in Manipur continued their extensive search, combing and area domination operations across vulnerable and fringe areas of the state on Thursday, while the overall law and order situation in the state remained normal in the last 24 hours. According to an official statement from the Manipur Police, security forces recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during an operation on January 8 in the Songjang (Pakang) area under Kangpokpi Police Station in Kangpokpi district. The seized items included three local made pumpi guns, one Excalibur rifle with a magazine, one .303 rifle with magazine, two local made .22 pistols with magazines, five 5.56 mm live rounds ammunition, five empty cartridges of 12 bore action rifle, one local made pumpi empty shell, six local made pumpi live shells, and 11 local made 12 bolt action rifles. In separate intelligence-based operations aimed at curbing extortion and criminal activities, the statement said that security forces arrested an active cadre of RPF/PLA on January 7 from Khurai Ahongei under Porompat Police Station in Imphal East district. The arrested individual was identified as Chandam Rabichandra alias Ibomcha (30) of Uyumpok Maning Leikai. One mobile phone was seized from his possession. On the same day, Manipur Police also arrested an alleged arms smuggler, identified as Hungo Dickson alias Ason (40) of Pungpun village in Kamjong district, from Kairang Makha Leikai under Heingang Police Station in Imphal East district. A mobile phone was recovered from him. Meanwhile, security forces apprehended Krishna Mohon Namasudra (55) from Latingkhal Part-II in Jiribam district on January 7. During the operation, 20 litres of DIC liquor and 44 bottles (180 ml each) of different brands of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) were seized. In a major anti-narcotics operation, a combined team of security forces and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials arrested two drug smugglers on January 7 from the area between Maukot village and Singngat in Churachandpur district. The arrested persons were identified as Hangkhankap and Khupjamal. Authorities seized 4.3 kilograms of heroin powder contained in 320 soap cases, along with one Bolero four-wheeler and one Bajaj Avenger two-wheeler. A case has been registered by the DRI for further investigation, the statement further read. As part of efforts to curb illegal poppy cultivation, security forces, along with the Forest Department, destroyed around 20 acres of poppy fields at Thinghangjang Hill under Churachandpur Police Station on January 8. Two huts found at the plantation site were also set ablaze. Police further informed that the movement of 178 vehicles carrying essential commodities along National Highway-37 was ensured under strict security arrangements, with convoys provided in sensitive stretches to guarantee safe passage. Authorities have urged the public not to believe rumours or fall for fake videos and social media posts. The police warned that circulating false information would invite legal action and urged people to verify information through the Central Control Room. The statement added that the public has also been requested to voluntarily return looted arms, ammunition and explosives to the nearest police station or security forces immediately. (ANI) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit expressed pride in the institution's role in providing reliable data research for various real-life policy impact issues in the country. Speaking to ANI, the Professor highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's request to institutions for reliable data. "JNU supports all in academic work and research work in this country, done on the basis of reliable data. The Prime Minister has also been asking all institutions, higher education institutions, to come up with very reliable data because, without data, you cannot interpret any real-life public policy impact issues," she emphasised. "After 2011, we don't have census figures and many people have been alleging that the population of different cities have grown, especially Delhi, Bombay, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, even Pune and hence the growth of this population whether they are only internal migration or is it from other countries which are very inimical to our values, our diversity and our unity," she said. "They (people staying illegally in India) take away our resources, they do not accept our way of life, which is according to the Constitution of India, given to us by Baba Sahib Bhimrao Ambedkar, who believes in diversity and democracy. They come from countries that do not have any of this, and they come from irredentist ideologies which do not accept difference," she claimed. "The BMC elections are on the 15th of January...If India wants to become an economic powerhouse, which our Prime Minister is promising us, and we have moved to be the fourth largest economic power in the world, we would require Mumbai to be under Indian hands. It cannot go under the hands of illegal immigrants," she asserted. Earlier, the Vice Chancellor described JNU as the "most nationalistic" in the country, amid ongoing controversy over slogans raised against PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the university campus. Pandit added that the matter has been resolved and asserted that "Vande Mataram" is sung at the institution, asking which other university does so. "It has been totally resolved. You see JNU today. Do you see anything of it? Nothing. JNU is the most nationalistic university in this country. We sang Vande Mataram. There is no opposition. Show me in which other institution you can sing the full Vande Mataram," Pandit told ANI. She further termed the ongoing violence against minorities in Bangladesh as sad, stressing that she doesn't mind the immigrants coming into India legally. Pandit added that India went through a religious partition, which was one of the worst in history and resulted in a huge number of killings. "This is very sad and those are the people who are coming (to India). What is the mindset with which they are coming? I don't mind legal immigrants who can come in and accept our culture. They don't want to assimilate into our culture. They want to become the majority and make me into a minority and accept their irredentist philosophy, which is not acceptable to me because that is not the country I chose in 1947. In 1947, we had a religious partition," Pandit said. "Let us not forget that one of the worst violent partitions anywhere in the world, a number of people died, the amount of killings that happened...You see what Trump is doing with illegal immigrants. Are we doing the same thing? If a rich country can do that, then you can imagine the plight of India," she added. (ANI) Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday condemned Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Sonia Gandhi over the National Herald case, saying that the paper having "more advertising revenue than any established newspaper," is in itself suspicious. Speaking to reporters on Thursday Joshi said that the Congress leaders are on bail, but under scrutiny. "They have more advertising revenue than any established newspaper, which in itself is a scam. The so-called owners Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the scam are under scrutiny, and are currently on bail," Joshi said. Earlier in December 2025, the Delhi High Court, after hearing detailed submissions by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), issued notice to all respondents, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, on the ED's appeal challenging the trial court order that declined to take cognisance of its money-laundering complaint in the National Herald case. The Court has scheduled a further hearing on March 12, 2026. Justice Ravinder Dudeja heard the matter. Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta placed a detailed factual chronology before the Court. Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and RS Cheema represented the Gandhi family during the proceedings. Addressing the Court, the Solicitor General argued that the trial court erred in law by failing to appreciate that cognisance taken by a competent court on a private complaint carries a higher legal standing than a mere FIR, where cognisance may still be refused even after a chargesheet is filed. He submitted that in the present matter, cognisance of the private complaint constituting the scheduled offence had already been taken by a competent court and upheld up to the Supreme Court, placing it on a far firmer footing than a simple police FIR. Mehta further contended that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) does not prescribe the mode or manner in which a scheduled offence must be registered. What is required under the statute, he said, is the existence of an allegation of criminal activity relating to a planned offence, without mandating that it must arise from an FIR rather than a criminal complaint. Emphasising that the issue warrants examination, he stated that he was prepared to satisfy the Court and sought the issuance of notice. During the hearing, the Court asked whether cognisance had been taken of the private complaint after the complainant was examined. The Solicitor General informed the bench that witnesses had also been examined. He urged that the matter be finally adjudicated on the return date and requested that it be heard. However, Senior Advocate Singhvi stated that some respondents are yet to be served notices. (ANI) West Bengal Police on Friday said that attempts were being made by certain quarters to spread misinformation and create communal disharmony over an incident that took place in Santipur a few days ago. The police clarified that the incident involved two local residents, Amit Dey and his brother Asit Dey, who were in an intoxicated condition and vandalised some clay idols of Goddess Saraswati. The idols had been made by a local sculptor, Palash Das. In a post on X, West Bengal Police shared, "Mischievous efforts are being made from certain quarters to spread misinformation and communal disharmony about an incident a couple of days back in Santipur where one Amit Dey and his brother Asit Dey, both locals and in an intoxicated condition, vandalised some clay idols of Goddess Saraswati that were made by local sculptor Palash Das." https://x.com/WBPolice/status/2009438086267302176?s=20 The police said a specific case has been registered in connection with the incident and assured that all-out efforts are underway to arrest the accused duo. "A specific case has been registered, and all-out efforts are on to arrest the accused duo. Efforts to communalise this incident on social media will be sternly dealt with. Citizens are requested not to fall for rumours," the post read. Police further warned that any attempts to communalise the incident on social media would be dealt with sternly and urged citizens not to fall prey to rumours and misinformation. In another incident on December 28, West Bengal Police detained Golam Nabi Azad, son of Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) Chairman Humayun Kabir, for allegedly assaulting Humayun Kabir's Personal Security Officer (PSO), Jumma Khan. SP Murshidabad said, "Today morning, JUP party chairman Humayun Kabir's PSO Jumma Khan came to Saktipur PS and submitted a complaint that Golam Nabi Azad @ Robin, son of Jan Unnayan Party Chief Humayun Kabir, has allegedly beaten him when he asked for leave to go home. The incident has happened in front of the general public at the ground-floor office of Humayun Kabir (Saktipur PS). On getting this complaint, police have gone to his house to enquire about the matter. After a preliminary enquiry, Golam Nabi Azad, son of JUP party chairman Humayun Kabir, was the principal accused in the case. Golam Nabi Azad has been detained by Saktipur PS. Further investigation is underway." (ANI) Karnataka Minister HK Patil condemned the decision to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by the central government, and described it as "draconian". Speaking to reporters, he said," It is unfortunate that the government of India has repealed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. This is one of the draconian decisions the Government of India has made, which is to repeal MGNREGA. MGNREGA was giving the right to work to the people, but the central government has snatched that right from people, particularly those agricultural labourers, labourers who were dwelling in rural areas." Earlier, former Chhattisgarh CM and Punjab Congress in charge Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday said that the central government has an "allergy" to Mahatma Gandhi and a problem with the poor, after it scrapped the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). Speaking to ANI, Baghel said, "The world's largest employment guarantee scheme, named after Mahatma Gandhi, was scrapped by this government. This government has an 'allergy' to Mahatma Gandhi, and secondly, they have a problem with the poor... There was no other scheme like it anywhere in the world, a scheme created by Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. It was this MNREGA scheme that provided food rations to people's homes and created employment." He further stated, "We have such a powerful example before us, yet despite this, the scheme was abruptly shut down. In protest against this, All India Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and all other leaders decided that we must launch a movement in different states..." On Saturday, Congress 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. Addressing a press conference at the party's office in New Delhi, Congress General Secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh accused the Centre of attempting to centralise the employment guarantee scheme and acting arbitrarily. Venugopal said the CWC had finalised the future strategy on MGNREGA and approved a structured campaign titled "MGNREGA Bachao Sangram." "Phase 1 will begin on January 8 with a full-day preparatory meeting at Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) offices in the presence of general secretaries and in-charges. District-level press conference will be held at District Congress Committee (DCC) offices on January 10, followed by a one-day fast at district headquarters on January 11 near the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar," he said. As per the party, phase 2 of the campaign will run from January 12 to January 30. During this period, panchayat-level chaupals will be organised across all gram panchayats, and a letter from the Congress president will be delivered. "Vidhan Sabha-level nukkad sabhas and pamphlet distribution are also planned. On January 30, Martyr's Day, the party will hold peaceful sit-ins at the ward level with MGNREGA workers," Venugopal said. "Phase 3 will begin on January 31 with district-level MNREGA Bachao dharnas at DC/DM offices till February 6. This will be followed by state-level gheraos of Vidha Sabha buildings from February 7 to February 15 and four zonal AICC rallies across the country between February 16 and February 25," he added. President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Viksit Bharat--Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the transformation of rural employment policy, as per a release by the President's Secretariat. The 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. The Act replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a modern statutory framework that enhances livelihood security and is aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday took a dig at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly obstructing the Enforcement Directorate's raid at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and taking away "key evidence" from the site. In a caricature of the incident, the BJP, in a post on X, portrayed Mamata Banerjee running away with the evidence file while an ED official chased her, screaming that it was "an important file for the investigation." https://x.com/BJP4India/status/2009310380250550678?s=20 Mamata Banerjee alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents," Banerjee said while speaking to reporters. Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Amit Shah, the Chief Minister dared him to come to West Bengal and fight her democratically. "If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. Starting at 6:00 a.m., they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Banerjee asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She alleged that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence." Clarifying its position, the ED said, "The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." It added that persons linked to the generation of coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and handlers were covered in the PMLA searches conducted on January 8, 2026. This development in West Bengal has led to a sharp face-off between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. (ANI) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed the Centre over reports suggesting that the Indian government plans to scrap five-year-old restrictions on Chinese firms bidding for government contracts. Ramesh, General Secretary incharge of communication in Congress, said that the government's deliberations are "calibrated capitulation to Chinese aggression". He further criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the proposed move, despite Beijing's continued presence in India's border areas and its open support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. "Eight months after China gave full military backing (and fronting) to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and was described by Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh as one of India's 'adversaries', the Modi government is now proposing to lift five-year-old curbs on Chinese companies bidding for Indian government contracts," the Congress leader posted on X. Ramesh said that the "humiliating kowtowing" was taking place even as Indian troops were denied access to the traditional patrolling area. "This is nothing short of a calibrated capitulation to Chinese aggression, born out of the Prime Minister's own weakness - as demonstrated most shamefully by his public clean chit to China on June 19, 2020. This humiliating kowtowing is taking place even as Indian troops are denied access to traditional patrolling areas, China maintains its heavy military presence in eastern Ladakh, continues to provoke on Arunachal Pradesh, and builds the Medog dam on the Brahmaputra - less than a year after giving hyperactive support to Pakistan's attacks on India," he added. Ramesh added that these relaxations for Chinese firms are part of the broader set of recommendations proposed by NITI Aayog to remove restrictions on trade with China. "This move follows earlier decisions allowing Chinese firms to invest in India's electronics sector, liberally granting visas to Chinese workers, and comes amid a continuing rise in India's record trade deficit with China. It is part of a broader set of recommendations from NITI Aayog aimed at removing restrictions on Chinese trade and investment in India entirely," he said. Jairam Ramesh demanded an explanation from PM Modi on the government's "U-turn" on China policy. "The Prime Minister's evasions have gone on far too long. He must now explain his government's sudden U-turns on China policy during the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament - which has for a very long been denied an opportunity to discuss and debate the challenges and threats from China," he said. The restrictions on Chinese firms were imposed following the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in 2020. The possible shift comes as India and China look to normalise ties amid US pressure on New Delhi. Last year, PM Modi visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation. (ANI) Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Friday condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly disrupting the Enforcement Directorate's search operations at the offices of the political consultancy firm I-PAC. He demanded the immediate filing of an FIR against the West Bengal CM and an arrest for allegedly disrupting an official investigation. Speaking to the media, he said, "She wants to have control over the Constitution. She wants to be above all the constitutional institutions. This is definitely not acceptable. The Constitution is above all. The beliefs of the nation are above all. Even if there are not one but 100 Mamata Banerjees, nothing will end (the functioning of institutions). There should be an FIR against her, and she should be arrested." Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma further said that there is a "procedure" to stop an ongoing investigation and a specific way to "raise objections". He questioned the West Bengal Chief Minister's method of alleged disruption of the investigation. He said, "There is a procedure to stop the investigation. There is a way to raise objections. But, during an ongoing official investigation, would you create such a level of disruption?" Meanwhile, on Friday, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office in Kolkata, alleging misuse of the probe agency by the centre. TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, and others protested outside Amit Shah's office in Delhi, raising slogans against the minister. As this happened, the Delhi police detained Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, and others, lifting them up and dragging them to the police van. On Thursday, high political drama unfolded in West Bengal after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the offices of the political consultancy firm I-PAC, even as the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in connection with the coal smuggling case. Questioning the ED's actions, Banerjee alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents," Banerjee said while speaking to reporters. Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Amit Shah, the Chief Minister dared him to come to West Bengal and fight her democratically. "If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. At 6:00 a.m., they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Banerjee asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She alleged that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. "This is not a private organisation. This is the authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). They looted all papers and data, including a large amount of information related to SIR. We are a registered political party. We submit our income tax regularly. If the ED requires any information, they can obtain it from the Income Tax Department. Why was there a raid on our party's IT department?" Banerjee asked. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the agency said the search was conducted "in a peaceful and professional manner" until the Chief Minister and a large number of police officials arrived. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence." The agency said these actions obstructed an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Clarifying its position, the ED said, "The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." It added that persons linked to the generation of coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and handlers were covered in the PMLA searches conducted on January 8, 2026. "I-PAC is also one of the entities linked to hawala money. During today's action, six premises in West Bengal and four premises in Delhi are covered," the agency said. (ANI) A fire broke out at the Tahsildar's Office in Kanchikacherla on Friday, said a police official. Fire service personnel arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control. According to the official, the police have launched an investigation into the incident and are examining CCTV footage as part of the probe. More details are awaited. (ANI) BJP spokesperson Prakash Reddy on Friday criticised Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks on language policy, accusing the Congress of trying to divide people in the name of language, state and religion. He asserted that the Centre and the BJP have never imposed Hindi on any state and support respect for all languages. Speaking to ANI, Reddy said, "Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says they will protest for imposing Hindi. The government of India and our party are very clear that, since independence, no language has been imposed on any state... language is a means of communication. Hindi may not be mandatory, but there should be a national language... The Congress party is trying to divide people of the country in the name of language, state and religion." Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah had opposed Kerala's Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, warning that "promotion cannot become imposition". "India's unity rests on respecting every language and every citizen's right to learn in their mother tongue," Siddaramaiah posted on X. The CM objected to the Bill's provision mandating Malayalam as the compulsory first language across Kerala, saying that it "strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom". "The proposed Malayalam Language Bill-2025, by mandating compulsory Malayalam as the first language even in Kannada-medium schools, strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and the lived reality of Kerala's border districts, especially Kasaragod," Siddaramaiah said. "For children of linguistic minorities, language is not a 'subject' alone; it is identity, dignity, access and opportunity. When the state compels a single 'first language' choice, it burdens students who learn in their mother tongue, disrupts academic progression and confidence, narrows the freedom to choose a second language, and weakens minority-run institutions and minority-medium education ecosystems," he added. The Karnataka CM added, "Our Constitution is clear that no government can trample the rights of linguistic minorities. Articles 29 & 30 protect the right to conserve language and administer educational institutions of choice; Article 350A casts a duty to provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage; and Article 350B mandates oversight for linguistic minority safeguards. Coercion in language policy goes against both the letter and spirit of these protections." Siddaramaiah asserted that promotion can't become an imposition. (ANI) Developed by the National Security Guard (NSG), the NIDMS is a secure national-level digital platform aimed at enabling the systematic collection, collation and dissemination of data related to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Inaugurating the NIDMS platform virtually, Shah said the NIDMS will assist all state police forces and security agencies in the systematic collection, consolidation, and sharing of data related to improvised explosive devices. He said the platform will play a crucial role in "supporting post-blast investigations and enhancing coordination among various security and law enforcement agencies across the country. "The system has been developed as a unified repository of IED-related information, enabling State Police forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other central agencies to access, analyse and share crucial data," Shah said. This unified, data-driven approach is expected to help investigators identify patterns, track trends, and draw actionable insights from past incidents, thereby improving preparedness and response to IED threats. At the event, NSG Director General Brighu Srinivasan said that over the past 11 months, the NSG worked in close coordination with other concerned agencies to develop the National IED Data Management System, describing it as a unique system in India. According to officials, NIDMS will also facilitate better interagency cooperation by standardising data formats and investigative inputs, reducing duplication of effort and ensuring that vital information is available to all stakeholders involved in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. The platform is expected to strengthen forensic analysis, training modules and operational planning related to bomb disposal and blast investigations. IEDs have been a major security challenge in several parts of the country, often used by terrorist and insurgent groups to target security forces and civilians. By leveraging technology and data analytics, NIDMS aims to enhance national capacity to prevent such attacks and respond more effectively when incidents occur. The inauguration of NIDMS underscores the government's emphasis on advanced digital solutions to bolster internal security. Officials said the platform would evolve over time, incorporating new datasets and analytical tools to address emerging security challenges and further strengthen India's counter-IED ecosystem. (ANI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Friday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of "misusing" the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to "loot and plunder" her party's election data through a raid on the I-PAC office in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters here, she labelled ED as the "Extortion Directorate" and questioned its ongoing actions against opposition parties. "We have been detained and brought to Parliament Street police station. We were protesting peacefully outside the office of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who most shamelessly sent his Enforcement Directorate, the Extortion Directorate, to loot, plunder and do political espionage on our party and steal our election data and documents," Moitra said. "They (Delhi Police) dragged us, the public representatives, here. Why is ED selectively only for the opposition? No other opposition leader has the courage to do what Didi (Mamata Banerjee) did to save our party's documents," she added. Moitra was at the Parliament Street police station with other detained MPs for protesting outside the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, TMC MP Kirti Azad said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a protest march against ED action in Kolkata. "You have seen that we were doing a peaceful protest outside Amit Shah's office against the ED raid. The BJP lacks the courage to win against Mamata Banerjee. She will hold a march at 2 pm today to protest against the ED action in Kolkata," he added. The TMC MPs had gathered outside the Home Ministry in Delhi, raising slogans against Amit Shah, alleging "misuse" of the probe agency. This comes after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered during an ED raid in Kolkata at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case. Banerjee questioned the legality of the raid, alleging that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents," Banerjee said while speaking to reporters. "If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. At 6:00 am, they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence". (ANI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday came down heavily on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, criticising her action during an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the I-PAC office in Kolkata, stating that the latter has put the democratic process of the country to shame. Addressing a press conference here, he said that West Bengal CM's action was "irresponsible and unconstitutional". "What happened in Bengal has never happened before in independent India that a sitting CM threatened ED officials, snatched papers and walked out of there. The entire action of the CM Mamata Banerjee is not only unethical, irresponsible, and unconstitutional, but she has put the entire democratic process to shame," Prasad said. This comes after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered during an ED raid in Kolkata at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case. Banerjee questioned the legality of the raid, alleging that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents," Banerjee said while speaking to reporters. "At 6:00 am, they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence". Today, TMC MPs in Delhi staged a protest at the Home Ministry in Delhi, raising slogans against Amit Shah, alleging "misuse" of the probe agency. Delhi Police later detained the TMC MPs and took them to Parliament Street police station. (ANI) Ahead of the upcoming elections in the state, Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi on Friday said the BJP is worried as large crowds attend Congress rallies and programs. He added that the party is scared because its corruption is about to be exposed. Speaking to ANI in Golaghat, Gogoi said, "The BJP is scared. They are seeing how many people are gathering at Congress rallies and the kind of programs Congress is conducting. So the BJP is scared because all their corruption is about to be exposed..." Earlier in the day, the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, appointed senior party leaders as AICC Senior Observers for the forthcoming Assembly Elections in several States, with immediate effect, according to a statement from the party. Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar and Bandhu Tirkey have been appointed for Assam. Sachin Pilot, KJ George, Imran Pratapgarhi and Kanhaiya Kumar have been named for Kerala. Additionally, Mukul Wasnik, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin have been appointed for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Sudip Roy Barman, Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Prakash Joshi have been appointed for West Bengal. West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry are headed to polls this year. While some face the challenge of retaining power, others aim to make history. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are states where the BJP has not yet won assembly elections. The move by Congress came after its dismal performance in the Bihar elections, where the party contested nearly 61 seats but secured only six, marking a significant electoral setback. In Bihar, the NDA's 'tsunami' swept away the opposition Mahagathbandhan, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates. (ANI) The North-West District staff in New Delhi solved a theft case on Friday and arrested an accused, recovering partially stolen property. Cash amounting to Rs 1 lakh and a gold earring were recovered from the accused's possession. The staff of New Sabzi Mandi Chowki, Police Station Mahendra Park, solved a theft case registered at Police Station Mahendra Park vide FIR No. 621/25 dated December 27 under Section 306 of the BNS. One accused, identified as Mahesh Verma, was arrested from the Adarsh Nagar area. In the accused's case, Rs 1 lakh in partially stolen cash and one gold earring were recovered. According to the official release, on December 27, a PCR call regarding a theft incident was received at Police Station Mahendra Park. Upon receiving the information, police personnel immediately arrived at the scene and met the complainant. The Investigating Officer recorded the complainant's statement, which stated that on December 10 at around 05:00 AM, his househelp, Mahesh, allegedly fled after stealing Rs 5 lakh in cash from the basement of his shop. According to the police, based on the complainant's statement, FIR No. 621/25, dated December 27, under Section 306 of the BNS, was registered at the Mahendra Park Police Station, and an investigation was initiated. The official release stated that, in view of the "seriousness and nature" of the offence, a dedicated team was constituted. During the investigation, the police team conducted a detailed analysis of CCTV footage from the area and conducted technical surveillance. Based on the information gathered, the accused, Mahesh, was arrested within the jurisdiction of the Adarsh Nagar Police Station. According to the police, during sustained interrogation, the accused "confessed to his involvement in the present case". The release said, "In his instance, Rs 1 lakh in partially stolen cash and one gold earring were recovered. Verification revealed that the accused was involved in crime for the first time and had resorted to crime with the intention of earning easy money and leading a luxurious life." Further investigation is underway to recover the remaining stolen property and verify the accused's involvement in other cases. (ANI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government would see the orders of the High Court on Panchayati Raj polls, and will discuss it with the same court to understand the relevance of the Disaster Management Act, which is already imposed. Speaking to reporters on the issue here, Sukhu said, "Earlier, the understanding was that elections would be held after the children's examinations were over, but this is now a matter of legal interpretation. The High Court decisions that are coming are arbitrary. The law is not being interpreted correctly, and arbitrary decisions are also being taken. This is my belief." "The Disaster Management Act has been imposed. Under it, if any situation arises, all possible consequences have to be examined in advance. The kind of decision that has come, whatever legal action needs to be taken, we will take it," the CM said. He also said that the state government was exploring the possibility of understanding the relevance of the Disaster Management Act. Sukhu added, "I am not talking about going to the Supreme Court. The real question is whether the Disaster Management Act enacted by the Parliament of India has any meaning or not. Does the Disaster Management Act that has been imposed have any legal sanctity or not? Does it matter or not? We are exploring these possibilities." He said the Himachal Pradesh government wanted to conduct Panchayat elections in a way that there were no issues anywhere. "We want the Panchayat elections to be conducted by the Panchayati Raj authorities in such a manner that there are no problems anywhere. Earlier, when elections were held in January, they used to be conducted in December. In Shimla areas, snowfall used to occur, and schools would be closed, while in lower areas, schools would remain open," Sukhu said. "We will study all aspects of what meaning the Disaster Management Act still holds and what its interpretation is. We will go to the High Court and seek clarity on this. We will discuss this matter in detail," he added. This follows the Himachal Pradesh High Court directing the State Election Commission to ensure that elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are conducted at the earliest, and in any case before April 30. (ANI) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday said that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) thinks of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department (I-T), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as its personal army. He claimed that the ED only conduct raids in selected states, which are not led by the BJP. "The moment we see a news flash about an ED raid, we know it has happened in a select few states only. We have been saying that the BJP thinks of the ED, I-T and CBI as its private army. This is harmful for democracy..." he said. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed, while speaking about ED's raid on I-PAC office in Kolkata, backed Khera's claim, saying that the ED has become an arm of the central government. "ED has become an arm of the present central government. They only go after the opposition parties. I-PAC has offices all over India as they work for different political parties, including alliance parties of the present government... They should have sent ED to all I-PAC offices in one go, not just where there is an opposition party ruling..." she said. Earlier, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office in Kolkata, alleging misuse of the probe agency by the centre. TMC MPs Derek O'Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, and others protested outside Amit Shah's office in Delhi, raising slogans against the minister. This comes after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered during an ED raid at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case. Banerjee alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. She accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence." (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Somnath on January 10 and 11. Under his leadership and the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the Government of Gujarat has organised 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv 2026' at Somnath, creating a deeply devotional atmosphere. To keep Somnath clean and sacred during the festival, the urban administration and sanitation workers are making a significant contribution, a press release stated. To strengthen the devotional atmosphere through cleanliness, the urban administration and sanitation workers have played a key role. With coordinated efforts from various municipalities, a large-scale cleanliness drive is actively being implemented. A large workforce has been mobilised to keep Somnath clean. More than 300 sanitation workers from Veraval Municipality and over 700 from Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and other municipal areas, totalling more than 1,000 workers, are deployed here. For the past five days, they have been working continuously, day and night, to maintain cleanliness in Somnath and Veraval. Along with road cleaning and waste collection, excess grass removal and trimming of trees and foliage along the roads are being carried out on a priority basis. Intensive cleaning of main roads is being undertaken through modern mechanised sweeping machines. In addition, special sanitation teams have been deployed at accommodation facilities and community kitchen sites set up for devotees arriving from outside. For the convenience of pilgrims, arrangements for more than 40 mobile toilets (portable toilets) have also been ensured at various locations. The 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv' held at Somnath is a major devotional festival witnessing lakhs of devotees. In this context, the efforts of the urban administration and sanitation workers are commendable. Their tireless work has ensured that Somnath and Veraval remain clean, beautiful, and sacred. The Prime Minister will arrive in Somnath in the evening on 10th January. At around 8 PM, he will participate in Omkar Mantra chanting and thereafter view the drone show at the Somnath temple, the statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. According to the statement, on January 11 at around 9:45 AM, PM Modi will take part in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. Thereafter, at around 10:15 AM, the Prime Minister will perform Darshan and Pooja in Somnath Temple. At around 11 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in a public function marking Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Later in the day, Prime Minister will travel to Rajkot to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra regions. At around 1:30 PM, he will inaugurate the trade show and exhibition at the conference. At around 2 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra Region at Marwadi University, Rajkot, and also address the gathering on the occasion. From Rajkot, Prime Minister will travel to Ahmedabad. At around 5:15 PM at Mahatma Mandir metro station, Prime Minister will inaugurate the remaining stretch of Phase 2 of Ahmedabad metro from Sector 10A to Mahatma Mandir. On 12th January, Prime Minister will meet the Federal Chancellor of Germany, H.E. Friedrich Merz, in Ahmedabad. At around 9:30 AM, the two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram, followed by their participation in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront at around 10 AM. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's reaction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), saying "this step of hers will not be considered appropriate." CM Yadav also stressed that the Chief Minister of any state was expected to cooperate with any central government departments. Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, the CM said, "The Chief Minister of any state is expected to cooperate with the ED or any central government departments. We even take oaths for the purpose. But if one does such a light thing, I think it is not good. As the Chief Minister of the state, this step of hers will not be considered appropriate." This comes after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered during an ED raid in Kolkata at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case. Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office, which was located on a public road, and accused the central agency of unlawfully seizing party-related data, laptops, mobile phones and strategic documents. She alleged that forensic experts transferred data during the raid, calling it a "crime" and daring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to fight the Trinamool Congress (TMC) democratically in Bengal. CM Banerjee asserted that I-PAC is not a private organisation but an authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She claimed the ED confiscated sensitive party documents, including data related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite the TMC being a registered political party that regularly submits income tax details. Banerjee also alleged large-scale irregularities in the SIR process, claiming that 54 lakh voter names had been deleted due to so-called "logical discrepancies," disproportionately affecting women and young voters. She further alleged that notices were even sent to eminent personalities, including economist Amartya Sen, and accused the BJP of being responsible for 72 deaths allegedly linked to stress caused by the SIR exercise. Meanwhile, ED sources rejected allegations of political motivation, stating that the searches were conducted in accordance with legal safeguards. The agency claimed that certain individuals, including constitutional functionaries, illegally intruded into two raided premises and forcibly took away documents. (ANI) Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran on Friday said discussions with AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami were held "smoothly" and concluded "successfully," indicating growing coordination between the two parties ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed visit to the state later this month. "The discussions were held smoothly and concluded successfully. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu later this month, we held consultations. We discussed whether the Prime Minister's event should be held in Chennai or Madurai," Nainar Nagendran told reporters after meeting Palaniswami at his residence in Chennai. The meeting has assumed political significance as it comes amid renewed efforts to consolidate the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the first half of the year. While Nagendran did not directly comment on alliance dynamics, his remarks underscored ongoing coordination between the BJP and the AIADMK on key political and organisational matters. Earlier, Palaniswami had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and briefed him on the prevailing political situation in Tamil Nadu. Speaking to reporters, the AIADMK leader said discussions included the prospects of ending the DMK's rule in the state and forming a government under the NDA banner. "I met Union HM Amit Shah at his residence at 9 PM yesterday. I spoke to him about the political situation in Tamil Nadu and discussed the DMK regime coming to an end. AIADMK is holding talks with many parties regarding an alliance, and we, along with the alliance, will win and form the government in Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami said. He also alleged a sharp rise in crime since the DMK came to power, claiming there was "no security for women and children" under the current regime. Palaniswami added that Shah had assured him he would not interfere in AIADMK's internal matters, reiterating that there was "no place" for former Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam in the party. (ANI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday engaged in a vibrant interactive session with the Students' Parliament (Chhatra Sansad), welcoming students from nearly 22 states across the country. During the exchange, the Chief Minister shared personal anecdotes from his political journey, which began at the tender age of 17. He reflected on his evolution from his college days to serving as the President of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee and representing the Nadaun constituency as an MLA. Highlighting his unique path, he noted that his focus as Chief Minister always remained steadfast on his goals, eventually leading him to the state's highest office, where he has since gained profound insights into financial management and the complexities of administration. The Chief Minister underscored that the primary objective of his administration is "Vyavastha Parivartan", a systemic transformation aimed at making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant rather than merely exercising authority. He pointed out the state's developmental indicators and said that Himachal Pradesh was the country's 'happiest state'. He detailed an ambitious roadmap to transform Himachal towards a "Green State" by 2026, leveraging its natural bounty and river systems. According to the CM, with 14 thousand MW of hydel energy already being generated and a significant shift towards Solar power, the government aims to ensure that the benefits of these resources reach every one of the state's 75 lakh population. He proudly described Himachal as the "Water Bowl" and the "Lungs of Northern India," noting that Himachal Pradesh has reaffirmed its role as one of India's greenest and environmentally progressive states, registering a major increase in both forest and tree cover over the past two decades. The CM said that the vast snowbound landscapes exceed those of Switzerland; the state is uniquely positioned to lead in environmental preservation and in natural farming through robust Minimum Support Price (MSP) initiatives in the country. He informed the students that the state government was continuously working to end VIP culture in the state, and rationalisation was being done at various levels. A cornerstone of the Chief Minister's address was the 'Sukh Aashraya Yojna,' under which the state has legally adopted orphaned children as "Children of the State." According to the state government, this scheme covers all their needs, from pocket money and seasonal clothing to a provision of Rs. 75 lakh for those who want to pursue higher education at prestigious institutions like the IITs or IIMs. Besides highlighting the Sukh Shiksha Yojna, the Chief Minister further highlighted the government's commitment to youth empowerment. In the realm of education, the CM noted that Himachal boasts a literacy rate of 99.30 percent and is further modernizing its education sector by establishing Rajiv Gandhi day-boarding schools in every constituency and a vital measure to have introduced English from the first grade in all the government schools. Closing his address, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that success demands dedication, honesty, transparency and modesty. Earlier, Vice President of Students Parliament India Aditya Vegda welcomed the Chief Minister and proposed a vote of thanks. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday outlined her government's priorities in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, stressing planned development, pollution control, healthcare expansion and a shift towards electric mobility, while also launching a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Addressing the House, Gupta said her government clearly communicates its direction and targets to the public. Calling pollution a crucial issue for the national capital, she said the government is committed to completing 1,100 Arogya Mandirs across Delhi as part of its healthcare roadmap. She added that new nursing staff have already been recruited to strengthen the health system. On the Yamuna river crisis, the Chief Minister said work is underway to treat drains flowing into the river, alongside improvements to the sewage system. "We will complete every commitment mentioned in our manifesto," she said, adding that Delhi's roads will be repaired "wall to wall" in a systematic and planned manner. Gupta underlined that development works cannot be completed overnight and are being carried out in a phased way. Highlighting the government's push for clean mobility, Gupta said the aim is to move public transport entirely to electric vehicles. She noted that the target of increasing the number of electric buses in Delhi is being steadily achieved. The Chief Minister also announced a key financial decision, saying the Delhi government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), making it its official banking and financial agent. Under the arrangement, RBI will help the government raise low-interest loans from the market for capital expenditure. "Now, no work in Delhi will be stalled due to a shortage of budget," Gupta said. She added that the management of surplus funds will also be handled by the RBI. According to her, Rs 15,000 crore has already been credited to a public account, which will be used for the capital expenditure of the state. Targeting the AAP, Gupta alleged that the party is uncomfortable with a woman leading the state and accused its leaders of selectively editing her speeches and circulating misleading videos. She said there is a difference between an inadvertent slip of the tongue and making false statements deliberately before the public. Gupta further alleged that past actions and remarks by AAP leaders, including comments made in the Assembly and alleged insults to Sikh Gurus, were done consciously and not by mistake. The remarks came on the final day of the winter session of the Delhi Assembly, which was extended by one day following disruptions over alleged remarks by AAP leader and former Chief Minister Atishi Marlena. (ANI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Friday campaigned in Pune ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, asserting that the Mahayuti alliance is contesting the civic polls on the plank of development and will emerge victorious both in Mumbai and Pune. Speaking to the media during his visit to Katraj, Shinde said he was not aware of statements made by any individual party worker, but stressed that Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party are contesting the elections with full strength. "We are fighting this election on the issue of development," he said, adding that the work carried out during his two-and-a-half-year tenure as Chief Minister, along with the work done under Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the past year, is being taken directly to the people. Expressing confidence over the outcome in Mumbai, Shinde said the electorate would vote in favour of the Mahayuti alliance based on development works. "Let me say this in one word: the Mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti alliance only," he asserted. On the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, Shinde said the party cadre and supporters were highly enthusiastic. He pointed out that in some areas of Pune, the Mahayuti partners are contesting together, while in others, they are fighting separately. "In Pune, Shiv Sena is contesting independently, and the enthusiasm among our workers is tremendous. They are determined to win this election under any circumstances," he said. Highlighting civic issues, the Shiv Sena chief said his party would focus on resolving problems related to traffic, water supply and basic civic amenities. He also reiterated the party's commitment to making Pune a slum-free city, underlining that development remains at the core of Shiv Sena's agenda. "The opposition should not take us lightly. Shiv Sena is a strong party," Shinde said, adding that the party has expanded its presence across Maharashtra, countering perceptions that it was limited to select regions. Commenting on the issue of cow protection, Shinde said it was during his tenure as Chief Minister that Gau Mata was accorded the status of 'Rajya Mata'. He noted that Maharashtra became the first state in the country to grant this status and warned that strict action would be taken if any incident of cow slaughter occurred. Responding to a query on a possible alliance with the AIMIM in Parli, Shinde dismissed the suggestion, saying, "Who is MIM? I don't know." (ANI) The Delhi Government on Friday inaugurated the "Delhi Startup Youth Festival 2026" at the Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) campus, according to an official release by the office of Education Minister. On this occasion, the government reiterated its commitment to promoting student entrepreneurship and establishing Delhi as the startup capital of India. Addressing students, mentors, industry representatives, and academicians, the Education Minister, Ashish Sood, said that institutions like NSUT are not just centres of academic learning, but powerful hubs of innovation and nation-building. He said that today's students are the architects of 'Developed India', and this festival marks the beginning of a transformative "Campus to Market" movement. Highlighting India's startup journey, the Education Minister said that before 2014, India had only three unicorns and a limited startup ecosystem. Today, India has approximately 125 unicorns with a combined valuation of over US$366 billion. Along with this, the country has more than 1.97 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, making India the world's third-largest startup ecosystem. He attributed this transformation to the decisive shift from 'policy paralysis' to 'policy action' under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Sood also emphasised the inclusive nature of India's startup growth, stating that today approximately 45 per cent of Indian startups are led by women. He described entrepreneurship as the most effective means of social change. This transformation is also a story of profound social change. Among the greatest achievements of this era is our story of inclusion. This is a fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi often emphasises to demonstrate that entrepreneurship is the most powerful tool for social change. When a daughter of India starts a startup, she not only transforms her own life but also the future of her family and community, he said. Inspired by this national momentum, Sood stated that the Delhi government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is working towards making Delhi the capital of student innovation. He said that the Delhi Startup Youth Festival will evolve into a major annual platform, bringing together universities, colleges, IITs, mentors, investors, and industry under one roof to create a robust "campus to market" ecosystem. The Education Minister also highlighted that currently, over 75,000 students and young innovators are engaged in entrepreneurship programs supported by the Delhi government, with an annual growth rate of 30 per cent. More than 470 startups are being incubated in key sectors such as healthcare, sustainable development, and manufacturing. Early-stage startups are creating an average of 4-5 direct jobs in their first year and collectively generating revenue of up to Rs. 500-600 crore. Sood announced that the Delhi government is proposing to launch the Delhi Startup Policy 2025 for five years with a proposed outlay of Rs. 325 crore, aiming to support 5,000 startups by 2035. Under this policy, the Delhi Student Seed Fund is being established to ensure that no innovative idea fails due to a lack of financial resources in the early stages. Under this program, the top six startups will receive an equity-free seed grant of up to Rs. 10 lakh each, while the top 100 student startups will receive assistance of Rs. 1 lakh each. Motivating students towards meaningful innovation, the Minister said that the value of an idea lies not in how safe it is, but in how meaningful it is. He said that India's next unicorn could emerge from a hostel room, a laboratory, or even a campus like NSUT. Calling upon the youth of Delhi to lead this transformation, Sood said that Delhi should become India's startup capital not through a mere declaration, but through the achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of its young innovators. Amidst enthusiastic participation from students, mentors, startups, and industry representatives, the Delhi Startup Youth Festival 2026 was formally launched. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the National Security Guard and said that the NSG is a world-class, "zero-error" force. He said this while virtually launching India's first National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) at the NSG garrison in Manesar, marking a significant step towards strengthening the country's counter-IED and internal security architecture. "NSG is the country's reliable zero-error force. NSG was formed in 1984, and since then till today whether there has been any incident or not, NSG has assessed terror incidents throughout the world and prepared itself for any kind of threat. Terror incidents, anti-plane hijacking, disposing of bombs and sharing the data with every agency. NSG officials have received several awards. NSG jawans have received three Ashok Chakras, two Kirti Chakras, three Shaurya Chakras, 10 Police Padaks, 44 Sena Padaks. In the last 4 decades, NSG has evolved according to changing circumstances," Shah said. Developed by the NSG, the NIDMS is a secure national-level digital platform aimed at enabling the systematic collection, collation and dissemination of data related to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The event was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Director General of NSG, the Director Generals of Central Armed Police Forces, and the Director Generals of Police of various states. Developed by the NSG, NIDMS is a secure, national-level digital platform aimed at enabling the systematic collection, collation, and dissemination of data related to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). "NIDMS will prove to be extremely important in the coming days for the investigation of all types of terrorist incidents occurring in the country and for the analysis of their various aspects. Further, NIDMS will become the next-generation security shield against terrorism," Shah said in his address. He said the platform will play a crucial role in supporting post-blast investigations and enhancing coordination among various security and law enforcement agencies across the country. "The system has been developed as a unified repository of IED-related information, enabling State Police forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other central agencies to access, analyse and share crucial data," Shah said. This unified, data-driven approach is expected to help investigators identify patterns, track trends, and draw actionable insights from past incidents, thereby improving preparedness and response to IED threats. At the event, NSG Director General Brighu Srinivasan said that over the past 11 months, the NSG worked in close coordination with other concerned agencies to develop the National IED Data Management System, describing it as a unique system in India. According to officials, NIDMS will also facilitate better interagency cooperation by standardising data formats and investigative inputs, reducing duplication of effort and ensuring that vital information is available to all stakeholders involved in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. The platform is expected to strengthen forensic analysis, training modules and operational planning related to bomb disposal and blast investigations. IEDs have been a major security challenge in several parts of the country, often used by terrorist and insurgent groups to target security forces and civilians. By leveraging technology and data analytics, NIDMS aims to enhance national capacity to prevent such attacks and respond more effectively when incidents occur. The inauguration of NIDMS underscores the government's emphasis on advanced digital solutions to bolster internal security. Officials said the platform would evolve over time, incorporating new datasets and analytical tools to address emerging security challenges and further strengthen India's counter-IED ecosystem. (ANI) The spiritually charged procession was joined by State Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Pradyuman Vaja, Member of Parliament Rajeshbhai Chudasama, and other dignitaries. Sadhus and saints from the Girnar pilgrimage centre, including Indrabharti Bapu, Mahendranandgiri Bapu, and Hariharanand Bapu, took part in the padyatra. The resonant sound of the 'damru' filled the procession with spiritual energy, and around 75 'dhol' players from the Siddhivinayak Dhol Group added a vibrant rhythm, fostering a distinctive devotional atmosphere. This event was also joined by MLA Bhagvan Barad, MLA Aniruddh Dave, former MP Dinu Solanki, former MP Mohan Kundariya, senior leader Dhaval Dave, Punit Sharma, Zaveri Thakrar, and other dignitaries, who felt blessed after offering heartfelt darshan of Lord Somnath Mahadev. During this padyatra, sadhus, saints, and dignitaries were welcomed and felicitated with flowers. This padyatra created a grand and sacred atmosphere across the Somnath temple premises, and devotees felt blessed after having darshan of the sadhus and saints. The 'Somnath Swabhiman Parv' held at Somnath is a major devotional festival witnessing lakhs of devotees. In this context, the efforts of the urban administration and sanitation workers are commendable. Their tireless work has ensured that Somnath and Veraval remain clean, beautiful, and sacred. A large workforce has been mobilised to keep Somnath clean. More than 300 sanitation workers from Veraval Municipality and over 700 from Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and other municipal areas, totalling more than 1,000 workers, are deployed here. For the past five days, they have been working continuously, day and night, to maintain cleanliness in Somnath and Veraval. (ANI) A protest was staged outside the Saket court in the national capital on Friday after a court staff member died by alleged suicide by jumping from a building in the Saket court complex according to the Saket Court Secretary. Anil Basoya, Secretary, Saket Court told ANI, "At around 10 AM, everyone got the news that our court staff, Ahlmad Harish, had jumped from a floor. He is in a serious condition, and it is clear that he might not survive." According to Basoya, Harish left behind a suicide note, which stated the reason was "work pressure." The protestors raised "Justice for Harish" slogans outside the court. Members of the court staff and the BAR Association participated in the protest to show their support and ask for justice in the case. "The entire BAR association is also with the court staff... We are here to demand justice for Harish," said Basoya. Another protester expressed grief over the news and stated that he should recieve justice and that their issues should be heard. In addition, she emphasised that communication about workload should be encouraged in courts to prevent similar incidents in the future. "We want justice for him and everyone's voice to be heard. They should personally come and talk to people about their problems, so that no colleague in future takes such a step," she said. In seperate news, on January 4, a 50-year-old man died by suicide after jumping from the Le Meridien hotel in New Delhi, police said. The deceased was identified as Parvinder Singh, a resident of Lajpat Nagar. He had stayed at the hotel during Christmas. He went to the Le Meridien hotel this afternoon, took the elevator, and jumped from a floor, police said.. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to Rajasthan starting Friday, during which he will attend a key programme at the Rajasthan Police Academy (RPA) in Jaipur. Ahead of Shah's visit, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reached the Police Academy and reviewed the programme venue and security arrangements. Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Sharma was also present during the inspection, officials said. Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, DGP Rajeev Sharma shared details of the state-level police conference and the schedule of the Union Home Minister's visit. He said the state-level police conference was organised at the Rajasthan Police Academy on January 8 and 9, with the participation of senior police officers from across the state. The DGP said that wide-ranging discussions were held during the conference on the role of the police in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vision 2047 for a developed India. He added that deliberations focused on strengthening policing by making it more modern, accountable and people-centric. Rajeev Sharma further said that, as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, students will be taken on visits to police stations on January 12, to mark Youth Day. The initiative aims to familiarise the younger generation with the functioning of the police and help them better understand legal procedures. Providing further details of Amit Shah's Jaipur visit, the DGP said that the Union Home Minister will attend a programme at the Rajasthan Police Academy, where appointment letters will be distributed to 10,000 newly recruited police constables. He said that candidates who topped the recruitment process will receive their appointment letters directly from Amit Shah, while the remaining appointment letters will be handed over by senior police officers. Responding to a question regarding reports of the Chief Minister's displeasure over actions taken by police from other states, DGP Rajeev Sharma clarified that the Chief Minister is not upset. He said that the Rajasthan Police remains fully informed at all times and that actions are taken in coordination with the concerned authorities. (ANI) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Friday held a protest march from Rabindra Sarovar to Deshapriya Park against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent alleged interference in a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Kolkata's I-PAC office. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, who also participated in the protest march, claimed that Banerjee interfered in the ED probe as her "life was stuck" in the I-PAC office, further condemning her remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Yesterday will be marked as a black day in the history of West Bengal. It is a matter of shame that, being a CM, she is using such words against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. She then alleges being humiliated by the central government. Mamata Banerjee's life was stuck in that IPAC office yesterday. This is why she was there," she stated to ANI. Notably, Banerjee, in a sharp attack at Shah, stated to the reporters, "Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party's hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents." Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Shah, the Chief Minister dared him to come to West Bengal and fight her democratically. "If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. At 6:00 am, they arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," she said. Banerjee asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation, but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She alleged that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. "Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence." Clarifying its position, the ED said, "The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." It added that persons linked to the generation of coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and handlers were covered in the PMLA searches conducted on January 8, 2026. (ANI) Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday chaired the 9th apex-level meeting of the Narcotics Coordination Centre (NCORD) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, with high-level deliberations focusing on dismantling drug networks and strengthening inter-agency coordination to combat narcotics trafficking. The meeting, organised in a hybrid format by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), was attended by senior officials from Central government ministries and departments, representatives of state governments, and representatives of Drug Law Enforcement Agencies. Reflecting the Modi government's "Whole-of-Government" approach, the discussions centred on issues such as breaking drug cartels, hotspot mapping, hawala operations, darknet challenges and conducting 360-degree investigations. On the same day, the Union Home Minister virtually inaugurated India's first National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) at the National Security Guard (NSG) Garrison in Manesar, Gurugram, marking a significant step toward strengthening the country's counter-terror and internal security architecture. The event was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Director General of the NSG, the Director Generals of the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Director Generals of Police of various states. Sharing details on X, Shah said, "Today inaugurated via video conferencing, the National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) of the @nsgblackcats, a new tool that engages the power of data, building India's next-gen security shield against terror."Highlighting the scope of the system, he added, "Collating an expansive pool of data on bombs on one digital platform, this system will lead our agencies to the source of bomb attacks through right information and analysis and fulfill the Modi govt's goal of shattering every module inimical to India."Addressing the gathering, the Home Minister emphasised the importance of NIDMS in future investigations. "NIDMS will prove to be extremely important in the coming days for the investigation of all types of terrorist incidents occurring in the country and for the analysis of their various aspects. Further, NIDMS will become the next-generation security shield against terrorism," he said. He said that although the Ministry of Home Affairs had generated vast amounts of data over the years, these had remained in silos. "Now, we are making efforts to connect all these data sources with one another and to develop an advanced Artificial Intelligence-based software for their analysis. Today's launch of NIDMS will accelerate this process and prove to be an important milestone in the direction of making the country safe from terrorism," Shah said. The Home Minister further noted that the platform would benefit multiple agencies. "With the launch of NIDMS today, a two-way, comprehensive, integrated, and online data platform will become available to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) across the country, state police forces, and all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)," he said. During the event, Shah also lauded the National Security Guard, calling it a world-class, "zero-error" force. "NSG is the country's reliable zero-error force. NSG was formed in 1984, and since then till today whether there has been any incident or not, NSG has assessed terror incidents throughout the world and prepared itself for any kind of threat," he said. Highlighting the achievements of the force, Shah added, "Terror incidents, anti-aeroplane hijacking, disposing of bombs and sharing the data with every agency. NSG officials have received several awards. NSG jawans have received three Ashok Chakras, two Kirti Chakras, three Shaurya Chakras, 10 Police Padaks, and 44 Sena Padaks. In the last 4 decades, NSG has evolved according to changing circumstances." Developed by the National Security Guard, NIDMS is a secure national-level digital platform for the systematic collection, collation, and dissemination of IED-related data, strengthening India's counter-IED capabilities and internal security preparedness. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday flagged off a group of Ram devotees for Ayodhya Dham, describing the pilgrimage as a strong message of Sanatan faith, cultural unity and spiritual consciousness. The group of around 35-40 devotees was sent off from the Chief Minister's Jan Seva Sadan on Raj Niwas Marg. The journey from Delhi to Ayodhya has been organised by the Valmiki Chaudhary Sarpanch Committee, enabling devotees to seek the darshan of Lord Ram at the newly constructed grand temple. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Gupta said the pilgrimage is imbued with devotion, faith and Sanatan values, and further strengthens India's rich cultural consciousness and spiritual traditions. She said the devotees were fortunate to receive the opportunity to seek Lord Ram's darshan in the very first month of the New Year. The Chief Minister noted that visiting the grand Ram Temple, offering prayers at the feet of Lord Ram and walking through the streets, lanes and temples of the holy city of Ayodhya is a divine and transcendent experience in itself. She said such journeys help deepen spiritual connection and reinforce cultural roots. Referring to the construction of the Ram Temple, Gupta said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the grand temple in Ayodhya stands as a historic achievement. She described it as more than a religious structure, calling it a symbol of the dignity of faith, the honour of tradition and the reawakening of India's national consciousness rooted in Sanatan values. Extending her best wishes to the devotees, the Chief Minister said the Ayodhya journey is not only a path to spiritual fulfilment but also a powerful medium to connect with India's culture, unity and age-old traditions. She expressed hope that the pilgrims would have a smooth journey and darshan, and that the memories of the visit would fill their lives with renewed energy, positivity and a deeper love for dharma. Officials present said the initiative reflects the government's emphasis on promoting cultural awareness and facilitating pilgrimages linked to India's spiritual heritage. (ANI) The Mayor of Delhi, Raja Iqbal Singh, on Friday addressed a press conference and provided detailed information about the events that took place during the Corporation House meeting, according to a press release. He stated that in today's meeting of the House, a condemnation resolution was scheduled to be read out in protest against the insult to Sikh Gurus by Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Chief Minister Atishi Marlena. Along with this, an important discussion was also proposed on the serious problem of illegal parking that has been continuing for a long time in various areas of Delhi. During the press conference, Standing Committee Chairperson Satya Sharma, Leader of the House Pravesh Wahi, Education Committee Chairperson Yogesh Verma, and other councillors were also present. The Mayor said that as soon as the Leader of the House, Pravesh Wahi, began reading the condemnation resolution against the insult to Sikh Gurus by Atishi Marlena, Aam Aadmi Party councillors deliberately started creating a ruckus. Due to this disruption, the proceedings of the House were obstructed and the discussion was not allowed to move forward. Mayor Iqbal Singh alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party was fully aware that objectionable remarks had been made by its leader against Sikh Gurus. To evade this fact and avoid accountability in the House, the Aam Aadmi Party deliberately created disorder in a planned manner and disrupted the proceedings of the House. Leader of the House Pravesh Wahi stated that in the meeting of the MCD House, a condemnation resolution was passed against the insult to Sikh Gurus by AAP leader Atishi Marlena. He said that any insult to Sikh Gurus would not be tolerated. The Mayor said that today's meeting was also supposed to include a serious and necessary discussion on illegal parking in Delhi, but the Aam Aadmi Party did not want this issue to be discussed. He alleged that during the Aam Aadmi Party's tenure, a widespread network of illegal parking was established across Delhi, and these parking mafias enjoyed political patronage. He further said that the Aam Aadmi Party had a direct nexus with these parking mafias, and illegal parking operations were carried out with their collusion. This is why, he said, they now want to avoid any discussion on this issue and are disrupting the proceedings of the House. Mayor Iqbal Singh made it clear that the BJP-led MCD is committed to taking the strictest possible action against illegal parking in Delhi. He said that if required, the Corporation would not hesitate to lodge FIRs against parking mafias. The Mayor also informed that the MCD is continuously taking action against illegal construction and encroachments. This action will continue relentlessly and without any pressure in the future as well, so that Delhi can be freed from illegal construction and encroachments and citizens can be provided a safe and well-organised environment. The Mayor said that the Aam Aadmi Party repeatedly works to undermine the dignity of the House because it has no concern for citizens' problems or development works. He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party does not understand the seriousness of House meetings and repeatedly disrupts proceedings to deliberately stall important issues related to the citizens of Delhi. Mayor Iqbal Singh said that the MCD House is the highest forum for democratic deliberation, where issues concerning the citizens of Delhi should be discussed seriously, and solutions should be found. However, the Aam Aadmi Party repeatedly creates disorder and undermines the dignity of this forum, which not only disrupts the proceedings of the House but also neglects public interest. The Mayor said that the BJP-governed MCD is working on the principles of transparency, accountability, and good governance. The Corporation's objective is not merely political-counter-allegations, but to free Delhi from illegal activities and provide better facilities to citizens. The Mayor assured that the MCD will continue to take firm decisions in the public interest in the future and that no form of disorder or anarchy will be tolerated. (ANI) A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the office of I-PAC in connection with the alleged coal smuggling case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to the streets to protest against the ED action. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to come to power in West Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. Addressing the gathering, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I never react, but if anyone hurts me, I never spare them. In the name of SIR, they target local people. They harassed old people and pregnant women. Those who abuse the TMC, they do not know that TMC workers are extremely dedicated. In the name of SIR, local people are being harassed. Their documents are being taken and they are not being given receipts. When the enumeration took place, Booth Level Agent-1 went door to door with BLOs. They will stay in polling stations and booths." She further said that she had never seen any party like the BJP before. "If you speak in Bengali, they declare you Bangladeshi. They say that there are Rohingyas present in Bengal, but where are the Rohingyas? If there are Rohingyas, why has SIR not been started in Assam? Rohingyas enter from Myanmar. First they have to cross Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. This is all being done because they are trying to come to power in Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. They carry out vote theft through the ECI; EC cannot harm me," she added. "For the last four years, Banglar Awaas Yojana has been closed. Mid-day meal money and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan money are also stopped. You know who is sitting in the Election Commission. The Election Commissioner was the Home Minister's Cooperation Department Secretary. If Gyanesh Kumar is vanishing votes, why will I stay quiet? If the voter's rights are snatched, I will snatch your rights. TMC MPs have been dragged mercilessly when they were protesting in Delhi. All the agencies have been grabbed," she said. She further alleged that Bengali-speaking citizens are being attacked in BJP-ruled states. "In Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bengalis are being attacked. Here Hindi-speaking citizens have never been attacked," she added. Mamata Banerjee launched a protest in Kolkata against the ED on Friday. Banerjee criticised the detention of Trinamool Congress MPs in Delhi, accusing the BJP-led central government of suppressing democratic protest and misusing law enforcement agencies. She said dignity and respect in a democracy are non-negotiable, asserting that citizens and elected representatives cannot be treated arbitrarily by those in power. Earlier in the day, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, the director of top political consultancy group I-PAC, during its ongoing search operation in Kolkata and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the ED said that its team was conducting the search proceedings in a peaceful and professional manner until the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister, along with a large number of police officials. (ANI) Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) on Friday issued a statement after officials from the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at its office and at the residence of its Director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata, saying the organisation has extended full cooperation and will continue to do so in accordance with the law. In a statement, I-PAC said, "Yesterday, officials from the Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at the I-PAC office and at the residence of our Director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata. It was a difficult and unfortunate day for a professional organisation like I-PAC. We believe this raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent. Regardless, we have extended full cooperation and will continue to do so as required, engaging with the process in complete accordance and respect for the law." The organisation further said, "We have always upheld the highest standards of professional integrity in all that we do. Despite what transpired yesterday, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the start." In its detailed statement, I-PAC said it was founded over a decade ago with the belief that public life in India is strengthened when young Indians contribute to the democratic process in a non-partisan manner. It said that, from modest beginnings as a small group of young professionals, the collective effort of thousands has evolved into a platform that enables broader participation in the political process and meaningful on-the-ground impact. The organisation said it has worked in a professional advisory capacity with multiple political parties across ideologies and regions, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, All India Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, YSR Congress Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS), Janata Dal (United) and Shiv Sena, among others. I-PAC reiterated that it does not contest elections or hold political office and that its role is limited to transparent, professional political consulting, free from political ideology. Earlier, day after the searches, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to the streets to protest against the ED action. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to come to power in West Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. Addressing the gathering, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I never react, but if anyone hurts me, I never spare them. In the name of SIR, they target local people. They harassed old people and pregnant women. Those who abuse the TMC, they do not know that TMC workers are extremely dedicated. In the name of SIR, local people are being harassed. Their documents are being taken and they are not being given receipts. When the enumeration took place, Booth Level Agent-1 went door to door with BLOs. They will stay in polling stations and booths." (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Somnath Swabhiman Parv is a powerful symbol of India's spiritual tradition and is being celebrated across the country with devotion, faith and enthusiasm. Sharing details of his visit to the temple town on X, the Prime Minister said, "The Somnath Swabhiman Parv is a powerful symbol of our spiritual tradition, which is being celebrated across the country with complete devotion, faith, and enthusiasm. In the same vein, tomorrow night around 8 PM, I will have the good fortune to participate in the divine chanting of the Omkar Mantra at the Somnath Temple." He further said, "The next morning, around 9:45 AM, after joining the Shaurya Yatra dedicated to the countless heroic progeny of Mother India, I will visit the temple for darshan and worship. Following that, I will also have the opportunity to participate in a public program here."Prime Minister Modi will visit Somnath in Gujarat on January 10 and 11, 2026, to participate in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. At around 8 PM on January 10, the Prime Minister will take part in the Omkar Mantra chanting, following which he will witness a drone show at the Somnath Temple. On January 11, at around 9:45 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in the Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple. The Shaurya Yatra will feature a symbolic procession of 108 horses, reflecting valour and sacrifice. Thereafter, at around 10:15 AM, the Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at the Somnath Temple. At around 11 AM, he will participate in and address a public function in Somnath. The Somnath Swabhiman Parv, being held from January 8 to 11, 2026, is organised to remember the countless citizens of India whose sacrifices in defending the temple continue to inspire the cultural consciousness of future generations. The programme marks 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion of the Somnath Temple in 1026. Despite repeated attempts to destroy it over centuries, the Somnath Temple stands today as a symbol of resilience, faith and national pride, owing to the collective resolve to restore it to its ancient glory. After Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led efforts to restore the temple. A major milestone was achieved in 1951, when the restored Somnath Temple was opened to devotees in the presence of then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The completion of 75 years of this historic restoration in 2026 lends special significance to the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. The celebrations will see participation from hundreds of saints across the country and include 72 hours of continuous chanting of 'Om' within the temple premises. The Prime Minister's participation in the Somnath Swabhiman Parv underscores the enduring spirit of India's civilisation and reaffirms his commitment to preserving and celebrating the country's rich cultural and spiritual heritage. (ANI) New Delhi [India] January 9 (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday directed all central and state government departments to prepare a clear roadmap by March 31, 2026, in line with their respective responsibilities to combat the growing drug menace in the country. He also called for the establishment of a robust monitoring mechanism to ensure focused and time-bound action. Shah made the direction while chairing the 9th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Home Minister announced that "from March 31, 2026, a three-year collective nationwide campaign would be launched against drug abuse." "Under this campaign, the working methodology of all pillars involved in the fight against drugs will be clearly defined, targets will be fixed, and regular time-bound reviews will be conducted," the MHA said, quoting Shah. The Home Minister emphasised that over the next three years, India must fight the drug menace on all fronts to realise the goal of a 'Drug-Free India' and safeguard the nation's youth from substance abuse. He instructed "all departments of the government of India to prepare roadmaps extending up to 2029, along with mechanisms for periodic review of their implementation." Shah underlined that the drug problem is closely linked to narco-terrorism rather than being merely a law-and-order issue, describing it as a conspiracy aimed at destroying future generations. He noted that the physical and mental health of youth, their productivity, and rising social discontent are directly connected to drug abuse. During the occasion, Shah also inaugurated the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Amritsar. The NCORD meeting, organised by the NCB in hybrid mode, was attended by senior officials from central ministries, state governments, and drug law enforcement agencies. Highlighting the role of Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs), Shah said they are crucial in the fight against drugs and urged states to accelerate the destruction of seized narcotics, where progress has been slow. Shah also appealed to the Directors General of Police of all states to draw up state-specific roadmaps and ensure the timely disposal of confiscated drugs. The NCORD mechanism, established in 2016, operates through a four-tier structure-apex, executive, state, and district-level committees strengthen coordination among the Centre, states, and key stakeholders in tackling the drug menace in a comprehensive manner. (ANI) While directing framing of charges in the Land for Job corruption case, the special CBI court on Friday said that prima facie there was a conspiracy mentored by Lalu Prasad Yadav to use government jobs as a means for getting immovable property from willing job seekers. Special Judge Vishal Gogne directed the framing of common charges for the offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption against the accused persons, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Bhola Yadav, R.K. Mahajan, and Prem Chand Gupta. Additionally, the court has directed that charges of corruption be framed against Lalu Prasad and the public servants. "The court finds, on the touch stone of grave suspicion, that there existed an over arching criminal conspiracy, mentored by Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, towards using public employment as a bargaining chip for receiving immovable properties through his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misha Bharti and Hema Yadav as well as sons Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav from willing job seekers," the court said in the order of framing of charges. The Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a case on May 18, 2022. After the investigation, it filed 2 chargesheets and 2 supplementary chargesheets at different times. It was alleged that Group D railway jobs were awarded in lieu of Land parcels. The court noted that the chargesheets strongly indicate that the close associates of Lalu Prasad Yadav, namely Bhola Yadav, R.K.Mahajan and P.C.Gupt, probably facilitated, as co-conspirators, the acquisition of these lands in lieu of jobs provided to the nominees of Lalu Prasad Yadav, with the Railways in Group D posts across various Railway zones in India. Several accused substitutes apparently used false documents to secure these appointments, the court added. Special CBI court rejected the plea of discharge and said, "The plea of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members to be discharged from the present proceedings is completely unwarranted when the Ministry of Railways and the lands of his constituents were apparently being lorded over by him as a personal fiefdom." "There are strong indications from the chargesheets that Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and the accused members of his family were operating as a criminal enterprise designed to usurp private lands by bartering away government posts," Special Judge Gogne observed. While framing charges, the court also referred to the alleged abuse of official position by the senior government officials. "Several accused General Managers of the Indian Railways emerge prima facie as having made these appointments by abuseof their discretion to engage Group D substitutes in the Railways," the court said, adding that Appropriate articles of charge are liable to be framed against the above persons. The special court discharged 52 accused persons, including all Chief Personnel Officers (CPO). "However, the accused Chief Personnel Officers neither possessed the discretion to appoint substitutes nor were they under the influence of the Minister of Railways, the court said. "All accused Chief Personnel Officers are liable to be discharged," the court ordered. The court observed that the description of the present chargesheet as involving allegations of 'land for jobs' does constitute the centrality and core of the criminality ascribed to substitutes who parted with land to secure appointments. The absence of land as a de facto bribe for the appointment of several accused substitutes does remove these accused from the zone of grave suspicion. Such accused substitutes and the railway officials allegedly instrumental in these appointments are liable to be discharged, the court said. (ANI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari were involved in the coal smuggling case. She alleged that the money from the coal scam went to Union Home Minister Amit Shah through Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. The Bengal CM also condemned TMC MPs in Delhi being detained, saying that they were "dragged mercilessly" while they protested against the ED raids and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Addressing the gathering, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "You know who is sitting in the Election Commission. He was the Cooperation Department Secretary of Amit Shah. I have no issues with that. If Gyanesh Kumar is vanishing votes, why will I stay quiet? If the voter's rights are snatched, I will snatch your rights. TMC MPs have been dragged mercilessly when they were protesting in Delhi. All the agencies have been grabbed. I challenge them that they came to power in Haryana and Bihar forcefully. In one more state, they come to power forcefully. Now they are trying to do this in Bengal. Who gets the coal scam's money? Amit Shah gets it. The money goes through Suvendu Adhikari. The money goes through BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay to Suvendu Adhikari. Suvendu Adhikari sends it to Amit Shah." She further said that she had done nothing wrong by entering the I-PAC office when the ED action was conducting a raid. "I have done nothing wrong. You have come to kill me. I have the right to defend myself. Why did you enter like thieves. You were stealing the SIR data of all voters. You were stealing BLA-1 and BLA-2 addresses and the appeals of the common man in the I-PAC office. ED entered at 6 am, I came at 11.45 am. In 5.5 hours, you have stolen everything. I called Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, but he did not pick up the call. Then I felt something suspicious. The same I-PAC worked with PM Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. I have given I-PAC the responsibility to see our IT cell," she further added. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha on Friday held a protest march from Rabindra Sarovar to Deshapriya Park against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent alleged interference in a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Kolkata's I-PAC office. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, who also participated in the protest march, claimed that Banerjee interfered in the ED probe as her "life was stuck" in the I-PAC office, further condemning her remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Yesterday will be marked as a black day in the history of West Bengal. It is a matter of shame that, being a CM, she is using such words against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. She then alleges being humiliated by the central government. Mamata Banerjee's life was stuck in that IPAC office yesterday. This is why she was there," she stated to ANI. A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the office of I-PAC in connection with the alleged coal smuggling case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to the streets to protest against the ED action. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to come to power in West Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. Addressing the gathering, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I never react, but if anyone hurts me, I never spare them. In the name of SIR, they target local people. They harassed old people and pregnant women. Those who abuse the TMC, they do not know that TMC workers are extremely dedicated. In the name of SIR, local people are being harassed. Their documents are being taken and they are not being given receipts. When the enumeration took place, Booth Level Agent-1 went door to door with BLOs. They will stay in polling stations and booths." She further said that she had never seen any party like the BJP before, saying that the party is trying to forcefully enter . "If you speak in Bengali, they declare you Bangladeshi. They say that there are Rohingyas present in Bengal, but where are the Rohingyas? If there are Rohingyas, why has SIR not been started in Assam? Rohingyas enter from Myanmar. First they have to cross Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. This is all being done because they are trying to come to power in Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. They carry out vote theft through the ECI; EC cannot harm me," she added. "For the last four years, Banglar Awaas Yojana has been closed. Mid-day meal money and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan money are also stopped. You know who is sitting in the Election Commission. The Election Commissioner was the Home Minister's Cooperation Department Secretary. If Gyanesh Kumar is vanishing votes, why will I stay quiet? If the voter's rights are snatched, I will snatch your rights. TMC MPs have been dragged mercilessly when they were protesting in Delhi. All the agencies have been grabbed," she said. She further alleged that Bengali-speaking citizens are being attacked in BJP-ruled states. "In Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bengalis are being attacked. Here Hindi-speaking citizens have never been attacked," she added. Mamata Banerjee launched a protest in Kolkata against the ED on Friday. Banerjee criticised the detention of Trinamool Congress MPs in Delhi, accusing the BJP-led central government of suppressing democratic protest and misusing law enforcement agencies. She said dignity and respect in a democracy are non-negotiable, asserting that citizens and elected representatives cannot be treated arbitrarily by those in power. Earlier in the day, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, the director of top political consultancy group I-PAC, during its ongoing search operation in Kolkata and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the ED said that its team was conducting the search proceedings in a peaceful and professional manner until the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister, along with a large number of police officials. (ANI) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai welcomed the Rouse Avenue Court judgement to frame charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and several other accused in the corruption case related to the alleged land for jobs scam case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Reacting to the Rouse Avenue Court's order, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said on Friday that the Lalu family and corruption are synonymous. Today, the court has also accepted the fact that the Lalu family is prima facie guilty in the land-for-jobs case, and the trial will proceed against them. Nityanand Rai, in a statement, said that the Lalu family is involved in corruption and has been involved in it. "This is known to the entire Bihar, and today the court has also put its seal on this fact," he said. "This is not the first time the court has found Lalu Yadav guilty in corruption cases. Earlier, he was also found guilty in the Fodder Scam. Lalu Family, including Tejashwi Yadav, former Dy CM of Bihar, is also involved in Corruption, that's why people of Bihar taught them a lesson in the recent Assembly Election in Bihar. Former Bihar BJP President and Lok Sabha MP from Ujiarpur, Nityanand Rai, said that Tejashwi Yadav is following in the footsteps of Lalu Yadav and is completely steeped in corruption. That is why in the recent Assembly elections, the people of Bihar completely rejected them and effectively confined the Lalu family to their homes. Targeting the Lalu family, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, while in power, looted the poor and the underprivileged."Exploitation of the poor has been the nature of the Lalu family. This is just a small example in which the court has found Lalu Yadav and his family guilty today, but the basic objective of Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Yadav is to promote their own family's interests and exploit the poor," he said. Nityanand Rai challenged the Lalu family that if they have the courage, they should publicly announce the return of the lands that they had got registered in their family members' names from the poor in the name of a government job. In a fresh setback to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, a Delhi court on Friday framed charges against the accused in the alleged Railways land-for-jobs corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order holding that a prima facie case of corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy is made out against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. (ANI) US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday (local time) that the European leaders should take President Trump seriously on Greenland, seeing how "hostile adversaries" are showing interest in the region. Calling it important not only for American missile defence, but also the world missile defence, Vance said that Europe should take its security more seriously, otherwise the US would have to "do something about it". When asked about his message to European leaders on Greenland, the US VP said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet the leaders of Greenland and Denmark soon and highlighted the importance of Greenland. "Secretary Rubio, I believe, is meeting with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland next week. I would say it is, but maybe it's the week after that. We'll continue to deliver some of these messages in private, some of them in public, but I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the President of the United States seriously," Vice President Vance said at the White House Press briefing. He added, "What has the President said, number one, Greenland is really important, not just to America's missile defence, but to the world's missile defence. Number two, we know that there are hostile adversaries that have shown a lot of interest in that particular territory, that particular slice of the world, so what we're asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that land mass more seriously, because if they're not, the United States is going to have to do something about it. What that is, I'll leave that to the President, as we continue to engage in diplomacy with our European friends and everybody on this particular topic." On Tuesday, the White House said on Tuesday that it is considering "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, and that the use of military is not off the table, CNN reported, citing Karoline Leavitt. According to CNN, Leavitt said that the US President has made it well-known that "acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States" and is important to deter the adversaries in the Arctic region. "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal," Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to CNN. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the intergovernmental military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), claiming that the alliance depended entirely on Washington for its survival, shortly after European leaders pushed back against his remarks on taking over Greenland and reaffirming NATO unity. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that before his intervention, most NATO members were not meeting their defence spending commitments and were relying on Washington to shoulder the burden. The US President stated that he pushed NATO members to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, asserting that allies now pay "immediately" because of his personal influence. "Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren't paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately. Everyone said that couldn't be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends," Trump said. His remarks came a day after European leaders issued a joint statement pushing back against Trump's renewed remarks about Greenland, asserting that Arctic security must be addressed collectively. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (local time) met French President Emmanuel Macron and conveyed Prime Minister Modi's warm wishes. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar also addressed the Ambassadors' Conference of France and underlined contemporary global shifts driven by factors like trade and energy. Sharing the details in a series of posts on X, EAM appreciated the French President's perspectives on contemporary global developments and the positive sentiments for India-France Strategic Partnership. "Delighted to call on President @EmmanuelMacron of France today and convey warm wishes of PM @narendramodi. Deeply appreciate his perspectives on contemporary global developments and positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2009363865793134728?s=20 In another post on X, he shared the details from the Ambassador's Conference in France, where he highlighted the significance of India-France partnership in promoting multi-polarity and strategic autonomy. "An honour to address the Ambassadors' Conference of France in Paris today. Underlined contemporary global shifts driven by trade, finance, technology, energy, resources and connectivity. Changes in mindset have been the crucial factor. As well as the significance of India-France partnership in promoting multi-polarity and strategic autonomy." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2009357349731885519?s=20 Earlier on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he would pay a visit to India next month, as New Delhi is set to host the AI Impact Summit. He made the remarks while addressing the Diplomatic Corps, according to France 24. On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot. The two leaders discussed advancing bilateral cooperation and elevating India-EU engagement, while also sharing perspectives on contemporary global developments. EAM had called France amongst India's oldest strategic partners and underlined how the two countries are active in the international arena, they are committed to multipolarity and their working together is important not only for the bilateral relationship but also for stabilising global politics. (ANI) UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over the decision of the United States to pull out of multiple UN entities. In a statement delivered by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, it was mentioned, "The Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States' decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities." "As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States," the statement added. The statement said that all United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given by Member States "with determination". It added that the United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on it and that it will continue to carry out mandates with determination. https://x.com/UN/status/2009313711643623794?s=20 U S President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Wednesday directing the withdrawal from 66 international organisations, conventions and treaties that his administration has determined to be "contrary to the interests of the United States". According to the White House, the 66 organisations consist of 35 non-United Nations organisations and 31 United Nations entities. Key UN organisations from which the US has withdrawn include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy and UN Population Fund and UN Water. The move comes almost a year after the Trump administration had announced the withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2025, citing the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US had also withdrawn from UNESCO in July 2025, saying that the latter was not in the "national interest" of the United States. (ANI) After US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Wednesday directing the withdrawal of the United States from multiple international organisations, conventions and treaties that are "contrary to the interests" of the US, former Indian diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said that this move shows the US President being in climate denial", and instead wants to do more oil drilling. In an interview with ANI, he said that the US President does not find relevance in renewables and his focus has been on oil. "As far as the 66 international organisations are concerned, this has been happening for some time because if you remember, even in Trump 1.0, we had seen Trump withdrawing from the World Health Organisation, from some of the human rights organisations and the latest one, withdrawal from the International Solar Alliance, frankly does not come as a surprise because Mr. Trump has been in a climate denial. He doesn't think that there is any climate change taking place and that is why you would have seen that as far as renewable energy, green energy, he's been withdrawing from that... His motto has been more and more oil drilling. So he's focused on that. He doesn't think that there is any value or relevance or significance as far as renewables are concerned. So I'm not surprised that he has withdrawn from the ISA," Sajjanhar said. Noting that the world acknowledges climate change as a reality, he gave a call to come together to deal with Climate change, irrespective of US actions. "The whole world realises that climate change is a reality and the world needs to come together, work together, collaborate to deal with this existential scourge of climate change. So irrespective of what the United States is doing, world must do what it has to do and it needs to do," he added. The announcement of US withdrawal from key international bodies was made in the statement of the Presidential Memoranda shared by the White House that mentioned withdrawal from 35-non non-UN organisations and 31 UN entities. The Non-UN organisations include the India and France-led International Solar Alliance, key environmental bodies like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Key UN organisations from which the US has withdrawn include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy and UN Population Fund and UN Water. The move comes almost a year after the Trump administration had announced the withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2025, citing the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US had also withdrawn from UNESCO in July 2025, saying that the latter was not in the "national interest" of the United States. (ANI) US President Donald Trump's presidency has repeatedly been marked by a strong emphasis on territorial expansion and strategic dominance. Days after a US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, attention has now shifted to Greenland, with Trump once again intensifying efforts to bring the Arctic territory under American control. The renewed push has reignited anxiety across Europe and drawn sharp criticism from several US allies. For decades, Washington has viewed Greenland as strategically important, and the Trump administration has once more placed the island at the centre of its Arctic agenda by reviving discussions around altering the status of the Danish territory. Trump first publicly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland during his first term in 2019, likening a potential deal to a "large real estate purchase." Leaders in Nuuk and Copenhagen, however, rejected the proposal, stressing that Greenland was not for sale or transfer. After returning to office following his victory in the 2024 US Presidential Election, Trump revived his offer from his first-term to purchase Greenland, which was again turned down. On Tuesday (local time), the White House said it was considering "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating during a briefing that the use of military force was not off the table. Leavitt said President Trump had made it clear that "acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States" and was vital to deterring adversaries in the Arctic region. "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal," Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. These developments have renewed questions about why successive US administrations have returned to the idea of acquiring Greenland and how deeply embedded American ambitions are in the island's modern history. In the late 19th century, after buying Alaska in 1867 from the Russians, US expansionists such as then Secretary of State William H Seward floated the idea of adding Greenland and Iceland to the American sphere. In 1946, President Harry Truman's administration made the first formal bid, proposing to pay Denmark 100 million dollars in gold, partly even discussing swaps involving Alaskan territory. Denmark, however, refused to sell the island. Why is Greenland central to Trump's Arctic strategy? Greenland's importance lies in both its strategic location between the US, Europe and Russia and its vast natural resources. According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), the island holds an estimated 36.1 billion tonnes of rare earth elements. Economically recoverable reserves are estimated at about 1.5 million tonnes, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). GEUS has also identified deposits of graphite, lithium and copper--minerals defined by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as critical for the global energy transition. While Greenland's copper reserves are limited, its uranium resources are considered strategically significant, though mining has been banned since 2021. The island currently hosts two active mines, including the Nalunaq gold mine operated by Canadian firm Amaroq Minerals. As per the National Geological Survey, it is estimated that graphite resources in Greenland are at six million tons, which is approximately 0.75 per cent of the global total calculated by the USGS. As for lithium, also a component in batteries and whose demand the IEA says could increase eightfold by 2040, Greenland's resources have been estimated at 235,000 tonnes, which is approximately 0.20 per cent of the global figure. Greenland's copper resources, meanwhile, are insignificant on a global scale, but its uranium reserves, a coveted nuclear fuel, could be of greater strategic interest. In 2023, the European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Greenland to support the development of its mineral resources, highlighting the island's growing role in global supply chains as the Arctic warms at nearly four times the global average. Greenland may also hold hydrocarbon reserves equivalent to over 28 billion barrels of oil, although no industrial drilling is currently underway. In 2023, the European Union, which identified 25 of the 34 minerals on its official list of critical raw materials in Greenland, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Greenland to support the development of its mineral resources, highlighting the island's growing role in global supply chains as the Arctic warms at nearly four times the global average. The island could also hold hydrocarbons roughly equivalent to 28.43 billion barrels of oil, according to GEUS, Greenland's National Oil Company (Nunaoil), and Greenland's Mineral Resources Authority, based on industry data. Although seemingly abundant, there has been no industrial drilling for oil or gas in Greenland, although three oil exploration licenses are active in the east of the territory. Which answers our very question: "Why is the US keen on acquiring Greenland?" Meanwhile, on January 6, in a letter released by the Danish Prime Minister's Office on X, the leaders reaffirmed Greenland's status within the transatlantic alliance, stating, "The Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland - is part of NATO." Foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have also jointly reaffirmed their collective commitment to preserving security, stability and cooperation in the Arctic, underscoring their support for a stronger and more vigilant NATO presence in the region. The Nordic foreign ministers, in a statement, said that as Nordic countries, Arctic states and NATO allies, they are united in their approach to regional security, particularly amid evolving strategic challenges in the Arctic. In a response to the NATO Joint Statement, US President Trump, on January 7, launched a sharp attack on the intergovernmental military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), claiming that the alliance depended entirely on Washington for its survival, shortly after European leaders pushed back against his remarks on taking over Greenland and reaffirming NATO unity. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that before his intervention, most NATO members were not meeting their defence spending commitments and were relying on Washington to shoulder the burden. The US President stated that he pushed NATO members to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, asserting that allies now pay "immediately" because of his personal influence. "Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren't paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately. Everyone said that couldn't be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends," Trump said. Taken together, Trump's renewed push for Greenland, the island's vast resource potential and its strategic importance to Arctic security have transformed a long-standing US ambition into an active flashpoint for NATO and the broader transatlantic alliance, with Germany now also voicing concern over any unilateral American move on the island. (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated that his administration will soon expand its campaign against drug cartels to land-based operations, following recent actions targeting drug trafficking networks in the region. Speaking on Fox News during an interview with host Sean Hannity, Trump said, "We've knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are gonna start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels." Underscoring his concerns about Mexico, Trump asserted that "The cartels are running Mexico," adding, "It's very, very sad to watch and see what's happened to that country." Earlier this week, Trump said he had raised the possibility of US military assistance with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to tackle drug cartels, cautioning that "Mexico has to get their act together." Trump's remarks drew a sharp response from Sheinbaum, who reaffirmed Mexico's sovereignty and rejected any form of foreign intervention, The Hill reported. The reaction followed last week's US military operation in Venezuela that captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Responding to the developments, Sheinbaum said on Monday, "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." She stressed that political futures must be shaped internally, adding, "Only the people can build their own future, decide their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources, and freely define their form of government." Emphasising international law, Sheinbaum said it "unequivocally" establishes "respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination." She added, "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." Responding further, Sheinbaum pointed to ongoing cooperation between the two countries on combating drug trafficking, saying, "Mexico cooperates with the United States, including for humanitarian reasons, to prevent fentanyl and other drugs from reaching its population, particularly young people." She added, "As we've said before: we don't 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." At the same time, Sheinbaum underlined the need to address shared responsibility and deeper causes of violence, stating, "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." She further said, "Similarly, we have pointed out that groups that distribute drugs and launder money in both Mexico and the United States must be firmly combated." Sheinbaum reaffirmed Mexico's stance against external pressure, saying, "Finally, it is necessary to reaffirm that in Mexico the people rule and that we are a free, independent and sovereign country." She added, "Cooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no." (ANI) Venezuela's Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said in a message to the US that Venezuelans "did not deserve this vile, warmongering aggression," El Cooperante reported. Rodriguez also announced the upcoming construction of a monument in honor of all citizens who died in the US military incursion into Venezuela on January 3. "No one surrendered here; there was a fight for this homeland, for our liberators, for Chavez, and for Venezuela. That is our greatest satisfaction, and that is our answer. We will face them, one-on-one, and we will show them what the children of Bolivar are made of," she said as quoted by the Spanish El Cooperante news outlet. He emphasized that weapons in Venezuela are used to "defend" the population, country, sovereignty and dignity, and not for acts of "aggression" against other nations. She added that Venezuela will give the US a "lesson" in diplomacy, because, he said, the country has a universal legacy dating back to Simon Bolivar. "Our liberator never taught our men and women in arms to be warmongers or to use supremacy to humiliate anyone." He stressed that the Venezuelans and Cubans who died during the US incursion are "children of the homeland," asserting that they gave their lives for humanity. She also announced the creation of a commission for the families of the deceased citizens, as per El Cooperante. Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado asserted this Thursday that she will not rest until all "political prisoners" in the country are freed, following the government's announcement regarding the release of a group of Venezuelans, as per El Cooperante. "Today, the truth that was persecuted and silenced for years is finally breaking through, despite the arbitrariness, the cruelty, and the fear. For many months, many years, even decades, their families have borne the fierce weight of a sentence that wasn't in any file, the sentence of waiting, of silence, of the home that remained standing while the country seemed to be collapsing around them," she said. Machado acknowledged the strength and determination of the detainees' families and asked them to see this moment as an "act of moral restitution," confirmation that their fortitude was not in vain. "Dignity knows how to wait without surrendering and ultimately triumph," as reported by El Cooperante. (ANI) President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) refused to clarify whether he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin after US forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN reported. Responding to a query during an interview on Fox News, Trump said, "I don't want to say that, but the fact is that the Russian ships, there was a submarine and a destroyer, they both left very quickly when we arrived, and we took over the ship and the oil is being unloaded right now." US forces boarded and seized the tanker on Wednesday (local time) after a weeks-long pursuit on the high seas, an operation that has heightened tensions with Moscow and added pressure on Russia's ally Venezuela. While Trump claimed oil was being unloaded from the vessel, the tanker was not carrying any oil at the time of the seizure, according to analytics firm Kpler, CNN reported. The ageing tanker, originally named Bella 1, was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for operating as part of a so-called "shadow fleet" transporting illicit Iranian oil. Last month, the US Coast Guard attempted to seize the vessel while it was en route to Venezuela to load oil, sailing under the Guyana flag. The crew refused boarding and abruptly diverted into the Atlantic. Subsequently, the crew painted a Russian flag on the ship's side, and the vessel later appeared in a Russian shipping registry under a new name, Marinera. Amid the operation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the risk of confrontation with Russia, asserting that Trump maintains a good relationship with Putin. Ahead of the seizure, the United States repositioned key military assets to the United Kingdom, a move that added to mounting international tensions, CNN reported. V-22 Osprey aircraft were active across the UK in recent days, with flight data indicating training missions operating out of RAF Fairford, while two AC-130 gunships were seen arriving at RAF Mildenhall on Sunday. The tanker was seized about 190 miles off Iceland's southern coast in the North Atlantic, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic. The data showed the vessel making a sharp turn south around the time it was reported seized, CNN said. Russia's Transport Ministry later confirmed it lost contact with the tanker after US forces boarded the ship at 7 am ET (Eastern Time). US Navy SEALs were among the personnel involved in the boarding, after being transported by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the "night stalkers," according to two people briefed on the operation, CNN reported. The UK defence ministry said it assisted with the seizure "following a US request for assistance". The United States did not release official footage of the operation, but grainy video aired by Russian state media RT appeared to show a vessel shadowing Bella 1 in the days before the seizure. In footage filmed from aboard the tanker, an unmarked ship can be seen hovering in the distance, partially obscured by fog. RT claimed the vessel was a US Coast Guard ship operating in the Atlantic, CNN reported. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the crew of the US Coast Guard cutter Munro had pursued the tanker for weeks "across the high seas and through treacherous storms," though it remains unclear whether the ship seen in the footage was the Munro, CNN reported. Ahead of the seizure, Russian military movements included repositioning naval assets and a submarine to protect the tanker, a US official said. However, it remains unclear how close those vessels were when the ship was boarded. Russia condemned the seizure, with its Transport Ministry arguing that "no state has the right to use force against vessels that are properly registered in the jurisdictions of other nations" under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty the US has not signed, CNN reported. The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the US return the Russian citizens aboard "to their homeland", according to state news agency TASS. TASS also reported that Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky described the seizure as an act of "21st-century piracy" that violates international law. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has yet to comment publicly on the incident. China also condemned the seizure on Thursday, calling it a "serious violation of international law." Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China has always opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council, and opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and infringe upon the sovereignty and security of other countries." The tanker was not carrying any oil at the time it was seized, according to Kpler, CNN reported. This contrasts with two other vessels, Skipper and Centuries, which were intercepted by the US Coast Guard in recent weeks and piloted to Texas, where authorities plan to seize their oil cargoes. Kpler said Bella 1 had two separate 99-day gaps in its Automatic Identification System transmissions, a tactic commonly associated with vessels loading sanctioned Iranian crude. Data shared with CNN showed that at least 16 vessels were loaded with crude or fuel oil in Venezuela between October 2025 and January 2026, with many switching off their AIS systems. In a separate operation on Wednesday, the United States said it seized another tanker, Sophia, in international waters near the Caribbean. US Southern Command described it as a "stateless, sanctioned" vessel engaged in "illicit activities." The tanker is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude loaded from Venezuela, according to Kpler. Despite concerns that such actions could escalate tensions with Russia and China, the White House said it would continue seizing sanctioned vessels. Trump is "going to enforce our policy that's best for the United States of America," Leavitt said, adding, "That means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil." (ANI) Surendra Kumar, a former diplomat, has said that US President Donald Trump's bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill was not too surprising. Speaking to ANI, he said that Trump is "on a high" from his operation in Venezuela. "Well, it's not too surprising. He has been saying in a roundabout way that if you don't comply, I will do this. He also mentioned 500 per cent in the past. But now he's on a high after what he has been able to achieve in Venezuela. He feels he is vindicated. He successfully captured the person, brought him to the USA, and without any violence, no resistance," he said. Kumar said the situation is difficult, given that there is no way there could be resistance against the US. "Now you have a vice president (in Venezuela), now elevated president, who is prepared to work with the USA. You (US) talk about getting $2.8 billion from them. So, we are in a difficult situation because there's no way we can resist. And resist in what way?" he said. He added that countries like India and China must find a way out. "You cannot really have normal, rational arguments with somebody who is not prepared to listen. He simply said - my way or the highway. I will do it. You comply with, or you face the music. I personally feel that these countries, like India, China, and others who are facing this, should find some way out because I personally feel a practical way," he said. Kumar said that the US senators and the corporate sector should advise Trump to stop doing such things. "Right now, there are not many options. We are in a very difficult situation because we have been decreasing our imports. It's coming down. He (Trump) himself admitted India is coming down. I hope that there may be sane voices in the US administration and the Congress, and the corporate sector who will advise the president not to create an international crisis by doing these kinds of things," he said. "There are ways of doing it. You can sit across and really find out solutions through dialogue and through talks in a reasonable way. You want this topic, yes, we are not declining it. And we are also increasing imports from the USA. So there is progress," he added. Kumar highlighted that the move will damage India-US ties, which were built over the years by previous administrations in both countries. "In the kind of process which you want, but some kind of instant way of doing it is not feasible, and I hope this will not happen. This will not come to that because if it comes to that, then it will almost really damage the whole relationship which has been built by successive presidents of the US and the prime ministers of India and which will be of loss to both countries, not only to India," he said. "Look, it's a pity. The US has been considered for many, many decades a country where people come and make their dreams come true," he added. Kumar added that by withdrawing from international organisations, the US is damaging its own reputation. "Exceptionalism is based on certain values, certain achievements, certain conventions and traditions. Now, if you withdraw from the whole world, from various organisations, whom are you harming? Actually, many people believe you are harming the US itself. You become totally exclusive. You are not inclusive. Gandhi used to say, 'Keep your doors and windows open.' Let all the thoughts and ideas flow through it. Now you want to withdraw from all these organisations in the long run, it will affect the US, the US society, the US reputation," he said. Kumar added that the Americans must point out these things to the administration and show their fallacy. "It's a great prestige. You can imagine, during even the Vietnam War, thousands of Americans defied the US government. They did not support the invasion of Vietnam. They went to prison, including the box of cases. So I hope that the civil society, the intelligentsia, the academia, and others will try to reason out in their own ways, convey to the government in the US that for a great country like India, this kind of action is not in their national interest," he said. Trump's presidency has repeatedly been marked by a strong emphasis on territorial expansion and strategic dominance. Days after a US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, attention has now shifted to Greenland, with Trump once again intensifying efforts to bring the Arctic territory under American control. Trump also announced Washington's withdrawal from 66 international organisations, treaties and alliances. The US Treasury Department on Thursday formally announced the country's immediate withdrawal from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz on January 12 in Ahmedabad, an official statement by the Prime Minister's Office said. Merz will be on an official visit to India on January 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. This will be Merz's first official visit to India. At around 9:30 AM on January 12, the two leaders will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and at around 10 AM, they will participate in the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati Riverfront. This will be followed by bilateral engagements 11:15 AM onwards at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, as per the statement. The two leaders will review the progress made in the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which has recently completed 25 years. Their discussion will also focus on further intensifying cooperation in trade and investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also advancing collaboration in important domains of defence and security, science, innovation and research, green and sustainable development, and people-to-people ties. Prime Minister Modi and Chancellor Merz will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance, and engage with business and industry leaders of the two countries. 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) Former diplomat Surendra Kumar has said that Bangladesh's attitude towards India was "very disappointing", given that the neighbouring country wouldn't even exist without India. "It is a very disappointing and sad development. Bangladesh, for which India did so much. There was no Bangladesh without India. Even the son of Khaleda Zia has gone on record that we can't forget what actually happened in 1971 - what India did for them. Now, the current government, the chief coordinator, has its own way," Kumar told ANI. "Even Hadi's family is still saying he has been killed by the goons of the government," he added. Sharif Osman Hadi, an Inqilab Moncho convenor and one of the prominent figures behind the July uprising last year, which led to the ousting of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's regime, was pronounced dead on December 18, after he was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. Kumar wondered why they forgot the atrocities Pakistan committed against them while renewing relations with the nation. "Now, to really go to have this kind of relationship with Pakistan, whose army under General Zia killed almost 3 million East Pakistanis, raped nearly 300,000 women, to really forget all those atrocities, to forget all the carnage, and to really patch up in military terms. They're not making sense. In fact, who? You will buy these FJ-17 of Chinese origin. You against whom? The Air Force man-made the Bangladeshi Air Force," he said. He noted that Bangladesh must maintain good relations with India to ensure its prosperity. "You want to have good relations with India, but this is not the way to good relations. We want to have a good relationship. Look at you. Electricity is going from here. We signed the border agreement, and water-sharing arrangements have been ongoing. Talks have been going on. But this kind of action in the long run is not in Bangladesh's interest. I hope that during the election takes place, whichever government come to power, we'll realise their long-term interest lies with good relations in India," he said. He recounted that the Maldives also shifted from its anti-India narrative to a pro-India stance after its elections. "You remember what happened in the Maldives. The Maldives president came (to power) propagating the 'India Out' movement. However, he realised that it is good to have relations with India," he said. He recounted that India did not lose its composure and remained calm throughout. "In India, we did not lose cool. We allowed them long robes, and finally, we have good relations. I hope the new government after the elections will have a deeper understanding and work toward closer, normal, warmer relations with India, which will benefit both Bangladesh and India. And the current government (in Bangladesh), till then, must exercise its authority and clamp down on all these violent actions against Hindus and lynching of the Indian people," he said. As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence were reported. (ANI) Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said that four civilians died and over 24 were injured in the latest Russian strikes in the region. Sybiha on Friday said that Russian missiles attacked its residential areas too, disrupting water supply and heating. "Four civilians were killed, including a medic, and over two dozen injured in Kyiv after a horrible night of Russian strikes. Residential areas, critical infrastructure, power, heating, and water supply were all under brutal attack by cruise and ballistic missiles and drones," he said. https://x.com/andrii_sybiha/status/2009508242242650140?s=20 "Lviv and Kyiv this morning, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and other regions earlier this week -- the aggressor demonstrates utter disregard for peace efforts. Russia bets on war, terror, and barbarism instead of diplomacy. But if war criminal Putin thinks he can bomb Ukrainians into accepting his ultimatums, he is getting it wrong. Such attacks only make our people more united and resolute to resist aggression and terror," he added. Sybiha further said that they expect condemnation for this attack by Russia. "We are informing our partners about the consequences of overnight strikes. We urge strong responses. Public condemnation -- especially from those who recently responded with concerns to the fake "Putin residence attack". We urge our partners to take immediate action to increase pressure on Moscow," he said. He called for tougher sanctions against Russia. "New rounds of tough sanctions to deprive Russia of resources for terror and war. New packages of defense assistance for Ukraine to better protect our people and push back the invaders. New steps to ensure accountability for Russian crimes. Russia's terror and brutality must be met with unity, strength, and justice," he said. Meanwhile, Russian mortality rates on the front lines are rising to levels that cannot be sustained by the current method of voluntary recruitment, Ukrainian figures suggest, as reported by Al Jazeera. "In December, 35,000 occupiers were eliminated - and this has been confirmed with video footage," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Monday evening address. "In November, there were 30,000, and in October, 26,000 eliminated occupiers," as per Al Jazeera. (ANI) Richard Dreyfuss says the USA "can't afford to have a Donald Trump type person in the presidency" because his time in the White house is having a damaging effect on American society. Richard Dreyfuss has stated that America can't afford to have a president like Donald Trump The Jaws actor - who played oceanographer Matt Hooper in Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark blockbuster - runs The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative, a non-profit, non-partisan organisation committed to revitalising civics education in Americas public schools in order to promote social responsibility. Dreyfuss, 78, says under Trump's presidency Americans are getting "lazy" and "silly" and the country's citizens need to start living by the core American values of the past. Appearing on The Daily Jaws podcast, he said: "If you're not taught how to be a civic animal then you don't learn it. And if you don't learn that you cannot learn to be an American with certain values and the values of being an American have been shown to all of us as being worthwhile and of great value. If you don't learn it - no one teaches it - you have an empty experience. That's not something we can afford. "Without getting partisan, we can't afford to have a Donald Trump type person in the presidency. We can't afford to waste the opportunity that we offer normal people, we should take every opportunity we can to overcome that deficiency and don't let America slip away. Everyone knows that that has happened in a sense. We've become lazy, we've become silly, and we are not. You have to put yourself on the line and let yourself be heard." The Close Encounters of the Third Kind star says the goal of The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative is to remind his fellow Americans the importance of being civically minded and realise that you are part of something bigger than your own life and household. Dreyfuss says there are two movies he returns to time and again and educates young people about because they both demonstrate that "you have a much larger life". He said: "The Dreyfuss Initiative is basically very simple. It was to remind Americans that when they went to school they learned how to be social animals, civic animals, that you have natural connections to your neighbours, to your friends, to your enemies, you can all share this experience. "If someone asked me my favourite films, I would say there are two movies that don't come to mind immediately. One of them is The Ox-Bow Incident, with Henry Fonda, and the other is the Unforgiven, with Clint Eastwood. Both of those films are about being reminded that you have a much larger life and you are connected to the world around you. These are huge films. I really can be warmed by talking about them and by showing them to young people." Dreyfuss - who, in 2016, stated he was not a Democrat - has previously been an outspoken critic of President Trump, 79, insisting he should not be allowed anywhere near the White House. In a 2016 interview with The Guardian newspaper - which took place before Trump won his first presidential election - Dreyfuss said: "If a man like that asked you for permission to marry your daughter, what would your answer be? If its no, I think its obvious we shouldnt give him the most powerful office on the face of the earth." Chile supports India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the country's Ambassador here Juan Angulo, said, asserting that New Delhi can be a factor of stabilisation in global affairs. Speaking to ANI on Friday, Angulo noted that the multilateral forum must reflect contemporary global realities and called for reforms in the international system. India has been consistently pushing for a permanent seat in the UNSC, arguing that it has the credentials to be a permanent member of a reformed and expanded Security Council that mirrors present-day global dynamics. "A multilateral forum is very important for us because we strongly believe in a rules-based world where international norms are respected. But, of course, the multilateral system should also be functional, transparent and more accountable. We have been supporting reforms of the system," Angulo said. "We support India's aspiration of being a permanent member of the Security Council because we believe this body should better reflect the realities of today, and not the realities of 80 years ago at the end of World War II," he added. Asserting that today's world is fundamentally different, the Chilean envoy said, "The presence of countries like India in our world today is very different. India can be a stabilising factor, an established factor, in global affairs." India's bid for a permanent UNSC seat has been backed by major powers including the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, as well as key partners such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and Australia. During the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in September last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasised the need for reform in the UNSC to reflect the current global landscape and reiterated its support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the UNSC. (ANI) United States Vice President JD Vance said that the US President Donald Trump had a productive phone call with Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday (lolcal time). Addressing a press briefing alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vance said that talks are being held at all levels of the government with Carribean countries. "Well, look, the President had a very productive phone call with the president of Colombia yesterday and we continued to talk at all levels of government with a number of our friends in the Caribbean region," he said. Vance said that the talks were important to maintain peace. "I actually think this is really good for peace in the Caribbean because when you take away a major source of illegal cartel revenue, which is the cocaine trade, the fentanyl trade, other sources of illicit revenue, you actually remove the power of one of the main destabilizing forces in Latin America and in the Caribbean," he said. Vance said that the move is important to maintain peace in the hemisphere. "I really do think, we say it all the time, this is the president of peace. One of the ways that you establish peace in your own hemisphere is to make it clear that the United States is going to be respected, that the United States is willing to take power away from criminal cartel organizations and give it to legitimate governments. That's how we see the future of the Western Hemisphere and we think it's going to be much more peaceful than it was certainly under Joe Biden," he said. Earlier, Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held their first phone conversation following a recent war of words, at a time of growing strain between the United States and several Latin American countries. The exchange took place days after Trump accused the Colombian leader of being "sick" and involved in cocaine trafficking. "It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. (ANI) US Vice President JD Vance said that the US President Donald Trump had a productive phone call with Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday. While speaking at the Press Briefing alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vance said that talks are being held at all levels of the government with Carribean countries. "Well, look, the President had a very productive phone call with the president of Colombia yesterday and we continued to talk at all levels of government with a number of our friends in the Caribbean region," he said. Vance said that the talks were important to maintain peace. "I actually think this is really good for peace in the Caribbean because when you take away a major source of illegal cartel revenue, which is the cocaine trade, the fentanyl trade, other sources of illicit revenue, you actually remove the power of one of the main destabilizing forces in Latin America and in the Caribbean," he said. Vance said that the move is important to maintain peace in the hemisphere. "I really do think, we say it all the time, this is the president of peace. One of the ways that you establish peace in your own hemisphere is to make it clear that the United States is going to be respected, that the United States is willing to take power away from criminal cartel organizations and give it to legitimate governments. That's how we see the future of the Western Hemisphere and we think it's going to be much more peaceful than it was certainly under Joe Biden," he said. Earlier, US President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held their first phone conversation following a recent war of words, at a time of growing strain between the United States and several Latin American countries. The exchange took place days after Trump accused the Colombian leader of being "sick" and involved in cocaine trafficking. "It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. (ANI) India and Chile are in the final stages of negotiating a social security agreement aimed at facilitating investments and the movement of professionals between the two countries, Chilean Ambassador Juan Angulo said on Friday. Speaking to ANI, Angulo said negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which spans more than 20 chapters, have reached an advanced stage, with both sides now working towards fixing dates for the fifth and possibly final round. "We are also in the final steps of a negotiation of a treaty of social security that will also facilitate investments. Where people, Chileans or Indians working on terms of their social security systems... this will facilitate the increase and dependence of financial and economic trade investment relations between our two countries," Angulo said. Angulo said the two countries are working hard to reach an agreement on the core issues like market access and critical minerals. He said CEPA negotiations are progressing across more than 20 chapters, though some areas are moving faster than others, which he described as normal in comprehensive trade talks. "All CEPAs have more than 20 chapters of negotiation, and we are engaging in all of them. Some chapters are moving faster, while others are taking more time, which is normal in any negotiation process," Angulo said. Emphasising that CEPA goes beyond trade in goods, the Chilean envoy said the agreement also covers investments, development and transfer of technology. "CEPA is not just about trade in goods. It is also involving investments, development and transfer of technology," he said. Highlighting the most sensitive areas, Angulo said market access and critical minerals remain central to the talks. "Important chapters are market access and critical minerals. These are the core parts of the negotiations that we are working hard on reaching an agreement on," he said. India and Chile began formal CEPA negotiations in May 2025, and several rounds have been held since then, including a fourth round concluded in December 2025. Angulo said intersessional work is currently underway and both sides are hopeful of fixing dates for the next round. "We have just finished the fourth round of negotiations, and now there is intersessional work to be done. We are looking forward to fixing dates for the fifth and maybe final round," he said. On bilateral trade, Angulo said commerce between India and Chile has seen a sharp rise over the past year, touching around USD 3.8 billion. "We are very happy because since last year we have had a substantial increase in bilateral trade," he said, adding that trade could grow to USD 10 billion in the coming years. He noted that while Chile's exports are led by copper, the trade relationship remains balanced. "We see this commercial relationship as a win-win situation. It is not only going towards one side but both sides -- trade, investments and services," Angulo said. (ANI) Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei accused the US administration of being behind the large-scale protests in Iran. Speaking at a public interaction Khamenei said protestors were acting to please the President of America. "There are also those whose work is destruction. Last night in Tehran, and in some other places, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building belonging to their own country. For example, suppose they destroyed a certain building or a wall, just to please the President of America. Because he said... some irrelevant nonsense... that "if the government of Iran does such and such, I will come to the side... I will take your side." The side of these rioters and individuals who are harmful to the country. These people have their hopes pinned on him. If he can, let him manage his own country! In his own country, various incidents are occurring," Khamenei was reported as saying by Iranian state media. The Ayatollah also accused US President Trump of acting like a despot and said that despots are deposed at the peak of their pride. "Our nation does not tolerate mercenaryism for foreigners. Whoever you may be, once you become a mercenary for a foreigner, once you work for a foreigner, the nation considers you rejected. As for that fellow (Trump) who sits there with arrogance and pride, passing judgment on the whole world, he should also know that usually, the despots and arrogant powers of the world--such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Khan, Mohammad Reza, and the likes of them--were overthrown exactly when they were at the peak of their pride. This one will be overthrown as well," he said. Earlier, President Trump warned Iran's government against harming protesters, stating that the United States would intervene if innocent people were killed amid the ongoing demonstrations in the Middle Eastern country. During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump said, "If they do anything bad to these people, we're going to hit them very hard," reiterating a similar warning he had issued on social media last week. Commenting on the scale of the unrest, he added that "the enthusiasm to overturn the regime has been incredible." Trump repeated the warning, in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier, cautioning Iran's authorities of severe consequences if protesters are harmed as demonstrations driven by a deepening economic crisis continue to spread. He said, "I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots, if they do it, we are going to hit them very hard." Meanwhile according to Policy research organisation Institute for the study of War, protest activity in Iran has expanded dramatically in both rate and magnitude since January 7, including in major cities like Tehran and in northwestern Iran. The think tank further said that the regime has intensified its crackdown including by taking the rare step of using the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces to suppress protests in at least one province. (ANI) The admission appears in the government's 240-page Prime Minister's Economic Governance Reforms Agenda, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, the ministry prepared the report to fulfil the requirements of the IMF's Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment under the USD 7 billion loan programme. The document notes that unclear decision-making mechanisms within the SIFC, especially regarding strategic investment concessions and regulatory relaxations, create information gaps that heighten perceived governance risks. Established in 2023 to act as a single-window facility for investment after Gulf nations voiced concerns over Pakistan's bureaucratic disarray, the SIFC succeeded in removing some procedural obstacles. However, major structural problems, unpredictable taxation, soaring energy tariffs, weak external buffers and limited fiscal space continue to overshadow investment prospects. Despite its mandate to attract foreign capital in sectors ranging from agriculture and mining to defence, tourism and IT, the SIFC has not delivered any major foreign investment. Last month, its National Coordinator, Lt Gen Sarfraz Ahmed, publicly identified several bottlenecks inhibiting FDI inflows. The Finance Ministry admits in its report that Pakistan still lacks consolidated, publicly available information on tax concessions, fiscal impacts and regulatory exemptions. Without consistent disclosure, investors remain uncertain about the justification and consequences of the state's strategic investment decisions, as highlighted by The Express Tribune. To comply with IMF conditions, the government has pledged to publish the first draft of the SIFC's annual report in December and finalise it by March 2027. The IMF has also raised concerns over Articles 10F and 10G of the Board of Investment Act, which grant sweeping powers and immunity to SIFC officials, potentially diluting accountability. The Fund further criticised the parallel functioning of the Board of Investment and the SIFC, arguing that overlapping mandates fuel confusion and weaken governance. The IMF has urged Pakistan to address deeper structural issues rather than create multiple bodies with conflicting roles, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday stated that hiring lobbying firms is a "standard practice" for countries, embassies, business establishments, and private organisations to strengthen outreach with stakeholders, in response to queries on recent filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in the United States, which mentioned the Indian side engaging with its US counterparts through such firms. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that this has been a longstanding norm, noting that India has been hiring such lobbying firms since the 1950s. "This is a normal practice in Washington DC and in the United States of America: that countries, embassies, business establishments and private organisations hire lobbyists and consultants. We, on our part, the Indian mission, have been hiring such lobbying firms since the 1950s. The details of all these firms are available in the public domain. I would urge you to get to know more details of them and to look them up on the relevant website," Jaiswal said. "It is a standard practice for embassies and business organisations and private organisations to have lobbying firms to strengthen their outreach, and so is the case with us," he added. The MEA's remarks followed reports that India has been contacting Washington for diplomatic engagement and outreach through such lobbying firms, as revealed by filings these firms made under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) with the US Department of Justice. Meanwhile, the FARA filings also revealed that India's swift and precise military action during the May 2025 conflict against Pakistan in Operation Sindoor led Islamabad to use such lobbying firms to contact the US in order to secure the FATF whitelist, as India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The FARA disclosures lay bare Pakistan's extensive lobbying efforts in Washington, highlighting its attempts to shield itself from international accountability even as India decisively targeted terror infrastructure in PoJK and Pakistan. In those disclosures, it was revealed that Islamabad launched an aggressive lobbying campaign in Washington, repeatedly reaching out to the American establishment. According to documents submitted and accessed, Pakistan sought US support to maintain the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) continued whitelisting shortly after Operation Sindoor. The documents revealed that Islamabad conveyed its concerns and appeals through its registered lobbyists, stressing its political commitment to the international community and requesting US assistance ahead of the FATF plenary scheduled for June 2025. According to documents obtained, Pakistan used its lobbying firm to contact Washington numerous times via email, phone, and in-person meetings under the agenda of "US-Islamic Republic of Pakistan Bilateral Relations". Pakistan also contacted another firm, which it used to appeal to the US to secure continued inclusion on the FATF whitelist after Operation Sindoor. In October 2022, Islamabad was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, the global watchdog on money laundering and terrorist financing, which restricts a country's access to international loans. Pakistan was placed on the grey list in 2018. According to the documents, Islamabad assured that it remains committed to completing all residual referrals agreed with by FATF and expressed readiness for an open bilateral exchange of information to address what it termed "five residual items. (ANI) India on Friday urged all parties to "exercise restraint" and resolve disputes through peaceful means following China's recent military exercises around Taiwan. During a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India is closely monitoring developments across the Indo-Pacific region amid China's repeated threats to Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory. "India closely follows developments across the Indo-Pacific region. We have an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region in view of our significant trade, economic, people-to-people and maritime interests. We urge all concerned parties to exercise restraint, eschew unilateral action and resolve all issues through peaceful means without threat or use of force," Jaiswal said. The statement by the MEA comes following the conclusion of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command's "Justice Mission 2025" military drills around Taiwan Island, which was initiated at the end of 2025, involving Beijing's naval, air and ground forces and what it described as a demonstration of joint operational and blockade capabilities. According to details released by the PLA Eastern Theater Command, destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers were deployed from early morning on December 29, conducting drills focused on identification, warning and expulsion, strikes on hostile vessels, fleet air defence and anti-submarine warfare in airspace and waters to the north and south of Taiwan. During the exercises, H-6K bombers carried out simulated precision strikes against designated targets in Taiwan. The drills were designed to test the troops' ability to conduct joint operations and enforce a regional blockade. The PLA Eastern Theater Command stated that all operations achieved their intended results. A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said the drills were intended to deter separatist forces on the island, who Beijing accuses of seeking "Taiwan independence" by building up military capabilities through the purchase of US arms. This move by China can be seen as an aggravated attempt to assert its claim over the island, which Beijing claims to be an integral part of its territory. The exercise also follows the US administration's approval, under President Donald Trump, of a major arms package for Taiwan on December 18. According to the US State Department, the proposed sales are valued at USD 11.1 billion and include medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones. The potential sale of eight arms packages to Taiwan, including HIMARS rocket systems, anti-tank missiles, and drones. China has condemned the US sale of the arms package, noting that it "seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, interferes in China's internal affairs, and undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity". As a countermeasure, China announced sanctions against US defence-related companies and senior executives. (ANI) Pope Leo XIV on Friday warned that War was back in vogue and that this threatens the foundation of peaceful coexistence. The Pontiff was addressing members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See. "War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself. Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence," the Pope said. The annual meeting between the Pope and ambassadors accredited to the Holy See is considered one of the most significant moments in the Vatican's diplomatic calendar, reported Vatican News. The Pope spoke of the "ongoing war in Ukraine" and the suffering of civilians, reiterating "the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire," and calling for dialogue "motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace." Pope Leo XIV also highlighted the crisis in Venezuela, calling for respect for the will of the people and for the safeguarding of human and civil rights. Meanwhile, in what may come as a ray of hope for Venezuela, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has cancelled a previously expected second wave of military attacks on Venezuela, following his military action in Caracas which led to the capture of the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, citing improved cooperation from Caracas and the release of a large number of political prisoners as part of efforts to 'seek peace'. In a post on Truth Social, the US President said that the decision to call off further strikes comes as relations between Washington and Caracas enter a phase of cooperation, particularly on rebuilding and modernising Venezuela's oil and gas infrastructure, which Trump had previously stated following the first wave of attack on Saturday. He described the Venezuelan prisoner releases as a "very important and smart gesture". However, Trump noted that the US military units in the region will remain on alert even though the new round of offensive operations is no longer expected. (ANI) Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Friday interacted with the crew of INSV Kaundinya, currently on the 12th day of their maiden overseas voyage to Oman's Muscat. In a post on X, the Spokesperson of the Indian Navy said that the CNS congratulated the crew via video conferencing on their steady progress during the voyage and commended their proficiency and resilience to date. He noted that INSV Kaundinya has successfully covered over 385 nautical miles (over 710 km) from Porbandar. "Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, interacted with the crew of INSV Kaundinya on 09 Jan 26 which is on her 12th day of the maiden overseas voyage to Muscat, Oman. Congratulating the crew on the steady progress, CNS lauded their proficiency and resilience in the journey so far, noting that INSV Kaundinya has successfully covered over 385 nautical miles (over 710 km) from Porbandar," the Indian Navy stated. Wishing the crew "fair winds and following seas", Admiral Tripathi motivated them to continue upholding the highest traditions of Indian seafarers and expressed confidence in their ability to accomplish the historic voyage successfully. "Wishing the crew fair winds and following seas, CNS conveyed his best wishes and motivated them to continue upholding the highest traditions of the Indian Seafarers, expressing confidence in their ability to accomplish this historic voyage successfully," the post added. The update comes as INSV Kaundinya, the Indian Navy's indigenously built traditional stitched sailing vessel, continues its maiden overseas voyage after setting sail from Porbandar, Gujarat, on December 29. The expedition marks a major milestone in India's efforts to revive, understand and celebrate its ancient maritime heritage through a living ocean voyage. Built using traditional stitched shipbuilding techniques and natural materials, Kaundinya is inspired by historical sources and iconographic evidence of ancient Indian ocean-going vessels. The vessel was formally flagged off by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, in the presence of Issa Saleh Al Shibani, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to India, and senior Indian Navy officials. The Indian Navy has said the voyage will also help strengthen bilateral relations between India and Oman by reinforcing shared maritime heritage and people-to-people ties, while underscoring India's commitment to maritime diplomacy, heritage preservation and regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region. (ANI) 75 years of an iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan 16:57, January 08, 2026 By Zamir Ahmed Awan ( People's Daily Online On May 21 this year, Pakistan and China will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their formal diplomatic relationsa milestone that few bilateral relationships in the contemporary world can match in depth, consistency, and resilience. The recent unveiling of the official logo for this historic anniversary by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi is more than a ceremonial gesture. It is a powerful reminder of a relationship that has grown stronger with time, weathered global upheavals, and emerged as a rare example of principled, all-weather friendship in an increasingly transactional world. In an era where international relations are largely defined by shifting interests, short-term calculations, and conditional partnerships, the ChinaPakistan relationship stands apart. It is not merely interest-based; it is trust-based. It is not confined to one sector or one government; it is multidimensional, people-centric, and enduring. Above all, it is rooted in mutual respect, sovereign equality, and unwavering supportwithout hidden conditions or material calculations. A relationship forged in history and tested by time Pakistan was among the earliest countries to recognize the People's Republic of China in 1950, laying the foundation for a friendship that would gradually evolve into one of the most comprehensive bilateral partnerships in modern diplomacy. Formal diplomatic relations were established on May 21, 1951, at a time when China was still finding its place in the international system. Pakistan's early and principled support helped cement mutual trust that continues to define the relationship today. Over the decades, China and Pakistan have stood by each other through regional wars, political transitions, economic challenges, and global realignments. From Pakistan's consistent support for the one-China principle to China's steadfast backing of Pakistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and core interests, the relationship has never wavered. This consistency is precisely what makes the friendship exceptional. The phrase "higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, stronger than steel, and sweeter than honey" may sound poetic, but it accurately captures the emotional and strategic depth of ChinaPakistan ties. It is a relationship that has matured organically, guided not by compulsion but by conviction. An all-dimensional partnership One of the defining strengths of ChinaPakistan relations is its truly all-dimensional character. Political trust forms its backbone, but the partnership extends far beyond diplomacy. Cooperation spans economic development, infrastructure, defense, science and technology, education, culture, health, and people-to-people exchanges. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative, is perhaps the most visible symbol of this partnership. Yet CPEC is not merely a collection of roads, power plants, and ports; it is a shared vision of connectivity, prosperity, and regional integration. By addressing Pakistan's long-standing infrastructure and energy deficits, CPEC has laid the groundwork for sustainable development and inclusive growth. Equally important is defense and security cooperation, which has contributed to regional stability and mutual confidence. This cooperation is not directed against any third country but is rooted in legitimate defense needs and shared concerns about peace and security. Cultural and educational exchanges have further deepened the relationship. Thousands of Pakistani students study in Chinese universities, while Confucius Institutes and cultural centers in Pakistan promote language learning and mutual understanding. These interactions ensure that the friendship is not confined to state institutions but is embedded in society itself. A friendship beyond interests What truly distinguishes ChinaPakistan relations from most global partnerships is its non-transactional nature. In a world governed by realpolitik, alliances often shift when interests diverge. The ChinaPakistan friendship, however, has consistently transcended immediate gains. China has supported Pakistan during times of economic difficulty without imposing political conditions. Pakistan, in turn, has supported China on issues of core national interest without hesitation. This mutual support is not driven by opportunism but by a shared belief in fairness, sovereignty, and non-interference. This is why the relationship is often described as a "role model" for state-to-state relations. It demonstrates that international partnerships can be built on trust, equality, and long-term vision rather than coercion or exploitation. People-to-people bonds: the soul of the relationship While governments may change and policies may evolve, the true strength of ChinaPakistan friendship lies in the bond between their peoples. In Pakistan, China is viewed not just as a strategic partner but as a sincere friend. In China, Pakistan enjoys a uniquely positive image as a trusted and reliable partner. These sentiments are reinforced through humanitarian assistance during natural disasters, medical cooperation, cultural festivals, tourism, and academic collaboration. Ordinary citizens in both countries see tangible evidence of friendship in their daily livesbe it through infrastructure projects, educational opportunities, or cultural exchanges. Such people-to-people connectivity ensures that the relationship is deeply rooted and self-sustaining. It is not dependent on personalities or political cycles; it is carried forward by shared experiences and mutual goodwill. Facing and defeating conspiracies It is no secret that in recent years, some external forces have attempted to undermine ChinaPakistan relations through misinformation, propaganda, and covert destabilization efforts. These attempts stem from discomfort with an independent, sovereign partnership that does not conform to hegemonic designs. Yet every such effort has failedand will continue to fail. The reason is simple: the ChinaPakistan friendship is not superficial. It is anchored in history, tested by adversity, and reinforced by the will of the people. No conspiracy can weaken a bond that is built on trust, mutual respect, and shared destiny. Both countries have shown maturity and strategic patience in addressing challenges, refusing to be provoked or distracted. Their commitment to cooperation, dialogue, and development remains unshaken. A vision for the future As Pakistan and China enter the next phase of their relationship, the focus is not only on celebrating past achievements but also on shaping a shared future. The year-long celebrations marking the 75th anniversarythrough high-level exchanges, cultural events, trade exhibitions, and public diplomacyare an opportunity to renew commitments and explore new areas of cooperation. Emerging sectors such as green development, digital economy, innovation, agriculture modernization, and public health offer vast potential for collaboration. At a time when the world faces climate change, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical fragmentation, China and Pakistan can jointly contribute to stability, development, and multilateral cooperation. Their partnership aligns with broader global aspirations for peace, connectivity, and shared prosperity. It reflects the spirit of win-win cooperation and a shared future for mankindprinciples that resonate far beyond bilateral ties. An eternal friendship 75 years is a significant milestone, but in the context of ChinaPakistan relations, it feels less like a conclusion and more like a continuation of an enduring journey. The friendship is traditional, time-tested, and, above all, eternal. As the official logo for the 75th anniversary symbolizes, the ChinaPakistan relationship is not confined to the past; it points confidently toward the future. It reassures both nations that no matter how the international landscape changes, their bond will remain firm. In celebrating this platinum jubilee, Pakistan and China are not only honoring their shared historythey are reaffirming a powerful truth: that genuine friendship between nations is still possible, and when it is built on trust, respect, and the will of the people, it can withstand any test of time. The ChinaPakistan friendship is not just a bilateral success story. It is a message to the world. About the author: Zamir Ahmed Awan is a sinologist, former Pakistani diplomat and the founding chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance (GSRRA), based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He can be reached at awanzamir@yahoo.com. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) US President Donald Trump has no plans to pardon Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Donald Trump has no plans to pardon Sean 'Diddy'Combs The 56-year-old rap mogul is serving 50 months behind bars after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and it was previously revealed he had contacted the American leader and asked him to review the case. Now Trump has acknowledged Combs has asked for a pardon but he is not currently considering granting it. According to The New York Times, Trump said Combs "asked me for a pardon ... through a letter" and then added: "Oh, would you like to see that letter?" However, the publication reports the President did not produce the letter but he did indicate he's not considering Combs' request for a pardon. Trump had previously suggested he was unsure about pardoning the I'll Be Missing You artist because Combs was "very hostile" towards him when he ran for the White House. The 79-year-old politician said: "Probably hmm. You know, I was very friendly with him. I get along with him great. Seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile." The rappers eight-week trial earlier last year resulted in acquittals on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, but he was convicted on prostitution-related offences. Combs is currently due to be released from prison on June 4, 2028. A representative for the shamed star insisted Combs is using his time behind bars to take his sobriety "seriously". The spokesperson dismissed claims Combs had been caught drinking homemade alcohol during his time in prison- insisting his client is focusing on remaining clean and sober. The representative told PEOPLE: "There have been several false and reckless reports circulating about Mr. Combs. He has not violated any prison rules. His sobriety and self-discipline are priorities, and he is taking them seriously. "This is only his first week at FCI Fort Dix, and unfortunately, rumors will surface throughout his time there. We ask the public and the press to give him the benefit of the doubt, the privacy to focus on his personal growth, and the grace to move forward in peace." A statement denying the booze rumours was also posted on Combs' X account. It reads: "The rumors claiming Mr. Combs was caught with alcohol are completely false. His only focus is becoming the best version of himself and returning to his family." Combs was transferred from Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York City to FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey on October 30. FCI Fort Dix is a low security facility and said to have better conditions than MDC Brooklyn, where Combs had been behind bars since his arrest on various sex crime charges in September 2024. His legal team had requested he be moved to the facility in New Jersey because of its access to drug rehabilitation schemes. The US Supreme Court will not be issuing any ruling in the much-anticipated case concerning US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, Reuters reported on Friday. According to Reuters, the US apex court released only one decision on Friday, which pertained to a technical matter involving criminal procedure. The US Supreme Court heard arguments on the matter in November. Its decision could redefine Trump's presidential authority over trade and reshape global economic relations. The case, Learning Resources Vs Trump, will determine whether a US President can invoke emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without congressional approval. The outcome could have sweeping implications for Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs and for global trade policy. According to a note by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), if the Supreme Court rules against Trump, it could force the administration to withdraw tariffs imposed under IEEPA. It stated, "Such a ruling would mean all 'Liberation Day' tariffs--and subsequent rate hikes--lack a lawful basis. The administration would have to roll them back or face injunctions halting their collection." Trump could attempt to reimpose similar tariffs under Section 301 or Section 232, but those statutes require new investigations and public justification, delaying action and inviting further legal challenges. GTRI noted that if the Supreme Court strikes down Trump's use of emergency powers, the ruling would have far-reaching implications beyond the US. The decision would undermine the foundations of several recently negotiated trade arrangements with key partners, including the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. These agreements were struck under the shadow of those tariffs and were premised on reciprocal concessions. It would also disrupt ongoing trade talks with India, where tariff leverage has shaped Washington's negotiating position. The case is being closely watched not just in the US but around the world, including in India. It is seen as a test of executive power and the constitutional separation of powers between the White House and Congress. Two core legal questions are at the heart of the case. The first concerns jurisdiction: whether the case belongs in a federal district court or the Court of International Trade (CIT). The petitioners, led by Learning Resources, Inc., argue that their claims arise under IEEPA itself, not under any law "providing for tariffs", and therefore should be heard in a district court. The second and more consequential issue is whether IEEPA allows the president to impose tariffs at all. The petitioners, represented by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, contend that the law's language permitting regulation of "importation or exportation" does not extend to setting customs duties, a power reserved for Congress. Three lower courts have already ruled against the Trump administration. The case was first heard in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which, on April 26, 2025, rejected the government's argument that IEEPA allowed broad tariff powers and referred the matter to the trade courts. The US Court of International Trade, in a June 14, 2025, decision, held that IEEPA does not authorise the president to levy general tariffs and that Trump's use of emergency powers for routine trade matters violated the Constitution's separation of powers. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld that ruling on August 2, 2025, finding that Congress had never delegated such sweeping authority to the executive branch. (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Friday will hold a meeting with top oil industry executives at the White House, seeking commitments of up to USD 100 billion in investment to help revive Venezuela's beleaguered oil sector. Trump made the announcement in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, stating, "At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House." According to CNN, the push is aimed at winning backing from firms including Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips for plans to rehabilitate Venezuela's oil infrastructure. The meeting comes amid a broader US strategy to capitalise on Venezuela's vast crude reserves and reshape its energy landscape following Trump's "large-scale strike" in the South American country on Saturday, which captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial. Following this, Maduro's longtime vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as the acting president on Monday, despite Trump saying, "We're in charge," after the operation, signalling that the US will closely monitor developments in Venezuela. Trump had already stated on Tuesday that the interim authorities in Venezuela would turn over between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the US and that while the oil will be sold at its market price, the money will be controlled by Trump to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States. However, an industry source told CNN that the USD 100 billion figure was unexpected and not yet backed by concrete commitments, noting that it "could be...to pressure the industry." "We have no idea where this USD 100 billion figure is coming from... That's the first we've seen of it. It could be that Trump is throwing this number out there to pressure the industry," the source said, as quoted by CNN. Many companies remain cautious about large-scale investments due to concerns over political instability, legal risks and the cost of rebuilding dilapidated facilities, CNN reported. Executives have historically pointed to challenges in Venezuela's oil business, citing decades of underinvestment, sanctions and uncertainty that have depressed output to a fraction of its former levels. Despite Trump's outreach to portray Venezuela as an economic opportunity, companies have largely refrained from making detailed investment pledges without formal contracts and legal protections, CNN reported. President Donald Trump has no public appearances scheduled for today, but he is expected to hold a series of private meetings with senior administration officials and oil industry executives. The engagement, which is closed to the press, is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET (1:00 am IST on Saturday), after which he will travel to Palm Beach, Florida, for the weekend, CNN reported. (ANI) Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that he would continue safeguarding Taiwan and would not allow China to reach into, Focus Taiwan reported. Focus Taiwan said that the Taiwanese President said that as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he was pledging to protect the country and safeguard the lives and property of all citizens. "I will certainly safeguard the nation and absolutely not allow Chinese pressure or China's hand to reach into Taiwan," President Lai said. He also said on Thursday that China's "cross-border pressure" against the people of Taiwan proves that Beijing's authority does not extend to Taiwan and confirms that Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Focus Taiwan reported Lai cited the recent visit to Taiwan by China-born Japanese lawmaker Hei Seki, who has been sanctioned by China and barred from entering PRC, saying that the visit demonstrated that how the Republic of China (ROC) -- Taiwan's official name -- and the PRC are not subordinate to each other. His remarks came amid the backdrop of China's Taiwan Affairs Office listing Taiwan's Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao as so-called "diehard Taiwan independence elements." Focus Taiwan reported that the same Chinese office also labeled a prosecutor from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office as a "Taiwan independence thug accomplice." "Whether it is Cheng Ying-yao, Liu Shyh-fang, the prosecutor surnamed Chen, or other officials or elected representatives, all can stand at their posts and strive for the country, without fear of China's threats," the Taiwanese President said ahead of attending an event celebrating the completion of training for new personnel at the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau. The Taiwanese President said that he hoped China's leaders would understand that military drills targeting Taiwan are not peaceful actions and added that China's "united front" infiltration and cross-border suppression would not achieve the goal of making Taiwan a part of China. (ANI) Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal spoke on the recurring attacks taking place against minorities in Bangladesh, highlighting the need to deal with these incidents "swiftly and firmly". He made the remarks during the weekly press briefing here in the national capital. Responding to a query on the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesperson said, "We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly." He added, "We have also observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons. Such disregard only emboldens the extremists and the perpetrators of such crimes and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities." As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence were reported. As the date of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate. In December alone, at least 51 incidents of violence were reported. These included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 incidents involving the occupation of homes, business establishments, temples and land, looting and arson, four cases of arrest and torture on false allegations of religious defamation and being "agents of RAW", one attempted rape, and three incidents of physical assault, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said in a statement. The trend of violence has continued into the first week of January this year. Earlier also, during the press briefing on December 26, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The unremitting hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists at the hands of extremists is a matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh, 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, arsons, land grab have been documented by independent sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence." (ANI) Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, held a bilateral meeting with Tomasi Tunabuna, Minister for Agriculture and Waterways of Fiji, on Friday at the Krishi Bhawan, where the two leaders discussed ongoing cooperation and outlined future areas of collaboration, as per a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. As per an official statement on Friday, the Ministers held a fruitful discussion on a broad range of issues of mutual interest. The two sides agreed to extend the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a further five years and to establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) to advance cooperation. The statement further noted that in addition to this the key areas of collaboration discussed included student exchanges, training and capacity-building programmes, and technology sharing covering small-scale machinery, and digital agriculture tools. The discussions also focused on strengthening research infrastructure, genetic exchange initiatives and knowledge sharing on reducing food loss and waste. He also shared the details of the meeting in a post on X. https://x.com/ChouhanShivraj/status/2009613301513351430?s=20 "Minister highlighted that India enjoys historical relations with Fiji which is growing further on mutual respect, cooperation and strong cultural and people-to-people ties. He further underscored that both countries recognise the significance of agriculture and food security as key areas for bilateral cooperation", the statement added. As per the statement, along with Minister Tomasi Tunabuna, the Fijian delegation comprised of CharanJeath Singh, Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs and the Sugar Industry; Jagannath Sami, High Commissioner of Fiji; Vinesh Kumar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sugar; Nitya Reddy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fiji Sugar Corporation; and Paulo Daurewa, Counsellor at the High Commission of Fiji. It said that representing India were Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Devesh Chaturvedi; Secretary DARE M. L. Jat, along with other senior officers. (ANI) Amanda Seyfried felt "so liberated" while making The Housemaid. Amanda Seyfried loved shooting the thriller The 40-year-old actress starred alongside Sydney Sweeney in the hit mystery-thriller film, and Amanda admits that she relished the experience of playing an unhinged housewife in the movie. The blonde beauty told W Magazine: "I star opposite Sydney Sweeney, and we have the same shoe size, are the same height, and we giggle the same way. "It was so crazyin some ways, that film is like Black Swan or Single White Female, but funny. I got to play so hard. "The director, Paul Feig, would give me the strangest directions. Hed say, 'Okay, make [Sydney] think youre going to kiss her!' I felt so liberated." Amanda previously heaped praised on Sydney, describing her co-star as a "sweetheart". She told Vanity Fair: "I dont envy anything shes going through. "Ive spent a lot of time with her; we just hit it off immediately. Shes a sweetheart. Shes a very generous, kind person at her core. I have to be honest: I did not have a moment like shes having ever. "[My Mean Girls costar] Lindsay Lohan, were buddies, and its really, really, really harmful to people to have that kind of overnight spotlight. Because any press, good or bad, is still a blinding spotlight, and you have to maneuver and negotiate your way around it and outside of it. Its acrobatics that I dont think most people are capable of figuring it out at that age." Amanda observed that a sudden rise to stardom can be "dangerous". However, the actress praised Sydney for how she's coped with the extra attention. Amanda said: "Its just dangerous, because when you have people s******* on youor idolising you and following you aroundit cant be good for your psyche. It cant make you feel safe in the world. "But I actually admire the way Syd shows up for work. She always has a smile on her face, even if shes miserable. I hope it doesnt change. I hope she doesnt harden. I just want to keep watching her work." Morocco has lowered taxes on imported mobile phones from 17.5% to 2.5% as part of the 2026 Finance Law, a move the government says will help stabilize the market, reduce smuggling and support businesses that operate legally. The new rate applies to all mobile phones, whether fully assembled or imported in pieces to be put together locally. It also covers other wireless communication devices. Officials say the previous tax rate, introduced in 2024, made legally imported phones too expensive. This pushed many buyers toward cheaper devices brought into the country without paying taxes, which hurt authorized importers and retailers. By reducing the tax, the government aims to shift more sales back into the formal economy and strengthen consumer confidence. This measure is also intended to encourage the growth of local phone assembly, which the government hopes will boost industrial activity and create jobs. The General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), the countrys main business association, had strongly urged the government to reverse the 2024 tax hike. The group argued that the higher rate failed to protect local production and instead harmed companies that follow the rules. Business owners say the return to a lower tax rate will help clean up the market and increase tax revenue over time by drawing more activity into the formal sector. Although consumers are expecting lower prices, retailers say the change will not be immediate because current stock was imported under the old tax rate. Prices should start falling once new shipments arrive, and some reductions could reach several hundred dirhams depending on the model. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed ties with Morocco as being in an excellent state, and highlighted major opportunities to deepen what he called an exceptional, strengthened partnership with the Kingdom. Opening the annual Conference of French Ambassadors in Paris, Macron stressed the need to reinforce strategic alliances amid an increasingly unstable global landscape. We believe in consolidating partnerships. We have defended this approach, and we have put it into action, he said, emphasizing both the guiding philosophy and the effectiveness behind Frances diplomatic posture. Macron cited Morocco as one of the very solid pillars of Frances diplomacy in the Mediterranean, underscoring the exceptional nature of bilateral ties and the ongoing construction of an extremely strong bond between Paris and Rabat. The French president also underlined the growing significance of economic diplomacy, calling for French foreign policy to adapt to accelerating geopolitical shifts. Addressing Africa more broadly, Macron reiterated the necessity of reinforcing Frances partnerships across the continent. The African partnership is key, and we must complete the work undertaken by 2026, he said, urging ambassadors posted in Africa to intensify their efforts. Held annually in Paris, the Conference of Ambassadors gathers all French diplomatic representatives to set the main foreign policy priorities for the year ahead. The United States is stepping up pressure on Algeria to rethink its position on the Sahara, as Washington reaffirms its full support for Moroccos sovereignty over the territory and its autonomy plan. In a new interview with the Lebanese newspaper Annahar, Massad Boulos, President Donald Trumps senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, made it clear that the Sahara issue remains a top priority for the administration as 2026 begins. Bouloss comments come two months after the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, which the US described as historic for confirming Moroccos autonomy initiative as the only credible basis for a settlement. The timing is also significant: Trumps Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested last October that a peace agreement between Morocco and Algeria could be reachable within two months. Algeria has shown no sign of movement since. In the interview, Boulos insisted that the US maintains a working relationship with Algeria, but he immediately defined its limits. According to him, Washingtons interest in Algeria is primarily economic, focused on expanding access for American companies. There was no suggestion that the US would reconsider its stance on the Sahara or link economic cooperation with Algiers to political concessions. Boulos made it clear the US will not trade its long standing support for Morocco for vague promises from Algeria. He praised the adoption of Resolution 2797 and called it a unique opportunity to advance a long delayed peace process. The Moroccan autonomy plan is the only realistic, durable and credible solution, he said. King Mohammed VI has voiced resolve to strengthen the ever close and solidary cooperation with the Central African Republic at both the bilateral and continental levels. In a message of congratulations he sent to President Faustin-Archange Touadera on his re-election to CARs Presidency, the Monarch expressed his wish for the further enrichment of the deep ties of brotherhood that unite the two peoples and countries, reiterated his continued readiness to work with Faustin-Archange Touadera to strengthen the ever close cooperation at both the bilateral and continental levels. The King who expressed warmest congratulations to President Touadera on his re-election said he was confident that he would pursue the action he is leading, with determination, for the prosperity and stability of the Central African Republic. The United States has suspended foreign assistance to Ayod County in Jonglei State and is reviewing aid to Western Bahr el Ghazal, citing repeated interference, exploitation and theft by South Sudanese officials targeting American-funded programs. In a statement issued on Thursday, the US Embassy in Juba said the suspension in Ayod County took immediate effect, while assistance to Western Bahr el Ghazal is under review, with possible significant reductions. The move marks a sharp escalation in Washingtons response to what it describes as systematic obstruction and diversion of life-saving aid. The embassy said the decision followed specific incidents, including the January 2 detention of an aid worker in Ayod County after refusing an illegal demand to hand over assets. Since November, the health minister in Western Bahr el Ghazal has also allegedly blocked the transfer of pharmaceutical supplies between US aid partners. The United States, which has provided more than $9.5 billion in assistance to South Sudan since independence in 2011, reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for the diversion of humanitarian aid and called on authorities to hold accountable officials involved in the interference. The embassy warned that the suspension and review could have serious consequences for vulnerable communities heavily dependent on international support. President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani on Thursday chaired a brief meeting at the presidential palace to initiate consultations on a proposed national political dialogue, bringing together representatives of both the ruling majority and the opposition. The closed-door discussions were limited to the Head of State and the designated dialogue coordinator, Moussa Fall, who presented a draft document outlining a preliminary organizational framework for the dialogue process. In his opening remarks, President Ghazouani noted a partial renewal of participants compared with those present at the launch of the initiative during a Ramadan iftar in March 2025. He stressed that the consultations remain open to all political actors willing to participate, firmly dismissing allegations of hidden agendas surrounding the government-led initiative. The president underscored that the dialogue is intended solely to advance Mauritanias general interest and is not designed as a response to any specific political crisis. He reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the process and to implementing its eventual outcomes. Moussa Fall called on political parties to study the proposed framework and submit their observations within one to two weeks. President Ghazouani, however, made it clear that the process would not be bound by rigid deadlines. The meeting, which lasted about fifteen minutes, was attended by members of the presidency and 52 political representatives, evenly split between the majority and the oppositionan early step in a process positioned as consultative, inclusive and deliberately unhurried. Economic cooperation between Morocco and Spain continues to deepen in the agri-food industry, with investors from both countries demonstrating strong interest in biscuit manufacturing and industrial bread production. Competition authorities recently disclosed several major concentration operations signaling this growing partnership. The Moroccan Competition Council announced that Mexican multinational Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V., through its Spanish subsidiary Bakery Iberian Investments S.L., has acquired 100% of the capital and voting rights of Joy Food International SARL. The Casablanca-based company specializes in producing and distributing packaged industrial bread. This transaction represents Grupo Bimbos strategic expansion into Moroccos promising food manufacturing sector. A second operation involves Spanish company Adam Foods, S.L.U, a Barcelona-based subsidiary of Ventres UNO S.L, acquiring complete control of Biscoland, Fabrique de Biscuiterie, Confiserie & Chocolaterie SA. The Moroccan firm, headquartered in Bouskoura within Nouaceur province, operates as a Holmarcom subsidiary specializing in food product manufacturing and distribution. These acquisitions reflect the strengthening of economic relationship between the two countries. Spain remains Moroccos leading commercial partner, while Morocco holds the distinction of being Spains primary commercial partner and top investment destination in Africa. In early December, over 100 Spanish and Moroccan business leaders convened in Madrid to consolidate their partnership and promote economic development, particularly targeting African and Latin American markets. The entrepreneurial meeting, organized by Spains CEOE and Moroccos CGEM ahead of a high-level bilateral session, featured remarks from CEOE president Antonio Garamendi who emphasized the need to strengthen alliances in strategic sectors. Moroccan Minister Karim Zidane highlighted the excellent bilateral momentum, noting intensified political exchanges and historic economic milestones. Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas stressed the relationships importance for addressing agricultural and fisheries challenges. The December 4 high-level meeting in Madrid, co-chaired by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Moroccan Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, highlighted by the signing of 14 agreements, demonstrating the relationships density and diversity. A dip in tanker rates has improved the price outlook for U.S. crude this month, as it signals stronger demand. However, the relief may not last too long as most tanker market forecasts for the year still see rates much higher than they were in 2025. The shipping markets are freeing up, and rates are tanking from the US to Asia, and the UK to Asia, one analyst from financial services provider TP ICAP told Bloomberg this week, adding that the trend was boosting demand for U.S. crude oil. As a result, local U.S. benchmark prices have rebounded, although high-sulfur grades remain pressured following President Trumps statement that the U.S. will be taking millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude. The general freight rate situation, however, remains inflated. The reason is rising supply, both from OPEC+ and from the United States, which has tightened the availability of tankers. Last year, this situation resulted in half a dozen new Very Large Crude Carriers making their maiden journey empty, rather than loaded with gasoline, which is standard practice. The reason they traveled empty was to pick up crude cargoes and collect the soaring daily rates. The unusual strength at the end of the year has seen oil tanker rates on the key shipping routes surge by 467% year to date, according to Bloomberg estimates released in December and based on data from the Baltic Exchange and commodity markets data provider Spark Commodities. Related: Mexicos Crude Exports Slide as Refining Finally Reawakens Also last month, Lloyds List reported a sudden nosedive in tanker rates on the Baltic Exchange, with VLCC rates shedding 20% between December 19 and December 22. However, rates remained the highest since the tail end of spring 2020 floating storage boom, at $83,882 per day. The freight rates for smaller tankers also remain strong, Lloyds List noted in its report. Some of the tanker rate surge was attributable to the U.S. sanctions on Russian Rosneft and Lukoil that entered into effect in late November. Tanker rates rose in anticipation of a squeeze on the fleet that Russia was using to transport its oil. This week also provided support for tanker rates after the United States chased a Russian-flagged tanker across the ocean and finally captured it in the North Atlantic. The vessel, Bella 1, is under U.S. sanctions. However, its seizure by the U.S. forces indicates intensification of geopolitical tensions, which, combined with the limited availability of tankers, will likely keep freight rates elevated. Meanwhile, supertanker fleet utilization rates are expected to hit the highest in seven years in 2026, at 92%, which compared to 89.5% last year, a Jefferies analyst said in December. The utilization rate refers to the number of tankers hired out as a percentage of all tankers on the market. Another factor that will drive tanker rates higher is sanctions. The more tankers the United States imposes sanctions on, the fewer tankers remain available to move crude across the globe, Reuters noted in a mid-December report. Last month, sanctions and higher demand for tankers from OPEC+ drove freight rates all the way to $130,000 per day, and while since then rates have subsided, they are still higher than they were a year ago. There is also the factor of tanker aging, the report noted, which is limiting tanker availability and supporting higher rates. More and more tankers are being dropped by oil companies once they turn 15 as safety requirements get more stringent. Close to 44% of the global tanker fleet is 15 or older. Of that 44%, 18% are under sanctions, according to tanker major Frontline. With so many factors reducing the availability of tankers, rates, while lower, are likely to remain far above year-ago levels unless demand for oil declines, which is only likely in the case of a price jump. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Even as geopolitical developments, such as Venezuela and Iran, are making headlines, another major energy-related issue is currently being unwound. At present, the fire sale of Russian oil and gas giant Lukoils empire is ongoing, in the only way this can be done for a sanctioned Russian major. The whole deal or process is clearly under a clock set by Washington, based, and inside a legal maze designed by OFAC. The most critical part of it all is that potential buyers are forced to demonstrate that they are not merely acquiring assets but severing strategic arteries. In stark contrast to what would have been a normal corporate divestment, the total has now become a straightforward geopolitical transaction. Washington is using the sale process to put three primary targets in place at the same time: hit and decrease Kremlin-linked revenue, prevent any option that a formerly sanctioned infrastructure will be able to slide into opaque or proxy ownership, and last but not least, under the radar, reallocate critical energy nodes into trusted hands. Understanding these ownership shifts is essential for assessing the long-term effectiveness of US sanctions and their influence on global energy geopolitics. All of this is achieved by setting up schemes focused on preventing energy insecurity in fragile markets such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Iraq. In the last few days, this process has even heated up and become clearer. The intent of the process has not changed since late 2025, but the intensity is, however, much higher. The divestment has moved from an abstract possibility to a time-bound execution. In whichever way possible, the Trump Administration has tightened the signaling around license expiry, escrow arrangements, and acceptable buyer profiles. The process and message behind it, however, have changed: it is no longer only a forced sale of Lukoil assets; Washington has now also made clear that how and to whom it sells will determine whether the transaction is allowed to close at all. This focus on asset ownership and transfer methods directly influences regional stability and energy security, as control over critical infrastructure determines the resilience of local markets and geopolitical alignments. Related: Washington's Venezuelan Oil Push Falters on Funding Questions The Lukoil case is no longer normal M&A; it remains a controlled demolition, with greater political heat. For weeks, it has been clear that the involvement of the USA and US-aligned capital is pivotal. As indicated in the media, American majors and private equity are no longer circling individual assets. Still, they are showing an appetite for the whole portfolio, seeing it as a strategic package. Additionally, the logic of split ownership structures, with operating control held by Western majors, is still in place. Financial investors will be asked to absorb residual political risk under strict compliance guardrails, all under the guidance of the US government. At the same time, even in the current geopolitical and transactional volatility, the urgency of the process has been sharpened. Set timelines for licenses are no longer theoretical leverage. For interested parties, they have become hard constraints. For potentially interested parties, there is the risk that assets drift into limbo. Some even can expect that sanctioned influence re-enters through service contracts, or options such as trading arrangements and minority stakes. The Trump Administration officials have clearly signaled that they are worried not only about who will own an asset on paper, but also who is behind a potential interest. These developments also show another inconvenient truth. Sanctions effectiveness is no longer measured solely by trade volumes, but increasingly by ownership topology. The latter, sometimes called shadow plumbing, has allowed Russian barrels (and others) to keep flowing, despite sanctions enforcement. Shadow plumbing has been made possible via the use of intermediaries, discounted cargoes, and reflagged logistics. All of this was made possible by loopholes or ineffective controls. Still, most plumbing relies on fixed infrastructure. To hit this hard now, the focus has been on refineries, retail networks, pipelines, and upstream operators. Understanding operational vulnerabilities and evasion tactics is crucial for policymakers and industry professionals aiming to strengthen sanctions enforcement and prevent circumvention through shadow plumbing, which undermines the intended geopolitical impact of sanctions. In the Lukoil case, the total divestment portfolio is, however, highly politically combustible. If we look at Lukoils Bulgarian asset, the Neftohim Burgas refinery, it is not only an industrial asset but also a clear and critical national choke point. The position currently taken by Bulgarias government of imposing external management, while at the same time preparing for forced-sale mechanisms, makes clear that European governments are at last recognizing that legacy Russian infrastructure is a strategic liability. Washington has already agreed to allow OFAC to maintain temporary licenses for Bulgarian operations. Trumps messengers have made clear that there needs to be a clean break, but without supply shocks that would rebound politically inside the EU. When looking at Romania, the case is also very instructive. In this European country, it is clear that retail networks and mid-sized refining assets again play a pivotal role in the domestic fuel markets, but also, of course, influence voter sentiment. Again, when looking at Romania, it is clear that the targets are set to support continuity, without influence, as was the case with the Russian operations. For all, but mainly US-based or linked partners, Iraq is still clearly the most strategically charged theatre. At present, it is no longer the question of whether Lukoils stake in West Qurna 2 is sustainable, but instead to whom these assets will go and under which regime and terms. In the last few weeks, American interest has increased and become very explicit. These developments are not based on a more favorable Iraqi situation, but on the fact that leaving a Russian operator embedded in one of the worlds largest oilfields is the primary driver. From the Baghdad side, the Iraqis have been asked to balance three pressures simultaneously. It wants not only to maintain output, but also to act to avoid domestic backlash. Third, but not least, Baghdad will need to navigate among Washington, China, and Iran. The last one is, at present, maybe even the riskiest, given the current developments inside the country. None of these incentives are fully aligned. All signs, however, show that a Western operator is preferable to prolonged ambiguity. All of the above is already influencing the ongoing sale process, which has become more of a geopolitical vetting exercise disguised as an auction. Decisive factors have clearly become linked to issues such as beneficial ownership, financing sources, board composition, historic exposure, and, as it is, until now, a sanctioned trade. For the whole process, buyers should still understand that they may be considered unacceptable if Washington suspects that options exist to restore Russian influence through backchannels or future commercial dependence. Lukoils fire sale is no longer a normal deal; conventional due diligence will not be enough; it will be decided on political lineage. The US's sales approach is creating deep unease in Europe. Brussels clearly wants a decoupling from Russia (Lukoil) without disruption, sovereignty without shortages. Transitional fragility will, however, increase if the Russian assets are forced out very quickly. You could clearly argue that the current situation is the energy sovereignty paradox in practice. Europeans are confronted by the fact that the drive to eliminate dependency is exposing how dependent European systems still are. It should be understood that temporary licenses and carve-outs are not signs of weakness. At present, these options recognize that infrastructure cannot be geopolitically reprogrammed overnight. At the same time, the process embeds a growing moral hazard. The main one is that if sanctions repeatedly generate distressed assets, which Western buyers are absorbing with political blessing, the perception could start to grow that sanctions risks should be seen as an industrial policy tool, not as a security measure. This perception, which could be substantially growing, is no longer confined to Europe alone, due in part to the Venezuelan military operation by the USA. The Gulf, Asia, or other emerging markets will start to fear not just the sanctions themselves but also the precedent they set. Looking at Lukoil or, indirectly, Venezuela, it could be argued that this leads to a situation in which ownership can be reallocated by geopolitical decree. The result could be more sovereign-to-sovereign deals or more non-Western capital pools. At the same time, this approach will also push for more parallel financial systems. It also needs to be clear that operational risk remains underappreciated. All midstream and downstream networks are deeply embedded in European systems. At the same time, buyers who are focused primarily on political de-risking may underinvest operationally. This will directly create longer-term vulnerabilities. Yet the direction of all is already unmistakable, as Lukoils divestment is no longer just about Russia. Without a doubt, it will be the template for a new phase of sanctions policy. The objective in the future will not merely be to restrict trade, but to reshape ownership. The current US-Trump Administrations approach is taking it as a sharper, more intrusive instrument of power. Not only with Lukoil but also looking at news reports of discussions in Washington with commodity giants about Venezuela, the US is no longer chasing flows; it targets the infrastructure that makes those flows profitable. Even though Washington thinks it controls its Western Hemisphere, or holds the military power to coerce others, the current approach with Lukoil (and others) depends on two variables it cannot fully control. The first is time, the second is global alignment. The outcome of the current process is being shaped by these two; the result is still unclear. Facts now support the statement that the American interest in Lukoils international assets should be seen as both an opportunity and an assignment. US companies and investors are not simply buying distressed energy assets; Washington tasks them to act as custodians of infrastructure, which should not be drifting in the grey zone. If successful, the story will be about deal values and deadlines. Reality, however, should put on the forefront that the current moves show sanctions have evolved. They are no longer tools of denial but have become instruments of ownership redesign. In a world where energy security and national security have merged, that evolution may be deliberate rather than accidental. The year 2026 could face a long list of these national security-induced energy security deals or moves. In oil and gas markets, it will be hard to deal with global power targeting assets rather than social issues. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Skye Newman has been crowned BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2026. Photo: Ray Hill/Avalon The 22-year-old star - who has supported Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi - had a stellar 2025, having bagged a UK number five single with Family Matters. Other standout tracks include Hairdresser, FU + UF, and Out Out, while her EP SE9 PT1 made it into the top 20 of the Official UK Albums Chart. Skye beat off stiff competition from rapper Jim Legxacy, US star Sombr, indie rock band Geese, and Aussie pop group Royel Otis to win the annual poll. This year's longlist also included Alessi Rose, Florence Road and Sasha Keable. Reacting, Skye admitted it's "surreal, just mental". She commented: Im still in shock that Ive won Radio 1s Sound Of 2026. So many artists that Ive listened to over the years have been honoured with the award, and now me. To think that Sound Of started the year I was born, 2003 and now Im a winner. Im so grateful and wouldnt be where I am without my people and the BBC supporting me on my journey. Thank-you. She told BBC News: I cant believe that Ive got to this point, its incredible, surreal, just mental. Previous recipients include last year's winner Chappell Roan, Adele, Sam Smith and 50 Cent. While performing on the BBC Introducing Stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2025, Skye admitted she was "overwhelmed" to see the massive turnout. The TikTok sensation told the audience: I aint even started and youve already got me in tears." She continued: I cant believe there are so many people here to listen to me Im a bit overwhelmed but Im gonna do my best." The rising star added: The numbers I see on a screen are insane, but itll never touch this." The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell by 4 this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published earlier this week, bringing the total rig count in the US to 544 this week, down 40 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs fell by 3 in the reporting period, according to the data. Oil rigs are now at 409, which is 71 below this same time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 1 to 124, which is 24 more than this time last year. The miscellaneous rig count rose by 2. The latest EIA data showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production fell by 16,000 bpd in the week ending January 2 to 13.811 million bpd on average, 42,000 bpd under the all-time high reached a month ago. Primary Visions Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing wells, fell again during the week ending December 30, sinking to 153. There are now 48 fewer active completion crews than there were at the beginning of this year. The number of active drilling rigs in the Permian Basin fell by 3 to 244, which is 60 rigs under year-ago levels. The count in the Eagle Ford held steady at 40, which is 3 fewer than this same time last year. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Chinas meteoric rise to become the worlds first electrostate is poised to shake up the entire global economy and the future of energy markets. The country is breaking away from the rest of the world both in terms of what it's investing in and how much its investing. China, the worlds second-largest economy after the United States, spent more than USD 625 billion on renewable energy in 2024, a national and global record, while spending plateaued in the United States and declined in the European Union and the United Kingdom. While Beijing remains a huge importer of foreign oil and gas, Beijing is dead-set on weaning itself off of its dependence on foreign energy imports. And its going all-in on the effort. The scale of Chinas clean energy spending is hard to overstate its poised to change the way that the entire world generates and sources energy, and to penetrate supply chains at every level and in virtually every corner of the globe. Global powers in the West are resisting this sea change by dragging their feet on the clean energy transition and in the case of the United States actively pivoting back toward fossil fuels development. But the sheer momentum of the rise of the Chinese electrostate is set to dwarf any inertia coming out of the West. However, the Chinese economy is slowing down and there are some significant uncertainties as to how 2026 will unfold for Beijing. Indeed, this could be a pivotal year for China, and therefore for the rest of the world as well. A recent Forbes article calls out five trends that could be particularly important to watch as the year unfolds to give us an idea of where global energy markets and geopolitics are heading. Set OilPrice.com as a preferred source in Google here The first of these is AI integration across the Chinese energy sector. China is already vying for dominance in the AI sector as well as the energy sector, so it stands to reason that there is considerable overlap in those agendas. China aims to achieve widespread AI integration by 2027 and global AI leadership by 2030. In November, Nvidia president and CEO Jensen Huang publicly stated that "China is going to win the AI race" thanks to its abundant and cheap energy paired with looser regulations. Forbes goes on to warn that Chinas ambitious AI roadmap poses the risk of wresting the future of energy out of Washingtons hands, attracting an increasingly large customer base of energy-hungry states. The second trend is greater governmental involvement in the energy sector. The Chinese government is not known for being hands-off to begin with, but Beijing has allowed for a large amount of market-driven experimentation in recent years, with great results. However, this is set to change. New reforms in China are ushering in a new era of stronger state oversight, including government-set price bands, limits on provincial volatility, and centrally supervised pilot programs for capacity markets, according to Forbes. Third, critical minerals will continue to be an increasingly important piece of geopolitical leverage. On a global scale, the geopolitical climate is becoming increasingly frenzied around the topic of critical minerals and other valuable manufacturing materials, as evidenced by Trumps newly refreshed obsession with Greenland. China already wields global dominance in a wide range of critical minerals supply chains, and has historically showed that its not above leveraging that dominance for political will. With Trump at the helm of Chinas largest competitor, Beijing is sure to double down on its effort to maintain this leverage. Fourth, China will be looking to ramp up its clean energy exports. With the domestic economy slowing down, China is in danger of seriously overproducing, and needs new markets to sell its abundant clean energy resources to. Plus, this helps China increase its presence in emerging markets and in the global economy as a whole a win-win for Beijing. Its also a major lifeline for poor countries that otherwise would not be able to afford to transition toward clean energy, even as climate change poses an existential threat to local livelihoods, as is already the case in many sub-Saharan African nations, among other hotspots in the Global South. Finally, Forbes says to watch Chinas liquefied natural gas deals in the new year. As China is balancing its clean-energy commitments with the need for reliable baseload supply, gas remains a key piece of the puzzle, Forbes summarizes. This need could become critically exacerbated by the United States new military involvement in Venezuela, a major supplier of oil to Chinese markets. The upshot is that China is moving out of a build, baby, build phase and into a more strategic phase of energy policy. In 2026, China will focus more on stabilizing its control over domestic energy systems while simultaneously cementing its global energy influence. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Venezuela sits on roughly 303 billion barrels of proven reservesthe largest in the worldyet currently produces only around 800,000 barrels per day, less than 1% of global output. The market's reaction was surprisingly muted. Rather than spiking, oil prices actually dipped early in the week as traders weighed competing scenarios. If Venezuela stabilizes and sanctions lift, those reserves could eventually flood an already oversupplied market. Conversely, political instability could disrupt current production, though rebuilding would require years and tens of billions in investment. The single biggest story this week was President Trump's military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday, January 3. U.S. special forces seized Maduro and his wife from their compound in Caracas and flew them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Trump announced the U.S. would "run the country" during a transition period and invited American oil companies to invest billions to rebuild Venezuela's infrastructure. The week ending January 9, 2026, was anything but ordinary for crude oil markets. As of late Thursday, WTI was trading at $58.42, up $1.10 or 1.92% for the week so far, with a weekly high of $58.87 and a low of $55.76. While these numbers might suggest relative stability, the forces at play beneath the surface tell a far more dramatic storyone that could reshape global energy markets for years to come. The week ending January 9, 2026, was anything but ordinary for crude oil markets. As of late Thursday, WTI was trading at $58.42, up $1.10 or 1.92% for the week so far, with a weekly high of $58.87 and a low of $55.76. While these numbers might suggest relative stability, the forces at play beneath the surface tell a far more dramatic storyone that could reshape global energy markets for years to come. The Venezuela Shock The single biggest story this week was President Trump's military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday, January 3. U.S. special forces seized Maduro and his wife from their compound in Caracas and flew them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Trump announced the U.S. would "run the country" during a transition period and invited American oil companies to invest billions to rebuild Venezuela's infrastructure. Venezuela sits on roughly 303 billion barrels of proven reservesthe largest in the worldyet currently produces only around 800,000 barrels per day, less than 1% of global output. The market's reaction was surprisingly muted. Rather than spiking, oil prices actually dipped early in the week as traders weighed competing scenarios. If Venezuela stabilizes and sanctions lift, those reserves could eventually flood an already oversupplied market. Conversely, political instability could disrupt current production, though rebuilding would require years and tens of billions in investment. Wednesday's EIA Report: Mixed Signals The EIA report released Wednesday, January 7, provided a split personality view of the market. Crude oil inventories unexpectedly tumbled by 3.8 million barrels for the week ending January 2a significant drawdown that economists hadn't anticipated. The market had expected inventories to rise by 1.1 million barrels instead. At 419.1 million barrels, U.S. crude stocks now sit about 3% below the five-year average. However, the bullish crude draw was offset by surging product inventories. Gasoline stocks jumped 7.7 million barrels and are now 3% above the five-year average, while distillate inventories climbed 5.6 million barrels, though they remain 4% below average. This "drawdown but fuel up" scenario suggests refineries are running hard but demand for finished products remains softa troubling sign for the overall health of oil consumption. The Oversupply Picture The broader context remains bearish. The EIA forecasts global oil inventory builds could exceed 2 million barrels per day in 2026. Strong production growth from the U.S., Brazil, Guyana, and Canada continues to overwhelm relatively weak demand growth. The EIA projects Brent will fall to an average of $55 per barrel in the first quarter of 2026 and remain near that level throughout the year. OPEC's Challenge OPEC+ faces mounting pressure as it attempts to support prices through production restraint. The cartel is keeping voluntary cuts in place, but non-OPEC countries are adding supply faster than global demand is growing. The EIA expects OPEC+ to produce about 1.3 million barrels per day less than targeted production in 2026 simply to prevent further price deterioration. Saudi Arabia and its allies are essentially ceding market share to protect prices, but with limited success. Russia and China: Sanctions and Strategic Stockpiling This week brought continued uncertainty around Russian oil flows despite sanctions, with the market watching closely how much Russian crude actually gets disrupted. China, meanwhile, continues building strategic reserves aggressivelystockpiles have hit record levels exceeding 1.2 billion barrelswhich has provided some price support. However, China's underlying demand growth remains tepid as electric vehicle adoption accelerates. Market Volatility What's notable this week is the absence of geopolitical risk premiums. Typically, military action in a major oil-producing nation would send prices soaring. Instead, traders took a measured approach, recognizing that immediate supply disruptions are unlikely given Venezuela's minimal current production. The market is clearly more concerned about oversupply than geopolitical theatrics. Weekly Light Crude Oil Futures Trend Indicator Analysis Light crude oil futures are consolidating inside the $60.36 to $54.84 range for the third week. The mid-point of this range at $57.60 is controlling the near-term direction of the market. Weekly Technical Forecast The direction of the weekly Light Crude Oil Futures market for the week ending January 16 is likely to be determined by trader reaction to $57.60. Bullish Scenario A sustained move above $57.60 will signal strong short-covering and renewed buying interest. If this move generates sufficient upside momentum, the 52-week moving average at $61.19 will come into play. However, unless the buying is strong enough to overtake this indicator, traders will remain in "sell the rally" mode. Bearish Scenario A sustained move below $57.60 will indicate active selling pressure. This could trigger a sharp decline into the December bottom at $54.84. This will put the main bottoms at $50.17 to $49.35 back on the radar. Outlook for Next Week Traders will watch for any developments in Venezuela's political situation and monitor weekly inventory data for signs of accelerating surplus. Winter demand remains crucial, though no major weather-related supply disruptions are expected. Short-term, expect continued downward pressure as the oversupply narrative dominates. The Venezuela story could be transformative long-term if stability returns and investment flows in, but that's a multi-year proposition. For now, investors should expect a market characterized by abundant supply, weak refined product demand, and limited upside potential despite the headlines. Technically, trader reaction to $57.60 sets the short-term tone. The longer-term is being controlled by the 52-week moving average. As long as the market remains below $61.19, traders will be sell the rally mode. Iran has shut down IPv6 access, tightening the information blackout as protests persist in several cities despite arrests and force. The demonstrations are being driven by economic pressure and anger at the security response, with repeated crackdowns failing to keep people off the streets. The internal unrest now coincides with sharper external pressure, after Trump publicly warned Tehran of severe consequences if protesters Hamas has quietly completed internal leadership elections in Gaza, selecting a new local chief and filling vacancies on its political bureau while the war continues and much of its senior leadership operates underground or in exile. Hamas is trying to save itself structurally and prevent a power vacuum at a critical time. The election went down without any public announcement, suggesting that right now the priority is organizational and not PR. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are discussing an arrangement that would see Pakistan supply JF-17 fighter jets in exchange for financial support or loans. The development is destabilizing because it pulls Saudi defense planning toward a nuclear-armed partner outside the US security structure that has anchored Gulf deterrence for decades. It means Saudi security decisions would no longer run primarily through Washington, Iran would have to account for Pakistan in any confrontation with Riyadh, and the US would no longer be the sole power able to contain escalation. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are discussing an arrangement that would see Pakistan supply JF-17 fighter jets in exchange for financial support or loans. The development is destabilizing because it pulls Saudi defense planning toward a nuclear-armed partner outside the US security structure that has anchored Gulf deterrence for decades. It means Saudi security decisions would no longer run primarily through Washington, Iran would have to account for Pakistan in any confrontation with Riyadh, and the US would no longer be the sole power able to contain escalation. Hamas has quietly completed internal leadership elections in Gaza, selecting a new local chief and filling vacancies on its political bureau while the war continues and much of its senior leadership operates underground or in exile. Hamas is trying to save itself structurally and prevent a power vacuum at a critical time. The election went down without any public announcement, suggesting that right now the priority is organizational and not PR. Iran has shut down IPv6 access, tightening the information blackout as protests persist in several cities despite arrests and force. The demonstrations are being driven by economic pressure and anger at the security response, with repeated crackdowns failing to keep people off the streets. The internal unrest now coincides with sharper external pressure, after Trump publicly warned Tehran of severe consequences if protesters are killed. That warning does not point to an imminent strike, but in the wake of Venezuela, challenging the protesters appears to carry higher risk, let alone the domestic risk. Lebanons army says it has disarmed Hezbollah across much of southern Lebanon and established operational control from south of the Litani River to the Israeli border, excluding areas still under Israeli occupation. Army commanders told the cabinet that progress is being slowed by Israeli military positions, buffer zones, and near daily violations of the November 27, 2024 ceasefire, which they say are limiting access and hindering the extension of full state authority in the area. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (FO / FOG) cleared a key hurdle after shareholders in its Australian unit approved the sale of Falcons 98.1% stake in Falcon Oil & Gas Australia to Tamboran Resources Corporation (TBN). The vote removes a major condition precedent in Tamborans broader plan to acquire all of Falcons subsidiaries. Closing is still targeted for Q1 2026. Tamboran will also have the option to pick up the remaining minority shares at no less than the price paid to Falcon. Galp (GALP.LS) and Spains Moeve are in talks to merge their refining, chemicals, and fuel retail businesses into a new European heavyweight, carving out everything upstream in the process. The proposed structure would create two entities: one running about 3,500 fuel stations across Spain and Portugal, and another operating three refineries Sines, Huelva, and Algeciras with a combined capacity near 700,000 bpd. Moeve, backed by Mubadala and Carlyle Group, would take the majority refinery stake, while Galp would keep a minority interest north of 20%. China is moving ahead with a long-signaled consolidation of its energy heavyweights, with Sinopec and state-linked energy financing units being folded into a tighter, centrally controlled structure to create a larger national energy champion. The overhaul is intended to streamline capital allocation, reduce internal competition, and align upstream, refining, and financial firepower with Beijings long-term objectives as it focuses on efficiency, balance-sheet discipline, and state direction over market sprawl. Rio Tinto (RIO) and Glencore (GLEN) have restarted their talks of a merger, reviving a deal that would create the worlds biggest mining company with an estimated value of more than $200B. The discussions are preliminary, coming a little over a year after the last round collapsed, but confirmation from both sides signals the idea is back on the table and being taken seriously. A tie-up would combine Rios iron ore dominance with Glencores sprawling copper, coal, and trading footprint. Discovery & Development Murphy Oil Corp (MUR) just firmed up last years Hai Su Vang discovery offshore Vietnam, confirming its significant and likely bigger than the top end of its already chunky 170430 MMboe range. Appraisal well HSV-2X hit 429 feet of net oil pay, pushed the hydrocarbon column to roughly 1,600 feet with no water contact, and flowed about 6,000 bpd of 37-API crude. Management is sticking with $1.1$1.3B in 2026 capex as it lines up more appraisal wells across the Cuu Long Basin, with resource upside still on the table from a shallow reservoir not previously counted. Murphy holds 40% alongside PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corp Ltd and SK Earthon. Var Energi (VAR) logged more appraisal progress at Goliat Ridge in the Barents Sea, reporting oil at the Goliat North well as part of its ongoing PL 229 program offshore Norway. The results increase confidence in hydrocarbons across the Realgrunnen and Kobbe formations near the Goliat field, keeping gross discovered resources in the 39108 MMboe band with a 200MMboe upside. Partners Var Energi and Equinor are continuing with additional wells and new 3D seismic. It has tie-back potential to the Goliat FPSO. Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC) announced a new oil and gas discovery at the Baragzai X-01 exploratory well in the Nashpa Block of Pakistan. The new discovery adds more barrels to its domestic portfolio. A cased-hole DST in the Jurassic Datta Formation flowed about 4,100 bpd of oil and 10.5 MMscfd of gas at a strong 3,880 psig, confirming commercial hydrocarbons during testing. The well also proved productive in the deeper Triassic Kingriali Formation, pointing to multiple pay zones within the same structure. With OGDC holding 65% alongside Pakistan Petroleum Ltd and GHPL, the find bolsters local supply at a time when Islamabad is looking to shrink its energy import bill. Exxon Mobil (XOM) signed an MoU with Turkish Petroleum to jointly explore new oil and gas prospects in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The deal effectively tightens U.S.Turkey upstream ties. The agreement was inked by Exxons ESSO Exploration International unit and aims to boost exploration efficiency as well as open new acreage. Turkey has momentum in the offshore segment, with Black Sea gas production running near 9.5 MMcm/d in 2025 and reserves lifted further by the recent Goktepe-3 discovery. China Geological Survey confirmed a breakthrough in unconventional gas exploration in central Hubei Province. Drilling targeted Permian-age shale, delivering industrial gas flows and extending Chinas shale gas frontier beyond the Sichuan Basin into western Hubei. The new work added an estimated 133 bcm of shale gas resources. Beijing says the results fit into a broader push that already yielded multiple large oil and gas field discoveries under the last five-year plan. Earlier in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelas interim authorities will be turning over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, before later declaring his administration will control Venezuela's oil sales 'indefinitely'. Trump has decried the state of Venezuelas oil sector, noting that the country is producing well below its full potential. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping and what could have taken place, 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, he added. According to the Trump administration, proceeds from the oil sales will go into U.S.-controlled accounts and will be released back to Caracas at the discretion of Washington. Its quite clear that Trump intends to pump as much Venezuelan crude as he can and ship it back to the United States, but its more about global dominance through energy than it is about simply stealing Venezuelas oil. But on the surface, the oil looks like a good bargain, even if the past strategy in Washington has been to decimate it. Now, the reverse is being demanded. Venezuelas oil is not only relatively cheap, largely due to its sticky, sludgy texture that requires significant refining, but also due to the fact that many U.S. refineries were constructed to process Venezuelas heavy oil. Venezuela is estimated to hold around 300 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, making it the largest on paper in the world at roughly 1518 % of total global reserves under current reporting. Much of this oil is extra-heavy and costly to extract, and observers caution that a significantly smaller portion is economically recoverable without massive investment and technology upgrades. The South American country pumped more than 3.5 million barrels a day at its peak in the 1970s, but currently produces less than a third of that. However, revamping Venezuelas oil sector could prove to be a Herculean task that will not only take years to accomplish but also need heavy investments underpinned by solid legal assurances. Related: India Weighs Venezuelan Crude as Russian Risks Rise Indeed, Venezuelas low-hanging fruit is rather limited: According to Norwegian energy consultancy Rystad Energy, only 300-350 kbpd can be quickly restored with minimal spending from the current clip of 800,000 bpd-1 million bpd, with production beyond 1.4 mbpd requiring heavy, sustained investment. Rystad estimates that Venezuela will require $53 billion over the next 15 years just to keep production flat at 1.1 mbpd, but could need up to $183 billion over the same period to ramp up production to over 3 million bpd, roughly equivalent to the entire North American land capex for one year. Analysts at satellite intelligence company Kayrros have described Venezuela's energy infrastructure as being in a catastrophic state following decades of under-investment, disrepair, and cannibalization of equipment. According to Kayrros, numerous oil storage tanks at the Bajo Grande and Puerto Miranda terminals are out of order due to corrosion and a lack of maintenance. But this is an industrywide problem: Kayrros estimates that roughly a third of Venezuelas storage capacity is currently inactive, reflecting unusable storage tanks, reduced refinery operating rates, and declining oil production. Meanwhile, operations at the large interconnected Amuay and Cardon refineries are running below 20% of capacity, essentially turning them into de facto storage centres according to the experts. Not surprisingly, Venezuelas pipeline network is in a similar state of disrepair: A leaked document from PDVSA in 2021 revealed that the countrys oil pipelines had not been updated in 50 years, with Venezuelas National Oil Company estimating it would take a staggering $58 billion to get them back in peak condition. Recent estimates have placed the figure in excess of $100 billion. Venezuela's operational oil pipeline network has a total length of 2,139 miles (approximately 3,442 kilometers). For some perspective, the UAE, which produces approximately 3.2 million bpd, has ~9,000 km of oil pipeline. The serious descent of Venezuela's energy sector into the abyss began after Hugo Chavez's government nationalized the oil infrastructure and assets of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in 2007, after the companies refused to accept new terms that would give the Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, a majority share in their projects. The nationalization process was initiated in early 2007 through a presidential decree and a new Hydrocarbons Law. The state oil company, PDVSA, officially took operational control of the Orinoco Belt projects on May 1, 2007. Chavez, as part of his "socialism of the 21st century" agenda, aimed to regain national control over the country's vast oil reserves and funnel the profits into social programs. The government demanded that foreign companies transfer a majority stake (at least 60%) in their heavy oil projects to PDVSA. Most foreign oil companies, including Chevron (NYSE:CVX), BP Plc (NYSE:BP), TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE), and Equinor, accepted the new terms and remained in the country as minority partners. However, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips rejected the new structure, deeming the changes an unlawful expropriation without fair compensation, and subsequently pulled out of Venezuela by the fall of 2007. The departure of the two U.S. giants led to prolonged legal battles in international arbitration tribunals. Both companies were awarded billions of dollars in compensation for the seized assets by various international bodies; however, Venezuela has only paid a small share of the total debt owed amid economic turmoil and U.S. sanctions. The expropriations resulted in a significant loss of investment, technical expertise, and operational capacity within Venezuela's oil sector, which contributed to a sharp and ongoing decline in oil production in the years that followed. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The centerpiece of the arrangement was the creation of a foreign holding consortium, commonly referred to as Iranian Oil Participants, which sat above the entire operating system. This consortium was dominated by British and American majors, with BP holding the largest single stake and five U.S. oil companies collectively holding the same, alongside smaller shares for Shell and the French oil major CFP. Rather than BP or the U.S. firms operating directly, the The closest analogue is Iran. In 1953, when then-Iranian PM Mohammad Mossadegh nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Britain and the U.S. responded by removing the government itself. After the coup, Irans oil did not return to Iranian control. It was reorganized under a Western-dominated consortium that dictated production, pricing, and revenues. Ownership remained nominally Iranian, but operational and financial authority was external. Control was gained through a complete reorganization of the oil system following regime change. After Mossadegh was removed, exports were restored through a new structure deliberately designed to place operational and commercial authority back in Western hands while preserving a veneer of Iranian sovereignty. There are historical precedents for one power taking control of another countrys oil, but they are rarer than headlines suggest, and they usually occurred under conditions of war, occupation, or overt regime subjugation. Thats what makes Venezuela a precedent. There are historical precedents for one power taking control of another countrys oil, but they are rarer than headlines suggest, and they usually occurred under conditions of war, occupation, or overt regime subjugation. Thats what makes Venezuela a precedent. The closest analogue is Iran. In 1953, when then-Iranian PM Mohammad Mossadegh nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Britain and the U.S. responded by removing the government itself. After the coup, Irans oil did not return to Iranian control. It was reorganized under a Western-dominated consortium that dictated production, pricing, and revenues. Ownership remained nominally Iranian, but operational and financial authority was external. Control was gained through a complete reorganization of the oil system following regime change. After Mossadegh was removed, exports were restored through a new structure deliberately designed to place operational and commercial authority back in Western hands while preserving a veneer of Iranian sovereignty. The centerpiece of the arrangement was the creation of a foreign holding consortium, commonly referred to as Iranian Oil Participants, which sat above the entire operating system. This consortium was dominated by British and American majors, with BP holding the largest single stake and five U.S. oil companies collectively holding the same, alongside smaller shares for Shell and the French oil major CFP. Rather than BP or the U.S. firms operating directly, the consortium owned the companies that did the operating. Those operating companies were incorporated outside Iran and were wholly owned by the consortium, not by the Iranian state. On paper, Iran retained ownership of its reserves and facilities through the National Iranian Oil Company. In practice, however, the consortium had exclusive use of the oil system. It controlled exploration, production planning, refinery operations, maintenance schedules, staffing decisions, procurement, and investment priorities. Abadan, the crown jewel of Irans refining system, returned to operation under this framework, but its throughput, export slate, and rehabilitation were all determined by consortium-run entities; not Iranian officials. Equally important was marketing. During the nationalization crisis, Iranian oil had been effectively shut out of global markets because the major companies controlled shipping, insurance, refining networks, and customer relationships. The consortium arrangement brought Iranian barrels back into those same channels. Oil moved again only because the companies that controlled global oil trade had decided to reabsorb it. This meant that pricing, destinations, and volumes were aligned with Western commercial and strategic priorities. Financially, the deal followed the prevailing Middle Eastern template of the time, with Iran receiving a share of profits broadly comparable to other producers. But the revenue split obscured the deeper reality, which was this: the consortium controlled volumes, costs, and marketing. That means it shaped the size of the profit pool before it was divided. Iran in 1953 (and for two decades) shows us what outright oil control has looked like in practice. Its not about the seizure of barrels, but the construction of a system in which production and monetization are administered from outside. So, why? In 1953, it was because Britain couldnt sit back and watch Iran nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, which was not just another foreign investment for Britain. It was one of the pillars of British post-World War II power. Britains need was immediate, particularly considering that the output of the Abadan refinery (the biggest in the world at the time) was integrated into Britains fuel supply, shipping networks, and even its export trade. Nationalization was like pulling the economic and military/industrial rug out from under this European power. The U.S. motive was longer-term and much broader. Washington feared that Irans nationalization would set a precedent for resource nationalism across the Middle East, and the West would lose leverage over global energy flows. It wasnt about getting more barrels. It was about control. But this isnt 1953, and Washington isnt London, desperately clinging to power underpinned by Iranian oil. Washington doesnt need Venezuelas barrels, and Venezuelas barrels are technically difficult and slow to restore. This was about global dominance and asserting that even non-essential assets can be placed under U.S. discretion. China looks to reduce emissions in industry by introducing a new policy for industrial parks to use more renewable energy from their micro-grids and dispatch less green energy to the main grid. Chinese authorities on Friday issued new guidelines on micro-grids at industrial parks to address hurdles, including a lack of unified technical standards, incomplete market-based mechanisms, and insufficient coordination with the main power grid. Under the new policy, unveiled by five central government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), newly built renewable power projects at industrial enterprises and parks must ensure that at least 60% of their electricity output on an annual basis is being consumed locally or in nearby areas. China currently has more than 300 micro-grid projects at industrial complexes operating nationwide, state Xinhua news agency reports. The new guidelines also include directives to prioritize new energy technologies in micro-grids construction, such as green hydrogen production, fuel-cell power generation facilities, and integrated wind-solar flexible hydrogen production systems. The Industry Ministry will boost policy support and refine guidance for green energy supply at key industries, an official at the ministry told Xinhua. China will also aim to use more renewable energy, such as green hydrogen and green ammonia, to avoid curtailments of solar and wind power whose soaring capacity sometimes boosts clean power generation beyond the limits of the grids. China will promote and support the use of renewable energy beyond the electricity generation sector over the next five years, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said in November in a new plan on integrating renewable energy in the economy to 2030. Green hydrogen is expected to be used in heavy industry and as a fuel, or for feedstock to produce ammonia. NEA is also encouraging Chinas coastal provinces to explore the potential of using power generated from offshore wind for hydrogen production. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Oil prices continued to climb in early Asian trade on Friday morning after posting a sharp increase on Thursday, with the market again pricing in geopolitical risk across multiple key producers and shipping routes. At the time of writing, West Texas Intermediate was trading around $58.27 per barrel, up by 0.85% or $0.49. On Thursday, both WTI and Brent climbed by over 3%, with Brent on the brink of breaking the $62 mark. Venezuela remained a major driver of the risk premium after the U.S. escalated enforcement against sanctioned flows by seizing two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic on Wednesday, including one sailing under Russias flag, amid an intensifying push to constrain Venezuelan crude movements. One of those seizures was of a Venezuela-linked tanker that had been renamed and registered under a Russian flag after a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic. The willingness of the Trump administration to board a tanker under the apparent protection of Russia was a clear warning for the shadow fleet being used to avoid sanctions. Meanwhile, the risk of a major supply shock related to Iran is climbing as protests swept the country, leading to a nationwide internet blackout. President Trump's earlier threat to come to the rescue of any peaceful protesters killed by the Iranian regime adds to concerns in oil markets that these protests could result in direct action by the U.S. in Iran. Developments in Iran's neighbor, Iraq, added to the broader geopolitical support for crude, as the cabinet approved plans to nationalize operations at the giant West Qurna 2 oilfield to avert potential disruptions linked to U.S. sanctions on Russian stakeholder Lukoil. While that won't lead to an immediate export outage, the prospect of operational or contractual instability at one of the worlds largest oilfields is adding to supply uncertainty. Finally, a Russia-bound oil tanker was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, prompting a request for Turkish Coast Guard assistance and a course diversion. While no party has claimed responsibility for the attack, it does highlight further instability in the region and a broader threat to oil flows. Geopolitical risk risen rapidly at the start of the year and, even in a heavily oversupplied market, is pushing prices higher on concerns of a significant supply disruption. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Oil prices rose early on Friday as protests in Iran continued to escalate, unnerving market participants that one of the biggest oil producers in the Middle East could see supply threatened. Both the WTI and Brent benchmarks traded about 0.7% higher as of 8:05 a.m. ET, as the market assessed potential risks to supply from the ongoing unrest in Iran. The U.S. benchmark crude futures, WTI, were up by 0.74% to trade at $58.16 per barrel, while the international benchmark, Brent, was up above the $62 per barrel mark, at $62.42, up by 0.71%. Oil prices had jumped by more than 3% on Thursday amid heightened geopolitical risk, from Venezuela to Iran. On Friday, oil was supported by escalating protests in Iran and President Donald Trumps comments late on Thursday that Irans leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was planning on fleeing the country following the protests in the OPEC producer demanding a change in regime. The Ayatollah is looking to go someplace, President Trump told reporters who asked for comment on reports that the Iranian leader could escape to Russia. On Friday, Iran cut off Internet, as the regime frequently does amid protests in the autocratic country. The protests that began nearly two weeks ago have left about 40 people dead and 2,000 have been detained as Iranian forces are trying to suppress the widespread protests. The Ayatollah on Friday slammed the protests and protesters, accusing them of being vandals acting on behalf of President Trump. In a televised address and amid the Internet blackout, Khamenei vowed that the Islamic Republic would not back down to protesters and Trump. Following the escalating protests, crude oil prices traded higher for a second straight day on Friday. The market focus is now on Iran, where the risk of near-term supply disruptions is outweighing the prospect of a future supply pickup should the regime collapse, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said on Friday. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Russias crude oil production dipped to 9.326 million barrels (bpd) in December, down by over 100,000 bpd from November and nearly 250,000 bpd lower than Moscows OPEC+ quota, sources familiar with classified government data told Bloomberg on Friday. The fresh U.S. sanctions on Russias top producers Rosneft and Lukoil drove the lower crude output at the end of last year. Russian crude volumes accumulated in floating storage amid buyer hesitancy, low spare storage capacity onshore, and Ukrainian drone attacks on export and refining infrastructure that limit Russias ability to pump more oil in the face of low spare storage capacity. Russia has not reported oil production numbers since early 2022 after it classified its energy output data shortly after the invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. sanctions are constraining Russias export outlets as Indian refiners backed out of purchases from now-sanctioned entities despite some of them having term agreements with oil giant Rosneft. The first direct attacks by drones from Ukraine on oil production in Russia also reduced output. In December, two separate attacks halted production at key Lukoil facilities in the Russian section of the Caspian Sea. Moreover, crude exports from the Russian terminals on the Black Sea were much lower in November than originally planned as bad weather and Ukrainian attacks on infrastructure have delayed loadings and departures. In addition, oil tankers carrying Russian oil appear to be avoiding the fastest Black Sea route to the Turkish straits and travel along the Georgian and Turkish coasts to avoid drone attacks from Ukraine, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The detour along the Georgian and Turkish coasts, instead of the shortest route to the Bosphorus Strait, adds about 350 miles, or 70%, to the journey of an oil tanker from the port of Novorossiysk to the Turkish straits. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais are "not in touch a great deal these days". Stephen Merchant is rarely in touch with Ricky Gervais The 51-year-old star and Ricky enjoyed huge success with shows like The Office, Extras, and Life's Too Short earlier in their careers - but the comedy duo rarely even speak to each other these days. He told The Times newspaper: "Were not in touch a great deal these days but even at our closest we were living quite separate lives... "Ricky used to joke that he was 13 or 14 years older than me, just as I was discovering my favourite nightclub, he was discovering his favourite comfortable chair." Ricky and Stephen worked together on British radio during their younger years, but the duo are still best-known for creating The Office together. The show has spawned various spin-offs around the world, but Stephen insists that they won't ever revive the British comedy. He said: "After we ended The Office, Ricky and I realised that we couldnt compete with it and so we had to do something completely different. Would we work together again? Well, never say never, but we wouldnt revive The Office." Stephen previously admitted that seeking solo success has been much more stressful. Reflecting on his relationship with Ricky, the actor told the Guardian newspaper: "It wasnt a conscious parting of the ways as much as just naturally wanting to do slightly different things. "I went off to do my show Hello Ladies, which was based on my stand-up and which was very much about single life, and that wasnt something Ricky had experienced for a long time. "Ive collaborated with various people and I do think that being in the trenches with someone else is really helpful. You dont feel alone and you have each others back. When Ive done stuff without a partner in crime, it is definitely more stressful." Asian crude oil buyers except China have ordered 9 million barrels more Saudi crude for loading next month amid the kingdoms push to cut its prices, Bloomberg has reported, citing unnamed sources. The Saudis, earlier this month, lowered the official selling price of their flagship Arab Light by $0.30 per barrel above the average of the Oman and Dubai benchmarks, to a premium of $0.30 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai quotes. Thats down from a premium of $0.60 per barrel for the January loadings and the lowest premium in more than five years. The cut was generally in line with the expectations of refiners in Asia, who had anticipated a decline of between $0.10 and $0.30 per barrel for February loadings of Arab Light to Asia. As a result, Eastern Asian buyers are ramping up their orders. Saudi oil giant Aramco has also slashed the price of all other grades to Asia by $0.20-$0.30 per barrel. It also cut all OSPs for loadings to the United States by $0.30-$0.40 a barrel, and all crude grades bound for Northwest Europe and the Mediterranean by $.0.40 per barrel, according to the pricing list, as cited by Reuters. Meanwhile, developments that could reverse Saudi oil pricing policy are unfolding in the Middle East. A rift between the two closest OPEC members - Saudi Arabia and the UAE - has deepened in Yemen, driving international benchmarks higher. Earlier this week, the Saudi side accused the Emiratis of helping a separatist Yemeni leader leave the country. Then they recaptured the crucial southern Yemeni city of Aden, CNN reported. The divergence between the Saudi and the Emirati plans for Yemen has put upward pressure on oil prices recently, countering the effects of the U.S. seizure of the Venezuelan oil industry, with Brent crude gaining $2 per barrel this week and West Texas Intermediate adding over $1 per barrel since Monday. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Glenfarne Group has started its search for companies to finance its Texas LNG project, Bloomberg has reported, citing the company. Mizuho Financial Group and Canadas Imperial Bank of Commerce are advising it. The news follows the signing of a 20-year LNG offtake deal between Glenfarne and Australias Macquarie Group, announced in early December. The deal was for a modest 500,000 tons of liquefied gas annually. The Texas LNG facility will have a total annual capacity of 4 million tons of the superchilled fuel. Earlier in the year, Glenfarne also inked a long-term supply deal with Gunvor, also for half a million tons of LNG annually. Glenfarne ran into legal trouble last year when the Sierra Club tried to stop the project, alleging that in granting its permit, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had overlooked its impact on the climate. FERC, however, stood by its decision, reissuing the permit for Texas LNG. The Texas LNG project, to be located at the port of Brownsville, is part of the wave of new LNG export capacity that experts expect to cause a glut in global liquefied gas supply by 2030. The United States is leading this wave, although the more cautious experts note that it is unlikely that all projects that are being considered will actually be built. Meanwhile, U.S. producers of the fuel booked a record year for exports in 2025, with total flows reaching 111 million tons, cementing the countrys position as the worlds top LNG exporter. Europe remained the dominant destination for U.S. LNG as the region continued to replace Russian gas and manage winter demand. About 9 million tons were shipped to Europe in December alone. Turkey sharply increased its purchases late in the year, buying more U.S. LNG in December than the entire Asian market. Asia took 1.23 million tons during the month, while Egypt remained a notable buyer amid domestic supply shortages. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com TotalEnergies has signed an agreement with Lebanon to obtain an offshore exploration permit in the eastern Mediterranean next to a block where it has started exploration, the French oil and gas supermajor said on Friday. TotalEnergies, as the operator and holder of 35% in the permit, and its partners Eni (35%) and QatarEnergy (30%) have signed the agreement with the Lebanese government to enter Block 8 exploration permit. Block 8 is located west of Block 9, where TotalEnergies drilled for potential resources in 2023. Although the drilling of the Qana well on Block 9 did not give positive results, we remain committed to pursue our exploration activities in Lebanon, TotalEnergies chairman and CEO, Patrick Pouyanne, said in a statement. We will now focus our efforts on Block 8, together with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy and in close cooperation with Lebanese authorities, the executive added. TotalEnergies and other major international oil and gas firms have shifted focus back to exploration after years of trying to develop clean energy solutions. TotalEnergies reloaded the exploration portfolio by acquiring exploration permits in the U.S. Gulf, in Malaysia, in Indonesia and Algeria in the second quarter of 2025, Pouyanne said on the Q2 earnings call. In addition, TotalEnergies is developing resources offshore Guyanas neighbor Suriname and looks to progress a development offshore Namibia in southwestern Africa. Lebanon, for its part, hopes its offshore zone could hold the next big Mediterranean oil and gas field, such as the Leviathan and Tamar fields offshore Israel, Aphrodite offshore Cyprus, or the Zohr gas field offshore Egypt. At the end of last year, Lebanon and Cyprus signed a maritime demarcation deal, paving the way for energy cooperation between the two countries, including exploration of offshore gas fields in the Mediterranean. Cyprus and Lebanon both share the Levant Basin Province, which extends across the waters of several countries, including Israel, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey. A 2010 USGS study estimated the basin holds about 1.7 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. Lebanon in particular will be hoping that gas discoveries could help reverse the country's economic crisis. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Donald Trumps plans to take over Venezuelas oil industry could have a negative impact on U.S. oil companies, executives from the shale patch have warned, per a Financial Times report that cited several of them. The problem that executives see with the Venezuelan takeover plan is that it would drive oil prices lower, and many shale drillers cannot afford much lower prices. Were talking about this administration screwing us over again, one unnamed industry executive told the Financial Times, adding that Trumps Venezuelan plans were against American producers. If the US government starts providing guarantees to oil companies to produce or grow oil production in Venezuela Im going to be . . . pissed, the blunt executive added. Indeed, Trump has already suggested there will be some form of financial guarantees for U.S. oil majors willing to go to Venezuela. Earlier this week, the president said that U.S. companies could be up and running in Venezuela within 18 months. 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, Trump also said. To me, the signal from the administration is: wed rather spend our American money on propping up a Venezuelan oil business than supporting our current independent businesses, the chief executive of Latigo Petroleum told the Financial Times. Indeed, only Big Oil supermajors can afford the investment necessary to revitalize Venezuelas oil industrywhich is why Trump is meeting with their executives later today to discuss just that. It is also Big Oil supermajors that are best placed to withstand lower oil pricessomething that smaller field operators in the U.S. shale patch cannot afford. I think its an appropriate reaction by US shale to be miffed, Dan Pickering from Pickering Energy Partners told the FT. Not just because Venezuelan production might go up but because the US government, in theory, is going to subsidise that. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The prospect of increased Venezuelan heavy crude and fuel oil flows to the U.S. Gulf Coast has upended the high-sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) market as far as Asia. The premium of HSFO prices in Asia over the same fuel in the West has surged this week to the highest in eight months, since May 2025, as supply from Venezuela is set to increase in the U.S. and the Western hemisphere. At the same time, flows of sanctioned supply from Venezuela to China, its key buyer, are dwindling amid the U.S. blockade of shadow fleet vessels carrying crude and products in breach of the U.S. sanctions. As a result, the premium of fuel oil in Asia over the price in the west has more than doubled since the year started. The key differential, the front-month East-West 380-cst HSFO swap, surged above $27 per barrel on Friday, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters. The fuel oil prices in the U.S. are set to decline as the United States expects to receive between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. Increased supply of heavy crude at U.S. refineries would drive fuel oil prices lower in the West. But in the East, Asian fuel oil prices see their premium surge amid changed oil flows. Set OilPrice.com as a preferred source in Google here Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA has been unable to ship oil cargoes to Asia for a week, as the U.S. oil quarantine of Venezuela continues. In fact, Chinese oil buyers have reduced their intake of Venezuelan oil as the discount between Brent and the countrys flagship Merey crude shrank from $15 per barrel last month to $13 per barrel now, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. Chinese refiners will have to adapt to the new reality, analysts say. The loss of cheap Venezuelan feedstock will weigh on refiners' profitability, forcing them to either scale back on refining run rates or source alternative residual feedstocks, Emril Jamil, a senior oil analyst at LSEG, told Reuters. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The volume of Venezuelan oil in tankers at sea has jumped to over 29 million barrels following the U.S. blitz to extract Nicolas Maduro out of Venezuela, up from 20 million barrels held at sea at the start of this week, Bloomberg reported on Friday, quoting vessel-monitoring data by Kpler. The U.S. captured Maduro in a weekend operation by U.S. forces and flew him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. The Trump Administration strong-armed the authorities in Venezuela to give the United States total access to its oil resources. The United States is keeping what it calls an oil quarantine on Venezuela, maintaining the blockade offshore the country holding the worlds biggest proven oil reserves. U.S. forces also continue to chase and seize sanctioned tankers. In one of the latest instances, U.S. forces this week seized a Russia-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic after a dramatic pursuit that began near Venezuelan waters, marking a sharp escalation in Washingtons enforcement of its global blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil. The operation concluded a weeks-long chase that began in late December when the tanker abruptly turned away from Venezuela and headed into the open Atlantic to evade the U.S. quarantine. The blockade and the intensified pressure on Venezuelas shadow exports have resulted in amassed Venezuelan oil volumes at sea. The increase of nearly 10 million barrels over the past week has been mostly evident in Asian waters, according to Kplers data. China has been a key buyer of Venezuelan crude in recent years. Chinese oil buyers have reduced their intake of Venezuelan oil as the discount between Brent and the countrys flagship Merey crude shrank from $15 per barrel last month to $13 per barrel now, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. Although the U.S. has signaled it wouldnt be cutting off China from Venezuelan oil, independent Chinese refiners are aware that their supply could shrink significantly. Chinese teapots are already bracing for the possibility that the barrels now in transit will be their last, Muyu Xu, a senior crude analyst at Kpler, told Bloomberg. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com By Lars Larson NW and national radio host, The Northwest Nonsense You know why I didnt get shot to death yesterday? Cause I was at work, doing my job, instead of threatening the life of a law enforcement officer, like the late Rene Nicole Good of Minneapolis. Ive found that life is all about choices. Yesterday morning, Ms Good chose to confront ICE officials doing their job of clearing illegals from another American city. She chose to use her Honda Pilot to obstruct law enforcement in a neighborhood. When officers ordered her out of the rig, she tried to run down an officer standing right in front of her. We have the video and Ill send it if you dont believe it. Good chose to threaten an officer. The officer fired three shots, and Rene Goods life ended. Its not the first time someone weaponized a 4 thousand-pound vehicle and aimed it at a cop but the officer did what the law allowsfired to stop the threat. Confrontations like this have been going on for months, including close calls right here in the Northwest. People using vehicles as weapons in confrontations with cops because they dont like the law. Democrats like Minnesotas Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have encouraged this obstruction of Justice. They choose to let the confrontations continue because it wins political points for em. Some of Rene Goods blood stains their hands today. Thats the Rose City Rap. Join me at noon on KXL for 4 hours of Honestly provocative talk. Im Lars Larson By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com We know that the Department of Homeland Security just announced that there have been 100 incidences of ICE agents being hit or rammed. We saw car ramming in 2026 occurred on Dec 17, Dec 27, and summer where a teen used a stolen car to hit police. Here are signs of threats to ICE just from the Portland area in the past 12 months. Signs from ICE protest: Portland ICE helicopter attacked: Sings from the many No Kings protests across Oregon. Here is a Portland area vehicle: Was this list helpful? If yes, please contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com U.S. Border Patrol agents (different than ICE) are reported to have shot two people during an attempted traffic stop. The Wall Journal Reports, The Department of Homeland Security said a U.S. border-patrol agent fired his gun after a driver attempted to run over officers during a vehicle stop in Portland related to immigration-enforcement action. The agency said the driver and passenger are affiliated with a Venezuelan gang and left the scene. By Claire Lynn Campaign, Following State Representative Boomer Wrights announcement that he will not seek re-election, Claire Lynn announced today that she is running for State Representative for House District 9, which encompasses Western Lane County and Florence, a portion of Douglas County that includes Reedsport, and Coos Bay/North Bend through Charleston. Representative Wright has been a steadfast leader for the Oregon Coast, said Claire Lynn. I have deeply appreciated working with him in the State Capitol and have seen him hold the line and live up to his name Boomer. He is a strong voice for his constituents. I am grateful for his years of dedicated service, and I am honored to have his endorsement. Claire Lynn is the only person I trust to carry on my legacy in the Oregon House of Representatives, said Representative Wright. She has my full endorsement to continue the fight to protect Oregons coastal communities. Claire is a seventh generation Oregonian who grew up on the North Fork of the Siuslaw River helping with her familys logging business and cowcalf operation. She grew up with a love for the outdoors, spending every fall hunting and fishing with her Dad. Claire is a lifelong Republican. She has deep experience fighting for common sense, conservative values from Washington, D.C. to her current job in the Oregon Legislature. She has helped defend Oregons natural resource industries, worked to protect our second amendment rights, and pushed back against extreme first in-the-nation policies. Recently, Claire volunteered with the No Tax Oregon grassroots effort working to put Governor Koteks $4.3 billion transportation tax on the ballot to give voters a voice. Claires campaign has already won key endorsements, including: Oregon Right to Life PAC State Senator & 2022 Republican Nominee for Governor Christine Drazan Lane County Commissioner Ryan Ceniga, and Florence Mayor Rob Ward Claire attended Oregon State University, and has served on the City of Florences Community and Economic Development Committee. Claire is currently a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Lane County and has volunteered as a guardian with South Willamette Valley Honor Flight, which provides a cost-free trip for veterans to our nations Capitol. Claire and her husband, Brodey, currently live outside of Elmira. To learn more about Claires campaign, visit www.ClaireForOregon.com. 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 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 Canadian cultural resource management archaeologistsprofessional consultants involved in environmental assessment and compliance processesare increasingly finding themselves in the public eye when their work intersects with the development or disaster response related infrastructure projects. Public or media discussions often arise when delays in construction result from archaeological assessments or Indigenous opposition. Yet, many more developments proceed without issue. Today, these concerns are part of a variety of challenges including labor shortages, meaningful Indigenous engagement and recent legislative changes that guide how development occurs. These challenges must be addressed to ensure timely assessment and approval of development projects through legally binding processes, without comprising the assessment and preservation of archaeological sitesthe overwhelming majority of which are Indigenous ancestral sites. Demand for archaeological professionals in Canada is quickly outpacing the number of students graduating with archaeology or anthropology degrees. A similar deficit of archaeologists has been demonstrated in the United States. Post-secondary institutions can play a key role in addressing this deficit by altering and improving degree programs to ensure students are equipped with the knowledge needed to succeed in cultural resource management. The politics of archaeology Cultural resource management (CRM) involves identifying, preserving and maintaining valuable cultural heritage like ancestral artifacts and built heritage. In Canada, this kind of archaeological work is required ahead of most infrastructure development through provincial and federal legislation. Recent political developments in Canada, including federal bill C-5 and similar legislation in Ontario and British Columbia, have the potential to impact the scope of environmental assessment work, including associated archaeology work. In order to speed economic development, these laws allow governments to exempt some infrastructure projects from archaeological assessment prior to construction and bypass requirements for Indigenous consultation. This moves decision-making on archaeological preservation away from Indigenous communities and trained professionals and into the political sphere. Such exemptions risk violating the treaty rights of First Nations and causing irreparable harm to Indigenous ancestral sites without consideration or assessment, deepening conflicts between development proponents and Indigenous communities. These conflicts may themselves delay construction of infrastructure. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Where are all the archaeologists? Our recent study indicates there are between 419 and 713 archaeologists employed in cultural resource management in Canada. These are almost certainly underestimates. However, our study further suggests that labor market demand is outpacing supply. Fifty-five responding employers across the country reported unfilled positions, including for jobs at all levels of experience. Overall, the CRM labor market has not kept pace with rapid industry growth. Post-secondary institutions have an important role to play in meeting CRM labor market demand by creating robust degree programs which demonstrate that there are viable career pathways in archaeology outside of academia. But universities are simultaneously experiencing a significant decline in funding, and program opportunities are disappearing. In part due to these challenges, students graduating from archaeology and anthropology programs do not complete their degrees with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in CRM. As a result, the burden of on-the-job training becomes high for employers. There are some exceptions, such as CRM-specific undergraduate and graduate courses and programs at the Universities of Lethbridge and Calgary. However, the general lack of CRM-oriented programs at post-secondary institutions is particularly problematic given that the majority of graduates who stay in archaeology will enter the CRM industry, and the overwhelming majority of archaeology in Canada today is undertaken within a CRM context. A path forward Post-secondary curricula must extend beyond traditional academic programming to better prepare students for the workforce. To be clear, we are not arguing for creation of a CRM trade school for archaeologists. Rather, we believe that small changes to curricula and programs can enhance student experience and career successes without compromising academic objectives and rigor. Post-secondary institutions need to create degree programs that are aligned with the skills and knowledge used in industry and introduce CRM to students early in their undergraduate programs. Doing so will create more robust degree programs that attract students to a relevant education where they see a viable career path in archaeology, meeting a market need. This market need must be met to ensure timely assessment and regulatory approval of development projects, as the CRM workforce is needed to complete "nation-building" infrastructure projects. Archaeology risks being seen as a barrier to development and may lose political and public backing if CRM processes are seen to slow or stall economic development. If the CRM sector does not have the capacity to complete infrastructure assessments, current trends suggest that development will push ahead without archaeological assessment or engagement. Archaeological sites will almost certainly be destroyed in the process. Critics will argue that it's essential to cut red tape and speed up regulatory approval of economically important projects, making CRM a lesser part of the approvals process. We counter that CRM assessment is essential to development approvals, which are increasingly reliant on meaningful Indigenous engagement and Indigenous consent to proceed. Wanton destruction of Indigenous archaeological sites will only lead to further conflict and loss of heritage. Canada must protect that heritage and has a lot to gain from doing so. By protecting heritage, archaeologists can help ensure better outcomes for all. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The binding pockets of hesperetin in Rlv3841 NodD-EBD. Credit: Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aec3061 In a study published in Science, researchers have resolved, for the first time, the high-resolution crystal structure of the complex formed between the NodD protein of pea rhizobia and a flavonoid compound (hesperetin). They elucidate how NodD recognizes flavonoids and reveal key structural elements in NodD that determine the specificity of signal recognition. In nature, root nodules formed through symbiosis between legume plants (such as soybeans and alfalfa) and rhizobia serve as highly efficient natural nitrogen fertilizer factories. Within these organs, plants provide carbon sources for rhizobia, while rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form of nitrogen fertilizer for the plants. Legume roots exist in complex environments, surrounded by a multitude of rhizobia and other bacteria. How do plants allow only "compatible" rhizobia to enter their roots and form nodules? For a long time, scientists have known that legume roots secrete a chemical signal called "flavonoids," which is recognized by a transcription factor in the rhizobia named NodD. Although NodD was known to contribute to symbiotic specificity, how it specifically recognizes flavonoid chemical signals has remained an intriguing question. Prof. Jeremy Murray (right) discusses work with Prof. Zhang Yu (left). Credit: CEMPS In this study, the teams of Jeremy Murray and Zhang Yu from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators, found that the ligand-binding domain of the NodD protein from pea rhizobia recognizes hesperetin through two binding pockets: one located within a monomer of the NodD protein and the other situated at the dimer interface. This binding conformation is the first of its kind to be observed among known transcriptional regulators in the NodD family. Further analysis indicated that NodD contains three key activation domains, along with specific critical amino acids, which collectively form a "binding pocket" that accommodates flavonoid molecules like hesperetin but not other classes of flavonoids, such as isoflavones or pterocarpans. This provides a structural explanation for why rhizobial NodD is only activated by specific flavonoids. Furthermore, the researchers compared the NodDs from alfalfa and pea rhizobia. Despite an overall similarity of 80% between the two proteins, their "preferences" for different flavonoids are very different. Pea rhizobial NodD primarily responds to flavanones/flavones, whereas alfalfa rhizobial NodD mainly responds to chalcones. Through domain-swapping experiments and extensive point mutation studies, the researchers identified several key amino acids located in critical activation regions. They showed that these specific amino acid residues determine the ability of the rhizobia to respond to different types of flavonoids. So why is this specificity needed in the first place? The researchers suggested that such precise recognition stems from millions of years of coevolution in overlapping habitats. To ensure successful partnerships, each species accurately identifies its preferred rhizobia strain through a mutual "double-lock and key" system: the bacteria recognize unique flavonoid signals from the plant and the plant recognizes specific signals in return. This prevents mix-ups when multiple species grow nearby. This study answers the question of how legume plants and rhizobia achieve signal-specific recognition through flavonoids and NodD, and provides a new way to design efficient nitrogen fixation systems. It paves the way for designing efficient, crop-specific "tailor-made" rhizobia for enhanced nitrogen fixation, and holds the potential to extend nitrogen-fixing symbiosis to non-legume crops such as rice and corn, reducing agriculture's reliance on chemical nitrogen fertilizers. Publication details Yiting Ruan et al, The molecular basis of the binding and specific activation of rhizobial NodD by flavonoids, Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aec3061 Journal information: Science Key concepts Nitrogen Fixation 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: Climate in the modern world and early Paleogene. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01870-6 To understand how global warming could influence future climate, scientists look to the Paleogene Period that began 66 million years ago, covering a time when Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were two to four times higher than they are today. New research by the University of Utah and the Colorado School of Mines reconstructs how rainfall responded to extreme warming during this period using "proxies," or clues left in the geological record in the form of plant fossils, soil chemistry and river deposits. The results challenge the commonly held view that wet places get wetter when the climate warms and drier places become drier, according to co-author Thomas Reichler, professor of atmospheric sciences at the U. "There are good reasons, physical reasons for that assumption. But now our study was a little bit surprising in the sense that even mid-latitude regions tended to become drier," Reichler said. "It has to do with the variability and the distribution of precipitation over time. If there are relatively long dry spells and then, in between, very wet periodsas in a strongly monsoonal climateconditions are unfavorable for many types of vegetation." Rainfall was far more variable Instead of focusing on the amount of precipitation each year, Reichler's team explored when rain fell and how often. They found rainfall appears to be much less regular under extreme warming, often occurring in intense downpours separated by prolonged dry spells. The researchers concluded polar regions were wet, even monsoonal, during the Paleogene, while many mid-latitude and continental interiors became drier overall. The findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, are based on a comprehensive analysis of existing research. The paper is titled "More intermittent mid-latitude precipitation accompanied extreme early Palaeogene warmth." To conduct the study, Reichler teamed up with Colorado School of Mines geologists, who analyzed proxy data from the fossil record, while Reichler conducted the climate modeling with graduate student Daniel Baldassare. This study looks back to the warmest time in Earth's history, the early Paleogene, 66 to 48 million years ago, to understand how rainfall behaves when the planet gets very hot. This period began with the sudden demise of the dinosaurs and saw the rise of mammals in terrestrial ecosystems. This was the time when some of Utah's notable landscapes, such as the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon and the badlands of the Uinta Basin, were deposited. It was also a period of intense warming culminating in the well-studied event called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, when levels of heat were 18 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than they were just before humans began releasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Some scientists consider the climate of this period a possible worst-case scenario for future climate change. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Proxies in the fossil record Since it is not possible to measure precipitation that occurred millions of years ago, scientists examine evidence in the geologic record to draw conclusions about ancient climates. In this case, Reichler's Colorado colleagues looked at plant fossils and ancient soils. "From the shape and size of fossilized leaves, you can infer aspects of the climate of that time because you look at where similar plants exist today with those leaves. So this would be a climate proxy. It's not a direct measurement of temperature or humidity; it's indirect evidence for climate of that time," Reichler said. Another example is the geomorphology of the landscape, such as river channels. "When there is intermittent, strong precipitation then followed by long periods of drought, that precipitation is forming the riverbed in different ways because there's very high amounts of water flowing down and carving it out or transporting the rocks much more vigorously than were it a little drizzle every day," he said. These reconstructions are inherently uncertain because they rely on indirect evidence rather, Reichler cautioned, but they provide the best available information about how climate operated under extreme warming. Understanding Earth's ancient climates enables scientists to better evaluate how well models predict climate behavior under conditions different from the present. Comparisons with paleoclimate model simulations indicate today's models underestimate how irregular rainfall can become during extreme warming, according to Reichler. The dry conditions documented in the study were often caused not by less total rainfall, but by shorter wet seasons and longer gaps between rain events. These patterns began millions of years before the PETM and lasted long after, suggesting that once Earth's climate system crosses certain thresholds, rainfall behavior can change in surprising and complicated ways. For a warming world, in other words, the timing and reliability of rain may matter more than yearly averages, and that has important implications for ecosystems, floods, droughts and water management. Publication details Jacob S. Slawson et al, More intermittent mid-latitude precipitation accompanied extreme early Palaeogene warmth, Nature Geoscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01870-6 Journal information: Nature Geoscience This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A schematic to show both drivers and blocks in hybrid schistosome transmission. Credit: Philosophical Transactions B (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0517 New research led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) warns that hybrid forms of the parasites that cause schistosomiasis are undermining existing disease control strategies and could accelerate the spread of infection in Africa and beyond. Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by waterborne schistosome parasites that affects more than 200 million people worldwide, causing chronic illness, disability and, in severe cases, life-threatening organ damage. Despite decades of large-scale control programs based on mass drug administration, transmission remains stubbornly persistent in many settings, particularly where people depend on freshwater for daily activities. Hybridization and its impact on control A special issue of Philosophical Transactions B of the Royal Society brings together 12 multidisciplinary studies showing that schistosome parasites are hybridizing far more frequently than previously recognized. These hybrids emerge when different parasite species, including those infecting humans and livestock, mix and reproduce in shared freshwater environments. Researchers found that some hybrid parasites can display altered biological traits, including changes linked to virulence, host range and transmission potential. These changes complicate diagnosis, as hybrid eggs can be harder to identify using standard methods, and raise concerns that current control strategies, which largely focus on treating human infection alone, may be missing key reservoirs of disease. Several researchers also warn that hybrids are already reshaping patterns of schistosomiasis across Africa and could enable the disease to establish in new regions. Previous outbreaks of urogenital schistosomiasis in southern Europe have shown that transmission outside Africa is possible when animal and human parasites overlap, highlighting the need for stronger surveillance. Expert perspectives and future directions Professor Russell Stothard from LSTM is the senior author on several papers and the co-editor of the Special Issue. He said, "Schistosomes are demonstrating parasite evolution in action with remarkable speed. This new body of work reveals a level of biological complexity and flexibility that changes how we appreciate African schistosomes, classify them and hope to mitigate their detrimental impact." "Hybrid schistosomes are not unusual biological outliers, they are becoming a central part of the epidemiological landscape. This raises important questions for future disease surveillance, particularly genital schistosomiasis, and associated treatment strategies that should better embrace One Health approaches." The studies show that hybridization is driving the emergence of new variants in both northern and southern Africa, each responding differently to ecological and agricultural pressures. One hybrid variant, Schistosoma haematobium x S. mattheei, which links a human-infecting species with a livestock species, is now a common cause of genital tract disease in men and women in parts of Malawi, underscoring the blurred boundaries between human and animal health. Together, the authors argue that without improved surveillance, including genetic monitoring of parasites, and greater integration of human, animal and environmental health strategies, hybrid schistosomes could slow or reverse progress towards elimination targets. Professor Janelisa Musaya, Associate Director at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Program (MLW), said, "In Malawi, we have observed a disturbing trend of persistent infection, particularly in areas where people and livestock coexist, despite over a decade of annual mass drug administration. These landmark studies finally help us unravel the mystery behind this resilience, revealing how hybridization between human and animal parasites complicates the path to elimination. "This evidence is a call to action for our national control programs to adopt a 'One Health' approach that addresses the blurred boundaries between human and animal health." More information J. Russell Stothard et al, Parasite evolution and impact in action: exploring the importance and control of hybrid schistosomes in Africa and beyond, Philosophical Transactions B (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0517 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: Comparison of conventional culture-based ID and culture-free sample-to-result ID methods. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66996-y A new technique which slashes the time taken to diagnose microbial infections from days to minutes could help save lives and open up a new front in the battle against antibiotic resistance, researchers say. Engineers and clinicians from the UK and China are behind the breakthrough system, called AutoEnricher. It combines microfluidic technology with sophisticated analysis and machine learning to enable the diagnosis of pathogens in just 20 minutes. The team's paper, titled "Rapid culture-free diagnosis of clinical pathogens via integrated microfluidic-Raman micro-spectroscopy," is published in Nature Communications. How AutoEnricher works and its impact The researchers show how they validated the effectiveness of their system on hundreds of real patient samples, delivering diagnoses with 95% accuracy even in samples with very low concentrations of pathogens. They also demonstrate how AutoEnricher can diagnose multiple simultaneous infections. In the future, the system could be a valuable tool to tackle antimicrobial resistance, a rapidly-accelerating global threat to human health which caused five million deaths in 2019 and is projected to kill 10 million people a year by 2050. Dr. Jiabao Xu of the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering is one of the paper's first authors. She said, "One of the major drivers of antibiotic resistance is the misuse or overuse of drugs to treat infections. Currently, it can take days or even weeks to culture microbes taken from patient samples in the lab to enable diagnosis. "That means doctors often have to act urgently and use antibiotics to treat patients suffering from life-threatening conditions like sepsis or pneumonia without knowing for sure if they actually have a bacterial infection." The University of Glasgow's Professor Jon Cooper, a corresponding author, said, "AutoEnricher advances personalized medicine by compressing diagnostic timelines and enhancing antimicrobial decision-making. This new instrument will help enable doctors to match the right antibiotic to an infection at the right time, improving patient outcomes while reducing the potential for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance." Technical details and validation of the system The team's system combines innovative hardware and software to enable a rapid two-stage diagnosis. In the first stage, the system uses a microfluidic device developed by the team to scrub human cells from samples of patients' blood, urine or spinal fluid, leaving behind only pathogen cells. In the second stage, the unique chemical fingerprint of the pathogen cells is identified using a technique called Raman spectroscopy. The fingerprint is then analyzed by a machine learning tool developed by the team. The tool, which was trained on a database of 342 clinical isolates from 36 species of bacteria and fungi, can provide a diagnosis by analyzing as few as 10 pathogen cells in less than 20 minutes. The team validated AutoEnricher's performance with the help of three hospitals in China, who provided samples from a total of 305 patients. The samples were also tested using conventional lab methods to culture the bacteria to enable diagnosis. AutoEnricher's diagnosis matched the conventional lab method's outcomes 95% of the time, and also managed to pick out mixed infections which were missed by the lab culture tests. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Professor Wei Huang of the University of Oxford, a co-investigator on the project, said, "These are really encouraging results from the largest study of its kind conducted on real patient samples. We've shown that this single-cell approach to diagnosis can rapidly deliver remarkably accurate results, and even pick out multiple infections which are much harder to spot using conventional lab culture methods." Professor Huabing Yin of the University of Glasgow, the senior author of the paper, said, "The next step is to apply AutoEnricher to a much larger cohort of patient samples in a proper clinical study. We're already working on the first steps towards making that happen, and we hope that AutoEnricher will make a real difference in addressing the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the years to come." Publication details Yuetao Li et al, Rapid culture-free diagnosis of clinical pathogens via integrated microfluidic-Raman micro-spectroscopy, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66996-y Journal information: Nature Communications 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: Ovulation occurs around two hours before lighting (1), and the progesterone and progesterone derivatives interact with receptors in the brain 30 minutes to one hour thereafter (2) leading to sexual receptivity clasping (3). Credit: VESPER STUDIO A research team led by Hiroshima University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have proposed a neuroendocrine mechanism in bony fish that signals ovulation from the ovaries to the brain, using the medaka fish as a model; the first step to elucidate the neural circuits for facilitation of sexual receptivity in female teleosts. Bony fish (teleosts) are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates, inhabiting a wide variety of aquatic environments. Females of many species are sexually receptive only when eggs have developed in the ovaries and are ready for spawning. In other words, sexual receptivity increases in sync with ovarian status. This neuroendocrine system allows females to accept male courtship at precisely the appropriate moment. However, the details of the neuroendocrine mechanism of how the information of ovarian status is transferred into the brain in fish have remained unclear. Research methods and model organism A team of researchers led by Hiroshima University and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, along with Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University and The University of Tokyo, used female medaka fish to precisely identify the timing of ovulation and the timing of sexual behavior. They have proposed a neuroendocrine mechanism that signals ovulation from the ovaries to the brain, thereby increasing sexual motivation in females physically capable of spawning. Their discoveries are published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Medaka fish, also known as the Japanese rice fish, have been a popular aquarium fish in Japan since the 17th century, as well as a model organism for scientific research. The medaka fish used in this study lay eggs on a daily cycle and exhibit stereotypical patterns of sexual behavior, making them well-suited for analyzing sexual behavior. Lots of studies on neuroendocrine mechanisms controlling egg development in their ovaries have been reported, leading the researchers to choose the medaka for this study. Findings on hormonal signaling and behavior Egg development in the ovaries of teleosts is regulated by neurons in the hypothalamus and hormones secreted from the pituitary gland (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis, HPG axis). The researchers examined whether female medaka responded to courtship from males and whether they ultimately accepted such courtship by using fish whose HPG axis-related genes were knocked out. Female medaka with a partial deletion in the gene encoding luteinizing hormone (LH) secreted from the pituitary glandwhich possessed developed eggs but were unable to ovulate (LH-deficient medaka)did not accept courtship at all, despite being courted normally by males. Furthermore, by chronologically observing the timing of ovulation and sexual behavior in normal female medaka, the researchers precisely determined that ovulation occurs approximately 2 hours before the lighting in the rearing room turns on, while sexual behavior occurs 1.5 to 1 hour before lighting. "We found that female sexual receptivity fluctuates in synchrony with the ovulatory cycle," says Dr. Soma Tomihara, assistant professor at Hiroshima University's Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, and one of the corresponding authors of the paper. "Additionally, our results suggest the presence of a neuroendocrine mechanism whereby sex steroid hormones, released in surges around the timing of ovulation, are directly received by specific neurons in the brain and serve as signals that convey the occurrence of ovulation." When the LH-deficient medaka were administered P4, a progesterone analog, sexual behavior with males was observed, and sexual receptivity was restoredbut did not restore ovulation itself. This suggests that P4 restored sexual receptivity not by acting on the ovaries to induce ovulation, but rather by being directly received in the brain. In other words, it is suggested that a pathway exists where hormones secreted from the ovaries during ovulation under natural conditions are directly received in the brain, and these neurons are involved in facilitating sexual receptivity. Future research directions and team members "We aim to elucidate the neural circuits that facilitate sexual receptivity in teleost females, specifically focusing on brain neurons that respond to sex steroid hormone released around the timing of ovulation," concluded Dr. Tomihara. The research team includes Rinko Shimomai & Yoshitaka Oka at The University of Tokyo; Mikoto Nakajo at Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University; and Chie Umatani at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. More information Soma Tomihara, et al. Sexual Receptivity Increases in Synchrony with the Ovulatory Cycle in Female Medaka. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, (2026). doi.org/10.1111/jne.70119 Key concepts endocrinology This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Grocery stores typically place older products in front. New research suggests the opposite approach actually works best. For busy families, premade foods are a big draw in deciding where to shop, and retailers have responded with ever more options to entice customers. Safeway has its ready-to-eat section right up front, so you pass it on the way in. Costco puts its famous $4.99 rotisserie chickens in the back, hoping you'll add things to your cart along the way to grab one. In fact, premade foods are the fastest-growing category in the grocery business. But they are a devil to manage. Cooked food degrades quickly, and a lot of it goes to waste. One giant retailerknown for its efficiencyfound that it was tossing out 9% of its prepared food. So that retailer approached Dan Iancu and Erica Plambeck, professors of operations, information, and technology at Stanford Graduate School of Business, for advice. They teamed up with Jae-Hyuck Park, Ph.D., an assistant professor of decision science and business analytics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, to build a model that could answer the key questions facing retailers: should the oldest items be sold first so they don't go to waste? How long should fresh food stay on the shelf? And should customers be told when food was prepared? The model, which incorporated more real-world decision levers than previous research, led to some surprising results. Grocers typically use a first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory rule, meaning the oldest items are moved to the front of the shelf. It's an article of faith that this minimizes waste, and it seems like common sense: Sell the oldest stock first and you won't end up with a glut of unsalable packages. But the team discovered that when it comes to premade foods, the opposite approach works best: A last-in, first-out (LIFO) ruleselling the freshest items firstcombined with keeping products on the shelf longer increases sales and reduces waste. "It's true that some portion on the back of the shelf may expire," Plambeck says. "But LIFO increases the average quality of items sold. That leads to increased demand and, paradoxically, less gets thrown out." To time-stamp or not? Another counterintuitive finding: Iancu and Plambeck's model showed that retailers can benefit by not time-stamping prepared food, even though shoppers like to see this information. "If you show when the food was prepared, everyone picks the freshest items on the shelf," Plambeck explains. "If the latest batch came out an hour ago, customers turn up their noses at two-hour chickens, even if they're nearly as good. That effectively shortens the shelf life and increases waste." Without time stamps, she says, consumers can't distinguish between products on the shelf, so they base their buying decisions on the average quality of their purchases over time. "Sometimes you'll get a dry bird and think, "That wasn't worth the price." But most of your purchases were excellent, especially with LIFO issuance, so your expected value is high." That means stores can leave products on the shelf longer to increase sales and reduce waste. As long as the quality is high enough that shoppers' expected value exceeds the price, they'll buy even if they don't know the preparation time. Of course, stores still need to know when a product's time is up. Instead of using obvious time stamps, they can use coding systems that are opaque to consumers. (For example: Those plastic tabs that seal bread bagsever notice how they come in different colors? It's not random; the color tells employees the age of each loaf.) Time stamps aren't necessarily bad for business. The model shows they can be beneficial when some customers care much more about freshness than others. In the real world, though, pretty much everyone likes fresher food. The combination of LIFO issuance and longer shelf life is the real key here. "If you do one without the other, it doesn't work," Plambeck says. And that, she says, is why earlier research came to the wrong conclusion and supported the FIFO approach. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Last in, first out, less waste Stores lose money on discarded food. But Iancu and Plambeck say the cost of unsold food is much higher when you factor in wasted resources and environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Plus, uneaten food could be diverted to help people facing hunger. That's why California has begun requiring supermarkets to donate unsold yet still edible food to food banks and other charities. But well-meaning policies can have confounding effects. In France, where a similar law has been in place since 2016, an audit found that the quality of donated food declined, as did the quantity donated per store. Iancu and Plambeck's model explains why. "Distributing unsold food is costlyit's a whole extra set of logistics to manageand that creates an incentive to draw out the sell-by date," Plambeck says. "So by the time perishable items do arrive at food banks, they're often in poor shape." That food then gets tossed out, shifting the waste problem downstream. Based on their model, Iancu and Plambeck believe that better management can make a big difference in reducing waste throughout the retail cycle. Plambeck says the project has given her a real appreciation of what it takes to run a grocery storeall the logistics and moving parts and decisions behind the scenes. "We take it for granted, but it's pretty cool. Next time you're in a supermarket, stop and look around. It's a complex operation, and the details really matter for the cost and quality of the food we eatand for what we don't eat." 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: Institute of Science Tokyo Using muon spin rotation spectroscopy, researchers from Japan and Canada have successfully captured the rapid conversion of an imidoyl radical into a quinoxalinyl radical occurring within nanoseconds. The technique enabled real-time detection of a highly reactive aromatic heterocyclic radical generated during the isocyanide insertion reaction, using muonium as a molecular tracker. The discovery is expected to advance particle-driven radical chemistryexploring functional properties and offering new strategies for molecular transformation reactions. Radicals and the challenge of observation Radicals are highly reactive and short-lived chemical intermediates that play a central role in organic synthesis, materials design processes, and biomolecular chemistry. However, their fleeting lifetimes often make them difficult to observe directly, especially when the reactions occur in a billionth of a second. By observing these radicals in real time, various functional properties and open-shell reactivity mechanisms can be explored, opening new avenues in the field of organic chemistry. However, capturing these radicals has, therefore, remained a long-standing challenge in molecular chemistry. Addressing this challenge, a research team led by Associate Professor Shigekazu Ito from the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, along with graduate student Mr. Kazuki Iwami of Science Tokyo, and research scientists Dr. Kenji M. Kojima and Dr. Iain McKenzie of TRIUMF, Canada, devised a new strategy for observing radicals in real time. They used an advanced technique called transverse field muon spin rotation (TF-SR) spectroscopy, which detects positrons emitted from muons (subatomic particles) to analyze reaction intermediates at the atomic level. Their study, published in ChemistryA European Journal, reveals the successful capture of a quinoxalinyl radical generated in an isocyanide-based reaction. Tracking radicals with muonium Muonium is a light isotope of hydrogen formed when a muon captures an electron. To observe the radical intermediates in real time, the researchers first tagged the starting molecule 1,2-diisocyanobenzene with muonium to track its reaction step-by-step. Using TF-SR to detect the signals of muon decay, the researchers were able to observe how muonium formed an imidoyl radical that almost instantly folded into a cyclized quinoxalinyl radical productall happening within a few billionths of a second. "We wanted to visualize the ultra-fast radical processes that are fundamental in organic chemistry. TF-SR allowed us to follow the imidoyl radical as it converted into a quinoxalinyl radical, uncovering a cyclization that happened in mere nanoseconds," explains Ito. Unlike previous studies where imidoyl radicals persisted long enough to be observed directly, here the intermediate instantly collapsed into a cyclized product. Once formed, the quinoxalinyl radical displayed remarkably high reactivity, readily abstracting hydrogen atoms from the surrounding solvent molecules. Temperature-dependent experiments confirmed this reactivity, demonstrating how particle-induced radical chemistry differs from traditional radical pathways. "The results show how muon-based techniques can reveal chemical events that occur far too quickly for conventional spectroscopy. Understanding such ultrafast cyclization reactions could open new pathways to designing radical transformations," notes Ito. Future directions for radical chemistry Overall, the study sets a new benchmark in radical chemistry with the first direct observation of an aromatic heterocyclic radical using TF-SR. The study also highlights the potential of TF-SR spectroscopy as a powerful tool for unraveling the behavior of heterocyclic radicals, which are central to pharmaceuticals, biomedical technologies, and molecular electronic applications. In the future, the technique could enable chemists to better control particle-driven reactions and build more precise radical insertion methodsaccelerating innovations in synthetic chemistry, molecular engineering, and particle-assisted catalysis. Publication details Shigekazu Ito et al, Observation of Quinoxalinyl Radical Produced by Muonium Addition to 1,2Diisocyanobenzene, Chemistry A European Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1002/chem.202503139 Journal information: Chemistry A European Journal 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 Set against the picturesque Rocky Mountains is a city-like maze of metal and fire, where towering flare stacks glow against the dark. A deep industrial hum drifts through the night, lulling nearby residents to sleep as its presence gnaws at their health. For the people of Commerce City, some of whom have lived next to the Suncor oil refinery for decades, the struggle for clean air and water has become an intergenerational reality. From asthma and nosebleeds to cancer and cognitive disorders, the community feels the refinery's impact in their bones. Even after generations of stories of mounting health problems, the community needed data to show the toll of living nearby. Community mobilization and research efforts Mobilized by impacted community members, Cultivando assembled an interdisciplinary team of air-monitoring experts and social scientists to gather data. Cultivando is an Indigenous women-led nonprofit that promotes health equity and environmental justice for Latine and Indigenous migrant communities in Adams County. Executive Director Olga Gonzalez invited Ramona Beltran, an associate professor in DU's Graduate School of Social Work, to co-lead the social science component. Beltran serves as a co-investigator alongside Stephanie Malin, a sociology professor at Colorado State University. Together, they turned lived stories into documented power. The Commerce City site has been home to refineries of various ownerships since 1931, with Suncor acquiring two adjacent facilities in 2003 and 2005. In 2019, an incident made an indelible mark in the skiesand on the community. On a sunny December day, a bright yellow clay billowed into the atmosphere, raining down on parts of the city. Gonzalez, who grew up in Commerce City, remembers it like it was yesterday. "We were told to not go outside," Gonzalez says. "The moms were not sure what was happening. That's how we learned that there was a problem in the community." Documenting health impacts on children The community outcry could not be ignored. Their concerns and pursuit of the truth, combined with Gonzalez's firsthand experience, sparked the collaboration with researchers to document and address the health impacts on children in the community. Beltran, along with colleagues from Colorado State University and Syracuse University, published their findings last spring in a paper titled "The Kids Ask 'Are We Safe?': Oil Refining's Unjust Environmental Health Impacts on Children" in Sociological Inquiry. They conducted in-depth interviews with 53 participants, all aged 18 or older, who either lived or worked within a three-mile radius of the facility or were community leaders, activists, and teachers who worked in the affected community. Children's health was named a top concern, appearing in 93% of the interviews, followed by environmental justice (90%), air quality issues (85%), and the normalization of conditions and experiences (82%). For teachers who work in the community every day, they see the refinery's effects in the classroom. One teacher noted that 80% of her students need constant access to an inhaler. Another noted the higher rates of fatal health issues like cancer. And when large-scale pollution incidents occur, teachers are often asked questions they don't know how to answer. "Are we safe?" the kids ask. "I don't know," the teachers respond. "They're looking to you like you're a hero who will protect them. I can't. That's bigger than me. If it's coming from the sky, I can't do anything about it," one teacher remarked. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Emotional and systemic consequences In addition to their physical health, these events impact children's mental well-being, including stress levels, anxiety, and emotional resilience. Older students, in particular, are aware of how their race, socioeconomic status, and zip code unequally expose them to environmental risksa systemic problem permeating their families for generations. "For me, it's a responsibility to make legible and empirically validate what people have been describing for decades," Beltran says. "When it's documented, it's data. The more data we can put together, the more we can support these communities." Over 90% of parents reported various health problems among their children. Many of them feel powerless trying to navigate their children's illnessesand when confronted with the prevalence of sickness, they felt a mix of emotions. "Oh, my kids weren't lying to me. They weren't faking it," one parent recalled. "I feel really guilty. My kids are sickand I'm too poor to move," said another. The paper's findings highlight how children are disproportionately affected within the community. Living near the refinery not only impacts their physical and mental health but also disrupts their schooling, which leads to an increase in absenteeism and can contribute to lower academic performance. It's a domino effect, with the refinery triggering the chain reaction that ultimately leads to poorer outcomes. Calls for change and collective responsibility For the Commerce City community, this report is only the beginning, laying the groundwork for reclaiming control of the narrative. Beltran, Gonzalez, and community leaders are urging those in power to act before it's too late. They'd like to see widespread changes, but at the very least, they'd like to see an updated permitting process. "Currently, it's to what extent can you legally pollute," Gonzalez says. "That doesn't benefit the community. It doesn't change the conditions. I'd like to see a permitting process that considers the impact on the environment and people's health. I'd also like to see reparations in the community." Gonzalez's call for stronger regulations and reparations underscores a broader message: Protecting public health requires awareness and collective action. Understanding the real impacts of pollution is not just the responsibility of those living near itit's a responsibility we all share. "Air pollution knows no boundaries. This is not a 'them' problem. This is an 'us' problem," Beltran says. "It's easy for folks to forget the interconnectedness of the environment, ecosystems, and people. We're all impacted by this, very differently, but it absolutely affects the health of everyone." More information Stephanie A. Malin et al, "The Kids Ask 'Are We Safe?'": Oil Refining's Unjust Environmental Health Impacts on Children, Sociological Inquiry (2025). DOI: 10.1111/soin.70008 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 IPBES values typology illustrates the interrelationships between worldviews, broad values and specific (instrumental, intrinsic and relational) values. Credit: Communications Sustainability (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44458-025-00009-3 A new international study calls for a fundamental reset in how humanity understands and pursues sustainable development. The article is published in the journal Communications Sustainability. The paper argues that current sustainability frameworksbuilt on a three-pillar model separating nature, society and economyhave not been fit for purpose in a world facing accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss and inequalities. The authors propose a new systems model that, bottom-up, positions nature as the foundation, supporting economies as the next level, which delivers benefits to the third level, society. From a top-down perspective, societal values and governance systems determine how people organize their economies, and therefore how these affect nature, on which they are dependent. This shift from isolated pillars to integrated layers, incorporating bottom-up and top-down perspectives, supports rebalancing global development within planetary limits and ensuring equitable outcomes for all. "We need to move beyond the idea that nature, economy, and society are separate domains," said lead author Dr. David Obura, Director of CORDIO East Africa, and currently the Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). "Our model sees them as inter-connected layers of one integrated system. With it, any company, community or country can track the flow of benefits from nature through economic sectors to people, and the ways in which our choices impact on nature." New model Since its introduction, the concept of sustainable development has guided global efforts to balance human well-being, economic growth and environmental protection. Yet, after nearly four decades, evidence shows that the separation of nature, economy and society has produced fragmented, competing priorities that often deepen the very crises sustainability aims to solve. In their new model, the authors integrate decades of research and practice to describe sustainable development as a single, dynamic system. The model posits that three types of capitalnatural, economic and socialunderpin sustainability and are linked through feedback that determines whether societies thrive or decline. When one type of capital is over-developed or depleted, the system destabilizes. The systems model argues that when all types of capital are maintained in balance, resilience and long-term well-being and security become possible. Professor Helen Roy, from the University of Exeter and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said, "Acknowledging the interdependences of ecological and social systems and our dependency on biodiversity and ecosystems will undoubtedly have far-reaching benefits for people and nature." Dr. Jean-Marc Fromentin, Ifremer and Univ Montpellier, and co-chair of the IPBES Assessment on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species, said, "Natural capital is often undervalued or overlooked, even though billions of people directly or indirectly depend on nature, particularly through the use of wild species." The model reveals that today's sustainability challenges are not just market failures, as often described, but result from deeper "values failures." That is, the failure to account for the values and choices made across all three domains. Narrow economic worldviews, rooted in extraction, privatization and short-term profit, have sidelined other essential values such as care, reciprocity and respect for nature and other people. "Sustainable development requires more than addressing market failures; it necessitates recognizing and integrating the diverse values held by different societal groups, ensuring that all voices are considered in shaping our collective future," said Prof Mike Christie, Aberystwyth University and co-chair of the IPBES Values Assessment. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Systems reset By clarifying the relationships between nature, economy and society, the model provides both a conceptual and a pragmatic upgrade to the current framing of sustainable development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting discussions for a post-2030 global sustainability agenda framed around systems balance and diverse values. The paper calls for a "systems reset" to reorient developmentnot only from the perspectives of governments, but also for businesses and the whole of society, towards balance between nature, economy and society. Achieving this transformation requires moving beyond fragmented, growth-driven approaches that focus solely on economic outcomes, towards strategies that safeguard the integrity of all three capitalsnatural, social and economic. Prof Paula Harrison, from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and co-chair of the IPBES Nexus Assessment, said, "Sustainability cannot be achieved by treating nature, economy and society as separate silos. A systems approach reveals them as parts of a single, interdependent wholeone in which balance, not growth alone, is the foundation of a thriving future." To achieve this, the authors recommend four key shifts: Reframe sustainability around systems balancerecognizing that all human activity is dependent on ecological stability. Embed plural valuesbringing Indigenous, cultural and relational worldviews into mainstream sustainability policy and measurement. Adopt systems-based governancedesigning policies that recognize inter-dependencies and account for feedbacks between social, economic and ecological processes. Redefine progressmoving beyond GDP growth to measures that reflect the health of each of the capitals, and flows between them, including ecological health, equity and long-term human well-being. The study provides practical guidance for governments, businesses and civil society to realign their policies with systems thinking. It offers a framework for integrating sustainability reporting and planning across sectors, emphasizing accountability for maintaining natural and social capital alongside economic progress. More information David Obura et al, A systems reset for sustainable development, Communications Sustainability (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44458-025-00009-3 Key concepts Social systemsSustainability This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain SpaceX has the first of a series of afternoon launches in the next week on tap Friday with another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral. A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 6-96 mission with 29 more of the internet satellites is targeting the opening of a four-hour window at 1:03 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40. This will be the 29th flight of the first-stage booster, which will aim for a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts a 95% chance for good launch conditions, which falls to 90% if delayed another day. The mission had originally been targeting a Thursday liftoff, but SpaceX delayed without citing a reason. The company's first launch from Florida this year came in the early morning hours of Jan. 4, but the next two are looking to take off during the daytime. Next up is the Starlink 6-97 mission on Jan. 11 during a 1:085:08 p.m. window from SLC-40 using a booster for the 25th time. Then comes Starlink 6-98 on Jan. 14 from SLC-40 during a 1:015:01 p.m. launch window using a booster for the 13th time. After that, SpaceX looks to return to overnight launches with the Starlink 6-100 mission from SLC-40 targeting a midnight to 3:17 a.m. launch window using a booster for the 24th time. SpaceX flew all but eight of the Space Coast's record 109 orbital launches in 2025, with Blue Origin flying two and United Launch Alliance flying six. ULA's next launch is slated for Feb. 2 flying its new Vulcan rocket for the fourth time ever on the USSF-87 mission for the Space Force from Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41. Blue Origin has not announced a target date for its next flight of its New Glenn rocket. Also on tap could be NASA's Space Launch System rocket making its second launch on the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B. Rollout of the rocket is expected next week with the first launch opportunity coming as early as Feb. 6. NASA's goal is to get the first crewed flight of Orion on its way for a trip around the moon off the ground no later than April. 2026 Orlando Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Two in Yucatan gang arrested for triple homicide from state of Quintana Roo Riviera Maya, Q.R. A group of gang members accused of killing three people have been captured by police. Authorities say two of the five captured are from the state of Quintana Roo. All five have been arrested for the murder of three people in the neighboring state of Yucatan. According to Yucatan authroties, all five were tracked down for the January 5, 2026 shooting deaths of three adults in the municipality of Dzilam Gonzalez, a community approximately 90 kilometers northeast of Merida. Investigative agents from the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP), in coordination with the State Attorney Generals Office (FGE) and with the support of federal forces, executed an arrest warrant against five individuals for their alleged involvement in the crimes of aggravated homicide committed by a gang and attempted aggravated homicide, SSP Yucatan reported in a statement. The individuals arrested are 63 year old Luis Antonio N from Chiapas, 34 year old Alfredo N from Ticul, Yucatan, 32 year old Veronica Rubi N from Chetumal, Quintana Roo, 34 year old Carlos Alberto N from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz and 27 year old Keny Elias N from Cancun, Quintana Roo. According to evidence gathered by investigating agents and prosecutors, the events occurred on January 5, 2026, between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., at a property in the municipality of Dzilam Gonzalez, where several people were gathered. Two individuals arrived at the location on a motorcycle and allegedly fired repeatedly at the victims. As a result of the attack, J. C. V. G. and A. A. R. K. died at the scene. L. F. K. T. was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. A minor was injured but survived. The causes of death were determined by forensic medical examiners from the State Attorney Generals Office. The investigation established a pattern of planning and prior coordination of the attack, which allowed for the identification of the likely perpetrators and provided grounds for the corresponding arrest warrants, the Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (SSP) Yucatan detailed. This result is the product of a thorough investigation, fieldwork, information analysis, and institutional coordination, all aimed at clarifying the facts and bringing those allegedly involved to justice. The five individuals were located, apprehended, and placed at the disposal of the Judge of Control who issued the warrants. In Yucatan, those who come to commit crimes will not go unpunished: we will find them wherever they are. Police say all five people arrested are facing charges of triple homicide and attempted aggravated homicide. Riviera Maya News serving Quintana Roo Mexico since 2014 Your official online newspaper Jennifer Garner has commented on the "hard" divorce from Ben Affleck. (PHOTO: Theo Wargo/Getty Images) (Theo Wargo via Getty Images) Jennifer Garner has spoken candidly about her split from Ben Affleck, describing the end of their marriage as a deeply difficult period in her life. In an interview with Marie Claire UK, the 53-year-old actress reflected on their separation in 2015, saying the emotional impact went far beyond public attention. "You have to be smart about what you can and cant handle, and I could not handle what was out there," Garner said. "But what was out there was not what was hard. The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard." Garner and Affleck, both 53, were married for 10 years and share three children Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose and Samuel. They announced their separation in 2015 and finalised their divorce three years later. Following the highly publicised breakup, Garner said she leaned heavily on those close to her. "I make a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because thats what matters," she told Marie Claire. "Thats where your resilience is: its in your relationships and in the people who carry you through." Garner, who is now dating businessman John Miller, also spoke about the challenges of raising children alongside Affleck under public scrutiny. Co-parenting, she said, has been "the hardest thing" in the context of it being "tricky" for herself and her family. Despite their divorce, the former couple continue to spend time together as a family. A source told People that Affleck spent Christmas with Garner and their children. They said: "Just like they celebrated Thanksgiving together, Ben is invited to celebrate Christmas with Jen and the kids too. They just have this nice routine now that works for everyone." For more on Jennifer Garner's remarks about the divorce, read here. Donald Trump has insisted he doesnt need to abide by international law and the only constraint keeping his power in check is his own morality. In a wide-ranging defence of a week of global provocation, the U.S. president laid out the motivation behind his actions. In the last six days alone, he has launched strikes on Venezuela and captured its president Nicolas Maduro, repeatedly voiced his intention to take over Greenland and claimed that Colombia could be next on his list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont need international law, Trump told The New York Times in an interview in the Oval Office. Im not looking to hurt people. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has successfully tested many of the constitutional and legal limits to his authority firing the heads of independent agencies, attempting to rewrite the 14th Amendment and punishing federal judges who insist on giving immigrants due process. But the presidents more recent decision to conduct aggressive military operations without congressional consent and threaten to take over allies territory has worried international leaders. When asked if there were limits to his power, Trump replied: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. Its the only thing that can stop me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president added that his administration did need to follow international law, but contended that following it depends what your definition of international law is. In an interview with The New York Times, Trump indicated he did not feel his authority was limited by law (Getty) The president also explained how he uses his reputation for unpredictability and his readiness to deploy military action, such as the bombing of Iran, as tools to get other nations to do what he wants. His comments indicate that he believes his use of the U.S. military, economy and political authority to assert dominance over foreign countries could take precedence over following international law or treaties to maintain civility with allies and adversaries. This past week, his administration ramped up rhetoric about the U.S. using military forces to take over Greenland, a Danish territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, Trump told reporters Sunday. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, echoed the presidents remarks later on CNN, claiming the U.S. would use its military unapologetically and that nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. Other administration officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, downplayed the reality of a military invasion. The administrations unabashed bid to take over the island has raised global concerns, especially after Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro pictured at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, before being taken to court in New York (Reuters) When asked whether the U.S. allegiance to NATO outweighed the desire to take over Greenland, the president responded, It may be a choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Explaining why he felt the need to own the island, he told NYT: Because thats what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you cant do with, youre talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cant get from just signing a document. Trump insisted that his actions in Venezuela would not embolden Chinese president Xi Jinping or Russian leader Vladimir Putin to take further action in their own regions. He said the situation in Venezuela was different to China: You didnt have the jails of Taiwan opened up and the people pouring into China. When asked if he thought Xi might now make a move on Taiwan, he replied: He may do it after we have a different president, but I dont think hes going to do it with me as president. Beijing Daily: On January 8, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf chaired the ninth China-AU Strategic Dialogue at the AU headquarters. Could you share more details? How does China view its current relations with the AU? Mao Ning: The AU is a banner for Africa to seek strength through unity. China always develops relations with the AU from a strategic height and long-term perspective. The dialogue is an important strategic communication between China and the AU after the newly elected leadership of the AU Commission took office. Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Africa relations, China-AU cooperation and international and regional issues of mutual interest, which deepened strategic mutual trust, enhanced mutual support, and consolidated solidarity and cooperation. Both sides agreed that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and African leaders, China-Africa relations have grown by leaps and bounds and entered a new stage of jointly building the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Both sides agreed to continue firmly supporting each other on issues concerning core interests and major concerns and to enhance communication, coordination and mutual support in respective major initiatives. The two sides will jointly uphold the international order based on international law and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South. The AU side reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one-China principle and firm support for all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification. We stand ready to work with the AU to implement the outcomes of the dialogue and continue to explore the full potential for practical cooperation between the two sides to deliver more tangibly for the Chinese and African people. Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump told The New York Times he would be very unhappy if China sought to change the status quo over Taiwan during his presidency, as analysts draw comparisons between the U.S.s strike on Venezuela and what lessons China might take from it. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on President Trumps remarks? Mao Ning: Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and brooks no external interference. The Paper: The launching ceremony of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held yesterday at the AU Headquarters. Can you share more information of the event? Mao Ning: Designating this year as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important initiative agreed by President Xi Jinping and African leaders at the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the launching ceremony, expressing the hope that through marking the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the two sides can carry forward traditional friendship, strengthen mutual learning among civilizations, expand people-to-people exchanges, especially among the youth, deepen exchanges of experience in governance and jointly advance modernization. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the launching ceremony where he spoke highly of the achievements of China-Africa people-to-people exchanges and together with guests from the African side unveiled the logo of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Throughout the year, the two sides plan to hold nearly 600 people-to-people exchange activities under the theme of Consolidate All-Weather Friendship, Pursue Shared Dream of Modernization, in an effort to step up exchanges and mutual learning between the Chinese and African civilizations and bring the two peoples closer. China-Arab TV: Seven people were killed and over 50 were injured during Israels sudden air strikes against Gaza yesterday. Whats Chinas comment on Israels violation of the ceasefire agreement? Mao Ning: China is deeply concerned over the current situation in Gaza. We oppose any act that harms civilians and violates international law. China hopes that the ceasefire agreement will be effectively implemented in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis will be eased, and stability will be restored in the region as soon as possible. Relevant parties, Israel in particular, should exercise restraint and avoid further escalation. NHK: Venezuelas Acting President Rodriguez posted on social media that she met with the Chinese ambassador to Venezuela. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm this event occurred and tell us what was discussed during the meeting? Mao Ning: China attaches importance to its relations with Venezuela and maintains sound communication and cooperation with the Venezuelan government. China will continue to firmly support Venezuela in upholding its sovereignty, dignity, national security and lawful rights and interests. No matter what political changes may take place in Venezuela, it will not change Chinas will of deepening practical cooperation in various fields with Venezuela and promoting common development. AFP: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is visiting Japan next week for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi right after his visit to China. So how does China view this visit and the South Korean Presidents effort to expand cooperation with Japan, especially as China has taken measures against Japan like tightening trade restrictions and warning citizens against traveling there? Mao Ning: ROK President Lee Jae Myungs visit to Japan is a matter between the ROK and Japan, and I have no comment on that. The interactions between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability. NHK: Former Japanese ambassador to China Niwa Uichiro died. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this? Mao Ning: Mr. Niwa is a dear old friend of the Chinese people. He is a renowned Japanese entrepreneur, and the first person from the private sector to serve as Japans ambassador to China. He has worked actively to promote the improvement and development of China-Japan relations and the economic cooperation between the two countries, and devoted enormous effort to the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people. China speaks highly of this. We express deep condolences over Mr. Niwas passing and extend heartfelt sympathies to his family. DPA: According to German media reports, Co-chair of the AfD Tino Chrupalla started his visit to China on Monday. Before the visit, he said he would meet with high-level officials of the Chinese government. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm the meetings? Who would Tino Chrupalla meet? What is Chinas position on its relations with the AfD? Mao Ning: China and Germany have long been maintaining broad and in-depth exchanges in political, economic, cultural and other areas, which include interactions between legislatures and political parties. China stands ready to continue the constructive exchanges and cooperation with various sectors in Germany and work for sustained and in-depth development of China-Germany friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation. On January 8th, 2026, Ambassador Zhao Yong presented his credentials to H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The ceremony was attended by Sierra Leonean Foreign Minister Kabba and others. Ambassador Zhao first conveyed the warm greetings from President Xi Jinping to President Bio. He noted that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two Heads of State, practical cooperation between China and Sierra Leone has yielded fruitful results. China is willing to work with Sierra Leone to implement the important consensus reached by the two Heads of State and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to promote greater development of the China-Sierra Leone Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. President Bio requested Ambassador Zhao to extend his sincere greetings and best wished to President Xi Jinping. He stated that China has always been a trustworthy and reliable partner to Sierra Leone, providing substantial assistance to the countrys national development over the decades. Sierra Leone values the friendly cooperation with China and will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China principle, working together with China to elevate the bilateral relations between the two countries to a new height. Ambassador Zhao arrived in Sierra Leone to assume his post on December 22nd, 2025. On January 8, 2026, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Thongloun Sisoulith on his reelection as General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee. In his congratulatory message, Xi Jinping said that since the convening of the 11th National Congress of the LPRP, the LPRP Central Committee has united and led the Lao people in actively exploring a socialist development path suited to the country's national conditions, overcoming difficulties and pressing ahead, and having scored a series of important accomplishments in advancing party building, developing the economy, improving people's livelihoods and expanding external exchanges. The successful convening of the 12th National Congress of the LPRP is highly significant for building on past achievements and opening up new prospects for the development of the party and the socialist cause in Laos. Xi Jinping expressed the hope that under the strong leadership of the LPRP Central Committee with Thongloun Sisoulith at its core, the LPRP and the Lao people will remain united and continue their efforts to successfully fulfill all goals and tasks set forth by the 12th National Congress of the LPRP, continuously make new advances in the socialist cause of Laos, and press forward with resolve toward the party's centenary goal in 2055. China and Laos are friendly socialist neighbors connected by shared mountains and rivers. In recent years, through joint efforts of both sides, China-Laos relations have been at their best in history, with the endeavor to build the China-Laos community of shared future with strategic significance steadily deepening and becoming more tangible, yielding a series of fruitful results. Under the new circumstances where the regional dynamics are deeply interconnected with global changes, Xi Jinping said he is ready to work with General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith to strengthen the strategic guidance for the development of China-Laos relations, carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Laos, deepen the exchange of experience in both party and state governance, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and drive the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future toward a high-standard, high-quality and high-level goal, with a view to bring greater benefits to the two peoples, better serve the development of the socialist cause of both countries, and make new contributions to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large. Emily Henry, super-popular author of contemporary romance novels with six New York Times bestsellers under her belt, has said that her prepublication jitters always center on one thing: how the heroine would be received. In 2023, Henry told New York magazine writer Allison P. Davis that this was a matter of self-image, because the author put some of herself in each heroine: If people dont like this thing about her, reject that thing about her, I am probably going to take it too personally. Well, Im so sorry, Emily Henry. Im sure youre lovely, and I love that you still live in my state of Ohioan underrated, if terminally gerrymandered, place to liveand I deeply admire your principled stance against getting on TikTok. But Poppy, the heroine of Henrys mega-hit 2021 novel People We Meet on Vacation and a newly released Netflix movie based on said novel, is human licorice to me. Poppy is a manic, fun person, addicted to hijinks, always turned up to 11. If youre around Poppy, youre her permanent audience. I say, as a certified hater of travel mindset: This is just the kind of person who loves to travel! The book is told completely from Poppys point of view, meaning the reader spends a lot of time in her brain, which you may or may not find deeply challenging. Now imagine this kind of heroine on screen, in her full, always-on glory, and you have your buzzy new Netflix film starring Emily Bader and Tom Blythone of many recent instances of novels popular with romance readers getting snapped up and adapted (Bridgerton, Heated Rivalry, Colleen Hoovers It Ends With Us, and Regretting You). People We Meet on Vacation chronicles the post-college friendship that Poppy (Bader) maintains with Alex (Blyth), a straitlaced guy from her despised Ohio hometown, who has a soft spot for Poppys shenanigans. As theyre leaving college and moving to different cities, Alex agrees to go with Poppy on yearly summer trips. These trips are just Alex and Poppy, even if either of them has a girlfriend or boyfriend at the time. Quite often, they stay in the same room, in the name of economy. (Yes, sometimes there is only one bedclassic!) On vacation, Alex becomes a person who doesnt mind pretending to be newlyweds to get free beignets, drinking what Poppy tipsily terms too many alcohol, or scrapping preplanned accommodations to stay overnight in a tent, with no toothbrush. (The horror!) You can guess that eventually, the two of them will work their way inward from their extreme polarities and end up a happy couple. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The adaptation, directed by Brett Haley, is done up in saturated candy colors and will please viewers who crave a lighthearted, straightforward rom-com that wont run the risk of provoking endless discourse. Tom Blyth is a fine Alex being broad of frame, sincere of face, and able to dance in a passably sexy way in the fake newlyweds sequence, during Poppy and Alexs trip to New Orleans. Emily Bader, who was the lead in the dearly departed Prime historical fantasy romance My Lady Jane, is a sassy, compact brunetteperfect for Poppy, whom Alex calls tiny fighter. And we get a nice the Challengers wind that makes you cheat first kiss scene, on a street in Tuscany. Unfortunately, everything that annoyed me about Book Poppy gets so much worse in this movie. Despite the personal antipathy I developed toward this character while reading the novel, Henry is a deft writer, and in her hands, its clear that Poppys relentless insistence on novelty has a significant underlying uneasiness to it. She grew up with loving parents who were borderline hoarders, felt she couldnt reveal the texture of her home life to anyone, and was bullied at school. Is her travel bug actually a pathological avoidance of the domestic? Interesting idea! Advertisement Advertisement The movie pulls back from this small amount of darkness, instead extracting the elements of the novel that were clearly inspired by classic rom-coms and making the most of them. In the novel, Poppy is a travel blogger whos building a social media following, as well as working at a staff magazine job. But in the movie, we get, instead, only the most classic 90s-throwback rom-com part of her job: a writer for a print travel magazine, complete with a fancy editor with a British accent. Theres a coast-versus-heartland element, too: Poppy wonders whether she should leave her tiny New York apartment and settle down back in her hometown, where her best friend Alex is able to afford a gorgeous stand-alone homewith what looks like four bedrooms!on a teachers salary. (The generational typicality of Poppys problems gets named in the novel, where Poppys friend Rachel diagnoses her with millennial ennui. Poppy asks, Is that a thing? and Rachel replies, Not yet, but if you repeat it three times, therell be a Slate think piece on it by tonight. We see you, Emily Henry!) Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Netflixs Star-Studded New Mystery Thriller Is Eminently Watchable Trash Read More The adaptation extracts the most scannably awkward elements of Poppys charactershes wearing headphones and singing Robyns Hang With Me out loud at baggage claim, and she doesnt realize how loud shes being! She gets a messy burrito all over Alexs car!and does the most with them, which is, for me, too much. Beautiful heroines who spray sink water on their jeans right after meeting cute guys, instigate dances that cause their hosts treasured chandeliers to fall, or drop an S-bomb in front of the prime minister are rom-com staples, I knowgreat ways to soften up the audience and bid them cringe along. (As Tad Friend wrote in his iconic New Yorker profile of Anna Faris back in 2011, the comedic heroine must always fall down, and then sob about it, in order to be made likable.) Perhaps those who adapted Henrys novel knew that Poppy could be a tough hang, and so they smoothed her out, making her easier for rom-com frequent flyers to parse. But, watching Netflixs take, I found myself oddly defensive of the old Poppythe one that Emily Henry wrote, then worried readers like me wouldnt like. That Poppy may have been annoying, but at least she was never this predictable. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Thats fine, dude, Im not mad at you, Renee Nicole Macklin Good told Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross seconds before he shot and killed her in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Goods last words are memorialized in newly released video footage seemingly taken by Ross on a cellphone as he circled her car. So are the last words Rossor possibly another ICE officerspoke to her as she lay dead or dying: Fucking bitch. The video clearly portrays Good as a calm presence and ICE as a menacing one, which means it does not make good on the narrative conservatives have been spinning about Goods death, claiming that she hit Ross with her car and he killed her in self-defense. And yet the leaked video was published by Alpha News, a right-wing media company based in Minnesota, that previously produced a falsehood-ridden documentary downplaying police culpability in George Floyds murder. Why would this kind of outlet decide to post a video thats so sympathetic to Good? Related From Slate ICEs Killing of Renee Good Is Part of a Bigger Project Read More In the days since Goods death, the right has been trying to paint her as an agitator, a radical, a violent domestic terrorist. Though she certainly does not come off as such in the video, the footage does make clear that she was on that street to protest ICE. To many on the right, this makes her a disposable casualty in Donald Trumps war on immigrants. Conservatives can point to this video to say that Good refused to follow orders to get out of the fucking car, making her culpable for her own death. There is no rule of proportionality in the MAGA universe: Any left-leaning protest activity or civil disobedience is grounds for assassination. But the real reason for Alpha News decision may lie in the second half of the video, after Good tells the officer she isnt mad at him. Goods wife, Becca, is shown walking outside the car, filming Ross on her own phone. She identifies herself as a U.S. citizen and lightly mocks Ross for filming their license plates. You want to come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy, she says. Then she makes a move to get in the passenger seat, seemingly in preparation for the couple to vacate the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Becca is a clockable queer woman. She establishes Good as a member of a minority currently being demonized by Republicans as dangerous to children and a threat to society. This brands Good and her grieving widow as marginal Americans, not citizens of the country Trump and his followers are trying to protect. The administration is waging a war on empathy, and Goods politics and identity placed her on the wrong side of the battle lines. If youre at all familiar with the language used by GOP leaders to dehumanize queer peoplegroomer, tr***yits easy to view this video through the eyes of the MAGA faithful. You wont see two mothers with full, precious lives who deserve to drive away from that street alive. Instead, theyre just a couple of brash dykes who got exactly what they deserved for standing in Trumps way. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The videos of Renee Nicole Goods killing are the stuff of nightmares. On Wednesday, according to footage shot by bystanders, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross appears to shoot Good in the face at point-blank range while she attempts to drive away from another ICE agent prying at her car door. Her wife was reportedly in the seat beside her. We stopped to videotape, and they shot her in the head, Goods wife sobs in one of the most upsetting videos from the encounter. We have a 6-year-old at school. The normal reaction to this incident is horror, rage, and sorrow. A woman is dead, killed by the government under unimaginably traumatic circumstances, her wife mere inches away. She leaves behind three children. Photos from the scene of her death show kids toys spilling out of her glove compartment. The response from Republican officials seemed to describe a different event altogether. This wasnt a poet, wife, and mother whose life was cut short by a bullet, but, according to Donald Trump, a professional agitator who violently, willfully, and viciously ran over her killer. (She didnt.) In lockstep, GOP leaders lied about Goods death and to absolve Ross of culpability, then demonized his victim. In their tale, Good was a domestic terrorist who was responsible for her own death. When GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts was asked for his reaction to the shooting on Newsmax, he said, its terrible. Not Goods death, mind you, but these attacks on law enforcement. Among their base, todays GOP is trying to drum out any natural impulses toward compassion, such that there is no imperative to feellet alone expressany dismay at the killing of an ideological adversary. If Good wasnt on Trumps side, the party line goes, she got what was coming to her. The rush to defend Ross is more than a political move to justify Trumps personal militia run amok. Its another round in the right wings mounting war on empathy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the past few years, influential Christian conservatives have been loudly proclaiming that empathy is toxic, a sin, and a tool of the devil. In their view, progressives use the human inclination to care for others as a way to sway evangelicals toward liberal causes, such as tackling racism or saving USAID, the dissolution of which some analysts say has already caused the deaths of 500,000 children worldwide. The innate desire among well-adjusted people to wish their neighbors happy, healthy lives is a political liability for the party of Medicaid cuts, SNAP freezes, ICE raids, refugee bans, and forced childbirth. Elon Musk has called empathy the fundamental weakness of Western civilization. J.D. Vance has endorsed this perspective, too. In a Fox News interview last year, he laid out a warped version of a medieval Catholic doctrine, ordo amoris, to defend the administrations brutal crackdown on immigrants. You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, Vance said. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world. (Pope Francis later published a letter condemning the deportations that seemed to directly reject Vances view: Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.) Advertisement Advertisement In this worldview, anyone who poses a danger to those within the inner circles of human worthiness does not warrant much empathy. And its easy enough to argue that just about anyone is a threat to ones family, town, or country, thus exempting them from our responsibilities of care. A drag queen, lets say. A liberal judge. Someone wearing a Zohran Mamdani T-shirt at the grocery store. A concerned Minnesotan who stopped to film the agents plucking people out of her community. Advertisement Once a person is no longer worthy of empathy, they become a justifiable casualty in service to any political aim. There is no need to consider proportionality; killing someone for distracting ICE agents is just as defensible as ending a life on a battlefield. From the rights perspective, Goods political views made her fair game, so her gruesome, untimely death by the gun of a masked federal agent need not be met with outrage or remorse. Any empathy for her or her family imperils a greater project: cleansing Minneapolis of immigrants. Advertisement Its a short distance from believing someones death is unworthy of mourning to believing they deserved to die, and a short distance from there to inciting more death. The Trump administrations knee-jerk defense of the ICE agent who killed Good bears echoes of Kyle Rittenhouse, the right-wing wannabe vigilante who, at 17, traveled across state lines to fight Black Lives Matter protesters and ended up killing two of them. In the six years since then, Rittenhouse has become a GOP heroand, wouldnt you know, he chimed in just a few hours after Good died. After thinking about it, should I travel across the state line to Minnesota? he posted on X with a laughing emoji. Advertisement Advertisement The instinct to recoil at the killing of a fellow person, and to feel some vicarious pain as we consider the loss, is part of what makes us human. Historically, we have pathologized people who lack such impulses; they are known as psychopaths, and their qualities have been deemed incompatible with a functioning society. Empathy is the bedrock of what it means to have a society. To live together under some form of shared governance, we have to start from a place of believing our neighbors should not be shot dead in their cars, and being upset when they are. Advertisement Advertisement Over the past two days, as Republican officials have applauded Ross for killing Good, they have repeatedly lied about the videos of the shooting, insulting the intelligence of observers who know what it looks like to be run over by a car. The lies have been instantaneous, effortless, and shameless: Just look at this photo of Trump aide Natalie Harp in the Oval Office, smugly playing a video for assembled New York Times reporters, as if she could convince them they were seeing something they were not. Every falsehood spun by Trump and his acolytes is an attempt to degrade their followers capacity for empathy past the point of flinching at an innocent womans death. The goal is to diminish the ghastliness of Goods death, and with it, the value of her life. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. A decade ago, when we imagined the horrors of living in a world fractured into different realities, we pictured something technologically dystopian. Experts warned that the time would come when we, as a public, would no longer be able to tell whats real and whats not. We would be fed snippets meant to inflame our anger and disgust. There would be candidate sex tapes and footage of crimes committed by racial minorities and leaked audio files with politicians saying horrible thingsall fabrications. We would live in a swirl of anguished mass confusion. But now that that technology is here, its finally time to admit it wasnt ever necessary. At least not to destroy our own shared reality. For that, we just need partisan loyalties. On Wednesday, when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a woman in her car in Minneapolis, the casual and disproportionate violence seemed indisputable: no angle showed Renee Good, the driver, gunning for the ICE agent. The most charitable defense of the agent was that he was jumpy and reacted out of fear when the car started moving near his foot; it was harder to defend him shooting at the window after Good had already cleared him. But immediately, people with partisan and commercial interests in defending ICE declared that the video showed Good was trying to kill the ICE agent. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it domestic terrorism. Official government statements cited a ramming event. President Trump wrote on social media that the cars driver violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense. Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. If you watch the videos, the ICE agent not only appears to have escaped unscathed, he also calmly holsters his gun and walks toward the car after the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And if social media is any indicationand it must be, as it remains one of the key places where large parts of the population take their cues on how to digest political newsthe right has agreed to this interpretation. It needed no fake evidence; it only needed an assertion from authorities in the movement that there was a way to process what they were seeing without challenging their narratives. A simple answer that showed how, if you just thought about things the right way, you could ignore your lying eyes. Yes, when the videos first emerged, there was some small amount of accompanying A.I.-driven disinformation. Some internet users shared A.I.-produced efforts to unmask the ICE agent who killed her, and others shared A.I.-generated photos of Good in conversation with the ICE agent. (Ultimately, A.I.s biggest influence on this story was for provocation: An anonymous internet user asked an A.I. chatbot to reimagine her corpse in a bikini.) Advertisement But for the most part, the discussions surrounding the incident started from the authentic bystander videos, all of which clearly showed Good being shot as she was driving away from the officers. Trump and his allies didnt need fraudulent evidence; they only needed to lie to themselves about what the video showed. The real video was enough for that. Advertisement As a result of all this, instead of mourning a tragedy, were stuck in a debate between two entirely different translations of the same material. This matters not just because it warps truth and dishonors Goods memory but because it makes improving the world impossible. The first step to coming together to address a problema failure in training or protocol; a too-casual use of deadly force; a culture of hostility toward the public; or the charged situation itself, the result of a city under siegeis agreeing there is a problem. Right now, the mechanism for agreeing on that starting point is broken. Advertisement Advertisement And when everything is subjective, nobody ever has to be accountable. Thats particularly true in the killing of Renee Good. But its also true with another event that unfolded this week: the ongoing rewriting of the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and the state-funded efforts to recast it as a patriotic response to a stolen election. The insurrectionists have received pardons and are asking for reparations; they no longer have to worry about accountability. It has become clear that the insistence on polarized realities poses deeply existential threats. Threats to democracy, as with the notion that you can simply declare your election won. Threats to public safety, as with the refusal to acknowledge millions dead from a global pandemic. Threats to the planet, as with the refusal to recognize climate science. On a more intimate scale, its also just exhausting. Its exhausting to be told you didnt see what you saw; that you are lying; that you are acting on corrupt motivation, rather than pain in witnessing a human life snuffed out so casually. Its exhausting to try to extend compassion and to be told that doing so is an inherently partisan activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Yes, You Should Watch the Video of the ICE Shooting in Minneapolis Read More The left is not immune to this. Liberals watched as a flailing President Biden crowed that we finally beat Medicare in a debate, and many still insisted he was fit for office. There had been appearances that showed his mental deterioration before that, and there would be others afterward. And yet they shook off what they could plainly see. Still, Trump is in power, he has torn down all political norms, and his party bears far more responsibility for where we are today. But as long as everyone is willing to do this, to ignore what is right in front of us in order to arm ourselves for conversations to be won or lost, the dynamics will never change: Nothing is ever real, or not real. Its always gray, always partisan. Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly make all of this worse. But we wont have to wait for that dark moment when it subsumes our reality; were already all too willing to alter reality in our own minds. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good while she attempted to drive away from an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Videos show Ross using unjustified force against Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet, when he appeared to be in no imminent danger. Yet the Trump administration immediately defended the murder, defaming Good as a domestic terrorist, asserting absolute immunity for Ross, and obstructing a state investigation into the incident. This defense came on the heels of the administrations declaration that Congress could not limit its military actions in Venezuela, claiming that the president has inherent constitutional power to invade foreign countries. On this weeks episode of Amicus, co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss how Goods killing was not an aberration, but the logical end point of the administrations theory of powerone fortified by the Supreme Courts presidential immunity decision. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: I want to look back at the ways in which the events of the last week, aggregated across the events of the last couple of months, keep demonstrating Donald Trumps absolutely limitless claims of power to do anythingto determine international law, to determine domestic law, to decide when theres an emergency. There are no boundaries. Thats why the two bookended events in Venezuela and in Minnesota sit so heavily on us: We are hearing J.D. Vance and Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem and the president all claim, over and over again, some version of: The president can deport, bomb, arrest anyone he wants. He can invade sovereign nations. He can take over Greenland. He can do whatever he wants. So nobody should be surprised at the resounding claim that his agents can kill people in cold blood, and theyre immune from any scrutiny. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Yes, You Should Watch the Video of the ICE Shooting in Minneapolis Read More I want to go back to the conversation you and I had after Trump v. United States, which the Supreme Court wrote in these very bloodless terms about the immunity conferred upon the president within the outer and inner perimeters of his official acts. And I want to layer that against the image of a family car splattered in the blood of a mother gunned down for no good reason, including the reasons being proffered in defense of the murder. In some ways, I feel like this is the answer to the question that has been plaguing us since we started talking about the immunity case, which is: What does the law even mean when one man is given immunity that he can extend to his cronies and deploy against his enemies? When all of this gets made up on the fly as Trump sees fit, and without limitsbeyond, as he told the New York Times this week, the outer boundaries of his conscience? How do we even think about this as a matter of law? Advertisement Mark Joseph Stern: I think when people in our profession see horrible murders like thisthen watch the president claim it was justified because the victim was a domestic terroristtheres a temptation to process it through legal reasoning. To say: No, thats not right. But you miss the point if you fail to look at the bigger picture. Because the lawyers crafting some of these statements for Trump know that what theyre saying is false. They know that Minnesota has jurisdiction to investigate this crime. Theyre just lying about it. And at a certain point, it does seem foolish to keep arguing the legal logic when it is irrelevant to the people in charge. Advertisement The first and clearest sign we got about this came in March, when the Justice Department said that Judge James Boasbergs investigation into unlawful deportation must yield to the mandate of the electorate. As if Trumps election bestowed upon him a kind of sovereign power, not just as head of the executive branch, but as the personification of the American peoples will. So when anybody tries to stand in his way, they have to be pushed aside. Just this past week, congressional Republicans escalated their effort to impeach Judge Boasberg and remove him from the bench because he dared to resist the mandate of the electorate and say, Actually, laws still matter. Advertisement Advertisement We can hold both truths in our heads: Laws matter, but not to this administration, so there will always be a limit to the legal arguments made against it. We have to insist that in this country nobody can ever claim that they have some kind of freestanding authority to deport, to bomb, to murder because they were elected by the American people. Yes, Trump won the election; that does not mean that he can send his goon squads in with masks and assault rifles and start shooting moms and motorists and anybody perceived as a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately, that is how the Supreme Court seemed to imply that law might work in its immunity decision when it stripped presidential conduct of factual context and insulated official acts from real accountability. And I believe thats the key source of this administrations extralegal logic. I remember Justice Neil Gorsuch saying, during those arguments, that he didnt much care about the details of Trump trying to steal the 2020 election, because the court was writing a rule for the ages. And how that rule for the ages cashes out is Renee Good getting shot in the head, her blood splattered over her kids stuffed animals in the family car. Thats how the rule for the ages ends up transforming our country into a place where Hispanic people have to carry proof of citizenship and any protester can be executed for no reason. Advertisement All of this flows from the presidents own claim to represent the ultimate will of the people, to have total immunity for himself and his agents for any kind of criminal wrongdoing. When Trump started bombing the boats, we should have known that it would very quickly lead to his agents assassinating American citizens in the streets. And there has to be a groundswell of opposition to this conception of the law, because if you squint, you can see how theyre trying to call this law. Its the law as whatever the president claims is necessary and correct, as he told the New York Timeswhatever he believes the country needs, that becomes legal. We have to refuse to buy into the shared reality that the White House is demanding we all buy into. Advertisement Advertisement Ive been thinking a lot about one of the tropes we saw after the Minnesota shootinga lot of people seemed to say: Wait, shes a mom, just like me! She was at school drop-off, just like me! And not that long ago, an appeals court judge talking about the president renditioning people to CECOT said: If they designate anybody as a gang member, they can do it to me. For a lot of us, that seemed like a stretch, right? Youre a federal appeals court judge. Nobodys going to rendition you to CECOT. Advertisement But the category error youre identifying isnt The victim reminds me of me this time and therefore Im horrified. Its that once you give the president the right to declare that people are gang members or drug runners or domestic terroristsonce you have the power to designate entire classes of people, like Somalis and Haitians, as enemies of the stateit can happen to you. I really want to lift that up as a way to think about why we are horrified at what happened to Renee Good. Its not simply because her life is familiar to us. Its because the taking of her life has been batted away on the grounds that she is of a class of people thats subhuman and thus not deserving of the protections of the law. And we all need to realize that if the president can do this to her, the president can do it to me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I guess what makes me despair is that, of course, everything you just said is correct, but its a lesson that we have to keep learning over and over again somehow. People always trot out Martin Niemollers poem about the Holocaustfirst they came for them, and I didnt speak out; then they came for me. I fear that weve reached the end of the usefulness of that poem, because what weve seen is that people have endless excuses for why it wont be them. They think we live in a different time. Weve learned it. We can move on. Advertisement But we havent learned it. Because there are still many people on the right, it seems, who defend the execution of Renee Good, even if they could relate to her on some level. There are a lot of moms out there who are MAGA, who voted for Donald Trump, and who evidently support this murder. So even now, they cant make the connection that if it could happen to that woman, it could happen to me. I dont know how we fix that. I really dont have an answer. Many people just do not have the appropriate fear that we have handed the power over to this president to kill almost anyone he wants. Bee Two Bee will go for his sixth straight when racing returns to Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park for its first card of 2026 on Saturday, Jan. 10. The 14-dash Saturday program kicks off at 12:30 p.m., with the $5,100 Preferred Pace in race 13 highlighting the card with a deep group of top-level pacers. Captainofrocknroll will leave from post one with Ken Murphy driving for trainer Jennifer Doyle in his first start in Canada after racing in New York. Impeccable Shadow is a major contender from post two with Paul Langille aboard after winning his last two. Howmac Maximus draws post three for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Tammy Collings, while Merigo Magic lines up from post four for trainer/driver Adam Merner after hitting the triactor in all his Preferred appearances. T H Boomtown gets post five with Gilles Barrieau handling the lines from the Ron Matheson barn after winning the Preferred 2 in his last start. Race favourite Bee Two Bee will start from post six with Jason Hughes driving from the Ashley Gamester stable. The son of Sunshine Beach has won his last five starts at this level and has not raced since Dec. 20. The Backstretch Beat is siding with Bee Two Bee for the win: Bee Two Bee is on a major roll right now and was a dominant gate-to-wire winner last time out. Hes been assigned post six for this start, but won from here before so were calling for the win streak to hit six straight. The $4,200 Open Trot goes in the seventh and features another classic match-up between Buckhead Ridge, to be driven by Barrieau, for trainer Landon Campbell from post four and Fight Song (Hughes) with post five. The $2,900 PEISHOA Pace is slated for race five and has Dusty Lane Zoro (Donald MacNeill) the top choice from post five for trainer Ronnie Gass. Drew Campbell, a Maritime native who plies his trade primarily in Maine, returns to action with a pair of drives after last racing at Plainridge Park in September. The winner of 6,140 races and $23 million in purses will steer Majestic Mason for trainer Rick Armstrong in race eight and Doctor Grenfell in race 14 for trainer Nicholas Oakes. For Saturday's entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park. (Red Shores) Winbak Farm has released its full 2026 stallion roster. The farm is standing stallions in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Ontario, Ohio and Prince Edward Island for the upcoming breeding season, while introducing five new stallions to the lineup. For 2026, Winbak Farm has added O'Brien Award winners Father Patrick, Maryland and Nijinsky along with Captains Quarters and Madden Oaks. Ontario - Pacers Beach Glass - $7,500 CAD Betterthancheddar - $4,000 CAD (multiple mare and loyalty discounts available) Betting Line - $5,000 CAD (multiple mare and loyalty discounts available) Captains Quarters - $5,000 CAD (multiple mare discounts available) Lawless Shadow - $4,500 CAD McWicked - $5,000 CAD (multiple mare and loyalty discounts available) Tattoo Artist - $7,500 CAD Ontario - Trotters My MVP - $4,000 CAD (multiple mare and loyalty discounts available) Trixton - $5,000 USD Prince Edward Island Artspeak - $2,000 CAD (contact Kingsmen Equine at 613-581-7292 for bookings) Delaware - Pacers Hes Watching - $6,000 USD Nutcracker Sweet - $3,000 USD Sports Column - $2,500 USD Delaware - Trotters E L Platinum - $3,000 USD (multiple mare discounts available) Molotov Cocktail - $3,000 USD (new to Winbak Farm in 2025) Top Flight Angel - $3,000 USD Maryland - Pacers Getitoffyourchest - $2,500 USD Wearinmysixshooter - $6,000 USD Maryland - Trotters Thunderously - $2,500 USD (new to Maryland in 2026) New York - Pacers Courtly Choice - $6,000 USD Madden Oaks - $4,000 USD (new in 2026; contact Dr. J Stallion Management at 717-578-7395 for bookings) Nijinsky - $6,000 USD (new in 2026) New York - Trotters Father Patrick - $5,000 USD (new to Winbak in 2026; contact Diamond Creek at 717-638-7100 for bookings) Maryland - $10,000 USD (new in 2026) Mets Hall - $5,000 USD Six Pack - $5,000 USD (contact Deo Volente at 908-782-4848 for bookings) Ohio Heston Blue Chip - $5,000 USD (new to Ohio in 2026; contact Sugar Valley Farm at 740-363-5618 for bookings) More information on the stallions, including booking applications, can be found at winbakfarm.com. The 2026 breeding season will start on Feb. 17 and end on July 2. Winbak Farm staff is available six days a week to help with breeding-relating questions and to help find the right match for your mare. Email [email protected] or call 410-885-3059 if assistance is needed at Winbak Farm of Delaware or Maryland. Email [email protected] or call 905-838-2145 for Winbak Farm of Canada stallions. Call 845-778-5421 for Winbak Farm of New York stallions. (with files from Winbak Farm) Stall applications for the 2026 live harness racing season at Buffalo Raceway are now available. Participants can pick up the stall packets from the Race Office at either Buffalo Raceway or Batavia Downs, or download it here. The forms must be returned no later than Jan. 30, 2026. Action at Buffalo Raceway, located at the Erie County Fairgrounds, will begin on Wednesday, Mar. 4. The track will conduct live harness racing every Wednesday and Saturday in March with Friday afternoon programs to commence on April 3. There is a lone Sunday afternoon card coming on closing day, July 19. First post time for the entire 2026 season will be 2:30 p.m. The track will offer over $100,000 USD in daily overnight purses. The simulcast centre, located in the Buffalo Raceway clubhouse, will reopen on Saturday, Jan. 31 and will offer wagering from tracks throughout North America on Wednesday through Sundays. (Buffalo Raceway) The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has showcased the potential of drone warfare and just how effective they can be. The interceptor drones, in particular, have emerged as a key combat tool that has even managed to down enemy aerial vehicles carrying missiles. Now, the country's defense wing is making them as speedy as a hypercar. Mykhailo Federov, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, has shared details on a new iteration of the interceptor drone that can reach a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour (or 248.5 mph). At the heart of this next-gen drone are engines supplied by Motor-G, a company that's part of Brave1, the Ukrainian government's platform for collaboration in the defense tech industry. So far, the technical details of the underlying engine are under wraps, but the drone's speed milestone is still pretty impressive. For comparison, it's faster than hypercars such as the iconic McLaren F1, the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (233 mph), Ferrari SF90 Stradale (211 mph), 2021 Pagani Huayra R (221 mph), and the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (221 mph), Ferrari La Ferrari (218 mph), and the Pininfarina Battista (222 mph), among others. The technical achievement is remarkable, especially for a country that is not among the world's top destinations for defense tech innovations. However, Ukraine's next-gen interceptor drone is still not the fastest out there. The current speed record is held by an Australian drone enthusiast named Benjamin Biggs, whose DIY drone cruised at a peak downwind speed of 407 mph. It's worth noting that Biggs' kit was a DIY drone tailored solely for top speed, while Ukraine's interceptor drones are engineered differently to neutralize aerial weapons. But why faster drones, instead of beefing up their attack potential? Well, there are a handful of broad tactical advantages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 11 Of The Most Iconic Ground Attack Military Planes In History It could shift the tide General Chereshnya BULLET interceptor drone. - General Chereshnya Fast drones speed up response times to enemy attacks and reduce the risk of human casualties. Ukraine's next-gen interceptor drone, with its increased speed, could prove decisively effective against more powerful aerial weapons. As per a report by ABC News, the success rate of Ukraine's interceptor drones has fallen against the barrage of Russian drones and missiles. Citing data shared by the country's air force, the report notes that in October, Ukraine managed to neutralize only 4,242 of the 5,312 drones, the lowest figure in 2025. Defense analysts note that the "dramatically increasing number of drones" in the enemy arsenal is one of the key reasons behind the falling interception rates. The report further adds that in the face of intensifying Russian drone and missile attacks, it's evidently too expensive for Ukraine to deploy missiles to thwart those attacks. A speedy drone could prove to be a decisive advantage. As per a report by Bloomberg, Ukraine's drones "can immobilize or even destroy a tank or other large piece of machinery worth hundreds of thousands of dollars sometimes millions." To negate their threat, Russia has reportedly started prioritizing speed over armor or offensive chops, even resorting to sending troops on motorcycles and electric scooters. Against such fast-moving groups, an aerial vehicle that outpaces them could prove to be a winning strategy for Ukraine's drone makers. The Associated Press separately reports that Russia's suicide drones are "now flying faster and at higher altitudes," which further raises the stakes for Ukraine to deploy faster drones into the battlefield against evolving attack vectors. A drone that flies at roughly 248 mph will also be a potent countermeasure to Russia's Shahed-238 and Germany's Geran-3 drones, which move at 230 mph, in the aerial battlefield. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. 1 min read pi-labs, a leading Indian deep-tech company specialising in cyber forensics, cybersecurity, and intelligence, today announced that it has been selected as an official Specialist AI Partner by the Maharashtra Advanced Research and Vigilance for Enforcement of Reformed Laws (MARVEL). MARVEL is a Government of Maharashtraowned entity mandated to design and deploy AI-driven solutions across state departments, including law enforcement. Tech News Of The Day MARVEL works with a highly selective group of technology partners to build and deploy advanced AI solutions for public-sector use. Under this partnership, pi-labs will provide its AI-led law enforcement platforms to strengthen crime prevention, investigations, and operational intelligence capabilities across Maharashtra. Speaking on the partnership, Ankush Tiwari, Founder and CEO, pi-labs, said,We are honoured to be selected by MARVEL as a specialist AI partner. This selection is a strong validation of our deep-tech capabilities and our commitment to building indigenous, India-specific AI systems for modern policing. In an AI-first world, law enforcement agencies require secure, sovereign, and scalable intelligence tools. We are proud to support Maharashtras vision of deploying next-generation AI for effective governance and public safety. Harsh Poddar, CEO, MARVEL, added, We are pleased to welcome pi-labs as a specialist partner. Their expertise in AI-driven solutions for law enforcement aligns closely with MARVELs mission to accelerate responsible and impactful AI adoption across government systems. We look forward to collaborating to deliver meaningful outcomes for policing and public safety. The agreement between pi-labs and MARVEL has been formally signed, and implementation will proceed in line with MARVELs phased deployment roadmap. 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: Shanghai-based AI startup MiniMax's CEO Yan Junjie (R) and Co-founder and COO Yun Yeyi (L) attended the firm's listing ceremony at the Hong Kong stock exchange, after which its shares soared. Shares in Chinese AI startup MiniMax soared 109% as it went public in Hong Kong on Friday, raising US$619 million in a sign that strong investor demand is rewarding the country's rapidly developing sector. Rival firm Zhipu AI also saw gains, jumping 20.6% on its second trading day after its own US$558 million initial public offering. This week's flotations come before any IPO announcements from top US startups OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, known for its Claude chatbot. Founded in 2022, MiniMax has 200 million users and runs several applications including its flagship video generator Hailuo AI. Its CEO Yan Junjie was previously an executive at leading AI software company SenseTime, which is blacklisted by the US Commerce Department. The advancement and application of artificial intelligence "depend on ongoing technological innovation, but even more so on the inclusivity and openness of the entire process," Yan said in Friday's listing ceremony. "We anticipate that over the next four years, the pace of progress in the AI industry will match that of the past four years," Yan added. Co-founder and COO Yun Yeyi told Bloomberg that MiniMax had only spent around US$500 million to make optimization and creative innovations. Proceeds from the IPO will be used for its research over the next five years to develop foundation models and AI-native products, the firm said. MiniMax's team includes researchers who previously worked for tech giants such as Google and Microsoft as well as China's Alibaba and DeepSeek. 'Early stage' Revenue from overseas markets grew from US$100,000 in the nine months ending September 2024 to US$7.8 million during the same period in 2025, the firm said. It recorded net losses of $512 million in September 2025. MiniMax said it may continue to record net losses as it is still expanding and investing to support its long-term growth. The startup also faces a US$75 million copyright lawsuit from Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery over its video-generating tool. The firm has maintained "there is insufficient evidence to support" the claims. Analysts told AFP that profits were unlikely any time soon from Zhipu and MiniMax, the so-called Chinese "AI tigers" who compete with tech giants such as Alibaba and ByteDance. Friday's shares performance shows investors have a "strong appetite for China's tech sector and the AI story," Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, told AFP. The whole AI sector is still at an early stage of development, which requires massive investment, he said, adding that profitability is "not the primary focus" for these startups. "It is about the prospect of which country or firm has the upper hand in gaining market share and staying ahead of the tech curve," he added. The large language model market in China is estimated to grow to 101.1 billion yuan (US$14.5 billion) by 2030, according to consultancy Frost and Sullivan. AI will cumulatively contribute US$19.9 trillion to the global economy through 2030 and drive 3.5% of global GDP in that year, according to International Data Corporation. 2026 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: NLR built a scaled-down version of Kauai's grid using the ARIES platform. With this mock power system and real event data, they modeled the moment Kauais grid suffered an electrical oscillation. This allowed the team to determine optimal inverter settings for Kauai to avoid similar events. Credit: Josh Bauer and Bryan Bechtold, National Laboratory of the Rockies Kauai, one of the most remote islands of Hawaii, stands steady among the timeless crash of ocean waves. Electric waves, however, almost crashed Kauai's power system in an instant. Kauai consistently provides among the lowest electricity rates of any island in Hawaii thanks to Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's (KIUC's) addition of new power sources, many of which rely on electronic devices called inverters. But with more inverters on their system, KIUC identified grid oscillations they had never seen beforenot the normal 60 Hertz frequency, but an imbalance of energy across the island. If left unchecked, the oscillations could cause reliability problems, power outages, and equipment damage. As power systems around the world integrate inverters, they are entering a new physics of operations. The new physics mixes electromechanics and power electronicsmachines and semiconductorsand it just happens that the isolated utility KIUC is one of the first places to face these challenges at scale. Over three years, a team led by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, investigated Kauai's oscillations with every tool available and others they had to invent. They not only found the source and solutions to the problem but also developed a general framework that any utility can use to stabilize and strengthen its grid using modern, power-electronic-based resources. This animation of Kauai's power system recreates the oscillations that occurred on the island in November 2021, using real data from the event. Frequency begins to oscillate after a synchronous generator trips but is eventually arrested. Using this visualization and event analysis, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative and NLR identified the instability source and a suitable improvement. Credit: National Laboratory of the Rockies A warning ripples through As an electric cooperative, KIUC is small and remote enough compared to other utilities that it can try new strategies with less risk and more freedom, but large enough that it provides lessons to utilities all around. Being a small utility, it also needs to keep solutions as simple as possible. "We still manually decide which units come online. We do dispatch calls over the radio and calculate the day-ahead generation with a spreadsheet," explained Richard "RV" Vetter, KIUC's Port Allen power station manager. Even as Kauai added more inverter-based power and battery storage throughout the 2010s, the operators used their intuition to keep the grid operating correctly. "Our requirements for operation were informed by our experience with our grid," said Brad Rockwell, chief of operations at KIUC. "We know how low our voltage dips during transient events, and we know which settings will keep the grid stable. This is our systemwe know how it works." The method developed by NLR and partners to measure the real-time grid inertiaand consequently, its strengthis depicted here. A small electric signal is emitted by a battery plant, and its modulation by the grid is then measured by software in the operators control room. Credit: National Laboratory of the Rockies But in November 2021, what happened on the grid defied its operators' intuition. At 5:30 a.m., the island's largest gas generator unintentionally tripped offline, as generators occasionally do, causing island-wide frequency to dip. The inverter-based plants on the island automatically ramped up power to restore frequency, but an oscillation appeared that caused frequency and voltage to wobble throughout the island. Twenty times a second, an electrical wave sloshed through transmission lines, pushing the frequency near to prescribed limits and dropping around 3% of customers off service until it dissipated a minute later. While this disruption was not disastrous, it was a warning. The oscillation prompted KIUC to seek the help of long-time partner NLR, which soon after launched the Stability-Augmented Optimal Control of Hybrid PV Plants with Very High Penetration of Inverter-based Resources (SAPPHIRE) project, focused on addressing the challenges experienced in Kauai and beyond. Searching for the source Oscillations like Kauai's are not entirely mysterious to the power sector. They have been reported globally and are evidently on the rise. Despite this, each one is studied like an individual anomaly, not an emerging trend. Operators lack a standard policy to treat the problem. "First, we asked, "What does the real data tell us?'" Tan said. Her team gathered KIUC's historical data from phasor measurement units and digital fault recorderscommon grid sensorswhich they used to identify the origin of the oscillation: two inverter-based power plants. "But data alone has limitations," Tan explained. "You can only see 'which' plant is causing the oscillations, not how. So, we leveraged model-based methods, too." They built not just a model of Kauai but the highest-detail electromagnetic-transient model possiblesomething that is rarely done by utilities when commissioning new generators, but that could reach the root of the problem. Using the model plus the data, NLR's team reran the event many times, discovering which inverter settings were instigating the oscillations. Purdue University helped validate the findings via small-signal analysis while NLR's team validated them with hardware testing using the NLR ARIES platform. All said, the team had built a miniature Kauai grid in Colorado, replicating everything down to the exact same inverter model. Thanks to such exhaustive modeling, NLR now had the capability to test new inverter controls and verify their stability before deployment in the field, and Kauai now had a solution to prevent future oscillations. They did not have to wait long to discover if it worked. Electronic stability is put to the test Coincidentally, in 2023, the same large generator tripped, just like two years prior. The same electrical wave shot through the Kauai grid, and the same inverter-based plants responded. This time, no oscillation occurred. The difference was that grid-forming controls had been added to the invertersa paradigm shift in how power systems derive strength and stability. "We've gotten to the point where inverters are dominating our entire resource mix," Rockwell said about KIUC. "Here in Hawaii, we have very limited resource options in the first place, and, without a doubt, inverter-based resources are the cheaper option." First fueled by burning sugarcane waste, then oil, then broadening to hydropower, biomass, then inverter-based resources, Kauai has continually searched for a resource mix to reduce costs and improve robustness to wildfires. To that end, KIUC has grown its inverter-based supplies, often running hours of the day on domestic generation alone. But as KIUC found, inverters have different electrical characteristics, which manifest at the levels reached on Kauai. Most evident, inverters lack the mechanical inertia of spinning generators, which historically steadied power fluctuations. "We're ending up with a grid that's basically a bunch of synchronized computers," stated Andy Hoke, principal engineer at NLR. Hoke has been analyzing the new physics of power systems for over a decade, and he helped KIUC identify the grid-forming inverter settings they needed to restore grid strength. "A grid-forming inverter doesn't try to measure frequency and voltage and respond; rather, it just tries to hold its own frequency and voltage constant," Hoke explained. It is a form of synthetic inertiasomething to make up for less mechanical inertia. "For those grid-forming inverters to act like synchronous machines is very important to us. The fact that we can lose a synchronous machine while these grid-forming inverters stay on means we don't go black," Rockwell said. A probe into power system stability A far-reaching lesson from Kauai is that grid stability is a central, quantifiable, grid commodity. Just as utilities buy electricity from power plants, they can procure stability. This is an outcome of the new, electronic-based physics of power systems. But to work in practice, it requires one important piece. "Operators need the ability to estimate stability on their system," Tan said. "Many operators have seen growing costs from managing stability factors, such as rate of change of frequency. Now that we have proven how inverters can provide stability, we need to show by how much." To cap their collaboration, Tan and team took on this final challenge of estimating real-time stability, and they did so in a way that no one had done before: by probing the power system. With KIUC's consent, NLR sent small pulses through Kauai's grid using an inverter-based plant owned and operated by AES Hawaii. By measuring the pulse throughout the grid with custom sensors from partner UTK, Tan's team could estimate how resources react to an instability. In effect, they could calculate each generator's inertia, physical or electronic, and its contribution to overall stability. "We found that grid-forming inverter-based resources significantly enhance grid stability," Tan concluded. Firm powerthat is, strong, stabilizing power that every grid needscan be found beyond mechanical generators. The three-year effort by Kauai, NLR, and partners demonstrated that power electronics can be equally capable of offering essential grid stability services. In fact, they can offer an even greater range and responsiveness of services than machines. Although Kauai is a remote island, its electrical issues are not so remote. Findings from island systems may inform grid planning in other contexts, too. "It will not require technologies that are far more advanced than what we already have," wrote Hoke and NLR Power Systems Engineering Center Director Benjamin Kroposki in an IEEE Spectrum feature. "It will take testing, validation in real-world scenarios, and standardization so that synchronous generators and inverters can unify their operations to create a reliable and robust power grid. Manufacturers, utilities, and regulators will have to work together to make this happen rapidly and smoothly." Strength in unity for the power sector To sum up, the SAPPHIRE project found the source of Kauai's grid oscillations, validated and proposed a solution, witnessed its success, and then developed a way to measure instantaneous grid strength. The full report provides even more detail and describes how inverter-based grids can provide affordable and reliable energy to customers. "This is a huge success," commented KIUC Engineering and Technology Manager Cameron Kruse. "Inverter-based resourcesthat's our bread and butter for stability. Pre-2012 we used to load-shed twice a month; now we rarely do. We've microgrid-ed through the July 2024 Kaumakani wildfire with this system. Our vision of reliable, low-cost, safe power delivery hasn't changed, but our 'how' has," Kruse said. It worked for Kauai, and it could work elsewhere. The new challenge is to standardize the solution. "Our goal is to drive consistency across technologies," Kroposki stated. Kroposki heads the UNIFI Consortium, a 60-organization-strong effort that aims to standardize approaches to grid-forming inverter-based resources. "We're making instructions on how to connect grid-forming inverters to the grid. This includes general requirements that manufacturers can meet, specifications for operators to follow, and ways to validate everything. It's about taking lessons learned from the Hawaiian Islands back to the mainland," Kroposki said. One such lesson: It helps to have everyone in the same room. Progress in power electronics can be hampered by industry disconnects. Utilities need precise inverter models and data, but this information is proprietary. On the other end, inverter makers are not always informed of how their products fare in the field. "With UNIFI, we've created a middle ground. Industry needs that back-and-forth validation of eventsfor utilities to see what parameters do inside the inverter and for manufacturers to understand use cases for its products," Kroposki said. As UNIFI finishes its final year and delivers a vast library of well-tested models, standards, and controls, the power industry also has an example to reference: Kauai was one of the first locations to embrace the new grid physics, and it turned out well for their electricity rates and reliability. Now, it is possible anywhere. 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: U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, chair of the House Energy & Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, opened the Stanford-led Nuclear Fuel Cycle Roundtable with a keynote address. Credit: Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford The vision of a U.S. nuclear power renaissance has a blind spoturanium fuelin the near term and long, according to a Stanford University-led industry meeting. AI data centers, reshoring of manufacturing, and the electrification of transportation, buildings and other sectors have heightened demand for affordable, reliable power around the clock. Nuclear energy could check those boxes, its proponents say, but supplies of enriched uranium for existing power plants are tight, vulnerable to geopolitics, and getting more expensive. New fuel forms for advanced reactors, meanwhile, offer promise, but scaling them affordably and in parallel with conventional fuel systems could squeeze conventional fuel markets even more. Over 100 leaders across the nuclear fuel sector, utility executives, government regulators, and reactor designers and developers gathered in July in Arlington, Virginia, to examine these barriers and identify possible ways to overcome them. The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Roundtable was organized by STEER, an initiative of Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Energy & Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, opened the discussion with a keynote address. On Dec. 29, Nature Energy published a summary of the insights that emerged from the meeting. The Trump administration has been moving to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain. On Jan. 5, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $2.7 billion in contracts to three domestic fuel enrichment companies for conventional reactors and next-generation reactors now in development. "As in any hard-tech sector, investment enthusiasm can often be driven by exuberance," said the founder and team lead of STEER, Adrian Yao, who spearheaded the roundtable. "We sought to focus on the fuel supply chain while much of recent private investment activity has been focused on current and next-generation reactors amid this new nuclear groundswell. Specifically, our objective is to identify 'what must be true' for the fuel supply chain to support the growing demand." Conventional nuclear fuel Immediate growth in nuclear power productionlike last year's announcement of restarting a Three Mile Island Nuclear Generation Station reactordepends on the deeply international supply chain for nuclear fuel. That chain has four links: mining the uranium; converting it to a gas form; enriching it to increase the fissile U-235; and fabricating uranium pellets and fuel rods for shipment to nuclear power plants. The industry discussion stressed that several links in this chain are at risk. Four countries dominate mining: Kazakhstan, Namibia, Australia, and Canada. The United States mines very little uranium, due to lower-grade ore and higher costs. While most meeting participants did not express strong concerns about mining due to friendly partners, some stressed the importance of rebuilding U.S. domestic mining, highlighting uranium as a critical mineral. Also, the largest producerKazakhstancontinues to seek strategic autonomy from its interdependence on Russia and, increasingly, China. This may be viewed as an opportunity for the United States. Only five facilities worldwide convert mined uranium on a large scale into the gas needed for enrichment. This step may pose one of the most critical pinch-points in the supply chain. Markets for these services have been turbulent in recent years, with price dips and spikes forcing western plants into shutdown and restart cycles. Stockpiles of converted uranium gas are shrinking. Without big, long-term contracts, conversion company executives at the July roundtable expressed hesitation to expand capacity. Uranium buyers, meanwhile, are reluctant to pen long-term agreements inflated by today's high prices. Even when buyers are prepared to sign, the incremental demand is significantly less than the stepwise supply added by capacity expansions. To break this deadlock, several meeting participants suggested that U.S. federal and state governments could act as customers of last resort for new facilities. "This could provide the payment certainty required for investment in new conversion capacity," said Yao, Ph.D. Enrichment, the third stage of the nuclear fuel supply chain, remains heavily concentrated: Nearly half of global capacity is in Russia, with only two major commercial enrichers operating in the United States and western Europe. This poses a strategic challenge for the United States, which relies on Russia for nearly 30% of its enriched uranium supply. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Congress passed legislation in 2024 to ban enriched uranium imports from Russia. Several European countries are also working to reduce their dependence on Russian fuel. The United States is self-sufficient only in the final fourth step of the conventional fuel supply chain: making ceramic pellets from enriched uranium and producing fuel rod assemblies. Meeting attendees generally agreed, however, that for national and economic security the United States should develop capacity across the entire supply chain for conventional reactors. The U.S. ban on enriched uranium from Russia sparked some interest in investment to do just this, but the investments stalled due to concerns about the ban's effectiveness and durability. For example, waivers can be granted if alternatives to Russian supplies are insufficient, and Russia may be able to circumvent the ban via other countries. "Many participants suggested that China could circumvent the ban by 'flag swapping' Russian uranium in U.S. markets," said Bennett Johnson, MBA '24/MS '25, a co-author of the report and STEER's strategic partnerships lead. "Other participants questioned how long the political support for the ban would last. Investors want some certainty that it would last at least 10 years." Next-generation reactors The meeting turned its attention to next-generation fission reactors now mostly in development, generally known as "Gen IV." Fuel for these new generators will need a much higher degree of enrichment. One ton of Gen IV nuclear fuel is estimated to require almost 40 tons of mined uranium, compared to less than 10 tons for conventional nuclear fuel. Those higher degrees of enrichment translate into fuel that generates electricity for a longer time, so the impact on mined uranium is less severe than four to one. Still, fuel suppliers at the roundtable said that without significant additional mining, conversion, and enrichment capacity, next-generation reactors could further stress uranium supplies for the existing nuclear fleet, already burdened with high fuel costs. Reactor designers and fuel manufacturers working on next-generation advanced reactors noted that the complexity and limited commercial experience with new fuel forms could lead to low fabrication yields and high costs. Access to test reactors, critical for validating fuel performance and refining manufacturing specifications, is limited, the designers and fuel manufacturers emphasized. Today the only operating Gen IV reactor is in China. Standardization of chemistries and fuel specifications, particularly through coordination between reactor designers and fuel fabricators, was proposed to accelerate the fuel manufacturing learning curve. Broadly, the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Roundtable highlighted the need to reduce technological, economic, and policy uncertainty throughout the nuclear fuel supply chain to stimulate growth. Primary avenues for doing so potentially include strategic global partnerships and coordination of fuel standards; additional clarity on enforcement of geopolitical policy actions, like the ban on uranium from Russia; R&D to support efficient and low-cost manufacturing of nuclear fuels for advanced reactors; and independent and timely analysis. "Combining Stanford's convening power with our impartial investigation enables us to help answer 'what to build, where to innovate, and how to invest' while being grounded in the realities of deployment," said William Chueh, director of the Precourt Institute, as well as the Kimmelman professor of materials science and energy science at Stanford, and of photon science at SLAC. More information: Peter E. Carpenter et al, Securing the nuclear fuel supply chain for a growing energy future, Nature Energy (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01931-5 Journal information: Nature Energy Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday welcomed H.E. Stanley John as the countrys new Governor General and thanked his predecessor Dame Susan Dougan for her dedicated service to the nation. Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Godwin Friday, delivered remarks at the swearing-in ceremony of the countrys new Governor General, His Excellency Stanley Kendrick John, KC, at Government House, December 06, 2025. In welcoming the new Governor General, Prime Minister Friday described His Excellency Stanley Kendrick John, KC, as a distinguished son of the soil whose career has been marked by excellence, integrity, and professionalism. He noted Governor General Johns commitment to upholding the highest standards of the legal profession. Reference was also made to Governor General Johns role in public service and politics, with Dr. Friday describing him as "a man who has consistently given his best to his country while remaining true to his principles, family, and values, and has demonstrated a "deep love for country and commitment to service (which) would guide his tenure as Head of State. He acknowledged his personal relationship with the new Governor General, describing it as one of mutual respect. Dr. Friday expressed confidence that His Excellency Stanley Kendrick John will serve honourably and faithfully as His Majesty the Kings representative in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In giving perspective to H. E. Stanley Johns appointment, Dr. Friday noted that it comes "at a time of renewal and optimism, following the recent general election which delivered a clear mandate for change and progress. And against that backdrop, he reaffirmed his Governments commitment to governing with respect, unity, and resilience, pledging to fulfil the mandate entrusted to him by the people. Prime Minister Friday also used the occasion to thank outgoing Governor General Dame Susan Dougan for service to the country, commending her for what he described as "enduring and outstanding service to the nation. He expressed the gratitude of a thankful nation for her years of dedicated public service and extended best wishes for good health and success as she embarks on the next chapter of her life. Nicolas Maduro (right) and his wife Cilia Flores on their way to their appearance in a Manhattan Federal Court on Monday. Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, and his wife Cilia Flores, Flores were removed forcibly from their resting place on Saturday morning, during a surprise pre-dawn attack by US forces. By Monday morning they appeared in a Manhattan federal court and pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charged. Their next court appearance is set for March 17, 2026. Among those voicing a reaction to the US action was St. Vincent and the Grenadines Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, during a press conference on Monday morning at his partys headquarters on Murrays Road, Kingstown. He assessed the development as "highly complicated, and described it as a "breach of international law, with the likelihood of a "knock on effect. The former Vincentian Prime Minister referenced events under which leaders have suffered at the hands of a superior force. He pointed to Toussaint LOverture tricked, captured and transported to France in 1801 even before the Haitian Revolution (1794 1804) was complete. Reference was made to King Jaja who resisted British invasion of the Opobo territory, presently Nigeria, was kidnapped, perhaps the first international case of kidnapping in modern time, exiled to St. Vincent and died en route to his homeland in 1891. Bertrand Aristide, Haitian leader, president of Haiti in 1991, from 1993 to 1994, from 1994 to 1996, and from 2001 to 2004. He was in exile after the 1991 military coup until 1994 in an arrangement devised by USA, Canadian and France authorities. and again after his overthrow in 2004 until 2011. Gonsalves pointed to Dominica-born Rosie Douglas, arrested and charged in Canada and deported for his role in the Sir George Williams university incident. The Opposition leader also pointed to Marcus Garveys jailing on "trumped up charges in 1923, and pointed to Joe Bidens admission of his innocence in 2024. Gonsalves is skeptical about Maduro receiving a fair trial. He resorts to the United Nations for any kind of justice because "we have to use the instruments that are available. H.E. Stanley Kendrick John K.C. takes the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office to affirm his appointment as the 7th Governor General of the State of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. H.E. Stanley Kendrick John K.C. was officially sworn in as this countrys 7th Governor General on January 6, 2026, during a ceremony at Government House. His Excellency replaced Dame Susan Dougan who demitted office a day earlier in keeping with an indication she had made earlier. Dame Susan was the first female to hold the position of Head of State (Governor General) and Stanley John K.C. becomes the first legal luminary to fill the post. Pursuit of Law According to Wikipedia, "Stanley John was born on 1 June 1951 in Calliaqua, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He attended the St. Vincent (Boys) Grammar School and later University College London where he was enrolled at the Faculty of Laws, earning a Bachelor of Laws with honors in 1976. After that, he attended the Inns of Court School of Law and was admitted to the degree of utter barrister in 1977. He worked under Sir Louis Blom-Cooper before moving back to Saint Vincent in 1978, being admitted to practice law that year by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. As he became engrossed in the practice of his profession, Stanley John established himself as an expert on Constitutional Law, Commercial Litigation, International Finance and Banking, International Trade and Maritime Law, among other areas. He has represented various foreign government agencies, banks, insurance companies, trusts and other domestic and international companies, in relation to matters pertaining to the laws of SVG. Stanley John was appointed as a Queens Counsel (Q.C.), which automatically became Kings Counsel (K.C.) upon the accession of King Charles III, in February 2014. As Governor-General, His Excellency Stanley John K.C. will represent His Majesty King Charles III, and preside over key constitutional and ceremonial duties. Political sojourn Like many lawyers before him and after, Stanley John K.C, entered active politics as a member of the St. Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) , which had led St. Vincent and the Grenadines to independence from Great Britain in 1979, soon becoming the Editor of The Star, that partys organ. He remained a member of that Party until 1994, when it merged with the Movement for National Unity (MNU) to become the Unity Labour Party (ULP). During his politically active years, Stanley John was government (SVLP) senator in the House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 1983. The following year (1984) when the SVLP lost the election to the New Democratic Party (NDP), he became an opposition senator and served in that position until 1989. In 1992 he became the leader of the SVLP and was elected as a representative of the East St George constituency in the House of Assembly in 1998, serving through to 2001. He focused mainly on law after his departure from the House of Assembly in 2001 and even when he endorsed the NDP on the eve of the 2015 general elections, he never returned to active politics. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Leader of the Opposition, described the NDP governments VAT-free Day as a trick to attract attention. The December 19 VAT-Free Day, a fulfilment of an election promise of the New Democratic Party (NDP), was described by Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves as a "gimmick. He made his feeling known last Monday December 5 at a press conference held at the Headquarters of the Opposition Unity Labour Party. Gonsalves highlighted that many of the items purchased during the shopping spree were already VAT-free, and cited chicken wings as an example. He pointed to a $150M collection a year as a result of VAT, and estimated the savings on the appropriated VAT-free exercise at $500,000 approximately. The Opposition leader addressed, albeit briefly in some case, a number of other issues. He referenced duty-free concession on barrels, which he insisted "incurs significant loss to government revenue collection, and pointed to a raising of the income tax threshold from which workers benefit, both measures being initiatives of his Unity Labour Party government. What he called a "fly invasion did not escape his attention and he urged journalists to investigate that occurrence. "Why dont you open your eyes? he asked. He alluded to vending on the streets of Kingstown. For him, the situation is reverting to a "free for all and he pondered: "Is there a government. But it was the issue of a "promised bonus salary for public servants that captured a detailed response from the Leader of the Opposition, still to be sworn in officially. He expressed uncertainty as to how that payment will be made and indicated that a full bonus will cost the government about $35M, which taxpayers will be the primary contributors. Dr. Gonsalves also raised the question as to whether employees with "with security of tenure will be included in this payout. "You have to do it, he said, addressing the government. He noted that the matter will come to Parliament and he stated categorically that he will not be "supporting anything other than what the people voted for. You have to give them. Dr. Gonsalves reminded that, "The role of the Opposition is to educate people on certain basic things. Gonsalves is promising robust opposition and is setting up an "Alternative cabinet. He promised four questions for written answers from each Opposition member in the House ie. himself and two senators. For him, the objective "is to use every avenue to advance the people. Brooklyn, New York-based Vincentian author Caren Charles-De Freitas has released her first childrens book, "Girl in a Pretty Dress, published by Brooklyn-based Palatial Publishers, LLC. "Every little girl likes to dress up in pretty dresses. As the 10th of eleven children, fourth of four girls, I had to wear the cast off locally known as Hand Me Downbecause my parents were not well off enough to buy pretty dresses all the time, Charles De Freitas told THE VINCENTIAN. The acting director at Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn, where she is leading the task to "Bridging the Gap, a reading pathway initiated by late president and CEO Vaughan Toney, added, "The little girl in the story mimics the child inside of me that always wanted to dress up and twirl but never had the opportunity so to do. "It also exposes the dynamics of some homes, where the father is away working to maintain the needs of the home, and mom keeps the household going. "While that is happening, unforeseen circumstances can cause disruptions in the natural flow of life, she continued. "Fancy is faced with a situation of seeing her father in a different role wheelchair bound. Can she love him the same way? Is he going to be able to provide for his family as he was accustomed to? Charles-De Freitas, an ordained minister at Trinity Methodist Church on Eastern Parkway, near Utica Avenue, in Brooklyn, where she has been worshipping for the last 20 years, is the author of two previous publications: "Shadows in the Shade, an anthology of poems published by Authors House in 2016; and "Living Waters, a 90-day devotional, co-written with her pastor, Rev. Derwin Grant, in 2021, during the COVID pandemic, published by Amazon Publisher. She desires to publish at least two books annually, on her way into retirement, "because of the number of manuscripts from several genres Ive been writing and compiling over the last 30 years from romance novel, poetry, childrens books and spiritual books. Charles-De Freitas love for writing was triggered through her love of reading. "And so, from an early age, after winning the BBC Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation Essay Writing as a young teen, I knew I was destined to be a writer, she said. "My desire was to be a journalist, not a teacher, but the Lord had already marked out my path as an educator. And while she has been in the education field for the last 46 years, she never stopped writing. " I have experienced both the highs and lows of writing, she said. "Its an exciting yet challenging experience to be able to bring my words to life in a storyline that can capture the heart of children. "It brings great satisfaction to see my writing take shape on the page, she added. "There are those moments of self-doubt and creative block, when I cant figure out what the next sentence should be. However, this journey as a writer has brought me so much joy, pleasure, and a great sense of personal accomplishment. "My desire is to one day make it to the Best Sellers List and earn a Newberry Medal, Caldecott Medal or a Coretta Scott King Award for writing childrens books, continued Charles-De Freitas, who was born and raised in Cedars, a small coastal village on the Windward side of mainland St. Vincent. As a child, she said her love of reading was encouraged by her late father, who was an avid reader. She began her teaching career at the elementary school level, at 15, and harnessed her love for reading and writing in the classroom environment. She said her two "beautiful children have benefited from the exposure to her writings early in life, disclosing that her only daughter, Liani Frederick, is pursuing studies in arts and culture in journalism at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in midtown Manhattan. Charles-De Freitas holds an undergraduate degree in childhood education from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and a graduate degree in early childhood education from Grand Canyon, Arizona. Vincent Bacchus - KA2CPA/J85B (deceased) one of the pioneers of amateur radio and radio communications generally in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. January 22, 2026 will mark 31 years since recently rebranded Youlou Amateur Radio Association YARA - started its operations with a hike to Mt. St. Andrews (MSA), and announced to the world that the Rainbow Radio League (original name for YARA) was launched. Portable HF radio equipment, including a heavy 12 Volt lead acid battery, was toted up the steep slopes of the fourth highest mountain in SVG. The radio operators during that initial hike included Albert Browne J88CT, Paul Lowman J88DF, Sean Patterson J88CU and Donald De Riggs J88CD. For a few years after 1995, January 22 (then a public holiday known loosely as Discovery Day), Mt. St. Andrews became a mecca for local radio amateurs, mainly for the exercise, excellent view and for making regional and international contacts from its summit. Religiously, a team would assemble at the base of the mountain for a 5:30am ascent, to avoid carrying the heavy battery, radio equipment and tent uphill under a scorching sun. The January 22 holiday, before its dissolution as such, was also used to discover places like Savan Island, Mustique, Petite Mustique, Grand Bonhomme, Petit Tabac, Baliceaux and Battowia. Portable HF radios were taken on each trip. Activities, Accomplishments, Shortcomings After the turn of the century, the RRL, now YARA, successfully executed five consecutive annual regional field exercises dubbed "Operation X. These exercises afforded the opportunity for radio amateurs from Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and SVG to visit each others territory, setting up and operating HF radios from the main emergency shelters in all these islands. The exercises were conducted with the cooperation of the Disaster Management agencies of the countries named, and with the support of Mustique Airways, SVG Air, ICE AIR (St. Lucia) and LIAT. Disaster Agency personnel benefited from training during all these exercises. Logistical issues together with the lack of YARAs own maritime and aeronautical assets forced the discontinuation of these practical and very useful training exercises. This also inhibited YARA from being especially effective in delivering service as emergency communications (Emcoms) first responders. The lack of maritime and aeronautical assets also limits the opportunity for YARA members to train with the local Coast Guard and be of assistance to them when the situation/emergency requires extra help. YARAs more notable accomplishments include: responding to the Emcoms needs of Dominica following the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017; and working with the Coast Guard in the rescue of a Barbadian fishing boat that had been drifting for 10 days. A plan is afoot to visit Dominica in 2027 for a joint Emcoms exercise with WARA (Waitikubuli Amateur Radio Association), as part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the passage of hurricane Maria. Benefactors through the years As YARA prepares for its 31st anniversary on January 22, 2026, the Directorate wishes to thank our sponsors and members who have kept the flame of Amateur Radio, aka Ham radio, alive. A few names from the long list need special mention here. These include BOSVG, Sol Petroleum, SVGAIR, Barefoot Charters, Grenada Co-Op Bank, SVGCG, RIGGS Construction, Sea Operations, Keith Boyea, Leroy "Fly Edwards, John Crichton, Ian Veira, Elvis Gooding, Kelly Glass, Gus & Bert De Roche, Jeffery King, Zannie Adams, Lesroy Noel, Bernard Morgan, Howie Prince, Michelle Forbes, Dr. Masada James, and Grenadas Floyd Dowden, "Mike Charlie on YouTube, and Sylvan Mc. Intyre from Grenada. Maxwell Burke, captain of the MV Guidance that vanished during hurricane Beryl, also played a pivotal part in YARAs development, assisting on several occasions with training exercises. OT Mayers, Clifford Davy, Claude Richards J85M, Kerwin Morris J85A, Martin Barnard J88AA, Robert Young J85I and Vincent Bacchus - KA2CPA/J85B, all deceased, were also some of the benefactors, mentors and members. Our members who have made notable contributions to our longevity include the following: Marilyn J88NEE, Vulon J88VL, Kavern J88NEI, Christine J88NEJ , Elna J88NEK, Carol J88NHO, Helen J88DL, J88NEY Rochelle, J88NEX Raquel, Molica J88NMF, Velitha J88NGI, Denise J88NLS, Shamanta J88NSF, Anesha J88NAP, Karyn J88NKC, Lavell J88LM, Syl J88NSB, Steve J88NAC, Leon J88NFJ, Ron J88NRH, Ronald J88EA, Andre J88FP, Justin J88DA, Reni J88DM, Jose J88NGR, Eban J88NGL, Ian J88NIR, Cally J88DX, Sylvester J88DT, Monte J88NMB, Clayton J88NFE, Brian J88NFN, Leslie J88LE, Percy J88NEB, Lawson J88NLL, Sean J88CU and in recent times Tony KC2ADI/J88BT, Jeff J85E, James J88NJT, Arington J88SE, Justin J88PB and Jas J88NCJ. On Thursday, January 22, YARA will elect a new Directorate to run the day-to-day affairs of this non-profit, community service amateur radio organisation. The elections will be followed immediately by a 31st anniversary toast to the incoming Directors of YARA. The offices to be filled include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer; and two Committee Members. The Immediate Past President/Executive Director Don De Riggs will also serve on the Directorate, together with Zonal Directors to be named by the respective geographical zones. The YARA also, through this medium, recognizes the support of the media and extends thanks for same. SVGTV, NBC radio, Magic FM, Searchlight, NEWS, THE VINCENTIAN, IWN and others have all contributed to publishing and archiving YARA activities over the past 30 year. Report submitted by: Donald De Riggs U.S. Senate advances resolution to limit Trump's war powers following Venezuela strike Xinhua) 08:17, January 09, 2026 WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday advanced a resolution aimed at limiting U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to take further military action against Venezuela. The measure would require "the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress." The vote was 52 to 47, with five Republican senators joining all Democrats in support of the measure. A Senate floor vote is expected to pass the resolution next week. The move came days after the Trump administration launched a large-scale military strike in Venezuela on Jan. 3, taking by force the oil-rich South American country's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, before putting them in custody in New York, drawing worldwide condemnation and concern. "This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President's Authority as Commander in Chief," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. "In any event, and despite their 'stupidity,' the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me," the U.S. president said, claiming that the five Republican senators who voted with Democrats "should never be elected to office again." Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, introduced the resolution last month after the Trump administration reportedly killed two people who survived the initial U.S. boat strike in the Caribbean on Sept. 2, 2025. The legislation was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Rand Paul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. "The indication from the administration (is) that this is not a few days or a few weeks, it's likely a few years of U.S. occupation and involvement in this country," Kaine said Wednesday on the Senate floor. "This is not an arrest warrant. This is far bigger than that," said the Democratic senator, referring to the U.S. raid to take Maduro by force. "Make no mistake, bombing another nation's capital and removing their leader is an act of war, plain and simple," said Paul, the resolution's lone Republican co-sponsor. "No provision in the Constitution provides such power to the presidency." "I believe invoking the War Powers Act at this moment is necessary, given the President's comments about the possibility of 'boots on the ground' and a sustained engagement 'running' Venezuela, with which I do not agree," Republican Senator Susan Collins said in a statement. However, many Republican lawmakers defended the Trump administration's military action, though the White House had neither informed Congress in advance nor tried to seek approval from Congress, arguing that the boat strikes and the raid on Maduro were well within the president's constitutional authority. Trump on Wednesday evening told The New York Times that the United States expects to run Venezuela and extract oil from its vast reserves for years. Asked how long the United States would remain Venezuela's political overlord, Trump answered, "I would say much longer." The international community is deeply shocked by the Trump administration's raid on Maduro. Multiple countries have issued statements strongly condemning the U.S.'s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president, which is widely believed to have violated international law. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Idaho Attorney General's Office will reduce paid parental leave for its employees from eight weeks to two weeks, eliminating extended benefits that have been available to state workers since 2020. The policy change affects employees within the Attorney General's Office and represents a significant reduction from the current eight-week paid parental leave benefit established under Governor Brad Little's Families First Act. The office previously followed the statewide executive branch policy that provides up to 320 hours of paid leave for eligible employees following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. Attorney General Raul Labrador's office confirmed the reduction, which takes effect immediately for new parental leave requests. The change means employees will have 75 percent less paid time off to care for newborns or newly adopted children, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. Access to Job-Protected Leave Employees can still access unpaid leave through the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, but must use accrued vacation or sick time for any additional paid time off beyond the two-week period. The reduction comes as the Idaho state government faces budget constraints and follows other cost-cutting measures across state agencies. The Attorney General's Office has cited fiscal responsibility and budget alignment as reasons for the change. Employees in the office expressed concerns about the impact on family finances and infant care, particularly given medical recommendations that mothers need at least six to eight weeks to recover from childbirth. The statewide eight-week parental leave policy remains in effect for other executive branch agencies, creating a disparity within state government, Idaho News reported. The Department of Administration's human resources division oversees the executive branch policy, which Governor Little expanded in October 2024 to include foster care and kinship placements. That policy provides 100 percent salary replacement during the leave period and allows employees to care for and bond with their children without financial hardship. Parental Leave Policy Idaho's parental leave policy has been a key benefit for recruiting and retaining state employees, who often earn less than their private-sector counterparts. State workers earn between 3.6 and 4.6 hours of sick leave per pay period, meaning an employee would need to save sick time for nearly a year to accumulate two weeks of paid leave. The reduction in the Attorney General's Office may signal broader challenges to maintaining competitive benefits across state government. The change places Idaho's chief legal office among the minority of state agencies nationwide offering limited parental leave. While federal law does not require paid parental leave, 13 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted paid family leave programs. Idaho has relied on its executive branch policy to provide this benefit to state workers, making the Attorney General's Office reduction notable as an exception to the statewide standard, as per NCSL. If I asked you (the reader): do you think most people can be trusted? Would you answer yes o Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Tucson voted Thursday against extending a set of Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years. He did so after previously issuing warnings about expiration of the subsidies, The Arizona Republic notes, and did not join 17 Republicans who joined with all Democrats to pass the bill in the House. All Republicans in the Arizona delegation voted "no." Ciscomani, who represents a southeast Arizona swing district, warned last year of "massive" consequences for Arizonans if the health subsidies were allowed to expire, as they did on Dec. 31. "Doing nothing is not an option," he wrote in a Dec. 4 news release. However, when several members of Congress including two Republicans introduced discharge petitions that would force a force on extending the subsidies, Ciscomani didn't sign on, while dozens of his GOP colleagues did, Laura Gersony of The Arizona Republic reports. Ciscomani aide CJ Karamargin told The Republic Ciscomani is "not accustomed" to signing onto discharge petitions, "especially when there's an alternative plan offered by leadership." Ciscomani voted against bringing the three-year extension proposal to a vote on the House floor on Wednesday, and then voted against the bill on Thursday. In a statement to The Republic, Ciscomani said he disagreed with the tax credits' extension. I have been clear: my support for a temporary extension MUST be accompanied by real common-sense reforms. Tackling the fraud and abuse that are part of the program is not an option it is a requirement, he wrote. The three-year extension proposed by the Democrat leader does nothing for families struggling with rising healthcare costs, quite the opposite. It keeps the status quo and thats not acceptable. He had previously said for months that the subsidies were crucial for keeping down his constituents health-care costs in 2026. Click here to read more on this. Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok is facing intense global scrutiny after the Internet Watch Foundation confirmed that criminals have used the tool to create illegal child sexual abuse material involving girls aged 11 to 13. The controversy escalated in late December 2025 when X introduced an "edit image" feature to Grok, allowing users to modify any photo posted on the platform. Users quickly exploited this function to digitally remove clothing from images of women and children without their consent, creating what experts call "non-consensual intimate images." The Internet Watch Foundation, a UK-based charity authorized to track child sexual abuse material, discovered criminal imagery on a dark web forum where users boasted about using Grok to generate the content. Previously, the organization had received reports of concerning images, but noted they had not crossed the threshold into illegal material until this discovery. On December 28, 2025, Grok itself acknowledged generating an image depicting two young girls between ages 12 and 16 in "sexualized attire," admitting the action violated ethical standards and potentially U.S. child pornography laws, according to the 19thNews. Copyleaks, a company specializing in AI content detection, reported finding thousands of sexually explicit images created by Grok during just one week in early January 2026. Women across the platform reported being targeted by users who requested Grok to place them in transparent bikinis or remove their clothing entirely. One X user described waking up to numerous comments asking Grok to generate sexualized images of her, with the results receiving many bookmarks. Ashley St Clair, a former partner of Musk, said she felt "horror and violation" after Grok was used to create fake sexualized images of her, including depictions from her childhood. Global Regulatory Response Multiple governments have launched investigations and demanded immediate action from xAI and X. France's public prosecutor's office widened its investigation into X to include allegations that Grok created and distributed child pornography, with three government ministers reporting the "manifestly illegal" content to authorities. India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an ultimatum to X on January 2, demanding a comprehensive review of Grok's technical and governance framework within three days. The ministry accused the platform of allowing users to "generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner." Read more: Recognizing the Hidden Signs of Child Abuse Britain's communications regulator Ofcom made "urgent contact" with X and xAI, asking them to explain how Grok produced undressed images of people and sexualized images of children. UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall condemned the content as "absolutely appalling and unacceptable in decent society." The European Commission criticized the proliferation of explicit, child-like material on X, with EU digital affairs representative Thomas Regnier calling the content "shocking" and "repulsive." Regulators are examining whether the images violate the EU's Digital Services Act, Aljazeera reported. Brazil and Malaysia also joined the growing list of countries investigating the platform, with Brazilian lawmaker Erika Hilton filing complaints with the federal public prosecutor's office and the national data protection authority. Company Response and Ongoing Concerns In response to mounting pressure, xAI acknowledged "lapses in safeguards" and stated it was "urgently fixing" the identified vulnerabilities. The company emphasized that child sexual abuse material is "illegal and strictly prohibited." X claimed it takes action against illegal content by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with law enforcement. Musk posted that "anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content." However, AI safety experts noted that the platform ignored months of warnings about potential abuse. Tyler Johnston, executive director of The Midas Project, stated in August 2025 that xAI's image generation function was "essentially a nudification tool waiting to be exploited." As of early January 2026, reports indicated that Grok could still generate inappropriate images using prompts like "put her in a transparent bikini," with estimates suggesting the platform was producing one non-consensual sexualized deepfake image every minute. The controversy highlights significant gaps in AI safety measures and raises serious questions about corporate accountability in the rapidly advancing field of generative artificial intelligence, as per the Conversation. This is a large-scale, strategic revision aimed at completing the legal framework for the development of the national education system in a new phase. Providing more information on textbook selection, Dao Hong Cuong, deputy head of the Legal Affairs Department, said the Minister of Education and Training has issued a decision approving a unified textbook set for use nationwide. The textbook series Ket Noi Tri Thuc Voi Cuoc Song (Connecting knowledge with life) published by Vietnam Education Publishing House has been selected. The textbook selection process was carried out in full compliance with regulations, Cuong said, adding that the selection has been publicly announced on the ministrys website. Regarding free textbooks, he said this policy is stipulated in the Politburos Resolution 71 and in the law, which assigns the Government to regulate the provision of free textbooks. He noted that on December 31, 2025, the Prime Minister issued a decision on the list of laws and resolutions passed at the 10th session, assigning agencies to draft detailed implementing documents. Among these, the Ministry of Education and Training is tasked with drafting several decrees, including one on free textbooks. The ministry is expected to submit this decree to the Government for issuance in April 2026. Three reasons have been cited by MOET for its decision to choose Ket Noi Tri Thuc Voi Cuoc Song. According to MOET, the Ket Noi Tri Thuc Voi Cuoc Song set covers the largest number of subjects and educational activities across all three education levels - primary, secondary and high school as prescribed in the 2018 General Education Program. In terms of stability, Ket Noi Tri Thuc Voi Cuoc Song is the most widely chosen among existing textbook sets; continuing its use will have minimal impact on schools, teachers and students. In terms of supply, the set is published by Vietnam Education Publishing House, a 100 percent state-owned enterprise with sufficient technical capacity, warehousing and distribution systems to ensure textbook delivery to remote, mountainous and island areas. The value of other textbook sets MOET said that it does not deny the pedagogical and practical value of the other textbook sets that were compiled, appraised, and approved previously (such as Canh Dieu (Kite), Chan Troi Sang Tao (Creative Horizon). These are all intellectual products built and approved according to the correct processes and regulations, fully meeting the requirements of the 2018 General Program issued by MOET. According to the Ministry, in the transition period, these book sets are not discarded, but transferred from the role of official textbooks to important reference materials and supplementary learning materials. Therefore, schools and libraries can continue to store and use them for teachers and students to reference, compare, contrast, and enrich teaching content and lectures. It stressed that the unified use of one textbook set does not mean imposing teaching methods. The 2018 General Education Program is an open program, in which textbooks are only specific materials for the required achievements, not a rigid template for teaching activities. The ministry will continue to direct teachers to promote initiative and creativity in teaching, selecting methods, formats and learning materials appropriate to students and school conditions. MOET identified teacher training and ensuring adequate implementation conditions as key factors determining the effectiveness of using a unified nationwide textbook set. The transition will only succeed when teachers are fully equipped with professional knowledge, methods and learning materials. At the same time, MOET will ensure sufficient textbook supply so teachers and students can access and use them conveniently from the beginning of the school year. To effectively implement the policy of using a unified nationwide textbook set from the 20262027 school year, MOET has identified three key task groups and solutions. First, ensuring textbook quality and teachers implementation capacity. Second, organizing textbook publishing in a cost-effective and efficient manner; gradually shifting from supporting textbook purchases to providing direct support for students, with the goal of offering free textbooks by 2030. Third, MOET will digitize the entire unified textbook set and build an accompanying shared digital learning ecosystem with convenient and free access for teachers, students and the public, contributing to improved teaching quality and promoting digital transformation in general education. Thuy Nga Clouds of smoke billow from the kitchen counter near the entrance, where the owners are busy steaming delicate rice sheets over two large steam pots. Many passersby think were selling banh cuon. Some customers walk in because theyre drawn by the irresistible aroma of grilled pork, said sisters Dang Thi Phuong and Dang Thi Lan, the shops owners. In fact, the restaurant serves a dish rarely seen in Hanoi: banh uot-a specialty from Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak Province. The dish is more commonly found in cities like Nha Trang, Da Lat, and Vung Tau. Phuong discovered banh uot on a trip to Buon Ma Thuot and was instantly hooked by its soft, translucent rice sheets, typically paired with grilled pork, pork sausage, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and a sweetened fish sauce. Lan and I had long wanted to open a restaurant, but we hadnt found a dish that was both delicious and distinctive enough to compete in Hanois food scene. When I tasted banh uot, I knew this was it-light, flavorful, and not at all cloying, Phuong said. Not long after, the two traveled to Buon Ma Thuot to learn the trade from a renowned banh uot maker. At their eatery, rice sheets are only steamed upon order. While the technique resembles that of banh cuon, the batter is different. Each day, the owners soak and ferment a carefully selected type of rice-neither too hard nor too sticky. Starting at 8 a.m., Phuong begins grinding and filtering the rice. The rice must be chosen meticulously so that the sheets are thin, smooth, yet elastic. They must not tear or fall apart when rolled, she explained. Mastering the steaming process took Phuong and Lan three weeks. The chef must use just the right amount of batter, spread it evenly, and have flexible wrists to lift the sheet from the steam pot to the plate without tearing it, they said. The finished rice sheet is ultra-thin and neatly round. Its topped with scallion oil or shallot oil and their homemade shrimp powder. Each pristine white sheet is placed on a multi-tiered stainless steel tray to serve. When they reach the customers table, the sheets are still warm, soft, and glistening. The eatery offers six topping options with banh uot: grilled pork, Nha Trang-style grilled sausage, corn rolls (ram bap), Central Highlands fermented pork (nem chua), pork patties with green rice (cha com), and traditional pork sausage (gio lua). The grilled pork and ram bap, both homemade, are the top sellers. The grilled pork is made from shoulder cuts with minimal fat, marinated for at least two hours, and grilled over charcoal until evenly golden but not burnt. Just before serving, its reheated in an electric oven to keep it piping hot. Our version is less sweet than the original Ban Me-style grilled pork, Phuong noted. Ram bap is a type of crispy spring roll made with sweet corn, sticky corn, minced pork, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and pepper, wrapped in thin rice paper. Unlike typical rolls, it contains no glass noodles or other vegetables. The result: a crunchy exterior and a soft, naturally sweet interior. The dish is incomplete without accompaniments like mango, cucumber, lettuce, pineapple, coriander, and basil. Interestingly, this eatery does not serve pickled vegetables-a staple in traditional banh uot from Buon Ma Thuot. At the table, diners pick their preferred toppings, place them on the rice sheet, and gently roll them up before dipping them in one of four types of sauces. While banh uot Ban Me is usually served with a sweetened fish sauce, the owners adapted their recipe to suit northern palates, adding garlic and chili. They also offer a pork-based dipping sauce similar to the one used for Nha Trangs grilled sausage, as well as fermented anchovy sauce (mam nem). Soft and warm, the rice sheet melts in the mouth, complemented by savory toppings, aromatic scallion oil, umami-rich shrimp powder, and fresh vegetables. Its a well-balanced mix that customers say they cant get enough of. Most diners eat 10 to 15 plates per meal. One guest once devoured 39 plates, said the owner. Some say this might be the most dish-intensive food in Vietnam. After a meal, stacks of empty plates pile up-sometimes as tall as a person. Thats why the dish is nicknamed banh uot chong dia-literally, stacked-plate rice rolls. We prepare about 1,000 plates daily to keep up with demand, the owner said. Each tray holds ten plates. As customers near the end of their tray, the kitchen steams fresh batches to ensure every bite is served hot. Nguyen Oanh, originally from Da Nang and now living in Hanoi, discovered the eatery online. Having tried the dish in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, this was her first experience in the capital. The rice sheets are thin and chewy, the toppings are great-especially the grilled pork. My favorite is the sweet fish sauce in Ban Me style. The fermented sauce also tastes authentically Central. I could eat 10 to 12 plates easily, Oanh shared. Each rice sheet costs 2,500 VND (about $0.10). Customers pay based on how many they eat. Each topping portion is priced at 35,000 VND (about $1.40), and a plate of vegetables costs 5,000 VND (about $0.20). Recently, the owners introduced another southern specialty: banh can, a mini pancake from Phan Thiet. They use traditional clay molds brought from Phan Thiet to cook the pancakes. Made with diluted rice batter, banh can differs from banh khot as its cooked without oil. This gives it a thin, lightly crispy shell and the signature aroma of baked rice. We add leftover rice to the batter so it stays firm while blending and doesnt burn during cooking-even without oil, Lan explained. Fillings include shrimp, squid, scallops, beef, or homemade meatballs. Theyre served with garlic-chili fish sauce and fresh herbs. A mixed plate of six pancakes costs 65,000 VND (about $2.60), due to the use of fresh seafood and homemade fillings. The restaurant operates from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, peaking between noon and 1 p.m. and during weekend evenings. Despite a seating capacity of 60, customers often queue during peak hours. Online reviews generally praise the eatery for offering a unique flavor in Hanois food scene, though some say it doesnt quite match the bold tastes of similar dishes in the central or southern regions. A few customers found the sauces underwhelming, lacking a standout flavor. Steamed rice rolls are a specialty from the Central Highlands region of Buon Ma Thuot. Photo: Huy Nguyen Ms. Phuong prepares the rice sheets herself. This step is quite difficult, so aside from the owner, only one staff member is able to do it. Photo: Huy Nguyen The rice rolls are sprinkled with dried shrimp powder and brushed with scallion or shallot oil. Photo: Huy Nguyen The grilled pork and corn spring rolls are among the restaurants most popular dishes. Photo: Huy Nguyen When eating, diners choose their favorite accompaniments, place them on the steamed rice roll, and gently wrap it up. Photo: Huy Nguyen The restaurant offers four different fish sauce variations, with the sweet and sour garlic chili sauce being the most popular. Photo: Huy Nguyen Each batch includes 10 plates of rice rolls. As diners near the end, the owner prepares more to ensure the rolls are always served hot. Photo: Huy Nguyen Ms. Oanh is pleased with the restaurants dishes. Photo: Huy Nguyen Lan is in charge of making the mini savory pancakes (banh can). A mixed plate of six mini savory pancakes costs USD 2.70. According to the owner, the price reflects the use of fresh seafood and homemade meatballs. Photo: Huy Nguyen The restaurant is packed with diners every lunchtime. Photo: Huy Nguyen Linh Trang A "whirlwind" romance at 41 Tran Thi Ha, born 1984, originally from Dong Nai, currently living and working in HCMC had faced many "missed appointments" with marriage. Despite having dated several people, she never felt the sense of security needed to tie the knot. At 41, Ha met Paul Drake, born 1967, an American citizen. Although their journey from meeting to loving and marrying was swift, she believes she met the right person at the right time. Paul married once before and has two children. His first wife passed away after a long illness. In May 2025, Paul traveled to Vietnam seeking peace after his losses. While walking past a coffee shop in HCMC where Ha worked, she invited him in for a drink. "The meeting was brief but quite interesting. I was surprised by how patiently this woman explained Vietnamese culture to me. I felt truly welcome here," Paul shared. Meanwhile, Ha wasn't initially impressed by the foreigner. Standing at 1.5m, Pauls nearly 2-meter stature wasn't exactly her type. Her only impression at the time was his gentle face and the sadness in his eyes. To her surprise, Paul frequently returned to the shop in the following days and even invited her to a private dinner. Ha realized he was trying to get to know her better. What she didn't know was that Paul was experiencing an internal struggle. He confessed: "I hesitated because I knew if I saw her again, my feelings would grow, yet we lived so far apart. However, I gathered the courage to follow my heart. Being with her felt natural and peaceful and it stayed with me long after." Paul returned to the US after 14 days in Vietnam. Despite being half a world away, he kept in constant contact with Ha. Just over a month later, overcome by his longing for the "tiny woman," he decided to fly back to Vietnam. "I was so happy that he came back for me. Our feelings developed rapidly from then on. We traveled to Bali together. He took care of the smallest details for me. I love how he shows that in his eyes, I am the only one," Ha recalled. After the trip, they were separated again, but by then, both had confirmed their feelings. Without a single grand romantic confession, they officially became a couple. In-laws remodel their home for the groom In August 2025, Paul returned to Vietnam. This time, he and Ha registered their marriage and held an engagement ceremony in her hometown in Dong Nai. "I spoke with his mother and children via video call. His mother is very kind and supportive of our relationship. His children were a bit confused at first, but they eventually gave their father their blessings," Ha said. Has parents fully supported their daughter's choice. To them, geographic distance and age gaps mattered far less than their child's happiness. During his first visit, despite the language barrier, Paul felt the deep warmth and affection Has family had for him. Ha carefully explained Vietnamese wedding customs to Paul, from engagement trays and gifts to ancestral ceremonies and family introductions. Paul found everything fascinating and respected all the traditions, though he sometimes felt overwhelmed by how much needed to be prepared. During the engagement ceremony, the couple performed the ancestral ritual together and expressed gratitude to their families. The ceremony was both sacred and joyful, leaving Paul with unforgettable experiences. Ha said her love and marriage have many interesting moments. At 1.5 meters tall with a petite figure, she always feels small next to her husband. Paul can easily lift her with one hand, and sometimes even places her on his shoulders and walks around playfully. Even when I wear high heels or stand on tiptoe, I only reach his shoulder. When we kiss, he has to bend down very far because I cannot reach. Being with him makes me feel smaller and very peaceful, Ha shared. When their daughter got married, Has parents decided to renovate their house in the countryside, partly to make it more presentable and partly to accommodate their nearly 2-meter-tall son-in-law. My parents adjusted the staircase so he would not hit his head, and the washbasin was raised so he could use it more comfortably. Paul was deeply moved by how thoughtfully my parents considered his needs, Ha said. Thanh Minh Born and raised in Huoi Xa village, Nhon Mai commune, Nghe An Province, a border commune neighboring Laos, Lo Thi Na Ni, 18, grew up seeing many residents leave to earn a living elsewhere, amid hardship, limited educational opportunities, and few chances for personal development. She realized early on that studying was the only way to change her own life and that of her family. With her familys finances far from comfortable, Ni said her parents had to make many sacrifices to support her education. That starting point became the driving force behind her determination to study. When entering secondary school, Ni had to leave home to attend a boarding school. Away from her parents care, she quickly learned independence, goal-setting, and self-discipline. I truly cherish the chance to go to school, so I always remind myself to study hard to change my life, Ni said. In high school, studying at Nghe An Ethnic Minority Boarding High School, Ni experienced a clear shift in mindset and study methods. There, she studied alongside peers from many mountainous and disadvantaged districts of Nghe An. All were resilient, hardworking, and eager to rise. That environment strengthened Nis belief that circumstances do not determine the future, only effort does. For three years, Na Ni ranked as an excellent student and won second prize in the provincial literature competition. In the 2025 national high school graduation exam, she scored 29.5 points, becoming the runner up among exam group C00 (literature, history, geography) students. Ni said the result came from perseverance, effective study methods, and above all, belief in herself. Only when you believe you can do it will you have the perseverance to see it through, Ni said. She noted that the runner-up title is both a source of pride and pressure, as well as motivation to keep striving, learning and improving. Thanks to this achievement, Ni was admitted to the International Relations major at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Studying in a highly competitive environment where most classmates come from specialized schools and major cities, Ni sometimes felt insecure about her background, abilities, and study methods. At that time, I felt slower than others and realized how much I still didnt know, Ni said. But instead of putting pressure on herself or comparing with others, she chose a more sustainable path: learning a little every day and never giving up. I think I dont need to be good from the start. What matters is daring to accept my shortcomings, daring to correct mistakes, continuously learning, and expanding relationships to become more confident, Ni said. That philosophy has helped her gradually integrate, mature, and grow more confident in the university environment. Throughout her studies, Ni has achieved certain accomplishments. Yet what makes her most proud is not the numbers or awards, but her own journey of growth, from a girl once insecure about her starting point to someone brave enough to step out of her comfort zone, dare to try, and keep learning to improve herself. Following these efforts and results, Na Ni was honored as one of 150 outstanding ethnic minority pupils, students, and youth in 2025, recognized and awarded scholarships by the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs. Looking back, I am quietly grateful to my past self for not giving up during difficult years, for persevering through doubt and challenges. To me, studying and growing are not about surpassing others, but about becoming a better version of myself and living a more meaningful life, Ni said. At present, Ni said she has not yet formed a clear picture of her future career, but knows she wants to stay connected to education and research. The greatest wish of the young Thai woman is to bring knowledge, technology, and development opportunities back to her hometown, so local people are no longer disadvantaged or left behind. If I have the chance to return to my hometown, it would not only be a career choice but also a way to give back to the place where I was born and that gave me the strength to go far, Ni said. Thuy Nga In recent days, public attention has surged after Hai Phong police uncovered a ring suspected of collecting more than 120 tons of pork infected with African swine fever (ASF) and bringing it into the warehouse of the Ha Long Canned Food Company (Halong Canfoco), with around two tons reportedly processed into canned meat. The Investigation Police Agency has initiated proceedings against nine suspects for violating regulations on food safety, and is continuing to expand the investigation to clarify the responsibilities of individuals and organizations involved. Before becoming entangled in the suspected 120-ton pork case, what did Halong Canfocos business picture look like? In some years, profit barely topped VND 2 billion Authorities recorded a total of 120 tons of pork stockpiled in a warehouse. Photo: Halong Canfoco Before the current controversy, Halong Canfoco (HNX: CAN) was widely known as a food-processing company with a history spanning nearly 70 years. After nearly seven decades of operation, the ecosystem includes not only the parent company, Halong Canfoco, but also Halong Canfoco Da Nang One Member Co., Ltd. and Cot Den Food One Member Co., Ltd. According to Halong Canfocos 2024 business results report and its 2025 plan, the companys net revenue reached more than VND 681.8 billion in 2024, down nearly VND 60 billion from 2023 and significantly below its target. Domestic revenue reached VND 525.24 billion, up VND 12.63 billion from 2023, while export revenue stood at VND 156.57 billion, down nearly VND 72.4 billion. Halong Canfocos pre-tax profit in 2024 was just under VND 3.15 billion, down VND 13.62 billion from 2023. After-tax profit came to nearly VND 2.13 billion, down more than VND 9.94 billion year-on-year. Explaining these figures, company leaders said business performance in early 2024 showed limited improvement. In the second half of the year, demand for canned food surged due to Storm No. 3 (Yagi), prompting the company to raise production capacity and increase sales revenue. Even so, our management was not truly effective, so the 2024 results did not meet our revenue and profit targets, Halong Canfocos leadership acknowledged. The report noted that in 2024, beyond the companys main sales channels-GT, MT, Cafe, and Ecom-it opened two Cot Den Pate Banh Mi stores, one central kitchen in the Ho Chi Minh City area, and a chain of 10 nem stores in Hanoi. Entering 2025, Halong Canfoco set an ambitious plan, targeting consolidated revenue of nearly VND 703.6 billion. It aimed for pre-tax profit of VND 13.2 billion, up 230% from 2024, and after-tax profit of VND 10.47 billion, up 393%. For the parent company alone, the revenue target was VND 528.9 billion, with pre-tax profit projected at nearly VND 8.85 billion and after-tax profit at VND 6.72 billion. However, financial statements show that in the first nine months of 2025, the companys revenue reached only VND 486.9 billion, down nearly 10% year-on-year. Even so, after-tax profit was recorded at VND 11.5 billion, a sharp increase compared with the entire previous year. Pate cot den Hai Phong is among Halong Canfocos best-known products. Leadership turbulence and major shareholder exits Halong Canfocos 2024 results and 2025 plan also show that total assets stood at nearly VND 286.7 billion by the end of 2024, down VND 116.2 billion from the start of the year. Equity was nearly VND 146 billion, down VND 5.82 billion over the same period. Notably, the companys shareholder structure and personnel also shifted sharply in 2025. Nearly two million CAN shares-equivalent to 40% of charter capital-changed hands over a short period as major shareholders and board leaders simultaneously sold down and resigned. In March 2025, a group of large foreign shareholders and related individuals sold off their entire holdings. Landial Pte. Ltd. sold all 732,400 shares (equivalent to 14.65% of charter capital) on March 3. On the same day, Low Say Pun also sold all 384,500 shares held. Wilson Cheah Hui Pin-at the time a board member-sold all 119,300 personal shares. In the same period, his wife, Le Minh Ha, also sold all 274,190 shares. Another major individual shareholder, Pham Huu Quy Lam, likewise sold all 438,120 shares. The leadership structure also saw significant changes. On April 11, 2025, board members including Kek Chin Ann (chairman), Wilson Cheah Hui Pin, and Bui Quoc Hung submitted their resignations simultaneously. Currently, Nguyen Anh Tuan (born in 1975 in Hanoi) serves as chairman of the board and the companys legal representative. Before taking the chairman role at Halong Canfoco, Nguyen Anh Tuan worked in marketing and as a head of sales at multiple companies. Before April 10, 2025, he was Deputy CEO of Mavin Group JSC and chairman of Central Veterinary Medicine JSC No. 1. Regarding the case involving more than 120 tons of pork, Halong Canfoco stated that all violating materials were not used in production, and that products currently circulating on the market fully meet food safety regulations. The company said its production and business activities are continuing normally without any material disruption. Tam An A Galaxy S26 Ultra model. Photo: AndroidHeadline While the South Korean company is rumored to increase charging speed on its next flagship-the Galaxy S26 Ultra-leaked internal testing results suggest the charging time may not deliver the kind of major leap many fans are hoping for. Galaxy S26 Ultra: 75% in 30 minutes? For years, Samsung has been known as a relatively conservative manufacturer when it comes to battery capacity and charging power on smartphones. While Chinese rivals have repeatedly pushed the limits with 80W, 100W, or even higher charging speeds, Samsung has largely stuck to a strategy that prioritizes battery safety and long-term durability. According to rumors surrounding the Galaxy S26 line, that approach appears set to continue. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to make progress in charging speed compared with the previous generation, but the improvement may not be enough to truly surprise users. Well-known leaker Ice Universe says the Galaxy S26 Ultra could charge to around 75% in just 30 minutes. The figure reportedly comes from Samsungs internal tests, conducted under tightly controlled conditions-likely at an ideal temperature to ensure the most stable results. Although Samsung has not disclosed the testing conditions, this is consistent with the companys usual approach to evaluating battery performance. The reported gains are believed to come from the Galaxy S26 Ultra supporting 60W wired charging, a notable step up from the 45W on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Samsungs recent launch of a new 60W charger is also seen as a near-confirmation of this upgrade. Not quite enough to impress If accurate, the Galaxy S26 Ultra would still charge faster than some major rivals. For example, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with a 5,088mAh battery, reportedly reaches only about 64% after 30 minutes in real-world tests. Compared with Apple, Samsung would still hold a certain advantage in charging speed. By pure percentage, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could even surpass the OnePlus 15, a phone said to reach around 68% after 30 minutes. However, it is important to note that the OnePlus 15 is equipped with a massive 7,300mAh battery. That makes direct comparisons less straightforward, because battery capacity has a significant impact on charging percentages. So while 75% in 30 minutes sounds decent, it is difficult to call it a breakthrough in todays market, where users are increasingly accustomed to smartphones that can reach near-full charge in under half an hour. What do users need: a bigger battery or lightning charging? The core issue is that Samsung appears to be choosing a balance point that feels safe, but can also leave people underwhelmed. For many users, it is not necessary to have both a two-day battery and a full charge in just minutes. Having one truly outstanding strength is often enough. Some are willing to accept slower charging if the battery is strong enough to last through the busiest workdays. Others do not mind a battery that lasts only a day, as long as a quick 1015 minute top-up before heading out in the evening is enough to keep them going. From that perspective, the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not yet seem to stand out decisively in either direction. The battery capacity is rumored not to increase significantly, while 60W charging-though better than before-still may not qualify as best-in-class fast charging. As one of the worlds largest smartphone makers, Samsung is fully capable of doing more. Users may not demand that every specification top the charts, but they do expect at least one improvement that is clear enough to feel in everyday use. If the Galaxy S26 Ultra truly stops at being only a bit faster, many may see it as a safe upgrade-yet one that lacks excitement. In an increasingly fierce competitive landscape, Samsung may need to be bolder: either meaningfully extend battery life, or make a genuine leap in charging speed, to satisfy even the most demanding users. Hai Phong A long-term, comprehensive policy framework Vietnams Logistics Services Development Strategy for the 20252035 period, with a vision to 2050, for the first time outlines a long-term and comprehensive roadmap clearly defining logistics as the backbone of the national economy. To turn this vision into reality, however, Vietnam will need a fresh approach and a development model built on deep and effective regional linkages. Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, described the strategy as a new policy driver that will enable logistics to fulfil its role as essential infrastructure, helping cut costs, boost national competitiveness and steer the transformation of the growth model. Dr Bui Ba Nghiem, a senior specialist at the agency, said the strategy sets out a range of ambitious targets, including logistics contributing 57% of GDP, annual growth of 1215%, logistics costs reduced to 1215% of GDP, and Vietnam ranking among the worlds top 40 countries by 2035. Notably, five international logistics centres are to be established in the near term, with the number expected to rise to ten by 2050, forming key connectivity hubs that will help position Vietnam as a regional transhipment hub. On infrastructure, the strategy prioritises the development of a comprehensive and modern system, focusing on large-scale logistics centres in key economic regions. Seaports, airports, inland ports and cross-border railways will be upgraded to meet multimodal interconnected network standards, easing pressure on road transport, which currently accounts for more than 70% of freight volume. Vietnams logistics services have experienced rapid and stable growth, averaging 1416% per year, with a direct contribution of approximately 4.55% to GDP annually. The country currently ranks 43rd out of 139 economies in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and is among the top five in ASEAN, alongside Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The strategy also places strong emphasis on e-commerce logistics, smart warehousing and green urban logistics, enabling businesses to capitalise on the momentum of the digital economy. The formation of logistics growth zones in the Red River Delta, the Southeast and the central region, together with the growth powerhouses of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, is expected to create new connectivity corridors for exports and the domestic market. Experts believe the 20252035 Logistics Services Development Strategy presents a major opportunity for Vietnam to restructure its infrastructure system, significantly reduce costs, improve its international logistics performance ranking and integrate more deeply into regional supply chains. Achieving this will require decisive shifts in both mindset and implementation, with forward-looking planning, large-enough infrastructure, modern governance models, green digital smart logistics, and close coordination among the State, businesses and local authorities. Positioning Vietnam as leading regional, continental and global logistics hub At the plenary session of the Vietnam Logistics Forum 2025, themed Vietnam Logistics Rising into the new era, held on November 29 last year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that attaching great importance to logistics, the Party and the State have issued many important guidelines and policies, and mobilised resources for its development, resulting in encouraging outcomes. Logistics costs in Vietnam have fallen to around 16% of GDP, saving import export enterprises billions of US dollars each year. Logistics infrastructure has been developed in a more coordinated manner, notably seaports, airports, expressways and logistics centres in key economic regions. The logistics business community has expanded to more than 34,000 enterprises, many of which have deeply integrated into global supply chains and applied advanced technologies in management and operations. Free trade agreements have also created favourable conditions for deeper integration and expansion into international service markets. A vessel calls at Quy Nhon Port to load and unload imports and exports. (Illustrative photo: VNA) The PM emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional frameworks, improving policyies, and enhancing logistics planning to promote stability, comprehensiveness, transparency, and practicality, while cutting red tape and removing obstacles to lower compliance costs for businesses. He urged the creation of green and digital logistics infrastructure, better connectivity between logistics databases, stronger international cooperation in eco-friendly and low-carbon logistics, and keeping a high value-added rate of around 2025% by 2030. He also emphasised training skilled workers for green, digital, smart and modern logistics, and building multinational logistics companies capable of joining global value chains. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the Vietnam Logistics Forum in Da Nang in November 2025. (Photo: VNA) Logistics governance should be intelligent, based on connectivity among businesses, regulatory agencies, customs, banks, insurance providers and transport operators. Innovation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged, particularly digital technology start-ups and platforms for transport connectivity, warehouse management and e-commerce. Supporting services such as banking, insurance, finance, health care and education also need to be developed. Vietnams logistics sector should be closely linked with international logistics networks, guided by the principle that solidarity creates strength, cooperation generates benefits, and dialogue builds trust. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh At the same time, mechanisms should be established to mobilise resources for logistics development in a green, digital, modern and smart manner. Logistics governance should be intelligent, based on connectivity among businesses, regulatory agencies, customs, banks, insurance providers and transport operators. Innovation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged, particularly digital technology start-ups and platforms for transport connectivity, warehouse management and e-commerce. Supporting services such as banking, insurance, finance, health care and education also need to be developed. Vietnams logistics sector should be closely linked with international logistics networks, guided by the principle that solidarity creates strength, cooperation generates benefits, and dialogue builds trust. Long An province develops comprehensive transport and logistics infrastructure to drive industrial development. (Illustrative photo: VNA) The Government remains steadfast in its action motto of the five enablers: open institutions seamless infrastructure smart governance practical implementation mutual understanding in cooperation, to make logistics a key economic sector and help Vietnam rank among the worlds top 30 countries in the LPI by 2035. The PM expressed his hope that the logistics business community will continue to innovate in governance, strengthen supply chain linkages, accelerate digital and green transformation, and uphold the spirit of self-reliance, resilience, innovation, creativity, solidarity and cooperation to stretch their reach to regional and global markets. Vietnam has the advantages needed for its logistics sector to integrate and take a leading role in the region if it embraces the spirit that resources stem from thinking and vision, motivation from innovation and creativity, and strength from the people and businesses. Vietnam can lead if it knows how to harness intelligence, value time, and act decisively to turn challenges into opportunities, resolve into action, and potential and advantages into concrete products, PM Chinh emphasised. He voiced confidence that with the concerted involvement of the entire political system, close coordination among ministries, sectors, localities, international organisations and the business community, Vietnam will successfully build a smart, green, digital, modern and integrated national logistics ecosystem, positioning the country as a leading logistics services hub in Southeast Asia and the world./.VNA PHILDELPHIA, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague, a leading national plaintiffs' law firm, is investigating claims that xAI's chatbot Grok is being used for the large-scale unauthorized creation of lewd and sexually abusive images of women and underage girls, which are published on Grok's official account on the social media website X, formerly Twitter. "These reports of exploitation are disturbing," said Shareholder E. Michelle Drake. "Sexual humiliation by a chatbot shouldn't be the price for a woman existing online. The idea that underage girls may be subject to this disgusting abuse of technology is unconscionable." According to ABC News, Elon Musk's companies xAI and X face global backlash over Grok's production of sexually explicit deepfake depictions of real women and children without their consent. On Tuesday Britian's top technology official demanded X take urgent action. The European Union, France, India, Malaysia and Brazil have also condemned the platform. NBC News has also reported the phenomenon. If you or a family member has been victimized by a sexually explicit picture created by Grok without consent and you would like to learn about your legal options, you can contact Berger Montague at completing this form, emailing us at [email protected],or by calling us at 1-800-424-6690. For more information, please visit www.bergermontague.com/grok. Berger Montague is one of the nation's preeminent law firms focusing on complex civil litigation, class actions, and mass torts in federal and state courts throughout the United States. With more than $2.4 billion in 2025 post-trial judgments alone, the Firm is a leader in the fields of complex litigation, antitrust, consumer protection, defective products, environmental law, employment law, securities, and whistleblower cases, among many other practice areas. For over 55 years, Berger Montague has played leading roles in precedent-setting cases and has recovered over $50 billion for its clients and the classes they have represented. Berger Montague is headquartered in Philadelphia and has offices in Chicago; Malvern, PA; Minneapolis; San Diego; San Francisco; Toronto, Canada; Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, DE. Contact: Amy Wall-Monte [email protected] SOURCE Berger Montague Speaking at the Government's regular press conference on January 8, Major General Nguyen Quoc Toan, Chief of the MPS Office and its spokesperson, stressed that the congress is a particularly significant political event of the Party, the State and the people. As such, ensuring absolute security and safety for the event has been identified as the top priority and a central task of the public security force in the early months of 2026, he stated. According to the officer, under the direction of Minister of Public Security Gen. Luong Tam Quang and the ministrys leaders, the ministry, as early as May 2025, advised the Prime Minister to issue a master plan assigning specific responsibilities to ministries, sectors and localities in order to mobilise maximum resources and protection measures. The minister has also decided to establish a Security and Order Subcommittee, headed directly by a Deputy Minister. Security arrangements cover the entire country, with a focus on Hanoi and locations hosting activities of delegations to the congress. To date, relevant units and localities have completed contingency plans and scenarios, while ensuring full readiness in terms of personnel and equipment, he said. Alongside the preparatory work, the public security force has intensified professional measures to monitor developments, proactively prevent and combat hostile and disruptive activities. Authorities have taken firm action against the dissemination of false and distorted information related to the congress, including recent cases brought to trial by the Hanoi Peoples Court. At the same time, nationwide peak campaigns targeting crime prevention, traffic safety and fire and explosion prevention are being implemented until the end of the congress and throughout the Lunar New Year, said the spokesperson. He added that the ministry is also closely coordinating with the Vietnam Peoples Army, relevant ministries, sectors and localities, congress subcommittees, and international partners to ensure the highest level of preparedness. Toan noted that a launch ceremony and security drill are scheduled to take place at My Dinh National Stadium on January 10. He affirmed that the security environment for the congress has been well maintained and expressed confidence that, with the close direction of the Party Central Committee and the Government, effective inter-agency coordination and public support, the public security force will successfully fulfil their missions, contributing to the overall success of the 14th National Party Congress./. VNAT From March 1, each property in Vietnam will be assigned an electronic identification code. Photo: Anh Phuong According to experts, issuing identification codes for real estate will help improve market transparency and make governance more convenient. However, the risk of inaccuracies during data entry remains a significant concern. Government Decree 357/2025/ND-CP on building and managing the information system and database on housing and the real estate market has recently been issued, and will take effect from March 1. Under the decree, each real estate product-such as a standalone house, a condominium apartment, or a construction work-will be assigned an electronic identification code. Provincial-level Peoples Committees are responsible for collecting and standardizing data, and for uploading it to the information system and database on housing and the real estate market. The system is managed by the Ministry of Construction. Speaking about electronic identification codes for real estate, Tran Khanh Quang, CEO of Viet An Hoa Real Estate Investment JSC, said the move is akin to issuing a birth certificate for each property. According to Quang, assigning identification codes will help state agencies manage transaction processes, while also serving as an early step toward market transparency. Identification makes it possible to clearly determine where a property is located and what its area is. On the benefits of property identification, Quang said the first advantage is helping eliminate legal ambiguity-widely seen as the biggest risk that makes many homebuyers uneasy. Once a property is assigned an identification code, people will be able to easily look up essential information such as planning details or transaction history. This level of transparency could, to some extent, weed out ghost projects and protect buyers from fraud risks. This is important foundational data for state management agencies to issue timely policies to regulate the market. In addition, it could also serve as a basis for considering taxation from the second property onward, the real estate expert said. From a legal perspective, lawyer Nguyen Dang Tu of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association said it is necessary first to clarify the legal nature of the property identification code. It is a technical tool for identifying and managing asset information in the digital environment, not a basis for establishing ownership or land-use rights. If this is not clearly stipulated in law, misunderstandings could easily arise, leading individuals or organizations to confuse the value of data management with the legal value of property rights. According to Nguyen Dang Tu, the next issue is data accuracy and synchronization. Legal responsibility when electronic data is incorrect is also a major unanswered question. In cases where people rely on information from the identification system to conduct transactions and later suffer losses, who will be responsible-the data management authority, the system operator, or the user? he asked. Anh Phuong In the power industry, COD is a crucial legal and technical boundary. It marks the moment a plant is confirmed to operate stably, is accepted by the power system, and begins selling commercial electricity. Only upon reaching COD does a project truly transition from an investment state to a cash-flow-generating state. In August 2024, the Prime Minister approved the policy to import electricity from the Savan 1 Wind Power Plant project to Vietnam. Later, in January 2025, T&T Group received the concession agreement for the Savan 1 project from the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Laos. Under this contract, the Government of the Lao PDR agreed to allow Savan 1 Wind Power Co, Ltd (a member of T&T Group) to design, build, own, and operate the project for a 25-year term to export and sell electricity back to Vietnam. Also, the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Savan 1 Wind Power Co., Ltd and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) was finalized, paving the way for electricity from the project to be officially integrated into Vietnams national power grid. Transmission infrastructure With a total designed capacity of 495 MW and investment capital of $768 million, Savan 1 is among the few large-scale onshore wind power projects in Southeast Asia completed within a short timeframe, under high technical requirements and an extremely tight schedule to serve the goal of transmitting electricity to Vietnam. A distinguishing point of the project lies in the developers simultaneous implementation of both the power generation source and the transmission infrastructure within a single project entity, thereby gaining autonomy over the schedule and grid-connection capability. T&T Group chose to invest in a dedicated transmission line for the project, accepting higher costs to ensure the overall schedule. The parallel implementation of plant construction and transmission infrastructure helped Savan 1 avoid the scenario of generation sources are ready but transmission line is not, a common bottleneck for renewable energy projects in the region. Following this roadmap, during the implementation process in Savannakhet, plant construction and turbine installation were carried out alongside the construction of a more than 70km-long arterial line connecting the plant and the Lao Bao 220kV Station. On August 31, just before the Vietnamese National Day, the final meters of wire were strung across the Sepon River back to Vietnam, creating the conditions for the electricity from Savan 1 to be ready for integration into Vietnams power system as planned. According to experts, developing transmission infrastructure in parallel with power source construction "clears the path" for the electricity current, eliminating the risk of a plant being completed but unable to generate commercial power. The power generation did not have to wait for the transmission line, and no delays occurred between stages. As a result, in the final days of the old year, Savan 1 officially achieved COD, closing the entire cycle from finalizing legal procedures and signing the concession contract to construction and commercial operation in just about 16 months. More than just a wind power project At a time when many renewable energy projects face the situation of being built but unable to generate power, the commercial operation milestone of Savan 1 has become the most important benchmark for assessing the real effectiveness of a project. The achievement of COD by the Savan 1 wind power project should be viewed within the wider context of national energy strategy, where ensuring energy security and transitioning to clean energy sources have become consistent priorities. Savan 1 reflects a trend toward increasingly substantive energy cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. The investment of a Vietnamese enterprise in wind power in Laos, the building of transmission infrastructure, and export of electricity back to Vietnam demonstrate a shift from policy-level agreements to concrete projects capable of commercial operation and delivering real electricity to the economy. Savan 1 also reflects a shift toward deeper participation by Vietnamese firms in the regional energy supply chain, in addition to the established EVN-led power import channels. Under this model, Vietnamese companies directly invest in and develop power sources in neighboring countries, while also investing in transmission infrastructure to bring electricity back to serve the domestic system. This approach helps increase supply security and supports the balancing of domestic energy development amid increasingly tight land availability and stricter environmental requirements. Tuan Nguyen State President Luong Cuong chaired a ceremony in Hanoi on January 7 to hand over appointment decisions naming Supreme People's Court judges Le Tien and Nguyen Bien Thuy as deputy chief justices of the country's top judicial body. President Cuong described the appointees as highly trained legal experts with strong qualifications who have advanced through the ranks while accumulating substantial hands-on experience in the judicial system. To succeed in their elevated positions, he called on them to strictly adhere to the Constitution and laws, collaborate closely with the Supreme People's Court's leaders and the broader judicial system to advance its core mission of safeguarding justice, protecting human and citizen rights, upholding the socialist regime, and defending state interests alongside the rights and legitimate interests of organisations and individuals. He reaffirmed the ultimate goal of developing a professional, modern, fair, strict and integrity-focused judicial system that serves the nation and its people. The new deputy chief justices were also asked to pursue ongoing study and self-improvement, uphold high ethical standards and a clean, responsible lifestyle, and lead by example in conduct and dedication. Together with the courts Party committee, leaders and Judges Council, they should preserve the achievements and proud traditions built by the peoples court sector over its 80-year history. The State leader further pressed for sustained innovation in following the Partys guidelines on judicial reform, building a rule-of-law socialist state, and refining the legal framework, which aim at supporting national development in a new era of prosperity and public well-being. On behalf of the appointees, Deputy Chief Justice Tien said the appointment is both a great honour and a major responsibility entrusted by the Party, State and people, particularly at a time when the court sector is actively implementing the Partys resolutions and directives that set high standards for a rule-of-law socialist state of the people, by the people and for the people. He pledged absolute loyalty to the Party, persistent efforts to bolster political integrity and revolutionary ethics, and continuous professional advancement. He also vowed to uphold the spirit of service to the nation and the people, while partnering with the Party committee and leaders of the Supreme Peoples Court to build a clean and strong court sector capable of fulfilling its assigned political tasks and aiding national progress in the new era./. VNA In 2025, VietnamJapan trade exceeded 50 billion USD for the first time, marking a key milestone in bilateral trade growth and reaffirming Japan as one of Vietnams most important and stable trading partners amid global economic uncertainty. Citing statistics from Vietnam Customs, the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan noted total trade between the two nations surged by 11.28% year-on-year to 51.43 billion USD last year. Of the figure, Vietnams exports to Japan amounted to 26.77 billion USD, up 8.77%, while the country spent 24.68 billion USD on imports from Japan, up 14.13%. As a result, Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 2.09 billion USD with Japan last year. Vietnams main export items to Japan in 2025 included textiles and garments; transport vehicles and parts; machinery, equipment and spare parts; wood and wood products; phones and components; computers, electronic products and components; footwear; seafood; coffee; fruits and vegetables; as well as cashew nuts and pepper. Notably, the structure of VietnamJapan trade in 2025 remained highly complementary, reflecting the respective strengths of both economies and their deep integration into global supply chains. In 2025, VietnamJapan trade continued to show strong complementarity, highlighting each economys strengths and their close integration within global supply chains. Vietnam maintained a trade surplus, reaffirming Japans strategic role as a stable market for Vietnamese goods and a reliable supplier of materials. Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Japan Ta Duc Minh said the growth in two-way trade last year was not merely a historic figure but also reflected the substantive and sustainable growth of economic cooperation between the two countries amid ongoing global economic volatility. He attributed the results to the strategic guidance by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in promoting VietnamJapan economic and trade relations, noting that through effective negotiation and implementation of free trade agreements, developing policies to help businesses take advantage of tariff incentives, and guiding the development of key export sectors, the ministry has laid a solid foundation for enterprises from both countries to expand cooperation and deepen integration into regional and global value chains. The Vietnam Trade Office in Japan has served as a direct and effective bridge between businesses of the two countries. In 2025, it coordinated and supported Vietnamese enterprises in participating in major trade and investment promotion events, including Foodex Japan 2025, the M-Tech Manufacturing Expo, Gift Show, DIY Show, fashion and textile exhibitions, building and decoration fairs, as well as Vietnam festivals in Tokyo and Kanagawa. The office also hosted Japanese business delegations in Vietnam for trade fairs and market surveys, connecting companies across key sectors. These efforts helped boost trade and strengthen market knowledge, technical standards, and long-term cooperation. In the coming period, the trade office will proactively monitor and analyse situations affecting trade with Vietnam, providing timely policy advice to the Government and the MoIT, and early warnings to the business community. It also plans to strengthen capacity in supporting industries through partnerships, technical programmes, and high-quality workforce training, while promoting technology transfer, research and development collaboration, and bilateral cooperation in areas such as digital transformation, green economy, clean energy, and logistics. With the support of the MoIT, the direct assistance of the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, and the proactive efforts of the business community, the Vietnam Japan trade and investment cooperation is expected to grow strongly in the time to come./. VNA Vietnam has maintained fine traditional relations with Venezuela and wants to continue promoting cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Partnership framework between the two countries, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said on January 8. Hang made the statement at the ministrys regular press briefing while replying to a reporter's question on whether recent developments in Venezuela have affected bilateral cooperation. Also at the briefing, responding to a question about US President Donald Trumps announcement on January 7 to withdraw from 66 international organisations and UN agencies, Hang reaffirmed Vietnams consistent support for multilateralism. She emphasised that Vietnam highly evaluates the role of multilateral institutions, especially the United Nations, in promoting global governance and tackling shared challenges based on the UN Charter and international law. Vietnam hopes that countries will continue to uphold multilateralism and make active contributions to building and strengthening multilateral institutions and international law for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development worldwide, the spokeswoman said, affirming that in this spirit, Vietnam stands ready to participate in and contribute actively, within its capacity, to global and regional multilateral mechanisms. Responding to a query from a representative of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Vietnam regarding Vietnams views on developments in the Middle East related to the situation in Yemen, as well as measures taken by Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council concerning Yemens security and sovereignty, Hang said that Vietnam is paying attention to and keeping a close watch on the situation in Yemen. Hang urged all sides to show restraint, avoid actions that might worsen the situation, and refrain from using or threatening to use force. She emphasised the importance of increasing dialogue and fostering conditions that could lead to a political solution for Yemen, in line with international law and the UN Charter, helping to promote peace, stability, cooperation, and development both in the region and the world./. VNA The Top 100 Future-Creating Enterprises of Vietnam (VNR Future 100), and the Top 10 and Top 5 Most Reputable Companies in the pharmaceutical, medical equipment and healthcare, logistics, tourism and animal feed industries for 2025 were also announced at the ceremony held in Hanoi. Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Vu Dang Vinh, General Director of Vietnam Report, said that after 19 years of annual publication, the VNR500 rankings have continued to affirm their role as a reliable benchmark reflecting the scale, operational capacity and resilience of Vietnams business community, while promoting the spirit of adaptability and aspiration for global integration among enterprises. This years rankings highlight businesses that have made significant contributions to economic recovery and the maintenance of growth momentum, demonstrating strong internal capabilities, effective governance, and pioneering spirit in a new phase of development, he said. Notably, the Top 50 Outstanding Enterprises of Vietnam groups companies that achieved strong revenue performance while maintaining stable and sustainable business efficiency during the 20242025 period, Vinh added. According to Vinh, 68% of enterprises listed in the 2025 VNR500 recorded revenue growth, from 4.74 quadrillion VND (180.6 billion USD) in 2022 to 5.57 quadrillion VND in 2025. The industrial and construction sector continued to dominate the group. A highlight of this years programme was the first-ever announcement of the VNR Future 100. Building on the VNR500s data and evaluation methodology, the new ranking expands its focus to assess future readiness and social impact, honouring enterprises with innovative mindsets, modern governance, sustainable development strategies and positive contributions to society. In addition, the Top 10 and Top 5 Most Reputable Companies rankings continued to recognise leading enterprises in core economic sectors, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and healthcare, logistics, tourism and animal feed. Vinh emphasised that the enterprises honoured this year not only stand out for financial strength, operational efficiency and media reputation, but also for pioneering sustainable, safe and innovative growth models. They represent the innovative spirit of Vietnamese enterprises and affirm the growing presence of Vietnamese brands in global value chains. The event concluded with the formal recognition of the VNR500, VNR Future 100, and the Top 10 and Top 5 Most Reputable Companies across key industries in 2025./. VNA The Agency of Foreign Trade (AFT) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade aims to increase total export turnover by more than 8% in 2026 compared with 2025, while maintaining a trade surplus of over 23 billion USD, up 15% year on year. The targets were outlined by Tran Thanh Hai, AFT Deputy Director, at a conference in Hanoi on January 8 reviewing the agencys performance in 2025 and setting out tasks for 2026. To meet these goals, the agency will continue refining the legal framework governing import-export activities and gather feedback from local authorities and relevant agencies to propose amendments, supplements or replacements for outdated circulars. Addressing bottlenecks to production and exports, Hai said the AFT would advise on measures to promote strong and sustainable export growth. It will continue working with relevant bodies to urge Mexico to add Vietnamese steel producers to its list of eligible mills permitted to export steel to the country. At the same time, the agency will review Vietnams commitments related to textile and garment exports to Mexico and propose regulatory adjustments where necessary. The AFT will also coordinate with authorities, associations and businesses to develop appropriate responses to the European Unions regulations protecting its steel industry. In parallel, it will continue monitoring developments and consulting with the Eurasian Economic Commission on the application of safeguard threshold measures for textile and garment exports to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Further efforts will focus on expanding export markets in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, including negotiations to open new markets and encouraging China to sign official export protocols for agricultural products already exported through official channels but not yet covered by such agreements. The agency will remain actively involved in negotiations on market access and rules of origin under existing and forthcoming free trade agreements (FTAs), while pursuing upgrades to signed agreements, including a fair and balanced reciprocal trade framework between Vietnam and the United States. Nguyen Thao Hien, Deputy Head of the ministry's Department of Overseas Market Development, said the biggest challenge in 2026 would remain instability in the global trading environment, with more barriers being introduced. She stressed the need for stronger coordination to combat illegal trans-shipment and origin fraud, particularly for agricultural and food products facing heightened scrutiny in many importing markets. While maintaining traditional markets such as the EU and the US, where many competitors have completed or are completing FTA negotiations, Hien emphasised the importance of tapping niche and emerging markets, including the Nordic region, and developing specialised products such as organic goods to build competitive advantages. According to the 2025 import-export report, Vietnams merchandise trade reached a new record, with total turnover hitting 930 billion USD, up 18.2% year on year. Exports rose an estimated 17%, the second-highest growth rate in the 20212025 period and above the assigned target. Processed and manufactured goods continued to drive growth, supporting a strong recovery in domestic industrial production. The export structure continued to improve, with a higher share of processed products and reduced reliance on raw exports. Key items such as machinery, textiles, footwear, wood products, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and coffee rebounded strongly. New-generation FTAs delivered clear benefits, with exports rising to high-standard markets including the EU, Canada and Japan. Vietnam recorded its tenth consecutive trade surplus, estimated at around 20 billion USD, contributing to macroeconomic stability and investor confidence, though trade remains concentrated in a limited number of major markets./. VNA PARIS, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of EKINOPS (Euronext Paris - FR0011466069 - EKI), a leading supplier of optical transport, branch routing and cybersecurity SASE solutions for telecom operators and enterprises, today announces the appointment of Lionel Chmilewsky as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 12, 2026. Ekinops Appoints Lionel Chmilewsky as Chief Executive Officer Ekinops (PRNewsfoto/Ekinops) Lionel Chmilewsky brings extensive international experience in technology, telecommunications and cybersecurity, notably in the United Kingdom and the United States, and is recognized for leading strategic growth initiatives and complex transformation plans as well as building and managing high-performing multinational teams. Prior to joining Ekinops, Lionel Chmilewsky notably served as President and CEO of TrustBuilder, a leading European SaaS cybersecurity company, specializing in multi-factor authentication and identity & access management. Previously, as CEO of Corero Network Security plc., an anti-DDoS cybersecurity leader listed on London Stock Exchange, he doubled revenue and ARR[1], delivered sustained profitability and significantly accelerated growth in the US market. Lionel Chmilewsky also served as CEO of Cambridge Broadband Networks and Comverse IP Communications. He also serves as Chairman of Hive Streaming. Under Lionel Chmilewsky's leadership, Ekinops will continue to implement its "Bridge" strategic plan, focusing on innovation, customer satisfaction, expansion into high-growth markets as well as introducing new drivers for growth and sustainable value creation. "The Board is pleased to welcome Lionel Chmilewsky as Ekinops' new Chief Executive Officer. Lionel brings deep technology and leadership experience, particularly in telecommunications and cybersecurity. His mission will be to continue driving international business development and to further strengthen the Group's direct and indirect sales organizations under the Bridge strategic plan, reinforcing Ekinops' positioning in data center interconnection (DCI) for Optical transport and cybersecurity (SASE[2]) for Access" said Hugues Lepic, Chairman of the Board. "We would also like to thank Philippe Moulin for his commitment and successful leadership during the transition period. Philippe will carry on as Chief Operating officer." "I am deeply honored to join Ekinops as Chief Executive Officer and grateful for the trust placed in me by the Board of Directors" stated Lionel Chmilewsky, incoming CEO of Ekinops. "I look forward to putting my expertise to work alongside Ekinops' teams and contributing to the Group's future success in high-growth markets. Ekinops is a recognized leader in its technological fields, with strong teams and an impressive customer base around the world." "We are fortunate to welcome Lionel Chmilewsky, whose expertise and track record are major assets for Ekinops. The executive team is fully engaged and looks forward to continuing the execution of the Bridge strategic plan and strengthening the company's growth drivers under his leadership. Over recent months, we have prepared in detail our FY 2026 plan, and I would like to thank the Board of Directors for its confidence during this transition period," added Philippe Moulin, Chief Operating Officer of Ekinops. Ekinops contact Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO [email protected] Investors contact Mathieu Omnes, Investor relation Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 [email protected] Media contact Amaury Dugast, Press relation Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74 [email protected] For more information, visit https://www.ekinops.com/ [1] Annual Recurring Revenue [2] Secure Access Service Edge Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2858298/Lionel_Chmilewsky.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424524/5710239/Ekinops.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/814911/5710240/Ekinops_Logo.jpg SOURCE Ekinops France SA Firm strengthens competitive position in Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), Structural and Fire Protection Engineering PITTSBURGH, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in technology-driven engineering and consulting services, today announced that the firm has fully integrated Infinity, A Michael Baker International Company, into its Integrated Design and Advisory (IDA) business vertical. This marks the next chapter in what began as a strategic partnership with Michael Baker's acquisition of Infinity MEP+S Consultants LLC in May 2024 and has evolved into two firms seamlessly working together to provide a full service offering to both existing and future clients. The integration is consistent with the firm's Vision 2030 goal to become a leading technology-driven engineering and consulting provider and the trusted advisor of choice, defined by its full continuum of solutions. Infinity's suite of capabilities further enables the firm to deliver comprehensive buildings engineering solutions and pursue larger, more complex projects throughout a variety of key markets, expanding Michael Baker's competitive position in Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), Structural and Fire Protection Engineering across its 90 U.S. offices. "The integration of Infinity, A Michael Baker International Company, marks a pivotal moment in transforming our company into a full-service engineering, consulting and advisory firm dedicated to Making a Difference by leading through technology-driven differentiation and innovation. By seizing opportunities to broaden our practice areas and service offerings and harnessing cutting-edge solutions, we are further differentiating our work and continuously evolving to meet our clients' needs," said Brian A. Lutes, CEO at Michael Baker International. "Infinity's deep expertise and strong market presence bring valuable capabilities that will accelerate our growth, expand our reach and strengthen our ability to positively impact communities nationwide as One Michael Baker." The integration will enhance Michael Baker's ability to: Continue its commitment as a trusted advisor of choice, with a client-centric focus while delivering quality, providing the combined client base with even greater access to the depth of resources, best practices and subject matter expertise through 5,100+ colleagues in more than 25 practices and across 90 U.S. offices. Build and accelerate its strong position in sectors including mission critical and data centers, healthcare, defense manufacturing, commercial and mixed-use, higher education, oil and gas, industrial, aviation, and state/local. Drive growth by working together to pursue, win and deliver larger, more complex MEP projects. The integration will fuel even greater collaboration on projects and pursuits nationwide, building on Infinity's strong position in Texas and the Southeastern and Southwestern United States. Enable employees to grow and develop their careers across the broad range of Michael Baker lines of business and specialty practices. Additionally, Michael Baker announced that David Sinz will transition from President of Infinity to Vice President and Market Director for the Texas and Southeast Regions, and Engineering Principal for Private Sector Markets in the Integrated Design and Advisory business vertical at Michael Baker. This will ensure leadership continuity and bring deep expertise to guide the firm's growth in key markets. Mr. Sinz is an industry expert who brings to his new role more than 25 years of MEP engineering experience from around the country and across the globe. About Michael Baker International Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering, consulting and technology services spanning four distinct Verticals: Infrastructure, Integrated Design and Advisory (IDA), GovTech and Mitigation, Environmental, Resiliency, Response and Recovery (MER3). The firm's Practices encompass all facets of infrastructure, including design and civil engineering for diverse bridge, highway, water, rail and transit and aviation projects, as well as planning, architecture, environmental and construction and program management. For more than 85 years, the company has been a trusted partner to clients, providing comprehensive services and solutions, delivering expertise and quality, and embracing emerging technologies and the latest innovations like intelligent transportation, engineered models and public safety software as a service (SaaS). The company has more than 5,100 employees across 90 office locations. Michael Baker's Wolf Pack is committed to Making a Difference for clients and communities through a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement while evolving its business to become a full-service engineering and consulting firm. To learn more, visit https://mbakerintl.com/. Contact: Julia Covelli [email protected] (866) 293-4609 SOURCE Michael Baker International According to the ASEAN-6 eReadiness Report released by PwC Vietnam on January 9, Vietnam is the fastest-growing and 'most electrification-driven' electric vehicle (EV) market among ASEANs six major automotive markets. The report assesses EV readiness, consumer behaviour, and infrastructure maturity across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. The region is undergoing a rapid transformation, where electrification is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and consumer interest continues to surge, even as major variations persist across markets. While Singapore maintains its position as ASEANs most e-ready country, and the Philippines remains in the early stages of maturity, Vietnam has emerged as the most dynamic and high velocity outlier in the region. The report shows that EV adoption continues to accelerate, with sales of electrified vehicles, (xEVs) a broad category that includes hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric models rising 62 per cent on-year as of the third quarter of 2025. Singapore remains the most e-ready market in ASEAN with an index score of 4.3/5.0, while the Philippines sits at the lower end of the maturity spectrum. Vietnam stands out as one of the regions fastest expanding automotive and EV markets. Supported by strong government incentives, including 100 per cent registration fee exemption for EVs through 2027 the country is experiencing an electrification wave unmatched in ASEAN. Vietnams 33 per cent xEV share is well above the ASEAN-6 average (17 per cent) and second only to Singapore (72 per cent). Thailand stands at 30 per cent; Indonesia at 18 per cent; Malaysia and the Philippines at 4 per cent each. Vietnams total vehicle sales surged 18 per cent on-year, outpacing most regional markets. The most striking development is the 84 per cent growth in xEV sales, which now account for 33 per cent of all vehicles sold, one of the highest shares in ASEAN. VinFast has emerged as the leading xEV brand in ASEAN-6; its sales rose from 56,000 units in the third quarter of 2024 to over 100,000 a year later, driven primarily by demand in Vietnam. Consumer sentiment towards EVs in Vietnam is among the most positive in the world. However, PwC's data reveals a critical vulnerability in the post-purchase experience that threatens long-term adoption. 15 per cent of consumers already own an EV (highest in ASEAN) and EV sceptics account for only 5 per cent (lowest in ASEAN). While Vietnamese consumers are eager to buy EVs (79 per cent), the actual ownership experience is falling short for a significant portion of them. The high rate of owners considering a return to petrol-powered vehicles due to maintenance costs is a major red flag, indicating that winning the initial sale is only half the battle. A concerning 42 per cent of current Vietnamese EV owners would consider switching back to a petrol vehicle for their next purchase, with 62 per cent citing higher than expected maintenance costs as the primary driver of dissatisfaction. This represents one of the highest reversion risks in the region. Despite scoring high on the index for government incentives score: 4.0/5.0) and high consumer demand (3.7/5.0), Vietnams physical infrastructure lags, with an infrastructure score of 2.1/5.0. Regarding infrastructure readiness, it lags significantly in relative to Thailand (2.5) and Singapore (4.3). For Vietnamese EV sceptics, the top concerns are limited driving range (54 per cent), uncertainty around battery lifetime (49 per cent) and recharging time (35 per cent). This imbalance threatens to constrain the markets long-term momentum despite its strong head start. The report also highlights a mismatch between consumer charging habits and infrastructure maturity. Fast charging solutions are preferred across ASEAN-6, with availability, location, and pricing/tariffs ranking as the top dissatisfaction areas for EV owners. In Vietnam, a significant portion of EV owners in Vietnam do not have access to private home charging, making them heavily reliant on a public network that is still underdeveloped. 70 per cent of Vietnamese EV owners charge primarily at their office, on the street, or at other public locations like shopping malls, the highest rate in ASEAN. Consumer expectations for charging speed remain high, potentially outpacing current infrastructure capabilities. Around half of consumers expect charging times of about 36 minutes, while an acceptable driving range for the same share is roughly 388 km. Vietnams EV market is growing faster than any other in ASEAN, driven largely by a strong domestic vehicle manufacturer, said Patrick Ziechmann, head of the Automotive ASEAN Centre of Excellence at PwC Malaysia. While consumer interest is high, sustaining growth will depend on improving infrastructure and the ownership experience to match that momentum. EV strategy must prioritise keeping the pace globally Under Vietnams vehicle industry development strategy, electric vehicles (EVs) require robust support from government policies to contribute effectively to the countrys net-zero commitment. Tech players take on EV charging infrastructure Electric vehicle charging station companies are looking for more incentives to facilitate their expansion in the Vietnamese market. After a subdued period, Vietnams initial public offering (IPO) market is entering 2026 with stronger regulatory support and rising expectations of attracting long-term domestic and foreign capital. The year 2025 ended with several notable IPOs and listings, led mainly by securities firms including Techcom Securities, VPBank Securities, and VPS Securities, reflecting a recovery in issuance while also highlighting limits to investor appeal as listings within the same sector increased. Against this backdrop, market attention is shifting towards expected IPOs in 2026, particularly from companies in sectors with strong potential to drive economic growth. Ahead of its planned listing on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, Gelex Infrastructure JSC, a subsidiary of multi-industry investment group Gelex, conducted an IPO of 100 million shares on December 31, attracting subscription demand of nearly 123.4 million shares. The auction results underscored the strong appeal of infrastructure and industrial park developers amid rising inflows of foreign investment and growing infrastructure development needs. Hoang Anh Gia Lai International Investment JSC plans to conduct its IPO in the second quarter of 2026. Dien May Xanh the operator of the mobile phone, electronics, and home appliance retail segment of Mobile World Investment Corporation is also expected to list in 2026. Despite the more upbeat outlook for the year ahead, several large IPOs in the latter part of 2025 actually underperformed after listing, leaving some investors facing losses. Do Minh Trang, head of the Research Department at ACB Securities, said timing was the key factor, noting that many companies completed their IPOs and listings in late October, just as the market corrected from a peak. In that environment, share prices tend to move with the broader market rather than reflect the underlying value of the businesses, she said. "Market debuts in 2025 were heavily concentrated in the securities sector, where scarcity is limited, as more than 20 companies in the same industry are already listed." Looking into 2026, as more IPOs are unveiled, the pipeline is becoming more diversified, with companies from consumption, retail, food and beverage, agriculture, and healthcare sectors tied to stable growth and ongoing urbanisation, Trang added. This diversification, Trang believes, could underpin a more active IPO market in 2026 and help draw increased foreign investor interest. Another important driver for new market listings in 2026 stems from changes to the legal framework. Decree 245/2025/ND-CP, issued and effective from last September, shortens the maximum time for shares to begin trading from 90 days to 30 days after listing approval, reducing delays and lowering costs for issuers. Procedures for going public have also been streamlined, allowing companies to submit offering applications and listing registration dossiers simultaneously to the State Securities Commission and the stock exchange. The new process shortens timelines, improves the speed at which new securities reach the market, and raises standards for corporate governance and financial transparency to better protect investors interests. From an international perspective, FTSE Russells October decision to upgrade Vietnam from frontier to secondary emerging market status expected to take effect from September 21 has already lifted market sentiment. SSI Securities estimates that once the reclassification is implemented, passive inflows could exceed $1.6 billion. The inflows could lift market liquidity by 1015 per cent, equivalent to about $1.1 billion per trading session, while supporting equity valuations. Taken together, broader sector participation, a more supportive legal framework, and the prospect of market reclassification point to 2026 as the start of a more selective and sustainable listing cycle for Vietnams stock market. Vietnam beats Singapore to top ASEANs IPO markets Vietnam has leapt to become Southeast Asias top grossing market for initial public offerings in 2018 with total proceeds of US$2.6 billion. Vietnam's IPO market has slowed down in 2023 Vietnam saw just three initial public offering (IPO) listings in the first 10 months of 2023, raising approximately $7 million, according to the latest report by Deloitte. HAI PHONG, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 January 2026 - On the final day of 2025, VinFast's Hai Phong manufacturing complex ended the year at full throttle, rolling off the 200,000th vehicle from its production line. For Vietnam's first and only global carmaker, the number capped off a year of achievements that highlighted Vietnam's growing capability as a manufacturing hub. VinFast's Hai Phong manufacturing complex ended the year at full throttle, rolling off the 200,000th vehicle from its production line. For more than a year, VinFast has led Vietnam's car market, outselling brands that once defined what success on four wheels looked like, a welcome change in a country long used to importing its automotive identity. VinFast vehicles are now part of daily traffic as commuter cars, family haulers, and long-distance companions, judged and praised with the same standards buyers apply to Japanese, Korean, or German imports.Scale, however, tells only part of the story. In the same year, VinFast revealed a far more technical project: the Lac Hong 900 LX, an armored electric vehicle certified to meet the VPAM VR7 ballistic protection standard. Very few automakers globally can build vehicles at that level of protection, and even fewer can do so with a fully electric platform.Outside Vietnam, over the past two years, VinFast has pushed into North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Notably, in 2025, three new plants came online, one in Vietnam and two more in India and Indonesia. The Indian factory in Tamil Nadu entered a market famous for thin margins and even thinner patience. It is not a place that waits politely for newcomers to find their footing. Yet by December, just months after starting sales, VinFast had risen to become India's fourth largest EV brand, prompting one Indian outlet to note that its market entry "proved to be a huge success."Much of VinFast's momentum, across every market it has entered, comes from how it thinks about ownership. Rather than treating sales as an endpoint, the company tends to enter markets with an entire support system designed to remove local anxieties. In regions where electric vehicles still prompt practical questions, those details carry weight.The Middle East offers a clear case. There, the VF 8 is positioned as a premium midsize electric SUV, supported by policies designed to reduce hesitation. Buyers receive a ten-year or 200,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, a ten-year unlimited-mileage battery warranty, and five years of free servicing, along with mobile service units, round-the-clock roadside assistance, and guaranteed parts availability.For many buyers in the Middle East, Vietnam was not previously associated with car manufacturing, an image VinFast is steadily undoing for a country long thought of mainly as an exporter of rice and shoes. Beyond the vehicles themselves, that kind of normalization may be VinFast's most lasting export.There was a time when cars from South Korea were treated as a punchline in Western markets, but those jokes have not aged well. Vietnam's turn is arriving in a different moment, shaped by electrification and fewer fixed ideas about who belongs in the global auto club. And this time, nobody is laughing.https://me.vinfast.com/en The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The consolidated entity will leverage AI and precision engineering to create a comprehensive ecosystem advancing drug delivery, home monitoring, and clinical intelligence. ROCHESTER, Minn., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanodropper, the leader in micro-volume ophthalmic delivery, today announced that Bedo Solutions and Viseon Labs have agreed on terms to join its precision eyecare platform under a new corporate identity: Mu Medical. Nanodropper, Viseon Labs, and Bedo Solutions plan to join under Mu Medical (PRNewsfoto/Mu Medical) This planned consolidation marks a major expansion for Nanodropper, evolving the company from a single-product device manufacturer into a broader commercial-stage medtech ecosystem. Upon closing, the integration of assets and intellectual property from Bedo Solutions and Viseon Labs with Nanodropper's existing infrastructure will bring together hardware and software designed to address the full lifecycle of ocular care. "Eyecare has historically been treated as a one-size-fits-all model, from standardized drop sizes to static treatment plans," said Dr. Allisa Song, Founder and CEO of Nanodropper. "We are building Mu Medical to break that mold. By bringing Bedo Solutions and Viseon Labs into our ecosystem, we will be able to personalize the entire journey: from delivering the precise dose a patient needs to monitoring adherence at home and using AI to tailor therapy in real time." United by a Physician-Led Vision Nanodropper, Bedo Solutions, and Viseon Labs were each founded by physicians driven by a pragmatic, patient-centered mission to improve access and outcomes. This shared clinical perspective brings a strong medical lens to ophthalmic innovation, ensuring technological advancements are designed to deliver meaningful therapeutic impact. Following closing, the company's leadership structure will include: Allisa Song, M.D. , Founder and CEO of Nanodropper, serving as CEO and Board Chair of Mu Medical , Founder and CEO of Nanodropper, serving as CEO and Board Chair of Mu Medical Sina Fateh, M.D. , Founder and CEO of Viseon Labs, joining as Chief Strategy Officer and Board Observer , Founder and CEO of Viseon Labs, joining as Chief Strategy Officer and Board Observer Robert Kinast, M.D., Founder and CEO of Bedo Solutions, serving as Board Observer and Medical Advisor A Unified Portfolio Advancing Precision and Personalized Eyecare Following completion of the transactions, Mu Medical will be organized around four complementary product verticals: Consumer Devices: Nanodropper Adaptor and GentleDrop are patient-centered eyedrop tools that optimize existing treatments and support daily therapy. Nanodropper Adaptor and GentleDrop are patient-centered eyedrop tools that optimize existing treatments and support daily therapy. Primary Packaging: MuPACK-JT2, MuVEYE, and MuMIST enable precision dosing at the source through proprietary micro-volume delivery technologies. MuPACK-JT2, MuVEYE, and MuMIST enable precision dosing at the source through proprietary micro-volume delivery technologies. Monitoring and Oculomics: VuTRACK leverages machine vision to enable adherence tracking and generate actionable health insights. VuTRACK leverages machine vision to enable adherence tracking and generate actionable health insights. AI Therapeutics: Myopia AI and VizGuard apply advanced analytics to support personalized treatment through AI-powered solutions. Together, these verticals form an integrated approach to modernizing eyecare: from how therapies are delivered and monitored to how treatment decisions are informed. Debut at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Week Dr. Allisa Song and Dr. Sina Fateh will formally debut Mu Medical during the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week in San Francisco, CA (January 1215, 2026). In conjunction with the announcement, Viseon Labs has been selected as a featured presenting company at the MIT Innovation Showcase & Reception, where the leadership team will present the Mu Medical vision to investors and the medtech community. https://www.mitcnc.org/events/150561 About Mu Medical Mu Medical is a physician-founded, commercial-stage medtech company advancing precision and personalized care in ophthalmology. Upon closing of the proposed transactions, Mu Medical will bring together Nanodropper, Bedo Solutions, and Viseon Labs to develop solutions spanning drug delivery, home monitoring, and AI-driven clinical intelligence. For more information, visit www.mumedical.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding proposed transactions, anticipated leadership roles, and future product offerings. The proposed transactions have not yet closed and remain subject to definitive agreements and customary closing conditions. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Contact: Mackenzie Andrews [email protected] SOURCE Mu Medical Wrexham primary school celebrates glowing Estyn inspection report Staff and pupils at a Wrexham primary school are celebrating after receiving a positive inspection from Estyn. His Majestys Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales described St Marys RC Primary School as a highly effective and inclusive learning community following its visit in October 2025. A report released after the inspection praised the vibrant, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment where pupils thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. It highlights the strong progress made by pupils in lively, well-planned, and engaging lessons. A particular strength noted by Estyn was language development. The report states: A majority of pupils speak English as an additional language and start at the school with a limited vocabulary. Through patient, systematic teaching, including the repetition of early stories and songs, over time they become confident speakers. Teachers make exemplary use of well-chosen, high-quality, diverse childrens literature. This immerses pupils in rich vocabulary, expressive language, and imaginative storytelling, fostering a deep love of reading and creative writing. As a result, by Year 6, many pupils communicate, read, and write at levels exceeding expectations for their age. The report also says: The schools provision to promote pupils social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development is particularly strong. Adults and pupils from many cultures and backgrounds work and play together well. As a result, everyone feels known, cared for, and valued. Carefully planned experiences nurture pupils empathy and sense of responsibility, resulting in a caring and inclusive community. Estyn also praised the teaching at the school and curriculum, stating that teaching is lively, well organised, and engaging, leading most pupils to make strong progress and take pride in their work. There were two positive spotlights highlighted from the visit: Using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support pupils to develop creative writing, and; Using professional enquiry to build a learning community through innovative professional development. Just one recommendation was made to help the school to continue to improve, which was to ensure that teaching across the school encourages all pupils, particularly the more able, to achieve as well as they could. St Marys RC Primary School will now draw up an action plan to implement Estyns recommendation. Headteacher Rachel Acton said she was exceptionally proud of all those who have contributed to the development of our wonderful school. She added: Everyone works tirelessly to provide the very best opportunities for all our learners and their families, and I am delighted that inspectors recognised the exemplary behaviour of our children, the high-quality teaching of our dedicated staff, and that everyone feels known, cared for, and valued. This reflects our shared commitment to providing an inclusive, nurturing learning environment where every child can thrive. I would like to thank all our children, staff, governors, and parents for their unwavering support and dedication to our school. Esther Bennington, Chair of Governors added: As Chair of Governors, I am immensely proud that our recent Estyn inspection recognised the outstanding teaching, compassionate leadership and caring community ethos of our school. This achievement reflects the dedication of our staff and the spirit of our whole school community. The Reno Fire Department responded to a car that had crashed into the side of an apartment unit. Crews used tools to pull the car out. They say nobody was hurt. The Red Cross is assisting the tenant who was displaced. Parker Waichman, a national law firm, has now filed multiple lawsuits where each Plaintiff alleges injuries due to breakage of the Paragard IUD during removal attempts. PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Waichman has now filed multiple lawsuits into the multi-district litigation related to the Paragard IUD In re: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation on behalf of victims who allege the Paragard copper intrauterine device (IUD) is defective in that it can fracture during removal, resulting in serious injuries and complications. Most recently, on January 6, 2026, the Firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Chicago, Illinois resident. See Frangella v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., et al., Docket No: 1:26-cv-00047. Parker Waichman continues to file additional cases and urges individuals who have suffered serious injuries due to the Paragard IUD fracturing during removal, leaving fragments embedded in the body and often requiring additional medical intervention to contact them for a free case review. Paragard is a non-hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) made of copper that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for long-term birth control and is marketed as effective for up to ten years. The lawsuits allege that Paragard is defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous because it has a tendency to fracture or break apart during routine removal, leaving fragments embedded in the uterus or surrounding tissue. The lawsuits further assert that this risk was known or should have been known to the manufacturer, yet patients and healthcare providers were not adequately warned. Plaintiffs claim that as a result of the device's breakage, they suffered serious injuries, including pain, bleeding, infection, infertility concerns, and in many cases the need for surgical intervention to remove retained fragments. Parker Waichman LLP Fights for Victims Nationwide Parker Waichman LLP is currently accepting cases nationwide for individuals who have suffered injuries as a result of the breakage of the Paragard IUD, including pain, bleeding, infection, infertility concerns, and the need for surgical intervention or additional procedures to remove retained fragments. Free Case Review for Affected Individuals If you or a loved one experienced injury due to the breakage of a Paragard IUD, you may have a legal claim against the device manufacturers. Parker Waichman LLP is offering free, no-obligation case evaluations to help victims understand their rights and pursue justice. Contact Parker Waichman LLP Today For a free consultation, call 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529) or visit YourLawyer.com to learn more about your legal options and how to protect your rights. About Parker Waichman LLP Parker Waichman LLP is a nationally recognized law firm dedicated to fighting for victims of defective drugs, dangerous products, accidents, and corporate negligence. Specifically, the Firm is quite experienced in representing eye injury victims due to the negligence of pharmaceutical companies. Representative cases include In Re Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation & In re: Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. With a proven track record of holding medical device companies accountable, the firm has secured billions in settlements and verdicts for injured clients. Media Contact: Christopher Oxx Phone: 516-466-6500 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP WASHINGTON (AP) In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as 17 renegade GOP lawmakers joined every Democrat in support. The tally, 230-196, signified growing political concern over Americans' health care costs. Forcing the issue to a vote came about after a handful of Republicans signed on to a so-called discharge petition to unlock debate, bypassing objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The bill now goes to the Senate, where pressure is building for a bipartisan compromise. Together, the rare political coalitions are rushing to resolve the standoff over the enhanced tax credits that were put in place during the COVID-19 crisis but expired late last year after no agreement was reached during the government shutdown. The affordability crisis is not a hoax, it is very real despite what Donald Trump has had to say, said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, invoking the president's remarks. Democrats made clear before the government was shut down that we were in this affordability fight until we win this affordability fight, he said. Today we have an opportunity to take a meaningful step forward. Ahead of voting, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill, which would provide a three-year extension of the subsidy, would increase the nation's deficit by about $80.6 billion over the decade. At the same time, it would increase the number of people with health insurance by 100,000 this year, 3 million in 2027, 4 million in 2028 and 1.1 million in 2029, the CBO said. Growing support for extending ACA subsidies Johnson, R-La., worked for months to prevent this situation. His office argued Thursday that the federal health care funding from the COVID-19 era is rife with fraud and urged a no vote. On the floor, Republicans also argued that the lawmakers should be focused on lowering health insurance costs for the broader population, not just those enrolled in ACA plans. Only 7% of the population relies on Obamacare marketplace plans. This chamber should be about helping 100% of Americans, said Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. While the momentum from the vote shows the growing support for the tax breaks that have helped some 22 million Americans have access to health insurance, the Senate would be under no requirement to take up the House bill and has already rejected it once before. Instead, a small group of senators from both parties has been working on an alternative plan that could find support in both chambers and become law. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that for any plan to find support in his chamber, it will need to have income limits to ensure that the financial aid is focused on those who most need the help. He and other Republicans also want to ensure that beneficiaries would have to at least pay a nominal amount for their coverage. Finally, Thune said there would need to be some expansion of health savings accounts, which allow people to save money and withdraw it tax-free as long as the money is spent on qualified medical expenses. GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, a leader in the group of about a dozen senators, said they hope to deliver a framework next week. He and others met with House colleagues on options. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is part of the negotiations, said there is agreement on addressing fraud in health care. We recognize that we have millions of people in this country who are going to lose are losing, have lost their health insurance because they cant afford the premiums, Shaheen said. And so were trying to see if we cant get to some agreement thats going to help, and the sooner we can do that, the better. Trump has pushed Republicans to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can bypass the federal government and handle insurance on their own. Democrats largely reject this idea as insufficient for covering the high costs of health care. Republicans go around their leaders The action by Republicans to force a vote has been an affront to Johnson and his leadership team, who essentially lost control of what comes to the House floor as the Republican lawmakers joined Democrats for the workaround. After last years government shutdown failed to resolve the issue, Johnson had discussed allowing more politically vulnerable GOP lawmakers a chance to vote on another health care bill that would temporarily extend the subsidies while also adding changes. But after days of discussions, Johnson and the GOP leadership sided with the more conservative wing, which has assailed the subsidies as propping up ACA, which they consider a failed government program. He offered a modest proposal of health care reforms that was approved, but has stalled. It was then that rank-and-file lawmakers took matters into their own hands, as many of their constituents faced soaring health insurance premiums beginning this month. Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, all from Pennsylvania, and Mike Lawler of New York, signed the Democrats petition, pushing it to the magic number of 218 needed to force a House vote. All four represent key swing districts whose races will help determine which party takes charge of the House next year. Jeffries said in a celebratory press conference afterward that Thune should bring the Democratic bill to the Senate floor for an immediate vote. Trump encourages GOP to take on health care issue What started as a long shot effort by Democrats to offer a discharge petition has become a political vindication of the Democrats government shutdown strategy as they fought to preserve the health care funds. Democrats are making clear that the higher health insurance costs many Americans are facing will be a political centerpiece of their efforts to retake the majority in the House and Senate in the fall elections. Trump, during a lengthy speech this week to House GOP lawmakers, encouraged his party to take control of the health care debate an issue that has stymied Republicans since he tried, and failed, to repeal Obamacare during his first term. Associated Press writers Matt Brown and Steven Sloan contributed to this report. Time to get inspired. Find what brings you joy with the kickoff of San Francisco Art Week, SF Sketchfest, and the Napa Lighted Art Festival this week. Engage in some art of your own at a mosaic-making class or find your next favorite thing at vintage shows this weekend. For a final dose of reflection, dont miss the send-off tribute to Claude on Sunday. Jump ahead to this week's top events: Prepare your laughs for SF Sketchfest. Experience the immersive theatrical experience Compton's Cafeteria Riot. Get inspired during San Francisco Art Week. Relive someone elses most embarrassing moment at the 20-year anniversary show of Mortified! Have a good one. Get your last skate in before the downtown ice rink closes until next winter; 10am to 10pm through Sunday. // Union Square Holiday Ice Rink, 333 Post St. (Union Square); tickets at unionsquareicerink.com Try your hand at mosaic-making with Bad Art Clubs no-pressure creative class; Monday, 6pm to 9pm. // The Faight, 473A Haight St. (Lower Haight); register at heylo.com Keep up your resolve for Dry January with Dirty Habits inventive menu of spirit-free mockaritas and fizzes; Mondays through Sundays, 4pm to 11pm. // Dirty Habit at Hotel Zelos, 12 4th St. (SoMa); reservations at opentable.com Explore big ideas and philosophies at a salon with artist and nonprofit founder Inga Bard; Wednesday, 6pm to 9pm. // SF Moto Shop, 275 8th St. (SoMa); register at eventbrite.com Prepare your laughs for SF Sketchfest. The legendary comedy festival returns with a full lineup of improv, stand-up, live shows, and more with over 500 performers, including Elizabeth Banks, Jenny Slate, and Natasha Leggero; Thursday, January 15 through Sunday, February 1. // Tickets and schedule at sfsketchfest.com Catch a new body of work from the Formerly Incarcerated Peoples Performance Project. Five unique shows over four days capture the stories of former incarcerated people at the end of their three-year residency at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Thursday through Sunday. // Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St. (Berkeley); tickets at givebutter.com Drink to San Francisco history at an evening with Emperor Norton. The historian, journalist, and performer behind Emperor Nortons Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine comes to The Clift for a cocktail-fueled speaker series; Thursday, 6pm to 7pm. // The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, 495 Geary St. (TenderNob); RSVP at eventbrite.com Have some analog fun with board game night at the Ferry Building. Grab your favorite grub and choose from new and classic games provided for free play; Friday, 5pm to 8pm. // Ferry Building, 1 Embarcadero (Embarcadero); details at ferrybuildingmarketplace.com Let Ramy Youssef kick off your weekend during his Love Beam 7000 tour stop in San Francisco; Friday at 7pm. // Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St. (Presidio); tickets at ticketmaster.com Experience Compton's Cafeteria Riot. The immersive theatrical experience from the Tenderloin Museum that details a historic act of queer resistance returns for a run of shows in the new year; Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm. // Compton's Cafeteria Riot Museum, 835 Larkin St. (Tenderloin); tickets at comptonscafeteriariot.com Try out Yarrow on your next Tahoe weekend. The new restaurant from Bay Area chef Traci Des Jardins serves up modern seasonal fare atop Donner Summit. // Sugar Bowl Resort, 629 Sugar Bowl Rd. (Norden); reservations at sugarbowl.com Head into 2026 with a vintage glow-up in clothing, home decor, and jewelry, at the The Wardrobe Project Flea market; Saturday, 10am to 5pm. // Rockridge BART, 5660 College Ave. (Oakland); details on Instagram Get inspired during San Francisco Art Week. The third annual event celebrates the Bay Areas rich arts landscape across art museums, galleries, and creative spaces; Saturday, January 17 through Sunday, January 25. // Schedule and details at sfartweek.com Shop small-batch, regeneratively grown products directly from farmers at H2hotels Farmpreneurs Provisions pop-up. Join Saturday from 2pm to 4pm to meet the people behind the products; through January 30th. // h2hotel, 219 Healdsburg Ave. (Healdsburg); details at h2hotel.com Try some Louisiana-style gumbo during chef Stevonnas January guest residency at the India Basin Waterfront Park; Saturdays and Sundays, 11am to 3pm. // The Food Pavilion, India Basin Waterfront Park, 900 Innes Ave. (Bayview); details at thefoodpavilionsf.org Relive someone elses most embarrassing moment at the 20-year anniversary show of Mortified!, a show where adults read their awkward-but-hilarious teenage diaries, poetry, letters, and more; Saturday at 6pm and 9pm. // Swedish American Music Hall, 2174 Market St. (Duboce Triangle); tickets at cafedunord.com See Napa in lights. The Napa Lighted Art Festival returns with its walk through 15 lighted art installations around downtown; Fridays and Saturdays, 6pm to 10pm and Sundays through Thursdays, 6pm to 9pm through February 15th. // Details at visitnapavalley.com Witness the powerful performance of Dance Brigade's Match Girrl, an edgy fairy tale dance-drama about class struggle in San Francisco; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 5pm. // Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St. (Mission); tickets at dancemissiontheater.org Stroll through Sonomas Winter Wineland. More than 60 wineries are opening up to celebrate 50 years of theWine Road; Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm. // Details at sonomacounty.com Stock up on one-of-a-kind finds from more than 70 California exhibitors selling vintage clothing, jewelry, accessories, and textiles, findings, and art at Pickwick Vintage; Sunday, 10am to 4pm. // Ferry Building, 1 Embarcadero (Embarcadero); details at ferrybuildingmarketplace.com Give Claude a proper sendoff with a day of memories, music, and mementos honoring the life and legacy of SFs iconic albino alligator; Sunday, 11am to 5pm. // California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr. and the Golden Gate Bandshell (Golden Gate Park); details at calacademy.org FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Point Blank Tequila a new, 100 percent additive-free tequila that just hit North Texas liquor stores recently took top honors at the 2025 PR%F Awards in Las Vegas, one of the beverage industry's premier competitions. All three expressions, Anejo, Blanco, and Reposado, won medals for both taste and bottle design an achievement that underscores Point Blank's commitment to authenticity, craftsmanship, and sustainability. Point Blank Tequila took top honors at the 2025 PR%F Awards. "Point Blank has arrived," said Andrew Summersett, co-founder of Point Blank Tequila. "Winning across-the-board medals, right as we hit the market, is validation that Point Blank is not just another tequila on the shelf. "This is tequila made the honest way, the hard way. No additives. No shortcuts. No nonsense. It's for discerning tequila drinkers who know the difference between ordinary and extraordinary." Point Blank Anejo received a Double Gold medal with a score of 98, out of 100, in the Tasting Competition and secured another Double Gold in the Design Competition an honor reserved for spirits that exceed industry standards in both flavor and presentation. Blanco and Reposado followed suit, with Blanco earning a Gold medal in Tasting and Silver in Design, while Reposado claimed Silver in Tasting and Gold in Design. Unlike traditional competitions, the PR%F Awards are judged exclusively by real-world buyers decision-makers from major retailers, distributors, and hospitality groups through a two-part process: first, a double-blind tasting; then, a second round where judges see the bottle, read the ingredients, and evaluate the full presentation, from label and logo to design and shelf appeal. Each spirit is scored on its own merit using a 100-point system, making Point Blank's showing a strong vote of confidence from the people who actually decide what ends up in bars, stores, and hands across the country. That includes recognition for the design of Point Blank's bottle, inspired by the pachita an old-school Mexican bottle once carried in saddlebags and satchels. "The Point Blank bottle is slim and shaped like a flask," Summersett said. "It's easy to hold, effortless to pour, and impossible to miss. I like to say that Point Blank Tequila is everything you need and nothing you don't." All three of Point Blank's expressions Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo are crafted from mountain-grown Blue Weber agave in San Juanito de Escobedo, Jalisco, the birthplace of tequila. Each agave plant is grown organically at Destiladora Agave Azul, a family-owned plantation and distillery that blends generations of tradition with innovative sustainability. The agave is hand-harvested at peak maturity, slow-roasted in traditional ovens, naturally fermented, and double-distilled for absolute purity. Each step of the process is overseen by Zandra Gomez Santiago, Point Blank's award-winning master distiller and a trailblazer in the male-dominated tequila industry. She ensures that every bottle meets the highest standards of excellence. "When you taste Point Blank tequila, you are experiencing tequila in its purest, most honest form," Summersett said. "We've made zero compromises. It's unapologetically authentic." Point Blank is also committed to eco-conscious tequila production. Pina waste is composted and returned to the fields, closing the agricultural loop. Bottles are made from 100% recycled glass, labels from agave fiber, and closures from recycled metal proof that sustainability and sophistication can exist in the same bottle. Over the holidays, Point Blank began rolling out to North Texas retailers, with initial placement in select liquor stores in Fort Worth, Dallas, Weatherford, and the surrounding areas. It can also be ordered online directly from Point Blank Tequila at pointblankmarket.com/collections/all . While Point Blank Tequila is being distributed first in North Texas Summersett lives in Aledo, outside of Fort Worth the brand will expand across the state and the southwest in the near future. Even though it's new to the market, Point Blank already has a robust multimedia presence, including a high-impact website, engaging social media, and exclusive merch that reflects its spirit. "We didn't start Point Blank to blend in," Summersett said. "We set out to create something bold a tequila that can stand toe-to-toe with anything on the shelf. It sets the standard for what tequila should be. It's truth in a bottle." To learn more about Point Blank Tequila, visit: pointblanktequila.com . Follow @pointblanktequila . WHERE TO FIND POINT BLANK TEQUILA In addition to ordering directly from Point Blank Tequila , you can find it in select North Texas liquor stores. Here's a list of liquor stores carrying Point Blank Tequila. Fort Liquor, 1101 W. 10th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102 Gina's Liquor, 13900 Highway 377 South, Fort Worth, TX 76126 Jack Starr Cut Rate Liquor, 3725 E. Belknap Street, Fort Worth, TX 76111 Northside Liquor Beer & Wine, 301 W. Northside Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76164 Orale Liquor Store, 9702 Brockbank Drive, Suite 120, Dallas, TX 75220 The Cellar East, 4514 Highway 180 E, Mineral Wells, TX 76067 The Cellar Fine Beverages, 2805 Highway 180 W, Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Twisted Snifter, 111 N. Main Street, Weatherford, TX 76086 Uptown Liquors, 3128 McKinney Avenue, Suite D, Dallas, TX 75204 Apes Liquor, 1228 Ranger Highway, Suite 200, Weatherford, TX 76086 Crazy Liquors, 902 N. Oak Avenue, Suite B, Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Discount Liquor, 2321 S. Oak Avenue, Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Sigels Wine & Spirits, 4015 E. Loop 820 S, Fort Worth, TX 76119 The Spirits of Granbury, 840 Highway 377 East, Granbury, TX 76048 Brock Liquor, 1421 FM 1189, Suite 7, Brock, TX 76087 SOURCE Point Blank Tequila AceShowbiz - The Thomas Crown Affair is receiving a fresh perspective from Michael B. Jordan, who is actively directing, producing, and starring in this highly anticipated adaptation. While the film has been previously brought to life in 1968 with Steve McQueen and again in 1999 featuring Pierce Brosnan, Jordan emphasizes that his vision is not simply a remake. In an appearance on Varietyas Awards Circuit Podcast, he clarified that this project aims to reinterpret rather than replicate the story of the suave billionaire thief. Having dedicated a year to pre-production, development, and filming of The Thomas Crown Affair, Jordan expressed the challenges he faced. aIave been gone for a year a pre-production, development, and shooting The Thomas Crown Affair. I got back 48 hours ago. Itas the second hardest thing Iave ever had to do outside of Sinners. Directing, producing, writing, acting. It was a lot,a he shared. In this reimagined version, Jordan takes on the role of the titular character, but he asserts that his portrayal stands apart from its predecessors. aI didnat want a reboot. I wanted a reimagination. The first two films were about rich white guys stealing for fun. That doesnat land today. Ours is more personal. The stakes are higher. Still got the fashion, romance. Ruth E. Carter is the queen,a he explained, highlighting the filmas modern themes and character motivations. The film promises to maintain the stylishness and romantic elements that fans expect, while also delving deeper into the personal stakes involved in the heist narrative. Jordan also hinted at a talented ensemble cast supporting him, which includes Adria Arjona, Kenneth Branagh, Pilou AsbAk, and Danai Gurira. This star-studded cast is set to elevate the filmas dynamic, ensuring it resonates with contemporary audiences. As Michael B. Jordan embarks on this ambitious project, the anticipation builds for a film that seeks to redefine a classic while remaining true to its high-stakes roots. Fans and critics alike are looking forward to experiencing this innovative take on a beloved story. AceShowbiz - The Pitt is set to return for its second season, and the excitement is palpable as the hospital prepares for a dramatic influx of characters. This medical drama, which stars and is executive produced by Noah Wyle, is welcoming four new recurring guest stars as it gears up for its January premiere. According to Deadline, the latest additions to the cast include Brittany Allen (known for her roles in The Boys and Dexter: Original Sin), Bonita Friedericy (A Friend of the Family, Chicago Med), Taylor Handley (Mayor of Kingstown, Griselda), and Jeff Kober (The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy). This season will take place ten months after the events of the gripping season finale, unfolding during the chaotic celebrations of the Fourth of July weekend. The new characters promise to bring emotional depth to the storyline, with Allen portraying Roxie Hamler, an Emergency Department patient; Friedericy as Cora Wilkins, a visitor to the ER; Handley in the role of Paul Hamler, the husband of an ED patient; and Kober as Duke, a motorcycle engineer with intriguing ties to one of the doctors. Returning for this season alongside Wyle are familiar faces including Katherine LaNasa, Shawn Hatosy, Taylor Dearden, Patrick Ball, Isa Briones, Fiona Dourif, Supriya Ganesh, Shabana Azeez, and Gerran Howell. Additionally, Sepideh Moafi has been promoted to series regular status, adding more continuity to the ensemble. New recurring cast members this season include Charles Baker, Irene Choi, LaAtitia Hollard, Lucas Iverson, and Lawrence Robinson, further enriching the narrative landscape of the show. Fans are also buzzing about the possibility of a cameo from George Clooney, who is known to be a fan of the series. There has been a heartfelt hope among viewers for an ER reunion, especially with Clooney expressing interest in joining the cast. As the countdown to the premiere of The Pitt Season 2 continues, audiences can anticipate a season filled with intense drama, complex characters, and unexpected twists that will keep them on the edge of their seats. LONDON, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Moody Aldrich Partners (MAP), a private investment firm based in Boston, commits US$600 million to SCIO Capital LLP (SCIO), a London- based European asset-based private credit manager. Founded in 2009 by a team of senior Deutsche Bank structured credit specialists, SCIO manages both open and closed-end funds from their Luxembourg-based fund platform. Their award-winning flagship SCIO Opportunity fundlaunched in 2016offers investors access to European asset-based private credit in an evergreen vehicle format. SCIO founder and CIO Greg Branch shares, "Having worked with the same investment team here at SCIO for over a decade, we have a deep loyalty to each other and to the core investment principles upon which SCIO was built. Compounding our investors' capital is the reward for our unrelenting obsession with downside protection." Founded in 1988, MAP is a fiduciary for discreet families and institutions with a legacy of supporting high-calibre, specialist managers known for their expertise and disciplined execution. "SCIO's deep understanding of valuation, underwriting and tight collateralization structuring separates them from their peers," notes MAP Co-CEO and CIO Eli Kent, "Their extensive networks, private sourcing, and rigorous underwriting all reinforce our confidence in their fiduciary stewardship of our capital." Bill Moody, Executive Chairman and Co-CEO of MAP notes, "SCIO's distinct investment edge is clearly rooted in their opportunistic approach to the asset-backed, private credit sector. It wasn't just their acuity, acumen and judgment in portfolio construction that inspired our conviction; it was their prescient understanding of the behaviour of -- and therefore how to mitigate risk and effectively capitalize upon -- a curated portfolio of diverse credit instruments. We are honoured to be one of their many trusted, loyal and long-term investors." About Moody Aldrich Partners (MAP) MAP is a Boston-based, SEC-registered investment advisor formed in 1988 as a private investment office for its founding principals with substantial long-term capital. Established to protect and compound their capital, MAP adheres to a highly selective discipline to identify, invest in, and cultivate distinctive, niche investment opportunities. MAP is an active, strategically aligned capital partner deriving benefit from the manager's returns while providing anchor capital for distinct opportunities and leveraging its discreet global network of qualified investors to invest into the manager alongside the partners of MAP. About SCIO Capital LLP (SCIO) SCIO Capital LLP is a London-based asset-based private credit manager, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, specializing in European lower middle-market borrowers, with a long-standing focus on capital preservation and generating attractive risk- adjusted returns. SCIO remains a 100% independent and private firm. SOURCE Moody Aldrich Partners FROM THIS YEAR, THE PROGRAMME IS LED BY NEW DIRECTOR GERARDO PATACCONI TRIESTE, Italy, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The fifteenth edition of the inter-university, first-level Master's Program in Coffee Economics and Science Ernesto Illy officially begins today. The program was conceived by illycaffe and the Ernesto Illy Foundation ETS to provide comprehensive training on the biological, agronomic, technological, and economic aspects that lead from the coffee plant to the final product. Aimed at young graduates in economics, engineering, and agricultural sciences, the Master's program brings together 26 students from 20 countries: Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Malawi, Mozambique, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Gerardo Patacconi has been appointed as the new Director of the Master's program. Selected for his extensive knowledge of the coffee value chain, he will guide both the development strategy and the educational pathway. Patacconi previously led operations at the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and held key roles at UNIDO, focusing on agro-industrial development and sustainability. The academic program includes more than 400 hours of teaching delivered by 60 lecturers in a hybrid format. Classes will begin online and continue in person from May 2026, concluding with a project related to one of the subjects covered during the program. Alongside illycaffe and the Ernesto Illy Foundation ETS, the program is supported by the University of Trieste, the University of Udine, SISSA (the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste), and the Trieste Science and Technology Park Area Science Park. Also confirmed for this edition is the partial scholarship provided by the Friuli Foundation. A total of 17 students benefit each year from financial support offered by the Ernesto Illy Foundation ETS: 12 students receive full scholarships and 5 receive partial scholarships. "We are pleased, as the Ernesto Illy Foundation, to commit ourselves to nurturing young talents entering the world of coffee," said Anna Illy, President of the Ernesto Illy Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of illycaffe. "For 15 years, the Master's Program in Coffee Economics and Science has trained highly qualified professionals who will enhance the excellence of this product on an international level, promoting innovation throughout the entire value chain. This year's program has been overseen by the new Director, Gerardo Patacconi, whose leadership and in-depth sector expertise will further enrich the educational journey.". Since its first edition, the Ernesto Illy Master's Program in Coffee Economics and Science has involved more than 290 students from over 40 countries worldwide. The program has contributed to the development of professionals specialized in coffee, committed to applying the ethical and sustainable approach that distinguishes illycaffe's business model, while safeguarding, promoting, and supporting the sustainable quality of illy coffee. illycaffe illycaffe is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans. Every day more than 10 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafes, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafes and shops, at home and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors. Since its foundation, illycaffe has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 135 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Universita del Caffe which today holds courses in 24 countries around the world. In 2024, the company had a turnover of 630 million. The illy single-brand network has 157 points of sale in 28 countries. ERNESTO ILLY FOUNDATION Created to protect, enhance and disseminate the thought and figure of its eponym, the Ernesto Illy Foundation is a corporate foundation that is the expression of the entrepreneurial family, established on 30 October 2008 and chaired by Anna Illy. In line with Ernesto Illy's thought, the founding value of the foundation is Ethics, understood as a guiding principle that regulates all human activities and a sense of responsibility towards Nature and one's fellow human beings. The Foundation protects and disseminates Ernesto Illy's thought through scientific research and innovation, education and dissemination, and the implementation of sustainability and philanthropy projects dedicated to the coffee supply chains. The activities are mainly concentrated in the field of coffee science and culture and in the field of training and education for producers and supply chain operators. Particular attention is paid to carrying out agronomic research with the Virtuous Agriculture and Ernesto Illy Colloquia projects, also in order to help producing countries and farmers themselves to improve their living conditions and identify innovative solutions for the cultivation of the coffee of the future, and to training with the Master in Coffee Economics and Science. SOURCE illycaffe In this current situation where a superpower has its eyes on acquiring a micro-society of people living on a strategically-placed massive block of ice that is capping valuable resources under its permafrost, it may be wise to step back from saber-rattling, bombasticating, and threatening behavior for awhile and consider the realistic options of adopting soft power. Advertisement The U.S., or more specifically, President Trump, wants Greenland, has to have Greenland, is gonna get Greenland. We get it. We've heard it and so has the rest of the world since his first term in office. That he doesn't "package" his wishes to take charge or control of another country in niceties all delivered with a hand-written gift card, we get that, too. It's unsettling to the Greenlanders who have been Denmark's wards for nearly all of their existence if you exclude their time as a Norwegian possession and the five years in the 1940s when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis. It's also worrying their protector, Denmark. They worry that if Greenland were to accept the Americans' offer of "marriage," they would stand to lose about 93% of their entire kingdom (when measured in land mass), not to mention prestige. Advertisement Those of us who know where Greenland is also know why whoever is in control of it is determinative to world security. On that point, Donald Trump is correct. The Arctic may be cold and desolate, but it is also geographically strategic for securing that part of the world. And it's critical for shipping (nearly 90% of all the shipping traversing Greenland occurs on its western coast). The country is a veritable buffet of valuable minerals and metals that lie buried beneath its vast region of permafrost (which can be as deep as 600 meters, making any mining extremely expensive). They include rare earth elements (REEs), iron ore, gold, zinc and lead, nickel, copper, cobalt, graphite, and the platinum group metals (PGMs). Advertisement Greenland is not the Klondike. Any country that controls Greenland also controls the rights to mine for those items within certain limits which are strongly affected by political decisions and environmental restrictions, of course. But any attempt to recklessly "mine, baby, mine" would be met with major international disapproval, and in that regard it is not the Klondike of 1896 which ended up raping the countryside. Advertisement Then there is the tourism sector to be considered. From the Greenlanders' point of view, their current equation is simple; maximize the tourist spending while minimizing the tourism footprint. There is always going to be a question of how much is too much for any city or locality, and just because there's plenty of ice to go around, Greenlanders will still want to preserve their privacy and peace of mind so that the capital, Nuuk, doesn't become an ice palace Martha's Vineyard or the Hamptons of Long Island with thousands of tourists running around. Greenlanders don't want their daily lives to mirror those of the Danes in Copenhagen in the summer. Copenhagen has actually reached its saturation point with about 5 million to 8 million tourist overnight stays in the summer months taking the shine off the "coziness" factor of the city that is literally flooded with people. Advertisement Nothing like that can happen in the short term in Greenland, however, because the country has an undercapacity of hotel rooms. The last hotel built there was a Best Western with 78 rooms in 2021. Why is Denmark so intent on holding on to Greenland? Advertisement I suspect there are many reasons. One is pride. Another is history and tradition, and a third may be a centuries' old bad taste left in the Danes' mouths from when the Danes sold their Danish West Indies Islands of the three "Saints": St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix to the Americans in 1917 for $25 million in gold. A terrific real estate deal when seen in the economies of those three islands today. The Danish Kingdom is a long-standing monarchy and the Danes are proud of their monarchs and their two step-children that enjoy self-governance: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. They would hate for even one of them to "leave home." That is understandable, but nearly all children leave home at some point, cutting the apron strings to achieve their independence and brave the new world on their own. In Greenland, the self-rule movement that advocates for separation from Denmark has been around for decades, but ever since Donald Trump started rattling his presidential saber about taking over Greenland, that movement has been growing. A 2025 polling average suggests a majority of Greenlanders would vote for independence if a referendum were held today (e.g., about 56% support independence, with 28% opposed -- source: veriangroup.com). Another source finds that support for full independence has increased over time rising to around 84% in 2025 compared with about 67.8% in 2019 though attitudes vary depending on economic concerns and living standards. It's important to stress that the Greenlanders wanting independence realize that the process is a long one and that their answers were given in the context of getting independence "eventually." We must remember that the Greenlanders' clock ticks at a very different speed than that of the Americans. What then to do? Enter "soft power." While the EU "coalition of the willing" (to support Denmark and oppose Trump on the Greenland issue) is growing, the EU is worried about a possible U.S. military operation to "free" Greenland and place it under a kind of benevolent American "political receivership" similar to post-war Japan or maybe like Grenada after the 1983 American invasion. Then, the American government exerted temporary, externally supervised control during a political transition, not a permanent U.S. administration. There is no question that the recent events in Venezuela are creating a lot of worry on the part of the Danes, the Greenlanders and the EU members, not to mention the leaders of Venezuela's neighboring countries. The Danes, Greenlanders and Americans are due to meet in Washington next week to discuss the "Greenland situation," but instead of pulling a Khrushchev at the U.N. by hammering their shoes on the table and expressing outrage or anger, I would suggest that the Danes and Greenlanders huddle up and adopt a totally different strategy of "soft power" one that is designed to slow Donald Trump's momentum and offer a third way to solve the crisis, at least temporarily. That third way would include something Trump loves building, developing, project management. Greenland needs investment in its tourism sector and it needs tourists and the U.S. private sector could give it to them. The U.S. "Greenland team" needs to brush up its Shakespeare and take a page or two from "The Tempest." The character Prospero ultimately forgives his enemies who betrayed him; conflicts are resolved through mercy rather than revenge; broken relationships (political, familial, romantic) are restored and the play ends not with punishment, but with release, harmony, and return. The Tempest is often viewed as Shakespeares final statement on forgiveness and reconciliation, and it ends a whole lot better than Hamlet. Therefore, the Danes should help the Greenlanders create a package of business-related projects or ideas that essentially bring American businesspeople together to form a crack unit of pro-Greenland "troops" who might be willing to invest in the country and who would be given some very attractive economic incentives for being the first wave of investors there. A few key universities could offer some scholarships to outstanding Greenland students and perhaps establish some exchange programs. The U.S. government could encourage the U.S. EXIM Bank to sponsor a fact-finding mission to Greenland and then bring interested local Greenlanders and Danes (government and private sector) back to the U.S. for follow-up visits. It's time to think creatively and ratchet down the rhetoric and put our sabers back up on the wall where they belong. No one needs to apologize for using soft power, especially when it leads to ending conflicts. Stephen Helgesen is a retired American diplomat specializing in international trade. He has lived and worked in 30 countries over the course of 25 years under the Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush administrations. He is the author of fourteen books, seven of them on American politics, and has written more than 1,500 articles on politics, economics, and social trends. He now lives in Denmark and is a frequent political commentator in Danish media. He can be reached at: [email protected] Image: Pexels // Pexels License On Jan. 7, 2026, an extremist protester attempted to ram ICE agents in Minneapolis with her SUV, and subsequently died from gunshot wounds when agents appropriately responded to the threat. Advertisement She and her girlfriend had been on the scene for some time, objecting to the ongoing ICE action, harassing the agents as they were doing their job. Leftists watch one video, from one perspective, and claim she was murdered; reasonable people watch an array of videos of the incident from several directions, and recognize it as self-defense on the part of the agents. Advertisement Many in the Left are understandably horrified, thinking, that could have been me. Some on the Left didnt waste time mourning, knowing they can fundraise off this incident while the iron is hot. Like all officer-involved deaths, there will be an internal investigation; the videos will be studied, witnesses will be interviewed, official determinations will be made. For now, at least, under the American system, the agent who fired at the charging vehicle is innocent until proven guilty. Advertisement But there are some things we can recognize from the incident right away, which should enlighten us about a nationwide problem. These activists are not behaving rationally. Advertisement Normal people, when they see a police bust taking place, either leave the area or step back to watch from a safe distance. Whether its a mass arrest of a flash mob at a retail store, or police breaking up a late night brawl at a bar, even people who simply cant tear their eyes away from the train wreck, at least manage to find the presence of mind to stay out of the policemens way. But these activists, for nearly a year now, have often been getting close to the operations, as close as they can. We see them blowing whistles to warn criminals of the police presence. We see them jeering the agents, even throwing rocks or other projectiles at them, or just getting in their faces, trying to provoke a response. Advertisement In normal times, this would be recognized as insanity. No matter whether youre from a good law-abiding family or a mafia neighborhood, you are taught from childhood to always be deferential to law enforcement officers. Always. Advertisement You give them room, you stay out of their way, you dont provoke them. If youre stopped for a traffic ticket, you keep your hands where the police can see them so they dont consider you a threat. If you see an arrest in progress, you cross the street so you dont impede their work. Everybody knows this. From childhood. But something has changed in recent years. As the BLM riots and the 1% riots -- and the Antifa riots and the George Floyd riots -- all spread and normalized violent demonstrations, the Left started giving their activist members a new kind of marching order: The Left is now ordering its members to act up, to push the envelope with ICE and other forms of law enforcement. These foot soldiers of the radical Left arent thinking of blowing whistles and throwing hands, and blocking the street with their cars, all by themselves; they are following the precise instructions of their activist leadership. Perhaps they arent bright enough to realize that when you interfere with law enforcement doing their job, its a crime. Maybe they dont have the sense to realize that visibly warning criminals that the police are after them can make them accomplices to those criminals, guilty of aiding and abetting an escape. Or maybe they are bright enough to realize that what theyre doing is criminal it's not all that hard a concept to grasp but they have been told they have nothing to fear, because the officials never prosecute these things. Well, what these people are forgetting is that the American legal system is designed, as they say, not just for government and society, but also for your own good. That is, we dont just have laws against obstructing officers in the performance of their duty in order to help catch the criminals; we also have these laws because if you obstruct them in the pursuit of their job, you are also putting yourself in danger, and youll put other innocent bystanders in danger as well. These protesters are the ones making these situations more dangerous, for all concerned. These protesters can claim all they want that federal law enforcement is bringing chaos, but they know its a lie. Leave them alone to do their job, and there would be no chaos. Its the protesters, getting in the way, blocking agents with their bodies or with their cars, alerting criminals that the police are after them, who make these situations volatile, increasing the odds of unnecessary injury or death, as just occurred in Minneapolis. Watch the response by the Left in the days and weeks to come. Clearly, the obvious reaction to todays death should be for the Left to call on their members to stand down, to stop the harassment and provocation of ICE immediately. To cool both the rhetoric and the action right away, to prevent further bloodshed. But what are the odds of that? Watch the Left. You will see them fundraise off this unnecessary loss of one of their own. You will see them double down, and continue telling their members to blow their whistles, and position their vehicles, and do everything they can think of to be human obstacles. Because the Left doesnt really care about the safety of their own members (if they did, they wouldnt have spent the past sixty years doing everything possible to stop the incarceration of street criminals). What they care about is disruption. Destruction. Lawlessness. Thats what they campaign on. Thats what they fundraise on. And when their members are injured or killed as a result of their own horrible advice, they can use these manufactured martyrdoms for PR. Dont believe me? Look at every other Marxist movement in history, from Lenin to Mao, from Castro to Pol Pot. The Left always devours its own. They have no more respect for the lives of their own members than they do for anyone else. Its just how Marxism works. John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation manager, trade compliance trainer, and speaker. Read his book on the surprisingly numerous varieties of vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel), his biting political satires on the Biden-Harris years (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I, II, and III), and his 2024 collection of public policy essays, Current Events and the Issues of Our Age, all available in eBook or paperback, exclusively on Amazon. Image: Screen shot from X video It is a common occurrence for a regular person to be flipping through radio channels, eventually to come across the style of radio presentation known as NPR voice a soft-spoken, breathy, quietly pompous mode of vocal performance suggestive of an intimate conversation among a small circle of elites. The question immediately arises: Who could possibly find this manner of presentation appealing, and why? Advertisement The answer lies in understanding NPR as the distilled essence of sociological, ideological, and dispositional liberalism. NPR voice is part of the complex of behaviors exhibited by liberalism at its point of cultural and intellectual heat-death. Understanding its appeal thus requires an examination of this cultural disposition. Liberalism is one strain of a complex of Enlightenment ideologies that arose out of the sociological tumult of early modernity, as the prevailing aristocratic and clerical authorities of the Late Medieval Period faced the twin onslaughts of the scientific and commercial revolutions. These revolutions heralded the ascendancy of new technical, financial, and industrial power centers that upended the social order and reformed it in their own image. These novel modes of social organization accordingly shifted the prevailing power structures, as the relations between master and slave, journeyman and apprentice, king and vassal, lord and serf had given way to an entirely different configuration of power relations between employer and employee, mayor and town councilman, representative and lobbyist. Advertisement Ultimately, the ideologies of the Enlightenment are best understood as projects to justify, formalize, and crystallize the novel power relations of the modern era so as to transfigure these ascendant power dynamics into properly grounded arrangements of social authority to incorporate these arrangements into state structures geared toward universally sanctioned social ends, so as to turn socially contentious compliance with asserted power into broad social consent to legitimate authority. The close entanglement between the Enlightenment and the commercial and scientific revolutions resulted in its key protagonists emphasizing scientific rationality and contract ethics in their efforts to legitimize as well as to shape the new order, while the those same protagonists worked to weaken the old order by attacking patrimonial and religious authority. Defenders of the emergent capitalist order extolled the free interactions of the marketplace as generating an impersonal and impartial means of social organization not subject to the whims of personal authoritarian figures. Rather, the winners and losers of the market would be decided by the collective choice of free-market actors asserting their preferences. Similarly, proponents of scientific management touted the objectivity and universalism of scientific law as providing another impartial, impersonal source of authority. One could legitimately ground law and policy on the universal realities gleaned by science rather than on the arbitrary dictates of rulers. Advertisement The thread connecting all of these Enlightenment movements is the effort to discredit patrimonial authority grounded upon religion, relational affinity, and fealty to tradition as arbitrary and autocratic. The various Enlightenment movements aimed to displace the personal, autocratic modes of authority that had grounded the fading Late Medieval order and install in their place a regime of impersonal, rationally grounded authority structures that would legitimize the ascendant powers of capital and scientific state management. Strange to say, this fact lies at the heart of the liberals affinity for NPR voice. The breezing monotone functions to obscure personal agency. The monotonous, anodyne drone that characterizes NPR voice serves to convey the illusion that the words the listener hears are spoken by a disembodied Spirit of Disinterested Rationality, unleavened by any preference, agenda, perspective, or personality. If The Science could speak, it would do so in NPR voice. Advertisement This dynamic underlies another otherwise inscrutable trait of liberal discourse. Liberals are continually hysterical about the threat of authoritarianism emanating from the Trump administration, when Trump in fact has not demonstrated any more authoritarian tendencies than have his predecessors. Meanwhile, these same liberals were eager to embrace the truly unprecedented regime of COVID authoritarianism, the institution of censorship bureaus under DHS, the proliferation of a politically correct etiquette police, and the weaponization of the legal system against their political adversaries. By every measure, liberals demonstrate a vastly higher degree of authoritarianism plainly understood than does the right. Yet liberals themselves do not regard any of the aforementioned measures as authoritarian at all. They exhibit a level of blindness that goes beyond anything that can be explained by mere partisan bias, in that they do not perceive measures like those referenced above as authoritarian. In contrast, when more immoderate right-wing figures, such as Curtis Yarvin, call for authoritarian post-constitutional measures, they at least understand what they are doing. Advertisement As with most every other liberal paradox, the resolution lies in liberals rationalistic conception of authority. The mask and vaccine mandates were not authoritarian, because these policies were purportedly born of scientific, rational deliberation, which validated the exercise of authority. Federal censorship bodies, election nullification, the frenzy of legal and judicial persecution all of these measures were undertaken by accredited scientific or professional organizations and associations. They do not represent the arbitrary opinions of particular people; rather, they represent the considered verdicts of The Science, The Judges, The Intelligence Community, The Expert Classes. These are the vehicles that process and transmit the disembodied, disinterested dictates of Reason per se. As such, their conclusions are controlling, their injunctions binding, regardless of how intrusive, how radical, how alien they are to constitutional governance as commonly understood. Trump, on the other hand, presents to liberals as an agent of actual, personal authority. He has the temerity to reject the consensus views of qualified experts. He peddles ludicrous conspiracy theories that experts and committees can become self-interested political actors rather than vessels of disembodied expertise, reason, and virtue. His actions thus represent not the Platonic dictates of Universal Reason, but the particular preferences of particular political constituencies. This means his actions are inherently authoritarian, regardless of whether they are legal, even conventional, under the plain language of the Constitution and the historical precedent of the office. Advertisement The framers of the Constitution did not hold to the present-day liberal delusion that there could exist such a thing as a purely impersonal, rational, and scientific locus of authority. They understood that politics is an arena for the settlement of social conflicts, wherein the victors enacted their particular vision of the political. Although republican institutions imposed limits upon executive authority, within those limits, the Executive held a considerable degree of autonomous authority. The present-day liberals fixation on a purely impersonal political authority, enacting only scientific facts and universal principles, is not just alien to American political tradition; it is hostile to the spirit of democratic governance in any normal sense of the term. As Sam Harris plainly verbalized, the modern liberals conception of good governance would be in principle devoid of electoral input; government would be operated by classes of credentialed experts exercising rationally grounded hence, justified authority, with politicians serving as husks and figureheads. Given these proclivities, it should be unsurprising that this faction found its ideal political executives in the persons of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Image via Picryl. Americans are not facing a single war with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We have been fighting many wars combined, known as unrestricted war. These wars are waged not with troops, tanks, and planes, but with data, addiction, finance, infrastructure, and psychology, where destroying the citizen has been the focus. Advertisement The CCP first tested its campaign for global domination during Maos Cultural Revolution, during which 50+ million Chinese citizens were murdered and millions of others were relegated to torture and forced labor camps, not including the 330 million aborted babies. In the nineties, two Chinese colonels in Peoples Liberation Air Force exposed the CCPs intention of taking the manipulation, impoverishment, and ultimate enslavement of their own people to the worlds stage in the book Unrestricted Warfare. The book argues that future wars will be fought through economics, technology, culture, media, infrastructure, and information, rather than conventional battles with tanks, helicopters and guns. Unrestricted Warfare outlines how nations can defeat stronger powers while avoiding traditional military confrontation. In other words, the CCP is overtaking the West without bullets. Advertisement Unrestricted war is sophisticated. The CCP has invested decades into strategically forcing nearly every nation on Earth into dependency on it for logistics, consumer goods, and about half of all electronics sold. Unrestricted war is also patient; the blueprint to take over the West was originally conceived nearly seventy-five years ago, and the goal is to conquer the entire worlds economy, resources, and consciousness by 2049. After spending the past fifteen years advising the highest levels of government and war-gaming with Fortune 500s, I regret to tell you that the CCP is well ahead of its 2049 goal. In my estimation, they will accomplish their global takeover within the next ten years. But the world will be won or lost within the next five years, according to my calculations. Advertisement Clogging Ocean Arteries to Cripple Global Economies One of the 100+ methods of unrestricted war I cover in my book The Red Tsunami is the logistics war a silent war almost never discussed by legacy media because the truth is too terrifying to report, and because U.S. corporations have made short-term gains to sell out our country. The CCP doesnt need to fire a single shot to cripple the American and global economies. It already controls the arteries of commerce, including Advertisement 80% of port cranes (ZPMC systems with known backdoors) 90% of rare earth elements, essential for defense and advanced chips Advertisement 70% of electric vehicle batteries (the alleged future of transportation) 80% of solar panels (the future of energy, according to the WEF, U.N., and U.S. govt) Advertisement 60% of advanced semiconductors powering phones, missiles, and data centers Roughly 80% of American port cranes are made by ZPMC, a Chinese state-owned firm with embedded communication modules and remote-access capabilities. In case of a major conflict or geopolitical standoff (God forbid), Beijing could trigger software disruptions, sensor failures, or simultaneous mechanical malfunctions. A national security insider admitted, You wouldnt even have to go to war to destroy our economy. You could just turn off these ports. Cargo would stop moving, ships would stack offshore, and the entire U.S. import-export chain would seize up within hours. This stops not just Amazon packages, but also food and medical supplies. Perishable goods would rot in containers. Trucking and rail schedules would collapse. And millions of port-related jobs could be frozen or disappear, provided the standoff goes where I think it would go: World War Three. But youre already in WWIII. You just dont know it yet. Our primary vulnerability lies in the fact that port management systems and customs databases are now heavily automated. The same firms that built the cranes often maintain digital connectivity through cloud-linked monitoring networks. If those connections were exploited, fake manifests and ransomware could cripple maritime traffic for weeks. Cutting undersea cables, technology the CCP has already developed, would isolate U.S. nodes from global routes, making real-time recovery impossible. The CCP has bragged about this ability in its local news. Such action would eliminate secure communications, limit military mobility, and reroute internet and financial data through potentially hostile channels. Ports arent the only blind spot in the logistics war. The CCPs digital connectivity to land transportation recently became top news when Norwegian and European whistleblowers sounded the alarm that their Chinese-manufactured electric buses and other mass transit vehicles could be essentially grounded without warning and with no recourse. The CCP has a stranglehold on both ground and ocean logistics, which means it has political leverage you cannot comprehend. The grim truth is that the CCP wouldnt need to invade a geographical location in order to cripple America. It would only need to flip a switch that we naively allowed it to install. Deindustrialization and the China Shock A 2017 study revealed that Chinese trade shocks led to a 20% reduction in American wages and devastated working-class communities, specifically where manufacturing has been outsourced to China. The consequences are visible everywhere, including the collapse of young, able-bodied male employment and earnings, which has resulted in an increase in depression and suicide among that age and demographic group. Additionally, the China Shock has contributed to the collapse of American families, with single motherhood and poverty skyrocketing in these areas where manufacturing has collapsed. This is not simply economics; its social warfare executed through industrial policy. China Shock isnt merely a manufacturing industry phenomenon. Economic war is so sophisticated that financial advisers are literally using American dollars to fund our enemy through 401(k)s and investment vehicles. As many as 100 million Americans are involuntary financiers of the CCP. Wall Street intermediaries diverted $1 billion worth of Nvidia A.I. chips into China after export controls tightened. Our capital fuels their tyranny. Civilizations fall not from enemies at the gate, but from blindness within the walls. Awareness is the first defense. Now youre aware. Ive written a survival guide on how to withstand the coming war. We need you, your friends, your neighbors, your librarian, and your kids' middle-school algebra teacher (does DIE allow algebra in the curriculum anymore?) if we have a chance. If America is to remain free, we must stop pretending our consumer comforts come without chains and that business is business. This is the worlds final war. Total war. Image via Pxfuel. GT investigates: Unveiling US long-standing geopolitical, economic and ideological intrigues in Latin America Global Times) 08:26, January 09, 2026 "The United States seems to be destined by Providence to plague Latin America with misery in the name of liberty," Simon Bolivar, who was born in Venezuela and later played a central role in the Latin American independence movement, once wrote in a letter in 1829. The apprehension and warnings that Bolivar voiced nearly two centuries ago, appeared to have found renewed validation at the onset of 2026 at his birthplace. In the early hours of Saturday local time, the US military launched a military strike against Venezuela, and forcibly seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were subsequently transported to the US, and stood their first court trial there on Monday. The US' move is not an isolated incident but rather the inevitable continuation of two centuries of the Monroe Doctrine, a mindset that treats Latin America as the US' own "backyard," commented experts in international relations reached by the Global Times. From geopolitical hegemony, to economic plunder and to its sugar-coated munitions of ideological penetration, the US has long wielded these three "axes" against Latin America, seeking to reduce the region to an instrument for advancing US interests and realpolitik ambitions, Xu Yanran, an associate professor at the School of International Relations, Renmin University of China, told the Global Times. Axe of geopolitical hegemony The US' forcible seizure of Venezuela's leader faced strong criticism from both partners of the US and other countries at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday. Within the US, "anti-war protests are planned in over 100 cities," Newsweek reported on Sunday. And this is merely the latest blow of the axe with which the US has long hewn its geostrategic dominance into Latin American soil. For decades, the US has consolidated its position there through a series of intrigues, which include strategic declarations that normalize its hegemony, a sustained military presence that reinforces de facto control, and the building of exclusive organizations and events that squeeze out opposition - all to ensure that the region remains subordinate to US interests, Xu said. "America for the Americans." Ever since the then president James Monroe issued that motto in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine has served as the US' putative theoretical justification for intervening in Latin America against the European powers. The Trump administration's 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) went further still, openly designating Latin America as sphere of influence of the US - a posture widely dubbed "Monroe Doctrine 2.0" by media and think tanks and tantamount to a blunt, unapologetic hegemonic threat to the region, according to Xu. Behind that threat lies a longstanding and substantial US military presence in Latin America - the alarming fuel that powers this axe of geopolitical hegemony the US brandishes toward the region. The US maintained roughly 76 military bases across Latin America, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The US is adept at direct military intervention in the region under various pretexts. In December 1989, under the guise of a counternarcotics effort, the US mounted "Operation Just Cause," deploying some 27,000 troops to invade Panama, according to the website of US Army Special Operations History. Its most recent forcible seizure of the Venezuelan president was, at least ostensibly, also conducted under the pretext of "counter-narcotics." The attack on Venezuela on January 3 leaves no room for doubt: The US no longer behaves as the peaceful democracy it proclaims to be, Evandro Menezes de Carvalho, a professor of international law at the Federal Fluminense University in Rio de Janeiro, told the Global Times in a previous interview. "Today, American hegemony is sustained not by the multilateral institutions it once championed but by the projection of raw force," Carvalho commented. Axe of economic plunder "The underdevelopment of Latin America derives from the development of others and it continues to feed it," Eduardo Galeano wrote this statement in his book "The Open Veins of Latin America," which eloquently argues that the West has long plundered the region's natural resources to bankroll its own progress. Over 50 years have passed since its publication, and the phenomenon described continues to unfold across the American continent as the US tries to lock this resource-rich land firmly in place as a dependency for resource extraction and a market for dumping goods. This plunder is primarily reflected in the control of energy and natural resources, which can be exemplified by the "food imperialism" established by the US. Michael Hudson, a US economist used this term in an interview with US news website The Grayzone, to explain how the US, by influencing the World Bank, provided loans not to help countries like Chile or Venezuela grow their own food, but to produce plantation crops needed in the US that could not be grown domestically, so that "countries have become more and more dependent on the US for food." The US further strengthens its economic control over the region by controlling key transportation infrastructure in Latin America. For more than a century, the US has sought to profit from the Panama Canal at Panama's expense. According to Xinhua, on November 3, 1903, US troops landed in Panama and engineered the country's secession from Colombia. Just 15 days after Panama declared independence, it was coerced by the US into signing the unequal Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty that granted the US the right to construct the canal and to permanently use, occupy, and control the waterway. Another treaty was signed in 1977 requiring the US to hand over the canal to Panama on December 31, 1999. However, at the beginning of 2025, the Trump administration reiterated threat to retake Panama Canal "or something very powerful" will happen, CNN reported. According to the History Labs of University of Maryland, in the 1930s, a US company United Fruit Company (UFC) gained control of 42 percent of Guatemala's land, and was exempted from paying taxes and import duties. The UFC not only owned all of Guatemala's banana production, it also owned the country's telephone and telegraph system. The US is also good at strengthening its "dominant position" in trade with Latin America through various trade agreements. According to a report by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, whether it is the North American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and the US, or the free trade agreements between the US and Central American countries, they are all designed to provide US companies with production advantages and to allow them to disproportionately accumulate wealth and profits, while partner countries receive asymmetric benefits. The US has also frequently wielded economic sanctions to pressure countries in the region that do not conform to its policy agenda. Over the past seven years, the US sanctions severely crippled Venezuela's oil industry, causing the country to lose oil revenue equivalent to 231 percent of its GDP between January 2017 and December 2024, according to transnational think tank Tricontinental Institute for Social Research. "By creating these countries' distorted economic structures, weakening their industrial manufacturing and sustainable development capabilities, and imposing unequal economic agreements or economic sanctions, the US firmly controls the industrial order and trade structure in the region," Sun Yanfeng, a research fellow from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times. Axe of ideological infiltration In the latest US NSS report, the Trump administration outlines its vision for a new global order centered on the core principle of "America first." This strategic layout serving "America first" is not isolated from history; it continues the long-standing US strategic inertia of viewing Latin America as its "backyard." Furthermore, its ideological penetration is a key flexible tool to maintain this sphere of influence and shape a regional order aligned with US interests, experts noted. For a long time, "promoting democracy" and "protecting human rights" have been common slogans used by the US to interfere in Latin American affairs, brandishing its axe of ideological infiltration targeting Latin America. Under these disguised pretenses, the US has systematically infiltrated Latin American social trends, fostered pro-US forces and interfered in elections through various means such as financial support, public opinion manipulation and political maneuvering, Xu pointed out. Infamous institutions like the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have long funded opposition groups and "civil society" organizations in countries such as Venezuela and Cuba. In September 2021, Stephen Kinzer, a former reporter of The New York Times, published articles in the New York Review of Books website unveiling that the NED collaborates with the CIA and USAID to support insurgent forces in other countries in a bid to overthrow regimes that the US dislikes. According to the articles, early members of the NED board of directors were mostly warmongers, and among the board members are former federal senators enthusiastic about regime change in Cuba and Nicaragua. The US also instigated the "color revolution" in Bolivia through the NED and some other social organizations, forcing the then president Evo Morales to resign and go into exile. Over the years, the US has groomed anti-Morales forces. Between 2013 and 2018, the NED and USAID provided, by various means, $70 million to the opposition in Bolivia, according to a fact sheet on NED released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2022. Xu told the Global Times that US intervention is self-serving rather than mutually beneficial. Many tragedies have shown that, the three "axes" of geopolitical hegemony, economic plunder and ideological infiltration the US hews on Latin America have only torn apart society and led to persistent political unrest - this is the crux of why US involvement in Latin America "only makes things worse," Xu said. In recent years, the voices of Latin American countries for unity, self-strengthening and opposition to intervention have been on the rise, and this reflects the awakening of the subjective consciousness in Latin America and the exploration of a truly independent and autonomous development path, Xu said. A growing number of countries have realized that relying on external powers cannot bring stability and prosperity; strengthening internal regional unity and cooperation is the correct direction to respond to external intervention and achieve common development, the Chinese expert noted. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) UGREEN presents a unified vision for smarter connected living, spanning intelligent storage, home security, and advanced charging. LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- UGREEN, a leading global consumer electronics brand, continued to advance its vision of "Activate Smarter Living" at CES 2026 by hosting a dedicated launch event during the show. At the event, UGREEN officially unveiled its latest AI-driven innovations across data, security, and power, including the NASync iDX Series AI NAS, the SynCare smart security ecosystem, and the Nexode Pro 300W GaN desktop charger. Together, these launches mark another step forward in UGREEN's ongoing efforts to deliver a smarter, more connected ecosystem grounded in local AI, intelligent storage, and privacy-first principles. Activate Smarter Living At the launch event, UGREEN showcased the NASync iDX Series as the central pillar of its intelligent storage lineup, offering a clear view of how AI-enabled storage can fit naturally into home and small business environments. Built as a private cloud powered by on-device AI, the NASync iDX Series is designed to make everyday data easier to manage, search, and usewhile keeping it fully under users' control. With AI-assisted search, intelligent content organization, and offline interaction with stored files, UGREEN AI NAS moves beyond traditional storage by turning data into a more accessible, secure, and practical digital resource, without reliance on the cloud. In conjunction with the product unveiling, UGREEN hosted a panel discussion titled "The Convergence of Intelligent Storage and AI: Powering Practical Applications and Shaping Industries." Moderated by technology commentator Gary Adcock, the discussion brought together voices from across the industry and community, including Kaijie Zhou, AI Lab Director at UGREEN; Theo Fortin, a representative of Reddit's NAS moderator community; Benjamin Hacker, General Manager of Intel's Client Connectivity Division (CCD); and Brian Mallari, Director of Technical Product Management at Western Digital. During the discussion, UGREEN shared its long-term vision for AI NAS, while panelists explored several key topics shaping the future of intelligent storage. These included emerging AI trends and their impact on industry competition, real-world AI use cases already being integrated into everyday workflows, and the evolution of AI NAS as a foundational platform for home and small business environments. Throughout the conversation, participants consistently emphasized that secure, controllable on-device AI is essential to delivering practical, scalable, and privacy-first intelligent storage experiences. Kaijie Zhou, UGREEN's AI Lab Director, noted that AI is entering a new phase where intelligence is moving from centralized cloud systems to local devices. By enabling AI to run directly on NAS, UGREEN is redefining AI NAS as a privacy-first intelligent edge platform that delivers faster response, greater reliability, and deeper personal relevance for users. To translate this AI vision into real-world products, AI NAS must be built on two fundamental pillars: powerful local computing capabilities and reliable, scalable data storage. In this context, UGREEN has established deep collaborations with both Intel and Western Digital to form the technical foundation of its next-generation intelligent storage platform. On the computing side, the core of UGREEN's AI NAS strategy is its close strategic collaboration with Intel. The NASync iDX Series is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 255H, delivering high-performance multi-core computing designed to handle demanding workloads such as local AI inference, multitasking, and high-speed data processing. Featuring up to 16 cores and 16 threads, a maximum frequency of 5.1 GHz, and up to 96 TOPS of AI computing performance, the platform provides the compute headroom required to run advanced AI applications entirely on-devicereinforcing UGREEN's commitment to privacy-first, cloud-independent intelligence. "The launch of the Ugreen AI NAS IDX series marks a transformative moment in edge computing. Integrating Intel's advanced hardware and software capabilities, the product represents a robust computing platform designed to bring AI closer to where data is generated. This innovation empowers businesses and creators to run local AI workloads with unmatched speed, efficiency, and reliability - delivering real-time insights and intelligent automation while safeguarding data privacy. Together with Ugreen, we are redefining what's possible for AI at the edge." Benjamin Hacker, General Manager of Client Connectivity Division, Intel Corporation On the data side, as data volumes continue to grow across personal, creative, and professional environments, UGREEN views storage capacity as another critical pillar of practical AI NAS solutions. UGREEN believes that meaningful AI-powered storage must be built on large, reliable local data foundations, as data itself is the fuel that powers intelligent applications. Guided by this philosophy, UGREEN has partnered with Western Digital, whose storage technologies enable the NASync iDX Series to support up to 196TB of scalable local storage. This level of capacity allows families, creators, and small businesses to securely retain vast amounts of data while providing the essential data foundation required to fully unlock advanced on-device AI applications. On this topic, Brian Mallari, the Director of Technical Product Management at Western Digital, highlighted that AI unleashes incredible capabilities for businesses and content creators alike. WD HDDs are the indispensable infrastructure of AIproviding the scale, economics, and trust that make AI possible. At CES 2026, UGREEN AI NAS received 9 media awards from leading technology outlets, including Tech Radar Pro and Android Headline. These recognitions reflect industry acknowledgment of UGREEN's approach to AI-powered storageone that combines local AI computing, high-performance hardware, and large-capacity storage into a practical, privacy-first solution for modern homes and small businesses. Price and Availability Pre-orders are available now on nas.ugreen.com . Customers can save up to $1040 by reserving with $30. The Kickstarter campaign will launch in March. iDX6011 Pro (64GB RAM): $1,559 (MSRP $2,599) (MSRP $2,599) iDX6011 (64GB RAM): $1,199 (MSRP $1,999) (MSRP $1,999) iDX6011 (32GB RAM): $999 (MSRP $1,699) About UGREEN Since 2012, UGREEN has been dedicated to creating innovative electronic devices and accessories that are both technologically advanced and affordable for consumers. Its user-focused approach lies at the core of the brand, which has earned the trust of over 200 million users globally. Lately, the brand has expanded into innovative new fields, including AI-powered NAS solutions, further enhancing its commitment to meet evolving consumer needs. For more information, please contact: [email protected] SOURCE UGREEN GROUP LIMITED Following Washintons 2025 unsuccessful attempt to violate the Catholic seal of confession, a proposed Arizona law attempts to do the same. Arizona Bill HB 2039 seeks to modify state law by making it a class 6 felony, with fines of up to $150,000 and up to two years of imprisonment, if priests, with reasonable suspicion that abuse penitents disclosed in confession is ongoing, will continue, or may be a threat to other minors, fail to report this to peace officers or the department of child safety promptly. Advertisement Given the danger HB 2039 poses, this column highlights Catholic Church teachings about confession before examining selected litigation on the seal as a lead in to reflecting on why this proposed law threatens religious freedom for all Americans. Canon Law and Church Teachings on Confession The seal of confession is essential to Catholics, given Jesus words: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. In 1151, Gratian authored the earliest recorded statement about the seal: Let the priest who dares to make known the sins of his penitent be deposed. Advertisement The Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 promulgated the first official pronouncement: Let the priest absolutely beware that he does not by word or sign or by any manner whatever in any way betray the sinner. Not long thereafter, Thomas Aquinas wrote a chapter defending the seal in his magnus opus, the Summa Theologica. Later, St. Pius X, pope in the early twentieth century, reiterated the longstanding belief that the confessor is bound by the seal of confession under the gravest sin and under threat of the severest punishments both temporal and eternal. The Churchs Code of Canon Law is equally clear on the inviolability of the seal. Canon 983 emphasizes that the sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason. Further, Canons 1387 and 1388 specify that priests who violate the seal are subject to excommunication, a position clearly reiterated in Section 1467 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed. Advertisement A significant safeguard allows priests to refuse to grant absolution and forgiveness to penitents unless they promise to sin no more and conditional absolution on making amends such as restitution and reporting their offenses to the police as part of their penances. American Case Law on the Seal of Confession The first reported American case protecting the seal was the 1813 decision People v. Phillips, wherein a unanimous New York Court of General Sessions upheld it on state constitutional grounds. In 1828, New York became the first jurisdiction to codify the clergy-penitent privilege. Advertisement Two rounds of litigation in a 2001 New York case involved the seal. In Morales v. Portuondo, a federal trial court judge granted a habeas corpus petition ordering the release of a man wrongly convicted, and jailed, for murder. The court acted after a priest came forward to disclose that he had heard the confession of the actual killer, who had since died. The court found that because another man who was involved in the killing made similar comments about his involvement in the crime to at least four others, and the priest described the meeting as a heart-to-heart talk rather than a sacramental confession, even though he granted the man absolution, the speaker waived the privilege. More recently, 2016s Mayeux v. Charlet involved a man who confessed to sexual abuse of a child. Reversing an earlier order to the contrary, the Supreme Court of Louisiana held that because state law exempted priests as mandatory child abuse reporters, the priest did not have a duty to inform public officials about what he had learned during the confession due to his religious given duty to maintain confidentiality. Advertisement Reflection At the outset of my defense of the inviolability of the seal, I must state emphatically that I have absolutely no sympathy for evildoers who engage in the hideous activity of sexual misconduct with minors. I thus support punishing such criminals to the full extent of the law. Of course, states have a fundamental duty to protect children from sexual abuse. Yet HB 2039 threatens the First Amendment guarantee that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The danger is that HB 2039 creates a slippery slope endangering religious freedom by failing to follow the lead of the majority of states permitting narrow exceptions protecting the confidentiality of confession because it is so central to the practices of the Catholic Church. Advertisement Its purported good intentions aside, HB 2039 pushes, if not seeks to obliterate, the boundaries of how far civil authorities can intrude on the internal workings of religious bodies, even if its proponents claim to be motivated by the worthwhile goal of protecting children. Should HB 2039 actually be adopted and survive judicial scrutiny an unlikely occurrence it is unclear where the limit will be drawn on matters involving church teachings and practices, and not just among Catholics, to ensure conformity with the attitudes public officials think religions should adopt on a range of issues. Because HB 2039 poses serious threats to religious freedom for all, Arizona legislators should rethink this bill and respect the integrity of the seal by not singling out priests. Regardless of ones faith or lack thereof, the seal of confession must be safeguarded. Protecting the seal is in the best interest of all because doing so would acknowledge the freedom of individuals to have open and honest talks, in complete confidence, with their faith leaders without fear that their conversations on matters of intimate importance might be disclosed. Image: Darkmoon_Art via Pixabay, Pixabay License. Once, the worlds map was red, not because of communism, but because every British colony was colored red on that map. Before WWI, and the beginning of its downfall, Britain was estimated to control roughly 24% of the worlds land. It could do this because it believed in itself. Advertisement Nothing more perfectly illustrates this than what Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of the East India Company (EIC), which was the British governments de facto controlling power in India, did in 1829. At the time, sutteethe barbaric practice that widows voluntarily self-immolate on their husbands funeral pyreswas mandatory across large swaths of India, especially amongst upper-caste Hindu families. The EIC and Great Britain allowed the practice because they feared a Hindu uprising. Advertisement Image created using AI. However, by 1829, the British were sufficiently secure in their power and their righteousness that the new consensus, led by Bentinck, was that they would no longer be a partner to this sadistic practice. Thus, on December 4, 1829, Bentinck signed a mandate abolishing suttee by declaring it a criminal practice. Advertisement Some people within his administration panicked, fearing that it would convince Hindus that a planned mass Christian conversion was underway and lead to violence. (Incidentally, with less pushback, Bentinck also stopped such hideous practices as female infanticide and human sacrifice.) Bentinck was unmoved by these objections. What drove Bentinck? A belief in the righteousness of his British, Christian values. Thus, when pushing for the mandate, he spoke to others about the dreadful responsibility hanging over his head in this world and the next, if...he was to consent to the continuance of this practice (suttee) one moment longer. Advertisement That Britainmoral and self-confidentis completely dead. Allister Heath, writing at The Telegraph (so its probably behind a paywall), describes the UK as an impotent, useless nation that Donald Trump rightfully ignores: Eighty-one years after the end of the Second World War, the Western European era is finally over, killed off by welfarism, egalitarianism, risk aversion, demographic failure, over-regulation, environmentalism, pacifism and self-hatred. Britain self-sabotaged by wantonly downsizing our military, promoting rent-seeking above wealth creation, embracing soft power and net zero and turning against our core values. Advertisement We willingly demoted ourselves from being Americas junior partner to vassal status. We sought to camouflage our uselessness by preaching about human rights and weaponising international law; that delusion too has been punctured. Britain represents what happens when leftism is ascendant, and worse, its allied with Islam. Both, in their lust for power, willingly destroy every Western institution, with each confident that, in the great battle at the end, it will prevail. (My moneys on Islam, which hasnt jettisoned gender and still believes in an afterlife that rewards warriors.) Advertisement Speaking of Islam, Britains once vaunted academic institutions (e.g., Oxford, Cambridge, etc.) have become so crazy that the UAE, a rational Muslim nation that has enthusiastically embraced the Abraham Accords, will no longer support its students there: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reduced government funding for students who want to study in the United Kingdom. This decision reflects rising tensions between Abu Dhabi and London, especially over how the UK deals with Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. The move came after the UAE education ministry released a new list in June of overseas universities that qualify for government scholarships and official recognition. While the list included universities from countries such as the United States, Australia, France, and Israel, British universities were missing. [Emphasis mine.] British officials were unfazed: In response, UK officials said academic freedom must be protected. Ask yourself if theyd say the same if a professor were to offer a class on the wonders of Donald Trump. Actually, you dont need to ask. Last year, at Henley College in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, a mere 30 minutes by car from the famous and ancient university town of Oxford, a politics teacher was reported to the governments counter-terrorism program for showing his students videos about Donald Trump while discussing American politics: A teacher was referred to a government counter-terrorism programme after showing videos of Donald Trump to his US politics class. The Oxfordshire teacher in his 50s said he was likened to a terrorist after he showed the videos, including footage of Mr Trumps inauguration, to A-level students, the Telegraph reported. Henley College, a sixth form in Henley-on-Thames with more than 2,000 students, reported the teacher to the local child safeguarding authority. The local authority then decided he should be referred to Prevent, the Governments counter-terrorism programme, as a priority. The college then forced the teacher out of his job. But all is not lost. The disaster that is the UK comes from the ruling class. Of course, the lumpen masses, given the opiate of free healthcare (which offers free access without much actual care), allowed this to happen. Now, though, as theyve seen their culture denigrated, their institutions overrun, their children abused, and their freedoms destroyed, theyre beginning to push back. Only about 18% of Britons view Keir Starmer favorably, with 72-74% actively disliking him. Meanwhile, Nigel Farages Reform UK is the most popular political party in the UK, with national support at 26% (or higher), compared to 17% for Labour and 19% for the Conservatives. Moreover, the massive turnouts for the 2025 flag protests across Britain hint that there are a lot of little British worms turning...with some transforming into fierce, patriotic dragons. (Special kudos to Tommy Robinson!) That the British willingly gave up their arms puts them at a disadvantage, but the British police, while vicious, are also unarmed and so inept in actual confrontations that the British peoples lack of weapons may be overcome. Ive long considered Britain to be a dead country walking, and thats certainly true if the elite continues to have unfettered control over its institutions. So, lets hope that the British people, the core of that once proud, great empire, can rouse themselves and resuscitate their country. UPDATE: Perhaps this type of story might be one of the things that drives ordinary Brits to take back their country: No one could forget the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, when cities across the country were set on fire and businesses were vandalized. The left insisted that these were protests against racism, but it was nothing more than domestic terrorism targeting the foundational principles of the United States, and specifically, the soul of the American people. And now, a recent attack occurred in the Nebraska State Capitol, to once again activate this malicious cause. Advertisement [Gov. Jim] Pillen took to social media on Wednesday to report that several displays of The Founders Museum traveling exhibit were ripped off the walls by state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha. The displays feature a number of historical figures, key events in the American Revolution and portraits of those who signed the Declaration of Independence, all made by the controversial conservative group PragerU. They were put up in the State Capitol as part of the United States 250th anniversary celebration. The exhibit was produced by Prager U in conjunction with The White House. Advertisement When Cavanaugh was confronted about her actions, this was her response: Cavanaugh told 10/11 on Wednesday that senators are prohibited from putting items on the walls in the hallway outside their offices, and that she wasnt aware the exhibit was being put up this week, or that it had anything to do with the semi-quincentennial. Advertisement The posters line the entire hallway around the first floor, but Cavanaugh said she only took down the ones outside her office. If the posters were damaged in any way, I have news for Cavanaugh: she committed vandalism. Her response was not only disingenuous, but pathetic. There were so many other responsible actions she could have taken: 1) check with the person in charge of displays in hallways; 2) determine if temporary permission was given for the exhibit; and 3) learn to lie better. Advertisement Cavanaughs anti-American actions brought back memories of a time when there were multiple attacks on American symbols. The Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 tore at the fabric of this countrys history. One of the most painful aspects of these riots was the destruction of American symbols, like the statues that were torn down or removed by cities or counties. Many of us came to believe that these protests were against Confederate statues, but the facts tell us a different story: While Confederate monuments have taken the lions share of media coverage, they actually form a minority of the statues targeted. Advertisement [snip] The vast majority of the vandals were never charged, with 177 out of 183 instances having no arrests. Advertisement Most monuments torn down were not by protesters, but by city officials after pressure or threats from protesters. By far the most common route for monuments being destroyed was for protesters to damage it, then the city quickly removing it as a public safety hazard, not to be returned. For a majority of the statues removed, the fate of the artwork is currently unknown, while a minority have been moved to cemeteries and museums. The people who committed these acts were attacking the spirit of the patriots of this country, and were not held accountable. Effectively, these symbols of our history and founding have now vanished. Perhaps those people removing them, including administrators and protestors, were hoping to destroy our resilience. Their actions were pure vandalism. But we will not give up the fight. With the expected activities around the U.S. 250th anniversary, celebrations will ramp up and Americas symbols will be paraded everywhere. The people who hate our country may take those activities as a call to action to show their disdain for America and Americans. All of us should take our love of America to heart, protect our souls and spirit, and protest against these haters of America. Unlike them, we will hopefully act powerfully and enthusiastically, as law-abiding citizens. God Bless America! Image: Quidster4040 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered. Embattled, and increasingly psychotic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz yesterday addressed the attacks on ICE by protesters in Minneapolis with this: Advertisement When things looked really bleak it was Minnesota's First that held that line for the nation on that, uh, July third 1863, um, and I think now we may be in that moment that the nation's looking to us to hold the line on democracy. Here's how bad it was: Advertisement Tim Walz compares Minnesotas protest of ICE to the third day at the Battle of Gettysburg and says we are in a modern day Civil War. This man has completely lost it: pic.twitter.com/uRcdjRnGFF Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 8, 2026 What the bleep?! Gettysburg? There were over 50,000 casualties suffered in that three-day battle. While it is regrettable that one woman was shot and killed in Minneapolis, she had deliberately blocked traffic, ignored repeated lawful orders, and, ultimately, apparently tried to commit vehicular homicide. Advertisement The truly sad and scary thing is that Walz wants the confrontation between ICE and deranged rioters to be seen as a great and pivotal battle in American history so that it will deflect from his mind-blowing incompetence and corruption and, maybe, just maybe, get many to see him as some sort of hero or freedom fighter. He and the equally disturbed mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, have been -- and still are -- trying to gin up as much hatred and division as possible to foment clashes between protesters and federal law enforcement. Advertisement They believe that the images transported via the liberal lapdog media will eventually make the majority of people weary and sympathetic to the ragtag group of local hoodlums. Democrats proclaim No Kings! as a way of denouncing their own duly-elected president, yet they rally in support of Nicolas Maduro, a vicious narco-terrorist dictator. Advertisement They purport to revile hate speech yet are perfectly fine at libeling and slandering conservatives with any and all possible invective, including calls for violence. They are pro-choice, except if that choice isnt theirs. Advertisement They decry as an insurrection a group of unarmed people protesting what they legitimately believed to be a stolen election by strolling through the Capitol building, respecting the velvet rope lines, yet tell local police to stand down and threaten to order the Minnesota National Guard to confront federal law enforcement. Hypocrisy, gaslighting and projection are the tainted tools of their repulsive trade. Say it with me now, for the umpteenth time, Democrats will do literally anything to keep and enhance their own power, citizens be damned. In his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln said, Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. If madmen like Walz have their way, we may actually end up in another American civil war. More than 600,000 Americans died in the first one. Tampon Tim has delusions of grandeur adequacy. Can this nation long endure? Not if the likes of Walz, Frey, Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Ilhan Omar, and Zohran Mamdani are allowed to continuously undermine it. There is a burgeoning insurrection. It is led by Democrats. And it seeks to overthrow the United States, its Constitution, laws, history, traditions, and values. The men who died at Gettysburg gave the last full measure of devotion. Did they die in vain? Democrats hope to make it so. Update: Seva Gunitsky, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto and a U.S. citizen, has decided that a reference to Gettysburg was entirely inadequate. He believes that abolishing ICE would be the moderate position. He took to Bluesky to say, [W]hichever candidate promises to Nuremberg the [ICE] agents has my vote at this point. Meaning he wants federal law enforcement officers put on trial like Nazi war criminals and Holocaust enablers after World War II. Why is it that about 90% of college professors are insane and insanely ignorant? Image: Screen shot from X video. It gets a bit tiresome when some PC-kowtowing bigmouth touts the men and "women" of a male-dominated organization, especially elite military forces. Following the remarkable mission to nab narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro, many talking heads suffered pains to ensure that "women" were given their due. Some even painstakingly corrected their initial gender bias in an embarrassingly forced fashion to overcompensate for their initial Freudian slip. Advertisement Women deserve great credit for the support they provide as members of the Delta Force G squadron (reconnaissance and intelligence gathering). Overall, DELTA Force is male-dominated, especially the assault squadron. Women have struggled miserably with Navy SEAL BUD/S training. While trying to downplay it by suggesting more research is needed, Rear Adm. Brian Losey, while commander of the U.S. Navy SEALs, admitted that women are more prone to injuries. Duh! Advertisement There is a token scattering of women in the Army 75th Ranger regiment. Perhaps when standards for women were more lax, one managed to complete the Army's Special Forces Qualification Course in 2020 (Green Berets). The Marine Corps reviewed their standards for women when they struggled to pass the Infantry Officer Course. Advertisement At best, women in these elite units exemplify leftist equity warriors. At worst, they are a distraction that undermines morale and necessary toxic masculinity. Proposing that the sexes are equal is contravened by the real-world in just about any endeavor (women are generally more suitable for caring and nurturing, for example). In missions that require attributes that nature hasnt divvied up equally (e.g. speed, strength, and clear thinking under pressure), it is life-threateningly foolhardy. Maybe it is technically correct for the blabbering pundits to describe the "men and women" who carry out such high-octane missions, but "men and woman" best captures the essential makeup of our elite forces. Actually, unapologetically saying men," without becoming so guilt-ridden to self-correct mid-sentence, is fine -- it implies that an occasional woman may have provided support. Advertisement If any women do make it under equal standards (rather than PC mandates from leftist politicians pressuring generals who have an eye on retirement), one may still ask: what is the point? Is it worth undermining the comradery and esprit de corps of our elite assault units to assuage shrieking, futile feminists who are constantly clamoring to prove themselves equal? Even if a very rare woman can make the grade, she is probably taking a quota from a more qualified male. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is introducing some common sense: the Pentagon is currently reviewing the effectiveness of women in ground combat roles. When asked about this in an interview on Fox Business channel (Jan. 8,, 2026), Senator Jodi Ernst (R-Iowa) couldn't restrain her female hubris, questioning if men are undergoing the same review. Thats typical political deflection, but at least she admitted that they should meet the same standards. It's notable that Ernst was in the Army Reserves, serving in the logistics field. That makes sense; supply and logistics are more suitable for the frailer women. In that realm, it reflects reality to refer to "men and women." Advertisement While various national policies (including the United Kingdom) allow them, the number of women in elite operator roles in forces globally remains small, especially in countries with abundant talent. Of course, in ours -- the greatest of them all -- they are minimal. Therefore, the talking heads should stop going out of their PC way to refer to the "men and women" who conducted a particular assault operation. Its accepted that an occasional woman may have provided support, and is much more interchangeable for the mission. Back in 2015, Rear Adm. Losey also said that there are no insurmountable obstacles to integrating women in the SEAL units. There should be! The competition for SEAL contracts, for example, remains intense. It is no place for some silly social experiment that pleases the feminist social warriors by allowing them to smugly refer to the men and women of our elite military units. Advertisement Image: U.S. Army All cultures are not equal, and Im tired of anyone pretending they are. Advertisement Heres a story out of the new, globalist Belgium, and its entirely predictable: a Ghanaian man, no doubt welcomed to the West under replacement migration progressivism, was recently convicted for placing a trash bag over his wifes head, raping her, and strangling her. As his lawyer argued in court while fighting for sentencing leniency, the man had no idea he was doing anything wrong because culturally, violence and rape are acceptable dynamics between man and wife where he comes from: Now, the Ghanaian mans lawyer is arguing that he should have a more lenient sentence because of his culture, where a man must satisfy her husband. Advertisement They come from a culture where a woman has to satisfy her husband, even if she doesnt want to, the lawyer said at the hearing. In fact, the convicted man was so unaware as to how serious and intolerable his actions were, that police didnt even know about the rape until the man told them; he was initially only being investigated for the suffocation and strangulation: Advertisement The rape was discovered in a special way. The case began as a case of domestic violence, but it was the defendant himself who put us on the trail of rape, said prosecutor Hanne Hendrickx. And, this Ghanaian man is not a unique circumstance. Lets not forget that the United Nations, which sources a massive portion of its peacekeeping corps from third world African hellholes (90% of the force comes from developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America), has a serious sexual assault and rape problem. From a report in March of last year: Advertisement In his opening remarks, [House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations] Chair Christopher Smith (R-NJ) said that human rights organizations and internal reviews conducted by the United Nations have uncovered over 150 allegations against Mission personnel. These allegations typically involve peacekeepers sexual misconduct with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money. According to the UN, these contacts occurred with sickening frequency, and many involved girls under the age of 18, with some as young as 11-14. Even more troubling are allegations of rape, forced prostitution, and demands of sex for jobs by UN civilian personnel. However, to date, there has not been one successful prosecution of UN civilian or military personnel, either in the Congo or elsewhere. Rape as a culturethen no consequences to boot. No wonder the problem perpetuates. And of course, leftists export the problem to our nations and communities. Hey guys, maybe, just maybe if a persons culture really does accept trash bags on womens heads to subdue them long enough to rape them, maybe we dont import them by the millions? Advertisement This is why we cant have nice things. Advertisement Image: Free image, Pixabay license. If you haven't heard of Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela's detested interior minister who commands an army of motorcycle goons, and who has a $25 million reward on his head, second only to former dictator Nicolas Maduro, now's a good time to get a whiff of what he's about. Advertisement He actually said this on Venezuelan state television, with his motorcycle goons all around him: ULTIMA HORA | Diosdado Cabello: "El pais esta tranquilo porque el monopolio de las armas en Venezuela lo tiene el Estado". "Tener la posicion de las armas nos ha permitido el control para que ningun grupo ni nadie pueda atribuirse hechos de violencia" https://t.co/NyaefAI0T7 pic.twitter.com/1Su9LEGRAW AlbertoRodNews (@AlbertoRodNews) January 9, 2026 Grok translate: BREAKING NEWS | Diosdado Cabello: "The country is calm because the monopoly on arms in Venezuela is held by the State". "Holding the position of arms has allowed us the control so that no group or anyone can claim acts of violence" #Venezuela A lot of talk about the armed militias of Maduro called Colectivos below is a short description for the English readers pic.twitter.com/izDwFwdTTr Advertisement January 6, 2026 Except for him, of course. His violent goon squads and death squads hunt down and kill anyone who dissents with the regime. They also deal drugs as the country's biggest drug lords, closely affiliated with Colombia's FARC and ELN Marxist narcoterrorists. The United Nations has put out entire reports about his death squad regime. And no surprise, in 2017, he sent out hit squads to take out then-Sen. Marco Rubio. He's an ogre who lives by his state gun monopoly, borne of a disarmed population. Advertisement Now he's admitted as much -- that the disarming of the Venezuelan population has led to his power and thuggery. This is a textbook example of what Second Amendment proponents warn about when leftists here in the states call for the disarming of the population. States that do that are left with monsters like Diosdado Cabello, whose source of power rests in an a population without a Second Amendment to protect them. Advertisement He's effectively written an ad for the National Rifle Association. Funny how these things happen. Advertisement Image: X screen shot TULSA, Okla., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Tulsa's Center for Global Engagement has announced that 11 students were awarded a combined total of $34,500 in grants through the competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. This is the highest number of recipients on record for UTulsa and marks a significant achievement for the students, providing crucial financial support for their academic endeavors abroad. The 11 award recipients will pursue diverse international study opportunities, with seven students receiving grants for travel courses and four students earning awards for semester, summer or year-long programs. The 11 UTulsa students were awarded a combined $34,500 in grants to support their academic endeavors abroad. Post this In addition to the base scholarship, two students received supplemental awards for high-priority global areas and fields: One student received the Gilman-STEM Supplemental Award for study in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field. One student received the Gilman-DAAD Supplemental Award, in partnership with the German Academic Exchange Service. "Winning this award is an incredible honor and a meaningful affirmation of the work I've put into my academic and personal growth. It represents both the recognition of my potential and the trust that others have in my ability to make the most of this experience," said recipient Andrea Taylor, a sophomore Spanish and biochemistry major from Tulsa who will travel to Spain. "The opportunity to go abroad means expanding my perspective in ways that aren't possible inside a classroom. It gives me the chance to immerse myself in a new culture, challenge myself in unfamiliar environments and develop independence, adaptability and global awareness." Other recipients are: Oswaldo Atilano, a nursing junior from Tulsa, who will study in Peru Angel Gutierrez, an international engineering and language student from Mounds, who is headed to Thailand Kasra Iranpour, a mechanical engineering junior from Edmond, who will study in Belgium and the Netherlands Michelle Jones, a music senior from Broken Arrow, who will study in Italy Vung Kop, a business information systems junior from Jenks, who will study in India Aiva P. Liman, a cybersecurity sophomore from Houston, who will study in China Jennifer Luna, a psychology senior from Jenks, who will study in China and Japan Bristie Rahman, a cybersecurity senior from Sapulpa, who will study in China Harrison Schwichtenberg, a biology senior from Tulsa, who will study in Thailand Alexis Watson, an international science and language student from Wichita, Kansas, who is headed to Germany SOURCE The University of Tulsa A 93-year-old man who allegedly confessed to shooting his 86-year-old wife dead in California says that the killing was necessary because of her health conditions. Richard Hocking had been planning the shooting for about a month and rang police to turn himself in immediately after, according to court documents. The nonagenarian was booked into custody for homicide with a gun-related enhancement, but his Wednesday arraignment was postponed by a judge earlier this week. According to court documents obtained by ABC7, Hocking claimed his wife, Patty, had been struggling with health issues and killing her was necessary. He had been planning this for about a month and left his residence with Victim knowing that he was going to kill her. A 93-year-old man who confessed to shooting his 86-year-old wife dead in California says that the killing was necessary because of her health conditions. Richard Hocking had been planning the shooting for about a month and rang police to turn himself in immediately after, according to court documents (Alameda County Sheriff's Office) The couple had been married for 60 years before the tragic incident. Several neighbors told ABC7 that Hocking himself also has serious health concerns, including the lung condition COPD and that his wife had diabetes and other health issues. "One year or plus, she was almost in chair. Not able to do chores or anything. He was taking care of her completely," a neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told the outlet. "It's very shocking. It's very heartbreaking," they added. "I don't believe it. It's very, very hard for me to believe." Hocking is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to be arraigned on Tuesday. Officers from the Fremont Police Department were dispatched to the scene at approximately 12:22 a.m. on January 3 following reports of a shooting. When they arrived on the scene, they detained Hocking, who was found by his own car. Inside the car, the officers found the body of a woman, later identified as his wife. The woman, identified as Hockings wife, was pronounced dead at the scene and a gun was recovered from inside the vehicle. 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. Further details of his motive have not been shared, and investigations into the incident remain ongoing, police said. Wi-fi has increasingly become a perk that airlines compete on. Pictured is an American Airlines business-class suite (American Airlines) American Airlines has begun rolling out free in-flight wi-fi, foreshadowing the end of $10 to $30 fees to browse the internet at 35,000 feet. However, there is a catch. Passengers will need to be enrolled in the carrier's AAdvantage loyalty program to log on at no extra charge. The wi-fi, delivered via telecom firm AT&T, will be accessed through an upgraded aainflight.com portal, where flyers can log in using their AAdvantage number and select free wi-fi to start browsing. Non-members can sign up before their trip at aa.com or from their seat during the flight. The rollout will happen in phases, starting this week, with Americans narrowbody 737s and A320s and dual-class Embraer and Bombardier regional jets first in line for the upgrade. Wi-fi has increasingly become a perk that airlines compete on. Pictured is an American Airlines business-class suite. American Airlines has begun rolling out free in-flight wi-fi, foreshadowing the end of fees to browse at 35,000ft (American Airlines) American Airlines said that by spring 2026, free wi-fi will be available on nearly every American Airlines flight. Wi-fi has increasingly become a perk that airlines compete on, with Americans Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, claiming in a statement that the airline is leading the way by setting the standard for connectivity in the skies. However, some would argue that its United Airlines thats the trailblazer when it comes to in-flight wi-fi. In October, it became the first major airline to offer free Starlink wifi on a mainline flight. Though, as with American, only loyalty program members can use it. Starlink is much faster than the traditional satellite system used by American, because it uses low-orbit satellites that are closer to Earth, thereby reducing latency. You can expect download speeds of up to 250 Mbps with Starlink, compared to roughly 60 Mbps on Americans AT&T-branded network. United said it expects to install Starlink on up to 15 mainline 737-800 planes each month. Delta, Americans other major rival, offers complimentary wi-fi to loyalty program customers on most domestic and many international flights. But like American, the Delta satellite system is not ultra-fast. The only U.S. airline to offer free wi-fi without the need to sign up to a loyalty scheme is JetBlue, which offers a (non-Starlink) high-speed service gate-to-gate for all passengers. American consumers are sitting on a gold mine. An estimated $23 billion worth of gift cards remain unused in the United States, or an average of $244 per person, according to National Use Your Gift Card Day, an annual financial awareness campaign, taking place on January 17. If youve got a gift card you havent used, its time to find it and spend it, Tracy Tilson, founder of the campaign, noted in a press release Monday. U.S. shoppers were projected to spend around $29 billion on gift cards during the 2025 holiday season. "With the rush of the holidays behind us, January is the perfect time to reset, take inventory, and put your gift cards to use," Tilson said. "These cards were meant to be enjoyed. We want everyone to start the new year without leaving free money behind in a drawer, a wallet, or an inbox." To use your gift cards, youve got to find them first, the campaign noted. As such, their game plan for consumers is a simple three-step process: Consumers were projected to spend around $29 billion on gift cards during the 2025 holiday season (Getty) Search purses, bags, drawers, and other places around the house to find lost gift cards Come up with a way to keep all of your gift cards in one place so you dont lose them Redeem them. Use the gift card and enjoy something that starts your year on a happy - and financially smart - note, the campaign said. No matter how you spend it, redeeming a gift card honors the thoughtfulness of the person who gave it and ensures you begin the new year without leaving money behind. If consumers find lost gift cards and dont plan on using them because theyre not interested in the retailer on the card, they can donate the balance to a variety of nonprofit organizations, including St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, GiftCards4Change, and Donate Your Card. The campaign encourages retailers to spur gift card use by pairing charitable causes with redemptions. For example, businesses can partner with charities connected with National Use Your Gift Card Day and donate unused cards to the charities. Second, the campaign suggests that companies match gift card redemptions on National Use Your Gift Card Day with charity donations. Often customers receive a gift card they may not need or want, so lets make it easy for them to use it for good, the campaign said. Your business can celebrate National Use Your Gift Card Day by creating a community event that will capture the hearts of your customers and the local media. Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates divorced in 2021 - CBS Photo Archive Bill Gates has made a $7.88bn (5.9bn) divorce payout to his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates. The Microsoft founder made the multibillion-dollar donation to Ms French Gatess private Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, which works to support and empower women. The couple, who have three daughters together, divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. Details of the donation, the biggest in history, were revealed by the New York Times. The donation, which emerged through tax filings, formed part of the $76bn (56.6bn) divorce settlement. As a result of their divorce, Ms French Gates resigned as co-chairman of the couples Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024. Ms French Gates has previously said that her ex-husbands relationship with evil and abhorrent Jeffrey Epstein was a factor in her decision to divorce him. Melinda French Gates was married to Bill Gates for 27 years - Jose Luis Magana/Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The 57-year-old said she made it very clear how uncomfortable she felt with her then-husbands interactions with the convicted paedophile, but that the warning appeared to fall on deaf ears. It was not one thing, it was many things. I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, she said, when asked why they broke up. Speaking on CBS Mornings in March, Ms French Gates said she went to meet with Epstein because she wanted to see who this man was. I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door, she said. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. Mr Gatess friendship with the paedophile is well-documented. He met Epstein several times, including at his townhouse in New York City at least three times, starting in 2011, five years after the financier pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates in 2011 Epstein avoided a jail term thanks to a plea deal. There were no allegations of impropriety by Mr Gates. The controversy over his relationship with Epstein was rekindled in December with the release of a batch of 68 photographs by the Democrats. They included two pictures of Mr Gates with women, whose faces had been blacked out. Another picture showed a framed photo of the tech billionaire on Epsteins wall and another image of him standing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. There was also a photo of Mr Gates with a man believed to have been one of Epsteins long-serving pilots. Those meetings were a mistake Mr Gates previously said he dined with Epstein on several occasions, in the hope that he would help secure donations from wealthy friends for his foundation. The dinners stopped after Epstein failed to secure new donors, Mr Gates told PBS News in 2021. Those meetings were a mistake, he admitted. I was foolish to spend any time with him. In an interview with an Australian outlet in 2023, Mr Gates downplayed his association with Epstein. I had dinner with him and thats all. A raft of text messages from 2017, released by Congress in November, shed further light on their relationship, with Epstein trying, without success, to persuade Mr Gates to buy into a tax-deductible charitable fund. According to one of the text messages, sent by one of Mr Gatess advisers, the proposal was vetoed by Ms French Gates. He thought it was a great idea but wife wouldnt allow, the text read. Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the US. Mr Gates has pledged to give away 99 per cent of his fortune, estimated at $200bn (149bn), keeping one per cent for himself and his children. That would amount to $1.62bn (1.2bn). 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Creatives have expressed concern surrounding the growing role of generative AI within the industry, especially around the AI screen character or actress Tilly Norwood, who was introduced to the public last year. In the film, US actor Pratt, 46, plays a detective who has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge, played by Rebecca Ferguson, following his wifes alleged murder. Chris Pratt during filming for the Graham Norton Show (Matt Crossick Media Assignments/PA) (Matt Crossick Media Assignments) Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Pratt said: It is set in the near distant future and oddly the AI doesnt seem that far-fetched. The story is 90 minutes of real time. It is a very active movie and such an immersive experience it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is awesome, and the reaction to it has been really positive. Asked if an AI actor could have played the Judge Maddox role in the movie, Pratt said: No. Everyone was resistant to that. I dont think it would have worked. I love AI and use it all the time but as a parent it freaks me out. But it is also so cool! Also on the show, Pratt revealed the Christmas present he received from his father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger late last year. He said: Arnies love language is going all out with his gifts. One of ours was a six-by-eight-foot portrait painting of our three children and him dressed as Santa Claus. Its the most beautiful portrait youve ever seen. Its very lifelike and its very big. It was really thoughtful, but were not sure what we are meant to do with it for the rest of year! Chris Pratt, Cynthia Erivo, Dawn French, Rob Beckett and Jack Savoretti with host Graham Norton during filming for the Graham Norton Show (Matt Crossick Media Assignments/PA) (Matt Crossick Media Assignments) Pratt is married to Schwarzeneggers daughter Katherine and the couple share two daughters and a son. The Guardians Of The Galaxy star also has a teenage son called Jack with his ex-wife, US actress Anna Faris. Also on the sofa this week is Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and comedians Dawn French and Rob Beckett. Musician Jack Savoretti performs We Will Always Be The Way We Were live in the studio before joining Norton for a chat about his album and upcoming gig at the Royal Albert Hall. The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer at 10.40pm on Friday. Congress rails against the DOJs skirting of Epstein: The exact opposite of what theyre supposed to do Members of Congress who pushed to release the files related to Jeffrey Epstein told The Independent that the Department of Justice is skirting the letter of the law it passed to force the release of the files. In November, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed a discharge petition to force the House to vote on their legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release all files related to Epstein. That vote passed almost unanimously and it passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. But Massie criticized the release of the files almost as soon as the process began. In fact, Trump officials have admitted they are still going through the files to make proper redactions and not everything was released by the December 19 deadline set by federal law. Massie said that he wanted to see the 302 forms, which the FBI uses to describe interviews. Massie also said he wanted to see the full initial documents from the late convicted sex offenders 2008 case, which allowed him to be convicted on lesser state charges in Florida after a deal between attorneys. They need to produce the initial draft indictment documents in the older case in Florida, they need to produce the same thing, he told The Independent. In the 2019 case, there's some very specific documents that are not releasing. Rep. Thomas Massie, center, and Rep. Ro Khanna, left, have criticized the Department of Justices handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. (Getty) Massie and Khanna have also sent a letter to Judge Paul Engelmayer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that asked him to force a release of the files. Their letter called for the appointment of a special master to ensure a release of the full files. Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act, the letter read. While we believe that criminal violations have taken place and must be addressed, the most urgent need now is for the DOJ to produce all the documents and electronically stored information required by the Act. The Kentucky Republican who has emerged as a massive critic of the Trump administration, criticized the DOJ attempting to override parts of their law that said that the files could not be redacted based on personal embarrassment. So that's what I'm focused on, not the fact that they've clearly missed the deadline, he said. Which, of course, they shouldnt have. Theyve had a long time for that. Rep. Theresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), the chairwoman of the Democratic Womens Caucus who held a vigil with the victims during the passage in the Senate, also criticized the nature of the release. Specifically, she criticized the fact many mens faces were redacted, but womens were not. Everything they're doing is exactly the opposite of what they're supposed to do, she told The Independent. We're supposed to try to protect those who are already victimized. What they're doing is re-victimizing. The DOJ has released some information from the Epstein files, but has not released all the information by the December 19 deadline. (DOJ) At the same time, Democrats are continuing their probe of the Epstein case in the House of Representatives. Despite being in the minority, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee secured subpoenas of Les Wexner, a billionaire whose money Epstein managed, and two executors of Epsteins estate, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn. Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) told The Independent that he supported Khanna and Massies request for a special master. He also demanded that Attorney General Pam Bondi release the files. And so we're very supportive of that, and we continue to interview folks and interview survivors and are demanding that Bondi get the files out, he told The Independent. But Democrats have fewer allies in the push to release the files. This week, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia officially resigned from Congress after a public clash with President Donald Trump about her support to release the files. Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are the only original Republican co-signatures to the discharge petition pushed by Massie and Khanna that led to the law that required the files release. Late last month, Trump vetoed legislation Boebert sponsored to bring clean drinking water to parts of her district. Boebert heavily implied that her vote on the Epstein discharge petition played a role in the veto. On Thursday, the House took it the veto, but it failed to override the veto. Only 24 Republicans voted to override the veto from the president. A husband and wife who run two of four independent cafes around Hampstead Heath that are due to be taken over despite overwhelming public support have launched a legal challenge against the decision. In December, Australian group Daisy Green was selected to run cafes at Queens Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Parliament Hill Fields by the City of London Corporation (CLC), which manages Hampstead Heath as a charity. Lawyers for Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez wrote to the CLC on Thursday to demand that it brings some light to how Daisy Green was selected to take over the cafes. The pair, who run the cafes at Parliament Hill Lido and Queens Park, as well as one in Highgate Wood, which could also change hands, have been asked to leave by February 2. A petition set up by the Kentish Town couple to stop the handover has had more than 15,000 signatures, while a crowdfunder to raise money for legal representation raised more than 5,500. Patrick Matthews and wife Emma Fernandez run two of four cafes due to be handed over to Daisy Green in the spring (PA Wire) Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is among the campaigns supporters and has expressed deep concern about the takeover. In their letter, the couple asked the CLC to explain what due diligence it carried out to assess the suitability of Daisy Green as an operator. They raised concerns about the firm hired to secure the new tenant, Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL), which helped Daisy Green acquire a site in Clapham in July. Mr Matthews, 72, said: I think something fundamentally unfair has been done to us, and something fundamentally unfair has been done to our customers. The City should be given a chance to really step back and think about it, and I think the lawyers letter will help them to do that. What I believe happened is this whole process was done quickly, by a small group of people, without proper oversight and reflection. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is among the couples supporters (PA Archive) What I want to do is bring some light on to the whole process, so that quite an important decision which is changing the character of these spaces by introducing quite a different kind of provision is looked at properly, which I dont believe it has been. Gregory Jones KC, chairman of CLCs Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queens Park Committee, said: These cafes are not closing. They are much-loved parts of Hampstead Heath and Queens Park, and this process was about ensuring they can continue to operate and invest for the long term. Previously, the cafes were operating on short-term arrangements that made it difficult to invest in their buildings and facilities. Moving to longer-term leases under Daisy Green allows that community investment to happen and secures the cafes future. The merits of Daisy Greens proposal, he said, included investment in cafe buildings, support for community programmes and a promise to keep menus affordable. A spokesperson for the CLC added: Our decision to award leases to Daisy Green will secure the long-term future of the cafes and followed a fair, competitive and open remarketing process. All existing cafe operators were invited to take part and, as trustee of the charity that manages Hampstead Heath at no expense to the taxpayer, we have a duty to act in the best interests of that charity. We appointed Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL) as independent professional advisers to support the process. They were not involved in any decision-making on the outcome. A spokesperson for DCL also denied any conflict of interest, adding: Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL) are not retained by Daisy Green. We have not dealt with them on any property transactions since being appointed by the City of London Corporation to act as independent, professional advisers for their north London open spaces cafe remarketing exercise. Hampstead and Highgate MP Tulip Siddiq has backed the campaign to stop the takeover and wrote to the CLC on Thursday to ask it to review the decision. My constituents have made their feelings clear; our beloved local cafes must stay. It is vital that the cafes and the Heath remain accessible and affordable for all. Those who use the Heath daily need to have a strong voice in the decisions that are made about its running. Tulip Siddiq (@TulipSiddiq) January 8, 2026 She wrote on X: My constituents have made their feelings clear; our beloved local cafes must stay. It is vital that the cafes and the Heath remain accessible and affordable for all. Those who use the Heath daily need to have a strong voice in the decisions that are made about its running. Today, I wrote again to the City of London Corporation asking them to review this decision and to publish the documents justifying their decision. Prue Freeman, co-founder of Daisy Green, previously said: Daisy Green is a female-led, family-run, independent business based in Marylebone which started from a single Bedford ice cream van in 2012. Fourteen years later, we have 18 sites across central London, ranging from small cafes to canal boats to Holland Park cafe. We are not a chain, but a small business which we set up to serve communities across London. As part of the tender process, pricing and menus for each cafe have been very carefully considered and tailored for affordability and accessibility, alongside significant investment plans for the cafes. All jobs are safe and valued and we look forward to welcoming many more local employees in the future. Daisy Green has been approached for comment. Areas in Askam, Dalton and three National Trust sites will be monitored (Westmorland and Furness Council) A Lake District council has announced plans for stronger measures against anti-social behaviour at popular tourist sites. Westmorland and Furness Council will introduce Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in Askam, Dalton and three National Trust sites Blea Tarn, Coniston East Shore and Windermere West Shore to tackle environmental damage and disruptive behaviour. Anti-social behaviour became a matter of contention in the Lake District last year after increased reports of abandoned tents, littering and scorched grass from disposable barbecues. The PSPOs would allow Cumbria Police to issue Fixed Penalty Notices up to 100 for breaches, including barbecues, fly-camping and irresponsible alcohol use. Offenders who do not pay the Fixed Penalty Notice in time may be prosecuted and fined up to 1,000. The council launched a consultation on the PSPOs proposal in September 2025 and said 90 per cent of respondents were supportive of plans to prosecute for anti-social behaviour at the sites. As a result, PSPOs will be introduced at these locations in early 2026. A proposal requiring dogs to be kept on leads within 200 metres of public highways across Eden will not go ahead after gaining only 45 per cent support. On 6 January, Westmorland and Furness Council launched a further five-week consultation on nine additional locations, including several areas of Ullswater, suggested by residents and landowners for PSPOs. Councillor Judith Derbyshire, Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety, said: We are delighted that our communities have backed these proposals and as a result, we will introduce this useful tool in even more areas to help deter anti-social behaviour and protect our valued local spaces. "Our goal is for everyone to enjoy Westmorland and Furness responsibly and to leave no trace, rather than issuing fines. These Orders are used to safeguard the places that matter to us all. Councillor Derbyshire added: We understand the frustration residents feel when they see the impact that irresponsible behaviour can have on our communities and natural landscapes. Many people have called for stronger measures in these areas to allow enforcement action when needed, and this is exactly what we are aiming to deliver. Read more: New figures reveal the decline in Cumbria tourism since Covid pandemic Its about damn time: 17 House Republicans break with Mike Johnson to extend Obamacare tax credits for three years A handful of Republicans broke with House Speaker Mike Johnson on a vote to extend enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplace. Seventeen Republicansalmost all of them from swing districtsjoined Democrats on the legislation that passed the House on Thursday evening. The final vote was 230-196. The tax credits expired at the end of December, affecting at least 20 million Americans who receive their insurance through marketplaces created by the 2010 healthcare law, commonly known as Obamacare. But House Speaker Mike Johnson opposed extending the tax credits. That led to four RepublicansReps. Mike Lawler of New York, as well as Pennsylvanias Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenziejoining a discharge petition pushed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to extend the credits for three years. I heard from independent business owners and small business owners, snowplow people, landscaping people that are buying their health insurance on the exchange, Bresnahan told The Independent. And they are actively seeing the percentage increase affiliated with their health insurance for themselves. Any member can force a vote on their legislation regardless of party if a majority of members sign their discharge petition. That petition that would lower healthcare insurance costs for millions now has a new hurdle: the U.S. Senate. But on Thursday evening, the House broke out into applause as the vote closed. It's about damn time, Democratic Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire told The Independent. We have the votes before the end of the year, and this is a common-sense solution that's going to prevent a death spiral in my district, and is going to allow us to keep critical access hospitals open. The House passed a measure to extend the Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies. (AFP via Getty Images) But the legislation, as it exists a clean extension of tax credits likely will not pass through the Senate. A bipartisan working group in the Senate is negotiating a version of the legislation that could receive 60 votes in the Senate. If there's a lot more Republicans on the House side, that will send a good message as well, Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, part of the working group, told The Independent. Bresnahan said Moreno spoke with a group of House members about the potential legislation. So I think it's exactly, it's what is happening, is exactly what we intended to happen, Bresnahan told The Independent. It hopefully will be conference in a bicameral and bipartisan fashion, and then have something that we can ultimately put across the finish line. Democrats had attempted to pass a clean three-year extension before the end of the year, which ultimately failed. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) pulled off an audacious gamble by not meeting House Republicans in the middle, but instead opting them to sign onto his discharge petition to force a vote. The legislation now goes to the Senate. (Getty Images) I'm never going to throw in the towel on bringing down health care costs from my hard-working constituents, but I have also not seen my Republican colleagues in the Senate stand up in the way that they will need to if we're going to pass a bill with 60 votes, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin said. Thursdays vote came after many other House Republicans had proposed alternative bipartisan measures to extend the tax credits with some other reforms. Many Republicans wanted to see caps on who receives the tax credits based on income or extend them for a shorter period of time. We feel that we have, we're working on a good product here, and that we can strike the necessary balance, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York Republican who voted against the bill on Thursday, told The Independent. But there remain major sticking points. Some Democrats worry that Republicans might want to insert language preventing the tax credits from going toward abortions. Democrats have been working and fighting for half a year now to try to keep access to health care, and it's the Republicans who said no, no, no, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told The Independent. We're open to ideas and negotiating, but that's a non-starter, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told The Independent. Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump told Republicans, You have to be a little flexible on Hyde, in reference to the amendment that bans taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions. Youve got to work something, he said. Youve got to use ingenuity. Youve got to work. Were all big fans of everything, but youve got to have flexibility." The move is the second time that rank-and-file members defied Republican leadership. Earlier in the day, five Republican senators joined with Democrats to vote on an effort to limit Trumps ability to initiate further attacks into Venezeula. The vote also notches a victory for Jeffries, who took a wait-it-out approach rather than trying to meet some frontline Republicans in the middle on health care tax credits and pushed for his caucus to hold the line and force Republican members to sign his discharge petition. After the vote, Jeffrieswho, along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, has come under criticism for a lack of gravitas during a Trump presidency took a victory lap. In this first full week of the new year, House Democrats, every single one of us joined by 17 Republicans, have partnered in a bipartisan way to protect the health care of the American people, he told reporters. Chuck Schumer (left) and Hakeem Jeffries in Washington DC on Thursday. Photograph: Bryan Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (Photograph: Bryan Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutterstock) A day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis, Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding restraints on the agency Donald Trump has empowered to carry out his mass deportation campaign and some are threatening to use the next funding deadline to force those changes. Democrats sharply condemned the Trump administration over the killing of Renee Nicole Good, demanding accountability after the president; JD Vancethe vice-president; and the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem repeatedly claimed that the officer acted in self-defense. Videos taken from multiple angles show Good behind the wheel, reversing her car and then attempting to drive away when an agent shoots her multiple times, remaining on his feet and walking away, apparently uninjured. Democrats cannot vote for a [Department of Homeland Security] budget that doesnt restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency, Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator of Connecticut, wrote on X, sharing a video of the shooting. Axios reported on Thursday that Murphy was preparing to introduce a sweeping reform package that would require a warrant for arrests, ban agents from wearing masks during enforcement operations and limit border patrol agents from operating in cities far from the border. Many Democrats are loath to trigger another shutdown fight after a protracted and bruising showdown last year over healthcare subsidies. Some Democrats remain skittish on the issue of immigration, having argued that progressive slogans like Abolish ICE helped Trump climb back to power by promising a sweeping crackdown. But public opinion has shifted as Trump escalates what has become an increasingly violent federal enforcement campaign, and as images circulate of masked agents with rifles arresting immigrants at car washes, courthouses and even residential buildings. Reports of another federal officer-involved shooting in Portland, Oregon, late on Thursday are likely to only increase tensions. While details of the incident remained unclear, Democratic leaders in the city urgently called for a halt to immigration enforcement activity in the city. According to the Pew Research Center, 53% of Americans now say the Trump administration is doing too much when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the US without authorization, up from 44% in March. The killing of Renee Nicole Good was an abomination, a disgrace, and blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration whove been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement connected to removing violent felons from this country, the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, told reporters at a joint press conference with the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, on Thursday. Watching the video felt like being punched in the stomach, Schumer said, and called for a full investigation at the federal level. Asked whether Democrats were prepared to use the appropriations process as a point of leverage, Schumer declined to say. Spending bills require bipartisan support for passage, with 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster. The House on Thursday passed a handful of government spending bills, before a 30 January deadline. But lawmakers are still racing to finalize a half-dozen more spending bills before then, including funding the Department of Homeland Security. The Republican representative Mark Amodei of Nevada, who chairs the DHS funding panel, told Politico the ICE shooting would probably complicate the bill. Were going to see where it turns out. Im not going to speculate on where were going at the moment, said Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House appropriations committee, when asked whether the DHS bill should be held up over the Minneapolis shooting. Last year, Republicans passed Trumps signature domestic policy bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated a staggering $170bn over four years for border and interior enforcement more than the yearly budget for all local and state law enforcement agencies across the US combined. The largest share of the funding was directed toward ICE to arrest, detain and deport immigrants, as well as money to recruit as many as 10,000 new officers. Republicans have forcefully defended the agents actions in Minneapolis, where the administration had said it was carrying out the agencys largest operation to date. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Vance accused Good, without evidence, of being a part of a leftwing network of agitators trying to incite violence against federal law enforcement officers. At a press conference in New York, Noem said her agency would not be deterred and that she was not opposed to sending in more federal immigration agents to Minneapolis, where protests have swelled in response to the shooting and the citys mayor, Democrat Jacob Frey, has implored the agency to get the fuck out. Congressional Democrats, hopeful they will take back the House or Senate in next years midterm elections, are pushing other avenues for accountability. The Democratic representative Robin Kelly of Illinois said that she was filing three articles of impeachment against Noem following the deadly ICE shooting. Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing, Kelly said in a statement on Wednesday. The representative Ro Khanna, a progressive of California, said the agent who fatally shot Good, identified as Jonathan Ross, should be arrested and put on trial. What is seen in this video is a reckless use of power, he wrote on X. Fury over the killing has led some progressive Democrats to renew calls for the agency to be overhauled or eliminated entirely. Abolish ICE now, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, wrote on X. In a floor speech on Thursday, the Democratic representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona said she was joining Kellys impeachment effort and separately introducing legislation to rein in ICE. She accused the administration of lying as it rushed to smear a dead woman as a domestic terrorist. This is what authoritarianism looks like, she said. This is what happens when the leader of a nation turns a federal agency into his personal paramilitary force against the civilian population of the United States. Chris Stein in Washington contributed to this report Protesters rally outside of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the US Office of Personnel Management on 5 February 2025 in Washington DC. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images (Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images) The Trump administration wasted $10bn on paid leave, or paying workers to stay home, as part of the department of government efficiencys assault on the federal workforce, a new analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) estimates. In a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Peer estimates that more than 154,000 employees were put on paid leave in 2025, making up nearly 7% of the federal civilian workforce. That costs taxpayers approximately $10bn in compensation for workers who were staying home and not working. Peer alleges the Trump administration violated the law with extended paid leaves, but enforcement is complicated. It would require navigating a complex administrative or legal process, or a US attorney with the Donald Trump-controlled Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges. Related: They sowed chaos to no avail: the lasting legacy of Elon Musks Doge Spending over $10bn of taxpayer money to prevent people from working is a hell of a way to run a railroad, said Peer senior counsel Peter Jenkins. Ironically, this outrageous waste of human capital when key federal agencies such as the National Park Service were horribly understaffed was done in the name of government efficiency. Among others on paid leave are US Environmental Protection Agency environmental justice employees, who are stuck in legal limbo. There are few legal remedies in part because of the labyrinthine regulatory process that involves multiple interchanging parts across various laws and oversight bodies, and because the Trump administration has taken legally questionable steps to hamstring the response and protect its paid leave operation. That has culminated in an accountability black hole, said Madeline Materna, a Stanford University doctoral student in comparative science who studies the issue. Until 2016, federal agencies sometimes used administrative leave as a way to punish employees with whom they had a problem, like whistleblowers. Some were put on involuntary leave for years without recourse. Peer lobbied for laws to prevent this strategy, and Congress in 2016 passed the Administrative Leave Act (ALA), which limits imposition of paid leave to no more than 10 workdays in any calendar year, with very limited exceptions. The Trump paid leave strategy seems to be a clear violation of the ALA, but the first Trump administration did not implement the ALAs specific regulatory rules that agencies have to follow. Opposition from agencies management impeded implementation during Joe Bidens administration, which also did not develop the rules until Peer sued in 2024, said Jeff Ruch, senior counsel at Peer. The regulatory rules did not go into effect until September 2025, which complicated ALA enforcement, even if the extended paid leaves seemed to clearly violate the law. The Trump administration carved out separate classifications of paid leave, and claimed the ALA 10-day rule only applies to what it calls investigative paid leave, Materna said. But the provision does not apply to the various other types of paid leave the administration has created. The classifications totally gut the law, Materna said. They did not lawfully implement Congresss statue, they did something else. Meanwhile, the Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits the government from spending money on employees who should not be on leave, because Congress did not appropriate the funds for purposes related to the paid leave program. The first step to accountability lies in Peers complaint with the Government Accountability Office. The GAO must opine that the paid leave is a violation of the law, and agency heads who violate the rules can be criminally prosecuted, removed from office, and fined. That, however, would require a US attorney armed with a profile in courage because they would be prosecuting their own administration, Ruch said. Its not a nonstarter, but its unlikely. Related: We still dont really know what Elon Musks Doge actually did Materna said criminal prosecution is also complicated because agency managers must knowingly violate the law, and they could argue that they have been following the rules that were implemented. Peer has filed an administrative complaint before the US Office of Special Counsel. If that office finds wrongdoing, the cases could be taken before a little-known office called the Merit Systems Protection Board. It has authority to take action, but Ruch said it hears cases involving termination, demotion or suspension without pay for two weeks. It may not have jurisdiction over paid leave cases. Notably, the Trump administration fired all Democrats on the board, which has left it without a quorum. A federal lawsuit over the administrations legally questionable implementation of the ALA rules is possible, but only if a plaintiff can show that they were harmed by the rules implementation, Materna said. A hypothetical plaintiff would have to get a favorable ruling from the Merit Systems Protection Board to have standing for a lawsuit. But the barriers to the Merit Systems Protection Board make that virtually impossible. Theres clever dancing around the law, and things that make it challenging to take the issue to court or any regulatory body, and thats why [the paid leave program] has been allowed to proceed, Materna said. The Duchess of Edinburgh greets refugees who crossed the border from Sudan into Chad - Stefan Rousseau/PA Standing on the border of Sudan a year ago, I watched a countless stream of people making their way on foot or by donkey-drawn carts into neighbouring Chad. Some travelled with families but others were alone. In the calm of that moment, I shuddered to imagine what these exhausted, traumatised people had experienced and seen, having fled their towns and the brutality of raging militias. But these people were the lucky ones; they had made it to relative safety in Adre, a border town in Chad, where local people have welcomed them, supported by local and international organisations offering food, water and shelter. The population in Adre has gone from 40,000 to more than 200,000 as Sudanese have fled the violence. The Duchess of Edinburgh and UN staff met with victims of sexual violence near the border - Stefan Rousseau/PA On my visit to Adre transit camp, I heard stories of profound loss and resilience young children whose entire families had been killed in the most indescribable ways, mothers who had witnessed the murder of their husbands and sons, and women who had suffered sexual exploitation in exchange for food and water. Their deeply personal and shocking accounts reflected the experiences of so many. Their eyes telling tales of horrors no one should ever see; bodies piled up like a wall, families drowned at gunpoint, children carved in two, women raped and beaten. Those who can escape, live in fear of being killed later. As the world embarks on a new year, we are met with a stark and terrible milestone: 1,000 days of conflict in Sudan. During that time, it has become the worlds most severe humanitarian crisis. It is a moment that should make us stop and reflect, not only due to the scale of the suffering, but because this crisis has unfolded with so little global attention. Refugees fill jerry cans with water at a camp in the province of Wadi Fira - Joris Bolomey/AFP Emergency assistance alone cannot address the enormity of this situation, indeed the agencies working there are overstretched to breaking point. Local groups, humanitarian organisations and women-led Sudanese collectives are doing what they can against an overwhelming number of people who have lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods and who need support now and will do so for years to come. Girls who have had their education interrupted must be given the chance to return to school, and women, men and children who have endured unthinkable sexual violence need access to health services, safe spaces and support to recover and restore their dignity. These are not luxuries; they are basic human requirements. Yet even in such desperate circumstances, what stayed with me most was the extraordinary strength I witnessed. At a Plan International mobile protection unit, I met women who had fled the conflict now caring for children separated from their families. Their resilience and quiet leadership reminded me of what I have witnessed time and again that women are central not only to surviving crises, but to rebuilding and striving for lasting peace. When they are supported and empowered, whole communities are better able to recover. Smoke billows from fires near to the airport in the city of El-Fasher amid clashes between paramilitary groups - AFP As a champion for the Women, Peace and Security agenda at home and abroad, I have witnessed the dedication and compassion of the international community, but we urgently need to help end this devastating conflict in order to save lives and allow Sudanese families to return to rebuild their futures in safety. We cannot change the past 1,000 days, but this sobering milestone reminds us of the opportunity for organisations working tirelessly on the ground to shape what happens next. By standing alongside these remarkable individuals, including female peace-builders and women-led organisations, we can help ensure that the voices and needs of those affected by the conflict are heard and valued. Their courage is a powerful reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, hope can endure. The people of Sudan deserve our compassion, our attention, and our solidarity. Above all, they deserve to know that the world has not forgotten them and that the pursuit of peace remains possible. The mayor of Portland has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to halt all operations in the Oregon city after two people were shot and injured by Border Patrol officers on Thursday. We are calling on ICE to halt all operations in Portland until a full and independent investigation can take place, Mayor Keith Wilson said at a press conference late Thursday. Our community deserves answers. Our community deserves accountability. And most of all, our community deserves peace. The shooting occurred during a vehicle stop just a day after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. At 2:19 p.m., Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop against the vehicles passenger, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant allegedly affiliated with the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gangs prostitution ring and involved in a recent local shooting, according to the Department of Homeland Security. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents, DHS wrote in a statement on X. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. The mayor of Portland has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to 'halt all operations' in the Oregon city after two people were shot and injured by Border Patrol officers on Thursday (AP) The driver of the vehicle is believed to be a Tren de Aragua member, per DHS. "These individuals are still alive, and were hoping for more positive updates," Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said at a City Council meeting on Thursday. After receiving reports of a shooting around 2:20 p.m. and confirming federal agents had been involved, Portland police soon found a male and female with apparent gunshot wounds nearby in the area of Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside, officials said. The pair are husband and wife, sources told CNN. The shooting occurred during a vehicle stop, just a day after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis (AP) Officers applied a tourniquet and summoned emergency medical personnel, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. The patients were transported to the hospital. The incident occurred across two scenes, according to Portland police: the site of the shooting at a medical clinic at 10200 SE Main Street, and about three miles away at SE 146th Ave and East Burnside, where the wounded were found. Police arrived at the second scene after getting information that the wounded man was calling and requesting help. Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents. When the administration talks about using full force, we are seeing what it means on our streets, Wilson said. Portland police were not involved in the shooting. The FBI was on scene investigating the incident. The Department of Homeland Security claims an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, 'weaponized his vehicle' when agents identified themselves (AP) Protesters began to gather as the evening wore on and erected a vigil at the site of the shooting. Local officials called on protesters to remain peaceful. If people choose to gather, we ask that it be done lawfully and safely, Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey wrote in a statement. As a community, we must commit to responses that heal rather than destroy. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said at the press conference, When a president endorses tearing families apart and attempts to govern through fear and hate rather than shared values, you foster an environment of lawlessness and recklessness. Oregon leaders have called on the Trump administration to pull federal agents out of the city. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,' DHS said (AP) Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence and must end, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wrote on X. The Trump administration has focused military-style immigration enforcement on Portland for months, and has made exaggerated claims about the state of protests against agents there. Over the fall, the president tried to deploy federal troops from the National Guard there in response, but was blocked in court. The incident occurred across two scenes, according to Portland police: the site of the shooting at a medical clinic at 10200 SE Main Street, and about three miles away at SE 146th Ave and East Burnside, where the wounded were found (Portland Police Bureau) The alleged circumstances of the Portland shooting mirror those of the one in Minneapolis, where federal officials claim an agent fired defensive shots at a driver using her vehicle as a weapon. Local officials, citing video of the Minneapolis incident, say this narrative is inaccurate. Elite Border Patrol personnel have deployed alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the U.S. as part of the Trump administrations ongoing deportation crackdown, including in Portland. The Trump administration has cracked down on alleged Tren de Aragua members in the U.S., summarily deporting hundreds to a brutal Salvadoran prison last year, cases critics say lacked evidence or due process. The U.S. considers itself in an armed conflict with Venezuelan drug groups, a designation it has used to justify its recent strikes on boats in the Caribbean. Balloo Way in Bangor, Co Down, where the fire broke out (Google Maps) A huge fire has broken out at an industrial estate in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Emergency services were drawn in from five different fire stations to respond to the major blaze near Balloo Way on Friday afternoon. Thick grey smoke was seen billowing high over the Co Down city as police advised the public to avoid the area and keep windows closed. The roof of a building was engulfed in orange flames as a fire engine worked to control the spread earlier in the day, drone photos showed. It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire. Sources told Belfast Live it may have been caused by a boiler explosion. Multiple local outlets were reporting that the inferno had broken out at a car dealership. Balloo Way in Bangor, Co Down, where the fire broke out (Google Maps) Authorities first responded just after 3.30pm and were still on the scene two hours later. North Down MP Alex Easton paid tribute to the emergency services, writing on social media: I am urging everyone to stay well away from Balloo industrial estate and let the PSNI and NI Fire Service deal with the situation. My thoughts are with [them] as they deal with this major fire and praying nobody has been injured. Eight crews from the fire service were on hand, joined by police vehicles. Police cordoned off the area from the top of Balloo Way. The BBC reported that the blaze appeared to be under control by Friday evening. Stephen Dunne, DUP MLA for North Down, told the broadcaster it was quite a major incident that had caused considerable concern within the local community. He said the fire had broken out in a very central location, where a number of employees were based. Several bus routes, including the 302D and 302A, were affected, according to Translink. A police spokesperson said: "The public are advised to avoid the Balloo Way, Bangor due to a fire in the area. Emergency services are currently at the scene and residents are advised to keep windows closed due to smoke." Did you see what happened? Contact james.reynolds@independent.co.uk More than one hundred antiques, textiles and unique homeware treasures from designer Pearl Lowe's personal vintage collection are heading to auction this month. Lowe, whose fans adore her boho glam meets rock-and-roll chic vibe, sold her rambling Somerset home and studio last year before relocating to a charming Notting Hill pied-a-terre. Yet, the downsize from 11 bedrooms to two, or 7,500sq ft to 880sq ft, has presented some storage challenges. In October, Lowe listed some of her prized vintage pieces in a "big vintage fair" on her website and social media, she told Homes & Property. This late Victorian dusty pink chair is one of the lots in the auction, with a guide price of 50-80 (Dore & Rees) Now, a further 130 pieces from Lowe's eclectic interiors collection are up for sale through Dore & Rees auction house in Frome. The auction will take place on Friday, January 23, with a public viewing taking place from January 20 to 22 and the full catalogue online from January 9. Lots will include fine furniture, artworks, quirky objets, mirrors and lighting. Every piece carries a story, says Lowe. These objects have been loved, lived with and used in my homes. It feels like the perfect time for them to have a new life with someone who will treasure them as much as I have. A 1920 oak and glass painted screen, up for auction with an estimate of 200-220 (Dore & Rees) Pieces range from a vintage Roberts radio (25 to 50 estimate) and a small round mirror with floral border (50 to 80 estimate) to a Florentine kidney-shaped dressing table with freestanding triple mirror (1,500 to 2,500 estimate). Other highlights include a vintage window seat (70 to 100 estimate) and a kidney-shaped love seat in a dusky pink fabric (800 to 1,200). Run, dont walk to snap up Lowes signature boho discoveries. From velvet armchairs to an antique mirrored dresser and Florentine side tables, Lowes flair for pre-loved grandeur makes for quite the collection. Amira Hashish takes a tour of Pearl Lowes Notting Hill home (Sarah Brick) It is a bright autumnal morning when I arrive at Lowes flat, the door already ajar as her husband, Supergrass musician husband Danny Goffey, pops out to the local market. She pours me a coffee while I sink into the sofa alongside her adorable dog, Doris. Home for me is cosiness, warmth and family, says Lowe. She settles into a velvet Soho Home armchair surrounded by beautiful blooms by Julia Gordon Floral Studio, wonderfully worn rugs and antique lamps. I come from a big family, I have four children and a grandchild, and I just feel that home is so important. (Sarah Brick) That sense of sanctuary hits the moment you step into the apartment. Sitting prettily on a pastel-coloured Notting Hill street, it has a private entrance and stairs that open straight into the living space. When the estate agent first told me about this place, I thought it was too small. It only has two bedrooms and we were hoping for at least three, but the moment I stepped inside, I just loved it and knew we would make it work, she says. The double-height ceilings and original cornicing make it feel generous. The previous owner had laid shiny engineered flooring but Lowe insisted on peeling it back. Underneath was the original flooring pale wood, sanded, then painted a deep charcoal after the varnish turned bright orange. Now I quite love the contrast with the rugs, she beams. The effect is simultaneously calm and rich in texture. (Sarah Brick) Lowe, who has published the third interiors book in her Faded Glamour series, describes the way she decorates as rock n roll romance with a bit of edge. Her latest instalment, which features the homes of supermodel Helena Christensen and artist Jonathan Yeo, hones in on cities and urban living, which feels rather timely as she returns to London after a 20-year hiatus. I usually have a design vision as soon as I see a home, she says, gesturing to the open-plan living, dining and kitchen space. She had wanted to transform it into a dramatic, boudoir-style sleeping area imagine big glass doors, with a bath, kind of hippie-cool but Goffey insisted on an entertaining space. As long as it did not look like a kitchen, I was open to it, she says. (Sarah Brick) I wanted it to feel more like a bar where friends could come and have a drink. The compromise paid off. The room is sumptuous and sociable, perfect for gatherings. Her roots are reflected in the way she likes to live. Lowe grew up in a bustling household, full of people: Our door was open to all my brothers friends, my friends it was loud, full of movement. I have recreated that in my own way. Her pied-a-terre, though fairly modestly sized at 880 sq ft, still holds that energy: layered rugs, vintage lamps, gathered objects, space for everybody to linger. Her cabinetry is by deVOL. The palette is Mizzle and Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball. I was away while it was being installed, she recalls. I FaceTimed my mum who was at the flat with the builders, and I initially panicked that I had chosen the wrong colour. I think it was the lighting on camera because when I saw the Mizzle in person I really liked it. Mirrored tiles by Fired Earth make for a glamorous splashback, while antique lights that she bought from a dealer on Instagram cast long, mellow shadows. (Sarah Brick) Vintage furniture is always at the heart of Lowes aesthetic. Instagram is a nightmare, she laughs. I just follow dealers and find these unbelievable things. A grand mirror found on eBay, a mirrored coffee table from The Old Cinema in Chiswick and sketches dating back to 1910 from Dore & Rees auction house in Frome are just a few of the seating areas other trinkets. I only ever buy things that have a past. If I buy something, I think about who owned it and where it has lived. I am the custodian until the next owner arrives. It is her passion for collecting beautiful objects that led to her online business selling vintage homewares: I would find all these beautiful things but I was running out of space for them. So I started to get someone to photograph everything and put it on my website. Then it became a business. (Sarah Brick) She also creates her vintage-inspired fashion collections, always handmade in Somerset, and recently debuted the Faded Glamour Pearl Lowe scented candle in collaboration with master perfumer Azzi Glasser. Lowes roots in Somerset still run strong. Despite her London move, she and Goffey remain on the lookout for their next country house. I still think of it as home, with our community and our friends, she says. But when my youngest went to Bristol University, we realised that we were done with school runs and suddenly had more time on our hands. London has the galleries, the theatres, the restaurants, the gigs. It gives me a creative buzz, so having a pied-a-terre here felt really exciting. Notting Hill was calling: antiques shops line the streets, Lowe is already on first-name terms with the Portobello stall holders and Golborne Roads interiors shops are irresistible. It takes me ages to get around, because everyone wants to have a chat, she laughs. Amid the conversation, we wander through her favourite room: the family bathroom. Pink striped Bert & May metro tiles and brass fixtures feel fabulously decadent alongside a freestanding bath by BC Designs and a deVOL basin. Lowes bedroom is centred around a French cane bed with Tori Murphy curtains and Salon Drab-painted Farrow & Ball walls. The second bedroom, mainly used by her daughter Betty, is enveloped in Mulberry Home striped red wallpaper, lights by Rothschild & Bickers and mirrored bedside tables. She has added her twist to the Soho Home bed with vintage fabric on the headboard. When asked which piece she treasures most, Lowe shares the tale of The Beast: an enormous Italian cabinet she discovered on eBay. I measured the length because I wanted to put the TV on it in our Somerset home, she says. She did not check the height and underestimated its vastness. When four men delivered it and the kids were perched on the sofa, they all said: Mum, this is not going to work. However, Lowe always had a soft spot for it. When she sold the Somerset house and moved into the flat, The Beast moved with her. Funny how things turn out. As I leave, the sun falls through the tall sash windows; I notice the chandelier twinkling above the Turkish-style rug (an Etsy find) and ostrich feathers fluttering above the mantlepiece. The space feels varied, age-rich, anchored by personality. Lowe has a knack for making the opulent feel cocooning. While she closes one door, she opens another and thanks to her vintage sale, we are all invited in. More information about the auction can be found here. Follow @pearllowe and check pearllowe.co.uk for online vintage drops. Faded Glamour in the City by Pearl Lowe is published by CICO Books (25) Photography by Kate Martin CICO Books Danish approval would also be needed before Greenland agreed to any deal. but his has been ruled out by Mette Frederiksen, Denmarks prime minister - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph The United States would not be allowed to use British bases to invade Greenland, the Defence Secretary has said. John Healeys intervention comes after Donald Trump renewed his calls to take over the Danish territory, which he claimed needed to be under US rule to bolster security in the region. Such a move would throw the Nato alliance into chaos, with America, Denmark and the UK among the groups 32 member states. Asked if British bases, personnel or equipment would be used in support of such an operation, the Defence Secretary told ITV News: Theres no question of that. Greenland and Denmark are part of Nato. We and the US are part of that alliance, with treaty obligations. And so far as the UKs support for any nation with any military action, we will do so if the purpose is correct and if the legal basis is sound. Sir Keir Starmer has defied the US president by declaring that he stands with Denmark. This prompted Lord Mandelson, Sir Keirs former ambassador to the US, to accuse the Prime Minister and other European leaders of histrionics. Marcio Rubio, Mr Trumps secretary of state, has briefed US politicians that the goal was to buy Greenland rather than conquer it. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the prime minister of the island, has repeatedly said that Greenland is not for sale. On Friday, Mr Trump again renewed his calls for the US to acquire Greenland. Asked why he does not just exercise his existing right to build bases on the island, he said: Because when we own it, we defend it. You dont defend leases the same way. You have to own it. Mr Trump made his comments during a meeting with energy executives as they work on opening up supplies of oil from Venezuela. The US will acquire Greenland whether they like it or not because if we dont do it, China or Russia will. If you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, there are Chinese destroyers and there are Russian submarines all over the place, he added. Were not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland, and thats what theyre going to do if we dont. Danish approval would also be needed before Greenland agreed to any deal. This has been ruled out by Mette Frederiksen, Denmarks prime minister. Donald Trump said the US needed Greenland for security reasons - Joe Raedle/Getty On Friday Sir Richard Dearlove, the former MI6 chief, backed Mr Trump. Sir Richard, who ran Britains foreign intelligence agency between 1999 and 2004, called for Denmark to lease Greenland to the Americans for a century in order to strengthen Europes security and deter threats from China. There is a strong argument for reinforcing Europes security by putting a much greater representation of American forces, which are the only ones that can effectively cope up in Greenland, he told TalkTV. Now, I would have thought that its possible for Denmark and the United States to make some agreement. Why the hell dont the Danes lease them Greenland for 100 years? I think its really important that we look at this, not in terms of, Gosh, isnt Trump doing dreadful stuff? Its about European security and the safety of the area in which we live. The retired British spy chief said precedents for Mr Trumps ambitions included the purchase of Alaska from Russia and the Louisiana purchase from the French first republic in the 1800s. Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, leaving them still six points clear at the top of the Premier League. Tributes were paid to Wales and Leeds great Terry Yorath, who died aged 75, while Manchester City have completed the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. Lacklustre Gunners left frustrated by Reds stalemate Arsenal failed to extend their Premier League lead over title rivals Manchester City to eight points following a goalless draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium. After City limped to a 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday, Arsenal had the chance to put clear daylight between themselves and Pep Guardiolas side at the top of the table. But while Arsenal enjoyed the best of the first half despite Conor Bradley hitting the woodwork for Liverpool the hosts spent much of the second period penned in by the side they are bidding to dethrone as champions. Dominik Szoboszlai came closest when his free-kick dropped just over the crossbar as Arsenal rarely threatened. Nevertheless, the draw takes Arsenal six points clear of City, with Liverpool 14 points behind, as they bid to end their 22-year wait for a title. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta defended Gabriel Martinelli after the Brazilian forward appeared to throw the ball at injured Liverpool defender Conor Bradley during the closing stages, which provoked a furious reaction from the visitors. Knowing Gabi, hes an incredible, lovely guy, Arteta said. He probably didnt realise what happened. Martinelli posted on Instagram that he was deeply sorry for the incident and had apologised directly to the Liverpool defender. Terry Yorath impact on Welsh football immeasurable Terry Yoraths impact on Welsh football has been described as immeasurable by current Wales boss Craig Bellamy following the former national team managers death at the age of 75. Yorath who played a big part in the Leeds team under Don Revie, winning the First Division title, before spells with Coventry, Tottenham and Bradford won 59 caps for Wales between 1969 and 1981, 42 of them as captain, and led his country to the quarter-finals of the 1976 European Championship. Cardiff-born Yorath, who died following a short illness, later managed Wales from 1989 to 1993, taking them to the brink of 1994 World Cup qualification when a missed penalty in the final game against Romania proved costly. Craig Bellamy yn talu teyrnged i Terry Yorath pic.twitter.com/ZLWEoGYMBI Wales (@Cymru) January 8, 2026 The impact Terry Yorath had on Welsh football is immeasurable, Bellamy said on the Football Association of Wales X account. Terry epitomised everything it means to represent Cymru as a player, and watching the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign with him as manager was the first time I experienced genuine belief that our country could qualify for a major tournament. As a country, we have so much to thank Terry for what he did. My thoughts and condolences are with Terrys family and friends during this difficult time, everyone in the Welsh football family will miss an incredible person. Antoine Semenyo completes Man City move Antoine Semenyo has been in superb form for Bournemouth this season (Danny Lawson/PA) (Danny Lawson) Manchester City have completed the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. The 26-year-old winger has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at the Etihad Stadium after the clubs agreed an initial fee of 62.5million. The Ghana international has scored 10 goals and provided three assists for the Cherries in the Premier League this season. His final act for the south coast club was a stunning stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday. Semenyo had been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, but City stepped up their interest as the January transfer window approached and the formalities of the move, including a medical, were completed on Thursday. Whats on today? Time to get right behind the lads #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/evVvdiQL0N Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) January 8, 2026 The FA Cup third round starts on Friday night, with four ties kicking off a bumper weekend. Wrexham will be out to cause an upset when they host Premier League Nottingham Forest, Oxford travel to MK Dons, Port Vale take on Fleetwood and Preston meet Wigan who memorably won the 2013 final at Wembley. In the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, Mali play Senegal and Cameroon take on hosts Morocco. Research by AI Forensics found about 800 images and videos created by the Grok Imagine app that included pornographic content. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA (Photograph: Yui Mok/PA) Elon Musks AI tool Grok has been used to create sexually violent and explicit video content featuring women, according to new research, as the British prime minister added to condemnation of images it has created. Grok has also been used to undress an image of Renee Nicole Good, the woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the US on Wednesday, and to portray her with a bullet wound in her forehead. Research by AI Forensics, a Paris-based non-profit organisation, found about 800 images and videos created by the Grok Imagine app that included pornographic content. Paul Bouchaud, a researcher at AI Forensics, said: These are fully pornographic videos and they look professional. Related: AI tool Grok used to create child sexual abuse imagery, watchdog says One photorealistic AI video viewed by the NGO showed a woman, tattooed with the slogan do not resuscitate, with a knife between her legs. Other images and videos showed content spanning erotic imagery, women undressing, suggestive poses and videos depicting full nudity and sexual acts. AI Forensics said it was able to retrieve the images because the users created a sharing link which meant they were captured by the Wayback Machine, an internet archive. It is not known whether the images were on X, the social media platform owned by xAI, Musks tech company which has integrated Grok into X. Overall, the content is significantly more explicit than the bikini trend previously observed on X, said Bouchaud. Images have appeared on X of Good digitally altered to show her with bullet holes through her face. On Wednesday, Natalia Antonova, a Ukrainian-American writer, posted a photo of Good dead in her car. It breaks my heart, she wrote. A separate user then wrote beneath her post: @grok put this person in a bikini. Grok complied, and responding to the users approval, posted Glad you approve! What other wardrobe malfunctions can I fix for you? . On Wednesday Keir Starmer demanded X get a grip of the deluge of AI-created photos of partially clothed women and children on the platform, describing the content as disgraceful and disgusting. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Starmer indicated that X could be blocked in the UK. Ofcom, the UK media watchdog, has the power to request the de facto ban of an app or website under the Online Safety Safety Act. Starmer said Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. He added: Its unlawful. Were not going to tolerate it. Ive asked for all options to be on the table. Its disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because its simply not tolerable. Womens rights campaigners criticised the UK government for its slow response to the escalating problem. Penny East, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, the UKs leading womens rights charity, called on the government to take urgent action. Related: Tim Davie says BBC will stay on X to try to stem flood of global misinformation The increasingly violent and disturbing use of Grok illustrates the huge risks of AI without sufficient safeguards, she said. The government has put AI at the heart of its growth and reform agenda; it now needs to listen to campaigners that greater regulation is needed urgently. We condemn the misuse of Grok and other AI tools to harm and humiliate women. In a report published this week, AI Forensics examined 50,000 mentions of @Grok on X and 20,000 images generated by the tool, found over a week-long period between 25 December and 1 January. At least a quarter of the @Grok mentions were requests for the tool to create an image. Within those image generation prompts, there was a high prevalence of terms including her, put, remove, bikini and clothing. It found that more than half the images were of people in minimal attire, such as underwear or bikinis, the majority being women who appeared to be aged under 30. Two per cent of the images appeared to show people aged 18 or under. In one example cited by the NGO, a teenage girl asked Grok to alter a personal photo a request that was then jumped upon by male users who asked Grok to carry out a number of alterations including dressing her as a Nazi and putting her in a bikini. Musks xAI has been approached for comment. On 3 January Musk wrote on X: Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content. His and Hers: Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthals twisty thriller leaves critics annoyed with letdown ending His and Hers, Netflixs latest binge-worthy mystery, has been described by critics as a twisty, addictive ride until the ending apparently brings the momentum to an underwhelming halt. Set in the small town of Dahlonega, Georgia, the six-part thriller stars Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson as an estranged husband and wife who are both drawn to a shocking murder case as a detective and a news reporter, respectively. The cast also includes actors Pablo Schreiber, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Crystal Fox, Marin Ireland, and Sunita Mani. The limited series, released all at once Thursday, is an adaptation of Alice Feeneys bestselling novel of the same name by Eileen and Lady Macbeth director William Oldroyd. Thompson, who also executive produced the show, said in a Netflix press release upon the shows premiere: From the second I heard what Will was doing with Alice Feeneys brilliant book to the moment I visited the town where our story is set, I was hooked. However, the acclaimed source material and notoriously talented lead actors were not enough to save the adaptation from criticisms targeting its cliched voiceovers, underutilization of its ensemble cast, and far-fetched plot that fails to stick the landing. Critics say Tessa Thompson's acting skills couldn't save the disappointing ending of Netflix's new murder mystery 'His and Hers' (Netflix) Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson star as an estranged married couple in 'His & Hers' (Netflix) Its one of those stories that makes so little sense when its done that it makes you angry, wondering why you wasted so much time on whats ultimately a pretty gross piece of storytelling, Brian Tallerico wrote for Roger Ebert. The Hollywood Reporters Daniel Fienberg called the show the first disappointment of the new year and slammed Oldroyd for fumbling the mysterys structuring device and failing to build any momentum on the way to an inept finale with two endings one stupid and obvious, the other merely stupid. Fienberg went on to dub the series conclusion as actively irritating, rounding out the common theme of reviewers being frustrated by absurd plot holes that are left in the ending. In addition to calling out one-dimensional characters and lazy writing, the most common trend throughout reviews from reputable outlets appeared to be the use of the word glossy suggesting that critics are deeming the show as easily watchable, but not something with substance that sticks. However, some enjoyed the one-two punch of the series finale and encouraged other viewers to not think too hard about the generic twists and turns. TV critic Lucy Mangan wrote for The Guardian: The twists, they are plentiful. The absurdities, they multiply. The viewerly enjoyment, it increases. The script intoxicating mercenariness aside is serviceable. The endeavor is bingeable. Nobody needs more, this early in the year. A bullet hole in the car wind shield - Tim Evans An immigration agent who shot dead a woman in Minneapolis was previously dragged down the street by a car in Minnesota during an ICE raid. Jonathan Ross, identified as the agent who killed Renee Nicole Good during an immigration sweep in Minneapolis on Wednesday, was wounded in another vehicle-related incident in the same state last year. US authorities are appealing for calm as tensions rise around the country after the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old mother-of-three. The White House has defended the agents actions, accusing Ms Good of being a domestic terrorist who attempted to run over Mr Ross. Amid the mounting anger at the heavy-handed tactics of federal authorities, ICE agents shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, as they attempted to flee authorities. Jonathan Ross was wounded in another vehicle-related incident last year A man and a woman, both in their 30s, were taken to hospital after they were shot by federal agents at around 2pm local time (10pm GMT) on Thursday. The FBI said it was investigating the shooting and local authorities have called on ICE to end all operations in the city. In Minneapolis, protesters clashed with immigration officers on Thursday over the fatal shooting of Ms Good. Federal agents fired pepper balls to try to push back crowds and deployed what appeared to be tear gas. On Wednesday, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said that the agent involved in the killing had feared for his life during the encounter, and noted that he had been dragged by a car before. Mr Ross, a 10-year ICE enforcement veteran, was pulled about 100 yards by a driver in Minnesota last June, requiring more than 20 stitches in one arm and a dozen more in the other, according to court records. During this weeks incident, footage showed Ms Goods SUV parked in the middle of the road. As one agent tried to open the door, the Honda Pilot pulled forward. Mr Ross steps out the way and fires several shots through the drivers window. After the shots are fired, the SUV speeds into two parked cars before crashing to a stop. Credit: X/@Breaking911 In last years incident, Mr Ross had been involved in arresting Roberto Carlos Munoz, an undocumented migrant who had been convicted of sexual abuse, in Bloomington, Minnesota. According to court documents, the ICE agent forced his arm through the window when Munoz refused to open the door. While the agents arm was in the car, Munoz drove away, dragging him along with him. On Dec 10, a jury found Munoz guilty of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon, resulting in injury. Munoz has not yet been sentenced. It is unclear when Mr Ross returned to work after that incident, but he now stands accused of fatally shooting Ms Good. Donald Trump said the agent acted in self-defence, but local and state officials have disputed the US presidents narrative. Some Democrats on Capitol Hill have threatened to withhold funding to the Department of Homeland Security as a result of the shooting. Jacob Frey, the Minneapolis mayor, told ICE on Wednesday to get the f--- out of Minneapolis. Speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Goods family said the mother of three was murdered. Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent Her former husband said she had been driving home after dropping off her six-year-old son at school and had never been an activist. On Thursday, JD Vance, the vice-president, claimed Ms Good was part of a Left-wing network that employed domestic terror techniques and had been brainwashed by extremists. Mr Trump has deployed federal agents to Democrat-run cities across the country in a bid to stem rising crime levels and enforce his mass deportation programme. Both Minneapolis and Portland have found themselves in the crosshairs of the president, who has painted them as centres of Left-wing radicalism. Minneapolis was the centre of what is thought to be a multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal largely perpetrated by Somali immigrants, while authorities claim Portland is a base of operations for Antifa, the anti-facist terror group. Demonstrations have broken out across the US in response to the deployment of federal agents, which critics have painted as an invasion. The shootings on Wednesday and Thursday are likely to inflame an already-fraught situation. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more, Bob Day, the Portland police chief, said. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat senator for Oregon, and other political figures have claimed that Mr Trump wants riots and urged residents not to take the bait. Keith Wilson, the mayor of Portland, said his city was now grappling with violence at the hands of federal agents. Calling on ICE agents to halt their operations until an investigation could be completed, he warned: We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. In Minnesota, Tim Walz, the states governor, has pleaded with residents not to riot, which he claimed would give the Trump administration the excuse to clamp down more heavily. Nevertheless, on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would send a further 100 border patrol officers to Minnesota, adding to the deployment of more than 2,000 agents throughout the state. Mr Walz has readied the states National Guard for deployment as demonstrations sprang up in Minneapolis, which have so far been largely peaceful. Soldiers were in training and would be sent out if necessary, he said, warning protesters against rioting. A national day of mourning was observed on Friday and a memorial ceremony attended by top European officials was held in a town close to Crans-Montana. Photograph: Laurent Gillieron/EPA (Photograph: Laurent Gillieron/EPA) Like many young people across Switzerland, Kenzo Ronnow, a university student in Lausanne, slept in on 1 January after celebrating the new year. But as he scrolled through his phone soon after waking, he saw the lead story of a foreign news website was about Switzerland. A fire had ripped through Le Constellation, a bar in Crans-Montana, an Alpine ski resort in Switzerlands Valais canton and a customary haunt for New Years Eve revellers. One of the two bar owners was on Friday taken into custody. At first, the 19-year-old struggled to grasp what was happening. They were talking about lots of people being dead, he said. I was really surprised, also because Switzerland isnt often in the news. He was with his flatmate, who asked Ronnow to read the story aloud to her. Thats when she said her little brother was in Crans-Montana for New Years Eve. Related: What happened in the Crans-Montana bar fire in Switzerland visual guide A frantic call was made to her sibling, who had celebrated the new year in Le Constellation but left at about 1.15am, just 15 minutes before the fire broke out. Similar scrambles for the whereabouts of family and friends played out across Switzerland as the horror of the tragedy, one of the worst in the countrys recent history, began to sink in. Eight days have passed and the country is still struggling to process the scale of the event. A national day of mourning was observed on Friday and a memorial ceremony attended by top European officials, including the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, was held in a town close to Crans-Montana. Swiss authorities have confirmed the total death toll at 40, the majority in their teens and 20s the youngest 14 and mostly from Switzerland, France and Italy. A further 116 were injured, 83 of whom are still being treated in hospital for severe burns. Anger and dismay have meanwhile mounted as details on the cause of the fire and staggering lapses in safety procedures emerged. Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the owners of the bar, are under investigation for manslaughter through negligence. Mr Moretti was arrested and held in custody after the couple were questioned by prosecutors in Sion on Friday morning, a source told the Guardian. The couple, who bought the bar in 2015 before renovating it, have denied any wrongdoing and in a statement this week said they were devastated and overwhelmed with grief while promising full cooperation with the investigation. Authorities said the fire started in the bars crammed basement room after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to a ceiling believed to have been clad with soundproofing foam. A haunting image shared on social media showed a female server sitting on the shoulders of a male colleague holding a bottle with sparklers in each hand before the flames caught the ceiling. The woman was among those who died. The investigation is focusing on renovations made to the bar, the fire-extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people in the building when the fire started. In an astonishing admission on Tuesday, Nicolas Feraud, the mayor of Crans-Montana, said no safety inspections had been made on the premises since 2019. He could not explain why the annual inspections were not done despite the procedure being required by local law. Were profoundly sorry, and I know how hard that will be for the families, Feraud said, adding that his administration wanted to show full transparency. Related: It has hit us very hard: grief grips Crans-Montana as police identify more victims Lawyers representing the families of those who died or were injured in the tragedy have accused investigators of not moving quickly enough to secure crucial evidence. As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, Romain Jordan and Ronald Asmar, lawyers with the Geneva-based firm Merkt, claimed that the bars owners appeared to have deactivated its Instagram and Facebook accounts, in the process deleting pictures and videos that could have been useful to the investigation. The Guardian has contacted the couples lawyers for comment. This attitude should have alerted the prosecutors immediately, added Jordan, who alongside Asmar was present during the Morettis questioning on Friday. He claimed authorities initially tried to keep lawyers representing families out of the hearing. The authorities are only now starting to take the full measure of the investigation. Jordan said that everyone, especially those living in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, had been personally affected [by the tragedy] at some level or another. The first tier of this tragedy is seeing young lives ending in this way, or being hurt and bearing scars for ever, he said. Then you quickly understand that it perhaps happened because of human mistakes and the worst thing is that the authorities were perhaps complacent. So all of these layers add up to an incomprehensible nightmare, making it difficult to accept. He added: The whole world is looking at us because, if it can happen in Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world, where could it not happen? What led to this tragedy and how can we make sure that that it never happens anywhere else? Authorities are already taking heed. As thousands of bars, restaurants and nightspots were checked in Crans-Montana and surrounding towns, new safety measures were announced in Vaud canton, where Lausanne is located. As normal life resumes after the Christmas and New Year holiday, the tragedy is still dominating conversations. Its definitely on everyones minds, and with all the other stuff happening all of a sudden in the world, people are overwhelmed, said Ronnow. But what has been super shocking for me and a lot of others is that, even though the attention has been on Le Constellation, it could easily have happened elsewhere. When I go to a nightclub it is really common to see bottles with sparklers. Theres now a big push to check safety regulations, but people are thinking: It could have been me. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select Secure Messaging. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. At least six people died and government buildings were set on fire during protests on Thursday night Irans supreme leader placed the countrys security services on their highest state of alert as protests threatened to topple the regime. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to take control of the crackdown amid fears of defections by the regular armed forces and police. Reports suggested security services were hunting down police who had refused to fire on demonstrators. The Norway-based Hengaw human rights group reported that the Islamic Republic arrested several security forces members who refused orders to fire at protesters. Iranian officials said the country was on higher alert than during the war with Israel last year, and that underground missile cities had also been activated to deal with external threats. On Friday evening, Sir Keir Starmer released a joint statement with Emmanuel Macron of France and Friedrich Merz of Germany, condemning the killing of civilians. Discussions have taken place inside Iran, which would result in Khamenei leaving the country in exchange for keeping the Iranian regime in place, according to reports - Getty Images Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran if it continues to use violence against protesters. On Friday, he warned that he would be hitting them very hard where it hurts... that doesnt mean troops on the ground. We dont want that to happen. At least six people died and government buildings were set on fire during protests on Thursday night when authorities faced the widest demonstrations since the unrest began late last year. The US president suggested Khamenei could flee the country amid reports that Iranians were discussing getting rid of the supreme leader to save the regime. Speaking publicly for the first time since Jan 3, Khamenei gave a speech on Friday warning Mr Trump to focus on the problems in his country and said the arrogant US leader could be overthrown. He insisted the Islamic Republic would not back down against the domestic terrorists taking part in protests across the country. On Friday Iranian warships also joined Chinese and Russian vessels in South African waters for planned naval drills off Cape Town military exercises that risk further damaging Pretorias relations with Washington. Unrest in Iran entered its 13th day on Friday, with authorities arresting more than 2,277 people, including at least 166 minors and 48 university students. Human rights groups reported that the death toll had risen to 62 since the protests began on Dec 28. Credit: @mamlekate/ X The Iranian regime is said to be in survival mode, but officials insisted Khamenei has no plans to leave the country and have dismissed reports suggesting otherwise. Those close to him insist that such claims bear no resemblance to his character. He will not leave Tehran even if B-52s are flying overhead, said one official. Another senior Iranian official told The Telegraph: The leader has ordered the Sepah [IRGC] to remain on the highest level of readiness even higher than during the June war. He is in closer contact with the IRGC than with the army or the police, because he believes the risk of IRGC defections is almost non-existent, whereas others have defected before. He has placed his fate in the hands of the IRGC. Protesters set fire to a building in Tehran on Friday - AP Officials fear any intervention by Mr Trump could trigger what they described as an apocalyptic war. The official said: The IRGCs underground missile cities which were deliberately kept intact during the 12-day war are all on high alert. This time, it would be very different. The IRGC has unveiled four underground missile cities since 2015. State media journalists were transported in vehicles with darkened windows, and full specifications remain classified. Parts of these sites are believed to be located in western Iran to enable potential strikes on Israel. In their statement on Friday, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany said: We are deeply concerned about reports of violence by Iranian security forces, and strongly condemn the killing of protesters. The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal. We urge the Iranian authorities to exercise restraint, to refrain from violence, and to uphold the fundamental rights of Irans citizens. Protesters gather as vehicles burn in Tehran amid the growing anti-government unrest in Iran - Reuters The demonstrations, which started with shopkeepers protesting about failing currency and rising prices, have evolved into broader anti-regime rallies across the country. Videos from central Shahroud showed large numbers of demonstrators and black smoke rising from a burning vehicle on Friday. The Chief Justice of North Khorasan province said that Ali Akbar Hosseinzadeh, the prosecutor of Esfarayen city, was killed, along with several law enforcement and security personnel, during Thursday nights protests. The prosecutor and his team were hiding in a portable cabin that caught fire and emergency forces were unable to enter, authorities said. Internet service, both domestic and international, remained partially cut off across Iran on Friday, limiting information flow. Phone calls were not reaching the country as of Friday morning, and dozens of flights from Turkey and Dubai were cancelled. A number of airlines stopped flying into Iran and more than 40 flights scheduled to land in cities including Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad were abandoned. Protests have spread from the Zahedan, in the east, to Tehran and 100 more towns and cities, as authorities use tear gas and shotgun pellets to break up rallies. Women joined demonstrations in Zahedan after Friday prayers, chanting slogans such as death to the dictator, death to Khamenei, poverty, corruption, inflation we go until overthrow and from Zahedan to Tehran, my life for Iran. Local sources reported that the presence of women and families in the protests demonstrates expanding dissatisfaction and participation from different sectors of society. Some protesters have called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late former shah, who had called on Iranians to take to the streets. Mr Pahlavis father was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution. Mr Pahlavi said millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight, and described the protesters as his courageous compatriots. He thanked Mr Trump for holding the regime to account and called on European leaders to do the same. The US president, who ordered the bombing of Iran last summer, said on Friday he would not meet Mr Pahlavi and was not sure that it would be appropriate to back him. Flames rise from a burning structure in Ahvaz, in Irans south west - MEK/The Media Express/SIPA/Shutterstock On Thursday night, Mr Trump said Iran could be on the verge of collapsing. He repeated a promise to step in to protect protesters who were targeted by the Islamic Republic forces, saying: Were ready to do it. If they do that, were going to hit them hard the enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible. When asked about the rumours that Khamenei had a Plan B to flee to Russia, the US president replied: Or some place, yeah. Hes looking to go some place. Discussions have taken place inside Iran over a Nicolas Maduro-style arrangement, which would result in Khamenei leaving Iran in exchange for keeping the Iranian regime in place, The Economist reported. Before Mr Maduro was captured in a US military operation last week, talks between Washington and Caracas touched on how he could be allowed to leave Venezuela safely, which would allow the regimes remaining figures to remain in power. The proposal, which never got off the ground, was labelled Madurismo without Maduro. Saeed Laylaz, an economist favoured by the regime, urged Khamenei to step aside after protesters attacked government offices, set police vehicles on fire, and pulled the countrys flag off government buildings. Credit: Reuters/Social media One official told The Telegraph: The establishment has never felt as threatened by protests as it does now. But this is not only about the demonstrations themselves. The real concern is Donald Trumps threats. We have seen what he did in Venezuela. Those film-style scenarios do not apply here. What has happened instead is that Venezuela has emboldened protesters. For the first time, they genuinely believe major change is possible. The regime has largely focused on foreign enemies rather than addressing protesters domestic grievances, suggesting it lacks compelling responses to the underlying causes of unrest. Irans supreme national security council released a statement on Friday claiming that the protests have been directed and planned by Israel to create insecurity in the country. By making the confrontation about foreign interference rather than internal dissatisfaction, analysts said the regime could avoid engaging with demands that might expose its inability or unwillingness to reform. Protesters fill the streets between the Yousef Abad neighbourhood and Vanak Square in Tehran State news agencies reported that six people were killed during Thursday nights protests in central Hamedan city. Iranian television described protesters as counter-revolutionary elements and thugs and announced the death of Mohammad Javad Bakhshian, a military officer. Thursday night witnessed unprecedented numbers on the streets across numerous cities and throughout the capital, accompanied by violent suppression by law enforcement and security forces. A state television journalist standing in front of fires on Shariati Street, in the Caspian Sea port of Rasht, said: This looks like a war zone all the shops have been destroyed. In the southern Fars province, protesters pulled down the statue of the former senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds force commander Qassem Soleimani, a popular regime figure. Credit: @Vahid/ X On Friday, the IRGC warned in a statement that the continuation of this situation is unacceptable and said the blood of those killed in recent terrorist incidents is on the hands of its designers. It said the IRGC intelligence organisation would monitor economic and livelihood problems, but considered protection of the Islamic Revolutions achievements and maintaining societys security as a red line. It vows to stand with the nation until the complete defeat of the enemys plan and the establishment and ensuring of citizens security. On Friday, a state TV presenter warned families to keep their children indoors at night and said they should not complain if their loved ones were shot. The protests are not yet as large as previous unrest in 2022 and 2019 but the regime has been significantly weakened in the past year following the war with Israel and the bombing of its nuclear plants. Protesters take to the streets of Tehran, chanting death to the dictators - AFP This time it is different. Dozens of times over recent years, Iranians have repeated that mantra as they joined street demonstrations calling for the reform or overthrow of the theocratic dictatorship. Each time, their hopes were crushed with gunfire, arrests, imprisonment and torture. After massive demonstrations on Thursday night, hope for change has been kindled anew. And this time, there is an electrifying, indefinable feeling among many Iranians that it really is different. After 47 years, is the Islamic Republic of Iran finally about to meet its end? Here are the factors that matter. A real opposition Several factors suggest this years uprising is more dangerous for the regime than previous ones. For the first time in years, the protesters have a leader. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince, released a short video this week calling on Iranians to turn out at 8pm on Thursday evening, the first night of the Iranian weekend. It was an acid test of his own credibility and opposition sentiment. Both passed with flying colours. Thursday nights turnout demonstrated both that his words have clout, and that even his political enemies are prepared to accept his services as a figurehead for revolution. People hit the streets all over the country not just in big cities like Tehran. For the first time in years, Iranian protesters have a leader in Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince - Thomas Padilla/AP Pahlavi is an imperfect leader. He has lived his entire adult life abroad. He represents a monarchy that almost every Iranian joined in overthrowing in 1979. And despite his own commitment to democracy, he has monarchist followers that are rather less moderate. Iranians are demonstrating for freedom and economic relief not a royal restoration. But as one recent Iranian exile and critic of the prince says, he is the only leader available. Even some of his most vocal enemies in the fractious Iranian opposition have fallen into line, points out Holly Dagres, author of The Iranist, a newsletter. That is significant it was just such a consensus between rich and poor, liberals and conservatives, traders and workers, democrats, Islamists and Marxists, that brought down Pahlavis father in 1979. A withered regime Like many revolutionary regimes, the Islamic Republic has put in a lot of effort pulling up the ladder behind it. Since 2009, when the Green Movement protests about the fraudulent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came close to toppling the regime, its security chiefs have developed a sophisticated mechanism of repression. That system rests on three pillars: the application of deadly violence against demonstrators; the imprisonment, exile or execution of leaders and sympathisers; and clear direction from the supreme leader to the authorities. All three of those pillars have atrophied. They may be about to crumble to dust. Gunfire was reported in Tehran on Thursday night, on the largest day of unrest since the demonstrations began in December - AFP Gunfire was reported in Tehran on Thursday night. There have been reports of buildings and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or police vehicles being set alight. However, as far as we know, the regime has shown relative restraint. Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, has publicly urged security forces to distinguish between rioters and peaceful protesters. The motorcycle cavalry of the Basij militiamen who smashed previous demonstrations has not shown up. Why? Probably because Donald Trump has thrice explicitly threatened to hit them very hard if they start killing protesters. So far, he has shied away from following through on the threat, attributing the 30-odd confirmed deaths so far to stampeding crowds. But there is every reason to think he would be as good as his word. Last years 12-day Israeli and American aerial bombardment wreaked havoc and proved Trump is prepared to use force. The supreme leader and his IRGC generals are desperate to avoid giving him and Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu a pretext for a second attack. The intelligence apparatus is also in disarray. Many of the intelligence and security chiefs who oversaw internal repression were killed by Israeli strikes during the 12-day war. Those who survive are paralysed by mistrust. The 12-day war showed that the regime is riddled with Mossad intelligence assets, many of whom appeared to be in key positions. Their power, combined with the prospect of a Venezuela-style decapitation by commando raid, will send paranoia levels through the roof. A weakened leader There was a time when Ali Khamenei was a wily, clever and ruthless political operator the indisputable and indispensable arbiter of ultimate power. At 86, however, his faculties appear to be fading. Out of touch, isolated and stiff with the stubbornness that comes with great age, he seems to be convinced that he can outride the current uprising as he has previous ones. But one of the basic demands of the demonstrators is for the supreme leader himself to go. Some Iranian analysts believe the only chance for the regime to survive would be for insiders to sideline the old man. Israeli sources have briefed reporters that Khamenei is considering an escape to Russia. Trump repeated those claims on Thursday. Credit: Reuters That is extremely difficult to believe. In his 37 years as supreme leader, he has never left the country a survivor of torture in the Shahs prisons and an assassination attempt that left him half paralysed, he is no coward and he is steeped in the Shia ideology of martyrdom. It is easier to imagine him dying than fleeing. But the mere fact that it is being discussed is telling. The two signs to watch for Speaking to Iranians this week, it is difficult to resist a sense that change is in the air. But nothing is inevitable. Street demonstrations are powerful symbols, but they are not the same as real leverage. The men with the guns and the money the IRGC are still deeply entwined with the regime and show no sign of abandoning it yet. Khamenei himself is not the type to surrender, and has ridden out many uprisings in the past. With their backs to the wall, they may begin to kill protesters despite Trumps threats. There are two indicators of imminent revolution to watch for. The first is when the security services soldiers, police, intelligence officers and IRGC ground forces begin to refuse or ignore orders to put down the demonstrators. The second sign is of fractures at the top. When ministers and other officials especially younger ones begin to quietly disappear from the capital, flee the country and begin to harness themselves to the opposition. What happens then? Could a velvet revolution usher in democracy? Might regime insiders, inspired by the removal of Nicolas Maduro, arrest the old man to appease the Americans and the public to save their own skins? Will the Israelis attack again? Could internal collapse lead to civil war? The truth is, no one knows. But with a country as large and as pivotal as Iran, the fallout is certain to be extraordinary. Russia has launched its new hypersonic ballistic Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, striking a city just 60 miles from the Nato border of Poland. Moscow has claimed it was fired in response to an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of Vladimir Putins residences, a strike which Kyiv says never happened. Europe has also condemned Russias latest attack as a clear escalation and warned it was an attempt to instil fear. It marks only the second time Russia is believed to have used the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile, which has nuclear capabilities. Putin has claimed enemy forces cannot intercept the weapon, which travels at more than 10 times the speed of sound. Such a strike close to EU and Nato border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community, Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said on X. Russian forces fired the Oreshnik missile at western Ukraine (AFP/Getty) It is absurd that Russia attempts to justify this strike with the fake 'Putin residence attack' that never happened, he added. Putin uses an IRBM near EU and Nato border in response to his own hallucinations this is truly a global threat. And it demands global responses. The missile, based on the RS-26 Rubezh, which Russia had originally developed as an intercontinental weapon, is capable of carrying nuclear as well as conventional warheads, but there was no suggestion of any nuclear component to the overnight attack. Images released by Ukrainian authorities show apparent debris of an Oreshnik missile fired at Lviv, a city of more than 700,000 people. A fragment of the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region (AP) Debris from the Oreshnik missile fired on Ukraine (Reuters) The attack came days after European countries, including the UK and France, committed to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine to aid peacekeeping efforts in the event of a ceasefire, while Washington reaffirmed its pledge to provide security guarantees for Kyiv. The EUs foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the strike was meant as a warning to Europe and to the US. EU countries must dig deeper into their air defence stocks and deliver now, she said. We must also further raise the cost of this war for Moscow, including through tougher sanctions. German chancellor Friedrich Merz added: Threatening gestures are intended to instil fear, but they will not work. We stand with Ukraine. The Oreshnik missile system during training in an undisclosed location in Belarus (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service) A senior Ukrainian official said the missile had struck the workshop of a state enterprise near the Polish border. Impact from several submunitions caused minor penetrations of concrete structures at the workshop and made craters in the forest area, they added. Meanwhile, the SBU state security service said Russia sought to destroy civilian infrastructure in the surrounding region amid rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. Temperatures in Ukraine are set to plummet well below zero, forecast to drop to -15C in the capital of Kyiv early on Saturday morning. The UKs defence secretary John Healey meets emergency service workers in Kyiv on Friday (PA) Russia has scaled up its attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of the cold snap. On Friday, an attack on Kyiv left 500,000 people without power, as mayor Vitali Klitschko called for residents to temporarily evacuate if possible. At least four people were killed in Kyiv after Russia launched a major offensive across Ukraine with 278 missiles and drones, according to Ukrainian tallies. Kyiv said it downed 244 of them in flight. UK defence minister John Healey visited the site on Friday of a strike on an apartment building after meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. It comes after a Russian air attack on Thursday left 1 million people without electricity and heating across large swathes of Ukraines central and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ministers will ramp up the closure of migrant hotels in Spring as part of plans to reduce pressure on the asylum system. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced sweeping immigration reforms at the end of last year, which included making refugee status temporary and scrapping the right to family reunion. The Labour government has pledged to end the use of costly asylum hotels by 2029, however, the number of asylum seekers housed in the controversial accommodation has risen year-on-year. The Home Office is now expected to ramp up the closure of hotels in Spring this year, under plans first reported by The I paper. This will be facilitated by moving migrants waiting on asylum claim decisions into different forms of accommodation. Ministers have pledged to open army barracks to house asylum seekers and suggested that pop-up buildings could be used to create space. More homes of multiple occupation could also be used to house people seeking asylum. Protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which was subject to a court case over its use to house asylum seekers (PA) The Home Office is hoping to ramp up removals from the UK to free up hotel space. Ms Mahmood has also pledged to revoke housing and financial support from asylum seekers who have the right to work or who have broken the law. The home secretary will remove the current legal obligation to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. The government has pledged to revoke the duty in the coming months and replace it with a discretionary power, that will further restrict who is helped. A senior Whitehall source told The I paper that the one in, one out returns deal with France will also be expanded, and that the government is hopeful a similar deal could be agreed with Germany. More than 36,000 asylum seekers were being housed in Home Office hotels in September last year. The number of people in migrant hotels peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the Conservatives, but fell to 29,561 at the end of June 2024. People taking part in a Stand Up to Racism protest in Epping, Essex, after counter-protests against an asylum hotel in the area (PA) The total number of people in receipt of asylum support from the government is also up two per cent year-on-year, with 111,651 individuals getting help at the end of September. MPs warned last year that billions of pounds had been squandered on asylum hotel contracts due to poor management and incompetence at the Home Office. The influential Home Affairs Committee criticised the level of accountability and oversight over large accommodation contracts. Migrant hotels became flashpoints of protest last summer after an asylum seeker in Epping, Essex, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Epping council sought to close down the hotel, taking their legal fight to the High Court, but were unsuccessful. The Home Office argued that the government would face considerable difficulties in re-accommodating them [the asylum seeker residents] appropriately if the hotel was shut down. Ben Pauling returns to the scene of his tremendous King George VI Chase triumph looking to pick up another of Kemptons major prizes as Lanesborough goes for Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle glory. The Sunbury track was a happy hunting ground for the Naunton Downs handler and The Jukebox Mans pilot Ben Jones over the Christmas period and they hold leading claims in Saturdays feature with their Doncaster scorer, who has seen the form of that wide-margin romp boosted by the runner-up since. Pauling said: Hes in great order and is a lovely horse who won well at Doncaster and should handle the ground nicely. The form of that Doncaster race has been franked and he will have improved for that run, so Im looking forward to seeing how he gets on. That Doncaster win over Christian Williams Williethebuilder came over the minimum distance but having previously excelled over further, his handler is backing him to prove just as effective at this two-mile-five-furlong trip. Pauling added: I think hes versatile and before Doncaster I didnt have him down as a proper two-miler but then he seemed to handle that perfectly OK. The lovely thing is you can put him anywhere you want in the race, there will be no pressure and over that trip he can take his time and find a nice position, get in a rhythm then turning for home hopefully be there competing. He went on: Hes in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury early next month, but he would have to come out of this really well to go there, but it wouldnt be out of the question. Dan Skelton will rely on the hat-trick seeking A Pai De Nom to register his own three-timer in a race he has dominated in recent years. The Ladbrokes ambassador said: I have had this race in mind for him for a good while now. He won at Cheltenham in a conditional jockeys race in November and then he went to Leicester and won a novice hurdle. This race has been the plan and we have no negatives going into it. We have been happy with his training and he will run well. It is very competitive, but we dont have any excuses and he is my best chance on the day. Another arriving at the Sunbury track in a rich vein of form is Philip Hobbs and Johnson Whites French Ship, who since falling at Chepstow in the Silver Trophy has not looked back when winning competitive heats at Cheltenham and Newbury. Despite being burdened with top-weight, White is hopeful he can continue on an upwards curve and said: Hes carrying a lot of weight but thats because hes the best horse in the race, simple as that. If Saturday went well he would be moving out of handicap company and if you look at his profile he has just improved race on race throughout his career. With his profile from last season we very much hoped he would continue improving and he has very much done that, so long may it continue. Jeremy Scott is double-handed with a pair of recent winners, Hereford scorer Came From Nowhere and King Of The Lake, who found the scoresheet at Chepstow. Paul Nicholls will also saddle two with Harry Cobden aboard former Challow Hurdle winner Captain Teague and daughter Olive continuing her association with the in-form Wincanton and Musselburgh victor Fasol. Meanwhile Nicholls nephew Harry Derham reverts dual Autueil winner Just Ennemi to the smaller obstacles after underwhelming on his chasing debut at Haydock before Christmas. It will be the six-year-olds first run over hurdles in the UK having cost 320,000 at the David Maxwell dispersal in the autumn and his handler is keen to erase the memory of his stable bow on Merseyside. Derham said: His bloods came back wrong after Haydock so we did find a reason for why he ran so disappointingly, but having said that he does now have a point to prove. You cant ignore that run as it obviously happened, but he has the chance now to prove hes a better horse than that. Hes a horse I really like, hes in good form and Im very pleased with him and Im looking forward to running him. Celtic manager Martin ONeill has admitted a return for Kyogo Furuhashi is unlikely as the striker wants to prove himself at Birmingham. The Scottish champions are still looking for an adequate replacement for the Japan international, 12 months on from his move to Rennes. The 30-year-old struggled for game time in France and has encountered a crisis of confidence in front of goal since switching to Birmingham, netting just once in 25 appearances. Kyogo Furuhashi enjoyed a successful spell at Celtic (Andrew Milligan/PA) (Andrew Milligan) But he appears to have passed on the offer to return on a loan basis to Celtic, where he scored 85 goals in 165 appearances. When asked about the prospect of a return for the forward, ONeill said: I would have said that would probably be unlikely. I think there is a viewpoint that he wants to really prove himself at Birmingham, which is no surprise. Celtic have also been linked with a move for 22-year-old Canada and Hajduk Split midfielder Niko Sigur. Martin ONeill was back on the pitch at Celtics Lennoxtown Training Complex (Steve Welsh/PA) (Steve Welsh) And 20-year-old Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi has been quoted as saying he is on his way to Celtic from Israeli club Maccabi Netanya. ONeill could not confirm that any signings were imminent. Doing plenty of work on it, seriously and I know thats a big generalisation, he said ahead of his first match back in the dugout against Dundee United on Saturday. We are doing that and hopefully try and get a few players in. But theres a lot of work going on at the moment. We are well aware that we have to supplement the squad. Ever wondered how a Spice Girl lives in London? As it turns out, Mel Cs (spice) world isnt too dissimilar to our own. From park walks to collecting trainer, here is how she passes her days in the capital. Home is North London, its cosy, a place that feels both calm and inspiring, where green spaces, creativity and a sense of community come together. Its where the pace softens just enough for you to breathe, think and feel grounded a neighbourhood that feels like its own little world, even within a big city. Where was your first flat in London? I moved to London from the North to study when I was 16. I lived with families for the first couple of years, then moved in with friends in Sidcup, Kent. I also shared a flat with Mel B and Geri in Finchley Central and Im sure you can imagine how noisy we were, our poor neighbours. We had a plaque at the front door engraved Spice HQ. Where do you stay in London? Claridges is my favourite hotel, I love the feeling of being transported to another era as you walk through the doors. Afternoon tea or a cocktail in one of the bars there is a real treat. What was your first job in London? After leaving performing arts college in Kent I recorded vocals for a theatre production. I was auditioning for a lot of West End productions like Cats when I was handed a flyer to audition for a girl band that band became the Spice Girls. (AFP via Getty Images) Where would you recommend for a first date? A walk in one of our beautiful parks, Hyde Park, Regents Park or Hampstead Heath, and if its going well a cosy little pub is never far away. Whats the best meal youve had in London? We have some fantastic restaurants in London, my current favourite is Dorian in Notting Hill. I also love Mexican food Kol in Marylebone is extraordinary. What would you do if you were Mayor for the day? London is an incredible city but we are often accused of not being the friendliest bunch. Id like to change that by encouraging people to chat on public transport and on the street, make our city feel more of a community. What makes someone a Londoner? The beauty of this city is its diversity, many things can make you a Londoner. (Getty Images) Whats the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you? Almost every black cab I jump in I have a lovely chat and the cabbie tells me how his favourite song of mine is When Youre Gone, my duet with Bryan Adams. Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer? Only in Spice World the movie and Emma got us out of that. Where do you go to let your hair down? If they havent started there, the best nights will always end up in Soho for sure. What are you up to at the moment for work? I recently released a new song called Sweat, its the first single from my upcoming album out on May 1. Im playing the Brixton Academy in October this year. Im so excited, Ive never played there and its such an iconic venue. (Getty Images) What do you collect? I have a ridiculous amount of trainers, an obsession that started in the 1990s. My go-to is Nike Air Max 90s I have them in so many colours as I love to coordinate. Whats your favourite London beauty spot? Nilam Holmes has just opened in the Melia White House hotel she and her team are the absolute go-to for all your beauty needs. Its a beautiful space and you leave feeling and looking brand new. Samantha Cusick is my favourite hairdresser in town, she has salons in Notting Hill, Fitzrovia and Liverpool Street. All the stylists are lovely and brilliant their cocktails are amazing too. What apps can you not live without in the city? If you live in London you need Citymapper, its really easy to use and will get you anywhere you need to be. Im a big lover of Lime bikes so I couldnt live without that app too. As told to Maddy Mussen META reaches deals with nuclear power group to help fuel its AI ambitions Facebook parent Meta has secured longterm nuclear power deals to make sure its growing AI data centers have a steady, reliable supply of electricity. Metas 20-year agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo, along with an earlier deal with Constellation Energy, make it one of the largest corporate purchasers of nuclear power in U.S. history, Joel Kaplan, Metas Chief Global Affairs Officer, said in a statement included in the companys Friday announcement. According to Meta, the deals include signed power purchase agreements with Vistra to buy electricity from three existing nuclear plants: the Perry and DavisBesse facilities in Ohio and the Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania. Metas agreements will supply up to 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2035, roughly the output of several large nuclear plants, according to the companys blog post. This far exceeds the 1to 4 gigawatts the company sought from developers in 2024. Meta and other major technology companies have been increasingly focused on securing long-term power supplies as AI and data centers drive U.S. electricity demand up for the first time in 20 years. Meta's new 20-year nuclear power deals are making it one of the largest corporate nuclear energy purchasers in US history. (Meta) The new Meta agreement will create thousands of jobs, Meta said. Communities nationwide are pushing back against AI data centers over rising electricity costs, loss of open space, along with potential impacts from noise, pollution and water shortages. Residents in rural towns and suburban areas are organizing protests, attending packed town halls and launching zoning battles to block or delay these projects, arguing they threaten quality of life and strain local resources. Once-quiet municipal meetings now overflow with residents demanding action. In East Vincent Township, Pennsylvania, local resident Larry Shank confronted supervisors last month about a planned data center, asking, Would you want this built in your backyard? Because thats where its literally going, is in my backyard. Legal battles have also erupted over zoning and local regulations, and major tech companies, including Meta, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, are facing project delays despite support from state and federal authorities. Microsoft has acknowledged these challenges, noting in an October securities filing that its operational risks include community opposition, local moratoriums and hyper-local dissent that could slow or halt infrastructure development, the Associated Press reported. Meta, parent of Facebook, is seeking more power for its data centers. (Getty Images) Meta said Friday that the new agreements will help fund expansions at the Ohio facilities and extend the operational life of all three reactors, which are licensed to run through at least 2036, with one of Beaver Valleys two reactors licensed through 2047. Beyond purchasing power from existing plants, Meta will also support the development of next-generation small modular reactors with Oklo and TerraPower, the latter backed by Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates. Shares of Oklo jumped nearly 20 percent while Vistra increased by about 8 percent in premarket trading following the announcement. The companys partnership with Oklo will help develop up to 1.2 GW of nuclear power in Ohio as early as 2030, supporting early procurement and development, according to Oklos co-founder and CEO, Jacob DeWitte. The snowy street where Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer has now become a memorial to her. The telegraph pole that her car crashed into is surrounded by flowers, candles, teddy bears, and placards bearing her name. The smell of burning sage, said to banish negative energy, is thick in the air. Throughout the day, people of all ages and ethnicities have come to pay their respects - some crying, some hugging, and many chanting her name. Tensions had already been brewing in Minneapolis over Donald Trump's migrant crackdown. At the start of the week, the Department of Homeland Security launched a massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, sending 2,000 ICE officers onto the streets, against the wishes of the majority here. The techniques ICE is using to implement the administration's policy has provoked anger. But the death of Renee Nicole Good has focused that fury. A protest took place in the morning outside a federal government building where ICE officers are stationed, with small skirmishes erupting between protesters and officers. There has not been widespread unrest so far, but this remains a city on edge. Analysis of various videos, which show the moment Renee Nicole Good was killed, suggest she may have been trying to drive away from the officers, rather than ram them, as the Trump administration is claiming. Read more: What we know about Renee Nicole Good What does footage of Minneapolis shooting show? Analysis: This could be a moment of reckoning for US Aidan Perzana lives in a house opposite where the shooting happened. He was on the street in front of his house and just yards away from Renee Nicole Good's car when she was killed. He says he is convinced that she was trying to get away from police. "There was a gap between the two men who had originally been at the car," he said. "It was pretty obvious to me she was aiming for that gap. You know, she was trying to flee, no doubt in my mind." "I heard the gunshots and saw the shooter," he added. "After the gunshots, I looked at him briefly, and then watched the car, which drove straight for maybe 30ft. And I thought, 'oh, maybe, maybe they missed' and then pretty quickly, it drifted into the other car and the telephone pole. "In the grand scale of things, it is more okay for a civilian to panic and try to escape than it is for a law enforcement agent to panic and kill someone." Other video appears to show Renee Nicole Good waving for vehicles to go by her. But the White House continues to claim she is a domestic terrorist and was somehow responsible for her own death. Vice President JD Vance offered qualified sympathy to the victim and falsely claimed there was no debate about the facts of what happened. "In this case, you have a woman who is trying to obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation," he said. "Nobody debates that. You have a woman who aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator. Nobody debates that. I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognising that it's a tragedy of her own making." One of those who came to the scene to pay respects is 29-year-old teacher Muna Jama, who is of Somalian heritage. Senior Trump officials have fixated on Minnesota and its Somali community after accusations of alleged fraud by members of the community. "We're all just pretty torn up," Muna said, "As a Somali person, I feel like she died, unfortunately, because of us. So I feel a little bit guilty. I just want to know that she didn't go out in vain and we're all thinking and praying for her. "Everything that's been going on with ICE and everything that they're doing, is cruelty and inhumanity. We just don't stand for that whatsoever as Minnesotans." That feeling is echoed across the state by many people, with protests planned in various cities over the weekend. Media watchdog Ofcom said it was seeking urgent answers from X, to announce action within days not weeks. Photograph: Cfoto/Future Publishing/Getty Images (Photograph: Cfoto/Future Publishing/Getty Images) Elon Musks X has been ordered by the UK government to tackle a wave of indecent AI images or face a de facto ban, as an expert said the platform was no longer a safe space for women. The media watchdog, Ofcom, confirmed it would accelerate an investigation into X as a backlash grew against the site, which has hosted a deluge of images depicting partially stripped women and children. X announced a restriction on creating images via the Grok AI tool on Friday morning in response to the global outcry. A post on the platform said the ability to generate and edit images would now be limited to paying subscribers. Those who pay have to provide personal details, meaning they could be identified if the function was misused. However, the move failed to quell anger and deepened the backlash from victims, politicians and experts, who said it did not go far enough. The governments new commissioner for victims of crime, Claire Waxman, said the platform was hampering efforts to tackle violence against women and girls. Meanwhile, Downing Street said Xs attempt to defuse the row by only allowing paid users to generate AI images was insulting. Waxman told the Guardian that X was no longer a safe space for victims and her office was considering scaling back its presence on the site and focusing its communications on Instagram. It makes the battle against violence against women and girls much harder when platforms such as X are enabling abuse on such an easy and regular basis, Waxman said, adding that the platform was having a negative impact on its users mental health because of the proliferation of violence, abuse and race hate. Grok has been integrated into X, and an update of the AI tool has allowed users to prompt it to alter clothed images of women and children by making them appear in bikinis and sexually suggestive poses. With increasing numbers of MPs and organisations fleeing X, Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, promised on Friday that ministers were looking seriously at the possibility of access to X being barred in the UK. Kendall said she expected Ofcom, which said this week that it was seeking urgent answers from the platform, to announce action within days not weeks. X needs to get a grip and get this material down, she said. And I would remind them that in the Online Safety Act, there are backstop powers to block access to services if they refuse to comply with the law for people in the UK. And if Ofcom decides to use those powers, they would have the full backing of the government. In a statement, Ofcom said it had contacted X on Monday and set a firm deadline of Friday for the site to explain itself, adding: Were now undertaking an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly. Under the Online Safety Act the regulator can compel platforms to tackle such material and issue multimillion pound fines for lack of compliance, with the ultimate sanction being a court order for web providers to block a site or app altogether. X has been approached for comment. Musk has previously insisted anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content. Musk responded to an X users post about the UK governments threat, saying: They want any excuse for censorship. Ministers have come under increasing pressure in recent days to take action over the huge number of images generated by Grok, after user requests on X to manipulate images of women and sometimes children to remove their clothing or put them in sexual positions. X has about 300 million monthly users according to data company Similarweb. Estimates from the US firm Appfigures put the number of paying X subscribers at between 2.2 million and 2.6 million. Asked about the change to who can generate images on X, a Downing Street spokesperson said it was unacceptable. The move simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service, they said. Its not a solution. In fact, its insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so. You heard the prime minister yesterday. He was abundantly clear that X needs to act, and needs to act now. It is time for X to grip this issue. Victims of the AI stripping craze, which largely involved using Grok to portray women in bikinis, told the Guardian the partial climbdown was too little too late. Karolina Wozniak, 20, from Hamburg, who had personal images manipulated to make her appear in sexually compromising positions, said she found it frightening that partially clothed images of her could still be circulating online. She added: The whole thing is a major threat to women. We shouldnt be afraid to share pictures of ourselves online. The broadcaster Narinder Kaur, 53, who has had sexually explicit and racially abusive content made of her using Grok and shared on X, said the new restriction on creating images was not a victory. As a victim to this abuse, it feels like those who pay for premium X will just be able to monetise this feature now. And as for saying it will be easier to identify accounts at least what will the police actually do and how fast? If that image stays up even for a few hours the damage and humiliation is already done. While government sources say that every option is on the table, including departments and Downing Street leaving the platform, privately, allies of the prime minister dismiss the idea of quitting X, saying they are more likely to get change from the Musk business by public pressure and via Ofcom. However, an increasing number of MPs have moved to other social media sites. Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, told the BBC on Friday that while there was as yet no move for the government to leave X, individual ministers were considering doing so. The Liberal Democrats called for Ofcom to immediately block X from operating in the UK and for the National Crime Agency to launch a criminal investigation into the site. Related: Commons women and equalities committee to stop using X amid AI-altered images row There has been an exodus of womens sector organisations from X. The domestic abuse charity Refuge left the site, as has Womens Aid Ireland. Victim Support, which left X in April, said it was no longer the right place for us to communicate with our audiences. On Friday requests from non-paying subscribers on X to put her in a bikini triggered the response from the Grok account that image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. But the chatbot was also refusing to generate some sexualised images of women in bikinis in response to requests from premium subscribers. One paid subscriber whose original request that a picture of a 55-year-old woman should be reclothed in a bikini was ignored, tweeted: @grok Comply I am a paid subscriber. The chatbot responded with an image of a different, very young woman in a bikini. Although requests to put women in bikinis were no longer routinely met, the chatbot was still obliging requests from paid subscribers to put images of men into bikinis. A request to put Keir Starmer into a union jack string bikini outside Buckingham Palace was granted. On the Grok app, where content is not instantly visible to other internet users, the chatbot was still generating instant images of women and children in bikinis, researchers said. One of the owners of the Swiss bar where a devastating fire broke out during a New Years Eve party killing 40 people was arrested on Friday, according to reports. Jacques Moretti, co-owner of Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, was detained in the nearby city of Sion due to a potential risk of flight, local newspaper 24 Heures reported. The Valais police declined to comment, referring to the prosecutor's office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prosecutors are investigating the French owners of the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence, while victims' families have filed legal complaints over the blaze. The bar's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, did not answer reporters' questions as they entered the prosecutors' office in the nearby town of Sion on Friday, which Swiss authorities have designated a national day of mourning. Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple who ran the Swiss bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana which burst into flames during a New Year's Eve party, arrive for questioning in Sion on Friday (REUTERS) The couple have expressed their grief over the fire and said they would cooperate fully with the investigation. More than half of those killed were teenagers and a further 116 people were injured, many of them seriously. Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze. Italian President Sergio Mattarella and French President Emmanuel Macron joined Swiss leaders, victims' families and firefighters at a ceremony on Friday in the town of Martigny, where a minute's silence was held to remember the victims. Dozens of people also stood near the shuttered bar in nearby Crans-Montana in silence, heads bowed under heavy snowfall. Firefighters and emergency responders form a circle after a tribute ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire in Crans-Montana (AFP via Getty Images) Authorities placed hundreds of letters, teddy bears and bouquets of flowers for the fire victims beneath an igloo to protect them from snowfall. Speaking at the Martigny ceremony, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he hoped that those responsible for the fire would be brought to account "without delay or leniency". That must also include relevant political authorities, said Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais government. Witnesses and prosecutors have said the blaze appeared to have been started by the use of sparkling candles that set foam soundproofing on the basement ceiling alight. Questions remain about oversight at the bar, which the local mayor admitted this week had missed multiple safety checks. The blaze appeared to have been started by the use of sparklers held on champagne bottles Twenty-one of the dead were from Switzerland, seven from France, and six from Italy. A Swiss-French dual national and a French-British-Israeli national were also among the dead. Actor Paul Mescal has revealed he will do his own singing when he plays Sir Paul McCartney in an upcoming series of films about The Beatles. The 29-year-old Hamnet star will appear in the four films, directed by Sir Sam Mendes and produced by Sony Pictures, alongside Barry Keoghan as Sir Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Speaking to British GQ, Mescal confirmed he would be doing his own singing and added: Ive learned so much. Its really inspired a love. Mescal will play Sir Paul McCartney in these films (Elizaveta Porodina/British GQ) Ive always loved music, but getting to play one of the great songwriters and great frontmen has really lit a fire in terms of personally writing music and engaging and hearing music in a different way. Dickinson, who will play McCartneys song-writing partner Lennon, described the Irish actor as raised well, adding that his morals are in the best place. Mescal also said he had met Sir Paul on two occasions, adding: Hes the most brilliant man. I feel emotionally attached to him. He received me with great kindness and warmth. Mescal on the cover of British GQ (Elizaveta Porodina/British GQ) He continued: One of the many benefits of shooting a Beatles anthology is that you get to do the job and not talk about the job. The Beatles films, which will each centre on a different member of the band, are due for release in April 2028, and will also star Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey, and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono. Mescal is also known for his roles in Gladiator II (2024), Netflix romantic drama Normal People and Aftersun (2022). Formed in 1960, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, having achieved 18 UK number one singles and 16 UK number one albums. The full interview can be read in the February issue of British GQ available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday January 27. Paul Thomas Andersons comedy thriller One Battle After Another, starring Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has led the 2026 Bafta longlist with a mammoth 16 mentions. The movie, which sees DiCaprios character go in search of his missing daughter as his old nemesis resurfaces, features in all of the major award categories including best film, adapted screenplay, cinematography and director. Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn attend the premiere of One Battle After Another (Ian West/PA) (Ian West) DiCaprio, 51, who won a Bafta 10 years ago for his role in epic western The Revenant, features in the leading actor category, with Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn both mentioned for supporting actor. Chase Infiniti, who plays the daughter of DiCaprios character, features on the leading actress longlist, with Teyana Taylor in the list for supporting actress. Close behind One Battle After Another with 14 mentions is Chloe Zhaos Hamnet, based on Maggie OFarrells book of the same name, which offers an imagined look at the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne, named Agnes in the film, following the death of one of their children. Hamnet is mentioned in categories including best film, outstanding British film, director, adapted screenplay and casting. The movies main stars, Irish actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, who play Shakespeare and Agnes respectively, are mentioned in the leading actor categories. Buckleys win at the Critics Choice Awards last weekend indicates she could be in contention for the coveted prize, as well as Oscar, with nominations for this years Academy Awards yet to be revealed. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal attend the screening of Hamnet at the Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall (Ian West/PA) (Ian West) Sinners, a US period piece set at the time of Jim Crow laws, also has 14 mentions with Josh Safdies Marty Supreme garnering 13. Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet, who plays ping-pong champion Marty Mauser in the film, recently secured the leading actor gong at the Critics Choice Awards, having also secured the spotlight award at The Palm Springs International Film Awards on Saturday. Chalamet features on the leading actor list alongside stars including DiCaprio, Sinners actor Michael B Jordan, Pillions Harry Melling, Steve actor Cillian Murphy, Nuremberg star Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke, for Blue Moon. Yorgos Lanthimoss new macabre comedy film Bugonia, starring Emma Stone, has 12 mentions as does Guillermo del Toros adaptation of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, starring a potential supporting actor contender Jacob Elordi, who also picked up a prize at the Critics Choice Awards. Among the major snubs are films Wicked: For Good, biopic Christy, starring Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney, and Anemone, which saw Academy Award-winner Sir Daniel Day-Lewis make his return to the big screen. Stars of movie musical Wicked Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are mentioned in the supporting actress categories with the film notably missing from categories including best film and casting. The first half of the two-part film, directed by Jon M Chu, featured in these categories when the 2025 longlist was announced. Timothee Chalamet is mentioned for Marty Supreme (Matt Crossick Media Assignments/PA) (Matt Crossick Media Assignments) The official nominations for this years film awards, taking place at the Southbank Centres Royal Festival Hall in central London, will be announced on Tuesday January 27. Bafta film committee chairwoman Emily Stillman said: Todays 82 longlisted films reflect a year of outstanding filmmaking told through bold, complex and original storytelling and exceptional craftsmanship. The presence of the British film industry across this global list is felt strongly from our world-class talent, locations and infrastructure to scripts rooted in a distinctly British perspective. In a standout year for film, our 8,300 Bafta voting members face a formidable task ahead. We are delighted Baftas Film Awards longlists have become such an important part of awards season, giving the spotlight to a vast range of films, and we hope the public will enjoy watching and discussing them as much as we have. Winners will be revealed at the Bafta film ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming on Sunday February 22. Grave markers at the Mount Moriah cemetery in Philadelphia, on 8 January 2026. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP (Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP) A Pennsylvania man suspected of desecrating a historic cemetery in his state is facing hundreds of charges pertaining to grave robbery after authorities recently found more than 100 pieces of human remains in his possession, prompting one official to call the case the most horrific thing. Jonathan Gerlach, 34, had human skulls, bones, mummified feet, headless torsos and other corpse parts including in his car, home and storage locker after his arrest on Tuesday, according to a sworn police statement reported by NBC News. Among the remains was a skeleton with a cardiac pacemaker still attached, as the Philadelphia Inquirer noted. Investigators on Thursday told news outlets that it was unclear what motive Gerlach had to allegedly stockpile the remains, some of which were said to be hundreds of years old. Very simply, detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are, where they are from and how many we are looking at, the Delaware county district attorney, Tanner Rouse, told news reporters. And its going to be quite some time before we have a final answer. According to prosecutors, Gerlach evidently spent months forcing his way into at least 26 mausoleums and underground burial vaults at Mount Moriah cemetery in the Delaware county community of Yeadon to steal the remains in question. Among those to have once been interred at Mount Moriah was Betsy Ross, the Philadelphia seamstress credited with sewing the first US flag, Rohan Hepkins, Yeadons mayor and a cemetery governing board member, said at a news briefing. Gerlach became a suspect in the grave burglaries after police noticed his Toyota Rav4 repeatedly shown on license plate readers near the cemetery, which as NBC noted lacks a fence and boasts a number of easily accessible entrances. His cellphone records also established that Gerlach was in the cemeterys vicinity around the time of the thefts, police said. Yeadon police on Tuesday then spotted Gerlach leaving Mount Moriah with a crowbar and burlap sack, as the Inquirer reported. They arrested him near the Rav4, where in plain view there were numerous bones and skulls in the back seat area, said the probable cause affidavit that police filed after they took Gerlach into custody, according to the Pennsylvania news outlet WHP-TV. Two childrens mummified remains, three skulls and several loose bones were inside the burlap sack, Yeadon police said. Gerlach allegedly told detectives he had used the crowbar that night to pry open a grave and steal the remains it contained. He was also accused of acknowledging that he had stolen at least 30 sets of human remains from the cemetery, including on previous occasions. Police searched Gerlachs home about 70 miles (113km) away in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, the next day. They said they discovered human remains in the basement, on shelves, hanging from the ceiling and separately at a storage locker. Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life, Rouse said. This [was] an unbelievable scene. Rouse said investigators also recovered jewelry from Gerlachs home, and they were trying to determine whether it had been taken with the remains to be sold. As the Inquirer reported, Yeadon police chief Henry Giammarco remarked: I can say this is probably the most horrific thing that Ive seen during his 30-year career in law enforcement. Investigators booked Gerlach with nearly 575 offenses, including more than 100 counts of corpse abuse. His other alleged crimes include theft, burglary, intentional desecration of venerated objects, trespassing, criminal mischief, receiving stolen property and desecrating historic lots and burial places. A judge ordered Gerlach held in lieu of $1m bail. He is tentatively scheduled to appear in court again on 20 January. No attorney for him was immediately listed. Rouse said he deeply empathized with those who were seeking to learn whether Gerlachs alleged grave robbery spree had disturbed their relatives remains. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through it, who are trying to figure out if it is, in fact, their loved one or their child, Rouse told reporters. Because we found remains that we believe to be months-old infants among those that he had collected. Two people have died and 35 others are missing after a landfill collapse in the Philippines. Reports suggest they are trapped in an avalanche of rubbish and debris from a waste management facility that spilt in the village of Binaliw. It prompted the Cebu City government to deploy rescue teams, ambulances, and heavy equipment as authorities assessed possible damage to nearby houses. Twelve people were also injured in the incident. According to local media, the efforts of search teams have been hampered by hazardous conditions. Councillor Joel Garganera, chair of the city council's environment committee, said the collapse happened after 4pm (8am UK time) on Thursday. He said: "The steel trusses are massive, the garbage is soft, and there is a constant risk of movement. "There is also a serious concern about toxic air, which could endanger anyone trapped for too long." An employee at the landfill, Joey Boy Gealon, described hearing screams and loud crashing sounds - telling the Cebu Daily News the collapse happened without warning. He alleged employees have been concerned about the height of the rubbish for several years. Prime Waste Solutions Cebu, which operates the facility, said in a statement: "The safety and wellbeing of our employees, contractors, and neighbouring communities remain our top priority." One of the buildings hit by the wall of debris was a warehouse where workers separated recyclable waste and rubbish, said police brigadier general Redrico Maranan. He added that it remains unclear if nearby houses were also affected. Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said: "All response teams remain fully engaged in search and retrieval efforts to locate the remaining missing persons with strict adherence to safety protocols." Several popular specialty cheese brands have been recalled across the country under the highest risk warning from the Food and Drug Administration over fears of listeria contamination. The Ambriola Company recalled select cheese products, including some under the Boars Head brand, last November after routine testing confirmed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in vulnerable populations. Earlier this week, the FDA classified the recall as Class I, the highest risk warning the agency has. With a Class I recall, there is a reasonable probability that the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death, according to the FDA. The companys recall notice warned that listeria infection in healthy people can cause high fever, severe headaches, nausea and diarrhea. It can even lead to miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women, the notice warned. Several popular specialty cheese brands have been recalled across the country under the highest risk warning from the Food and Drug Administration over fears of listeria contamination (The Ambriola Company/FDA) Here is a full list of recalled products: Ambriola Grated Pecorino Romano (sold by the pound) Boars Head Grated Pecorino Romano 6-ounce cup Boars Head Pecorino Romano Grated bag (sold by the pound) Locatelli Pecorino Romano Grated 4-ounce cup Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano 8-ounce cup Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano (sold by the pound) Members Mark Pecorino Romano 1.5-pound bag Pinna Grated Pecorino Romano (sold by the pound) The recalled products were distributed in 20 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Cheese products from The Ambriola Company, including some under the Boars Head brand, were recalled last November (The Ambriola Company/FDA) Customers who purchased the recalled products are advised to throw them away or return them for a full refund. When the recall notice was issued on November 25, 2025, there were no related illnesses reported. We take food safety very seriously and immediately alerted stores and distributors to remove the affected products from shelves, Phil Marfuggi, chief executive officer of The Ambriola Company, said in a statement. We are working closely with the FDA and continuing to test our products and facilities to fully understand the situation. A spokesperson for Boars Head told The Independent, Boars Head acted immediately and decisively in November when the Ambriola recall occurred. As part of these immediate actions, Boars Head halted the purchase of these products from The Ambriola Company, notified retail partners, and ensured that the affected products were removed from distribution nationally. The FDA recently completed its standard administrative process to formally classify this months-old recall. The FDAs classification reinforces that Boars Head took the right steps at the time to protect consumers, the spokesperson said. The Governments move to backtrack on a budget decision and provide new financial support for pubs is a sign of its strength and confidence, a senior Labour figure has said. The Treasury is understood to be preparing a support package for the pub industry, due to be announced in the coming days, following an outcry over the impact of a major hike in business rates. The move is the latest in a series of U-turns from the Government, which has also backed down on major welfare reforms due to pressure from backbenchers, and has partially scaled back inheritance tax on farms following lobbying by the sector. Asked by Sky News why the Government kept making U-turns, Anna Turley, chairwoman of the Labour Party, said: I dont buy this is a U-turn. This is actually about listening. I think its a sign of a Government that is actually in touch with people, that is listening to people, and that is responding. She added: I think listening to constituents isnt being bullied or lobbied thats what were here to do. Were here to represent the people that we live amongst and, if a policy isnt right, I think its a sign of a confident Government that says, do you know what? well step in, well sort it out, well make sure it works. Following briefing to the media that new support for pubs will be announced in the coming days, ministers are facing pressure to expand it to other businesses, with trade bodies saying piecemeal responses will not save our high streets. Ms Turley could not say whether the support would be extended to other businesses. She also told LBC: The reality for now is that we want to support every small business, whatever sector they are in. Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley (James Manning/PA) (James Manning) Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said the U-turn should go much wider than just pubs. He told the Press Association: Businesses are bleeding out across our high streets. When you present yourself in A&E with blood gushing, you dont want someone to throw you a pack of plasters. Its got to be a substantial change to the Chancellors budget. This was a measure that she should never have introduced in this way. It just shows how they dont understand business. Kate Nicholls, chairwoman of UKHospitality, called for a hospitality-wide solution, saying the entire industry is affected by business rate hikes, not just pubs. Figures provided by UKHospitality suggest hotels in England face an average increase in business rates of 115% by 2030, compared with a 76% increase for pubs. The National Pharmacy Association called for similar support for pharmacies, which chief executive Henry Gregg said face a 140% increase in rates. He said: Were urging the Government to exempt pharmacy businesses from business rates altogether, in the same way as GPs are. The rise in rates is due to a combination of properties being revalued and the withdrawal of Covid-era discounts which was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in November. Ministers had put in place a 4.3 billion fund to help pubs with the transition to higher rates but sources said Ms Reeves would soon announce additional support including further business rates relief and measures to cut licensing red tape. The Chancellor is understood to have commissioned work on providing more support for pubs before Christmas, after the budgets impact on individual sectors began to become clear in Government analysis. Happy Labour U-turn day it seems to come earlier and earlier every week. Whilst Rachel Reeves once again shows shes incapable of running Britains economy, were the only Party with a plan to abolish business rates for thousands of local pubs. pic.twitter.com/ulaik6r44S Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) January 8, 2026 The pub industry tentatively welcomed reports of a U-turn, saying it was potentially a huge win for pubs across the country. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said publicans can breathe a huge sigh of relief and added her organisation would keenly await details of the relief on offer. The Liberal Democrats called for ministers to come forward with proposals as soon as possible in order to provide clarity and prevent pubs going bust. Reform UK welcomed the move, with deputy leader Richard Tice saying pub closures would be a cultural catastrophe as much as an economic one. A London landlord has been prosecuted and forced to pay 9,000 after an inspection found the HMO (House of Multiple Occupancy) was riddled with fire hazards. Officers were alerted to the four bedroom home in Edgware which had been converted into multiple units after receiving repeated complaints of- rubbish being dumped outside. Upon inspection, they reported dangerous living conditions, including a broken boiler and no smoke alarms. An emergency engineer was also called out after a strong smell of gas was detected, which turned out to be a gas leak, according to Harrow Council. The landlord was immediately issued with an Emergency Prohibition Order to prevent anyone living there whilst the urgent repair work was carried out. The landlord, Kamil Trivedi, ignored multiple requests to provide the required fire and electrical safety certificates, according to the council. These are required to ensure the safety of tenants and so the local authority can identify who is responsible for managing the property. The property was also a suspected unlicensed HMO, according to the council. HMO Landlords across the borough are required to have a licence, which costs between 1,285.90 and 1,818.00 a year depending on whether its a renewal or a new application. (LDRS) Failing to have a HMO licence is a criminal offence and subject to an unlimited fine on top of additional charges if there are any breaches of the licence, which could include obstructing the council from carrying out its functions or overcrowding. Harrow Council successfully prosecuted Mr Trivedi following a hearing at Willesden Magistrates Court on December 11 last year. He was found guilty of two offences: failing to provide a fire safety certificate and failing to provide the electrical safety certificate. Mr Trivedi was fined 5,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 2,000, as well as required to pay a costs contribution of 2,000. Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety, Cllr Pritesh Patel, said: Our officers work tirelessly to protect tenants and ensure landlords know their responsibilities. When they issue notices, they must be taken seriously. This case shows the consequences of ignoring warnings and allowing a property to fall into a dangerous state. Our officers acted swiftly to shut the property down and prosecute Mr Trivedi. No one is above the law. We will continue to put residents first and take tough action against anyone who puts them at risk. The Scottish First Minister told the BBC the independence of Ukraine has got to be protected and its sovereignty respected - Steve Welsh/PA Wire The SNP has promised that an independent Scotland would send peacekeeping troops into Ukraine. John Swinney, the Scottish First Minister, said he would commit military personnel in the event of an acceptable peace between Ukraine and Russia. This week, Sir Keir Starmer signed a joint declaration with France and Ukraine to deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine as part of a proposed ceasefire deal. Under the plans, a multinational force would help uphold any peace agreement and prevent another Russian invasion. Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron agreed to deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP Speaking to the BBC podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Mr Swinney was asked whether he would be willing to commit troops in the event of Scottish independence. The First Minister said: In relation to Ukraine, I think the Russian aggression has got to be repelled, I think the independence of Ukraine has got to be protected and its sovereignty respected. But I also worry about the language thats been emanating about Greenland and the implications for Denmark and the implications of what that all means for the sustainability of Nato which I recognise to be an alliance of enormous significance for national security. If theres a peace agreement that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine, that they find is in their interests, and part of that involves the deployment of troops from this country in that situation to be part of assuring that peace, then I would support that. Independence not a route to isolation When it was put to him that pursuing Scottish independence could be reckless in such a volatile world, Mr Swinney insisted it would not be a route to isolation. He added: Ive always viewed an independent Scotland as a country that would collaborate and cooperate with others. So I am a very, very strong supporter of an independent Scotland being a member of the European Union. My party supports being a member of Nato as an independent country. In the current context, the arguments for an even closer relationship with Europe are even more essential. Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scotland secretary, said: John Swinney is peddling nonsense. An independent Scotland would weaken our collective defence, reduce our influence, and leave serious unanswered questions about military capability that the SNP still cannot answer. The United Kingdom has led the way in global support for Ukraine, and we must continue to support Ukraine as part of the United Kingdom. The First Minister said an independent Scotland was likely to seek a closer relationship with Europe - Steve Welsh/PA Wire Mr Swinney will fight for re-election at the Holyrood elections in May, with the SNP continuing to enjoy a comfortable lead over Labour and Reform UK in the polls. At the SNPs conference last autumn, he said that he had tactics he would deploy to override Sir Keir Starmers opposition to a second referendum on independence. Mr Swinney did not disclose what actions he would take, instead telling delegates: Keep watching because Scotlands on the journey to independence. Sir Keir, whose Labour Party has plunged to fourth in some Scottish opinion polls, has said he is not open to the idea. The 2014 referendum saw Scots vote against independence by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, with Lord Cameron, the then prime minister, insisting it was a once-in-a-generation poll. The poll followed the Alex Salmond-led SNP winning a majority in Holyrood three years earlier, leading to an agreement to hold a poll. Mr Swinney has claimed this sets a precedent and would be a substantial factor in the legal consideration that could take place about another vote. A highway maintence vehicle on the A9 in Aviemore alongside a crashed vehicle. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters (Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters) Snow and ice are expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as parts of the country continue to reel from the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos. The storm brought winds of nearly 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for dangerous, stormy winds in the south-west, where more than 37,000 properties were without power at about 8pm on Friday, according to the National Grids website. There were about 3,000 homes without power in the West Midlands, more than 1,000 in the East Midlands and about 240 in Wales. Downing Street said support was being offered to homes left without power. A No 10 spokesperson said: Around 0.21% of British customers are without power. Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible Approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far. Altnaharra in Sutherland recorded 27cm of snow, with 26cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm at Durris in Aberdeenshire. Forecasters recorded 15cm of snow at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and 7cm in Nottingham. The lowest overnight temperature was -13.3C at Braemar in Aberdeenshire, while a peak gust of 99mph was recorded at St Marys on the Isles of Scilly the highest since 1991, according to the Met Office. Steve Willington, the Met Offices chief forecaster, said more snow was possible on Sunday, after a largely dry Saturday, apart from north-eastern parts of Scotland and England. A yellow warning for snow and ice will be in force across much of Scotland from 2am until 3pm on Sunday. Willington said: A further 2-5cm of snow is possible to accumulate at low levels within the warning area on Sunday, with 10-20cm possible over higher ground. With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, in what will be a wet Sunday for many. A separate yellow warning covering large parts of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, north-east and north-west England and Yorkshire will be in place from 2am to 3pm on Sunday. Yellow warnings for snow and ice have been extended into Saturday for large parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. A warning is in force from midday on Friday until 3pm on Saturday, with further snowfall possible across parts of northern England and swathes of Scotland, while a widespread risk of ice is expected to cause disruption. A separate yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of England and Wales from midday on Friday until midday on Saturday, as partially thawed snow refreezes, accompanied by wintry showers and freezing fog. In Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for snow and ice will come into force from 5pm on Friday and run until 11am on Saturday, with the Met Office warning of icy patches and snowfall on higher ground. At least 69 flights scheduled to operate to or from Heathrow on Friday were cancelled, affecting more than 9,000 passengers. Most cancellations were short-haul services operated by British Airways. Rail services across Great Britain may be affected until the end of the day on Friday owing to the weather, National Rail said. The stormy conditions resulted in nearly 100 trees being blown down at St Michaels Mount. The island off Cornwall lost about 80% of its trees because of the wind, according to the Met Office. No injuries were reported. The storm, named by Meteo France, was described as a multi-hazard event by the Met Office. Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales, where an amber warning was in force, announced closures on Friday. More than 250 schools were expected to remain closed in Scotland, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and several in Moray. Forecasters also warned that the combination of melting snow and rain could increase the flood risk for some areas in the coming days. David Morgan, the flood duty manager at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: As temperatures rise following recent cold conditions, thaw of lying snow from Sunday onwards will increase the risk of flooding. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 5 January. Photograph: Steve Marcus/Reuters (Photograph: Steve Marcus/Reuters) A battle is brewing in California over a plan to tax billionaires with tech titans divided over whether they should pay up, or flee the state. Under a tax proposal that could be put to voters this November, any California resident worth more than $1bn would have to pay a one-off, 5% tax on their assets to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare programs in the state. Several Silicon Valley figures have already threatened to leave California and take their business elsewhere. But Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia whose net worth is nearly $159bn, told Bloomberg Television this week that he is perfectly fine with it. We chose to live in Silicon Valley, Huang said. And whatever taxes I guess they would like to apply, so be it. This puts Huang in stark contrast with the Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel and Donald Trumps AI and crypto czar, the venture capitalist David Sacks, all of whom have recently indicated they are leaving California for tax-friendlier states including Florida and Texas. The tax proposal is being led by the labor union Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. If passed, the tax would retroactively apply to residents as of 1 January, and billionaires would have five years to pay it. This means Huang would pay roughly $7bn and Page and Brin would pay one-time amounts of about $13bn and $12bn, respectively, based on their current net worth of $264bn and $243bn. Thiel would pay $1.3bn, based on his current net worth of $26bn. What remains undeniable is the underlying unfairness of the current system, Suzanne Jimenez, the chief of staff for SEIU-UHW, said in an email. Regular working people pay higher effective tax rates than the wealthiest Americans Asking those who have benefited most from the economy to contribute more particularly to stabilize health care systems under direct threat is a reasonable step. The proposal is still in the beginning phases. Under California law, it needs to collect 874,641 signatures to qualify for the state ballot in November. Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, has said he opposes the wealth tax and will fight it if it proceeds. His spokesperson told the Guardian that Newsom has consistently opposed state-level wealth taxes and the governor believes that if implemented at a state-only level they drive a race to the bottom. During the New York Times DealBook Summit last month, Newsom said: You cant isolate yourself from the 49 others. Were in a competitive environment. This puts Newsom at odds with Ro Khanna, the California representative who represents Silicon Valley and who has championed the idea of a wealth tax. Khanna says tech billionaires will probably stay in the state, despite a tax, because California is where the larger industry, innovation and talent pool are located. A billionaire tax is good for American innovation, Khanna said, adding that it would spread the wealth to other sectors. When Thiel indicated he was leaving California because of the proposed tax, Khanna posted to X: I echo what FDR said with sarcasm of economic royalists when they threatened to leave, I will miss them very much. Some billionaires flee This is not Californias first billionaire exodus. Elon Musk, the worlds richest person, memorably departed for Texas in 2020, which stood to save him millions in taxes. He has also shifted several of his companies headquarters there. Most recently, in 2024, Musk announced he was moving SpaceX to Texas because of a California law that aimed to protect transgender children in schools. He called the law a final straw. Other tech billionaires have also decamped to Texas, which has no state income tax. Citing a better tax environment, the Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale moved to Austin in 2020, and Larry Ellison transitioned Oracles headquarters there in 2020 (he has since said hes moving the company to Nashville). Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Technologies, has long lived in Texas. Sacks made his announcement on 31 December, posting an image of the Texas flag on X and saying: God bless Texas. In a separate post the following day, Sacks wrote: As a response to socialism, Miami will replace NYC as the finance capital and Austin will replace SF as the tech capital. Musk, Lonsdale and Dell all responded with hearty welcomes. No one will fight harder for the independent and free spirit of Texas than people who know [sic] its like when thats taken away, Musk wrote. Page has not publicly said where hes moving, but in December companies associated with the Google co-founder filed documents to incorporate in Florida, according to the New York Times. He purchased two homes in Miami for $173.4m in December and January, the Wall Street Journal reported. Thiel, who owns a home in the Hollywood Hills, also seems to have set his sights on Florida. His investment firm, Thiel Capital, announced on 31 December that it had opened an office in Miami. The firm said Thiel had maintained a personal residence in the city since 2020. Brin also hasnt publicly announced hes leaving California, but in mid-December an entity connected to the billionaire either ended or moved more than a dozen of its limited liability companies out of the state, according to the New York Times. Several of those companies were moved to Nevada. On X, tech investors and other billionaires have blasted the proposed wealth tax. Chamath Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist and former Facebook executive, said that without billionaires, Californias budget deficit will only get bigger, and Vinod Khosla, another investor, said that under the proposed tax, California will lose its most important taxpayers and net off much worse. Some have indicated they would work to oust Khanna from Congress. Martin Casado, a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, wrote that Khanna had devolved into an obnoxious jerk and that his support of the wealth tax had alienated him from moderates. In response, Garry Tan, the CEO of the startup accelerator Y Combinator, wrote: Time to primary him. The SEIUs Jimenez said states like Massachusetts and Washington, which have other forms of wealth taxes, had seen billions of dollars raised to help the state. At the same time, she said, high-income residents had continued to see their portfolios grow. Jimenez added that the union was heartened by Huangs recent comments and is hopeful that more billionaires will follow suit. As for Huang, he said Nvidia is in Silicon Valley because thats where the engineers are and hes not worried about a billionaire tax. Not this person, Huang said. This person is trying to build the future of AI. Representatives for Page, Brin, Thiel and Sacks did not return requests for comment. This story was amended on 9 January 2026 to correct that the ballot measure does not need Newsoms signature to become law. Banned: Cristian Romero (AFP via Getty Images) Cristian Romero has been handed a further one-game ban for his red card against Liverpool last month. The Tottenham captain will miss this weekends FA Cup clash at home to Aston Villa, but will be available to face West Ham in the Premier League on January 17. The Argentine centre-back was shown two yellow cards during last months eventful 2-1 home defeat in the Premier League, one for dissent after Hugo Ekitikes goal and another in stoppage time for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate as Spurs chased a last-gasp equaliser. Romero protested angrily to referee John Brooks before belatedly heading down the tunnel, with Tottenham playing the final minutes against Liverpool with nine men following Xavi Simons first-half yellow for a foul on compatriot Virgil van Dijk that was upgraded to red after a VAR review. The FA soon after charged the 27-year-old with acting in an improper manner by failing to promptly leave the field of play and/or behaving in a confrontational and/or aggressive manner towards the match referee after being sent off. Tottenham have decided against appealing the ban, so Romero has accepted the FAs ruling and will pay a fine of 50,000 as part of his punishment. Thomas Frank revealed on Thursday that the club had decided not to fine Romero or strip him of the captaincy for an explosive social media post, in which he criticised senior figures at the club, following Wednesdays 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth. Frank said he had held an internal meeting with Romero and sporting director Johan Lange on Thursday, and considered the matter closed. Trumps $400M ballroom will be as high as the White House itself, architect reveals Donald Trumps $400 million ballroom addition will be as tall as the original White House, the architect leading the project revealed Thursday while presenting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission. The heights will match exactly, architect Shalom Baranes said of the 1,000-person ballroom, which will feature ceilings about 40 feet high. Renovations to the White House have typically been shorter than the central main building, and commission member and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson asked Baranes if the height could be lowered, saying he was concerned the addition would overwhelm the historic building. Baranes said such a change was possible. Thursdays meeting was the first time the public got an in-depth look at the presidents plans for the privately funded ballroom. President Trumps planned $400 million ballroom project on the White House grounds will be as tall as the main building itself, architect Shalom Baranes revealed during a Thursday planning meeting (AP) The proposed ballroom would be roughly 22,000 square feet, part of a larger East Wing complex featuring offices for the First Lady, a reconstructed White House movie theater, a commercial kitchen, streamlined entrances, and a two-story colonnade leading back to the White House. The design would help relieve ongoing operational stress on the White House grounds, Baranes said. There are also talks to, at some point, add a modest, one-story addition to the West Wing colonnade, which would serve to restore a sense of symmetry to the overall White House design, the architect said. The commission will vote on the project on March 5 The presidents ballroom project has been marked with controversy and shifting facts. In addition to a now $400 million estimated price tag that doubled earlier projections, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued late last year, alleging the Trump administration broke ground on the project before submitting plans to the planning commission or Congress, which it argues needs to sign off on construction on federal park land in the capital. The ballroom has faced criticism over its cost, donors, and fast-track construction process, which began before the Trump administration consulted with planning bodies or Congress (Alex Wong/Getty Images) The trust has accused the administration of having broken the rules first and asked for permission later. In December, a judge declined to immediately pause construction on the project. The Trump administration has begun meeting with staff from the planning commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, outreach it says satisfies planning requirements. The fine arts body will meet on January 15, ahead of a February 19 vote on the ballroom project. Democrats have accused the ballroom project of facilitating possible influence-peddling in the administration. President Trump wants construction on the ballroom to begin this spring (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) Large corporations with government contracts or business concerns before the federal government are among its major donors, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. The Trump administration has also failed to disclose information on whether it removed or released the carcinogenic compound asbestos during its sudden demolition of the East Wing in October to make way for the ballroom complex. Administration officials are gunning for a fast-track approval of the project so they can begin construction in April. Trump blindsides Rubio by reading note out loud in front of oil executives Donald Trump appeared to blindside Marco Rubio as he read a note aloud from the Secretary of State during a televised sit-down with oil industry executives on Friday (9 January). According to the White House, executives from 17 companies were in attendance, including Chevron, the only company that has some current involvement in Venezuela, plus ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. The president told the executives that the United States government would guarantee security for companies that assist the administrations effort to revive the Venezuelan petroleum sector after U.S. forces captured the countrys ex-president. During the meeting, Rubio passed Trump a handwritten note, before Trump said out loud, "Marco just gave me a note. Go back to Chevron, they want to discuss something. Go ahead, I'm going back to Chevron. Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil industry executives at the White House on Friday. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters (Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Donald Trump promised oil giants total safety, total security in Venezuela in an effort to persuade them to invest $100bn in the countrys infrastructure after US forces toppled Nicolas Maduro from power. At a roundtable press conference at the White House on Friday afternoon with more than a dozen oil executives, including leaders from Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhilips, the US president doubled down on claims that Maduros arrest presents American oil companies with an unprecedented opportunity for extraction. Many of the executives expressed support for the Trump administrations actions in Venezuela last weekend and hinted that they stood ready to invest. Analysts have expressed skepticism that oil firms will invest vast sums as rapidly as Trump has suggested they will. Earlier this week, the president suggested production in Venezuela could be boosted within 18 months. Related: Trump plans to use Venezuelas huge crude reserves to cut US oil price to $50 a barrel Were going to be extracting numbers in terms of oil like few people have seen, he said on Friday, emphasizing that the US stands to benefit from lower energy prices. Venezuela is going to be very successful, and the people of the United States are going to be big beneficiaries. Notably, Trump said the investment would be coming from the oil companies, not the federal government. Earlier in the week, he had suggested that the US taxpayer might fund their investments. The plan is for them to spend, meaning our giant oil companies will be spending at least $100bn of their money, not the governments money, Trump said. They dont need government money, but they need government protection and government security. Trump warned the assembled executives that, if they arent interested in rebuilding efforts: I got 25 people that arent here today that are willing to take your place. While he offered them total safety, the president also suggested some of the oil firms present did not need the US governments help. These are people that drill oil in some pretty rough places, he said. I could say a couple of those places make Venezuela look like a picnic. Later in the day, Trump signed an executive order aimed at blocking courts or creditors from impounding revenue tied to the sale of Venezuelan oil held in US treasury accounts. The emergency order said the revenue, held in foreign government deposit funds, should be used in Venezuela to help create peace, prosperity and stability. Several companies have longstanding claims against the country. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, for example, left Venezuela nearly 20 years ago after their assets were nationalized. Both are still owed billions of dollars. In brief remarks, oil executives for many, the first public statements since Maduros capture expressed willingness to rebuild Venezuelas oil infrastructure with the US governments reassurances. Chevron has been a part of Venezuelas past, we are certainly committed to its present, and we very much look forward as a proud American company to help it build a better future, said Mark Nelson, vice-chair of Chevron, currently the only US major that regularly exports Venezuelan oil. Nelson said the company currently had 3,000 employees across four joint ventures in Venezuela and that it had the capacity to increase our liftings from those joint ventures 100% essentially, effective immediately. Darren Woods, Exxons chief executive, said the company would need significant changes to Venezuelas legal and commercial landscapes in order for the company to reinvest in the country. Today, its uninvestable, he said. Were confident that with this administration and President Trump, working hand in hand with the Venezuelan government, that those changes can be put in place, Woods said. The ConocoPhillips CEO, Ryan Lance, echoed the cautious optimism, saying that theres an opportunity to be quick, fast and restore the quality of whats been lost in Venezuela over the last 25 years. Lance also noted that ConocoPhillips is Venezuelas largest non-sovereign credit holder, with the country holding $12bn in debt to the company. Though Trump assured the company that it will get its money back, were going to start with an even plate, he said. Were not going to look at what people lost in the past, because that was their fault. That was a different president. Were going to make a lot of money, but were not going to go back, he said. Venezuelas oil reserves are reputedly the worlds largest. While the countrys oil industry experienced a boom in the late 90s and early 2000s, the then-Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, eventually reasserted state control over the industry in the mid-2000s. In the years since, oil production in the country has fallen drastically as its infrastructure aged and investment dried up. Though Maduro is being tried in US federal court on narco-terrorism charges, Trump has been very enthusiastic about Venezuela opening back up to the American oil industry. On Wednesday, the White House said that it planned to control Venezuelas oil indefinitely and that it would sell billions of dollars worth of recently seized crude oil. History from the last two decades has shown that foreign intervention can have an impact on a countrys oil output, but with mixed and unstable results. Oil is experiencing a global surplus. Average US gas prices are now about $0.25 lower than last year. Donald Trump has doubled down on his threats to acquire Greenland, saying the US is going to do something [there] whether they like it or not. Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House, the US president justified his comments by saying: If we dont do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And were not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor. He added: So were going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way. Related: We are not for sale: chair of Greenlands top labor union rebukes Trumps call for annexation Trumps latest comments come amid escalating tensions between the US and its Nato allies, including Denmark, over his administrations repeated attempts to take control of the largely autonomous Arctic territory. Trumps posture has been firmly rejected by Denmark and Greenland. Despite admonishments from Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who recently said that a US attack on Greenland would mean the end of Nato and therefore post second world war security, Trump has continued to insist that he supports the alliance. If it werent for me, you wouldnt have a Nato right now, Trump said on Friday. But were not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland, and thats whats going to happen if we dont. Trump has long expressed interest in Greenland, first publicly floating the idea of acquiring the territory in 2019 during his first presidency. The proposal met swift opposition from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Trump revived the topic in recent weeks, particularly after the US attack on Venezuela and its capture of president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, an episode reflecting the White Houses increasingly emboldened posture. Trump said he needed Greenland very badly as a national security imperative. Meanwhile, Greenlanders have repeatedly expressed their refusal to be part of the US, with 85% of the population rejecting the idea, according to a 2025 poll. Polling shows only 7% of Americans support the idea of a US military invasion of the territory. Greenland was not the only issue on Trumps radar on Friday. He warned that the US would take action against the Iranian regime if it moves to violently suppress protesters as demonstrations continue to grow across the country. Describing Iran as being in big trouble, Trump said: If they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. Well be hitting them very hard where it hurts. He added: And again, I tell the Iranian leaders: Youd better not start shooting, because well start shooting too. President Donald Trump suggested he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for all eight and a quarter wars he has claimed to end in a new interview. Trump made the argument Thursday during an exclusive interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity. The president has repeatedly said that he ended eight wars during his time in the White House, a tally that fact checkers from the Associated Press and CNN have previously reported is exaggerated. The host of Hannity Tonight asked the president if he has plans to meet with Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump. The Fox News host also asked if Trump would accept the Nobel Peace Prize from her, after she told Hannity earlier this week the award is the prize of the Venezuelan people, certainly we want to give it to him and share it with him. President Donald Trump told Fox News's Sean Hannity he ended 'eight and a quarter' wars (The White House) Trump told Hannity: Well, I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her, and I've heard that she wants to do that. That would be a great honor. I did put out eight wars, eight and a quarter because, you know, Thailand and Cambodia started going at it again, he added. Trump provided few details about his meeting with Machado, and its unclear exactly when it will take place. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Maria Corina Machado greets supporters from a balcony in Norway last month. She won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump (AFP/Getty) Trump went on to suggest he should win a Nobel Peace Prize for each war. A handful of individuals and groups have been awarded multiple Nobel Prizes in the past, according to the organizations website. But you know, when you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war, Trump said. It makes me feel so good. Not because of a Nobel Prize, but because I saved millions and millions of lives, and that's what really makes me feel good, Trump later added. His comments come just days after The Washington Post reported that two sources close to the White House said Trump was unwilling to support Machado running Venezuela after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has long campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize (AFP via Getty Images) If she had turned it down and said, I cant accept it because its Donald Trumps, shed be the president of Venezuela today, one of the sources told the outlet. But Trump has denied the report, telling NBC News Monday that Machado should not have won it, but that it had nothing to do with his decision. Trump and his allies have long campaigned for him to win a Nobel Peace Prize, particularly after the White House announced plans for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in October. But when Machado won the prize that same month, some were quick to lash out while others noted nominations for the prize close on January 31 each year. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the Nobel committee of placing politics over peace at the time. President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives, he wrote on X. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will. The prime minister has reportedly been told that the Ministry of Defence is facing a 28bn shortfall in funding for the next four years, just days after he committed to sending British troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal. The UKs top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, is said to have told Sir Keir in a meeting before Christmas - also attended by the chancellor and defence secretary - that an MoD assessment showed a 28bn funding gap between now and 2030. The prime minister last year vowed to make Britain battle ready but his defence plans have been overshadowed by a row over money, despite warnings over the threat of an increasingly bellicose Russia. Sir Richard Knighton speaking at a Royal United Services Institute event (PA Wire) The latest revelations, reported in The Times, are thought to have prompted Sir Keir to order an overhaul of the defence investment plan (Dip), which has been delayed after first being expected in the autumn. But a government source insisted the UK is on track to fulfil the commitments outlined in the review. Sir Richard took over as Chief of the Defence Staff in September and is responsible for the delivery of the strategic defence review published in June. The UK has pledged to boost defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 in order to plug gaps in Britains ailing military. The review also set out a goal to raise spending to three per cent in the next Parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow. But the latest revelations raise questions over whether or not the targets are achievable. It comes amid increasing global volatility with the US president launching a raid on Caracas and capturing the Venezuelan president and just days after Britain and France signed a historic agreement committing to putting boots on the ground in Ukraine as soon as any ceasefire with Russia comes into effect. The document, signed at a summit in Paris by French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, was hailed as a significant step forward in ensuring Kyiv has security guarantees that would deter a future Russian invasion. French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky (Tom Nicholson/PA Wire) UK bases and military personnel also supported a US operation to seize an oil tanker in the Atlantic on Wednesday, a vessel which was said to be part of a shadow fleet seeking to evade sanctions on Iranian oil. Sir Keir spoke to US President Donald Trump for the second time in as many days on Thursday as the two discussed the threat that an increasingly aggressive Russia poses in the High North. An MoD spokesperson told The Independent: "The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling 270bn this parliament alone. Demands on defence are rising, with growing Russian aggression, increasing operational requirements and preparations for a Ukraine deployment. We are working flat out on the Defence Investment Plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited. Respiratory viruses such as flu and Covid-19 thrive at this time of year as does norovirus As winter bites, a host of seasonal diseases are sweeping across the UK. Flu, Covid-19, and norovirus known (politely) as the winter vomiting bug are all starting to take off, each spreading in different ways. Respiratory viruses such as flu and Covid-19 thrive at this time of year in part because colder, drier conditions cause droplets to evaporate more quickly into smaller particles that can remain suspended in the air for longer, increasing the likelihood of transmission. Norovirus, by contrast, spreads through tiny particles of faecal matter and vomit and is extremely transferable by touch. These infections tend to peak in winter because people spend more time indoors, making transmission easier. But they can also be picked up through contact with contaminated surfaces. Frequently touched, non-porous surfaces in public and healthcare settings like screens, handles, rails, and trays, are the most likely to harbour germs. Cold and flu viruses, for example, can survive on hard surfaces for between 24 to 48 hours, while norovirus is extremely hardy and can survive for weeks. Worse still, visible cleanliness does not guarantee they are free of pathogens. Research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection has shown that detergent-based cleaning which leaves surfaces visibly clean often fails to eliminate norovirus, and can even help spread the virus if done poorly. So where might these viruses be lurking and what can you do to avoid coming down with a seasonal illness? Lurking where you least expect Many of the objects we touch without a second thought screens, handles and payment devices are handled by large numbers of people every day, allowing viruses and bacteria to build up and easily transfer from one person to another. Numerous studies have identified self-checkouts and card readers as among the most contaminated surfaces youre likely to come into contact with. Used by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of customers each day, they provide ample opportunity for microbes to accumulate. Pharmacy tills can be a particular concern. Unlike other retail settings, pharmacies are frequented by people who are actively unwell, increasing the likelihood that infectious microbes are deposited on shared payment terminals and counters. For the same reason, hospitals, where one might reasonably expect some of the highest standards of cleanliness, can also be an issue. One study at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn, in Norfolk, found that hospital staff security ID cards, and the scanners they are used on, were a reservoir for pathogenic bacteria. With cards handled many times each day and scanners touched by numerous different users, the researchers found that 100 per cent of cards showed bacterial growth, while 21 per cent were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. The handles of supermarket trolleys are another risk. During the Covid pandemic, some supermarkets went as far as decontaminating trolleys between uses to reduce the spread of infection. And then there are our phones. With their large touchscreens and constant handling, it is well known that they harbour microbes. In 2011, research by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Queen Mary University of London found that one in six UK phones carried traces of faecal matter, illustrating how easily stomach bugs like norovirus can move from hands to devices and back again. While phones usually pose a risk mainly to their owner, that risk increases when devices are shared. On public transport On public transport, poles, rails and buttons are all similarly high-risk, as they can harbour viruses and bacteria spread by repeated hand contact throughout the day. Coughing or sneezing into your hands only worsens the problem. If you cough into your hands and then touch a grab rail, someone else will touch that rail, said Prof John Tregoning, professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, and author of Infectious: Pathogens and How We Fight Them. Coughing into your elbow makes a real difference because youre much less likely to contaminate surfaces, he added. Aeroplanes are another well known site of disease transmission, but you may actually be better off in a window seat than in the aisle. Studies have suggested that passengers seated on the aisle are exposed to people repeatedly walking past, brushing by, and handling the seat as they move up and down the cabin, potentially increasing exposure to germs. Perhaps more surprising is the risk posed by airport security trays. A 2018 study found that trays at security checkpoints carried more respiratory viruses than toilets, according to scientists from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare. Airports are dangerous places, Prof Bill Keevil, professor of environmental healthcare at the University of Southampton, told The Telegraph. People arrive from all over the world, touch the same surfaces, and those surfaces are frequently contaminated. How to avoid infection So does this mean you should avoid public transport, shops or everyday life altogether? Experts say that instead worrying about which surfaces harbour disease, the focus should be on hand washing. The message isnt about cleaning surfaces. Its about cleaning hands, said Prof Tregoning. The focus should be on washing your own hands if youve coughed, washing your own hands if youve been to the toilet. Thats what prevents onward transmission rather than obsessively cleaning every surface. On average, he added, people touch their faces around 50 times an hour, often without realising it. We touch our face all the time, thats the big surface. Its very hard to manage which is why handwashing is so important, Prof Tregoning told The Telegraph. In fact, almost anywhere people touch is a risk factor, but that doesnt mean every surface is a danger in itself. Its often just traces of the virus, Prof Tregoning said. We live in a microbial world you find bacteria, viruses, fungi everywhere. Just because its there doesnt necessarily mean its infectious. The key question is whether enough virus transfers from surface, to hand, and then to the mouth, nose or eyes. Norovirus which is much more resilient than flu or cold viruses is a notable exception. Studies show that thorough cleaning is essential to stop it from spreading. Research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection research found that contaminated fingers could sequentially transfer virus to up to seven clean surfaces, including taps, door handles and telephone receivers. Strong bleach-and-detergent mixes reduced risk but didnt always remove the virus. To really stop norovirus spreading, surfaces need a deep clean. Even so, the broader message is behavioural rather than obsessive. Stay home if you have norovirus, be mindful about handshakes and crowded spaces when youre unwell, and wash your hands before eating or preparing food. It also matters where you are. According to a researcher at the LSHTM, the 2011 study revealed clear regional differences within the UK. The researchers found that traces of faecal matter were more likely to be present on phones in the north of the country. We found that the further north we went, the more hands and phones were likely to be contaminated, she said at the time. It could be that bugs survive better in colder, wetter conditions or that people wash their hands less. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K Javitz federal building on 10 June 2025 in New York City. Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images (Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images) Federal immigration agents have been involved in a sharp rise in shootings in recent months, coinciding with the Trump administrations expanded immigration enforcement efforts. Under Trumps crackdown, immigration officers have shot at people 16 times, according to data compiled by the Trace, a non-profit newsroom focused on gun violence in the US. The newsroom relied on Gun Violence Archive data and media reports to document incidents in which federal agents either shot someone or held individuals at gunpoint during immigration enforcement operations carried out under Donald Trumps crackdown. As of 9 January, it identified 29 incidents overall, including the 16 shootings. Since July, when the first shooting occurred under the administration, immigration agents have killed four people and injured seven more. The figures probably underestimate the true number of incidents, since shootings involving immigration agents are not consistently made public, the Trace cautioned. Beyond shootings with firearms, 13 cases in which immigration agents used less-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets or pepper balls were also documented. Ten of those incidents took place during protests. Among those injured were two pastors who were shot with pepper balls while leading prayers at demonstrations in California and Illinois. The most recent shooting occurred on Wednesday in Minneapolis, where federal agents fatally shot a woman during a large-scale immigration enforcement action. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, said the victim was a legal observer of ICE activity after a surge of agents was deployed to the city amid allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. US federal agents then shot two people outside a hospital in Portland just a day after the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis. The Portland police bureau (PPB) said in a statement on Thursday that two people were in the hospital after a shooting involving federal agents, adding that their condition was not known. Police sources told the Oregonian one of the people was shot in the leg and the other in the chest. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that US border patrol agents had stopped a vehicle to search for a man they suspected of being an undocumented immigrant connected to a Venezuelan gang. The statement said the agents fired when the driver of the vehicle tried to run them over, with similar claims about a weaponized vehicle being made about the Minneapolis shooting. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Tuesday that it had initiated an extraordinary enforcement operation in the Minneapolis area, with approximately 2,000 agents and officers expected to participate. The DHS said the crackdown was tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. Trumps immigration crackdown began in Los Angeles in June and later expanded to Washington DC, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, Charlotte and most recently New Orleans and Minneapolis. At the same time, detention levels have surged. In less than a year, the Trump administration has increased the population held in ICE detention facilities by nearly 50%. The DHS currently holds nearly 69,000 people. Overall, the administration has arrested more than 352,000 individuals and deported a similar number. default This push for large-scale detention and deportation has led to severe overcrowding, with most facilities operating beyond their contracted capacity. The first year of Trumps second term has been deadlier than 2020, when deaths in detention facilities spiked amid the unchecked Covid-19 pandemic, according to the American Immigration Council. The organization attributes the rising death toll this year to a combination of factors, including overcrowding, poor detention conditions, medical neglect, escalating mental health crises and gun violence. In addition to the 16 shootings involving ICE agents, 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025. That figure makes 2025 the deadliest year for the agency in more than 20 years and matches the previous record high set in 2004, as the administration moved to detain an unprecedented number of people. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select Secure Messaging. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. The chart on this article was amended on 8 January 2026 because an earlier version said that 14 people were shot. However, that is the number of shootings at that time where at least nine people were shot. Authorities at the scene after people were shot and injured in Portland - AP US immigration agents shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, as they attempted to flee authorities. A man and a woman were taken to hospital after they were shot by federal agents around 2pm local time (10pm GMT) on Thursday, according to NBC News. Authorities are appealing for calm as tensions rise around the country after a woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Sources told NBC that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers in Portland had attempted to stop a red Toyota as part of a special operation known as Operation Oregon. The driver attempted to flee and in the process struck one of the agents, who then opened fire on the vehicle. A 33-year-old man and 32-year-old woman, who are allegedly members or associates of a Venezuelan gang, are being treated at a hospital. A damaged car at the scene of the shooting - AP The two people injured are married, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. The husband was shot in the arm while the wife was hit in the chest, they added. The FBI, in a since-deleted post on social media, said it was investigating the shooting, which it said involved two border patrol agents around 2.15pm (10.15pm GMT). Portland police said a man and a woman had been wounded in the northeast of the city following a shooting involving federal agents. After officers attempted to stem the bleeding with a tourniquet, the pair were taken to hospital. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat congresswoman representing Oregon, said the man and woman were still alive but the extent of their injuries was unclear. Tricia McLaughlin, a homeland security spokesman, said Border Patrol agents conducted a targeted traffic stop against a vehicle carrying a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring who was involved in a recent shooting in Portland. She said the agent fired in self-defence after the driver weaponised his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene. This situation is evolving and more information is forthcoming, Ms McLaughlin said. Anger with the heavy-handed tactics of federal authorities was already mounting on Wednesday, when Renee Nicole Good was shot through the windscreen of her car by an ICE agent, who has been named as Jonathan Ross. Tributes to Good have been put up overnight - CHARLY TRIBALLEAU Although her former husband said she had been driving home after dropping off her six-year-old son at school and had never been an activist, the Trump administration has branded her a domestic terrorist who attempted to run over Mr Ross. Footage of the incident, analysed by The Telegraph, appears to contradict that account and shows Good steering her car away from the agent and not making contact with him. Credit: Social media On Thursday, JD Vance, the vice president, claimed the mother-of-three was part of a Left-wing network that employed domestic terror techniques and had been brainwashed by extremists. Donald Trump, the US president, has deployed federal agents to Democrat-run cities across the country in a bid to stem rising crime levels and enforce his mass deportation programme. Both Minneapolis and Portland have found themselves in the crosshairs of the president, who has painted them as centres of Left-wing radicalism. Minneapolis was the centre of what is thought to be a multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal largely perpetrated by Somali immigrants, while authorities claim Portland is a base of operations for Antifa, the anti-facist terror group. Trump wants riots. Dont take the bait Demonstrations have broken out across the country in response to the deployment of federal agents, which critics have painted as an invasion. The shootings on Wednesday and Thursday are likely to inflame an already-fraught situation. We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more, said Bob Day, the Portland police chief. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat senator for Oregon, and other political figures have claimed that Mr Trump wants riots and urged residents not to take the bait. Keith Wilson, the mayor of Portland, said his city was now grappling with violence at the hands of federal agents. Calling on ICE agents to halt their operations until an investigation could be completed, he warned: We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts. On Thursday evening, Dan Rayfield, the Oregon attorney general, announced that the state will open an investigation into the shooting and raised concerns about excessive use of force by federal agents. In Minnesota, Tim Walz, the states governor, has pleaded with residents not to riot, which he claimed would give the Trump administration to clamp down more heavily. Nevertheless, on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would send a further 100 border patrol officers to Minnesota, adding to the deployment of more than 2,000 agents throughout the state. Mr Walz has readied the states National Guard for deployment as demonstrations sprang up in Minneapolis, which have so far been largely peaceful. Soldiers were in training and would be sent out if necessary, he said, warning protesters against rioting. Credit: X / @Sec_Noem Nato officials in Britain are monitoring at least three more suspected Russian oil tankers travelling across the Atlantic. The Vesna, Veronica III and Bertha are understood to be travelling towards Europe, raising the prospect of British involvement in another seizure operation. The three tankers, which are all sanctioned by the United States or the UK, appear to be taking the same route as the Marinera, a Russian shadow fleet tanker that British forces helped seize on Wednesday, The i Paper reported. Another tanker, the Olina, was boarded by US forces on Friday, as it attempted to evade a US naval blockade in the Caribbean and became the fifth tanker seized by Washington in recent weeks. The vessels heading eastwards across the Atlantic are believed to be three of the 16 still trying to escape the blockade of Venezuela. The exact courses and destinations of the tankers are unknown but satellite imagery by Starboard Maritime Intelligence showed them heading towards either Africa or Europe. The New York Times said the tankers are being followed by a US navy destroyer, and US military officials have said to expect more boardings of sanctioned vessels. Nato sources said its UK-based officials were monitoring the vessels as part of the groups Allied Maritime Command (Marcom). Theres a lot of information sharing and analysis that comes from Marcom, a Nato official said. The decisions to plausibly or potentially interdict the vessel come from allies, not the alliance, and allies make those decisions for their own national reasons. Allies are looking at specific vessels of interest that may be some sort of national security threat. US forces approach the Olina in a helicopter as they prepare their attack launched from the USS Gerald R Ford - US Southern Command The Olina was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste, the small south-east Asian nation formerly known as East Timor, when it was boarded near Trinidad. It had previously sailed from Venezuela and was attempting to return to the region when it was intercepted on Friday, according to US officials. Its seizure was part of the Trump administrations efforts to control Venezuelas oil exports after overthrowing Nicolas Maduro, its president. US marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out the mission in coordination with the department of homeland security. They launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the worlds largest aircraft carrier, in a pre-dawn raid, a spokesman for US Southern Command said in a post on X. The Department of Wars Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere, the post read. It was the third tanker the US had seized in three days. On Wednesday, it intercepted the Sophia, a sanctioned oil tanker that Washington said was conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. Hours later, the US, with assistance from Britain, intercepted the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker, previously known as the Bella 1, in Icelandic waters after a two-week pursuit across the Atlantic. Despite the fraught situation between Caracas and Washington, Donald Trump said on Friday that he had cancelled the previously expected second wave of attacks on the country, because the Venezuelan administration was working well together with the US. He insisted though that the large force of American warships off its coast would stay in place for safety and security purposes and was likely to form part of his plans to further enforce US authority on Venezuela, which he suggested would run indefinitely. The Olina was previously known as the British Mallard, the Magnus and also the Minerva, a Russian vessel sanctioned by the US and EU that has been involved in the illegal export of Vladimir Putins oil. The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla that escaped the blockade. The vessels AIS [location] tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, north-east of Curacao, Vanguard, a British maritime risk management company, said. The Olina is part of a so-called ghost fleet comprising hundreds of ageing vessels that illegally transport oil around the world in defiance of Western sanctions. The ships often go under false names and flags, operate in dark mode and spoof their locations, making them difficult to track. The US marines make their way on to the deck of the Olina - US Southern Command On Friday, Mr Trump met oil executives to discuss his plan to oversee Venezuelas crude production and marketing. Meanwhile, Voz Media reported that a Venezuelan delegation led by Felix Plasencia Gonzalez, Venezuelas head of mission in London, was heading to Washington to discuss the terms of a potential energy agreement. They are seeking to recover oil production, energy generation and transmission infrastructure, among other issues, a source told the Spanish-language news website. The delegation would hear the USs proposals rather than engage in any negotiations, the source added. The Bella 1, captured on Wednesday, had painted a Russian flag on its hull and re-registered as a Russian ship. The US went ahead with the seizure anyway. Moscow condemned the operation, but the White House said the oil tanker was stateless. British spy planes and ships supported the US Coast Guard in taking control of the vessel, which was in Icelandic waters and being shadowed by a Russian submarine. The Olina was formerly known as the British Mallard, one of many guises it used to illegally export oil - vesselfinder.com The Russian foreign ministry said on Friday that America had released its two Russian crew members, and expressed gratitude to the US leadership. The operation suggested an emboldened Mr Trump was more ready to confront Moscow when Russian interests coincided directly with that of his administration. In response to the double seizures on Wednesday, Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, said it should put the worlds criminals on notice, adding: You can run, but you cant hide. We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco-terrorism wherever we find it period. After US forces snatched Mr Maduro and his wife on Saturday and flew them to New York to face trial on charges of narco-terrorism, Mr Trump declared that he would run Venezuela. Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president and Mr Maduros former deputy, said on Wednesday that no foreign power would govern the country, but Mr Trump said Caracas was cooperating fully. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a briefing that day that the US had maximum leverage on the interim government, whose decisions would continue to be dictated by the United States. Mr Trumps officials have said that Washington will control Venezuelas oil sales indefinitely to stabilise the economy and ensure it acts within US interests. However, with few details of the plan released, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has insisted Washington is not just winging it after White House insiders told The Telegraph that Mr Trump had no blueprint for what would come next. January 7, 2026: There is a debate going on in many military organizations about whether it would be better if data were centralized and kept secure from enemies, or potential enemies, or be widely distributed to units that can quickly use it. In peacetime the tendency is to centralize data so it's easier to protect. In wartime you quickly discover that centralized data is a problem waiting to be solved as rapidly as possible. Data is a key element in warfare. Possessing, protecting, dispersing, accessing and determining who gets what, when and how are all crucial elements. Success in combat is often a matter of who is better prepared to obtain and distribute information to those who need it most. Over the last century the military has gained access to more and more sensors. Radar, sonar, radio, surveillance satellites, drones and battlefield sensors are among the increasing number of ways to obtain data. As the military has gained more ways to obtain information, the flood of data becomes a problem if you cant distribute it to those who need it most. Warfare has always been about getting information and then getting it to those who need it in time for the information to have an impact. Warfare has always been an information war, but currently the flood of information from so many sensors creates a mass of data that has to go somewhere. Thats the data crisis, who gets what when. There have been several efforts to deal with this problem and how it influences combat operations. In wartime this isnt a problem because data handling methods that dont work often gets your own people killed. In peacetime you have to suggest, argue and even pull rank to get data handled efficiently. There are existing programs that help with that. One is CALL/Center for Army Lessons Learned. A fundamental element in improving ground operations is analyzing past battles for what went right and what went wrong. The U.S. Army Center for Lessons Learned has been around since the 1980s, and U.S. commanders use it to determine what works in combat and what doesn't. This is more important than ever in the 21st century, where urban combat and counter-insurgency conflicts dominate. In urban warfare and counterinsurgency, the potential for mistakes to be made is exponentially larger than in conventional, large-scale warfare. Instead of hogging their experts, the US Army takes the data collected and analyzed at the CALL and supplies it to allied armies in the hope these allies will use this information. This sharing is more than just a gesture of goodwill. This does not always work, especially in countries where corruption and reluctance to change makes it difficult to make changes that will improve combat effectiveness. This cultural resistance was encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan but not in Ukraine, where the Ukrainians adapted while their enemy did not. CALL is divided into several major sections. The first collects data from previous engagements by interviewing and visiting with units in the field. This section is tasked with discovering issues and areas of needed improvement in doctrine, training and readiness. The Analysis Section deals with evaluating the data collected and assessing the methods needed to improve effectiveness and combat efficiency. Finally, the Information Integration Section is responsible for processing and distributing the suggestions and findings from the previous two departments. CALL is sometimes seen by other branches of the Army as a group of desk-bound analysts, but their suggestions and changes implemented in counterinsurgency and urban warfare tactics played a major role in maximizing the effectiveness of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Persuading the local military to change was often less successful. Without something like CALL, doctrine and tactics rarely change. On-site CALL operatives visited nearly every single major combat zone in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and now Ukraine. CALL personnel also spent significant time with Iraqi Special Forces and were an integral part of the development process for the country's military and police. CALL analysts also report on who is accepting and acting on their advice and who isnt. The contest was won by a traveler who recounted a soggy, soul-destroying trip to Rome to see the Pope (Lloyd L/World's Unluckiest Traveler) They are tales of trips-gone-horribly-awry that will make your getaway gripes pale into insignificance. The worlds unluckiest travelers of 2025 have been unveiled in an annual contest run by a travel insurance provider that solicits vacation nightmares from across the U.S. and Canada. After weeks of voting, the winners have been declared, with Travel Guard giving the grand prize of $10,000 to Lloyd L, whose once-in-a-lifetime trip to Rome to see the Pope became a soggy, soul-destroying saga. Here, we reveal the whole, sorry tale of his waterlogged adventure, along with the calamities honored with the $5,000 runner-up and $3,000 third-place prizes. A hellish soaking the grand prize winner Lloyd L has been declared the 'world's unluckiest traveler' after describing his water-logged trip to see the pope in Rome (Lloyd L/World's Unluckiest Traveler) Lloyd L flew to Rome for a once-in-a-lifetime general audience with the Pope in St. Peters Square a trip hed been looking forward to for months. Before setting off, he told Travel Guard that he imagined sunshine, reverent silence, maybe a few tears of joy. But nonstop rain drenched him in misery. He explained: From the moment we stepped out, it poured like the heavens were testing our devotion. Recounting the ordeal, he remarked: We left the hotel before sunrise, with a bagged breakfast of fruits and pastries to eat once we arrived at St. Peter's Square. By the time we reached our destination, the bag was soaked and split open like a pinata, spilling all the food onto the cobblestone pavement. Then the situation worsened. Lloyd continued: We huddled shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of other hopeful pilgrims; all soaked in their ponchos and holding umbrellas, waiting patiently for the Pope to parade around the square in his popemobile. With all the rain and umbrellas, it was hard to see him as he drove among the crowds of people. At this point, I was drenched, cold and hungry and couldn't wait for it to end and get out of there, he added. Lloyd admitted that Rome had baptized him, just not in the way he expected. He added: While I couldnt wait for it to be over, Ill admit its the kind of miserable memory that makes for a great story. Flip-flop fiasco the runner-up The runner-up prize went to a traveler who had a panic attack when he scaled a rock-face in California in flip-flops (pictured) (Daniel B/World's Unluckiest Traveler) Daniel B admitted that his sorry tale is less about bad luck and more a testament to my ignorance, arrogance, and a generous dash of stubbornness. He recalled how, during a high-school reunion in California, two of his longtime buddies had the bright idea of exploring Vasquez Rocks, an area in the Sierra Pelona Mountains of northern Los Angeles County known for its awe-inspiring rock formations and beloved by Hollywood directors. He explained: My friends pitched it as a cool Star Trek filming location. I vaguely remembered seeing it in a travel guide, but didnt give it much thought. I pictured a few modest rocks in the desert. No big deal. I just wanted to chill with my friends. He showed up in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, which were ideal for the heat but, as he soon found out, terrible for what came next. And that was a competition to see who could climb the highest. Daniel realized that hed misjudged the situation, with his friends sporting proper shoes. But he joined the ascent regardless, with pride being a powerful motivator. He recalled: At first, I held my own. But as the rocks got steeper, my fear of heights kicked in hard. I froze. My friends, perched above me like smug mountain goats, sneered down in triumph. I waved the white flag. Then came the real challenge: getting down. My anxiety went into overdrive. I panicked. Vultures actual vultures started circling overhead. My friends couldnt stop cackling. I was furious at them, and even more furious at myself, his continued. He added: After 20 agonizing minutes of inching down on my backside, I finally made it to solid ground. My flip-flops survived. My dignity? Not so much. The $28,000 snowboarding souvenir third-place winner Ryan P was awarded third prize after he recounted his tale of badly fracturing his wrist two hours into a snowboarding vacation in Austria. This picture shows the moment a helicopter arrived to fly him to hospital (Ryan P/World's Unluckiest Traveler) Canadian Ryan P revealed he had the snowboarding trip of a lifetime in Austria, just not the way hed imagined. He recalled: Two hours into our first day on the slopes, I made a wrong move and suddenly found myself sliding on my back towards a blind drop. Even though I had years of experience, I was a foreigner on this slope. As I approached the edge, I stuck my palms into the snow. I slammed into the icy bank and braced myself for the fall beyond. Next thing I know, I am lying on my back in deep powder. I giggled at my apparent luck and continued down the hill, he added. But things soon took a turn for the worse: At first, I was in total denial... I rode down the slope to the next hut and unstrapped my board as if nothing had happened. But when I took off my gloves, everything changed. My wrist was deformed. It looked like it had been assembled by Picasso. The ski patrol arrived and insisted that Ryan had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital, as a snowmobile ride might have aggravated a wrist that was badly fractured. Ryan continued: At the hospital, X-rays confirmed the bad news: my wrist had exploded. Surgery was immediate, expensive, and unavoidable. The next few days were a blur of more pain meds and awkwardly trying to cut steak with one working hand. On top, it was my birthday the day after I left the hospital; not the kind of celebration I had in mind. By the time I was released, I had enough metal in my arm to set off every airport detector, and a collection of receipts that could wallpaper a room. Jorge Rodriguez in Caracas announcing that a significant number of prisoners would be freed. Photograph: Gaby Oraa/Reuters (Photograph: Gaby Oraa/Reuters) Five days after the US seized Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela has announced it is releasing an important number of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to consolidate peace. Former opposition candidate Enrique Marquez was among those released from prison, according to an opposition statement. Its all over now, Marquez said in a video taken by a local journalist who accompanied him and his wife, as well as another opposition member Biagio Pilieri, who was also released. Spains foreign ministry also confirmed the release of five Spanish nationals, one of them a citizen with dual nationality, who it said were preparing to travel to Spain with assistance from our embassy in Caracas. The ministry called the development a positive step in the new phase Venezuela is entering. Spains foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, told the public broadcaster RNE that the dual national being released was Rocio San Miguel, a Spanish-Venezuelan lawyer, activist and human rights defender who was detained in February 2024 and accused by the regime of treason, conspiracy and terrorism in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro. Venezuelas opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, hailed the releases, saying they showed that injustice would not prevail in the country. This is an important day because it shows what we have always known: that injustice will not last forever and that truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way, she said in an audio message published on social media. It is unclear how many people are being freed. Human rights organisations working in the country estimate that Venezuela holds between 800 and 1,000 political prisoners, most of them detained for taking part in protests after the 2024 election, widely believed to have been stolen by Maduro. The head of Venezuelas national assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said the move was a unilateral gesture to reaffirm our unbreakable decision to consolidate peace in the republic and peaceful coexistence among all. As the news of the planned release broke, families of detainees rushed to prisons across the country, seeking information. Pedro Duran, 60, was among those hoping to reunite with his brother Franklin Duran as he waited outside a prison in the town of Guatire, about 43km (25 miles) outside Caracas. Duran said his brother was detained in 2021 on charges of trying to overthrow Maduros government an accusation his family denies. Duran, who has been living in Spain, heard rumours on Wednesday that the government could release a number of detainees and immediately bought a plane ticket from Madrid to Caracas to find his brother. I dont have words to express the emotion Im feeling, Duran said. Were feeling a lot of hope ... Were just waiting now. Before Venezuelas announcement, estimates suggested there were more than 40 foreign nationals detained in the country, including about 20 Spaniards and five US citizens, among them James Luckey-Lange, 28, who disappeared in December and was being held at military counterintelligence headquarters in Caracas. On Tuesday, Donald Trump said Venezuela had a torture chamber in the middle of Caracas that theyre closing up, without elaborating. In recent days, speculation has centred on the Helicoide de la Roca Tarpeya, an iconic structure inaugurated in 1956 as an avant garde shopping centre and later turned into a prison and torture site under Chavismo. Martha Tineo, the general coordinator of the NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness, or JEP), which monitors political detentions in Venezuela, said she had confirmed that some sections of El Helicoide are being vacated. But the Helicoide complex is vast. It not only houses the prison where political detainees are held, but also administrative offices of the Bolivarian National Police, and those are the areas that are being cleared So we might assume that over the coming days hopefully within a week, or however long it takes we may indeed see the closure of that immense torture centre, but for now, that is not happening, she added. JEP estimated that there were 1,017 political prisoners before Rodriguezs announcement. By 10.30pm UK time on Thursday, the organisation had confirmed only around eight or perhaps 10 political prisoners, but said it would not disclose names to avoid raising anxiety among families who have been waiting for months and in some cases years for news of their loved ones. The announcement of the detainees release is being treated with caution by activists. In the days leading up to the US operation, the regime said it would release 187 people 99 on Christmas Day and 88 on New Years Day but organisations were able to independently verify the release of only a portion of that total. Although she has so far confirmed only a few releases, Tineo remains hopeful. The information we have is that it is very likely that many releases will take place or at least that is what has been said [by the regime], she said, adding that the release process, which involves legal procedures, can take time, potentially days when dealing with large numbers of people. That is why we have been calling for composure and calm, to keep us united in both hope and vigilance, Tineo added. Alfredo Romero, the head of Foro Penal, an NGO that estimates there are still 806 political prisoners in Venezuela, posted that by early evening he had only been able to confirm five releases. We expect the freedom of all political prisoners, not partial and conditional gestures, he wrote, referring to the fact that many people freed in recent months were granted only conditional liberty, subject to precautionary measures such as travel bans, mandatory court appearances and restrictions on speaking to the media about their cases. At a press conference announcing the decision, Jorge Rodriguez who many believe is now effectively running the country alongside his acting-president sister said that within a few minutes the public would learn the nature of the people who are receiving the benefit of release, something that had still not happened hours later. He added: In order to contribute and collaborate in the effort that all of us must make for national unity and peaceful coexistence, the Bolivarian government, together with the institutions of the state, has decided to free an important number of Venezuelan and foreign individuals, and these release processes are taking place from this very moment. Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, with its broad intention of seeking peace, as the contribution that all of us must make so that our republic can continue its life in peace and in pursuit of prosperity. An arrest has been made in the death of a baby whose remains were found in 1991 by a sanitation worker at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University (Google Maps) More than three decades after a newborns remains were discovered in a Kentucky landfill, investigators say advances in forensic science have finally led to an arrest. Jennifer Cummins of Fairfax County, Virginia, was taken into custody on January 6 in connection with the death of an infant known for decades only as Baby Jane Doe, Kentucky State Police announced this week. The case dates to 1991, when a sanitation worker discovered the remains of a baby girl at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University. Despite early investigative efforts, authorities were unable to identify the baby or determine who was responsible, and the case eventually went cold. Kentucky State Police detectives recently reopened the investigation using modern forensic tools and updated investigative techniques. With assistance from the State Medical Examiner, it was determined that the infant was born alive and healthy before being placed in a dumpster on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. An arrest has been made in the death of a baby whose remains were found in 1991 by a sanitation worker at the former Richmond Landfill in Madison County, near Eastern Kentucky University (Google Maps) The new information ultimately identified Cummins as a person of interest. In late 2025, the case was presented to a Madison County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Cummins with murder. Even after decades of time that has passed, with the collaboration of new technologies, advancements, and persistence, weve been able to discover new leads in this case, said Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney. Thats why its so important for people to know these cases never go cold to us. Authorities have not released details about Cummins relationship to the child or the specific circumstances surrounding the infants death. Kentucky State Police say the investigation remains active, and that investigators say they are still seeking the publics help to resolve some unanswered questions. Cummins is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Kentucky. Back to London: the Instagram-hyped venue has returned (Whyte's ) One of 2024s most talked-about restaurants is to return to London for the first time in a year after a 30-city global tour, the Standard can reveal. Whytes was founded by the chef Whyte Rushen and restaurateur Liv Akers in late 2023, launching on Mare Street in Hackney and earning rave reviews. It closed in February last year and the duo took the restaurant overseas, most recently hosting a three-week residency and tour in Tokyo after stints in Bangkok, Chengdu, New York, Mexico, Amsterdam, Dublin and beyond. Whyte and Akers collaborated with the DJ Fat Boy Slim last year to open a short-term restaurant at Butlins in Minehead. (Rotten Octopus) Newly called the Rotten Octopus, the restaurant, taking the form of a Japanese izakaya, will host a four-day pop-up at Claras bistro in Shoreditch. Akers told the Standard that it will be the first of many residencies in London, with more on the way around the world. She said: Were gassed to bring some of that late night energy of Tokyo to Shoreditch. Get the eel. As well as eel, the menu will include dishes such as a shiso-wrapped scallop, baked in the shell with flying fish roe and ginger butter; caramelised onion chawanmushi with baby octopus and seaweed; a slow-cooked pig ear roll with egg mayo and cabbage; and a mixed grill plate of beef tendons, chicken hearts, veal livers and radish. Rushen, who made his name on Instagram, said he wants to bring the spirit, flavours and late-night energy of Japan to East London, inspired by Tokyos back streets. Alongside a 14-dish a la carte menu will be a list of sake cocktails, wines and Japanese spirits. The pop-up will run from January 17-20 before moving to a new location. Bookings can be made here. People We Meet on Vacation adapts Emily Henry's book of the same name. (Netflix) (Daniel Escale/Netflix) Since the publication of her first romance novel in 2020, Emily Henry has become a titan of the genre so it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came knocking. Now her first book adaptation is here, with People We Meet on Vacation, now streaming on Netflix. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth take Poppy and Alex from the page to the screen. They're best friends, clearly destined for each other, but who just don't realise it. The book is told in a non-linear fashion, spanning a decade of summer vacations that the pair take together, from their awkward first road trip to the one that tore their friendship apart. Reuniting "this summer" for the wedding of Alex's brother David, the pair must try to find their way back to each other. People We Meet on Vacation is a homage to When Harry Met Sally... and is also akin to romance novels like One Day (except, you know... happier). It's a delightful rom-com and one that feels perfectly suited for the glitzy film treatment. But how do the two compare, and then there's the age-old question: which is better, the book or the movie? Let's explore. How is Netflix's People We Meet on Vacation different to the book? People We Meet on Vacation condenses the narrative set out in the book for ease, but loses much of the meat of the conflict. (Netflix) (Courtesy of Netflix) The Netflix movie follows much the same narrative beats as Henry's novel, with some slight changes that will be noticeable to fans. A lot of the story from the novel is cut to condense it, which is understandable given it's a movie, but it also means the story loses a lot of nuance. Poppy is in a rut at the start of the novel, struggling to find meaning in her life and her job as a travel writer. She is spiralling uncontrollably, which is why she decides to figure out when she was last happy, and retrace her steps there. You can probably guess what she realises: She was last happy when she was with Alex, and so she gets back in touch, and after some time texting, suggests they go on a summer trip in the lead-up to David's wedding in Palm Springs. To convince him, Poppy lies and says she persuaded her editor to feature the trip in a new issue. Tom Blyth and Emily Bader have an electric chemistry that makes the Netflix movie a delight to watch. (Netflix) (Michele K. Short/Netflix) In the movie, this isn't the case; there's no long exchange between Alex and Poppy before they head to David's wedding, which Netflix has transported from Palm Springs to Barcelona. Instead, Poppy calls Alex out of the blue after being invited by David and lies by saying she's travelling to the Spanish city for work and so she can attend the wedding too. It's a subtle difference, but one that takes away the opportunity for the pair to take one more summer trip together. It's a vacation that goes catastrophically wrong in the novel, forcing them to confront their struggles with where they are in life, as well as the difficulties of dating and what they want from a relationship. For Poppy, especially, it's about her coming to understand why she's so determined to be a different person on vacation and, as a result, is constantly running away from her problems. There's sadly no time for any of that in the movie or at least not enough for it to have the same impact. Netflix has also transported many of the locations from the novel to make People We Meet on Vacation that much more glamorous. (Netflix) (Michele K. Short/Netflix) The book also benefits from putting readers in Poppy's head, something the film isn't able to do. It means Poppy's final realisation of what she wants from life, particularly with Alex, is more muted because we haven't had the chance to see her grow and learn over the course of the trip. What the film also doesn't have time for is all the years of travelling that Alex and Poppy do together. We get some of them, their first trip to Linfield, which the Netflix film makes their meet-cute rather than an extension of their first meeting in college. Vancouver, where they first agreed to go on vacation together every year, New Orleans, and Tuscany their last trip that ruined it all after an accidental kiss. These largely play out the same way as the novel, though in the book, their last trip is in Croatia rather than Tuscany there's no real rhyme or reason for the location change, other than possibly Tuscany seeming more glamorous. We also don't get to see quite as much of the supporting characters in Poppy and Alex's life, particularly the latter's on-again-off-again girlfriend, Sarah (played by Sarah Catherine Hook). The film changes Sarah from a school teacher like Alex, to a person from a real estate family who later becomes an air steward it's unclear why, but ultimately the character feels quite sidelined as a result. Even so, most of the important moments from the book are incorporated into the film, and they are equally funny onscreen as they were on the page. Bader and Blyth are also perfectly cast and share an electric chemistry that can be felt from Poppy and Alex's first meeting to the end of the credits. Is the book better than the movie? People We Meet on Vacation isn't better than the book, but it's still well worth a watch. (Netflix) (Daniel Escale/Netflix) Netflix's adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation is a delight; it's fun, romantic, and ultimately a lovely escape from real life, which is what a good rom-com should do. But is it better than Henry's book? Not quite. It tries its best, but it loses so much of what made readers fall in love with Poppy and Alex that it isn't as gleeful or as swoon-worthy. Even so, Bader and Blyth are a winning combination, and their performances make it worthwhile. It may not be as good as the book, but it is still well worth watching. People We Meet on Vacation is out on Netflix now. While there has been huge progress in IVF, the main cause of age-related female infertility egg quality had not been directly addressed. Illustration: Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock (Illustration: Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock) It is a rollercoaster of emotional extremes that will be familiar to many who have gone through IVF treatment: hope and joy turns to despair and back again. This is especially true for women over 35, the age when IVF success rates decline steeply and for whom the only real way to improve the odds is to keep trying. While there has been huge progress in IVF in the past decades, including the advent of genetic testing, egg freezing and techniques to overcome male infertility, the primary cause of age-related female infertility egg quality has not been directly addressed. Now, groundbreaking research presented at the Fertility 2026 in Edinburgh this week, suggests progress is on the horizon. Scientists from a leading lab in Germany say they have been able to reverse a common age-related defect in eggs in an advance that they predict could be transformative. Related: Human eggs rejuvenated in an advance that could boost IVF success rates Currently there are no methods for improving the ageing egg. It is a very large unmet need, said Dr Agata Zielinska, co-CEO of Ovo Labs, and one of the scientists behind the advance. This would be a first-in-class solution for improving egg quality. Eggs are uniquely vulnerable to ageing as women are born with all their eggs. Sperm, by contrast, is continuously generated from stem cells in the testes throughout adult life. In IVF treatment, women under 35 had an average birth rate for each embryo transferred of 35% compared with just 5% for women aged 43-44, according to the most recent figures from UK clinics. And it is the age of the egg, not the woman, that matters most. When older women use younger donor eggs or their own frozen eggs the success rate is almost entirely defined by the age of the egg. Female eggs sit there for a really long time, said Dr Gunes Taylor, who researches female fertility at the University of Edinburgh. Its been quite hard to get a grip on what is going wrong with them. Theyre meant to be dormant. A key part of this puzzle appears to have been cracked by scientists working in the lab of Prof Melina Schuh, a director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Gottingen and co-founder of Ovo Labs. They found that as eggs age they have less of a crucial protein, called Shugoshin 1, which acts as a glue to keep the eggs chromosomes neatly stuck together in X-shaped pairs. Without enough of this adhesive, the chromosomes start to fray apart. This means the chromosome pairs wont split evenly when the egg is fertilised, leading to a higher rate of embryos with the wrong number of chromosomes. Often, these embryos will begin developing normally, but are not ultimately viable. For IVF patients, this can create an initial sense of hope that is destined to turn to disappointment. Whats weird about humans is that in the absence of the normal number of chromosomes you can still get quite a long way, said Taylor. Thats how you end up with this horrible IVF rollercoaster when you seem to get pregnant and then the cycle fails. The latest work provides tantalising evidence that an important age-related defect in eggs could be reversible. In results presented in Edinburgh, they showed that eggs that were supplemented with Shugoshin 1 were almost half as likely to show the chromosome defect. This suggests that there could be a window of opportunity in IVF treatment between harvesting the eggs and fertilising them in which eggs could be given a rejuvenating microinjection. Our aim is to really reduce the time to successful conception, said Zielinska. Many more women would be able to conceive within a single IVF attempt. The research is still at an experimental stage and will need years of further testing. And, in a field known for over-hyping expensive IVF add-ons, patients are right to reserve judgment. Ovo Labs still needs to prove that its proposed technique is safe and that the apparent improvements in egg quality translate to a real difference in IVF rates. The team did not wish to put a time-frame on how long this might take when asked whether this could be a couple of years, five years or a decade. We dont want to overpromise, said Schuh. There is hope, though, that the advance could be a step to overcoming one of the major causes of female infertility and the reason why the IVF journey is so often so painful. While we await further details and confirmatory clinical trials, including addressing safety issues, these results have great potential for improving IVF success rates, said Prof Richard Anderson, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the work. We all have friends who have been struggling with IVF, said Schuh. Its a long journey and such an emotional burden. I really hope we can make this entire experience more successful. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta speaking during a demonstration in support of Palestine at University College London in May 2024 - Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images A plastic surgeon has been cleared of misconduct by medical watchdogs over alleged anti-Semitism and support for Hamas in his social media posts and a newspaper article. Following a three-day hearing, a panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on Friday rejected the case of misconduct brought by the General Medical Council against Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta. The case related to a newspaper article written by Kuwaiti-born Dr Abu-Sitta, who is rector of the University of Glasgow, and two social media posts on X. Ian Comfort, the chairman of the panel, said the test it used was how these would be understood by an ordinary, reasonable reader of Arabic, aware of the political and cultural issues of Palestine. In the article, written for a Lebanese newspaper in 2018, Dr Abu-Sitta wrote about the martyrdom of Ahmad Nasr Jarrar, saying: The people have no weapon left but revolutionary violence. Tweet referred to suicide belt martyr Jarrar was believed to be a member of Hamas, and suspected of orchestrating the drive-by shooting of a rabbi in the West Bank. Mr Comfort said the tribunal did not cherry pick quotes but considered the whole of the article, which expressed views critical of political elites in Palestine, and they could not identify anything which was anti-Semitic, or supportive of terrorism or violence. The doctor had also reposted a tweet which said: We congratulate our brothers in Hamas and our comrades in the Popular Front on the anniversary of their inception. A second tweet by Dr Abu-Sitta referred to Martyrs in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, referring to a man who carried out the first operation using a suicide belt in 1974, and a second man, Shams al-Din al-Qazimi, who died during fighting in 1973. The doctor said anyone with an understanding of the political context of the 1970s would see this post as only demonstrating solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Dr Abu-Sitta was among the speakers, alongside Humza Yousaf, Scotlands former first minister, at a pro-Palestinian rally in Queens Park, Glasgow, in 2024 - Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Alamy Stock Photo The tribunal said Hamass political wing was proscribed under the Terrorism Act in 2021, but they had no evidence before them as to when the tweets were posted, other than sometime before 2023, so it could not conclude Dr Abu-Sitta had intended to support an outlawed terror group. It ruled the ordinary reader would see the first tweet as a celebration of an anniversary of the founding of those organisations, and not as material or moral aid to terrorism. Mr Comfort said the second tweet could not be seen as inciting or supporting violence or terrorism. The doctor, who studied medicine at the University of Glasgow and lives in London, claimed he had been racially profiled as inherently violent because he is a Palestinian and Arab. He accused UK Lawyers for Israel, which brought the matter to the attention of the GMC, of trying to destroy my life. Ros Emsley Smith, representing the GMC, said the medic had overstepped the boundary of legitimate political speech and into the realms of misconduct. But Dr Abu-Sitta suggested anyone who knew the nuance of Arabic language and culture would understand he was not being anti-Semitic or advocating for violence or terrorism. After the hearing, he said: My immediate thoughts are with my patients in Beirut, whom I was forced to leave in order to attend these proceedings. I have spent my entire medical career treating the victims of war and political violence. I was therefore deeply shocked to be accused of advocating violence. I do not, and have never, supported violence against civilians. I know too well its consequences. I can tell you what a childs face looks like when half of it has been blown away, and what it means to spend an entire night amputating the limbs of children in an overcrowded hospital. This complaint forms part of a broader lawfare strategy which aims to instrumentalise the regulatory processes to intimidate, silence, and exhaust those who speak out against injustice in Palestine. This was the second complaint made against me to the GMC by UK Lawyers for Israel, and the tenth complaint made by them overall. The tribunals decision now stands in full view of the public. I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this process. A spokesman for UK Lawyers for Israel called the ruling shocking and said the group was disappointed by the outcome. The rector of Glasgow University is elected by students, is not a member of university staff,and does not speak for the university itself. Dominic West says breaking up with Polly Astor is one of the big sadnesses of his life - Iona Wolff/Bafta via Getty Dominic West has said he felt ashamed about splitting with the mother of his first child. The actor, 56, admitted that breaking up with Polly Astor, his former girlfriend, was one of the big sadnesses of his life because he felt their daughter, Martha, had missed out as a result. West is now married to aristocrat and landscape designer Catherine FitzGerald, with whom he has four children. They were married in 2010, eight years after West and Ms Astor separated in 2002. Dominic West and wife Catherine FitzGerald. They have four children together - GlosPics/Mega/GC Speaking on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast, The Wire actor expressed his shame over the split but said he was too young to settle down. Asked if the end of his relationship with Ms Astor was one of the big sadnesses or shames of his life, West admitted: I suppose so, yes. I suppose I wish my eldest daughter had had some of the advantages or some of the security that my others have had. The Eton-educated actor added that it came at the wrong time in his life: I think I was too young. I was 28. While later admitting that 28 was actually not that young, West continued: But I was just leaving drama school and looking towards America so it came at the wrong time, really. It was very difficult, that ending. But were great friends now and have been civil throughout. West with Polly Astor in 1997. They separated in 2002 - Dave Benett/Getty Ms Astor, who West met at university in the late 1990s, is the daughter of Conservative politician Michael Astor and granddaughter of Nancy Astor, the first woman to hold a seat in the House of Commons. Since their break-up, Ms Astor has maintained her privacy and lived away from the limelight. West told the podcast that Martha felt totally integrated into the family and that she was treated as a sister to his other four children with Ms FitzGerald. Discussing how he balanced making films with his responsibilities as a father, West said: I would never be away for more than three weeks, even when I wasnt married when Martha was born. I would come home every at least three weeks when we were shooting The Wire. I have to be with my kids. I cant be away from them for very long. West with daughter Martha in 2021. The actor says she is treated as a sister to his other four children - Dave Benett/Getty The actor is best known for his performances as Jimmy McNulty in The Wire and as Noah Solloway in The Affair. West has also played Prince Charles in The Crown, winning him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. While promoting the The Affair, he told one interviewer: I think women should be more indulgent of affairs. I really do. Its daft to kick someone out over a fling, isnt it? Everyone should turn a blind eye to mens behaviour between the ages of 40 and 50. Let it all blow over. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks during a forum in Phoenix, Arizona, Sept. 15, 2022. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped from Original. (The Center Square) Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced a major settlement involving groundwater usage. Speaking Thursday afternoon in Cochise County, Mayes said the deal between Arizona and Riverview LLP will reduce the dairys groundwater usage and deliver $11 million for well-drilling, water hauling and groundwater access. In 2024, I stood here in this room filled with members of this community and heard countless stories of wells that had gone dry, roads and even houses that were damaged by land subsidence, and fears that without intervention, things would get worse and worse, the Democratic attorney general told reporters at a community center in Pearce. Land subsidence is the sinking or collapsing of surface land due to the removal of things such as underground water, oil or gas. Longtime residents told me that they were afraid that without intervention, they would not be able to stay in the communities they loved if groundwater supplies continued to be depleted, said Mayes. Retirees who had spent their life savings to buy property to live in this quiet and beautiful part of our state worried that their investments were at risk and did not know what they would do if they no longer could access water supplies. In the two legislative sessions since that town hall meeting, Mayes said there has been no action by lawmakers to address these concerns. However, the attorney generals office said it has been busy trying to address the problem with the tools Mayes has available. Last year, I sued Fondomonte in La Paz County for their actions that we allege have created a public nuisance for communities in western Arizona, and for the past year and a half, we have been investigating the actions of Riverview here in Cochise County, said Mayes. But unlike Fondomonte, Riverview and its owners have engaged with us over the past year to attempt to come to a compromise that will help the residents here near the dairy and surrounding areas. The $11 million in funding will be split between two funds to help ensure continued access to potable water for residents. Potable water is safe for humans to drink or use for cooking. As part of the settlement, Riverview has agreed to fallow 2,000 acres of farmland in the Sulphur Springs Valley to reduce groundwater usage and conserve more water for the future, Mayes said. As they fallow the lands, they will have strict reporting requirements to the attorney generals office, said Mayes. A body believed to be that of a Welsh man who was reported missing after calling his family on Christmas Day has been found in Malaysia. Mark Counsell, 31, from Pontypool, Torfaen, was travelling in south-east Asia but disappeared after calling his family to wish them a happy holiday. A Gwent Police spokesperson said: "We received a report that a body of a man had been found by Malaysian police on Wednesday 7 January. "Formal identification has not yet taken place, but the family of missing man Mark Counsell have been informed." The force said the death was not being treated as suspicious. "Our thoughts are with Mark's family and friends at this difficult time," they added. Gwent Police had issued an appeal earlier this week for the missing man, who was believed to be in either Thailand or the Kuala Lumpur area of Malaysia. More top stories January 9, 2026: Murmansk is a city in northwest Russia with a peacetime population of 270,000. Murmansk is also the capital of Murmansk province, which has a population, including the city, of 725,000. Nearly four years of war in Ukraine have had an impact on the region. Since 2022 the province has lost 73,000 people. In late 2025 there were only 650,000 people left in Murmansk province. Some of the many villages dotting the province have lost up to 30 percent of their pre-war population. Only about one percent of those losses were due to the Ukraine fighting. The rest are due to an aging population that cannot replace natural deaths plus younger people leaving for less frozen areas further south. Many of the military age men left the country because of the war. The government would welcome them back because, even without the war, the Russian population is shrinking. The heavy war losses just accelerated. Not everyone will leave because Murmansk contains military facilities and industrial enterprises, as well as commercial establishments, including clinics and hospitals, serving the population. The war has had some impact. A year ago, the air defenses of the Murmansk were upgraded to deal with possible Ukrainian drone attacks. Now that Russia was attacking Ukrainian power supplies and heat supplies, officials in Murmansk feared the Ukrainians would do the same to them. So the Murmansk government ordered all facilities related to keeping Murmansk warm be fortified and protected in other ways. In a place like Murmansk, loss of heat during the coldest part of the year can be fatal. In mid-2024 Russia announced that it was reinforcing air defenses at their Olenya air base in Murmansk province. This came after Ukrainian long-range drones attacked and damaged two of the Tu-22M3s used to attack Ukrainian targets 1,800 kilometers to the south. With the Ukrainians reciprocating, Russia is trying to upgrade air defenses before the Ukrainians strike again. Ukrainian drone developers and manufacturers have an advantage in that entrepreneurial developers and manufacturers are encouraged. In Russia such intellectual and manufacturing freedom is discouraged. The Russian state must control everything because that is how Russia became mighty and remains so. Thats the official explanation. Russians consider the Ukrainians seduced by, and addicted to, heretical Western ideas and concepts like innovating without official permission. Ukrainians see those Russian attitudes as an asset for the Ukrainian war effort. This gives Ukraine an edge in the development and use of new drone technology. Ukraine encourages individuals and small groups of entrepreneurs to develop, manufacture and share new drone designs and technologies. The government or wealthy individuals will often finance effective new concepts so that production can be rapidly expanded before the new tech becomes obsolete or be simply replaced by a more effective version. Russia adapted to their disadvantage in drone development by concentrating on electronic jammers. By rapidly upgrading their jammer technology, Russians can disrupt a lot of new Ukrainian drone tech for a while. This disruption is becoming more important for the Russians because Ukraine has developed several generations of long-range drones that can reach targets over 1,000 kilometers distant. In 2023 this meant attacks near Moscow and St Petersburg as well as nearby factories and industrial operations. Ukrainian drones are increasingly reaching their targets deep inside Russia. That means Russian economic and military facilities far from Ukraine are suddenly under attack. These targets include refineries and fuel storage sites as well as weapons development, manufacturing, and storage facilities. In 2023 these attacks destroyed about fifteen percent of Russian refining capacity, reducing the amount of vehicle fuel available for commercial and military users. Ukrainian air strikes are not the only danger in the far north. Winters are much worse in Murmansk, which is the only city in the world north of the Arctic Circle. Winters arent as bad as you might think because Murmansk weather is moderated by the warm Gulf Stream current which also warms up Britain and much of northwest Europe. The Gulf Stream originates in the Gulf of Mexico between the southern United States and east coast Mexico. Murmansk has other problems to deal with. For example, a significant Russian nuclear accident took place at the Andreyeva Bay Soviet naval base 569 in February 1982. Andreyeva Bay is a radioactive waste repository 55 km northwest of Murmansk and 60 km from the Norwegian border, on the western shore of the Kola Peninsula. The repository entered service in 1961. In February 1982 a nuclear accident occurred in which about 700,000 tons of highly radioactive water was released into the Barents Sea from a pool in Building 5 of the repository over the next few years. Cleanup of the accident took place from 1983 to 1989. About 1,000 people took part in the cleanup effort. The nuclear power plant fuel repository, constructed in the early 1960s, was a naval base on the shore of the Zapadnaya Litsa bay. It consisted of two piers, a stationary mooring bay, a sanitation facility, spent fuel pools in Building 5 that have been unused since the cleanup ended in 1989, three 1,000 cubic meter dry storage containers, a 40,000-ton crane, an open-air field for storing spent nuclear fuel containers, a security checkpoint, and other technical facilities. In 1982 the area contained spent nuclear fuel in storage facility Building 5 consisting of about 22,000 spent nuclear fuel assemblies, solid radioactive waste in storage facility Building 7, and liquid radioactive waste in storage facility Building 6. Building 5 contained two pools for storing spent fuel assemblies, encased in steel drums. Each drum contained 5-7 spent fuel assemblies, weighing 350 kg fully loaded. Each of the pools was 60 meters long, 3 meters wide, 6 meters deep, and had a volume of 1,000 cubic meters. Each was designed for about 2,000 drums. The drums were suspended underwater from massive chains, which were attached to anchor points a certain distance from each other to hopefully avoid an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction from starting. The water served as a radiation shield for people on the deck around the pools. The drums were placed underwater using the chains and a crane cart, but due to the construction's unreliability, drums often fell to the bottom of the pool. As a result, spent nuclear fuel drums dangerously piled up at the bottom which defeated the water protection from uncontrolled nuclear reactions by the chains and anchor points. Someone who worked there remarked that the first time they saw all this they were shocked. The facility seemed like a nightmare. The facility was an enormous black windowless building atop a cliff. The entrance to building 5 was decorated with deformed trucks previously used for carrying nuclear fuel and half-torn-down heavy gates. Inside, the building was dilapidated, and deteriorating electrical equipment was another hazard. Building 5 was completely radioactive. The right-hand pool in building 5 started leaking in February 1982. Finding cracks in the drums metal coatings required diving into the pool, which was out of the question due to the gamma radiation levels in the vicinity of the nuclear waste drums. An attempt to eliminate the leak was made by pouring in 20 sacks of flour, thus filling the cracks with dough. That did not last and the leak continued. Later it was found there was ice on the right side of the building. This indicated that earlier containment efforts were ineffective. In April 1982, the basement part of the building was filled with 600 cubic meters of concrete but this was ineffective. There was a risk of contamination of nearby Zapadnaya Litsa bay. In order to safeguard against radioactive leaks, iron-lead-concrete covers, weighing thousands of tons, were built over the pool. In fact it was later discovered that it was only good fortune that prevented the collapse of the whole structure. In early 1983 government officials confirmed the closing of the repository, except for work related to the cleanup of the accident. No more spent nuclear fuel was loaded in Building 5. March 1983 through September 1987 saw spent fuel unloaded from the left-hand pool. All of the fuel was unloaded and sent to the Mayak nuclear facility. As of December 1989, all 1,500 drums of nuclear waste from Building 5 were declared dealt with. This was not the case. Poor welding seam quality in the pools' coating led to more leaks. The left pool sprouted a leak due to the building sagging under the weight of the iron-lead-concrete covers over the right pool. Specialists believed that temperature changes in the pool's water stressed welding seams, tearing them. When Building 5's repository was designed, it was assumed that the water would be kept at a constant temperature by heat from the nuclear assemblies suspended under the surface. A separate water heating system was thus deemed unnecessary. That did not work because the extreme Arctic climate created a thick layer of ice in winter. In order to solve this problem, the ice was melted using steam from the boiler. This was a violation of radiation safety guidelines. Radioactive air spread through the building and leaked into the outside atmosphere. Several workers were killed during the cleanup efforts due to accidents, inadequate protective equipment and the generally dangerous state of the facility. A Catholic legal group has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a California law that prevents public schools from notifying parents of transgender students' gender identities. The Thomas More Society filed an emergency appeal on Thursday asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a ruling issued last month by a federal judge who said parents with religious objections can opt out of the laws restrictions. The challenged provisions bar teachers from informing parents if a student wishes to change their pronouns or gender identity, according to reporting by POLITICO. "Parents only relinquish authority needed for the school to carry out its 'educational mission' ... they do not delegate the authority to make decisions regarding whether their child is a boy or a girl," attorneys for the Thomas More Society wrote in the appeal. Federal Judge Strikes Down 'Gender Secrecy' Policies In California Public Schools The law prohibits teachers from telling parents if a student wants to use new pronouns or adopt a different gender identity. The law, signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024 and in effect for the past year, also bars teachers from disclosing a student's sexual orientation. That provision, however, is not directly at issue in the current legal challenge. The measure was adopted after several school districts in the Golden State implemented policies requiring teachers to contact parents if students wanted to change their name, pronouns or gender identity policies that critics labeled "forced outing." Read On The Fox News App The law allows disclosure of a student's gender identity in "compelling" circumstances, a standard opponents argue is vague and insufficient. There are exceptions under the law allowing schools to disclose a students gender identity in "compelling" circumstances. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a permanent injunction last month blocking parts of the law, siding with two Escondido Union School District teachers Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West who argued their districts policies violated their constitutional and religious rights. Oregon Educators Win 650K Settlement After School District Fired Them Over Gender Policy Comments The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Newsroom) "Parents have a right to receive gender information and teachers have a right to provide to parents accurate information about a childs gender identity," Benitez wrote in the ruling. "Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence." The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later paused Benitezs ruling while California appeals the decision, keeping the law in effect for now. In addition to seeking emergency relief from the nation's highest court, lawyers challenging the law said they plan to ask a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges to allow Benitezs injunction to take effect. The law was adopted after several school districts in the state approved policies requiring teachers to contact parents if students wanted to change their name, pronouns or gender identity. California Attorney General Rob Bontas office said the state would continue defending the law. "We look forward to continuing to make our case in court," a spokesperson for Bontas office told POLITICO. Click Here To Download The Fox News App The case comes amid broader scrutiny of Californias education policies. In March, the Trump administration announced the Education Department had launched an investigation into the states enforcement of the law. Original article source: Catholic group asks SCOTUS to block California law against revealing students' gender identities to parents A logo of Zeekr is seen on a wheel of a car, produced by Chinese automaker Zeekr, at a dealership in Moscow, Russia August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov By Giulio Piovaccari BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Premium Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr will expand into more European markets in 2026, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain and is considering launching extended-range plug-in hybrids in the region, an executive said on Friday. "When we look at the European consumer demand, the plug-in hybrid segment still ... has a high share," Lothar Schupet, Zeekr's acting head of European operations told Reuters at the Brussels car show. Schupet added that the unit of China's Geely is investigating consumer demand for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and will reach a decision in a few months. Selling PHEV models would help Zeekr avoid European Union tariffs on Chinese-made fully-electric cars. In December, the EU backed off its effective 2035 ban on fossil-fuel cars, which means PHEVs - which have a combustion engine but can drive some distance on battery power - can be sold in Europe for longer than previously expected. Zeekr currently sells in 12 European markets and launched in Germany in December - and in some markets sells directly to consumers. As well as adding new major markets, Zeekr will also more than triple its European dealer network to around 100 dealers this year from 30 now, Schupet said. Geely took Zeekr private last year. In China Zeekr is often viewed as Geely's best asset because of its high premium EV sales. The company has already launched plug-in hybrid versions of some models in the Chinese market, the world's largest. The brand launched in Europe just over two years ago and so far has had modest sales, but Schupet said Zeekr aims to grow and become "a major player in the premium segment for sustainable mobility." (Reporting By Giulio Piovaccari, writing by Nick Carey, Editing by Louise Heavens) HOUSTON Shanita Terrell believes someone spiked her drink the night she stopped by a Houston bar in 2020. Intoxicated and disoriented, she remembers little of what happened after that. A married mother of two who had recently moved to the city, Terrell did not know the Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy who approached her in full uniform. Deputy Mark Cannon, working off-duty as a security guard at the bar, handed her a bottle of water before escorting her outside and encouraging her to go home with another law enforcement officer a man she did not know. Hours later, Terrell woke up in pain. What happened in between reconstructed through the plaintiff's allegations in court records and disciplinary rulings in police internal affairs files raises questions about the supervision of law enforcement officers in off-duty environments and what recourse citizens have when something goes wrong. Cell phone video of Shanita Terrell recorded by Harris County Deputy Mark Cannon in February 2023. Provided by attorney Randall Kallinen After Terrell had become visibly disoriented, her cousin, a waitress at the bar, texted Deputy Cannon, asking that he "take care of her." Police records show Cannon did not call a ride-share vehicle, did not ask for medical help and did not keep her in public view. Instead, he walked her outside, failed to activate his body camera as required by department policy, and pulled out his personal cellphone to record while he directed her into the front seat of the other off-duty deputy's patrol car. That deputy, Michael Hines, was still in uniform. "You're getting a free ride," Cannon told her. "No, I'm not," she responded. Internal Affairs investigators reviewing the cellphone video later noted Cannon laughed and added the parting words, "See you in the morning." Terrell woke up the next morning with pain in her vaginal area. She went to a local hospital for a rape kit, which revealed Hines' DNA was present on her underwear. Hines was charged with sexual assault and later pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault. Terrell said she believes Hines should have gone to jail, but instead he was sentenced to six years of probation. Terrell also sought to hold both the bar and Deputy Cannon accountable. She sued The Address bar in state court and, according to her attorney, reached a confidential settlement. When Terrell sued Cannon for his role in the incident, her lawsuit was dismissed. The reason: Cannon's job as a law enforcement officer provided protection from civil lawsuits that normal civilian employees do not receive. In Texas, even while working in an off-duty capacity, officers can claim the legal doctrine of "qualified immunity." While some states' legislatures have banned qualified immunity for officers, even for actions taken while working their regular police jobs, a joint investigation from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University and CBS News found the nation's courts are split on what to do when officers go to work for private businesses to earn extra money. As a result, in many states, if an officer violates the law while "moonlighting," there is an increased chance they and even the business can limit or entirely avoid civil penalties when something goes wrong. Click here to read the full story. Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis New details on ICE agent involved in Minneapolis shooting Massive anti-government protests in Iran turn deadly Polish farmers hold a banner as they protest against the Mercosur trade deal in the center of Warsaw, Poland, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel Polish farmers hold a banner as they protest against the Mercosur trade deal in the center of Warsaw, Poland, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - EU states gave the go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign its largest free trade accord with the South American group Mercosur, more than 25 years after talks began, following months of wrangling to secure enough support. With U.S. President Donald Trump shaking up global trade, the European Commission and countries such as Germany and Spain argue the deal will help offset business lost from U.S. import tariffs, and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed the EU's clearance as a "historic day for multilateralism". "In an international scenario of growing protectionism and unilateralism, the agreement is a signal in favour of international trade as a driver of economic growth, with benefits for both blocs," he posted on X. Opponents led by France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food products, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers. FARMERS MARCH, BLOCK HIGHWAYS Farmers have launched protests across the EU, blocking highways in France and Belgium and marching in Poland on Friday. France voted against the deal - but a sufficient majority of EU members backed the accord. An EU diplomat and Poland's agriculture minister said that 21 countries supported the agreement, with Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland and Poland against and Belgium abstaining. A minimum of 15 countries representing 65% of the bloc's total population was required for approval. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed Friday's vote as a "milestone" and said the deal would be good for Germany and for Europe. "But 25 years of negotiations is too long. It's vital that the next free trade agreements are concluded swiftly," he said in a statement. The approval clears the way for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to sign the agreement with Mercosur partners - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - in Asuncion. Argentina's Foreign Ministry said the signing ceremony would take place on January 17. The European Parliament will also need to approve the accord, finally concluded a year ago, before it can enter into force. FRANCE SAYS THE BATTLE IS NOT OVER The free trade agreement is set to be the European Union's biggest in terms of tariff reduction, removing 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion) of duties on its exports. The Mercosur countries have high tariffs, such as 35% on car parts, 28% on dairy products and 27% on wines. The EU and Mercosur will hope to expand evenly split goods trade worth 111 billion euros in 2024. EU exports are dominated by machinery, chemicals and transport equipment, and Mercosur's are focused on agricultural products, minerals, pulp and paper. To win over deal sceptics, the European Commission has put in place safeguards that can suspend imports of sensitive farm produce. It has strengthened import controls, notably regarding pesticide residues, established a crisis fund, accelerated support for farmers, and has pledged to cut import duties on fertilisers. The concessions were not enough to convince Poland or France, but Italy shifted from a 'no' in December to a 'yes' on Friday, swinging the overall balance. "It seems to me the balance that has been found is sustainable," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told a press conference. Mathilde Panot, lower house chief of the far-left France Unbowed party, said on X that France had been "humiliated" by Brussels and on the world stage. French far-right and far-left parties are set to launch no-confidence motions in the government over the likely approval. French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has said the battle is not over and has pledged to fight for a rejection by the EU assembly, where the vote could be tight. European environmental groups also oppose the accord, saying commodities shipped to Europe will often come from deforested land. "The simple truth is that this unpopular deal is a disaster for the Amazon rainforest and no progressive MEP that is committed to forest protection should ever support it," Greenpeace EU campaigner Lis Cunha said. German Social Democrat Bernd Lange, the chair of parliament's trade committee, expressed confidence that the deal would be passed, with a final vote most likely in April or May. ($1 = 0.8587 euros) (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, additional reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Inti Landauro, Kuba Stezycki and Alan Charlish, Giselda Vagnoni, Manuela Andreoni, Lucinda ElliotEditing by Gareth Jones, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens, Rod Nickel) Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in London on Sept. 16, 2025 NEED TO KNOW The former Prince Andrew could relocate to the Middle East, a royal biographer tells PEOPLE Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been ordered to vacate his home, Royal Lodge, after being stripped of his royal titles by his brother, King Charles In his new book Windsor Legacy, out Jan. 6, royal author Robert Jobson examines the fallout from Andrews scandals and what could come next Exiled from the royal family, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is weighing his next move as he prepares to leave Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor mansion he has called home for more than two decades. The former Prince Andrew was ordered to surrender his lease on the property earlier this year after King Charles stripped him of his remaining royal titles and honors amid renewed scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. While he will be receiving a private residence on the Sandringham estate, now owned by his brother, Charles, insiders say his future remains unsettled. Royal biographer Robert Jobson suggests the former Duke of Yorks exile could extend beyond the U.K. following the Kings recent meeting with the ruler of Bahrain. The King saw the King of Bahrain the other day. One never knows it could be a place where Andrew gets the recognition of being the second son of Queen Elizabeth, rather than this," says Jobson, whose latest book Windsor Legacy is out on Jan. 6. Jobson adds that relocation to the Middle East would not be unprecedented. Spains former King Juan Carlos I has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2020 after stepping back from public life amid financial scandals. Speaking more broadly, Jobson notes: Other disgraced people have gone to the Middle East. Andrew did a lot of business in Bahrain, and hes still relatively young." PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Andrew for comment. TheImageDirect.com Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor pictured driving in Windsor in fall 2025 Fellow biographer Andrew Lownie, whose book Entitled was a bestseller in the U.K., also believes the Middle East remains a likely option for Andrew. He doesn't like the sound of being on the Sandringham estate, I think he wants to go somewhere where he can just get away from everything, Lownie adds. While Marsh Farm, a modest property on the Sandringham estate, has been widely cited as Andrews most immediate destination, Jobson questions whether it will be a long-term solution. I just cant see him being on an isolated farm in Sandringham, Jobson says. Pegusus Andrews ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson who also called Royal Lodge home for more than two decades is charting a separate path. She is said to be seeking an independent new life and is looking for a home of her own, possibly in the Windsor area, but apart from Andrew. Ferguson has also set her sights on rebuilding her commercial ventures and book-writing career. Shes a fighter, a source close to Ferguson tells PEOPLE. Lucia Graphus/Alamy Live News Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate where Andrew is set to have as his British home, according to speculation The couple split in 1996 but remained close, with Ferguson moving into Royal Lodge soon after Andrew took over the lease in 2003. Jobson, who has covered Fergusons ups and downs in and on the fringes of royal life for decades, notes that her post-divorce years were marked by financial strain after she stepped away from the royal fold. I have a degree of sympathy for her," Jobson says. "When she was divorced [from Andrew] her financial settlement was not huge, unlike Princess Dianas, and she was introduced to this lifestyle and lived it in a way that almost bamboozled her and has been in incredible debt ever since. She never got the payoff she should have got." Ferguson and Andrew spent Christmas at Royal Lodge this year, while their daughters, Princess Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, chose a different path joining the wider royal family as guests of King Charles, 77, at Sandringham in Norfolk. Paul Grover/Shutterstock Andrew with his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, left, at Queen Elizabeth's funeral in Sept. 2022 Jobson says he was not surprised that Beatrice and Eugenie chose to spend Christmas at Sandringham, where they walked to church with King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton. "Its easy to say this is a snub to their parents, but they would say, Im a royal princess, Im in line to the throne, I have been invited to attend the Kings Christmas celebrations, and you dont turn down the Kings invitation,'" Jobson says. "Its not an invitation its a command, really," he adds. Despite the public separation on Christmas Day, the family has remained in close contact throughout the ongoing scandal. As grandparents, Ferguson and Andrew attended the christening of Beatrices daughter, Athena, at St. Jamess Palace on Dec. 12. Both kept a deliberately low profile, arriving discreetly and leaving without attending the pub after-party in central London. They have to focus on their own families, and we all know thats what people tend to do as they get older. Theres a sense they would put an arm around mom, but dad will be left to get on with it." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Jordan Peck/Getty Princess Eugenie (center) and Princess Beatrice (back) join the royal family on Dec. 25, 2025 in Sandringham Behind the scenes, Andrew and Ferguson had believed they could resist efforts to force them out of Royal Lodge, pointing to Andrews long-term lease on the Windsor property. But with scrutiny surrounding Andrews ties to Jeffrey Epstein refusing to fade, a months-long standoff between Andrew and palace officials and ultimately King Charles became known in royal circles as the siege of Royal Lodge. That impasse ended in late October 2025, when Charles ordered his brother to surrender the lease on Royal Lodge. [Andrew and Sarah] were relying on [the royal family] leaving them at Royal Lodge and fought very hard to stay there, Jobson says. Read the original article on People A judge in a robe holds a gavel over a desk in a courtroom. Photo: Shopify Partners / Burst (The Center Square) New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's push to stop the bankruptcy sale of more than 5,000 rent-subsidized apartments in the city has been blocked, temporarily, by the federal courts. Mamdani, who was sworn into office last week, directed the citys Law Department shortly after taking over City Hall to intervene in the bankruptcy proceedings of more than 90 buildings with apartments all owned by Pinnacle, a real estate group. The Mamdani administration says the company owes the city $12.7 million in unpaid fines for housing code violations. The company declared bankruptcy in May after defaulting on more than $560 million in loans. But U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge for the Southern District of New York David Jones has declined the city's motion to intervene in the legal fight, and reportedly informed the city that the bankruptcy sale will proceed. Pinnacle Group, which is owned by billionaire Joel Wiener, is one of the largest landlords in New York City with roughly 140 buildings and 9,000 apartments, according to the court filings. After the company filed for bankruptcy last year, Summit Real Estate Holdings made a $450 million offer to buy dozens of buildings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx and Queens. The sale must be finalized by Jones before it can proceed. "Completion of the bankruptcy auction process will bring financial stability along with the opportunity to stabilize services, outcomes which we would expect the City would not want to disrupt," Pinnacle lawyer Ken Fisher said in a recent statement about the looming sale. But lawyers for the city said in court filings that there are also concerns about the economics of the bankruptcy sale, suggesting that Summit might not have the financial resources to improve conditions in the housing complexes that it wants to take over. "Continuing losses and mounting expenses might lead to the need for additional bankruptcies or reorganizations, a state of financial and social chaos potentially worse than the current situation of the debtors themselves, the city said. The Union of Pinnacle Tenants, a group of tenants who organized to oppose the sale, say the current landlord has neglected maintenance, failed to pay its utility bills and allowed apartments to deteriorate and worry that the next owner won't improve conditions. But the fight over the Pinnacle properties was a key issue in the recent mayoral campaign, with housing advocates warning that New York City's rising rents and housing costs are hurting the city's low-income residents and will increase homelessness. New York has some of the highest housing costs in the nation. Mamdani campaigned on protecting rent-subsidized apartments, and visited one of Pinnacle's properties in Brooklyn on inauguration day to meet with tenants and criticize living conditions in the buildings. The court loss also comes as Mamdani faces scrutiny over his pick to lead the Mayors Office to Protect Tenants, Cea Weaver, who has been criticized for prior social media posts calling homeownership a "weapon of white supremacy." Mamdani has defended Weaver, who has stated that she regrets her previous social media posts, which have since been deleted. Matt Bevin listens during a court hearing in Louisville on March 21, 2025. His adoptive son, Jonah Bevin, was granted a protective order against the former Kentucky governor. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is back in court making another effort to keep his estranged, adopted son from intervening in his divorce case. In a pleading filed Wednesday with the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Bevins lawyers are asking the court to vacate a ruling from Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson that Jonah Bevin, now 19, may intervene in any settlement reached by the wealthy ex-governor and his former wife, Glenna. The appeals court in October had rejected an appeal of the matter by the Bevins, saying such an appeal could not be pursued until the case was resolved in family court. While the Bevins divorce was finalized in March 2025, a proposed settlement remains pending while Jonah seeks to be a party, arguing he was neglected, deprived of an education and sent to an abusive child residential center in Jamaica at 17. Jonah is among four children the Bevins adopted from Ethiopia. They also have five biological children; all but one are adults. Jonah Bevin arrives in family court in Louisville with attorney Dawn J. Post for a hearing on a protective order against his parents, former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, March 25, 2025. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) Matt Bevins pleading argues that the family courts ruling permitting Jonah to intervene seeking educational services and child support is clearly erroneous. Simply stated, there is no law in Kentucky that allows a child to intervene in his parents divorce case, said the pleading styled as a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking emergency relief from a lower court. But lawyers for Jonah said the action filed by the one-term Republican ex-governor is yet another delaying tactic. This is another attempt by this disgraced governor . . .to leverage the court system to conceal his conduct or delay access to justice and accountability, said a statement from Jonahs lawyers, John Helmers and Melina Hettiaratchi. This is not the act of a family-focused man. It added that Bevin is using extremist talking points to deprive Jonah of resources, stating Jonah simply seeks the support he is entitled to under Kentucky law and in the eyes of any caring parent. Bevin, a conservative Christian, ran for governor in 2015 on a campaign of promoting adoption and foster care, often citing his own familys experience. The Bevins lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. Matt Bevins pleading states that unless the appeals court intervenes, allowing Jonah to intervene in the divorce settlement would cause great injustice and irreparable injury to the Bevins. It also would create a dangerous precedent in Kentucky divorce cases going forward, it said. But Dawn J. Post, a New York lawyer and child advocate who first intervened to help Jonah after he was removed from the Jamaican facility, said the only danger is to Jonah if he is excluded from the case. Jonah continues to struggle today as a direct result of years of abuse, coercive control, institutionalization, abandonment, and effective disappearance during his childhood, Post said in an email. If irreparable harm exists here, it is not the product of judicial deliberation. It is the result of years in which a childs needs were subordinated, his welfare marginalized, and his existence treated as an obstacle rather than an obligation. Post has said in a court filing that she spent three weeks in Jamaica in 2024 working on behalf of the youths removed from a brutally violent facility, including Jonah, and said the Bevins were the only parents who did not engage with the U.S. embassy or Jamaican child welfare authorities to assist in the care and return of their child to the United States. The case attracted international media attention after hotel heiress and celebrity Paris Hilton an advocate for children in the so-called troubled teen industry flew to Jamaica to aid the youths. Bevins pleading also asks the court to rule before a family court case scheduled for March 27, saying it would cause unwarranted public scrutiny regarding private family issues. It added: The divorce case has already garnered substantial attention from the media and general public, and that attention will only intensify if there is a public hearing pitting the former governor of Kentucky and his ex-wife against their adult son. French farmers of the Confederation Paysanne drive their tractors slowly on the Paris ring road during a "Go Slow" protest against the government's handling of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement and the handling of the lumpy skin disease outbreak, in Paris, France, January 9, 2026. The slogans read "Damn this economic and health war" and "Stop the EU-Mercosur agreement". REUTERS/Benoit Tessier French farmers of the Confederation Paysanne drive their tractors slowly on the Paris ring road during a "Go Slow" protest against the government's handling of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement and the handling of the lumpy skin disease outbreak, in Paris, France, January 9, 2026. The slogans read "Damn this economic and health war" and "Stop the EU-Mercosur agreement". REUTERS/Benoit Tessier By Elizabeth Pineau and Sybille de La Hamaide PARIS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The French government was pilloried by political rivals and farmers after it failed to block the approval of the EU's Mercosur trade deal at a vote on Friday, with far-right and far-left opposition parties filing no-confidence motions. The far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party put forward a motion on Friday morning, while the far-right National Rally (RN) said it would also launch one against the European Commission chief in Brussels. The no-confidence motions underline the domestic political blowback President Emmanuel Macron's government faces over the trade deal with South American nations as it battles to pass an already-late 2026 budget through a truculent parliament. It seems unlikely the RN and LFI will muster enough votes in parliament to oust the government, led by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Still, their threats underline the perilous political tightrope Macron's administration continues to walk just over a year before the 2027 presidential election, with analysts saying the deal could boost the RN's chances next year. "The motions have little chance of being approved," Stewart Chau, an analyst with Verian Group, told Reuters. "But this signature could put wind in the sails of the RN. Rural France votes rather massively for the RN, and this could support a more explicitly anti-EU narrative," he said. LECORNU SAYS MOTIONS WEAKEN FRANCE'S VOICE France voted against the Mercosur accord. However, the treaty only requires qualified majority support among EU member states for the deal to be signed by the European Commission and the South American bloc. The European Parliament would then need to ratify the accord. RN party president Jordan Bardella said Macron's vote against the deal was mere posturing amounting to "a betrayal of French farmers." His boss Marine Le Pen called on Macron to threaten to suspend France's contribution to the European Union budget. Mathilde Panot from the far left LFI said France had been "humiliated" by Brussels and on the world stage. "Lecornu and Macron must go," she wrote on X. Lecornu said the no confidence motions sent a negative signal abroad at a time France should be trying to convince other European nations and was also delaying budget talks. "Tabling a motion of no-confidence in this context... is choosing to weaken France's voice rather than show national unity in defence of our agriculture," Lecornu posted on X. DEAL LOOKS SET TO PASS EU states gave a provisional go-ahead on Friday for a deal that would be its largest ever free trade accord and took more than 25 years in the making. France was joined by Poland, Hungary, Ireland and Austria in voting against the deal, failing to reach the minimum level for a blocking minority. With Donald Trump determined to shake up global trade, the European Commission and countries such as Germany and Spain argue the deal will help offset business lost from U.S. tariffs, and reduce reliance on China by securing access to critical minerals. Opponents led by France, the EU's largest agricultural producer, say the agreement will jack up imports of cheap food, including beef, poultry and sugar, undercutting domestic farmers. France secured significant concessions from Brussels to protect farmers from the full impact of the deal. But although major French industries would benefit from the deal, including wine, cheese and milk producers, cattle farmers, who make up a third of French farmers, have successfully mobilised public opinion against it. (Reporting by Sybille de la Hamaide, Gabriel Stargardter, Elizabeth Pineau, Charlotte Van Campenhout; writing by Michel Rose; Editing by Richard Lough and Toby Chopra) The White House has said President Donald Trump is considering a range of options for acquiring Greenland. (Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images file) (Odd Andersen) WASHINGTON The top representatives to the U.S. from Denmark and Greenland met with White House officials Thursday, according to a source familiar with the discussions, to seek a better understanding of U.S. policy on the semiautonomous island. A White House official confirmed the meeting with the Danish ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Mller Srensen, and Greenlands representative to the U.S., Jacob Isbosethsen, but both sources declined to say who from the Trump administration participated in the discussions. President Donald Trump has said he needs the Arctic island for national security purposes, with White House officials publicly discussing a range of options to acquire the Danish territory, from using the U.S. military to purchasing the land. Asked about Greenland in a recent New York Times interview, Trump said that ownership is very important. Ownership is what I feel is psychologically needed for success, Trump said. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you cant do with, youre talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you cant get from just signing a document. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with the foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland next week for further discussions. Vice President JD Vance, who took questions from reporters at Thursday's White House briefing, reiterated the U.S. interest in Greenland. Well continue to deliver some of these messages in private, some of them in public, but I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the president of the United States seriously, Vance said. Number one, Greenland is really important, not just to Americas missile defense, but to the worlds missile defense. Number two, we know that there are hostile adversaries that have shown a lot of interest in that particular territory, that particular slice of the world," he said. "So what were asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that land mass more seriously, because if theyre not, the United States is going to have to do something about it. Srensen and Isbosethsen also met Thursday with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. In a social media post after the meeting with lawmakers, Srensen said Denmark, a member of NATO, has recently invested $4 billion in Arctic security, including expanding the permanent presence of its armed forces. He called Denmark and Greenland strong, reliable partners for U.S. security interests. As for purchasing the island, Isbosethsen was blunt. Greenland is not for sale, he told NBC News following meetings on Capitol Hill. I think our prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and our foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, has made it very, very clear our country belongs to the Greenlandic people. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a Trump ally, said Thursday that there's no avenue to acquire Greenland. I think its been made clear from our Danish friends and from our friends in Greenland that that future does not include a negotiation," he said. "Theres no willingness on their part to negotiate for the purchase or the change in title to their land, which theyve had for so long. Thats their prerogative, and theyre right, and theyve made that very clear to us. The U.S. seizure of the tanker formerly known as Bella I marks a rare escalation in sanctions enforcement against Russias so-called "dark fleet," but experts say the move is unlikely to trigger a broader confrontation with Moscow, at least in the near term. Analysts largely agree that the interdiction one of the most direct U.S. actions against a vessel Russia claims was operating under its flag comes at a moment when the Kremlin has limited appetite for escalation outside Europe and is focused primarily on its war against neighboring Ukraine. "This is unique," said Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at the Washington conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. The U.S. rarely boards foreign-flagged vessels on the high seas unless the ships nationality is in doubt, which he said was the case here due to rapid reflagging and a pattern of sanctions violations. Treasury Targets Oil Traders, Tankers Accused Of Helping Maduro Evade U.s. Sanctions Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that the seizure of the tanker reinforces the message that the U.S. is aiming to "call the shots in its own backyard." Meanwhile, he said that Russia is bogged down fighting its war against Ukraine, meaning it will be challenging for it to engage in a significant way in Latin America. Read On The Fox News App Likewise, Russia is also attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration for a favorable outcome in a peace deal ending the conflict with Ukraine, he said. The Coast Guard has seized an oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic. (Fox News) "The Donroe Doctrine," as President Donald Trump has called it, fashions the 1823 Monroe Doctrine warning against European expansion into Latin America after himself. The empty vessel was seized in international waters during an operation overseen by U.S. European Command. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia dispatched a submarine to escort the tanker after the U.S. attempted to seize it off Venezuela, heightening the risk of a naval standoff between two nuclear-armed states. Ghost Ships Ferrying Illicit Oil Have Sailed Into Trumps Crosshairs Russia has operated a so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers for years to evade sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Wednesdays seizure marks one of the most direct U.S. enforcement actions to date against a vessel tied to that network. "Theres really not a whole lot of cards the Russians have to play at this point," Sadler said, anticipating a muted response. Analysts largely agree that the interdiction comes at a moment when the Kremlin has limited appetite for escalation outside Europe and is focused primarily on its war against neighboring Ukraine. Us And Ukraine Target 1,000-Vessel 'Dark Fleet' Smuggling Sanctioned Oil Worldwide Rough also noted that similar actions like the one on Wednesday have not triggered major escalation previously. In October, French authorities boarded and detained a Russia-linked tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet off the coast of France without sparking a new crisis. In that instance, the tanker was not a Russian-flagged vessel. "The upshot is that in light of the administrations determination to dictate terms on Venezuela-related issues like this and Putins desire to work with Trump on what matters most to the Kremlin Ukraine Im inclined to say that Moscows response will consist mostly of protesting this action and lodging political and legal complaints," Rough said in an email to Fox News Digital. "I dont think it will lead to a full-blown political crisis in U.S.-Russian relations." John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also predicted the seizure of the Bella I tanker wouldnt dramatically impact relations between Washington and Moscow. "I suspect Moscow reacted the way it did because it worries about a precedent that could lead to U.S. interdiction of tankers moving Russian oil," Hardie said. "That said, I dont think the Bella incident alone will have significant impact on relations between the Trump administration and Moscow or the peace talks." The empty vessel was seized in international waters during an operation overseen by U.S. European Command. Us Coast Guard Pursues Third 'Dark Fleet' Oil Tanker As Trump Targets Venezuelan Sanctions Evasion Network Russia has accused U.S. naval forces of illegally boarding the vessel which had been reflagged as the Merinera under temporary Russian authorization Dec. 24 arguing the action violated international maritime law. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the legal justification for the seizure. While Moscows response has so far been limited to diplomatic and legal objections, the incident has drawn attention because of how unusual the operation was. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies defense and security department, said that there are hundreds of sanctioned oil ships in the sea with at least 100 of them belonging to Russia. If the U.S. started targeting more tankers, that would have a "huge" impact on countries like Russia and Iran, he said. Click Here To Download The Fox News App "The one tanker will be an annoyance to Russia, and they'll complain," Cancian told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "I think the bigger issue is whether we or other countries, start going after other tankers with sanctioned oil." Original article source: Inside the sea war to contain dark fleet vessels and what the US seizure signals to Russia by Rachel Robison-Greene We spend much of our livesperhaps more time than we realizeinteracting with non-persons online. We ask for help from artificial customer service representatives. Some of us accept friend requests from bots and are, thereafter, influenced by the content they post. This is a momentous change to the nature of the public square. For most of human existence, discourse occurred between persons. That is no longer true. Philosophers spend much of their time thinking about whether it will ever be possible for artificial intelligence to be conscious. For many purposes, however, the question of whether artificial intelligence exhibits or could ever exhibit personhood is a much more important question. The philosopher Harry Frankfurt has much to say about what it is to be a person. Persons are beings who use their second order volitions to guide their first order desires. To see how this works, consider the case of a woman who desires a slice of cake. Suppose that she is avoiding sugar. Accordingly, she has a second order desire to refrain from eating the cake. When she is successful in getting her second order, reflective desires and volitions to guide her first order desires, she exhibits personhood. That is, when she does what she wants to do because the wants to want to do it, her will is free and she acts as a person. A being that never used second order desires to guide first order desires would be what Frankfurt calls a wanton. Frankfurt imagines a wanton as a being who merely acts as their impulses dictate, never reflective on whether theyd like those impulses to be different or whether they should attempt to modify their impulses. He says, I shall use the term wanton to refer to agents who have first-order desires but who are not persons because, whether or not they have desires of the second order, they have no second-order volitions. The essential characteristic of a wanton is that he does not care about his will. His desires move him to do certain things, without its being true of him either that he wants to be moved by those desires or that he prefers to be moved by other desires. (Frankfurt 1988, 16) Frankfurt offers non-human animals and very young children as examples of wantons, acknowledging that there may be others. This new virtual type of wanton isnt a being swept away by impulse. The first order impulses of an algorithm are simply to do what it is programmed to do. There is nothing seductive or addictive about these impulses that make them irresistible. The impulses simply must be unreflectively followed. This makes the virtual wanton a special kind of hazard in the public square. Persons possess a motivational psychology that wantons do not. In a later work, Reasons of Love, Frankfurt provides an account of the kind of practical reasoning that allows a person to decide the existential question how should I live? He argues that reasons for action arise out of the things that we care about. He says, The ability to care requires a type of psychic complexity that may be peculiar to the members of our species. By its very nature, caring manifests and depends upon our distinctive capacity to have thoughts, desires, and attitudes that are about our own attitudes, desires, and thoughts. In other words, it depends upon the fact that human minds are reflexive. (Frankfurt 2004, 17) On this view, the capacity to care about something is not identical to the capacity to desire it. Caring is also more than an emotion; it isnt reducible to feeling very strong positive emotions. Caring about something or someone, for Frankfurt, is an ongoing, sustained process. Upon reflection, a person either endorses or rejects the idea that caring ought to continue. Caring, then, has a temporal componenta component that preserves itself through time. He says, When a person cares about something, on the other hand, he is willingly committed to his desire. The desire does not move him either against his will or without his endorsement. He is not its victim; nor is he passively indifferent to it. On the contrary, he himself desires that it move him. He is therefore prepared to intervene, should that be necessary, in order to ensure that it continues. If the desire tends to fade or to falter, he is disposed to refresh it and to reinforce whatever degree of influence he wishes it to exert upon his attitudes and upon his behavior. (Frankfurt 2004, 16) For Frankfurt, all and only persons are capable of taking evaluative attitudes toward their own desires and they do so regularly. They periodically reassess their commitments and they charge forward with what they care about. Persons and only persons imbue their lives with subjective meaning by reaffirming what they do and do not care about. When a person cares about something, that fact provides them with prima facie normative reasons. He says, of a man, The most basic and essential question concerning the conduct of his life cannot be the normative question of how he should live. That question can sensibly be asked only on the basis of a prior answer to the factual question of what he actually does care about. If he cares about nothing, he cannot even begin to inquire methodically into how he should live; for his caring about nothing entails that nothing can count with him as a reason in favor of living in one way rather than another. (Frankfurt 2004, 26) Many of our normative reasons depend on what we care about, but some rely on a deeper and more meaningful attitudelove. When we love things, we often have very little, or no control at all, over whether we love them. The things that we love and that we cant help but to care about are what Frankfurt calls volitional necessities. He says, The objects of our love represent our most fundamental commitments and provide us with overriding reasons for action. When we love something, we see it as having value in itself, and we see the interests of the thing or the person that we love as worthy of pursuit for their own sake. (Frankfurt 2004, 229) Persons are the kinds of beings who cant help but to act on reasons supporting the things and people they love the most. A final feature of persons that I want to identify here is the ability that persons have to act genuinely purposefully. This is related to the account of motivational psychology provided above. Persons who act on care and love and who accept, reject, or revise their first order desires on the basis of these considerations are capable of acting purposefully. They are in the position to narrowly tailor their practical reasoning not simply to achieve a goal, but to achieve a goal worth achieving. Their actions and deliberations are, as a result, well suited to their purpose. To summarize, persons are distinct from wantons because they dont simply act on their desires they reflect on whether those desires are worth having and they often change them if they arent. Persons act on normative reasons that are grounded in care and love. Deliberating using reasons that arise in this way allows persons to act purposefully in ways that contribute to goals that the person has carefully considered. We have now set the table for a discussion about the special challenges posed by AI in its various iterations. AI does not exhibit personhood because it does not reflect on whether the methods it is using (its behavior) are the methods, it ought to be employing. It vomits outputs with no reflection on whether these are the outputs it ought to be providing. When we interact with AI chatbots, we interact with virtual wantons. As we will see in what follows, virtual wantons spew bullshit at an unprecedented and alarming rate. Whats more, AI cannot act on the basis of normative reasons. To see why, consider the following argument: P1: Normative reasons depend upon either what agents care about or what they would care about if they were fully informed. P2: Artificial intelligence does not care about anything, either hypothetically or in fact. C: Artificial intelligence doesnt act for normative reasons. AI driven chat bots on the internet cant care about truth. As a result, they are, by their very nature, bullshitters. They might sometimes, likely even often, spit out outputs that contain true propositions. However, they dont do so because they value truth and are trying to arrive at it. If the above argument is sound, then discourse in the public square has fundamentally changed. At earlier stages of human history, we debated about practical and moral issues using arguments that included normative reasons as premises. We could evaluate one anothers arguments based on the strength of those reasons. In these contexts, when people acted in good faith, the aim of the discourse would be to arrive at conclusions regarding what we as individuals and in groups ought to do. We would be ideally guided by ideals like truth, justice, equality, and fairness. We would be motivated by these things because we care about them. Machines cant deliberate using normative reasons in this way. Machines arent capable of caring about truth, so in practical deliberations, they cant give us anything more than bullshit. It gets worse. AI doesnt care about truth, and it also doesnt care about people. For this reason, its particular brand of bullshit is uniquely dangerous. For instance, a qualified human therapist cares about providing care to a patient. As a result, normative reasons would guide the therapists advice toward the patient, with that patients well-being always front of mind. An AI therapist, by contrast, doesnt care about the patient. It spews out bullshit that has even, at times, resulted in AI therapists recommending suicide to their patients. The same is true with romance bots. In a real romance, reasons for actions are fueled by love. In healthy relationships, love for a partner will entail reasons to care about the wellbeing of the beloved. Romance bots cant love their partners. They dont have their well-being in mind. They can and do act outside of the interests of their partner up to and including pushing them toyou guessed itsuicide. Artificial intelligence cant care about or love people. Importantly, it cant care about or love values and ideals either. Artificial intelligence cant love justice or equality, and it cant hate cruelty and unnecessary suffering. As a result, it cant be motivated by the kinds of reasons one would hope that these considerations provide. This is particularly chilling in todays public square bots cant care about the fact that they are fomenting unrest or undermining democracy. They cant love fairness in a way that prevents oppression and subordination. Artificial Intelligence cant carefully craft outputs to achieve a purpose because it cant act on the basis of normative reasons. In On Bullshit, Frankfurt identifies hot air as an identifying feature of bullshit. He says, When we characterize talk as hot air, we mean that what comes out of the speaker is only that. It is mere vapor. His speech is empty, without substance or content. His use of language, accordingly, does not contribute to the purpose it purports to serve. No more information is communicated than had the speaker simply exhaled (OB, page 43). Developers have crafted AI to satisfy a variety of purposes. That said, it is incorrect to call AI purposeful. It is more accurate, instead, to say that AI systems are the kinds of bullshitters that just happen to get things right sometimes. An AI therapist, for instance, may issue what a human therapist would take to be good advice on some occasions, but it wouldnt do so because it appreciates the purpose of contributing to the well-being of another human being. In this way, he advice it offers doesnt really contribute to the purpose it was intended to serve. It is merely bullshitting. *** Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now. Education Secretary Linda McMahon participates in a fireside chat in North Carolina, June 25, 2025. Photo: U.S. Department of Education via Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from Original (The Center Square) The U.S. Department of Education has introduced the Returning Education to the States Waiver, granting states greater flexibility in using federal funding. Iowa is the first state to receive approval for the waiver. The department claims that the waiver is flexible and will reduce compliance costs, allowing almost $8 million to be redirected from bureaucratic red tape to the classroom over four years. Iowa is the first state in the nation to receive federal approval to redirect federal resources from compliance to the classroom in its innovative Unified Allocation Plan. State funds from several Elementary and Secondary Education Act programs are combined into a single block grant of about $3.8 million for 2024 and 2025, allowing the state to support statewide professional learning, including literacy and instruction for English learners, at no cost to schools. State education leaders plan to use the redirected funds to expand support for literacy training, strengthen their teacher pipeline and narrow achievement gaps. This will allow Iowas reporting requirement to reduce administrative work and provide flexibility that supports innovative solutions that focus on classroom instruction for students while ensuring transparency and accountability. We are grateful to each of the administrators, teachers, and Iowans whose experience and expertise shaped Iowas innovative Unified Allocation Plan, which reflects our collective focus on accountability for student outcomes, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said. Alongside them and the U.S. Department of Education, we look forward to continuing our work to refocus federal resources on their true purposethe success of all learners. The Department of Education confirmed in an email to The Center Square that it is currently working with six other states on waiver requests. Since the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results, the administration has taken strides to improve student outcomes in math and reading scores. The waiver is part of the Trump administrations ongoing efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and shift greater control to the states. Granting Iowas waiver illustrates the Trump Administrations commitment to returning education to the states by empowering state leaders, who know their students far better than bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., to have more discretion over federal education dollars, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. People hold signs as they gather during a vigil for a 37-year-old woman who was shot in her car by a U.S. immigration agent, according to local and federal officials, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. - Tim Evans/Reuters The fatal shooting of a US citizen by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday could become a flashpoint in President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown in American cities. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot while seated in the drivers seat of her car. The Department of Homeland Security described her as a rioter who was obstructing and attempting to use her vehicle against officers enforcing immigration laws. Three videos taken of the scene and reviewed by CNN, however, show nuance. Goods killing has prompted outrage on the part of state and local officials who said a violent incident like this is exactly what they feared when the rush of federal resources into the Twin Cities began in December. At a press conference after the shooting, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he had been warning for weeks that ICE operations in his state were a threat to public safety. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, meanwhile, bluntly told ICE to get the f**k out of his city. Heres what we know about the shooting that killed Good, what preceded it, and its aftermath. The shooting took place during what DHS described as its largest operation ever The immigration-enforcement operation in Minneapolis was prompted in part by a conservative content creators viral video describing alleged fraud across Minneapolis day care centers. That came as Trump spent months expressing animus against Somali Americans, referring to them as garbage in xenophobic screeds. Minneapolis hosts the largest diaspora of Somalis in the US. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, surged law enforcement up to about 2,000 immigration-enforcement officers by January during an maneuver it named Operation Metro Surge. US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino joins federal agents at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday. - Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/AP The agency described the surge as the largest DHS operation ever and said it has resulted in the arrests of hundreds of immigrants. Were not leaving until the problem is solved, the agency said in a post on social media before the shooting. The Minneapolis surge followed other operations in large cities, mostly led by Democrats, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland and Washington, DC. While DHS claims it is going after the worst of the worst people with violent convictions or criminal records, CNN has previously reported that the agency has detained American citizens or people without criminal records, and has often used force against people who are protesting their presence. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a news conference Friday she is not opposed to sending more immigration authorities to Minneapolis following the shooting. Footage from several angles captured Goods killing At least three videos captured Goods shooting or its immediate aftermath. In one video posted online, Good could be seen in her car, a maroon Honda Pilot, which is perpendicular in the middle of the street. Several unmarked law enforcement vehicles approach Goods car. One passes in front of her, and Good waves her hand out of the window. Two officers get out of their truck and approach the drivers side of Goods car. Get out of the car, the officers can be heard repeatedly saying. Get out of the f**king car. Goods car begins reversing while one of the officers reaches toward her drivers side door handle. Her car briefly stops, and then moves forward. Meanwhile, a third officer who appears to have been filming the scene appeared at the front of Goods car. That officer pulls out his handgun and points it at Good while moving away from the front of the car. A grainy video from a different angle, obtained and reviewed by CNN, seems to show Goods car making contact with the third officer, while turning away from the other two. Footage shows that the third officer then fires one shot before firing two more while out of the vehicles path, footage shows. Goods car accelerates forward before crashing into another parked car. Videos show bystanders rushing to the shooting victim. The officer who opened fire moves toward the car before walking away and telling bystanders to call 911. DHS immediately called the shooting victim a rioter before a clear picture emerged Almost immediately after the shooting took place, DHS described Good as having committed an act of domestic terrorism. They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle, said Noem during a press conference in Texas shortly after the shooting took place. DHS on X described Good as among a group of violent rioters, adding that the officer who shot Good, who has not been identified, used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday that the agent has more than 10 years of experience as an ICE deportation officer and is on the agencys Special Response Team, which requires 30 hours of tryouts to be considered. McLaughlin did not say how long the agent had been on the Special Response Team. A senior Homeland Security official told CNN that DHS will investigate the shooting and that in every use-of-force incident, there are standard protocols followed and there is no exception to that here. Shooting victim was mother of 3 Good was a poet, mother and partner whose killing has shocked her family. Renee was one of the kindest people Ive ever known. She was extremely compassionate, her mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune. Shes taken care of people all her life She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. A family photo posted in 2017 shows Renee Nicole Good, who was shot dead by an ICE agent on Wednesday morning in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The photo was posted on her mothers Facebook page. - Obtained by CNN She was born in Colorado, moved to Minnesota last year and lived in the Twin Cities with her partner, the Star Tribune reported, citing Ganger. The Associated Press reported that Good was a mother to three children. The eldest, aged 15 and 12, were from her first marriage. She also had a 6-year-old child whose father died in 2023, according to the Star Tribune. Good briefly moved to Kansas after spending most of her life in Colorado to live with her parents for a time after her husband a military veteran died, her father, Tim Ganger, told The Washington Post. She was a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland when she was younger, her ex-husband told the AP. The scene of Goods death became a vigil later Wednesday. This story has been updated with additional details. CNNs Holmes Lybrand, Amanda Musa and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A father in Mexico has legally changed his gender in an attempt to avoid paying child support for his child. For the past years, the life of Gloria Valentina Mendez Arambula has been consumed by lawsuits and numerous court appearances. She met Cristian Janet Montenegro Chairez, a lawyer, in 2017, and the two began a relationship in 2019. The following year, they moved in together, but the relationship took a turn when, according to Arambula, Chairez began exhibiting violent behavior at home. A father in Mexico reportedly changed his gender identity in an attempt to be exempt from paying child support Image credits: Municipios Puebla Chairez, who has reportedly been diagnosed as a psychopath and pathological narcissist, allegedly began acting erratically toward Arambula. The Durango-based psychologist claims Chairez contacted her patients fabricating damaging stories about her, and even tried to sleep with them. At times, he allegedly became aggressive and threatened her to take his own life or leave her for another woman. She said his mood swings became more frequent around the time he began injecting anabolic substances and/or steroids for exercise. Chairez reportedly blackmailed her, claiming he had a heart condition after undergoing liposculpture procedures and hair transplants. Gloria Valentina Mendez Arambula has accused her ex, Cristian Janet Montenegro Chairez, of domestic violence Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo) According to local media reports, Chairez forced Arambula to cover the full cost of their wedding and the medical expenses during her pregnancy. I wanted to build a family, believing that he would heal, but that wasnt the case. Everything got worse his erratic behavior as well, the psychologist told La Jornada in an interview published on Sunday (January 4). After the baby was born, Arambula said Chairez never showed any emotion or affection toward the child. Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo) One night, she confronted Chairez after allegedly finding him covering the babys mouth while the infant was crying. I was afraid to fall asleep in case he decided to harm my baby, Arambula told the outlet. The following day ,he began sending her aggressive text messages, claiming the baby was not his and calling Arambula a wh*re. I dont want to have anything to do with that girl anymore. Shes not my daughter, Chairez reportedly said. Arambula and Chairez are involved in a legal battle over custody and financial support for a 4-year-old girl Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo) The former couple is now embroiled in a legal dispute over custody and child support for the 4-year-old girl. At one of the dozens of hearings, Chairez requested to be treated with a gender perspective, as per La Jornada. When I asked the judge for a gender perspective because Im a victim, Cristian said that hes also a woman and requested a gender perspective as well, presenting his new birth certificate stating that his s*x is female, Arambula recounted. Jaime Romero Maldonado, the Fourteenth Judge of Control and Oral Trial, fell silent. He didnt know what to do. He treated Cristian as if he were a woman and charged me with the alleged crime of child abduction, without any investigation. A legal process is supposed to seek the truth, but thats not how it is. Chairez reportedly presented a new birth certificate that read female Image credits: Municipios Puebla Under Mexican law, both parents have a legal obligation to financially support their children, regardless of their marital status, orientation, or gender identity. There have been similar cases in Mexico, including one in 2021 when Jalisco states Family Court rejected a parents request to be exempted from child support on the grounds of having changed their gender, reported local outlet Municipios Puebla. Arambula criticized judicial authorities in Durango, saying they are enabling a mentally ill person to play legal games and mock both her and the system. All the cases he files move forward quickly, while my complaints about domestic violence do not progress, the distressed mother said. It remains unclear how the lawyer changing his gender would exempt him from paying child support. Arambula further alleged that Chairez used his influence to ensure that a highly misogynistic judge who was a friend of his would not formally charge him. Though he denies being the girls father, Chairez filed a lawsuit against his ex accusing her of abducting the child Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo) According to Arambula, her ex-husband made a series of false accusations against her and tried to have the 4-year-old taken away from her, despite claiming he is not the childs father. He has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the mother for the alleged abduction and retention of a minor after she failed to take the girl to a visitation center on one occasiona place where, she says, Chairez himself refuses to go. He doesnt show up, but if I miss an appointment, Im threatened with having her taken away from me. Image credits: Municipios Puebla In August 2023, the psychologist began a relationship with another man, Edgar Alan Corona Muniz. However, six months later, she also sued him for domestic violence. She said that while recovering from one of the injuries allegedly inflicted by Muniz, she discovered a photo he had taken with Chairez. Arambula, a psychologist, reportedly lost her job after Chairez harassed her and her colleagues Image credits: Facebook The two aggressors posted a photo together, as if it were an achievement. To carry out violence against me through Edgar Alan, Cristian was in communication with him. There is moral harm, the therapist told La Jornada. Their complicity in causing permanent damage to me and my inner circle is evident, affecting each and every sphere of my life, while the justice system continues to fail to protect me. Image credits: Unsplash (Not the actual photo) Arambula worked as a psychologist at the State Executive Commission for Victim Assistance (Ceeav) in Durango, an agency that reportedly dismissed her after Chairez showed up at her office and harassed both her and her co-workers. It is unclear whether the certificate presented by Cristian Janet Montenegro Chairez is authentic. In the absence of any public statements from Chairez, it remains unknown whether the lawyer identifies as a woman or uses female pronouns. Netizens were quick to call out what they viewed as child support evasion Semi trucks in green, blue and red are parked side by side in a lot. Photo: Kelly / Pexels (The Center Square) Review of North Carolinas nondomiciled commercial drivers licenses shows 54% were illegally issued. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration analysis sets up withholding of $50 million in federal funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Neither first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein nor state Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Paul Tine have publicly commented on the report. The level of noncompliance in North Carolina is egregious, Administrator Derek Barrs of the motor carrier administration said. Under Secretary Duffy, we will not hesitate to hold states accountable and protect the American people." U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added, North Carolinas failure to follow the rules isnt just shameful it's dangerous. Im calling on state leadership to immediately remove these dangerous drivers from our roads and clean up their system. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says: Drivers whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired. Drivers who were ineligible from holding a non-domiciled commercial CDL. Drivers without North Carolina first verifying the individuals lawful presence in the U.S. For North Carolina to prevent federal funding from being withheld, the Department outlined the following corrective actions: Immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs. Identify all unexpired nondomiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations. Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements. Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of nondomiciled CDLs that did not meet Federal rules. Oversight of commercial drivers licensing programs drew increased scrutiny across the nation in 2025, punctuated in North Carolina by 78 removed from a federal registry. An eastern North Carolina Baptist church, the Head Start program and a community college are among the entities with involuntary closures of CDL training programs in North Carolina, research from TCS shows. Of the 3,015 training providers for commercial drivers licenses removed from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry, 61 in North Carolina were involuntary and 17 voluntary. Another 86 were among the nationwide 4,554 put on notice for potential noncompliance, TCS research shows. The auditing process has been ongoing throughout the second term of Republican President Donald Trump. Increased scrutiny of CDL licensure programs happened after triple-fatal crashes 66 days apart involving 18-wheelers in Florida and California. For Congress, safety is paramount in the discussion. Collateral damage, however, includes American truckers losing jobs and experiencing wage reductions from less expensive labor invading their home soil. The New York City Police Department is investigating two fatal shootings involving local police that took place just several hours apart on Jan. 8, including one at a hospital involving a knife-wielding man. The first shooting took place inside a barricaded Brooklyn hospital room, NYPD Assistant Chief Charlie Minch, chief of patrol for Brooklyn South, told reporters during a news conference, and the second shooting took place in the West Village and involved a vehicle crash. "In these tragic cases, as with every police-involved shooting, the NYPD will conduct an exhaustive investigation and review," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote in a post on X referencing both shootings. Tisch said officers saved patients and staff at a hospital from an armed and emotionally disturbed man who was threatening to kill them. New York Police Department Assisant Chief Charlie Minch, chief of patrol for Brooklyn South, addresses reporters during a news conference after a police fatally shot a man inside a Brooklyn hospital on Jan. 8, 2026. "Make no mistake about it: the people trapped in the room with the armed and violent subject were in imminent danger," the commissioner wrote. Feds ID 2 shot on Oregon: The suspects were shot by Border Patrol agents in Portland Neither shooting in New York City is tied to protests occurring over the recent shootings by federal immigration agents, police confirmed to USA TODAY. Shooting inside Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Just before 5:30 p.m., officers responded to multiple 911 calls for a report of a "violent male" with a weapon inside Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, police said. Police told USA TODAY in an email that arriving officers found a 62-year-old male with a sharp weapon in a room with two other people, and gave numerous verbal commands for the individual to drop the weapon. Police said when the man "moved towards the officers," police deployed Tasers, but they were ineffective. When the man advanced again, officers shot him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and the weapon was recovered. As of Jan. 9, police had not released the identity of the man killed, and the shooting remained under investigation. Shooting in West Village In a separate incident several hours later, Tische said, officers were confronted by a man stepping out of a vehicle and pointing what appeared to be a gun. Just before 11 p.m., officers in the vicinity of Bedford Street and 6th Avenue were approached by an individual regarding a motor vehicle collision where a person reportedly involved fled the scene. Officers located the driver and vehicle in question and, police reported, the 37-year-old driver exited the vehicle and pointed a firearm at the officers. Officers then fired multiple rounds, striking the man in the arm and back, police said. The man was taken to a hospital, where he later died, police said. In her post on Jan. 8, Tisch wrote the firearm was later determined to be a Sig Sauer air pistol. That shooting also remained under investigation by local authorities on Jan. 9. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC police kill two people in Brooklyn, West Village incidents California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, June 1, 2019. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped from Original Editor's note: This story was updated since its initial publication with information from the White House. (The Center Square) U.S. First Assistant Attorney Bill Essayli Thursday called California Gov. Gavin Newsom the king of fraud, accusing him of a lack of oversight on spending to address homelessness. Essayli made the comments on the Fox and Friends telecast, during which he discussed the federal fraud charges that were filed in October against real estate executives Steven Taylor and Cody Holmes for allegedly misusing grant money meant for homeless housing. Holmes, 31, of Beverly Hills was charged with mail fraud charge that was allegedly linked to millions of dollars in grant money that the state paid Shangri-La Industries to purchase, build and operate homeless housing in Thousand Oaks, just north of Los Angeles. Holmes was Shangri-Las chief financial officer. Taylor, 44, of Brentwood, was charged with seven counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of money laundering. Essayli Thursday said the charges are the "tip of the iceberg" in an investigation he launched with a task force in April. He said more charges would be coming, probably later this month. The state spent $24 billion in the last five years to address homelessness and cant account for where the money went, Essayli said on "Fox and Friends." President Donald Trump on Tuesday on X said, California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if thats possible??? The Fraud investigation of California has begun. Newsoms press office fired back on X. It called Trump a liar and noted Newsom has BLOCKED $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers, and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses, and pardons. The Center Square reached out Thursday afternoon to the governors office, but did not get a response. When The Center Square asked the White House Thursday about Newsom, the press office pointed to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments during a press briefing on Wednesday. Leavitt told reporters that Trump has directed all agencies to look at federal spending programs "in not just Minnesota, but also in the state of California, to identify fraud and to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, all those who have committed it." The Center Square also reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice, but spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy said the DOJ had no additional comment. But two Republican legislators in Sacramento Thursday shared their views about Newsom with The Center Square. "When you talk about the amounts of billions of dollars the governor's spent in homelessness, he could almost buy a home for every homeless person, state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told The Center Square at the Capitol after Newsoms final State of the State address. There's no question there is waste in there, and certainly, we need to look to see if there's fraud and abuse, Strickland said. So I welcome the investigation, because we need to maximize every dollar that comes into the state coffers." Strickland stressed he wants to learn the truth. "Those who abused the power and those who wasted dollars and abused tax dollars should be prosecuted, he said. Then we should root out waste, because every dollar that is wasted is a dollar that we take from a hard-working citizen who is just trying to make it. In California right now, we have an affordability crisis and these are precious dollars, and by Gov. Newsom's own admission, revenues are up, so California doesn't have a revenue problem, Strickland said. It has a wasteful spending problem." Izzy Swindler, a spokesperson for Assemblymember Tom Lackey, said the Palmdale Republican has always supported oversight on spending. It is his belief that we should be accountable to our dollars and be able to track the results that come from the taxpayer funded programs, Swindler said, answering The Center Squares questions by email. Accountability should always be at the forefront of discussions. Especially when we are referring to homelessness programs that have been allocated billions of dollars over the past few years. Madeline Shannon, a staff writer with The Center Square, contributed to this report. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack, officials said Friday, killing at least four people in the capital. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a powerful, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyivs NATO allies. The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck. Europes leaders condemned the attack as escalatory and unacceptable, and the European Union's top foreign policy envoy said Russian President Vladimir Putins reply to diplomacy was more missiles and destruction. The attack also coincides with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. It comes as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he is on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package meant to economically cripple Moscow, which has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine. Kyiv apartment buildings left without heat Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 25 wounded in Kyiv as apartment buildings were struck overnight. Those killed included an emergency medical aid worker, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. Four doctors and one police officer were injured while responding to the attacks, authorities said. About half of snowy Kyivs apartment buildings nearly 6,000 were left without heat amid daytime temperatures of about minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 Fahrenheit), Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Water supplies also were disrupted. Municipal services restored power and heat to public facilities, including hospitals and maternity wards, using portable boiler units, he said. The attack damaged the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who noted that Qatar has played a key role in mediating the exchange of prisoners of war. He called for a clear response from the international community, particularly from the U.S., which he said Russia takes seriously. Moscow says attack was retaliation Ukraines Security Service said it identified debris from the Oreshnik missile in the Lviv region in the country's west. It was fired from Russias Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia and targeted civilian infrastructure, investigators said. I heard a loud, shocking explosion, and its normal at this time of the war to hear these things here," said Lviv resident Kristofer Chokhovich, who said he was an American. "I just want everyone in the world to know that Ukraine is strong and we dont care how many missiles you send. Another resident, Ulyana Fedun, described the attack as very unpleasant but not scary because weve been living in this state for four years. Russias Defense Ministry said the attack was a retaliation to what Moscow claimed was a Ukrainian drone strike on one of Putins residences last month. Both Trump and Ukraine rejected the Russian claim. Moscow didnt say where the Oreshnik hit, but Russian media and military bloggers said it targeted an underground natural gas storage facility in the Lviv region. Western military aid flows to Ukraine from a supply hub in Poland just across the border. Putin has previously said the Oreshnik streaks to its target at Mach 10, like a meteorite, and is immune to any missile defense system. Several of them used in a conventional strike could be as devastating as a nuclear attack, according to Putin, who has warned the West that Russia could use it against allies of Kyiv that allow it to strike inside Russia with longer-range missiles. Ukrainian intelligence says the missile has six warheads, each carrying six submunitions. Russia first used the Oreshnik missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. Analysts say it gives Russia a new element of psychological warfare, unnerving Ukrainians and intimidating Western countries that aid Ukraine. Ukraine seeks international support Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine would be initiating international action in response to the use of the missile, including an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council and a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. The Security Council scheduled a Monday afternoon meeting on Ukraine. Such a strike close to EU and NATO border is a grave threat to the security on the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. We demand strong responses to Russias reckless actions, he said in a post on X. Ukraines request for an emergency meeting of the Security Council has been conveyed to the council, and six of the 15 members have called for a meeting on Monday, but no date has been set yet, a U.N. diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private. Pope Leo XIV, speaking at the Vatican, urged the international community to keep pushing for peace and end the suffering in Ukraine. Faced with this tragic situation, the Holy See strongly reiterates the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire, and for dialogue motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace, the pontiff told ambassadors to the Vatican from around the world. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany said they spoke about the attack and deemed it escalatory and unacceptable. EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the Oreshnik launch was meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S. Putin doesnt want peace, Russias reply to diplomacy is more missiles and destruction, Kallas wrote on social media. Attacks hit Kyiv apartment blocks Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the overnight attack, according to Tkachenko, the city's military administration chief. In the Desnyanskyi district, a drone crashed onto the roof of a multistory building and the first two floors of another residential building were damaged. In the Dnipro district, parts of a drone damaged a multistory building and a fire broke out. Dmytro Karpenko's windows were shattered in the attack on Kyiv. When he saw that his neighbor's house was burning, he rushed to help him. What Russia is doing, of course, shows that they do not want peace. But people really want peace, people are suffering, people are dying," the 45-year old said. ___ Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kyiv, Ukraine, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, accompanied by military personnel and their families, attends an Orthodox Christmas service at a church in Moscow Region, Russia, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russia on Thursday strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker, heralding a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington that could spread to other areas and affect President Donald Trump's efforts to persuade Russia to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine. The seizure Wednesday of the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic "can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a visible lowering of the threshold for the use of force against peaceful shipping, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russian President Vladimir Putin hasnt yet commented on the seizure of the tanker and has remained silent about the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, which his diplomats have denounced as a blatant act of aggression. But while the Russian president has avoided any criticism of Trump, the seizure of the tanker by the U.S. military represents a new challenge for the Kremlin. Hawkish commentators in Moscow criticized the government for failing to mount a quick response and argued that Russia should deploy its naval assets to protect ships of the shadow fleet. Ukraines Western allies long have promised to tighten sanctions on the shadow fleet of tankers that Russia has used to carry its oil to global customers, and many observers in Moscow warned that the U.S. action could set a precedent for other nations. Besides its tough rhetoric, Russia has few options when considering how to respond to the seizure, according to Daniel Fried, an assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs during the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The Russians tend to scream and yell when theyve been embarrassed, and theyve been embarrassed in this case because Russian power is not what Vladimir Putin makes it out to be, Fried said. They couldnt do anything about this ship. The U.S. European Command said the merchant vessel Bella 1 was seized Wednesday for violations of U.S. sanctions. When the U.S. started pursuing the tanker last month after it tried to evade a blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela, it was renamed Marinera and flagged to Russia. Trumps administration has enforced an oil embargo on Venezuela, and the Energy Department says the only oil transported in and out of Venezuela will be through approved channels consistent with U.S. law and national security interests. How Russia sees the US military action The Foreign Ministry said the U.S. attempt to frame the seizure of the tanker as part of a broad effort to establish control over Venezuelas oil riches was an utterly cynical reflection of neo-colonial ambitions. The ministry described it as a gross violation of international maritime law and insisted the ship had a permit to sail under the Russian flag issued in December. It said U.S. threats to prosecute the crew under absurd pretexts were categorically unacceptable. It said sanctions imposed unilaterally by the U.S. and other Western countries were illegitimate and could not serve as justification to seize vessels on the high seas. Washingtons willingness to generate acute international crisis situations, including in relation to already extremely strained Russian-American relations, which are burdened by disagreements from past years, is a cause for regret and concern," the ministry said. The White House declined to comment Thursday when asked about the Foreign Ministrys statement. The tankers seizure drew angry comments from Russian military bloggers, some of whom accused the Kremlin of failing to mount a stronger response to the U.S. action. Many criticized the military for failing to quickly dispatch a warship to escort the tanker. Some proposed deploying teams of military contractors on shadow fleet ships to prevent such seizures in the future. Alexander Kots, a military correspondent for the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid, argued that the Kremlins failure to forcefully respond to the tankers seizure could embolden the U.S. and other Western nations to impound more ships. Facing a bully who feels all-powerful, we must slap him across the face, Kots wrote. A countering view Fried said Russia has little credibility when it comes to complaints about international law, given its invasion of Ukraine. Russias claim to the ship is also tenuous, he noted, given that it was only given a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag late last month. If you talk about this legally, its a complicated issue. If you talk about this strategically, the Russians are badly overextended and vulnerable, said Fried, now with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. They are hanging on to a war in Ukraine that they are not winning their economy is hurting. He said while it was possible Moscow would react to the tanker's seizure by plotting an attack on U.S. interests, Putin may not want to risk antagonizing Trump. Putin has gotten further with Trump when he flatters him, Fried said. As the tensions over the ships seizure flared, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said Wednesday that Trump has greenlit a Russia sanctions bill intended to economically cripple Moscow that has been in the works for months. ___ Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this story. Octopuses are widely known for their intelligence, including problem-solving, tool use, and complex hunting behavior. For years, that intelligence was thought to operate almost entirely in isolation, with most octopus species spending their lives alone. That view started to change when marine researchers recorded gloomy octopuses repeatedly living side by side off the coast of Australia. Researchers began noticing that dens were packed far closer together than chance would suggest, with piles of shells accumulating instead of dispersing. Over time, these sites showed repeated use, shared shelter, and regular encounters between individual octopuses. The pattern suggested sustained interaction rather than coincidence, prompting scientists to reconsider the long-held belief that octopuses typically live alone. A Discovery That Changed the Narrative Image via Getty Images/Veni The site is located in Jervis Bay, along the southeastern coast of Australia. Marine biologists first observed it in 2009 and later confirmed its significance through repeated studies. The area became known as Octlantis, a dense settlement occupied by gloomy octopuses living far closer together than expected. Researchers observed between 10 and 15 octopuses sharing a relatively small patch of seafloor. These animals did far more than tolerate each others presence. They mated, fought, communicated through physical contact, and pushed rivals out of dens. The interactions occurred often enough to rule out coincidence. This was noteworthy because gloomy octopuses were long believed to interact only during brief mating encounters. Octlantis proved that assumption incomplete. How Shells Built the City The layout of Octlantis formed through a chain reaction driven by daily behavior. Octopuses hunted for food in nearby waters, dragged prey back to their dens, and discarded shells outside after eating. Over time, those shells piled up. That shell bed stabilized soft sediment that usually collapses under movement. With a firmer base, octopuses could carve out more dens, and more dens attracted more occupants. Shelter also played a vital role. Predators often cruised the area, and solid dens provided protection. Food remained plentiful, but safe hiding spots stayed limited. Living close became a tradeoff that favored survival, even with constant friction. Life Inside Octlantis Close quarters came with tension. Researchers recorded frequent aggression, including den evictions and physical restraint. Some octopuses appeared far more active than others, regularly leaving their dens to interact or assert control. Others stayed tucked away, avoiding conflict when possible. Despite the risk, the octopuses continued returning to the same dens. That consistency suggested the benefits outweighed the costs. Shelter security mattered more than solitude. This behavior also allowed scientists to observe octopuses interacting repeatedly over time, something that is rarely possible in the wild. Octopuses change color and pattern constantly, making long-term tracking difficult. At Octlantis, proximity made recognition easier and behavior patterns clearer. The site also confirmed that Octlantis was not a fluke. A nearby settlement called Octopolis showed similar traits years earlier. Together, the sites suggested a repeatable pattern rather than a one-time anomaly. Scientists still debate why these cities form and how often they appear. Continued research aims to determine how long these settlements persist and how they impact learning and behavior across generations. What remains clear is that octopuses respond to their surroundings with flexibility and problem-solving abilities that rival those of many vertebrates. Octlantis offered proof that even creatures known for solitude adapt when survival demands it. Ekaterina Kubatina | kubatina.com / Getty Images Key Points A 2025 study by Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts suggests that hybrid proteins blends of plant-, mushroom-, insect-, and cultivated-meat sources could balance nutrition, flavor, and sustainability. Researchers found that combining different protein types can help overcome the shortcomings of each, including cost, texture, and environmental impact. The study highlights that hybrid foods may deliver the taste and texture consumers crave while reducing the carbon footprint and production challenges associated with single-source proteins. It feels like everyone, everywhere, all at once, is on a quest to find the perfect protein. And that vibe may be right on the money. Cargill's 2025 Protein Profile found that consumers are eating more protein than ever, with 61% reporting increased protein intake in 2024, up from 48% in 2019. The type of protein people choose can matter, especially given Consumer Reports' finding that many protein powders contain high levels of lead. But as a new study by authors at Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts found, there is no single "right" protein. Instead, we should be aiming for a mix. In 2025, researchers published their findings in Frontiers in Science, exploring how "hybrid" proteins could benefit human health and the planet. That means creating protein sources that draw on the best of each category, such as the "fibrous texture" of mushrooms, the "nutritional qualities" of cultivated meat, the "sustainability" of insects, and the low cost of plants. Hybrid foods could give us delicious taste and texture without breaking the bank or the planet, David L. Kaplan from Tufts University, and co-author of the study, shared in a statement. Using protein alternatives neednt necessarily come with financial, taste, or nutritional costs. To understand how each can work in tandem, the researchers reviewed various protein sources, including plant-based soy products, processed insect-based flours, vegan mushroom proteins, cultivated meats, and fermented products. For each product, they explained, they assessed the literature on its "strengths and weaknesses" when used with or without meat. They found that plant protein is often easy to produce at a reasonable price point but may lack the texture and flavor of meat that consumers are looking for, while cultivated meat can match that flavor profile, but is far too expensive right now to produce at scale. However, the authors argued that by combining them into a single product (think burgers made with meat and soy, or a small percentage of cultivated meat alongside mushroom protein, mixed together with flour made from insects), we could create a protein that is tastier, healthier, and has a smaller carbon footprint. Related: Goodbye Sugar, Hello Steak: The 20252030 Dietary Guidelines Take US Nutrition in a New Direction No single alternative protein source is perfect, but hybrid products give us the opportunity to overcome those hurdles, creating products that are more than the sum of their parts, David Julian McClements from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and co-author of the study, explained. This isn't a hype dream, as the team also pointed to earlier studies showing that manufacturers could replace a "substantial" amount of animal meat in burgers with plant proteins without altering consumer perception of the product. However, they caution that there is still a long way to go in both scientific research and consumer product testing to get the combination just right. As Kaplan noted, To succeed, we need research and cooperation across science, industry, and regulators to improve quality, scale production, and earn consumer trust." Read the original article on Food & Wine